Rias Gremory was confused at the moment.

Actually, she had been confused for the last few days.

One of the things would be the fact that her newest pawn, Issei Hyoudou, already was able to use his Sacred Gear and showed some proficiency in street fighting, if the mock battle with her knight Yuuto was any indication.

Another fact that confused her was Issei's recent attempts of becoming friends with Koneko. He paid extra attention to her and tried to curb down his own perversity for her.

Emphasis on tried.

Lastly, she always wondered who his friend, Obsidian Noir, was. He always mentioned him when he talked about his own supernatural experience. Even when he clammed up about where exactly said experience came from and how he got it. Because of that, the female king did not have much knowledge of the man.

From what she could gather, he was an important person in his life and sounded like a good and reliable man.

She ignored the parts about him being a traitor, something about not being a true breasts man or having found love already.

That friend came to help her pawn in his rescue mission.

What she was seeing confused her and her queen and best friend shared that confusion, despite her amused laugh.

"My my, dear Issei is quite naughty for staying quiet about this."

The heir of the Gremoy clan could only nod, as she paid half of her attention on the barrier as she flew in the air.

The battle already started and the two girls had to work on the barrier, hence the reason of their roles as spectators.

While and after they did that, they managed to witness the fight of Obsidian Noir and his...familiar.

That term felt wrong, but it was the closest word Rias could think of.

A karasutengu.

Maybe it was because she appeared out of nowhere.

Or because she was way too strong to be a normal familiar. The speed and savageness the crow youkai showcased was beyond normal, even in her standards.

She was faster than Yuuto, who had the boosted speed of a knight!

The loud laughter the tengu gave out as she ripped that fallen a new one reminded her a lot of Akeno.

The latter even laughed the same way at that very moment too. Only with more arousal.

Rias skillfully ignored it.

Either way, the heir bit her lips at those unexpected events.

Obsidian Noir was stronger than she thought.

Given that the spider youkai, a tsuchigumo that was lurking around, appeared out of nowhere as well, she assumed that she belonged to the man as well.

Said youkai was in the middle of stabbing knifes into a silk cocoon, the white slowly being replaced by scarlet red, as the insane victim inside bled out. Her shy blush, hidden underneath long black silky hair and the modest kimono did not fit with her actions at all.

Thank her brother that her friend wasn't looking that way.

The fact that perplexed her the most was one simple thing though.

Someone who was supposed to be human, kicked a fallen angel around with what seemed to be raw physical strength at first.

That the explanation later was senjutsu, and in extension touki, didn't make it easier to understand. A skill that by all means should be either limited to youkai or old sages. At least at the level he showcased.

Here she thought that the Boosted Gear user was exaggerating about him being strong. Or his species.

Unlike the little girl that died, she realized way sooner what he was.

His body was artificial. It was above the cut of the rest, but it was definitely a homunculus. Yet the way he behaved, indicated not a trace of a master or programming, like she was used from Lord Beelzebub's homunculi she sometimes met. Another mystery.

What concerned the female king was that this Obsidian killed someone without a hint of remorse.

She knew that some rather ruthless magicians existed out there. That one interacted with one from her peerage...concerned her.

She couldn't dwell on her thoughts, given that he greeted them despite being hidden.

Rias clicked her tongue. She completely forgot about the sensing abilities.

That was embarrassing, she had Koneko in her peerage! She shouldn't have make such a rookie mistake.

She sighed and revealed herself from the trees, at the same time as her queen.

If she was already spotted, she might as well be graceful with it.

"It has been quite pleasant, Mr. Noir. And please, call me Rias. A friend of Issei is a friend of mine." The devil gracefully lifted her skirt a little and bowed in a curtsey. Her friend mimicked her movement.

"Akeno is alright for me too." A smile appeared on her face and Rias could spot a hint of a blush, much to her annoyance. "I am impressed. You have shown quite some...skill, Mr. Noir. It was an inspiration."

"Obsidian, please. Don't make me feel older than I am." If the man spotted it as well, he didn't show it and instead grinned slightly with his hood still on. "And I'm glad you liked it. Thought I should put up a show if an audience was there."

"You are not offended?" The red head questioned with a raised eyebrow and received a hand wave as an answer.

"Not really. I'm an unknown factor here. You don't know me, so you had to evaluate me, in case I am a threat. Props to you."

"Thank you," Rias replied in a neutral tone and peeked over to the church. "I believe we should talk later. I must go to make sure the rest of my peerage is alright."

