Seriously, this club's room was dark and frankly, creepy. Humans were extremely reliant on sight, despite not being the best at it. Since we had no way of besting night predators with their varied, unique senses to navigate in the darkness, darkness had been associated with evil and danger. Devils, on the other hand, thrived in such conditions.
No lights, all windows sealed. Several candles lit up. The room was basically a sacrificial altar for summoning. I glanced at the other human, who was holding her knee in pain. Issei was going 'pain, pain go away' on her. Yes, unfortunately, I had no way of describing that event more aptly than that phrase.
The members of both devil groups were all here.
" Ah, Faust-kun. Thank you for arriving despite my short notice."
The student council president smirked at her childhood friend, a smug glint noticeable in her violet eyes. Faint clink could be heard from the direction of the Queens, as the yamato nadeshiko's smile casually lowered the room temperature. Worse yet, directed at me.
" If it's important, then it can't be helped."
Rias pouted at me for reason I failed to comprehend, and glared away at the opposition. The other members were stunned by the interaction, especially the ones from the student council who only knew her outer side. Sona Sitri was not known for being emotional, after all. Then, her attention was directed at the gathered people.
I noticed a guy who was very much like Issei in terms of behavior. By that, of course I meant the most notable part. This time, though, they were stuck in a stand-off, both in arms akimbo, trying to intimidate the opponent by appearing as big as possible. Asia was sticking out like a bone in that situation.
" Yo, Faust. Go ahead and tell this loser to screw off and not disturb Asia with his antics."
" Hey, stranger-kun. Don't interrupt me showing this bastard his place."
However, the guy turned to look at me after pairing my name with the database inside the natural supercomputer all humans (and reincarnated devils, too) possessed. Of course, I knew him. Sona had been scouting him for 2 months, and finally decided on adding him to her peerage after Rias' acquisition of a dragon-type Sacred Gear. He took about 4 pawns, a far lower score compared to Issei but still impressive nonetheless.
Far more impressive than me too, of course.
After all, reincarnating me would only take one pawn.
" Asia, come here. Don't bother with those fools. Sona-kaichou and buchou are waiting."
" Yes!"
She tottered to me, obviously relieved from being released from that awkward moment and position. Of course, those two also lost their reason to fight, and obediently joined the crowd finally. Sona nodded at me, while Rias mouthed a 'thank you'. Apparently, those unruly pawns had been at it for quite a while.
" You, you're also a devil? So that's why you often hang out in the Student Council Room. But, you're supposed to be part of Rias-senpai's group..."
What a convenient explanation. I shrugged, letting him do his own deduction. I didn't feel like complicating this matter now, anyway. This dude idolized Sona-senpai, and sent me several arguably inquisitive gazes whenever he was invited to the STC room for interview. How could he refuse when Sona offered him to become one of her peerage members?
" Saji, Faust is human. Argento-san is also human."
Shoot.
Why? Was it to enhance the cohesiveness of her peerage, drawing a line between humans and devils? Perhaps she also noticed his idolization, and tried to resolve it as soon as possible? Hmm, perhaps also mild coaxing? But that's quite impossible, right? She herself must know the danger of a fragmented chain of command.
Yes, of course, I couldn't even get lost in my own mind in this situation. Not when Saji was glaring at me as if I stole his crush, in which case, could only be categorized as an unfortunate, but understandable misunderstanding.
" A human?! But isn't our policy to keep things secret to normal people? Yesterday—"
" I was gonna get memory wiped if I refused!"
Sona's cool and indifferent eyes halted the latter part, though. I shook my head at the top student of her year for making things more complicated. The other members saw his distress and quickly consoled him, to be precise, an energetic brown-haired girl and a buxom white-haired one with droopy eyes.
Was this in her prediction?
" Wait, so the human who wiped out the fallen back then, and saved Asia-chan is..."
The silence might as well be unanimous agreement.
" It was joint effort."
Again, silence. And that Genshirou fellow was avoiding my eyes. Great, now if Rias-senpai or Sona-senpai could just start... Yes, like that. That cough captured everyone's attention rather well, didn't it? Leave it to the top student in her year to get things done.
" Since new moon is fast approaching, we—Rias and I—are thinking of going to Forest of Familiars to get our new members familiar. From my side, there's Saji Genshirou, my pawn, and from Rias', Issei Hyoudou. However, only one peerage is able to go there at a time."
" Thus, we have to decide whose group will be going, preferably with a set of games. The ones to win claim the right to go next week."
Everyone nodded, including me. Even so, Asia meekly raised her hand.
" Umm... I'm sorry, but are humans allowed to partake in this?"
Rias, being the affectionate Gremory as always, patted her head and hugged her, ensuring that all members of the group would go. Of course, if not, why would they invite us in the first place? Well, I wouldn't lie and say that didn't cross my mind.
That is good. Interestingly enough, why only on full moons?
