The Underworld.
A couple of days after the attack on the Underworld, nothing had happened yet, and boredom and despondency were literally killing me, so I decided to go there myself, so as not to miss the moment and at the same time check on Rias and the others.
- "Long time no see, huh?" I said, appearing behind Kiba in the middle of the long corridor of the Gremory mansion, causing him to jump up, quickly create a sword, and point it at me.
- "Sensei?" he asked in surprise, his eyes wide as he slowly lowered his sword. "What are you doing here?"
- "Wow, you didn't even attack me," I chuckled. "I thought you'd want to gut me or something."
- "I want to, because you hurt all of us," Kiba began. "But something is stopping me, as if I'm missing some detail that explains your cruel and dishonorable actions."
- "Hmm? That's funny," I smiled.
- "You haven't changed, Sensei," Kiba sighed.
- "So what are you doing here?"
- "I was bored," I shrugged and caught up with him. "Let's go."
- "Where?"
- "Wherever you were going. Anything will do right now," I replied, and Kiba thought for a moment, then nodded briefly and continued on his way, but now with me.
We walked in silence, occasionally passing the mansion's servants, and while Kiba seemed comfortable with the silence, I was not. After all, in the past couple of days, nothing even remotely fun or exciting had happened, so I had either been lying on the couch, sleeping, or drowning my melancholy in liters of coffee.
Yesterday, I even visited Tia and the others in Kyoto, but they sent me away, explaining that they were preparing a surprise and that I shouldn't visit them, at least not yet. It wasn't that I was offended or anything like that, but I felt a little hurt. Even Tia asked me to leave, which hurt my feelings. Yeah, right.
- "So, where are we going?" I asked cheerfully.
- "To check on Lady Rias," he replied. "I already stopped by to see the others, and there were no changes."
- "I see," I nodded.
So, this part was consistent with the canon. Kiba, as Rias's knight, was the only one who retained relative clarity of mind and tried with all his might to support the others, who had fallen into deep sorrow over Issa's death.
- "Sensei... may I ask a question?" he asked suddenly.
- "Sure."
- "Was it really worth it?"
- "What exactly?" I smiled. "I don't think I answered that question."
- "Exactly. You didn't answer, meaning you neither confirmed nor denied my words," he nodded. "That's why I concluded that I was right about it after all."
- "Oh, so you're smarter than Rias," I chuckled.
- "I would ask you not to speak that way about my queen," Kiba said, adding severity to his voice, then sighed again. "I know that Lady Rias can sometimes be... frivolous, but her love and sincerity towards us are boundless and genuine. Everyone has their flaws, but she accepts us as we are, giving us everything she has. Just like we do. Please understand that, Sensei."
- "Oya, you sound like a medieval knight," I remarked cheerfully, causing Kiba to blush with embarrassment. "Well, okay. It's your business."
- "Thank you," said Kiba, and with that, the conversation ended, and we stopped in front of the locked door. "We're here."
- "Yeah, I can sense Rias inside, as well as the oppressive aura of depression emanating from her," I grinned, sensing someone else.
- "Yes, everyone is in that state right now," he said with a hint of pain in his voice, then looked at me with eyes full of caution and pleading. "Sensei, please..."
Of course, he didn't have time to finish. And since I didn't care what happened then or now, I kicked the door open and went inside.
- "Hello, everyone I haven't seen," I said loudly, to which Kiba sighed and shook his head, Rias, who was sitting in a depressed position on the bed, didn't react at all, and the last one...
- "Romani-san?"
- "Lord Sairaorg," Kiba greeted him.
- "Long time no see, Sairaorg," I smiled. "I take it you're here for Rias?"
- "Yes. I heard what happened, so I came to support her," he nodded. "And you? I suppose you were just bored?"
- "Spot on!" I grinned and glanced once more at Rias, who was basically motionless. "Both of you. I think I'll combine business with pleasure."
- "But..." Kiba stammered.
- "It's okay, Kiba Yuuto. I think Romani-san is the one Rias needs right now," Sairaorg said calmly, glancing briefly at Rias before leaving the room with Kiba, closing the door behind him and leaving us alone.
I didn't do anything to Rias right away, but instead walked over to the windows and abruptly opened the tightly closed curtains, allowing light to flood in.
