Left unsaid was that it was over twenty days later. Hearing Shuri’s answer, the blonde frowned in confusion.

“You’re losing me now, aunty. If the old man isn’t dead and he did come back, then what’s the problem? What happened over the year I was gone?”

Shuri widened her eyes at his misinformation, but gradually shook her head.

“Dimori-kun. You weren’t gone for a year. You were gone for a month.”

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|DxD|

.

The blonde processed the information Shuri just told him. To find out that he was gone for a month was…not a huge shock to be honest. In fact, it just cleared up all the confusion he had.

“Oh. No wonder all of you still feel the same.”

When his senses washed over them, he thought he was still experiencing some sort of time lag from exiting the chamber since their life signatures felt relatively the same. It was a slight relief to know his senses still functioned normally.

“Either way, please tell me what happened over the month, aunty.”

Whether the time chamber underwent an evolution was something he would leave Aurelia to think about. What he wanted to know now was why everyone seemed to be so despondent.

“Well, Dimori-kun…a lot of things happened.”

Taking in a deep breath, Shuri gathered her resolve.

“For starters, Baraquiel and I…have separated.”

“...”

.

.

.

Silence…

Shuri waited for it any moment now. His screams, his yells of indignation, or his judgemental gaze. She already knew how it would look. She, who lost her memory, was selfish and refused to go back to her husband whom she had a lovely daughter with.

And with the very special relationship that existed between him and her former husband, Shuri had already resigned herself to be on the receiving side of his verbal tirade.

But…

Gu…Gu…Gu…Gu…

...all Igor did was walk over towards the open window and stood there.

“Before I say anything, I want to hear the whole story. Please, tell me what happened, aunty.”

His voice was calm…too calm. For some reason, Shuri felt like she was facing someone like Azazel. The authority the blonde oozed was enough to make her almost compelled to obey, like a student facing a headmaster.

The difference between the boy from a month ago and the one in front of her was too stark, and not only physically.

“You might want to sit down for this, Dimori-kun.”

“No need, aunty. I’d like you to tell me everything. Please tell me…every single thing that led to this point.”

“...”

Shuri saw he was adamant in his decision. She couldn’t see his face so she wouldn’t be able to gauge his reaction as she spoke, but she hoped he would atleast understand her point of view.

“Alright, Dimori-kun.”

And so, she began recounting the story as accurately as possible to the fullest extent of her knowledge. She reiterated all the details from a month ago without any embellishments and with as little impartiality as possible.

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Although it was reopening old wounds, Shuri did not let her emotions cloud her narration, or at the very least, to the best of her abilities. She told him of how the days passed by without any sign of his presence until he was found in Cuba with another woman.

“When Azazel and I found him, he was with another woman, and he looked happy as she…kissed him-?!”

When she mentioned that part, Shuri could’ve sworn she felt a rapid spike in power before it disappeared like it was never there. It was as if her world turned white for the most briefest of seconds before colour filled her vision again.

The blonde showed no outward reaction, but she was able to notice that the hands behind his back which were hanging freely were now clenched. But he still stood tall like a soldier, his gaze fixed on the view outside.

His hair which had been in a ponytail had come undone, but there was no strong wind that could’ve caused the blue hairband lying on the floor to dislodge itself. It fell on his broad shoulders like a waterfall, almost making him look like a woman from behind.

As the lull of silence stretched out, Igor subtly turned around, his eyes hidden by his hair.

“Please continue, aunty.”

“Right…”

Shoving the thoughts of that spike in power behind her, Shuri continued narrating the story and included all the details, including the name of Alicia who Baraquiel was with.

“If you wish for proof, Dimori-kun, I can show it-”

“I trust you, aunty. Please continue.”

His voice was even, bordering on the realm of polite. It was as if he was not affected in the slightest by the news she was telling him. But beyond that, she was surprised by how he trusted her.

She was ready to bring out the logbook and show all the proof she had and even call Cleria to act as an accreditor.

She was touched that he didn’t think so little of her.

“Very well, Dimori-kun.”

This time, she went over the events that happened in the last ten days. From Azazel exacting physical punishment on Baraquiel, she didn’t leave important details out. Like a timeline, she took the most important parts and skipped over the dialogue she had with Baraquiel.

After all, he asked “what” happened. Not “why”. She did not go into specifics about any talks or unimportant interactions. Finally, she arrived at today where she and Baraquiel announced their separation.

“Akeno did not take it well, but it was for the best. I truly apologise for being selfish, Dimori-kun. But I couldn’t bring myself to call him husband after everything.”

Through sheer self-control, she did not shed tears. She already had enough crying and the last thing she wanted was to seem like a typical woman who used tears to sway opinion in her favour. To Igor who valued family the most in his heart, such manipulation tactics would not doubt earn his ire.

“Everything I have said is the truth for my side with no falsities. I am of sound mind without any emotional turbulence affecting my recounting the story.”

“...”

Having his silence as his reply, Shuri was worried that he would view her unfavourably. She had seen how strong the bond Igor and Baraquiel had in his memories and was worried that he would be biased towards him.

And if his view of her was horrible, he might resent her and by extension, Akeno. Shuri didn’t care about herself but she absolutely did not want to get between Akeno and her big brother. She had already caused her daughter to be separated from her father. She didn’t want her to lose her brother as well.

“Dimori-kun. I-”

“I apologise, aunty. I can’t hold myself anymore because…”

Gradually, his energy increased.

“...I want to know…”

And his tone turned dark.

“Where. Is. He.”

.

|DxD|

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Kyoto, Japan

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While Igor had stayed in Kuoh, Aurelia had returned to Kyoto. For her, it was ten years. For the others, it was just a little over a month. It was relatively easy for her to tell the time just by looking at the sky. By noting the position of the sun and the moon, she was able to accurately tell how much time had passed.

Letting her eyes roam the city and its countryside, she could see that the structural damage caused by Igor had been repaired and all the broken windows had been replaced. Even off into the far distance, she could see that the Himejima compound had been completely rebuilt.

Flying further inward into the city, she was under the cover of illusion magic. Her aim was one of the highrise office buildings in the city. While it appeared like a normal office building from outside, the significance it held superceded its appearance.

Not only did it contain historical significance, it was the central hub for supernatural administration in Japan and it was also where Yasaka stayed on the topmost floor. While the building was indeed protected by wards and barriers, they were elementary in Aurelia’s eyes.

Under the cover of her illusion, she swiftly got passed the multiple barriers before making it to the window to Yasaka’s office. While she was now stronger than her mistress, she still respected her enough to not barge in like that.

So, she flared her energy for the briefest of moments, just enough that Yasaka would be able to sense it, but not get detected by the wards she bypassed. And sure enough, the fluffy nine-tailed fox made her way to the window.

Twisting some latches, she opened the window and placed her elbows on the sill.

“My my, Aurelia-chan. Don’t you look dashing~.”

While she would love to entertain Yasaka, the silverette had more pressing matters to report.

“Lady Yasaka. Apologies for my rudeness, but there are important matters I must discuss for you, matters that could affect the entire Shinto Pantheon.”

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AN

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