Continuing where we left off...
Narrator's Perspective...
---------------
It could be said that Mash and Lilith's introductions made quite an impact on the classroom. The teacher was considering letting one of the students ask questions to the three new students, but after what he heard, he changed his mind.
After the chaotic introductions, Ritsuka, Mash, and Lilith went to their chosen school desks. Fortunately, the desks Lilith and Mash chose weren't next to each other, but Ritsuka ended up sitting between them, becoming a bridge connecting the two.
As Ritsuka was about to sit at his desk, he felt a slight and subtle presence that he almost didn't notice coming from a girl sitting behind him.
It was a familiar feeling to him, but too faint for him to identify precisely. Not wanting him to stare at the girl who's one of his table neighbors like a possible pervert, he introduces himself to her.
"Nice to meet you, as you heard my name is Fujimaru Ritsuka. I see I'll be your table neighbor."
Ritsuka isn't quite used to being a student again after years, so the way he speaks is a little shy and even a little forced, but luckily for him, the girl he introduces himself to is Isane Hyoudou.
"Nice to meet you, Fujimaru-san. My name is Hyoudou Isane. T-That was quite an introduction your friends gave you."
Before Ritsuka could respond to Isane's comment, Aika interrupts them by butting into the conversation.
"How rude of you, Isane-chan! You talk to this handsome guy without introducing me. Hello, Fujimaru-san, my name is Aika Kiryuu."
Isane immediately frowns upon hearing Aika's voice beside her. Ritsuka, on the other hand, raises an eyebrow after hearing Aika's words.
"You'd better not listen to that girl's perverted words, or she won't stop asking questions that should be private."
"I don't want to hear that coming from a girl with a fetish for muscular men. It's no wonder I caught you analyzing what Fujimaru-san is hiding behind his uniform."
"Can you shut your perverted mouth for a day?!"
Isane, her face red with embarrassment, begins to argue with her friend, Aika, which ends up becoming an argument between the two that is interrupted by the teacher calling their attention to the fact that class is about to begin.
-------
A few moments later....
Ritsuka's perspective.
-------
It's nostalgic to be back in the classroom as a student after who knows how many years I spent in Chaldea during my entire journey. I never thought I'd miss the things I used to find boring in school; time really does change people.
Anyway, I can't say the class was boring. I had to endure curious glances from the girls and looks of pure, violent envy from the few boys in my class because of the declarations Mash and Lilith made in the introduction.
Speaking of them, Mash and Lilith decided to sit at the desks covering both sides of me. Mash sat on my left while Lilith sat on my right, and I was in the middle, a victim of their attention at the same time.
An example of this is that after about half an hour of classes, Lilith, already getting bored, started talking to me using our mental connection, giving inappropriate suggestions to make excuses to leave the room, and she kept trying to hold my hand secretly. Mash, always vigilant when Lilith is around, sees what the Succubus Devil is trying to do and quickly throws a small paper ball at Lilith's head, drawing her attention and interrupting her plan.
Lilith obviously didn't like this at all and stared at Mash with an angry expression, with Mash doing the same, although Mash's angry expression was more cute than intimidating.
I don't know what the girls were mentally talking about while they were staring at each other, but somehow, Mash informs me that she won't allow Lilith to distract me in class so I can ruin my first day by skipping class to go "have fun" with Lilith in a dark corner of the school.
I basically had a little devil on my right shoulder tempting me with "fun" while my little angel on my left shoulder was trying to keep me focused in class.
I can't say that this dilemma wasn't a little fun. But eventually, our break time arrived, interrupting classes for a few hours. It was at that moment that I received a wave of mental communication from Morgan, Tamano, and Olga.
The first to speak to me was my dear Director Tsun, who seemed very bored.
Olga Marie - (Fujimaru, I'll need to borrow Mash from you for a few moments to better explore and map out every corner of this school.)
