Beyond Critical - Chapter 5.1 (Patreon)

Thankfully for Kaito, after the stupidity that was his Monday and dealing with not only a walking talking sexual assault case, but a stupid murderous priest and an overweight Chinese Emperor, his days were much more quiet from then on.

'The fact that's even a sentence that I thought is stupid in of itself though.' he mused as he leaned over the railing atop the academy roof.

Since Monday, he'd taken to retreating up here. He honestly thought initially, it was only shown in light light novels or something for the protagonist to look cool and edgy.

But Kaito had to admit, since nobody ever came here, beyond Yanagi to bother him, it sure was peaceful.

Up here he didn't have to deal with as many eyes on him.

More and more girls had been approaching him over the past few days and striking up conversations with him, some even inviting him to have lunch with them or maybe even hang out after school.

Yanagi certainly wasn't a fan from what he could tell, and neither were the other guys in school.

'At this rate they're gonna hate me as much as Prince boy.' he snorted. And he couldn't blame them.

He'd also been quite annoyed whenever girls just outright ignored every other guys existence the minute Yuuto Kiba walked on by.

Though, they definitely weren't the only eyes he had on him. Koneko had been eyeing him quite intensely again.

And he swore, every time he turned around while in school, there was a member of the student council in vicinity.

It wasn't hard to understand why.

He didn't know exactly what he did to the spirit of Cao Huan, but, his best guess, was that he'd crushed the soul of the once Emperor out of existence and absorbed the remnants.

Like for instance, his magic power.

Upon waking up on Tuesday morning, Kaito had found, his assumed magical power, had gained a roughly fifty percent increase.

Something they definitely noticed.

But beyond even that though, Kaito found, he was stronger upon awakening. Not taking into account he'd learned how to access Touki to make himself stronger.

Without ever using it or his Sacred Gears, Kaito was stronger at the base. And he knew why.

Because of the magatama on his ear.

Where before, he couldn't feel it at all. Now he could. He could feel it enhancing his body, as if he were the true toshi it was meant for.

Despite it not even having a spirit inside anymore, nor him being the true inheritor of it.

The only answer he had at all to explain it, was that he subsumed the spirit inside it and as such, became a match for it.

"…Ugh, why does everything have to be so complicated." he groaned. At the very least, he supposed the quiet since then was nice.

It was now Thursday, and the biggest stand out thing to happen in the last three days, was Hyoudou turning up to the academy alongside Rias Gremory.

"Soon days I won't need to worry about those annoying fallen a-hm?" as he spoke idly to himself, Kaito paused as he noticed an odd figure making their way through the school yard.

It was, a white cloaked figure with a hood up covering their features. Beyond that, he couldn't make anything out.

Though the oddest thing, was seeing Sitri making her way out alongside her Queen to meet the figure.

Before proceeding towards the huge gothic like building that functioned as the club house for the Occult Research Club.

"Now what's this then?" he raised an eyebrow in interest.

He didn't remember anything like this happening before in his memories and especially not this early.

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"It's rather suspicious, no?"

Rias looked over her shoulder and quirked an eyebrow at her queen, Akeno as the black haired girl began pouring out a cup of tea at her desk.

"I wouldn't say that," Rias' lips quirked into an amused smile and she stepped away from where she was peering out of her window, towards the roof of the main school building, "It's a rather noticeable growth, but it's not exactly ground breaking." she added as she sat down behind her desk.

"Usually, I'd say you're right," Akeno agreed, "But, with the fallen being active in town and this growth coming out of nowhere at the same time they went after my cute new junior, well it does line up, it's not normal for humans to grow so noticeably quickly when it comes to magical power without outside variables."

"True," Rias nodded, reaching for her cup and daintily lifting it, "Though, his power was already growing before last week, it was a steady, if slow growth. And we know he has a Sacred Gear and a dragon type one at that, just like Issei-kun."

