The situation had grown… dangerously intimate.
Ryuichi could clearly feel every delicate detail of Akeno Himejima's body pressed against his back. She clung to him without a shred of hesitation, her arms loosely looped around his neck, her body's warmth seeping through the water and into his skin. The soft, tantalizing contact was impossible to ignore.
Rias Gremory's expression darkened.
"That's enough, Akeno. Let him go — do you realize how this looks?"
Akeno only smiled sweetly.
"Hehehe… What's wrong with getting a little closer to a comrade I've fought beside? It helps strengthen bonds, doesn't it?"
Her playful tone left Ryuichi speechless.
These two… when they started bickering, it was always a headache.
Seeing Rias's patience quickly fraying, Akeno tilted her head with a teasing grin.
"Rias… don't tell me you actually like Ryuichi?"
Her words froze everyone in the bath. Even Koneko and Asia looked up in surprise.
Ryuichi simply raised an eyebrow and stayed silent, realizing what Akeno was really doing — testing Rias's reaction.
Rias was quiet for a moment, then met Akeno's eyes with calm defiance.
"And if I do?"
Akeno fell silent. A faint sigh escaped her lips.
So it was true…
She had suspected as much — from the subtle hints, the way Rias's eyes had clouded with jealousy when Asia had fallen into Ryuichi's arms earlier. But hearing her say it aloud still struck something in Akeno's chest.
Yet even as Rias spoke so confidently, the shadow of her family's expectations loomed over her.
Akeno's eyes softened. "…Will that really be okay?" she murmured almost to herself.
Koneko and Asia blinked, confused by the cryptic words. But Rias and Ryuichi both understood what she meant.
Akeno knew — about the arranged marriage, the burden that tied Rias's freedom.
"My life is my own," Rias said, her voice firm, though there was the faintest tremor beneath the strength. "I'll decide for myself."
If only it were that simple.
Both Akeno and Ryuichi knew how difficult that declaration truly was.
At that moment, Akeno understood why Ryuichi had been pushing himself so hard lately — training until exhaustion, striving to grow stronger at a near-frantic pace.
He must have known too. And that knowledge had driven him.
The pressure on them both was enormous.
Ryuichi gently patted Akeno's hand. "You can let go now, Akeno."
She blinked, then released him, brushing her wet hair back with a faint smile.
The tension in the air slowly subsided.
Asia looked between them in confusion. "U-um… what's going on?"
"Nothing serious," Ryuichi replied quietly. "Just a small… problem. But we'll handle it."
Both Rias and Akeno gave small, bitter smiles.
A "small problem," he said — but they all knew the truth.
Going against a pure-blooded high-class Devil family was anything but small.
Even Rias, with her noble status, couldn't simply defy tradition without consequences.
And time… time was running short.
After a pause, Rias straightened, her expression composed. "Enough. We don't need to talk about this right now."
When Akeno opened her mouth to say something, Rias cut her off with a shake of her head.
"Akeno, tomorrow we're going back to the Underworld. We might have to stay there for a few days. Prepare yourself."
"The Underworld…?" Ryuichi's eyes narrowed slightly.
Across the bath, Koneko and Asia looked uneasy, about to speak — but Ryuichi gave them a subtle shake of the head, silently telling them not to.
Akeno pressed her lips together, realizing immediately what this meant.
Rias was truly resolved this time — ready to face her family head-on.
Would it go smoothly?
Almost certainly not.
But Rias understood that even if nothing changed, some roads still had to be walked.
"…All right," Akeno murmured. "I'll be ready."
Rias turned to Ryuichi, her tone soft but serious. "Ryuichi, I'm sorry — I can't bring you to the Underworld yet. You're… my last trump card."
Ryuichi smiled faintly. "Got it."
He already knew — this trip wouldn't go well.
Which meant his role would come soon enough.
Then, without warning, Ryuichi stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her.
Rias's breath caught as he held her close, their bare skin meeting in the warm water. The moment was silent, heavy with unspoken feeling.
"Don't worry, Rias," he murmured. "You know I've never let you down before."
His voice was calm, steady — but his eyes, hidden from the others, gleamed gold beneath the steam, radiating quiet power and resolve.
Pure-blood Devils… so what?
If it came to it — if it truly came to a fight — he was prepared to go that far.
Even if it meant breaking the heavens themselves.
But for now, he simply held her, letting that promise speak louder than words.
The next morning, Rias and Akeno departed for the Underworld.
With them gone, Ryuichi, Koneko, and Asia carried on their duties as usual — responding to summoner contracts and maintaining their daily routines.
Days passed in a blur.
Every evening, Ryuichi visited the Nakano sisters' home to tutor them, and in time the five girls had grown quite close to him — perhaps too close for comfort.
He also continued meeting with Mai Sakurajima, his "girlfriend," whose emotional energy alone provided more than enough strength through their faith contract.
Honestly, the amount of "affection energy" she provided nearly matched that of all five sisters combined.
Most of his current requests came from those few clients, and though his familiar kept distributing flyers, no new summoners had appeared lately.
Not that he minded — it gave him time to train and think.
Five days passed like that.
Still, Rias and Akeno hadn't returned.
No one panicked — they'd all known this might take time — but unease simmered quietly beneath the surface.
On the morning of the sixth day, after finishing his daily training, Ryuichi stepped out of the shower, towel draped around his waist, when he suddenly felt a ripple of magic.
A teleportation circle — glowing deep crimson — flared to life in the center of his room.
Rias's familiar silhouette appeared within the shimmering light.
"Welcome back," Ryuichi said with an easy smile, greeting her gently.
But Rias strode forward immediately, her crimson eyes urgent as she grabbed his hand.
"Ryuichi— I need you. Now."
"…Again with this?" he sighed. "Didn't I tell you this trick won't solve anything?"
"There's no better option left," she said breathlessly. "If I make it official, my family won't be able to object. It's the only way to silence them."
Her words were quick, almost trembling.
Before he could respond, she began undoing her gear, crimson hair cascading over her shoulders.
Ryuichi blinked, momentarily frozen — still wrapped only in his towel — as Rias pushed him back onto the bed and straddled him, her expression fierce with determination and something deeper… desperate.
For a heartbeat, silence.
Then the scene faded — steam rising, hearts pounding, and a promise sealed not by words, but by choice.