This chapter is basically the full Whimsy-course of fluff, smut and trauma.
We're in for a ride.
Naturally, Rias and Akeno hadn't entertained for a second the idea that Yuuji was somehow behind the disappearance of Seekvaira Agares.
If the assumed time of disappearance was correct, then Rias was more than willing to testify under a magically binding oath that her Pawn had been in… with her on the night Seekvaira vanished.
The ones who had 'framed' Yuuji hadn't done even a mildly convincing job of doing so. It was pointless and nonsensical, nothing more than shoddy and macabre theatrics.
… And that was what had Rias so worried. Not just herself, but Akeno, Azazel, Okaa-sama, and Grayfia, whom Okaa-sama had given authority to aid on behalf of the Gremory household, were all of one mind.
Because, if the evidence was meant to implicate Yuuji in the kidnapping of Seekvaira and her peerage, it was a useless attempt.
But, if the purpose was to force Yuuji's involvement in the process, to both draw attention to Yuuji himself, and forcibly draw Yuuji's own attention to the matter, then it had succeeded, flawlessly.
But to what end?
Yuuji had plenty of connections to the dark side of the world, but it was the mundane dark side of the world (as far as she knew).
Who could be trying to lure him in specifically?
Rias had no answers.
Being worried sick about Seekvaira certainly wasn't helping things- Vaira had always been the most aloof of the young heirs by far, but Rias still considered her a friend even if they hadn't seen much of each other in the past few years.
Her own feelings aside, she felt that she neither could nor should conceal anything of what was happening from Yuuji, and frankly, he was better equipped to come up with answers than she was to begin with.
"... Oh good, you're here. Close the door, and take a seat."
She must have given it away in her expression, or perhaps Akeno had (though she was smiling like usual), but whatever the reason, Yuuji's expression gained that subtle, hard edge almost immediately.
"Maybe I have a stalker?"
Rias' head hit the desk.
Ignoring Akeno's giggles (beyond being pleased to note that her Queen had also relaxed, somewhat), Rias lifted her head to level a subtle glare Yuuji's way, demanding in silence that the explanation at least be good.
Yuuji gave a careless shrug, his blank expression revealing nothing as he looked at the picture evidence.
"It sounds silly, but if I don't have a logical answer, then isn't it time to start thinking nonsense?" The only person he was aware of who had ever called him Nii-san was Gasper, but Gasper had been distinctly non-psychopathic about it, so he probably didn't need a place on the suspect list.
"It must be your tone of voice that makes that sound somewhat reasonable," Rias sighed, not sure what else she had been expecting.
"You're right in that someone's probably calling me out," Yuuji admitted, noting the pair of winces as a sign they'd already thought as much, "but as for who it could be, your guess is as good as mine."
"I expected as much," Rias nodded, returning to her seat and fixing her posture. "As a calling card, it's pointlessly vague, like you're being harassed by a B-movie slasher."
"Maybe if we watch until the credits we can find out who the cameraman is."
"If only it was that simple," Rias allowed herself a small smile as Akeno giggled, the timbre lighter than the last.
"Ufufu~ well, if we have no immediate leads, I suppose I'll brew a fresh pot of tea, help us relax a little, hm?" Akeno said, flashing Yuuji a wink as she gracefully made her way from her usual spot beside Rias' desk, and to the conjoined side room.
"Couldn't she just warm the tea that's already in our cups?" Yuuji asked quietly.
"She could, I could, you could, but Akeno is very particular in regards to her tea," Rias said. "In a similar situation, I carelessly warmed my tea up with a hint of magic, once."
"Once." Yuuji repeated, and then watched Rias shiver at the memory.
"... She gave me the silent treatment for days," Rias admitted with another shiver, "and it didn't interfere with her duties as Queen in the least."
Tea and Akeno were a delicate subject.
"I'm debating over how much to tell the others," Rias said over a fresh cup of tea. "I don't think keeping them in the dark is fair, nor particularly productive, so I'm thinking I'll leave showing the photograph out, but tell everything. Is that alright with you, Yuuji, given…?"
"I agree," Yuuji nodded without pause. "The photo really isn't that useful by itself, anyways."
"Especially for our younger kouhai, hearing it from us will be better," Akeno pointed out. "One way or another, they'll know something is amiss when they find out that the Rating Game has been canceled so suddenly."
"Mhm, let's not let anyone's imaginations get the best of them," her smile was a touch bitter as Rias made the suggestion, fully aware it was rich coming from her.
Rias might have been the most… outright affectionate about showing it, but cherishing her peerage certainly didn't make her unique among the heirs of the largest clans.
In comparison to herself and Seekvaira, it wasn't a matter of who would cave if their peerage was used as leverage, it was a matter of who would cave first.
Which meant that… whatever the kidnappers wanted from Seekvaira, they were probably going to get.
In the absence of anything useful she could offer, Rias could only hope in her heart that Seekvaira and her peerage would survive the kidnapper's goals.
It wasn't that her peerage took the news better than expected, really.
It's just that Rias was fully aware that she would be impressed even if they took the news even a little well. Not for the first time, Rias marveled to herself how her role as a King was helping her grow into both a better and more hopeless person.
It should have been a contradiction, but… the most powerful and influential Devils were also the most eccentric, so it might actually be that Rias was growing more into the kind of normal she was supposed to be.
… Concerning.
Freeing herself from the creep of existential dread, Rias let her eyes sweep the room.
Consistent levels of cuteness from her self-made family, both peerage and extended, and varying, but manageable levels of concern.
Some were more focused on considering possible implications than others, but…
Oh? Her Knight knew something, didn't he?
A tiny spark of red and black crept over the floor, subtly catching his eye without making a scene.
Yuuto blinked, his pensive frown lightening somewhat as he lifted his head to meet her eyes.
Rias raised an eyebrow slightly, and Yuuto returned a faint nod and mouthed the word 'later'.
It was just Rias, Yuuji and Kiba, this time- Akeno had excused herself to tackle their administrative duties for the day.
"You said there were physical traces that seemed close to Yuuji-kun at the scene, correct, Buchou?"
"I did, did something come to mind from that?"
"I'm not sure if it means anything, but… did any of those 'traces' take the form of white hair?"
Rias blinked.
"Yes actually, how did you know?"
Kiba winced.
"To be honest, I never said anything because I had doubted my own eyes," he admitted with a grimace, "but, remember that masked man from the battle against Kokabiel?"
"Somewhat, and I'm aware he had white hair, but how does that connect to this?" As far as she could recall, no one had seen his-
"I saw what was under his mask, only briefly when he left," Kiba said, glancing at Yuuji. "His face looked so similar to yours that I thought I was seeing things."
"Mine, huh?" Yuuji tilted his head, frowning ever so slightly.
"I don't suppose you could have a close cousin or sibling you don't know personally?"
"Can't rule it out, but the possibility seems low." Yuuji told him. "If I do that might explain why they want me involved, not that their reasons matter."
"... I'd think their reasons would matter to you at least a little," Rias ventured, bothered by the statement in a way she couldn't quite place.
