She who found bonds of friendship

I

Returning to the school was a task and a half in Romani's mind, the newfound knowledge that some of the students there weren't even human was something that he was still trying to wrap his head around.

Leona had advised him to stay back home for a few more days to come to terms with what he had recently found out and take it slow and while he would ordinarily have called it a good idea, there were just some things that he didn't want to run away from. Or rather, couldn't run away from. As it stood, it wasn't like he could just avoid the school forever and…

He really did worry about Issei considering he didn't know how the boy was feeling right now, they had been in more or less the same position and the idea of him just up and abandoning Issei right now just felt…

It felt ugly to him.

So as much as Leona's advice made sense, there just wasn't much choice. He just wanted to make sure Issei was alright.

That and he was worried that Shitori would come to his house to collect him for work, she was a stickler for the rules and whether that came from her being a Devil or just because that was how she was, it wasn't something he could answer and he supposed it didn't matter either way.

There was still the sheer absurdity of the situation that Leona had explained to him last night in regards to the current circumstances at the school and who was actually residing there. Some of the Students were Devils.

She might as well have told him that they were aliens for all the sense that it made for the Student Council and the Occult research club to be 'Devils' or some such creature from fantasy. He grimaced ever so slightly, thinking of them as creatures now sounded rather rude to him considering the fact that he had spoken to the Student Council on a number of occasions and there wasn't anything about them that indicated they weren't human.

There were still a lot of questions circling around in his head that he wasn't sure he wanted the answers too either. For instance, how did one become a Devil? Issei had apparently died - he really should talk to him about that and see how he was doing - and been resurrected as some manner of devil, did that mean the same was true of the other students?

In that case, who the heck was bringing them back to life in the first place?

It was just very confusing to him.

The only silver lining was that his eyes weren't acting up, whatever issues he'd been having with them for the past week or so had gradually died down into nothing. If he had any semblance of luck, then he wasn't going to have to deal with them again but if recent events had taught him anything it was to always expect the worst in every situation he encountered.

That way he was never disappointed!

His lip curled in dissatisfaction, that sounded like much better advice in his head.

Regardless of whether his eyes were acting up or not, he did need to talk to someone about them and find out what exactly was wrong with them.

That brought about its own set of problems though.

What was he supposed to do if he had magic eyes?

It wasn't like he could ignore it at the best of times and given how he was, what good did he do to be made aware of someone going to die? He'd already alerted Issei before and the teenager still went out and got himself injured in the exact manner that he had foreseen. His right hand raised itself up and pressed against his forehead.

Did that mean that whatever he saw couldn't be changed?

How was he supposed to come to terms with that if it was the case!?

He paused on his walk, slowly shifting his head to the side and blinking once as he found himself on a little off-section on his walk to work. It would take him slightly longer to reach it but he could handle a small delay. Despite his newfound confidence - if it could be called that - he still wasn't exactly rushing to get to school. He could afford a little break.

Beyond that, with all that had been going on it seemed like it was as good a time as any to spoil himself.

With that in mind, he stepped through the automatic doors and entered the corner shop, already making his way towards the confectionary section of the store. That was another thing that struck him as making a bizarre amount of sense.

Toujou's ability to always find his hidden stashes and her incredible appetite for sugar.

She wasn't human.

Maybe it was paranoia or maybe it was routine but he didn't really want to see what she was like if he failed to provide her with her daily supply. The absurdity that he was potentially buying his safety with sweets wasn't lost on him but it was something he just wasn't concerned about right now.

No point in risking it.

Romani adjusted the plastic bag in his hand as he left the corner shop, shooting a single glance towards it and checking he had packed everything he had set out to purchase. Nodding once, he looked back up and set back on his journey towards the school, not before adjusting his right arm to get a better look at his wrist watch and check the time.

He internally let out a sigh of relief to see that he still had plenty of time left to get to school and open up the nurses office before he lowered the arm back down again. Exhaling once, he stepped back into the street and turned his body to follow the path back the way to the school. He caught sight of one or two other students on his way there but other than that the path was fairly clear.

Right up until the point he nearly ran into Issei, the two of them stopped dead in the street when they caught sight of the other. Romani had an expression that would have been better described as a deer caught in the headlights while Issei was stunned for a few moments before his expression lit up with clear relief and he turned towards the nurse, approaching him and raising his right hand up as a sign of greeting.

"Roman-sensei!" He called out, exhaling as he did so and coming to a halt in front of the man, his school bag slung over his shoulder haphazardly with the rest of his uniform looking crooked and half done. In other words, he looked as he always did. "You're back!" Issei continued on, smiling widely at the man before he paused and tilted his head "Eh? Roman-sensei? Are you alright? You're looking at me strangely?"

"H-huh?" Romani jolted ever so slightly before he opened and closed his mouth repeatedly "Y-yeah…I…um…" he looked Issei up and down for a few moments before drawing his lips into a thin line "...What about you?"

Issei stared at him blankly for a few moments as his right hand dropped down to his side and he frowned "I'm…" he tapped his fingers on his leg for a few seconds "Alright, I think." there was a slight pause before he nodded his head. "Yeah, I'm alright."

