The Fox Hole

Chapter 5:

–Haru–

The atmosphere in my restaurant was... awkward, to say the least.

"So-tan! You're okay! Your big sister almost had a heart attack when I got your call. I was so upset I nearly attacked Heaven!" Serafall Leviathan, the Maou, exclaimed, hugging her younger sister tightly.

"N-Nee-san! This is so embarrassing!" Sona looked absolutely mortified. As soon as Serafall had entered my restaurant with my mother, she made a beeline for her sister, scooping Sona up and plopping her sister right onto her lap in one of the booths. Sona tried to ply herself off of her older sister's lap, but the Maou apparently had an iron grip.

Serafall ignored her sister's struggles with a carefree grin as Yasaka sat down across from the devil sisters. "I'm so glad everything worked out!" Serafall exclaimed. "Those evil meanies who plotted against us will receive Levia-tan's swift justice!"

"Ara, be sure to save some of them for me." Yasaka's smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "A war could have broken out between our races over this…" she said quietly, making everyone wince. Even Serafall's smile faltered at that dark thought.

"What actually happened, Nee-san?" Sona asked, still struggling to pull herself off of her sister's lap–unsuccessfully. 

Yasaka answered, "Let's just say there were certain unsavory individuals high up in both of our factions' administrations that wanted to see our factions enter conflict. They chose to potentially sacrifice you for girls by sending you into Yokai territory to do so. I've already captured a few conspirators from my side." she calmly explained, but I could tell she was fuming. After the death of my human stepfather, Yasaka went on a massive "traitor hunt" in her anguish. 

I thought she had rooted out all the bad apples amongst our people, but clearly that wasn't the case. 

Rias spoke up, trying to lighten the heavy mood. "Lady Serafall is right. Everything worked out in the end! Let's just be happy and move on!" She then turned to me and flashed a grateful smile. "Thank you so much for covering for us and letting us hide in your restaurant, Haru."

I grinned at her. "No problem, you girls have been great company. Feel free to come back anytime!" I glanced over at Yasaka, realizing I shouldn't have made that offer without her approval. I might welcome all people into my restaurant–but politics were still an unfortunate thing. "Is it alright for them to come back here?" I asked her.

Yasaka gave a small nod. "...The Gremory and Sitri Clans are now officially allied with the Kyoto Yokai. They are welcome in our territory whenever they wish. As for other Devil clans... we will decide on a case-by-case basis. For example, members of the Phenex Clan will never be welcome in Kyoto," she said coldly. "We will dispose of them on sight…"

Rias looked happy to hear that morbid declaration from Yasaka. "Riser isn't ever allowed to come here!? Perfect! I'll be teleporting here for lunch and dinner every day then! I have a feeling the asshole has been secretly spying on me lately," she added bitterly.

"If you've got issues with a man following you around, the Companions can help, girl." The door to my restaurant swung open, and in strolled Aela. She flashed me a softer smile than I expected from a hardened warrior. "I'm back, Haru."

"Er... welcome back, Aela?" I mumbled, feeling awkward as every girl in the restaurant suddenly locked their eyes on her. I suddenly realized I was the only man in a restaurant filled completely with beautiful women. Where the hell were all my male customers from last night!?

"Ara, who might you be?" Yasaka asked with a raised eyebrow.

Aela walked right up to Yasaka's booth. "You must be Queen Yasaka. Haru mentioned you last night at the party."

Wait, I did? I barely remembered anything from last night...

Aela kept going. "It's nice to meet you, mother-in-law. I believe little Kunou called me Haru's girlfriend, though that's a bit... strange for my people. We're more than friends. We're courting each other." She nodded, satisfied with her explanation.

"Wah–" 

It's not every day you see my mom speechless, but Aela had left her completely gaping. I facepalmed. Leave it to a Nord to be so blunt. She was basically the female version of my new friend Agnar…

"W-what!?" Rias sputtered, snapping her head towards me. "You're actually dating this cosplay Viking woman!?" she asked me, looking... jealous?