"Issei sure is lucky to have you as a master," Obsidian chuckled and this confused her only more.

When his eyes met hers, there was only one message in them.

Complete trust.

As a devil, which he should know she was, more than often she was used to distrust. Even among her own race, not many would give away trust to their peers so easily.

Yet that man did. That man in front of her entrusted his friend's life in her hands and trusted her to do her best to keep him safe.

Before she could ask him, he looked at his wrist watch...and turned around towards the front gate.

"Well, gotta go. Tell him I'm fine."

"What important business do you have just to leave like that?" Akeno asked intrigued, holding her hand against her cheek. He turned his head slightly and covered his mouth as he yawned.

"Sleep. Unlike you devils, I'm not nocturnal."

This baffled the two female devils, who blinked owlishly as Obsidian walked off. It took a few moments to process what just happened.

It was the sadist who first found her words.

"Huh, that was new. Someone just casually walking away. I expected more questions and confusion." An exaggerating sigh escaped her as she closed her eyes again. "Are we losing our touch?"

"Save the thought for later," Rias stated as she shook her head.

She would break her head over these events later. She had a peerage to check on.

Quickly, the two girls enter the church, ignoring the destruction around them. Instead, the king focused on the picture in front of her.

Her rook and knight standing guard at the other entrances, old and new, letting Issei have some space. The sight tore into her heart.

The newly reincarnated teenager silently shed tears, as he knelt in front of Asia Argento, the nun he befriended.

Even from the distance, she could tell that she was dead. Despite her knowledge that this wouldn't last long, it wasn't something the club president liked to see.

She nodded to Akeno, who began to draw the circle necessary for the upcoming ritual. Rias herself closed in on the small glowing light floating in the air and carefully grabbed in her right hand.

Twilight Healing.

Absentmindedly she glanced over at the lifeless body of the fallen, Yumi Amano, who was responsible for the whole mess.

A wide gaping hole was in her chest.

She couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that.

She fully expected to be the one who had to eliminate the threat, especially the fact that Issei was supposed to be too emotionally involved in her, no matter how fake the persona of the fallen was.

Quickly, she summoned up the Power of Destruction inside her to get rid of the corpse. She had a masquerade to uphold.

When the deed was done, it concerned her that her pawn did not react to the energy at all. It was almost like he was shell shocked.

Gently, she put a hand on his shoulder. He flinched a little, but at seeing her he calmed down and attempted to smile.

It was not a good attempt.

"I am surprised that you managed to...beat Yumi so soundly," Rias carefully stated, trying to distract him from the corpse in front of him.

He just dryly chuckled, not moving his eyes away from the scarcely dressed girl.

"Well, people do say that it gets easier after the first time. Still hurts though..."

A small part in her wanted to know what happened in his past.

But there was a time for that and it wasn't now.

"I was too late..." Tears welled up in his eyes and he slightly turned his head, bowing in the movement. "I'm sorry for wasting everyone's time..."

The heir of the Gremory clan smiled. He was strong enough to not lash out, yet also strong enough to reveal his emotions.

Rias could respect that.

Still, she had to correct him. She shook her head and knelt next to him.

"You didn't waste our time. And don't write her off to quickly." At his confused stare, she pulled out one of her Evil Pieces. "I shall revive her with my last bishop piece."

"Y-you would do that?" Issei whispered in disbelief

"Of course. I am not heartless," Rias stated with a chuckle. "Though it is unheard for a sister, I will try to revive her as a devil."

Right at that statement, Koneko came over to carry the body of Asia in bridal style over to the circle. Taking a deep breath, the king stepped in front of the circle and extended her hand, while closing her eyes.

"I command thee, Asia Argento, on my name Rias Gremory, become my servant and once more return thy soul to this land and become a devil! Thou shall lead a new life with great joy as my bishop!"

A great light filled the room, radiating from the nun. Moments later, she softly groaned and rubbed her tired eyes. Then she looked around in the room, confusion filling her face. Issei on the other hand stared at her in disbelief.

Softly, Rias put her hand on his shoulder.

"Go on. You are her senior now."

Encouraging him with a slight grin, he rushed towards new devil and hugged her fiercely, the tears freely running down his face. At first Asia stuttered embarrassed, but then patted his back in a motherly fashion.

Overall, a very heartwarming moment. Judging from the smiles of her peerage, the club president was not alone with that opinion.

It took quite some time, but the wielder of Boosted Gear calmed down at last and wiped the tears off his face in slight embarrassment. When he searched the area however, he tilted his head as he turned to his king.

