Chapter 32

Chapter 32

I walked into school with deliberate calm, head high, posture relaxed. Today was business as usual. Yesterday's incident at the café was simply that—an incident. Best to maintain my routine, keep up appearances.

The stares felt different today—more intense, more speculative. Word must have spread about me meeting with Rias, though thankfully not about what had actually happened. 

Issei wasn't there yet, which was a relief. I wasn't in the mood for his energy this morning.

Classes dragged by, each minute feeling like an hour. When the lunch bell finally rang, I headed for the rooftop as usual, the elaborate bento Hayama had prepared tucked under my arm. 

Despite everything, I was looking forward to my daily ritual with Koneko. Her quiet presence had become a necessary calm in the storm of supernatural politics.

I pushed open the door to the roof and stopped cold.

Koneko was there in our usual spot, but she wasn't alone. Rias Gremory stood near her, crimson hair catching the sunlight as she turned to face me.

My grip tightened on the bento box. "What are you doing here?"

Koneko's eyes flicked between us.

"I need to speak with you," Rias said, her voice carefully controlled. "I thought this might be... neutral ground."

I glanced at Koneko, who met my gaze steadily. There was something in her eyes—a warning? Concern?

"How did you know I'd be here?" I asked, though I already suspected.

"I've seen you two," Rias admitted. "It's hard to miss Koneko disappearing every lunch period. I... checked on her once."

Spying, in other words. Keeping tabs on her servant.

I moved to my usual spot beside Koneko, placing the bento between us. Instead of climbing into my lap as she often did, Koneko maintained a small distance, clearly sensing the tension.

"Say what you need to say," I told Rias, keeping my voice level.

"I came to apologize." She remained standing, hands clasped in front of her. "What I did yesterday was wrong. Using my influence on you—it was inexcusable."

I raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"It's a habit," she continued when I didn't respond. "With humans, a small suggestion is useful for smoothing negotiations, avoiding conflict."

"I came to apologize." She remained standing, hands clasped in front of her. "What I did yesterday was wrong. Using my influence on you—it was inexcusable."

I raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"It's a habit," she continued when I didn't respond. "With humans, a small suggestion is useful for smoothing negotiations, avoiding conflict."

"That does not excuse you," I said coldly, deciding to confront the elephant in the room.

"No," she agreed, meeting my gaze. "It does not, and I am sorry."

Beside me, Koneko shifted slightly. She already knew I wasn't normal—had probably sensed it from the beginning with those heightened nekomata senses of hers. But hearing it confirmed seemed to change something in her posture.

"My brother contacted me last night," she added. "He felt your power surge from the Underworld. That's... unprecedented."

That got my attention. Sirzechs had sensed me from another realm? I'd known I'd slipped, but not that badly.

"I haven't told him anything specific yet," Rias assured me, reading my expression. "I wanted to speak with you first."

"Why?" I challenged. "Gathering intelligence before reporting back?"

"No," she said, surprising me with her directness. "I wanted to understand if you're a threat. To my territory. To my peerage." Her eyes flicked briefly to Koneko.

"I've been here for months," I said tightly. "Attending your school. Sitting in your classes. Having lunch with Koneko every day." I gestured between us. "Not once have I caused trouble until you tried to control me."

Rias had the grace to look uncomfortable. "I made a mistake."

"A mistake?" I laughed, the sound harsh even to my own ears. "You tried to strip away my free will. To make me a puppet."

"It was wrong," she acknowledged. "And I'm sorry."

Koneko's eyes were on me now, watching intently.

"What do you want from me, Rias?" I asked, deliberately using her first name.

"Assurance," she replied. "That you're not a threat. That whatever power you possess won't endanger this town or its people."

"I have no interest in your territory," I said firmly. "Or your supernatural politics. I just want to live my life."

"That may not be possible," she said, almost gently. "Power attracts attention. In our world, neutrality is—"

"I don't care about 'your world,'" I cut in. "I didn't ask to be part of it."

Rias fell silent, studying me. "What are you? How did you come to possess dragon essence?"

I almost laughed. She was still fishing for information, still trying to categorize me.

"That's my business," I replied.

We stared at each other for a long moment, the tension palpable. Koneko remained silent beside me, but I could feel her attention on both of us.

"What happens now?" Rias finally asked.

"Now? You go back to your club. I eat my lunch. We pretend yesterday never happened."

"And if I can't do that?" she challenged. "If my brother demands answers?"

"Tell him I'm neutral," I said. "That I have no interest in faction politics. That I'm not a threat unless threatened."

"And if he wants to meet you?" she pressed.

I set my jaw. "Then I'll meet him. But I'll give him the same answer."

Rias nodded slowly. "For what it's worth, I believe you. But others may not be so easily convinced."

"That's their problem," I said flatly.

She turned to leave, then paused. "Koneko."

The white-haired girl looked up.

"You don't need to report on this conversation," Rias said softly. "What happens between you and Leon... it can stay private."

With that, she left, the door closing quietly behind her.

Silence stretched between Koneko and me. I waited for questions, accusations, anything—but she just reached into the bento box, pulled out a rice ball, and held it out to me.

"Eat," she said simply.

I took it, surprised. "You're not going to ask?"

Golden eyes met mine. "Not my business."

That caught me off guard. "Even though I'm apparently part dragon?"

She shrugged, reaching for another rice ball. "Explains the smell."

I stared at her for a moment, then let out a small laugh. The tension in my shoulders eased slightly.

Without another word, Koneko climbed into my lap, settling in her usual position. The familiar weight was oddly comforting after the confrontation.

We ate in companionable silence, the meeting with Rias already fading into the background. The anger was still there, simmering beneath the surface. Her apology had been genuine, I believed that much. But it didn't erase what she'd tried to do.

Still, as Koneko leaned back against my chest, eating from the bento we shared, I realized something important. In this world of supernatural politics and gods, maybe I'd found one person, one devil, who saw me as more than just a piece on a chessboard.