I do not own the Persona series or High School DxD. Everything belongs to their respected owners.
Ravel Phenex was really beginning to not like coming in contact with human beings in the human world. Ever since she arrived with her privately requested escort, Isabela, all the blonde girl had was annoyance towards them. Almost every few minutes, they would be interrupted from their objective.
What was the objective? To try and find out whether or not this Haru character will actually be a part of Rias Gremory's Peerage. Due to how she acted in front of her brother, and how tempting becoming a Devil would be to most humans, Ravel came to the conclusion that the person they're trying to find would join. Not only would that massive construct Haru summoned be bad to fight against, but then the girl already had weapons that felt like they were imbedded with demonic power.
It had been a total of nine hours since the two Devils of Riser's Peerage had arrived in Kuoh. When they arrived in the small city, the two of them came to a realization. Ravel and Isabela know the exact location of where Haru would be anyways. They had a feeling they would be somewhere in the city but where exactly was the question.
Really, Ravel had lost count how many times she was subjected to this type of nuisance known as flirting from so many human males while Isabela had to fend them off. While the Rook didn't have to, Ravel did appreciate the gesture. Such appreciation was questioned when Isabela would end up being the target and she would break their fingers.
Right now though, Ravel just felt like giving up at this rate. It had been such a long day of nothing but wandering and walking. She should have packed a bigger lunch in hindsight due to so much exploring. Not only that, but this new human just didn't know when to stop.
"Who do you think you are talking to, you miscreant?!" Isabela exclaimed, stepping protectively in front of Ravel. The girl just felt like punching this person's teeth in due so many already having wasted their time through the entire day. Their search being fruitless with so many stops was really making her lose her temper. "You are talking to Ravel-sama!"
"Come on, you don't need to be so uptight. Just relax, we're only asking if you want to hang out with us." The guy stated, holding his hands up in a peaceful gesture. "Honest, it's all I'm asking."
"Noted and denied." Isabela answered for her and Ravel with a deadpan. Eyes narrowed into a glare while fist balled up yet her arms remained down. The mask hid one of her eyes, but it just made her seem a bit more deadly. "We've constantly said no but you just push no matter what. This is your final warning before I punch your teeth in." The threated was followed by a growl. "Go. Away."
Ravel folded her arms, glaring at the male as well who had no regard of their opinion. "You think you are taking both of us for fools? There is no way anybody would want to be with a disgusting human like you."
"Didn't you hear what I said before?" The guy still tried to press on. "Just relax." He smiled with what seemed to be honest interest but then there was the possibility of other intentions. "Trust me, you both will have a good time." He reached over and grabbed Ravel's hands gently while stepping past Isabela.
That was the moment the Rook snapped.
Before Isabela could punch the guy right in the fist, a voice interrupted them. "Oi, they told you to go away! They did, didn't they?! So why not just piss off?!"
As all of them turned their heads to look across the street, their eyes fell upon a blonde teenager just a year older than Ravel. His school uniform indicated that he attended the same academy as Rias. Watching him walk over, he broke the contact between the guy and her by stepping through the arm. He now stood in front of them, acting as a shield from the nuisance.
"How many times do I have to say it-?"
"How many times do they have to say it?" The blonde male growled lowly with his eyes narrowing into a glare. Ravel and Isabela only blinked at the first human to ever act like this during their searching. Stepping closer, the one trying to hit on them stepped back in response. "Why don't you do them both a favor – and go away." Ravel and Isabela were shocked at the amount of emotion in his voice. "Stop being such a nuisance! Why don't you just listen to them?!"
As the blonde stared at the one peeving the two Devils, that annoying human just stared back with narrowed eyes. An angry look was clear in both of their eyes. But the one who saved them remained stronger as his opponent just scoffed and walked away.
Watching the blonde take in a deep breath, Ravel and Isabela could only stared at the anger fixated on his face. Never before had they seen an angry look before. But soon, his eyes were upon them. Isabela stood at attention to guard her charge.
It was normal for guys to sometimes hit on females. But Ryuji was immediately reminded of Kamoshida slightly when it came down to harassing those girls. Even a bit more similar, the male acted so calm when doing it. Not any care, feelings, or concern for the females that the guy was trying to pick up. It just pissed slash irritated him off. It made his blood boil and act so angry. So angry that he went up in the guys face and began to act without thinking.
But then he turned his head and saw the two girls. He watched as the masked girl protected the other girl in the dress. Ryuji blinked and soon realized what he had presented. Looking down at himself as if he couldn't believe he was in his body, he released his sigh from the deep breath from earlier. Closing his eyes, he let the tension within dissipate.
