GREMORY MANSION – RIAS'S ROOM
Night had already settled outside, and the internal silence of the mansion contrasted with the intensity of what Rias intended to do. In the room, she remained standing, wearing only a robe that covered her body, while mentally organizing her next move. Nothing there was pure impulse, it was a decision with a clear objective.
"Tonight I won't leave any space for Akeno." She slightly adjusted her breathing rhythm, keeping her focus firm. "I'll go to his room before her… and finish this once and for all."
"She may even be dating him." Rias kept her gaze fixed ahead, already assuming her own position within that scenario. "But she'll always be number two."
Rias and Gasper were already dating, and that was not something she ever questioned, but that didn't mean absolute stability within the dynamic that was forming. For her, position was something that had to be maintained, and every moment by his side counted as real construction of a bond.
"I won't share what is mine without imposing my place." She kept her tone low, but direct, without any hesitation. "And tonight… I settle this."
The plan was already clear, and the decision was no longer negotiable within her own mind. Rias didn't see it as an empty dispute, but as an assertion of position within a scenario that was already changing too fast.
SHUUUN.
The sound of teleportation cut through the room without warning.
Rias reacted at the same instant, her body turning slightly before any other action could be taken, because that was not part of what she had planned. The break in rhythm was direct, and the impact came not from danger, but from the moment it happened.
Grayfia was already inside the room.
"Grayfia-san?" Rias froze for an instant before composing herself, adjusting her posture as she absorbed the unexpected presence.
"Rias-sama, I am here at Sirzechs-sama's request." Grayfia kept her tone steady, without losing focus. "To inform you that in the Underworld the ceremony for delivering the Evil Pieces to Gasper will be held… and it will take place in two days."
"I understand."
The initial tension dissipated quickly, replaced by a silent relief, because there was nothing there that required concern or a change in stance.
"I will be present."
The decision came naturally, without any resistance, because that was already part of the expected path.
"And Gasper will be there too."
The confirmation was direct, leaving no room for doubt, already aligning his presence without the need for discussion.
Grayfia nodded subtly, acknowledging the response without extending the conversation.
SHUUUN.
The teleport came again, and she left the room at the same instant, leaving no space for continuation.
Silence returned cleanly, without interference.
Rias let the air out slowly before sitting on the bed, her body relaxing for the first time since the interruption, while her mind reorganized what had just happened. The idea of being caught in the middle of her own plan brought a slight discomfort, something she wouldn't show to anyone, but that there, alone, became clear.
She brought a hand to her face for a second, closing her eyes with contained irritation, already imagining how it would have been if Grayfia had arrived a few minutes later.
'That would have been problematic…'
The thought didn't stretch, because it quickly gave way to something more useful within the current scenario.
She opened her eyes again.
The information received changed the night, but didn't nullify the intention.
Rias stood up from the bed without hesitation, already regaining full control of her decision, now with a new element in her favor.
The destination remained the same.
Gasper's room.
GREMORY MANSION – GASPER'S ROOM
Gasper's mind was not focused on the immediate present, but on what would come next. The name Kokabiel remained active in his analysis, not as a distant target, but as an inevitable point within the flow he already knew. Even so, the current scenario no longer followed a predictable line, and that created a variable he did not ignore.
He no longer trusted a fixed script.
The world had already deviated.
He still carried Grayfia's blood within his own body, something that didn't need to be used against Riser, but remained as an unexplored resource. The possibility of accessing new variations of power was not theory, it was a matter of mastery and adaptation, just as it had been with the Twilight Flame.
The path of evolution was still open.
And he had no intention of wasting it.
KNOCK. KNOCK.
The sound came directly from the door.
Gasper didn't take long to respond, because he already knew who it was even before any confirmation, and that alone already changed the flow of the scene.
"Come in."
The door opened without hesitation.
Rias entered the room maintaining control of her posture, the robe covering her body, but not completely hiding what was underneath. The movement was direct, without shyness, like someone who wasn't there by chance.
Gasper raised his gaze.
And didn't look away.
His attention was not subtle, nor disguised, and Rias noticed that at the same instant, because it was exactly the kind of reaction she expected when entering like that.
She advanced a few steps without breaking eye contact, maintaining a firm pace, while evaluating his response without needing words. The effect was there, clear, direct, without the need for confirmation.
She didn't lose control.
She gained ground.
Her gaze didn't retreat, it only adjusted, sustaining her own presence as something that didn't need external validation. The confidence didn't come only from the situation, it came from herself, from the way she understood her own body and the impact it caused.
'Of course he's going to look… it would be strange if he didn't.'
The thought came clean, without doubt, without insecurity.
'I know exactly what I have.'
Rias didn't slow down.
She simply continued.
Gasper followed her movement without saying anything for a few seconds, absorbing not only what was visible, but the context behind it. That wasn't just approach, it was clear intent, and he didn't confuse the two.
"What are you waiting for, Rias, to close the door and lie here on the bed with me." He kept his tone steady while observing her advance, without looking away.
Rias didn't respond immediately.
She closed the door behind her with a simple movement, without breaking rhythm, maintaining control of her entrance before fully turning her focus back to him.
"There's an impatient dhampir wanting to prove his own master." She took another step forward, without reducing her confidence. "But good servants receive good things… when they know how to behave."
Gasper didn't look away, and his reaction didn't come as retreat, but as a direct reading of the situation, absorbing not only what was said, but what was implied. He didn't move, didn't respond immediately, but the analysis was active.
'I shouldn't like being called a servant… but I guess there's not enough blood in my brain to care.'
Rias stopped a few steps from the bed, maintaining the dominant position within her own approach, without breaking eye contact at any moment. The game wasn't hidden, it was being played openly, and that only made the environment more direct.
"So?" She tilted her head slightly, maintaining a firm tone. "Are you going to keep just looking… or are you going to do something?"
Gasper didn't respond immediately, because his reading wasn't focused only on the provocation, but on the clear change in posture Rias demonstrated compared to what he had seen earlier. That wasn't random variation, it was direct influence from an external factor he already recognized.
'This morning she wasn't like this… this is Akeno's influence, no doubt…' the thought came directly, without hesitation. 'But saying that now would just ruin the moment… and I'm not an idiot.'
He didn't look away, keeping his focus on her while adjusting his reading to what really mattered. That wasn't about indirect competition, it was about what was happening at that moment, and he wouldn't waste it on irrelevant analysis.
The decision was simple.
He wouldn't comment.
He would act.
The environment remained steady for a second, as if about to move into something more direct, with the tension already fully established between the two, without the need for further build-up. The next move was clear, and neither of them seemed willing to retreat.
The light changed.
The room was taken by a sudden glow, strong enough to completely cut the flow of the scene before any action could be completed, directly interrupting the advance that was about to happen.
The presence appeared without warning.
Akeno was there.
The moment was broken.
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