The cafe was in the height of its rush hour, becoming more like a family restaurant, every table filled and every server bustling about. Not a moment went by without the endless stream of words and sounds.

The sun had long since disappeared and been replaced by her fair sister.

One of the tables was occupied by a young woman in a proper school uniform and a young man who looked like he had just got off work.

She ordered a Café au Lait with tiramisu and he copied her request with little thought. The creamy and bitter nuances paired well together.

It was good that the place was so packed. Nobody could really hear what was spoken if they weren't intended to.

Her face was pale.

But she kept on a dignified smile.

The peerage under her care was seated at a booth in a corner away from them, bunched together like children at a birthday party. Only Koneko seemed to be in the mood to eat, so they only ordered drinks while she got a dinner plate.

None of the innocent bystanders were aware of the volatile tension in the air, hanging like a flammable gas.

Rias straightened her back and held her hand above her chest, "Rias Gremory, of the House Gremory."

Shirou peacefully blew at his second cup of coffee that day, his cheeks puffing up, as if they were merely talking of the weather, "Kotomine Shirou, Executor of the Holy Church."

The rest of the devils in the building looked to their conversation. With him sitting there as he was, they couldn't stop but to feel something. Something like a stone in their guts, or a chill in their spines. Their instincts as devils were warning them.

A warning of danger, like how the deer is warned of the wolves stalking through the forest.

They had serious faces, but Kiba's was the most stressed. He glared at him with an immense grudge, as if waiting for- no, he looked like he might start slashing away at him again at any moment. He could barely swallow the hatred threatening to spill out of him.

The redheads were studying each other, calculating the next step to take. An exchange of attacks was swapped for an exchange of words.

Rias sighed and decided to take the initiative, "Before coming into my territory and raising a fuss, it would have been better to negotiate with me first, either for a pact or a request."

"I was called over here on short notice from America. The flight landed today. My apologies for the trouble."

He cut off a small piece of the tiramisu with his spoon, glancing at the dark powder on top, the bitter unsweetened cocoa.

"Trouble is a rather light word for it, don't you think?"

"Nobody got hurt, not seriously." Shirou glanced at the devils across from them. "That guy over there didn't give me time to explain myself."

"Kiba…" A troubled frown showed on her face. "has a bad history with the Church."

"That so?"

He doesn't know how to answer that properly, so he doesn't. Shirou fixed the folds of his sleeves so that they were past his elbows.

Rias rubbed her head like she was disappointed.

"It's a stupid thing to fight unnecessarily, so I'll apologize on that boy's behalf. In exchange, I'd like for us to settle this matter peacefully."

"I see. That would be for the better." He bowed his head to show his thanks.

At least he had good manners for the most part.

"Then I'll start, if you have no business here, I would like for you to leave as soon as possible. If not tonight, then tomorrow morning." Her gaze became sharp as she made a serious face.

He thought on her words as he ate dessert.

"I still have responsibilities here."

Rias's eyes widened with surprise at the answer, "I thought you were only here to speak with Asia. And you've already done so." She pointed at him. "There was also no reason for you to contact her in the first place, since you were the ones who cut ties with and abandoned her."

The accusation was risky, but both of them knew they'd have to address it eventually.

He kept a still face, "Headquarters made no mention of her, I just followed an additional request that was passed on to me." He gently massaged his temple with his thumb, "When you go into a kitchen to prepare dinner and then someone asks you to get them something from the fridge, it's like that.

An old nun who used to look after her learned she wasn't in the Vatican anymore, so she started asking for her whereabouts. She asked someone who told someone who called me."

Rias filed away that piece of information, "Then why did the Church send you to my Territory when we already look over this area ourselves."

Shirou stared at the layer of foam dancing atop the little warm lake in his mug.

"The Welsh Dragon and the Vanishing Dragon. That other boy in your group is the current host of the Welsh Dragon. If he intends to stay here, then the current host of the Vanishing Dragon will come to him."

She nearly broke the handle of her teacup.

"That's…"

"Among the records of all the dragon emperors who possessed their power, the only cases when they did not fight each other was when one or both of them died first. Considering the potential of their sacred gears, it wouldn't be surprising for an entire city to be wiped off the map."

He pointed his spoon towards her like a knife, "That's why I am here."

His eyes seemed to have a light of their own that required no reflection. He looked to be something that followed its own path and its own action without ever stopping.

"Not only will there be an inevitable conflict, but the powers of those dragons will attract additional powers to challenge them. There is an undeniable chance that this town will become a battleground."

Rias leaned back and held up her hands, "That is up to me to handle. A man of the Church policing around here will only complicate everything. Issei's been training every morning to harness his potential. We'll be ready for anything that comes."

Now it was Shirou who leaned back and spread his hands.

Upon closer look, one could see a straight scar on both of his palms over the heart line.

"You weren't ready for me. That already takes the credibility of your words."

She folded her arms, causing her chest to bounce as she did so. "You caught us off guard. That wasn't a fair fight."

He narrowed his eyes and scoffed with an incredulous grimace, "What do you mean, fair fight? A fight is when you fight people."

"A-Anyways, you didn't win, you just ran before we could catch you," Rias looked away as she shrugged her shoulders again with a blemished pride.

"In that case," Shirou lowered his arms to his sides. "If you were to fight me right now, what would happen?"

". . ."

