I acknowledge the fact that I was a tad too harsh on Akeno and Rias, but I hoped someone would listen to me. Maybe I'd get through one of them and they'd stop complaining, and I'm really glad that this was kind of the case.
The next day after my fight with Rias, we continued with the usual routine until I eventually sensed something interesting around the east side of the forest. Sona was with me at the time and followed, and both of us saw the redhead's peerage training together.
It's very early in the morning. Everyone was just starting to get ready for their workout sessions, but to see the three already there, bruised and tired, meant that they've been at it for hours. It was respectable, but expected, seeing that that was what they had been doing for days now. However, that was not what got my attention.
It was Akeno using her fallen heritage that got me genuinely hopeful for the match.
"I never thought I'd see the day," Sona muttered to herself, then noticed my self-satisfied smirk. "...You had something to do with this, didn't you?"
"How can you tell?" I reply sarcastically before shrugging. "I gave her some words of encouragement."
"Something tells me your definition of 'encouragement' is wildly different than mine." She deadpans.
"I just told her to stop being a whiny little bitch."
"And there it is." She sighs deeply, rubbing the bridge of her nose.
"It worked, hasn't it?" I ask. "Like I said before, Akeno is Rias' strongest chance at winning the match. If you want me to help, then I'm using any measure to give her that victory."
Sona doesn't argue with that, but her frown deepens.
"Besides, she was being annoyingly selfish about this, and you know this." I continue, crossing my arms as my smile drops. "I get it, terrible past and all, I have one myself, but how could she ever hope to move on if she can't make peace with it? She didn't want to even confront the issue, content with just ignoring it. I only forced her to face it."
"Having bad relations between us affects us both negatively, and you're not doing anyone a favor with how you interact." Sona reasons. "Shouldn't we strive to mend the relationship of Devilkind and the Yakuza? Isn't that what we're supposed to be doing?"
"You're right. I'd like it more if I found common ground with Rias or Akeno." I confirm. "I will not even try if they refuse to put in any effort themselves, though. I could try to be nice regardless, but there's no point in having relationships built on falsehood."
…Huh, that kind of came out of nowhere. I said it with a lot more conviction than I wanted to.
What was that?
5 Reputation with Sona Sitri [70/100]
"I see," Sona says after a moment. "I suppose I can respect that."
"And hey, if we do end up in a war–" I smirk. "Then we wouldn't hesitate to kill each other."
I know I wouldn't. That Power of Destruction is reaaaaaally attractive to me. I too would like to Hakai people out of existence.
"Please don't even joke about that." She replies. "It's already stressful enough to think about."
"Why, because it's your responsibility to prevent it?"
"Yes." She responds without hesitation. "And I'd very much appreciate it if you cooperated with me in that regard."
"Trying to," I say. "Not my fault your friend is that fucking insufferable."
"This is exactly why we are getting nowhere." She groans tiredly, her professional facade cracking slightly. "Whatever, I'll be going back now."
As Sona leaves me alone to watch over Rias' peerage, I realize something about myself.
I think I really love being a total nuisance.
…I blame my mother.
Well, it's about time I stopped them. I assume they've been going at it for more than six hours straight, and that's enough for now. They won't be of any use if they just collapse. There's hard training then there's just torture, and they won't benefit from the latter.
I cast a sizeable ice crystal that gets in between them, distracting and stopping them from continuing the fight. Akeno flinches as she sees me, but neither Koneko nor Kiba notice that as they look at me quizzically.
I notice that their outfits are nearly torn to shreds, making it clear that they've been training probably the hardest out of everyone. That is good to see at least. Someone is actually taking my words seriously.
"That's enough for now," I say as I approach them. "You have to take some rest."
"But the day just started." Kiba argued, making me scoff.
"I'm not stupid, Yuuta–"
"It's Yuuto."
"–I know you've been at it since last night." I ignore his correction. Same thing anyway.
"But we have to," Koneko adds, her tone soft. "For Rias."
"I get that," I respond. "But there's no point in training if you're just gonna keel over when the match begins. Rest is just as important."
"W-we're fine." Akeno quips, her voice slightly wavering as she refuses to look me in the eyes, almost making me snort. Pathetic. "We've decided to rest on our last day here."
"That's not really going to help much if you're killing yourself prior." I argue.
"Oh no, she meant, the entire day." Kiba explains.
Ah…
"A rest day does sound like a good idea actually." I think out loud, putting a hand on my chin,
It could help bring up their morale if their last day was spent playing instead of working, and that's something they might need right now when their leader is still refusing to put in any work. Plus, extra REP seeing that they kinda don't like me that much.
"It does?" Kiba responds, looking slightly confused.
"Well, I've decided." After a moment, I take out my phone and send a message to the training group. "Friday is the last day here, and it'll be a mandatory rest day. In fact…"
As the three read the message I sent, Akeno mutters what she read loud enough for all of us to hear.
"A… pool party?"
"It's the only thing we haven't put to good use yet." I clarify. "You three have worked very hard, so I think you deserve to have as much fun as you can before the match."
15 Reputation with Yuuto Kiba [25/100]
15 Reputation with Koneko Toujou [30/100]
5 Reputation with Akeno Himejima [15/100]
Heh, called it.
"Thank you." Koneko whispers, smiling slightly.
"Don't mention it." I wave it off. "But at least take a break now before continuing."
"Will do." Kiba nods with a smile. "Is there anything else you want from us, Amamiya-san?"
