My stepsisters are sexy demons, and I must protect them
Chapter 77: A date with... Professor Yuunami?

Chapter 77: A date with... Professor Yuunami?

«I’m glad to see you’re well, miss... uh, Marquis Velshekar...» Lurek murmurs.

The creature is a biped, nearly two meters tall, with an appearance vaguely resembling a large beetle—but without wings or horn.

Its carapace is made of segmented blocks of some strange black mineral, and thick brown slime drips from the gaps between each plate.

Two small, military-green eyes—almost brown—peer out from the slits that serve as eye sockets.

It has three fingers on both upper and lower limbs.

Lurek belongs to the molgrûn race—the rock diggers—a species known for extraordinary intelligence, despite their monstrous appearance.

Lurek—Velshekar’s right hand—was the one who recovered Velshekar from the island of São Vicente, but not before exterminating the entire village.

He later brought him to a place Velshekar calls "the wardrobe" a cavern carved deep beneath the Rocky Mountains in North America.

They call it "the wardrobe" because that’s where Velshekar stores bodies—suspended in apparent death inside high-tech cryo tanks.

Hundreds of them.

All from different races of N’Raeth.

It’s where she goes every time she needs a new vessel.

Now, inside the body of the young Amina, Velshekar walks between the tanks, inspecting them one by one.

Her sharp eyes scan orcs, imps, elves, molgrûn, and yoghral—the blue-skinned demons covered in yellow eyeballs.

But none of them seem good enough.

«Perhaps none of these bodies are to your liking, Marquis Velshekar?» Lurek asks, his voice soft and obedient.

Velshekar shakes her head, doubtful.

«They won’t do... none of them are suited for the task ahead.»

«The task ahead?» Lurek repeats, confused.

«I need bodies strong enough to possess the two hybrids—and to take revenge on Raelos for what he did to me... With hosts this weak, I wouldn’t stand a chance—»

She suddenly stops talking. Her eyes have locked onto a specific tank.

Inside, floating in pale liquid, lies the body of a vampire woman—stunningly beautiful, seemingly in her early thirties, with long silver hair and a perfectly horizontal fringe falling over her eyes.

«Levreshka Dulcar...» Velshekar murmurs, a satisfied smile spreading across her lips. «With her vampire blood and her Innatus, killing that bastard Raelos and tearing the hybrids away from the Cult of the Primordial Shadow will be easier than I thought...»

«With all due respect, Marquis Velshekar... do you really want to oppose the Cult of the Primordial Shadow? That’s madness,» Lurek mutters, his small eyes clearly full of fear.

«Their current objective is to kill the brats during a ritual and extract their life essence—a fundamental piece in the awakening of Nyratalir. But I have no intention of giving up bodies this special just because of the whims of some cult of dark mages. I only joined them to locate the hybrids faster, not to contribute to the resurrection of that terrifying being.»

A serpent of emerald-green flame slithers out from Velshekar’s mouth. It hisses through the air and flies straight toward the cryo tank holding the vampire woman’s body.

«Lurek. Release Levreshka from her suspended state.»

«Yes, boss.»

♡♡♡

—RING! RING!

The phone rings for several seconds with no answer.

Hakuto is just about to hang up when a female voice picks up on the other end.

«H-Hello... is this Professor Misaki Yuunami?» Hakuto asks, his voice trembling.

«Yes, speaking. Who am I speaking with?» she replies in a formal, composed tone—typical of a high school teacher.

«You might not remember me... I was only your student for a short while... I’m Hakuto Tendo,» he says, his voice even more hesitant because of her professionalism.

Then—long, dragging silence.

Until suddenly, a loud thud. Like someone falling to the floor, chair and all.

«P-Professor Yuunami...? Are you okay? Did something happen?» Hakuto asks, alarmed by the noise.

«Y-Yes, yes, I’m fine, Hakuto... Of course I remember you! Sorry I didn’t recognize you right away, but I hope you understand—it’s been over seven months, and I honestly never expected to get a call from you,» her voice now completely different—less formal, brighter, almost shaking from surprise and joy.

«Tell me everything, Hakuto! What made you call? And how’s Estonia? I hope you’ve been taking your studies seriously!» she fires off, her voice full of sudden energy.

«Y-Yeah, everything’s fine,» he manages to answer, overwhelmed by her barrage of questions.

