AN: Boys, bois, stay peachy about all reincarnation business for now. We have our reasoning for stuff like Rias not sensing anything. You'll see in this chapter!

Also, I'd like to explain one thing: GreekfanFT, Rias is indeed a lazy bum, as you perceptively noted from the last line, however, she will overcome that laziness at some point. Kali and I don't intend to write a Rias that just relies on any piece of hers.

Thank you all who have reviewed. Hopefully your worries will pass but eh, I've gotten my hopes up for a story only to get shot down it fast. Hope you all enjoy!

Discord: [discord . gg / yARsw4UtaC]

"Look who it is, my favorite employee! Why don't you come and sit with your old buddy for a bit, Issei. Release a line out into the water. We'll see who catches something first," Zaz suggested.

Issei let out a sigh at Zaz's easy going nature. "I'm on the job, you know. Mr. Eizo expects the best from me, even though I've been working for him for a year now."

Zaz raised an eyebrow. "Oh c'mon, you're a Second Year in high school now. Live a little. I'm sure given the number of conversations we've had, he won't mind you fishing with me for a bit. I'm sure he's not expecting too much business today."

Issei put a hand on his hip and thought over Zaz's words. It was aggravating to admit, but Mr Eiko's business at the docks wasn't exactly booming. He had his regulars which paid well, but most days were slow and inconsistent with demand. Knowing this, Issei hasn't been pushing the old man much for extended pay, even though he'd worked some tough hours for more than a few weeks.

All of this was to say, Zaz's words were right; Issei wouldn't be missed if he sat down with Zaz to fish. Reluctantly, the teen doubled back for a moment and retrieved for himself a fishing rod, sitting down to cast his line into the waters in front of him.

"So?" Zaz asked, "How's life been hitting ya, Issei. From your appearance, it certainly seems like you're making some progress on your harem plan." Zaz noted, lighting a cigarette.

Issei shook his head. "That's what you've wanted to ask me about? We've talked about this. Several times in fact."

"Well maybe we have, but I think it's good to have a yearly take on these things. It helps one to conceptualize your progress to further your goals. Like, how was Kuoh Academy? Everything you hoped for?"

"And so much more." Issei finished. "All the girls there are A+ in looks. Not to mention that lots of them enjoy talking to me. It's almost like a dream."

"But it's your reality," Zaz said, smirking. "So… How're you grasping it?" Zaz reached out his hand, shadowing his words.

"Well, I've been trying to go out of my comfort zone by interacting with my classmates. I only have a few friends, but I think generally, most people in my class like me." Issei explained, his hand unintentionally going to the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Unlike your time as an out and about pervert?" Azazel asked, shooting a smirk at the leading question.

"Right. Nowadays I barely ever look at porn mags. I have better things to do now! Working out, working here, and even hanging out with my friend er- friends."

"Why the hesitation on friends?" Zaz asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Well, I used to hang out often with my pervert friends, but now? I'm either busy working out, working here, or hanging out with one of my classmates."

"A young lass perhaps?" Zaz teased, seemingly in the know from his confidence.

Issei coughed, the only hint of embarrassment from him as he tried to stop being so easy to read. "Ah, yes. She happens to be a girl named Aika. Funnily enough Aika in some ways is an even bigger pervert than Matsuda and Motohama."

"Really?" Zaz questioned, now interested in what kind of girl this "Aika" could be. "Well, what can I say? I still stand by the opinion that being open with your desires might lead you down some favorable paths in the future. You might struggle in some areas of life if you aren't able to harness that desire of yours."

"Is your hearing getting as old as your age? I'm sticking to my plan. It's been doing wonders for my rep at school. There are rumours here and there about my past behavior, but no one seems to care given my current behavior."

Zaz sniffed comedically. "I'll have you know I'm a ripe old age to be a DILF." After Issei rolled his eyes at that comment, Zaz switched his demeanor quickly, laying back lazily while he watched his fishing line. "Perhaps you'll be fine not doing so as you're putting that desire into productivity that is doing wonders for yourself. How curious."

"What's so curious about it?" Issei asked. Despite his seemingly disrespectful words to Zaz, Issei did value his input. Issei wouldn't turn from his principles, but Zaz had been a constant source of mentoring and friendly banter. Having someone to unload your problems on without backlash made for a useful friend, to say the least.

