– Ichiban Kasuga –

With a pained groan, Ichiban slowly opened his eyes as the heavy, uncomfortable air filled his lungs. He coughed sharply, eyes watering as thick smoke hit his face. He didn't know what was happening, but the heat was unbearable. He felt like he was being cooked alive.

Slowly, he got hold of his bearings, standing on his two feet as he looked around in bewilderment. Raging flames surrounded him with nothing else in sight, no matter where he looked. There was only fire.

"W-what the hell?" He muttered, feeling a little intimidated. Where was he? Where is everyone?

The last thing he remembered was Akane tricking him in that fight. She probably knocked him unconscious with that hammer of hers. How long was he out for? Was this some shitty prank they're pulling on him?

"Alright, har har, you can come out now!" He called out, internally knowing that they wouldn't pull shit like this, but he had to make sure. "This isn't funny, you guys."

Pranking him when he's out cold was one thing, but surrounding him with so much fire in the middle of nowhere was another. That's reckless and stupid, and Ichiban knew his best friend well enough that she wouldn't let anyone do this. Akane was the smarter one of the two.

So if it wasn't them, then where was he and what was he doing here? Was this some kind of dream he was having? Maybe, but what exactly did it mean? Dreams have meanings sometimes, right? They're usually related to your memories last he heard. But he doesn't remember anything like this.

And it's not like he could explore the place. There's fire everywhere, and from what he can see, there's literally nothing else. Fire, fire, more fire, a giant dragon, fire–

Ichiban paused, eyes almost bulging out of his skull as he noticed the massive red dragon that he was sure wasn't there a minute ago. The dragon grinned as its green eyes met Ichiban's gray ones, steam coming out of its snout as it snorted.

Ichiban couldn't move, frozen in fear and awe at the behemoth in front of him. Size was one thing, but this overwhelming feeling of power almost suffocated him. He'd never seen an actual dragon before, so he didn't expect to be overpowered by its presence alone.

If this was actually a dream, then it's one hell of a realistic one.

"To think that someone as pathetic as you would be my host," It spoke, its voice causing the flames to intensify. "What a disappointment."

Ichiban, being who he was, didn't have a filter and scowled deeply.

"The fuck did you just say, you overgrown gecko?!"

As his brain caught up with what he just said, Ichiban's eyes widened as he put both hands over his mouth in horror. He shivered in fear as the dragon's gaze sharpened, looking quite surprised at his response.

Fuck fuck fuck fuck! He panicked. Oh god, why the hell did I say that?! I'm so dead!

For the next minute, there was nothing but pure, agonizing silence. Ichiban was sweating bullets as the dragon lowered its head to his level, the steam from its snout pushing him a few steps back. Ichiban managed to stay on his feet, not averting his eyes from the judging gaze of the giant red dragon.

"You dare?" The dragon asked with an even tone. "Do you know who I am, boy?"

Ichiban had two thoughts running in his head right now. One: Apologize and ask for forgiveness before he's turned into ashes, which is probably the better option, as the second one required him to double down because his pride doesn't want him to say sorry.

He wasn't some pussy that'd apologize for something that wasn't his fault. It was the dragon who started it, not him. He had only responded like a regular person probably would, which would be a lie to say because sane people would've run away by now.

Then again, he was basing 'regular person' on his best friend, who in hindsight, wasn't really that sane either. What was he supposed to do? Actually, wait, this was a dream, wasn't it? Yes, thinking logically about it, how would a sparring match with Akane end up with him in front of a dragon?

Yeah, it just didn't make sense when he thought about it. Unless his friends dropped him off at some dragon's lair for shits and giggles, which he doubted, there's no logical explanation for this frankly insane situation. Where would they even find a dragon in the first place? A western dragon?

On that note, confidence filled Ichiban as he raised his hands in a stance. So what if this dragon can eat him? He'll just wake up from this nightmare and move on with his life as if nothing happened. So if he's gonna go down by pissing off a dragon, then he'll go down fighting with his bare hands if he had to.

"Nah, and I don't give a shit," He responded. "I just hope you're ready for the worst ass-kicking in your life."

"You? Beat me?" The dragon narrowed its eyes.

"Yeah, that's right, I'll beat the living fuck out of you," Ichiban grinned, throwing a shadow punch. "Don't you know? Dragons are always defeated by humans, and this isn't gonna be any different. Come on, bring it!"

