Completely and utterly flustered by his words, she broke free from his hold and marched forward, a very bright crimson shade of red on her face. One minute he’s warm and caring. The next, he turns into a lecherous rogue.

She couldn’t handle it anymore.

[He’s too perverted!]

Silently, Igor watched her walk away, a warm smile spreading on his face. He couldn’t help it. Seeing her make all these sorts of cute reactions just lit a fire in him.

[Father. I have no regrets. I love this woman.]

.

|DxD|

.

Just further down the corridor from the blonde and silverette, Shuri was inside the doctor’s lounge. It wasn’t a large room by any margin. Just a few couches surrounding the table with a potted plant on it. There were other basic amenities such as a kettle, microwave, coffee machine, and a few more.

Shuri was alone in the lounge with a cup of warm green tea in hand. Sitting modestly on the couch, she was at a loss on what to do. Ever since she had left Baraquiel’s room, her mind had been clouded with indecision.

[I…I can’t do it.]

Seeing Baraquiel like that, her resolve did not just falter, it completely diminished. She just did not have the heart to tell her husband who had woken up from a critical injury that she had her eyes on another man…the man who he was conversing with.

Struggling with indecision, she could only push the timeframe further away.

[I’ll wait. I’ll wait for him to get better. Maybe…maybe next week.]

It was completely unlike her to lose her composure so easily. But given how everything was lately, she found her emotions to be in a subtle state of flux. This was something she didn’t need when in such a delicate situation.

Slowly, she took a sip of tea from her cup to calm herself before she set it on the table. For all the merits she deserved, she outwardly remained composed, her expression not betraying her inner turmoil.

She was rather thankful that Igor and Aurelia had not arrived yet. The cold silence in this staff lounge was a factor she needed to process her thoughts and calm down.

[All is not lost, Shuri. A chance still exists.]

As long as she remained unyielding, a chance with Igor still existed. She was no longer shy about admitting her feelings towards him. But in reality, the odds were heavily stacked against her.

One problem was Akeno, but maybe she could hide their relationship from her? If it all worked out in the first place.

[I mustn’t think too far ahead.]

There was no use counting her chickens before they hatched. Her biggest concern was how to get the blonde not to see her as just ‘aunty’. If she could break through that point, then everything would be much easier.

[With Dimori-kun’s personality, it might take more than a few months just to change his perception of me.]

Calmly taking another sip, her pondering was interrupted when the door opened. Glancing at it, she was surprised to see that Aurelia was alone.

“Aurelia-san. Where is Dimori-kun?”

“He’s exploring the hospital. It’s his first time here so he wants to explore.”

“I see…”

She could certainly imagine him exploring with youthful curiosity. Taking another sip of her tea, she chuckled gently.

“Fufu~. It does sound like him.”

“Yes…”

Finally sitting down on the couch opposite Shuri, Aurelia waited for Shuri to finish drinking her tea with a patient gaze.

It wasn’t until a few moments later that Shuri finally put down her cup with a weary sigh.

“If this is about Baraquiel, I could not do it.”

“No, Shuri-sama. While I understand your reason for your hesitation, this has nothing to do with Baraquiel-sama.”

“?”

She was visibly surprised since most serious issues around her tended to relate to that husband of hers.

“Oh? Then what issue is so serious that it has you like this, Aurelia-san?”

“...”

Silently wishing she also drank some tea before this, Aurelia answered.

“This concerns my lord and…me.”

“?”

Shuri was failing to understand, but she had a bad feeling.The worst case scenario she could think of was if Aurelia told Igor of her affections and intentions.

But, she patiently waited for her to say her piece.

“I…”

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

This was difficult for Aurelia to say, but it had to be done. Not knowing a better way to phrase it, she could only sigh and bite the bullet.

“I fostered sexual relations with Igor.”

.

|DxD|

.

“Man. This hospital sure is big.”

Igor explored this massive hospital wing that seemed to be arranged in a ‘U’ shape. Keeping to the instructions given, he only explored this wing. But even this wing alone was big, making him wonder just how big the rest of the hospital would be.

Entering to explore one of the private rooms, he sat on the bed and immediately, he felt like he was in heaven.

“Mmmm. So…comfy…”

Looking around the room, there was a direct view to a lovely lake outside. If it wasn’t for the few machines here and there, this room would’ve fit the bill for a VIP suite in a hotel.

[This is a good place to nap. What do you think, Triny?]

{...}

Stopping his examination of an empty patient’s room, his eyes tilted upwards.

[Triny?]

{Huh? Ohhhh. So now you finally remember me?}

[...]

It didn’t take him a moment to figure that she was mad about him not speaking to her for the whole night given that he was…busy.

Still, he expected her to understand. Guess she didn’t.

“Women…”

{Boooo! Don’t ‘women’ me!}

[Meh. I-]

Suddenly stopping, he began to contemplate.

[Huh. You’re right.]

Clearing his throat, he smiled deviously for a very brief moment.

“Hags…”

Her reaction was instant.

{Raaaa! Come here. Come here so that I can bite you!}

[Heh. As if you could win against me.]

{Why you! Let’s see if…}

Ignoring the very energetic girl in his head, Igor chose to lie down on the bed.

“Alright, alright. I’m coming you old hag.”

His words ignited a slight gap in silence. It was clear that Triny completely didn’t expect he would come. She even glossed over that he called her an old hag.

{...hmph! Whatever…}

“...”

She was excited, wasn’t she?

{I’m not!}

“Hehe.”

