The dining hall buzzed with a comfortable warmth, the gentle clatter of utensils against plates blending with idle chatter.
The members of both peerages—Sona's and Rias'—were gathered around the long table, enjoying a shared meal in rare unity.
Noel sat among them, his mind sluggish, his body weighed down by the exhaustion still clawing at him from earlier.
The conversation drifted past him, voices blurring into a distant hum as he focused on his plate.
He needed to look present—he couldn't afford to seem out of it.
"The salmon tonight is excellent," Akeno remarked with a gentle smile, delicately cutting a piece of fish with practiced grace.
Kiba nodded in appreciation.
"The seasoning is perfect. Did the Student Council arrange this?"
Sona pushed up her glasses slightly.
"Yes, I had our usual supplier prepare something special."
"Quite refined," Rias mused before turning her attention to the chessboard of a conversation she had been meaning to start.
She leaned slightly toward Sona, curiosity flickering in her gaze.
"How did you get another person in your peerage?"
Noel vaguely registered his name but continued his slow, deliberate chewing on the pastry he had taken.
Sweet things grounded him, helped him stay in the present when everything else was a blur.
Sona didn't even glance his way, simply shrugging.
"Onee-sama found him."
Rias blinked, then glanced at Noel before exhaling softly, as if losing interest entirely. "I see."
That was it.
No follow-up, no further questioning.
She wasn't interested in something—or someone—that already belonged to someone else.
Noel, however, could barely process the conversation.
It took everything in him just to pretend he was listening.
He reached for another pastry, savoring the familiar sweetness as he took a bite.
But something felt off.
Years of being watched, scrutinized, had honed his instincts.
Someone was staring at him.
His gaze shifted, drawn by a strange sensation, until he locked eyes with Koneko Toujou.
She was staring. Hard.
Her round, golden eyes locked onto him, unblinking, her deadpan expression giving away nothing—but he could feel it.
The silent judgment.
The weight of her unimpressed gaze pressing down on him like a lead blanket.
But instead of panic, all he could focus on was how tiny she looked, sitting there with her arms tucked neatly against her small frame.
Her soft silver hair fell just past her shoulders, strands catching the dining hall light in a way that made it shimmer like silk.
Even while glaring at him—no, especially while glaring—she looked ridiculously cute.
His thoughts blurred, his mind fogging over as the words slipped out before he could stop them.
"…Cute."
Koneko's eyes twitched—just a fraction, but he caught it.
A prickling sense of danger shot down his spine.
He glanced down at the pastry in his hands, then at the table in front of him.
He didn't remember getting a plate.
Nor did he remember stacking up pastries like this.
Slowly, his gaze lifted back to Koneko.
Realization struck.
Immediately, he did the most reasonable thing—take responsibility.
Slowly, carefully, he placed the half-eaten pastry back onto the plate.
"Sorry," he muttered. "I wasn't paying attention."
Koneko's gaze flickered to the plate.
Her expression remained unreadable, but something about her posture shifted ever so slightly.
Then, she simply turned around, walking away without a word.
Noel felt like he had just avoided a catastrophe.
From the corner of his eye, he saw her return with another plate, this time with fresh pastries.
She hovered near the sushi tray for a moment but ultimately decided against it.
Without a sound, she sat back down—beside him—and began eating as if nothing had happened.
He exhaled, relieved.
He didn't have the energy to deal with whatever that could have led to.
Picking up another pastry, he took a bite, chewing slowly.
It was sweet, rich, comforting—until suddenly, it wasn't.
Fire.
His mouth and throat burned, an intense heat spreading like a slow, creeping inferno.
The sweetness had betrayed him.
His sluggish mind scrambled to process what had just happened. He looked down at his pastry.
Now sporting a thick, unforgiving smear of wasabi.
He put it down immediately, pushing back his chair.
The shift in movement drew every eye at the table.
Silence.
Struggling to keep his composure, he swallowed the heat clawing at his throat.
"I… need to go to the bathroom."
Akeno tilted her head, curious. Momo looked mildly confused.
Tsubaki simply blinked.
Rias frowned slightly but said nothing.
Sona adjusted her glasses, unreadable.
No one seemed particularly alarmed—just puzzled.
But one person had a very different reaction.
Beside him, Koneko—expressionless as ever—had the slightest, almost imperceptible grin.
It barely curled at the edge of her small, delicate lips, subtle enough that someone less observant might have missed it entirely.
A faint, amused quirk that softened her usual deadpan expression, making her look almost innocent—if not for the undeniable mischief glinting in her golden eyes.
She looked like a tiny predator who had just successfully played with her food.
Or maybe a kitten who had swiped something off the table and was waiting for someone to notice.
But Noel didn't have time to process it.
He turned on his heel, making a swift exit, desperate for anything to neutralize the burning in his mouth.
Somewhere behind him, he swore he heard a faint, satisfied hum—soft, almost musical, like a cat purring after a successful prank.