The atmosphere in the Occult Research Club room was heavy—thick with unspoken tension. Both girls knew that what they were about to discuss was not just personal, but pivotal. Perhaps the most important conversation they'd ever have.
Sona Shitori, calm as ever on the surface, was the first to speak, breaking the silence with a voice that was far more cautious than her expression revealed.
"What's so important that you insisted we speak completely alone?" she asked, her tone measured.
Rias Gremory's crimson eyes flickered with disappointment. She hadn't expected that question. Then again, Sona had always been ignorant of how outer faction see us—perhaps too much so. Rias had once been the same, before that incident. Before her eyes had been opened to the weight of the choices devils often made.
With a breath, Rias began.
"Sona… if you truly don't understand why I asked to meet you like this… then I'm even more certain I made the right decision in calling you here."
Sona's calm façade cracked—just a little. Her brows furrowed, her pride prickled.
"Then tell me," she replied, her voice sharpening with heat. "What is this all about?"
Rias didn't get angry. She knew this edge in Sona's voice well—it was the same edge she herself used when pushed. She understood it. And that's why she didn't respond with fire, but with something heavier: concern.
"Sona… do you even understand who you're trying to turn into a devil?" Rias asked, her voice laced with concern—not as a rival, but as a friend.
Sona blinked, genuinely puzzled. There was only one person she was recruiting at the moment, and to her knowledge, Genshirou Saji had no ties to any other faction or notable family. He was, by all records, ordinary.
"Why does Saji matter in this context?" Sona asked, the confusion evident in her voice.
Rias sighed, her expression growing heavier, more serious.
"He has everything to do with this conversation," she said. "No, he may not have any background worth noting in the devil world... but he has someone watching over him. Every moment. Someone who will not sit idle if anything happens to him."
Sona's brows furrowed.
"And who would that be?"
Rias looked her in the eye and answered with quiet weight.
"The Princess of Swarga.
At the mention of her name, Sona's brows knit together, her composure faltering for just a moment. There was clear discomfort in her expression, but she masked it quickly, speaking with forced confidence.
"If Minamoto no Raikou is truly looking out for him," she said, "then Saji's family wouldn't be struggling financially."
Her voice was firm now, carrying the practiced weight of someone who always believed in logic and structure.
"even if she really look after him then I just need to clarify everything with her and show her the contract—beneficial to both parties. There will be no breach, no ambiguity. There won't be any interference or hostility between me and her."
She said it like it was an immutable fact, carved in stone.
But Rias recognized that tone. It wasn't confidence—it was Sona's logic speaking for her, the same logic that often overlooked one essential element: emotions and worldview.
That's what made Rias different now. Both she and Sona had been raised under the guarded shadows of powerful siblings, shielded from the darker truths of their world. Their perspectives had been sheltered, their idealism intact.
But where Sona still clung to that idealistic lens, Rias had already watched hers shatter.
That was the difference between them.
One still believed the world would bend to order and rules.
The other had already learned it didn't.
"Sona… this is your naivety speaking."
Rias's voice was quiet, carrying the weight of bitter truths and experience. There was no anger in her tone—only a quiet, exhausted resolve.
"You don't truly understand how hated we are as a species… not yet. Ever since we obtained the Evil Pieces, the rest of the world has only grown more hostile. They don't just dislike us… they want to erase us—for simply existing."
Sona's eyes widened. Her normally composed face looked as though someone had revealed something that had always been in plain sight, yet she'd never dared to acknowledge it.
Seeing her friend's shock, Rias continued, her voice soft but firm.
"It's our siblings. They've shielded us from the darker truths. From the cruelty. From the hatred. They've built walls to protect us… and in doing so, they've left us blind."
Sona exhaled deeply, the weight of the revelation pressing down on her. For the first time, she understood the risk—truly understood what walking this path could mean.
But she wasn't someone to break easily. She straightened, composing herself with the precision that defined her, and gave a response worthy of a Sitri.
"Even so," she said firmly, "my contract is ironclad. If anything happens to me—if I'm killed—my sister will not sit idle. My Peerage is protected. That's the one truth I've ensured in all of this."
It was the best argument she could offer in return.
A final line in the sand.
"Yes, Sona… your sister won't stand by if you're hurt. I know that," Rias said, her voice calm but edged with something deeper—something personal. "But you're forgetting one thing."
She leaned forward slightly, her eyes locking onto Sona's.
"Raikou isn't just anyone. She's the princess of the most powerful faction in the world right now. And there's more than one way to hurt someone, Sona. Not all wounds are physical."
Her tone shifted—no longer just a warning, but a quiet confession laced with bitter experience.
