"So, you're saying you're going to your sister's place so that you can go to Kuoh Academy?" Kiba asked the girl beside him, walking alongside her. Both of them were walking at steady paces.

"Yep!" The ponytailed girl replied, smiling rather enthusiastically. "It's my first time goin' out on my own, though. Everything seems kinda new, if I hafta be honest…" still speaking in her Kansai dialect, she looked at the blond boy beside her. Kiba thought her accent sounded rather cute.

"I see…" Kiba mused.

Kiba thought the girl's name was a little bit weird, though. Labrys, she told him earlier. That name sounded too strange even if she was a foreigner. Now that he took a good look on the girl beside him, she did have a bit Caucasian look on her. She spoke perfect Japanese, albeit an accented one. Kiba thought that she probably had mixed ancestry.

"Somethin' wrong, Kiba-kun?" Labrys asked as she saw Kiba scrunching up his brow.

"Hmm? Oh, it's nothing, umm… Labrys-san?" Kiba said uncertainly. He sure hope he didn't say her name wrong. Then, he realized that Labrys had been addressing him with a '-kun', even though it was their first time meeting each other.

"Somethin' on my face?" Labrys asked innocently, blinking a few times when Kiba looked at her face.

"No, there's nothing…" Kiba replied, suddenly realizing that he had been looking at the girl's face.

"Is that so?" Labrys tilted her head, still blinking.

Then they spoke no more as they walked alongside each other. Somehow, Kiba, for the first time, felt a little bit awkward. Throughout his life, he was capable of handling the females around him whenever they were swooning over him, but somehow, this girl was different. She did not act like most girls around him.

While it suited him just fine, her apparent innocence made Kiba feel rather self-conscious.

"So, Kiba-kun, you goin' to Kuoh Academy too, right?" Labrys suddenly asked.

"Ah, yes…" Kiba nodded. "I'm a second-year student." He smiled at the girl.

"Second-year? I'm second-year too this year," Labrys said, beaming cheerfully. "My sis too." She added.

"Your sister too?" Kiba raised one eyebrow. "Sorry for asking, Labrys-san, but which one of you is the older one?" He asked.

"The older one, huh?" Labrys tapped her chin, furrowing her brow, as if deep in thought. "I guess I'm the older one, but it doesn't matter. Older or younger, she's still my sister."

"I see…" Kiba mused.

Then, they fell silent once again. When they took a turn at the corner, Kiba looked at the address in the piece of paper he was holding.

"Ah, I believe we're almost there. It's just a couple of blocks away," Kiba said, looking at Labrys while smiling. "Think you can go on your own, Labrys-san? I'm sure you'll be able to find your sister's place by yourself. Just go straight and you'll find your sister's house."

Thinking that his job was done, the blond boy turned on his heel, but before he could even take one step away, suddenly he was stopped by Labrys' hand pinching on the sleeve of his shirt. When he saw Labrys, whose hand was grabbing his sleeve, Kiba was too shocked to even think properly.

He looked at Labrys' face and saw her rather serious expression.

"Whaddaya think you're doin', Kiba-kun?" Labrys asked, frowning. "Didn't ya offer to bring me to my sis' place? It's kinda rude to leave things half-assed, y'know?"

Kiba blinked. He could see Labrys' red eyes staring into his, and he swore that those crimson pupils of hers were flaring slightly. When he thought about it, the girl sure had a point. It was him who decided to accompany her to find her sister's place, and she interpreted him excusing himself to be backing out from his decision earlier.

Scratching the back of his head, Kiba gave Labrys an apologetic smile. "My bad. You're right, it was rude of me to just back away, leaving this matter half-assed. I'm sorry."

Smiling with satisfaction, Labrys nodded, her frown was no longer on her face. "Alright! C'mon, Kiba-kun! Lead the way!"

Sighing, Kiba stepped forward, leading the strange ponytailed girl to their destination. Somehow, the tone that she made earlier sounded rather persuasive, and Kiba couldn't find himself in his heart to make any excuse to get away. While he had no problem giving assistance to those who needed help, he would rather not get too involved with them.

A few minutes later, they arrived at their destination. Reading the address, Kiba nodded before he looked at Labrys.

"I think this is the place, Labrys-san," Kiba told the ponytailed girl. This might be the right time for him to excuse himself.

