"That was so cool!"
The exclamation cut through the oppressive silence.
Yuuto's head snapped toward the source. Asia jerked, startled, both of them staring at the girl who'd summoned him—the one who'd been cowering behind the pillar moments ago.
She was practically vibrating with excitement now, eyes bright and cheeks flushed as she stared at Freed's frozen corpse.
"Thanks?" Yuuto managed, his confusion bleeding through every word. His brain struggled to process what he was seeing. She... enjoyed that?
The girl clasped her hands together, words tumbling out in a rush "That was incredible! The way you moved—the timing—the dramatic reveal with that water bat thing—and then that final execution!" She pressed her hands to her cheeks, eyes sparkling. "This is perfect! Absolutely perfect! I've been stuck on the climax of my manga for weeks, but this—this is exactly what I needed!"
Yuuto blinked. Then blinked again "Your... manga?"
"Yes!" She bounced on her heels, apparently having forgotten entirely about the massacre around them "I'm working on this dark fantasy action series, and the protagonist just confronted the serial killer antagonist, but I couldn't figure out how to make the final confrontation impactful enough, and then you—" She gestured wildly at him, then at Freed's corpse. "—you just gave me the most amazing reference material!"
She pulled out her phone, fingers flying across the screen "Can I use this? In my work, I mean? I won't use real names or anything identifiable, but the sequence, the choreography, the psychological element—it's gold! Pure gold!"
Yuuto's mouth opened. Closed. Opened again "Aren't you scared of me? Of what I just did?"
The girl paused, her manic energy dimming slightly. She glanced at the bodies of her servants scattered across the marble floor, and something genuine flickered across her face—grief, pain, anger.
"I was scared," she said quietly. "When that bastard—" She spat the word toward Freed's corpse with venom. "—killed my servants. Good people who worked for my family for years"
Her eyes lifted to meet Yuuto's, and there was determined look beneath the grief.
"But I'm not scared now. Not anymore." A blush crept across her cheeks as she continued. "Not when you're here to protect me."
Yuuto felt the weight that had settled in his chest after the execution lighten fractionally. She wasn't looking at him like he was a monster. She was looking at him like he was...
A protector.
Someone who'd avenged her servants and saved her life.
He turned toward Asia, the movement slow and deliberate. The blonde nun stood with her hands clasped in front of her, green eyes fixed on the blood-stained floor. She wouldn't look at him. Couldn't look at him.
"Asia," Yuuto said gently. "What are you going to do now?"
Her shoulders tensed at the question, but she remained silent.
"Are you going to return to the church?" He kept his voice neutral, nonjudgmental. "To the Fallen Angels?"
Asia's head snapped up, eyes wide with something that looked like shock. "I—" Her voice cracked "I don't—"
"Or," Yuuto interrupted softly, "you could come with me."
The words hung in the air between them.
Asia stared at him like he'd just spoken in a language she didn't understand. "With... you?"
Yuuto nodded. His mind was already racing ahead, calculating, planning. "The Fallen Angels—did they know you were coming here tonight?"
"No." Asia shook her head quickly. "Father Freed said it was a personal matter. He told me to maintain the barrier while he... while he..." She couldn't finish the sentence, eyes darting to the bodies again.
"Good." Yuuto felt tension he hadn't realized he was carrying release from his shoulders. "That saves a lot of trouble."
He turned to the other girl, who was still watching them with bright, curious eyes.
"If my master or anyone from the Gremory household shows up here," Yuuto said carefully, "don't tell them anything about this. Nothing happened here tonight. Understood?"
The girl's expression shifted into something sharper, more calculating. She nodded slowly. "Don't worry about it. I'll get everything covered up for you." Her lips curved into a small smile. "Won't tell anything to your master. I'll take care of the corpses too—my family has connections for this sort of thing."
Yuuto felt genuine relief wash through him "Thank you. I really appreciate—"
"But!" She held up one finger, that mischievous glint returning to her eyes. "You have to go on a date with me. A real one this time, not just making my ex jealous."
Yuuto couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips. After everything that had just happened, her shameless opportunism was almost refreshing. "Deal. I'll let you know when I get time for it."
"I'll hold you to that," she said, already pulling out her phone again, probably to contact whoever handled body disposal for wealthy families.
