Occult Research Club
After Lynn and the others left, only Rias and Akeno remained in the clubroom.
"Akeno, what do you think?"
Rias had been pondering Utaha's ability.
Was she a Sacred Gear user?
But there were no signs of a Sacred Gear's magical fluctuations.
As a High-Class Devil, Rias was confident in her judgment.
But could a human really awaken such a powerful ability?
As for gaining new abilities after reincarnating as a devil, that possibility hadn't even crossed her mind.
Because in all of the Underworld, there was no precedent for it.
The Reincarnation Ceremony merely transformed followers into devils, sometimes granting them abilities based on the Evil Pieces used.
At its core, the Evil Pieces were simply a tool designed to bolster the dwindling devil population.
Akeno shook her head. "If even you can't figure it out, there's no way I can understand it either."
Rias sighed, her voice laced with regret. "It would've been amazing if Kasumigaoka-san was one of mine."
"With that kind of ability, I could've trained her to the point where she'd defeat the Phenex family before that incident even happened."
Given the resources of the Gremory family, she had no doubt.
Knock knock!
Just as Rias was feeling envious of Lynn, someone knocked on the door.
"Sona? What brings you here?"
Rias blinked in surprise.
Sona glanced around. "Has he been here?"
"As sharp as ever, I see."
Rias smiled helplessly.
Sona spoke matter-of-factly, "I am the Student Council President."
"Then you must also know when he left, right?"
"Of course."
Otherwise, she wouldn't have dared to come.
A slight blush rose to her ears as she sat across from Rias, as if this was a perfectly normal visit.
"So, what was he doing here?" Sona asked, her tone casual.
Rias briefly explained Lynn's visit.
Sona remained silent for a moment, deep in thought.
Then, she suddenly said, "I have some water-based magic. Next time, give it to him for me."
Rias was silent for a beat before she probed, "Sona… don't you think you're a little too concerned about him?"
"He is my fiancé."
"But… don't you still want to break off the engagement?"
"….."
Sona fell silent for a moment, then swiftly changed the subject. "Did you give him the key?"
Rias's expression froze.
Stare—
"…Ah! Sorry, sorry!"
Rias pressed her hands together apologetically. "There was just so much going on, I completely forgot!"
Sona sighed. "Then just have him handle the water magic next time."
Rias nodded awkwardly, deciding it was best not to tease Sona about how much she cared about Lynn.
---
Tokyo — Lynn's House
Lynn stared at Utaha's suitcase and suddenly asked, "So, this means… we're officially living together?"
"Hmph."
Utaha crossed her arms. "Having a beautiful girl like me as your housemate, what a blessing for you."
On the way back, they had stopped by her apartment to pick up some necessities.
Toiletries, clothes, her tablet, and other personal electronics.
Oh, and by the way.
There had been a cursed spirit in her room.
Utaha casually waved her hand and obliterated it.
Now that she had recorded Lightning Magic in her Devil Tome, she felt invincible, evil spirits no longer fazed her.
That said, she still had zero intention of staying in that lonely rental apartment.
After unpacking, Utaha suddenly looked at Lynn with anticipation.
"So… it's time for that, right?"
"Yeah. Take it off."
Lynn's expression was dead serious.
Utaha hesitated briefly. Then, as if steeling herself, she clenched her teeth, stomped her foot, and slipped off her jacket.
"…U-Underwear too?"
Her face burned as she bit her lip.
"It just needs to be visible."
Utaha exhaled in relief.
As long as he could see it clearly, that was fine.
This was already her limit—any further and…
Even so, she still felt incredibly self-conscious.
"Still, why does it have to be engraved there of all places?!"
"For convenience."
Lynn recalled, "Besides, you're the one who asked me to put it—"
"Don't say it!"
Flustered, Utaha pressed her hands over his mouth, her glare fierce, her entire face glowing red.
"This is all because of what you said back then!"
"Mmmph—!"
Lynn raised his hands in surrender.
Only then did Utaha snort in satisfaction and let go.
Lynn focused his magic, forcing a single drop of his blood to emerge. As it landed on her back, hidden Blessing data was revealed.
Kasumigaoka Utaha
Low-Class Devil
Race: Devil
Master: Lynn Valefor
Stats:
Strength: i0 → i7
Agility: i0 → i5
Endurance: i0 → i6
Magic: i0 → i133
Innate Skills:
[Archivist Devil] (Omitted)
"Hmm. A magic increase of over a hundred, not bad."
After offering her some words of encouragement, Lynn copied her status data onto a parchment and handed it to her.
"Aside from Magic, my other stats barely increased…"
Utaha sighed, feeling a little discouraged.
Lynn's voice was dry. "Let me ask you something—aside from that one time you smashed an evil spirit with your book… have you ever done any physical training?"
"Uhh…"
Utaha faltered.
Come to think of it.
No. She hadn't.
Lynn simply spread his hands.
There was the answer.
"Other than Magic, you should work on raising your other stats too."
Utaha fell into deep thought. "If this keeps up… am I just going to become a fragile mage?"
No way!
She had to start training!
At the very least, she needed to boost her Agility!
If she ever encountered an enemy she couldn't beat.
At least she'd be able to run.
"Alright! Let's go find some cursed spirits and grind for experience tonight!"
Utaha, brimming with determination, grabbed Lynn and dragged him outside.
Lynn didn't dampen her enthusiasm.
Weak as she was, her Blessing renewal had increased his own magic, if only slightly.
For a High-Class Devil like him, it was merely a drop in the bucket.
But small gains add up over time.
And as the number of his followers grew, even the smallest improvements would amount to something massive in the long run.
---
Late at Night — An Unmarked Alley
"Thunder!"
"You should be training other abilities too, you know~"
"But, damn it—!"
"Devil Tome!"
Utaha raised her Devil Tome with both hands.
And smacked an evil spirit over the head with it.
Devil Tome: …Seriously?