Chapter beta'd by Priapus and Old Man of the Mountain

– Sona –

She wasn't quite sure what to make of the current situation, but Sona was now fully convinced that fate was out to get her and Rias for some reason, and had accepted the fact. That was fine, she could work around it, she'd been through worse. This? Oh, this was nothing.

…Is what she'd say if the girl in front of her would stop glaring at them. Rias shuffled awkwardly next to her under Akane's judging gaze, and Sona didn't blame her. Even she was a little intimidated by the Yakuza princess, and her appearance certainly didn't make it better.

She was quite a sight, school uniform half burnt, revealing the black sports bra she wore underneath, soot covering her arms and shoulders, and a vein visibly bulging on her forehead, barely obscured by her hair bangs. Fortunately, she was relatively unharmed, but Sona didn't think that was much consolation to the enraged girl.

Sona's eyes flickered around the clubroom, seeing the destruction caused by Akane's battle. A huge part of the mansion was just blown away, and what remained had been ravaged by fire, ice and explosions. Nothing had been disintegrated, though, so it seems Akane had not only gotten into a fight with Riser and his Queen, but single-handedly won it too.

She knew the girl was tough from the battle against the Fallen, but that tough? Lucifer. Riser was High-Class for a reason, so him being on the back foot even with his queen at his side was shocking.

All the more reason to get close to the girl. From what she'd heard, and while not fully confirmed, Akane only recently learned about the Supernatural, meaning she had grown that powerful in a very short amount of time. Perhaps once she and Rias put time into training, the results would be far better than she had expected.

As for her current predicament, well, if she was honest, Sona wasn't sure how to deal with it. She was prepared for most things, but something like this was far outside her area of expertise, and Rias likely didn't have any idea either. She hated to admit it, even in her head, but having Serafall here would be a blessing.

No, she could handle this. She didn't need anyone's help, she was perfectly capable of turning this situation to her advantage.

"First, I'd like to give my sincerest apologies that this happened on my watch." Sona started professionally. "If you fill me in on the details, I will do everything I can to ensure that Riser is punished for whatever he may have done to provoke this incident."

She didn't even entertain the notion that the arrogant and moronic devil had somehow not been at fault for the incident, even before hearing the specifics.

Akane's eyes locked onto the devil heiress, and Sona felt cold sweat trail down her cheek. Did she mention that the room was freezing? She could see her own breath, for Lucifer's sake.

For a long moment, she thought the human girl was going to turn on her before she breathed deeply and ground out "The dickless bitch tried to treat me as a slave."

Sona winced. That was a big enough insult that no one could complain about Akane attacking him, probably not enough that it would be politically feasible to levy any punishment that she'd expect Akane to find satisfying. She nodded and tried to put a positive spin on what she could do. "Alright, I will talk to my sister and inform her of what happened. I should at least be able to get his family to force him to apologize, and probably punish him themselves for the loss of face."

To her surprise, Akane seemed to take it well, although the tension in the room didn't ease up at all as she looked over to Rias with a sharp look, saying "Appreciated, but it won't be enough. I think Gremory will also punish him for me instead, won't you Gremory?"

"I'll… try," Rias muttered, visibly sweating despite the chill.

Sona glances at her best friend in sympathy, feeling for the girl. She was already stressed enough as it is, and while not entirely blameless about her situation, it must be tough to go through, especially with the sudden addition of the yakuza princess' weighty expectations. A tense moment passed, then Akane took a deep breath as her scowl fell, replaced by a mildly annoyed look.

"Look, I'm not…" Akane sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'm not mad at you, okay? I know you two didn't expect this to happen, you didn't plan it. So stop with these looks and let's just talk this out, yeah?"

"W-well, you were glaring, so I assumed…" Rias spoke quietly, not finishing the sentence.

"Not at you." She responded before clicking her tongue. "Whatever, it doesn't matter. Look, I can look the other way this time, as long as you do what I told you to."

"W-well, I can't exactly-" Rias started, doing her best to not panic, but was cut off by Sona, who was still somewhat in the dark.

"That is?" Sona leaned forward in curiosity, feeling a little more relaxed.

"I want to kick that fucker's ass and teach him a lesson." She said vulgarly. "But I can't do that, not with how shaky the peace is anyway."

True. What Riser did could be chalked up as a misunderstanding on his part, so to avoid anything drastic, all he has to do is apologize to Akane. Knowing the arrogant Phenex, however, he won't be genuine, and Sona doubts the human girl even wanted his apology. It's very clear that she took it personally.

Unfortunately, challenging him to an official duel wasn't ideal, as it'd only make it worse for both sides. The Yakuza and the Devils weren't friends, nor even allies, being closer to enemies with a ceasefire. Something like this would only shake the brittle peace even further.

"So instead, I'll help her-" She pointed at Rias who blinked in confusion. "So she can do that for me."

"Y-yes, but I don't understand," Rias said. "Why me specifically?"

Akane gave her a flat look. "Your Rating game with him is soon, isn't it? Crushing him in the game that decides his marriage would be way better than disingenuous apologies. He needs to be humiliated and humbled. Besides, he's your fiance." Rias narrows her eyes at Sona for a moment, but she meets them levelly, feeling no need to apologise for telling someone who could help.

