Chapter 17: SS Christmas

Part 1

3rd Person POV

For some people, this day could be a day no different from any other, but for certain individuals, it would be another story. The Nekomata sisters, Kuroka and Shirone, were among those certain people.

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Different from usual, Kuroka woke up early, like, really early. It was a little difficult to contain her excitement. The sky was still dark so there was no sunlight. The room she shared with her precious imouto, their room was also dark. It might be just her, but the temperature felt slightly colder than the other days.

She recalled that Nora explained that this house is located in a special pocket dimension where there is spring all year around. And, while she didn't understand the details, she understood that the weather was not the type to change too much.

A little bored, she tossed back and forth inside her futon. Well, she had to stop as she had accidentally kicked her little sister a little. Just a tiny bit. Yes... just a tiny bit.

Apologizing to her on her mind, Kuroka decided to get up. Giving the sleeping Nora a visit sounded nice. She had insisted that they all slept together in the same room, but he did not allow it. Giving them their own rooms, although they were sometimes allowed to sneak into his room to sleep.

Having made her mind, she was really careful to leave the room as silently as possible to not wake up Shirone.

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Midway to Nora's room, she found a tempting smell calling for her... or so she believed.

Changing her course, she walked... in the direction of the kitchen.

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It did not take long until she arrived, inside she found the person whom she was going to originally meet.

He had just finished baking and was storing several cookies inside a pouch. A pouch that she recalled had the use to keep food warm and fresh.

Perhaps she was too noisy when entering the kitchen but Nora noticed her.

Turning his head, he gave her a wry smile that soon turned into an expression of worry.

"Hey... What are you doing awake so early? Did it happen again?" Nora asked, sounding concerned.

Kuroka felt happy that he cared for her this much. In fact, he had reasons to do so as she's had nightmares sometimes, in the dream she would wake up and find herself in that facility again. Sometimes she would wake up yelling and that made Nora come to see what happened, and he would then stay for the night at her side. Well, Shirone would wake up and snuggle pretty close to her too. Those were good nights now that she thought about it.

"No-nya. I am just too excited to sleep... I can't wait for today-nya." Kuroka tried to reassure Nora.

*Sigh*

Relieved, Nora sighed and his expression turned back into his rather usual wry smile.

"I see... I guess that is normal. Do you want some warm milk to help you sleep? Today I can't do anything more than that... I am a little busy, as you can see..." Nora muttered as he pointed at all the things in the kitchen.

Feeling a little regret as they would not sleep altogether, Kuroka considered his question. Even if she tried to do so it would be hard to say if she would be able to sleep again.

"Can I stay a watch you baking for a while-nya?" Kuroka asked after pondering her options.

"You sure? There is nothing really interesting in this process, and I have many other things to do." Nora replied as he scratched his head.

Nodding at that, Kuroka just took a seat nearby.

Shrugging his shoulder, Nora just prepared a few things, and moments later... A glass of warm milk was on Kuroka's hands.

Only after he saw that she took a sip, did Nora go back to do what he was originally doing before she arrived, but not before lightly patting her head.

It left a fuzzy feeling on her stomach, but she put it aside since he'd already started working again.

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At some point, she started to get sleepy, and just as she started nodding off and was about to fall when-

"You should've gone straight to your futon... now you almost fell. *Sigh* Hey, grab on. I will carry you to your room." Nora's voice could be heard saying something.

The moment where she felt him carry her, she instinctively grabbed onto him and rested her head on his shoulder. Getting a little more comfortable, she just let the sleepiness take over.

"You are getting rather comfy huh. I will still leave you there so don't fall completely... ah, looks like she is not listening..." Hearing to some extent Nora's voice, she did not pay attention to what he said, but his voice alone help her relax.

Part 2

3rd Person POV

Tossing around on her futon, Kuroka woke up again. Opening her eyes, she found Shirone staring at her with her hand raised midway, just in the position to poke her face.

"Nee-sama, you woke up..." Shirone muttered a little regretfully.

Even after being a little used to it, Kuroka still couldn't help but mutter-

"You were about to wake me up by poking my cheeks again-nya..." Kuroka said in a tired tone.

It was a rather new custom of hers.

"Nora does that all the time when I sleep, I can't do that to him because he always wakes up earlier..." Shirone pouted.

The root of all evil is him.

*sigh*

Sighing was all she could do, her little sister couldn't do the same to Nora so it fell on her to receive the treatment.

Pausing her thoughts for a moment, Kuroka found something slightly out of place. Shirone waking her up-

"Shirone-nya, where is Nora-nya?" Kuroka asked after finding what was out of place.

It is usually him who wakes her up. Unless something comes up, he would do it all the time.

"He left a little while ago after leaving our breakfast ready, he said he will be taking a while so we should eat on our own." Shirone explained as she walked out of their room.

Kuroka was a little dissatisfied with Nora leaving on his own again. She could not help but feel a little jealous when he did that because it usually means that he gets called by that woman. Although she felt extremely thankful that she allowed them to live in this place and is offering them protection... It still bothered her when she just took Nora from her.

Shaking her head to get rid of those thoughts, she stood up. Nora's breakfast was waiting for her, it would be a shame if it got cold because she spent her time here thinking about difficult stuff.

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"I'm home!"

Such a voice was heard.

Recognizing the voice, Kuroka stopped rolling on the floor bored.

At her side, Shirone's ear twitched in response to the voice but she kept doing what she originally was doing without stopping, reading a picture book.

Not wanting to wait, Kuroka stood up to receive Nora.

"Welcome home-nya!" Kuroka cheerfully exclaimed while moved to the entrance of the house.

Her mood worsened though, as she saw who had come with Nora. Three people had arrived along with him, and while she was fine with two of them, she did not like the last one.

Black hair styled in a short bob cut and violet eyes that were observing curiously everything around her, Sona Sitri. Kuroka was fine with her.

Back-length silver hair that features a long braid on each side with small blue bows at the ends, while the rest is let down which ends in twin braids and red eyes that were calmly staring at her, Grayfia Lucifuge. Kuroka was a little intimidated by her presence, but she was also fine with her.

Long crimson hair that reaches down to her thighs with a single hair strand sticking out from the top of her head and blue eyes that were inspecting every inch of the house excitedly, Rias Gremory. She is the one who made her mood worsen.

Their meeting was not exactly a bad one, but having asked her precious imouto to join her peerage put Kuroka on edge. She could not help but have a bad opinion of the devil's peerages due to her experience, and while she did not look like a bad person, it still soured her mood when she remembers it. They had even an argument, and before it evolved into a fight, Nora intervened... calming both sides down. He insisted that is called that way... her forehead still remembers the pain, the blow.

"Why-nya..." Kuroka muttered a little weakly.

