I apologize once again for the delay. I really tried to write the competition and familiar hunt as was originally planned for this chapter but I just couldn't get it right. Maybe in the future I'll do a one-off chapter or post is a memory or something. But for now, it is just a mess of inconsistencies and just didn't feel necessary for the story.
I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I did rush to edit this and post it. So if you do notice any grammatical errors please PM and I'll fix them. As always, favorite/follow and review if you enjoy. The reviews really do help motivate me to keep working on this story. Until next time!
It was late at night and Akari, Ayame and I were cuddling in bed naked. None of us were capable of sleeping, but we were far too tired to do anything beyond lay here in silence. My back was propped up by the pillows and Akari and Ayame were curled up into my sides, their heads resting on my chest. My hands drew lazy patterns on their smooth backs, occasionally twirling a lock of their hair around a finger.
Ayame hummed in pleasure every time I did so and Akari practically purred every time I dragged my nails across her back. No words passed between us, no words needed to be said. We simply found peace in our shared embrace and let the excitement and stress of the past two days fade away.
My peerage and I had won the competition against Rias and Sona, earning the right to pick our familiars first.
The competition itself had been exciting, but the trip to get our familiars had been rather eventful. It took a couple hours for everyone in my peerage to acquire a familiar, but when it was Issei's turn to pick he had been stubborn about his choice. Ultimately, Issei never selected one and he was still feeling down about it. Asia had found a very rare small, blue dragon that chose her practically on sight.
Our familiars provided next to no battle utility, but they did expand our options for the future quite a bit. Since they were capable of imitating us we no longer needed to hand out fliers or attend classes. With our positions in the human world maintained for us, I was much more comfortable preparing to move to the Underworld knowing that I had the clubhouse here at Kuoh as a fallback option.
Suddenly, a bright red light lit up the hallway outside my door before dying down. Only a handful of people were capable of teleporting anywhere into my house outside of the teleportation room, but based on the color I knew it had to be one of Rias' peerage.
Sure enough the door opened and closed quickly, long crimson hair spinning wildly in the faint light of my bedroom as Rias let herself in.
"Rias, to what do we owe the pleasure," Akari asked, completely unphased being naked in front of Rias. Ayame, on the other hand, squeaked and used my body and her hands to cover herself up.
Rias froze at Akari's words, her back to us, before she slowly turned around. Her face was hard set, as if she had come to a decision about something and nothing would change her mind.
"Leo, I need you to take me," Rias said as she began to stride confidently towards my bed, disrobing as she went.
I was too stunned to speak, instead intently watching each inch of Rias' perfect body get exposed to my vision. Akari, on the other hand, reacted as if she had been expecting this, "Oooh. Finally decided to join us for a tumble? How exciting."
As Rias got closer, I could finally make out the extreme amount of emotion in her eyes. Panic, fear, and something I couldn't quite put my finger on filled her eyes as she finally finished disrobing and crawled forward onto my bed.
"Leo, I need you to take my virginity, now." Rias was on top of me, just her thin panties separating my cock from her moist lips.
My gaze fell from her face to her naked body in front of me. Rias truly had a killer body, but what captivated me most was just how soft her skin was, like her skin was grafted with the finest of silks. Everywhere our skin met sent small jolts of electricity coursing through me and straight to my manhood, causing it to rise quickly and press against the thin fabric of her panties.
Normally, I'd have not hesitated in giving her what she wanted, especially when she was so willingly offering herself to me. But something about the look in her eyes made me hesitate. This was an act of desperation. Her desire for me looked and felt genuine, but it was far from anything driven by a feeling of love.
Before I could say anything I got the feeling that someone had just teleported into my teleportation room.
"Akari.. " I began, but before I could get any further my door crashed open with a loud bang. A tall, beautiful woman in a maid's outfit walked inside, her hands clasped behind her back.
Rias remained on top of me, though her face had shifted into a glare, "It seems I was not fast enough."
"Really, Rias? You would stoop so low as to go behind your family's back on this? You realize that Sirzechs will be terribly disappointed with you?"
"Uhh, hello. You must be part of the Gremory household since you were able to get into my house, but do you mind? It's generally considered rude to let yourself into someone else's house uninvited or unannounced. We were kind of in the middle of something," I told the woman, the shadows in the room intensifying as I prepared to defend us from this unknown person.
Rias finally stood up from my bed, and it took more willpower than I'd like to admit to not take my eyes off of the intruder and stare at Rias' ass.
"My virtue is mine to do with as I wish. And another thing. You do not get to go invading our allies' houses, regardless of being my brother's queen or not."
