Author Notes:
* One part of the chapter is inspired by "Crew Expendable" which is the second mission in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered.
* Aoi Sakurai is an OC character that appeared in the very first chapter of this fic.
Fictions Mentioned:
Episode 17
OP Song:
Spy | "Who Can You Trust" Ivy Levan Music Video [HD] | 20th Century FOX
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SOCOM Fireteam Bravo 2 OST - Airtight - Caught 1
Flashback
Azazel: (showing a serious expression and with arms crossed on the hologram) "Rangers, the intel on this op comes from one of my trusted informants in the Underworld which makes the timing of this op all the more urgent, your primary mission as of this moment is to secure all of the hostages in one piece and gather any available intel that you can find about the Khaos Brigade's secret illegal human trafficking operations across the seas. You will all make a landing at exactly 20:00 hours, standard time, somewhere in the middle of the Pacific which is currently having a heavy storm brewing in, on an old cargo ship called the Bella Dama. Be advised though that the cargo ship in question is crawling with hostiles with potent magic abilities, so exercise extreme caution and discretion since we don't want the entire ship to get tipped off of your presence and risk the safety of the hostages. Godspeed, gentlemen."
Tobio Ikuze: (showing a serious expression, nodding in turn) "Copy that, Avenging Eagle, we'll do what we can to bring the hostages home free. Rule of engagement?"
Azazel: (narrowing his eyes) "Crew expendable. Captain goes down with his ship as they say."
It was somewhere on an eerily stormy night, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, where a large cargo ship would softly sway a bit from west to east due to the strength of the thunderous waves. A winnowing wind fermented and sighed, rippling the surface of the corpse-calm sea. Flashing clasps are heard echoing from the vast distance among the dark clouds that was obscuring the shining moonlight.
In the midst of this storm, there was an invisible hovering gunship craft that was carefully descending down toward the cargo ship, undetected, landing somewhere just near the back of the ship. The doors of the ship would open, revealing Shidou Itsuka, wearing a black racing jacket with a white shirt underneath, dark blue jeans, grey fingerless gloves, and black knot-tied shoes. Accompanying him was another young man of about nineteen years of age, with black hair and pale gray-colored narrowing eyes, wearing a special type of uniform which consisted of a dark blue blazer whose shoulders have an image of a cross with two pairs of dove-like feathers found on the left and right sides, a white collar shirt, black pants that have a black belt that was tightening the waist, black socks, and black shoes. Shidou would know this man by the name of Tobio Ikuze - Codename: Slash Dog, a man who is a close associate of Azazel, and wielder of a powerful Sacred Gear called the Canis Lykaon, who is a student of Nephilim Institute, a school dedicated to the training of Sacred Gear users.
Also accompanying both of them were about ten dark grey military color armored soldiers that reflected the general mood of the atmosphere, with T-shaped grey visors with Y-shaped downward mouths. They were carrying MA5D Individual Combat Weapon System modified rifles, with air-cooled, gas-operated, magazine-fed, fully automatic bullpup rifles that fire standard and esoteric ammunition. Underneath the helmets carried a common grim expression due to the mission that had been assigned to all of them. They were the Clone Troopers of the 667th Ranger Regiment.
They were in a boat that may as well be considered hell for some people who are trapped inside the cargo holds underneath. According to counterintelligence, this location was housing over a few hundred women on the ship alone. The ship was guarded heavily by multiple hostiles, of the non-normal kind. If they want to rescue anybody, it was best not to set off any alarms. Their secondary objective was to gather any available intel that they could use against the Khaos Brigade. This was basically a black ops mission, with the Governor General of the Fallen Angels himself being the one in charge, and unofficially this was a rescue and intel-gathering op that required a more delicate hand without the intervention of any side except for a neutral player. And that's where Shidou, Tobio, and the rest of the clones factor in to this scenario.
The thunder was heard again. The Clone Commander of the group, Commander Randall, one that had macrobinoculars attached to his grey visor, would give silent hand signals, giving the go to make the jump. And then, at the same time when both Shidou and Tobio would jump, the rest of the soldiers soon followed as they make a landing on the hard surface of the boat. Everything was radio silence. Now they were in enemy territory. With rifles on the ready, they followed the two young men as the rain falls down.
And as they walk, everyone is careful to keep their feet quiet as they won't want to get spotted.
Right now, they are conscientious to remain undetected by enemy forces. As they silently make their way to the various locations of the boat, there were multiple hand gestures from the clones that would silently indicate to position themselves to cover while at the same time begin to take down the hooded magicians that were walking on patrol or somewhere near each side of the boat or on the open platforms or on the nearby windows. Each was a perfect silent kill that reflected the training of these soldiers that made use of the teleportation function of their armor, and one by one, all of them were being silenced by either their rifles or their combat knives that cut the enemy throats down, too late to utter any spell as the ghosts did their job. Shidou and Tobio simply watched the troopers do the work, neither reacting nor flinching to the scenes of multiple stealth cold kills as the rain fell down on their faces. And thus one by one, there was no one left alive on the surface of the boat.
Eventually after disposing of the bodies through the use of the clones' rifles through the stealth molecular decomposition beams, Shidou and Tobio made a few gestures, ordering the clones that now was the time to split up as one group heads towards the designated rooms that were just below the ship and clear the area of all general hostiles while the other takes care of those who are located just near the top side. The clones of course complied with a silent nod.
Shidou and Tobio, both silently nodding, would each split up with their own soldiers. Commander Randall would be joining Tobio. Now Shidou was alone with five troopers with him. Shidou would silently gesture for them to follow him. And now, they made their way down.
"What the-Ah!"
It was as quick as a feather. The clones managed to pick off at least five magicians who seem to notice the entering Shidou and the rest of the clones who were opening the door while performing a breach and clear, with the clones not needing to make use of charges but would instead phase through the solid wall and picked them off. The magician's body disintegrated, leaving no trace. And thus, they move forward. With each level of the boat, as they go further down the white-washed hallways, Shidou simply walked in silence while the soldiers picked off the hooded magicians with their rifles, with not a single shot fired on the enemy. One by one, they fell to the beams of light that disintegrated their bodies to ash. Now they were somewhere in the deep center of the boat. This is the place that they were currently looking for.
...And Shidou, with eyes narrowed, can sense the ruffled sounds and the tired voices of horror and wailing. They were the sound of women who no doubt have been suffering for quite some time. This was it. He can hear the sounds from the various crates that now graced his hearing. Shidou gestured for the soldiers with him to clear the area of all general hostiles so that the rescue operation would finally be enacted. For was that not why they were all there on this stormy night?
And the soldiers took position, with light dashes to the walls, cloaking their presence, they pick off each magician that was there, and one by one, they fell via headshots. Shidou was doing his part, silently summoning Sandalphon which materializes from his right hand.
"...Um!"
With not a hint of a sound that came from Shidou, he swiftly decapitated the magicians that he would see from the corner of his eye, transporting himself from place to place as if he memorized everything, as if he was looking at the map of some kind of military-inspired game. He can pick the targets just fine, tagging them all. One by one, they fell. They never stood much of a chance. That was the thing about having the element of surprise and the benefits of certain powers that prove to be adaptable to a given situation.
"Gak!"
As Shidou slashes two of the magicians standing guard against the large closed crate, he would stop short of the crate itself. And then, the troops would suddenly appear behind him, awaiting further orders. Now Shidou would make use of Sandalphon to slash the lock from the door. And he would open the door, with the help of a fellow clone trooper. As they open the crate, they can smell the foul stench.
