This marks our transition chapter into the next big arc of the story, centered around the Youth Devil Rating Game Tournament and other things.
The way the previous sentence is vague at the end should serve as a warning, perhaps.
This story now has a Tvtropes page, started up by Pyromania101 (whose doing a great job so far)! He's working as he reads through, but anyone who is interested I'd like to encourage to join in with creating the page, it's gonna be a big one.
Seconds after her eyes fluttered open, they snapped firmly shut, and then were further covered by the thick quilt on her bed.
"I'm such an idddiiioooottt!" Came the not-muffled-enough scream, accompanied by the quiet, rhythmless thudding of her heels against the mattress as her legs flailed beneath the covers.
It was the perfect chance! Like something straight out of a fairytale!
Still on the very same night of their first meeting, and she'd been offered the perfect opportunity to show her appeal, not just to him but the women by his side! It wasn't like she was trying to compete with them, if they could all get along with each other then so could she!
All she needed was a chance, and she missed it by being shy! For all she knew, he could have gone looking for her and she wouldn't even know, all because she got cold feet!
Little tears at the corner of her eyes, Rossweisse threw off the covers and wailed her frustration as she rolled back and forth on her bed.
"All you had to do was ask Kazami-san for a dance, you stupid girl!" She screamed at herself.
What was she supposed to do now!? She might never get another chance!
Seconds after her eyes fluttered open, they snapped firmly shut, and then were further covered by the thick quilt on her bed.
"I'm such an idddiiioooottt!" Came the not-muffled-enough scream, accompanied by the quiet, rhythmless thudding of her heels against the mattress as her legs flailed beneath the covers.
It was the perfect chance! Like something straight out of a fairytale!
Still on the very same night of their first meeting, and she'd been offered the perfect opportunity to show her appeal, not just to him but the women by his side! It wasn't like she was trying to compete with them, if they could all get along with each other then so could she!
All she needed was a chance, and she missed it by being shy! For all she knew, he could have gone looking for her and she wouldn't even know, all because she got cold feet!
Little tears at the corner of her eyes, Ravel Phoenix threw off the covers and wailed her frustration as she rolled back and forth on her bed.
"All you had to do was ask Vladi-san for a dance, you stupid girl!" She screamed at herself.
What was she supposed to do now!? She might never get another chance!
Elsewhere, two individuals not entirely unrelated to the issues of both Phoenix and Valkyrie were enjoying a significantly more pleasant wake-up.
Both Yuuji and Grayfia were early risers.
Very early risers.
Meaning that, despite the fact that Grayfia had hoped to be able to cuddle for a while the morning after, not only did she get her wish, but, after said cuddling session was cut rather short, they'd been at it for almost an hour.
This served to explain why the Underworld's Strongest Queen, who was usually perfectly presentable and already beginning her morning duties at this point, instead, had nothing covering her flawless body but a thin sheen of sweat.
… It also explained why she was currently bent over her dressing table and being taken from behind.
Grayfia lifted her head from the table to find the expression of a woman hopelessly lost to bliss reflected in the mirror- her cheeks flushed and mouth hanging open as she panted in breathless ecstasy.
Yuuji cupped her cheek with one hand as he leaned down over her, pinning her to the table and letting their reflected expressions rest side by side.
In total contrast to the gentle, encouraging smile on his face, Yuuji's thrusting grew violent in tempo, and soon, Grayfia's impassioned screams were drowning out the wild slap of flesh on flesh.
He didn't slow down at all when the orgasm rocked her supple form; that her second orgasm was much stronger than the first told Yuuji exactly how Grayfia felt about that.
Wonderfully unfair man that he was, though, behind the shower curtain, Yuuji was nothing but gentle.
Grayfia made certain to show Yuuji exactly how she felt about that, all the while wearing a fond, tiny smile that she herself was not even aware of.
She'd been pretty embarrassed about it the night before, there was no getting around that.
It was just that… she'd never been in love before. Oh sure, she'd been attracted to people before, but love was a new one.
That was why she'd been afraid to lose it.
She, Miyamoto Musashi, who was used to coming and going, drifting like a wild summer breeze.
Even though she was certain that she could trust Lady Gremory, the moment he was out of her sight, she just couldn't keep the worries at bay.
She just couldn't shake the feeling that if she closed her eyes, she would wake up somewhere else.
That if she closed her eyes without him there, he wouldn't be there when she was awake, either.
Now, she was awake and it was morning, and she was afraid to open her eyes for an entirely different reason.
… He was still there.
She could feel his warmth from beneath the covers, and, much more importantly, and wonderfully, and embarrassingly, she could still feel his hand, wrapped around her own.
His grip was firm but not tight, gentle but unyielding.
She'd never realized that the hand of another could be such a reassuring thing.
… She'd also never realized that she could hesitate so long over doing such a simple thing.
Really, how bad could it be, all she had to do was open her eyes, and….
"Good morning," Kiba Yuuto greeted her with a smile.
"I wasn't ready for this at all!"
When they went their separate ways, Grayfia basically disappeared. Yuuji understood why that was, though he also understood that she was likely aware that she was prolonging the inevitable.
It would have been even more futile, had a potential scapegoat not sat at the breakfast table and cheerfully enjoyed it with everyone else.
While noting that Musashi could probably compete with Koneko in an eating contest, Yuuji noted that it was also too late for her, and Kiba, who had been too interested in Musashi to notice the warning signs.
When Kiba's eyes widened with alarm, Yuuji met his gaze and gently shook his head in sympathy.
There was no point in resisting.
With movements worthy of trained assassins (and Yuuji would know), 'they' had already cut off any avenue of escape for the sword-wielding couple.
They should have known better, after all, 'they' had been looking forward to it for quite some time. The curiosity had probably driven them a little mad, and that madness was leaking out.
'They' being the women of the Gremory household. Even Koneko seemed interested, but she managed to snap herself out of it at the last moment.
Kiba and the woman he had fallen in love with, the woman whose fate had led her through time and space to be in his arms, were both right there.