Yeah, of course they didn't explain. Instead, the explanation was about familiars and their potential benefits. Still, it was interesting. After all, human science rarely touched things like soul or astral or similar things, but here, I'd had lots and lots of encounter with the supernatural, and of course, the more... elusive nature of the world.
For example, this familiar bonding magic was somewhat familiar with devil peerage system in my opinion. Of course, I could be wrong. Nonetheless, after a general explanation of future events, it was announced that Rias and Sona would compete in sports tomorrow after school, so both group members were invited to see and cheer.
Sona's hand motioned a 'come here' gesture after the meeting was adjourned, and as the rest of the Student Council left, I stayed just outside the ORC clubroom. She was leaning on the wall when I got out and closed the door. Her petite hand was twirling a strand of her short, black hair absent-mindedly.
" Now, about you, Faust-kun."
Hm. The demonic President with extra strict attribute added to her stats looked quite cute like that. Quite rare, of course, but welcomed anytime. Especially when compared to an hour long nagging she'd given me during his early days of highschool.
" Yes, Sona-senpai."
" About the trip to familiar forest..."
Whatever expression on my face immediately made her flustered. I really wondered what kind, since well, it was kind of hard to feel lately.
"Don't worry! You're not gonna be left behind!"
" Of course. I mean, only one peerage can go there at a time."
I chuckled, eliciting a huff from her. Crossing her arms must be quite easy for her, since there was pretty much nothing in the way. I was very lucky that mind magic bounced off me, 'cause if not, my corpse would be fish food already.
" Then, what do you mean by that?"
" Maybe, if you want, you can also go with my group."
I looked at her violet eyes, trying to find just what she was thinking.
" Sona-senpai. That's no good. Your new pawn, he's quite fond of you. If you bring me along, it will possibly cause a rift between you and your group. Especially when I'm not in the Student Council, and in the opposing team instead."
What came out was :
" Sona-senpai, blatant favoritism isn't good for group management."
" Yes, what was I thinking... You're right, Faust-kun."
She sheepishly muttered.
" Mm-hmm."
" About that, actually... How about a drink? My treat."
The school had 24-hours vending machines in the new building, near the Student Council Office. Of course, most juniors wouldn't know. They only knew it was online until really late for club activities, since most people just go home after late club events. However, since this school was basically a dwelling of nocturnal creatures, it was very convenient for the Student Council which often had to stay late for managing multiple affairs anyway.
She offered me cola, and purchased a bottle of tea for herself.
" I'm not very familiar with sentimental matters, so please don't laugh. It's about Saji."
The can of cola popped open with a hiss.
" Go on."
" There might be a rift forming between Saji and me in the future."
Leaning to the wall beside the machine, she was sipping her warm tea. Come to think of it, Sona-senpai wasn't really tall, huh. I was barely as tall as Rias-senpai, yet Sona-senpai was half a head shorter than me.
" My peerage members have been pushing me to make things clear with Saji. And I had them explain this noon."
" Huh. How rare."
" Apparently it was something serious, with him not knowing anything about the supernatural world and just joined for a chance to be with me, or something along those lines."
" Err... That's quite far-fetched, but alright. Then?"
Let me say this now. Sona Sitri didn't sigh. The act of extended exhaling usually filled with fatigue was basically sacrilege to her. Well, except when she drank good tea or just finished a really well-written book enough to impress her, actually. That was why that simple and common gesture was shocking.
The rest of her story came naturally after that. It was a mixture of guilt and not having a clue, which were a really bad combination, by the way. Ever the competitive person, Sona didn't want to lose out to Rias. A dragon-based Sacred Gear was a powerful addition to any devil peerage, and she really, really wanted one.
Of course, when one possessing it strutted in front of her, she took the chance immediately.
" But, you scouted him properly. Personal history, behavior, and work ethics, all clear. You showed me his files about a week ago, give or take, and thus you must've been on him for a while."
Yeah, 'immediately' is perspective too. Surprise, surprise.
" True, but..." She paused for a while. " I suppose I was too hasty?"
I looked down to my feet, not really understanding what to say. This was the problem with analytical types. We dissected things down to their very quarks. 'What-ifs' and 'if-only' were our daily bread. I threw a side glance at her eyes, which she reciprocated.
" Were you?"
" I... don't know, really. I have to admit I didn't account for feelings or any of the sorts, and your next line will be as expected of you."
" This is not jojo, Sona-senpai, and I'm not Rias-senpai. I'm sure you're not disappointed."
She giggled at my comment.
" We can definitely stay here all night and dissect everything piece by piece, but I'm sure you've done that already. I doubt I can come up with what you fail to for days, perhaps weeks in five minutes."
I gulped my cola, down to the last drop, savoring the fizzy aftertaste for a while, and binned the can like a wannabe basketball player. I scored, though. Facing her, I put my hands in my pockets.
" Sona-senpai, what is your plan?"
" I don't know."