"A-ah… Well, I'm very happy you're offering, Akane." Rias smiled politely, but Sona looked at her with a frown. "But I don't think I can-"

"Offering?" Akane raised a brow before scoffing. "'Offering' she says. That would imply you have a choice in the matter."

"Eh?" Rias blinked.

"You're training whether you like it or not, and I will oversee your progress," Akane said forcefully. "I'll help you and your peerage train, and even come up with a strategy to take him down if you want me to. Frankly, I don't care if I have to do everything myself, as long as you humiliate him this upcoming Rating Game."

"W-what?" Rias stood up from her seat. "You can't just decide that!"

"Yes, I can." She disagreed. "It's for your own good, Gremory. Stop fighting it."

"And what right do you have to determine that?!"

"I've been slighted and mocked, I deserve proper satisfaction for what that dickhead did, and like I said, none of that weak 'sorry' bullshit makes up for it," Akane growled with a scowl, her eyes shining blue and making Rias flinch. "You share the burden for being his fiance, and I won't accept anything short of humiliation in a Rating Game by you."

Rias stammered a response, an upset expression taking over herself as she turned to Sona for support.

The Sitri heiress merely raised a brow at her with a small smirk."That is a very reasonable request, Akane. It shall be done."

"What?!" Rias' eyes widened in shock. "What do you mean it's reasonable?!"

"Don't you want to defeat Riser yourself?" Sona tilted her head. "Here's a perfect opportunity. Akane will help you and your peerage to prepare, likely with the support of the Yakuza behind her."

A look of hurt and betrayal crossed Rias' face, and it did cause Sona to feel a pang of guilt in her heart, but she knew that this was for the best. Rias didn't have enough time, she couldn't afford to look for possible new peerage members anymore. She needed to make do with what she had right now.

Perhaps what Riser did was a blessing in disguise. Akane was now hellbent on making him pay for what he did to her but miraculously wasn't unreasonable enough to go after him herself. This was good, very good. All that was left was for Rias to go along with it.

Sona didn't think it'd be that easy, though, not with her defeatism so entrenched in her mind. She had to break through, otherwise, she wouldn't have a future. She and Sirzechs couldn't help her get through it, but hopefully, someone as forceful as the Yakuza heiress might be able to.

"Regardless, I'll shoot a message after I decide where, and I expect you to be there," Akane told Rias. "I'll keep what happened under wraps and pretend it never happened in case certain people get the wrong idea."

"That'd be very appreciated." Sona smiled. "Thank you."

With that, she stood up and gave the two devils a nod before leaving, the freezing cold disappearing as she closed the door behind her. Sona leaned back and exhaled deeply before looking at her childhood friend, frowning slightly. Rias had her head down, a look of pain and defeat prominent on her face as she rubbed her own arm.

Sona stood up and gently put her hand on Rias' shoulder. "I know what I did hurt you, but you know that I only did it for your own good."

Rias didn't respond.

"This is your only chance at winning, Rias." Sona insisted. "Life doesn't have easy shortcuts. You have to work for it."

"Easy for you to say," Rias muttered in contempt, which hurt Sona more than she was willing to admit. "You don't know what I've gone through. Not one day went by without me losing sleep over this stupid marriage, while all you had to do escape yours is beating someone in fucking chess."

"That may be true, but you shouldn't just give up," Sona said. "This isn't like you, Rias. You'd always do everything in your power to win, no matter how trivial the subject could be. You can do this, you just have to go through this-"

"You don't understand!" Rias cut her off with a scowl, tears at the edges of her eyes. "I can't beat Riser with some measly training! He's so much stronger than I am and I don't stand a chance!"

"Then stop overestimating him!" Sona yelled back, making her flinch. "He's nowhere near as strong as you think he is!"

"You haven't seen what he can do!"

"Rias, he's high-class!" Sona countered in exasperation. "Not Satan, not even Ultimate- he's high-class like we are! Hell, you saw his fight with Akane, didn't you? He certainly didn't win that."

Rias couldn't respond, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to find an argument, making Sona sigh deeply after a minute.

"We've been through this multiple times already, we're better off saving our breath." Sona shook her head. "I'll leave you to your own devices."

Sona turned around and headed towards the door, looking back at her redhead friend as she grabbed the doorknob.

"Rias."

The Gremory heiress glanced at her, and Sona smiled.

"You're so much stronger than you think you are."

Rias didn't react, but Sona hoped it at least did something to her friend, so she left her alone to think for herself. Sona sighed tiredly again before returning to her student duties, hoping that the redhead would take Akane's 'offer' and show up when the time comes.

It was for her own good.

– Akane –

Leaving the campus, I lean against a wall and rub my eyes tiredly as I think of my next reasonable move. Sin of Wrath is a lot worse than I expected it to be and coupled with how admittedly prideful I can be, it's a disastrous combo. Just a few words of mockery and I fly off into a rage.

Now my dumb ass is stuck helping out the redhead bitch and I'd look bad if I back down now. I wanted to help, yeah, but I wasn't forced to do it. Why was Riser there anyway? What did he want? Why the fuck would he start a fight like that randomly? His head must be so far up his own ass that he forgot he's in human territory.

