"It went better than I expected," Koneko said, as she sat next to Knight on the rooftop.
"… I suppose," It replied, with a shrug.
"How did you come up with the idea of convincing Riser to annul the marriage?" She asked.
"… I didn't, I only pointed out what I know. There are documented cases of divorce rape, abuse, woman taking from men and leaving them in ruins," It replied.
"Do you consider all the women to be like that?" She asked, her attention on the Knight, while the boy shrugged.
"… Not really, no, don't have proof of women acting like that, but being careful never hurt anyone," It replied.
"You weren't abused by women or something, were you?" Koneko asked, while Knight shook its head, the girl sighing in relief. "At least there is that…"
"You two seem to be getting along just fine, don't you?" Kiba asked, as he entered the rooftop.
"Why are you here, Kiba?" Koneko asked with a blink.
"Don't mind me, I am just curious about something, especially since Rias locked herself up in her room," He replied. "Knight, what have you done to Koneko?"
"… What do you mean by that?" It asked, it's head tilted to the side.
"I have been a member of the Occult Research Club for a few years and the sudden change in Koneko's behavior is something that bothers me," He replied.
"He didn't do anything to me," Koneko protested. "Knight… he helped me."
"Helped you? How so?" Kiba inquired.
"I won't say, you will relay that to Rias, won't you?" Koneko pointed out, while Kiba chuckled.
"Do you really think I would snitch on you just like that?" He asked, while the girl nodded. "Well… I suppose there is a degree of truth in that. Rias did save my life after all, so I want to return the favour one day."
"… Were you on a brink of death and Rias just came and saved your life?" The Knight asked, while Kiba raised an eyebrow.
"Well, more or less, why?" He asked.
"… May I?" The Knight asked, as it turned towards Koneko, who nodded in response. "Your past… it's similar to Koneko, to Akeno, Gasper, isn't that odd?"
"Are you going to imply that Rias planned to find me like this and only did it to add another member to her peerage?" He guessed, while Knight nodded.
"How do you know?" Koneko asked.
"It was a guess, but it's something that I have been wondering about myself. I should have died back then, but Rias came and saved me, why was she there? Close to the Church's territory? Same thing with Akeno and Gasper, always at the most fitting moment," He replied.
"… And what do you think?" Knight asked.
"I don't think Rias planned any of it," He replied.
"How do you know that, Kiba?" Koneko asked, while the boy scratched his neck.
"See… Rias is… an airhead. She is a little bit like a princess, but she genuinely cares about me, Akeno, Gasper and you, Koneko," He replied. "She never abused us, treated us poorly, did she?"
"Couldn't she be faking it?" Koneko pointed out.
"Perhaps… but, do you honestly think that a small child could arrange all of this by herself?" Kiba pointed out.
"No…," Koneko admitted.
"… Then, could somebody else be responsible for the events that led to you being turned into devils?" Knight asked.
"I wouldn't be surprised by that. I know for certain that Sirzechs is a massive siscon for Rias and would do anything for her," He replied. "He could be the one that did that, but there is no proof or anything like that."
"Kiba… can you keep a secret?" Koneko asked.
"What kind of secret?" He inquired.
"One that should not reach Rias' ears," Koneko replied. "Can you promise that?"
"I… promise, but why do you ask?" He replied.
"I have got… a proof," Koneko said, while Kiba blinked.
"What do you mean by that, Koneko?" He asked.
"I remember what happened, why my sister killed the devil, she was trying to protect me and then when I was about to be executed, Sirzechs came in and saved my life," She replied.
"That's… I am sorry to hear that, Koneko," The boy admitted, while scratching his neck. "But that doesn't mean he did it with an ulterior motive."
"… It doesn't," The Knight said. "However, the fact that all four of you were saved in similar circumstances is a bit odd, regardless of what you think."
"Maybe, truth to be told, I don't remember the exact details of how I met Rias, except that it was cold back then and… other things happened," He settled on.
"… Would you like to remember?" The Knight asked.
"How I met Rias?" Kiba inquired, while Knight nodded. "Honestly… I think I would rather not, at least for now."
"Is it because of Holy Swords?" Koneko asked, while Kiba scowled, before nodding.
"Yes, maybe, when I am done with them, I will consider investigating that part of my past, but for now, I would rather not," He replied. "I hope that's not a problem?"
