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Rias sighed, seeing Mika's feigned innocence.
"Fine. Let's pretend you didn't know."
"I didn't know."
"Yes, yes, of course you didn't." She was exasperated. What could she do? He was her husband, after all. She had to indulge him.
Just then, Sona appeared, accompanied by Serafall, who was still chattering excitedly.
"Good afternoon, Serafall-sama, Sona," Rias greeted them.
"Oh, it's Rias!" Serafall waved cheerfully.
"Good afternoon, Rias," Sona added.
Mika, seeing them, quickly ducked behind Akeno. He had a feeling Sona might ask Serafall who had brought her here.
While there were teachers and other staff at the school, if she asked, Serafall, being the ultimate siscon, would undoubtedly tell her. He decided to avoid a potentially awkward encounter.
"Akeno, cover for me," Mika whispered, pulling Kiba closer and pretending to be engrossed in a conversation with him.
"What? That's a Satan? She's wearing a magical girl outfit!" Issei, having recovered from his earlier trauma, whispered, peering at Serafall from behind Mika and Kiba.
"Yes." Mika replied.
While he recognized it as a magical girl outfit, he couldn't identify the specific character. After all, unlike in his previous life, he wasn't exactly a connoisseur of such things.
Just then, Sirzechs and his father arrived.
Seeing them, Mika abandoned his attempts at concealment.
It was pointless anyway.
They exchanged introductions, Mika receiving numerous curious glances, especially from Lord Gremory, Rias's father, whose approving gaze seemed to suggest a future conversation. Although they hadn't spoken much, Mika suspected a more formal meeting was imminent.
With Sirzechs and his father present, they naturally became the center of attention.
"Buchou," Issei whispered, "Doesn't that Satan seem a bit frivolous?" He was puzzled by her behavior, her childlike enthusiasm for her magical girl persona.
Mika, recalling his own encounter with Serafall, nodded in agreement.
Her mannerisms, her expressions – it was like something out of an anime, an over-the-top performance that would have been incredibly embarrassing if she weren't so attractive.
"Well, I wasn't planning to mention this, but all four Satans are—rather eccentric, perhaps even more so than Serafall," Rias whispered back.
"Really?" Issei was stunned.
Mika, however, simply nodded. "I suspected as much. Have you noticed how serious both Sona and Rias are? Perhaps it's because of their siblings... Their siblings' unconventional behavior might have forced them to become more grounded."
Akeno giggled, and the others, though trying to suppress their laughter, couldn't help but smile.
Rias glared at them, but with her brother and father present, she couldn't exactly discipline them. Her frustrated expression only amused them further.
———
That evening, at Mika's apartment, Lord Gremory, as Mika had anticipated, joined them for dinner.
He questioned Mika extensively, about his background, his relationship with Rias, and his adventures in other worlds. Even he, a powerful Devil, was intrigued by such tales.
Curiosity about the unknown wasn't limited to humans.
Mika answered his questions patiently. While it was his first time facing such parental scrutiny, he was a seasoned veteran of awkward social situations. He and Lord Gremory quickly bonded, their conversation flowing easily.
After dinner, they gathered to watch the videos Sirzechs had recorded during Rias's classes.
"Look, everyone! Our little Rias has been called on to answer a question!" Sirzechs exclaimed excitedly, narrating her performance.
Mika finally witnessed firsthand the unconventional behavior Rias had described.
Rias, mortified, covered her face with her hands.
"I can't take this anymore! My brother is such an idiot!" She fled the room.
Grayfia whacked Sirzechs over the head with her fan, clearly accustomed to disciplining him. It seemed she had likely been doing so for quite some time.
"I'll go check on Rias," Mika said, not wanting to witness their domestic dispute, and followed her.
———
He found her on the balcony outside, gazing at the moon.
"Feeling better?" Mika asked, handing her a drink he had grabbed from the refrigerator on his way out. He took a long swig from his own drink, enjoying the cool night air and the refreshing beverage.
"Much better, after some fresh air," Rias replied, taking a sip. "Besides, I'm used to his antics. It's just—with both my brother and father gone for so long, I haven't experienced this in years. That, and—well, you and Xenovia being there as well..."
She gave him a playful glare.
"You've been glaring at me a lot lately," Mika remarked, choosing to address her expression, not her words.
"Perhaps you should examine your own behavior," Rias replied, her tone suggesting that his recent playfulness was the cause of her annoyance.
It seemed his more mischievous side was becoming more prominent. Was it because he was now so powerful that he couldn't find any worthy opponents, forcing him to resort to such petty amusements?
Suddenly—
"Oh, there you are." Sirzechs's voice interrupted her thoughts.
Rias's expression immediately turned cold. She hadn't forgotten his earlier teasing. If she were stronger, she would have retaliated physically.
"Still angry, Rias?" Sirzechs asked, his smile faltering as he saw her expression. He had been enjoying himself, teasing his little sister, but he had perhaps gone a bit too far.
Grayfia, sensing the awkwardness, said to Rias, "Don't worry, I've already spoken with him."
Rias's expression softened slightly.
Sirzechs, grateful for his wife's intervention, quickly changed the subject. "Actually, I have something important to discuss, something concerning your other Bishop."
"You mean Gasper?" Rias's anger vanished instantly. Mika smiled inwardly, impressed by their coordinated effort. They clearly knew how to handle her.
Just as he had suspected earlier, the Satans' frivolous nature had forced their siblings to become more serious—
—and Rias, despite her playful teasing, was, at her core, a responsible Devil.
She had initially refused Sirzechs's offer to attend the Parent-Teacher Conference, not wanting him to neglect his duties as a Satan, and because she didn't want any special treatment.
Now, with Grayfia's subtle intervention, and Sirzechs bringing up an important matter, her earlier anger had dissipated.
And this "important matter" involved Gasper Vladi, her other Bishop.
Mika knew a bit about him, though they hadn't met. He had learned about him from Rias.
After all, in his previous life, his focus in High School DxD had been primarily on Issei, because of his cool armor, and the female characters. He hadn't paid much attention to the other male characters.
According to Rias, Gasper was a half-human, half-vampire, similar to Vali, who, as a half-human, half-Devil hybrid, possessed both the power of a Devil and the potential to wield a Sacred Gear.
This was why Azazel considered him the strongest White Dragon Emperor—and Gasper, too, possessed a Sacred Gear, an incredibly powerful one known as Forbidden Balor View, which could stop time for anything within his line of sight—
—It was a time manipulation ability, and in any world, such powers were incredibly rare and valuable, especially the ability to stop time...
Even a weakling, with this power, could defeat a far stronger opponent. However, its power was also its curse; Gasper couldn't control it.
Therefore, he had been confined to a sealed room within the old school building, his contact with the outside world strictly limited.
This confinement, however, suited him perfectly—he was, after all, a hikikomori, a shut-in. To him, living alone in a room, with food and internet access, was paradise. Mika, in his previous life, had often dreamed of such a life.
"Yes, it's about Gasper." Sirzechs, seeing her anger dissipate, relaxed and said, "After your battles against Riser and Kokabiel, the Four Great Satans, along with several other high-ranking Devils, have been impressed by your performance. We believe you're now ready to manage Gasper's power. Therefore, his confinement has been lifted. He can rejoin your peerage."
"That's wonderful!" Rias's face lit up. "My peerage is finally complete—"
With Rias as King, Akeno as Queen, Asia and Gasper as Bishops, Mika and Koneko as Rooks, Kiba and Xenovia as Knights, and Issei, their sole Pawn, her peerage was finally assembled.
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