After being lost in thought for a moment over what she had witnessed, Rias finally spoke. "Oh, right."
She walked over to where the scattered remains of the stray devil lay. Raising her hand, she released a small amount of demonic power that washed over the remains. The flesh and blood disappeared completely, leaving the floor spotless.
"Cool," Meguna remarked as he stood alongside the others, watching the remains vanish.
"Ara, ara, are you only going to compliment Rias, Fushiiii-san?" Akeno teased from behind him as she moved a little closer. "We also did our part, you know."
Meguna waved a hand toward her dismissively and replied, "Meh, I didn't find your abilities that interesting, though."
Akeno placed a hand against her chest dramatically, though the smile on her face never disappeared. "So harsh, Fushi-san."
Kiba merely smiled awkwardly while Koneko seemed completely unsurprised by the exchange.
Issei, on the other hand, stared at Meguna with a completely deadpan look, a sweat drop forming on the side of his head as he thought inwardly, 'Man, why does Fushi-san get all the attention?'
Before he could continue that train of thought, Rias called out to him. "Issei."
"Yes, Buchou?" Issei responded quickly.
"You might be wondering what piece you are, right?" Rias asked, to which Issei nodded in return. A faint smile appeared on her face as she continued. "Well, you're my Pawn."
"A Pawn?" Issei repeated slowly.
"Meaning you're a foot soldier, brat," Meguna spoke before Rias could elaborate further.
Issei blinked as the words registered in his head. 'A foot soldier...' The words lingered in his head for a moment 'Wait... doesn't that mean I'm the lowest piece?' His shoulders immediately slumped, and he his gaze lowered toward the floor.
Looking at Issei, Meguna clicked his tongue.
"Tch." He turned toward Rias while she shifted her attention to him. "Gremory."
"What is it, Fushi-san?" Rias asked.
Meguna replied "If you're done here, can we go already? I'm bored."
And so the group returned to the clubroom through the teleportation circle, the soft glow fading from beneath their feet as the space settled back into silence.
Meguna didn't linger. He picked up his bag, adjusted the strap over his shoulder, and walked toward the door.
"Night," he said simply, lifting a hand in a casual farewell.
Rias followed him with her eyes as he stepped out of the room. Her gaze linger on the door as her thoughts spoke out 'You could've stayed and chatted for a bit, you know' Her expression softened slightly.
Akeno noticing it, leaned in just a little, a teasing smile forming. "Ara, ara… is Buchou getting interested in Fushi-san?"
Rias blinked, startled out of her thoughts, and turned sharply toward her. "What?!" she replied, a little too quickly.
Her brows furrowed as she tried to regain composure, though the faint redness on her cheeks betrayed her reaction. "It seems you're getting the wrong idea, Akeno."
Akeno tilted her head, still smiling like she already knew the answer. "Oh? Then why were you staring at the door like that?"
Rias opened her mouth, paused for a second, then clicked her tongue softly and looked away. "I wasn't staring… I was just thinking about the mission."
Akeno gave a light, amused hum.
"Of course you were."
Issei stood off to the side, watching the exchange with a blank, slightly confused expression, still unable to understand what exactly had just happened.
----
When Meguna reached home, his mother greeted him as he entered. "Welcome back," she said warmly.
He gave a small nod and walked past her, heading toward his room upstairs. "So, where did you go after school?" she asked, watching him with curiosity.
"Just hung out with some students from school," he replied.
"Oh? You mean your friends?" she asked with a gentle smile.
Meguna stopped in his tracks for a moment.
The word lingered in his mind briefly. Then he said, "I mean… you could say that," before continuing toward his room.
His mother watched him go for a moment, still smiling softly. "Well, it's good to see you're making friends."
----
After changing into his casual clothes, Meguna climbed onto the windowsill and casually leapt out of his room.
He landed on the ground below without making much noise. With his hands tucked into his pockets, he began walking through the streets of Kuoh Town.
He was simply wandering around in the hope that one of the fallen angels would eventually find him or start following him.
Since Raynare had already encountered him once, there was always the possibility that information about him had spread among the others.
As he walked, his eyes casually swept across the surroundings. Most of the stores had already closed for the night, leaving the streets quieter than they had been during the day.
"Tch, looks like most of the convenience stores are closed." Meguna stopped in front of a vending machine and pulled a few coins from his pocket.
A can of mango juice rolled out.Taking it, he sat down on a nearby bench and opened it.
Slurrrrrrrrrp!