Was I reading that right?

"Ara, I sense some drama coming up." Akeno grinned, teasing Rias.

"Indeed," Tsubaki added next to her.

"What is cosplay?" Aela asked, looking genuinely confused.

"It's what you're wearing!" Rias shot back with her arms crossed. "You're dressed up like some kind of slutty Viking warrior. That armor barely covers any of your vital areas!"

Rias had a point. I remembered seeing other female Companions at the party last night, and yeah, Aela's armor was the skimpiest. I had assumed it was because she was a werewolf and needed something easy to take off before transforming. Or maybe she just liked showing off her incredible body.

Aela scowled at her fellow redhead. "Hmph, I'll have you know, this is Ancient Nord Armor. It might be a bit dated by my people's standards, but it's still perfectly acceptable! If anything, the one who should be ashamed of her dress is you. That skirt you wear is shorter than even the whores in Whiterun! It leaves nothing to the imagination."

Rias sputtered again. "This is my school uniform! It was officially approved by the faculty at Kuoh Academy!"

Sona decided to cut in. "Actually, Rias, you hypnotized the principal when he refused to change the official skirt lengths. I was fine with the standard knee-length uniforms," she added, still stuck on her sister's lap of course.

"I think So-tan looks adorable in her school uniform! Rias did a good job. Nobody likes long skirts anyway!" Serafall chimed in, cheerful as ever.

Yasaka finally snapped out of her stupor and stared at Aela up and down. "You are my son's girlfriend? Since when?"

"Last night, during the party when Haru drunkenly declared his love for me in front of all the Companions." Aela explained.

"Drunkenly…?" Yasaka gave me a very disapproving look. "Do I need to order the Kappa Clan to stop supplying your restaurant with so much Sake?" 

"No… That was just a one time thing." I assured her with a nervous gulp. "...We were celebrating a successful first day and the fact that Agnar and I became sworn friends."

"I can tell that everyone is clearly out of the loop here! You're not giving us enough backstory to work with, Haru-kun!" Serafall said passionately. "People will stop watching your TV show if they don't know what's going on!"

"What TV show? This is a restaurant…" I pointed out with a sigh. "Fine, this is what happened yesterday." I took a couple minutes to explain to Yasaka and my Devil guests about everything that had happened the previous day. Along with all of my customers and the fact that this restaurant connected to other dimensions for a reason we had yet to figure out. Yasaka obviously knew about that part, but she hadn't been present when Harry and Hermione returned after getting healed. Agnar and Serana arrived after that followed by all the other Companions.

"Wait a minute! Are you telling me you weren't messing with us earlier?" Rias asked, eyes wide in disbelief. "She's ACTUALLY from another dimension?" She pointed at Aela. "What does she even do there?"

Aela proudly placed her hands on her hips. "I am a member of the Companions, the most honorable band of warriors in all of Skyrim. We travel across the land, slaying bandits and monsters alike to help the common folk. Our current Harbinger is Agnar the Dragonborn!" she declared with unmistakable pride.

Rias crossed her arms, a skeptical expression on her face. "Hmph, so you're basically just a mercenary. Is that the kind of woman who should be dating the Prince of the Yokai?" She flicked her gaze over to me and added, "I think Haru could do better, personally."

Uh oh, shots had been fired…

Aela let out a growl that was almost inhuman, causing Rias to take a few nervous steps back. "You take that back! I am an honorable woman! Dozens of strong Nords have approached me with an Amulet of Mara, and I turned them all down!" Her hand hovered dangerously over the dagger on her thigh. "Insult my honor again, and we'll have more than just words."

Rias, clearly rattled, still began summoning her demonic power. A dark red aura flared up around her. "So, you're a werewolf, huh? I'm not afraid of you!"

"You will be!"

Things were escalating fast, and I had to step in before my restaurant became a warzone. Akeno and Tsubaki had just cleaned the place; I wasn't about to let it get wrecked again. "Enough, ladies. There will be no fighting in my restaurant, or I'll ban you both for a week."

