CHAPTER 337: BIG BROTHER

"Can I call you Kouhei-kun from now on?" Kazuhiro asked, his voice steady as his sharp eyes locked onto him.

For a moment, Kouhei braced himself against that piercing gaze. Earlier, it had carried a suffocating aura that felt like it could crush him on the spot, but now... it was different. The intensity was still there, lingering like a shadow, but it had softened. It no longer felt like a blade pressed against his throat. Instead, there was something strangely gentle hidden within it—something almost warm.

"Sure," Kouhei answered, his tone calm yet respectful.

"You can address me casually as well. I don’t mind at all," Kazuhiro replied, leaning back slightly.

Kouhei hesitated. Deep down, it felt a little unnatural to call someone like Kazuhiro casually. The man’s presence alone carried too much weight, like a towering wall that couldn’t be ignored. Still, Kouhei wasn’t about to reject such an offer. Accepting it was the best he could do.

"Now then," Kazuhiro continued, his expression shifting, "I should ask you... do you intend to marry Yuuna?"

"Yes," Kouhei answered immediately, not even a heartbeat of doubt in his voice.

Kazuhiro studied him closely, searching for any hesitation, but there was none. "No hesitation at all, huh? It really does seem like you love my daughter. That’s good. Very good." His lips curved into a small smile, and for the first time, Kouhei heard warmth in his voice—warmth he didn’t expect from him. "I suppose I can accept that. It eases me to know she’s in your hands."

The tone in his words was different than before. Softer, genuine.

"You... really love your children, don’t you?" Kouhei said, almost quietly.

And in that moment, as he spoke with Kazuhiro face to face, Kouhei felt like he was beginning to understand something about the man. Maybe Kazuhiro wasn’t cold-hearted after all. Maybe he was just the type of person who didn’t know how to show affection properly—like a tsundere. On the surface, he seemed cold and distant, but in truth, he cared deeply. He loved his children, but his way of expressing it was clumsy, making it come across as harshness.

"Do I?" Kazuhiro tilted his head, almost as if the question caught him off guard. "Well... maybe I do."

The way he said it was casual, almost offhand. Yet Kouhei knew this might have been the first time Kazuhiro admitted it out loud—that he loved his children. And why wouldn’t he? They were his blood, his legacy. It was only natural.

"Kouhei-kun."

Kazuhiro’s voice suddenly shifted. The warmth faded, replaced with a sharp, serious tone that demanded attention. His entire presence hardened, as if he had switched into another side of himself.

"What is your goal?" he asked.

"Goal?" Kouhei repeated, blinking.

"You came here for connections with me, didn’t you?" Kazuhiro pressed. "That’s the only reason I can think of for why you’d willingly come here, especially after the tragedy you suffered with my son." His voice was calm, but firm—like someone who already had his own conclusions. "Naturally, when you’re invited into a gathering of powerful demons, the assumption is obvious—you want connections. But I want to hear the real reason. Why are you here? And what exactly do you plan to use those connections for once you’ve made them?"

The question carried weight. Kouhei felt the weight of his stare, the demand for truth.

He looked away briefly, taking in a breath before answering. "...Heavenside is coming for me."

Kazuhiro didn’t even flinch. There was no surprise in his expression. If anything, it seemed like he had already expected this answer.

Of course—Kouhei was becoming a threat. To Hell’s side, he was a weapon. To Heaven’s side, he was nothing but a destroyer, a menace to their lands. It was inevitable they would come after him.

"So... you’re looking for allies. As many as you can get, just so you’ll have a fighting chance against all of Heavenside," Kazuhiro said, his voice calm but heavy with meaning.

Kouhei nodded. "At this point, I don’t think we can fight them off," he admitted. His voice was steady, but there was a hint of frustration underneath. "And if I just sit around and wait, I know I won’t be able to protect the people important to me. Just because I’ve gotten stronger doesn’t mean I’ll slack off and let myself grow complacent. I can’t risk losing the people who matter."

Kazuhiro narrowed his eyes slightly, studying Kouhei’s face. There was no mistaking it—the determination etched in his expression was real.

"You’re pretty determined, huh?" he remarked.

"If I wasn’t, then I wouldn’t deserve to love," Kouhei answered firmly, his words like a vow. "The people important to me... I need to make them happy. If I can’t do that, then I lose the right to their love. I have to make sure they’re the happiest."

Normally, someone with this kind of absolute determination would seem dangerous—too fixated, too reckless, the kind of person destined to burn out. But Kazuhiro didn’t feel that from Kouhei. No, he felt the opposite. He could sense the weight of those words, and he genuinely believed Kouhei might be able to pull it off.

