CHAPTER 92: [92]:RAYNARE

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"You would do this for a devil?" there was no judgment in her question, no hostility. Just surprise.

"No," Uriel smiled, "I would do this for the Nephilim, and the people he protects."

The events at the cathedral had taxed him greatly; enough that he had felt the need to rest for what should have been a workday. His boss had given him leeway and accepted the excuse he had made up. The old man had gruffly rebuked him for coming in ill-prepared but eventually allowed him to leave. He would not be paid for those lost hours, but he considered it an equivalent exchange for a few hours of peace.

He opened the door to his apartment, halted at the sight before him, and instantly regretted he had asked for half the day off.

They turned to him when he entered, three instead of one, their faces wearing the same hostile masks.

"Ara, ara, Arisato-kun," Akeno’s smile did not quite match the dark gaze she was sending her counterpart, "After all the trouble we went through searching for where you lived and it was to discover that you had another girl living in your home."

"It is most unseemly," Rias nodded by her side, "for a boy and a girl to be living together at such a young age."

He knew enough about feminine fury to realize that perhaps now was not the best time to speak.

Raynare sneered.

"Says the two who have stalked him for all this time."

"It is not stalking," Rias replied primly, "if we ask for directions."

"Most of it was unneeded though," Akeno quipped, "Hyoudou-kun’s guess was unerringly accurate. He was only off by a few blocks."

Somehow he was not surprised. Rias gave him an inscrutable look when he remained standing where he was.

"Please sit, Arisato-san," her tone was rich with forced politeness, "This is your home, after all."

The sudden feeling of doom that welled up within him was a familiar thing. Something like this had happened before with him and the female members of SEES. That was when he had only focused on progressing the Social Links and had ignored the feelings that was sure to follow. It had nearly ended in disaster then, and the bonds he had worked so hard to forge had come a hairsbreadth away from being broken. The process taught him a valuable lesson though. That behind the link was a person with all the feelings and emotions attached. He could no more ignore them than the bond itself. And now a similar situation presented itself and he was ill-equipped to deal with it just like last time.

He fought the urge to grimace. He would have to be diplomatic about this.

He gingerly slid into the only seat that was not already taken, the chair next to Raynare. Rias and Akeno immediately gave him disappointed looks. After a second of reasoning, he could understand why. He had not meant to insinuate he was close to the Fallen Angel. He inched his seat away from her. Raynare glared at him in response. Her lips curled angrily. He frowned. He had not meant to be so cold to her either. The seat inched slightly back in her direction. Akeno seemed to be the only one taking note of his unease, and besides glaring at the girl at his side, the occasional amused looks she would send his way told him just how much she was enjoying his discomfort.

The awkward silence seemed to drag on for an eternity, with both sides staring at one another in open hostility. He was about to try and diffuse the situation when Rias did it for him.

"He joined my peerage."

That was not what he had in mind when it came to diffusing situations. Raynare smirked.

"It was only temporary."

Rias tossed back her hair in a smooth, confident motion.

"He still helped me."

Her opponent shrugged nonchalantly.

"He offered to help me too," the Fallen Angel crossed her arms over her chest, "It’s why I’m here."

Rias frowned, and shot him a disapproving look.

"He offered to give me his pieces."

Raynare’s eyes flickered towards him angrily. Her smirk, however, still remained.

"He offered me peerage with those pieces."

This time, it was Rias’s gaze that centered on him indignantly. Outwardly though, her face remained composed.

"He summoned an Archdemon for me."

Raynare blanched. It was clear to see that the Fallen Angel was now losing the fight. Frustration threatened to leak out from her façade. Then her features lit up, as though dredging up some long forgotten memory. A sickeningly sweet smile spread over her face.

"I saw him naked."

...

Technically it was true, though that had been when she was drunk all the time. He had emerged from the bathroom after a quick shower, a towel covering the lower portion of his body, to see her sitting in the hallway, a bottle of whiskey in her hand and completely out of it. The girl had turned to him, let out a loud belch, and made a rather lewd comment before passing out. He had honestly not thought much of the incident, and was surprised the Fallen Angel even remembered.

Still, it was a low blow and from the look of abject betrayal Rias sent his way, he knew it had struck home. Raynare leaned back in her chair, a smirk of victory plastered over her face. That was until Akeno ruined it.

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