"Kiba-kun, would you like to see my sis?" Labrys asked when Kiba was about to turn away to leave.

"Huh? Oh." Kiba blinked a few times. "Well, I don't wish to get in your way, Labrys-san." After all, his job was already done.

Labrys smiled. "Nah, I reckoned my sis won't really mind. I think she's gonna thank ya for helpin' me, y'see?" Tugging on the boy's sleeve, the ponytailed girl spoke to him in a rather persuasive tone. "C'mon, Kiba-kun. I insist."

"W-well…" Kiba was unable to bring himself to refuse and had no choice but to relent to the girl's persuasion. "I suppose showing myself to your sister won't hurt." He imagined that he might as well see Labrys' sister to see how she was like. Considering that Labrys had told him earlier that her sister was also a student at Kuoh Academy, he might be able to recognize her.

"Nice!" Grinning, Labrys brought Kiba to where her sister was living at. Ringing the doorbell, she called for her sister. "Sis, it's me!"

"Ah," Kiba could hear a female voice from inside the apartment, and Kiba assumed that it might be from Labrys' sister. Somehow, that voice sounded rather familiar, but it might be just his imagination. "Wait a moment, I'll open the door!"

They heard footsteps before the door was unlocked. When the door was opened from inside, they saw a girl with blond, chin-length hair, attired in a black suit standing before them. The girl blinked a few times in puzzlement, not expecting the boy who was accompanying her sister.

And Kiba recognized the girl.

"Aigis-san?"

"Ah, Kiba-san?"

Before they could even say anything else, Labrys leaped towards her sister, giving her a hug.

"It's so nice to meet'cha again, sis!" Labrys exclaimed happily. "I really missed you, y'know?"

Bewildered for a few seconds as her sister wrapped her arms around her, Labrys' sister, Aigis, smiled. Then she hugged her back.

"I really missed you too, Labrys…" Aigis said softly. "My sister..."

Heart of a Butterfly

A Persona 3 and High School DxD Crossover

Chapter 12: Wheel of Fortune

"So, uh…" Kiba began, sitting on the floor in seiza, as Aigis poured him some Japanese tea. "You are Aigis-san's sister," he spoke to Labrys, who was sitting on Aigis' capsule seat, her hands on her lap. It wasn't even a question he gave to her.

"Yup." Labrys nodded.

"That is correct." Aigis also nodded.

"So… that makes you, uh… a robot too, right?" Kiba asked.

"The proper term is Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon, but yes…" Aigis nodded again. "Labrys is the earlier model, the 5th Generation ASW while I am the later one, the 7th Generation ASW. So, it can be said that Labrys is my older sister…" the android girl informed Kiba.

"But," Kiba looked at Labrys before he said, "she looks human."

"Oh," Labrys blinked a few times. "Wait for a bit, I gonna turn off the function first." Kiba could see Labrys' body flickering, before her flesh-like body parts were replaced by metallic, mechanical parts. "Here we go. Sorry 'bout that, but I didn't know you know my sis, Kiba-kun," Labrys spoke to Kiba apologetically.

Kiba's eyes widened when he saw the apparently human Labrys turning into a robot, or an ASW. Apparently, he was too surprised to say anything about this.

"Unlike me, upon her creation, Labrys was equipped with something that allows her to distort the perception of other people on her," Aigis explained. "By manipulating the light as well as projecting the false images on her body, as well as tricking the senses of other people, she can project illusions that allow her to appear as a human to other people." She nodded to herself a few times. "She even once managed to fool herself, thinking that she was a human instead of an android, thanks to her strong illusion powers."

Labrys smiled rather bashfully. "W-well, it ain't that a big deal," she said humbly. "I mean, sis is even more powerful than me. My simple parlor trick ain't that much compared to her powers. I mean, she can even summon many Personas!"

Aigis chuckled. "Labrys, I do believe that being able to manipulate illusions is quite a feat. Imagine what can happen if that power of yours is fully utilized."

Both Aigis and Labrys were discussing about their sisters (who were actually them, coincidentally) being much better than them, leaving Kiba to gape at them in utter confusion. It took them nearly twenty minutes before they realized that they were ignoring their guest.