"…Sorry you had to see that." Ryuji mumbled loud enough for the two female witnesses to be able to hear. Opening his eyes, he put on his usual straight look after calming down. "You two okay or something? Or should that question be for the other guy? You, with the mask, really looked like you were going to knock the living daylights out of him."
If there was one way to describe how the two of them were feeling, it would be stunned. Due to their slightly peaceful life within the Underworld with the only moments of mad conflict being within Rating Games, the change from the blonde's anger to neutral feeling was certainly a surprise. "Y-yes, we're both okay." Isabela answered for the two of them.
"Well, that's good." Ryuji answered, slightly feeling a bit awkward acting like that in front of a couple of girls his age. As far as he went with girl strangers, his experiences were not that good. It surprised him slightly that they didn't just say thanks and walk away. "Name's Ryuji Sakamoto by the way." He nodded his head.
"…" Both Devils continued to keep their gaze glued upon the boy as he introduced himself. Once more, they were on guard. He wasn't the first guy to approach them after all. But the way he caught their attention was… pleasant compared to the others. "…Isabela." The masked-girl answered.
"…Ravel… Phenex." Ravel answered slowly, doing her best to observe the boy while making sure it didn't look like she was checking him out. He honestly sort of had the description of a delinquent from the way he acted to the way he dressed sort of. It was then that she noticed that the two of them didn't say anything in gratitude to the boy's actions. Despite the barbaric methods, it seemed he not a bad person in the end. "Th-thank you for what you did." She mentally cursed herself for her stuttering.
Scratching the back of his head, Ryuji wore a sheepish expression. "Ah, it was no problem, Ravel-san, Isabela-san." He answered. It was kind of odd though. This may have been a small place, but then he never saw anybody wear those kinds of clothes before in an area like this… Wait… "Did you say you're name was Phenex? As in related to Riser Phenex?"
At the mention of her brother's name, Ravel closed her mouth shut and kept herself silence. If this boy knew the name of her brother, then he was a Devil or related to the matter. Isabela however was more vocal. "What do you know about Riser-sama?" The Rook snapped at the blonde, bringing her fist up just in case a fight would break out.
"Whoa, whoa, hey!" Ryuji stepped back, holding his hands up in a peaceful gesture like that other guy did before, but this was with better intentions. "I'm just asking! No need to be so violent! I'm not going to harm you guys! But… if you're calling him Riser-sama… then you're a part of that guy's Peerage maybe." He sighed, hunching over. "Oh man, what did I just get myself into?" However, the male blonde looked back up. "So what brings you two out here anyways? That Phenex guy around then?"
"Riser-sama prefers not to waste his time in the human world." Isabela stated.
Ryuji just gave them a weird look. "Then what are you guys doing here? I doubt it's for anything casual because of your Rating Game coming up against Gremory-san and her Peerage." He blinked soon afterwards… Aww crap, he just went out and ran his mouth again. This was like those times when he blurted out that he and the others were the Phantom Thieves. He really thought he stopped that habit.
Once more, the two Devils were on their guards. This guy mentioned Rias Gremory and the Rating Game? There was definitely a close connection between the two of them. Maybe he even knew about Haru. "You know about those?" Isabela asked. She soon ended up snatching the collar of Ryuji's clothing. "Are you a spy?!""
"What part of I'm not going to harm you guys flew over your head?! The entire sentence?!" Ryuji exclaimed back. "Seriously, Isabela-san, what the hell?!"
Ravel just sighed. At this rate, she just wanted to go home sooner or later. But… if this person knew about the Rating Game coming up… "Where did you hear that information from, Sakamoto-san?" The blonde-Devil asked curiously.
Ryuji and Isabela's heads slowly turned over towards the female Phenex. Ryuji blinked at the calm question. After such a tense moment, all of the suspense somehow lifted out of the atmosphere. "Uhh…" Ryuji intelligently answered at first. "From my friend."
"…And who is that friend?" Ravel asked slowly.
"…Haru." Ryuji answered with the same speed, ignoring the fact that he was being help up by the collar.
Ravel nodded with satisfaction. "Okay then." It seemed that their efforts were finally rewarded… even though such a reward should be bigger with how much time was put into such a task. "Is Haru a part of Gremory-san's Peerage?"
