"Oh I can… wake up at 04:30 if I… sleep at midnight… FUCK YOU KOTA!"

"Less whining, more jogging." Rias ordered, following Beth closely while riding a bicycle. As promised by the heiress, the Peerage came at 05:30 to initiate Beth and Kota's new routine of training. First was cardio, having the two go on an hour-long jog through town. Between the two, it wasn't much of a surprise Kota was moving at a perfect pace, keeping even with Kiba at the front of the pack.

At the middle was Akeno and Beth, the former working a sweat but keeping herself relaxed while the latter seemed ready to collapse. To say her stamina was shoddy would be generous, given her pace slowed down considerably. The only things that kept her from slowing to a crawl was Rias' orders… and the occasional kick to the butt Koneko gave her, being the one between the middle of the group and Rias at the back.

"Bite me… Cherry Head!" Beth called back at Rias' order, before jolting forward from a new kick from Koneko. "And you give that a rest pipsqueak!"

"Stop slowing down and I will." Was all Koneko said in return, only increasing Beth's ire.

"Come on Beth, keep your knees up and motion your arms." Kota called back to her, turning and keeping a steady pace going in reverse. "One step at a time, we're making good distance for half an hour."

"It's only been half an hour…" Beth coughed in disappointment, sweating like a pig as she barely kept her pace going. Kota and her never ran a marathon, but he figured she was in better shape than this. If she was tired from waking up he'd figure that'd be it, but for the most part she was wide awake.

"I'm sorry to ask this, but is she normally this upset?" Kiba asked, getting a sigh from Kota as he turned to return to his pace with the blonde.

"No… but she's also not a morning person or much of a jogger. Walking she could go for days, but up her speed by like 50% and she just start's deflating." Kota explained. "And sorry about how she acts, she's hardheaded but I think she's still adjusting to everything new."

"I'm adjusting to my BEST FRIEND STABBING ME IN THE BACK!" Beth yelled, getting a couple laughs from the Occult Research Club, aside from Koneko who delivered another kick. "One more time pipsqueak, see what happens!"

"Don't be a bitch."

"I'm gonna die… I'm dying and it's all your fault…" Beth panted, face planted on the ground as she clung to whatever air she could suck down. After their hour run, the group of devils were in the woods just outside of the old school building. There was some light effort from everyone, Beth at the worst as Kota opened a bottle of water and poured its contents onto Beth's head, the girl sighing in relief at the cool sensation.

"How's that? You dying anymore?" Kota asked with a grin, Beth slapping the empty bottle away as she remained laying.

"You're off the hook for now… but that is yet to be determined."

"Alright, now we'll start the gauntlet. Kota, I want as many out of a hundred push-ups and sit-ups, for three sets." Rias instructed after ten minutes, Kota sighing at the order. "Beth… you get an extra twenty minutes."

"Thhmmmmph yommmmf." Beth mumbled, her face in the dirt.

"Alright, guess this is endurance training." Kota sighed, before laying down and propping himself up for push-ups. "Okay then: One-ADDED WEIGHT!" As the boy went down to start, he immediately landed face first as added weight was placed on his back, and a strange softness pressed down at the source.

"Come on, you can't spend all day down in the dirt." Rias playfully mused, crossing her legs as she got comfortable sitting on Kota's back. "You may not recognize it yet, but you are inherently stronger due to your new body. Regular push-ups wouldn't cut it for you."

"Easy for… you to say." Kota groaned as he forced himself back up into proper posture. While it was weight he wasn't used to, a part of him did feel it wasn't impossible for him to do. However he'd be lying if the redhead sitting on him wasn't distracting in its own way.

"Tick tock perv." Koneko said, calling Kota out of his daze as he groaned in exertion.

"I'm going… I'm going." He responded, beginning to lower himself down and pushing himself back up. Push-ups weren't really his forte, but he wasn't a slouch when it came to them. The first handful were excruciating, but as he found a proper balance even Rias' added weight was becoming manageable.

"There you go, that's the spirit." Rias applauded him as he got to twenty, patting his shoulders from her seated position. "Just keep going like that, show us what you can do."

'Just focus on it, up and down… up and down… ah damn it why did everyone have to be a girl here…' Realizing that his mental efforts had to be quelled, all Kota focused on was pushing up and lowering down. As he was getting a better focus, he made sure to distance any thoughts on his back, staring at the dirt as sweat dropped off his head at each push.

"Come on, you're doing good Kota." Kiba encouraged. "Just keeping push."

