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Time returns to the present. The battle in the church has ended.
Black crow feathers drifted down like a shower of petals.
Asia, her nun's headscarf removed, lay dazed in the young man's arms under the moonlight. Her small mind was still struggling to process the rapid succession of events that had just occurred.
It wasn't until Hanakain Reiji's voice drifted down from above that she reacted.
"Come back to us. You're safe now."
"Mmm..."
As if her consciousness had been pulled back from another world in an instant, the nun first gave a slight tremor and her eyes regained their clarity. Then, after quickly scanning her surroundings, she finally realized her current situation.
Her pale little face instantly flushed, slowly turning red like a boiling kettle, with white steam practically hissing from her head.
"I-I-I-I-I'm so sorry! And... thank you, Hanakain-san, for saving me..."
Asia scrambled frantically out of the young man's embrace, bowing, apologizing, and repeatedly thanking him all at once.
At the same time, Rias and Akeno Himejima walked in from behind, stopping behind Hanakain Reiji with Koneko Toujou, all curiously sizing up the blonde nun before them.
Although the Underworld and Heaven had fought nearly to the death during the Great War, and had since maintained a policy of mutual non-interference, that was only the macroscopic situation.
When broken down to the individuals within the two factions... they fundamentally held no great enmity toward each other.
At the very least, they certainly wouldn't fight to the death just upon meeting.
If a mutual bloodbath did occur upon meeting, it was usually only due to extremists like Freed.
"This child... is she the nun you encountered this morning, Reiji?"
Rias focused her gaze, seeming to realize something instantly, and spoke out with slight surprise.
"Mhm, yes."
Hanakain Reiji picked up the fallen nun's headscarf from the ground again, turned, and waved it toward the three girls behind him in a gesture.
"This morning, I just picked it up like this, and then..."
No, no, no!
Seeing the young man holding the holy relic and moving to approach, the girls simultaneously retreated a large step, their faces sporting a mix of rejection and polite smiles.
That was a nun's attire blessed by Holy Light. For a Low-Class Devil, having that thing slapped in their face was equivalent to being hit by a 3-million-volt electric fly swatter.
Even for a pure-blood Devil like Rias, while it wouldn't cause any substantial physical harm, it would still be highly uncomfortable.
It would be roughly equivalent to someone who hates luosifen (snail noodles) having their hair washed with it.
Thus, Hanakain Reiji's action of brandishing the holy relic was, in the girls' eyes, essentially like someone proudly digging up a massive lump of feces with their bare hands and enthusiastically trying to force them to look at it up close.
It was just... how should one put it?
Quite explosive in every sense of the word.
"I'm sorry..."
Asia's voice softly rang out.
The girl lowered her head, her fingers intertwined and placed over her chest.
"I lied to Hanakain-san this morning. I am no longer a nun. Asia is... a Heretic Nun."
"Huh?"
Heretic Nun?
Hearing this term for the first time, Hanakain Reiji was somewhat perplexed.
He knew about Stray Devils and Lost Priests, but those were based on the premise that the latter two had a certain degree of combat power, had abandoned their original faith, and would bring chaos to society.
But a nun... didn't they lack combat power? How heretical could a nun be?
This isn't the Warhammer world.
"Yes."
Asia nodded gently and continued.
"I was an orphan abandoned by my parents and raised by the Church since childhood. Because I possess the ability to heal humans and Angels, I was established as a Saintess by the Church. But in an accident, I discovered that my healing ability was also effective on Devils..."
The girl extended her hands. A faint green glow radiated from her palms, and a pair of rings appeared on her middle fingers.
"Isn't that the Peerless Sacred Gear, 'The Smile of the Holy Mother'?"
Rias exclaimed in surprise, also noticing the pair of rings on Asia's fingers.
"If that's the case, it's not surprising. Because a Sacred Gear itself has no alignment distinction. Angels, humans, Devils, or Fallen Angels can all use Sacred Gears, and naturally, their effects work on all factions."
"I know, but... some things cannot be explained away."
Asia's face, which usually carried a faint, healing smile, took on a hint of bitterness when discussing this topic.
"It was because of this that I came all the way from Northern Europe to Japan, hoping to find a remote church that the Church wouldn't discover so I could continue being a nun. Even Raynare told me that we are believers abandoned by God, but if we pass the trials God gives us, we can return to God's embrace."
"You believed her bullshit."
Hanakain Reiji shrugged.
"If God were truly so perceptive, He should have intervened when that crazy priest was slaughtering civilians. He should have manifested to clarify things when you were falsely accused as a heretic. And He certainly wouldn't have let the Fallen Angel almost steal your Peerless Sacred Gear... With a useless God like that, you might as well believe in me instead."
"Mhm! That's what I think too!"
The nun nodded vigorously, stepped forward, and faced him. In a posture that was almost chest-to-chest, she stated firmly.
Hmm?
Now it was Hanakain Reiji's turn to show a question mark.
Wait, what did the nun just say?
He thought he might have misheard, but Asia's voice continued.
"When I was abducted by the Fallen Angel, I cried out to Hanakain-san for help, and Hanakain-san truly came to save me. So, from now on, Asia is the Hanakain family's... No, Asia is Reiji-san's only believer!"
Although she still used the "san" honorific, the prefix had already transitioned from his surname to his given name, "Reiji."
"Ara, ara~"
Akeno Himejima, behind them, placed a hand on her face and let out her usual catchphrase.
And Rias, next to her, raised her hand to her forehead with a look of helplessness.
"Honestly, she's willing to go to such lengths for someone she only met this morning and has barely spent a few minutes with. She truly is..."
"Is the President jealous?"
The long-haired, high-ponytail girl suddenly tilted her head and interjected.
This caused the red-haired girl to stiffen instantly, and she quickly became flustered: "Huh? No... Of course not! Akeno, what are you saying?!"
"Heh heh heh~ Just kidding."
Akeno Himejima gently chuckled, concealing some expressions she didn't want others to notice.
Hmm, how should I put it... Actually, she was a little jealous too.
"Don't worry."
Koneko Toujou suddenly spoke, looking straight ahead.
"If President Rias or Senpai Akeno were in danger, Senpai Reiji would help them out too."
"Eh?"
"Uh..."
The two girls, who had been joking and laughing, immediately stopped. Although they had just been kidding around, their eyes unconsciously turned toward the young man in front of them.
Sensing their gaze from behind, Hanakain Reiji turned to look back.
"Right, Senpai Reiji?" the white-haired girl added.
"Mhm, of course."
Hanakain Reiji thought for a moment and added another sentence.
"That includes you too, Koneko."
"Mmm... Even if Senpai Reiji says that, I won't be happy (slightly blushing)."
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