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"So… any questions?"

"Yeah, just one. Are you for real?!"

A couple of glares were shot in Ryuji's direction as Haru stood up amongst the seated humans.

Now that their karaoke time had finished and they all had gone back to their respective homes, Haru decided that it was now the perfect time to tell them about the sudden appearance of Vali. The white-haired male's information might have been surprising, but the main shock was the person showing up in the first place days after the trouble he had caused.

"Yes, Ryuji, Haru has all the reasons to lie to us about such an important issue." Morgana deadpanned sarcastically.

"Can you seriously blame me?!" The male blonde questioned.

"Possibly." Akira was swift enough for his answer to not register in Ryuji's head.

"The guy who invited terrorists to attack highly regarded political members just because he's a battle maniac offers advice to maintain peace or something! Tell me that doesn't sound strange at all!" Ryuji kept on slapping the back of his hand into his palm.

Haru narrowed her eyes. "Ryuji-kun, I believe everything Vali-kun said is true." She slowly said, making sure that each word was understood. "If he didn't want us to know anything, he would not have come to talk to me in the first place."

"If that is the case, then these heroes that are in the Khaos Brigade are perhaps going to be a bigger problem than expected." Yusuke noted. "To think that they had contacted us already. I was correct to state that we would gladly play the role of villains if they were to be the heroes of humanity."

"Everyone thinks they're the heroes of their own story." Akira sighed while resting both of his index fingers right between his eyes. "Right when we already thought this Khaos Brigade was already a big enough problem, the situation has now doubled in bad scenarios."

"Awkward phrasing aside, shouldn't we warn the others about this?" Makoto asked with concern and a frown. "This is a serious issue that has to be addressed after all."

"I'm planning on having us finish this meeting first so we can possibly have a plan or at least have a mutual understanding of what we should do. Nobody stays out of the loop." Akira confirmed for the brunette.

"Kind of makes you wonder what those heroes are up to." Ann folded her arms while leaning against the wall. "I mean, why would that Cao Cao guy want to join up in the Khaos Brigade if not only it's a terrorist organization, but also one that contains all kinds of supernatural figures."

"True, they had already stated their intentions." Yusuke added with a nod. "But it makes one think just how they will achieve their goals by siding with the acts of terrorism."

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions." Futaba muttered.

Nobody said another for the next few moments. Seeing that was the case, Akira let out a groan while getting up onto his feet. "Alright then. It doesn't seem like those heroes have been contact us recently either, so they're still working on whatever they have planned. Best to keep in top shape or our guards up. I know it isn't much and sound disappointing, but is that good? You all okay with that?"

Everyone nodded their heads. With Akira whipping out his phone and dialing a number, the rest of the Phantom Thieves left for their rooms.

TakeABreak

Staring up at a large board, murmurs amongst a crowd of students were passed around. Everyone was furiously looking for their name among all words. Their identities listen to the public to display their pride and shame to their entire grade.

"Hell yeah, just above average!" Ryuji cheered while pumping his fist around the back of the crowd where the human and Devil group decided to place themselves. Turing his head, he gestured to himself with a thumb. "Told you guys I can make it fine!"

"Says the guy who would only study whenever any one of his friends would remind him." Ann remarked dryly while putting her hands on her.

"Yeah, but most of that studying was on my own anyways!" The blonde male defended himself. "Seriously, I'm not that dumb of a guy!"

"Then it's a good thing we kept on reminding you to keep focus." Yusuke commented before waving his hand as a gesture to the crowd. "Also, you may want to lower your voices. You both are receiving unwanted attention."

As they all ignored the eyes from the many students, Akira let out a hum of acknowledgement when seeing where his name was. It didn't matter that his name was even in that spot, he was just happy that he had managed to receive a high mark.

"Huh… first place with you right below me." Sona stated as she had found her own name. "I suppose it was to be expected from someone doing exceptionally well during their classes."

"Not as good as you though." Akira pointed out, physically indicating at the list with his finger to Sona's name that was at the very top. "Off by a couple of points as well. I can't think if I made a mistake or I got one of the questions wrong. A shame we're not allowed to have our exams back and look over the answers."

"You say that, but you should be proud of your achievement." Rias insisted, seeing as how she had gotten in third place and Akeno in fourth. "Out of all students in our year and the material studied, it's impressive enough as it is to nearly get a perfect score. Sona is incredibly smart as well so there was also the conclusion she would be at the top of the third-years."

"I wouldn't call myself smart, Rias." Sona turned her head while folding her arms. "I just make sure to review that material given to us after school. If I do not understand, I ask the teacher for advice and to elaborate on it and understand the work better." Her explanation was listed off while Akira shrugged his shoulders.