She had nothing she could say.

"Though I haven't met him personally, I've heard that the Vanishing Dragon's host is a prodigy. Going by my encounter with him, the Welsh's host neither has a notable talent nor an innate urge for fighting. If they were to clash anytime soon, he'd be slaughtered."

He rubbed his chin, glancing to the side as he thought, "Though I suppose a one-sided thing like that might be the safer option."

thump

The table softly rattled as Rias firmly put her hand down.

"Nothing will happen to Issei. I'll make sure of it."

"People will always want to protect their own, but it's their capability that determines if they can, not their will."

Everything he is saying was correct, and that only made those words all the more harsh.

The princess of hell straightened her shoulders. "What you are saying might be true, but regardless, I am not giving you my permission to stay here."

Shirou winced and placed a hand on the crook of his shoulder.

"Then we have a misunderstanding, because I wasn't negotiating for your permission. I was asking for your compliance."

The room felt as if it had become formed of needles, poking into everyone's vulnerable skin.

"Your territory isn't something like a mansion or a private land, it's a populated city filled with innocents who have no idea of what's happening at night here. It's the role of the church to protect them from what they cannot fight themselves."

All around them, the people in the restaurant started to feel agitated. An indescribable, unidentifiable unease as if they had forgotten something important, like a gas valve left open at home. Their hands shook even as they held cups and utensils.

A plate smashed against the floor.

"It's also the role of the Church to kill devils like us," Rias had a cold look that suited her too well. "Are we supposed to let our would-be killer sleep in the next house over?"

Shirou closed his eyes and shook his head, "Despite what you believe, I am not a mindless butcher. I avoid killing when possible.

Likewise, you could kill me in my sleep, and I would be helpless to stop you."

Rias paused. She interlocked her fingers and rested her head against them to hide her expression. As she did so, the man sitting across from her finished his serving of drink and dessert.

She had another question that needed to be asked.

"What makes you decide that killing is unavoidable?"

He blinked.

She didn't miss the way his jaw tensed for a split second.

"When the target is too powerful to be restrained, when they cannot be reasoned with, and when they are putting innocent lives in immediate danger, then I act… appropriately.

Neither you nor your group currently meet any of those requirements."

Letting out a breath, Rias took a sip of the Café au Lait, supporting her arm as she did so. As far as a slayer of the inhuman went, he was reasonable. Even if it felt like her lungs were being pressed.

She looked up at him, "Very well. I suppose we'll be neighbors now. If you do no harm to us, we'll treat you in kind."

"Thank you."

"You didn't give me much of a choice."

"I'm sorry."

Rias sighed, "Forget it. Even if you say it, your face doesn't match."

"Is something wrong with my face?"

"I said forget it."

Shirou picked up his jacket and slipped into it, straightening out the creases before rolling his shoulders. "If that's all, I'll be turning in for the night."

"Again, I apologize for the trouble."

He left money on the table, "Don't worry about it. Thanks for the coffee. It was nice."

His back disappeared out the door without a sound, leaving only a blushing waitress who he thanked for the tiramisu.

Her peerage immediately came to her side with concern.

"You're awesome, Boss!" Issei's nerves were dancing. "I thought I was gonna faint… How'd you stay so calm?"

She flinched, as if she forgot they were there. "Calm? Did I seem calm to you? Good…"

"Rias?" Akeno put a hand on her shoulder, before letting out a worried gasp.

Their king was shuddering uncontrollably with a face painted by fear. She hugged herself to try to stop the shaking. Every breath felt like swallowing shards of ice.

"I'm fine. It was just… nothing. Nothing at all. Nothing to worry about."


She unconsciously ripped off the strap of her school bag after stepping into class. Everything inside spilled out on to the wood floor.

"Believe it or not, but the type of cocoa you use in your baking can greatly impact the taste. You can make do with one over the other if needed, but the differences are handy to keep in mind if you ever want to surprise someone.

Natural cocoa retains more of the fruity nuances of the cacao beans.

Dutch-processed cocoa has a more dark chocolate flavor and some caramel notes.

Double-dutched goes a step further darker and deeper. You may have to use less so as to not overwhelm the taste.

Red cocoa has a fudgy, bittersweet taste.

Black cocoa goes through a special treatment that gives it a more intense taste. The color will also make the final product much darker.

And of course there are various store varieties that use different blends and processes of their own. You'll find that just using your sense of smell can tell you a lot about the taste of the cocoa powder and how to use it. For today, we'll be using the Dutch-processed."

Kotomine Shirou pointed to the chalk board where he had written the entire recipe for double chocolate brownies. "I'd like for you to mix the wet and dry ingredients separately before folding them together. This helps to better incorporate air into the batter. No need to rush. You have the entire class period."

He turned back to the class, "Any questions?"

"Sensei, when will Okazaki Sensei come back?"

"Her child was born recently, so it's not up to me to say. Perhaps a year if I were to estimate."

"Teach, how old are you?"

"Eighteen, studied abroad."

"Sensei, are you seeing someone?"

"That's not really related to this class."

"Sensei, is that your real hair?"

"Yes."

"Sensei, after class, do you wanna-"

"What are you doing here!?" Rias all but shouted.

"Teaching," the substitute home economics teacher replied. "Do you need help with your bag? I have a sewing kit here if you need it. You'll be using it in tommorow's class, in fact.