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The scene shifts—now afternoon.
In the Occult Research Club at Kuoh Academy, Bokue Keikain, having just arrived with Asia, stares silently at the two Holy Sword wielders—one with orange hair, the other with blue—seated on the sofa, his expression pensive.
"So you're saying you two, Xenovia and Irina, have decided to leave the Church together?"
"Well~ to put it simply, yes. By next semester, Xenovia and I will be enrolling here together."
Already dressed in Kuoh Academy's uniform, Irina smiles somewhat awkwardly as she glances back at Bokue.
The entire situation was indeed rather complicated.
Initially, her plan had been to accompany Xenovia all the way to the airport, see her board the plane, and then turn around herself. However, Irina had never anticipated Xenovia having the exact same thought. The result was both girls standing in front of the boarding gate, staring at each other wordlessly, neither willing to take another step forward. After a frank exchange, they realized they'd both planned the exact same thing.
Problem solved, then.
"Honestly, I didn't expect things to turn out this way," Xenovia says, equally dressed in the school uniform, holding her forehead in slight disbelief. "I had thought Irina's faith was stronger than mine, even expecting her to scold me when she found out."
"What's that supposed to mean…"
Irina's mouth twitches slightly. Clearly, she'd never thought she had left that sort of extreme impression on her partner.
Before she can respond further, Xenovia turns to Bokue at the clubroom entrance.
"I suppose you deserve some credit for helping talk sense into her, Bokue Keikain."
"No no no! There was no persuasion at all…!"
At the mention of persuasion, Irina jolts up from the sofa as if stepping on a cat's tail.
Her sudden exaggerated reaction leaves Xenovia confused, turning to blink blankly at her.
"There wasn't?"
"Of–Of course not! All we did was just have dinner together last night!"
Irina flushes bright red, stammering uncontrollably.
But even so, this small piece of information is enough for Rias, sitting on the opposite sofa, to catch something critical.
Instantly, one of the red-haired girl's eyebrows rises sharply.
"Dinner? What's this all about, Bokue? Didn't you say you were going home to eat last night?"
"Ah, well, you could say it was a coincidence."
Bokue shrugs.
Indeed, his original plan had been to return home for dinner last night, but he didn't expect Irina would intercept him just after he'd sent Rias back to the old school building. It was normal for childhood friends who hadn't met for years, and who would be parting ways again soon, to have dinner together.
He just hadn't anticipated things would swiftly escalate from dinner to something even more intimate.
"It's actually my fault!" Irina says, scratching her hair nervously. "Last night, when Bokue was about to go home, I was the one who pulled him along to have dinner, it wasn't his idea—"
"Irina Shidou-san, I wasn't asking you. I was asking Bokue, alright?"
Before Irina can finish her explanation, Rias interrupts her flatly, her slightly lowered turquoise eyes clearly flashing with annoyance.
Naturally, Rias knows Bokue wouldn't casually brush her off about something like this. Honestly, she just wanted to tease him lightly about it.
But what on earth was this childhood friend doing, actively jumping out to explain the situation—this entire attitude was practically screaming "mistress covering for a cheating husband"!
A brief silence lingers. After a moment, Rias presses her forehead with her hand, sighing quietly.
"Anyway, back to the point. Since the two of you have chosen to leave the Church, you've essentially betrayed your previous faction. Now, coming here, are you planning to abandon your identities as Holy Sword wielders and reincarnate as devils?"
"Eh? Ah... no, that's not it."
Irina quickly shakes her head in response.
"I'll still stay human. I'm mostly here because Xenovia wanted to come. Ah right—Xenovia, why exactly did you want to come here?"
"I have two reasons for coming today."
Standing up from the sofa, Xenovia first turns towards Asia, standing beside Bokue at the clubroom entrance, and bows deeply at a ninety-degree angle.
"The first thing is to sincerely apologize to you, Asia Argento-san. I'm sorry for my previous behavior—I misjudged you without considering your feelings and unfairly branded you as a witch associating with devils. It was thoughtless of me."
"It–It's okay! I really didn't take it to heart. You don't have to apologize like this, Xenovia-san!"
Kindhearted by nature, Asia had never before experienced such a sincere apology, immediately startled enough to wave her hands frantically in front of her, insisting everything was alright.
Xenovia straightens again, turning her gaze to Bokue at Asia's side.
"As an orphan raised entirely within the Church, everything meaningful in my life was centered around God. My sword was only ever swung in service of God."
"But now, knowing God is no longer present, I've lost my life's purpose and reason to fight."
"However, you saved my life in the battle against Kokabiel. To me, that means you've given me a second life. Therefore, from now on, my sword shall swing only for you. Please take care of me in the future."
Having stated her piece, Xenovia calmly returns to her seat, seemingly indifferent to Bokue's opinion on her unilateral declaration.
Rias: "..."
What exactly was with this sudden NTR-like atmosphere? What did Xenovia mean by "From now on, my sword shall swing only for you," and even throwing in a "Please take care of me in the future"?!
Why not just outright say, "Please take care of me for the rest of my life," at this point, huh?!
"Well, anyway... Irina, Xenovia, do you have a place to stay right now?"
Bokue shrugs his shoulders slightly, skillfully shifting away from the current topic.
Indeed, it was an issue needing immediate resolution. After leaving the Church, Irina and Xenovia would no longer receive any financial support. Although they'd received some funds from their previous missions—which was enough for short-term hotel stays and dining out—it certainly wouldn't sustain them long-term.
Hotels in Tokyo weren't exactly cheap.
"Ah, we actually haven't decided that yet." Irina answers quickly without hesitation. "Why don't we just stay at your place, Bokue?"
"You see, now that both Xenovia and I have had our Holy Swords confiscated by the Church after leaving, we're practically defenseless, helpless young girls right now. Wouldn't it be terrible if some bad guys targeted us?"
"Regarding this point..."
Xenovia seems about to say something, but before she can finish, the red-haired girl across the room suddenly erupts, her voice sharp and firm.
"Absolutely not—this is the one thing that's completely off-limits!"
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