3rd Person POV
A few days passed in Kuoh Town.
By the time the first class began, all the students had already settled into their classrooms.
However, Rias Gremory had just received a message from Yuuto Kiba on her phone regarding his investigation. According to the message, he wished to meet with her.
Excusing herself from class, she made her way toward the Occult Research Club room.
It was one of the privileges of being the principal's daughter.
Besides, she would only be away for a few minutes.
A soft knock echoed from the door.
"Enter..."
Yuuto Kiba stepped inside, carrying a small stack of documents. It wasn't much, but apparently enough for his report.
After taking the seat across from Rias, he placed the papers neatly on the table.
Rias didn't look at them. Instead, her attention remained fixed on Kiba, more interested in hearing his conclusions than reading the documents herself.
"So," she began, "what did you find?"
Kiba took a slow breath before meeting her gaze.
"Not much," he admitted. "The orphanage has no connection to the Holy Sword Project."
He paused for a moment.
"After ruling that out, I began to wonder if it might be connected to another Holy Project instead."
Kiba picked up one of the documents and handed it to Rias, who accepted it without a word.
"So I conducted a more thorough investigation. They even allowed me inside the orphanage. No one seemed suspicious of my connection to the Devils, and I was free to look around for several hours."
"And?"
"Nothing." Kiba shook his head. "There were no traces of any experiments or hidden facilities. It was simply an ordinary orphanage that took in children with nowhere else to go."
He paused once more.
"...However..."
Rias leaned forward slightly.
"...However?"
"The sisters accidentally revealed two pieces of information."
"Oh?" Rias rested a finger against her chin. "What are they?"
"First of all, seven years ago, one of the children at the orphanage somehow gained the miraculous ability to heal both people and animals. After word of it spread, the Cathedral took her in and bestowed upon her the title of the Holy Maiden."
"Holy Maiden..." Rias murmured thoughtfully as she scanned the paper, which revealed the Holy Maiden's full name. "Interesting... What about the other?"
"A crimson-haired man wearing a neatly tailored white suit visited the orphanage a year ago."
Rias' eyes widened slightly.
"...Father?"
"Most likely," Kiba replied with a nod.
"According to the sisters, he met privately with Kazuki Sakuragi. They spoke for some time, but no one knows what they discussed."
"From what Akeno told me," Rias said, "Kazuki told her he was invited to Kuoh through a scholarship. It was probably around that time."
"But, President," Kiba continued, "was it really necessary for the Principal to visit the orphanage personally? If it was only about offering a scholarship, he could have simply sent one of his representatives."
"I was thinking the same thing, Kiba." Rias let out a quiet sigh. "If Father went there himself, then either he wanted to confirm something..."
She paused, her expression growing more serious.
"...or Kazuki Sakuragi isn't an ordinary human, and somehow managed to attract his attention."
Another moment of silence passed.
"And believe me," Rias said, rubbing her forehead, "even I don't know what Father was thinking."
"As for him not being an ordinary human..." Kiba pulled out his phone and held it out to her. "Take a look at this, President."
Rias accepted the phone.
A video began to play.
It showed Kazuki's match against Kaori Murayama during the Kendo Club's practice.
As she watched Kazuki move, one of her eyebrows slowly rose.
"...Isn't this just kendo?"
"No, President." Kiba shook his head. "At first glance, it looks like kendo. But Kazuki Sakuragi isn't fighting like a kendo practitioner."
He pointed at the screen.
"His footwork, sense of timing, control of distance, and tendency to avoid clashing head-on... If I had to compare it to something, I'd say his movements resemble those of a spear user."
The video reached the final exchange.
Kiba paused it just as Kazuki's shinai struck Murayama's neck.
"That strike wasn't aimed at scoring a point, President."
A brief silence followed.
"If I'm reading it correctly... that was a killing strike."
Kiba let out another quiet sigh.
"If this had been a real battle... if he'd been holding a real weapon instead of a shinai..." He glanced at the frozen image of Murayama. "...She would most likely be dead."
"...That's..." Rias quietly digested Kiba's analysis. "That's dangerous."
"No, the dangerous part," Kiba replied, folding his arms, "is that he doesn't carry himself like someone who's killed before. So either those skills were inherited... or they're simply pure instinct."
Kiba leaned back against the sofa and let out a tired sigh.
"That's all I know."
Rias closed her eyes for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh. When she opened them again, she folded her arms across her chest.
"You may return to class."
Kiba rose to his feet and gave a slight bow before turning toward the door.
"Kiba..." He stopped and glanced back over his shoulder. "Thank you for your investigation."
He gave a small nod before opening the door and quietly leaving the room.
Rias remained seated, her gaze drifting toward the window.
The investigation had answered a few questions, yet it had raised even more.
Every clue seemed to point toward one big mystery.
Kazuki Sakuragi.
"Father..." Rias murmured softly. "Were you trying to confirm something? Were you testing me? ...Or was it both?"
She rose from the sofa and walked toward the window, determination burning in her blue eyes.
"Whatever the answer is..." she said quietly, "...I'll uncover the truth myself."