I click my tongue and pull out a lighter and a cigarette from my pocket, calming myself down by exhaling a cloud of smoke after lighting the latter up. As the festering anger inside me starts to evaporate, I'm able to think more clearly than before.

On the bright side, this gives me more of a reason to help Rias with this, so it won't look weird and too convenient for them anymore. It's safe to assume for them that I'm pretty pissed at Riser, so they won't be questioning my reason to help as much anymore.

All I would've done before was simply convince Rias to take training seriously, and that was it really. Now I have a reason to force her to do that instead of a half-assed attempt to convince her. Helps that my anger issues are known to nearly everyone around me.

Pretty sure that's ultimately a disadvantage, but it's useful in this regard I suppose.

Now, how to handle the inevitable repercussions from the Yakuza, and worse, my mother? I wouldn't be surprised if she went to the underworld to drag the idiot chicken back here to kick his ass personally, but I can't have her doing that, nor the clan to intervene.

This is something that needs to be hushed up. I don't want either my mother or the Yakuza to do anything about it- I want to handle it by myself. Having them get involved might just ruin my chance of getting back at Riser, and worse, send Rias and Sona back to the underworld.

The Majima family probably witnessed what happened, but I'm not sure if they've seen the start of it, so they might reach the wrong conclusion. I need to stop them from reporting back to their chairman. How do I contact this patriarch?

My thoughtful frown deepens for a moment as I get an idea. I don't know if he's watching me right now, but I'm betting that he is. I just tell him to keep quiet, and he listens. Nothing more and nothing less.

This tip-toe bullshit is starting to get on my nerves.

"Alright, I know you can hear me-" I say out loud, flicking the cigarette away before stomping on it. "And I want to talk to you. Show yourself."

No response, making my eyes narrow for a moment before I scoff. Of course, why did I expect this to work? Not like they ever tried to help me at all, even when I was on the verge of death. Why would they answer my call now?

Ah, whatever. Worth a shot.

As I'm about to walk back to my house, I feel a chill go down my spine, prompting me to look to the side. Leaning against the same wall is a tall and lean-built man, wearing an odd snakeskin jacket with nothing else underneath it, showing his muscles and traces of irezumi reaching parts of his chest, black pants, and black gloves.

His most prominent feature, though, is the eyepatch covering his left eye. He smirks when his eye meets mine, arms crossed as he greets me casually.

"Yo."

I cautiously take a step back, my face turning into one of worry as I feel the sudden shift of atmosphere in his presence. When the hell did he get there? I couldn't even hear, see or sense him at all. One second there was no trace of him, and in the next, he was right next to me.

Every part of my body is screaming at me to leave, even though there isn't one bit of malicious intent I can pick up from him. All I know right now is that this man is far, far more dangerous than I thought he'd be.

Name: Goro Majima

Title: The Mad Dog of the Tojo Clan

HP - ?

MP - ?

SP - ?

Race: Human

LVL - ?

STR - ?

END - ?

DEX - ?

INT - ?

WIS - ?

CHA - ?

LUK - ?

Thoughts about you – Daughter of a precious friend and rival. He's very excited to see what you're capable of and thinks you have a lot of potential.

Reputation – 40

Affection – 0

Obedience – 10

Loyalty - -100

I almost flinch when I see his stats. All question marks? The only people who showed this were Ryuji Goda and Sirzechs. How strong is this guy? Are the Yakuza really that powerful to be having people of his caliber?

"You're uh…" I stumble on my words before quickly regaining my composure. "You're pretty quick."

"Gotta be in this day and age." He shrugs. "So, whaddya call me for?"

I was about to call him out for the bullshit he did when I fought against the Fallen as my anger flared, but the words get stuck in my throat, stopping me from doing that. Cool it, this isn't the time to be picking a fight with a Yakuza legend. You're smarter than this.

However, his smug smirk is nothing short of absolutely fucking infuriating, so even my cautiousness is being overpowered by my rage. This annoying sin needs to go one day.

…If you're gonna do it anyway, at least be calm about it.

"Sorry, but I'm still in disbelief that you actually decided to show up," I say sarcastically. "And here I thought I'd take my cold, dead corpse to do that."

"What, still sore 'bout that?" He raises a brow. "C'mon, it's been a week since that happened."

"I could've died." I narrow my eyes. "I could've died and you didn't do shit to stop it."

"But ya didn't." His smirk widens. "Ya persevered and won. So why are ya still mad?"

"Because it's not my job to deal with threats like these!" I argue, a little heated from how casual he seems about my safety. "It's yours! You handle it, not a bunch of fucking high school students!"

"But if I did-" He puts his hands in his pockets. "Ya wouldn't have gotten this strong, yea?"

I freeze as he says that.

"Ya can lie to yourself all ya want, but I know yer kind." He says, making me flinch. "Sure, helpin' ya is the safer bet, but ain't that only short term?"

I scowl as I fail to argue against that, knowing just how dangerous it'll all be later.

"Lettin' ya deal with it made you better, it made you stronger, it gave ya experience." He continues. "And that's what ya want, ain't it? It's all that matters ta ya."

He takes a step toward me, making me back off slightly.