The room was obviously very rich and spacious, containing only first-class furniture, decorations, limited edition character figurines, exclusive manga releases, and so on. But I was interested in something else, so I began searching every corner of her room, opening cabinets and rummaging through her things, crawling under the bed and looking for any hidden buttons.
Rias didn't react to anything, even when her room was turned into a mess, but after a while, I finally found what I was looking for in a hidden drawer under the floor.
- "Hmm... You really tried hard, didn't you?" I said, looking through several books on self-analysis, self-development, and interpersonal relationships. "It's a shame it was all for nothing, isn't it?"
Hearing this, Rias twitched slightly, but almost imperceptibly.
- "You know, my memory tends to fail me from time to time," I continued, tossing the books aside. "But I definitely remember that you made me a promise that you didn't keep. Oh dear, Tomato-san, how could you?"
In response, she flinched again.
- "But back then, there was so much determination and willpower in your eyes that even a blond ninja or a monkey in a blue and orange suit would have envied you," I said, nodding to myself. "I wonder whose fault that is? Some higher being, or... yours, huh?"
After these words, there was a deafening explosion that blew up the entire room, including the wall where the window was. Shards of glass, dust, and wooden splinters flew in all directions, turning the mess I had created into complete chaos.
I, with my magic circle burning in front of my face, waved my hand, dispelling the veil and clearing my view. And as soon as I did, I saw an enraged Rias standing in front of me, covered in the Power of Destruction and clenching her fists tightly. Her eyes burned with anger and hatred, which, of course, were directed at me.
- "You want to say something, Tomato-kun?" I sneered, and my magic circle faded.
- "This is your fault! You promised to watch over us! To protect us! And what happened in the end?!" she growled. "Ise is dead! He's dead! And it's all because of you! Because of you and your fucking lies!"
- "How uncivilized," I said, covering my mouth with my hand, mimicking a noble lady of the fifteenth century, at which point the magic circle flared up again in front of me, blocking Rias' attack. "And your words are extremely illogical, you know. Well, logical, but only partially. After all, I wasn't the original source, was I?"
Rias froze immediately.
- "I wonder who inspired themselves and their entire entourage to become bait?" I began, looking thoughtful. "I don't even know. I don't have an entourage, do I? And your attacks are kind of boring for me, aren't they? Of course, I don't have the best memory, so I wouldn't remember something like that."
- "No, it's your..."
- "Nah, it's not my fault," I interrupted her, shrugged, and when she tried to attack again, I released the chains that were hanging her from the ceiling. "It is your fault, and you, funnily enough, understand that perfectly well. It's just easier to blame me than to admit it to yourself."
Rias, who was trying to break free from the chains, stopped instantly, as if her brain had simply shut down for a second or two.
- "Why don't you admit your mistake and try to fix it, Tomato-kun? Leaving Issei aside, you still have your entourage, don't you? Your entourage, of which you are the king," I continued. "Or is that not the case, and his sacrifice was in vain?"
In response, her eyes quickly became moist, and then tears streamed down her cheeks. Seeing this, I rolled my eyes.
Why was I doing all this in the first place? Well, for one thing, I was bored and hadn't fed my ego in a long time, and for another,
it was a guarantee that she and the others would take part in defending the Underworld and be present when the Great Red appeared alongside Office and Issae.
And yes, I used the most clichéd phrases, but they were quite appropriate, because this whole world is, in essence, one big cliché. However, I had done something useful, and now I could move on to the next item.
At that moment, the doors, which had somehow survived, burst open, and the entire Gremory family, including Sirzechs and Grayfia, rushed into the room.
- "What happened?! Rias, are you okay?!" Sirzechs shouted nervously, then froze when he saw me. After that, he and the others turned their gaze to Rias, who was still suspended by my chains.
Did I mention that the chains were holding Rias in a rather unusual way? Let's say shibari, or a bandage. Heh.
Their heads slowly, almost like robots, turned back towards me, after which their auras began to grow, both tangibly and visually. I raised my hands in a gesture of surrender and harmlessness.
- "Want to join us?" I chuckled, and in the next moment there was another explosion, but much more powerful.
Now that's more like it. Aha-aha.
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