The room was filled with a tense atmosphere as Bryce glared at Rias with intense eyes. The latter could feel herself shrinking under his gaze. Rias knew that she was stepping into uncharted territory the moment she entered the room, but she never knew how overwhelming it would be.
"Why?"
"Huh?"
"Why are you here?" Bryce started out slowly, his gaze never leaving Rias. "I thought I told you that if you came looking for my family and hurt them in any way, I would kill you on the spot without hesitation." He said in a chilling tone, causing the redhead to shudder at the tone.
"That's not why I'm here." Rias argued as the former raised an eyebrow. "I wanted to… apologize…"
"Apologize?" He said as he raised his eyebrow. "Really?"
"Yes. I wanted to apologize for a lot of things but I can tell right now that I won't be forgiven that easily." Rias deducted as the boy nodded his head.
"You're barely forgiven at all." He said in a cold tone that hurt her heart but she remained calm in order to get through this. "I'm at a boiling point with you and your group, threatening Izumi, kidnapping and torturing Mittelt and stalking us… you have a lot of nerve coming to find me."
"Though, I'm surprised it's just you since I don't see the rest of your group." Bryce voiced as he looked around the room. "Or are they waiting somewhere to come and ambush me…" he trailed off but Rias quickly waved her hands.
"N-no that's not true!" She quickly answered, not wanting him to go after her peerage. "It's just me, I promise."
"Well your promises are nothing but empty." He said not wanting to listen to her mouth anymore. "Don't come near me or my family again, leave."
He grabbed her by the arm and was about to push her out until Rias quickly stopped him.
"No wait…. Please…" She whined as the boy ignored her.
"Get out."
"I'm ENGAGED!"
Silence entered the room once more as Bryce froze in place and looked up at the Gremory with slightly shocked eyes.
"You're…. what?"
"I'm engaged." Rias whispered as she leaned herself against the door, taking a deep breath to calm down as the boy let her go.
Meanwhile, Bryce was trying to understand something. Rias said she was engaged okay yeah big deal but it was the way she said, she didn't sound like the girl filled with pride and arrogance. She sounded like she was defeated or at her worse.
"Engaged… at the age of what 17?" he asked incredulously as the older teen nodded her head.
'The Hell?"
"Please… let me explain." Rias asked as they were still standing at the doorway. The boy then closed the door and led the princess to the bed and sat her down while he sat in front of her on the floor.
Izumi and the others were having fun as they all went to a mall that was about 3 miles from the hotel. They were currently in the food court as they enjoyed their lunches. Izumi and Asia were eating hamburgers, the latter following the former while Serafall and Mittelt were currently in line to get food from another spot.
"This is so good, Izu-nii." Asia said as she enjoyed her burger. "I never thought burgers would be this good."
Izumi humming in happiness agreed with the young blonde.
"Well you know Asia, there are other types of burgers besides the plain cheeseburger."
"There are others?" Asia asked in a shocked tone as the brunette nodded her head.
"Of course they are. There are tons of different types of burgers, like, bacon bbq, reuben, BLT, and a whole bunch of other combinations." Izumi informed.
"That's- that's amazing." Asia was filled with wonder at the knowledge of the American dish she came to know as the hamburger.
"If you want, I can always make burgers at home." The brunette offered as the blonde's eyes lit up in excitement.
"W-wha-?" Asia stuttered as she heard her adoptive older sister say that she would cook her new favorite dish. "You… really mean it?"
Izumi hummed and nodded her head. "Whenever you like."
As the blonde proceeded to hug the brunette, the fallen blonde was talking with the Leviathan Maou as the former kept gazing down at the bag.
"So how are you adjusting?"
"Adjusting?" Mittelt asked in confusion.
"I mean living with Bryce, Izumi, and Asia."
"Oh… well…" Mittelt trailed off before simply crossing her arms over her chest and let out a small huff. "Hmph, they're not too bad, I guess. I mean they are happy all the time and a bit noisy but it just doesn't fit with me."
Serafall simply gave her a wink as she gazed at the fallen.
"Now come on, I may act childish and have the well-endowed body of a sexy teenager…" Serafall started earning a sweat drop from the younger blonde.
'Did she really have to pose for it?' Mittelt thought to herself.
"…But I am a mature adult whose just as old as Sirzy and he's more of a siscon then I am. So, you don't have to hide your emotions." She finished.
Mittelt let out a small sound as she stared at Serafall before turning down to the floor and slowly her cheeks flushed.
"Well, I like them. I really like them." She stared as she released her arms and held her left arm and started rubbing it with her right hand. "Izumi's a big sister and sort of a mother figure, Asia is sweet sort of puppy fused with human traits and Bryce-nii…" she trailed off as an image of the said boy appeared in her head.
Her lips curled into a smile as she thought of him.
"He's so kind. He's been treating me as a person and he sees me as a little sister. Even though, he remains stoic expression on his face, I can tell what he's feeling." She explained.
"There we go."
"I got this gift for him and…." She trailed off as she stopped rubbing her arm. "I want him to like it." Mittelt said with a nervous tone.
Serafall simply giggled as she lifted her hand and gently patted Mittelt on the head.
"I'm sure he'll love your gift Mittelt-chan." Serafall reassured her as she continued comforting her. "Do you think he won't?"
"N-no but.."
"Ahbupbup!" Serafall silenced her as she pressed a finger to Mittelt lips. "No buts. That's all that you need to hear. If Bryce cares about you just as much as you do for him, then you know he will love your present for him."
"O-okay." Mittelt nodded her head as Serafall gave her a gentle smile.
At the stand, Serafall ordered their meals as they paid for their food and step aside before hearing the name called and picked it up. Making their way over to Asia and Izumi who the latter was listing off a bunch of types of burgers until they noticed the two coming over.
"Have you heard of the 72 pillars?" Rias asked.
