AN: I apologize for the readers of my other stories, but this is just so much easier since I have a cowriter. Another Project Fluff chapter will be out soon though. Now to the reviews

I appreciate the encouragement guys about the addition of Sai and Azazel. I'm not going to spoil any future events, as I'll let you all read for yourself. I wouldn't expect anything out of the chapter length though. Inspiration can come and go and smaller chapters can portray events better than longer ones sometimes.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter, hot off the press!

Discord: [discord . gg / yARsw4UtaC]

Chapter 3: Into The Present

The bell rang gently, signalling the start of classes at Kuoh Academy. Issei Hyoudou attempted to sit up in his seat as he opened up his notebook to take notes. Or rather he would have, had something not hit his desk. That something turned out to be a crumpled up sheet of paper from behind him. Eyeing it, the brunette slyly picked it up and read it.

"Are you free after school? - Aika" the note read. Shaking his head at the thought of his rather… unique friend, Issei wrote back that he had to go to the gym after school and later work at his part time job. Really, Issei had his schedule packed day-to-day, and with school, his studying time had been increased thricefold so that he could maintain his grades.

'It feels like it's been ages since I entered Kuoh, but it's only been a few months. I'm glad that things here are so different from middle school. At that time I was a real mess… Yeah, Kuoh Academy seems very promising indeed to me. Just remembering it gives me hope for the future.' Issei's mind drifted to his very first day at Kuoh Academy.

Issei had just put on the uniform to his new school. A very sleek black blazer over a button-down shirt, with lines going up and down it to show off the form. Standing straight, pulling his shoulders back and pushing his chest out, the young man took a look at himself in the mirror in his new outfit.

"Hmm." Nodding his head, Issei was satisfied with how he looked, "All those weeks at the gym are really paying off. I'm filling out this uniform well!" With his little pep talk done, Issei raced downstairs with his bag, eager to make his high school debut.

"Hey mom, I'm heading off to school." Issei said, trying to get out of the house as fast as he could.

"Hold your horses young man. You may have finished your breakfast, but you're not off the hook yet. Let me get a good look at my baby boy." Miki Hyoudou was not a woman to be crossed, so Issei complied, facing her and showing himself off in his new uniform.

"Mom, I'm not going to be your baby boy forever, y'know! This boy is becoming a man fast," Issei said with a wry chuckle.

Sighing, Miki Hyoudou replied, "I know sweetheart, but you're always going to be my little baby boy no matter how much you grow up." Miki's expression morphed from a content smile into a bit of an accusatory teasing grin. "And just because I say that doesn't mean you have permission to become a dirty hikikomori! I'm expecting grandchildren, lots of them!"

Issei sweatdropped at how genuine that desire was for his mother. 'I guess my goal of a harem should be fine with her,' he thought. Out loud, Issei said, " Don't worry mom! I haven't been studying my butt off to just now become a NEET! I'll be working hard at school, don't you worry." Issei turned to leave, purposefully not responding to the grandchildren comment. "Well, I'm off."

"I hope you have a wonderful day sweetheart. Your time at the gym has certainly been a benefit for you. You look rather dashing. Your father and I are so proud of how hard you've worked to get into Kuoh!" Miki Hyoudou got a little passionate in that last phrase, a few tears shining wetly in the corners of her eyes.

Issei's face was tinted in red as he mumbled his response. "Thanks mom, that really means a lot." Trying to avoid further embarrassment, Issei rushed out the door. "I'll tell you all about my day at dinner!" With a quick open and close, Issei was out the door of the Hyoudou residence.

Miki Hyoudou stood there, shocked by his sudden exit out of the house, but she quickly recovered, walking over to the sink of the kitchen to work through the veritable mountain of dirty dishes. 'My boy is finally using that honesty of his to his advantage. He's becoming more true to what he wants to be!' Kuoh wouldn't know what hit it!

(-)

In front of the imposing school of the prestigious Kuoh Academy, Issei unintentionally smiled. 'This is my new school. Be prepared Kuoh Academy! Issei Hyoudou is here!'

Issei quickly raced inside to get to his class. His eyes glimpsed through the almost sparkling halls and refined furniture that surrounded the venerable academy. 'This is to be expected from a formerly all-girls school I guess. Everything just looks super high class and over the top for a high school.' Slowing his pace, in turn hiding his excitement, Issei took a closer look at his surroundings.

Most of his peers were of course female, with one or two noticeably nerdy guys here and there. Issei could've been imagining it, but there were a few girls that were checking him out. 'Nah,' Issei thought, 'Must be my imagination. I guess I'm just getting a bit too self-conscious.' Little did Issei know that those stares weren't just his imagination.

