Chapter 15 - Staircase

"Don't worry. I can show you the way if you like. I don't want my kouhai to get lost again and get a scolding after the disciplinary committee." said Rias Gremory to Basara.

"Sure, that would be nice."

"Good! Let's go, then." She nodded for him to follow her, and they started walking down the corridor together.

As they walked through the silent corridors of the Academy, Basara tried to memorize the way, but most of his attention was focused on Rias. Her noble manner and the way her long red hair moved with every step were difficult to find elsewhere. Basara was surprised at how much more fascinating the academy was compared to his expectations.

'Meeting her by chance like that might have been the effect of that skill from yesterday...' He deduced, after all, it was natural to think that casually bumping into a pretty girl like Rias could be nothing but luck.

Basara and Rias Gremory started down the stairs that would take them to the fourth floor. They were in the middle of an ordinary conversation, like Rias asking him about what he was thinking of the academy so far, but suddenly, as Rias descended the next flight of stairs ahead of him, one step was wet. Basara didn't realize what was going to happen, but when he heard the unmistakable sound of a foot slipping, followed by a brief tremble in her voice, Basara reacted. In a fraction of a second, he caught her completely with both arms before she fell. For the first time in a long time, his body reacted before his mind, and he picked her up. Acting on instinct, he quickly prevented her from getting hurt by falling down the stairs.

At that moment, with Rias in his arms, her blue eyes stared at him, still wide with surprise.

Rias was beautiful. He already knew that, of course. But now, seeing her so close, with her cheeks slightly flushed and her lips ajar from shock, Basara realized that "beautiful" was not a word that did her justice. Rias Gremory looked like she had been sculpted by the finest artist. The contour of her face, the long eyelashes that framed her expressive eyes and the blush of her hair...

"Thank you..." She thanked him with her arms folded as he held her. "You caught me just in time. You saved me from a dangerous fall."

Basara should have replied immediately, something simple like "you're welcome" or "it was nothing". However, she interrupted him herself before he could say it.

"Um... now, could you let me go? It's just that, well, you're touching my... well..."

Only then did he realize that, in the moment of desperation, he had held Rias as best he could, which meant that while one of his hands was on her back, the other was on a part a little lower down. From the volume and fabric, he could easily tell that it wasn't her thighs, but her ass.

[+50 Naughty Points.]

'Shit! That sounds like a poor joke!'

Basara's body instantly stiffened as he realized the situation he was in. "Oh, sorry!" he exasperated, then carefully let go of her and took a step back as his head exploded with internal shame. "I... didn't realize... really! It was a pure reflex. I swear."

She laughed lightly, still blushing. She knew he hadn't meant to touch her like that.

"Don't worry, it was no big deal. It was just an accident... It happens," she said, fixing her skirt again.

When Rias pulled herself together and straightened her posture, she looked as the serious figure she had before.

"Well... Shall we continue, then?" She gestured to the stairs ahead, still smiling slightly.

"Of course." he replied quickly. 'Why the hell have I been so distressed ever since I met her? I know she's pretty, but her beauty is on a par with Mio's, even if her personality... well, it's exactly my type of woman.'

They continued down the stairs, this time at a slower pace. Basara monitored every step to avoid another disastrous episode. They walked in silence for a few minutes until they finally reached the room he was looking for.

Rias turned to him, and Basara thought:

'What should I say now?'

"We've arrived. This is the 1-B classroom, Basara-kun. It's easy to get lost in a big place like this academy, so try to memorize the gimmicks and decorations in the corridors so you don't keep getting lost, okay?"

"Thanks for the tip and again for helping me find my room, Rias-senpai."

"It was nothing. If you need help to adjust, you can always count on me. After all, you saved me today, too."

It was interesting how, in just a few minutes, the interaction between Basara and Rias had changed from something formal and polite between two complete strangers to two colleagues. He didn't know what to expect from this new relationship with Rias, but something told him that she wasn't the kind of person who allowed proximity so easily. And, with one last smile, she turned and began to walk away down the corridor.

"See you around, Basara-kun~."

Basara stood still for a moment, watching as she disappeared around the bend in the corridor. For some reason, that brief interaction with this girl had stirred something in him.

Finally, he took a deep breath and entered the classroom, already hoping that it wasn't a lesson from teacher Kirisu Mafuyu, so that he wouldn't get another scolding from her.

On entering the room, instead of the quiet that Kirisu-sensei usually imposed, Basara found several people standing around, many talking in groups and even sleeping.

'What's going on here?'

On the blackboard at the front of the room, numbers in pairs marked pages. The date of the lesson, written in slightly slanted letters, suggested that the instructions had been left by the teacher. And there he was, the teacher, leaning over a pile of papers with his glasses resting crookedly on his nose as he slept so deeply that he snored.

Basara's entrance didn't attract any special looks. In fact, one or two furtive glances greeted him only from a few colleagues who soon returned to their notebooks or to their conversations with those next to them. The powerful throw in the physical tests drew attention, but this attention only lasted for a few minutes after the throw, like a passing fame.

Basara walked over to his wallet. When he reached his desk, he placed his backpack on the iron stand at the side of the table and sat down. Looking to his left, he noticed that the desk of his quiet neighbor, Koneko, was empty.

'She missed today, apparently.'

Basara looked around, noticing that there probably wouldn't be anything different in that class. The teacher wouldn't be waking up soon. The students seemed to be too busy chatting, and he, for his part, could use a moment's rest.

After a minute or two, Moka realized Basara had arrived, asked her friends to excuse her, and went over to him. She sat down gently in Koneko's place, tucking the strands of pink hair behind her ear before looking up at him.

"Basara-kun, where were you?"

"I was late getting to school, and I also got lost while trying to find the room."

Moka put a hand to her mouth and laughed in his face, even if it was a low, shy laugh. "How did you get lost, even after that senior showed us the way so well yesterday?"

'Actually, that boy explained the way in detail just for you.' Basara thought, a little annoyed as he remembered Issei. "Yeah, I wasn't paying much attention to him. However, today Rias-senpai helped me find our room."

Moka thought for a second, trying to remember where she had heard that name he mentioned before, and then blinked in surprise. "Rias-senpai? Are you talking about Rias Gremory, President of the Student Council?"

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