My brain instantly went into overdrive, listing out possible scenarios and implications, rejecting some, considering some, very quickly. Then, I was snapped awake, not literally, of course, by a snickering mini-sized student president.
" Sorry, was thinking. What were you saying?"
No answer.
" Sona-senpai?"
She coughed out of her mind also.
" Yes. Well, I'd like to handle this logically, but well, feelings are not very logical, aren't they? As unfortunate as it is."
" True. But I can't believe I'm witnessing THE Sona Shitori acknowledging the existence of things beyond logic."
A punch to the arm made me wince, for politeness' sake.
" It was your fault, actually. After you talked about Ctulhu, well, let's say my mind got opened. If I'm the illogical side of humanity, who's my illogical side? After that, mere logic could not become as absolute as it was for me after that."
" Nothing less from Ctulhu. Truly, a mind blower."
" Anyway, that's why I'm asking you. This matter is beyond my scope of expertise, and inputs will be useful."
For the very independent kaichou to be asking for help... Hm, I never heard of reincarnation to a devil being undone so perhaps the worst case was Saji becoming a Stray. I mean, that should be the case, judging from her demeanor.
Huh, well. A stray devil with draconic Sacred Gear. Power still immature, wouldn't be hard to take care of for someone of her caliber. It's quite possible that she felt guilty for opening such dangerous future complications, so there's that.
" I see. Can't help you then."
There was a wry smile on my face. Sona Sitri's eyes widened in surprise as she struggled to find a reply. Finally, she managed to piece together a response.
" That's surprising. I thought you're very familiar with this, since you quite like psychology."
" I like psychology because I'm not familiar with that stuff, not the opposite."
I huffed and looked at the sky.
" If you want a rational plan with sufficient risk-management to turn him obedient, then maybe I can help. Of course, there's risk and stuff, but that's for dealing with tools anyway. But you don't want that, right?"
Creases appeared on her forehead as she tried carressing her stress away. Honestly, love, of all things. Perhaps this Sona Sitri was a super model student slash devil heiress slash strategist, but this reminded me she was still a normal high school female.
" Still, it'll be nice if he has someone or two to fall back to when things go south, even better if they have amiable relation with you. I think Meguri-san, and Momo-senpai can do that job just fine."
She contemplated my words, her hand supporting her chin.
" True, and that'll prevent him going Stray immediately and without warning. I didn't notice them eyeing Saji like that, though."
" Of course not. Maybe in the future, but at least there's possibility. That's more than enough already, for now."
The usually stern senpai also binned her bottle, still with solemn expression. She didn't understand what to do, and the one person she went to for help wasn't doing any better. Really, most matters concerning love and affection would likely mean throwing logic and calcultions out of the window. Thus, I couldn't. I accepted their existence, and respected them, but there was no way I could deal with them properly, at least in the foreseeable future.
Cue the gnawing anxiety and fear suddenly rearing their ugly heads. I'd allowed myself to feel a little too much, and this was the consequence. And what followed was stomping out ridiculous thoughts my hyperactive brain was pulling out of nowhere.
Never again visiting the Student Council due to the whole peerage fighting each other.
The president having to exert her power as a King to either force her pieces to submission, or just declare them Strays.
Perhaps becoming a scapegoat, which wasn't anything new.
Oh. Now that's better. 'Nothing new' wasn't so bad, especially when it's attached to those kinds of thoughts. Fortunately, this happened quite often, and humans had surprisingly high adapting capabilities. All that happened in seconds, apparently, even though I certainly felt much longer.
" Faust-kun."
" Yes, Sona-senpai."
" This is... quite difficult, isn't it?"
I sighed, getting a frown from the female devil, and looked at the dark sky. In a way, Sona Sitri was somewhat similar to me, as in finding difficulties in winging things and understanding this enigma called emotions.
" Sure is."
Third person POV
Faust's entrance to his home wasn't obstructed by locked door, as it usually would when he came home too late. Of course, telling his parents he'd be late was almost like an instinct, as being locked out brought out some very annoying repercussions. For example, his inquisitive mother's questions about whether he needed to go home at all.
It seemed his mother's mood had recovered well.
Or not.
Because a redhead was sitting on his chair, spinning around while going 'wheee~'. The sight was quite surreal even after knowing the heiress's weird habits.
" Rias-senpai..."
The jolt from her lifted both her and chair several inches off the ground. She landed on the floor, luckily not as noisily as he thought. He casually put down his bag, popped a few stiff joints, and silently retrieved change of clothes before leaving her in his room since apparently, she enjoyed her time without him there.
" No need to mind me, Rias-senpai."
With those parting words, he closed the door. Rias could only be dumbstruck, her eyes fixed to the male during the smoothly executed event. The next 20 minutes were spent on her clutching her head in shame, messing up the crimson mane she called hair.
She wanted to drop on the floor and started rolling, but the prospect of him walking in again was just too embarassing. After hearing the door being opened, she thanked her past self for stellar decision-making and restraint. The timing was just too impeccable.