"Ah, I almost forgot that you are here, Kiba-san," Aigis said. "I apologize. It's just that being able to meet my sister makes me happy."

"Uh, w-well… I don't really mind, actually," Kiba replied before he took the Japanese tea that Aigis poured for him earlier. The tea had cooled down because he was too busy watching both the robot sisters to even drink the beverage. "It's just that… I never expected this kind of thing."

"You did not expect me having a sister?" Aigis asked.

"It's more like I didn't expect Labrys-san to be a robot," Kiba said. "I mean, she looked like a normal girl when I first saw her."

"I'm sorry for trickin' ya, Kiba-kun," bowing slightly, the ponytailed mechanical maiden apologized to Kiba.

"Well, I don't think you did that out of malice." Kiba smiled at Labrys. "So, I guess it's alright."

Giving Kiba a gentle smile, Aigis bowed to Kiba slightly. "Kiba-san, thank you for helping out my sister. But…" She glanced at Labrys. "When I think about it again, you should be equipped with an internal GPS system which could help you navigate around the area. How did you get lost when you could just use GPS system to find my location?"

"W-well…" Labrys seemed to be embarrassed, tapping her chin with her metallic fingers as she looked aside. "I wanna try using traditional means of navigation, y'see? I used maps and compasses like normal humans do. I also tried askin' for directions, and luckily for me, Kiba-kun helped me to find the way." She beamed cheerfully, looking at the boy who helped her.

"Most people nowadays use GPS, in any case if you are wondering, sister," Aigis spoke in robotic tone, indicating that she was using her sarcastic voice. "Anyways, since you will be living with me from now on, I assume that you may be transferring into Kuoh soon."

Labrys nodded. "Yep! And Mitsuru-san also made me a student ID!" Labrys took out a card from the pocket of her jacket, handing it to Aigis. Both Aigis and Kiba took a good look on the student ID. There was Labrys' picture on it, and she was wearing a formal attire with a deep blue necktie.

And their eyes focused on Labrys' name on the card.

Labrys Kirijo.

Both Aigis and Kiba looked at Labrys in disbelief.

"That is… the laziest thing someone can do for a fake identity," Kiba commented.

"Whoa, careful there, Kiba-kun," Labrys said. "If Mitsuru-san hears that, you gonna get executed." Her expression turned grim. "It won't be pretty, I assure ya."

For some reasons, Kiba could feel a chill down his spine upon hearing Labrys' warning.

"I concur." Aigis nodded. "Even so, I have to agree with what Kiba-san said. This name reeks of laziness. I understand that Mitsuru-san is a busy person, but she can at least try to show her own effort in this matter."

Meanwhile, at the Shadow Operatives' headquarters, Mitsuru sneezed while she was signing the documents on her desk.

"What's the matter, milady?" The maid who stood beside her, Kikuno, asked her. "Did you perhaps catch a cold?" From her tone alone, she sounded rather concerned.

"Hmm… I'm not sure…" Mitsuru replied. "I hope it's not the case. For me, whose main power is ice, to catch a cold, it is rather embarrassing…" she said before she continued with her tasks. Being a leader of a multinational company, Mitsuru had no time to be stopped by something so trivial such as a cold.

"Would you like me to provide cold medicine, just in case?" Kikuno asked.

For a while, Mitsuru was silent before she spoke, "…Yes, please."

"Putting that aside, I think you should put yourself in hibernate mode for now, sister," Aigis said to Labrys. "Tomorrow is going to be a long day, since you're going to be transferring into Kuoh Academy. You still need to prepare mentally for that."

"Ah, sure!" Labrys nodded.

Seeing that as a cue to leave, Kiba got up on his feet. "So, I'll be going now. I still need to prepare for tonight's dinner." He looked at Labrys, smiling. "Wish you good luck tomorrow, Labrys-san."

"Thanks, schoolmate!" Labrys replied.

And so, after bidding both mechanical maidens farewell, Kiba walked out of Aigis' apartment, carrying his grocery bag, walking home.

While he was walking, he was pondering about something.

"So… this Mitsuru is their superior, huh?" Kiba muttered to himself. He was walking down the street as he recalled the time when both androids spoke that name. He was sure that he had heard that name sometime ago.

