A week had passed since the attack on the Hyoudou Household. His vacationing parents had not been informed of such an event and all things were back to normal. Issei sat on the roof of his large house and sighed. Before their final exams, the class had a new teacher as Miyo Yatogami had quit and moved due to personal reasons. All traces of her were erased from the school database and all the students acted as if she didn't exist. However, Issei knew that she was imprisoned in a high-security prison in the Underworld.

The information of the event had left Issei reeling as he tried to wrap his head around it. A feat he ultimately failed at doing 2 days into the process.

He felt someone tug the back of his shirt and he turned around. There was another change that had occurred since the event. This girl, Lily, had started living with them. When she woke up, the girl had a panic attack after seeing Rias's red hair. It was only after Issei and Mitsuki reassured her and forced Rias out of the room that she began to calm down.

Her name was Lily. Lily Anderson. She didn't know where she was from but she pointed out the Union Jack while watching a few videos, leading them all to believe she was British. However, for a Brit, she spoke perfect Japanese which he attributed to the omnilingualism ability of Devils. Her existence was something that baffled everyone in the house. A devil child born of two human parents.

Issei smiled and pet the girl on the head, allowing her to sit next to him. The girl had grown attached to him and Mitsuki, being the one of the only sources of extensive social interaction the girl had. The only other source was weirdly Gasper, who got on with her even if Lily didn't say much.

Azazel had informed Issei that muteness was a common finding in children with PTSD. Issei clenched his fists. Whatever happened to Lily had traumatized her to such a degree only seen in war veterans.

He sensed her fear and reigned in his anger.

"Ah, I knew you were up here, Ise-kun." Issei turned around and saw Irina walking towards him. Her hair was untied and allowed to cascade over her back. Irina smiled at Lily and sat down next to her.

Irina had moved in with them, causing tensions in the house to soar to even greater heights. Akeno often complained of having to deal with 3 children now, however, Mitsuki being there had reigned in Irina far more than they all believed. The girl was more than content at spending time with Issei in her own time and her extensive knowledge of his habits allowed her to do so at her leisure.

"Yeah, I just thought I'd get some air," Issei said.

"Are you still thinking about last week?" Irina asked.

"Yeah, sort of. I'm trying not to think about it now," Issei said.

Irina nodded and the two stared out over the neighborhood. This place had a scenic view of Kuoh's suburban area.

"You're still the same as you were when we were kids. You always liked sitting in high places," Irina commented.

"Some things never change. Even after finding out you were a girl the whole time, you're still as airheaded as ever sometimes," Issei said.

"Hey, that's mean. I'm not that dumb. I'll have you know that I consistently score high on my tests back in Europe," Irina bragged.

"You know. We never had time to sit down and talk like this. Everything moved so fast with Kokabiel and the Three Factions Summit. It's nice to just slow down and just hang out," Issei said, shooting her a smile.

The sight of his smile caused Irina's cheeks to turn slightly red and she hastily focused on the view of the park in the distance. "H- Hey, why don't we take Lily to the park?" she asked.

"Eh? Why? Lily likes it up here, don't you, Lils?" Issei asked, poking the little girl's slightly chubby cheek.

Lily nodded and held Issei's hand.

Irina stayed silent and just smiled softly at the sight. The fact that Issei was good with children sat well with her but it also made her conflicted. As an Angel, she needed to bury impure thoughts, and seeing Issei handle the little girl so well made her want children of her own. Irina banished the thought quickly.

It's not like I have a chance anyway… with who I'm competing against, Irina thought absentmindedly.

Rias Gremory was a powerful opponent as was Asia Argento. And she had an inkling that Akeno's interest would eventually evolve into a full-blown romantic attraction and that Koneko girl would only need a well-timed event to melt that frigid heart of hers. Her? She was just a childhood friend. What did she have over them? On top of that, no matter how much she wanted, she could never be with Issei in that way.

Irina felt a stabbing pain growing in her chest the more she thought about it and chose to bury it.

Even if she did admit to Mitsuki about her feelings towards Issei, her stay in the house had painfully reminded her that her chances of winning a place with Issei was slim at best.

"Rin? You okay?"

She blinked and saw Issei staring at her with a worried expression on his face.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Irina gave him her best smile and got up.

"Where are you going?" Issei asked.

"Back to my room. There's some stuff I need to get ready in order to finish my transfer to Kuoh," Irina said.

