Meanwhile.
At Shuchiin Academy Ttsuki Culinary Branch.
Inside a private clubroom
Nakiri Erina frowned at the sudden pop-up website on her phone.
"A prank?"
She casually set her phone down and tasted the freshly delivered dish in front of her.
Scooping up a spoonful of soup, Erina took a sip only to immediately spit it out with a disgusted look on her face.
She knew right away it wasn't the food's fault.
"The curse of the God's Tongue"
Erina's expression darkened with frustration.
Lately, no matter what she ate, nothing could satisfy her cursed palate.
If this continued...
Who knew what would happen to her.
Resting her cheek on one hand, Erina sighed helplessly.
But then... her gaze naturally drifted back to that strange website on her phone.
"Help from a devil... huh."
Suddenly... she felt a tiny bit curious.
Without thinking much about it, she picked up her phone and started typing.
["Can you make a dish that can satisfy me?"]
Click sent!
For a brief moment, Erina felt a flicker of hope... before shaking her head with a self-deprecating laugh.
"As if devils actually exist..."
"I must really be losing my mind from this cursed tongue... resorting to stupid stuff like this."
But the very next second...
Ding!
A reply popped up on Devil Link.
Erina froze.
["Cooking, huh... that's not really my strong suit..."]
Seeing that, Erina clicked her tongue.
"Tch as expected, just some prank"
But thenAnother message arrived.
["But... maybe you'll be interested in this?"]
Erina: "...?"
What's that supposed to mean?
While she was still confusedA black magic circle suddenly appeared on her phone screen!
"W-What the hell?!"
Plop.
A piece of meat dropped out of thin air and landed right on her table.
"AHHHH!!" Erina screamed, flinging her phone away like it was cursed.
Panic written all over her face, Erina bolted away from the table and crouched in the corner of the room, hugging her knees and shaking.
"M-Mr. Devil, sir! I thought it was just a prank! I wasn't trying to bother you or anything!!"
She sounded like she was about to cry at any moment.
Creak
The door to the club room slowly opened from the outside.
"EEEEEEEK?!"
Hearing the sound, Erina shrank even further into the corner like a terrified kitten.
Is is the devil really here to take me away?!
ButStanding at the door was none other than Hisako Arato, her loyal aide, staring blankly at Erina's pitiful state.
After a moment of awkward silence, Hisako hesitantly spoke.
"Um... Ojou-sama... are you, uh... rehearsing for some kind of performance?"
Erina: "..."
Hearing that familiar voice, Erina peeked out cautiously, finally noticing that there was nobody else in the room.
Realizing this, she let out a huge sigh of relief and patted her chest to calm herself.
"Haaah... geez..."
"For a second there, I really thought a devil had come for me"
She muttered under her breath but of course, Hisako heard every single word loud and clear.
Hisako forced an awkward yet polite smile, wisely pretending like she hadn't heard anything.
'Is... is Ojou-sama going through a Chniby phase?'
Now feeling much calmer, Erina finally noticed Hisako standing there and immediately froze.
Crap.
Crapcrapcrap.
She saw everything?!
So embarrassing!!
Erina wanted to dig a hole and hide forever.
Hisako, seeing her Ojou-sama struggling, quickly straightened her expression and said seriously, "Ojou-sama, I didn't see anything just now."
Erina glared at her, full of grievance.
What am I, a three-year-old?
Who'd believe a lie like that?
Still... it was Hisako. It's fine, right? Probably...
Trying to comfort herself, Erina's gaze wandered back to the table where that mysterious piece of meat still sat.
Her whole body stiffened again.
No doubt about it.
That was absolutely a supernatural event.
A devil...
Just thinking that word sent a shiver down her spine.
Crap again.
Did... did I just get marked by a devil?!
What do I do? What now??
Ding!
Her phone vibrated again with a new message.
Erina froze in place.
Hisako, noticing the phone lying on the floor, tilted her head in confusion.
Isn't that Ojou-sama's phone?
But since Erina wasn't moving at all, Hisako naturally picked it up.
Her eyes couldn't help but glance over the screen.
[Devil Link]
["Making a deal with a devil comes with a price, you know~"]
Devil?
So that's why Ojou-sama was acting like this?
Hisako looked puzzled but didn't think too much of it. She handed the phone back to Erina with a gentle smile.
