Harbinger of Ruin: Ch.29

“You're not actually coming with me to class, right?”, Rias whispered to me as the two of us let the group, a whispered groan escaping her lips as I nodded.

“Of course. After all, Lady Venelana gave me the day off.”

“That wasn't an actual suggestion! It was just them being…them! You don't have to play along!”

“I kind of do or would you rather they escalate the situation and start cooing about every little thing you do?”, I asked, watching as she went to protest before stopping herself with a grimace.

“Huh, you learn fast,” Sirzechs spoke up from behind us and I turned to see Zeoticus nodding approvingly.

“Unlike a certain daughter of mine who believes she can still avoid the attention of the common populace by shrinking into herself out of shyness. As if anyone did not notice her beautiful red hair and the regal etiquette.”

“You could at least pretend to enjoy our presence, Rias,” Venelana said with a fond smile and Rias sighed as I smiled.

“I'm trying~ At least, I was until everyone started asking about weddings and ceremonies and royal engagements…”

“Speaking of engagemen-!”

“Nope, we've had enough wedding talks for the day. Let's draw the line right there before anyone gets any ideas,” I cut him off, Rias giving a thankful smile while Sirzechs smirked.

“So, you're saying there is a line?”

“Yes and let's not go over it.”

“You're one to talk. You just agreed to walk with me through a school filled with gossiping teenage girls while my parents and brother walk behind us like paparazzi. I think we've passed that line.”

“Considering you're still holding onto me instead of pushing me away out of irritation, I'm guessing that stopping the engagement talk saved me?”

“You damn right it did and if I wasn't so madly in love with you, I'd absolutely kill you for this.”

“Well, that's why I kind of bend the line. You never do,” I answered with a smirk and chuckled as she just rolled her eyes with an exasperated smile before the two glanced back as we heard Zeoticus and Sirzechs speaking to each other.

“I give it six months before we get an official announcement.”

“Too short. Make it three.”

“I simply wished for a quiet day to watch my daughter prestige and now I am stuck with these two,” Venelana sighed and Rias gave a smug little smile as Sirzechs and Zeoticus gave sheepish smiles.

“You should have thought of that before bringing these two.”

“I see now why you never let them go anywhere with you.”

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“Rias~Look here~”

“Ria~ Ria~ Over here~”

“…Should we help?”, I asked, glancing to Venelana as Sirzechs and Zeoticus tried their best to get 'good shots' of Riasw, who was trying her best to hide her red face from the amused students in the class.

“Oh, not in the slightest. This is excellent blackmail material and Rias may act embarrassed, but she enjoys the bonding time just as my husband and son do.”

“Ooh~ I can't wait to show this to Millicas~ He's been asking what his cool aunt looks like when she's not acting like a noble lady.”

“I swear to everything holy and unholy that I'm getting a new family. Sona, I'll be your little sister if I have to.”

“No,” Sona denied her instantly, but I caught the smug look of enjoyment on the Sitri's face while Akeno and Tsubaki hid their giggles.

“Uh, is…is this a common occurrence?”, One of the dads to my side asked after snapping out of his ogling at Venelana and I smiled before nodding.

“Rias' family are noble lords and ladies that rule over a country and this is the one time that they can truly be free of all duties and just be a family.”

“T-T-They're royalty?!”, The dad squeaked and I nodded before turning to Venelana as she hummed.

“Hmm, I suppose since we are a form of nobility, one could say that, yes. Now, Zeoticus, Sirzechs, let us stop interrupting the class, please.”

“…I suppose we do have enough,” Sirzechs murmured with a disappointed groan as he lowered his camera, Zeoticus doing the same even as he continued to take quick photos with a sly smile.

That didn't last long as his camera was taken away by Venelana who did the same to Sirzechs before I watch her roll her eyes when both of them whined.

“You either stop that or I'm destroying the cameras,” Immediately, both quieted down and stood regally still, making her shake her head while I smirked as I stood beside her.

Quite honestly, it was fun to see the older members of the family doing their best to embarrass their youngest while the matriarch did her best to hold it together.

“It is refreshing to see you all enjoying yourself,” I murmured softly, which they heard as Venelana gave me a glance with a knowing smile while Sirzechs and Zeoticus looked amused at my words.

“I let them play as long as they remember not to go too overboard.”

“And this doesn't count as it, Lady Venelana?”, I asked, chuckling as she just shook her her head while handing the devices back to their owners.

“No, this is quite tame compared to how they usually are. No photos. I do not wish to disrupt the class any more,” Venelana spoke up as Sirzechs went to take one and he grumbled even as he put his camera away while Zeoticus stood with his already put away.

“Uh, a-am…I allowed to continue with the presentation? Is the royal family done?”, The teacher asked nervously form the front and Venelana gave a polite smile while smacking away Sirzechs' hand from his jacket.

“We have had our fun, yes. Please, do continue with your lesson. I wish to see what my Rias has been learning.”

