Chapter 74 - Ravel, what are you doing here?
Seeing Yuuto volunteer, Rias nodded, as she had intended for him to monitor Issei.
Among her peerage, Yuuto was the most suitable choice.
Ten minutes later, a dejected Issei and a warmly smiling Yuuto left the Occult Research Club, exiting the old schoolhouse to head to Issei's home.
Like Koneko's supervision of Asia, Yuuto would live at Issei's house for a time, monitoring him while teaching him to survive as a devil.
A touch of magic would adjust Issei's parents' perception, ensuring they'd accept Yuuto's presence.
Watching their departing figures, Roy felt a twinge of amusement.
In the anime, these two became close friends, but here, their bond formed under such odd circumstances.
Roy predicted that by tomorrow, rumors about Issei and Yuuto's "relationship" would sweep Kuoh Academy. Yuuto closely shadowing Issei would make them a focal point.
The rumour might even outshine Roy's own notoriety for arriving with Rias, Koneko, and Asia—three famous girls.
With plenty of fujoshi among the students, fan-made BL stories about the pair were likely imminent.
For now, though, the matter was settled.
Despite Issei's lecherous streak, he wasn't malicious.
With Yuuto's oversight, major issues were unlikely.
As long as Issei stayed alive, he could live normally.
If Roy found a way to remove the Evil Piece, Issei could return to being human.
"Rias, your peerage is stretched thin," Sona warned.
"Only Akeno's left to protect you. Is that enough? You need more members soon."
In the human world, high-class devils relied on their peerages for security.
While strong, they couldn't always be vigilant, and peerages covered their blind spots.
Koneko was tied up with Asia, and now Yuuto with Issei.
Rias giggled.
"I'm staying at Roy's place for now. With Koneko, Roy, and Asia around, I'm safe."
Sona gave Rias a surprised look, unaware she'd moved in with Roy.
Though tempted to pry, she held back—now wasn't the time for gossip.
She'd save it for a private moment.
"Rias, with Issei's matter resolved, I'll head out. The student council has tasks waiting," Sona said, leaving with her peerage.
The club's time was mostly free, with no pressing tasks.
"Roy, have you been to that abandoned church?" Koneko asked, pulling him aside to a corner.
Roy's expression flickered.
He'd visited the church shortly after arriving in Kuoh Town, encountering a Stray Devil.
Koneko's sudden question suggested she'd connected him to it.
"Yeah," Roy nodded.
Koneko's inquiry likely tied to the Stray Devil.
Roy had beaten them to it.
"Did you notice anyone suspicious there? Like a devil using fire, similar to Hell Fire?" Koneko asked.
Hell Fire?
"I recall something," Roy said. "I faced a Stray Devil, and it was my first time triggering my Sacred Gear."
He extended his hand, a blood red flame igniting in his palm. "This."
Koneko sensed it, noting its similarity. "It does feel like that power."
"Ddraig says I used flames to kill the Stray Devil."
"The strain and shock made me forget the next day. It wasn't until I fought fallen angels that I fully awakened the Boosted Gear and remembered, with Ddraig's nudge."
"Ddraig?"
She knew little about Sacred Gears, especially their mechanics.
"The red dragon emperor, one of the Two Heavenly Dragons, residing in my Boosted Gear," Roy explained.
"This flame is one of Ddraig's abilities."
Koneko studied him quietly. "So it was you."
Shiro had caught a familiar scent on Roy, matching one from the abandoned church's woods, prompting her question.
"Did you find the Stray Devil's body that day?" Roy asked, smiling.
"Yeah, but you'd burned it to death," Koneko said candidly.
Roy used a demonic sword from Yuuto to kill a Stray Devil, but at that time, lacking a weapon, he'd instinctively tapped the Boosted Gear's potential.
It added up.
"Our paths keep crossing in strange ways," Roy said, his tone suggestive.
"Maybe, even if I hadn't come to Kuoh Town, we'd have met someday and become friends."
"It was you!" Rias laughed.
"We spent ages trying to track you down, with no leads."
"Rias was worried a Phenex was lurking," Akeno chimmed in.
Realizing their mystery culprit was Roy all along left them amused at the misunderstanding.
"Fate, I guess."
"Definitely fate."
The next week passed quietly for Roy.
School and club activities proceeded as usual, with no major incidents.
Yuuto and Issei, however, became the talk of the school.
Their constant togetherness—arriving, leaving, and sticking close outside class—sparked rumors of an "improper" relationship.
Yuuto seemed oblivious, cheerfully training Issei, who, shaken by the clubroom confrontation, quit his lecherous trio and focused on studying.
Rias returned to the Underworld to tie up loose ends from her engagement's dissolution.
Akeno, ever the instigator, found living alone dull and moved into Roy's villa, charming her way in.
She quickly tamed Raynare and Mittelt.
Koneko eased off after confirming Asia's harmlessness.
With Rias and Akeno moving in, she resumed her usual rhythm, handling devil contracts and often working late.
One day, returning to the villa after school, Roy's group spotted a girl at the door.
Dressed in a noble gown, her long blonde hair styled in twin drill-like ponytails, she was petite, cute, and curvaceous for her apparent age.
"Ravel, what are you doing here?" Roy asked.
She was his ex-fiancée, Ravel Phenex, one of the first people he'd met after arriving in this world.
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