— — — — — —
Sirzechs and Ajuka left in a hurry.
Almost the moment their cooperation was settled, they used Beelzebub's channels to return to the devils' territory in Japan, then immediately performed a small-scale spatial transfer back to the Underworld.
They needed to notify the Devil Council about the agenda for the tripartite talks as quickly as possible, and do everything they could to keep the meeting within three days. The longer it dragged on, the greater the risk of something going wrong.
"...!"
After Sirzechs left, Ryo—who had expected to finally relax—found himself wearing a rather strange expression instead.
Sitting at his desk, jotting down ideas while quietly absorbing the Authority of Destruction, he couldn't help turning his head to glance at Rias.
She was sitting neatly at his right side, not disturbing him, not interfering—just watching his profile in silence.
That alone wouldn't have been an issue, but she'd been staring like that for tens of minutes. Even someone as indifferent as Ryo was starting to feel it.
"Do you need something?"
"Huh?" Rias made a small, confused sound, snapping out of her daze. She quickly shook her head. "No, it's nothing. You can keep working."
"???"
Ryo gave her a puzzled look, then went back to writing, refining his control over the finer details of his power. After a moment, he shook his head.
"Um... Rias, how much do you know about Kyoto?"
Since the meeting was set to take place in Kyoto, all matters of secrecy and security would fall on the local yokai to handle.
Ryo planned to take a walk around Kyoto the next day—inspect the situation, assess the yokai forces, and see if any were worth bringing into Little Garden for training.
Rias, as the representative of the devils, had her own role to play as well—both as an observer for the devils and as a diplomatic envoy.
That was why Sirzechs had suggested she accompany Ryo for some sightseeing.
At least, that was Ryo's understanding.
Rias, on the other hand, had taken a completely different turn in her thinking.
'This… is an invitation to a date, right? It has to be, doesn't it?'
A faint blush crept onto her cheeks. This was the first time she'd ever been invited out by a man.
Sure, there had been plenty of pure-blooded devils who'd tried before, but she'd ignored every single one of them.
This time was different. There was no way she could refuse.
Her fiancé inviting her out for the first time… turning him down would just make things awkward.
But when Ryo asked about Kyoto, was he actually trying to figure out what kind of places she liked?
That was… unexpectedly considerate.
She'd assumed he'd just pick a destination outright without giving her a choice.
If that was the case… should she suggest somewhere romantic? A place couples would go?
Wait... if she thought about it carefully, wasn't Yasaka Shrine itself famous for matchmaking and love fortunes?
But asking Ryo to take her around Yasaka Shrine—his own base—wouldn't that make it look like she was already inspecting their future home?
Wasn't that way too embarrassing?
"What's wrong? Can't decide on a route?"
Ryo set down his pen and began sketching a simple map on the blank space beside his notes.
"I suggest starting from Yasaka Shrine. Then take the subway to Heian Shrine, have a look around, follow the waterways to Kamo Shrine, and grab something to eat near Hokyoji Temple."
"After that, take the bus system to Myoshinji, wander around Yamanochi, head into Nishikyo Ward, and finally take the surface rail back to Yasaka Shrine."
"Oh, and if you want to visit Nijo Castle, it's best to slot that into the afternoon. You can take the subway from Yamanochi and go straight there."
As he spoke, he sketched out the route. It neatly enclosed part of Kyoto in a grid-like pattern, passing through territories controlled by yokai, exorcists, and Buddhist factions. Before the meeting, this would serve as both inspection and a subtle show of force toward these newly subdued groups.
"What do you think?" Ryo looked up at Rias.
At some point, she had moved closer, sitting right beside him—so close their arms were nearly touching.
"Starting from Yasaka Shrine…?"
Her face was flushed, her gaze locked entirely on the tiny dot representing the shrine. She barely noticed anything else.
Ryo felt a faint sense of déjà vu. The way she leaned in reminded him of Kurousagi.
Whenever he made plans, Kurousagi would often sit beside him just like this.
Still, he didn't connect the two. It never once crossed his mind that Rias's thoughts were completely filled with the words "marital home."
"Yeah, we start from Yasaka Shrine. Every part of that place needs to be checked thoroughly. Otherwise, your side won't feel at ease. It's better to prepare a structural layout in advance."
Since Yasaka Shrine would soon become the venue for the talks, both the angels and devils would definitely request its layout for security arrangements. Ryo figured he might as well handle it now—let Rias review it and pass it along.
"Feel at ease… and even a layout…" Rias's face turned an even deeper shade of red.
Let her family feel at ease? Show them what her future home looks like?
Isn't that… way too much?
"Do you have any suggestions?" Ryo asked.
Rias opened her mouth, but in the end, she didn't dare look up. In a small voice, she said. "Whatever you decide is fine."
Ryo let out a quiet sigh of relief. "Alright, then it's settled."
...
..
Heaven—
Azazel, with six pairs of fallen wings spread behind him, gazed up at the towering stone gate above. His expression was unusually complicated.
"It's been a long time since I passed through here properly."
When was the last time?
Ah, right. When he, Lucifer, Beelzebub, Shemhazai, and the others led a mass of angels in their fall.
Back then, the Creator God had stood atop this very gate, silently watching them leave.
Azazel knew that if God had wished it, every single one of them traitors would have died right there. And yet, in the end, that terrifyingly powerful being chose not to strike down His creations.
Thinking back on it now, Azazel's mood grew strangely heavy.
"Hah… getting old, huh? Starting to dwell on the past."
Shaking his head, he spread his wings and boldly forced his way into Heaven's gate.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Clear, resonant bells rang out.
The angels guarding Heaven had sounded the alarm.
In an instant, it felt as though the clouds of the entire seven Heavens began to boil.
.
.
.