"… Not really, just don't tell anybody," Knight said.
"You have got my word, Koneko, Knight," Kiba promised. "Now, I hope you don't mind, I am going to go back, enjoy your sweets."
"… We will," The Knight replied, while the boy nodded and left them alone.
After school, both Knight and Koneko went straight home, where Kuroka was already waiting for them. However, this time the other girl was playing at the console it bought and reached quite far judging by what they saw on the screen. She immediately stopped playing, before the two sisters once again hugged each other.
"Glad to see you back, nya," Kuroka said.
"You too," Koneko said.
"… I will make some tea," The Knight said and did as told.
"So, how was your day, nya?" Kuroka asked.
"… Decent," The Knight settled on.
"It went quite well, Knight managed to convince Riser Phenex to reconsider his marriage with Rias Gremory," Koneko explained.
"Riser Phenex, nya? From the Phenex clan, nya?" Kuroka asked, while Koneko nodded. "He is engaged to Rias Gremory, nya?"
"… He is, at least, for now," The Knight said. "Would you like to know more?"
"Don't keep me waiting, nya!" Kuroka asked, while the Knight summarized what transpired. "So that's what happened, nya…"
"I still don't believe that Riser changed his mind after how you dragged Rias through the mud," Koneko said.
"… Didn't expect it would work myself," Knight replied.
"So, my sister is not going to become ruled by him, nya? That's good, nya," Kuroka admitted.
"… Seems like it, we don't know what will happen, but it should make him think," It replied.
"Alright, so, Shirone, what would you like to do?" Kuroka asked.
"Games, body pillow fights, brushing our hairs…?" She suggested.
"Sounds great, nya. I can teach you senjutsu as well, nya," Kuroka said.
"You can…?" Koneko asked, while Kuroka nodded.
"Of course I can, but only if you want, nya," Kuroka replied.
"I would like to, but not today," Koneko replied, before hugging her sister tighter, while Kuroka giggled.
"… Here is your tea," Knight said as he put two cups of the beverage they liked on the table.
"Thank you kindly, nya," Kuroka said, while the two girls slowly stood up and sat at the table.
"Knight, are you going to join us?" Koneko asked.
"… Only if you want me to," It replied.
"Of course we want too, silly, nya," Kuroka said with a giggle. "You made it possible, it would be rude of us to not let you have fun with us, nya."
"… If you say so," The Knight replied as it sat on the table and watched them drink the tea.
A moment later, the duo was done with their cups and Kuroka stood up quickly. "Let's play to our hearts today, nya!"
"Let's!" Koneko agreed.
"… Let's," Knight added.
"Brother…?" Ravel asked, as she knocked on the door.
"Come in, Ravel," Riser said, while the girl entered a massive bedchamber, with only Riser in it.
"Are you alright, Brother?" She asked.
"Honestly… I am not sure. I have been thinking about it extensively and the way I see it… It's best we tell our parents of this development," He admitted.
"Are you certain of that?" She asked.
"I am, more than ever before. I would rather not tarnish the name of our clan by making a wrong choice," He admitted and turned towards her. "Let's go, Ravel."
"Let us go, Brother," She agreed and the two left the room.
They went towards the saloon, where both their parents and two siblings were located. Their mother looked exactly like Ravel with the same blonde hair and blue eyes. Their father had blonde hair and blue eyes, just like their two brothers. They turned towards their direction, curiosity evident in their eyes.
"Is there something wrong, Riser, Ravel?" Their mother asked.
"Mother, Father, I would like to talk about my marriage with Rias Gremory," Riser began.
"What about it, son?" Their father asked.
"The marriage was arranged to preserve purity of our respective bloodlines, wasn't it?" Riser added.
"It was, what about it?" Their mother asked.
"Recently, I was able to meet Rias Gremory, her peerage and an individual called Arthur Knight," He began. "And… he made me think about something."
"What exactly?" Their father asked.
"It's about marriage, whether it's truly the best option for Phenex and Gremory clans," Ravel replied.
"What do you mean by that, Ravel, Riser?" Their mother asked.
"Allow us to explain, mother," Ravel replied. "May I, Brother?"
"Go ahead, Ravel," He replied, while Ravel began telling of the events that transpired during the meeting.
