Act IX: Bishop Life

"Huh? Sorry, what?" I asked, blinkingly, staring at the elderly white-haired man in silver gown. He was a doctor – or what represented a doctor in the Underworld. I didn't get his name as his name tag wasn't where it should be.

He was shouting at me, and shouting quite loudly. As for me, I spaced out for most of it.

Whenever I was getting yelled at, I tuned out and retreated to my special, happy place. It was a place of peace and quiet, where I was the only inhabitant, watching a slideshow of pretty girls in various poses – seductive notwithstanding. At the moment, the slideshow was filled with images of Neko-chan.

Her lustful expression I'd etched into my mind filled me with fluffy feelings. I giggled inwardly and leered at her every so often. I believed she would reciprocate the gesture if she could see. But for now, she was listening attentively to the old jerk more than I was.

The old man shook his head and sighed at my rather blanked expression.

"This generation, this blasted generation," he cursed lowly under his breath. I could still hear the cursing clearly even without using my special ear-dropping technique. I thought I should give the technique a name – a good, easy to recall name.

Super something. Super always sounded cool.

"What is the big deal anyway, old man?" I questioned with a shrug. "You live long enough to know what would happen when two young people sleeping together. If you want to yell at some body, go and yell at those damn perverts over there. They took pictures without permission! It's 100,000 each shot. Tell them to pay up!"

"S-sleeping together!? This is not a love hotel, you damn brat," he snapped at me. His voice caused me to flinch. "This is the hospital; a place of healing! If you want to screw around, go and do it elsewhere!"

For an old geezer, he sure had a very powerful presence. I felt so small for a second there. And did he say love hotel? There were love hotel in the Underworld? I always hated that place – so many cute, high school girls going in there with old, fat grandpas just because they could afford fast car and luxurious lifestyle.

I was envious, watching them from afar. I wished I was rich – oh wait!

"Aw, you go to love hotel, old man?" I joked. "Is it because you're not getting enough at home?"

"And this is the female wings," the old man growled, ignoring my jests completely. His face was flushed with annoyance rather than anger. "How dare you sneak into here and… and commit such act!"

"But – but – Neko-chan needs my protection," I called out and gripped her hands. "Isn't that so, Neko-chan?"

Neko-chan tilted her head slightly. Her face remained expressionless as she pulled her hands away from me. "Master, please behave. You are currently in the fault."

My mouth opened slightly. Aside the fact that she was against me, her master, I thought I was behaving rather appropriately. I checked her expression once more and realized beneath the impassive layer of smooth skin, she was upset. Her lips pursed ever so slightly. Why was she upset? Could it because I had lied about the reason why I was on her bed – which subsequently led to a wonderful memory we both now shared.

Or –

"Hey, old man," I said calmly. "Can I get a private room for Neko-chan, somewhere nice on the top floors with a good view? She will be here for a while due to her eyes. It would be better if she doesn't have to share room with any other patients. Plus the peace would also be go – great."

I almost said godsend, which was definitely a no-no in front of the old man. I believed anything referring to God in good light would make devils a little edgy. They all would probably be closed minded until the summit between the three factions where the head of each side would come and sit together to discuss possible treaties and a chance at peaceful futures. And if it wasn't for the immediate threat of the Khaos Brigade, they wouldn't be talking at all.

An enemy of my enemy is my friend until I can find a sure way to backstab them. That thought made me chuckled.

But in all seriousness, the Khaos Brigade was good for uniting everyone towards a common goal. I had never thought of it that way. Should they not be around, much of the novels would be incredibly boring with just Issei doing and thinking perverted things about Rias. Plus, the whole organization was led by a gothic-loli, which was always a bonus in my book.

Ah, I wanted one – a loli Dragon-God.

I should start saving up candies for when Lilith get spawned from her. Ophis wanted to evict the Great Red from the dimensional gap in order to obtain silence while Lilith really had no desire to do anything whatsoever. Lilith could be blackmailed with candies with ease, but due to her greedy nature, it might be quite costly.

