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On the other side, the next afternoon, inside the Occult Research Club at the old school building.
After a day of "club activity suspension," the seating arrangement in the living room reverted to normal. Akeno Himejima and Koneko Toujou, holding milk tea, sat on the left sofa, while Asia and Hanakain Reiji sat on the right.
As for Rias, she wasn't sitting on the sofa. Instead, she stood at the office desk at the front of the living room, leaning against it with her arms crossed. Seeing everyone had arrived, the red-haired girl clapped her hands.
"So, the first order of business is that after yesterday's brief rest, our Occult Research Club activities will resume as normal starting today."
"Um..." Asia cautiously raised her hand. "Is the President's health okay? Yesterday, I saw Senpai Akeno message Reiji that the President seemed unwell. If you don't mind, I can try healing you with the Smile of the Holy Mother."
"Thank you for your concern, Asia, but I'm fine now." Rias smiled slightly, sensing the genuine concern in the blonde girl's voice. "Barring any unexpected issues, I should be completely recovered today... well, conservatively speaking, by the day after tomorrow."
The "feeling unwell" mentioned in the text message yesterday was, of course, just a casual excuse. But from yesterday evening onward, that excuse was no longer just an excuse; it was a bona fide case of being "unwell." After all, being D-ed so heavily by a certain someone for the first time nearly maxed out the total capacity of her... Youth Palace's maximum enrollment.
Rias vaguely remembered reading in a school biology book that the volume of an average human male's contribution was only about three to five milliliters. But based on her physical assessment yesterday, Hanakain Reiji's volume was significantly more than that; a rough estimate would add a zero to that figure. It was fortunate that a Devil's physical constitution had an advantage over ordinary humans. Otherwise, a fragile human girl like Asia would likely have been damaged beyond repair.
I really need to make Reiji use protection next time we do it. Rias thought to herself, feeling both shy and a little petulant.
But then again, those little umbrellas sold commercially are designed according to the size and volume of an average person. If thirty to fifty milliliters were injected all at once... Ugh~ While it might not explode, it would swell up like a water-filled balloon, which isn't much different.Imagine a rubber balloon inflating inside you, and then having to take it out afterward... Hiss~ That sounds even more troublesome.Forget it. A bit of abdominal swelling is fine. I shouldn't waste money on something that won't work anyway.
Lost in her thoughts, the girl's gaze wandered, and her cheeks slowly flushed red. Even worse, she didn't realize she was spacing out. After waiting about three or four seconds, Hanakain Reiji, who finally couldn't bear it, cleared his throat.
"So, the first order of business is done. What about the second?"
"Ah? Oh, oh..." It wasn't until the young man's words reached her ear that Rias snapped back, realizing she had completely zoned out while speaking. Her cheeks flushed even hotter, and she became flustered.
"I apologize, I was distracted. The second thing is... hmm, how should I put it? To put it simply, it's about the relationship between Reiji and me."
!
As if a sensitive nerve had been struck by that sentence, Akeno Himejima, who had been sitting motionless and expressionless on the left sofa since the meeting began, suddenly trembled slightly. Although the movement was small, it was noticeable enough in the sparsely populated living room.
"What's wrong, Akeno?" Rias cast an inquiring look.
"...I'm fine, my apologies." Akeno Himejima whispered, shaking her head, lowering her head slightly.
Unlike usual, Akeno Himejima always tied her smooth black hair into a high ponytail behind her, leaving only her bangs near her forehead and temples loose. But today, whether due to rushing out this morning or some other reason, the girl's hairstyle was exceptionally crude. The long hair from the back was pulled forward, mixing with her bangs, obscuring her face and making her expression difficult to discern.
Rias paused for a moment, seeing no further comment from her friend. She decided not to press, instead giving her friend a deep look before continuing.
"Next is about the relationship between Reiji and me. Hmm, how should I put it... in short, we officially started dating yesterday evening."
The first half of the statement was clear and articulate; the latter half rushed out like a gentle brushstroke. Even so, the red-haired girl couldn't stop her cheeks from flushing hot after saying the last part aloud.
After all, publicly announcing her relationship in front of her friends felt strange.
Just as expected, as Rias's words fell, Asia, sitting next to Hanakain Reiji, gasped, her small mouth wide open in surprise.
Koneko Toujou's golden eyes also widened slightly, and the straw she had been biting on popped out of her mouth. She seemed to realize something and quickly turned her head toward Akeno Himejima beside her. Although the long, drooping hair obscured most of her face, the white-haired girl could faintly see tightly bitten, pale, peeling lips through the sparse curtain of hair near the ends.
Rias also saw all this. But she continued nonetheless.
"But as you know, my surname is Gremory, and I am the successor head of the Gremory family, one of the Seventy-Two Pillars of the Underworld. I was previously forced by my father, Zeoticus Gremory, under family pressure, to enter into an engagement with the Phoenix family, also a noble Devil house."
"But now that Reiji and I have officially started dating and privately committed to each other, the engagement with the Phoenix family is no longer valid. However, the Phoenix family is highly likely to use this as an excuse to cause trouble."
"Does that mean war?" The white-haired girl, who had put down her milk tea, asked softly.
Rias shook her head: "I'm not sure yet. Yesterday, I only had Grayfia-nee bring the news back to the Underworld. The specific solution hasn't been decided yet, but judging by the rumors of the third son of the Phoenix family's personality, the most likely outcome is..."
Zing—
Before she could finish, a familiar Demonic Power fluctuation rippled through the living room air without warning. A teleportation magic circle, bearing the crest of the Gremory family, instantly materialized and rapidly took shape in the empty space in the living room.
The next second, with a flash of red light, a tall, red-haired figure suddenly appeared from the teleportation magic circle.
Koneko Toujou and Akeno Himejima had almost simultaneously stood up from the sofa and bowed respectfully the moment they clearly saw the figure.
And immediately following was Rias's surprised, undignified voice.
"Brother!?"
It was only then that Hanakain Reiji looked over, casting a confused gaze toward the figure.
Hmm? Brother?
Rias's brother... that would be Sirzechs Lucifer, one of the current Four Great Satans of the Underworld.
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