"Yes, I know about the pillars of Satan and I know about those that are still alive and who is extinct." Bryce answered.
"Well my family, Gremory just so happens to be part of one of those pillars."
'No kidding. Did she not hear me when I said that I know about all the pillars, including her?' he asked mentally.
"And why is that bad? Your family is one of the original clans that was formed by the original Satan. If anything, that would basically have those who know you that are either lower than you or just blind idiots, lie at your feet all because your loyalty." He explained.
"And that pisses you off doesn't it?" Rias asked as Bryce's eyes narrowed at her words.
"The fact that your royalty doesn't but your attitude when I first met you did. The way you basically threatened us and your body language it was as if I was dealing with a spoiled brat." He stated.
Rias felt her heart sting at the statement as she was about to retaliate but stopped when she saw his eyes, cold and harsh eyes that have no trouble with killing others.
"Keep your mouth shut, you came to me for help and you're already testing my patience by being here. Please give me a reason to throw you out."
"Sorry."
"Likewise, I need to keep a cool head." He apologized with a blank face making the redhead sweat drop at his expression.
'He really doesn't change his expressions, does he?'
"So, back to the question."
"Right, you are right that I'm royalty but the fact that 40 of the 72 pillars are still alive and half of us were wiped out is not okay with the higher-ups."
"Meaning?"
"Pure blood devils." Rias answered.
"Oh."
"Apparently the council thinks that current status of pureblood devils are at all-time low and are not satisfied with non-pure devils outliving them. So, they decided the next best thing."
"Breeding pure devils by forcing heirs and heiress from remaining members of the 72 pillars into political marriages." He stated as Rias nodded her head.
"Correct…" Rias curled herself in a fetal position as she rested her chin on her knees. "In order for the pure blood devil to regain their dominance over those that aren't the higher-ups thought that Pure blood devils should marry those that share the same blood. Which forces us younger generation to bear it and have no say."
"That's messed up and ridiculous."
"IT's gets worse. The man I'm forced to marry is Riser Phenex." Rias stated as Bryce raised his eyebrow in curiosity. He's learned about the Phenex during his days in the cage, hearing the scientists that knew about the supernatural rambling on and on about the history of devils was worth learning after all. Phenex were known for their control over fire and immortality.
Bryce chuckled at that last thought.
'Immortality. Hehe, no one is immortal, even gods. Everyone has a weakness, all you need is a way to exploit it and then use it to your advantage.'
"So, what's this about Riser Phenex?"
"Someone I dislike very, very much." She groaned.
"You hate him?" Bryce asked tilting his head in confusion.
"Well… more like at his actions, he has an entire peerage of women all at his command."
"…What? Does this guy hate males or something?"
"No, he has a harem if you want to call it that. It's where he has multiple girlfriends all at once. A harem applies to both genders whereas the boy has multiple wives or a woman with multiple husbands." Rias explained to him.
"That sounds… unorthodox." Bryce said as he squinted his eyes trying to understand why there is something like that. "How does this have you hate his actions?"
"He treats women as if they were objects. He's arrogant, a selfish prick that likes brag on about how he is better for me than any other man out there and he's always trying to speed up the wedding."
"Mmhmm." Bryce nodded, not wanting to point out the irony in the situation. "So, the man is driven by lust?"
"Yes!" Rias said raising her hands up in the air. "All he's going for is my body and does not love me for the way I am." She exaggerated as Bryce stated mentally the difference similarities between the two.
'She's full of pride while he's full of lust. A winning combination, flippin' great.' He thought before speaking. "Didn't you ever talk to your parents about this, or maybe your brother since he's the Lucifer Maou?" He asked as Rias gave him a frown in return.
"My parents agreed to this and so did Riser's. As for my brother, he couldn't help much since he no longer bears or family name therefore it's clan matter."
"Are you serious?"
"It's why I asked him and my parents to let me come to Kuoh, I could form a peerage either before or at the time of the engagement so that I could fight my way out at the rating game."
"Rating game?"
"A rating game is a match between two devils with a peerage. It's used as a way to measure one's strength in the devil society and where they stand."
"That's stupid." He commented. "But then again, we humans have done more stupid things than anyone other race in the universe when it comes to social media." He said crossing his arms. "Continue."
"I only have 4 pieces, my {Queen} Akeno, my {Knight} Kiba, my {Rook} Koneko and my {Bishop} Gasper." Rias stated as she turned her head to him. "But you knew that already."
"Mmhm."
"I have a question for you Gremory…"
Rias paused as she did not like the tone of his voice.
"Y-Yes…"
"You said that you were looking for others to become your peerage members in order to beat Riser, correct?" he asked as she nodded her head. "So tell me, did you have someone hand a flier that looks like this?"
Rias became confused at what he was saying until she saw the paper he had in his hands.
"Yes, that's the one."
"And you had someone hand these out to people you think have power in them?" He asked and the redhead nodded her head. "Answer me this, you were planning on using this to get summon by Izumi in hopes she was killed by the fallen angel, right?" he asked and her eyes widened in shock.
Bryce was shadowing her that day. He shadowed her entire date and watched her best friend take care of the fallen before he went to take care of the ones at the church. He then encountered a familiar with a signature aura that belonged to Rias and was able to figure out what she was doing.
"I-I…"
"You were planning to let my friend die to the point where you could revive her as some savior to her?" He said as he stood up and his eyes were filled with fury and he slowly walked over to her. "You, a redhead who was willing to play God and decided to put Izumi's live in your hands and instead of going off to help her… you were willing to let her die and then resurrect her in order to get a strong piece so you could beat Riser?"
"All of this… For A STUPID MARRIAGE!" He shouted in the end as the air suddenly became heavy and Rias had trouble breathing. She started gasping as she struggled to breath and collapsed to her knees as she clutched her stomach, feeling the urge to throw up. She was able to keep it and went back to gaze at Bryce but when she looked up her eyes widened in fear.
