Chapter 21: Unexpected
Rias couldn't sleep last night, twisting and turning on her bed as she tried to divert her attention from her conversation with Ken last night.
"Why am I thinking about it? It's not like it was the first time someone had accepted my dream. So then Why? Why does his approval feel so good…?"
She didn't know what made him so special. Or perhaps she knew and was merely trying to avoid it.
No. It wasn't love, not yet at least. She felt attracted to him. And who wouldn't? He was everything a woman could hope for in a man…He was handsome, He was strong, and he was smart as well.
His every action seemed careful and measured. His voice and eyes radiated utmost confidence and charisma that even she wondered whether he was really a human. But more than anything, what really differentiated him from everyone else in the herd….was the mysterious air surrounding him.
Every time she was close to him, she felt herself gravitating towards the boundless mystery he contained within himself. Every time she looked into his dark blue eyes, she found herself wondering whether she was worth standing beside him, whether she really deserved to be his master.
And somehow hearing from him, that she isn't wrong and it isn't wrong to chase after her dream. She felt even more relieved than the time when her older brother supported her.
Partly because he joked at that time, looking at her like a little girl and her dream as some fleeting dream that she would eventually forget. And partly because…his apology felt genuine. She felt that he understood her, and felt the same as her…And that they are the same.
"...What am I even thinking" She softly lamented as she hefted herself off the bed, Just in time to see the first rays of morning sunlight peeking through the window.
"...I should get some fresh air…" Saying that she sported an oversized T-shirt reaching her thighs and walked outside.
*** *** ***
Rias arrived in a clearing near the hill, her long, scarlet hair gently fluttered as the gentle and refreshing wind blew past her.
"Mmm…" She moaned in satisfaction as she looked beyond the hill, at the morning sun rising over the horizon, blanketing the whole sky in a reddish hue. On top of the hill was a large rock… repetitively rising up and down "Eh…"
She rubbed her eyes and looked closely, Her eyes shifted from the boulder to the Man under the boulder, He was doing push-ups with that massive boulder on his back, he had black hair and a red gauntlet on his left arm.
"...Buchou?" It seems he heard her voice last time, He heaved the massive boulder to the side and stood up, the red gauntlet in his arm vanishing in a flash of light.
Rias gaped as stared at him, his top devoid of any article, his perfectly sculpted muscles, thin but athletic build, and his body glittering with sweat further enhanced by the sun behind him.
"...Are you Okay, Buchou?"
"Y-Yes, I-I am fine" Rias' face flushed red when she noticed him gawking at her face. She hurriedly turned her head away from him to avoid looking at his form.
She failed.
"Y'Know, If you really want to look, it's just the two of us" He smirked as he saw her sneaking glances thrown her way.
"W- Who said I am peeking? And why aren't you wearing anything on the top?!" She shouted in indignation.
He looked at her blankly "You aren't wearing any pants yourself"
She looked down on herself, he was right "Oh…" She forgot to put anything under her shirt.
"S-Still what are you doing so early in the morning"
"Couldn't sleep last night, You too?" Nodding her head, she replied "I was thinking about the rating game against Riser, So I couldn't sleep properly"
"I See. Anyway, It's time for daily practice. let's wake everyone, shall we?"
Saying that Ken walked past Rias…or at least tried to.
When he felt Rias grabbing his hand, He confusedly looked at her over his shoulder and asked "Do you need me for something, buchuo?"
"I…Uhm…." She hesitated, Ashamed and equally embarrassed about her request "I heard from the others that you are a great teacher… I-I want you to train me…!"
"Why?"
"During the past three days, Akeno, Kiba, and even Koneko are working hard to improve themselves, And as their King, I must protect them and mustn't become their weakness…."
She also wanted to say something else, but she restrained herself from speaking out loud.
"...Sure" Ken shrugged his shoulder as he looked into her innocent eyes narrowed in fierce determination.
*** *** ***
And so, we came to the current situation, With Rias and Ken standing fifty meters apart from each other.
"First throw your attacks at me, with everything you've got. Every ability requires a different approach to master. So to optimize your performance, I need to understand how your power works"
"...Are you sure?" Rias hesitated, She didn't want to accidentally hurt her precious peerage, and Knowing that her Power of Destruction can be very dangerous if not controlled properly…She was even more unwilling to attack him, She Knew that she wasn't great at controlling her powers.
Heck, She wondered if there was anyone who could control the power of Destruction. Even her older brother lost control of himself in his super devil form, or so she'd heard.
"Yes" But looking at the confident smile on Ken's face, She felt herself calming down.
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and steadied her nerves.
Chaotic, Dark-red demonic energy slowly started pouring out of her body, most of it concentrated in her palms as they took the rough form of a sphere. She opened her eyes, and her initial ocean blue eyes were glowing in an eerie Dark red light.
Her eyes met his, and despite her being surrounded by power capable of erasing everything, she felt a shiver run down her spine.
His eyes continued roaming around her body, studying every minute detail with those enigmatic eyes. At that moment, She felt like she was a rat trapped in a box, and Ken was the scientist who continued to observe her behavior.
However, she quickly shook those thoughts out of her head and asked "I am ready"
*** *** ***
"I am ready!" I nodded my head at her words, signaling her to attack me with her everything.
She hollered at the top of her lungs and threw the ball made of PoD at me. I narrowed my eyes and tried to analyze everything 'Below average speed, Predictable trajectory, and highly unstable…'
I raised one hand forward, magicles seamlessly poured out of my core as they traveled my through my muscles and reached the raised hand, forming a thick layer of defensive barrier purely made of magicles.
Her PoD violently Collided with my Defense, and tried to erase it instantly, However, the next moment it got pushed back by my defense, seamlessly overpowered as it returned to nothing. But that wasn't the end as…
"What…?!" My eyes widened in realization as I proceeded to completely analyze the ability. suddenly my steps faltered and I dropped to my knees. My eyes were wide as I tried to process the torrent of information that had just flooded my brain. But When I finally gathered myself…
"Fuh…haha….hahahaha…." I couldn't help myself from laughing out loud. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Rias rushing at me in panic, raising my hand towards Rias to show that I was fine. It worked as she stopped rushing, But I couldn't stop myself as even air left my lungs "...Ahahahahahaha…."
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Power up incoming....!
Well, Not exactly. but something really similar.
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