"Would you like some tea?"
"Thank you, Boss."
Yuto poured Sirzechs a cup.
Rias sat opposite her brother, although she still clearly did not dare to look directly at him.
"Here, I'll pour you some too."
Yuto turned and filled another cup for Rias.
The tea leaves drifted gently through the water while tiny bubbles floated to the surface and quietly burst.
Thin wisps of steam curled upward between the siblings, partially obscuring their faces as they sat in silence.
Their expressions could hardly have been more different.
Despite sitting only a short distance apart, the atmosphere between them felt strangely distant.
Everyone else remained quiet as well, watching from the side, and for a while the entire restaurant fell into silence.
Sirzechs lifted his teacup and slowly took a sip before smiling faintly.
"The fragrance is excellent."
Rias continued staring downward without reacting.
A soft but clearly audible sigh escaped Sirzechs as he carefully set the cup back on the counter.
When he looked at his younger sister again, complicated emotions flickered through his eyes before eventually settling into guilt.
"Rias, I know it may already be late to say this, but I still owe you an apology. You have... endured a great deal because of us."
His voice was gentle.
There was helplessness and regret in it, but more than anything else, there was sincerity.
Rias visibly reacted.
The change was subtle at first, like a block of ice that had remained frozen for years finally beginning to thaw.
Her bright crimson eyes trembled before she slowly raised her head and stared at Sirzechs in disbelief.
This...
This was not going the way she had expected at all.
"After you left last night, I spent the entire night speaking with our parents," Sirzechs continued. "If we had understood how you truly felt sooner, things never would have gone this far. In the end, we were the ones at fault."
He sighed deeply, helplessness settling across his face.
Across from him, Rias was already struggling to control her emotions.
Tears had begun gathering in her crimson eyes, glittering beneath the restaurant lights as though they might spill over at any moment.
"The dwindling number of pure-blooded devils is indeed an important problem. But if I speak only as your older brother, then I have no desire to sacrifice my little sister's happiness for the sake of solving it."
Sirzechs paused briefly.
"I believed you had agreed to the engagement because, while you may not have liked it, you were not completely opposed to it either. I never realized that you had been forcing yourself to endure everything all this time."
"I also spoke with Akeno. She explained many things to me."
A self-deprecating smile appeared on his face.
"For me to learn those things from someone else despite being your older brother... it is rather ironic."
His gaze became distant.
"Perhaps from the moment I became Satan, I gradually began changing without even realizing it."
Memories of the past surfaced one after another.
The days when he and Rias had been close.
The time when he had simply been her older brother.
And then the distance that had slowly grown between them until their relationship became what it was today.
Back then, he had only been Sirzechs, Rias's brother.
Now, he was Satan.
Balancing public responsibility against private feelings was never simple.
"All this time... I'm sorry, Rias."
His voice carried a deep sense of regret.
"No, Onii-sama doesn't need to apologize!"
Rias suddenly shook her head.
"I understand... Satan is responsible for the entire Underworld. Compared with the whole Underworld, my own value is insignificant."
"What Onii-sama did was for the good of everyone."
Her voice gradually became quieter.
"I was the one... being selfish..."
Rias had never been some sheltered princess who spent her entire life enjoying privilege without understanding the price that came with it.
She had been born during a turbulent era in the Underworld.
From childhood, she had understood many things.
Truths that ordinary humans might spend their entire lives never truly comprehending had already been taught to Rias while she was still young.
That was why she had not resisted when her family first arranged the engagement.
She had simply accepted it.
Like a piece of driftwood floating on a river, she had allowed the current to carry her forward.
The water kept the driftwood afloat, but it possessed no strength of its own to resist the flow.
It could only follow wherever the river carried it, even if the path ahead ended at the edge of a cliff.
Even if what waited below was an abyss.
Rias had always believed that was simply the role she had been given.
Listening from nearby, Yuto could not help releasing a quiet sigh.
Sometimes, a person truly did not have much of a choice.
Sirzechs looked even more pained.
He drew in a heavy breath.
Hearing his own little sister speak about herself that way felt like a blade driving directly into his heart.
The Underworld.
His little sister.