"No. I'll leave you to it." I wave it off, giving Akeno one last glance before leaving. "Good luck."
As I leave them to their own devices, I try to come up with valid ideas or strategies that could help them get the win, but then I spot a certain somebody entering the building from the backdoor, making me frown in suspicion.
…Was that Rias?
– Asia Argento –
Perhaps she was simply not used to it, but Asia didn't quite know what to think of her current situation. Not long ago, she was within the confines of the church, following their teachings down to the letter without question.
Then the excommunication happened, making her feel so very lost. She didn't know what to do, or what the Lord was expecting of her, but she held on to her faith firmly. Being rescued by Akane from the Fallen felt like a reward, a sign that things would indeed get better as long as she kept believing in God.
And they did. Living with the Amamiyas made her feel so full. They showed her so much kindness and love, more than even the church ever did, and were supportive no matter what. Asia loved them back, regardless of their societal or religious differences. Mizuki and Akane felt like the family she never had.
To top it all off, they weren't anywhere near as suffocating. They would not reprimand her for asking for something, nor yell when she decided to take a walk outside. She didn't even need to tell them that she was doing this or that. She'd do something and they wouldn't bat an eye.
It felt amazingly freeing. Asia had never had someone that would show that much trust or even someone she could depend on. Most of the time, the kids back at the church were relying on her as she was the oldest if you don't count the elderly nuns.
But with someone like Akane? It was the opposite. She always looked confident and knew what to do no matter what was going on. Asia finally understood what it felt like to have a reliable older sister. Odd how this random Japanese family was far more compassionate than the church in Italy.
Of course, she wanted to repay their kindness, so when Akane asked for her help, Asia was overjoyed, eager to assist in any way she could. The nun didn't quite expect the favor to be the exact same thing that got her banished from the church in the first place, though.
She did feel a little hesitant at first, but then Akane explained the situation to her and Asia felt nothing but sympathy for the poor Gremory, and a little confusion as well. She didn't know much about Devils in general, only that they were the enemies of God and should all be vanquished, from what the church told her.
But apparently, they had their own society, and they were very similar to human beings. It's what Akane told her, that Devils weren't evil anymore and were trying to make peace with Angels and humans.
When Asia heard that, she felt… satisfied. She was always worried that she made the wrong choice in healing that Devil, that her kindness wasn't supposed to be given to him or his kind. To hear that it wasn't the case made her feel so much better. Perhaps she was rewarded by the Lord for that act of kindness. She knew her faith was not misplaced.
So after she was given some time to think, Akane once again was very nice to her and told her that it was her choice, Asia felt determined to be as helpful as possible. It wasn't fair to be married off like that, and everyone should be given the option to choose their life partner.
And Asia enjoyed helping them. Everyone was very nice and polite to her, sometimes telling her stories and fairy tales about Devilkind and what the underworld is like. She found all of it very interesting and loved sharing her own experiences in the church. The positive ones anyway.
She felt very comfortable with them now, especially since Akane, Ichiban, and Issei were around, and would regularly check up on her.
The task was quite tiring, though. Asia had never healed so many people in a short amount of time before, even if she loved doing it, but she pushed herself regardless. She couldn't be collapsing when she was doing the least amount of work compared to everyone. She also noticed that she was improving as well, thankfully. She'd heal better and use less of her energy.
Asia spent a lot of time in the infirmary, reading many books given to her by Akane and Ichiban, which they called "Manga". They had funny pictures and she enjoyed reading them a lot. There were some about the funny rubber boy she loved watching on the TV back home. Those were her favorites.
She wasn't exactly kept here against her will of course. She could walk up and leave the room whenever she felt like it, but Akane told her to stay there in case somebody needed healing. Better than looking for her everywhere. Asia didn't mind it either since they'd visit her and invite her to play some fun games with them from time to time.
Plus, she liked the peace and quiet anyway. She was always so swamped back in the church that even an hour of free time was a luxury. It felt nice.
As she read through her first book for the day, the sun only just rising an hour ago, the door to the infirmary opened, and in walked an unfamiliar girl with red hair and blue eyes. Asia paused, and recognized it to be Rias Gremory.
She wanted to greet the heiress as she met her for the first time, but the state she was in made Asia gasp. She was bruised, with grime and dirt sticking to her clothes and face. Rias bled from multiple small cuts as she held her arm with a pained look, but then paused when she saw Asia looking at her with a shocked expression.
"Um." Rias blinked. "Hi? I heard you can help with healing."
Shaken out of her stupor, Asia rushed toward the injured girl with a concerned look.
"Oh my god!"
Rias winced.
"What happened to you?!"
"I'm fine." She said with a sheepish chuckle, taking a step back. "I… may have gotten a little ahead of myself with that gravity belt, though."
"Please sit down and let me take a look." Asia urged.
Rias nodded and did just that, flinching and grimacing slightly. Asia sat down next to her, the ring of Twilight Healing shining as she began to heal the devil's wounds. The blond noticed that Rias' right arm was completely shattered on top of her current injuries. Just how hard was she training?
True, this wasn't the worst wound she came across here – Ichiban nearly broke his spine and killed himself once – but it's still above the usual. Most of the time it's just bruises and maybe a black eye. In general, they were careful.
"Um, Ms. Rias?" Asia started, seeing the glance of surprise on the redhead's face. "Please be careful next time, okay? I know you're trying very hard, but you mustn't hurt yourself."
"I'll be okay. It's the least I can do." Rias said, looking away. "I only have a few days left. I need to do this."
