The lively gathering lasted all the way until evening before finally coming to an end.
By then, Leo and his group were ready to head home. The two-day break was over, and with Monday coming up, they couldn't stay another night in Kuoh Town. Leaving now was perfect timing.
They gathered in the student council office to say their goodbyes.
Rias and Sona didn't try to stop them. Just like when they'd met yesterday, everyone exchanged farewells.
"Even though something like that happened, I'm still really glad we got to meet you all this time."
Rias smiled at Leo as she said it.
"You made me realize how many shortcomings I still have, and how much room there is for improvement. Just being able to see that clearly already makes this whole experience a huge gain for me."
While Rias and Leo were saying goodbye, the others were doing the same.
Tsubasa Yura and Koneko Toujou were parting with Kasumigaoka Utaha. Reya Kusaka and Momo Hanakai were saying goodbye to Shiina Mahiru. Tomoe Meguri was still holding Yuuki Asuna's hand, the two of them clearly reluctant to separate. Even Akeno Himejima and Shinra Tsubaki were earnestly bidding farewell to Yukinoshita Yukino, filling the air with a faint sense of melancholy.
"I need to work even harder too," Sona said, closing her eyes as if firming her resolve. "I might not be able to catch up to you in terms of strength, so I'll have to double down on sharpening my mind. I'll refine my strategies and tactics so I don't get left too far behind."
She couldn't help feeling a little bitter.
Not long ago, she'd been stronger than Leo, and far more capable in many areas than someone who had only just become a High-Class Devil. Yet in just a few months, she'd been completely overtaken. It left a complicated feeling in her chest.
Still, Sona's heart was strong. Ever since childhood, she'd grown up alongside a prodigy, someone so talented it was almost unfair. She was used to being outshone, and she'd long since accepted that when it came to pure talent, she couldn't compare to the true chosen ones.
So she would carve out her own path in the field she excelled in—using her mind to make up for any lack of strength, and defeat the strong with the weak.
"Yeah. We really do have to work twice as hard," Rias said with a bold, fearless smile.
That was her current goal.
"When I've become stronger, let's finish the battle we couldn't complete back then."
She wanted to dominate the Rating Game. She wanted to dethrone the emperor and become the queen of the Rating Game herself.
Even if she wasn't Leo's match right now, she had no intention of giving up. On the contrary, she'd already chosen Leo as her greatest rival and sworn that one day, she would defeat him.
If she couldn't do that, her dream would be nothing more than empty talk.
Leo could clearly feel the fighting spirit burning in both Rias and Sona, and he couldn't help but smile.
To be honest, being treated as a rival by two stunning girls felt… pretty strange.
But he knew they were serious.
So he nodded with a smile.
"I'll be waiting for you."
He never underestimated Rias or Sona. In a sense, both of them were daughters of fate.
Rias went without saying. Even though she wasn't a Longinus wielder like him, her Power of Destruction trait was, in some ways, no weaker than his Servant Conversion.
That much was obvious just by looking at Sirzechs—the current Maou Lucifer himself.
It was precisely because of the Power of Destruction that Sirzechs had undergone a mutation and become a Super Devil, reaching a level where he could stand shoulder to shoulder with gods from various mythologies and join the ranks of the world's strongest.
If Rias could fully unlock the potential of her Power of Destruction trait, there was no guarantee she wouldn't one day reach a height comparable to Leo's.
At that point, Leo might not be able to match her. Reaching Super Devil level wasn't guaranteed even after filling all eleven remaining servant slots—not unless at least half of them had exceptional potential.
That was difficult. But for Rias to reach the Super Devil level like Sirzechs was even harder. It could only be said that the possibility existed. Whether she could truly achieve it would depend on her own fate.
As for Sona, her intellect had always been something Leo admired. No matter what, he didn't think he could ever beat her in that regard.
In the original story, it was precisely because of that brilliance that she'd nearly defeated the powerhouse Gremory servants, earning even higher evaluations than Rias among the upper echelons of the devil world. With that fact alone, Leo could never afford to look down on her.
All things considered, Leo actually had high expectations for both girls, hoping they would truly achieve their wishes.