Faust Kuroki looked at his club president who was stiffly kneeling on his chair with a deadpan look, not because he couldn't be bothered showing emotions, but because he really didn't know what to do here. Not everyday the most popular girl in school, who just happened to be a devil that could obliterate him in seconds, was spinning around on his chair while going 'whee~'.
Said person was also kneeling while covering her face with her hands.
" Rias-senpai, is there something you want to tell me?"
" About tomorrow... It seems that Susan's crush replied, agreeing to meet her. She called for us again to accompany her. I'd like you to come with."
He fell deep in thought, weighing his choices.
" After your match with Sona-senpai? Well, tomorrow's Saturday so school ends early... Quite viable, since we have at least 90 minutes until then."
As a freshman, he didn't have any class for Saturday, except for some special electives, like swimming for physical eds. Starting from second year, students would have to go during Saturdays for half day.
Slacking off at school sounded pretty amazing, especially with the lavish furnitures provided for the devil peerages. The immorality was dripping, and the thought of not having to be home for a day was too appetizing.
" Alright."
" Okay. I'll come pick you up about 20 minutes before."
" It's fine, Rias-senpai. I'm going to school to see your match tomorrow, anyway. What's the game going to be?"
Her fingers opened, letting her blue-green orbs peek out.
" Tennis."
Faust nodded curtly, and sat on his bed. Unfortunately, Faust had never started any casual banter himself, because he never saw any need to it, unfamiliar with most popular topics, and a tad too awkward to do so. Of course he didn't know the latest action or drama or some band going viral, he never watched TV, anyway.
He really was benefitting from Rias still reeling of shame.
" Do you think the confession will succeed?"
Her words shelved the idea of grabbing his smartphone to read. Susan's crush was a complete unknown. Thus, he had no idea at all. There was a possibility of her liking another as eccentric as she was, but that didn't rule out the opposite. He didn't think any normal person could appreciate an arrow stuck to his window frame or locker.
That alone was a recipe for disaster.
But from Rias's hopeful expression, Faust knew that saying his honest opinion would cause a long, heated debate about something very illogical, and thus tiring, at least for him.
" I'm hoping to see a fully armored European knight strutting with a shield and javelin, speaking better ancient English than language professors."
She giggled at his response.
" Why not ride a pony while at it?"
" Then I'll get speared and beheaded for laughing uncontrollably, probably after I die of breathing problems. Then I can be a devil for real."
The giggle evolved to a full-blown laugh, which he replied with a smirk.
" So, what magic have you tried? Aside from that analyzer."
" I'm getting over the basics. You know, shields, limited telekinesis, stuff like that. I'm trying something else at the moment, I don't know if it'll succeed, though."
" You can ask me for tips, you know? I may not seem like it, but I'm one of the best mages of my age."
She proudly puffed out her bountiful chest, straining the fabric of her school uniform. Faust was torn between encouraging or stopping such action. The awkwardness afterwards would be plain terrible.
" But hey", he thought. " She's been naked around me several times already."
Still, he decided to act the proper voice of reason, and diverted the subject before an 'accident' happen. Picking up his smartphone and opening the notes, he looked at several questions he needed confirmation to. Unlike Rias, he did't have what people would call 'common sense' in magic.
What he was going to do would go against pretty much all theories, and step a whole foot in the grey moral zone. As in, 'should robots have rights in the future?', or 'should advanced Ais be considered alive and conscious' type of grey.
He'd read enough theories, and understood them, and connected them properly as basis for his experiment. The reference was a former Astaroth family scion who discovered that magic could be used to 'program' phenomenas, and dubbed it Kankara formula.
Truth be told, Rias and Sona originally only wanted to lend him books of their original curriculum, but he proceeded so quickly and inferred things from them to the point they actually gave him the books of the more advanced subjects from their family libraries, in hopes he could explain it to them in a simpler manner when and if they needed.
" And take his mind off from considering impromptu dissection session on one of us."
Rias regretted her offer the instant she read the notes. Breezing through the applications of magic principles that sounded rather ridiculous, but somehow possible as he read on. His notes were rather jumbled, and tailor-made for his own use. Thus, he opted to just tell her instead of letting her read.
However, one of them caught her attention more than the others.
" Well, that's an interesting question. How to bypass the biological cycle of mana, huh? Really, you're the first one to ask that. Hmm, well, like the author, I want to say it's impossible, but I don't even get half of your thought process about this. Tell me, Faust-kun, are you spiting me or something?"
" Am I?"
Her teasing tone was sarcastically replied, although some people might not even catch on his intent. His response was followed with a dull thud as he let his body fall down.
" Most people are going to take this as an insult, you know?"
" Rias-senpai, I'm not that arrogant."