"Okay?" Issei watched her walk back into the house. "I wonder what's eating her up…" Issei's mind replayed the sad look that suddenly appeared on her face the longer she stared at him.

"You're an idiot."

Issei turned his head and saw Mitsuki walking up to him with a file in hand. Lily got up and immediately ran up to her, hugging her waist. Mitsuki smiled and picked Lily up, walked over to her older brother, and sat down.

"An idiot about what?" Issei asked.

"Matters of the heart. For someone who has a harem, you're very naive," she replied, sitting Lily down on her lap.

"I'm not naive!" he protested.

"Yeah, sure. Here." Mitsuki handed him the folder.

"What… is this?" Issei asked.

"I submitted my report to Grandfather and the American Branch is sending reinforcements here to aid in the case. Meaning that, the roster is being updated. The folder is new information regarding the base of operations. Using your house is too obvious so Blacklight is sending people and funds to construct a new place where we can pow-wow," Mitsuki explained.

"A bar?" Issei raised an eyebrow as he read the name.

"A bar. A cafe. As long as we sponsor and sell Blacklight Distillery Alcohol, we can be anything. Though, bars are typically hubs of information," she answered.

"Um…"

"If you ever watched a spy movie, the info broker always hangs out in a bar," she clarified.

"Right," Issei said, closing the folder.

Mitsuki nodded while she braided Lily's hair.

"Ne, Mii-chan. What… Is Irina okay?" Issei asked.

"You're asking me that?" she replied.

"Well… you're a girl. I have girl problems. Who better than to ask my cute sister?" Issei asked.

Mitsuki rolled her eyes but obliged him. Her brother was a hopeless idiot, who had no clue on how to read a maiden's heart. But… she understood the circumstances of why he had such a hard time doing so and that was something she needed to nip in the bud before it got worse.

"Aniki, she likes you."

"Her? Me? Really?" Issei raised an eyebrow.

"Really? She's your childhood best friend. Don't you watch anime? The childhood friend of the opposite sex always falls for the main character," Mitsuki said.

"You're giving me advice based on anime?" he asked.

"No, I'm just saying that it's a common trope," she said. "But… I'm serious here, Aniki. Irina likes… no, she loves you. I think she's loved you since we were kids."

"I… I find that hard to believe," Issei said, looking down at the roof.

"Why?"

"I don't know. I just do," Issei said.

"Well… why don't you go hang out with her?" Mitsuki suggested. "That way you can see whether or not she likes you. Besides, it's not like hanging out with Irina is that bad, right?"

"N- No! Don't put words in my mouth! I… Irina is one of my closest friends!"

"It sounds like it."

"Like I said! It's not! It's just…"

"Is it because of Rias?" she asked.

"No, it's not that. It's just… I don't know…"

Mitsuki sighed. "At least give her a chance. Besides, you wanted a harem, right? Having just Rias doesn't make it a harem," she said.

Issei pursed his lips and cursed Mitsuki's flawless logic. At least, from his point of view, it was flawless.

"Alright," Issei said.

"Are you just saying yes because I asked you to or are you saying yes because there might be something down in there?" Mitsuki asked.

"Even if you didn't ask, I would've taken Rin out somewhere. Just the two of us so I can cheer her up. But you telling me about her feelings makes this… I don't know how to describe it," Issei said. "You know. There are times when I believe that my relationship with Buchou is a joke."

"Aniki, don't talk like that. You almost died and the next phase you go through is depression?" she asked.

"No, no. I'm not depressed. I'm just… It's just so surreal, you know? It feels like if I wake up, it'll all be revealed to be some dream," he admitted.

Mitsuki nodded. "Take Irina out. I promise you. It'll be as fun as when you and Rias go on dates."

"I… I've never been on a date with Rias."

"Say what now? Aren't you two… dating?" she asked.

"Yeah… at least, I think so. She did kiss me after I freed her from her arranged marriage and again after this whole Dividing Gear thing," he said.

"Huh. Anyway…"

"Yeah. I'll go with Rin out now."

"Have fun. And don't do anything I wouldn't do, Aniki!" Mitsuki said.

"S- Shut up, Mii-chan!" Issei yelled.

Irina leaned against the head of her bed and pulled out a book. As she was about to open it, her door burst open and Issei ran in, slightly winded.

"I- Ise?" Irina dropped her book and moved to get out of bed. As she was about to set foot on the floor, Issei's next words froze her in her tracks.

"Wanna go out on Saturday?" Issei asked.

