Chapter 16: Throwback Part 2

"What do you think you are doing to our food?"

"Eh?" The salamander didn't know why they were suddenly so angry, the opponents were either prideful or condescending. Usually, her challenges were announced before they started, and she wasn't sure she had enough energy to go another round so soon.

"What makes you think you can take food so easily from us. We worked hard to gather them."

"Are you taking us as fools just because you are a Salamander?"

She finally saw the various fruits they were carrying in their arms. Putting the pieces together, she slowly backed away, "Please forgive me, I did not know these were yours." Normally, the victor can only claim the spoils after the fight. It was an unspoken rule in this forest where the strongest survive, but even they have honor. That's how all the creatures live with any semblance of peace.

They sneered, "We don't take food thieves lightly, hand over a fruit to compensate the one you just ate."

"But I do not have any." She saw behind the two Kappas were a lot more of them, most probably their pack. Nervousness filled her, if she makes one wrong move, she's doomed.

"Don't lie to us! We know you amphibians have territories of your own to store your food."

"I have begun my journey a few days ago, yet to attain a suitable territory of my own."

"Then suffer our wrath!"

The salamander bolted out of there, she could probably fight for a little while, but she was in the wrong for eating something she shouldn't. And even if she did fight, facing that many would be suicidal. Her true form is faster but opted the smaller form so she could maneuver around the trees better.

A water ball sailed past her, slightly damaging a trunk. Looking back, there are only two Kappas chasing her. If she could find a place to hide, they'll probably give up. That thought was discarded as she took a direct hit, sending her tumbling. She breathed out a stream of fire when they got too close and continued retreating. Her erected scales cushioned the blow but her stamina's dwindling down fast. Another one crashed onto her to a clearing. Her next flames were weaker and slower, easily evaded and got blasted again. She was on her last legs.

"You amphibians think you're so proud and mighty because you are a spirit."

"We have our own families to take care of."

She wanted to say she was not the one who caused that before a humanoid shape in a blue glow suddenly appeared, shocking her.

"My name is Daisuke. I saw a bit of what happened, 2 on 1 isn't very fair, especially when your opponent is already down."

Didn't take long for her to learn that he was a devil. She has heard that devils were greedy and harbor evil intentions, and yet this one was actually defending her. Her parents told tales of devils acquiring familiars for their own personal desires. In exchange of servitude and loyalty, familiars gain power stronger than the creatures who are not. His face showed gentleness and he attempted to appease the Kappas.

When they refuse to settle peacefully, the devil's movements were precise and no hesitation, effortlessly fighting back. The speed he showed before wasn't used, so that means he is still holding back!? What really surprised her was he tried to peacefully apologize again instead of forcing them to submit. She never met someone with both power and kindness aside from her parents. He was a bit strange though, asking her not to show respect and looked tired all of a sudden.

"Whatever. Now, where was I? Oh yeah! Two, I'm a devil who was just reincarnated recently and I'm looking for a familiar."

A familiar!? She just started out her journey not long ago. Servitude and loyalty might not be so bad if she had him as her master, and she can become stronger than the other spirits like she always wanted. She did not think to find a chance as pleasing as this so soon. This must be fate! Mustering courage to ask her savior, "I would gladly become your familiar if I am acceptable."

"Look, just because you're grateful to me, that doesn't you should become my familiar for that sole reason. I want to have a familiar as my partner and equal to fight together."

Of course it wouldn't be that easy. Someone as great as Hanwei would not accept just any creature, but she shook her head and stood proud, "N-no, it is not just because I am grateful. When I saw your confidence during your brief scuffle, I knew you are a brave and kind person. I wish to have someone like you as my master. I also wish to become stronger."

"My future fights will be much more dangerous than this, I won't call you out on all of them, but are you prepared?"

"Yes." She answered as confident as she could.

Her efforts were rewarded and she was bestowed with the name Miho. She couldn't believe her luck that her master even named her so soon! Although, he did it with his face slightly red, she was still happy. She considered whether asking more about her new master would be rude when a scream interrupted his next words.

"Miho, turn back and climb onto me! I'm gonna run back there!" Startled, she obeyed in fear that he would be angry. "Hold on tight."

What happened next was nothing but a blur to Miho. She nearly lost her grip on Hanwei's shoulder but his other hand firmly held her place, feeling the soothing warmth on her flattened scales. His focused and majestic expression imprinted onto her mind.

