Bonjour!

Got a special message from me to you at the bottom AN.

In chronological response to guest reviews:

1): I see your point. Yeah, an actual reality marble would be too much of a stretch in Kiba's case, but what I've decided upon instead is a bit more tame than that. I don't want to spoil the result to everyone who reads this, so be looking forward to it.

2): I appreciate your honesty, especially since you gave a clear reason for your grievance instead of simply complaining. If original material is more of what this story needs, then I'll endeavor to write that. Thank you for your input, and I hope to sway your opinion positively in the future.

Alright, let's go!

Disclaimer: I do not own High School DxD, nor do I own Type Moon, any of its intellectual properties, or any other property used in this work.

Published: November 28, 2024

Updated: TBD

…

Chapter 23 – Invitation

Life in Kuoh had pretty well cycled down by the Monday following the battle. If not for a particular public event, one would even call the day a return to the old grind.

That, and a little incident involving Issei and some guy at the front gate. From what Connor heard later, the whole ORC got involved, and this stranger had the balls to act like he owned the place, which got everyone's feathers ruffled. While it wasn't necessarily his problem, the magus made a note to his Servants to keep an eye out for suspicious loiterers.

Open House was a time of great excitement for some and greater embarrassment for many others, especially since the event was held during the school year and not before its start, like in the States. Why that was the case here, Connor did not understand.

Parents meeting teachers and understanding the courses being taught was all well and good, but not when they themselves posed as a very serious mid-term distraction for the students. Some even had the audacity to bring cameras and record their kids as the day went on, subjecting them to further humiliation. At least with him and Asia being foreign students, they were largely excluded from the torture of constant surveillance.

On the other hand, it did give a little extra incentive for students to focus on the material and try to appear as studious as possible for their parents. This trend was especially noticeable to Connor in English class, when people would usually come to him for advice since he was the only native speaker in the school. Even the Devils asked for his help occasionally, since their omnilingual abilities somehow didn't apply to written form. Go figure!

Asia's experience that day was just as unusual in its own way. She had immediately gotten to work on forming her Bible study club, or Christian Fellowship Club as she had renamed it on the way to school that morning. Unfortunately, she underestimated the lengthy process of school club establishment. The stack of paperwork she ended up bringing home would take a long time to get through even with Connor's help, and even longer to get processed. If she stayed at Kuoh for high school, she could be nearing graduation before the club was finally approved.

It had nothing to do with Devils being in the school, it was simply part and parcel of Japan's overly bureaucratic processes. Not even schools and their student-led organizations could escape that.

However, the little nun would not be discouraged. She was determined to see this club come to fruition. In her own words, 'The Holy Spirit called for her to share her testimony and the love of God that brought her to a new home.'

If only that energy could have been carried into the following day.

A tenseness hung in the air as Connor and Asia arrived at the academy Tuesday morning.

There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and yet, nobody acted as if the sun had even risen. Hardly any conversations beyond terse greetings could be heard from passing students. People moved about quickly and quietly, looking down at their feet more than in front of them as they trudged forward. It was like attending a funeral instead of a high school.

"Connor, why does everyone looks so upset?" Asia asked, glancing around in concern.

"I don't know," he mumbled.

He searched the school grounds for anyone he was familiar with, and his gaze eventually landed on Kiyome. The third-year student was carrying her school supplies in one hand and tennis equipment in the other, looking just as morose as everyone else.

"Hey, Kiyome," he called while approaching her, "what's going on here?"

The Tennis Club president hesitated at first, like she was trying to find the right words to say, but ultimately answered.

"Ruruko Nimura's back, and she's missing her left leg."

Asia gasped and covered her mouth in horror, while Connor's eyes widened slightly.

"When did–"

"She came back yesterday, but I think she stayed in the Council Office all day. I caught a glimpse of her while I was helping put away the last of the decorations for Open House." The beast tamer shook her head. "Except for her parents, she looked ready to snap at anyone that dared to talk to her. Poor thing, I didn't think she could even get so mad."

Ruruko's return must have been kept very quiet; there had been no announcement about it of any sort. Cold as it would be for him to admit, the magus had actually come close to forgetting about her. He had figured there was no way to save the foot from that kind of infection, but the entire leg?

"The teachers will probably say something about it today, but if you happen to see her… just keep your distance." Kiyome warned before leaving.

Asia looked to Connor for a second opinion but, other than a thinning of his lips, he had none to give. Going their separate ways for homeroom, Connor found much of the same tension inside the classroom as what was outside.

Two minutes before the first bell rang, Kurobe walked in with a somber, authoritative weight to his steps. He set his briefcase down on the teacher's desk and turned to face the class while adjusting his glasses.

"Good morning. Before we begin today, there's a very serious topic that needs to be addressed." Hearing no response, he continued. "By now, I'm sure you've all been made aware of the condition of a certain junior of yours. While I believe it goes without saying, I'll make my stance on the matter clear: Show her the respect and courtesy you would wish to receive if that were you in her place, and do not shame yourselves or your classmates with mockery or gossip. Conduct yourselves as students of Kuoh Academy. Is that understood?"

