"I know that after you saved Koneko, I was incredibly happy at the time. I thought I finally had a legitimate reason to take you as my servant..."
Rias wiped the blood from her lips and gazed directly into Takeyo's eyes.
"I know," Takeyo murmured, gently touching her crimson hair.
Rias was genuinely endearing, different from Sona's type of charm. Where Sona's appeal lay in her composed intelligence and strategic mind, Rias radiated warmth and emotional honesty, someone who poured her whole heart into everything she cared about.
"That's why I couldn't wait and sent Koneko to bring you to the Occult Research Club. I wanted to make you my servant before Sona could claim you."
Rias's voice dropped to barely above a whisper, vulnerability flickering across her face.
"But I didn't expect Serafall-sama's intervention. You became Sona's servant instead, though even that wasn't quite accurate..." She smiled bitterly. "The truth is, it seemed almost impossible to transform you into a servant at all."
"Mm..." Takeyo continued stroking her hair soothingly. Even that impossibly powerful chess piece, forged with his divine authority, couldn't complete his transformation. For ordinary Devil Pieces? The task would be completely hopeless.
"But even after you became affiliated with Sona, I still wouldn't have asked for your help in a situation like this."
Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, raw emotion bleeding through her normally composed demeanor.
"Takeyo, do you know I've been engaged to Riser? That I'm supposed to marry into the Phenex family once I graduate from high school?"
"I don't want to marry him. The only option I had left was a Rating Game, which is why I asked if you had the confidence to defeat a Phenex."
"I know," Takeyo said softly, his touch gentle as though comforting his own daughter.
"But I couldn't bring myself to tell you the full truth. I was terrified you'd think I was only using you because of Riser, that I viewed you as nothing more than a convenient tool." Moisture gathered at the corners of her blue-green eyes. "That thought... I couldn't bear it. I needed you to understand I valued you for who you are, not what you could do for me."
Rias's voice trembled with naked honesty, every word carrying the weight of genuine fear.
"Well, that's why I asked you myself," Takeyo replied with understanding warmth.
"Then later, you disappeared." A single tear traced down her cheek. "I was so worried. Every day without word from you felt like an eternity."
She pressed a hand to her chest, as though the memory still caused physical pain.
"But as time passed, a horrible thought kept creeping into my mind, did you leave because you didn't want to fight Riser? Did you abandon me because I'd become too troublesome?"
Her voice broke slightly on those last words.
"Whenever that thought surfaced, it felt like something was crushing my heart. The pain was unbearable." She touched her chest again, fingers curling into the fabric of her shirt. "I know I shouldn't have doubted you like that, but late at night, when I was alone with my thoughts, I couldn't stop myself from wondering..."
"So I made a decision," Rias continued, forcing strength back into her voice. "Even without relying on your power, I would defeat Riser myself. I had to prove I could stand on my own, that I wasn't just some helpless heiress waiting to be rescued."
She lifted her gaze to meet his, defiance and vulnerability warring in her expression.
"But as you saw, even with Koneko's awakening, I still failed." Her laugh was hollow, self-deprecating. "In the end, I really am just a useless woman, aren't I?"
Rias leaned against Takeyo's shoulder, and he felt the dampness of her tears soaking through his shirt.
"You worked incredibly hard. Defeating a Phenex is exactly what I promised you I'd do," Takeyo said quietly, genuine respect coloring his words. He knew from personal experience just how many people had worried about him during his absence.
And when he'd left, he'd been in the middle of planting another tree, hadn't he? The young sapling currently being tended by Jeanne, if his memory served correctly.
Thinking about it now made him feel somewhat guilty. Perhaps he should have handled that situation with more consideration for everyone's feelings.
"So now I want to confirm something, to understand what kind of feelings I actually have for you..."
Rias looked up at him with those striking blue-green eyes, her gaze intense and searching.
Takeyo met her stare directly, waiting.
"Mm..."
Before he could respond, Rias pressed her lips against his.
The kiss was tentative at first, then grew more certain as she poured her confused emotions into the contact.
Several moments later, they separated.
"So... do you think this confirmed your feelings?" Takeyo asked, his voice slightly breathless.
"No... I don't think it did," Rias admitted, cheeks flushed but expression thoughtful.
"I see..."
"Hey! This person is... How could he be here?!"
"Ahhh, the master really returns without any warning at all."
"And eating alone while everyone else is away... How wicked."
