After school Raza was following Rias and Akeno to the old school building. He saw it appear from a distance. It looked like a old victorian building. Rias opened the front door and Akeno and Raza followed in. Raza noticed that the rooms inside were lightly dimmed.
Akeno "The clubroom is upstairs. Everyone else should be already there." Raza followed the girls upstairs and through a long corridor. They stopped infront of a door where there was a sign on which it said "Occult Research Clubroom."
Raza read it aloud. Raza "Heh. Now that is ironic." Akeno "Fufufu, isnt it?." They could hear voices from inside the room.
Rias grabbed the doorknob and opened it. She stepped inside "Everyone. We have a guest with us." Asia jumped up hearing the word guest "Oh. I wonder who it is." Akeno stepped inside next and Raza followed her.
Rias "Let me introduce you. This is Raza Phenex. You may remember him from the Engagement Party."
Kiba "How could we forget.", Kiba looked at Raza "By the way. I wanted to personally thank you. If it werent for you who would know what would happen to the President and to all of us. I am Kiba Yuuto.
I am the Knight in this peerage. A pleasure."
Raza shook Kibas hand "Nice to meet you Kiba. And....no need to worry about formalities. I just did what felt right Honestly" Kiba looked at him approvingly.
Koneko stepped forward. She looked at Raza with a blank stare for a while. Koneko "Ash." Raza "Huh?"
Koneko "You smell like fire and Ash." Raza lifted his arm up and sniffed "Really? Well I dont smell anything." Akeno "This is Koneko Toujou. she is our Rook.
Her senses are quiet sensitive you must understand."
Raza nodded slowly "I see. well thats fine. Nice to meet you Koneko-chan." Koneko looked at Raza with her emotionless expression a while longer. She then nodded once and returned back to her seat.
Lastly Asia approached him. She looked a bit nervous "U-Uhm. I am Asia Argentino. It is nice to meet you Raza-san.
I am also very greatfull to you. You saved President when we thought there was no hope. If you.... if you hadnt...", tears started to fall down from Asias eyes. She started to sob quietly.
Raza made a soft expression "Hey. Its alright Asia. hehe. You really seem like a kind girl. You must have been really worried. But its alright now. Nobody is going to try and hurt you."
Asia whiped away her tears "Yes. Thank you Raza-san. Hihi. You really are kind."
Raza made a troubled face while smiling "Well... I dont really know about that really. I can be pretty selfish too you know. haha." Asia giggled. The room watched this scene and everyone couldnt help but smile.
Asia then was curious about something "Say Raza-san. Do you have a peerage aswell?" Some expressions changed in the room.
Raza looked indifferent "No. I dont. I never received Evil pieces." Asia "Even tho you were born into the Phenex family?"
Raza "I am the Black Phenex remember. An anomaly like me was treated like an outsider. The elders didnt want to give me any credibility back then." Asias expression saddened "Oh. I didnt know. I am sorry."
Raza "You dont have to be. Its not like you were responsible or anything. Besides. Ever since i defeated my brother Riser things did change. And honestly They did offer me to give Evil Pieces but I turned it down."
Kiba "Wait really? Why?" Raza "Cant really say. I guess i dont need it." Asia thought about this for a second. And then it hit her "Wait. So that means that you are this strong without a King Piece?
You really are amazin Raza-san." Rias said from behind that she agreed and she made a bitter smile. Raza "Well i dont know what to say to that. But if things need punching I am your guy."
Asia giggled on the joke. Raza "So...what now?" Rias "Now we get you settled in." Akeno "Let me show you to your room."
Raza grabbed his bag and followed Akeno.
Inside the room the Peerage talked.
Kiba "Comparing the way he acts when he fights and is outside of it. Its like he is a completely different person." Asia "Yes. I know right. When he was fighting he was so intense and a bit scary. B-b-but he is really kind in person of course."
Koneko bit into a cookie and nooded "Yeah." Rias made a thoughtfull expression "You can guess by now probably. But he had a difficult childhood. he must have been isolated. even we once believed the rumours of the Black Phenex to be a bad omen once." Kiba "But we understand better now."
Rias nodded "correct. So i would be gratefull to all of you if you made him feel at home." The room answered with a "YES".
Meanwhile,Akeno brought Raza into a room. There was one bed. a desk and two drawers for clothes. Akeno "It is a little small but it has everything you need. You can use the school showers in the first floor.
Anything I can bring you?"
Raza "No. this is all great really. Thanks Akeno-san. Akeno went to door and was about to close it. She stopped before the door was closed.
Akeno "Raza-kun..... Thank you. I am glad we could meet." Raza looked at her and smiled "Yeah. Me too." Akeno closed the door and started to walk away.
Raza lay down on the bed. He started to think about everything that has happened. His life had changed. Drastically fast even. He still wasnt completely sure how to feel about some things.
But it was a start. His father talked to him now. Ravel seemed to aknowledge him. His dearest mother wasnt as stressed as before.
There was also Riser who had completely locked himself away in his room. He still wasnt completely sure how to feel about his older brother. He didnt know if their wounds could ever heal. Well...maybe there was no point in thinking that now.
He did what he always did when his mind wandered off. He trained. He got on the floor and started doing push-ups.
Here’s an enhanced version of your chapter, maintaining the mature tone, adding emotional impact, and polishing the structure and dialogue for clarity and flow:
Chapter 24
After school, Raza followed Rias and Akeno to the old school building. The structure came into view—an imposing, old Victorian building with a distinct, nostalgic aura. As Rias opened the front door, Akeno and Raza stepped in behind her, immediately noticing the dim, soft lighting that filled the halls.
Akeno smiled, her voice echoing slightly in the quiet corridor. "The clubroom is upstairs. Everyone else should already be there."