"Ya want power." He summarizes me perfectly, making me visibly freeze on the spot. "Hit it right on the head, didn't I?"

I don't like him. He knows way too much.

"Heh, ya don't gotta look so afraid, missy. I actually agree with ya." Goro Majima chuckles, prompting me to pause with a confused frown. "Power is what keeps yer enemies away, what makes em scared to mess with ya. It's what keeps yer friends and family safe and away from harm's way."

I relax a little as he continues.

"It's what makes ya survive in this world, as long as ya don't lose sight of what really matters." He says. "I ain't ever gonna blame ya for pursuin' it. I wanna help ya get better even, and me dealin' with every little inconvenience ain't the way ta do it. Don't ya agree with lil ol' me?"

A glint in his visible shines as his smirk widens.

"So you want to be kept safe? Cuz if you really want me to, then I can do that." He states with a shrug, accent switching. "Or do you want to be dangerous instead?"

I can feel my anger slipping away as I think about what he's saying. He's right, more than he thinks. If he handled the Fallen immediately, I wouldn't have gotten the quest to finish them off myself. I wouldn't have gotten the huge amount of exp, skills, and perks. I wouldn't be anywhere near as strong as I am now.

I hate to admit it, but I suppose I have to thank him for this. My mother and Akiyama treat me like I'm made of glass sometimes, which is understandable, but it can get annoying. This guy is different, though. Of course, this doesn't mean I like him, but I'd be lying if I said I don't need someone like him on my side.

I can't expect to grow if I'm not pushed to my limits.

So this is why he wasn't helping. I had a lot of ideas regarding a reason, but I didn't expect this. I thought maybe they hated me or something, that this was a family that my father fought against once, or they saw me as nothing more than a burden.

This… changes a lot, but I still need to make sure.

"And if the 'inconvenience' is more than that? What if it's an actual threat to me and this town?" I ask. "Are you gonna just stay there and watch again?"

"When that happens, ya just need ta let go of my leash." His grin turns bloodthirsty as he flicks his hand, revealing a dagger before he twirls it around. "And I'll maul them all for ya."

We'll see about that. I may understand his intentions now, but I don't trust him yet. He's just odd. I don't know, I'm trusting my gut feeling for this one. He isn't called the Mad Dog for nothing after all.

"But enough of that." He waves it off as his smirk turns normal again. "Ya needed me for somethin'?"

"Yeah." I cross my arms. "You saw what happened earlier, right?"

"Hm? Ya mean the chicken shit?" He scratches his chin and I nod in confirmation. "Yeah, saw it. I dunno what brought it on, but I gotta say, that was a fun ass-kickin' there. Ya had him by the balls. Was funny as shit."

"Didn't even try, trust me." I mirror his smirk. "Anyway, I just want you to keep quiet about it. Don't tell anyone, especially not my mother. I'll handle it myself."

"Yeah, sure."

"I know it sounds- eh?" I blink in surprise as he complies instantly. "R-really?"

"Ya said yer gonna handle it, and I ain't about ta stop ya."

"I… yeah, okay, thanks." I clear my throat. "Well, that's all really. Thank you, Majima… san?"

"Call me whatever." He shrugs. "Imma call ya Akane-chan."

"Don't."

"Too late."

An annoyed expression takes over my face as I stare at his dumb grin before scoffing.

"Whatever. I'm going home now." I wave and turn to where my house is. "See you, I guess."

He simply leans back against the wall again as he watches me leave. I tear my eyes away from him and send Ichi a message, telling him to meet me at my home. He's the only one I trust not to blow up about this bullshit and make it a bigger problem. I should at least inform him and get a voice of reason.

I turn to look at Goro Majima once again, but he's not there anymore, making my frown deepen.

What a weirdo.

– Mizuki –

It was good that the Tojo Clan had been listening to them the whole time because now, the Amon won't have any reason to target Akiyama or her specifically for knowing about them, which gives her more time to prepare once they decide to strike.

She expected this to be the case. If it was ten years earlier, she and Akiyama might've turned to corpses on the ground for daring to speak about them, but with the Tojo Clan's exponential advancements in technology, they're not able to easily prevent the Yakuza from hearing or seeing what happens.

Her brother, in his arrogance, likely banked on her fear of them that he didn't quite expect her to tell anyone about them, and he'd be right for the past seventeen years. However, he doesn't know that there was one thing Mizuki would do everything in her power to protect, and that's her daughter.

And finally, Aki was much stronger than he had been years ago. A simple mistake means their detection, and unless her brother himself was the one assassinating them, Akiyama was more than enough to beat them back on his own.

However, this isn't all good and dandy. This would cause a shadow war between the Tojo and the Amon. The latter will try to cripple the Yakuza by assassinating leaders and patriarchs, aiming exactly where it hurts.

She'll need to tell Daigo about this. Maximize security and advance sensory tech before the Amon are able to do anything serious.

She knew their tactics. Mizuki was the best and most accomplished assassin amongst them after all and knew they'd only attack when they're absolutely sure they couldn't be tracked or traced. Their paranoia is an advantage to her.

But that's not enough. A mere moment is just enough for them to strike, so to make it even harder for them, then Akane needs to know all about them as well. Their weaknesses, strengths, techniques, and methods. All of it.