"Well, your growth has been quite irregular to say the least. Hell, the first time I saw you, you were a scrawny, short, weasely little thing. Now, you're only slightly short." Ignoring the "Hey!" from Issei, Zaz continued, "Anyway, I just wonder if you're going to have the devil's luck in growing more?"

Issei snorted. "It won't be luck," Issei said firmly. "I intend to get stronger and stronger by my own merit." Shaking his head, Issei switched gears in the conversation. "Also, I think you have to be a father to be a DILF."

"Hey hey, that's debatable," Zaz smirked, "Also, you don't know if I have any children or not. What makes you think I don't?" Zaz said, nodding his head.

Issei plainly took a look at Zaz before looking back at his line. "You seem too immature to be a father."

Zaz put a hand over his mouth as he snickered and said, "I guess I shouldn't be surprised to hear that coming from you, but alas, it's different from what I usually hear."

Issei raised an eyebrow that didn't lead into a question. 'It seems Zaz has some expectations on him that I break somewhat. I'd ask what he meant, but something tells me that he wouldn't give a satisfying answer.' Issei looked on to their fishing lines, noticing some movement.

"Yo, it looks like you got a catch," Issei said, nudging Zaz.

The blond banged taller man got very excited at the news. "Really? I gotta reel it in fast then! You only have so much time if your line is moving before the fish is going to get the best of you and-" At the end of Zaz's fishing line appeared to be an old boat.

"Nice catch," Issei laughed. 'How he didn't notice the weight of his catch being too heavy, I'll never know.'

"Shut up," Zaz sulked. "You haven't caught anything either."

Issei's line started to shake. With a smirk, Issei reeled it in saying, "I think you've spoken too soon." After a bit of effort in reeling, Issei's fishing line appeared to have a sizable catch at the end of the hook.

"Holy mackerel," Zaz deadpanned, smirking at his own joke.

Issei rolled his eyes, taking the fish into a bucket nearby. It seems that Zaz wasn't sulking about catching a boat anymore. "Actually, I think it's a trout. Pretty decent size too, eh?" The broad-shouldered young man pulled Azazel's "catch" closer to him, one powerful heave sending the hefty wooden vessel bobbing and shaking rather wildly as it was pulled ashore. Placing both feet underneath himself and loading with his hips and his legs, Issei took hold of the boat on either side, each of his hands gripping tightly around a cleat and holding fast.

With nothing more than a quiet grunt of exertion, the 17-year old rocked back, cleanly lifting the entire row boat by its nose out of the water. Issei pivoted rapidly, one foot stutter-stepping behind the other and twirling as he swung the boat onto land. A moment of work later and a rope was tied neatly around the bow pulpit, the remainder of which was slung over his shoulder and looped loosely around him.

"Did… Did you just suplex a damn boat?" Zaz asked, wide-eyed, his cigarette just barely hanging onto his lips. Issei grunted again, taking slow and controlled steps as he began to pull the whole thing behind him, the rope quickly going taut and dragging the rowboat along.

"Wasn't going to take itself out of the water, was it?" Issei asked, rather rhetorically, in between great lunges that sent the grounded vessel rocking wildly. It was the work of only a minute to get the rather beaten dinghy into the shop, an open garage door leading to a bay for such vehicles. Mr. Eizo was getting a bit older, and though he didn't like to show it or even admit it, sometimes he didn't quite tie the damn things to the docks properly. It wasn't Issei's first time having to drag one ashore, nor would it likely be the last.

"The boss will take care of it. Hull is all messed up, and it looks like something smashed a great big dent into the prop. I'll probably have to straighten that out for him…" The teen had rapidly devolved into muttering, holding a hand to his chin as he thought on what the vessel would mean for his next shift.

Zaz, carefree as ever, simply chuckled to himself, stuffing one hand into his breast pocket to retrieve another cigarette. "Damn kid came here looking like a twig and now he's hauling boats like it's a bag of rice. The greatness of youth, I wonder…"

The taller and older man lit his second cigarette, fastidiously ignoring the withering look that his younger friend sent him for his somewhat odious habit. They had had this conversation plenty of times before, with Issei disapproving of his friend's smoking habit, and Zaz simply telling the teen that he'd understand when he was older.

