Grayfia, Asia, and Ravel returned an hour after Zaydas spoke with his parents.

"Father, Mother, this is Asia, the first member oh my peerage." Zaydas introduced her with a smile.

Asia felt a chill in her stomach.

"Ara, what a cute little girl~" Zatanna said cheerfully with a smile. "Welcome to the family. Zay can be very playful at times, but he's still very responsible. I believe he will treat you well, and I hope you do the same for him."

"I will do my best!" Asia raised her hands into clenched fists, looking very determined.

Laughing, Zatanna hugged Asia, who was clearly surprised, blushing as her head was pressed against Zatanna's chest.

"You really are a sweetheart," Zatanna said.

Behind Grayfia, Ravel seemed a little nervous.

She fidgeted until Asia's introduction finally ended, then stepped forward and spoke.

"Mother-sama, Father-sama, it's good to see you again!" She bowed towards them with her hands joined near her waist—a perfect bow while her words sounded very respectful.

"That's enough of that, Ravel-chan. Come here, let me hug you too~" Zatanna beckoned her, and Ravel did just that.

When she was hugged, Ravel wasn't shy and returned the embrace.

Meanwhile, Asia was using her hands to fan her face, murmuring softly, "So soft..."

"Hahaha, right? I'm a lucky man~" Sirzechs said loudly, only to receive a sharp look from Zatanna and fall silent.

"Zaydas-sama, about Asia-chan's documents," Grayfia suddenly said. "It's already taken care of, and she can start going to school on Monday. Rias-sama has arranged everything."

Asia's ears perked up upon hearing that.

Grayfia's efficiency was impeccable.

"Thank you, Grayfia-nee," Zaydas said with a smile.

"There's no need to thank me, Zaydas-sama."

Even as she said that, Zaydas noticed a subtle and proud smile on her face, almost imperceptible. Not thanking her? Hehh, he just didn't overdo it because he knew it would backfire.

There's truth in what they say: women don't always say exactly what they mean.

───────────

Later, at lunchtime, everyone gathered around the table. Even Grayfia, who normally didn't allow herself such luxuries, but under Zatanna's persistence, she relented.

Well, it's hard to beat her, so the best choice is to give in…

When Zaydas looked at Asia, he didn't know whether to smile or feel sad.

The teenager seemed very surprised by what she saw on the table.

Grayfia had probably already summarized Asia's situation to Zaydas' parents because, at that moment, Zatanna was giving a very maternal and warm look toward Asia.

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"Is it okay if I say a prayer?" Asia asked timidly.

"Go right ahead, Asia-chan~" Zatanna was the one who replied.

"Yes, go ahead," Sirzechs said.

Seeing that everyone agreed, Asia put her hands together and began to pray with her eyes closed.

After finishing, she said, "Amen."

"Thank you for the meal."

In an instant, the sounds of cutlery and plates echoed.

Asia wasn't used to chopsticks, so she used a fork and knife to eat. She reached her fork into the stew, picked up a potato, and brought it to her mouth. Immediately, the potato's sweetness seemed to spread as her eyes lit up while she blew on it and took another bite.

"If you shove food in too fast, you might choke on it, you know?"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine—Guh?!"

As soon as Grayfia warned her, Asia started choking.

"See? What did I tell you?" Exasperated, Grayfia handed her a cup, and Asia quickly drank from it. She coughed and wheezed a few times while Grayfia rubbed her back, but despite her earlier exasperation, Grayfia's cheeks soon relaxed, and she smiled.

"Is it really that delicious?"

"It's absolutely amazing. I've never eaten anything this good."

Apparently, this was even better than today's breakfast. Maybe it was because Zaydas' parents were there, or simply because Asia had discovered something she truly liked, but whether it was her expression or tone of voice, it was genuine.

Zaydas observed Asia. Her expression, which frequently changed from one moment to the next, along with her beauty, gentleness, and kindness, were the hallmarks of an exemplary heroine.

They continued eating while talking about various topics, though none with any deep meaning.

───────────

4:51 PM, later that same day.

Zaydas met with his parents in their room.

"Yes?" Zaydas was the first to break the silence.

"Zay, we're leaving," Zatanna said softly. "By the way, the registry has already been updated, and your official name has changed to Zaydas Gremory. Even the people who thought it was 'Grimmory' won't suspect a thing."

He understood what had been done.

