The next day, Hiro once again trained with Hilde. This time she showed why she was known as the ‘The strongest Valkyrie’. At the end of the training, he was left exhausted while Hilde’s presence remained as sharp as ever.

This made him realize how naive he was when he thought he could defeat her with his pseudo Sacred Gear, Flammenwelle.

But his confidence in being able to assassinate her was still strong as ever.

After training, he took a shower and devoured the breakfast he cooked.

My cooking skills have improved considerably.

He thought and prepared to wash the dishes.

“Hiro-sama, let me do this.” Hilde requested with a calm smile.

His lips twitched when he remembered the last time she asked about this. “Hilde-chan, are you sure about this?”

Hilde flinched for apparent reasons. She broke three dishes yesterday. Her control over her strength was impressive in battles, but when it came to delicate work like these, she failed rather miserably.

“I-I must learn my duties as a maid.”

A teasing smile touched Hiro’s lips. “A perfect maid has many duties, you know. Like ‘those’.”

Hilde tilted her head with a confused expression. “What duties, Hiro-sama?”

Now Hiro understood why Vidar was worried about Hilde. She didn't even know the ‘Night’ job of a maid.

Shaking his head, he sighed. “Hilde-chan, do your best!”

He gave a heavy pat on her shoulder and went toward his room.

“Don’t use chan with a woman more than a decade older than you…”

She whispered with a complicated expression. She didn't know why, but Hiro in her eyes started to change.

When she first met Hiro with Vidar, she took him for a strict boss, who wouldn't take no for an answer. She expected him to keep their relationship professional.

But, it turned out to be wrong when he helped in every request of hers.

He was quite the warmhearted person, able to befriend her in a single day.

And in several days, she settled in here nicely. 

A mysterious boss, who was too strong for his age, a bossy and slightly perverted dragon, and a little sister who was head over heels for her boss.

Surprisingly, she didn't hesitate when calling them a family.

“I must persist and fulfill the duty as a maid for one more week.”

She energetically grabbed the dish and lost in thoughts, she forgot to control her strength properly.

*Crack*

 “You broke another plate. Your maid period extends for another week.”

Tiamat’s punishment almost made her shed tears.

“Hiro-sama, help me.”

The boy in the question needed more help than her when Tsuki was sitting on his lap, staring at him intently.

“Please?”

“I did say you can meet Sona when the school opens.”

“Hiro.” She paused and looked up, tears welling up in her eyes. “I, I’m sorry.”

Hiro squinted his eyes at her. Tsuki’s behavior was a bit too suspicious. But, her tears seemed genuine. 

“Okay, let me ask if Sona is free.” He gave up.

Today, or three days later. The meeting was inevitable.

“Thanks, Hiro!” Tsuki happily dove into his embrace. “Ehehe, hugging Hiro is better in this form.”

He shook his head and called Sona’s phone, which she picked up in a moment.

“Sona, are you free now?”

“Yeah, I am free till five.”

“Then, I’m coming over.”

“Sure?”

He hung up and gazed at Tsuki, who purred like a kitten as she rubbed her face on his chest.

Dragonbird or cat…?

He stroked her hair while wishing that the meeting between two rivals? doesn’t turn into carnage.

Sona should be able to handle the situation…

He reluctantly separated from the cute creature and created magic to teleport to Sona’s room in Kuoh.

---

Instantly, Tsukiha’s ears perked up as she sniffed. Following her senses, she discovered a black-haired girl wearing glasses playing with her phone.

She is the woman who has Hiro’s smell all over her.

Her silver hair and the girl’s black hair seemed as if they were fated to be rivals, or that’s what naive Tsukiha thought. 

She tilted her head when her rival revealed a warm smile. 

Was Tiamat onee-san wrong?

Tiamat taught her a lot of things, like using her innate cuteness as a weapon against Hiro and prepared her to face her rival.

Her rival got off the bed. “Welcome, you must be Tsukiha, right?” She bowed. “I’m Sona Sitri, the current Heir of Sitri Household. It’s my pleasure to finally meet you.”

“Y-Yes.” The unexpectedness of this situation made her stammer. “I’m Tsukiha.”

A sudden touch on her head startled her until a warm and fuzzy feeling came from the hand on her head.

“Sona, Tsuki. I shall not intrude on this talk.” Hiro’s gaze turned toward her and showed a gentle smile. “Tsuki, you can do it.”

Her head vigorously bobbed up and down. The confidence in Hiro’s voice gave her the courage to face her supposed rival.

“Then, I’m going.” Hiro disappeared along with a warm feeling.

“Tsukiha? Can I call you Tsuki?”

Tsukiha gave a nod of confirmation. Sona returned a nod before she casually sat on the bed and patted the space beside her.

Tsukiha followed her onee-san’s words and knitted her brows to appear fierce and not like a cute innocent girl.

However, Sona giggled as though she had seen something amusing.

“Geez, loosen up a bit. I’m not going to take Hiro away from you.”

Sona’s words held no falsity, which didn't make any sense. Tsuki directly asked the most crucial question. “But Tiamat onee-san said you would take Hiro away.”

Sona pressed a finger to her lips and revealed a smile. “Maybe, I will.”

“P-Please, don’t.” 

Suddenly, her body went numb when she thought about being away from Hiro; her heart twisted inside her chest with extreme pain. The figure of Sona seemed darker and darker with every fleeting moment.

“Tsuki!”

Two hands wrapped around her body and enveloped her in a warm embrace. Her vision slowly returned to normal, and even the pain subsided. All the while, the arms around her gradually tightened.

“I apologize. I didn’t know that my joke would affect you this much.” Sona said. “Hiro would be devastated if something happened to you.”

Tsukiha shook her head. “Hiro… We love him... Sona also loves him.”

Sona began to pat her head like Hiro and whispered something.

Tsukiha’s eyes widened before she nodded energetically.

“I’m willing!”

“Then, it’s all good.”

---

Hiro had no idea that Tsukiha almost faced a backlash from the ‘Mate Mark’ she left on him, or he would have stayed to keep an eye on her.

Right now, he was busy feeding candies to a certain dragon god and the cat who hated him but threatened him for origin candies...