"I-I know that, but you're not alone." The blond said. "Everyone wants to help, so you shouldn't push yourself too hard."
"No, that's exactly why I have to work hard." Rias smiled softly, however, Asia noticed the melancholic tone in her voice. "Twice as hard as them even."
"But–"
"I appreciate the concern, really! But I need to do this." She continued. "I wouldn't feel great about myself otherwise."
Not very convinced, Asia remained silent for a little while. She couldn't exactly tell the redhead off– this was no decision for her to make. If Rias wanted to push herself to her limits, then the blond had no say in the matter.
"If you insist." Asia relented. "But please always tell me if you get injured, even if it's not serious."
"Of course." Rias nodded before pausing. "I… haven't gotten your name, though."
"I'm Asia Argento." She smiled warmly, finally finishing up the healing. "It's nice to meet you, Ms. Rias."
"The pleasure is mine." The redhead responded, moving her once broken arm around with a surprised look. "Wow, I know Twilight Healing is sought after by many for a reason, but I didn't expect it to be this effective."
"I've been blessed by the Lord," Asia said. "And I'll always strive to use it in his name."
"Even for devils?" Rias asked.
"...Yes." She answered after a moment. "Everyone is capable of doing good, human or devil, and it's not my place to judge."
"I see." Rias stood up. "It's been nice, Asia, but I have to go back to train now. I'll hopefully see you soon again."
Asia gave her a wave as Rias left the infirmary, closing the door behind her. She didn't know why this was the first time she'd seen the redhead here, not knowing what had transpired before coming to this place, but she seemed to be a little too hard on herself for some reason.
Asia didn't want to pry since they didn't know each other well yet but hoped she helped. Rias looked very nice and polite, further breaking the stereotype of devils only being evil. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to do this, but Asia prayed for her victory in the upcoming Rating Match.
– Rias Gremory –
Leaving the infirmary, Rias looked around the hallway before rushing towards the exit. She'd been outside training all night but made sure that nobody knew. It felt too awkward to tell everybody right now. To them, she'd probably done a total 180, not knowing the roller coaster of emotions she had to go through last night.
So she hid her magical energy and trained in the outer range of the place, facing a mountain wall. Of course, that also meant she had to be careful and not get overconfident in the device, but who knew even a mere ten times the gravity of the planet was heavy enough to force-feed her dirt?
Which should've been obvious. Even Goku couldn't take it at first.
She was so glad that nobody saw that. Failing that hard after finding her resolve nearly made her cry from embarrassment. Rias had dialed it back to seven to prevent that from happening again, and still had a lot of difficulties even standing up.
On top of level ten of the magic prevention thing, Rias wanted to just die. The thought of giving up crossed her mind more than once, but every time she'd think of what her friends are having to deal with, thus fueling her desire to at least do something.
It was quite the challenge still. She felt lighter after deactivating it for the first time, though, after eight consecutive hours of training, so she is making progress. It made her understand why Akane thought the training would be effective. Rias never expected to grow so much in so little time.
Then again, she barely had time. Rias didn't think she could make much of a difference in three days.
No, that was quitter talk. She was getting through this and would make the most out of it. Even if she still lost, at least she'd feel satisfied that she'd tried her best.
She frowned slightly, hating the fact that the human girl was right. She's been correct the entire time, but couldn't she have been nicer about it? Those words of hers still bothered Rias quite a lot.
Then again, Rias didn't think being nice would've been as compelling to get her off her ass, as much as she hated to admit it.
Rias shook her head from the distracting thoughts and refocused her senses, spotting Sona's magical energy right behind the front door she was about to open, making her panic. She was about to run away but stopped completely once her childhood friend spotted her.
"Rias?" She blinked, confused.
"Hi…"
She froze as she noticed the belt around the redhead's waist, her violet eyes widening.
"Why are you wearing this?" She asked. "Are you–"
"I-I'm sorry." The redhead said quickly, feeling ashamed of herself. "You were right. I should've never given up on myself so easily."
Sona seemed too shocked to respond.
"I just always thought we'd be wasting our time. That it wouldn't really matter at the end." She continued. "But I realize now even if that was the case, it shouldn't stop me from at least trying. That's what you tried to tell me, right?"
Rias shuffled nervously at Sona's lack of reaction. This was exactly why she didn't want to see her or anyone else. This was way too awkward for her.
"I mean, I know I wasted too much time moping anyway." The redhead said, looking away. "So I understand if you're angry at me…"
To her surprise, Sona's response was a sudden embrace that nearly had her choking. Not knowing what to do, Rias returned the hug, internally glad that she wasn't mad at her or anything, especially when she had every right to be.
"Angry? You opened your eyes and you thought I'd be angry?" Sona chuckled at the supposed absurdity. "No, I'm not. I'm happy beyond words. I'm so glad you finally listened."
"Heh, yeah, sorry," Rias replied sheepishly. "I know I should've done so earlier."
"That's not a problem. What matters is that you did." Sona said, pulling away and smiling at the redhead. "We might not have much time anymore, but I know it's just enough to make a difference."
"Yeah, I hope so."
"Come on, let's tell everyone about this." Her childhood friend pulled her by the arm. "Your peerage will be very happy once they see you like this."
"Ah, wait, maybe don't." Rias blushed, not prepared for that just yet.
As Sona paused and looked at her in confusion, another voice quipped, making Rias flinch.
"Yeah, maybe don't." Akane parroted, prompting the two to look at her.
