Bill woke up nestled between Kuroka and Shirone as usual, their soft breathing filling the quiet room. But unlike most mornings, a rich, mouthwatering smell drifted through the air—bacon.
Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he sat up, rubbed the back of his neck, and sniffed the air again. Without thinking much of it, he swung his legs out of bed, pulled on a pair of pants, and trudged downstairs.
When he reached the kitchen, he stopped in his tracks.
Ravel stood at the stove, moving with surprising efficiency as she cooked an entire feast—bacon, sausage, biscuits and gravy, pancakes, fried potatoes, and sunny-side-up eggs. The scent filled the room, warm and inviting.
Bill smiled, running a hand through his messy hair. "Damn, that's a nice spread there."
Ravel turned at the sound of his voice, a bright smile already forming. "Good morning! Did you sleep well—" she began, but her words abruptly cut off when she realized he was standing there shirtless.
Her face turned beet red in an instant, her blue eyes wide as she fumbled for words. "W-where's your shirt?!" she stammered, her voice pitching higher as she tried to look anywhere but at him.
Bill just blinked, still half-asleep, clearly not seeing what the big deal was.
Bill chuckled softly and said, "Damn, you're more innocent than I thought."
Ravel, after taking a few moments to regain her composure, straightened her posture and replied, "I am a lady. I was raised for high society. My experience with men doesn't really extend past my father and brothers."
Bill raised an eyebrow, a small grin tugging at his lips. "Is that right? I'm surprised you know how to cook if you were raised for high society."
Ravel smiled proudly, her earlier embarrassment fading. "Oh, I learned how to on my own. I really like cooking. And Lady Rias was kind enough to tell me that you're American, so I studied a lot of American recipes. But there are just so many states and so many different food cultures—it's a lot to take in."
Bill chuckled, his tone warm. "If it helps, I'm from Texas. But honestly, I ain't picky. I'll eat most foods as long as they aren't too bizarre."
Ravel nodded, a small sparkle of satisfaction in her eyes. "Very well, then, Sir Strife."
Bill smirked. "You can call me Bill."
"Is that short for William?" she asked curiously.
"Yes, it is," Bill replied. "My full name is William H. McCarty."
Ravel tilted her head thoughtfully. "Why does that sound familiar?"
Bill laughed, the sound deep and amused. "Because my mama named me after Billy the Kid—who was also my ancestor and a son of Hermes. Like anyone didn't see that coming."
Ravel blinked in surprise. "You're descended from Hermes?"
"Yep," Bill said casually, leaning against the counter. "And my father is Hades."
Her eyes widened slightly. "Wow… so how did you end up a Horseman?"
Bill's expression softened with a hint of nostalgia. "My boss is a good guy. He brought me back to life and said, 'You want a job?' At first, I thought he was crazy. Now, I'm loving every second of this new life of mine."
He gave her a serious look. "Now, if you're gonna be following me around as my assistant, you're gonna have to get used to grim sights, foul language, and a lot of death—and that's only if you plan to stick around long-term."
Ravel nodded firmly, determination shining in her eyes. "Yes, sir. I'll do my best."
She turned back to the stove and resumed cooking. After a few minutes, she began laying everything out neatly on the large dining table. Not long after that, Shirone and Kuroka descended into the kitchen, yawning and stretching.
Kuroka sniffed the air and purred, "Is that breakfast I smell, nya?"
Ravel turned to them with a pleasant smile—only for it to vanish a moment later as her eyes went wide. "Yes, I just finish—" she froze mid-sentence, her face turning crimson. "Why the hell are you two dressed like that!?"
Her gaze darted between Kuroka, whose kimono hung loosely off her shoulders exposing far too much skin, and Shirone, who wore similarly revealing sleepwear. The two Nekoshou didn't even acknowledge Ravel's outburst as they casually took their seats and began making their plates.
Ravel slowly turned toward Bill, still blushing furiously.
Bill shrugged, completely unfazed. "Like I said—if you're gonna hang around me, get used to stuff like this."
Ravel sighed heavily, her shoulders slumping as she took a seat at the table and made her own plate, muttering under her breath as the morning chaos continued around her.