She continued, "Besides that, you must have your own plans and desires you intend to follow, so I won't say much about you going to another dimension. I had my moments too…" She blushed slightly, seeming to recall something.

Coughing, Sirzechs looked a little jealous as he continued where she had left off. "Zay, remember to be very careful. Traveling to other dimensions isn't a game. One wrong step, and everything could go south. Don't be overly confident just because you've gotten a little stronger."

"I know. I never thought I could carry the world with my own hands or anything like that," Zaydas said. "Even if I say I'm the strongest in the dimension I'm going to, I won't let my guard down. Okay, maybe I'll admit that sometimes I've been a little reckless, but I haven't messed up yet—and I don't plan to."

"At least you're being honest. I like that," Zatanna interjected. "I know that at your age, and with the powers you have, it's easy to get carried away. The only thing I ask of you is… Stay safe, son."

"I will." Zaydas nodded.

After giving her a long hug, he also embraced his father.

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In the hallway of the rooms, after his parents returned to the Underworld, Zaydas ran into Ravel.

She was wearing a salmon-colored one-piece dress with white accents. Her blonde hair was loose, making her look both beautiful and cute.

Although her shyness was somewhat endearing, he wanted to instill something in her and let her get to know him a little better—even if it was through an exaggerated action. So, Zaydas pressed Ravel against the wall.

A loud thud echoed as he placed his hand beside Ravel—he was doing the infamous kabe-don.

"Z-Zaydas-sama…?"

"I wanted to thank you for what you did for Asia-chan, but I'm also a little upset, you know?"

Zaydas let a mischievous smile appear on his face. But then, something strange happened. Instead of running away, Ravel looked straight into Zaydas' eyes, her cheeks flushed red.

"…Ah. Why are you upset?"

Seeing Ravel's flushed face, a hint of mischief grew inside Zaydas. He reached out, grabbed her arm, and pulled her body toward him.

"Why does it feel like you're running away from me, your fiancé?"

"Kyah?!"

He held Ravel's body in his strong arms.

"…Ahh…~"

Zaydas couldn't help but wonder why her reaction was different from what he expected. Either way, he couldn't quite understand her response, no matter how much he thought about it, so he let her go.

Ravel remained with a dreamy look, and Zaydas felt that if he wanted, he could have had more than just a hug, but he decided to stop for now…

"See you later," he said in a deep tone.

───────────

Ravel didn't even remember when she had entered her room and locked the door. She felt as if her mind was in a daze again.

"Zaydas-sama..."

When Ravel whispered his name, she felt an inexplicable warmth enveloping her heart.

"…I wonder what this feeling is."

She leaned against the door while bringing her hands to her chest.

"His arms were so big. And strong…~~"

When Ravel had been embraced by Zaydas' muscular arms, she had felt an indescribable emotion. She knew he had just been playing around—or at least, that's what she thought—which made her feel even safer in Zaydas' arms.

Ravel placed her hands on her cheeks.

They were incredibly warm to the touch, and her heart was beating so loudly that she could hear it pounding. She couldn't forget the sensation of being held in his strong arms, and the fact that he had whispered in her ear, calling her "his fiancée," was also vividly engraved in her mind.

"…Seriously… What's happening to me?"

Her heartbeat remained unshaken as Ravel was confronted with the perplexity of this feeling—one she had never experienced until she got to know Zaydas better and was embraced by him once again…

At the same time, she realized that the reason she hadn't resisted Zaydas pulling her into his arms either this time or the last time was because there was a small, tiny part of her that wouldn't mind if he did whatever he wanted with her…

She hadn't realized it yet.

She hadn't noticed that certain dormant tendency within her; it would take time before she did.

Wanting to cool her head, she decided to take a bath.

...

After finishing her bath, Ravel dressed in her adorable, cute pink pajamas and lay down on her bed.

"…Haaah."

'I wonder what Zaydas-sama is doing right now?' Ravel's mind constantly drifted back to that thought.

"…'See you later,' he said… Ehehe~"

When he had said those words to her, the embarrassed look on his face had been really cute (or so she thought).

"Zaydas-sama…"

Ravel's body started to heat up again as she imagined being held in those strong, thick arms of his. Even without meaning to, her palms started caressing her own ample chest. Her body trembled, and when she felt them harden slightly, she suddenly snapped back to her senses.

"W-What was I doing…?"

She was bewildered… but, obviously, she didn't hate it either.

Her thoughts were disordered, but her body, honest as it was, led her to bring her hand to her chest once more...