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Chapter 25: To be

The next morning proved to be slower than usual. I quickly dismissed this very situation with just the notion that we had a guest, and that I had to finish preparing some papers that were going to be needed for something important.

Something so important that I saw fit to inform Sona that I was going to skip the first two hours of lessons because of it. She seemed rather interested if not understanding of what I had planned, and she blessed the project itself.

After a quick breakfast and quickly preparing for school, Kunou, Koneko and I started to make our way out of the house and towards the school. Ingvild was already waiting by the entrance when we stepped into the streets, and she tagged along for the small trip.

Once we stepped inside the main building of Kuoh Academy, I took a brief moment to look around for Akeno.

I would've imagined for her to be there as she usually would, and there was an extra reason to be there to keep an eye for Koneko considering yesterday's sleepover.

And yet the Rias' Queen was nowhere to be seen. It was odd, but since Sona didn't say anything about it, I knew that it wasn't something to worry about.

Instead of Akeno, I ended up finding Ravel waiting by the glass doors by the school's entrance just like I asked her to do the day before.

The young Phenex looked incredibly nervous about today, and I knew that she was aware that this very day was going to see her reckoning after what happened to her the day before. I had taken all necessary steps for the big plan to come in fruition, and I felt rather sure about the positive aftermath of this elaborate and devious plot.

She greeted us politely, quickly taking position beside Kunou as the fox girl pulled her in a conversation with the silver-haired Nekoshou. The trio seemed to have bonded a lot despite the short time they have been together, and I knew that only good things would come out of this.

With her slowly but surely coming to like Kuoh Academy, I knew we were going to have an extra fighter in case of emergency. There was also the fact that the Phenex Clan was going to put more attention on what happened in this town as to make sure the member of their family wasn't getting hurt in any way, shape, or form.

Once I had accompanied Ingvild to Theater Club for a special session, I proceeded to leave Kunou to her own classroom before taking the last trip I had to take beyond my duties as a simple student.

Koneko was confused as to why I had to personally escort her and Ravel, but she seemed to calm down as quickly as her new classmate mentioned that there was nothing wrong meant to happen to them.

The Nekoshou gave me a questioning look at this, but I merely shrugged and hinted that something important is going to happen in that room.

I was the one that opened the door, allowing the two kohais to enter the classroom first before taking a moment to greet the teacher.

"Umon-sensei, I hope you've received all the paper I've sent you yesterday night," I started to say with a calm tone, allowing a tiny smile at the quick nod from the teacher.

"I received everything and… I suppose you wish for the desk for this predicament."

I nodded, quietly thanking for the simple courtesy as I took my seat there and placed the stack of paper I had been holding on the desk.

The class was silent, with the young students recognizing me and quickly wondering why I was here.

"Good morning, I hope you all had a pleasant night of sleep," I commenced with a polite tone. "While I can see some of you already know who I am, I wish to introduce myself. I'm Hoitsu Sakakibara and I have the role of Treasurer within the Student Council."

I could see the few individuals that were confused by my identity nod in understanding and I sighed.

"But today I'm here to represent the Student Council's authority regarding a problematic situation that has arrived with haste and concern," I resumed with the same calm note, ignoring the surprised and tense looks I was receiving. "Kuoh Academy prides itself for being a school that focuses on developing the next generation's potential beyond what other schools allow. The school focuses on creating upstanding members of society… and severely discourages any troublemakers that disrupt this very effort."

I turned to the teacher, and Umon-sensei to speak his mind over the matter. The man looked embarrassed by the situation, and he partly should be so considering that this class harbors bullies.

"As of today, there has been a serious investigation over the case of bullying, and it was confirmed that there is foundation behind such a claim," The teacher added with a restrained voice, with just a hint or two of his irritation dripping in his words. "Right now, I find myself appalled by this discovery, and I hope you all understand that this isn't something that Kuoh Academy will let go."

Nodding at his unnerved look as he really didn't seem ready to keep his temper in check about the matter, I decided to continue myself.

The class as a whole looked like it had just received an unexpected jab to the chin. Well, most of the students at least, as I could see a couple giving the sourest expression possible.

I recognized them, but I didn't bring this detail up as I knew that going overboard wasn't going to favor me. Especially when I had a perfect resolution in my hands.