"Rias, I don't know Seekvaira or her peerage, so it's hard to say I care all that much about them." Yuuji said as he looked straight at her. "But you care quite a bit, don't you?"
"O-of course I do," Rias replied immediately, rubbing her arms. "Vaira is my friend, how could I not be worried?"
"And that's enough for me." Yuuji said clearly. "Long lost family, evil clone, convincing copycat, it doesn't matter."
As she often did, Rias wondered why she could draw such comfort from those merciless dark eyes.
"I don't care at all," Yuuji stated coldly. "But I'll make sure they're never going to do it again."
It wouldn't be until much later that Rias learned exactly what that promise would cost.
It had been just over a week since the Rating Game between Rias Gremory and Seekvaira Agares had been canceled.
Officially the reason hadn't been fully revealed, but even the Council's gag order could only delay the inevitable for so long.
The whole dormitory had been… restless ever since, and Rias, Akeno, and surprisingly Yuuji were the most affected.
Akeno was simple, in the sense that she was mostly worried about how the other two were acting.
The kidnappers had splendidly succeeded in rousing Yuuji's ire, but that ire had nowhere to go, and his attempts to keep it reined in had seemingly resulted in a bit too much of himself being reined in.
Rias was much the same in that she had a strong desire to act but no leads to act upon, and her meeting with the Lord and Lady Agares hadn't helped at all.
She had gone to the meeting, heart heavy but determined, fully expecting to have to defend Yuuji from them, contrary to her own hopes.
Only to find her resolve wasted- the moment the Agares had discovered that the Devil implicated was the Pawn of Rias Gremory, they'd dismissed any evidence against said Pawn, without hesitancy. Their opinion of the matter was that it was potentially a crude and petty attempt to drum up tension between the Gremory and the Agares.
They simply didn't believe at all that Rias or her peerage could have played a willing part in their daughter's disappearance. It made it all the harder for Rias to admit to them that she had no idea why the kidnappers saw fit to involve Yuuji at all.
It was a blind spot of hers that Rias didn't know her reputation as well as she thought she did, or how much her word was really worth.
So, she supposed it was the vagueness of it all that had them all so worked up- no concrete actions they could take to rectify the situation.
At the rate things were going, they'd exhaust themselves long before opportunity knocked.
Someone was going to have to distract them, and that someone may as well be her.
Wearing a mysterious little smile upon her lips, Grayfia Lucifuge decided that, in the morning, she was going to have to take steps.
Rias and Akeno woke at about the same time, and at about the same slow speed.
Blinking beautiful eyes, they pulled the sheets up to cover their naked bodies as they sat upright, leaning against the muscly shoulders of their boyfriend, who was already sitting up between them.
As her vision came into focus, Rias naturally felt her gaze drawn to the source of the delightful scent that had woken them both- the heavily laden breakfast tray in Grayfia's hands.
"Breakfast in bed?" She murmured, "seems we're starting our day off spoiled."
Grayfia smiled a little at that, but Akeno had different things on her mind-
"Ara ara, I wonder if there's a maid included with our meal?"
"Dessert comes after the meal," Grayfia fired back without missing a beat.
Suddenly, the two girls were very much awake, and wondering if the bedroom wasn't a little too warm for how early it was.
But Yuuji had noticed what they had yet to, so when his eyes met Grayfia's, the two shared a smirk.
The big tray Grayfia had brought with her had turned out to be a small metal table, silvery table legs sprouting with a brief murmur on her part.
Having brought a smaller tray containing her own meal, she had taken the desk chair and joined the trio, indulging in the quiet company and the appreciative noises her culinary skills gave prompt too.
The mood was good, as the meal finished.
It was a shame to put a damper on that, brief though that damper would be.
As she shunted the table into a small storage space (the best kind for a maid, it would prevent anything from getting caked onto the dirty dishes), Grayfia subtly appraised the trio.
It seemed their rest had been… better, but not enough. It would only be a matter of time before the stresses and the worries resurfaced.
"The lack of a clear course is troubling you quite a bit, isn't it?" Grayfia said calmly, not really addressing anyone specific.
The two girls flinched, ever so slightly, while Yuuji's gaze sharpened as he went still.
"What do you mean, Grayfia?" Rias asked slowly, sharing a look with Akeno.
"I'm referring to Miss Agares, of course," the flinches were more pronounced that time. "More specifically, the kidnapping of herself, and her peerage, and how little there is to be done about correcting the situation, at present."
"Ah…" Rias tried to speak, and faltered, so Grayfia continued on.
"You have dealt with… much more than any your age should need to, over the course of this year." Grayfia's voice was soft, but had a heaviness to it. "Yet it's different this time, have you not noticed?"
Curious eyes gazed back at her, though she noticed that one in particular seemed to understand a little more.
"In every case you've been involved with, there has been at least something you could do- training for a Rating Game, investigating the movements of Fallen Angels and Strays within your territories- seeking clues and preparing for battle." Grayfia listed off, briefly. "But this time, there are no leads, no clues that tell any useful tales, and, even though intensifying your training may have been a prudent choice, there is no telling if an opportunity to use that training may even occur. Perhaps the 'confrontation' this time will be a negotiation, or merely a retrieval after the kidnappers flee, with no blows struck and no battles fought."
Grayfia met each of their eyes in turn.
"Thus, you are all left in a tense situation without the slightest idea as to how to make yourselves useful, correct?"
She felt a little pang of guilt when even Yuuji flinched that time, minute though the motion was, but Grayfia kept her expression carefully neutral.
"A King with nowhere to lead," Rias cringed.
"A Soldier with no battle to fight," Yuuji grimaced.
"And a Queen caught unable to assist either," Akeno averted her gaze.
"... Where are you going with this, Grayfia?" Rias asked quietly, after many awkward seconds had passed.
"It is not my intention to merely harass you," Grayfia said, stern features softening with a sigh, "but that my words came as such a shock demonstrates the necessity of giving them voice, so that you might address them."
Ruby eyes gentle, it was with a much different demeanor that she captured each of their gazes in turn, once more.
"The waiting never gets any easier," she admitted, albeit reluctantly. "But it will drive you mad if you let it." The maid stated in no uncertain terms.
"However, naturally I would not be so banal as to offer some empty platitude such as 'don't let it bother you'," and privately, she was pleased to garner a hint of amusement from those words, "if only such simple words solved everything."
"So, what did you have in mind?" Akeno prompted with perfect timing and the beginnings of a grin.
"Perhaps a better question is why I brought along honey for a traditionally Japanese breakfast."
"... You're right, that is a better question."
"And the answer is to present myself as a distraction."
Akeno's eyes brightened, but her jaw dropped at what followed, and she wasn't the only one.
Grayfia snapped her fingers, and even if Yuuji noticed that her maid uniform was swapped instead of altered (different materials entirely), the transition was still so smooth that it looked like a good portion of her attire had simply melted off. The only thing that was neither changed nor exposed was her white headdress, and the composed expression she wore.