"Out? Like on a date?" she asked, tilting her head.

"Yeah, like a date." Issei smiled. He then felt embarrassed at asking her out so suddenly and moved to correct himself but was cut off by Irina's sudden response.

"Yeah, of course!" Irina said.

Issei gulped as he felt his knees grow weak when he saw her smiling at him. His girlfriend, Rias, had a seductive charm about her while Asia had a cutesy charm. And Irina… he didn't know how to describe the charm she had. It just felt right to him. They just clicked naturally.

"I'll see you on Saturday then," Issei said.

"Yeah," Irina said.

Issei left the room and closed the door, brain attempting to process what the hell just happened. On Mitsuki's advice, he had asked her out and she had said yes. Instantly. This had to be a dream. He pinched himself and winced.

Okay, this is reality. This is real… and wow… I have a date! Issei thought. He quickly ran back to his room to prepare.

"Don't make me an aunt too early," Mitsuki said, crossing her arms.

Issei and Irina's faces both turned red as they prepared to head out for their date. Behind the corner, Rias and Asia peeked their faces out.

"We'll only be heading out for dinner and a movie. We won't be gone for long," Issei said.

"Yeah, Mii-chan. We'll be fine," Irina said.

"Uhuh. Anyway, Aniki, I'm heading to the airport to pick someone up. I won't be here at your place after you leave. I'll be at the airport then heading home," Mitsuki said, pocketing her phone.

"Yeah. Be careful."

"That's my line," she replied. Mitsuki smiled. "Have fun, you two."

The two teenagers nodded and left the house. Mitsuki, sensing Rias and Asia behind her, decided not to do anything and left the house as well.

Kuoh Airport Junction wasn't an international airport. It was a small modest airstrip that served as a fueling station for many planes and for people too lazy to take a boat or drive across the island. Mitsuki sat in the lobby, swiping mindlessly through her phone for her awaited guest. When her grandfather told her who their guest was, she was excited.

She sensed a wave of power washed over her for a brief moment and instantly knew that her guest had arrived. Mitsuki hopped up from the chair and began walking towards the escalator.

Her guest in question was dressed in a white hoodie with black sweats. She had long flowing violet hair that reached down to her waist. Her hoodie did little to hide her curvaceous figure. She had hazel-orange eyes and a kind smile on her face. Her face lit up even more when she laid eyes on Mitsuki.

"Mitsuki!" she ran down the escalator, dragging her bag down the steps. She dropped her trolley and hugged Mitsuki tightly.

Mitsuki hugged the girl back.

"Ingvild, how are you?" Mitsuki asked.

"I'm doing great!" Ingvild said. She pulled away and crossed her arms. "I made Squad Captain in a month of being there. Chapter Head said that I blew through orientation so fast that they made me stop a week into it. Ah, it feels so good to be back in Japan. Mom's been working hard lately over in the American Branch"

The two began walking out of the airport towards a taxi. They boarded the taxi and Mitsuki handed the taxi drive an address.

"How's things here?" Ingvild asked.

"It's been great. School's out but nothing's been happening lately. There's been no omens or anything but I don't want to submit a report saying there's nothing going on. But with that recent attack on the Hyoudou Household by the Progenitors of Morax and Phenex, I think something's going on," Mitsuki said.

"Hmm, you got that right. I've been analyzing the data you submitted to Chapter Head Taki and I found something interesting. We'll talk more once we get to the lot," Ingvild said.

Issei and Irina sat silently across from each other. Scheduling a reservation the night before for a high end restaurant was impossible and Issei realized that he lacked the necessary funds to reserve a restaurant spot. And now, Issei was at the cafe he had taken… her to. He grimaced when he saw the waitress of the restaurant smile as she placed the chocolate parfait down in between him and Irina.

Irina grabbed Issei's hand and squeezed it gently.

"What's wrong?" Irina asked.

"Nothing. Just uh, let's enjoy our parfait," Issei said.

Irina chose not to say anything and nodded. She grabbed a spoon and took a bite. "Mmmmm~! This is so good! Where did you find this place?" she asked, taking another bite.

"Ah, I found this place while planning my first date," Issei said, feeling a wave of relief wash over him when he saw her smile.

"First date? Whoever you asked out must have been a lucky girl! This stuff's amazing!" Irina cupped her cheek as she savored the ice cream in her mouth.

"Yeah," Issei said.

"Mitsuki told me about what happened."

Issei looked up at her with wide eyes.

