In the lounge, Rias and Sona were telling everyone about the events of the last meeting when suddenly, the door swung open and Tenraku entered from outside.
"Tenraku, have you finished talking with Nii Sama?" Rias asked standing up, but the observant girl noticed that Tenraku's expression was a bit unusual.
"Yes, we're done. Let's go home first," Tenraku replied with a forced smile.
Although she was a bit skeptical, Rias didn't push any further. Together with Akeno, they activated the transmission formation, and everyone returned home directly through it.
"We're back!"
"Welcome back, Master."
The mischievous duo of Ile and Nel started running around the house as soon as they returned, while Ophis and Lilith flashed out and hung onto Tenraku.
Hearing the sound, Ravel and Kunou, along with several other girls, came out of their rooms to greet everyone.
Seeing the two Dragon God pets on his shoulders and the familiar scenes in the house, Tenraku's heavy mood lightened considerably and a smile appeared on his face.
"We're back..."
---
Knock! Knock! Knock!!!
"Rias, it's me."
"Come in."
After knocking on Rias' door and receiving her permission, Tenraku entered.
As a princess of the Gremory family, Rias' room was elegantly decorated and the whole room was filled with a pleasant scent. As a frequent visitor, Tenraku was naturally familiar with the surroundings.
There was a table in the middle of the room, currently decorated with various exquisite tea snacks. In each direction - north, south, east, and west - there was a chair, three of which were already occupied by Rias, Akeno, and Sona.
"Tenraku, it's your turn. Come over here," Rias called, and Tenraku followed.
"Rias, why did you suddenly decide to have a tea party?" Tenraku asked with a smile as he sat down.
Having just returned from the underworld, Rias mentioned that she wanted to have a tea party in Tenraku's room, but she only invited Tenraku, Akeno, and Sona.
"Can't I have a tea party whenever I want?" Rias retorted playfully.
"Of course, my princess," Tenraku replied with a smile, not daring to say anything else.
Looking at Akeno and Sona beside her, Rias noticed their confused expressions. To be suddenly invited by Rias left them a bit confused.
"We're together every day, but it's been a while since the four of us sat down to talk. With all the recent events, I thought it would be nice to have a little chat," Rias explained as she poured each of them a cup of freshly brewed tea.
Akeno offered to help, but Rias smiled and declined. She was the host of this tea party, so she insisted on doing everything herself.
Rias seemed a bit strange, but Tenraku, Akeno, and Sona didn't dare to ask directly. It had indeed been a long time since they had such a gathering, and in the midst of all the recent events, sitting together and chatting over tea seemed quite pleasant.
With delicious tea and exquisite pastries, they enjoyed themselves and discussed light-hearted topics, gradually creating a relaxed atmosphere for the tea party.
"Speaking of which, when we first met Tenraku and Akeno, you were both being chased by the Himejima Family practitioners. Especially Akeno, who was hiding behind Tenraku at that time, looked so helpless," Rias recalled with a smile, remembering the past.
"Was I really that pathetic, Rias?" Akeno asked, a hint of amusement in her voice, while Rias couldn't help but smile at the memory.
"Of course you were. And when we first met, Tenraku actually entrusted you to me. At first, I thought Tenraku had had enough of Akeno's troubles and wanted to abandon you," Rias teased, earning a playful look from Akeno.
"Hmph, Tenraku would never leave me. To even think such a thing, Rias, you were so mean back then," Akeno replied with a grin, playfully teasing Rias who dared to make fun of her.
"Well, we weren't very familiar with Rias back then, so it's normal for her to have such thoughts," Tenraku remarked.
"At that time, both Akeno and I were too weak and were almost pushed to the brink. Thinking back, we owe a lot to Rias for her help, whether it's Akeno or me," Tenraku sighed, remembering those past events.
"I guess I just didn't want to see any more sad things back then. And Agrippa also suggested that I take in Akeno, saying that she had the potential to become an excellent member of the peerage," Rias explained, with Tenraku and Akeno nodding in agreement.
"Don't just talk about Tenraku and my affairs, Rias should also talk about her own, right?" Akeno interjected teasingly.
"Back then, Rias was very much against family arranged marriages. After making a contract with Tenraku, she was still determined to defeat him in a rating game. But before the match even started, Rias was already in love," Akeno revealed with a mischievous grin.
"W-What! It's all Tenraku's fault!" Rias blushed furiously and glared at Tenraku.
"Hai hai, it's all my fault, my fault. Who knew that I was so amazing that I could capture the heart of the princess of the House of Gremory," Tenraku chuckled and raised his hands in surrender.
"Hehehe..." Tenraku's playful attitude caused Akeno and Sona to burst out laughing.
"D-Damn it, Sona, you're laughing too!" Rias exclaimed embarrassed.
"Well, Sona also said before that she was only interested in Tenraku and would not interfere with our engagement, but now she's not the same as me!" Rias teased, revealing Sona's past.
"Um..." Caught off guard by Rias' revelation, Sona's face flushed with embarrassment.
Damn Rias, I was just laughing, did you have to drag me into this?!
Although they exposed each other's embarrassing past, there was no malice behind it. The atmosphere of the tea party was very relaxed, and both Tenraku and Rias' group of girls felt happier than they had in a long time.
However, just as the tea party was about to end...
"Tenraku, Akeno, Sona, you've actually been hiding something from me all along," Rias suddenly spoke up, plunging the entire room into silence...
To be continued...
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