Yuuto turned back to Asia, extending his hand toward her. "Come on. Let's get out of here."
Asia stared at his hand for a long moment, green eyes uncertain and afraid. Then, slowly, hesitantly, she reached out and took it.
Her hand was small and warm in his. Trembling slightly.
Yuuto gave it a gentle squeeze, then activated his transportation circle.
Red light enveloped them both, and the blood-soaked mansion disappeared.
---
"Welcome to my apartment."
Yuuto gestured around the modest space as the transportation circle faded beneath them. Asia followed close behind, taking small, careful steps, her eyes darting around nervously.
"How is it?" Yuuto asked, trying to inject some warmth into his voice. "It's wonderful, isn't it?"
Asia's eyes widened as she took in the clean, organized space—so different from the cramped church basement she'd been staying in. A genuine smile broke across her face, the first real one he'd seen from her tonight.
"It's beautiful, Yuuto-san," she said softly. "Very... warm."
"Take a seat." Yuuto gestured toward the couch as he headed to the kitchen. "I'll treat you to a nice dinner. You must be hungry."
"Oh, no!" Asia waved her hands frantically, following him a few steps. "I can't impose such trouble on you! You've already done so much—"
Yuuto sighed, turning to face her with a gentle but firm expression. "There's no such thing as imposing between friends, Asia."
She froze. "Friends?"
"Yeah." Yuuto nodded, meeting her surprised gaze directly "Now wait here while I get something to eat for us."
He didn't wait for her response, turning back to the kitchen and pulling out ingredients. He could feel her staring at his back, could practically hear the thoughts spinning through her head.
Twenty minutes later, they sat across from each other at his small dining table. Yuuto had kept it simple—rice, miso soup, grilled fish, and some vegetables. Nothing fancy, but hot and filling.
Asia ate with an expression of pure bliss, savoring each bite like it was a five-star meal. Watching her, Yuuto felt that weight in his chest ease a bit more.
"Asia," he said after a few minutes of comfortable silence. "Why were you allied with the Fallen Angels? Knowing what kind of individuals they are?"
Asia's chopsticks paused halfway to her mouth. She set them down carefully, looking at her half-eaten rice.
"I..." She took a breath "I didn't have a choice, Yuuto-san."
And then, slowly, haltingly, she told him everything.
About growing up in the church. About discovering her Sacred Gear, Twilight Healing, and being symbolized as Holy Maiden. About the joy she'd felt, helping people, healing the sick and injured.
About the day she'd healed a wounded devil without knowing what he was.
About the church calling her a heretic. Exiling her. Turning their backs on the girl they'd once called a Holy Maiden because she'd shown compassion to the wrong creature.
About wandering, lost and alone, with nowhere to go and no one to turn to.
About the Fallen Angels finding her. Offering her shelter, purpose, a place to belong, even if that place was with beings who saw her only as a useful tool.
By the time she finished, her eyes were wet, though she stubbornly refused to let the tears fall.
Yuuto listened to every word, his expression carefully neutral even as something twisted in his gut.
How can someone even think of hurting her?
But he knew the answer to that. He'd lived long enough—in both lives—to understand that the world wasn't black and white. People did terrible things to each other for all sorts of reasons. Fear. Ignorance. Self-preservation. Religious doctrine.
Such is life.
'In the original timeline, Asia had been lucky. She'd met Issei, who'd been brave enough and stupid enough to charge into certain death to save her. Who'd awakened his Sacred Gear through sheer determination and rage at her unfair treatment'
'But what if Issei hadn't been there? She'd just been another casualty of the Fallen Angels' schemes'
She would have died. Alone. Used up and discarded.
Yuuto glanced at Asia, who was eating again, a small smile on her face despite the deep conversation, a moment ago. She looked... peaceful. Safe.
'What do I have to gain from all this?'
The question surfaced unbidden in his mind.
'The character cards, certainly. The quest rewards. The power that came with completing system objectives'
But if he was being honest with himself, truly honest...
If he didn't have the system, if he was just regular Yuuto Kiba with no abilities and no foreknowledge, would he have risked his life to save her?
The answer came immediately, and it wasn't comfortable.
No.
Not because he was evil or cruel. Not because he didn't care about people suffering.
But because he valued his own life. Because he was rational enough to recognize when a fight was unwinnable. Because he wasn't brave like Issei—wasn't the type to charge headfirst into certain death for someone he barely knew, no matter how kind they were or how unfair their situation.