"Kiba… I know you're trying to… help, but you're… just distracting me…" Kota coughed out, uncertain of what the count was at. His tempo slowed back down as he found the limit of his current strength, fighting to reach his full extension before collapsing in a heap, face in the dirt as he accepted defeat.

"Fifty-three, not bad for a first attempt." Rias congratulated, shifting off of the boy as he remained laying in the dirt. "Take a minute break, then we'll shift to your sit-ups."

"Great…"

"Damn, you look rough." Beth commented, sitting up as she regained her breathing during his pushups.

"Think you could get that far?" Kiba asked, genuinely curious.

"Ah ha! Oh Kiba, pretty and funny. You're a winning combo." Beth laughed. She could be competitive, hell her and Kota were notorious for always going against each other in gym class for team games. But that nowadays it became a contest of strategy, Beth wasn't ashamed to admit that after they turned fifteen Kota's routines had him physically surpass her. If Kota could barely pass fifty, she'd likely crap out before. Maybe if she didn't have added weight she could make it that far, but that's a demonstration of the handicap.

"Beth's never been one for practice and training, she's best in the moment." Kota informed. "Never seen her practice a day in her life, but her coordination and reaction timing was crazy. She never got touched during flag football." And that he could say from experience. He was faster than her for at least two years, but even last week during gym he practically felt his ankles snap trying to keep up with her movements. Course now he realized she was a devil by then, but that was still consistent with how they competed in the past.

"That may be so, but it's not applicable in this world." Rias responded. "Emotions may help enhance one's magic and Sacred Gear, but without the discipline and aptitude to call forth your abilities, short term power ups will end up getting you killed."

"Then I'll just have to help cover her shortcomings, as she will mine." Kota responded assuredly, surprising Beth at his genuine answer. "That's what we've always done, so why would we stop now?"

"Yeah… of course." Beth then smiled to him. In all honesty despite her original high expectations, since she became a devil she's felt that her progress has been pathetic. She couldn't hold it to herself that she couldn't do more against the Stray Devils or Satan, that was her first real fight and it was against an ambush and an opponent the strongest people she knew would lose to. But it hurt to have been a burden, and Kota's enthusiasm was infectious as he remained confident in the future.

"Alright, break's over. Give me 100 sit-ups Kota." Rias clapped her hands, the boy rolling his eyes in amusement as he shifted around to lay on his back and bend his knees.

"Is there any surprise additions to this?" The boy asked, looking over to Rias as the heiress chuckled.

"No, none that I can think up without being impossible to you." She answered. "I just expect much closer to a hundred, if you can manage that."

"It's more manageable than your surprise push-ups." Kota grinned. "Can someone hold my feet down? I don't want to lose my posture."

"Sure, I can help." Akeno offered, placing her hands down on Kota's shoes.

"Thanks." As Kota was about to start, he noticed his clothes glowed red for a singular second, sparing a glance to Rias who was smiling innocently. A single move forward then had Kota lay back in realization at what had happened, and he cursed himself for trusting the devil's lies. "You increased the weight of my shirt."

"What, Kota I promised you I wouldn't do anything." Rias spoke with a mocking level of hurt, her smile impossible to hide as he gave a tired stare to her. "Now chop chop, can't have you slacking on your workout."

"You're evil." Kota sighed as Rias stuck her tongue out teasingly, before he made his first attempt up. Once again he would normally have no trouble doing the desired hundred sit-ups for his first set, but as Rias threw another factor into the mix he knew he'd fail. He was uncertain how much weight Rias' magic added to his clothes, but it was almost triple the effort he needed to rise up to a full seated position. And it was when he was up there he realized his second problem.

All the way up, his face was centimeters away from Akeno's. The devil had her face leaned a lot more forward, and at this closeness Kota took in details he hadn't noticed before. For starters, her eyes were a lot brighter than he originally thought, the violet nearly shining with the light. Realizing he was staring, he tried to look away, but his first instinct of looking down only caused more embarrassment as he then had a close look at her breasts, the gym shirt barely containing them before he shot back down and slammed into the ground, groaning at forgetting the added weight of his clothes.

"Ara Ara, is something the matter Kota?" Akeno chuckled, beaming a smile as Kota looked up into the sky with a red face. "Did you get distracted?"

"…Sorry…" He whined out, embarrassed of himself at having gotten flustered at the proximity of Akeno's face and his glance at her cleavage.

"It's fine, a wandering eye isn't something to be ashamed of."

"But I really should." Kota muttered, before taking a calming breath to continue. Sitting up again, he tried his best to keep his eyes focused forward, so while he was face to face with Akeno again, he kept his gaze towards the building behind her. Having a target made it easier to avoid looking straight at her, partly ashamed of himself to be distracted by her like that. But it wasn't like he could say she wasn't beautiful; it was the same case as his accidental staring at Rias, it just happened sometimes.