"But this works out perfectly... Asia happens to be asleep right now, and I've already set up a soundproof barrier..."
"Hold on, wait just a, !"
That last exclamation was definitely Takeyo's voice, cut off abruptly.
The next morning arrived with its usual inevitability.
"Ahem! ... Cough!"
A productive day began, as always, with Takeyo coughing up blood.
Golden droplets stained his bedsheets, their divine radiance almost beautiful despite the violence they represented. The discharge woke both Rias and Yuuma, who'd been sleeping on either side of him.
"Takeyo?! Are you alright?!" Rias jerked awake immediately, last night's plans to lecture him about his behavior completely forgotten in her concern.
"It's fine, just waste blood being expelled from my system. But Rias, by now you should believe I'm not seriously injured, right?" Takeyo said while carefully collecting the golden fluid. Even as waste product expelled from his body, his divine blood retained significant value.
Though as he focused on the collection process, his brow furrowed. He felt like he was forgetting something important...
Rias, hearing his reassurance, nodded slightly. "I understand. Are you still planning to go to school today? Do you need to rest at home instead? Sona already arranged your leave, saying you returned to your ancestral homeland in the East for family matters. The return date was listed as unknown, but you can come back whenever you're ready."
"Thanks," Takeyo said sincerely. Her thoughtfulness never ceased to impress him.
He swatted Yuuma's rear playfully as she stirred, then began preparing for school.
Setting aside everything else, he still had a sign-in location waiting for him at the academy.
Though... something definitely felt off about Sona's attitude lately. He'd have to face that situation eventually, one way or another.
I can only blame myself for developing certain... habits, he thought wryly.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host! Daily Location Sign-In triggered! Sign-In Rank: Bronze!]
[Sign-In Location: Akeno Himejima's ponytail!]
[Time Limit: 1 day.]
[Remaining Time: 1 day.]
"Master, take care!" Yuuma called out cheerfully, waving as she saw the group off. Asia needed to attend school as well, which meant Yuuma would have the house to herself.
But she wouldn't feel lonely, not anymore. Every corner of their home carried Takeyo's presence, filled with traces of his existence. How could she possibly feel irritable or restless in a space so thoroughly infused with her master's essence?
Especially now, after his return last night. The joy of his homecoming still warmed her heart.
"See you later," Takeyo said, waving back.
Yuuma gazed contentedly at the house. She felt genuinely satisfied with her current situation.
Last night's events had pushed her strength to High-Class Devil levels. Meanwhile, Rias, whose natural talent couldn't quite match a ten-winged Fallen Angel who'd now transformed into a Devil, remained just shy of achieving that rank herself.
"Onii-sama..." Asia clung to Takeyo's side throughout their walk to school. After experiencing his disappearance, she'd become even more attached, her dependence on him growing noticeably stronger.
If she hadn't been able to vaguely sense that Takeyo remained alive somewhere, she might have completely lost her composure and fallen into despair.
Having experienced the trauma of his absence, she now wanted to stay as close to him as physically possible at all times.
Rias, witnessing this display, felt a competitive spark ignite in her chest. Yesterday she'd finally crossed that threshold with Takeyo... Clearly, she held the position of primary wife now!
As if engaging in silent warfare with Asia, Rias hugged Takeyo's other arm, pressing it firmly against her chest.
"Uh..." Takeyo could only manage an awkward but polite smile as the two girls unconsciously competed for his attention.
While Rias definitely had the advantage in certain physical aspects, Asia's devoted affection carried its own powerful appeal. In Takeyo's view, both possessed their own unique charm, he genuinely appreciated both types.
Of course, that didn't mean bigger was automatically better. Takeyo considered himself quite adaptable in his preferences...
The journey to school today proved notably less peaceful than usual. Takeyo found himself surrounded by two beautiful girls vying for his attention, creating quite the spectacle.
In addition to this display, a knight continued guarding them from a distance, clearly having ignored his previous instructions to enjoy an all-you-can-eat buffet.
If I'd known this would happen, I should have just used Vamana's power to teleport directly to school, Takeyo thought with mild exasperation.
As they walked, something caught Takeyo's attention, his awareness sharpened by years of training immediately detected an anomaly.
His eyebrow rose slightly as he noticed a young man with distinctive silver hair standing at the street corner ahead.
More significantly, he spotted the enormous exclamation mark hovering near the silver-haired youth, visible only to himself.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host! Sign-In opportunity triggered! Sign-In Rank: Silver!]
