The question only made Issei even more irritated.
"I'm not trying to pick a fight," he replied, his voice noticeably firmer than before. "I'm saying that if someone causes trouble, they should face the consequences. That's all."
Ethan remained seated, leaning comfortably against the back of the wooden bench. Rather than answering immediately, he glanced toward Rias again, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"See?" he said casually. "I wasn't exaggerating."
His gaze lingered on her for another moment before returning to Issei.
"Since you're so convinced about my crimes," he continued, leaning forward slightly, "tell me something, Mr. Smart Guy."
His expression remained calm—almost amused.
"Who exactly is supposed to punish me?"
The question lingered in the church.
Ethan slowly looked around the room, his eyes passing over every member of the Student Council before moving toward the Occult Research Club. Finally, his gaze settled back on Issei.
"You?" he asked.
Without waiting for an answer, he made a small gesture toward the rest of the room.
"Or perhaps all of you together?"
As he spoke, the atmosphere inside the church gradually grew heavier.
A quiet chuckle escaped Ethan.
"You know," he said, shaking his head slightly, "this reminds me of watching a mouse threaten a cat."
The comparison immediately soured the mood.
Saji's brows drew together.
Koneko's golden eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
Even Tsubaki's usually composed expression stiffened.
Only Akeno remained outwardly calm, though the curiosity in her eyes had become even more evident. Unlike the others, she seemed more interested in understanding why Ethan possessed such absolute confidence than in taking offense at his words.
Rias, meanwhile, said nothing. She simply continued watching him.
From Ethan's point of view, he wasn't trying to bluff or intimidate anyone. He genuinely believed every word he had spoken.
Before anyone could respond, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed softly through the old church. The tension hanging over the room eased slightly as Asia emerged from the rear hallway, carefully carrying a tray with several cups of freshly brewed tea. A gentle smile rested on her face, completely unaware that she had walked into the middle of an increasingly hostile conversation.
"I brought some tea for everyone," she said politely as she approached.
Her smile gradually faltered.
One by one, she looked at the gathered people, but none of them reached for the tray or even reacted.
Nobody acknowledged the tray in her hands.
Instead, every pair of eyes remained fixed on Ethan.
Sensing her growing confusion, Ethan raised a hand.
"Asia."
She immediately turned toward him.
"Just leave the tray there and come sit beside me."
Without asking any questions, Asia carefully placed the tray on the nearby bench before quietly taking the empty seat beside him.
Only then did Ethan reach over, pick up one of the cups, and take a slow sip of the still-warm tea.
"Okay," Asia said softly. Her gentle smile returned almost immediately.
The untouched tray remained resting on the bench between the two groups while the silence inside the church grew heavier.
No one answered Ethan's question—not because they didn't want to, but because none of them had an immediate answer.
Sona quietly observed everyone in the room before letting out a small sigh. She rose from the wooden bench and adjusted her glasses.
"Mr. Ethan."
Her calm voice naturally drew everyone's attention.
"I'll admit that neither my peerage nor Rias's came here intending to arrest you, but that was never the purpose of this visit."
She paused briefly before continuing.
"However, I would advise you not to mistake our restraint for helplessness."
For the first time since the conversation had begun, Ethan's relaxed smile faded slightly as he gave her his full attention.
"There are individuals in the Underworld whose strength far exceeds ours. My elder sister, Serafall Leviathan, and Rias's brother, Sirzechs Lucifer, are only two examples. If someone truly became a danger to the balance between the human world and the supernatural factions, they would intervene."
After allowing the words to settle, Sona's expression softened slightly.
"Fortunately, I don't believe we've reached that point."
Her eyes met Ethan's.
"Everything I've seen today suggests you weren't trying to create chaos. You acted according to your own common sense without understanding how our world operates."
Ethan remained silent.
Whether he agreed with her reasoning or not made little difference to him. He had no intention of arguing further, and Sona took his silence as an opportunity to steer the discussion back to what actually mattered.
"Which is precisely why I have no interest in turning this into a confrontation," she said calmly. "From everything I've seen, you simply lacked any means of concealing yourself while using your abilities."
She folded her arms, her expression returning to its usual composed state.
"As for everything that happened last night, I'll do what I can to deal with the aftermath."
Her gaze shifted back to Ethan.
"As for you, I'll also look into a more permanent solution. Whether it's a magical artifact, a concealment spell, or another method entirely, I'll find something that allows you to use your abilities without attracting half the city."
Only after addressing Ethan did Sona turn toward everyone else.
"As for the rest of you, this discussion is over. We came here to understand what happened and decide how to move forward, not to start a fight inside a church."
Nobody objected.
Even Issei, despite the frustration still written across his face, remained silent.
Satisfied that there was nothing more to accomplish, Sona turned toward the entrance.
"We're leaving."
One by one, the others rose from the wooden benches and followed Sona outside. As the church doors closed behind them, the old building gradually fell quiet once more, leaving only Ethan and Asia inside.
Asia watched the entrance for a few moments before turning toward Ethan with a worried expression.
"Um... are you in trouble?"
Ethan took another sip of his tea before setting the cup down on the bench.
"Not really," he replied with a small shrug. "They have a problem, and apparently I'm part of it."
Although she didn't completely understand what he meant, his calm demeanor reassured her that the situation wasn't as serious as she had feared.
"There was actually something I wanted to ask you."
Ethan looked at her, silently waiting for her to continue.
Asia clasped her hands together and glanced around the church.
"I was thinking... since we've been working on repairing the church, would it be alright if we opened it to the public again? So people who want to pray can come inside."
Her eyes wandered across the restored pews, the cleaned stone floor, and the stained-glass windows that once again allowed colorful sunlight to spill into the old sanctuary.
"It would be nice if this could become a real church again."
Ethan followed her gaze for a brief moment before leaning back against the bench.
"You don't need my permission."
Asia blinked in surprise.
"If that's what you want, then go ahead."
For a moment she simply stared at him before a warm smile slowly spread across her face.
"Thank you."
Ethan merely gave a small nod in response.
With his approval, Asia's thoughts immediately shifted toward everything that still needed to be done before the old church could once again open its doors to anyone seeking a quiet place to pray.