Chapter 61: Unresurrected Fire Chicken

{Lemon of Chapter 61 is in Chapter 2 of New Beginning (Lemon)}

Waking up to Miho blowing me in the morning is normal, though finding Akeno in the bathroom waiting for me to bang her is new. And now the two of us are in the bathtub, with me leaning onto the edge and her leaning onto me as we took a nice warm bath.

The ravenette stretched her arms up, giving me a view of her side boob floating on water as well as her armpits, "Ufufu, that was fun. Don't you think, Daisuke-sama~"

"Yeah, that did feel pretty good."

"Ara ara, how casual. Am I officially promoted from sex friend to sex slave?"

Picking up a strand of her black hair, "We've already come this far, I can do that if that's what you want."

A seductive smile appeared on her face, those glossy plump lips accentuating her fallen angel sexiness even further. Akeno turned around and kissed, "I'm glad that you are overcoming your trauma."

"More like getting numb to it, but I'm definitely handling it better than before."

Akeno nestled herself into my broad shoulders, her hand sliding over my muscles. She was already beautiful yet her wet and naked body only highlighted that beauty even more. After the masochist was satisfied, she's content to bath herself in my warmth.

"Say, I've been thinking... Do you ever regret falling in love with me?"

"Are you perhaps referring to the pain of rejection when we first confessed to you?"

"Yeah, I just thought that why keep trying when you already know I love Miho? Sure, you finally convinced me to start reciprocating your feelings but going through all of that must've been really painful."

"Ufufu, are you worried about us? How cute." Akeno scooped up water in her hands, watching her reflection, "I suppose the old me would answer both yes and no. Yes, because when I met you, I wanted to hold you close and try to become stronger myself. No, because it would remind me of kaa-sama's death, the pain of losing someone close would be too much to bear."

"However, after experiencing so much. I can confidently say yes. Love and pain always come together hand in hand." Her fingers interlaced with mine, "There is no greater gift in life than love, Daisuke-kun. And I will give you my heart as many times as I need to, no matter the cost. I'm sure Rias and Koneko-chan would also do the same."

"..."

"Ara ara, did I make your heart skip a beat."

"Not really." Firmly grasping her hand, "Though it did give me some thoughts to think about."

After making out with a deep kiss, we finished our bath and put on our casual wear, not embarrassed or attempting to hide our birthday suits. The fallen angel sultrily put a finger on her lower lip and gave a blow kiss before leaving.

"Alright. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." With me alone in my room, I lightly slapped my face to psych myself up, summoning four clones and bringing out books from my pocket dimension.

Two clones will research for any methods to get back home, two will work on the new Norse modified spells, and I will be studying a brand new topic: history of harems in the Underworld. Well, there's only a few to learn about considering how normal it is to devils.

Since summer vacation ended, I didn't have much time to work on interdimensional travel. Part of the reason was due to burnout after finding so many dead ends so I needed a break while focusing on training and such. But the main reason was because I was too occupied being used as a living sex toy by Miho every damn day, and then I had to fuck three more girls. While I received much pleasure, my own free time was greatly reduced.

Now it's time to remedy that. Understanding harems and the girls' feelings are the reasons why I'm looking up this new topic. Granted, I don't think I can find much though whatever possible leads that can help alleviate my PTSD are worth it in my books.

Harems have existed almost at the same time as when devils have populated. Back then they were power hungry and were never reserved about having more than a few lovers. A male with multiple women as well as a woman with multiple men existed, the former was more common as it's easier to know whose parent the offspring is. That, and it is also the faster method to reproduce more devils.

Members of the harem, once joining a household, must swear loyalty regardless of their past affiliations or they'll suffer severe punishment. They can choose to change their loyalty as long as the consent is obtained by the harem owner. There is no limit to how large harems can be yet it is mostly present among rich and affluent individuals. Commoners are allowed to have harems but they need to have the necessary resources and economy to support said harem. In turn, harems indirectly displays how influential the owner is.

"Huh, I think I remembered Rias saying something about my reputation will elevate by forming a harem back then, guess this was it. There are ways to earn fame and show off, apparently this is one of them."

In the past, harem members are attracted to money and luxuries. In contrast, more and more harems nowadays existed as love blossomed, particularly for females. Male devils have higher sex drive than female devils, which is why harems with only women are becoming prominent. As long as they receive enough love, they do not mind sharing their male lover.

"Okay, I call bullshit. I get dragged to our love nest and sucked dry to the point it could make succubi lose their jobs. Rias and the others can't last as long as Miho yet they are definitely just as thirsty. Simply surviving for the night took everything out of my balls."

Devils in nature, as when making contracts with humans, always keep their word. Therefore, when promising their love and future to the harem owner, the members tend to do so. Promises and pacts are vital to the very instinct within devils. As love and marriage are also in the form of promises, breaking such is a huge taboo and frowned upon. This very reason is why harems and marriages are not to be taken lightly.

"Makes sense I guess, it's like my job when humans summons me. I help to do errands and they reward me, we make deals." A thought popped up in my mind, "Didn't Rias try to get rid of her virginity to escape her arranged marriage? That actually explains a lot, since the promise between households could be compromised, she was betting that the whole marriage might be cancelled by breaking her end of the deal. And that also explains why there are still some bad rumors regarding her doing that. Rias really risked her reputation by breaking a promise."

"... Come to think of it, I wonder how's fire chicken doing? Haven't heard anything big about the Phenex Household besides his older brothers."