A loud crowd of people had gathered around in one area of the school, showing to Issei that the object of their congregation was where his class assignments could be found. Making his way through the crowded mass of bodies, the young man noticed that his class was 1-B, so without any trouble with the crowd, he moved around everyone and made his way there. It wasn't long before he came upon the classroom and so naturally, he entered.

Upon finding his seat in the center back, Issei reclined in his chair. He hadn't looked hard enough to find out if he knew anyone in his class, although he doubted that he'd recognize anyone. Well, except for Motohama and Matsuda. He had been texted that those two had gotten in. He hadn't been able to hang out with them much, busy as he was with his studies, his grueling exercise routine, and his part-time job.

'I've been through a lot of reflection about myself,' Issei thought to himself, 'I don't know exactly how that's going to play into our friendship moving forward, but something tells me that I'm going to be spending a lot less time with them.' It was a sad thought for Issei, admittedly, but his dedication to his dream and his drive towards self-improvement couldn't be stopped for those two. 'Looking back, my friendship with those two were built upon very little other than our love of female bodies and while I still stand by that love, how we're going about it is very different now.'

While Issei was thinking about this, he was neglecting to notice everyone's impressions of him, or rather, his female classmates' impressions. While going to the gym for a couple of months wasn't going to give a huge amount of readily obvious results in terms of physique, Issei's unintentional attitude was slowly bringing interest from his peers.

One girl in particular was interested and so, naturally, greeted him. "So, how're you doing handsome?" Issei looked up from his desk to see a brunette with pigtails flirting with him on the first day of school. 'Heh, I really think I'm going to like this school,' thought Issei.

(-)

From that point forward, Issei assimilated into Kuoh Academy smoothly. He became quick friends with Aika Kiryuu, flirting with her daily and joking around. Issei did have cordial interactions with other classmates, but he and the brunette girl were the closest with their daily conversations.

To Issei's amazement, Motohama and Matsuda ended up making names for themselves as the "Perverted Duo," as they would always peep on the girls of Kuoh, especially the Kendo Club for some reason. They tried to rope Issei into peeping with them, but he firmly refused given his newfound morals. Not that he didn't want to; of course he did. It simply wasn't effective, however, and he rather enjoyed having the full usage of all of his limbs. Dodging a two pound lump of bamboo in the hands of an enraged woman wasn't exactly his idea of a great first date.

Although, Issei never ratted them out when they told him that they would go peeking. He didn't want to burn that bridge just yet… and it seemed like the Kendo Club could handle themselves just fine.

Issei felt like had blinked twice and it was already time to go home. School flew by for him as he was caught up in his own thoughts. "Could I watch as you put your muscles to work at the docks?" Aika asked with a smug grin.

"You can, but remember that you can't come all the time. I don't want to be the cause of blood loss if you get too stimulated from the sight of me working in the hot sun," Issei responded back with ease, used to their little games by now.

Aika giggled at Issei's boasting before calming down. "Fine, I'll limit myself for my own sake." Their relationship was of the teasing variety, with little room for normal conversation. Issei had been teased once about his "younger brother" since Aika did have the ability to gauge a man's "ego". When Issei asked her about it though, she froze up and avoided the subject.

'These days are quite calm for now,' Issei thought. The days ahead, would they be just as idyllic?

(-)

Weeks, turned to months, pass as Issei got into the rhythm of Kuoh Academy.

"Hey Issei! How'd you like the latest Gundam episode?"

"Well, if I had to be honest, Takumi, while the fights were spectacular, I'm a little disappointed in the designs of the giant robot themselves."

Takumi, a slender young freshman that he shared a math class with, gave Issei a pat on the back. "You're so right! Those designs were pretty wack! I wish they went for a slicker, cooler look!"

More and more Issei was establishing himself firmly into Kuoh Academy, whether he knew it or not.

(-)

"Hey, Hyoudou. Your friends tried to peek at the club while we were changing again," Katase said, with agitation clear in her voice.

"A-ah. That is quite rude of them and uncalled for. I can't exactly control those two though."

"Are you sure there isn't anything you can do, Hyoudou? They do seem to control themselves around you and Kiryuu."

Issei sweatdropped. "That has nothing to do with me and everything to do with Aika. She… well, she intimidates them. Anyway, you have to understand that those two will do anything to look at attractive girls."

Katase's cheeks hinted at a blush as she responded, "While I understand that, it can be quite aggravating to have to watch our backs all the time."

Murayama added, "It is a hassle. While I fully understand why they're doing it, however, that doesn't mean it's ok. Sigh I guess, we'll have to increase the severity of our beatdowns on them."

"Shouldn't you go to the Student Council about this? Not that I'd want you to or anything," Issei asked with no small curiosity behind the statement.