Ritsuka - (Can I assume you didn't enjoy being a student at a school other than the Mage's Association?)
Olga Marie - (I wasn't expecting much interest in this place, but I underestimated my disappointment. The topics and lessons this teacher was giving are all things I already know. She could give a lesson on stars, celestial bodies, or the space of our universe...)
Ritsuka - (Right... I'd forgotten that your mage family specializes in Astronomy. Well, I don't mind you borrowing Mash, I think she'll even enjoy spending time with her beloved sister on her first day at school.)
Olga Marie - (I-I'm still not used to her considering me a sister, after all, I was the only decent one from the Animusphere family and mages. They prefers to have only one decent person in the family.)
Ritsuka - (There's plenty of time for you to get used to it, Olga Marie. We no longer have the worries of the world being at risk to put aside certain personal matters.)
Olga Marie - (You're right. There's plenty of time for us. Well, tell Mash about what we talked about.)
Ritsuka - (Your wish is my command, my dear President.)
Olga Marie - (H-Hey! Don't call me that!)
Ritsuka - (Yes, my dear President.)
Olga Marie - (....I hate you.)
Ritsuka - (Heh. I love you too, Olga.)
After I cut off my connection with Olga Marie, Tamamo is the next to speak to me.
Tamamo no Mae - (Master! Master! I just detected a Yokai cat that's been spying on us for a while now. May I go talk to her? I promise I'll behave and won't scare her... too much.)
Just from the tone of pure animation and excitement coming from Tamamo, I know very well that this fox wife of mine is plotting something mischievous for this poor Yokai cat she's interested in.
Ritsuka - (How do you know she was spying on us? Besides, a Yokai here at this school? I expected... Devils but not Yokai. Didn't Metatron inform us that most Yokai reside in Kyoto?)
Tamamo no Mae - (Metatron-san didn't lie to you about the Yokai being in Kyoto, my dear Master, but this little girl I'm talking about seems to have some connection with that girl named Rias Gremory you saw hours ago. Probably after the impression you left on her, she sent her pet to keep an eye on us. Hehehe, what a cute act, isn't it?)
I don't need to be face-to-face with Tamamo to know she's in her "evil sadistic fox" mode when she finds something that intrigues her, and I know very well that if I don't restrain her, she'll probably traumatize this Yokai she saw.
Ritsuka - (Tamamo... Whatever you do, don't do anything that will put us in unnecessary conflict. We don't want problems in a world we're just beginning to understand. The most I'll allow is for you to give her a warning.)
Tamamo no Mae - (Ah, don't worry, my dear husband. The last thing this fox wife wants is to go against your orders. I just want to talk to her, satisfy my little curiosity. After all, this would be the first time I'll find something that didn't exist in our world after the Age of Gods ended. After I get everything I wanted, I'll let her go.)
"So she's going to interrogate the poor thing. I should have expected that. Hakuno-senpai was right about this, Tamamo can be a real handful at times."
I let out a sigh of resignation, already having an idea of what my dear mischievous fox wife is plotting, but I mentally remind myself to "punish" her when we get back to the apartment.
After that, my conversation with Tamamo no Mae ends, leaving my wife, the Fairy Queen Morgan, to be the last to speak with me.
Morgan - (My husband. I came to warn you that that devil girl, Sirzechs' sister, is going to send one of her servants to take you to her base, which is very close to where we are.)
Ritsuka - (Seriously? Well, I can't say I didn't expect it, especially after that moment when she seemed afraid of me. I was also planning to talk to her sooner or later. But, Morgan, I know very well that you wouldn't talk to me about this if it wasn't very important, and I doubt that's all you have to say.)
Morgan - (Heh. It fills me with pride and love to see that my dear husband knows me very well. I may no longer have access to my Fairy Eyes, but I can feel the strong desire of curiosity and even ambition coming from that girl when I looked at her as I entered her classroom. Besides, do you remember what Metatron told us about one of the tools of the system that the noble Devil families use?)
