Chapter 91 - Rias: Mahiro-kun, You... You...
"Of course, Rias is just a kid, and I'm here to play games with her..." Mahiro blinked and said this with complete seriousness.
Seeing Mahiro's expression, Rias couldn't help but laugh; she never imagined Mahiro could be so unintentionally funny. Her mood instantly lifted.
"Mahiro-kun, what are you doing here?" Rias asked, curious. She got up from Mahiro's arms, standing firm as the sadness on her face faded away.
It was already night, and classes had been over for a while. All the students had gone home.
"You really don't get it, do you, Rias?" Mahiro said with a smirk.
"Uh... sorry," Rias was caught off guard for a second, then suddenly realized and apologized.
"Did Koneko-chan find you?" Rias asked. After coming back from the Underworld, she had only seen Koneko. The only way Mahiro would show up now was if Koneko found him.
"I told her not to worry," Rias muttered.
Mahiro reached out and gently squeezed Rias's cheeks.
"It's that kind of attitude that makes us worry," Mahiro said bluntly.
Rias stepped back, a bit surprised by his sudden touch. But instead of being annoyed, his concern made her feel a warmth inside.
"Sorry, I just needed some alone time to get my head straight. I didn't mean to make you worry," Rias smiled apologetically.
"Rias, I think you're just trying too hard to be tough." Seeing Rias's face, Mahiro sighed.
"You're probably making up excuses so we won't worry about you."
Rias's smile faltered, and she turned her head away, not wanting Mahiro to see her expression.
"I'm not trying to be tough. You're just overthinking it," Rias said. "It's not like I haven't dealt with stuff like this before. I usually feel better after a day or so."
"That might have worked before, but things are different now. You might've handled it alone back then, but now, we're all here with you," Mahiro said firmly.
"..."
Rias opened her mouth to respond but didn't know what to say. She lowered her head, falling silent, unsure of how to reply. She knew she'd probably gone too far.
As the heir to her clan, she'd always been confident and proud, acting like nothing could stop her—always appearing strong in front of everyone. But beneath that tough exterior, she had a fragile side.
Just like now, Rias, who never wanted her friends to worry, suddenly found herself helpless, making Koneko and the others even more concerned.
Seeing that Rias was silent, Mahiro reached out and squeezed her cheeks again.
"Why the hell did you do that?" Rias shouted in frustration, glaring at Mahiro.
"Don't treat your friends like they're just decoration," Mahiro said bluntly.
"I'm not," Rias said, slightly flustered. "It's just that I can handle this on my own, so I don't want to burden you. If it ever gets too much, I'll definitely ask for help," Rias explained.
"You better not just be saying that," Mahiro nodded.
"Don't worry, I'm not that stubborn..." Rias began, but when she saw Mahiro's serious look, she swallowed the rest of her words. After all, she knew she had been acting tough.
"Thanks," Rias relaxed and smiled. "After talking with you, I feel a lot better."
Mahiro shrugged and said, "In that case, I guess I've done right by Koneko and Akeno."
"Akeno?" Rias was surprised and asked, "Is Akeno with you too?"
She thought it was just Koneko, but to her surprise, Akeno was involved too.
"She's cooking at my place. I came to find you before even having dinner," Mahiro said with a smile.
"Akeno, really..." Rias said in a slightly annoyed tone, "Akeno's dinner probably isn't ready yet."
"Probably not," Mahiro agreed.
"Since you're here, stay and chat with me for a while," Rias said, her eyes on Mahiro.
"You're asking me to stay?" Mahiro thought, feeling a bit speechless.
"What do you want to talk about?" Mahiro asked.
"Shouldn't it be the guy's job to find something to talk about at a time like this?" Rias smirked and teased him.
"Then let's talk about why you're suddenly so down," Mahiro said directly.
Now it was Rias's turn to be speechless.
After a moment, Rias asked, "Mahiro, do you think being born into a noble family is a good thing?"
"Isn't it?" Mahiro asked back.
"That's right," Rias said with a hint of pride. "I'm definitely grateful for being born into the Gremory Clan. I have endless honor and love for my family. I'm proud of the name Rias Gremory."
"Yeah, that sounds like you," Mahiro nodded.
"In your mind, what kind of person am I?" Rias blinked, genuinely curious.
"If I started explaining, I could go on for a thousand or more words, but are you sure you want to hear it?" Mahiro joked.
"Forget it. I can guess most of it would be compliments," Rias rolled her eyes.
"You know yourself well, Rias," Mahiro grinned.
"I've been hearing it since I was a kid," Rias said, a bit helpless.
"Alright, but to me, Rias is Rias, and that's all there is to it," Mahiro shrugged.
Hearing this, Rias couldn't help but be caught off guard.
"Mahiro-kun, you... you..."
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