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The tense atmosphere melted away like April snow.
A faint smile tugged at the corners of Suzaku's lips.
"Even if such rules exist, you did save their lives. If I were to still treat you with hostility, wouldn't that just prove the Himejima clan to be heartless?"
Reasonable words, except when they came from a Himejima.
After all, if you counted the persecuted members of their own clan, there were at least hundreds, if not thousands.
The most infamous case being Suzaku's cousin, Shuri Himejima, mother of Akeno Himejima.
After her partner, a high-ranking Fallen Angel, was called away for official business, she was forced to commit suicide by the Himejima clan. Her daughter, Akeno, was hunted relentlessly until she was finally rescued by Rias and brought to Kuoh Town.
Of course, Rod had no intention of saying any of that out loud.
Forced suicides and internal purges were taboo even within the Five Great Clans, an open secret that no one dared utter.
Still, Suzaku was one of the few decent ones.
At the very least, Akeno still called her "cousin" willingly.
"Do you have any other questions?"
Noticing Rod's gaze lingering on her, Suzaku tilted her head curiously.
"No. Just looking," Rod said, concealing his thoughts.
To be honest, storylines involving the Five Great Clans weren't exactly plentiful. And given their notoriously insular mindset, even if Rod volunteered to help slay demons or hunt yokai, the answer would likely be a flat rejection.
The only reason they were even tolerating his presence now was because he saved those rookie exorcists.
If it had been some random passerby, a surveillance team would've shown up within the hour.
"Well then, I won't intrude any longer."
Suzaku gave a small, respectful bow.
"I hope your time here is pleasant."
With that, she turned and left with her clan members.
...
Rod soon returned to the hotel.
Asia, who'd been dutifully following Rod's instructions to not open the door to anyone, even hotel staff, nearly cried with relief upon seeing him again.
Though she'd known him for less than seventy-two hours, having never left the church before, Asia already saw Rod as her anchor.
If he disappeared suddenly, she truly wouldn't know what to do.
Rod saw the worry in her eyes and simply ruffled her hair before heading off to wash up.
Late at night, as Asia's gentle breathing signaled she'd fallen asleep, Rod drifted off as well.
.....
The next morning.
Rod was woken early by a call from Griselda.
The moment he picked up, her familiar voice came through.
"Where are you right now?"
"It's way too early for calls, Griselda. Don't you know sleep deprivation is a serious human rights violation?"
His lazy tone made it clear she'd woken him.
Griselda found it hard to stay composed. Still, she had to admit, purely in terms of looks, Rod definitely exceeded Heaven's average for male angels.
Not that that was why she was calling.
"I've received word that some of the God-Child Watchers and a few devils have started moving on the Far East side. It started shortly after you took Asia away. I think it's related."
Griselda knew full well how rare Asia's Sacred Gear was, one of the very few that could heal beings outside of humans and angels.
That kind of ability was exceedingly rare.
And among all the factions, the Fallen Angels were especially obsessed with collecting Sacred Gears created by the Biblical God.
Rod raised an eyebrow. He knew exactly what plot thread this was connected to.
The mission had already auto-triggered, he was just waiting for the right time to head to Kuoh Town.
Still, Rod added with a smirk, "Don't you think it's a little too convenient? Asia leaves, and then the Fallen Angels start moving?"
Griselda went quiet for a moment. "Are you saying there's a traitor in the Church?"
"No, of course not."
"Then you must be suggesting I leaked it."
"..."
Griselda immediately caught the sarcasm but had no way to refute it. With no hard evidence, all she could do was pretend nothing was wrong.
"I'll look into it quietly. But for now, where are you two?"
"Tokyo."
"…What?"
Griselda was stunned.
Just a moment ago she'd warned him about demonic activity in Japan, now he tells her he's already there?
"Why would you go there?! Sure, it's a decent tourist spot, but the situation is incredibly complicated. Not to mention, that's Five Great Clans territory."
Clearly, Griselda knew a bit about them too.
"It was on the way," Rod said. "Figured I'd spend some time sightseeing."
A long sigh came through the phone.
"Don't say I didn't warn you. The Five Great Clans are notoriously xenophobic. They don't tolerate outsiders meddling in their domain, not even their own kin."
Still, she seemed to understand the kind of person Rod was.
"But since you're a free agent, as long as you don't cause trouble, they won't actively target you."
"However, I do need to warn you, things are unstable over there. The Five Clans were recently attacked. There's talk of Fallen Angels, witches, and even a Longinus bearer being involved. So be careful. Don't get caught up in something messy."
Rod blinked in surprise.
There was hidden plot development in the Five Clans arc he hadn't known about?
Wasn't this all supposed to revolve around Akeno Himejima?
Now witches and Longinus users were suddenly showing up?
"I thought you said they were extremely xenophobic?"
"They are. But you need strength to back up exclusivity. Don't forget, even devils have built luxury hotels in that region. Look up 'Demon Grand Hotel.' Highest rating in the area."
"And Heaven?"
"Right across the street. Same rating."
Rod was speechless.
This was full-on turf war, with matching real estate portfolios?
So the Five Great Clans' "exclusivity" was just for show? Or maybe they simply didn't have the power to enforce it?
After hanging up, Rod couldn't help but wonder at the absurdity of it all.
He also began thinking seriously about the internal situation of the Five Clans.
But the more he thought, the more it felt like the timeline was all out of whack.
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