Another moment of silence passed as Ichiban waited for his enemy's first attack, but to his surprise, the dragon only snorted, then began to laugh hard as he raised his head up. The boisterous chortle shook the very ground they stood on as the fires roared in response as if to laugh with him.

Ichiban almost fell on his ass from that alone, barely standing on his two feet as he glared at the dragon. What? What was so funny? Was it making fun of him? Didn't it know that it's his dream they're in? Well, obviously, but it's about to get its ass handed to it.

"I dunno what you're laughing about–" Ichiban narrowed his eyes. "But you're about to regret it, you oversized gecko."

If he remembered correctly, you can do whatever the fuck you want when you're lucid dreaming, so with his vast imagination, Ichiban closed his eyes and tried to summon some sword, an Excalibur. He'd show it not to mess with him.

…Only for nothing to happen.

Ichiban frowned in confusion as he tried to use more brainpower to do what he wanted to do, but to no avail. Nervous sweat began to build up as he struggled to make something in desperation. Come on, anything would be fine. Spears, guns, anything!

"Interesting!" The dragon roared as it finally calmed down. "No host ever responded to me like this before! Perhaps I was wrong about you."

"Huh?" Ichiban opened his eyes, tilting his head at the dragon. "What do you mean?"

"You're the first ever host to challenge me to a fight right after meeting me," It clarified, in a much better mood than before. "I do not know if you're that stupid or courageous, but you've impressed me regardless."

Ichiban wasn't sure if this was meant to be an insult or a compliment, but he decided that it's the latter.

"Thanks?" He blinked, still unsure of what was happening. "...Mr. Dragon?"

…Are they friends now or what? He was ready for a fight, but the vibe kind of changed.

"Hmph, I suppose introductions are in order," The dragon said, spreading its wings. "I am Y Ddraig Goch, the Red Dragon of Domination, and the one residing inside your Boosted Gear."

As the dragon introduced himself, Akane's words about his Boosted Gear rushed back to his mind. Yes, he remembered now. She had told him about his Gear after the fight with the Fallen Angels, and how one of the most powerful beings in history was imprisoned inside it.

With this new perspective, Ichiban's eyes sparkled like a child in a candy store. So this was the Red Dragon Emperor?! His supposed 'partner'? That was so cool! He didn't know what Ddraig really looked like, but Ichiban hadn't expected him to be so damn big!

"Woaaaaah…" He breathed in awe. "That's so awesome! I never thought I'd actually meet you in person! Oh, uh, sorry, I'm Ichiban Kasuga, but you can just call me Ichi. Nice to meet you, man!"

Ddraig had an odd expression as Ichiban greeted him casually, huffing a response.

"I sense not a shred of fear in you, only awe. Interesting indeed," He said. "Perhaps what I saw was a mere fluke."

"A fluke?"

"Your duel against that woman," He explained. "You've had the advantage in nearly every way, yet she managed to outwit and defeat you. Why is that?"

"Ah, yeah, her," Ichiban rubbed his neck sheepishly. "I know, I was supposed to win, but I didn't really expect Akane to trick me like that, even if I should've. God, I'm such an idiot."

"Hmm…" Ddraig scratched his chin. "So you've gotten arrogant with my power, and that cost you the match."

"I guess, yeah," He sighed. "I definitely thought the Boosted Gear would've brought me the win, and didn't really expect Akane to have a plan around it."

"With the great power I have, you've forgone strategy and relied on strength alone. I suppose it's understandable, you are young, a hatchling," He continued, lightly tapping on Ichiban's head with his claw. "However, if you want me to accept you as my partner, then you'll have to do better. Am I clear?"

"Crystal," Ichiban saluted with a determined look. "Next time, I'll be the one winning the duel, and that's a promise."

"Good," Ddraig grinned. "I sense much potential within you, human. Prove to me that you're worthy of being my partner, and I'll lend you more of my power."

"You got it, man," Ichiban mirrored the grin and threw a thumbs up. "...So uh, now what?"

"Now you wake up."

"Wha–"

Before Ichiban could even process what the dragon said, he felt a head-splitting migraine that almost knocked him out then and there. The world swirled around him as he fell to his knees, vision getting blurry and slowly blackening.