Rias' heartbeat quickened as she saw the frown on the human girl's face. She prepared herself for another onslaught of ridicule as Sona got in front of her, looking concerned.
"Why not?" She asked. "Isn't this what you wanted too?"
"Of course, it is," Akane responded with a roll of her eyes. "But I don't believe it. I don't believe her."
"Akane–"
"She hasn't given me a reason to trust her, Sona." She cut her off. "So I'll make sure she's telling the truth."
Akane glanced at her with a sharp glare, but Rias refused to look away and met it with her own.
"We're going to spar again." She said. "And this time, I'm not holding back."
"It's clear that Rias has returned to form," Sona argued. "I see no reason for a pointless test."
"Fine." Rias agreed to the challenge, surprising the Sitri Heiress.
A little surprised, Akane smirked and nodded, walking past them without saying a word.
"Are you sure about this?" Sona asked once the human girl left.
"Yes." Rias nodded. "I have to. I need to."
Sona didn't argue with that and respected her decision.
"Good luck." She said, making Rias smile.
If she couldn't at least impress Akane, then she'd have no hope of ever making a difference. Besides, she was still a little sore with what happened, so getting a chance to maybe possibly punch her in the face with no consequences sounded very nice to Rias.
– Akane Amamiya –
[Renewed Resolve] - Quest
Objective: Defeat Rias Gremory in a sparring match
Rewards: 25 to INT and WIS, Moderate EXP, Increase reputation with Rias Gremory
There it is. I was wondering why a quest didn't show up the first time we sparred. I guess she needed to be in a more favorable position first because fighting someone who doesn't want to fight gives you an immense advantage by default.
But I'm not doing this for a quest, not entirely anyway. I was being truthful when I said I didn't believe her. Saying she's going to train is one thing, but I have to test her to see if she's actually determined to go through with this.
Not like she actually has a chance of winning. I'm able to defeat Sona in our sparring matches consistently, and Sona is nearly twice as strong as Rias at the moment. Yes, that's how strong they can grow if they actually put their minds to it. In just two weeks, they can double their powers. Though, I assume their growth stagnates after some time, otherwise Devils would've conquered the world centuries ago.
I didn't stop growing myself of course. Granted, I didn't grow as fast as them, but that's mostly because I barely got any quests. I tried to activate some by asking the others who I knew for sure are strong for a sparring match or two, but I think I exhausted that little exploit.
That is until the belts showed up last night. I'm sure I can exploit them too for a while, but seeing that I don't really have much time anymore, I decided I'll focus on them for now and train by myself or with Ichi after the match instead.
Regardless, this entire thing is a win-win for me. Rias either proves herself, significantly increasing her chances at winning, or she breaks down and proves me right. That she's nothing but a pathetic whiny brat who doesn't deserve a scrap of what she gets.
We'll see right now. As I said, I'm fine with either scenario.
This time, we decided to get away from the crowds and fight deeper into the forest, because I think this duel will be more destructive than the previous one. There's only me, Rias, and Sona around, with the latter acting as the referee.
Rias prepares her Demonic Energy, seemingly refraining from using her Power of Destruction, slightly surprisingly. She knows that I'm much stronger than her physically, yet she wants to hold back. Either that or she's conserving energy.
Well, I did say I'll be going all out, so I don't think it really matters. I create an ice blade with a dull edge, aiming to hurt but not kill, and wait for the mark.
"Are you two ready?"
We nod.
"Then begin."
I charge forward quickly, making Rias flinch in surprise at my speed, before she jumps back, trying to keep her distance via her bat-like wings. The redhead unleashes two blasts of magic at me, which I easily block by creating ice shields around me.
I'm much faster than her, and easily catch up, kicking directly in the gut once I'm in close distance. Rias grunts but doesn't break her stance, tanking the hit before getting right in front of my face, shooting me with more demonic energy.
I act quickly and protect myself by casting Ice Flesh and Ice Skin, tanking most of the damage but still getting flung back. I blink in surprise, not expecting her to counter so quickly, but get my head back into the game as Rias releases more and more magic blasts.
They're not Destruction Magic, so my own Cryomancy should be more than enough to just annihilate everything she throws at me. My Ice is like what, three tiers higher than what I'm supposed to be capable of casting? Letting her put me on the defensive isn't the wisest idea. It'll just give her more time for a different plan, and close range is more advantageous for me.
I gotta be more aggressive.
I create two blades, smirking as I effortlessly cut the energy blasts coming my way. I follow after Rias, who is now high above the forest, with my own ice wings. My spears and swords easily destroy her demonic magic, protecting me and giving me ample opportunity to get in close.
Rias barely dodges my swings, ducking and dashing left and right, showing a surprisingly good reaction time, seeing that I'm faster than her, but she's lacking in awareness still, as I hit her in the back with a blunted ice spear, making her gasp in pain.
That strike makes enough time for me to slam her down with an ice bat, breaking through multiple trees and crashing down, making a crater in the ground. I rush downward, reforming the bat into a sword, and aim to 'stab' her chest.
Rias moves just enough to evade the blow, grabbing my arm and pulling me close to her as she prepares a very powerful and very dangerous magic blast. I gasp in shock as I realize what this is, eyes widening in genuine fear as I quickly come up with an idea.
Right before Rias unleashes her Power of Destruction, I cover myself with my wings. They disintegrate nearly instantly, but they slow down the terrifyingly powerful blast just enough for me to tilt my head away from it blast, only for Rias to punch me in the fucking face.
