Chapter 69 Officially Joining
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Rias was not only the next head of the Gremory House¹, but she was also the high sovereign responsible for this entire territory.
If chaos caused by supernatural beings ever spiraled out of control or wasn’t quelled in time, the mortal authorities-the human high-level leadership-would intervene. When that happened, they wouldn’t just fix the mess; they would hold the Gremory House strictly accountable. To put it bluntly, if a nasty supernatural incident occurred in Kuou Town, Rias was the one who caught the heat.
Aki’s decision to kill those five yellow-haired punks had been efficient, but leaving the bodies out in the open created a massive stir. The local Japanese police were famously useless when it came to dealing with supernatural abilities, but they were more than capable of handling a blatant, unmasked murder case. They quickly pulled the surveillance footage from the convenience store, pinpointing the exact time of death.
Due to the camera angle, the footage hadn’t captured Aki actually committing the murders, but it was child’s play to deduce he was the killer. The recording was so clear it could have been used as direct evidence in a courtroom. After a thorough investigation of the scene and a look at the chilling, unnatural “death stare” Sakuramachi Touko gave the camera, the ordinary officers decided this was above their pay grade and decisively reported the matter up the chain.
By early the next morning, the entire case file was sitting on Himejima Akeno’s desk.
Caught completely off guard, Akeno stared at the evidence, momentarily stunned by the chaos Aki had caused. However, once she realized it involved him, she skillfully fell back on a masterclass of stalling tactics. She informed the authorities that Aki was already an official member of Rias’s Peerage² and that the five men had been eliminated as part of a formal Contract³.
Because it was his first mission, she claimed, he had been a bit nervous and simply forgotten the cleanup protocol. It was a story full of holes, but the Gremory House carried too much weight to ignore. The officials were forced to retreat for the time being, agreeing to wait for Rias’s return to finalize the discussion.
”So that’s how it went down…” Aki said, rubbing his chin. A hint of regret gnawed at him. (If I’d known the stakes, I would’ve called Akeno the second the bodies hit the floor.) Given the track record of those five delinquents, a quick background check would have confirmed they were scum. No one would have questioned if Aki’s “self-defense” claim was legitimate.
”Even if it wasn’t self-defense, as long as you’d notified me immediately, I could have handled it,” Akeno replied, her voice airy and calm as she dropped a bombshell.
Aki froze. “Akeno-senpai… what’s that supposed to mean?”
”This is Gremory territory,” Akeno said, glancing at him with a faint smile. “As long as you handle things cleanly and keep the civilians out of it, killing a few people is nothing.”
Akeno had originally intended to shield Aki from the darker realities of their world, fearing that his “normal” common sense wouldn’t be able to handle it. Now, seeing his reaction, she realized she had vastly underestimated his psychological resilience.
”There are plenty of ways to erase someone’s existence,” Akeno continued, her eyes narrowing as her sadistic nature bubbled to the surface. “There are delicate methods, like rewriting memories, and then there are the more… visceral ones. Like those blue flames from before.” She let the words hang in the air. “As long as your cleanup is thorough, no one in Kuou Town will dare to give you trouble. The Gremory House isn’t an organization that any random two-bit thug would dare to provoke.”
Aki gave a sheepish laugh. He could tell that Akeno had likely spent her entire morning taking heat for his mistake. Even as a high-ranking member, she’d had to swallow her pride because he’d left a paper trail. He walked up behind her, placing his hands on her slender, shapely shoulders, and began to massage her.
”Akeno-senpai, don’t be mad. It’s my fault for not telling you sooner,” Aki said softly.
Carrying those “heavy rabbits” on her chest all day took a toll, and Akeno’s shoulders were often knotted with tension. As Aki’s hands worked their magic, the relief spreading through her muscles caused her resentment to evaporate.
”After this, if anyone asks you about it, you tell them you were on a Contract mission,” Akeno murmured, leaning back until she was resting entirely in Aki’s arms. At this point, they had done everything short of the final act. “I was going to wait for the President to get back before telling you this, but we might as well do it now.”
Aki’s hands paused. “You mean… I’m officially joining the Occult Research Club? I’ll be handling Contracts and missions with all of you?”
”Yes,” Akeno replied, squirming slightly to find a more comfortable position against him. “I saw your combat data. Once you master Intermediate Magic Power Extraction⁴, you won’t be in any real danger unless you run into a top-tier A-rank specialist.”
