"Can you come with me for a minute?" Flicking her hair back, Rias spoke with a dignified tone.

Rias's voice, melodious and enticing, seemed to carry promises of secrets and profound understandings, touching something more than the ear of the listener.

"Ah, is this serious?!?"

The first to react to Rias's words wasn't Light, but the student next to him, who harbored a passion for Rias Gremory... No, it was more than a passion; it bordered on obsessive idolatry.

His expressive eyes shone with silent adoration for Rias, showing a deep affection that transcended mere words.

Both Light and Rias ignored the boy's exclamation.

Light met Rias's beautiful blue-green eyes, displaying a slight smile on his face.

'What could be the reason she wants to talk to me?' Despite what he showed, he was slightly on alert: 'There's no way she could know it was me who eliminated Issei and, because of that, Issei lost his Sacred Gear, right?'

"Sure, let's go." Light stood up.

Light followed Rias, his calculating mind already outlining defense strategies, pondering over the reason for the invitation and its possible implications.

As Rias and Light moved away, Kenji was left behind, his hopes slowly dissolving into desolation, each step they took felt like a blow to his heart.

"Kenji." Seeing his friend calling him, Kenji looked up hopefully, but the next words made him cry: "She's too much for you, don't be sad~!"

Kenji held back a sigh of discouragement.

Meanwhile, Light and Rias arrived at the terrace.

A palpable tension surrounded Rias and Light, a weight in the air so dense it seemed almost tangible.

Rias frowned, noticing the charged atmosphere between them. The cause of such pressure eluded her for a moment.

It seemed she had even forgotten what she wanted to talk to him about...

Rias's silence only served to amplify the alarm within Light, each second of quiet sharpening his caution. He was ready to activate the power of his devil fruit and escape at any moment.

Face her? Heh, he wasn't foolish.

Even if he could defeat her, what would he do next? After all, she was the younger sister of Sirzechs Lucifer, one of the leaders of the Four Great Satans that rule the Underworld!

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She wasn't just any noble; as the heir to the illustrious Gremory Clan, her name echoed with authority through the corridors of the Underworld.

Light knew all this from the script he had seen of Issei Hyoudou.

With all this in mind, would he dare to go against her?

Ultimately, he saw himself as a small fish in a vast ocean, navigating alone without a safe harbor or ally to turn to and could only rely on himself...

Rias rubbed her forehead, perplexed by the inexplicable tension. Then, opening her eyes, she addressed Light: "Err... Light Yagami. May I call you Light?"

"That's fine." Light nodded.

"Light, the reason I brought you here is simple," Rias said with a half-smile. "I would like to invite you to join my peerage."

Upon hearing this, Light's shoulders relaxed.

He breathed a sigh of relief but did not completely lower his guard.

However, after some thought, he said, "Sona Sitri-kaichou, made me a similar offer, did you know that?"

"So I was right!" She exclaimed, but quickly restrained herself. Pretending to cough, she said, "But you didn't accept it, right?"

In fact, she was just testing; she hadn't been serious at first. She said this to test his reaction, to see if he showed any sign that he knew about her being a devil and even what it meant to be invited to join her peerage.

Moreover, his reaction proved she was right, Sona had indeed invited him to her peerage. But for some reason unknown to her, he seemed to have rejected the invitation.

"Exactly," Light revealed, "we played a game of chess; if she won, I would accept the invitation."

"Wait! You played chess against her and won?" Rias asked, surprised.

Seeing how surprised she was, Light frowned.

'Is there something special about beating Sona Sitri at chess?' Light tried to guess, but in the end, even after scouring the script he had obtained from Issei, he found no information related to that.

"Well, I won," Light nodded.

Rias reflexively brought her thumb to her lips, nibbling on it gently as her thoughts swirled.

She couldn't believe what she had heard.

Sona's defeat at chess intrigued her.

'Was he able to beat Sona in a game of intelligence? Then... does he know?' Rias wondered, filled with amazement and doubt: 'Well, judging by his reaction, I guess not.'

She decided to keep her assumptions secret, opting for strategic silence on the matter.

As for challenging him to a game of chess with the stake of, if he lost, he would have to accept her invitation? Rias didn't even consider it possible since he had been able to beat Sona.

Although she hated to admit it, she knew she was not better than Sona at a game of chess; it was better not to embarrass herself and try a different approach.

"Any chance you might want to join my peerage?" Rias ventured. She even tried her best smile when saying it.

It was no wonder she was voted the most beautiful girl in school; when she smiled just now, even Light's heart beat a little faster.

However, Light was determined to maintain his freedom, refusing to become something like a slave to a devil!

"I believe not," Light tactfully declined.

"Oh, I see." She sighed with a wave of disappointment in her voice: "It's really a pity..."

Seeing her act that way, it was hard to resist the charm of such a beautiful woman showing such regret. It almost made one want to embrace her and say yes. Of course, Light was not just any guy; he would not do that just because Rias was very charming and beautiful.

Later, after saying goodbye to Rias, Light returned to the classroom, met by several judging and curious glances. He ignored them all with indifference, going to his desk to pick up his wallet.

Sona, who saw Light return, smiled slightly out of the corner of her eye. She guessed the reason for Rias's approach, and also guessed that he had rejected her...