I may be more powerful, but that attack still did quite a bit of damage as it sends me through multiple trees. I grunt in pain and land on my feet, growling in rage as I wipe the blood off my nose. That fucking bitch will–
I quickly take a deep breath, calming my flaring nerves. No, there's no point in getting angry. Relax, don't let your rage take over your senses. Remember, you have to learn how to control it.
…She might not know this, but that blast could've likely killed me instantly. I may have insanely deadly ice magic, but I'm squishy as fuck. I really gotta be more careful right now, and end the fight as soon as I can. That damned fear of death trait is fucking with my head, I'm shaking.
I hate to admit it, but I may have underestimated her resolve. I don't have the vast energy reserves of devils, so she'll outlast me eventually if I prolong this.
But I won't, so I'm still winning this.
As Rias flies over the forest to get an aerial advantage, I snap my fingers and summon dozens of pieces of blunted weaponry, jumping and standing over a particularly big greatsword, before mentally releasing my hold on the spells, making them all soar toward her.
Rias throws more of her destruction power at me, causing me to jump from weapon to weapon in an effort to avoid getting hit while still getting close to her. It's tough, but I manage to get close enough to her, a mere two meters away from her. Unfortunately, with us being this close, Rias would have to be blind to miss the next shot, and easily gets the lance I was on once I barely dodge the blast.
I smirk as I start falling, however, and simply cast my newly-made ice chains spell, wrapping them around her legs and pulling her very close to me. She yelps but recovers quickly, aiming directly at my face, but I break her concentration by headbutting her, making her gasp in pain.
"Freeze." I say, my smirk widening.
With her disoriented, I end the fight by casting a point-blank Ice Burst, freezing her completely.
As the two of us fall to the ground, I land gracefully as Rias crashes down. I casually approach the still-frozen redhead, creating an ice sword and pointing it at her neck, then glance at Sona.
"Well?"
She looks pretty down but nods anyway.
"You win." She says. "Will you defrost her now?"
"Eeeeh should I?"
Sona doesn't look very amused as I say that.
"Chill, I'm just kidding." I dispel my sword, giggling to myself as the ice encasing Rias melts nearly instantly. "Heh, chill."
Rias gasps suddenly, apparently still conscious, but then scowls angrily as she stares at the ground. I can see that she's taking the loss a little too poorly, which is kind of strange. And here I thought I'd see more of the self-pity and whining she showed earlier. Instead, she looks actually mad.
…I can work with this.
"Damn it." She curses under her breath. "I thought if–"
"You couldn't win." I cut her off harshly. "Not in a million fucking years."
"Bullshit!" Rias glares at me, getting heated. "I had you on the ropes more than once! If I was just a tiny bit faster, I could've beaten you!"
"Rias?" Sona blinks, shocked at her outburst.
"You wish." I scoff, grinning condescendingly. "If this was an actual fight, you would've been six feet under in two seconds. It'd be like swatting a fly~"
"Why you–" Rias stands up and gets close to my face with a snarl. "Let's go again! Surely if you're so vastly more powerful than I, then you wouldn't mind a rematch!"
"Girls, please stop." Sona says, looking more and more concerned.
"And waste my time with trash like you? Please, I have better things to do in my life, like spend time training with the better devil here." I nod at Sona, who is getting increasingly more uncomfortable as this little spat continues. "Shoo, run back to your room and continue being miserable there, seeing how that's all you're good for."
To my genuine surprise, Rias stops verbally responding and actually throws a punch, which I deliberately let connect with my face. The force of the attack makes me take a few steps back, and the familiar pain in my nose tells me that it broke.
But I don't feel angry, not like when she did the same thing in the fight.
"RIAS!" Sona screams at her, looking horrified. "What is wrong with you?!"
In fact, I actually feel kinda giddy.
Fucking finally!
Seemingly comprehending what she just did, Rias' eyes widen as she panics, stammering an apology or whatever the fuck she's trying to say.
"You dumb bitch." I cut her off as I wipe off the blood, making both girls flinch. "Where was this fucking attitude all this time?"
"I– Wha–"
"You come here looking like a pitiful sow preparing to take it in the ass by an even more pathetic moron, crying and doing NOTHING about it," I growl. "But then come around and show actual guts in a meaningless duel because you lost?"
Neither of them is able to respond.
"Is that what gets you riled up? Are you serious?!" I continue. "Do you just randomly get angry about nothing? Is that it?!"
"I-I just thought–"
"No, you don't think." I grab her roughly by the collar, and at this point, I don't know where this is coming from either. "If I, someone you barely know, got you so mad because I beat you in a dumb fight, then why aren't you angry at Riser? The guy who tormented you for fucking YEARS?!
"Akane–"
"This isn't a fight where you're supposed to be calm." I ignore Sona. "Get angry. Think about all the things he did and get PISSED, because that's exactly what you need right now. That's how you win."
Rias looks me directly in the eyes in slight fear, but I can also see that she's listening to what I'm saying, though, I… don't know why I'm so invested in this Rating Game. I genuinely do not care about Rias– I feel nothing when I look at her. No attachment, love, or even the tiniest bit of fondness.
Just… overwhelming frustration.
"If you face an issue you can't just solve, then you beat it, break it, and kill it until it stops being one," I say, letting go of Rias. "Keep doing that until everything is afraid to be a problem. That's how you survive, how you thrive."
Once again, both were too shocked to reply.