"Where is Sid?" When the others gave the other a confused look, he scratched his head sheepishly. "Obsidian, I mean."

That name finally got a reaction from the others in form of a collective 'ah'.

"He said he was going to sleep," Akeno replied and giggled in amusement. "Quite ironic, given that he was responsible for two fallen angel's and an exorcist's death. He must have been through a lot if he shrugged that off as a nuisance."

Issei shook his head, a snort escaping him.

"That sounds like him...Bastard always acts so nonchalant all the time."

Despite his word choice, the self proclaimed harem king had fondness in his eyes as he looked at the ground.

Rias cleared her throat and said with a serious tone:

"Issei. Please come with him tomorrow. We have a lot to talk about. Asia will rest in our clubhouse for now. I believe we all need some rest from the recent events."

When she heard their confirmation of her words, she turned around to leave the church.

She could not wait to get some answers.

/

Slowly, Issei got dressed. It was way sooner than usual, but despite his exhaustion from last night, he could not sleep at all. Therefore, he decided to get ready for school if he couldn't rest his eyes.

In a tired tone, he sighed and looked at the anime girl clock.

Two hours until he made sense to go. His mother wouldn't even be done with breakfast at that time. He let himself fall down on his bed and sat there for a while, blankly staring at his wall in order to kill time.

"Sup."

The pervert let out a yelp of surprise and crashed on the ground as he scrambled away from the voice that suddenly sounded right next to his ear. When he saw who it was, he hissed as he clutched his chest, heavily breathing.

Then he snarled at the intruder.

"Stop breaking into my room!"

Sid, dressed in a green hoodie this time, shrugged neutrally with his hands in his pockets.

"It became a habit." While Issei slowly sat down next to him on his bed, the man exhaled lazily as he let himself fall on his back.

"Just thought you would need someone to talk after what happened." He paused for a moment and glanced at the devil's left arm. "Ddraig still sleeping?"

"Yeah..." The wielder responded and a tired grin appeared on his face.

The dragon tried all night to distract him from the morbid thoughts he had, even going as far as trying to engage in a talk about boobs.

Ddraig completely failed at the topic, given that it physically hurt him to talk about it, but Issei appreciated the thought.

Sid nodded in understanding. Try as he might, Ddraig was just that: A dragon. He couldn't understand human thoughts and issues fully, even with all the wielders he lived inside.

It wasn't very often that someone got killed by a supposed loved one, so the old being's experience drew a blank.

Suddenly, a finger snap brought him out of his musings and the devil turned to the source.

A frown was sent at him. "By the way, where is my copy of Majikoi?"

The devil returned the frown as he crossed his arms.

"I'm not done with it yet! You know how I save up the ero scenes!" Drool dripped off his mouth as he swam in the memories, a goofy grin on his face. "Momoyo's boobs are so great..."

"I like Wanko more. Best story line out of all. Momoyo has good action," Sid stated in a bored tone, staring at the ceiling.

With indignation, Issei fully turned to his right and exclaimed:

"Why do you care more about the story than the boobs?!"

"If I wanted to jerk off to something I wouldn't buy it," the senjutsu user drawled, not moving his eyes away from the ceiling. Before the Sacred Gear user could object to that blasphemy, his mother's muffled voice sounded through the door.

"Issei, who are you talking to?"

"It's Sid!" Said son yelled back.

"Okay!" Then he heard a quiet muttering. "Doors are a thing..."

The pawn grinned mischievously at his friend when his mother was gone.

Blushing lightly, the adult quickly changed the topic by clearing his throat and asked in a more social tone:

"How is Asia doing?"

The memory of her cold corpse made Issei flinch. But the memory of her revival cheered him up even more so and he softly smiled.

"Pretty well. I mean, I could have still talked with her with you, but...I'm glad she is alive." Nevertheless, the frown returned and he paused for a moment. "Do people like us...always do this?"

"What, the supernatural?" Receiving the nod from him, the adult sighed. "Can't really talk from experience because I was lying low...But I guess that conflict is a thing." Sid glanced over to Issei, who decided to lie on his back as well next to him. "Wanna talk about it?"

"...I still loved her you know. Yumi, I mean."

After he uttered out these words, a shaky breath escaped him.

It hurt. Remembering her happy facade during their date, the betrayal, her sadistic laughter at Asia's death…

What hurt the most was the moment when he shoved Boosted Gear into her chest and ripped her heart out in anger. Afterward, he felt empty. Despite all the things she had done…

The devil clenched his fist. He couldn't completely hate her. Even if her good side was fake.