"Oh, Kuroka-chan. We got guests today; I invited them today to join the party... Could you guide them around for a moment? Rias-chan and Sona-chan want to take a look at the house. I got something to do in the meantime." Nora spoke after noticing that Kuroka was nearby.

Nodding at his request, she got closer to the devil trio.

"Please, follow me-nya. I will lead you around-nya." Kuroka muttered as she tried to avoid looking at the crimson-haired girl.

It is not a particularly hateful relationship... but she still can't seem to like her.

As Nora had requested it, she would take them on a small tour, but only because Nora said so. She was not excited at showing off the new place where she lives. It was only because Nora requested it. Yes.

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"This part here is the training ground that Nora-nya uses. This place was closer so I brought you here first-nya." Kuroka explained while puffing out her nonexistent chest proudly.

She felt a little proud when she spoke about it. It was the place where Nora polished his skills... the skills he used to save them... so she can't help but like this place.

"Ohhhhhhhhh! Look Sona-chan! There is a shooting range here, and there are arrows and bows too. Japanese bows! It is just as Okita-san said. Isn't it amazing?" Rias excitedly exclaimed as she gazed at a part of the training ground.

While she did not frolic like Rias, Sona was still staring intently around. It was more of an inward excitement what she was feeling.

"Here is the place where he..." Grayfia muttered as she also observed the place.

Not minding whatever they might be thinking, Kuroka spoke.

"Every day, Nora-nya wakes up early in the morning and starts training-nya. Not missing a day-nya. He is amazing, right-nya?" Kuroka proudly exclaimed.

"Yes! He is amazing! I have been working harder in my training lately, but will try harder from now on, I can't lose to him like that..." Rias replied to Kuroka's words while clenching her fists and hyping herself.

Since she did praise Nora, Kuroka could not help but feel that she was not as bad as she thought...

"Then, when I am stronger... I can invite him to join my peerage!" Rias exclaimed cheerfully.

Any goodwill that Kuroka felt just disappeared after hearing those words.

"*Cough* Rias, I also have plans to do so... You shouldn't get your hopes up." Suddenly Sona who had been quiet until now intervened.

*Sigh*

Grayfia on the side could only sigh hopelessly as this was going to be another long banter about who would be the one to invite him successfully, but against her predictions, things did get to that point.

"No-nya. He won't join any peerage-nya! I, Kuroka-onee-chan, won't allow it-nya!" Kuroka said firmly.

Rias and Sona, who were about to start discussing, stopped in their tracks. Blinking in surprise at that proclamation, they just stared at each other blankly.

Watching over the group, Grayfia noticed something but said nothing.

"Why? Joining my peerage will be fun, I will offer him all kinds of things. He will be surely delighted." Rias said while crossing her arms.

At the side, Grayfia thought that she should warn her to be careful with her wording, but she decided to do that later.

"It doesn't matter-nya. No means no-nya". Kuroka replied unyieldingly.

"You can't say that. I won't enter into detail about what Rias might offer. But there are plenty of benefits you can get by entering the peerage of the Sitri household. As a high-ranking noble house, we can offer wealth and status easily, which can support him in the future." Sona explained in a serious tone.

At the phrase 'support him in the future', Kuroka flinched a little. She was not sure that she would be able to do so.

"Hey, Sona-chan! The Gremory household can do the same thing too. Don't say it like you guys are the only ones who can do it." Rias retorted as she sulked a little.

They both can offer him something that she can't... such words kept repeating over and over in Kuroka's head.

Seeing how troubled she seemed to be, the younger devils thought that they could push it a bit more and it would be their victory.

"Why don't you leave it like that? Really, I thought you guys spent too much time here and it resulted that you were speaking about that? Please don't bully Kuroka-chan. I know that the two of you are eager but remember to not push it too hard, you are troubling her." A voice that everyone present recognized was heard, and they all turned their heads to see and at the end of their sights, they saw Nora and... A little girl hiding behind him, Shirone, walking their way.

"But, but... She said that she won't allow you to join my peerage..." Rias muttered in a pout.

"I see. But... Rias-chan, I think that is something you should speak with me instead of her. And Sona-chan, I think you know that too." Nora reproached in a gentle tone.

"I have no excuse..." Sona muttered crestfallenly.

Rias also seemed crestfallen as well. Noticing the mood of the two, Nora thought that perhaps he was a little too harsh on them.

"Ok, ok. Just don't do that again, understood? Let's go inside, while you were here I prepared a few appetizers for you... Shirone-chan kept bugging me to start eating them so I had to come to look for you. Kuroka-chan and Shirone-chan taste them regularly, but Rias-chan and Sona-chan don't. Why don't you use this chance to eat to your heart's content?" Nora gestured everyone to go inside.

Behind Nora, Shirone just peeked her head out and waved at the devils before quickly hiding again.

"Ah, it's Shirone-chan. I didn't see her before so I was wondering where she was." Rias exclaimed as her mood recovered again.

"Oh, I forgot to mention... I prepared something for you to change into. I thought that the date is meant for this kind of thing. Let me guide you to the room where I left those." Nora suddenly said such a thing.

"Eh?" "Hmmm?" "No, I don't..." "...?" "Nya?"

Besides Nora, everyone tilted their heads and exclaimed in wonder.

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Kuroka along with Shirone in their room were giving a confused look at the change of clothes prepared by Nora.

The theme was red with white borders. A rather comfy shirt, with a skirt for Kuroka and short pants for Shirone. Not exactly in their knowledge, but later explained to be called 'Santa Costume'. Clueless about what they found in front of them, they hesitated... no, one look at Shirone and she was already wearing the costume with a rather pleased expression. Since her younger sister did not mind, the older one shouldn't either. Having that kind of thought, Kuroka undressed from her kimono to change into the new costume.

It did not take long to change, to be honest; it took lesser time than what it did when she put on her kimono.

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As she left her room and moved to the living room with a merry-looking Shirone... she saw a rather strange sight. The usually composed and calm Sona was grabbing Nora by the scrub of his haori.

"What do mean with 'I didn't expect you to actually wear it’? It was supposed to be a joke? Haaa! I put it on because I thought you were serious!" Sona cried out with a little blush on her face and she was wearing a similar outfit as Kuroka and Shirone.

On a closer look, Kuroka was able to see that everyone besides Nora had the same kind of outfit. It was a big surprise to the Nekomata that even the maid who seemed to be a little strict was wearing one.

"Haha... Sorry, sorry. Don't get angry, it suits you. You look cute... Well, I did prepare a yukata for all of you. No, I originally thought you wouldn't wear this outfit so I expected you to wear yukatas." Nora apologized but the grin on his face did not make him seem sincere.

Those words cause Sona to blush a little, but she shook her head to get rid of those thoughts.

"...Cute!? No, I won't fall for your tricks. Onee-sama always makes wear all kinds of outfits and says nonsensical things. Rias, you should complain to him too!" Sona protested after shaking Nora a couple of times more.

