The rhythmic count perated the cavernous space of the private gym, each number a sharp exhalation of effort. "…ninety-eight… ninety-nine… one hundred." Jin Kazama racked the barbell, the plates on either side groaning under a weight that would crush a normal man. He sat up, his breathing steady, barely breaking a sweat. His strength had long since surpassed any conventional threshold.
A sharp, electronic chi suddenly cut through the silence. The doorbell.
Jin's focus narrowed. The building was his private sanctuary, converted for his specific needs and deliberately inaccessible to the public. Whoever was at the door hadn't stumbled upon it by accident; they had co looking for him. Wiping his neck with a towel slung over his shoulder, he moved toward the entrance.
He swung the heavy door inward and was t with a surreal sight. Three figures stood on his doorstep, their regal bearing clashing with the stark functionality of his gym. A man with striking crimson hair regarded him with an analytical gaze, seeming to asure him from head to toe. Beside him, the girl, Rias Gremory, offered a bright wave. Behind them stood a maid with silver hair, her posture one of perfect, professional stillness.
"Hello, Jin," Rias said, her voice cheerful. "Hope we're not disturbing you."
"Rias," Jin acknowledged with a nod. "What brings you here?"
"I ca to see you, of course! Aren't you going to invite us in?" she prompted with a playful smile.
Jin blinked, a flicker of realization crossing his face as he rembered his manners. "Oh. Right. Please, co inside."
He stepped aside, and they entered, their eyes taking in the unique aesthetic of the building. It was undeniably a gym, with rows of formidable machines, yet it was softened by carefully placed plants and a design that blended industrial steel with natural elents, creating a strangely serene atmosphere.
"So, this is what humans call a 'gym'," the red-haired man mused, more with genuine curiosity than judgnt.
Sirzechs t Jin's gaze and extended a hand. "Forgive my manners. I am Sirzechs. Rias's older brother."
Jin shook his hand firmly. "Jin Kazama. And yes, I had a designer rework the space."
"It's a magnificent training area," Sirzechs comnted, his eyes scanning the equipnt. "I have one as well, though it lacks these fascinating machines."
"Most of them are starting to lose their value for , anyway," Jin said dismissively, before gesturing toward a sitting area furnished with simple but comfortable sofas. "Please, have a seat. I'll get so water."
As he turned, the silver-haired maid spoke for the first ti, her voice polite but firm. "Please, Master Jin, allow . You are the host. "
Jin paused and looked at her.
"My na is Grayfia," she explained, sensing his unspoken question. "I am Sirzechs-sama's maid."
"Okay," Jin replied. "Thanks for the offer, but you're a guest here. Please, sit." He didn't give her a chance to rebut, imdiately heading off to fetch the drinks.
An amused smile touched Sirzechs' lips as he watched Grayfia stand for a mont, looking uncharacteristically dumbfounded. Rias had to stifle a chuckle.
"Why don't you sit down, Grayfia?" Sirzechs pointed to a sofa. "It seems he won't be taking no for an answer."
Grayfia sat down with a slight, awkward stiffness, a faint blush rising on her cheeks as Sirzechs gave her a teasing smirk.
Jin returned with glasses of water, handed them out, and took a seat opposite them.
"This is going much better than my last visit," Rias remarked.
Jin gave her a deadpan look. "Who in their right mind appears in another person's bedroom in the middle of the night?" He then shifted his gaze to her brother. "So, what brings the ruler of the Underworld to my doorstep?"
Sirzechs' smile didn't falter. "So you know. Rias did ntion you were aware of the supernatural world."
Jin nodded. "Red hair, brother of Rias Gremory… It's not hard to deduce you're Sirzechs Lucifer."
"You seem quite comfortable, knowing that," Sirzechs observed. "Most people are sweating by now."
"You showed the courtesy of using the front door," Jin said, pointedly glancing at Rias.
"Oh, drop it already!" she groaned.
"No," Jin replied flatly.
"You two seem quite friendly," Sirzechs noted.
"We're acquaintances," Jin corrected. "I've t her twice. The other tis, she was just peeping on ."
Rias sighed. "He has so screws loose. If you do things in what he considers the 'correct order,' he's fine to talk to. Otherwise…"
"So, you're just being hospitable?" Sirzechs asked Jin, getting to the heart of it.
Jin considered them for a mont before deciding on the truth. "I'm offering you the sa respect you've shown by coming here properly. Besides, I don't get many visitors. I'm open to it." He leaned forward slightly. "Now, why are you really here?"