With a worried frown on her face, she read the message on her phone again and again, still in the cafe with Akiyama as he took in everything she told him, looking deep in thought. Of course he'd be thinking, because, on top of telling him about the Amon Clan, she told him about herself, more than she'd usually say.

And as anyone would imagine, her childhood wasn't exactly… the nicest. From the moment she could walk, she was put through hell every single day of her life. They broke her and rebuilt her over and over, mentally and physically, just to make her the ultimate assassin.

There was even more pressure on her than other members due to her bloodline. Mizuki had far more potential than the others, even her twin brother came up short compared to the overwhelming power she had had since birth.

Mizuki had lost count of how many times she had had her bones broken and limbs sliced off. They'd beat her to an inch of her life before healing her in a medical tank for years. Through a lot of physiological and physical 'conditioning', otherwise known as 'torture', the former clan head, her father, had wanted to eliminate every weakness.

The only place of comfort she had in her life was in the arms of her mother, who later killed herself due to the constant abuse she suffered. And to make it worse, they didn't rid of the corpse until after Mizuki had a good long look at it because that bastard of a sperm doner wanted to make a point.

"She was weak, so she died. It is quite simple." He had told her. "So tell me: are you strong or weak? Do you want to die or live?"

One hell of a way to traumatize a child, if the past hell she went through wasn't enough to do it, and she had to admit, speaking to someone about it was freeing. She had kept this to herself for so long, that not even Tatsu knew half the things she told Akiyama, even though he had directly confronted them at some point.

In the midst of the conversation, an unknown number sent her a message. Well, 'unknown' is what the phone showed, but Mizuki knew full well who the sender was. It was a clear warning of what was to come because of what she did, as it read "Unforgivable". How nice of them.

She scoffed internally. Mizuki did what she had to because they couldn't keep their grubby hands off her dear daughter. He broke the promise first, and he should've known full well that she'd react this way, technicality be damned.

A bunch of worthless and bloodthirsty bastards.

She closed her phone and turned her attention back to Akiyama, waiting for his response. After a moment of awkward silence, he noticed her mildly uncomfortable look and cleared his throat.

"Sorry, I'm sure you're waiting for me to say something." He started. "But this is… a lot to take in."

"I can imagine." She agreed. "One hell of a life to experience. 2/10, don't recommend."

He snorted in amusement at the especially morbid joke before quickly apologizing.

"S-sorry, I didn't mean to laugh-"

"Aki, we've known each other for years." She waved it off with a roll of her eyes. "You know this is how I cope with this kind of stuff."

"Yes, but still-" He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I don't know how to say this-"

"It's fucked, yeah, but I don't really care about the past as much anymore, so don't worry about it," Mizuki responded, sipping from her coffee. "I just don't want Akane to ever go through something like that."

"You really think they'll just…" Akiyama paused, looking for the right words before continuing. "Pop in and kidnap her?"

"No, they're not bold." She shook her head. "Knowing them, they'll wait for an opportunity to take her away from right under our noses. As I said, they really value anonymity, and for a bunch of murderers, they can be patient."

"Do you know where their base is?"

"No, they're always moving," Mizuki answered. "When I was with them, their base of operation was near Earth's core."

His gaze turned incredulous at the casual information before he shook it off.

"So if they took Akane-"

"We'd never see her again." She confirmed. "Not until they brainwash her anyway. With someone as talented as her, they'll do everything in their power to get her."

"...I don't understand." Akiyama frowned. "What do they want, exactly? What's their goal?"

"Power, glory, and conquest." She responded simply. "The Amon Clan view themselves as superior lifeforms, as the 'Ultimate Humans', and want to prove it to everyone by subjugating every other race. They despise everything that isn't them."

"And they think Akane is the key to all of that?"

"Likely. She's a huge step forward to said goal." Mizuki said. "You saw how utterly insane her growth is. Literal years' worth of development in less than a month. It's not normal. They'll do anything for a prodigy like her."

Because if her daughter went through their training, then in the context of her growth, theoretically a single decade would be more than enough to make her unstoppable. Not even the combined might of every single faction would be able to defeat the Amon Clan if Akane joined them.

But it'd be at the cost of her mind, humanity, and soul. She'd be nothing more than a killing machine slaughtering everything in her path at the command of the current clan head. Just thinking about it made Mizuki terrified, and angry beyond belief.

And Mizuki would die a million times before she let it happen.

"Whatever they call themselves, as long as I'm breathing, I won't let them harm Akane or you for that matter." He promised. "I swear it."

Mizuki blinked.

"You like going after widows?" She said suddenly, making him flinch.

"You know that's not my intention, Mizuki-san." He responded with exasperation. "I don't even view you that way."

"What?" She frowned. "Are you saying I'm not pretty?"

"That's not-" He stopped himself and frowned back. "This is a trap, isn't it?"

"Ah, so close!"

"Of course it is." He sighed in amusement. "You and your daughter are exact copies of each other."

"Obviously. Akane is merely an inferior, mini version of the awesome me." Mizuki puffed her chest as an arrogant smirk bloomed on her face. "Fufuf~ no matter how hard she tries, she'll never be as good as the original."

