The dodgeball game was as dreadful as the tennis game, only with more participants, more victims, and of course, more pain. Issei, for example, was hit by a splendid nutcracker from Sona Sitri's homing ball.

Of course, the harder and bigger one won.

Me? Why I wasn't playing? Right, after talking big about not wanting to accept charities while actually fearing poisoned easy deals, I was outside the gym.

" Faust-san! Are you okay?"

*gurgle*

Can't respond. At all.

Asia ran to me from the door like a good girl. She knelt beside me, Twilight Healing glowing gently. I heaved, my lungs felt like wood shrapnels got stuck in them. Her touch eased the pain gradually, while audibly mending my broken ribs.

Yes. Devil's dodgeball meant 'dodge or die'. Swear to God, I didn't let down my guard at all. However, when I side-stepped one, it drifted 90 degrees and crashed me to the gym window. Luckily, I managed to slightly jump to soften the blow.

That u-shaped corpse on the grass not very far from the running track? Now no one had to wonder why it was there. You're welcome.

Finally, I could breathe without feeling like shit, and laid on my back. Her healing practically restored my HP to full, but the pangs were still there.

" Thanks a lot Asia. I'm good."

She helped me walk back to the gym. There, I saw Issei still clutching his crotch. It seemed the horror of receiving a magically enhanced ball to the balls hadn't receded yet. Even if the damage was healed, there must be some sort of phantom pains like mine. His must be worse, though.

I mean, he got hit in the balls. The nuts. The sacks. That's something.

Anyway, Issei's down. I technically caught the ball, but don't know how the referee would deem it as. The game was stopped as the injured personnels recuperated. Well, since Issei had to retire, only I returned.

" You were hit pretty badly. Are you sure?"

Akeno-senpai checked me from head to toe. She wasn't wrong to do that. After all, I was sent flying right out of the gym. It was my first time actually experiencing devil magic. The perpetrator, though, was smiling without any visible remorse.

" As if Faust-kun would get done in with just that."

No, that broke my ribs. No proof, but I certainly felt my bones poking my lungs. They didn't cave in and pierce throught at least. Whatever damage caused was healed, though.

" Sona-senpai, don't be too frustrated. It's just a game."

" Saji."

" Yes, kaichou!"

The Pawn passed her the ball. Her smile grew a bit darker and even more impatient. Of course, one would have to be an idiot not to exploit such juicy blunder.

" Rias-senpai."

" Hm?"

After a bit of quick chat, she giggled excitedly.

" Then, I'll leave it to you."

" Okay."

By the time we stopped talking, Sona Sitri had already finished charging up, and raised her legs very high. Unlike anime where villains would patiently wait for protagonist monologues, Sona Sitri used that time to increase the lethality of her attack.

It launched from her hands with blinding speed. Luckily, with such dense magic covering it, the ball had some sort of thick dark blue aura oozing out, making it easier to see. Before, I was stunned and intimidated by the sheer terror it seemed to exude. Tune out those feelings and I should be good.

Akeno Himejima POV.

It's very out of character for THE Faust Kuroki not to just lay down after getting blown out of the competition. He was not the most competitive person out there, and unless the situation was dire, he was not inclined to partake in such matters. In chess, he'd just smile and reset the board if he lost, a smirk if he won. Even with Koneko-chan, he didn't feel frustrated at all when he got full-comboed 6 times in a row by her exploiting animation cancel.

Yeah, I don't get that either.

As for me, I stole one of her lolly when she did that. It's bad for her anyway.

However, it was also like him to be so unlike himself during most unexpected times.

Like now.

The ball flew like comet straight to him, but unlike before, he didn't panic and avoid it.

Instead, he planted himself to the ground with basic magic circle, and spun very quickly with the ball firmly in hand. However, it seemed the Sitri heiress had more than just expected this. Her stance was lowered properly to receive the ball.

That would be dandy if he threw at her though.

Instead, the ball greatly accelerated when it went through Rias' multilayered boosting magic circles, turning it to a cannonball. Within a blink of an eye, it broke through the defenses of two unsuspecting Pawns, and bounced off their bodies.

As the crowd was stunned, he spun and spun and spun around, before finally falling like a sack of rice.

" Geometry much?"