Most people wouldn't. Most people would feel bad about it, might try to help in smaller, safer ways, but wouldn't actually put their life on the line.
Issei was special because he would. Because he was either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid—probably both—and that combination let him do things normal people couldn't.
Yuuto wasn't like that. He helped Asia because the system gave him the power to do so relatively safely. Because he knew how the story went. Because he had something to gain from it.
Did that make him a bad person?
He didn't know. He wasn't sure it mattered.
What mattered was that Asia was here, safe, eating dinner with a smile on her face instead of being drained of her Sacred Gear and left to die.
"Yuuto-san?"
He blinked, realizing Asia was looking at him with concern.
"Sorry," he said with a small smile. "Just thinking."
"Please forgive me," he said absent mindedly.
"Why are you apologizing?" She tilted her head, not knowing what internal battle he just went through.
"I just brought you here without even asking what you wanted to do," Yuuto said "I made that decision for you without your approval."
"No!" Asia shook her head frantically, nearly knocking over her soup. "It's alright, Yuuto-san! I... I trust you." Her cheeks colored slightly. "Besides, You're a kind person. I have faith in your ways."
Kind.
Yuuto almost laughed at that. He'd just tortured a man to death less than an hour ago. But he supposed from Asia's perspective, he'd saved her life and was now offering her shelter and safety.
Perspective can literally make you see hell or heaven in the very same thing.
"Thank you for putting your trust in me," Yuuto said sincerely "Get some rest. I'll think of a way to help you out of your situation."
Asia nodded, that small smile returning to her face.
After showing her to his bedroom, he'd take the couch tonight, Yuuto stepped out onto his balcony. The cool night air helped clear his head as he stared out at the city lights stretching into the distance.
'Freed and Raynare were out of the picture now. That left three Fallen Angels to deal with—Kalawarner, Mittelt, and Dohnaseek. Not particularly powerful individually, and with my current strength, I can take all three at once without much trouble'
He could go to the abandoned church right now. End them quickly. Come back without a scratch.
But that would create problems.
A lot.
If the Fallen Angels die, Asia would be left alone with him. And when he inevitably introduced her to Rias, questions would be asked. The timing would be suspicious. The fact that he just happened to come across her, right after all her Fallen Angel handlers mysteriously died, would raise red flags.
Rias would suspect he was involved in their deaths. She might not say anything directly, but she'd watch him more carefully. Put more restrictions on his activities. Start questioning his other actions, from that moment on.
That was the last thing he needed.
All Eyez on him.
No, what he needed was a plan that accomplished multiple objectives:
- Get Asia into Rias's peerage safely.
- Claim the character cards for defeating the Fallen Angels.
- Do it in a way that didn't raise suspicion about his involvement.
- Make Fallen angels their first move
The last point was crucial. The Fallen Angels wouldn't just give up on Asia. Twilight Healing was too valuable, too useful for their plans. Even with Freed dead, they'd keep trying.
Unless...
Yuuto pulled up his system interface, the familiar blue screen materializing in front of him.
[Character Card Available - Would you like to use it?]
He selected yes.
The card materialized, spinning slowly before settling to reveal its contents.
[Character Card: Izaya Orihara (Durarara!!)]
[Description: Master information broker and manipulator. Possesses genius-level intellect, exceptional manipulation skills, deep understanding of human psychology, and expert-level parkour and knife-fighting abilities. Known for orchestrating complex scenarios and playing multiple sides against each other for his own amusement.]
Yuuto stared at the description, feeling a slight disappointment. He'd been hoping for something with more direct combat power, another heavy hitter to add to his arsenal or some enchantment skill user. Nonetheless, he assimilated it and added to his skills and felt more brain cells getting more space to settle in.
But beggars couldn't be choosers, and complaining about free power was stupid. Besides, he had bigger problems to focus on right now.
He dismissed the notification and went back to staring at the city, mind churning through possibilities.
How could he get Asia into the peerage without suspicion? How could he deal with the Fallen Angels in a way that seemed natural, coincidental, not orchestrated by—
Movement caught his eye.
A crow. Perched on the railing of his balcony, black eyes gleaming in the darkness as it tilted its head to look at him.
'I got it!'
. . .
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