"Hai, sensei."

Nobody dared to object.

The general feeling of unease continued throughout the day. Chatter remained at a minimum, and the teachers cycling into the classroom gave no further updates about Ruruko. The relative silence beyond the lessons and lectures was actually kind of unnerving, even for Connor.

Come lunchtime, the mood had only slightly improved. Students took the chance to break away from their peers and collect their thoughts privately and peacefully.

Connor made to do so as well, taking his lunch and quietly exiting the classroom to make for his rooftop spot. After turning the corner into another hallway, though, he came into visual range of the very subject of everyone's apprehension rolling herself down the hall in a wheelchair. Momo Hanakai followed close behind the first-year, carrying school bags and bento boxes for two people.

Now that he saw for himself, the young Devil's condition was worse than Connor had thought.

What remained of the missing limb barely peaked out from under her uniform's skirt, still wrapped up in gauze and bandages. It had been roughly a month since the incident, but the remnant of her leg undoubtedly needed more time to heal. Furthermore, it seemed as if she had abandoned all manner of her normal personal décor. Her brown hair was left to fall straight down instead of clipped into her usual pigtails, and the striped green socks she favored were gone, replaced by a simple white ankle sock on her right foot.

Her eyes darted between faces every now and then, but when her gaze locked with the magus, she skidded to a halt. The rubber tires of her chair screeched against the hallway's polished tile floor in the process. Pivoting in place, she then rolled toward him and stopped just outside of arm's reach.

For several very uncomfortable seconds, the crippled first-year just stared up at him with a look of bitter rage in her green eyes. From the corner of his vision, Connor could see a number of other students watching the interaction with silent, morbid curiosity. Momo, meanwhile, worriedly glanced between the two.

"…Hello, Ms. Nimura."

That was about all Connor could think to say, but even such a neutral greeting felt like treading on thin ice and watching the cracks ominously stretch out around him.

When Ruruko finally responded, it was with the barest quiver of her lip.

Wordlessly, she turned her chair and moved to go around him, even when he stepped aside to get out of her way. She didn't pay him another glance as she aggressively wheeled past him, and the sea of students continued to part and give her a wide berth.

Momo paused next to him and sighed.

"I'm sorry about that. She's been like this ever since leaving the hospital. All the doctors and counselors said to give it time, but…"

"It's fine," he dismissed, before motioning her to follow her junior. It wasn't like he had a right to comment or claim he understood how the girl felt.

"Kaichō wants to see you in the office after classes."

He simply nodded.

The white-haired beauty bid another apology and walked after her junior.

Without further interruption, Connor made his way to the roof access door following a long hike up several flights of stairs. Sadly, by the time he got to his shaded spot and sat down, his appetite was largely gone.

He couldn't stop thinking about that look Ruruko gave him. It kept triggering the mental image of that bacteria eating her alive when the monster itself was already dead.

Ultimately, when ten minutes of barely touching his food had gone by, he gave up and packed up to head back downstairs. Trying to eat was too big of a struggle right then. He would just have to snack between classes.

Despite the warmth of summer, he felt cold.

As he expected, the day lumbered slowly on, drawing out the twisting sensation in his stomach. By it's end, Connor was ready to just call it quits and go home, Caster's regimen be damned. Skipping one day of training wouldn't kill him.

A thirty minute window existed between classes and clubs, and the Council office was right on the way from homeroom. He could swing by, check in with Sona to see what she wanted, then head out and wait by the front gate for Asia.

Tiredly walking to the office door, he raised his hand to knock but, before it made contact, Assassin's voice rang in his mind.

'Master, I'm detecting two large demonic energy signatures inside. Far larger than that of the Student Council president.'

Connor paused to reevaluate what that meant. It seemed the formal inquiry had finally come around to him, even if a bit later than he originally thought it would happen. In hindsight, he should have asked Momo for details before lunch.

'Then, if things look to be going sideways, do not engage, just be ready to make an escape.'

'Understood.'

Steeling himself for the conversation –or confrontation– ahead, he knocked three times.

"Come in," he heard.

Slipping past the door as he opened it, he tried to seem as innocent as possible when he looked up to 'notice' the two people seated in the chairs facing Sona.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm interrupting. Should I come back later?"

"No, Mr. Lochlainn… They're here to speak with you." The waver in her voice and expression told him that she was dreading this meeting as well. Perhaps even more than he did.

Closing the door behind him, he got a better look at the heiress' present company.

Firstly, there was a man in a dark business suit regarding him with a calm smile. His physical build was similar to that of Caster, with equally mature facial features to compliment it. The blue-green eyes and red hair that he possessed were both a single shade darker than that of another redhead Connor knew, which made an unmistakable family resemblance.

Next to him, though, was someone that the magus did recognize. A shorter woman wearing probably the most ridiculous outfit Connor could think to see on an adult; a full-on mahō shōjo outfit, with all the bells and whistles. Her long black hair was done into twin-tails, and the starry-eyed expression she sent his way made Connor wonder if he should just turn around and run.