She wasn't seeing Bryce… she was seeing something else. Red eyes leering over him as aura of death surrounded his body. Above him was a white mask with only the eyes and mouth sculptured to form angry look. And the worst part was… his smile. His eyes were blank and his smile was full of bloodlust as he stared at her.
"I think I know who you are Rias Gremory. You see yourself as this savior towards those that are in your peerage. That couldn't be further from the truth." Bryce said in a dark tone as he grabbed her by the collar and lifted her up to his face. "You are no savior, you are someone who thrives on gathering lost souls. You find those who are emotionally or mentally damaged and use that to your advantage to gain their trust and loyalty. Think about it, Akeno, Koneko, Kiba and Gasper, all just happen to be within your reach. Tell me what have you done since you found them?"
"W-What… what do you mean?" Rias asked only to get a dark grin in return.
"Have you help them come out of their shell, have you healed their mental scars, anything?"
Rias's eyes widened in horror as the pieces came together. She was filled with guilt as Bryce kept ripping into her.
"No, you've done nothing. Absolutely nothing, all you done was coddle them as if they were fragile glass that were ready to break.
Rias couldn't help but think about his words. Remembering all her encounters of how she had found her peerage.
'That can't be true, can it?' She thought as memories started hitting her head. 'Have I really done nothing to get through their emotional barriers?'
"You haven't train them to use their powers, you haven't even trained your powers yourself, how can you call yourself the princess of destruction when you can barely know how to expand your powers to help your combat?"
Tears started pouring down Rias's cheeks as the harsh truth started settling in her soul. Bryce didn't care as the anger was still in his mind.
"You Rias Gremory have failed. You have failed your family, you have failed your clan, you have failed your peerage but worse of all… you have failed yourself." Bryce finalized as he stared deep into her eyes. Rias just tilted her head down as she couldn't even keep up as the words hurt and it hurt her even more when he was right. She had failed everyone, her peerage, her family, her clan, and herself.
The tense atmosphere suddenly disappeared as Bryce calmed down and gently drop Rias who slumped to her knees and was shaking. She was close to crying.
"Get out of here. I'm letting you go because I'm so close to losing my sanity and killing you… so get out." He whispered as he turned his head away from her.
Rias slowly stood up from her knees and walked slowly to the door. She opened and walked out before pausing at the doorway and turned her head slightly at Bryce.
"For what it's worth, I'm truly sorry for everything that I have done to you… and I hope one day, we can start over." That was all she said before closing the door behind her and left the hallway.
Teleporting home, she made her way into her room and closed the door behind her. She then collapsed against the doorframe and soon the dam broke. Rias put her hands in her face as she cried her heart out, the tears non-stopping as she furiously tried to wipe them away but to no avail.
Back with Bryce, the boy let out a sigh before gritting his teeth in anger and suddenly took a knife from his pocket and stabbed himself in his left arm.
He felt no pain as he stared at the blood dripping from his arm, panting as he eyed his arm. Gritting his teeth again, he continued to stab himself over and over again as he sliced his arm all the way up to his elbow, stopping at the edge.
He then threw the knife away and let out a scream of rage. He howled in fury as he thought of Rias. The spoiled princess that was trying to kill Izumi, the spoiled princess that thought of them as a threat and tortured Mittelt, she was no better than the others.
Kill her!
'Shut Up!' He growled to himself as the voices started spreading again.
End her life!
She tortured your sister and almost killed her!
She's no better than the ones that killed you and Izumi!
She deserves to Die!
She must Die!
THEY ALL MUST DIE!
Bryce growled as he sunk his own nails into his skull, trying to keep the voices from getting to him. After a few minutes, he felt them fade away and was able to hear his own thoughts once again. Taking a deep breath, he looked at the mess around her and the blood stain on the floor. He was going to get questioned by Izumi and Serafall the moment they come in.
Bryce then took a few minutes to clean up his mess and placed a spell over the floor removing the blood stain from the carpet before heading to the bathroom and wrapping up his left arm in gauze.
20 minutes later, he hears the sound of the door being open and walking in came Serafall, then Asia and MIttelt with Izumi being last.
"We're back!" Serafall announced in a cheerful tone.
"Welcome back." He lazily waved as he continued writing in a notebook.
"Did you find a house while we we're away?" Izumi asked as she came over to him before glancing at the gauze on his arm. Her expression forming a frown she planted her hand on her hips and spoke to him. "What happened to your arm?"
"Oh nothing, just a minor incident that's all." He said as Asia came over.
"I can heal it for you Bryce-nii." Asia offered but the boy gently shook his head.
"That's okay, Asia. I made this damage to myself so my punishment is letting it heal like normal." He said while Asia still gave him a worried look. 'Can't tell her that she can't heal scars.'
"Oh, okay."
"You alright Mittelt?" He called out to the fallen who had a bag behind her back and was looking down with a blush on her face.
"Well..um… oni-chan… I got something for you." She said in a shy tone as she held the bag out to him. Bryce tilted his head in confusion as he took the bag and he picked up the item and saw what it was. It was a hoodie with a design on the front showing a multiple ghost hovering around and on the back, it showed two different masks next to each other, one happy and the other sad.
"Hmm."
"I wanted… I thought… you might like it… because… well i…." Mittelt got even more nervous as she stuttered and couldn't form any words. She was brought out of her thoughts when she felt a hand in her head and look up and saw a gentle smile on Bryce's face.
"I love it, Imouto-chan." He says as he put the hoodie on and looked down at the shirt admiring her gift. "I think… I finally have a favorite shirt." He said before turning to the fallen." What do you think?"
MIttelt only stared at him before smiling brightly as she was glad that he liked her gift before jumping on him and gave him a hug, as the latter smiled at patted her back. Izumi and Serafall were glad at the scene before the latter decided to share what they had bought from the store, Asia as well as she joined in.