Sid sighed and sat upright as he scratched his hair.

"Look, I don't know how that feels, so I won't pretend to. But beating yourself up over this won't help." He gestured with his hand towards Issei. "Yes, you might have noticed sooner that she was a fallen. You might have prevented yourself from loving her." The adult grinned tiredly. "But might doesn't cut it, correct?" Heaving another breath, he stared to the ceiling. "The only thing we can do...is learn from that. But don't project this one failure on all your future actions." His eyes narrowed, he looked back to the devil. "Don't let this bitch win. If she is the reason you can't move on, you have lost." As quickly as he frowned, as quickly did the lazy expression return when he fell back on the bed. "Besides, your club members...they are nice people, as far as I can see. They won't stab you without good reason."

"Without good reason?" Issei questioned with a raised eyebrow.

Sid scoffed in response, a teasing grin on his face.

"We both know you sometimes deserve that."

At the frown of the devil, he barked out a laughter. Issei only shook his head exasperatedly. Still, he smiled at his honesty.

There were times when he overdid it, he had to admit that.

Not that this would stop him from his ambitions anyway.

Nevertheless, there was still something that bugged him.

"Do...do you think I'll ever get a girlfriend?" He asked with hesitation. Ddraig never had to worry about that, so he didn't really had any good tips.

"Sure." The adult stood up without missing a beat and put his hands into his pockets, grin not fading from his face. "You are a good guy. Total pervert, but nobody is perfect. I mean, look at me. I managed to get married, thanks to very weird circumstances and I wasn't even interested in it at the beginning."

"I still hate you for that," Issei stated and pointed at his shoulder with a flat look. "You still have some cat hair on you."

Sid followed the finger and frowned as he clipped it off with a finger snap. The pawn sighed in frustration.

That would explain why the man looked so exhausted.

"Crap, here I thought I got all of that...Anyway, your boss wanted to talk to me. Where?"

"Our clubhouse!" The devil announced enthusiastically, realizing that they killed enough time for school to begin. Seeing Asia again was enough to brighten up his day. He stood up and rushed down the stairs in order to get something to eat, leaving Sid behind in his room.

"Here I thought I was done with high school..." He could hear him mutter. This got him an idea.

An evil grin appeared on the devil's face. A chance had arrived to convert him!

/

"Explanation. Now."

Issei laughed nervously at Sid's flat stare. Right now, they leaned against the old school building, the club house of the peerage of Rias. And they are very out of breath.

"Hey, this was the first time you came to Kuoh Academy! The least I could do was give you a tour!" The Sacred Gear user exclaimed in a heated tone as his head hung low from the lack of oxygen. The Vietnamese crossed his arms, dryly snorting in anger.

"What, the 'How to be hated in less than three seconds'- tour? Yeah, totally enjoyed that one."

"See? I knew I could convert you!" The student exclaimed with pride. His smile fell when the flat stare didn't change at all.

"Sarcasm, it's called sarcasm." He rubbed his forehead as he groaned. Then he sent Issei an angry glare. "Seriously? There are two more of you? And you just had to drag me over to a peeping hole?!" By now, his voice took an increase in volume and he wildly gestured towards the school building they escaped from. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

"I still have hope that you worship the beauty of boobs one day just like me!" Issei justified his actions, giving him a thumbs up with a wide grin.

"Well, unlike you, I am not a virgin nor single enough to have a need to worship them!"

Right after Sid exploded, his eyes widened and covered his mouth. He then winced at what he saw.

Dead silence filled the area and all amusement faded away from his face.

Despite his serious expression, tears formed in his eyes.

"...That was low, dude," Issei said with a shaky voice.

Instantly, Sid went on his knees and lowered his head.

"Sorry. Just a little pissed from that witch hunt," he said with remorse, not raising his head at all.

"It's okay." Issei wiped off his tears and smiled softly as he put his hand on the adult's shoulder. "I still love you, you know?"

Sid mimicked the gesture and smiled back as well.

"Love you too, buddy," he said back in a quiet tone.

They stared deeply into their eyes, forgiving the other for the pain they have caused.

This moment was ruined by a deep grumbling voice, filled with confusion.

"This is both pure comedy and torture." Ddraig sighed and they could imagine how he shook his head. "Is this what people call an S&M person?"

Before one of the guys can reply to that, they hear a female voice clearing its throat. The two men turn their head at the same time to the window.

"Am I interrupting something?" Rias asked with a small smirk, crossing her arms in expectation as she leaned on the window board.