"Yaaay! He's here!"

Too late. The woman leapt up from her seat and bounded toward Connor. Without hesitation or permission, she clasped his hand in hers before shaking it, beaming up at him all the while.

"Nice to meetcha, Con-tan! I'm Serafall Leviathan, but my So-tan calls me Sera. You can, too, since you've been such a good friend to my So-tan!"

He glanced over to Sona, who was doing her best to crush her face into her hands.

Instinctively, his hand pulsed with a Structural Grasp, allowing him to catch a true glimpse of the power he had witnessed before. It felt like he was being enveloped in a blanket of frost, staring up at a gargantuan wall of ice while standing at its base.

He shuddered involuntarily, which went unnoticed as the woman's rate of speech increased.

"Thank you so much for helping my So-tan! Because of my job, I can't always be there for her, even if I want to. And I really want to! Lemme tell ya, I wanted to quit being a Satan the day that my So-tan was born, but that big dummy Aju-kun wouldn't let me! He even got that lazy bum Falby-kun awake long enough to back him up and veto my resignation, can you believe that?! Acting like my job is so much harder than what they do! I mean, really, all Falby-kun does all day is sleep! Those jerks just don't want me having any fun time with my So-tan because they're jealous that my So-tan is so amazing and spectacular and wonderful and their siblings simply can't compare!"

"Uggghhh…" At her desk, Sona groaned while her fingers dug into her forehead so hard that her knuckles began turning white.

"Huh?" Serafall turned and squawked. "Aagh, So-tan! Don't do that! Your beautiful face must be preserved!"

The cosplaying woman then released Connor and rushed to pry Sona's hands apart. As this happened, the tall redhead stood from his seat while adjusting his collar and deep green tie.

"Oh-kay, now that Serafall is taking a quick break from speed talking…" He offered his hand to the magus. "My name is Sirzechs Lucifer, Rias Gremory's older brother, and I'm glad to finally meet you, Mr. Lochlainn."

"And you as well, Lord Lucifer."

The moment he took the slightly taller man's hand, his entire body went rigid.

In his mind's eye, he witnessed the end of all things; a powerful, churning maelstrom of black and red that infinitely shredded everything it swallowed. Whereas Serafall could be considered a supernatural colossus, as per her title, this man embodied the concept of destruction.

It made perfect sense now why Kiba had spoken so highly of the guy; he was a walking black hole!

"Are you alright?" Sirzechs asked, noticing the change in Connor's expression.

"Uh– yeah, I'm…" Connor released his hand, and took a moment to compose himself. "Today just… hasn't been the best of days. I've got a lot on my mind."

Sirzechs hummed. "I'm sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I appreciate the offer, sir, but I'll be fine. I need to get going before too long, though, so was there something you needed of me, Lord Lucifer?"

"Yes, but please, just call me Sirzechs," he requested. "I'd rather we speak plainly about this."

By this time, Serafall had ceased her unintended pestering of Sona and rejoined the two men, hands clasped together as she quizzically looked between them.

"Rias and Sona have already told us their side of the story regarding Kokabiel's attack, but there's one series of events that's missing from the timeline," Sirzechs explained. "My colleague and I were hoping that you'd be able to fill in a few blanks for us. If you could indulge us a couple of questions, then we won't keep you for long."

The Demon King's concession helped to ease Connor's worry, but only slightly.

"Okay. What did you want to know?"

"Firstly, I have to ask: How did you discern his intent to start a war in the first place? It's not a very common conclusion to jump to in any event."

"Well, it's also not very common to see a pair of exorcists wandering around devil-controlled territory. After meeting them, I planted listening devices on them and eavesdropped on everything they said and heard over the next few days. The name Kokabiel came up a couple times, so I rang up some old contacts of mine to run a few background checks. As it turned out, Kokabiel had a history of trying to start forest fires, so to speak. It made sense to me that he would try again at some point."

"You must have some very knowledgeable contacts, then."

"They're pretty handy in a pinch."

The redhead gave a half-smile before continuing. "But with that in mind, you took it upon yourself to intervene in a matter that barely involved you."

"Not necessarily. Regardless of my desire, I've been up to my neck in this mess for a long time now."

"Why do you say that?" Serafall asked curiously.

Connor took a moment to respond, shifting his stance very slightly.

"It's because, personally, I think what helped set this whole thing off was the excommunication of Asia Argento, and all the circumstances therein."

His enunciation of the word 'all' conveyed a hint that both Satans seemed to catch. They looked to each other briefly, then back to him.

"If a high-class Devil could get in the Vatican undetected, then people under Kokabiel's command would have even less trouble infiltrating, and they did. Asia was picked up by the Grigori within days of her exile. How could they've done that or even known about her without their own spies on the inside?"

"So you're saying that Kokabiel simply saw an opportunity that he couldn't resist?" Sirzechs implied.

