That night, Akira truly understood the meaning of the word "torture."
His injuries were quite severe, so he was brought back to the apartment shared by Rias and Akeno. And for some reason—whether it was intentional or just a coincidence—the one who took care of him all night was none other than Akeno.
Maybe it was Rias's way of tightening the bond between Akira and their group through Akeno... or perhaps there was another reason entirely.
One thing was certain—Akeno didn't leave his side for even a second. Even when she finally went to sleep, it was right next to him on the bed.
Just imagine—a stunningly beautiful girl, with divine-level curves and features, sleeping next to you. For Akira, this wasn't a dream come true. It was the sweetest form of mental torment.
Especially on a quiet night , the gentle fragrance of the girl beside him stirred every corner of his youthful soul.
And so, Akira spent a night of both agony and ecstasy.
Only when dawn approached did he finally drift into sleep, halfway between dream and consciousness.
The next morning, Akeno was the first to awaken. Her eyes settled on Akira's sleeping face—and for a moment, she was completely captivated.
His long greenish hair was splayed across the pillow, framing a peaceful, handsome face. The scene looked almost unreal—like a male version of Sleeping Beauty.
There was something about Akira's unique aura... combined with the soft haze of affection in Akeno's eyes, that made the sight nearly overwhelming.
"...Akeno, are you two awake?"
A gentle knock came from outside. Akeno instinctively got up, quietly opened the door, and quickly motioned for Rias to stop knocking.
Once she was sure Akira wasn't disturbed, she slowly and carefully shut the door behind her.
Rias raised an eyebrow. What's with her this early in the morning?
"He's still asleep?" Rias asked.
"Judging from how panicked you looked... you must've done something, didn't you?"
"What could I have done?"
"Don't play dumb. That look on your face... it was like someone who almost got caught red-handed."
"Don't accuse me of something baseless, Rias."
"Fine, fine. I won't press it."
Rias had known Akeno for years. But this was the first time she had seen her act so... attentive toward a guy.
And not just that—she clearly remembered how emotionally unstable Akeno had become last night. Thinking back on all that... yeah, it made sense why she was acting now.
The two girls made their way to the living room. Akeno moved with graceful efficiency—boiling water, preparing tea, and setting out sandwiches.
In this household, it was always Akeno who handled domestic work.
Rias, having grown up as a noble princess, was utterly useless with house chores. And since she refused to bring maids from the Underworld into the Human World, all household responsibilities naturally fell to Akeno.
"Akeno... You've really fallen for him, haven't you?"
Rias took a sip of tea, her gaze soft as she looked at her best friend.
"Well... feelings aren't something you can control. I didn't expect to fall for my own kouhai either."
"So you're not even trying to hide it anymore?"
"In front of you, Rias? What's the point of lying?"
"You're right. We're best friends, and we always will be."
They both smiled. A bond could only exist between true soulmates—two women who had shared joys and wounds for years.
To Rias, Akeno wasn't just a servant or subordinate. She was family—irreplaceable family.
And to Akeno, ever since the day Rias saved her... she had decided to stay by her side for the rest of her life.
"Rias... I actually think Akira would be a good choice."
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"Your arranged marriage with the Phoenix family is getting closer. Their house is growing more powerful, more ambitious... and more aggressive about the engagement."
"I'm not going to marry Riser. Even if it's a political arrangement."
"...But Rias, to oppose the will of your family, you'll need enough strength."
"What are you getting at?"
"Why have you been so insistent on making Akira your [Pawn]?"
"Because... he'd make our team stronger for the Rating Game..."
Rias trailed off mid-sentence.
And in that moment, she understood what Akeno truly meant.
Yes... Why had she been so obsessed with turning Akira into her Pawn?
There was no guarantee Akira would agree. And the truth was—he now had two Sacred Gears. His power had grown tremendously. He even went toe-to-toe with Azazel, the Governor-General of the Fallen Angels.
Even though he had been allowed to leave afterward, that alone proved how dangerous Akira had become.
There were limits to Evil Piece transplantation. Someone whose power exceeded that of a "King" could not be reincarnated as a piece.
With Akira's current power level... even Rias herself wasn't sure she could turn him into a [Pawn] anymore.
That was why she had panicked and asked Akeno to get closer to him, though she hadn't expected Akeno to truly fall for him.
But now, Akeno had laid it all bare.
Opposing an arranged marriage... didn't have to be a one-way street.
If Akira became her boyfriend, then he would have a legitimate reason to challenge Riser Phoenix—for her sake.
Not to mention—his status as the Red Dragon Emperor alone was more than enough to silence most political opposition.
"Wait... Akeno, don't you like him?"
"Rias, didn't we promise? That we'd be sisters for life."
"For some reason... this sounds like you're matchmaking your own boyfriend."
Rias gave her a bewildered look.
It might be a logical solution—but emotionally, she felt like she was the one getting the short end of the stick.
But then again... maybe not.
Akira's strength was unquestionable. His looks? Easily among the most handsome guys she'd ever met.
And most importantly... he had no family. His finances were average at best.
That meant—if they ever got married, he'd become part of the Gremory family. If Rias really became the next head of House Gremory, Akira would be the one supporting her in managing it all.
Just imagining that future brought a smile to her face.
"All right... We'll be sisters for life."
"I'm happy to hear that, Rias."
The two of them smiled with genuine happiness.
But... they had both forgotten one important thing—the person they were talking about, Akira, hadn't said anything yet.
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