The two men look at each other. Then they shrug.

"No, not really," Issei said, not getting her amusement.

"Since when are you here? It's rude to leave guests waiting," Sid asked with a raised eyebrow, a bit displeased. Rias chuckled in response.

"Apologies. Please, come in."

When the door opened and let them in, Issei looked into the room.

Akeno was farther in the back, preparing tea. She gave the two friends a friendly smile, before focusing back on her task.

So cute.

Yuuto leaned against a wall and politely nodded at them with crossed arms.

Damn handsome.

Before he could look around more, someone ran into him and crushed him into a hug. He blushed when two very soft...body parts squeeze against his body. But Issei held back his urges and instead gently patted Asia's head, who cried into his shoulder.

The events from yesterday still have taken a toll on her. Death could do that. He felt the same.

After a while, she calmed down and hid her face underneath her hands in embarrassment. The pawn looked away with a blush and finished his mental roll call of the club.

Koneko nibbled on a sweet with a blank expression, sitting opposite of the nun. When she turned to the newcomers and spotted the pawn, her face distorts in disgust.

The wielder of Boosted Gear could feel the arrows piercing his heart.

But then her eyes widened slightly and she quickly averted her eyes.

This confused the pervert.

Issei could swear she looked a bit nervous when she spotted Sid.

If the man noticed, he didn't show it as he approached her.

When he stopped right in front of her, she eyed him with wariness, leaning a little away from him.

At first, they stared at each other in silence. The small girl started to fidget when the adult wouldn't do anything but looking at her with a bored expression. Then he reached into his pockets, which caused the girl to tense up.

If his eyes weren't fooling him, the pawn could have sworn that the rook barred her teeth a little.

Like a cat.

Sid didn't react at all at the hostility and instead pulled something out and presented it to the small girl.

Everyone sweatdropped when they see what he had in his hand.

"Have a cookie," the Vietnamese stated with the same neutral face.

Koneko stared at the cookie. Then she looked back up. Then back to the cookie. She repeated that several times, like a confused animal.

In the end, she slowly reached for it. But she shortly stopped before touching it and looked up with narrowed eyes.

"...Why?"

"You look like you like sweets, so here you go," Sid explained with a shrug.

"Anything weird?" The rook asked, staring back at the sweet. Her hand started to twitch a little.

"Normal chocolate cookie," he replied.

Instantly, she took the cookie and stuffed it into her mouth. Munching on it, she bowed her head slightly, but there was still some confusion in her eyes.

"Thanks."

Sid smiled back and sat down on a chair, opposite to where Rias sat at the moment.

Okay, even Issei had to admit that was weird as hell.

"No, really? I thought that was totally normal," Ddraig drawled and his wielder sent him a frown at the comment.

"Why are you carrying around cookies?" Kiba asked as he slightly tilted his head.

"My wife loves them. She tends to listen to me when I give her one of them," the adult replied, folding his hands as he leaned forward with similar amusement.

At the word wife, the pawn sent him a dirty look as he sat down next to him. His friend ignored him, just like always.

Issei may have gotten over that fact...But the tears still formed in his eyes, damning the fact that he was still single as he clenched his fist in front of his face.

"Oh my. To be married at such a young age? I'm impressed," the pawn heard the queen giggle, making him refocus on the conversation.

"If it would be me, I would have liked to postpone it. But she was...very insistent," Sid explained with a wry grin, looking over to the pawn, who chuckled dryly as well.

Oh, he could clearly remember how insistent she was. Sometimes, she pretended that Issei wasn't even in the room with her as she used her...methods.

Envy dwelt up in his heart at the memories. How many times was Sid's face pressed against those beautiful boobs?!

He took a calming breath as he closed his eyes. No, Sid was still his bro. He could forgive him. The man could have one woman. In the end, the pawn would get all the others, in order to be the Harem King!

"I should start a drink game of how many times you say harem or boobs. But then I would die from alcohol poisoning," Ddraig grunted in his head.

"Wait, aren't you a dragon?" Issei questioned mentally in confusion. Could they get drunk?

"Exactly."

Anyway, repeating the previous thoughts in his head, the pain began to fade away slowly.

"Now that you are here...It's time to talk," Rias stated and crossed her legs.

As if by a hidden command, the club members present moved behind her, all keeping up a neutral expression as they all faced Sid. Akeno to her right, Yuuto to her left, followed by Koneko.

With her entire peerage behind her, it made her appear more...powerful, so to say.