"Are you sure?" Romani asked again, this time his words came out as a flurry of rapid fire syllables, the student recoiled away at the sheer speed by which the nurse spoke "Because when I last saw you, you were-"

"Ah, right!" Issei snapped his fingers and nodded his head, reaching up and scratching the top of his head "Yeah, Rias-senpai explained it to me…" he paused, then moved his hand down from the top of his head to cup his chin "Actually, she's Buchou now." he looked to Romani and grinned "I joined the occult research club!"

"Y-you did?" Romani asked with a strained voice "Aren't…um…aren't they all…" he then gestured to Issei "And aren't you…?"

"Ahahaha…yeah…um…it's a bit weird for me too." Issei admitted with a nod of the head "Are you going to be in school today?"

"That was the plan." Romani admitted with a quiet chuckle as he started to walk forwards, Issei falling into step at his side "Don't want to be late anymore, not since I found out that Shitori-san was also a Devil."

Issei nodded along at his side before he paused and furrowed his brows, then looked up at the nurse with a baffled expression "Huh?"

Romani looked down at the boy with a raised eyebrow "Sona Shitori-san? She's also a Devil…you…" his eyes slowly widened "D-didn't you know that?"

"No!" Issei gave a strangled gasp "What the heck!? Does this mean all the student council are like that?"

"I don't know!"

"Me neither!"

Issei opened his mouth before shaking his head and looking straight ahead "I'll ask Buchou about it." He remained silent for a few moments. "How are you feeling, Roman-sensei?" he asked again with concern coating his words "I saw your wife yesterday, I asked if she could pass a message along to you."

"Yeah…Leo said you were worried about me." Romani mumbled before giving the boy an apologetic smile "Sorry for worrying you like that."

"Huh?" Issei gaped at him "No! It's my fault you got hurt." the boy stated with absolute surety, grinding his teeth and looking off to the side as he clenched his hand into a fist "If I hadn't gone to the park…"

"Issei-kun…" Romani sighed to himself, reaching up and rubbing his forehead "It's not like either of us knew what was going on…" he reassured the boy before giving him a faint smile "I don't think it's anyone's fault what happened…You were really desperate for answers and I should have known you weren't going to take no for an answer…" he let out a self-depreciating chuckle "You're a lot braver than me when it comes to that sort of thing."

"No way!" Issei shook his head rapidly, moving to catch up with the nurse as he pulled ahead "Roman-sensei, if you hadn't pushed me out the way then I'd probably be really hurt!"

"...Hmmmm." Romani hummed in response, raising his left arm towards his shoulder and rubbing it with a slight wince, the action drew Issei's immediate attention with his previous stern expression melting away back into worry.

"Does it still-?"

"A little numb." Romani mumbled "I think that's the weirdest thing about it…" he continued on as he drew the hand back to his side "It…yesterday it felt like someone set my back on fire and today its just…" he shrugged his shoulders ever so slightly "...It's just like I bumped it or something." a half crazed laugh came from his throat as he gestured to Issei "It's just…really strange to think about now is all…"

"Right…" Issei nodded his head along with the nurse before he gave an understanding smile of his own. "It's sort of the same for me actually, I know what Buchou is saying but it just doesn't feel real, you know?" the boy bit his lip as he stared ahead of himself "Like I'm going to just wake up in my bed and find out it was all a dream…"

Romani grumbled quietly "I don't think you need to pinch me anymore though." he looked towards the boy, then shifted his eyes left and right before he leaned closer "Does it feel different?"

"Does what feel different?" Issei gave him a confused expression as he utterly failed to understand what the nurse was talking about for a few seconds, when Romani gave him a baffled look the boy then understood "Oooooh." he widened his eyes slightly and hummed to himself.

"Well…" Issei began, squinting his eyes slightly "The sun is a bit brighter than I remember and I think my hearing has improved." he explained after a few moments "I think that's how I was able to hear all those people bad mouthing us the other day…" he pointed to his ears before a slightly pained look came upon his face "Although it's a little hard sometimes, like I just…I turn around at a loud voice only to find out they're really far away from me."

Romani nodded along with him, his apprehension at dealing with something inhuman gradually melting away in favour of the actual concern from a medical standpoint. "So you've got sensitive ears now?" he muttered, cupping his chin and looking on ahead. "And better eyesight…should probably make a note of that in case of a fire alarm or you get hit with a bright light."

Issei blinked several times before he blanched ever so slightly "You think that's gonna hurt?"

The nurse winced and turned towards him with a reassuring expression, raising his good arm and waving the boy down from concern "I'm sure it's fine!" he spoke in a tone of voice that could hardly be considered convincing in the least "Y-yeah, perfectly fine…" he was silent for a few more seconds before he spoke up again "You should probably ask someone with more experience?" he added on with a strained look on his face.

Issei's face blanked, his eyes turned away from the nurse and back towards the path of the school "...I'm very lost right now."

"...Me too."

"Heh." Issei chuckled ever so slightly before he gave the nurse a half smile "At least we're lost together?"

"I mean…" Romani scratched the back of his neck "Leona explained some of it to be last night…" he pointed out with a struggling tone of voice "With the whole…devils, angels and fallen angels…also the other Gods-"

"Other Gods?" Issei blinked before he made a face "Oh, right…I guess it would be a little strange if they didn't exist, did they?" he nodded his head before he paused and furrowed his brow then made a confused face "Wait a second…wouldn't it make sense for Shinto Gods to be here?" he paused and then looked around in a nervous way "A-am I going to be in trouble with Gods?" he asked in a low whispering voice on the verge of panic.