The days passed uneventfully, with Ravel slowly becoming a normal part of Bill's life. Every morning, she made breakfast before heading to school, often getting into playful arguments with Bill, Kuroka, and Shirone about how they dressed. Every evening, she prepared dinner and relaxed with the three of them in the living room.
Things continued like that until, on the seventh day of her living there, Bill walked downstairs to find Ravel cooking breakfast as usual. Except this time, instead of her academy uniform or a dress, she was wearing nothing but a loose t-shirt and a pair of slippers. When she leaned forward to flip the pancakes, Bill could see practically everything.
Noticing him out of the corner of her eye, Ravel's entire face turned pink.
Bill chuckled softly, crossing his arms with a grin. "So, this is different."
Ravel straightened up quickly, trying to act composed even as her cheeks burned brighter. "I figured… if you can't beat them, join them."
A hint of amusement tugged at Bill's lips. "I won't complain—just so long as you're comfortable."
He took a seat at the table, and not long after, Shirone and Kuroka padded into the kitchen.
Kuroka stretched lazily, her tail's swaying as she smirked. "Finally, you gonna stop being so uptight now, birdie~ nya?"
Ravel shot her a sharp glare. "There's nothing uptight about modesty."
Shirone tilted her head slightly, her tone teasing but calm. "Oh yeah? Then where's that modesty today?"
Ravel huffed, turning her head away. "I decided it was time to relax a little more."
Kuroka's smirk widened into a grin. "More like she decided it was time to make a serious effort in seducing Master~ nya."
Ravel turned bright red, waving her hands frantically. "No! That's not true!"
Bill sighed with a small smile, resting his chin on his hand. "Alright, that's enough teasing, you two."
His expression softened as he turned to Ravel. "Are you sure sticking with us is what you want?"
Without hesitation, Ravel nodded, her eyes firm. "Yes. Absolutely."
"Alright then," Bill said, rising from his chair. "From today on, you'll serve me like these two."
He held out his hand, and this time—unlike with Shirone and Kuroka—a deep red energy pulsed from his body, cocooning around Ravel until she was completely encased in it.
Kuroka blinked, her ears twitching curiously. "Why's it red this time, Master nya~?"
Bill glanced at her calmly. "Because what I passed to the two of you was my power over light and shadow. What I'm giving her is my power over holy and demonic flames."
Shirone looked up at him, genuinely intrigued. "Where do you get all this stuff?"
He chuckled. "Before you two, I had literally nothing to do in my downtime, so I had the boss make me a lot of keys—and I've been picking stuff up left and right."
As he finished speaking, the crimson cocoon shattered, light scattering across the kitchen. When it faded, Ravel stood there—slightly taller, her aura flaring with newfound power.
Bill looked her over and gave an approving nod. "I'd estimate that you're now at the peak of Ultimate Class, which isn't bad. It'll do for now."
Ravel's eyes welled with emotion as she rushed forward, hugging him tightly. "Thank you so much, Master… for everything."
Bill looked a bit taken aback but gently patted her head, smiling softly. "No problem. Glad to have you aboard, Ravel."
Her voice was warm as she replied, "Glad to be here."
Bill stretched and turned toward the stairs. "I'm gonna go get dressed. You ladies should get ready too—we're picking up Sam and Bianca and heading to the Underworld in an hour."
Once he was out of sight, Kuroka leaned against the counter, her tone unusually serious. "You were shown what your future would've been like without Master, weren't you nya?"
Ravel nodded slowly, her eyes dimming for a moment. "I can't believe I somehow ended up with that irredeemable pervert. I will follow Master to the end of time to repay him for saving me."
Shirone's expression softened, and she nodded in quiet understanding. "Trust me… we get it."
A couple of hours later, Bill sat comfortably on the Gremory family train. Shirone rested curled up in his lap in her cat form, purring softly, while Kuroka lounged lazily across his shoulder, her tail flicking now and then. Ravel leaned gently against his side, calm and relaxed as the rhythmic clatter of the train filled the air.
Across from them, Sam watched with an amused grin. "So, you've been busy," he remarked, leaning back in his seat.
Bianca, sitting next to him, sighed and covered her face with her hands. "Can we not talk about this? I'm trying not to think about it."
Sam winced a little. "Oh right… you're his sister. Sorry about that."
