The Hidden Research Club Room was enveloped in a dense silence, broken only by the delicate sound of porcelain being placed on the table.
Rias, now properly dressed, sat upright on the sofa, her hands clasped in her lap, her gaze fixed on Kazuya. There was gratitude in her eyes, but also a shadow of something harder to decipher. Across from her, Kazuya remained nonchalant, leg crossed, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth, as if everything that had happened was merely an insignificant detail.
Beside him, Nobunaga leaned back with a defiant posture, one arm resting on the back of the sofa. Her narrow, mischievous eyes scanned the room, making it clear to everyone who she believed was in charge. Her tone of possessive wife shone through even in her subtle gestures, like the way she rested her legs over Kazuya's, silently declaring, "He's mine."
Akeno, who had always harbored hostility toward him, seemed strangely tamed after being saved. She served tea with precise, almost reverent movements, standing behind Rias like a protective shadow. The constant smile she usually wore was absent, replaced by a serene expression that felt too unnatural.
On the other sofa, Kiba maintained a worried demeanor, observing Kazuya's every move with barely concealed tension. Beside him, Issei, clearly restless, clenched his fists on his knees, his gaze flickering between Rias and Kazuya as if unsure who to direct his anger or anxiety toward. Koneko, indifferent to it all, munched on her biscuits calmly, as if the entire scene were merely a spectacle she was privileged to watch.
The atmosphere felt on the verge of breaking when Rias finally spoke:
"Kazuya… I don't know how to thank you for what you did for me and my peerage. Without you, I don't know what would have happened…"
She paused for a moment, her hands tightening slightly, her eyes glinting with an uncomfortable sincerity.
"But even so… why did you help us?"
The room turned to him.
Kazuya sighed, leaning back on the sofa. His half-closed eyes reflected a weariness that wasn't physical but something deeper.
"It wasn't for you, Rias." His voice was firm, almost cold, shattering the expectation hanging in the air. "It was for the city… and for the innocents who would've been destroyed in the conflict. My mission has always been simple: protect humans and give them a life free from the weight of this rotten supernatural world."
He closed his eyes for a few seconds, the smile fading from his face.
"At least… that was the intention in the beginning."
The silence stretched, suffocating. Even Koneko's chewing stopped.
Rias leaned forward slightly, doubt etched on her face. Her voice came out softer than she intended.
"What did you mean by that…?"
Kazuya opened his eyes slowly. The blue in them seemed sharper than a blade.
"The situation I found you in…" He averted his gaze for a moment, fixing it on some random point on the table, as if reliving something he didn't want to. "The scene of you about to be violated by those fallen angels… it reminded me of something."
He paused, the atmosphere growing even heavier.
"And I simply acted in the way I thought was best."
Rias's eyes widened. Akeno gripped the tray she was holding tightly, her fingers nearly trembling. Koneko, for the first time, stopped chewing, her expression pale. It had been traumatic for them, and it would take time to heal.
The silence lingered for a while.
Nobunaga was the first to break the tension. She narrowed her eyes, her voice laced with cold irony.
"So, little Gremory girl… why did you call us here? Don't tell me it was just to say thanks. Surely there's something more, right?"
The room's attention shifted back to Rias. The redhead took a deep breath, her fingers intertwining in her lap until her knuckles turned white. Slowly, she leaned forward, bowing toward Kazuya and Nobunaga.
"Before anything else… I'm sorry."
The words dropped like a bomb.
Kiba blinked, confused. Issei's eyes widened as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Akeno nearly let the tray slip from her hands. Even Koneko stopped mid-bite, her biscuit frozen.
Rias continued, her voice firm but tinged with evident pain.
"In our last meeting, I was arrogant. I ignored your warnings, Kazuya. And… you were right about me."
Those words seemed to weigh heavier than iron. Rias's eyes glistened slightly, but she didn't look away.
"I am… a spoiled little girl who didn't understand the gravity of things. I wasn't responsible as the heir of the Gremory family. I thought just carrying my family's name was enough, without giving anything in return."
Her confession left the peerage in shock.
Kazuya raised an eyebrow, surprised for the first time in a long while.
Rias took a deep breath and gripped her hands tighter in her lap.
