The youthful bustle flowed in through the window along with a light breeze, stirring a few strands of the beautiful young woman's reddish hair as she sat on the sofa.Rias lifted her cup and took a sip of tea, cutting the sweetness of the macaron she had just eaten. With grace, she took another piece from the plate offered by the gentle blonde girl and watched the homely atmosphere the youngsters were creating in front of her.
Asia fluttered around the club room handing out the desserts Daniel had prepared, while Koneko devoured a small mountain of macarons. Daniel, for his part, watched them absentmindedly.
It was unusual. She remembered that, since she had reincarnated as Koneko, she had never seen her so comfortable or close to anyone. Although she had known Daniel for only a few weeks, she had also noticed him melancholy and reserved. But now both of them seemed more... calm.Rias tilted her head slightly, intrigued. "Was it Asia?" she wondered before turning her gaze back to Daniel. "Or was it him?"
Although she felt a little jealous of the closeness between Koneko and Daniel, she was glad to see her more expressive; she had even caught a small smile on her usually expressionless face.
A soft smile adorned Rias's lovely face before it grew serious.Not all news was good: there was still uncertainty regarding the fallen angels. Three days had passed and there had been no word from Grigori. Rias had sent her familiar to watch the church, but no activity had been recorded during that time.
—Did they give up on Asia? Or did they escape? —she murmured while chewing.
Another of her concerns was Issei. Lately he had looked down, spending most of his time signing contracts or training, even stopping his visits to the club room.
Rias began to think about how to cheer him up. "He seemed pretty happy when, while healing him, I showed him my breasts," she thought with a sigh. She had no intention of undressing for no reason, but perhaps organizing a beach outing with the whole group would be a good way to lift his spirits.
As she thought about it, she couldn't help comparing him to Daniel, who seemed to have integrated wonderfully, even proposing ideas like hunts or bringing Asia into the fold.
—At least he's a good boy... and quite obedient —she whispered, thinking of the brown-haired boy.
Daniel's voice pulled her from her thoughts.—Senpai, we're leaving.
—Oh, be careful on your way home. Whose turn is it today?
Koneko raised her hand slightly, and Asia, beside her, gave a small curtsy as a farewell. Rias nodded as she watched them leave the room.
Kiba, who was standing near the door, approached her while Akeno poured more tea.—Should I follow them again? —he asked.
Rias shook her head and stopped Akeno with a gesture.—Let's check the church. It's strange there are no signs of the fallen angels —she said, hesitating a moment before adding—: Call Issei too; it'd be better if he took part in more club activities.
The walk home felt lively thanks to Asia's light chatter and Koneko's brief replies. Daniel watched the girls with a slight smile on his lips. Asia had adapted to his class surprisingly quickly and seemed very happy about the new friends she had made.
Although, of course, Daniel noticed a certain worry and guilt in the blonde girl's eyes, probably because of the fallen angel matter.
He himself felt a little regret; perhaps if he had tried harder, he could have eliminated the two enemies that had appeared that night. That wouldn't have solved the whole problem, but at least it would have weakened them. Sadly, he had drawn a bad hand, and his Ancient Gear weren't exactly effective against agile foes.
Because of that limitation, he decided to equip the deck he thought more useful in such cases: "Blue-Eyes." He wanted to be prepared for any emergency; the silence and calm of the last few days felt too suspicious.
As he approached the area near his house, his body tensed. His instincts screamed that something was wrong. Asia, who was still talking, stopped.
—And then Aika said... Huh? Is something wrong? —she asked worriedly when she noticed the change in Daniel's expression.
Before he could answer, he grabbed her arm, pulled both girls to his chest, and wrapped them in a cocoon with his wings.
CLANK.
The clang of colliding metal echoed in the street, followed by an annoyed voice:
—Damn it! Kalawarner tricked me! It's harder than it looks.
Another woman's voice sounded calmer:—I didn't lie, Mittelt. The brat is stronger. I remember stabbing him without trouble with my spear.
—Stop chattering and keep attacking —a male voice interrupted—. I don't think he can block everything. We have to take advantage of the barrier before reinforcements arrive.
Daniel and Asia recognized those voices: they were the fallen angels.
Daniel clenched his teeth. His suspicion was right. His wings would not hold forever; if his gray energy ran out, they'd be pierced like paper. No matter how tough they were, he was still a demon, vulnerable to sacred energy.
The continuous clinking of metal rang in his ears. Asia trembled while Koneko tried to activate the magical mark Rias had given her to call for help. Seeing it not work, she asked to go out.
Daniel hesitated.—Are you sure? Can you handle them? —he asked.
The girl nodded, somewhat confident. Daniel nodded too. He needed time; he couldn't coat his wings with gray energy and activate the duel disk at the same time.
They waited to hear the enemies ready their weapons again and took advantage of that brief moment. Koneko shot out, striking a distracted Mittelt and sending her flying.
Kalawarner noticed immediately and attacked. Koneko tried to dodge and counterattack, but the fallen angel was more agile, avoiding blows while inflicting bloody cuts on her arms.
Daniel did not waste the opportunity: he concentrated his energy in his left arm, but he was not quick enough. A spear pierced his wing, penetrating his lower back.
—Hahaha! I knew you wouldn't hold up, boy —Donhaeseek taunted, attacking mercilessly.
Daniel endured the pain, grabbed Asia, and retreated, hastily checking the cards he had been able to draw. Donhaeseek did not hold back, launching attacks even toward Asia, forcing Daniel to shield her with his body and suffer new wounds.
—Donhaeseek, bastard! Raynare-neesama needs her alive! —Mittelt yelled, rising in fury.
The fallen angel ignored her.—A missing arm or leg won't make a difference. She'll die anyway.
Asia trembled as she tried to heal Daniel, who had backed up against a wall, placing her behind him. A green light appeared, and two rings glowed on the young woman's fingers. The wound in Daniel's back began to close slowly.
Donhaeseek frowned and intensified his attacks. Daniel, with difficulty, managed to deploy the five cards, but what he saw disappointed him: they weren't bad cards, but none powerful enough to defeat them all.
Before he could decide his next move, a small white-haired figure flew past him and crashed into a wall.
—Donhaeseek, stop, idiot! I need the nun alive!
A female voice unknown to Daniel rang out arrogantly. A black-haired woman was approaching slowly, forming a spear of light between her hands.
—Tch, Raynare... Don't interfere. I agreed to work with you, but I'm not your subordinate. Don't worry, I'll leave your prey alive —Donhaeseek growled.
Raynare paid him no mind.—Asia Argento! Come with me if you don't want your friends hurt! —she shouted haughtily.
At that moment, a crowd of robed figures emerged from the shadows, surrounding the place.—Don't expect help. The barrier blocks everything that happens here.