DxD: I'm Surrounded by Big Sister Devils!

Inside the room, Rias remained quietly nestled in Fukuki's embrace.

With the silver-haired maid now gone, she finally freed herself from her ostrich-like state. Raising her head, she looked up, her azure-green eyes reflecting the face of the boy above her.

"Idiot..."

Rias suddenly murmured, her voice tinged with playful scorn.

It wasn't exactly a reprimand. It felt more like the teasing of a girlfriend who was half-joking, half-sulking. She let out a soft sigh, as if resigned.

"Looks like I'm done for now~"

"Why?"

Fukuki raised an eyebrow, genuinely puzzled.

After all, everything that had happened up until now—from being pulled to the student street, to entering the hotel, to getting a room—had all been instigated by Rias. Logically, the result should be exactly what she wanted.

Why was she now acting as if she was in trouble?

"Why else?!"

Rias pouted, blowing out an exasperated sigh as she rolled her eyes, still glistening faintly from earlier.

"We did that in front of Grayfia, didn't we? Now that she's gone back to report to my brother... If word gets to my family… Think about it, Fukuki: if you were my brother, and your little sister did something like this outside, how would you feel?"

"Uh..."

Fukuki thought seriously for a moment.

"Putting the engagement aside, I'd have that punk silenced immediately."

"Why would you put the engagement aside?!"

"Because if there was an engagement, I'd take care of that other guy too."

"…?"

Rias, thoroughly dumbfounded by his unabashedly overprotective response, suddenly sat up despite her fatigue, staring incredulously at the boy just inches away.

"Fukuki, are you saying…"

"My sister's only thirteen."

Fukuki cut her off, glancing sideways before raising his hand to indicate a height of about 1.3 to 1.4 meters above the ground.

"She's only this tall right now."

Thirteen?

Rias blinked, momentarily stunned. That's just elementary graduate, maybe just entering middle school—nothing to worry about then.

But just as this thought passed through her mind, Fukuki added another line:

"Even when she's eighteen, it'll be the same."

???

Rias immediately transformed into a confused cat, her expression filled with question marks. So he is a sis-con after all!

After a brief silence, the red-haired girl spoke again, her voice soft.

"So… this means we're officially in a relationship now, right?"

"Hmm?"

Fukuki raised an eyebrow, then let out a casual "hmm" in agreement.

"Of course. Why? Is there a problem?"

"I don't have any problems, but… what about Akeno?"

Rias hesitated, her tone faltering as if unsure how to continue.

"To be honest, I don't know why, but it seems like Akeno really likes you. You've noticed that too, haven't you, Fukuki?"

"Yeah, I've noticed."

Fukuki nodded without hesitation.

He wasn't oblivious. The last time Rias and Akeno argued in the old school building, it was already pretty obvious. If that didn't count as affection, then what did?

"It's hard to explain, but… maybe it's just my imagination."

Rias shook her head slightly.

"I've always felt like Akeno knew you from somewhere before. Think about it, Fukuki. You two don't interact much at school, right? Even during missions, it was usually me paired with you, while Koneko and Akeno were together… What do you think?"

"That shouldn't be the case, right?"

Even Fukuki felt uncertain.

Logically, his memory wasn't bad. Anyone he'd spent time with should be easy to remember. Besides, Akeno's "generous figure" was hardly something one could forget easily.

Could he really have missed something?

Impossible. Absolutely impossible.

"Alright, if you can't figure it out, then just stop thinking about it," Rias softly reassured him, noticing the growing confusion on the boy's face.

Since their relationship was confirmed, even her tone seemed to carry a subtle change, laced with warmth and gentleness.

But then, she shifted gears.

"Anyway, that's not what I wanted to ask."

"Huh? Then what is it?"

"What I wanted to ask is…" Rias paused, her gaze shifting slightly as her voice softened.

"If, at that time, Akeno still doesn't give up and continues to pursue you, would you agree to it, Fukuki?"

"…"

To bring up such a loaded question, the kind that leaves one uneasy, right after confirming their relationship—is that even appropriate?

Most people might think that. But Fukuki only thought for a second before giving his answer.

"Probably… yeah, I would."

"What?!"

This time, Rias was the one who couldn't stay calm.

Probably, yeah? At a moment like this, isn't the right answer supposed to be a firm "No, I wouldn't"?

"How do I put this…" Fukuki began, recalling something.

"I once read a book, and there was a line that really resonated with me. I don't remember the exact words, but the gist of it was: 'If you reject a girl, you're not just refusing a wedding that could have been yours—you're also rejecting her entire life.'"

"But what if you've already accepted another girl's entire life?" Rias retorted, her brows furrowing.

She was starting to get angry. This was common sense, even for devils.

Feelings, by nature, are selfish. To tell your girlfriend that you might accept another woman's feelings? That's something no one, no matter how tolerant, could let slide.

"That's where it ties into another issue," Fukuki said, tilting his head slightly.

"Life's choices are like forked paths on a mountain trail. Some choices may seem objectively right, but once you make them, you'll inevitably regret it. It's like your engagement, Rias."

"If you chose to go through with the engagement, the outcome would naturally be favorable: prosperity for the underworld, stability for your family's position, and everyone would get what they wanted. Everyone would be happy and thrilled to see that result..."

"Except for you, Rias."

"But this is different from Akeno's situation!" Rias interrupted, unable to hold back.

Fukuki shook his head again.

"It's actually the same—or, to put it another way, what happens if I reject Akeno?"

"That would…"

Rias opened her mouth but suddenly froze.

Exactly. If Fukuki rejected Akeno, then with Akeno's intelligence, she would inevitably realize that Rias had beaten her to the punch. Especially in something as inherently selfish as love.

At that point, it wouldn't be impossible for their sisterly bond to shatter entirely.

If things reached that stage, Rias would lose a long-time friend. Akeno, on the other hand, wouldn't just lose her happiness—she'd also lose her friendship. And Fukuki? He'd lose both.

In this game, who would come out ahead?

The answer was clear: nobody. All three of them would lose.

"Besides, if you think about it, it's not necessarily all that selfish," Fukuki added, his tone suddenly lightening.

"Based on my analysis, jealousy essentially stems from sharing what was supposed to belong to one person with another. It's not just about the concept of 'not fearing scarcity but fearing inequality.' It's more like fearing both scarcity and inequality."

"...So?"

Rias, momentarily thrown off by this string of philosophical musings, instinctively asked for clarification.

"So, wouldn't it be fine as long as everyone gets enough?" Fukuki shrugged.

"To be more specific, as long as I put in a little more effort, it'll all work out."

"Huh? What does this have to do with you putting in effort?" Rias was even more confused.

Before she could process further, she noticed the boy casting her a look filled with concern.

"Well, it's not exactly a lot of effort. After all, Rias, you can't even last two hours."

Two hours? What two hours?

A buffering wheel seemed to spin above the red-haired girl's head as she tried to process his words. After a moment, her face flushed with realization.

Wait, he means THAT kind of two hours?!

A vein popped on her forehead as her blood pressure skyrocketed past 180. Rias felt like she might cough up blood any second.

But when the words reached her lips, they instead transformed into a soft, sweet voice.

"Fine, whatever. I can't argue with you on this. Just make sure you treat me well in the future. Don't forget about me if you find someone new, alright?"

"Mm."