So naturally, the women wanted details.
Saying a prayer for Kiba and his newfound love in his heart (the headache was worth it), Yuuji beat a hasty retreat (snagging Gasper and Koneko on the way like a good senpai) with the words "so, how did you two meet?" haunting his steps.
He'd make time to meet that Musashi woman later, of course.
Kiba was his friend, after all, and how could he not be curious about the woman his friend had fallen in love with?
He'd actually been a bit worried, if he was being honest.
Kiba had accepted that the older women in his life (which was most of the women in his life) were extremely interested in his love life, and that any woman who took his fancy would likely be heavily vetted.
If they hadn't been vetted already, plenty of potential sweethearts had been carefully considered, because the women in his life were nosy in the best possible sense of the word.
Musashi's circumstances handily denied them any prior knowledge, and so they were scrambling a bit to figure out just what the mysterious woman was like.
Well, except Lady Gremory, who had secretly summoned the swordswoman in the first place and Rias, who had prepared the dress with her mother.
All the women knew about Musashi, but only those two and Grayfia had met her beforehand.
Thus, they were making up for lost time, and maybe he was just a little bit worried because even though the odds were infinitely small, he didn't know what he was supposed to do if for some reason they didn't all hit it off.
Oh, he was surrounded all of a sudden, and hugging Musashi because they'd practically shoved her into his arms, and-
"See!? I told you, didn't I!" Mother insisted. "It's like the two of them were made for each other!"
And yeah, he had probably been worrying for nothing.
"Ehehe~" Musashi bashfully chuckled, hugging him with one hand and scratching her head with the other. "I think they like me!"
"Hard to blame them, really." Kiba smiled.
Musashi smiling back at him was all he could ever ask for.
The Youth Devil Gathering, in many ways marked the 'end' of summer break- even though there was a week left.
Rias and her mother had privately agreed that teaching all the new additions that the Gremory Manor was their home might be a bit of a stretch, but, at the least, they were confident in the belief that, at the very least, the new members of their family somewhat understood that they would always be welcome.
"Mother, I'd like to steal Grayfia."
Only the ease of long practice kept Venelana Gremory from choking on her tea, and luckily for Grayfia, her own level of poise was similar.
Rias had made that statement while Grayfia was right there in the room with them, after all
"You can't steal Grayfia, she's the Head Maid and I'd get lonely if she was never here." Venelana's prim rebuttal did not fail to communicate that the second half of her statement was of greater importance.
By far.
Rias nodded in complete understanding, but she had no intention of backing down.
"But surely I could have her on some days, could I not? With our new additions, we would require more staff to begin with to take care of the dormitory upkeep."
"True, I suppose we could spare her on weekends- if anything, being present at the dormitory would leave her with less to do overall, which would really be for the best."
"Weekends only? Need I remind you that Saturday is a half day at Kuoh? There's no way a mere day and a half of Grayfia time is reasonable, Mother."
"Isn't it though? Suu-chan and Ruth-kun will be attending school, and they're the only live-in Familiars, well, new addition aside. Surely you're not suggesting Grayfia spend the better part of the day at the dormitory all alone?"
"... No, of course not, pardon me for being too hasty. Very well, weekends are acceptable, provided she's able to join us for Saturday morning breakfast- that's one of the meals we have together, after all. And of course she can visit whenever she pleases."
"But of course. Very well, I accept your terms. Be careful about admitting fault in a negotiation, dear, but otherwise I give you full marks. Now, tell your mother about the real reason you wish to have Grayfia with you in Kuoh."
"Well, other than her being Grayfia, it's because she and Yuuji are adorable together."
"... I'm dropping your earlier evaluation. You really should have led with that, Rias."
Grayfia let out a quiet sigh as Rias clicked her tongue.
Though it was true that she didn't have any complaints with the new arrangements (she knew full well that the shift could be made without issue), she couldn't help but wonder if there was a point in that conversation about her that should have involved her.
Well, she supposed the topic was flattering in it's own way.
It was always nice to feel wanted.
… And speaking of wanted…
"Akeno-san, may I ask for a moment of your time?"
"Ara? Why of course, Grayfia-chan. If you'll excuse us for a moment?"
Raynare and Kalawarner saw them off politely, and then turned to one another the minute the two Devils were out of sight.
"So it's that, huh?"
"Indeed it is, Raynare."
"Wonder how she feels about extra bodies in the bed?"
"Something tells me we'll be learning the answer to that before long."
Closing the door to her room quietly, Akeno didn't waste any time.
"We don't have anything like a schedule, Grayfia-chan," she explained, "We just tend to let things happen naturally, communicate with one another, and try our best to only let those little bits of selfishness slip out during private time. Oh, and while it's important to respect that Yuuji needs alone time while he's awake, letting him go to sleep alone is a failure on all our parts."
The concepts of 'Yuuji in an empty bed' and 'Yuuji getting a healthy amount of sleep' had poor compatibility, after all.
Grayfia blinked slowly, hands folded neatly in her lap as she sat in the chair she'd been pointed towards, Akeno quietly crossing the room to sit herself across from her on her (Yuuji's) bed.
When the silence grew, Akeno tilted her head with a curious look.
"... Was that not what this was about?"
"... No, it most certainly was, I had just anticipated that I should at least be the one to broach the topic myself."
Akeno covered her mouth with a knowing little chuckle.
"My way is easier, Grayfia-chan~" Akeno tittered. "The only thing that isn't certain is how far your feelings for Yuuji go."
It was Grayfia. Akeno trusted Grayfia more than Akeno trusted Akeno.
Grayfia and Yuuji were happy and sexy together, and if anything, Akeno would possibly have to keep an eye on whether or not Grayfia was assertive enough with her desires.
"I… I am still learning that myself," Grayfia admitted, her tone soft but serious. "But at the very least, I cherish every moment spent with Yuuji… and I wish for more of those moments to occur."
… Yep, she had it bad, didn't she?