«I called because, well... I’m visiting Ashiya to meet a friend—I’ll only be here a couple of days—so I thought... it’d be really nice to have coffee together... I mean, only if you want to, of course. I get that for a teacher at a prestigious school like Tsugumi, being seen in public with a student—or ex-student—might not exactly be appropriate... even if it’s just for coffee...»

«Yeah, unfortunately... that’s kind of true,» Misaki replies, her voice sounding regretful.

~God, I’m such an idiot... What was I thinking, asking my former teacher out for coffee?! Of course she’d say no... What a disaster. I knew I shouldn’t have called...~

Hakuto is about to end the call quickly, when...

«...which is why I think it’d be better to choose a spot that’s a bit more discreet. Somewhere no one would recognize us. Or even better... somewhere no one’s around at all.»

Hakuto’s breath catches instantly at those words from Professor Yuunami.

«H-Hello? Hakuto? Are you still there...?»

«Y-Yes! Sorry, Professor Yuunami. There must’ve been some interference—I think I misheard what you said.»

In truth, Hakuto understood perfectly.

He’s just doing his best to hide the sudden panic.

«I said you’re right—if people saw us together, my reputation could be at risk. But still... I’d really like to see you again too. So the only option is to pick a place that’s quiet, isolated... far from prying eyes and gossip.»

Her voice is calm—completely free of malice or hidden intent.

«O-Of course, Professor Yuunami. That’s totally fine. So... how should we organize it?»

«I’ll take care of that. Just trust me,» she answers with quiet confidence.

And somehow, that certainty helps Hakuto relax.

It washes away the leftover nervousness.

«Now I need to get back to grading—yes, we teachers work Saturdays too. I’ll call you later with the time and place, okay? And make sure you dress nicely. Don’t overeat today either—I plan to take you somewhere really special for dinner tonight! Talk soon, Hakuto. It was truly lovely hearing from you.»

«Talk to you later, Professor Yuunami.»

Hakuto lets out a long sigh as soon as the call ends—almost like he’s been holding his breath for far too long.

He can barely believe what just happened. His initial intention was just to grab coffee together, and in his wildest, most optimistic thoughts, he never imagined she’d actually agree to it.

But now... dinner?

And her offering to pay for it?

Considering his finances have taken a serious hit lately, he appreciates that gesture as much as the date itself.

Hakuto stands still, staring up at the sky.

~Wait... a date with Professor Yuunami? Sure, she’s a seriously attractive woman, but... I never thought of her that way. She’s always been my teacher, after all. Then again, which student doesn’t dream about having a night with their sexy teacher?~

Hakuto shakes his head repeatedly.

~Damn it... am I turning into my dad? When did I go from being a normal guy to a pervert?!~

It’s barely past noon. Hakuto starts planning his afternoon.

First, a visit to the huge villa—he’ll take the opportunity to have lunch and recover from the jet lag.

After that, he’ll spend the rest of the afternoon with Itsu, until the evening, when he’ll head back to the villa to prepare for the special night with Professor Yuunami.

He drags his suitcase lazily, heading out of the city center and toward the path that will lead him to the gates of the villa.

As he walks through the woods, Hakuto pauses.

His eyes settle on a spot marked by destruction—trees torn down or split apart.

He smiles faintly, recognizing the place.

It’s where he fought Chantal on the very first day she moved to Ashiya.

Then, he keeps walking.

It doesn’t even surprise him to see the main gate of the villa completely wrecked, and the massive garden inside in far worse condition than he remembered.

~Of course. Itsu and Chantal turned this place into a war zone with their training... Let’s just hope the villa itself is still standing~

Hakuto continues along what’s left of the cobblestone path.

Huge craters open up on both sides of him. The once neatly trimmed lawn is gone—now it’s just patches of dirt and rubble.

The statues and fountains that lined the way before reduced to ruins.

~I really hope Kagura and Shin don’t decide to move back here... How the hell would I explain this mess to them...?~

He’s about halfway down the path when...

suddenly, he drops his suitcase.

Diamond-scale armor covers his body in an instant.

He grips his long, thick sword tightly.

White flames burst out around him—furious and blazing.

His muscles tense.

His jaw clenches.

Sweat trickles down his forehead.

His expression is a mix of fear and focus. He’s ready to move at any moment.

His eyes, narrowed and trembling, are locked on the sudden rain of fuchsia rose petals falling from the sky.