The room was quiet, warm with the fading glow of twilight seeping through the curtains.
Akeno rested against my chest, her head tucked beneath my chin, her fingers drawing lazy circles against my skin. There was no need for words—her heartbeat, steady and soft, said everything she couldn't.
I let my arm stay draped around her shoulders, the calm after the storm we'd just shared washing over us both.
For once, I wasn't thinking about battles or sacred gears or destiny. Just… the quiet. Her warmth.
That peace didn't last long.
The door clicked open.
"...Ise?"
Rias's voice froze both of us.
Akeno's head tilted lazily toward the door, while I sat up, heart skipping. Rias stood there—framed by the soft evening light—and the look on her face was a mix of disbelief and something far sharper.
Her crimson hair shimmered as her eyes darted from me to Akeno, and the smile she tried to wear trembled at the edges.
"So… this is where you've been."
"Ara ara~," Akeno murmured with that teasing tone, though her fingers tightened subtly on the sheet. "Rias, you're quite early. We were just… relaxing."
"Relaxing?" Rias's voice was calm—too calm. "It seems you're rather good at making him relax, Akeno."
Akeno giggled lightly. "Well, as his senpai, it's only natural I take care of him when you're too busy, right?"
That earned her a sharp look from Rias. "You mean when I'm trusting him not to be stolen out from under me."
The air between them was crackling—a quiet, invisible lightning storm.
"Rias," I began, raising a hand, "it's not—"
But neither of them heard me.
Akeno's lips curved into a sly smile. "You know, Rias, you shouldn't keep your beloved waiting too long. When a man's heart gets lonely, someone else might—"
"Don't you dare finish that sentence."
Rias's power flared—faintly, like a pulse of heat through the air. I could see her eyes shimmer slightly with demonic light. Akeno only chuckled, as if daring her to continue.
Then, as if she were tired of the verbal fencing, Rias simply walked toward me, leaned down, and kissed me. Not out of affection—but out of claim.
Akeno raised an eyebrow but didn't back down. "Marking your territory, Rias?"
Rias smiled without breaking eye contact. "I'm simply reminding you who he belongs to."
That was the end of the calm.
For several long minutes, the two of them traded words—not cruel, but sharp, testing boundaries neither wanted to yield.
But when it finally seemed like things were cooling down, Akeno turned her head, smirking softly.
"Oh, by the way…" she said innocently, "you know, Rias—Ise's first time wasn't with either of us."
The entire room froze.
Rias blinked, confusion flickering for half a second. "What are you talking about?"
Akeno looked at me then—a playful glint in her eyes that almost hid the satisfaction beneath. "He said it himself, didn't he? His first time was with a fallen angel."
I met her gaze, a helpless smile tugging at my lips. "Why, Akeno? Why would you—"
She shrugged with mock innocence. "What? Your harem members have the right to know who you've been with."
"Harem?" Rias repeated sharply.
She turned to face Akeno fully, eyes narrowing. "He doesn't have a harem. He has me. I am his rightful girlfriend."
The possessiveness in her voice was clear but not cruel—it was the kind of fierce devotion that Rias always wore when it came to those she loved.
Then, slowly, she turned back to me, her expression softening just slightly—but her voice carried a quiet edge.
"As your rightful girlfriend," she said, "tell me, Ise… Who is that fallen angel who seduced my poor boyfriend? Was it Raynare?"
Her eyes narrowed slightly, crimson gleaming under the dim light.
Then she shook her head. "No… that's not possible. She's already dead."
And as she said it, the air in the room thickened—tension, curiosity, and the ghost of something long buried rising once again between us.
~~~
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