"A Fallen Angel seduced you and led you on. Played around with your feelings and everything before killing you in the park," Irina said, taking another bite.

"The fact that you're talking about this so casually while enjoying ice cream in front of me is kind of disheartening, you know," Issei said, smiling.

"What? It's good ice cream," Irina said, taking another bite.

"Do you want to know what happened?" Issei asked.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Irina asked, crossing her arms. She leaned back in her chair and eyed him intensely.

A few memories came back to the forefront of Issei's mind from when they were children. Irina always had an intense stare. It made all the schoolyard children squirm and cemented Irina's reputation as a tomboy. Issei guessed that the years didn't change everything about her. She had become far more feminine but some of her more tomboyish tendencies still remained.

And one of them was the fact that she cared enough about his feelings to know when he didn't want to talk. That made Issei want to talk even more.

"I tried so hard, Irina. I spent all night planning everything for that one weekend. I poured everything into it. I ran through 10 websites and looked through 15 forums on how to take a girl out on her first date. I went all out for that date. Everything I did, I did for her and… then in the end, she…" Issei trailed off as he looked down at the ground.

[Partner…] Ddraig said.

"Oh, Issei," Irina said.

"I… I want to move forward with my relationship with Rias, Rin. I really really like her but… I don't think I can move forward. The other day, I woke up in bed with her naked next to me and I freaked out!" Issei said.

Irina felt herself die a little inside. However, she forced it down and just smiled brightly. "You're not a robot, Issei. People cope in different ways. We all move on eventually at our own times. I'm sure that if you tell Rias how you feel. Rias will wait for you and help you move on," she advised, closing her eyes and nodding sagely. "Besides, you? A hot-blooded pervert running away from an opportunity to bed one of the hottest girls in school? That just screams weird," Irina said, taking another bite of her ice cream.

"You have a really low opinion of me," Issei said blandly.

"Or… I," Irina leaned over and poked his forehead. "I just know you really well~! 12 years apart isn't enough to make me forget your habits, Ise-kun. Even when I came back, even if we didn't mesh immediately like I hoped, no matter how much you've changed, you're still the same Ise I knew when we were kids." She leaned back and gave him a smile.

"You poked my forehead," Issei said, absentmindedly touching it.

"I looked like Lili-nee back there, didn't I?" Irina said.

"Y- Yeah, thanks, Rin," he said, smiling.

"No problem, Ise," she replied. Irina's face brightened up and she gave him a smile. "You owe me for this couples' therapy, Ise-kun. Talking about another woman while we were on a date. Hmph." She pouted and crossed her arms.

Issei blinked. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I… Let me make it up to you-"

Irina pressed a finger to his lips. "That's fine, Ise-kun. I'm your best friend. I'll always be here for you no matter what." She leaned back and continued eating her parfait.

"Y- Yeah," Issei said. Irina looked so happy eating that parfait. And her happy smile made his heart skip a beat. He felt his face heating up. "Wanna go catch that movie, Rin?"

"Yeah, let's go," Irina said. She hopped up from her chair and grabbed his hand.

Issei's heart beat faster when their skin made contact as she dragged him out the door.

The taxi stopped outside a construction area in the middle of suburban Kuoh. As per Ingvild's preferences, the bar was made not to look like a bar despite obviously selling alcohol. In order to not rouse the suspicion of the supernatural residents, the bar was constructed at a human pace but in a slightly more accelerated manner as it was almost done. Ingvild and Mitsuki paid the taxi driver and got off.

"What a convenient location. It's a few minutes' walk from my house," Mitsuki said.

"It was designed that way so we can have a place of convenience to brief," Ingvild said, walking into the lot.

"So what was that that you couldn't tell me in the taxi?" Mitsuki asked.

"Well for one, the name of this place. I was going to call it Hatch Potch. Don't ask me where I got the name. It just sort of came to me in a dream," Ingvild said, scratching the back of her head.

"Not that I was going to ask anyway. But the name is giving me a sense of deja vu. Anyway, how long until this place is done?" Mitsuki asked.

"I estimate in about 4 days? At the rate this is going, weather permitting, of course, it would be done in that amount of time. Though, I think by then you will have already left for the Underworld with Issei and the Gremory Peerage," she said, inspecting the structure closely. "Nothing's been carved into here yet. The place isn't warded so I'll have to get to that pretty soon after construction's done."

"Ingvild, you're skirting around the topic. What was it you wanted to tell me? It sounded pretty important," she said, grabbing her friend's shoulder.