A navy blue skirt that had hung nearly to her ankles was now replaced by a flared blue skirt that barely teased the tops of her supple thighs, the white apron covering her skirt front and nothing more. Grayfia's pale and taut midriff bared itself entirely as the top half of her 'uniform' receded into a garment small enough that it was hard to say if it was a low-cut crop top, or a pushup bra with short puffy sleeves added. Regardless, its plunging neckline looked an inch or two away from being incapable of containing her plump, jiggly bust.
Naturally, Grayfia's impeccable sense of taste meant that her heels and garters remained in place, though the heels were an inch or two taller than usual.
Somehow, the fact that she made the scandalous outfit look just as proper as her previous attire made perfect sense to each of them.
Just as it made perfect sense to each of them when Grayfia quite formally lifted the silver decanter of honey off the dresser, and promptly drizzled its warm contents all down her front, paying special attention to her exposed cleavage as a matter of course.
"Oh my," the maid said casually, placing one hand to her cheek. "One of your maids has just caused a dreadful mess, and I do believe you're going to have to punish her for it."
"... Isn't honey hard to get out of carpet?" Yuuji asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Not if you put a fortress-class barrier between the honey and the carpet," Grayfia retorted instantly, though they could tell she was still imagining, and dreading, the scenario as Yuuji called to mind. "Also, the honey is enchanted to prevent it from staining."
… She was still going to clean the entire bedroom after this.
"Pfft-" It must have shown on her face, because Rias tried and failed to contain a laugh, which set off Akeno, who didn't try at all.
Even Yuuji gave a snort, and Grayfia felt herself relax somewhat at the proof that her admittedly outrageous ploy was showing results, not minding in the least that it was at her expense.
"Now, how long do I need to stand here sticky and half-naked before one of you does something about it?" Grayfia asked with remarkable poise, as if honey-covered seduction was part of the routine duties of a maid.
She could already feel 'that' taking effect, and it was taking no small amount of effort not to squirm.
Yuuji and Akeno shared a look and a smirk, and then their gazes zeroed in on one person in particular.
"... Why are you all looking at me?" Rias asked, her cheeks suddenly redder than before.
Grayfia caught her eye, and opened her arms in invitation.
Rias was feeling rather exposed on the edge of the bed, being naked in front of Grayfia.
Even though being naked in front of Grayfia wasn't all that strange for her, she'd just never been naked in front of Grayfia when it was going to lead to… that.
Grayfia's smile was gentle with understanding as she gently took the redhead's hands and pulled her to her feet.
"I understand this may seem sudden," Grayfia said softly, "but there is no need to feel pressured- all those present are those who love you deeply."
Her blush deepened as Rias dipped her head, but her shoulders loosened somewhat.
"But," Grayfia's smile took on a seductive edge, "I believe it will be easier for both of us, and more fun for me, if I take the initiative here."
Having every eye watch in appreciation was rather flattering, Grayfia could admit to herself, as she dipped a finger deeply into the pool of honey that had formed in her cleavage. A golden trail linked her bosom to her finger as she lifted a glob of honey to her lips, ruby eyes smoldering at Rias as she sucked on her white-gloved finger.
"Mm… that is rather delicious, I must say," Grayfia purred. "Have a taste for yourself, Ojou-sama."
Tenderly cupping Rias' cheeks between both hands, Grayfia turned the heiress' head so that they were face to face-
… And kissed Rias full on the lips.
A squeak of surprise melted into a moan, as Grayfia took advantage of parted lips to slip her tongue past them, the sweetness of the honey making the first kiss between them all the more special.
Hesitation vanishing rapidly as Grayfia's tongue sought hers, Rias embraced her, wrapping her arms around Grayfia's narrow waist and pulling her in close. Her bare bosom squishing against Grayfia's barely clothed one caused the warm honey to spill over, forming a combined pool where their cleavage joined.
Rias shivered as the warmth seemed to seep through her skin- the honey was more 'slimy' than 'sticky' in texture, clinging readily to naked flesh but with no indication that it would remain stuck when dried.
… And she may have imagined what kissing Grayfia may have been like, and, even had the honey not been involved, she had a clear sense that her daydreams would have fallen short of reality.
Akeno hadn't been the only one to have had a crush on Grayfia when she was younger; Rias had just forced herself to give up on the idea more firmly with the responsibilities of an heiress.
But, it didn't change in the least that the first person she had truly fallen in love with, was-
Currently smearing honey over her stomach and dipping very low, but never straying too low.
She didn't need to see his face to know that Yuuji was being playful, and the kiss ended when both her and Grayfia jolted and cried out in unison.
The hands teasing her body and the hands teasing Grayfia's body had worked in perfect sync, the lowest point of contact on anyone's body yet being made with a warm, gooey finger.
Yuuji gently pulled her back and away from Grayfia, whose misty-eyes cleared, and then widened as Akeno firmly pinned the maid's arms behind her back, wearing that relaxed and oh so sexy smile she knew all too well.
Grayfia could readily take the lead when the situation called for it, but the young lovers in her life had rather deftly exposed her hidden submissive side.
"Ara, Grayfia-chan, you didn't think we'd forgotten, did you~" Akeno crooned in her ear, flicking her tongue out at random to make the silver-haired beauty squirm. "We were asked to punish a naughty, naughty maid, and it would be a real shame if we neglected our duty, hmm~?"
Rias, embraced from behind by Yuuji, twisted around in his arms so that they could meet face-to-face. Akeno began to casually suck and nip on the side of Grayfia's neck, giggling softly as the maid's lush body writhed pleasantly against her.
"It really would, wouldn't it?" She smirked. "As the future heir to the house of Gremory, I suppose I'll have to take responsibility for disciplining our naughty servant. But as a King, there's no reason I should need to do all the work alone, don't you think?"
"A good King takes the lead, but a good King shouldn't have to fight alone, either." Yuuji piously declared, though his dark eyes danced with mischief. "Allow your humble servant to assist you."
In another display of suggestive harmony, Rias and Yuuji both turned their gaze Grayfia's way.
Grayfia couldn't see Akeno's eyes, given their position, but she could feel her smile, and was certain it was equally as hungry.
The silver-haired maid was struck with the distinct sensation of being cornered by predators, after taking steps to make herself more appetizing to them.
Let the records state that she regretted nothing.
… Her honey-smeared body devoured again and again, Grayfia was thoroughly savored by the horny, hungry trio.
Grayfia did very little work that day, yet arguably accomplished much.
With the three leaders of the group having lost that anxious 'edge', the atmosphere of the dormitory improved greatly.
It certainly didn't hurt that Grayfia was to be stationed on official guard duty until further notice, and both Uriel and Tiamat had taken up residency within Kuoh (along with Azazel, who had already been there for months of course).
Their choices in residency couldn't have been more different, though- while Grayfia already had her room in the dormitory, Uriel had enlisted Rias' aid in finding a studio loft with a nice balcony.
The church trio had been over the moon when the Seraph all too casually asked if they wanted to help him move in, though all of his furnishings were recently bought.
He'd later admitted that he'd had great fun doing mundane shopping for himself, even if he'd been scolded by the Church for doing something 'beneath his dignity' (he'd told Irina numerous times that 'beneath his dignity' was code for 'entertaining').