Akeno wasn't the only one who couldn't wait to see how cute Grayfia would be when she figured that out too.
Venelana hugged each and every one of them goodbye.
Twice.
Perhaps the ones most puzzled by the fuzzy feelings that lingered were Raynare and Kalawarner, the only ones who had never had a mother to begin with.
The next most puzzled one was one of the new additions to the Kuoh-bound group;
"Stay for a proper visit next time, okay?"
"Don't have to tell me twice Gremory-san!" Musashi replied with a cheery wink. "Good food, good company and a good fight is all I need to be happy, and you keep all those in stock, hehe~!"
Venelana's smile vanished, and Musashi went still.
"... Gremory-san?"
"Y-yes?"
"... Gremory-san?"
"... Yes? … errr… ummm…" Musashi scratched her head, shooting a 'help me look' at Kiba.
Kiba gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and mouthed something towards her with a twinkle in his eye.
Musashi flushed, and turned back to the patiently waiting Venelana, chuckling as she rubbed the back of her head with her free hand.
After a moment of fidgeting and hesitance, Musashi tried again.
"See you soon… K-Kaa-san? Teehee?"
"... C-cute."- that reaction came from not just Venelana, but Kiba, Rias and Amane, as well.
Musashi gave another stuttering, bashful laugh and retreated behind Kiba, whose smile only grew.
Meanwhile a pair of siblings were saying quiet goodbyes, some distance away.
"... You mean it?"
"Yep~! Your Onee-chan has been on her best behavior and your King is rated highly- if things go well, it won't be long before I'm serving parole in a cute little dormitory~" Kuroka smiled. "So look forward to it, Shirone~"
"Mm." Koneko quietly smiled up at her.
That loving smile turned into a suspicious stare as Kuroka smirked.
It took him a moment to understand what the twin cat tails beckoning him meant, but with slow, tentative strides Gasper made his way over.
The moment he was within arms length of Kuroka, he was steered side-by side to Koneko.
Taking a large step back, Kuroka crossed one arm beneath her bust, the other raised to allow her chin to rest on her fist as she scrutinized the two with a contemplative frown, tails swishing behind her and cat ears flicking occasionally.
"Yep, you're adorable together." She declared with a firm nod.
Placing a hand on her hip, Kuroka leaned forward, shaking one finger in Gasper's direction.
"Onee-chan approves, so take good care of Shirone, got it?"
Koneko flushed and tried to make herself smaller as Gasper stood as tall as he could, while pulling her closer to him.
"O-of course! I'll never let anyone make Koneko-chan cry, K-Kuro-nee!"
Koneko's pale cheeks pinked even more, but even with how small her smile was, it was impossible to miss.
"... When did Ga-kun get so cool?" She murmured in a voice so low that even a Nekoshou could hear it. She wouldn't be calling him 'Gaspie' anymore… it just didn't sound right in her head anymore.
Kuroka meanwhile had a strange, but not unhappy look on her face.
"... Kuro-nee, huh?"
"S-sorry, was that too…?" Gasper trailed off as Kuroka shook her head with a grin.
"Nyah, I like it, call me Kuro-nee from now on, Gasper-nyan."
Gasper gave a shy smile and a nod, but Kuroka didn't really notice- seeing Shirone get her man had her thinking, and her eyes naturally wandered as a result.
No one who had grown to know the older Nekoshou would have been surprised to see the direction of her gaze.
As far as realizations went, it wasn't anything terribly complex, but it felt like a meaningful one to Yuuji, nonetheless.
'It's good to be home'.
The day after they returned to Kuoh, Yuuji found himself observing a scenario that further cemented in his mind what one of the key aspects of summer break was;
Strange new experiences.
Hence why he was sitting in on the scene of a young high class woman earnestly attempting to persuade a dog that he should attend highschool for the second term of the year.
"Come now, Ruth, you're the only live-in Familiar who won't be attending school with the rest of us. Aren't you the least bit curious about what school is like?"
{"If I get curious, all I have to do is ask Suu how her day went in the evening."} Ruth retorted.
This was the crux of the matter- after diligent practice, Suu had perfected her human mimicry to the point where she could reliably attend school without drawing any of the wrong kind of attention.
It hadn't even been a negotiation- Rias had stopped Suu and Asia before they could even get to the 'please' of their request, knowing full well what kind of facial expression she was going to be exposed to in double.
Unfortunately for Ruth, Rias was pretty against the idea of leaving someone home all alone during school days, even if the Grim liked his alone time just fine.
Unfortunately for Ruth, Suu also wanted him to go, so Yuuji was of the opinion it was just a matter of time.
"Well, I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice." Rias declared with a grave sigh. "Ruth, as you are aware, Suu is going to be attending school this term."
{"... We've been over that, yeah."} Ruth said warily.
"But I don't think you understand, Ruth." Rias shook her head. "Suu is going to be attending highschool."
Ruth stared.
"With humans." Rias pointed out.
"I don't need to tell you that Suu is adorable, whether in her usual form or her human form."
Ruth blinked, slowly.
"Suu is going to be very, very popular with her classmates."
Rias paused for effect.
"Many of which are boys."
After several moments of silence, Ruth sighed.
"Well? You weren't planning to get my uniform fitted for four legs and a tail, were you?"
Yuuji smirked.
The last week of summer break often involved a bit of panicking as procrastination caught up with students across the nation.
Or at least, the students who hadn't completed their summer homework.
Which, among the members of the Gremory group, were precisely zero- they were all either good students to begin with, or they had Kalawarner as a homeroom teacher.
Aware that Yuuji was both, Azazel had called him out for a request on the last Thursday of summer break.
"So you're going to be my bodyguard for the night."
"Understood."
"While I conduct negotiations with the Norse."
"That's fine, a stupid request is still a request." Yuuji nodded agreeably.
Azazel laughed, and shook his head.
"Your official job is bodyguarding, but that's only a formality because it's good manners to have an escort if the person you're meeting has one, and the geezer doesn't get a choice in the matter on his end."
