Night fell.
After chatting with Rias, Roy wrapped up work early and headed home.
"Welcome back, Master," Shoko greeted, cleaning in her maid outfit.
After a two-day break, she'd resumed her role.
"Whoa! No way! Roy, you've got a maid?!" Rukia, trailing behind, gawked, circling Shoko.
As a Kuchiki heiress, Rukia had servants, but maids were a novelty.
In the living world, her maid curiosity was finally satisfied.
"Chill, don't creep her out like a perv," Roy said, grabbing Rukia's collar and pulling her back. To Shoko, he added, "This is Rukia Kuchiki, my current commission target."
"For some reasons, she'll be staying here temporarily."
"Just call me Rukia!" Rukia waved, chiming in.
Shoko relaxed, introducing herself.
They quickly hit it off, diving into maid talk.
Meanwhile, Roy slipped into Asia's room.
Her space was minimalist—basic essentials, a Bible on the desk, and a cross on the wall.
Though a devil now, Asia hadn't fully shed her old habits, often praying privately.
The tradeoff? Headaches she'd ask Roy to soothe with Senjutsu.
"Might as well fix it all now," Roy muttered, moving to the room's center to etch a magic circle.
Lacking formal soul magic training, he'd planned to ease Rukia's weakness with Senjutsu.
But he'd just had a better idea.
Carving the circle, Roy raised his hands.
Mana rose from his left, natural energy from his right.
As his hands met, the energies blended seamlessly, forming a gray fused energy.
Its volume was slightly less than the sum of both, but its quality was triple that of mana or natural energy.
Toying with it, Roy poured the fused energy into the circle.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
White light bloomed, the circle auto-gathering ambient natural energy.
Stepping inside, Roy felt the collected energy nurture his soul.
"Not bad. It worked."
Roy grinned, pleased.
This was his spur-of-the-moment plan: combining magic and Senjutsu via fused energy.
For now, it only made basic arrays with modest effects.
With time, crafting lethal moves wouldn't be hard.
Leaving the room, he called to the chatting duo. "Rukia, c'mere."
"Coming!" Rukia darted in, receiving Senjutsu while learning the array's use.
Meanwhile, Shoko, watching them enter, zoned out—a rare occurrence.
From their chat, she'd learned Rukia was no ordinary human but a Soul Reaper.
Soul Reaper, nekomata, devil princess, ex-Church saintess, fallen angel descendant…
Listing the women around Roy, Shoko realized a problem.
She had no edge.
Compared to Roy's powerful companions, she was just a normal human.
If more strong women joined him, then she…
"You okay? Feeling off?" Roy's voice snapped her out.
Shoko flinched, noticing Roy had approached.
"If you're unwell, just say so. Senjutsu's great for tuning the body," Roy said, channeling a white glow into her.
But he soon saw her body was fine.
Mentally, though, she was stressed, radiating unease.
Oh.
Staring for two seconds, Roy got it. "Shoko, good news."
"Good news?"
"Starting today, you're an esper."
"Huh?"
Shoko blinked, confused.
Roy didn't elaborate.
Opening his entry vault, he picked pre-selected entries and slapped them onto her.
[Entry granting successful. Click to view target panel.]
[Akiho Toyokawa]
[Race: Human]
[Strength: Level 2]
[Entries: Instrument Mastery (White), Mind's Eye (Green), Administrator (Green), Telekinesis (Blue)]
[Mind's Eye (Green): Slightly boosts perception, auto-warns of danger.]
[Administrator (Green): Slightly boosts management skills, reduces stamina drain by 20% in work mode.]
[Telekinesis (Blue): Wields telekinesis for attacks, deep mastery unlocks versatile uses.]
Roy gave her three entries.
Mind's Eye for danger alerts.
Administrator for work efficiency.
Telekinesis for combat and stalling enemies.
Together, they gave her decent fighting ability.
Shifting from the panel, Roy looked at her. "How's it feel?"
"…Like something's in me," Shoko said, sensing it late and testing her new telekinesis.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Telekinetic ripples spread from her, lifting living room objects into the air.
"Whoa! What's happening?!" Shoko yelped, startled.
"Relax, take it easy," Roy coached her on controlling it.
His stack of Gold and Red entries didn't mean Blue ones were weak.
Take Teruki Hanazawa, who'd mastered telekinesis in wild ways, all with just a Blue entry.
For a former normal like Shoko, losing control was expected.
With Roy's guidance, she quickly grasped the basics.
As objects settled, Shoko visibly relaxed.
Those weren't cheap.
Breaking them would've cost her a fortune.
"Don't chill yet. Your control's still rough," Roy said. "Besides stamina training, spend time practicing telekinesis."
"Got it," Shoko nodded earnestly.
She didn't know how Roy did it, but this new power felt strong.
