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The following is a fan-based
FICTION
High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.
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Chapter 14: Read n' Feel
Never once I would have thought about handling legal paperwork of the devil-kind.
Then again, many things I didn't expect in the last few years, and this one was, truth be told, quite simple in nature. It wasn't deadly as I would have expected, nor it forced me to dabble into some dangerous waters with the underworld society. After all, the point of this legal consultancy was to draw some solution to a document and then use said solution to void it without having me involved. Rias was the one stuck with the marriage contract and the one that had to pull all the muscle work behind disavowing it once I provided her with reasons she could motivate herself.
Nothing big, and yet it was big. When I started to read the arranged marriage's contract... I was stunned by a few clauses that really confused me. One of the first things that just left me perplexed was the lack of a clause that voided the contract if Rias lost her v-card. I clearly remembered Rias mentioning this when she tried to bang Issei to bail the contract and... this was the first question I decided to bring up.
"Rias, from what I can understand from your previous explanation on the matter, you have some extreme solutions on how to leave the contract, correct? But you don't use them unless it is unavoidable."
"Yes?" The redhead with an interested tone, while Akeno merely watched over the interaction. "Why? Is there something wrong on... you know-"
"There is no 'virginity loss' ejection clause," I remarked flatly and the girl paused, her eyes widening at the news. "I'm aware that some contracts of this kind would implement that rule, yet it is not present here."
"T-That doesn't make any sense. I was- Father told me that the contract is a standard marriage contract. It should be there."
I slowly nodded at that. "Which means that your father lied to you about it and... this isn't bad news."
"Isn't it?" Akeno quipped. "You just argued that there could be less means to leave the contract, Bukharin-san."
"And we start with the premise that the contract was meant to be a standard one with all standard rules. Thus, there is a lie, and we have yet to see how far this lie goes."
The hybrid looked a bit stunned at this response, but slowly nodded before the logic behind it. Rias looked slightly excited, yet I couldn't provide her with more news on the spot. Not immediately, and I wanted to hear more about her situation. After all, I had three views of Riser within this situation: the Light Novel version, which had him less of a dick and more of an insufferable moron; the Anime version where he gets incredibly interested in screwing Rias' life up because 'why not?'; and finally the fandom version (or at least the most common view within the fandom) where he is a self-centered bastard with no redeeming qualities. And right now I wasn't sure which one I was dealing with and... so I asked.
"How about you tell me more about this 'Riser'... or 'Raiser'. However he is called," I hummed quietly, the young woman huffed.
"He is a scoundrel and a pervert. His peerage is made of women, and he engages in sexual behaviors with them."
Which set him up in a not-so pleasant view from many due to his harem-centric peerage. I wanted to say that kissing wasn't sexual, but the way he just demanded and got the smooches from his minions without any complaint sure didn't do well to his image.
"And has he shown any genuine interest in pursuing a protective take on this marriage? Or any interest to be serious about it?"
"He has shown amusement towards my King's refusal, but has shown no strong feeling in protecting it," Akeno confirmed, which gave me a clearer look on who I was dealing with.
"He is still a jerk."
"And you are quite spoiled," I replied absently as I was still reading the papers, a response driven by instinct rather than thought. And I came to regret it for a moment when the girl narrowed her eyes at me in quite the intense glare.
"What?"
I blinked, realizing what I had said just now and... shrugging.
"Are you not?"
"No!" The girl remarked. "I am nowhere like him."
"I said spoiled, not a jerk, Rias."
She growled. "And the difference being?"
"You are still a good person because you had the means to grow with good people," I flatly remarked. "You had the members of your peerage, your older brother was around to provide you with a degree of moral models to follow and your parents dote on you even now."
"And Riser?" Akeno quipped with growing curiosity while her King gained her thoughts back at that sharp rebuttal.
"I can say just what Grigori knows through a small scandal in the Phenex Clan: his oldest brother, the heir of the clan, is quite old-fashioned yet caring. The only reason why he wasn't around to see both Riser and Ravel grow up is due to his duties as the heir. His other older brother? Shunned for marrying a Fallen Angel. Not one of 'us', of course."
"S-So, you are saying he is a jerk because-"
"He had no one to rely on to know what he is doing now is wrong. I wouldn't say he was subjected to neglect, but he lacked the moral support needed to develop as a morally-acceptable individual from a human or 'good' stand point," I reasoned, trying to keep to what I could draw out from two elements: knowledge of Riser's life and his overall behavior. "Still, that doesn't mean he lacks the potential to develop it and... I think this is actually important to a degree with your current plight."
Rias flashed a surprised look. "What? How?"
