Rise Highschool AU 10 (Patreon)

Rise Highschool AU 10

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Commissioned by Ihaxlikenoob

Wordcount: 2500

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I’ve been in Rias’s room before, because I knew her since we were kids. We didn’t have the strange, neighboring patios right next to our rooms or anything, but our houses were just a few paces away. It’d been a surprise that she was apparently the princess of a small nation almost the size of a Japan along with her sister… especially since she was an otaku amongst otaku. 

While I can understand sending your daughter abroad to study in Kuoh Highchool, where the secretly famous and powerful send all their children for some reason, if she’s a princess… do you really want her to become a Grand Otaku? Because without a doubt, she’s ascended beyond mortals to the depths of history already, due to her room alone. If you’re a parent intent on raising your kid to lead your nation, shouldn’t you have stopped what happened here?

There was plenty of time to stop it. 

I was there.

I know.

The room had been a normal, girl’s room when she was eight. Rias had been interested in normal, girl’s things. There were stuffed animals, a dollhouse that I didn’t know cost more than my house, and pink, frilly things. When we’d watched Pr*cure together, it’d have been fine to limit her to one Pr*cure plushy instead of replacing all her dolls and pillows with Pr*cure merchandise, you know? Isn’t there some shame to be had when your eight-year old sleeps with two dakimura of C*re Black and C*re White? 

Gremory-sama, I’m not judging your taste. It’s great. I’m only questioning your morality.

Because if Rias was stopped at one dakimura and kept about half her stuffed animals, maybe the handmade dollhouse wouldn’t be replaced by an equally-expensive wall of handmade, very lewd, and one-of-kind figures. And, all the pink, frilly things wouldn’t be sets of official underwear and cosplay that you’ve barely stopped her from posting online and social media about. The only reason she works out is to fit in them, which is a small plus, but can it be really called a plus if it’s for the sole reason of looking amazing for herself as near-eroge characters.

Well, whatever the case, the future princess of your country is a legendary otaku, Gremory-sama. 

At least, she’s not a Fujoshi.

…

“Look upon my works and despair!” Rias gestured without hesitation at everything that was within her room. I fancy myself as an Otaku of sorts, since in my room I have in plain view many things that make my parents worry about me, but I can’t compare to her in the slightest. In fact, just looking at her room gave me the social anxiety of having the room for myself. I nearly died on the spot. “Well, what do you think?”

“As an otaku, I think it’s horrible and I hate it. You’ve completely rejected your humanity. Good job.” Despite my original intentions to confront my past and my present, so that I can have a decent future without regrets, Rias’s room sidelined that notion thoroughly. Ignoring her room is impossible. It has changed since the last time I entered it to be irrevocably, irredeemably terrible. “You’ve done it. You’ve actually started making your own doujins.”

Upon a wall that once had dozens of posters that were lovingly changed and stored away with the seasons, there was now a dominating composition of panels and sketches. Rias is a visual thinker, thus she would be the sort who liked to look at things as a whole, so she dedicated an entire wall of her room to be a board for her fall to darkness. Stacks of references books were laid out in alphabetical order beside her new workstation, while a list of “references” stretched across the side of her computer screen with names I proudly know, as well as their latest and best works. 

She was going to do it. 

Rias was going off the deep end and making the Doujins that she wanted, but couldn’t find. Her hobby of collecting figurines, dakimuras, and doujins of popular works was only a cocoon for her to become her true self: a being who is driving the birthrates of Japan into the single digits with every passing year i.e. a doujin artist. 

Naturally, her name was plastered all over the top of the wall-spanning board. 

“Princess of Destruction. It has a good ring to it… especially with your focus.” If I were to look at my friend’s work with the eyes of a fan, I’d definitely be captured in an instant. Without a doubt, she’ll have hour-long lines to get her merchandise up after a few Comikets, as well as a fan-following. Her attention to detail, craziness, and monk-like devotion to her chosen genres are doubtlessly the sort that will shake the entirety of the industry. However, as a concerned friend, I knew better than to look at her work without a critical eye. I needed to cast aside my humanity and friendship, in order to look at her work as a constructive critic. “But you’ve ignored the plot too much, Rias! This is nothing more than fap-material. There’s nothing memorable about this at all!”

