"Yuto? What happened? Were you attacked?"
Kiba Yuto had clearly been brutally beaten. His once handsome hair was now messy, and his clothes were disheveled, clearly indicating he had been in a fight.
Rias didn't realize this was caused by Inaba Tsukiyo, but rather thought a member of some faction had come to her territory looking for trouble, encountered Kiba Yuto, and taught him a lesson.
"No… I wasn't attacked, President. I went to attack someone, and then I was counter-killed."
Kiba Yuto took a deep breath, feeling much better, and said with a wry smile.
Rias and Himejima Akeno quickly remembered that they had sent Kiba Yuto to probe Inaba Tsukiyo, but… things weren't quite what they had imagined.
They hadn't underestimated Inaba Tsukiyo's combat power, but they truly hadn't expected her to beat Kiba Yuto to this extent.
Could Inaba Tsukiyo's power really be that strong? Even Kiba Yuuto attacked her and lost?
"It's shameful to say, President… This person… is too powerful."
Kiba Yuuto walked over to the nearby sofa and sat down, pressing the spot where he had been hit by a Magic Bullet earlier, and shook his head with a wry smile.
"That person named Inaba Tsukiyo defeated me with just one move, and she didn't even enter combat mode."
"Yuto-senpai, you went to attack Tsukuyo?"
Tachibana Koneko, who hadn't fully grasped the situation, instantly jumped up from the sofa when she heard that Kiba Yuuto had actually gone to attack Inaba Tsukiyo, and asked with a look of disbelief.
"Koneko, let me explain. Yuto did this because I ordered him to."
Rias was worried that Tachibana Koneko might misunderstand and wanted to tell her about her plan to test Inaba Tsukiyo.
But Tachibana Koneko didn't calm down. She scurried over to Kiba Yuuto, scrutinized him from head to toe, and exclaimed, "So amazing~"
"???", "???"
Everyone looked at Tachibana Koneko in confusion. Kiba Yuuto was in such a state, how could she say something like that? What was amazing about it?
"Ah, I didn't mean that, President. I'm just surprised that Yuto-senpai went to attack Tsukuyo and still came back alive. Yuto-senpai is truly amazing."
"Σ(⊙▽⊙"a"
"( ﾟДﾟ)!!"
"(╯‵□′)╯︵ ┻━┻"
This… Rias was completely stunned. Even Himejima Akeno and Kiba Yuuto, caught off guard, looked at Tachibana Koneko in disbelief.
Because he came back alive, Kiba Yuuto is amazing? What kind of logic is that? Is dying the normal outcome?
Kiba Yuuto leaned back on the sofa, feeling a bit weary. He realized that this colleague, with whom he had spent a long time, had changed; she had become very unfamiliar.
"No, she had no intention of killing me at all. After knocking me away with one strike, she had no intention of continuing the fight. She just left."
Kiba Yuuto, whose heart was so heavy he almost spat blood, could only briefly describe what had happened.
First, he, wearing a cloak, jumped out of the bushes, intending to ambush Inaba Tsukiyo. Then, after Inaba Tsukiyo dodged, he was directly sent flying by an unknown attack, and then… there was no 'then'.
"Oh~ I see, I was wondering. So that's how it is."
Tachibana Koneko nodded knowingly. She had thought that Kiba Yuuto had the strength to survive even when approaching Inaba Tsukiyo, but it turned out Inaba Tsukiyo had no intention of fighting at all.
Recalling her previous sparring experience with Inaba Tsukiyo by the riverside, Tachibana Koneko had thought that Kiba Yuuto's strength would allow him to survive within Inaba Tsukiyo's lethal range. But it turned out the other party had no intention of attacking.
Tachibana Koneko knew this, but Kiba Yuuto didn't. He thought Tachibana Koneko understood why he was alive and that's why she had that look of sudden realization. He felt his healing wound begin to throb faintly again.
"Koneko, what's going on? Why do you think Yuto is amazing for coming back alive?"
Himejima Akeno, who was relatively calm, placed her hands on Tachibana Koneko's shoulders, trying to keep her smile as normal as possible, and asked.
She realized that many of her previous assumptions about Inaba Tsukiyo, especially regarding her combat power, seemed to be off.
"Because Tsukuyo is very strong. She's been training me this whole time. Even without using a weapon, I'm no match for her."
"Wait a minute! Koneko. Are you saying… she wasn't even serious when she fought me?"
"Yes, that's right. Tsukuyo's best weapon is a sword. Tsukuyo is at her most powerful when she has a sword in hand."
"...Pfft ah!!!"
Finally, Kiba Yuuto, unable to accept this reality, spat out a mouthful of blood, rolled his eyes, and directly fainted.
Himejima Akeno, with a wry smile, went to heal Kiba Yuuto, while Rias tried to learn more about Inaba Tsukiyo from Tachibana Koneko.
