Katase Yui rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she sat up in bed, early sunlight filtering through the curtains in pale streaks. Her fingers swept back strands of pink hair clinging to her face, her body protesting even the simple stretch of her arms overhead. Her muscles ached—still stiff and sore from the previous night's contract. The lingering exhaustion wasn't new, but today it felt heavier, more tangible.

Swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, Yui paused, her bare feet brushing against the cool floor. She let out a slow breath, gathering the resolve to move before pushing herself upright. Her steps were sluggish as she made her way to the dresser, the silence of the morning settling around her.

She opened the top drawer and pulled out her school skirt, sliding it up her legs before fumbling for the zipper. The motion was automatic, her hands moving without much thought. A clean white shirt came next, its crisp fabric cool against her skin as she slid it over her shoulders and buttoned it up. Yui's fingers tied the ribbon at her collar with practiced ease, though her movements felt slower than usual. Spotting her corset draped over the back of her chair, she sighed.

Steeling herself, Yui reached for it, fastening it with a deep inhale. Loose though it was, the corset always felt like a small weight pressing down on her chest. With a final glance in the mirror, she grabbed her shoulder cape and draped it over her uniform before heading out of the room.

The hallway was quiet, the sound of her footsteps muffled against the wooden floor. Yui's brow furrowed as she noticed Kaori's door already open. She wasn't used to being the last one up, and the thought made her quicken her pace.

"Morning, Yui," Kaori's voice drifted from the living room, warm but laced with something Yui couldn't quite place.

Rounding the corner, Yui spotted her friend at the stove. Kaori stood with her back to her, an apron tied haphazardly over her school uniform. Stray strands of her brown hair fell loose from her ponytail, framing a face that looked far more worn than usual. Her shoulders slumped slightly, and the way she moved—slower, less fluid—was so unlike her that it made Yui pause.

"Want anything?" Kaori asked, her tone casual, though there was a noticeable strain in her voice.

Yui swung open the fridge, scanning its contents for a distraction. "I'm alright," she said, pulling out a carton of juice. "I was thinking of stopping by the convenience store on the way to school. I'm not really hungry enough for a full breakfast."

Kaori nodded, her grip tightening briefly on the handle of the pan. "I don't blame you," she murmured, sliding the contents of the pan onto a plate. "I didn't sleep well after that last contract."

Yui paused mid-sip, lowering the carton as she turned to face Kaori fully. "You? Not sleeping well?" she said, her voice edged with disbelief. "That's not like you. You're usually out like a light."

Kaori hesitated, her gaze lowering as she set the pan down with a soft clatter. She grabbed a fork from the drawer, but her fingers fumbled slightly before closing around the utensil. "I don't know," she said, her voice quieter now. "I just... couldn't settle. Tossed and turned all night."

"Well, lucky for me, I passed out as soon as I hit the bed," Yui said, forcing a small smile as she moved to join Kaori at the table.

"Lucky," Kaori muttered under her breath, stabbing at her food with little enthusiasm.

Yui frowned, her eyes lingering on her friend's movements. Kaori's normally bright energy seemed muted, replaced with a sluggishness that was almost jarring. Even the way she held her fork—loose, with her hand trembling slightly—sent a ripple of concern through Yui.

"Kaori, are you okay?" Yui asked softly, leaning forward.

Kaori blinked, as if startled by the question. "I'm fine," she said, forcing a small smile that didn't quite reach her tired eyes. "Just tired."

Yui wanted to believe her, but the faint shadows under Kaori's eyes and the tension in her shoulders told a different story.

Yui let out a breath, leaning back in her chair. "Well, if you're not going to eat much, we should at least get going soon," she said, trying to steer the conversation to lighter territory. "Can't exactly blame being late on a bad contract."

Kaori nodded, setting her fork down and pushing her plate away. She stood slowly, her movements deliberate, as though every step required conscious effort.