“W-what!? I-impossible!” Rias recoiled from my words, as I crossed my arms and looked upon her with all the ferocity and seriousness I could muster as a connoisseur and critic. Five years of indulgence is almost nothing in the industry… but unlike all the hacks with trying to be critics in this day and age, I had actual experience in seeing romantic plots unfold! And, I also wore my perversity on my sleeve, instead of hiding it away like a decent citizen of society! My words had weight. Enough weight to make Rias protectively stand in front of her 21-page work protectively, but with open ears and a worried heart. “I made the perfect storyline for an introductory work! MC-kun is generic, but cue, down-on-his-luck, and incredibly well-equipped… while the Heroine is pure enough so that her to-be-broken pride is good contrast, instead of a turnoff! This is the perfect setting for a Tsundere Ojou-sama to be overcome and be DESTROYED!”

“Yes… but in your search for perfection, you’ve neglected the need for IMPERFECTION. It’s original, but you’ve made your entire work derivative, Rias!” I unleashed one of my few skills upon Rias, so that she couldn’t simply deny my words. That’s right. I pointed aggressively at her pictures. Or, to be more exact, the word bubbles that could easily be glossed over by an artist enamored by their own work! With unerring accuracy, I directed her gaze so that she saw each one of the 67 speech/thought bubbles strewn over her text. The skill was exhausting, since I called upon all my experience at once. In fact, I’m sure it’s only possible because the entire Doujin was spread out in chronological order in layout very familiar to me. “Look, Rias. Tell me… just how many original lines do you actually have in this Doujin!?”

The skill was beyond difficult to use, even after I passed all the requirements and had the strategic advantage. I had to read the Doujin three more times atop the five times I read it upon entering the room to manage it. Those three times, from the moment I declared Rias’s mistakes to my explanation, had taken almost the entirety of my mental energies. Thus, it’s only through sheer grit and love for my friend that I stay standing after the reveal. Not yet. This isn’t the time to fall down. I can only do that when I’ve won!

“I-Impossible—

“It isn’t!”

I forged onward, as Rias refused to remove her rose-tinted glasses. The Doujin upon the wall is made with love, adoration, and frightening zealotry. Anyone who has replaced a portion of their life to the art can understand that from simply looking at her work. All her sleepless nights, from both researching and drawing, shone through in her work. But those who have sacrificed so much of their humanity are few in number. The sad truth is that the majority of Otaku live in shame and have “lives.” Their uncultured gazes won’t be entranced. All they’ll see is material to pleasure themselves… and Ria’s work would drown in a sea of regret and sorrow. 

So, I lashed out with all my remaining strength, by grabbing Rias’s wrist and forcing her to look upon her work.

“It’s unoriginal, Rias. Look at it. It’s a generic, Tsundere Ojou-sama… but that’s all she is! No one will make figures of her. No one will make art of her.” The words I had to say nearly died in my throat. Cruel. Unkind. Merciless. Miyakuro’s tongue was more suited for the words I was about to say than my own. But if my mind and my body is not enough to convince her, then I must put my soul into the mix. “She’s… just an Asuka with different proportions and OOC moments! You’ve made a hidden NTR Doujin, Rias!” 

“NOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

Was it an over-exaggeration?  

Totally.

However, if I had to become a demon to save Rias from messing up her big chance, then I’d happily do so.

…

Aria tapped her foot, while awaiting my explanation. She stood above me and beyond me, a being that I couldn’t even look at, as the individual who got me into the house in the first place… only to find me not doing what I told her I was going to do.

