To say Gremory Rias was surprised was a bit of an understatement.

She'd been doing some paperwork in the Old School Building of Kuoh Academy while her peerage was out doing their duties when she'd felt herself being summoned through one of the flyers she had her familiar hand out, which was a somewhat rare occurrence. She didn't know who it was, but she could tell through the provided link that they were fixated on her. Something about the situation sat wrong with her, so she immediately teleported to the summoner's side.

She'd blinked for a moment to take the situation in only to be appalled when she saw a boy she recognized as Hyoudou Issei was laying on the ground, the flyer that had summoned her peeking out of one his pockets and getting soaked with blood from the certainly fatal wound in his chest.

Her eyes then immediately shifted to the silver haired young man leaning by brunette's side apparently trying to assist, before her attention was drawn to the sounds of battle. She looked over near the park's fountain to find a fallen angel fighting a bluish silver haired girl that appeared to be in cosplay, if the metal on her limbs was any indication. Of course, the cosplay idea was thrown out the window when the girl's hand detached from her wrist and was launched at the fleeing fallen, grabbing her ankle and dragging her back into melee range with the chain that connected the detached hand to the rest of her arm.

Her gaze turned back to the young man, blurting out the first thing that came to mind. "Who are you?" After a moment she asked the next question before he could respond. "What's going on?"

The silverette's eyes narrowed before he refocused his attention back on Issei. "That can wait. He's more important."

Silently berating herself for letting herself be distracted from her dying kouhai due to her surprise she did the same, studying the wound quickly. She grimaced as she could tell that Issei was all but dead, his heart giving it's last few beats. The boy seemed to be looking at her, seeming strangely entranced by her hair in his dying moments. She knew there was only one way she could save him now, considering the fact that he was so far gone and she didn't have any healing abilities of her own beyond a few basic, slow acting spells. "I can save him." She said, beginning to reach for her Evil Pieces. It didn't matter to her that Hyoudou-kun was an ordinary human beyond his legendary perversion, and that using an evil piece on him would be considered a waste by most other devils. She'd been outright mocked for the same thing when she reincarnated Kiba, after all, though she'd gotten the last laugh then. Right now, all that mattered at the moment was that she could allow the boy in front of her to live.

"So can I." The young man, who she estimated was probably a year or so older than her, reached a hand upward as he made the statement. A blue tarot card appeared above his palm, spinning gently on a corner. Before she could see what arcana it was he crushed it in his fist, and immediately Rias felt a surge of power come from him.

The devil immediately felt herself stiffen when she saw what appeared behind the silver haired man after the surge of power. Purplish skin rested under blue armor, which was itself covered partly by a pristine white cloth decorated in golden crosses and holy symbols. Glowing golden eyes glared at Rias, and blonde, upwards spiked hair seemed to match them. Grey feathered wings sprouted from his back, and he held an exquisitely crafted sword.

Then the glowing gaze moved from Rias to the dying boy, and the angel held up a hand that glowed with power. "Diarahan." He intoned, voice deep and powerful.

Rias, with much difficulty, turned her gaze from the angel to Hyoudou-kun, finding that his body had begun to glow, the wound healing at an astonishing rate. When nothing was left but unblemished skin the boy let out a gasping cough, eyes fluttering before opening fully, glazed slightly before focusing, darting from Rias's face, to the silver haired man's, to her breasts, before locking on the angel, his eyes wide with fear. Which wasn't a surprise, if his last memory was being attacked by a fallen.

Rias forced herself to ignore the strange looking angel in order to calm Hyoudou-kun, gently resting a hand on the boy's chest. "Relax, Hyoudou-kun, you're safe. No one is going to hurt you."

"Gremory-senpai?" The boy croaked, voice quivering in confusion and fear, and Rias felt her heart constrict at how the events that had just transpired had affected him. She pointedly ignored the way the silverette and the angel he'd summoned had both looked at her sharply when her name was uttered.

Before anything else could be said they all heard a shriek of rage and pain. They all looked over to see the fallen angel teleport away from the mechanical girl, one of her wings bent at an awkward angle and missing several feathers. Once she was sure the threat was gone the girl turned and made her way to them, several black feathers clutched in her fist.

"Sorry Yu-kun." She said with a Kansai accent. "She got away from me. If I'd had my axe she wouldn't have."