"That glosses over a few factors here and there but, ultimately, yes." Connor nodded.

"I see."

"Hmmmmm..." Serafall was a bit more verbally expressive in her pondering. Admittedly, it was cute.

"Was there anything else you needed?" Connor ventured.

Sirzechs shook himself from his thoughts and smiled gratefully. "No, this will do. Thank you for your time, Mr. Lochlainn, and thank you again for your aid against Kokabiel."

"You're welcome. Have a good day, Lord Lucifer, Lady Le–"

"Nah-ah!" In a flash, she drew a star-tipped wand from… somewhere, and shook it in his face. "Se-ra!"

Connor's eyes flicked to Sirzechs, whose smile turned tired as he mouthed the words 'just go with it.'

"Er… Sera."

The woman's smile actually sparkled.

"And Sona," he called, turning back to look the King in the eye, "I'm sorry about Ruruko."

She only replied with a grateful nod.

Connor exited the room as quietly as he entered. However, the moment after he heard the door tumblers click shut behind him, he gasped and braced himself against the wall. His hands clenched on impulse and shook as they slowly released.

'Master?'

'I'm fine, I'm fine. I just… oh, fuck, I was not ready for that!'

He put a hand to his chest, letting the sweaty palm dampen his shirt while he felt his heart rapidly thump against his ribs.

Maybe training today would be good for him, after all.

Inside the Student Council office, Serafall put a hand to her cheek and swayed her body from side to side.

"Mooouuu, Con-tan is so shy!" she cooed.

The Sitri heiress barely resisted the urge to slam her hand against her forehead.

"He is rather evasive for someone his age," the elder Gremory nodded. "To be expected with his line of work, I suppose, but it makes you wonder: What part of that explanation was he lying about?"

"Dunno," Serafall shrugged. "Could've been anything. He knows how to make a case sound plausible. Buuut… maybe it had to do with that feeling that we were being watched just now. You felt it, too, didn't you?"

Sona blinked, confused by the sudden change in her sister's tone. Watched?

"Vaguely. I can't quite put my finger on it, but something was there." Sirzechs stroked his chin ponderously. "When we shook hands, I could've sworn there was some sort of… shift within the room. And it was so subtle, I almost didn't notice."

"It didn't do that with me. Then again, you are kind of a freak, Zechy-kun, even by crummy old Zekram's standards."

And just like that, the serious mood vanished; come and gone like a transient cloud.

Sirzechs recoiled with false indignation. "Wha– Excuse me, I'm not the one who assailed the poor boy with high-speed prattle."

"I was excited! I got so excited I just couldn't hide it! You know how it goes~"

"Wait a minute!" Sona finally interjected. "What are you two talking about? What happened with Mr. Lochlainn?"

Serafall gave a smug little grin to her sister. "Oh, nothing, So-tan. Zechy-kun and I are just talkin.'"

"Yes, and I think that you would do well to keep a closer eye on your friend from now on," Sirzechs added with his own smile.

"But not too close! So-tan is mine and mine alone, now and forever! No boy shall have her! None!"

Sona withheld a groan for the umpteenth time that day. She knew better than anyone that the roller coaster of moods and mannerisms was a sign that Serafall would likely be popping in more often as a matter of simply entertaining herself. A continual headache as that would be for her, Connor was going to have it far worse.

Which begged the question: What was Connor doing that she didn't know about? What had he done?

The shock of Ruruko's return hadn't subsided by Wednesday afternoon. Other than to give the girl plenty of space, people were still torn over what to say or do about her. Connor made sure to keep himself out of sight, slipping back into his routine of vanishing from the crowd until Asia could meet up with him for the walk home.

From the school gate, their relaxed pace took about twenty minutes. Asia's homeroom teacher had assigned homework she wanted to deal quickly, so she excused herself for the evening.

In his own apartment, Connor headed for the kitchen to start making dinner. Before he took two steps that way, though, a buzz in his back pocket alerted him to an incoming text message.

No sooner had he fished his phone out to view it, the doorbell rang.

Caster and Assassin immediately materialized between him and the entryway, weapons drawn. Connor saw his reflection in Assassin's arm blades while his mind raced.

This shouldn't be possible. The Bounded Field surrounding the building had been revamped several times over just as many weeks. Only Assassin could've crossed the distance from its outside perimeter to his doorstep in the time it took to blink, and even then, she would've been detected coming in. Whatever this anomaly was had appeared instantly, completely bypassing the Field's detection.

The only thing he knew of to be that stealthy was…

…

He checked his phone again.

Don't shoot the messenger.

…

Connor let out a tired sigh.

"Wait. Stay back," he quietly ordered.

Both Servants looked to him with uncertainty, but stepped out of view from the doorway all the same. Connor tentatively returned to the door and turned the knob – the bell rang again, almost louder somehow. Pushing the barrier to let it swing out, he found the unexpected visitor sitting on its haunches and looking up very expectantly at him.

"Gimme a few minutes."