Seeing her chance, Rias took the lead. "I need your help."
Jin tilted his head, feigning confusion. "Your brother is one of the four Satans. You'll have to be more specific."
"I'm engaged to a high-class devil nad Riser Phenex," Rias explained, her tone becoming serious. "I don't want the marriage, but he's pushing for it to happen imdiately. Due to devil politics, I can't simply break the contract. To resolve it, we've agreed to a Rating Ga."
"So, if he wins, you marry him. If you win, the engagent is off," Jin summarized.
"Yes."
"I still don't see where I fit in," Jin said. "I've already told you I won't join your peerage. My answer on that hasn't changed."
"I know," Rias said quickly. "I'm not here to ask that. I'm here to ask… as a favor… will you help in this ga?"
Jin looked at her earnest, hopeful face, then scanned the unreadable expressions of Sirzechs and Grayfia. He brought his gaze back to Rias. "I appreciate you asking directly this ti instead of just expecting to follow along. But my answer is no."
Rias's face fell.
"I have no reason to help you," Jin continued calmly. "I don't need compensation, and helping you would put more directly on the supernatural radar. Your brother's political opponents would see as a target, and since I'm not in your peerage, I'd be fair ga. I'm just a human. Frankly, this visit alone could bring trouble."
Rias fell silent, clearly not having considered that angle.
Sirzechs, who had been listening intently, finally spoke. "Tell , Jin. Are you truly afraid of trouble?"
Jin t the Satan's gaze. "Honestly? No. But I don't think you have anything lucrative enough to make take on that kind of risk. Do you, Rias?"
Rias looked flustered, trying to think of sothing she could possibly offer that would tempt him. forgetting what she was going to offer .
"Don't worry," Sirzechs interjected smoothly. "We have sothing lucrative enough. That is, if you aren't a coward."
Rias shot her brother a worried look, rembering she'd told him how poorly Jin responded to being provoked. Grayfia, however, sent a silent, telepathic ssage to her. *"Rias-sama, do not worry. Sirzechs-sama and Jin-san are negotiating. They have been since we arrived. This is rely part of the process."*
Jin's expression didn't change. "And what might that be?"
Sirzechs retrieved a folded note from his coat and slid it across the table. Jin picked it up and read the single line of text: *I will help you investigate your mother's murder. If you accept, fold this and place it in your right pocket. I will communicate with you via magic.*
Without a word, Jin folded the note and slid it into his pocket.
A mont later, Sirzechs' voice echoed directly in his mind. *"So, do you accept?"*
*"How much do you know?"* Jin sent back.
*"Very little, for now. The job was pulled off with extre discretion. But you will have all the information i co across."*
*"I agree. Rias doesn't learn of this."*
Speaking normally again, Jin looked at Sirzechs and said, "I agree, on one condition. You will provide with the best texts you have on human magic theory." He then turned to Rias. "And I will ensure you don't just win, you dominate."
A faint smile played on Sirzechs' lips. Jin was cleverly creating a cover story while also trying to squeeze more out of him. He decided to play along. "It's a deal."
"One more question," Jin said. "Why ? Surely you could have found soone else."
"Because I have a feeling that with you, I can win," Rias answered honestly.
"Then it's a deal," Jin confird. "So, how are you planning to get into an official Rating Ga?"
"That's already been handled," Sirzechs explained. "The council has granted a special dispensation for one outsider to join her team, provided their power is less than Rias's."
Jin raised an eyebrow. "I'm not that much weaker than she is."
"In terms of raw demonic power, you are," Sirzechs corrected. "We asure strength by those reserves. Your mana and touki reserve are negligible compared to her demonic energy. The council's would not have issue with you ."
"I see," Jin said, a slow grin spreading across his face. "Good. They'll underestimate . So, Rias, what's the strategy?"
Rias looked at him blankly. "I… don't have one yet."
Jin stared. "What's the composition of your fiancé's peerage?"
"I don't know."
Sirzechs let out a hearty laugh. "It seems you are in good hands now, little sister." He stood, and Grayfia rose with him. "It was a pleasure speaking with you, Jin. We'll take our leave now."
Grayfia gave Jin a respectful bow before following her master out the door.
Jin was left alone with Rias, the full weight of the task he had just accepted crashing down on him as he looked at his completely unprepared client.
"Shit," he muttered.
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