Romani made a panicked face at the idea that he was going to be on a God's 'bad person' list.

"A-are you?" He couldn't help but blurt out in alarm, looking no more reassured about the implication that they would be in trouble with the Gods of the country.

"You mean you don't know?"

"Why would I know!?" Romani recoiled, placing his hand on his chest and gaping at the teen with a rapidly paling expression "I'm human and not even Japanese! I didn't know any of this was actually real until a couple of days ago!"

Issei's right hand moved up and pressed itself into his forehead as his breathing started to speed up "I-I need to ask Buchou about this! I don't want to get smited!"

"I don't want you to get smited either!"

"Tuck in your shirt." Tsubaki spoke in a curt tone as she pointed to a dark haired student, the boy froze on the spot at being called out - worse was the fact she didn't even turn her head towards him when she addressed him - before he complied with the demand. His friends snickered at him before she spoke up again "Don't dawdle either."

The laughter died down and the group hastily made their way into the school grounds.

The vice-president of the student council withheld a sigh as she watched more students enter the school grounds. It was a tireless job, they would find themselves reminding the exact same students to ensure their shirts were tucked in or to remove their piercings. The students would comply for a few days and then they'd be right back to where they were before.

It wasn't like they were the worst offenders - a certain trio held that lofty title - but it was the principle of the matter. Sona Sitri demanded an organised and punctual school, presentation was very much a factor when it came to the appearance of Kuoh. If the students were seen to be a rowdy bunch who would flaunt even the simplest of rules, then the image of the school suffered as a result.

Tsubaki cast her eyes about the courtyard, idly gazing at each individual student as they entered. In truth this task would usually have been left to another of the council members - or likely Genshirou - but she was here for a special reason. An earlier phone call from the Archaman household informed them that Romani would be attending school as usual from now on.

A lot of it was to study how the man was actually reacting to the situation, Sitri-Kaichou was always certain to thoroughly vet an individual and make them aware of everything related to Devils and the mystic world that would be necessary for them to know. It was a gradual process that took several weeks. Dropping them in the deep end right away usually invited panic and clear discomfort.

Romani had most certainly been dropped in the deep end in nearly one of the worst ways possible, nearly being killed by a Stray Devil - which had been wiped from his mind - and nearly being killed in an altercation between a Fallen Angel and a newly reincarnated Devil, that one he did remember.

Suffice to say that as he was a member of staff and Sitri-Kaichou was one to look after all those who studied at the school and taught at the school, he fell under her sphere of protection. Not that they could do much more than that, given the agreement that was ongoing between themselves and the man's wife, Rias Gremory still had to report back to them on that front.

The familiar mop of strawberry coloured hair caught her eye in the distance, accompanied by a teal green button up shirt underneath a padded black coat and white trousers. Romani was approaching and he wasn't alone either, accompanied by one Hyoudou Issei.

Tsubaki found herself slowly raising an eyebrow at the pair of them as they got closer and closer to the front gates.

Romani's expression was one of abject terror, looking as though he was being dragged in front of a firing line. His eyes were wide and his skin was paler than usual. That alone was regrettable but not unexpected, some did not react well to the topic of Devils and mystics. What did surprise her was the fact that Issei was sporting a near identical expression to the nurse as the pair strode into the school.

She stared at them for a few more seconds before her eyes slowly moved down to the plastic bag in his hands, her lips drawing themselves into a thin line as she stared at the disposable shop back filled to the brim with confectionaries. From gummy bears to muffins, the man was all but announcing a complete rejection of a healthy diet. As if spitting on his role as a nurse for student health.

It was enough to warrant a closer look at any rate, with an internal sigh she pushed her glasses up before she turned and started to make her way towards them. Issei caught sight of her first as she approached, the boy nudged the older man and brought his attention to her. He gave her an odd look but didn't drop the expression, in fact he seemed to grow more apprehensive as she closed in but he didn't make an effort to flee from her.

Whether that was because he just didn't want to make a scene or was so rooted in terror that he couldn't even comprehend escape wasn't something that was known to her.

"Archaman-sensei." She nodded to him as she slowed to a halt, making sure to move around to the front of the pair and prevent them from walking forwards any further. The two individuals similarly stopped walking and stared down at her with equally nervous expressions. Her eyes briefly flickered to Issei for a few moments "Hyoudou-san. Your shirt is untucked."

"H-huh?" Issei jolted in surprise before he looked down at his uniform and made a noise of understanding, Tsubaki's eyes fell back upon Romani as the young boy to her right adjusted his shirt as best he could.

She found herself staring up at the shaken emerald orbs, the man tried very hard to look anywhere but her face. "I see you are back with us today, Archaman-sensei." she spoke after a few moments before her tone shifted into something softer "I hope you are not pushing yourself, I believe it was you who previously gave me advice about taking on more work than I could handle, was it not?"

The man stared at her with a faint glimmer of confusion for a moment before remembrance flashed across his face and his lip twitched upwards "N-no…nothing like that." he waved off her concerns as best as he could manage. Which wasn't at all convincing, she doubted even he would have believed it.

"I just…" He paused, rolling his jaw before his eyes flickered away from her "...Couldn't stay home all day? Right?"

Tsubaki slowly raised an eyebrow.