"... So what's the real request?"
Azazel gave him a thumbs up and a grin.
"Keep the geezer's bodyguard distracted and away from our blackjack and hookers."
"I've never heard a line like that spoken with such pride."
"Pride was the second most likely reason for me to get kicked out of Heaven." Azazel confessed.
"..."
"The first most likely reason was an ass worth going to war over."
Arms crossed, Yuuji returned a sage nod.
He was intimately acquainted with several asses he would go to war over, after all.
She would never dare to speak such words aloud, but Rossweisse… disliked her job.
It was supposed to be an honor, she was the guardian and personal assistant of Lord Odin himself! Not only that, but she was the youngest to have ever been granted the honor!
And yet, it did not change the fact that much of her duty involved following the Chief God of the Norse into strip clubs.
She hadn't even known what a strip club was before she was assigned her post!
But such was to be her fate- Lord Odin would be meeting with Azazel of the Grigori for 'private negotiations', which was code for 'Rossweisse would be pouring drinks and having her butt fondled by drunken humans'.
Suggesting that her Lord act with even a fraction of the dignity fitting his station was a lost cause, but what was she supposed to do?
What he called 'uptight' she called 'behavior appropriate for in public'!
And… no, what was the use?
Griping about her job would not make it any easier.
As was customary, Azazel would be attended as well, (if he felt like it) perhaps if she was fortunate it would be Baraquiel, the gentleman was imposing, but well-mannered and sympathetic, so that was something.
"Hi, I'm a distraction."
"... Pardon me, could you repeat that? I don't believe I… heard… y-y-y-you!?"
A moment earlier, Rossweisse had been chiding herself for being distracted, as she hadn't even noticed the stranger's approach.
Now, she wasn't chiding herself or thinking anything, as her thoughts had taken it upon themselves to tie themselves into knots.
The aforementioned 'distraction' was Kazami Yuuji, standing in the hallway with a total lack of expression upon his face and a single hand raised in greeting.
"... E-eh? W-w-wha?"
Yuuji nodded.
"I guess I'm pretty good at being a distraction." So far so good.
"K-Kazami-san!? W-what brings you h-here?" 'Yes you silly girl, charm him further!' Her inner voice screamed sarcastically.
"I'm Azazel's bodyguard for the night." Yuuji clarified.
"... Is that wise?" Rossweisse latched onto the topic like a drowning woman. "N-not that I wish to dismiss your t-talents, it is just your Sacred Gear may…?" A drowning woman who had most certainly floundered.
"That's the official reason," Yuuji admitted. "The actual job is to keep you company so you don't have to escort a pair of soon-to-be drunk old men into a strip club."
"... Is that what you meant by a distraction?" Rossweisse asked quietly. She had a feeling that the hotel room behind the door at her back was already empty.
Yuuji nodded.
"... I suppose I should have expected as much," she sighed, feeling a familiar exhaustion set in, rubbing her temple. "Lord Odin has made it abundantly clear that my presence during his… revelries is burdensome."
"Tiring, isn't it?"
"... Pardon?"
Yuuji tilted his head, not really looking her way as he crossed his arms and hummed thoughtfully.
"Actually, I'm usually a troublesome subordinate instead of having a troublesome boss." Elsewhere, JB felt a rush of vindication for no reason that she could discern. "But I think I get the idea, anyways, people making your job harder is frustrating, right?"
"Of course it is!" Rossweisse exclaimed. "It is not as if I wish to spoil what Lord Odin considers 'fun', but I am a bodyguard, not a serving girl! Is it so much to ask that the Chief God of the Norse show some manner of decorum in public!?"
Yuuji stuck a finger in his ear with a wince- girl had an impressive set of lungs on her.
"Ah! F-forgive me, I did not mean to… o-of course serving Lord Odin is a great honor!"
What was she even saying!?
Here was the man who'd caught her eye, and all she was doing was whining about her job!
"No it's not, it sucks and you hate it."
The excuses and apologies died in her throat.
"Look, you clearly have some things you need to get off your chest, and we've already been ditched by our bosses, so why don't we find somewhere a little more comfortable than a hallway to talk?" Yuuji suggested.
"Also, the other guests are staring." There were a lot more open doors in the hallway than there had been when he got onto this floor.
Rossweisse covered her red face with a whimper.
Yuuji actually didn't know why they'd ended up at a pub. He supposed it was fine though- it wasn't like it was difficult to get a fake ID, even without magic. More importantly, Rossweisse didn't really seem to realize how much of a problem she was actually having.
Which was why he was patiently listening to Rossweisse bitterly complain about her job, her boss, and why she never had time for a boyfriend.
"I swear I'm not normally like this." Which was part of the problem.
"I just don't know what to do!" She did, she was just afraid of what the solution could mean.
"It's supposed to be an honor, but…!" Honor got people killed, which was why he was so hard on Kiba at times.
"I'm just so tired!" People underestimated how heavy a mundane word like 'tired' could be.
"Ahhh… I'm sorry, Kazami-san! I'm sure you have better things to do than listen to someone like me complain!" Rossweisse slumped, her cheek pressed to the table as she stared at her untouched beer.
"Maybe I do," Yuuji agreed with a nod.
Rossweisse gave a barely audible little whine.
"I knew what I was getting into though." Azazel had known what Yuuji was getting into as well, but Yuuji was trying not to think about how the old man had figured it out.
Rossweisse's head shot up off the table, shimmering blue eyes wide.
"What?"
"... Why are you putting up with me?"
Because she reminded him of JB.
In a bad way.
Yuuji was aware that it was more than a little hypocritical of him to want to intervene in cases of chronic overwork, like with JB, Rias or Grayfia.
Or maybe it wasn't- the motivation came from a place of knowing where chronic overwork could lead.
He'd lost track of how many times he'd run himself into the ground trying to be useful, but it was different for them.
For Rossweisse.
