The Rating Game against Riser Phenex had officially been scheduled for three days later.
While Grayfia returned to the Underworld to handle the preparations and formalities of the challenge, Rias was put in charge of hosting Keiji and Aizawa until the day of departure.
The house they were staying in was spacious and well-kept, carrying a mix of youthful lightness and demonic elegance. It was shared between Rias, Akeno, Koneko, and Kiba.
Out of pure convenience, Keiji and Aizawa ended up sharing a room with Kiba. Rias's Knight didn't seem to mind, though Aizawa mentally complained about all the expensive furniture and the complete lack of a proper futon.
The next morning, Rias gathered everyone in the main living room. The fireplace crackled softly while Akeno served tea to everyone with her usual sweet smile.
She formally introduced each of her peerage members to their two guests.
Akeno Himejima, her Queen; Kiba Yuuto, her Knight; and Koneko Toujou, her Rook.
Along with them were Asia Argento, her Bishop, and Hyoudou Issei, her Pawn — both of whom Keiji and Aizawa had already met back in the clubroom.
After the introductions, Rias patiently explained the Evil Pieces system.
"The King is the center of the group, usually a high-class devil. The Queen is the most versatile piece, combining the traits of all the others. Knights are fast and lethal. Rooks are strong and durable. Bishops amplify magical power. And Pawns… well, they're the wild cards. They can be promoted into any other piece with the King's permission, depending on the situation."
She crossed her arms and looked directly at Keiji, who was sitting on the couch, lazily flipping through a cooking magazine he had found on the table.
How could she even put it into words…
Keiji didn't seem even slightly worried about the upcoming Rating Game.
"You don't plan to train during these three days? I know a good place."
Keiji lifted his eyes, blinking slowly as if he'd just been pulled out of a daydream.
"Three days isn't enough to change anything through training, Gremory-san."
He replied in his usual idle tone, turning another page in the magazine.
Rias didn't back down, her small smile hinting at persistence.
"Then at least let me see what makes Grayfia trust you so much."
Akeno chuckled softly from across the room.
"I'm curious too~ After all, Keiji-kun is Buchou's new 'lover', right?"
Koneko just munched on a cookie silently beside Kiba, watching everything unfold.
Keiji raised an eyebrow and closed the magazine with a soft snap.
"Alright. Might as well. Could be a good way to pass the time."
At the very least, he thought it would be interesting to see how devils fought.
He turned his head toward Aizawa, who was sitting in the corner of the room with his arms crossed, looking like he was about to doze off.
"Come on, Aizawa-san."
The man opened one tired eye, looking toward Keiji.
"Me?"
"Of course."
Keiji shrugged at him, his expression calm but teasing.
"This isn't a vacation. Aizawa-san still needs to 'work', remember?"
Aizawa let out a long sigh, the kind that carried his years of accumulated fatigue.
Honestly, he'd planned to let Keiji handle everything while he just observed quietly. But that didn't sound very responsible.
And more importantly, he was worried that if he slacked off again, the system would stick him with another unpaid mission later as punishment.
"… Fine. Let's go."
Rias nodded, clearly pleased, and turned to her peerage.
"Then I'll gather the others. Once everyone's ready, we can start our trip."
[——]
Rias led the group up the steep mountain trail. The wind was cool, and the sound of swaying branches mixed with the crunch of gravel beneath their feet.
At the top, half-hidden among ancient trees, stood a wooden mansion. Though clearly old, it was remarkably well preserved.
"This house belongs to the Gremory Clan."
Rias explained as she glanced over her shoulder, the wind tossing her long red hair behind her.
"It's usually concealed with demonic power, blended into the human world's environment. But I released the barrier today so we can use it."
The mansion was spacious and welcoming, with the noble touch typical of the Gremory family.
The group nodded, still full of energy after the long climb. Well, almost everyone.
A few meters behind, Issei stumbled up the path, his face red and his body trembling with exhaustion, dragging the luggage over his shoulders.
"Buchou… these bags… are way too heavy…!"
No one paid much attention. Akeno only smiled playfully, Koneko kept her usual blank expression, and even Aizawa, the only human present, was in better shape than Issei, who had already become a reincarnated devil.
Rias reached the door first and pushed it open, allowing everyone to dump their baggage in the main hall. The moment they finished, she turned and ushered them right back outside.
"Come on, we didn't come here to relax!"
Issei collapsed to his knees, completely defeated, sweating like he'd just run an entire marathon.
While the boy tried to catch his breath, Rias walked up to Keiji, who was standing on the veranda, quietly admiring the view.
"Since we have time," she said, "I want to see what you can do. How about a little training?"
Keiji raised an eyebrow, turning toward her.
"A spar, huh?"
"Exactly."
Rias replied with a confident smile.
Keiji gave a faint grin and nodded.
"No problem. How do you want to do it?"
As Rias considered her options, Kiba stepped forward. His eyes had been fixed on the zanpakutō at Keiji's waist since the beginning of the trip.
"Keiji-san is a swordsman, correct?"
He asked politely.
"Then please allow me to exchange a few blows with him, Buchou."
Rias nodded, pleased with the suggestion.
"Perfect. That way, I can evaluate Keiji's fighting style."