So it was either making a house out of candy for a small girl to live in versus fighting the Great Red, the most powerful entity in this world? Candies for the win!

The old man gave me a brief glance while my mind wandered about whether I should just stay back and let things unfold naturally. At least then I would have a good idea when to interfere. I decided it would be foolish to do nothing though – as my presence probably had already changed things. This usually was the case for someone in my situation.

I also noted that no one in the hospital mentioned anything about the Khaos Brigade, which would be odd since they were the instigator of everything that happened in the storyline. Since no one had talked about them yet, that mean they hadn't made themselves known and still gathering strengths. Hence the timeline should be before Volume 4, but how further back was it exactly?

Had Rias Gremory resurrected Issei as her pawn yet?

"There are private rooms, but most of them are reserved for special guests unless the Sitri Clan states otherwise," the old man said as I leered at Neko-chan and noted she was no longer pursing her lips.

I thought that was the case. She wasn't upset at me for sneaking into the room and lying on her bed. She was, however, wondering if I truly wished to heal her eyes or I simply just saying things for her to feel better and get laid in the end. In other words, I was luring her with sweet words and false promises like her old Master. She hated that.

I meant what I said. I wanted to heal her eyes. I wanted to gaze into them again, and I was willing to pay the price to do so no matter how much. I had estimated half of my current estate would be more than sufficient.

"But considering your clan's standings, I supposed Lord Sitri will make an exception. He probably had no choice in the matter anyway. I will go tell the staff to prepare one right now and deal with the mess you just created. It should be available in a few hours."

I blinked several times and turned back to the old man, who was already out the door while shaking his head in disapproval. "Umm… did you say something about my clan? Hey! Wait! What's my clan!?"

"Master," Neko-chan interrupted and turned her head towards me as I was near the door. "You have been gone for almost a day. Everyone will be worried if you were not returned any time soon."

Everyone will be worried? My heart lifted up at the thought of everyone glooming around the mansion, wondering where I was the whole time. "What about you, Neko-chan? Will you be lonely here without your awesome Master?"

Neko-chan lifted her head up. Her fingers ran across her lips as if she was hinting something to me. "Isn't that what a private room is for?"

My mind took a second to click. Private room meant private portals. I didn't really think of it that far at all, but I could drop by anytime. And we could do whatever we pleased there and no one would tell us off.

Sweet sexy time!

"Neko-chan!" I called out and kissed her on the cheek. "I will visit you every hour!"

Neko-chan was surprised. She ran her fingers across her cheek, brushing at the spot that I had kissed her in my excitement. "I would not have any rest then, Master."

"Eh… you're right," I admitted reluctantly. She would need lots and lots of rest if she was to recover her eyes. "How about every couple of hours then – if that doesn't suit you, I can come whenever you feel you need me. If you don't want to, I can visit you whenever –

"You are lecherous, Master," Neko-chan said and gestured to me with a finger. Like an obedience man-servant, I leaned closer to her. Her hands ran around the back of my head and pulled me into a kiss. It wasn't deep or passionate, but it brought my spirit sky high.

"You can visit me any time you wish, Master," Neko-chan said softly the moment I was freed from those ensnaring lips. "And also, please don't forget your promise."

"Huh… promise?" I questioned, trying to remember what she was referring to. My mind was a bit dazed while I sucked on my lips, trying to savor the taste for as long as possible. Her silence caused me to gulp and sweat. What did I promise her? C'mon brain, remember! Remember!

"Oh, right," I said, "that girl… I will go and fix her up then."

"Yes. Please treat her well, Master," Neko-chan confirmed while her hands rubbed her stomach.

I chuckled as I remembered I did cum quite a bit inside her. Just remembering the warm feeling around my rod got me incredibly hard again. If she got pregnant, I wonder what I should do. I'd never thought about having a family of my own since I had never had a girlfriend before, but the idea of having one didn't sound all that bad.

