I Sealed Sukuna’s Finger#473+474: Date with Liala! The Simp Logs In

Scene switch—already downstairs at the Keystone Gate shopping center.

Kuroka hadn't come along due to disliking crowds. In her place, shopping with Bokue was Liala.

This sister of a certain Demon Realm Northern Territory Lord had been living at Bokue's place since coming to the human world. She also frequently wandered around Itogami Island.

Forget long-term—at least she'd thoroughly familiarized herself with which shops existed inside this commercial plaza called the Keystone Gate.

She knew the shopping center's various area distributions inside and out.

"There really are a lot of people today~"

Just stepping from the outer commercial plaza's passage into the shopping center, as air currents from the overhead air curtain blew past, Liala couldn't help commenting.

The shopping center truly was crowded today.

After all, school started tomorrow. After an entire summer vacation's relaxation, many students only remembered at this evening to buy stationery for tomorrow's opening. So tonight the shopping center showed many parents bringing their children straight to the stationery section.

Conversely, people like Bokue and company—seemingly a young couple strolling after dinner—were the minority.

"By the way, do you need to buy anything, Liala?"

Glancing at the shopping center's overhead directional signs, after confirming the daily goods section's location, Bokue asked the blonde girl beside him.

"Hm? Me?"

Liala maintained her smiling expression while tilting her head.

"I don't really need to buy anything. Just because there's nothing to do staying home, since Bokue-kun's going out shopping anyway, I figured I'd come along too. Consider it a post-dinner stroll."

"Plus, Kuroka-san definitely wouldn't want to stare at each other awkwardly at home with me."

"About that... it's probably fine?"

Bokue's mouth twitched.

Though Liala's words sounded like being disliked after staying at someone else's place, reality wasn't nearly that dramatic.

After all, home conditions weren't so difficult they couldn't handle an extra set of dishes.

Plus honestly, Liala had been living at home these days and even frequently helped with chores after dinner. Quite considerate, really.

As for why Kuroka disliked seeing Liala—simple. She couldn't stand how Liala always dressed so scantily at home.

Bokue didn't particularly care, but for Kuroka that was another matter entirely.

Plus, most importantly—Liala was bigger than Kuroka...

As they say, there's only room for one alpha. Even though Rias and Akeno's bust sizes both exceeded Kuroka's, at least normally they lived at the old school building. But Liala lived right with them.

This made Kuroka feel inevitably outmatched.

Quite frustrating.

"Well~ though I can understand Kuroka-san's feelings."

Liala tapped her lips while smiling, continuing: "So I've already decided to look around Itogami Island for houses I'd like. After buying one, I'll commission Bokue-kun to help move it to the Keystone Gate... mmm, come to think of it, I rather prefer two-story Western-style houses."

"..."

Bokue wisely maintained silence regarding the blonde girl's thoughts.

After all, Itogami Island was a Demon District. Honestly, housing prices weren't necessarily cheaper than Tokyo. To buy a two-story Western house probably required being like Natsuki Minamiya—a Special Police Force Special Attack Mage Officer.

Though asking this would wound pride, so Bokue chose not to inquire.

Worst case, he'd just directly craft one by hand when the time came.

"Bokue-kun's definitely thinking about how I could possibly afford it, right?"

Just as Bokue had finalized his backup plan, Liala beside him suddenly clasped both hands girlishly behind her back. Her upper body leaned slightly forward as she tilted her head sideways, looking up from below at the young man beside her with a slight smile.

"But don't worry. I'm fine financially. Of course, thanks to Senra Itogami—since opening trade between realms, lords who originally just occupied territories in the Demon Realm but were quite poor have rapidly become wealthy. With my current savings, buying a house is completely no problem."

Meaning she'd sold Northern Territory specialties to the human world...

Bokue thought.

The two continued chatting while strolling through the shopping center, grabbing everything on Yura's list along the way.

"With that, everything Bokue-kun's sister wanted is gathered. Next should be about..."

"Oh wait, next we need to hit the adult goods section."

"Adult goods section? What for?"

"Lube."

"Lub... what??"

Liala's words cut off halfway.

When Bokue reacted and stopped to turn around, he saw the certain blonde girl behind him looking at him with somewhat incredulous eyes.