"Well then," Kazuhiro finally said, his voice carrying a rare note of sincerity. "If you want our help, I’ll give you my assistance. I don’t want my daughter crying over losing you, after all."

Kouhei smiled, grateful. "Thank you."

Time passed, and soon, the visitors for the gathering began to arrive.

The first to appear was one of the heads of the great houses, arriving with his family. After him, more followed—noble members of the various demon races. There were noble demon fairies, noble werewolves, noble dryads, and many others. Each group carried their own unique aura, their presence alone making it clear just how diverse and powerful the demon world truly was.

The sheer variety left Kouhei stunned. He had never realized there were so many different kinds until now.

For the occasion, Kouhei wore a meticulously tailored suit—something completely unlike what he had on earlier. This wasn’t clothing from the mortal world. No, this was from the demon world itself, designed to reflect the status and weight of someone who stood among their kind.

It was Kazuhiro who had told him to wear it. The suit had once belonged to Souichiro, though Souichiro himself had never worn it.

"Well, I already knew it wouldn’t suit me, so I never wore it," Souichiro said with a small, almost awkward smile. "But luckily I didn’t, because it seems to suit you more."

The smile caught Kouhei off guard. It was strange—unnerving even—to see Souichiro smile like that. But then, he remembered what Kazuhiro had told him. Souichiro was in desperate need of inspiration.

That was why Kouhei had no choice but to step into the role of being like an older brother to him.

"Thank you, Souichiro-kun," Kouhei said quietly.

The words sounded a little stiff, almost forced. Even Kouhei himself felt the awkwardness of saying it out loud, especially since it hadn’t even been a full day since the two of them had gone to war against each other. The weight of that memory lingered in the background, making his gratitude feel unnatural on his tongue.

But strangely enough, Souichiro didn’t seem to care in the slightest. If anything, he seemed to brighten up more. His grin stretched wide—almost childlike, the corners of his lips tugging up so far it looked like his face might split from ear to ear.

And then, without hesitation, Souichiro dashed off. He sprinted ahead with the unrestrained energy of a little kid, almost bouncing with every step, like he couldn’t contain himself anymore.

Kouhei couldn’t help but find it a little funny. It was strange—almost surreal—how much Souichiro had changed in such a short span of time.

"Fufufufu..."

The sudden sound of laughter made Kouhei glance to his side. Yuuna was covering her mouth with her hand, shoulders trembling slightly as if she were trying to hold it back but failing.

"Yuuna-san?" Kouhei tilted his head, caught off guard by her sudden amusement.

"Ahahahaha..." she let out, her voice breaking into an almost melodic laugh. Her smile stretched wide, her eyes crinkling until small tears formed at the corners. She even brushed at them with her fingers as she tried to calm down. "S-Sorry, sorry... It’s just... I never thought I’d see Souichiro act like this. Seriously, it’s wild. Just a few weeks ago, you two were literally trying to kill each other. And now look at him—he’s practically like a puppy wagging his tail, waiting for your approval."

Her words hit Kouhei harder than he expected, though he managed to let out a small chuckle of his own.

"Well... yeah, it kinda baffles me too," he admitted, his voice softer, more thoughtful than before. He scratched the back of his neck, searching for the right words. "But, you know... I think I can deal with it. Honestly, I feel like Souichiro-kun right now... what he really needs is someone he can rely on. Someone who won’t walk away from him."

Kouhei’s lips curved into a small but sincere smile as he said this, and when he glanced at Yuuna, she was already smiling back at him. There was something in her eyes—gentleness mixed with a quiet recognition—that made his chest feel warm.

For some reason, Kouhei had started to carry himself differently. There was a steadiness in his tone, a weight in his words that wasn’t there before. He had grown more mature—so much more than the Kouhei Yuuna had first met. It was almost startling, how someone could change so much in such a short amount of time.

But at the same time... there was something about him that hadn’t changed at all. The fact that he could still show this kind of kindness, this gentle side of him—that was proof that no matter how much he had endured, or how much he had been forced to grow, there were parts of Kouhei that remained untouched.

"Mm... I guess you’re right," Yuuna said softly, her voice carrying a warmth that matched her smile. Then, without hesitation, she slipped her arm around his. The casual but intimate gesture made Kouhei freeze for a second.

"Now then, shall we?" she asked, her tone light, almost playful.

Kouhei felt his throat tighten as he swallowed hard. His body tensed instinctively, and he had to steady himself before nodding, forcing his composure to hold.

With that, the two of them finally began walking side by side toward the gathering.