Moonlight spilled in through the window, coating the two pairs of wings spread behind Akeno Himejima in a layer of silver radiance.
One pair belonged to a Devil. The pitch-black membrane wings were like a bat's, their edges sharp, gleaming with a dark luster beneath the moonlight.
They were the symbol of her life as a Devil. They were the new beginning Rias had given her, the foundation that allowed her to stand in this world.
The other pair belonged to a Fallen Angel. They were just as black, but covered in dark feathers.
Those feathers were dense and soft, shimmering with an eerie light beneath the moon. Each one seemed like a piece of solidified night.
They were the symbol of her father. They were the brand carved into her blood, the source of the hatred she still carried to this day.
The two pairs of wings spread silently behind her, overlapping with one another, yet utterly incompatible.
Just like Akeno herself.
A Devil, and also a Fallen Angel.
Someone who belonged here, yet belonged nowhere at all.
Genichi stood where he was and looked at her.
Under the moonlight, Akeno Himejima had stripped away her usual gentle mask, stripped away that effortless disguise of composure, and revealed the truest version of herself beneath it.
Her body trembled slightly. Her fingers clutched the hem of her shirt so tightly that her knuckles had turned white.
Her lips were pressed into a thin line, her teeth biting into her lower lip hard enough that it almost seemed ready to bleed.
Her eyes stared straight at Genichi. Inside them were nervousness, expectation, fear, and a trace of something even she herself had not noticed.
A plea.
Genichi realized that Akeno Himejima was nervous right now.
Nervous?
Why was she nervous?
"Akeno."
He spoke in a calm voice.
"You're nervous?"
Akeno's body trembled faintly.
She looked at Genichi, something churning in her eyes.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, only to find that her throat was too dry to make a sound.
After a long while, she finally spoke, her voice very soft, with a tremor she could not fully hide.
"Don't you think… I'm ugly?"
When she said that, her voice was almost shaking.
It was not a question. It was a test. A plea.
She was afraid.
Afraid of seeing disgust, revulsion, and rejection in Genichi's eyes—the kind of looks she had seen far too many times since childhood.
When humans saw the Fallen Angel wings on her back, they looked at her with fear and loathing.
When Fallen Angels saw the Devil wings on her body, they mocked her with contempt and scorn.
No matter which side it was, she was an outsider.
A being that should not exist.
So she hid her true self away, using a gentle smile as a mask and practiced composure as armor.
She did not let anyone come close.
And she did not approach anyone, either.
Because if someone came close, they would see.
And if they saw, they would hate her.
But now, she had willingly exposed her truest self before Genichi.
She did not know what awaited her. She did not know what kind of eyes this boy would look at her with.
All she knew was that she did not want to hide anymore.
At least not in front of Genichi.
Genichi looked at her.
Her eyes were full of tension and fear, like a small beast forced into a corner, ready to flee at any moment, yet unable to stop itself from wanting to see what the other person would do.
Her wings folded in slightly, as if protecting herself, or perhaps as if waiting for judgment.
Genichi's expression did not change at all.
There was no loathing.
No revulsion.
No rejection.
Nothing.
His eyes were as calm as water, as if what she had shown him were something utterly ordinary.
"Akeno."
He spoke, his voice still calm.
"You live for yourself. Why should you care so much about other people's eyes? Just because someone looks at you with disgust, does that mean you have to die?"
Akeno looked at him and fell silent for a moment.
Then she smiled.
It was a faint smile, carrying a trace of bitterness, a trace of helplessness, and something Genichi did not understand.
"Genichi, you know that isn't the answer I wanted to hear."
The corner of Genichi's eye twitched.
Of course he knew what she wanted to hear.
Those words. That comfort. Those clichés like "I don't think you're ugly" or "you're beautiful."
But those were not what she truly wanted.
What she wanted was…
Genichi looked into her unwavering eyes. He looked at the light flickering inside them, and at the faint, almost imperceptible smile at the corner of her mouth.
Then he suddenly understood.
This upperclassman had something else in mind entirely.
"Akeno."
He took a breath and decided to be direct.
"What exactly are you trying to do?"
Akeno's smile deepened.
She stepped forward, slowly walking toward Genichi.
Moonlight stretched her shadow long behind her. The two pairs of wings trembled softly with each step, and black feathers drifted down through the silver light like flakes of dark snow.
She stopped in front of Genichi and raised her head to look at him.
They were close.
Close enough that he could see the tiny fragments of moonlight caught on her lashes, and close enough to smell the faint fragrance on her body.
She lifted her hand, lightly pressing her fingertip against his chest. Even through the fabric, he could feel the warmth of her touch.
"Genichi."
Her voice was soft, almost a whisper.
"Since you're so clever, why don't you guess what I want to do?"
Genichi looked at her and remained silent for a moment.
Then he turned, ready to leave.
He no longer wanted to play along with this game.
He took one step.
His foot landed unsteadily, as if he had stepped onto cotton.
He took another step, but his legs were so weak they almost failed to support him.
A wave of powerlessness spread through his limbs, as if something were draining the strength from his body.
Genichi braced one hand against the wall and turned his head, looking back at the woman who was still smiling.
"You drugged me?"
His voice was hoarse.
Careless.
He should have realized it.
Akeno Himejima had invited him to dinner and had even asked him what he wanted to eat.
He had thought she was simply using dinner as a way to draw closer to him. He had not expected her to tamper with the meal.
He had eaten that dinner without suspicion. He had drunk several bowls of miso soup, eaten most of the grilled fish, and even taken a second helping of rice.
He had thought it was only an ordinary meal.
He had not known that every bite brought him deeper into the trap she had prepared.
Akeno looked at him, watching as he struggled to stay on his feet, and her smile became even brighter.
"Genichi," she said softly, "it's too late to realize that now."
She walked forward and reached out, giving his shoulder a light push.
It was not a forceful shove.
But Genichi could not use his strength properly.
His body tipped backward beyond his control, and he fell onto the tatami.
The soft texture of the tatami caught him, but it could not ease the helplessness rising in his chest.
Akeno knelt beside him, the red of her shrine maiden hakama stark beneath the moonlight.
Her hands pressed against his shoulders, keeping him from rising.
Her long hair fell forward, brushing near his cheek and carrying a faint trace of fragrance.
The two pairs of wings behind her spread fully, cutting the moonlight into countless shards.
She lowered her gaze to him. Her eyes gleamed with triumph, like a hunter who had finally caught her prey.
"This time," she whispered, her voice carrying a quiet determination, "I'll be ahead of my seniors."
Genichi lay on the tatami, feeling the strength drain from his body little by little.
Only one thought remained in his mind.
Tonight, he might not be able to escape.
The moonlight fell silently over the room.
Akeno's shadow covered him, and the world at the edge of his vision slowly blurred into darkness.
(End of Chapter)
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