"Eh!? I, um…"
Ravel immediately panicked, a pink blush spreading across her cheeks, her hands flailing nervously in front of her as if unsure where to place them.
"Ravel is here temporarily on a training proposal from the Phenex family. She just completed her enrollment procedures today, and she'll be staying with us starting tonight."
Rias's expression was… complex. Her hand covered her lips, her cheeks trembling as she tried to suppress her laughter.
"Y-Yes, b-because in the last battle, I realized... my own shortcomings. So I followed my father's advice and t-temporarily came under Lady Rias to train. F-from now on, I'll be in your care, Lord Vitan. P-please look after me."
Even though Ravel was extremely nervous—one might even say flustered—she still maintained the graceful posture of a noble lady.
She lightly lifted the sides of her skirt with both hands, stepped back slightly with her left leg, and bent her knees in a respectful curtsey.
"Taking care of you? That's no problem at all."
Vitan's eyes had narrowed at some point. He was resting his face against his left hand, with his left leg crossed over his right.
To be honest, Ravel's appearance here, combined with the knowing glances exchanged between Akeno and Rias, made the reason fairly obvious.
In fact, this scene had even appeared in the original story.
What Vitan didn't expect, though, was that despite not giving Riser the beating he did in the original timeline, the Phenex family still sent their little firebird to him.
And judging from the situation, this little firebird didn't seem upset—in fact, she looked quite happy to be sent here.
Vitan let his thoughts drift for a moment before focusing back on the shy and hesitant Ravel.
"But Ravel, if you're asking like this, your sincerity seems a bit lacking."
Ravel, Rias, and Asia were instantly stunned.
Only Akeno immediately understood. When the two exchanged glances, a pleased smile bloomed on Akeno's face.
"T-Then how should I ask to show sincerity...?"
Afraid her etiquette had somehow offended Vitan, Ravel quickly became flustered after her momentary confusion.
"Ravel..."
Akeno gracefully stepped forward, walking behind Ravel, and placed her hands on both sides of Ravel's collarbone.
Rip—!
"In the human world, when a girl wants to ask for something or apologize, showing off her (beep—) is common practice."
As Akeno let out a cheerful laugh loud enough for everyone in the room to hear...
A large swath of creamy white skin, black lace, decorative edges, and a butterfly-style ribbon were revealed. Though the outfit looked shy, it was unexpectedly daring.
"Please no...!"
The little firebird's high-pitched cry probably echoed through the entire school building that day.
What came after was easily resolved. Though the little firebird was deeply embarrassed and indignant, in the end, she tearfully swallowed the bitter pill.
After all, being seen by the man she fancied wasn't that hard to accept, right?
Rias, like Sona, quickly reported the situation to her older brother Sirzechs.
After all, with a top-five-ranked Fallen Angel appearing, the situation was far beyond what Rias could handle on her own.
Especially since this time, Kokabiel's main target might be her and Sona.
"So, Vitan-kun, can I entrust Rias and Sona's safety to you?"
On the other side of the call, Sirzechs didn't show much concern for his sister's safety. Instead, he smiled calmly and made his request at a leisurely pace.
"That's not a problem. It can serve as a good training opportunity."
Vitan was just as confident in his own strength.
With his endless array of techniques and magic power on par with Ultimate-class devils...
He could confidently declare himself the strongest among all Ultimate-class devils.
Even against someone of Maou-level strength, he could at least stall them.
Kokabiel, who wasn't even at Maou level, posed no threat to him at all.
The only thing he really had to be wary of... was someone trying to steal his victory after he defeated Kokabiel.
"I see. Then I'll leave it to you. As for how hard you hit, or the consequences—Vitan-kun, you decide."
With a meaningful look on his face, Sirzechs ended the call.
"Looks like your brother is pretty mad this time. Otherwise, he'd never say something like that."
Sirzechs was known for his gentle and courteous demeanor. For him to say "regardless of consequences" showed that his fury had reached its peak.
"My brother's reaction is understandable."
Rias smiled softly, but soon her expression turned to concern.
"But what about you? Are you really okay fighting Kokabiel? He's lived for such a long time, after all."
As the saying goes, "Old foxes are the hardest to deal with."
Rias knew that with all his experience and battlefield instincts, Kokabiel wasn't someone to underestimate.
"No big deal. If he really was that smart, he wouldn't have come up with such a brainless plan."
Vitan shrugged with boredom, then picked up Rias—who had been sitting on a chair—and threw her onto the bed.
"If you have time to worry about that, you might as well help me relieve this kind of stress."
He grinned as he placed his hand on his belt.
"You're just...!"
Rias was stunned at first, but then gave a sultry smile, gently pulling on the tie at her chest.
That's the nature of devils—they indulge in their desires.
Though Rias had once been a shy and innocent girl, after being "trained" by Vitan over the past few days, she had already become addicted to these nightly passionate encounters and looked forward to them every day.
Three days later—
In the mountains behind Kuoh Town, under an ancient tree that stood 60 to 70 meters tall, with a trunk so thick it would take four or five adults to wrap their arms around it—
A young girl, about 14 or 15, with twitching white cat ears, closed her eyes.
White flames flickered faintly around her clenched fist, and then she suddenly punched the tree trunk.
Boom—!
The formless impact surged into the tree trunk. The exploding air currents began to stir and destroy its internal structure.
In less than a second, the towering ancient tree disintegrated into a sky full of sawdust, scattering across the world.