The sentient Sacred Gear gave a nod, then sank into the afternoon shadows cast by the breezeway roof. Deep red eyes lingered, still staring intently as the human pulled the door closed again.

Turning back around, Connor wordlessly signaled the Servants to stand down and marched to the bedroom. He dug out a clean set of casual clothes from the closet, then resumed the removal of his school uniform. He had just gotten to putting the blazer onto its hanger, when Caster approached him.

"One of these days, kid…" the man grumbled.

"Don't say it. I know. This song and dance with them lost its appeal a while ago."

"Then what're you doing about it?"

"I'm not giving up, I just…" he paused to push down his frustration. "I need to find an angle that doesn't involve the Graal. Trying to leverage what I know about something they possess would only get me more tangled up in their web. "

"You're already in pretty deep, but I hear you. We're lucky that you haven't already been locked up in a cell," Caster conceded. "Just don't take too long in looking for a 'perfect' angle. Make hay while the sun shines, yeah?"

Connor nodded and Caster returned to spirit form, as did a reluctant Assassin.

On the way back out the door and down the stairs, he pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Asia.

Going out for a bit, be back shortly.

With the living Gear as his guide, Connor followed it to the edge of town, which was odd to him, since he was expecting to head for the central square. Every now and then, Jin's silhouette would shift, changing its orientation to point in the direction that it wanted the magus to go, all this without ever leaving his shadow.

Foot traffic was minimal, which gave him a clear view of his target upon arrival.

There, dressed in a tan jacket and dark grey pants, Tobio had his rear end parked on a public street bench, and his gaze fixed to his phone.

"Didn't take you long to come back, did it?" came Connor's acidic announcement.

Tobio looked up and laughed with a grimace. "It could've been longer. I did have to quit Nomura's; boy, was the old man pissed about that. Had to skip town until he could calm down and forget about me."

"My heart bleeds for you. So, what's so important that you had to come bother me about it?"

"I got another job and I thought you might be interested to hear the specifics."

Connor nodded slowly. "Right, just like all the others. I'm gonna take a shot in the dark and say that whatever this is about, we're doing it alone again?"

"Nope." Tobio shook his head and pointed to a building on his left, directing Connor's attention that way. "I brought some of my team with me for this one. They're in there, if you're up to meeting them."

Connor studied the opening to a wood-framed building nestled between two other stores.

It was a more traditional Japanese restaurant than what could be seen in Kuoh's busy side. The modest signage was another clue to its style, with two paper lanterns illuminating a set of white noren curtains that covered the entryway. On the left-most curtain, the name Kuoh Kaiseki (駒王懐石) was neatly scrawled in cursive sōsho calligraphy.

Expensive as kaiseki usually was, Connor had hesitated to visit this place before. Even Caster had never scoped it out more than once during his solo explorations. 'Save it for date night with Little Lady,' he had said.

'I guess tonight can be a trial run.'

"Sure. Lead on." The wary inflection in his voice was plain to hear for the agent.

Following Tobio inside, the first thing Connor noticed was how clean it smelled. He could actually pick up the scent of simmering seafood and dashi coming from the kitchen off to the right.

He cast cursory glances at the common dining area, noting that the peaceful interior was a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of Nomura's. The lack of cigarette smoke certainly helped make the small area seem oddly spacious. A central walkway separated booths and tables that lined up along opposing walls, all of which were softly lit by wooden light fixtures and simple fabric chandeliers. Further away from the entrance, ornamental shoji screens blocked off some areas that evidently held larger tables for private parties. Patrons were scattered here and there, quietly enjoying their meals, unknowingly adding to the peaceful atmosphere.

Tobio led Connor down the walkway and toward one of the closed off rooms. Sliding a screen open, the agent ushered his acquaintance through. In the center of the partitioned room lay a table large enough for six people to sit and eat comfortably. Three people were already seated at its corners, only one of whom Connor recognized.

Lavinia sat at one corner in a pink and red summer dress that did nothing but accentuate her already mature figure. Add in the waterfall of blond hair that fell straight to the top of her derriere, and she must have looked like a goddess going down the street.

The first of the two new faces was a fair-skinned young woman sitting directly across from Lavinia. She had deep brown eyes and dark brown hair that was neatly fixed in a braided updo, while several stray bangs framed her face. She was dressed in an evident uniform consisting of a small black shoulder cape and strapless top that hugged her midsection, a long-sleeved blue shrug top under the cape, and a white minidress and skirt combo underneath everything else. On her left upper arm was a stylized patch depicting a sword twisting into a helix between a pair of eagle feathers; a unit insignia, perhaps.

The table's third occupant, seated at the corner opposite of Lavinia's, seemed largely out of place with present company. In fact, based on his posture, he came off like an archetypal Japanese delinquent. He was tall and lean, dressed in what had to be the male version of his counterpart's uniform –an unbuttoned blazer with matching pants and a collared undershirt– in a similar color scheme. As an added note, the sleeves of his blazer and shirt were rolled up to his elbows, revealing several long scars on his forearms. The head of reddish-brown hair he sported was wild and unruly, and the sharp features of his face and gray eyes led to the overall impression that he had been through quite a few scraps.

