Ewald began to notice things. Small things, that he would normally have dismissed as coincidence. But with that incident fresh in his mind, he couldn't so easily dismiss them as such.

Like the way the other students looked at Sona like she was their leader . . . or like she was their King.

Or how they instinctively avoided patches of sunlight, stepping around them like it was second-nature to them.

But the most damning was how they could handle burdens that would make a normal human struggle, yet they were able to handle with ease.

With all that in mind, he couldn't ignore his conclusion any longer.

They were devils. Here, under the roof of this church.

He didn't know why they were here. He didn't know how they could be here without suffering immense pain, but he suspected the amulets they wore had something to do with that.

His exorcist instincts were screaming at him to draw his blade, to spill the blood of these evil creatures before they could put whatever nefarious plan they no doubt had in action.

But then he would remember how they laughed, how they smiled, how they played around like so many of the students he had taught.

Striking them down . . . would be too much like striking them down, those ash-blonde and red-haired phantoms that he still saw when he closed his eyes at night.

So, his sword would remain sheathed. For now. As long as they did no harm, he would turn a blind eye to their true nature. But if they ever did . . .

He hoped it would never have to come to that.

"Ah, Cristaldi-san! Your finger!"

"Hmm?"

Glancing down, he noticed he had accidentally cut himself with the knife he had been chopping vegetables with.

How careless of him. Allowing his mind to wander while performing such a delicate task was a novice mistake.

"Bandages? Bandages, bandages, bandages, where are the bandages?!" Tomoe began combing through the cabinets at breakneck speed.

"You needn't concern yourself with such a trivial wound, Meguri-san," he said to try and stop her well-mannered rampage.

But it was all for naught, as the girl turned around with a roll of gauze in her hand and a gleam in her eyes.

"Now, hold still! This will only take a moment."

Sighing in resignation when it was clear that he wouldn't be able to talk her out of it, he waited patiently as she cleaned and dressed his wound.

"There! All done!" She straightened up with a smile.

He looked at his hand, now adorned with a neatly wrapped bandage. ". . . Why did you go through all this trouble? I could have taken care of it myself."

"Oh, well . . ." She blushed. "My parents taught me that I should always help others when I can. Because, you never know when you might someone else's help, y'know?"

"I see." He nodded. "That is a good way to live."

She smiled. "Thanks!" Her eyes widened. "Oh, I should get back to work, shouldn't I? I don't want Kaichou to see me slacking!" She rushed back to the kitchen counter.

He stared at his bandaged hand, ruminating on what she had said. For a devil, she was surprisingly . . . human.

No. That wasn't fair to her. She was already far more compassionate than many clergymen he had met.

And if that was the case . . . then in the end, in their hearts, what truly differentiated humans and devils?

He stood up, walking until he was beside her.

"Grip the knife like this. It will give you better control."

"Wait, like this?"

"Correct. Shape your other hand into a claw; it will help prevent you from suffering my fate . . . ."

And in that fleeting moment of peace, he was a teacher again, and, despite the divisions between them, she, his student.

xxx

Jeanne was mad.

No, that wasn't quite right.

She was livid.

"Hey, you alright up there?" Her current partner-in-crime, Heracles, called out to her. "You look like something's gotten you real worked up."

The two of them had narrowly escaped from that mess in the Underworld. They had been biding their time ever since, waiting for Cao Cao and the others to resurface. Until recently, when one of her contacts within the Khaos Brigade had contacted her with an interesting tidbit of information that she had initially doubted the veracity of.

Intel that she now saw was all too accurate.

She was perched atop a tree branch. From her vantage point, she could see a quaint little church off in the distance.

Now, if that was all, that wouldn't be nearly enough to piss her off. But the fact that those damn devils she had fought in the Underworld were strolling in and out of the building all nonchalantly most definitely did.

"The nerve of those heathens!" She hissed. "How dare they defile such a holy place with their presence!"

"Yeah, yeah." Heracles tapped his foot, impatient. "Just tell me already if the intel we got is good or not." He cracked his knuckles. "Cause, y'know, I need to serve up some payback."

