Once Kuroka and Shirone are gone, I come out of the lake.

Damn, it's cold. The water in the lake was freezing. I'm going to put on the clothes Tiamat gave me quickly, so I can warm up a bit.

I'd like to have a towel to dry myself, but I think that's too much to ask.

For now, let's see what clothes Tiamat has brought me.

For starters, she brought me some black Calvin Klein underwear.

Wait, Calvin Klein brand? Didn't she go to the town near the woods?

Where exactly did she go?

I think it's better not to know, and I don't think it's that important.

They're exactly my size, although it's getting a little tight where you guys are concerned.

Next is a black T-shirt. It's a basic T-shirt you can find in any store.

Brown cargo shorts. These are pants with multiple pockets, they were convenient in my previous life.

I have a problem here, and that's that I don't know what to do with my tail. The pants are made for humans, and there's no way human pants can have a space for the tail.

The only solution I can see is to make a pair of pants to make a hole for the tail.

All I need now are my shoes and my sweatshirt.

The shoes are black sneakers, with no visible brand.

The sweatshirt is short-sleeved, with a design that makes it look like the sleeves have been torn off, it's black like most clothes.

Now that I've finished getting dressed I'm going to go have dinner with the girls.

It sucks that I'm still wet since my clothes are getting wet too.

...…

Tiamat had cut down three tree trunks and left them on the ground. Tiamat and I sat on two of the logs while Kuroka and Shirone were sharing the remaining log.

The logs are placed in such a way that they seem to be forming a triangle, and the fire is set in the middle.

"Why didn't you dry off before you got dressed?"

I wish I'd dried up, you know? But I don't have any towels for that.

"I-I can!"

"What do you say, Kuroka?"

Kuroka had risen from her seat in excitement, but now that I have asked her, she seems to have backed away. Her face is flushed, and she is avoiding looking at me.

"Eto... We, the Nekomata, have a special skill called [Kasha]. I... can dry you out with it."

She's playing with her fingers as she talks.

"It's okay if you don't want my help, and I would understand perfectly. After all, I was the one who almost attacked--"

"I'd be very grateful if you could dry me off!"

I needed to stop Kuroka before she continued to blame herself for a little misunderstanding. The previous conflict was no big deal, and it could have been resolved even if Tiamat were not present at the time.

I understand her reaction and her hatred for the devils. And although I don't know what has led to such an overreaction, I do have some idea why she has reacted this way.

"O-Okay."

Kuroka rises from her seat and approaches my side of the campfire.

She sits down next to me. She's a little stiff.

"Kuroka?"

"Yes!"

She was a bit startled, but soon closed her eyes and concentrated. After a few moments, she lifted her hands and a wheel covered in black flames appeared out of nowhere.

"Is that Senjutsu?" I asked.

"Yes. We Nekomatas have a unique technique called [Kasha], which allows us to create these flame-covered wheels as long as we acc.u.mulate enough Ki. With my current power, I can create eight of them at once."

She moves her arm a couple more times and another seven wheels of black flame where summoned.

"Aren't [Kasha's] flames white? I have seen many Nekomatas in my life, and many of them knew how to use [Kasha], but none of them showed black flames." Tiamat asks Kuroka.

Kuroka does not answer immediately and concentrates on circling the wheels around my body.

I can feel my body drying up.

"My [Kasha] used to be white, and it contained the power of purification. But it lost that purifying power and the colour turned black when the experiments began. My [Kasha] can no longer consider herself as such after losing her purification."

I can feel the anger, the hate, and the pain in Kuroka's voice.

But...

"They are beautiful."

"Huh?"

"The flames are beautiful. They may have lost their purification, but they are still warm. I don't know what your [Kasha] was like before she went through that hell, but I don't think you should dwell on what she was and accept what you have now. For my part, these dark flames make me feel warm on the outside and warm on the inside."

I tell Kuroka what I think from my heart, and I swear my intentions are pure.

I don't know how the DxD Kuroka managed to overcome her trauma after the events in the Naberius family. Perhaps it was because of her great love for her sister that she managed to survive and move on.

I don't care how she managed it, all I see now is a fourteen-year-old girl suffering because some devils took away what was hers, they have sullied the purity of her [Kasha].

I cannot watch this and stand by.

I raise my hand and hold it to her face.

"W-W-What are you doing?"

Kuroka stutters and protests, but does nothing to prevent my actions.

"Don't be silly, let me dry your tears."

With my thumb, I wipe the tears from the girl's eyes. She lowers her head slightly, diverting her eyes from mine.

"Is it true?" murmurs Kuroka.

"Mmh?"

"Do you really like my [Kasha]"

That's what he meant by that.

"Ufufufu, that's a funny question, Kuroka. We dragons never lie, since we don't need to lie. Come to think of it, it's amusing how honest we dragons can be. Even the dreaded ones who receive the title of Evil Dragons are honest, as they never try to hide that they are evil. What I mean, little Kuroka, is that if Draco says he likes it, he likes it. We always tell the truth."