"We already did," Katase said. "Sona-Kaichou said that the best we could do is beat them into submission."

"Ehhhh? What?" Issei asked, incredulous at the rather brutal response suggested by the Class President. He got the sense that she was a disciplinarian at heart, but wasn't that a bit much?

"Evidently," Murayama started, "Since Kuoh Academy just turned Co-ed, the school needs to put up a front of everything working out alright, else there'd be issues up top. So we have to deal with the perverted and depraved acts by just beating those problems down."

"That sounds like a difficult situation." Issei said, sympathizing for the two. "How's kendo going?"

Murayama perked up at the question. "Oh? Well, the team is great! At least for myself, it's just a joy to practice day in and day out."

"Right?" Katase asked. "It's very satisfying to just engage in the fight and just hold the shinai firmly in your hands."

Issei took a look at their hands, grasping them. "Yep, those are some hard working hands alright!" Noticing the callouses he added, "If you work your hands that hard, what kind of exercises do you do for your body?"

Murayama and Katase were taken aback by Issei's perkiness. He was usually lowkey and level headed. They never saw him as getting excited over something like working out. "We just practice some squats and lunges before practice. It loosens us up and gets us ready!" Katase said.

"Ah, that does make sense given your physique," Issei said, giving them a onceover. Katase and Murayama would normally smack someone upside the head for looking at them like that, but they could tell his gaze was somehow more about the exercises they did to attain their form rather than the form itself. All in all, it was strange how he seemed simultaneously so interested in their bodies, and yet did so without any clear perversion behind the questions.

Truly, it was curious how determined Issei Hyoudou was to be a gym nut.

(-)

"You don't have to help me Hyoudou-kun. I could handle carrying those reference books by myself."

"Isn't it normal for the underclassmen to help out the upperclassmen? And either way, Shinra-senpai, my mom would beat me with a spoon if I didn't assist a pretty lady in need," Issei said with a goofy grin.

Tsubaki lightly laughed at the mischievous compliment. "That's quite cheeky of you Hyoudou-kun. I appreciate the sentiment all the same. It does leave me a little sad though," she said seriously.

"What? How does it make you sad?"

"I find you helping out various students, male or female, around the school all the time. Could it be that… I'm not special to you Hyoudou-kun?" Tsubaki said, a serious look masking her true face.

"That's not… how it is?" Issei tried to explain. "I-"

"Yes, I understand," Tsubaki said. "Your earlier compliment was all for naught it seems. It saddens me that you would try to flatter me like that."

As he gave Tsubaki Shinra a look that definitely wasn't a pout, he broke the silence after her accusation by saying, "Shinra-san, you're definitely teasing me. And here I thought you were the serious type," Issei commented.

"Oh? I'd say I am. Let me give you a bit of advice though," Tsubaki said, conspiratorially, "Us serious girls like to keep you guessing so when we aren't serious, you'll be so surprised that we'll have the upper hand." With that statement, Issei was caught off guard. His cheeks ran red and the heavy books he was carrying seemed to escape his hands.

Tsubaki was the one who took the books. "Thanks for your help Hyoudou-kun. Good work helping around the school. You're gaining quite the reputation it seems. I wonder where it'll lead you." As she left, she turned for a moment, and Issei could see her silhouette, the light from the large glass windows seeming to frame her in a golden hue. His throat was suddenly more than a bit dry, and as she walked away, he saw her send him a smirk and a wink.

Issei could only react by standing in an awkward position in reaction to Tsubaki's earlier statement. He barely heard the ominous farewell as he noticed how effortless it seemed that Tsubaki could hold the books. 'Wow, she's really strong! I wonder what her daily routine is to be able to carry those with ease.'

(-)

Now that the school-day was complete, Issei could head off to his favorite location, the gym. Shouldering the rather hefty secondary bag that he kept in his locker during the day with ease, the tall brunette took off, going from a walk into a steady jog. As the minutes passed and approached a bit shy of an hour, Issei never let up the pace, his arms swinging with perfect form, drilled through several months of training.

Sai had always said that all the power came from two places; the hips and the heart. Without a strong core, and a hardy cardiovascular system, somebody could never truly reach their full potential. As with most things the older teen had told Issei in the few months that they had worked together, the younger man took it to heart, in this case quite literally.

Every day of the five days per week that Issei visited the gym, he would run from Kuoh Academy to his gym, an arduous forty-five minutes that took him over multiple hills, as well as a number of outdoor stair-cases. On most days, he was simply too exhausted to run from the gym back to his family's home, but at least on the way there he could go by foot. Additionally, it served as a great warm-up, especially compared to Sai, who lived only a few minutes away from the gym and had to engage in at least a half hour of warming up before he could join Issei for sets.