Tiamat, acting as humble as a Dragon could be, bought a high-rise condominium to serve as her 'lair'. Impressively, while she'd laid sole claim to the top floor, she'd managed to acquire complete ownership over the building without disturbing any of her mundane neighbors.
… Ruth later admitted that she'd set aside the entire floor below hers for his personal use, and that he had no idea what to do with it at all.
Something approaching 'normalcy' had been regained, even if the borders of Kuoh were under constant (stronger) surveillance by the forces of both Lucifer and Leviathan, and the members of the dorm didn't go anywhere alone.
The search for Seekvaira and her peerage was proceeding full bore, but there was no reason to involve them, as of yet.
Life went on, as they quietly readied for the storm to hit.
"... Are you sure he'll like it? It's kinda… I dunno… breezy around the legs?"
"He'll absolutely like it. You could show up in a paper bag and he'd be appreciative."
"That sounds uncomfortable. Unlike this sweater, which I'm pretty sure is made of clouds and dreams."
"It does look ideal for cuddling in."
"Right!?"
"Which is a good lead-in to the kind of cuddling that doesn't involve clothes."
"Right!"
"..."
"... M-maybe? W-w-well of course I wouldn't mind, but, y'know… y'know, right?"
"Oh Maou you're cute."
The conversation naturally ended there, as Rias had glomped the red-faced Musashi, and there was too much cleavage muffling any potential responses.
… Rias was helping her get ready for her date with Kiba.
More or less.
Speaking of red, that was the central color of Musashi's outfit- a thick red off-the shoulder sweater that let her black bra straps peek out, the red of the sweater matching her favorite leaf pattern earrings. The sweater hugged her curves to great effect, while being just barely long enough to function as a short dress.
Clinging to her long legs were thigh-high socks in a red and gray tartan-pattern, planned to be paired with sturdy, but stylish ankle boots, high-heeled and made of dark brown leather.
In a bizarre trend for her that had been cropping up more and more recently, there was nowhere on her outfit for her to belt on a sword- in fact she wasn't even wearing a belt.
Well, she'd more or less decided that she didn't mind seeming strange if it was a kind of strange that Yuuto thought was cute. Yuuto was basically the best thing that had ever happened to both Musashi as a swordswoman, and Musashi as a girl, so of course she wanted to make him happy.
When she put it that way, it made perfect sense why she was nervous, she was worried about screwing up something she couldn't run away from.
In other words…
"Oh, I just wanna be the best thing that ever happened to him, huh?"
There was a moment of silence as Musashi idly noted she'd spoken out loud, and steel blue eyes took note in slow motion that Rias was staring at her with eyes a bit wide, breathing a bit shallow, and hands a bit twitchy.
… It took a lot longer to get free when Rias glomped her the second time.
"I can't figure it out all you know!?" Musashi was complaining in adorable fashion.
Kiba thought she did a lot of things adorably, but he was pretty sure it wasn't just his bias talking, this time.
"I mean, her movements aren't bad or anything, but she's not that fast and she has so many tells!" The swordswoman insisted. "It's not like Yuuji-kun, where half the time you can't figure out his plan of attack even in hindsight! So how come no matter what, I can't dodge Ria-tan when she gets huggy!?"
"It's a true mystery," Kiba agreed with a slight smile. "I'm faster than you and I know Rias better, but she still glomps me whenever she feels like it. Akeno too, for that matter."
Those two weren't actually the only ones, but the others lived back at the Gremory Manor. Raynare was huggy but not quite in a 'glompy' way.
So he'd long since written off 'the glomp' as mysterious Devil magic.
But it was fun to listen to Musashi fret over a 'technique' she couldn't react to, even if that 'technique' was about as opposite from combat as it could get.
"Y'know, I kinda wondered if I was supposed to be bothered by pretty girls that weren't me shoving your face in their boobs," Musashi said, twirling around up ahead to face him while walking backwards, "but I figured out pretty fast that there's like zero competition there, and that yeah, they really are that touchy when they're showing affection."
"In other words," Kiba said, skirting around the puddle his girlfriend had hopped over backwards without looking, "they did it to you often enough that you got desensitized?"
"You really get it, huh?"
They'd actually had a different plan for their date, but Musashi generally preferred outdoors to indoors, and it had been a nice day, so they'd casually derailed their plans in favor of wandering a park she hadn't been in yet.
It was one of those parks that was just about as wild as any place inside of a city could be, which appealed to his free-spirited girlfriend quite a bit.
The reason he called it 'wandering' instead of 'walking' was that they changed directions at her whims, and Musashi would twirl, skip, balance across rails, and hop puddles as much as she would 'walk' anywhere.
Neither of them really liked complicated plans, so it was honestly a lot of fun.
"Ooh! Yuuto, Yuuto, hop on that railing!"
Curious and amused, Kiba did just that.
"Now… brace!"
Kiba also did just that, and suddenly…
"Woo, I'm so high up!" It was hard to say which would impress on-lookers more- Kiba, who was balancing on the railing with someone standing on his shoulders, or Musashi, the woman standing on his shoulders, her ankles held for extra stability.
"Ehehe~" Musashi laughed, spreading her arms out to her sides. "Onward, Yuuto!" She pointed forward with one hand.
"Don't wiggle too much, you'll fall off." Being a Devil had its perks, since doing this was only mildly challenging for him-
"But you'll catch me, wooon't you~?" Musashi grinned down at him.
"Y-yeah, of course I will." Well, she'd been hoping he'd be looking back up at her, but…
Rather, she'd felt his shoulders shake a little when he'd coughed kinda loudly, and…
… Wait… hold on a second…
Musashi remembered belatedly that she was wearing her sweater like a dress.
Which meant that underneath her sweater, she was just wearing… lace, mostly.
"... You saw, didn't you?" Musashi murmured very quietly, feeling her face burn in the cold air.
"... Sorry."
"W-well since you've seen once, might as well get a better look the second time, right? Ahaha?"
Kiba fell off the railing, but true to his word, still somehow managed to catch Musashi safely.
Miyamoto Musashi liked a good fight, she'd be the first to admit.
But still… how'd they end up like this?
"Oh wait, this was my idea." Musashi said, as Yuuto ducked one bokken and parried the other with his own.
She'd planned to drag Yuuto off in the bushes and do… things with him, but then she'd panicked a little and the next thing she knew they were having a match.
It was fine… it was fine right!?
Ahhh, she didn't know!
But how was this supposed to lead into… 'that'?
Oh, wait, she could just beat Yuuto and ask for a 'reward'!
Mind made up, Musashi got herself worked up… which meant her plan backfired-
"... Looks like it's my win," Yuuto smirked, his smile inches from her face.
"Mm… yeah, I guess you did…"
… Backfired, while succeeding perfectly.
"Now, what's this about a prize for winning?"
"... Did I say that out loud?"
"Spent the whole fight mumbling, but it was pretty cute so I couldn't bring myself to interrupt." Yuuto nodded.
"Then yes!" Musashi blurted out. "Yes, there's definitely a prize for winning, and it's… it's…!"
Yuuto raised one eyebrow.