"W-what the hell…" He grunted, looking at Ddraig and grimacing in pain. "What's… going on…?"

"You're waking up," The dragon said. "This won't be the last time we meet, human. You'll still be able to talk to me through telepathy. Just think about contacting me and I'll respond. If I feel like it."

With that, Ichiban slowly lost consciousness, the giant dragon fading away into nothing as his vision turned black.

"Uuugh…" With a groan, Ichiban struggled to open his eyes, his head still dizzy from whatever the fuck happened in that dream world. "Where…What…"

Blinking a few times, his vision adjusted to the light of the warehouse. He flinched at the headache he was feeling, hissing in pain as he scanned his surroundings. He was on the second floor of the warehouse, seemingly laying on the couch.

…That was a kick-ass dream just now, and he weirdly can remember it very clearly. Perhaps it really wasn't a dream, then. It seemed too specific to be one, with it being about his Sacred Gear that he just unlocked recently.

The realization made him feel sick. Did he just try to pick a fight with a fucking Heavenly Dragon?!

"Morning, sunshine," His best friend said, making him flinch. "Had a good sleep?"

"No," He responded with a grunt as he sat up. "My head hurts so much."

He met his friend's eyes, seeing her on the other side of the big couch with a One Piece manga in her hands. He rubbed the back of his head as he looked for the rest, noticing that nobody was in the warehouse other than them.

"My bad, couldn't afford to hold back on that," Akane said with a grin, not looking one bit apologetic, which prompted him to scoff. "Come on, you can't be mad at me. I'm cute."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," He sighed. "Where's everyone?"

"Oji-san left, saying he had some work to do, while everyone else went to get dinner," She answered. "Pizza, if you're wondering."

"Oh goddamn it," He groaned. "Why couldn't you have chosen something else?"

"Oi, you have something against pizza?"

"We just ate pizza not long ago!" He argued as she glared at him. "I wanted sushi damn it…"

"Well, maybe win the duel next time," She gloated with a smug grin. "You can say goodbye to your wallet, too."

A long, drawn-out groan left his mouth as he covered his face in despair.

"Ugh, the next few weeks are gonna suck," He said weakly. "Why did I accept the duel?"

"Aw, don't be all sad about it. It's just money," She patted his head.

"That's easy for you to say!" He snapped, slapping her hand away. "Damn it, the captain is gonna beat the shit out of me if he finds out what happened."

As he stewed in his own misery, Ichiban thought about ways to prevent himself from looking like an idiot when his Boss asked him about his allowance. Arakawa, bless his kind soul, would probably laugh it off and give him more money, but he didn't want to be troublesome to him.

Plus, Sawashiro wouldn't share the niceness and would probably kick his ass for 'wasting the boss's kindness for a moronic bet'. And it's not like he had a chance against that fucker, even with the Boosted Gear.

What was he gonna do now?

"Damn, you're really torn out about it, aren't you?" Akane stated. "Hmm… tell you what, I'll pay for it this time."

Ichiban paused, slowly turning to look at her cautiously.

"What's the catch?"

"What, am I not allowed to show some kindness to my best friend?"

Ichiban only looked at her, completely unamused, prompting her to shrug with a smirk, as if she understood the unasked 'really?'

"Fair enough," She said. "Catch is simple. For the rest of the month, you'll do everything I tell you to."

Ichiban was about to instantly agree to the demand but stopped himself. That was close because there wasn't any guarantee that Akane wouldn't use his money later. That would've sucked ass if he accepted.

"I have one condition," He said.

"I don't know why you think you have the high ground here, but sure," She chuckled, making him shift awkwardly. She's right. "What is it?"

"You won't use my money for anything."

"Hmm…" She paused, thinking for a moment, then nodded. "Your terms are acceptable."

"Then you got yourself a deal," He perked up. "I can handle a month."

"I'm sure. Now, first order," She grinned, lifting her leg up and putting it on the couch. "Gimme a foot rub."

…

"What?"

"Come, hurry it up," She said, her grin ever-widening at his confused look. "I've given you an order. Do it."

"You can't be serious," He scoffed, getting more nervous as he slowly began to realize what he had just gotten himself into.

"But I am~" She responded.

"Forget it, I'm not doing that."

"Oh? Are you going back on your word?" She said as she raised a brow, making him wince. "It hasn't even been a minute, Ichi, and you're already breaking the contract."