Despite the many times he'd been called smart or genius in his life, he never thought of himself as such. Perhaps a few fleeting moments, but he knew that such idiotic thoughts weren't made by someone actually smart. Those people became mad scientists that allowed, no, instigated death and destruction in the name of science.
And scream, 'how could I, this [REDACTED] be defeated right here?!' Or, 'this is no place for a mind as brilliant as mine to die!' sooner or later. Faust entertained such thoughts and smiled wryly. There were already too many people who thought of themselves as some sort of hero or chosen one, and all of them often ended up absolutely screwed.
" But I'm sure there's some sort of unique ability like that, right? Draining out magic, or something along those lines?"
" Well, there are. But this is... Well, I think it's impossible, and unheard of."
" Why?"
" Because all of them use already processed mana."
" I see."
" By the way, how's the progress? Did you find him?"
Rias shifted her position a bit, trying to be a little more at ease. His chair was weirdly comfortable, even though it was a far cry from her super lavish victoria-style chair inside the clubroom.
" Yeah."
Her lips thinned a little, and the eyebrows creased as her expression turn to that of worry and surprisingly, disappointment. Faust decided to tear off the bandage a little gentler than he'd wanted.
" I don't know how to approach that guy, though."
Rias gripped the chair's back tightly, to the point cracking sounds could be heard from it. Her difficult expression didn't falter even while folding her hands on her thigs.
" Is there really no other way? Do we really have to meet him?"
" It's the most surefire way, Rias-senpai. This matter is far too big for us to handle already."
His tone was serious, she thought. And very calm, almost deadpan too. It was the same when he faced against Freed not long ago, and when he went to infiltrate the enemy base. He said it as if he was saying that earth is NOT flat to a certain outlier group.
" I-I can tell my brother, you know. He's a maou, I bet he can do something."
She voiced her thoughts, a little louder than her her usual voice. Hints of unwillingness, desperation, and doubts were present. Rias herself knew that weak argument could be shot down instantly. In fact, that was one of the arguments they put on hold.
Surprisingly, Faust was silent. Even though Sona had indicated his dislike towards ignorance and lack of improvement, this argument was not brutally ripped apart.
She expected him to say, "with such unclear time-table, the best your brother could do was place guards here, and there weren't many people capable of even halting Kokabiel in the first place. And then, with the appearance of guards, Kokabiel would take precautions against him, with possibility of worse outcome." With a maou's position, he couldn't possibly stay with Rias until who knew when.
...Not to mention her personal circumstances. Honestly, she would've been better off dead, but this wasn't just about her.
The enemy could always tire them out, and attack when the guard was down. In terms of chess, Rias and Sona were hanging pieces. Almost zero defensive power.
" I know, it's a bad idea... But this is a leader of a faction we're talking about."
She thought it was wiser to backpedal while she could, before Faust could enact a roasting nasty enough to kill her out of depression. Despite his mild temper, Faust could be extremely terrifying during unexpected moments. The worst part was that sometimes they were unintentional.
" I know. That's why I'm going alone, Rias-senpai."
" Because you're incospicuous?"
" Yeah, well, that too. But, I actually know the guy."
He huffed, almost seemingly annoyed by the turn of fate that actually could be turned to a huge advantage. It was just too funny when he surfed the guy's profile on almost all social platforms, and only found one in a researching platform.
Professor Azazel Blackwing, one of the professors that came to his middle school once, pointing out their similarities of having names from legendary figures. Interestingly enough, he called him Faust, almost like meeting an old friend that one time, before reverting to using the less casual last name.
" Still didn't make the prospect of meeting and probably, negotiating with him any more pleasant, though."
Rias, on the other hand, was running a very different train of thought inside her mind. Faust was very good at strategizing, so he might understand the repercussions if she were to give the devil king information. Not to mention her overbearing family and their obsession towards kids, her tosser of a fiancee would definitely jump at a chance to tie her up.
" Wait, is he..."
" Faust-kun, are you being considerate for me?"
His brown eyes met her blue-green ones.
" A devil princess meeting another faction leader is a bad idea, no matter how you cut it. Even worse with the factions' icy relation."
" Right, I mean..."
He tilted his head in confusion. Rias' words died in her mouth with that gesture. However, the worry that powered such words in the first place was still gnawing her insides. This was a leader of faction they were talking about, who could kill her with a tick of a finger, and him, with even less effort.
However, unlike her, it's a total waste of time to kill him. Thus, in a way, he had far better chance of survival compared to her. Not that it could be considered 'safe' at all. It was a choice between a rock and hard place, really. The Governor could've evaporated him out of mere whim, unlike her.
" But, let's shelf this discussion for a while, Rias-senpai. Any further, and I will probably engage in a very deep thinking session all night."
" You're right. A lady definitely needs her beauty sleep, doesn't she?"
Her wink indicated a well hidden jab. She was glad the heavy discussion was shelved, even for just this night. There were too many problems for a fledgling devil like her, not to mention how heavy they were.
She decided to focus on lighter ones.
