A/N: Beware, actual romantic development instead of just hinting at it in 50 words. This is a damn smut novel, wtf am I doing? Enjoy!

I had expected her to be gone for a few hours, maybe until the sun started to set. I anticipated she might actually pull an all-nighter, desperate and determined to give out all the fliers. What I had not expected, was for her to come back to the house two hours later, not a single slip of paper in her hand and looking all the smug for it.

"I just know where to look, those virgins over there at the arcade next to the plaza will take anything if a girl is the one giving it to them." Aika puffed out her chest, enjoying my visible shock.

"You surprised me, I'm proud." I gave honest praise.

"Proud of enough to give a little reward for my awesomeness?" She held both her hands in a ball, holding it up to her face and blinking her eyes in what was supposed to be a cutesy manner. Unfortunately, she just didn't have the face for it.

"Let's see how your first magic lesson goes first." Just as I said so, Akeno opened the large double doors of the meeting room.

She with a warm smile bowed before she closed the distance. Different from usual she wore Kuoh's normal PE uniform consisting of a white t-shirt with navy blue lining, and navy blue bloomers that grasped her ass nicely. "It's time!" Aika cheered, standing abruptly. "I'm going to use actual magic!" Her giddiness was contagious.

"Ara, excited are we? Well, let's see what you can do Kouhai. We'll go up to the roof and I'll catch you up on the basics until Lady Ravel comes."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Aika gleamed with excitement, feet already carrying her to the door and out to the elevator up to the roof.

Akeno and I watched on in amusement until the door closed behind her. She turned to me, smile turning much more seductive. "Don't tempt me, those shorts already have me pitching a tent," I warned.

"Ara~ these old things." She turned, showing more of her ass to me. She purposely put force into the balls of her feet, putting her on her tippy toes and then back down flat so that her ass bounced. "Ara~ I was just going to tell you that I am excited for tonight."

My lips melted into a smile. "The feeling is mutual, and I look forward to seeing what you'll wear." I stood, taking her by the hips and pulling her closer.

"I do hope it's to your liking. I know whatever you wear will draw gazes from every which way." She placed her hands on my chest, drawing small lines with her pointer finger.

"I'll certainly try to match your expectations." I voiced, catching her lovely scent and sucking it all in. Soon our eyes were locked in and not long after our lips as well. I enjoyed how my hand felt while resting flush against her back, and I enjoyed how she leaned into that hand, trusting my support as she wrapped her arms loosely around my neck.

There was always something so exhilarating about a kiss. It was just about the only thing that my skills hadn't gotten down to a masterful level. I was clumsy, not really sure how much pressure to add or when it was appropriate to back away. But it felt good, it warmed my heart in a way that sex didn't. I knew to stop when she put strength in her legs to stand back up. "Ufu~ dear, we'll have plenty of time for that later, for now, you're bishop is waiting on me."

She addressed me openly as she wanted to, not calling me Lord as she did around guests, nor Master as she preferred to call me when I dominated her in the bedroom. I played around with the term of endearment in my head. It reinforced the fact that pretty soon, I would actually be marrying this girl.

"I'll leave you to it." I let go, letting her regain full control of her weight. She waved, eyes only leaving me when she got to the door and left. Now, what the hell was I going to do about this boner?

I found Rias in the gymnasium-type facility on the first floor. She sat with Asia on the bleachers while Kiba and Koneko went at it in the center. I had seen them spar before, but things were much different this time around. Kiba's pure superiority in speed wasn't as much of an advantage to him, not with how Koneko dodged each of his attacks at the last second. I didn't interrupt, quietly walking over and plopping myself down beside Rias.

"Just look at her go." Rias spoke in a near whisper, "I really can't thank you enough, this is all thanks to you."

"I couldn't just watch my Kouhai break down like that." I shrugged, "the world is brighter when she's not crying."

"Truly, just look at her face, she looks so unburdened." It was true, looking at what Rias had pointed out, Koneko was lighter in every aspect. "It makes me have other regrets." She didn't expand on that, but I could guess what she meant.

What I would say was about five moves later, Koneko stood above Kiba, fist cocked back while his right arm and consequently his sword were forced back behind him from when she had deflected a swing. He couldn't bring it back in time to not get his face caved in if she swung, and he didn't need to actually be punched to know that.

"I give," Kiba called, letting his sword fall from his hand completely and holding his palms up.

Koneko relaxed her guard, a soft smile taking over her previously focused one. "You fought well." She extended a hand, helping him back to his feet.

"That was wonderful, both of you." Rias stood.

"You guys are so strong!" Asia called as well, standing.

"Asia." Rias nudged the blonde and sent her into action.

"Right, excuse me." She jogged over, green light already at her fingertips as she went about completely getting rid of the mild scrapes each of them had sustained.

"Senpai." Koneko came up to me, stoic yet expecting something if not clear from how her tails swayed.