As for the person (devil) whom she was talking to, Rias was happily eating cookies that were neatly arranged near them on a table.

"Hmmm? *Gulp* I don't really mind though? I like this kind of thing, but maybe I should try wearing the yukatas later. It seems interesting. *Gulp* Wait, Nora-chan! I have a complaint. You called Sona-chan cute! But you haven't said a word about me! *Gulp* Hmmm, these cookies are really good." Rias grumbled but kept eating cookies non-stop.

"Rias!" Sona whined.

Kuroka who watched all that was not sure what to say. It was a rather amusing sight to see many people being friendly to each other. At first, she was about to lash at that girl for treating Nora like that, but there was really no ill will. They were being friendly to each other. Banter would be a good way to describe it.

It made her hesitate to join them. They were enjoying themselves without her. Nora was smiling... without her.

The moment her thoughts reached that point, she could not help but look down. It felt painful. She-

"Well, well. I knew that you would look cute, but I underestimated you. That is some lovely appearance you got there, but staying there by yourself is just a waste. Why don't you join the others? Look, Shirone-chan is already trying all the snacks I made like they will be the last thing she will eat. Oh, what is that? Rias-chan is feeding her? *Tsk* She doesn't let me do it but she allows her..."

 A voice was heard when she was feeling down. Raising her head, she saw Nora checking her outfit with a sharp look.

He softened his gaze as he praised her, and pointed behind him.

As he said, Shirone was greedily eating at an incredible speed what she could find. Seeing Rias eating a lot seemed to raise a sense of urgency on the younger Nekomata and she was not slowing down. Shirone was so into it that she did not notice that Rias had stopped at some point and was stealthily putting cookies near her, that she ate with gusto.

Kuroka was a little happy at his words... but she still did not feel like joining.

"You know, I don't feel that things are the same without you. Here, gimme your hand. Let's go together." Nora said with a soft smile

Those words, yes, those words. Hearing that, Kuroka suddenly felt that all the negative thoughts she had were going away.

A small smile formed on her lips, and she reached for the hand that Nora had extended.

There were many things that she was still not sure about. But for now... she would stay with Nora until she could figure it out.

"See, you look much better with that smile on your face." Nora spoke as he pulled her along with him.

Part 3

3rd Person POV

Preparing more cookies on a tray, Nora watched how Rias and Kuroka argued over who would feed Shirone some cookies, although, the girl was not particularly bothered by their conversation. She was calmly sitting on a chair, accompanied by Sona who had changed into a purple yukata. They seemed to be talking... well, Sona was doing most of the effort as Shirone would not talk too much.

"If you had left it to me, I could've arranged that for you..." 

Speaking in a rather soft tone of voice, someone said to Nora.

Turning his head to gaze at that individual, he saw Grayfia, still wearing her Santa outfit, pointing at the tray he had.

"It's ok. You guys are guests. It is my job to do this, and don't start with how it is the duty of a servant or anything like that. It is supposed to be a free day for you, right? Just sit and enjoy the food... well, I only have snacks and drinks for now. Yasaka-san was going to bring actual food later." Nora replied as he scratched his head.

"Still, I can't..." Grayfia insisted and tried to say something else, but she was stopped by his next comment.

"By the way... I am surprised that Grayfia-san wore that. It was a simple joke, I expected that you would ignore it, but you still put that on. *Cough* It looks good though *cough*" Nora said the last words in a soft almost inaudible tone of voice.

Understanding that he was aiming to divert the topic, Grayfia still played along with him.

"I saw no harm in doing so, besides... the note saying 'This is a payback for always messing with my clothes before' was rather daring and while I thought I should teach a certain kid a lesson for that, but I admit that I did indeed do what you said so I just played along." Grayfia replied, not particularly commenting on the last part of what Nora said.

Taking it as Grayfia not hearing those words, Nora wiped the nonexistent sweat on his forehead.

"Oh, that... I... Well... Sorry? I left that prepared yesterday. I kinda recalled those two times I woke up washed and dressed, not knowing who had changed my clothes. I felt a little bashful knowing that someone did that to me when I was not aware. Not knowing who did that did not help. Just consider it a petty grudge of mine." Nora explained with a wry smile.

"Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, very well. Let us consider this as not owing each other anything then." Grayfia giggled at his appearance trying to explain himself.

"I don't know... Cats can hold grudges for a long time and... From what I found out... You did not do it alone right? There were several other people there at that time." Nora pointed out.

Avoiding looking at him-

"No?" Grayfia denied.

"Hey, look at my eyes and answer. At least do it to convince me. Wait, scratch that, I know that there were other people. At the Gremory's mansion, I saw a few maids who would giggle and then blush when they saw me. So... Are you planning to change your words?" Nora inquired as he narrowed his eyes at Grayfia.

"*Cough* Isn't my appearance enough of a punishment? Besides, if we are talking about giving explanations, how about we start with these outfits? They are a rather perfect fit." Grayfia said while pointing at her skirt.

Flinching a little, Nora looked left and right before taking a step forward and saying.

"I have good eyesight. I measured it using my sight. But don't change the subject. No one answered me when I tried asking them." Nora spoke, easily brushing off Grayfia's words.

"*Cough* Well, it is a topic that a child should not know... many of the maids are rather pure-hearted, I can't tell him that they were surprised to see his..." Grayfia muttered strongly only at the beginning, the rest was practically a murmur.

Unfortunately for her, Nora heard it all, although he decided to not comment about it.

"Whatever... Just go and enjoy a little quality time with Rias. You are usually busy so you can use this time to do so. I feel kind of bad since you should've been with your husband instead of being stuck here." Nora said as he watched how Kuroka and Rias were each on one side of Shirone, giving her cookies and fighting over who's cookies were tastier.

He felt that it was a pointless fight as they were all made by him and not them, but he did not intervene.

Moving his gaze to one side, he saw Sona being exasperated at her friend's attitude.

"It's ok. Husband...? I am not married though; I am a pure maiden who is still single. Nevertheless, thank you for worrying about it. However, a kid shouldn't mind such a thing. I will do as you said, but you should come as well. While those girls are enjoying themselves, they still peek at you from time to time. That's why, instead of just focusing on what you were doing, you should play with them." Grayfia said while smiling kindly

At those words, Nora just smiled wryly as he had noticed the same thing since a while ago. Although he later paused as he thought about what she just said. He decided to think that he might've heard wrongly. This party was supposed to be a happy day and not a place to talk about difficult topics. So he will confirm those words later. Nonetheless, hearing that the super maid was single made him question many things.

"I guess so..." Nora responded as he walked in the direction of the group.

Watching warmly over them, Grayfia stared at them for a little more until she decided to follow Nora's advice as well.

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Feeling slightly nervous, Nora observed as Rias took a bow and an arrow.

