Ravel tiptoed through the hallway. It was close to midnight and most people were asleep. It was her chance! That damned Nekoshou has been standing in her way for several nights already, always on the watch when Ravel tried to get closer to her beloved and betrothed. Not tonight. Ufufufufu. Ravel made sure to--

"Nya."

Ravel stared. The damned kitten stared back. Her face grew red in anger. "You weren't supposed to be awake!"

Koneko smiled smugly at Ravel.

"But I did everything the guide told me to do! I warmed your milk, made sure you played the whole day, and made sure your bed was warm before you slept! Did I miss something?" Ravel pulled out her phone and scrolled through her browser, looking for the guide on how to put kittens to sleep.

"Don't worry nya~ I'll share Issei with you," Koneko spoke softly.

"But I want him for myself!" Ravel said crossly, crossing her arms and pouting.

"Nyo can do," Koneko tilted her head, a gesture equivalent to the shrugging of shoulders. "Irinya-senpai and Rias-senpai sleep with him every night."

"At least you aren't there…"

"What did you say, yakitori?"

"Don't call me yakitori!" Ravel hissed.

Just then the door opened to reveal a shirtless Issei. "Shush you two, everyone else is sleeping."

"Sorry nya~" Koneko said, absolutely unapologetic going by the small smile on her face.

"I'm sorry," Ravel bowed to Issei. Not out of respect-- well, with a bit of respect-- but to hide her beet red face.

Issei sighed. "Since you two are still energetic, want to go for a night stroll?"

That sounds romantic, Ravel thought to herself. She nodded her head. Koneko agreed with her.

"Just let me get a shirt," Issei said. He closed the door and came out a moment later with a plain white shirt. "Shall we go?" he offered his hands to Ravel and Koneko. Koneko took his left arm while Ravel was content with his right hand.

And so, the trio walked down the stairs and out the door, with one of Issei's tentacles closing the door behind them.

The cold night summer wind bit at Ravel's lips and tugged at her hair. Ravel brushed her hair to the side and admired how different the night ambience of the beach compared to the day. The moon was shining brightly and the waves reflected its light blue neon light. The sand seemed to glow while dark waves beat down upon them, snuffing out their light before they glowed again. The process repeated, ever so calmingly. It was different from the world that Ravel was so accustomed to. It was beautiful. Much more beautiful than what Ravel has read, listened to, or watched.

"Hey, Ravel, are you coming with us or?" Issei called out to her. She didn't realize that she let go of his hand as she was taken aback by the beauty of the evening beach.

"I-I'm coming," Ravel stuttered. She never stuttered. She was a woman of the prideful Phenex Pillar, brought and raised with elegant etiquette. But something about Issei, her beloved, made her someone else. Someone not the prideful Ravel Phenex "the daughter of Phenex" but Ravel Phenex "the girl." It made her heart flutter.

She ran after Issei and gripped his offered hand into her own.

Their night walk was mostly quiet, with just a few conversations breaking the silence. At some point, Koneko splashed some water on Ravel, which led to Ravel retaliating. Issei was caught in the crossfire and joined in. The three laughed as their sleeping clothes were drenched in the cold, salty water.

"I liked this nightgown too," Ravel moaned once they stopped playing. She wrung her negligee, in a hope to dry it.

"I could dry it later, when we get back," Issei said. "Shall we go back?"

"Yes!" Koneko jumped onto Issei's back, exactly like a cat would, and claimed her seat.

Ravel looked in jealousy. It looked fun. Koneko shot her a knowing grin.

Issei shifted Koneko such that his other shoulder was free for Ravel to sit on. Ravel beamed and perched herself on the free shoulder, like a bird. Koneko gave her a stare while Ravel smugly grinned.

And so, Issei carried Koneko and Ravel on his shoulders and trudged back to the villa. Once they reached it, he carefully placed them back on the wooden porch. "I'm going to dry your clothes now," he said as he dried his own shirt.

Wait. Was Ravel ready for this? She was! She had nothing to fear, her only opponent at the moment was a chopping board.

Ravel stripped off her nightgown and offered it bashfully to Issei. "Here." She dared not cover herself despite dying from embarrassment.

"...I was just going to warm you up with a hug," Issei said. He grinned perversely, "But this works too."

"A," Ravel said dumbly. "I-Is that so?"

"Mou," Koneko pouted and stripped off her camisole and shorts off too. Her body was bathed in a pale glowing light, and suddenly, her breasts became fuller. "Look at me too, Issei-senpai," she took Issei's hand and planted it on her now plump breast.

Ravel will not be defeated! She took Issei's other hand and placed it firmly on her breast. "How is it?" she tried to sound smug even as her face burned red.

Rias watched as Issei played around with Koneko and Ravel. It brought a smile to her face. Issei has already broken out of the shell that was forced upon him. At first, it was just his own parents and Rias that he would talk to. Then Irina and Koneko came along. His anger and battle with Riser seemed to also bear fruit in the form of Ravel being his betrothed; not to mention him getting close to her. Recently, he has also been able to flirt with Rossweisse despite being against strangers being in the house not long before. Now… This all would have been accomplished a year before had a certain crow not gotten in the way…

Rias shook her head of the sudden dark thoughts.

It wasn't time to be stuck in the mistakes of the past, no matter how much Rias wanted to strangle someone.

Of course, Issei's growth wasn't just the results of her own endeavors. Rias would give Irina major credit, since the younger girl was Issei's childhood friend and had become a cornerstone in helping Issei grow out of his shell. Asia too. While the girl had only arrived recently, Issei had grown protective of her and considered her family already. It wouldn't be surprising that if someone were to hurt Asia, Issei would unleash hell upon them.

"Issei has grown, hasn't he?" Irina's soft voice broke Rias out of her thoughts.

"You think so too," Rias asked.

"I do," Irina sighed, as if she had let a mental weight go. "It's nice, isn't it?"

"It is."

"It's also funny that Ravel let Issei dry her clothes when she could do it herself."

Rias cracked a smile. "A Phenex who doesn't use her fire. Maybe she planned this in advance?"

"What was I thinking!?!?!" Ravel screamed into her pillow the next day. A small smile appeared on her lips after her small tantrum. "At least he liked the feeling of my breasts..." her face turned red and she rolled around with her pillow as she wrangled with complicated feelings on the subject.