Rias closed her eyes, as if asking so higher power for patience.
Elisebeth dropped back onto the couch, crossed one leg over the other, and began typing. Her thumbs moved with terrifying speed as she searched all kinds of things she knew about Rias: old schools, old cities, old gaming events, hints Rias had once ntioned while tired, and tiny pieces of information that had seed aningless until this exact mont.
Nothing ca up.
Rias relaxed slightly, but only for a mont.
Elisebeth paused, then slowly typed Rias’ na and her mother’s surna.
Rias’ face changed.
"Elisebeth."
"Too late."
One result appeared, followed by another, and then enough of them to make Rias look as if she wanted the floor to open beneath her.
Elisebeth tapped the first link.
The room beca silent except for the distant muffled noise of staff moving outside. As Elisebeth stared at her tablet, her expression went completely still.
Articles filled the screen, all of them about the only woman competing in a male-dominated professional scene. There were major league features, old interviews, match records, fan clips, heated comnt sections, and long discussions about a player whose nickna had once caused chaos whenever it appeared in a tournant bracket.
Then Elisebeth found the clips.
In one, a younger Rias sat behind a monitor with a headset on, her blonde hair ssier than it was now and her eyes cold with focus. She looked nothing like a polished manager. She looked like a girl who had been fighting a whole scene that wanted her to shut up and lose.
The match ended, and young Rias stood up before cursing out the opposing team so viciously that the comntator’s voice cracked while he tried to talk over her.
Elisebeth’s mouth opened.
Another clip showed Rias after a victory, leaning toward a male player who had apparently mocked her earlier. Whatever she said made half the room react while the other half pretended not to hear.
There were even articles calculating how much she had lost in fines, and the number was large enough to buy a house with that money, possibly even two.
Elisebeth slowly looked at Rias.
Rias was completely red.
The stern manager who could terrify grown n with a glance had turned into a humiliated statue, and Elisebeth’s smile blood with rciless delight.
"Get yourself a four-pack of beer," Elisebeth said. "On the house."
Rias covered part of her face with one hand.
"Thanks."
"Hehe, you used to be so naughty."
"Don’t make rember those days."
"You cursed so much! Rias! My elegant manager! My strict, scary Rias! You were bullying n before I even beca famous!"
"I was not bullying them."
"You called that man sothing I can’t even repeat with my sacred idol mouth."
"You have no sacred idol mouth."
"I do on cara."
Rias groaned.
Elisebeth leaned forward, eyes shining with mischief.
"Mhmm... but you know?" Her voice softened a little. "You can be ’yourself’ in Monster Hunter Academy Online. Anyone you want to be."
Rias lowered her hand and looked at her.
Elisebeth’s teasing smile remained, but sothing warr settled beneath it.
"And I want to spend more ti with you," Elisebeth said. "Not only as my manager. Not only when you’re fixing my schedule, scolding staff, or stopping from making bad decisions."
"You make bad decisions faster than I can stop them."
"Exactly. So you need more practice." Elisebeth grinned, then reached out and caught Rias’ sleeve. "Co and play with and Martin."
Rias looked down at Elisebeth’s hand on her sleeve.
For a mont, she didn’t answer.
Then her eyes narrowed slightly.
"And with Cassandra, Alexandra, and Katherine, yes?"
"Uh-huh!" Elisebeth nodded imdiately. "Cassandra is actually a nice elder sister, you know? She has a big family! And even she got closer to Martin recently!"
"You complained yesterday that it was Katherine."
Elisebeth’s warmth vanished.
She clicked her tongue.
"Hmph. She swayed those tits naturally on all fours. It’s because of her that I was a little too sexy onstage today!"
Rias stared at her.
"So that was why."
"I had to release the frustration sowhere!"
"You released it in front of eighty thousand people."
"And they loved it."
"They did," Rias admitted. "It ended better than expected. You did well. Good work."
Elisebeth’s expression softened again.
Praise from Rias always landed differently. She could hear applause from an entire stadium and accept it as sothing natural, but one sincere complint from Rias made her shoulders relax.
"Thanks," Elisebeth said, quieter this ti.
Rias looked toward the tablet again. The old articles still glowed on the screen, showing a version of herself she had tried very hard to bury under contracts, schedules, discipline, and adult responsibilities.
Back then, she had been angry, talented, reckless, and lonely in a way she had never admitted out loud.
Maybe Elisebeth understood that more than she let on.
"As for the ga..." Rias said slowly, "I could give it a try, I guess."
Elisebeth’s eyes brightened at once.
"Great!"
"Only a try."
"Still great!"
"I’m not promising I’ll play all the ti."
"Great enough!"
"And you are not allowed to introduce as so legendary pro player."
"Of course, of course."
"Elisebeth."
"I said of course!"
Rias stared at her.
Elisebeth smiled with angelic innocence, but Rias didn’t believe that smile for even a second. Still, she sighed and looked away.
"Fine."
Elisebeth hugged her phone to her chest, already imagining Martin, herself, Rias, and the others together in the ga.
There would be flas, monsters, chaos, and jealousy. Maybe a little jealousy. Probably a lot of jealousy.
But there would also be fun.
For the first ti that night, Elisebeth looked truly refreshed. She no longer looked like a diva feeding off applause or a celebrity surviving another performance. She looked like a girl who had found sothing she wanted to run toward.
"Great," she repeated, softer and happier this ti.
Rias watched her and shook her head.
"You’re impossible."
Elisebeth grinned.
"And yet you’re still coming with ."
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