Cooked and Preached

"Welcome back, Rias," a slightly brown-skinned slim handsome man with black hair walked towards Rias while smiling and cupped his fist before bowing. "It was bleak here without you."

"I am back, Leo," Rias smiled and nodded.

'He reeks of main character energy,' Aleron's nose twitched. 'Seems like the one Rias talked about just now. The one more talented and skilled than her.'

As those seven students finished greeting Rias, they looked at Aleron with their gaze hiding what they were thinking.

A long blue-haired girl with orange eyes adjusted her round goggles as she looked at Aleron, "Rias, is he the one?"

"Indeed Selena. Let me introduce you to the person who resonated with the artifact, the chosen candidate," Rias said with a charming smile as she held Aleron's hand. "Ale Rivenal."

All four boys felt a prick in their hearts as they saw that while the girls internally scoffed.

None of them had accepted Aleron.

'I have to show what I am made of,' Aleron internally rolled up his sleeve as he could clearly feel contempt from those seven.

'Here is my trump card!'

"Hello, ladies and gentlemen," Aleron smiled and clasped his palms together, "Nice to meet you."

"What is that gesture?" A short-orange-haired girl with a shapely figure and peach skin tone curiously asked.

"Isn't that obviously, Sylphy?" the green-haired man with a spiky hairstyle laughed and said, "Seems like some tribal manner. Didn't Princess Rias go to the Falran Kingdom's areas?"

'These kids…' Aleron's eyes twitched. 'I guess I'll broaden their horizon.'

"Danny," the black-haired guy who greeted Rias first glanced at the green-haired guy, who obediently looked away and clicked his tongue.

'Tsk, you didn't have to butt in like that, Leo.'

However, Aleron suddenly felt the atmosphere turning cold with its source right beside him.

"Daniel, it seems that you've forgotten your manner and dumped away your intelligence while I was away."

"Hehe," the third girl among them who had long silky pink hair and a short height of 5'2 snickered at Daniel getting scolded.

"Apologize, Daniel."

Rias's cold voice felt like a charming melody to Aleron as he felt good about Rias talking back on his behalf.

Aleron smiled, 'But that's not needed.' 

"Haha, it's fine, Rias."

Aleron said before Daniel could apologize and stretched his hand at Daniel, who awkwardly and swiftly shook hands with Aleron as he had no other choice.

"You're familiar with shaking hands, right?" Aleron smiled.

"Of course," Daniel nodded as he tried to compose himself.

"Good," Aleron took his hand back and clasped his palms. "This gesture is called Namaskar. It is used to greet people and honor them so that we can have harmony between us. The literature meaning is I bow to you, which is a basic gesture to pay respect."

"Because you only gain respect by respecting others and this respect is a basic respect shared among living for the sake of living, towards everything in the world," Aleron finished as he stretched a warm grin on his face. "So nice to meet you, Daniel. And you all too."

'I think I cooked too much, but I know I've read something like this in a book in my past life, hehe.'

"That was something I didn't know before," Rias said, smiling and her eyes shining as she let out a pearly chuckle. "I like that type of thinking."

'Maybe that's how they greet each other in his world,' Rias thought, glancing at Aleron and smiling. 

'He seems carefree but brings out his matureness when needed and has a breadth of warmness that I can't describe…on the other hand, my friends really cut my nose here,' Rias wryly smiled.

But of course, the seven Club Heads were taken aback as well and fortunately, they were not idiots.

Aleron's response and what he said made them feel ashamed of their attitude before. They didn't show it but adjusted their attitude promptly and subtly.

Moreover, Princess Rias's reaction to Danile's remark also meant that she was favoring this candidate she brought despite not testing him yet.

Whatever they thought inside, things were not awkward or unpleasant anymore after what Aleron said and seeing his nature that seemed carefree and jolly.

Chatting with Aleron who laughed and smiled while inputting his comments and jokes after hearing their talks mellowed out everyone.

Aleron also took this chance to get to know more about Rias and other things through them.