As they gathered their things and headed for the door, Yui couldn't shake the image of Kaori stabbing at her breakfast, her face etched with a weariness that went beyond mere fatigue. The thought lingered in her mind as they stepped outside, the morning sun doing little to warm the chill in her chest.

"Ready?" Kaori asked, her voice steady but distant.

Yui nodded, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "Yeah. Let's go."

Hyoudou Issei woke up to the familiar weight of Kuroka draped over him, her face tucked against his chest. Her soft, steady breaths brushed against his skin, and her arm was slung possessively over his side. Her tail curled around his legs, the fluffy tip occasionally flicking like she was dreaming about chasing something.

He shifted slightly, careful not to wake her, but the movement only made her tighten her hold, nuzzling into him with a sleepy mumble that almost sounded like his name. Then came the faintest purr, low and content, vibrating against him.

Issei couldn't help but smile. There was something ridiculously comforting about the way she clung to him, like she didn't want to let go even in her sleep. Trapped under her warmth and that endearing little sound, he let his head fall back against the pillow. He could live being a little late if it meant starting the day with this.

Rias Gremory stirred as the soft glow of morning light crept through the curtains, casting warm streaks across the expanse of her bed. A quiet groan escaped her lips as she reached blindly toward her bedside table, fingers brushing against the smooth surface before curling around her phone. She squinted at the screen, her vision still blurred from sleep.

Too early. Not early enough.

Sighing, she let the device fall back onto the nightstand, the dull thud swallowed by the quiet hush of her room. With a slow, deliberate stretch, she arched her back, rolling her shoulders to shake off the lingering weight of exhaustion. The silk sheets pooled around her waist, cool against her bare skin, a contrast to the warmth still clinging to her from sleep.

Her gaze drifted toward the window, where the morning sun painted golden highlights across the polished wooden floor. For a brief moment, she let herself enjoy the calm before reality inevitably crept back in.

Last night.

The thought alone was enough to pull her from bed, her movements fluid and practiced as she padded over to her dresser. She pulled open a drawer, fingers idly sifting through lace and silk as her mind spiraled deeper into the previous night's events. Stray exorcists and Fallen were hardly uncommon in a place like Kuoh, but the sheer audacity of setting up operations within her territory—Sona's territory—was a reckless provocation. Butchering their own clients, however... that was something else entirely.

That was madness.

Her grip tightened slightly as she selected a matching set, the fabric cool against her fingertips. She would have to inform Sona. The last thing either of them needed was another catastrophe so soon after last night's disaster. Whatever those Strays had been after, whatever their intentions had been, she refused to let another of her pieces suffer the way Kaori and Yui had.

Those two…

She exhaled slowly, rolling a stocking up the length of her leg as she mulled over the fresh weight of responsibility pressing against her chest. No new devil should ever be forced to experience an encounter like that so soon after their reincarnation. The look in Kaori's eyes as she came to grips with what she had become… Rias had seen something similar before, but never from someone under her protection.

It gnawed at her.

Even more than the exorcists, more than the implications of their presence, more than the Holy Maiden—

Ah, the nun.

A faint smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she straightened her uniform, smoothing the pleats of her skirt. Asia Argento. If there had ever been someone so ill-suited for the world of exorcists, it was her. She had been pure in a way that was almost painful to witness. That kind of innocence didn't belong in a world of devils and fallen angels. It was no wonder that Yui and Kaori had taken to her so quickly.

...Almost too quickly.

Rias frowned, pausing as she adjusted her ribbon. There had been something strange about their concern, the way they lingered near the girl as if she were someone they had known for far longer than a single night. Had they met before? Or was it simply the bond of shared trauma drawing them together?

It was a question worth keeping in mind.

Her thoughts drifted again, this time to something else entirely, something equally troubling—if for vastly different reasons.

Akeno and Issei.

Rias stilled for just a moment, then scoffed softly, brushing a crimson lock over her shoulder. The two of them meshed together… unexpectedly well. Akeno was always playful, but there had always been a certain depth to it, a shallowness that helped to mask everything else. But Issei—

Well, Issei had responded in kind.

