Chapter 64: Genuinely

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"…Really? I never noticed," Naruto finally commented, scratching his cheek with a puzzled grin on his face. He then shrugged and continued, "I mean, yeah. You were distracted, but I'm bet it was about something really important. I'm not going to hold that against you. Plus, it isn't like you were mean or anything. Just busy. I like you enough to think of you as a friend. Maybe not a close friend, but still a friend."

"That's it?" Rias asked skeptically.

"Of course. Holding grudges is for people with nothing better to do. I'm glad to get to know you better, and I'm certainly not going to let some slight you imagined you made against me prevent that," Naruto stated casually.

Rias burst out laughing at his answer. Seeing him looking at her curiously, she told him between chuckles, "Both Akeno and me commented that you would behave like that. Barely notice, and then wave it off."

Shrugging at the answer, Naruto told her, "Since you apologized, I guess it is only right I do the same. I'm certainly not saying I won't do it again, but I am sorry I left like that."

"I'm not sure that counts as an apology," Rias pointed out wryly. Naruto shrugged in acceptance of her words, making her giggle again. She then added, "But it's really all I can get from you. You are going to just go running off again as soon as one of your friends is in trouble. It's just one of your faults that I'll have to accept…although it is admirable in a way."

"I'd like to think so, but you can take something else from it as well," Naruto told her with a smile.

Rias raised an eyebrow and asked, "And what is that?"

Naruto leaned forward till he was just an inch away from her face. Grinning at the flustered devil, he proclaimed honestly, "You'll know that as my friend, I'll always come running when you need my help. Doesn't matter what I'm currently doing. What the problem is. Or who tries to stop me. I'll come running. That's a promise, dattebayo."

Rias blushed slightly at his words, but managed to recover quickly. Smiling at him, she gestured at the door while saying, "That means a lot, Naruto-kun, but I think it is time you take our two newest comrades to their new home."

"Oh right. I forgot," Naruto exclaimed in dismay. Shooting to his feet, he ran to the door. He waved at her before leaving and added, "See you tomorrow, Rias-chan."

As soon as he left, Rias slumped back on the couch. She then lifted a hand to her beating heart, trying to fight down her blush. Damn, Naruto really does fit the dashing warrior ideal to a tee. Even she can't help but be drawn in when he says stuff like that.

That's food for thought for another time though. After Riser has been dealt with. For now she would just be satisfied with what happened today.

It was a turbulent day, what with Naruto storming out, but it had also been a very productive day. She now had a fallen angel as a pawn, and gained a sacred gear user as a bishop.

She'd also solidified the relationship between herself and Naruto. That's a good day in her book.

She'll focus on that, and shove any confusing thoughts of Naruto to the back of her head.

"...This sucks," Raynare spat out between gasps as she wearily ran down the street.

"No, you suck," Naruto retorted immediately, running alongside her with only a bit of sweat from the exercise.

Raynare flipped him off in response, making Naruto chuckle. Raynare was far from the nicest individual.

She was rather sharp-tongued, rude, and impatient. Naruto was good with less than sociable individuals though, so nothing she did was enough to drive him away.

Her taunts and barbs just flowed off him, and she didn't do anything severe enough to really annoy him.

Although that might just be because she knew her boundaries well, and wasn't stupid enough to do anything that might warrant a punishment.

Naruto liked to think she was just putting up a tough shell to hide the gooey inside though. Realistically, the former was more likely.

It had been a week since Raynare and Asia had joined Rias' peerage. Asia had fit in perfectly. It was difficult to dislike the benevolent nun.

Raynare's integration into the Occult Club was not nearly as seamless, no doubt due to her previous species and actions. Her less-than-stellar personality didn't help either.

Yuuto and Akeno both avoided her quite bluntly, barely behaving enough to not be outright abrasive to her. Koneko was as cold and apathetic towards her as she was to most people.

Rias was clearly doing her best to be professional and nonbiased towards her, but it was easy to see she didn't quite trust the former fallen angel yet.

Asia actually treated her the best besides Naruto, surprising since Raynare had been the one planning to steal her sacred gear and kill her.

Just reinforced how genuinely forgiving and kind the former nun is. Asia was putting in a genuine effort to be nice to Raynare, but even Asia couldn't simply throw aside the fear she felt for Raynare. So the efforts she put in generally turned out awkward and inept.

With the rest of the club being less than welcoming, Naruto felt it was his duty to help her integrate and adapt to her new life.

Unfortunately, Naruto's method of that didn't quite agree with Raynare too much.

Naruto was of the belief that the only way to change the minds of people was to put in some honest effort.

To genuinely work for it. So Naruto's method of helping Raynare was to get her to train at becoming the best devil she can be.

Two days after she joined, he woke her up at the crack of dawn to go for some cardio training.

That first day Raynare had not only complained and protested the entire time, but had also been driven to the brink of exhaustion.

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