Both newcomers looked Connor up and down while Lavinia offered a friendly smile to the magus.

"This is your guy, huh? You sure he's on the level?" The delinquent questioned Tobio.

"I wouldn't have asked him to come if I didn't."

The man eyed Connor a bit longer before he shrugged. "Well, whatever."

"You've already met Lavinia, but these are two of my other teammates. First, Natsume Minagawa."

The brunette stood up and brushed the front of her clothes before smiling and bowing. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Lochlainn. Tobio talks about you quite a bit, so I hope we'll do well together."

"Simmer down there, Birdbrain. Kid's -what, four, maybe five years younger than you?" the seated man boorishly commented. "Shit, if that's what you're into, it's a wonder you kept your hands off Vali."

Natsume's mood flipped like a switch, going from cheerful to irritated as she shot him a glare. His only reaction was to widen his smirk into a grin.

"And Prince Congeniality there is Kōki Samejima. Don't mind any remarks that he gives you, he just does that to get a rise out of people." Tobio then walked around and took the seat between his peers, probably to play the middleman in their squabbling while Natsume sat back down.

"Noted." the magus sat in the chair at the table's last unoccupied corner, two spots away from Lavinia. "You said this wasn't your whole team, so where are the rest?"

"They're on different assignments at the moment, so they couldn't make it for this job. It's just us."

"Then permit me to ask: What does this job entail?"

Tobio made to explain, but his attention was suddenly diverted to something behind Connor.

"Sumimasen!"

The magus turned to see three waitresses bringing trays of food to the table. Between the four Grigori agents, the carefully arranged meals were largely seafood-based, like tuna, salmon, crab and even octopus meat. Each tray came with a bowl of rice alongside other vegetables, sauces and a cup of sake. It all looked and smelled really good.

He and Asia were definitely going to visit here during the summer break.

After serving the others, the youngest of the waitresses then regarded the table's newest arrival. "Okyakusama… menyū o motte kite mo īdesu ka?" she hesitantly asked Connor.

"Hai, onegaishimasu. Ato, o mizu mo kudasai." His reply brought a smile of relief to the woman. She bowed and excused herself to retrieve the items in question.

"Your Japanese is very good for a foreigner," Natsume complimented earnestly.

"Thank you, I studied at Oxford."

"Hah!"

Kōki went stone-faced when everyone looked at him for his outburst.

'Good, somebody got it.'

The waitress then returned with a menu, which Connor accepted with a light bow. As she left to attend other tables, the operatives clasped their hands in thanks for the food before them.

"Itadakimasu."

While he and his team began to eat, Tobio picked up the topic again.

"As you now, the three Biblical factions have been walking on eggshells around each other since the end of the Great War. But, with last week's attack, it's clear to everybody that a ceasefire is not going to dissuade further violence much longer. So on that note, the faction leaders have all called for a face-to-face meeting in the interest of arranging a lasting peace agreement."

"About damn time, too. The big-wigs and bean counters on all sides finally had more scares and near-misses than they're comfortable ignoring." Kōki grunted, then roughly took the tempura latched in his chopsticks. "Dis ish jus' wut it tahkes fur ev'r'budy t' g't deir schit t'gethur."

"Shark," Lavinia chastised.

"Don' giuue dat, ya kno ah'm righ', an–"

"Not that. Don't talk with your mouth full," the witch cut his rant preemptively. The disapproving look she gave him just earned a huff and an eye roll while he chewed in silence.

"Anyway, that's how it is," Tobio continued. "As of today, the agreed meeting time is scheduled for Wednesday of next week, and the conference itself is going to be held in Kuoh Academy's assembly hall. Heavy security is a given, barriers will be in place everywhere. On the Devil's side, Sirzechs Lucifer and Serafall Leviathan will be attending, along with their siblings, while the Seraphim Michael is representing Heaven. And officially, only Azazel and a single bodyguard are permitted to set foot in Kuoh, on behalf of the Grigori."

"What about unofficially?" Connor wondered.

"That's where this comes into play." Tobio took something from his jacket pocket and placed it on the table. "Ever hear of the Khaos Brigade?"

Connor leaned in to observe the object. It was a medallion of some sort, with the image of a snake on the side facing the ceiling. He looked between the four people around him, then settled back into his chair with an exaggerated shrug.

"No, but with a name like that, I can't help but wonder what their goal could be."

Lavinia giggled, daintily lifting the cup of sake beside her meal up to her full lips.

"Okay then, smart-ass, pay attention." Kōki leaned back to sit up straight.

"The Brigade's a terrorist coalition that's been trying to make a name for itself lately. They wanna tear down the existing system of power in the supernatural side of the world but, like most terror groups in history, they've got no long-term goals or plans to replace whatever they destroy. The bastards are just in it for the violence."

Connor kept silent on the irony of that statement and its origin.