Something twisted in her chest, something that she wasn't quite ready to name, a discomfort that sat just beneath her ribs, pulsing with a quiet insistence.

She shook the thought away, grabbing her phone from the counter as she made her way toward the kitchen. She had other matters to deal with first, and besides—

Akeno was her best friend. Issei was… intriguing. But together?

She had no reason to feel so... possessive.

With a quiet sigh, she unlocked her phone and began composing a message to Sona. Regardless of her personal distractions, this was something they needed to address. Last night had been a warning, and if they weren't careful, it wouldn't be the last.

"The lengths I go for family," she murmured to herself, the ghost of a smile touching her lips as she hit send.

Sona Sitri set her phone down with a measured exhale, the glow of the screen dimming as she turned her attention elsewhere. Grabbing her towel with both hands, she methodically worked the dampness from her hair, fingers threading through indigo strands as she mulled over the implications of Rias's message.

"We knew about the Fallen," she murmured, her voice steady despite the weight settling in her chest. But if an exorcist had slipped through without her notice, that meant her surveillance wasn't as airtight as she'd believed. That complicates things.

She let the towel slip from her shoulders, folding it neatly before placing it aside. Her glasses rested on the counter, their absence momentarily disorienting, but she chose not to reach for them yet. Instead, she traced the condensation on the mirror with the tip of her finger, watching as it streaked through the fogged-up glass.

Fallen angels establishing operations in Kuoh was nothing new. A necessary evil, a tolerated presence—but this? This was something else entirely. If they had exorcists working alongside them, hunting devils in their own territory, then it was only a matter of time before her own clients—or worse, her own peerage—became targets.

A quiet knock at the bathroom door interrupted her thoughts.

"Should I alert the rest of the peerage, Sona-sama?" came the calm, collected voice of her Queen.

Sona adjusted the cuff of her uniform, smoothing out an imperfection in the fabric before responding. "Go ahead and let everyone know. And tell Saji I don't want him taking any requests for the time being."

A brief pause, then: "Understood. Anything else, Sona-sama?"

Sona considered for a moment, then shook her head, knowing full well her queen couldn't see. "No Tsubaki, that's all."

She listened as Tsubaki's footsteps retreated down the hall, the quiet click of the door signaling her departure. Alone once more, Sona picked up her glasses and slid them onto her face, the world snapping back into crisp clarity.

She sighed.

"I'm trusting you on this one, Rias."

The streets of Kuoh were draped in the soft hues of early morning, the sky painted in the hesitant pastels of sunrise. Streetlights flickered off one by one, surrendering to the creeping daylight, but the city was still half-asleep, steeped in the kind of silence that made secrets easier to keep.

Raynare pulled her jacket a little tighter around herself, more out of habit than necessity, her fingers grazing the edge of her chin as she cast a glance toward the woman beside her. Kalawarner, as composed as ever, moved with the measured ease of someone who had played this game far too many times. Unlike Raynare, she made no effort to obscure her face. The shifting morning light caught on the sharp angles of her features, highlighting the faint smirk tugging at her lips.

"So," Kalawarner began, voice smooth, laced with dry amusement. "Are we being efficient this morning, or are you planning on playing with your food again?"

Raynare scoffed, shoving her hands into the pockets of her jacket. "Come on, give me some credit. I can multitask."

Kalawarner arched a brow. "Right. Because you've got a great record with that."

Raynare's smile sharpened. "Hey, you're still here, aren't you?"

Kalawarner let out a low chuckle, shaking her head. "Barely."

They walked in companionable silence for a few moments, the rhythmic click of their heels against the pavement the only sound in the still morning air. The world around them was slow to wake—shop shutters still locked, the scent of fresh bread beginning to trickle from a nearby bakery, a distant newspaper delivery truck rumbling down the street. It was the kind of peace that never lasted, especially when they were involved.

The air here carried the acrid scent of fallen grace—stale, diluted, the scent of those who had long since abandoned the order of their kind. Their marks were close. Strays had a particular way of stinking up a place when they got too comfortable.