Those eyes translated to: Didn't you say buying things for your sister? Why would lube be involved?!

"Ah no, this lube isn't for my sister. It's for Senpai..."

"Oh~"

Liala nodded.

"Didn't expect Akeno-san had interests in that area."

"No, not Akeno. Another senpai you haven't met, Liala..."

To prevent deepening misunderstandings, Bokue could only awkwardly continue explaining.

However, just then, a voice that felt familiar to Bokue suddenly came from beside them at the shelf's end.

"I thought this voice sounded familiar. It really is you, Bokue Keikain."

Eh?

Hearing the voice, Bokue turned toward the sound. At the shelf's end stood a beautiful, intellectual woman—as always wearing her white coat at school, voluptuous figure, glasses, long black hair cascading behind her.

"Hasegawa-sensei?"

Bokue raised an eyebrow.

Of course he still remembered her. Chisato Hasegawa was Kuoh Academy's school nurse. Last semester, after he and Rias went to the Underworld to storm the Phoenix household, upon returning she'd pulled him for a checkup, saying she worried he'd contracted miasma or similar after visiting the Underworld.

But somehow, though Rias and the others had accompanied him, they hadn't been pulled for checkups together. That matter had eventually gone nowhere.

"It's me."

Seeing the young man recognize her, Chisato Hasegawa's usually expressionless face showed a trace of shallow smile.

"I received notice earlier that Kuoh Academy merged with Saikai Academy, so I moved to Itogami Island too. Work-related changes, you could say. Though I didn't expect to run into you here."

"Wait wait, Bokue-kun—who is this person exactly?"

Before the young man could respond, Liala—who'd been standing behind Bokue—stepped forward, gazing at the white-coated school nurse with scrutinizing expression.

"This is Dr. Hasegawa."

Bokue answered briefly.

"Our school nurse."

"School nurse... is she?"

Liala raised an eyebrow, her tone somewhat questioning yet meaningful.

Chisato Hasegawa likewise didn't say much. Her expression didn't change in the slightest. She simply turned toward Bokue.

"Looks like you have friends with you. I'll take my leave then."

"Alright..."

"Oh right, come to think of it, you haven't come for a checkup in quite a while. Since you'll be at school tomorrow anyway, stop by."

<><><><><><><><>

As summer vacation's final day drew to a close, time blinked forward to the opening ceremony day.

Following the principle of new semester, new atmosphere, Bokue directly slept comfortably through the night.

When he woke and opened his eyes, sunlight filtering through curtains into the bedroom had reached almost blinding brightness.

The AC continued its dutiful work inside the room. Cool air blew from the vents along the oscillating directional blades.

Only a certain nekomata girl's drawn-out breathing reached his ears.

"Mmm... Bokue make kittens..."

Even dreaming about making kittens...

Hearing Kuroka's sleep-talking murmurs beside the pillow, Bokue couldn't help finding it somewhat amusing.

Then he reached out to wrap around the nekomata girl's waist, directly pulling her over in one motion.

"Mmm..."

Though still dreaming, Kuroka seemed to have trained some kind of instinct. With Bokue's gentle pull, she immediately made a responding movement—unconsciously extending both arms to loop around the young man's neck.

Pull tight, nuzzle nuzzle.

"hmm?"

As if realizing something was off in her dream, the nekomata girl who'd been happily sleep-talking the second before suddenly stopped, furrowing her brow slightly. Like she couldn't quite believe it, she continued pressing her cat nose against Bokue's cheek.

Then opened her still-sleepy eyes.

"Eh? Bokue, you're actually still here? I thought I was hugging the blanket..."

"The blanket?"

Bokue raised one eyebrow.

"Yeah, after all didn't you say school starts today, Bokue? I figured you'd already left."

Kuroka raised her hand to rub her drowsy eyes, yawning.

"Haah~ By the way, what time is it?"

"Let me check."

Bokue picked up the phone he'd left on the nightstand, lighting the screen for a glance.

"Mmm... exactly nine in the morning."

"Eh?"

Kuroka's eye-rubbing hand immediately froze before she snapped her eyes wide open.

"Wait wait! Didn't you say school starts today, Bokue? Why are you still home at this hour?!"

"...I already explained this to you before."

