That very day,
The sun was bright and warm… it was noon.
Ayato stretched lazily and walked out, full of energy.
Even outnumbered, he still stood undefeated.
In the dining room,
Only Artoria and the others were present.
They looked at Ayato, all looking a little unnatural.
Especially Irina, who had dark circles under her eyes; somehow, a flush was creeping onto her face.
'Until noon, or something...'
'That was way too long.'
"Cough!"
Artoria's ahoge twitched: "Master, what's for lunch?"
"Medusa should be up soon, let's wait a bit longer."
"Ah, right." Ayato thought for a moment and said: "You're not a Servant anymore, so you need to change the way you address me."
Artoria's pretty face flushed slightly. She opened her mouth, then finally said softly: "Master-sama."
Although the meaning was similar to "Master", saying it like this...
For some reason, it felt a bit embarrassing.
Ayato nodded, 'Adding "-sama" felt pretty good.'
He turned his head, looking at Irina with an ambiguous smile: "What's wrong? Did you not sleep well?"
"I-it's nothing."
Irina braced herself and replied.
'Keep lying through your teeth.'
Ayato smiled and stopped teasing her.
Soon,
Medusa arrived late, beginning to prepare lunch for everyone.
By the afternoon,
Ayato returned to Kuoh Town.
Although Sakura was reluctant, she chose to stay with her sister for now.
In response, Irisviel volunteered, saying she could take on the important task of looking after the two children.
Of course, this suggestion was only half-approved.
Her cooking skills would probably kill them directly.
In the end, Medusa stayed behind as well.
Since they had teleportation magic, meeting was very convenient. The distance didn't matter much.
After returning home and tidying up for a bit, Ayato visited the Occult Research Club after a long absence.
Rias looked at him languidly, quite reproachfully: "Ayato, so you still remember to come back."
"Haha, I just got a bit carried away."
Ayato suddenly stepped forward, grabbed Rias's wrist, and pulled her firmly.
"Ah!"
Rias cried out in surprise and fell directly into Ayato's arms.
Feeling the familiar scent, Rias's eyes became dreamy.
"What are you doing, this is the clubroom....."
Her remaining clarity made her whisper.
Hearing this, Ayato stroked her vivid crimson hair: "Koneko and the others aren't here."
"Ayato."
Rias lifted her head and saw his crimson eyes getting closer and closer.
"Mmpphh..."
Rias's eyes opened wide, unsure if she was looking at Ayato or the ceiling.
The sunlight slanted lower.
The cluttered Occult Research Club room was dyed by the setting sun.
Rias tidied herself up a bit, then gave Ayato a reproachful glare: "Hmph, you call that an apology? Not a shred of sincerity."
"How can you say that? You seemed quite happy."
Ayato said righteously.
He had been expressing his apology very seriously.
It just took a little longer; it couldn't be helped.
"Why is it so messy in here?"
Just then, Koneko, returning from school, frowned slightly.
Rias's expression froze.
'Damn it!'
'I should have restored everything to its original state immediately.'
'It was all Ayato's fault.'
'Koneko hadn't noticed something, had she?'
Although a thousand thoughts raced through her mind, Rias's expression remained calm as she calmly began to cast cleaning magic.
But she didn't notice.
A faint pink tint had appeared on Koneko's face.
'This smell... It had to be Ayato-senpai again.'
"Koneko, long time no see."
Ayato greeted her: "Have you missed me at all?"
"Who would miss you, you perverted Devil."
Koneko glared at Ayato: "Always thinking about nothing but dirty things all day long."
Rias's expression stiffened.
'Did Koneko know?'
'Damn it, there goes my dignity as her master.'
"I'm truly wronged. I didn't do anything at all."
Ayato said, his face not reddening, his heart not speeding up.
Stare!
Koneko looked at Ayato, her expressionless, delicate face sharpening her gaze.
After a long while...
She gradually became a little confused.
'Had I misjudged Ayato-senpai?'
'After all, this is the clubroom.'
'Surely President wouldn't agree to that.'
Thinking this, Koneko nodded at Ayato and sat down to the side.
"By the way, no problems with the Fallen Angels and Angels, right?"
Suddenly, something occurred to Ayato, and he turned his gaze to Rias: "No conflicts with the Devils, I hope?"
The death of a Ten-Winged Fallen Angel was a major event.
The entire Fallen Angel faction probably hadn't lost such an important figure in a long time.
"So you remember that."
Rias had completely returned to normal. She spoke slowly: "Nothing major happened, really."
"It was just that my brother, Michael, and the Fallen Angel Governor-General had a meeting, and then the matter was turned from something big into something small, and from something small into nothing."
"I see."
Ayato nodded.
Indeed…
The fault was originally on the Fallen Angel side, and Michael also wanted to cover up the fact that God had already died, so the three sides naturally reached an agreement.
However, he was a bit regretful.
Right now, he really wouldn't mind having someone of considerable weight to test his strength on.
"You seem disappointed?"
Rias blinked, looking somewhat suspiciously at him: "Don't do anything reckless, you hear? If the Three Factions go to war again, the consequences would be disastrous."
"I know, I'm not one of those war maniacs."
Ayato smiled and sat down next to Koneko.
'Why would I like war?'
'Wasn't it better to build a harem quietly?'
'If a war really broke out, it would be a huge pain in the ass.'
Seeing this, and confirming that Ayato wasn't lying, Rias breathed a small sigh of relief.
This fiancé of hers...
At some point, his strength had become more and more unfathomable.
Though it was a good thing...
She felt a little regret. After all, she had been the stronger one before.
"Hmm?"
Ayato's expression sharpened.
He felt a summoning again.
It wasn't in another world, but it seemed quite far away.
He looked at Koneko: "Just how many of those flyers have you secretly handed out?"
Koneko said expressionlessly: "I've been handing them out ever since I became a Devil. It was President's order."