We made it back to my room before either of us spoke again.
The moment the door closed, Kalawarner collapsed into the chair by my desk, laughing with the relief that comes after surviving something impossible. I leaned against the door, letting my carefully maintained composure crack.
"I nearly pissed myself in front of her" Kalawarner said between gasping laughs "When she implied you might have compulsion abilities. I was this close—" She held up her fingers apart "—to revealing her everything"
"But thankfully, you didn't" I said, pushing off the door and moving to collapse on my bed "You navigated the conversation perfectly. You didn't disappoint me with the outcome"
"Only because you kept signaling me" She wiped tears of joy from her eyes "How did you stay so calm? She's a fucking Satan! I've served under Azazel for years, and still I shook in presence of her"
"I wasn't calm..." I admitted, staring at the ceiling "I was terrified the entire time, not for my life though. So I faked confidence until it became real enough to stay sane and make it to the other end"
"You see, difference between fake confidence and real one is..."
"None"
I sat up, retrieving the amber vial from my desk drawer.
I tossed it to her. She caught it reflexively, staring at the liquid with something approaching wonder.
"Thank you," she said, and the sincerity in her voice caught me off guard.
"Well, You earned it" I shrugged, trying to downplay the moment "Holding up under that kind of pressure isn't easy. You did a good job"
She uncorked the vial without hesitation and downed the contents in one go. The effect was immediate and visible. Her posture straightened as power flooded her system. The amber light from the potion briefly outlined her form before sinking into her skin. When she opened her eyes, they glowed with energy.
"Oh?!" she breathed "Oh, this is..."
She stood, and the movement was greatly amplified. She crossed the room in a blur of speed I could barely track, stopping inches from my face.
"This is incredible!" she said, her voice carrying an edge of excitement I'd never heard before. "I feel like I could take on a mid-tier devil and actually win"
"The boost is proportional to base capabilities," I explained, fighting the urge to step back from the intensity in her eyes. "For a Fallen Angel, it should push you well above your normal limits. Lasts five minutes, followed by about an hour of muscle cramping."
"Still worth it!" She laughed, spinning away to test her enhanced reflexes. Her wings manifested, spreading wide "I haven't felt this strong since before I was assigned to this pathetic surveillance mission"
I watched her test the enhanced speed, the improved strength. Genuine joy radiated from her in a way I hadn't seen before. For a moment, she wasn't a captured Fallen Angel under my service.
The enhancement began to fade after the five-minute mark. She dismissed her wings, settling back into the chair with a satisfied sigh.
"I can see why you warned about the cramping though. I can already feel it starting"
"Drink water" I said.
She nodded, then her expression shifted to something more serious "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure"
"Why are you still keeping me around?" She met my eyes directly. "You have Devil protection now, Serafall's protection! You could release me from whatever binding you think you had to negotiate with Azazel. But you haven't. Why?"
I considered lying. Deflecting. But something about the way she'd held up during the meeting, the genuine gratitude for the potion, made me want to be honest.
"Because I need someone who understands what I'm building towards" I said slowly "Devils have their politics. They'll use me as a resource, a tool to be exploited for political advantage. You?" I shrugged "You just want to survive. Same as me. That makes you more reliable than any ally playing supernatural chess"
She absorbed that information in silence.
"You're collecting only weak individuals though" she said finally, her tone thoughtful "Me. Asia. People who've been discarded by the systems that were supposed to protect them. Why?"
I replied "Everyone focuses on the strong ones and misses the potential of others. You're a Fallen Angel who's probably been overlooked for promotions, stuck on low rank missions. Asia's a nun with a Sacred Gear so valuable she was excommunicated for using it on the wrong individual. Both of you have capabilities that exceed your current positions"
"And you plan to exploit that?" She asked with a smirk.
"I only gave you both reasons to choose staying" I corrected "There's a difference. Exploitation implies I'm taking without giving. I'm offering partnership. Protection. Resources. A chance to be more than what your factions decided you were worth"
Kalawarner stood, crossing to where I sat. For a moment, I thought she might just look away in silence. Instead, she pulled me into a kiss, taking me by surprise.
She pulled back, studying my face with an intensity that made me uncomfortable.
"What the fuck?"
"I wanted to see if you'd accept me like you said..." she interrupted "If offered something freely, would you accept it? Or would you maintain your boundaries even when tempted?"
I stood up, moving to the window "I think you should put it slowly in your mind the fact that I am a leader now, so I can't afford to fall for temptations so easily"
"Life isn't fair either, didn't you said that?" She didn't sound annoyed, just curious of why I didn't proceed with her advances "You keep me at arm's length, even while offering support to your potions brewing. Why? Am I not seductive enough in your eyes?"
"No, that's not true" I said bluntly "I just, don't want to cross that line until I'm certain it's genuinely what you want, not what you think you need to do to survive"
For a moment, she looked at me as if I was joking but then she laughed as I was stood proud on my words "Either You're too cautious or too oblivious of what you should be doing when a girl approaches a guy like this"
"Probably both" I turned to face her "But it's best we not jump into that stuff, until we know each others better, don't you agree?"
"Fair point" She settled back into the chair "For what it's worth... I don't know if I'm here by choice or fear either right now. But I'm starting to think it might not matter. Choice, fear, survival, they're all just reasons to stay. The result is the same anyway"
Honestly, I didn't have an answer for that.
We sat in comfortable silence for a while until the weight of the day's events settled over us.
"I can hear Asia humming, could it be she done cooking?" Kalawarner said while looking at the door "While you were preparing for the meeting. She was cooking something The scene was... jarring"
"She insisted on making dinner for everyone tonight," I replied "Said we should eat like a family"
"A family?" Kalawarner's voice carried part amusement and disbelief "A human Sacred Gear user, a captured Fallen Angel, and an excommunicated nun. What a perfect family picture!"
