(Image: Irina)
Akuto noticed Irina's reaction, smiled, and pressed the attack on her "cold denial."
"Is that so? Irina… you've actually forgotten the promise we made when we were kids?"
His gaze dimmed; disappointment colored his face. With the Succubus Bloodline at Purple quality quietly amplifying his presence, the knife finally showed at the map's end.
"Sigh… I really thought you were serious, Irina. After we parted, I kept working hard all this time." Akuto let out a breath, looking every bit the man whose feelings had been scammed.
"…"
"N-no! Akuto-kun, that's not it! I—I've always liked you!"
Seeing that look of loss, Irina shot forward, hugging him tight—pressing in with a warm, soft "face wash."
Feeling the close-combat suit's texture and the clean, vivid scent that was uniquely hers, Akuto's breathing went ragged for a beat.
If Amano Yuuma embodies the "first love" trait, then Irina's aura is pure childhood friend.
And, well… what man doesn't harbor a few harmless fantasies about that archetype?
Irina sensed his breath hitch, but to soothe him she forced down her shyness and held his head against her chest. Akuto adored that flustered-yet-stubbornly-clinging cuteness… though his breathing grew a touch too heated.
[E-eh!? A-Akuto-kun, d-don't… you—what are you doing!?]
Irina's body trembled. She wasn't imagining it—Akuto had… gotten a bit bold.
With that direct contact, the Succubus Bloodline stirred; biochemistry surged, cheeks and thighs blooming with a faint rosy heat as instinct whispered about "future offspring."
…
Just as Irina started to flounder from Akuto's over-enthusiasm, a hand offered rescue.
"Akuto-sama, Irina-san—shall we… place your orders first?"
Akeno frowned ever so slightly, then smiled a reminder.
At that, Akuto finally withdrew, letting the nearly-dizzy Irina go.
Teasing and "educating" Irina was fun, but even he wouldn't cross too many lines on a first reunion.
"You're right. Irina, fill that stomach first. With a figure developed this nicely, if you get all skinny from hunger, I'll be terribly sad."
Catching a trace of lingering sweetness in the air, Akuto tossed Akeno a playful glance.
Ordinarily, this sort of timely nudge should have come from Rias.
So? What has Akeno a bit fuzzy about her "position"…?
Akuto glanced Rias's way.
Their eyes met, and he understood at once—Rias intended to draw Akeno onto the field.
Fair. Ravel's peerage alone counted well over a dozen girls, including two sets of twins; a little crisis sense was natural.
…
"Phew…"
Freed from his arms, Irina exhaled long, slumping onto the sofa before her heartbeat finally settled.
"Honestly, Akuto-kun—why didn't you care this much about my growth when we were little? Is it true… men only like them big?" She puffed her cheeks.
"You're mistaken, Irina. As for me… I like both big and small." Akuto answered with saintly solemnity.
Irina's lips pursed in protest.
"Figures. If you didn't like both, why would you be engaged to that Phenex lady?"
The memories clicked back into place: not only engaged, Akuto also had two fiancées.
With a lecher like him, how could he possibly think of only her after she left!?
"Hmph!"
"Akuto-kun! I've decided! I'm never hugging you like that again!"
Irina was mad—very mad.
She realized that after being away, her EQ must've rolled three critical fails in a row… and she'd almost fallen for his bait just now.
Lesson learned: no more listening to Akuto's sweet talk, and no more dangling hooks to bite!
…
"Sorry to keep you waiting. I'll have the hamburg steak and chicken katsu curry," Irina told Akeno politely—whatever her gripes with Akuto, she remained well-mannered with Akeno.
"What about you, Xenovia?"
Xenovia still wore the cool goddess mask, seemingly unaffected by the clingy scene earlier.
Truth be told, with her IQ she hadn't quite parsed what had happened—she only saw Irina hugging Akuto, and missed the… finer points of the "face wash."
"Hmph. A devil treating us to dinner? Looks like devil nobility still possess some etiquette." She defaulted to lofty posture out of habit.
Irina wasn't having it.
Bonk!
She rapped Xenovia's head, a red bump blooming.
"Xenovia! Don't be rude! Since Akuto-kun is treating us, we must thank him properly!"
On matters of principle, Irina drew lines clearly.
Akuto was offering dinner on old-times' sake; as his childhood friend she wasn't about to act entitled—so a "newcomer" like Xenovia certainly had no right to posture.
"I…"
Xenovia ducked her head, still a bit defiant—but with nothing to refute.
No matter how you slice it, when someone is treating you to a meal, putting on airs is overboard.
"…Though thanking a devil feels improper… just this once—thank you… for the meal," she murmured.
For all her icy exterior, Xenovia was plainspoken inside—or rather… adorably dense.
…
While Akeno headed to the kitchen, Rias found an excuse to pull Akuto aside.
Her explanation clarified Akeno's earlier oddness.
"I see… so you actually said that to Akeno, Rias…"
Recruiting Akeno like this made it clear Rias felt the pressure.
Even if Akuto devoted at least a quarter of his "field time" to Rias, one person against a dozen-plus was still a tall order.
She and Ravel had formed a "First-Wife Duo Alliance" to manage the harem, but after two months Rias had learned the hard truth: solo can't beat squad.
Every time Akuto did "group raids" with Ravel and her peerage, he was all too energetic—repeat performances gave Rias a very practical sense of what needed doing. Thus, her proactive test with Akeno.
After a moment, Rias looked Akuto straight in the eyes.
"Akuto-kun, I can tell Akeno has feelings for you—the kind she's never shown any other man.
So? Given your… tastes, you don't mind Akeno joining, do you?"
Arms folded, sapphire eyes glinting with tease.
"Of course not. You know what I'm like."
He leaned toward her crimson lips.
"Hmph~ I only know you're a hopeless perv, Akuto-kun."
Her words said one thing, but Rias met his kiss smoothly; as his tongue explored, her voice resonated in his mind:
Rias: If you want Akeno's heart, there are three things you must be careful about.
Akuto: Oh? Worried I'll fumble the route, are we? What things?
Rias: First—never show any malice toward Akeno's wings.
Akuto: Her wings?
Rias: Besides devil wings, Akeno bears fallen angel wings as well, you know that right?
Akuto: I do.
Rias: In truth, those fallen wings were inherited from her mother, Himejima Shuri…
Rias's tale diverged from the "standard" Akuto remembered.
But after cases like Yuriko Takagi and Kyoko Hayashi, little could surprise him.
As he listened, the System chimed again.
[Ding!]
[Story Quest Triggered — Regrets of the Himejima Mother and Daughter]
[Quest Rank: Gold]
[Description: By a heaven-sent conception, Himejima Shuri gave birth to Himejima Akeno. Mother and daughter lived at a small shrine.
One day, a wounded male Fallen Angel stumbled in. A good man, he was willing to shoulder Shuri's burden and offer them sanctuary.
But fate turned. While Shuri wavered over accepting Baiqiu's kindness, the Himejima clan's kill-squad discovered their trail.
Since Shuri's pregnancy and flight, the clan had hunted her nonstop. With Baiqiu away at that moment, Shuri was slain; Akeno nearly broke.]
[Objective: Revive Himejima Shuri. Win the hearts of both Shuri and Akeno.]
(End of Chapter)
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