Kirijo Group. Now that he thought about it again, both Aigis and Labrys used Kirijo as their family names. At first, he thought it was just mere coincidence, but then, after putting together all the pieces, he believed that the current leader and CEO of multinational company that spread across multiple countries in the world, Mitsuru Kirijo, was the one who held the reins behind Aigis' actions.

"Then again, why did a CEO of a multinational company send a robot to here in the first place?" Despite already finding out the identity of Aigis' mysterious superior and apparent benefactor, it still explained too little about their motives.

Was the android sent here from the future to kill a kid who was actually a future rebel leader against a robotic invasion? Kiba, of course, mentally chastised himself immediately soon after that for thinking about something so silly.

Even so, there had to be some reasons behind Mitsuru Kirijo's decision to send someone like Aigis in his mistress' territory. Considering that their businesses might be supernatural in nature, the Devils around the area had every right to be cautious. Their involvement in supernatural matters might even disrupt the already fragile peace between three biblical factions.

"I guess it's a thing to think of another time, then." Kiba sighed. He continued walking down the street, going home.

The next day, both Aigis and Labrys walked to the school together. They could hear a few students murmuring to each other about this unfamiliar girl.

At school, during the homeroom session, Labrys introduced herself to the other students. Somehow, by luck, Labrys was in the same class as her sister, Aigis.

"Name's Labrys Kirijo. I'm Ai Kirijo's older half-sister." Labrys beamed cheerfully. "It's so good to meet'cha all!"

That cheerful, cute smile of hers almost sent the whole class into utter mayhem. Having strange name notwithstanding, the rest of the class accepted this new transfer student rather well. A little bit too well, in fact.

Issei gave Aigis a bewildered look.

"I'll explain to you later," Aigis said to Issei.

And so, during lunchtime, Aigis brought her sister out of the classroom, away from being surrounded by curious classmates, mostly girls, from being interrogated. They could have their interrogation for later, because they still needed to clear things up with Rias Gremory and company. In order to avoid giving them wrong impression, Aigis believed that she had to explain their situation with them.

While her true mission was to observe Rias Gremory and their objectives, Mitsuru never said that she couldn't keep a cordial relationship with them. After all, one of the members of her peerage, Issei, was her close friend.

Aigis, Labrys and Issei (as well as Asia, who was latching herself on Issei's arm, by the way) walked together to the old schoolhouse, the clubhouse for Occult Research Club. When they entered the old schoolhouse, all its members were already there.

"I believe I never mentioned her before, but this is my sister, Labrys," Aigis introduced her sister to the members of Occult Research Club.

All the members of the club, sans Kiba, were staring at the ponytailed girl after Aigis introduced her.

"S-so…" After a few moments of stunned silence, Rias spoke, "Is she… also the same like you?" She asked Aigis.

"Yes," Aigis nodded. She looked at Labrys. "Sister, if you please…"

"Got it." Labrys nodded before she deactivated her illusion, revealing her true mechanical, robotic form. "Here we go. Like my sis, I'm also an Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon. I'm the 5th Generation to be made, so I'm older than my sis. Like my sis said, name's Labrys. It's nice to meet'cha," Labrys explained with a smile.

"Illusion…" Koneko commented.

"A robot capable of illusions?" Akeno mused, tapping her chin with her fingers. "Fufufu… interesting."

The newest member of the group, Asia Argento blinked in befuddlement.

"Yes, one of Labrys' specialties is conjuring illusions," Aigis informed. "With that illusory power of hers, she will be able to conceal her robotic parts and appear as a normal girl…" She looked down slightly. "I am not equipped with the equipment that allows me to do the same, and my system is incompatible with it. So, I am unable to do the same thing as her."

"I-I see…" Rias mused. "But, why are you telling me this, Aigis-san?"

Aigis blinked a few times before she understood what Rias meant. "I believe that by informing you beforehand, we can avoid unnecessary misunderstandings in the future. Considering that we are aware of your nature as well as the truth behind the conflicts between three biblical factions, I want you to know that we mean no harm." She tactfully left out the part about her observing Rias Gremory and her peerage, as well as the Devils and the other factions in general, to figure out whether their existence could pose any harm to humanity or not. After the encounter with the stray Devil Gremda many days ago, Shadow Operatives decided that further investigation had to be made.

