Ichika hadn't realized she could ever be full watching someone else eat. The way this girl scarfed down her steamed pork buns as if her life depended on it was nothing short of amazing. She wondered if the girl's appetite was normally this large and if so, she envied her for being able to stay so slim.

Asia, as the girl had said her name was, was from Italy from what she could discern. She used a translation app and used its voice feature to translate. Despite some mishaps and misunderstandings here and there, the two were able to establish some sort of rudimentary form of communication. Though, Ichika found that she was slowly and quickly beginning to understand her just by listening. Was this some sort of power Devils had?

"U- Um, y- you called this pork buns?" Asia asked, nibbling on the bun.

"Yeah. It's good right?" Ichika asked, naturally flowing into the Italian.

"Yeah. It's…" Tears began to leak out of Asia's eyes.

Ichika began to panic. She didn't know what she had done to make the girl cry. Ichika frantically fussed as Asia cried silently while biting into the bun.

"I- I'm sorry! I didn't m-mean to offend!" Ichika apologized.

"N- No! It's not your fault," Asia wiped her eyes and looked down happily at the meat bun. "It just… tastes so good. I was so hungry…"

Ichika frowned. She knew how hard it was for foreigners to navigate the country without a basic understanding of Japanese but to think it was this bad. Either this girl grew up under a rock or she had been isolated her whole life. This girl lacked any semblance of common sense and just continued to munch on her meat bun while crying.

Ichika sighed. "Fret not. Tears are not befitting of a Saintly Maiden. Please quell your anguish." She patted her back.

Asia nodded and wiped her tears from her eyes. "S- Sorry."

Huh, maybe this whole Devil thing will make learning other languages easier. Ahem.

"Don't be sorry. I understand if you're famished due to a lack of magical energy in your body. This panacea should refill your reserves until we can arrive at my palace to grant you a proper feast. A Saint should be treated with utmost respect," Ichika said, puffing her chest.

"M- Magical… energy? Panacea?" Asia asked, confused by her terminology.

"Ah, sorry. I forgot not everyone is clear-sighted like me and my compatriot and servant, Lord Shadow Knight," Ichika said.

"L-Lord Shadow Knight?" Asia said.

"That's right! Now! Let's go! I'll take you somewhere you can get some rest," Ichika said. She got up and held her hand out.

Asia hesitated for a few seconds before grabbing her hand. Ichika beamed and pulled her along.

As the two ran along the street, the sun set on Kuoh and Asia couldn't help but feel drawn to Ichika's magnetic smile. She smiled softly as only one thought crossed her mind.

Her hand feels warm…

Sophia sat on the couch, sipping a juice box as she pored over the information Shin had at the moment. The two were currently at his house. Her room had been prepared a day in advance and after having some snacks, courtesy of Shin's brother-in-law, the two began to look through what they had at the moment. Riser had taken Momiji out with him on an evening walk and Ravel had some business in the Underworld so it was just them at the moment.

Sophia rifled through two days worth of data with a pensive look on her face. Her violet-blue eyes wasted no second, absorbing every detail of information. All of the files that were open on her laptop were filled with reports and details collected over a period of at least 72 hours. And all of it was useless in Sophia's eyes. There were only a few details that matched the signature telltale signs of a Fallen Angel or Stray Exorcist, however, they were a drop in a sea of junk data.

She placed her gloved hand on her chin before letting out an annoyed sigh.

"I'd give her an award… if that award was for haphazardly gathered intelligence. I get that she's a High Class Devil and that she can just blow away whatever threat from two wings there are but seriously…," Sophia mumbled.

"I know, right? I had Ran try to fill in the blanks for me," Shin said.

"Clearly you didn't have enough time to scout. I expected better of you, [Knight]," she teased.

"Bite me, [Raven]. If I had more time, I'd be all over their hideout before you got here," he said.

Sophia smiled and leaned back in her chair. She clicked through another file and raised an eyebrow when she saw an addendum added by Shin. It was dated two days ago. "Ichika got attacked, huh?"

"Yeah. She…," Shin trailed off. He clenched his fists and his body began to shake in anger. His left eye began to flicker, changing from black to red repeatedly.

