"We are back!"
Asia and I had finished handing out the leaflets and returned to the clubroom.
The unused old school building is located behind the school. One of the rooms on the third floor is the room for the Occult Research Club and also the gathering place for the Gremory group.
"Ara ara, good work. I will make some green tea now."
The first one to welcome us back is the vice-president of our club as well as the staff officer of Rias-buchou, Himejima Akeno-san. She is my senior who is a third-year student and is a Japanese beauty with long, silky black hair who is always smiling.
She is also a person with a ponytail hairstyle, style which is rare among the current teens.
Along with Buchou, she is called one of the "Two Great Onee-samas" of our school, and she is popular among both boys and girls and has the popularity of an idol.
And not to brag, but I think she has a major crush on me.
"Thank you, Akeno-san!" Asia said, beaming.
Asia stepped further into the room, carrying the last of the empty pamphlet boxes, when Koneko, seated cross-legged on the couch with a bag of cookies in her lap, sniffed the air. Her golden eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
"...You smell like you had sex with a woman."
Asia tripped and dropped the box.
I froze.
Akeno blinked.
Rias, who had been reviewing a report at her desk, calmly set down her pen.
The silence that followed was deafening.
"..."
"..."
"...What?" I finally said, my voice cracking in a way I really didn't appreciate.
Koneko blinked slowly, as if confused by my reaction. "It's faint, but it's there. It's a mix of sweat, perfume, and… other fluids. Not your usual lonely scent."
My brain short-circuited.
Rias stood from her desk, her eyes sharp now, locked directly onto me. "Issei."
Akeno, now holding a tray with three cups of steaming tea, tilted her head slightly. "My, my… what an interesting thing to say, Koneko-chan."
Asia, meanwhile, looked like a puppy who'd just seen her owner kick a kitten.
"Is-Issei-san… is that true?" she asked timidly, gripping the hem of her skirt.
"WAIT A MINUTE," I said, raising both hands. "Let's just take a moment to breathe here! Koneko's probably just messing with me!"
Koneko shoved a cookie into her mouth without a care in the world. "No. I'm not joking."
I groaned internally. Of course she wasn't. That girl never jokes.
Rias crossed her arms. "Issei. We're listening."
"Y-Yeah, Issei-kun…" Akeno said, leaning slightly forward as she set the teacups down, her voice as smooth and teasing as ever. "Care to explain?"
I felt the collective pressure of three powerful female Devils weighing down on me, each with their own style of interrogation. The warm, safe feeling I had returning to the clubroom had now turned into something more akin to being on trial.
"Come on, she is just messing with me."
I let out a nervous chuckle, waving my hand like I was trying to brush away the dense air in the room. It didn't work. The pressure stayed. Heck, it doubled.
Koneko munched on another cookie without blinking. "No. I'm not."
Rias's eyes narrowed.
Akeno tilted her head. "Ara ara... you seem unusually defensive, Issei-kun."
Asia looked between us all, visibly confused but clearly anxious. "Issei-san… I-I trust you, but… did you really…?"
I stood straighter, clearing my throat. "Look, I didn't do anything that would betray anyone. I'm not dating anyone, and no rules were broken."
That was the truth.
Mostly.
Rias stepped closer, arms folded, gaze sharp. "Then tell us what Koneko smelled."
Oh boy.
I rubbed the back of my neck and forced a laugh. "Maybe… maybe I just had a dream? You know how dreams can be vivid."
Koneko blinked. "Wet dreams don't leave perfume scents behind."
I choked on my own spit.
Rias's eyebrow twitched. "Perfume?"
Akeno giggled, hand daintily over her mouth. "Ufufu… it must've been quite the passionate dream then, for it to leave real-world traces."
Asia, completely red in the face, tugged gently on my sleeve. "Issei-san… did you sleep with someone?"
I opened my mouth.
Closed it.
Opened it again.
There was no good answer. Nothing I could say would magically erase the perfume comment, Asia's innocent question, or the intense gazes of Rias and Akeno. My mind scrambled for an excuse—any excuse—until my mouth decided to go rogue.
"I-It was probably from a… you know… pair of panties," I said.
The room went dead silent.
I wanted to bite my own tongue off.
"...Panties?" Rias repeated slowly, eyes narrowing.
"Y-Yeah," I stammered. "I, uh… may have… used them. For… um… personal stress relief. Last night. In my room."
I didn't even look at anyone. I couldn't. Saying that out loud made me feel like a part of me had withered and died right there. I could almost hear the shattering sound of my dignity leaving my body.
Dead. I am spiritually dead.
~~~
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