I looked down on him after he fell down, and rolled some more. Unfortunately, a devil's physical strength far outclassed a human, plus it was magically enhanced as well. This result was totally normal, although his rolling was comical, fufu~

His only answer was a thumbs up, though.

Still impressive. Regardless of her size, Sona Sitri's blood was of noble high-class devils, a maou's sister no less. The scarier part was, she didn't even doubt that Faust could, someway or another, return her shot.

'We have an understanding'? Who are you fooling?.

Regardess, Faust's half-suicide attack brought good results. The opposing team immediately lost two members via ricochet.

" You really got me. Making something from nothing, huh? Well played."

The stoic STC president sighed in frustration for her blunder. It seemed Faust made use of her competitive nature to lower her and her peers' wariness.

" Thank you."

" Here."

Just as I offered him my hand, a ball smacked him in the face. Well, I guess this was inevitable. That return was too much already, anyway. Like that, I supported and laid his limp body outside the ring.


" Yo."

" Nice throw."

Koneko and Issei greeted me. He was still a bit pale, and Asia was very focused on healing his bits. With how things were going, it was a marvel how no stray ball or two struck them yet.

Damn, that booming sound came from a ball clashing with fist. The concrete wall got cracked by the ball Koneko batted away.

That's... terrifying.

I said cracked, but it was more of a circular depression with cracks inside. It took 5 minutes for Saji Genshirou to pull that out.

Issei told me about how this FBI bait punched a 5 meters tall spiderwoman mutant who shot acid breast milk through the roof, so this must be nothing. But seeing it first-hand was on a whole other level still.


" Congratulations, everyone! The Occult Research Club will go to the Familiar Forest this month!"

Rias-senpai raised a toast in celebration, followed by everyone else.

" By the way, buchou. Why on full moon, though? Is there some sort of ritual needed?"

Issei expressed his curiosity at the very supernatural-esque time. I could tell he was quite excited, what with the event being familiar with lots of isekai anime or manga. She smiled wryly and put down her can of cola.

" About that... Managing the familiar forest is kind of like black company."

So much for supernatural.

" You see, handling a forest full of deadly magical beasts, taking care of them, noting the population, and ensuring the safety of devil nobles passing through aren't easy jobs, but being a guide there isn't regarded as honorable at devil society. It's the equivalent of farmer, kind of. You very rarely hear any kids these days wanting to be a farmer."

I cringed at the job description, and boy that didn't end there.

" The pay's horrible as well, unless you get tips. But, if you die, or your employers die, you definitely won't get any. In fact, there was this one guide that got himself declared as Stray because a devil noble's son died in his care."

" Black company in Underworld is on a different level. But why isn't it honorable, buchou? I thought you said familiars are important."

" I did. It's got more to do with the job than the familiars. Several times, guides took hostage of their clients, aiming for hefty ransom. Once, a guide led lots of devil noble children into the forest, and they're all gone forever. That's where Hamelin's story from."

Asia let out a cute shriek hearing the acts of villainy worthy of God's nemesis. Now I could understand a little. Familiar forest guides weren't liked, but they were needed nonetheless. Now that's a peculiar, research-worthy job.

" You don't have to worry, though. Although our guy is quite eccentric, but he's actually doing the job as a hobby, thus the specific time. Also, he picks his client. That's how popular he is, and a testament to his skills."

Now that's a job well-done. Just from her story, he sounded like a master businessman.

" And his time changes constantly every month, depending on how his main job does. That's why our victory meant a lot here. There's no guarantee his schedule will match with ours next month."

" His main job is also black company?!"

" You'd be surprised, but well, he's one of the best Rating Game commentators. During hot seasons, it's hell to make an appointment."

What a pun.

" I see. Being a Rating Game commentator sounds like a dream job for devils, though."

" It pays well. The prestige is great, too. What? You're interested?"

Her teasing had become more frequent lately. Although this really didn't classify as teasing, but the intent behind felt like one.

" Not really. Crowds and I don't get along well."

Trampling, suffocation, and panic attack definitely weren't on my list of desirable death. I read of people suddenly dying in a crowd and no one even noticed. That must be a very horrid way to go. Worst yet, they could still be saved, but because there was too much noise, calls for help went unnoticed, or straight up stomped to non-existence.

It's good that there were livestreaming nowadays. At least not as many people met that sort of end.