"Good job, you're so much stronger already." I patted her fluffy ears, giggling when she took my hand and smothered her face in it. I spent my time with the group until both Koneko and Kiba left for their respective contracts. Then I was left with Rias and Asia as we tried to train the girl, mostly her stamina. I had very little conversations with the girl, likely because Issei told her to avoid me or something of that nature. I hoped the guy knew I wasn't actively trying to fuck every girl in sight, he could afford to be less paranoid.

Regardless, time passed until the sun had fallen.

(3rd Person POV)

Akeno came out of the steaming shower softly humming and with a bright smile on her face. Her usual style of a ponytail had been removed temporarily, letting her wash her raven tresses. It left her hair to fall just below her shapely legs and down to her ankle as she walked.

She wore a white robe, but the way it was loosely tied left her shoulders just barely supporting the top of the sleeves and her ample cleavage to spill out and nearly reveal her pink nubs. She sat her heart-shaped posterior down at her and Rias' vanity, looking in the attached mirror and carefully applying various products to her face. She noticed through that same mirror when her King had come through the door, dressed in a white bikini.

"How was training?" The Priestess of Thunder questioned, rubbing lotion into her temple and down to her neck.

"Lenient," Rias admitted, taking but a few steps in before both pieces of fabric fell to the floor to reveal her lithe figure. She was very adamant about the no clothes in their bedroom rule. Except of course for the occasional cowgirl attire or nurse getup. "As it turns out, swimming becomes less of a test of endurance when you don't know how to swim."

Akeno giggled, "Ara ~ I suppose then it just turned into a pool day?"

"Yes, well Akito has proven to be a talented teacher. Asia can swim now, and she'll be ready for tomorrow's training." Rias grabbed her towel off a rack and walked by Akeno to get to the bathroom.

"Mhm~ Rias do you mind?" A bottle of lotion in hand, Rias' Queen held it out and stood. Rias took the bottle, coating her hands in a few pumps of the thicker fluid and beginning to rub it into the darker-haired girl's back.

Akeno moved her long hair out of the way and to her front, bundling it nicely to keep it from becoming frizzy. "Is that okay?" Akeno pondered, returning to the previous topic, "You know the usual outcome of being touched by Akito."

"She'll be fine, he did little more than hold her hands as she learned to kick." Rias shook her head, running her hands down her Queen's soft back.

"Ufu~ if you say so, I do not think Issei would take it well if the poor nun had been corrupted." There wasn't a drop of actual relief in her tone.

"I've noticed since that run-in you had with him, you've turned less tolerant of him." Rias pointed out, looking at the girl in the eye through the mirror.

"Well, I did not appreciate him insinuating your happiness derived from mind control, especially now that Akito is to be my husband as well." There wasn't any amusement in her tone, it was perhaps the worst thing Issei could have said. After watching Rias suffer and agonize over her engagement to Riser, seeing her King truly happy was all Akeno could have ever wanted. It wasn't something to be questioned, especially just because the boy wasn't the one to sweep her off her feet. That sentiment was shared by everyone in the peerage.

Akeno sighed, finding that she couldn't even grow annoyed. "At the very least, I do pity him, as I'm sure you do as well. Aika's words are truer than he knows."

Rias grimaced, and it wasn't missed by her Queen. "Should I have handled him in a different way? Maybe convinced him that Asia should be enough for him and to just quit while he's ahead."

"He would've broken down, truthfully, in the moment I might've said something similar to that if I were in your position," Akeno admitted with a shrug. "Letting him at least try is merciful." Rias had made her way down the girl's legs and then turned her so she could do her front. Akeno continued, her chest pressing into Rias'. "His rating games will come up soon, all eyes will be on him, and he'll be building his peerage."

Rias of course knew what she meant. He'd be going after the stronger girls, and just because of how the world worked that also meant the most beautiful. Girls like Rias, girls that Issei Hyoudou envisioned whenever he said the phrase 'Harem King'.

That was the plan, it always had been, even when it was still 'Operation Power Couple. To build a force and become a very powerful voice in the world. Maybe that wouldn't have meant what it did if Akito's sin was not lust, but it was. Put simply, becoming the 'Harem King' was fundamentally ingrained in their plan, and unfortunately, that was NOT competition Issei could ever hope to compete with.

A/N: And so we get more of the two's thoughts on Issei's situation. Rias questions her own actions and wonders if there is anything else she could have done. Is she actually only delaying the inevitable? Is encouraging him despite the odds, actually just fruitless? Has Issei's pitiful future been assured since the author put a poll up? Will, I probably get more criticism for fucking the boy over completely and utterly? WILL ISSEI RISE ABOVE IT ALL?! Seriously though, you guys have too much of a heart, how many times have you guys seen him straight killed off and his sacred gear taken completely? Now, can what I'm doing be considered worse? Maybe. But, hey, at least I allowed him to exist!