"Why didn't you summon Ariadne, Labrys?" The man, who apparently was called Yu, asked her, confusing Rias slightly as to what he was referring to.

"I thought it was overkill at first, especially since I figured you wanted her taken alive." The girl, seemingly called Labrys, said with a shrug. "I was about to summon her when she teleported away. Woulda been helpful if I knew she could do that. I'll remember it next time."

Yu let out a small sigh. "We don't know how this place works, Labrys. Go for overkill next time. Better that than you or someone else getting hurt because you didn't give it your all from the beginning."

Labrys nodded and hung her head slightly, red eyes downturned with a slight blush on her face at being chastised.

Then Yu turned to the angel. "Good work." He said in clear dismissal.

The angel frowned and turned his gaze back on Rias. "Are you sure, sir? You heard what the boy called her. She has the stench of the hells all over her."

Yu frowned as well and turned to glare at the angel. "I'm sure. She won't hurt us, and I have Labrys here if she tries. Besides, you're having a negative effect on the kid now."

The angel was obviously displeased by the command (and who was this man that he could just order an angel around?), but he nodded in acquiescence before beginning to fade into motes of light till he was completely gone.

Rias allowed herself to relax slightly, but was still wary. This person could likely summon the angel again if needed, and with Labrys the mechanical girl there to back him up she'd have a hard time defending herself if necessary since she didn't know their actual strength levels.

Hyoudou relaxed significantly more once the angel was gone, beginning to struggle to sit up. His hand landed in the pool of blood underneath himself and he paled when he saw the crimson liquid covering his palm. He glanced down at his ruined, bloodstained shirt before looking back at Rias and Yu, eyes slightly wilder than before. "What's going on? Why am I…? What, what happened with Yuuma-chan?"

Rias took hold of his face with her hands, looking into his eyes, making him focus on her. "Please, calm down Hyoudou-kun. Take deep breaths."

It was a testament to how rattled he was by the entire experience that he didn't do more than briefly glance down at her breasts. He started breathing as he focused on her eyes, trying to get himself under control.

Once she was sure he wasn't going to have a panic attack Rias let him go and sat back. "I'm sorry, Hyoudou-kun, but I don't think you're in a fit state for an explanation. How about you come to my clubroom tomorrow and I promise to answer as many of your questions as I can?"

The brunette seemed like he was about to argue before slumping with a sigh and nodding. "I'll be there, senpai."

"Good. I'll have Yuuto-kun waiting at the gate to escort you at eleven." She said with a soft smile.

"I don't suppose my team and I could get in on this explanation, Gremory-san?" Yu asked mildly.

Rias looked over at him, surprised. "What do you mean? I'll only be providing Hyoudou-kun with some basic information on the supernatural world."

Yu let out a sigh. "That's actually exactly what we need. Let's just say that, despite our abilities, we're new to the supernatural world. Pretty much any amount of information would be welcome."

Rias's eyes narrowed as she studied the silverette. "Only if you promise to answer my questions as well. I need to know what an angel is doing in my territory uninvited."

Yu nodded in understanding. "Reasonable." Then he gave a small bow. "My name is Narukami Yu, by the way. This is Labrys."

Rias bowed back as she introduced herself. "Gremory Rias."

Hyoudou-kun glanced from one to the other before speaking up. "I-I'm Hyoudou Issei." He said.

"Nice to meetcha." Labrys said with a smile that quickly dropped from her face. "You gonna be alright to get home, Hyoudou-kun?"

Rias stood up. "I'll escort him home in case the fallen try again, even if I doubt that they will do so very quickly. I'll also help keep his parents from noticing his current state. I don't think they would react well." Hyoudou-kun's wince as he stood up told her she was probably right.

Narukami nodded as he stood up as well, his companion sticking close. "We'll see you at the high school at elven then."

"May I ask how many people I should be expecting?" Rias asked as Narukami turned to leave.

"There are nine of us if you include myself and Labrys." Narukami said with a smile. Then he made his way over to some discarded grocery bags, bending down to inspect the contents for damage. Rias assumed the two had been carrying them before they ended up getting involved.

"Understood." She said as they left. She pursed her lips slightly before turning to her kouhai. "We should start heading to your house, Hyoudou-kun. You need to rest after your ordeal."

