"S-Sona?" The next day, Rias questioned Sona nervously. "What monsters are you still bringing to my club?"
If Kokabiel's presence there the day before yesterday was already comparable to a natural disaster, Azazel's presence now was a catastrophe.
After all, even though they are supposed to have the same position, everyone knows that Azazel is the de facto leader of the fallen angel faction.
"R-Rias" Sona began, clearly just as nervous as her. "The leader of the fallen angel faction, Lord Azazel, eight-winged fallen angel and leader of Grigori, I requ..."
"Alright, alright" Azazel interrupted, uninterested in formalities. He did not even spread his wings and walked over to the sofa in the clubroom before casually throwing himself onto it. "There is no need for formalities, I didn't come for anything too serious"
"Lord Azazel" Rias said, regaining her composure. "If this is about the matter we discussed the day before yesterday, then..."
"Ah, yes, about that... forget it" Azazel interrupted again.
"But Lord Kokabiel said..."
"'Lord' Kokabiel is dead, so it doesn't matter what he said" Azazel revealed as if it were an ordinary matter.
"Dead? How..."
"From what I was able to investigate, it was the leader of a new faction called Lucifer.
You don't have to worry, I'm not holding you responsible for anything. In fact, it seems Lucifer used you as bait, so you are victims as well"
"Bait?"
"Yes, Kokabiel had some rebellious ideas and wanted to cause trouble. Lucifer knew this and used it to make him come out of hiding.
He deliberately made Kokabiel believe that he had something to do with you in order to force him to come out and act personally, after that, he followed him to his hideout"
"That's..." Rias was about to shout excitedly before realizing who she was in front of.
But Azazel noticed anyway.
"Great?" Azazel laughed, enjoying Rias's nervousness. "It's fine, Kokabiel really wasn't liked by many people, by anyone, I would even say.
I came here today for two things. First, to tell you to forget all the nonsense Kokabiel said and apologize for it. If you ever need anything, I'm willing to grant you a favor.
Second, to tell you to be careful"
"Careful?" Rias asked in confusion. It seemed like all the problems had suddenly been solved, so what was there to be careful about?
"The number of coincidences Kokabiel told you about could have been just that, coincidences. But they are coincidences that Lucifer deliberately planted.
He seems to know both Kokabiel's personality and mine perfectly as well. Do you know what that means?"
"Either he is part of your faction, or he simply knows too many things he shouldn't" Sona replied.
"Exactly, and since he is a demon, I don't think it's the first one.
People who know a lot usually hide it. They have calm personalities while pretending to be someone else, they like staying close to you and writing the script while pretending to be just another actor in the play.
They were coincidences, yes, but coincidences that Lucifer chose for a reason. Perhaps they really are coincidences, but perhaps Lucifer really is here, and probably... very close to you"
"Are you implying..."
"That's all I'll say" Azazel interrupted. "I'm leaving for today. Miss Gremory, Miss Sitri, it was a pleasure"
With that said, Azazel left the clubroom without saying anything else.
"Sona, do you think..." Rias began.
"I don't know. But starting to suspect each other when it could simply be a coincidence doesn't make sense.
Instead, I'll just focus on my own affairs"
"...Yes, you're right" Rias agreed with a smile.
Once the student council president left, Issei reacted.
"Well, problem solved" he said with satisfaction.
"Yes. That's one less problem" Rias said with a relieved smile. "At least for now"
"I really want to meet that Lucifer. To think he killed that Winged Dracula yesterday, he looked very powerful"
"And he was" Rias nodded before looking at Issei with a smile. "But you can be that powerful too with your Sacred Gear, even more so"
"W-wait, President, why do I feel..." Issei muttered with an ominous feeling.
"Let's train"
"I don't want to. Why? The last few days have been nothing but training against Kiba or getting beaten up by Koneko!" Issei complained dramatically.
"Issei, you need to train to become stronger. Don't you want to fulfill your dream?"
"Kughhh, fine" Issei sighed reluctantly. "At least I'll get encouragement from... huh? Where's Akeno?"
"It's the weekend, so she went out" Rias replied.
"Alone?"
"...with Kaito" Rias replied, looking away, knowing her pawn would not take it very well.
"What?! No way! That bastard, why is it always him?"
"Lately, Kaito and Akeno have been spending more time together, haven't they?" Kiba spoke up, making himself known. "I think it started after their duel"
"That's... that's true!" Issei suddenly realized. "I see, Akeno saw Kaito beat me and fell in love with him. If only I had won, I... Damn it!
Alright, Kiba, let's train. I will never, ever lose a member of my harem!"
"They really never were..." Kiba tried to say.
"President, look at me!"
"...Never mind" Kiba sighed as he thought about which sword to use today.
...
Lately, Kaito had felt that Akeno had been deliberately getting closer to him, but he had assumed that it was simply because of her personality. However, last night, before she left, Akeno asked him if he had anything to do over the weekend, greatly surprising him.
And here they were, on a date with one of the most beautiful girls in Kuoh Academy, something that many, if not everyone, would envy.
Akeno was wearing a simple and feminine red dress, with a wide skirt that fell to her knees and black details outlining her waist. She had short white sleeves and a small purple bow near her shoulder, while an elegant silver heart-shaped pendant adorned her neck.
