Despite claiming her plan had failed, Serafall's face still radiated youthful cheer as she enthusiastically greeted Sona:
"Good morning, Sona! Did you miss your big sister while I was away?"
"Of course I did," Sona replied with a perfectly polished smile. "Every morning when I woke up and remembered you weren't home, I couldn't help but laugh with joy."
"Oh, you really thought of me that way? Big sister is so happy~"
Completely oblivious to the malice in Sona's words, Serafall happily spread her arms wide:
"Come here, give your sister a hug~"
"I'm not a child anymore."
Faced with this version of Serafall, Sona sighed, then shot a glance at the Satan before her. Though she desperately wanted to ask more—about this so-called brother-in-law, and about the drunken handover—she knew her sister wouldn't reveal anything now.
Given Serafall's personality, this was likely the punishment for eavesdropping.
Of course, if she'd listened openly, Serafall would have blurted out everything, relevant or not.
'Big Sister's contrarian streak has always been strong... But speaking of which, this man...'
Sona couldn't help but glance at Luo Shu, her gaze unconsciously sharpening with scrutiny.
Was this the natural hostility every little sister felt upon first meeting her brother-in-law?
Ignoring Sona's assessing look, Luo Shu turned his attention to Utaha Kasumigaoka and the redhead behind her during the sisters' exchange:
"Welcome to the Hidden Management Department, Miss Gremory."
At Luo Shu's greeting, Rias responded with polite formality:
"The pleasure is ours, Director Luo Shu. Thank you for having us."
As she spoke, Rias couldn't resist stealing a glance at the pouting Serafall, who was sulking over Sona's refusal to hug her.
'Lord Leviathan's lover? Brother didn't mention this at all!'
'Still, to think the Director of the Hidden Management Department has that kind of relationship with Lord Serafall... No wonder Brother was so confident about this alliance.'
By now, Rias understood this alliance was practically a formality.
Yet even as a formality, Rias was determined to handle it flawlessly.
After all, this was her first official assignment. Failure would be disastrous for a demon yet to make her proper social debut.
Just as Rias was turning things over in her mind, Luo Shu smiled and gestured for everyone to take their seats:
"Don't just stand there, sit down."
Hearing this, Rias immediately took a seat on an unoccupied sofa, while Akeno Himejima and Koneko Toujou positioned themselves behind her sofa.
Seeing this, Sona's mouth twitched, but she wisely avoided crowding Rias and instead glared at Serafall before sitting on the same sofa as her.
As expected, the moment Sona sat down, Serafall reached out to hug her, only to be firmly pushed away. Undeterred, Serafall stubbornly leaned in regardless.
This led to the two sisters engaging in a pushing match right there on the sofa.
After Rias and the others had settled, Luo Shu ignored the sibling scuffle beside him and casually inquired:
"How's Sirzechs doing these days?"
"Before I came here, my brother was still full of energy as usual."
Rias responded politely, her smile more ladylike than any proper lady's.
As for her answer—well, she'd only met Ajuka before coming here, not Sirzechs. So this was merely polite small talk.
But though she meant nothing by it, Luo Shu seemed surprised by her words:
"Full of energy? So he's tracked Ophis's whereabouts then?"
At this point, Luo Shu couldn't help but grin excitedly as he said:
"I thought he'd still be playing hide-and-seek with Lilin and kept busy for a while."
"Who knew he'd be so efficient?"
Hearing this, Rias' expression visibly stiffened.
What the hell?
Ophis?
Was this Ophis the Infinite Dragon God Ophis she knew?
That legendary Dragon God even the God of the Bible feared, admitting inferiority against that supreme monster?
And that Lilin?
The former Satan Lucifer, son of the original Lucifer and Lilith?
The former Satan who was overthrown by her brother?
Why had the conversation suddenly escalated to this level?
In an instant, Rias was completely dumbfounded by the implications of Luo Shu's words, her mind going blank.
Noticing Rias' strange reaction, Luo Shu tilted his head in confusion:
"Miss Gremory, you seem a bit pale. Are you feeling unwell?"
"N-no, it's nothing."
Rias barely managed to keep her composure, responding softly before hastily trying to change the subject, embarrassed by her earlier reaction:
"Perhaps it's just side effects from interdimensional travel."
"By the way, you can just call me Rias. Miss Gremory sounds too formal."
After deflecting with the naming convention, Rias quickly formulated her response to Luo Shu's earlier inquiry:
"As for your questions about Ophis and Lilin, I'm afraid I haven't heard anything from my brother about such matters."
"So if you want details, you'll have to ask Sirzechs directly."
"Is that so?" Luo Shu's face showed a hint of disappointment. "What a shame."
Meanwhile, Sona, who had been listening to their exchange, couldn't help but glance at Rias, silently musing.
Sona would bet anything that Rias had been completely caught off guard by Luo Shu's questions, her brain nearly short-circuiting.
But credit where it's due - Rias had handled it well by admitting ignorance rather than faking knowledge, deftly passing the buck to Sirzechs to avoid any blunders.
Though come to think of it, were the Four Great Satans dealing with matters involving the Infinite Dragon God Ophis now?
And with the former Satan Lucifer, that Lilin fellow too... Had Lilin allied with Ophis?
The mere thought sent a chill down Sona's spine.
An alliance between Ophis and Lilin carried implications too enormous for even Sona to comprehend.
Had the Underworld's situation become this dire?