Freed onto to his knees, clutching his stomach in agony, his face twisted with pain.
"Father Freed! What's happening here?!"
A soft yet trembling voice rang from the doorway.
Sho turned his head slightly. Standing there was a young women with long blonde hair wearing a nun outfit, her green eyes wide filled fear and confusion.
"Bitch—kill them! They attacked us!" Freed barked out, his voice weak and hoarse from the blow.
"W-What? Why are you attacking Father Freed?" the girl stammered, stepping closer, clearly torn by what she was seeing.
Sho didn't answer right away. Instead, he pointed toward the corner of the room—where a man lay bleeding heavily from Freed's earlier assault.
"Asia," Sho said calmly, "go heal that guy first. If you don't, he'll bleed out soon and die."
Asia froze for a moment, shocked that the stranger knew her name. But when she looked at the wounded man again, her hesitation vanished. She rushed over, kneeling beside him and pressing her glowing green hands against his wounds.
"Bitch! Why are you following his orders?! Heal me first—I think my organs have bursted!" Freed groaned, gripping his abdomen.
"Please, Father Freed, let me finish healing him first... it's almost done," Asia said softly, her voice trembling as the light of her Sacred Gear surrounded the wounded man.
"You stupid bitch!" Freed spat, his eyes bloodshot with fury. "That human is tainted! He's a devil summoner—he deserves to die! Stop healing him and heal me first!"
But Asia didn't stop. Her light only grew brighter, her expression pained but determined as she ignored Freed's hateful words.
After healing the man, Asia immediately started healing Freed.
Sho and Baka just watched in silence.
As soon as her healing was done, Freed pushed Asia away roughly and Before anyone could react, he pulled out a small knife and swung it at Sho's face—
Clang!
The sound was sharp. Freed froze. It felt like his blade had struck metal.
Sho didn't move an inch. A dark layer shimmered across his face—Armament Haki. The dagger did no wound on his face.
"Impossible…" Freed muttered, eyes wide.
Sho looked at him coldly. "Of course it's impossible. Someone like you hurting me? Don't make me laugh. I even let Asia heal you because you're no threat."
"Bastard! You're looking down on me!" Freed snarled, stepping back slowly—then in a flash, he grabbed Asia by the arm and pulled her close.
"You knew her name," freed said, eyes narrowing. "That means you're acquainted… If you don't want her to die, let me go. I promise I'll spare her."
"Father?" Asia's eyes widened in shock. "How can you say that? You're supposed to save lives… not take them."
"Shut up, bitch! It was your plan, wasn't it? Bringing these people here to ambush me—you've betrayed God!" Freed shouted.
Sho sighed. "That's enough. I don't have time to play around with you all day," he said, stepping forward.
"Stop right there, or this bitch is gone!" Freed barked, pressing the dagger near Asia's throat.
But before he could even blink, Sho caught Freed's wrist—the one holding the knife—moving faster than his eyes could follow.
"Damn it!" Freed gritted his teeth, struggling to break free, but Sho's grip didn't even move.
With a twist of the wrist, Sho forced Freed to drop the dagger. It clattered to the floor.
Then—
"What's going on here? Why is the door broken?" A new voice called out.
Everyone turned.
"What's happening here?" Issei said, stepping inside. He saw three guys and one cute girl caught in the middle of a mess. His instincts screamed danger. The wounded man lying on the floor went unnoticed.
"Hey! You evil bastard! Let that girl go, or I'm beating the shit out of you!" Issei yelled, ready to charge in.
"Issei?" Sho blinked.
"Wait— it's you! Pretty boy from our class!" Issei pointed. "So this is your real face, huh? Harassing a cute girl! I knew it. From day one you were acting all mysterious and stuff, trying to look cool in front of girls—turns out you're just a scumbag!"
All three of them just stared at him, completely confused about what the hell he was even saying.
"Cute girl! Come to me, I'll save you!" Issei shouted dramatically.
Asia blinked, completely lost. She didn't know what to say, but instinctively stepped away from Freed and hid behind Sho.
"Huh?" Issei mumbled, confused.
Sho sighed. "Well, playtime's over."
In a flash, he punched Freed straight in the face and send him flying toward Baka.
"Take him to the warehouse and beat the shit out of him. I'll be there in a few minutes," Sho said.
"Got it, boss," Baka replied, grabbing Freed and vanishing using teleportation.
"Wait—where are you taking Father Freed?" Asia asked, her voice trembling. Even though he'd just tried to kill her, she still worried for him.
Sho looked at her. "He tried to commit murder. He'll be under arrest."
"Murder? I know he tried to kill me, but I forgive him—so please, leave him," Asia said softly.
Sho stared at her for a moment. This girl… she's kind, but kinda stupid, he thought.
"Look at that man lying on the ground," Sho said, pointing. "Your Father Freed shot him. He could've died."