"Hrrrrmmm…" Beth groaned as she watched Kota, easily noting the boy's usual thousand-yard stare technique. "Someone's enjoying being so close to a girl, especially after sneaking a look at her chest-gck!" Beth then spit take as she felt a small kick on her back, Koneko sitting behind her as she turned to the attacker. "Would you stop kicking me!?"

"Kota might be a perv, but at least he has some shame." Koneko pointed out.

"Are you calling me a pervert?"

"One caught themselves, the other looked away when called out."

"Oh you little-!"

"Okay, let's not start a fight now. We're a family, there's no need to get too heated." Rias spoke up, preventing the two from going at each other as she looked to Beth. "So Beth, how are you handling the gym uniform?" She asked to change the subject, having recalled how harsh Beth had been on the traditional uniform, being far more vocal then anyone she's heard before.

"…It's better. I can at least wear the pants." Beth stated, motioning to the red sweatpants she and Rias had on. The difference between boys and girls was grey to red, Beth somewhat assuming that was because of Rias since she was wearing the full uniform: sweatpants, a zipped-up jacket, a shirt and gym briefs.

It wasn't as bad for her, nothing too bad was exposed. And while it inherently was more tantalizing than what she'd normally wear, she could ignore it easier when exercising. And the pants were comfortable enough to wear otherwise.

"And how does it fit? Is it comfortable?"

"I'd say it's alright, I don't know how you and Akeno handle them though." Beth admitted, snapping the collar of her shirt in emphasis to it. "Doesn't it chafe?"

"Perv."

"It's a genuine question you gremlin!"

"No, it's still as comfortable for you as it is for everyone else." Rias answered. "Although I understand the question, it is difficult to get the proper shirt size without it being too tight or loose."

"That's probably the one thing I don't envy, that and the back trouble." Beth added in, half joking at the end with a chuckle from Rias.

"It's not as bad as you think, posture really helps."

"No kidding?"

"They do not know how hard they are making this." Kota groaned during his sit-ups, getting up to forty with a decent tempo. Unlike with the push-ups, he could pace himself better, and even with the added weight on him he believed he could make it at least to eighty.

"Is the exercise getting hard, or something else?" Akeno teased, the blush returning to Kota's face as he reached the top again.

"Don't you get involved in this!"

"I'm feeling pretty involved."

"Don't worry about it Kota, it's just girl talk." Kiba explained, waving his concerns off as he continued.

"Beth and Rias or Akeno?"

"I'm pretty sure you know the answer to that."

"Yeah yeah, just wish I didn't have in the background discussions of chafing and tightness of clothes." Kota admitted. "I get you girls like to tease, but you're really taking advantage of my adjustment period to this world."

"Are you complaining?"

"…Not necessarily."

"Oh, is someone liking being picked on?" Kota's attention went up as he saw the smirking face of Beth, the girl leaning down to nearly stare him face to face. "Does girl talk about the comfort of clothes really entice you that much?"

Normally, Kota was able to handle Beth, and this close proximity with his best friend never caused an issue for him. However, Beth position had the bottom of her shift begin to hang, and from his position under he was able to see up and to her chest, the white bra causing his entire face to blaze red as he instinctively attempted to sit back up to continue.

Only for his face to collide into Beth's in a painful accident.

"Gah!" Both teens shouted in pain, Beth falling backwards while Kota rolled to the side away from everyone, both clutching their faces to helplessly try to numb the pain.

"What the hell Kota!?" Beth yelled into her hands, partially muffled as she stomped her foot to distract herself from the pain.

"I'm not the one crouching over a person working out's head!" Kota muffled back, curled up as he felt blood trickling out of his nose. "Shit, it feels broken, I think your thick skull broke my nose!"

"I know you of all people aren't talking!"

"…Not the most graceful." Kiba laughed sheepishly, grabbing a handkerchief and first going to Beth, the girl managing to sit up and wince as the pain slowly numbed out.

"This might be more challenging than I thought." Rias sighed, shaking her head with a small, amused smile across her lips. Kiba was right in noting Kota and Beth's lack in grace or discipline, but they made up for it in heart, as once the two were checked for anything serious and clear they were practically at each other's throats, the original exercise seemingly replaced with impromptu wrestling practice.

"Bone head, do you know how much that hurt!?"

"I don't want to hear that from the hammerhead forehead!"

"Oh you're asking for a proper headbutt you asshole!"

