The soft chime of the doorbell echoed through the house just as I was finishing breakfast. I glanced at the clock—barely past eight in the morning. Who would be visiting this early?
Setting down my coffee cup, I made my way to the front door, already sensing familiar magical signatures on the other side. When I opened it, I found Rias and Akeno standing on my doorstep, both looking slightly hesitant despite their composed expressions.
"Good morning, Akira," Rias said, offering a small bow. "I hope we're not intruding."
"Not at all. Though you're up early for a devil." I stepped aside, gesturing them in. "Come in. Coffee?"
"That would be lovely," Akeno replied with her usual graceful smile, though I noticed she was carrying something wrapped in silk cloth.
As they entered, I caught the sound of footsteps on the stairs—light, trying to be stealthy but not quite succeeding. Asia and Valerie, no doubt curious about our early morning visitors.
"So," I said, leading Rias and Akeno to the living room, "to what do I owe the pleasure?"
Rias exchanged a glance with Akeno before meeting my eyes. "We came to thank you. Properly. What you did yesterday..." She paused, seeming to gather her thoughts. "You gave me back my future. I don't know how I could ever repay that."
"You don't need to repay anything. I told you—that's what friends do."
"Even so," Akeno interjected, unwrapping the silk cloth to reveal Incursio in its sword form, "this belongs to you." She held it out with both hands, treating it with the reverence it deserved. "Thank you for trusting me with it. I tried my best to take care of it."
I accepted the blade, feeling its familiar weight settle into my hands. For just a moment, I sensed something like contentment from the weapon—a job well done.
"How did it feel? Using it, I mean."
Akeno's eyes brightened slightly. "Incredible. The power, the responsiveness... it was like the armor was anticipating my movements before I even made them. I've never experienced anything like this."
"Incursio does that. It learns from its wielder, adapts to their fighting style." I set the sword carefully on the coffee table. "You handled it perfectly. Better than I expected, honestly."
A soft creak from the stairway caught everyone's attention. Two figures were peering around the corner. They'd clearly been trying to spy on our conversation.
"Asia, Valerie," I called out, not bothering to hide my amusement. "You can come out. They aren't here to sell anything shady"
Both girls emerged from their hiding spot, looking embarrassed at being caught. Asia's cheeks were bright red, while Valerie at least had the grace to look sheepish.
"Sorry," Asia mumbled. "We heard voices and were curious..."
Rias and Akeno both turned to look at the newcomers with polite interest, though I caught the subtle way Akeno's posture shifted slightly—not threatening, but alert. Old habits from years of protecting Rias.
"Rias, Akeno," I said, standing to make proper introductions, "I'd like you to meet Asia Argento and Valerie Tepes. They're... well, I suppose you could say they're under my protection."
Recognition flickered in both devils' eyes at the names, though they were too well-mannered to comment directly.
"It's a pleasure to meet you both," Rias said warmly, offering a small bow. "I'm Rias Gremory, and this is Akeno Himejima, my queen."
Asia curtsied nervously. "It's an honor to meet you, Lady Gremory. I've heard so much about you."
"Please, just Rias is fine," she replied with a genuine smile. "And you don't need to be so formal."
Valerie stepped forward with more confidence, though I could see the way her hands fidgeted slightly. "Valerie Tepes. We saw the rating game. And it was amazing!"
"Oh my, You watched it?" Akeno asked, seeming pleased by the idea.
"Chysis showed them your match after you won" I explained. "They were both quite impressed by your performance."
"It was amazing!" Asia burst out, then immediately looked embarrassed by her enthusiasm. "I mean... the way you moved, and the lightning, and the armor was so beautiful..."
Akeno's smile became more genuine. "Thank you. Though I have to admit, most of the credit goes to Akira. That armor is truly remarkable."
"Would you like some breakfast?" I offered, noting the way both devils' attention kept drifting to the kitchen where I could smell bacon still cooking. "I made too much, as usual."
"We wouldn't want to impose," Rias began, but her stomach chose that moment to betray her with a quiet rumble.