" Sure you do, Rias-senpai."
For example, his slight smirk and very, very droopy eyes. If his normal version was half-dead, then he could be considered one step in the grave right now. That combination caused a slight flutter in her stomach. It didn't help that he looked barely emotional, even slightly tense all the time.
It was one of the rare moments Faust showed anything other than his icy 'roaches will die better death than you faulty excuse of intelligent beings' face, or calm face that was somehow not cold, or mad scientist 'I wanna see how your intestines look like' grin, and dare she say, he looked surprisingly cute. The devilish kind of cute, especially because there was a remnant of 'mad scientist' mode left.
There was something about him almost nodding off more than a few times.
" Rias-senpai?"
" Hmm?"
" What are you looking for?"
During their conversation, She'd been looking around his room. For the last few minutes, though, she'd been staring at him the way one would stare a hamster eating. Eating seeds of course, not their own offsprings, otherwise he'd be rather concerned.
People often called him grandpa, due to his rather mature way of thinking reflected on his words. Never would he even consider himself be associated with cuteness.
His notice flustered her, thus further increasing his curiosity.
" I was wondering that all your books are either novels or non-fictions. I thought maybe I could find a manga or two, maybe light novels..."
She picked up one book lying on his table. She didn't even know one could lie with statistics. Wasn't statistics supposed to prevent lying in the first place?
" I can always borrow them from Issei. Besides, I'm not allowed to have one of those."
" Damn."
" Yeah, I guess. If you want manga, though..."
He walked to his wardrobe. His wardrobe had two very different spaces. One was used for hanging clothes like formal wear, shirts, and the likes. The other was filled with folded casual wears, and loungewears stacked on shelves. On the two top shelves, there were a collection of books. He pulled out the outer part, comprised of similar books he'd seen.
Rias was surprised to see him pulling out several volumes of manga, although very old ones from the inner part.
" Here you go."
" Wow. I... thought you hate manga."
" Why would you ask if I have one if you think so?"
" Fair point."
He sat back on his bed, carrying one of the volumes. Unlike most kids nowadays, Faust took care of his books very well. He caressed its binding in nostalgia.
" Even I used to have times when I want to see one of these."
She wasn't reading it.
" Not your genre?"
" N-No! I mean, I like action. It's just that..."
He tilted his head a bit, coaxing out a response.
" I've read this so many times I can map all the scenes inside my brain."
Well, what a surprise, he thought. The esteemed devil princess was a diehard otaku. Japan truly was amazing. Manga and anime had taken over foreigners, even from another plane of existence. How cool was that? In the first place, it was quite strange why she chose Japan. Europe would be far closer in terms of culture to devils. Faust finally answered one of his back burner questions.
She soon opened it, although it wasn't quite reading, more like flipping around an album.
" Say, Faust."
" Hm?"
He'd returned the rest of the manga to their original place. The last time they were discovered, Faust witnessed them burnt in the backyard. It was scarring, seeing the result of months of careful planning and saving destroyed.
It was during grade school, though. Now, he found the thought of Rias finding out unsurprisingly amusing. He sat back on his bed, training his control of magic.
" Aren't you going to ask about my fiancee?"
He was silent. He was trying to avoid that particular topic, and his consideration was paid in spades with this. It was expected that he started thinking that karma was a fraud concept.
" How am I supposed to talk about a problem I can't solve?"
" If you insist, then. How bad is he? "
He couldn't solve her problem now, but enough information meant victory in any front. Even though he'd never claim that as absolute, but at least they'd be pretty close. Rias sulked on his chair, and even the ever stoic Faust couldn't help but savor such rare occurence.
" Very bad, the kind that I don't ever want to face in life if possible."
" Devils live a very long life."
" That's why I said it."
" Is he at a crossbreed between a roach and pug type of bad, or mosquito kind of bad?"
She was flabbergasted for a while, then giggled at the unearthly comparison. Then the giggle turned to a full-blown laugh that had her clutching her sides. After wheezing for air due to near breathing spasms, she regained her composure. Barely.
" What kind of comparison is that?"
" I wholeheartedly believe that mosquitos, specifically the female ones, should be completely eradicated from this earth, the same as that awful imaginary mutt-bug, so why not? What I'm trying to say is, the very disgusting type or the extremely annoying type?"
The previous joke instantly died as her face contorted in disgust. It was the kind of face some girls make when the inafamous trio was found leering on them changing, before proceeding to beat their point with whatever in hand. Hers was magnified by at the very least, ten.
They could never compare to that cold blaze in her eyes.
" Both."
" That sort of tone can't be used in a lie."
It was poisonous, that the usually casual word could win against the most vile insults. Unless someone was capable of emotions fabrication of the highest degree, it was next to impossible to enact this sort of act.
" I see. The reasons?"
" He wants a damned trophy wife."