"Then, I will give it a try! Watch me!" Rias exclaimed cheerfully.

It was just a moment ago when she suddenly asked Nora for permission to do this. It seemed that she was interested in giving it a try since she was shown this place.

Sighing in defeat, Nora could only accept her request.

"Wait, let me help you. You are not doing it correctly." 

Not being able to stand her awkward posture, Nora decided to intervene.

Before moving closer to her, he glanced at a good distance where the rest of the group watched safely near the house. Not wanting to get close in case a stray arrow hit them. Resentfully watching them, he focused on the task at hand.

"No, you are grabbing it wrongly. Your hand must be a little higher. Ah, you have to grip it tighter or when you shot the arrow it will miss the target since the bow will move. Your feet must be firmly planted on the ground, no, not that close to each other... *Sigh* Wait, let me show you first". Nora tried to correct her, but the problem seemed to be that she did not know very well what she was doing wrong.

Asking for the bow and arrow from her, he took a stance.

"Observe well, this is how you should stand in archery. It is the basic of the basic so pay attention. It is not the hardest thing in the world, but it requires a lot of practice to not make mistakes. See how I grab the bow? You were grabbing it lower than me." Nora explained.

Rias beside him was silently observing him. She tried to take his words seriously, but the excitement and her wish to do it herself made it hard for her to focus.

Even when Nora shot a couple of times, she was more interested in trying than observing. Which is why, when her turn arrived again, she made the same mistakes.

"Rias-chan... You... *Sigh* Let us change the approach. With your permission, I will correct your posture." Nora muttered. “It is ok, there is nothing illegal here, I am doing this with pure motives and she is still not glamorous so there are no strange feelings.”

Waiting until Rias nodded in response before getting closer, and using his hands, he fixed whatever he found to be wrong, not before murmuring some nonsense.

"Hyaa! Nora-chan, that tickles, hehe..." Rias giggled a little at their contact.

"Sorry about that, just hold on for a little more." Nora replied before focusing again.

"Hehe, ok. I will... haha, hold on." Rias, who could not stop giggling, muttered.

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"I did it! Look! Look! I hit the target! Hehe, praise me, Nora-chan!" Rias joyfully spoke while literally jumping in happiness.

At her side, a little tired, Nora faintly smiled.

"Good, while it took a while... You managed to do it. Well done, well done." Nora happily muttered as well.

Unconsciously, he moved his hand to pat her head. Something he did pretty often to the Nekomata sisters... well, Shirone avoided him once every three tries, but considering that she did not allow it even once before, Nora thought that it was an improvement.

Moments later, he saw what he was doing and hesitated to continue.

"Uh? Why are you stopping?" Rias, who had been enjoying the pats on her head, curiously asked. 

"Me next-nya."

Before anyone knew it, Kuroka had appeared beside the two. Using a slightly expectant tone, she lowered her head a little, signaling Nora where he should put his hand next.

"Kuroka-chan, no cutting the line. I earned this so I get to enjoy it for more time. Wait for your turn." Rias complained, pouting at the girl who appeared.

Momentarily at a loss, Nora wondered if choosing the wrong action here would be stepping on a landmine, No, there was another choice, he thought.

Grinning at his cleverness, Nora raised his other hand and started patting Kuroka as well.

"Nyahaha." Kuroka laughing happily as enjoyed the caress.

"Hehe". Rias also liked the skinship. Her strand of hair on top of her head was swinging happily too.

Everything was at peace... or so Nora thought. All was going smoothly until Shirone got closer while dragging Sona who had given up resisting as she muttered something about losing against such a tiny girl in strength.

"We are next..." Shirone just stared at Nora, silently waiting for her turn.

"No, I... well, maybe I could try it too." Sona muttered such a thing, not daring to look at him in the eyes.

It was a conundrum that had no answer.

But bad news sometimes came with good news (and vice versa).

"Fufufu, aren't you popular Nora-kun?"

A voice was heard coming from the house saying that, and for the Nekomatas, it was a familiar voice.

Everyone turned to see the owner of that voice, and there they found a woman carrying a child who seemed to be amused at what she was seeing.

Tilting their heads in confusion, the younger devils were not aware of the identity of that woman, but a certain maid was aware. Having changed back into her maid outfit before anyone noticed, she bowed in respect.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Yasaka-sama." Grayfia spoke in a business-like tone.

"Oh, please. This is not an official meeting so you don't need to act so stiff. Consider this an unofficial meeting, and act less reserved. This was supposed to be a small party prepared by that child. So it wouldn't be good if we damper the mood with tedious formalities. I came here not as the leader of the Youkais but as the caretaker of them." Yasaka explained as she pointed at the Nekomatas who were walking closer.

"You finally arrived, too bad that Shirone did not leave you any snack.... Ok, ok. Don't look at me like that, I have made more than enough... jeez, it was a joke. Oh, she's awake? Hey, there. Kunou-chan." Nora spoke while waving at the baby that Yasaka carried in her arms,.

Feeling that she might've glared at him a bit too hard when he said that, Yasaka did not try to defend herself.

"She has been rather active all day; I guess that it was because she saw you earlier. *Sigh* what to do with this child, she has taken a liking to you." Yasaka smiled wryly as her baby tried to reach at Nora with her tiny hands as soon as she saw him.

"Nah, she is just very friendly. She played with Kuroka-chan and Shirone-chan as well when you left her here last time." Nora replied as he too reached his hands to play with Kunou.

As Kunou was getting restless, Yasaka decided to have Nora carry her for the moment.

"But she was pretty much onto you the whole time-nya." Kuroka said, joining the conversation.

"...As soon you left the room, she would cry too." Shirone muttered as she got closer to Kunou.

Following behind her, Rias and Sona had their attention divided between Yasaka and the rather adorable Kunou. Although they did not take long before they also went to play with Kunou.

"...You are exaggerating. She was hungry at that time." Nora shook his head helplessly.

Trying to keep the group from swarming him, he decided to change locations, walking inside the house. Everyone besides the two adults followed behind him.

"*Sigh* He denies it, but he will most likely be..." Yasaka muttered as she watched the Nekomata followed by the group of girls.

"I can see what you mean. Is it what some would call an ill fate with women? No, some would call it good luck, right?" Grayfia had a pondering look as she replied.

The two adults continued to talk outside even after they could no longer see the figures of the children.

"I wonder, I guess it will be judged depending on how good he will get along with those women. I can see a hard road for that girl... that is the only thing I can say." Yasaka said.

Thinking for a moment about who she meant, Grayfia considered Rias and Sona but quickly discarded that option. They got along well, awfully well considering that they had not met that many times... but there was not that sort of mood. That left the Nekomatas... the younger one seemed a bit attached to him, but still seemed awkward. She was able to see how would stare at Nora but would not say a word. So it is reduced to her. Yes, she fits.