Shrugging my shoulders, I went back to find any other info about harems. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot and it's only about devils. I don't have anything when it comes to other factions or races. Though one thing is certain, harems are more than just for fleeting pleasure, or at least the redhead and the others think that way. I sighed, my are emotions running all over the place. This didn't really help with my PTSD.

I checked the time and it's already over an hour of researching. Dispelling the clones and slowly assimilating the knowledge, I was about to produce more clones for another round of reading until knocks echoed.

Miho entered, "Hanwei-sama, a guest has arrived and is requesting your audience."

"Déjà vu. Alright, I'm coming."

On the eastern part of our apartment, where we have unfamiliar guests to enter via a different entrance, there's a girl with blonde twin-tailed drills standing awkwardly in front of us, "So-sorry for the sudden intrusion."

"How do you do Ravel?" Rias sipped some tea made by her Queen, "Did something happen for you to come here?"

Xenovia stared at the young Phenex while tilting her head in confusion, "Who is she?"

"Her name is Ravel, we met her when buchou was in an arrange marriage with a yakitori named Riser. She's his little sister even though her older brother is an asshole."

"Aw, she looks so cute." Irina praised despite Issei's description of her brother, "She doesn't seem so bad."

"She really isn't, Ravel's really nice and she even baked a cake for me when we went to the Underworld one time."

"That's one way to apologize. Senpai trapped her in an illusion and she went down easily."

"Koneko, no need to bring up the past. Otherwise she'll be more afraid of me than she already is."

Yuuto smiled wryly, "I suppose it shouldn't be surprising, the Phenex's immortality is difficult to counter yet Hanwei-kun downed her with ease."

"Ara ara, it is still not fair to compare Daisuke-kun to normal devils."

While doing her best to avoid eye contact with me, Ravel spoke up, "I request your assistance to get onii-sama back on his feet."

"Is he still in a slump after his defeat? I have heard that he was shocked about the loss but it has been several months since that time. What is he doing currently?"

"Nothing I can proudly say, Rias-sama." Shifting embarrassingly, "Onii-sama mostly stays in his room, he does nothing except virtual Rating Games and occasionally call someone for a game of chess. No matter what we try or say, he refuses to come out."

"Really? That sounds different from the usual Riser I know." The King was truly bewildered, "He always displays an arrogant attitude while excitingly looking forward to his Rating Games."

"Yes, I wish he could return back to the way he was before."

Alicia whispered to me, "I did not watch your Rating Game yet I've heard of Riser Phenex's success, could he actually become this depressed?"

"Possibly, I don't think she's exaggerating either." Turning to the young Phenex, "Just how bad is his current condition actually?"

"W-well... He would have nightmares about that time and wake up screaming in the middle of the night, sometimes he would make this weird noises on his worse days. The worst in my opinion is that he can't bear to hear the words 'fire' and 'chicken' anymore. He doesn't dare to use his proud phoenix flames or eat any poultry. He is especially terrified of anything related to wind and the color blue now."

All eyes were turned to me as I slowly concluded in one sentence, "In short, I traumatized him?"

"Ufufu, you were very savage with your words and actions at that time."

"... Okay, maybe I could've chosen my words better, but I didn't have any other ways to fight back his immortality. It's not like I did it out of malice."

"You replayed the scene where he got electrocuted over and over while laughing at him, senpai."

I carried Koneko and placed her to the very back where Ravel would have a hard time of hearing her, "Like I said, no malice."

Rias cleared her throat to regain attention, "Since you came here, does that mean you have a plan to help him recover?"

"After failing multiple times, I received a suggestion to approach Rias-sama and ask you to help onii-sama to be 'gutsy'. Many devils said your peerage has a strong mentality and much determination so perhaps he could learn something from you."

Witnessing her sneaking glances at me, Ravel was referring mostly to me. To fix a problem, you have to eliminate the source. After hearing how bad fire chicken has spiraled down into, I'd feel bad if I ignored him. Besides, his little sister came all the way here to ask for help, can't say 'no' to that sincerity, "Very well, I have no problems with helping him to get back on his feet."

"Neither do I. Our arranged marriage is in the past now and I do not begrudge him for following the orders of his elders."

"Thank you. I can't believe onii-sama could be depressed for six months over one loss, the gossips and magazines wouldn't stop talking about his downfall. It's so frustrating to see him like that. If he's a real man, he should've gotten back on his feet and get on with his life already." Ravel brightened up with a smile before growing cold, "I-it would stain our household's reputation after all, it's not like I'm worried about him or anything."

Right, she's a tsundere.

Ah, I'm sure knocking some sense into him shouldn't be difficult. I gave therapy to the Two Heavenly Dragons for their Oppai Dragon trauma after all, how hard can it be?

Rossweisse suddenly came bursting into the room, "Everyone, did you know that the soap and shampoo in the common bathroom were restocked!? We also have free cosmetics!"

Maybe someone should explain that Miho and Alicia regularly supply our apartment from Azazel's account... Nah, we could do that later.

Multiple teleportation magic circles later, Rias, Miho and I stood in front of the Phenex castle. As expected from the household which sold Phoenix Tears, the castle was tall and classy, distinguishing itself differently from the Gremory Household. Towers with flames on top were constructed behind the main buidlling, each towering up high in the sky to represent the soaring mythical firebird.

Lights of fire floated around the entrance like fireflies, giving the bright royal glow to show off their high status. While hot flames decorated around the place, we didn't feel hot or sweated. Miho found it interesting, "Quite an impressive place to live."

