That Day When Suzuki-kun Wasn't the Mob-B! Chapter 269: White Cotton Panties

While Sona and Rias were busy dealing with whatever sudden emergency had popped up in Kuoh Town, and Akeno was still sleeping off her deeply satisfying exhaustion from the night before, Finn decided to take a quiet walk.

Honestly, he hadn't properly explored Kuoh before. He had visited Tokyo in the past, briefly enjoying the city while conducting business and hunting rare artifacts, right before he slaughtered the Himejima Clan and had to leave the country.

But now that he was back, what should he do with his free time?

"Let's just take a walk," he muttered to himself.

As he strolled down the quiet, mundane streets, Finn couldn't help but wonder if he possessed the legendary 'protagonist's luck.' In his experience, almost every opportunity that crossed his path was heavily disguised as catastrophic trouble.

He thought about the absolute limits of his current power. His Manager ability was incredible—practically an omnipotent AI residing in his mind—but it had limits. It required constant, high-quality user input to function optimally. If Finn didn't know the exact direction to take, the AI's advice was safe, mundane, and largely useless in life-or-death situations.

Aside from hoarding Sacred Gears, what else is there? Even Ajuka Beelzebub, the greatest mind in the Underworld, couldn't fundamentally change the biological rules of how a weak Devil became strong.

Well, there is the King Piece. That was a massive advantage. But to truly evolve past his biological limits, he needed something entirely outside the established rules of this universe.

What if I use an evolution method from another world?

Among the multiverse of Suzukis he was connected to, there was a specific world that allowed for evolution through a dark, highly complex ritual. Furthermore, thanks to the system inherited from the Solo Leveling universe, he could absorb the raw essence of those he killed to grow infinitely stronger.

If he combined those two mechanics and executed the ritual here in the High School DxD universe, what would happen?

The fatal flaw, of course, was the fuel. The ritual required massive amounts of human souls. Committing mass slaughter for a power-up was incredibly tempting, but it was absolutely terrible for his public image. He was already terrifying enough; officially branding himself as a genocidal villain would invite the combined wrath of every pantheon on Earth. It simply wasn't worth the geopolitical headache.

Wait a moment... Just as a new idea crossed his mind, a cute, breathless squeak shattered his train of thought.

"Ah! It hurts!"

Finn stopped dead in his tracks.

Directly in front of him, at eye level, was a pair of pristine, white cotton panties.

A breathtakingly beautiful young nun had somehow tripped over absolutely nothing and tumbled onto the pavement. The undignified fall had caused her modest, ankle-length habit to flip up dramatically. Her legs were sprawled wide, granting Finn an unobstructed, perfectly framed view of her incredibly smooth, soft thighs and the plush, alluring curve of her bottom tightly hugged by innocent white cotton.

It was a remarkably simple, yet profoundly tempting sight.

While Finn genuinely wondered how this girl managed to fall on a completely flat sidewalk, his golden eyes slowly dragged upward. She had long, flowing blonde hair, bright, teary emerald-green eyes, and an expression of pure, untainted innocence that practically radiated holy light.

Wasn't this Asia Argento?

[Correct. She is Asia Argento. One of the primary heroines in this universe.]

The Manager instantly confirmed in his mind.

"......" Finn remained silent.

What was she doing here all alone? Shouldn't she have bumped into Issei by now? In the original timeline, Asia met the perverted protagonist first. But looking at her, Finn instantly understood why she wasn't currently standing with Rias's peerage. She was still entirely human; she hadn't been reincarnated as a Devil yet.

Finn's eyes couldn't help but slowly trace her figure. The heavy, conservative nun's habit was clearly designed to hide the body, yet in Asia, it had the exact opposite effect. The fabric stretched tightly over a surprisingly lush, heavy chest and soft, alluring curves. The sheer, overwhelming contrast between her absolute, holy purity and her raw, hidden feminine proportions was incredibly distracting.

For a brief second, Finn hesitated.

He knew that if he approached Asia right now, he was actively inserting himself into the core plot. But as he looked down at her—taking in her slightly worn clothes and hearing her mutter to herself in frustrated Italian because no one around her understood a word she was saying—he made his choice.

He took a slow breath. A sweet, incredibly fresh, floral scent wafted off her skin, entirely devoid of the heavy, manipulative perfumes the Devil heiresses wore. It was intoxicating.

He closed the distance.

"Are you okay?" Finn asked flawlessly in native Italian, offering his large hand.

"Ah?"

Asia looked up, her bright green eyes widening in absolute shock before melting into profound relief. She reached out, her small, soft hand grabbing his.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" she practically beamed as he pulled her effortlessly to her feet.

"It's no problem at all."

"I... I haven't spoken to a single person who understands my language since I arrived in this city!" Asia confessed, her cheeks flushing a pretty, excited pink.

Finn smiled softly. While being a Devil came with heavy political burdens, the innate, biological perk of automatically speaking and understanding every language on Earth was incredibly convenient.

They stood on the sidewalk chatting for a few minutes. It was glaringly obvious that Asia was desperately lonely and overjoyed just to have someone listen to her.

"So, why are you here in Japan?" Finn asked casually, tilting his head. "Are you studying abroad, or just on holiday?"

Asia suddenly froze. The bright, happy light in her eyes dimmed, replaced by a heavy, incredibly awkward guilt. She knew perfectly well that she hadn't come to this country for a holy purpose. The group of Exorcists she had arrived with were cruel, violent, and actively dealing with Stray Devils.

For the very first time in her pure, innocent life, Asia Argento told a lie.

"Ah... yes. I-I am just on a holiday..."

The moment the words left her lips, her face crumpled in misery. She immediately clasped her hands together, tears pricking her eyes as she looked up at the sky. "Oh, Lord... please forgive Asia for her sins..."

"......"

Finn stared at her, genuinely speechless. Her reaction was so pure, so incredibly cute and utterly defenseless, that Finn almost felt guilty for the dark thoughts currently running through his head.

Almost. He looked down at the beautiful, trembling nun and smoothly made his move. He didn't have Akeno here to accompany him today, and having a breathtakingly cute, holy priestess walk by his side sounded like a fantastic way to spend the afternoon.

"My name is Finn Balam," he said gently, interrupting her prayers.

"Ah! My name is Asia Argento. Um..."

"You can just call me Finn. May I call you Asia-chan?" he asked, his voice a low, warm baritone that made her shiver slightly.

"Ah, yes! I don't mind at all," Asia smiled brightly, her cheeks flushing a deeper red at the affectionate honorific.

But Finn wasn't finished. He offered her a charming, flawlessly handsome smile and asked, "Do you have any plans right now, Asia-chan?"

"Is something wrong, Finn-san?"

"Not at all," Finn purred, his golden eyes locking onto hers. "I was just wondering if you would like to go out with me."

Yeah, Finn thought to himself as a deep, undeniable desire took root in his chest.

I am definitely snatching her for my Peerage.