Morning at Ace's residence. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the windows, illuminating the dining table which was already filled with breakfast dishes prepared by Tohru.
"Tohru, you can cook?" Ace asked while looking at the spread.
"Of course! This is easy! Once you try it, you'll be asking for seconds!" Tohru replied proudly.
Ace turned to see Craftbot hovering over a stool in front of his breakfast while reading a newspaper. "Since when do you read the newspaper?"
Craftbot lowered his paper and glanced at Ace before returning to his reading. "Since the cooking duties were taken over by Tohru."
"Does that mean you're unemployed now?" Ace asked.
"Yes." Craftbot answered.
"What about the cleaning?" Ace asked.
"Tohru does that too." Craftbot replied.
"Hmm." Ace turned to look at Tohru. "It's only been two weeks and you've truly become like a real maid." Ace remarked.
Tohru brought a few more dishes to the table. "I told you, I'm a fast learner!"
After breakfast, Ace and Lala prepared to head to school. Ace was straightening his school tie in front of the mirror when he saw a blonde girl wearing a Sobu High uniform. "Hmm? Asia, have you started attending school?" Ace asked.
"Yes! Asia has been in school for a week now while you were busy." Lala answered.
Asia stared at Ace with her clear, hopeful green eyes. "Please take care of me, Ace-san. I hope we can learn many things together at school."
Ace smiled. "I see. Sorry I missed your first week. Alright, let's go. We shouldn't be late on my first day back."
The commute to school felt more lively this morning. Asia's cheerful yet shy presence brought a fresh atmosphere for Ace. Upon arriving at the gates of Sobu High, they had to part ways because Asia was in a different class.
"See you later during break, Ace-san, Lala-san!" Asia waved her hand before jogging toward her classroom.
"Bye-bye, Asia-chan!" Lala called back.
Ace and Lala then walked toward their classroom. The moment Ace stepped over the threshold, a very familiar voice greeted him.
"Ooh! Look who finally decided to come back." Masachika leaned back in his seat with a relaxed grin.
Masachika walked over and patted Ace's shoulder. "How was your business, Ace? Lala said you were dealing with devils or something like that." Masachika whispered.
Ace sighed, remembering the clash of blades against Falchion. "Productive, though there were some unexpected problems along the way. But everything is under control for now."
"Glad to hear it," Masachika said. He then lowered his voice slightly. "By the way, Yuki missed you, you know."
Ace raised an eyebrow. "Yuki? How do you know? Did she tell you?"
Masachika chuckled and shook his head. "Well, I heard her mumbling something, so I did a bit of eavesdropping."
"Eavesdropping isn't a good thing, Masachika-kun." Alya spoke up from the seat in front of Masachika.
"I'm her brother. Knowing why my sister is restless is my duty." Masachika countered.
"But we talked on the phone almost every day," Ace argued.
"Maybe she missed seeing you in person, not just hearing a voice over the phone," Masachika teased, nudging Ace's arm. "You know how she gets when she wants to be pampered, right?"
Ace paused for a moment. "In that case, I'll go see her later. Or we can eat together in the cafeteria like usual. Invite her too."
"Now that's a good idea," Masachika replied contentedly.
Alya, who had been listening to their conversation, simply huffed softly while adjusting her books. "You two are truly relaxed, even though the bell is about to ri-"
RING!!!
Just as Alya spoke, the school bell rang loudly. Shortly after, the classroom door opened and the teacher entered with a stack of books in her arms.
"Everyone, take your seats. The lesson is about to begin," the teacher commanded.
When the lunch bell rang, Lala excitedly pulled Kato Megumi to join the group of Ace, Masachika, and Alya toward the cafeteria. In the middle of the corridor, they ran into Yuki Suou, who was walking with Ayano, Miko, and Asia. Finally, they all decided to have lunch together at one large, crowded table.
After everyone got their food trays, Yuki opened the conversation with her characteristically elegant yet sharp tone. "So, Ace-kun... I heard you're living with Asia-san now? How impressive. It seems you're the type to quickly forget the old once you get something new," Yuki remarked, glancing at Ace.
Ace, who was used to Yuki's sharp tongue, responded casually while eating his food. "Asia and I are just friends, Yuki. And besides, didn't Lala already explain to you why Asia is staying at our house?"
Lala nodded quickly while chewing on a sausage. "Yes! I told you when we first introduced Asia, right?"
Ace then leaned in slightly toward Yuki with a teasing smile. "Besides, I heard from Masachika that you were missing me. Shouldn't you be happy that I'm back?"
Yuki's face instantly flushed a faint red. She tried to maintain her "Princess Suou" mask and didn't fire back, but internally she grumbled, 'Damn it, this is definitely that big-mouthed Masachika's fault!' while shooting a deadly glare at her brother. Masachika just whistled, pretending not to notice.
Timeskip - Afternoon
After the final bell rang, Ace, Lala, and Asia walked home together. Upon arriving, they were greeted by Craftbot, still loyal to his newspaper, and Tohru, who had already prepared afternoon tea.
"Welcome back, Ace-sama, Lala-sama, Asia-sama!" Tohru greeted cheerfully.
"Tohru, you can relax. You don't need to call me '-sama' all the time. You can call me like usual." Ace said as he walked past her.
"I cannot do that." Tohru replied.
Ace looked at Craftbot for an explanation. "Since you left, she's been looking for ways to be a maid. I suppose she found out and studied it until she became like this." Craftbot explained, still reading his newspaper.
