Alex stood with his arms crossed, exhaling through his nose as the room remained deadly silent. The others were still processing the absurdity of what had just happened.
Great Red, now in her human form, stood beside him, looking completely at ease. She had just declared him her mate after their battle, and judging by the reactions of everyone in the room, they weren't taking the news lightly.
Rias was the first to break the silence. "Alex... what exactly is going on here?"
Alex, still relaxed despite the tension, tilted his head slightly. "Exactly what you heard. I fought Great Red, I won, and now she's decided I'm her mate."
Issei blinked. "Wait. So that is Great Red? The giant apocalypse dragon? And she just… turned into a hot chick and called you her mate?"
Alex gave him a flat look. "You're not deaf, Issei."
Issei's jaw hung open as he turned to Rias and the others. "Come on, this is crazy, right?! I mean, am I losing my mind, or did we just watch the strongest dragon in existence claim Alex like some kind of prize?!"
Akeno giggled. "Well, it is quite the development."
Kiba, standing beside her, nodded. "I can't say I expected this."
Koneko's golden eyes shifted between Alex and Great Red. "Hmph. Another one."
Asia, on the other hand, looked a bit overwhelmed. "Um... does this mean you two are getting married?"
Alex sighed. "No, Asia. It means Great Red has no concept of personal space or choice."
Great Red smirked, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Dragons don't waste time with such things. I fought you, you proved yourself superior, and now I've made my decision."
Rias stepped forward, her arms crossed and her eyes narrowing. "That's not how this works. Alex isn't something you can just claim."
Great Red arched an eyebrow. "Who's stopping me?"
Rias scowled. "Common sense."
"Dragons don't care about common sense,"
Great Red said simply. "Power decides everything. I've acknowledged Alex as superior, and in return, I've chosen him. That's how our kind works."
Alex rolled his eyes. "You do realize I'm not a dragon, right?"
Great Red smirked. "Technicalities."
Rias clenched her fists. "You can't just—"
Alex raised a hand, cutting her off. "Rias, don't waste your breath. She's stubborn as hell, and arguing isn't going to get us anywhere."
Great Red gave him an amused look. "Smart."
Alex shot her a deadpan glare. "Don't encourage yourself."
Great Red chuckled, stepping in closer, her crimson eyes gleaming with amusement. "You'll understand in time, Alex. I don't take back my decisions."
Alex sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Yeah, well, neither do I. And I never agreed to this."
She smirked. "You didn't have to."
He exhaled through his nose, deciding to drop the conversation for now. "Look, I just got back from a fight, and I'm not in the mood to argue about dragon courtship rituals. We'll deal with this later."
Great Red chuckled. "I'm not going anywhere, so take all the time you need."
Rias gave Alex a look. "Are you really going to let this slide?"
Alex shrugged. "What do you want me to do? Fight her again?"
Rias opened her mouth, then shut it, clearly frustrated. "Just... don't let her push you into anything."
Alex snorted. "Please. You think anyone can push me into something?"
Rias sighed, reluctantly nodding. "Fine. But this isn't over."
With that, she turned on her heel, leading the others away. Asia gave Alex one last worried glance before following them. Issei, still in shock, muttered something about life being unfair before he left as well.
Once they were gone, Alex turned to Great Red. "You really enjoy causing trouble, don't you?"
She smirked. "I find it amusing."
Alex sighed, shaking his head. "Of course you do."
Great Red stepped even closer, her smirk widening. "You'll come around, Alex. It's only a matter of time."
Alex shot her a bored look. "Yeah, yeah. We'll see."
Great Red simply chuckled, and for the first time since meeting her, Alex realized just how persistent she really was.