Genichi lay on the tatami with his eyes closed, doing his best to keep his breathing even.
The drug still had not fully worn off. His limbs remained soft and weak, though his mind had already cleared for the most part.
He listened as the quiet voices beneath the eaves gradually faded, thinking he could finally rest in peace for a while.
Then he felt a hand.
It slipped in from the edge of the blanket and settled lightly on the back of his hand.
Her fingertips were cool, hesitant and testing, as if trying to confirm whether he was truly asleep.
Genichi did not move. He kept pretending.
The hand lingered for a moment, then began to move slowly. Her fingertips traced over the back of his hand, his wrist, and his forearm, so light it felt like a feather brushing past.
Genichi gritted his teeth and kept pretending.
But the hand only grew bolder, moving up along his arm, past his elbow, upper arm, and shoulder, then drifting downward along the outline of his chest.
Genichi could no longer play dead.
He opened his eyes.
Moonlight spilled in through the window, leaving the room half-bright and half-shadowed.
Rias was kneeling beside him. Her crimson hair fell over one shoulder, and her emerald eyes looked exceptionally clear beneath the moonlight.
Her expression was calm, but something stirred deep within those eyes.
She was wearing a white shirt—his shirt. The oversized collar had slipped from one shoulder, revealing a delicate collarbone.
The hem of the shirt barely covered the tops of her thighs, and below it was a stretch of long, pale legs.
Genichi stared at her, his mind going blank.
He had thought it would be Akeno.
He had not expected Rias.
"Rias," he said, his voice a little dry. "What are you doing?"
Rias did not answer.
She lowered her head. Her long hair fell forward and brushed across his cheek, carrying a faint, pleasant fragrance.
Her finger pressed gently against his lips, stopping him from speaking further.
"Genichi," she said softly. "Close your eyes."
There was no way Genichi dared to do that.
Right now, his limbs were powerless. Even lifting a finger was difficult.
Akeno's drug still had not worn off. He did not even have the strength to resist.
If he closed his eyes, who knew what would happen?
"Rias, calm down," he said, forcing his voice to sound steadier. "We haven't reached that point yet. And there's the difference in our status, your engagement—"
Rias looked at him, and a complicated light flashed through her emerald eyes.
Then she spoke, her voice so calm it almost seemed out of place.
"Don't worry. As long as we don't cross the final line, there's still room between us."
Genichi opened his mouth, wanting to say something, only to find he had no argument ready.
An emotion he had never heard from her before entered Rias's voice. It was not anger. It was not grievance. It was something deeper and far more complicated.
"And I absolutely won't let Sona take you from me."
Genichi's expression froze.
"Sona? There's nothing between me and Sona—"
"I know."
Rias cut him off.
"Akeno told me everything. You rejected Sona, and you rejected Tsubaki too. But do you know what kind of person Sona is? She's the kind of person who becomes even less willing to give up after being refused. You rejected her once today, but tomorrow she'll come up with ten different ways to move you. House Sitri's resources, Sona's methods, and her sincerity—can you reject her once, then reject her ten more times?"
Genichi fell silent.
He knew Rias had a point.
Sona Sitri really was not the kind of person who would give up just because she had been rejected.
That day in the alternate dimension, when she asked whether he wanted to change masters, her expression after he refused had not been disappointment.
It had been interest.
Even greater interest.
"Akeno was right," Rias said, her voice growing softer.
"There are some things I can't do, so I tolerated what happened with Akeno. But I won't lose to anyone else."
Genichi looked into her eyes.
Something burned in those emerald depths.
It was not a passing impulse. It was the resolve she had reached after thinking it through.
He wanted to say something. He wanted to tell her to calm down, to tell her this was wrong, to remind her about the engagement, their status, and their families.
But Rias did not give him the chance.
She reached out, picked up the clothes beside her, and covered Genichi's face with them.
The instant his vision was blocked, Genichi's heart skipped a beat.
"Rias—"
His voice came out muffled beneath the fabric.
Rias did not answer.
The moonlit room fell into a tense, breathless silence.
Genichi could feel how close she was. He could hear her breathing, sense her warmth, and catch the faint fragrance clinging to her.
She was not as composed as she seemed. There was hesitation in her movements, a nervousness she clearly could not hide.
She was not familiar with this kind of thing.
Genichi wanted to push her away, but his hand would not rise.
He wanted to speak, but his throat was too dry to form the words.
All he could do was lie there, helpless beneath the weight of her decision.
Time stretched on.
At some point, Rias finally stopped.
Genichi heard her straighten up, cough lightly twice, and then came the soft rustle of clothing being adjusted.
The fabric was lifted from his face, and moonlight filled his eyes again.
Rias knelt beside him, her crimson hair slightly disheveled. Her cheeks were flushed, and her lips looked brighter than usual.
Her eyes were astonishingly vivid. The faint curve of her mouth held a hint of satisfaction, a hint of shyness, and a trace of tenderness Genichi could not quite understand.
"Genichi," she said, her voice a little hoarse. "You're mine."
Genichi looked at her, wanting to say something, only to find that no words would come.
The drug still had not worn off. Even moving a finger remained difficult.
He could only lie there and look at her, his heart pounding like a drum.
Rias pulled up the blanket and gently tucked it over him.
"Good night, Genichi."
She rose and walked toward the door.
When she reached it, she paused and looked back at him.
Moonlight cast a faint shadow across her face, and her smile was so gentle it could steal a man's breath.
Genichi watched her leave, and only one thought remained in his mind.
Did that count as a full step, or only half of one?
(End of Chapter)
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