Musashi leaned up to kiss him on the lips, and then promptly averted her gaze as she laid back down.
"A-and it starts with… that." She managed, cheeks pinking.
Yuuto, caught off guard, flushed to match.
Somehow, sharing the embarrassment helped her get it under control.
Gently, she pushed on Yuuto's chest to get him to rise, smiling happily when he naturally offered his hand to pull her upright, and straight into his arms.
"But the rest of your 'prize' isn't here, so umm…" Musashi's mind raced as a plan formed in her head. "F-follow me?"
Musashi had led him into a small copse of trees, concealing a clearing that was a bit smaller than his bedroom.
Then she'd told him to turn around and stay put while she put a thick tree between herself and him.
He could just barely hear her rustling about, and smiled a little as the wind picked up briefly and forced a cute little squeak from her.
Another rustle, and…
"O-okay, you can turn around now." Musashi stuttered from behind him.
Kiba thought her being all red and fidgety was very cute, and was curious as to why she had her hands behind her back.
"H-here!" Musashi said abruptly, not looking his way but thrusting a fist towards him, her hand closed around something he couldn't quite make out.
Bemused, Kiba put his hands beneath hers to accept it, and Musashi dropped a warm little bundle in his hands before quickly withdrawing her own.
Curious but feeling an embarrassing hint of premonition, Kiba opened up the 'bundle'.
'It' was a lacy dark purple with low surface area, still warm with Musashi's body heat and decorated with a cute little pink bow.
"U-u-um so I guess the prize is also an… invitation?" The red-faced beauty who had just handed him her panties babbled. "Or rather, I guess you could say the prize is… me?"
Though his cheeks turned just as red to match Musashi's, Kiba had never once in his life felt more like a winner.
Musashi didn't mind losing as much as she usually did, if it meant Yuuto won.
Musashi still much preferred winning, though.
And when Yuuto pushed inside of her and their bodies became one, Musashi felt the absolute sense of having 'won' as a woman.
She'd been a little scared because she had heard her first time could hurt, and it was a sort of pain she didn't really know about, but naturally, there was nothing to worry about because it was Yuuto.
By the time he was satisfied with their 'preparations', her head was so mushy that she doubted Yuuto could make her feel pain even if he wanted to.
Normally she hated being at anyone else's mercy, but it was Yuuto.
She wanted him. She wanted him to want her.
… And to be able to feel how much he wanted her with her body felt so good she thought she was going crazy.
Bent over and with one hand on the tree for support, she couldn't even remember why she had her other hand over her mouth.
She'd already forgotten anything that wasn't Yuuto- the harsh sound of his breathing, the way his hands on her hips were keeping her sweater rolled up, and how right it felt having his cock inside her.
Driven by the sudden need to be connected to him even more, Musashi twisted her head to look over her shoulder and meet his eyes.
Those gallant blue eyes, usually so calm but full of mirth…
Reflecting back at her the same wild desire she felt.
A convulsive shudder rocked her supple form, followed by another, and another as Musashi was left with no choice but to let go, and give in.
YuutoYuutoYuutoYuutoYuutoYuuto…..?
… Oh, that's how it went.
Rock her hips like this, clench those muscles there…
Musashi was best known for being a prodigy of the sword, and with good reason, but really, Musashi was good at just about anything physical, even if swordplay was far and away her greatest talent.
Coming down from the high that a good orgasm represented, she was then aware enough to devote her actions to making Yuuto feel as good as possible, and she picked it up pretty easily-
… Musashi blinked several times in rapid succession as her awareness returned, squirming blissfully as Yuuto's warmth seeped and spread deeply into her body.
Hehe, she did it, she did it, she made Yuuto cum!
Sure, the orgasm was mutual and he was still kind of ahead because she'd 'finished'… a few times (?), but it was still true she'd made Yuuto cum!
And she'd heard somewhere that guys couldn't orgasm as often as girls could, so they were probably done.
… Musashi was thinking this as she went along with Yuuto's unspoken desire to switch positions, placing her back against the tree as he hugged one leg to his body, basically leaving her doing something like a standing split.
Against Yuuto.
While Yuuto was inside of her.
"... Eh? Ehhhh!?"
"Hm? Oh sorry, did you want to take a break?"
Somehow, Yuuto being all gentlemanly made her really happy and really mad at the same time.
"Just getting started!" Musashi confidently declared, cheeks flushed, breath ragged, and bangs sticking to her forehead from all the sweat.
"Oh good, me too."
"... H-huh? W-what do you mean, just~~~~ !?"
If it was a competition, it was one Musashi lost, and badly.
… It was the first time she'd been happy with a complete and total defeat.
It was late into the evening when Kiba quietly entered the dorm.
The only person awake in the common room was Yuuji, seated on the couch and moving only to turn the page of his book.
Lowering his book slightly, he quietly said "welcome back you two."
Musashi didn't answer, naturally, but Kiba returned the greeting just as quietly, careful not to disturb his girlfriend who was sleeping on his back, nor Akeno, asleep with her head in Yuuji's lap.
He was kind of glad Yuuji wasn't looking his way, and that the biggest tease in the peerage was dozing. He didn't think there were obvious signs but he didn't really know what the obvious signs were, and Yuuji was always so sharp-
"Outside already, huh?" Yuuji mildly remarked, still not looking their way. "Don't go to bed with those leaves in your hair."
Kiba felt his cheeks go red almost instantly, and fled as carefully as he could.
This meant he failed to notice how Musashi, who hadn't really been still asleep on his back, was blushing just as furiously.
The leaves were in her hair, not his, after all.
In the once more silent common room, Yuuji placed his book face down on his leg.
"Semi-public for their first time together, was it?" He pondered out loud. "I feel both proud and challenged."
Mind made up, Yuuji acted as Yuuji tended to act, and committed immediately.
Akeno lifted herself up with a languid yawn as he gently shook her shoulder, seeking out a good 'morning' kiss with her eyes not quite open.
Yuuji did so, and, while she was still shaking off the sleep, made his plans clear.
"Let's go do kinky things in an inappropriate location."
In an instant, Akeno was fully awake, and fully on board with the plan.
She'd asked Xen-chan to go with her, because she wanted to introduce them for real.
Irina was visiting Issei's grave with someone other than her parents or Sister Griselda for the very first time.
It felt… different.
When Irina had visited Issei's grave in the past, she'd talked constantly. She hadn't recognized it for what it was, but something about being in front of her best friend's grave had made her afraid of silence.
Sneaky Xen-chan had visited Issei's grave without her, which was super nice of her to check on Issei but at the same time it didn't count because she hadn't introduced them, so it was still the first meeting!
Still the first meeting, and…
This time, she had brought three flowers instead of one.
She'd always been afraid of Mama and Papa Hyoudou, too- she knew in her heart that they would never, ever blame her, but it was a fact that she had lived where their son had died.
She'd been ashamed to face them.
Ashamed to have lived when her loved ones had died.
Kiba-kun had been pretty surprised when she had carefully, very carefully asked him how he dealt with it.
"Badly, at first," Kiba admitted with a rueful laugh. "Avenging my friends was the only reason I had 'permission' to survive."