Her entire peerage, except of Issei, who was still sitting next to Sid. Blinking owlishly, he turned his head towards his friend, then back to his peerage.

That was a very sudden shift of the atmosphere and the boy did not know how to respond to that, except switching his gaze between his club and Sid.

The latter motioned with his head towards his president with a frown when Issei glanced back to him. The message was clear.

Keep up the appearance, stupid.

Quickly, the pawn stood up and moved behind Rias, blushing slightly. His face flushed even more when Akeno gave him an amused smile. At least everyone else ignored the recent blunder and focused on being professional.

"You already know of us, so I will skip the pleasantries. Let me be blunt. Who are you?" The heir questioned with a business face on. Sid didn't seem to be fazed at all, as he glanced upwards in thought.

"Husband. Social worker. Friend." Taking a deep breath, he repositioned himself on his seat, lazy face non changing. "Sorcerer. I am in the know. Magic and all that jazz." He pointed between himself and the pawn. "We are old friends."

"How exactly did you meet?" Yuuto asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Met in Kyoto. Crazy shit went down, we covered the ass of the other. That's all I will say," the reply came with crossed arms. When Rias glanced over to Issei, he smiled wryly and nodded slowly.

"What happened in Kyoto stays in Kyoto..." He muttered, avoiding eye contact as he shuddered.

His master sighed and rubbed her forehead. Issei assumed she wasn't very happy with the lack of information. Nevertheless, she was a devil for a reason and quickly switched questions as she folded her hands.

"I assume you learned senjutsu from there?"

From his eye corners, the pawn noticed how Koneko tensed up again. Remembering his conversation with Sid back in the park, he gritted his teeth.

Of course, the trauma. How could he forget that? Now he somewhat regretted not trying harder to get closer to her. Sadly, his own perversity got in the way over and over again.

On second thought, how did his president know about the adults senjutsu abilities? Thinking about it, Issei assumed that Rias observed his friend during the church raid.

Slightly, he shook his head. No use in crying over spilled milk.

"Yup. Kyoto is filled with experts. No danger of going batshit insane or something," Sid replied with a casual hand wave, just as the pawn refocused back on the conversation. He noticed that the rook eyed his friend with...intrigue.

Either that or he imagined that slight widening of her eyes on that usual neutral face.

"Can you use senjutsu as well, Issei?" Rias asked intrigued, while taking a worried glance over the smallest girl in the room. The latter closed her eyes and did some kind of breathing exercise to calm herself down.

"I could...But I'm a little out of...practice," the future Harem King finished lamely and scratched his somewhat red cheek as he received the Sorcerer's dry glare.

"We are going to fix that someday."

His voice did not leave any room for objections. The pervert hung his head low a bit.

That was going to suck.

After a slight mouth twitch of amusement on Rias' side, shared by everyone in the room at the pawn's antics, she took a small breath. Then, a business like smile appeared on her face.

"You had very particular familiars. It isn't common to see someone taking control of youkai."

"Well, I have a good hand for it," the Sorcerer stated with a wry grin. He sighed after a slight pause. "Don't like talking about it. People would hunt me if they knew more."

"A Sacred Gear then?" Akeno asked as she put her finger on her cheek.

"Something like that," the adult said, averting his eyes in discomfort as he exhaled a little air. The pawn grimaced a bit. Even he could see that his friend was hiding something and he was not the most perceptive person. At least the others didn't know the details, unlike himself.

Realizing that those kind of questions didn't work out as intended, Issei assumed, Rias followed another line of thought and leaned forward with a slight frown.

"Why come I never heard from you?"

"I like to lay low, exactly because of my ability," Sid replied nonchalantly, having relaxed again as he scratched his tummy, with his hands underneath his hoodie pockets.

"And the fact that you have forged papers?"

She grinned playfully when sweat ran down on the adult's body. He scratched the back of his head and hummed in discomfort.

"...It's a long story," he said after a long pause and nodded.

"We have time," the female king stated smugly and took a sip from her tea.

"Well, I don't...really have time." At the stares he was getting, he raised his hands in a placating manner. "Believe me, it isn't very relevant and won't hurt you or anyone else here. Long story short, I'm an illegal immigrant trying to hide."

Awkward silence filled the room and everyone sweatdropped. Issei palmed his face.

Why would he say something like that?!

"Well, it's the truth," Ddraig commented amused.

It didn't mean he should confess just like that!

After a while, Rias cleared her throat, pretending that it wasn't such a big deal and took a deep breath.