"We've been monitoring their movements for almost a year now, but in the last few months, they've gotten a lot more active. Funding has suddenly increased several times over, and membership has reached an all time high; disturbances around the world are being linked to them almost every other week."

"One group in particular we've had our eye on is dubbed the Hero Faction," Natsume added. "Their rank and file strictly consists of humans and Sacred Gear wielders, with purported Longinus wielders acting as commanding officers. Recently, though, there's been a shift in the regime, and some non-human species have been reported to be working with them as collaborators."

"The enemy of their enemy isn't necessarily a friend, but mutual interests point them to similar targets." Connor's conjecture received a couple of nods. "And with the dignitaries coming to Kuoh for this meeting, you think these guys might try and crash the party? Even after Kokabiel screwed the pooch?"

"It's not a safe bet, but the possibility is still pretty strong. This meeting will be the first major attempt at a full peace agreement between the factions in centuries, so there's a lot at stake. Lord Azazel plans to share the Grigori's findings on the Brigade as an offering of good faith. Meanwhile, we've been assigned to keep watch and discretely head off any attempts to disrupt the proceedings."

'Yeah, like that won't possibly backfire if you get caught.'

"Okay, so you're all on guard duty." He looked to Tobio. "In that case, and regardless of the likelihood of another attack, why am I here when you've got all the hands you need?"

"If it does come to an armed conflict, you won't have any involvement," the lead agent answered. "Dealing with the Brigade directly is our job. However, in exchange for some quality control, and a bit of manual labor at the start, you get this."

Putting a hand under the table –no doubt reaching into his shadow pocket– Tobio retrieved a sheet of clean letter paper and presented it to Connor. Taking the form, the magus scanned it from top to bottom, then looked up and fixed the agent with a disbelieving stare.

"Do I look like I was born yesterday?"

Tobio shook his head. "You help us with this job, and you'll be cleared of all wrongdoing in Dohnaseek's death. No more probation, inquiries, ambiguous messages or whatever else; Grigori gets all the way off your back. Azazel thinks that you've long since paid your dues for defending yourself when there was no chance of escape."

'Then just let me go, dammit! Stop with the red tape!'

He never needed to pay any dues in the first place, as far as he was concerned. It was just his misfortune that he managed to stoke Azazel's interest, and he doubted the Grigori would allot him the right to an attorney.

Connor read through the form a second time, making doubly sure that there wasn't some fine print he missed. He even flipped the page over and feigned checking the back while performing a quick Structural Grasp on the paper itself. The last thing he wanted was to get roped back in because of some damned technicality or loophole.

He found nothing of the sort, but the lettering and the signature –while neatly handwritten– wasn't inscribed on the paper with liquid ink, but rather a dry powder ink. That meant this was just a photocopy, and the genuine article was likely still with Azazel for safekeeping.

'Penny for your thoughts?' the first of Connor's two invisible bodyguards remarked.

'Well, the terms are pretty straightforward –honestly, the whole thing reads like an actual geis would– but I can't shake the feeling that this is just a bait-and-switch. They're obviously not quite done with getting under my skin; even right now, they're just putting more eyes on me before they start on this security gig.'

'Perhaps, but even so, Lord Ikuse had no need to inform you of his next mission, nor did he need to introduce you to his team.'

Assassin made a fair point. Unlike before, Tobio now had a whole group at his disposal to deal with the problem, so it really was none of the magus' business this time. At least, not until being offered amnesty.

'He only did that so I wouldn't get nosy if I saw him or Lavinia running around town.'

'Sure, but he also knows you're not dumb enough to rat him out on a half-baked suspicion. Likewise, he's not dumb enough to let you leave when you've got hard evidence in your hands. Casually look up.'

Connor glanced around to see all eyes fixed inquisitively on him. From an outside perspective, it must have appeared like they were patiently waiting for his reply. Looking a little more closely, though, he could tell that all four agents were ready to jump up and act if the need arose, halfway through a meal or not. In fact, it wouldn't be a stretch to guess that steps had already been taken to ensure he couldn't escape with the release agreement in hand.

He thinned his lips when the gleam in Tobio's eyes confirmed that.

'The way I see it, you've got four options; one, take the deal; two, decline it; three, Assassin and I help you escape; or four, she and I kill them. Guess which one has a remotely favorable outcome for you in the long run.'

"…"

Two of those weren't even a choice when they would just paint a bigger target on his back and possibly a bounty on his head. Asia as well, if it meant getting him out in the open.

His better judgment told him to say 'no,' but the prospect of finally getting out from under Azazel's magnifying glass was more appealing than letting things stay the way they were. If playing ball one last time meant the Grigori would finally back off, then he could stand to suffer one more week.

"What exactly would be required of me here?"

"All you have to do is be on the lookout for any sign of trouble and contact me if you find anything. On the day of the meeting, just keep back, and we'll handle things."

Connor blinked. Exoneration for a little bit of patrol work? There was no way it could that easy.

'Caster?'

The Heroic Spirit was quiet for a moment before he replied.

'It's your call, kid.'