"I'll take that as a yes," I said with a grin. "Asia, could you help me set the table for five?"
"Of course!" She hurried toward the kitchen, clearly relieved to have something to do with her nervous energy.
As we all settled around the dining table a few minutes later, the atmosphere gradually relaxed. Rias and Akeno proved to be gracious guests, asking polite questions about Asia and Valerie's backgrounds without prying too deeply into potentially sensitive topics.
"So you're both training with Akira?" Rias asked as she delicately cut her bacon.
Valerie nodded, swallowing her bite of toast. "Every morning. He's a tough instructor, but..." She glanced at me, then back to Rias. "We're getting stronger. Slowly, but it's happening."
"That's wonderful. Training is so important, especially in our world." Rias's expression grew more serious. "There are too many threats out there for any of us to remain defenseless. After the rating game, I vowed to train harder and not be helpless ever again"
"Akira says the same thing," Asia said quietly. "Though I still have trouble with the... attacking parts of fighting."
"That's natural," Akeno said gently. "Your kind nature is making it difficult to intentionally cause harm" She had a gentle smile "But remember—sometimes fighting isn't about hurting others. It's about protecting the people you care about."
Something in her tone suggested she'd learned that lesson the hard way.
"Speaking of which," Rias said, turning to me, "I heard from Sona that there have been some unusual supernatural disturbances in the area recently. Nothing major, but enough to warrant attention."
I raised an eyebrow. "The kind that might affect people like us?"
"Possibly. We're keeping an eye on things, but it might be wise to be extra cautious for a while. We sensed something strange on outskirts and we will let you know if it's something dangerous"
*Always something,* I thought, though I wasn't particularly surprised. In a world full of devils, angels, fallen angels, and everything in between, trouble was pretty much a constant.
"I'll keep that in mind," I said aloud. "Thanks for the heads up."
The conversation continued over breakfast, touching on lighter topics—Akeno's favorite tea blends, Asia's interest in cooking, Valerie's complaints about early morning training sessions. It was pleasant, domestic even, and I found myself thinking how different this was from the formal meetings I'd grown used to in the supernatural world.
Eventually, both devils stood to leave, expressing their thanks once more for both breakfast and the previous day's assistance.
"If you ever need anything," Rias said as they reached the door, "please don't hesitate to ask. What you did for me... I won't forget it."
"Sure"
After they left, I found myself back in the living room with Asia and Valerie, Incursio resting on the coffee table where I'd left it.
"They seem nice," Asia said, settling onto the couch. "Very different from what I expected devils to be like."
"Most people are more complicated than the stories make them out to be," I observed.
Valerie was studying the sword with obvious curiosity.
I nodded, picking up the blade. "Want to see it in action?"
Both girls leaned forward eagerly as I channeled a small amount of power into the weapon. The familiar golden armor materialized around me, though I kept it at minimal power—just enough to demonstrate without overwhelming the room.
"Incredible," Valerie breathed "Just like that time, but less scary"
"The armor is just a tool," I said as I deactivated it. "It was Akeno's skill and determination that won the rating game. I bet if another member of her peerage used this, they wouldn't have win the rating game"
"Still," Asia said softly, "it must feel good to know you helped someone escape a terrible situation."
I considered her words as I set Incursio aside. "Yeah. It does."
The rest of the morning passed quietly, with both girls eventually heading out to run errands while I caught up on some reading. But their words stayed with me.
*It must feel good to know you helped someone escape a terrible situation.*
Asia was right. It did feel good. Better than I'd expected, honestly. There was something satisfying about using power not just for personal gain, but to genuinely help others.
Maybe that was something worth exploring further.
Outside, I could hear the sounds of the city waking up—traffic, voices, the ordinary rhythm of human life continuing on, largely unaware of the supernatural currents flowing beneath the surface.
*Unusual disturbances,* Rias had said. *Nothing major, but worth attention.*
I made a mental note to be more alert during our training sessions.
. . .
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