My stepsisters are sexy demons, and I must protect them

«Of course, you guys really had a rough time against Frank. If I have to be honest, I would never have bet a Yen on the fact that you would manage to defeat a demon with that kind of power,» Itsu comments with far too much lightness.

He throws a baseball at Hakuto at crazy speed.

Hakuto catches it in mid-air without any problem and he throws it back at the same speed.

It’s a pastime, but at the same time a training to improve reflexes and for the self-control of their strength.

The two are doing it in the immense garden of the Kurotsuki’s villa on a boring early June afternoon.

With Chantal still bedridden and Kagura watching over her, only the two of them are left.

Rika and Yuzu are busy guarding Ana.

Fearing an enemy attack, they are forced to stay on guard.

«Not to mention the fact that you all managed to come out of it alive... it’s amazing!» Itsu adds with an enthusiasm completely out of place.

«Almost all...» Hakuto clarifies with an evident note of melancholy.

He is talking about Chantal, whose condition worries him so much that he now spends most of the day lying next to her.

He talks to her, apologizes for what happened, and cries.

He caresses her hair and, when he can no longer stay awake, he falls asleep next to her.

Even now, he would like to be there with her, but Kagura has urged him, with a certain insistence, to get some fresh air and distract himself for a moment.

«That girl is strong, much more than you can imagine. Believe me, I fought against her, I know what I’m talking about. I’m sure it takes much more than that to knock her out,» Itsu replies in a sure and cheerful tone - he tries to pass that same confidence to Hakuto.

But it works very little.

Not even the loving attentions of his beloved stepsisters have managed to chase away those thoughts - let alone Itsu’s word.

Itsu, after blocking Hakuto’s throw, throws the ball back at him for the umpteenth time. This time, Itsu miscalculates the strength. The ball makes an arc that is too high for Hakuto to reach.

It goes in the direction of the main entrance of the villa, behind Hakuto.

When Hakuto turns to go get the ball, he is left speechless – his eyes glisten.

On the doorstep, with the baseball held tightly in the right hand – stopped without any problem – there is Chantal.

Astonishment and happiness explode inside Hakuto in a single instant.

He wants to say something.

Actually, he wants to say a thousand things, but the words all get stuck in his throat, blocked.

She is wearing very short shorts and a sports band covering her chest.

Most of her skin is therefore clearly visible, and Hakuto’s joy becomes, if possible, even more intense when he sees that her skin has almost completely returned to normal.

It is slightly blackened and burnt in some spots on her belly and arms – those in close contact with the electric tentacles summoned by Ana.

Her veins, although not charcoal-colored like that night, are still quite dark.

From her expression, it is clear that she still feels a lot of pain.

But despite everything, she is still alive.

She has been able to walk all the way there and even block Itsu’s throw.

It’s a real miracle, considering the situation she was in until the day before. frёeωebɳovel.com

A miracle that is all thanks to Kagura.

Chantal marches towards Hakuto – her gaze is firm, serious, and fixed straight ahead. Hakuto goes to meet her.

He opens his arms to hug her.

But when they are just a step away from each other...

...she ignores him.

She keeps going straight.

She passes by him as if he were a ghost. Hakuto is left stunned.

He would have expected any kind of reaction from her – happiness, anger, disappointment, or even despair... anything, but not indifference.

Her gaze is even colder and more impassive than when they first saw each other again after six years.

Hakuto instantly understands that the goal of that determined and rigid walk of Chantal is not him, but Itsu.

That realization gives Hakuto an inexplicable weight in his chest.

A gurgle follows in his stomach.

~Why...? Why did she completely ignore me and go towards Itsu...? Maybe she hates me so much that she decided to erase me forever from her life...? Or maybe... that vegetative state of almost six days made her realize... that she loves Itsu...?! No, that would be ridiculous, come on...~

But when Chantal reaches Itsu – he looks at her with a puzzled expression as he sees her approaching – Hakuto understands that love has nothing to do with it.

He breathes a sigh of relief.

For some reason, it reassures him to know that his doubt, which now seems so absurd to him, was just the fruit of his imagination.

Chantal grabs Itsu by the collar of his t-shirt. She lifts him off the ground with a strength that doesn’t seem affected at all by that long convalescence.

«Chantal... what the hell are you doing?!» Hakuto exclaims, alarmed by that sudden threatening gesture – even though, deep down, he is happy to see her so lively.

He feared that, upon waking, she would fall into a deep depression after Kagura told her she would probably never be able to fight like before.

But instead, she is still the same overbearing Chantal.

But she continues to deliberately ignore him.

«Itsu, we need to have a little chat. And right now!» Chantal exclaims. Her voice is still slightly hoarse.

~A little chat with Itsu...? What the hell is that girl thinking...? Maybe she wants to confess to him and she’s staging all this just to spare my feelings...? Nah, she’s not the type to care about other people’s feelings. There’s definitely something else going on...~

Itsu – visibly frightened by Chantal’s cold gaze and her determination – complies without batting an eye.

He simply nods repeatedly. At that point, Chantal puts him back on the ground.

She then rubs repeatedly the arm with which she held him up.

It’s clear that the gesture was not as effortless and painless as she wanted to make it seem.

Finally, she almost seems to notice Hakuto’s existence only now.

«Woe to you if you follow us or if you blab anything to anyone! Or I swear on the God of Light, I’ll kill you with my own hands!»

Hakuto also simply nods without asking too many questions.

Chantal’s strength may have been severely compromised, but the terror she inspires with her gaze has remained practically unchanged.

In fact, it’s even more frightening.

Chantal drags Itsu by the wrist with force. The two of them disappear into the grove that makes up the immense garden.

They vanish among the trees under Hakuto’s confused gaze.

~What the hell is that girl up to...? And why does she want to talk to Itsu...?~

No matter how much he tries, Hakuto can’t find a single plausible explanation for Chantal’s strange behavior – for all that hurry to go away with Itsu.

Female screams full of panic and worry echo in the air a few minutes later.

But they don’t come from the woods. And it’s certainly not Chantal’s voice – it’s Kagura’s, and it comes from inside the house.

Immediately, alarmed by those screams, Hakuto darts towards the villa at full speed. But before he can enter, it’s Kagura herself who comes out.

«Where did she go? Where did she go?!» Kagura exclaims.

She looks around frantically with a shocked expression.

«Hakuto, have you seen Chantal? I can’t find her anywhere!»

Kagura is out of breath, and her eyes are glistening with tears.

«I was gone barely a minute – just enough time to go to the kitchen to get some water for Chantal – and when I came back, she was gone! Her condition, although improved, is still critical. Any small effort could compromise her health even more! If you’ve seen her, please, tell me!»

Hakuto hesitates for an instant.

~Now I understand why Chantal was in such a hurry and insisted that I didn’t tell anyone where she went... I promised her I’d keep my mouth shut, but I couldn’t imagine that she had escaped from Kagura’s care... I can’t let that hardheaded girl put her health at risk!~

Hakuto turns his gaze in the direction where Chantal and Itsu walked away. «She went that way.»