He glanced over at the pool of blood he'd been laying in apprehensively and Rias reminded herself to contact Akeno to perform cleanup. Then he shook his head, appearing to center himself, before nodding. "Ok." She took it as a good sign that his gaze dropped to her breasts for longer than appropriate before he managed to pull his gaze away and begin walking home, Rias following behind him and beginning to ask him questions in order to take his mind off things. She gave the departing Narukami and Labrys one last look before focusing on her task.

One thing was for sure, the next day would definitely be interesting.

Kiba Yuuto stood patiently at the open gate to Kuoh Academy, dressed as he usually was in his school uniform despite the fact that it was a Sunday, waiting for the guests his King had told him should be about to arrive.

Though outwardly he was calm, his gut was churning at dealing with someone associated with Heaven as this Narukami Yu was. Not surprising, considering everything the Catholic Church had put him through in his youth. Rias had sternly told him to make sure to keep control of himself. They didn't want to cause issues with the current ceasefire the Biblical Factions were currently operating under.

His attention was drawn when he saw a mop of spiky brown hair arrive, also clad in a Kuoh Academy uniform. The blonde Knight frowned slightly when he saw how nervous the boy looked, constantly glancing behind his back, as though afraid he was being followed or about to be attacked. Not that Kiba blamed him. It was a perfectly reasonable reaction to being attacked by a supernatural being you hadn't been aware even existed before. He quickly turned his frown into a pleasant, reassuring smile. "Hello, Hyoudou-kun."

Hyoudou nodded back, for once without the jealous look that often occupied his face when around the more handsome boy. "Kiba-san." He said nervously. "Am I late?"

"Not at all." The Knight said, shaking his head. "We're still waiting for our other guests." Then he looked the other boy over. "How are you doing?" He couldn't help asking, voice gentle.

Hyoudou shifted slightly. "I couldn't sleep. Tried listening to music, tried watching my porn or playing an eroge, tried reading my manga…" He shrugged. "Couldn't focus on any of it. All I could think was 'What the hell happened?'"

Kiba sighed before smiling reassuringly. "Well, you'll get your answers today, plus maybe something to help you protect yourself."

Hyoudou seemed to perk up at that. "Really? Like what?"

"I'll let buchou explain. Besides, I think the rest of our guests have arrived." Kiba said, turning to look down the sidewalk as a group of people approached, Hyoudou doing the same.

As expected, nine people were making their way towards the school gates with the man who must be Narukami Yu at the head. It was a very eclectic group of individuals who didn't seem like they had much in common. Hell, one of them was wearing a bear costume, for some bizarre reason.

Kiba ignored the oddity, smiling pleasantly as they reached the gate. "Good morning, everyone. My name is Kiba Yuuto, Gremory Rias' Knight."

Narukami nodded in greeting. "A pleasure. Not to be rude, but why don't we save the introductions for when everyone is gathered, to save time."

Kiba nodded and turned. "Of course. In that case, please follow me." With that he began leading the group to the Occult Research Club's headquarters."

Rias sat behind her desk as she waited for her guests to arrive, feeling slightly nervous. She really didn't want to be the reason why hostilities between the factions resumed, which might be a possibility depending on how things went with agents of the heavens. Still, she kept control of herself, determined that if something did happen, it wouldn't be due to any action on her part.

Glancing around the meeting room she saw Akeno was standing nearby, ready to perform her duties as Queen at a moment's notice. Koneko was sitting on one of the couches and munching on some mochi, but the reincarnated nekoshou's eyes were locked on the door.

Sitting slightly off to the side of Rias' desk was Sona, Tsubaki standing beside her, attentive as always. Rias wouldn't dream of keeping her fellow ruler of Kuoh Town out of this meeting, considering how important it could be. True, Sona primarily focused on running the school, but that didn't mean she didn't involve herself in situations of importance.

Their attentions were drawn to the door as it opened, Kiba holding it open as Hyoudou-kun entered, followed by a large group of people that Rias proceeded to study carefully. She couldn't help but notice that her side was outnumbered if these people became hostile, but she'd known that would be the case ever since Narukami had let her know how many of his people would be attending. There was a reason she'd rejected Sona's offer to bring more of her own peerage to the meeting.

Once everyone was seated, the door had been closed and Akeno had begun serving tea Rias put on her best smile. "Thank you all for coming."