'People' could still live beautiful, meaningful lives without destroying themselves in the process.
"... You remind me of someone I know," Yuuji shrugged.
"Muuuh… of course I do." Rossweisse let her shoulders sag.
Then she decided to clamp her hands over her nose and give him another wide-eyed look.
Probably because he'd flicked her nose.
"K-Kashami-gun!?"
"Quit that. You're still the person I'm here with, aren't you?"
Rossweisse went very, very still.
When her hands fell from her face, they revealed a look of determination- determination, but maybe not courage, because she immediately seized her full beer and drained the glass in one go.
And then hiccuped.
Yuuji pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh.
He'd seen this situation before too.
Rossweisse awoke feeling better rested than she had in ages, pushing herself up into a half sitting position and covering her mouth with one slim hand as she yawned.
Stretching her arms above her head, Rossweisse moaned softly as her back popped in a satisfying fashion- it was like much of tension had drained away from her body during the night, which likely contributed to how good she was feeling.
She could scarcely remember the last time her body felt so light.
… Well, perhaps the feeling of freedom had something to do with her state of dress- it was all too often that she fell asleep with a bra on, and suffered for it, but she seemed to have gone to sleep in nothing but her panties.
"That's because you wear bras that are too small," Yuuji helpfully supplied, sliding his shirt back on.
"Do I?" Rossweisse murmured, hefting her bosom curiously. "They must have grown again."
"Probably why your shoulders were so stiff too." Yuuji agreed.
Rossweisse nodded thoughtfully, her eyes slowly wandering the room with no real purpose behind her gaze.
The hotel room that she was sharing with Yuuji.
Yuuji, who had just finished getting dressed (she had never realized back muscles could be so appealing), while she herself was still almost entirely naked.
The hotel room where she and Yuuji had slept in various states of undress, a hotel room with only one bed.
"Don't think about it too hard."
Rossweisse took his advice, and screamed instead.
"Aaahhh I can never be a bride now!"
"Now you're just being dramatic."
"I can't believe I slept with a boy I've only met twice! We haven't even been on a date yet!"
"Well that part we can easily fix."
"And I don't even remember it!? What if I get pregnant!? What if I'm bad at it!?"
"... Actually, I get the impression that you're bad at sleeping, but if you're talking about sex then we didn't have it."
That brought Rossweisse up short.
"... We didn't?"
"No." Even if he'd been single, there was no way he was propositioning a woman who got blackout drunk off of a single beer.
"... You mean it?"
"Yes."
"... Then why am I almost naked?" Rossweisse gave him a suspicious look.
"You said we'd be cold if we slept with clothing on."
"... That doesn't make any sense."
"You were very insistent, but you were willing to compromise and allow underwear."
"I-I see… of course we didn't… h-hehe… pardon the assumption, Kazami-san," Rossweisse mumbled. "Of course someone surrounded by beautiful women wouldn't sleep with a woman whose number of years without a boyfriend matches the number of years she's been alive."
Aaaand now she was depressed again.
Yuuji sighed.
"Look, I might not be a good person, but taking advantage of a drunk girl would still be a scummy thing to do."
Oh yes, she had been drinking, hadn't she?
"... No, hold on, why don't I have a hangover? I always get hangovers."
"... You really are bad with alcohol. And you did have a hangover."
"I did?"
"You also threw up a lot and cried." Yuuji helpfully added on.
"... I did?" The covers being used to preserve what modesty she had left were pulled up to shield the lower part of her face. "But I don't feel like I did." Came the sheepish, muffled protest.
Yuuji shrugged.
"Fallen Angels have spent centuries developing methods to avoid hangovers and withdrawal." In lieu of payment for a minor request, Azazel had taught him a spell that the Grigori had dubbed the 'bender-ender'- it was a spell for surviving the morning after a party without hating yourself.
It was also handy when a change in prescription didn't go as well as the doctor hoped.
"... It kind of sounds like you just spent all night taking care of me." Rossweisse meekly pointed out.
"That's not true."
"It's not?" She hadn't meant to sound as hopeful as she did, but maybe...
"No, I also slept a bit." It was a good thing he was used to being a hug pillow.
… And there went her hope.
Rossweisse flopped back onto the bed with a frustrated huff, and Yuuji found himself wondering if reminding her she was topless was appropriate.
"... So much for leaving a good impression," Came the bitter murmur for the silver-haired woman, laying one arm across her forehead and staring despondently up at the ceiling,
Honestly, what was she expecting? It wasn't like Yuuji was the first boy she may have had a little crush on, but it always ended the same- she ruined things and drove them away before she had a chance to show any of her good points.
"I can't say I respect the decision to make that call on your own."
Rossweisse winced at the casual criticism, too wrapped up in self-recrimination to pay attention to the implications of his words.
"If you want to be optimistic about it, you showed me your hopeless and awkward side, right?" Rossweisse groaned at that, knowing fully well she couldn't refute him, "so, next time there's nowhere to go but up, right?"
Rossweisse shot up into a sitting position, which reminded Yuuji that she was a lot stronger than her slender frame suggested- all the hidden muscle he'd found while massaging her shoulders had reminded him of Kala.
"... N-next time?"
Yuuji tilted his head in confusion at the outburst.
"I mean, unless 'useless drunk' was the only impression you wanted to leave?"
"Ghh! … You really know how to hit where it hurts, don't you?" Rossweisse grumbled.
Yuuji just stared at her blankly.
"... No." Rossweisse lowered her head slightly, her bangs falling to cover her eyes. "No I… actually, that's not what I should be saying, is it?"
Yuuji raised an eyebrow, not understanding her meaning.
Rossweisse was silent for several long moments, marshalling her courage.
When Rossweisse lifted her head to grace him with a beaming, girlish smile, Yuuji was reminded precisely why the first words he'd ever said to her were 'you're beautiful'.
"Thank you for taking such good care of me last night, Yuuji-san." Rossweisse spoke, her voice tinkling like a delicate silver bell. "And if it isn't too much to ask, I would truly appreciate the chance to show you my gratitude the next time we meet."