"I mean…I probably could, now that I think about it." He mumbled to himself "Just…not at the moment anyway…thinking through some things and-"

"Archaman-sensei." Tsubaki politely interrupted him, raising the flat of her hand to stop him before he could start a full blown rant "You do not need to explain your situation to me. However…" her eyes slowly traced down to the bag in his hand and her expression became more concerned "...I do not believe that is an appropriate method to reduce your stress."

The nurse jolted in surprise before he looked down at the bag in his hands, then back towards her before back at the bag. The process repeated itself several times before he made an 'o' shape with his mouth and waved his free hand from side to side "No! This isn't for me!" he held up the bag and pointed at it with a nervous smile "Its for…" he paused, slowly closing his mouth again.

Tsubaki squinted at him for a few moments before understanding blossomed on her face and her expression turned disapproving.

"I hope you are not about to tell me those are for Toujou-san."

Romani remained silent for a few seconds "Noooooo?" His elongated pronunciation of the word combined with his utter refusal to meet her eyes caused her to let out a long sigh and pinch the bridge of her nose.

"Archaman-sensei…Need I remind you that the only food that students should bring in are from their own packed lunches?" She lowered the hand and levelled an unimpressed - but not unsurprised - look at him "And Toujou-san has already received repeated warnings for her eating of confectionery products within the school outside of lunch hours. If you are going to enable this habit of hers then I would suggest you think long and hard about not doing so."

Romani stared at her "But what if she gets angry?" he couldn't help but blurt out in a panic before he snapped his jaw shut and shifted his expression into a panicked one yet again.

Tsubaki made a face at him before she understood something.

Closing her eyes, she exhaled "Archaman-sensei…" her eyes opened up and she did her best to convey confidence into her next words "...I can assure you that Toujou-san will not do anything to bring harm to you." she nodded to the bag "You should not feel the need to try and buy off your own safety."

Romani looked away guiltily.

"Huh." Issei blinked and looked back up from sorting out his shirt, just about missing most of the conversation saved the tail end of it "I wondered what those sweets were for." he muttered before he turned to the nurse "Roman-sensei…" he mumbled before shaking his head "I'm sure that Koneko-chan wouldn't do anything to hurt you." he raised his hand to around his ribs "She's like this tall."

Romani looked mildly relieved by the news but still on edge.

Tsubaki omitted any details she could add that Koneko Toujou was a rook and was therefore capable of - quite easily - feats of physical strength that far exceeded what her size would realistically allow.

Issei himself had put Koneko carrying Romani bridal style to just being a devil, considering he felt marginally stronger as well.

"Y-yeah…" Romani muttered to himself, still staring towards the ground and idly drumming his fingers against his thigh "...Sorry, just…yeah…" he then paused and looked towards Tusbaki once again "A-also…" he looked towards Issei, the vice-president noted the same look of apprehension dawn on the new pawns face.

"Yes?"

"A-are you going to get in trouble with the Shinto Gods?" Issei asked in a slightly panicked tone of voice before he pointed at himself "Am I going to get in trouble with the Shinto Gods?"

Tsubaki stared at him in disbelief for a few moments before her words caught up with her brain "E-excuse me?"

"Then he is perfectly well?" Sona asked as she looked up from her desk towards Tsubaki as she recounted the encounter from earlier.

A pensive expression flickered across her face for a moment before she responded to the question posed to her "I would not go so far, however he appeared to be more relaxed when I explained to him that the Shinto and Yokai factions were not likely to attempt to kill him." there was a pause. "On another topic, it seemed that Hyoudou Issei was unaware that I was a Devil until Archaman-sensei informed him earlier."

Sona flattened her features, shaking her head "That is unsurprising, the rate at which Rias explains certain facts is troubling to say the least." leaning back into her chair, she returned her gaze to the vice-president "What would you say of Archaman-sensei as of this moment?"

"Troubled." Tsubaki responded immediately "I doubt he is dealing with the situation particularly well as of this moment, however it should be noted that he did not react violently to my presence nor overwhelmingly fearfully."

"There is wariness present?"

Tsubaki nodded her head, her features turning troubled. "He also arrived at school with a plastic bag full of sweets for Toujou-san."

Sona frowned "For a nurse, he has a very flexible definition on what encompasses student health, see to it that he does not try to encourage-"

"That…was not why he brought them in." Tsubaki gently interrupted the president, the girl paused and raised an eyebrow to prompt Tusbaki to elaborate further. "He did so out of…concern for what would befall him if Toujou-san did not receive sweets of some kind."

Sona blinked several times before a look of apprehension spread across her features "...I see. That is not the response I was hoping for but it is…better than I expected." she sighed, reaching up and rubbing her forehead "...If I were to approach him, how do you think we would respond?"

"I believe that would depend upon how you approached him, while I cannot fully explain his current feelings I do believe he is, at the very least willing, to engage in discussion." There was a pause before she nodded her head "If you approach him in much the same way as you would ordinarily do so, then I believe there would be little cause for concern."

"...Very well." Sona nodded her head "Rias has her hands full with her own problems at the moment in regard to educating her recent pawn. I will see to it that Archaman-sensei is in no danger of suffering a mental breakdown any time soon."