Sophia placed her laptop on the table and reached over to grab his shoulder.

Shin visibly relaxed at her touch and let out a sigh. He placed his hands over his face and looked down. The guilt that had been piling on him for the past two days began to spill over. "It happened again, Sophie…, it happened again. First her, and now Ichi."

Sophia let out a sigh. She leaned back against the sofa and sighed. "I know. I was there in the aftermath. But, Ichika is alive. That has to count for something, right?"

Shin nodded after a few seconds of silence. "Yeah…," he said.

"So chin up and stop moping. You're really bringing down the mood," she chided.

Shin smiled wryly and straightened his posture.

"By the way, Devil huh? I can't imagine how she must have taken it," Sophia said, taking another sip from her juice box.

"She took it pretty well actually. She got mad that I didn't tell her. I think it just made her worse," Shin said.

"Worse how?"

"Well, you know how Ichika is going through a… phase?"

"Yeah. Did she start believing everything she roleplayed as was real?"

"No, it's just… I think she began seeing her roleplay in a different light."

"I mean, I guess I would too if I were her. By the way, where is she?"

Shin glanced at the clock. It was 6:30 PM. Ichika should be home by now. Either that or she was coming home from buying groceries to make dinner.

"Well, it's around the time Ichika would either just go home or go see the deals that they have at the supermarket for meat and eggs," Shin said.

"Hmmm? I haven't had Ichika's cooking in a while. It'll be nice to get a taste of it again before I have to go back," Sophia's mouth began to water at the thought of having Ichika's homemade cooking. She wiped her mouth. "Now I'm hungry again."

"Me too. Anyway, about the Saint. And the Fallen. If the Fallen are going to comb the town looking for her, assuming that they're still crippled thanks to me, they should have another force to do it for them like Stray Exorcists. I managed to put them all on a map of Kuoh before you got here," Shin said.

Shin pulled a talisman out of his pocket before holding his hand up with his pointer and middle finger pointing upward. The talisman shimmered brightly before projecting a holographic map of Kuoh. The projection displayed several red dots scattered across town.

"It says here that Sona called it circumstantial evidence. This is really shitty intel," Sophia commented as she glanced back between the map and the file. "Any fool with eyes can see that they all have a certain range around the Kuoh's industrial district. Not a place for Fallen Angels normally congregate. Not really easy to hide if you envelop an entire district of town in a Miracle. Any devil worth their salt can just use surveillance magic to detect any perceptual interference barriers."

"That's what I was thinking too. And even if they are responsible for the murders across that area, it wouldn't fit a pattern like this nor would it fit the descriptions depicted. The wounds and manner of death from the intel all point to something else. There are no residual burns or holy energy present in most of these. Especially if we're working under the assumption that Stray Exorcists are scouring the town for the Saint," Shin said.

"Well, this isn't going to solve itself. Is this the whole town?" Sophia asked.

"No. Let me just…," Shin adjusted the town projection to zoom out to a satellite view of the entire town.

"They never thought to look here?" Sophia asked, eyeing the abandoned church on the map.

"I guess they thought it was too obvious. Want to scout it first?" Shin asked.

"Yeah. It's night. It'll be easier for us. Besides, it's not like the Saint is just going to walk through your front door—"

"Shin-chan! I need to talk to you— huh?"

The pair looked up to see Ichika forcefully swinging the door open. Ichika had a surprised look on her face when she laid eyes on Sophia. The two stared at each other awkwardly. Neither said a word for several minutes before Ichika broke the ice.

"Sophia's here?" was all she could say.

"That's really all you have to say to me, Ichi?" Sophia asked. Her lips curled into a smile as she got up and walked over to give Ichika a hug.

The girl let out a gasp of surprise before returning the hug fiercely. She pulled away after a few seconds but kept her grip on Sophia's arms. "Wow! When did you get here? Did you know she was coming, Shin-chan?"

Shin nodded sheepishly. "Uh, yeah. Sophia called me a few days ago that she was coming over for something. And you know, with the whole…"

"Wait! She's a mortal! You can't just tell her about the moonlit world so haphazardly, my Shadow Knight!" Ichika reprimanded.

