Chapter 26 : Tempus Fugit - Thank you, Rias.

I was, understandably, kind of surprised that Rias had sourced a real, bonafide Forêt Noire for an afternoon tea time-

-but then, I remembered that she a) was loaded as hell, and b) had access to bullshit teleportation magic.

So I did the only thing that I could once I got my plate and a spoon in my hands.

"Mmmmhhh!" Which, as it turns out, is low-key moaning because of how good this is as the perfect blend of sugary goodness, dark chocolate and cherry honest-to-god melt inside my mouth.

I think I may have developed a sweet tooth since I arrived in this reality, what with having a brand new palate and always finding myself gravitating toward the desserts more than anything else at lunch.

Maybe it'd be a nice idea to learn how to bake at some point just because?

Food for thought, food for thought.

"This is so good!" I happily chirp -me, chirping!- while half-turning myself to my left, "Right, Koneko-chan?"

The only answer from the white haired girl is to give me a distracted nod as she keeps nibbling at her own piece of cake at a steady pace, her usually blank expression -from what I've seen so far- having slowly tilted toward something content and happy as she kept at it.

I turn back my attention toward the three others-

-only to see them looking at me with a slightly complicated expression, taking me aback and making me blink.

"Is there something on my face?" I hazard, already reaching for a napkin-

"A-Ah! No!" Rias instantly scrambles, making me halt my motion, "I, we, weren't expecting you to be so taken by the cake?"

I tilt my head minutely.

"Is that a question or…?" I hazard.

"European pastries can be an acquired taste, for some." Kiba demures in his King's stead from his seat on a nearby armchair, apparently saving her from something I'm not quite catching on if the slightly relieved air of the crimson headed devil is anything to go by.

But the Knight's sentence has some form of merits, since kirsh based pastries aren't necessarily a hit for younger palates.

Which makes me narrow my eyes at the trio a notch.

"...Don't tell me you expected me not to like it that much so as to leave more of it for you, because if so, I'm going to be angry." I 'threaten', motioning protectively over my plate.

"My, no, nothing quite asinine," Akeno titters from beside her King, "It just so happens that little Koneko was really intent on us buying that particular cake."

I turn back to the still eating catgirl, still cutely eating her own part, before giving her a regal nod.

"Good choice, Koneko-chan." I compliment her.

The white-haired girl only interrupts herself for a very brief moment to give me a subtle thumbs up, before going back to her self-appointed task.

"So, how has your weekend treated you so far, Prima-chan?" The Gremory heiress politely inquires, as she daintily cuts another part of her cake.

I can't help but smile softly -and a bit dreamily- at her line of inquiry.

"It's been great," I answer as I prepare myself another bite, "I'm mostly finished with my reviews and had a very nice evening."

"Oh?" The half-fallen in front of me visibly perks up, Curiosity wrapping around her imprint in the Immaterium like a blanket, "And what made this evening so nice, hmm?"

"Akeno!" The crimson headed devil to her side interjects in a chastising tone.

I give the closet sadist a half-lidded stare from across the low-table, slowly chewing on my sugary goodness, watching as her countenance slowly grow more annoyed as I fail to squirm under her probe and am not actually spilling the beans-

-until I swallow my mouthful as elegantly as I can, visibly relaxing.

"I had my girlfriend stay the night, so that would be why." I casually drop.

Instantly earning myself a few sputtered reactions from Rias and Kiba, while Akeno very slowly blinks at me-

"Eh."

-and Koneko huffs a little laugh for some reasons, before resuming her cake-consuming quest.

"P-Prima-chan!" The Gremory heiress stutters, her tone sounding a bit scandalized, without elaborating any further, her complexion turning as red as her hair.

I hum consideringly, feeling the Confusion in the room.

"Just got a feeling that you'd have ferretted it out at some point," If it wasn't already the case, the supernaturals of the setting generally only very loosely respecting the privacy of the human population, "But I kind of stumbled into a relationship with a member of the Kendo club.

"Now, I'm telling you this in confidence," I stress out, looking at the slightly ditzy devil very pointedly, "Because I consider you my friend, but, and trust me on this, I'm going to be very angry if it gets known because either Himejima-san or you let it slip in school, is that clear?

"I already have enough troubles due to my looks, I don't really need to add any other sources of complication on the top of the pile, alright?"

"O-Of course!" Rias blurts out, her cheeks as crimson as her hair, before turning herself to her Queen, "Right?"

Oof, that may be the first time I really see her playing the authority card, considering the tone she just employed to ensure that the jade-black haired beauty keeps her trap shut.

"What you do privately concerns only yourself, Hanako-san," The purple eyed girl demures, before the corners of her lips slightly quirk up, "Though if you want to share some details-"

"Akeno!"

"I'm just saying-"

"Akeno!"

I giggle at the byplay, before shaking my head a little ruefully.

"I'll have to disappoint, Himejima-san," I answer a little amusedly, making the beauty pout, and I have to admit that she's almost as dangerous as her King in the art, "So you'll have to satisfy yourself with only knowing that it was really lovely."

I give her a saccharine smile, making her frown for a beat-

-before understanding blossom on her face, and the half-fallen honest-to-god leers at me.

"Oh my," She titters, to the confusion of her King and the sole boy in the room, "How bold of you, Hanako-san."

"Eh, things happen the way they do." I give her a nonplussed one-shoulder shrug.

Silence falls in the room for a beat, only interrupted by the sound of our cutlery meeting the ceramic of our plates as we keep eating the cake.

"So…" Rias starts after a while, hesitantly meeting my eyes, "You…"

"Like girls?" I hazard, getting a little hesitant nod in answer, the devil's Confusion still cloying around her, "Yeah, I do."