Izumi, while smiling was inwardly worried about Bryce as the scent of blood made its way to her nostrils. She also noticed how tense he was when they came in, something happened while they were gone and as much she wanted to ask him, she saw how happy Mittelt was and did not want to take it away.
So she decided to discuss it with him at a later date. As the day continued, the group stayed in the hotel for the rest of the day before they had to leave the next day and then go to their new house.
The next day, Bryce, Izumi, Mittelt and Asia were staring up at the house in front of them with curious eyes, Serafall standing in front of them with a wide grin on her face.
"So, what do you think?" She questioned.
"It's… it's…" Mittelt stammered as she tried to form words but Asia beat her to it.
"It's so huge!" She said as Serafall smiled.
"Hmhm, it is. Before I left, I wanted to make sure that you all had a good home to live in." She said as she gazed at her Bryce and gave him a wink. "That and so I could check in on my little brother whenever I can."
"How caring." Bryce commented. 'For some reason though, I feel like that she made this so I could never leave her sight.'
"My sister and I wanted to make sure you wouldn't disappear on us again." A new voice entered the fray. Turning his head to his right, he saw Sona staring at him with a stoic expression.
"Sona-tan!" Serafall shouted as she gave her sister a hug, much to the latter's embarrassment.
"C-cut it out!" She struggled to get her sister off of her but it didn't work.
"Well at least we know what makes the president all flustered." Izumi stated before giving a mischief grin and suddenly she was leaning against Bryce's back and had her chin planted on his shoulder.
"Do you agree Bryciee~" she teased him but it did nothing as the boy just gave her a blank stare.
"Get off of me."
"G-get away from my oni-chan!" Mittelt shouted as she sprouted her wings and flew behind Bryce separating Izumi before wrapping her arms around him and gave the brunette a pout.
"HAHAHA! Too easy!" Izumi commented as Mittelt gave a huff and looked the other way with Bryce just staring into space as Asia chuckled in a sheepish tone.
"Alirght everybody right this way." Serafall guided them inside. For a few minutes they surveyed the house as the blondes found it amazing as did Izumi while Bryce felt foreign to it seeing as how he was used to living in small places.
The place had two living rooms, one for the front and one in the back with a dining table, a kitchen and laundry room, and bathroom that was all on the first floor. The second floor had four medium-sized rooms, and two bathrooms.
The third floor was just a huge room with windows in the middle leading to the roof.
"So, what do you guys think?"
"It's amazing Sera-chan." Asia commented as Izumi nodded her head.
"I agree, this is the biggest house I've ever lived in." She added while Bryce gave his own opinion.
"It's nice and foreign, it's so weird being in a bigger place." He said as Serafall chuckled and lightly pinched his cheek.
"Well I'm glad that my little brother likes it." The older Sitri said as she took out a pair of keys and took out his hand before handing it to him. "Now as of this moment, this place is your home."
"Agreed." Sona added, as she gave him a gentle smile. "If you need help moving in, just let me know. I can get some of my members to help if you want."
"That would be great." Izumi thanked as she went towards Asia and Mittelt and placed her hands on both of their shoulders.
Serafall turned to Bryce and gazed at him with a soft smile. "Well duty calls, I'm needed in the underworld for another meeting." She went up and gave him a big hug. "Just call me if you need anything okay?"
"No promises, nii-chan." He said as the girl giggled and let him go. Sera then turned and gave her sister a gentle hug as well.
"Keep an eye on him for me, will you?"
"Of course, someone's got to keep our brother on track. I'll won't let anything happen to him." Sona said as she released her sister.
A rune appeared under Serafall as she was about to teleport away from them.
"It was nice meeting you all, Mittelt-chan, Asia-chan and Izumi-chan. Take care." She said as the trio returned the gesture.
"Thank you Serafall-sama."
"I hope we get to hang out again next time." Mittelt commented.
Soon Serafall sunk into the ground as she disappeared from her spot leaving the group and now it was just them and Sona.
"I guess I shall make my leave as well." Sona said as she readjusted her glasses. "WE all have school tomorrow and I will be happy if you both came back tomorrow, as well as our new students." She said turning her head to Mittelt and Asia. "I look forward to seeing you both. See you tomorrow."
Sona then excused herself as she went through the door and closed it behind her. Not long they all heard a teleportation spell being used and before it got quiet.
'Well not that we're alone…' Izumi mentally thought before gazing at the two blondes. "Asia, do you mind going up and exploring the upstairs for a bit with Mittelt?" she asked the nun who gazed at her in confusion. "You two can go ahead and pick your rooms, we'll meet you up in a little bit.
"Okay, come on Mittelt, let's go." Asia grabbed the fallen's hand and led her upstairs with a smile on her face.
"H-Hey, I can walk on my own!" Mittelt called out in a flustered tone as she was taken upstairs.
As soon as they were out of hearing range, Izumi turned to Bryce with a stern gaze as the latter returned the favor with a blank one. The brunette walked over to him and grabbed his left arm and rolled down his sleeve, showing the gauze.
"What happened?" She started. "Something happened while we were out yesterday, so what was it?" She asked before her expression morphed into a frown. "You didn't have another episode, did you?" She asked as he shook his head.
"No… let's just say that I had a visitor and our conversation ended very… very distressful for both sides." He said as he walked over to the steps and sat down with Izumi taking a seat beside him. "Rias, visited me."
"…. She What!?" Izumi shrieked quietly. They were already on bad terms with that girl and all signs were thinking that Bryce did more than just cut himself.
"You didn't…"
"No." He reassured her as he took a small breath. "I didn't do anything to her other than make her face reality."
"What do you mean?"
Bryce then proceeded to explain everything to Izumi that had happened before her and the girls left. The whole time he was explaining Izumi could see the expressions on his face change from blank to anger and then to regret… which shocked her because she didn't think he would regret doing what he did to Rias.