Ritsuka - (Are you perhaps referring to the Peerage system she mentioned? If so, I remember. Why do you ask?)
Morgan - (Because I managed to detect a strong magical bond connecting Rias Gremory and another girl who I'm sure is her right-hand woman, named Akeno Himejima. The bond itself is strong enough that I'm almost certain it's connected to the soul of that hybrid girl. The hybrid girl I'm talking about is Akeno, who is probably part Devil and Fallen Angel.)
I'm surprised to see how quickly Morgan is acquiring this information just by seeing it. Metatron had informed us a day after our Peace Treaty agreement about the political systems the Devils use; one of these systems is the Peerage system that Satan Ajuka Beelzebub created.
Although we know what the Peerage system is, we've seen what this system does personally, so for Morgan to already be unraveling the details of this system just by seeing it for the first time is impressive. Besides the fact that she discovered that one of the members of Rias's Peerage was a Fallen Angel who is now a hybrid between the two factions.
Ritsuka - (How did you find out that Akeno-Senpai is a Fallen Angel? We haven't met a Fallen Angel in person yet, we've only heard about them.)
Morgan - (It wasn't difficult to find out, Husband. As you and I know, Angels and Archangels possess a "holy" and "pure" presence due to the way they were created by their creator God, and we know that Fallen Angels are individuals who have lost only the nature that represents "purity"; they still retain the "holy" nature, but this nature has become tainted due to the angel's fall. Knowing this, it's not very difficult to differentiate a Fallen Angel from a normal Angel. The fact that Akeno is actively hiding her nature as a Fallen Angel intrigues me a little.)
Ritsuka - (Impressive as always. Well then, I'll wait for Rias's servant to call me. Let's see what Sirzechs's sister has to say to me.)
Morgan - (You're not going to talk to that girl alone, I'll go with you too. After all, I also have certain things I want to discuss with her.)
Ritsuka - (Oh? I didn't expect you'd want to come along. That's fine with me. But I'm curious about what you want to talk to Rias Gremory about?)
Morgan - (The talk that Lazy Archangel told us about the Devils' Peerage systems intrigued me a lot, and I want to see those "Pieces of Evil" with my own eyes. If my theory is correct, we'll be able to have a great advantage against those Devils.)
I know Morgan very well; she's much smarter than me. An example of this is the fact that she was smart enough to find the solution to the problem of the last Summer Fest in Hawaii, in addition to what she did when she was summoned in LB6 and the moment she set foot in what remained of Britannia, she immediately knew about the Lostbelt situation and found a solution moments later.
Or, using the words of the incubus wizard Merlin, "using Morgan is cheating!" Therefore, it's safe to assume that my fairy queen wife has a plan brewing, and unfortunately, Rias Gremory will be the victim who will possibly give her the key she needs to start everything.
It wasn't long before this servant Rias sent arrived just as I finished talking to Morgan. The person who entered my room is a handsome boy with blond hair and blue eyes, with the air of a noble prince or a young knight; the fact that I recognized him as Rias's servant is the typical malevolent presence of Devils I've ever known.
(A/N: The fact that this boy was completely willing to change gender and remain a woman to be with Issei only makes it clear that the only reason Kiba didn't end up with Issei is the gender barrier. Even Issei himself admitted in the novel that Kiba, as a girl, is the perfect type of girl for him.)
The moment this young knight entered the room, the girls in my class started dramatically moaning and acting like fangirls around him, which the boy calmly and politely ignored. The boy stopped at my desk and introduced himself.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Fujimaru-san. My name is Yuuto Kiba. I'm here on instructions from President Rias Gremory, who wants your presence in the club."
The moment Kiba starts talking to me, the girls in the room get excited seeing two handsome men talking to each other and start inventing a bunch of intimate scenarios between us.
"Fujimaru-san, do you know Gremory-senpai?"