"Ojou-sama, your phone."
Erina: "..."
"...Thanks, Hisako."
Erina awkwardly took the phone, eyes quickly scanning the message.
Price?!
Her heart skipped a beat.
Wait, wait, wait what could she possibly offer as payment?
Then suddenly her eyes lit up.
"Hisako! Quick! Get the kitchen ready! I'm cooking!!"
—
Meanwhile, over in the Supernatural Research Clubroom...
Lynn glanced at the screen displaying the client info.
Client: Nakiri Erina.
His eyes glinted with amusement.
The moment he saw her request, he immediately guessed it had something to do with her "God Tongue"
Perfect timing.
He'd just gotten his hands on some freshly obtained monster meat from his Familia's latest research.
When it came to quality, monster meat was on a whole different level compared to ordinary ingredients.
Not to mention it was a genuine supernatural ingredient.
So, naturally, he had someone from his Familia deliver a piece to her.
Now Lynn was curious.
After tasting a dish made with monster meat an ingredient overflowing with supernatural properties would the God Tongue still find ordinary food even remotely satisfying?
And more importantly...
Once Nakiri Erina got a taste of this could she ever walk away from the Devil Link again?
.
.
.
The Valifer's Territory
Shuchiin Academy Ttsuki Division.
Inside the clubroom, Nakiri Erina finally let out a long sigh of relief as she looked at the finished dish in front of her.
Due to the limited time and lack of proper ingredients and equipment, all she could manage to whip up was a simple pan-seared steak.
But even so...
The aroma wafting from the meat was so mouthwatering that she found herself gulping down her saliva multiple times without realizing it.
Her heart skipped a beat.
"Is... my God's Tongue actually craving this?"
Erina's voice trembled slightly.
Ever since awakening the God's Tongue, this was the very first time she'd experienced something like this.
"Could it be... this piece of meat?"
Swallowing hard, Erina stared intently at the steak on the plate. And as she did, the craving from her God's Tongue only grew stronger.
I want it... I want it so bad...
I NEED it!!
Shaking her head vigorously to snap herself out of it, she suddenly remembered the message she was sending through the Devil Link app.
Food that could satisfy even her God's Tongue...
And just like that, the Devil casually sent her a piece of unbelievably high-grade meat?
Was this the kind of food Devils usually ate?
Her mouth was practically overflowing with drool now. Her gaze locked onto that piece of meat, her eyes subtly taking on a reddish hue, her breathing becoming ragged.
The rich aroma filled her nose, causing her entire body to tremble even to the point of slight spasms.
She looked like a crazy horny person.
But...
She managed to keep a sliver of rationality and quickly pulled out her phone.
"Um... Mr. Devil, how should I deliver your payment?" she typed, glancing at the neatly plated steak prepared earlier.
Buzz
A reply instantly came through.
["Just place your payment near the phone. That's fine."]
Erina bit her lip but followed the instructions.
Buzz
Suddenly, a pitch-black magic circle appeared out of thin air.
The otherworldly sight made Erina's heart race like crazy.
What the hell... there really are supernatural beings in this world!?
And in the very next secondThe steak next to her phone vanished without a trace.
Another message popped up on the Devil Link screen.
["This request has been completed. Looking forward to working with you again."]
Erina let out another deep sigh.
Looking forward to next time?
Like hell that's happening!
She absolutely didn't want to deal with Devils ever again!
But still...
Up until now, she'd always thought creatures like Devils only existed in manga and novels.
Yet after today... her entire view of the world had been flipped upside down.
This world... isn't as simple as she thought.
Erina felt a little uneasy.
It really did feel like she'd gotten herself on a Devil's radar...
That ominous premonition wrapped around her like a fog, making her extremely restless.
"Well... whatever. Let's eat first"
Gulp.
Erina stared at the remaining steak on her plate.
No hesitation.
Like a starving beast, she grabbed her fork and attacked the meat without a second thought.
And the very instant that meat entered her mouth Erina's eyes widened to the max.
"Ahhhh~"
Her breathing quickened, a moan escaping her lips as her body instinctively squirmed.
Her fair, delicate cheeks instantly flushed a deep red.
Her vision blurred.
It felt like she'd been transported to a completely different world.
A world steeped in ancient elegance traditional-style buildings everywhere people working diligently but what truly shocked her was
"Y-Yokai!?"