"And that's when we decided to leave and think things through," Ravel finished, the rest of their family silent.
"That's… not what I expected to hear," Their father began. "Riser, does Rias Gremory strike you as a woman that would do that?"
"After what she told me…? Maybe," Riser replied.
"That Knight person… who is he exactly?" Ruval, their eldest brother asked.
"He called himself a 'vessel', Brother," Ravel replied. "I am afraid I am not familiar with creatures bearing such names."
"I see…," Ruval replied.
"If we were to break off the marriage first with such reasoning, Gremory would become a laughing stock of the Underworld and our reputation would suffer as well," Their mother said.
"How so?" Riser asked.
"Your mother is correct, Riser," His father replied. "If we were to call off the marriage first, the Gremory would suffer the most as they are a more influential clan and breaking off a marriage with their heiress would mean that she is not a proper wife material, thus ruining any future prospects of marriage in the future."
"Of course, we would suffer as well," Lady Phenex added. "The fallout on our side would be smaller, but I would rather avoid it still. If what you said is true, then we must talk it over with the Gremory clan. Ravel, Riser, you will come with me and your father, Ruval, stay with your brother."
"Understood," Ruval said.
"Now, come, all of you," She said and the group of four devils began following after her.
"What are we going to do now, mother?" Ravel asked.
"We shall contact Gremory Clan and figure this out," She replied.
Sometime ago, Sirzechs Lucifer was sitting at his desk going over the paperwork, before his wife, Grayfia walked in. "You're back, dear, how was it?"
"The meeting between Rias and Riser could have gone better, I am afraid," She replied.
"How so?" He inquired.
"Allow me to explain," She replied and summarized.
The longer Sirzechs listened, the more his eyes spread wide open, before the pen in his hands was crushed under the pressure. "This boy… does he realize what he had done?"
"Is there something wrong, dear?" Grayfia asked and placed her hand on the man's shoulder, while Sirzechs scowled.
"If the Phenex clan breaks off the marriage first, without letting us know, nobody would ever consider taking Rias for a bride and that's on top of all the fallout that would follow," He explained. "I intended for Rias to beat Riser in a rating game to boost her standing and if that failed, have the red dragon emperor come and defeat Riser, which would have minimized the fallout and also shown that Rias is a powerful devil with a peerage to back her up."
"Won't Phenex Clan be affected as well?" Grayfia pointed out.
"They will, but nowhere near as much as Rias and Gremory would be," He replied. "I will talk to father and mother, perhaps, we can still salvage this mess."
"I see, very well, would you like me to arrange a meeting between Gremory and Phenex clans?" She asked.
"I would be grateful, Grayfia," He said, while the woman nodded.
"I shall get to it," She replied and with a small bow went to do as told.
"Arthur Knight… I will make you pay for sticking your nose where it doesn't belong," Sirzechs growled, but first he had to talk to his parents first and see what could be done.
A few days later, Riser, Ravel, their parents, along with Zeoticus Gremory, Venelana Gremory and Rias were located at the table. Both clans were sitting on the opposite sides of each other. Zeoticus was a middle-aged, handsome looking man with long crimson red hair, which was tied in a loose ponytail. He had blue eyes and a short red beard. Venelana was quite similar to Rias, except for shorter flaxen hair and violet eyes. Joining them were Grayfia and Sirzechs Lucifer.
"Lady Phenex, Lord Phenex, Lady Gremory, Lord Gremory, I presume you know why you were gathered here today?" Grayfia asked.
"Indeed, Miss Grayfia," Lady Phenex said.
"Likewise, Miss Grayfia," Venelana said.
"In that case, please proceed with the meeting," Grayfia said.
"So, Gremory, we were told by our children that marriage we had been planning for years might not be the best idea," Lord Phenex began.
"That seems to be the case, Phenex," Zeoticus replied. "May I ask, what changer your mind, young Riser Phenex?"
"A certain individual called Arthur Knight made me question the validity of the marriage, Lord Gremory," Riser replied.
"Is that correct, Miss Ravel?" The man asked.
"That is correct, Lord Gremory," Ravel replied.
"Is that true, Rias dear?" He asked, while Rias nodded. "I see… Now, our daughter has told us that she is not exactly happy with the marriage herself."
"That is the case, father," Rias replied.