"It's unfortunate though when you ask a teacher for an explanation and you still don't understand." The boy remarked. "But I suppose that's what classmates are for, provided they are nice enough." He then gestured for them to follow him. With the other Phantom Thieves noticing their retreat, they trailed behind until they found a good spot in the school that wasn't near any crowds. "So… Sona-chan, do you have any big plans during summer vacation?"

A bit off tangent in his mind, but it felt a little strange to not only call Sona by her first name, but also adding that honorific to it.

Rias might have found it strange as well since he saw her give a surprised expression.

Apparently, the naming affected Sona visibly as she turned her head in an almost bashful fashion. "Well, we Devils do actually have something big going on... Akira-kun." She added on that last bit after a second while having to readjust her glasses. "What makes you ask?" As soon as the words left her mouth, realization dawned on her and she turned her head once more to hide a blush of embarrassment.

"I was just thinking we could try doing a few things together." Akira shrugged his shoulders while rubbing the back of his neck. "Namely around Tokyo."

That one name brought Sona out of her phase and piqued her interest. "Tokyo?" She asked curiously, leaning forward a bit. "Why a location so far from here?"

Ryuji raised an eyebrow. "You didn't tell her?" He questioned. Akira turned around to see that the blonde was asking and shook his head. "Well," The boy continued while looking back at Sona. "We're all planning on going back to Tokyo for the summer break."

"Why would you want to do that?" Sona asked. "Didn't you all already spend your summer breaks there last year? Plus, didn't all of you minus Akira live there since you were born?"

"Well… yeah." Ryuji confirmed hesitantly. "But…" He looked around before leaning forward and lowering his voice. "We were doing some Phantom Thief business related to Futaba for almost the entire time, not a single moment to relax. Yeah, we got to hang out at a beach. But that only turned out to be a decent experience." Eyes drifted Akira's bag. "Plus, experiences are a lot different when you're out with friends."

"Although this mention of Devils intrigues me." Akira spoke out with hands in his pockets. Feeling his bag move around, he pulled the zipper with just enough space for Morgana to peek out of. "What kind of event is going on down there?"

"To put it into simple terms, a meeting of the up-and-comer Devils." Rias lifted an arm while rotating her wrist, keeping a slightly strange look towards Sona. A detail Akira didn't miss. "Due to a few other Devils as well as Sona and I coming of age, an evaluation of all noble leader of the next generation is happening back at home. I still have yet to inform Issei-kun and Xenovia-san about this, but it should be quick and easy enough."

"Huh, a meeting of sorts. I suppose it does make since. I swear, this Devil business is reminding me of royalty for some reason." Ann had to ask though when it came to mind. "Wait, does this event take up the entirety or majority of summer?"

"I hope that the answer is neither." Akira stated. "It'll be like an entire Palace infiltration all over again with all of that free time taken up for work."

"This event sounds like a very big deal." Yusuke remarked, closing his eyes and putting a couple of fingers to his temple. "Not only could it be considered a celebration, but also a social gathering. All Devils from their respective houses standing tall and proud… I can imagine it already in my mind."

"Don't let that imagination of yours run too wild, Yusuke-kun." Rias halted the blue-haired student's mind in its tracks. "While one can say it is exactly what you have described, the mood can sometimes be anything but high depending on the situation."

All the humans looked at one another when Rias went silent after the statement. After seconds of silence, each one gave the red head a weird look. "You're not going to elaborate for us?" Ryuji asked. "Because it sort of sounded like you were going somewhere with what you said."

"What Buchou meant was that the main way that the evaluation is tested is with Rating Games." Akeno supplied for them.

"Then what's the problem with that?" Ryuji quickly questioned with a raised eyebrow while tilting his head. "Didn't you guys have a pretty fine time against that Riser guy? Not only that, but Issei's abilities have branched out pretty well also with him having a Persona."

"About that…" Rias answered, putting a hand to her chin to think about the best way to reply. "While that is the case, you could say that Riser is not as strong as the other candidates this year. Even with our improvements, I don't think we could even have a chance against them… Well, Sona is perhaps one that I can fight on even ground."

"And with the amount of significance winning a Rating Game in the first place contains… It's best to say that losing is not something anyone wants." Sona added while shaking her head.

Hearing those words, Akira decided to switch topics. "Speaking of the upcoming Devils events," He began. "Would it be possible for us to come along and possibly spectate then?" Receiving surprised looks, Akira decided that it would be best to elaborate. "I mean, we've only really seen the Underworld from Gremory-san's household for a single night. Not only will we be watching Gremory-san and Sona-chan's Peerages, but we could also take the time to explore the Underworld as well."

