— — — — — —
Kyoto, outside Yasaka Shrine—
Raynare walked with her head lowered, eyes fixed on the ground as she followed Akeno step for step. Beside her was Asia, dressed in a nun's habit.
Unlike the tense and restrained Raynare, Asia was curiously taking in the sights around the shrine, her eyes sparkling with interest.
That lasted until Raynare suddenly pressed a hand down on her head.
"Don't look around so much, got it?"
"Oh? Oh..." Asia blinked in surprise, then nodded in understanding and tried to imitate Raynare by lowering her head as well.
"You don't have to be that careful," Akeno said with a smile from up ahead. "Come to think of it, Asia, you grew up in a church, didn't you? This is probably your first time in Japan."
"Ah..."
Apparently caught off guard by the question, Asia's response came a beat late.
Before she could answer properly, Raynare hurriedly spoke up. "Lady Akeno is talking to you. Answer her quickly!"
"Eh..."
Asia looked awkwardly at Raynare.
"Don't bully her too much," Akeno said, glancing at Raynare with a pleasant smile. "She's someone the Governor specifically requested to meet."
"Yes!"
Raynare visibly trembled and lowered her head even further. After answering, she didn't dare say another word.
Watching this, Asia found it hard to connect the woman before her with the hot-tempered, aggressive Raynare she remembered.
The change was so dramatic that she could barely understand it.
Still, she could guess it had something to do with the Fallen Angel Governor named Ryo Yagami.
Just what kind of person could make Miss Raynare this afraid?
As Asia wondered, Akeno stopped in front of a sliding door and smiled. "We're here. Go on in."
Asia snapped back to reality.
Looking at the door, she suddenly felt nervous.
Then she heard a very obvious gulp.
Turning toward the sound, she found Raynare.
Raynare happened to glance back at the same moment, meeting her eyes. For some reason, she immediately became irritated. "Behave yourself in there. Don't say anything stupid in front of the Governor. Understand?"
Asia hesitated.
'What exactly counts as saying something stupid?'
"Well? Get in already."
"Oh." Coming back to her senses, Asia slid the door open.
She looked around the room.... The floor was covered in tatami mats. Bright light filtered down from paper lanterns hanging overhead. At the center sat a low wooden table surrounded by floor cushions.
Along the left wall stood a decorative suit of armor.
On the opposite side, three sheathed katanas rested on display, while a calligraphy scroll bearing the character for Justice hung above them.
But compared to the room itself, Asia's attention was immediately drawn to the young man seated at the table.
He had black hair, wore black-rimmed glasses, and was calmly reading through a stack of documents. His demeanor was gentle and refined.
That's the Governor?
He's... really handsome.
The nervousness in her heart eased considerably.
"Come in."
Ryo set the documents down and adjusted his glasses.
For a moment, Asia didn't react.
Then she heard him speak again.
"By the way, I don't remember asking anyone to kneel."
Asia blinked and finally noticed that, at some point, Raynare had already dropped to her knees and was trembling from head to toe.
"Miss Raynare, are you okay?"
Instinctively, Asia reached out to help her up.
She pulled several times, but Raynare wouldn't budge.
"Huh? What happened all of a sudden?"
"Probably because she saw this."
Ryo pointed at the documents on the table with a smile.
Asia looked over and could vaguely make out photographs of both herself and Raynare among the papers.
"What are those?"
"Your files." Ryo gathered the documents together and neatly set them aside. "Ajuka prepared them since I was meeting with you two. Want to take a look?"
"Oh, I see."
Asia nodded, though she still looked confused. "But then why is Miss Raynare kneeling?"
Akeno, who was standing by the doorway, gave Asia a surprised look.
At the same time, Ryo studied her for a moment before laughing. "You're exactly like your file says. Completely incapable of scheming."
Asia looked at him.
Since it sounded like a compliment, she politely bowed her head.
"Um... thanks, you're too kind."
"..." Ryo didn't bother correcting her. Instead, he pointed to the cushion across from him. "Sit over here."
Once she sat down, he glanced at Raynare and said casually, "You twisted your superior's orders regarding the Sacred Gear surveillance mission and deliberately caused the deaths of two Sacred Gear users. Report to Shemhazai and accept your punishment."
"Yes."
Raynare shuddered.
Keeping her head lowered, she answered softly before rising and leaving the room.
Akeno looked at the damp patch left behind on the wooden floor with obvious disgust.
Without a word, she stepped inside and closed the door.
Out of sight, out of mind.
...
After watching Raynare leave, Asia turned back to Ryo with a hesitant expression, "Um... what will happen to Miss Raynare?"
"She broke the rules. Naturally, she'll face disciplinary action according to Fallen Angel law."
Ryo placed Raynare's file underneath the others and moved Asia's to the top before looking at her.
"That said, don't you dislike her?"
He tapped the file. "According to these reports, you've been with the Fallen Angels for less than a week, and she's insulted you more than a dozen times a day. Most people don't enjoy being yelled at."
There was a trace of suspicion in his eyes.
He was starting to wonder if Asia suffered from an extreme savior complex.
"Eh? That many times?"
To his surprise, Asia looked even more shocked than he did.
"Um... I only remember once or twice."
"Hm?" Ryo paused. Then he handed her a section of the reports Ajuka had compiled, specifically the accusations Raynare's subordinates had made against her.
Asia accepted the documents and glanced through them.
A few moments later, cold sweat appeared on her forehead.
"Surprised?" Ryo chuckled. "Didn't realize people had been speaking about you like this?"
"Um..."
Asia held the papers helplessly and looked up.
"I... I can only recognize my name."
The smile on Ryo's face froze.
"Pfft!" Akeno quickly covered her mouth and turned away, her shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter.
"..."
Ryo paused and rubbed his forehead. "The Church should have schools, shouldn't it?"
If he remembered correctly, Asia's file said she had graduated from middle school.
A middle school graduate who was practically illiterate...
"Because I spent most of my time helping treat injured people at the church," Asia explained awkwardly. "I never really attended classes..."
After hearing that, Ryo found himself completely speechless.
Originally, he had planned out an elaborate recruitment strategy.
First, deal with Raynare, who had been bullying Asia. Then expose and execute the real mastermind behind Asia's expulsion from the Church, the devil Diodora Astaroth, a relative of Ajuka's.
After that, offer Asia the chance to return to the Church as a condition and win her over completely.
He had thought through all kinds of clever schemes. He had even asked Ajuka to clean up some trash within his own family line in preparation.
And after all that planning... The whole operation got stuck because Asia couldn't read.
Ryo felt a little dumbfounded.
.
.
.