Hyoudou-kun scratched the back of his head once he tore his eyes from Rias and Akeno's chests. "Well, you promised me some answers…" He said slowly.

Rias' diplomatic smile turned gentle. "Of course, Hyoudou-kun. First though, I believe introductions are in order. I am Gremory Rias, Heiress of the House of Gremory, and joint ruler of Kuoh Town."

Sona then spoke, putting her teacup down. "I am Sitri Sona, Heiress of the House of Sitri, and Rias' co-ruler of the town."

From there the rest of the devils in attendance introduced themselves with their name and piece. Once they were done, and Hyoudou-kun'd had a chance to introduce himself as well, It was the unknown group's turn.

"I am Narukami Yu, leader of the Investigation Team and current ranking officer of the Shadow Operatives." The silver haired young man said with a small smile as he studied the devils in the room.

"Hanamura Yosuke, second in command of the Investigation Team." The brunette boy with headphones around his neck said as he sat back in his seat, his eyes darting around the room.

"Larbys, Anti-Shadow Weapon and member of the Shadow Operatives." The mechanical girl Rias had seen the previous day said with a smile on her face.

"Satonaka Chie." The sporty girl with short, light brown hair said as she seemed to be trying to to not fidget, leg bouncing slightly.

"Amagi Yukiko." The elegant looking black haired girl in red said from where she sat next to the fidgety girl, reaching over slightly to take the other girl's hand, which helped calm the fidgeting.

"I'm Teddie." The person in the bear costume said cheerfully, waving slightly. Rias wondered why they'd come to an important meeting dressed in a costume. Perhaps it had some other use?

"Tatsumi Kanji." The buff, almost thuggish looking boy said gruffly, his arms crossed. Really, all he needed was dyed hair to complete the look.

"Kujikawa Rise." The pretty girl with copper colored hair in twintails said, the smile of someone used to public relations on her face.

"And I'm Shirogane Naoto, a detective." The blue haired, effeminate boy said, also studying them all with a serious look on his face, a notepad and pencil in hand, obviously ready to take notes.

"A pleasure." Rias said with a nod.

"I am curious as to what it is you investigate." Sona said with a raised eyebrow. "And what Shadow Operatives are."

"I don't think we'll mind telling you, but I believe we should begin with your explanation on the supernatural to Hyoudou-san." Narukami said. "As I stated before, we need the information as well, and it would be best if he wasn't confused while we talk."

"Yeah, I'd really like to know what's going on, and why I was… was attacked." Hyoudou-kun said, scratching the back of his head, trying to ignore how his voice caught briefly.

"Understandable." Rias said with a gentle smile as she focused on her schoolmate. From there she began her explanation on the fact that the supernatural was real, including the gods of various pantheons, before focusing on the biblical factions, since those were the most immediate priority. She explained that he had been attacked by a fallen angel, and that Rias and the others were devils, even showing off her wings to punctuate the statement.

All the while Hyoudou-kun sat, listening attentively. He sometimes asked questions, which Rias was more than happy to answer, Sonca occasionally chiming in to expand on a point.

Narukami and the others all sat and observed patiently, taking everything in, Shirogane occasionally writing something out on his notepad. Rias was glad that they let her focus on her kouhai. She still wasn't sure she believed that they were unaware of the supernatural world.

Once the explanation was over Hyoudou-kun looked thoughtful. "Ok, this is… But I still don't understand why she attacked me." He said. "I mean, I haven't had anything to do with the supernatural before yesterday."

"Did the fallen angel say anything before striking?" Shirogane asked, becoming the first member of Narukami's group to break their silence.

Hyoudou-kun considered the question. "She said that if I had to blame anyone, it should be God, for putting a sacred gear in me…" He turned to Rias and Sona, who had glanced at each other sharply. "What's a sacred gear?"

After a moment Sona spoke. "On occasion, humans are born with a magical artifact called a sacred gear bound to them. These gears can give the human a variety of powers, from something as simple as doubling their base strength for a set period of time to abilities and powers great enough to fight and kill gods." Rias noted how Narukami and his group all suddenly looked more interested than before, some of them glancing at each other. "The supernatural factions tend to try to either recruit or eliminate sacred gear bearers, though it's usually the former rather than the latter."

"So it's possible that the fallen was given orders to eliminate Hyoudou-san due to whatever sacred gear he possesses being a potential threat…" Narukami said in understanding.