"Koneko did say the dragon scent coming from him had grown noticeably stronger," Akeno mused before giggling lightly, "Though perhaps she's just attracted to his natural musk? You know how much Koneko enjoys working out after all and by all accounts, Kaito-san practically lives the gym, perhaps she has her first crush and hasn't even noticed?"

"Somehow, I doubt that." Rias snorted, taking a sip of her tea.

"Will you approach him?" Akeno asked after a moment, raising a fine raven black eyebrow at her king.

Rias finished her sip of tea, before shrugging lightly, "I'm undecided at the moment," she mused, lowering her cup, "There are not many dragon type sacred gears. And, Koneko confirmed that before, of the three dragon type sacred gear holders at this academy, his draconic scent the weakest until last week."

"Issei-kun has the Boosted Gear, and Sona's newest pawn has one of the Sacred Gears containing a fragment of the Dragon King Vritra," Akeno nodded in understanding, "Going by the fact a mere fragment was noticeably stronger until recently, the most likely answer is that Kaito-san has a Twice Critical."

'Which isn't bad in of itself.' Rias mused. The problem was, Kaito Evander did not come from any special lineage, he did not have any special power and his magical power itself until recently had been rather average.

To be exact, Rias had nothing against the younger boy. But choosing members of her peerage, wasn't something to take lightly.

Even Issei, as cute as she found the boys rambunctious shenanigans, would never have been someone she wanted recruit initially if he didn't have such a powerful Sacred Gear.

Of course he was her precious Pawn now and she wouldn't give up him for the world even if he lost the Boosted Gear, just like any of her peerage even if they lost what made them special.

But, they were still special here and now.

And that was what she needed in the future if she wanted to rise to the top of the Rating Games and become number one alongside her peerage.

That was not to say Kaito was not special himself, he just wasn't as special as the other members of her peerage, and it wasn't like she hadn't already made plans to recruit him. She in fact, thought he would make a rather stellar rook, she was just hedging her bets for now.

It may have been rather shallow, but her evil pieces were precious resources that she couldn't get replace out of special circumstances.

"There is still plenty of time to wait and see." Rias nodded.

A devious little smirk spread across Akeno's face, "Well, not that you're in any danger of losing him to Sona," she laughed, "She's not exactly a people person and her little plan to make him indebted to her by making it seem like she's forgiving him for rule breaking, is just turning him more and more against her."

"She is kind of a bit to rigid, huh?" Rias shook her head in amusement, "And she hasn't noticed he's the rather prideful type. At this rate, never mind accepting if she offers him a place in her peerage, he might just spit on her."

"Fufufufu, I'd pay to see the look on her face if he did that~" Akeno's laughter increased in volume.

It would definitely be funny, and Sona for sure needed to learn to be a little more flexible. Rias would never understand what she found so appealing about the Japanese work system.

It was horrible and barely a step above slavery. She knew devils that treated their actual slaves with more courtesy and respect than the average Japanese salaryman was afforded.

Just then, there was a knock at the door, "I wonder who that could be?" Rias wondered, looking at the door.

Koneko and Yuuto would just enter, no need for knocking. So, that left, perhaps, Sona?

'Speak of the devil.' Rias giggled herself as Akeno made her way over to the door and opened it.

"Ah, kaichou, hello." Akeno greeted, surprise surprise, Sona politely and with a demure bow.

Before stepping aside and allowing her to enter.

As Sona entered the room, her queen Tsubaki trailing behind her, stone faced as usual.

Though, it wasn't just the pair of them that entered.

Following behind them, was a figure clad in a white cloak that covered their entire body.

"Hello Sona," Rias greeted her childhood friend, "So what brings you over to my spooky neck of the school? Would you like a cup of tea."

Sona pursed her lips, "No thank you, I won't be here long," she replied, giving her a bland glance from behind her glasses, before motioning to the cloaked individual, "This person here is a representative of the church and here to meet you as the owner of this territory."

From the church, huh? Rias resisted the urge to roll her eyes in annoyance, just what she needed.