Ignoring her loudmouth compatriot for the moment, she tightened her grip on the sight-enhancing Holy Sword she had created and focused her eyes further (being able to create Holy Swords that did whatever she wanted sure was handy).

There! Those amulets swaying in the breeze as those filthy devils walked around . . . that had to be their secret to infiltrating the church.

She wasn't one-hundred percent sure – but her gut supported her guess, and she had learned to always trust her gut.

She hopped down and turned to her partner, who was still tapping his foot impatiently and glaring at her.

"Now, now, don't be so dour." She grinned. "We're about to get our revenge, just like you wanted."

Heracles' frown finally twisted into a smile. "Excellent. I would've been pissed if this turned out to be a waste of time."

She nodded absentmindedly, mind already racing with thoughts for plans. If she played this right, the devil scum would be easy pickings, and the two of them might even be hailed as heroes by the church's residents!

Her Sacred Gear responded, forming a nameless blade that would fulfill her wish.

She held it up, pointing its gleaming, black tip at the church off in the distance.

"Let's go kill some devils."

xxx

"Good work, everyone. That should be it for today."

Sona looked on her exhausted peerage with a smile. She had her doubts starting out but seeing how they had risen to the occasion despite the "less than exciting" activities they were doing made her proud.

"S – So, uh . . ." Saji, who had been panting with his hands on his knees, straightened up. "I – I don't really mind doing this. Really. But . . ." His smile became a little forced. "When . . . when will we be finished?"

Sona paused. That . . . was not a question she knew the answer too. Her sister had not left her with an end date on their task.

"I do not know," she admitted.

Her peerage collectively face-faulted.

"Wh – What?!" Ruruko looked horrified. "Are we – are we going to be doing this forever?!"

"Nothing so drastic, I would assume," Reya said.

"While I do not mind this sort of activity either," Tsubasa said, "I do think it would be a shame if we did this for the remainder of our break."

As more of them started voicing their protests, Tsubaki stepped in.

"Enough!" Her voice was firm. "The duration of our duty here is entirely up to Kaichou." She looked at Sona meaningfully.

Sona hesitated. She didn't know how long they had to do this for their work here to be considered a success, and she was afraid that they might miss some hidden quota.

Should she call her sister to ask? Serafall did leave her with that summoning circle . . .

Wait . . . this was all part of her plan, wasn't it? Deliberately leaving out details so I would be forced to contact her to ask about them . . . what a devious ploy.

And considering her strong sense of responsibility, there was no way she would risk failure over something as trivial as a sibling spat.

Well played, Onee-sama.

Sighing, her hand drifted to her pocket . . .

"Oh? How nice of all of you to gather up in a nice, large group for us!"

A chill ran up her spine as an uncomfortably familiar voice rang out. Was it . . . ?

"I've been waiting a long time for us." The sound of knuckles cracking. "Revenge will be sweet."

Sona and her peerage turned to see the two members of the Hero faction they had fought in the Underworld, Heracles and Jeanne, standing before them. There was a conspicuous lack of any of the church members who usually frequented the area.

Immediately, they all tensed as they prepared for battle.

"Oh yeah? Big words, considering we were wiping the floor with you before!" Saji yelled.

"Indeed." Tsubaki's voice was cold as she leveled her naginata at the two intruders. "And this time, there are no hostages for you to hide behind."

Jeanne's sinister smile widened. "You seem to be forgetting something, filthy Devil-chan. Do you remember where we are?"

They all blinked confusion before realizing what she meant.

"Don't think you'll have an advantage just because we're in a church!" Tomoe said.

"On the contrary . . ." Jeanne's smile vanished, leaving only a flat, hard line.

"The very fact that we're in a church is why you've already lost." She raised her blade.

A moment of puzzlement. Suddenly, Sona had a dreadful premonition –

"STOP HER!"

It felt like the world had slowed down. She could see her peerage instantly react, not knowing why but trusting their King's orders.

