Time passed, and soon it was after school.
Roy, with the recently transferred Asia, left the classroom for the Occult Research Club in the old school building.
His phone rang.
Telling Asia to go ahead, Roy answered. "Yo, what's up?"
"Roy, sorry. I told my dad about my job."
Shoko's sheepish voice came through.
Hearing the story, Roy was surprised. "You just told him today? Thought you'd have spilled earlier."
"Huh? But didn't you say…"
"Keep the devil stuff secret?"
"Yeah."
"You got it wrong. I meant don't blast it online."
"…"
That's it?
Shoko exhaled in relief.
After impulsively spilling her job details this morning, she'd been riddled with regret.
She feared breaking rules would get her memory wiped and fired.
That anxiety kept her from calling Roy until now.
But his response was unexpectedly chill.
"By the way, how's your dad? Perking up at all?"
Roy's voice cut in.
"Still kinda down, but he's listening to me more than before."
Shoko replied instinctively.
Then she froze. "Roy, you know about my family?"
"Yup. I checked you out."
"…"
"Upset?"
"No, just wondering what your real reason was for giving me that ten million yen."
"Lots of reasons, but the main one I've said: buying your future."
"…Thanks."
Shoko's expression grew complex.
Proud as she was, she normally rejected pity.
But Roy framed it cleverly—buying her future.
"Roy, I'll work hard to get stronger."
"I'll prove my future's worth that ten million."
You already are.
Roy glanced at his active entry effect, thinking.
To him, anything boosting training efficiency was worth it, even a 1% gain, let alone 100%.
Money-solved problems weren't problems.
Like Akatsuki's purpose, this tied to the entry system—unspeakable.
"Wanna boost your value? How about part-time at Akatsuki?"
"Akatsuki?"
"My new esper group. It's growing and needs trustworthy managers."
"But… I'm just a normal person."
"Just say if you're interested. I'll handle the rest."
"…I'll give it a shot."
Shoko hesitated, then agreed. "If I can't hack it, I'll quit."
"Deal. We'll talk details at home."
Roy finalized, hanging up.
Pocketing his phone, he entered the Occult Research Club.
A graceful figure on the sofa waved. "Yo, Red Dragon Emperor. Afternoon."
"Afternoon."
Roy nodded.
"Not curious why I'm here?"
Xenovia blinked, puzzled.
She'd picked a prominent spot to surprise Roy and see his reaction.
But he was calmer than expected.
"No big mystery. The Church kicked you out, right?" Roy sat opposite, replying.
"The Biblical God's death is just gossip to devils, but for a believer like you, it's a crisis."
"Faith shaken, your every move's a risk to the Church. You might even mess with Heaven's faith system."
"To avoid worst-case scenarios, they'd likely exile you. I figured this when we parted last time."
"Whoa, I'm seeing you in a new light."
Xenovia gasped, surprised.
She'd pegged Roy as a brawn-over-brains type like her.
But he was sharp.
"Your perspective's just limited. If you knew Asia's deal, you'd see this was inevitable."
Roy pointed to the blonde girl who'd arrived earlier.
Asia was exiled for healing a devil, exposed to others.
A saintess's power working on devils could shake human faith, even disrupt Heaven's system.
Different surface reasons, but Asia and Xenovia were exiled for the same core issue.
Their existence, under certain conditions, threatened Heaven's main system.
"Oh, that's how it works."
Xenovia got it.
She'd thought her exile was due to wavering faith.
Roy's explanation showed she'd oversimplified.
"You two seem tight."
Rias emerged from a side room, greeting Roy. "Got something to say?"
"Bought some kids' clothes online. Wanna try 'em tonight?"
"You've got some nerve joking at a time like this."
Rias rubbed her forehead.
Maybe it triggered some odd fetish, but Roy loved her childhood look.
During late-night work, he'd often had her use Shape Contraction to shrink into loli form.
"So, tonight?"
Roy pressed. Rias coughed, nodding slightly.
"Woo! Rias, you're the best!"
"Flattery won't make me forget business."
"What business?"
"Morning. U.S. Claw."
"Oh, that. Natsuki-chan already grilled me."
"Sensei Natsuki? What'd she say?"
"Just some cooperation stuff."
Roy summarized, pulling out the Lion King Agency's card and setting it on the table. "I'm planning to work with Japan's officials to expand our scope. Cool?"
"Your call."
Rias glanced at the card.
Truthfully, this was a formality.
She rarely meddled in Roy's choices.
But…
"No more Claw-level stunts for a while."
"My brother just contacted me. A three-way meeting with the Church and fallen angels is coming."
"If you keep making waves, it could mess with the talks."
"No prob."
Roy flashed an OK sign.
Akatsuki's moves weren't his, technically.
Worst case, he'd wear a mask and skip Boosted Gear for contracts.