"Now, I see that you're all feeling shocked. This news is perhaps not something you were expecting, but I hope you all understand that some punishment has been prepared to be handled to the perpetrators of this disappointing act," I took a brief instant to allow this to sink in. "And yes, there are multiple individuals implied with this scandalous ordeal. Each with their respective amount of faults to their individual."

There was some chattering, and Umon-sensei looked ready to intervene to bring quiet back to the classroom, but I gestured to him to hold back. He looked confused at my silent request, but he begrudgingly allowed me to go through my plan.

"Now, before we start handing out punishment, I understand students here have questions, and I will try to answer some. Of course, I wish that those that have questions to ask to lift their hands up."

Several hands roused and I nodded, gesturing one of the students in the first line of desks to speak.

The young boy with dark blue hair and yellow eyes stood up with a perplexed look plastered on his face.

"Sakakibara-senpai, if it's possible for you to say without any issues related to the case, can you tell us why are you waiting instead of bringing up these bullies?"

A valid question, I smiled at the nervous boy and he seemed to appreciate the sliver of kindness I gave him through that.

"Well, the situation is that while bullying is the main case that has been brought up, there are other concerning acts that have been brought up, and we're waiting for some people to bring here the rest of the evidence to prove the guiltiness of these students."

The young man nodded, and soon I saw Koneko's hand lifting up the fastest possible and I pointed at her and nodded.

Standing up, the silver-haired nekoshou looked more confused than else.

"Sakakibara-senpai, I don't wish to sound disrespectful but… why were you chosen as the representative from the Council?"

Was she suspecting me of doing something to warrant this predicament? The old Koneko would've done that, but the one that was there looking at me after what happened the day before?

I merely nodded at her, giving a smile for the good query.

"The individual that brought up this circumstance decided to approach me and, with Sona-taichou's permission, I saw it fit to head the investigation myself."

The cat-girl accepted the response with a curt nod, and then proceeded to sit back down.

Before anyone else had the chance to ask for more about the case, I heard a particularly loud knock coming from the door.

Turning at the origin of the noise, I gave a brief nod at the teacher. The man stood up from his seat, walking up at the door and opening it to reveal who was on the other side.

There was a group of people waiting outside, each couple holding a plastic bag containing various objects. Some were fuller than others, but the condemning proof was still the same.

"Please enter, we were waiting for you."

The comment was met with a distracted if not dejected set of responses from the adults, and as soon the group entered inside the classroom, I could see two particular sets of individuals suddenly taking notice of them.

The first set was made by those that recognized the content of the bags which was mostly theirs to begin with.

The latter group was terrified by the dreadful development as they recognized the newcomers as their parents.

"I wish for Azusa Itoh, Kyouka Tamon, and Reira Takamitsu to stand up."

The three girls were way paler than when they were first hinted by bringing up the presence of bullies in the classroom. This wasn't what they had expected for things to go, and I could tell that they were restraining from squirming at the furious stares now aimed at them.

"Your parents have brought with themselves something I had found out about during the investigation," I resumed with a slightly more serious tone. "Something that was ruled out as a strange case of missing objects in the last year, and that now has been revealed to be blatant thievery."

I could still remember when I first suspected about the matter, and decided to contact their parents individually about the 'simple request' of checking their children's room for any of the objects mentioned in the long list of missing stuff that the Academy has been keeping track of for several months now.

"I-It's not mine- I was told to-" Kyouka tried to rebuke, but her mother looked ready to pounce at her if she lied about this matter. It was clear to everyone that the bullies weren't going to receive any support from their parents, not with the striking proof of their misdeeds having been found by them.

"I wish to make this as clear as possible. The current situation is unacceptable, but Kuoh Academy will not make a public trial out of this issue as an appointment with the headmaster has been issued and the invited guests are the three girls and their parents," I continued with a stern tone. "But I also wish for you all to understand that this behavior is not condoned and it will be punished with adequate severity and strictness."

Expulsion was the only possible way out. A suspension for the trio wasn't just going to be enough to satisfy the horrible loss of reputation the Academy would get if the punishment was too lenient.

They were caught bullying, and the stealing has been going for a full year now. That wasn't just going to pass without some proper retribution.

With the ball now left to the Headmaster to handle the best way possible, the students and their parents were quick to vacate the classroom and walk to the headmaster's office. I lingered the classroom just a little longer, providing Umon-sensei some assistance to bring up a proper lesson considering the state of mind his students and himself were.

All in all, it was a fun lesson of history that got a couple of chuckles from the students as I added some fun facts about the Muromachi Era.