They closed in at an almost sluggish pace. But even as they charged forward, Heracles threw himself in front of his comrade, shielding her long enough for their plan to go off –

Jeanne's blade vibrated, pulsing with energy. As it reached a climax, she called out:

"Attract."

At first, nothing happened. But then, it was as if the sword had become the center of a black hole, sucking everything into its swirling depths.

Right as she was about to throw up a barrier to shield themselves against the torrent, it ceased, disappearing almost as fast as it had appeared.

Blinking, her eyes darted about, trying to understand why their opponent had stopped her attack so soon.

Jeanne's smile was back. But this one was a smile of triumph, of knowing that she had won, had crushed her foes utterly.

". . . Lost something?" She held up a hand.

In it, the amulets they had been wearing clinked as they brushed against each other.

Sona's eyes widened in horror.

"No – !"

Then the pain hit, and her mind became enveloped in a searing expanse of white.

xxx

Something was wrong.

Every single one of Ewald's battle instincts, honed from years of experience, were firing at full throttle. There was a tinge of bloodlust in the air, a pervasive feeling of malice that should not be present in a place as sacred as a church.

"Evacuate the civilians. Now. Tell the others to stay away; I will handle this."

The two other exorcists who had been helping him pack food glanced at him in surprise. After only a moment of hesitation, they nodded and immediately left to carry out his orders.

It had been a long time since he had assumed the role of commander and leader. Not so long ago, he would have been eager for this moment to come.

Now . . . now it was just another painful reminder of the things he had lost, and the things he stood to lose in the future.

But he would not shy away. So long as he still drew breath, he would protect those he cherished.

And as an honorable warrior, he would protect those who needed protecting.

Whoever they might be.

His feet carried him forward, guiding him through the winding hallways and corridors with only his instincts as a guide. He didn't doubt his intuition for even a moment; to doubt was to lose focus, and to lose focus was to suffer defeat before the battle even began.

And before he knew it, he had arrived.

He stared silently at the scene before him. The students were sprawled out on the ground, their bodies twitching as unimaginable pain coursed through them. There were two unknowns: a disturbingly cheerful woman, who, despite her smile, radiated an almost palpable bloodlust. And a massive, hulking brute, who looked as if he was eager to pick up one of the fallen students and crush them in his hands.

The woman grinned as she noticed Ewald's approach. "Oh? If you made it through our barrier, you must be an exorcist. I suppose I could let you have first pick on who dies first. But be quick, because we're not exactly the most patient of people, okay?"

He didn't answer; he merely stepped forward, until he was right in front of Sona.

Her smile widened. "Going for the King first? A fine choice, I must say."

He turned around as he drew his light sword, brandishing it against the invaders.

Her smile faltered. "Hey. What're you doing? They're devils, y'know?"

His tone was utterly calm. "Yes. I know."

Her face twisted in a snarl. "Then why are you protecting them?! You're an exorcist, aren't you?!"

"I am a teacher." He eyed them carefully, noting every detail about their stances. "And it is the teacher's duty to guide their students: to mentor them, nurture them, and above all . . ." He flourished his sword. "To protect them, when they cannot yet protect themselves."

". . . I see." The woman's expression was dark, almost livid. She looked as if he had betrayed her on the deepest level, despite having only just met. "That's a shame. I suppose we'll just have to chalk you up as an unfortunate casualty."

The man beside her laughed. "Shame for you, but I'm excited about this!" He pounded his fists together. "It's no fun if we take them down without a fight. I had half a mind to drag these brats outside so we could beat them up a bit before putting them down for good." He bent his knees, eyeing Ewald in that same analytic manner. "Hey, old geezer. Try to at least entertain us for a while, would you?"

"I'm afraid I can't do that."

"What? Don't tell me you've gotten rusty in your old age, geezer."

"On the contrary . . ." He raised the tip of his sword, pointing it straight at his opponent. "I've never felt better."

The man grinned. "Good, good. Then . . ." His foot shifted backward as he crouched even lower like he was preparing to charge . . .

"Let's begin!"

A dash forward.

xxx

Jeanne was worried. And flustered. But mostly just worried.