"No." Ryuji answered honestly, that was something he would never lie about. Why should he withhold that truth? As long as he didn't reveal what they had in mind, which he fortunately did not speak anything of yet, it was fine. He was pretty sure saying that Haru wouldn't be a part of the Peerage wouldn't do any harm. "Why would she want to be a Devil?"
Ravel stared at the blonde. "Judging by what you're saying, you've probably been offered such a proposal and refused with your human presence as evidence." She observed. "At least this concludes that Haru-san's likeliness of joining Gremory-san's Peerage is zero." Rubbing her head, relief flooded through her body shortly. "Isabela, release Sakamoto-san and let's-"
A loud growl escaped her stomach, cutting Ravel off mid-sentence.
The female Phenex found herself blushing in complete embarrassment at the large signal indicating that she was very hungry. Ryuji's eyes widened with surprise at the volume of the sound. "Holy shit, that was loud." He stated bluntly. "How long has it been since you last ate?"
His attention was immediately forced to Isabela as the Rook shook him violently, becoming protective of Ravel's dignity. "You have three seconds to forget what you just heard or else-!"
A loud growl escaped her stomach, cutting Isabela off mid-sentence.
"…" Ryuji just stared as Isabela's face began to flush as well. He soon caught a glare looking his way from both girls. "What?! I didn't say anything!"
Ravel just sighed dejectedly, just not in the mood at the moment. "Isabela… let's just go back home. I wonder if dinner back at home is cold by now with how long we have been out." She was tired and hungry, the day not being how she thought it would be.
The Rook however stared at Ravel, seeing the expression on the young girl's face. "…Very well, Ravel-sama." Isabela nodded her head, releasing her grip on Ryuji's collar.
The blonde meanwhile kept a curious gaze on them. For them to be that hungry… either they didn't eat much throughout the day or they worked so hard that the food from lunch wasn't enough. Ravel also said something about dinner probably being cold at her house by how long they had been out.
"…" Ryuji let out some breath through his nose with a concerned expression. Just as he felt his collar be released, he came up with something. "…Hey," He started, earning the glances of Ravel and Isabela. "There's a ramen place close by. That kind of food perfect after a long day of hard work. Why don't I treat you guys to a bowl?"
Once again, the two Devils were stunned by the boy. Once again, such gestures were unexpected from such a human. "Why would you do that for us?" Ravel asked curiously, being the first to recover. "We're Gremory-san's enemies. You're her friend, aren't you?"
"Yeah, I'm a friend of Gremory-san." Ryuji confirmed with a nod of his head. Soon however, he waved the fact off with a shrug of his shoulders. "But you're not enemies until the Rating Game happens. Right now, you're just two girls that are hungry after a long day. And what you had to go through… I admit, I feel kind of guilty about it." The blonde scratched the back of his head. "Considering that Haru was the main reason you both were here and I'm her friend and all."
"Ravel-sama, we shouldn't go. It could be a trap." Isabela protested with the best intentions.
"…That I'm not going to harm you part really did fly over your head, didn't it?" Ryuji deadpanned.
To be honest, Ravel didn't want to think. Honestly, she just wanted to eat as soon as possible. There was no way this boy was going to hurt them. If he had the intentions to, then he have left them to handle that annoying guy from before. "Lead the way, Sakamoto-san." She groaned.
TakeABreak
"You want us to go there?"
Ryuji turned back to look at Isabela and Ravel, mainly the Rook who asked the question. "What's wrong with this place?" He asked, walking towards a booth with a few empty seats. "Sure, it looks empty. But they make pretty good ramen."
As the blonde walked up and took a seat, Isabela and Ravel both shared a look before following the Phantom Thief. Taking a seat next to the boy, Isabela made sure that she was between Ryuji and Ravel in case he would try something.
As the two Devils looked around, they couldn't help but feel that they were in a warm and inviting atmosphere. The fragrant aroma of what seemed to be an alluring food hung in the air, invading their noses with its amazing scent. Once more, their stomachs began to rumble as Ryuji's joined in on the mess as well.
As Ryuji turned his head in their direction as soon as his stomach grumbled, he saw two satisfied smirks in his direction as he looked away. His face was scrunched as his cheeks were red with embarrassment. "Don't say a word." He grumbled. Getting out of his one second bad mood, he looked up to the menu which was between the ceiling and wall. Nodding towards it, he had to ask them. "So, what are you girls getting?"
Blinking, they both looked up at the menu while Isabela leaned on the counter. There were some… interesting dishes this place served. Really… there was no imagery to the display. It only contained the words and prices. "I'll have the… vegetable ramen." Ravel decided.