Miho woke up before dawn as usual to start her day, but puzzled as to why she was in an unknown space. Looking around, she saw the peacefully sleeping Hanwei and remembered yesterday's events, "Ah, I have a master now. But why is he still asleep?"

She was expecting to return with Hanwei to another part of the Underworld, turns out she was actually going to the surface. Whatever nest her master provided for her to sleep on was the most comfortable she has felt, best sleep she ever had in her life.

While still in her salamander form, she crawled up to his side and gently nudged him, "Hanwei-sama, please wake up."

Slowly opening his eyes, it took Hanwei a few moments to recognize her, "Miho? What's wrong?"

"The sun will rise soon, we need to find food for our territory."

He turned his head to a strange round object with three little sticks, "We already have plenty of food. It's 4:30 in the morning, let me sleep some more."

Whether she thought waking him would be better or not, he already went back to sleep. Perhaps Hanwei has different daily routines compared to her own. The salamander would regularly find food, train or challenge someone, learn more if possible, sleep, and repeat. Miho would need to find her own territory in the Familiar Forest, but she considered staying with her master if she gets to sleep on that nest everyday.

With nothing much to do, Miho decided it is safe to relax and turned into her true form. She snuggled onto his warm chest, reminding her how nice it feels like he was her parents. She used to sleep in between her father and mother with their tails protectively coiling around her when she was young. Hanwei's hand somehow snaked its way to her back and held her close.

"More sleep would be fine I suppose."

Waking up from a loud noise was not pleasant to her ears. Miho thought a creature trespassed to issue a challenge when Hanwei's hand moved and the noise stopped. He opened his eyes to meet hers until they traveled down to her body.

"What the hell!?" He jumped and looked away, "Miho, why were you in my bed naked!?"

"You felt warm and I wanted to stay with you." She answered meekly, fearing that she might have done something wrong.

"But why were you na- oh, right. Sorry, I thought of someone else." Walking to a door, he retrieved something that looks like what he has on his body. "Here, wear this. You need something to cover yourself while you're here."

It looks similar to what her parent's wear when they are in their true forms. She usually doesn't like them since they are harder to move in but obeyed, "How do I wear it?"

His face redden slightly, "You have got to be kidding me. Alright I'll teach you."

For a few days from now, Miho had learned how complicated yet luxurious life humans get to live.

It was another weekend and Rias was actually quite excited for it. She couldn't be there for the previous weekly training but now she can finally watch how much Daisuke's powers have grown. All of them except him were already present at the training ground, stretching their bodies in preparation of their spars.

"Say, you think Daisuke's coming or what? He's usually the first to train." Issei asked, feeling impatient to find out what his Boosted Gear can really do.

"He should be. He said he has something to surprise us with." Rias answered with just as much confusion.

The magic circle glowed from the distance and they could see the Rook running towards them, "Hey guys. Sorry I'm late."

"Speak of the devil. Why were you late? Did something happen?"

"Had to explain to Miho that not everything that moves in a screen is an enemy. She nearly burned my laptop."

They chuckled in unison, finding the image of a wild lizard trying to use technology was funny. Issei went on first against Yuuto, allowing Daisuke to warm up before it's his turn.

"Alright ikemen, bring it on." Issei was feeling confident, summoning his gauntlet in preparation. The fact he had a gear that could kill a God made him ecstatic.

"Very well. Let's see what you have learned, Issei-kun." Yuuto drew his standard Holy Eraser.

Rias stood as the referee and the judge. Everyone gave them room as she raised her arm, "Ready? Start!"

The fight was what she expected, the King already knew a bit what to expect from her Pawn since she saw him fight against Raynare. Yuuto held back just enough for Rias to evaluate what Issei could do at his base and after each successive boosts. His movements were unrefined but his eyes were keeping track of his opponent's moves.

After his 4th boost, she decided to see what he would do in face of an overwhelming opponent, "Yuuto!"

The Knight heard the signal and sped up considerably, making Issei panic. The shallow cuts he received became deeper as Yuuto went faster. Issei didn't expect the huge gap in ability and kept getting slashed, drawing blood all over his track suit. Rias had enough and told Yuuto to end it, which he did by swiping the Pawn's feet, sword pointing to this throat.

"Do you surrender?" Yuuto politely asked.

"Yes..." Issei sighed in defeat as the Bishop rushed in the heal him, "Sorry Asia."

"It's okay. I am happy to help." Asia's angelic smile always healed not only his body, but his also soul. Issei felt better just by being next to her, but also slightly embarrassed that she saw him lost.