"Given that you haven't started anything here as far as I know, I can forgive you for your...illegal stay here. Issei also trusts you, so I am willing to trust you too. But you have to be registered in our lists." Right as she ended that sentence, Akeno walked forward and presented some papers to Sid. The pawn did a double take at that.

When did she get those?

Sid shrugged at that and pulled out a pen from his pockets.

"If it keeps the devil cops with their devil cars out of my house, sure," he stated with a grin. It slowly faded when no one reacted at this comment. With a huff, he signed the papers with his name. Finishing that, he stood up and bowed slightly to the Occult Research Club.

"Sorry for keeping this short, but job is calling. Unless there is anything important that has to be asked now?" He asked and looked to the round. Rias shook her head and stood up as well.

"Nothing too important, no. It has been a pleasure having you here." After saying this, she bowed as well, like the rest of her peerage.

Issei on the other hand did not bow. Instead, he walked up to Sid and slapped him on his back enthusiastically.

"Let me walk you out!"

"I'm the adult here, I can take care of myself," Sid said with a slight frown.

"Don't be like that!" The pawn said with a light laugh and shoved him towards the door.

"Geez, fine, mommy," the adult grumbled, but smirked nevertheless as he patted the teenager's hair.

"Hey! Issei exclaimed, slapping the hair from his head and pouted.

With that little exchange, the two leave the building, needling at each other a couple more times.

/

"It seems my initial impression of him was wrong. He was more laid back than I expected." After shaking her head in amusement, Rias turned when the door closed. "Any opinions?"

By now, the rest of her peerage moved away from her back and sat down on their usual spots. It was Yuuto who spoke up first, after taking a sip from his own tea.

"He and Issei must have shared quite the adventures if last night is anything to go by. Even though Issei wasn't as skilled as me and Koneko, he did have some insight when it came to fighting. The two of them weren't fazed at all about all the commotion as well."

The Gremory heir hummed in thought. Her knight was very good at evaluating fighters, so her adorable pawn was stronger than she expected. It would explain why her pawn pieces were barely enough for him.

With this in mind, she turned to the other companion that was with him that night.

"He gave me sweets. He's okay," said the nekoshou stated neutrally, but her face quickly changed to confusion. "B-but...he can use senjutsu. It's weird."

Rias looked at her with sadness, an action shared by the other senior members of her peerage. Asia on the other hand only turns her head around a couple times in confusion.

The female king sighed. Her trauma caused by her older sister was still running deep and it affected her picture of Obsidian, and now Issei as well.

The red haired girl bit her thumb.

On the other hand, they might help her get over it. They are senjutsu users, yes...But they obviously hadn't lost their minds yet. They were in control. At least the Sorcerer was. If they would show her that senjustsu was controllable…

Koneko would be happy again. And Rias wanted nothing but happiness for her peerage.

Nevertheless, it would be a long process. She could scheme later.

Anyway, as if the small girl remembered something, she made an 'oh' sound and put down one of her sweets, raising her finger with her free hand.

"And he smells funny too," she said with a frown.

"Funny?" Akeno questioned intrigued, tilting her head.

"He smells...familiar," the rook slowly explained with narrowed eyes, staring into her tea.

This got some wide eyed stares from everyone. Even from Asia. Rias knew, that as a youkai, her sense were very keen. So that she said that he smells familiar...had some very weird implications.

"Maybe his senjutsu?" Yuuto suggested, but the girl shook her head with a frown.

"No, it's...different. Like a smell I knew since my birth. But I never met him before." In the end, she shrugged and nibbled on her food again. "Not sure."

The heir sighed. Great, another mystery. She turned her head towards her queen in a tired manner.

"Akeno?"

"I like how he fights," she giggled with a slight blush after a short pause.

"Of course you do..." Rias groaned out. Sometimes she hated her friend's sadistic tendencies. Luckily, the shrine maiden's features became more serious when she began to tap her chin in thought.

"But it occurs to me that he has no qualms with us. It's almost like he knows enough to know we are not a threat." She slightly frowned. "It worries me he was so vague though. Especially about his past and abilities."

"Let's hope that our pawn isn't wrong about him," Rias said with a slight smile. This was the only reason she wasn't more aggressive towards Obsidian. Issei considered him a friend. Unlike Raynare, he knew the man for at least two years. She would trust his judgment.

That the Sorcerer was male, calmed her mind even more. One could not say that the wielder of Boosted Gear was rational when it came to girls.

This did not mean however that she wouldn't do her own research on him when she has the time. It would be low priority though.

At last, she turned to the newest member of her peerage.