"You mean that black-haired girl, Kuroka? Now that you mentioned it, she does seem overly attached to him, and she gets jealous rather quickly, I thought that it was because of what they went through though" Grayfia spoke after thinking hard.

"Fufufu, you say those things because you have not seen her acting when I get close to him. She gets very jealous and looks for different ways to get his attention. It is very amusing to see her. Well, I don't think she knows why she does it though so we should keep the secret." Yasaka conclude by lightly putting her finger on her lips as a sign of silence.

"I see, understood. I would not be so careless to let such words escape my lips. She should discover it by herself. But is it alright?. If it is as you said... that he will be very popular. Wouldn't there be a problem if your child..." Grayfia left her words unfinished, unsure if she should continue.

Perhaps she took too far the 'informal treatment'. Those kinds of doubts and questions were in Grayfia's mind.

"You don't have to be so cautious... I don't mind. You must be referring to my position. She will most likely have to follow my steps eventually, but that does not impede her from anything. We eventually need to have children to raise the next leader, but different from me, she will find someone she likes, unlike me, and as for him... Hmm, it is not a bad choice, to be honest. I wouldn't force them together, but he is a really good child. You can see how he takes care of my Kunou-chan, and those two sisters." Yasaka spoke.

Using a few seconds to take those words, Grayfia stays silent. Feeling like she heard about something difficult to discuss, she pondered if she should ignore the content of what was said.

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"He indeed takes care of them... he even went that far for their sake. It seems I spoke out of place earlier, my apologies. I was just curious about what you thought since you mentioned the topic." Grayfia replied a second later.

Smiling faintly in amusement at those words, Yasaka thought that maybe the Maid-san was not being honest.

"Is that so? I thought that maybe you were worried that... the child you are thinking would be interested in him too. Fufufu, Don't worry. Those are talks for the future. They don't understand that kind of thing so you don't have to be alert about it, and it is only a possibility. Just in case, I should prepare. If that child ends up having too many lovers... my Kunou will need to be in a good position." Yasaka muttered lightly.

Frozen with her eyes open where she was standing, Grayfia took longer than normal to process what was said. Putting aside the slight teasing that Yasaka included in her words-

"You don't mind?" Grayfia only managed to speak those words.

"Hmm? What? Oh, that? Well, I am just considering the possibilities. He has barely left this house and he already is surrounded by a group of girls. I can't help but think about the future." Yasaka spoke with a nonchalant look.

Before they could continue the conversation, a voice interrupted them.

"Sorry to bother you, but I prepared more snacks, and they won't last for too long. I think that they are hungry already. Where did you put the food?" Nora said with a guilty expression.

Perhaps feeling that he interrupted something, he looked uncomfortable. Although if he had heard what they were speaking he would've had a few words of his own to say about it.

Sharing a glance, the youkai and devil laughed and decided to end the topic for now.

"Nora-nya. Kunou-chan is crying. See? As soon as you left she started acting like this-nya!"

A shout belonging to Kuroka was heard from inside the house.

Not knowing if he should laugh or cry, Nora sighed in defeat.

"I will go inside..." The Nekomata turned around and started walking away after muttering this.

Finding his expression amusing, the remaining parties stayed there for a moment.

"He will have it tough... Shall we go?" Yasaka began walking in the direction of the house after saying that, without waiting for an answer.

Slightly behind her, Grayfia wondered if she should pray for him. Although she quickly erased that idea since she was a devil. Wishing him luck inside her mind she followed after Yasaka.

But as soon as they stepped inside the living room-

"Catch him!" Rias yelled in a happy mood.

"Do not let him get away." Sona seriously spoke, although she did not seem angry.

"Stay still-nya." Kuroka said as she ran around the living room chasing... Nora, who had Kunou attached like a koala in front of him and Shirone attached to his back.

"We are supposed to escape from you, why would I stop? And it is already unfair how you divided the teams!" Nora did not stop running around either, despite his complaints.

"...Nora, you can do it..." Shirone clung to him and cheered him (?).

"Ahh! Why are you girls suddenly getting along? I thought you didn't like each other." Nora exclaimed as he evaded Kuroka who pounded at him.

After evading her, he considered his next movement and remained in the same spot.

"You said we should get along-nya!" Kuroka replied while feeling frustrated that she could not catch him

"Sona-chan, Kuroka-chan... We must work together." Rias spoke in a serious tone. She seemed to take this game seriously.

"Drive him into a corner. No matter what, we have the numerical advantage." Sona said slightly out of breath.

A little dumbfounded at their collaboration, Nora stood there despite Shirone tugging his clothes to signal him to move.

"I did say that... I certainly said that, but why are you getting along... and joining all against me!?" Nora spoke with a helpless expression on his face.

As Rias had moved behind him at some point, she was stealthily getting closer. Kuroka was preparing to keep him in check from the front as well.

"...I wonder? I already forgot, but it is fun anyways." Sona pondered for a second before replying to that.

His eyebrow and the corner of his mouth were twitching in response. But Nora still was aware of his surroundings as he dodged to one side the pincer attack of Rias and Kuroka.

"Shirone-chan, Kunou-chan... please, don't become like them. You two are the only ones I can trust." Nora said with a mock cry as observed the moment where the two attackers crashed into each other midair.

"Ouch." "Auch-nya."

Two cries of pain sounded as they butted heads. With tears at the corners of their eyes, Rias and Kuroka stood up covering their heads.

Watching from the side the whole spectacle, Yasaka and Grayfia were not sure where they should start retorting.

"Well, it seems that I should worry about having a hard time with women but..." Yasaka muttered before leaving her words half-finished.

"But he is managing rather well on his own, isn't it?" Grayfia continued saying what she thought was on the youkai's mind.

"Yeah... *Sigh* I wonder if I should be worried or not then..." Yasaka gave up thinking deeply about the topic as she replied like that.

Part 4

3rd Person POV

Tired from playing around, everyone was just sitting in the living room drinking tea that Grayfia prepared after fighting with Nora for permission to use the kitchen. Said youkai, lay crestfallen on a chair, being comforted by Kuroka and Shirone who patted his head, and Kunou who was trying to do so but could not reach.

"This is my house... this is my house..." Nora kept muttering those words over and over.

The culprit of his state seemed to be nonchalantly chatting with Rias and Sona about the new selection of sweets that Nora put on trays earlier.

"Onee-sama... Nora broke. How do we fix him?" Shirone asked since she did not know what to do.

Kuroka began to sweat nervously. Not knowing the answer, she wondered what to tell her. It was a little difficult to not reply as her imouto was looking at her with eyes that seemed to rely on her.

However, she did not have to think about it any longer.

"How long are you going to sulk? It was just tea. Hmmm...? It feels somewhat colder in here. How odd... Nora-kun, I'll be leaving my daughter in your care, I will be right back." Yasaka suddenly said, before leaving.