Ravel looked positively better compared to her initial nervous self earlier that morning. After providing as much help to the history teacher, I decided to vacate the classroom myself as I had other affairs to divert my attention to.

When I asked Sona for the two hours permission, I wasn't just planning to make use of it for this bullying issue.

I made a little promise that I had to keep now since a certain kohai had pressed for my presence.

Without wasting further time, I started to make my way to the Theater Club, bracing myself for what was going to be a curious and somewhat amusing hour together with Asia and Ingvild.

"Asia, are you sure that this is actually fine?"

The blonde giggled, a mix of genuine amusement and blatant mischievousness playing at the tune of her voice.

"It's not that bad, senpai," The girl assured, trying her best to not let out too much about her visible entertainment at the clothes I was currently wearing.

The club was trying to get Hamlet running once again for the second time in the last five years. The spectacle the first time around had been an absolute win for the school, but now there was pressure from people in the school board who wanted the Shakespearean act brought up once again.

And while the impressive guy that managed to get Hamlet's role well enough to get a massive success out of it, the young man had long graduated from Kuoh and… there wasn't much quality among the candidates of the casting.

The question of having me try the part had been proposed by Ingvild. Then Asia decided to add more weight to the request by admitting that the club lacked anyone genuinely able to get the scenes of Hamlet with the right pitch of emotions.

To be fair, I wasn't much of an actor. I might have done some spectacles back in my previous life and when I was much younger, but… now I wasn't sure if I would've been able to do that part without issue.

The bar was pretty high, and I knew that both girls were being legitimately invested for me to be the correct choice for the role.

Still, I was confused as to why I was given the clothes for the scene when I was just there for the casting.

Asking about this to the club leader currently present only ended up gaining a lengthy and eccentric explanation of how actors were meant to be 'already prepared to show their genuineness from the very beginning'.

As I prepared for the casting, I noticed that there were a couple of other students wearing the same set of clothes I was donning, and I felt my embarrassment at the situation dwindle a little bit-

"It's- shnrk – It's alright."

And then Asia's amusement brought my morale down once again.

It's not that bad. The real version of these clothes were itchy, they tended to stink easily and… those were tight. Like really tight.

You sound like you've tried those but… didn't you say that you died before Jesus' birth?

Well, while I was dead I certainly had the chance to get 'hold' of some of these clothes through obscure means. And before you ask, by 'obscure' I mean that I really don't remember how I got myself tangled in that maddening clothing.

At least I had Lucifer to keep me company as I repeated to myself the lines I had to say. I was glad that the judges weren't asking for the 'To be or not to be' soliloquy. I wasn't really planning to memorize the piece if I could easily be rejected at this early stage.

The text I had to study was something from the first act and… I was already feeling nervous over some of the lines. English wasn't a problem but… I wasn't theater material as I was right now.

Seriously, why did I agree to this? Why didn't I just pick more paperwork and ignored this circumstance altogether?

The nervousness just increased when the first four candidates went and were quickly rebuffed with them tripping with some of the early verses.

You're ready. Stop being a coward.

It's not that easy, I just… I should've said no.

To a pair of girls that respect and care for you? Fat chance, especially with the kind of person you truly are.

C-Can you not be right for once?

And ruin my all-knowing reputation? Eat dirt, kid.

With this short 'pep talk' coming to an end, I noticed the judges asking for the next candidate and… I stepped forward, with Asia softly pushing me forward before allowing me to walk up to the center of the podium.

"Sakakibara-san, I hope you understand that your presence here is through recommendation. Asia-san has mentioned that you have some knowledge of the material, but we wish to ask you if you feel ready for the task."

I gave a quick nod. "I feel… ready. Yes."

They all nodded and gestured to me to check the script that has been left on the ground. Crouching down I picked the paper up and glanced at the page, giving a nod as they looked ready to listen up at my performance.

I knew the part as it was the second soliloquy of the story. And I needed to be distraught, shocked and mostly saddened.

"O all you host of heaven! O earth! What else?" I started to say, building up my voice to fit with the character of Hamlet in this very instance.

He had just received news from the ghost of his father about his uncle's betrayal, the plot to take over the crown and the possibility that his mother knew all along.

The absurdity of the discovery, the obscenity of the reality as it was, and the agonizing feeling that the truth brought up to Hamlet's mind some of the most unpleasant thoughts to have concerning morality itself.