Pushing herself up from her desk, Sona moved around it and continued to speak even as she approached the door "When the others arrive, inform them where I am if I have not yet returned." a beat "And there is paperwork for the school trip planned to Kyoto later in the year, see to it that it gets completed. That will take up much of our time for the coming weeks."

"Understood, Kaichou." Tsubaki nodded her head "And the forms from the extracurricular clubs?"

"We are still waiting for the Tennis Club and Manga research club, I believe." Sona replied after a moment's thought "Remind them to speed up their progress then we might review all the forms at once." She opened up the door and stepped outside of the room. "Until then, I shall be away."

"Of course, Kaichou."

The door shut with a gentle click.

Romani slumped into his chair, gently kicking off the ground and sending himself into a spin. Whenever the chair started to slow down he'd tap the floor once again to send himself back into a rotation.

The news that he and Issei weren't about to get smited by the Gods of Japan was marginally reassuring. Although it had then been followed up by the reveal that Yokai were real. Romani didn't even know what a Yokai was until it was explained to him by Shinra-san.

Apparently fox-girls were real.

He wasn't actually that frightened by that reveal, it wasn't as though he was a massive fan of that type of thing but it would be interesting to see a person who had a fox tail. Apparently Issei had felt the same way judging by the fact that he had stared off into space for a few seconds before a giddy smile came to his face and a touch of red had dusted upon his cheeks.

Getting used to the idea that everything mystical was probably real was still one he had trouble wrapping his head around.

Perhaps it wasn't so much the fact they existed as it was the fact they had managed to do all of this without anyone actually noticing at all. Or if they did, perhaps it was being kept a secret? That was certainly a possibility.

It was a likely one as well, however he suspected that thinking more on this topic would run the risk of him sounding like a conspiracy nut.

If he didn't already.

He exhaled once again, closing his eyes and leaning back into his chair as it slowed in its rotation before finally halting. The nurse kept his eyes closed and found himself oddly content in enjoying the quiet of the moment. He could - at least for a few seconds - give himself some small piece of mind.

…

…

"...This isn't working." He muttered under his breath as he opened his eyes again, extending his left hand forwards and grasping hold of the edge of his desk before pulling himself closer to it and resting both arms on its surface before he dropped his forehead into them. Try as he might, he just wasn't going to get over this any time soon.

No matter how hard he really wanted to.

He could blame others for keeping it a secret but it wasn't really because of them that he found out about this. It was because of his stupid eyes and their freakish painful visions of the future that were the problem. His jaw rolled and his teeth gritted against one another in frustration, more aimed at himself than anything else.

And he still didn't know anything about his eyes to begin with.

He supposed he could ask Leona when he got back but…

He probably should ask her, maybe there was some magic something that she could do about them to make them stop. They hadn't acted up yet but truth be told - while he was thankful for that - he was under no optimistic illusions that this peace would last. His eyes would more than likely act up again and he'd receive some vision of some horrific event that probably hadn't taken place yet and he'd be in no position to really do anything about it.

The sound of the door sliding open to his right had him shaken out of his state for the most part, pushing his own issues right to the back of his mind so he could dwell upon them later as he turned towards the door and prepared himself to deal with some early morning injury. "So that's the….problem…"

Romani's voice trailed off into a quiet whisper as he saw who was stood at the entrance to the office, Sona Shitori - apparently her actual name was Sitri or something according to Leona - pushed her glasses up slightly to adjust the lenses as she stepped into the room and gave it a cursory glance.

"The problem right now is you, Nurse Archaman." Sona bluntly spoke as she stared down at him for a few moments, Romani's face instantly drained of blood. Rendering his features exceedingly pale and he himself unable to move from his current spot of being rooted in his chair. His heart rate shot up and hammered in his chest, a frantic beating that had more in common with a drumset falling down a flight of stairs than a composed tempo.

However, before he could respond to what Sona had said she continued on and looked away from him and focused solely on the plastic bag of sweets he had bought earlier "While I will not comment upon what you buy for your own lunch - seeing as it saves you from pilfering the school cafeteria - I would remind you not to disturb such unhealthy foods to the student body."

"...Eh?"

"As a nurse you should already be aware of the damage caused by a high intake of sugar, not just upon one's teeth but also their physical health." Sona gave a faint sigh and shook her head "There is a difference between having your personal stash of sweets repossessed by Toujou-san and actively gifting her large quantities." she turned back to the nurse with a disappointed look on her face "I trust I do not need to remind you of this again, regardless of who Toujou-san is and if she is in some way threatening you, then I would ask you report such occurrences to the Student Council, as admittedly unlikely as they are."

Romani opened and closed his mouth repeatedly "Y-you're here about the sweets?" he dumbly asked, prompting Sona to raise an eyebrow at him while continuing to give him a bland stare.

"Naturally." She responded "There is little reason for me to be here otherwise, you have been rather punctual as of late when it comes to paperwork." there was a pause before a resigned look flashed across her eyes "Although, I am personally dubious as to how long this streak of success will last…"

Despite the situation, Romani couldn't help but flush with embarrassment and release a nervous chuckle as he gazed off to the side. His right arm slowly raised itself and he scratched the back of his neck in a fairly inconspicuous manner. "Well…um…" he paused before shaking his head and turning back to her "T-that's all you came for?"