"Uhn? What? Cold? Leave? What?" 

Raising his head after being talked to, Nora was not exactly sure what Yasaka told him.

Pouting a little at him for reacting only when Yasaka spoke, Kuroka pinched his cheek before taking Shirone by the hand and leaving him alone with Kunou who tried to copy her actions with a smile on her face.

"Ouch... What gives? Oh well, I guess it is just you and me now, it is a little earlier but those girls have to go before the evening. Let's go, it is time to bring some stuff." Nora stood up and left the room while speaking to the child he had on his lap one second before.

He also did not forget to signal to what looked to be an empty spot, and suddenly with a puff of smoke that seemed almost comical... several sweets disappeared from the nearby table.

At some distance, Kuroka just observed Nora, ignoring what just happened. She was curious about what he was going to do but as she just left him after getting angry, it did not seem proper to follow him.

...

...

...

Minutes later, Nora entered the room wearing a Santa outfit with a fake beard. Behind him, he was dragging a big bag. On his back, Kunou was kept in place thanks to his tails.

"Hoo hoo hoo... ok, no. It doesn't suit me. Girls! Come here for a moment." Nora muttered a little embarrassed for getting odd looks as he tried to get into the character.

Curious at the actions of the Nekomata, Kuroka, Shirone, Rias, and Sona look at each other in the eyes before all moving near him.

"Now, now, this is a little something for all of you. Sorry if it is not to your liking. First come, first served... the winner this time is... Rias, who despite being the farthest, arrived first... here." Nora handed Rias her presents after pulling two boxes from the bag.

"Is it a gift for me? Thank you!" Rias excitedly gave a hug to Nora before moving away to check the contents from the presents.

Watching as the devil girl took the wrapping carefully to not rip it, the fake Santa smiled before facing the next person.

"Despite not looking as eager and arriving in second place, Sona-chan! Well, here you go." The fake santa cheerfully said.

Pulling another two boxes, he handed them to Sona who took them.

"Thank you, Nora-san... Eh... Uh...” Sona remained awkwardly standing in front of him after giving her thanks

Taking her slightly blush and difficulty to speak into account, Nora figured out what she wanted. Pulling her into a hug, she did not fight back so it seemed to be the right answer.

Following her best friend's example, Sona also began checking the contents of her presents.

Before fake Santa had the time to observe Sona open her presents, the next person stood in front of him with an eager and expectant look.

Lowering his line of sight to match Shirone, he took out her presents and gave them to her.

With a box in each hand, the small Nekomata stayed in place furrowing her eyebrows.

Wondering if she did not like the present Nora observed as she lowered the presents on the floor before leaping at him and hugging him. It did not last long as she released him to go along with the rest to check what was inside the boxes.

The last girl was perhaps the most curious and excited. Trying to fake a calm expression failed miserably as her ears kept twitching and her tails were swinging.

"Too bad... I gave away everything already." Nora said as he shrugged his shoulders.

Instantly, Kuroka's ears dropped along with her tails. Her expression broke and she seemed sad.

"Ah, ah, sorry! I was joking, I would never make that mistake, here!" Nora hastily gave her what he had prepared for her after noticing how he went too far when he tried to tease her.

Her mood did a complete turn and Kuroka grinned widely. Giving a tight hug to Nora and pinching him rather strongly for his joke, she then proceeded to move away and check what she got.

Lightly rubbing the place where he was pinched, Nora thought that he deserved it. He just watched over the excited girls with a faint smile.

"Did you prepare all that?" Grayfia spoke now that he was not surrounded by the girls.

"Oh? If it isn't the kitchen usurper... Yeah, it is that kind of date so it thought I should give them something. It might not be at the level of a Duke house though..." Nora said while shrugging his shoulders.

Rolling her eyes at his choice of words, Grayfia felt that this child won't let that matter go easily.

"You don't have to worry about that. Rias won't just complain because of something like that, Sona wouldn't do it either. They are quite happy to receive something from you. Those two don't have many people they can truly call real friends after all..." Grayfia spoke while warmly watching over Rias.

"Don't exaggerate... They are two lovely girls and very friendly as well. I am sure that they must be very popular." Nora retorted with a frown.

"You are not completely wrong, but not right either. They are indeed 'popular', but it is because of their standing as nobles. Sometimes I worry if they will be able to enjoy their childhood." Grayfia spoke.

Staying silent, Nora did not reply instantly.

"They are my friends; I do consider them as such. I am not sure what kind of life they lead in the Underworld. But... I don't care about their status. Anytime they feel overwhelmed by what you said, they are welcome here. Well, sorry if that came out as weird." Nora said those words, scratching his head.

"...I see. I will keep that in mind." Grayfia replying only that did not say anything more about the topic.

Suddenly pulling something from the bag he carried, he put Kunou on the tatami and handed her a rather big present as well.

The very young youkai struggled with it, but after being aided by the one who gave it to her. She found inside a huge (by her standards) stuffed animal, a kitsune (fox).

"For now, have this... I will give you the other one later." Nora left Kunou to play with her present after muttering such a thing as he patted her head.

Glancing beside him, he saw Grayfia staring at him.

"I forgot, but this is for you... and take the bag. It has a spell to keep more stuff than what it looks. Inside, there are gifts for the parents of those girls, as well as Sirzechs-san, Ajuka-san, and Serafall-san. It is just small thanks." Nora said as he pulled a present and handed it to Grayfia... along with the bag he brought.

Blinking in surprise as she did not expect to receive something as well, Grayfia unconsciously reached her hands for what was given to her.

"Don't put that face... I told you, it is that kind of date and I am thankful for all you did for me. I am sure that it was not an easy task. Well, for certain someone, I am sure that she would sulk if I did not give her anything after giving something to Sona-chan... *Sigh*" Nora concluded his words with a faraway look.

A little moved, Grayfia did not know what to say. It was rather unexpected for her.

"...Thanks." Grayfia replied like that, not saying anything more.

...

...

...

"I was checking the barrier and there is a problem... Fixing it will take a while. Huh? I don't think I left for that long but..." Yasaka, who arrived minutes later, said.

Each of the girls in the room had stuffed animals... or not exactly. Some of them were not animals. Holding a crimson western dragon plushy, Rias was happily chatting with Sona who held a black eastern dragon plushy. On another part of the living room, she could see Kuroka and Shirone who each held black and white cat plushies respectively. But they were busy paying more attention to a camera that Shirone had on another hand. Even her daughter was happily playing with a plushy of kitsune with an awfully familiar color. Near her, were Nora and Grayfia who seemed to be discussing something.

"I really don't think I took more than ten minutes..." Yasaka spoke before going to pick her daughter.

"Yasaka-san? When did you arrive? What is the status of what you were checking?" Nora nonchalantly asked as he finally noticed her.

