My stepsisters are sexy demons, and I must protect them

Hakuto opens his eyes.

He’s lying on the big double bed in Kagura’s room.

The scene feels familiar—it’s just like what happened after the training with Shin.

Chantal lies next to him—she’s naked.

She hasn’t woken up yet.

Even with the confusion clouding his mind, Hakuto remembers it clearly.

Her body, burned and wounded from head to toe.

That image is burned into his memory.

Seeing her now calms him a little.

There are still marks from the brutal fight with Ana and Frank.

But they are fewer, and not as bad as that night.

Her chest rises and falls, very slowly.

But she’s breathing.

That alone is enough to push away the worst fears—the ones that struck him when he saw her unconscious.

His wounds aren’t as bad as Chantal’s.

But his body is still in bad shape.

A deep fit in the chest makes every breath painful.

His head throbs—there’s a wound that hasn’t healed yet.

Sharp fits strike his limbs every time he tries to move.

Kagura sits on a stool beside the bed—she’s on Hakuto’s left side.

She looks clearly exhausted.

Her eyes are heavy, like those of someone who hasn’t slept in days.

Hakuto understands right away.

Kagura must have used her healing magic non-stop for who knows how long.

No wonder she’s pushed to her limit.

«I’m happy to see that you’ve awakened and that you’re okay...» the woman murmurs.

Her voice is sleepy.

A faint smile appears on her lips, followed by a long yawn.

«I’m fine, but she...» Hakuto says, his eyes turning to Chantal.

His gaze is full of sadness.

«...how long until she recovers...?»

Kagura shakes her head.

«Unfortunately, I can’t even tell you...Considering everything her body went through, it’s a miracle she’s still alive...»

She lets out a heavy sigh and looks away from Hakuto. «...but despite that, I’d be giving you false hope if I told you she will awaken...»

Hakuto widens his eyes, tears quickly filling them.

Kagura’s words strike him like a bolt of lightning.

«...I’m doing everything possible to speed up the natural process of human body regeneration. But even the most powerful healing magics have a limit beyond which it’s impossible to act. The only certainty I can give you is that, even in the event she does wake up, her body will be so weak that she will no longer be able to fight...»

At that point, Hakuto can no longer hold back his tears.

They start to flow without end, streaking down his cheeks.

The pain in his chest grows heavier when his breath becomes a sob.

Just the thought of the pain Chantal will feel when she wakes up—he’s sure she will!—destroys him.

Knowing she’ll never be a Monster Reaper again rips him apart.

That was her life. Her future.

She was one of the most promising Monster Reapers of her generation.

She had a bright future ahead—until it was all destroyed in one night.

All gone.

Hakuto fears Chantal won’t be able to handle such news.

Guilt eats away at him from the inside.

Everything that happened that night wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t gone out with Ana—he can’t forgive himself.

«...Yuzu, Rika... how are they instead...?» he asks her, his voice trembling.

«They’re fine.Yuzu only needed a few hours of rest—she was exhausted, but she had no injuries. As for Rika... well, you know better than I do—she’s the only good thing that came out of this. With the power she got thanks to you, I’m sure tragedies like this won’t happen again... I’ll never be grateful enough for protecting them...» Kagura concludes, placing her hand on Hakuto’s left hand and squeezing it softly, full of gratitude.

«I see... fortunately, at least they’re okay... and dad?» Hakuto asks—his voice low.

«Shin left the house three days ago after interrogating Ana for almost two days straight. He told me to heal her just enough to keep her alive. Now she’s locked in the basement, guarded closely by my daughters.I’ve never seen him so furious, so desperate... if Chantal is here, it’s only because he pledged his very life to Vincent Carreuax—her father and a dear friend of Shin—that nothing would happen to her.

You can imagine how your father must be feeling now... He said he needed to let off steam, and he hasn’t come back or called since then...»

All that information goes in and out of Hakuto’s mind without sticking.

Shin left three days ago after two days of interrogation.

That means Hakuto has been lying in bed for five days before waking up.

If he realized it, he’d be shocked.

But right now, his mind is somewhere else, just like his eyes, locked on Chantal.

He slowly moves his right hand toward hers.

Her hand is weak and cold.

His fingers intertwine lightly with hers.

It was Rika who defeated Frank.

But it was only possible because Chantal kept him busy.

She gave them the time to fully consummate their bond and awaken Rika’s full power.

Without Chantal’s sacrifice—she never backed down, even when she could barely stand—they would all be dead.

He looks at her.

With love, with gratitude, with admiration.

When... freёnovelkiss.com

...Chantal’s face twists.

An expression of sharp pain spreads across it.

A heartbreaking scream escapes from her mouth.

So sharp and piercing that Hakuto feels like it scrapes his bones.

She begins to vomit black blood.

But Chantal is still unconscious.

Kagura moves instantly to stop the blood from suffocating her.

She turns Chantal’s head to the left.

The thick, dark liquid pours onto the right side of the mattress.

Hakuto freezes in place.

He squeezes her hand even tighter, as if he’s saying goodbye.

Never before has the fear of losing her forever been so strong.

A sharp fit pierces his chest.

His heart twists in pain, mirroring Chantal’s suffering.

Immediately, Kagura starts using her healing magic.

She begins to spread her miraculous bright pink saliva over Chantal’s battered body.

She licks her abdomen frantically, her movements hurried.

It’s a real race against time.

Kagura’s tongue slides up to her chest, spreading the bright saliva over Chantal’s breast.

Finally, she reaches Chantal’s neck.

Then she retraces her path, going back down to the abdomen and climbing up again.

She repeats this several times, until the blood vomiting stops.

Chantal’s breathing finally becomes normal and steady.

Hakuto’s heartbeat also calms, filled with deep concern for her.

Finally, Kagura collapses forward.

Her body drops at the feet of the two youths, completely exhausted.

The speed with which Kagura acted—the certainty of where to apply the healing—Hakuto realizes it instantly.

This isn’t the first time Chantal has had this reaction.

Kagura’s exhaustion, her eyes that look like they haven’t seen sleep for days...

She has been watching over Chantal since that night five days ago, never stopping, never letting herself rest.

She knows she can’t afford it.

Now, Hakuto can only pray to the God of Light to save Chantal’s life.