After waking up, everyone gathered their belongings and prepared to leave. Arthur, once again, stored everything inside his inventory, silently appreciating how absurdly convenient it was.
"Alright, we'll see each other tomorrow at school," Rias said as the group finished packing.
Kiba and Koneko were teleported directly to their homes. Akeno, Asia, and Rias accompanied Arthur back to his residence.
Once home, the atmosphere relaxed immediately. Akeno took some time to unpack her belongings in one of the spare rooms, with Asia eagerly helping her organize everything. The two got along surprisingly well, chatting casually as if they had known each other for much longer than a week.
Meanwhile, Arthur and Rias sat together in the living room, watching anime side by side. The mood was peaceful, almost domestic, until Rias suddenly straightened up.
"Ah… I almost forgot," she said, turning toward him. "I need to go to the Underworld and take care of some unfinished business. I'll be back tomorrow at the latest."
Arthur already had a good idea of what she meant. Given the confidence she carried now, strengthened by the past week of training, it was clear she intended to finally confront the problem she had been avoiding.
"Have a safe trip," he replied warmly. "If anything happens, don't forget you can count on my support."
Rias smiled, standing up before leaning in and hugging him tightly. She lingered for a moment longer than necessary, clearly tempted to kiss him again, but ultimately pulled back.
"I'll be back soon," she said softly, before disappearing in a flash of crimson light.
A few minutes later, Akeno and Asia came downstairs.
"Ara? Where's Rias?" Akeno asked casually, already seating herself on Arthur's lap as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"She went to the Underworld," Arthur replied, not commenting on Akeno's position. Instead, he rested an arm around her waist without hesitation.
Asia hesitated for just a second before sitting down beside them, pressing herself close to Arthur's other side. She wasn't trying to be bold, but her cheeks were already glowing red.
Arthur smiled inwardly and wrapped his free arm gently around her shoulder.
"Will Rias-san be back for dinner?" Asia asked.
"She said tomorrow," Arthur answered.
The three of them stayed like that for the rest of the afternoon, watching television, occasionally chatting, and enjoying the quiet comfort of being together.
That evening, after dinner, Akeno said she wanted to talk to Arthur about something important. They went up to her room, closing the door behind them.
"So," Arthur said, crossing his arms lightly. "What's this important matter?"
Akeno hesitated, her playful demeanor fading slightly.
"You know Rias comes from a very prestigious family, right?" she began. "In the Underworld, she's basically nobility."
Arthur nodded.
"She mentioned they even call her a princess."
Akeno sighed.
"That's exactly why things are complicated. I didn't want to interfere, but… I saw what happened between you two last night."
Arthur remained silent, letting her continue.
"I'm not angry," she said quickly. "Actually, I'm happy. I was the one who encouraged her to get closer to you in the first place. But now that things are moving forward, there's something you need to know."
Arthur interrupted gently.
"She's in a forced engagement she can't break on her own, right?"
Akeno blinked, then puffed her cheeks slightly.
"Yes… How did you know?"
Arthur chuckled.
"It's a classic plot. If demons exist, there's no reason clichés wouldn't exist too."
Akeno stared at him for a second before bursting into laughter.
"That sounds ridiculous when you put it that way," she said, wiping a tear from her eye. "But you're not wrong."
Her expression turned serious again.
"She's engaged to a truly unpleasant man. She's tried everything to escape it, but both families insist the marriage must happen."
Akeno looked at Arthur carefully.
"That's why what she's doing right now matters so much."
Arthur thought for a moment before answering.
"It might sound arrogant," he said calmly, "but what if I just beat her fiancé senseless?"
Akeno was about to reject the idea outright, but the memory of the past week stopped her. Every single one of them had been thoroughly outmatched during training. If strength truly commanded respect among devils, then… maybe it wasn't impossible.
"There's only one problem," she said after a pause. "The fiancé may be trash, but he's also strong. Very strong. His clan specializes in regeneration. You could almost say he's immortal. Like a cockroach that refuses to die."
She shuddered, her face twisting in disgust at the thought of Rias being tied to someone like that.
"That does sound annoying," Arthur admitted. "But would you believe me if I said I still have a trump card that could flip the situation completely?"
Akeno wanted to believe him. She really did. But part of her remained skeptical.
"Fufu… and what exactly is this powerful hidden card?" she asked, curiosity sparkling in her eyes.
Arthur's lips curved into a confident grin.
"Alright," he said. "Take a look."
In the next instant, he raised his arm. A brilliant green light flooded the room before condensing into a massive gauntlet that covered most of his arm. Red, scale-like metal plates overlapped seamlessly, accented by golden spikes. Two emerald-green jewels were embedded into it, one large and central, the other smaller and set higher.
"Boost."
The word echoed softly, yet the pressure that followed was anything but subtle.
Akeno froze.
Even with her limited knowledge of Sacred Gears, there was no mistaking it. The Longinus. The Boosted Gear. The Gauntlet of the Red Dragon Emperor.
The air itself felt heavier. Her breathing became shallow as Arthur's presence intensified, raw and overwhelming.
"That's all," he said casually, dismissing the gauntlet as the light faded and the room returned to normal.
He waited.
Akeno stared at him for a long moment.
Then she spoke.
"…Can I bite you?"
Any lingering concern about Rias's fiancé vanished instantly. From the beginning, she had believed Arthur had a chance. Now, she was absolutely certain he could crush that man without mercy.
What concerned her far more was how dangerously strong her boyfriend was becoming.
"You want to bite me?" Arthur asked with a raised eyebrow. "I don't think you can pierce my skin, but you're welcome to try. Just know that I won't sit still if you do."
Akeno took a step forward, fully intending to pounce.
Then she looked into his eyes.
She stopped.
There was no restraint there. No hesitation. Whatever control he usually exercised was gone, perhaps influenced by the lingering resonance of his Sacred Gear. She knew, with absolute certainty, that if she jumped him now, she would not be the one in control.
She turned around and walked out of the room instead.
It wasn't fear. And it wasn't reluctance.
After seeing the way Rias looked at him, Akeno had made her decision.
This time, she would let her friend go first.