I was wrapped in Irina's arms, her embrace almost crushing, like a shield made of flesh and faith.
Xenovia stood firmly in front of us, her strange-looking sword unsheathed and gleaming faintly under the lights, the posture of a knight who had sworn to guard her liege.
If I didn't know better, I would have thought holy warriors were guarding me in some over-the-top RPG cutscene.
On the opposite side of the room, Rias and the others stared at us in complete bewilderment.
Well—"complete" might not be accurate.
Rias was already red in the face, her mind clearly thinking about what we really did.
And Akeno… oh, Akeno.
She looked like she was watching a particularly juicy live drama, lips curled in that teasing smile, eyes sparkling with interest.
I twisted in Irina's arms, making sure everyone had a clear view of my trembling face.
Then I buried myself deeper into her chest and tightened my grip around her waist.
My voice cracked pathetically, as though the weight of unbearable trauma was pressing down on me.
"Sniff… sniff… Irina… I'm so glad you came! They… they… sniff… they did those things to me… sniff, sniff…"
The atmosphere in the room shifted instantly, like someone had just flipped the switch from comedy to tragedy.
Rias froze, her mouth opening as if to protest, but no sound came out.
Koneko's ears twitched, her stoic mask cracking just enough to show confusion.
Asia paled, her hands fidgeting with her skirt as if she didn't know what was even going on.
Akeno, on the other hand, looked positively delighted—like she'd just been served the main course of the greatest feast in the world.
I swear she was about to clap her hands and ask for a second act.
Meanwhile, Irina held me tighter, her protective instincts kicking into overdrive.
She started stroking my head with slow, reassuring motions, her voice trembling with both anger and devotion.
"Don't worry, Zevion," she whispered as though she were the only one capable of saving me from corruption.
"We'll take care of them. I promise. The Lord will never abandon His lambs!"
Her words cut through the room like a blade, filled with divine righteousness.
Me?
I just tucked my face deeper into her chest, biting back a smirk.
Yep. Operation Make Myself Look Like the Victim was going smoothly.
I sniffled again for maximum effect, tilting my head just enough so everyone could hear me clearly.
"But… but… Rias and Akeno… they always sleep with me naked…"
The words hung in the air like a thunderclap.
For a full second, silence ruled the room.
Then—boom.
Rias went crimson from head to toe, her eyes widening in horror as if I had just revealed the deepest state secret of the Gremory family.
"Z-Zevion!"
She sputtered, her hands flailing as though she wanted to clap them over my mouth but couldn't move.
Akeno, of course, only leaned back further into the sofa, a hand pressed over her lips to hide the laughter bubbling out of her.
The sparkle in her eyes said it all—this was the kind of chaos she lived for.
Koneko blinked, then deadpanned, "…Zevion, you're an idiot," before turning her head away, ears twitching furiously.
Irina and Xenovia both stiffened like they'd just been shot.
Irina's face turned so red it almost matched her hair ribbon, her hands trembling against me as her grip on my shoulders tightened.
"Y-you… you…! How could they…?! In front of an innocent boy like you?!"
Xenovia raised her sword, glaring daggers at the devils across the room.
"Disgraceful. Utterly disgraceful. Devils really do corrupt everything they touch."
Meanwhile, Asia tilted her head in confusion, her innocent eyes darting between everyone as if she were trying to solve a puzzle with half the pieces missing.
"Umm… sleeping together is bad?" she asked quietly.
And that was the moment the embarrassment doubled—because even those who realized I was just messing around couldn't escape the creeping second-hand shame.
Rias wanted to crawl under a table.
Koneko's imaginary tail was puffed like a bottlebrush.
Even Xenovia looked like she couldn't process this level of depravity.
Only Asia remained blissfully clueless.
And Akeno… well, she had no shame to begin with, so naturally, she was enjoying every second.
Me? I buried my face deeper into Irina's chest to hide the grin threatening to break out.
Though Asia's innocent question only made the heat in my face climb higher.
What the hell was I doing, saying stuff like that in front of such an earnest kid?
My cheeks were on fire.
Then Xenovia snapped.
Her face had gone a strange mix of blush and righteous anger.
"To think… the sister of Satan would—do… such… perverted things!" she spat, each word trembling with disgust.
The sword at her back hummed and began to glow, holy light crawling along the blade as if answering her outrage.
The room's air shifted; the joke had suddenly turned very serious.
Panic reflex kicked in.
I lunged forward and clung to Xenovia's legs like a drowning man to a pier.
"No! Please don't do it! They—there's magic binding me to them! If you hurt them, I'll—" I flailed for something dramatic to say, "—I'll die!"
Yeah.
I was shameless.
Today was a shameless day.
Koneko's expression was a hard, blunt punch of reality.
She looked at me with cold disgust and deadpanned: "Pervert."
That hit.
"Uck… that was 90 damage," I muttered to myself and slumped a bit.
Maybe I wasn't completely immune to shame after all.
Xenovia's glow faltered for a second, then she stopped entirely, blinking at the ridiculous scene: me clinging to her like a child, Irina glaring like a betrayed knight, and Akeno looking like she'd tuned in to the most delicious drama on TV.
Irina's voice cracked with righteous fury.
"You… you… filthy devils! Don't you have even an ounce of humanity?!"
Xenovia, still trying to act composed, was more blunt.
"Irina, they are devils. You saw them. To think they'd take him hostage…"
She trailed off, eyes narrowing.
Akeno, who absolutely should not have been encouraged, leaned forward with a lazy, wicked grin.
"Fufufu~ that's right. If you even try to hurt us, he'll suffer—what are you going to do about it?"
She teased, as if daring them to try.
The whole room felt absurd and dangerous at once: two holy girls on the brink of action, my pathetic performance of terror, and Akeno gleefully stoking the fire.
"Release him!"
Irina shouted, stepping forward so fast her robe fluttered.
"Take me in his place!"
For a beat, Xenovia looked flabbergasted, eyes widening as if the idea hadn't even occurred to her.
"No—take me in his place! Irina, you need to stay with him so you can protect him and make sure this never happens again."
Irina's face crumpled, torn between duty and panic.
"But… but… I can't leave you alone here…"
She murmured, voice small and uncertain.
Akeno, lounging on the couch like the amused instigator she was, chimed in with a lazy, wicked smile.
"Ara~ We're not about to release him. But… if you become my obedient pets and follow my orders—keep myself busy and out of the way—I might be so occupied that I forget about him. What do you say?"
The room fell into a ridiculous standoff: Irina trembling with zeal, Xenovia trying to act practical while clearly rattled, Rias and the others watching with various shades of embarrassment and disbelief, and Akeno treating the whole thing like an elaborate play she'd been handed for her amusement.
I, meanwhile, was still clinging to Xenovia's legs, wondering how her legs were so soft.
Hmmm~ I will stay here looking like I am holding her back from attacking while I enjoy her thighs.
No one would notice my intent in this chaos.
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