"President, is the meeting about Kokabiel?" Xenovia asked, as Roy and Rias wrapped up.
"Yup, that's the spark. If it goes well, we might sign a peace treaty."
Rias shared the intel.
As expected, it stirred the club.
Yuuto Kiba, training swordsmanship, and Koneko and Akeno, munching sweets in the corner, joined the huddle.
"A peace treaty? Can they pull it off?"
"My brother says there's a good shot."
Rias glanced at Roy, stressing, "It's a sensitive time, Roy. No big moves."
"Give me some credit. Do I look like a troublemaker?"
You don't start trouble, but your 'fight if you're pissed' attitude turns small stuff huge.
Rias stared for seconds, swallowing the retort.
Saying it wouldn't help.
"Besides the meeting, two more announcements."
Drawing everyone in, Rias shifted gears. "You probably know the second one: we've got a new member."
"Xenovia, introduce yourself."
"Xenovia, Knight. I fight with the holy sword Durandal in close combat. That's it."
"They didn't take Durandal when they kicked you out?" Yuuto asked, curious.
"The higher-ups planned to, but changed their minds for some reason."
"Maybe they didn't expect Xenovia to crash and burn so hard she'd become a devil," Rias guessed.
She'd mentioned Xenovia to Sazeks during their call.
Per Sazeks, the Church often exiled capable believers who learned the truth, letting them cool off for one to three months.
Then, pros would counsel them, pulling them back to the fold.
This worked for centuries—most accepted reality and returned.
Xenovia, spiraling and jumping to devilhood, was apparently the first.
"Huh? There's a whole process?" Xenovia blinked, stunned.
"Being a devil's not bad. Lifespan starts at tens of thousands of years—humans can't touch that."
Rias shrugged, listing devil perks.
As a Demon Lord clan, the Gremorys offered top-tier benefits.
Hearing this, Xenovia, with no way back, felt better.
Better benefits than her old gig? Not a loss!
"Alright, one last thing."
Seeing Xenovia settle, Rias drew focus. "My brother ordered Gasper's seal lifted."
"Gasper? Who's that?" Xenovia asked.
"My Bishop-class retainer."
"Oh, Rias-nee had another Bishop? What'd he do to get sealed?" Asia, hearing this first, asked.
Rias shook her head. "Not a crime. Gasper's just immature, and his Sacred Gear often goes wild."
Xenovia: "What's his Sacred Gear?"
Rias: "Forbidden Balor View, a time-stopping eye."
"Time-stopping?"
Xenovia froze, shocked.
As a former Church warrior, she'd met many Sacred Gear users.
But a time-related one? First time.
"Devil chess pieces are wild."
"Converting a time-based Sacred Gear user with one piece?"
"Normally, one wouldn't cut it, but I had a mutated Bishop piece."
Mutated pieces, unlike standard ones, had stronger conversion power.
Targets needing multiple pieces could be turned with one mutated piece.
"Before Roy, Gasper was my most talented retainer."
"Even doing nothing, just sleeping, his power grows unconsciously."
"Per the higher-ups, Gasper's likely to hit Balance Breaker."
"Whoa, that strong?" Xenovia gaped.
But Rias gave a wry smile. "Great talent isn't always good for Gasper."
"I said he can't control his power, leading to frequent rampages."
"Imagine Balance Breaker in that state."
"…!"
Xenovia got it.
She'd focused on Gasper's ability and potential.
Now, a runaway time-based Sacred Gear sounded terrifying.
"But if they're lifting the seal, he can control it now, right?"
"Nope, still can't."
"Huh? Then why—"
Xenovia stopped mid-question, glancing at Roy on the sofa.
"Exactly."
Rias nodded, looking at Roy too. "My brother believes Roy can handle a rampaging Gasper."
"His ability's dangerous, but his talent's undeniable."
"Instead of locking him up, better train him while we can."
"If he masters his Sacred Gear, his potential's limitless."
"Leave it to me."
Roy took the job.
He'd wanted to meet Gasper for ages.
As the reincarnation of Demon God Balor's consciousness fragment, Gasper had to have high-tier entries.
But Gasper's shut-in nature made him hard to reach, let alone farm entries from.
Now, with a chance, Roy wasn't passing it up.
"Thanks, Roy."
Rias relaxed.
With Roy on board, the rest was straightforward.
Leading Roy and the others, Rias reached a classroom on the old school building's first floor.
The door was plastered with seals, surrounded by dense runes.
Undoing the layers, Rias pushed it open.
"Don't come near me—!!!"
A shrill scream erupted as the door cracked.
"What's that?!" Asia jumped.
"Don't mind it. He's like this."
Rias sighed, stepping inside.
Used as a living space, the classroom was filled with decorations.
Scanning the plushies, Rias looked to a corner. "Long time no see, Gasper."
"Seeing you this lively puts me at ease."
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