Chapter 96 - It's Too Late To Say That Now, Rias
The sound in the room slowly died down.
Mahiro held Rias close as she rested against his chest, looking up at him with a warm gaze and a small smile.
"Mahiro-kun, aren't you going to ask why I suddenly did this today?" Rias asked.
"I think I've got a pretty good idea. Something that made you act so impulsively has to be tied to something you've been worried about for a long time."
Rias looked a bit surprised, clearly not expecting Mahiro to nail it so easily.
Mahiro smiled and said, "I get it, Rias. You're someone who wants to spend your life with someone you actually love, not get stuck in some bullshit arranged marriage your family set up."
"Hmm…"
Mahiro's slightly teasing words made Rias blush, and she asked, "Mahiro-kun, how the hell did you figure that out? I don't remember telling anyone."
"Did Akeno tell you?"
"Don't forget, before I came to Kuoh Academy, I used to write novels," Mahiro chuckled.
"And what does that have to do with anything?" Rias asked, confused, even though she knew about his writing background.
"In those novels, there's often a storyline where the heroine is forced into an arranged marriage by her family. She usually resists, and the easiest way is to find a boyfriend to dodge the whole thing," Mahiro explained casually.
"No… I never intended to use you as a shield."
Rias looked a bit panicked as she quickly explained. She really wanted Mahiro to help her escape the family engagement but never saw him as just a tool.
"I know," Mahiro said with a reassuring smile, pulling Rias closer to him.
Rias was too proud to give herself away so easily. If she didn't actually care for Mahiro, she wouldn't have been so upfront tonight.
She acted like this because she liked him.
"Thanks, Mahiro-kun."
Seeing the sincerity in Mahiro's eyes, Rias's panic turned into warmth and gratitude.
"Seems like I've caused you some trouble," Rias said apologetically, her voice a bit weak as she glanced toward the door.
"It's too late to say that now, Rias," Mahiro said with a small smile before kissing her. "We've made our choice, so we'll face it together. Don't say stuff like that again."
"Mahiro-kun…"
Rias looked at him, touched, and kissed him back.
"Do you want to keep going?" Rias asked in a low voice after a moment.
"Let's stop for now. Someone's been waiting for a while; we should go meet them," Mahiro said, shaking his head.
"Okay."
Hearing this, Rias's expression froze for a second before she got serious and nodded.
The moment Grayfia arrived, they both noticed her. Her presence was too strong to miss.
When she first appeared, Mahiro was ready to go see who had shown up, but Rias stopped him.
Rias recognized the magic power and knew who was at Mahiro's house, so she wasn't as worried as he was.
"One more thing, Mahiro-kun," Rias hesitated before asking.
"What is it?" Mahiro responded while getting dressed.
"You said you've never had a girlfriend before, right?"
Rias looked at him and asked.
"Yeah, what about it?" Mahiro asked, puzzled. Before coming to Kuoh Academy, he really hadn't dated anyone.
"Then why are you so skilled?" Rias recalled what had just happened and couldn't help but ask.
From what she knew, Mahiro had always been single, yet he didn't seem inexperienced.
"Natural talent, maybe?" Mahiro replied with a grin.
"That kind of talent…"
Rias rolled her eyes and sighed.
"Looks like it's over."
In the living room, Grayfia, who had been talking with Asia, suddenly looked toward Mahiro's door, noticing the quiet.
"What's over?"
Grayfia's cryptic words startled Asia. She followed Grayfia's gaze toward Mahiro's door.
A soft creak sounded as the door opened, and Mahiro and Rias walked out.
"Mahiro-kun, Rias-san!"
Seeing them, Asia smiled brightly. "Are you done with your talk?"
"Good evening, Asia," Rias replied, her voice calm, but her gaze quickly turned cold as it landed on Grayfia.
"Grayfia, why are you here?"
Rias's tone was cold, almost confrontational.
"Why am I here? Rias, you already know the answer to that," Grayfia responded.
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