Chapter 30: The Girl in Love

At 7 PM, Kuoh Academy.

Having just finished dinner at the school cafeteria, a group of girls strolled leisurely back to the old school building.

"Ah~ another exhausting day. By the way, Asia, did you get enough to eat at dinner just now?"

"Th-thank you for asking. Asia is full."

The blonde-haired girl maintained her usual delicate demeanor, following behind Rias and Akeno with a shy but healing smile.

After all, she really had eaten a lot tonight—much more than usual.

Back when she was at the church, unless it was a major holiday like Christmas, her usual meals were simple bread or porridge. Anything more extravagant, like meat, was considered an indulgence and deemed shameful.

So tonight, a bowl of chashu ramen with a side of tempura already felt like an incredible luxury.

"But… Asia originally thought Rias-sama would be upset."

"Upset? Why would I be?"

Standing at the base of the stairs leading up, Rias paused and turned, curiosity written on her face. Did she really seem so capricious?

"That's not what I meant…"

As Asia softly closed the old school building's front door, she nervously scratched her cheek.

"It's just… I've troubled Rias-sama with so much—finding me a place to stay, arranging for me to enroll in school—and I… well, how should I put this… I just feel a little..."

"Ah, you don't have to worry about that kind of thing!"

Rias smiled faintly and shrugged.

"I promised to give you time to think, so of course, I won't go back on my word.

"Actually, when I was younger, I thought the more servants I had, the better. But as I witnessed more and more of the world, I came to realize that a servant is merely someone whose race is forcibly changed into a devil.

"In the end, those who are inclined to betray you will find a way, contract or not. And those who won't betray you will stand by your side and protect you, even without any binding agreements."

At the last part, a gentle expression unconsciously crossed her face.

But that moment of warmth was abruptly shattered by Asia's innocent reply.

"Just like Mr. Fukuki, right?"

"Uh... F-Fukuki?! Why did you suddenly bring him up? This has nothing to do with him!"

Two bright patches of red instantly rose to Rias's cheeks as she flustered at the unexpected mention of the truth.

"Ahem! Anyway, that's the gist of it. Besides, while Asia's Sacred Gear is unique, it's not to the extent that we'd have to resort to force to obtain it."

Rias quickly regained her composure, coughed lightly into her hand, and clenched her fist for emphasis.

"Also, the Gremory family isn't the kind of devil clan that disregards reason."

"Speaking of Sacred Gears—"

Asia lightly tapped her finger on her chin, her expression pensive.

"Does Mr. Fukuki have a Sacred Gear?"

"Him? If I remember correctly, he did mention having one, but apparently, he either doesn't like it or just doesn't want to use it. Either way, we've never seen him use it before."

Rias paused for a moment before changing the topic.

"Oh, I almost forgot the important news—Asia, your enrollment paperwork has been processed. You'll be in the same class as Fukuki. Once classes officially start, you'll—"

"Really? That's wonderful!"

Before Rias could finish, the blonde girl's eyes lit up with joy as she raised her fists in celebration.

"That means starting next week, I'll not only see Mr. Fukuki in the afternoons but also during the mornings and lunchtime! Yay!"

"Ah, not quite yet. Tomorrow and the day after are the weekend, so school's closed. Fukuki won't be coming to school until Monday."

"Aw, that's disappointing..."

"Well, that's settled then. I'll head upstairs. Akeno, Koneko, Asia—if you want to use the bath, go ahead."

Rias nonchalantly tossed out her final words as she made her way upstairs.

Scene Shift: Rias's Bedroom

"Phew, all done."

At her desk by the window, Rias let out a deep breath as she set down her pen, leaning back in her chair and stretching her arms high above her head. She had just finished writing in her diary.

Her entries were brief, with several days often summarized on a single page.

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April 25th

"Fukuki said he found something during yesterday's mission and wanted to show it to us. Turns out, it was just a severed finger—ugly and gross. Supposedly, it's some kind of important cursed object sealed by the Jujutsu Society. Midway through our club activities, he got called away. I wonder what happened afterward… Seriously, stop picking up weird stuff all the time!"

April 26th

"This guy really has the knack for running into bizarre situations. This morning, he bumped into a nun on the way downstairs, and then ran into a fallen angel after school. Late at night, he dragged us to a church to rescue someone, and it turned out to be that nun. How does he even manage to be so 'coincidentally' in the right place? Did he secretly plant a tracker on her?

...But I have to admit, he looked kind of cool when he promised to protect me during danger."

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April 27th

"Akeno's been acting strange these past few days—picking fights with me over seating arrangements and even saying she likes Fukuki and wants to sit next to him. And Fukuki! Why didn't he tell her off properly when she hugged him? What kind of public spectacle are they putting on? They didn't even seem that close before..."

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Reading through the entries felt like clocking in for work; the names of others came and went, but one name consistently appeared.

Looking back at her words now, they seemed less like casual musings and more like the petty complaints of a girl in love.

Feeling a faint heat rise to her cheeks, Rias gave a haughty little hum and pressed the cool back of her hand to her face, attempting to cool down.

However, just as she did so, a glowing magic circle suddenly appeared on the floor behind her. Gentle red light radiated outward, accompanied by a surge of demonic power.

"Hm?!

Detecting the surge of demonic power behind her, Rias quickly closed her diary and turned to look.

Within the crimson teleportation magic circle, a mature woman dressed in a maid's uniform, bearing an uncanny resemblance to Izayoi Sakuya from Touhou Project, gradually materialized.

Rias froze for a moment, murmuring softly,

"Grayfia... sister."

"Good evening, Lady Rias," greeted the silver-haired maid with a polite bow.