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It was quite unexpected. No one thought that Sirzechs Lucifer, the Devil King who ruled and managed almost the entire Underworld, would suddenly appear at this moment.
Even Rias, his sister, was taken aback. She immediately stood up straight from the desk.
"Brother? Why did Brother suddenly come here at this hour... Hiss!" But before she could finish, she sharply inhaled a cold breath.
She had been leaning against the desk earlier primarily to conserve energy and reduce strain on her body. This sudden large movement instantly strained the muscles near her abdomen. Coupled with the "injuries" suffered yesterday afternoon, an intense feeling of soreness surged through her.
The action of instinctively covering her lower abdomen, witnessed by Sirzechs, caused the young Devil King's brow to twitch slightly as well.
However, his "professional career" over the years had accustomed him to keeping his emotions hidden.
Sirzechs smiled faintly: "Long time no see, Rias, and greetings to Rias's Peerage."
"Lord Lucifer." x2
Akeno Himejima and Koneko Toujou had immediately stood up from the sofa and bowed respectfully.
Asia, seeing this, didn't know if she should also greet him, but still stood up and curtsied politely.
Ugh...
Although she didn't understand what was happening, since her brother had arrived, Rias could only reluctantly put aside her surprise and step forward to introduce the newcomer.
"By the way, Brother, let me introduce you. This is Asia Argento. She was originally a Saintess of the Northern European Church, but due to some reasons, she has left the Church and is... a friend of ours, I suppose."
"A friend? That's good." Sirzechs smiled and nodded in acknowledgment.
Then, without waiting for his sister to continue the introductions, he directed his gaze toward the young man who was still seated on the sofa, unmoving as a mountain.
"Hello. I am Rias's brother, Sirzechs Gremory."
"Hello." Hanakain Reiji only stood up then, speaking calmly.
"Hanakain Reiji, the current acting head of the Kyoto Hanakain family. I am currently dating your sister."
"The Hanakain family, is it? Grayfia told me about it." Their eyes met. Sirzechs smiled.
"I heard the Hanakain family is a long-standing Onmyōji family in the Human World. However, Hanakain-kun gives me the feeling he is somewhat different from the typical Onmyōji."
This was true. Throughout history, for a thousand years, almost all descriptions of Onmyōji followed a delicate, refined aesthetic. The most classic example was the description of Hanakain Hidemoto, the head of the Hanakain family four hundred years ago, who was always described as having snow-white clothes and the appearance of a fair-faced scholar. To put it simply, they were all Mages, Summoners, and Glass Cannons.
In contrast, Hanakain Reiji gave the impression of a martial artist. No talismans or spiritual weapons were visible on him anywhere. It was as if simply clenching his fists was enough to break any martial art in the world.
"Mhm~ That's probably because I've been rebellious since childhood and prefer to take the unconventional path." The young man shrugged nonchalantly. "But it doesn't matter. As long as I can beat everyone else, that's all that counts."
"Pragmatism, is it? Heh heh heh... That's not a bad philosophy either." Sirzechs seemed to agree with the concept and couldn't help but chuckle.
At this point, Rias, who had been set aside for too long, finally found an opportunity to interject. "So, Brother, why did you suddenly have time to visit?"
"Hmm?" The young red-haired Devil King paused at the question.
"Well... that is, of course, for the matter of your lifelong commitment, Rias. Actually, Grayfia told me about you and Hanakain-kun yesterday."
"Ugh..." Rias's face instantly stiffened at the mention of last night's events.
How to put it? While Reiji was indeed the dominant one in the hotel last night, she herself had gotten carried away. She was so engrossed that she completely forgot Grayfia-nee was waiting outside, and she didn't even remember what she had said at the time.
If Grayfia-nee had complained about all this to her brother, then she...
"But you don't need to worry too much, Rias." Seeing his sister's expression becoming increasingly strange, Sirzechs's smile held a hint of helplessness. "Mother was also present when Grayfia reported to me yesterday..."
What...!
Hearing that sentence, Rias instantly felt like she had been struck over the head with a cudgel. Her mouth slightly ajar, she fell into a state of petrification, turning a grayscale shade and showing faint cracks.
So, not only Brother, but Mother knows everything now too?!
At that moment, the red-haired girl realized her image in her family's eyes had probably completely collapsed.
"But Mother seemed quite supportive of you." Sirzechs added.
"...Huh?" Rias was instantly purified and unfrozen. She looked up, somewhat incredulously.
"Supportive? Mother... what did she say?"
"She didn't say much. Her exact meaning was roughly that she was quite satisfied with Hanakain-kun." Sirzechs recalled. "And yesterday, Mother specifically instructed me to help out if Rias you truly wanted to refuse the engagement with the Phoenix family."
Asking Brother to help... Rias's hard-won smile froze again.
"So, Brother, you..."
"Mhm? That's why I came here, isn't it?" The young Devil King smiled at his sister. "I naturally understand Rias your thoughts, so before coming here, I made a trip to the Phoenix family. After explaining the situation to them, I came straight here."
"In other words, the specific handling and outcome must be decided after both parties negotiate. Is that acceptable?"
Saying this, Sirzechs raised his hand and summoned a massive magic screen with his Demonic Power. The screen displayed the words "Waiting for connection."
The red-haired girl nodded vigorously: "Of course, I couldn't ask for more." This was her and Reiji's matter, and it should be handled by them, not reliant on her brother's power.
A moment later, the sofa that had been placed on the side of the living room was moved to the center, facing the large screen, and everyone sat down. The words on the screen changed from "Waiting for connection" to "Connecting."
Five people sat on the same sofa. Although it wasn't exactly crowded, Hanakain Reiji was inevitably pushed to the central position, flanked by Rias and Akeno Himejima, and with Asia and Koneko Toujou on the outer edges. The seating was neatly divided by height.
As for Sirzechs, he occupied the opposite sofa alone, positioned perfectly between the screen and Hanakain Reiji's group, like a referee in a high chair on the side of a tennis court.
The formal negotiation session was about to begin.
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