"Sister!"
Koneko's voice was filled with certainty and conviction. Her sharp feline eyes were fixed dead-on the woman she addressed as her sister.
"Sister—!"
Rias and Akeno were both shocked and immediately moved to stand protectively in front of Koneko, adopting a defensive posture.
Such an exaggerated reaction wasn't unreasonable from Rias and Akeno's perspective.
After all, the information they had received was the edited and revised version that circulated in the Underworld, where the woman before them was painted as a dangerous traitor.
"I told you I wasn't mentally prepared yet, and you still dragged me out here so forcefully. You really are a rough and reckless man, nyaa!"
Under the hostile gaze of her sister and the wary stares of Rias and the others, Kuroka still managed to lift her chin proudly, despite her unsteady legs.
But with her thighs completely numb and weak, she stumbled forward uncontrollably.
Falling back into that broad, warm chest, Kuroka didn't struggle or resist. Instead, she buried herself deeper, like a lazy kitten returning to its owner's lap.
"You were so forceful just now, and now you're being all sweet… what a contradictory man, nyaa!"
"Is that so? I don't think it's contradictory at all. I didn't hold back in bed because you provoked me. And as for dragging you out here—it's better to cut through the mess quickly and clear things up."
"Hurry up and explain. If you don't, I won't hold back."
Recalling all the vile things her sister had done in the past, Koneko's expression turned so dark that it seemed like storm clouds were about to rain from her face.
"Explain?"
Seeing her little sister's gloomy face, Kuroka blinked her violet eyes innocently, then gave a charming smile before suddenly pointing at herself and speaking to the room,
"Isn't it obvious? Come on, Shirone, call him 'Brother-in-law, nyaa~~'"
If this were an anime, Rias and the others would probably have turned to stone and shattered into pieces right about now.
"Wait a second…"
Rias held her temples, seemingly unable to believe what she had just heard, and asked Vitan again for confirmation.
"If my ears aren't deceiving me… did you just say you added Kuroka to your harem?"
Rias really wanted to help Vitan deny it, but seeing the man's face full of satisfaction instead of rejection, she realized it was undoubtedly true.
"Vitan, you haven't been away from devil society so long that you've forgotten what happened with the Naberius family, have you? That nekomata beside you is the same lost devil who killed her own master and abandoned her little sister without remorse."
As one of Vitan's women, Rias felt obligated to explain the danger of Kuroka's existence to him.
After all, she had just broken free from her engagement. The last thing she wanted was to become burdened again due to her protector's untimely demise.
"She's right, Sensei! You've probably been enchanted by my sister's spells! The President and I will now remove her from the premises, don't worry!"
Without hesitation, Koneko flung off her blanket and leapt off the bed, startling Asia—who nearly dropped the apple she was holding.
To Koneko, her sister was a frivolous and promiscuous cat.
That was partly why she herself detested anything related to intimacy or romance. It could be said that her personality was largely shaped by her childhood trauma caused by Kuroka.
But in truth, this was a misunderstanding about Kuroka's past.
Kuroka was not a flirtatious and easy woman—on the contrary, she valued her purity as a woman more than anyone.
Her seductive demeanor was nothing more than an act; she was simply playing a role.
"Hey, why are you all just talking over me?"
Radix, who had been standing silently behind Rias and the others, raised both hands the moment he received Vitan's command—pointing simultaneously at Rias, Akeno, and Koneko.
Click! Click! Click!
With three rapid shutter-like sounds, the time surrounding Rias and the others was immediately frozen by Vitan.
In the world of Trinity Seven, any grimoire capable of taking human form must also be capable of combat.
After all, if a grimoire can take form, that means it can generate its own magical energy.
With magical power now in hand, casting the magic he had recorded over time wasn't a difficult task.
"You guys need to calm down first. Let me start by clarifying—the incident involving Kuroka back then did happen for a reason."
"And that reason was that he was jointly suppressed by the Four Satans and the Devil Council at the time. What you've heard is merely a distorted version of the truth."
"Also, up until now, the only nekoshou that exists in this world is Koneko and Kuroka. That so-called third nekoshou who suddenly appeared—there's nothing more than deception behind it."
Since Rias's face was already showing signs of anger, Vitan didn't bother with theatrics. He simply dropped two points that were enough to instantly shut Rias up and make her listen calmly.
"You're saying there was an inside story about that incident back then?"
"Of course. Koneko, do you really believe that your sister—who cared for you since you were small, protected you, and stayed by your side—would abandon you just for the sake of gaining more power?"
Having temporarily settled Rias down, Vitan shifted his gaze to the little cat (Koneko) and continued.
"I…"
Koneko opened her mouth, trying to say something, but no words came out.
She herself couldn't understand why her sister, who had always shown her love, would suddenly change so drastically.
"No, regardless of her reasons, the fact that she abandoned me doesn't change."
She bit her tongue lightly, forcing away those unnecessary thoughts from her mind, and once again adopted a calm demeanor.
"What if abandoning you… was only to prevent you from living a life where you'd constantly be hunted, always on the run, facing death at every corner?"
With just that single line, Vitan easily broke through the facade Koneko had been maintaining.
He shot a glance at Radix, who instantly understood and released the bindings on Koneko and the others.
And in the very next moment, Kuroka let out a long sigh, as if trying to mentally prepare herself.
She knew—there was no escaping the truth today. After shooting Vitan a resentful glare,
"…I understand, Shirone. Your sister will explain everything clearly to you."