Issei huffed, feeling his broad chest rise and fall rapidly as he neared the gates of the gym. It wasn't an enormous structure, not much bigger than the standard brick and mortar shops that stood all across Kuoh. A small parking lot, a rather unobtrusive storefront full of glass that showcased the high-end machines within, and occasionally a stand just outside that sold blended fruit drinks were the common sights that greeted Issei every afternoon.

Ringing the doorbell as he stepped in, the teen made his way through the doors, slipping quietly into the nearest restroom as he quickly changed into his usual gym clothes. A pair of dark grey sweatpants and an oversized tee generally made him look smaller than he actually was, but Issei preferred it that way. It kept him sharp; kept him focused.

With his warm-up handled for the most part courtesy of the trek over, the brunette got into the swing of things immediately. Today was a Monday, which meant chest and triceps. To begin his workout, Issei moved to the rows of dumbbells along the wall, grabbing a pair of 5kg weights and swinging his arms up, back, and around in slow and controlled motions.

Once that was done, he hinged at the elbow instead of the shoulders, bringing the weights from his core to as far back as his elbow could twist, and again from a raised position up as high as it could go, and down until it was almost parallel with his chest. These weren't exercises to build any sort of real muscle mass or increase strength, but rather to maintain the flexibility of his rotator cuffs, ensuring that the real lifts ahead wouldn't injure the growing young man or stunt his growth.

The warm-ups were almost always when Sai would arrive, and right on time, Issei turned to the door as he saw his friend step in. As usual, the taller teen was sporting a broad grin, barely through the entrance as he was already slipping out of his jacket and revealing the enormous physique that Issei aspired to.

He wasn't shirtless, though he might as well have been. Sai was clad in a pair of running shorts and a stringer tank-top, his broad shoulders and dense back on full display. Two bounding strides took him to the younger teen, clapping a hand on his shoulder as he saw Issei complete his stretches.

"Happy Monday, eh?" He bellowed out, the earnest and rather goofy grin on his face never leaving. Sai was… always exuberant, really, and his drive and energy always pushed Issei harder, encouraging him to push beyond his own limits to chase after what his friend had become.

"It's a Monday, alright." Issei responded with ease, the two of them making their ways to opposing benches. "Push day for you too, right?" He asked, receiving a curt nod in reply. With that, no more words needed to be spoken. What Issei and Sai had wasn't something easily put into words. They were men of action, or at least Sai was and Issei aspired to be one as well, and their hard work and determination served as more effective communication than any conversation could.

They began with the bench press, each man loading a pair of plates onto either side, a 20kg and a 10kg each. When Issei had started, he had been barely capable of pushing a single 20kg plate per side without failure, struggling mightily to get the bar moving. Now, several months later, he was able to push past that substantially, starting out with 80kg with minimal struggle.

Sai had commented a handful of times on Issei's rapid growth, even pulling him aside one memorable day to ask him if he was on any sort of cycle or using any gear. He had been deadly serious back then, and Issei's frantic negative response to the question had seemingly taken the wind out of his sails. He hadn't asked again, and Issei simply chalked it up to a combination of puberty kicking in and his own determination.

With a warm-up set done, they both moved in unison again, taking the 10kg plates off and replacing them with a second pair of 20kg plates to match the first. Now at 100kg, the work-out truly started. They usually went for a medium range of repetitions, between 5 and 8 per set, not particularly worried about sheer strength so much as they were concerned with hypertrophy and muscular endurance. Being strong was great, and certainly Issei quite enjoyed the single rep max's that he and Sai occasionally engaged in, but having the lean build and overall athleticism that a larger range of reps offered was invaluable to the brunette.

After the bench press, they cycled through a number of auxiliary exercises, Sai heading further off into the gym to blast through a grueling four sets of pec fly's while Issei took up a 40kg bar for skull-crushers. The minutes ticked by, approaching an hour by the time the two young men had finished up their workouts, with barely a dozen words between the two. It simply wasn't necessary; the work would speak for itself.

Issei's final exercise for the day was the shoulder press. Unlike the machines he used, working out with free-weights, especially on a lift like this, required a spotter. Luckily, his taller friend was right behind him, taking up position to help guide the weights upwards and back down with smoothness and care.

"Last reps, Issei, come on. You can push through it!" He almost hissed out at his friend, seeing Issei struggle on his final set with the dumbbells. For a moment, Issei was stuck, frozen halfway between the resting point above his shoulders and the full extension that would count as a true repetition. His shoulders burned, the weight pressing down on him like an immovable force.

He wasn't going to make it, he could already tell. His fists were clenched tightly, his shoulder-blades drawn back and down as his back was just slightly arched, his core engaged and as tight as it could be. The form was perfect, the breath control was there, but the strength simply wasn't; he'd have to bail on this last rep.

