The hot water of the onsen enveloped Yuuto as he leaned back against the smooth stones, eyes closed. His muscles appreciated the heat after another day of carefully measured training—holding back enough power to seem normal while still pushing Rias's peerage to improve.
'Tomorrow makes it three days since Grayfia started the essence transfer' He thought 'Six days until the Rating Game. Riser's probably sitting on his ass confident he's already won. Overconfidence will break him, with much ease'
The gentle splash of water didn't make him open his eyes immediately. The mixed onsen section wasn't exactly private, and he'd grown accustomed to the less rigid boundaries of Devil society over the past weeks.
"My, my. Yuuto-kun looks so relaxed~"
Akeno's voice, carrying that particular tone she used when she was planning something mischievous. That made him open his eyes.
Rias reclined across from him, crimson hair spread across the stones like spilled wine, her expression amused as she watched him process the situation. Akeno sat beside her King, violet eyes glinting with familiar mischief. Koneko had claimed a spot to his left, apparently content to soak in silence. Asia hovered near the edge, clearly unsure whether she should be here but unwilling to leave.
Yuuto registered the scene with the same calm he'd maintained when Akeno had pressed against him during that post-hunt bath and blessed with that heavenly service, or when Roygun had made her interest abundantly clear, by waking up next to him. Panic was for rookies who'd never seen a naked woman before. He'd moved past that particular stage of development.
"A nice bath. Surrounded by beautiful girls. Why won't I be relaxed?" He kept his tone casual, making no move to flee or cover himself.
"Someone's gotten comfortable," Rias observed, one elegant eyebrow rising. "I remember a certain Knight who once dodged when Akeno got a bit close during training"
"That was before Akeno-san decided to give me a very thorough back washing after the stray devil hunt," Yuuto replied evenly "Hard to stay flustered after that experience."
Akeno's smile widened "Ara ara, you say that like it was an ordeal. I thought you enjoyed my attention"
"I didn't say I didn't enjoy it." Yuuto met her eyes directly "Just that it recalibrated my embarrassment threshold significantly"
Koneko's ears twitched slightly—the closest she usually came to showing amusement "Senpai adapted"
"Well" Yuuto agreed "Either adapt to being surrounded by beautiful women who don't believe in personal space or spend my entire afterlife in embarrassment"
Rias laughed "I like this version of you better. The shy Knight act was cute, but this confidence suits you more, Yuuto"
Asia had gradually drifted closer during the exchange, her initial embarrassment fading as the conversation remained playful rather than inappropriate "Everyone's been training so hard" she said softly. "Yuuto-san especially. You've been helping all of us improve"
Yuuto replied, shifting slightly to include Asia in the conversation circle " Speaking of which—how's your sacred gear training progressing? I noticed you've been working with Buchou on extending your healing range."
Asia's face brightened "I can heal a bit fast now, but it takes so much concentration"
"Can't help them yet" Yuuto corrected "Sacred Gears evolve. Especially when their wielders are pushed to their limits. The Rating Game might be exactly what you need to discover it's new forms"
"Assuming Riser's peerage doesn't target her first" Koneko said flatly.
"They won't" Yuuto said, his tone carrying enough edge that even Rias looked at him sharply "If my assumption is right, they will be targeting me with the same intent, Koneko assuming they will go for Asia"
Akeno replied, as they were all beginning to leave the Onsen "You sound very certain of that, Yuuto-kun"
'Well...I've seen enough to know, how well prideful people take hits to their pride.'
---
The kitchen smelled like home—or at least, what Yuuto imagined home should smell like. Garlic and ginger sizzling in oil, rice steaming in the cooker, vegetables arranged in neat piles awaiting their turn in the pan.
Asia stood beside him at the counter, carefully washing greens under his instruction. She'd volunteered to help immediately after they'd all left the onsen, seemingly grateful for the opportunity to contribute something concrete.
Through the doorway, Rias and Akeno's voices drifted in from the sitting room. Something about the Bishop's role in the upcoming rating game and how to maximize Asia's support capabilities during the Rating Game. Strategic planning that made Yuuto glad his King took this seriously.
Koneko waited in the dining room, having been gently but firmly banned from kitchen duty after Yuuto had calculated the likelihood of food surviving her proximity. She'd accepted the exile with her usual stoic grace, though her ears had flattened slightly in disappointment.
They worked in companionable silence for a few moments before Asia spoke again, her voice quieter, more hesitant.
"Yuuto-san... about the wager you made..."
Yuuto's hands paused briefly before continuing the work "What about it?"
"Is it true?" Asia's voice was almost a whisper "That if we lose, you'll have to serve him for eternity?"
"Yes" Yuuto kept his tone matter-of-fact "Though I should clarify—I never planned on losing in the first place, so it was a safe bet."