Faithfulness to the role was a must, and so I went on and on to repeat the scene with how it was written. It was all in Shakespearean English, and thus I had to keep an eye for how the words were prepared within the sentences, and the way the sentences themselves were constructed within the scene.

An eternity passed, and I felt a wave of dread building up at the lack of a pause at my words. The uneasiness added to my acting, intensifying the struggle displayed within the words and unconsciously bringing out a hint of authenticity to the part.

Finally, I came to its conclusion and… I felt drained.

"It is 'Adieu, adieu. Remember me.' I have sworn 't."

The room had gone completely silent, with many pausing to stare at me and I felt an unpleasant sensation that I had messed up big time.

…

"My God," The central judge commented with a surprised tone. "This… Sakakibara-san, Asia said that you have never done acting before now."

I frowned. "And she said the truth."

"That can't be true, Sakakibara-san," The judge on the left rebuked, standing up from her chair. "You have to have practiced theater before now. There is no way you're capable of reading that segment so fluidly and-"

"I did read the segment before today, but I didn't act until today," I interjected firmly. "And I wish to know if this is wrong or-"

"Wrong?" The third judge interrupted himself. "Sakakibara-san, that was perhaps one of the best performances we got about the role. Maybe the best- the way you handled the pacing, the emotive side and… the good grasp of speaking in English is sublime!"

I nodded. "Thank you."

"Which is why we think you will do a fine Hamlet and we want you for this production."

Blinking at the offer, I gave a slow nod at it. I had already gone through the possibility of being picked, and I did promise both Asia and Ingvild that I would've done it if I was chosen so… there wasn't much to say other than-

"I will humbly accept your proposal."

The rest of the room resumed with all activity shortly after, with me returning to the backstage and finding that someone familiar had decided to visit and was now busy speaking with Ingvild while Asia quipped from time to time.

"Ruval-san," I greeted with a nod. "I wasn't expecting you to visit."

The Phenex heir smiled and nodded at the cordial greeting. "Sir Hoitsu, I will be honest and say that neither was I. The occurrence was mostly forwarded by my father as to be here for a simple meeting between him and Lord Gremory."

And that explained why Akeno wasn't at the entrance earlier this morning and why I felt like something big was happening today.

"I assume it was a diplomatic reunion to confirm the recent developments."

Much to my relief, the blond nodded happily. "Father wished to check on the Academy himself, and he saw this also as an opportunity to see if breaking the marriage contract was the best of decisions."

I can still remember when Rivel was still a child. It was a long time ago and yet… I really missed those times.

Was this after you were thrown out of Heaven?

Yes. The 72 Clans were created with the purpose of molding generations of soldiers against Heaven… but I guess Lilith did win her amusing war against me in giving them more emotion and personality rather than mere thugs. Rivel was a peaceful, but stern child.

"And what did he think of it?"

"He was fascinated by the way this school unites Western cultures within the Japanese sense of discipline and duty. I think he was planning to speak with Ravel once she was done with her classes," Ruval explained with a nod. "He was also… pleased with the way both Lady Rias and Raiser felt about the closure of the contract, with my brother being just a little bit too- how do I say this without sounding too strong about it? Materialistic?"

Ouch, I guess the guy really wasn't in a good mood if he slipped that bad in front of his own father. It had to have been an awkward visit for sure.

"Still, I wish to congratulate you for your recent success," Ruval resumed with a brighter note. "Hamlet is perhaps one of my favorites productions made by William Shakespeare, and I can tell that you yourself are a fan of the playwright from the way you performed Scene 5 of Act 1 so flawlessly."

"I'm flattered by your compliments, Ruval-san."

"I'm only saying the truth as I understand that honesty is something you seek from friends, Sir Hoitsu."

"It was an amazing performance, senpai," Asia added with a mirthful voice. "Ingvild and I were right to believe in you."

The plum-haired Devil smiled and nodded at the fellow girl's comment. "It was a touching scene."

Ingvild was wearing a gorgeous white dress with blue sleeves and details. I could only guess that she was aiming for the role of Ophelia in the story and… there wasn't much positive to say about the characters.

Albeit famous, Hamlet didn't have much of a take in romance. Ophelia was in love with Hamlet, but Hamlet was too involved with his personal struggle of whenever or not to accept the duty of enacting revenge against his uncle.

Maybe it would've gone 'better' for her if it had been a lighter production, but Hamlet still was a tragedy.