"This clause," I replied, clearing my throat before reading it to her. " 'The newly-wed couple shall then consummate the marriage and foster a close relationship of intimacy for not less than a year. No one shall join this endeavor, no one shall interrupt the expected love-grooming which a couple of this standing is expected to develop.' This one is quite curious."
"It means that Riser can't have interactions with his own peerage," Akeno piped in, further stunning Rias with this revelation.
"But he would never accept this!" She remarked loudly.
"Which is why his parents didn't bring this up to him and why they were so keen to uphold this 'marriage contract'," I added with a small smile on my face. "After all, I think this contract is the furthest thing from a proper marriage contract."
"...What?" The redhead said in confusion, and I delivered her the copy she gave me with a few words underlined. She read those, and she slowly realized what was wrong with it.
The contract held numerous instances where the clauses made zero sense and were more used to target specific elements of both partners. The Gremory took shots at Rias, and the Phenex aimed at Riser. How does that work? Well, Rias wasn't allowed to spend a certain amount of money once the marriage was complete, and I was tempted to say it may have to do something with her interest on Japan; Riser wasn't allowed to indulge drinking too much wine or any strong alcoholic beverages; Rias was not to adopt any 'stray people' without first consulting with her husband (which she may still take him despite any opposition from him); Riser was forbidden to make trips to exotic locations without his wife around.
All in all, this was a contract which ironically and unironically pushed for a union of equals... or mostly equals with how many freebies Rias was getting out of this whole situation. And the girl was realizing this more as she read what I highlighted. Finally, she reached the turning point which made her jaw drop down to the table.
"T-They didn't sign it?!"
"Well, they signed the first paper which suggests they met," I reasoned, smiling a fair bit at this brain fart on her part. "I guess you just didn't notice the first time around because the signature location is quite small and difficult to locate in that wall of papers."
That was a clever way to hide away the missing signature, but not the best when one ended up going for a thorough examination.
"So I should... accept it? I should just marry him and be done with it?"
"I think your parents expect that, but also not. In my opinion, they hope you see how this contract is still a serious hindrance to your own life as your capacity to be independent is curbed down due to this," I hummed calmly. "Pick up some paper, write a letter to Riser, your parents, and his parents. Tell them you have urgent news relating to the marriage which you wish to address and-"
"Tell them that it is off because it was all a ploy to fix our flaws?" Rias quipped quickly, almost too eagerly.
"Yes and no," I rebuked flatly, causing her ahoge to deflate a bit. "You will tell them that you understand the point of the marriage, but that it could be handled in a more reasonable way: you shall personally take it upon yourself to encourage monthly meetings to talk with Riser about affairs and develop a closer bond between your families."
"B-But why?" She sputtered. "Isn't the point of the marriage to just 'help us'? Why can't they just hire a therapist for him." And you, I wanted to add, but kept to the situation.
"Because a secondary goal to it was to keep your families close. Mind you that you are right to focus on leaving that contract due to how it was developed and how it was an imposition rather than a request, but you also have a duty to your family and one that is also expected to a degree within your job as an adult. How old are you, Rias?"
"It's not nice to ask a girl's age," She remarked half-annoyed and I shrugged.
"Good thing I'm talking to a brat then," I sharply replied, causing her to snarl and... be stopped from her tirade by Akeno.
She took a moment to breathe in and out, calming down and rationalizing what I was doing with her.
"You are provoking me to behave like this," The redhead affirmed, causing me to nod. "And you expect me to behave more 'humbly' because it's what an adult would do."
"I want you, just like any socially-adjusted adult would expect from you, to behave smartly. You can be a prick, but only if you can handle the finesse needed for it. Hence why you need to stop being this snappy and so protective of silly behavior and take on a more serious beat as your age dictates."
Rias bowed her head down in embarrassment, and I looked at Akeno.
"What's your take on it, Akeno? I know for a fact you are the most adept in diplomacy and I think you have already thought on how to further detail that meeting Rias is going to have to deal with."
The redhead blinked and looked at her closest friend, seeing the hybrid offering a shy and sheepish look back to both of us.
"I... I did."
"And let me ask you this, did I say anything wrong by pointing out Rias' main issue and telling her how to fix it?"
"No."
The answer came out a bit faster than anyone had expected.
"I think Rias has a beautiful personality and mind, but some aspects of it are still the same as when we were children. Those aspects have to... grow up. You grew up a fair bit, yes but... you risked handling an arranged marriage and messing things up just now."
Rias flinched at this. "I'm not-"
"And that's not to say you are not trying. I see it when others don't, but I can't just keep quiet on the fact some things you are just ignoring," Akeno interjected, looking incredibly sad at this point. "And I want to help, but up to this point I couldn't bring myself to ask because I know how tough of a reality check this is but... I think it's time you know."
"...I-I see."
