"Ah, Rias, you seem awfully motivated," Noticing the distinct, excited smile on Rias's face, Akeno covered her mouth and chuckled.
"President, you're looking scary," Koneko added.
Her instincts, sharper than most, picked up on Rias's intensity.
Even with her usual stoic demeanor, she couldn't resist commenting.
"The Stray in for a rough night," Kiba said with a smile.
"Indeed," Rias replied.
"I'll make sure it learns that becoming a Stray, evading its master, and fleeing to Kuoh Town was a bad decision."
"It'll regret that choice."
Her elegant smile carried unshakable confidence.
She had no doubts about defeating the Stray Devil, and neither did Akeno, Koneko, or Kiba.
As the next head of the Gremory Clan, Rias's strength stood out among Devils of her age.
A Stray Devil was child's play for her—provided they could track it down.
"It's almost time. Let's move, everyone," Rias said, glancing at the wall clock.
She set down the document, rose from her desk, and walked to the center of the room.
"Rias, do you have a lead?" Akeno asked.
Her familiar had found no trace of the Stray Devil, suggesting they might need to scour a wide area tonight.
"My familiar picked up some clues," Rias confirmed with a nod.
Using communication magic, she'd learned from her familiar—of several suspicious locations, potential hideouts for the Stray Devil.
Akeno nodded slightly.
Koneko and Kiba joined Rias at the room's center.
Rias used teleportation magic, and a circular pattern, about two meters wide, materialized beneath their feet, its intricate lines marking a spell exclusive to the Gremory Clan.
Only its members and their retainers could use it.
The spell glowed with dazzling light, enveloping the four.
With a sudden flicker, the light vanished, and they were teleported from the ORC.
"No luck here either?" Rias murmured, scanning the location: a long-abandoned building.
Peeling plaster exposed weathered walls, and the ground was littered with debris and dust, exuding decay.
At night, the occasional rustling sounds lent an eerie air.
Her quick sweep of the first floor revealed only a few small animals and faint demonic traces.
"There's a hint of its presence, though. It was here recently," Koneko said, her nose twitching as she sniffed the air.
"Not a bad hiding spot," Akeno remarked with a smile.
Remote and rarely visited, it was a solid temporary refuge.
"Let's move to the next location," Rias wasn't worried about their failure.
If anything, it fueled her desire to confront the Stray Devil that dared trespass in Kuoh Town.
Akeno chuckled softly.
As Rias's bestie, she could read her mood with a glance.
Despite their mental preparation for a long hunt, everyone had secretly hoped to find the Stray Devil on the first try.
The miss stung, however slightly.
Rias used teleportation magic again, whisking them to the next suspicious location.
Unfortunately, their luck didn't improve.
The Stray Devil was maddeningly elusive, having switched hiding spots five or six times in the mere two or three days since arriving here.
They deduced it changed locations every few hours.
It also explained why its master struggled to capture it.
Without swift action upon spotting it, the Stray would slip away.
"Any new suspicious locations?" Rias asked, summoning her familiar after another fruitless search.
"No leads, huh?" Rias said, stroking it gently as reassurance.
"That's fine. This Stray's just exceptionally cunning."
"President, the scent here is stronger than at the other spots. It left recently," Koneko reported.
She sniffed the air again, then pointed. "It went that way. There's still a faint trail on the path."
"Koneko, lead the way," Rias said.
Koneko nodded and summoned her familiar, a white kitten named Shiro, as adorable as it was effective.
Its sense of smell surpassed even Koneko's, making it ideal for tracking.
"Shiro, you're up," Koneko said, petting the kitten's head before setting it on the ground.
Shiro let out a soft cry and darted off, following the scent.
"Everyone, keep up with Shiro," Koneko called, running after her familiar.
Rias, Akeno, and Kiba followed, trailing the white kitten through the night.