The night air was cool as water.
At such a time, Jeanne Alter was not nestled comfortably in her warm bed, but instead standing by the lakeside in the park.
From a distance, Jeanne spotted a figure seated in the pavilion by the lake, her beautiful face bathed in gentle moonlight, filled with uncertainty and helplessness.
In Jeanne's memory, that figure had always appeared confident, clearly a young woman of noble upbringing. Her every action carried an air of dignity and grace, flawless and polished.
Even after learning of Jeanne's formidable strength, she had not shown a hint of fear—smart, capable, someone who could stand on a grand stage. Though still immature in many ways, she certainly deserved the praise "promising future." At times, one couldn't help but marvel, as expected from the next head of a high-ranking pureblood Devil clan.
Under the quiet night sky, Jeanne made no effort to soften her footsteps.
Even as Jeanne approached, Rias remained oblivious, simply staring blankly at the shimmering lake—clearly, something was wrong.
At this moment, Rias was no longer the competent young noblewoman in Jeanne's impression, but just an ordinary girl weighed down by heavy worries.
Seeing such a strong-willed person appear so fragile was almost unbelievable.
Jeanne's eyes flickered with struggle and hesitation.
The worries plaguing Rias… Jeanne herself had only just learned the truth from someone else moments ago.
Honestly, it was troublesome… troublesome enough that Jeanne wanted to turn around and leave immediately, unwilling to get involved.
Jeanne's heart was filled with annoyance—mostly directed at the man she had encountered just earlier.
"To maintain the purity of the Devil's bloodline," my foot! Saying he can't protest openly because he's a Maou… Even a Maou can be so hypocritical? Tsk!
Jeanne suddenly went quiet, her gaze falling upon Rias's lonely figure.
With an irritated scratch of her head, Jeanne clicked her tongue lightly, shoved her hands into her pockets, and strode towards Rias.
"Hey!"
Since footsteps hadn't stirred Rias, Jeanne shouted instead, instantly breaking the silence like a rock tossed into still waters.
Yet even then, Rias didn't notice Jeanne's approach. She merely continued to stare blankly, eyes dull, completely lost in her own world.
If Jeanne had harbored malicious intentions, she could easily deliver a killing blow at this moment, couldn't she?
Had Rias truly been driven to such a state by worry?
Jeanne waved her hand in front of Rias's face without getting any reaction, feeling slightly puzzled.
Still no response?
Since sound wasn't effective, Jeanne naturally thought of physical contact next. She raised a hand, intending to pat Rias's shoulder, but suddenly paused mid-motion.
Her gaze slowly drifted downward.
"Um…"
After a brief hesitation, Jeanne abruptly thrust both hands forward.
Under this sudden, intense stimulation, Rias snapped back to reality, eyes widening slightly in shock as they met Jeanne's golden gaze.
Then Rias lowered her head, staring at the two mounds of flesh slightly distorted under Jeanne's grip.
A visible flush instantly spread across Rias's cheeks.
"Yo, finally awake now?"
In this incredibly awkward situation, Jeanne remained completely unfazed, her tone casual and calm. "You're pretty relaxed, falling asleep in a nice place like this without leaving a note. Your servants have been worrying themselves sick over you... Anyway, how did you grow these sinful things? They're not just big but also bouncy…"
Though Jeanne hadn't watched the anime herself, she'd heard that Rias was nicknamed "Switch Princess" because those sinful lumps acted like switches.
Seeing Rias's vacant look earlier had reminded Jeanne of a powered-off smartphone. Naturally, if you encounter a phone that's switched off, you'd press and hold the power button, right?
With that logic, Jeanne had simply taken action.
Hearing Jeanne mention that her servants had been worried, guilt washed over Rias like a tidal wave, but the next instant Jeanne casually commented on their softness, causing Rias's face to burn furiously. In a fluster, she swatted Jeanne's hands away, raised her arms defensively in front of her chest, and stared at Jeanne warily.
"Why are you even asking something like that… Yours aren't exactly small either."
Rias's response was a little disappointing. Jeanne had expected her to scream things like "pervert!" or "molester!" like a typical teenage girl.
Then again, they were both girls. Maybe it wasn't such a big deal. Had it been a man standing here, Rias might have reacted more dramatically.
Her beautiful face, still flushed, glowed softly under the moonlight. Rias tilted her head upward slightly, letting the cool breeze calm her burning cheeks. Glancing at the sky, surprise flickered briefly across her eyes.
"It's gotten this late already?"
"What else did you expect?"