"Each of the devils from the 72 households have their own grand sense of aesthetics, many engrave the symbols on their castles or built them in a way which proudly displays their lineage."

The entrance opened as Rias finished her explanation, Ravel as well as servants of her household bowed, "Welcome everyone, would you like some tea before visiting onii-sama?"

"It is fine, our visit is informal so no need for that." We entered while following the King's lead, she knows her way around since she's been here before, "If I am not mistaken, his room is on the third floor correct?"

"Yes, please come this way."

Our walk has given us a sight to see. The main color of the interior is red along with other matching colors, sides of the entryway have poles of fire. We stood on a magic circle and teleported to the third floor, arriving at a particularly large pair of double doors.

Ravel knocked, "Onii-sama! Are you awake!? Please respond!"

"... What do you want Ravel? I had a nightmare last night and I'm not in the mood."

"Rias-sama has come to see you."

Upon hearing that sentence, a loud thud sound could be heard along with other awkward crashing noises. Guess he hasn't cleaned his room in a while. Riser quietly talked through the door, "Rias? She has already broken off her engagement with me like she always wanted. Did she come to spite me in revenge for treating her badly?"

Miho and I exchanged glances, silently agreeing that this isn't something that could be left alone. The depression was so thick that we could feel it from here. From the once arrogant and conceited devil to the now pitiful shut-in. I only wanted to beat some sense into him for being an asshole, not this. Now I kind of feel bad for going overboard, he went with the arranged marriage because it was decided by the elders after all. Even if he was forceful, he was just obeying orders and didn't bother us after we won as promised.

"Riser, please come out. I'm here for a peaceful talk."

The doors opened slightly, perhaps because he had an obligation to listen to her wishes after his misconduct. Riser peeked, "What do you want from the man you reject-..."

He froze the instant he saw me. I simply gave my most pleasant and amicable smile, suppressing my powers to the minimum as a sign to make peace.

Too bad that the effect was opposite of my expectations. Pale as a ghost, the Phenex's self-loathing visage morphed into one of fear and panic, his jaw opening widely in terror and entire body quivering incessantly.

His peerage arrived, the Queen speaking on everyone's behalf, "Ravel-sama, has Rias-sama-"

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

We all flinched from the absolute bloodcurdling scream echoing throughout the castle, I could even see the avian-type familiars flying away in fright through the windows.

Before Riser could shut the doors, Ravel clutched the edges in great effort to keep them open, "Onii-sama! Settle down! They are here to cure your depression!"

"No! Why is he here!? I don't want to come out! Stay away!"

"Onii-sama! Can't you be more dignified? We are in the presence of outsiders!"

"I don't wanna! I don't wanna! Outside is scary! He is outside! I wanna go baaaacccckkk!"

At this point, Yubelluna and the others also joined to pry the doors from closing. The three of us were at a lost for words, not sure if intervening would be wise or not. From the way how coordinated they are, this is definitely not their first time doing this.

"Riser-sama! This is your chance to confront your fears and overcome your weakness!"

"The Aoi Arashi does not begrudge you! We asked for their assistance!"

"Did you not say to become ambitious and rise to the top!? You cannot do that by running away!"

"AHH! No! Leave me alone! He is going to get meeeeeee!"

Rias had a complicated expression, "This reminds me of when I first met Gasper."

"It's worse if you ask me."

As they struggled to drag their King out, the Rooks finally managed to pull Riser out without hurting him. However, due to the momentum, the peerage dropped to the floor from inertia whereas the Phenex himself fell forward towards us.

Now that we got a clear look of him, he was in high quality sleeping garments despite being almost noon. His hair is disheveled and it doesn't look like he has been maintaining proper hygiene either. Looking up, Riser's phobia took control, deluding him into thinking that I'm here to beat the shit out of him. He crawled away, covering his face with his arms, "Don't come near me! I admit! You are better than me! So just leave me alone you... you..."

Strangely, he paused mid-sentence. His terrified expression went rigid, his brain was processing something while his mouth was hanging open. Fear was no longer present, replaced by something else. Everyone was perplexed by his sudden shift yet we observed for changes. Slowly, his petrified face softened and tense body slackened before he spoke slowly in a smooth mesmerized tone, "You exotic beauty."

Getting up, Riser fixed his appearance with his immortality ability as if nothing ever happened, walking towards Miho, "To think I would meet a gorgeous woman such as yourself. Would you like to join my peerage? I have Bishop Piece which I'm sure that you would find enticing."

Ravel, Yubelluna and the others cheered, "I can't believe it, he's back to his normal self. This is great news."

Riser extended his hand towards the pinkette maid, "Naturally, I would provide you riches and other luxuries you desire-"

*CRACK*

Before the Phenex could get close to Miho, I crushed his wrist to stop him from going further. Realizing the situation, Riser's head mechanically turned to me. I don't know what face I'm making right now, though considering that he was ready to cry and the amount of murderous intent flooding out of me with the force of a tsunami, I'd say monstrous was an understatement, "Keep. Your hands. Away from MY MATE!"

Before even finishing my sentence, Riser was already wailing with tears and snot all over, his hand was being crushed far more than his natural abilities could recover. I lifted him up in the air while still seizing his wrist, adding extra pain and punishment since I know he'll recover from it anyway.