...No, foul does not even begin to describe what they can smell. And Shidou had inklings of suspicion already.
"Ah..."
Shidou would hear a croaking sound from a tired, dried voice. Yes, they found them. As the crate's door made a slight churn, giving the light to whatever lay in the darkness, the only thing Shidou would find would be the stench of sorrow and grief. There were hundreds of women...many of them who wore religious outfits, all tattered and battered, looking worse for wear. These were the religious sisters that had gone missing. One of their particular bunch anyway as Shidou could still hear the silent sobbing and prayers that seem to never be heard from on high.
And the women slowly noticed the presence of Shidou and the clones who could only silently look on with a mixture of feelings ranging from horror to outrage. Even with the foul stench that he could sense from his nose, Shidou reminded himself vehemently that he needed to focus, and thus, would silently order the troopers to take care of the hostages. One of the clones would press a button from his right arm which in turn activated a dimensional portal that lead to a place in Azazel's Laboratory and many of their fellow Ranger Clones on stand-by to provide medical attention. The clones would silently and softly encourage and reassure the young women who were terrified and troubled, removing their helmets to show them their true faces.
"Easy, easy, look, I'm flesh and blood, just like the rest of you," one clone said, showing his empathetic face as he removed his helmet while raising his hands carefully.
"...Quién...quién eres...? "("Who...Who are you...?")"" one of the sisters, a young beautiful woman and religious sister who was Spanish, with brown hair and olive brown eyes, with the age of eighteen, would speak with a troubled tone.
"Somos el 667th Regimiento de Ranger, hermana, y estamos aquí para rescatarlo. "("We are the 667th Ranger Regiment, sister, and we're here to rescue you.")" the same clone responded with the same dialect.
And as smoothy as it transitioned, with a great deal of care, Shidou and the clones would break the chains of every one of the crates, busting it open to find the religious women, all looking the same, battered for worse for wear. Their bruised faces amidst their beauty, their scars showed from their pale skin, the hunger, and thirst that was in their eyes that showed from their dried mouths, their clothing that had gone worn out and torn, with some even being almost half naked. All of this and more left a deep impression on Shidou who remained mostly silent as he comforted the religious sisters who had been trapped here.
How long had they been trapped here? Shidou did not know. And he did not like it either.
Shots fired.
With a futuristic pistol in his right hand, Tobio and the rest of the 667th cleared the bridge of all hostiles, shooting from the head, vaporizing their bodies. Almost too simple, and no one would see it coming. It's why the 667th was the best of the best after all.
Now that the bridge and every corner of the ship above were cleared, now they would gather the available intel that they need. They first started in the office rooms nearby, with the clones using their armor's onboard intelligence systems to wirelessly connect with the laptops on the table and download multiple files concerning records relating to each specific person, all of them women at the young ages of about their 10s to their 20s, each with their own personal profile containing their likes and dislikes, their daily habits, and every bit of detail that made the clones narrow their eyes. In their search for intel, there were also various file folders, some pictures, and even a map that has marked locations indicating a few specific locations.
"Avenging Eagle, this is Slash Dog, we've got all of the intel we needed," Tobio contacted Azazel from his earpiece.
"Copy that, Slash Dog. Black, what's on your end?" Azazel spoke from the comm channel.
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BLACK ACTION · Toshiya Igarashi
"All hostages are secured. I and the men have already placed the demolition charges and are about to be bugging out before the fireworks hit," Shidou reported.
"Alright, good work," Azazel said with a tone of relief.
But then...
"...!"
Shidou would suddenly duck as a pair of fire bolts would suddenly make his way in his direction. Rolling to the side, he turns to see the scorch marks from the walls of the cargo box.
"General!" one of the clones spoke out of concern as he and three other clones would begin to turn and aim from the direction where the bolts were fired.
Shidou, lifting himself up and seeing the soldiers gather around him with their rifles aimed, would notice a figure that was standing above the large crates. And from his eyes, he could see...dead eyes...that was the only way to describe it. She looked to be an Italian, with blonde hair and blue hollowed eyes, with a terrible face that reminded Shidou...of his past.
...He was reminded of someone. He was reminded of a familiar face, of a young woman with short, silvery-white hair arranged in a bob cut with three hair-clips in the right part of her hair. He was reminded of Tobiichi Origami, all because of the same dead expression on the face of this religious sister, wearing a brown religious nun habit. Her body posture was shaking. No, more like trembling. And the dead hollowed eyes were not helping.
"...You're...You're all not...going...I...I cannot...let...you all be...It's...It's my...master's orders..."
Shidou narrowed his eyes that flash with a hue of gold and with a thin lined mouth. "Troopers, leave this to me, get off the ship now, I'll catch up with all of you later, and that's an order."
The clones would sport conflicted expressions, but nevertheless, detecting the tone of voice that spoke of obeying without question the order, they reluctantly complied. "...Yes, sir."
And so, the clones would comply as they leave in the other direction.
"YOU'RE-KAH!"
Shidou would suddenly appear and kick her in the stomach before she manages to conjure more bolts of flame, sending her a few meters away. And then, Shidou would begin to bring both of his hands together to the right side and clench them both, tightening them hard. And then, he would quickly raise his right hand up before bringing his left arm up and straightening it to the right. Then he would move his left arm a few 150 degrees before eventually putting both of his arms straight forward to the right.
"Hen...shin!"
And then, his belt, the Vital Changer containing his Kingstone would appear around his waist. Lights flash from the red center of the belt, a weird mechanical pitch coming out. Green energy surrounds Shidou, morphing him into his monstrous Grasshopper Mutant form. But then, just as quickly, the body shifts into its armored appearance, and the partial infinity symbol would be seen from his left pectoral area. There were noticeable muscle areas on the arms, legs, and neck. His helmet had red compound eyes and resembled a Southeastern Lubber Grasshopper. Steam would rise from his body, mainly from the fleshly points around his joints.
As he transformed, the flash of light would make the woman cover her eyes with her hands, feeling a kind of power that made her tremble and at the same time awash in a kind of comforting touch, whispers of encouragement that form deep within her soul, as if the rays of the sun were touching her tormented soul. As the light dissipates, she slowly lowers her hands to see him...seeing the famed Kamen Rider...radiating a kind of feeling that she had long been deprived of...hope...
First, he would make a forward pose which allows him to raise his right hand straightforward a slight bit to the left while his left hand was clenched and put towards the side of the waist.
"Kamen Rider..."
And then, he would see the man start bringing his closed right fist near to him and straightening his left arm and hand forward.
"...Black!"
Then, he would bring his left arm down and clench it to a fist that was positioned to his waist, while he power forward his right hand, with his two fingers open before eventually clenching it to a fist.
The religious sister would tremble a bit. Her dead hollowed eyes were now gaining a hint of light, but it was in the midst of terrible leaking tears.
"...I...I must obey...Obey...Diodora-sama...Or...Or else..." She spoke as if this were her mantra forever. But why? Why would she keep saying this?
"...?!" Black narrowed his eyes as he lowered his stance while carefully ascertaining the admittedly terrible face of a beauty whose eyes showed terror and tears. Diodora? What kind of name was that? And as he was thinking of the name, he was looking at the young woman and with the help of his Multi-Eye, he would spot what appeared to be a chess piece inserted into her...
"("...She's...a reincarnated devil...And judging by the chess piece, she's a pawn...")" Shidou thought grimly.
Now, for the sake of providing a bit of background, there exists in the Underworld a unique kind of system that aside from the legalization of harems would provide the replenishment of the devil population after the Great War between the Three Factions, created during the 16th Century, identical to normal chess pieces in terms of appearance but will glow in accordance to the aura color of its users when in use. Now that's all fine and dandy, but what does this relate to the current situation? Well, the biggest downside is...well, it is very possible for someone to get unwillingly into a devil and become the servant to the master who had done it. Meaning even if someone dies, the evil pieces can still reincarnate them into a devil with or without their permission.
...So what is holding back, for example, a High Class Devil, to kill a specific person and then reincarnate them into their servant and making them a devil.
"...I...I must obey...Obey...Diodora-...SAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMAAAAAAAAAA!"
Flames would burst forth from her entire appearance, seemingly engulfing her like a living torch, like that of a phoenix, with her tears turning to hot steam and the power of her grief and screams. And the flames that she would spread out were covering various distances, some of which automatically set off the demolition charges that were nearby. Shidou could already see the waters of the ocean were now slowly leaking. Shidou needed to end this now! He needed to knock her out, seeing as he could not be able to reason with her in this state. And of course, he would need to purify her with the Kingstone since it is the only way.
A trace...A sword...A memory...
He remembers...red fiery eyes and very long light coral-colored hair that is usually tied on both sides with ribbons in a variety of colors.
He remembers...the adopted little sister that he still remembers. The young woman who started his journey along with Tohka Yatogami.
He remembers...the flames that she could wield, and the dress that she wore which consisted of a white kimono resembling a goddess's robes from Japanese folklore, with a revealing neckline, a translucent sash, and her black ribbons tied around a pair of oni-like horns, leaving her hair to fall freely. The ribbons also gain golden flower patterns on them.
He would suddenly make a forward pose, bringing his closed right fist near to him and straightening his left arm and hand forward. Then, he would bring his left arm down and clench it to a fist that was positioned to his waist, while he power forward his right hand which was now unclenched and straightened.
"Black: Camael!"
And so, suddenly, the flames all around the area would swirl around the area as they cover from above, providing a covering bed for the waters that would disintegrate by the conjuring ring of fire.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The religious sister would find her entire body no longer sporting a flaming aura, for the flames themselves were now being sucked in by Black who was now performing swirling gestures that reminded one of a martial artist that would concentrate on his ki. And then, he brought both of his arms up and exclaim.
"Kingstone Flash!"
And then, he would place both hands down on his belt and a bright burst of pure energy erupted from his belt as it would penetrate the religious woman, penetrate deep into her soul, and...the chess piece that was now within her would suddenly vaporize, erased into nothing by the bright light that engulfed into her soul, and she was now stripped from her powers as a devil, purified back into a human, an unconscious human that would now fall down, and she would have hit the floor, if not for Black who catches her gently.
The Kingstone Flash.
Also known as one of the most powerful techniques of Kamen Rider Black which allows him to do tremendous feats. One of those feats includes the possibility of him being able to turn reincarnated devils back into their respective species such as humans. And it admittedly got him a whole lot of attention that contributed to him being quite well known in more ways than one.
...And then, Black would carry her unconscious body gently with both of his hands, all while he would notice the cargo ship now shaking due to the violent explosions. He would see the ceilings crashing down and flames and water pouring in. It was about time for him to leave, he thought.
And as Black leaves, the ship would be violently sunk to the bottom of Davy Jone's Locker as numerous explosions occurred that complimented it.
"...!"
Back in the Laboratory, both Azazel and Tobio Ikuze, along with Commander Randall and many of the 667th clones, would immediately notice a figure that had suddenly transported himself back here. They recognize an untransformed Shidou Itsuka with narrowed eyes, and to their surprise, they would see a young woman who is unconscious, a religious sister from her appearance.
"She needs medical attention," Shidou simply spoke with a serious tone. "Now."
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Dies irae - Animation OST: Unus Mundus
Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri, having just arrived from Kuoh Academy after being excused from class, were looking very troubled at this very hour. They were both sitting on chairs respectively. Sona was seated near Shidou's right side and she can tell from the darkened look on Shidou's face that he was not happy, and that seem to be understating it. From one side that allows one to overlook a window, there was Azazel, the famous (or infamous) Governor-General of the Fallen Angels, with both hands behind his back. Agent Bishop, representing the human side and the organization Ratatoskr, would simply stand and was right beside the heavily focused Sirzechs Lucifer, who was carefully reviewing the file folders that he had been given, and there was of course a laptop that shows plenty of other files that he would also view.
Needless to say, Sirzechs was pissed.
There was undeniable proof that he could see from his own eyes. Evidence relating to the corruption from the upper levels of devil society, to which Sirzechs was not ignorant by any means, but still could not help but be silently outraged due to the scale of this corruption that seem to reach even to the higher levels, and Sirzechs knew some of these people.
One of them specifically that would catch his full attention was Diodora Astaroth. who was the heir to the Astaroth Clan, one of the 32 clans known for having institutions in the Underworld for taking the promotion test for Low-Class Devils to rise up to Middle-Class. Records would show how Diodora had acquired all of his servants under his peerage, and how he...did things with them, and each of them was broken in more ways than one, and the ways that had happened. And...there was the fact that he was connected to some illegal slavery trade, and it mainly consisted of women.
But that's not even the worst of it. Because there was also plenty of information that contained multiple connections about a terrorist organization called the Khaos Brigade, one that had been a problem for quite a while.
"...This is quite the detailed information that you have given me to further examine, Azazel," Sirzechs spoke calmly with professionalism, but underneath, it was a man who was rightly outraged because of what he had been shown. The evidence could not be denied. What he thought were friends or allies were not in fact so. And it didn't comfort him one bit because the enemy was essentially just your next-door neighbor and you wouldn't even know it.
"Well," Azazel spoke with a grim tone, with narrowed eyes. "For one, this one was far more personal to me at least, seeing as how the Khaos Brigade had been started by one of my own fellow Grigori, Satanael, and the Wizards of Oz, so of course, I have to get involved and take responsibility for the mistakes of my subordinates. For two, this is essentially what I had been doing for quite some time, and Shidou had played a big part in the various covert operations, gathering valuable intel on where many of their bases are. And it's because of that, we could strike back at them all when they least expect it."
"Ratatoskr's IS War Legions being led personally by Assistant Director Ellen Mathers is fully engaging these bases all marked on the map. With one precise blow, this would cripple their operations in merely a day at most and there would be beneficial gains from other mythologies in reactive response," Agent Bishop informed.
"That's genuinely reassuring, thank you, Agent Bishop," Sirzechs said, grateful at least that there was at least this major setback from the enemy side.
Sona, while paying close attention to this new information that would make many people more than paranoid enough, was looking with a side glance at the pondering and silent Shidou with a concerned expression. She can see the tiredness in his eyes, probably due to a heavy lack of sleep, but also the darker shades of it that make her think that he had seen things that he'd rather not wish to see again.
"And of course, I would like to give thanks to you as well, Shidou Itsuka," Sirzechs spoke gratefully.
But Shidou, smiling sadly, shakes his head. "No need for thanks, Lord Sirzechs, but with respect for this conversation, can I ask for one personal request?"
"Of course," Sirzechs nodded, having an inkling of an idea of Shidou's request.
"If there is one person that I would want to serve his prison sentence where it's long overdue, it would be Diodora Astaroth," Shidou, while his voice was normal and professional, Sona would feel a kind of coldness seeping behind the tone, a shuddering chill being felt down her spine. A similar reaction would be found in Rias who would show a troubled expression. "That and for free compensation and official formal apologies on Diodora's peerage, all of them. that would be first headed by the Astaroth Clan."
"Consider it done," Sirzechs agreed wholeheartedly with a serious expression, sharing the same sentiments of moral outrage as his son's savior. He will not let these acts go unpunished on his watch.
"And of course," Azazel would slightly turn around with a grim line mouth. "It also further proves my other point regarding our previous discussions from the past, if you were to remember."
"The Evil Piece System," Sirzechs said, now showing a grimaced expression. With a heavy heart, he agrees. "Yes, you have voiced your concerns on that ever since the last century, and I recall agreeing with many of them quite frankly, no matter how much I do not wish for it to be so."
Yes, that was in fact the essence of the discussion. And it is why both Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri were here right now, representing the next generation of devils, and Azazel needed them to be here in this private meeting because they represent the hope of the future for their race and the most trusted with such information.
"And also at that time, I've warned you many times regarding the benefits as well as the risks of such a system," Azazel would begin to walk towards Sirzech, looking him from eye to eye. "The old houses like the Gremory and the Sitri are one thing and they treat their servants well, much closer as family members instead of merely servants, and these fine ladies that are here are living proof of such beneficiaries which is why they are chosen above anyone else to attend this private meeting, but one needs to also keep in mind and think of the ramifications of just how such a system would work, because, with respect, one could eventually classify this system to be nothing but slavery."
"...!" Rias showed a slight wide-eyed expression as she felt her heart stopping while Sona narrowed her eyes a bit.
While the saying "slavery" stung a bit for both of them, that did not change the fact that they were not stupid enough to disagree with such a notion. They most of all knew that not every High Class Devil was as accommodating and as lenient and empathetic as the Gremory or the Sitri. Even in the midst of devil society, when discrimination and racism among the classes still existed, this type of dilemma would not be surprising.
"...And what say you two in relation to this claim that I have made, Miss Gremory, Miss Sitri?" Azazel asked with a serious expression.
Both remained silent for a bit. Then, after thinking things over in silence, they both look at each other and made a silent nod. Eventually, it was Sona who, after fixing her glasses by putting her hand on the bridge and silently glancing at Shidou who was looking at her and Rias with a curious expression, would say.
"What you say is not quite wrong, Lord Azazel. On the one hand, it is as you say, the system could be classified from one point of view as slavery and it would show through the abuse of the pure-blooded devils like Diodora. There is the acknowledged conceptual risk of such a definition being applied due to abuse, but then of course, I and my fellow King do acknowledge that the system itself is not quite as simple as to put that in one category. The original full intent behind the system is more on the application of the old vassal or lord system, with of course a hint of capitalism, and the way it is implemented over the centuries for the most part has ended up otherwise far from the definition."
Rias took the lead after Sona.
"Simply put, each individual servant follows a master, but their station is not fixed in stone. They can be promoted to mid-class, high-class, ultimate class, and soon possibly even Maou. This is vastly different from a slave-based system due to its ability to promote. In fact, I can name several reincarnated devils who have come into positions of importance within devil society, more so than some pure-blood high-class devils, so each servant is not bound to their current status and can rise up from their ranks, a far cry from the actual definition of slavery whose concept is anathema to such a promotion."
Sona would glance at Shidou who showed a thoughtful expression, neither judging nor giving an opinion, but simply listening as she continued on from Rias' explanation.
"Shidou, I assume you still remember our past private discussions about this, on how why there is even such a thing as an Evil Piece System?" Sona asked.
"Of course, I remember," Shidou nodded. "The numbers of the devils were heavily depleted due to the Great War, being overall quite lower in the population charts depicting the supernatural races, and I don't hold this against the devils because of this reason since this is essentially for the survival of your speciecs after all."
"Yes," Sona nodded softly with a sad smile. "That was the main intent. Of course, not every Devil feels the same with the system as my family and the Gremory. I can acknowledge by experience that there are some who would definitely abuse the system for their own ends, and even now, it is still a work in progress."
"Which leads us back to now," Azazel nodded, satisfied with what he heard as he was pleased with the answers, and smiled a bit before turning to Sirzechs with a concerned tone. "In any case, in situations like this, I propose a full recheck of the entire system."
"Pardon?" Sirzech muttered, asking what Azazel was going on about.
"Well, with your official permission, I can, of course, ask for a few experts that I know of, non-fallen angels I may add for the sake of keeping official neutrality between all sides, to help Ajuka with rechecking the system a bit while also in a way providing us with more of an easy leeway for detecting the more hidden elements of the Khaos Brigade among your ranks," Azazel explained.
"And by experts, Azazel would not really mean Ratatoskr either," Agent Bishop clarified.
"I'm listening," Sirzechs spoke seriously, not hesitating.
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OST Fate Stay Night - Kodoku na Junrei
Sometime after the heavily planned discussions between Azazel, Agent Bishop, and Sirzechs, Sona Sitri was once again alone with Shidou Itsuka, both of whom were seated on a grey bench that overlook the vast green forest nearby. The thing about the Gremory is that they own more land than most of the 32 Devil Clan Families, with their territory being about the size of Honshu, the largest and most populous island of Japan. Most of the territory is essentially just unused space and is mostly just forests and mountains.
As they both feel the winds gushing from the northwest that would brush and cool their skins while waving their clothing, Sona would look at Shidou who was showing a deep pondering expression, with his eyes seemingly looking far away and softly breathing in and out as if he were meditating, one that made Sona both intrigued and concerned. There was actually a very good reason why Sona had called Shidou to her side in private because it relates to the secret engagement that they now have. But with the recent expression on Shidou's face, Sona could not help but have a touch of worry and would save that topic for later.
"Shidou," Sona softly muttered.
"Hm? Yes?" Shidou, being brought out of his contemplative thoughts, showed a concerned expression.
"...Are you alright?" Sona asked softly, putting her right hand on his left hand.
Shidou became silent as he looked at the comforting hand placed on top of his hand. He only sported a sad smile, knowing that it would be rather futile to hide this from the scariest and smartest woman that was here right now.
"(Sigh). It's just..." Shidou softly muttered while thinking back at what had happened. There was no actual harm in essentially telling Sona of the classified mission that he had undergone. After all, Sona is technically speaking his wife-to-be and he already resolved to never keep any secrets from her because she deserves nothing except honesty for the sake of this relationship that Shidou was still getting a bit used too. "Recently, Tobio-san and I, along with a few clone troopers of the 667th, had just gone back from a mission that involved infiltrating a cargo ship somewhere in the Pacific Ocean..."
And so, Shidou would explain to her the relevant details of the operation such as gathering any available intel and eliminating all hostiles associated with the Khaos Brigade. Despite the operation being quite simple of a chore, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows because Shidou would essentially go to the part where he and his men had managed to find the hostages that they were trying to rescue, something that made Sona pay close attention as her heart felt troubled and showed an expression of subtle horror.
"...It was...It was awful, Sona," Shidou muttered softly. "...The conditions of the hostages...It was inhuman...Who knows how long they've been trapped there...? But that's not the worst part," Shidou showed a darker expression. "No, the worst part is...well, almost at the end of that operation, I had to deal with a religious sister who essentially got forced into being a devil, a Pawn from what I could detect from my Multi-Eye."
"Don't tell me..." Sona softly muttered, showing a hint of concern and empathy. "That woman was Diodora's pawn."
"...Yes," Shidou, after being silent for a moment, nodded.
"So that's why you had that troubling look on your face when Diodora's name was mentioned," Sona showed a grim expression.
"Yeah," Shidou nodded as he lowered his crestfallen face. "...You...You should have seen her face, Sona. She...She felt...like a corpse, looked like a corpse. Her eyes were...just dead."
Shidou could not say any more while still thinking of the religious sister that was still heavily recuperating in Azazel's Laboratory. And the face of Origami's dead hollowed eyes was blending into the memories. And...
"..."
...He can feel the gentle squeeze of Sona's hand into his, intertwined as if it was a silent gesture. No need for words, only this gesture seems enough. He looks into Sona's violet, entrancing eyes that made him sigh heavily, already knowing that she knew that he was flashing back to his past.
"You know...I'd be lying if I said that I'm fine," Shidou muttered softly, being downcasted. "Sometimes I wonder...how does sensei—the Original Black do it...remain optimistic all of the time...?" He was of course referring to the Original Kamen Rider Black or Kamen Rider Black RX, Kohtaro Minami, who even in spite of everything, still remained optimistic even when everything was just bleaker and without any kind of concrete hope.
"Have you tried asking him?" Sona asked him with a soft smile.
"I did, and I remember him saying: "You know, tragedy comes to everyone eventually, Shidou, no matter what shape or form. It doesn't have to be of the fantastical and of the unordinary. Sometimes, it's the more normal everyday things of daily life, such as the great loss of a loved one or the late realization of how one wasted one's life. I think that's where I got some of my strength from, Shidou, knowing that I am not the only person who is suffering in the world, that each and every person out there have their own burdens to carry on their shoulders. But the thing is, that's where I realized that I can make a difference, by helping people as much as I can. Because when everything is dark, when all hopes seem lost, in the end, it would not seem to be so after all. And it's because we always have a choice. That we could start by becoming that hope, even in the dark corners of our own reality. That we could be the hero even when we never desired such if only for the sake of the children and of the world that we see with out own two eyes." Or at least, that's what he says that one time. There were a lot of things he spoke to me about regarding the old days of his life. It helps at least."
Sona softly smiled a bit before then having thought about this current situation. She let her hand go and would move her posture a bit, and gently patted her lap, indicating to Shidou to lie his head on her lap, showing an accommodating smile. "Come along, Shidou."
Shidou, slowly smiling a bit, would silently comply as he lay his head down on Sona's lap and close his eyes, and eventually, he would feel the softness of her touch as she brushes her hair. And as the minutes go by, he now wondered how long had he been in this kind of position. Nevertheless, it made him relax a little bit.
"You know..." Sona started speaking with a soft smile. "My parents would like to see you personally speaking, and I just wanted to inform you of such news as it is one of the reasons why I asked for a bit of time alone with you"
"...I see," Shidou softly muttered. Well, not like it's that surprising, seeing as he is engaged to Sona through the use of a character-probing chess-style match.
"If it reassures you at least, my parents' reactions to me getting engaged to the Savior of the Three Worlds were more on the positive end of the scale, and my father being the less obvious in terms of showing it. My father most of all would like to personally get to know the man who had managed to win his daughter in one of the few tests that he would approve of," Sona muttered with a smile while gently massaging his hair.
"Well, that at least relieves me of the worries relating to you since I don't care if I'm not as well-liked, but rather how you were doing with this situation," Shidou explained.
"And that, my dear, is one of your more fortunate points that I find to be quite attractive," Sona softly muttered with a smile.
And so, Shidou only spent an hour later simply being in Sona's company, resting as needed.
PART 2
Present Time
Somewhere just on the third floor of one of the school buildings to the right was the classroom of Class 1-4 which houses about ninety students, two friends with concerned expressions, Rock the Haze and Hiroto Tonomachi, were leaning on the side of the window while Shidou was simply sitting down on the student chair with a pondering expression on his face. It was now about 08:00 hours. They were simply waiting for something as there was a gathering of fellow young first-year high school students chattering about various topics in the air, many of which centered around a particular incident that had happened last night.
"Ah, Shidou, Rock, Tonomachi, why the serious faces in the morning?"
The three were looking at a young woman with spiky blonde hair that has spikes at her bangs, wearing the same uniform that all females of Raizen High School would wear. With her inquiring golden-yellow eyes and a slightly joking and concerned tone coated with a certain casualty, the three would recognize the woman as Ai Yamabuki.
"Ah, well, it's nothing, Yamabuki," Rock would casually wave his right hand, making a casual smile that would cover a hint of concern. "We were just thinking about a few things lately, you know, guy stuff and all that."
"Suspicious, suspicious," Suddenly, there was another young woman who came with circular glasses whose purple eyes reflect a hint of curiosity, with her right hand holding its edges. She had long purple hair that reaches beyond her shoulders. The three would know her as Mii Fujibakama. "Does this by any chance have to do with the incidents that happened last night?"
Fujibakama would bring out her phone that showcases multiple holographic videos that show Kamen Rider Kabuto, Kamen Rider Ryuki, and Kamen Rider Gaim battling against the Worms, Mirror Monsters, and Inves, making the three boys sigh, knowing that it would be rather futile to lie to the resident investigative reporter and scientific explorer among the trio of girls.
"Well, you're not wrong on that one, Fujibakama," Shidou said as he sighed a bit while Rock and Tonomachi were smiling awkwardly. Shidou continued casually while hiding his tone of worry flawlessly. "Well, you're all gonna find out eventually anyway so I think this question should hold for now."
But before the girl would ask, the school bell rang throughout the school building, evoking a sense of attention from everyone as some were looking up.
"Well, that's the bell ringing right now," Shidou muttered softly, his heart anticipating with concern.
Afterwards, all the students would cease the casual conversations and return to their respective seats. Those who were not a part of the class would head back to their respective classrooms, with some waving goodbye for now and some saying that they'd continue their talk sometime later.
From the corner of Shidou's eye, he would see from the front entrance door to the right, Kyoko Akizuki (who was waving at him, Rock, and Tonomachi with a knowing, cheeky smile), Kasumi Kida, and Shinichiro Takamiya walking towards their respective seats and made knowing looks on Shidou, Rock, and Tonomachi. Like the rest, they were taking their seats, which were right near Shidou's position in the back.
A few moments later, there was a young woman with light brown middle-length hair and brown eyes, with an innocent childish face and smile that makes the students pause with good behavior and profound admiration, and has a small body build while wearing thin-rimmed glasses. She was wearing a pink blazer jacket with white lines and a white female undershirt, with a red ruby jewel necklace tied around her neck which was a gift from her husband, a beige color skirt that touches her knees, and black heels.
She was Tamae Okamine, the homeroom teacher of Class 1-4, admired in the class for her dedicated passion for teaching and being a kind of shoulder for the students to carry their problems with. But to Shidou Itsuka and a few specific others, they would know her as an agent of Ratatoskr, assigned to watch over the school, in particular, Shidou Itsuka. And of course, she was the beloved wife of Vice Commander Kannazuki of the Fraxinus EX Airship. She had a pair of books in hand, mostly subjects relating to Social Studies, and an attendance book. Accompanying her was the familiar face of Agent Bishop, the assistant homeroom teacher of the class, carrying a serious expression, with shades always on that hid his sharp hawk eyes.
Right now, the class representative of the classroom, a young woman with brown hair and brown eyes, whose face that while plain and normal looking was just as attractive as the rest of the women of the class, the same one who had been the assistant of the vendor Umeda of the Donut Shop Hungry mobile food vehicle, would stand up and do the response calls. Her name was Aoi Sakurai, the attentive and hard-working class representative, and one of Shidou Itsuka's many friends in the New World.
"Rise! Bow! Be seated!" She said with a firm tone of authority.
Everyone, including Shidou, obeyed without hesitation.
"Good morning to every one of you, class," Okamine smiled gracefully as she sets the books on the table in the center while giving the attendance book to Agent Bishop. "Before we all begin, I would just like to inform you that we have a new transfer student that would now be joining us for today."
"Wait what?!" one boy said in surprise.
"New transfer student?!" another boy said in surprise.
"What the heck, this is news to all of us?!" Yamabuki exclaimed in shock.
"Who is it?! Is it a fellow boy or is it another ojou-sama to add to the ranks of Class 1-4?!" one boy with glasses spoke with interest, with brown hair, brown eyes, and wrinkles on his face, making a cheeky, interested smile. He turns ahead to Tonomachi who was seated from the back. "Hey, Tonomachi, what do you think about this?"
"...Uhhh," Tonomachi made an awkward expression while putting his right hand to his back, not knowing what to answer the boy that was in his front point of view.
"Our resident Kamen Rider Black RX must be involved in this, he has to be?! Who else could make transfer students of the female variety suddenly show up now all of a sudden?!" another boy added with an excited expression.
Many of the students, all about more than half of the ninety students of the large classroom, boys and girls, would look at Shidou Itsuka with expressions of curiosity, amusement, concern, and other mixture of excited and muttering expressions. Shidou in the meantime sighed heavily while Shinichiro gave an empathetic expression on his best friend.
"Ahem," Agent Bishop coughed a bit which sets everyone on edge due to recognizing the strict tone of voice. After all, the students of this classroom were the same students of middle school who were also handled by Bishop so they would know when to shut their trap when Bishop says so. "All of you are to remain silent as I explain the current circumstances for you all to know. As of this moment, this is a matter of strict confidentiality that would be imposed upon all students of Raizen High School. You are not to share this confidential information with anyone except for the cover info that had been provided by Ratatoskr. Valkryie Legion Member Master Sergeant Okamine Mikie and other Valkryie Legion members in the high school branch are debriefed on the following situation so they know of the current circumstances that I am referring to."
Most of the class now turns to Mikie Okamine who was seated in the front row, the brown pig-tailed-haired young woman with brown serious eyes, who had been silent for a while, would sport a serious expression and stand up briefly. "It is just as Bishop-sensei said everyone, so please, total cooperation is strictly necessary, it is after all for the sake of helping Itsuka-kun after all." She smiled the last part as she looks at Shidou, who smiled at her, nodding silently in thanks.
The classmates would remain silent as they now turn serious. They immediately realize the urgency because this was not the first time something like this had been imposed upon them. When your classmate is a Kamen Rider and had the experience of the past four and a half years of trouble that involved such a notion, then they are bound to take it seriously, especially when all of the class were grateful to their classmate, the resident hero of Tenguu City, for all of his timely efforts in protecting them and everyone else in the world. They all owe him, and they could never betray the trust that their hero had in them.
"So..." Shirou Emiya, a young man with short auburn hair and golden-brown colored eyes, wearing the male uniform of Raizen High School, would speak with a serious tone and with arms crossed. "...What is this confidential information that you would speak of, Bishop-sensei?"
Bishop, instead of answering Emiya directly, would look to the door on the right. "You may all come in, now."
At that moment, there were three individuals that were coming in from the front door, all of whom were women. It made most of the class surprised as they recognized one of the women. A bespectacled woman wearing the Kuoh Academy female college uniform with a short bob cut hairstyle that reminded one of a noble dame and violet professionally strict eyes, along with a slim figure. She looked like an ordinary young woman, but there was something about her that the young men of the class had been drawn to. A mysterious kind of aura, an exterior cold beauty, a strict but fair woman who many men could not help but follow to the best of their ability, for she commands a certain presence, one that just demanded respect without needing to be said, and the class, especially the boys, had a profound respect for this woman. And yes, the entire class is aware of who she is in the eyes of one Shidou Itsuka.
"What the hell...It's Shidou's strict but hot wife," one boy muttered, gulping while maintaining a proper sitting posture out of respect.
"...Oh my, it's the former student council president of Kuoh, Sona Sitri," Kane Himuro said, muttering softly while her interested eyes observe the subtle radiating authority. She is a young woman with long grey hair that reaches her waist and brown eyes, wearing the female school uniform of Kuoh Academy, and is the daughter of the Tenguu City Mayor.
"What is one of Kuoh's most popular ojou-samas doing here?" Mai Hazakura, a young plain-looking woman with short brunette hair and brown eyes, wearing the female school uniform of Raizen High School, spoke with an interested tone. And then, she noticed the person who was following her. "...And...wait a minute, who is...that with her?"
She and the rest of the class would notice the young woman that was walking alongside the famed former student council president of Kuoh, one that made especially the boys pay very close attention.
It was a young woman wearing the same female uniform of Raizen High School. With a confident, graceful smile on her face that lack nothing but awe and wonder, she would walk with the same amount of sophisticated intrigue that made her likened to the ideal Yamato Nadeshiko. With short, light pink hair, with a part of her hair tied up in a braid that was likened to the crown of a princess, and her hair was waving as she walked, invoking a deeper sense of nostalgia and reminiscence. Her skin was soft, one that carried a natural white complexion reminding one of alabaster, not too obstructive, and just perfectly balanced just as her figure was. And her light brown eyes were one that hid the soul of a woman of remarkable inner strength and a profound dedication to those she loved - to the man she loved who was right here, right now. A pure figure of modesty. She was like the light of the sun that seem to brightly shine with its rays. It made all of the boys in the classroom rather silent and the girls looked at the new arrival in awe and wonder, followed by intrigue and deep-provoking thoughts.
"...Wah, she's making a very good first impression on her very first day," Kyoko spoke positively with a smile, looking around to see her classmates stumped.
But then, they noticed someone else who was walking alongside this Yamato Nadeshiko woman.
They all saw a very young girl, one that could be called an angel just from her simple and subtle, but cheerful smile that was like a twinkling star of the night. With long plum hair that reaches to her legs, tying it with one single braid that swings gracefully and has a bow at the top of her head, wearing a pinkish-violet dress with a gold emblem on the center, handpicked and worn for the first day.
And while this would happen, Shidou Itsuka's amber brown eyes were drawn to the young woman and the young girl that both entered and left great first impressions upon the class. The man was fighting every bit he have not to cry again. Why? Because the scene felt quite bittersweet as if they invoked a lifetime's worth. He'd seen a similar scene in a dream. He'd seen a kind of what-if timeline that would show him what would happen if Rinne returned from Eden. And that bittersweet memory and the grounded present time seem to have touched like heaven and earth.
Of course...
"...!"
Kyoko and Kasumi would notice this. Shinichiro would notice this. Rock would notice this. Tonomachi would notice this. They would notice their common friend's expression as it struggled to keep calm, seeing a trying to take a bit of air expression as if his breath were being taken away as if he was about to cry again. And they all showed concerned expressions.
"Shidou..." They all muttered softly.
At the same time this was happening, the woman who was being eyed by everyone was being handed over chalk by Sona and would felicitously write her name on the blackboard, showing a proper decorum of hand. Everything about her seems perfect in the boys' eyes and the hearts of the girls show profound respect and admiration for this new girl.
And afterwards, breathing a heavy breath and carefully laying out her perfect angelic smile, she turned around to face her new classmates, and spoke with a voice that sounded as sweet as honey to the ears.
"It's nice to meet everyone. I'm Sonogami Rinne. I hope to meet and get along with all of you. And..." Rinne would put her hand on the young girl beside her. "...This little one is my daughter, Sonogami Rio," As Rinne introduced her with a flashing smile, most of the class did a 180 in terms of reaction, blinking their eyes out while mulling the words that she had spoken.
"("...Daughter...?!")" They all thought as their minds tried to comprehend such a thing.
But something else happened. As Rio was waving at the class, she spotted someone that made her heart leap with joy.
"...Ah! Papa!"
Of course, Rio couldn't resist as she would lightly dash like a little chick that was leaving the mother hen and head straight to someone that she cared about. Most of the entire class would see this scene with a mixture of surprise and wide-open concern.
"...!"
And of course, Shidou couldn't resist either as he got out of his chair and walked a few steps to the right, crouching down to embrace the young child that calls out to her papa, and her papa was here, with arms ready. And the embrace was complete as Shidou did not hesitate to embrace the little one and would carry her as he stood up. And Shidou looks around to see most of his classmates staring at him in shock, not knowing what to say in this situation. In fact, they could not utter a word for a couple of moments due to the suddenness of this revelation. But the majority of the class noticed something odd, something that made all of them stop with their multitude of questions as they see the face of Shidou Itsuka looking a bit worst for wear, and they could not utter a single word.
Shidou looked at Rinne, who gave a somewhat empathetic and apologetic expression, with an angelic smile that would warm his sorrowful worn-out heart. And his eyes turn to Sona, who simply touched the side of her glasses and smiled a bit softly.
"...Now then everyone," Agent Bishop would speak with a tone of authority which made every one of the class pay very close attention. "It is time for a thorough explanation of the current situation."
Somewhere on the rooftop of another school building that allows one to overlook the classroom of Class 1-4, there were two people watching from afar.
Tsubaki Shinra. A young bespectacled woman with long straight black hair that extends all the way down to her knees, with split bangs. She had heterochromatic eyes, with a violet left eye and a light brown right eye. She was wearing the same female uniform of Kuoh Academy as Sona Sitri. In terms of ranking via the Evil Piece System, she is the Queen.
Genshirou Saji. A young man in his third year of high school, wearing the male uniform of Kuoh Academy albeit without the black blazer, and the only thing that remained was a white, long-sleeved, button-down shirt with vertical linings, whose sleeves are rolled up., with a black ribbon on the collar, and black pants, with brown dress shoes for footwear. In terms of ranking via the Evil Piece System, he is the Pawn. Right now, he was the successor to Sona as the current student council president of Kuoh Academy.
They were both looking from afar as the wind was blowing at them from the eastern direction.
Tsubaki made a graceful, empathetic eye and smile on her face as she spoke while seeing the solemn expression of one Shidou Itsuka. "Itsuka-sama's daughter...And...I've never seen Itsuka-sama's expression quite like this before."
"Well," Saji spoke with a saddened smile. "He is a father, after all, Vice Pres. He can't be blamed if he started acting like one when his daughter is around, especially when he just got her back."
As Saji spoke, part of him was rather a bit conflicted about this situation. Well, in the sense that Sona, the woman whom he once had some manner of a crush, is now currently sharing her relationship with Shidou Itsuka with his first wife, Rinne Sonogami, although no one is exactly at fault to be blamed for this situation. Shidou Itsuka, the senpai that he respected deeply after all the help he had been given to him and at the same time, Saji begrudged Shidou just a teeny tiny bit, but not in a wholly negative way against the latter, due to having lost to him in more ways than one, although Saji acknowledges that said rivalry was a bit one-sided on his part as Shidou never wanted them to be rivals with him but close friends and even family in this case. While of course on the other hand, Saji is genuinely happy for him when he sees how his senpai got to reunite with his old family again after the grueling number of years of spending all that time thinking he would never see them again.
"Ah ah," Saji sighed with a smile. "You know, seeing as senpai had gotten his daughter back, I guess on the one hand, Sona just became a mother, or...stepmother in this case."
"Funny," Tsubaki smiled softly. "That's what Sona thought too, and she was quite concerned and intrigued about that dilemma when I was talking with her on the phone early in the morning."
"I'll bet..." Saji muttered softly, putting both hands on his waist. Then his expression turned serious. "Then...we and the rest of the peerage are probably taking turns at this point. Who's the next shift after us in the morning again?"
Tsubaki turns serious. "It would have to be Hanakai-san and Nimura-san. And our current mission now is to scout the area for any sign of suspicious activity that could pose a grave threat to Itsuka-sama's family."
"And I can unfortunately think of a lot of bastards that would qualify," Saji sighed heavily. "You know, sometimes I just wished senpai would get a break for once, the man's been through more grittier battles than most people could boast about."
"We all do at this point," Tsubaki puts her left hand on the side of her glasses. "But fate does not seem to be kind to Itsuka-sama at times."
"Try almost never, Vice Pres," Saji grimly added. "Being Black is suffering after all."
It may sound like a joke or a meme, but it is unfortunately rather true when it relates to Shidou Itsuka and his entire life in a nutshell. Shidou was a man suffering from post-war survivor guilt experiences and the heavy loss of his family, inevitably changing from human to cyborg due to advanced surgery, and fighting what seem like a never-ending fight between light and darkness. It's why Saji could never hate Shidou Itsuka, even in spite of the fact that he managed to win the heart of the one woman that he once had feelings.
...Well, on the bright side, Saji had at least managed to move forward with his life due to now having a loving and understanding girlfriend who does return said feelings for him. She's one of his fellow peerage members and is a member of the student council. And that girlfriend would be the same person who along with Momo Hanakai would take over in the next shift. Ironically, Saji owes this to Shidou who remembered the following advice that he would give in this situation.
"Just be honest with her, Saji," he would say with a kind, sad smile. "Being honest would actually make things a lot better in the long run and Nimura-san would deserve nothing less."
He followed this advice and well, the next thing that he knew, after thinking things over, he decided to accept the feelings of one Ruruko Nimura, and it was a decision that he never regretted making. And he was all the more happier in the end for it.
"("You once helped me out a lot, senpai...and now, it's time I return all of that kindness back, by protecting the things most precious to you now. It's the least I could do after all.")" Saji thought with a smile.
"Which reminds me..." Tsubaki muttered softly, bringing Saji back from his thoughts. "It seems that Einzbern herself is already made aware of Itsuka-sama's predicament if what that earlier encounter down the hallway was anything to go by."
"Brrrrr...Einzbern," Saji was involuntarily shaking, with both arms automatically placed to his chest as if feeling a sudden chill shivering his back, while remembering the admittedly looks can be deceiving scary third-year high school student of Raizen High School who is a powerful magus of the Einzbern Family.
Flashback
"...!"
Sona, Rinne, and Rio, while touring through the empty school hallway, would stop for a moment as they all noticed the presence of a young foreign but beautiful young woman with long white hair that reminded one of an ethereal Snow White-like feeling. She was leaning on the wall with a soft smile on her face. Her eyes, unnaturally crimson in color, would glance at them, or more specifically, she would glance at Rinne and Rio who noticed it.
From the way she was staring at them, Rinne and Rio couldn't help but feel a bit troubled, and the latter was embracing the former. Rinne glances at Sona, who seems to be unfazed by this woman.
"Good day to you, Sonogami Rinne," the woman, speaking in a perfect Japanese tone, would look at them both as she steps sideways a bit, with both hands behind her back. "And of course, good day to you, Sonogami Rio, and nice to see you once again, Sona Sitri."
"The feeling is most mutual," Sona muttered softly with grace, putting her left hand to the side of her glasses.
When Rinne heard her name, her daughter's name, and Sona's name mentioned, she could not help but pay close attention because she never really met this woman before in her life. Could it be that she's another one of her husband's acquaintances in the New World? She thought to herself.
"Oh? But where are my manners," the woman would now introduce herself as she would bow like a graceful lady, holding the sides of her skirt delicately in a tone of common courtesy. "My name is Illyasviel von Einzbern." And her eyes glance to Rinne specifically. "And of course, you may wonder why how I know who you and your daughter are, Rinne-san. Well..."
Illya took a few steps before being right in front of Rinne, looking at her from eye to eye, making Rinne feel that this was no ordinary girl judging by the eyes. Illya was rather interested, looking at Rinne from top to bottom.
"...I was just informed of you and your daughter's presence by none other than Minamiya Natsuki herself, and you all probably met her by now, and she asked me to keep in touch of things. And then, well, I was honestly rather curious of you and your daughter for a very long time, being the two important family members of my dear kouhai and all that entailed," Illya explained softly.
"Kouhai?" Rinne muttered softly, showing an interested expression.
"Yes," Illya smirked a bit. "Itsuka Shidou, my dear kouhai. I can safely say that I am one of the few who knew him quite best."
Why does that statement trouble and stung Rinne so? Is she yet another important girl in Shidou's new world life? A troubled thought brews in her mind.
"Ms. Einzbern," Sona carried a blank expression, speaking her name in the English tone before switching to Japanese flawlessly. "Shouldn't you be in your class by now? If there is something that you want to actually discuss with Sonogami-san and her daughter, then perhaps it would be for the best to leave it at the lunch hour break."
"Hmm, I suppose so, but that would hardly be needed for now. I simply wanted to check things as they were," Illya muttered with a smile of amusement before starting to walk back, with her back seen by the three. And then, Illya stopped for one moment and spoke softly. "Oh, and do not worry, Sonogami Rinne," She glances at her with a soft, sad smile. "You do not have to worry about me stealing your man's heart...after all, right after Sona Sitri of course, there was no other woman that he never loved just as much as Sonogami Rinne, his most precious childhood friend...and eventually his beloved wife...one that he had lost...and now found again."
And then, Illya would peacefully make herself scarce while Rinne, shocked to hear this information, would look back at Sona who sighed.
"...If you're still wondering who that is, Rinne, to further expand, Illyasviel von Einzbern is a student of this school and is our husband's senior. She is highly regarded and well considered in the supernatural world to be one of the most dangerous magus' in the world, and well, she acts as our husband's personal trainer in the history and practice of the art of magecraft, which helps greatly at least over the years," Sona explained with an empathetic smile.
"Heeh, is that so?" Rinne softly muttered in interest as she looks in the direction where Illya was walking.
"Of course, I should also need to inform you that there are also other students from other magi families that are attending this school, and our husband also knew them just as much as Einzbern. Our husband has quite the history when it comes to the great magi families," Sona explained.
Present Time
The bell had already been rung and the classes in the morning were officially over. Agent Bishop and Tamae had just left for the faculty room in order to for them and a few others to discuss more about the current issues.
Meanwhile, Rinne Sonogami, with Rio Sonogami on her lap, would be gathered by many students, both male and female, who were deeply interested in her and her daughter due to being connected with a certain hero who was simply smiling in slight exasperation. Looking at this class, Rinne would notice a few familiar faces like the trio of girls (Ai Yamabuki, Mai Hazakura, and Mii Fujibakama) being a more prominent example. On her very first day here, Rinne had been showered with nothing except accommodating kindness.
In this peculiar situation, while Rinne would be briefly sharing her side of the story, Rinne would be asking a few questions to each of the classmates in turn on the very simple question that plagued her mind. And it all commonly revolved around the theme of her husband. And they all commonly spoke one resounding voice based on different perspectives.
"Itsuka Shidou was a hero to many, most especially to all of us."
It made her heart glad and brightened up her day. In the old world, Shidou was never much of a popular sort of person. Actually, she could barely recall this kind of respect in the old world, mostly because no one would actually know of Shidou's heroism in saving lives and protecting the Spirits. Here, this was a different setting. And even the trio of girls that acted in a sort of light-hearted antagonistic role were also praising him, saying that he had saved their lives on a number of occasions. It only further proves the point that this is a very different world, with a different history, and a different set of memories.
Right now, it was decided upon the school announcement that it was going to be a half-time day, meaning the classes in the afternoon would be suspended to accommodate the eventual tour that Shidou and Sona would eventually provide later after this conversation.
From another point of view, there was Shidou who had been watching from afar.
"...Well, they seem to be taking a liking to Rinne and Rio almost immediately," Shidou softly muttered, seated on his chair with a relaxed posture.
"I mean, it's not every day when a lot of our classmates would see their hero's family after all," Shinichiro said with a smile, standing nearby.
'Which reminds me," Shidou softly muttered with a serious expression, looking at Sona who was leaning near his chair with a soft smile on her face. "Sona, anything out of the ordinary so far?"
"No," Sona shakes her head. "Unless you were to count that one encounter earlier in the morning between Rinne and Rio, and Einzbern."
"What?" Shidou muttered in surprise. "Illya-senpai? She met up with Rinne and Rio."
"Yes," Sona confirmed. "Apparently, Minamiya-sensei decided to inform her about those two and ask to keep a close eye on things, and she was also quite rather interested in meeting those two."
"...I see," Shidou muttered while looking at Rinne and Rio who were smiling cheerfully and amicably.
Insert Song: End
ED Song:
Anata ga Ita Mori ~English Lyrics
New Character:
Tobio Ikuse (New World) - VA: Yuma Uchida
667th Ranger Regiment Clone Troopers (STARS) - A: Temuera Morrison
Commander Randall (STARS) - A: Temuera Morrison
Ai Yamabuki (New World) - VA: Risako Murai
Mii Fujibakama (New World) - VA: Midori Tsukimiya
Tamae Okamine (New World) - VA: Kaori Sadohara
Aoi Sakurai - VA: Junko Iwao
Shirou Emiya (New World) - VA: Noriaki Sugiyama
Kane Himuro (New World) - VA: Rie Nakagawa
Mai Hazakura (New World) - VA: Kayoko Tsumita
Genshirou Saji (New World) - VA: Yuichi Iguchi