But his smile had been very gentle, even as his eyes gazed somewhere far away.
"But when I got to meet their spirits at last, the only one who had ever blamed me for surviving was myself." He sighed. "They just wanted me to live, and be happy."
Those blue eyes, so calm and so strong, captured hers.
"So maybe ask yourself, if the ones you lost would feel any different?"
… She'd needed to hear that, Irina supposed.
Just like she'd needed to thank Yuuji-kun for what he'd done for her (what he'd done for her again), and apologize for taking days to do it.
He hadn't minded, of course, and she wasn't really sure if that made it better or worse.
… Actually, she wasn't even sure if he'd heard her apology.
When she'd asked to talk with him in private, she'd clammed up and got all shy (which was super weird because she was bad at being shy), and then… and then…
He'd just looked her in the eye, and whatever he'd found had made him smile.
Really smile.
"So it's like that, huh? Good for you."
Irina was sure that there was more to it than Yuuji let on, but…
Maybe, just maybe something about that had been something Yuuji needed as well.
It was kind of a comforting thought.
But, enough of that reminiscing stuff!
Moving swiftly over to Xen-chan who had hung back and watched her in silence, all 'best friend-like' and stuff, Irina practically dragged her patiently smiling friend over to in front of the graves.
"Allow me to present… Xen-chan! Taddaa!"
"... Irina, am I supposed to clap or is that inappropriate?"
"Pfft, heehee~!" Grinning delightedly, Irina introduced each of them in turn.
"Here's Issei-kun, and Mama Hyoudou, and Papa Hyoudou!" Irina said. "I'm sure they would have liked you at least as much as I do if you ever got the chance to meet, they have good taste too!"
"Ah, I like to think I have good taste as well, so I'm sure I would have liked them back."
"Good point!"
Delighted by the concentration of super-special people in the area, Irina plopped down onto the ground in front of the three graves, beckoning Xenovia to do the same as she launched into her monthly update.
Not noticing at all that others that she would consider 'super-special' were watching over them from afar.
"See, Brother?" One said with a soft smile. "She's broken free- her own Flames will never burn away her wings."
"Of course you are right," his brother agreed. "And it seems we need to thank a certain young Devil, doesn't it?"
"We should, but as his sometime teacher, I can confidently say that the odds are high he'll have no idea why we're thanking him."
"... I-I see?"
"But let's just invite him to my office. Our little sisters have gotten much better around me, but it's still bad for their hearts if I show up unannounced. Raynare especially, since I'm not her colleague."
"Let's do that then," the Archangel Michael agreed. "But I'm satisfied that Irina will be well, so let's leave them in peace."
Uriel gave a careless little nod, and a gentle breeze left behind nothing but a pair of white feathers, fluttering slowly to the earth.
On the way back from the cemetery, Irina and Xenovia had stopped by the park, the one near their dorm, not for any real reason, they'd just wanted to take their time getting home.
Sitting on the bench, off in the distance, they'd seen a boy and his big black dog running down the park path, and both leapt to the same conclusion.
Xenovia had immediately lost interest when she realized that the boy wasn't Yuuji (nor was the dog Ruth, obviously), and Irina had…
… Strange, but she was kinda feeling disappointed for some reason.
Disappointed that it wasn't Yuuji.
It made her remember… that.
It was another thing she'd… held herself back from noticing.
… Boys, that was.
Her growing up and marrying Issei was just how it was supposed to be, even long after his death she'd never really let herself think otherwise.
So… it wasn't like she'd suddenly developed a crush on Yuuji or something.
Even though she was really grateful to him, and had kinda just noticed that he was handsome, and manly, and she'd maybe, just maybe wondered how awesome he had to be to be able to keep Xen-chan and so many other girls happy…
So she didn't have a crush on Yuuji, but she was probably gonna end up having a crush on Yuuji sooner or later…
Wait, if she'd already acknowledged it was going to happen didn't that mean she already liked Yuuji!?
"Irina, I've noticed that out of everyone, you're the cutest when you're thinking really hard about something," Xenovia said, breaking her train of thought out of nowhere. "I don't know why, though. Maybe it's because of how expressive you are?"
"... There was definitely a compliment in there but I don't feel happy at all."
"Well, that aside, if you're interested in Yuuji be careful so you don't get in trouble with Heaven."
"W-w-wha!? W-w-what are you saying, Xen-chan!?"
"You mean you aren't?"
"I didn't say that!"
There was a long silence as Xenovia stared at her with a tiny little smirk, and Irina turned red and fidgetted.
"Shut up, dummy. I don't remember Xen-chan being such a sly girl."
"People forget that all the time because I'm highly skilled in speaking before thinking."
"Why do you look so smug about that!?"
"Well, I don't want to tease you too much, so let's get walking," Xenovia said casually, rising up off her seat.
"So you do admit you were just teasing me," Irina grumbled cutely, following suit.
Xenovia had been doing precisely that.
For now, at least, since there were certain 'obstacles' in the way, since it was still hard for Angels to form relationships with anyone but other Angels without risk.
For now, that was.
… But the year had been filled with impossible things coming true, so who could say what the future held?
… Who could say what the future held?
Devils were said to prey on humans, and now a fake human like him had one of Hell's most promising heiresses, and all her toys, at his mercy.
Put another way, her toys were now his toys.
And it was just about time for another game.
So he sat patiently as the Devil begged, pleaded and negotiated, pretending to listen to her words.
Some variation of 'me and not them' when she didn't seem to realize that it was going to be 'me and them' even if she didn't say anything.
Now, what to play, what to play?
Hmm, he was feeling nostalgic for some reason, so…
Eenie…
Meenie…
Miney…
"Noooo!"
… She wasn't mad.
She wasn't jealous.
Not at all.
Nope.
Koneko wasn't bothered at all when the birdie offered her Ga-kun lunch because she had 'made a little extra', and Ga-kun had accepted because he was cool and nice like that.
She should probably give the birdie a pass since she shared it with her too, so…
She wasn't mad at all that the birdie could make good food and she couldn't.
Not at all.
Blood was the best food for Ga-kun anyways and she had a ton of that.
… Nevermind that the birdie could regenerate so she could make more blood right away, it probably tasted like chicken anyways.
… This was why Koneko didn't talk much, sometimes she couldn't even come up with convincing arguments in her head.
Stupid cool Ga-kun, just thought the birdie was being friendly, since there were no other Devils in their class.
She wasn't mad.
"... Sorry, Ga-kun, didn't mean to ignore you." She wasn't mad, she just felt… threatened because other girls were noticing how cool and kind and handsome Gasper was.
… 'Bout time, their eyes must be bad if it took them so long.
"... That really bothered you, huh?" Gasper said, looking at her with those big pink eyes she could stare back into all day. "I was just trying to be friendly, but if it makes you uncomfortable I'll try to… keep my distance."
"No… sorry." Koneko shook her head immediately. "The birdie is nice for a birdie, and more lonely than she acts, so some Ga-kun in her life is exactly what she needs."