"Go ahead and try it, you might develop your finishing move like that!"

"Pft, did you somehow both lose a fight?" After the scuffle between Kota and Beth, the two were sitting in class facing away from each other, Kiryuu having a shit eating grin as the two had a few bruises on their faces from them getting a little too dedicated into the fight.

"I'm not talking to him, and I'm certainly not talking to you." Beth huffed, turning her chin up as she looked away from the two.

"Concrete skull tried to be the clever one for a change and ended up bashing our heads together." Kota explained, rubbing his forehead at the memory. He may have been the more physically fit, but whatever the case Beth always had a hard skull. No insults behind it he used to believe she could smash a dent into a tree if she figured out how to avoid hurting herself. Now he thinks a concrete wall would buckle at the right impact.

"Aww, the lovers are fighting. That's adorable."

"We're not lovers!" Beth barked at Kiryuu, growling in irritation before turning away again.

"Ouch, I think I heard malice in that." Kiryuu almost winced, looking over to Kota. "Did I strike a nerve?"

"I think she just doesn't like you." Kota admitted. "She's as stubborn as they come, and she claims you sexually harassed me."

"I mean… it was a light harassment."

"I will deck you, do not test me." Beth spat, holding a fist up for emphasis.

"Jeez, someone's really wound up tight. Did she always have a stick shoved up there?" Kiryuu asked Kota, the boy almost feeling Beth's blood pressure rise at the notion.

"I… don't feel safe answering that question."

"She wears the pants, got it." Kiryuu concluded, before ducking under Beth's thrown binder, the anger on the girl's face burning a hole into her as she grinded her teeth together.

"Do you never shut up!?"

"Not unless someone gives me a good reason to… or shuts it themselves." The girl added the last part with a knowing grin, a vein popping on Beth's head when she saw the girl looking over to Kota.

"That's it!"

"Beth don't!" As Beth got up to take a swing at Kiryuu, Kota intercepted and caught her in a full nelson. Kiryuu was smart enough to step back a bit, as Beth nearly reached her that she nearly had her glasses knocked off of her.

"I am not in the mood and I'm tired of getting pissed off from her!"

"Just take it easy! Throwing that punch lets her win!"

"Not if I crack her skull it doesn't!"

"You are not punching, kicking or headbutting her!" Kota argued, keeping her contained with decent effort on his part.

"So, what are your thoughts on him so far?" Sona asked, looking over to Rias as the two sat in the ORC club room, enjoying tea on their lunch break.

"Kota? Well, I suppose it'd be easy to say he's pretty much what we expected; a genuinely good guy, rather naïve and sweet in his own way." Rias answered, chuckling to herself at the thought of the antics of the morning. "Having him around is almost like having a little brother, I almost forget he's Satan's Vessel sometimes."

"I suppose that's good to know, if Satan's influence was affecting him that'd risk him being compromised." Sona said, sighing in satisfaction at Akeno's tea. "Do you think he'll be able to do it? Contain Satan's full soul?"

"It's still too early to guess, with only two fragments of Him Kota hasn't even flinched in control. But the King of Lies isn't someone to underestimate." Rias noted. "And with the rumors of fallen angels and stray exorcists gathering in Kuoh, it seems almost like bad timing for us."

"Or convenient for others." Sona pointed out.

With Kota having been turned into Satan's Vessel, the whole world could be forced into action. The long standing "peace" and stability was already gone, such an important event would shake the heavens at the mere rumor. Kota's identity was unknown outside of the Underworld, but there was no telling who may try to take advantage of the ignorance. They had knowledge of the presence of the church's exiles for a while now, but there was a greater influx in the past two days. Suddenly the fallen angels had an interest in Kuoh, and Kota's arrival was too close to the sudden increase in traffic to be a coincidence.

And if they had a clue of Kota, it meant someone had leaked the information already. And for the first time, they couldn't just assume the Old Satan Faction were responsible. Allies were just as likely suspects; paranoid survivors fearing Satan's return, or the elders concerned about the challenge to their authority Kota's existence brings. If Satan's Vessel became prominent and strong enough to stand on his own, the paths he could follow weren't so easily predictable, and that scared the old leaders.

"Well, aside from the limited number of exorcists there doesn't appear to be any powerful fallen ones in Kuoh. Perhaps this could serve as a test for Kota and Beth?" Sona asked.

"I would like Kota to train a bit more, maybe start sparring within the next week so he gets at least some combat experience. Beth at least has a solid grasp of magic, and if she's as invested as Kota she'll likely awaken Garden of Eve again." Rias responded, thinking on the possibility of using this influx of exorcists and fallen angels if it gets worse. Sona was right that there was no powerhouse among the fallen ones, otherwise they'd sense them.

