Both Rias and Akeno pouted, though Rias had a cute pout, he could tell Akeno was just putting one on to attempt to look cuter. Frankly, he had no interest in her. Akeno was a well known sadomasochist and he wasn't heavily interested in either half of that equation. With that complete lack of interest in her, despite her already being one of the most beautiful women he'd ever seen, came the ability to see through her act.
Rias chimed in, "Even if the educational aspect doesn't matter to you, what about the social aspect? Making friends, joining a club, having fun with people your own age?"
Junichiro shrugged uncaring, "I've got more important things to do with my time. Even if I was interested in making a bunch of friends and joining clubs and stuff, it wouldn't be worth sitting through pointless classes for a majority of the day."
Rias frowned a little at that. She really wanted to know what was so much more important than school, but knew he wouldn't answer that question yet. She moved on, "Alright, I guess that partially explains it. I'll wait until later for more details. Would you be willing to work with all of us to help us all get stronger? The tidbits you gave out during the fight are definitely helpful, but maybe some one on one time and practice would be better?"
"That's not a problem. I don't mind helping out in small ways like that. Like I said in our negotiations, I'm not trying to be an asshole or anything, just trying to protect myself."
Rias smiled brightly. Having someone like Junichiro in her peerage, or even just helping her group out, was a huge help. She still had the better part of a decade until she would be forced to marry Riser Phenex, but that was still too close. She would never admit it aloud, but she knew he was stronger than her, for now. If her plans worked out then by the time she finished her four years of college, she'd be strong enough to crush him and free herself of the arrangement.
"Thank you for that. My next question... It might be too personal. I'm not requiring you to answer, but I would appreciate it if you did." Seeing Junichiro nod in acceptance, she continued, "What happened to your arm?
Junichiro let out a long sigh. He'd been expecting that and was surprised she waited this long to ask him. Rather than answer her right away, he pulled out his cigarette case and retrieved one with a calming mixture. He still hadn't completely gotten over the incident so a little extra help to remain calm would be appreciated. After lighting the smoke and taking a deep drag and exhaling, he answered, "The day I moved to Kuoh, I went out to get some food because I didn't have any inside the house."
He took another drag before he continued, "After leaving the shop I heard such lovely music. Before I knew it, I was inside of an abandoned house. A stray devil had lured me to the house and attacked me. Next thing I knew, she'd sliced off my arm and was eating it in front of me."
His voice lost all emotion and became flat as he explained the event, "I fought back with some stuff I had. I passed out with the house burning down around me and the stray. When I woke up, I was patched up but still missing my arm."
He took a final long drag to finish the cigarette, snuffing it out in the palm of his right hand. He could feel some of the heat, but not pain and the Doppelganger Flesh wouldn't be damaged by such a weak source of heat, "The replacement I have was made by 'The Artificer,' and no, I wont explain how I managed that. It came with details on how to maintain it and perform simple repairs. If it had been damaged yesterday, I would have had to send it back to him and then wait until he had time to look it over."
The mention of 'The Artificer' sent a wave of shock through the group. Junichiro's title was well known in the supernatural world. His healing potions had made their way into the hands of every faction and his works were shown off by those he did a job for. Hell, some people treated his items more like works of art and displayed them for prestige, which annoyed him a fair bit. Anyone that did that was blacklisted from getting anything else custom made by him.
"Your arm was made by The Artificer?! That's amazing!" She tilted her head in thought for a bit, "Which means you have some connection to the Grigori. May I ask what the nature of your relationship with them is?"
This was something she needed to know. If he was a member of Grigori then recruiting him would be entirely inappropriate, even if he wasn't personally against it. The members of Grigori might see it as her poaching him regardless of Junichiro's personal decisions.
Junichiro waved his hand dismissively, "I'm not a member of the Grigori. Just familiar with a few and dating one of their members."
That got everyone's attention, especially Akeno. Her violet eyes narrowed in suspicion as she stared hard at Junichiro. He glanced at her, but made no other move. He could see her personal bias shining through and wanted so badly to slap her around for it.
Rias was the one to break the silence, "Y-you're dating a member of the Grigori?"
Junichiro nodded, "Well, for now I am. It seems like things are coming to a close between us though. She's been growing more distant lately so I think she's pushing for me to end it."
The whole peerage, minus Koneko who seemed uncaring, exchanged looks between themselves. Rias was the one to speak for them, "Are you certain that wont be a problem? While we are in a sort of ceasefire, none of the three factions are friendly with each other. If they take you joining my peerage the wrong way, it could cause some serious trouble."
Junichiro waved his hand dismissively, "I wouldn't worry about it. While I'm friendly with the Grigori, I'm not one of them. Additionally, the few Grigori I know, minus my soon to be ex, will want to maintain a standing relationship with me. I highly doubt they'll have much to say."