After receiving Sona Shitori's notification, Ethan and the others were completely baffled. Rias had just gone back to the Devil World to look for a contract, so they couldn't ask her for details.
In truth, Rias didn't know the secrets between the previous generation either. Maria only knew about this relationship because Sheila had told her.
Since the succubus LOLI hadn't harmed anyone and her Devil aura was very obvious, after discussing it with the group, they decided to approach her first.
Led by a Student Council member, Ethan soon found Naruse Maria wandering the third-year corridor.
The moment he saw her, Ethan felt a sense of familiarity, but he couldn't immediately recall the memory buried in his mind.
With the special training over, the group, who had taken a long leave, had returned to class. However, due to the contract issue, Rias didn't even have time to show her face in class before she teleported back to the Devil World.
After much inquiring, Naruse Maria realized that Rias wasn't present and hadn't been to class for a month, making her heart sink.
She had finally made it here, only to not find the person, and she was running out of time.
She couldn't keep Naruse Mio unconscious forever. Once her sister woke up, she would definitely fuss and insist on going back...
Just as Naruse Maria was worrying, she suddenly sensed two auras rapidly approaching her.
Her cute nose twitched slightly, and her expression instantly became serious.
One was a Devil whose strength was similar to hers, and the other was clearly a normal human, yet gave her a very dangerous feeling.
Just as she was about to switch into combat form, Ethan spoke.
"Are you the one looking for President Rias?"
He glanced at the wary succubus LOLI, briefly sensed her strength, and found she wasn't even A-class.
He decisively ignored her. "The President is currently handling matters in the Devil World. If you're not in a hurry, you can stay and wait a few days."
"Who are you people?"
Naruse Maria had wandered around the academy for a while. Although she noticed some strange things, she still didn't know the truth about Kuoh Academy.
The ratio of people from the hidden world to normal students was roughly 1 to 9. Whether it was good or bad luck, everyone she encountered along the way was a normal student.
If she hadn't been so conspicuous, the Student Council might not have found her so quickly.
Ethan didn't rush to answer. Instead, he nodded to Renya Kusaka beside him. "Thank you for your trouble. I'll handle things now. Please send my regards to the President."
"Uesugi-kun, you're too kind. We're partners, after all."
The relationship between Ethan and Tsubaki Shinra was no secret. Furthermore, Ethan had always been acknowledged by the Student Council as one of Sona Shitori's servants, and a seat was even reserved for him in the Student Council.
Renya Kusaka jested with Ethan with a smile, then excused herself and left.
Her role was Bishop, specializing in gathering information. She had been responsible for monitoring the succubus LOLI earlier.
Now that Ethan had taken over, Renya Kusaka was happy to take it easy. She still had Student Council work waiting for her.
While they were talking, the students gathering in the corridor had increased, especially because of Ethan and the pretty LOLI. The combination was too easily suggestive.
"Come with me."
Ethan glanced around, decisively turned, and walked towards the club room. "I am President Rias's servant. This is not the place to talk."
Naruse Maria's expression was grave. In her senses, Ethan was just a normal human, but the sense of danger prevented her from being careless.
Seeing Ethan gradually walk away, she gritted her teeth and followed him at a quick pace.
She had many questions now. Even though she felt uneasy, she could only take a chance.
Reaching the club room building, there were practically no other people around. Ethan slowed his steps and asked, "Judging by your aura, you should also be a Devil. Do you need to see the President about something?"
Naruse Maria, who had been maintaining her distance and silently following him, hesitated for a moment. She said, "You claim to be Rias Gremory's servant, but do you have any proof?"
"Wary for such a young age."
Ethan looked back in surprise. The more he looked, the more familiar she seemed, as if he had seen her somewhere long ago.
He stopped, using his magic power to display the Gremory family crest on his left hand.
Looking at the strange red pattern, Naruse Maria's guard dropped slightly.
Confirming that Ethan was a Gremory family member, she was at least relieved that he wasn't a pursuer.
"My name is Maria. My mother is Sheila, and my father is Wilbert. My mother entrusted me to come here to meet the next Gremory family head and strengthen our relationship."