Although Ravel was tearing up from fear, she was still courageous enough to speak up, "A-A-Aoi Arashi-sama, weren't y-you here to help o-onii-sama?"

"THAT WAS BEFORE THIS MOTHERFUCKER TRIED TO MAKE A MOVE ON MY MIHO! LET'S SEE HOW WELL YOUR IMMORTALITY CAN DO WHEN I DROWN YOU AT THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN!"

"HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"

Unable to handle it anymore, Riser succumbed to my killing intent and passed out, his mouth frothing and his body becoming limp, but not before pissing his garments.

Rias rubbed her temples in attempt to alleviate her headache, dryly staring at the salamander, "I blame you for this. Your obsessive territorial behavior has rubbed off on him."

"I... cannot deny that." Miho smiled wryly, approaching to wrap her arms around me in affection, "Danna-sama, I am fine. Please calm down."

Feeling my wife's soothing touch, my anger waned just enough for me to hand back the fire chicken to his peerage, "Sorry, guess I lost my cool for a minute."

"Here, something to please you."

*Chu❤*

Miho kissed my lips in public, uncaring of the stares from other people. I exhaled, "Okay, but I'm still mad at fire chicken-"

*Chu❤*

"Thank you, we should still make sure that he's-"

*Chu❤*

"... Fire chic-"

*Chu❤*

"..."

*Chu❤*

"I didn't even say anything that time."

"I know, I simply wanted to kiss you." My wife said ever so innocently, nestling her head into my chest comfortably.

'Okay, I am calm... I'm calm.' Breathing deeply, I finally snapped myself out of it and saw the residents of the Phenex Household both scared and apologetic, "Sorry about that."

"I-it's fine." Ravel nearly hiccupped, still shivering along with the others, "I have heard rumors about your refusal to proposals. Is this your wife?"

Normally people wouldn't expect a guy already married before the age of twenty, though this is considered normal in devil standards. Some devils even younger than me are already married, "Yes, and I am very protective of Miho."

Isabela, the Rook, spoke up, "So what do we do now with Riser-sama?"

Our attention was diverted to the still unconscious Phenex. Originally we came here to help him and now this happened. One of Riser's peerage members eyed at the pinkette for help until Miho shook her head in firm denial, leaving us back to square one.

"Regardless, he needs to leave his room sooner or later. Pack up his stuff, I'll take him back to our hotel and slowly desensitize him."

Rias stared at me with uncertainty, "Daisuke..."

"Nothing will happen as long as he behaves. I'll just make sure by staying with him at all times, Riser has to get bored of his phobia sooner or later."

With no better ideas they could come up with, Ravel and the others decided to go with my plan and see how it goes.

Riser woke up groggily, rubbing his aching head and sore back. That nightmare of meeting Aoi Arashi must've affected him more than he thought, his body felt like he was sleeping on hard ground.

"Wait a minute, this isn't my room. And I was sleeping on the ground." Alarmed, he was wearing his casual clothes and identified the surroundings, there are only rocks, plateaus, cliffs and such across a very spacious area.

"Yo, you finally awake?"

Looking back, Riser saw his worst nightmare sitting cross-legged nonchalantly, screaming at the top of his lungs in horror.

Despite being a tsundere, Ravel was actually honestly concerned, following Rias and the others to their underground training facility. They were spectating her brother running for his life in vain, no matter how fast he ran or where he hid, the Aoi Arashi was always three steps ahead of him and forced Riser to witness his face every second of the day.

She sipped her drink without taking her eyes off, "At least onii-sama isn't hurt."

"Don't worry, Daisuke can be over the top when it comes to Miho but he is never unreasonable." Rias watched the scene along with the other ORC members, "I think it is a good idea, research has proven that desensitization can be effective as long as we start small."

"Ufufu, I think Daisuke-kun is also secretly enjoying playing cat and mouse."

"Can't believe that's the same annoying ikemen we fought months ago. He was so confident and then this happened." Issei turned to the younger Phenex, "He's been like this since we won?"

"Not at the start." Sipping more of her drink, Ravel was half worried and half amazed that Daisuke could walk on vertical surfaces, surprising her brother with a soft whisper when he thought he got away, "Onii-sama attempted to continue his daily life, only to make small mistakes. He began to doubt himself even after we reminded him of his victories and blundered more frequently, to the point that his confidence shattered."

Irina and Xenovia wondered, "Must've been rough. So that was his first real loss in his life."

"Yes, it's quite frustrating to see him like this." A thought popped up, "I just remembered, I baked snacks for everyone. I hope you like it."

By 'everyone', Ravel mostly wanted to know Issei's opinion. The pervert took a cookie and grinned, "Wow, this is good. I glad that I could eat your cooking again."

"I-is that so. Well, you better savor it because it's for everyone."

"Issei-senpai is right, this is delicious. Koneko-chan, try some."

The nekoshou stared at the treats baked by the Phenex, her cat instincts kicking in, "I'll pass Gya-kun."

"This is good, thank you Ravel-san."

Upon hearing Miho's compliment, Ravel scrutinized at the pinkette. She was certain that the salamander never appeared during the Rating Game, she would've noticed such a gorgeous woman with a glamorous figure after all. Even hidden under that maid uniform, Ravel could tell that Miho could rival Rias in terms of appearance, proven when Riser temporarily went back to normal for a minute.

As a fire user herself, Ravel was interested in the fire spirit, "Miho-san, you are Aoi Arashi-sama's familiar right? Your title as the Rengoku Maihime became the talk in our household. How did you become so strong?"