Which means the average should be one pair of wings, two at most. So Rias could annihilate any of them without much challenge. And while there could be outliers, the exorcists were just human. Any of their Peerages could likely defeat twenty alone, and there'd be no way that many would be present. And with the barely double digit ranks, they have plenty of time to survey the possible risks over the next couple weeks.

"Hmm, tonight wouldn't work, and neither would tomorrow since that will be when Kota starts handing out his fliers. So perhaps the weekend we'll have them start sparring." Sona offered.

"That sounds like a good time, soon enough but it doesn't hit them so suddenly." Rias agreed. "Who do we want them sparring with?"

"I suppose that depends on what they need to learn more." Sona pondered. "Saji's doing decent with magic, although his Sacred Gear still hasn't manifested. Nimura's could also use some dedicated training all 'round, I admit I've had a hard time slotting them for training with their contracts and pacts."

"Looks like then we both have some work cut out for us." Rias concluded. "Well with four inductees in need of training, perhaps we'll each have two train them? Koneko and Kiba certainly wouldn't mind helping their juniors."

"Momo and Tsubasa might serve as good middle ground then, on the likely chance your two are a little much for a start." Sona offered, jesting with Rias given her Peerage's natural advantage of abilities over hers.

"I'm sure they'll do well. A quick crash course never hurt anyone."

"Considering how Beth's acted the past two days? I doubt that will be the case."

"A worrier as always."

'I'm thinking my worrying is justified.' Sona thought to herself, staring in tired disappointment when she saw Kota and Beth entered the student council's room..

Although the latter of the two appeared fine, the remnants of her bruises from the morning gone, the same couldn't be said for Satan's Vessel. The boy had a decent sized black eye, his right eye squinted but still open as he had an annoyed expression.

"Do I even want to know?" Sona asked, Beth looking down in shame as she clasped her right hand over her left.

"I might have… let my anger get the better of me."

"She was trying to punch Aika Kiryuu and I held her back." Kota explained properly, holding a hand over his eye as it throbbed in pain again. "Eventually she snaked free and when I tried to stop her again we slipped and my face landed on her fist."

"You landed… on her fist?" Sona echoed. "You're not saying this to protect Beth from punishment, are you?"

"Scout's honor." Kota responded, holding a hand over his chest. "If she did punch me, I would let you know."

"Regardless, she was trying to hit another classmate as well. I'll need to think of a suitable punishment for that later." Sona sighed, tapping her pen on her desk. She hadn't expected her Peerage's introduction would be the more difficult one, but it seems Beth has a creative way of making a challenge of things.

"I… I will accept punishment, but you can't seriously tell me Kiryuu can just harass people like she does!?" Beth responded. "I was wrong, I'll admit that, but she clearly tries to get responses!"

"And so she should be punished for you, the person in control of your actions, and what you respond with?" Tsubaki spoke up, the brunette practically shrinking away at the two third years' combined gazes.

"…W-Well when you put it like that…"

"How Rias is going to manage you…" Sona muttered to herself, before regaining her composure. "If that's the only issue that occurred, I'd like to use our time to properly introduce you to my Peerage. Is that doable without causing a scene?"

"…Yes."

"No problems here." Kota shrugged.

"Well, you're both familiar with myself, but I suppose for you Kota there'd be a proper introduction with Tsubaki." Sona motioned to her Queen, the reincarnated devil giving a confirmation nod from her desk. "She's my Queen, and a trusted friend."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, and under better circumstances this time." Tsubaki stated, Kota chuckling in amusement as he pointed to his hand.

"That's right, you were the one that cut my hand off during the fight right? You really caught Him off guard with that." Satan's Vessel said somewhat jokingly. Although there was a mild unease in his tone, the boy subconsciously noting that it made it clear the Queen outclassed him. Sona's Peerage at glance appeared much more to business than Rias', which reminded him of an important detail about the people he was surrounded by.

They were all stronger than him, and if they wanted to they could kill him before he registered it.

"Kota?" Beth spoke up, snapping the boy out of his daze. She saw the momentary concern on him, unconvinced as he smiled over to her. "You okay?"

"Yeah of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Next are my Bishops, one of which you've both met already." Sona continued. "Momo Hanakai and Reya Kusaka."

"Oh yeah, you were one of the people that joined Beth to try and save me." Kota recalled, remembering running past the white-haired Bishop. "How are you feeling? I remember you took a bad hit to the head."

