The Fallen Angel, Raynare, crashed into a deserted alleyway. Her entire body was a canvas of burns. Her once-pristine wings were scorched, feathers drifting loose like ash. Her risqué outfit was all but incinerated, leaving her exposed; her beautiful skin was marred by angry red welts, and parts of her hair had been singed away. She had managed to mitigate the worst of it with Holy Magic, but the pain was excruciating.
Slumping against a grimy wall, she gasped for breath.
"What… what was that magician?" she hissed, feeling an unsettling, divine-like resonance lingering in the scorch marks. "Maybe I targeted the wrong one. The Sacred Gear user… it must have been that kid." A venomous smile twisted her lips. "Just you wait, brat. I'll skin you alive."
She began channeling Light Power into her body, focusing on repairing the damage, cell by agonizing cell.
Meanwhile, Judai and Rias were seated across from each other in a quiet family restaurant. A subtle sound barrier surrounded their booth, rendering their conversation private.
"Why haven't you been answering my messages?" Rias asked, trying to ease the palpable tension.
"Training," Judai replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm sorry, I genuinely forgot."
"I thought you didn't want to be friends anymore," Rias admitted, a hint of sadness in her voice. His silence had stung.
"I was just… busy." He felt a pang of guilt.
"Have you finished reading the manga, at least?" she asked, her eyes lighting up slightly.
"I have," he said, offering a small, genuine smile.
"How was it?"
"Pretty good."
A moment of comfortable silence passed before Rias broached the heavier subject. "When did you unlock your Sacred Gear?"
"Oh, so this is called a Sacred Gear," Judai mused, glancing at his wrist.
"You didn't know?" Rias was genuinely surprised.
"I only knew it gave me power. That's it." He leaned forward. "If you know more, please tell me."
"They are weapons bestowed upon humans and human hybrids by the God of the Bible faction," Rias explained.
'But mine was given by someone else,' Judai thought, keeping that detail to himself.
"Is that all?"
"They are powered by the user's desires. And… there's a rare, advanced state some can achieve. It's called a Balance Breaker."
'Ah, so that's what that means,' Judai realized, connecting it to the locked option in his interface.
"Are you truly that clueless about the supernatural world?" Rias asked.
"I have a general idea. If Fallen Angels and Devils exist, it's not a stretch to assume other myths do, too. Am I wrong?"
"You're not wrong."
"What faction are you aligned with?" Rias asked, a necessary question to understand his position and avoid potential conflict.
"I'm on my own," Judai stated simply. Then, redirecting the conversation, he said, "You've been asking all the questions. It's my turn now."
"Go ahead."
"What kind of Devil are you?"
"I am a high-ranking Devil from the Gremory Clan."
"So, a princess."
"Yes, that's correct."
'Thank god I didn't try to hurt her. An entire clan of Devils would be hunting me,' Judai thought, a wave of relief washing over him internally.
"So, do you control this territory?"
"Another heiress and I oversee Kuoh Town. Sona Sitri, the Student Council President."
Throughout their conversation, one thing nagged at Judai. "Why are you being so honest with me?"
"Because you're my friend," Rias said, her tone utterly sincere.
Judai wasn't sure how to feel about that. Internally, he settled on a plan: 'If she shows hostile intent, I'll fight back. If not… I'll just go with the flow.'
"What are you planning to do now?" Rias asked, wanting to understand his path.
"Get stronger and live my life," Judai said.
Hearing his clear, independent goal, Rias decided not to offer him a place in her peerage, not after the tense, defensive glare he'd given her earlier. She respected his wishes, but asked something more personal.
"Will you still hang out with me? I'll understand if you don't want to, now that you know I'm a Devil."
"Sure, why not?" Judai answered. "But I'm not that free anymore. My teacher keeps me on a tight schedule. The only times I can really hang out are at school, or on rare rest days like today."
'A teacher?' Rias felt a touch of relief. She'd made the right choice not to push the offer; it could have gone very poorly.
"Okay," she agreed, happy to have her friend back.
"Question," Judai said, recalling the earlier scene. "What did you do to him?" He'd noticed Rias use some magic on the unconscious Issei.
"I erased parts of his memory. He won't remember anything about what happened today."
"Good enough for me." Judai glanced at the menu. "So, are we going to order something, or…?"
Rias chuckled and waved her hand, dismissing the sound barrier. She raised a hand to call the waiter over.
"What can I get for you two?" the waiter asked.
"Hamburger steak with demi-glace sauce and fried oysters, and a glass of water, no ice," Judai said.
Rias ordered next. "I'll have the tsukimi wakame udon and a strawberry juice, please."
"Coming right up," the waiter said, heading to place their order.
Rias turned back to Judai. "Why no ice?"
"Trying to keep myself at peak condition," Judai said. In his past life, ice always seemed to make him sneeze or feel off, so he'd developed a habit of avoiding it.
'Does he have some kind of condition?' Rias wondered privately.
A few minutes later, a different server arrived with their food. As she set the plates down, she glanced between them and smiled warmly.
"Are you two dating? You look really cute together."
Rias flushed slightly, her composure slipping for a moment. Judai, however, was already focused on his food, completely unfazed. Noticing his non-reaction, Rias felt a bit silly for being embarrassed.
The waitress's smile faltered slightly at Judai's deadpan lack of response before she politely excused herself.
As they ate, Judai asked, "If you're a princess, aren't you supposed to be engaged or something?"
Rias paused mid-bite. "I am."
Seeing her reaction, Judai pressed gently. "Is it a forced engagement?"
"Yes. But I have about five years before it's finalized. By then, I intend to be strong enough to break it myself."
"Oh." Judai nodded. "Well, I hope you manage to break it, if that's what you want."
"Thank you, Judai," Rias said, offering him a genuine, grateful smile.
"You're welcome," he replied, smiling back.