The gray haired intruder dismissed Rias' words and instead looked back to me, "Pardon the interruption, but my name is Grayfia. You were correct in assuming I am a member of the Gremory House. As Rias said, I am her older brother's queen. Rias and I will let you return to your fun."
I looked at Rias, who seemed incredibly upset about the situation, "Rias, you don't have to go with her if you don't want to. We could make her leave and return to what we were talking about."
Rias' expression softened a little and she smiled ever so slightly at me, "Thank you, Leo. But I really shouldn't reject a summons from my brother like this."
Rias began to gather up her clothes and Grayfia herded her out of the room without a look back at us.
"Well that was…," I trailed off.
"Weird," Ayame surmised.
"What's this," Akari purred into my ear, "It seems you are still quite excited."
Her warm hand squeezed around the base of my shaft before she lightly trailed her fingertips up towards the head. Not one to fight my own desires, I flipped Akari onto her stomach and satiated my needs while Ayame hungrily waited her turn.
"Penny for your thoughts," Ayame asked me from my left, her body turned sideways on the couch to hug my arm to her chest. We were sitting in Rias' office within the ORG's clubhouse, Akari on my right and the rest of my peerage stood behind us. Throughout the day, Rias had never so much as mentioned what had happened last night. Despite my curiosity on what had truly driven her to my bed, I figured she would explain eventually.
"Just mentally preparing for the future," I sighed as I pulled Akari closer to me by her hip.
"Stop brooding. We'll deal with whatever comes together," Akari said, twisting slightly to lay her head down on my shoulder.
"Your move to the Underworld will be shocking for many, that's for sure," Rias said, a hand on her chin as she thought about it, "I expect that you will have some freedom at first as the other families recover from their surprise to see you alive."
"We'll need my family's estate rebuilt, if it even can be, and our control over our lands reasserted."
At that moment, a bright purple summoning circle sprang to life. The glow died down to reveal Grayfia standing in her maid outfit, her arms clasped once again behind her back.
"Grayfia, what do you need," Rias asked, a hint of irritation in her voice.
"I have come to tell you that your time is running out. You can't run from your familial obligations anymore," Grayfia walked towards Rias' desk slowly, her hands clasped in front of her.
"We're back," Issei called as he, Asia, and Kiba walked in.
I gave Issei a fist bump as he walked by and took a seat on the couch across from me, Asia glued to his side as always.
"Great, we're all here now," Rias said as she rose from her seat.
"My Lady, please, permission to speak plainly," Grayfia requested.
Before Rias could respond, a blinding orange light lit up the room. It grew brighter and brighter until the cry of some kind of bird pierced the room and fire sprang up from the ground in a hot vortex of flame. I blinked away the spots in my vision as the light finally died down.
Standing on the far side of the room from Rias was a tall man with blonde hair. His burgundy business suit and the white button up beneath it had the top three buttons unbuttoned, exposing his chest.
"Ah, Riser has arrived," he announced himself, a smug smirk stretched across his face as his eyes washed over the room.
"And who exactly is this guy," Issei asked, one arm held protectively in front of Asia.
"This gentleman here is Riser Phenex, third heir in line to the House of Phenex," Grayfia announced, "As such, he is also engaged to the next head of House Gremory."
"Wait, what?!" Issei cried out, his head snapping back and forth between Riser, Rias, and Grayfia like he was watching a high tempo tennis match.
Not sure if it would be wise to get involved and announce myself yet, I resolved to remain quiet and watch this pan out.
"Yes, Rias has been engaged to Riser for quite some time now," Grayfia added, clearly confusing Issei more.
Rias glared coldly at Riser from across the room as he claimed the only unused couch, the one closest to Rias on her left, and Akeno served him some tea. Riser patted the couch next to himself, and Rias dutifully, albeit grudgingly, sat beside him. I was shocked to see that she didn't even protest as he put an arm over her shoulder and pulled her closer to him, a couple locks of hair held in his hand.
"The tea served by your Queen is most lovely, Rias."
"Thank you, sir," Akeno bowed and stepped away.
Riser silently sipped his tea, ignoring everyone else in the room for the moment. Finally placing the empty cup on a short table in front of him, his hands began to roam Rias a little too much as finally Rias seemed to have had enough.
"Enough, Riser," Rias stood sharply, "I have no intention of ever marrying you. Just let it go."
"Oh my sweet darling Rias. Riser understands that your family situation is still such that you can't afford to be so selfish."
"There is much that you don't understand," Rias declared sharply.
