“Alright, turn there. Yes, that’s it—pretty good! You’re better at this than I expected. Did you learn somewhere?”

In a separate annex a short distance from the Gremory main residence, I was in one of the rooms getting dance lessons from Venelana-san.

…Why am I doing this?

As soon as I met Venelana-san, she led me here, and we jumped straight into dance practice. The lessons I got from Alice back in the day were coming in handy. I’m a bit stiff in places, but I seem to be doing alright, and Venelana-san even praised me.

Dancing so close to Venelana-san… She’s gorgeous and cute, so it’s hard not to be hyper-aware! Plus, her soft, ample chest keeps brushing against me, and, well, my body’s reacting in all sorts of ways. She hasn’t noticed, right? If she did, I’d be in trouble. Calm down, me!

“Let’s take a break.”

Phew, I made it through somehow. I plop down on a nearby chair. Man, I’m just not cut out for this stuff. Though, feeling her chest was a nice perk…

“Um…”

“What is it?” Venelana-san asks.

“Why just me? What about Kiba and Gasper?”

I’ve been wondering this for a while. The Gremory study sessions, now this dance lesson—why am I the only one? If it’s about teaching manners, shouldn’t those two be here too?

“Yuto-san already has these skills mastered,” Venelana-san explains. “Gasper-san, coming from a noble vampire family, knows basic etiquette. The issue is you, Issei-san, a commoner from the human world. But I’m surprised—your table manners at dinner and your dancing suggest you’ve already learned a fair bit.”

She sounds impressed. Guess my otherworld experience is paying off. Alice told me, “Learn this, it’ll come in handy someday,” and I never thought that day would actually come. Alice, you’re a lifesaver.

“It’s not perfect yet, but at this rate, you won’t embarrass Rias at high society events,” Venelana-san says with a smile.

Looks like I won’t drag Buchou’s name through the mud.

Might as well ask now—it’s a good chance. I feel a bit guilty asking without her permission, but it’s been nagging at me for days.

“One more question, if that’s okay?”

“Of course, ask away.”

“It’s about the power Koneko-chan’s suppressing. I heard she collapsed from overworking herself. What exactly is she fighting against?”

Venelana-san lets out a small sigh, sits on the chair across from me, and begins a story.

“There were once two sister cats.”

It’s a tale of two cats.

Orphaned and homeless, the two cats relied on each other to survive. They slept, ate, and played together, always side by side. One day, a devil took them in. The older sister became his familiar, allowing the sisters to live a proper, happy life.

But that happiness didn’t last.

The elder sister, reborn as a devil, saw her hidden powers surge, growing rapidly. Her kind, a cat race skilled in sorcery, also awakened magical talent, even mastering sage arts only immortals could wield. Outgrowing her master in no time, she was consumed by her power, killed him, and vanished—a stray devil.

Pursuit teams chased her, but she crushed them all, leaving devastation. The devils halted the hunt, and instead, they turned their blame on the younger sister.

“She’ll go rogue like her sister. Better deal with her now,” they said.

“But the younger sister didn’t do anything wrong, right?” I ask.

“Exactly,” Venelana-san replies. “Sirzechs argued she was innocent, persuading the high-ranking devils. By keeping her under watch, he spared her from execution.”

“Still, the emotional scars must be heavy…”

“Yes. That’s why Sirzechs entrusted her to Rias, hoping she’d find joy and smiles again. Over time, Rias helped her open up, bit by bit, and gave her a name—Koneko.”

Koneko-chan’s past, huh. So, her true identity is…

“She’s originally a youkai—a cat youkai, a Nekomata. Among them, she’s a survivor of the strongest breed, the Nekoshou.”

“Hey, Buchou! Long time no see!”

“Issei!”

After the dance lesson, I headed to the main residence, where Buchou greeted me. It’s been five days since we last saw each other. As I’m thinking this, she hugs me! Her sweet scent hits me hard.

“Oh, Issei’s smell… Haven’t you gotten even manlier these past few days?” she says.

“Well, training with two Dragon Kings will put muscle on you whether you like it or not,” I reply.

“Are you sleeping okay? Eating well? I’ve been lonely without sleeping beside you…”

Ohhh, Buchou, don’t say that with those teary eyes! It makes me wanna hug you tight!

Wait, no, focus! There’s something I need to do first.

“Buchou, where’s Koneko-chan?”

Her face turns serious. “Come with me.”

Buchou leads me to the medical room in the Gremory residence, where Koneko-chan is resting. The room is spacious, like a school infirmary. As I approach, I see Akeno-san by a bed where Koneko-chan lies.

I freeze, spotting something on her head—cat ears. So, the cat youkai thing is real… But, damn, she’s adorable! Super lovable, Koneko-chan!

Focus, Issei, not now!

“Issei-kun, this is—” Akeno-san starts, probably because I reacted to the ears.

I wave her off. “It’s fine. I’ve heard the gist.”