"Pfft… you got promoted from servant to Knight? I'd say that's a rather big leap, isn't it, Shin-chan?" Sophia teased.

"As long as Ichika continues to feed and give me money, I'll take even a demotion," he replied. He turned to Ichika and gave her a reassuring smile before continuing, "But it's fine, Ichi. Sophia knows. She's like me."

"Like you? Oh… that means she's also a shadowy warrior who fights in the darkness to control the world from behind the scenes!" Ichika said.

"Er… yeah."

"Well, I, for one, am hungry again. So if the Dragon Empress doesn't mind me intruding upon dinner time," Sophia said.

"Yeah! You should've told me Sophia was coming. My friend and I would have picked up more groceries from the store while we were there," Ichika said, holding up her bags.

"Sorry, we really only had a day in advance to get everything ready. And after the whole Fallen Angel thing with you, I didn't really have much time," he replied, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly as he did.

Ichika's gaze softened and she nodded in understanding. "It has been… a hectic past couple of days. Anyway, you two don't mind if I have a guest over, right?"

"You made a friend at Rias's club already? Damn, I didn't think you'd invite one over that fast," Shin said.

"What? No, it's not from Prez's club. This is a meeting ordained by Fate. The Heavenly Gods have deemed that I was fortunate today to be blessed with the presence of a new companion! My Dragon's Sight has deemed her worthy to invite her over to my palace to partake of the feast I am about to conjure with my supremely divine culinary talents given to me by the Primordial Goddess herself!" Ichika declared.

Sophia looked over to Shin, exchanging a glance of understanding with the boy.

"Anyway, come in! Don't be shy!" Ichika said, calling out to someone who hid in the hallway.

A girl peeked her head out from behind the doorway. She shuffled her way over to Ichika, keeping her eyes downcast the entire time. Her telltale blonde hair and green eyes were dead giveaways to the two people that she was being introduced to for the first time.

"This is Asia Argento. She's not from here so take it easy on her. That being said, this girl has been ordained by Fate to be the Saint that serves the 10,000 worlds," Ichika said, introducing her.

Asia's face turned red as she struggled to find the words to say hello. "M- My name is A- Asia! N-Nice to meet you!" she said, attempting to replicate the Japanese greeting that Ichika had taught her.

However, Shin and Sophia were too shocked to say anything. The two were about to go out to look for the Saint and now here she was, standing in front of them. What kind of crazy luck did Ichika have to just stumble upon her when highly trained exorcists from the Vatican lost her in broad daylight?

The two exchanged brief glances before putting on smiles.

"Nice to meet you, Asia! I'm Sophia. Sophia Asterope!" Sophia greeted, saying it in perfect Italian.

Asia blinked. She relaxed upon hearing something spoken in her mother tongue.

"Same here. My name is Shinku Faulkner," Shin greeted, using as much of his foreign language skills as he could.

"T- Thank you for having me," Asia said.

Ichika beams as she leads Asia into Shin's house, talking to her as they made their way to the kitchen.

"I'm not hallucinating. That's the Saint, right?" Shin whispered.

"Yeah. What kind of… S Rank Luck? Is this the luck of a protagonist?" Sophia murmured.

"In any case, we have the Saint now. Think we can just keep her here until we take care of the Fallen Angels? I think she'll be safer at my place than Ichika's," Shin said.

"This is technically the safest place in Kuoh. Your sister did a really good job at baby-proofing the entire house. I doubt an Ultimate Class Devil can crack that barrier. I guess she can room with me," she replied.

Dinner went off without a hitch. Ichika sat in rapt attention as Sophia regaled her with stories of their previous jobs and stories of the monsters she fought. Shin and Asia sat back and watched as Ichika incessantly asked Sophia questions about her life in the Church and the different Gods that existed in the world, to which the girl answered her in extreme detail. Sophia took care to embellish every detail just to make the girl happy.

After dinner, Ichika chatted with Asia in the kitchen while Sophia and Shin sat in the living room.

"Okay, so seriously, what are we going to do? We have the Saint. Technically my job here is done. And it looks like the Fallen never got a chance to get to her," Sophia said.