"You... are still reading the paper? Do you really have nothing to do? You've been reading that since this morning. Is there really nothing else you can do?" Ace asked.
"Yes. Tohru does everything. She's a dragon, so even if she cleans the whole house five times, she won't get tired." Craftbot answered.
"Fine then. Just make sure you don't rust from being idle for too long." Ace said as he headed to his room, informing Lala that he would be skipping dinner. He took off his school uniform and changed into formal clothes that were comfortable yet gave off a serious impression.
Ace prepared for the meeting with the other swordsmen from the Sword of Logos to discuss Bahato/Falchion, who had successfully broken free from his seal and intended to destroy the world.
"Destroying the world... a meaningless goal." Ace said in a low voice.
Ace opened the Book Gate and stepped inside. When he emerged, he was at the Southern Base of the Sword of Logos. He walked with Kurayami hanging from his left hip.
'The Southern Base is larger than the Northern Base, perhaps because it has more members, but the Northern Base has more holy sword wielders.' Ace thought.
After walking for a while, Ace arrived in front of a door. The doorkeeper bowed slightly before opening it. Ace entered the room. Inside were Sophia, Touma, Rintaro, Kento, Ogami, and the other swordsmen.
"Ace, you finally made it." Touma greeted him.
"Sorry if I kept you waiting." Ace replied.
"It's fine. Since everyone has arrived except for Kenzan, let's begin the meeting." Sophia said.
Ace sat in the prepared chair. "Alright, I think we can get straight to the point of this meeting. Calibur reported that the Swordsman of Void, Falchion, has been freed from his seal." Sophia opened the meeting with a serious face.
They looked toward Ace. "Is that true, Calibur?" A man in a maroon military-style tunic asked.
"Yes. I even fought him." Ace answered.
"According to the report, you encountered Falchion while watching a devil's Rating Game that you assisted. Why did you help or make a deal with devils? Did you do it because of Kurayami?" asked a woman wearing an outfit similar to the previous man.
Ace joined his fingers and placed them in front of his mouth. "Hmm... this is starting to feel like an interrogation. I will tell everything directly, starting from why I made the deal to my fight with Falchion. How does that sound?" Ace asked for their opinion.
"Sure, go ahead." said a man in a loose coat.
After Ace told the story from start to finish, the atmosphere in the Southern Base meeting room grew even heavier.
"Is it true that a Wonder Ride Book can do such a thing, Yuri?" The man in the maroon tunic asked the man in the coat named Yuri.
"...Yes. But this is a secret known only to the original holy sword wielders, including myself and Bahato." Yuri explained.
"If a Wonder Ride Book can truly do that, then it must indeed be kept secret." Ogami said.
"Yes. If other supernatural factions found out, they might be frightened and perhaps collaborate to eliminate the Sword of Logos." Rintaro added.
"Besides Falchion, we also have to prevent Kokabiel, who is still being searched for, from acting." said the woman in the maroon tunic.
"There is a possibility they might cooperate since their goals are quite similar." said a man in a blue leather jacket.
'Maybe I should also tell them about the Khaos Brigade.' Ace thought. He raised his hand slightly. "I have also conducted my own investigation and found a group I consider terrorists, consisting of various races, called the Khaos Brigade."
"Are you sure about that, Calibur?" said the man in the maroon tunic.
"Yes. Although they haven't taken any major actions yet, I am sure they are dangerous." Ace answered.
Ogami let out an annoyed sigh. "Our workload just keeps increasing."
"What can you do? Or do you want to retire, Ryo?" The man in the maroon tunic teased.
"Are you underestimating me, Ryoga? I can still fight." Ogami shot back.
After some more discussion, the meeting finally drew to a close. "Since the meeting is almost over, how about we conclude with everyone introducing themselves to Ace." Sophia suggested.
"Shouldn't introductions be at the beginning?" the man in the leather jacket asked.
"Yes, but we didn't have time earlier, so now is the right time. Speaking of time, how about we start with you, Ryoga-kun." Sophia said.
Ryoga snorted. "My name is Shindai Ryoga, the Swordsman of Time and wielder of Jikokuken Kaiji. I am also one of the council members of the Sword of Logos. Don't make me angry." Ryoga introduced himself.
"I suppose I should go after my brother. My name is Shindai Reika, the Swordswoman of Smoke and wielder of Eneiken Noroshi. I'm usually the one who gathers information." said the woman in the maroon tunic.
"My name is Daishinji Tetsuo. I am the Swordsman of Sound and wielder of Onjuuken Suzune. I am a weaponsmith, currently, I am trying to forge a new holy sword." said the man in the leather jacket.
"I guess I'm the last one. My name is Yuri, the Swordsman of Light. I am also a council member of the Sword of Logos. Even though I look young, I am actually very old." said the man in the coat.
After the brief introductions, the meeting was officially closed. Ace immediately stepped toward the Book Gate to return.
Upon returning to his room, Ace changed his clothes and went to the living room. Tohru was cleaning while Craftbot seemed to have fallen asleep with a newspaper over his face.
Lala, seeing Ace, approached him with dinner. "Come here, I'll feed you."
"No need, Lala." Ace tried to refuse.
"No, no! Ace has to eat this." Lala insisted on spoon-feeding him.
Finally, Ace gave in and let Lala feed him. After being enthusiastically fed, Ace was finally able to rest on the living room sofa. The warm and laughter-filled atmosphere of the house was a stark contrast to the tension of the meeting at the Southern Base he had just left. However, Ace couldn't help but think that the world he lived in was truly a mess.