Jeanne crossed her arms, straightening her posture. "Koneko was worried sick. She refused to sleep no matter how much we persuaded her, insisting on going out to look for you."
"Koneko, she…" Rias lowered her head apologetically, whispering softly, "I'm sorry for worrying you all."
But Jeanne immediately raised her voice, interrupting sharply.
"Huh? Don't be ridiculous, who said I was worried about you? Go wherever you want; jump into the lake if you feel like it—it's none of my business."
Jeanne quickly took a step back, leaning slightly away in exaggerated denial. "I only came out because Koneko and Ophis were pestering me too much, so I wanted some peace and quiet. Just happened to run into you in the park, that's all."
Jeanne's sudden outburst startled Rias slightly.
Being a devil, Rias's eyesight was even sharper at night, allowing her to clearly see Jeanne's flustered, somewhat unnatural expression. Unconsciously, Rias let out a gentle laugh.
What a silly excuse…
Rias quietly gazed at Jeanne, her eyes softening warmly.
"…What's with that look?" Jeanne's face twisted further in displeasure. "That's disgusting. Keep it up, and I'll kill you."
"It's nothing, just… I suddenly thought you're actually pretty cute, Jeanne-san."
"I'll seriously kill you."
Jeanne put on a threatening expression, but it didn't frighten Rias at all.
A cool night breeze swept by, disrupting the moon's reflection on the lake surface.
"Thank you, Jeanne-san." Rias's voice, filled with heartfelt gratitude, reverberated softly through the night. "Talking with you has made me feel much better."
"Oh," Jeanne replied flatly, remaining indifferent.
Not minding Jeanne's attitude, Rias turned her gaze back to the serene lake.
"Last night, I received an unusual wish."
Rias and her group distributed flyers with summoning circles printed on them. Those who harbored desires or discontent with reality would sometimes summon devils to fulfill their wishes in exchange for an equivalent payment.
That was how Jeanne and Koneko had first met—Koneko initially mistaking Jeanne for an ordinary high schooler curious about mythology.
Lost in thought, Rias began recounting her story. Jeanne, though utterly uninterested, remained quietly by her side as a listener.
Although most wishes were handled by Rias's servants like Yuuto Kiba, Akeno, or Koneko, occasionally a request specifically involved Rias herself.
"She was a very cute, interesting girl, fascinated by Japanese culture. Her house was filled with Sengoku-period artifacts. When I met her, she was even wearing armor, claiming she was too scared to go out alone at night… Her wish was for me to accompany her back to the university she attended to retrieve a notebook she had forgotten."
This was Jeanne's first time hearing the kind of wishes Rias usually handled… Honestly, it sounded utterly trivial.
Jeanne had thought her own request for devil help to move furniture was already frivolous enough, but this sounded even more ridiculous.
Afraid to retrieve a notebook from school alone, so she summoned a devil?
Rias continued speaking…
"After I helped her retrieve the notebook, just before leaving, the girl suddenly mentioned another wish."
"It turned out she had a crush on a boy but never found the courage to confess."
"She said she wanted him to fall for her on her own merits, not because of a devil's magic."
"I suggested she directly confess her feelings, but she shook her head, saying it was too abrupt for her."
"In the end, we agreed she'd express her feelings through a love letter… Such innocent love is enviable, isn't it? She tied the love letter to an arrow and shot it toward the boy because, as she said, after long consideration, she couldn't think of a better way to personally deliver it."
Huh???
Isn't that more like a challenge letter than a love letter? Who sends love letters via arrows?!
"This morning, to bolster her courage, she planted battle flags all over the park while waiting for him."
Definitely a battle declaration! Flags? Seriously?!
"The boy really came, dressed in full silver knight armor with the arrow sticking out of his helmet. He praised her shot as excellent and complimented the passionate writing of her letter, then confessed his feelings to her."
Rias picked up a photo, and Jeanne leaned over curiously.
"This is their picture… Aren't they the perfect couple?"
If Rias hadn't explained, Jeanne might have thought someone had just placed two sets of armor side by side.
A full Sengoku-era Japanese armor stood holding the arm of full Western knight armor.
Not even a bit of skin showing!
Jeanne suddenly felt deeply wounded.
"If you really don't like it, just reject him. Kick that fiancé out!" Jeanne said casually.
"How could it be so simple…" Rias smiled bitterly, shaking her head.
"It really is that simple. You're just overthinking it."
Jeanne shrugged, staring seriously at Rias.
"Your heart has long made its choice. Stop wavering."
"If your strength alone isn't enough, then rely on those willing to help you."
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T/N: squish squish im envious, but not in the wya you're thinkging...