Ingvild sighed. Her shoulders slumped and she leaned against one of the wooden posts. Her eyes flashed seriously and Mitsuki's body stiffened.

"The report you sent was pretty alarming. All of the other Chapter Heads… from what Cornelius told me, have seen it. The British Branch has begun closely monitoring all forms of travel from the regulars to the supernatural. Nothing gets in and out of the UK without their knowledge. The Russian Branch has implemented a similar manner and I heard the Greek Branch has extended its view to the entire southern half of Europe. Other branches have been closely monitoring their citizens," Ingvild said.

"Okay, that doesn't sound new. Grandpa said something to that effect. They were going to be closely monitoring Japan and Asia too," she replied.

"Right, but after you sent the report. Our satellites detected numerous anomalies in different areas around the world. Issei isn't the first to be taken or have an attempted abduction and he won't be the last," Ingvild said.

"I've been watching the news lately. Is it the series of murders and disappearances that have been happening across the world?" Mitsuki asked.

"Same MO for all of them… well, at least for the ones with family members. Family all dead and one member being missing. Well most of them, that girl you wrote about in your report matches the missing person report of Lily Anderson. And like Lily's house, a house fire usually follows after, and said fire has no known possible cause. It was as if the fire manifested out of thin air," Ingvild said.

"We haven't had any of that here in Japan." Mitsuki placed her hand on her chin and began to think.

"There's more. Japan has been a hot spot for odd anomalies lately. The anomalies are stronger here than they were in the places with the other abductions but the only demonic power signatures we got are from the Gremory Peerage and Sitri Peerage. Azazel could be a candidate for causing these anomalies but none of them are angelic in nature," she said.

"So you're saying that there is a Devil here?" she asked.

"Best guess is that someone is coming here to claim their prize. I'd be more careful from now on if I were you," Ingvild said.

"Thanks for the heads up. You're a real sunflower as always," Mitsuki replied.

Ingvild rolled her eyes at Mitsuki's faux excitement.

"Since you're going to the Underworld, I think you're safe but I'd still watch out. We don't know what lengths the enemy might go through to retrieve Issei Hyoudou," Ingvild said.

"Are you coming with us?" Mitsuki asked.

"I will after I finish setting up here. I need to get a few things in order to get the bar running and I need to file a branch transfer in Kyoto so I might be behind a few days," Ingvild said.

"Is your Mom coming?" she asked.

"Mom's not going to the Underworld or here. Her presence might set off alarms we don't want to go off, especially with who she is," Ingvild replied.

Mitsuki nodded.

"I'll tell her you said hi. Now, come on. Let's get to your house. I brought my entire apartment so I made sure to enchant my bag," Ingvild said.

"Oh come on. You can't possibly fit all that into your room," Mitsuki said, staring at her carry-on.

"Mitsuki. When you go to the Underworld, be careful. Even if my Dad is there to watch over you, you never know when things might go awry," Ingvild said.

"We don't even leave until tomorrow. And besides, when have I ever not been careful?" she asked.

"Graceland, Tennessee. The 4th of July celebration when we were sent to solve a poltergeist situation at Elvis's Mansion."

"Stop bringing that up. You and I both know that we had enough information to perform an exorcism on the place," Mitsuki said hotly.

"You're going to the Underworld too?"

Mitsuki turned her head and saw Azazel walking up to her. The Gremory's had a private train to their territory. It was a rather convenient thing to have. Not to mention that she wouldn't need to teleport there herself. She was going as Issei's sister according to Rias. At least, that's what Rias told her family.

"I'm going there to watch over my partner," Mitsuki said, crossing her arms. Her eyes roamed over to Issei, who was saying goodbye to Irina.

"Ah. Just so you know, I do plan on training Issei while we're there. I've been thinking back to that day when Issei displayed those powers. While… it's hard to tell because of the fact that Issei is reincarnated, he has… he has the same energy as that little girl," Azazel said, stroking his beard.

"Same energy?" Mitsuki furrowed her eyebrows in thought. "Does it have something to do with the blood of the Origin Demon?"

"Miyo was very forthcoming with information. Lilith's blood being infused into humans to create devils. However, whatever the purpose for this may be, it's something we don't know. So if I were you, I'd be careful around the Pillar Progenitors. If Raeliana and Noa are in on this, then there's a chance the others might be too," Azazel commented.

"I'll keep that in mind," Mitsuki said.