Aela huffed and sheathed her dagger, while the ominous red aura around Rias slowly faded.

"...At least you're not a cowardly milk drinker too afraid to fight," Aela muttered begrudgingly.

"...Thanks. And I'm sorry for insulting your honor," Rias replied stiffly. After a pause, she continued, "What was that about the Companions being able to help me? You mentioned that when you first walked in."

Aela nodded, regaining her composure. "Well… you weren't entirely wrong when you called us mercenaries. We do take jobs to help settle disputes between people from time to time. But we don't take assassination missions. Tell me about this man who's stalking you. You called him Riser?"

Rias sighed. "I don't need Riser dead... well, I wouldn't be upset if he was, but I'd settle for him getting a good beating. He's strong, and he's got this annoying ability to regenerate from any injury he receives." She went on, explaining everything she knew about Riser and his powers.

Aela listened carefully, nodding along. "Hm, we might be able to figure out a way around his regeneration, but you may need to request the Harbinger himself to take on this mission for you. Let's head over here to discuss the details and payment for our services." She led Rias to an empty table, the two suddenly deep in conversation about what sounded a lot like a hit job…

Everyone in the restaurant watched as the two women, who were moments away from tearing each other apart, were now calmly negotiating some sort of hit job with smiles on both of their faces. Women could be very confusing sometimes…

"What just happened?" Sona asked, finally managing to slip free from her dazed older sister's grasp. She darted over to the bar, clearly trying to avoid getting caught again. "Give me some freaking alcohol! I don't care that I'm not old enough to drink!"

I just shrugged, grabbing one of the freshly stocked bottles and pouring her a small cup. Sona downed it in one go, muttering under her breath about the struggles of dealing with an overly clingy older sister.

"Ara… I've never seen Rias quite so interested in a man before," Akeno teased, sending a wink my way as she and Tsubaki joined Sona at the bar.

Grateful for their help cleaning up earlier, I offered the two Devil Queens free meals. Akeno chose a classic Japanese bento, but Tsubaki's order caught me off guard—she asked for Italian spaghetti. 

Curious, I raised an eyebrow. "Spaghetti?"

Tsubaki blushed slightly, glancing away. "The boy I like is Italian. I figured I should get used to the food he likes for when we, um… eventually get married," she said with a blush.

Akeno burst out laughing. "Good luck with that Tsubaki-chan. Rias and I are like 90% sure Kiba is gay at this point. He's seen both of us naked multiple times and never so much as batted an eye at either of us. Ufufu…" Akeno teased.

I was listening in on their conversation as I started preparing the ingredients for their orders. Whoever this Kiba guy was, he was one lucky bastard…

Tsubaki gaped at Akeno in shock. "That can't be true…"

–Serafall–

After recovering from that strange scene with Rias and Aela, Serafall and Yasaka continued a more private conversation in their booth. Serafall cast a simple spell that blocked out all noise so the girls at the bar wouldn't overhear them.

"Do you know how big of a deal this restaurant is, Yasaka? Other dimensions!? That sounds completely absurd! We all know they exist, but no one has ever been able to safely pass the Dimensional Gap to access them. Great Red kills anyone who dares to try!" she hissed out.

Yasaka nodded thoughtfully at Serafall's words. "I am well aware. We've already gathered plenty of evidence. This restaurant connects to three different dimensions already, and I feel that's just the beginning. So far, everything's been relatively peaceful, and Great Red hasn't made an appearance, so we must be flying under his radar for now."

Serafall took a moment to let that sink in, then leaned forward, her tone shifting to something more calculated. "If that's the case, your faction is sitting on a metaphorical goldmine! Other dimensions? That's a near-limitless opportunity—resources, knowledge, alliances… all of it just opened up to your people. But if the other factions find out about this, especially the stronger ones in our world, they might try to bully their way into your territory," she warned, her eyes narrowing. "Unless, of course, you had a strong partner to stand by your side."