Rias went forward, "Issei, your Sacred Gear is incredibly powerful but in a real fight, the opponent won't give you time to boost until you are strong enough to defeat him. Train your base stats so you can last longer and withstand more boosts. The Boosted Gear is much more powerful than a common Twice Critical. I thought the power I sensed from you was your hidden potential, but it turns out to be a Longinus. While mostly the same, I will need to change your training schedule so you can adapt better."

"Yes, Buchou."

"Really? Then what did I feel like when you found me?"

The King turned to the still-warming-up Daisuke, "Oh, I didn't sense anything since your gear didn't emanate any special energy."

Daisuke's body went completely rigid, paused in mid-stretch. He quickly went back to it though. Did he stretch too much?

"Alright, I'm ready."

"Very well Daisuke, you will fight against Koneko."

Daisuke's confident smile told her that his surprise might be involved in a fight. This was it, Rias had to make sure she didn't smile more than normal and finally see the power he used to defeat the leader of the fallen angels. Koneko's face was blank, but she was definitely feeling excited as well. Rias raised her arm again, "Ready? Start!"

Both Rooks dashed forward and trade fists. Daisuke was making full use of his Sacred Gear while Koneko was still holding back. The former's attacks are hard and precise, not as much as the latter's though. The King gave Koneko permission to use more power. She reeled in her small fist to send him flying, but was surprised when a blue armor-like defense took the blow instead. Daisuke grabbed her fist and kneed her stomach, making her cough in pain. The white-haired Rook quickly recovered and judo threw him onto the ground and went for an arm lock.

Daisuke resisted but Rias saw enough, "Stop!" They both relaxed and gulped in large amounts of air.

"You're pretty good." Asia went to treat her injuries.

"Thanks. You're pretty strong yourself."

"Daisuke, you pushed Koneko more than I expected and that defense was good. Was that the surprise you wanted to show us?"

"Well that, and I have another one."

"Take a break. Once you're ready, I want you to spar against Yuuto."

"No need. I'll take him on now."

Not surprised by his persistence, Rias has known him long enough that Daisuke keeps pushing himself to get stronger but doesn't know why. The fallen angels have been apprehended, Kuoh is safe and sound. Normally, she would insist her peerage to train as much as possible but wonders if Daisuke might be overdoing it. What could possible motivate him to train so hard like he would die if he was not strong enough?

Hesitating for a few more moments, "As long as you don't strain yourself too much."

"Yes, Buchou."

"Are you sure Hanwei-san? I can heal you first if you want."

"Thanks Asia, but don't worry about it. The last spar didn't hurt me too badly."

The Knight and male Rook got into positions. The King went forward once again, "Ready?" Daisuke's eyes suddenly turned blue, briefly surprising them. "Start!"

Yuuto sped in, knowing how much his opponent can increase his speed and swung vertically downwards. Daisuku avoided it, prompting the swordsman to continue swinging his sword. His speed increased with each strike as Daisuke barely dodges all of them. Sweat and exhaustion were evident, Daisuke started blocking the sword with his armor. Leaning back from the blonde's forward thrust, the Rook got into his guard and haymaker his chest to the ground.

Rias was impressed. Her Knight didn't use Sword Birth, but he wasn't exactly holding back either. Unconsciously smiling wider than usual, "Stop!"

Akeno felt just as excited as she saw Daisuke extending his hand to his downed opponent, "Ara, ara, that was very good Daisuke-kun."

"Holy shit Daisuke! What's with your eyes? It's kinda creepy but kinda cool."

The blonde healed the other blonde first. Daisuke breathed deeply and responded, "A little trick I picked up after my fight with Forcuis, he was a fast swordsman like Kiba. I call it Tenkugan, it gives me increased preception depth and predictive abilities."

"Yeesh, just what else can you do?"

The healer was done and treated Daisuke next. Yuuto just smiled, "That was splendid, Daisuke-kun. I may be able to give my all next time. Have you considered becoming a technique-type?"

"A technique-type? That does sound like a good idea." The green glow stopped, "Thanks Asia."

"Your welcome. But do not hurt yourself too much okay?"

The King smiled at her Bishop's rare moment of seriousness when it comes to her patients, and overall satisfied with Daisuke's growth. A technique like that can give him an edge over almost any close-range battles. All three rookies still have much room to grow, but she was happy nonetheless, "I highly recommend Yuuto's suggestion. We are largely power-oriented, so having another technique-type would be beneficial."

"I'll think about it after I learn more magic."