"Is that so?" Rias raised one eyebrow. "Hmm… even so, do you think it is necessary for you to inform us regarding this matter?" Her expression turned serious as she clasped her hands together, focusing her blue eyes on the mechanical maidens before her. "We may end up using this information against you."

"If that is the case, we have no choice but to retaliate," Aigis answered without missing a beat. "We are Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapons, the machines built to fight any inhuman entities that may endanger innocents. If you decide to go against us, then we will crush every single one of you, without mercy. If you make a declaration of war, it is only natural that we react in kind."

All the Devils stiffened. There was no hesitation in the mechanical maiden's tone. She was sure that she was capable of handling every single one of them. Despite being able to use the Power of Destruction, Rias was unsure if fighting Aigis was a good idea. And now that she already had another fighting robot beside her, the risk was getting higher. After seeing what she was capable of, they didn't know if they could even defeat her without suffering great casualties.

"Even so," Aigis smiled, "I believe it will never come to that. After all, Issei-san and Asia-san are part of your group. I believe that at least your group will not pose any danger to humanity." While she wasn't sure about the rest of the Devils, she thought that it was safe to assume that Rias Gremory's group would not do something that could harm humanity. It's just that she wanted to learn more about the Devils through her group to decide whether the Devils as a whole were dangerous to humanity or not.

"Ai-chan…" There was a smile of relief on Issei's face. He didn't want to fight Aigis, one of his close friends.

Sighing, Rias smiled as well. "I'm sorry for saying such an absurd thing, Aigis-san," the crimson-haired Devil said. "I assure you that we will never think about harming the innocents, no matter what. After all, we need them." She smiled deviously.

Aigis understood what Rias meant. Devils needed the humans for the contracting purpose. While it sounded like they were taking advantage of the humans, it was probably just a part of their devilish nature. As long as they did not directly cause any harm on humans, then she would be willing to turn a blind eye on them.

"Is there anything else any one of you wish to ask?" Aigis asked.

This time, the vice-president of the club, Akeno, was the one to speak, "Let's see…" She pondered about it for a few moments before she asked, "Labrys-san, right? Are you also capable of summoning a Persona?"

The question was directed to Labrys. "Me? Oh, of course." Labrys nodded. She got up from her seat. "Persona, Ariadne!"

The ponytailed mechanical maiden's body was wreathed in an azure light as a figure manifested itself right behind her. The figure took the form of a woman with a semi-robotic look. Her bluish-gray long hair let out glitters in the air, and as she was fully manifested, she landed elegantly on the floor, making a proper curtsy to the group.

"Aww, shucks." Labrys tapped her Persona's back. "Ya don't have to do that." Others could see the ponytailed mechanical maiden's cheeks turning red a bit.

"So, that's your Persona, Labrys-san?" Kiba asked, studying the woman. When he took a good look on her, a few crimson patterns could be seen floating around her. "What is her name again? Ariadne?"

Aigis nodded. "Yes. Ariadne, the daughter of King Minos of Crete, the half-sister of the fearsome Minotaur. She was the one who helped the demigod hero, Theseus, find a way out from the twisted labyrinth of Minotaur. Abandoned after helping Theseus, the Olympian Dionysus took her to become his wife"

"Ah…" Rias observed the mechanical-looking woman. "I never expect someone from… ancient Greece to have this kind of appearance."

"The same goes to Athena, actually," Aigis said. "No one expects her to be a bossy, nagging type of person."

Pallas Athena groaned from inside the sea of soul.

Labrys nodded to Ariadne before the Persona dissipated into motes of blue particles, disappearing.

"Is there anything else?" Aigis asked.

"Hmm…" Rias thought about it for a while. "Actually, there is something that I wish to ask you, Aigis-san."

"Please ask away, Gremory-san," Aigis said.

Clasping her hands together again, Rias asked, "What is your relationship with the one named Mitsuru Kirijo?"

Aigis was silent for a while. Labrys also didn't say anything. After a few moments of silence, Aigis answered "…Mitsuru Kirijo is my superior."

Now that confirmed it. Whatever this Mitsuru was planning for, it was she who ordered Aigis to be stationed in Rias' territory. "Which organization or faction do you and this Mitsuru Kirijo belong to?"

"I'm afraid that particular piece of information is not to be disclosed to you, as I am not given any permission to do so," Aigis answered. "I apologize," she added.