"I see. So she's in a forced political marriage?" she started as the boy nodded his head. "And because of this, she's been looking for people with strong magic." She earned another nod. "So how come I didn't see anyone that day?"
"I did. I shadowed you and transported the familiar back to her master but I kept the paper, I held on to it so I could study it. Other than it being a summoning paper."
"Uh, huh. And then afterwards, you not only got angry but you ripped into her about not just what she did to us but what she hasn't been doing to her peerage and how it had affected them and her."
"I didn't just do that…." He admitted. "I was this close to killing her for such a petty reason, and I had half a mind to but instead I channel my anger into leveling her and telling her the harsh truth before dropping. Once that was done, I told her to leave because if I hadn't I would've killed her right then and there." He finished.
"So, your arm?" She gazed from his eyes to his left arm.
"Was on me because I was angry at her for it all but I heard the voices in my head, urging me to kill her and then start going on a killing spree…. I had to hurt myself to keep it from getting stronger."
Izumi showed worry on her face as she placed a hand on the arm and brought to her lap before placing both hands on his arm and a small glow of white covered his arm.
"Why didn't you just call me?"
"Because I knew that you and girls were having fun and I didn't want to ruin it. So I just sucked it up and deal with it on my own." He said, earning a sigh in response.
"As much as I want to reprimand you for doing something so stupid, i do appreciate that you for thinking about us first." Izumi said, grateful for Bryce wanting to let Asia and Mittelt, be normal girls and have fun, herself included.
Reaching over, she pinched his cheek in a playful way.
"Sometimes, you're such a good boy~'
"Alright, enough of that." He said as he reached to get Izumi's hand off of his face.
"Why, you look so adorable when I do that." She said as she decided to play with both of his cheeks, Bryce had a tic mark on his forehead.
"Izumi…" he growled as he was about to speak until MIttelt and Asia came back and saw the scene between the two.
"We're back from exploring." Asia shouted still holding Mittelt's hand, the latter blushing a bit at the sisterly affection.
"Good, hey do you want to join me in teasing Bryce-chan~" Izumi said as the boy tried to remove her hands from his face.
"Don't you dare…" he said but the brunette ignored him.
"If you do, then I'll make your favorite dishes for dinner and you can decide what movie we get to watch for tonight." She stated.
While Asia was conflicted on whether to join in, Mittelt had no problem as she immediately dove with her hands reaching for Bryce's face.
"Surprise Attack!" The fallen shouted as she tackled Bryce in the chest.
"Ow, Mittelt!" He said but couldn't move as Izumi kept his arms bind and Mittelt squeezed and pinched his cheeks.
"He looks like an angry teddy bear!" Mittelt said in surprise as Izumi laughed at his expense.
"I'm joining too." Asia said as she wanted in on the fun, as Bryce inwardly growled at Izumi for starting this mess. However he was happy that both girls were having fun and started acting more comfortable and open about their emotions.
Izumi however was thinking differently. Inwardly, she was thinking something else as she felt her heartbeat start running faster than normal.
'What…. What's going on…. Why do I feel so… happy?'
It was now Monday and the group finally decided to return to school. Asia was excited to meet new people however, Mittelt was wary and didn't know what to think since she would be alone since she is a year younger than all of them.
Knowing this would happen, Izumi was allowed to accompany her for the whole day while she kept Asia with Bryce since she wanted to spend more time with the fallen.
"Everyone we have a new student entering our class today." Koneko raised her head as she looked up from her desk when she heard the teacher announcement. "You can come in."
Koneko's eyes widened in shock as she saw Mittelt in the school uniform and not in her original outfit, the only thing that stood out was the fact that Izumi was in class with her.
"Everyone this is Mittelt Hayate, please treat her fairly."
"H-Hi, my name is Mittelt Hayate… I'm new and I'm not sure w-what to do… but please take care of me." She introduced herself before hiding behind Izumi who giggled at her shyness.
"Alright, Mittelt you can ahead and sit next to Toujou. Toujou please raise your hand." The female teacher ordered as the cat girl raised her hand.
Mittelt stiffened once she saw who was there, she remembered the girl from last week and didn't know how to feel about this but then she also remembered that she was the only one who didn't attack her brother. But that didn't mean that she wasn't part of the kidnapping plan either.
So, the girl slowly made her way over to her and sat next to Koneko while keeping her head down. Izumi was behind them as she leaned against the wall, keeping her gaze on the nekomata.
On the other side of the building in the second-year classes, Bryce was doing the same for Asia but the latter was so excited to meet new faces and quickly made 3 new friends. The perverted duo decided to join in but were stopped cold thanks to Bryce who after figuring out what they were planning kneed them both below before throwing them out the window and into the trees all while glaring at them with a cold glare.
While everyone in class were slightly astounded by his actions, Asia instead smile at how adorable her brother figure was for his protective instincts although she could admit that the boys that got hit before being thrown out the window were a bit much. However, once she learned who they were from Murayama, Aika and Katase, she instead relieved a sigh as she watched her brother go back to his desk and suddenly slammed his face onto the desk scaring others but to Asia, she knew that he was taking a nap. Knowing that she would be fine.
After classes, it was now lunch time as the group was sitting underneath a tree. Everyone eating bentos that Izumi had prepared for the night before.
Asia and Mittelt were eating as the lone boy of the group was leaning against the tree with his arms crossed and his head against the bark. He was taking a nap until he felt weight on his lap, opening his eyes he saw the young fallen pouting at him.
"What is it?"
"Eat." She said as he gave her a somewhat confused glare.
"What…"
"Oni-chan needs to eat." Mittelt stated as she picked up her bento, taking the chopsticks she picked up a piece of gyoza. "Not eating is bad for you, meaning you're not taking care of yourself, so eat." She explained as she held the gyoza to his mouth.
"Hahahaha." Izumi laughed as she watched her little sister lecture her best friend on the importance of food.
"I'm not hungry." He stated earning a concerned look from Asia while the brunette continued laughing in the background.