"Alas, I would like to inquire if… there had been any problem with Ravel," The Phenex Heir inquired quietly. "I assume things have been fine for her first day. Am I right?"

I restrained a flinch. "Mostly. There was a slight issue that was solved just recently. Nothing to worry about."

…

Ruval blinked, sporting an intrigued and partly worried look. "How much of an issue are we talking about?"

"The kind of issue that was dealt with accordingly considering the rules of the Academy. Ravel was… targeted with some insults by some classmates. These very classmates were also implicated in thievery, and as such they were reprimanded and properly expelled from Kuoh Academy."

He stared me for a long time, and I could tell that this stern reaction came from his brotherly worry.

"That sounds incredibly… swift."

"She told me about the matter when she was done with her classes the first day. I started to investigate the matter on my own and discovered the full extent of the matter," I assured him with a nod. "I will forward some proposals to deal with the possibility of both bullying and thievery from ever happening. It will be tough considering that some measures I can't adopt are restrictive of personal freedom."

"And that wouldn't do with someone that is as just and fair as you're Sir Hoitsu."

Ingvild smiled and nodded in agreement at the praise. "Hoitsu-kun is quite the kind and good person."

Asia nodded too, but didn't speak anything about it. Maybe she had taken notice of the fact I wasn't handling the compliments well.

This storm of praises wasn't just helping with the post-audition's uneasiness and the fact I had to thread with Ruval's brotherly concerns was enough to leave me in an awkward position for a little while.

The conversation continued a little longer, with the four of us eventually having to part for our respective ways.

I took notice of the fact that both Rias and Akeno were skipping the rest of the classes, leaving me thinking that the redhead's father would have invited the Phenex family for a visit at their manor to cement their friendship.

And while the rest of the school way went on as normally as it should go, I was surprised when Koneko asked to be helped about an upcoming math test. The request wasn't much of a surprise and I did offer her some assistance if she ever needed it, but I hadn't expected for her to come back at the house so quickly after what happened the night before.

But that paled at the fact that there was definitely something 'more' about her attachment to me, and I could tell from the way she kept close to me as Kunou was. Well, a little less considering that the young kitsune wasn't shy from claiming hugs and to hold my arm whenever we were talking.

To the silver-haired Nekoshou, that kind of interaction was a tiny step too far… but still, she seemed rather at ease around us and she didn't seem as tense as she used to be a while ago.

Was this progress? I couldn't exactly tell and… maybe it was about time I stopped jinxing myself.

With that thought burned in my brain, I decided to make plans to avoid any serious issues before Azazel's visit. I didn't need to face any emergencies, and I wasn't planning to make any mistakes with the current state of things.

But while I was set with this mindset, I was stupidly forgetting that Murphy was a thing.

And just as the trio silently retreated away for a simple afternoon filled with homework, a quiet observer smiled mischievously at the interesting discovery she just made out of pure luck.

She smiled, her tails twirling in delight as she prepared a plan.

"To think I would find ya like this. What are the odds~?" The observer whispered giddily.

AN

Goddammit, she's back! But why?

…

Next chapter!

Also, 1069 follows? Ultra Noice!

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REVIEW Q&A!

Wacko12: Maybe. And I'm not sure if I will pair Kunou with anyone in this run. The more I looked at it, the more I think there wouldn't be much chemistry with any possible candidates.

Midoriya: And that's only looking at that branch of the family. One can wonder what Luci's other kids are going to think about their pops' survival.

Darkmaster100000000: If she is going to mess things up, then not anytime soon.

Isaac LB: That's a close assumption, but wrong because there are a couple of elements that I've yet to bring up. The revelation might be a bit bigger than that. And way deadlier considering the true reason behind Lucifer's presence.

Billy Reb: Dunno. People seems to think I have a hate-bone against Rias, but maybe I should put her in the Harem just to see some reaction. It could be done… it's just that it sounded so sudden right now. Maybe later?

Momentei: There are a few more Chibis considering the Xover factor. Who knows who is going to join up next… and when? (But worry not, it will all be fluffy).

Minotaurgames: A cookie to you, good sir. But shhhh, let people ignore this detail.

Ant0nius: I reckon the guy is as guilty as the Emiya boy, but maybe even more considering his conditions.

HeWhoShouldntBeNamed: She kind of dropped the whole spying thing after a while by Rias' order, but she did start to trust Hoitsu to be a simple guy and… that perception was subverted incredibly quickly. Then again, trust issues after traumatic experience with Kuroka.