Over the last month, Connor had come to trust Caster with his life, but some days, the man's actions just confused him to no end. Like now, for instance, when he seemed to know or figure something out that Connor hadn't, and wanted to use it as a lesson.

Mulling it over a bit, he took in a calming breath. He wouldn't get any answers until he did some thinking of his own.

But, for now…

"I'll keep an eye out, so long as your boss keeps his word."

"He will," Tobio affirmed.

To finalize the deal, the two men reached across the table and shook hands.

In that moment, the deadly serious expressions on everyone's faces relaxed, and the mood of the dinner table suddenly changed, like a cloud cover finally passing enough to let sunlight through.

Lavinia lightly clapped her own hands in celebration. "Meravigliosa! Welcome aboard, Signore Lochlainn! Now, who's up for the second course? Lord Azazel is paying."

"Aw, hell yeah!" Kōki grinned from ear to ear. "Let's get some more booze in here and top the night off!"

"Keep it down, dumbass!" Natsume hissed. "This is a restaurant, not a damned bar!"

"Well, maybe we should've gone to that Nomura's place instead of here."

"Right, and you'd be joining me in getting nailed to the wall by the old man," Tobio injected.

"Blow me."

"Nothing's there to blow."

"Boys, no fighting at the table."

As the agents began another round of banter, Connor quietly pressed the call button on the table's pager to bring a worker over. If someone else was paying, he might as well get free dinner out of the night.

One way or another, his next week was going to be extra busy.

Elsewhere, inside a dimly lit office, a young man restlessly stared up at a hooded courier from behind a large mahogany desk.

"Is this all of it?"

"Everything he could afford to send, yes," the nameless man confirmed.

"Then why are you still here? Get out! Go do something productive!" he snapped in unfettered annoyance.

Realizing he'd overstayed his welcome, the messenger bowed and quickly left.

The man at the desk shook his head and huffed. He was sorely motivated to cut the ignoramus right in half, but that would mean wasting precious time in cleaning up the mess. That wouldn't do when he had intelligence reports to sort through. Such a job was normally for his right-hand man to merrily attend, except that he was forced to manage his spy network more closely as of late.

Times like this made him understand exactly why his master took up smoking.

Powerful as it was, the Ouroboros Dragon simply had no sense of strategy. It went and did whatever it pleased and left those like him to sort out the logistical junk piles in its wake. Spending so much time managing his faction this way was incredibly irksome, but he knew better than to object to the single-minded whims of the world's most powerful being. The best anyone could was just to work around it.

He sifted through the reports piece by piece, hoping to find a clue to questions that had been bothering him for the last few days. Piercing blue eyes glided over the documents while he leaned back in the leather seat.

Based on information provided by his colleague's spies, Kokabiel had been in the clear to drag the Biblical factions into another self-destructive war, but somehow tripped at the finish line. Not that he cared anything about what a spiteful Fallen did to any avaricious Devils. Truthfully, he was content to sit back and watch the fireworks.

Except that there weren't any.

So what happened there? Where had it gone wrong?

He had several ideas, but details of the event had been irritatingly sketchy, and it took time to dig up what the Devils had been quick to bury. The three factions were now back to being priority targets thanks to the rogue Cadre's failure, so making similar mistakes was not an option. For that reason, he had to know.

If humanity was to escape the yoke set upon it by the supernatural creatures of the world, it needed a beacon. And, as those chosen by the World to wield power in its purest form, he and his allies would be fools to ignore the call of destiny.

…

So it begins, again.

Remember what I said about Tobio being wasted potential back at the story's start? Well, I'm extending that to the other members of his team now. Plenty of room to write creatively with a relatively untouched cast of characters.

So, with Slash/Dog Team making an earlier-than-canon appearance, there's something that needs to be addressed. While Tobio and Lavinia have their Longinus-class Sacred Gears, it's never been established exactly what the other members' Gears are called. Yes, they're Independent Avatars with mythological Chinese names/origins and nicknames bestowed by the wielders, but the formal titles are conspicuously absent. I don't think Ishibumi got around to naming them before the Slash/Dog series was canceled. Therefore, such details are left in the hands of the fans.

If anyone has any fitting suggestions for names, feel free to pitch them. Maybe even Balance Breakers, if they come to mind. Be creative!

Now for the message:

To the 1000 readers who gave this story a thumbs-up… thank you.

When I started the first version of this story back in early 2019, I had no idea what the hell I was doing, or even what I wanted to do with the thing. I gave up on it after just two months because I wrote myself into a corner and felt like I couldn't salvage any of it. And yet, encouragement from readers who enjoyed that version –as well as this one– urged me to come back and try again with a redux. Now, here we are.

I don't believe that I can adequately express what this milestone means to me through text, but just know that you have made the last four years of this pet project worth the while. Your support is one of a kind, and your patience with me is out of this world. So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you all.

If you enjoyed what you read, leave a favorite, a follow or a review to let me know. Any advice, support or simple good wishes that you feel like giving would be greatly appreciated.

As always, thank you for reading!