"Desideria, I know of your love for Issei, and I have seen the length that you would go for him. But believe me when I say... I just wanted to return this phone to him, and to ask you for your blessing."

Reiko was confused. "My blessing in what exactly?"

Serafall had played through these scenes several times before, so much so that the schoolgirl nerves that she had felt many times before were a distant memory as if they had happened before. She knew the best course of action through the trial and error that were her eyes. She took a deep breath and spoke about what was on her mind. She produced the invitation to the engagement party that Riser was throwing, presenting it to Reiko. "I would like for Issei to be my date for this."

Examining the card Reiko looked at the pleading look given to her but the very idea seemed wrong, Serafall this Serafall seemed different from the one she knew in the past. "And why should I allow that?"

"Because you had your chance at peace, no matter how fleeting it got you always found it in the end. Why can't I be afforded such a thing? Even if it is just half the time you had. Haven't I earned the right?"

Putting Excalibur down at the doorway of the home she looked into Serafall's eyes with a sigh. "I know and that's not the issue that I am having here." She spoke playing with the card in her hands.

"That... You know that's not what I am after. I will do everything the right way. You can trust me on that. This isn't some selfish desire of mine, what I feel is as true as your own." Serafall reasoned.

Reiko was completely at a loss on what to do, but if her trust was put into anything it would have to be Issei. Looking at the woman at her door, she finally realized that Serafall had Issei's phone which meant that she would be able to speak about her son's whereabouts before or after he had left for his date with Yuuma. "Issei is not at school and you have the only way I can contact him if you know what happened to him and..." She trailed off.

"Right, that. Well, it appears that Issei had gotten into a disagreement with his current lover." Serafall started taking pause. "She might off... Accidentally put a light spear through him, and he may have been bleeding out when I found him." Though she spoke quickly everything that she had said was picked up by the worried mother.

"What?"

Serafall noticed what she said and she sighed and closed her eyes, for what was for her an eternity but for Reiko a split second she weighed her options deciding to stick close to the truth as much as possible. "Before you blow this out of proportion... Issei asked for it." feeling the mirth radiating from Reiko she soldiered on. "The reason he did it was to help a Devil at his school by becoming one himself... He thought if he could force the issue she would have no choice but to save him by turning him into one. Listen..." She said with shifty eyes.

Reiko pinched the bridge of her nose at the explanation. "So does that mean that Issei's not human anymore?" Serafall's expression did not stand to scrutiny under Reiko's gaze. 'Why did I bother leaving, I couldn't protect him no matter how hard I tried. He was right.' She thought to herself. "You are such an easy book to read, Serafall."

"Come on, Even you can admit that you are not like the other heroes. What was it? The king that stands over all? At least that's what the church calls you. Honestly, you are more like a demon lord than a hero. I am more sure-footed around others." Serafall began. 'It feels like I have to watch my tongue, it's frustrating. The submissive act is not my... Well...' her thoughts trail off thinking of a certain someone, and she was brought out of it by the woman standing in front of her. "Even a person like me would not want to be on your bad side. I want us to be friendly with each other."

"Is that before or after you turned my child into a Devil, Serafall?" Reiko replied with a straight face. "For someone who wants to be my friend you're not putting yourself in the best light."

Letting out a nervous chuckle Serafall retorted. "That was to save his life, Rias was going to be too late if I left it to her. And I was not going to let him die for something silly like a forced engagement. I was asked by family to stop it, not when my sister is so close to him." Serafall said with a small frown staring a hole in the floor of the home's front foyer.

Sighing, Reiko thought back to invite, back to the woman in front of her and her words. 'Rias Gremory eh? Maybe it was best to kill her back then, along with that boy.' The mother ran through her mind. Grabbing Excalibur returning it to its charm-like state she clipped it back to her bracelet. "Whatever the case might be, we shouldn't talk about this out here. Come in, I will make tea if you want."

(...)

"Can I help you?" Issei asked his desk neighbor who was now staring a hole in him while crouched in front of him while he was sitting on a bench at the public park where he had met Raynare for their date. He had been leaning forward to think over his next move. He had no idea that the current Beelzebub would have her eyes on him, not in any possible scenario did that occur to him, but with a concerned Yamamoto Mei a person that did not exist in his old reality and a mother that was a different person he had to accept it and move on. This time had to have a different outcome, he wasn't going to lose anything else, right? Issei lifts his head to meet her eyes.

"Hi" was the only thing that came out of her mouth when their eyes did finally meet. Issei's eyes widened when Mei wrapped her arms around him in an unexpected hug. "It looked like you really needed this." Her embrace lasted for a good long while before Mei broke their embrace. "Something is bothering you right? Ise, it could be anything, it doesn't have to be the problem you are having... If you just want to have someone to talk to, I am here. You probably don't care about me right now, but I heard that it sometimes helps to have a person around like that." She then put her arms on the bench next to him resting her head on them, looking up at the boy with half-open eyes, a hint of something he could not explain in them as she finished. "I don't have club, so we have time. What do you have on your mind, Ise?"