"But eternity is—that's forever, Yuuto-san!" Asia's distress was palpable "How could you risk something so terrible?"
Yuuto set down his knife and turned to face her fully "Because Riser needed to understand that I wasn't bluffing, about winning this Rating Game. Anyone can claim they'll fight for their King. But putting your entire future on the line? That speaks louder than any declaration of loyalty"
"Still..." Asia twisted her hands nervously "What if something goes wrong? What if you get hurt, or—"
Yuuto said simply "That's why you're there and everyone else too? But Asia, listen to me carefully."
He waited until she met his eyes.
"We are not going to lose. Not because I'm arrogant—though some would probably argue otherwise—but because I've analyzed Riser's peerage. I know exactly how to counter them"
Yuuto's voice carried absolute conviction "Riser's peerage might have experience in Rating Games, but they've never faced someone who's willing to do whatever it takes to win"
Asia absorbed this for a moment, then asked hesitantly "And his sister?"
Yuuto couldn't help the slight smirk that crossed his face "If we win, she serves me for eternity. Riser was so confident he'd win that he threw his own sister into the wager without a second thought. That tells you everything you need to know about his character."
"But making someone serve you forever..." Asia looked troubled "That seems cruel"
"I don't intend to be cruel to her" Yuuto assured her with a smile "Honestly? I'll probably just ask her to help train with the peerage or provide tactical advice. Also, we will be getting free access to Phoenix Tears, so it's a win win situation for me"
He returned to his chopping, adding more quietly "Besides, being associated with the peerage that defeated her brother might actually be good for her reputation. Shows she's willing to honor agreements. Better than being stuck with Riser's inflated ego and blind followers like his other peerage members"
"You've really thought this through, Yuuto kun" Asia said, with wide eyed "At that instant?"
Yuuto simply smiled.
Asia was quiet for a moment, then spoke with more confidence than before "I'll do my best to support you, Yuuto san! All of you. I won't let anyone fall in this Rating Game."
"That's the spirit" Yuuto glanced at her with approval "Just remember—your value isn't measured by how many people you defeat, but by being there when we need you. Trust in your abilities, Asia. Like we all do"
The sound of chairs scraping from the sitting room indicated Rias and Akeno were wrapping up their discussion.
"Better finish these" Yuuto said, his tone lighter "Koneko's probably contemplating whether she can sneak into the kitchen without us noticing"
Asia giggled. They returned to their work with renewed focus, the earlier tension dissolved by shared understanding and mutual trust.
---
The mansion's garden was a masterwork of cultivated wilderness. Stone paths wound between carefully maintained flower beds where night-blooming jasmine released its intoxicating scent into the cool air. The centerpiece waterfall cascaded down natural rock formations with a constant susurration that somehow enhanced the silence rather than breaking it.
Yuuto walked slowly, hands in his pockets, letting his mind process the day. Training had gone well. The peerage was improving steadily. His own carefully controlled demonstrations had given them all something to strive for without revealing the true extent of his capabilities.
And later tonight, Grayfia would arrive for another session of essence transfer. The physical aspect remained surreal, but he couldn't deny the results. He felt the accumulated demonic power building in the mark she'd placed, ready to be released when needed.
Not that he needed it. Meliodas's power set was more than sufficient. But the cover story would be invaluable.
Movement near the waterfall caught his attention.
Rias stood against the cascade, her nightgown of deep crimson silk almost black in the moonlight. Her face tilted upward toward the stars, but her expression held that particular distance he'd learned to recognize—the look of someone drowning in thoughts too heavy to share.
Yuuto stopped walking and just watched for a moment. Not with lust, though she was undeniably beautiful. Not with the dutiful concern of a Knight for his King, though that existed too.
No, what he felt was something more fundamental. Recognition. Understanding.
She's probably thinking about losing the Rating Game. About what happens if we fail. About Riser and marriage and losing everything she has.
He'd seen that expression before, in his previous life. On his mother's face when the medical bills piled up and she thought he wasn't looking. On his own face in the mirror after she died and he had nothing left.
The expression of someone trying to be strong while their world crumbled.
His feet carried him forward.
"Can't sleep?"
Rias turned, and her mask slipped back into place so smoothly he might have missed it if he hadn't seen the vulnerability first. "Yuuto. I thought everyone had gone to bed."
"I don't sleep much these days" He moved to stand beside her, following her gaze toward the stars.
They stood in comfortable silence for a while, the waterfall providing ambient sound.
"Are you afraid?" Rias asked finally "Of the Rating Game?"
"Afraid of losing? No" Yuuto answered honestly. "Afraid of what happens to you if we somehow fail despite everything? Yes"
Rias's breath caught slightly "Yuuto..."
