"Sister..."
After being rubbed for a while, Shirone pushed Kuroka away with a look of pure disdain. "Sister, until I've completely forgiven you, there will be three rules."
"Yes, yes!" Kuroka was so happy she would have agreed to anything.
"First, you are not allowed to attack Devils anymore. Of course... if you are attacked first, that's different."
"Second, you are not allowed to leave without my permission. I must always know where you are going!"
"Lastly... welcome back."
As she spoke, a rare smile appeared on Shirone's face. She reached out and pulled Kuroka into an embrace, resting her small face against her sister's chest and closing her eyes.
"Sister, I missed you so much."
This touching scene of sisterly love moved Asia to tears, her eyes turning red with emotion. Akeno felt happy for Koneko, but she was also filled with a deep sense of melancholy. Even though she spoke of Baraqiel as if he were worthless, in her heart, she still yearned for familial love. In this world, the father who had abandoned them was her only remaining relative.
Maybe... that man had some unspeakable difficulty as well?
If that were the case... that would be wonderful.
Rhode looked at Akeno, whose gaze had suddenly softened, and could guess with his pinky toe that she was projecting her own feelings onto the scene, wondering if her father had a valid excuse. Unfortunately, based on what he knew, Baraqiel did have difficulties, but not many.
As a high-ranking cadre of Grigori, he had been injured and ended up near a shrine in Kyoto where he was saved by Akeno's mother, Shuri Himejima. Shuri had cared for him tirelessly, and over time, they fell in love and had Akeno. When the secret got out, it was considered a disgrace to the Himejima clan, but they didn't dare act because of Baraqiel's presence.
It wasn't until Akeno was a teenager that Baraqiel was called back to headquarters. Seizing the opportunity, the Himejima clan moved in to force Shuri to separate from her daughter. Shuri refused, and to beg for her daughter's life, she committed ritual suicide before her clansmen. Even then, the Himejimas didn't let Akeno go, chasing her all the way to Kuoh. Baraqiel had protected her from the shadows, but no one ever knew.
To Rhode, a father protecting his daughter was normal, but ignoring Shuri's death and failing to take revenge on the Himejima clan was something he found hard to understand. Shuri had saved him knowing the risks, yet he didn't even have a harsh word for the clan after her death. His excuse for only protecting Akeno from the shadows was "guilt" and not wanting to "burden" her with his Fallen Angel status.
That was even harder to swallow. They were literally hunting his daughter, and he was worried about being a "burden"?
Rhode looked at Akeno and decided not to tell her the truth for now. If she had a mental breakdown, Riser might actually end up with Rias.
"By the way, why did only the two of you come?" Rhode asked. "Where's Rias?"
"Rias doesn't know about this yet. When I went back the other day, I didn't mention your suggestion to her. As for Kiba Yuuto... as you said, he's different from us."
"He certainly is. He works hard, but his potential is lacking." By the middle of the story, Kiba Yuuto would develop a Balance Breaker called "Sword of Betrayer" and then basically fade into the background.
"If Yuuto heard you say that, he'd be very upset."
"Can't be helped. Power in this world is all about bloodlines. If your bloodline isn't up to par, you have to make up for it with a Longinus," Rhode said, shrugging. "Also, when you go back today, tell Rias exactly what I said. It's one thing for you and Koneko to avoid your bloodline powers, but Rias is just sitting there wallowing in self-pity."
"Uh... Rias works very hard too. She reads many books every day, especially on Rating Game tactics."
Even though Rhode's assessment was sharp, Akeno knew he meant well. But what was wrong with Rias? Did she have bloodline powers she refused to use? Or some past trauma? That seemed impossible. She was a Gremory, her brother was the Maou Lucifer—who could possibly traumatize her? If anyone tried, they'd probably be erased from existence the next moment.
"Tell her to stop reading those useless books and focus on mastering her Power of Destruction. She hasn't made any progress in ten years. Forget Riser; I doubt she could even beat Sona Sitri right now."
"Uh... I'll... I'll try my best," Akeno said, biting her lip. Rhode's words were too cutting; if she acted like a parrot, she might make Rias sick with anger. She would have to rephrase it carefully to avoid Rias taking his good intentions the wrong way. Though, she had to admit, she'd be furious if he said those things about her.
"...And one more thing."
"Ah? More?" Akeno was stunned, her face twisting into a pained expression. I beg of you! You've judged everyone already, who's left?
"I'm asking when you want to start training, or do you want to wait a bit?"
"You startled me! I thought you were going to say something else," Akeno said, patting her chest. "We came here today specifically to find a way. Since it's the weekend, I'll tell Rias everything when I get back."
"Fine. Since things have come to this, let's eat before we go." Rhode and Lavinia had just returned from their sparring session. If Akeno hadn't explained herself, he would have thought they were just here for a free meal.
On the other side, since the Fallen Angel trio knew Akeno's father was Baraqiel, their attitude toward her had softened considerably. Though they were Rhode's slaves, they still feared the high-ranking cadres of Grigori.
"I want to sit with Shirone, meow!"
"Wash your hands before eating, and don't squat on the chair."
"Oh."
Once Lavinia woke up, everyone sat down for lunch. Raynare's cooking made Akeno and Koneko's eyes light up. "You have such great cooking skills, yet you chose to do bad things. Why be so narrow-minded?"
"Did you hear that? A Fallen Angel who doesn't want to be a chef isn't a good maid," Rhode chuckled, and the room was suddenly filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
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High School DxD : Reincarnated into the Multiverse, but it's High School DxD (144 Chapters – Ongoing)
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