"Bryce-nii, you really should eat." Asia added as the boy turned to her. "You've been sleeping all day today and only been waking up if it's about me or if I tell you about something that I did."
Izumi stopped laughing as she stared at Bryce, wondering if his nightmares were haunting him again or worse, the voices were getting louder.
"I'm fine." That statement didn't really settle with them as they all pouted at his response.
"Bryce."
"Bryce-nii."
"Oni-chan."
If he could, Bryce would've growled annoyingly at the fact that they were trying to force feed him when he said he was perfectly okay. He was about to response when he felt a power spike enter the area, turning his head west to where the ORC was located.
"Excuse me, there is something in the school that needs to be dealt with." He stated as he picked up a black ball and threw it to the ground.
"AAAHHH!" All the girls screamed as the smoke bomb went off and covered their vision. Once the smoke cleared, they noticed that Bryce was nowhere in sight, other than his book bag.
"For the last time Riser, I will not marry you!" Rias shouted at the man sitting in front of her.
To say Rias was having a bad day would be an understatement. Honestly, she looked worse for wear, when Akeno found her. She was still reeling in the events from when she talked to Bryce. Her pride damaged, her feelings crushed and her heart burned with guilt and despair as if it was having a stroke.
While Akeno and Kiba have tried to get her to talk, she responded that she was just tired and that she had just learned the difference between fantasies and reality.
Confused, they decided to leave it be as Akeno helped her get ready for school and help her with her features. Rias was emotionally drained that she didn't care for her beauty, she was only focused on the members of her peerage.
She remembered how she met them and how easily she had found them as well, but more importantly, she remembered how all damaged they all were.
Akeno, with her hate for fallen angels and her father, Kiba with his hate for the holy swords and the loss of his comrades, Gasper for his vampire attributes and powers, and Koneko who was betrayed and was thrown to the wolves after her sister had left her.
They all had only fallen into her lap because of her older brother, who spoils her more than her parents. As the day went by, she's been going through the daily activities like normal but she still had felt guilt weighing her down about the truth to her peerage about her marriage.
While they all have met the man, no one other than Akeno and Sona had known that she was his fiancée and was being forced to marry him. So, she wanted to tell them the truth and discuss with them on how she was going to change but all that was put to a hold when her brother's wife known as Grayfia Lucifuge teleported in the club and had an announcement to deliver.
Rias could not have been more stressed out when she was told that Riser was pushing the wedding date to come at a faster arrival and as if God or Satan was laughing at her distress, the said man appeared a few minutes after Grayfia appeared.
Which leads to the events happening right now.
"Dear Rias, you know that the have no right to be selfish. The status of purebloods will soon be thinned if we do not act, therefore the marriage between is needed to keep the bloodlines pure." A blonde man with blue eyes said as he had an expression full of arrogance planted on his face. This young man was Riser Phenex.
A young man who believed that his family was more powerful than the other clans thanks to their unique ability, the myth of being immortal. Thanks to that, Riser was so egotistic and arrogant that he believed that he could get anything he want.
He wasn't even fazed by the glares he received from Rias' peerage, all the while Grayfia remained neutral and observe the whole ordeal.
"Are you willing to tarnish your family name for a ridiculous tantrum?" he countered while smirking at her.
Rias gritted her teeth as she looked away from him.
"No, I am not." She whispered as the blonde man let out a grunt of satisfaction.
"Then, you should marry Riser. Since there is no one more suited than me—"
"But that doesn't mean I will submit to you." The redhead growled as she glared at the man in front of her. "Not now! Not Ever!"
Riser shook his head as his expression started to become filled with annoyance. "Dear Rias, as a member the Phenex, Riser has had enough dealing with your games. Therefore, you shall be taken back to the underworld to marry me by force." He stated as his hand emerged in flames. "Even if it means burning your peerage to ashes!" He stated as he pointed towards Rias's peerage.
Grayfia was about to step in and stop him when Riser pulled his arm back but everyone was confused when they saw Riser struggling to move.
"W-What is this…. I can't move…" Riser stated as he tried to move his body but could not.
As everyone tried to figure out what was going, Rias eyes widened as she saw the small threads wrapped around him.
'Wait but that belongs too…'
"Now now, there's no need for violence." Everyone except Riser turned their heads to the window and they saw Bryce casually leaning against the window frame with his right hand in his pocket and his left outstretched, the threads shining from his fingertips.
Grayfia eyes slightly widened in shock as she wondered how this young man got in without her sensing him.
"This is just a simple conversation between two sides, violence should be necessary if the stage and events fit the script." He said as he started walking towards them.
"Rias, who is this young man?" Grayfia asked. 'He looks familiar but I can't figure out why.'
"He's um…" Rias was still stunned at seeing him, she thought he wanted nothing to do with her.
"Who am I?" He started as he released Riser and the flames around his palms vanished as he tripped before regaining his composure. "I am nothing more than your average teenager who enjoys seeing a good show. I am Bryce Hayate… its' an honor to meet you Grayfia Lucifuge." He introduced himself.
"You know who I am…?"
"There's not a single person in the underworld I don't know about…" He started as an expression filled with annoyance made its way to his face, his eyebrow slightly twitching. "My mother drilled history into me until I knew everything about all three factions, and if I ever skipped out or miss a question she would have Izumi bury me into the ground and force me to dig my way out."
"That's cruel and unusual punishment." Kiba said with a sweat drop.
"Eh, we all can't be winners." Bryce shrugged his shoulders not caring the slightest bit.
"Remove yourself from this place." Bryce gazed at Riser as the blonde glared at him. "This is a private meeting between Riser and his fiancee', a worm like you has no place being here." He insulted.
Bryce tilted his head while Rias glared at the Phenex Heir.
