When the class ended, Zaydas had already disappeared. Rias, who wanted to talk to him, found herself lost once again.
"What happened between you and Zaydas, Rias?" Sona asked as she approached.
Looking at her, Rias bit her lower lip, sighed, and said, "We had a little disagreement."
"I bet you were being stubborn as always." Sona joked, but upon seeing Rias's surprised expression, she turned serious: "I see, so that's really what happened."
"..."
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In an isolated place, Zaydas used [Body Double], [Modeling], [Degenerate], [Summoning: Reincarnation in the Impure Lands], and [Outer Path: Rinne Rebirth Technique].
When everything was used in sequence, the soul of Shuri Himejima was summoned into a body and revived.
Zaydas touched the body of the woman, who looked extremely similar to Akeno, though a more mature version, and cast a cleansing spell.
However, his eyes showed disbelief when he saw that she was about to collapse.
'Why?' He couldn't understand. His plan was practically perfect and had worked. But her body began to break down right before his eyes.
Then, he thought of something and brought out the Mutant Devil Piece. It was a pawn, but as a mutant, it was special. When placed on Shuri's chest, her body began to be surrounded by Demonic Power as it stabilized once more.
'Good thing it worked...' It was a risky gamble that cost him one Evil Piece. However, for Akeno's mother, it was worth it.
Shuri opened her eyes. She looked disoriented and very confused.
When her gaze landed on him, she blinked a few times, trying to focus, then asked, "Who are you?"
"Nice to meet you." Zaydas said with a gentle smile. "My name is Zaydas Gremory. Your daughter Akeno's boyfriend."
...
When she heard her daughter's name, Shuri felt a tightness in her chest, filled with regret and deep longing.
"My daughter, she..." Shuri didn't even know where to start.
"She's fine." Zaydas said. "Right now, she's probably at the school club. By the way, she's 18 years old now."
"18 years old..." she murmured.
It was hard to relate the little girl she had raised to a grown woman. Thinking about it made her feel slightly disappointed for having missed her daughter's growing years, but at the same time, happy that she had survived and become a woman.
Looking at the boy in front of her, she nodded in approval of her daughter's choice.
However, she was confused—how had she come back to life? Was it him who did this?
"I know you must have many questions, so first, sit down. I will answer all of them." He said, gesturing toward a chair near a table.
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"I see, so that's how it is..." Shuri sighed.
There was so much information that it was hard to digest, but then she thought about her daughter's suffering and felt sad.
'Why?' That was what she wanted to ask 'him.'
Yes, she understood that Akeno had pushed him away, but she was just a child who had watched her mother die right in front of her. Of course, it was a shock, and it was understandable that she blamed the father who arrived too late. However, he simply let her go and wander the world alone while being hunted?
What kind of father does that?
She tried to see his side of things—she swore she tried. But she couldn't accept it, she wouldn't allow herself to accept it. Her daughter had been a child, alone and helpless in a cruel world without her parents to protect her... Just thinking about it made Shuri feel an overwhelming pain.
She also felt guilty—if only she had been a little stronger back then, Akeno wouldn't have had to go through so much torment.
And while she was initially surprised that Akeno had become a Devil, she also felt relieved. Even though a good part of her daughter's life had been spent being hunted by people who wanted her dead, upon reviving as a Devil, she had at least found some affection from someone.
Whether everything she had heard was true or not was easy to confirm, as the boy before her, Zaydas Gremory, wanted to take her to see her daughter.
"I-I'm not ready yet." She said, feeling extremely selfish, but she simply couldn't face her daughter right now—even though every fiber of her being wanted to fly to Akeno and give her a tight hug.
...
Shuri's tears didn't surprise Zaydas, but they still made him sigh and want to hold her, to comfort her.
Taking out a handkerchief, he offered it to her.
"Thank you." Shuri said, drying her tears.
By the way, she knew she had become a Devil, and her reaction was quite mild.