Faust couldn't help but think that it was extremely common for humans to want such thing too, and saying that would certainly fume the heiress. But it was now clear that both parties had no sparks, and most probably, this guy made his intentions extremely clear already, or his renown had been proven true enough for her.
" And I hate bad boys. Wannabes even more so. Bastard strutted in to my home, during last holiday, wanting to push forward the marriage, for the good of devils and Underworld as a whole. He's 200 something, why hasn't he married? Instead, he was mingling around, sleeping around everywhere. I'm 17, why should I accept that stupid excuse? Of course, bastard had to wait for the right time, since my brother can no longer succeed the throne, and me coming of age very soon. Bedding the sister of devil king, and the niece of the Great King family... That's what he wants. Even worse, you know, he stood behind while his parents met mine!"
Rias ranted like there was no tomorrow.
" And I assume he's of greater rank than your family. Thus he can get away with that sort of attitude."
" Yeah, no. It's just my family's desperate for successors after my brother's ineligible to become family head."
His brains were spinning speedily, piecing together information like one would to a puzzle.
" That adds up. Are your parents friends with his?"
" Yeah. Unfortunately."
His eyebrows furrowed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, then to the space between his brows. He'd make that gesture whenever he was thinking hard, Rias thought. It was nice to see someone who'd actually think about her circumstances, and not just offer empty condolences.
" What a silly problem."
Faust sighed in annoyance. He'd gotten the big picture now. Rias did too, probably, but people had the tendency to focus on one thing and call it unsolvable during stress. That was also why Rias often get suckered by him in chess. Straightforward, honest, and passionate were not the characteristics of one able to sit back and calmly observe. They were not bad, but just not suitable.
" Well..." He thought. " She's still so young, anyway. It's normal for youngsters to be brash and impulsive."
" So, any plans on how to repel this punk?"
" They propose a Rating Game to settle everything."
" Effective method, especially so for disobedient children. According to psychology anyway. Not good for long term, though."
An illusion of choice was bad for character development, especially to someone who knew it was mere fraud. Rias was certainly mature enough to know that. It was to deal with toddlers who put away their peas, not coax their own child to a loveless marriage which lasted for life.
" But then again, this isn't that rare. Political marriages happen everywhere. Divorce rates increase nowadays, too."
" But I mean, your plan, Rias-senpai."
She had a resolute look on her face.
" I'm trying to recruit strong members to my peerage, with shocking success so far. I've got Issei, for one. I'm still hoping for you, and maybe, Asia too."
He shook his head.
" Helping you strategize doesn't need me to be part of your peerage."
Rias's hopeful smile turned to a frown with his solemn response. To an extent, she understood why he didn't want to be in her peerage. That didn't mean she had to like it. However, Faust was just that kind of guy. It wasn't like she chose her peerage members just based on what powers they had. In her opinion, anyone could become monsters if trained by the right people with the right method.
Faust would definitely make the cut, she was sure of it.
But, Rias learned how to not be too obstinate, and swallowed back the retort she was about to launch. Knowing him, he wouldn't get angry, but she felt like she shouldn't add another burden before sleep. Watching him nod off again and again was fun, almost making her consider being grumpy due to lack of sleep for a whole day tomorrow. But what was coffee for?
" Hard choice, hard choice."
Eventually, she decided against and started unbuttoning her school uniform. Faust's eyes widened, his sleepiness forgotten for a second. No matter how firm his heart was, a man's physiology couldn't be denied. No matter how many times he'd seen her in her birthday suit, which wasn't that many in the first place, a beautiful woman was a beautiful woman. That, and his mental state was eroded by recent events and great sleepiness.
" It's okay to see, you know."
She teasingly winked at him, with her skirt half-down. At least Faust had the decency to look away when he realized. It wasn't like it was some sort of strip-tease, since she was just casually taking off her clothes.
He huffed at her daring actions. Honestly, now that the shock from the surreal situation wore off after several exposure, Faust wouldn't mind watching the nice show. But, well, he had a feeling ogling her would somehow cause result in bad reaction. Even though she already gave explicit permission. All of that could be justified with " girls are just weird that way".
" Seriously, Rias-senpai. Are you always this brazen to everyone?"
" I told you. Only to those close, or interesting to me."
The final article of clothing, which was her dark red underwear, was folded neatly. It was placed along with its peers on his chair, like usual. His question was answered like usual too, almost like telling a kid not to put toys in the mouth for about tenth time in the same hour.
She scooted close to him, cupping his cheeks with her hands. Her smile faltered when Faust gently pushed her back, although his face still looked calm. A bit sad, actually.
" I don't think 'interesting' is a suitable phrase for me. Glad to see there's someone thinking otherwise."
Rias looked bewildered for a moment, almost like she didn't even consider that his answer was made by a sane mind.
" How?"
" Well, kids nowadays do those things, right? TikTok or instagram, talk about games or drama or whatever is viral currently. So people like me can be considered boring... by those terms at least. Huh, doesn't that mean the term of 'boring' changes depending on era and culture? What about the devil culture, Rias-senpai?"
