"Rias, wait up!"
Kazuki's voice echoed behind her, halting Rias mid-step on the stone stairway.
Because she'd stormed out so suddenly, pulling him in a jealous fit, Kazuki was barely dressed, his shirt half open and pants hastily thrown on. Seeing her pause, he quickly adjusted his outfit with a breath of relief.
"Rias… Look, I admit I was wrong to sleep with Akeno without talking to you first. I should've asked you for your blessing. But please… don't blame her."
"…You're quick to take her side. Did your heart shift because you fucked her?"
"Don't say it like that."
With a calm, serious voice, Kazuki began explaining the whole story.
"…I see. So that's what happened."
Once Rias heard everything, a certain clarity dawned on her.
Now that she thought about it, Akeno had always kept a very close distance from Kazuki. While she was all smiles to others, Akeno had a known distaste for men.
Yet, despite that, she had approached Kazuki willingly, showing a kind of comfort she rarely ever gave to anyone else.
Learning that they were childhood friends made it all make sense.
Rias met Akeno when she was just ten years old, grieving the loss of her beloved mother and rebelling against a father who had failed to save her.
At the time, Rias had been on the run from agents of her household, hiding, fighting, and surviving alone. Akeno back then had been a completely different person—wounded, dirty, eyes dulled by distrust and bitterness.
That broken girl had caught Rias's interest.
Later, when Rias secured permission to govern Kuoh Town from the Shinto Pantheon for training and political study, she negotiated with the Himejima family and succeeded in bringing Akeno under her care.
It took time, but Akeno slowly changed. By the time they reached middle school, she had accepted Rias's invitation to become her first Queen.
From then on, Akeno had been her closest aide in public and her dearest friend—and rival—in private.
When Koneko and Yumi joined as Rias's servants, Akeno had already earned the title "Priestess of Thunder" and was regarded as her most powerful and beautiful Queen.
Rias had always trusted Akeno as a servant, but also worried about her deeply as a friend.
Akeno hated her fallen angel father for failing to save her mother. She loathed the bloodline she carried. That self-hatred often made her undervalue herself. Rias had long wondered how to help Akeno find her own happiness.
And now… the reunion with her childhood friend Kazuki Fuwa might've been that chance.
He was someone who shared memories of her mother, probably the only one who could. Rias figured Akeno must've been afraid to face him, yet had yearned for that moment all this time. When it finally came true, her emotions overwhelmed her.
Kazuki gave Akeno what she needed—not just sex, but peace.
Yes, Rias was glad Akeno seemed happier, that she could finally find her footing again.
But still…!
"Just now, I gave Kazuki my first time."
"It was the happiest moment of my life."
"Why blame us? Kazuki's forming a harem—you accepted that."
"You're not expecting me or Yumi to follow your rules too, are you?"
The smug satisfaction in Akeno's words still pissed her off!
"Muu! I want to do it with Kazuki too! I've been holding back, waiting for the right moment—and she just jumps him like that!?"
As her frustration built up inside, Kazuki gently placed a hand on her shoulder and pulled her closer.
"Rias… If you want, I'll stop. I'll hold off on sleeping with the others until I can make things official between you and me. I'll wait until we're properly engaged, and only then will I be with the others—if you're okay with it."
"Eh?"
Rias turned in surprise.
"If it hurts you this much, I won't touch Yumi or Akeno until we've made our bond official. Just say the word."
"…"
She was speechless.
The emotional side of her screamed yes. She wanted to be selfish. To have him for herself, even just for a while.
However, if she said that, she knew the backlash from Akeno and Yumi would be fierce.
Worst case? Her Queen and Knight would leave her.
'No, pull it together, Rias. You're the next head of the Gremory family. A real bride doesn't whine, she manages.'
'The main wife leads the harem. That's how this should go!' Rias couldn't afford to crumble this early.
Feeling Kazuki's warmth on her back, she took a deep breath and shook her head.
"No. It's okay. I'll be strong… just be kind to them. Yumi and Akeno both."
"…Alright."
Noticing the shift in her mood, Kazuki said nothing more.
"Hey, Kazuki."
"Yeah?"
"What… am I to you?"
She looked up at him, her voice low but serious.
Kazuki gave a soft smile.
"To me? You're more than a master or a fiancée… You're the one woman I swore to stay with, no matter what. Forever."
"…Ah…"
'He remembered… that promise~!'
A memory only the two of them shared. That day, that vow—Kazuki still held onto it.
Rias let out a small chuckle.
'You big softie… that's so unfair.'
Her jealousy and irritation hadn't completely faded, but she wasn't about to lose.
She had her own bond with Kazuki, one even Akeno couldn't take from her.
"Come on, let's go home."
She stepped to Kazuki's left side—her place—and linked arms with him.
And then, with a whisper only he could hear—
"By the way, I'm not letting you sleep tonight… so be ready for me~!"
The next morning, both Kazuki and Rias ended up oversleeping, curled up together in the tangled sheets, their bodies still faintly clinging to the heat and passion of the night before.
The following day…
It was finally time for the "Three Factions Summit," taking place right here at Kuoh Academy.
The conference was scheduled to begin at ten o'clock at night. While the venue had already been set up, they couldn't afford to let their guard down.
Anything could happen. So, as per the plan, the Gremory peerage and the Sitri peerage were to enter the venue earlier for safety and final checks.
Kazuki and Rias arrived just moments before the scheduled meeting time, earning them a pointed glance and a warning from the student council president.
Still, both of them got to work without making excuses.
Kazuki's role was patrolling the area. Although a ward to repel humans had been set up around Kuoh Academy since last night, preventing unauthorized individuals from entering, he still had to ensure there were no unexpected anomalies.
As he made his rounds, something suddenly clicked in his mind.
'Wait a second… where the hell is Gasper!?'
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