"Look, I can endure sad scenes for a while," I jumped in with a stern tone. "But both of you have things to talk about, most of which are private and all, so I suggest you do so in a more reserved place. Also, if you feel the need to cry on each other's shoulders, that ain't weakness, that's your mind and body telling you that you have a lot to unwind. Gotcha?"
Their jaws hung low at my sharp comment, but I hummed and retrieved a piece of paper that I handed to Akeno. She frowned and then glared at me at the name there.
"I didn't-"
"I called her, she said she wanted to castrate me with a spoon for not telling her when I could," I reasoned with a blunt edge in my throat. "Suzaku means well, plus, she told me about a 'underwear-hat' accident you were part of and-"
"Nope! Nopenopenopenope!" She repeated, her cheeks flaring red and her panic growing in her tone while Rias gave her a curious and amused look. "Sh-She still remembers that?!"
"She does, yes. Which is why you also have a problem to solve and this mess to settle. You and her, gotcha?"
"..."
"I don't hear any response, missy."
"I-I got it," Akeno weakly replied, her brain riddled with holes due to the sheer embarrassment, annoyance and surprise in being cornered so easily.
Soon after the two girls proceeded to leave my house. They had many personal questions to dabble into, and I was left to enjoy a pleasant day without any new issues.
Then, by dinner's time, I ended up engaging in quite an unusual conversation with Asia.
"John?"
I blinked, glancing at Asia and humming back at her as we were getting dinner ready.
"Yes?"
"I know it's wrong for me to ask but... do you think I can go to school here at Kuoh?"
I was a bit surprised by this request, but not completely. I knew that her talking with Rias could have sparked some interest in pursuing new friends like her by checking the local school and studying there. I thought about that possibility for some time, and my only worry had been that either Rias or Sona tried to get her in their peerages. Obviously, that threat was no longer a thing with both knowing who Asia was protected by. And while I knew it would have been safer to keep her sheltered, I also knew that it would have sounded wrong to others if I just gatekept my 'little sister' from accessing to the local school.
"I think you could try something by next year if you so want," I reasoned, knowing that any immediate transfer would just hurt Asia due to her still-lacking knowledge and preparation for her current school year.
She offered a pretty smile at this. "Thank you, big brother."
That affectionate title was quick to leave me in a somewhat sour mood for a few reasons. How genuine was it? How much of it Asia felt imposed to go through with?
"Asia?" I quietly called, gaining her attention once more.
"Yes?"
"Do you really see me as a big brother?" I asked with a tentative tone. "I mean, you are not feeling pushed into calling me that even in the private right."
"What? I don't feel forced into it, no. I just..." She paused, her smile getting prettier. "I just think you are like a big brother to me."
My lips twitched. "I don't want you to-"
"I get it, you don't want me to be upset of... doing this because I have no choice. But I do, and I made that choice, big brother," Asia concluded with that confirming title. "You care for me beyond your role and... and I can tell that's how a big brother is supposed to behave. It's nice, it makes me smile and leaves a fuzzy feeling in my chest which grows when you hug me because you are always protecting me."
...Fuck, I'm getting emotional now.
"B-Big brother? Did I say something wrong?"
I am getting teary? F-Fuck!
"I'm fine. R-really."
Dammit, dammit, dammit.
I was so lost in my own idiocy, that I didn't even notice Asia stopping her current work to walk up to me and give me a big hug.
"I'm sorry, big brother," She spoke in Italian, and I felt the gnawing grasp over my chest tightening. "I didn't mean to be so blunt and-"
She was close to crying too. All because of me. I'm a moron.
I hugged her back tightly, ruffling her hair. "No crying, little sister. Your big brother's getting a bit upset with himself, not you. Okay?"
"W-Why?"
"Because your big brother is a dumbass."
She huffed. "He is not."
Stop defending me from me, you dummy!
As this interaction ended, Kuroka could only stare at us with incredible confusion before facepalming as I explained why we were both sporting tears. It was a bit embarrassing, but not as embarrassing as her response.
"Adorable idiots..."
Ouch?
AN
Next up, a mini-time skip. It's time to get back to the 'real business' at the beginning of this story. The 'Premise Arc' is over, and now it's time to see the whole Issei's situation develop.
Also, my take on Rias and Riser: both are spoiled, but only Rias gets to be the least 'hurt' by this upbringing due to the attention and care she got. Riser didn't get this treatment, and he is spoiled because of this. I think the reason why Ravel was not Riser v2 was because Riser actually took care of her and told her what and what to not do.
REVIEW Q&A!
Sultan Asil Arslan-Hiatus: I wonder how Akeno Alter would behave. I mean, Rias Alter is a bitchier version of normal Rias, but Akeno… she is already a paradox with her personality. Maybe more open about her dark desires.