21 Open House Day

While most kids and parents looked forward to this day, some just wished that it didn't exist to give a reminder to thier misery.

Open House Day.

The last time I had been present on the Open House day at school was when I was in the first year of middle school, when my mother was still alive.

Even if my father was never a part of my life, my mother had filled both the spots as a single parent and did her best, so we could have happy small family.

'That fucker.' I clenched my fists in rage and was not able to believe myself, that I had actually come to school on Grayfia's persuasion.

Even if I had accepted Grayfia as my mother, I was fully aware that she would never be able to take the spot of my actual mother in my life. Still, we were doing our best for the sake of both of us.

'The Open house starts after this break.' I scowled thoughtfully while sitting on my desk in the classroom, 'Should I make a run for it?'

"Wow, that's a serious one." Aika said in astonishment and leaned forward to stare at my face, "What's troubling you so much, Alex? No, wait." She sighed in realisation, "I can tell."

Aika was one of the children whose parents never had the time for her, even if they lived together at the same house. The point is, at least they were alive.

"Are you thinking what I am thinking?" Aika raised an eyebrow at me with a meaningful smirk, "Of course, you're making the call." She was talking about skipping school for the rest of the day.

"Nah." I sighed stressfully and leaned back on my chair, 'Leaving now would make Grayfia think that I have not accepted her. I don't want to make things bad between us, especially after she's being so nice to me.'

To prove the point, she had even packed a nice lunch box for me this morning and was taking care of all of my essential needs at home, just like mom used to.

"There's someone coming to see me." I stated to Aika without looking at her, because I knew she was listening to me.

"Oh, I am jealous~" She gave me an envious stare, "So who's this lucky person?"

Aika was startled when she thought of the possibility, "I-Is it your Maou Dad?"

"As if." I snorted with an annoyed frown, "It's my Step mom. You've not met her before."

Aika's face was plastered with a grin as she continued to stare at me with a mischievous gleem in her eyes, "So, Step Son~" She called out seductively, "Is your Step Mom living with you now?"

"She's staying for a few days." I nodded in confirmation and warned her with a glare, "I know you've already thought about it, but don't say it to my face."

"And what have I thought, Alex-kun?" Aika rested her chin on her desk and giggled at me.

"Only what a pervert would." I replied uncaringly.

"And you have not thought about it?" Aika smirked and leaned towards me, "You didn't have any lewd thoughts about her?" She whispered into my ears like an actual devil would, "Knowing you, I am sure you've already-"

I placed my hand her face and gently pushed her back to her desk, "Shut up." I took a deep breath and composed my mixed feelings at the situation. First I was depressed, and now, Aika was trying to arouse me as usual.

"You're blushing." Aika teased when she noticed the light flush on my cheeks, "You can't be honest with yourself, can you?"

"So what do you want me to do?" I turned to her with a flustered scowl, "Do you want me to have sex with every woman that comes to my sight?"

"Honestly, I wouldn't care if you did." Aika shrugged in response, "As long as you have a spot for me."

"And what if I don't?" I challenged with a smirk, "What then?"

"I'll end up committing suicide by the age of twenty six, due to depression and loneliness." Aika answered nonchalantly, "There's only much that my sick mind can hold, unless I have an actual relationship with someone I obviously.." Aika hesitated with a deep blush and wasn't able to speak any further, "You know?" She shyly turned away from me.

"Whatever." I grumbled and sat properly on the desk, when I saw the parents had started entering the classroom, "The break is over it seems."

Aika relaxed and behaved adequately as well, because she didn't wanted to embarrass the other parents by standing out as the weird kid in the classroom.

I wasn't worried about myself, because the disillusionment spell was casted on me as usual.

I saw Grayfia entering the classroom and thankfully, she wasn't dressed as a maid. She wore a normal suit dress that did not stand out much, but she still looked gorgeous.

Grayfia nodded at me when she spotted me on the seats and I fondly smiled back at her. For some reason, she looked back at the entrance of the classroom and gestured with a nod.

The instance he entered the classroom, I knew who he was. Long Crimson hair, slightly shorter than me in height, a prince like handsome face, and dressed in a luxurious black suit and a red tie.