“I expected to find the two of you putting rabbit to shame, yet when I walk in thinking you’re both nearly dead from dehydration, I find the two of you working on a Doujin.” Aria tapped the plate of oranges and the pitcher of water she had on the table. Rias winced and flushed, while I could only look down at my ink-stained hands. Three hours went by in the blink of an eye, as we salvaged and crafted a masterpiece from Rias’s work. They were glorious hours where I felt fulfilled… and forgot what I was supposed to be doing in the first place. “The two of you need to talk about your relationship tonight. I am… confronting my own issues tomorrow, so I won’t stand for the two of you to keep tiptoeing around one another. Settle things properly, so that we can all figure out what to do with our lives!”

There was a part of me that admired Aria’s maturity, but that part was overridden by another, important piece of information.

I managed to stay quiet out of respect, but given the fact they were siblings, Rias didn’t hesitate.

“Aria, you’ve finally reached the confession stage!? But what about all the plot threads that haven’t been answered? You can’t go straight from freaking out and being depressed to hanky-panky. The readers need to know what happened in-between; you know!?” Rias is completely correct. Aria has been dancing around the issue with Li for a long time. In fact, everyone knows that she likes him, but given her need to be the best, Li’s been someone she could barely approach. How did this character development happen? What sort of conclusion arose, so that she could confess her feelings and hear Li out wit such conviction? I had a few ideas, but I knew better to voice them aloud. Again, my dear friend had no compunction against voicing them. “Did you realize you were actually into being a submissive? Or, did you figure out that you’re a switch? Maybe, you’re an M!? Tell me. I NEED TO KNOW!”

“No. This conversation is over. I’ve handled my issues. Now, you handle yours.” Aria would’ve stood up gracefully and unflustered by Rias’s words, if not for the blush that started from the tips of her ears and went down to her neck. Using my intuition, I realized it was none of the obvious answers to the situation, but one that was in plain sight. We already knew the answer, but we simply didn’t consider it. What could it possibly be? How could she overcome her situation so easily when it kept the two of them apart for almost an entire year? I wanted to know. I really, really wanted to know. Rias did too, so we both whined in stereo at Aria’s cruelty. She was unfazed and didn’t even bother giving either of us a glance, while walking out the kitchen. “We have school in eight hours. I suggest the two of you do something about your situation, unless you wish to bring your own issues into the battleground about to erupt tomorrow.”

Aria left the room without another word, leaving me and Rias to look at one another. In my friend’s eyes, I saw only the urge to go after her sister… and continue ignoring what was between the two of us. 

As I did.

I’m a damn fool. 

Rias is someone I know better than anyone, yet I forced myself to see only what she wanted me to see. Her smile, her posture, and how she acted, instead of what she truly felt. Even though we’re more apart now, given how we’ve both grown up, the fact remains that I’ve known her like the back of my hand since we were childhood friends. Still, my choice had been to ignore what she truly felt, so that our relationship could continue as it was after I accepted Eli’s confession. 

Yeah.

There’s only one right thing to do in this situation. 

Tell her the complete truth.

“Rias, I want to be with you.” Every ounce of fear I had for rejection came up and tried to strangle the words the moment they were about to leave my mouth. The tightness in my throat was so strong it was difficult to breath, let alone actually speak. However, I managed it by gritting my teeth and knowing that Rias deserved to know. Even if I only opened up the path for her to slap me in the face and reject me, not in the slightest accepting my proposal, I’ll pay the wave forward for the both of us. It’s the absolute least that I could possibly do, even if it took everything to do it. “And, I want to be with Eli too. I… I know it sounds crazy, maybe even a joke, but I’m serious. I want to make everyone I want to be with happy, even if I’m not like Miyakuro or Song.”

Yeah, there are amazing people out there. Outstanding individuals around whom regular rules and concepts are simply suggestions. People who could dream of doing what I was doing, because they could actually achieve the impossible of making everyone happy. 

I’m not one of them, but I’ll try with all of my strength and ability to make myself into one of them. 

And, if I fail, I’ll at least have lived my life without regret.

Stringing Rias along, until I was confident that she’d accept me, would probably be the greatest regret of my life. 

So, here and now, I’ll await her answer.