"So you're just going to treat their important moment like a vacation?" Morgana sounded a little bit disapproving from the bag.

"Note how I said the word could." Akira defended himself, gathering interested eyes. "If we are not allowed, then we can also help them out. If there are going to be Rating Games, then there will be deadlines. With deadlines comes time to train and polish up on their skills." He then shrugged his shoulders. "That is if we're allowed."

Folding her arms while cupping her chin with a hand, Sona let out a hum of thought. "Well, seeing as how you all are not only the Phantom Thieves, but also had a spot at the table of the Three – or should I say four – Factions meeting, I don't think there will be an issue with all of you going."

"Since that may be the case, we still should check up just in case." Rias notified. "Though with the amount of influence our siblings have, there is a high chance no issues will come up."

Akira then looked over. "You guys okay with that?" He asked. "Or would you prefer to try some stuff out in Tokyo that we missed out on?"

"…I guess it wouldn't be too bad." Morgana answered after a moment. "I can't really do much with you guys since most establishments would have a no pet policy and sneaking me in would play a big risk… Not that it really stopped you." He added that last part as an after thought.

"Yeah, I'm with Morgana on that one." Ryuji nodded his head. "I've lived in Tokyo for my whole life as well. I'll…" He paused for a moment. "I'll just let my mom know if it comes down to that."

"Same with Ryuji." Ann agreed.

"Hmm… the physical settings of the Underworld…" Yusuke said to himself quietly. "Yes, that could work." He then nodded his head in confirmation. "Going to the Underworld would be a fantastic idea. Mementos was one setting I had gathered inspiration from, and I feel that any destination related to Devil society could work out just as perfectly."

To that Akira nodded his head. "In that case, I'll ask the others about what they think. I'll let you two know later." He looked towards Sona and Rias.

"It might be a better idea for us to contact you about it." Sona said. "After all, there will be a few other things that would need to be discussed if you all have permission to come and visit."

"Sounds fair." Akira nodded.

At the perfect time, all the students heard a bell ring. Looking at one another, each of them nodded to one another and walked towards their respective classrooms.

TakeABreak

"So just to confirm, you all are okay if we're allowed to go?"

Receiving several nods from all the Phantom Thieves, Akira nodded his own head and pulled out his phone. As everyone departed and walked out of the room, the black-haired boy saw two other members of their household walk into the same setting.

"Huh? Kurusu-san? What were you guys talking about just now?" Irina asked in confusion as the fellow humans passed right by her.

Blinking, he gave a puzzled expression. Mainly since Xenovia sent him one as well. "Shidou-san, I get. But didn't Gremory-san at least tell you yet, Quarta-san?" Seeing that the blue-haired female shook her head, Akira shrugged his shoulders. "Apparently, some kind of Devil evaluation event is going on in the Underworld and we were just seeing if we all were cool with spectating it if given permission." Blinking a couple more time, Akira placed his face into his hand. "And now I just realized you were unaware of the topic and yet I questioned whether or not you knew what we were talking about."

"Devil event?" Irina questioned.

Realization then grew on Xenovia's face. "Oh right, that." She then turned towards Irina. "Come on, I'll explain it to you. I sort of forgot after you mentioned going back to the Church."

Akira watched the two girls retreat from his position with a raised eyebrow. "Okay, that was weird." He said to himself, looking back down to his phone.

"Hm, you say something?" Sojiro came from around the corner with a cup of steaming liquid.

He brought his eyes up once again. "Oh, it's nothing Boss." Akira waved his hand. Seeing the adult carrying the cup towards him, he found himself a bit perplexed. "Coffee at this hour?" He questioned before sniffing a bit. "No, that's not it."

"Just some hot chocolate." Sojiro offered, putting the beverage down on the small coffee table that was next to them. "It's meant to help keep you up a bit longer since it sounds like you got a lot of stuff on your plate right now. Just make sure that you don't stay up too late, got it?"

"What are you, my dad?" Akira joked with a small smile at the care Sojiro was putting in.

The man narrowed his eyes. "Not funny." He deadpanned. Shaking his head, he turned around. "If you and the others are going to that Devil event, make sure to let me know tomorrow morning. I'll be heading back home around that time."

"You got it, Boss." The boy nodded his head. Sitting down on the couch as he was left alone, he took a sip of the drink and felt the warmth spread through his body.

A few more minutes passed before Akira took another sip. "I wonder how long I'm going to have to wait for an answer.