“Well, that just put the pressure on him, didn't it?”, I whispered to Sirzechs as the teacher paled and the redhead in question snickered with a nod.

“Definitely.”

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“Please, world~ Swallow me whole and never spit me back out.”

“Hey, look on the bright side. It's your final year in high-school so you don't have to worry about this ever happening again,” I spoke as we walked with our arms interlocked, to which she just groaned while hiding her face in my shoulder.

“Come on, Rias~ It wasn't that bad, right?”

“It was a bit over the top, my lord,” Akeno answered and Zeoticus just blinked as Sirzechs shook his head with a scoff.

“Nah, it's not that bad.”

“Use your proper words, Sirzechs.”

“What I mean is that we were not that bad,” Sirzechs quickly corrected himself as Venelana spoke up, to which I just smirked as Rias glared at them while the group of us made our way around the school.

After Rias' first class earlier this morning with the quick photo-shoot during said class, every class afterwards was the same or worse as Sirzechs and Zeoticus had probably taken over a hundred different photos during each class.

That's not mentioning the fact that was Venelana questioning each and every teacher on their lesson plan, timetable and exam questions as well as me trying my best to make sure Rias doesn't try to destroy half of the school as revenge.

Thankfully, recess came just as she was about to snap and the girl was all for getting out and away from her family as fast as she could with Akeno quickly following after us.

Unfortunately, she may have forgotten that her parents and brother were Ultimate-Class and stronger since they found us within the first minute of us leaving their side.

“Did you truly believe you could evade our detection?”, Venelana asked and Rias looked hesitant before she nodded with a pout.

“It was a good idea at the time.”

“Of course you would say that. Well, since it is recess, perhaps you could show us the cafeteria where you eat.”

“Oh, we eat at the club room, Lady Venelana,” I answered and she looked at me before slowly looking to Rias who looked anywhere but at her mother.

“Yuuto, may I have a moment with my daughter?”, Rias gave me a pleading look and I went to say no, but as I caught sight of the smile on Venelana's face as well as Zeoticus' quick nods, I simply nodded and pulled myself free.

“I'm sorry,” I whispered as I kissed Rias on the cheek, not surprised to see her glaring at me even as Venelana pulled her off to the side.

“Can I ask what this is even about?”

“Venelana let Rias come to the Human Realm because she wanted her to spend time amongst humans and make political connections that she can use later down her life. Unfortunately, it appears that she was more focused on her manga and anime than on said connections, so she's about to get scolded.”

“…Huh, well, I'm glad I'm not her,” I muttered as I watched Rias and Venelana vanish around the corner before turning to Akeno as she eagerly wrapped her arms around mine.

“You realize that she's going to mad at you for this, right?”

“I do. Lord Zeoticus, would you like to see the gym hall?”

“Oh, most definitely. I hear that it is quite large for a human one,” Zeoticus spoke up as Akeno began walking, with me following beside her with a smile and Sirzechs and his father following after us.

“It is, though not close to a fifth of the one House Gremory had.”

“If it's a tenth of the one we have, it is still quite impressive.”

“Uh, I don't remember House Gremory having a gym hall.”

“Oh, do you not remember the castle you and Okita used to train in? That's it,” Sirzechs spoke up with a nonchalant voice and I blinked as I heard that before slowly looking to Akeno who giggled at my face.

“I keep forgetting House Gremory is filthy rich.”

“Oh, I would not say filthy rich. House Phenex and the Great House Bael are filthy rich. We are merely well-off in terms of devil standards.”

“Lord Zeoticus, you gave me a million dollars to take a sip of my Yuuto Grande.”

“Yes, and to us as well as most devil houses, that would be the same as buying a yacht even though we have many. It is simply spare change.”

“I repeat myself. I keep forgetting how filthy rich everyone is.”

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“Yuuto!”, I raised an eyebrow at the sight of Saji and Issei turning the corner, both of them looking panicked while Zeoticus and Sirzechs looked intrigued at the sight of Issei.

“The Red Dragon Emperor and a wielder of a Vritra Gear, yes? I must admit that I am pleased to meet you,” Zeoticus spoke up and both guys looked to me as I sighed.

“Guys, this is Lord Zeoticus Gremory, leader of House Gremory and Rias' father, and Sirzechs Lucifer, brother to Rias and leader of all devilkind. Lord Zeoticus, Lord Sirzechs, this is Issei Hyoudou, a Pawn of Sona Sitri and the wielder of the Longinus Boosted Gear, and Genshirou Saji, another Pawn of Sona Sitri and the wielder of the Vritra Gear Absorption Line.”

“O-Oh, good to meet you, my lords,” Saji bowed with a nervous smile, Issei doing the same as Zeoticus nodded while Sirzechs waved his hand dismissively.

“No need for the formality, boys. Today is a simple gathering of families that are here to watch their younger members prestige so think of us as simple family members to Rias and not by our nobility titles.”

“R-Right…Anyway, Yuuto! You need to come right now!”