"Well, I'm off Zaz! I'll see you next weekend, yeah?" Issei asked, wiping his hands free of the dust and residue from the rope with a shop rag. His older friend gave a curt nod, waving with one hand behind him as he walked away. Issei took up his bags from the shop, heading out as well. Mom was making soba noodles with sauteed mushrooms tonight!

(-)

Saji Genshirou was having a good day. Scratch that, he was having a great day! The spikey-haired blonde would go as far as to say that he was having a positively wonderful day, in fact.

Sure, the weather was so-so. Sure, classes were giving him a stiff kick in the ass lately, and the clubs seemed rather lackluster. Sure, the girls at Kuoh all seemed to spend their time chatting with each other or fawning over that pretty boy Kiba or that goliath Issei, and sure, his crush still hadn't spared a glance at him, even though he had put his all into the Student Council application, but none of that mattered!

Why didn't it matter? Why was the rather nondescript young man having such a lovely time as of late? Simple, really; the same reason any teenage boy would be so happy. Today, after classes had wrapped up and Saji was on his way back home, after having walked home Ruruko and Momo of course, he had been approached. By a girl his age!

She must have been an angel sent down in his time of need. A gorgeous girl his age, having approached him right before his last stop at the train station. He could still remember it now, lying in bed with his arms clasped behind his head, the goofy grin never having left his face. Her raven hair, the cute crimson jacket she had worn, the absolutely adorable blush on her face as she held her bag in front of her and swayed back and forth on her heels.

She attended one of the other local academies apparently, and had seen him on his way back from school more than a handful of times. She had introduced herself shyly, fidgeting this way and that as she had asked the young man out on a date. They had agreed on next weekend, planning to meet up at the same spot. Before she left to catch her train, she had even given him her number!

Saji breathed in, then out rapidly, bringing a hand up to each cheek as he nearly whooped in joy. It wasn't the same as Sona, of course. Nothing would ever be as good as that, the blonde reminded himself forcefully.

But, after a full year of doing nothing but existing and passing his courses, Saji Genshirou was sick and tired of not getting any female attention! Maybe he could bring the girl to campus sometime, show her off a little bit to his friends. Maybe, just maybe, even Sona would notice!

Yes, the more that Saji Genshirou thought about it, the more his plan seemed foolproof. He would take this girl out, show her a lovely time, and be an absolute gentleman. And at the end of it all, he would be able to show Sona that he wasn't a boy, not just some little kid. He was a man, and he was wanted!

Rolling over to his stomach, the teen grabbed his phone, unplugging it from the charger as he entered his password. A few keystrokes later and he had opened up his contacts, a finger hovering over the newest contact. Should he text her? Would that be too soon? What if she thought he was some kind of weirdo?

The young man groaned, the last sliver of self-discipline he had left in his body all that kept him from tossing the infernal device at a wall. Why did women have to be so damn complicated?

After a moment of hesitation, which was actually about half an hour of Saji agonizing over the decision, he decided to simply play his hand and see what happened.

From: Saji Genshirou

Text: Hey Yuuma! Really looking forward to our date next weekend. I really appreciate you telling me how you felt. Hope to see you soon!"

There; it was done. Nothing could ruin Saji Genshirou's day!

(-)

"You have to keep your guard up Kiba!"

Akeno twirled mid-air, spinning on one heel as powerful flaps of her wings sent her careening around to one side. The black-haired teen let loose a powerful bolt of lightning, the current smashing into the Gremory Knight's left side and sending him sprawling.

A great cloud of dust was kicked up as Kiba's body flew through the air in a low arc before crashing back down to the ground. When the debris settled, he stood with both arms out. One held a sword, the blade crackling loudly as it had absorbed the lightning. The other was held out to his side, clutching his ribs tenderly.

The blast had been mostly mitigated by his Lightning Delete, an act of thinking just as quick as his Knight abilities and even more useful. Mostly was the keyword, however, as the stray flickers of electricity had still packed a powerful punch, easily shattering a rib or two.