"That doesn't explain why the fallen would go with a honey trap." Shirogane said as he wrote in his notepad.

"Maybe they weren't sure if he'd unlocked it, so didn't want to risk a direct confrontation?" Hanamura said thoughtfully.

"Could also just be sadistic amusement." Tatsumi pointed out as he lounged in his seat. "I mean, I'm not big on Christian mythology, but I'm pretty sure fallen angels fell for a reason."

"Not all fallen are evil or malicious." Narukami said, sounding oddly certain of his statement. "Some fell for falling in forbidden love, or for well meaning hubris. That said, it doesn't mean you're wrong, Kanji."

Labrys leaned forward, elbows on her knees. "She seemed pretty arrogant when I fought her and she still thought I was human." The mechanical girl said. "Seemed surprised I'd dare to fight her. So if nothing else, she's arrogant."

Teddie was the one to point something out while everybody else was busy discussing things. "Maybe we could ask Hyoudou? He looks like he knows."

When she turned back to Hyoudou-kun Rias felt her heart ache at the look on the boy's face. He looked… broken, in a way she hadn't expected to see.

The brunette looked away from them all, but it didn't keep them from seeing the look. He brought a hand up to rub his arm, as though cold. "...I think Tatsumi-san is right." Was all he said.

Rias wasn't the only one to frown at that, and the room was silent for a moment. Eventually Amagi spoke, breaking the stillness. "In that case, the priority now should be finding some way to protect Hyoudou-san, or at least give him a way to protect himself."

Rias glanced at Sona, who raised an eyebrow at the silent question the redhead was conveying, before nodding in agreement. Rias turned back to Issei with a smile. "I believe I can help with that. Hyoudou-kun, if you wish, I would be more than happy to reincarnate you as a devil and make you a member of my peerage."

Rias noted absently that Narukami's group was observing her closely, but thankfully they didn't interrupt, letting her focus on the boy in question, who looked surprised. The Evil Piece system had been part of the earlier explanation, so he knew what she was talking about, but had likely not been expecting the offer. "Why?" He asked, sounding slightly suspicious, which Rias couldn't blame him for considering what had happened the previous day.

Rias clasped her hands, leaning forward on her desk as she explained. "As part of my peerage you would essentially be considered part of my family, and as the Gremory are one of the 72 Pillar Families of the underworld, few people would risk harming you due to the risk of having my family's might brought down on their heads. If that doesn't deter the fallen from continuing to pursue you, there is also the fact that devils are naturally stronger than humans, have access to magic, and we would be able to help you train in the usage of your sacred gear, whatever it is." Seeing that he still looked understandably suspicious she continued. "If you're wondering what I get out of helping you, I will admit that making you part of my peerage helps me as well. Having powerful devils as part of one's peerage improves a devil's status, and if you have a sacred gear powerful enough that a fallen was specifically dispatched to eliminate you, you can only be a boon to me." Then she smiled gently. "That doesn't mean I don't want to help you, Hyoudou-kun, just that in this case we can help each other."

"You can trust her, Hyoudou-kun." Kiba said with a smile, apparently wanting to impress upon the other boy that Rias wasn't trying to trick him. "She made me a devil to help me when I was in trouble before I even knew I had a sacred gear, when she had nothing to gain from it. Believe me, you can trust her."

Rias shot her Knight a smile for his words as she watched Issei think about it. Then the boy turned to Narukami and his group. "What do you think?" He asked, apparently surprising several of them at the fact that he would ask.

Narukami glanced from him to Rias then back. "I think it sounds like a good deal, but it depends on what exactly being in her peerage entails."

"Indeed." Shirogane said, turning to stare at Rias with a piercing gaze. "I don't suppose Kings can remove their pieces' free will?"

"Not as a natural consequence of being their King, no." Sona said. "While I will not deny that some of the… less savory members of society will use various methods to get rid of their pieces' free will, but they are generally the type of people that would cause trouble even without the peerage system."

"Can he leave your service at any time?" Kujikawa asked, speaking for the first time since she introduced herself.

