— — — — — —
The moment her hair was released, Rias Gremory spun around and quickly moved to stand beside Akeno Himejima, still shaken as she smoothed down her hair.
Having someone casually run a hand through it had really irritated her. But the situation wasn't in her favor, so she swallowed her anger and stayed where she was.
On the other side, Akeno, having snapped out of her surprise, offered a graceful bow.
"Nice to meet you, Ryo-sama."
The two of them were still wearing their Kuoh Academy uniforms. Standing there like that, greeting Ryo, they looked every bit like lively high school girls, full of youthful energy.
But to Ryo, they were nothing more than two familiar faces.
At this point, he wasn't the type to be shocked by running into characters from the original story. Still, it did lift his mood a little.
He glanced at Rias. His gaze was sharp—too sharp. It felt like it pierced straight through her, laying bare not just her body, but her very soul. A chill crept up her spine.
Ryo raised a brow, then shook his head.
"The Power of Destruction from the Bael line, huh? What a shame. It's not even a proper sprout yet. When you have time, try actually studying your own ability, little lady of the Gremory family."
As someone who wielded an authority of destruction, even if he had only recently acquired it, Ryo stood at a height where the view was completely different. At Rias's current level, her so-called destructive power was as simple as basic arithmetic.
The gap between them wasn't just large—it was absurd.
Rias clenched her teeth.
First, he messed with her hair. Then he stared at her like he could see right through her. And now he was mocking the very power she was proud of.
Three hits in a row. Even if Ryo didn't mean much by it, Rias couldn't help but wonder if she'd somehow offended him before.
But that didn't make sense.
When had she ever crossed someone on the level of a Satan-tier yokai lord?
Why didn't she remember it?
Still… study your own ability, huh?
Her expression shifted as she thought about it. Her older brother, Sirzechs Lucifer, had said something similar to her before.
But that made sense—he also possessed the Power of Destruction.
Could it be…
Rias frowned slightly as she looked at Ryo again.
Did he have it too?
After finishing his critique of Rias, Ryo turned to Akeno, his brow lifting again.
"Demonic power, the light of a fallen angel, and the spiritual power of an exorcist… wow. A three-way hybrid. You're practically a copy of Ichigo Kurosaki."
He chuckled.
Ichigo Kurosaki—the protagonist of the Bleach world. A being born with the combined powers of a Shinigami, a Hollow, and a Quincy.
Maybe it was just a common trope in Japanese-style worlds, but hybrids like that always ended up ridiculously strong.
Take the Bleach world Ryo had experienced. Even after massive changes to that world, Ichigo still managed to reach near the absolute ceiling purely on his foundation.
From what Sosuke Aizen casually mentioned during a previous visit, Ichigo's strength was already approaching that of Retsu Unohana—on the verge of the upper limits of Shinigami.
Compared to Ichigo, Akeno's potential as another triple hybrid was just as terrifying.
If Sirzechs was an outlier among devils, then Akeno could very well become an outlier among fallen angels.
Her innate talent alone was enough to carry her steadily into the highest tiers.
In a sense, her potential even surpassed her father, Baraqiel—and far exceeded Rias's.
However…
"What a waste. Why reject the light in your blood? Because of your father?"
Ryo shook his head, genuine regret in his tone.
He understood her reasons. Still, seeing a raw gem deliberately left unpolished… it felt like a loss.
Arcadia didn't exactly have an abundance of talent. The top tier was manageable, but the middle ranks were painfully lacking.
Someone like Akeno—who could become a powerhouse with just a few years of training—was exactly what he needed.
So of course it bothered him to see her throwing that potential away.
But Akeno's reaction was nothing like his.
The moment she heard his words, her smile stiffened. It stayed on her face, but just barely.
Her mother's tragic death, her falling out with her father, her instinctive rejection of her fallen angel blood… these were wounds that had only just begun to heal, thanks to Rias.
And now Ryo had ripped them wide open again.
Honestly, she and Rias were thinking the same thing right now.
'What the hell is wrong with him?'
Couldn't he learn a bit of tact?
Rias, unlike Akeno, couldn't hold back anymore.
He could mess with her—that she could tolerate.
But dragging her best friend's trauma out into the open right in front of her?
What was that supposed to be? Picking a fight?
Her tone sharpened slightly.
"Ryo-sama, you didn't come all this way just to laugh at us, did you?"
"Of course…" Ryo deliberately stretched out the words and then stopped.
Rias blinked.
She was expecting of course not.
But the rest never came. It left her hanging, like a breath she couldn't release. It was honestly painful.
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
Her expression twisted in frustration.
"I think I've made myself pretty clear."
Ryo smiled, eyes narrowing slightly. "I of course came to laugh at you."
Rias's face darkened instantly. Akeno didn't look much better.
If they had the strength, the two of them would've already blasted him with destruction magic and lightning.
Unfortunately, they didn't.
Then, as if nothing had happened, Ryo casually changed the subject.
"Care to stay for a cup of hot tea?"
"Thank you for the offer, but we've been quite busy with school lately, so—"
Rias started to refuse.
Ryo simply looked at her.
Silently.
"… "
Rias went quiet.
'If you're going to kidnap us, just say so. Why bother dressing it up as tea?'
But in the end… circumstances were stronger than people.
She and Akeno exchanged a glance, then sighed.
"In that case, we'll accept your hospitality."
'Just wait until my brother hears about this…' Rias fumed inwardly, imagining a tiny version of Ryo and punching it over and over.
"You're too polite."
Ryo smiled faintly and nodded. Then he glanced at Akeno.
"Since we have time, come with me to meet someone."
Akeno's heart sank.
She had a pretty good idea who that "someone" was.
She fell silent.
Ryo ignored it completely, turned around, and started walking toward Nijo Castle.
.
.
.