"And a womanizer like you has no respect for women, get a life why don't you." A new voice entered the fray as everyone gazed at the door and saw Izumi with a wide smile on her face, along with Asia and Mittelt who was glaring at Bryce.
"Izumi." He said before mentally speaking to her. 'Why did you bring them here'
'Relax, I hid Mittelt's fallen energy from being discovered so no need to worry.' She spoke telepathically.
After their psychic conversation, Riser eyed Izumi up and down like she was a piece of candy. However, Izumi was unbothered by it as she simply cracked her knuckles for what she was going to do.
"Just so you know Yakitori, I'm off limits." She stated as she blew a raspberry at the blonde man.
"You dare!" He shouted as he was about to roast her alive but was stopped when the temperature suddenly dropped.
"That is enough." Grayfia spoke in a cold tone. "Rias-sama and Riser-sama, both parties shall show restraint at once." She said as Rias and Riser both sat down on opposite couches.
"Even if the Queen of Lucifer is ordering me to stand down, then I shall comply." Riser said as Izumi snickered before whispering to Bryce.
"Kissass." She said earning a glare from Grayfia but was unfazed by it. Izumi would've continued if Bryce hadn't chopped her on the head earning a whine in return.
As the brunette rubbed her head, Asia started fussing over while Mittelt just let out a small huff while Bryce gazed at the silver-haired maid.
"Continue."
"Since both parties are unable to discuss this matter civilly, then it shall be settled in the form of a Rating game." Grayfia announced as Izumi, Asia and Mittelt looked up in confusion.
"Rating game?"
"Riser accepts this." The blonde chuckled arrogantly. "It will good way to make you submit before our marriage."
"And I will gladly return the favor in honor of beating you." Rias growled as Riser laughed at her statement.
"Haha! I find it amusing that you think you can beat me. I am an experienced in the Rating Games while you have never participated one. How can you win when you don't have a full set whereas Riser does." Riser stated as he snapped his fingers and in an instant, a flash of flames bloomed behind him and a set of women appeared behind him.
"Oh." Izumi said as she saw them while Bryce was unfazed by it.
'Weak.' He heard the voice say before shaking his head ignoring it. He also noticed a young girl with twin curls and blue eyes, he figured that it must be the man's younger sister.
"They don't look like much." She whispered after tugging Bryce's shirt, she then felt shivers down her spine when she saw Riser's eyes fall on her, Asia too.
"Once I'm done with you, I will move my next target onto them." He said as he pointed at Bryce and Izumi. "And once I'm finished with the peasant and the whore, I shall take these two young maidens and have them inclined to serve me." He stated causing Asia to shake in fear and tightly grabbed Izumi who now had a look of fury and wanted nothing more than to rip this playboy in front of her apart until there was nothing left.
She was about to until Bryce gave her a look and told her to wait, so she settled for growling instead.
Before sparks could fly, Grayfia clapped her hands together to get their attention.
"Okay everyone, the rating game shall be the deciding factor of the marriage between Rias Gremory and Riser Phenex."
"Riser is feeling merciful, so he will give you 14 days until the rating game to prepare."
"I'll take it." Rias accepted as Grayfia nodded her head.
"Then the Rating Game shall par take in 14 days ahead of time." Grayfia announced.
As Riser and his peerage were about to teleport away, Bryce then spoke to Izumi.
"Alright Izumi," he started earning everyone's attention. "Operation Nutcracker is a go."
The brunette slowly formed a feral grin on her face as she turned to Riser. Suddenly she vanished from her current spot confusing everyone at where she went until…..
CRUNCH!
"OOOOOHHHH!" A sickening crunch was heard as Riser screamed in pain as Izumi gave him a hard kick right in between the groin, with the brunette smiling at the shear agony the blonde was in.
The girls winced while Kiba shivered and on instinct covered his own manhood while Bryce and Koneko simply gave her a thumbs up.
As Riser descended to the ground, he and his peerage have disappeared leaving a stunned group and a laughing Izumi.
"HAHAHAHA! Did you see his face!" She exclaimed as she clutched her stomach with her back on the floor.
"Brutal!" Kiba whispered while Koneko held a board above her head.
"…Approved." She said as the score said 10 out of 10.
"Ara ara, Izumi's a little trigger happy isn't she." Akeno commented as she eyed the brunette. Rias was glad that Riser was gone and turned her attention to Bryce, she was about to speak until Grayfia spoke first.
"While I hate to interrupt, this is a matter between peerage members and since you are outsiders, I'm afraid you both cannot intervene." She stated causing Rias to frown but maybe this was the world's way of saying that she had no chance. Even with the training, she believed in her peerage but would their training be enough.
"Oh I have no intention of helping her." He replied earning looks of shocked from others beside Grayfia.
"And why is that?"
"Because this is nothing more than a favor from a friend." Bryce stated as he walked over to Rias and glared at her. "Nothing more, nothing less."
Grayfia frowned at his behavior before returning back to her blank expression. "Very well." She then turned to Rias. "You have 10 days Rias, make sure to use your time wisely." Grayfia stated as a magic circle appeared underneath her and she teleported away leaving the teens by themselves.
The room became tense once Bryce turned his gaze to Rias who stiffened at the contact, she was still in fear from the day before where he ripped her about her choices.
"Bryce I…"
"Save it. " He said in a cold tone as everyone flinched at his cold tone. "I'm only helping you because it's favor from Sona." He said as he turned and walked over to the window. Lifting it open, he was about to jump out but Rias' voice stopped him.
"W-Wait."
"I expect you to at least try and give your fiancée a decent fight in order to leave the marriage." He said as he jump out the window and left the area.
"O-o-oni-chan wait!" Mittelt yelled as she jumped out the window and followed him.
"Excuse m-me! S-Sorry for intruding!" Asia apologized before running out the door instead of the window.
"That jerk." Kiba growled as he clenched his fists.
"He's not one for conversation is he?" Akeno questioned.
