Until the crimson-haired girl's consciousness was completely submerged beneath waves of white.
How much time passed after that, she couldn't say. But eventually, Rias slowly began to wake.
When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the familiar ceiling of her family castle's bedroom. The silky bedding pressed gently against her skin, and the faint fragrance of floral tea lingered in the air.
Is it... over?
Rias's memories still lingered on that moment in the "dream" when her rational mind had completely evaporated. Now that she'd regained consciousness and opened her eyes again, it felt almost like waking up in another lifetime.
But since she was still lying safely in bed, and the room wasn't in the complete shambles it had been in her dream...
That meant what happened earlier really was just a dream... right?
Just as Rias was thinking this, a young man's voice suddenly came from the direction of the bedside.
"You're awake, Rias?"
Huh??
The moment she heard that voice, Rias practically jolted upright—
But before she could even sit halfway up, the soreness in her abdominal muscles instantly sent her flopping back down into a "supine" position.
"Ow, ow, ow..."
Rias hissed softly through her teeth, muttering under her breath as she turned her head toward the bedside.
There, in the soft glow of the bedroom lights, sat Bokue Keikain on the edge of the bed. One leg was even propped up on the mattress as he turned his head to look at the crimson-haired girl lying in the center of the large bed.
"If you're not feeling well, just stay lying down. Your mom said the effects won't wear off for a little while longer."
"Effects...?"
Rias blinked in confusion, a giant question mark appearing above her head.
She didn't understand how the conversation had suddenly shifted to "effects." She hadn't taken any medication, had she?
"Mm, your mom said there was a slight issue with the tea she brewed."
Bokue glanced toward the tea set still sitting on the table by the window. The teapot still contained more than half its contents.
"Ah! That tea..."
Rias followed his gaze and immediately let out a small gasp.
After all, it was that tea that had made her... Otherwise, how could she have had such a bizarre dream??
She'd even gone soft-hearted in the dream and agreed to her mother's request...
Recalling everything she'd experienced in that dream, Rias's cheeks began to flush involuntarily.
She quickly cleared her throat and changed the subject.
"R-right, why are you here, Bokue?"
"Hm? Oh, that..."
Bokue pointed at the magic mirror positioned against the wall in the elegant woman's bedroom.
"Actually, I came back around noon and ran into Nagisa. She told me you'd come looking for me this morning. So I went to the old schoolhouse to find you, but Akeno said you'd gone to the beachside villa to tidy up your mom's room. When I got there, you weren't around—but the dust cover was lying on the floor. So I figured you'd probably come through here."
"I-I see."
Rias nodded, feeling a bit awkward.
She'd almost forgotten, but now that Bokue mentioned it, she had asked Nagisa about his whereabouts this morning. And then she'd been the one who disappeared, forcing him to track her down all the way here.
It was a little embarrassing.
"Oh, that reminds me—"
Rias suddenly let out a soft "ah," lightly tapping her forehead while still lying under the covers.
"The reason I was looking for you earlier was actually about—"
"Oh, no need. Your mom already told me about it."
Bokue made a calming gesture with one hand.
"It's about the International Ranking Tournament, right?"
"Uh... yes, that's right."
Rias nodded again, though she couldn't help feeling puzzled.
'Mom told Bokue?' But hadn't she come here specifically intending to tell her mother about it? So how did Mom already know?
She had absolutely no memory of having mentioned it to her mother...
What was going on?
"It's fine—let's just participate."
While the crimson-haired girl was still mulling over her confusion, Bokue shrugged indifferently.
"We already agreed to have a match with Sairaorg anyway, to show the entire Underworld a new side of the Gremory family. This is the perfect opportunity."
"I see. As long as you're okay with it, Bokue."
Learning that her "act first, ask permission later" approach had earned the young man's approval, Rias let out a small sigh of relief.
Creeeeak—
Just then, the bedroom door was pushed open from outside. Venelana walked in carrying a bowl of warm floral tea. Seeing the young man waiting by the bed, she smiled gently.
"Alright, everything's fine now. Bokue, you can head back—leave this to me."
"I don't mind staying. I'm not in any rush..."
Bokue raised an eyebrow, indicating he could remain.
But Venelana simply flashed him an OK sign, then gave a cute wink.
"I said it's fine~ Trust me, okay? I've got this handled."
"...Alright then."
Since Venelana had insisted, Bokue didn't argue further. He stood up from the bedside, said he'd head back first, and stepped through the magic mirror, leaving the Underworld behind.
Meanwhile, Venelana came to sit on the edge of the bed. With one hand, she helped Rias sit up from under the covers and offered her the tea.
"Here—drink some water to rehydrate."
"Thanks, Mom..."
Rias took the bowl and drank it down in one go.
Perhaps because she'd been "unconscious" for several hours, she really was quite thirsty now.
But wait—did being unconscious really make you this thirsty?
Just as Rias was wondering about this, Venelana had already taken the empty bowl from her hands and set it on the nearby table.
Catching this movement from the corner of her eye, Rias flinched slightly. She pointed hesitantly at the remaining tea in the pot.
"Wait—Mom, you didn't... give me the same stuff from before, did you...?"
"Oh, no, no, no—of course not."
Venelana let out a small, puzzled hum, then quickly waved her hands.
"This is just regular floral tea. No special effects whatsoever."
Special effects...
Those two words sent a flicker of unease through Rias's mind.
"By the way, Mom—I didn't do anything strange while I was unconscious after drinking that tea, did I?"
"Not at all. Everything was perfectly normal."
Venelana's simple reply instantly put the crimson-haired girl's anxious heart at ease.
Good. That's good.
However, the elegant woman's very next words made Rias's eyes go wide.
"Hmm~ Although, if I had to mention something—you did climb on top of Bokue yourself."
Wha...??
The crimson-haired girl's mouth fell open soundlessly. For a moment, she thought she'd misheard.
But Venelana continued.
"And then you and Mommy both got creampied by Bokue quite a few times."
"Oh, and you got a bit childish too—kept begging Mommy to let you have Bokue's cock, like a greedy little kid wanting a toy~"
With every additional sentence from the elegant woman, Rias's eyes grew wider.
By the end, she was completely frozen in shock.
Could it be... everything that happened in that "dream"... was actually real?
"Oh, that's right—Mommy also remembers something you said~"
Looking at her utterly stunned daughter, Venelana smiled softly and gently pulled her into an embrace.
"You said you'd work together with Mommy and Bokue-kun to make the Gremory family even better... didn't you?"
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