Chapter 26 - Vision of Heaven

My eyes didn't stray from Rias's body. It wasn't the first time I'd seen a woman naked, but seeing the one who had been my teenage 2D crush standing nude before me was entirely different.

"Pheww! What a welcome!" I said out loud.

[Ding! The Master got a 'Vision of Heaven' with Rias Gremory. Reward: 50 fusion points!]

Her face instantly turned red, but, to my surprise, she didn't scream or try to hide in the bathroom she'd just exited. Instead, she hastily pulled the towel over her head and wrapped it around her body, clutching it tightly with both hands.

"You... you didn't see anything," she said, looking at me rigidly with those bright blue eyes.

I turned my back to her and agreed. "Yes, I didn't see anything... Though that's a shame. That view is hard to beat."

She let out a sound that seemed to be a mixture of an exasperated sigh and a nervous murmur. Her wet feet padded across the floor as she walked to a chest of drawers on my right. Moments later, I heard the rustling sound of her putting on clothes.

"Now you can turn around," she ordered.

When I turned back, I saw that she was now dressed in the normal female uniform of Kuoh Academy.

"What are you doing here, Nishihara-san?!" she asked, crossing her arms beneath her chest.

"I was invited by the Student Council to work with the Occult Research Club today," I explained casually, leaning back against the doorframe and crossing my arms as well. "I waited in the main hall for quite a while, but no one showed up. So, I decided to do a bit of exploring. Lucky me, as it turns out."

Her cheeks blushed slightly. "Explore?"

"Yes, explore." I smiled at her, completely unashamed, and continued. "And look, I seem to have found the most interesting spot in the house."

Rias took a deep breath, clearly trying to regain her composure. Despite her obvious embarrassment, she still maintained her aura of dignity. That was exactly the kind of poise I expected from the heiress of one of the most important families in the underworld.

"So, where's the rest of the club? Or are you enough to handle all the contracts that Sitri-san transferred to you?"

"The rest of the club is in another room preparing. And, for your information, I could very well handle everything myself if I had to, but contracts like these are important for newcomers to learn how to deal with different situations."

"I don't doubt that," I replied sincerely, my playful smile softening a bit.

She seemed slightly surprised by my change of tone, but before she could say anything, the sound of footsteps came from the corridor, and someone pushed the already ajar door open completely.

"Buchou, are you ready? Yuuto and I have already finished preparing for..." Akeno appeared, stopping when she noticed me. "Ah, looks like our special guest has arrived."

"In person," I replied.

She laughed softly, putting her hand to her mouth theatrically. "Rias-sama, are you ready?"

"I don't think so. You missed a small detail." I pointed to the last two buttons on Rias's shirt, which were still unbuttoned, leaving a gaping hole at her chest.

Rias looked down, her eyes widening as she realized the mistake. Then she quickly turned around and buttoned up her shirt.

Akeno let out a short laugh. "Ara~ What an oversight, Buchou."

When Rias turned back to face me, she was looking at me out of the corner of her eye with an expression that mixed shyness and irritation.

"Let's get out of here," she said as she walked toward the door behind me.

Akeno gave me an amused look. "Don't stay behind, Nishihara-san."

"Sure, sure," I replied, already following after them.

As we entered the meeting room, I saw two familiar figures.

Kiba Yuuto was leaning casually against a wall, his gentle smile so polished it looked like it belonged in a toothpaste commercial. Koneko Toujou, the club's quiet little neko, was sitting in an armchair, eating what appeared to be a packet of crisps.

They both looked up when we entered.

"President," greeted Kiba, bowing his head slightly in respect.

Koneko looked directly at me, assessing me with her characteristic impassive expression. "Who's that?"

Rias pointed at me with one hand. "This is Nishihara-kun, a new member of the Student Council. He's going to accompany us today and help with some tasks."

"Nice to meet you," I said, raising a hand in casual greeting. "I hope I'm not too much trouble."

Kiba approached and extended his right hand. "Nice to meet you, Nishihara-san. I'm Kiba Yuuto."

I shook his hand. "I know who you are. After all, who doesn't know the 'prince' of Kuoh Academy?"

He laughed, looking slightly embarrassed. "You're kind, but I'm curious... What kind of piece are you from Sitri-san? Are you a Horse, like me? A Pawn? Or perhaps a Rook, like Koneko-chan?"

"Neither."

At that moment, I could almost hear the sound of all their neurons processing my answer.

Even Akeno, who was usually calm and light-hearted, raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"What do you mean, none?" asked Rias. "If you're part of the Student Council, you must have received an Evil Piece from Sona."

I shrugged. "I think my case is... special. She tried to convince me to become her servant, but I'm doing just fine serving myself. Being a devil would only benefit a human seeking extraordinary abilities. However, I'm already a Youkai."

Koneko's attention was immediately captured at the mention of the word "Youkai." She stood up from her armchair, and her nekomata ears popped up.

"Is that so?! What kind of Youkai are you?" Koneko asked, stepping closer and fixing me with her piercing yellow eyes. Her scrutiny surprised even me.

I scratched my cheek nervously. Koneko's Youkai origin was the only thing in the short term that could blow my cover as a Youkai.

"I'm an almost extinct type. A Kasha," I said. To prove my point, I quickly used Stygian Flame with my right hand, conjuring a small fireball at the tip of my index finger.

Koneko closed her eyes and sniffed the air, as if she were examining me. Could it be that a Nekomata's sharp senses could detect that I lacked true Youkai blood and instead harbored divine blood?

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