"He's at the end of the rope with you all and so am I." Izumi growled as she turned her head to them. "Ever since we got here, you have been nothing but suspicious towards us and accuse us of allying with Fallen Angels. Which is ironic seeing as how you have one yourself with you."
Everyone went stiff while Akeno glared venomously at Izumi, her fingers twitching as she wants to release her lightning.
"And just how do you know that, Izumi?"
"Oh please, you're not the first hybrid I've seen not to mention you have that look of loathing and anger deep beneath that S personality of yours." Izumi stated rolling her eyes as she was unaffected by the stare that hybrid was giving her.
"You were exiled from your clan." She said before pointing towards Kiba. "You were a part of a failed Excalibur project, the only survivor." She said as the boy flinched before turning her gaze to Koneko. "You were used as a scapegoat for Kuroka's crime against your old king." She finished as her eyes landed on Rias. "I'll be honest Rias, the way you assembled your peerage is a good natural selection of a balanced team but it means nothing if you don't have the tools to back it up."
"What do you mean?" Rias asked, her eyes narrowing at Izumi forgetting her tense counter with Bryce.
"You are weak." Izumi stated earning a tense atmosphere from the others. "Not physically but emotionally, none of you are even close to having a sufficient amount of power to take on your fiancée and his peerage."
"You are in no position to talk down on my peerage, we can beat Riser." Rias said in anger as Izumi shook her head.
"Such a naïve child. Start thinking with your head, you cannot beat Riser not with your current level of power and when you all haven't even trained your powers." Izumi stated harshly, earning a flinch from them. "You all think this is nothing more than a high school fantasy dream, where you deal with typical teenage drama and the strays you kill that you think are powerful… hehehe….… wake the fuck up princess! Not everything is all kittens and rainbows, this is the real world where things aren't as black and white as you think they are."
"You take everything you have for granted." Izumi stated as she walked up to Rias and pushed a finger towards her chest. "You should appreciate the things your family has done for you, you go around the school masquerading as this perfect girl that does everything right, that all girls look up two and want to be like you but that cannot be any further from the truth."
Izumi grabbed the redhead by the scruff of her collar.
"You are nothing more than a self-centered bitch that sees herself above others and will do anything for a powerful peerage." Izumi stated as everyone around her started getting hostile but she was having none of it.
With a small head turn, she gave them all a terrifying glare that scared them. The air around them suddenly felt sick as if she was ready to kill them in an instant. They saw her free hand twitch as if she was urging them to give her a reason to go ahead and kill them, instead they all took a step back.
"You wanted that fallen angel to kill me so that oyu could revive me and then you would have my undying loyalty right….?" Izumi asked as Rias remained silent but felt the air around them becoming sick as if it was getting hard to breathe.
"Yes."
"Hmhmhmhm, well guess what…. If you think Bryce is insane…. It is nothing compared to what I will do to you. While he simply tortures his victims, I like to tear off your limbs one by one, I avoid vital points while cutting your limbs allowing me to watch you bleed out slowly as you die." She stated with a bloodthirsty grin on her face.
"So let me make this clear for you princess, if you ever go near him again… Sirzechs be damned, I will make your life a living nightmare, am I clear?"
Rias slowly nodded her head before feeling herself get dropped to the ground as Izumi gave her a innocent smile.
"Well then, I guess we have nothing more to discuss then." The brunette stated as she walked pass the frozen members of the ORC. Leaving them alone, she walked out of the building and went to the student council office.
However as she went to search for her family, she remained silent as she thought about her conversation with Sona from earlier.
'You want me to what?'
'I want you to help Rias get out of her marriage, if it comes down to it.'
"I assume this is the favor you want in return for helping Mittelt and Asia get settled her?" She guessed as Sona nodded her head.
"Yes but before you get angry, hear me out. I already told Rias that she's on thin ice with you both and that if she does anything else then I'm calling her brother and my sister to handle the situation." Sona explained to the brunette.
"Sona, give me one good reason why I should help her." Izumi said with a glare. "She did a lot of things to us that not only has earned Bryce's wrath but mine as well. I'm this close to taking her head off."
"Rias is not that bad of a person." Sona stated, trying to defend her friend. Even though things were tense between her and the redhead, she did not want to subject her to getting married to a Grade A jerk and remain miserable for the rest of her life, nor did she want her peerage to suffer either. "She's been so hellbent on trying to get out of her marriage that she hasn't been the same person that she was once."
"She set me up and wanted me to die just so she could revive me for my power."
"I'll admit, the way she did things was insensitive and unforgivable but she really does mean well." Sona explained. "Izumi-san, please, I know you both have issues with her but I don't want her to suffer anymore. If you do get her out of this, at least give her a chance to show you her true self."
Izumi was going to say no but she could tell by the look in Sona's eyes that she wanted her help. While Bryce wanted nothing to do with Rias, Izumi did want to give the girl a chance. As much as she wanted to reject the idea, hearing that the redhead suffering from stress of the marriage may have the brunette softened a bit.
Regardless Izumi was going to follow up on her favor anyway. Still that didn't mean she have to be friendly with Rias, she needed to see some progress from the redhead herself on how she would change, maybe then she might change her mind.
"*Sigh* fine I'll do it." Izumi reluctantly said as Sona gave her a nod.
"Thank you."
"Make no mistake though, until the redhead proves that she can be trusted and that she is different or is trying to make amends, I have no intentions of interacting with her unless it's about something that affects all of us." Izumi stated.
"Fair enough." Sona accepted as the brunette gave her a nod and silently left the office.
Izumi sighed as she thought about telling Bryce about the favor that they had to do and knew that he would be upset. She knew that he was not going to tolerate helping the redhead but they had to keep their end of the bargain, no matter how much they disliked it.
"Sona-chan… you better not give me another reason to distrust you as well." Izumi muttered to herself before continuing on her walk, inwardly thinking of ways on how to destroy a certain peerage once they meet up again."