Placed side by side, the weight of those two responsibilities suddenly felt almost unbearable.
"No, Rias. You are wrong."
After a brief silence, Sirzechs spoke firmly.
His expression became serious as he looked directly into her eyes.
"Your value to the Underworld is not insignificant."
"You are important too."
"There are many people who need you. To me, to our parents, to Akeno, and to everyone around you, there is only one Rias."
His voice remained steady and completely sincere.
"You are unique. You are irreplaceable."
At that moment, Sirzechs was no longer speaking as Satan.
He was simply the older brother whom Rias had once trusted without hesitation.
Her hands began trembling.
The tears she had been struggling to hold back finally slipped from her eyes and fell onto her palms, sparkling beneath the light for the briefest instant before disappearing.
"Last night, our parents and I came to a decision."
Sirzechs looked at her calmly.
"Rias, your engagement has been canceled."
Rias stared at him in shock.
For several seconds, she seemed incapable of processing what she had just heard.
Then she hurriedly wiped away her tears, unbelievable joy and excitement flooding her eyes.
Almost immediately, however, worry followed.
"Is that... really all right...?" She asked the question hesitantly.
"The Phenex family has complained, naturally."
Sirzechs smiled faintly.
"Fortunately, my position as Satan still carries enough weight to settle the matter."
He leaned back slightly.
"As for whatever consequences appear later... we will deal with them when they come."
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Rias experienced genuine happiness rising from the deepest part of her heart.
All the emotions she had kept suppressed for so long finally burst free, transforming into pure joy and relief.
Sirzechs watched his younger sister's expression and quietly sighed.
Things had not unfolded according to the original plan.
There would undoubtedly be complications in the future.
But seeing Rias smile like this made everything else seem far less important.
Yuto also relaxed slightly.
It appeared the matter had reached the best possible conclusion.
Fortunately, things had not gone in the opposite direction.
Sirzechs then turned toward Yuto.
"Once again, thank you for taking care of Rias. To express my gratitude, I brought a gift with me today. Please accept it."
The moment he finished speaking, a treasure chest appeared in Grayfia's hands.
Even from the outside, with its surface decorated in gold and precious gemstones, it was obvious that whatever lay inside must be extraordinarily valuable.
"That looks far too expensive."
Yuto waved his hand helplessly.
"Please take it back."
"No. This is necessary."
Sirzechs shook his head.
"Please accept it."
"It's fine, Boss. Please take it."
Now that the weight hanging over her heart had finally been lifted, Rias seemed to have returned to her usual self.
She smiled as she joined her brother in persuading Yuto.
"Onii-sama rarely gives gifts to anyone."
There was a tenderness and gratitude in her eyes that she could not conceal.
Those feelings came directly from her heart.
Sirzechs casually noticed the way his sister was looking at Yuto.
His eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
Then, without saying anything, he nodded to himself.
A new idea slowly began forming in his mind.
Perhaps there was another possibility.
One that might allow Rias to find genuine happiness while also helping secure the future of the Underworld.
Under the combined persuasion of the siblings, Yuto eventually gave in and accepted the treasure chest.
"Well, I have accomplished what I came here to do today."
Sirzechs rose from his seat with a smile.
"It is about time I left. There is still a mountain of work waiting for me in the Underworld."
He then looked toward Rias.
"If you would like to stay here a little longer, that is perfectly fine. Just do not become so attached that you forget to come home."
Rias's entire face immediately turned bright red.
It was almost as though Sirzechs had directly exposed something she had desperately been trying to hide.
"Don't say it like that! I'll go home!"
She became visibly flustered.
Her reaction only caused Sirzechs's smile to deepen.
"Come again whenever you like."
Yuto smiled and nodded.
Sirzechs returned the gesture before turning toward the entrance, with Grayfia following closely behind him.
...
Once the two of them left, the tension inside the restaurant immediately disappeared.
Conversation and laughter quickly returned.
"What? I thought they were actually going to fight. I didn't expect everything to end this peacefully."
"Marisa, stop hoping for things like that!"
"That brother was actually pretty responsible."
"I never expected someone called Satan to be that polite."