”I’m in,” Aki said, nodding without a second thought. (Rias has legs for days; I’d be an idiot not to hitch my wagon to her.) If there hadn’t been that mishap with his Reincarnation earlier, he would have signed the paperwork ages ago.
Joining a Peerage wasn’t just a verbal agreement, but you couldn’t exactly stage a Rating Game⁵ every time you needed to verify a member’s status. The club application served as the formal documentation. Once it was stamped with Rias’s exclusive crest, Aki would officially be recognized as her servant.
he only reason they had to wait for Rias was that Akeno didn’t have access to the sovereign seal. As a proxy, there were lines she couldn’t cross; the seal of the next Gremory head was too politically sensitive to be handed out like candy. Rias wasn’t worried about Akeno’s loyalty, but she had to prevent rival factions from using “unauthorized usage” as an excuse to attack the family. With her brother being one of the Four Great Devil Kings, Rias wasn’t exactly scared, but she didn’t want the headache of a political circus.
Once the paperwork was filled out, Aki felt the mood shifting. He wanted to linger with Akeno, hoping to finish what they’d started the other day. But Akeno gave him a playful shove, her nose wrinkling in mock disgust.
”You reek of another woman. Get away from me,” Akeno said, huffing.
Aki sniffed his collar and caught a faint, floral scent-the exact same fragrance Miyajima Sakura wore. He glanced at the annoyed Akeno and wisely decided not to argue.
”Akeno-senpai, I’ll head out for now. I’ve got some things to take care of over the next few days, so I might not be at school. If you need me, just call.”
”Mhm,” Akeno grunted, giving him a side-eye. “I assume this ‘business’ involves another girl?”
Aki shrugged. (Not just one, actually.) “It’s serious work this time. I’ve tracked down someone who might be a ‘Natural’⁶-someone who awakened their ability spontaneously.”
”So?” Akeno asked, unimpressed. Naturals were rare, but unless their ability was world-shaking like Aki’s, they were usually just a footnote.
”This guy might be planning something dangerous. I need to keep eyes on him.” Aki decided to leak a little information about Tanaka Hajime. If things went sideways later, Akeno wouldn’t be blindsided like she was with the police incident.
”Ara ara. Look at you,” Akeno teased, giggling as she covered her mouth. “You just started the job and you’re already a workaholic? Does my cute little kouhai need his big sister to help him out?”
Aki shook his head. “It’s my first mission. I want to see if I can handle it on my own.”
”Are you serious?” Akeno asked, her playful tone dropping for a second. She had assumed he was just looking for an excuse to chase skirts, but she could see the genuine focus in his eyes.
”Dead serious,” Aki replied. Originally, his only goal was to protect the Takamine sisters and Sakura, but if stopping a mass-hypnosis event bought him some goodwill with the Gremorys, he’d take it.
”If that’s the case, take this with you,” Akeno said. She reached into her cleavage and pulled out a slightly weathered slip of paper. It featured a pitch-black pentagram encased in double circles, with strange, writhing runes filling the gaps.
”Akeno-senpai, what is this?” Aki asked. He knew it was a Magic Circle, but he had no idea what it actually did.
”If things get desperate, or if you run into something you can’t handle, channel your Mana⁷ into it,” Akeno explained. “But if you can run, do that first. Consider this a last resort.”
Aki ran his fingers over the smooth paper, curious about the power hidden within. Before he could ask anything else, Akeno began shooing him toward the door.
”Lunch is almost over. If you’re done, get back to class.”
Tucking the paper-which still carried Akeno’s warmth-into his pocket, Aki spoke up one last time. “Akeno-senpai, I need to borrow your familiar⁸.”
”Fine,” Akeno said, waving her hand dismissively. She didn’t even need to ask why. A small, obsidian sphere manifested in the air. “Follow him,” she told the orb. “Do whatever he says.”
The little black sphere buzzed around Aki’s head twice before settling on his shoulder. Aki reached up to poke it, but his finger passed right through. It had no physical form-just a silent, watchful shadow.
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Summary:
Aki’s recent killings draw police attention, but Akeno intervenes to cover it up as ‘Peerage business.’ Aki officially joins the Occult Research Club to gain legal protection and closer ties to Rias. He receives a mysterious magic talisman and a familiar from Akeno to help him track a potential ‘Natural’ threat.
