My stepsisters are sexy demons, and I must protect them-Chapter 79: A mysterious red orb

«Tell the truth, Hakotto, you came back to Ashiya just for this maid café, didn’t you?» Itsu asks, shooting Hakuto a mocking look—right after a stunning high school girl in an outrageously revealing maid outfit brings over their order.

Itsu seems to be back to his usual self.

Like he’s gotten past that dark phase he sank into after Akashi reappeared three months ago.

At least, that was Hakuto’s first impression when they met again.

But he realized right away that the seed of sadness and anger had sunk deep into Itsu—well hidden behind his usual energy and goofiness.

They’ve been chatting for a while, catching up on what’s happened since their separation in Estonia.

Hakuto told him about his training at the HESPARC U.S. facility, and the dilemma of whether to take part in the assassination mission against Eskari—one of the members of the Cult of the Primordial Shadow.

Itsu, on the other hand, has had a far less eventful time.

He’s gone back to doing exactly what he used to do before meeting Hakuto—living off others while pretending to be an operative in Velshekar’s criminal organization.

Now that Frank and Oliver, the Marquis’s two most loyal men, are dead, he’s dealing with some guy named Lurek—apparently Velshekar’s new right-hand man.

That’s not something Hakuto cares much about.

Right now, he has far bigger problems to deal with.

«I thought you were over this habit of twisting my name just to be funny...» Hakuto grumbles, after sneaking a quick side glance at the maid’s thighs—perfectly exposed thanks to the skirt that barely meets the legal limit.

«Looks like being surrounded by pretty girls all the time finally helped you open your eyes,» Itsu comments on the gesture.

«Idiot...» Hakuto mutters.

Then his expression suddenly turns serious.

So serious that Itsu jumps in alarm.

«When you make that face, it means trouble’s coming...» Itsu sighs, his expression that of someone bracing for bad news.

Hakuto simply nods.

Then he pulls out the small transparent red orb Akashi gave him.

He gently places it on the table, right in front of Itsu’s puzzled eyes.

«And this... where did this come from? Don’t tell me you’ve become a marble collector...?» Itsu comments with a nervous smile.

He immediately senses it’s not just a regular glass ball.

But the need to ease the tension in Hakuto’s serious stare takes over.

«This is... well, to be honest, I don’t even know myself...» Hakuto replies.

Then he hesitates.

He’s not sure how to say what he’s about to say.

He fears Itsu’s reaction.

But in the end, he accepts there’s no way to sugarcoat it.

«Whatever it is, I was told to give it to you...»

Itsu tilts his head slightly, confused.

«From who? Is this some kind of early birthday present? But my birthday’s in two weeks. Everyone knows early gifts bring bad luck!» frёeweɓηovel_coɱ

Hakuto sighs and shakes his head.

~Why can’t he be serious for even one second? This is already hard enough, and he’s just making it worse... to hell with being delicate~

«It’s from Akashi. Your brother,» Hakuto says firmly.

The coffee cup slips from Itsu’s hand.

It spills across the table.

He stares at Hakuto with wide eyes.

His mouth is half-open, but no sound comes out—just heavy, uneven breaths.

«M-My brother...» Itsu finally stammers, after endless moments of silence where they just stared at each other.

«W-What does that bastard want from you?! And why are you his errand boy now?! Hakuto... what the hell is going on...?! Why are you acting on his behalf...?! Don’t tell me... you two are working together?! Tell me, Hakuto... TELL ME!» he explodes, suddenly slamming both hands on the table as he jumps to his feet.

His outburst brings absolute silence to the maid café.

Everyone stares at them, frozen.

In a brief moment of clarity, under the weight of all those stares, Itsu realizes he’s gone way overboard.

He sits back down as if nothing happened.

Soon, people go back to their own business.

But despite this outward calm, inside, he’s a volcano ready to erupt.

His teary eyes shake as he glares at the small red orb with growing hatred and frustration.

He takes a long breath.

Then he stares straight into Hakuto’s eyes.

«I’d like you to explain exactly what the hell is going on,» Itsu demands, forcing himself to hold back his rage and nerves.

His hands tremble.

His foot taps nonstop with a nervous tic.

«It happened two hours ago...» Hakuto begins, picking up the red orb and moving it away from Itsu’s reach, afraid he might smash it in another outburst.

«...partly out of need and partly out of nostalgia, I decided to visit the villa that—thanks to you and Chantal—looks like it survived a nuclear bombing,» Hakuto adds with a slightly amused tone, trying to ease his friend’s nerves, but with no success.

«...that’s where I met your brother. He had implanted a fragment of his energy in me, so he could always keep track of my movements. Earlier, for some reason I still don’t understand, he attacked me—but not to kill me. Otherwise, I don’t think I’d still be here. It felt more like he wanted to test my strength... and then, right before vanishing like he appeared, he handed me this orb he generated with his energy. He told me to give it to you, and added that somehow, the survival of Rika and Yuzu depends on it... though honestly, I have no idea how that could be possible.»

Then Hakuto stares at the orb again, carefully.

«...from what he said, I figured you might know something about it. But it seems you know as much as I do...» Hakuto murmurs with a hint of resignation.

Itsu shakes his head, confused.

«There’s no way to know what goes on in a madman’s head. Still, it’s incredible you got out of a fight with him unscathed—even if you think he was just testing you...»

He reaches out to Hakuto.

His hand is open, silently asking for the orb.

Hakuto lets it slide gently into Itsu’s palm.

Immediately, Itsu brings it up close to his eyes, analyzing it carefully with full focus.

«So? Do you have any idea what it might be...?» Hakuto asks, puzzled, after several minutes of analysis.

Itsu gives a slight nod.

His gaze is genuinely confused, but no longer because he can’t understand what the object is.

Now, it’s about why Akashi gave it to Hakuto.

«This...» Itsu begins, his voice uncertain.

«You said he created it using his energy... I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure it’s some kind of receiver...»

«Receiver...?» Hakuto repeats, clearly confused.

«I saw him do it several times when... when he was still my brother. That trick of turning his body into energy and back to avoid being hit is just the tip of the iceberg. Using that same principle, he can convert objects into energy and store them inside these little spheres—no matter where he is. Actually, to be precise, it’s the energy already inside the sphere that transforms into the object he wants to transfer. You could call it a kind of magical teleportation. That’s one of the reasons why my brother, even as a kid, was a top member of the Scarlet Army—the elite military force of the kingdom of Mildelar,» Itsu concludes.

There’s a faint hint of admiration in his voice, just barely covering the lingering anger toward what his brother has become.

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