"How do I look?" Akeno asked, doing a 360-degree turn as she showed off her outfit.
"Beautiful, as always" Kaito replied with a smile.
"Ara, then what was the point of dressing up especially today if I look the same as always?" Akeno joked with a smile.
"You look as beautiful as always, but not the same" Kaito corrected.
"That doesn't really make much sense"
"...It doesn't" Kaito agreed with a smile.
"Pffft, Kaito, you're terrible at this, you know?" Akeno laughed when she saw how confidently he acted despite having no idea what to say. "But confidence is good"
"You set me up from the beginning. That's not fair" Kaito complained.
"Hehe, just a little joke to set the mood. You look very handsome today too, Kaito, different from normal"
"I do?" Kaito looked at himself. He did not look particularly good. In fact, without his usual custom-made suit made by Frey and his real appearance, he even looked worse than normal.
He was only wearing a white shirt underneath an open jacket and slightly loose jeans.
"That's right, Kaito looks even more handsome than he normally does" Akeno smiled.
"So that's the correct answer"
"That's it" Akeno nodded. "Now, let's start our date"
Akeno took Kaito by the arm and guided him through the streets of Kuoh that Kaito was unfamiliar with.
Their first destination was simply a nearby crepe stand close to the plaza where they had met.
"What do you think?" Akeno asked after Kaito took his first bite.
"It's good"
"Just good?" Akeno pouted. "Well, I suppose with your cooking skills, this could only be considered good"
"No, it's really good. I'm not as picky as you think" Kaito immediately denied, explaining it to her. "Although I'm surprised this is our first destination?"
"Does it seem beneath me?"
"Let's just say... unexpected"
"He, you're learning" Akeno laughed. "This place is special to me, you know? I've always liked the desserts they make here since I was little.
Although now I like yours more"
"I can make you some more crepes later if you want"
"Ooooh, you know how to make a lady happy" Akeno said, wrapping her arms around Kaito's with a smile. "Let's go to the movies, there's a movie I want to see"
...
By the end of the day, Kaito and Akeno had visited several places, from food and clothing stores, restaurants, the cinema, and even an amusement park.
Akeno looked like a child who wanted to visit every place she had heard about when going on a date.
When the sun finally disappeared, they returned to the plaza where they had met, while Akeno smiled radiantly.
"It was so much fun!" she said excitedly. "It's exactly how I imagined dates would be!"
"Well, we went to every possible place for a date, you had to like at least one of them"
"Moooh" Akeno pouted childishly in annoyance. "You know, Kaito, today I discovered that you love being sarcastic and ruining the atmosphere at the worst possible moments.
I think I understand why you get along so well with Koneko"
"Haha, sorry about that" Kaito apologized, a little embarrassed. "So, are you going to tell me why we're here?"
"For a date" Akeno smiled, pretending not to know.
"Seriously?"
"Well, if you really want to know..." Akeno stood up from the bench and walked a few meters before speaking. "The truth is, I was a little jealous"
"Of Koneko?"
"...Yes" Akeno replied. "The truth is, Koneko and I are a little alike. Just like her before, there is also a part of me that I reject.
That's why, when I saw Koneko lately, looking so free, without that burden, I became curious.
And a few days ago, when she said that she had already overcome it, it really surprised me, but more than anything... I was very envious"
"And that's why you've been paying so much attention to me lately?"
"Of course. If something suddenly changes Koneko, isn't it obvious that it was you?" Akeno nodded before returning to Kaito's side and looking directly into his eyes. "So tell me... how did you do it?"
"It's not really about what I did, but what she did, you know?" Kaito said. "I think Koneko simply realized how much she likes her life. She has fun doing what she likes, eats what she likes, and does everything with the people she likes.
Why ruin that by constantly thinking about the past?
Once she realized that and stopped seeing her past as a problem, she was able to see it clearly without being carried away by personal feelings"
"That's... a pretty simple piece of advice" Akeno said, somewhat disappointed.
"Koneko is a simple person" Kaito nodded. "But that's what makes her so special.
She has the strength and resources to get whatever she wants, but she prefers to have a normal everyday life with the people she loves"
"Saying 'whatever she wants' is a little exaggerated, isn't it? You make her sound like a Maou" Akeno joked with a small laugh. "But yes, I understand what you're saying.
Unfortunately, I'm not Koneko, so I'll have to find something that matters more to me than my past in order to overcome it"
"In that case, how about we have a real date" Kaito said, standing up and walking over to her side. "Not one where you're just trying to be Koneko"
"It could be... That will depend on how important you are to me at that moment, right?"
"I'll do my best"
"Wow, that's the first declaration of pursuit I've had in... about two weeks?" Akeno joked. "You'll even have to beat Issei, you know? And he has monstrous potential"
"At least I have a head start, right?"
"Hehe, you could say that" Akeno smiled, remembering. "By the way, since I had so much fun today, perhaps I should give you a small reward"
Akeno smiled seductively as she approached Kaito and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"What do you think?" she asked while licking her lips.
______________________________________
I have a new fic about Syndrome in Marvel. Go check it out if you're interested.
Name: Marvel: Creating a World Where Everyone Is Super.
(Don't worry, this message will only be here for one month and then disappear)
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p-atreon.com/IAMME26
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80 power stones = 1 extra chapter (cumulative)