It had been several minutes, and the man in front of her still wasn't dead yet.

How? How was this man, this mere exorcist with no Sacred Gear to call his own, fending off both her and Heracles at the same time?

She liked to think that she was proficient with a blade, having undergone rigorous training after discovering her Sacred Gear at an early age.

But this man . . . with a mere light sword that shouldn't even be comparable to the Holy Swords she could create, he was able to deflect all her attacks with ease.

It was like he knew what she was going to do before even she knew it. Despite doing her best to coordinate with her partner, they had yet to penetrate their opponent's stalwart defense.

They had tried several times to flank him to get at the fallen devils behind him and possibly use them as hostages, but each time their plan had been foiled, stopped cold by a deadly latticework of light.

This was bad. It was already a miracle that enemy reinforcements hadn't arrived yet, and the longer this dragged on, the less faith she had in a repeat miracle.

Her partner, on the other hand, seemed to be having the time of his life.

"HAHAHA, THIS IS GREAT!" He threw several more vicious punches that created mighty explosions thanks to his Sacred Gear.

Their opponent grimaced as he did his best to dull the blows, bracing himself before each impact.

It wounded her pride to admit it, but it was clear that Heracles was giving him more trouble. The exorcist's swordsmanship was remarkable, stellar even, and it was more than enough to trump her own technique.

But Heracles' raw power cared little for technique. It only cared if you had the power to match it.

She could see their opponent's movements begin to slow, his vitality slowly weathered away by Heracles' fearsome barrage.

But it wasn't enough. They needed to end this quickly, preferably now.

Her mind raced as she planned. Perhaps if she . . . yes, yes, that should work.

She grimaced. While it would involve swallowing her pride as a swordswoman, she needed results. And if pure power was the way to get it . . . well, she could do that too.

Blade Blacksmith churned, forging her a beautiful, silvery-white blade. It had a divine aura to it, holiness practically radiating off its edge.

She could see his eyes widen in surprise as they darted to her newest armament. But he couldn't afford to step towards her, not while Heracles was bearing down on him, and certainly not while he had people to protect.

And that last factor would be the precise cause of his downfall.

She raised the sword, pointing its tip forward.

"Luminous . . ."

Heracles, instinctively knowing what was coming, immediately jumped clear.

"Ray!"

The ray of destruction shot forward, seeking to engulf everything in its path.

She could see his lips move, his hands scrambling as they tossed scraps of paper in the air to form a makeshift barrier –

BOOM!

When the smoke finally cleared, she was astonished to see that the man was still conscious.

He was down on one knee, panting, charred bits of paper scattered around him. But he was alive. And the devils behind him were still unharmed.

But that was fine. Because this was the opening they needed.

Heracles rushed forward and raised an arm, prepared to bring it down with crushing force on the now helpless exorcist . . .

But a small, slender hand froze it in its tracks.

Literally.

"Wha – what?!"

A dark-haired girl with pigtails who had not been there a moment before stood next to him. Her expression was playful, but her icy-blue eyes had a cold fury to them.

"My, my, there's no need to be so rough. You could've hurt someone with that, you know?"

"Damn bitch!" He roared as he tried to break free from the ice.

"What course language." The girl sighed. "I suppose I'll have to punish you." Her eyes snapped to Jeanne.

She felt her stomach drop. Riveted in place by those piercing eyes, she felt like she was staring into the depths of hell itself, and the fiery abominations that once laid dormant within were now rushing out to drag her kicking and screaming back with them –

"Both of you."

The girl's eyes flashed and winter came, cold and unforgiving, engulfing her in an icy nightmare.

She tried to scream.

But the thick ice and snow wouldn't even grant her that one small mercy.

xxx

Sona was feeling rather uncomfortable.

"Could you let go of me, Onee-sama?"

"Nrrrrgh . . ." Serafall, who had decided to drape herself around her neck, stubbornly refused to budge. "Don't wanna."

They were sitting down at the base of a tree, enjoying the cool shade it provided. In the distance, she could see the church, along with the rest of her peerage and several exorcists talking it out.