Ga-kun smiled, too gentle, really he was too good for her and she knew it, so maybe that was why…
"But I get lonely too." Too easily, way more easily than most people understood, except of course for Nee-sama, and-
…
…
The clouds inside the hallway were super pretty, huh?
Fluffy and swirly and all fluffy and swirly and…
"L-l-look, I was trying to make you feel better but if you don't react at all I'll feel really embarrassed!"
Turned out, boy's lips were soft too, she'd learned something new.
Boy's lips.
Lips of boys.
… Boys like Ga-kun.
Ga-kun had kissed her.
On the cheek but Ga-kun had kissed her and that was her first kiss and Ga-kun had kissed her and that was her first kiss and it was with Ga-kun cuz Ga-kun had kissed her-
And she'd missed it because it was too great!
"... Redo."
"W-wha!?" Gasper stammered, pale cheeks pinking even more.
"Caught off guard." Koneko firmly 'clarified'. "Redo."
Gasper stammered, and floundered, and it was super cute and she wanted to pounce on him all of a sudden, and wait, he had kissed her so it was only fair…
"K-Koneko-chan, your eyes are really scary right now!"
"It's okay Ga-kun," Koneko advanced on him, speaking in what she assumed was a soothing tone. "I'm just after your body."
One part of it in particular, though she didn't mind if he wanted to hug while they were at it…
"That doesn't make me feel better at all!" Gasper said, diving into the shadows.
"... Escaped."
Gasper may have forgotten that Koneko was a cat, and that they couldn't really leave the clubhouse if they were using their powers.
Koneko chased him for almost an hour.
… She apologized afterwards, but she also got her wish, and paid much more attention for their second kiss.
And then, they sat down and talked about certain things.
Feathery things.
The morning afterwards, the classroom was in a pleasant buzz, and she was surrounded by the human friends she'd made.
She'd finally gotten the courage to… share a bit of extra food that she'd just happened to make with Vladi-san, yesterday, but her motives hadn't quite been what might have been expected.
She didn't know the details, only that the cancellation of the Rating Game was for the… concerning reason that Seekvaira Agares and her peerage were presumed kidnapped.
Vladi-san had obviously been stressed and she'd just wanted to help in some small way… Toujou-san as well, but Ravel was aware that she could be a little selfish so she just maybe had wanted to share with Vladi-san more for… reasons?
But he was doing better, they both were, and that was good, it was good.
She wasn't unhappy at all that Vladi-san was such a gentleman, and treated her like a lady more than he treated her like a girl.
… It was nice that he was nice to her without wanting something from her, but if he did happen to want something from her she really wouldn't mind all that much!
… The first nice and cute boy that she'd come to fancy, and he was already taken.
Maybe she'd gotten a little too hopeful, since after the mess with Riser-onii-sama her parents had decided not to try an arranged marriage for her.
So maybe she'd gotten excited for nothing, but…
"Birdie."
Toujou-san was in front of her desk.
"Why do you always call me that!?"
Toujou-san tilted her head to one side, giving her a confused look as if she didn't understand the question.
"Birdie is Birdie?"
"Are you just here to tease me?"
"Other things too."
"W-wha!?"
"We can be rivals." Toujou-san said abruptly. "Love rivals. Let's take good care of Ga-kun."
Ravel went entirely still.
The only motion was the color spreading across her cheeks.
"I-I'll be in your care then, rival."
"Mm."
"U-umm… if you don't mind me asking, w-where is…?"
"Hiding. Embarrassed." In his coffin, in the Dark. "Said please join us for lunch, he'll be better by then."
A shy smile blossomed across Ravel's face as she fidgeted in her seat.
"I'll be there."
Maybe getting her hopes up a little had been the right choice.
Yuuji was being scolded by a little girl.
"... Any way you look at it, don't you think you were too cruel to my Onii-sama!?"
"Yeah, actually, I think I went a little overboard."
Well, Ravel was only two years younger than him, but she was also roughly five feet tall, so Yuuji felt justified in considering her little.
"You do!? You do! … Of course you do, good! But…" Ravel hesitated, not really expecting to be agreed with. "But if you do, then… why'd you do it to begin with?"
"Little time, little knowledge of the supernatural, and I wasn't that strong at the time so I had to be as mean as I was creative." Yuuji listed off. "Next time I have to beat your brother up I'll be more straightforward about it."
"I'd prefer you didn't beat him up at all!"
"Same."
Ravel, who had been drawing in her breath for a retort, deflated visibly.
Yuuji had force-fed Riser Phenex acid in order to overcome his regeneration, or rather use it against him, in the Rating Game.
He didn't really regret doing it, but he did regret that he couldn't make a less inhumane option feasible.
"Maybe it's a bit rich coming from me," Rias interjected softly. "But, how is your brother?"
"Physically, he's fine, but he doesn't leave his room," Ravel murmured unhappily. "A Phoenix having their regeneration turned against them is scary… no, I'm sorry."
Suddenly, she was bowing her head.
"I can't blame you, or your peerage, Gremory-sama." Ravel said in a formal tone. "If anything, I should be apologizing for you, for fighting on the side that would have forced you into marriage against your will."
Rias shared a surprised look with Akeno, but the expression turned towards Ravel was a gentle smile.
The little blonde gave a start when Rias offered her hand, but smiled brightly as she accepted the gesture and straightened up.
"There were things we weren't proud of on both sides, it seems," Rias said softly. "But we all did the best we could in a bad situation, so perhaps it's time we put it behind us? You joining us for lunch is a good step towards that," her composed smile turned coy, "even if it's not really us you're here for."
Ravel turned red, suddenly nervous as her blue eyes darted towards Gasper.
Gasper 'helped' by patting the empty seat beside him, his right side occupied by Koneko.
Koneko, who was expressionless, managed to seem oddly authoritative as she nodded.
"Food's getting cold, Birdie."
"W-what!? Why didn't you say something sooner!? This is why lazy kittens are no good!"
In her fluster, Ravel forgot entirely that she'd been nervous about sitting beside Gasper, in favor of feeding Gasper before it got cold.
Koneko's eyes narrowed at the gesture, but Ravel glared back, defiant.
"If there's a problem, maybe you should-"
"Feed me too."
"... Pardon?"
"Ga-kun first though of course, because he's Ga-kun."
"Of course, it wouldn't do for… Vl-Vladi-san.. I mean, G-Gasper-san to…"
"Oh, you called me by name, does that mean we're closer now?"
The red-faced Ravel shoved a chopstick full of rice (gently) into Gasper's mouth, both to cut him off and to not let the food get any colder.
"... They're awfully cute together aren't they?" Rias whispered fondly, already having accepted Ravel's obvious intentions, since Gasper and Koneko both seemed fine with it.
"She's brave, too," Akeno murmured, her lips barely moving, and her hands occupied with feeding Yuuji. "It takes courage to stand up to a group of older people like that. She'll be good for Gasper-kun, won't she?"
"Ah, wait, what am I thinking!?" Ravel burst out suddenly. There was a brief, subtle surge of warmth in the air, and suddenly, the bento in her hand was piping hot once more.
"Ara? Using heat to rewarm food properly takes a lot of skill," Akeno commented, impressed. Doing it carelessly would affect the flavour.