I move to Koneko-chan’s bedside to check on her. No visible injuries—Asia’s healing would’ve fixed those anyway. The issue is her aura; it’s all over the place, likely from overworking herself.

“…Why are you here?” Koneko-chan asks, her tone grumpy. Is she mad I came?

“Well, I was worried about you, and I came to help with your treatment.”

“…Asia-senpai already treated me.”

“Yeah, but Asia can only heal injuries. She can’t fix a disrupted aura. Koneko-chan, I’m gonna touch your head, okay?”

I place my hand on her head, focusing to stabilize her aura. It’s more chaotic than I expected—she really pushed herself too far.

“There we go. You should feel better now. I boosted your healing too, so you’ll be up soon.”

I remove my hand. Those cat ears were so soft and fluffy…

She’s still sulking, not responding. “Koneko-chan, why’d you overwork yourself like that?”

“…I want to be,” she mumbles.

“Huh? What?”

Tears well in her eyes as she speaks clearly. “I want to be strong. Like Yuto-senpai, Xenovia-senpai, Akeno-san… and you, Issei-senpai. I want to be strong in body and heart. Even Gya-kun’s getting stronger. I don’t have healing powers like Asia-senpai. If I stay like this, I’ll be useless… As the ‘Rook,’ I’m the weakest… I don’t want to be useless…”

“Koneko-chan…”

So that’s what’s been eating at her. Tears stream down her face as she continues.

“…But I don’t want to use the power inside me… the Nekomata power. If I do, I’ll… become like my sister. I don’t want that… Not again…”

It’s the first time I’ve seen Koneko-chan cry like this. She’s always been so reserved, so it’s a bit shocking.

“Look, Koneko-chan, that’s exactly why you can’t overdo it. Overworking could ruin your future. If you really want to be strong, you have to accept yourself. In the end, you can only rely on yourself. And who says you’ll end up like your sister?”

“…What do you know?” she mutters, glaring at me. “What do you know about my feelings, Issei-senpai? You’re strong in body and heart, so you can say that! You’re strong… You can’t understand how a weak person like me feels!”

She yells, breathing heavily. Buchou and Akeno-san are startled.

“Koneko,” Buchou says softly.

Koneko-chan snaps back to herself, trembling. “…I’m sorry… I didn’t mean…”

She hugs her shoulders, trying to stop shaking, but her tears keep falling.

I sit on a nearby chair, facing her. “Don’t worry about it, Koneko-chan. Just calm down. Buchou, could you get some water?”

Buchou nods, bringing a glass of water. Koneko-chan takes it and sips.

“Feeling better?” I ask.

“…A little.”

She’s still trembling, but it’s better than before.

“Buchou, Akeno-san, could you give us a moment? I want to talk to her alone.”

They nod and leave the room.

I face Koneko-chan again. “Sorry about earlier. I was a bit insensitive.”

“…No, it’s not… I’m the one who’s wrong.”

I shake my head. “No, I really didn’t get how you felt. Even with Gasper, I’ve never feared my own power. I never had the luxury to think about it. But I think I understand what it’s like to be weak. I used to be really weak…”

“…I can’t believe you were ever weak, Issei-senpai,” she says.

I give a wry smile. “No, really, I had zero talent. Ddraig was disappointed at first, saying, ‘This time’s a dud…’ Wait, didn’t I mention I had no talent before?”

“…I thought you were just being humble.”

Wow, that’s how she saw it? Everyone overestimates me.

“So, yeah, I chased strength relentlessly. Trained, nearly died multiple times, but kept going.”

My training was beyond overwork—kicked off cliffs, the works. How I survived is a miracle.

“…Why go that far?” Koneko-chan asks.

I answer quietly, “Because I had something to protect.”

Her eyes widen, my words striking a chord.

“Remember when I said you won’t end up like your sister? I meant it.”

“…Why?”

“People consumed by power don’t fear it. And if you have something to protect, even less so. You have someone you want to protect, right?”

Koneko-chan gazes out the window, then speaks softly. “…I want to protect Buchou… Rias-sama, who saved me. I want to be useful to her.”

I smile and pat her head. “Then you’ll be fine. Hold onto that feeling, and you won’t be consumed.”

She looks down, clutching the sheets tightly, still uneasy.

“If you’re still scared, I’ll face that power with you.”

“…Huh?” She looks up at me.

“If you confront that power, I’ll back you up. And if it ever starts to take over, I’ll stop you with everything I’ve got.”

Koneko-chan stares at me silently for a while.

“…Thank you, Issei-senpai,” she says, tears falling as she smiles.

A little later…

“Hey, Koneko-chan.”

“…What?”

“Can I touch your cat ears?”

“…Why?”

“They felt amazing earlier. So soft and fluffy.”

Her cheeks flush slightly. “…That’s what you were thinking? You’re such a pervert, Issei-senpai.”

“What?! Why?!”

Yup, that’s the Koneko-chan I know.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep