Disclaimer :
I do not own High School DxD.
High School DxD is owned by Ishibumi Ichiei.
Warning: Bad Grammar
Dialog Tags:
「Spells/ Skills/ Abilities」
thoughts
[long-range communication]
SFX
Chapter 06: The Rook
Arriving at Sitri's Castle, Sona, and her Peerage were led through the main hall by the head maid, one of the Pawn of Sona's mother. The maid was a woman who seemed in her twenties with long brown hair. Because of her voluptuous body, Genshirou couldn't help but occasionally glanced at her breasts. As the head maid gestured them to enter the living room, a voice that seemed to come out from a girl rang through the hall.
"SOOO-TAAANN!"
Suddenly, Sona froze in her step as the door of the living room opened and a girl in a magical girl outfit dashed to her and hugged her tightly.
"So-tan! I miss you so much! Welcome home, So-tan!"
The girl yelled enthusiastically while Sona tried her best to release herself from the hug.
"O-Onee-sama, please let me go! A-And please act like your stature, you are a Satan!"
The girl, Serafall Leviathan, pouted at Sona and instead tightened her arms which held Sona's body.
"Nope! Not now! Too soon! I miss you too much, I don't want to let you go!"
Almost all members of Sona's Peerage let out an amused sigh except for Kenji who was silent this whole time.
This was recognized by everyone. But Sona and the others couldn't ask anything yet since they needed to greet Sona's family. The sister's banter was cut off when a lady with black long loose hair appeared and bonked Serafall's head with her hand.
"Sera, let go of your sister. She's tired from the journey."
After making sure Serafall did what she told, she turned her attention towards the members of Sona's Peerage. Seeing this, Tsubaki and the others bowed their head to her with Kenji and Genshirou following suit. The lady gave them a sweet smile as she gently told them to raise their head.
When she finally realized that there are two individuals she didn't know, she glanced at Sona and asked,
"Sona, my dear, are those two boys the new members of your Peerage?"
Sona nodded at the lady before she spoke,
"Yes, okaa-sama. They are my new Pawn and Rook. Both of you, please introduce yourself."
Genshirou slightly widened his eyes at the revelation. He thought that the lady was Sona's eldest sister. He took a glance at his friend who was still very quiet with a blank expression on his face. This worried him so much, but he couldn't keep glancing at him as he needed to introduce himself.
Genshirou tried his best to not be nervous as he bowed his head to the lady.
"I-It is an honor to meet you, Sitri-sama. My name is S-Saji Genshirou and I'm the P-Pawn of Sona Sitri-sama."
Lady Sitri nodded at him.
"Nice to meet you, too. My name is Sonia Sitri, the mother of Serafall and Sona. Please don't be too stiff, Saji-kun. You can call me by my first name."
"Y-Yes, ma'am!"
Then, her attention changed to the tallest person in the room. Said person now bowing to Sonia and introducing himself,
"Greetings, Sitri-sama. I am the new Rook of Sona-sama. My name is Mizushima Kenji. It is an honor to meet you."
Sonia frowned as Kenji didn't even try to smile at her. Sona was also frowning, but because of a different matter.
"Please, raise your head, look at me, and answer this. Are you okay, Kenji-kun? I don't want something bad to happen to Mari's little brother while you are in our care."
Just as he was told to, Kenji raised his head and looked at Sonia before he answered while scratching the right side of his neck,
"Someone of your stature does not need to worry about me, Sitri-sama. But as you ordered me to answer your question, then I can say that I'm perfectly fine."
Every member of Sona's Peerage stared at him with confusion. They wondered how their King's mother was familiar with someone they thought was Kenji's elder sister. They also wondered what happened to him this whole time.
Ever since we rode the train, he seems lifeless, thought Sona with a frown on her face since she occasionally went out from the VIP car to be with her Peerage.
Of course, Ruruko already knew about his problem right now, but she kept it secret from the others.
And while Sona didn't know about it, there was one thing she was sure of. Kenji had lied to her mother. Sona who was frowning ever since Kenji introduced himself to her mother suddenly widened her eyes as a realization came to her mind.
N-No way! H-He heard the conversation at Kuoh Station?! How?! The girls made sure to lower their voices!
"So-tan?"
Serafall tilted her head as she looked at Sona whose face was paling from something she didn't know. Sona simply ignored her sister as she tried to look for clues to proof of her theory. And just this time, she hoped that she was completely wrong.
But her hope was completely shattered when she recalled that Kenji and Ruruko were coming out together from the dining car when they arrived at Sitri Station. She remembered how red Ruruko's eyes were and how weak Kenji's step was.
Kenji-san...
Sona stared sadly at Kenji who was now busy talking with her mother about his elder sister. Just then, Serafall rushed to Kenji who stood straight as she circled him with a calculative look. After she was done, Serafall nodded at him without saying a word.
Not wanting to hold them from their rest, Sonia immediately said,
"Alright. Please come inside, everyone. The servants will take you to your assigned room. And Sera, you have to go back to Leviathan Castle. I know you're still busy with your work."
As the servants of the house guide the members of Sona's Peerage to their room, Serafall suddenly turned serious. Looking at Sona who still staring at Kenji with a sad frown, Serafall then said,
"Before I go, I wish to talk to Sona about her new Rook."
It made Sona and her mother surprised by how serious Serafall was right now. They immediately realized that whatever Serafall wished to talk to her little sister, it was something very important.
"Of course, onee-sama. I also need your help regarding my new Rook."
"Good. Please follow me to a more private location. Mother, please excuse us for a bit."
Both siblings then bowed to her mother who responded with a nod before they went somewhere quiet.
Sonia wondered what Serafall saw in Kenji to make her so serious. Deciding to leave the problem to her smart daughters, Sonia went to the garden to enjoy some tea time.
Sona sat in the opposite position from Serafall behind a small rectangular table while they were served tea by the maids. After Serafall ordered the maids to leave them alone, she put a barrier around them to prevent any kind of spying attempts.
"Onee-sama, do you find anything strange with my new Rook?" Asked Sona who remembered her sister observing Kenji earlier.
Serafall frowned and showed a bitter smile as she answered,
"I did. When I looked into his eyes, they were void. And within that void, I can see desperation. It feels like I was staring at the original Leviathan."
"W-What?! What do you mean, onee-sama?!"
"Within him, there is strong envy and wrath that he even doesn't know. I don't know what causes it. But the sins are real and dangerous. If you still don't understand the emergency of this situation, here is a simple explanation. You thought that Rias' Pawn is a reincarnation of lust? Well, even his perversion is nothing compared to the original Asmodeus. But here with your Rook, his envy and wrath are comparable to the original Leviathan."
Sona couldn't help but to surprised and worried now. For she knew what kind of devil the original Leviathan was from the book.
Along with Lucifer, Leviathan bore lesser wrath to the world. The reason was she envied everything better than her. She even dare to attack Aphrodite after hearing some humans praised her as the most beautiful existence. Fortunately, the goddess didn't demand anything and even stopped her fellow deities from rampaging the Underworld.
For the worried Sona, Serafall held her hand softly and said,
"Don't worry, Sona. I will try to help him as best as I can. Besides, as long as there are no circumstances that make him feel jealous or greatly angry, he will be fine."
Sona clenched the hand that held hers. Now, Sona's face turned horrific as she looked down at the tea she hadn't drunk yet. Was this some kind of fate for he possessed the sins of Leviathan while being under the sister of current Leviathan? Whatever it is, that wasn't funny in the slightest.
Serafall quirked an eyebrow as she looked at Sona and immediately asked,
"What's wrong, Sona?"
Sona then told Serafall everything about the circumstance including Kenji and Momo. And after hearing that, even Serafall was frowning worriedly. The circumstance was like it had been staged by a greater being to release Kenji's envy and wrath from the bottom of his heart.
"That is troubling. With his sins that rival what the original Leviathan had, there's a high chance he will become a stray because of a simple reason," said Serafall in exasperation.
Normally, stray devils wouldn't be much of a problem. But since the existence of the Khaos Brigade was announced to the world, the government had been aware that some strays were taking shelter in that organization, making them harder to be hunted down.
"I know. What should I do, onee-sama?"
"We can't affect people's hearts, but there's still something we can do. Sona, you need to show him that romantic love isn't everything."
Sona immediately looked up to see her sister smile warmly. Her lips curled upwards as she gave her gratitude to Serafall.
"Or better yet, you can entice him to love you," said Serafall while grinning playfully.
Sona was shocked at her sister's suggestion before she realized what she was playing. As such, she responded with,
"I see. That's a good idea. Excuse me, then. I will seduce him right away."
Sona got up from her seat and walked past the horrified Leviathan who quickly held Sona's waist with both hands.
"Wait! Wait! It's just a joke, So-tan! Just a joke!"
"Let me go, onee-sama. I must save my Rook," said Sona flatly without looking at her sister who was now crying exaggeratedly.
"Noo! I won't! I don't want you to have any lover!"
Sona had a smirk plastered on her face as she stared at her sister and decided the game was over,
"Got you, onee-sama."
Serafall widened her eyes and looked up at Sona with hope.
"T-That was just a joke?"
"Of course. Now, let me go so I can go back to my seat."
However, Serafall didn't release her grip and asked,
"Really?"
"Yes," answered Sona shortly.
"It was really just a joke?"
"Yes, it was."
"Do you really mean it?"
A thick mark appeared on Sona's face as her sister just kept asking the same thing repeatedly.
"If you don't let me go right now, I will consider truthfully seducing Kenji-san after this."
"Nooo!"
Serafall tightened her grip and now was clinging to Sona who found it annoying.
The sisters' banter kept on until the barrier reached the time limit and Sona ran to their mother who then told Serafall to go back to Leviathan Castle so she could do her job.
While Sona was a bit put off by her sister's behavior, she was thankful knowing that Serafall did that to temporarily erased her worry.
As such, Sona decided to give her sister a warm hug before she departed to her castle.
At a certain bar in Citrii, Kenji was enjoying a liquor called Levitor which said as one of the finest drinks in the Underworld with a price of 1,340 Midas or 134,000 Yen per bottle. Of course, his drinking session was accompanied by cigarettes.
He let out a sigh for he failed to create an ability that would let him go back in time. The most he could do was sent the past through him, meaning that he could redo everything that was done to himself only. And the limit was only 30 minutes. For example, if he lost a limb during a battle, he could undo the result by bringing himself back to the point where he was still having his limb as long as the time point wasn't exceeded the 30-minute limit.
The ability was called Rewind. It was an ability that would consume a lot of his demonic power and could only be used once per 24 hours. He didn't know why the ability wouldn't give back his reserve.
Still, he really didn't care about that. He just felt so angry that he couldn't restart his life in this World to change his choices. Now, he had no other option but to try harder to make Momo forgot his crush on Genshirou and then liked him.
Just as he smoked his cigar, an individual came close to him and said,
"Oh. I didn't know that the student council has a delinquent as a member."
Kenji didn't even turn his head to look at the blonde-black-haired man while he let out a scowl realizing who that was.
"What do you want, Azazel?"
"Woah, there. No need to be hostile, young devil. I just want to talk."
Azazel put his hands on the front as if he was surrendering and sat beside Kenji.
"Suit yourself."
The Governor-General just sighed before he ordered something from the shocked bartender who saw the leader of Fallen Angels was here in his establishment.
"Look, Mizushima-kun. I want to apologize to you for what I did when we first met. As a token of my apology, I will give you a Sacred Gear that I personally developed."
"Is that so? How is this different from the items used as compensation for Kokabiel's incident?"
Azazel's order arrived and he took a short drink of his liquor before he answered,
"The Sacred Gear I will give to you is much stronger than the others since I am the one who developed it while the ones I will distribute to young devils, if they want to, are the creation of the staffs of Grigori. That's why it's different."
Now, this brought Kenji's interest. He might be a bit bitter towards Scared Gear, but he wasn't stupid enough to refuse the chance of possessing one. Even more when he had learned from the mistake he made of not using all resources he had to achieve his goal.
So for the first time, he turned towards Azazel and smiled.
"I see. I forgive you, then. Let's get along from now on, Azazel-sama."
Azazel grinned, although he realized that he showed a fake smile and not forgave him entirely. He thought that it was better than nothing. Azazel didn't want to earn ire from Sitri Clan, after all.
He rose his glass and said,
"I am your teacher. Call me 'sensei'. Cheers."
Just like Azazel, Kenji rose his glass and clanked it into Azazel's. After they took a sip of their drink, Kenji asked,
"So, when the Sacred Gear will be installed?"
"You and your comrades in Sona Sitri's Peerage will visit Grigori in the morning after the Youth Devil Gathering," answered Azazel while drinking again.
"I see. I can't wait."
He said that, but he wasn't truly excited since he wanted to fight Issei without Sacred Gear. He wanted to show Momo that he was strong enough to protect her and hoped that she would fall for him after his show of strength against the Sekiryuutei.
Kenji continued enjoying himself and kept hanging out in the bar even after Azazel left.
Youth Devil Gathering. Originally, it was an event for the young devil heirs of families belonging to 72 Pillars to assert dominance against each other. After the Civil War, it became more like a common gathering although they were still obligated to show their power by going against each other in more healthy competition, which was the Rating Game. Not only showing that they were superior but winning the Youth Rating Game also was the way for them to ease their way toward their goal since the Four Great Satans would grant almost any wish to the champion.
This was an important event for the young devils, especially for Sona Sitri. This was her first step in walking toward her goal to build a Rating Game School for all devils. Even so, the school was only the first phase of her end goal which was erasing the discrimination from pure-blood high-class devils towards low to middle-class devils and of course, reincarnated devils.
Sona believed in efficiency. And looking at the social condition in Devil Nation right now, where there was still discrimination, she thought to eradicate it forever. If all devils could truly unite in one banner, then the efficiency of her race would rise significantly. After all, there would be less betrayal and tension occurred if there was no discrimination in society.
And so here she was in Lucifaad with her Peerage, who dressed in various lavish outfits prepared by the house of Sitri, attending the Youth Devil Gathering.
Sona wore a slight smile as her eyes found Kenji in a black suit stealing glances towards Momo who wore a white dress with golden embellishments. She was relieved that Kenji didn't turn cold towards the girl even after knowing she crushed on Genshirou.
Still, she couldn't help but frown a little when Momo didn't bother recognizing him and just stared fondly at Genshirou who wore a long-sleeved white shirt, a grey vest on top of it with a black tie, and also grey long pants.
Sona was still worried about what her sister said about Kenji. She would need to talk to Momo so she could clear everything up with him as soon as possible as she thought letting him hang on a vain hope would lead to a bigger problem.
Guided by staff, they were led into a hall that had been messed with tables laying on the ground and a crater on the wall. Sona sighed in exasperation, knowing that there was a commotion before she got here.
Genshirou made his way to talk to Issei while everyone else walked behind Sona who chose to approach Rias Gremory who talked with a well-built young man near the wall.
The man was more muscular and taller than Kenji and also bore the aura of nobility. He was Sairaorg Bael. The Heir of Bael Clan despite he didn't inherit the Power of Destruction.
She then stole a glance at Kenji when she felt his aura leaking out. For a reason Sona didn't know, he eyed Sairaorg intensely even though he put a stoic expression on his face. Sairaorg who felt he was being stared at, turned his eyes from Rias and stared back at Kenji.
Sairaorg observed him carefully before an amused grin appeared on his face.
Everyone in her Peerage, except Kenji, stepped back a bit when Sairaorg approached their position with Rias who noticed her presence.
"Sona, good evening," greeted Rias with a smile.
Sona responded to the greeting in the same manner before Sairaorg said,
"Good evening, Sona. Is this your Peerage?"
"Good evening too, Sairaorg. And yes, along with that blonde guy right there, they are the members of my Peerage," answered Sona with a nod.
Sairaorg nodded back before saying,
"Do you mind if I give a special greeting to one of them?"
She and Rias couldn't help but to widened their eyes at Sairaorg's words. His special greeting was only given to the one he recognized. And to think there was someone in Sona Peerage who Sairaorg recognized was quite surprising for them. Sairaorg was no joke, after all. He was the strongest young devil in the public eyes.
Curious about who he referred to, Sona gave him an affirmative nod and he immediately closed his distance to the male of her Peerage.
Then, the grinning Sairaorg threw a straight punch at the stoic Kenji.
Sona closed her eyes in panic, not having the power to see one of her servants receive Sairaorg's punch head-on even though she knew he was still holding back.
Doomm
The banging sound echoed throughout the room, gaining attention from everyone inside. A collective gasp could be heard afterward, making Sona open her eyes before they went wide in shock. Not just Sona, but everyone who knew how strong Sairaorg was had their eyes popped out as if they would come out of their sockets.
There, while still having a blank face, was Kenji who blocked Sairaorg's punch using only a hand. No sign of pain could be found in him, meaning that he caught the strong fist easily.
Even Sairaorg had a shocked expression plastered on his face for a while before his grin appeared once again.
"Oh? You can block my punch easily. Hahaha! You're strong, servant of Sitri!"
Kenji released Sairaorg's fist before he bowed his head while having his right hand put on his left chest and introduced himself,
"Greetings. My name is Mizushima Kenji. The Rook of Sona Sitri."
Sairaorg gave an approval nod and responded,
"Umu! Raise your head, Mizushima Kenji!"
After Kenji raised his head, Sairaorg extended his hand towards him which he immediately received.
"I am Sairarog Bael. The Heir of Bael Clan. I can't wait to fight you sometime in the future."
"Likewise, Bael-sama," replied Kenji.
"Just call me Sairaorg, Mizushima Kenji."
"Then, you may call me Kenji, Sairaorg-sama."
Both men shook their hands in a friendly manner in front of the surprised eyes of everyone in the room.
At another hand, Sona held back from grinning after knowing how strong Kenji was.
My feeling is right! I hit a jackpot with you, Kenji-san, she thought happily.
Meanwhile, Seekvaira Agares and Rias couldn't help but envy Sona for having a servant who could match Sairaorg in physical strength.
For Seekvaira, she felt kinda left off by her peers as Sairaorg was the strongest young devil and Rias had Sekiryuutei as her servant. And now, Sona who was smarter than her, suddenly possessed a manpower who could stand against Sairaorg.
As for Rias, while she might have Sekiryuutei and other members with great potential, she thought that her Peerage's power was still lacking. She possessed a dream to be unbeatable in Rating Game, after all. As such, she regretted not having Kenji as her servant. To make it worse, she had underestimated him a bit after knowing he didn't possess Sacred Gear.
Sona eyed her rival who had jealousy written on her face and couldn't help but showed a slight smirk of victory.
After the fiasco, the staff came into the room and cleaned out the room so the young devils could enjoy their tea and get known to each other comfortably.
Not long after that, the staff announced that the Four Great Satans along with the elders had ready to meet them.
With confidence in her steps, Sona walked into the main hall with her Peerage behind her.
To be Continued
