Chapter 10: Meeting Rias

A few days had passed since Richard opened his café. His café was designed in a British royal style, and it quickly attracted a large number of customers—most of them students from a nearby school. The boys came for Kalawanar's charm and Asia's cuteness, while the girls came just to catch a glimpse of Richard.

Richard stood behind the counter, smiling happily as he watched the many people who showed interest in and supported his café.

Asia had asked Richard for permission to work as a waitress because she wanted to see people happy while enjoying their drinks. Another reason was that she wanted to be useful—she understood that she was now living under Richard's protection and wanted to do something to help him. At first, Richard didn't intend to let Asia work as a server, but in the end, he gave in to her request.

Richard's café had even become so popular that it caught the attention of Rias's group. Richard put on a professional smile as he welcomed the group of devils before him, quietly observing and evaluating them up close.

From what Richard knew, the beautiful red-haired girl was Rias Gremory. The black-haired girl with the… peculiar bust was Akeno Himejima. The blond young man was someone he had met a few days ago—Yuuto Kiba. The white-haired loli was Koneko, Kuroka's little sister. Lastly, there was a rather average-looking brown-haired boy, whom Richard recognized as the one he had saved a few days prior.

'Oh, looks like they've invited him to become a devil. Hmmm, not bad, kid. While he seems to have a lot of desires, he's not really a bad person. At the very least, his heart's in the right place,' Richard thought, carefully evaluating Issei, just as he had with the others. They were devils, but none of them had truly evil hearts. While they were quite irresponsible in managing their territory, Richard could sympathize—they were still young.

The group admired the café's interior with delight before finding themselves a seat. They genuinely liked the ambiance, especially Rias, who felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if she had just come home.

"Ara~ This café is beautifully designed," Akeno commented. Though she preferred traditional things, the atmosphere and decor here genuinely appealed to her.

"Indeed, it feels like I've just stepped into a palace. This royal style is wonderful. The owner of this café must be very passionate," Rias added.

Asia walked over to their table and handed them the menu.

"A-Ano… dear customers, please feel free to order," she said.

The group then began to choose their drinks. Rias and Akeno ordered matcha lattes, Koneko chose a chocolate latte, Issei went with a soda, and Kiba ordered a simple coffee. Rias noticed Kiba nodding and smiling at Richard, prompting her to ask curiously:

"Kiba-kun, do you know that guy?" Rias asked, making Issei turn his head toward Richard. He couldn't help but feel jealous when he saw Richard's handsome face and tall, well-built figure.

'Damn it, first Kiba, and now another damn ikemen,' Issei thought bitterly.

"Yes, that's Richard. He summoned me a few days ago and mentioned he was planning to open a café. This must be the one," Kiba said. Despite Richard's curious nature, Kiba had a good impression of him.

"Oh, so he probably knows we're devils then. He's really handsome~ Maybe I should go have a chat with him," Akeno said cheerfully, clearly enjoying Issei's visible jealousy.

"A-Akeno-san!" Issei said nervously at the thought of Akeno being interested in Richard.

"Hentai," Koneko muttered.

"What do you think about him?" Rias asked Kiba. She wasn't against forming social ties with humans.

"Hmmm… he seems like an ordinary person… though he's clearly curious about reincarnated devils," Kiba answered honestly.

"Oh? So he's interested in becoming a devil?" Rias asked. It wasn't unusual for people to want to become devils—they could gain nearly eternal life, wealth, and even power in the human world.

"He even has a supernatural beauty about him, despite still being human," Akeno said.

"Oh, so he really is still just a human," Issei thought, secretly relieved that Richard was merely a normal human. That meant he wouldn't be involved with their group, since they were devils.

"Maybe not. I think he's just curious, not actually interested in becoming a devil," Kiba said.

"Did you all sense the blonde and blue-haired girls?" Rias asked the group. Issei looked a bit confused, clearly not understanding the situation.

"I felt Sacred Gear energy from the blonde girl and the blue-haired one… and some fallen angel energy too," Akeno said, frowning slightly at the mention of Kalawanar. Her words startled Issei, who feared a fight might break out—until Koneko lightly elbowed him in the side.

"Ah—ow, that hurts, Koneko-chan!"

"Shut up, hentai-senpai," Koneko said flatly.

"We need to keep an eye on him. Two possibilities: either he doesn't know the identities of those two girls, or he does know, and he's working with them. We'll have to observe and figure out their purpose," Rias analyzed carefully.

At that moment, Kalawanar brought their drinks over. She gently set down each cup before speaking softly.

"I know this is your territory, and you probably don't want me in your backyard. But please, just ignore me. I only want a normal life," Kalawanar said. Honestly, she had started enjoying this new life. Richard was a good boss who treated her gently, unlike the arrogant Raynare and Kokabiel.

Rias simply listened, trying to sense if Kalawanar was lying. As a devil, she was highly sensitive to lies—but surprisingly, she didn't feel that Kalawanar was being dishonest.

"As long as you don't cause any trouble," Rias replied. It wasn't uncommon for people from the supernatural world to want to live ordinary lives, and as long as they stayed out of trouble, there was no issue.

Everyone began enjoying their drinks, surprised by how good they tasted.

"Are you sure, Rias?" Akeno asked after Kalawanar had walked away.

"Yes. I felt that she was sincere and truly wants a normal life," Rias replied. Akeno just sighed and decided to respect her friend's judgment.

"What about the girl with the Sacred Gear?" Akeno asked curiously, wondering if Rias intended to recruit her into her peerage.

Rias thought for a moment before answering.

"I'd like to recruit her… but it might be difficult," she said, glancing at Asia, who was clearly looking at Richard as if he were her first love.

"If I invited him to join us, I might get her too as a bonus… But it'll be hard. Other than being handsome and good at making drinks, I don't sense any power from him," Rias said.

The group continued chatting while enjoying their drinks. When they finished, they went to the counter to pay. Rias paid for everyone and didn't forget to leave a few summoning slips before turning to Richard.

"Thank you. The drinks were delicious. We'll definitely be coming back."

Author's Note:

When you read the title, you probably thought Rias was going to invite the MC to the Occult Research Club or something like that, right?