04/05/2012, Kuoh Academy, After School
The school day had gone smoothly, and Makoto was currently preparing to head home. Before he could exit the school, Makoto was stopped by a younger girl with brown hair, wide eyeglasses on her nose, and a pair of large headphones on her shoulders.
"Are you senpai Yuki?" she asked. "If so, then I'm Irumi Ito!"
"Makoto Yuki," greeted Makoto.
"There are so many things I must tell you, senpai," said the girl, barely containing her joy.
"Please follow me," she gestured for him to follow her.
The girl brought Makoto to the Music Clubroom, whistling while they walked the stairs there.
"Welcome to the Music Club, senpai!" she said, opening the club door and showing Makoto around. The clubroom was way smaller than Makoto had expected, but it was still well furnished, with many instruments and music books displayed with care on various shelves.
"First of all, I wanted to thank you for saving the club," said Irumi, jumping in happiness.
"Secondly, and most importantly..." She took a deep breath before continuing. "HOW CAN YOU SING SO WELL, SENPAI? I LOVED YOUR PERFORMANCE AT THE ELEGANTVILLE!!"
The girl beamed, talking about that evening, making Makoto uncomfortable from all the praise.
"It wasn't that good..." Makoto tried to say, only for Irumi to glare at him.
"Not that good? Senpai, you are literally the best singer this town has ever seen!"
Makoto silently listened to the girl rambling about how much she loved his performance, commenting on every bit of it.
"Hey senpai, could you teach me how to sing like you?" she asked, hope and admiration in her eyes.
"I'm not a good teacher, and I've already said singing isn't my thing," Makoto tried to sway Irumi, but the girl was stubborn.
"Come on, don't be modest." Makoto watched as Irumi pulled out her cellphone and played a recording of Makoto singing. "Moreover, senpai, you must have a role in the Music Club if you want to stay, so singing is your best option," said Irumi.
"I'd prefer to play a guitar," the blue-haired boy admitted, looking at the guitars displayed in the room. Irumi then grabbed a guitar and handed it to Makoto.
"Okay, I won't torment you anymore if you show me you're better at playing a guitar than singing," declared the younger girl.
'Well well, Universe, it's time to shine brighter than all the stars in the sky,' said Apollo, ready to play.
'Let's make this a duet, Apollo,' said Orpheus Telos. Makoto, guided by both the Master of Strings and the God of Music, started to play the guitar.
A calm and relaxing melody filled the room. Makoto relaxed his nerves, fully focused on the music, caressing the strings like the grass of a field. Irumi gasped, amazed by Makoto's ability.
The music was calm and melancholic, almost as if he were describing a long-lost place, but instead of filling her with sadness, it filled her with wonder—almost as if she were there in the mythical place described by the notes.
As he finished, the girl clapped her hands, a small tear falling down her cheek. "You win, senpai. I admit defeat!" she said, nodding solemnly. Then, the door of the club opened, and tens of students were looking at the two.
"Who was playing like that?" said one of them.
"Since when does the Music Club have such a good guitarist?" asked another.
"Damn, that was so good."
Three students entered the club and looked at Makoto. "Ito, who's this guy?" asked one of them.
"He's our new senpai, Makoto Yuki—the one who saved our club, remember?" As Irumi said this, the three students looked at Makoto, mesmerized.
"You're great, senpai!"
"To think that you're such a good musician!" Makoto scratched his neck as the students praised him.
"Guys, you're overwhelming senpai!" admonished Irumi, making the guys quiet down.
"Oh... sorry, senpai," they apologized.
"No problem," said Makoto. "When does the club meet?" asked the blue-haired boy.
"Usually on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays," answered one of the club members.
"We didn't introduce ourselves. I'm Jin Yato." "Watanabe Fujita." "Inoue Nishimura."
"It's nice to meet you," said Makoto. Makoto and the rest of the Music Club spent the rest of the day getting to know each other and talking about music.
As Makoto walked back home after saying goodbye to his new clubmates, Irumi stopped him.
"Senpai, I wanted to thank you for today. During the spring break, we dreaded that we wouldn't be able to meet each other again as a club, but then you came and saved us all! We're so happy to have you, senpai!" said the girl.
