"I have a plan," Rias said.
The restaurant she mentioned was on a different stretch of beach. It took a short walk of about ten minutes to reach it.
The dress code was lax. By sitting outside, he and Rias were allowed to eat in their swimsuits, with Rias wearing an unzipped hoodie over her top. Naruto wasn't sure it could even BE zipped up over a chest like hers. He'd thrown a shirt on and the waiter didn't cause a fuss when taking their orders.
"Let's hear it," Naruto said.
"A rating game!" Rias announced proudly.
Naruto stirred his ice water with the straw. "I don't think my parents will go for that, Rias. I've made it pretty, uh, clear that I don't want this any more than you do. If I throw the match they'll think I wasn't trying."
"Not against you! Both of us, together!" Rias said. Her enthusiasm had not been dampened. She was grinning, showing how much she thought of her idea.
"Us against who?"
"Our parents can choose! They'll pick people they trust that are near our age. My parents might've forced me into this match but they'll play fair. Plus, no adult devil would face us, knowing they'd get on my brother's bad side. He'd HATE to see me tossed around by some grown up clan head. Your parents will probably pick your brother."
"Riser?" Naruto asked.
"Mhm," Rias said. "He's got an interesting personality…" She wrinkled her nose. "But his skills are decent so they'll trust him. Together, we can take him, and whoever my parents pick too! I'm proud of my peerage even though I don't have many pieces. We could do it!"
"Mhm," Rias said. "He's got an interesting personality…" She wrinkled her nose. "But his skills are decent so they'll trust him. Together, we can take him! I'm proud of my peerage even though I don't have many pieces. We could do it!"
Naruto rubbed his chin and leaned back in his chair.
"I wouldn't be too worried about the match itself," he decided. "I just dunno if we can get there. My parents WON'T be happy about this. I don't see them accepting it."
"We just need to dangle a carrot," Rias said.
"What do we have that they'd care about?"
"If we lose, we'll get married the day after the rating game," she said in the same casual tone that she'd used to order an omelette from the waiter.
Naruto coughed. "That feels like a little much!"
"We just have to win," Rias said. "It doesn't matter then. Simple."
If they pulled it off, sure. Naruto wasn't as sure about this as she was. There felt like a lot of assumptions going on. Still, the idea seriously appealed to him.
He was a simple guy. Being able to fight his way through a problem was his kind of solution.
The more he thought about it, the more confident he grew. He remembered how worried his mom had been over his last trip to the human world. As much as he hated making her worry, maybe it would come in handy that he'd never shared all the things he could do.
"Let's do it," Naruto said. "It can't hurt to try."
It could, given that they were banking their final days of freedom on this. But it was like Rias said.
Just win.
The thought made Naruto grin. He flexed his hands as he anticipated a fight. The brawler who'd fought Neji against overwhelming odds was still inside of him. The idea of a fight with something on the line made his blood run hot.
When he caught smoke coming off the tips of his spiky blonde hair, he realized that he should really cool off a little before he turned the restaurant's chair into a pile of ashes. He took big gulps of cold water and forced his blood to stop pumping so fast.
"What's the story between Issei and Asia?" Naruto asked. Now that he'd agreed to Rias's plan, their main order of business was done, so he could ask about something that had him curious. "They looked pretty close."
"They have to be, considering that he begged me to resurrect her," Rias said. "Listen to this. He was willing to rush into a den of fallen angels alone for a chance to save her. If Kiba and Elmenhilde hadn't supported him, he would've died. If Akeno and I hadn't followed all three of them, they ALL would've died!"
She shook her head like a mother of unruly children.
"He was willing to go that far for a girl he'd spent one day sightseeing with while neither of them realized what the other was," Rias said. "He's such an idiot."
She was smiling as she said this, so she didn't actually think terribly of her pawn. Naruto shrugged.
"If you're going to be an idiot, be the kind who does the right thing even when it's stupid," Naruto said.
"I'd prefer to not be an idiot at all," Rias said dryly.
"Yeah, well, not all of us get that chance!" Naruto crossed his arms.
"You're saying you're an idiot?"
"A total knucklehead," Naruto confirmed. "There's a lot I've never been good at. Manners, reading, big complicated plans." He shivered. "I do what I think's right and I never quit! It actually gets you pretty far."
The waiter came back with their food, placing Rias's omelette in front of her and giving Naruto the fish curry he'd ordered.
"When the time comes for our rating game, I guess I'll handle the battle strategy," Rias said, cutting into her food with a fork. "If you're as much of a knucklehead as you say…"
Naruto took her teasing with a smile. You had to have pretty thick skin with Kuroka in your peerage. "I'll be useful once the fight starts! I always come up with something useful when I'm in the heat of the moment."
"I'll keep that in mind," Rias said.
They talked a little bit about the best way to present the idea to their parents, deciding they would do it as soon as they each could. After they made their mind up about that, there wasn't much else to plan. They stopped talking about business and began talking about lighter topics. Mostly the antics of their peerages.
"Issei shows an incredible amount of promise," Rias said. "He has one of the Longinus!"
"What's that? Sounds like a type of underwear," Naruto said.
"It's a sacred gear! One of the strongest in the entire world… Powerful enough to DESTROY the world, if mastered!" Rias said. "He's the newest Red Dragon Emperor, host of the Welsh Dragon, Ddraig! I didn't know when I first reincarnated him. I wondered why he took all eight of my Pawns… But I never would've guessed the truth!"
"Congratulations," Naruto said. He hadn't recognized the word Longinus but he knew the Red Dragon Emperor. "That means he can increase his power over time, right?"