"There was no contract!"

"It's a verbal agreement," She argued. "Which is basically the same thing anyway."

"But I–" He couldn't respond to that, not when she's giving her that smug look.

This bitch was as sly as they come, like some siren luring him in with sweet words before pouncing on him and ruining his life, a Femme Fatale. It's like she knew exactly what he was thinking and used his own weakness against him.

He was so preoccupied with finding a way to not look bad in front of Arakawa that he didn't stop to think about the overall consequences of accepting this devil's deal. Now he's under her mercy for a whole damn month. And knowing her, 'mercy' wasn't in her vocabulary.

Oh god, what the hell did he just do?!

She truly has you under her thumb.

Ichiban almost flinched at Ddraig's voice in his head, but quickly scowled at the accuracy of what he said.

Heh, I like her

Aren't you supposed to be on my side?!

"Come on, get to it already," Akane wiggled her foot. "You don't want to be known as the guy who can't keep his word, do you? I'm sure Arakawa-san would be very disappointed in you if you do."

"You bitch…" He growled and grabbed her foot.

"Tut-tut, less whining, more rubbing."

"You're gonna regret this," He said quietly. "You'll see."

"Oooh," She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "I'm looking forward to it, then~"

There was no winning when this girl was involved.

"By the way, it's the second of May today."

Goddamn it.

– Sona Sitri –

A day had passed after the whole debacle with Riser, and thankfully, Akane got back to them rather quickly, sending her the location as well as a list of what she needed to take with her. They were going to spend two weeks there, with them taking time off from school. It wasn't anything noteworthy for the most part, aside from a document with all the powers of her, Riser, and Rias' peerage, which she submitted hours earlier.

Now, Sona understood the risk of giving such information to anyone, even her own kin, but she also knew why Akane asked for such a thing. Seeing that she's the one who'd be 'overseeing' their training, she needed to know their strengths and weaknesses for an optimal method.

It was funny in a way. Akane was even younger than they were, yet she was the one practically training them. It did sting her pride, admittedly, seeing that she was a human too, but they had no-one to blame but themselves.

Most devils don't train as they usually get more powerful with age, but perhaps that wasn't the best mindset to have. She couldn't blame her sibling or any of the new satans for not training either, as they fought in a massive civil war, while she, Rias, Riser, and other devils of her generation lived in peace.

Sona could make excuses all she wanted, that she wasn't that interested in actual Rating Game matches as she was trying to fix the messed up system of the devils and its hierarchy from the inside, but it didn't take a genius to realize that power was important in that regard as well.

Devils follow the strong after all. It did not matter if the strong were good or evil.

In any case, Sona would be lying if she said she wasn't interested in what this training regime would be like. Would it focus on physical or magical exercise? Both? Was it truly possible to change the outcome for Rias and her peerage in only two weeks? She had hopes, but at the same time, it was still concerning.

Speaking of Rias, Sona really hoped she'd show up instead of ignoring Akane's generosity. This was her only chance, and Sona knew that Rias realized it, but her stubbornness could be incredibly insufferable sometimes. Even showing up out of courtesy would be good enough, because then she might get motivated to take this training seriously.

Sona trusted Akeno and Kiba to convince her, though. Her own peerage was the only thing that could get her to stop moping all the time.

As Sona walked through the forest along with her peerage, they passed through a gate that led them to the location. An abandoned factory building covered in moss, with a very big courtyard surrounded by trees, almost as big as a football field. It was far enough away from the town that they could probably afford to go all out in here, so it'd be a nice place to train in.

She scanned the surroundings and spotted Akane in the distance, who closed the door of the factory behind her. She noticed them and waved, prompting them to approach her.

"It's good to see you again, Akane." Sona started with a polite smile. "Thanks again for lending a hand. We owe you."

"It's kinda my problem now too, but sure." She nodded, eyeing up her peerage before asking. "Where's Gremory?"

"I'm not sure myself." Sona's smile dropped, replaced with a worried frown. "I'm hoping that she's on her way here."

"Well, we're off to a good start," Akane muttered, making Sona shift awkwardly. "But maybe it's for the better for now."

"What do you mean?"

"There's something I want to talk to you about. Privately." She said, "About the document you gave me."

