章 9: [Dialogue]

I blinked at Rias, waiting for her to continue. But it seemed she was waiting for some sort of reaction from me. Shock, maybe? I don't know.

"You... don't seem that surprised. Did you somehow already know?" She says with a cute tilt of her head. Something I've noticed is that her natural mannerisms and her body don't match at all.

She probably thinks I haven't noticed it, but seeing through fake behavior is a specialty of mine. She's been copying Akeno while trying to seduce me, I think. Although their bodies are equally as voluptuous, Akeno gives off a natural seductress vibe.

Meanwhile, Rias seems to be naturally inclined to innocence, weirdly enough. She's probably the type of person to walk around naked and think it's natural to not have clothes on. You aren't born with them, after all.

"No offense Rias, but you aren't exactly being subtle. I mean, you're very powerful and your surname is Gremory. It's not rocket science. Honestly, I was tempted to tease you about secretly being a guy and owning a camel of all things." I reply bluntly.

Seriously though, a camel? I know they're good transportation but horses are way cooler.

"Ahem. Well, since you obviously know of the supernatural, what are you doing here in devil territory?" She says with genuine curiosity after ruthlessly suppressing her embarrassed blush.

"Oh no, don't get me wrong. I have no idea what the hell is going on in this town. Half the girls I've seen have been monstrously strong and throwing magic around like it's normal. Please, enlighten me." I say while interlocking my fingers and resting my face on my hands.

She does a double-take at my words, "Wait, so if you don't know about the supernatural, how did you use touki?" In response, I shrug.

"I don't know. I just meditated for a really long time until something happened. I can instinctively tell how strong people are so when I saw that Sona girl on the first day I got scared and meditated the days away to calm down. Then, that happened."

A moment of silence happened where Rias put a finger to her chin in a thinking pose, propping her arm under her breasts. I was about to speak when she crossed her legs and raised them a tad bit high making me raise an eyebrow. That was an intentional move, using seduction to keep me quiet while she thinks.

Sure, I'll stay quiet. Though it is insulting she thinks I can be shut up by a few pantie shots. Whatever, her naivete will be her undoing sooner or later.

Interrupting my musing, Akeno set a cup of tea in front of me with a fake smile. I don't reciprocate until I get a good look at the tea. Could be poison.

[Macha Tea] (By: Akeno Himejima)

Near perfectly made in terms of taste and quality. Temporarily makes the consumer calm, rational, and think slightly faster. (30m)

Huh. Maybe I'm being too paranoid around these guys. Naahhh, I'm probably not being remotely paranoid enough. I don't know if these guys can subtly use mind manipulation, after all.

Either way, this tea tastes fantastic. I give Akeno a smile and a nod of thanks. In response, her smile turns from a fake one to a real one. Her honest reaction makes my smile grow more. Looks like someone enjoys praise. Or maybe she just enjoys making tea.

Fuck it, probably both.

"Even for our standards, your power unlocking that way is unusual. In fact, the entire reason we're speaking is that the girl you were afraid of took an interest in you after noticing your magic core pulsating." Rias begins again, still visibly trying to organize her thoughts.

Pulsating though? Does she mean when I was meditating? I knew playing around with skills in school would be a bad idea, but to think it was that obvious.

"Huh. Well, whatever. So why did you want to speak with me instead of letting your little loli crush me?" I ask. I thought she wanted to talk because she thought I was a murderer and just wanted my side of the story.

Now, though, I think it might be something else.

"Right. I want you to join my peerage and become a devil." She says with a chipper tone. My eyes narrow immediately at this, however.

"Elaborate."

She collects herself and backs up a little. "Of course. You may not know this, but almost all of the mythologies you know of are true in some form. Gods, angels, fallen angels, devils."

"And my race is a Devil, one of the three parts of the biblical faction. But as you might've guessed, there are other factions. The Norse gods, for example. Sadly, our faction has always been at odds with each other. Angels, Devils, and Fallen Angels have never really gotten along. Years of war have dwindled each race down and as a species with a low fertility rate, our leaders looked to other sources of repopulating."

Ah. I see where she's going with this.

"In other words... people like me. People who already know of the supernatural and can't really get away from it anymore."

"Exactly." She confirms.

"I have... many questions. But before we continue this conversation any further, I have to ask my most important one. If I say no, what'll happen to me?" I ask in the most emotionless tone I can use.

I want to sound neutral here so she'll answer honestly, but if she says something I don't like I'm gonna just immediately download and deconstruct the ground below me. I might not be fast enough but I'll try and dig away. If not, I'm taking someone down with me if they try anything.

Luckily, her response isn't as bad as I thought.

"Normally we would just erase your memory of this encounter. But considering you're already involved in the supernatural, nothing would happen. I know my race has a... less than desirable reputation amongst humans, but my clan prides ourselves on being civil." She says that last part with a small frown.

That sounds pretty reasonable to me. Memory manipulation is a huge taboo in my opinion but it's not that bad in this instance.

"Alright, sell me on it. If I'm understanding this right, this should be a life-changing decision so I want all the details," I take a moment to think before continuing, "Pros and cons, don't leave anything out."