“What is it this time?”, I asked, watching as Issei and Saji glanced at each other before Saji groaned.

“Fine! Well, you know how Xenovia came here today to see if she wanted to join Kuoh Academy?”

“I do.”

“And you know how proud Tsubaki and Lady Sona is about the school?”

“I do. Where are you going with this?”, I asked with a frown and Saji hesitated before he answered.

“Well, Xenovia may have given a subtle insult to the school, but she didn't mean it!”

“Okay, and?”

“…Lady Leviathan is here and she may have heard it?”, He squeaked and my eyes widened as I felt a flare of demonic power and heard Sirzechs' curse.

“Well, shit,” He muttered as he pushed past, the rest of us following after him as we made our way to the gym hall where a group of students were crowding around the entrance.

They soon cleared as they noticed Sirzechs' stern face and we walked in, watching as a pale Tsubaki stood off to the side while a panicking Sona stood between Xenovia and what appeared to be an angry teenage girl in a magical girl cosplay outfit.

“What are you so angered about? I simply said that it was not up to the standards that I was expecting for a school ruled by devils.”

“Hargh! You insulted her again! You know what? Maybe I should freeze you in-!”

“Serafall!”, Sirzechs' voice cut through her argument and I watched as the girl/ woman with violet eyes and her long black hair in twin ponytails turned to us with a glare only to huff as Sirzechs looked back at her with his own frown.

“I was just defending my sweet, cute little So-so, okay?! And then this rude girl here was being mean to my adorable baby sister's hard work!”

'…Dear Satans, it's even worse in real life,' I thought in horror as I watched a grown woman that was over five hundred years old acting like a childish teenager while Sona gave a tight, forced smile.

“And I do appreciate it, Serafall, but…well…”

“Serafall, you can't threaten to freeze people for a comment, especially not someone that is allied to not only my younger sister but also her beloved.”

“B-B-But she said it like it was a fact!”, Serafall spoke while pointing dramatically at Xenovia and I panicked as I saw her signature bored eyebrow raise.

'Well, shit's about to hit the fan.'

“I was merely pointing out that-!”

“Xenovia! Let's not make things worse than they are, okay?”, I spoke up with a polite smile as I walked over to her, Akeno quickly letting go of me as she did not want to be in the middle of this chaos while Xenovia frowned.

“Well, if that is an insult, then perhaps the standards are lower than I expected.”

'Oh my fucking Satans.'

“Excuse me?”

“I'm simply saying that the architecture and structure of this school did not match the regal image I had expected of a devil-run school.”

'You were here before and you didn't say this then!', I shouted in my mind even as I wrapped a hand around her mouth, the girl looking surprised as I rapidly shook my head before feeling a cold chill running up my spine.

“Celsius…”

“Serafall, an attack on Yuuto and his allies is an attack on House Gremory. Would your mother or your Queen like knowing that you're starting civil wars left and right?”, Zeoticus spoke up in a stern tone that I did not expect from him and I was especially not expecting Serafall to stop halfway through her attack with a panicked look.

“Y-You wouldn't tell on me, r-right Uncle Zeo?”

“That depends on your next move,” He answered smoothly and Serafall whined as she cancelled her spell, a relieved sigh escaping my lips before I blinked as I felt something wet touching the palm of my hand.

“…Are you serious right now?”, I asked as I took my hand away and Xenovia didn't answer as she smacked her lips before nodding.

“A bit salty but fragrant as well. I approve.”

“Do I even want to know?”, Akeno asked as she slowly made her way closer, to which I shook my head before turning as the doors to the gym burst open.

All of us stood as still as rocks as Venelana walked in, Rias slowly trailing behind her with a nervous smile as the matriarch of House Gremory looked around before speaking softly.

“In twenty words or less, explain before I decide to deal out punishments.”

“…It was Serafall's fault,” And just like that, I was quick to throw the culprit under the bus, who looked both surprised and horrified at my words while everyone blinked before nodding in agreement.

“Yeah, it was her fault/ Totally her fault/ I do believe Serafall started it,” Everyone quickly agreed to my words and Serafall looked more and more panicked by our words before freezing as Venelana looked to her with a soft smile.

“Follow. Now.”

“…Okay~”, The girl whined as she slowly followed after Lady Venelana, with all of us watching as the two left the building before I turned to Rias as she stopped in front of me.

“So, what's with this?”, She asked as she pointed between Xenovia, Akeno and I, to which I looked at the other two before nodding and turning away.

“I'll leave you guys to discuss it.”

“Hey, what's this I hear about-Buddy~!! How have you been?!”, Azazel shouted with a grin as he burst through the door and everyone slowly turned to me when he waved while I palmed my face with a groan.

Why?!!!

A/N: And another short filler chapter, but next time, I promise that the action/ the serious part is going to kick off.

Anyway, next chapter: Talking, talking and…a fight? Whoo!!

As always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one…

Ba-Bye~!!