Chapter 171- Taken away~2
Akane arrived at the café after her talk with Minoru, but she wasn’t alone. Chinatsu and Minami were with her.
She hadn’t planned on bringing her daughter along—Minami wasn’t supposed to know about this meeting. But she’d overheard the phone call and insisted on coming. No amount of persuasion worked. She was stubborn like that.
Now, the three of them sat inside the quiet café, with Minami silently staring out through the large window. Her eyes were fixed on the street, clearly waiting for someone.
“By the way, sis…” Chinatsu broke the silence, her voice low. “Are we really going against her?”
There was no need to ask who ‘her’ was. The mention alone brought a chill.
The pure-blooded succubus—an existence that shouldn't even be in the human world—and the only pure blooded demon in Japan. That entity that should have been living her life leisurely like always has set her eyes on Minoru for some unknown reason.
Akane had seen what that woman could do. Her presence alone made her uneasy. And the way she moved, always calm, always confident... she knew that kind of behavior came from overwhelming power.
What scared Akane more was the uncertainty. Why had the succubus suddenly taken an interest in Minoru? There had to be something more behind it. No one likes her to move without a reason.
“Ah! He’s here!” Minami suddenly said, her face lighting up as she waved enthusiastically.
Minoru spotted her through the glass and gave a faint smile as he waved back. A moment later, he walked in.
He reached their table and gave a polite nod to Akane and Chinatsu. Then, with a gentle look, he leaned in and gave Minami a brief, quiet hug.
“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” Minami whispered, her voice soft as she closed her eyes and clung to the moment of comfort.
Minoru slowly pulled away and sat down with a tired sigh.
“My whole life flipped in a single day,” he said, his voice heavy. “Telling them about…What I am, then the succubus showing up… It’s been too much.”
His exhaustion was written all over his face. Dark circles. Slumped shoulders. But what struck Chinatsu most was the worry in his eyes—the kind that didn’t come from fear for himself.
She gently placed her hand on his, ignoring the way Minami frowned at the gesture.
“She’ll be okay,” Chinatsu said quietly. “I believe that.”
Minoru looked at her, eyes searching, almost desperate.
“I hope you’re right,” he murmured. “Because if she’s not… I don’t know what I’ll do.”
A brief, heavy silence settled over the table. Only the soft hum of the café and the occasional clatter of cutlery could be heard.
Then Minoru exhaled, steadying himself, and turned toward Akane.
“So... what do you know about her? The pure-blood?”
Akane looked down for a moment, as if weighing how much to say. Then she began, her voice quiet but clear.
“I met her when I was about to die. I was sick—bedridden with a disease that no doctor could cure. My body was failing. I was already saying goodbye to this world when she appeared.”
Both Chinatsu and Minami knew this story. They had heard it before. But even now, it struck something deep within them. Seeing Akane—strong, composed, and fierce—recounting her moment of helplessness made something in their chest tighten.
“She was the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen,” Akane said, her eyes distant. “At first, I truly believed an angel had come for me... that maybe heaven had sent someone to ease the pain.”
She paused. Her fingers curled slightly around the cup in front of her.
“But it wasn’t an angel,” she continued, her voice tinged with a quiet bitterness. “It was a devil. A succubus who offered me life—at a cost.”
She spoke like someone peeling back the layers of a dream long buried. Her voice was solemn, each word carrying the weight of a memory she’d rather forget but couldn’t.
“She gave me a second chance. And in return, she asked me to do something for her. She asked me to carry a child for her...and in exchange for that, she provided me with another life by turning me into a demon."
Minoru already knew the truth.
Minami wasn’t Akane’s real daughter. She was something else—someone pure, untainted, yet somehow tied to the very being that had taken his mother away.
The same woman Akane had once called a devil.
“Should I go there and demand that she release Mira-san?” Minami suddenly said, her voice clear and unwavering. Her hands were clenched on her lap, her eyes burning with determination. She meant every word.
But Minoru shook his head slowly.
“No, Minami. You haven't seen her since the day she gave you to Akane-san,” he said gently, but firmly. “We don’t know why she left you... Why did she choose to walk away? If you appear before her now, without understanding her reasons, it could be dangerous. Not just for you.”
Akane gave a silent nod, her expression grim. She had thought the same.
Some truths were too tangled, too fragile to touch without care. And whatever bond Minami shared with the succubus—it wasn’t something they could afford to gamble with.
Not yet.
"Then what are you going to do?" Chinatsu asked worryingly.
Minoru took out the note the succubus left for her and extended it towards Akane.
Akane wasn't surprised to read that she has invited Minoru to the rooftop. Unless she wanted to meet the new demon in society, she wouldn't have kidnapped a random human.
Minami's brows drew closer as she asked in a heavy tone, "You...aren't planning to go there alone, right?"
"No, I would like to ask for Akane-san's help, if possible." Minoru asked straightforwardly, "She didn't mention me coming alone. That's why if you can-"
"Yes, I will." Akane agreed without hesitation, "As I told you before, you are family now, and it's our duty to help our family members in their time of distress."
Minoru gave a thankful nod, "Thank you, Akane-san...I really need support here."
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A/N:- Thank you for reading. Next chapter, this weekend. Minoru will explore more of his powers, and also, followed by that, a very steamy chapter~