Bokue turned sideways, switching positions to pull the nekomata girl in his arms even tighter. The two stayed nestled under the covers like this—nearly zero distance, face to face.

"Before, I had to go to school every day to earn money to support you. But now I don't need to go through that trouble anymore, so naturally I don't need to go so early~"

"Eh? I guess that's right..."

Recalling that Bokue had indeed said something similar before, Kuroka's cat ears perked up and tilted as she hummed while tilting her head.

Immediately after, her eyes brightened.

"Does that mean today we can stay home and go hard all day..."

"No."

Before she could finish, Bokue decisively refused.

"Forgot? Yesterday I bought daily necessities for Yura. I definitely need to find time to deliver them today. Plus..."

"Plus what?"

Hearing the keyword, Kuroka's cat ears immediately stood straight up while her golden eyes narrowed sideways.

"Don't tell me you made plans with another girl?"

"..."

Bokue didn't avoid the topic, directly mentioning the encounter with School Nurse Hasegawa at the shopping center last night.

Kuroka listened seriously at first, but when she heard the four words "physical examination," she couldn't hold back a snort.

"That school nurse wants to give you a physical? Are you serious?"

"Well, I already agreed..."

Bokue shrugged.

"Alright, get up now for breakfast then head to school. We should arrive just in time for their morning break."

❁❁❁❁

Just as Bokue had said, when he finished breakfast and arrived at Saikai Academy, the entire school was immersed in rousing music.

Now nine-twenty—right when Saikai Academy's second morning class ended. Also known as exercise break time. The school broadcast played exercise music.

At this hour, basically all students concentrated on the field. Plus, being the first day of school, few would request leave for physical discomfort. So even classrooms and dorms would be nearly deserted.

Bokue didn't go to the field. He took advantage of this timing to head straight to the administrative building.

After all, the infirmary was inside the administrative building. Since Dr. Hasegawa was the school nurse, she didn't need to supervise exercises. This timing was perfect.

Completely unlike the old Kuoh Academy administrative building's feeling of majesty within antiquity, the merged Saikai Academy's administrative building was clearly more modern and contemporary. From outer walls to interior, everything adopted directly white-painted minimalist style.

However, just as Bokue stepped onto the administrative building's front stairs preparing to enter—a figure came toward him head-on.

Bokue hadn't originally planned to pay attention, but the approaching male teacher stopped and raised his hand in a wave.

"Yo, if it isn't Keikain-kun. Why aren't you at the field but instead coming to the administrative building?"

"...Sakazaki-sensei?"

Bokue recognized him.

Sakazaki had originally been the homeroom teacher for the class next to his at Kuoh Academy. Apparently, like School Nurse Hasegawa, he'd also moved to Itogami Island due to the school merger.

He wasn't particularly familiar with the man—just knew this person existed.

Though running into him at the administrative building... a promotion? No longer homeroom teacher but transferred to administration?

Without answering the male teacher's question, Bokue asked back.

"What about you, Sakazaki-sensei? Not homeroom teaching anymore?"

"No... I'm still homeroom teacher of course."

Sakazaki smiled. Holding documents in one hand, he pointed behind himself with the ballpoint pen in his other hand.

"Still teaching last semester's class. Just had some business at the administrative building right now. Was heading to the field. You, Keikain-kun..."

"Got it. You can go."

Bokue said flatly. Simultaneously, the golden glow representing magnetic field power flashed in his eyes before he lifted his leg to continue forward, brushing past the male teacher still frozen in place.

About two seconds later, the golden glow in Sakazaki's eyes gradually faded.

He seemed to wake from a dream, still somewhat dazed as he turned to glance at the young man already behind him. Scratching his head, he nodded blankly.

"Uh... alright, understood."

With that, he left toward the administrative building's exit without looking back.

Bokue likewise didn't look back, passing through the corner beneath the stairs and heading straight toward the infirmary.

But what the young man didn't know—after they'd gone separate ways where neither could see the other's back, Sakazaki who'd reached outside the administrative building stopped.

He turned to look back at the building. His originally rather amiable expression vanished, replaced by jealousy so intense it nearly drove him mad.

"So it's this brat? To think he'd make Lady Afureia willingly spend ten years—what does he have that could make You so interested...!!!"