"Oh?" He raised a brow. "I wonder what she thinks about that. Let me give her a call."

Her smirk immediately dropped as he pulled his phone out of his pocket, replaced by a worried look.

"I-it's a joke, please don't do that."

"No, I think she'd be interested in this."

"Stop!"

It kinda worried her that they didn't even try to interrupt them, though. Not even a single hint of them anywhere once their leader disappeared after glaring at her for a few minutes. They weren't bold, but they weren't this passive either. There was this sense of dread that made her stomach turn.

Perhaps it's a good thing, though. If they didn't act now, then they won't act for a while. It'll give her time to prepare. All Mizuki needs now is to break this pesky seal of hers, then she can be ready to deal with them personally.

– Ichiban –

"Fuck, man." Ichi cursed as he put a card on the table. "I knew I shouldn't have left you alone with them."

"Look, everything turned out… relatively okay in the end." His best friend shrugged as she drew two cards. "Sure, I'm stuck helping them, but this is ultimately beneficial to everyone."

He was forced to agree with that, but damn it he wanted to have been there. That jackass Riser or whatever sounded not unlike the idiot wannabe gangsters in Kamurocho, and weirdly enough, Ichiban kinda missed them. It had been a while since he did community service by wiping the floor with their faces.

Once he got to his apartment, he had quickly got changed and headed towards the theatres, but his friend had sent a vague message like usual, telling him to come to her house, so he had simply shrugged and complied, seeing that the movie didn't start for an hour.

The first thing he noticed was her odd choice of clothes. People usually don't wear baggy hoodies and pants in the middle of spring, and it wasn't really Akane's style. As long as he'd known her, she had always worn something light, even on cold days.

Seriously, she used to wear short jeans when it was winter.

He had pushed it to the back of his head when he saw the serious look on her face, though, and once he sat down, she told him about what happened with the devils. He had had half a mind to go there and kick their asses himself but obviously didn't.

Because while he wasn't exactly the smartest guy around, he knew that would have a lot of consequences. Akane has a lot of leeway considering who she was related to, but him? A nobody in comparison, who wasn't even allowed to join a family yet? He'd get killed on the spot.

This Riser dickhead clearly tried to antagonize and provoke her willingly. Akane is a violent, brutal girl with obvious anger issues for sure, but she'd never start a fight for no reason. She's lucky that there were witnesses to back her up.

"Yeah, but like, I missed a whole devil ass-kicking!" He groaned, putting down another card. "Also, Uno."

"Yeah sure, I'll record the next fight I'm in so you don't feel left out." She scoffed as she put hers, making him click his tongue before drawing four cards. "It happened too fast, alright? Even the Gremory girl didn't expect a fight to break out."

"So what, she just stood there and watched?" He raised a brow, glancing at Akane.

"She and her friends stopped the fight before it escalated." The girl shrugged. "And for the record, I would've won."

"Are you sure they're not in on it?" Ichiban said, making her pause. "You said the Gremory hated the asshole's guts, right?"

"Yeah…?"

"Maybe they just… I dunno, made up some plan to get you involved?" He continued, not knowing where to go with this. "It just sounds fishy to me. Oddly convenient for him to be there when you were asked to convince her."

His friend looked at him with an odd frown before rolling her eyes.

"No need for the mental gymnastic, Ichi. It's just a coincidence." Akane insisted. "They're cunning, but not to that level."

"I-I know, it's not fair to them." He admitted. "I just don't like devils."

She paused for a small moment before meeting his gaze.

"What happened to make you think that way?"

Ichiban frowned and put all his cards face down, answering after taking a deep breath through his nose.

"It was around two months after you left." He started. "I had just bought a game I wanted and was going home to spend the day playing, but with since I live in Kamuorcho, some idiots picked a fight, saying I should hand it over.

"I didn't, of course, and knocked them out one by one." He continued. "But one of them was different. He was way tougher than normal, he took hits without even flinching, and one punch was all it took to knock me out. The bastard was toying with me."

"A devil." Akane caught on. "Yeah, even a regular, low-class devil is around ten times tougher than an Olympic athlete."

"Yeah, I didn't stand a chance." He chuckled bitterly. "When I came to, I was in some dark place outside the town, bound to a bed with chains. I couldn't move.

"It didn't really take me long to understand what was about to happen when the asshole showed himself with a doll or idol or something." He said, making Akane's gaze sharpen. "I don't really remember what he was going on about, nor did I understand it at the time, but I think he wanted to take my Sacred Gear."

"With a doll?" She questioned. "What does it look like? Was there anything weird about it?"

"I'm sorry, it's all so blurry to me. I was too terrified to think about it, I thought I was gonna get sacrificed or something by a raving lunatic." He answered, making her face twitch before she relaxed. "He did some weird chanting, and for a moment I felt like my very soul is being pulled."

"How'd you get out?"

"A Yakuza saved me." He responded, smiling a bit. "The man was pretty old, gray hair and everything, and just… broke the devil's neck as soon as he got close. He was too fast for me to see him move."

"So That's why you started to fanboy when I told you about the Yakuza being related to me." She put a hand over her chin and nodded. "Makes sense."

