It turned out that even in the world of High School DxD, biological laws couldn't be broken so easily.
The person in his arms wasn't the little nun Asia, but Lavinia. She was wearing only a thin white shirt, her long, straight, snow-white legs completely exposed to the air. Because her back was toward him, he didn't see anything "explicit," but his hands didn't lie.
It was softer than a marshmallow, with a better "grip" than Asia's.
"If you've felt enough, you can let go now," Lavinia said softly. She had woken up at some point, her tone as calm as usual, as if Rhode's wandering hands didn't bother her at all.
"Right."
Rhode was relieved that Lavinia didn't have the typical "pain-in-the-neck" anime girl reaction of screaming and jumping out of bed. However, an explanation was still in order. After all, once he let go, Lavinia turned around and sat up to face him.
"I believe I'm the one who needs an explanation," Rhode said, his voice deep and serious. He wasn't about to apologize; it wasn't like he was the one who crawled into the girl's bed.
"...Eh?"
Lavinia's expression faltered. She clearly hadn't expected this reaction. Shouldn't the boy be the one apologizing?
"This is the sofa where I sleep," Rhode pointed out. "You were supposed to be in the bedroom with Asia last night."
Lavinia thought for a moment. Oh, that's right.
The young woman tilted her head, her sun-like golden hair flowing down to her waist. While it partially obscured her fiery figure, it added a hazy, alluring quality that made her even more charming than usual. Even without that, her current visual appeal for any male was maxed out.
Setting aside the "scenery" directly in front of him, the view between the shirt hem and those pale legs gave Rhode a sudden urge to "go home and check things out."
"I remember now," Lavinia said, rubbing her sleepy eyes. "I went to the bathroom last night. When I woke up, I was lying here. Since you were holding me, Mr. Rhode, I didn't want to wake you, so I stayed quiet."
She paused, then added, "But your hands were quite restless. Every time I moved them away, you'd accurately find your way back to that spot."
"My back also hurts a little from being poked. Is that what men call a 'physiological reaction'? I didn't expect you to have one too, Mr. Rhode."
Rhode's lip twitched. What does she mean by 'too'? If his favorability rating wasn't so low, he'd have shown her exactly what a "reaction" could lead to in eighteen different positions. But for now, this was as far as their relationship could go. Any further and her favorability might drop into the negatives.
Just then, a yawn came from the bedroom door.
"Mr. Rhode, do you know where Miss Lavinia went?"
Asia stood there rubbing her eyes, but before she could finish her sentence, she saw Rhode and Lavinia sharing the same sofa. Her remaining sleepiness vanished instantly. Her emerald eyes widened, and her mouth hung open in shock.
"Mr... Mr. Rhode? What is the situation?"
"I have been defiled," Lavinia said with her usual expressionless face and calm tone. "I've seen this in Japanese manga; this is what the heroine is supposed to say."
"I... I see!"
Asia didn't scream, and she didn't trigger a "White Album" melodrama. Her eyes were fixed on Lavinia's upper body—specifically the "Mount Fuji" straining against the unbuttoned shirt—and then she looked down at her own chest. She felt like crying.
It's normal for Mr. Rhode, as a man, to like big things. Why can't I be like Miss Lavinia?
The sun rose, and the day was bright. After the morning's little interlude, the trio set off from Kyoto by car. As they were leaving, several figures watched their vehicle through the barrier encircling the city.
"Do we really not need to stop them for another inspection?"
"No need," Himejima Suzaku shook her head. "He isn't the culprit. In fact, I almost wish he was the one who took the treasure; that way, the Five Great Clans wouldn't have to waste energy searching for it."
"Let's focus on our internal affairs for now," she continued. "External factions have been too active lately. Not just us—other powers will likely face similar troubles."
Once they left Kyoto, the feeling of being watched vanished. Rhode knew they were out of the range of the Five Great Clans' barrier.
The planned route was about four hundred kilometers—not too long, but not short either. Even with stops along the way, they could make it in a day. After about two hours of driving, Rhode stopped to enjoy the scenery and have a meal with Lavinia and Asia to keep their strength up.
Rhode never mistreated himself. His storage space contained plenty of daily necessities and fresh clothes. Thanks to the time-stasis property of his inventory, he had even stored some cooked food. If he put it in the moment it was finished, it would still be fresh a year later.
Just as they were finishing up, Lavinia frowned slightly as if she had sensed something. "There seems to be an unusual energy fluctuation in the woods."
Rhode sensed it too, though not as clearly as the magician Lavinia. "Want to go check it out?"
"I'll go," Rhode said. He figured he might as well see if he could trigger a new system quest. The chances were low since they were smack in the middle of Kyoto and Kuoh Town—a border zone rarely visited by major characters.
In the woods, a pitch-black cat was curled up on the grass, carefully licking a wound on its leg with a red tongue. Its eerie golden pupils darted around, alert for danger.
Before long, exhaustion from its injuries took over, and the cat's head slumped back onto the grass, a soft purring sound coming from its throat. But just as it was about to fall asleep, it snapped back to alertness, looking around warily. It found nothing.
It wasn't until a shadow blocked the sunlight filtering through the trees that the cat noticed an uninvited guest approaching.
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High School DxD : Reincarnated into the Multiverse, but it's High School DxD (117 Chapters – Ongoing)
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