DxD: I'm Surrounded by Big Sister Devils!

Due to the delay at the reformatory, Fukuki returned home later than usual. However, the delay wasn't significant—just five to ten minutes past his usual time.

After resolving the incident with Saeko-senpai at the café, answering the call to the reformatory, and defeating the Special Grade Cursed Spirit, most of the time had been consumed waiting for the ride back and the drive itself.

Even so, as Fukuki stepped into the elevator and ascended to his floor, keys in hand, he felt a twinge of exhaustion. Turning the key to unlock his door, he barely had time to twist it fully before a rapid patter of footsteps rushed toward him from inside.

Just like the night before, the moment he opened the door, a shadowy figure barreled into him from within the apartment. The scent of freshly cooked meals wafted through the air as a curvaceous, black-haired figure collided with him, delivering a hug that was equal parts impact and elasticity.

Coach, she's charging with the ball. [JPG]

"That's too much, Fuki~! Your big sis waited at home for you all day! Didn't you promise not to go out for 'work' today?"

The affectionate black-haired figure—Kuroka—clung to him like a needy cat, wrapping her arms and legs around him. Her nose twitched as she sniffed him insistently, as though determined not to miss even the faintest hint of something unusual.

"It's not that late, right? I mean, I was only about ten minutes late at most…" Fukuki replied, exasperation lacing his voice.

Feeling the tug of gravity combined with Kuroka's weight on his clothes, he reluctantly freed one hand to support her under her kimono. Lifting her up slightly to prevent a wardrobe malfunction, he noticed her reaction was… unusual.

"Meow?!"

The sudden contact seemed to send a jolt through her. She stiffened like a plank of wood, her cat ears twitching sharply. A slight shiver ran from her torso to the tips of her ears, and she bit her lip lightly.

"…What's wrong?" Fukuki asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"T-that…"

Regaining some composure, Kuroka shyly lowered her head. Her flushed cheeks and watery eyes seemed to radiate a peculiar vulnerability as she stammered:

"…I think I've been… activated."

Fukuki: "…"

Activated? What does she think I am, some kind of walking pheromone dispenser?

Ridiculous.

Besides, he'd had plenty of physical contact with others like Rias at school. None of them ever turned into blushing, trembling messes from a casual touch. And don't even get him started on the "cat demon in heat" nonsense.

"How should I know?" Kuroka pouted, as though reading his thoughts. Her blush deepened as she murmured, "It's fine when I'm alone at home during the day, but the moment you touch me, I can't help but…"

"Sigh, alright, alright," Fukuki interrupted with a resigned tone. The situation had escalated enough.

If he didn't act soon, her… mood might ruin his jacket, which he'd planned to wear again tomorrow. A faint dampness was already noticeable at his fingertips.

Without hesitation, Fukuki shut the door behind him, discarded his bag, and hoisted the clingy cat-girl into his arms.

"Let's take a bath first."

----------

Inside the bathroom, the tub water rippled gently as two bath towels soaked in the warm water intertwined, evidence of a long, shared soak. Kuroka, now calm and composed, stood quietly in front of the sink. Her head was lowered, her damp body glistening as droplets fell onto the tiled floor.

Behind her, Fukuki held a hairdryer, meticulously working through her long, black hair. Kuroka's delicate, pale feet shifted shyly, her toes curling inward as though locked in a nervous dance. Reflected in the mirror above the sink was her flushed face and increasingly rosy lips, glistening like ripe fruit.

"Hey, Fuki~..."

"Hmm?" Fukuki's response was casual, his focus on drying her hair evenly.

"In the bath earlier... I think I smelled another girl's scent on you..."

"Hmm."

"Who was it?"

Her initial question was soft and hesitant, but by the second, her tone turned inquisitive. By the third, it had escalated into the interrogative tone of a girlfriend cross-examining her partner.

Fukuki paused his movements briefly. "Someone from the Jujutsu Society. You wouldn't know her."

"Oh, the Jujutsu Society... Is this about that cursed finger from last night?" Kuroka's sharp mind connected the dots instantly. After all, Fukuki himself had mentioned the finger belonged to the Jujutsu high. It made sense they'd send someone to retrieve it.

"Yeah." Fukuki resumed his work. "Later, I got a call about a special-grade curse spirit in Tokyo. They asked for help, so I handled it."

"'Handled it'?" Kuroka emphasized his choice of words, her suspicion deepening. "How exactly? Did you go with that girl? Fought the curse spirit together?"

"More or less."

"And let me guess—saved her life in the process?"

At this point, Kuroka's tone carried an accusatory edge, as if she already knew the outcome of the story.

"Save... might be an exaggeration. She was struggling, so I stepped in to help." Fukuki adjusted the hairdryer to a cooler setting, gently working through the now-dry strands of her hair. "It didn't take long. Once it was over, I came straight back."

"Oh, really?"

Kuroka's elongated response dripped with sarcasm. It was far from an expression of relief; rather, it was the prelude to an incoming storm.

Sure enough, in the blink of an eye, she spun around with catlike reflexes, her slender hands darting up to lock around Fukuki's neck.

"Ahhh, Fuki! You're going to drive me insane! Why can't you stop being such a busybody? Always saving this person or that person! Don't you know what'll happen now? That girl is definitely going to fall for you—completely head over heels—and then you'll never get rid of her!"

"What kind of nonsense are you spouting? It's not like I cast a spell on her or anything. Besides, I don't even know how to use spells..."

"Yes, yes, you don't use spell, but Fuki, you yourself are like one big spell!"

Kuroka's face twisted into an expression of frustration, her cat ears twitching irritably. Her words were scolding, but her voice softened midway, and her gaze flickered away, her cheeks tinged pink once again. Her lips quivered as she murmured, "I should know... better than anyone... how easy it is to fall for you..."