"I am diligently training together with Hanwei-sama since I swore my allegiance to him, he has helped me unlocked my potential. I wish to be of use to him and stay by his side. Above all else, I take great pride as his servant."

"Your name comes from how graceful your fighting style correct? Some people say you burn down your enemies without mercy, and some say your dance-like action are growing more popular among female devils. Being the familiar of the Aoi Arashi while gaining fame for yourself on the battlefield will bring much attention."

"It wasn't like that at first. More people were interested in Hanwei-sama in the beginning, it was only after the incident with Diodora Astaroth when my name becomes well known. Hanwei-sama taught me that power is not simply becoming powerful, it is when you make that strength your own and be proud of personalizing it yourself."

Miho's thoughts wandered that night when she first created her threads after hearing her husband's advice, reminiscing the romantic Red Tread of Fate.

"So how did you two married?" Call Ravel a high-class noble girl if you want, she's still fascinated with romance like most girls, "Did he take you in and propose at first sight?"

"Nothing of that sort." Miho blushed at the attention from her junior, "We had a normal master-and-servant relationship as we learned more about each other, and then fell in love over time."

"Really? I thought Rias-sama would be the legal wife. Everyone talked about how good your chemistry was when he fought so hard to break your engagement."

Coughing in her hand, the redhead smoothly avoided the topic, "Our relationship is very close, there's no need to be pay heed to the rumors."

There's no way the young Phenex would believe that, her inner girlish self was curious about the possible love triangle between those three, yet she isn't rude enough to pry further. Ravel sneaked glances at Issei, the former knew that the latter has a girlfriend though this could be a chance according to the Pawn's ambition to be the Harem King. Besides, since when has a noble devil woman ever cared about a guy having other women before her?

"Everyone, I've been thinking about learning more about living as a commoner in the human world, which is why I decided to transfer to Kuoh Academy as a first year."

"Really? Ravel, you're younger than us even though you have nice op- I mean more mature than us." Issei corrected himself at the last minute, guilty about staring at a junior. Although he is a certified pervert, he still doesn't feel well about lecherously staring at younger girls... to a certain degree.

Perhaps taking care of Asia who's like a younger sister made him this way.

"I did hear Phenex-sama voicing his thoughts about sending you to Kuoh." Smiling, Rias saw a younger image of her in Ravel, "It will be difficult to adjust at first, but we will be here to help you if anything happens, so don't hesitate to ask."

"It will definitely be a new experience for you Ravel. Will you be fine? A noble devil might have more problems fitting in than other people."

"What are you saying Xenovia-san." With her pride up, there's no way the young blonde would admit that she's nervous and worried about getting along, "I am from the great Phenex Household, there is no obstacle I cannot overcome. After learning etiquette and rules of society, blending in with commoners will be child's play."

Akeno looked at Rias knowingly, Ravel would have a hard time in Kuoh at this rate. Regardless, Rias will be sure to put her in the most convenient class for her, "Gasper, Koneko-chan, since you two are in the same year as Ravel, I hope you will get along."

"Y-yes! Nice to have you Ravel-san."

"... Will do."

A torrent of heatwave washed over them, noticing that Riser was finally starting to fight back with his flames, not that it did anything to Daisuke of course. Compared to when they first started, this is already good progress since the traumatized Phenex was beginning to fight against his fears instead of running away from them.

Two days of passed since I dragged fire chicken to help him with his problem. While I have chilled from when he tried to recruit my wife into his harem, I still haven't forgiven him, which is why I ordered him to stay at the underground training room while Miho and I are sleeping in our hotel. Even if he somehow manages to break past almost twenty floors of security, I'll be sure to kick him in the balls if he dares to come near her again.

Naturally, he was opposed to the sleeping arrangements.

"You expect me to spend the night in this small quarters?"

"It's already bigger than an average bungalow, get used to it."

"This bed is too stiff, I cannot sleep in this second-rate lodging!"

"It's either here or you can sleep outside where the rocks and cliffs are."

"Where are the servants? How am I supposed to get things done without them?"

"You got arms and legs don't you? This place already has plenty of food, water, and air conditioning. Do it yourself."

"What!? Do you not know who I am!? You expect a noble from the Phenex Household to accept these horrendous conditions!?"

"Quit complaining, it's already better than what most people can have."

"Ignorant peon! Even a reincarnated devil like you should know how pure High-class devils live! My household is so great that I can even take Rias Gremory who is the sister of a Maou as my fiancé-"

Riser was knocked out like a light after my fist collided square into his face, he didn't dare to complain after that and took residence in the training room.

However, I began to have a very significant question for myself. My hand reflexively went to hit him at that time, I didn't even know I did that until it happened. Normally I'd just roll my eyes and sighed at this spoilt attitude though when he mentioned Rias as his fiancé, I suddenly got... angry.

And it wasn't anger for talking about Rias like a trophy wife, it was more similar to when he tried to hit on Miho. Thankfully, everyone assumed that I was only agitated from his complaining, I couldn't tell them the real reason even if I wanted to with how turbulent my feelings were. Miho, on the other hand, knew me better than myself sometimes as she darted her pupils towards the redhead, as if silently telling me that I should already know my feelings.

Sighing, I was on my way down to the training room until I heard his peerage has arrived to bring his daily bentos. Since I was gonna see Riser again, I might as well stopped on the way to pick them up.

Arriving at the lobby, I found his purple haired Queen sitting on couch, "Yubelluna-san, you're by yourself today?"