Sona stared at him for a few moments longer, her lips slowly drawing themselves into a thin line before she sighed and turned around. Grabbing the handle of the door and pulling it across to gently click the entrance to the office shut. As she turned back around she noted that Romani's expression had again reverted to panic and he had moved his chair several feet away from her.

"Nurse Archaman…I have no intention of causing you harm." She raised her left hand and held it up so the flat of her palm was facing him "Just as I have no intention of harming any of the other student body within this school, or any of the faculty. You being aware of my true nature does not change that fact in the slightest."

"R-right…but…well…" He nodded towards her and gave a half shrug "You know…Devil…"

"I am aware that my kind does not have the greatest of reputations within the human world but the same could be said for you." She pointed out with a raised eyebrow, earning a confused look from the nurse. Seeing him not quite understanding her point, she elaborated further "Do you live in fear of every human you encounter?"

"Huh? No…"

"Really? Even though that there are some humans who murder, steal and commit sin on a mere whim?"

"Well…yes but that's not…oh."

"Oh, indeed." Sona nodded once "That is not everyone and even then, the past of humanity is far from bloodless is it?"

"...No…it isn't." Romani conceded with a nod of the head, looking away from her slightly shamefully.

"No. I do not expect you to resort to the same manner of brutality as a viking raider in much the same way I would hope you would not expect me to become the monster that is depicted in folktales." She studied his expression for a few more moments before she sighed and looked to the side "There was a time when you would have been correct to fear Devils and when we did exactly the sort of barbarity you expect me to do now but that was centuries ago. Our kind has changed somewhat over time and become much more civilised."

Romani bit his lip, looking between the girl and the wall "S-so…you don't steal souls?"

"No. We do not steal souls." Sona shook her head "And while there are some Devils that might rant and rave about a return to the old ways, they are in much the same minority as bigots are in the human world."

The nurse looked towards her before his expression shifted guiltily "W-well…when you put it like that I feel terrible…" he grimaced "A-am I stereotyping you?"

"Slightly." Sona bluntly responded, earning a flinch from the nurse "But that is hardly any fault of your own." closing her eyes, she stepped further into the room but not too close to Romani, stopping just next to his desk "I should ask how you are feeling…it was rather swiftly that you returned to work, several more days of rest and recovery at your home would not be looked down upon."

"I'm fine." Romani responded automatically before he groaned, reaching up and rubbing his forehead "Don't answer…I know that didn't sound convincing at all…"

"I suppose you are still self-aware at the very least." The woman pointed out with a minute smile ghosting her lips for a split second before it vanished away "I suppose you are aware that the members of the Student Council and Occult Research Club are Devils?"

Romani slowly nodded his head before he scrunched his face up "I-is the occult research club supposed to be an inside joke?"

"Rias has a rather…blunt sense of humour." Sona responded with a roll of her eyes "And not nearly as witty as she believes it to be."

"...Do they even research the occult?"

Sona blinked once before a frown came upon her face "I am not currently aware whether they do or not…They have never actually submitted a document for their club activities before."

"Oh…" Romani winced before he looked back to his desk, reaching out at it and slowly dragging himself closer "S-so…why are you at school?"

"...To learn." Sona replied as if Romani had said something completely stupid "That is why I am in school, in much the same way that the other students are in school. That is the purpose of a school, Nurse Archaman."

Romani closed his eyes and raised his hand, waving it slightly "Yes, yes I know that but…well…why are…you know…"

"Why are Devils in school?" Sona surmised "The reason remains the same, to learn. I am learning the human method of education and fully intend to use it for my own future. My being in Kuoh is merely a trial run of when I will own a territory for myself."

Romani nodded his head for a few seconds before he paused "...Own?"

"Joint ownership, I should say." She corrected herself "It is split between myself and Rias but I suppose you would already have been informed of this." she looked back towards him and blinked once, instantly taking notice of the gaping look of complete shock present on the nurse's face "You…did not know of this?"

"Wha-no!" Romani recoiled at her, then widened his eyes "You really are a Yakuza boss…" he whispered to himself in sudden realisation.

Unfortunately for Romani, he was still unaware of the heightened senses that all Devils possessed. Which meant that it would have made no real difference whether he had whispered his sentence or shouted it out at the top of his lungs. Sona heard him all the same.

Her eyes flashed and her jaw clenched, a faint dusting of red touched upon her cheeks "I am not a Yakuza boss, Nurse Archaman, please do not continue to make that comparison."

"But you're talking about owning territory!" The nurse countered before he could help it, his mouth running on automatic "And you even have minions, you're always doing loads of stuff that go above the heads of the faculty too!"

"T-that is just part of my job in running the territory!" Sona countered as well, stuttering on the first word showcasing just how caught off-guard she truly was at the comparison. What was worse was the fact the comparison was not without merit and Sona knew that. If Romani ever found out who she was related to - if he didn't already know - he'd probably accuse her of being a Yakuza princess.

"My role is-" she cut herself off again, closing her eyes and exhaling through her nose "...Regardless. My job within the mystic world is to run Kuoh to ensure it is well maintained from outside incursions."

"Outside incursions?"

"Do not concern yourself with those." Sona dismissed with a wave of her hand "They are not your responsibility. They are mine and Rias."

Romani opened his mouth to respond before he closed it again and leaned back into his chair, nodding his head "Right…I guess it explains why you're more mature than me."

Sona raised an eyebrow at him "My being a Devil doesn't change my sense of maturity."