Zaydas had told her earlier: "To bring you back to life, I had to do this. But don't worry, you can act freely as a member of my Peerage. If you prefer, you can also join my aunt Rias Gremory's Peerage and be in the same group as your daughter. Either way is fine with me. All I want is to see Akeno happy."
When she heard that, she simply nodded but didn't make a decision.
"Since you don't want to see her yet, you can come and stay at my house." Zaydas said. "There are plenty of guest rooms. Take your time to think, and when you're ready, it won't be too late to reunite with your daughter."
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At home, Zaydas introduced Shuri to everyone. Since she would be staying at his house, there was no way he could just let her stay without informing the others.
When Grayfia heard her name, she reacted differently from the rest.
Grayfia knew Akeno's entire story. That's why she recognized her, especially since the two looked so much alike—Shuri being a more mature version of Akeno, even though she appeared to be around the same age as her daughter.
It was simply the way she carried herself. It was clear that, despite looking no older than 20, she had the natural demeanor of a mature woman who had already given birth. She had a serene aura and a charming smile. If Akeno was seductive and provocative on purpose, Shuri was naturally so.
Now, it was a separate case when thinking about someone who was supposed to be clearly dead, yet was very much alive—although no longer human, having become a Devil. After all, even though it was possible to bring someone back to life through Evil Pieces, the soul still needed to be present in the body, and after years, a human soul obviously wouldn't remain trapped within it.
'How did he do that?' There were so many questions, but Grayfia knew she shouldn't ask something like that at that moment.
But it was certain that it involved a great secret—something that couldn't be spoken of so lightly. That's why, even though she was curious, she still didn't know if it was right to ask him about it.
...
'Another rival?' Shuna couldn't help but narrow her eyes.
The problem was that Shuri felt like an even greater threat than Rurushi and Ria, who had already slept with Zaydas. Even Zaydas's fiancée, Revel, hadn't made her feel as insecure as she did while staring at Shuri.
However, it was strange—why was she feeling like this, considering that Zaydas had introduced Shuri as a new member of his Peerage, and as a free piece no less? He had even revealed something shocking—that she was Akeno's mother, whom she had met before.
Was she being too paranoid? Were her instincts deceiving her?
She didn't even know herself, but when she saw Shuri gently smiling at her, she still smiled back while nodding her head.
'I need to start being more assertive!' She encouraged herself.
...
Minutes later, as a banquet was prepared to celebrate Shuri's arrival, Zaydas tapped his utensil against his wine glass.
"To celebrate Shuri's arrival, I will open ten bottles of wine!"
Zaydas's cheerful words were met with an enthusiastic round of applause.
"Thank you for everyone's kindness." Shuri placed a hand on the side of her face, closing her eyes as she let out a natural "Ufufu~."
Not understanding why everyone seemed unusually happy, she simply went along with it. But when she finally tasted the wine, she let out a small sound—"Nnh~"—and the girls, who had been waiting for this moment, started laughing and drinking as well.
It was inevitable, or perhaps a pattern—everyone who drank the golden wine for the first time inevitably let out a sensual sound.
"Wow!" Shuri said. "I've never had anything like this before~!"
This time, even Grayfia was seated with them at the table, directly across from Zaydas, next to Shuri and Shizue.
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While taking a bath, Zaydas sensed someone entering his room.
'Is it Rurushi or Ria?'
Those two were the most likely.
After stepping out of the bathroom, wearing only silk shorts without underwear, he froze in his tracks when his breath caught—because the person sitting on his bed was actually Grayfia.
Her face was flushed from drinking, and she wore very little clothing. Most of her skin was exposed, and when she saw him, a devilishly beautiful, provocative smile with a hint of mischief appeared on her gorgeous face.
"Come, sit beside your big sister~" she said playfully, patting the bed next to her.
Zaydas's body began to heat up. He hadn't felt this warm even when facing the seven elves for the first time...
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