"Lady Phenex, it seems like both sides are unhappy with current circumstances, aren't they?" Venelana asked.
"That seems to be the case, Lady Gremory," Lady Phenex replied. "Which is the reason for this meeting."
"May I ask what do you suggest we do instead?" Venelana asked.
"I believe it would be the best for both of our families to break off the marriage and let everybody know before the wedding," She replied.
"Won't the whole party go to waste, my dear?" Zeoticus asked.
"Perhaps, but I believe we can still use all the preparations that were made," Venelana replied.
"How so, Lady Gremory?" Lady Phenex asked.
"Perhaps we could change it into a party that doesn't celebrate anything, one that only exists so that our children could socialize and have some fun in the Underworld," She explained.
"That seems appropriate," Lady Phenex agreed. "However, I believe we still have to settle on how to release the news to the public, so that our families don't suffer."
"If I may," Sirzechs said. "I believe the best would be a written confirmation on both sides on the acceptance of such an agreement, which would then be made public by the news of the Underworld?"
"I believe that is the best conclusion, Lord Lucifer," Lady Phenex said. "In that case, we are willing to accept such compromise."
"Likewise, Lady Phenex," Venelana said. "In fact, we have prepared a contract that you should find satisfactory."
She then slipped a piece of paper, which both of Riser and Ravel parents began reading. The contract was simply and without any hooks oddly enough. They made sure to read fine print as well. Since both sides contributed to the marriage, it was only fair they split the costs in half, while Riser and Rias would be free to marry somebody else in the future, neither of the families tarnished.
"The terms are acceptable, Lady Gremory," Lady Phenex agreed. "I believe both sides are in agreement over this?"
"I think so as well," Lord Phenex added.
"Likewise," Zeoticus added.
"In that case, please place your signatures on the contract," Grayfia requested, which both of the sides did. "With that, the marriage between Riser Phenex and Rias Gremory is no longer valid. Thank you for your time."
"Very well, I will take care of all the necessary forms that need to be done, Gremory, Phenex," Sirzechs said. "Thank you for your time, everyone."
And with that both Sirzechs and Grayfia were gone. Both of the clans stood up and looked at each other. Venelana began, "Thank you for your time, Phenex."
"Likewise, Gremory," Lady Phenex said. "In that case, I believe we shall see you in a month on a new party we settled upon."
"Indeed, now then, I believe it's our time to leave," She said and with that, two circles of magic appeared beneath them, the two clans gone in an instant.
Ever since Knight talked with Riser, things were pretty quiet, Koneko and Kuroka spent as much time as they could together. Even Rias was gone, as Sona told it that she went to have a meeting with her family and Phenex clan. She was supposed to come back soon, but the Knight couldn't care less about that, as long as the marriage was gone, it would be happy.
"Great timing, Knight," Sona said, followed by Tsubaki.
"… Is there something wrong, President?" It asked.
"Rias is coming back, she told me that she was able to cancel the marriage thanks to you," Sona replied.
"… So, Koneko won't be part of Riser's peerage?" It asked, while Sona nodded. "… Good."
"That's all that mattered, huh?" Sona began. "You really care about your friends, don't you?"
"… I suppose," It replied.
"Good morning, Knight, Sona, Tsubaki," Rias greeted.
"Good morning, everyone," Akeno said, the two blocking the entrance to the school.
"… Good morning," Knight said in return.
"Good morning, Rias, Akeno," Sona and Tsubaki greeted them.
"… Do you need something, Miss Gremory?" The Knight asked, it's head tilted to the side.
"There is in fact, but there is something I would like to do first," She said and bowed in front of the Knight, some nearby students watching with curiosity. "Thank you for what you have done for me."
"… You don't mind what I said a few days ago?" It asked, while Rias stood straight once more.
"A bit, yes, but, it worked out in the end and I appreciate it nevertheless. In fact, there is something I would like to give you," She said and handed over a letter.
"… What is it?" The Knight asked, as it accepted the letter.
"It's an invitation to a party that will be hosted instead of the marriage," She replied. "It's the least I can do. And don't worry, I will take Koneko and others as well."
"… I see," It replied and glanced towards Sona.
"We already got our invitations, Knight, same with Asia and others," Sona said, while the boy nodded.
"… Very well, shall we go?" It asked, while the devils resumed their walk towards their appropriate clubs.