Yuuji smiled, for the first time since they'd met the night before.
"That's more like it."
Rossweisse's expression brightened even further when he went on to accept the invitation, but...
"Not that I mind the show, but you forgot that you're mostly naked, didn't you?"
After shrieking and throwing a pillow at him, Rossweisse was left pouting and red-faced as after dodging, Yuuji left the room while chuckling.
Much to her delight, her morning with Yuuji wasn't quite over- since it was barely sunrise, Rossweisse had enough time for breakfast in the hotel dining room before tracking down her wayward god.
Usually hotels didn't serve breakfast this early, but the hotel was a five-star establishment more than willing to make allowances for polite guests who tipped well.
Especially Gremory affiliated guests.
"This place seems awfully expensive," Rossweisse murmured after she'd taken the edge off her hunger.
As in 'devoured a breakfast that could feed a small family', for which she was grateful that it didn't seem to affect Yuuji's opinion of her.
"It's in the family, so to speak, so I get a pretty good discount." The kind of discount that meant that he'd have to negotiate with Rias to let him actually pay for any of it.
"How did we end up here, by the way?" She felt mildly ashamed for only just having thought to ask that.
"I tried looking up directions to Asgard, but Google Maps wasn't feeling very helpful."
After a moment of incredulous silence, soft, melodious giggling was being muffled behind Rossweisse's hastily raised hand.
"Perhaps your method of searching was a bit too modern?" She managed with a grin.
Yuuji shrugged.
"The ravens I tried asking flew away."
That brought her up short. "The ravens…?" Could it have been…?
Brushing the thought aside for the moment, Rossweisse took a small sip of her tea, smiling across the table at the expressionless young man across from her.
She felt rather silly for having bemoaned her missed chance to spend time with him, only a few days prior.
And, though she wished that the morning could have been much longer than it was…
With a regretful sigh, Rossweisse placed her empty cup down.
"Wonderful though this has been, I have neglected my duties for long enough, I believe." That she could do so in the first place illustrated how little her protection was actually needed.
"See this is why I included 'not having to deal with the morning after' in my conditions for accepting the request."
Rossweisse chuckled again.
"Perhaps I'll have to renegotiate my own terms of employment~"
A hint of red colored her fair-skinned cheeks as Yuuji rose from his seat first, coming around the table and offering his arm as she rose.
Despite being almost his height while in her heels, Rossweisse found herself feeling rather small and delicate at his side, as they walked to the front desk arm in arm.
She had yet to determine why it was such a good feeling.
Walking together in a comfortable silence, Rossweisse had just managed to muster up her courage as they exited the hotel.
As the doors slid shut with barely a whisper, Rossweisse turned and planted her lips on Yuuji's cheek.
Smiling bashfully, Rossweisse twirled from his side and back around to face him, her movements hasty but still graceful.
"Thank you again, Yuuji," she said. "And never you fear, I haven't forgotten that dance I owe you."
Yuuji smiled for the second time that morning, a sight Rossweisse would cherish just as much as the first time she'd seen it.
Unseen upon their high perch, a pair of great black ravens watched in quiet approval.
Perhaps it said something about a certain level of irreverence present in their day to day dealings that the chief god of the Norse was accustomed to rude awakening that offered no sympathy for his often hung over state.
Which was precisely what he didn't wake up to, the morning after he'd partied with the Fallen brat.
Instead, Odin was left wondering if he was still drunk, because he could have sworn the sound gently drifting through the hotel room was humming, underscored by the sound of sizzling from the penthouse kitchenette.
And was that coffee he smelled?
The scent was hitting harder than his fool son's hammer.
Just the way he liked his coffee.
Pushing himself up with a groan and creak of old bones, Odin had to rub his single eye to make sure he wasn't seeing things.
There, with her back turned to him, was the attendant he'd ditched, cooking breakfast while humming a tune.
And there at the table was Azazel, who'd put down his fork to smirk and wave.
The turned back of Rossweisse straightened, and she glanced over her shoulder at him with a sunny smile.
"Good morning Lord Odin," she greeted politely. "Your breakfast is almost ready, so please take a seat."
Soooo… either she'd finally snapped, or some good luck had finally gone the girl's way.
He'd keep it to himself, but he hoped it was the second.
Even if it meant he'd lost the bet with the bird brat.
It was a general rule that Stray Devils were not particularly known for their cunning- by the time their out of control power had begun warping their bodies, they were more beast than anything else.
Beasts capable of horrid levels of cruelty, but beasts nonetheless.
Which was precisely why the one fleeing through the dockside shipping yard could not begin to comprehend why it was being hunted down.
It thought it had been careful- it had only feasted upon those that no one would miss.
And yet an Angel of the Lord had descended upon wings of fire to see it pay for the wickedness it had wrought.
Fighting had never crossed its mind- it fled on all fours, its silhouette blurring the line between man and mutt.
It fled without knowing that the chase had ended the moment it had begun.
Searing agony set its world ablaze as a bolt of light skewered the concrete, destroying its knee entirely along the way.
The Stray screamed and crashed to the ground, tumbling about before twisting to push itself into a seating position and shuffling away.
"Now I just feel kinda bad." It stopped moving as the speaker, and its attacker, revealed itself, descending from the sky with a flutter of white.
… It was a girl.
Just a girl, her features pretty but youthful, her chestnut hair done up in twintails.
Dressed in clinging dark leathers and with a sword of light held comfortably in one hand.
It was a girl.
Just a girl, if it begged it then maybe-
"No no no, she's not going to listen so you may as well save your breath." A rich and deep voice chided.
"But Lord Uriel, shouldn't I at least hear his last words?" The young Angel complained.
The moment the word 'Uriel' was spoken aloud, even the tiniest kindle of hope was entirely, utterly snuffed out.
Slowly, it turned its quivering expression to find a man with wildfire eyes standing behind it with a mocking smirk on his flawlessly handsome features.
