Chapter 20 - Koneko: Actually Mahiro Confessed To Me On The Same Day!
"It seems the information about Mahiro satisfied Rias very much."
In the Occult Research Club, Akeno made a pot of tea, placed it next to Rias, and poured a cup for her.
Himejima Akeno noticed Rias's smile, apparently influenced by the information the familiar had handed her.
"Well, there's nothing wrong with the background."
Rias put down the information, took a cup of tea, and sipped gracefully, narrowing her eyes slightly. She praised, "Akeno, your tea-making skills have improved recently."
"Really?"
Himejima Akeno cupped her cheek with her right hand and smiled, "After all, as a senpai, if I don't have any good skills, the president will abandon me."
Rias said angrily, "Okay, even if I abandon you, you still have many fans at school who want to love you."
"But you're more popular than I am, Rias," Himejima Akeno replied with a smile. The two often joked like this, but it was just friendly banter between them.
"Rias, how is Mahiro's situation?"
Putting away her smile, Himejima Akeno focused on Mahiro, as that was their main concern these past two days.
"There's not much of a problem with his background and origins."
Rias put down the teacup, and her eyes fell on the document about Mahiro again.
"Just two odd things."
Rias said, pushing the information to Himejima Akeno, "Take a look at yourself."
Himejima Akeno nodded. Her browsing speed was much faster than Rias's. She skimmed through the irrelevant information and focused on the important parts.
Soon, Himejima Akeno put down the material.
"There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it."
Himejima Akeno said curiously.
"It's really normal. If he were just an ordinary person, there would be no problem, but it's not typical for a human to easily kill a stray devil," Rias said.
The document recorded Mahiro's experiences before coming to Kuoh Academy. While it didn't cover everything, it detailed most of his life.
According to the data, Mahiro was an excellent teenager, better than most of his peers.
"Is it a question about his strength?"
"Yes."
Rias nodded.
What concerned Rias most was Mahiro's sharp swordsmanship, which had impressed Kiba Yuuto.
In Rias's understanding, the strength of humans, devils, and even her nobility grows gradually over time.
For example, Kiba Yuuto had worked hard to learn swordsmanship.
However, there was no clear record of Mahiro's superb swordsmanship, which appeared overnight.
Rias's thinking was logical but didn't apply to Mahiro's unique situation.
He had a system that gave him extraordinary abilities, making direct comparisons impossible.
"Although Mahiro once learned kendo, the dojo he attended was for ordinary people's fitness. It couldn't possibly produce someone with Mahiro's skill level from last night," Rias pondered.
The best comparison was Kiba Yuuto, who had been taught by a renowned swordsman, a master among humans.
Due to this careful teaching, Kiba Yuuto had reached his current level of swordsmanship.
"Could it be the magic eye?"
Himejima Akeno speculated after a moment of thought.
Rias was taken aback. When she remembered the battle with the stray devil, she remembered that Mahiro had activated a magic eye, which he closed after defeating the devil.
"Remember that Mahiro said yesterday that he sought out the stray devil to test his strength."
Rias nodded, "He did say that."
Himejima Akeno continued, "The information we found didn't mention when Mahiro awakened his magic eye, nor do we know its exact abilities."
"You mean to say..."
Rias frowned, contemplating.
"Maybe he awakened his magic eye recently and only mastered its power yesterday. The sudden improvement in his swordsmanship might be related to the magic eye's awakening."
Himejima Akeno shared her speculation.
"There is indeed a possibility."
Rias agreed.
Magic eyes were rarer than Sacred Gears and possessed strange abilities.
If Mahiro's extraordinary strength came from awakening a magic eye, it would explain his sudden skill.
During the investigation, there was no evidence of Mahiro's contact with anyone from the world of mythical creatures.
This suggested that he might have been learning and advancing independently after awakening his magic eye.
If so, this potential was enough to interest Rias.
"Rias, then what's the second odd thing?"
Himejima Akeno asked with a smile.
"Mahiro wasn'twas originally from somewhere other than Kuoh Town. His grades in his former city were good enough to attend the best high school there. Yet, he chose to move away from the city he'd lived in for years and enrolled in the unfamiliar Kuoh Academy, which strikes me as odd."
Himejima Akeno suddenly covered her mouth and chuckled, "If that's the case, maybe Koneko-chan can answer you."
Sitting on the sofa in the center of the classroom, Toujou Koneko, silently nibbling on snacks, suddenly raised her head and looked at the two of them with a bit of confusion.
"Koneko, do you know why Mahiro left his familiar city to study at Kuoh Academy?"
Toujou Koneko was silent for a moment, then said in a hushed voice, "Because he is a big pervert!"
"Uh..."
Rias was dumbfounded. She had expected a clear answer from Koneko but got this blunt response instead.
"Koneko, are you serious?"
"President, you must be careful and not be deceived by that guy. Otherwise, he will harm both you and Akeno-senpai."
Toujou Koneko said with a straight face.
"Harm us?"
Himejima Akeno smiled, "But even if someone wants to harm Rias and me, Koneko-chan will protect us, right?"
"Of course."
Toujou Koneko clenched her fists in determination.
"Koneko-chan is right. Our Kuoh Academy is known for its high-quality girls. For boys, this place is heaven."
Himejima Akeno said with a teasing smile.
Rias stroked her forehead and asked, "Koneko, is there any misunderstanding between you and Mahiro?"
Yesterday, they had noticed some tension between the two, but they were busy with the stray devil hunt and didn't pay much attention. Now, it seemed Koneko had a deep prejudice against Mahiro.
Toujou Koneko was silent momentarily, then glanced at Himejima Akeno, hesitant to speak.
"Koneko-chan, Mahiro-kun might become Rias's servant and our companion in the future. If there are unresolved issues between you, it will be difficult for Rias," Himejima Akeno persuaded.
Toujou Koneko's golden pupils flashed with struggle. Then she said, "Actually, Mahiro confessed to me at noon on the same day he confessed to Akeno-senpai, and I rejected him."
Akeno: "..."
Rias: "..."
---
Read More With Pictures (20+ Chapters In Advance):
patreon.com/heavenlydawn
---