Gasper was so startled by that shout that his crying stopped on the spot. He lifted his head and looked at Rod in fear.
"Everyone else is fighting, but you're the only one hiding here. Not only are you no help at all, you keep causing trouble. Don't you feel ashamed?!"
It wasn't just Gasper, even Walburga felt her whole body jolt, nearly scared out of her wits by Rod's sudden roar.
Why did you suddenly start shouting so loudly?!
"Akeno and Koneko have already accepted their pasts. Are you telling me a man like you can't do the same?"
At those words, Gasper found himself recalling the faces of the two girls.
Though he didn't know the full story, he had heard bits and pieces from Rias, who would occasionally come by to look after him.
But when he thought of that, Gasper lowered his head.
"I... I can't do it. I get scared the moment I see other people. I can't do it..."
As soon as he finished speaking, he started sobbing again in broken gasps.
"Do you think your tears can help you control your Sacred Gear?! Can they defeat the people trying to use you?!"
"Of course, if you still want history to repeat itself, then keep wallowing in self-pity. And next time, when your Sacred Gear stops time again, your master Rias, your friends, and everyone connected to you will die because of you."
"I... I don't want that. I absolutely don't want that!"
Hearing the future Rod described, Gasper's whole body began to shake violently.
All this time, he had taken other people's kindness for granted, yet never once thought about changing himself.
For a long while, Gasper had been thinking that since his master Rias was the princess of the Underworld, why couldn't he just coast through life and live off others forever?
After all, with the wealth of the Gremory clan, even the dust shaken off one grain would be more than enough to support a worthless person like him for life.
But all those fantasies had been shattered by today's attack.
Because Gasper knew better than anyone what his power was really like.
It wasn't something he could control, nor was it something Rias or Akeno-senpai and the others could defy.
At that thought, Gasper couldn't help clenching his little fists.
Noticing the change in Gasper's eyes, Rod eased his tone a little.
"If you really want to change, then train. Keep training until no one can ever force you out of control again, until you can protect everyone."
"I... I understand. I'll..."
Though Gasper's voice was still full of fear, something inside him had already undergone a small awakening.
But when he looked up again, he found that Rod had already left the room.
Gasper forced himself to stand, then vigorously wiped the tears from his face.
"I'll definitely change. Don't worry, Master. I... I've decided to keep fighting, like a real man!"
After Rod's scolding, Gasper had finally made up his mind.
Not long after, Rias and the recovered Akeno and the others also arrived at the old school building. The moment they saw Gasper, before they could even speak, he said in a voice that still carried a trace of fear, yet was incomparably firm:
"President, I want to change..."
"Huh?"
Rias, who had just arrived, couldn't process it for a moment.
What happened all of a sudden?
"President, after what happened today, I've realized one thing. If I don't fight, I can't survive."
"President, from now on, I want to learn how to fight!"
"Huh?"
At that, Akeno, Koneko, and Yuuto all wore the exact same expression as Rias.
It had barely been any time at all, so how had Gasper changed this much?
If Rias hadn't been able to sense the reaction of the Evil Piece inside Gasper, she would have wondered whether one of her peerage members had been switched out for someone else.
The contrast before and after was just too extreme to take in all at once.
Still, Akeno quickly reminded her of something.
"Rias, Mr. Rod came here earlier, didn't he? Did he say something to Gasper?"
"...Maybe."
Rias calmed down a little.
Thinking back to the ruthless criticism Rod had given all of them before, it had felt brutally piercing at the time, yet afterward every word had proven true.
She had actually thought before about asking Rod to help persuade Gasper, but considering Gasper's ability to handle it, she had worried he might suffer a complete mental breakdown, so she shelved the idea.
She just hadn't expected that this attack would accidentally bring about the same result instead.
Even though she didn't know exactly what Rod had said, seeing Gasper willing to change still made her genuinely relieved.
After all, for someone with Gasper's potential, continuing to waste away in idleness really would have been too much of a pity.
"In that case, let's all train together on the weekends."
Rias reached out and, without thinking, began to stroke Gasper's hair.
But in the very next second, Gasper let out a shriek an octave higher.
"P-President, don't touch me...!"
Everyone: "..."
Forget combat training for now, he should probably first learn how to interact with people normally.
...
On the other side, Walburga couldn't understand Rod's earlier behavior.
"In truth, we didn't even do anything to that cross-dressing boy. The moment I led my people there, he lost control and activated his Sacred Gear on his own."
"He's cute, sure, but I really don't think someone like that has any need to change at all..."
Rod ignored her.
The truth was, his harsh criticism of Gasper had purely been because he wanted to say that line.
There was no one else around, so a little roleplaying was harmless enough.
At any rate, he'd had a great time saying it.
As for whether Gasper would actually change, Rod didn't really care.
After all, he wasn't some diehard swordplay enthusiast.
"You stay here. Don't wander around. If someone kills you, I'm not taking responsibility."
Gasper's time-stop effect had already passed, and soldiers from the three factions were now all over Kuoh Academy cleaning up the mess.
Every last one of them was furious inside. They had done absolutely nothing and still ended up being frozen by terrorists, leaving their higher-ups exposed without protection.
For people who had been carefully selected for their posts, that was an unbearable humiliation.
"O-Okay..."
Walburga answered in a small, fearful voice.
If she dared expose her identity here, she'd probably be turned into a pincushion in the next second.
Rod walked back into the conference room.
The people inside had clearly split into four distinct camps.
Aside from the three great factions, Katerea stood alone. Faced with the gazes of all the higher-ups from the three factions, her attitude on the surface remained composed and unyielding, though inwardly she was still a little nervous.
"My demand is just that. I can let bygones be bygones, but I must be allowed to return to the capital, Lilith, and be granted the right to stand in the next election for Leviathan Maou."
As soon as she finished speaking, she spotted Rod, and her heart gradually settled down.
Anyway, all she had to do was follow the plan step by step, just as they had arranged beforehand.
Hearing her demand, Michael and Gabriel chose to observe in silence, while Azazel fanned the flames from the side.
"Well, well, I never thought I'd live to see a scene like this. Hey, Sirzechs, why not just agree to her demands? I can already imagine how fierce the political struggle in your Underworld will become once she returns to Lilith."
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