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Aside from the small detour on the way to school, the morning campus life remained peaceful.
Time quickly moved to the afternoon, and it was time for club activities again.
Before leaving the classroom for the old school building, Hanakain Reiji specifically checked his phone messages. Yesterday, on the way back after resolving the Special Grade Cursed Spirit situation, Saeko Busujima and he had exchanged contact information for future convenience.
He clearly expected that his ability to destroy Sukuna's fingers would surely garner attention and discussion from the Association after being reported.
However, since there were no messages even in the afternoon, the old fogeys at the Jujutsu Association probably hadn't finished their squabble yet.
Chances were, no surprises would happen today.
The perspective shifts to the old school building.
Just like yesterday, Rias, Akeno Himejima, and Koneko Toujou had already arrived in the familiar lounge. The three girls sat on the sofas flanking the coffee table, leisurely enjoying afternoon tea.
Hearing footsteps from behind, Rias was the first to look back, catching sight of the young man entering. A joyful smile immediately appeared on her beautiful face.
"Good afternoon, Reiji. Come, sit down..."
As she spoke, she lightly patted the sofa right beside her, indicating that Hanakain Reiji should sit next to her.
However, no sooner had the red-haired girl finished speaking than Akeno Himejima, on the opposite sofa, covered her face with one hand and let out a soft laugh.
"Ara, ara~ It really seems the President is fond of Reiji-kun. She always wants him to sit right next to her."
"W-What...?!?"
Completely surprised by the sudden comment from her friend and confidante, Rias was momentarily taken aback, and a faint blush quickly bloomed on her cheeks.
"You idiot... Akeno, what kind of strange thing are you talking about? It's simply because this spot is empty, so I told Reiji to sit here. You already have Koneko with you, Akeno. It would be too weird if Reiji sat next to you, looking like a boss reprimanding an employee."
"Ara, ara~ Is that really all there is to it?"
Akeno Himejima continued to smile, covering her face, yet for some reason, she slowly turned her head to look at the white-haired girl beside her.
Koneko Toujou: "..."
How to put it? Although Akeno-senpai usually gives off the vibe of a gentle older sister, when she looks down on someone with that expression, it always carries a strange sense of pressure.
And there's an old Chinese saying: "A wise man submits to circumstances..."
After less than a second of thought, the white-haired girl willingly raised her hand.
"Then I'll sit next to President Rias. Senpai Reiji, please come sit over here..."
"Oh, no, no, don't bother! Why make it so complicated?"
Seeing the young man about to be half-coaxed, half-pushed to sit on the other side, Rias stamped her foot and rose from the sofa, a look of frustration mixed with amusement on her face. She gestured with one hand for Koneko Toujou not to move, while her other hand reached for the sleeve of the young man, who was now standing next to the sofa.
"It's fine for today! Akeno, if you really want him to, Reiji can sit next to you tomorrow, okay? Honestly..."
Zap!
Like the static electricity built up in clothes during a dry winter suddenly discharging, a flash of white light exploded unexpectedly at the point where her finger met his sleeve. The red-haired girl, who was just speaking, instantly pulled her hand away.
"Huh? What was that..."
Rias didn't have time to ponder the cause, shaking her hand repeatedly as if she'd been burned.
It was Akeno Himejima who reacted first, standing up, her mouth slightly agape in surprise.
"That's... the power of Holy Light? Reiji, did you visit the church nearby today?"
"Huh? No, I didn't."
Hanakain Reiji looked just as bewildered.
He hadn't adopted any religion in his life, not even the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and he certainly hadn't gone to church to pray.
But he had encountered a little nun today... Wait?
"Ah, now that you mention it..."
The young man clenched his fist and struck his palm, recounting the encounter that morning on the way to school.
After hearing the story, Akeno Himejima leaned in again to carefully inspect the young man's sleeve.
"Indeed. Although it's just a residual trace, extremely faint even, this is certainly the power of the Church's Holy Light. It's harmless to humans and goes unnoticed if you brush against it, but it's an extreme restraint to us Devils. Even just getting close to places like a church can make a Devil uncomfortable. This must have been transferred to you when you helped that nun pick up her headscarf."
"Ah, my bad, my fault."
Having clarified the situation, Hanakain Reiji clapped his hands together apologetically, and at the same time, golden spiritual power surged around him, quickly evaporating the trace amount of sacred power that remained.
Meanwhile, Rias, now understanding the situation, sat back down. Recalling the incident, she pinched her chin and fell into thought.
"But that's very strange. Normally, those whose clothing is blessed by the Holy Light are high-ranking Church clergy—devotees with special power. Clergy of that level are usually kept in the Vatican, or at least in a major European church branch, where they serve as God's messenger, performing miracles and gathering faith from the populace. Their status is even higher than the Church's administrators. So why would such a high-ranking nun be assigned all the way to Japan?"
"I was curious about that too, and I asked a little, but she didn't seem willing to talk about it," Hanakain Reiji shrugged.
"More importantly, is your hand alright, Rias?"
"It's... Ugh, I wouldn't say it's completely fine, would I~"
The word "fine" that was already on her tongue was forcibly swallowed back. Rias, having quickly regained her composure, bit her lip and smiled. Mimicking Akeno's previous posture, she rested one hand on her face and extended her slightly reddened finger toward the young man.
"See? It's a little swollen now. I hear humans use saliva on injured parts to help them recover. Don't you intend to take responsibility, Reiji-kun..."
The girl's eyes grew more seductive, and her words were full of temptation. The tip of her extended finger was almost touching the young man's lips.
Just as the situation was about to gallop away in an uncontrollable direction, Akeno Himejima, on the opposite sofa, couldn't help but clear her throat.
"More importantly, President, haven't we still not gotten to the main business? Didn't we agree to wait for Reiji to arrive before discussing it together?"
"Ugh, Akeno, you really are..."
Her rare opportunity disrupted, Rias pouted slightly in displeasure, but said no more. She merely cleared her throat and sat up straight.
"Very well, business first—"
"Last night, we detected the presence of a Fallen Angel near Kuoh Academy."
"Although we don't know their specific identity or intentions yet, we should all be extra vigilant for the next little while."
Meanwhile, inside the church built on the side of the mountain northwest of Kuoh Academy, the afternoon sun streamed through the high, colored glass windows into the towering European-style ancient building.
A young woman with long hair and black, angelic wings stood on the high platform. Her scant, alluring clothing, which only covered the important areas, outlined her fierce and voluptuous figure.
She was giving orders to the few individuals below the platform.
"Is everyone clear? Our objective for this period is to eliminate all Devil presence in this city—leave nothing behind!"
"Understood!" x3
"Hi hi I've got it"
Although the replies were not entirely synchronized, they all conveyed affirmation.
The female Fallen Angel nodded in satisfaction. Then, with a light leap, she gracefully landed down from the high platform.
She walked over to a blonde nun among the group, who had her head bowed the lowest, raised the corner of her lips, and lightly licked them.
"You're okay with this too, right, Asia? Don't worry, the reason God gathered us, the exiled ones, here is for us to pass through various trials and ultimately earn the chance to return to God's embrace. Do you understand?"
"I... understand..."
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