"Does 'Shadow Operatives' ring any bells to you?" Rias continued pushing her own luck.

Labrys was about to say something but was stopped when Aigis looked at her.

"So, you do make your own research, Gremory-san," Aigis spoke. "Even so, my previous statement remains. I have no obligation to answer that particular question, Gremory-san."

"But you also didn't deny it, did you?" Rias asked, smiling deviously.

"I neither confirm nor deny it, so it proves nothing. I apologize for my rudeness." Aigis bowed. "I advise you to not bring up this question to me in the future."

"Ah, I see…" Rias mused. "I'm sorry for bringing this up too, Aigis-san. You are free to go."

"What do you think, Akeno?" Rias asked her vice-president as the rest of the members of the club, as well as Aigis and Labrys, left the old schoolhouse. Akeno was arranging a few documents that Rias had brought with her.

"Two Gundams?" Akeno said jokingly.

Rias sighed and shook her head. "I'm actually thinking about Doraemon, but that's beside the point. The point is…" She brought up her teacup and took a sip before she put it back on the saucer on the table in front of her. "Even though she doesn't confirm it, she doesn't deny it either. While it may prove nothing, considering how much I have learned, it's safe to assume that the organization Aigis belongs to is this 'Shadow Operatives'. Despite taking the front of a government-backed police section, I believe that the establishment of this organization has something to do with supernatural world."

Akeno set down the documents she was arranging. "And you wish to learn more this organization's true objective?"

Rias nodded. "Yes. Despite Aigis' claim that her purpose is to protect humanity from inhuman entities, we are still not sure whether that is Aigis' personal objective or the organization's objective as a whole. There might be a chance that both Aigis and this organization have differing objectives and only use each other to accomplish their own objectives."

"Even so, that is just a mere assumption coming from you, Rias." Akeno said. "What if that organization was made to gather individuals with the same objective?"

"That's possible too. But this is humans we are talking about, Akeno," Rias said, smiling wryly. "There's no way they can be that altruistic. There has to be some ulterior motives for them to work alongside each other."

"Not impossible," Akeno countered.

"Oho?" Rias raised one eyebrow, looking at Akeno, her lips curled up into a devilish smirk. "Which part of you is the one who say that? The human part of you? Or perhaps the devilish part of you? Or probably something else?"

"My, my… is that a declaration of war from you, Rias?" Akeno smiled sweetly, but the effect of the smile was diminished by the flickering electricity on the tips of her fingers.

"C'mon now, Akeno. I'm just kidding," Rias said. Electricity on Akeno's hands faded. "Putting that aside, there are still a lot of things we don't know. But if things go well, then we can even convince Aigis to join us to be a part of my peerage. And probably convince her sister to join us as well." Devils put the value of strength and power on such a high pedestal, and having both Aigis and Labrys joining them might grant them extra advantage.

"Well, if that's your decision, I have to go with it, then." Akeno shrugged. "But I suggest you to thread this matter carefully, Buchou. One wrong step, then we may end up antagonizing Aigis. And her sister too, if we are unlucky."

Rias was silent for a few moments.

"You do realize it too, don't you?" Akeno said. "There's more to her than meets the eye. The powers she displayed days ago are probably just the mere fractions of what she is actually capable of. It's probably safe to assume that she is not someone who should be turned into our enemy," her expression was grim as she spoke. "She even showed no hesitation when she said that she's not afraid to crush us if we pose harm to humanity."

"Yes." Rias nodded. "I realize it too. That is why I have taken a few measures." She drummed her fingers on the table. "I'm not Sona, but I too believe that careful planning and strategy are essential in order to achieve victory."

"My, how devilish of you, Rias," Akeno said before she giggled.

"Aren't we all?" Rias grinned at Akeno. "We are Devils. Being devilish is a part of our nature."

"Well, I suppose I can't argue with that," Akeno said.

Then, Rias sighed before she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"What's the matter, Buchou?" Akeno asked, looking at the crimson-haired Devil.

"Even so… there are already two of them," Rias began. "Aigis and her sister, I mean."

"And that's a bad thing because?" Akeno questioned.

"Well, you know that having to deal with a robot with destructive powers in my territory can give us a headache, right?" Rias reasoned. "Now, they're multiplying."