Chuckling, Igor closed his eyes. Apart from talking, he hadn’t seen her since they officially bonded. That and, he was genuinely curious about seeing her true form. He’d remember to ask her that soon.

.

|DxD|

.

Appearing once more in green pastures, Igor barely had enough time to admire the surroundings when a blonde rocket suddenly crashed into him.

“Heh?”

Feeling arms around his neck, he was about to return the hug when he felt the sensation of teeth bite into his collarbone.

“Ow.”

Flinching slightly at the pain, it honestly wasn’t something to write home about. Her bite felt more like a pair of blunt scissors trying and failing dismally to pierce through his skin.

Still, Triny made good on her promise to bite him. With her firmly latched on to him, he wouldn’t be able to pry her off easily.

Rubbing his brow, he ignored the drool seeping through his shirt.

“Not just a hag it seems. But a cannibal as well.”

{?!}

In rage, Triny tried to bite him even harder, but couldn’t sink her teeth through that hardened skin. She was more stubborn than a dog holding onto a bone.

Having had enough of her mini tantrum, he grabbed the back of her neck and squeezed.

“Ah!”

With her yelping at the sudden pain, he managed to remove her from his collarbone. Holding her up like a wet kitten, he looked at her with a dry gaze.

“Had enough yet?”

“...”

Defyingly turning her head to the side, Triny folded her arms.

“Hmph…”

“...”

Contrarily, what formed on Igor’s face wasn’t annoyance, but a smile.

“Okay, okay.”

Bringing the little girl in for a hug, he nuzzled the top of her head with his chin.

“I missed you too, Triny.”

“...”

She felt embarrassed at his sudden change and the soft contact between them. It was nice hearing him say he missed her too, but she would never say it.

Never!

“H-Hmph!”

Funnily enough though, she was not making any moves to get out of his embrace. In fact, it seemed like she was about to glue herself there.

“It’s alright. I know you missed me too.”

“...”

Igor didn’t mind her silence. Her soul spoke louder than words ever could. He didn’t know whether it was because of her influence, but he did crave her contact as well. He didn’t mind holding her like this, especially if she wouldn’t bite him like she did before.

Sitting down, a very comfy recliner conveniently formed underneath him. At the same time, a log cabin spawned around them with a warm fireplace and everything. It was small, just barely bigger than a normal-sized room. But it was homely.

As a finishing touch, a warm, woolly blanket slowly fell over them, leaving only their heads exposed.

“Well, I don’t know about you, Triny. But I’m going to take a quick nap.”

Her response? The grip on his shirt relaxed.

“...?”

Unable to stop himself smiling once more, he leaned back into the couch and used his hand to kick up the legs.

“Let’s sleep like this for a while, alright.”

“...okay.”

This was their second time sleeping like this, and Triny still felt a bit embarrassed by how casual he was. But, she sincerely appreciated that despite being a monster, he treated her like family.

.

|DxD|

.

“...”

Shuri was not coming to terms with the news she just heard.

“You…slept with…”

“Yes, Shuri-sama. I did not mean it as a slight against you but, certain events…happened…”

“...”

There was no processing it. There was only acceptance.

“I…I see…”

What could she do? A small part of her wanted to kick and scream at Aurelia. But with what right? The woman certainly qualified as a more appropriate partner for him. She spent much longer periods of time with Igor and knew him more than she did.

So what rights did she have to complain?

“I…alright…”

Stomaching everything, she lifted her head and faced Aurelia with a smile.

“Congratulations, Aurelia-san.”

She tried to keep up a happy facade, but her true emotions bled through at the last moment.

“I…I…I…”

Slowly, tears trickled down her cheeks, her words getting caught in her throat as she silently sobbed. She tried. She truly tried to remain strong. But what was she supposed to do when she heard that the man she desired was permanently out of reach?

“...”

Unable to remain a bystander any longer, Aurelia instantly appeared beside Shuri and brought her in a hug.

“I’m sorry, Shuri-sama. It was never my intention to-”

“I’m not mad!”

Clutching onto Aurelia’s dress, Shuri got out her words through choked sobs.

“I’m…I’m not mad at you. It’s just…it’s just…”

Feeling the hollow pain in her heart, Shuri couldn’t restrain her emotions.

“It hurts, Aurelia-san! It hurts!”

She cried onto her chest as Aurelia hugged her tighter.

“I’m not mad. But it hurts. It hurts so much!”

With the cold hard reality setting, she realised that any dreams or fantasies she might’ve had died. Her already abysmal chances of getting Igor completely collapsed when Aurelia slept with him.

“What do I do…?”

The object of her affection was completely out of her reach. Now, everything was completely stacked against her. As pathetic, as humiliating, and as dreadful as it sounded, the only workable card she had against Igor was...seduction, to make him see her as a woman.

Now, that was gone.

“It hurts…”

Any attempts she made now would be quickly silenced by him declaring his relationship. If she pushed, he would soon see her as a slut or even worse, outright leave. This wouldn’t hurt just her. This would also hurt Akeno.

“I don’t…what do I do now?”

Sobbing into Aurelia’s embrace, she felt as if a large part of her had just broken. The genuine love and care she had for Igor would never be realised. She did not hate nor blame Aurelia, but she wished…silently wished they never got together.

.

AN

.

I thought it was scummy behavior that while her ex-husband had just woken up from a critical injury, she was thinking of how to bag his former student. Now, I think I feel a bit of pity for Shuri. Actually, I don’t even know what to feel. Are women that evil or am I that soft?

Today is Friday and for those interested, they can find three extra chapters on my patreon.

Until the next chapter.