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There was wisdom in those words. And it was not his way to ignore wisdom.
"I will see you tomorrow then."
The girl seemed both relieved and happy.
"That was the easy part," she admitted, "Convincing you to stay with us at the academy. The hard part is convincing you of the second half of my concern."
He hesitated when the devil inclined her head in Raynare’s direction. He was about to try and dispel her fears when she interrupted him and proved his assumption wrong.
"I am not jealous of her. I am wary of her. She is dangerous and has harmed members of my peerage before. I will not allow such a thing to happen to you," the steel in her voice made him want to smile, "I do not trust her."
"I do not trust her either."
"Yet she remains in your home," Rias’s gaze continued to flicker disapprovingly towards the Fallen Angel.
"She has nowhere else to go."
"And why does it matter if our enemies have nowhere else to go?" she challenged.
"It matters because there will be a point in time when our enemies cease to be enemies," he said softly, "They become people, and I will not turn away people."
The girl sighed. It sounded like she was accepting defeat. When she looked at him again, there was amusement in her eyes.
"There is a saying about knowing your enemy. I did not know you would take it this literally, Arisato-san."
He knew she was teasing him, and struggled to form a response back. Rias smiled at his silence before turning serious once more.
"Come live with me when this is all over. I mean it," this time, the blush on her face was accompanied by determination, "You will be safe there and everything you would ever want will be provided," the devil chanced a look up at him, "You can bring her too."
He raised an eyebrow.
"You do not like her."
"No, I do not," she confirmed, still blushing, "But if it is for you, I do not mind."
It surprised him that a small part of him wanted to accept the offer. Nevertheless, he still shook his head. Rias nodded, acquiescing to his decision.
"That offer will always be on the table," she whispered. Turning, she headed to the door. Akeno slid elegantly from her seat and he followed. The two halted outside the doorway and gazed at him warmly.
"We will see you tomorrow at school then, Arisato-san," Rias said.
He was about to say his own farewell when the girl suddenly leaned in. The kiss on his cheek did not surprise him. He even expected it in some way. What did surprise him was the slight pain below his waist. He blinked and stared at the one responsible. The look in her eyes told him that she had indeed just squeezed his ass. Before he could respond, they were already gone, the sound of Akeno’s delighted laughter echoing after them.
He closed the door, still in disbelief, and turned to see Raynare glaring at him, or more accurately, where Rias had touched. The expression on her face told him exactly what she wanted.
"No," was all he said.
Like Rias had told him, Kuoh Academy was empty of all life when he stepped onto its grounds. It was unusual to him. He had grown used to the bustle of human activity as soon as he passed through the gates, and the sudden absence of that made him feel uncomfortable. That, and the silence reminded him of another school and the high, towering spire that erupted from its base at Dark Hour.
His walked into the academy itself and found it just as empty as the outside. He hastened his pace when his own footsteps echoed back to haunt him, and along with it, brought more memories he did not want to relive.
The door to the student council room loomed before him and he opened it to see that they were already sitting around the table. Both peerages, along with two familiar figures. Irina gave him a small smile from where she sat. Xenovia looked like she didn’t know what to make of him. Her look was shared by some near Sona’s side.
He did not mind. Those stares would eventually fade, and normalcy would return. Such was the way of life.
He chose to sit in a vacant chair between Issei and Kiba. The former grinned openly at him while the latter nodded in greeting. From across the table, Rias stared at him in disappointment and then at the empty chair by her side he suspected had been left specifically for him. He did not tell her the reason was because the place she had chosen to squeeze still smarted.
"Ara, ara, Arisato-kun," Akeno seemed to sense his discomfort and smirked, "You are fashionably late. We were just discussing the issue at hand."
"More specifically, the Knights Templar and just how related they are to the situation," Sona pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose.
It was Xenovia that chose to respond and she looked angry when doing so.
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