Neko-chan was beautiful, and she would make a good mother. She cared quite a great deal about her own flesh and blood – enough so that she would endure years of abuses. And the thought of cute little kittens running around the mansion, calling me daddy, melted my heart. I want them! I could dress them up in really adorable clothing. Boys included!

"Why are you laughing, Master?" Neko-chan asked.

I realized was laughing like a maniac. I quickly coughed and rubbed my head while my lips refused to dissipate the wide grin. "I was just thinking about the future."

"You sure are lecherous, Master," Neko-chan said.

"Eh… I guess," I responded and began preparing the teleportation circle on the floor. I had to cover my mouth to stifle my giggling every now and then. Damn, I wanted kids, especially cute one. They would be so damn adorable. Since my mind was occupied with my fantasies, I had to redraw the circle a few times since they didn't activate correctly.

"I will be back, Neko-chan," I said the umpteenth times and activated teleportation circle yet again.

"I will be waiting, Master," Neko-chan said softly as the teleportation activated. "And please don't let her becomes like us."

"Huh? What was that?" I called out before the scenery shifted to another familiar one. I was back at my mansion, standing before the opened gate. My grin finally dropped as I recalled the last line Neko-chan had said.

Don't let her becomes like you, huh?

The past was not easily forgotten despite how much she wanted to.

When her sight returned, would she be able to look at me? Even if I wasn't the Master she knew, I still had his appearance, appearance of the man who had tortured her mind and body for years while giving her false hope. I admitted that his body was much better than my old, splatted one. It was taller, way more muscular as well as good looking – but was it worth it?

I didn't really know the answer to that. I honestly did not want my old life. I was a no body then. In this new life, I was somebody even I wasn't all that important. Even if I won't amount to much, at least I have wealth and gorgeous, busty girls at my side. Wasn't that all a man ever needed.

Furthermore, I had Neko-chan, and maybe she would be someone more – a wife?

I giggled at the bright future ahead as I flew across the garden and landed on the front doors. As I stood there, exhaling deeply and gathering my courage to deal with the rest of my harem, persuading them to see me in a new light, I took note of my family sigil carved into the hardened woods. I arched my brow as I recalled what the doctor had said before he left the room to prepare a private one.

The old man seemed to hint that my clan could boss the Sitri Clan around. The Sitri Clan! The clan that the current Leviathan heralded from! The Sitri were one of the seventy-two pillars of the underworld, and was ranked at Prince. For another clan to order them around, that clan had to hold much greater rank. So I was someone important?

But if I was someone important, wouldn't the doctor show me a lot more respect? Maybe he was like that, scolding at anyone regardless of their status. It would be fun to watch him telling Sirzechs Lucifer off, but I was sure Grayfia Lucifuge had that pleasure. Even if the doctor was an exception, wouldn't the hospital staffs be more courteous to me? None of them were.

I was a bit confused.

My confusion turned to frown as I remembered Neko-chan interrupted me when I tried to ask the old man about my clan. I didn't think much of it at the time, but she seemed to be wary. I wondered why. Maybe she was looking out for me, which kind of make sense. If the head of the clan found out that I wasn't who I was, I would be in deep shit.

The novels only illustrated so much of the Underworld without becoming way too bloated. While I knew major events along with the major players, those that were pulling strings from behind the scenes were shrouded in mystery.

Well, at least I knew I wasn't the head of my clan, and that my clan had some kind of control over the Sitri clan. Mutual agreement both clans shared like the Gremory and Phenix clan perhaps? Maybe that was a good thing. I would need to know more.

One of the girls could fill me in.

I was about to open the door when it was opened for me. Before I could utter a word of greeting, she tackled me. Her five tails wrapped around me like furry tentacles while I stumbled backwards. I nearly fall on my back, but my wings prevented it.

"Master! Master!" Kitsu-chan called out as she crushed me in her embrace. "Where did you go? Why did you leave?"