Raynare came to a slow stop at the mouth of an alleyway, peering down the dimly lit path. "They've been here. Recently."

Kalawarner followed her gaze, tilting her head slightly. "Messy," she murmured. "Either they're slipping… or setting a trap."

Raynare's fingers twitched at her sides. "They've already had a run-in with Issei, I doubt they'd be showing off recklessly without something up their sleeves."

Kalawarner let out a quiet breath, half a scoff. "Trap then. God, they're getting desperate."

A flicker of movement down the street caught Raynare's eye—a dark figure slipping into the shadows near a shuttered storefront. Her pulse quickened, anticipation curling warm in her chest.

"There we go," she murmured, a slow smirk spreading across her lips.

Kalawarner hummed. "Think they'll run?"

Raynare tilted her head, considering. "Maybe. But I hope not."

Without another word, she pivoted, stepping off the curb with the lazy confidence of a cat stalking a mouse. Kalawarner followed at a more measured pace, hands tucked into her coat pockets, exuding the kind of unbothered air that made people second-guess whether they should be afraid or not.

The thrill of the hunt thrummed beneath Raynare's skin. This wasn't about orders. This wasn't about survival. This was about sending a message.

And she intended to carve it into their bones.

Asia Argento stirred, a soft murmur escaping her lips as she slowly rubbed at her tired eyes. A dull ache sat behind them, the kind that came from restless sleep. It had been a long time since she had last slept soundly—perhaps not since she left the Vatican. The unfamiliar warmth of the mattress beneath her felt almost indulgent, a stark contrast to the cold, rigid cots she had known for so long.

Wait.

Her breath hitched as awareness settled over her. This wasn't the church.

Asia's eyes snapped open, her heart lurching into her throat as she frantically scanned the dimly lit room. The sheets pooled around her as she pushed herself upright, fingers clutching the fabric as though grounding herself would make sense of the situation. The walls were lined with bookshelves, and the faint scent of parchment and polished wood filled the air. A desk sat near the window, bathed in the soft golden hues of sunrise.

Then, the memories came crashing back.

A sharp inhale left her lips as she lifted trembling fingers to her face, tracing the damp trails of tears she hadn't even realized she had shed. Yui and Kaori's blood-streaked bodies, their ragged, pained gasps for air—the horrifying realization that her miracles had come too late. And then Issei—his voice, his presence—had reached her through the haze of panic. He had been there. He had fought for them.

Had he been hurt?

Her stomach twisted at the thought. She had already failed so many. If Issei had suffered because of her—

Asia swallowed hard, her pulse thrumming in her ears. She couldn't sit here. She had to know. She had to move.

Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she pushed herself to her feet. The floor was cool beneath her bare feet, grounding her for a moment as she gathered her courage. She cast another glance around the room before her gaze landed on the small mirror across from her. She barely recognized the girl staring back—cheeks pale, hair mussed, eyes rimmed red. Asia took a shaky breath and looked away, stepping towards the door. Her heart hammered in her chest as she twisted the handle.

"What happened after I passed out?"

Her fingers brushed against the doorknob, hesitating for just a moment. The cursed rings on her hand gleamed faintly in the morning light, a cruel reminder of the miracles she was meant to bring—miracles that had only brought her suffering. She flexed her fingers, exhaling slowly before turning the handle.

The door opened with a quiet creak, and Asia was immediately met with a wash of golden light. The hallway stretched before her, lined with elegant windows that overlooked a small courtyard bathed in the soft glow of the rising sun. The sight was breathtaking—warm and peaceful in a way that made her chest tighten.

"It's beautiful..." she whispered, stepping forward as her gaze lingered on the sunlit garden.

For a moment, she forgot her fear. Forgot the blood, the pain, the weight of her worries. But then, a sharp clatter echoed from beyond the staircase to her left, breaking the tranquility.