"You're not speaking from knowledge, Sona… you're speaking from theory. I'm speaking from experience."
Rias rose from her chair, pacing slowly around the room as she spoke. Her steps were measured, her voice low.
"The only saving grace I have left… is my brother's name and the protection of my Peerage," Rias admitted softly. Her voice trembled with a hint of defeat, the weight of her choices pressing down visibly.
Then, her tone changed—more firm, though laced with sorrow.
"But you know what? I don't regret it," she said, meeting Sona's gaze. "I didn't need political power to pursue my dream. I still don't. But yours… your dream does need their backing."
It wasn't a taunt. It was a painful truth—spoken not to wound, but to warn.
Sona was silent for a moment. Then the pieces finally clicked.
Rias hadn't called her here to argue. She hadn't come as a rival. She came as a friend—someone who had already made a choice that cost her dearly, and didn't want to watch Sona repeat the same mistake blindly.
She understood now.
Sona slowly sat up straighter, her expression calm but resolute.
"I'll keep your words in mind," she said softly. "But I'm still going to recruit Saji."
She paused, then offered Rias a small, appreciative smile.
"And if it backfires on me… I won't regret it. Just like you didn't, Rias."
She rose to her feet, her voice firm with conviction.
"Thank you—for telling me the truth."
As Sona left the room, only one thought echoed through her mind:
I need to talk to my sister.
---
Raikou's POV
Kuoh Academy was dull.
Not because of the people or the setting—it was the curriculum. The material taught here was painfully simple, a tedious repetition of things she had long since mastered.
I already know all of this.
Minamoto no Raikou, a warrior molded by ancient traditions and divine purpose, found little challenge in textbooks meant for the average teenager. For her, this school felt like being forced to read a children's book over and over again.
She remembered the conversation vividly—her mother informing her that she would be attending a normal school. Raikou had protested instantly and intensely. The idea felt insulting.
But her mother had been firm. Even her father had agreed, offering a rare, amused smile as he said, "You need better social skills, Raikou."
In the end, she had no choice but to comply.
At the very least, they'd chosen a school tied to the supernatural world. That made it slightly more tolerable.
But even that wasn't enough to make me stay—until he came along.
The first time I saw him, I felt an urge I couldn't explain. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced. A strange, unfamiliar pull deep in my chest. I still don't know what to call it… but I liked it. It felt right, somehow.
And I'm certain he felt something too.
He started following me—not in a bothersome way, but as if drawn by instinct. He joined every club I was part of, always staying close. At first, I found it endearing, even a little amusing. I thought he was just trying to imitate me.
But the more I watched him, the more I realized: it wasn't just mimicry.
He was improving. Rapidly. In every club he joined, in every activity, he grew—not with effort, but with ease. As if he was remembering rather than learning.
He was a prodigy. In literature, in martial arts, in strategy... it made me wonder if he was even human. For a time, I doubted everything. Perhaps he was hiding his heritage?
So, I investigated.
But his family tree was unremarkable. He came clean with me—no supernatural blood, no divine lineage. Just a normal human boy from a struggling household.
And that's when I understood.
He possesses a Sacred Gear—one that hasn't fully awakened yet. And alongside it, a rare, terrifying talent. The kind of potential that appears once in an age.
That's when I made my decision.
I would protect him. Quietly. Subtly.
I've been helping his family from the shadows. Manipulating fortunes, nudging fate where I can. Because of that… his grandmother is still alive today.
He doesn't know it.
And I won't tell him.
Because I'm not doing this for recognition.
I'm doing it because I believe in him.
And deep down, I know…
He's the reason I stayed.
So when I learned of his intention—to become a devil—it felt like something inside me cracked.
At first, I thought it was anger.
But no… it was something else.
Betrayal.
Not because he was leaving. Not because he hadn't told me.
But because he was about to chain himself to a system, to a race, that had nothing but survival in mind. Devils don't grant second chances out of kindness. They take what they need and discard the rest.
And Saji—my Saji—he didn't know that yet.
He was walking into a contract, thinking it was a path to power, a solution to his family's struggles, a way to become strong enough to protect.
But he didn't understand what it would cost.
I've seen what devils become when they lose their way. I've fought them. I've killed them. I've buried their victims.
So I stood still for a long time after I found out. No rage. No panic.
Just a growing fire in my chest.
I will not let them ruin him.
If he truly chooses this path, I won't stop him.
But I'll be watching.
And if they use him, if they break him, if they ever think of discarding him like some failed experiment—
Then the devils will learn exactly why Minamoto no Raikou is feared across Heaven and Earth.