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Just as Sirzechs had said, they'd only come by to say goodbye.
The Three Factions summit had concluded yesterday, and as leaders of their respective factions, both he and the others spent enormous amounts of time each day simply managing internal affairs. There was no way they could linger in the human world like tourists on vacation.
And so, compared to the eventful first day of the open house tour, the second day passed far more quietly—an entire day went by without a single noteworthy incident.
Before long, evening arrived.
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"Phew—finally back home."
Inside the ground-floor common room of the old schoolhouse, the spatial transfer magic circle blanketed across the entire building finished its activation. Rias gazed out the window at the golden-hued peak of the Keystone Gate bathed in the sunset's glow and let out a small sigh of relief.
It really felt like the old schoolhouse had been turned into some massive mobile home—big enough for everyone to live in comfortably. Every morning they'd teleport it to the academy grounds, and every evening they'd teleport it right back. The handful of them who lived here basically treated it as their permanent residence.
The only difference was that instead of driving, they used teleportation magic.
"All right then, everyone's dismissed for the day."
Rias turned around to address Yukina Himeragi, Nagisa Akatsuki, and the others who'd come over to "catch a ride" after school.
This had basically become their daily routine by now.
After all, they all lived on the Keystone Gate, and they were all "one big happy family"—going to and from school together just made sense. They'd teleport over as a group in the morning, come back together in the evening, then head to their respective homes.
Now was the "head to your respective homes" part.
"By the way..."
Watching Nagisa, Yukina, and the other girls file out of the common room, Bokue Keikain—who'd remained behind—turned toward the red-haired girl still standing by the window with a questioning look.
"Didn't Sirzechs mention something about a surprise when he came by this morning?"
"Huh? Did he?"
Akeno Himejima asked curiously.
As one of the permanent residents of the old schoolhouse, she naturally hadn't left either. She was currently seated on the common room sofa, her previously swollen belly from this morning apparently having "accidentally leaked out entirely" during one of her bathroom trips—it had deflated back to normal. Hearing the young man's question, she turned her head with interest.
"Yeah, I think it was right after you went upstairs, Akeno—"
Bokue was just about to explain when—
Creak—
The front door in the hallway outside the common room—which had been closed after Yukina and the others left—was suddenly pulled open from outside.
Hmm?
Rias instinctively glanced toward the doorway.
Logically speaking, anyone who'd show up at the old schoolhouse right now would be someone from the group that just left—either Yukina, Nagisa, or at worst... Asagi Aiba?
Forget anything else, the old schoolhouse was currently sitting on top of the Keystone Gate. The number of people with access to the peak of the Keystone Gate was pretty limited.
Could it be a certain nekomata who couldn't contain herself anymore and came rushing back before even eating dinner, already desperate to start making kittens?
Just as Rias was thinking along those lines, a figure she absolutely did not expect suddenly appeared in her field of vision without warning.
That silver hair reminiscent of Sakuya Izayoi, that poised and elegant bearing, and that maid uniform that had basically become her signature look.
The visitor's identity was already unmistakable.
"Eh? G-Grayfia-nee?"
Rias's lips parted slightly in surprise.
"Grayfia-nee, why would you suddenly show up now? Didn't Onii-sama head back this morning? And Mom—didn't she go back with him?"
"No, Lady Venelana is still remaining on Itogami Island. She said she intends to enjoy herself for a few more days before returning."
Grayfia stepped into the common room from outside and came to a stop before the three of them, hands folded gracefully in front of her as she gave a slight bow.
"However, Lord Sirzechs has ordered me to remain in the human world. From now on, I will be responsible for looking after Lady Rias and everyone's meals and daily needs. Also—Lady Rias, you no longer need to address me as 'nee-san.'"
"Huh? Why not?"
"Because I am no longer Lord Sirzechs's Queen."
"..."
Huh?
A massive question mark practically materialized above the red-haired girl's head.
It was just... so utterly absurd that for a moment, she didn't even know what to say.
First of all, for devils, the peerage contract was an incredibly serious matter—no less binding than a blood oath. Even devils with the worst personalities rarely broke contracts with their servants.
Unless said servant had committed an absolutely unforgivable act of betrayal.
But how could Grayfia-nee possibly betray Onii-sama?
She was completely baffled. It was like hearing individual words she understood, but strung together they made no sense at all.
"This... so what exactly happened?"
Rias was completely dumbfounded.
What stunned her even more was that instead of explaining, Grayfia's cheeks actually flushed with a faint blush. Her azure eyes glanced shyly toward Bokue Keikain standing beside Rias.
"Actually, Lady Venelana took it upon herself to petition Lord Sirzechs to dissolve my servant contract. So basically—"
Grayfia's words were rather vague and unclear, but they didn't need to be crystal clear.
After all, just the blush on her face and those evasive glances toward a certain someone were already proof enough.
Akeno, still seated on the sofa, couldn't help but touch her own cheek.
"My my... to think even Grayfia-nee would... this really is..."
As for Rias, her face had gone completely dark.
"Bokue, when exactly did you manage to win over Grayfia-nee too—"
She'd originally thought that in the future she might have to start calling her "sister-in-law," but now it looked like she really would be calling her "big sister"!
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Meanwhile, having just left the old schoolhouse and returned to her own apartment, Yukina Himeragi had barely stepped through the door when she heard the voice of a certain high-ponytailed War Dancer girl talking on the phone somewhere near the balcony.
"I... I understand, Master. I'll inform Yukina..."
The call ended right there.
Yukina tilted her head and raised her voice slightly.
"Sayaka? Were you just talking to Master?"
"Uh... yeah."
The girl's voice still came from the direction of the balcony. About two seconds later, Sayaka Kirasaka emerged cautiously from around the corner where the washing machine was kept, phone in hand, looking at the sword shaman girl who'd just returned. Her expression seemed somewhat uneasy.
"Master just called with instructions. She wants us to make time tomorrow to visit the Lion King Organization's local office here on Itogami Island. And she said it would be best if... we brought Bokue Keikain along too."
"Eh??!"
Yukina's jaw dropped.
Wait—had their lazy behavior on Itogami Island, spending every day fooling around with senpai doing... that... been discovered?
But that didn't make sense. How would Master even know about—
"A-anyway, I'll let Nagisa know first and have her request a day off for me tomorrow!"
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