"Is this fine, Ise?"

After she left, Rias asks her Pawn while looking at the retreating figure of Hanazono Rise. Not the most well-known student in the school, for sure. And yet for some reason her beloved Pawn knows her. So maybe she isn't that bad?

"Yeah…"

That answer does not convince her at all. How can she trust his words when it contains so much pain? She's not an empath, but even the densest person in the world can tell that he isn't fine.

"My adorable Ise-kun, while I just know you recently and is trying to know you more, hearing you answering me using that tone is also hurting me, you know?" she speaks softly, while caressing the newly born Devil's brown hair. "So I ask you again, Ise. Is this fine?"

Slowly he shakes his head.

"No…"

His voice is shaken.

"No… this is not fine at all. But what can I do? Even if this is cruel to her, and cruel to me also, this is for the best."

"…You haven't told me the real way you know her," she tries to coax the Boosted Gear wielder to gather his thought and to not cry. Oh yes, she knows the sign of a person who wants to cry. While she is ashamed to admit it so openly, when she was little, she was a crybaby.

"It was… It was just a coincidence, you know? I was just being confessed by Y-Yuuma-chan. And then she saw me being confessed to, and approached me. I do not know what should I do as a boyfriend, so we sort of talk and I asked for advice. She gave me her numbers and mail address so we can communicate because she didn't want to be seen together with me by people from our school. She gave me advice for my date, you know? I was… I was really happy that she did it to me. But then…"

Rias guesses the next part, and her eyes widens in shock.

"But then that Fallen Angel killed you and erased the memories about her. That also means she erased Hanazono-san's memories of meeting you."

Issei just nods.

"Oh Ise!"

Her Pawn needs comfort, so she gives one. She embraces him fully and pats his back in comforting manner. That Fallen Angel, not only she hurt Issei physically, she also hurts his connection to a precious people. She's glad she's the one who destroy that wretched crow.

She feels Issei's arm on her back, and a smile finds its way to her face.

They do not release for another five minutes.

Now, to find everything about this Hanazono Rise…