Raza awoke early in the morning. Yesterday had been a hell of a day, to say the least. After everything that had happened, he was surprised to find himself up so soon. Maybe he hadn’t been physically tired in the first place. He got out of bed and headed for the shower.
(Fun fact: Did you know Raza uses either boiling hot water or ice-cold water to shower? Thanks to his Phenex blood, he’s resistant to heat, and the cold doesn’t bother him either.)
After his shower, he dressed and made his way to the dining room. He opened the doors and saw his parents and Ravel already present. He walked inside and took a seat, offering a quiet “Good morning.”
His mother was always the first to respond, greeting him warmly. His father greeted him as well. Ravel kept glancing at her plate, then back at Raza. In a quiet voice, she said, “Good morning,” before returning to her food.
Raza noticed the small change in his sister’s behavior. Normally, she’d act like a princess and dismiss him, but today she actually acknowledged him. She and their mother must have been exhausted after yesterday’s events. Raza was certain the two of them had talked a
lot last night.
He looked at his father. “How is Riser?” he asked.
His father replied that Riser had recovered but hadn’t left his room since this morning.
“I see,” Raza said, returning to his meal.
Regulus then spoke. “I have news for you, Raza. I received a message this morning—from Lord Ajuka Beelzebub himself. He said he wanted to give you your own Evil Pieces.”
Rhea brightened. “That’s wonderful news! My son is finally getting the recognition he deserves.”
“I don’t need it,” Raza replied. “I’ve been doing fine without a peerage. I’ve adapted my fighting style to work solo anyway.”
Rhea looked troubled at his comment.
Regulus nodded. “I see. Then I’ll thank Lord Ajuka and tell him it won’t be necessary.”
Raza simply said, “Thanks.”
Rhea glanced between them and sighed, guessing it wasn’t that important after all. While eating, Raza caught Ravel stealing glances at him, only to immediately focus on her plate whenever he noticed. She wasn’t exactly subtle about it.
Raza felt a little strange. He usually didn’t sit or talk with the rest of his family except his mom.
But he decided it wasn’t a bad feeling. He was going to have to get used to this.
After breakfast, Raza told them he was going off to see Sairaorg. His parents told him to take care.
Raza arrived at the Bael household, a place he’d been visiting for years. It had become familiar in a strange way. He made his way to the training ground, where he saw Sairaorg punching a training dummy to pieces.
Raza approached him. “Still punching wood, I see.”
Sairaorg turned around and saw Raza. “Well, ever since you went away for two years, there hasn’t been anything worth punching.”
Raza grinned. “So you do care.”
Sairaorg laughed. The two walked together and shook hands.
“It’s been a while. Seems like you’ve gotten stronger, as you showed last night,” Sairaorg remarked.
“I guess. And it seems like you’ve gotten even bigger. Seriously, what are they feeding you?”
Sairaorg laughed again and punched Raza’s shoulder.
“So, want to join me for training today? Like the good old days?”
Raza accepted, and they began the same training they’d been doing for years.
By evening, both young men were sitting on the grass, drinking water.
“You know, after the stunt you pulled last night, your name was talked about throughout the whole underworld,” Sairaorg said.
“Well, that’s not surprising at all,” Raza replied.
“Do you know what this means?”
Raza was quiet for a moment, then smiled. “Yeah. I guess I made it so they can’t ignore me anymore.”
Sairaorg laughed. “Exactly.”
“I hear you’re Rias’s new fiancé now. That’s good. She needs someone honest and direct like you. I’m sure both of you will complement each other.”
“Whoa there, seems you’ve got things wrong. It’s not like that, okay? It was because of a deal my father made with the elders. They arranged
it without my knowledge. After beating Riser, I was supposed to take his place.”
Sairaorg looked confused. “Then why haven’t you canceled it?”
“It was to keep her safe. If I stay as her fiancé, it would scare off other houses. It’s only temporary, anyway.”
Sairaorg regarded him with a neutral expression. “Raza.”
“What?”
“That doesn’t make any sense at all.”
“Huh? How so?”
“Don’t you think it’s too convenient a reason? And why would anyone approach Rias after she’d just escaped a marriage? You’d think her
family would be more protective after last night’s events.”
“So, what, she was coming up with an excuse?”
“Yes.”
“But why would she do that?”
Sairaorg turned around and looked at his friend, staring for a while.
“What?”
“You’re serious.”
“About what?”
“So… you didn’t actually notice?”
“WHAT?!”
Sairaorg let out a sigh. “You, my friend, are hopeless.”
“The hell? You picking a fight?”
“No. I’m just acknowledging my friend’s lack of social skills.”
“Sounds like picking a fight to me.”
Sairaorg smirked. “And you’re sure you want to fight the ‘strongest youth of this generation’?”
“Ha, you only got that title because I wasn’t around to claim it in the first place.”
“Sounds to me like someone is jealous.”
“Pick a place and time, friend. I’ll kick your ass.”
Both youngsters laughed.
Sairaorg spoke again. “Raza, as you know, Rias and Sona Sitri are in the human world, attending that school.”
“So what?”
“I thought maybe you could also join the school in the human world.”
“Why?”
“Because you were homeschooled your whole life and lack social skills.”
“Hey, I know how to carry myself at important events. I’m not that hopeless.”
“That’s not what I mean. You don’t know how to talk to girls. You don’t know how to interact with people your age. You haven’t experienced school life.
And you don’t have any friends.”
“I have you. Doesn’t that count?”
“No.”
Raza sighed. “So I just go and join this human school… for learning?”
“I’m not simply asking you to learn. I think you should experience it. You’ll understand what I mean in time. Also, spending time surrounded by girls will do you good, hahaha.”
Raza narrowed his eyes. “What the hell is that last one supposed to mean?”
His alarm went off. He checked the time.
“Well, it’s getting late. I’d better return home.” Raza got up, grabbed his bag, and turned to leave.
He heard Sairaorg call out, “Raza, think about what I said. About the school.”
Raza just waved and continued walking.
He returned home. His mother greeted him at the entrance.
“Welcome back, dear. How was training?”
“Same as usual. I caught up with Sairaorg again. It felt… good, to be honest.”
Rhea said that was wonderful to hear.
“Well, I’m off to take a shower, then I’ll get to bed. Good night, Mother.”
Raza kissed his mother on the cheek and walked away to clean himself.
Later that night, lying in bed, he thought about what Sairaorg had said—all that social stuff. Raza admitted to himself that he didn’t really know how people his age acted. Well, he knew Sairaorg, but their relationship was different, and Sairaorg himself was a special guy. But school, Raza thought, could be interesting. Now that things had finally calmed down, maybe that’s what he needed to do.
The next morning, Raza arrived at the breakfast table. His family, minus Riser, were present. He greeted them, sat down, pulled his plate
closer, and began to eat. After a while, he looked at his father.
“Father.”
Regulus looked toward his son. “Yes?”
“I’ve been thinking of enrolling in school.”
to be continued.