"And… thank you. You helped me escape my forced marriage. I never could've done it alone."
Kazuya blinked, the faint smile on his lips vanishing. Surprise. Again.
Activating his Omniscience, he delved into the layers of reality surrounding the redhead, and the threads of history unraveled like pages of an open book. Riser Phenex… dead. One of the many demons eliminated by Chaldea in their devastating campaign.
Rias had simply gotten lucky in that regard.
The blue of his eyes gleamed with newfound interest.
Something wasn't right.
The absence of Xenovia and Irina. In a world following an inevitable course, they should've been here. They should've been dispatched by the Church. Yet, nothing. It didn't take long for his Omniscience to reveal the answer: both had gone to visit Heaven.
Aside from Issei no longer having the Boosted Gear and Xenovia and Irina's absence, everything had unfolded almost identically to the original.
Kokabiel had only a few fragments of Excalibur, not all, which he handed to Valper Galilei, who fused them into a replica of the complete Excalibur, though it lacked much of the original's power. He gave it to one of the exorcists accompanying them, and both became targets of Kiba's vengeance. After completing his revenge, Kiba mourned the loss of his comrades, whose spirits emerged from the Light Container to encourage him. Absorbing the Light Container, Yuuto achieved his Balance Breaker: Sword of Betrayer, allowing him to create Holy Demonic Swords.
And then they were beaten, and the girls were nearly violated before he arrived.
So, that's what happened, huh…
Rias maintained her firm posture, even with teary eyes. The silence following her confession seemed to devour all the air in the room, and everyone waited for Kazuya's response.
He, however, merely tilted his head slightly, his half-closed eyes in contemplation. Finally, he sighed softly, as if weary of it all.
"You don't need to thank me, Rias," he said, his voice calm but carrying a weight that couldn't be ignored. "Nor apologize."
The redhead blinked, surprised, but Kazuya continued before she could speak.
"I also… need to apologize." A faint, ironic smile curved his lips, as if it were ridiculous to say this out loud. "Back then, I wasn't mature enough to handle the situation we were both in. And I was harsh on you…"
The unexpected words made the room hold its breath. Even Nobunaga raised an eyebrow, curious but silent.
Kazuya ran a hand through his hair, looking toward the window. His expression was distant, but his tone remained steady.
"I was bitter. Disturbed." A sigh escaped his lips, as if finally relieving an old burden. "I don't take back what I said about you back then… because you needed to hear it. But… I shouldn't have said it the way I did."
He then turned his gaze back to Rias, and his blue eyes were softer, almost human, for the first time.
"I acted like I was your friend. And then I threw all those cruel words at you. It's not something I'm proud of."
The tension in the room shifted. It was no longer oppressive but strangely vulnerable.
Rias's eyes widened, shock evident. That was the last thing she expected to hear from Kazuya. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.
Akeno clenched her fist against her chest, unsure if she felt anger, relief, or just confusion. Kiba lowered his gaze, absorbing the unexpected sincerity. Issei, meanwhile, seemed ready to explode, unable to accept Kazuya's calm demeanor.
And Nobunaga… Nobunaga just smirked, pleased with his honesty but keeping her sharp comment to herself.
Rias, finally, took a deep breath. Her lips trembled, but a small, fragile smile appeared.
"Kazuya…"
But before she could continue, he raised a hand, gently cutting off the conversation.
"We don't need to drag this out. The past… has already served its purpose."
The way he said it made it clear that, for him, this wasn't a new beginning… but a conclusion.
The silence still hung heavy when Kazuya slowly lowered his hand, his gaze fixed on Rias. There was something different now: not coldness, nor hostility… but a sharp neutrality, like the edge of a blade sheathed.
"You tried to turn me into your slave."
The statement cut through the room like an invisible blow.
Rias's eyes widened, and even Akeno held her breath. Kiba leaned forward, incredulous, while Issei clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white. Even Koneko, previously aloof, paused mid-motion, her biscuit halfway to her mouth.
Kazuya's tone didn't waver, remaining steady and calm.
"And you paid the price for it."
He leaned back on the sofa, crossing his arms, his leg swinging slightly with disdain. His gaze, though calm, carried an overwhelming weight.