I was a bit speechless at her behavior. Kitsu-chan was the one amongst my harem that warmed up to me and would do whatever I asked of her. She trusted me explicitly – or more correctly, she trusted her old Master explicitly. It appeared that she did not have a troubled past like the others or that her old Master didn't treat her harshly.

"I… took Neko-chan to the hospital as well as getting fixed up," I said, feeling my rib cage buckling under her increased strength. She was a hell lot stronger than several months ago when she only had two tails.

"Ugh, Kitsu-chan," I groaned. "I'm think I will have to go back there if you keep this up."

"No! Master cannot leave me behind," Kitsu-chan called out while shaking her head. She then sniffled and rubbed her face against my chest. Was she crying the whole time I was away? Did she miss me that much? Who else missed me?

"Kitsu-chan," I said as I patted her on the head lightly. Her foxy ears stood erected before I brushed my fingers over them. They twitched cutely. Out of mischief, I rubbed them between my fingers. I felt her arms weakened the moment I did so I continued more forcibly.

"Master… " Kitsu-chan moaned lewdly while her legs rubbed against each other. Her hands fell away as she lifted her head back to look up at me. Her face was flushed with red. I froze up the moment I saw it and jerked my hand away from her ears. Was that her buttons?

Awesome!

Kitsu-chan blinked in shock before jerking backwards. Her tails freed me.

"I'm sorry," I apologized as Kitsu held herself shakily. She then rubbed her reddened face before bolting back into the mansion.

"Wait, I didn't mean to!"

I chased after her, but she got a head start. She was also faster than me on all four.

"Hey! Don't run in here, Yuz–!" Ooka-chan called out as Kitsu dashed passed her without slowly down.

Ooka-chan spun around before I crashed into her with my momentum, pushing her onto the floor with me on top. The silver tray she was carrying with both hands clattering a few meters away from us with all the items it had scattering across the floor.

I groaned as I opened my eyes. I thought both of my hands would went straight to her enormous breasts as it usually happened during such accidental collision, but instead, they were pressed against the floor, situated on either side of her shoulders, around her neck. I was pinning her to the floor with my frame while she stared up at me shyly.

"I'm supposed to say something here," I said awkwardly.

"M-master… Please… Please… don't hurt Ookami," Ooka-chan uttered in that extremely cute voice of her. She then closed her eyes and lifted her lips upwards, towards me. She was so damn irresistible right there, and I would have gone with the flow if someone didn't stare down at me.

"Hmm…" Taiga-chan huffed before returning back into the room and closed the door behind her with a slam.

I blinked at the closed door before staring down at Ooka-chan, who was still waiting for the kiss with her eyes closed. Taiga-chan just killed the mood. I lifted my right hand and pressed her soft cheeks together, causing her to snap open her eyes.

"M-musster?"

I chuckled and let my hand go before pulling myself up and off of her. I offered her a hand the moment I stood on my two feet. She blinked at me when I did. "So, are you going to lie there all day, Ooka-chan?"

Ooka-chan hesitantly took my hands. Despite her size, she wasn't heavy at all. Neko-chan was heavier than her, and her weight felt like it was concentrated in one spot – two spots. She brushed any dirt off her maid-like clothing and pick up the tray along with all the confectioneries on the floor. I helped while sampling a few.

They were quite good. "Where are you taking those?"

"After Taiga-nee, I was bringing them to… ummm… Shi…ne?" Ooka-chan stuttered.

"Shi-ne?" I asked, arching my brow. Shi-ne translated to die. Who would be named something like that?

"It's the girl with white hair," Ooka-chan said after a moment of pause. "She is with her elder sister and refused to move from the spot. She hasn't eaten anything since her arrival here. I thought… I thought… that she would enjoy some sweets instead."

"I'm sure she would," I said as I took one off the tray and ate it. "It's really, really good. Have I ever told you how much I appreciated your cooking? You cooked for all of us every day. That must have been a lot of work."

"Thank… you, Master," Ooka-chan said hesitantly.