Issei was down in the dumps, not that he was showing it to everyone else. Just when he thought he had a Sacred Gear that could make him better, Daisuke and even Asia were proving themselves more than he has. He still couldn't beat Daisuke in a spar. Splashing water onto his face at the pond, Issei saw someone standing next to him.

"How are you feeling?" Daisuke casually asked.

"Alright, Asia healed me pretty good."

"No, not your body. I meant your emotions."

Issei paused in surprise and turned his face away from him, "Do the others know?"

"Don't think so. I came alone because I thought you didn't want to worry them."

"... I'm just mad at myself." Issei sulked, not like the times when Koneko insulted him when he thinks of perverted thoughts, but the real depressed kind. "Everyone has something they are good at and I don't have any."

It was so frustrating, watching his friends do something better than him when he already did everything he could to get better. Like he wasn't even needed and couldn't do anything to help. Issei has no talent whatsoever for anything.

"Issei, being weak is not something to be ashamed of, especially when you just started out."

"Like you can talk, you're already way ahead of me."

"But staying weak is." The Pawn's head slowly turned to look at the smiling Rook, "I got this far because I have my own path to follow. Your Dragon Shot is proof that you have your own way of getting stronger right? Besides, if you keep moping around, who's gonna protect Asia?"

Something rekindled inside Issei as he listened to Daisuke's words. He never judged Issei, or insulted his perverseness. He may be annoying sometimes as a training freak, but whenever Issei got into danger, Daisuke was always there to help him. It was like he can count on Daisuke to back him up, like a real friend besides Motomaha and Matsuda.

Issei smirked, "Yeah, you're right." He dusted himself and stood up, "I'll find my own way to protect Asia. And just you wait, I'm gonna get strong enough one day to kick your ass."

He chuckled, "Maybe, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna make it easy for you."

From that day onward, Issei declared in his heart that Daisuke would be his goal and rival.

Miho did not like that black-haired vixen holding onto her master like that, not one bit. Unsure of whether driving her away would anger Hanwei again, she just did her best to not lose her territory- her master -and enveloped his arm as close as possible.

Rias was trying her best to act neutral. Daisuke's Salamander in the form of a beautiful girl living with him irked her to no end. She really wanted to separate those two away from him and take his arm instead but she doesn't have that right, especially with what she is going to do to him later at night.

"Perfect." He slipped out of her grasp and pushed her to the red-haired vixen. "Miho, be a good girl and listen to Gremory-san. I'll be back in about two hours or so. Go have fun. Come on guys, let's go check some manga."

"Eh, Hanwei-sama?" His back was already far out of her reach as she cautiously face her master's master. Miho could feel the vixen also desires Hanwei, not as much as the black one but still there.

"You don't have to be wary of me, Miho. I promise not to harm you." The one called Gremory smiled kindly. Maybe she could at least give her a chance.

"Yes."

They entered the women's section and Miho was dazed by the sole amount they have in here, the fact that there are even different colors and sizes of the same clothes made her head spin even more. Hanwei always chooses loose shirts for her so she could move better, she doesn't care what she wears but now she needs to choose.

"Do you know what to choose Miho-san? There are so many clothes that makes me confused when I first came here." The blonde hair girl which radiates the most kindness called out to her. Miho doesn't sense anything dangerous from her, so she could be trusted.

"I do not know. Hanwei-sama did not know much of female clothing and said to entrust Gremory-san with the selections."

"Ara, ara, I can help if you want new underwear."

"I politely decline."

"Don't you want something that will catch your master's eye? Only an experienced lady can find one that suits you."

"Akeno, stop planting weird ideas into Daisuke's familiar. This is exactly why he asked me for help in the first place." The black vixen's smile was still in place as Gremory smiled in warning, perhaps she is not so bad after all.

Koneko couldn't help but stare at the three sets of larger-than-average breasts and compare them to her own. Annoyed by those lumps of fat, she understood that there was another reason why her senpai asked a woman with big tits for help.

"Miho-chan, what is it like to stay with Daisuke-kun? Does he ask for anything... intimate?" Akeno, determined to gain something from her, let the word hung in the air. Even Rias couldn't stop Akeno as she too, wanted find out if the boy of her affections did anything indecent, he is an adolescent boy after all. Koneko's ears twitch in interest, and Asia listened for anything that could help her get closer to Issei.

The vixen is not asking about attire, so Miho thinks it's find to answer, "Hanwei-sama asked me to take a proper bath. I did not know how to do it at first, so he washed my body as he instructed."

