chsdbacks Page 196
Page 196
Both of them noticed Rias's change.
No longer the minister who always gently sought opinions, she now resembled a true, commanding head of the Gremory family.
They didn't ask many questions; their physical exhaustion was real, but the mental shock needed time to process.
The two exchanged a glance, bowed to Rias and Akeno again, and then turned and left the activity room.
With the door closed, only Rias and Akeno Himejima remained in the room.
Rias gathered her thoughts and prepared to use the same method to temporarily distract her biggest "obstacle".
"Akino, you should go back to the shrine too. You must be tired today. Be careful."
She deliberately avoided looking into her close friend's eyes, afraid that the friend would notice something amiss.
However, Akeno Himejima did not leave as obediently as she had expected.
"Ok?"
A soft nasal sound, tinged with languor and a hint of playfulness.
The next second, a soft hand grabbed Rias's wrist.
Rias's heart skipped a beat, and when she looked up, she met Himejima Akeno's smiling purple eyes.
The smile was still gentle, but Rias read in it the meaning that "I saw through your little scheme a long time ago."
"Rias, don't say that."
Himejima Akeno leaned closer, her warm breath brushing against Rias's ear. Her voice was extremely low, yet it exploded in Rias's mind like a thunderclap.
"Shouldn't we be preparing for a night raid?"
"Huh?! A...a night raid?"
Rias reacted like a kitten whose tail had been stepped on, instantly bristling with anger.
She tried to pull her hand back, but Zhu Nai gripped it even tighter.
"What...what are you saying! I don't understand!"
Her voice became several octaves sharper, and her cheeks turned from pink to crimson at a visible speed.
How did she know?! I didn't say anything!
Was my expression really that obvious? Damn it! Can this woman read minds?!
Rias's mind was screaming wildly, her brain completely blank.
"Oh dear, don't you understand?"
Himejima Akeno tilted her head, giving a feigned innocent look, but the smile in her eyes betrayed her.
"Just now at Ye's house, wasn't Rias blushing so much that her face was practically burning up? She looked like she had made some major decision."
She reached out her other hand and gently touched Rias's burning cheek with her fingertips.
"Let me guess... does Rias feel that since she is now Ye's rightful 'official wife,' she should fulfill some of the duties of an 'official wife'?"
"For example, sneaking into your crush's room late at night, and then..."
"do not talk!"
Rias was so embarrassed she wanted to disappear into the ground. She covered Akeno's mouth with her other hand, but Akeno nimbly dodged it.
"I don't think so!"
Even she herself found her rebuttal weak and feeble.
"There's none?"
Himejima Akeno's smile grew increasingly playful. She grabbed Rias's hands and gently pushed her against the wall, creating an ambiguous "wall slam" position.
"But Rias, we're best friends, aren't we?"
Her voice became incredibly gentle, possessing a bewitching magic.
"How could you think of leaving me behind and going alone for something so important?"
"I...I didn't!"
Rias was still making a last-ditch effort.
"Oh dear, still being stubborn."
Akeno Himejima's purple eyes flashed with electricity as she leaned down and spoke in a barely audible voice to Rias.
"Ye Jun is still a novice, you know. This first bowl of soup must taste delicious, right?"
【boom--!】
When the brother Sazex said those frivolous words, coming from his best friend's mouth, the impact was instantly a hundredfold.
Rias completely gave up resisting. Her body went limp, and she leaned against the wall, her mind a complete mess.
[It's over...she knows everything...]
This cunning woman! This devil!
Seeing Rias's disheveled and helpless state, Akeno Himejima smiled with satisfaction.
She released her grip, took a step back, and transformed back into the gentle and dignified Yamato Nadeshiko.
"So, Rias, are we going together, or are you watching me go?"
She smiled and presented a multiple-choice question, one that Rias couldn't possibly choose from.
go together?
What does that make you? Two best friends teaming up to ambush a man at night?
What a shame!
Watch her go?
That won't do! Absolutely not!
This woman! She did it on purpose!
Rias bit her lower lip, her crimson eyes fixed on Akeno Himejima.
Anger, shyness, and resentment intertwined in her heart, but in the end, the instinct for survival, or rather, the sense of crisis as the "official wife," triumphed over everything.
She can't lose! Especially not to Himejima Akeno!
"Who...who said I was going alone!"
Rias straightened her chest, trying to save face.
"I... I was just thinking about how to bring it up with you! After all, we need to plan this out carefully!"
In a moment of quick thinking, she cleverly explained her "solo action" as "not having had time to notify her teammates."
"Oh? The plan?"
Himejima Akeno's eyes lit up. She eagerly moved closer, took Rias's arm, and leaned affectionately against her.
"Does Rias have any good plans? Tell me quickly."
"I……"
Rias got stuck again. She didn't have any plan at all; her mind was just filled with single-minded thoughts like "rush over" and "strike first."
Seeing her embarrassed expression, Himejima Akeno covered her mouth and chuckled.
"Since Rias hasn't decided yet, then leave it to me."
She pulled Rias along, heading towards the bathroom in the activity room.
"A night raid is also a war. Preparations before the battle are very important."
"For example... taking a bath and changing clothes, making yourself smell nice, isn't that the most basic etiquette?"
"Hey! Akeno! What are you doing! Let me go!"
Rias was half-dragged and half-pulled along by her, protesting verbally but her body honestly not using any strength at all.
"Oh, of course... it's just a little preparation for our common victory."
Himejima Akeno's voice sounded particularly alluring in the spacious activity room.
Actual word count: 2126.
Chapter 165 Nanlixiang: So you guys are the same too.
In Zhou Ye's living room, even after Rias and Akeno Himejima disappeared, the ambiguous and tense atmosphere did not completely dissipate; instead, it lingered in the air in another form.
The girls who remained looked at each other, each with their own thoughts.
Kasumigaoka Utaha crossed her arms, her slender fingers tapping lightly on her arms, her eyes gleaming with calculation.
Yotsuya Miko was somewhat restless. She looked at this person, then at that person, and finally turned her pleading gaze to the most reliable Jill.
Gil Valentine, however, was decisive. She stood up, clapped her hands, and broke the silence.
"Alright, that's enough of today's farce. Everyone's had a long day, go back to your rooms and rest."
Her voice, crisp and professional like a police officer, instantly brought the room's romantic daydreams back to reality.
"Huh? That's it?"
Shizuka Marikawa rubbed her sleepy eyes and asked with a naturally clueless expression,
"I thought there would be some exciting developments to come."
Nanri Kaori, who was standing next to her, put her arm around her shoulder and whispered a few words in her ear. Shizuka's face immediately turned red, and she mumbled something.
"Rika, you're so naughty."
Kalavana and Linali, the two former fallen angels, exchanged a glance, consciously placing themselves in the position of bystanders, at least for now.
As for Elsa Algert, the former nun was too embarrassed to look up. She simply whispered goodnight to Zhou Ye and was the first to run upstairs.
"That's true, we have class tomorrow."
Kasumigaoka Utaha adjusted her glasses and was the first to respond to Gil's suggestion.