"Hnnggg… Don't… Don't you dare touch it, Sai!" He ground out, squeezing with all of his strength. If only he could just push his biceps together, extending his arms out, he could push through this! He could make it; he had to!

For a split-second, Issei felt weightless, as if he was floating. Black was encroaching on the edges of his vision, and suddenly his grip felt weak. Were his palms this sweaty the whole time? Were his biceps always this sore? The feeling vanished almost immediately, replaced with a white-hot intensity that bubbled up from his stomach and spread through his whole chest like a wild-fire devouring a forest. There was nothing else to feel but this, no pain, no tiredness, no nausea. Only this energy coursing through him, trapped inside a fleshy cage that simply would not budge the damn weights up!

With a roar that bordered on bestial, Issei rocketed upwards, both arms extending and locking out as he brought the dumbbells up as high as his arms could manage. As soon as the weights had completed their arc upwards, Issei let his arms drop, the dumbbells clattering to the floor with a loud ring that called attention to the two.

Too tired to even smile sheepishly, Issei simply sat on his bench, swaying slightly. 'Why is everything so blurry all of a sudden? Was the ground always this close?' He thought to himself, simply too exhausted to realize that he was in fact falling at a rapid pace.

Right before he was able to truly pass out and impact the (thankfully padded) floor-mats, Sai had caught him, hefting him back into his bench with ease. "You pushed a little too hard on that one, huh Ise? What made you almost hurt yourself like that?" He asked, the concern evident in his voice, but a deep undercurrent of pride just as obvious.

"Heh…" The younger teen mumbled, almost delirious with exertion by this point. "Just… Just wanted to get like you…" He managed to get out, still swaying slightly. Sai just grinned, flicking his protege on the forehead as he bent down to rummage through his bag. The taller teen threw a water bottle to Issei, who caught it gratefully, albeit just barely.

Taking long swigs from the bottle, Issei nearly choked in his exhaustion, but he managed to get it down without coughing too much. Already, he felt better. It was odd though, for a moment he truly felt like that wasn't him pushing the weight, as if there was somebody with him, pushing with him. Somebody, or something.

"I think that'll be enough for today, yeah? You really broke through your limits today, man. I'm honored you'd think of me so highly, but you can't just always push through every boundary that meets you, you know? Sometimes, you have to come at things differently, more slowly or more methodically. Even if you didn't complete your sets today, you would have done it next week; your growth factor is just freaky like that. So don't try to hurt yourself just on my behalf every week, got it?" Sai ordered his friend, though the altogether goofy and proud grin on his face made those statements rather hard for Issei to believe.

"Yeah, yeah. Sure thing, Sai. I'll stop pushing when you stop making my max weights look like warm-ups, how does that sound?" He replied easily, grinning in turn though it hurt just to move even his face muscles by now.

"You're too damn cheeky for a brat who almost died with 30kg dumbbells, you know that? Now come on, get washed up. I've got a rare day tomorrow free of classes, and I haven't shown you my place yet. I just got the newest blu-ray of Drag-So Ball, and we haven't seen how Satoru is going to beat Dells yet. You in or what?"

Issei was flabbergasted for a moment. He and Sai hung out most days at the gym, occasionally going to parks to train outdoors, and he had even met the younger teen's parents a handful of times when they would drop him off, though that was before he had started running to the gym instead. However, he had never visited the older teen's apartment before; all he knew was that Sai was taking a year at Kuoh Academy's College and lived a couple blocks off-campus.

"Uh, yeah, sure! I'd love to. Let me just send a text to my boss, let him know I'll be taking this evening off." He replied, before cutting off into a chuckling mutter. "Guess Zaz is going to have to tie his own damn boat for once."

Sai picked up on it, somehow. 'Must have some crazy good hearing to go with those insane genetics' Issei thought wryly.

"Zaz? That a work buddy of yours?" He asked, taking note of Issei's face. Somehow, the teen had simultaneously grimaced and chuckled at the same time at the mention of the name.

"Yeah…" Issei petered off into a mutter again. "Something like that. He's more like this crotchety older guy who comes to the docks to fish and hangs out with me. Kind of a weird guy, but he's nice, and we talk a lot." What exactly they spoke about, Issei declined to comment on.

Sai was a great guy and a wonderful friend, and Issei was sure that the older teen knew about his dreams by now, but he wasn't about to launch into a long-winded thesis on the joy of breasts to his gym partner. That would actually be weird, even weirder than Zaz was on a normal day.

(-)

"So, this is really all of your place?" asked Issei as he looked at the posh top apartment space out of an expensive-looking tower. It hadn't taken too long to reach the apartment, but the place really stood out like a sore thumb.