TakeABreak

"Perfect, thank you for letting us know, Onii-sama… Y-yes, I… I love you too… Okay, bye."

Hanging up the phone, Rias sighed while a tired Sona was sitting in a chair and rubbing her head.

They had hoped that it would be a nice and easy answer to their question. Unfortunately, they forgot how loving their siblings could be and the topic easily derailed on other subjects such as their grades and rankings for the exams. Apparently both Sirzechs and Serafall were also in the same room so it sort of helped when Rias and Sona would shove the phone to each other to escape their siblings.

"Well, that settles it," Rias breathed out after a period of peaceful silence. "The Phantom Thieves can attend our grand ceremony if they desire."

"At least we're given a couple of days before having to depart back home." Sona recovered from her tired state and shrugged her shoulders with her eyes closed. "Since this is the case, then maybe we can go to Tokyo with the others and look around the sights. At least Akira-kun will get that time that he wanted. If I recall, you always wanted to check out… Akihabara was it called?"

"…"

Hearing silence as her answer, Sona cracked an eye open. "…What?" She asked when she saw that Rias was giving her a weird look.

"You're serious about it." The red head's odd expression morphed into surprise. "You're actually serious about dating Akira-kun."

Now it was Sona's turn to wear surprise. "Wh-what?!" She exclaimed, suddenly turning a bit defensive with red cheeks. "You teased me about this when he first confessed!"

"Yes, teased you." Rias nodded with confirmation to her friend's words. "I was sort of joking around… But to think that you were actually serious when you said yes…"

"And?" Sona questioned, folding her legs up so that she was curled into a ball in her seat. "What's wrong with that?"

"…Sona, we both know what's wrong with it…" Rias began slowly, causing the black-haired beauty to avert her gaze from her fellow Devil. "The very fact that you're a Devil and Akira-kun's a human is the main reason. Your family is also looking for a pure-blooded Devil for you to wed so that you can are able to maintain your status in our society… Not only that, but there is also just our mortality as well. Akira-kun will be able to live until – say – 100 years at best perhaps. You can easily out live him by centuries potentially. Those are just a couple of reasons beyond a few more."

As Rias listed off her reasoning, Sona just stayed silent through the entire ordeal. She still refused to make eye contact. Despite this action, Sona was listening with regretful intent.

Rias lifted her hands in a placating gesture. "Don't get me wrong, dating Akira-kun may not be that bad. But knowing you, saying yes to his feelings is an incredibly big thing." She sighed at how it only visually looked like she was being ignored. "Sona, I'm happy that you found someone that you like – perhaps even love – but don't you think that these are glaring issues as well?"

"We-well…"

"There's also the factor of Akira-kun himself. What are you doing to do if you want to stay with him?" Rias pointed out. "Ask him to join your Peerage and become a Devil that way? He may end up thinking that you had been going out with him all this time just to try and manipulate him. Not only that, but his strength is far too great for any of our spare pieces that we can spare."

"…He'll…" Sona managed to muster before falling silent and staring down at the floor in her balled-up form.

Another period of tense silence passed between them. Rias was the one to break it up with a sigh. "It's getting late and it's best that we rest up." The red-haired Devil stated. "Sorry about all of that. It's just… you're my friend, Sona. I just want to make sure that you know what you're doing…" Sona still didn't answer. "I'll tell Akira-kun about the Phantom Thieves' invitation."

Grabbing the knob of the door, Rias kept the metal in her grasp for a few seconds. Standing, she drummed her fingers around for a bit. Before she could open though, she heard a voice.

"Please don't tell Akira-kun any of this…"

Turning her head, out of the corner of her eye she could see Sona staring at her with hope. Blinking a couple of time, Rias gave her a small smile.

Making her way outside, that smile of hers was replaced with a frown. Hearing her own footsteps along the sidewalk, she looked down at the ground and towards her own shadow among the streetlamps. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her phone. Staring at the device for a few seconds, she dialed in a number and pressed the call icon.

TakeABreak

Feeling a buzz in his hands, Akira swallowed the beverage that was in his mouth quickly. Twitching a little due to the heat traveling down his throat and into his stomach, he answered while bring the phone up to his ear.

"Akira Kurusu."

Yeah… You can't please everyone… Previous chapters… and possibly this one… I think it's a fault of mine that I feel bad that there is no way I can make everyone happy and yet I try… Much to my dismay.

Sorry for this chapter being shorter than the other ones. Originally, it was supposed to be everyone in Tokyo for about a day or two. But… it turned out to be this instead… It can turn out to be an interesting concept to go through…

No flames please.