She should be over there. Perhaps Serafall, too. But her sister had dragged her away before she could get a word in edgewise, so she was just going to have to rely on her Queen to see things through.

She sighed. After passing out in the church, the first thing she had seen upon regaining consciousness was her sister making a beeline towards her.

Normally, she would have regarded that as a horrifying sight and done her best to avoid her clingy sibling. But this time, there was a . . . a primal urge, a desperate need for comfort that wasn't usually present in her sister's antics.

So, she had just let it all happen, which had resulted in her current predicament of being trapped in her sibling's arms.

Maybe it hadn't been the best choice after all?

". . . I was really worried, y'know."

Sona was startled by her sister's surprisingly soft tone. "Onee-sama?"

She could feel the arms around her neck shift.

"When I saw you lying on the ground like that . . . I got really scared. The very thought that I had lost you . . . I almost lost control."

Sona shivered. If her sister ever lost it . . . she feared for anyone within a one-hundred-mile radius of that disaster.

"I'm sorry for making you worry," she said. "It was my fault for underestimating my opponents; I should've expected that they would try something underhanded again."

The two fallen heroes (although they were more like ice sculptures at this point) had been quickly taken into custody for later interrogation (and thawing). She was glad that her sister hadn't gone too overboard with her "punishment" of them, or the church wouldn't even be here anymore.

"No, I should've been more prepared. I was the one who gave you this task. Making the summoning circle send me an alert if you were ever in danger was good enough this time, but if I had been a second too late – "

Sona did something she never thought she would do again.

She turned around and embraced her sister.

A surprised gasp. "So-tan . . . ?"

"I'm not a kid anymore, Onee-sama." She tried very hard to ignore how her face was pressed against her sister's bosom. "You can't always be there to catch me. You shouldn't always be there to catch me. How will I ever learn from my mistakes and grow otherwise?"

"But . . ." Serafall's face was a twisted mess of emotions. "Life isn't fair. Sometimes . . . a mistake gets you killed. Or the ones you love killed."

"I know. And you were in the right this time. But there's a middle ground, a compromise between overprotectiveness and carelessness." Sona lifted herself away from her sister's chest. "You need to learn to let go a little. To let me handle things on my own. It'll help me grow, and . . ." Her tone softened. "It'll help you stop blaming yourself every time something goes wrong in my life."

Her sister was silent, slowly absorbing her words. Eventually, she smiled weakly and laughed. "What're you talking about, So-tan?" She pulled her closer. "You're my cute little sister. I won't ever let you go!"

Sona smiled softly. She wasn't used to comforting others, but if Serafall was beginning to act like her old self more, then her words must've been of some help.

"Now, shouldn't we be getting back to the others?" She tried to pry her sister's hands off her. "I'm sure you have some things to say to those exorcists."

Serafall shook her head. "No." Her tone was still low, but it held a little more confidence than before. "It's not my place to address them."

She was surprised. "What? But aren't you the head of Foreign Affairs?"

A sardonic laugh. "Politically, yes. But politics won't make you friends. And that's what we're trying to do right now. Besides . . ." She gestured towards the group in the distance. "They seem to be doing fine on their own."

Sona was mildly surprised to see that yes, her peerage and the exorcists seemed to be getting along despite the revelation of their true nature. She watched as Saji and a young exorcist they had met a few days ago arm wrestle on the ground as several onlookers cheered. She watched as Ruruko and Momo grouped up with a couple of female exorcists to create their own clique on the side: a clique that seemed focused around hushed whispers and furtive glances at several men. She watched as Tsubaki took out her naginata and demonstrated several drills, much to the awe of several fresh-faced exorcists.

"See . . . ?" Serafall's voice was wistful, nostalgic. "They've grown to know you . . . the true you, with all your joys, hopes, and flaws, not the vile, sinister caricature we've been painted as. In the face of all that, something like race doesn't seem like such an insurmountable barrier anymore, does it?"

"Yeah . . ." Sona was amazed. To think that inter-faction relations could progress so much in such a short period of time. And all thanks to an activity as mundane as volunteering!