"All of us came at first to make sure Riser-sama is fine, we have no need now that he is progressing well. The others also have jobs to cover Riser-sama's absence." She handed me a bag of his stuff, "He will need these."

I saw the contents of the other bags before and gave her back the extra clothes, "He needs something easier to move in. And no, no fancy clothes even outside of training, he needs to be outside of his comfort zone to improve. By the way, I've been wondering about it, but what are these?"

"Face toner, moisturizer and other cosmetics? Do you not use them?"

"Just some hair gel and face cleaner, I don't even use them that often. Are these really necessary?"

"As a High-class devil, he still needs to maintain his handsome appearance or else the name of the Phenex will tarnish. Raiser-sama used to put effort into maintaining his appearance as well as his work before going into depression. Please consider giving these to him."

Yubelluna went as far as to bowing towards me. After seeing this, I feel uncomfortable, "Don't go lowering your head to another Low-class from a different household, it will spread unnecessary rumors. I'll give these to him."

"Thank you very much. Then, I will be off-"

"Wait, there are some questions I would like to ask you." The Bomb Queen stood halfway before sitting back down. What I'm about to ask was sort of awkward so it took a second for me to start, "Are you happy to be part of Riser's harem? Even when you're sharing him with other women?"

"Of course." She spoke as a matter of factly, "I already know that harems are when Riser-sama makes love to other women before joining. He cares for all of us and gifts us with the best luxuries. He may pay more attention to a particular girl according to his mood sometimes, though we have agreed schedules so each of us have our fair share of him. Neither I nor the others in his harem are bothered by it."

"Then, doesn't that apply to you too? Don't you want to have your own harem of handsome men besides Riser?"

"It does sound tempting at times. However, Riser-sama never fails to satisfy me when I want him. I also swore to an agreement to only be with him, we discussed together before I agreed to become solely his. Also, as a woman, I do not think it will last long since I am not that romantically active, serving Riser-sama is fulfilling enough. In exchange, he has taken better care of me than I expected in every aspect."

Yubelluna suddenly blinked before staring at me strangely, covering her breasts while scooting away from me in slight trepidation, "By any chance, are you asking these questions because you desire me-"

"￣へ￣ No." My response was so dry that it made deserts look damp, so I lengthened it for good measure, "Even if hell froze and praised the fucking sun, no."

"I-is that so?" She relaxed but not entirely, "After hearing the rumors and remembering your hands traveling all over my body during the Rating Game, I became a bit paranoid."

Overwhelmed by desperation, I immediately got onto all fours, "I sincerely apologize for my past behavior yet those Phoenix Tears were too troublesome to ignore. Please forget about that."

Yubelluna was flustered so I got back up before the conversation could go in a weirder direction. After knowing her opinion about harems, I think it helped clearing my insecurities regarding Rias and the others a little. There's also that 'agreement' part, devils are bound to contracts by nature so that's one way to take a look at it. Maybe I need to tackle my PTSD in the more fundamental side instead of worrying about the relationships.

"Out of curiosity, what did Riser provide for all of you for joining his harem?"

"Aside from shelter and delicious food, some wanted to escape poverty, some wanted to gain fame by using the Phenex name, and one has a fetish that Riser-sama could contentedly comply with."

Probably better that I don't find out exactly what, "Thank you Yubelluna-san. And I would also like to apologize for inflicting a serious injury during that Rating Game, it was my first time having a huge power spike and my control wasn't precise. I'm sorry for almost killing you."

Blinking, the Bomb Queen snorted, attempting to hold back. Eventually, she couldn't and laughed in a condescending manner, "And here I thought that the Aoi Arashi would be oppressive. You're quite the pushover, aren't you? If the situation was reversed, I would've relished the sight of you falling from my explosions."

Rolling my eyes, I deadpanned at her attitude. It was more sadistic than malicious. I know because I've seen it often from Akeno, "Yeah, yeah, whatever. At least I can clear this off my bucket list. Anyway, I better go check on Riser."

Bidding our farewells, I took a different elevator to reach a different floor where the teleportation circle is located. Stretching, I marveled the usual sight of rocky terrains and vast open area, this place is always up and ready no matter how much we wreck it.

"Yo, fire chicken! I brought-"

"I have you now!"

The moment I stepped out, a huge torrential wave of fire engulfed me. Riser came out hiding from a plateau, his fiery wings out and ecstatically cheering, even going as far as to doing a weird dance, "Yes! Finally! Now I escape from this accursed prison and return home!"

"Nice try."

Before he could turn around, I kicked his side and launched him towards rocks, ricocheting him a few times off the walls before he landed on the hard ground. Groaning, the Phenex rejuvenating his wound though the sudden instant rush of pain and trauma to the head knocked him out cold.

Grabbing a bottle of water from my pocket dimension, I splashed him back to consciousness. Fire chicken wiped his face, noticing my pristine unharmed state and balefully glaring at me, "I hate you. So. Much."

"Here, delivery."

Tossing the bag into his arms, fire chicken opened to find the usual stuff he got from his peerage. He sighed, closing the bag and just sat there, giving up on running away from me since he knew that escaping is impossible.

Although not running away in screaming terror was already a big improvement, the fact that he tried to sneak attack me meant that he's slowly handling his fears. Sitting down in front of him, I think it's almost time for him to graduate, "You hate me that much?"

"How could I not!? I'm covered in sweat and grime for days because of you! I have never been so tainted in my life!"