"Don't work too hard. Relax while you're there," Azazel said, patting her on the shoulder as he walked by.

"It'll be hard if I'm helping to train Aniki," Mitsuki said, glancing over her shoulder. "Oh, Azazel, we'll have one more guest in the Underworld in a couple of days."

"One more guest? Is it reinforcements?" Azazel asked.

"Yeah. Just one!" Mitsuki said.

"Mii-chan! Are you ready?" Issei asked.

She nodded and walked over to the train where Irina and Issei were waiting.

"Mii-chan, take care of Ise while you're there," Irina said.

"Haven't I always?" Mitsuki asked.

"Oi… three minutes," Issei said.

"Son of a… stop bringing that up! We're the same age!" Mitsuki said.

"No. I am older by three minutes," Issei said challengingly.

"You're a jerk," she said.

"And you're a bitch," Issei replied.

"Just get on the train you two," Irina said, pushing them into the box car.

"Oh wait! Aniki, I need to ask Irina something," Mitsuki said, turning around.

Issei nodded and walked into the car.

Once Issei was out of earshot, Mitsuki grabbed Irina's hands and her eyes lit up in curiosity. "Sooo? How was it?" Mitsuki asked.

"It… It was how I expected it to be," Irina said, looking down slightly.

"Huh? Was… Was it that bad?" Mitsuki asked.

"N- No! Issei was great. Everything went great. It… It's just that the date just reminded me of how… kind of hopeless this entire thing is," Irina said.

"Don't give up so fast! You've known Aniki the longest! I'm sure that eventually Aniki will turn around and see you for you. Trust me," Mitsuki said.

Irina smiled and nodded.

"I'll see you later. When I get back, I'll help you and Aniki out." Mitsuki turned around and boarded the train.

In the distance, a small wisp of smoke flew through the air before coalescing into a figure that stood on a ledge overlooking the Gremory Train. He had a black cape and dark robes with a white bull-shaped mask and snow-white hair. The black smoke that wafted off his body began to rot and corrode the concrete around him.

"Well… you know what they say. If you want something done right, do it yourself." His body disassembled and turned into a stream of black smoke that flew into the closest air vent on the train.

Lily Anderson

A young girl whose life had been thrown upside down by a fate cruelly handed to her.

She wields the power of they who flee from the light.

[]

Ingvild Leviathan

The last remaining scion of House Leviathan.

She is the wielder of the Sacred Gear, Nereid Kyrie, and has the power of the seas by her side.

To the bearer of Karma and to the bearer of the Origin, she is a staunch ally in their endeavor against the Darkness that threatens to swallow the entire world.

To the King0fP0wers: Ah thank you! I loved writing that fight scene. It was pretty fun. And, the Morax Clan Trait is Earth Manipulation. Telekinesis is just a common power that a lot of people have in this fic. Though, most of the younger devil prefer to use their clan abilities over a basic magical ability.

Megar007: Yes.

To Anon-Kun: Why thank you! I do plan to include some Gods. Like, Kali who appears in this arc, and Ereshkigal for a brief moment. As for how I'll introduce them, I'll introduce them when they are relevant. Mostly, I'll introduce them as the Alliance grows. And for Mitsuki's lightning ability, it's lightning magic. The way she uses it is based on how I saw Toudou Touka from Rakudai uses it for her sword style and how Sasuke uses Chidori in a million different ways from Naruto. The scaling's still the same. Satan/Ultimate Class is still equal to low-ranking Gods as are Seraph Class. The Archangels and the Seven Prime Demons are actually God-Class Beings with Michael, Sirzechs, and Azazel being the strongest of their respective ranks. And I will say Sirzechs tentatively as... you know who exists in this fic as she did in the last one.

We're at the beginning of the 2nd arc of the 1st Volume. I used this chapter as a way to begin nipping Issei's habit of fearing women because of Raynare. The illusions he had from Miyo if anyone wanted to know are born from his fear of not being good enough for them which is why his illusions all said eh was worthless. And as for Irina, I didn't like how Irina just existed to be the childhood friend trope so I'm going to run through the fact that Irina doesn't feel confident enough to compete against Rias for Issei's affections, which she's justified in feeling. I mean... have you seen Rias? Anyway, their relationship will develop over time and she'll meld into the harem like in canon but in a different way. I'm not waiting until Volume 18 of canon just for them to get together. Hehe.

Anyway, drill's the same. Leave a review and I'll answer it to the best of my ability and remember to follow~!