"Oh, right—Rias," Leo suddenly remembered something and turned to her. "You might want to pay closer attention to the students at the academy lately. You could find a few surprises."
"Surprises?" Rias froze, puzzled. "What kind of surprises?"
"A talented recruit," Leo said with a mysterious smile. "Aren't you like me? Still seriously short on servants, and desperate for talent right now? Trust me—if you really look, you'll definitely find someone."
"Oh?" Rias raised an eyebrow, her curiosity clearly piqued. "So you've already discovered something?"
"More or less," Leo admitted. But thinking about that person's true nature made the corner of his mouth twitch. "There's no doubt they're extremely talented. The height they can reach in the future is beyond most people's imagination."
"But… how should I put it…"
"Hm?" Rias prompted.
"Well, if you can tolerate being stared at every day by a servant with a very obvious look in his eyes—and being used as fuel for his imagination—then you could give it a try."
Rias's raised eyebrow climbed even higher.
"So you're saying this excellent servant I might gain… is a total pervert?"
Leo could only nod at that concise summary.
He even borrowed a line from the original story to describe him.
"He's the embodiment of lust. 'Pervert' doesn't even begin to cover it."
Leo wasn't slandering him. That was simply the truth.
"That sounds… kind of dangerous," Rias said, narrowing her eyes thoughtfully. After a moment, she suddenly asked, "Do you think I should sacrifice my looks for the sake of my servants' growth?"
"There's probably no need…" Leo scratched his head, caught off guard by the question.
Sure, the guy was exceptional and had an astonishing future ahead of him, but Rias was still a favored child of fate. Why should she have to make that kind of sacrifice?
"That makes sense," Rias said with a gentle smile. "I think I understand what you mean. Thanks for the reminder."
Still, if there really was such an outstanding talent at Kuoh Academy, it wouldn't hurt to make a move early.
As for him being a pervert… that didn't particularly bother her. They were devils, after all—who still clung to innocent schoolgirl sensibilities? Rias Gremory was a devil brimming with charm; calling her a succubus wouldn't even be an exaggeration.
Besides, she already had Yuuto Kiba—so gentlemanly that he kept a respectful distance from the girls in the peerage. Adding someone completely opposite might actually be interesting. To Rias, it would feel like having one more foolish little brother.
That said, she also knew that acting too accommodating might make her seem lacking in self-respect. Since Leo said there was no need to go that far, she'd just observe for now. If the guy's conduct really was that bad, she'd pass—no need to give her greatest rival something to laugh at.
Meanwhile, Sona pushed up her glasses, the lenses flashing sharply.
"So there are boys with unhealthy mindsets like that at the school?" she said coolly. "Looks like I'll need to crack down on campus discipline for a while…"
Unlike Rias's succubus-like attitude, Sona really didn't act like a devil at all. Upright and strict, she couldn't tolerate even a hint of disorder.
So after hearing Leo's words, she had zero interest in competing with Rias over that talent. Instead, she was already thinking about correcting him properly—teaching him what shame meant.
The poor original protagonist had no idea that because of Leo's casual comment, the days ahead would become a living nightmare. He'd come dangerously close to becoming Kuoh Academy's most notorious pariah.
"All right, it's about time."
Leo glanced at the darkening sky and called his servants over.
Yukinoshita Yukino, Yuuki Asuna, Kasumigaoka Utaha, and Shiina Mahiru immediately gathered at his side and followed him into the magic circle.
"Goodbye."
"Have a safe trip."
"Next time, let's fight again!"
"We'll definitely be stronger by then!"
"You all better work hard too!"
The Gremory servants and the Sitri servants waved as they saw Leo's group off.
Leo and the others nodded together and smiled.
"We will."
Demonic power flowed into the magic circle at their feet, activating it.
The next second, a red glow rose from the circle and slowly enveloped Leo's group.
"Well then, until next time."
Leo pressed two fingers together and drew them lightly past his temple in a casual farewell gesture. Smiling, he vanished along with his servant girls into the magic circle.
Rias and Sona watched them go, their servants standing behind them in silence.
"…Until we meet again."
For a long time after, no one spoke.
=-=-=-=-=
You can read up to chapter 163 on patreon.com/NiaXD.