"*Sigh* I arrived just now, but you did not notice...", Yasaka replied to that and picked her daughter from the tatami along with the plushy that she stubbornly did not want to let go of.

"Ehhh... Sorry. I was actually talking with Grayfia-san about my next checkups." Nora spoke.

Not wishing to dig too much into the topic Nora just mentioned for now, Yasaka did not say anything back.

"So, what happened?" Nora inquired.

"You see... There is a small problem with the barrier that separates this zone with the winter zone." Yasaka answered back.

Closing his eyes and silently pondering, Nora took a moment to answer.

"That could be bad if it gets worse..." Nora muttered in a low but worried tone.

"Don't worry about it; the arrangements to fix it are being prepared. It might take a while but it will be done." Yasaka comforted.

On the side, Grayfia didn't comment or ask about the topic as she was still considered an outsider to Youkais' business.

Opening his eyes and looking around the room, Nora furrowed his eyebrows for a moment.

"Eh? Where is Shirone-chan? Kuroka-chan is not here either..." Nora said.

"They left a second ago. The little sister seemed eager to take pictures with the camera you gave her so she left the house... the older sister followed after her." Grayfia, who had paid attention to them, explained

Wryly smiling at that Nora felt that perhaps he was worrying too much. They were in a safe place so-

"NORA-NYA! COME OUTSIDE-NYA! SOMETHING IS...!"

A shout was heard coming from outside.

Everyone in the living room stopped in their tracks at that, although one individual had already sprinted out of the room. Nora had swiftly left in the direction of the voice.

While Yasaka was slightly alarmed at that shout, there were no signs of enemies nearby. Entering this place without permission was not an easy task. Still, it would not be a good idea to just ignore the situation in the unlikely case that something bad could've happened.

...

...

...

After arriving outside, what greeted Yasaka's view was-

"I'm sowwy-nya." Kuroka apologized, although it sounded a little strange as-

Nora was pulling her cheeks with a slightly angry expression.

"I hope you are. You worried me with that shout. I thought something happened to you." Nora spoke while releasing Kuroka.

Yasaka did not know whether to laugh or cry at this, it seemed that everything was ok. Her daughter Kunou looked around curiously in her arms.

"But, I guess you would be surprised. Is this the first time you see snow right?" Nora spoke while avoiding looking in the eye at the resentful Kuroka.

"I was really surprised-nya. They are pretty and cold-nya." Kuroka replied as she rubbed her cheeks, no longer looking at Nora but staring at the falling snow.

On the side, Shirone was happily taking photos of the spectacle, sometimes including people on them.

"Sona-chan! Sona-chan! It started snowing exactly on Christmas. Just like on that book we read the other day!" 

An excited voice was heard as Rias had walked out of the house before anyone noticed. Beside her, Sona was fondly staring at the snow.

A little later, Grayfia came behind them holding a warm-looking coat that she handed to Rias... Not forgetting about her bespectacled friend, she handed one to Sona as well.

"It seems the barrier is malfunctioning more. Nora-kun I will go now and..." Yasaka said as she considered the consequences it could bring to the vegetation around them.

Before she was able to leave though-

"...Don't. It is not that much snow and it won't affect them too much. For now... Let's just leave like that." Nora spoke as he stared at the sky.

His words sounded a little lonely. So Yasaka decided to comply, no questions asked, although her expression could not help to change to one of worry. Perhaps noticing her staring at him, Nora just smiled wryly.

Still, he did not keep looking at her for long. Nora just walked back to the house.

Passing by her side, Yasaka felt the need to say something.

"Nora-kun, you..." With slightly concern in her tone, Yasaka started speaking but was once again interrupted by the Nekomata.

"It's ok. Don't worry... Just let the kids enjoy that for a while longer, for those two it is the first time they see it." Nora said as he stared at the frolicking sisters. They seemed to have started a new game along with Rias and Sona, and that made him smile slightly.

Not saying anything else, he just turned to walk to the house again.

Having her words cut short, Yasaka did not seem to mind it. What was on her mind was-

"I was worried about you, not the snow..." Yasaka muttered in a low tone.

While their current situation looked calm and easy-going, it was only on the surface. For both Nora and Yasaka, not having Saya with them was something that affected them a lot.

Glancing at the snowfall... she wondered about her whereabouts.

As she was distracted by her own thoughts, she only noticed that someone walked beside her after she was basically inside the house.

Part 5

3rd Person POV

As she was playing with her little sister and the two devil girls, Kuroka noticed that someone seemed to be missing rather quickly. Looking around, she could see everyone except for one person. Having stared at him a while ago, she had noticed that he did not look like his usual self. So she decided to look for him.

Although she is enjoying this 'snow' thing, it feels somewhat lacking if she can’t share this moment with him... and she wanted to speak with him about something.

Thinking of the possible places where he could be, she went to the house. Passing by Yasaka who had a complicated expression, she did not stop.

...

...

...

After looking around for a bit, she found Nora making something in the kitchen. It had a really nice smell. Like everything he does, it would surely taste very well, but she shook her head to get rid of those thoughts and focus on what she wanted to do in the first place.

"Nora-nya... Do you have a moment-nya?" Kuroka called softly and stood slightly behind him.

"Hmmm? Kuroka-nya? What you doing here-nya...?" Nora tried to imitate her but he found it awkward. One look at his slightly blushing face and it was obvious.

Kuroka wanted to rebuke him for trying to make fun of her but decided to forgive him as he looked rather adorable to her.

"It is about my gift-nya..." Kuroka said she showed him her hands where she carried a small box.

Blinking in surprise at that kind of topic, Nora put a concerned face.

"Did you not like it...? I can get you something else. You d-" Nora spoke before stopping midway.

Kuroka was shaking her head to signal him to stop.

"I know-nya. You wanted to give me this because I was depressed for what happened to me-nya. It is a beautiful hairpin-nya... I... Well... C-could you put it on me-nya?" Kuroka asked that in an expectant tone of voice.

It was a rather spoiled and selfish request. Nora is a male who doesn't use this kind of thing. She could've gone and asked any other person currently on the house, and it would've been a better choice... but she wanted him to-

With her head lowered not looking at him in the eye, she did not hear him speak. Rather meekly she raised her head just to see him with a troubled face.

"Sorry-nya... I will ask someone else-nya." Kuroka said as she turned around without even waiting for him, basically forgetting her initial purpose for coming here.

She did not manage to take one step forward before she felt someone pulling her back by her hand. It could only be-

"Sorry, I just didn't know how to do it so don't put that face. I will gladly do it if it is alright with you... I might not get it on my first try though." Nora muttered as he stared at her seriously.

The same fuzzy feeling from before appeared as she was stared, but before she was able to think about it further, Nora took the box from her hands.

