Rias said, "Oh right, Tatsuma."
"Just now, Sona sent a message. The Holy Sword Users from the Church have arrived in Kuoh Town."
"Holy Sword Users?"
"Yes, it seems they're here to carry out a mission, but they will meet with us first for negotiations."
After the three-way war ended, the relationship between the Church and the Devils was somewhat eased. Although they were still in a hostile state on a daily basis, they were no longer as incompatible as they were in the past, where they had to fight to the death upon meeting.
Situations like this, where they came to the other party's territory for negotiations after receiving a special mission, would occasionally happen.
Rias said, "The strength of those two Holy Sword Users is still unclear, but they will most likely not be able to defeat you. When we negotiate tomorrow night, you can scare them a little."
"No problem." Tatsuma made an OK gesture.
Isn't it just intimidation? He's good at this.
Releasing his Senjutsu perception to scan the surroundings, Tatsuma and Rias walked towards the cinema while searching for suspicious targets.
At the same time, on the west side of Kuoh Town.
Sakiko walked into a cafe and sat down in a corner.
A moment later, two young girls wearing white robes with crosses hanging around their necks walked into the cafe.
"Found them!"
After looking around, a girl's eyes lit up, and she quickly walked up to Sakiko.
"Long time no see! Sakiko!"
"Long time no see, Irina."
After Sakiko nodded in reply, her gaze turned towards the girl with short blue hair behind her.
"Is this your friend?"
"Yes, her name is Xenovia Quarta, and like me, she is a Church bat... believer."
"Irina, I don't think there's a need to hide it." Just then, Xenovia suddenly spoke up.
After sizing up Sakiko, she made a very confident judgment.
"There's something wrong with your friend, she has a very strong Devil aura on her."
"I can still tell something like this."
Irina shrugged and looked at her friend, who seemed not to have realized what was happening yet.
"Sakiko, are you secretly making deals with Devils?"
"...That's my personal privacy." Sakiko was silent for a moment before replying.
Whether it was her family's decline or matters concerning Tatsuma, these were all her secrets. Although she didn't quite understand the current situation, she wasn't prepared to reveal the truth.
"Actually, you don't need to be nervous. Xenovia and I are on a mission and won't clash with the Devils in this town."
After explaining, Irina sat down opposite Sakiko.
Seeing this, a hint of curiosity arose in Sakiko's heart. "Irina, have you always known the truth of this world since before?"
"What do you mean?"
"Things like the existence of Devils."
"Yes, I've always known."
Irina replied, "My father is a Holy Sword User. I've been training and learning about this since I was a child."
"No wonder your stamina was so good when you were little." Sakiko's expression was a bit subtle.
Due to family reasons, she often went to Church to pray with her family when she was little. At that time, Irina's father worked at the Church, and Irina would often go to the Church to see him.
After going many times, they met and became friends, often running around together. In Sakiko's memory, Irina's stamina was like a monster's, never running out.
Thinking about it now, she had already shown some unusual traits back then.
Sakiko asked, "You just said you're on a mission, you're not going to fight dangerous monsters, are you?"
"Sorry, I can't disclose this matter."
Irina raised her hands and made a big X in front of her.
"Sakiko-chan, I also have personal privacy."
"..."
"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. Actually, I came to see you this time just to catch up with a good friend."
Seeing the atmosphere was a bit heavy, Irina took the initiative to change the subject and asked, "Are you free this afternoon? I'd like to find a guide to show me around town."
...
Two hours later.
Tatsuma and Rias walked out of the cinema.
"How was it?"
"Too much light pollution, poor acting, and a forced tearjerker ending. In summary, a pile of garbage."
"Aren't you being too harsh? I thought it was pretty good."
"That means you've been brainwashed by bad movies. I'll shoot something good for you later."
"Huh? You can make movies?" Rias blinked in surprise.
"Not now, but I can learn." Tatsuma replied casually.
Seeing this, Rias's curiosity was piqued. "How long will it take to learn?"
"Half a month to a month, I guess."
"Then do you want to try?"
"What?"
"Making movies, of course."
Rias laughed and teased, "I can fund it and find a location for you. Director Tatsuma, would you like to give it a try?"
"Since you put it that way, I naturally have no reason to refuse."
Tatsuma accepted the challenge without hesitation.
After that, the two chatted as they walked towards the west side of the street.
After some time, Tatsuma suddenly stopped and looked into the distance.
"Found the target?" Rias's expression instantly turned serious.
"No, I just saw Sakiko."
Tatsuma retracted his gaze and replied, "She's walking with two Holy Sword Users."
Rias was startled. "Holy Sword Users? How are they together?"
"Maybe it's a coincidence. Didn't Sakiko say she was going to see a friend who just returned?"
"That is quite a coincidence."
Rias narrowed her eyes, preparing to send someone to investigate Sakiko's situation later.
"Is there anywhere you want to go next?" Tatsuma's voice sounded again.
After a moment of thought, Rias looked at the music hall next to them called [Ring].
"Let's go in for a coffee and listen to some music to relax."
"You certainly know how to pick a place."
"What's wrong? Is there something wrong with this place?"
"Nothing wrong, just that there happens to be an acquaintance inside."
"Acquaintance?" A hint of confusion flashed in Rias's eyes.
She didn't have Tatsuma's precise detection ability, so she didn't know who he was referring to.
Seeing that Tatsuma had no intention of revealing the answer, Rias led the way into Ring's lounge area.