"...Dismissed!"

Everything but the last word of her speech was lost on me as her final word rang a tad louder. I waved back to Koneko and Kiba who slung their backpacks and went to Gremory-owned apartment building. Akeno-san apparently was staying at different place. Hey, wouldn't it be funny if she were to stay at a shrine? She was wearing shrine maiden outfit back at the abandoned church.

A devil in a shrine... How did the deities allow it?.

" See you tomorrow!"

" We'll be going first."

All of us sent them off on their way. Alright, I did leave a note so I should be safe from being locked out today... Staying here and relax for a while longer would be nice. Now, where's my phone...

26 unread messages

Shit.

I didn't expect this would happen. I left the note on an obvious place, notifying that I would go home late today. And as fate had it, it was gone or they were just too oblivious to even see that. The problem was, the latter had higher chance than it should.

So my sister told me the door's locked, and they took away their keys. Yes, I've got my keys of course, and I did have a photo of the note I made and put on the table. What should I do now? Honestly, not going home would yield very similar results to going home.

Let's see...

" Oh, so you finally got home. How late do you think it is? Is this the way top ten of one of the best school Japan behaves? Can't your oh-so-magnificent brain remember to leave a note?! Even though I worked to the bone to get you there!"

No, that middle school was a shitty corrupt school for bigwigs that offered super generous scholarships for commoner overachievers. The tuition was around half the average after that huge discount. Anyway, showing the photo would silence her, sure, but for how long? That, or classic 'you dare talk back?! Getting smart now?'

Yes, as a matter of fact, I am. Enough to beat you, Mom.

Cue the magnificent, but unfortunately mental, German suplex.

Anyway, second choice would involve staying somewhere else and get the 'do you not need home anymore' treatment the day after. But I'd be able to delay their ramblings until after I get home, not right away after waking up. Hmmhh... Or I could have Rias-senpai zap them. Ugh, but that's gonna be troubling her...

Seriously, I wonder if my mind was too rotten... or it just knows my... family too well.

Stay out then.

" Ara, Faust-kun. It seems you're locked out."

Akeno-senpai caught a glimpse of the chat while I was calculating. Of course, I immediately turned off the app. She was standing up and leaning to the sofa's backside with her forearms cushioning her chin.

" Unfortunately."

" Did you forget your keys?"

...

" I did."

*jiiiiii~*

Hey, I couldn't help you knowing, so I stopped bothering to hide okay? Akeno-senpai, like she's been doing a lot lately, patted my head.

" Then, how about staying over at my place? It's a shrine, so there's plenty of space."

" Won't I trouble other... huh... that's..."

I realized Akeno-senpai did live in a shrine, and how that was possible. She had a WHOLE shrine as her house. Holy Mother of God. I heard the Gremory family cared for their peerage like they would a family, but... well, with their wealth, procuring a shrine couldn't be too hard.

Rias-senpai seemed to already know my thoughts and smiled mischievously.

" That's right. She has a whole shrine for herself. Negotiating with local deities and onmyoujis was tough, but it was worth it."

But staying over at a girls'... what am I saying. Rias-senpai was a regular at mine already. Such concern already bit the dust.

" What say you, Faust-kun?"

Hmm... But this person is scary. I couldn't get a read on Akeno-senpai at all aside from when she's on her 'S' mode, and that by itself was intimidating. This might be a sham, since the actual devil was Rias-senpai, but it's just my own feeling.

Come to think of it, perhaps I've been pushing those stereotypes and making assumptions based on that too much. But back to matter at hand.

I definitely could go to my own apartment, but ugh... my only personal space...

" Then, I'll be troubling you, Akeno-senpai."

" Mm-hmm. Then, let's go."


We walked out of the supermarket with several bags of ingredients at hand.

" I forgot a few things for dinner tonight. You're a big help."

She gave her usual smile, the one with her eyes nearly closed. I felt the weight of the plastic bag on my right hand. Just a few stuff for simple meal, and ice creams. Even though it was supposed to get colder recently, we were just having an intense sport match.

" Although, I didn't expect you to be quite the gentleman. Fufu~ I can understand why Rias is paying attention to you."

" What exactly is gentlemanly about answering goodwill with basic courtesy?"