"Since…" The heiress probes.

"Puberty, I'd say." I joke back, before turning a little more serious, "Hell if I know, really. Always was the case, never seen boys' appeal, no offense, Yuuto-kun."

"None taken." The blond answers easily, his countenance having been restored a while back and his plastic smile setting solidly on his face.

Man, guy had issues, forcing himself that hard in public.

I'm starting to believe that the devil's society as a whole wasn't conducive to a healthy mental state.

…Which would track with what I know about this universe, actually.

"Part of the reason why I don't want to stay in Japan after high school," I elaborate, "The Japanese have this really stupid view about my kind of relationships, where it's supposedly only 'a phase', and I'll eventually 'find myself a husband to have some kids with'."

I snort, loudly, in distaste and derision both.

"Fuck. That." I drawl, "My tastes aren't so shallow they'll vanish like snow under the sun over the course of a few years, and I don't even really like kids in the first place."

I inadvertently lock eyes with Rias as I reach for my teacup, dropping my now empty plate on the low table-

-only to see that she looks positively poleaxed at my statement.

Oh.

Oh.

Right, the devils' fertility issue is a pretty big deal, and they tend to cherish their kids like they are jewels, huh.

"I guess I just don't have any kind of maternal urges," I explain idly, taking a sip of my tea, "I have nothing against children in particular, but growing up in an orphanage-" thank you for the handy excuse, "-rendered me quite desensitized to little kids' cuteness."

"But…" The crimson headed devil trails off.

"Let me guess: legacy, or something of the sort?" I hazard, earning myself a shaky nod.

"Well, adoption exists for a reason, if I change my mind one day." I answer easily.

After all, only two kinds of people never changed theirs: the dead and the idiots.

And I'd like to think that, while not being the smartest person in the room, I generally tended to not be the dumbest.

"B-But what about your bloodline?" Rias insists, annoying me a little, her own noble heritage rising to the fore.

Careful, Miss Gremory, your cover is slipping.

"Doesn't matter." I reject, "What makes a family isn't in the blood, but in the bond. At least, that's how I see it.

"Look around you. Aren't you proof of that?" I note off-handedly.

That brings the crimson headed devil to a stop, her eyes panning on her peerage, before coming back to me-

-and slowly nodding, her Confusion receding a notch, but still shining strong.

"...Maybe you have a point." She concedes, almost looking like it physically pains her to admit it.

"I think I have, it's possible that I'm mistaken." I demure, burying the argument.

I am fairly convinced that I'm not, but the two of us are from completely different backgrounds and species, so I'd consider it a win in my book if my reasoning only makes her drop the topic with me.

"R-Right!" Rias starts, her own etiquette training probably having pointed out for her that the discussion was now closed, "Did you enjoy the cake?"

I raise an amused eyebrow at her.

"Have you forgotten what happened a few minutes ago?" I giggle, making her slightly flush.

"Then, follow me," She says while rising out of the couch, "I have something I want to show you."

If anything, my eyebrow quirks even higher, but I comply, intrigued.

"Alright, I'll bite." I say aloud, Akeno stepping next to her King from the other side, "What's the surprise."

Rias grins.

"Trust me, you're going to love this!"

Rias is loaded.

I thought I had accurately pinpointed this statement as true when I saw her house for the first time, her little displays of wealth in-between that instance of the current one only hammering the truth even harder.

But, if anything, this really takes the cake.

"So, what do you think?" The crimson headed devil asks, a bit shyly, while nervously twirling one of her bangs.

I keep staring inside the room she walked the three of us toward, my jaw hanging slightly.

"Let me get this straight," I finally answer, still having some trouble convincing myself that, yes, this is one hundred percent real.

"I mentioned a few days ago that I got back into drawing."

"Umu."

"You asked me why I didn't use colors, and discovered that I was lacking the supplies."

"Umu."

"So you decided to give me for my birthday what can only be the entirety of a whole art supply store?!" I low-key hiss, my eyes still having trouble computing what is in front of me.

And yes, this is absolutely how you think it looks: a veritable mountain's worth of art supplies, of premium quality, I might add, with a big ass pink ribbon tied around it.

The room we're currently in is, to the Mk.1 Eyeball, twenty square meters.

The whole ass pile takes three-fourths of it.

And yes, height included.

"...You don't like it?" Rias dejectedly not-quite asks, visibly drooping.

"What?" I answer back, as if slapped, "No! I'm absolutely ecstatic!"

And I mean it: it's a thoughtful gift, one that will bring me one step closer to correcting my tattoo situation in the future while also allowing me to redecorate my house a little.

Say what you want about it, but, while functional, it is a bit lifeless and dreary, since I do not have the funds to decorate it.

"It's just…" I start, before trailing off, turning myself to give the Gremory heiress my full attention-

-before bonking her lightly over her head, a little 'owie' escaping her-

-seconds before I hug her tightly.

"Thank you." I tell her, heartfelt.

She hesitantly gives me back my hug after a beat.

"I'm glad you like it." The crimson headed devil admits after a while.

"I do, I really do." I tell her, stepping back a little to look her in the eyes, a self-satisfied beaming smile on her face, "But, firstly, this must have cost an arm and a leg, figuratively speaking, and is definitely too much.

"And, secondly, how did you expect me to put all of this-" I gesture back at the pile, "-in my comparatively very little house."

She not-quite freezes in my arms, her eternal shadow daintily tittering behind a raised hand next to her.

"I-I did not think of that." The heiress admits after a beat, cringing slightly.

I huff amusingly.

"No, you clearly didn't. But still, thank you, Rias." I give her a winning smile on my own.

[AN: Talk about a princely gift and all that.

Hope you enjoy, xoxo]