Asia startled, her breath catching as she clutched the fabric of her borrowed nightgown. She hesitated, glancing toward the noise. A part of her wanted to retreat, to return to the safety of the unfamiliar room. But another part of her—the part that needed answers—forced her feet to move.

Mittelt let out an annoyed huff, crossing her arms as she glared at the pan on the floor like it had personally insulted her. Dropping it had been a rookie mistake—loud, clattering, and completely ruining the surprise she had planned. She had wanted to impress everyone by making breakfast, to prove that she could handle something as simple as cooking. But now, that plan was hanging by a thread. Knowing Issei, he'd probably slept right through it, but Raynare? Definitely awake. And Kuroka? She had ears sharper than a cat's—literally—whether or not she got up was a different story.

The quiet creak of stairs behind her made Mittelt's shoulders tense. Great. Busted.

She turned, ready with an excuse, only to freeze mid-sentence. The person standing at the base of the stairs wasn't Raynare, or Kuroka, or even some half-awake, bed-headed Issei. It was the nun.

Blonde hair clung to her damp cheeks, her green eyes wide and uncertain, like a fawn caught in the open. She stood there, wringing her hands in the fabric of her borrowed clothes, mumbling something under her breath. It took a second for Mittelt to put it together—Asia. Right. The girl Issei had dragged home last night, unconscious.

A pang of guilt twisted in Mittelt's chest. She had been too caught up in her own thoughts to really process it before, but now, seeing Asia like this—lost, afraid, still reeling from whatever nightmare she had been through—it hit her. Mittelt hadn't been there, but she'd heard enough in passing to know it had been gruesome. And Issei? That dumbass probably didn't even leave her a note. He really was the worst sometimes. And now, she was stuck with damage control. Again.

For once, Mittelt didn't hesitate. She approached slowly, mindful of Asia's trembling frame, and knelt in front of her, lowering herself to eye level.

"Asia-chan, right?" she asked, voice softer than usual. She wasn't great at this kind of thing, but… she could try.

Asia's gaze flickered up, her red-rimmed eyes locking onto Mittelt's face. She gave the smallest nod.

Mittelt forced a tiny smirk, trying to make herself seem less intimidating. "I'm a friend of Issei's. He brought you here late last night. You're safe."

Asia's tense shoulders loosened—just a little. Encouraged, Mittelt reached out, hesitating for only a second before gently pulling her into a hug.

The reaction was immediate. Asia's breath hitched, and then the tears came. Hot and silent at first, then shaking sobs that soaked into the front of Mittelt's shirt. Mittelt held her tighter, her hand slowly running through Asia's tangled hair in a soothing rhythm.

"You're safe here," she murmured, letting the words settle. "Everything's going to be fine."

Asia clung to her, trembling like she was trying to hold herself together and failing. "Thank you…" she whispered, voice breaking. "Thank you so much... I was so scared…"

Mittelt exhaled, pressing her cheek lightly against the top of Asia's head. "Yeah, well… you don't have to be scared anymore."

She kept her voice steady, even as something uncomfortable curled in her chest. Something strangely familiar. Something she didn't quite know what to do with. But for now, she pushed it aside, letting the moment be what it was. Letting Asia cry as much as she needed to.

The breakfast could wait.

Himejima Akeno lowered her phone, the soft chime of the ended call lingering in the quiet of the shrine. She exhaled slowly, stepping past the torii gate and onto the overlooking platform that offered a breathtaking view of Kuoh. The city stretched below, still half-shrouded in the fading mist of early morning, the golden light of sunrise setting the rooftops aglow. The crisp wind carried the scent of pine and earth, threading through her long, dark hair, sending loose strands dancing around her face.

A small, satisfied hum escaped her lips as she closed her eyes, tilting her head up to embrace the morning air. Then, with a slow, fluid motion, she unfurled her wings. The great black appendages stretched wide before she kicked off the ground, catching the updraft that lifted her effortlessly into the sky. The wind caressed her as she flew, weaving through the treetops, her sharp eyes scanning the cityscape below.

