Chapter 43: Rias: I'm Toast! (Patreon)

It was quite unexpected; no one imagined that Satan Lucifer, the ruler governing almost the entire Underworld, would suddenly appear at this moment. Even Rias, his own sister, was startled and immediately straightened up from leaning against the desk.

"Brother? Why did you suddenly come here at this time… Hiss!"

But before she could finish her sentence, she sucked in a sharp breath. She had been leaning against the desk primarily to conserve energy and reduce strain on her body. The abrupt, large movement pulled sharply at the muscles near her lower abdomen. Compounded by the fact that the "injuries" sustained yesterday afternoon hadn't fully healed, a strong wave of soreness washed over her.

Her instinctive motion of clutching her lower abdomen didn't escape Sirzechs's notice, causing the young Satan's eyebrow to twitch almost imperceptibly. Fortunately, his years of "professional life" had ingrained in him the habit of rarely letting his true feelings show.

Sirzechs offered a faint smile. "It's been a while, Rias. And greetings to all of Rias's peerage members."

"Lord Satan Lucifer." Both Himejima Akeno and Toujou Koneko had stood up immediately from the sofa, bowing respectfully in greeting. Seeing this, Asia, though unsure if she should address him the same way, also stood and offered a polite bow.

Er... Although unsure what was happening, now that her brother had arrived, Rias could only set aside her surprise for the moment and step forward to make introductions.

"Oh, right, Brother, let me introduce you. This is Asia Argento. She was originally a Saint from the Church in Northern Europe, but due to certain circumstances, she has left the Church. She's… well, a friend to us."

"A friend? That's good too," Sirzechs nodded with a smile.

Then, without waiting for his sister to continue, he shifted his gaze directly to the young man still seated firmly on the sofa, steady as a rock.

"Hello. I am Rias's older brother, Sirzechs Gremory."

"Hello." Only then did Hanakain Fubuki stand up, his tone calm. "Hanakain Fubuki. Current acting head of the Kyoto Hanakain family. I am presently dating your sister."

"The Hanakain family, is it? Grayfia mentioned you to me," Sirzechs replied, meeting his gaze with a steady smile. "I hear the Hanakain family is an Onmyoji clan with a long-standing tradition in the Human World. However, the impression you give, Hanakain-kun, seems rather different from the conventional image of an Onmyoji."

This was true. Looking back through history, descriptions of Onmyoji almost invariably leaned towards refined elegance. The classic example was the head of the Hanakain family four hundred years ago, Hanakain Hidemoto, always depicted in texts with phrases like "white robes purer than snow, the jade-like face of a scholar." To put it bluntly, they were all of the mage archetype, summoners, and glass cannons.

In contrast, Hanakain Fubuki gave off the aura of a pure martial artist. There wasn't a single talisman or spirit weapon visible on him. It felt as though simply by clenching his fists, he could shatter any defense under the heavens.

"Hmm~ That's probably because I was rebellious growing up, always preferred taking the unconventional path," the young man shrugged noncommittally. "But it doesn't really matter, as long as I can defeat others."

"Pragmatism, is it? Hehehe… That's not bad at all, then." Seemingly agreeing with this philosophy, Sirzechs couldn't help but chuckle.

At this point, Rias, who had been sidelined for a while, finally found an opening to jump back into the conversation. "So, Brother, why did you suddenly have time to come over?"

"Hm?" The young, red-haired Satan paused upon hearing her question. "Well… it's about your future prospects, of course, Rias. Actually, Grayfia already told me about the situation between you and Hanakain-kun yesterday."

"Ngh…" Mentioning last night's events again made Rias visibly stiffen. How should she put it… although Fubuki had taken the lead in the hotel room yesterday evening, she herself had definitely gotten carried away. She'd become so lost in the moment that she completely forgot Grayfia-nee-san was waiting outside, and she couldn't even remember what she might have said herself. If Grayfia had reported all of that to her brother, then she…

"But you don't need to worry too much, Rias," Sirzechs said, his smile tinged with helplessness as he watched his sister's expression grow increasingly strange. "When Grayfia reported to me yesterday, Mother was also present…"

Wha—!

Hearing this felt like a sudden, heavy blow to Rias. Her lips parted slightly, and her entire being instantly petrified, turning grayscale like a shocked anime character, complete with a visible crack appearing across her form.

So not just Brother, but Mother knows too!?

In that instant, the red-haired girl felt that her image in her family's eyes had probably completely collapsed.

"However, from Mother's reaction, she seemed quite supportive of you two," Sirzechs added.

…Eh?

Rias instantly snapped out of her petrified state, looking up in disbelief. "Supportive? Mother… what did she say?"

"Nothing too specific. The gist was that she's quite satisfied with Hanakain-kun," Sirzechs recalled. "And yesterday, Mother specifically instructed me to help you out if you truly wanted to reject the engagement with the Phenex family."

Have Brother help… The smile that had just begun to return to Rias's lips froze again. "So, Brother, you…"

"Hm? Isn't that exactly why I came?" the young Satan smiled gently at his sister. "Of course, I understand your feelings, Rias. That's why, before coming here, I made a special trip to the Phenex household. After explaining the situation to them, I came straight here."

"In other words, the specific handling and outcome will be decided after you two parties negotiate. Is that acceptable?"

With that, Sirzechs raised his hand and used magic to summon a large screen, which currently displayed the words "Waiting to Connect."

The red-haired girl nodded firmly. "Of course. We couldn't ask for more." This was her and Fubuki's affair, and it should indeed be handled by them, not by relying on her brother's power.

A few moments later, the sofa that had been placed off to the side was moved to the center, directly facing the large screen. As everyone took their seats, the text on the screen changed from "Waiting to Connect" to "Connecting..."

With five people sharing one sofa, it wasn't exactly cramped, but Hanakain Fubuki inevitably ended up pushed into the middle seat, flanked by Rias on one side and Himejima Akeno on the other. Further out were Asia and Toujou Koneko, neatly arranged almost by height.

As for Sirzechs, he occupied the other sofa alone, positioned perfectly between the screen and the group seated opposite, resembling nothing so much as an umpire sitting on a high chair beside a tennis court.

Now, the formal negotiation was about to begin.