I rolled my eyes at her 'ah, you found out'. Since Rias-senpai often had discussions with her both as Queen and close friend, she often stayed at Akeno-senpai's place and vice-versa. That was also the case today.

As such, they could've had plans today, and could've canceled. Also, there was the tiring dodgeball match, thus it was quite possible she already made food, but with me thrown into the mix, she probably didn't have enough food. So either that, or order takeout. And even if all my assumptions were dead wrong and I was just being super paranoid for no reason, she did offer me a place to stay for the night.

It seemed my assumption wasn't too far off the mark.

" Really, you didn't need to mind me. I'd be fine with some bread or takeout."

" It'd be sad if you were to eat bread while Rias and I could enjoy homemade dinner. Isn't it the Japanese way to treat your guests well?"

I nodded at her inquiry.

" Aaahh~ Honestly, you're too sharp for your own good, Faust-kun. Men are cuter if they're a little stupid, you know?"

" It's good since I'm not aiming to be cute."

" Fufu~ I suppose you're not."

As our banter progressed, so did our distance from school. It hit me again that this senpai of mine who was a devil lived in a shrine. With torii gate and all. Pretty sure I went here several times to pray or just take shelter. Was I invading on private property back then?

Maybe since my mind was still taken, my body was dragged inside.

Rather than a shrine, it was more of a shrine-shaped house. There was barely anything else other than offering box, bell, and the door where the shrine god was supposed to dwell. All in all, it was a very spacious house with heavy Japanese vibe to it.

Well, anything other than kitchen. That part was fully decked down. Akeno-senpai must really love cooking.

" Would you like barley tea or water?"

" Ah, tea please. Thank you."

" Of course. I'll be cooking now. You can sit over there, watch tv, if you want."

Like a good millenial, I didn't. Why bother with tv when you had your phone and youtube anyway? However, I also didn't open my phone. I simply put it on the short table and stood up.

" Is there anything I can help with?"

She turned around, already donning an apron over her uniform. Housewife nadeshiko. I bet the male population of Kuoh would be crying blood in this situation.

" Could you cook, though?"

" Please give me some simpler errands. I can't vouch for my cooking."

Looking at the plethora of ingredients in front of her, it was very likely she overwhelmed me in that regard. My cooking skills included eggs, water, rice, and anything instant. It's a shame but I wasn't quite ready to be independent yet.

" Hmm~ It seems even THE Faust-kun has things he can't do."

" Unfortunately."

She giggled and entrusted me with a knife. Then, she slid over the wooden plate with s cabbage on.

" Could you chop the cabbage then?"

" Yes."

Unlike experienced people, I needed to concentrate to not have blood season the cabbage, and to make them look good and uniform. Alright, I was able to do it a tad faster, and neater compared to my usual. The lack of tension really worked wonders sometimes.

Well, this senpai of mine was a whole 'nother beast though. By the time I was done processing one cabbage, she was done with everything else. Actually, she was crossing her arms under her notable chest, observing me keenly.

" Sorry for taking so long."

" Mm-hmm. It's okay."

I was a bit torn whether to ask for other tasks or not. It would be quicker and less troublesome for her without my intervention, as shown from that show earlier. However, stopping to help midway would be rude.

" Could you mix the vegetables with mayo and vinegar? We'll have this salad alongside the curry."

She put the shredded cabbage, along with some more vegetables in a big bowl. Then, she poured some vinegar and a little mayo in. Admittably, I'd never eaten curry with salad before, but well, in Rome, do as Romans do, right? More than that though, this was another chance.

I stared at the bowl of vegetables and condiments very intensely, searching for any possible defect or uneven parts. Cooking was not my strong suit, thus my mind would go nuts over trying to avoid screwing up.

Even though it was as mundane as mixing salad.

Especially mundane stuff like mixing salad.

" Alright, that's enough."

The bowl and spoon were snatched away from me. I looked up, seeing Akeno-senpai with uneasy expression on her face.

" Any more and it would be mush, not salad."

It was like frostbite flowed from my chest, neck, then head, then went back to my stomach in five seconds. She put it on the kitchen table and went back to overseeing her pot.

" You looked like that salad dumped you in a pool of coffee."

Another voice rang from behind me. There was Rias-senpai, also with uneasy expression. Man, I really screwed up big time huh? She patted the cushion beside her. Thus, I ceased my unneeded help and sat across her.