But she was getting sidetracked. Something about what her sister had said didn't quite sit right with her.

"Even if you hold an official position, that doesn't mean you can't greet others in a personal manner as well."

Serafall blinked. Clearly, she hadn't expected this topic to come back up again. "Well, um . . . ."

Sona was beginning to suspect there was something more behind her sister's reluctance to join the group. "And as you said, they've seemed to have accepted us for who we are rather than what we are. Isn't this the perfect time to greet them? Unless there's another reason why you don't want to." She looked at her sibling meaningfully.

Serafall chuckled. "I should've known my cute little So-tan wouldn't let me slip one past her!" She sighed, a melancholic sigh of someone who's seen too much, lost too much, and suffered too much.

"It's too late for me."

Sona blinked in confusion, not quite understanding. "What do you mean by that?"

"In an era of peace, excess power has no place. And when it comes to power, I'm a monster." She laughed in self-derision. "All of us Satans are, in fact. We are the very nightmares that spawned such hate and revulsion of devils in the first place. Do you know how many people I've killed, So-tan?"

". . . No."

"Too many, that's for sure." Serafall's face had a pensive sadness to it. "It's better for us relics of the past to stay out of sight, to fade away and let the younger generation take over. They aren't burdened by our sins, our mistakes. And hopefully, they won't ever be."

Sona couldn't claim to understand what her sister was feeling. And if her sibling had her way, she never would. But she couldn't help but feel that this line of thinking was unfair, that it forced her sister and others like her to suffer too much, to sacrifice too much, all for the sake of a reward that they willingly denied themselves.

She couldn't stand it.

". . . Get up."

Serafall stared at her in surprise. "What . . . ? So-tan – !"

With strength she didn't think she had, she lifted her sibling up and began dragging her over to the group they had been watching all this time.

"W – Wait! Didn't I just say – ?!"

"Yes, I heard you the first time."

"T – Then you should know that – !"

"Yes, I know. But I refuse to accept it." She turned around to stare at her sibling in the face. "Think of this as me acting on my own. We both agreed that this would be healthier for me in the long run, correct?"

Serafall looked like she was about to tear up. "S – So-tan!"

She knew that her sister was stronger than her. She could break free at any moment, stopping this hare-brained scheme of hers.

But she didn't.

She just let herself be dragged along, half carried and half walking on her own power.

By the time they reached the others, Sona felt completely exhausted.

"Hey, Kaichou! Where've you been?" Saji greeted her from the ground, locked in yet another arm-wrestling match (but with a different exorcist this time). "I'm on a winning streak! Wanna watch?"

"I've been talking some sense into my sister. And no, I think I'll pass, thank you."

The others all turned to look at her as she approached. Her peerage looked at her with confidence and trust; she knew that they would support whatever decision she made.

The exorcists looked at her with curiosity and uncertainty. Although the grudges of the past had mostly evaporated, the future was still uncertain, but she could tell they were willing to put in the effort to make it work out.

She could see Ewald, who had defended her and her peerage while they had been helpless. She bowed to him. "Thank you for your aid. Were it not for your assistance, my peerage and I would have been in most dire straits."

He nodded at her. "It is my duty as a teacher to protect students, no matter whose or whom they may be." He glanced at Serafall, who was standing off to the side, fidgeting. "And who might this be?"

"This is my sister," she declared. "Serafall Sitri."

She heard her peerage's sharp intake of breath. It was no surprise; after all, as far as devil culture was concerned, people who became Satans like her sister were no longer part of the clans they once hailed from.

But here and now, the title of "Satan" would merely be a burden. Her sister was here not as the Leviathan, but as Serafall.

Her sibling still seemed unsure about the whole situation, but she managed to smile and give a timid wave. "H – Hello!"

It was a strange feeling, seeing her normally mischievous and assertive sister so unbalanced. But it was also strangely reassuring, knowing that even someone as indomitable as her sister had her weak moments.