Rias's instructions had been vague, but Akeno had a good guess where she needed to go. A place long since abandoned, left to rot on the outskirts of town. The church.

As she angled her descent, the skeletal tower of the forsaken house of worship came into view—its once-pristine walls now cracked and dirtied with time. But before she could focus on it, movement in the trees caught her attention. Akeno adjusted her flight path, banking to the side, hovering just above the canopy as she honed in on the voices drifting up from below.

"So Sasiel and her whole squad were wiped? That's fuckin' rough, they were some of our best."

A man leaned against a tree, arms crossed, raven-black hair falling messily over his sharp features. His voice carried a casual indifference, but the tightness in his jaw suggested otherwise.

"Completely gone. The most that was left was some limbs, and a fuck ton of blood."

The second speaker, a shorter man with a wide-brimmed hat pulled low over his face, shifted uncomfortably where he stood. His wings twitched, his fingers curling into his palms.

The first man spat onto the ground. "What kinda monster can even do something like that? The boogeyman or something?"

A slow, derisive chuckle interrupted them as a third figure stepped from the shadows, her wings unfurling with a sickly grace. The very air around her seemed to darken, tainted by the very presence of her.

"Sasiel got what was coming to her, if you ask me." Her voice was smooth, dripping with amusement. "She acted like she was better than all of us. I'm just upset we lost so much manpower because of her incompetence."

Akeno hovered just above them, unseen, unnoticed. The crackle of electricity coiled around her fingertips, the sharp scent of ozone beginning to taint the morning air. Her lips curled into a smile—one both serene and deadly.

"Oh my," she murmured to herself, relishing the anticipation. "What a delightful little gathering."

The forest hummed with an eerie quiet, the sounds of nature suddenly stifled. In the distance, the sound of a scream echoed, muffled by the shimmering barrier that now surrounded the area. The screams of those who had fallen victim to the Queen's wrath would never reach the ears of innocent passersby. To the hikers, the mountains were as quiet as ever.

The sun was still climbing when Murayama Kaori and Yui stepped onto the narrow residential sidewalk that led toward Kuoh Academy. Pale gold spilled over the rooftops, catching the dew in the grass and making everything shimmer like the world had been lightly dusted in glitter. It would've been beautiful—comforting, even—if Kaori's skin didn't still crawl from the cold sweat of another restless night.

Yui was mid-ramble, chatting about a classmate who had apparently decided to confess to a girl from Class 1-C using a bouquet of flowers and an original rap verse.

Kaori smiled faintly, only half-listening. Not because she didn't care—Yui's stories were usually hilarious in a secondhand-embarrassment kind of way—but because her mind was still trapped somewhere between the waking world and the thing that had haunted her sleep.

That shadow.

That pressure.

That voice.

Her fingers brushed against Yui's sleeve without thinking, grounding herself in the texture, the warmth.

"…He seriously rhymed 'love' with 'shove,' I'm not even kidding," Yui said, her laughter sharp and bright in the morning air. "And then she ran. Like, sprinted. Full-on cartoon style. Poor guy was crying the entire day; I almost feel bad."

Kaori blinked and let out a breath that was supposed to be a laugh. It came out thin, fragile.

Yui noticed. Of course she did.

They passed under a row of blooming sakura trees just beginning to bud—early spring clinging to the edges of winter—and Yui fell quiet for a moment before nudging Kaori's shoulder gently with her own.

"Okay," she said, voice softening. "What's up?"

Kaori glanced at her, then looked away again, watching the breeze tug petals loose from the highest branches.

"I'm just tired," she murmured.

"Liar," Yui replied, casual, not unkind. "You didn't even flinch at the rap verse. That was premium stuff."

Kaori bit her lip.

"I've been having weird dreams," she finally said, voice just barely above the sound of passing cars. "Not… every night. But enough."

Yui tilted her head. "Nightmares?"

Kaori hesitated. Her hand twitched at her side—reflexively curling into a fist before she stuffed it into her bag. Her palm still felt strange, like the bones were too heavy for her skin. Too dense. Like something was nesting there.

