Chapter 33: Rias Sets Out to Raid the Enemy’s Base!
Sitting on the couch in the lounge, the red-haired girl crossed her legs and rested her chin lightly on her propped-up fist, staring blankly at the floor.
Anyone paying attention could tell she was deep in thought—or perhaps just zoning out.
"President... President? Rias?"
A gentle voice called out from beside her, but the red-haired girl seemed to have muted all sounds around her. She remained motionless, staring at the floor as if in a trance.
Akeno had to raise her voice slightly.
"Rias!"
"Huh—wha!?" Startled by the sudden close-range shout, Rias snapped out of her daze, blinking as she instinctively looked toward the source of the voice.
She met Akeno's slightly concerned gaze.
"What is it, Akeno? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Rias reflexively tried to force a smile, hoping to appear as composed as usual, but her lips only twitched slightly.
Akeno extended a hand, her knuckles brushing against Rias's forehead.
"Are you sure you're okay? I already got the school to excuse your absence for today, but if you're not feeling well, you need to let me know. You should take care of yourself—"
"I'm fine, Akeno." Rias shook her head to avoid Akeno's touch and worked hard to summon a reassuring smile.
"Really, I'm okay. I just... I guess I'm just a bit... Never mind. You don't have to worry... I'll be fine."
Her words were jumbled, her logic incoherent. Despite her insistence that everything was fine, how could she possibly convince anyone not to worry?
Himejima Akeno straightened up, her brows furrowing as she looked at her friend on the sofa, whose expression was gradually slipping back into deep thought. She opened her mouth to say something but ultimately held back.
This wasn't the first time, after all.
Since last Friday—or more precisely, since Saturday morning—Rias had been like this. She would sit alone on the living room sofa for an entire day, saying almost nothing. No matter how much Akeno asked, she wouldn't explain, as if her lips were sealed shut.
That was the most frustrating part.
Helpless, Akeno decided to take a step back.
Taking out her phone, she held it up for the red-haired girl, who seemed on the verge of disappearing into her own world again.
"Rias, should I message Fukuki and let him know that you're not feeling well today? Since there's nothing urgent, maybe he shouldn't come over?"
Her tone wasn't so much asking as it was using reverse psychology.
And sure enough, as soon as she finished speaking, the previously unresponsive Rias abruptly lifted her head, her lips parting slightly as if to protest. After hesitating for a moment, she finally replied softly,
"Oh, then go ahead and let him know."
...
What?
Something was definitely wrong!
Akeno could sense it clearly. But if Rias herself said so, there wasn't much she could do. She sighed and complied.
Meanwhile, in the second-year classroom of Kuoh Academy, Fukuki was still packing his bag after the last class of the day had ended.
Beside him, the cheerful voice of the nun echoed as she tidied up her desk.
"Finally, school's over! Hehe~ Are we heading to Rias's place next?"
"Yeah, once we're done packing, we'll head straight over..."
Fukuki nodded in agreement, but before he could finish his sentence, his phone buzzed lightly in his pocket.
Hmm?
Taking it out, he saw that it was a message from Akeno.
"The President isn't feeling well today, so club activities are canceled for now."
What do you mean canceled for now? You make it sound like the Occult Research Club is just a regular school club…
Fukuki couldn't help but mutter internally as he read the message.
Considering they'd only just dealt with the fallout of some Fallen Angels causing trouble, it made sense to take a few days to settle down.
But "not feeling well," huh…
Fukuki turned his head slightly to glance at the blonde girl beside him, who had just finished packing her bag.
"Asia, did Rias mention feeling unwell these past couple of days?"
"Huh? President Rias?"
Asia paused, then shook her head quickly.
"I didn't hear anything like that, but she has seemed really preoccupied lately. We tried asking her what was wrong, but she wouldn't say..."
Preoccupied, huh?
Scratching his temple, Fukuki sighed. This sounded tricky.
Everyone has their own worries—just like how people occasionally get sick.
Some concerns are like catching a cold: commonplace and easy to share with friends, even asking for advice.
But other troubles are more akin to rare, private illnesses—difficult to talk about and nearly impossible to explain, even if someone pried.
Unless the time, place, and person were all just right, those kinds of worries would never be shared.
In other words, it was all about timing.
After a brief pause, Fukuki quickly typed a reply on his phone.
"Is everything okay? Do you need me to bring some medicine over?"
Click Send.
Within just five or six seconds, a reply from Akeno arrived.
[No worries, no worries. Rias said she just needs a couple of days to rest; it's nothing serious.]
As expected, it was a formulaic response.
With that, Keikain Fukuki didn't push further. After a simple "Got it" in response, he put away his phone and turned to shrug at the puzzled Asia beside him.
"Just now, Akeno messaged saying Rias isn't feeling well today, so club activities are canceled. I'll head straight home instead. See you tomorrow morning."
"Ah... I see."
Upon hearing that he was leaving, Asia, who had been looking forward to their time together, couldn't help but look a bit disappointed. But her expression quickly brightened, and she flashed her usual gentle, healing smile, nodding firmly.
"Alright then, see you tomorrow, Fukuki."
"See you tomorrow, Asia."
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Elsewhere, in the old school building.
"Rias, I've let Fukuki know. He won't be coming over today; he should be heading straight home now."
Putting down her phone, Akeno spoke to her friend lounging on the couch.
She thought this might provoke some kind of reaction, but to her surprise, Rias only nodded slightly. Then, she stretched lazily, rising from the sofa.
"Thanks, Akeno. I'm going to take a short walk outside. For dinner, you, Koneko, and Asia go ahead without me. Once I feel a bit better, I'll grab something myself."
"...Alright then."
"Thanks again."
Smiling faintly, Rias thanked her once more before leaving the lounge and stepping out of the old school building.
Once she confirmed there was no one around, her pace quickened as she made her way straight to the school's main entrance.