Chapter 107: Whispering
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His back was to the springs as he rested his back against the tree trunk. He had managed to avoid her all day, though his lungs felt like they were going to burst and his heart hadn't stopped pounding against his ribcage since the sun had risen at least half a day ago.
There was one, exactly one, bright side to his suffering. His speed and stamina had increased greatly as he fled for his safety.
The next time he boosted himself with his magical power, he'd probably be faster than lightning, which would be nice considering Akeno's preferred skillset.
"Why are you out here, Lady Rias?" Koneko's soft voice made Lelouch twitch as he remembered he was sitting right outside the hot spring.
He was essentially trapped if Koneko had decided to take a bath, and considering he heard her step into the water just now, he didn't like his odds.
And, even better, apparently Rias was there with her too, as the redheaded President replied to her Rook's question.
"I came out here to think, Akeno's training Lelouch right now so I can't bounce any of my ideas off of them for the moment." Rias' voice sounded amused as she thought of his training.
"I haven't heard anything explode in a while so I think Akeno's starting to wind it down for tonight." Lelouch twitched at the last word.
He had been fleeing Akeno's lightning and whip since dawn. The way Rias said it made it sound like Akeno had only started training him in the afternoon or evening.
If he had really wanted to, he could have broken out of her bonds that had tied his hands behind his back and sealed off his magic almost immediately, but he knew she would simply find a worse way to "punish" him if he didn't suffer through it now.
And that was the only reason he was dealing with this insane speed training session he had been suffering under all day.
To avoid what would almost certainly be something worse.
Lelouch hadn't eaten since lunch the previous day as he had ended up missing dinner and hadn't been able to hide from Akeno long enough to sneak into the kitchen to swipe some food or something.
"What are you thinking about?" Koneko's voice was quiet as she waded through the water, presumably to sit next to Rias.
Rias remained silent for a few minutes before she answered, and while she was doing that Lelouch was focusing intensely on making sure his breathing remained as quiet as possible.
He wasn't moving a muscle, but his ears did twitch as he heard his name mentioned by Rias.
"I was thinking about Issei, Lelouch, and Asia." Rias sighed quietly, the water shifting around her with a quiet splash. "Issei's Boosted Gear is incredible, but his magical power is so low that it takes a number of boosts to make him a strong fighter.
Lelouch is very gifted magically, but he is hampered by the Knight Piece's small pool of magical energy.
Asia is an amazing healer, she's even better than Akeno and myself, and her control over her magical energy is unmatched by all of us, but she's also the most vulnerable member of our family since she has no ability to attack someone." The water splashed again.
"Issei's perverseness, while adorable." Koneko snorted in disagreement, but Rias continued on. "Is something that distracts him quite often and I worry sometimes that it gets out of hand."
"That's an understatement." Koneko deadpanned, with Lelouch nodding in silent agreement.
Rias giggled. "Yes, well, at least I know what kind of rewards to offer him so that his training isn't hampered by his perversion.
And at least I know he's a good guy, it doesn't hurt he's cute too." Rias spoiled Issei far too much in Lelouch's opinion, but it was interesting to get a little insight into what she thought of everyone.
It was interesting, getting a candid assessment like this completely by accident.
"What else are you thinking about?" Koneko asked, her tone curious. Lelouch had no doubt that her ears would be twitching if they were visible.
"Well, I was just thinking about, well." Rias paused before whispering quietly. "Gasper." Koneko's sharp gasp made Lelouch curious so he closed his eyes and listened more intently than he had before.
"I visited him the day before Riser appeared, he's really enjoying his new gaming console, but he still doesn't want to come out of his room." Rias sighed sadly. "He's still too scared of people thinking he's a monster or just being around others in general."
So, Gasper must be Rias' other Bishop. Or so Lelouch gathered.
"Gaspie isn't a monster." Koneko spoke up, her tone vehemently denying such an accusation.
"I know, but it's kind of like telling Lelouch the same thing." Lelouch twitched at the accusation. "He just doesn't believe anyone when they tell him that." Well, maybe Rias had a point.
"I was thinking about going to visit him tomorrow and ask if he would be willing to help in the Rating Game, but I don't want to push him too hard.
His agoraphobia has lessened since he began playing those online games with people instead of just using his computer to complete Pacts and I don't want to make him relapse."
Lelouch breathed a quiet sigh. Agoraphobia, that was a nasty one. A fear that could cripple people if they left their homes depending on how severe it was, every kind of social interaction with others into an exhausting experience the sufferer would try to avoid by any means necessary.
It was probably a miracle that this "Gasper" allowed Rias to speak with him at all, to have him actually voluntarily contacting people, even if it was only online, was a major accomplishment on her part.
"Gasper could really help us, especially since I'm afraid that the next two weeks might not be enough to get us ready to beat Riser's full Peerage." Rias admitted quietly, her fear understood by Lelouch.
The odds did not look good for her, he could understand why she was afraid.
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