Akeno was right, as usual. His guard got sloppy as time went on; endurance simply wasn't the young man's strong suit. Gritting his teeth, Kiba swept his sword-hand in a wide arc horizontally, discharging what he had absorbed in a wave of thunder that left the clearing smelling even more of ozone than usual.

His target wasn't the Queen, however. Akeno was too high up, and lightning would do nothing to the self-proclaimed Priestess of Thunder anyways. No, his target was much closer to the ground.

The wave of lightning found its target sooner rather than later in the form of one Koneko Toujou. The nekoshou came barreling through the treeline, one hand holding onto a ludicrously large tree branch that she used to shield herself from the Knight's attack.

Unlike Kiba, Koneko could by no means be called lacking when it came to endurance. The boost given to the first-year by her Rook status gave her an enormous boost in physical defense and offense, the strength of which shown clearly by the same tree branch that she soon after sent hurtling at the brunet Knight.

Kiba wasn't unprepared, however, the Knight blurring forward in a dizzying display of speed that sent him safely above the branch with a single leap, the Lightning Delete vanishing and soon being replaced with the deceptively simple Flame Sword. As Kiba reached the apex of his jump, he swung down hard and true, cleaving cleanly through the impromptu missile that Koneko had sent at him.

Using the momentum of his downward swing, Kiba let himself turn, transitioning into a flip axe kick that he used to jump off of Koneko's shoulder. The knight twisted in mid-air, contorting his slender frame with maximum torque to deliver a crushing sword blow to the nekoshou's unprotected back.

The smallest of the Gremory Peerage, Koneko went down to a knee under the strength of the Knight's strike, turning as quickly as she could to use her hands to protect herself from the plumes of flame that now erupted from the blade. She pushed forward, grunting as she walked through the column of fire that Kiba directed at her.

It took her a moment to break through the flames, having been pushing while blinded by the light and surrounded by the heat, but when she did, the Knight was ready, his free hand no longer nursing his ribs but now holding the opposite of his first weapon.

A simple but perfectly executed swing of the Ice Sword to Koneko's unprepared frame took her out of the fight immediately, a great gust of frigid air trapping her in a block of ice. Though she could have surely broken through it given a few moments, for the sake of this exercise, she was out of commission.

Kiba's joy was short-lived, as he immediately found himself under a second onslaught of lightning from the still-flying Akeno.

"You two get caught up in your little fights every time! Keep your eyes open for other opponents!" The raven haired girl instructed, gleefully sending bolt after bolt of electricity at the winded Knight.

Kiba simply dug his heels in and swapped his Flame Sword back for Lightning Delete, a blur of motion as he swung left and right to catch every stray bolt that he could. The Gremory Queen was content to simply float there and unload her electric arsenal on the younger man, confident that the storm she had conjured would break through his defenses.

Once again, the miko was proven right, as Kiba grew tired under the constant barrage of lightning. First, it was one bolt that slipped through, a measly little thing that hurt no more than a particularly bad case of static shock. Then it was two, then three, before finally a true blast of the Himejima Priestess's lightning pushed past his defenses and laid him flat on his back, the front of his Kuoh uniform singed and smoking.

"Alright! That's a wrap for this exercise!" A clap was heard in the clearing, signalling the end of their fight. From the treeline emerged Rias Gremory, resplendent in her Kuoh uniform, buttons straining as usual to contain the expanses of flesh that almost every young man, and more than a few young women, at Kuoh day-dreamed about.

Rias wore a content smile on her face, her hands clasped in front of her cutely as she walked over to her Peerage. Her Peerage had its issues, to be sure, but they performed splendidly when they truly put their minds to it.

As usual, Akeno was her powerhouse; her ace in the hole. Even with the girl's troubled past and rather tragic self-hatred issues, she was no slouch with Lightning Magic, as well as a multitude of other elemental offensive attacks. Her defensive skills were certainly passable enough, the combination of a Queen piece and her hybrid heritage affording her a hardiness in battle that was irreplaceable.