"Yes, it is. Unfortunately, I'm not exactly in need of all this space, but I do use one of the rooms for my workouts with my home gym set," Sai said, a chuckle accompanying his words.

"You have a home gym?" Issei asked excitedly, "Can I take a look at it?"

Sai was amused by Issei's enthusiasm for working out. 'The guy does look up to me, so I'm sure that's in no small part due to my own enthusiasm,' Sai thought. "Sure thing! I'll lead you there."

Issei was led around the broad hallways of the apartment that made Sai's body feel small in comparison. Issei hadn't known of Sai's financial situation, but from one look of this apartment, it's obvious that he was pretty well off. Coming upon a clear door, Sai opened it for Issei as Issei took a look at the room.

A blast of cold air made Issei shiver as he looked over the room. The flooring was covered in rubber mats, just like the ones used in actual gyms. There were a few bars for weight lifting and from what Issei could spot, a few adjustable dumbbells. There weren't many machines, surprisingly, probably because Sai seemed like the kind of guy capable of breaking them!

"Sorry about the temperature. I like working up a sweat in here and keeping it cold helps with that," Sai said, earnestly.

"Dude, is that an Apollo 4 Station? That's so cool!" Issei said, enraptured by the high end appeal of Sai's home gym. "I wish I had all of this at my place," Issei sighed, "But I wouldn't have any place to actually work out, so I guess it's for the best that I don't have all of this equipment."

"Yeah, this stuff is really only for when the gym is closed and I wanna get a workout in," Sai said, scratching the back of his head, nervously. He wasn't the type to flex anything he had besides his gains, but Issei could tell that Sai was hesitant to show off anything too much.

"I'm guessing you prefer the gym in that case? It seems like you're always there!" Issei said, laughing.

"I don't need you to tell me that. You're always there before me, so something tells me you're there more," Sai rebutted.

Issei shook his head, "That's only because between school, my job, and home duties, I have to make the most of the free time I get at the gym, so I have longer periods when I go." A smirk coming over his face, Issei said, "Something tells me that you're there in the mornings and the evenings every day."

"And what's wrong with that? I enjoy the people there. Most are really nice, so I greet them whenever I arrive and I get a good workout at the same time!" Sai was very indignant about his gym obsessive behavior.

Issei blurted out laughing. "Dude, I'm just busting your chops. I get it; if I could go as much as you could, I definitely would. That place is just so cool!"

Sai nodded, "I'm glad you see things my way. Your joking almost made me scared that you were turning into someone I know," Sai said.

"What? Someone who doesn't approve of your training?" Issei asked. He was absolutely baffled at who Sai of all people would be worried about.

"Well, she doesn't disapprove of the workouts as much as she wants me to cut down on them," Sai explained.

'Oh? Sai has a girl? I'm not exactly surprised. Good for him though!' Opting to sit down at some seats away from the cold of Sai's workout room, Issei put on a serious demeanor. "Sai, do you need to explain to that girl the glories of working out?" Issei asked, eyebrows furrowed.

"I have! Repeatedly," Sai exclaimed, obviously distressed over the topic. "For some reason, she doesn't understand and instead she wants me to deal with other things instead of working out. Can you believe that?"

Issei contemplated Sai's situation. 'It sounds like the girl is just trying to get Sai to do some work, not that I know anything about his life. Well, maybe advising for a compromise would work.' "Maybe you could cut down slightly on your gym time-"

An aura of indomitable strength enveloped Issei almost immediately after saying that. "Issei-"

"Let me finish!" Issei said, sweating from the aura that Sai was putting out. The man was definitely a force to be reckoned with. "You could compromise with the girl and in exchange for giving up some of your gym time, you could rope her in with you on some of your workouts. Even if she doesn't get it just yet, you working out specifically with her might sway that opinion."

"Hmm, alright. That is… acceptable." Taking a look at a clock nearby, Sai said, "We should probably start watching Drag-So Ball while there's still light out. You have a curfew, right?"

"My parents trust me to come back at a reasonable time. Just as long as it's not too late, it should be fine. I got school tomorrow after all."

"Right," Sai said, "Let's see how Satoru will get out of this bind then! It seemed like he was struggling last we saw."

"Aw, I'm sure that Satoru will persevere through the fight and win," Issei commented. "Heroes do seem to pull wins out of their asses, even if they look amazing while doing it!"

(-)

After Satoru's son had been called out to fight Dell, the sound of a door bell interrupted Issei and Sai's train of thought. "Ah, I'll see who it is."