"Don't be fooled by appearances. Old hag Yukari looks elegant and beautiful on the surface too, but in reality? In reality, old hag Yu—mmph!"
"Reimu~ You really should not say such rude things."
Yukari smiled sweetly as she covered Reimu's mouth.
"I'm only seventeen years old, you know~ I am absolutely not an old~ hag~"
While everyone argued noisily around him, Yuto finally opened the treasure chest.
He had been curious about what was inside ever since Sirzechs handed it to him.
Rias leaned closer as well.
At the very center of the chest rested a transparent tube that had been protected with extraordinary care.
Inside the tube was a single drop of clear liquid.
The moment Rias saw it, surprise appeared across her face.
"Onii-sama actually gave you this!"
"What is it?"
Yuto carefully picked up the tube and examined it.
"Is it valuable?"
"Extremely."
Rias stared at the liquid.
"It's a Phoenix Tear. It can restore someone who is standing at the brink of death back to perfect condition..."
While everyone in the restaurant marveled at the effect of the Phoenix Tear, Sirzechs and Grayfia had already returned to the Underworld.
...
"Lord Lucifer, now that Lady Rias's engagement has been canceled, what do you intend to do about the declining number of pure-blooded devils and the future of the Underworld?"
Grayfia looked at Sirzechs seriously.
Sirzechs sat in his chair with his hands folded in front of his chest, leaning comfortably against the backrest.
"Mm. I have an idea now."
"And what exactly is it?"
Sirzechs looked toward her and smiled.
"I suddenly realized that perhaps the future of the Underworld does not necessarily need to depend upon pure-blooded devils."
Grayfia remained silent, waiting for him to continue.
"Compared with mixed-blood devils, the primary advantage possessed by pure-blooded devils is their naturally greater demonic power. The reason we have always valued them so highly was ultimately because we needed enough strength to preserve the stability and security of the Underworld."
Sirzechs rested one arm against the chair.
"Political marriages were simply another means of securing support from powerful pure-blooded families."
He smiled faintly.
"But if we could obtain the support of beings powerful enough to replace those families entirely, then would that not mean the importance of maintaining pure-blooded devil lines would decrease considerably?"
Grayfia frowned.
She was sharp enough that, after only a moment of thought, she understood exactly what he meant.
"You are suggesting... winning over the people connected to that restaurant?"
"As expected of my wife. You really do understand me."
Sirzechs smiled.
Grayfia's expression remained cold.
"We are currently discussing official matters. Please behave more seriously, Lord Lucifer."
Sirzechs sighed.
"You are impossible. Fine, fine."
He spread his hands helplessly.
Grayfia ignored his complaint.
"If we could gain the support of the forces behind that mysterious restaurant, then yes, the future security of the Underworld would be far less concerning. But how exactly do you intend to win them over?"
A puzzled expression appeared on her face.
Sirzechs smiled.
"Grayfia, have you still not noticed?"
"There is really only one person whose decisions appear capable of influencing everyone connected to that restaurant."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"We only need to win over that one person."
Grayfia's expression changed.
"You mean... the restaurant owner."
"Exactly."
Sirzechs nodded.
"As long as we bring the Boss over to our side, the others standing behind him effectively become our allies as well."
"Win over the Boss..."
Grayfia repeated the words quietly.
"Win over the Boss... You mean..."
Her eyes suddenly widened.
She finally understood what Sirzechs was planning.
Sirzechs chuckled and rose from his chair.
He walked over to the window and gazed out at the brilliantly colored night sky of the Underworld, a faint smile resting on his lips.
"This time, I do not think Rias will object."
Grayfia walked over and stood beside him.
For a moment, husband and wife simply looked out at the star-filled sky together.
"Grayfia."
"Mm?"
"I suddenly feel incredibly fortunate that you became my wife."
Grayfia glanced sideways at him.
"Oh? Why is that?"
Sirzechs smiled.
"Because I married you because I love you."
He looked back toward the night sky.
"If my parents had arranged for me to marry some complete stranger back then, I imagine I would have reacted much the same way Rias did."
His smile became slightly wry.
"Perhaps even more violently."
Grayfia gave a quiet snort.
"Hmph. Smooth talker."