She laid herself on the bed, propping herself on one elbow, while Faust stood up and turned off the lights. He sat on his chair, facing the back of the chair and his bed.
" You're not that boring in devil culture at least. Not a lot of devils like reading, but most high-class devils love chess and magic and fights. Some hate technical aspects and details, though."
" Interesting."
" Well?"
Rias sweetly smiled from where she laid.
" Well what?"
Faust met her eyes head on, as if there was nothing amiss. In fact, barring the fact that she was in her birthday suit, on his bed, there indeed was nothing wrong. However, that was actually a blunder and Rias was free to punish this adolescent male for his insolence.
" This is your bed, you know. You should sleep here."
" I'm fine here."
" You'll be more comfortable here."
His eyes narrowed.
" Not happening."
Her eyes also narrowed. Slowly, her lips curved to a smile. Despite his room being somewhat dark, it wasn't completely dark. As dim moonlight illuminated her curvy silhouette, Faust was once again reminded that Rias Gremory was a bona fide devil.
" Even though you've slept with me, naked? Several times even?"
He raised one brow and huffed.
" Yes 'several', but more specifically twice. One for healing, and one with you sneaking in. I still can't believe we didn't get caught back then."
Rias pouted at his response.
" Here's a woman, ready and waiting, and you're standing her up?"
" Said the woman."
Faust turned away from her, trying to end the conversation. They were not getting any sleep tonight if this went on. Moreover, one or both of his parents might barge in due to severe grumpiness from disturbed sleep. Actually, his father would snore hard, with his mother tapping him awake in dismay, perhaps failing miserably and going out.
" And then, perhaps... God forbid." He thought. His senses were tingling. " Crap."
Faust moved at speed borderline superhuman, and silence befitting a nocturnal bird of prey. He dove right to his bed, barely making a rustle, and wrapped the blanket on both of them. A little taller than him, Rias was pressed very tightly to simulate one body.
" Shh... Mom's coming."
" Oh my."
Her head laid on the crook of his neck, the blanket just above her head. Faust's chin rested on her head, hiding the stubborn scarlet ahoge she was so proud of. She could feel his heartbeat, very loud as she was basically hovering over it.
She didn't even register the door creaking open, and Faust calming his breath to avoid suspicion. She wondered how could he so easily control his own physique like this? After the door closed with a clack, and the footsteps were far enough, he eased his hold.
" Sorry about that." The male whispered. " Reflex."
Contrary to her usual confident attitude, Rias found herself struggling to respond. In the end, she could only mutter a weak ''s fine'. Faust lowered the blanket a little, letting her head peek out from the opening. After a while of bitter struggle, she regained her composure.
" How did you do that?"
" What?"
" I didn't even sense her."
He sheepishly chuckled.
" Oh yeah. I used to be on computer or books very late at night, and every time I get caught, it's a disaster. Sooner or later, my instincts got sharper and sharper. I mean, it's useless if I don't have time to act, right?"
" Oh. I could've memory charmed her, though. No big deal, no lasting effects."
" It's reflex."
There was no explaining his very smooth and obviously trained movements otherwise. Faust's set of action just now was just that shocking. She felt heat rising up from her chest to her head, followed by difficulty of breathing. Despite being quick and admittably abrupt, his hold couldn't be any gentler, and it wasn't like she was suffocated.
Of course, big and rigid movements would cause loud noises, upping the possibility of detection. The smoother he was, the less loud he would be.
" Alright, safe."
With that, he sat up, finally releasing a sigh of relief. The adrenaline hadn't receded yet, thus Faust was in a state akin to a runner's high. In other words, he was feeling kind of giddy right now. That, and he knew acting all embarassed would only bring at least the same amount of embarassment with interests of a loan shark.
Casual was his best bet right now.
However, Rias Gremory's physical strength proved superior to him once again. Her hands snaked around his waist, completely cutting off any hope to escape. The available choices must be executed on the bed nonetheless.
" Woman, why are you so stubborn? Do you want to sleep with me that badly? Please don't tell me it's an alternate strategy..."
" Hasn't it ever occured to you that I just want a body pillow?"
" Not now, not in foreseeable future."
It seemed devil culture was far too different compared to human's. Faust couldn't help but think that Riser might not be such a bad guy if this was true. Maybe Rias' perspective disallowed her to perceive him favorably? Or maybe a product of such... unique culture? Just because his culture gave him a different set of values didn't mean this suitor was a complete scum.
Even Rias Gremory here was trying her hardest to sleep with him naked.
Okay, maybe not the hardest, but his pride decided it was better to word it that way. She was practically glued to him, after all.
" How are you so strong? It's, ouch, Rias-senpai, it hurts!"
Left with no choice, no answer and no energy to press on, Faust drifted to unconsciousness, ignoring the pain on his waist and back.