Kiba and Koneko, conversely, acted as two parts of a greater whole. Between Kiba's dizzying speed and his top-notch sword skills, tuned to a fine degree by her brother's own Knight, the legendary Okita Souji, and Koneko's fearsome brute strength and defensive capabilities, they could weather any storm an opponent would bring to bear. Kiba's Sacred Gear needed some work, certainly, and Koneko's steadfast refusal to tap into her own heritage, not unlike the raven-haired Queen, was an issue. But it was an issue for another day, Rias reminded herself. Right now, they needed comfort, and care, and reassurement. She would be the one to give that to them, the red-haired beauty thought to herself. She would always be there for her family; no matter what.

(-)

Sai grunted, curling a magically enhanced barbell up to his chin. He did that quite a lot, to be fair; grunting, that was. Kuisha even joked on more than one occasion that he had created a whole language of grunts and other nonverbal noises, one that only she and the closest members of the musclebound young man's Peerage could decipher. Well, them and his darling cousin Rias, of course.

Though, now that he thought about it, there was another person that had managed to figure out his rather quirky method of communication. A human boy, no less. Fresh-faced and not even 17, though that date was rapidly approaching, the young Hyoudou had already carved a spot in Sai's heart as a dear friend.

It was funny, really. They had known each other for perhaps 18 months, a mere blip in time as far as Devil physiology was concerned. Sai wouldn't age even a few years physically by the time Issei was an old man, and already the 20-something young man considered the teen to be a trusted confidante.

Of course, there was something just a little bit odd about the young man. Sai had been seeing Issei nearly every weekday for over a year, and he had borne witness to the young man's startling rise in strength. At one point, he had even suspected that the Japanese teen had been using some sort of cycle, for surely there was no way a natural athlete could have shot up across all metrics so quickly.

A quick scan for any foreign substances had disabused Sai of that notion with swiftness, leaving more questions than answers in the end. Nonplussed by the lack of info, Sairoarg had simply dug deeper. A whole battery of magical diagnostics, conducted discreetly while Issei had been busy with his workouts, had been a bit more helpful.

There was something there, something within Issei. It was hidden deep, in fact so deep that the human teen had likely never suspected that he was any different from the ordinary people he interacted with, but it was there nonetheless. For his friend's own safety, given the rather fragile peace that currently existed in Kuoh, Sai had to figure out what exactly that something was.

There wasn't any significant Yokai heritage, at least not any more than the tiny mix that the average modern Japanese human had. No special Hero heritage either, nor any proclivity to Holy or Demonic energy that could denote a naturally born Swordsman. That left one thing, something that brought Sai both great happiness and distress. It must have been some sort of Sacred Gear.

The final nail in the coffin, the last bit of evidence that Sai needed came, interestingly enough, from his secret Pawn. Regulus Nemea had been with Sai's Peerage for about a year, gathered during an outing halfway through Issei's first year at Kuoh. He was extraordinarily helpful, Sai thought with a wry smile, always overjoyed to help his so-proclaimed Master in any way that he could.

Obviously, as a Sacred Gear himself, Regulus Nemea, or just Regulus as his human form preferred to be called, was more than a bit knowledgeable when it came to other Gears. Additionally, his place as a Longinus, one of the baker's dozen of God-Slaying Tools, granted him a level of experience and knowledge that most other sentient Sacred Gears could never hope to match.

Sai had called in his Pawn at one point, having him position himself quietly in the back corner of the gym that his Master and the odd Human that he had befriended loved to frequent. His job had been simple; he was to observe the teen and report back to the Bael scion with his findings. The results had blown Sairoarg away.

First, the Nemean lion had smelled dragon. Hidden as it was, it was no surprise that Rias hadn't caught on to the scent, but Regulus was vastly more perceptive given his age and his own status as a Sacred Gear. It was some sort of dragon, definitely. Beyond that, the ancient Lion couldn't quite determine what exactly the scent could mean. It could be something as simple as a Twice Critical, or as enormous as a Longinus; it was simply too early to tell.

Regardless of which Gear he had, Sai knew one thing. Issei had a Gear, and that meant his life was in constant and immediate danger. Growing up as a Bael, even before his rather unceremonious exit from the family and its politics, Sairoarg was more than aware of the lengths that the Three Factions and the rest of the Supernatural World would go to in order to bolster their respective ranks.

His own race was no different, with the Peerage system established specifically to take in promising non-Devils and shore up the dangerously flagging Devil birth-rate. The Fallen would recruit him given the chance, or eliminate him altogether to take out a risk before it truly became a risk. Heaven and the Angels would likely attempt to recruit him as well, take him in as an Exorcist or a Priest. The less said of the other, smaller factions, the better.