" Don't mind her. Akeno's preaching that food should be made happily. Otherwise, it'd make people sick."

" I am happy to help her, though."

She snickered at my immediate response. The picture displayed on her phone definitely debunked all my denials. If glaring could kill a person, the salad must've withered like whatever remained of our math teacher's scalp.

I mean, sure I thought I'd look serious, but holy crap. If the police saw me like that, I think they wouldn't even hesitate to shoot then and there.

" There's that. So do explain to Akeno properly, okay? Usually she likes that sort of thing, but cooking's a wholly different matter."

With a chuckle, she stored her phone, and leaned back comfortably.

That day, I knew that Akeno-senpai could out-cook some hotel chefs. Seriously.


That Rias, honestly. Hmmhh, I have to admit it's nicer being together with another person than coming home lonely every time though. This shrine bore lots of resemblance with my previous home, aside from being hella lot bigger. That detail was the lonely part, though. In such a big house, being alone...

There's that amusing boy too. Fufu~ I wonder what he's doing. Seeing how he froze up before, his nerves must've been frayed. That meant this was quite possibly the first time he's visited a girl's house? How cute.

Now, I'd like to help myself to some hardcore teasing. Thank you for the meal.

" Zzz..."

Yeah, I get it. That anemo slime bean bag could put an end to insomnia. But come on, for someone so high-strung 24/7, how the hell did you fall asleep here?! Well, okay, he did fall asleep in the clubroom too. As I was pondering, he already shot up, eyes wide.

" Hello, Akeno-senpai."

" Ara, are you that tired, Faust-kun? I'll take you to your room so please bear with it for a while, hm?"

...

" I wasn't sleeping, though?"

" You were."

His eyes narrowed, but it seemed the words got stuck. In the end, he just face-palmed. It's good that he wasn't into back and forth meaningless argument.

" Was I really?"

" It's nothing to be ashamed of. Now, I'll give you a tour while we're at it."

The tour was nice while it lasted. I'd like to give him a full version, but unfortunately, we were all spent from that violent game. Even though she looked like a serious, honest-to-goodness honor student, she was actually worse than Rias when it came to competition. A tiny provocation was all she needed to lose control and go nuts.

I shook my head remembering the scene when the match turned to a deathmatch. " And here..." his bent form as he was sent flying out of the gym came to mind.

" is a victim. Well, one of them."

Issei also got into 'balls to the balls' situation, literally. In a way, his predicament was more than his friend here.

" Akeno-senpai, what's the matter?"

" It's me who should ask that. Why're you touching your ribs so often? Did it not heal properly?"

I stopped walking, and he followed suit.

" I don't know. Asia healed it nicely, but it just feels... tender? Yeah, that should be the right word."

Nothing felt wrong to me, but I only rubbed the spot on his clothes. The magic kaichou used was quite fierce, and he might be experiencing some phantom pains as side-effects. Maybe his bones weren't mended correctly, causing it to be misshapen.

" Err... Akeno-senpai?"

" I can't get the feel through your clothes."

Asia-chan's Twilight Healing was more maginificent than I thought. That blow could've been serious even for Koneko-chan, but she healed him in no time at all. Hmm, well, no unnatural crook or bumps, so I suppose he's perfectly fine. If anything, his bones should be a bit sturdier now.

He had less fat than I thought. It wasn't like he had six-pack and super tight muscles like those super OP protagonists in Rias' isekai light novels, but he was lean and decently built. I could tell he didn't neglect his body in pursuit of study.

" How is it, Akeno-senpai?"

" Wait a minute, I gotta make sure..."

Hoho, now let's see—

" That's too far from my ribs, Akeno-senpai."

With a sigh, he picked my hand that wandered a bit too far from the initial target. Whoops, it seemed I was distracted.

" So... is there something you'd like to ask me?"

...

My heart got a bit cold hearing those words. He was indeed sharp, but it'd be nice if he could be less blunt about it. That way, I'd have less risk of heart attack. Anyway... this just made things easier in a way, I guess.

" Honestly speaking, Faust-kun... "

I leaned on the wooden pillar, my eyes staring straight to his.

" What do you think of me?"

His eyes narrowed for a bit, before a slight laugh left his parted lips. Faust Kuroki put his hands inside his pockets, and donned his rare smirk. This one had his eyes shine smugly, unlike most of his expressions.

