That night, the Gremory family and the Sitri family gathered on the grounds of Kuoh Academy.
"We've been waiting for fifteen minutes already. Where are the church envoys? Why haven't they arrived yet?" Saji complained with a sour expression.
"Be patient, Saji. You should try to imitate Hyoudou-san's and Kiba-san's calm attitude," said a beautiful woman with long white hair, Momo Hanakai.
Saji fell silent, looking at Issei and Kiba, then gave a bitter smile.
"It's useless to imitate them. I'll never be able to be like them."
"That's not true. I'm sure at the very least, you can become stronger!" Momo Hanakai tried to comfort Saji, though it didn't have much effect.
"Tch. If you're a pawn like me, stop thinking negatively and keep moving forward."
Saji froze, searching for the source of the voice, and his gaze met Issei's.
"Y-You… Were you the one who just spoke?"
Issei grinned.
"Is there anyone else here?"
Saji glanced at Kiba, took a deep breath, then shook his head.
"No."
Issei smiled faintly and spoke in a serious tone.
"If you're a man, never be pessimistic. There's always a path for those who dare to move forward."
Issei's words slightly touched Kiba's heart.
"I see… I understand. Thank you. My name is Saji Genshiro, Sona Sitri's pawn."
"My name is Issei Hyoudou, Rias Gremory's pawn."
Issei and Saji shook hands, silently exchanging understanding between two men.
"They seem to be getting along. I'm relieved," Rias murmured.
Sona nodded in agreement. "Me too. This would be a nice scene to capture."
"Of course. After all, Ise is there." Rias smiled foolishly, drunk on love.
Sona was momentarily stunned, unable to speak, then muttered inwardly, Will I ever meet a man who makes me think the way Rias does? I hope so.
Sring!
A massive spear of light shot straight toward Rias and Sona.
Issei immediately rushed forward, flying with his dragon wings, shattering the light spear with the Boosted Gear.
Crash!
The light spear shattered like glass struck by a stone, its fragments scattering everywhere, yet completely blocked by Issei.
As a Devil Sage, Issei possessed high resistance to the light element, but that didn't mean he couldn't be injured by it.
He suffered wounds across nearly his entire body, blood flowing in a quantity that looked alarming.
"Asia!" Rias shouted.
"Yes!" Asia rushed over, healing Issei's wounds with Twilight Healing.
Issei felt relieved as the injuries on his body were completely healed without leaving any scars.
"Thanks, Asia. That feels so much better."
Issei reached out and gently ruffled Asia's blonde hair.
Asia blushed, lowering her head shyly, yet she looked extremely happy.
"Ise!"
Squish!
Issei felt his back pressed firmly by something large, soft, and warm.
There was no need to explain, because you already knew exactly what it was.
That's right—Rias's top-class chest.
"Rias, let go for now. This isn't the time for hugging," Issei patted Rias's back, snapping her back to her senses and making her release him.
"…Thank you very much, Hyoudou-kun. If it weren't for you, we might have been seriously injured by that attack," Sona said, blushing slightly as she thanked Issei.
"Ahem! It's only natural. I'm glad to see that Sona-kaichou is safe," Issei said with a wide grin, giving Sona a thumbs-up.
Sona froze, her gaze softening before she let out a quiet laugh.
"I see. Once again, thank you."
Rias fell silent, her eyes moving back and forth between Issei and Sona.
With her observational ability, Rias easily noticed the connection between Issei and Sona.
"Hah…" Rias let out a long sigh.
"Gyagyagya! What a treat it is to watch a handsome devil playing around and flirting with both a big and a small pretty devil!"
An insolent voice rang out, causing everyone to turn toward the speaker.
"A church envoy?!" Momo Hanakai shouted.
"No! He's an enemy!" Issei yelled.
In an instant, the Gremory family and the Sitri family assumed defensive stances.
"Wait, wait! There's no way I can fight all of you at once!" Freed shouted in a panicked tone, showing his trademark unhinged behavior.
Issei took a deep breath and spoke coldly,
"In that case, call out your boss—the one who just fired that light spear!"
… .. .
To be continued…