Ewald gazed at Serafall with a careful expression. From what Sona had heard of her sister's rather excessive display, she had no doubt that the man knew there was more to her sibling than meets the eye.

After a moment, his gaze softened, and he gave an approving nod.

As if taking this as a cue, the other exorcists began approaching her sister as well.

Sona thought her sister was used to dealing with crowds considering how famous she was in the Underworld, but if what happened next was any indication . . .

Well, she would have to revise that thought.

xxx

"Hah, hah . . . kids these days sure are scary, So-tan!"

"Young they might be, but I would hardly consider them 'kids.'"

"Silly So-tan! When you get to be my age, everyone seems like a kid in comparison!"

The exorcists had been surprisingly eager to interact with her sister, commenting on how strong she was and asking her to demonstrate some of her magic to them. They had been awed by her rather simple display, asking her to perform increasingly fancier feats of magic (including some requests that neither of them had ever considered before). Serafall had seemed rather nervous at first, but soon grew used to the attention and praise, acting like she was simply on her TV show.

Soon after, they said their goodbyes and left the church, but not before Ewald gave them his phone number in case they wished to contact him. They were now in the Sitri manor in the Underworld (much to her peerage's' delight), waiting for the construction of Auros Academy to be finished.

At least, that's what she was waiting for. Sona had no idea what her sister was still hanging around for.

"So, what're you doing here? Don't you have other duties to attend to?" she asked with a stern tone.

"How cold, So-tan! Can't your darling sister spend time with her cute little sister every once in a while?"

Sona rolled her eyes. "You've already been here for an hour. Don't you have better things to do?"

A sigh. "I suppose we'll have to part ways for now. Don't miss your big sister too much, m'kay?"

Now, that wasn't a hard request at all. She could do with some peace and quiet for a while.

"But before that . . ."

Sona suddenly had a bad feeling. Should she dash out of the room? Or maybe she should teleport away?

"There's something interesting I thought you should know. It might affect how you run that school of yours."

She stopped with a teleportation circle half pulled out of her pocket. ". . . Go on."

"Sirzechs-chan and Azazel-chan came up with a nifty idea a while ago: an international Rating Game tournament called the Azazel Cup!"

Sona blinked. "International? So, you mean factions other than devils would be able to participate?"

"Correct! It's supposed to act as a proxy war or something to let out all that pent-up aggression between factions to prevent real wars from happening." A smile. "It hasn't been officially announced quite yet, but when it does . . . well, you're opening a school for Rating Games, aren't you?" She winked. "See where I'm going with this?"

She could, indeed, see where her sister was going with this. If such an event was going to take place, then the demand for her school could possibly skyrocket. And not just from devils, but potentially from members of other factions too . . .

"Are you suggesting that I open the doors of my school to the other factions as well?" she asked with only a hint of incredulity.

"Well, Rating Games are traditionally a devils' pastime. And we wouldn't want the other factions to accuse us of having an unfair advantage because of that, right? Giving them the chance to learn the basics in your school would help alleviate some of those concerns."

Sona's mind was going full throttle as she considered the possibilities. She had originally intended for the school to be open to devils of all walks, but to open it to anyone, regardless of faction?

That was a rather ambitious leap. But if it worked out . . . it would help cement this tenuous peace between the factions. And not just between the Biblical factions, but the other pantheons as well.

Of course, she was going to have to rethink some of the logistics involved. Classrooms would need to be able to accommodate the needs of all the varied races, which would be a logistical nightmare in and of itself.

Not to mention the teachers. If a school was going to have an international student body, it was only right that it had an international staff as well.

That might be a tough order to deliver. But at the very least, there was one person who she hoped would answer her request.

She recalled the phone number she had memorized already and dialed it on her phone.

"Hello, Cristaldi-san? I have a favor to ask . . . ."

xxx

Homura was sitting glumly at a desk.

It was a nice desk, all things considered: the wood was mahogany, and the chair was surprisingly comfortable.

But she didn't care about any of that. She was too irritated by her present situation.

Through the window, she noticed a family of three walk by. A tall, handsome man, a motherly woman, and a small child.

