Not long after, Ryuichi descended from the sky with Ichika in his arms, gently touching down on the hotel rooftop.
The remaining four sisters—Nino, Miku, Yotsuba, and Itsuki—stared up in shock.
"What in the world…?" Miku's eyes widened as she spotted Ichika still being held bridal‑style. Her cheeks puffed in disbelief.
Ryuichi calmly set Ichika down. "I brought her back."
"Huh? From where—and why were you falling out of the sky?!" everyone demanded at once.
Ichika's knees were wobbly, but she laughed breathlessly.
"He jumped across buildings! I thought I liked roller coasters… but compared to that, roller coasters are nothing!"
The others exchanged looks. By now, they'd seen enough of Ryuichi's power that it barely surprised them anymore. For all his mysterious ability, they'd somehow grown used to his feats defying logic.
Checking the time, Ryuichi spoke evenly. "Let's go. There's somewhere I want to take you."
"Huh? Where to?" Itsuki tilted her head. "The fireworks festival's already over."
"You'll see when we get there."
Hands in his pockets, Ryuichi headed downstairs. The girls looked at one another, then hurried to follow.
He led them to a nearby park. From afar, several small fireworks kits and sparklers were visible, neatly stacked in boxes.
"You bought all those?" Ichika blinked, surprised.
"Yeah," Ryuichi said softly. "The big ones were all used up during the official festival, so I searched around and found these personal‑use ones. They're small, but good enough. I hope it cheers you up."
Carrying a bucket, he jogged to the riverside and filled it with water just in case—safety first.
"So when you left earlier," Itsuki said, realization dawning, "you went to buy fireworks?"
"Mm. And to pick Ichika up when her audition finished."
Yotsuba let out a long sigh of relief. "I knew it! I thought you were mad at us or something…"
Ryuichi blinked. "Mad?"
"W‑well, you know, after what Nino said earlier." Itsuki looked a little sheepish. "We all know you were just trying to encourage us."
Seeing Ryuichi's puzzled expression, her own mood immediately brightened. If he looked that calm, then he definitely hadn't been angry!
He let out a short, soundless laugh. His eyes blinked twice, and then he said simply, "I wouldn't get mad over something like that."
"…B‑but you looked upset when you left," Nino muttered, barely audible. She'd been stewing in guilt for hours, meaning to apologize, but her pride now tripped her tongue.
Ryuichi smiled helplessly. "I already said I wasn't angry."
He flicked a lighter, igniting a sparkler, then waved his hand. Channeling a touch of demonic power, he sent the sparkler streaking skyward—where it exploded into a shower of glittering stars overhead.
The girls gasped in unison. "Whoa!"
Their excitement returned instantly. Laughing, they ran to grab their favorite fireworks.
Watching their laughter, Ryuichi quietly took a seat on a nearby park bench. The warm glow of sparklers illuminated five identical faces—sisters laughing together against the night sky.
After a while, Nino wandered over. Her tone was uncharacteristically soft.
"Thanks… for everything today."
Ryuichi looked up at her and shrugged lightly. "It's nothing."
"It's not 'nothing.' You went through a lot of trouble for us. Thanks to you, we got the fireworks we missed."
The other sisters gradually approached, forming a neat line before him, each with that same delicate, grateful expression.
Ryuichi exhaled quietly. "The request I took," he said, voice calm, "was to help the five of you watch the fireworks together. You missed the official festival, so of course I had to make up for it. That's part of the job."
All five froze.
So he'd just turned their heartfelt moment into pure business logic.
Technically… he wasn't wrong.
Ichika giggled with a resigned smile. That was just how Ryuichi was—cool on the surface, modest about everything. But she also knew how sincere his effort and kindness truly were.
Clearing her throat softly, she said with a grin, "Well, don't just sit there acting all detached. Come help us light a few! You bought so many—we've got to set them all off before dawn!"
"Just light a bunch at once," he replied lazily.
"Hah! Then come and help me light them, mister 'just‑light‑a‑bunch!'" Ichika teased, tugging his sleeve.
Soon all five sisters were dragging Ryuichi toward the fireworks pile, laughing together.
As he joined them, he felt the faint stir of demonic energy—the reflection of their joyful emotions rippling through his contract bond. The flood of emotion meant the price he could draw from this contract would increase.
He chuckled inwardly. Not a bad deal, all things considered.
And with that, Ryuichi let himself be pulled into their laughter.
The night sky bloomed with sparks, their youthful voices lifting into the stars.
The Next Morning
Classes finished early. Afterward, Rias gathered everyone from the Occult Research Club and led them to Ryuichi's house.
"For the next week," Rias explained, "Kuoh Academy's Old School Building will be undergoing a deep cleaning. All club rooms are temporarily closed. So our meetings will be held at your place for now, Ryuichi."
Ryuichi raised an eyebrow. Honestly, he wanted to point out that Rias lived in a luxurious mansion while his was just a big suburban villa. Still, his house was comfortable enough, and hosting them wasn't exactly a problem.
Alright then—home turf it is.
They gathered in the living room. Rias began the usual weekly review.
"This month's contract count," she said, flipping through her notes. "Akeno, eleven. Koneko, eight. Asia, four. And Ryuichi, twelve. Not bad at all."
"Oh my my—Ryuichi in first place?" Akeno said, smiling in faint surprise.
"Just lucky," Ryuichi replied. "You wouldn't believe it—I met a set of quintuplets. Each of them signed with me twice."
"Wow, that's some luck," Koneko muttered dryly. "Do you know what kind of odds that is for humans having quintuplets?"
"And to top it off, he even has a faith contract too…" Asia added, half admiring, half wistful.
Rias smiled at her gently. "You're doing wonderfully, Asia. Four contracts in your first month is a great start. Don't compare yourself to Ryuichi. This guy's a complete outlier."
"He does seem like he'll be the first of us to become a High‑Class Devil," Akeno said with an amused sigh.
But Rias's smile faded slightly, her crimson eyes thoughtful.
After the Rating Game a few days ago, news of Ryuichi had spread across every major power—Heaven, the Fallen, and even among other Devil Houses. His presence had drawn attention from all directions.
Truthfully, she was worried. He was too special, and special things attracted danger.
Ryuichi, though, seemed completely at ease.
He knew such scrutiny was inevitable. But fear couldn't dictate his life.
The world never stopped spinning, even for Devils.
So, before the next storm arrived, he would just keep doing what he always did best—get stronger.