"I know. But they're still out there. They could be looking for her. I think we should pull the weed out by the roots. We need to finish off what's left of them," Shin said.

Sophia crossed her legs and closed her eyes. "So the Abandoned Church is where we think they're hiding? Well, what's left of them anyway."

"It's too obvious but it's a good place to look," Shin said. "Stray Exorcists are still Exorcists. They need somewhere to pray right? And in this town, this place is crawling with Devils so a Church is the best place for them to hide."

Sophia pondered his statement for a few seconds. "That sounds about right. Yup! I'll head out tomorrow to go and scout the place out while you're at school. You don't mind me going ahead and doing it, right?"

"Not really. It gives me a chance to help Ichika get used to our world. Maybe teach her how to defend, no wait that's not right. I just need to show her how to get used to her enhanced body. It'll be like learning to fight all over again for her," Shin said.

Sophia nodded. "I'll head out tomorrow. I'm going to go knock out. I'm tired from the damn flight." She got up and stretched for a few seconds before heading upstairs.

"Sophia's heading to bed?"

Shin turned around and saw Ichika walking toward him. She wiped her hands dry and glanced at the stairs.

"Yeah. She said jet lag got to her," Shin replied.

"Well, it is getting late. I better get home too," she said. "Before that, I have something to ask of you, my Servant."

"What is it?"

"Can you let Asia stay with you for a while? I don't think Mom will like it if I just bring someone random home to sleep over. It's just for a short while until I can smooth things over with her," Ichika said.

"Yeah, she can stay. I need to tell you something about her though," Shin said. He discreetly glanced at Asia, who was happily doing the rest of the dishes in the kitchen. He leaned in and whispered in Ichika's ear. "That girl. She's from the Vatican. Sophia's here to bring her back before the Fallen Angels can get to her."

Ichika's eyes widened slightly. "Sophia's here for her?" she whispered.

"Yeah. I was actually going to ask you if she could stay. You beat me to it," Shin said, pulling away from her.

Ichika kept her gaze on Shin for a few seconds before nodding. "She's a job, right?"

Shin nodded.

Ichika turned to look at Asia, who was happily humming without a worry in the world. This was the first time she had seen the girl be genuinely happy since they had met. "Can't she stay?"

"Ichika, she's a Saint. She needs to go home," Shin said.

"But… Shin-chan, just trust me on this but… she doesn't really look happy," she said solemnly.

Shin paused at her words for a few seconds. "I can't just tell Sophia to not bring her back to Italy, Ichi."

"I know. But, I feel like she'd be happier if she stayed with us," Ichika said.

"..."

"Just think about it, okay?" she asked.

Shin saw the pleading look in her eyes. Ichika had known the girl for barely a day and she had already grown attached. He closed his eyes and sighed. A mental chant repeated itself in his head. A phrase that he had repeated to himself whenever he had a job that involved protecting other people.

Don't get attached.

That's right. To him, this girl was just a job. Saint or not, Asia Argento needed to be brought back. He opened his eyes and saw the look in his childhood friend's eyes.

No, Shin. Don't fall for it… Damn it! He felt his resolve beginning to slowly crumble. Shin ran his hand through his hair and nodded. "I'll think about it."

Ichika's eyes brightened. She rushed forward and hugged Shin tightly.

Shin smiled and returned the hug.

"Thanks so much, Shin-chan!" Ichika said.

"No problem, Ichi."

The clock on the living room wall rang as it hit midnight. Ichika pulled away and looked at the clock. "Oh, crap. I gotta go. I'll see you later at school, Shin-chan!" Ichika said.

"Ichi, tomorrow, I'll be teaching you some things before Rias sends you on your first contract. Don't go to theater or judo, okay?" Shin said.

"Are you going to teach me magic?" Ichika asked excitedly.

"Maybe."

Ichika's smile grew even wider. "I promise I won't be late!"

Ichika's phone began to buzz in her pocket. She pulled it out and paled when she saw the caller ID. "Crap, it's Mom. Gotta go! See you in the morning, Shin-chan~!" Ichika said as she hastily left his house.