Isana asks me, hesitating whether to look at me or Kiba, while Aika just silently stares at the two of us with her glasses shining, probably imagining something inappropriate.
"Let's just say I know a member of her family."
I answer Isana's question vaguely on purpose while Lilith looks at Kiba, analyzing him.
"Who would have thought Princess Gremory would want your attention, Ritsuka. Do you want me to accompany you?"
"Senpai! I also suggest it would be a good idea for me to accompany you to talk to Rias Gremory."
"Sorry, Mash, but Olga Marie wants you to accompany her to explore the school, and Lilith will be accompanying me to meet Rias instead of Morgan."
Mash is surprised after hearing my words, while Lilith has a disappointed expression, but it quickly returns to her usual mischievous look.
"So it seems Morgan didn't want to waste any time and decided to be the first to win this round. Okay. I'm very good at finding golden opportunities."
Judging by Lilith's words, it seems she's quite excited to plan a counterattack against Morgan, something that will probably inevitably involve me.
"Sorry for making you wait, Yuuto-san, can you take me to meet Rias Gremory now?"
Kiba simply replies with a polite smile, and he and I leave the classroom. As we start walking down the hallways, we both see Morgan waiting for us.
The moment Kiba looked at Morgan, he had a slight expression of surprise, but he quickly regained his polite composure.
"I presume you're Morgan-san, who will be accompanying Fujimaru-san, aren't you?"
"Yes. And it seems your mistress sent the knight that is you to fetch my husband."
I can see the surprise in Kiba's eyes when Morgan casually reveals our relationship to him, but he quickly regains his composure, just like a knight in medieval times.
"Alright. Then please come with me. President Rias is waiting for you."
Without much ceremony, Morgan and I are escorting Kiba out of the main school building to the old building where I first saw Rias Gremory in a window.
On the way to Rias's base, I observe Kiba with a little more attention. I don't know if it's just my impression or because I've lived many years near Avengers servants, but in the few moments I spoke with Kiba, I couldn't help but feel something familiar inside him.
Unlike what happened with Isana, whose cause I couldn't even identify, in Kiba's case I felt he possesses a burning, vengeful ember within his heart, or, using Edmond Dantes' dramatic language, Kiba possesses the seeds of an Avenger within him.
The difference is that these seeds or embers are suppressed, so to speak, as if all Kiba needs for this ember to become a vengeful flame is a moment when he can't hold back or when the object of his vengeance appears.
Perhaps my experience during the Second Ordeal Call has made me highly perceptive regarding negative and vengeful feelings. But whatever problem Kiba is going through, I don't intend to get involved since my name isn't involved.
We arrived at the old school building, which initially seemed empty, but the moment we stepped inside, I sensed a strong, vampiric, yet sealed presence emanating from the upper floor.
Morgan - (It seems you noticed it too, husband. That's good. It seems Sirzechs' little sister is hiding a powerful weapon up there. The seal is concealing a good portion of that vampire's power, but I can easily detect his power leaking through some openings. I wonder how that girl managed to get a vampire with the power to manipulate time?)
The information Morgan gave intrigued me. Normally, the ability to manipulate time would impress me, as it's not something many Servants I know can handle. However, after facing the Norns, Urðr (Urd), Verðandi (Verdandi), and Skuld, I honestly want to avoid facing time users as much as possible because they are complicated and very annoying to deal with.
(A/N: I'm honestly curious to see what Skuld will look like. I've heard theories that she'll be an old loli to balance the size of each sister's breasts, since Verdandi has the biggest among the three.)
During my mental complaint, we arrived at Rias Gremory's office. I saw her sitting at her desk, and I also saw a girl standing behind her, who I can assume is Akeno Himejima.
"President, I brought Ritsuka Fujimaru as you requested, and he brought his companion as well."
"Thank you for your help in bringing them, Yuuto."
Kiba stayed behind us near the door we entered, serving as a knight guard, awaiting further orders from Rias.