"Still far better than most families I know" I said, only half-joking.
She stood, stretching as the potion's aftereffects fully kicked in. She winced "That cramping is no joke. I'm going to need that water now"
She walked away until she paused at the door "Thank you. For the potion. For keeping your word. For... everything, I suppose"
"You held up your end" I replied "I hold up mine. Don't think too much of it"
After she left, I collapsed back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling.
One meeting with a Satan, and my life had gotten far more complicated. Protection from Azazel, yes. But also a target on my back from "other interested parties" that Serafall don't have to warn about.
The Styx Touch was like my leverage invested and I need to create more potions, better potions, if I wanted to maintain any value. And I knew I wasn't going to missing on new set of customers who will throughouly enjoy my products.
Stonks of my potions gonna rise my popularity in every faction out there.
And hanging over it all, the fact that they still didn't know what my Sacred Gear actually did. Truly a life that I always wished for.
The smell of cooking drifted up from the kitchen, as I decided to see in person Asia making good of her dinner promise.
I dragged myself off the bed and headed downstairs. Might as well face the domestic complications before they multiplied.
Just another chapter in Motohama's paradise.
---
[ Kuoh Town ]
The abandoned building stood against Kuoh's sky, windows shattered and walls crumbling from years of neglect.
Inside, a boy maintained his vigil.
Gram hung at his waist in its semi-manifested state, demonic power radiating in waves that made the moonlight refract strangely around him. Silver-white hair caught the dim illumination, making him look like a Marvel Villain, despite the stillness of his laid back posture.
The blonde girl perched on a windowsill nearby, swinging her legs cheerfully while creating small holy swords that dissolved into light particles after a few seconds.
The contrast between her bright demeanor and the discussion of potential violence should have been jarring, but boy had long since grown accustomed to her display of disagreement.
"So, Sieg-kun" she said, her voice bright with false cheer "What did you think of that overwhelming magical signature earlier?"
"Satan-class power..." Siegfried replied, holding a crystal which glowed blue in his grip until it shattered "Serafall Leviathan, specifically....The ice-aspected magical signature is distinctive. You should know why she would be here, Jeanne"
Jeanne tilted her head, her gaze following the falling remains of crystal "Having a nice long chat with our mysterious Sacred Gear user. How exciting!"
"Are you an idiot, Jeanne? It's going to complicates matters" Siegfried's eyes never left the direction of the school "We can't simply be involved with the target if he become a devil. Remember Cao Cao doesn't know it yet. I bet he will get mad at us for fooling around after finding out that we failed to recruit him"
"Then we should make our move fast!" Jeanne suggested brightly. "Snatch him before the Devils solidify their claim. Cao Cao would appreciate the initiative~"
"And start a war with the Devil faction over a Sacred Gear we haven't even confirmed the capabilities of yet?" Siegfried shook his head "Inefficient. We should observe him first. Assess the threat level and gauge his potential value. Then decide whether recruitment or elimination serves the Hero Faction's interests better"
Jeanne pouted, but her eyes gleamed with growing interest "You're no fun, Sieg-kun. But I suppose you're right. Can't have a proper purging without all the information!"
She hopped down from the windowsill, moving to stand beside him. Together they stared toward Kuoh Academy, two unknown predators sizing up their potential prey.
"Our informer in Kuoh reported he eliminated multiple Fallen Angels in just a span of week of awakening his sacred gear" Jeanne mused "That's impressive for a human Sacred Gear user. Most would struggle against even one, unless they possess a Longinus..."
"The reports also said he captured one alive and convinced her to serve him" Siegfried added "That suggests, he possesses a very powerful one"
Jeanne clapped her hands together "He would be fun to fight against! Or maybe he's just really, really scary~"
"Either way, he demonstrates capabilities beyond ordinary Sacred Gear users" Siegfried's hand rested on Gram's hilt, the demon sword pulsing with recognition "Which means he warrants investigation and potential recruitment in our faction"
"Should we contact Cao Cao?" Jeanne created another sword, shaped like a rapier "Let him know we've found something interesting?"
"Not yet" Siegfried's eyes narrowed "Cao Cao is occupied with other matters. This one is our responsibility to deal with, Jeanne. We will gather intelligence, assess his capabilities and wait for our opportunity"
"So we just... watch?" Jeanne sounded disappointed.
"For now, Yes" Siegfried said "You monitor during school hours. I track his evening movements. We would document everything, his power usage, and allies" Siegfried's grip on the Gram tightened slightly "Don't act recklessly. The Hero Faction's purpose is challenging supernatural existences to protect humanity and testing the absolute limits of human power"
Jeanne hummed thoughtfully, the sound incongruously cheerful given the context "You know, Arthur would probably just charge in and challenge him-"
Siegfried's expression darkened at the mention of his formal rival "Arthur follows his own methodology. I prefer tactics over unthoughtful actions"
"You miss having him as an opponent though~"
"I miss having a worthy rival who shared the Hero Faction's values" Siegfried corrected "His decision to join the Vali Team was... disappointing"
"I know he would regret choosing a different path!" Jeanne's tone stayed bright despite discussing what amounted to betrayal "But that's okay. We'll show him that the Hero Faction was the right choice all along, when we succeed in our mission~"
Siegfried didn't respond, his attention was fixed on the distant home.
Somewhere in that building, a Sacred Gear user with unknown capabilities and Devil protection was becoming a new piece in the supernatural balance of power. Whether that served humanity's interests or threatened them remained to be determined.
The moonlight caught Siegfried's silver-white hair as he disappeared into the night with Jeanne, leaving behind shadows and the faint residue of demonic power in his wake.
. . .
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