(...)

'How is it that I keep getting myself in these situations?' Issei asked himself. He was currently in a booth of a local diner looking at an elated Yamamoto Mei. She was currently staring at him with a look of affection and Hunger, the two had left the park after Issei requested for them to speak somewhere they could have some privacy, and Mei had dragged him to this diner. Now partaking in a meal consisting of hamburger and sweet potato fries.

"So, Ise." she began eying her burger. "Skipping school is bad, you know, it makes you look guilty for what happened this morning. I know that your relationship with her isn't exactly affectionate, but she is part of Nee-chan's peerage now just like the both of us..." Her face shifted into something more downcast than her jovial mood. "It might be best to apologize to her, even if you don't mean it. We have to look out for each other, especially now."

"I know..." He said looking down at his meal. Issei had been through a lot of misfortune and what could he say that would not reveal too much, that won't scare the girl away or in the worst-case scenario champion his cause. "I don't know what to say, everything is moving so fast and it feels that if I had any control it's gone now." he dropped his hands to either side of his plate in frustration clenching his fist.

To Issei's surprise, the girl sitting across from him took his hands in hers giving him a gentle squeeze. "I have been there before." Mei began speaking, her dark brown eyes fixed on their hands. "It was when I first met Sera-nee I felt like I would lose control of myself, I still feel like that sometimes but now I have people who care and now the world doesn't feel as scary as it did. I don't know what it is like for you but I want to know that you can rely on me." she chuckled. "We finally added new members and it seems that I am still going to be the baby of our group." Issei looked up at her as she gave him a sincere smile. "Even then I want you to look at your older sister for anything, alright?" Releasing one of his hands to point at herself, a hint of pride in her voice, earning a chuckle from him. "What?" She asked, feigning annoyance and pouting in response.

"No, it's nothing." Issei spoke through bouts of laughter.

Mei let out a groan slightly flustered. She hadn't expected him to straight up laugh at her, letting go of him she crossed her arms under her chest making sure that her well-endowed chest was emphasized under the dark cream sweater of their school uniform. "Are you making fun of me? Ise that's not very nice you know... You make it sound like I am some sort of baby."

Offering her a reserved smile he began to reassure her that was not the case. "Weren't you the one who said that you did not want what happened yesterday to change how we treated each other? I am doing that. Besides 'nee-chan' I like you the way you are."

Mei stuttered at Issei's response, not sure how to respond to his words, a light blush appearing under her glasses. Not speaking for a moment she decided that the burger in front of her was the most appetizing thing in the world and she took a bite out of it. "I didn't mean you should call me that, stupid."

Issei deciding not to tease her further dug into his food. After a few moments of them silently eating, Issei got his companion's attention. "Well since we are basically skipping anyway why don't we hang out?" His suggestion was met with apprehension. "Oh come on, with our grades, we can afford to slack off for one day."

"I don't know Ise."

"You were willing to skip the rest of the day just earlier."

She looked away from him blushing, resting her head on her hand and sighing. "That was one thing and this is another."

"So you will only go on a date with me when I am depressed, I don't know what to say." Issei spoke, ignoring her shocked and embarrassed reaction. "Fine then, how about this..." He paused looking down with an impish grin. "What if I said..." Pausing to make himself look as downturned as possible hoping that he can look as depressingly cute as possible. "I still need my nee-chan."

The girl was barely coherent after the word date that she almost missed him calling her nee-chan again. Hanging her head low she answered him. "Fine." She said in a low voice, barely audible.

"What was that?" Issei asked, grinning.

Mei let out a frustrated groan, clarifying. "I said fine." Speak louder than she had been. "But with two things I want from you Ise..." She paused, noticing his grin widen, a look of warning clear on her face. "You have to tell me what's going on between you and Raynare. And don't...and I mean ever call me that again. Are we clear?" She spoke with the venom clear in her last couple of sentences.

"I am fine with the first one, but I reserve the right to call you that if I want. This deal needs to be equal for both sides after all." He somewhat agreed to curse his failed attempt at changing the subject.

"Whatever." Mei replied flustered.

Raising his fist in the a with an excited smile he said. "Let's play to our hearts' content today!"

Looking shocked for a moment she looked down at her food with a flushed face and returned the smile. "Sure." She said nervously.

Quickly finishing their food, Issei grabbed Mei by the hand, picked up both of their school bags, and took off to the arcade he and his friends usually frequent. Spending a couple of hours there Issei emptied his wallet on the games, both of them seemingly having fun. Mei near the end saw a mouse-like pocket monster in the claw machine. It had yellow fur and red ears with plus symbols on both of its cheeks inside red patches and had a companion creature who was similar, but with blue features instead of red and minus where the pluses are. She gave Issei a pleading look, and Issei not wanting to disappoint gave it his best shot. After several tries and begging bystanders for money he was able to get the mice for Mei, and she gave him the minus one to keep despite his protest. The two spend the rest of the day enjoying each other's company.