"Oh." Akeno realized what Rias meant, and soon after that, she joined Rias in sighing while thinking about potential collateral damages that could be caused, now that there were two of them in the area.

"So, you're Ai-chan's sister, huh?" Issei asked as he walked alongside Labrys back to the classroom.

"Yup. So, you're Issei-kun, right?" Labrys said to the perverted boy beside her. "You probably already know it, but name's Labrys. It's good to meet'cha!"

"Y-yeah, it's good to meet'cha too, uh… L-Labrys-san?" Issei said to the ponytailed mechanical maiden in an uncertain tone.

Meanwhile, Asia was latching herself on Aigis as they walked.

"Hmm…" Labrys observed the blond girl who was walking alongside her sister. "Is it just me, or ain't they gettin' a little bit too close?"

"W-well… it's complicated, actually," Issei said unsurely. "A lot of things happened, and Asia-chan ends up getting a little clingy whenever Ai-chan's around."

"Oh." Labrys blinked.

"Hmm?" Aigis noticed that Asia was latching herself against her arm as they walked. "What's the matter, Asia-san? Something's bothering you?" She asked, showing concern to the shorter girl.

"Umm… w-well…" Asia fidgeted. Somehow, she was blushing slightly. "I-I'm actually wondering if, umm… w-well, you can spare your time with me later after school at the library?" She fidgeted again. "I-I'm actually thinking if we can study together, t-that is…"

"Wow…" Labrys couldn't contain her suspicion. "That sounds fishy and can be interpreted in so many wrong ways." She shook her head. "Many, many wrong ways."

"W-well, I guess Asia-chan likes Ai-chan," Issei said.

"Seriously? Now that sounds more than just fishy," Labrys commented.

On the other hand, Aigis was smiling. "Very well. I will spend time with you at the library. I suppose I can show you a few pointers about what you are going to study, Asia-san." Then, she looked at Issei. "Would you like to join us too, Issei-san?"

"M-me? Oh, of course! Count me in!" Issei exclaimed happily.

"Issei-san too?! Hawawawa!" Now, Asia's face was bright red due to embarrassment.

Labrys squinted her eyes in suspicion. "Now that's just beyond fishy." What kind of relationship did those three had? That was the question that started to plague Labrys' virtual mind.

"Sister," Aigis addressed Labrys. "Would you like to join us too?" She asked.

"Oh, me?" Labrys blinked. "W-well…" she looked at both Asia and Issei.

"C'mon, Labby-chan!" Issei said, immediately addressing her in such a way. One of her friends in Inaba, Teddie, also called her that. It brought such a nostalgic feeling in her. "Since you're Ai-chan's sister, I wanna be your friend too!" He grinned.

Asia also nodded. "Umm… L-Labrys-san, I want to know you better as well!" She dipped into a deep bow. "I would very much appreciate it if you're willing to join, Labrys-san!"

"S-sis?" Labrys looked at Aigis, feeling slightly worried.

"It will be fine, sister." Aigis said.

After a while, Labrys nodded and smiled.

"Sure!"

Mitsuru Kirijo put away a few documents after she was done with them. Then she removed her reading glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose. Having to deal with paperwork all day could be mentally exhausting for the CEO of the Kirijo Group. She actually preferred being put into combat fields rather than dealing with the paperwork or administrative jobs. At least, fighting could bring certain thrills into her.

Her rapier, her favorite one, was seen hanging on the wall not too far from her working desk. Being proficient in fencing, she would rather actually prefer having to wield the sword than to mount it on the wall.

"Milady, would you like me to give you shoulder massage?" The maid who was dutifully standing near her, Kikuno Saikawa, asked her.

"Ah, I really appreciate it, Kikuno." Mitsuru nodded.

But before Kikuno could even begin giving Mitsuru a shoulder massage, suddenly a voice came out from the intercom.

"Milady, you have visitors," the voice of a woman spoke through the intercom.

"Visitors? Around this time?" Mitsuru raised one eyebrow. "But I don't remember having any appointments with anyone today."

"But…" the voice hesitated. "They insist that they already made an appointment with you, milady. A personal appointment."