Keiji looked from her to Kiba, who was already taking position outside the mansion. His stance graceful and precise, the posture of someone who'd trained in fencing for years.
'Looks like he's got some skill.'
Before stepping out to face Kiba, Keiji passed by Aizawa and gave him a light pat on the shoulder. The man was sitting on a fallen log, clearly planning to spectate.
"Since you're a teacher, see if there's anything you can teach these kids after I'm done with them."
Aizawa let out a deep sigh without even lifting his head.
"... Do I have to?"
"Consider it a practical lesson."
Keiji chuckled softly as he walked toward the open field.
"Either way, they might learn something from this."
Aizawa gave a lazy nod, though his enthusiasm was nonexistent. He wasn't exactly sure what a "hero" instructor could teach a "devil", but he was starting to understand that he needed to see more than just someone's race before judging them.
Kiba smiled as Keiji finally stepped closer, holding a conjured sword that shimmered softly in the morning sunlight.
"I won't hold back, Keiji-san."
Kiba said, twirling his wrist with practiced grace and settling into his combat stance.
Keiji silently drew his zanpakutō, the clean ring of steel echoing through the air.
"Don't bother trying to."
Kiba's smile widened slightly before he dashed forward. With just a single, swift step, he closed the distance between them, his movement blurring like a flash of light.
The sound of air being sliced echoed as Kiba brought his sword down in a precise, descending strike.
As a reincarnated devil with the Knight piece, Kiba was naturally fast. His movements were sharp, and his longsword suited him perfectly. Light enough for rapid attacks, but long enough to prevent straightforward counters.
Kiba relied on these two things — agility and technique.
But to Keiji, that didn't mean much.
The clear ring of clashing steel filled the air as Keiji deflected the strike with a minimal movement. The tip of his zanpakutō turned slightly with a smooth twist of his wrist, redirecting Kiba's blade as easily as brushing aside a leaf in the wind.
In a duel between swordsmen, the winner was usually the one who grasped the rhythm and style of the opponent first.
Of course, when the power gap was too wide, technique and strategy stopped mattering.
That's why Keiji had the bad habit of relying less on refined zanjutsu and more on brute strength against opponents he didn't recognize; but that wasn't the case now.
Since he actually wanted to learn how devils fought, he needed to show some decorum, after all.
Kiba advanced again, alternating between thrusts and wide cuts, testing angles and trying to find an opening in Keiji's defense.
He was clearly giving it his all, his footwork was graceful, and his sword gleamed with every swing.
Even so, Keiji avoided every strike with almost no effort. Sometimes with his blade, sometimes just by shifting his body slightly out of the way.
It was almost like... he was acting as a mirror image of Unohana sword style.
"You've got good acceleration, but your top speed's still too slow."
Keiji said idly, blocking another strike.
Kiba didn't reply, but his steps grew faster. The leaves around them stirred from the pressure of his swings, and sparks flew when their blades met.
Rias watched intently, her arms crossed as she analyzed the contrast between her Knight and Keiji.
"He's toying with Kiba, isn't he?"
Aizawa, standing behind them, was the one who answered.
"He's testing the kid's skill."
It was just that… the difference in ability between the two was so vast that Keiji's "testing" looked more like intimidation.
Kiba jumped to the side, spun around, and launched a quick sequence of three diagonal slashes. Keiji blocked all of them with a single swing, the sharp clang of steel echoing, and then pushed Kiba back with a simple motion, throwing off his rhythm.
"You've got some good moves, Kiba-san. But it seems like you've got the wrong idea about what a fight really is."
Keiji commented, raising his sword back to a neutral stance.
Kiba steadied his posture and took a deep breath, trying to regain focus.
"What do you mean by that?"
Keiji looked at him with the same idle expression.
"Your sword is naïve. I'm stronger, faster, and my technique's better. Against someone like that, you shouldn't be facing them head-on."
Keiji pointed the tip of his zanpakutō at Kiba, not even bothering to look for an opening.
With the difference in power between them, any movement he made would be more than enough.
"You fight with honor, but you're weak. If you keep that up, you'll never beat anyone stronger than you."
That meant Kiba's "sword" would only ever be capable of defeating the weak.
In that case…... what honor would be left for Kiba as a swordsman?
Kiba clenched his teeth, his eyes sharpening with determination.
Keiji relaxed his stance but continued speaking.
"Use the advantages you have. Like that Sacred Gear of yours."
Keiji had taken a particular interest in the Sacred Gears.
Ever since Grayfia explained the concept, his curiosity had been piqued. Sacred Gears were items infused with powerful abilities, created by the God of the Bible and granted to humans to give them strength and potential when facing or interacting with other supernatural beings.
But there was still something Keiji didn't understand. If the God of the Bible had created those relics to protect and empower humans, why allow them to fall into the hands of the devil race?
'Even if it's through the Evil Pieces… it still feels wrong.'
Kiba, for instance, had originally been a human born with Sword Birth, a Sacred Gear that granted him the ability to create countless demonic swords, each with its own unique attributes and properties. Yet, even after being reincarnated as a devil, he still retained that Sacred Gear.
That was part of why he chose to training with Rias's peerage.
If the reward for this mission worked the same way as the emergency one before… Keiji wanted to push his options for something that suited him better.
And Kiba's Sacred Gear looked like a good place to start.