The succubus LOLI didn't dare to reveal everything before meeting the actual person.
Moreover, rushing in and asking for shelter would immediately put her at a disadvantage. She wasn't that foolish.
Ethan frowned. Apart from the name Sheila, the other two names were also very familiar.
He carefully looked at the succubus LOLI. Gradually, a figure in his mind perfectly overlapped with her.
Then, he recalled a certain black-haired, large-breasted girl with glasses in the infirmary, and finally realized.
"Maria... Naruse Maria?!"
Ethan subconsciously raised his voice slightly. "You actually know Rias?"
"Naruse... Maria?"
The succubus LOLI was also startled. She only had the name Maria, just like her mother, Sheila.
The surname Naruse belonged to Naruse Mio. If she continued to stay in the human world and be Naruse Mio's little sister, being called Naruse Maria wouldn't be bad.
But then she realized something was wrong. Naruse Mio was still sleeping in the empty classroom. How did he know that surname?
Before she could ask, Ethan had already pushed open the club room door, urging, "Come in, and we'll talk. By the way, my name is Akira Uesugi. Just call me Akira."
After Ethan took over the matter, Akeno Himejima and the others went back to class, so the vast club room contained only Naruse Maria and him.
"How do you know the surname Naruse?"
As soon as she entered the door, the succubus LOLI asked impatiently.
"Isn't Naruse Mio your sister?"
Ethan countered, "More importantly, why are you running around Kuoh Academy instead of protecting your sister?"
Naruse Maria was a bit confused by Ethan's questions. Had she said Naruse Mio was her sister? And how did Ethan know she needed to protect Naruse Mio?
Before she could sort out her thoughts, Ethan added, "Don't worry about how I know. Rias will probably be back in three or four days. If you have urgent matters, you can tell me first."
Since his conversation with Rias, he was completely at ease. But explaining this kind of thing was troublesome, so he simply wouldn't explain.
After all, prophecy and divination were not uncommon abilities in this world.
To enhance his persuasiveness, Ethan deliberately reverted to his true Devil form. The powerful aura impact nearly made the succubus LOLI sit on the ground.
"High-Class... no, Ultimate-Class Devil?!"
Ethan nodded and reverted to his human form, completely retracting his aura.
He had been somewhat suspicious after discovering Chisato Hasegawa's true identity, but since he hadn't seen anyone else, he assumed the Testament of Sister New Devil storyline hadn't started.
Perhaps Chisato Hasegawa would leave after a while to secretly protect her nephew, Basara Toujou.
Or perhaps it wasn't the same world line...
Now, it seemed it was not only the same world line but the plot had also begun, and there were secrets he completely unaware of within it.
Ethan was now full of curiosity and really wanted to know what the relationship was between Naruse Maria and Rias, or rather, the relationship between their elders.
The power system in Testament of Sister New Devil was relatively vague, but with the presence of God-class powerhouses, he knew it wasn't weak.
Basara Toujou's Baryon ability was an extremely glitchy power.
Simply put, in the face of this skill, all beings were equal. Whether you were a God or an ordinary person, one hit could send you away.
Witnessing Ethan's formidable strength, Naruse Maria blinked and decisively cast aside her worries and vigilance.
An Ultimate-Class Devil—Zolgear was only at this level of strength. If Ethan were truly hostile to her, she would have no chance to resist.
"I don't know the specifics. It seems to be related to my father Wilbert and the previous head of the Gremory family..."
The succubus LOLI recounted all the information her mother, Sheila, had told her, and then explained her purpose for coming to the human world.
"Mio was brought here too?"
After listening to Maria's vague explanation, Ethan's confusion deepened. Unfortunately, it seemed he wouldn't get answers right now.
Fortunately, the news about Naruse Mio was a pleasant surprise. He decisively went with the succubus LOLI to bring her back to the Occult Research Club.
Gazing at the large-breasted, red-haired, twin-tailed beautiful girl, exactly as he remembered, Ethan was in a very pleasant mood.
No other reason, just simple happiness.
Like when he first met Rias and the others, seeing a favorite female character from his memories appear before him brought a feeling of profound satisfaction.