"Akeno, wrap him in bandages."
"Oi, oi, oi, Rias, I'm not liking the way you are suggesting this. You do know she is my girlfriend. Why don't you do it...?"
"Akeno, wrap him in bandages."
The whole room went silent. Rias's eyes widened, then narrowed. The way she looked at me was clear — she was annoyed by my presence.
"Excuse me...?"
"I will not let my girlfriend wrap up another man's injuries. Here, pass me that...!"
I grabbed the bandages from Akeno's hand. I did it so quickly she had no other choice but to let me.
"Ufufu~ Don't be jealous. I'm merely performing a medical duty."
"It's fine. I'll take it from here. I have experience doing this."
My voice was quick and sharp. I didn't want Akeno dealing with this utter pervert.
"Can you guys hurry up and decide? I don't want to bleed out."
So I began. I grabbed the bandage — I had experience with this. I took Akeno's spot where she had been sitting before she had begun. The wounds were too deep to disinfect. The best option was to bandage them, apply force, and worry about the rest later.
I wrapped the bandage around, and it took more than a few wraps due to how deep the injuries were. Each layer was a test of my focus, the white fabric slowly turning crimson as it absorbed the fresh blood. The wound on his back was a long gash — long and nasty. This was made by a sword. I pulled the bandage taut, knotting it off with a quick, efficient twist of my fingers.
"There... Also, I know this may be hard to accomplish, but when tasks like these pop up, you do them yourself. Or would that be too much, Your Highness? Because I would like it if my girlfriend didn't have to constantly do this. I would appreciate the time you would give both of us."
The final words hung in the air — not a question, but a statement, layered with a challenge I had no intention of retracting. My gaze met Rias's, and for a moment, the entire room — the injured man, the observing Akeno, the very air we breathed — seemed to condense into the silent conflict between us.
"Girlfriend... You are dating Akeno...?"
The man in front of me — the person I was treating, Issei Hyoudou — was surprised. I could hear it in his voice. As he asked the question, I had no other choice but to answer him.
"Yes, I'm dating Akeno. Is that a problem?"
The question was aimed at both him and Rias. I kept my focus on the last knot, ensuring it was secure. The white bandage was stark against his skin — a small, clean victory against the ragged wound.
Rias didn't answer. Her silence was its own kind of answer, heavy and considering. She watched me, her expression a complex mix of irritation and something I couldn't quite place — something that looked almost like appraisal.
Akeno, beside her, simply smiled, her hand resting lightly on her chest as if feeling her own heartbeat.
"No, no problem at all!" Issei said, a little too quickly, a little too loudly. He tried to sit up, winced, and thought better of it.
"It's just... Akeno-senpai is, you know... wow. And you're... not what I expected for her boyfriend."
"What did you expect?"
I asked, my voice flat. I started gathering the discarded wrappings, my movements quick. I wasn't cleaning up for them, but for myself. I needed something to do with my hands. And I didn't want my woman touching another man.
"I dunno, someone more... I guess? She's so elegant and powerful. And you seem... angry."
Issei had mumbled out loud as he began looking away.
"I'm not angry."
I was. But I didn't care about the opinion of a perverted person who relied on pervertedness to power up.
But then Rias's voice rose. She had turned to face me as she began.
"And you — your concern for your girlfriend is... noted. But you will remember your place. This is my household. My family. Akeno's duties here are her own, as are yours, should you choose to remain."
She said, her gaze finally locking back onto me.
She didn't have to say "as my guest." The implication was clear. I was an outsider. A complication. Akeno's choice, but not hers. The gauntlet had been thrown — not with words, but with a simple, dismissive turn of her head as she moved away from me.
I lay down. My pillow was comfortable — the thighs of Akeno. I stared up and all I could see was her chest. It was a comfortable view.
"Ufufu~ You seem to be enjoying yourself."
Her fingers, cool and slender, began to card through my hair. The gentle, repetitive motion was a stark contrast to the storm that had just passed. I let my eyes close, the fight draining out of me, replaced by the simple, overwhelming sensation of her touch. The faint, sweet scent of her skin filled my senses — a quiet promise in the middle of hostile territory.
"I'm making a statement," I murmured, my voice muffled against her thigh. "This is my spot. Nobody else's."
A soft laugh rumbled through her chest, a vibration I felt more than heard.
"Ufufu~ Such possessiveness."
"Either way, you may continue with your subjects."
I had acted like a king atop a throne, but I had done it for a reason. She needed to see that I wouldn't be pushed around — not even by a King.
"Subjects...? Ufufu, you're in a dangerous mood tonight."
Akeno's nails scratched lightly at my scalp, sending a pleasant shiver down my spine. "Are you trying to declare war on Rias?"
I shifted, tilting my head back to look up at her properly. Her face, framed by the dark fall of her hair, was a perfect mask of serene amusement. But her eyes — her violet eyes — held a deeper understanding. She knew exactly what I was doing.
"War's already here, Akeno. She just hasn't officially declared it yet."
My gaze drifted over to Rias, who was now speaking in low tones to the brown-haired boy — she was talking to Issei. Her back was turned to us.
"You need to relax, at least until you get your full strength back. The light power that stray exorcist used on you was strong. You're lucky we showed up when we did."
Even though I knew all the conversations that were going to happen in the future, it was still fun to hear. I listened to the conversation Rias was having with Issei. They were now inside the bathroom, having a shower. But I had decided to stop listening.
until they had come out... Talking about Exorcists...?
"A stray exorcist...? I'm not even sure I know what that means."
"A ton of them got the boot from the church, and for lack of options, many became servants of fallen angels."
"Wait...! You can't actually be saying Asia's in the same camp as that Freed dick—...?"
But before anyone had any answers, Rias came in with nothing but a bath towel on her body. The way she moved around was incredibly shameless.
But even then, I didn't look away from Akeno. The conversation between Rias, Kiba, and Issei was not really of importance to me. It's not like I had received a quest to save Asia.
I lay there, my head still on Akeno's thighs, staring at the ceiling. The bandages on Issei's back were secure — my work was done in that aspect — but my mind lay elsewhere.
How would I introduce my first girlfriend to my second? Would Ai and Akeno get along...?
As I thought about this, Akeno's hand continued to card through my hair. Her fingers were soft and gentle.
"What are you thinking about...?"
"About you. About us. And about someone else."
My words were ambiguous — left to mystery unless she asked.
"Someone else...?"
Her hand stopped for a second. The gentle scraping of her nails against my scalp ceased. The silence stretched for a moment, charged with an unspoken question. She was good at hiding her true feelings, but that minuscule hesitation was a crack in her porcelain facade.
"Ufufu~ How mysterious. You're not bored with me already, are you?"
Her voice was a low purr, the familiar melody returning as her fingers resumed their rhythmic stroking.
I turned my head slightly, my cheek pressing against the warmth of her thigh. I could feel the slight tension in her muscles — a stark contrast to her relaxed tone. This was the part I dreaded, but it was necessary. Secrets were poison in relationships like ours.
"No. Never bored. But I'm not a man who believes in scarcity — especially not with something as precious as affection. There's someone else. Someone I care for deeply. Just as I care for you."
The rhythmic stroking stopped completely. Her hand rested, heavy and still, on the crown of my head.
The room suddenly felt colder, the air thicker. Across the way, I could sense Rias's attention shift toward us, her conversation with Issei momentarily forgotten.
"Another...?