All in all, it was a tragedy waiting to happen if Issei was found by the wrong people at the wrong time, and as his closest friend, Sai knew that it was his responsibility, his duty, to protect the younger man from such a fate. It seemed, as always, life threw a wrench at him at the worst times. Just when he was finally feeling ready to confess to Kuisha his true feelings, he had another, much more immediate problem to take care of.

The massive young man finally dropped his barbell, keeping the steady up and down count to a hundred repetitions going in his head even as he mulled over the recent events. The weights crashed down to the floor, the magically reinforced padding all that kept the similarly magically-affected weights from punching a hole clean through the tiles.

"Seems you were right about one thing, Father. This game of ours goes on, and the work of a Bael is never done."

(-)

Aika hummed to herself, setting up a kettle to boil water on the stove. The bespectacled teen was at home in her apartment, by herself as usual. Mrs. and Mr. Kiryuu came by to check in on her twice a month, but the duo lived in Kyoto, so most afternoons Aika was by herself. She liked it that way, frankly; less people meant less mess, and the privacy certainly helped during her… nighttime proclivities.

But, the teen thought fondly, maybe it was nice to open up a bit and bring some people in. She had been at Kuoh for over a year now, transferring into the prestigious academy for her first year and sticking through. Now, she was beginning her second, and what a change it had already been!

Aika Kiryuu, though she could scarcely believe it at times, had friends! Not just acquaintances, not lab partners or study buddies or any other litany of terms, but real, genuine friends. The brunette wasn't a social pariah previously or anything like that; for the most part she was usually just seen as quirky and a bit of an oddball. However, through middle school she hadn't exactly been popular either.

She was simply there, simply existing. Some days it felt like she was only going through the motions of living, not truly experiencing much beyond the safe pages of her comics and her doujin. Though, of course, safe was a bit of an odd term to use. Safe to her, certainly not safe for work, she thought with a perverted chuckle.

"Ufufufu… What should I read today?" She pondered to herself. There were always the classics, of course. Books, comics, doujinshi, even a few H-games that she had not-so-discreetly overheard the Perverted Duo talking about. Yes, it was no question and certainly no surprise that Aika Kiryuu was an unrepentant pervert, an open lecher, a fan of the salacious and the taboo.

And, she chuckled again as she thought to herself, what could be more taboo than the Holy Grail of smut that she had recently gotten her hands on? It had taken great effort, more than a few greased palms and favors cashed in. It had taken great discretion, with a level of care and operational security usually reserved for secrets of state and clandestine drug deals. Most importantly, it had taken great gumption, a willingness to go right for the throat and never back down.

But now, through her hard work, dedication, and more than a bit of luck, she had finally retrieved the highly coveted item. Aika Kiryuu, madwoman that she was, had gotten her hands on the ultra-limited-edition, full color, fifty page copy of the best-kept secret of all of Kuoh Academy. Hell, there could have been a secret cabal of Supernatural creatures hiding right under their noses and it still wouldn't have been quite as hush-hush as this!

Ignoring the sound of somebody in the apartment next door sneezing rather violently, though she resolved to get them some ointment or something in case the thunderous sick noises continued, Aika reached out with one trembling hand, the other reaching behind her almost thoughtlessly to pull the kettle before it began to whistle. Still staring at the object, coated as it was in a thick sheen of plastic and tape, Aika poured herself a tall glass of tea and picked up the book.

God, she was nervous to even unwrap the damn thing! Still, she hadn't gone this far for nothing; her great efforts wouldn't be in vain. Taking a quick sip to calm her nerves and leaning back into her favorite chair, Aika gingerly began the arduous process of removing the wrap, unsealing the first-edition copy, one of only 10 in the entire school, of her favorite series.

Already she could feel the nosebleed coming on, a warmth that spread from below her belly out to her chest, out to her arms and feet with an unmistakable tingle. It was 10PM, there was nobody home, tomorrow was not a school day, and by God, Aika was going to enjoy this.

"Let's see what this newest copy of Prince x Beast holds… Ufufufu, I can't wait."