If it had retained its sane mind, it would have wanted to scream at the unfairness of it all- what kind of fledgling Angel had a Seraph watching over it!?
Not just any Seraph, but the most merciless Seraph in all of Heaven, the Last Laugh himself!
"I will save you the trouble, Irina dear, so listen closely," Uriel drawled with a deadpan stare.
He raised his voice ever so slightly, but his tone was entirely flat.
"'Ah, please don't kill me, I can change I swear! I'm a good little godless abomination, yes I am'." Returning to his normal tone of voice, Uriel went on to say "never underestimate the lack of creativity present in every half wit sinner, Irina."
Irina puffed up her cheeks, but Uriel was unperturbed- Father had given him the lion's share of His sense of humor, so Uriel knew full well that his jokes were flawless by default.
"But do tell, young Irina, if it were to plead for its life, would you grant it's wish?"
"Pfft, no." Irina scoffed. There wasn't an ounce of consideration in her voice.
Her tone may have been lively and enthusiastic, but there wasn't the slightest trace of anything resembling 'mercy'.
The innocent looking girl was still holding her sword just as comfortably.
"And is that reason enough to kill it?" Uriel mildly inquired.
"It should be."
"Then why is it that your wings flicker?"
"... Eh?" Forgetting her prey entirely, Irina shot a panicked look over her shoulder to find her wings fading to grey, and then back to white, slowly and ponderously.
"B-but why!?" Irina's voice cracked with disbelief as she whipped her gaze back to Uriel.
Only to find him smiling gently.
"It's a reminder, and nothing more," the Seraph softly assured. "Our wings don't always flicker to warn us when we risk going astray- sometimes it is merely a reflection of our own doubts- reminding us to consider our actions carefully. Personally, I believe it to number among one of the many gifts Father left for us."
Irina exhaled softly, some of the tension leaving her slender frame.
"Hate the sinner, hate the sin, but only this sinner, this sin." Uriel instructed. "No matter how dreadfully unimaginative they may seem, every sinner is unique, and every sin occurs but once. You must never allow Retribution to be reduced to a mere routine."
After several moments of silence, Irina nodded firmly.
"I understand, Lord Uriel."
"Wonderful. Now, how do you feel about passing sentence on this particular sinner?"
Irina directed a bright smile his way as the flickering of her wings stopped, leaving only pure, unblemished white.
"Pretty good!"
"Oh?"
"Mhm, earlier I felt a little bad I guess cuz there wasn't really a fight, but then I remembered that the innocent people Stray-san killed probably didn't get a chance to fight back either!"
Uriel's ever-present smirk widened approvingly.
Irina winked at the terrified Stray, and raised her sword high.
"Miyamoto Musashi, pleased to meetcha!" Musashi greeted her new classmates with a cheerful pose and a grin.
To say she made a good first impression would have been an understatement, but, naturally, there were several who wondered.
"Nope, no relation to any famous swordsman from around here, my old man is just really into that sort of thing!"
It wasn't a lie, of course. Musashi didn't have any relation to anyone in that world.
"So why'd you move to Kuoh then, Miyamoto-san?"
"Pfft, call me Musashi, k?" Musashi scoffed. "Anyways, the reason I moved to Kuoh?"
Almost the whole class leaned in when Musashi did- cupping her mouth with one hand, she began in a loud whisper.
"That's~ a~ secret!" She winked and grinned, immensely proud at herself for managing not to look at her boyfriend and giving anything away.
Kala-Sensei was playing dirty, leaving an empty seat beside Yuuto like that.
"Ursula Argento, but call me Suu please, that's much cuter~" the next girl to introduce herself was a small, but shapely blonde with a gentle smile and deep emerald eyes. "And no, we're cousins, not twins, but it's an easy mistake to make~"
If Musashi's lively air had everyone grinning, Suu's appearance calmed them right down, leaving everyone feeling soothed and healed.
The resemblance to Asia wasn't hard to pick out, even without factoring in that Suu looked like her slightly bigger twin.
Everyone knew Asia's story more or less by this point- she'd been transferred from the Italian countryside to the Kuoh church only to discover that there wasn't one, anymore.
A case of Suu being mistaken for Asia led to her discovering her long lost cousin- after meeting for the first time over summer break, Suu had signed on for the exchange program to become better acquainted with the cousin she never knew.
It was the sort of story that might have been viewed as 'too good to be true', had anyone been capable of doubting an Asia that was smiling so hard that her cheeks cramped.
Ruth Argento had apparently inherited his looks from his father, which was why he hardly resembled his little sister Suu. Another partially true statement, as Ruth's father had in fact been a dog.
The girls in the class all appreciated a handsome, exotic looking young exchange student willing to cross an entire ocean to make sure his little sister and the cousin he'd never met were well looked after.
A family man was naturally going to be pretty popular, and Ruth had always been surprisingly good with people for a wolfhound who could walk through shadows and chase bears up trees as if they were oversized squirrels.
Since none of them had had anything resembling a formal education, Ruth, Suu and Musashi were all taking supplementary lessons with Kalawarner to get them up to speed- though it wasn't that they needed a lot of help.
Being live-in Familiars meant that Suu and Ruth absorbed a good deal of information via passive proximity to their masters, while Musashi was…
"I can read English and Japanese, but don't ask me why cuz I dunno!"... Well, Musashi was Musashi.
Since she was interested in it anyways, part of her supplementary schoolwork was doing a book report on the Book of Five Rings (she was immensely impressed that her male counterpart had the attention span to actually write that much on his own time).
More importantly, Kiba liked to read so at home they could cuddle while they enjoyed their books.
Cuddling was kind of a new thing for her, and so Musashi had resolved to practice lots and lots to make sure she could do a good job of it.
Taking a long, slow breath, Gasper excused himself as quickly as he could when the lunch bell rang, shooting a quick smile and a nod Koneko's way, who returned the gesture and quietly rose to her seat to follow him.