Asia's eyes widened. "Father Freed… did that? I thought it was you," she whispered. Until now, she'd believed Sho was the one who attacked—but she was wrong all along.
Sho explained everything — how he got there, what happened, and how Freed had tried to kill him.
After hearing it all, Asia's face fell. She looked genuinely disappointed. She couldn't believe someone like Father Freed could do something so cruel.
Meanwhile, Issei was in the background, waving his hand like a kid trying to get attention.
"Hellooo! Don't ignore me!" he called out.
Sho finally turned to him. "What is it?"
"I… I was just asking… are you also a devil?" Issei stammered.
"No," Sho replied simply.
"Then that magic and all…"
Sho sighed. "Devils aren't the only ones who can use magic. Humans can too."
"Wait, when did you become a devil?" Sho asked, curious.
"Yesterday morning!" Issei said proudly. ", Rias told me I've got some Sacred Gear from God Ouch .... Then she asked me to join her peerage and told me all the perks of being a devil—like, we can have a harem and stuff! So of course, I said yes! Then she put some chess pieces in me, and boom—I became a devil!"
He looked so excited, especially when saying harem, it was almost embarrassing.
Sho sighed. "Tell Rias that one of her human clients was about to be killed by a rogue exorcist priest." He pointed toward the unconscious man on the floor.
"What…?" Issei froze, his eyes widening.
.....
After everything was explained, Issei immediately hopped onto his bicycle and rode off toward Kuoh Academy to report what happened. The client, after all, had originally been Akeno's, but since she was busy, Issei had taken the job as a substitute.
Sho and Asia stood outside the house, watching as Issei pedaled away in a panic.
"So, where are you gonna go now?" Sho asked. He already had a feeling—there was probably nowhere left for her to return to.
Asia fell silent, lost in thought. She had come here after being excommunicated from the church for healing a devil. Then, the Fallen Angel Raynare had told her she would help her and brought her here. But when Asia arrived at the church, no one was there—only Father Freed, who claimed he wanted her help to "save people." She later learned how wrong that was. And now… she had nowhere to go.
Sho watched her quietly as she stood there, shoulders drooped, completely lost in thought.
"How about you stay at my place?" Sho said suddenly.
Asia's eyes lit up instantly. Her sadness vanished as she smiled brightly. "Really!? I knew God hadn't abandoned me!"
Sho sighed, a faint smirk on his face. How has she survived in this world for so long? he thought. She's way too trusting.
Sho and Asia teleported to his warehouse. As soon as they arrived, Sho called out to Goro.
"Hey, arrange a bed in one of the empty storerooms," he said.
Meanwhile, in another room, Freed was tied up—being beaten by Taro, Jiro, and Baka. The three had always had a bit of a gangster streak, and this was the perfect excuse to test out some of their "torture techniques." Freed, however, was already in tears.
---
Next Day
Sho sat on the couch inside the Occult Research Club, surrounded by Rias and her peerage.
"Thanks for helping us out, Sho," Rias said politely.
Since sho saved the life, who was a client of Akeno, if he could've died it could've tarnished the reputation of Rias Gremory, someone dying in her territory simply because they are in Devils contact.
"It's fine," Sho replied, leaning back. "But don't you think you should've come to thank me in person instead of just calling me here to say it?"
Rias blinked, realizing he was right. A faint blush crept up her face and slightly embarrassed.
"I was joking," Sho said, standing up. "Well, I'll get going now."
"Wait!" Rias called out.
Sho turned. "What is it?"
Rias hesitated for a moment. "I wanted to ask if… you'd like to join my peerage?"
"No," Sho said flatly.
"At least pretend to think about it," Rias sighed, looking slightly disappointed.
Sho shrugged. "Well then, I'll leave now."
"Once again, thank you for helping us," Rias said sincerely. "If there's any favor you'd like, I'll try to fulfill it. That's my word."
Issei's eyes widened immediately. A favor!? Nooo! What if he asks to touch Buchou's boobs!? I haven't even seen them yet! Nooooo, please don't!
"Buchou! I think you shouldn't offer such things!" Issei blurted out. "What if he asks for something perverted!?"
"Hmph. A pervert calling someone else a pervert," Koneko said calmly, her words hitting Issei like a dagger as he clutched his chest dramatically.
Sho ignored their exchange. "Actually, I do have one favor," he said. "Can you arrange for a girl's admission into the first-year class—Koneko's class specifically—and have Koneko look after her at school?"
He was talking about Asia. She didn't know much about how the world worked—she was like a child who needed someone to guide her. Sending her to school would help her learn and adapt, and with Koneko there, Sho knew she'd be safe from any idiots with bad intentions.
"Consider it done," Rias said with a smile. "But that's way too small for a favor. Ask for something else and I'll do it. An admission is nothing."
Sho shook his head. "No thanks. From now on, we're even." He turned and walked out of the room.
Issei let out a deep sigh of relief. Thank God… Buchou's boobs are safe.