"Ah…"

"Come in." She said, opening the door. "I'll give you a quick tour. The place is really big."

As they followed her inside, they realized that this was no factory by any stretch of the imagination. From the outside, yes, it looked like an abandoned one, but none of them expected the inside to look the complete opposite. It was clean, organized, and was more of a mansion than anything.

Everything was in pristine condition, it was as if going through the door led them to a different dimension. Most bedrooms were designed for two people and looked like they were out of a five-star hotel, a living room with a huge dinner table next to a room with a lot of entertainment options, like a pool table, dart board, a karaoke machine, and so much more.

Even a pool and jacuzzi on the roof right above a whole gym. How did they do all of that? Was it pre-built or something?

Admittedly, it was a bit to take in.

Sona had to make sure to voice her concerns.

"Woah…" Tomoe's eyes widened. "Are you sure we're in a factory?"

"That's what I thought too, to be honest," Akane answered. "This was all the work of the Majima family once I told them to find a good place."

"I-in less than a day?" Momo asked, looking as shocked as everyone else.

"Apparently," Akane confirmed.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but–" Sona started. "Are we going to train, or are we here on a vacation?"

"I didn't ask them to do all of this." Akane shrugged, then smiled. "But let's be real, we're not going to be training 24/7, so would it be wrong to have some fun whenever we can?"

"I… suppose not."

"Besides, high morale helps." The human girl pointed out. "Don't worry, though. Like I said, this has gotten personal, so I won't be allowing anyone to slack off."

That was a good point, and Sona would be lying if she said she wasn't impressed with their work.

After the little tour, her peerage began to spread through the facility, going in pairs to put away their luggage. Sona followed Akane on her own, going into what seemed to be an office. Sona closed the door behind them as Akane took the documents from the desk at the far end of the room before sitting on the couch in the middle of it.

Akane nodded at her and Sona got the message, sitting on the opposite side. She scanned the room, concluding it to be the least decorated room in the building. She wasn't sure whose office this was, assuming it to have been there before the place changed.

"So what was it you wanted to talk to me about?" Sona asked. "I assume you have some questions."

"Yup." She answered simply, going through the document. "I read through it before you got here, and noticed something odd."

"That is?"

"This." Akane put the document on the table in front of them, showing Akeno's information. "I'm not sure why Rias needs my help when she has her."

Sona almost winced at that, knowing exactly what she meant.

"The biggest hurdle is Riser's regeneration, right? And last I checked, Holy magic can actually slow down and even stop it." Akane said. "By all indications, Akeno can carry the whole peerage to victory with one arm behind her back while the rest take their afternoon nap. You never needed my help."

"I wish that were the case." Sona sighed.

Akane's expression sharpened.

"Explain."

"True, Akeno can use holy lightning, which is more than enough to wipe out Riser and his peerage assuming she doesn't get bombarded immediately," Sona said. "But the problem is… well, she refuses to use it."

"What?" She looked at her in bewilderment. "What do you mean? Why not?"

"It's a personal problem, I'm afraid I can't go any further than that–"

"Personal or not, you have to tell me what's wrong." Akane cut her off forcefully, making her flinch. "She's literally the best shot Rias has at this."

"It's…" Sona averted her eyes for a moment, before reluctantly relenting with a sigh.

As much as she hated herself for betraying Akeno's trust, It was for Rias and her own good as well. There was no telling what Riser would do to either of them if he got his way. Sona would rather earn their ire than risk their freedom to someone like Riser.

So she told the Yakuza princess everything she knew. Akeno's origins, her relation to the Fallen, the incident involving her parents, and her self-loathing. The whole time, Akane listened with a blank look, waiting for her to finish.

Sona didn't have all the information, of course. For example, she didn't know who killed Akeno's mother even though she had some ideas, but she knew enough, which she hoped would be at least acceptable to the princess in front of her.

After a while, Akane sighed and asked a simple question.

"And that's still a problem seven years later because…?"

"Rias tried to get Akeno over it, but she's nearly as stubborn as her."

"Not even therapy?"

"Akeno insisted she had no problems and refused whenever given the opportunity."

"You've got to be kidding me." Akane groaned, getting more annoyed. "Can't she at least forget her stupid grudge just for this match? She can whine about her miserable daddy issues after it."

Sona didn't appreciate Akane's tone when referring to her friend but held her tongue. Now wasn't the time to start a fight.