Steam rose out of Asia's ears as she blushed up a storm and became swirly-eyed, imagining Issei washing her naked body. Koneko didn't think too much about it since he was not a pervert like Issei. However, the Two Great Onee-samas remained silent, fighting down their jealousy for everyone's sakes.

Surveying the various garments, Miho looked for something that Hanwei might consider cute on her but failed to comprehend the mechanisms of human fashion, she already had a hard time mastering the art of cleaning. Rows of something caught her attention and a light bulb appeared in her head, "Are these bras? Hanwei-sama said they would be essential for me."

"That's right. I guess it would be important for you to have them." Grabbing a pink one with intricate patterns, "Follow me, Miho. I need to show you how to put it on." Rias could not and would not let her emotions get the best of her. This was the first time Daisuke asked her for a favor and she was not gonna ruin it.

Everyone including Miho at Daisuke's request, was in a large room, lights dim for them to get a better look at the footage, watching a video of one of Riser's Rating Game which forced him to play more of his cards. As much as Rias hates to admit it, he is capable of breaking down his enemy's formation shortly after seeing his opponents fight. He ended with his Queen hurling explosions at the enemy King, not even needing all of his pieces.

Lights brighten as the video ended. Rias looked at her servants, their faces unsettled by Riser's strength and strategy except Daisuke. He was calm and impassive, something which greatly relieved Rias that her Rook was more prepared than she thought. It was quite unbelievable that he traveled across dimensions to reach here, yet he had proof of his origins. She was actually more relieved that he didn't hate her for her little... stunt, the mere thought of that after trying so hard to earn his trust was enough to break her heart.

"Everyone, there are other videos that I want you to watch but that could be done tomorrow night. Daisuke, you said there is another matter to address?"

All heads turned to him. "Yeah, I know you said you don't want spoilers about your match against fire chicken, but beyond that is another story. A lot of them are very bad news, do you want to know?"

"Very bad?" Issei paled, followed by the timid Bishop as everyone else tensed, "Even worse than that yakitori?"

"Much worse. Compared to them, fire chicken is more like a literal harmless chicken."

Biting her inner cheek, Rias really wanted to know the forewarning that could help them survive if possible. However, something just doesn't add up, "Daisuke, if you already know about the future, then why did you take such risk like fighting the fallen's leader from before?"

"That's the problem." Daisuke sighed tiredly, "Most of the events are the same, but my presence has already caused at least four major changes I can think of. Forcuis' appearance never happened in the anime, that's why I didn't expect him to kidnap Asia back at the park. And there's also the possibility that our match might be different as well."

Well it appears that Daisuke is not as knowledgeable as Rias thought, her emotions are running in an even bigger turmoil. "Will any of us die?"

"No, or at least not in the anime. My knowledge only extends up to the school festival and some bits beyond that from the wiki. Should have read the light novel when I had the chance."

"In that case, only reveal important information to us before it could happen."

"Are you sure that is wise, Buchou?" Yuuto voiced out his worries.

"Yes. I may not be as smart as Sona but I know a little about space-time paradox. The chances of the future deviating from the one Daisuke knows will increase if he tells us now and we do something different. Keeping the information hidden at the last possible second will ensure our safety better."

"So, what does that mean?" Issei asked confusingly.

"Just keep doing what you're gonna do and I'll warn you about the danger before it could happen."

"I think we can conclude tonight's meeting. How about we take a bath, our hot springs here will do wonders for our bodies."

"Hot springs?" Issei's ears twitch, drooling at the prospect of seeing the girls naked bodies, "Buchou, do we have mixed baths here?"

"Nope."

Issei deflated.

"If you peep, I'll punch you in the balls."

Koneko's warning did little to deter the pervert. Rias took sneak peaks at Daisuke, wondering if he wanted to take a bath with her. He didn't even bat an eye at the words 'mixed bath' and just rolled his shoulders to get rid of some tension.

Rias inwardly deflated.

"Ara, ara, my back feels stiff from today's mountain climbing." Koneko was annoyed that she didn't have back pain, noticeably because of the lack of two bountiful mounds. "Daisuke-kun, would you please join and wash my back for me."

"No."

Akeno's smile slightly deflated.

Koneko was scrubbing herself with her blonde hair senpai next to her. Her thoughts went back to earlier today's training, her senpai's strong yet gentle hand patting her head. It reminded her of the days when her sister affectionately pats her head, the days before she went rouge. Which leads to her next thought: her sister still loved her even though she is drunk on power? Was that even possible? All she knows that Daisuke was not lying and decided to give it some thought.

