[Your Ki has increased . Here are Chika's Ki stats . Currently, she has cultivated the highest . ]

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[Vitality: 5 . Speed: 5 . Aura: 5 . ]

There must be a way to break the once-day Ki increase, Clyde thought .

Clyde was pleasantly surprised that Tear had prepared what seemed like a boardroom . What other nice surprises did she set up? Like that movie theater room . In fact, she was seated beside him as the women agreed that sitting on his lap would make him seem less of a leader . Alice flanked his right . The love he felt from the two only served as a reminder of his luck . The young man had, at last, stopped wondering if he deserved it . Or pushed the thought somewhere in the depths of his mind . Maybe the women liked modesty . Maybe not . Instead, he'd focus on putting effort into being there for all of them .

Yusuke had a neutral expression on his face . Harumi too, but the twinkle in her eyes spoke volumes . He felt Alice's annoyance of the ninja through the bound and almost sighed . To bring down the disapproval of the two most lax members of the team . His phone buzzed .

A text from Kitome? She was there, of course, the third seat from him .

Kitome: you look good with the necklace . But…Are you sure you like it?

Clyde: Kitome, this is literally epic . I f.u.c.king love it .

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Kitome: Don't lie, I'll box your ears if you are .

Clyde: Kitome, I wouldn't be wearing something I didn't like . Now focus . And thank you again . You are the best .

Clyde put away his phone and briefly eyed each member of his team . They housed looks of expectancy for their leader . He could lay on the dramatics like some of the CEOs on TV, but decided that Toru wouldn't be the only one giving him a blank stare .

"We've got a few things to talk about, but let's get the elephant in the room out of the way," Clyde said . He looked at Yusuke . "I'm going to be blunt man—and while you've apologized for it—we've got to beat this dead horse again . First, let me make this clear . Do not under any circ.u.mstances target me with your ninja soul again . I'm just barely starting to properly control these powers . They're like acid to you . If you find yourself burned ou—"

"You needlessly put the entire team in danger," Harumi snapped . "Did you know that Clyde had a vision and in it, we all died horrifically . Your actions were irresponsible and quite frankly, Clyde is being too lenient on you . "

"Running off on your own is the number two taboo of an adventurer's party," Airi added . "After the party saves the moron, risking themselves in the process, he or she gets the boot . Which surprises me, Yusuke . " She glared at him . He paled . "I've known you since high school . You weren't this stupid . So, what the h.e.l.l?"

"Oh you don't know about his reaperess girl," Kitome said, her voice full of distaste, though strangely, not as strong as before .

Airi's eyes widened .

"Reaperess? Pfft, there's no such thing . What girl ticked you off this time? I wish I could say y—"

She froze as Clyde's glowing-eyed glare continued to coat her .

"I apologize," Airi said . "I—I didn't mean to interrupt . "

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Clyde nodded, then continued . They could sit there and scrutinize Yusuke all day, but it wouldn't solve the problem . He let the tiny trickle of power go to avoid aggravating the strain . He would've accused the system of place limits on him to prevent the OP, but as his grandmamma once said, "boy you betta learn to crawl before you walk . Or else, you'll keep falling on your face . " Clyde folded his arms, eyes locked with the ninja . "You will be retrained . Harumi will be a.s.sisting Toru, whenever she pleases . Or she may not at all . You'll probably pray for the latter . This isn't me being a d.i.c.k, dude . This is for your own good . " Yusuke reluctantly nodded, dropping his protests . "Harumi's right about me being lenient, but n.o.body's perfect . Sometimes we f.u.c.k up once in a while . Kind of like how we began . " He turned to Airi to see that she was pale .

"They're…not human," she said . "I couldn't tell at first . . . "

"That's because Yuki's aura masks everything in here," Clyde said .

"It does?" Chika said, then nodded a couple of seconds later . "You're right . I simply grown used to it . "

"Demonesses," Airi said softly .

"Don't forget us," Ruri said, waving, allowing her wolf ears and tail to show . Airi bounced out of her seat, eyes wide .

"And me," Tear said, allowing her wings and tail to show briefly .

Airi nearly fainted, but quickly covered up her surprise by doing the fake clearing of her throat again .

"I have so many questions," she said . "And especially for you . " She pointed at Clyde . "You don't seem to be human either . But neither demon . " She looked at Melody briefly, then Alice . After a few moments, she sat back down and shrugged . "I will not begin to try to understand this cl.u.s.terf.u.c.k . You all seem to be nice people and so that's that . Yuki, may I have another drink after this, please? Or better yet, I'll pour one for both of us . "

Yuki laughed .

"Harumi's not as formidable with it as you . "

Airi grinned .

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"When you've traveled to as many places as I have, you taste even the strongest . The only one I couldn't handle was the Jobberwock Surprise . "

Yuki cringed .

"You…actually drank that . You do know what's in it, right?" Yuki said .

"It was a dare by some ditzy elf," Airi said . " That being said, my group had to babysit me all the way to my room . "

Matsume shuddered .

"You could not pay me to drink that . Did you at least vomit it up . "

"Yep and the dinner I hate," Airi said . "Anyway, enough about that . Clyde take it back . "

Clyde gave her a Toru-style blank stare . Toru actually joined in, which she s.n.a.t.c.hed a small pillow off the floor and nailed the n.o.ble in the face . "He still does that stupid look . "

The other women burst into laughter . Clyde cleared his throat, silencing them .

"Let's talk about Niyoto," he said . He told them about the news report . Fortunately, before the meeting, he was able to verify that men were still going missing . The claims of minotaurs were even more strongly in the air . There was even a minotaur-wors.h.i.+pping group called the Children of the Minotaur . The women were nuisances to the people in the city . Claims of having magic-users within their group kept away anyone that would challenge them . "So yeah," Clyde concluded .

"Let me join you on this," Airi said . "I didn't get the chance to come back and challenge Hades again . "

"You challenged my father?"

Airi's eyes widened then she marched out of the room . Harumi hurried after her . Alice's expression showed the f.u.c.ks she gave . None . Minutes later, the legend twenty-seven returned with a cup . Harumi shook her head .

"I don't know where she s.n.a.t.c.hed this alcohol habit . "

"I've seen a lot of things, but a gathering like this and Hade's daughter?" Airi downed her cup in one go . "This is extraordinary . Something never-before-seen or done . You know the whole human-demon thing right . "

Tear sniffed .

"Get out of the fairy tales . Demons these days are about money, business, and maintaining and building their positions of power, whether in the demon realm or the human . These aren't the old tales of terrorizing villages . "

"I didn't mean to imply any stereotypes," Airi said, then gave a short bow and hands clasp, as if asking for a favor . "I simply wish to learn as much as possible—I've never seen a gathering of friends like this before . "

"Anyway," Clyde said . "Who's actually able to go to Niyato? Chika and Maki will handle everything with the school . It shouldn't take us no more than a few days, if that . "

"Are we patrolling?" Toru asked .

"I think we have no choice on that," Seth said . "When a demon lord's there, monsters sp.a.w.n at night . "

"Which means, Detective Tetra may be there too," Ming said .

Clyde blinked .

"You're absolutely right . There's a chance . If she is, put off her questions as quickly as possible . " He stood . "So who's going?"

Everyone raised their hands . "Excellent . Start packing . Tear and I won't have time to Jump you here, so don't leave anything . "

"I'd better ready my bag of tools," Chika said, soliciting a blank glare from Clyde .

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