It was clear why Serafall was the Maou in charge of foreign relations. She saw not just the potential business benefits but the opportunity to ease tensions between the yokai and the devils. Well, most devils. Some clans couldn't help themselves when it came to aggressively recruiting peerage members.

Yasaka's eyes flickered with understanding. "You're suggesting a true alliance?"

Serafall smiled. "Between your faction and mine, we'd be more than a match for anyone who tries to take advantage of us. And who knows? It could be the start of a real peace between our people. Maybe we could even seal the deal with a marriage or two?" Serafall offered. "Rias seems to have taken an interest in your son." she pointed out the obvious. "It wouldn't be too impossible to get her family to agree to this opportunity once they learn about the potential of this restaurant. She also seems to be getting along fine with his werewolf girlfriend now that they're not trying to kill each other. It could work," Serafall explained, glancing to the side and temporarily dropping the noise canceling spell. 

Rias and Aela had finished up their actual business and now Rias was explaining to Aela the finer details of actual cosplay. The werewolf girl seemed oddly fascinated with the concept.

Serafall waited quietly, watching Yasaka tap her fingers on the table, lost in thought. She really hoped Yasaka would agree to the alliance. The peerage system had saved the Devils from extinction, but it hadn't stopped their culture from teetering on the edge of stagnation. They needed something to push them forward, to shake them out of the old ways that still clung to their society.

'Maybe,' Serafall thought. '...The introduction of magic or technology from other dimensions could be the spark the Devil world needed.' It wasn't just about business; it was about evolution. The Devils had survived, but they hadn't thrived. With access to new ideas, new tools, and new ways of thinking from beyond the Dimensional Gap, they could finally break free of their centuries-old traditions and start building something better.

Yasaka's silence stretched on for a few more seconds before she finally spoke. "You make a compelling argument, Serafall," she said slowly. "An alliance with your faction would offer protection from those who would try to exploit Haru's restaurant. But more than that, it could open the door to something much bigger… for both our people."

Serafall's eyes lit up with excitement. "Exactly! This could be the turning point we both need. Imagine the possibilities, Yasaka. Knowledge, power, and resources from entirely different worlds. It could change everything!" she said happily. 

Yasaka smiled softly, but still with a hint of caution. "Let's not rush into this too quickly. I need to ensure that whatever deal we strike is in the best interest of the Yokai. But I agree… this is an opportunity we can't afford to ignore."

Serafall hated all the waiting that came with politics, but nodded. "Of course, we'll take some time to figure out the best path forward for both of our factions."

–Haru–

Akeno was happily enjoying her bento lunch, while Tsubaki was slowly picking at her spaghetti. She looked like she was still processing the fact that the boy she had been pursuing for years might be gay. No one really knew for sure, though, unless the guy himself said something.

But honestly, that sounded like a whole lot of not my problem!

My current problem was the little sister of the Maou Leviathan, Sona, who was trying to drown her embarrassment in sake. That definitely didn't seem healthy, so I cut her off. 

Sona whined at me when I refused to pour her more drinks. "Aren't you still on a school trip? Your cheeks are already flushed. Your teachers are going to notice if you drink any more," I said, putting the bottle back under the counter for good measure.

Sona slumped forward onto the bar, groaning dramatically. "You don't know what it's like, having an older sister like Serafall!" she complained. "Every time she comes around, she always does something to embarrass me!"

I chuckled softly while wiping down the counter where some sake had sloshed. 

Just then, the door to my restaurant swung open and someone new walked inside. "Welcome to the Fox Hole! You can sit at the bar or wherever you like," I said to the…little girl? A little girl who looked like she was cosplaying as an old Nazi, equipped with an actual wooden rifle hung over her shoulder.

She looked around the restaurant incredulously before gaping at me. "What the hell!? Is this some kind of trick from Being X?"

XXX

There was a small redheaded catfight that ended relatively peacefully somehow. And now a certain evil little girl has made her appearance in the Fox Hole!