Bill smirked, folding his arms loosely. "So, Sam, what do you think about going to a version of Hell that isn't super messed up?"
Sam shrugged with a faint chuckle. "It's gonna be weird, that's for sure."
Bianca perked up, her eyes bright with excitement. "I'm really excited! I talked to Sona about it, and she told me that it's a lot like Earth—only they don't have oceans! I've also been learning a lot in school too."
Bill raised a brow, half-surprised and half-amused. "So let me get this straight. I gave you a ton of cash and left you unsupervised… and you went to school?"
Sam crossed his arms, giving Bill a flat look. "You left your preteen sister unsupervised."
Bill chuckled, waving him off. "She's a demigod, Sam. Trust me—it's different."
Bianca nodded, a small, knowing smile tugging at her lips. "It really is, unfortunately. But yes, bro, I went to school. It was nice to actually stay in one place and learn for once. And Sona said if I wanted, I could stick around and finish my education at Kuoh. She wouldn't even mind paying for my expenses or housing."
Bill gave her a curious look. "Uh-huh… awful generous of her. She say what she wants in return?"
Just as he finished, the door to the next car slid open with a soft hiss. Sona and Rias entered, followed closely by their peerages.
Sona adjusted her glasses slightly, her tone calm and composed. "No, Sir Strife, I am not trying to make your sister my servant. But yes, I do want something in return—but from you, not her."
Bill nodded once. "We'll talk about that later." Turning back to Bianca, he added with a small smile, "If you want to stay here, I'm alright with it."
Bianca's face lit up with joy. "Yay! Thanks, big bro!"
He chuckled softly. "No problem."
Rias and Sona took their seats across from them. Rias turned her attention to Sam with a friendly smile. "So, Sam, how have you liked Japan so far?"
Sam smiled back. "A lot more than I thought I would," he admitted before glancing toward Bill. "Thanks for using magic to break the language barrier for me."
Bill waved a hand casually. "No problem."
Sam continued, his tone bright. "I tried a lot of things and had a lot of fun. Oh, and I actually met someone."
Bill raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You did? Who?"
Sam's grin widened slightly. "A very intelligent woman who was on a business trip with her boss. She seemed to know a lot about magic and runes—she even taught me a few things."
He held up his hand and demonstrated some basic spells he'd learned—human magic based on complex calculations and formulas that made Bill's eyes glaze over halfway through.
Bill blinked, trying to keep up. "Did you guys only talk about magic? And how'd the subject even come up?"
Sam rubbed the back of his neck, smiling awkwardly. "No, we didn't only talk about magic. Honestly, I don't even know how it came up—but we went on a few dates already. And I'm pretty sure she's new to the dating scene."
Bill leaned back slightly, muttering under his breath, "Why does this person sound familiar… oh well." Then he looked back up at Sam and said, "I'm happy for you, Sam. I'll talk to the boss and get you something to travel back and forth with, so you don't have to break it off."
Sam's eyes lit up with gratitude. "Oh, thank you! I've been worried about that."
They continued chatting casually until the train finally slowed as it entered the Sitri domain. Sona and her peerage stood, offering polite goodbyes before departing.
Not long after, the train stopped again—this time at the Gremory domain. Bill stood and stretched, cracking his neck as he prepared to disembark. As he turned toward the exit, he noticed a cardboard box sitting on one of the seats—with a pair of pale arms sticking out, clutching a handheld game console.
He pointed toward it with a deadpan look. "Uh… Rias, what's that?"
Rias blinked, realizing what he meant. "Oh, right! You haven't met my Bishop, Gasper, yet. He's… shy."
Bill sighed, shaking his head with a flat look. "Yeah, I'm gonna choose to keep moving."
He stepped off the train with both cats perched comfortably on him, Ravel following close behind. She stood with her arms crossed neatly in front of her, posture straight and chin held high, every bit the image of noble composure.
Bill smirked at the sight. "You went from relaxed to noble pretty quick."
Ravel glanced at him and replied. "I must remain composed in front of others."
Bill grinned knowingly. "Don't worry—pretty soon, you'll be strong enough to act however you want, and no one will have the guts to complain."
Ravel's lips softened into a faint smile. "I'm actually looking forward to that."