Finishing it, he tossed the empty can into a nearby dustbin before standing up again.
"Let's try something." Bringing his right hand forward, he extended his index and middle fingers.
A moment later, a dark hemispherical barrier spread outward from him, enclosing an area roughly ten meters in radius. The space within it became isolated from the outside world as the curtain settled into place.
Meguna looked around calmly while examining the result. 'I could've expanded it more, but hey, progress is progress.'
After observing it for a few seconds, he dismissed it and the dark dome vanished.
The instant it disappeared, the night sky abruptly shifted color, turning an unnatural shade of purple.
Meguna's eyes lifted upward and saw figure descending from above.
"I heard from Raynare that there was another Sacred Gear user around here," the man said. "Didn't think I'd run into you here."
As his feet touched the ground, he began introducing himself. "I am Dohnase—"
Before he could finish speaking, Meguna moved forward.
Dohnaseek eyes widened before he could even register what had happened meguna used cleave as he moved passed him slicing him into pieces.
Meguna then took out his phone and dialed rias. As the call was picked up a voice came out from the phone.
----
The priest took Rias's magic attack with his blade, creating a brief shockwave that scattered dust across the ruined room.
Rias gaze remained cold and unwavering as she stared directly at the man responsible.
"Just like you took such good care of my servant I'll take good care of you"
A grin spread across the priest's face as though he found the situation entertaining.
"Buchou..." Issei muttered, his fists tightening.
Before anyone could continue, a ringtone suddenly echoed throughout the room.
Everyone paused and looked toward Rias as she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. After glancing at the screen, she looked slightly surprised.
"Fushi-san?" She paused then answered. "I didn't expect you to call, but we're very busy at the moment."
The priest immediately threw his arms up in irritation. "Hey, hey, hey! Are you just going to ignore me? Don't you want to see how I would take good care of your servants?" Freed exclaimed dramatically.
Rias's eyes narrowed with contempt "Can you call me back later? I'm very busy right now."
Without waiting for a response, she ended the call. Putting the phone away, she took a step forward. Her crimson eyes locked onto the priest once again. "It's my policy that anyone who harms one of my servants is someone I will not forgive."
The air around her seemed to grow heavier. Even Issei could feel the pressure coming from his king.
Koneko suddenly sense something from above. "Kaichou, multiple Fallen Angels are nearby," she reported.
Rias clicked her tongue. "Tch. Right now, retrieving Issei comes first. Akeno."
"Yes, Kaichou." Akeno raised her hand and began forming a teleportation circle beneath the group. Crimson light slowly spread across the floor as magical symbols appeared.
The priest's expression twisted. "You devil scum! You think you can ge—"
His words were abruptly cut off as a large wardrobe suddenly came flying across the room toward him.
The priest's eyes widened before he leapt aside. The furniture smashed into the wall behind him with a loud crash, sending broken wood everywhere.
Taking advantage of the distraction, the teleportation circle continued to expand.
Issei looked toward Asia.
The blonde nun was looking back at him. Although she tried to remain strong, the worry in her eyes was obvious.
"Buchou! Can't we bring Asia with us?!" Issei shouted.
Rias hesitated briefly before answering. "I'm afraid not. Only members of my household can jump through this magic circle."
Issei bit his lip. "But didn't Fushi-san come with us before? So why not her?!"
"Issei, what Fushi-san did is something I don't even know myself," Rias explained. "I don't know how he synchronized his mana with my magic."
The circle beneath them grew brighter. Issei turned toward the helpless nun. "Asia! Let me go! I wanna save Asia!" His voice carried genuine desperation.
Asia's expression softened as she watched him struggle. The light intensified even further.
"ASIAAAAA!!!!" Issei's voice echoed throughout the room as the teleportation circle activated and swallowed the group in crimson light.
The next instant, Rias and her peerage appeared back inside the Occult Research Club.
For several moments nobody spoke. Issei looked frustrated while Rias appeared deep in thought.
Then Rias's phone rang once more. Looking at the caller ID, "Fushi-san again..."
Letting out a small sigh, she answered the call while moving slightly away from the others. "Fushi-san, can you, like, call me again tomorrow? I feel a bit stressed right now."
"Huh?" Meguna's voice came from the other side. "Then what am I supposed to do with this Fallen body's here?"
Rias blinked, for a second, she wondered if she had misheard him. "A Fallen, you say? Where?"
"Just near this closed convenience store in the southern part of Kuoh," Meguna said simply.
----
[A/N: Do give your thoughts]