Akeno remained seated at the foot of the stairs, her body slightly leaning forward while her fingers rested on her own knees, the smile appearing on its own without her noticing at first, her eyes fixed on nothing for a few seconds before blinking slowly.
'So that's how it was… you fell in love with him, Rias.'
'It wasn't impulse… it wasn't just desire… you chose.'
'So now it's my turn.'
'I promised this to myself… everything you love… I will love too.'
'So Gasper…'
'You will be mine too.'
Her smile grew a little more, her lips curving as her breathing came out slower.
'Has he already pulled her by the waist?'
'Or did she move closer first?'
'Rias doesn't back down when she wants something… so…'
Her eyes closed for a second.
'They must be really close now.'
'Maybe on the sofa…'
The smile widened, almost amused.
'Him holding her… and her letting it happen.'
'How interesting…'
Akeno let out a small low laugh, the sound slipping out without control for an instant before she covered her own mouth with her hand, her shoulders relaxing while her body remained there, still, but clearly absorbed in her own thoughts.
Footsteps approaching.
Koneko appeared first in the corridor, her gaze straight ahead while chewing a piece of chocolate, the dry sound of the bite breaking the silence before she swallowed without hurry.
Asia came right behind, her hands together in front of her body, her gaze searching for something with slight anxiety while she quickened her pace a little to catch up to Koneko.
"Where is Gasper-san?" Asia asked, looking around as she stopped beside her, her voice coming out faster than usual.
"The pervert is probably in the club with Akeno and Rias-senpai." Koneko answered without hesitation, bringing another piece of chocolate to her mouth, her eyes half-closed while chewing.
Asia stopped at the same instant, her body freezing for a second as her gaze turned straight to Koneko, her expression shifting from slight confusion to clear discomfort.
"Don't say it like that…" she said more quietly, her fingers tightening together as she looked away for an instant before looking back. "Gasper-san isn't like that."
Koneko glanced sideways at her while chewing, the movement of her jaw slowing until it stopped completely before she swallowed.
"You trust him a lot." she replied, neutral, without changing tone.
Asia nodded quickly, almost automatically, her face turning slightly red as she tightened her hands more.
"He always helped… and protected…" she continued, her voice becoming a bit firmer even with the evident shyness. "He wouldn't do something wrong like that."
Koneko didn't answer right away, just watched her for a second before turning her face forward again, taking another step toward the stairs.
Their footsteps echoed together until they stopped at the same time.
Akeno was there.
Seated.
Smiling to herself.
Her face slightly flushed.
Her gaze distant.
Koneko narrowed her eyes at the same instant, her body stopping completely while the chocolate remained in her hand without being brought to her mouth.
Asia blinked twice, surprised, her body leaning slightly forward as if trying to understand what she was seeing.
"Akeno-senpai…?" Asia called slowly, her voice carrying hesitation as she took a small step forward.
Akeno opened her eyes slowly, the smile still present as she turned her face toward the two, as if she had been pulled back from somewhere distant.
"Oh…" she let out softly, her tone gentle while her gaze moved from one to the other. "You arrived."
Her smile didn't disappear.
"Yes, Akeno-san." Asia replied with a small nod, her voice soft while she still watched her smile, clearly not understanding.
Koneko had already placed her foot on the first step, her body moving forward without hesitation, the chocolate still in her hand when she turned her face slightly.
"Wait." Akeno said before she went further up, her tone light, but enough to stop the movement.
Koneko stopped mid-step, her foot still suspended for an instant before touching the ground again, her gaze returning straight to Akeno.
"What is it, Akeno?" she asked, her tone direct while slightly narrowing her eyes.
Akeno didn't answer immediately.
She laughed.
A low laugh at first, then a little clearer, her shoulders relaxing as she brought her hand to her mouth, trying to contain it, but without erasing the smile.
Asia blinked twice, surprised, her body leaning a little forward.
"Why are you laughing, Akeno-san?" she asked, confused, her hands tightening more in front of her body.
Akeno let her hand fall slowly, her eyes still shining as she watched the two, but for a second she didn't say anything.
'I could tell, I could say exactly what's happening up there, Rias being pulled… or pulling him… the two stopping halfway without backing down, or maybe already on the sofa, too close to pretend they don't know what they're doing.'