"A personal appointment?" Mitsuru frowned. "Actually, I don't remember making any personal appointment either." She considered turning them away, but that would be impolite of her. After pondering about it for a while, she told the speaker through the intercom, "Very well. Please bring them here to my office."

"Milady?" Kikuno spoke, seemingly concerned.

"I know." Mitsuru nodded. "This is strange. Kikuno, is there any appointment that I am not aware of?" She asked the maid.

"Just give me a moment, milady." Kikuno took out a tablet, checking the database. Then, the maid frowned. "Yes, you're right. This is strange. You have no appointment, at least for today." She looked at the leader of Kirijo Group and Shadow Operatives anxiously.

"I know what you're feeling, Kikuno. I can only hope that this is just something trivial…" Mitsuru said. She had a bad feeling about this. She glanced at her drawer, which contained her Evoker. In any case if her suspicion was confirmed, then she would immediately open the drawer to pull out the summoning device. She could only hope that there would be no worst-case scenario which would force her to take out the Evoker.

When the door was opened, both Mitsuru and Kikuno saw the maid who was accompanying the guests. There were three of them. Then the maid excused herself.

The first to step in was a man, seemingly in late twenties, in a dark blue suit. His shoulder-length hair was tied into a ponytail. The man was smiling as he nodded to the other two who entered after him.

The second one was another man, whose long hair was red in color. Attired in dark red pinstripe suit, the man stepped into Mitsuru's office, smiling confidently. When the first man bowed at him, it was clear that the red-haired man was his superior.

The last one was a woman with silver braided hair. A beautiful woman, clad in a rather elegant blue dress with a red scarf wrapping around her neck, stepped into the office, and her expression seemed neutral. She stood beside the red-haired man in a dutiful manner.

And Mitsuru's suspicion was confirmed.

While her psychic power as a Persona-user was limited and wasn't as strong as Fuuka's, she was still able to see through their human-like appearances. Her Persona, Artemisia, had been giving her warning signals as soon as she set her eyes on them.

[Not humans. These three are dangerous.]

Immediately, Mitsuru reached to her drawer, opening it so that she could take out her Evoker, but the red-haired man's voice stopped her.

"If I were you, I won't do that for my own good, you know?" The red-haired man spoke in a rather jovial tone. Still, Artemisia continued giving her warning signals, telling her that out of these three, the red-haired man was the most dangerous one.

Eyeing the three inhuman guests before her warily, Mitsuru spoke, "Who are you? What are you?"

Kikuno had already drawn out a handgun. But it was more like for show and intimidation, because if her instinct was right, the bullets might be useless against them.

Seemingly unaffected by the presence of a firearm that was primed at them, the red-haired man shrugged. "Well, before that, we're sorry for this kind of intrusion. Believe me, we really mean no harm."

Mitsuru continued looking at these three individuals suspiciously.

"Ah, yes. Names, how can I forget that?" The man nodded, and the silver-haired woman beside him scoffed at him. "Very well, allow me to introduce myself first. My name is Sirzechs Lucifer, one of the Four Great Satans. I'd say… nice to meet you, Mitsuru Kirijo, the leader of Kirijo Group, or should I say…" He smiled. "The leader of Shadow Operatives?"

TO BE CONTINUED

Author's Note: What's up, everyone? This is me, Prince Arjuna! I'm sorry if I can no longer update this fic regularly anymore, but someone has to slow down too, correct? So, Labrys has really officially joined the cast, and I hope you'll like her portrayal in this fic. As usual, Rias still wants to make Aigis (and probably Labrys) to join her peerage, but I will say that Aigis will not join any other faction other than Shadow Operatives anytime soon, in any shape or form. So, don't worry if you're thinking that I may end up going for the 'unoriginal' route by turning the main protagonist into a Devil too. Boo hoo! And so, Mitsuru Kirijo and Sirzechs Lucifer finally meet each other. What will gonna happen? Tune in for the next chapter!

Once again, special thanks for Sorata Shioya for beta-reading this chapter. It is so nice working alongside you once again, partner!

Also, don't forget to leave some reviews too while you're at it! Review-deprivation may cause severe malnourishment, and worse, the death of an author's intellectuality. See you guys again in the next chapter, Chapter 13: Sirzechs Lucifer.

What I have planned: "Smile! This is what you truly are! You're contradicting yourself!"

Prince Arjuna (2014)