If it wasn't the black feathered annoyances causing a commotion it was the white feathered ones.

Speaking of-

"Is this about the fallen?" Rias inquired.

"Hmm…kinda?" a distinctly female and rather chipper voce replied from beneath the hood, before they reached up and pulled it back, revealing their face. It was a girl, around their age if Rias estimated, with vibrant purple eyes and long chestnut coloured hair styled in a pair of twin tails held up with a duo of blue scrunchies, "Like we know there's fallen operating here, but I'm on a mission to hunt down one specifically that's on the run even from the Grigori."

"Oh!" the girl clapped, "Silly me, I forgot. I'm Irina by the way, Irina Shidou, or well Shidou Irina I guess now that I'm back in Japan. I'm a representative of the church in Britain." she smiled brightly while pointing to herself with a gloved hand.

Pity, Rias would have loved an excuse to go kick down the door of that church and erase the fallen hiding out there out of existence with her Power of Destruction.

Not only had one of them manipulated the feelings of her new dear and cute pawn, she'd also killed him before she could approach him properly and forced her to reincarnate him before he faded away.

And not only that, just the other night another one had attacked dear Issei as well for being a devil. If he didn't have the excuse of how suspicious Issei was as a newly reincarnated devil and plausible deniability in thinking he was a 'stray', Rias would have killed him right then and there.

Just thinking about it made her blood boil and power simmer within her with the desire to destroy them.

Still, Rias did not let the wroth underneath show on her face and smiled pleasantly at the human girl, "I suppose you're here to inform me that you will be operating in my territory then while hunting this fallen?" she asked.

"Yep," Irina replied without missing a beat, nodding happily, "Though y'know it's kinda sad I need to ask permission from a devil of all things to be in my own home town, I was here before you guys y'know even if I did have to move away for a bit."

Rias sympathised, really, she did, "Sadly, that's just the way things are now I'm afraid," she replied lightly, "Very well though, I give you permission to act as you see fit to deal with your target as long as it doesn't involve my peerage or those affiliated with us."

"Okie dokie, that's fine with me," Irina flashed her a thumbs up, "Though if it's not to much of a bother, I'd like to ask you not to get involved either, I'll get suuuuper into trouble if devils get involved."

"That's fine," Rias shrugged, while this girl was a nice girl all said and done, and much more pleasant than most church officials she'd met, at the end of the day, they were still enemies. Whether she lost to the fallen or took them out, it was a win for the devils in the end, "Though, may I ask exactly who you're target is? Just so I know not to step on anyone's toes."

"Hmm, sure, that's probably for the best actually," Irina nodded perkily, "My target is Satanael."

Rias' eyes flew wide open and her queen was no better, coughing to hide a choked splutter, "Satanael….one of the Cadre!?" she asked, unable to contain her shock.

"That's the one, yep." Irina nodded and confirmed.

Apparently completely unbothered that she was being sent to hunt down such a powerful being, one not even both her and Sona's entire peerage's could stand together against and have a hope of winning.

"Forgive me for asking," Sona cut in, "But how? While I have never seen you fight and if the church has sent you alone, I cannot contest your ability, but for one single human to face off against a Cade is ludicrous. Do you perhaps have a Longinus?"

Rias perked up at that word. Yes, that would make sense. There was no way the church would send out anyone without a power comparable to that to hunt down someone of such renown and p-

"Nope, I don't even a Sacred Gear," Irina shrugged, "Just little old me was sent out to take him down."

Rias felt a deep well of pity forming in her stomach for this girl. She was clearly being sent on a suicide mission.

…Should she offer a hand to the girl and-

"But well, let's just say he didn't get to leave the Grigori completely hale and healthy," the twin tailed girl added, "And that he's nowhere near full strength at the moment."

Oh…well, that made things a little different.

"But still…" Rias trailed off.

She couldn't find words to say anything else, and before long, the conversation drew to a close. And Irina left the club building behind to resume her hunt for a legendary Cadre.