"It doubles," Rias smirked. "Each time! He can reach the very top of the Underworld if he realizes his potential. I just wish he would act a bit better. The way he runs around the school." She sighed and shook her head. "Peeking on the kendo team one week, watching the swimming club with binoculars the next week to catch the moment they adjust their swimsuits, it's almost more than I can deal with. And I'm a devil! I'm hardly a prude."
Naruto shrugged. "He came through for Asia. As long as he steps up when it matters, it's not the end of the world."
All the same, a thoughtful look came across his face.
"I suppose you're right," Rias said. She looked at their plates and saw they'd both finished eating as they talked. "Should we get back to them? I'm worried our dear servants will set fire to the town if they're left alone for too long."
"That would never happen!" Naruto said. "Fujimai's with them. She'll keep 'em calm. Although if she wasn't there…"
He shuddered. Bafeel was always well behaved. On the other hand, Xenovia was a slightly bigoted exorcist surrounded by devils, Griselda was continuously surprising him (and herself) with how much she could misbehave (albeit in fairly enjoyable ways). Shirone had been strange all day and had a mischievous side even when she was calm. Then, there was Kuroka.
It had been WAY too long since Naruto laid eyes on his servant.
He wasn't worried about her. He was worried about what she had accomplished in that time.
"On second thought, let's get back right now," he said.
He and Rias left the restaurant together. As they stepped onto the sidewalk, Naruto looked over.
"Hold on, you've got something," he said.
When Rias stopped, Naruto touched her far cheek to hold her head still, then used his thumb to wipe a bit of egg off the corner of her lips. Rias froze, staring at him.
"Got it!" Naruto announced.
"Sonnuvabitch—"
The exclamation came from the alley behind them. Naruto's sharp ears barely caught it. Rias, who had been briefly stunned by his gesture, missed it entirely.
When Naruto looked back he caught a glimpse of brown hair disappearing behind a trashcan.
"Let's get back!" Rias said.
She unfroze with extra energy, trying to compensate for the way she hesitated. Naruto walked with her for a few steps before stopping.
"I'm going to run back in and use the restroom," he said. "Go ahead. I'll catch up."
He ducked back into the restaurant. Once he was in there, Naruto used a burst of chakra and disappeared from the sight of the humans. He smiled as he walked silently (a skill any shinobi had to possess) without their eyes picking up anything.
Transparent Escape Technique had been one of Jiraiya's best creations. Man, he missed the pervy sage sometimes. If anyone deserved to reincarnate in a world where the average cup size was F, it was Naruto's old sensei.
Naruto went to the kitchen and slipped through a window, popping out at the backside of the alley he'd looked into earlier. In a few steps he came up behind a boy who was peering around the corner.
He'd been trying to spot where Naruto went, before getting distracted by Rias's ass. Now he was ogling his King and giggling. Even after Naruto canceled his invisibility technique, Issei completely didn't notice him.
Naruto clapped a heavy hand on his shoulder.
"Wha–HUH?" Issei gasped. "How'd you get there!?"
"Through a window," Naruto said. "Then I walked up next to you. I really hope nobody wants you dead badly enough to send assassins, because you'd be screwed against any decent one."
Issei looked offended but couldn't refute him given the context.
He stood all the way up and scowled at Naruto. They were about the same height; Naruto was a little taller if you didn't count hair, while Issei had the advantage if you did.
"I don't want to hear anything from you!" Issei pointed his finger into Naruto's face. "You're the fiend who's trying to trap Rias into marrying you!"
"Weren't you eavesdropping on our lunch?" Naruto asked.
"I heard everything!"
"Then how'd you get to that conclusion? I'm trying to get it canceled just like she is."
"That's what you say!" Issei wiggled his finger around in Naruto's face. "Then you pull a stunt like that, wiping the President's cheek like some damn playboy! It's all an act, isn't it? You can't wait to marry her! I bet you'll throw the rating game, just so she HAS to marry you!"
"You barely know me. We met today," Naruto said. "How do you think you can guess something like that?"
"I know your type," Issei said derisively.
He was looking at Naruto's face. His eyes were full of disdain. He'd called him a playboy earlier, which Issei used like a slur for handsome guys.
"I'm not gonna let it happen!" Issei shouted. "Fight me! If you can't even beat me, you won't help at all in one of those fancy rating match things!"
"You're challenging me to a fight?" Naruto asked.
This was perfect. Since his talk with Rias, he'd been thinking about the perverted pawn who apparently had the latent power to destroy the world. In some ways, Issei reminded him of a man who Naruto had respected more than anyone. In some ways, he saw Jiraiya's antics in Issei, except even the old perverted sage had never been close to this bad. Issei's perversion was out of control. Still, Jiraiya wasn't the only one Issei reminded him a little bit of.
The story of rushing off to Asia's aid reminded Naruto of something he himself would do. He'd taken a team of gennin and one chuunin to chase down Sasuke on a similar mission. If what Rias said was true, then underneath the shell of a pervert, Issei had the makings of someone reliable.
"I accept your duel!" Naruto said, grinning from ear to ear. "If you win, I'll stay as far away from Rias as you want!"
That was exactly what Issei had hoped to hear. He hadn't expected Naruto to agree to it this easily though. Based on the look in his eyes, he thought Naruto sounded a little too happy.
"What do you get if you win?" Issei asked.
"Satisfaction," Naruto said.
The satisfaction of forging a man as great as the one who'd once forged HIM.
Unfortunately for Issei, that process wasn't one that he was likely to enjoy. Naruto tried (he really did) not to smile evilly.
"Don't back out now," Naruto said.
Not that Naruto would let him, even if Issei tried.
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