Understanding that Rias was worried about Inaba Tsukiyo, Tachibana Koneko had no choice but to tell Rias some things about Inaba Tsukiyo.
This included Inaba Tsukiyo's approximate strength, and that her dark gold gauntlets were a gift from Inaba Tsukiyo.
"So, this [Sacred Gear] was a gift from her? How did she give it to you?"
"Hmm~ She just took it out of her room. This is the second gift Tsukuyo gave me. The previous weapon she gave me also came out of her room."
"Wait… wait a minute, Koneko. Are you saying this is the second gauntlet she gave you? There was a first one?"
Rias interrupted Tachibana Koneko. Inaba Tsukiyo had given Tachibana Koneko not one, but two [Sacred Gears]?
This… when did [Sacred Gears] become so worthless? Even if she herself possessed special power, it shouldn't be so practical, right?
"President, what should we do now? Should we go with Koneko to meet that person?"
Himejima Akeno asked. Their original plan was to have Kiba Yuuto probe Inaba Tsukiyo first, and after understanding Inaba Tsukiyo's general strength, they would then appear.
As a result, Kiba Yuuto, whom they sent, was instantly defeated in one move, without even getting a chance to say a word. This was a bit awkward.
"I… I don't know either, Akeno. Do you think she might become hostile towards us?"
Rias was a little worried. Facing Inaba Tsukiyo's unknown strength, Rias didn't know what to do.
The power to instantly defeat Kiba Yuuto, coupled with her unknown background, left Rias feeling somewhat at a loss for a moment.
She felt she had messed up. She could have had a friendly exchange with the other party through Tachibana Koneko, but things changed when Kiba Yuuto ran off to attack.
She didn't know if Inaba Tsukiyo would become hostile towards them because of this, and it might even strain, or even distance, the relationship between the other party and Tachibana Koneko.
"Well… I haven't had any contact with this person either. However, I think she didn't kill Yuto because she probably saw that Yuto wasn't hostile, right?"
When Kiba Yuuto attacked, he didn't use a real sword, but a wooden sword.
Furthermore, the other party only injured Kiba Yuuto and didn't kill him, so there shouldn't be any hostility, right?
"But, it would still feel a bit uncomfortable. After all, someone is just living their life peacefully, with no intention of causing trouble. Then suddenly, someone jumps out wanting to cause problems. Even if they don't say it, they'd definitely feel uncomfortable inside, right?"
Rias, who had been somewhat relieved, became anxious again. Rias was extremely flustered.
"President, are you… trying to have Yuto-senpai test Tsukuyo?"
Tachibana Koneko, who had been quietly listening to Rias and Himejima Akeno's conversation, stepped forward and asked.
As the person most familiar with Rias, Tachibana Koneko clearly understood her purpose in having Kiba Yuuto act.
Rias wanted to test Inaba Tsukiyo, to see if she belonged to a certain faction, and to see if she would become their enemy.
Although Tachibana Koneko wanted to tell them that Inaba Tsukiyo was neither from the Angel side nor the Fallen Angel side, seeing is believing, and Rias had to confirm the situation with her own eyes.
It's just... she didn't expect her probing to make things worse.
"Mm, I'm sorry, Koneko. My presumptuousness might have affected your relationship with her."
Rias looked at Tachibana Koneko with some guilt. Her presumptuousness this time might very well lead to Tachibana Koneko and Inaba Tsukiyo's relationship becoming estranged.
She had already decided to support Tachibana Koneko and Inaba Tsukiyo, but this action made Tachibana Koneko's situation incredibly awkward.
"Wait a moment... you go and see. Help me see if that person is angry. Can you, Koneko?"
"...Mm!"
Receiving Rias's instruction, Tachibana Koneko picked up her school bag from the sofa and eagerly left the Occult Research Club.
Watching Tachibana Koneko's departing back, Rias sighed deeply and sat back in her office chair, looking a little tired.
"President, aren't you going to make contact with her?"
"No, Akeno. Even if we do make contact, it will be after some time. Let Koneko go and check the situation first, then invite her to the school after a while."
"I understand."
Himejima Akeno nodded. Since Rias had already made a decision, she couldn't object.
Where Rias couldn't see, Himejima Akeno's purple pupils cunningly darted around, and an idea formed in her mind.
Tachibana Koneko, who had left the Occult Research Club, arrived outside Inaba Tsukiyo's residence at the fastest speed.
Ever since Tachibana Koneko became familiar with Inaba Tsukiyo, Tachibana Koneko would walk every time she came over.
That flyer hadn't been used for a long time, but she hadn't thrown it away; instead, she kept it in a drawer at home.
Standing at the door, Tachibana Koneko took a deep breath. After preparing herself to be scolded, Tachibana Koneko skillfully took out the key from her school bag and opened the door.
"You ungrateful fellow!"
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