Rias shook her head. "Not exactly. As far as I'm aware there's no way for someone to return to being human once they're a devil. And younger or recently reincarnated devils need to be bound to a King, especially in the human world, otherwise their powers go out of control, turning them into monstrous beings that often go on rampages, killing many people in the process. It's actually part of mine and Sona's duties to hunt down any of these Stray Devils in our territory and eliminate them before they cause too much trouble. That said, if we truly find that he simply does not fit in with my peerage, I have no problem with finding somebody he will feel more comfortable with."

"So it's a pretty permanent change." Shirogane said, scribbling something in his notepad.

"There's gotta be some perks beyond what you've already said, right?" Satonaka asked, still holding Amagi's hand, their fingers intertwined.

"Well, due to my family's position, and the fact that I'm the heiress, being a member of my peerage essentially makes you a minor noble in the Underworld, which includes a land holding in Gremory territory." She said with a smile.

"There's also the fact that this will help with Hyoudou-kun's well known life goal." Akeno added with a giggle.

"His life goal?" Amagi asked, tilting her head in curiosity, the rest of those who didn't know looking just as curious.

Sona sighed before explaining. "Hyoudou-kun is known as one of, if not the, most openly perverted boys in Kuoh Academy. He's been caught peeping multiple times, has no issues speaking openly about pornography with his friends, and repeatedly insists that his life's ambition is to be, in his own words, a 'Harem King'. And in devil society poligamy isn't exactly unheard of, or even all that rare. The Lucifer is only monogamous because he wants to be. Otherwise there'd be no end to the devil women eager to share his bed if only for a night."

"...He's the worst." Koneko said mercilessly as she continued eating her treats, making the boy flinch.

The girls in Narukami's group looked predictably put out at the revelation of Hyoudou-kun's nature, but before any of them could say anything Teddie let out a hum. "A Harem King? You mean like Yu-sensei?"

The blinks of the devils in attendance were practically audible even as Hyoudou-kun turned to Narukami, who was giving his costumed friend a Look. "What?" The brunette asked intently, eyes wide.

Narukami sighed, but before he could say anything Hanamura cut in, a teasing smirk on his face. "Yeah, our fearless leader is dating seven girls at last count. There's the girls in our team, Marie, Yumi-san, and Ai-san."

"I'm just waiting for the inevitable moment Labrys confesses to him too." Tatsumi said with a chuckle, making the mechanical girl eep and stare at him wide eyed.

Kujikawa leaned forward conspiratorially, apparently unperturbed by the fact that they were discussing her boyfriend getting more women. "I think Kanami-chan has a crush on him too. And Sumomo-chan seems very interested in our relationship."

Satonaka looked interested at the news. "Really?"

Amagi was pensieve. "Well, Sumomo-chan might grow out of it, but if she doesn't…"

"Same provisional status as Nanako-chan?" Shirogane asked with a smile.

Narukami whipped around to stare at them. "Wait, what?"

At that the girls and Shirogane burst out laughing. "We're joking, Yu-kun." Satonaka said as Amagi guffawed beside her. When Narukami slumped slightly in relief she continued with a smirk. "We'd already discussed this, so we're just waiting for them to either grow up or grow out of it."

Narukami's eye twitched as Hanamura, Tatsumi and Teddie glanced at each other in amused jealousy.

"That's enough girls." Shirogane said as he chuckled. "We need to get back on track. And we shouldn't tease Yu-senpai like this in public."

"Sorry senpai~!" Kujikawa said before leaning over to give Narukami a quick, apologetic kiss, followed by a slightly more hesitant Satonaka, Amagi and surprisingly, Shirogane. That last made Rias give the detective a reevaluating look, though she didn't say anything for the moment.

Hyoudou-kun looked at Narukami with both the utmost respect and overwhelming envy. What slipped out of his mouth was… "It… it can be done!" Then he whirled to look at Rias, wide eyed. "And I could do the same if I become a devil!?"

Rias nodded, both slightly amused and slightly worried by how much Narukami and his girls were affecting her kouhai. "If you reach a high enough rank you'll get your own peerage. A King being romantically involved with their pieces isn't rare."

"I'll do it!" Hyoudou-kun shouted enthusiastically, standing up as he did so. "I'll become a devil."

Really, Rias felt a bit bad about how easy it was to convince him. She hadn't lied to him at all, and she fully intended to care for him as she did the rest of her family, but it was pretty much a given that he'd say yes once he'd found out his chances of getting his greatest wish were so greatly increased by devilhood.