"Mugen." I snapped, and the world stopped into a timeless reality.

The only person I had allowed to move within my Reality was Sirzechs himself, because I did not wanted to give Grayfia the chance to explain his presence here at the school.

There was a possibility that he would never show his face to me, but I also knew there was a slight chance that he was stupid enough to come here today. Thanks to the Peace Treaty and whatnot excuse.

He looked around himself with a confused scowl and then turned to me with an relaxed smile, "So it was you." He sighed in relief, "I almost thought we were being attacked by someone."

"Oh, you are." I replied with a dark chuckle and got up from my seat, "So, did you get the milk?" Of course, he wasn't going to understand the reference.

"Sorry, it took me so much time." Sirzechs apologised genuinely, "I know you are angry at me, it perfectly makes sense." He nodded as I approached him, "Can we please not-"

I landed a solid punch on his face and he stumbled down to the podium behind him, "And I am not done yet." I viciously grinned at him.

"Please." Sirzechs pleaded awfully and coughed out blood and six broken teeth from his mouth, "Damn, you're strong." He chuckled and destroyed his broken teeth with his Power of Destruction.

I grabbed his collar and made him stand up face to face with me, "You.." I didn't know how to approach next.

Stabbing the Holy Sword through his chest was an option, but that would've been too quick for my satisfaction.

"I am sorry." Sirzechs apologised me to me again and caught me off guard, by embracing me into a hug, "Honestly, I deserve more than a punch and a few teeth."

"Then are you here to die?" I questioned with an incredulous frown as he continued to hug me.

"I know you wouldn't go that far." Sirzechs chuckled in response, "Call it my intuition."

"Fuck off." I pushed him away from me, "Do you really think that you'll come to my life all of a sudden and become my father?"

"I am aware that I have lost that right a long ago." Sirzechs solemnly shook his head, "Though, I would do my best if you give me a chance to prove myself. Honestly, I could've done much more, but I didn't have the courage and opportunity to."

"Even your mother-"

"Don't take her name!" I shouted anxiously and punched him on the other side of his face.

This time, he didn't fall. Sirzechs spat out another seven of his teeth and smiled at me, "I don't remember the last time anyone was able to make me bleed."

"Now, you do." I grumbled and was rearing to go at it.

"Your mother." He still continued, "She didn't die because of me."

"You have guts to say that to my face." I grinned with my eyes going wide.

"The fact that you've not punched me again means that you want an explanation." Sirzechs called out in realisation, "You might not know this, but your mother had cancer. A human disease that could've been cured easily with a drop of Phenex tear, but she chose to die."

"Grayfia, here." He pointed at his still frozen wife, "She's the witness to your mother's stubborn wishes."

Grayfia gasped when I pulled her into my reality and she looked at us with a baffled expression, "What's going on?"

Sirzechs simply opened his mouth wide to explain the situation without using any words.

"Alex.." Grayfia sighed stressfully and came next to me, "I know I don't have the right to say this, but you need to stop. Violence is not the solution here."

"Peace was never an option." I shook my head.

"What, you want me to eat soup for the rest of my life?" Sirzechs gasped dramatically, "That's cruel, Alexander."

"Fuck it.." I grumbled frustratedly and went back to my seat. Just as I sat on my chair, I deactivated the Timeless Reality and everything resumed to as it was.

"Odd." Aika frowned when she noticed a red haired man in the parents group creepily smiling at Alex.

"Don't pay him any attention." I stated in a calm tone, before Aika could ask me the question.

'Maou.' Aika's eyes were wide in horror when she looked at the man goofily smiling in thier direction. She gulped subconsciously in fear, because she didn't needed any clues than his appearance to prove the relationship he had with Alex.

'That must be his step mom he was talking about.' Aika noted when she saw the beautiful, silver gray haired woman standing next to the Maou and excitedly recording Alexander with her wide lense DSLR camera.

Aika gave Alex a deadpan stare when she noticed that the Maou was missing a lot of his teeth.

~

After the stupid Open House lectures were over, I did not wait in the classroom like the other students and walked out without being noticed by the other parents.

Mine, where else, did, and followed me out of the classroom.

"Alexander, wait." Grayfia called out as she matched my pace to chase after me.