Issei peeked around the corner of the hallway to watch and found that Sai's visitor was a red-headed bombshell of a beauty. In fact, if Issei remembered correctly, it was Rias Gremory, a famous 2nd year from Kuoh. 'Why would she be at Sai's door at this hour. For some reason, I doubt that Sai was referring to her when he was mentioning a girl giving him a hard time with his work outs.'

"Oh, you have a friend over?" Issei heard Rias say.

"Yeah, he's a friend from the gym. You know, you should probably go to the gym yourself, especially with your club," Sai advised.

"I'm giving them some space," Rias said, "Maybe we will, but for right now, I don't think it's healthy for them to do so."

"You should push them Rias. Especially if you want to deal with him," Sai said, firmly.

"I know, I know," Rias said, "I've been looking around for a new club member though instead. I've been thinking that someone special could make things easier," she said, worried.

Issei decided to retreat back to his seat and forget what he heard. Although he wouldn't hesitate to help a girl in need nowadays, especially one as beautiful as Rias Gremory, this seemed like a very personal problem. One thing that did stick in Issei's mind though is how would a new club member help with anything? Rias was a part of the Occult Research Club. Were they in danger of being disbanded or something? Well, Issei put that behind him.

"Here's the man I was talking to you about!" Sai said, entering the room with Rias. "Let me introduce you two. Issei Hyoudou, meet Rias Gremory, my cousin."

Issei tried to act casually. "Sup, it's nice to meet you! Didn't expect Sai to have such an attractive cousin, although from what Sai puts away in the gym, I guess I should just expect it haha!"

Rias seemed caught off guard for some reason, but quickly recovered somewhat. "It's nice to meet you too. I appreciate the compliment, although I've never heard someone compliment me by comparing me to my cousin. How strange."

"I'll go get refreshments for everyone," Sai said, "We'll take a break from watching, Issei." With Issei responding a quick "right," Sai left Issei and Rias alone in the room together.

Rias shifted uncomfortably in her seat at being alone in the room with Issei. Issei could tell that she was trying to hide it, but it was easy to tell that she was uncomfortable. 'Maybe I can strike a conversation with her.' "So, you're Sai's cousin, huh. It must be scary to have such a freak of nature in the family!"

For some reason, that made Rias laugh, hard. Her giggling brightened up the room as she almost snorted. It was almost a full minute before she responded to the statement. "I apologize for laughing hehe, but that was just… it's just a bit funny to hear, hehe."

'That… was quite the reaction. I have no idea what could've caused it, but I'm glad that she is less nervous now.' "If you were to laugh at that, I struggle to imagine what your perception of Sai is. He's simply a monster at the gym."

Rias crossed her right leg over her left. "Well, back home, people don't really see Sai like that, so it was refreshing seeing that perspective."

"Really? I find that hard to believe," Issei said, skeptical.

"Don't get me wrong, I think Sai is amazing! Much more amazing than myself anyway, but that's not the general consensus I think." Rias' fingers were pressed together as she spoke.

"Hmm, that's interesting. From training with him, it seems that Sai is a hardworking guy that juggles lots of responsibilities. I have a lot to thank him for, so maybe I'm just biased."

Rias giggled, "That's probably it to be honest. Being able to spend college life by lifting weights with him gives you a different perspective to Sai."

'Oho? She thinks that I'm in college? Must be because of the efforts from my training. My height and form has really changed, so I don't exactly look my age. I'll play along with that for now.' Before Issei could speak up again to respond, Sai burst into the room.

"I brought some fruits and juice!" he exclaimed, showing a plate full of arranged crackers and 3 cups of juice.

"You couldn't have brought anything a little more filling?" Rias complained. She immediately reached for a handful of peach slices after Sai set the plate down.

"I don't know about you, but Issei and I are trying to stick to a relatively healthy diet. Helps out for workouts. You should be more mindful of your own calorie intake." Sai scolded.

Rias pouted, saying, "That's very mean of you Sai. I come over to visit my dear cousin and immediately get scolded on all fronts."

"You don't have to worry about getting any scolding from me. Sai just naturally has to overlook everyone younger than him," Issei commented.

"That's unfair! Rias exclaimed, "I can't help that I was born later. You're just lucky Hyoudou-kun to be born earlier."

Sai gave a look to Issei, knowing that he was merely a first year in high school. "Well, that's just too bad then, isn't it," Issei said, winking at Sai.

"I guess it is…" Rias said, sulkingly. Bouncing back, Rias looked over at Sai before looking to Issei, "By the way, could I hold your hand for a quick second?"

'That's a very strange request, but I have no problems with it. I don't see myself refusing to hold a hot girl with big boobs' hand anytime soon!' Speaking aloud, Issei said, "Sure!" reaching his hand out, Issei allowed Rias free reign of holding it.