"Turn all the sadness and resentment you've felt into overpowering rage and Riser won't stand a chance against you," I promise, lowering my voice. "You will win this."
Rias looks at the ground, seemingly deep in thought as Sona looks at me with a mixture of awe and concern. She doesn't say anything, only nodding slowly at me in gratitude as she puts a hand on the redhead's shoulder.
I spot Rias' peerage and a few others like Ichiban approaching us with confused and concerned looks. They must've seen or sensed the fight, and I'll be honest, I'm in no mood to explain what happened.
"I'm taking my break," I say after a moment. "Think about what I said, will you?"
With that, I leave them to their devices, satisfied but slightly irritated. Ichiban quickly follows me as he sees me walking away, catching up with a very worried expression.
"What happened?" He asks. "Did you get in a fight again?"
"You can say that." I answer vaguely.
"Oh what the hell." He groans. "I thought you were going to ignore her. What happened to that plan?"
"It's fine, everything turned out alright." I wave it off. "You can say we made up…?"
"...You don't sound very sure."
"Ugh, you talk way too damn much. It'll be fine, okay?" I punch his arm playfully. "Just shut up and give me a massage when we get inside."
"I should not have followed you. For fuck's sake."
Our banter continues, but my mind is somewhere else at the moment. Emotions are annoying. These sudden outbursts of mine are too unpredictable and I hate it. I need to find a way to put a stop to them.
At the very least, I confirmed that she wasn't all talk, and got her even more motivated to beat that chicken-fucker.
[Renewed Resolve] - Quest
Objective: Defeat Rias Gremory in a sparring match
Hidden Objective: Inspire Rias to aim for a win
Rewards: 25 to INT and WIS, Moderate EXP, Increase reputation with Rias Gremory
Hidden Rewards: 150 to CHA, Tremendously increase reputation with Rias Gremory, Massively increase reputation with Sona Sitri
Rias Gremory Reputation [60/100]
Sona Sitri Reputation [95/100]
15 Reputation with Goro Majima [65/100]
Plus this. Thanks, Game. I don't know why I got more points with Majima, but I guess my little speech hit close to home or something.
Whatever, let me check my stats real quick. That oughta make me feel happier about myself at least.
Name - Akane Amamiya
Level - 116
Title - Undead Slayer
Primary Class - Swordmaster - LVL 16/100 [21%]
Secondary Class - Engineer - LVL 7/100 [8%]
Race - Human
Rank - Mortal
Alignment - Neutral Evil
HP - 10,350 [690 per minute]
MP - 14,520 [8712 per minute]
SP - 10,350 [690 per minute]
STR - 880
END - 690
DEX - 900
INT - 1452
WIS - 1452
CHA - 990
LUK – 490
My balanced build is going smoothly so far. Still squishy, unfortunately. To compare, Sona has like, 80k HP, and I only have a measly 10k. I'm getting there though. Once I'm done with this bullshit, I'll go back to focusing on myself.
I gotta get ready for that warmonger fuck whenever he decides to show up and ruin everyone's good time here. He might not appear because of how many changes there are already, but I can't be too sure, and it's always better to be safe than sorry.
I sigh deeply as I go inside the building. The things I do for other people…
– Sona Sitri –
With how hectic these past two weeks were, she forgot just how great it was to simply unwind and relax. When she first saw the little announcement about their last day, Sona wanted to argue with that, saying that they did not need to waste a precious day playing.
But Akane easily explained that it was mostly for morale, and Sona did not quite have a good counter to that. Sure, morale was already at the peak after Rias' peerage saw that their King was back in shape and ready for the Rating Game, but perhaps rewarding them with a day off was something they needed.
And the moment Sona sunk her legs into the cold water of the pool, she was so glad that they went along with the idea. It had been way too long, with school, politics, and the Rating Game occupying her mind at all times. She really needed this rest.
It gave her some time to reflect on her decision to ask Akane for help, and how their relationship seemingly progressed because of it. She knew it was very risky of her to do, but Sona felt great that everything turned out alright in the end.
Sure, there were bumps like the whole screaming match between Rias and Akane, but that was thankfully solved before anything catastrophic happened. The redhead still seemed slightly intimidated and not the biggest fan of Akane just yet, but that was expected. Though, it was obvious that Rias came to respect the human girl quite a lot, especially after that speech.
It was one Sona didn't expect one bit. Her heart dropped to her stomach when Rias hit Akane in the face, and was ready to get on her knees and beg for forgiveness out of panic, and then, to their absolute surprise, Akane nearly praised her for it. Sona was sure she'd never forget the bloodied grin on the human girl's face.
But it made sense in hindsight. Someone as violent as Akane would very obviously turn rage into fuel. She was part Yokai, after all, and Yokai tend to be creatures of emotions. It still made Sona think a lot about that speech.
Sona looked at the starry night sky, sipping from her red-colored drink.
Using anger as a way to drive you forward. She… never really thought about it that way before. When Akane mocked and belittled Rias, was this what she was hoping for? To get her angry and prove a point?
Could rage be Rias' true key to winning the Rating Game? Was this emotion that's so primal and raw what someone needs to thrive? It was such a fascinating mindset that Sona couldn't help but think about it, and she wanted to know more.
She'd always bottled up her anger and pushed it away to the back of her mind because rage seldom helped her in any scenario. She thought it was useless, that it'd do nothing but bring disaster to her and those around her, but now Sona wasn't so sure.
Perhaps she should ask Akane about it sometime soon. She'd love to hear about what she meant more in-depth.