"No, I meant before this. To be honest, I prefer to see you hate me than your miserable state. Did your loss really affected you this much?"

"Of course not... Not at first..." At my unrelenting gaze, fire chicken clicked his tongue in annoyance, "Tch, why would you care? You never asked for my opinion."

"Mostly because you kept running around like a headless chicken before we could even engage a proper conversation. No point in asking when you're too scared to answer."

"And why should I answer now?"

"You're not succumbing to your fears."

...

"Prior to dragging here, I bet you never would've thought that you could speak to me like this, you would've preferred to hide in your room. In contrast, you can now fight back and even did that weird egyptian dance-"

"You saw nothing!" Fire chicken cut off my sentence, still irritated, "And how does this concern you? After what you've done to me, I thought you despised me. Why would you help me regain my confidence?"

"Half the reason was because your trauma stemmed from me, I bear some of the responsibility. We're not exactly friends though I don't like seeing you suffer."

"And the other half?"

"Because your little sister came to us for your sake." He went quiet, an indescribable feeling apparent on his visage, "Maybe it's hard for you to see it with your depression, yet it doesn't change that there are still people who care about you. Even after shutting yourself in your room for so long, Ravel and your peerage are still doing their best to support you. Besides, do you really choose this over the annoying arrogant attitude you had before?"

Gazing at the bag of supplies from his peerage, fire chicken sighed, "After my complete and utter defeat, I had to take some time to realize that I genuinely lost. It was bitter, almost painful yet I continued my daily life for a rematch one day. However, everything started collapsing around then."

"I began to make small mishaps, such as misplacing my papers or mispronounced during conversations. While they were of no concern in the beginning, I kept repeating them more frequently. I then saw your face and heard your taunts even when you're not there at nights before going to sleep. Slowly, I accepted those words you said on that day as the truth."

"My confidence dropped, to the point I was stressed from doing my simple routines. The stress kept accumulating and I started to lose hair. It wasn't until my peerage reminded me that I could restore my lost hair with my Immortality that I was so proud of."

Not gonna lie, I had to hold back my laughter when I imagined fire chicken bald, "Can't say I don't understand that, even the smallest failures can make me paranoid sometimes."

"That loss wasn't small to me." Fire chicken sent a pointed glare at me, "I never expected to lose. Everything was planned. My peerage's abilities, the environment, as well as our equipment. Nothing else was on my mind except victory until you defeated Yubelluna. I knew that I would lose against more experienced and older competitors, but against my former fiancé who has not participated a single Rating Game? It was devastatingly humiliating. The only reason why I wasn't shamed further was because you are the Aoi Arashi."

"Although a single short explanation normally isn't enough for most people, my name must've already spread by the time we won the Rating Game." My tone fell flat, still not used to being famous, "So are you going to keep staying down in the dumps? Because I saw your old self the moment you sneak attacked me."

"Stand tall Riser, the reason why people lose is to improve, you are no different from anyone else. Even if you can't do it, you have people supporting you. It's okay to be scared, it's fine to run away, but the most important lesson is to not give up. Embrace it all and just go back to your annoying arrogant self already."

Fire chicken saw my hand extending to him, reluctantly taking it to stand up, "If it means that you will stop giving me that stupid childish speech of yours, then fine."

Treating the symptoms, done.

Treating the root of the problem, done.

Another round of Hanwei's therapy treatment successfully completed. Now if only Ddraig's therapy could go this smoothly, poor dragon still cries whenever he hears Issei's perverted moniker.

Surveying the surroundings, "By the way, where are Sekiryuutei and the others? You usually come here with your friends to train."

"Ravel heard about the facilities here in Grand Wing and she's at the pool with the others."

"Pool?"

"Yeah, it's on top of the roof. She said she never heard of a rooftop pool so she tried it due to her interest in human culture. They're coming here a bit later since we agreed that only my presence here might further progress your therapy."

His expression morphed into one as if he has hit an epiphany, "By others, do you mean Rias and her peerage?"

"Yup."

"Including that beautiful salamander?"

I was getting a bad feeling, "Yeah..."

"In her bikini? Along with Rias and the Priestess of Thunder who also have incredibly large breasts?"

"... Fire chicken, don't you dare-"

Before I finish my sentence, fire exploded around the Phenex, much hotter and stronger than whatever he's produced for the past few days. The air gusted upwards as his fiery wings emerged. Fire chicken flew out of the training grounds, melting through the security and went outside to take a straight route up to the roof.

Stunned, his sudden action left me standing to process the drastic move I didn't think fire chicken would make. As the thought of him lecherously staring at my wife's curves, pure unadulterated anger boiled within my very core. I then heard a strange grinding sound reaching my ears. It took me a split second to realize that I was unconsciously grinding my teeth in fury.

"That motherfucker is going down."

My anger peaked to the point I didn't bother conserving energy. While I can easily overtake him with sheer speed alone, I activated Supra Burst and used Space Burst, teleporting to right in front of the perverted Phenex.

Intercepting him before he even made it halfway there, I casted a simple barrier around the hotel to prevent the surrounding people from noticing two flying devils. Looking down at him, I growled in an almost animalistic manner, "End of the line."

"What? How can you teleport so fast!? And why did you change clothes?"

"This is your first and final warning fire chicken. I am incomparably stronger than when we last fought and no Immortality in existence is going to fix what I'm about to do to your fucking balls."