"…The pork ramen seems nice." Isabela answered slowly.
"Okay then." Ryuji nodded his head before getting the attention of who was probably the owner of the place. "One miso ramen, one vegetarian ramen, and a pork ramen please." He ordered for them, earning a nod from the adult before watching them get to work.
"I just realized, we haven't thanked you for treating us yet." Ravel said slowly, looking over to Ryuji. Honestly, she was pretty conflicted on how to act in front of the boy. She swore she could feel a struggle between her elegant side and a more casual appearance. Perhaps it was due to her long day.
"It's no biggie." Ryuji waved his hand while resting his elbow on the counter, his chin on such hand in turn. "I was going to have ramen anyways. But food tastes better when with someone you know I suppose."
While waiting, all of them stayed silent. Whether it was due to a tense moment or just an awkward aura none of them knew. Ravel turned her head over to observe the human once more. It was very interesting seeing the very first male his age to try not to have a go at them for their sake of lusting. The boy acted… rather normal she had to describe despite his looks.
Ryuji meanwhile yawned, wondering how much longer it would have to be for the ramen to be ready.
Isabela meanwhile found herself switching her gaze between the human and her Devil charge. Seeing how Ravel was staring at the human, she still chose not to say anything.
Apparently, their moment of silence without any sort of verbal conversation was so long, their food was ready after a set amount of time. Ryuji was about to dig into his when he saw both Isabela and Ravel staring at it. "Something wrong?" He asked.
Ravel didn't bother looking at him in favor of keeping her gaze fixed on the noodles. "What kind of food is this?" She asked carefully, trying to say the right words in case she would insult nearby people due to her lacking knowledge.
Ryuji blinked. "You two never seen ramen before?"
"We've seen a pasta of similar shape. Is that helpful?" Ravel answered with a question after.
Ryuji looked up in though. "Funny. I think Yusuke said something similar before." He muttered to himself before waving his hand. "It's some pretty good stuff. Just take my word for it."
Ravel looked back with a skeptical look. "Is it really that good?" A spark of annoyance flashed within her when she found out she was being ignored but it was quickly squashed. This boy at least was kind by treating them to such food. Her getting angry with him wouldn't benefit her whatsoever.
Ravel and Isabela looked at each other before attempting to take the chopsticks provided for them. None of them verbally admitted it, but it was hard and slightly irksome to use such wooden utensils. But they didn't want to change their minds due to a slight stubbornness at the moment.
Gulping down a mouthful of food, Ryuji looked over to check up on them again and his gaze fell flat when seeing them be successful while fumbling around with their chopsticks. "Here, this is how you hold them. Moving them around is a tricky bit, but you can catch on fast. You can also ask for a fork if you need."
Watching Ryuji extend his hand, both Devils almost sighed as their eyes reluctantly looked towards the chopsticks in his fingers. Studying the grasp carefully, both girls attempted to move their fingers into the proper position he did. Ryuji was feeling pretty awkward at the moment as two girls were staring at his fingers with such intense focus.
Finally, after a bit of effort, Isabela and Ravel both managed to hold some noodles before sticking them I their mouths. Isabela looked normal while Ravel somehow looked both sophisticated and delicate.
Their eyes widened. "This had a pleasant taste." Ravel complimented.
"Very good." Isabela added.
Ryuji chuckled at their reactions. "Glad to see you girls like it." He commented as the three of them began to eat in silence.
But now, there was no tense silence like before. No awkward aura spaced them apart. None of them spoke. But then it was a rather pleasant mood they all felt. Mainly because their bellies were being filled with a good food.
After finishing while paying for their meal, Ryuji stood up. Isabela and Ravel did in turn as well. "So, how are you girls getting home?" The male blonde asked.
"By our own means." Ravel stated. She then looked away. "Thank you for your generosity today." She added quietly.
"You have my thanks as well." Isabela stated. "Many other humans saw our many predicaments, but you were the first to ever take action to aid us. We are both in a small debt of yours."
"Ahh, don't mention it." Ryuji shook his head. "Well… aww shit, this is a really weird situation." He rubbed his head. "I want to wish you guys luck in the Rating game later, but then I know you're both on the side against Gremory-san. But I feel sort of bad at least not saying something before parting ways."
Ravel just gave Ryuji a weird look due to his words. "I think we both understand the message." She deadpanned. It was then she realized something. There was a very high chance that they would never meet again.