Raza trailed the girls upstairs, past aged portraits and down a long hallway. They stopped in front of a door bearing a sign: “Occult Research Clubroom.”
Raza read it out loud, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Heh. Now that’s ironic."
Akeno giggled. "Fufufu, isn’t it?"
Laughter and voices could be heard from inside the room. Rias grabbed the doorknob and swung the door open. She strode inside with a commanding presence. "Everyone, we have a guest with us."
Asia perked up at the word 'guest.' "Oh! I wonder who it is."
Akeno entered next, Raza just behind her.
Rias gestured with a sweeping hand. "Let me introduce you. This is Raza Phenex. You might remember him from the engagement party."
Kiba grinned. "How could we forget?" He turned to Raza. "By the way, I wanted to thank you personally. If it weren't for you, who knows what would have happened to the President—or to all of us. I'm Kiba Yuuto. I serve as the Knight of this peerage. It's a pleasure."
Raza shook Kiba’s hand firmly. "Nice to meet you, Kiba. And really, no need for formalities. I just did what felt right, honestly."
Kiba nodded, his respect clear.
Koneko stepped forward, her face blank but her golden eyes sharp. She stared at Raza for a long moment.
"Ash," she said suddenly.
Raza blinked. "Huh?"
"You smell like fire and ash," Koneko stated flatly.
Raza raised his arm and sniffed, confused. "Really? I don’t smell anything."
Akeno smiled gently. "This is Koneko Toujou. She’s our Rook. Her senses are quite sensitive—you’ll get used to it."
Raza nodded slowly. "I see. Well, that’s fine. Nice to meet you, Koneko-chan."
Koneko stared at him a moment longer, then nodded once and returned to her seat.
Finally, Asia approached, fidgeting nervously. "U-Um, I’m Asia Argento. It’s nice to meet you, Raza-san. And... I’m really grateful to you. You saved the President when we thought there was no hope. If you... if you hadn’t..." Her voice broke, tears welling up and sliding down her cheeks.
Raza’s expression softened. "Hey. It’s alright, Asia." He offered a warm smile. "You really are a kind girl. You must have been so worried. But it’s alright now. No one’s going to hurt you again."
Asia wiped her tears, sniffling. "Yes. Thank you, Raza-san. Hehe, you really are kind."
Raza chuckled, slightly embarrassed. "Well... I don’t know about that. I can be pretty selfish too, you know. Haha."
Asia giggled in return. The mood in the room lightened, and everyone couldn’t help but smile at the gentle scene.
Asia, curious as ever, asked, "Say, Raza-san... do you have a peerage, too?"
The atmosphere shifted just a little.
Raza shrugged, unconcerned. "No. I don’t. I never received Evil Pieces."
Asia looked surprised. "Even though you were born into the Phenex family?"
Raza’s eyes flickered. "I’m the Black Phenex, remember? An anomaly like me was treated as an outsider. The elders didn’t want to give me any credibility back then."
Asia’s expression fell. "Oh... I didn’t know. I’m sorry."
"You don’t need to be." Raza’s voice was gentle. "It’s not your fault. Besides, after I defeated my brother Riser, things changed. They even offered me Evil Pieces afterward, but I turned them down."
Kiba’s eyebrows shot up. "Wait, really? Why?"
Raza just shrugged again. "I guess I don’t need them."
Asia thought for a moment, then her eyes widened. "Wait, so you’re this strong without a King Piece? You really are amazing, Raza-san!"
From behind, Rias spoke, her voice tinged with bittersweet pride. "I agree." She smiled, a little sadly.
Raza scratched the back of his head. "Well, I don’t know about that. But if anything needs punching, I’m your guy."
Asia giggled at his joke.
"So... what now?" Raza asked.
"Now we get you settled in," Rias replied.
Akeno stepped forward. "Let me show you to your room."
Raza grabbed his bag and followed her out.
Inside the clubroom, the peerage quickly started talking among themselves.
Kiba was the first to voice his thoughts. "Comparing the way he acts when he fights to how he is outside of battle... it’s like he’s a completely different person."
Asia nodded, her cheeks a little pink. "Yes, I know, right? When he was fighting, he was so intense—and a bit scary. B-but he’s really kind, of course."
Koneko munched a cookie and nodded. "Yeah."
Rias looked thoughtful. "You can probably guess by now, but he had a difficult childhood. He must have been isolated. Even we once believed the rumors about the Black Phenex being a bad omen."
Kiba nodded. "But we understand better now."
Rias smiled at her team. "Correct. So I’d be grateful if you all help make him feel at home."
Everyone in the room responded in unison. "Yes!"
Meanwhile, Akeno led Raza into a small but neat room. There was a bed, a desk, and two drawers for clothes.
"It’s a little small, but it has everything you need," Akeno said softly. "The showers are on the first floor. If you need anything, just ask."
Raza gave her a genuine smile. "No, this is great, really. Thanks, Akeno-san."
Akeno moved to leave, but paused at the door, looking back at him. Her expression softened, voice almost a whisper. "Raza-kun... thank you. I’m glad we could meet."
He met her gaze. "Yeah. Me too."
She closed the door quietly and walked away, her footsteps echoing down the hall.
Raza lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. His mind raced with everything that had happened. His life had changed—drastically, and fast. He still wasn’t sure how to feel about some things, but it was a start.
His father spoke to him now.
Ravel seemed to acknowledge him.
His beloved mother wasn’t as stressed as before.
And then there was Riser, who had locked himself away in his room. Raza still wasn’t sure how to feel about his older brother, or if their wounds could ever heal. Maybe there was no point in thinking about it right now.
He did what he always did when his mind wandered: he trained.
Dropping to the floor, Raza started doing push-ups, muscles tensing, breath steady, focusing on the one thing he could always control.