Several members of Narukami's group looked at the teen with various looks on their faces at his declaration, seeming rather put out with his quick willingness to leave behind his humanity. Narukami himself just shook his head ruefully. "Well, it's his choice. I hope it goes well for him."

Sona let out a cough to regain their attention. "Now that Hyoudou's situation has been addressed for the moment, I would like to focus on your group, Narukami-san." Kuoh Academy's kaichou said, adjusting her glasses slightly. "I'm sure you can understand why Rias and I would be concerned about having someone associated with heaven in our territory without our knowledge."

Narukami became serious, studying Sona intently for a moment before turning his gaze to Rias. After a moment he nodded. "I'll explain our circumstances, then. I warn you that it's going to be odder than you might be imagining, however."

"We're no strangers to the strange and unusual, Narukami-san." Rias said with a small smile.

Narukami's lips twitched into a smile. "We'll see…"

From there the silver haired young man, with the aid of his friends at several points launched into an explanation as to who the Investigation Team were, telling them about the murder case they'd been involved with, their ability to summon beings based on, but not actually (as far as they knew) actual mythological entities which they used to fight monsters called Shadows (the angel Rias had seen being one of them), and the fact that they had ended up fighting and defeating multiple Shinto deities, including the likes of Hi-no-Kagutsuchi and Izanami-no-Ookami, which was something that immediately drew the interest of Akeno in particular, seeing as she was raised in a Japanese exorcist family as a miko.

Once the explanation was over the room was silent for a long moment. Partway through the explanation Sona had Tsubaki hand her an audio recorder in order to capture the explanation so they would be able to include the recording in the report she and Rias were inevitably going to need to send to the Maou. After a moment to let everything settle in, the kaichou spoke up again. "Forgive me for saying so, but I find this all hard to believe. We have not heard anything regarding Izanami leaving Yomi at any point, and I have never heard of anything such as the Personas you claim to be able to summon before, even though you say there's an entire government agency set up by other wielders to handle Shadows, which are something else we haven't heard of."

"There's a reason for that." Shirogane said, looking up from where she'd been studying what she'd written in her notepad. "It's one of the reasons Yu-senpai wanted to meet with you, beyond getting some questions answered. We are badly in need of assistance."

"Oh?" Rias asked, leaning forward with interest. "And what do you need help with?"

"The reason you haven't heard of any of what we've talked about is because we're not from this world." Narukami said calmly, though his eyes were sharp. "We were accidentally transported here from a parallel Earth. The Kirijo Group, which one of our superiors in the Shadow Operatives runs, doesn't exist in this world, which is astonishing, as it's one of the biggest zaibatsus in our home Earth. We checked online, and most of the people we knew don't exist here either."

Sona sat up straighter, eyes slightly wide, moving the recorder to make sure it caught the entire conversation. "Parallel worlds have been theorized by both mundane and magical scientists for ages, but no proof has ever been found. If what you're saying is true, you represent a monumental discovery when it comes to the nature of reality. The Beelzebub will want to know about this immediately." She said.

"Why would Beelzebub want to know?" Hanamura asked, confused.

"The Beelzebub is the head of the Underworld's Science and Technology Department. He created the Evil Pieces, and he is always tinkering or researching something." Rias explained.

"I imagine the reason you said you needed help is because you said you came to this world by accident?" Kiba asked. "After all, if it was an unplanned trip, then that means you likely don't have any money or supplies."

Narukami nodded. "Yes, we're pretty strapped for cash. We're squatting in a home that's set to be demolished, but that won't last." He said." I got a job at the hospital as a custodian. It's work I'm accustomed to as I used to do it part time in high school. The rest of the team have been selling dolls Kanji has been making with supplies we bought with what money we could spare."

"I was thinking of doing some street performances to make some money as well." Kujikawa said. "I'm an idol back home, so I have experience with it. It wouldn't exactly be the same, but I should be able to adapt."

"Right." Narukami said with a nod. "We were hoping you'd be able to help us get home, but since you've just stated that parallel worlds had never been proven to exist till now, that's a bust. In that case, we were hoping you might be willing to assist us in getting in touch with someone who could use our services as investigators and troubleshooters that would be willing to hire us so we can make a living."

Rias and Sona glanced at each other before turning their attention back to Narukami. "I believe something can be worked out." Sona said. "Before that, however, could we have a demonstration of your Persona ability?"