"Have a seat, I will start." Nora waited for her to react while pointing at a chair.

Silently following his words, she took a seat.

"This is called Kishi, it is a comb-shaped Kanzashi, I also got you a matching Kogai. You can use them both if you want but... It is up to you." Nora explained as he took out the contents of the box.

The comb-shaped hairpin, as pointed by Nora, seemed to be called Kishi. It gave a metallic feeling when you had it in your hands, tinged black and golden, it had a cat-shaped design. As for the other one, the Kogai as he explained, it seemed to resemble a sheathed sword, one golden and one black they had a simple design. They were made of the same material as the Kishi.

Kuroka listened carefully to everything he said. He also gave her a brief explanation on how to take care of it, and although it was brief, she did not miss any word.

"Hmmm... So... How should I do this?" Nora seemed to ponder about what kind of hairstyle would be good... and how to exactly make it.

For a moment, Kuroka had an idea. She recalled Nora paying attention to a certain someone with a certain hairstyle so she-

"Nora-nya... Can you...?" Kuroka began explaining.

Not mentioning the person at all, she tried to explain to Nora using gestures the best she could. It is not like he was not able to tell where the idea came from though.

"I can give it a try... Although your hair is shorter than Yasaka-san." Nora began carefully combing her hair using the Kishi while wryly smiling

Kuroka wanted to deny his words but as soon as he began combing her, she did not feel like doing anything else than enjoying the sensation. Many times before he had done it using his finger, this time he had an actual comb, but like before, he seemed to be using Ki during the process.

...

...

...

A while later, Kuroka who had lost count of the time seemed to awake from the lingering feeling of the combing. Before Nora said a word, she stood up hastily and went to her room to look for a mirror.

...

...

...

Having confirmed her appearance over and over, she seemed to like it a lot. Although she felt anxious when she thought about what Nora would say about it.

Walking back to the kitchen she saw that Nora was arranging a few mugs with what she could smell seemed to be hot chocolate.

Hearing her steps perhaps, Nora turned around and smiled at her.

"Yup, you look cute." Nora praised.

"...hehe. Thanks-nya" Kuroka replied bashfully after a moment.

Feeling satisfied with her choice of hair hairstyle and his praise, Kuroka just smiled.

"Let's go... Everyone might be getting cold so I thought of giving them some of this." Nora said while neatly placing the mugs on a tray.

In a happy mood, Kuroka nodded.

...

...

...

Many other things happened that day, like the devil girls complaining about wanting Nora to comb their hair too, or a small fight they had... that made Shirone spill the contents of her mug of chocolate.

Yet, like any other day. It had to end. The devil girls had to leave before night came as they had an event to attend.

Slightly quieter, only five people remained. Still, dinner remained merry thanks to the efforts of Nora and Yasaka who were doing their best to keep Kuroka and Shirone entertained.

Having finished dinner, it was time to sleep. Yasaka decided to spend the night too so to make it more comfortable, they all sleep with their futons arranged in Nora's room who seemed to wonder why there in particular. Strangely enough... They all called him silly at that time.

Kuroka was not exactly happy about sharing Nora, but the situation seemed to be good enough so she did not complain.

...

...

...

Waking up around midnight, Kuroka tried to locate Nora whom she could not feel nearby using her hand with her eyes closed.

It proved to be futile as she only feel her little sister and a rather big and squishy pillow... or not, on a further inspection they were Yasaka's-

For some reason, it made her angry, but she continued to focus on finding Nora.

Tired of not finding him, she opened her eyes and looked around... but he was not in the room.

She felt the need to find him, she was not sure why... but the feeling of standing up a looking for him seemed to drive her forward.

...

...

...

After a short search, she found him sitting on the engawa staring at the sky from where he was. He was so into it that he did not react until she sat beside him.

"Couldn't sleep? Do you want some warm milk?" His words were kind but he had a blank expression as he stared outside.

"Do you miss her-nya?" Kuroka replied slightly concerned.

She had noticed that since they reunited again, he was not fully himself sometimes.

It did not take long to learn of the reason... his mother was missing. She has been missing for over a year already.

Her words seemed to affect Nora as his expression looked pained for a moment before he nodded slowly.

"I... can't do anything. She is somewhere I don't know and who knows how she is doing. I... what am I suppose to do?" Nora spoke while clenching his fists.

The frustration could be easily felt from his tone. Looking at loss he turned his gaze to Kuroka.

Kuroka did not know the answer, her mother was no more. She was not coming back, but in his case, he doesn't even know that. It would be unfair to judge who has it tougher, or who suffered more. For her, that situation had already happened. She cried a lot until her tears ran dry, but she was not alone back then, she had Shirone with her to share that. Nora... what Nora needs right now-

"It will be alright-nya... Nora-nya... No, Nora. I am here...-nya." Kuroka said that and took him in a tight hug.

He did not say a word; he just stayed in a position where he was being hugged.

"How lame of me to act like this and worry you... Thanks." Nora returned the hug.

"It is not lame-nya. I will beat up anyone who says such a thing-nya." Kuroka spoke in a kind tone but with strong conviction.

For a moment, she could feel how he tightened his hug.

"...How reliable. Thank you 'Onee-chan'." Nora spoke those words in a teasing tone.

Immediately standing up, he offered her a hand for her to stand up as well.

She had stopped thinking for a moment after hearing him call her 'Onee-chan' at last. Even if he was being playful about it, she did not mind. Because she could tell that he was just hiding his embarrassment, and he truly thought so. He saw her as the reliable Kuroka-onee-chan. As family.

Taking his hand, she decided to not say a word about what he said as he would surely deny it.

"I will make you some warm milk so you can sleep." 

Saying that he pulled her by her hand and lead her inside.

...

...

...

Lying side by side, Nora was already asleep. Shirone was at her other side and Yasaka was lying at the other side of Nora with Kunou between them. It was an unfamiliar arrangement to Kuroka, sleeping with so many people. But it did not feel bad or so she thought.

Watching Nora sleeping, she thought about how peaceful he looked. He was a strange child but very kind to her sister and her. Sometimes muttering incomprehensible things like 'Is this moe at its finest?' when looking at Shirone, Kunou, or her. It was a little confusing for her, but she could tell that he meant no harm.

Having gone to incredible lengths to free them, he surely had it hard. But he never complained to her. For her, he was... her hero. Yes. He fits that description, Kuroka thought.

Laughing at what would probably happen if she told him that, she wondered if she could do something for him. When she read a book for her sister before, she learned about something that heroes receive when they save a damsel in trouble.

Feeling slightly bashful, she hesitated before moving her head closer to his. Leaning a little, she gave him a peak on... his cheek.

"Thank you for everything-nya... Merry Christmas for you, Nora-nya." Kuroka closed her eyes and let exhaustion from playing around all day take over, and she just slept.

This was going to be a good night.

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