Genichi looked at Rias.
There was no accusation in his eyes. No anger. Only a calm wait for an answer.
"Then what about you?"
His voice was quiet.
"What was your reason for doing this?"
Rias did not answer right away.
She lifted her teacup and took a small sip, her posture elegant and composed, as if he had merely asked about the weather.
Genichi did not rush her. He simply stood there and waited for her to speak.
When the teacup was set down, Rias raised her head. Her emerald eyes looked straight into his.
"First, I like you."
Her voice was calm, without the slightest embarrassment or evasion.
"Everything begins with that. If you think otherwise, then you are underestimating me, Rias Gremory."
Genichi said nothing.
He knew she was telling the truth.
Rias was not the kind of person who would joke about something like this.
"Second."
Rias raised two fingers.
"I did it because I wanted to keep you by my side. Sona has been eyeing you like prey, and I was worried you would fall into one of her schemes."
"Some things don't end just because you refuse them. I know what kind of person Sona is better than you do. When she sets her sights on something, she has never failed to obtain it."
"She will approach you in every possible way, draw you in with every possible reason, and move you with every possible method. Today, you refused her invitation to become her servant. Tomorrow, she'll find a reason you can't refuse. House Sitri's resources, Sona's methods, and that relentless persistence of hers—can you block her once? Can you block her ten 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 had asked whether he wanted to change masters, the look in her eyes after his refusal had not been disappointment.
It had been greater interest.
"Third."
Rias raised a third finger, and her voice grew even more serious.
"And this is the most important point."
She reached out and pulled Genichi in front of her.
They were very close now. Close enough that he could see the curve of her lashes and smell the faint fragrance on her body.
Her emerald eyes stared straight at him, and something burned within them.
"I was jealous."
Her voice was soft, but every word was clear.
"But because of my engagement, I still cannot give myself to you. So I could only use that method."
Genichi looked at her and remained silent for a long time.
Her answer did not surprise him.
He had already known how Rias felt about him.
From the way she appeared in his bed every morning, from the way she showed off her figure in front of him without the slightest hesitation, from the way she looked at him—he had known all along.
She was waiting.
Waiting for the engagement to be broken.
Waiting for the day he could stand beside her openly and rightfully.
After answering Genichi's question, Rias looked at him.
"Now, are you willing to trust me completely?"
Genichi was silent for a moment.
Then he shook his head.
"If that is all, I cannot trust either of you."
His voice was calm, but it carried an unmistakable seriousness.
"But I have a method. If you are willing to accept it, then I can trust you."
Rias raised her brow slightly.
Akeno also set down her teacup. Their eyes fell on Genichi at the same time.
Genichi looked at them and began to speak.
"I have an ability called Schrift. If I drip my blood into wine, the soul of whoever drinks that blood wine will be engraved with a Schrift."
"Through Schrift, I can bestow magic or skills. The person who receives it will gain the corresponding power. At the same time—I can withdraw the power I bestowed at any moment. Once it is taken back, the recipient will die, no matter where they are, no matter how far away they may be."
The room went quiet.
Rias's expression changed slightly, and Akeno's smile froze for an instant.
Genichi watched their reactions and continued, "Drink the blood wine and place your lives in my hands. Only then can I trust you."
Rias's brows furrowed slightly.
She had never heard of this kind of contract before.
In the world of devils, she knew of master-servant contracts, blood contracts, soul contracts, and all kinds of other agreements. But she had never seen a contract that placed one's life and death completely in another person's hands.
"This is not a devil's contract."
Rias looked at Genichi.
"It is not even any known contract from this world."
Genichi did not deny it.
"It is an ability unique to me."
Rias fell silent.
She was thinking, weighing the matter, judging the meaning behind such a contract.
Handing one's life and death over to another person was no small matter.
Even if she liked Genichi, even if she trusted him, surrendering herself to that extent still required tremendous courage.
Then Akeno suddenly spoke.
"Junior, do you like me?"
Genichi paused slightly and looked at her.
Akeno's expression was serious. Her usual smile and disguise were gone.
She simply looked straight at him, waiting for an answer.
Genichi was silent for a moment before he spoke.
"Right now, I don't feel that way yet."
His voice was honest. He did not dodge the question or dress it up.
"If I had to say it, then what I feel for you, Akeno, is possessiveness. You and Rias are both beautiful girls, and I like that very much. But that isn't love. It's possessiveness. If I had the power to do whatever I wanted, I would make both you and Rias mine alone."
The words were blunt, even somewhat crude.
But Genichi did not soften them or make them sound prettier.
He was telling the truth.
His feelings for these two women were still far from love.
But possessiveness was there.
That urge to claim them for himself and allow no one else to touch them was real.
When Akeno heard this, not only did she fail to get angry, her cheeks flushed instead.
Her eyes shone with startling brightness. Her lips parted slightly, and even her breathing grew a little quicker.
"I'm willing to accept the Schrift, Genichi."
Her voice trembled faintly, not from fear, but from excitement.
Genichi looked at her and felt the corner of his eye twitch.
This upperclassman really was not normal.
Rias shot Akeno a glare, a trace of dissatisfaction in her eyes.
She had gotten ahead of her master again.
Akeno returned her gaze with a smiling face, completely unaware of having done anything wrong.
Genichi looked at the two women and sighed inwardly.
He turned and took a bottle of wine and three cups from his shadow space.
The wine was poured into the cups, clear and transparent.
He bit his fingertip and dripped blood into two of them.
The beads of blood spread through the wine like blooming red lotuses.
Genichi pushed the two cups in front of Rias and Akeno.
"Have you thought this through?"
Akeno did not hesitate.
She lifted the cup to her lips and drank it in one go.
The moment the wine entered her throat, she felt a warm current of power flow into her body.
It was gentle and soothing, as though something were taking root deep within her soul.
She set the cup down and looked at Genichi, her eyes flashing with excitement.
"Junior, from today onward, I belong to you."
Rias looked at her expression and could not help glaring at her again.
Then she lowered her head and looked at the blood wine in front of her.
Her fingers lightly brushed the rim of the cup, and she was silent for a moment.
Then she lifted the cup to her lips.
The wine slid down her throat with a faintly sweet metallic taste.
She could feel that power moving through her body, taking root in the depths of her soul.
She set the cup down and looked at Genichi.
"Now do you trust us?"
Genichi looked at her, stayed silent for a moment, then nodded.
"I do."
A relieved smile appeared on Rias's face.
Akeno smiled as well, and there was an unmistakable trace of satisfaction in that smile.
Genichi looked at them, complicated emotions rising in his heart.
From this day forward, the lives of these two women rested on a single thought from him.
But he knew he would probably never use that authority.
(End of Chapter)
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