Ravel puffed her chest out, proudly, as Gasper clapped, also knowledgeable enough to recognize the display of arcane skill for what it was.
Koneko, however…
Little nostrils flared slightly as she recognized the achievement with the usage of a different sense entirely.
Looking the smug little Phoenix squarely in the eye, Koneko flatly made her desires known.
"Birdie, marry me."
"I feel like I took a big step forward in the wrong direction!?"
"Ga-kun too. Package deal."
"Guh, how cunning!"
Everyone laughed, because they could tell she had actually considered it seriously for a moment.
That night, after the city had gotten as dark as a city ever got, Ravel Phenex was lying stomach down on her bed, wearing her nightie and kicking her feet in the air.
"And he said my cooking was delicious, and Toujou-san doesn't mind if I'm interested in him, and it was the first time in the human world I got to have school lunch as a Devil!" Ravel recounted excitedly to the warmly smiling image in front of her.
The woman before her was someone Ravel dearly hoped to be as pretty as when she grew up- and the chances were good, since the woman was her mother.
["It sounds like your day was the best kind of busy, Ravel-chan, I'm glad~"]
Normally even Ravel couldn't appear so informally in front of Lady Phenex, but Ravel had been told in no uncertain terms that she would be having her nightly check-ins with Mama, as opposed to the 'Phenex clan matriarch'.
"Oh, oh, and listen to this Mama!" Ravel chirped, perking up even further. "Gasper-san thinks my wings are super pretty!"
Mama just hid her smile behind her hand as she laughed brightly, eagerly sharing in her daughter's joy.
With the unfailing patience of a loving mother faced with her joyful child, Lady Phenex listened happily as Ravel launched into an immediate, person-by-person update on the current going ons with her human friends.
Though it wasn't as if they knew she was a Devil, Ravel had been perhaps a bit more insecure than she should have been at making friends with humans.
In part, she had had the justifiable concern of how fragile her classmates were, in comparison- what might be a painful inconvenience for the young Phenex prodigy could quite easily spell instant death to a human girl her age.
Especially with the recent disappearance of the Agares heiress- but she and her husband had done their absolute best to ensure that such troubles remained distant from their daughter.
The defense force stationed at Kuoh had swelled to contain equal numbers of Lucifer, Leviathan and Phenex troops, and the driver ferrying Ravel to and from school was not only Ultimate-class, but adored her as if she were his own niece, and would cheerfully die in her defense.
But, while they had done what they could without ruining their daughter's budding new life of independence, there were still questions that needed asking.
["Ravel,"] at that firm tone, Ravel reflexively sat up in bed, posture a rigid seiza.
Lady Phenex let her expression lighten somewhat to put her daughter at ease.
["How are they?"]
"... Oh." Of course she knew who 'they' were, and so Ravel, after a moment to gather her thoughts, said "the Gremory's seem to have adjusted more quickly than the Sitri's, though it's hard to tell if Sona-kaichou isn't mostly just worn out from Leviathan-sama's…" she floundered for the right words, "... efforts?"
Mama's slight chuckle told her she didn't really need to explain, but Sona had been stonewalling daily attempts by Serafall to enroll as a first year college student at Kuoh Academy.
["But the Gremory's seem more relaxed as a whole, then?"] While Sairaorg was viewed as the undisputed strongest King among the heirs, in comprehensive strength as a peerage, the Gremory's were strong contenders for the top among their generation.
"... Somewhat?" Mama lifted an eyebrow at the non-committal answer. "It's hard to put into words, Mama. They seem happy for the most part, and I wouldn't say it's… 'forced' exactly, more like… hurried?"
["Hurried?"]
"Mm." Ravel nodded, blonde drills bouncing. "It's as if they're trying their best to… live as much as they can, at any given moment."
It was an idea that sounded good on the surface, but Mama's pursed lips suggested that she shared that same vague discomfort with the idea.
When things went wrong, they went wrong at a merciless pace, giving them no time to catch their balance.
Drawing the blankets up against herself as she sat upright in her too-large bed, Rias groaned softly as Akeno grumbled and stirred at her side.
Ruth, who had just knocked and entered without waiting, returned to his canine form in a show of consideration.
But even as they returned to the eyes of a hound and not a man, those blood red eyes were solemn, but gentle.
{"While I'd really rather you didn't, you're… going to have to see this."} The Grim said.
With growing trepidation, Rias quickly dressed and made her way to the front door of the dormitory, Akeno following faithfully in her wake.
Suu was there, translucent features set in a grimace as their eyes met.
It was there, sitting on their front porch.
A square cardboard box, stained dark at the bottom.
{"I already know what's inside, but I suppose telling you not to open the box is a lost cause?"}
Ruth knew more than anyone else that uncertainty was the greater cruelty, at a time like this.
"... Show me." Rias said, closing her eyes briefly and steadying herself.
Returning to his human form, the Familiar (?) lifted the box with delicate, almost reverent hands, the liquid staining the bottom of the box disappearing into the darkness that spilled in wisps from his hands.
She could already smell it, and wished she couldn't.
Forcing her hands to remain steady with sheer will, Rias opened the box, and her scream woke the entire dormitory.
The entire dormitory, save for one.
Dimly, Rias became aware that the pervasive sense of wrongness that she was feeling had begun before Ruth gave anything away, and that she wasn't the only one to feel it.
Akeno looked composed on the surface… a composure every bit as brittle as a glass sculpture.
The Fallen Angels were the worst off, though- that they were holding hands with Asia, who looked ready to cry but seemingly had no idea why, was likely the only thing keeping the duo from a full-blown panic attack.
Her eyes were drawn back to the dark-skinned boy whose true form was a great black hound.
Ruth, Ruth… one of the two Familiars that lived in the dorm.
The Familiar of her servant, whom she could only guess was the cause of the eight little wounds on her heart.
Where the tethers that bound her eight crimson Pawns to her very soul had seemingly been torn away while she slept.
The morning started with losses that could never be replaced, and the knowledge that their little patchwork family would never be whole again.
Speaking with the 'I hope Seekvaira isn't dead' crowd was… awkward.
And it's been a while since it cropped up, so I'll remind you that Yuuji's Balance Breaker, Unknown Soldier, has a talent for anonymity.
We led into this slowly but surely, one scene after another.
Ravel said it best, after all- our cast was living 'in a hurry'.
Which is also kind of why the Musashi lemon just… happened, I knew a few of you were looking forward to that and it just wrote itself, more or less.
But there was some sweetness leading up to the moment everything went wrong, which I hope made it a bit more palatable.
Like the honey-dipped Grayfia sweetness.
Also, the Koneko dialogue in this chapter was some of the best I've ever written, imo, so there's a few good memories to carry with you as we fall off the ledge, and fall fast.
PS: I had a stroke of inspiration, which led to the major arc (after the one we're just about to start), being something all new and straying into some foreign territory for the fics I know of, while remaining very much cohesive with the work I've created. It's gonna be wild and fun as hel, yet a little more lighthearted than the territory we've strayed into with the arc about to begin.