Early the next morning, Akira woke up earlier than usual.
It was the best sleep he'd had in a long while. The heavy weight in his chest had lightened, and for the first time in days, his body could finally relax.
Today was the weekend, so there was no need to go to school. When he glanced at the clock beside his bed, the time had already passed ten in the morning. It seemed he'd really slept in.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang, catching Akira off guard.
Who would come visit him on a day off ?
It was worth noting—he had never given out his home address to anyone. So who could possibly know and come all the way here?
With curiosity building up inside, Akira walked to the door and opened it.
And the moment it opened, standing there was the silhouette of a stunningly beautiful woman.
"Good morning, Akira-kun. Judging by the look on your face… don't tell me you just woke up?"
The one standing at his door was none other than Akeno Himejima, the elegant and captivating devil onee-san.
"Well, it is the weekend, so I decided to sleep in a bit."
"I see. But Akira-kun, aren't you going to invite me in first?"
"Please, come on in~"
Akira quickly stepped aside, allowing her in. Without the slightest hesitation, Akeno entered like it was second nature.
Once inside, her gaze swept across the small room.
She hadn't expected Akira to live in such a modest space—a tiny 1DK apartment meant for a single person.
Her mother, Shuri Himejima, had been a shrine maiden from one of the Five Great Clans—the prestigious Himejima family. So from a young age, Akeno had never known what it meant to lack money. Even after her mother's death and being hunted by her own clan, she was rescued by Rias and still lived comfortably.
In Kuoh Town, she even owned a shrine of her own. Despite being a devil, she still carried on her mother's legacy as a miko—a way of honoring the woman who raised her.
And this... might have been the first time Akeno had ever stepped into such a tiny 1DK apartment.
"Looks like Akira-kun really is struggling financially. No wonder you're always short on cash."
Her blunt remark left Akira speechless. What's that supposed to mean? Just because she's rich?
"Akeno-senpai, you didn't come all the way here just to tease me, did you?"
"Ahaha, sorry, sorry~ I forgot you were even here for a second. My bad."
"It's fine. Besides, I've got money now too. That's thanks to you, Senpai."
"That's true. Though, it was your project, yet you dumped everything on me. Aside from the manuscript and your pen name, you didn't handle a single thing—you're a total slacker of a boss."
"Well, that's because I trust you, Akeno-senpai."
Akira scratched his cheek awkwardly. He knew she was right.
After handing over his manuscript, he had completely stepped back. From the contracts to the legal paperwork, Akeno had taken care of everything.
Strictly speaking, it wasn't how things were supposed to be done… but Akeno had strong backing.
Now that she was bringing it up face to face, Akira couldn't help but feel a little guilty as the author.
"Yesterday, our Buchou told me something interesting," Akeno said, her eyes narrowing playfully.
"She said... you've got way too few trump cards."
There it was again—that classic excuse. Even Akeno didn't know how to respond to that one anymore.
"So… would it be alright if you shared just a tiny little secret with me? Let's call it… a private little thing between just the two of us~"
A mischievous grin played on her lips as she leaned in ever so slightly. This was the real reason she came today.
After returning from the base yesterday, Rias had been unusually restless. Just how strong was Akira? How many abilities was he still hiding?
Her curiosity had kept her up all night. So early this morning, she'd gotten up and asked Akeno for a favor.
She asked her to visit Akira… and "dig" a little.
After all, Akira was the type who was too relaxed and often pushed responsibilities onto others. If Akeno pressed a little, there was a good chance he'd spill something.
Especially since she was beautiful… and shared a pretty close relationship with him.
"This is Buchou's idea, isn't it?"
"My, my~ Akira-kun is so sharp, it's not even fair."
Akeno didn't deny it. Because even if she had, Akira would've seen through it anyway.
"A 'trump card' is a last resort I keep to protect myself. If I just casually tell everyone about it, wouldn't that defeat the purpose?"
"Why not? Don't tell me Akira-kun doesn't like his Senpai~?"
As she said that, Akeno leaned forward slightly. And right there in front of Akira's eyes—or rather, deliberately placed in his line of sight—was her monstrous-class figure, proudly on display.
A woman's strongest weapon was her body. And Akeno… had quite the arsenal.
A calm heart, like still ice… Even if the heavens fall, remain undisturbed…
Akira quickly looked away, cheeks burning as he chanted a mental mantra to keep himself composed.
Seeing that, Akeno chuckled quietly.
His reaction was just too cute. Especially that blush on his handsome face—it hit all the right nerves in a girl's heart.
"What do you think? Heart pounding yet? I wouldn't mind if… we got a little closer~"
She whispered those words directly into his ear, her breath soft and warm.
"Alright then, Akeno-senpai. I'll show you something."
"Huh? That's all I get for a reaction? I thought for sure you'd pounce on me or something. That's disappointing~"
Akeno sighed, slightly let down.
But Akira knew—if he had tried anything, she'd only end up making him the butt of some cruel joke. Akeno was the classic sadistic onee-san type. Even if she flirted, she wasn't someone who'd fall for her own game.
Suddenly, Ddraig's voice echoed, and a red gauntlet materialized over Akira's arm.
Akeno froze for a moment.
Wait—was this his second Gear?
Humans with two Sacred Gears were exceedingly rare—practically legendary. You could count them on one hand.
And one of them was standing right in front of her.
"Is that… the Dragon Arm?"
The Dragon Arm—one of the lower-tier Sacred Gears. It allowed its user to double their physical strength.
The effect was limited. Especially for normal humans, doubling strength often didn't make much of a difference. From one to two was still a small leap.
But when wielded by someone like Akira, the results were anything but small.
"Nope. This is one of the Longinus-class Sacred Gears—Boosted Gear, the power of the Red Dragon Emperor."
Akira said it casually, as if it were no big deal.
Of course, he was doing it as a tiny little payback for Akeno's earlier teasing.
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