Rias reached out with a little hesitation before fully going for it and grabbing it. On Issei's side, Rias' hand was soft, yet firm. Nothing out of the ordinary, except that maybe her grip seemed strong, very strong for a girl.

Releasing his hand as quickly as she had grabbed it, at least to Issei, Rias said, "A-ah, I'm done now. Sorry for the weird request."

While Issei was curious, he felt no pressure to push Rias on what exactly the point of it was. For all he knew, she could've just wanted to hold an 'older guy's' hand. If that was the case, then Issei would be sorry to bear the bad news.

Issei felt that it had been an eventful day that was nearing its end, so he took a look at the clock and said, "It looks to be getting late, so I guess I gotta scram." Issei got up, saying, "See ya tomorrow Sai. I hope to watch some more of Drag-So Ball next time I swing by!"

While Rias was commenting, "Ah, you watched Drag-So Ball, I love that show," Sai spoke over her saying, "We'll watch it tomorrow if you wish to. Just tell me whenever you're off work."

Rias pouted at being spoken over. "Will do," Issei said, "Oh and Gremory-san?"

Rias' pout was replaced with a look of confusion. "Yes?"

"I look forward to seeing you around Kuoh Academy. I'm only a first year after all!" Issei, said teasingly before closing the door behind him.

"What!" he heard behind him, followed by some laughing, most definitely from Sai. 'Well, that went well I think. Still hard to believe that Sai is Rias' cousin. Next thing I know, cat girls will be real.'

Issei stopped in his tracks at that thought. 'Nahhh! Life isn't that strange, right?"

Issei walked away carefree, missing out on a conversation locked behind Sai's doors.

"In my defense, you wouldn't expect a first year looking the way he does." Rias said, pouting again at Sairaorg Bael, her cousin on her mother's side.

"Well, he tries his best. What can I say? Anyway, you checked his reserves, right?" Sairaorg said, flipping from amusement to serious quickly.

Rias sighed, "I thought that since he was training with you that meant that he could possibly join the peerage. Maybe he even had a sacred gear, I thought. But no, I sensed nothing abnormal of a teen. Maybe he's slightly above average in potential, but not nearly enough potential to get strong enough to take on Riser."

"Issei is a talented individual, so if you are desperate, you should ask him. He could prove to be a useful companion." Sairaorg said, thinking about Rias' possible paths. "The problem is Rias, you waited too long to worry about this. You should've been taking actions to improve yourself since day 1 of the engagement."

"I know Sai. I was stupid." A long silence followed the heavy remark. "Do you think that they're going to wait until I'm done with 3rd year like they promised?"

"Unlikely. They're going to cut you off early on in all probability. I'm guessing you have a year or maybe a year and a half left until they're going to push you to decide."

"Damn it," Rias said, her fists tightening. "I want to get stronger. I really do! My peerage simply isn't ready for this. Koneko refuses her Nekoshou powers, Kiba is still struggling to really trust us fully, Gasper is… unstable. He won't gain control over his powers for a long time, let alone being able to fight efficiently with them."

"And? What of your queen, the Priestess of Thunder?" Sairaorg asked. He knew of the dire circumstances Rias was in, but there was little he could do, especially with a lot of eyes also on him.

"Akeno… refuses to use her Fallen Angel light and as much as I think my peerage using their full power could turn the tide, I'd rather they not if it'd make them unstable. I don't dare imagine if any of them became a stray from my insisting."

Sairaorg hummed in response. "If you want my advice, you could benefit from training on your own. Your peerage would benefit the most from training, but you're desperate, I get that. Find some time to strengthen your physical body and find some time to improve your magic. I may not be able to use the power of destruction, but when it comes to training, I know what I'm talking about. You need to be regularly pushing yourself to your limits if you want to stand a chance at getting strong enough to take on Riser."

"But Onii-san…" Rias muttered. Her thoughts were on how her much more talented brother fought.

"Your brother is an anomaly that is at a level you can't reach right now. Your Power of Destruction shouldn't be your concern right now. You shouldn't try to rush to find a Sacred Gear user either right now. Your best bet is to steadily improve your abilities while you have the chance."

Rias was internalizing Sai's advice. It was advice she greatly needed, but something tells her that she'd struggle to find sufficient time for herself between her duties to her peerage, improving upon their skills, and her duties as co-governess of Kuoh Town. With a sigh, Rias said, "Thanks for the advice. I'll think of something."

"I hope you do Rias," Sai said, "Hey, if you ever need a training partner, I'm free for now. Although I'm here for a limited amount of time, I should be able to kick start your training."

"Maybe I'll take you up on that Sai. Don't expect me to become a training freak like you though!" Rias laughed, "I wouldn't be able to watch any anime if I was stuck training all the time!"