"It's not a problem, really," answered the boy.
"See you, senpai!" said the girl, waving her hand vigorously. As Irumi walked away, Makoto heard Elizabeth's voice.
I am Thou. Thou art I. Thou hast established a new bond. Thou shalt have the Universe blessing when choosing to create Personas of the Magician Arcana.
Meanwhile...
While Makoto was spending his time in the Music Club, Ryoji was buzzing around the school grounds.
"Hello, Mochizuki," Ryoji turned back to see Akeno greeting him.
"Himejima! I didn't think I'd see you here—you're usually always with Gremory," said Ryoji, waving at his classmate.
"I was going to the club, but I saw you and thought about saying hi," said the girl.
"Oh, right, clubs..." Ryoji frowned at the mention of school clubs.
"Have you thought about joining one?" asked Akeno, smiling at him.
"Actually, no," answered the boy honestly.
"Oh, well, do you want to visit the Occult Research Club?" asked Akeno. Ryoji looked at the girl; the name of the club piqued his interest.
"Why not? I'll follow you," Ryoji confirmed.
"What does 'Occult Research' mean? It's quite strange for a club name," asked Ryoji, curious.
"We do research about mythologies, folk stories—stuff like that, if you catch the meaning," answered Akeno, guiding Ryoji to the old school building.
"Why is there a building like this?" questioned Ryoji, looking at the old-looking edifice.
"When the school got renewed, this building was abandoned, so we thought this could be a good place for our club instead of demolishing it," Ryoji nodded in understanding at Akeno's answer.
The two of them entered the building and went to the second floor, where Ryoji read a sign on one of the doors: 'Occult Research Club.' Akeno knocked on the door and entered.
"Akeno and... Mochizuki, right? What brings you here?" asked Kiba, who was sitting on one of the sofas, reading a book about fencing.
"I wanted to show Mochizuki the club," said Akeno.
"Welcome, then, Mochizuki. I'm Yuuto Kiba," Kiba stood up and shook Ryoji's hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Ryoji Mochizuki," said Ryoji, smiling.
"Please sit down, Mochizuki—make yourself at home," said Akeno before going to take some snacks for their guest.
"Well, this place is surely odd. In a positive way, of course," Ryoji tried to break the ice, speaking first.
"Yeah, I have to agree with you," Kiba closed his book and looked at Ryoji.
"I don't think any other school has a club like ours," the blonde boy said with a smirk.
"Well, there surely wasn't one back in my old school." Ryoji added.
After a while, Akeno returned with some appetizers for the three of them and joined the conversation.
"I must ask—what kind of occult stuff do you research?" Ryoji said, noticing many paintings depicting mythological scenes.
"Oh, as you see, we have all kinds of books about myths," Akeno said. Kiba got up and went to the bookshelf on the wall, taking a book and saying:
"For example, this is one of my favorites. 'Theogony,' or the genealogy of the gods—it's a poem by the Greek Hesiod,"
Kiba offered the book to Ryoji.
"I've never heard of this Hesiod," Ryoji commented looking at the cover, making Akeno giggle.
"Yeah, it's not very well known in Japan," she said, amused by Ryoji's interest.
Ryoji leafed through the book and stopped at a page. It spoke about Thanatos, the Greek god of death. Ryoji gazed at the page, looking at a drawing representing Thanatos.
'Well, we aren't so alike. I guess it's because I'm not this Thanatos,' thought the boy, his look fixed on the image. Kiba noticed Ryoji reading the page.
"Oh, you're reading about Thanatos, huh? The god of death, son of Nyx, the night," as Kiba mentioned Nyx's name, Ryoji closed the book by instinct and looked at Kiba.
"Is there a problem, Mochizuki?" asked Akeno, noticing Ryoji's sudden reaction.
"Nothing. It was really interesting, but it's getting late. See you guys," Ryoji said goodbye to Kiba and Akeno, back to his usual carefree attitude.
After Ryoji left, Akeno turned back to Kiba, her expression turning business-like.
"So, do you think he has a Sacred Gear?" she asked seriously.
