Kuoh Town.
Private Kuoh Academy.
Old school building — Occult Research Club room.
Rias sat on the soft leather sofa, staring at the message Lynn had sent her.
Curious, she tapped the photo and studied it carefully.
"…It really is a cat."
She spotted the cat ears on Midori Fuse's head, and the corners of her mouth lifted slightly.
But—
Where did Lynn find her?
What did he mean by my cat...
Was she added to his Peerage?
A cat-type Devil like Koneko?
Rias shook her head. She truly had no idea where Lynn kept finding such high-quality Peerage members.
As the owner of a cat-type Devil herself, she was very familiar with their traits.
Especially that infamous older sister of Koneko's, who'd made quite the name for herself.
Even though she killed her master and became a rogue Devil, her strength was undeniable.
Resting her chin on her hand, Rias drifted into thought.
Now it was a Cat Devil, before that an Angel Devil, and before that, an Archivist Devil…
Tsk.
Each one seemed like they came from powerful backgrounds.
She silently glanced around the empty clubroom.
Akeno was still experimenting with how to brew better black tea. Koneko, meanwhile...
Crunch, crunch…
Grinding her teeth.
Sigh…
When would her Occult Research Club ever fill up?
Crunch…
"…."
Rias glanced at Koneko with a sly smile. "Koneko, come take a look at something interesting."
Koneko: "?"
She blinked, confused, and walked over while munching on a bag of potato chips.
Just as she got close, Rias suddenly held her phone up to Koneko's face.
Koneko froze for a second, then focused on the screen.
Lynn: [Picture: Cat Confusion].jpg
Lynn: I have my own cat too!
Koneko instinctively tuned out her own master's messages.
All she saw were Lynn's.
And with that.
The devastating news hit her.
Pah—
Her eyes went blank, and the potato chips slipped from her hands.
Senpai… you have your own cat?
Feigning regret, Rias sighed, "What a pity, Koneko. Looks like Lynn has his own kitty now… Have you… fallen out of favor?"
Koneko stood frozen for a long moment.
Then, regaining her composure, she quietly bent down to pick up her chips.
But as she stood back up, she bit her lip slightly.
"Buchou, Lynn-senpai's Peerage should be almost full by now, right?"
Rias blinked in confusion.
Koneko added flatly, "Why is it that after a whole year, your Peerage still only has me and Akeno-senpai?"
Pfft—
Rias's smile twitched. It felt like a direct hit.
She opened her mouth to speak.
But couldn't find a single retort!
She slumped back onto the sofa in defeat, spiraling into silent depression.
Watching from the side, Akeno squinted and smiled playfully.
Ara ara~
For her to say that much in one go, it really wasn't like Koneko.
She was definitely...
Getting anxious.
…
After successfully landing a critical hit on her master, Koneko returned to her seat.
She popped another chip into her mouth, but it didn't taste like anything.
Like chewing wax.
Silently, she took out her phone and sent a message to Lynn.
Koneko: Senpai, are you free this weekend? Want to game?
Staring at the screen, Koneko felt her heart skip a beat.
Why do I feel… nervous?
Ding!
A message popped up.
Koneko instantly checked.
Lynn: No problem.
Hoo~
She let out a quiet sigh of relief.
—
Black Bullet World.
After replying to Koneko, Lynn continued performing the reincarnation ceremony for the remaining Cursed Children.
After some time.
All 113 children had been successfully reincarnated.
Once the equipment confirmed that the Gastrea virus was completely gone, the children burst into tears of joy.
The emotions they'd suppressed finally erupted all at once.
Lynn didn't stop them.
It was better for them to cry it out than bottle it up.
After today, they'd be able to start a new life.
Watching the Cursed Children excitedly flap their Devil wings and soar through the air, Lynn smiled faintly.
Midori Fuse held onto Lynn's index finger with her small hand, her eyes still a little red as she watched the scene.
Everyone... they were all saved.
But.
There were still so many Cursed Children out there, still suffering.
Thinking of that, she gripped Lynn's finger even tighter.
Feeling her hand tighten, Lynn gently patted her head with his other hand.
"Don't worry. Everything will be okay."
Hearing those words, Midori calmed down.
As if they carried some kind of magic.
"I'll do my best, Lord Lynn!"
Her eyes were filled with resolve.
This was the duty of all Cursed Children.
Lynn had accepted them, given them new power, and freed them from the agony of the Gastrea virus.
That alone was already an enormous kindness.
The task of finding more Cursed Children, she would take it upon herself!
After all, Lynn had given her stronger power.
And…
Her cheeks reddened slightly.
She'd also received Lord Lynn's affection…
Seeing her mood improve, Lynn shifted his focus back to himself.
A new skill had been added to his panel, [Cat Devil], Midori's unique ability.
In the [Evil Piece] space, Midori's presence had joined those orbiting his Demonic Chess set.
[Apoptosis Genome] (Incubating)
More genomes were collected, and the growth continued.
He still didn't know when it would finish…
Or what conditions had to be met.
As for his strength.
His level was still at the peak of Ultimate-Class Devil.
Even after reincarnating over a hundred children, there was no major qualitative jump.
But he could feel an increase in power.
Likely hovering right at the boundary of the next breakthrough.
This amount of growth from just a hundred children…
Was already ridiculous.
And in this world.
There were still millions waiting for him to pick them!
Hoo~
Lynn exhaled slowly, calming the heat surging in his heart.
He couldn't rely solely on reincarnating Cursed Children.
He needed to raise the quality of special Devils too!
He couldn't let Utaha and the others get too relaxed either.
—
Evening.
The Cursed Children's first dinner in the shelter.
The shadows that had once clouded their expressions had long been washed away.
Now, hope shone in their eyes.
"Master Lynn."
Just then.
Mahiru whispered into Lynn's ear, "The supplies delivered by the government are far below what the Seitenshi promised."
Lynn's face remained calm.
As if he'd expected it.
"Don't worry. I had Saeko collect supplies from the Zombie World before the Gate was built."
"For now, it's enough."
"But still…"
Lynn smirked slightly. Looks like it was time to give the Seitenshi a little nudge.
Lynn's Peerage Harem Group…
Let's wait for Lynn to bring it up to her directly.
(To be continued.)