"Heh, yeah, I kinda got obsessed." He chuckled sheepishly. "The man who saved me was Masumi Arakawa, patriarch of the Arakawa family. He took me back to Kamurocho and dropped me off, but I couldn't just forget about what happened. I wanted to pay him back, I guess.

"I begged him to let me join the family for almost a year straight, staying outside his office every day," Ichiban said. "He kinda ignored me at first, not even acknowledging my existence, but one day, his son, the young mast- I mean, Masato, took pity on me and invited me inside, and it kinda snowballed from there."

"A lot happened to you since then, huh."

"Yup. The Captain is kind of a pretentious dick, though, but I'd be lying if I said he didn't help out too. He trained me in most martial arts I know today." Ichiban leaned back. "Though I'm nothing more than an errand boy right now, I'm not allowed to officially join the family until I'm twenty, but you know? At least now I have something to do. Before all of this happened, my only goal in life was to live the next day."

"Must've been tough." She said, then paused as she smiled sadly. "I'm sorry, I should've done more to help."

"What? No way, you did so much already. I mean, you give me a PS4 and a fuckin' plasma TV. Way more than I could've asked for." He waved it off. "You actually made life worth living for me."

His brain just caught up with what he just uttered, and blushed deeply when he realized the implication. The smug smirk on Akane's face made it clear that she knew it too. Think before you talk next time for fuck's sake.

Though, he almost swore that she had a pinkish hue coloring her cheeks too.

"I-I mean-"

"Smooth, Ichi. Very smooth." She said. "You had my heart go 'doki doki' there. I almost fell for you."

"Goddamn it, stop ruining these tender, heartfelt moments!" He scowled. "Can't we just talk about this friend to a friend?!"

"Sure, but I'm just saying we could be something more."

"Why you-!" He stood up but quickly stopped himself from doing something he'd regret, taking a deep breath. "You're doing this on purpose, I know you are. You're trying to get a rise out of me like always, and you might not know this, but it's not funny. It REALLY pisses me off."

"Why's your face so red, then?" Her smirk widened.

"C-cuz I'm angry, obviously." He said, not knowing if he was trying to convince her or himself. Ichiban scoffed and sat back down. "Whatever, I'm not playing your shit game anymore.."

God, he fucking hated that smirk so much, but he realized that the only way to win is to not play at all, so instead-

"What's up with the hoodie, by the way?"

He changed the subject.

"Hm?" She blinked and tilted her head.

"I mean, it's kinda hot these days, isn't it?" He clarified. "And last you told me, you hated the hot weather."

Akane stared at him silently for a few seconds before she frowned at him.

"Are you telling me to strip?" She questioned with a dangerous gaze. "Because it sounded like you want me to strip."

"W-what- no!" He shivered in fear. "I-I'm just confused-"

"Because you could've just asked." Her frown dropped, replaced by her signature smug smirk.

I am going to choke her to death!

As he was about to throw his cards to do just that, the front door of the house opened, and in walked Akane's mother. All three paused, the younger two staring at Mizuki, who blinked in surprise as she met their glances.

"You're here?" Mizuki stated.

"Captain Obvious," Akane said something in English with a snort, to which her mother rolled her eyes.

"I thought you'd be out." She said, putting her handbag down. "Not going to the arcade?"

Ichiban's eyes widened and he grinned. His saving grace!

"Yo, Mizuki-san!" He waved. "Are you busy today?"

"Hm? Not really." She answered in the process of taking off her coat. "Why?"

"Well, we're gonna see the new MCU movie, and we have an extra ticket." He said, taking one out of his pocket. "Wanna come along?"

"...Which one?" Mizuki asked after a moment.

"Infinity War."

"Seen it."

Damn it!

"Told you." His best friend said.

"I mean, I'm fine with seeing it again." She shrugged. "So if you'll have me, then sure."

"Great!" His grin returned as he handed her the ticket. "I'll see you at the theaters. Don't be late, the movie's about to start soon."

With that, Ichiban rushed to the door and left, escaping Akane's onslaught. Good, now she can't embarrass him anymore, and she'd forget once they watch the movie. He didn't know how she keeps getting to him with this, or why she'd go out of her way to do it, but it's been made pretty clear that he can't really play this game of hers.

Just don't play. He repeated inwardly. That's how you win. Ignore it, don't acknowledge it.

This, however, was far easier said than done.

– Akane –

Look at him, thinking he's so slick by running away. But this isn't enough to get me to stop.

"So what were you doing anyway?" My mother asks.

"Strip Uno," I lie, making her eyes twinkle in excitement.

"Oooooh spicy~!" She giggles. "Is that why you're wearing a hoodie."

"Yep, he got so close to winning, too." I lie again. "I think he got embarrassed when you came in."

"D'aw, doesn't he know he has my blessing?"

"His loss."

"Hm, maybe he just doesn't know." She nods to herself. "Well, I gotta tell him that when we see him. Just wait for me, I'll go change and we can go together."

"Wake Asia up, she's coming with us."

"Aye aye."

I have my ways, Ichi. You can never escape.

Your embarrassment gives me life.

– Riser –

You know, he wasn't exactly modest about it, but Riser did love being a Phenex. He got everything he could need from a social and biological standpoint. A harem, money, regenerative powers, fire magic, and neither the hot nor cold weather bother him. His life was almost perfect, as long as he got Rias of course.

