The answer was simple, though only Rian and Alice knew it.
Rian had ordered Alice to use the Mind Stone to manipulate the memories of every student and teacher, rewriting their pasts with flawless precision.
In an instant, his status shifted into that of the new school principal—without gaps, without traces, and without anything suspicious.
All of it was done without using a single spell of memory manipulation from devils, angels, or fallen angels.
"Hey… why do you two look like that?" Rian tilted his head.
"You know, right?" he continued, pointing at himself with his thumb. "A charismatic man like me has a deep interest in Kuoh Academy."
Rian shrugged lightly. "But unfortunately… with my height of 180 cm and my actual age being 25, it's kinda… difficult to call myself a student anymore."
Then he leaned forward a little, his smile widening with obvious mischief.
"Setting that aside, I just so happen to need a vice principal. So… my Student Council President—who also happens to be a certain cold, potential future wife—would you accept the position?"
Sona stared at him flatly. "No. I'm not yours, I'm not your subordinate, and who exactly are you calling a potential wife?"
Rian put on an exaggeratedly offended expression. "Oh? So you're rejecting me? Even though I've already prepared a romantic desk right beside mine… just in case we need to work together, stay late, stare into each other's—"
"…Enough."
Sona's voice dropped, her shoulders trembling slightly as she held back irritation. Her right hand rose, magic circles beginning to gather as she prepared a water spell.
But before the magic could fully form, Rias lightly tapped the back of Sona's hand and shook her head.
"Calm yourself, Sona. If you start now, we might need to clean up the mess before lunch."
Rian chuckled softly, showing no fear whatsoever. "See? Even your partner agrees I'm too valuable to erase."
Sona ignored him, taking a deep breath as she massaged her temples. She was trying to calm herself. Truly, desperately trying.
"Rias… you know? I really want to throw that unidentified creature as far as possible into the middle of the ocean," Sona whispered, her tone low but heavy with pressure.
"I understand, Sona," Rias replied, truly sympathizing with her friend's frustration. "Sometimes… I think the same thing."
While the two talked, Rian lowered his feet from the desk, stood up, and casually walked toward them—specifically, toward Sona.
Once he was standing in front of her, Rian lifted her chin with a single finger. His touch was slow, annoying, deliberate. His sly smile never left his lips.
"Your serious face is dangerous, Sona-chan," Rian teased, leaning in slightly. "Hmm… I wonder how your lips taste? I've already tried your ears… and they were sweet."
Rias instantly took a step backward, fully reading the situation.
Sona shot Rias a sideways glance, her voice flat as she asked, "Rias… can you help me later?"
Rias didn't answer. She only closed her eyes—accepting her fate.
At that very moment, a blue magical aura wrapped around Sona's body. Her hand lifted and pressed against Rian's chest. A cold smile curved across her lips.
"You narcissistic bastard."
From her palm, a magic circle formed. In the next instant, a high-pressure burst of water exploded outward, flooding forward and blasting straight through the window behind the student council president's desk.
Rias let out a long, very long sigh, then pressed her fingers to her temple again.
"I knew it…"
***
Under the night sky, dark as spilled ink, the streetlights and the warm glow from nearby houses cast gentle light along the road.
There, Rian rode his Harley Davidson at a steady speed, with Koneko sitting sideways behind him, her arms wrapped lightly around his waist.
The night breeze made their hair sway softly.
A few hours earlier, after finishing his duties as the school principal, Rian had purposely gone to look for Koneko.
At that time, the white-haired nekomata girl was responding to a client's summoning request.
It didn't take long for Rian to find her. Thanks to the Six Eyes, as long as Koneko was within the area of Kuoh Town or nearby, her presence was always easy for him to detect.
Even if Koneko were abroad, Rian would still be able to track her—he would simply need Alice's help.
At the moment, inside her workshop, Alice was busy working on an ambitious project: building a vibranium satellite powered by an arc reactor and equipped with Wakandan weaponry.
Even so, according to Alice, tracking a single person was no trouble at all. After all, multitasking was something she could handle effortlessly.