"...I don't know." She answered evenly as her brows furrowed. "Last I checked, she's vehemently against using anything related to her Fallen heritage."

Akane clicked her tongue and massaged her temples at that answer.

"Knowing that his whole situation is so much harder than it should've been because an idiot can't let go of a grudge doesn't make me very confident." She said as a response, though, it sounded like it was directed towards herself. "But fine, I'll take the added challenge. You don't mind me trying to get through her, do you?"

"As long as you don't go too far, then by all means." Sona nodded.

"Right, well, that answers that," Akane muttered. "We'll wait for an hour. If Rias doesn't show up, we'll start training without her."

"Sounds reasonable. I'll give her a call and ask where she is." Sona said, standing up from the couch. "Excuse me."

Sona left the office and took her phone out of her pocket, quickly calling Rias as she walked through the hallway. As she waited for an answer, Sona passed by one of the other humans, Issei Hyoudou if she remembered correctly, who only gave her a nervous glance and a nod.

She blinked, and before she returned his nod, he simply quickened his pace and left her alone. He looked a bit anxious there, but why? Yes, she had to reprimand him a lot for his perverted behavior in school, so she could understand that reaction, but it seemed a bit… exaggerated.

Sona shook her head with a sigh. Probably because he knows she's a devil now. Ah well, hopefully, she can clear out all the misunderstandings in these two weeks.

Now if only Rias would answer her calls…

– Akane Amamiya –

I've said this multiple times before, but goddamn, the Yakuza work fast. Aside from their work on that facility, I didn't even give them the location because they found one before I could. I expected that I needed to wait for at least two or three more days, which would give me more than enough time to come up with a training strategy, but apparently not. I had to come up with an idea as fast as I could.

Of course, I also had to take care of a lot of other things, like my mother. After getting the location from Majima, I told Sona about it and she came up with the idea to make a 'school camping trip.' Telling her "I'll go train with devils" will probably end up with her starting a war, and I can't exactly say I'm skipping school for the next two weeks, not without compensation of course.

She did seem a bit suspicious at how sudden this was but shrugged and told me to have fun. I really hope she doesn't stalk me, but there is really nothing much I can do if she does. I'll have to trust her to not do anything stupid.

I almost laugh to myself at that. Mizuki is synonymous with stupid. Of course, she'll do something dumb, I just have to prepare for it.

This also meant that Asia stayed with her, which wasn't what I was hoping for. The training would benefit immensely with a healer here with us. I need to get her here somehow.

Thankfully, in that short amount of time I was given, I was able to come up with two ideas, but neither was actually guaranteed to work.

The first is the classic: train/abuse them until they're tough enough to handle Riser and his peerage. This could work because it's the safer bet, but I'm not very sure that two weeks are enough to make a huge difference. Rias' peerage doesn't have a Boosted Gear wielder in it like the original, so they're at a bigger disadvantage.

Plus, I can't do much if they're not motivated. I think I can handle the rest of her peerage since they're probably motivated to help her, but I don't know about their leader. Rias needs to take this seriously because if she doesn't, she'll barely get any gains herself.

And she desperately needs to get stronger because as soon as she's down, the match is over. She can't be the weak link here, it's too risky. From what I read on the document, Riser doesn't have any Ace or a trump card aside from himself, so his peerage shouldn't be on par with him, thus they're much easier to eliminate. Aside from his sister and Queen of course.

She has to be able to match him in strength. Her – undeserved – Power of Destruction is the only thing actually capable of putting him down. The other small fry can be easily dealt with by the rest of the team. So if I'm able to pull out as much power from them as possible, then the actual match would be a three-on-four, with Rias having the advantage.

The second idea is to give her peerage their much-needed therapy, Akeno especially.

The dumb bimbo is too spiteful to set aside her hatred to help her supposed 'best friend' for once, and it pisses me off to no end. I knew her backstory already, but I act ignorant because I wanted a reason why I do know it, which is why I asked Sona. Thankfully, she answered the important bits and didn't act all indignant about it.

Of course, her backstory is still as dumb as it is in the canon series, which might've put her higher on my shitlist for making this so much more difficult than it has any right to be, but I digress. I'm here to make them win, not complain about their stupidity. I'll make do and try to convince her to stop being such a little bitch.