"–Now resting deep within the confines of the underworld, He awaits his revival." Ruruko narrated as Asia, Koneko and Momo listened, all inside the pool. "A being that sought destruction and death wherever he goes and the one that caused the Great War, indirectly killing billions… Now acts as the monster beneath your bed."
Sona contained a chuckle as she saw the scared look on Asia's face as Koneko barely showed an outward reaction, with Momo only looking exasperated. This was Ruruko's favorite 'horror' story, and of course, she'd tell it to anyone that looked vulnerable to these kinds of tales.
"So explore hell at your own risk, for when you least expect it, you might find yourself facing Him–" Ruruko's vicious grin widened. "And promptly be devoured whole, for none shall come to your rescue, fearing the ire of the True Devil King."
Asia flinched as Ruruko nearly lunged towards her, hiding behind Momo.
"B-but that's just a story, r-right?" Asia said. "I-it's not real…"
"Is it?" Her Pawn giggled. "Don't you know? Quite a lot of young devils go missing every year, and we've yet to find an explanation. Who knows what could've happened to them…"
"Lucifer ate them," Koneko answered bluntly.
"Exactly!"
Asia retreated behind Momo, looking quite fearful, and Sona found that adorable, but that was enough teasing she thought.
"Stop being mean to her, girls," Sona said before glancing at Asia. "Don't worry, they're just trying to scare you."
"So it's not real?" Another voice quipped. "His spirit haunting the underworld I mean."
Sona turned around to see Akane standing right behind her, still in her baggy tracksuit, with her hands inside her pockets. She expected her to wear a swimsuit like everyone here, but apparently not.
"Of course not," Sona answered, adjusting her glasses. "The Original Lucifer was completely annihilated during the Great War. Not even a spiritual trace of him remained."
"You mean like, complete disintegration?" She asked, and Sona nodded. "Wow."
"It was a brutal war." The Sitri Heiress said before switching the subject. "And weren't you planning to join us? What's with the tracksuit?"
Now that she thought about it, Akane exclusively wore baggy tracksuits this whole time for some reason. The weather wasn't particularly cold and even if it was, she was likely resistant due to her bloodline.
She doubted it, but perhaps there was a reason.
"I'm just looking for Ichi right now," Akane answered. "You seen him anywhere? He's learned how to hide his Gear, so I can't sense him properly."
"Oh yeah, I saw him go inside the changing rooms a few minutes ago," Ruruko added. "Dunno what's taking him so long."
"Right, thanks." Akane nodded. "What about Rias? Don't see here anywhere."
"She wanted to continue training," Sona said, her heart swelling in pride as she remembered the determined look on her childhood friend's face. "Saying something about having had enough rest."
"That so…"
Then Akane's gaze lingered on Sona, making her tilt her head in confusion.
"What is it?" She asked.
"It's nothing, just–" Akane paused for a moment then smiled. "I think you look better with the glasses on."
The casual and unexpected compliment made Sona's heart skip a beat, her face glowing red.
"W-what–" Sona stammered, tearing her gaze away from Akane's eyes. "What's the matter with you, saying something like that out of the blue?"
"Smooth." Koneko quipped quietly.
"I'm just saying," Akane replied before she headed to where Ichiban supposedly was. "I'll go get Ichi and join you."
With that, she left, and Sona quickly calmed her beating heart. Her eyes fell on the grinning Ruruko and Momo.
"Not a word." She growled as they snickered.
Why did that get her so flustered?!
– Ichiban Kasuga –
When he saw Akane's message, he dreaded the moment he had to get in the pool with the rest. Now, Ichiban could swim, and he was very good at it too, so there was no issue in that regard, however, it was the fact that he had to be shirtless.
He wasn't shy in that regard either. If anything, he was highly proud of how his body looked and would show it off to others if the irezumi on his back wasn't there. Arakawa told him that it wasn't like any tattoo– it wasn't something to be shown to everyone you see and should be hidden instead.
That didn't mean he couldn't show it off, but more like, it shouldn't be the reason you take off your shirt, so that was made clear to him too. Ichiban was just a bit insecure about it– worried that not everyone will take it positively.
Mostly why he avoided swimming even at school. Most of the students there would not view it in a good light again. The ink on his back was exactly that of yakuza, done by a legendary tattoo artist as well. That would automatically make everyone avoid him.
He knew his friends– Akane, Issei, and Asia wouldn't bat an eye, but what of the others? Would they think he's some kind of a spy trying to infiltrate this group of friends? Would they think less of him for it? Some were sticklers for the rules, and he's an underaged guy with a tattoo. That oughta put him on somebody's shitlist.
"Yo, Kasuga." Issei started. "You good? You look a bit concerned there. What's up?"
"Ehh, nothing serious, but thanks for asking, man." He shrugged. "Just a bit nervous, y'know?"
"Nervous?" His friend raised a brow as he took off his shirt, putting it in a locker. "Why?"
"Dude–" Ichiban leaned forward, lowering his voice. "The girls out there are like, fucking supermodels."
"Exactly!" Issei grinned. "It's heaven out there, bro! There's nothing to be worried about!"
"Yeah, but what if you, I dunno, do some stupid shit in front of them?" He raised a valid point.
"Eh, I've been through way worse." Issei shrugged. "Like legit, I used to get my ass handed to me daily by the kendo girls. I'm fully aware of how people view me."
"That's because you keep pissing them off." Ichiban deadpanned but then paused. "...Now that I think about it, you never even tried any of your perverted shit here. You sick?"
