Chapter 331: The visit

When Kouhei’s eyes flickered open, the world around him had already changed. One moment, he was somewhere else entirely—then in the blink of an eye, he stood inside the council office.

It wasn’t like walking through a door. No… this was instant. A jarring, unnatural leap from one place to another. The sensation made his stomach twist—the brief, weightless feeling of his feet leaving the ground, only for gravity to slam them back onto a different floor in the very next heartbeat. It was dizzying, like his body had been pulled through a space that shouldn’t exist.

“Let’s go, Kouhei-kun. We can’t afford to be late. My father isn’t fond of people who show up after the set time,” Yuuna said, her voice carrying that crisp, no-nonsense tone.

“Ah, right,” Kouhei answered automatically.

It made perfect sense. Someone like Yuuna’s father—someone whose authority towered above everyone Kouhei had ever met—wouldn’t tolerate tardiness. Showing up late before a man like that wasn’t just careless; it was an insult.

He couldn’t risk that.

Yuuna let out a soft but heavy sigh, her gaze shifting slightly. “To be honest… I don’t want this.”

That caught Kouhei’s attention. He turned to look at her.

“Us, coming back to Hell… back to the place where I almost lost my life with you… I really don’t want to go back there.” Her eyes softened as she looked at him, a faint, almost reluctant smile pulling at her lips. “But… if it’s you who insists—if it’s your decision as the faction leader—then I guess I don’t have much choice but to follow you, right?”

A sharp pang of guilt settled in Kouhei’s chest. He hadn’t realized just how much this return weighed on her.

“W-We can still turn back, you know?” he said quietly, reaching out and holding her hand.

She gave his hand a light squeeze, shaking her head with a small smile. “No. It’s fine. I don’t want to shape your decisions or hold you back just because of my feelings. I’m not the leader anymore, am I? You’re the one who decides where we go and what we do now. And you shouldn’t let anyone else’s opinion completely control you. Sure… listen to us, take our advice into account, but your choices should come from what you think is truly best for us.”

Kouhei met her gaze. Her expression didn’t waver—her smile was steady, even as she spoke. She squeezed his hand again, firmer this time.

“By accepting Father’s invitation, you’re telling me you’ve thought this through… that you believe having that connection will be best for everyone, right?”

He had thought that. Exactly that. But saying it out loud felt wrong, somehow.

He knew Yuuna’s relationship with her family wasn’t warm—it was distant and strained.

And after the war between him and Souichiro, whatever bonds they’d had had been nearly shattered.

So dragging her back here—knowing the pain it could stir up—only deepened that heavy guilt in him.

But with what Yui had told him… that the creator of angels, the being who resided in the Heavens—Yesh herself—was pushing for war, there was no avoiding it. Kouhei had to be ready.

And readiness meant power. Firepower. A huge part of that plan rested with the Great House of Sarushima.

He’d seen for himself the way their soldiers fought with them being sharp, disciplined, and deadly from years of war. If he could bring their strength into the fold, then at least there would be a fighting chance when Heaven came knocking.

“I’m glad you understand, Yuuna-san.” His voice carried a hint of warmth, though the guilt still lingered under the surface.

“I know you’re doing this not just for yourself, but for something bigger than all of us,” Yuuna said. “But if you ever find yourself trapped in a corner, don’t hesitate to come to me. Talk to me. I may not be the leader anymore, but I’ve led a faction for many, many years.”

“I know. I’ll make sure to do that,” Kouhei replied with a small, genuine smile.

After a while, they arrived at one of Hell’s entrances.

There wasn’t just one of these—there were many. Ancient gateways that had existed long before their time. None of them could be closed.

And because they were permanent pathways into Hell, they were always guarded. Without that, they were just open doors for enemies to pour through.

For generations, Yuuna and her allies had stood watch over them. And no one ever questioned it—not because they didn’t notice, but because they couldn’t.

Every year, Misuzu rewrote the memories of the students, erasing anything that could raise suspicion.

So even if Yuuna had been the student council president for over a century—since the school’s very founding—no one blinked.

They couldn’t remember.

Misuzu could alter the truth, twist it, erase it entirely. That was the kind of frightening power the Yuki Clan wielded.

“Now… let’s go,” Yuuna said, her gaze fixed on the entrance ahead.

It looked like a swirling portal, its colors alive with deep, pulsating reds.

Kouhei gave a small nod, a knot of nerves tightening in his stomach. Even though he’d been here before, stepping back into that suffocating, blistering place still weighed heavy on him.

But after a moment, he forced the feeling down. Side by side, he and Yuuna stepped through.

