They were still inside the church.
Forming a small circle, Rias, Akeno, and Koneko all wore unusually serious expressions.
Rias spoke first.
"Right now, we have an important issue to settle—where Asia-san is going to stay tonight."
It was a crucial point.
Sure, the Fallen Angels and that stray priest had been dealt with, but the holy barrier around the church had also been destroyed. Leaving a defenseless healing nun here alone didn't seem remotely safe.
Reestablishing a barrier was possible, of course, but living in a place like this—cold, abandoned, no supplies—was a different story. The barrier itself couldn't magically transform into a bed or blankets, after all.
In fact, the only reason Raynare and Freed had taken over this old church was because it had long been deserted, though it still retained some faint Holy protection. Any furnishings or provisions had been cleared out ages ago.
Forcing Asia to stay here would mean she'd be sleeping on chilly marble floors—far too harsh for her.
"I think we should ask her opinion about that."
Koneko's quiet voice broke the tension.
"Right—good point," Rias said, nodding slowly. Then, turning to the blonde girl tilting her head curiously in their direction, she asked,
"Asia-san, you came from Northern Europe to be a nun, right? Do you have a place of your own in Japan—an apartment or house?"
"Ho-house?" Asia echoed, shaking her head quickly. "I don't have anything like that."
She was just a penniless Saint. There was no way she could afford real estate. Even though she'd once held a high status in the Church, high status didn't mean high income—you get to bask in the Lord's light, so why would you need worldly money? That was the Church's logic. Even the Church's knightly warriors often lived on a shoestring.
"Hmm. No house, then… what about renting a place?"
"N-No… I don't have that either."
"That complicates things," Rias murmured. She was about to consider other options when Asia's careful voice floated over.
"Um… actually, I don't mind. As long as I can stay with Bokue-san, anywhere is fine…"
"No way!"
"That's absolutely not allowed—"
They blurted it out in unison—Rias and Akeno.
Koneko had just been about to speak but was beaten to the punch, so she silently closed her mouth again.
Well, they'd basically said what she was going to say anyway.
"Uh…"
Asia flinched at their abrupt response, her large emerald eyes brimming with confusion. She only wanted to live with Bokue—why such a strong reaction from the others?
Meanwhile, Rias and Akeno, realizing someone else was thinking the same thing they had been, traded a quiet look. Rias narrowed her eyes at her best friend, while Akeno responded with a soft laugh, a momentary flicker of electricity seeming to snap between them.
Sensing an impending stalemate, Bokue—who'd been standing by Asia—interjected:
"In theory, it's not impossible. My place is pretty big, and there's a spare room—"
"No."
This time, Koneko spoke up, stepping over and lightly tapping his calf with her foot—no real force, just a warning.
Bokue gave a helpless shrug. "I said a spare room, not the same bedroom."
"Still no."
She tapped him again.
"…Why?"
Now Bokue was the confused one.
They were just talking about letting Asia crash for a couple of days, right? Sure, Kuroka might have… opinions. But if they used separate rooms and Bokue kept her, well, appeased, it should work out, no?
Rental apartments in Japan weren't all that complicated. Asia didn't have belongings to move, so once they found a suitable place, she could just go. Easy. So what was the problem?
Rias and Akeno paused their "silent face-off," both turning to look at Koneko.
The white-haired girl's gaze flicked away, then she offered a reason no one could refute:
"Because if you do that, Rias-buchou and Akeno-senpai will be unhappy."
Oh. In that case…
Both girls exhaled, as though simultaneously releasing tension.
"Still, that does give me an idea."
A hint of inspiration lit Rias's eyes as she turned back to Asia with a smile.
"Asia-san, earlier you said you'd be fine with anything as long as you can see Bokue every day, right?"
"Y-Yes…" Asia nodded shyly.
"In that case, how about this? We can help you find a place to stay for free, and you'd get to see Bokue every day—would you be interested?"
"T-Truly? That'd be wonderful!"
No hesitation—Asia agreed on the spot. She didn't care about anything else if it meant being close to Bokue.
Catching the excitement in her voice, Rias clapped her hands briskly.
"Great. Then it's settled. We'll head home."
"Mm!"
❁❁❁❁
Scene shift—
Outside the church, at a small intersection, Asia lingered with an expression of reluctance. She waved multiple times in Bokue's direction.
"Bokue-san, see you tomorrow~"
"Yeah—see you tomorrow."
Bokue nodded once, noticing the light had changed from red to green overhead.
The girls gradually disappeared into the distance, heading back toward Kuoh Academy. Bokue took a moment to think, then checked his phone:
—35 unread messages from Kuroka.
Emmm… He'd only be about half an hour late, but apparently she'd sent a text each minute… that catgirl was something else.
No point lingering. Sighing, he slipped his phone away, took a step—and vanished at once from the intersection.
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