"I got my revenge. Now we're even. You don't owe me anything, and I don't owe you anything."
Rias swallowed hard, feeling her heart tighten. Those words felt crueler than any accusation—not because they were filled with hatred, but because they were final, as if she'd never see him again…
Akeno took a step forward, almost instinctively, but found no words. Kiba kept his gaze down, disturbed by Kazuya's logical coldness. Issei, however, couldn't hold back.
"You… bastard!" he exploded, standing abruptly. His voice trembled with rage, his entire body poised to lunge. "How can you talk to Rias-buchou like that after everything?!"
The sound of Issei's verbal outburst reverberated through the room, shattering the suffocating atmosphere like broken glass.
And yet, Kazuya didn't move. He merely shifted his eyes to him, with the calm of someone looking at an unruly child.
"You don't understand anything, do you?" he murmured, his voice so low it still carried more weight than a shout.
The shock swept through the room.
Rias, standing, seemed torn between intervening or letting it unfold. Her heart raced, the past and present colliding before her eyes.
Issei breathed heavily, his fists trembling with rage. He couldn't take it anymore.
"You talk like you're the world's savior, but everyone knows the truth!" he spat, his face red. "You turned Rias's brother into a damned eunuch! You ruined her sister-in-law's face! You threw the demons to the bottom of the hierarchy! Everyone lives in fear that your faction will come and destroy what's left of them!"
The accusation echoed like thunder.
Kiba's eyes widened. Akeno bit her lip, faltering for a moment. Koneko, finally, set her biscuit down, staring at Issei as if he'd made a fatal mistake.
Kazuya sighed deeply, as if tired of hearing a child throw a tantrum. His gaze fell on Issei with absolute coldness.
"Idiot."
The word sounded like a verdict.
"That was the price for trying to manipulate me. They thought they could play with people like chess pieces… and I just returned the favor. If you really think that's cruel, know that I was still kind."
Issei was breathless, ready to retort, but Rias raised her hand. Her firm, sharp voice silenced him.
"Enough, Issei."
She took a deep breath, her eyes teary but unwavering.
"He's right. The demons' arrogance always had a price. And this… was ours."
Her confession left everyone speechless.
Then, the redhead raised her gaze to Kazuya. Her voice came out almost as a whisper, laced with contained desperation.
"Will I ever see you again?"
The words echoed through the room, drawing gasps of surprise. Her heart pounded, dreading the answer.
Kazuya stared at her for a few seconds, his gaze neutral, cutting deeper than any direct rejection.
"No," he said finally. "Most likely, no. This meeting was our last chance encounter…"
Rias shuddered, as if struck by an invisible blow.
Then Nobunaga scoffed, an ironic smile curling her lips.
"Maybe not… Didn't you know, little girl? Serafall Leviathan is set to become Kazuya's wife. A political marriage."
It seemed the demons hadn't yet announced the marriage and were waiting for something…
The shock was immediate. Kiba's eyes widened. Akeno nearly let out a gasp of disbelief. Even Issei choked, unable to react.
Rias, however, only tightened her hands in her lap, feeling the world crumble and rebuild itself in her silent obsession.
Kazuya raised an eyebrow, emotionless.
"If I accept, of course. But yes… even if I do, it's very likely we'll never see each other again."
Rias closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. When she opened them, there was fire in her gaze, a determination born of desperation.
"Then I'll train. I'll get stronger. And when that day comes… I'll come after you."
A heavy silence fell.
And then Kazuya smiled, a brief, sharp smile like the glint of a blade.
"Do as you wish."
He stood, stretching lazily, as if none of it mattered. Nobunaga followed, rising with the same possessive wife posture.
"Well… we've lingered long enough."
A moment later, a flash of light filled the room. Kazuya and Nobunaga vanished, leaving only silence and suffocating emptiness behind.
Rias remained still, her heart racing. Her eyes fixed on nothing, but her decision was already made…
She would go after him, even if it meant crossing worlds…
____________________
(A/N: I hope you enjoyed this final conversation between Kazuya and the Occult Research Club. I'm trying to gradually mature Kazuya, so he's more normal compared to when he was reborn, a bit crazy with ideas. I hope I'm on the right track to making him more likable; Tensura will be more enjoyable this way ~
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