After school.
"This is my favorite ice cream stall," Kousuke said after receiving his order, offering a spoonful of his durian ice cream to Tsubaki. She opened her mouth wide as he feed her while clinging to his arm like a magnet, making it painfully obvious to anyone watching that they were a couple.
"Mmm, it's so good!" she said, eyes sparkling with delight.
Kousuke smiled at her reaction and wiped a bit of cream from her lips with his finger before licking it off. "I agree."
Irina and Xenovia stared at them with deadpan expressions. They had asked Kousuke to show them around town and had been thrilled when he finally agreed. What they didn't expect was for him to show up with Tsubaki in tow—and spend the entire tour flirting with her.
"Oh, you two are still here?" Kousuke finally noticed their glares and blinked in surprise. His reaction seems to implied that he didn't think they'd followed him.
"...You promised to show us around," Xenovia said, her expression twitching. Irina nodded rapidly beside her.
"I did?" he said, tilting his head. It was clear they had an agreement early on, but he was pretending to be dumb. Tsubaki lightly smacked his arm with an apologetic smile before addressing the girls.
"I'm sorry on his behalf. He tends to act like this when it's something he's not really interested in."
But Tsubaki also had her own suspicions about these two. They seems to have some kind of motive involving Kousuke, that much is certain. From their point of view, he was an unaffiliated human that is strangely powerful. Of course it's a normal reaction for people to be curious of someone on his caliber, even Sona hasn't stopped asking her about her boyfriend.
And Tsubaki had noticed something peculiar: she could easily lied to Sona now without experiencing any pain that would otherwise hit her for that. She had a growing suspicion that Kousuke might have done something to her Evil Pieces. Still, she was grateful for it—without something like that, she might've ended up spilling his secrets and regretting it.
"Don't worry. I'll guide you two around properly," she offered kindly, grabbing Kousuke's hand and pulling him along. As they walked, the girls asked casual questions about their relationship—how they met, what kind of dates they liked. But it was clear their real interest was her boyfriend.
"He... He kissed you as a confession? How bold!" Irina gasped, cheeks tinted pink. She didn't expect her childhood friend to be so bold.
Even Xenovia, who lacked experience in romance, found herself struggling to picture the scene without getting flustered. She mumbled a prayer under her breath to calm herself down.
"Don't let her expression fool you. She loved every second of it," Kousuke said smugly—right before Tsubaki pinched his arm with a red face.
"Don't listen to him. He enjoys teasing me like this," she muttered, coughing awkwardly to change the subject. "Anyway, is there anywhere in particular you'd like to see? Like the shopping mall?"
Irina's eyes lit up. She leaned over and whispered something to Xenovia, who nodded immediately.
"How about the Church?" Irina asked innocently, her eyes sparkling with faux enthusiasm.
Their logic was simple: if they went to a Church, Tsubaki—a devil—might stay outside. That would leave Kousuke alone with them, where they could finally speak to him more directly. It was a convenient excuse, and it would've been foolish not to take advantage of it.
Kousuke raised a brow at the suggestion but didn't argue. When Tsubaki looked at him for confirmation, he just shrugged. 'If it's the Church, then that girl will definitely be there...'
They soon arrived at the Chapel. As predicted, Tsubaki opted to wait outside while Kousuke led the girls in. He didn't have any fondness for divine spaces—his time in the Other World had left him with more skepticism than reverence. Maybe that was why he didn't mind devils like Rias or Tsubaki.
Just as he expected, they came across a petite figure kneeling before the altar. It was a blonde girl in nun outfit. She slowly turned around at the sound of their approaching footsteps, her expression lit up when she recognized him.
"Ah! Kousuke-san, are you here to pray too?" Asia asked cheerfully. Her eyes sparkled with innocent spirit.
Kousuke smiled and gently patted her head. Like Koneko, he'd taken a liking to Asia after learning about her past. A good girl deserves every headpat.
"No, I'm just showing these girls around. But as expected, you're such a good girl, Asia."
"Hehe...girls?" she asked curiously, only just noticing Irina and Xenovia behind him. Irina gave her a friendly wave while Xenovia nodded silently. Asia returned the greeting with a warm smile—she had already forgiven them for their past deeds. That was just the kind of person Asia Argento was.
"Are you going to continue praying?"
"That was the plan, but Rias-senpai told me I have to fulfill a contract later," she said with a pout. Truthfully, she would have preferred to stay in the Church all day. But being a devil now meant she couldn't ignore her duties.
"Then finish quickly so you can have more time to pray," Kousuke said encouragingly. Her eyes brightened up at his words.
"You're right! Then I'll go ahead. Thank you for your advice, Kousuke-san!"
They watched her run off quietly until Irina finally broke the silence.
"She's a devil, right? So why does she still pray to the Lord?"
"A poor girl who was abandoned by her parents as an infant in front of a church," Kousuke replied with a solemn look on his face. "So she grew up with the church's teaching engrained into her."
'Maybe if I had returns much earlier, I could've stopped them from reincarnating her into a devil,' he thought. If there was anything praiseworthy about her, it was her unwavering dedication to her faith. Every prayer would inflicted pain on her, yet her belief never wavered.
"I guess I owe her another apology," Xenovia murmured. "She's really not a witch like that Gremory devil claimed."
Irina nodded solemnly. They both felt a twinge of guilt after seeing how kind and pure Asia truly was.
"Then let's pray together," Irina said brightly. Kousuke didn't see any harm in it, so he stood behind them, closed his eyes, and pressed his hands together.
"Lord Michael, we brought him," Xenovia whispered softly. Irina had received a revelation from their Lord a while ago, that was the reason they changed their plans midway.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself surrounded by a blinding white void. Whenever he looks, there was nothing—just pure endless white. Then, a serene voice echoed around him.
"Welcome to Heaven, Kousuke Igarashi."
From the heavens above, a figure descended—tall, graceful, and radiant. A man with long golden hair and twelve shimmering wings spread wide behind his back. He wore a red robe over a white alb adorned with a golden cross. A white sash lay across his shoulders, and golden armor crowned his form. A halo hovered above his head.
It was none other than Archangel Michael, the current leader of Heaven after the passing of Biblical God. The one who now governed the angels—and then, the one who had temporarily summoned Kousuke into this place.