"Are you mad? I'm not risking my entire fucking bloodline with Akane watching me like a hawk." He shuddered. "I'm done with that. I mean until she stops looking at me anyway."
He whispered that last part, but it still got Ichiban chuckling at his idiocy.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up." Issei rolled his eyes.
"It's funny because I've never seen you do anything perverted at all," Ichiban revealed. "If anything, I just hear it from the girls. Most of them really do hate your guts."
"Most?" Issei blinked, looking hopeful. "You mean some of them don't?!"
"Yeah. Momo just seems exasperated with you, same with Ruruko." He said. "And Koneko just thinks you're mildly annoying. I don't think Sona or Rias hate you either."
"...You really talked to everyone for my sake? That's so kind of you, bro." His friend looked touched, but then he blushed slightly with his question. "What about Akane? D-does she not hate me?"
"I… don't think so, but I'm gonna be honest dude–" Ichiban grimaced. "I don't think she likes you either."
"That's fine because it's still a start! I still have a chance to achieve my dream!"
"What's that?"
"Becoming the one and only Harem King!" Issei claimed.
An awkward pause followed, and the silence was broken by Ichiban snorting.
"There is nothing funny about this!"
"Sorry, sorry." Ichiban patted Issei's shoulder. "...Thanks, man. I appreciate it."
"Heh, no worries. You're still my buddy." Issei grinned. "Imma leave you to it now. Valhalla beckons me."
With that, his friend left the restrooms as Ichiban continued to wrestle with his insecurity in silence.
Come on, man. It's not that deep. He sighed, shaking his head. No one would care. You're technically a yakuza already and they know that.
As he stood up, Ichiban got to taking off his white shirt, but then flinched when he heard his best friend call for him.
"What are you doing in there?" Akane asked, approaching him. "Are you that impressed with the restroom design?"
"Don't scare me like that!"
"I didn't mean to." She shrugged, then looked him up and down. "Gonna get rid of that shirt or do you want me to do it for you?"
"Can you stop?"
"I mean, you've been here for like, ten minutes. Hurry up already." She snorted, smirking a moment later. "Or could it be that you're nervous at the prospect of being surrounded by girls in bikinis?"
Fuck.
She's remarkably sharp! Ddraig laughed. I'm truly beginning to enjoy her company.
Shush you.
"That's not just it." He said, face heating up slightly. "It's… well, you know how I told you I wanted to join the Tojo Clan?"
"Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?"
"Just…" Ichiban sighed and turned around, giving her his back. "Please don't laugh, even if you find it stupid."
Once that was said, he took off the shirt, threw it to the side, and quickly spoke before she could begin her judgemental and scathing criticism.
"I know what you're gonna say." He started. "Something about it being shitty and whatever flowery words you're gonna throw out."
"I wasn't gonna say that."
"Bullshit, you were thinking it."
"I wasn't." She replied. "If anything, I think it looks kinda cool."
Ichiban froze.
"F-for real?"
"Yeah. It's really well made. I don't get the design, though." She continued. "A carp with the head of a dragon? Why didn't you just get a regular dragon? And why isn't it colored?"
"Because I don't think I'm worthy of either of those." He said, suddenly getting serious. "I'm not good enough to be part of the Arakawa Family, not yet anyway."
"I thought that's what you wanted?"
"Yeah, but I'm still not there yet. I'm still weak, inexperienced, and young. I don't think I deserve to be by the boss' side yet." He continued. "But when I'm there– when I finally think I'm good enough?"
"You'll get it colored?"
"Yeah." He nodded. "I-I know it sounds corny as fuck–"
"It is. It's very corny." She giggled, making him click his tongue. "But I can respect it. Shows that you're taking this really seriously."
"I am. I just want to pay back the debt I owe the boss." Ichiban said, flinching and turning around as he felt Akane's cold hand on his back. "...What are you doing?"
"Nothing." She stepped back, getting smug. "But now that you've shown me this, I guess it's my turn."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
She didn't respond verbally, only beginning to pull down the zipper of her tracksuit right in front of him. Ichiban's face turned bright red as he spotted the lack of a shirt beneath the baggy suit and quickly looked away, as much as one part of his brain screaming at him to look at her.
"What the fuck are you doing!?"
"Taking off my tracksuit so I can swim?"
"You plan on swimming naked?!"
"No? I'm wearing my bikini."
…What.
He slowly turned back to look at her, cursing under his breath as he saw the unbearable smug grin on her face. She was wearing it underneath the tracksuit. Of course, she was, when wasn't she fucking with him?
"You really thought I'd get naked in front of you?" She laughed. "You fucking moron. Get over yourself."
"I can't be too sure with you, alright?!"
"So you'd look away? You'd really look away when I decide to flash you?" Her giggles continued. "You're actually an idiot. Come on now."
He had no good counter to that and remained silent as she took him by the hand, leading him outside. Why did he look away? He gotta admit, though…
Ichiban swallowed as he realized just how unbelievably attractive his best friend had become. She almost always wore baggy clothes so he never noticed, but her body was completely flawless, especially her bottom half.
It wasn't only him who thought that, either. Everyone else paused as they saw her, either drinking in the sight or simply looking away once Akane met their gazes. The subtle sway of her hips every time she walked a step had him staring especially, and all the blood rushed to his head when Akane noticed him, giving him a wink.
Goddamn it.
Wee bit till we finish this arc. About damn time considering that this fic is already 200k words.
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