"I'm doing better, thank you for asking." Momo responded, nodding in appreciation.

"And Reya? Nice to meet you. I hope we can get along." Kota said with a bow, Beth somewhat awkward as she joined in bowing.

"S-Same here, I'd like to get along with my senior devil." Beth said, the brunette giving a smile as she gestured them to stand.

"Of course, I'd appreciate that as well. Just behave better and I'm sure we'll get along great." Reya stated, Beth feeling it was focused more on her given her current track record and nearly shrinking back in shame.

"My Rook and Knight, Tsubasa Yura and Tomoe Meguri."

"It's good to meet you two, I hope the new location hasn't been overwhelming… even with how much attention you two have already drawn." Tomoe spoke, although awkwardly scratching her cheek at recalling the mountain of rumors that's started about the two, getting similarly awkward laughs from the two.

"We've managed."

"Hopefully better than it appears." Tsubasa said with a partial chuckle, noting Kota's bruise and the reason for it. "If things get too overwhelming, don't be afraid to ask for help. Don't want you left high and dry."

"Thank you for the offer." Kota bowed to the two, before he blinked to look around the room. "Um… sorry if I'm speaking out of turn, but didn't you have a guy in your group? Or was he a part of Seekvaria's Peerage?" Kota asked, looking over to Beth for the answer.

"He wasn't with us."

"I believe you're referring to Genshirou Saji." Sona stated. "Yes, he's my Pawn. Along with Ruruko Nimura. Although they are running a lot later than-"

"We're so sorry President!" Before Sona could finish speaking, the previously mentioned blond and a new face Kota and Beth didn't recognize had slammed the door open, panting as they finally made it.

"Saji, Ruruko, I hope there's a good reason for your tardiness." Sona spoke up, giving her two Pawns a measured stare a stern expectations and a hint of disappointment.

"We… there was… couldn't…" Saji tried to start, the boy winded as he struggled to explain their situation.

"There was a fight earlier and we were trying to… trying to find the culprits. But no one said anything… and we lost track of the time." Ruruko was finally able to explain, Kota and Beth looking at each other wondering if they were the culprits the Pawns were looking for.

"Today just keeps on adding problems…" Sona sighed to herself. "I'll forgive it this time, just do better to keep track of time. It's rude to keep guests waiting."

"Hai!" Both Pawns snapped to attention, before pausing at realization.

"Oh crap, that was today?" Saji asked to Ruruko, whispering in her ear.

"I thought it was supposed to be later." The brunette responded, sharing the whisper as the two "guests" shared a sweatdrop at the two.

"We're right here, even without our enhanced senses we could still hear you." Beth said, sighing in disappointment before putting a hand on her hip. "Anyways, the names Beth Evetta, nice to meet two fellow Pawns."

"Ruruko Nimura, I'm sorry we kept you waiting." Ruruko apologized, shaking Beth's hand as the two flashed smiles. "It's nice to have another Pawn, maybe no one will treat me like the newcomer anymore."

"Sorry, but I'm a few months in and four Pawns enhanced, so you're still the newbie, newbie." Beth teased with a grin, Ruruko recoiling back in surprise.

"You have four!? No fair…" The girl groaned in defeat, curled up as she turned her head to the corner in defeat.

"Four Pawns huh, looks like we share that in common." Saji said, giving a confident smile as he approached Beth.

"Yep, and one of them Mutated even." Beth said, puffing her chest out as she smirked confidently. "And I even awakened my Sacred Gear, goes to show how much I already improved."

"Now that's impressive, I have a Mutated Piece too." Saji said. "It looks like we have a lot in common, not a surprise since we're both clearly gifted and attractive."

"Heh, don't cut yourself that much credit Blondie, I'm the talented one around here." Beth responded.

"Just wait until my Sacred Gear comes out, then we'll see about that beautiful." Saji said with a wink, offering his hand for a handshake.

Before Beth could respond though, Kota stepped between the two and clapped his hand onto Saji's, taking the handshake instead. There was a wide grin on Kota's face as he gave a firm shake to the blond's hand, surprising him at how tight his grip was.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Genshirou, I'm Kota Price. I owe you a lot for the effort you and the others went through to try and help me back then, so I hope I can make up for it." Kota was beaming outwardly, but there was something itching the back of Saji's mind. A shared understanding between the two as guys, and as a result Saji gave his own competitive grin and tightened his grip in response, the two leaning their heads closer.

'Oh is that how it is Mophead?'

'That's exactly how it is.'

'Oh good, they're both idiots.' Beth thought with a deadpanned expression, noticing the figurative lightning between the two's eyes as an apparent defensiveness had formed.