It'll be tough, but hey, I can at least relate. I too had a parent die when I was young. You don't see me act like a whiny whore about it though.

Koneko's problem is a bit more complicated from what I remember, seeing that she's scared of her power, which is completely fair since she misunderstood how it worked, so it'll take more than two weeks to actually fix, and Kiba I can't do much about until the holy swords come into play. There's Gasper too, but I'm not sure how I'm supposed to approach that hot mess.

…This is gonna be a lot harder than I thought it would be, isn't it?

I'm beginning to maybe slightly regret this, but I'm unfortunately in too deep. I have to see through this till the end, even if I don't see a lot of chances for victory anyway. Getting Akeno to drop her grudge and motivating Rias are my primary objectives right now, but is it really possible in just two weeks?

At the very least, I got a quest for it.

[Demon Instructor] – Quest

Objective: Make Rias win the Rating Game

Bonus Objective: Make Rias' Peerage come to terms with their past

Rewards: Unlock Affection for Rias Gremory, Tremendously increase Reputation with Rias' peerage and Sona Sitri, Massively increase reputation with Sirzechs Lucifer Gremory, [Natural-born Mentor] perk, +50 CHA

Bonus rewards: Unlock Affection for Rias' peerage, Greatly increase Reputation with Sona Sitri, [Reliable Anchor] Perk, +100 CHA, Epic Gacha Token

That's a lot of rep increase, even for a single objective. Might be enough to help mend the relationship between the devils and the Tojo clan a bit, and peace is good. I don't want war right now, it'll fuck up the rest of my metaknowledge. At least, until Kokabiel is dealt with. I don't remember much after his arc, only the attack on the leaders that happens in Kuoh but none of the details.

But that's a problem for future me. Current me should handle this situation instead of complaining about what will happen later.

The door of the facility opens and Ichi walks out with an annoyed expression on his face and a steaming cup of the best drink in the world in his hand, spotting me right next to the entrance

"Here, got your damned drink," Ichiban says as he approaches me with a cup of cocoa. "Anything else, your highness?"'

"Aw, you even put little marshmallows in it, that's sweet of you." I smile at him, but he looks unfazed, his frown not moving an inch. "Good boy."

"Stop calling me that, I'm not your fucking dog." He scowls and slaps my hand away as I try to pat his head. "I'm already regretting this shit deal."

"Your fault for not thinking ahead." I shrug. "You know me pretty well, so you should've expected this."

Ichiban clicks his tongue as a response.

"So what are we waiting for exactly?" He asks, changing the subject. "Shouldn't we start training now?"

"The Gremory girl and her friends aren't here yet," I respond with a scoff. "And they're certainly taking their sweet time."

"We're still wasting time doing nothing, though." He argues. "Why can't we start without them? They'll be here eventually."

"Because I don't have enough patience to explain the schedule twice," I say, sipping the chocolate delight. "I've already given them an hour. If they're not here by eight, then fuck them."

As soon as I say that, my phone begins buzzing, prompting me to take it out. I frown at the unknown number, glancing at Ichiban, before answering cautiously.

"Hello?"

"Yo, Akane-chan." The caller greets me, and I quickly recognize his voice. "How's the place? Cool, ain't it?"

"Uh, yeah, though you really didn't have to go out of your way to do all that, Majima," I say, not sure how he got my number. "But thanks."

"Naw, it's all good. I'm all for trainin' and being stronger, but this old man still knows how ta have fun." He chuckles. "Hell, once yer done, ya can use it as some kinda vacation home, yeah? Have all the fun with yer friends."

"I suppose."

"But that ain't why I'm callin' ya." He continues. "Someone at the gate wants ta see ya. Already had a talk with 'em, so you don't gotta worry about it much."

"Who is it?"

"A surprise."

Ugh, I hate these vague games.

"Alright, I'll go see what they want." I sigh. "Talk to you later."

"What's up?" Ichiban asks as I put my phone back in my pocket. "Are they here?"

"I don't know." I shake my head. "He said someone at the gate wants to see me."

"Want me to come with you?" He offers. "Just in case."

"Nah." I shake my head. "You go check up on everyone else. I'll handle this."

"But–"

"Tut-tut," I smirk. "That's an order."

He responds with a middle finger raised, going back inside the facility. How cute.