I found her response to my compliment a bit odd. It was as if she was hiding something. I made nothing of it at the time and decided to check up on the two sisters that Neko-chan brought back. I did promise to take care of them after all.

"By the way, why hasn't the older one awoken up yet?" I asked before chewing on another sweet. By the time we reached the room, I probably eaten all the good pieces.

"I … don't know, Master," Ooka-chan said slowly. "Her external injuries have been healed thanked to the evil pieces Neko-nee introduced into her body… with your permission."

I didn't correct Ooka-chan. I didn't really give Neko-chan permission to do that. The evil pieces belonged to me and she stole them. Now, she was using them as if they were hers. Oh well. I wasn't going to scold her or anything like that. I loved her too much to be upset at minor things. And besides, the pieces were linked to the King piece, which resided inside me. So anyone she reincarnated with my pieces would be part of my peerage, not hers.

Still, I should at least have a say in who should be in my peerage. I wanted beautiful girls only. Luckily, I got back most of the pieces she had taken. She must have used a couple more because I was still missing one rook, one bishop, and a queen. One of them must be inside the unconscious girl.

I didn't understand why the black-haired girl didn't wake up yet, however. Unless she was a God – which was doubtful as she was killed by Neko-chan – she should either awakened as a newly reincarnated devil or die in the process. Was there a middle ground? My mind wandered for a bit, recalling the times that other didn't wake up despite being inserted an evil piece. The answer came to me almost immediately.

It was not enough to reincarnate her! That meant she was worth more than one piece?

"By the way, Ooka-chan," I said. "Do you know what piece Neko-chan used?"

"I think it was a Bishop, Master," she answered.

"Bishop, huh," I muttered and took out a bishop piece. I had a look at it as the light along the hallway reflected of its onyx surface. It looked like a normal chess pieces, but it was not.

"Alright, I think I know how I can wake her up," I told Ooka-chan firmly.

I was going to kiss the sleeping princess while placing the bishop piece onto her chest, letting it join with the other one. That way, I could say my kiss had awakened the beauty. It sounded very awesome in my mind to the point that I was grinning the whole way.

Once at the destination, Ooka-chan opened it by using her butt since her hands were occupied. I was too mesmerized to even lend a hand. She used her body as a stopper to allow me in. I entered the room while looking back at her with a broad smile.

Half way in the room, I turned towards the front and noticed three of my girls standing about the bed.

"Master," they all greeted me as Ooka-chan set down the silver tray at the wide table near the window before joining them.

There was a small white-haired girl by the bedside. She looked up at me. Her golden eyes were dulled in color. She had been crying for a while. Her white hair was a tangled mess.

With Usagi-chan's gentle gesture behind, the small girl, about ten to eleven years of age, moved slightly away from the bed and bowed before me. She then fell on all four and planted her head to the floor.

Did Usagi teach her that?

"Please save Onee-chan… Master… Please… Onee-chan…" she sobbed while her small body trembled. It wasn't just fear. She was also incredibly exhausted and somewhat malnourished.

I blinked as the small child at my feet was oddly familiar. I rubbed my head as I tried to remember where I had met her exactly. I felt like she was very important.

Where…? What was her name again? Die?

"Shi-ne, Shi-on," I mumbled. "… Shirone…? SHIRONE! KONEKO!"

I rushed to the bedside and looked down at the unconscious black-haired girl. I didn't have a clear view of her when she had blocked Neko-chan's attack and subsequently been impaled. The evil piece in my hand fell onto the floor, clattering before I laughed like a deranged person.

"Heh… heh… This got to be a joke right… a joke… right, silver guy?" I asked the ceiling. "Please tell me this is a joke!"

The girls looked at me confused. "Master…?"

I turned to them as the little girl lifted her head up slightly. Her golden eyes stared at me as I dropped to the floor, landing onto my ass. She crawled slowly towards me, revealing her Nekoshou's heritage as if someone had told her to.

"Get them away from me!" I practically screamed in fright, pointing at Shirone and Kuroka.

Act X: Dreaded Life