Tenma decided that, in hindsight, bypassing a complex barrier made by one of the most talented magicians of the devil government might not have been the best way to start a friendly negotiation with someone he was trying to gain the trust of.
His clue for that? Two distrustful and one shaken gaze from the representatives of Gremory peerage. Kiba Yuuto and Himejima Akeno being the distrustful and the Gremory heiress being the shaken one.
It likely would have been three distrustful gazes if they hadn't left Toujou Koneko down with Valerie and Gasper as 'insurance'.
It was a good thing that Tenma didn't laugh at the idea, it probably wouldn't have endeared him to the other members of the Gremory peerage. Even if the idea of the little Nekosho-in-hiding having any chance against Valerie was a hilarious one.
Yet at this moment, there was no sign of humor between Tenma and Rias. Only a tense silence.
Rias was the first to break it.
"…You bypassed a barrier created by Macgregor Mathers," she said carefully, her tone measured but strained. "Without a key."
Tenma hummed, tilting his head slightly, a faint smile playing on his lips. "I merely opened a door."
Her lips twitched. Not in amusement, but in disbelief.
"I don't think we can simply say that and go on with our days."
"Nor should you," Tenma replied easily. "But I also don't believe that me explaining how I did it would be helpful to you."
Rias's eyes narrowed. "You expect me to believe that?"
"I expect you to believe that the method I used cannot be replicated," Tenma said, unbothered. "It isn't something that can be studied, copied, or abused. Which means it isn't a security risk."
He paused, then added lightly, "At worst, it's a curiosity."
That gave her pause.
"…A curiosity," she repeated.
"Think of it as a puzzle," Tenma continued with a small laugh. "One you can look at for as long as you like, knowing full well you won't solve it. If you do manage it, I'll even owe you a favor."
Kiba stiffened slightly at that. Akeno's smile sharpened.
Rias frowned, but there was a spark of reluctant interest in her eyes.
"You're awfully confident."
Tenma shrugged. "If I simply explained everything outright, you'd get bored of me far too quickly."
Rias exhaled slowly, then straightened her posture. When she spoke again, her voice was calmer. Lighter.
"Well," she said, folding her hands in front of her, "if your method truly isn't reproducible, then I suppose there's no reason for concern."
Tenma's smile didn't change.
"However," she continued smoothly, "that does leave another issue."
Akeno's eyes flicked to her. Kiba shifted his stance almost imperceptibly.
"You entered a sealed space under my authority," Rias said. "One containing a member of my peerage. Regardless of intent, that is a breach of jurisdiction."
There it was.
Tenma noted it with quiet approval.
"In normal circumstances," Rias went on, "that would obligate me to report the incident. Not as a grievance, but as a matter of record."
She tilted her head, crimson hair sliding over her shoulder.
"But I don't wish to escalate this."
Tenma's eyes finally sharpened.
"What would you propose instead?" he asked mildly.
Rias smiled, a proper politician's smile this time.
"A formal acknowledgment," she said. "That what you did today was an exception. That you will not interfere with my territory or peerage again without my consent."
A pause.
"And," she added carefully, "that you place that acknowledgment under my name."
The trap was elegant.
If Tenma agreed, he would be implicitly accepting Rias's authority over him in Kuoh and tie his future actions to her consent.
Tenma was silent for three heartbeats.
Then he chuckled.
"That's very clever," he said sincerely.
Rias's smile widened just a fraction.
"But?" she asked.
"But you're assuming I acted as an unaffiliated devil," Tenma replied.
The room stilled.
"I didn't," he continued. "I acted as Valerie's king."
Akeno's eyes narrowed.
Rias frowned. "I don't see how that—"
"You allowed my queen to enter," Tenma said gently. "And she did. I merely followed my piece."
He spread his hands, posture open.
"If you record anything," he added, "it won't be an intrusion. It'll be an escort."
Silence.
That… changed things.
Rias felt it immediately. Her little trap hadn't failed, but it had been reframed.
"…You're saying this was a peerage movement," she said slowly.
"Yes," Tenma replied. "One you implicitly permitted."
Akeno let out a soft laugh behind her sleeve.
Kiba stiffened.
Rias closed her eyes for a moment.
When she opened them, the political smile was gone, replaced with something more genuine.
"…I see," she said quietly.
Tenma inclined his head.
"For what it's worth," he added. "...if you had forced the issue, I would've accepted your condition."
That made her look up sharply.
"But," he finished with a smile. "...then neither of us would have enjoyed working together." The rest of their talks were done with a far less tense atmosphere.
-------------
Tenma poured the wine without ceremony, the bottle making a dull clink against the counter as he set it down.
"Did you enjoy yourself?" he asked mildly. "It's been a while since you last saw your little friend."
Valerie accepted the glass, eyes half-lidded as she watched the liquid settle.
"It was… sufficient." she said flatly. "He's alive. That's all that matters."
She took a sip, then scoffed.
"That red-haired girl..." Valerie continued. "You let her posture far more than she deserved."
Tenma didn't look surprised.
"She believed she was negotiating." Valerie went on, irritation creeping into her voice. "As if her approval meant something."
Tenma hummed in agreement.
"She's a local authority." he said. "Not a deciding one."
Valerie's lips curved faintly. "Exactly. A caretaker playing queen."
She leaned back, crimson eyes sharp.
"You could have taken what we wanted. Gasper. Her favor. Her silence. All of it. Instead you entertained her little 'traps'."
Tenma swirled his wine slowly.
"She set a condition." he said. "I declined it."
"You humored it." Valerie corrected. "That's worse."
He chuckled softly.
"Valerie, if I'd dismissed her outright, she would have escalated. Not because she's powerful, but because she thinks she has backing."
"And she doesn't" Valerie said coldly.
"No." Tenma agreed easily. "Not in any way that matters."
Valerie watched him closely now.
"Then why bother?"
Tenma took a sip.
"Because Rias Gremory believes the world works on permissions." he said. "On jurisdictions. On who is allowed to do what, and where."
He set the glass down.
"As long as she believes that, she'll keep trying to manage me instead of asking why I'm here at all."
Valerie snorted. "A babysitter with delusions of relevance."
"Precisely."
She went quiet for a moment.
"…And if she becomes inconvenient?"
Tenma's answer came without hesitation.
"Then she stops being involved."
Not removed.
Not destroyed.
Just… irrelevant.
Valerie's shoulders relaxed slightly.
"You're wasting time on insects," she muttered.
"I'm stepping on stones so I don't have to look down later," Tenma replied. "Kuoh is a crossroads. Letting a local guide wave traffic keeps bigger eyes away."
Valerie tilted her head.
"And Gasper?"
Tenma's gaze sharpened just a fraction.
"He stays where he is," he said. "Protected. Overlooked. Exactly where no one important bothers to look."
Valerie exhaled through her nose.
"…Fine."
She raised her glass this time.
"But when this is over." she said quietly, "I will be taking him back."
Tenma clinked his glass against hers.
"Of course you will."
-------------
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