'And Asia would turn red immediately while Koneko would pretend not to care, but freeze for a second, and it would be interesting to see the two trying to react, Rias holding him without backing down, him guiding her without asking, the two learning… too fast.'
Akeno opened her eyes again, returning to the two, the smile still there.
She almost spoke.
Almost.
But stopped.
"I was thinking about telling you what they're doing up there." she said, bringing a finger to her own chin, tilting her head slightly. "But I think you're not ready for that."
Asia froze completely, her face turning red at the same instant, her eyes widening as she took a small step back.
"I-I don't need to know!" she answered too quickly, her hands rising slightly as if to shield herself.
Koneko didn't move immediately, just watched Akeno for a second, her gaze sharper, as if trying to understand whether that was provocation or real information.
"You're making it up." she said, simple, without changing tone.
Akeno laughed again, shorter this time, shaking her head slightly.
"Maybe." she replied without confirming or denying, her smile returning to normal as she crossed one leg over the other. "Or maybe they're just talking like two responsible adults."
Asia let out the air she had been holding without noticing, her shoulders relaxing a little, but her face still red.
"That makes more sense…" she murmured, almost to herself, looking away.
Koneko kept staring at Akeno for one more second before turning her face toward the stairs.
"I'm going up." she said, taking the first real step now.
"You won't." Akeno said at the same instant, without raising her voice, but stopping the action.
Koneko stopped again.
Her foot froze on the next step.
Her body didn't move forward.
"Why." she asked, her gaze returning more directly this time.
Akeno held her gaze for a second, her smile diminishing a little, but not disappearing.
"Because they need a few minutes." she answered, simple. "And you don't want to walk in on that."
Asia froze again, her face heating up once more as she quickly looked away.
"So… we wait?" she asked, unsure, looking between the two.
Koneko didn't answer immediately, her gaze still locked on Akeno, as if evaluating whether to insist or not.
After a second, she stepped back down.
"Let's wait." she decided, turning around.
Asia nodded quickly, almost relieved, following the movement.
"Yes…" she agreed, still avoiding looking directly at Akeno.
The two began to move away from the stairs, their steps growing more distant as the decision had already been made.
"So… what Akeno-san said…" Asia started, still walking beside Koneko, her steps slowing without noticing as her fingers tightened together. "Do you think it's true?"
Koneko didn't answer immediately, she took another bite of the chocolate before chewing slowly, her gaze forward while the silence lasted a few seconds.
"He's a pervert." she said at last, simple, without changing tone, swallowing the chocolate before continuing to walk.
Asia froze for an instant, her step faltering before following again, her face growing redder as she looked at the ground.
"Don't say that…" she replied more quietly, her voice coming out hesitant as she tightened her hands more. "Gasper-san isn't like that."
Koneko turned her face sideways, watching Asia for a second, her gaze evaluating her reaction before returning forward.
"He's already done strange things." she said, without changing rhythm, bringing another piece of chocolate to her mouth. "So it's not impossible."
Asia bit her lower lip without noticing, her gaze lifting slightly before dropping again, clearly uncomfortable with the conversation.
"But… with Rias-senpai…" she tried to continue, her voice faltering slightly in the middle of the sentence as her fingers intertwined more tightly.
Koneko slowed her pace until she almost stopped, her gaze returning to Asia, now more direct.
"So what?" she answered shortly, her tone neutral, but firm.
Asia was left without an answer for a full second, her body freezing while her face heated even more, her gaze quickly shifting to the side.
"I just…" she started, but stopped midway, taking a deep breath before letting the air out slowly. "It's not something we need to talk about right now."
Koneko watched her for another second, the chocolate stopping in her hand before she lowered her arm.
"No." she agreed, simple, without insisting.
Silence returned between the two as they resumed walking, neither of them starting a new topic, their steps becoming more aligned, but the atmosphere still held by what was not said.
Akeno watched the two walk away without moving, the smile slowly returning to her face as she rested her chin on her hand.
'Better this way.'
'Later… maybe I'll tell.'
Her eyes returned to the top of the stairs, her focus fixing on that point while the smile didn't fade.
The smile remained.
Alone again.
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