"I remember that night" he continued, still looking at the stars "I was dying. Bleeding out in some filthy alley, thinking about how pathetic my life had been. How little I'd accomplished. How I was going to die alone and unmourned"
He felt Rias's attention shift fully to him.
"Then you appeared. This beautiful Devil with crimson hair, offering me a second chance. Not out of cruelty or manipulation, but because you genuinely wanted to help. You pulled me from darkness into light, Rias. You gave me purpose when I had nothing"
"Yuuto" Rias said softly "You were strong, even dying. I saw potential—"
"Rias"
She blinked in surprise.
Yuuto turned to face her directly "You have a dozen ways to recruit strong Devils. You could have let me die and found someone else. But you didn't, because that's not who you are. Rias. It's why we aren't just powerful, we're loyal. Because we know you value us as people, not just pieces on a game board like other Devils"
Rias's composure cracked, her eyes growing glassy "I-I don't feel very strong right now, Yuuto. Even when you-"
"Because you're carrying this alone," Yuuto said quietly "You're so busy being the perfect King for us that you won't let yourself be scared where we can see it. But Rias? We know. We all know what this Rating Game means to you, to all of us. And we're not fighting for Gremory pride or Devil politics."
He stepped closer, closing the distance between them.
"We're fighting for you. For our King who saved each of us when we had nothing. For someone, who gave us a home and a family. For someone we..." he paused, choosing his words carefully "someone we care about far more than duty requires"
A soft smile adorned her face "What if it's not enough? What if I'm not enough? Riser has experience, a full peerage, Phoenix regeneration—"
"Rias"
She met his eyes.
"When have you ever known me to make promises I can't keep?"
"Never" she admitted.
"Then you need to have faith in me " Yuuto's voice carried absolute conviction "We are going to crush Riser. Not because we're stronger, though we are. Not because we have better tactics, though we do. We're going to win because he's fighting for his ego, and we're fighting for your freedom. And besides, you got me. Is there anything else, I need to say to make you believe in our win?"
"You make it sound so simple"
"It is simple" Yuuto smiled, and this time it was warm rather than sharp "I'll ensure that Arrogant phoenix understands exactly what happens to people who threaten my King"
Rias laughed through her tears—part sob, part genuine amusement.
She moved then, closing the remaining distance and wrapping her arms around him in an embrace that felt like surrender and relief and trust all at once. Yuuto's arms came up automatically, one hand settling at the small of her back, the other cradling her head gently.
"I'm so scared, Yuuto," she whispered against his shoulder "Not of losing the Rating Game. Of losing this. Of losing all of you. Of becoming Riser's trophy wife and watching everything I built fall apart because I wasn't strong enough"
"You are strong enough, Rias" Yuuto said firmly "You're just not meant to carry this alone. That's what a peerage is for. Let us be strong for you when you can't be and protect you, like you always did"
They stood like that while the waterfall cascaded and the moon tracked across the sky. Yuuto felt her breathing gradually steady, felt the tension drain from her shoulders as his presence offered the reassurance that words alone couldn't provide.
"Thank you, Yuuto" Rias said eventually, not pulling away "For seeing me. Not just the King or the Gremory heiress, but... me"
"Always" Yuuto promised, meaning it "You saved me once. Now it's my turn. And not as your Knight—not as your servant following orders, but as someone who genuinely gives a damn about you despite all the titles and obligations"
Rias pulled back enough to look at him, her eyes still shimmering but clearer now "You really believe we'll win?"
Yuuto's smile turned fierce "Yeah, we'd win."
The absolute confidence in those casual words—delivered with the certainty of someone stating objective fact rather than hopeful prediction, made Rias's expression shift. The fear of losing vanished entirely.
"When you say it like that" she murmured, reaching up to cup his cheek "I can't help but believe you, Yuuto-kun"
Her hand was warm against his skin, and Yuuto became acutely aware of their proximity, of the way moonlight caught in her hair, of the trust in her eyes.
"Just a few more days" he said quietly "Then I will show Riser Phenex why mistreating you was the biggest mistake of his life"
They stood together in the garden, King and Knight, bound by something deeper than the peerage system could quantify. The waterfall continued its eternal song, the moon bore witness, and somewhere in the mansion their peerage slept peacefully, trusting their friends to guide them to victory.
That trust would not be betrayed.
Yuuto would burn down the entire Underworld before he let Rias and others lose their freedom.
. . .
A/N : All those who hated previous chapter, I am simply a writer who is putting things the way I see, it might not feel good to you but to me it did.
So I appreciate y'all whether you drop it based on previous chapter or keep reading. Writing is fun and sharing it too, so it's all good in the end.
Enjoy.
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