"Not exactly," she murmured, eyes flicking to the ground. "It's like… I'm not the only one in here. Like there's someone else, just… watching. Not from outside, but like, inside me. Sometimes I feel like I'm not alone in my own body, and I don't know what they want—or if they're even me."

She stopped walking without realizing it, and Yui stopped with her.

Kaori's eyes remained on the pavement.

"You ever feel like… something's looking through you? Not at you, but through you?"

Her voice faltered on the last word. A breeze tugged at her hair, and she turned instinctively to the trees. Nothing. But her skin tightened anyway.

Yui didn't respond right away. Her usual smile faded, and her brow furrowed as she studied Kaori's face.

"No," she said after a moment. "But I've had dreams where my teeth fall out and then explode, so I'm not exactly a pillar of mental stability either."

That earned a breathy chuckle from Kaori. It was weak, but it was real.

Yui stepped in front of her, slipping her hand into Kaori's and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," she said. "But if you ever do, I'm not going anywhere. Okay?"

Kaori looked up at her. The sunlight hit Yui's hair just right, giving it a rosy sheen around the edges. She looked like safety. She always had.

"I know," Kaori whispered.

They kept walking. The school loomed in the distance now, white walls gleaming in the light, its gates slowly growing busier with arriving students. Normalcy was playing out around them again, the kind they hadn't felt since the day they died.

Kaori glanced up at the sky. No clouds. No sign of the wings she thought she'd seen in the dark the night before.

Just the breeze. Just the sun.

Still, her heart wouldn't settle.

"You've been sleeping fine?" she asked, casual as she could manage.

"Like a rock," Yui said. "Didn't even wake up when that car alarm went off the other morning. Why?"

"No reason," Kaori replied quickly. "Just wondering."

They passed the shrine steps, and Kaori slowed again—her gaze drawn upward like a thread pulled tight. Her eyes scanned the empty path above, the torii gate casting a long shadow down the slope. Nothing stirred. No sound but the rustle of leaves and the distant murmur of birdsong.

But the silence…
It was unnerving.

The stairs were too still. Too clean. Like a stage before the play begins—perfect and hollow.

She didn't notice the way her shoulders had drawn up until Yui slipped her arm through Kaori's and gave a gentle, grounding tug.

"You're doing that thing again," Yui said, voice soft with amusement. "The whole tortured lone wolf vibe. Which is, like, very hot and shounen protagonist of you, but also really dumb."

Kaori blinked, the tension cracking just enough for her to breathe. She laughed—a small, unguarded thing—and leaned into the warmth of Yui's presence. Her arm stayed tucked against her best friend's.

They continued down the hill, the quiet crunch of their footsteps the only sound on the narrow path. Behind them, unseen, a crow lifted from a branch with a sharp cry.

They crossed the school threshold just as the bell chimed, its ring bright and precise, like glass striking glass.

Everything looked normal.

Students laughed in the courtyard. A breeze danced through the sakura trees, petals drifting lazily to the ground.

But Kaori's chest tightened with something she couldn't name. Like a breath caught at the back of her throat.

There was a weight at her back. A sliver of something threading down her spine, not pain, not fear exactly—just a sense of being noticed.

Another step. Just one.

She didn't turn around.

She didn't want to know if there was something there.

Something in the trees.
Something in the sky.
Something that had been there since the shrine.

Watching. Smiling.

A/N: Hello everyone! Sorry it's taken a bit, depression hit again and all. Like the original post of this chapter I figured I'd just publish what I had, this time though it's so that the rewrite can be finished! I have a lot of fun ideas for future content, and now that I actually have the chance to move the story forward I can do fun stuff! I tried to add a bit to this chapter, but it's kinda an in between one anyways to set the stage for the climax of the first DxD arc yk? Regardless, thank you as always for reading! I love being able to give you guys something nice to read, and I love reading your responses and comments and everything. I love you guys and I hope you're enjoying everything so far 3. As always,

With Love,
Petra