"Ahem!" Sona coughed into her hand, getting the pair's attention. "Are you two done?"

"Y-Yes President!" Saji snapped to attention again, Kota somewhat surprised at how quick his response was before he saw Ruruko approach.

"S-So… you're Him?" It took him a moment to register the question, hearing the hesitant way the Pawn spoke and how nervous she was.

"No, not Him. Just his unfortunate Vessel." He responded, offering his hand with a smile. "Unlike Beth, I'm actually really new to this world. So I'm sorry if I'll be relying on you and everyone else for a while. I hope you don't mind helping the newbie out."

"S-Sure! I'd be glad to help show you the ropes!" Ruruko said, her mood going up as she shook his head and grinned. "It is my responsibility as your senior after all! You can rely on me anytime!"

"I'm glad." Kota said with a laugh, glad to see her mood up, even if that original hesitation remained for a moment.

"Now, I'm sure everyone has their questions for him, but I would want to remind everyone of an important detail." Sona spoke, the room having been rearranged with a couple of couches for the whole Peerage to sit casually, Beth and Kota being the only ones separate from everyone else on their own.

"Kota Price is Satan's Vessel, and as such is one of the most sought after individuals in the world." The heiress stated, looking across to her whole Peerage. "He represents one of two options: the sealing of the King of Lies, or his resurrection. The latter will result in those of the angels and fallen angels to try and eliminate him. But we shouldn't overlook the possibility of other factions trying to do the same, it shouldn't go without saying Satan was not known for making friends."

That was something Kota hadn't considered before. He was aware of the trinity of angels, fallen angels and devils, but it was easy to forget there was a whole slew of different religions that had actual living gods and devils. And since every religion believes themselves to be the real one, he'd have no idea what relationships were had outside of the Trinity. For all he knew Satan pissed off every destroyer god, which could make him an afterthought if they wanted him dead.

A moment of sickness hit him and he felt queasy, a detail noticed by Beth who put a comforting hand on his shoulder. She knew he was letting his thoughts eat up at him, it was bound to happen the more he realized the weight of his possession. But he had to remember he wouldn't be alone for it, a message he got with the supportive gesture.

"However, his biggest threat won't be from outside rivals, but from devils." The heiress stated, getting most of her Peerage's surprise.

"He's at risk of devils?" Tsubasa asked, getting a nod from her master.

"The discourse of Satan's return was bound to be controversial; every person has an opinion on the matter. But the worst is at the heart of devil society, which would experience the greatest change if He were to return." Sona spoke, shifting her glasses as she looked to the mentioned vessel. "You have the progressive elements in the nobles and Maou, who see Kota as a means to seal Satan thanks to his surprising compatibility and control over his soul. Then you have the conservative members and the elders, who regard Kota as a threat to their traditions and the current status quo. If an outsider who had no knowledge of our world suddenly joined, became a noble with his own house, and had sympathy of even a third of the political power he could cause serious change."

"They're worried about me getting into politics?" Kota breathed out. "I didn't even like talking about my state's stuff. I don't have any interest in that kind of crap."

"It doesn't matter if you care or not, your existence is cause for discussion." Sona replied. "You have people who will follow you on the grounds of possessing the King of Lies' soul. Many could see you as the Anti-Christ given your condition, a new leader fated to guide us to our future. Or tear apart what has been made and return us to our old ways. There are also people that will follow you as a promise for change, a nobody given noble status and an outsider viewpoint, you'll likely be a face of revolution for the Reincarnated devils that feel oppressed by their masters."

"…Shit." Kota sighed out, leaning his head back over the top to the couch with a hand on his forehead, suddenly getting a headache. He wasn't the brightest and wasn't the least interested in politics, but he saw that viewpoint. In his trial, Zerfor was heavily against him, mentioning the Reincarnated as if they were completely different species despite being designed to be devils. And then there was the emphasis in him being a pureblood devil, another way to separate those that were born devils and those brought back with Evil Pieces.

And that's not even mentioning him being compared to the cursed version of a messiah.

"But the factor we're most concerned about at the moment is the Old Satan Faction." Sona continued, an air of confusion and tension present from those unaware of the politics currently plaguing the devils and those that aware.

"Old Satan Faction?" Saji asked. "I don't think you've mentioned that before."

"I don't remember hearing that either." Tsubasa added; Ruruko and Reya nodding in agreement at the ignorance.

"I hoped you wouldn't have to know, not for a few more years anyways." Sona sighed, disappointed she had to tell her Peerage of the struggling system. "They're a political faction in devil society, those that the current Maou Faction fought against in the devil's civil war a century ago."

