I stepped into my room and froze.
Asia was there.
She stood near the bed, hands nervously clasped in front of her, wearing a nightgown so different from her usual modest clothes that for a moment I honestly thought I'd walked into the wrong room. The fabric was light, almost translucent in the dim lamp glow, and the way it draped over her made her look far more mature than she usually carried herself.
"…Asia? " I asked, forcing a smile so I wouldn't startle her. "What are you doing here?"
She flinched slightly at my voice, then looked up at me with wide, flustered eyes. Even in the low light, I could see how red her cheeks were. She pulled a sheet up instinctively, as if she'd only just realized what she was wearing.
"I-Ise-san…" she stammered. "I… um…"
She took a breath, clearly gathering courage, then said it all in one rush.
"I—I am seducing you."
Silence.
"…You're what?" I blinked.
Her face turned even redder, and she nodded rapidly, as if afraid she'd lose her nerve if she didn't confirm it immediately.
"I'm… trying to," she corrected herself softly. "I read about it. And Akeno-san told me that… this is how you show your feelings properly."
Of course she did.
I rubbed the back of my neck and stepped closer, careful not to loom over her. "Asia," I said gently, "why would you think you need to do something like that?"
She peeked up at me, eyes trembling with sincerity. "Because I like you, Ise-san. And I was scared that… if I didn't change, if I didn't try harder, you might look somewhere else."
That hit harder than anything else that day.
Before I could respond, she hesitated—then, with the clumsiest determination imaginable, she let the sheet fall away and straightened her posture. Her pose was awkward and stiff, clearly copied from someone else's advice rather than something that came naturally to her.
"I—I am sexy… right?" she asked, voice barely above a whisper.
Oh boy.
I closed the distance between us and gently took her hands, stopping her before she could spiral further into embarrassment.
"Asia," I said softly, meeting her eyes, "you don't have to do this. You don't have to be anyone else."
She froze, then slowly relaxed her grip on the fabric.
"You're kind. You're brave. And you're you," I continued. "That's more than enough."
Her eyes shimmered, and she nodded, biting her lip as a small, relieved smile formed.
"…I'm glad," she whispered.
Asia hesitated for a long moment, fingers tightening in the fabric of her nightgown. Then, as if she'd finally made up her mind, she looked straight at me—really looked at me—with a seriousness that didn't match her soft voice.
"Ise-san…" she said quietly. "Tonight… can I be yours?"
Something I predicted, so I wasn't surprised.
Before I could even say "okay," she hurried on, afraid of the silence that followed.
"I know that you, Rias-san, and Akeno-san are very close," she said, her cheeks burning red. "I've seen how you make love all the time back in your house. And I… I want to be part of that too. I don't want to just watch from the side forever."
My mind went blank.
Something I didn't predict.
I didn't speak right away—and that was my mistake.
Her expression shifted, confidence crumbling into uncertainty. Her hands trembled slightly as she looked down.
"…Do you hate me? " she asked softly. "Is that why you never treat me the same way? Is it because I'm not… good enough?"
That snapped me back instantly.
"Asia—no," I said firmly, stepping closer so she couldn't retreat into herself. "That's not it. Not even close."
She looked up, eyes glossy, clearly bracing herself to be hurt.
"I didn't move because I care about you," I continued, slower now. "Because I don't want you thinking you have to rush or compare yourself to anyone else. I never want you to feel like you're just trying to keep up."
Her lips parted slightly, stunned.
"You don't have to prove anything to me," I said. "You're already important. You always have been."
~~~
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