"Excuse me." Miho was with the other two big boobed women in the springs, relaxing in the springs until she became nervous, "Akeno, please teach me how to cook."

That drew in everyone's attention, the Salamander was wary of Akeno for obvious reasons. For her to ask a favor means it must be important to her.

"Ara, ara, of course Miho-chan. But why though? If you feel bad for not helping, I don't mind. I enjoy cooking for everyone."

"No, it is not for that reason. Hanwei-sama sometimes wonders about home cooked meals, but he is always occupied with training and daily life. I acknowledge your skills when Hanwei-sama said it was delicious, please help me."

"Ufufu, what a devoted familiar Daisuke-kun has."

"Miho-san's feelings are amazing. I want to do my best for Issei-san too."

"Miho." Rias called out coolly, "Do you see Daisuke as a potential life partner."

"Yes."

The red head rubbed her aching head, "Another strong rival."

Thinking back about the times she spent with her fellow Rook, Koneko saw his selfless acts, his hard work, and he didn't brag about anything at all. Daisuke even went to pat her despite probably knowing best just how horrifying Senjutsu could be aside from her. Knowing that she had to tell the newest members sooner or later, Koneko thought they might be scared of her without spending more time with them, which was difficult considering how little she talked. Koneko looked at Asia and wondered what would she and Issei would say to the younger sister of an incredibly powerful and murderous nekoshou.

Daisuke was able to tell them his secret despite worrying they might judge him, could she do the same? Kind, brave, and trusting of her friends? But there was one thing for certain, there is another person who could wholeheartedly accept her.

Remembering the warm hand on her head, Koneko slightly blushed and couldn't blame the others for liking him.

Akeno and Daisuke were roaming through the air, the former throwing lightning as the later defending and countering with his new sword. Rias probably should have seen this coming, her training freak of a Rook would always go a mile further to get stronger. Quite impressive actually for him to advance far enough to boldly challenge her Queen for an aerial battle.

"Asia, prepare to heal Daisuke when I give the signal."

"Yes, Buchou-san."

"Do not assume Hanwei-sama would lose yet, he has grown stronger more than you expect."

"You think he has a chance?" Issei asked with his eyes never leaving his rival.

"Small as it may be, but yes." Miho declared proudly.

The King wasn't as convinced. Without his Sacred Gear, Daisuke would be outclassed by Akeno's magic alone, which was second only to her own. Inclining her neck upwards, she watched as he sheathed his weapon and doing something with his hands. Weird? She never saw anything new from him aside from his spar against Yuuto.

"There it is." The familiar couldn't contain her smile.

"Perhaps it could be a new spell?" Kiba speculated, tilting in confusion at Daisuke for not using his Dream Sword.

Small gusts concentrated on his hands until it suddenly exploded violently into raging tornadoes, shocking everyone except Miho.

"Holy shit! What is that!?"

Rias shared Issei's sentiment as she stared wide eyed at his new attack spell. The amount of magic concentrated was definitely no normal Rook can achieve. She did learn that Daisuke has a large amount of magic for a Rook, but not to this extent. How much extra training did he do?

Amazed by his strength, Rias watched as Daisuke's wind was strong enough to negate Akeno's lightning, forcing the Queen to use her heightened speed to escape. If he could already do this much, then how strong would he be with his gear? Akeno is still holding back considerably, but his display was still very impressive. Hope filled her as she could envision her chances of victory raised even higher.

Rias, impressed once more with his use of clone to increase his speed, saw him hurling wind spheres to his downed opponent a distance away from the spectators. After that was Akeno taking her spar more seriously and launched lightning after lightning, Rias decided to end it before he gets too hurt.

"Akeno, stop! Asia, heal Daisuke."

"Hanwei-san, are you fine?"

Daisuke didn't respond, turning his head with dazed eyes at Akeno, "Expect... a rematch." And he passed out.

"Ara, ara, Daisuke-kun is quite an energetic one."

Issei's hands were shivering, Daisuke's spar must have rekindled his fire if his clenching fists meant anything, "Kiba, Koneko-chan, let's get back to training." The senior devils felt the same and resumed. Miho stayed behind though, worried about her master.

"Akeno, how would you rate Daisuke's power?"

"Lower to middle-tier mid-class. He surprised me with those spells of his and I underestimated him. But I realized that was because Daisuke-kun was training with Yuuto-kun and Koneko-chan in their specialties. Daisuke-kun is more of a mix between might and magic."

