Chapter 18: Chapter 18 • The Rias Surprise
"Can you come with me for a minute?" Throwing back her hair, Rias said with a dignified tone.
Rias' voice, melodic and seductive, seemed to carry promises of secrets and deep understandings, touching something more than the ear of the listener.
"Ahh, is this serious?!?"
It wasn't Light who reacted first to Rias' words, but the student next to him, who had a crush on Rias Gremory... No, actually, it was more than a crush, it bordered on obsessive idolatry.
His expressive eyes shone with a silent adoration for Rias, showing a deep affection that transcended mere words.
Both Light and Rias ignored the boy's exclamation.
Light met Rias' beautiful blue-green eyes, flashing a small smile.
'What's her reason for wanting to talk to me?' Contrary to what he was showing, he was a little wary: 'There's no way she could know that I was the one who eliminated Issei and, because of that, Issei lost his Sacred Gear, right?
"Sure, let's go." Light stood up.
Light followed Rias, his calculating mind already devising defense strategies, pondering the reason for the invitation and its possible implications.
As Rias and Light walked away, Kenji lagged behind, his hopes slowly crumbling into desolation, each step they took like a blow to his heart.
"Kenji." Seeing his friend calling him, Kenji looked up hopefully, but his next words made him cry: "She's too much for you, don't be sad~!"
Kenji held back a sigh of discouragement.
Meanwhile, Light and Rias arrived on the terrace.
A palpable tension enveloped Rias and Light, a weight in the air so dense that it seemed almost tangible.
Rias frowned, noticing the charged atmosphere between them. The cause of such pressure in the air escaped her momentarily.
It seemed that she had even forgotten what she wanted to talk to him about...
Rias' silence only served to amplify the alarm inside Light, every second of stillness sharpening his caution. He was ready to activate the power of his devil fruit and flee at any moment.
Face her? Heh, he was no fool.
Even if he could beat her, what would he do next? After all, she was the younger sister of Sirzechs Lucifer, one of the leaders of the Four Great Satans that rule the Underworld!
She wasn't just any noblewoman; as heir to the illustrious Gremory Clan, her name resounded with authority through the halls of the Underworld.
Light knew all this from the script he had seen of Issei Hyoudou.
With all that in mind, would he dare go against her?
Ultimately, he saw himself as a small fish in a vast ocean, sailing alone with no safe harbor or ally to turn to and could only depend on himself...
Rias rubbed her forehead, perplexed by the inexplicable tension. Then, opening her eyes, she turned to Light: "Err... Light Yagami. Can I call you Light?"
"All right." Light nodded.
"Light, the reason I brought you here is simple," said Rias with a half-smile. "I'd like to invite you to join my peerage."
When Light heard that, his shoulders relaxed.
He breathed a sigh of relief, but didn't let his guard down completely.
However, pondering, he said, "Sona Sitri-kaichou gave me a similar invitation, did you know?"
"So I was right!" She exclaimed, but then stopped herself. Pretending to cough, she said: "But you didn't accept, did you?"
Actually, she was just testing; she hadn't meant it at first. She said it to test his reaction, if he showed any reaction, it would mean that he knew about her being a devil and even about what it meant to be invited to be part of her peerage.
What's more, his reaction proved that she was right, Sona had indeed invited him to her peerage. But, for some reason unknown to her, he seemed to have rejected the invitation.
"Exactly," Light revealed, "we played a game of chess; if she won, I would accept the invitation."
"Wait! You played chess against her and won?" Rias asked in surprise.
Seeing how surprised she was, Light frowned.
'Is there something special about beating Sona Sitri at chess?' Light tried to guess, but in the end, even looking through the script he had obtained from Issei, he found no information relating to this.
"Well, I won," Light nodded.
Rias reflexively brought her thumb to her lips, nibbling on it gently as her thoughts whirled around in a whirlwind.
She couldn't believe what she had heard.
Sona's defeat at chess intrigued her.
'He was able to beat Sona in a game of wits? So... Does he know?' Rias asked herself, full of wonder and doubt: 'Well, from his reaction, I don't think so.'
She decided to keep her assumptions secret, opting for a strategic silence on the subject.
As for her challenging him to a game of chess with the bet that, if he lost, he would have to accept her invitation? Rias didn't even think that was possible, since he was able to beat Sona.
Although she hated to admit it, she knew she was no better than Sona in a game of chess; it was better not to embarrass herself and try another approach.
"Any chance you want to be part of my peerage?" Rias ventured. She even tried her best to smile as she said it.
No wonder she was voted the most beautiful girl in the school; when she smiled just now, even Light's heart beat faster.
However, Light was determined to keep his freedom, refusing to become something like a devil!
"I don't think so," Light rejected tactfully.
"Ah, I see." She sighed with a wave of disappointment in her voice: 'It really is a shame...'
Seeing her act like this, it was hard to resist the charm of a woman so beautiful that she was pitiful. It made me want to hug her and say yes. Of course, Light wasn't just any guy; he wasn't going to do that just because Rias was so charming and beautiful.
Later, after saying goodbye to Rias, Light returned to the classroom, greeted by several judgmental and curious looks. He ignored them all with indifference, going to his desk to pick up his wallet.
Sona, who saw Light return, smiled a little out of the corner of her eye. She had guessed Rias' motive, and she had also guessed that he had rejected her.
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