***

The moment Kouhei crossed, the disorienting sensation returned—feet lifted from solid ground, his body suspended in that weightless void for a fraction of a second—then thud, contact again.

When he opened his eyes, the world had changed once more.

They were in the realm of demons.

Hell.

There was no sun burned overhead—only a massive, blood-red moon hanging ominously in the sky, casting its light across everything.

The land stretched out under that crimson glow, giving the illusion of red sand. But in truth, the sand itself was gray; it actually was the moon that painted it in blood.

The heat came not from the air, but from the sand beneath their feet—it radiated upward, swallowing the space in a dry, suffocating warmth.

Before long, movement caught Kouhei’s eye. A group was approaching.

At first, he thought they were mounted on horses, pulling carriages behind them. But as they drew closer, the truth revealed itself.

They weren’t horses at all.

Humanoid in shape, but massive—bodies broad, muscles thick like carved stone. Their heavy strides carried the weight of the carriages with ease.

“They’re onis, Kouhei-kun,” Yuuna explained softly, her eyes tracking the rhythmic crack of whips against their backs as the massive beings pulled the loads forward without faltering.

Onis.

Kouhei wasn’t unfamiliar with them—far from it.

In fact, one of his women was an oni herself. But unlike the ones standing before him now, her skin was a deep, almost crimson red, rich with life and warmth. The onis here… their skin was jet black, like obsidian, giving off a far colder and more intimidating aura.

Onis had always been renowned for their sheer physical strength, their raw power making them formidable in close combat. But that strength came at a cost as they were severely lacking in magical ability. Because of that, they were always the ones pushed to the very frontlines during wars, forced to be the shield and the spear for others. And when wars ended, their lives didn’t get any better. They were reduced to slaves, forced into endless, backbreaking labor and treated as nothing more than tools.

The thought made Kouhei’s gut twist. It was disgusting. Absolutely revolting.

His fingers curled slightly, and without thinking, he began to gather mana in his hand. The air around his palm started to stir faintly, as if the energy itself was responding to his anger.

But before the tension could boil over, Yuuna reached out and stopped him. Her fingers brushed against his wrist, gentle yet firm, halting his actions before the soldiers could sense the dangerous shift in the air. She looked him in the eyes and gave a slow, deliberate shake of her head.

These were her father’s soldiers.

“Greetings, Yuuna-sama, Kouhei-sama. We have come here to fetch you,” one of the soldiers said, his tone formal yet carrying the weight of authority.

Yuuna’s composure didn’t falter. “Greetings, Sir. I am pleased that you’ve driven all the way here just for us.” Her voice was polite, yet there was an elegance to it that commanded respect. She turned to Kouhei, her expression softening just slightly. “Come, Kouhei-kun. Let’s go inside the carriage.”

He followed her without a word, but as he stepped past the soldiers, he felt it—a sharp, prickling sensation at the back of his neck. They were glaring at him. Not just looking… glaring, as if his very presence offended them.

Kouhei didn’t give them the satisfaction of reacting. He simply ignored their burning stares and climbed into the carriage beside Yuuna.

Still, once he sat down, the discomfort lingered. Knowing full well that the carriage was being pulled by onis made his stomach turn. The rhythmic creak of the wheels and the faint sound of heavy footsteps outside only served as a reminder. It was a blatant display of dominance—an unspoken statement of power—and he hated it. But Yuuna had already signaled for him to stand down. For now, all he could do was grit his teeth and endure.

It was, quite literally, something hard to swallow.

The carriage soon began to move, rocking gently as it traveled. Kouhei and Yuuna’s hands found each other, their fingers intertwining. The warmth of her touch worked like a quiet anchor, keeping him steady in the middle of his growing irritation.

Time passed slowly, but eventually, the carriage rolled to a stop.

When the door opened, Kouhei was greeted by the sight of an enormous wooden mansion that towered over them. Its structure exuded age and strength, every beam and panel polished to a pristine shine. By sheer scale alone, it was overwhelming—easily twice, maybe even three times the size of the Saionji Mansion.

He stood there for a brief moment, taking it all in, when his eyes caught sight of someone at the entrance—someone he wasn’t expecting.

“G-Good travels, you two,” the person said.

His cheeks were flushed a deep red, and his lips were pressed into a stubborn pout that did nothing to hide the embarrassment in his voice.

It was Souichiro.

I’m going to change the Heaven Saga, into Demon Lord Saga, because I feel like Heaven Saga would be like the last saga of the series. I’m going to change the current arc from Kyouka’s to Nagisa’s.

P.S. Some of the girls in the harem have at least one or two character arc. Nagisa might just only have one, but we’ll see.