Now that both her and Isabela had the information they wanted, there was no reason to ever visit the human world again. No need to ever come to the realm. There was a chance that was why Ryuji was acting strange. "Well, perhaps this is farewell." Ravel stated, clearing her throat. If this was where they parted, at least make it slightly memorable. "I, Ravel Phenex, am satisfied with your generosity. Your actions will not be forgotten."
Ryuji just stared at her blankly. After a while, he blinked in realization. "Huh? O-oh, right. Yeah, won't really forget about this day either and all." He added.
Seeing them nod their heads, Ryuji watched Ravel and Isabela walk into a large circle and disappear in a flash of flames.
"…Well this was a really weird thing to go through."
TakeABreak
"And… done. How are feeling, Kurusu-kun?"
Azazel asked this question as soon as Akira made Arsene disappear as several weights fell from the air to the ground. The Persona was holding up the heavy objects before as it was another quick test of the capabilities of the summon.
Akira meanwhile looked over at Azazel. He had gone through a couple of procedures, filling out a form knowing and accepting the fact that he would be subjected to the stuff with his consent. Testing really wasn't bad although there were a few points to raise an eyebrow here and there.
"Who am I, what is my gender, and is my body in perfect order?" Akira asked.
Azazel must have been amused by Akira's words as the Fallen Angel grinned. "Your name is Akira Kurusu, you are male, and your body is cannot be in any greater condition. There was a small chance of testicular cancer I saw when I gave you that CAT scan, but I made quick work of it during one of your trials."
Wow… that was a lucky break then. "Thanks for that." Akira nodded his head in response.
"No problem. Can't have the great leader of the Phantom Thieves die at such a young age now otherwise I'd feel a bit guilty since I could have done something about it." The man waved his hand. "But let's go see if Morgana-kun is doing okay."
Akira nodded his head, wondering how his companion was doing at the moment. Walking through the rather spacious building (it was like the place he was living in, seemed bigger on the inside), they eventually made it to a room where Morgana in his Phantom Thief form was at work on something.
"Everything okay?" Akira asked.
Hearing his voice, the cat turned his head around. "Oh, hey." He greeted with a wave his paw. "How was the testing."
"It was a constant reminder of Takemi's experiments."
"…Huh…" Morgana only said, knowing almost full well what Akria was referring to when it came to that doctor. "Well, anyways, all the time you were going through those tests I finished a few various reserve ammo packs." The cat soon tossed the pouch he was working into a pile of the same pieces of equipment. "I even managed to make a few smokescreens as well."
"Well, well, fancy that." Azazel noted, looking inside the ammo packs to even seen that some of it was already filled with proper ammunition for airsoft guns. "To think you made this with iron sand, aluminum sheet, and red phosphorus. I never thought something could be made with that alone into this." He then turned his attention to the smoke bombs as well. "And these from thicker parchment and plant balm. How do you do it?"
"Trick of the trade, Azazel-san." Akira commented, looking inside while nodding his head. "Good, looks like this should be enough for a couple of them to carry total."
"Color me impressed with how you are helping out Rias Gremory's Peerage." Azazel folded his arm though as Akira and Morgana began to pack up almost all of the tools that were made except for one of each due to Azazel requesting that they leave one behind for studying. "For a Rating Game as well. Tell me, just what is your plan?"
"Just some bits here and there with some hope thrown in." Akira shrugged his shoulders as the Fallen Angel grinned at the attitude the boy displayed. "What the result truly rests on is their hard work and determination to win. We're just there for support."
Putting his school bag down, Morgana crawled in. Picking it up, Akira felt the cat shift around inside. Morgana poked his head out, body back in cat form, with a card in his mouth. "Remember this?" The cat asked, sounding a bit different with something in his mouth.
Akira blinked and looked at the card with a small fireball on it (Agi). "Oh yeah." He said in remembrance as he plucked the card out of the mouth.
Seeing the object being presented to him, Azazel leaned in closer to observe the card. "What is it?" He asked, trying to study the image.
"I was wondering if there is a project that you could do for us." Akira answered. "And it all revolves around cards like these."
Take that people who thought that there was going to be a Ryuji awakening.
But those that think that moment with Ryuji, Ravel, and Isabela was forced, don't worry. I completely feel the same way as well. But I was still happy with the scene.
This chapter was also supposed to be out two days ago, but then exhaustion from work and laziness got to me. But here we are.
What is this mysterious project Akira wants Azazel to do? How will the Phantom Thieves help Rias and her Peerage? Who will be awakening next?
No flames please.