" Rias-senpai asked me the same question not long ago."

" And your answer?"

His teasing mood didn't last even a minute, and his face slackened, revealing a tired expression that was more expressive... Hmm, that came out oddly.

" I told her to come to you if she were into S&M."

...That's what got him tired?

" I really didn't know what I was thinking then. She could've vaporized me in two seconds if that set her off. Man, thinking back on how much I had to hold back makes me tired."

Wait, wait, why S&M, though? I AM into that, but why that answer?

" When people ask that specific question, they definitely want to hear good things about them, you see? So when someone asks me that... it really ticks me off. Besides, the most memorable traits of people are the bad ones, after all. It's bothersome to spout some generally pleasing stuff only to get refuted later."

As usual, his eyes didn't follow his smile.

" Of course, doing that will get me a fistful of her famous Bael magic. I'm not confident I can withstand that, so nope."

His laugh, too, was a bit hollow. But weirdly, I felt that he wasn't lying. For him, those were just natural things to do. He wasn't excited, he wasn't sad, he wasn't nervous.

He was just be.

Aaahh...

" It's boring, isn't it?"

This time, his affirmative smile was genuine. It seemed I was on the right track. See, Rias? We got along well, perhaps even better than your relentless pursue.

" So, what qualifies as exciting and fun to you?"

" I don't know."

Hmm?

Wait, the script ain't right.

Right, let's repeat.

" What makes you excited? Or happy? Motivated?"

" I don't know."

What a problem.

For me, I frequent retro cafes with nice atmosphere, find exotic brands of tea, or take my time tor—teasing Strays during extermination missions.

" Right, don't you like reading? And studying? Research, perhaps?"

He looked up to the night sky, cool autumn breeze ruffling his hair. His vibe turned solemn and mysterious, even more than usual.

" I just want to find what I actually like from there."

His response made some sense, even though only for me. When I was younger, I was also struggling with that. Not having danger breathing down your neck was nice, but it took away the urgency. It hadn't been that long since I last woke up drenched in sweat, my body assuming fight-or-flight stance for nothing.

" Grandpa, you're talking like an old veteran again."

" Oy, too different. Grandpa's bad enough already."

His temperament was just too different from a teenager, actually more like a retired old man telling stories to his grandchildren. In fact, the way he sat down and leaned on the pillar with one leg raised while the other was dangling... made me remember that damned father of mine when he was relaxing.

" You're making me curious now. Akeno-senpai, what do you think of me, then?"

It was a playful jab, a return of my previous question. This cheeky little kouhai... Well, I didn't know how to answer after being told that. Hmm~ But, even though I had no idea how to respond, there ARE alternatives...

Drats, it doesn't work.

Even though I was rubbing his cheek with the smile that won me the title of yamato nadeshiko, he was unmoved. If there's any consolation, I could see his cheek redden a bit and his jaw grow slack from the closeness, even though it was only a moment.

" That's how it is."

" That how?"

Even though I was at loss, it'd be fine if I just left it there with mysterious aura, letting him make his own version.

" Fufufu~"

Stew in your own imagination, kouhai. Winning against this senpai is absolutely impossible. To finish it off, I grabbed his hand and pulled him up.

" Let's continue the tour, hm?"

Once the topic was diverted, stubbornly refusing would only cause embarassment, or become a sign of seriousness. He had no choice but to oblige and become distracted. THAT would open more windows in the future.

I said tour, but there wasn't much to see. The whole trip, including the talk, took only around half an hour.

By the time we returned, Rias was sitting cross-legged with her eyes closed. Faint aura carrying her signature magic flared in controlled manner. That's the Maou's blood for you. Despite being faint, the potency of her magic had increased noticeably compared to around two weeks or so before. Most devil nobles didn't bother training to tap into their latent potential, relying on their unique constitution and bloodline magic to overwhelm the opponents. Eventually , their age would allow them to integrate what powers inside anyway.

Rias, too, was one of them. This change was rather recent, but the results already showed. Not long ago, I'd say I'd be able to match her one-on-one, but now... She'd just blast through a huge chunk of my options. In fact, the only option might be to use that goddamned blood in me.

Ouch.

Worth it.