Of course, he didn't quite care about her specifically, he had a lot of women to fuck and fool around with. He only really wanted the name and prestige, because having political power was always fun. Honestly, if Rias wasn't so damn bitchy, he might've liked her.

He tried so damn hard to be nice to her, but she had put it in her mind that he's the ultimate villain or whatever the fuck, so he thought 'fuck you too, bitch' and decided to humor her and BE that villain, and then came the manipulation. He won't be just a villain, he'll be an unbeatable villain.

That'd teach her to not mess with him for no fucking reason.

A lot of people didn't quite approve of his behavior, of course, especially not his sister or Rias' brother, but he was so far into the deep end by this point that it wasn't worth stopping. Ravel couldn't do much to stop him, and Sirzechs, while being the Lucifer, won't be deleting his ass for it.

His parents were ultimately indifferent. They were the ones who proposed the idea, so they didn't care about anything other than him marrying the Gremory girl.

However, he now realized that he should've stopped visiting Rias for the sole purpose of antagonizing her years ago because finally, it had bitten him in the ass. He fucked with the wrong person, even if it wasn't ultimately his fault that she decided to enter the room on the same day he decided to be there.

Of course, he noticed the red flag when he realized that the human girl could actually fight, and was admittedly kicking his ass along with his queen, but he was too pissed to think clearly at the time.

Fucking Yakuza.

"See, you've done a very bad thing, Riser," Serafall said, pouting from behind her desk as he and his sister looked down in fear. "You could've gotten in so much trouble."

She sounded so silly and so childish as if she was just lecturing children who mildly misbehaved, like stealing from a cookie jar, but the atmosphere was so damn heavy, it nearly suffocated him. He was shaking from how fucking cold it was, not even his fire magic was any help.

…Kinda how that human girl felt now that he thought about it, just on a significantly higher degree.

"That was like, ultra bad. Very very bad." She nodded to herself. "Do you understand how bad it was?"

"Y-yeah-"

"Hmm, no, I don't think you do." Serafall leaned forward. "You could've been executed for this, you know? That's very bad, and not just for you. Your little sister would've been sad. You never make little sisters sad."

A horrible chill went down his spine as she said that so casually. Oh, he fucked up bad, didn't he?

"I-I'm very sorry for what my brother did." Ravel bowed. "I-I'll make sure he never does it again."

"Hehe, little Ravel is so responsible these days." Serafall grinned sweetly. "But this isn't about you, so stay the fuck out of it, mmkay?"

Both of them flinched at that. Oh, she is pissed.

"Now, I'm sure Riser feels so bad for what he did." She looked at him sharply, the smile never leaving her face. "So I'll only let him off with a warning this time, I won't even tell your parents, but you will apologize to her, bowing until your forehead touches the ground, okay?"

"U-understood."

"Awesome!" Serafall clapped. "Before you leave, tell me what you learned today."

"D-don't be needlessly disrespectful to everyone…" He said.

"Mhm…?" Her eyes narrowed for a moment as if she were saying 'what else?'

"...E-even to humans."

"Good boy." She praised sarcastically before a terrifying scowl took over her face. "Let me hear you disrespecting anyone, even your own fucking servants, and you'll wish you've been executed today. Now get the fuck out of my office."

The siblings bowed and hurriedly left the office, walking silently through the hallways of the Leviathan's mansion. Once they were out, Ravel quickly twirled and grabbed her older brother by the collar, glaring daggers at him.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" She yelled at him. "Are you braindead?!"

"What the fuck- Let go of me!" He screamed back as he pushed her away.

"Seriously, what the hell is the matter with you?! Why would you do that?!"

"Wha- how should I know who that girl was?!" He argued. "I didn't know what she looked like- I didn't even know she was in Kuoh for fuck's sake!"

"So you just assume a random human is a slave?! Really?!"

"What? " He scoffed. "Why would any devil let a human run around their domain if they weren't a slave?"

Ravel took a step back, clenching her chest as her angry expression dropped, replaced by an overly tired one. "You're gonna give me a heart attack."

"You're a Phenex. You can't have a heart attack."

"Shut up! Just shut up! Don't talk!" She pointed at him angrily.

"I-"

"SHUT UP!" She screamed, making him flinch, admittedly intimidated at her unusual outburst. "Just let me think in silence. Please."

He'd never seen her so mad before.

Riser looked away with an upset look, feeling a bit guilty for his actions, though he'd never admit it to anybody. Okay, he did fuck up, he'll admit that. He didn't know who the girl was, but maybe he should've done some research before going to Kuoh.

Still, she shouldn't have blown up on him like that. Seriously, how was he supposed to know? It's not his fault.

"Okay, look." Ravel sighed in frustration after a minute. "Tomorrow, you and I will both go to the human world to apologize to the Amamiya Girl. Lady Serafall made it clear enough that you don't have another choice in this."

"...Alright." He responded with a nod as a silent moment passed.

"Good." Ravel rubbed his eyes. "Good. Let's just go home now."

Yeah, home sounded real nice right about now.

Angry Serafall is so much fun to write. Is she OOC? Probably. Do I care? No.

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