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After a grueling four-day academic life, the long-awaited Friday finally arrived. As long as they made it through today, two days of happy weekend would follow.
For this very reason, Kuoh Academy usually didn't have many classes on Friday. Aside from a few cultural classes in the morning, there were only two self-study periods in the afternoon. Of course, while called self-study, it was essentially no different from dismissal. Since there was no teacher supervision, students who went straight home could play on their phones for enjoyment while waiting for the two periods to end before heading home, and students with club activities could start their club activities earlier. Start early, end early, and still get home sooner.
And so, in the afternoon at the Occult Research Club, within the old school building—
Just as usual, when Hanakain Reiji arrived, everyone else was already seated in the ground floor living room. After all, Rias, Akeno Himejima, and Koneko Toujou all lived in the old school building every night. Therefore, this old school building was less a club activity location and more the girls' private residence. They merely partitioned off a section of the ground-floor living room for club use, which was also why the club never had any other outsiders. And now, Asia was another person living here.
Stepping into the living room from outside, Hanakain Reiji immediately greeted the blonde girl sitting beside Koneko Toujou on the sofa. "Good afternoon, Asia. Was your stay at the school comfortable last night?"
Hearing this, the nun squinted her slightly downturned eyes, a heart-healing gentle smile appearing on her clean, cute little face. "Good afternoon, Reiji-san, and thank you for your concern. I slept very comfortably here last night."
"Senpai Rias and Senpai Akeno were also very welcoming. They helped me prepare bedding, and Koneko even cleaned my room for me beforehand."
"Is that so? That's good... Hmm?" Before he could finish, Hanakain Reiji suddenly noticed a sense of wrongness. That is—was the seating arrangement in the club a bit off today? In the past, with two sofas, one on the left and one on the right, he and Rias would sit on the right one, while Akeno and Koneko sat on the left. But today, it seemed reversed. Koneko was sitting on the right sofa with Asia, while Akeno remained on the left sofa with Rias. What was even more bizarre was that the latter two looked as if they had had a falling out today. Although they were sitting on the same sofa, they were seated far apart, practically at opposite ends, leaving a substantial empty area in the middle of the couch. What was the meaning of this? Was this... a plastic friendship?
Seeing the young man still standing in place, looking utterly puzzled, Akeno Himejima on the left sofa offered a gentle smile and lightly patted the empty space beside her. "What's wrong, Reiji? Didn't we agree last time? You're supposed to sit on this side this time. Hurry and come sit down, mhn?"
"...Oh." Hanakain Reiji tried to question the red-haired girl at the other end of the sofa with his eyes, but Rias only glanced at him before quickly averting her gaze and putting on a completely indifferent facade.
???
It seemed things were starting to develop in a strange direction. However, having no other choice, Hanakain Reiji calmly walked over and sat down. With two beautiful girls, Rias and Akeno Himejima—the perennial No. 1 and No. 2 most popular girls at Kuoh Academy—now flanking him. If word of this got out, the entire self-proclaimed fan club would likely lose their minds on the spot, rush to the teachers' office, steal the keys to the school bus, and drive it at him in a Chinese Iaijutsu attack. Though that wouldn't do any good, either...
While Hanakain Reiji was silently grumbling, the black-haired girl with the high ponytail next to him got restless.
"Reiji," Akeno Himejima's voice rang out. She turned her body, maintaining her seated posture, to face the young man beside her. She leaned forward slightly, hands braced on the sofa beneath her. In this pose, the otherwise extremely conservative school uniform was forcibly strained into a tight, deep cleavage, visually giving the absolute sense of being ready to burst forth. "The President was so mean, Oho. Last time, she said she didn't mind who Reiji sat with, but when it came time to fulfill the promise today, she ran over here on her own and quickly claimed the middle spot, only moving to the side when you arrived."
"Akeno, you..." Hearing her best friend so unceremoniously air her dirty laundry in public, the red-haired girl, who had been feigning nonchalance just a second ago, instantly widened her eyes. "I-I-I-I-I didn't! I just happened to feel like sitting on this side today. Later, when I saw Reiji arrive, I remembered the promise I made to you, Akeno, so I specifically gave up the spot! That's what happened!"
"Ara, ara~ Is that really the case?" The black-haired, high-ponytail girl smiled lightly, covering her mouth. "If that's the case, Rias, why didn't you just sit on the opposite sofa with Asia and Koneko? As the President, shouldn't you pay more attention to the new club member?"
"Akeno!" Being repeatedly, under the guise of teasing, pressed by her friend, even Rias's temper couldn't hold out. She abruptly stood up from the sofa, frowning unhappily at the friend separated from her by only one person. "Akeno, what's wrong with you today? If you're upset about something, why don't you just say it? Why are you fixating on this?"
"Just say it, huh... Hmm, there's actually nothing specific I'm unhappy about. If I had to say, there's only one thing." The black-haired, high-ponytail girl maintained her gentle, housewife-like aura and slowly but firmly raised her index finger. "Rias, the promise you made before doesn't count this time. Next time, I want to sit alone with Reiji."
"Huh? Just for something like that..." Rias blurted out instinctively, but before finishing, she realized her mistake. Her voice abruptly stopped, and she looked at her best friend on the sofa with an incredulous expression. "Wait, Akeno, are you also..." The rest of the words didn't need to be said. Everyone present, except for Asia, understood the meaning. And Akeno Himejima's smile grew wider; her response was practically tantamount to a challenge. "If I say 'Yes,' what then?"
"..."
"..."
Silence instantly enveloped the entire living room. It was about ten seconds before the red-haired girl, whose expression shifted repeatedly, finally spoke. "I... have nothing to say. That's your own business. How could I say anything?" After speaking, she abruptly sat back down, crossing her legs and resting her chin on her hand, looking away, making it impossible to see her full expression. In contrast, Akeno Himejima seemed to have won a battle; even the ending note of her speech seemed to carry a triumphant tune.
She turned to look at the astonished nun on the opposite sofa and gently clapped her hands. "So, to get back to the main point, there is an important question I'd like to discuss with you, Miss Asia."
"Miss Asia, would you be willing to become a servant of the Gremory family?"
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