The moment Shin Akira stepped through the front door and neatly placed his shoes on the rack, he found an unexpected sight waiting in the living room.
Three beautiful girls were casually seated on his sofa, sipping tea as if they owned the place.
None other than Rias Gremory, Himejima Akeno, and Koneko Toujou.
Rias was the first to greet him with a bright smile.
"Yo. Welcome back. You've been working hard, haven't you?"
Ever since forming an alliance with Akira, anything involving Stray Devils had more or less vanished from Rias's job list. He handled everything with such ruthless efficiency that she'd been able to save a surprising amount of time and energy.
She used to take part in those missions herself. But now? She'd offloaded almost every field operation onto Akira without a second thought.
"…What are you three doing here?" Akira asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You just moved into this house, didn't you? We came to celebrate," Rias answered casually.
"I moved in almost a week ago…"
"Don't get hung up on minor details like that."
The way Rias brushed off his protest so shamelessly made Akira mentally question everything.
Is this really the same woman they call the 'Madonna of Kuoh Academy'?
But before he could say anything else—
A small, hesitant voice came from behind him.
Instantly, Rias's expression shifted. Akeno's eyes sharpened as she turned toward the source of the voice.
"Oh, right. I almost forgot." Akira stepped aside and gently nudged the girl behind him forward. "This is Asia."
The blonde girl in a nun's habit stood awkwardly before them, fingers clutching the edge of her sleeves. Her expression was clearly nervous, her presence fragile.
Rias's gaze instinctively focused on the outfit Asia wore. A Church uniform.
Her brows furrowed slightly.
The Church—aligned with Heaven—was, after all, the natural enemy of Devils.
"She was a member of the Church, yeah. But not anymore. She got excommunicated. Had nowhere else to go, so I took her in."
Hearing that, the tension on Rias's and Akeno's faces gradually eased.
"I-I'm Asia Argento. It's… nice to meet you all."
Asia spoke softly, her head lowered respectfully.
As a noble of the Gremory clan, Rias found the name oddly familiar… like something she'd heard in passing before.
"Nice to meet you, Asia. I'm Rias Gremory, a third-year at Kuoh Academy and president of the Occult Research Club."
"I'm Himejima Akeno, also a third-year."
"Koneko Toujou. First year."
"N-Nice to meet you…"
Though clearly flustered, Asia's face glowed with an innocent joy. There was something pure and sincere about her demeanor that softened even the most suspicious heart.
The genuine awkwardness in Asia's voice was enough to melt the wariness that Rias and Akeno had initially felt. In fact, it began to stir a sense of affection in them instead.
"My, my~ Akira, I'm kind of jealous," Akeno said with her usual teasing smile. "You step out for a bit and come back with an adorable little nun?"
Her words carried that signature sweet tone of hers—but hidden beneath it was a faint edge of jealousy… or maybe curiosity?
Asia quickly panicked.
"I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to trouble anyone—!"
Before Akira could say a word, Asia was already apologizing profusely, her expression so apologetic it looked like she was carrying the weight of the world.
"Asia, it's fine. I was only joking. There's no need to worry, alright?"
"A-Akeno-san… you're not mad?"
"Just call me Akeno, okay? And no, of course I'm not mad. How could I ever be angry at someone as cute as you? In fact, I like you already~"
"L-Like me…? What do you mean by that…"
Rias, Akeno, and Koneko all quickly realized something important: Asia was incredibly shy.
A single compliment was enough to leave her bewildered and flustered. She was far too easy to tease.
Meanwhile, Rias leaned toward Akira and whispered into his ear.
"Where exactly did you 'find' her?"
"Seriously. I was just walking back home when she asked me about the church in town. I told her the church was gone. She had nowhere to go, so I brought her here."
Rias gave him a suspicious look.
"What, you think I dragged her here for some other reason?"
"Hmm… no, I believe you. Still, you're really planning to take her in?"
"…Haven't you realized yet? She's a Sacred Gear possessor."
"A Sacred Gear? Which one?"
"A healing-type—Twilight Healing. Also known as Smile of the Holy Mother."
"…A healer-type Sacred Gear?"
Rias's eyes lit up instantly.
As a Devil from one of the Great Noble Houses and a leader in the Rating Games, she understood all too well how rare and valuable healers were. Especially one with a Sacred Gear as unique as Twilight Healing. Even many high-ranking Devils would kill for the chance to recruit someone like Asia.
"…You're drooling," Akira commented, staring at her flatly.
"Ah—w-was I that obvious?" Rias quickly brushed her hair back, trying to act calm. But her serious expression returned a second later.
"Wait. I thought Twilight Healing belonged to one of the Church's nuns?"
"You're right. Asia was a nun. But they cast her out."
"Why? A healer-type Sacred Gear should've been precious to them. Why would the Church go that far…?"
"Because she used her power… to heal Devils."
That left Rias silent.
But after a moment's thought, she understood.
The holy powers of the Church were a lower-tier version of the light wielded by angels—sacred, bright, and extremely harmful to Devils. Even their medicines were more like poison to the beings of the Underworld.
But Asia… could heal Devils.
From the fanatical eyes of the Church, such an ability was heresy. A sin. It was no surprise they had turned on her.
Rias didn't care about the dogma or politics of Heaven and Hell.
What she saw now was a gentle girl with incredible potential—and perhaps, a future companion in her peerage.
Asia, meanwhile, looked far more relaxed now. Akeno's warm demeanor had helped put her at ease. Besides Akira, this was the first time someone had treated her so kindly since she'd been exiled from the Church.
"Asia… would you consider becoming part of my peerage?" Rias asked softly. "If you join, we'll become like family—comrades, bound by trust."
"Peerage… as in, a Devil's servant?"
"Exactly. We're all Devils here."
At that moment, the three girls calmly unfurled their black, leathery wings.
The demonic energy that filled the room wasn't overwhelming—but it was unmistakable.
Asia stood frozen in place.
The smile on her face vanished, replaced by wide eyes and a stunned expression.
"E-Eh…? W-Wait… this place… is a Devil's house!?"
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