" It's my first time seeing Rias-senpai actually train."

I really thought he was stunned because she was wearing casual t-shirt and shorts, showing some cleavage and thighs. Is he an eunuch or something? I mean, he had to be. Of course, Issei's standard might be to much, but look at him. Stoic, chill, and relaxed even though there were two women hailing from supernatural species armed for seduction.

" I'm still normal, Akeno-senpai. Both my physique and orientation."

" Did I say that out loud?"

He just chuckled and fetched his water bottle for some drinks.

" Let's not bother her. I'll take you to your room?"

" Sure."

With that, he put in the bottle and picked up his bag. Thus, the final section of the tour finished with him thanking me for the board, and me going to bath. Rias was still immersed in her meditation, something she'd never even tried before.

When did she stop being a spoiled princess and start taking things to her own hands more? The Rias I knew was selfish and somewhat arrogant... courtesy from her noble upbringing. She was kind, but there was no hiding her negative traits.

The change was gradual, but it's a start.

My hand reached for a nearby towel and wrapped it around my body. After properly putting on clothes, I exited the bathroom. The night air was quite cold, thus my increasing my pace. Ah, why not tell him while at it?

" Hello, Faust-kun. The bath's empty—"

The door opened, revealing him still sitting on the same position since I left, nodding off like he'd usually do. Fufu, it's like he's got screensaver mode or something. His posture straightened, and he turned to me.

" Hello, Akeno-senpai. It seems I dozed off again."

" That you did. Today's quite tiring, after all. Still, you should warm up a bit before going to bed, okay?"

He stood up and accepted the towel I gave him.

" Mm-hmm. I'll do just that."

His back disappeared behind the door frames. Hmm~ Maybe a surprise assault would make him drop that salted fish mode? If I waited until the shower's turned on...

No, no. I'm not Rias. I don't infiltrate people's place naked.

But you know, just to break that stifling, frustrating facade of his... Or he's just not straight. I really doubted that, though. From her story, he DID react, just not overly. That guy's always managed to control himself, no matter how saucy the situation was. Well, I'd say it's good that he was so cautious to new environment, especially since the addition was the devil population around him, but it kinda stung.

At least I could rest assured that he wouldn't get tricked to signing a slave contract or something.

My mind lost track of time as I was enjoying the night air. Unlike humans who'd get sick over cold night air, devils could comfortably enjoy this sort of thing without any worries. After bath, no less. The cold that permeated to the bones, but not enough to cause numbness or piercing sensation was one of the nicer parts of the night.

It's unfortunate that Rias didn't share such sentiment. Though I'd say she'd consider relaxing outside at night 'cause that's such a protagonist thing to do.

" Why not sit here and join me for a while?"

Fresh out of the bath, Faust wore the clothes I left for him. All male clothes on hand were trashed, I personally made sure of that. However, there were some of general variants, usable by both genders. Those fit him to a T, though, thanks to his smaller and thinner physique.

" Thank you for lending me clothes, Akeno-senpai."

I responded him with a nod. The cool air was truly mighty, melting his usual sharp expression like hot pan to butter. That phrase was bad though, since it's cool now, not hot.

Hmm…

One leg up, another dangling while leaning his body to the wooden pillar. This posture… really brought back bad memories.

" What?"

"It's just your imagination."

My anger slipped out a bit, and as sensitive as he was, he picked it up immediately. Was the alley incident… thing something he could actually consciously use? That would explain his sensitivity and experience with hostile (killing) intent.

Really, he's not that much different from me.

I also had a period where I constantly peeked behind out of habit. Or jump and retaliate on physical touch. It's unfair of me to judge him just from a coincidental similarity with that… accursed man.

" And here I thought it's getting too quiet. Glad to see you're not trying to kill each other."

She shivered. And she dared call herself devil. Shouldn't devils revel in the moonlight, running around harvesting unfortunate human souls that didn't know better?

Well, it IS getting cold. Damn, winter's coming soon.

" Dealing with a dead body is more trouble than its worth. Her words, not mine."

Rias was looking at me with wary eyes. I made my finger go electro and jabbed his midriff. He didn't like it.

" Up for some cards? We can stay up as late as we want."

Rias soon came to regret her decision after eating +8 three times in a single game after trying to trap our resident human. Twice just before getting UNO.