Rias planned to return home to the Underworld for summer vacation, and naturally, her peerage members—including Koneko and Himejima Akeno—would accompany her. She wanted her family to meet the peerage she was so proud of.
Which meant Koneko couldn't stay at Jeanne Alter's home like she usually did during the break.
When Koneko realized this, her expression didn't visibly change, but her eyes dimmed slightly. Noticing her reaction, Rias quickly had an idea and proposed it to Jeanne and Asia.
"How about you two come to the Underworld with us?"
If Jeanne and Asia joined them, then Koneko wouldn't have to be separated from Jeanne.
However, Rias seemed to have overlooked a rather critical point…
"Ophis is still staying at my place, you know."
Jeanne Alter kindly reminded her, "I can't just leave Ophis home alone for the entire summer. If I bring her to the Underworld… personally, I wouldn't mind, but are you sure it wouldn't be a problem on your end?"
"…It would be a huge problem."
Rias groaned and covered her face in frustration.
At this point, nearly everyone except insiders like Rias, Koneko, and Sirzechs knew that Ophis was the leader of the terrorist organization, Khaos Brigade. Given Ophis's overwhelming strength, letting her casually enter the Underworld would undoubtedly trigger chaos.
Still clinging to faint hope, Rias raised her head and cautiously asked Jeanne again.
"Couldn't you hide Ophis somehow? Like using that barrier around your house?"
"You think it's easy to create a barrier that conceals someone like Ophis? Those barriers can't move. Otherwise, I'd have already created something portable for her. Why else would I constantly warn her not to leave the house?"
"Oh, this is hopeless…"
With her last shred of hope shattered, Rias sank onto the couch in disappointment, resting her head in Akeno's soft lap. Akeno, with her gentle smile, soothingly massaged Rias's forehead with her slender fingers.
They only spoke freely about Ophis when Azazel wasn't around. Some things simply weren't suitable for too many ears, as they didn't fully trust Azazel yet—even though Sirzechs had sent him as an advisor to the academy.
Azazel had announced he'd be going to the Underworld with Rias and the others, arranging special training sessions to ensure impressive growth during the vacation.
When Azazel gave such enthusiastic speeches, Jeanne Alter felt like she was listening to some suspicious "expert" claiming summer vacation was the perfect time for students to "overtake their rivals."
Although Jeanne was quite curious about the scenery in the Underworld, she couldn't risk letting Ophis out of her sight for too long—especially after Khaos Brigade's recent bold moves. She had no idea what drastic measures they might take to retrieve Ophis.
Her gaze drifted briefly and fell upon Yuuto Kiba, who was chatting casually with Issei Hyoudou. Suddenly, Jeanne Alter's eyes lit up, as if she had remembered something important.
"Yuuto."
Hearing his name, Kiba turned to Jeanne in surprise, only to hear her casually say:
"Come practice swordsmanship with me."
Since it was summer vacation, Kuoh Academy was practically deserted. The usually bustling, joyful campus was now eerily quiet.
This meant Jeanne Alter and Kiba could spar freely on the field without worrying about being seen—or worse, having to silence unfortunate witnesses.
"Why are you all so nervous?"
Standing on the empty sports field, Jeanne rested a wooden practice sword on her shoulder, rolling her eyes at Rias and the others who insisted on spectating. "It's just practice! Look, I'm only using a wooden sword. I'll even limit my strength and speed to normal human levels. Do you really think Yuuto would get hurt?"
Kiba stepped forward at that moment, flashing a sunny, reassuring smile.
"No need to worry about me, Buchou, everyone. I trust Jeanne-san."
Kiba's reassurance helped somewhat, though Rias and the others remained tense, as if Kiba were heading to a battlefield rather than a friendly spar.
Jeanne ignored their anxiety, her attention fixed on something else entirely. She was curious about one particular detail, hoping this spar would answer her question.
As the sparring commenced, Jeanne nodded slightly, as if confirming something.
CLACK!
After their wooden swords clashed briefly, Jeanne Alter gracefully jumped back, dodging Kiba's horizontal slash with agile ease.
"I noticed it during the Khaos Brigade attack last time…"
Jeanne placed one hand on her hip, the tip of her sword pointing casually toward the ground. A relaxed smile appeared on her lips. "Yuuto, your style is from the Tennen Rishin-ryu, isn't it?"
Kiba's eyes widened in shock. Clearly, Jeanne had guessed correctly.
"No, to be precise… it's my own adaptation based on Tennen Rishin-ryu. After all, that style is best suited for a Japanese sword. Using it with a western sword feels a bit odd."
"Jeanne-san, why…?"
Although confused, Kiba politely nodded, confirming her suspicion.
"Yes, you're right. My swordsmanship was taught by my master, who was indeed skilled in Tennen Rishin-ryu."
"Your master?"
Jeanne tilted her head, her expression becoming strangely curious. "It couldn't possibly be Okita Souji, could it?"
"You… you know my master, Jeanne-san?"
Kiba was visibly astonished. Even Rias and the others, who had been quietly observing from the sidelines, grew deeply intrigued.