"And you, Asia?" She asked warmly.

"Uhm..." She hesitated. Very long. "He is a very nice person, just like Issei!" Her sudden outburst made Rias giggle lightly, causing her to blush. Still, she softly smiled after taking a deep breath. "He even comforted me while I...waited."

"Waited?" The president asked with a tilted head.

"When I...died..." A shaky breath escaped her and she closed her eyes. "I was in this void. Darkness was everywhere. It was...scary." She shook her head and her smile came back. "But then I heard him. He just talked with me about what I did on my...meeting with Issei, but he...distracted me. And he told me I would get back soon enough. He cares a lot."

"Wait..." Kiba said with wide eyes, looking into the room to see the others equally shocked.

Except of Asia, who blinked confused.

"He can talk to the dead?" The only male in the room questioned. The nun nodded with hestitation.

This...was a big thing, Rias realized as she bit her lip.

No wonder he wanted to lie low.

Nevermind, he was high priority now.

/

"And? What do you think?" Issei asked with a wide grin, standing in front of the school gates with his friend. The boy knew he shouldn't feel so proud of letting Sid meet his club members…

But hell, it did feel good!

"Considering how your life went so far, I understand," the dragon inside him chuckled.

Not even Ddraig was going to take this moment from him!

The Sorcerer chuckled and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Nice kids. Have their weird quirks from what I can tell, but they look to be good friends. I'm happy for you," he said with a slight grin. Issei blushed a little. Not many would congratulate him on something like this.

Sid knew how alone he sometimes felt, even with his parents and his school buddies.

"And me."

And the moment was gone.

"Huh?" The devil asked dumbly, seeing that Sid's grin got a slight nervous edge.

"Her big brother is a big name out there. I mean, leader big." He shuddered. "Really scary, so it's good if Rias likes you and maybe in extension me."

"What is his name?" The Sacred Gear user asked with a tilted head. He didn't even know she had a brother.

"He used to be called Sirzech Gremory," Sid explained, leaning against the school wall.

"Used?" Issei asked confused, mirroring his friend's body posture.
"Yes. When he took on the mantle of one of the leaders, he got a new surname." A flat look is sent at the future harem king. "Lucifer."

At first the devil hummed impressed and nodded a few times.

Then his mouth opened slightly and he slowly raised his hand in shock.

"Wait...Like-"

"Like the first Fallen, first big bad in the Bible, SMT chaos boss, yes," the Sorcerer interrupted him dryly and shuddered yet again. Issei couldn't blame him.

The thought sent a shiver down his spine as well. But there was one important thing he had to know. He grabbed both of the adult's shoulders, forcing him to turn his face towards him. The man blinked confused, but the pawn did not care at the moment.

"You think I can survive him if I poke his sister's boobs?" The devil asked in a serious tone, determination in his eyes.

Dead silence. Only the birds in the background could be heard, in the people devoid area.

After what felt like an eternity, it was the dragon inside of him who spoke first.

And his voice was drier than a desert.

"Sid."

"On it," the Vietnamese replied with an equal dry tone…

And grabbed Issei around the waist, before supplexing him on the ground.

Suffice to say, the student was out for a couple of minutes. When he groggily blinked, the damn foreigner leaned against the wall as if nothing happened. Shaking off the pain from his head, he stood up and pointed at him, anger written all over his face.

The cold stare directed at him stopped him...well, cold.
"Don't ask stupid questions," Sid stated. His voice left no room for objections.

Okay, Issei had to admit that was a bit over the top. Even considering his perversity into the equation.

"Geez, fine..." Rubbing his head, he supported his back on the wall and glanced at the Sorcerer. "So...what job do you have?"

"I have to leave for about ten days. Important business. Gotta meet my colleagues for a report or something," the adult explained with a long suffering groan.

"Who were your colleagues again?" The Sacred Gear user questioned, scratching his cheek as he racked his brains.

"An old vampire who pranks people for fun and a girl that often destroys shit around her," Sid provided with a slight shudder. The devil made a small 'oh' and hit his fist into his palm. Right, he did mention them sometimes. Though he was never very specific.
One of those few secrets the adult wouldn't share with him. Not that he could blame him. What the pawn did know was enough to start a witch hunt on him.

"Anyway, just wanted to tell you." A frown is sent at the devil as Sid pointed his finger at him. "Don't fuck shit up here while I'm gone. Taichi is going to keep a good eye on you."

"What could happen?" Issei asked with a shrug.

He didn't understand the pitying stare from Sid at all.