No one paid particular attention to his hasty exit- not that that was a bad thing.
After discussing with Buchou, he'd agreed that just saying he'd been homeschooled and wasn't used to a lot of people at once would be for the best, this let him integrate into the class without being pitied because of his phobia, and his new classmates were all used to Koneko, who was super popular but liked to be left alone.
He froze in his tracks as he slipped into the hallway and found it very, very full, but a chunk of that tension vanished a moment later- no one was paying attention to the new student because the new student wasn't Rias.
Rias, who was standing by the window across from his classroom door, patiently waiting and ignoring the stares and whispers the way only people who naturally attracted every gaze could.
"Good afternoon Gasper, how has your day been so far?" She smiled gently, the subtle tinge of concern evaporating like it had never been there when he beamed up at her.
"Lots and lots of fun!" Gasper reported in excited rapid-fire speech. "I was a little nervous but Koneko-chan was right there and I only wanted to hide a little bit after I introduced myself but I'm fine now!"
Her smile widening further, Rias let slip a relieved, barely audible sigh.
"That's wonderful to hear, Gasper," she told him. "How are you feeling about the rest of the day?"
Gasper pursed his lips with a little hum, giving the Koneko-hand that had found his own a tiny little squeeze.
"Hmm… I might have to use the 'bathroom excuse' in the later periods, but as long as the teacher remembers not to call on me during lessons then I should be fine."
"I see… you're doing even better than I'd hoped, good work, Gasper." Rias softly praised.
Gasper just grinned back, he was feeling pretty proud of himself for not having any strong urges to hide in the Dark or a cardboard box.
"And how about you, Koneko?" Rias directed her attention to her sole Rook.
"I sit beside Ga-kun, school is perfect now." Koneko confirmed quite seriously as Rias chuckled and Gasper flushed.
She was even willing to look the other way when that blonde birdie made eyes at her man, because the birdie liked to chirp and that helped distract her classmates from Ga-kun.
Koneko wouldn't have thought that way at all if she'd understood what Gasper was thinking; sensitive to people's gazes, he'd easily noticed the new transfer student was paying more attention to him than she was to other people.
So he was working up the courage to talk to her, since she was working up the courage to talk to him.
It wasn't as if his impression of her was more that she was pretty and seemed nice- Gasper was just sympathetic because he knew how hard it was to say the first words to someone new.
Back in the classroom, Ravel Phoenix, who had avoided introducing herself to Vladi-san in a show of consideration (while her estimation of him rose due to noticing the bravery being in that room took), felt her smile cramp as a surge of joy and a profound sense of defeat intermingled.
"So, Buchou, why are there so many Devils at our school now, anyways?" Yuuji asked as they all gathered in the clubroom after school.
"I'm glad you asked, since I'd intended to address the topic to begin with," Rias replied. "For now, it's only Devils, but we can expect to be seeing more Fallen and even potentially some members of the Church present," she informed them.
"Kuoh Academy has received quite the boost in prestige among the supernatural community, after the treaty," Rias went on to explain. "So while they've been heavily vetted to avoid causing a stir, we'll have everyone from those wishing to take part in the making of history to those merely experiencing idle curiosity."
"And a spy or two," Akeno chimed in with her ever-present smile.
"And a spy or two," Rias confirmed with an airy nod.
A hint of a smirk tugged at her lips as Rias ran a hand through her hair.
"Of course, I imagine the numbers among every faction will drop sharply now that word has gotten around of our new Law teacher."
It also explained why Irina had been the last one to join them in the clubroom, despite being in the same class as a large partition of them.
Azazel had not been joking, much to her surprise- they really did have a Seraph among the faculty this semester.
The Flame of God had descended upon Kuoh, but 'not on wings of fire because that might cause a scene', as Uriel had blandly suggested.
Rumor had it that the Last Laugh had ditched his escort due to his overwhelming curiosity of what riding in a taxi was like.
The reason Azazel wasn't in the classroom was because he was properly doing his own job as a teacher, the reason Uriel had yet to visit the clubroom was because he was giving Raynare and Kalawarner time to be less terrified of someone who was essentially the Fallen Angel equivalent of the Bogeyman.
The conversation cut short as a teleportation symbol appeared in the center of the room- pale blue, but quietly displaying the Gremory crest.
Grayfia Lucifuge greeted Rias and the rest with a small, formal bow- at a nod from Rias, Akeno stepped forward to accept the letter the maid offered.
Slicing it open with a letter opener from Kiba, Akeno quickly glanced over the letter and frowned.
"What is it, Akeno?"
"Someone appears to be pulling strings, Buchou." Akeno reported with a sour look.
Of course, the 'incident' at the Youth Devil Gathering was no secret- they were well aware that a certain someone had a less than appropriate level of interest in Asia.
That someone just so happened to be their first opponent in the Youth Devil Rating Game Tournament, and that someone was-
"Diodora Astaroth."
The glass in Raynare's hand shattered.
So yeah, everything is fine.
Now, you might wonder why Diodora hasn't shown up yet to ask for Asia to be traded?
We'll get to that, but it has a lot to do with how their first 'coincidental meeting' was cancelled, and a bit to do with Diodora being less of a moron in canon, because there's no reason for him not to be aware that Rias wouldn't trade any of her peerage unless they themselves wanted it, and probably not even then if she didn't implicitly trust the other King.
I had fun mirroring the opening scenes with Rossweisse and Ravel, one, as you can see, was luckier than the other, but now you know why they were less present at the dance.
We also had some Musashi fluff, and Grayfia caught up to the rest of the harem by realizing that she had already been accepted as part of it.
Good times around, but next chapter we're not going to be waiting for long before things start getting a little wild.
PS: I'm also active on Discord, the server belonging to my boy Belial the Liar. If you guys are interested in chatting up cool people about stories of mine, his and others, as well as just generally being awesome, come pop over with the link that's definitely going to be awkwardly censored d i s co r d .gg /3 7nDApJgRA (remove spaces and whatnot)