Kota started to zone out from the retreading he had gotten from yesterday. He was already aware of the Old Satan Faction and their interest in him. They were obviously in this to bring back Satan's rule, and he was their best way at doing so since he directly had the King of Lies' soul in him. He hadn't met any of this faction yet, likely as the Maou wanted to keep him safe and secure from their influence. And while he had no intention of releasing Satan, he was curious what it took to want to follow the guy that nearly brought them to extinction.

Was it entirely for political power? Those loyal to him would no doubt be rewarded, especially if that loyalty remained for four centuries. Was it for some sense of genuine relation to Him? All devils did originate from him, but the Maou were His direct children. Maybe they wanted the old man back, in a twisted form of love. Maybe they just wanted to cause chaos and discourse? That wouldn't be too surprising, at least if the stuff he was taught from church was a closer in accuracy to the old devils.

The ones he's met certainly didn't match up to that.

"And it is under no circumstances can we let them try to convert Kota by force. If too much of his will cracks, there's no certainty his control will remain, especially as he absorbs more King Pieces." Sona was finishing up, Kota snapping back into focus as the master looked to him. "We are responsible for his wellbeing, as such if any of you are aware of him being attacked your priority is to safeguard him. Informing us comes secondary to both of your survival, but it is imperative that Kota isn't lost to us."

"Yes President!" The entire Peerage spoke unanimously, getting the boy to speak up.

"I'd like to add that even with how everyone's hyping up my importance, if we're caught in the same danger I want you valuing your lives just as much. If I need saving I'd appreciate the hand, but if you think it'll get you killed I can manage myself."

"That is not-"

"I already screwed up and almost got my best friend killed." Kota interrupted, not letting Sona speak as he looked to the members of her Peerage. "I am Satan's Vessel; I possess the hellish freak your people once called King. But I'm also Kota Price, a stupid nobody that makes other peoples' fights his own. If you threw yourselves in front of every attack you'll be dead in a week." He then smiled, looking to the heiress again. "How about that? Treat me like just another ally? We work together, but don't throw our lives away and trust each other?"

"Said the one that pushed me to get munched on by a Stray." Beth responded, getting her face shoved away by Kota.

"And don't ever listen to Beth, she's feral."

"What'd you say you little shit!?"

"Bethlehem." Sona's stern voice had Beth immediately sit upright with her hands on her lap, as if detecting the threat of discipline from the heiress.

"Sorry ma'am."

"Good." Sona sighed before looking to Kota. "We cannot ignore the importance you have, you are more than a single person now… but I appreciate the emphasis in holding your own responsibility." It was true that Kota was more important than any devil in Kuoh, even she and Rias were theoretically small pieces compared to him should he manage to get a firm footing in the Underworld. She didn't like it, but sacrificing themselves was the correct choice should he encounter a threat he wasn't ready for.

But it was good to know he understood the weight of a life, even with complete strangers he'd refuse to even consider them sacrificing themselves just to buy him time. It meant he'd likely stay and fight, dangerous but also making sure both her and Rias' precious servants wouldn't be thrown to the wolves as actual sacrificial pawns.

'Rias was right, it is hard to imagine he's Satan's Vessel like this.' Sona thought, watching as Kota looked over to Saji and gestured in amusement, no doubt mocking the blond with his grin and her Pawn's reserved glare.

When she had been in the presence of Satan, his twisted aura sickened her to the core. There was no inhibition, no act too far, no sin he'd refuse, and at his core was nothing but an abyss of wants and depravity. A fitting scorn for what the devils once were, and what they could return to. But none of that came from Kota, as if it was a switch that turned night into day. Where Satan exuded desire, the boy felt as a cool control. If she didn't know better, he felt less like a devil and closer to an angel.

That might have been from being a human turned devil, the different upbringing resulting in his devil nature being less depraved with his values. She knew little of him, she had no idea what drove his conviction to accept the burden of Satan. But given his reason to absorb the original King Piece was to fight for people he didn't know, and who he'd never see again, it was a nice change of pace compared to some of the devil heirs like Riser and Setsu.

But it also made for a risky unknown, did the boy have any ambitions of his own? The responsibility of becoming Satan's Vessel was thrust upon him; choosing that, inaction, or death. Outside of that, she's only ever heard of him talking about his responsibility to others, the most personal she can recall being his initial excitement of landing in Japan. Humility and altruism were admirable qualities, but in a world where selfish drives and personal goals fueled growth, Kota was like a wilting flower in a dry desert.