"Well, it sort of does." Romani offered with a shrug as he gave her a half smile "I mean, you are older than me right?"

"...Excuse me?"

"Hm?" Romani tilted his head at her "I mean, you are aren't you?" he gestured to her "I thought that was a thing unless…" he winced "Do Devils not actually live a really long time?" he asked somewhat nervously.

Sona continued to stare at him before she responded "The lifespan of a Devil can stretch into the thousands, yes…" she responded slowly before her eyes narrowed.

Romani exhaled "Thank goodness, I figured it would be really embarrassing if you were younger than me and more mature." he remarked, reaching up and scratching the back of his neck "I mean…I don't know why you're here if you're really old unless it's like dog years." he realised, moving his hand back to his chin and cupping it "...Are they?"

"Nurse Archaman."

"Hm?"

"...I am the exact same age as the other third-year students." She responded, her right eye twitching slightly.

"You are?" Romani blurted out in surprise before his expression scrunched up "R-really?"

"Yes."

"O-ooooh."

"Indeed." She pushed her glasses up at an angle so that they caught the light and reflected a white beam from the lens. "As such, you have little excuse when it comes to your maturity."

Romani looked down "Okay…"

"Excellent." Sona nodded her head once "I believe that I have covered everything." she paused "On another topic, should I discover that you have indeed been handing out sweets to the students I shall be very displeased." she reminded the man once again with slightly narrowed eyes.

The student Council president gave a single nod towards the nurse - satisfied she had delivered her message as intended - before she turned around and moved back across the room towards the door. If nothing else, she hoped that she had at least put the nurses worries to rest when it came to dealing with Devils.

Romani watched the young girl depart, closing the door behind her with a gentle click and leaving him alone in the office. Despite the situation, Romani couldn't help but slump his shoulders in mild defeat. He could have been able to save face if he thought that the student council were something like five-hundred years old and they just looked like teenagers, that would at least explain how they were just better orientated towards their work than he was.

But as it turned out, they really weren't.

It effectively put him back at square one when it came to comparing himself with the student council.

Still, the words of Sitri-san did hold some weight. When she explained it like that it didn't seem to be so strange or threatening. Despite that, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of discomfort when he was alone in the same room as her. Perhaps it was the knowledge of what she was now but there was just something about her that he found was odd.

If he were to put it into words.

She acted far too human. When he was told they were Devils, he had been expecting…something.

He didn't know what but he was expecting some sort of change about her or perhaps they would treat him differently or perhaps they would look different.

Instead they seemed to act much in the same way they did already.

If he had never found out they weren't human, he wouldn't have suspected them in the least. Which either meant they were very good at blending in…or that was just how they acted. Nearly identical to normal humans.

He wasn't sure which of the two options were more disturbing.

Reaching up to his brow, he rubbed his forehead while letting out a long sigh.

This really was much too complicated for him to handle.

He turned his eyes down towards the plastic bag full of sweets he had near his desk, then drifted his sight towards the door.

It was still early in the morning and he doubted anyone else would be coming to visit him.

He could always help himself to a couple of treats to take his mind off of things, resting his hand on the table he started to pull himself closer and closer towards his intended target. The chair rolled to a halt next to the confectionary bag, the nurse whistled to himself as he reached down and flipped it open, staring at the selection he had.

His eyes fell upon the single slice of cake he had purchased before he reached down towards it and took the packet in his hands. Removing the wrapping and tearing open the sticker before popping the plastic open.

A faint smile came to his face.

It smelled very chocolatey.

White hair twitched, nostrils widened as they inhaled a faint scent in the air.

The head the hair was mounted atop of turned in the direction of the scent, amber coloured eyes narrowed her so slightly and their owner found themselves drawn towards the smell. Ignoring the other students as they headed to their morning classes and instead heading in an entirely different direction.

As they got closer and closer to the smell, they began to detect other scents underlying the strongest one of chocolate.

They sped up.

Sweets.

That was what they smelled.

With Romani away yesterday, the stockpiles that had been hidden around the school had run dry as such she had been forced to bring in her own sweets. While that was nothing new to her, it was simply much easier to obtain some from the school nurse.

Beyond that, he seemed to have little restraint when it came to sharing them.

She couldn't quite understand that but she wasn't going to complain when she directly benefited from it.

Like a shark smelling blood in the water, Koneko Toujou homed in on the nurse's office moving as swiftly as she could without attracting attention.

Was she also concerned for his well-being?

Probably.

Right now though, she could smell a mountain of sweets and she was determined to see what exactly the nurse had bought. At the very least, she could aid him in hiding them away from the student council.

She was good at getting into small spaces.

Romani hummed to himself as he placed the small bite of cake in his mouth, drumming his fingers on the desk with his free hand as he did so.

He paused as he stared at the cake, then down to the bag of sweets before he sighed.

"Maybe I need to go to the gym?" He paused to consider the notion for a few moments before he made a face at the self-suggestion. "Maybe not." He realised with a shake of the head, it would be much easier for him to buy some fruit and have some every now and again.

He paused as he moved to get another piece of cake.

Maybe he could get some fruit cake?

It contained fruit so it was healthy, right?

Romani smiled at his flawless logic, he could just buy himself some fruit cake every now and again to keep himself healthy and to break up his usual snacks of sugary sweets and desserts he 'borrowed' from the cafeteria.