"So you thought of that as well. He might already surpass everyone except us. Make sure not to hurt him too much like you did earlier, we want him to become stronger, not weaker because of overwork."

"Yes, Buchou."

"And Asia, once you're done with Daisuke, heal Akeno. Her back is bleeding."

"This is an outrage!" A pompous elder devil with fancy clothes yelled out as he pointed at the replay at Riser's defeat, followed by several others who were complaining about the same. The same elder replayed back to Yubelluna's defeat, Ravel's unconscious face, and Rias' personal favorite, Daisuke returning Riser's flames in the form of an explosion.

"This Rook displayed abilities meant for combating us Phenex personally! A spell which can retire Ravel-ojousama simply by looking at her!? Rias Gremory has cheated!"

Rias was more attentive of her Rooks strength. Daisuke fought the Bomb Queen either because he knew about her landmines or the Phoenix Tears. And the way he overpowered Riser, it was absolutely staggering! If he took the tears for himself, then there was no doubt in her mind that Daisuke would win. And yet, he let her have the finishing blow, caring about her want to best the arrogant Phenex. Rias was about to slip into la la land until the Maou snapped her out from the reverie.

"It was agreed that Rias had two weeks to train her peerage for the Rating Game, granting her ample time to become stronger and more prepared. I do not see any form of cheating. All her actions were well within the rules and regulations."

Another elder stood up, sneering with hatred, "Care to enlighten how that Rook was able to predict Riser-sama actions. Did your preparations include obtaining information from our party."

Tensing her body, Rias wanted to protest in hopes that her Rook's secret would be safe but restrained herself, doing so would make it more suspicious. She was trying to think of a proper explanation.

"That just shows how much intellect and foresight he has. After all, Riser-kun did the same as he sent his Queen to the gym, as well as expecting Rias for a King-versus-King match. Rias, is that true?"

"Yes." She was startled that her brother actually defended Daisuke. Does he know something? No. She didn't say anything about his secret outside of her peerage. Does that mean her brother was helping Rias to escape from the engagement?

"Quite an obvious answer for someone who was stubborn about the engagement." A female elder pointed out, one from the Gremory who cared more about the riches and privileges for her members by forming a bond with the Phenex, "Did your Rook sway into your good graces? You seem to be enamored to him more than the rest of your pieces."

Faintly blushing, she was about to deny it before Sirzechs spoke with the same smile he wore since the meeting started, "We all agreed that beforehand that should Rias win, the engagement would be null and void. Or did you perhaps agreed solely because you expected her to lose and have her obey to your bidding."

All of them remained silent under the Maou's pressuring aura, remembering just who they were speaking to. One member who was silent throughout the meeting, finally said, "I agree to the voiding of their engagement."

"Phenex-sama!?"

Rias was just as surprised as the elders that the current head of the Phenex Household agreed.

"Riser is proud of our clan's powers and relied too heavily on it. This lose will serve as a valuable lesson for him that it is not omnipotent and learn to improve his other abilities." He stood up, "Rias Gremory, I thank you for defeating my son, perhaps some humility will do him justice."

"It was my pleasure, Phenex-sama."

The elders couldn't protest anymore as the meeting adjourned. One by one, each devil walked out of the room until it was just the Gremory siblings.

"Rias, congratulations on winning, you have rightfully earned your freedom and proved yourself today. I am proud of you."

She took a few moments to process that, fully relishing her praise and achievement, "Thank you onii-sama. But I could not have done it alone, it was my peerage and I as a whole." The smile on her brother's face made her proud, until the smile turned frivolous.

"How about a hug as a-"

Rias teleported out of there.

"Go, I'll be fine."

Rias really did not want to leave Daisuke alone with her embarrassing brother. She hasn't been spending as much time with him as she wanted due to his training, but her chance of rectifying that was taken when her brother asked for his presence. She spent hours in front of the mirror doing her hair, picking out the best dress, and even put on a little make up to get his attention.

Ultimately, she left with the rest of her peerage to the party. Putting on her business face, the presenter announced her arrival as she was greeted with a spotlight and clapping from various nobles. There was actually more than she thought to be honest. The others went to enjoy themselves as Rias went to the VIP section as a noble start up a conversation with her.

"Greetings Rias-himesama, your win was beautifully executed."

"Thank you."

"However, it seems your male Rook is a bit of a wildcard, I propose a trade to aid your future Rating Games."