[Sign-In Location: Le Fay's magic hat!]
[Time Limit: 1 day.]
[Remaining Time: 1 day.]
Oh, so it's that particular youngster from Vali's team. But based on this quest, did he bring his companions to town?
After extending his perception slightly, Takeyo detected Arthur and the rest of Vali's group positioned around the corner.
Seems like they're specifically targeting me. This won't do, I need to create a distraction for Vali.
"Yo! Long time no see, right?" Vali leaned casually against a telephone pole, radiating an aura that screamed 'coolness is my birthright, always accompanying me like the wind.'
"Vali, what brings you here? You're not planning to pick a fight, are you?" Takeyo examined his clenched fist meaningfully.
Have you gotten too comfortable, Vali? Or have I become too weak to wield my metaphorical blade?
"No, no, no, I have no intention of fighting someone who's badly wounded. That would be far too dishonorable." Vali shook his head firmly.
He was a battle enthusiast, certainly, but not a foolish one. Otherwise, he would have challenged the world's strongest Infinite Dragon God from the very beginning.
"Takeyo? Who is this person?" Rias asked, not recognizing the silver-haired stranger.
"Vali, the White Dragon Emperor of this generation. A perpetual second-year syndrome case who dreams of defeating the gods. I beat him down not too long ago," Takeyo said with casual dismissiveness, and Vali's composed expression immediately cracked.
"Hey! What's with this 'second-year syndrome' label?!" Vali protested, his cool demeanor evaporating.
What he didn't realize was that someone had already compiled a comprehensive dossier on his adolescent behavior patterns. That person? His sworn sister Lavinia, wielder of the Longinus Sacred Gear "Absolute Demise"!
Before Vali could continue his objection, a dissatisfied girl's voice rang out from nearby.
"Vali-sama! You're supposed to be helping me with this!"
A girl wearing a distinctive magician's hat emerged from around the corner, her expression clearly annoyed.
Her name was Le Fay, a descendant of this world's King Arthur bloodline.
Seeing Le Fay appear so directly, Vali pressed his palm against his forehead in exasperation. Couldn't you have waited for me to finish talking before jumping out so abruptly?
However, Le Fay completely ignored his unspoken frustration. She rushed directly toward Takeyo with obvious excitement.
"Takeyo-sama! I'm such a huge fan of yours!"
Le Fay's enthusiasm radiated from every pore as she eagerly extended her hand for a handshake.
"Oh... um, hello?" Takeyo responded, slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected Le Fay to transform into one of his devoted fans during the time since they'd last met.
But if that was the case, only one explanation made sense.
"I absolutely admire Takeyo-sama's actions last night! Could you possibly give me an autograph?" Le Fay suddenly lifted the hem of her robe, revealing the cute white underwear beneath.
"An autograph... here?" Takeyo asked, his eyebrow twitching slightly.
Rias's expression darkened immediately. Have you properly assessed the situation? Show some respect for me, would you?!
"Yes, right here, no problem at all!" Le Fay's face flushed with anticipation as she made her request.
"Alright then, here you go," Takeyo agreed with a slight smile, then extended his hand directly.
The light of a magic circle flickered as Takeyo completed the signature on Le Fay's body using direct magical inscription rather than any physical implement.
"Ahh... mm..." After sensing Takeyo's signature being completed through direct touch, Le Fay's eyes fluttered open tremulously.
She genuinely hadn't expected Takeyo would sign by hand rather than using a pen or marker. But somehow, a signature applied this way felt infinitely more precious.
"It's done," Takeyo said simply as he touched Le Fay's hat, completing his sign-in objective in the process.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host! Sign-In completed successfully! Sign-In Rank: Silver!]
[Sign-In Location: Le Fay's magic hat!]
[Congratulations, Host! Reward obtained: Intermediate Magical Talent!]
[Intermediate Magical Talent: When using magic, mana consumption reduced by 15%, magical effect increased by 15%! Additionally, your spellcasting gains enhanced resistance to interruption, making it extremely difficult for enemies to disrupt your magic mid-cast.]
Under Arthur's watchful gaze, Takeyo calmly removed his hand from Le Fay's hat and stepped back.
The entire interaction had been executed with perfect propriety, though Arthur's protective instincts as an older brother had definitely activated during those few seconds.
Rias, meanwhile, continued glaring daggers at the oblivious young witch, her territorial instincts thoroughly provoked by this unexpected competition.