"It's a pleasure to meet you in person, Fujimaru Ritsuka. I've heard interesting things about you from my brother. My name is Rias Gremory, and I'm the President of the occult research club here in this old building. This one beside me is my friend and secretary, Akeno Himejima."
Rias said, introducing herself and Akeno to us, her guests.
"The pleasure is all mine, Gremory-san. My meeting with your sister was somewhat a consequence of one of my companions. The one beside me is my partner, Morgan."
Morgan doesn't introduce herself to Rias, which doesn't surprise me given her pride as Queen, and also because she's surveying this entire place.
"My husband. I suggest we skip the polite introduction and get straight to the point of why she wants to speak with us."
Morgan's words didn't seem to offend Rias, who actually only responded to my wife's words with a polite smile. However, I noticed that she also hadn't expected to hear the word "husband" from Morgan.
Akeno, on the other hand, didn't hide her surprise, much less the curious smile she was giving me, in addition to the slight glance she was giving me, which I chose to ignore to avoid Morgan's jealous look.
------------
Narrator's Perspective.....
---------
At the same time that Ritsuka and Morgan are about to begin a conversation that will trigger the journey to finally begin, Koneko, a nekomata who fears Rias's special Nekoshou powers, is now heading towards the old school building where Rias is, as she wants to immediately report what she discovered to her master.
Koneko had received orders from Rias to keep an eye on Ritsuka Fujimaru and the girls he brought, but a woman that the mage brought with her has a strong Kitsune scent in Kyoto.
Normally, the scent of a Kitsune wouldn't bother her nose, but after a short time analyzing the scent of this Kitsune woman, Koneko came to a realization she never expected to understand.
She smelled a very powerful, divine scent coming from that Kitsune, and upon understanding this information, the whole situation changes and leaves her in a state of panic.
Koneko may not understand much or be very interested in the politics that her Master Rias deals with due to her status as a noble Devil, but she knows that she doesn't need to understand politics to realize that a Deity being in Devil territory isn't exactly a good sign.
That's why Koneko decided she must immediately inform Rias Gremory of this information urgently.
However, at a certain point, Koneko is walking quickly through the school corridors and she doesn't encounter any students who would normally be passing through the corridors, which confuses her.
What alerts her is that it seems like these school corridors have no direction and it seems like the walls themselves are expanding the school as Koneko walks.
It is at this moment that Koneko realizes that something is very wrong, but before she can do anything, that powerful divine scent returns and Koneko feels her body paralyzing until she can no longer move.
"My goodness... To fall for such a simple illusory spell and not realize it in time is something I have to admit I expected a little more from a Yokai."
It is at this moment that Koneko hears the voice of the person responsible for this divine scent that sends shivers down her spine, though she tries not to show it physically.
"Who would have thought that Princess Gremory would send her pet cat to watch us from a distance. I honestly don't mind being watched, after all, all you can do is look and admire my beauty, but when I realized you're a Yokai like me, I had to take the situation a little more seriously, because even though I don't like to admit it, I can't hide my special scent from someone with a good nose."
The divine Kitsune woman looks at Koneko like a predator looking at prey that is surrounded and unable to escape unharmed.
"Who... are you?"
With physical effort, Koneko manages to utter these words even while trapped in a spell, and Tamamo watches the Nekomata's effort, feigning surprise.
"Look at that, the little kitty managed to resist my weak spell. At least you have potential, too bad you're actively suppressing it."
Tamamo's words hit Koneko's personal situation perfectly, and she just stares at the Kitsune with an expression of fear and anger at the same time.
"How...you..."
"That detail is irrelevant at the moment. What's relevant now is that I have certain little questions to ask you, little kitty, and I expect you to answer them honestly."
It is on this day that Koneko learns an important lesson that she will carry with her for the rest of her life: conflict between Deities is chaotic and complicated.
--------
To be continued.....
Next chapter: Isana's disastrous romantic date
-------