The Kings smile was still in place, her atmosphere however, completely changed. Immediately noticing his intention, she politely shot down his proposal. As much as she wanted to yell out that Daisuke is hers, she was still a prominent figure and needed to resolve her problems calmly. That didn't stop him from attempting again though and it was not just one noble, but multiple others who approached her aggressively for a chance of their own.

Some of them were very generous, offering large amount of money, valuable treasures, some even wished to trade their Rooks which were already high-class in power. The worst were the women with lust in their eyes. It was a hard fight, but Rias persevered and they finally backed off after a while.

By the time they give up, Rias had light dinner, finished whatever other business, and went to find Daisuke. The ball room was pretty big, but the stares made her search much easier. There he was alone at the balcony, shined by the moonlight and looked very dreamy to Rias. She took a deep breath and walked to his side, "There you are. I've been looking for you. What did onii-sama say?"

"He wanted to thank me for helping you. You know, the usual brotherly love."

"He... he didn't say anything embarrassing did he?"

"Nah, he's pretty cool."

Rias sighed in relief. Now that she think about, isn't this the perfect romantic moment? Just the two of them alone, gazing at the stars. Her heartbeat is speeding up and she moved closer with the intent of leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

There it was, the moment of truth. She knew that he would pick up her behavour sooner or later. Mistakes are unacceptable. Now that he knows her feelings, she needs to play it smooth and win his heart.

"What?" That was not smooth...

"You have been monitoring all of us during our training. You're smart, you would have noticed my abnormal growth rate. So, why didn't you say anything?"

Rias felt greatly disappointed and relieved at the same time that she had more time to prepare. But just how dense is her crush in the romance department if he still couldn't figure it out. Although the current topic is very important.

Puzzled just as much as her Rook, she honestly did not know how Daisuke could grow so strong so fast. He's somewhere in the lower-tier high-class, but it wasn't just his physical stats. Magic, skill, control, they have all vastly improved since when he first joined her. Daisuke might as well be Rias' second Queen at this point.

Had he been anyone else, Rias would still have a hard time accepting the truth. But she knew that Daisuke was not like any other devil, he came from another dimension. The real question is, just how much more can he grow?

"Rias. Why did you revive me? At that time, I was just a normal human to you. You couldn't have sensed anything special, and my origins were unknown. I could've been a threat to everyone. So why?"

The way he said it sounded like Rias only wanted powerful people in her peerage. She couldn't blame him for that. Most pure-blooded devils would not train, depending entirely on the demonic powers that they inherited and would simply trade off any of their servants that they deemed weak. They grew conceited, viewing hard work is something only weaklings need to keep up with their superiors.

Rias isn't like them though, training her adorable servants was part of the fun actually. Seeing them grow and achieve their dreams brings a smile to her face as they were slowly acknowledged by the other devils.

"I thought you were an ordinary civilian who got caught in by mistake, yet you bravely stood up and fought back. Any human would be terrified of facing the unknown, but you never wavered. You could have left Issei to his demise but you decided to protect him. Even when she threw spears of light, you ran forward. You managed to distract her long enough for Akeno and I to forcefully enter the barrier. I wanted you as my servant because of your courage and kindness. I wanted you because you're you."

Yes, that was truly how she felt. It was at that time Daisuke caught her attention, slowly learning more and more about the enigma from there. Her affections grew the more she knows about him. Rias trusted Daisuke and never doubted he would be bad. And it turns out, she was right.

"I think I finally understand why Akeno and the others would fight for you. It's because you acknowledge them as themselves, you wouldn't ask them do to anything they hate. And only ask for their friendship."

"Will you continue to fight for me then?" This was it. Daisuke said her peerage as a whole cherished her, she never heard anything what he personally thinks. All this time, she's worried that her actions might appal him, and wanted him to accept her.

"Yeah. If there's anyone you hate come close to you, or anyone who caused you grief, I'll be by your side and protect you. After all you are worth fighting for, Rias-"

Emotions bursting out of her, Rias couldn't hold back anymore and hugged Daisuke close. His words, his smell, his warmth. She wanted everything from the boy she likes- no, liking him doesn't even begin to describe it.

'I, Rias Gremory, have fallen in love.'

Guest-Questioner: Thanks. I've been planning to write flashbacks from the start actually.

Alex Jones: Got it.

A.N.: Congratulations, you've unlocked all extra scenes. You may proceed to the present in the next chapter. And now, Season 1 is finally finished. Phew, took me longer than I thought. I'll be adding more of others' POV as I progress instead of just Daisuke's. Hope you all like it. Please leave a review and tell me what you think.

Ja Ne