28 - My Meeting with the Student Council

Rias showed her right palm, and suddenly there was a small explosion.

This explosion created a brief curtain of smoke, from which emerged a type of bat that looked more like a baseball, both in shape and size.

"That's my Familiar," Rias said, smiling without showing her teeth.

Rias' Familiar flew far enough to leave her hand and, with another small explosion, transformed into a young-looking woman with gothic clothes and devil wings.

"Leonard, you've met her before, right?" Rias asked.

"Yes, she was the girl who handed me the pamphlet a few days before we met."

"If we're going to show our familiars, this is mine." Akeno pointed to the ground and a small demonic-looking gnome appeared through a magic circle.

"This is Shiro," Koneko said, smiling at the white kitten that appeared on her lap.
"And this is mine." Kiba opened his palm, and a crow appeared.

'Oh, so that's Kiba's Familiar,' I thought, surprised.

"And what are these 'Familiars' for?" Asia asked.

Rias crossed her arms. "Familiars have endless uses. In addition to being loyal companions, they can perform simple tasks such as exchanging messages between us, protecting us in specific situations, and even amplifying our powers in battle, depending on the contract established."

Akeno stroked the little gnome in her arms, which emitted a sound similar to an electric shock.

"Mine is like a slave to me. The more electricity I put into them, the faster they work."

Just imagining Akeno whipping her gnomes was enough to make her sadistic, dominatrix image clearer in my mind.

Kiba nodded in agreement. "My crow, Kuro, is fast and can fly long distances for reconnaissance or to search for information."

Koneko lifted Shiro high into the air and looked at him fondly. "Shiro is very good at detecting hidden presences. He's useful for protecting the club building."

Rias noticed my interest and smiled. "Leonard, what do you think about you and Asia looking for Familiars? It would strengthen you and increase your efficiency during missions."

Before I could ask how we could acquire our own Familiars, loud knocks on the meeting room door interrupted our conversation.

Rias raised an eyebrow and looked at Akeno, indicating that she should answer.

Akeno walked to the door and opened it, revealing several people in school uniforms who immediately entered.

I recognized them, mainly because the one leading them was Shitori Souna, or rather, Sona Sitri.

Behind Sona were almost ten people, most of them women. The only exception was Genshirou Saji.

"Good afternoon, Rias," said Sona with a slight nod.

"Good afternoon, dear cousin."

"I heard from your father that you intend to go to the Familiar Forest on this full moon. However, I believe you should give up your turn to us. My dear Pawn Saji is new and does not have a familiar yet. I believe it would be a good opportunity for him to start taking care of a familiar right away," Sona Sitri stated without batting an eyelid.

The girl with hair next to Sona, named Tsubaki Shinra, adjusted her glasses and said:

"To be honest, that would be fair because, as far as I know, all members of the Occult Research Club already have Familiars."

"Excuse me," I said and took a step forward. "I believe this issue should include me. If Rias Gremory reserved this full moon for herself, the root of the problem must be me and my Bishop."

Sona Sitri frowned, and Rias Gremory took a deep breath.

"Leonard is right..." Rias took a step forward and stopped beside me. "Leonard and Asia are practically honorary members of the Occult Research Club. Even though they don't belong to my Peerage, I owe Leonard a lot for helping us resolve the Fallen Angel situation, so I'm trying to repay him. You should do the same, dear cousin."

Sona's anger was clear on her face as she tried to hide it with a stern look, but Tsubaki Shinra was not as good at controlling her emotions as her master.

"I may be jumping to conclusions, but isn't it shameful for a Master to be trained by someone younger?" Shinra asked with a mocking tone.

"Vice President...!" Saji muttered with wide eyes and then looked at me, trembling at what my reaction to that provocation would be.

I confess that the expression on my face was not very happy, but I didn't want to be someone who acted impulsively and started yelling. I took a second for myself and smiled ironically.

"Theoretically, it's not that shameful... As far as I know, devils live much longer than humans. I just became a devil, so I'm only seventeen years old. Theoretically, most of you are much older than that, aren't you? You're almost like elders to me," I said, gesturing with my hands and finishing with a broad smile.

At that moment, I heard the sound of air escaping from someone's nose, and when I looked to the side, I saw Koneko trying to hold back her laughter.

Kiba stood with his arms crossed, also smiling at my response.

"Ara~ Leonard-kun isn't as calm as he seems," Akeno commented with a teasing smile.

"Come on, you..." Tsubaki gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, but stopped immediately when she felt the reprimanding aura coming from Sona. "Okay, I'm sorry." She lowered her head, not to me, but to the Student Council President.

"Leonard... Did I hear you right, or did you really call me 'Elder'?" Rias asked, also emitting a threatening aura.

"Eh? Did I?" I tried to cover it up, turning my face away so as not to look into those fiery eyes.
In the end, it was decided that since there was a conflict over which group of Kuoh should go to the Familiar Forest on that full moon, the best way to resolve it was with a small contest.

I thought I would have to fight Sona or one of her servants, but a fight wasn't appropriate. She proposed a tennis match against Rias, since Rias was my 'Guardian'. I was about to say that I could play against Sona myself, but I stopped at the last moment. It would be more enjoyable to watch two beauties playing than to play myself.

However, I insisted that the game should not be tennis but beach volleyball. I was imagining how they would look in their gym clothes.