"Well, as you and Koneko already said, it is possible. Moreover, I sensed something like my Sword Birth when I mentioned Nyx," said the blonde boy.
"What do you mean?" asked Akeno, not understanding what the knight meant.
"I don't know how to explain it, but by mentioning Nyx, something changed in Mochizuki. You noticed it too, right?" he asked back.
"You're right. We have no doubts he's human, so we can assume he has a Sacred Gear," said Akeno.
"Yes, we have to tell the President," said Kiba, and Akeno nodded in agreement.
04/05/2012, Evening
Rias spent the day after school trying to contact Elizabeth without any success.
'I have to ask her for help. She defeated that oni and parried my Bolt of Destruction. She must be scarily strong,' the redhead pondered.
While Rias was walking back to the Occult Research Club, she was stopped by a familiar voice.
"Oh my, good evening, Rias," she heard Elizabeth say. Rias turned back to the attendant and smiled.
"Elizabeth, I was just searching for you. Would you like to come with me?" Rias said, glad she had found the woman.
"I'm sorry, but I found a restaurant I wanted to try," said Elizabeth.
"Well, we can go there together," Rias suggested.
"It's been quite a while since Makoto and I could adventure in the culinary marvels of the world. So I must refuse," the attendant said. Rias puffed but didn't yield.
"It will be fast—you just have to listen to me. Five minutes at most." Elizabeth looked hesitant at Rias.
"Go on, then," she eventually said.
"Thanks, but not here in the middle of the city," Rias said, but Elizabeth shook her head.
"Time waits for nobody, Rias. If you really need a private space for speaking to me, then I have the perfect one." Elizabeth took out the Velvet Key from her pocket and turned it mid-air, as if it were in a lock, summoning the Velvet Room.
"Please enter," said the attendant. Rias looked at Elizabeth, confused, not understanding what she meant.
"Where should I enter?" asked the girl with a puzzled expression on her face.
"Oh, my bad," Elizabeth exclaimed and took Rias' hand, confusing the girl even more. Elizabeth then opened the door and brought Rias with her.
Rias closed her eyes as a bright light enveloped her. When she opened them, the Gremory found herself in a strange room resembling a bar with a lot of blue. She looked at Elizabeth.
"Where are we?" she asked, not understanding how they had teleported away from Kuoh—if it had happened, she should have felt a magic circle.
"Welcome to the Velvet Room," said Elizabeth.
"You live here?" asked Rias.
"I do. Now, what did you want to say?" Elizabeth invited Rias to sit at one of the side tables and did the same. Before Rias could say anything, the door leading to Tartarus exploded in a burst of flames, shocking the red-haired girl.
"Elizabeth, what's happening!?" asked Rias, standing up, thinking about an attack.
Previously...
'Universe, let us try something,' Apollo said from Makoto's mind.
'What are you planning, Apollo?' asked a doubtful Thoth.
'I have an idea for a delightful attack. The true wonder of the Sun, I dare to say,' Apollo exclaimed, making the Egyptian Moon God sigh.
'What is it?' asked Makoto.
'Sol Invictus, I call it. Me, the elegant Sun God, and Quetzalcoatl, my elegant scaled friend,' Apollo then explained his idea to Makoto.
'Our friend is not currently in the hero's mind,' said Robin Hood, noticing that Quetzalcoatl wasn't currently at Makoto's instant disposal.
'It doesn't matter. I'll summon him for the fusion spell,' Makoto said to his Personas and delved inside Tartarus.
Makoto stood in the middle of the area where he had previously fought Elizabeth and readied his Evoker. He pointed the gun to his head and shot.
Apollo, in all his glory, was summoned, with the Plumed Serpent circling around him. The Greek god covered his face with his golden-gloved hand.
He chanted in Greek as he was enveloped by Quetzalcoatl's flaming body, like a tunic made of fire.
"Sol Invictus!" shouted Makoto, and immediately, Apollo snapped his fingers, and the flaming body of Quetzalcoatl surrounding him detonated in sunfire, resembling a miniature supernova.
The explosion was so powerful that the entire base of Tartarus was engulfed in flames.