"Hmm… You could call it a complicated relationship that's a bit hard to explain."
Jeanne Alter waved it off casually, further fueling everyone's curiosity.
Why would a French saint know a famous Japanese swordsman? It couldn't have been while alive—Jeanne d'Arc was a 15th-century hero, and Okita Souji was a 19th-century assassin. Their timelines didn't match up at all.
Realizing Kiba's swordsmanship had ties to Tennen Rishin-ryu, Jeanne's mischievous streak surfaced. A devilish, playful smile crept onto her lips—but coming from her, it looked somewhat sinister.
"Yuuto, switch to real swords now. Feel free to use your full strength. Don't hold back."
Jeanne's suggestion sounded disturbingly ominous.
Luckily, Kiba didn't have to waste time fetching a real sword. His [Sword Birth], allowed him to instantly conjure swords with various properties—even a harmless one that merely numbed the area it struck.
Watching Jeanne loosen her muscles on the field, Rias's heart filled with unease and confusion, her brows furrowing slightly.
"What exactly is Jeanne-san planning?"
"Ara, ara… Actually, I think Jeanne-san's intentions are pretty easy to read."
Akeno raised a hand to cover her delicate smile, her laughter tinged with teasing mischief. "She looks just like a child who's found a new toy."
"So, Akeno, you're saying Yuuto is Jeanne-san's new toy now?"
Rias's expression turned even more complicated. "That doesn't exactly reassure me."
Kiba, however, ignored their concerns. He cleared his mind, maintained his composure, and prepared himself, ready to react at a moment's notice.
But that calm shattered when Jeanne took her stance.
Her sword was held parallel to her shoulder and the ground, gripping it firmly with both hands. Her feet were shoulder-width apart, sword tip pointed precisely at Kiba's left eye.
The [Hira Seigan] stance—a basic Tennen Rishin-ryu technique made famous by Okita Souji.
Jeanne stepped forward, shifting her weight slightly. She lunged forward like a panther, her sword aimed straight at Kiba's shoulder.
In that instant, Kiba saw the image of his master clearly reflected in Jeanne's movements. His pupils shrank sharply.
To Kiba, Jeanne's attack was as swift and relentless as lightning.
One moment, she was several meters away, and in the next, her blade had already pierced his shoulder. He didn't even have time to dodge.
For a brief moment, he thought he saw three sword strikes simultaneously piercing him.
When Jeanne withdrew her blade, Kiba's left arm went completely numb. Stumbling back several steps, he finally collapsed onto the ground.
"Yuuto!"
"Kiba-kun!"
Rias and the others panicked and rushed to his side, worried something had happened. But Kiba ignored their frantic cries, his eyes wide, fixated solely on Jeanne.
"[Hira Seigan], [Shukuchi], and [Mumyou Sandanzuki]. So, how was it? Not rusty, I hope?"
Their stunned faces deeply amused Jeanne Alter, thoroughly satisfying her mischievous heart.
She truly enjoyed seeing them shocked and speechless—Hahaha!
Of course, Jeanne had restrained her strength. The real [Mumyou Sandanzuki] was a Noble Phantasm-level technique, striking thrice simultaneously and causing unavoidable conceptual destruction—a god-tier sword skill.
"Yuuto, that technique Jeanne-san just used…"
Rias wasn't familiar with swordsmanship or Okita Souji's signature moves, so she sought confirmation from Kiba. After a long silence, he nodded gravely.
"Yes… that's exactly my master's swordsmanship. It truly was [Mumyou Sandanzuki]. For a moment, when Jeanne-san attacked, I thought I saw master himself…"
With Okita Souji not present, Kiba's testimony was absolute proof.
Jeanne had initially worried that Okita Souji's techniques might differ slightly across worlds—especially considering the differences in gender. But seeing Kiba's reaction, any differences were negligible.
Seeing Jeanne's triumphant smile, Kiba finally voiced the question burning in his mind. "How can you use my master's swordsmanship, Jeanne-san? Even [Mumyou Sandanzuki]…"
"I'm curious too."
Azazel's voice came from the side, eyes filled with intrigue as he studied Jeanne Alter.
"Why can you use the swordsmanship of someone who became Sirzechs's servant? Your paths shouldn't have ever crossed."
Jeanne's brows rose slightly in surprise. "Oh? Okita Souji is serving that siscon now?"
She pondered briefly, then smiled knowingly.
"No wonder Yuuto learned from Okita…"
"Wait, you didn't know?"
Azazel looked genuinely puzzled.
"Of course not. I've never even met Okita Souji—how would I know what he looks like?"
Azazel hesitated, thoroughly confused by Jeanne's mysterious behavior.
Jeanne noticed everyone's perplexed faces and laughed wickedly, thoroughly enjoying herself.
"Why so surprised? After using it countless times, mastering it came naturally."
Her cryptic explanation only deepened their confusion.
Azazel stared at her curiously, interest burning like fire.
How fascinating you are, Jeanne. How many secrets are you hiding? How many more surprises will you bring me?
---
T/N:
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