Fire chicken argued with more vigor and confidence, "How can you say that!? As a male, you should understand the need to peek at women with enormous breasts! I was Rias' fiancé yet I didn't even get to touch that bountiful chest! Do you have any idea how aggravating it was to hold myself back from a women with that kind of voluptuous body!?"

Multiple veins visibly throbbed on my forehead, "That's your harem's problem! I don't give a rat's ass!"

"Don't be so selfish! You chose that salamander as your familiar because of her irresistible looks right! You have an exquisite hot wife subservient to your needs for so long! At least let me enjoy the sight of her body just this once!"

"Oh, that's it!"

I flashed forward, putting a vice grip on his wrist before he could react so he can't escape. However, what I didn't expect was that fire chicken severed his own arm while raining waves of fire at me as a distraction.

The end of his arm where his hand should be was burning ablaze, already regenerating the lost limb. Fire chicken laughed while flying up, "Fool! Did you think I would not formulate countermeasures after days of being chased!? Try as you might but nothing can stop me from reaching those huge seductive breasts!"

"Where was this enthusiasm when you were training!?" Unharmed, I was already behind him, a piercing rotating wind drill which represented my raging male energy encompassing my whole arm. The spell output was reduced just enough to prevent collateral damage, "Futon: Taikyoku Rasengan!"

Fire chicken would regenerate anyway, so I didn't hesitate to strike the middle of his spinal cord. The Phenex was launched up from the gale and shockwave, his body spinning along the way before hitting the top of the barrier. Once again, he was knocked unconscious.

With the perverted chicken neutralized, I exhaled in relief until I saw him falling down. Based on the trajectory, he was about to drop right into the rooftop pool! I bolted, grabbing his leg before fire chicken could make a splash, "Phew, that was close."

"Ahem."

Tensing up, I slowly looked down at the sight of everyone. Each had a variety of expressions.

Ravel was scared shitless when she saw me grabbing her unconscious older brother, hiding behind Issei's back.

Speaking of Issei, he and Koneko gave me the 'Really?' look.

Yuuto, Xenovia, and Irina were puzzled by the development.

The two blonde Bishops had their mouths hanging open in awe and bewilderment.

Akeno and Raynare were holding in their laughter, until the latter cackled.

My two maids, Miho and Alicia, had awkward visages, unsure of what to make of this.

And finally, my King deadpanned at me as if she's seen a misbehaving child too many times. Rias sighed, "Daisuke, what did you do to Riser this time?"

"... I can explain?"

My only consolation was that Rossweisse was sleeping soundly on top of a floaty, drooling a little (∪.∪ )...zzz

"Thank you very much."

Now that fire chicken's problem was solved, his peerage arrived to accompany him back home. Ravel expressed her gratitude with sincere words, even leaving some gift bags. Aside from helping her brother, the younger Phenex spent her time at the human world comfortably, though her gaze stayed on Issei longer than on others.

And she absolutely and fearfully avoided eye contact with me.

"Do not misunderstand, I am not giving these gifts because I am happy with your hospitality. It is only natural to thank someone after receiving assistance."

Used to the tsundere's attitude, Rias pleasantly smiled, "I understand, we hope to see you at Kuoh Academy soon."

Fire chicken crossed his arms, still annoyed that his plans were thwarted. Unbothered by his petulant glare, I walked up to him.

Everyone could practically feel the tension between us. His defying gaze versus my indifferent stare. However, almost exactly at the same time, we loosened up and shook hands. Guys who once battled each other with bare fists can form a bond easier than you think. Our emotions got through and most antagonism was resolved, call it a bromance moment.

"Our next Rating Game will end in my favor, Aoi Arashi."

"I'll accept the challenge. Anytime. Anywhere."

"That's why, please let me see Miho's breasts next-"

"Don't push it, fire chicken." I exerted a little more force in our handshake, causing him to wince.

Once they left via teleportation, Issei came up to me, "So, how did you snap him out of it?"

"Every patient needs a unique therapy session, I'm just glad this one wasn't too complicated."

Miho embraced me affectionately, wrapping her arms around my neck, "You've worked hard, Hawei-sama. Here, your reward."

Unabashed, my mate passionately locked lips with me in front of everyone. After enjoying the kiss, my thoughts wandered back to what I said to fire chicken, 'The most important lesson is to not give up, huh? Maybe I should take my own advice...'

Glancing at the Rias, Akeno, and Koneko, I saw them pouting in jealousy at Miho. Smiling, I opened an arm towards them, "I still got room for three more."

Surprised for a second, they quickly recovered and dived in. Now I'm hugging four girls at once in public, stupefying Issei and others. Considering that I've never initiated a romantic move like this before, especially in public, their confusion was warranted. Our sex friend relationship was a secret for the sake of my mental health. Nevertheless, there's no need to refrain from intimate contact anymore, though that doesn't mean we should explain the details. We simply ignored them, heading back to our room.

Perhaps we could bond together by doing something besides fivesomes for a change.

ArguableReader: Well, the underworld has no problems with harems, so they could definitely live their lives together no problem. Rias is still young and literally not a fully matured devil yet. It's only natural that she's starting from zero to earn her prestige, like everyone else does in high-class devil society.

AN: I've officially started working and chapters will be slower from now on, enough said. Anyway, next chapter will officially start Season 4 and I have some interesting ideas in mind. Here's hoping that I can find some time and energy to write. Hope you all like it. Please leave a review and tell me what you think.

Ja Ne