In the Velvet Room, Elizabeth was casually looking at the still-standing but burning door.
"Elizabeth? Is someone attacking us?" asked a worried Rias as she readied a teleportation circle to bring her and Elizabeth away.
"It won't work, Rias," said Elizabeth calmly, looking at the girl.
"What do you mean?" she asked with wide eyes.
"Oh, don't worry—it was just Makoto," Elizabeth smiled.
"Yuki? That's not possible—those are divine flames, Elizabeth! Those flames are even hotter than the flames of a phoenix—they could burn even a god!" Rias said, dumbfounded.
"I don't actually see the problem." Rias looked at Elizabeth, mouth open. She was about to say something when Makoto exited Tartarus unscathed.
"Hi, Liz. Oh, you brought your friend. Gremory, right?" said Makoto, looking at the two women and greeting Rias.
Rias did not know what to say... or think. She had just wanted to ask Elizabeth to make a contract with her to help with the Riser matter, but now Rias was looking at a boy who had just used divine flames.
Those were divine flames, right? Of course they were—her devil senses told her as much.
'Calm down, Rias. It was pretty obvious Yuki wasn't a normal boy, especially after what Elizabeth said. This is probably the doing of a Longinus Sacred Gear. Yeah, now that I think about it, it's obvious. Elizabeth follows Yuki because he has a powerful Sacred Gear, and she's helping him master it. Yes, it all makes sense now.' Rias took a deep breath—this was her chance.
'I can solve all my problems right now—I just have to play my cards right. Elizabeth is a wizard, and Yuki has a Longinus. The support of a devil clan should be useful to them. I need some more time to prepare everything.' Rias thought about her bargaining chips.
"Makoto, this is Rias Gremory—she's the one who helped me choose my new clothes," said Elizabeth. Makoto looked at Rias and... smiled.
"Thank you for helping Liz. She's quite eccentric," said Makoto, going behind the counter. "Would you like something?" he asked gently.
'He's nicer than I thought,' Rias noticed.
"I'd like tea, if it's not a problem," she said, sitting next to Elizabeth. Makoto nodded and started brewing some tea.
"Can I ask you why you two are in Kuoh?" asked Rias.
"Duty," answered Makoto briefly, handing Rias a cup of tea.
"Duty? Maybe you don't know this, but this town is devil territory. It is governed by both the Sitri and Gremory families," said Rias.
"Devil territory?" asked Makoto, confused.
'Does he not know about devils?' thought Rias.
"Yes. I myself am a devil, as you may have guessed." Rias sipped the tea. 'This is surprisingly good,' she thought.
"This tea is delicious," said the redhead in a flattering tone.
"Thanks. So, you were saying that devils rule this town, but I don't get it," Makoto said honestly. "Maybe it's better to talk about this tomorrow. Would you come to the Occult Research Club after school?"
Makoto nodded.
"Good. See you tomorrow, then, and thank you for the tea," she said. Elizabeth said goodbye to Rias, and the girl exited the Velvet Room.
"Did you know about any of this, Liz?" asked Makoto.
"I knew," answered Elizabeth, making Makoto sigh.
"Let's see what she has to say tomorrow. We should tell Ryoji too."
Later that night...
Rias teleported herself to the Occult Research Club and was greeted by Akeno.
"Rias—did you find Miss Elizabeth?" she asked her king.
"Yes, but it was a bit more complicated than expected," Rias proceeded to explain to Akeno what had happened.
"So Yuki might have a powerful Sacred Gear—maybe even a Longinus-class one," said Akeno, surprised.
"Yes, this is probably the best thing that has happened to us in a long time. If we convince him to join us, I could really free myself from Riser's grasp," Rias said the Phenex's name with her voice filled with disgust.
"I guess you aren't telling Sona any of this, then," said Akeno.
"No, she already has her eyes on Yuki. If she knows he indeed has a Sacred Gear, she would ask him to join her peerage instead. I don't want to take any risks," Rias sat on her armchair, planning her next moves.
"Let's gather everyone here tomorrow after school. I'll ask Yuuto to pick up Yuki too." Akeno nodded to her king's orders.