Each of them had leathery, bat-like wings coming out of their backs.

Sigh. Coming to the Underworld had not exactly been on her to-do list, but . . .

Please, Homura-chan?

Apparently, Madoka had owed someone a favor. And part of repaying the favor involved sending a delegation to some school in the Underworld that had been recently built.

And so, here she was. Upon arriving, she had been ushered into this classroom and asked to wait. Along with some familiar faces who had arrived with her.

"Woah, your wings look so cool! Can I touch them?" Sayaka's boisterous voice was easily audible even from the other side of the classroom.

"They are rather sensitive, so I would prefer that you abstain from doing so," Xenovia replied.

"What about flying? Have ya given that a try yet?" Kyoko asked.

"We have, with some rather . . . mixed results," Irina said with a sheepish look.

While the four of them were huddled in a corner, discussing the two exorcists-turned-angels' new appendages, Mami was sitting at the desk next to hers, organizing a stack of notebooks.

"Shouldn't you be over there with them?" Homura asked.

Mami simply smiled at her. "I could say the same of you, Akemi-san."

"You know that I don't work well with others."

"Oh? From what Quarta-san and Shidou-san mentioned, you seemed to mesh with them well enough during that incident in Kuoh. And you worked well with Kyoko and me back . . . back before."

"Mere flukes, I assure you."

The other girl sighed. "I doubt that it was all a stroke of luck, but I don't think I can change your mind on the matter." A pause. "Why are you here, Akemi-san?"

Now it was Homura's turn to pause. "Pardon . . . ?"

"I can easily tell that you do not want to be here. Why, then, are you here, in a place you do not wish to be?"

That had a rather simple answer. "Because Madoka asked me to."

A piercing glance. "Is that all? Do you have no investment in the why of the matter, or some personal reason to come here?"

". . . Not particularly, no."

Homura didn't particularly care about the affairs of the world she now found herself in. All she did, she did to protect Madoka or because she believed it would put a smile on Madoka's face.

That was it. Her be-all end-all.

It was a remnant of the past, in a way. After spending so much of her life devoted to her friend, several lifetimes' worth in fact, the very notion was deeply entrenched in her very soul.

It was hard to care about anyone else at this point. Even Mami, who once shone as brightly as Madoka in her early life, could no longer hold a candle to the bonfire that was her friend.

Mami gave her a sad look. "That's not a very healthy way to live, Akemi-san."

"It's the only way I know how to live anymore, Tomoe-san."

Another sigh. "You could've said 'no'. Madoka-sama would understand."

Homura tilted her head. "There was no reason to say no."

". . . I see." She turned away, but Homura could just make out the pitying look on her face.

Before she could dwell on the matter any further, the door to the classroom flew open and Saji stepped in.

"Alright! Thanks for waiting; everything should finally be set up now."

Sayaka raised a hand. "Hey, uh, what exactly are we here for? If you don't mind me asking."

The boy blinked. "Oh, yeah. That." He cleared his throat. "So, Kaichou wanted to open a Rating Game school. And originally, it was going to be for devils only, but now she wants to make it international!" He spread out his hands in a grand gesture. "Which means, anyone can attend. From any faction!"

Homura raised an eyebrow. That sounded like a rather ambitious leap, especially given how tense relationships between certain factions were.

"You all are here today," the boy continued, "to help us do a test run of the system, so to speak. Before adding some of the more foreign factions into the mix, we wanted to see how well members of the Biblical factions could handle working closely together. So! I hope none of you have any grudges or anything . . ." He laughed weakly.

Xenovia was nodding in approval. "I must commend your King for making such a bold decision. Few have the willpower and resolve to make such a thing reality."

"Yeah! This sounds like a really cool idea. I'd be glad to help test it," Irina added.

Kyoko shrugged. "Don't expect me to pay much attention in class, although I suppose picking up a few new combat tricks would be nice."

"Indeed," Mami said. "This sounds like a wonderful idea."

Homura remained silent. She just wanted to get this over with.

Saji grinned. "Alright! If you'll follow me . . . ."