The report arrived just before evening.
Riser was in the training yard again.
Not pushing himself as hard as yesterday—not because he didn't want to, but because he had learned something important.
Recovery mattered.
If he broke himself every day, he would slow down instead of speeding up.
That didn't make restraint any less frustrating.
He exhaled slowly, letting the last traces of hellfire fade from his hands when he felt the presence behind him.
Yubelluna.
He didn't turn immediately.
"…You're early today."
"I bring information."
That made him turn.
Her posture was as composed as ever, but there was a subtle shift in her eyes—focus, intent, something that told him this wasn't routine.
Riser straightened.
"From the scouts?"
"Yes."
She stepped closer and handed him a sealed document.
The wax bore the Phenex insignia.
Riser broke it without ceremony.
His eyes moved quickly across the page.
Then stopped.
Location confirmed: Human World — Rural shrine.
Targets identified:
Himejima Shuri (Fallen Angel — defected)Child: Akeno Himejima (half-devil, half-fallen angel)
Status: Isolated. Avoiding detection.
Riser went still.
"…So it's real."
Not a theory.
Not a memory from another life.
Not something vague and far away.
Akeno existed.
Right now.
Alive.
Small.
Hidden.
And dangerously close to everything that would eventually go wrong.
He lowered the paper slowly.
Yubelluna watched him.
"You recognize the names."
Not a question.
"…Yes."
That was all he gave her.
It was enough.
The air felt different.
He could still see the training yard.
Still feel the heat in the ground beneath his feet.
But his thoughts had shifted somewhere else entirely.
A rural shrine.
Hiding.
A mother who had already abandoned one world.
A child who didn't belong to either.
And a future—
Riser closed his eyes briefly.
He remembered it.
Too clearly.
Akeno's past wasn't just tragic.
It was violent.
Messy.
Wrong.
And it ended with blood.
He exhaled slowly.
"…I'm going to need more details."
"They are already being gathered," Yubelluna replied. "Movement patterns. Local threats. Possible observers."
"Good."
Riser folded the report once and held it loosely in his hand.
His thoughts were already moving ahead.
Fast.
Too fast.
The Problem
Approaching them was dangerous.
Not because Akeno was a threat.
Not yet.
But because of everything surrounding her.
Shuri was a fallen angel.
A deserter.
That meant:
She was being hunted She trusted no one She would react badly to any unknown presence
And Riser—
Riser was a devil noble.
If he showed up unannounced?
Best case: they ran.
Worst case: they fought.
Neither outcome helped him.
"…I can't approach directly."
Yubelluna nodded once.
"That would be unwise."
Understatement.
Riser ran a hand through his hair.
"…And I can't send soldiers either."
"That would provoke hostility."
"Exactly."
Too much presence = threat.
Too little presence = no control.
He needed something in between.
Something careful.
Something human.
His thoughts paused.
Then shifted.
"…What about a neutral contact?"
Yubelluna tilted her head slightly.
"Explain."
"Someone who doesn't look like a threat. No demonic aura. No obvious connection to the Phenex family."
"A human."
"Yes."
Silence.
Then—
"That could work," she admitted. "If selected carefully."
Riser nodded.
"Not just someone disposable. Someone who can think. Adapt."
Someone who wouldn't panic if things went wrong.
Someone who wouldn't get them killed.
But even as he thought through the logistics—
Another thought pressed in.
Uncomfortable.
Persistent.
Why am I doing this?
He already knew the answer.
But he forced himself to say it anyway.
"…This isn't just strategy."
Yubelluna didn't respond.
Didn't interrupt.
That was becoming a pattern.
Akeno.
In canon, she suffered.
Lost her mother.
Carried that pain into everything she became.
Twisted it.
Lived with it.
Riser could change that.
Not completely.
Not perfectly.
But enough.
He clenched his hand slightly.
"…If I leave them alone, things go bad."
That was the truth.
Cold.
Simple.
Unavoidable.
Yubelluna finally spoke.
"You intend to interfere."
"Yes."
No hesitation.
She studied him for a moment.
Not judging.
Just… observing.
"…You do not gain immediate benefit from this."
"No."
"Then why?"
There it was.
The real question.
Riser looked away.
Toward the far end of the training yard.
Toward nothing in particular.
"…Because I can."
The answer sounded weak.
Even to him.
He exhaled slowly.
Then corrected himself.
"…Because I know what happens if I don't."
That was closer.
Closer to the truth.
Yubelluna's gaze didn't soften.
But something in it shifted.
Very slightly.
[Hidden Observation: Yubelluna evaluating intent…]
Riser ignored the system.
This wasn't for points.
Not really.
"…Prepare the next report," he said finally. "I want full details before I move."
"Yes, young master."
She turned to leave—
Then paused.
"…Be careful."
Riser blinked.
That hadn't sounded like a formal statement.
It had sounded—
Personal.
"…I will."
She left without another word.
Alone
The training yard felt different now.
Quieter.
Heavier.
Riser sat down on the edge of the stone platform and unfolded the report again.
A rural shrine.
Hidden.
Fragile.
Temporary safety.
He stared at the name again.
Akeno Himejima
"…I don't have time to do this perfectly."
That was the truth.
Too many moving pieces.
Too many future events.
Too many things already in motion.
But doing nothing—
That wasn't an option anymore.
Not after everything he had decided.
Not after everything he had already started.
He folded the report carefully.
Set it beside him.
"…One step at a time."
First:
Gather information.
Then:
Approach carefully.
Then:
Make contact without triggering fear.
After that—
He'd figure it out.
Because that was the pattern now.
Not perfection.
Not certainty.
Just—
Moving forward.
Riser stood up slowly.
His body still ached from training.
His mind felt heavier than before.
"…This is getting complicated."
[System Response:]
[Host chose complexity.]
"…Yeah."
And for once—
He didn't argue.