One after another, strange creatures each more bizarre than the last were walking, floating, and laughing happily as they strolled down the bustling streets.
The scene before her was like a living painting, making her feel oddly at peace.
Lost in the sensation, Erina didn't even know how much time passed before she finally snapped back to reality.
And without realizing it...
The steak on her plate was completely gone.
Gulp.
She swallowed again.
"That... that was absolutely divine!!"
Face flushed, heart pounding, Erina was overwhelmed with excitement.
This was hands down the best thing she'd ever tasted in her entire life!
And the crazy part? She hadn't even done any complicated prep work!
Maybe no amount of fancy technique could possibly enhance this level of premium ingredients!
"Haa... haa..."
Her nostrils flared, breathing heavy.
"The satisfaction... my God's Tongue is overflowing with joy..."
After a while, she gradually calmed down.
Clutching her phone tightly, Erina's gaze fell on the Devil Link screen as she bit her lip hard.
Now that her God's Tongue had tasted something this amazing...
How the hell was she supposed to go back to eating normal food!?
Damn it!!
Looks like she really had no choice but to keep dealing with the Devil...
Fortunately, she was currently in her post-satisfaction phase, so her mind was clearer.
Letting out a long breath, Erina hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly bookmarked the Devil Link site.
Just... just this once!
(Guess meat could be classified as drugs now?)
Meanwhile Shuchiin Academy, Supernatural Research Club.
After tasting the pan-seared steak Erina had personally made, Lynn rubbed his chin. "Hmm... Even though it was just a simple seared steak, it's definitely a few levels above Mahiru's cooking."
Of courseMahiru's skills were already excellent.
But compared to a professional like Erina?
Yeah, still a bit of a gap.
And on top of that...This was different meat.
"Mhm..."
"Looks like I just found myself a top-tier personal chef for my Familia, huh?"
Buzz
Suddenly, Lynn's phone vibrated again...
"Rias?"
Seeing the sender of the message, Lynn raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.
[Rias: "Lynn, after what happened last time, my brother has decided to officially grant you the title of Ultimate-Class Devil, and he's planning to assign Valifer's territory under your name as well."]
[Rias: "But... since he's not sure how you feel about it and also worried that some people might come looking for trouble because of this he asked me to check with you first."]
"Ultimate-Class, huh?"
Lynn shook his head.
[Lynn: "I'm not really interested in the Ultimate-Class Devil title."]
—
Kuoh Academy Occult Research Club.
When Rias saw Lynn's reply, her expression twitched slightly.
Ultimate-Class Devil in the Underworld, that's a rank only second to the Four Satans themselves.
And Lynn just... straight-up said he wasn't interested?
But honestly...
"This might actually be for the best..."
Rias also didn't want Lynn to draw too much attention and end up becoming a target for the Old Satan Faction.
Bzzz
Another message from Lynn.
Rias quickly checked it.
[Lynn: "I don't care about the title, but I'll take Valifer's territory."]
[Rias: "Got it. But... taking over Valifer's territory might stir up some unnecessary trouble. Do you want my brother to handle it quietly behind the scenes?"]
[Lynn: "No need."]
[Rias: "But still..."]
Rias couldn't help but feel a little worried.
Meanwhile, back at the Supernatural Research Club, Lynn's lips curled into a faint smirk.
[Lynn: "Old Satan Faction, huh?"]
[Lynn: "If they've got the guts, let them come."]
[Lynn: "Oh, and make sure Sirzechs makes this as high-profile as possible."]
Seeing Lynn's messages, Rias froze for a second... then let out a helpless laugh.
"As expected of Lynn..."
Not only was he completely unfazed by the idea of the Old Satan Faction coming after him he was actually worried they wouldn't show up unless he made enough noise?
Seriously...
It's exactly this kind of Lynn that makes her heart race.
After daydreaming for a moment (and blushing a little), Rias quickly snapped back to reality and used magic to relay Lynn's message to Sirzechs.
Once that was done, Rias turned her gaze toward Koneko, who was quietly munching on snacks.
Just like Lynn had said that day, Koneko was still living her normal life at Kuoh Academy and hadn't left the Occult Research Club.
But...
She didn't hang around the club nearly as much anymore.
"Kinda mysterious lately..." Rias muttered, then asked directly, "Koneko, have you gotten stronger recently?"