With renewed vigor, she answers with gusto while Akeno looks on with an exasperated but fond look. Rias is a bit excitable, huh. That, or prideful of her race.

"Got it! As I'm the heiress of the Gremory clan, you'll have our full support on anything you endeavor. The best trainers for magic, combat, and much more. Money won't ever be a problem and anyone who opposes you opposes us as well."

"On top of that, you'll gain thousands of years of lifespan, enhancements to your power, and the ability to use the devil's often desired imagination-based magic."

Neat. I don't need money though. I can just get a coal mine, transmute coal into diamonds, and then fuck off to Narnia. The power is nice but power without earning it seems cheap. I wouldn't go out of my way to get rid of power I didn't earn, but I definitely wouldn't look for it.

That being said...

"...The cons?"

She tits her head again cutely, "Hmm... well, for one you'd be expected to perform contracts. Basically, you do a job for a human, and in return, you get a small increase in your magic power. It's how most low-class devils reach middle-class."

"You'd also be obligated to fight in any battles we might get in, whether that be in a rating game or not." She notices the confused look on my face and explains further, "Oh a rating game is a sort of team combat sport."

"There's also some political matters that you'd have to be subject to as a reincarnated devil, but that's a fairly moot point considering how I treat my peerage members." She says that part quickly. She doesn't want me to think about that part. Suspicious, but I don't care. No amount of politics will stop me from slapping a disrespectful asshole.

This is not a wuxia novel or whatever where the nobles just shit on everyone and people act like it's okay. If someone is rude I'm gonna be rude back. The entire devil race can catch these hands when I get strong enough.

"I won't lie. The only thing I really care about is the enhancements and lifespan. Don't get me wrong, everything else sounds nice but I feel like I could substitute it with other things myself." I admit.

"Do you mind if I get some time to think about it? As I said, this is a life-changing decision." It's not really an enticing offer, but if I jump into this right away there might be some hidden stipulations and I don't want to deal with needless drama.

"I-I would prefer if you answered now." She stutters, looking nervous. That'd be suspicious if I couldn't tell she's just really desperate.

"Why? This doesn't seem like something time-sensitive."

Rias sighs, "...I suppose it would be unfair to demand an answer without explaining why." She takes a breath as Akeno lays a hand on her shoulder in comfort, "In a few days, I'm to be married to a man that I despise. However, there is a way out of this forced arrangement."

"A rating game. And you don't exactly need me, you're just bolstering your forces. Which I assume are lackluster in comparison to his if you've resorted to coming to me." I realize out loud.

I'm very much aware of how weak I am in the grand scheme of things. While her battle power of 850 sounds pretty high, the fact that she isn't strong-arming her engagement away means others can crush her like a bug. Either that or they're too valuable to harm.

So for her to come to me of all people? Even if I'm enhanced by being a devil I don't think I'd be that strong.

"That is pretty much on the mark, yes. So? Your answer?" She says without any of her seductive act. This is a genuine plea built on helplessness.

When I came into this world, I thought I was getting a slice of life anime that I could relax in and eventually become a billionaire through my inventions. If she offered me this at that point, I would've said yes in a heartbeat.

Creating machinery is very costly, and her promise of endless money is extremely enticing to a broke inventor or scientist. Funding is everything. But, now that I have a bit of power and can clearly see my own potential, this offer seems a bit... lackluster.

"Your... plight resonates with me. Freedom is a concept that I'm heavily involved with, after all."

I took a breath and collected my thoughts so I could say this without being misinterpreted.

"But, I'm going to have to decline. No offense, but you're a devil that I didn't even know existed until yesterday. In other words a stranger with a family history of excessive deceit and suffering. It would be foolish of me to give up my freedom to protect yours."

With each word, I watch as she winces and makes her slight frown morph into a grimace. She obviously understands what I'm getting at, but she still doesn't like it.

I don't blame her, I wouldn't like it either to be forcefully married to an enemy of mine.

"I-I see. I can't deny the logic behind that so I'll just have to go along with it." She says sadly, deflating completely. Slumping into the chair, she stares at the ceiling in defeat.

I think we're done here, so I silently put the empty teacup down and stand up and walk towards the door. On my way out, I give Akeno an apologetic look and a quick thank you for the tea. She responds with a sad smile, but nods and lets me go without much fanfare.

"Katsuo," I hear Rias say when I get to the door.

"Hm?" I reply without turning around.

I can hear the shuffling of clothes, but I only look over my shoulder and see her standing there with a determined look on her face. Akeno looks a bit confused, so this probably wasn't in any plan they had. Whatever she's about to say is coming from Rias, not a practiced sales pitch.

"The crux of the argument is that you don't trust me, right? To accept would mean trusting me with your life, and you can't exactly do that in confidence. Then I can't give up yet. I'll just have to earn your trust!" She says resolutely.

Goddammit. I shake my head and sigh at her words. I came in here expecting to get accused of murder and I left with a heartfelt promise to earn my trust.

This truly is an anime world.

"We'll see. Goodnight, Rias."