Narukami cocked his head before nodding slowly. "I don't see why not." He turned to his team, who glanced at each other before Kujikawa bounced up peppily and stepped off to the side. "Himiko!" She called, a blue tarot card like the one Rias had seen Narukami summon appearing in front of her before shattering. A large entity with black skin and dressed in a white gown appeared behind the copper haired girl. Instead of a normal head, it appeared to have a large gold satellite making it up, which was pointed at the sky.

After a few moments to let the devils, and Hyoudou-kun, admire her Persona (the still human boy's gaze locked on the entity's modest bust) Kujikawa dismissed Himiko and sat back down. Once she was seated Hanamura got up and made his way to the same spot. "Jiraiya!" He called, and this time a male figure appeared. This one wore what looked like a white disco outfit with green camouflage at the end of the sleeves and pant legs, a large golden V at the dollar and a red scarf trailing from the neck. It had golden four pointed stars for eyes, and to round growths coming from the top of the head. It appeared to have golden shuriken attached to its hands.

Once Jiraiya had been allowed to fade away and the young man had retaken his seat, Narukami turned back to Rias and Sona. "So?"

The two Kings shared another look before Rias turned back to Narukami with a smile. "Narukami-san, I would like to hire you and your team. I'd be willing to give you a place to stay, along with a generous amount of money to help you find your place in this world, in exchange for your services."

Narukami raised an eyebrow before glancing at his team, who all looked interested. Once he saw that they were on board he turned back to Rias. "What's the job, Gremory-san?"

Rias's smile turned sharp, eyes narrowing. "I want you to find and capture the fallen angels that attacked Hyoudou-kun."

Narukami's eyebrow rose higher as an equally sharp smile appeared on his own face. "Let's talk details, then…"

Finally got this updated!

I wanted to have this out a while ago, but other commitments kept me from being able to do so. Cyberpunk 2077 didn't help...

In any case, this story finally has a second chapter. I know it's not that action packed, but it is necessary to set things up for the future.

This sets up what the Investigation Team's role is going to be in the DxD-verse. They'll be investigators and troubleshooters for hire. They'll be getting plenty of work once the Alliance comes to be and the Khaos Brigade steps out into the light. And not all of it, or even most of it, will have to do with DxD canon events. Should be interesting, ne?

Hopefully the next chapter won't take me as long to write. I really want to get into the meat of this story.

I think that's all I have to say about this story, so let's get to the usual reminders.

The first is that you can have a say in what I write when you donate to my Pat A Ron. Every dollar donated equals a vote in my monthly poll, and now I've made it so that the votes for the things that don't win in a given month roll over into the next. Now that this story has a second chapter I'll be adding it to next month's poll, in case you want to see more of it. So if you want to donate and see your favorite stories of mine updated more often, go to Pat A Ron dotcom /athanmortis. The current poll closes on January 5th.

The next two reminders are more important to me, however. First is that my best friend has begun a Pat A Ron for their original fiction. Donate any amount you want and get access to some objectively excellent writing (far better than mine, if I'm being completely honest). They've posted their first two chapters of one of their stories, which is a supernatural steampunk detective thriller that I very much enjoy called 'The Curious Investigations of Mister Jonathan Scott'. If you like, say, The Dresden Files, but want it more steampunk, this is for you. You can find their stuff by searching for Grimm Tales in Pat A Ron.

I would appreciate it a lot if you could help them out, as unlike me they've had employment trouble due to some disabilities, which this pandemic hasn't helped.

Second, my sister has also begun a Pat A Ron. She recently got her Bachelor's in Digital Animation. She's trying to make her own series to post on Youtube, but needs money, so she's making art and plans on accepting commissions. She primarily does tokusatsu themed fanart (Super Sentai, Kamen Rider, etc.), and she plans to let people have a say in what she makes, much like I do. That's at Pat A Ron dotcom /linduarte. (Oh no, now you know my last name! The horror!)

Please keep in mind though that we've been made aware of a bug with the site that makes it seem like you can't donate less than $5. If you don't want to donate that much, to any of us, just put a zero before the number you want to donate, such as 03. That should get you going.

I think that's all from me for today. Please review, stay safe, have Happy Holidays and a great New Year, and I'll see you all next time. Bye!