Rias, Akeno, Kiba, and Koneko sat together in the meeting room, the atmosphere thick with tension. The news about Judai's abilities was not just surprising, it was potentially world-altering.
"Buchou," Kiba began, his voice low with concern, "this is world-breaking. If anyone else finds out he can create a new magic system through his summons… He'll be hunted. Have there been any records of past Annihilation Maker users doing something like this?"
"No. Not from what I know," Rias admitted, her hands folded tightly in her lap.
"Then can't you do something? Invite him into the Peerage," Kiba urged.
"That won't work," Akeno cut in gently but firmly. "Judai doesn't like the idea of servitude, even under Rias. To him, it's too close to slavery and he's not entirely wrong."
Kiba clicked his tongue in frustration. He'd only just gotten to know Judai as a friend, but he already felt protective.
Koneko sat quietly, replaying the scene in her mind, Judai manipulating life energy so flawlessly. 'If I had met someone like him earlier…'
Rias's mind was spinning, searching for an answer she didn't have. The pressure felt suffocating.
"What should we do, Buchou?" Koneko finally asked, breaking the silence.
Akeno nodded in agreement. "Yes, Rias. What's the plan?"
'What should I do? I don't want my friend to be targeted. He hates the idea of being a servant. I have no idea…' Just then, the unwelcome image of her fiancé, Riser Phenex, flashed in her mind. She felt a wave of disgust. 'Why am I thinking of him?' But the thought sparked an idea, a desperate, half-formed one. 'Engagement.'
"I think… I have a solution," Rias said slowly, meeting their eyes.
"What is it?" Akeno pressed.
"I need to make him my fiancé."
The room went still.
"Would that even work?" Kiba asked skeptically. The plan felt flimsy, even reckless.
"It's better than nothing, isn't it? We might not have enough time for him to grow strong enough to defend himself if other factions start hunting him."
"But would he agree to it?" Akeno's tone was cautious.
"Even if he doesn't at first, we can explain why it's necessary. He'll understand."
"Would your family even allow it, Buchou?" Kiba voiced the obvious obstacle.
"I'll persuade them. I'm still a Gremory heiress," Rias said, though her voice lacked its usual confidence.
"Rias," Akeno interjected softly, "even if it works in theory, how do you plan to convince your parents? They've already arranged your marriage to Riser."
"We'll make them see that Judai is more valuable than Riser. We'll arrange a match between them. I believe Judai can win."
"Isn't that putting Judai's life at risk? This isn't just a bet, it's a fight for survival," Akeno countered, her concern evident.
"Then do you have a better idea?" Rias asked, her voice tinged with desperation.
Silence fell. None of them had a safer, cleaner alternative.
"But Buchou," Koneko spoke up quietly, "if this plan fails, wouldn't it be worse for Judai-senpai?"
Her words hung heavily in the air.
"If that happens… we'll have no choice but to make him a Devil," Rias said finally, her voice strained.
"Won't he hate you for that?" Akeno asked softly.
"I'd rather have him hate me than risk him dying," Rias replied, the words tasting bitter even as she said them. She sounded like a hypocrite, no better than her own family, forcing a path onto someone for their "own good."
Akeno looked at her, a mix of understanding and sorrow in her eyes. 'Rias…'
A few hours later...
After a grueling training session with Endymion, Judai finished showering and sat down at his small desk to tackle his homework. He stared at the problems, annoyance clear on his face. Compared to the education system in his past life, the Japanese curriculum felt unnecessarily dense and difficult.
"Why do I even have to do this?" he muttered, flipping through the textbook in search of answers. 'I already have supernatural power, and I still have to deal with calculus?'
He sighed heavily just as a soft knock came at his door.
"Come in, it's not locked."
The door opened, and Rias stepped inside. Judai glanced over his shoulder to see her wearing an unusually anxious, hesitant expression.
"Is there something you need?" he asked.
Rias sat down on the edge of his bed, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. She seemed to be struggling for words.
"Um, Judai…"
Her tone made him set his pen down and turn his chair to face her fully.
"Do you know that creating a new magic system with a Sacred Gear is… unheard of? Practically impossible?" she began.
"Hmm," Judai acknowledged, listening.
"And do you know your Sacred Gear is a Longinus?"
"What's a Longinus?"
"It's a subclass of Sacred Gear, a weapon powerful enough to kill a god."
'Is God dead, then?' Judai wondered internally, though he wasn't particularly surprised by the concept. "Where are you going with this?" he asked, wanting her to get to the point.
"You're in enormous danger," Rias stressed, laying out the gravity of his situation.
"I already know that. That's why I'm hiding here with you until I can deal with the Fallen Angels."
"An entire faction of Fallen Angels likely already knows you possess Annihilation Maker."
"That's not my Sacred Gear's name," Judai corrected.
"Huh?" Rias blinked, confused. Everything he'd done seemed to align perfectly with the known Longinus.
"It's called Anima Cardiae," Judai stated, recalling the name from his interface.
Rias's eyes widened. "I've… never heard of that Sacred Gear before." It was unrecorded, unprecedented. 'No known Sacred Gear does what he does,' she realized with a chill.
"Then… this is far bigger than I thought," she murmured, her anxiety deepening. "You'll need my family's protection. Mine alone won't be enough."
Judai processed her reaction. 'Am I in even more danger than I thought? First I get killed by a Fallen Angel, now this… Can I ever catch a break?'
"Judai," Rias said, her voice firming with resolve. "Since you don't want to be a servant or become a Devil… would you consider becoming my fiancé?"
"Huh? Where did that come from?" Judai started, then quickly understood. She was offering him a lifeline, the only form of high-level protection he could accept without losing his autonomy. "Never mind, don't answer that." He looked at her seriously. "Are you sure about this? You'd be sacrificing your own future for my safety."
"Yes. I'd rather be with you than some other man I don't even like," Rias said, offering a genuine, if shaky, smile.
For a moment, Judai's mind flashed with an unbidden image, a future with Rias, her smile, her laughter. He quickly shook the thought away.
Rias waited, then added softly, "If you don't want to stay engaged, you can break it off once you're strong enough to protect yourself."
He let out a long sigh, weighing his options. "How exactly does this plan work?"
"If you can defeat my current fiancé in a formal match, witnessed by both our families, you'll prove yourself a more suitable candidate."
"So I need to get strong enough to beat him."
"Yes."
"Can you arrange it so I don't have to attend school anymore?."
"I can."
Judai stood up from his chair.
"Where are you going?" Rias asked.
"Training, my dear," he said, heading for the door. "See you later."
As he left, Rias's cheeks flushed warmly at the unexpected term of endearment.