"Hey, bro. Are you still in that little town in Japan? Do you have time? We haven't seen each other in ages — I'd love to meet up and talk. Like the good old days?"
"Hey. Yes, I'm still there. I'm returning to the US on business tomorrow, I'll be in our old town. We can meet. It would be nice to see the others from our crew too. How are Frank and Jill?"
"They're doing well. I still can't forget how shocked our big guy was when the surrogate mother gave him and Jill twins."
"Yeah, that truly is impossible to forget. And what about you? Has our prince still not produced an heir?"
"It's complicated on that front," Tyler said bitterly.
After chatting a bit more and reminiscing about the past, the friends said goodbye, having arranged to meet.
Her master's embrace was the only place where Yuno felt completely safe. She believed: even if the sky came crashing down — as long as this man was beside her, nothing would happen to her. Here, she wasn't tormented by nightmares. As soon as the girl settled into his arms, her mind sank into a peaceful sleep.
The next morning, having barely managed to extract himself from the entwined arms of his girls, Ray left the house.
His first destination was one of the "Devils'" headquarters. He needed to meet with Sergei and the other members of the council.
The council consisted of representatives of the first generation of "Devils" — those who had laid the foundation of the organization. They were the ones who knew who was concealed beneath the mask.
Ellie was the first to take the floor. Over the years, she had grown noticeably stronger.
"In the last raid, we rescued 150 people. Eighty of them are women and children of various ages. As usual, there were many suicide attempts, three of which proved successful. There were also 30 pregnant women. We managed to persuade 25 of them to keep their children. They are now in our shelters."
"Well done. You've done excellent work. I'm glad I wasn't mistaken, after all, in entrusting this mission to you."
When he shifted his gaze to the man responsible for medicine, the man stood and reported crisply:
"Thanks to the latest research, we've managed to raise the cancer recovery rate to 65%. Among the 'Devils,' there are no fatalities after the last raid, but three will no longer be able to work in the field. We are already working on finding them suitable positions."
Next, a man in glasses spoke:
"We've managed to obtain a patent for the supply of weapons and ammunition for the police and the Ministry of Emergency Situations. We now officially cooperate with government structures," he said with a smirk.
"Do everything to the highest standard," Ray noted. "We may be on opposite sides of the barricades... But we are still doing the same work."
The last to speak was Sergei:
"Everything is going according to plan. In our shelters, we are not only raising a new generation of 'Devils' but also preparing future politicians. It will take years, but we have already begun embedding our people into the governments of various countries."