"Don't, Miranda..." I made a mournful face.
Not that I'm a great actor and performer, but when people see you ninety-nine percent of the time with a face that expresses no emotions at all and the same voice tone without inflection or variance, then even my grimaces about a mournful face are perceived VERY seriously. It's the contrast, really—when someone who never shows emotion suddenly does, people pay attention. They assume something truly significant must have happened to crack that expressionless mask I wear constantly.
"...I got over it. I avoid Akeno not because of her racial affiliation, since that's stupid! The fallen angels who killed my mother and almost killed me are certain individuals, and Akeno is Akeno, she has no relation to them."
"But then why?"
"First, Akeno is destined to become Rias Gremory-sama's piece, and she dislikes me and clearly won't approve communication between me and her 'friend'."
I very clearly emphasized the quotation marks with my voice because the whole farce Gremory put on with advertising "servants for Gremory are family" irritated me.
No, Gremory really have a good attitude toward servants, but precisely a good attitude toward SERVANTS, but not elevating servants to their level.
You could say look, Sirzechs is married to his Queen and everything's equal there.
But Grayfia is a pureblood demon from a noble family and also has so much personal power she can compete with Maous.
In other cases, "friendship" goes within the framework the King established for their peerage.
"But they're really friends!" Miranda was indignant, who apparently was very pleased that she's so "special" since I behave more emotionally with her... I just conduct body cleanses on the day I meet with her to get information... and communicate familiarly.
"Rias Gremory-sama is friends with Sona Sitri-san. If Sitri-san doesn't like something in Rias Gremory-sama's actions or requests, she can refuse or simply leave. But where will Akeno go if she asks her to stop being friends with someone Rias Gremory-sama doesn't like or asks her to be friends with someone Akeno herself doesn't like?!"
"Ah..."
"Yeah! Remember the conditions before Himejima Clan! I think in moments of disagreement Akeno will remember them too! And when you can't refuse a friend's 'request', that's not friendship, that's master-servant relations! Friendship is only possible between equals!"
"But... I heard they also want to make you one of Lady Rias's pieces..."
This really was planned initially, but I diligently drove Rias to white heat with my official and obsequious address to her, and also whispered blessings.
Well, I'd issue a prayer like God bless you Rias Gremory!
Technically such an address to the system from a demon should result in eighty percent of pain sensations going to whoever addressed it and the remaining twenty percent going to the addressee!
But I didn't give a damn, and not because of "Stoicin" but because of the padding in the form of a human soul through which prayers went, while Rias got hit!
Which is why she often suffered headaches in my presence, which didn't add love for me, and the thought that I'd be her piece and be around ALL the time caused phantom headaches in her.
"You mean—if we're in Rias Gremory-sama's peerage, we should be friends?"
"Well, yeah, probably..."
"First, it's doubtful I'll become Rias Gremory-sama's piece since she really doesn't like me... though that's mutual. But unlike my word, Rias Gremory-sama's word will have weight and be decisive in this matter."
"But Ren-sama, you're Rias's brother..."
"Wrong, Miranda! I'm Lord Zeoticus's son by a maid, not Rias Gremory-sama's brother! I'm not even a Gremory... you yourself address me by name. My status is about the same as Kuroka's and Shirone's. If I'm 'asked' to become Rias Gremory-sama's piece, all I can say is—I'm grateful for the honor, and accept the Evil Piece. Regarding your question about Akeno herself... she stresses me out! There's something in her gaze... like she's sizing up where's better to whip you! And I've had a severe allergy to that since recently!"
"Huh?!"
Escaped both me and Miranda as we heard the sound of a book falling behind one of the shelves!
FUCK!
If someone heard our conversation and passes it to the wrong hands, I'm screwed!
I shot out of the nook, of which there were tons in House Gremory's library, and flew into another such one neighboring ours.
The neighborhood was through a "bookshelf-wall" so there was no possibility of seeing anyone, but the possibility to eavesdrop existed!
I of course knew about this but chose the farthest corner of the library, and listened to what was next door and heard nothing, so I spoke freely.
"Hm..." Before my eyes appeared a book next to a table, and nobody. "...looks like just a forgotten book that fell from the table from a draft."
"Phewwww..." Miranda exhaled—she understood no worse than me that for such reasoning, if they pat her on the head, it'll be with something heavy.
Of course, my paranoia whispered that someone was here after all, but having given themselves away, decided to run and not show themselves to us.
But if that's the case, the danger is minimal—most likely it was someone from the servants, and this someone understands what such knowledge threatens them with.
Even a report to "the right people" could result in the reporter being buried as a reward so they don't blab compromising information.
After all, if such information reaches Akeno, she definitely won't be Rias's loyal servant, and even if she doesn't refuse to become a piece, she'll be ready to betray and flee at any moment, becoming a stray.
And Rias herself might freak out over excessive guardianship from her brother and get offended at him, which that siscon definitely doesn't need.
And she might lose faith in herself, starting to think that all her successes, even her real ones, were staged by her older brother, and she herself is a complete good-for-nothing nobody.
So you can breathe out—this information won't go beyond the accidental witness, which means there's no threat!