Chapter 51: Briefly

If you want to read ahead by 10 chapters from her you can visit my Patre-on.

[P] [A] [T] [R] [E] [O] [N]

https://patreon.com/kelly_over

____________

Akeno just asked with a raised eyebrow, "Then how do you explain your obliviousness to his personality? Yuuto and Naruto-kun have basically become best friends in this month. I've been desperately trying to get closer to him.

Even Koneko is always watching him and analyzing his words, even if she doesn't show it. What effort have you put into figuring Naruto-kun out, Rias?…Whether you want to accept it or not, Rias, you've put no effort in.

You and Naruto do get along. That is plain to see, but that is all. He likes you. I'm not so sure he respects you as a king. He doesn't refer you to as Buchou, but Rias-chan.

He may have not meant it as an insult, but it is a sign. A sign that he in no way considered you his superior. You haven't put in an effort to make him think of you as a friend, and he doesn't view you as his leader."

Now that caused Rias to protest by declaring, "I am friends with Naruto-kun."

"You certainly didn't behave like his friend just now," Akeno immediately claimed before elaborating, "You were more concerned with punishing him for disobeying you than finding out why he disobeyed you.

You didn't try to understand his feelings. You didn't ask him how he knew the nun. Hell, you didn't even ask him how he was feeling."

"I did too ask him," Rias claimed before blinking as she thought back. She then asked uncertainly, "Didn't I?"

"No, you didn't," Akeno told her bluntly.

"I…I didn't realize I was behaving like that," Rias finally admitted, clearly being vulnerable at the realization of what she had been doing. She then continued weakly, "Naruto-kun just adapted so easy I figured having him be a member of my peerage would be easy.

That I didn't need to worry about him. So I just got caught up in my own worries. Riser, the upcoming match, all that. And then this nun. I just never expecting him to…act out like this. It just caught me by surprise, and I reacted without thought."

Akeno sighed as she tried to make all her anger drain away. She really shouldn't have said all that stuff. She knew Rias was stressed enough without her adding onto it.

She was just mad and annoyed by how Rias had been treating Naruto like a side concern. It wasn't as bad as she had made it seem, and Rias hadn't been doing it with any malicious intent.

She had simply been distracted. Hopefully she'll change. For now she has to make sure this situation doesn't end badly.

She then put a comforting hand on Rias' shoulder before telling her, "I'm sure Naruto-kun barely even noticed. He certainly won't hold it against you."

"Even I know that," Rias commented with a small smirk. She then asked, "So what is it you recommend I do in this situation, Akeno?"

Akeno thought for a moment before announcing calmly, "Rias, you've been spoiled by myself, Koneko, and Yuuto. We all listen to you without much protest. It isn't your fault.

This is just the first time you've had to deal with a servant who is disobeying you. So you now need to make a decision, Rias. Do you want a servant…or a friend?"

"Is that even a question, Akeno? You know the answer to that," Rias stated in disbelief.

"Do I? I know which choice I hope you choose, but you still have to make it. If only to yourself. You haven't been behaving like the answer should be clear.

You've been thinking of Naruto as a servant, and haven't tried to be his friend," Akeno informed her seriously before continuing, "You are a member of the Gremory Clan, a family that has such extraordinary affection among devils that they are said to not differentiate between servants and themselves. It's time to prove it. Accept Naruto as he is, faults and all. Think of him as a friend, and not a servant. If you do that, the answer of what we should do is pretty clear."

Rias took her words in seriously. Being a friend is accepting the faults of your friends, and still staying beside them. Even when they do something dangerous and reckless.

Looking up at the other members of her peerage, she examined them. Yuuto looked like he was barely stopping himself from sprinting out the door.

Of course he wanted to go help Naruto. Koneko was actually slipping on a pair of combat gloves.

For all her aloof behavior, Koneko was the type to help her comrades when they need it. Akeno would look calm and composed to most people, but Rias had known her for years. The two were best friends.

So it was easy for Rias to tell Akeno was in the same state as Yuuto, barely containing herself. What they wanted to do was abundantly clear.

With a small smile, Rias stood up. She then announced, "Looks like we need to go help out friend…even if he is being reckless and dangerous."

Naruto teleported onto the street right before the church he had directed Asia to before. That meant it was the base of the fallen angels, where they were now holding Asia.

The sky was dark. The sun had been setting when he had left the clubroom, and he had briefly headed home. He'd changed into his workout clothes and devoured some food in record time.

His workout clothes were better suited for combat than the academy uniform. The food was just common sense.

He hadn't eaten for near a full day, and he had been hungry. This was going to be difficult enough without his stomach aching from hunger.

Now he was all ready and looking at the large gate of the fence around the church. He couldn't hold anything back. He was going all out right from the beginning.

Naruto had already made the mistake of underestimating his opponents yesterday. He was still berating himself for what happened the previous day. He'd made mistake after mistake.

Not even honest mistakes either. Stupid, amateur ones. The sort of things he would have made as a genin.

____________

If you want to read ahead by 10 chapters from her you can visit my Patre-on.

[P] [A] [T] [R] [E] [O] [N]

https://patreon.com/kelly_over