For example, in real time, Alice was also operating the Eden Lab systems and various other bases in the Resident Evil world, all connected through the meta-multiverse network.
The reason Rian chose to ride a motorcycle tonight was simple: he wanted to take Koneko out to enjoy the night atmosphere—whether one would call it a date or just a relaxing evening stroll.
For Rian, there was nothing wrong with spending time with his "pet cat."
Besides… Rian still hadn't gotten around to learning how to drive a car. That was why he picked the motorcycle instead.
Koneko eventually rested her head against Rian's back as he continued pedaling the bike at a calm, steady rhythm.
"I'm confused…" Koneko muttered in her usual flat tone. "Should I call you Rian-senpai like always… or Sensei? Why did you suddenly become the school principal?"
Rian gave a faint smile, his voice dripping with confidence. "You can call me whatever you like. For example… the most charismatic man in the world."
"Narcissist," Koneko shot back, her brow slightly furrowing.
"Hey," Rian replied casually, "I'm just telling the truth. Besides… I was never meant to be a student to begin with."
After he said that, Koneko closed her eyes for a moment, her voice soft but firm. "Then, outside of school I'll call you Senpai."
"But…" Koneko opened her eyes again and continued, "at school, I'll call you Sensei."
Rian turned slightly, a satisfied smile on his face. "Hmm… not bad. Sounds cool."
"Don't get cocky," Koneko cut in immediately.
Not long after, Rian gently pulled the brakes and brought the motorcycle to a stop. Behind his interface glasses, his brows furrowed—Six Eyes had detected something.
Koneko, sitting behind him, also turned her head, her eyes narrowing. "What is it?"
Rian didn't even get the chance to answer when Koneko felt it herself. A familiar Chi aura. One belonging to someone from her past… and the other, someone she had encountered just yesterday.
"Rian-senpai… this is—"
"I know," Rian cut her off quickly, his tone calm but alert. "They don't seem to have bad intentions… but stay sharp. This energy… it's the same bloodline as yours, Koneko."
Rian stepped off the motorcycle, his movements steady, followed by Koneko, who kept her eyes locked on the direction of the aura.
A second later, the air in front of them rippled. A magic circle appeared out of the void, emitting a faint glow.
From it, two figures stepped out—both radiating an atmosphere that instantly put Koneko on edge, pushing her straight into her Nekomata mode.
The first figure was the owner of the aura Koneko sensed yesterday—the rude guy who had stolen her EXP target.
Vali Lucifer.
Vali was a handsome young man with light silver hair and sharp, pale blue eyes.
He wore a dark green V-neck shirt under a high-collared black leather jacket, black jeans with a silver chain hanging at the side, and black buckled boots.
The second figure was a beautiful young woman with a well-proportioned body and long black hair with centered bangs.
A pair of gleaming golden-brown eyes stared sharply, their vertical slit pupils resembling those of a cat.
She wore a black kimono with a red inner layer, a yellow obi wrapped around her waist, adorned with golden beads and a finely carved head ornament.
Her kimono hung loosely off her shoulders, accentuating her curves and her large breasts—no less impressive than Rias or Akeno's.
The most striking features were the pair of black cat ears on her head and the two long black tails swaying behind her.
She was Kuroka—Koneko's older sister, and an underworld criminal with an SS-level bounty.
Vali stepped forward half a pace, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
"We meet again," he said casually, his eyes scanning Rian from head to toe. "I trust you remember what I told you yesterday."
Meanwhile, Kuroka stood slightly behind Vali, her arms crossed under her chest.
The sweet smile Kuroka wore felt anything but gentle—her eyes narrowing like a cat toying with its prey.
"Aahh… my little sister, Shirone~ It's been so long, nyaa~" Kuroka purred, her voice dripping with feline sweetness that came naturally to her.
Koneko instinctively stepped back half a pace. Her shoulders tensed, her tail stiff—clear signs of razor-sharp alertness.
"Kuroka… Nee-sama," Koneko replied flatly.
Her voice was cold, yet every word carried an invisible wall of emotional distance.