"What?" I turned around with a frown and glanced at Sirzechs, "What the hell is this moron doing here?"

Half of my consciousness wanted me to explode my powers and destroy everything around me, just to get rid of that annoying redhead bug.

"Let me explain myself, please." Sirzechs pleaded and stepped in closer, "Give me a chance."

"Sirzechs." We heard a voiced and I turned around to see another man with Crimson hair, Rias and some of her Peerage members coming towards us.

"This must be my grandson!" The man laughed joyously and patted on my back, "Rias told me a lot about you."

"Ugh.." I anxiously clenched my fists and I did not know how to react. Sirzechs was one thing, but I had nothing against his father.

Sirzechs smiled at me when he noticed my bemusement, "Let's go back to home." He suggested and looked at his father, "How was your day with Rias, father?"

"I have recorded it." Zeoticus nodded with an excited smile, "Let's watch the vidoes by getting back at home."

"Alex." Grayfia took my hand and pulled me away from the group to another corner, "Are you alright?"

"I am not." I scowled by silently gnashing my teeth, "Why are they here? You didn't even tell me that he was coming."

"You wouldn't have come to school if I had told you." Grayfia reasoned with a small smile, "And aren't you happy?"

"Why would I be happy?" I whined in disbelief, "That guy and Sirzechs, I don't accept them."

"You accepted me." Grayfia gave me an desperate stare, "I know how you feel about them. Honestly, I do. But at least give them a chance? Nobody here is your enemy, Alex."

Grayfia patted my head as I stayed silent as she embraced me into a gentle hug, "Let's go home."

"I am going ahead." I said in a depressed tone and disappeared from my spot.

~

Grayfia stood there with a confused look, because what Alex used wasn't exactly a teleportation magic. She was curious about his powers, but it wasn't that important for her.

"Your son." Zeoticus sighed as he stood next to his son, "He's not exactly happy to see you, is he?"

Sirzechs opened his mouth wide to give a simple explanation.

"Nii-sama!" Rias gasped in horror when she saw the missing teeth, while Akeno, Kiba and Koneko simply froze on their spot to see a Maou in such state.

Zeoticus bursted into an hysterical laugher and patted his son's shoulder, "You're lucky, because I keep these around me in case of emergency." He took a black encased vial out of his Jacket's pocket and handed it to him.

"Phenex tears." Sirzechs nodded in appreciation and used the drop of tear to recover his lost teeth.

His teeth and bruises inside his mouth regenerated within a few seconds and Sirzechs clawed his mouth a few times with a satisfied look, "Feels much better now." He gratefully nodded at his father.

"Where is he?" They all heard an enraged roar and saw the Levithan herself marching towards them, "Where is he, the boy who stole my Sona-tan's first kiss!?"

"Nee-sama!" Sona helplessly rushed after her elder sister, because she was embarrassing her in front of the whole school. Thankfully, most of the parents were still in the classrooms with thier children.

"Sirzechs!" Serafall grabbed his collar and glared into his eyes, "Where is your son? Give him to me!"

"Oh?" Sirzechs glared back at her with an amused smile, "And why would I do that, Serafall?"

"Would the both of you knock it off!?" Sona exclaimed exasperatedly, "This is school! If you're going to cause commotion here, then get out of the campus!"

"No need to be so anxious, Sona." Zeoticus chuckled and looked at the group, "Though I would've liked to stay here a bit longer and meet the other parents, I think we should head back."

"Where is he?" Sirzechs turned to his maid with a confused look.

"He has gone ahead by himself." Grayfia replied with a nod, "He must've felt pressured by the crowd and its a good thing he chose to leave."

"Yeah, I was scared that he would snap once again." Sirzechs replied with a stressful sigh, "And Serafall." He looked at his childhood friend, "Don't."

"B-But, He stole Sona-tan's first kiss away from me!" Serafall reasoned with an helpless look.

"He's not in the mood to make any rational decisions, so your concern can wait." Sirzechs warned her seriously, "And he's strong, so don't even think of starting a fight. Because I am not sure I have the right to intervene, if he decides to fight you back."

Serafall snorted and looked away with an annoyed pout, "Then I'll deal with him in my own way." She muttered to herself.