I doubt it's anything bad. Majima made his intentions clear enough yesterday, so I don't think he'd send someone dangerous here without at least warning us. I mean, unless it's my mother, and if it was, I'm feeding him his own good eye.

As I head towards the gate, I slow down my pace as I spot who's there. I unconsciously scowl once I meet Riser's annoyed glare, barely acknowledging the girl next to him who I assume is Ravel. I stop myself from charging at him and knocking him out, which took nearly all my self-control.

What the hell is he doing here?

"Back for another ass-kicking, you fried chicken reject?" I mutter loud enough for them to hear.

Riser scowls but doesn't say anything as his sister flinches, bowing to me quickly.

"I-I'm very, very sorry for what my brother did yesterday!" Ravel says. "He was being needlessly disrespectful to you and I hope you know he was already punished for it."

Ravel nudges Riser and he grimaces, slowly bowing as well.

"I didn't mean to act that way towards you. I'm… sorry." He 'apologized'. "It won't happen again."

Ah, they're here to apologize. Makes sense, he started it after all. His apologies sounded so damn fake, though, and I don't know if that's more offensive or not. But lucky for him, I don't feel like starting another issue.

…I gotta say, something about the way they bow like this makes me feel giddy. Seeing the high and mighty Phenex bowing to a mere human is pretty funny. They'd look so much better on their knees though.

I blink in surprise at that thought. Where the hell did that come from?

"Right…" I don't even try to hide my smugness. "Well, I can't exactly forgive you so easily, but I guess apologizing for what you did is a start."

Both of them look me in the eyes, with Ravel seemingly not noticing the condescending tone. As for Riser, well, it takes one to know one. His lips are thin as he tries so very hard from doing something he regrets. God, he's so easy to piss off.

"Thank you so much." Ravel smiles, getting a bit less anxious.

"Don't worry about it, you didn't really do anything to offend me." I shrug, never tearing my gaze away from Riser. "Do keep him under control, though, yeah?"

His fists clench as I say that, eyes narrowing as he stares back at me in contempt.

"Of course." Ravel nods. "We'll be taking our leave now, but thanks again for taking the time to listen to us. I wish you well."

"You too."

With one last bow, Ravel raises her arm and forms a magic circle under them, teleporting away. Well, that was fun. I was half-tempted to have Riser do something stupid by pushing him to the edge, but again, I don't want war.

I'm nice like that.

– Rias Gremory –

She was only doing this out of respect. She still didn't think it's worth anything, but she'd be dumb to ignore Akane's… uh, 'suggestion'. She's done enough to offend her, and it was better to at least go along with this for now.

As she, Akeno, Kiba, and Koneko stood in front of the gate, Rias took a deep breath before entering. She was impressed by the size of this place but shook her head as she spotted Akane and Sona chatting near the building as Sona's peerage and Akane's friends took a lap through the yard, all of them in their gym uniforms.

Rias paused and stared at them nervously, before being shaken out of her stupor once Akeno patted her on the shoulder. Rias smiled at her friend and nodded, approaching the two girls in the distance.

Sona spotted them first, giving her a genuine smile, while Akane only raised a brow in surprise.

"I knew you'd come." Sona started, and Rias couldn't help but feel guilty at the sheer faith her childhood friend had in her. "Just in time, too. We were just discussing how we'll go about it."

"I-I see." Rias shifted awkwardly, still unsure how to treat the human girl. "So then–"

"Go in and find yourselves rooms you can put your stuff in," Akane cut her off, nodding at the building. "Get changed and meet us back here."

"A-ah, okay…"

With that, Rias entered the abandoned facility, amazed at the interior of the building. They had this place ready for them already? She didn't expect Akane to take this thing so seriously. Ugh, now she felt even worse about her lack of enthusiasm. But what could they do anyway?

They don't understand that no amount of training will make her beat Riser, especially not in two damn weeks. Her only chance of finding a new peerage member was gone as she missed three Sacred Gear users, one of them having a Longinus.

It was over for her, really. Unless by some miracle she found another Longinus wielder in these two weeks, she had zero chance of winning.

Rias sighed and opened a door leading to an empty bedroom.

She missed her chance with Ichiban, and nobody was to blame other than herself.

Trying to pick up the pace because I've taken too much time with the interactions and development that the plot progression felt glacial.

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