The door slid open, Romani froze on the spot and snapped his eyes towards the entrance.

He remained rooted on the spot with a spoon in his mouth and a half-eaten chocolate cake in front of him.

Koneko stood in the doorway, staring not at him but rather at the dessert that was placed upon his desk, then her amber coloured orbs locked onto the plastic bag by his feet. Romani stared at her for a few seconds, then looked down at the bag before back at her.

With an audible gulp, he slowly removed the spoon from his mouth "...Shitori-san said you can't have any." he managed to get out in a quiet voice, this prompted a faint frown to appear on the girl's lips. It wasn't an angry one, more akin to disappointment.

Her shoulders slumped ever so slightly and she made an expression like a kicked puppy - a somewhat ironic comparison to those who knew her - as she continued to stare at the bag.

Romani continued to watch her to see what she did, clenching his left hand into a fist to stop it from trembling. Either this would be the moment where Koneko would flip out or it would be where his fears were put to rest. The nurse paused, then sighed and looked down at the table.

His left hand raised itself up and placed itself upon his face, a long and weary sigh escaped his lips.

Now he just felt ugly, he'd seen all these students going about school for around a year and in all that time they had never once done anything that could be considered untoward and now he was suddenly expecting them to tear him to shreds?

He lowered his hand to the table with a gentle thud, turning his head back to the young girl and giving her a half smile "...Want to help me hide some of them?" he asked.

Koneko's eyes almost seemed to light up for a split second before she gave a faint grunt of acknowledgement accompanied by a nod of the head. The young girl walked into the room and looked closer at the bag to examine it.

"What type?" She asked as she closed in. Romani twirled his chair and reached down to the handles of the plastic bag and pulled them aside to expose the contents.

From the way Koneko's eyes widened and her mouth parted slightly, Romani was half convinced he had shown her the Holy Grail or something of equal value. Then again, from the way the young girl liked sweets he supposed he might as well have.

"By the way." He spoke in a strained tone, Koneko looked up at him and tilted her head "Sorry."

The girl blinked once at him in confusion, furrowing her brows ever so slightly at the nurse as if to ask what he was sorry for.

Romani just chuckled to himself and waved his hand at her "Just…nevermind." he sighed and looked down at the bag "Also, please don't tell Sitri-san about this." he paused, then looked back at Koneko "Wait…you do know that-"

"Yes." Koneko nodded her head once, Romani let out a sigh of relief.

"That's good…Issei-kun didn't and I was a little worried that I had messed up or something when I told him about it." He chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck "But I guess it's all good now, right?"

Koneko just stared blankly at him, her right hand slowly reaching towards the bag before Romani caught sight of it and narrowed his eyes.

"You did have a proper breakfast, yes?" He asked with a suspicious tone "Because having sweets early in the morning without a proper meal beforehand is bad for you."

Koneko gave him a deadpan expression and turned her head to face the cake sitting on his desk.

Romani didn't need to turn his head to know what she was looking at, instead he pursed his lips and gave a shrug "Yes, but this is me we're talking about." he replied as if that was an explanation in itself.

"True."

Koneko not even disagreeing with him brought about several odd emotions.

But he couldn't quite help the smile forming on his face.

They really hadn't changed at all.

Sona closed the door to the student council room behind her as she entered, already seeing the other members hard at work.

Tsubaki was the first to look towards her, tilting her head and saying "I assume the meeting with Archaman-sensei went well?"

"Romani-sensei is back today?" Tsubasa asked as she looked up, her voice containing clear surprise "Huh, figured he would have been at home longer since…you know…" she shrugged "Shattering world view and all that."

"This is hardly the time to be cavalier about it." Sona chided the girl with a faint frown "There is a reason that induction is a gradual process rather than an instant one." she nodded to Genshirou "How do you suppose our latest member would have reacted if we had not spent months interacting with him beforehand?"

"I mean…" Genshirou scratched the back of his head and shrugged "I don't know…maybe freak out?" he ventured before he paused and nodded "I mean, I sort of did when it turned out you were actually Devils." a chuckle escaped him as he nodded towards Sona "Although seeing Kaichou just appear from a glowing circle sort of left little to the imagination."

"That was a rather tame introduction." Tsubasa pointed out with a raised eyebrow "And didn't involve a murder attempt on your part." she turned back to Sona "Speaking of, are we going to do anything about those Fallen?"

Sona closed her eyes and shook her head "Not quite yet, for the time being there is still little we can do about them. Rias method of recruitment has given them a certain alibi given that Hyoudou did not present himself as a member of her peerage."

"So they just thought he was a Stray, huh?" Tsubasa clicked her tongue "That's a pain in the ass-"

"Language." Sona scolded her instantly before she returned her attention to Tsubaki "And as for Nurse Archaman, I believe I have been able to at the very least convince him we will not intend to cause him any harm." she paused. "I also informed him not to distribute sweets and other sugary foods to the students."

Tsubaki raised an eyebrow "Do you believe that warning with work?"

Sona's lip twitched upwards for a split second before it thinned out "Not at all."

AN: Okay so I'm splitting the Asia section into another Arc.

It just sort of made more sense given that the first arc is all about Romani being inducted into the supernatural and all that.

Anyway!

We continue on in the adventure of pain!