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Trivia:
- The Gremory House has a complex political relationship with mortal authorities.
- Akeno uses a specific ‘stalling tactic’ that hints at her experience with bureaucracy.
- The Gremory crest is required for full Peerage validation, which Aki currently lacks.
- Akeno can smell other women on Aki, hinting at her heightened senses or extreme jealousy.
- Akeno’s brother is one of the Four Great Devil Kings, providing a massive shield for Rias
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Character Insight:
Aki shows pragmatism by joining the ORC for protection and access to Rias, while Akeno demonstrates her ‘sadistic’ (haraheguru) nature by casually dismissing the value of human lives.
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Lore And Worldbuilding Context:
The ‘heavy rabbits’ reference is a common Japanese euphemism for large breasts, often used in light novels to add fanservice-heavy internal monologue.
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Glossary:
Notes:
• Rias – Rias Gremory, the 17-year-old pure-blood High-Class Devil and President of Kuoh Academy’s Occult Research Club, is the authoritative Crimson Ruin Princess of Kuoh Town—long crimson hair, crystal-like crimson eyes, and an explosive, elegant figure always clad in her school uniform. Determined and observant, she fiercely protects her peerage, mentors Aki as a big-sister figure, oversees his training, and is currently frustrated by her inability to reincarnate him, driving her to meticulously facilitate the ritual as both leader and guardian.
• Aki – Transfer student at Kuoh Academy, silver‑haired and sharp‑eyed, Occult Research Club member. B‑rank Stray Devil with dual‑cultivation, Insight Eye and Mana‑Lightning Flash. Dates Rias Gremory and the Takamine sisters, holds the “Little Aki” essence. Defeated Miyajima Sosuke, monitors Aisu Academy, bluffs his status with the Gremory Family, adopts a scumbag persona while growing Mana.
• Sakuramachi Touko – Sakuramachi Touko, a pure‑blood succubus masquerading as Aki’s classmate, has shoulder‑length bluish hair, an icy cool demeanor, striking beauty, and an eerie death stare on camera. A mental‑attribute mage, she rose from C‑Rank peak to B‑Rank via dual cultivation with Aki, wielding advanced massage and oral techniques.
• Sakura – Sakura Miyajima, an upperclassman at Aisu Academy, is a tall, athletic kendo prodigy with the “Sword Heart” talent, wearing the school’s navy blazer and red hakama. Daughter of Sousuke, she sees Aki as a younger brother yet knows his predatory nature, and now stays with him after learning of the supernatural.
• Touko – Sakuramachi Touko, a pure‑blood succubus masquerading as Aki’s classmate, has shoulder‑length bluish hair, an icy cool demeanor, striking beauty, and an eerie death stare on camera. A mental‑attribute mage, she rose from C‑Rank peak to B‑Rank via dual cultivation with Aki, wielding advanced massage and oral techniques.
• Himejima Akeno – Akeno Himejima, long‑black‑haired senior and VP of the Occult Research Club, wears the school uniform with a graceful aura. Her elegant, mature beauty hides a sadistic streak behind a kind smile; she wields golden lightning, stays icy when provoked, and serves as Rias Gremory’s trusted retainer and confidante. She also gives Aki a surveillance familiar and, as his “master,” oversaw the cleanup of his lethal clash with local punks.
• Akeno – Himejima Akeno, Rias Gremory’s queen and acting president of the Occult Research Club, is a voluptuous A‑rank devil with long raven hair in a hip‑length ponytail, purple eyes, and a school uniform of red pleated skirt, sheer black stockings and elegant purple armor. A Fallen Angel of the Himejima clan, she wields lightning and Azure Flame, mentors Aki with a teasingly maternal smile, hiding a bashful, maidenly side and her first kiss.
• Miyajima Sakura – Upperclassman Miyajima Sakura, a striking kendo prodigy with “Sword Heart,” studies at Aisu Academy and now at Aie Academy. Living with Aki—whom she views as a younger brother despite his predatory nature—she is brave, romantically sensitive, a former Kuoh student, a club beauty targeted by Tanaka Hajime, and unaware of the supernatural.
• Miyajima – Family name of Sosuke, Tsubaki and Sakura.
• Tanaka Hajime – An obese individual with a hypnosis Ability that allows him to control others through speech; currently at Aisu Academy.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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