To honor his effort, she vowed to master it.
"No need to go that hard," Roy said, noticing her self-imposed pressure via Senjutsu.
Pondering, he decided to shift her stress. "Shoko, new job for you."
"Name it."
"Warm my bed."
"Sure—wait, what?"
Shoko froze, realizing what she'd agreed to.
"W-Warm your bed?!"
"What, not up for it?"
"Well…"
After locking eyes for two seconds, Shoko lowered her head, blushing. "It's not… impossible."
"Then let's go. Relax tonight."
Roy pulled her into his room.
Too much stress and no security? Simple—inject a hefty dose of security.
Curtains drawn, the night unfolded.
Filled with security, Shoko soon drifted to sleep.
As the room quieted, a certain cat, sniffing opportunity, slunk in for energy.
Playing with the kitten till dawn, Roy wrapped up his extra training and left.
Sleep at four, up at four—Hades would praise his stamina.
Restored by Senjutsu, Roy jogged to Kuoh Academy, grabbing Gasper for the day's training.
Time passed, and four days later, it was the weekend.
Today, Sona was heading to the Underworld to bet against her fiancé for annulment.
Roy had planned to tag along for a Underworld stroll.
But yesterday, a message from London arrived.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Roy," Meredith greeted, stepping out of the airport.
She wore a cream lace dress, cinched with a dark brown belt, exuding refined elegance.
In small leather boots, she approached, flicking her long hair with a faint smile. "Sorting out Golden Dawn took time. Sorry to keep you waiting."
"Not long. Your timing's perfect."
Roy led her to a car, handing over a stack of files. "Akatsuki's basic intel. Take a look."
"Alright."
Meredith skimmed the data.
Akatsuki's roster, growth plans, primary targets…
Finishing the dense dozens of pages took an hour.
Setting them down, she mused, then asked, "Mr. Roy, I've got the gist of Akatsuki. What do I need to do?"
"Recruit members, manage affairs, and craft sealing tools for curses."
"Sealing tools… for evil spirits and cursed spirits?"
"Yup, so they need some strength."
After days of setup, Akatsuki was operational.
Centered in Japan, members spread globally, capturing cursed spirits and evil entities.
But most excelled in combat, not sealing.
Beating spirits was easy; sealing and shipping them to HQ was the issue.
Thus, Roy had only bagged a few weak spirits, yielding seven Green and mostly White entries.
Better than nothing, but it sparked his sealing tool idea.
Meredith, skilled in sealing magic, was perfect.
With focus, she might not craft tools for special-grade spirits or Menos Grandes, but ones for regular Hollows and Grade 1-2 spirits were doable.
Mass-produced, one per member, Roy's entry haul would spike.
"If time's tight, delegate management to Suzuki. Your priority is crafting sealing tools in a month. Can you do it?"
"Mr. Roy, you underestimate me," Meredith said, brimming with rare confidence. "Three days, and I'll have the first batch."
"That fast?"
"The principle's simple, and your standards are low. Three days is plenty."
"Then I'm looking forward to it."
Roy paused, adding, "If they're good, I'll boost your strength as a bonus."
No gain without risk.
Meredith craved power and recognition, so he'd dangle that carrot.
As expected, her drive surged.
Chatting, they reached a villa.
"Here's home," Roy said, leading her inside.
A cozy, decorated living room greeted them.
"Hm?" Meredith paused, scanning with a puzzled look. "Mr. Roy, is this a magic workshop?"
"Not quite. Just some defensive measures, just in case."
Two days ago, Rias hired Underworld renovators.
In twelve hours, the two-story villa gained four upper floors, seven basements, a hot spring, and various rooms.
Roy then layered defenses—dozens of magic wards and a Senjutsu array.
The array's natural energy offered perks: fatigue relief, physique boosts, faster stamina recovery, and better work focus.
Though modest, Rias and the others loved it.
"Your room's on the second floor."
After explaining the array, Roy led Meredith to a left-side room.
It was sparse—a wooden desk, chair, and a large double bed.
"Not knowing your tastes, Rias and I kept it minimal," Roy said. "Settle in, list what you need, and I'll cover it."
"This is plenty," Meredith said, satisfied.
As a mage, she preferred customizing her space.
Pulling three packed crates from her storage gear, she began unpacking.
"Need help?"
"No, Mr. Roy, go handle your stuff. I've got this."
"Knock it out, then."
Roy waved, leaving.
Just then, the villa's outer defense magic tripped.
Scanning with perception, Roy flashed to the front door.
"Didn't expect you to show up. What's the deal?"
"Hey, don't be so cold," Satoru Gojo grinned, one hand in his pocket. "It's been a while. Not gonna invite me in?"
---
If you want to read more than 20 chapters early feel free to visit pa tre on . com /Archus