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Become a peerage of the Gremory family...?
The question came far too suddenly, leaving the nun completely unprepared. She sat on the sofa, her eyes blinking in confusion, wearing a look of total innocence (o.v.o), appearing incredibly adorable.
Eh? Why did the topic suddenly switch to me?
A giant question mark slowly rose above Asia's head.
"Peerage... What does that mean?"
"It means becoming a member of the family."
Akeno Himejima said, shifting her seat even closer to the young man beside her. The two were practically hip-to-hip, shoulder-to-shoulder.
"Oh, right, I forgot to be completely honest with Asia about one thing. Actually, we Gremory family members... are all Devils, Oho~"
Whoosh—!
As soon as the words fell, as if to prove her statement, Akeno Himejima smiled and lightly snapped her fingers. The next second, a pair of large, bat-like Devil wings suddenly appeared on both sides of her back.
One side, free of any obstruction, was clearly displayed before the nun, while the other wing curved around her back and gently draped over Hanakain Reiji's shoulder. Akeno herself leaned into him even more, taking advantage of the position.
At the same time, Rias's dissatisfied voice came from the other side of the sofa. "Akeno, your wing is poking me!"
"Oops, my apologies, my apologies. I just wanted to show Asia, and I got a little carried away~"
Akeno Himejima maintained her composure and her smile. Her hands were less than innocent, however, as they wrapped around Hanakain Reiji's arm. She spoke softly. "Come, let's move over a bit. Although a Devil's wings aren't primarily offensive weapons, it can still hurt quite a bit if they accidentally brush against someone."
Saying this, she effectively imprisoned the young man's arm within the deep valley between her assets, pulling him over to the side.
This action caused two more intersection signs to appear on the red-haired girl's forehead. What in the world is going on today? Is she purposely trying to needle me like this?!
"Wait a minute..."
It was only then that Asia, on the opposite sofa, finally reacted. Her eyes widened sharply, and her already pale little face instantly turned stark white. "Does that mean... Senpai Rias, Senpai Akeno, and Senpai Koneko are all... Devils?!"
"That is correct." Akeno Himejima, whose body weight was half resting on Hanakain Reiji, nodded with satisfaction.
"What about Reiji-san?!"
"I'm human."
"Y-Yes, well, that's a relief..."
Upon hearing that the young man was still human, Asia finally breathed a slight sigh of relief.
However, immediately after, she realized that this thought was extremely dangerous. What do you mean, 'that's a relief'? It's not good at all!
She remembered that when she was a Saintess in the Church, the general atmosphere was one of hating the Devil like a sworn enemy. Any discussion about Devils required gnashing of teeth and a desire to eat their flesh. If anyone showed a slightly peaceful attitude, they would be questioned for their weakness.
Let alone interacting normally with Devils.
Even she, whose faith was unwavering, was cast out and branded a heretic simply because her healing power worked on Devils.
And Hanakain Reiji, an Onmyōji, and even the acting head of a major Onmyōji family, was friendly with members of a pure-blood Devil family. This... was the exorcism scene in Japan simply too open-minded, or had Japan secretly been conquered by Devil forces long ago?
The nun's head began to spin.
"Well, if you must say so, I am indeed half a 'heretic' among the Onmyōji," Hanakain Reiji shrugged. "Although the prevailing thought in the Onmyōji profession is that humans and Yōkai/monsters must be absolute enemies—and some old hardliners in my family think so too—I had some experiences growing up, so I judge my friends only by their hearts, regardless of race or faction."
"Besides, the one currently guarding the Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto is the Eastern General of the Japanese Yōkai world. Her true form is a Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox. She's responsible for regulating the weather in Kyoto and even cooperates with the official meteorological agency. And yet, I don't see those Onmyōji going to subjugate her. Is it because a Nine-Tailed Fox isn't considered a Yōkai? Surely it's not because they can't beat her and are just picking on the weak?" The young man concluded with a spread of his hands. "Ultimately, your circle of friends is something you must decide and divide for yourself. Relying entirely on faction is not reliable at all."
"Exactly." Rias, whose mood had finally improved after that long speech, picked up the conversation. "If you must know, Akeno used to be a shrine maiden, but now she's my Queen."
"Qu-Queen?" Asia's mouth opened wider. Senpai Akeno is Senpai Rias's Queen? Are they... married?
"No, it's not the conventional meaning of 'Queen' you're thinking of, Asia. It's just a position in Western chess!" Seeing the blonde girl's expression of misunderstanding, Rias quickly waved her hands and explained. "We Devil peerage usually use chess pieces to assign positions. I'm the King, Akeno is the Queen, and Koneko is a Rook. Although most Devil families use a male Devil King and seek a female Devil Queen to marry, not all Devil families are like that, like my brother and I."
"Senpai Rias's... brother?" Asia tilted her small head.
Akeno explained: "Sirzechs-sama. He is the President's older brother and one of the current Four Great Satans of the Underworld."
The Four Great Satans?! The nun nodded in astonishment: "So Senpai Rias's brother is such a powerful person..."
"Anyway, to use an analogy, if the 'King' is like the Student Council President, then the 'Queen' is the Vice President. And below that, there are various club presidents, such as the Athletics Club President and the Publicity Club President, which correspond to the Rook, Knight, and Bishop." Rias was very persuasive. "Of course, if you are willing to join, Asia, you would likely have the position of 'Bishop.' This way, you can not only see Reiji every day but also provide help to Reiji in future battles, such as healing wounds, and we absolutely will not abandon you like your former Church."
Though they had never actually seen Reiji get injured.
"Never gonna give you up~" The young man, who hadn't spoken for a while, suddenly hummed the tune of a certain classic hit from the last century.
The next second, Akeno Himejima beside him burst out laughing, quickly using her index finger to stop him from continuing to sing. But the hard-earned atmosphere in the room inevitably suffered a slight breach. Rias rolled her eyes helplessly at him. The white-haired girl on the opposite sofa also shifted her gaze, using the act of eating a snack to mask the movement at the corners of her mouth. Only Asia, who had little exposure to the internet growing up, didn't understand the joke. She nodded seriously yet hesitantly.
"If this way, I can fight alongside Reiji-san... Hmm~ I understand. But I need some time to think about this."
"Mhm, that's perfectly fine, of course." Rias was quite accommodating.
Just as the conversation was nearing its end, Hanakain Reiji suddenly felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Taking it out, he saw a text message from Saeko Busujima. The content was quite brief.
[Can we meet somewhere after club activities are over? There are some matters we need to discuss.]
Attached below was a selfie of her waiting at the school gate.
Hmm, it seems the Sorcerer Association has finally worked out a conclusion.
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