A scream of pain and anger ripped across the hallways. She had long since grown tired of the screaming. No amount of frustration taken out on the human fodder they had recruited would fix anything. She knew that. And she knew there was no stopping it.

She hopped off the ruined crucifix and landed on the ground. The girl tidied her gothic lolita outfit and fixed her twin tails before turning to the person in question.

"Raynare. You can't keep killing the help," she said snidely.

"Shut up, Mittelt! How hard is it to find one girl?" Raynare roared in frustration. She jammed her light spear through the begging Exorcist's throat. The man gurgled before falling to the ground, dead. She kicked the pew, shattering it to pieces. Her left arm was still torn to shreds from Shin's previous attack.

None of them knew a Miracle that could heal so they had to resort to rudimentary human tactics. And to top it all off, the Saint Raynare had gone out of her way to lure with a rumored Sacred Gear that can heal even devils never showed up.

"Useless, all of them!" Raynare punched what remained of a Saint's bust.

"Now, now, Raynare," Mittelt chided. She walked over and gently cupped the girl's face.

"What?" Raynare snapped.

"They'll find her eventually. Besides, I know a way we can hasten the process," Mittelt suggested, retracting her arm from Raynare's cheek.

"Hasten… the process— No! No, no no! He's an idiot and a loose cannon! Even when we had Kalawarna and Dohnaseek here, we could barely keep that asshole on a leash!" Raynare protested, shooting her idea down.

Mittelt merely smiled in amusement. "Then we might lose the Saint to the Devils if he doesn't go. He can sniff out a trail for us."

Raynare narrowed her eyes. Her hand balled into a fist. "Fine…," she said, giving into Mittelt's suggestion. She turned to one of the Stray Exorcists in the room.

The young woman when she saw Raynare's imperious violet eyes. "Y- Yes, ma'am!" the exorcist stuttered.

"Bring me, Freed," Raynare commanded.

A few minutes later, the Stray Exorcist came back with a young man with white hair and red eyes. He was dressed in Priest's garments yet nothing about him was priestly. He lacked the usual kindness one would associate with men of God. Instead, beneath that calm, lazy face, there was an underlying psychotic gleam in his sanguine eyes that could break out at any moment.

He picked his ear and smirked when he saw Raynare looking at him with an annoyed expression on her face.

"Freed. I need you to do something for me," Raynare said.

"Ehhh? The almighty Lady Fallen Angel wants a human to do something for her?" Freed said in an almost mocking tone.

Raynare's eyebrow twitched. Her fingers curled as symbols began to revolve around her hand.

"Raynare." Mittelt placed a hand on her shoulder.

Raynare took a deep breath and calmed herself. This was for Lord Azazel, she reminded herself. "Freed, I need you to look for someone for me."

"Oh? This is different. Did you lose someone?" Freed asked, leaning in close to her face. The psychotic gleam in his eyes made even Raynare feel unnerved.

"Yes… that's why we need you to go find them. I invited a Saint here." Raynare took a step back.

"Oh? Oh? Ohhhh? A Saint? Well, whoop dee fucking doo! You managed to snag a fucking Saint! Talk about luck!" Freed cackled, breaking his calm facade. "Ahh, I'll go find her. As long as I get to break her in when you're done doing what you need to do with her."

A look of revulsion briefly flashed across Raynare's face. "You won't lay a single finger on her. I don't need a broken Saint. I need a Saint that I can still use."

Freed shrugged. "Fine. Fine. Now, tell me. Who am I looking for?"

Raynare glanced at Mittelt, who stepped forward and handed Freed a photo.

"Oh? What a cute girl. Shame. I would've loved to break her in," he commented. "I'll keep this in my room for… personal reasons." He licked his lips.

"Don't fail me, Freed," Raynare said.

"Oh, don't worry. I never do because no one will be alive to get in my way~!" he said in a sing-songy voice.

You'll never guess who the hidden antagonist is at the end of the arc. It's going to be really funny because it's the last person any of you would ever expect me to make. And no, if you've read Azure, it's not her. She's more of a final boss than the hidden antagonist. I'll let you all guess in the reviews. I got this idea last night while farming for Damage Cap V+ to prepare for my first Lucilius run in years.