"Oh, Rias. You know that my father and your brother arranged this marriage because we devils must continue to birth pure-blooded devils if we are to recover our numbers from the last war."
"They made that decision in a rush and without properly thinking about it. For the final time, Riser, I will not marry you."
Riser shot to his feet, grabbing Rias by the face with one hand, "For the final time, Riser holds the reputation of the House of Phenex. You will not besmirch our good name by denying me."
"Hey! Back off," Issei shouted, but Akeno held him back from stepping forward.
"Riser doesn't care if he has to incinerate every person in this room," he declared, his eyes roaming over mine and Rias' peerage before snapping them back to Rias, "You will be returning to the Underworld with me."
"There will be no incinerating anyone," Grayfia announced, her voice measured and calm despite the tension in the room, "My Master anticipated a conflict of some kind and sent me here as a last resort to keep the peace."
"How could you expect Riser to remain calm when his patience and good name continues to be muddied."
"If my Lady wishes to put her personal preferences before what is best for her family, then my Master decided that she is to settle this in a rating game against Riser."
"Riser has competed in several rating games and has obtained victory numerous times. My soon-to-be bride is so inexperienced that she still hasn't even qualified for an official rating game yet."
"I have to say, Rias, I am surprised by the size of your peerage. I had not realized you had managed to fill it out so completely. Are you sure they will be enough to defeat me?"
His eyes swept over the rest of us, ignoring the men and staring greedily at the women. I bristled and prepared to finally speak up but Akari grabbed my hand firmly to calm me.
"I have every confidence in my peerage," Rias declared, crossing her arms under her chest.
Riser simply laughed and snapped his fingers. The same blinding orange light lit the room. The sudden appearance of fifteen more people was heralded by the cry of the same bird, which I now suspected was a phoenix, and a vortex of flame.
"Riser has fifteen pieces, a complete set. We outnumber you, not that we'll need numbers to defeat your untrained peerage."
I studied the fifteen women that appeared practically in formation. I noted that one of his peerage members shared many similar features to him. Probably his sister, I thought.
My attention was back on Riser as he called forth a tall, busty woman named Yubelluna and made out with her fiercely for a moment before beginning to grope her openly in front of us.
Issei looked like he was about to explode with envy.
"No matter how long you live, you'll never have what I do. You're just a lower-class devil, a reincarnated one at that," Riser taunted Issei.
"Shut up!" Issei responded before making arguably one of the worst construed insults in history.
"How dare you," Riser rose to his challenge, "it would be best if you remembered your place when you speak to me."
"Screw you! The only person in the room that I need to impress is Rias! And if you continue to treat her poorly I'll kick your ass right here, right now!"
Issei summoned his dragon gauntlet and prepared to charge across the room at Riser. Subtly, I grabbed ahold of Issei's shadow and rooted his feet to the floor.
"Enough," Rias finally called out, grabbing Issei's attention, "This ends here. Grayfia, tell my brother that I agree to the rating game."
Riser simply chuckled and prepared to leave as Grayfia acknowledged Rias' request.
"I look forward to it, my dear," Riser said as he joined his peerage in the back of the room. He paused for a minute to take in the other women in the room, licking his lips hungrily, "I look forward to adding your peerage to my collection. The men I'll have you trade away, but the women," he chuckled darkly, "Yes, the women will happily join me in my bed. It's a shame my peerage is already full or I'd take them for myself."
His teleportation circle finally activated and once again with the over the top flare of magic they disappeared.
Immediately, I was on my feet and pacing. I was seething inside, lamenting that I didn't want to expose myself to the Underworld just yet. But every fiber of my being desperately wanted to beat that smug look off of that prick's face.
"Leo," Akari trailed off as she tried to grab my attention.
I ignored her and continued to pace, thinking furiously of how I could help Rias crush that creep.
"Rias, I will trade you the members of my peerage that I can to help you win," I began, but Rias cut me off.
"Thank you, Leo. I appreciate your offer, but I'd never allow you to give your pieces away so freely. Besides, I need to beat him on my own," Rias turned to face her peerage, "For too long my family has held my engagement to Riser over my head. Pack your bags. We are going on a trip to train."
"Alright!" Issei cried, clearly not aware of how much work he was about to put in.
"Wow, it's so beautiful here," Airi said breathlessly, her chest heaving as we caught our breath in a flat spot on the trail.
"Reminds me of our camping trips with our parents when we were younger," Yuki added, an emotional look passing between the two as they reminisced on the past.
"Enjoy the view while you can," Rias said from beside me, "We start training as soon as we arrive."
"Nobody tell Issei that," I smirked as I glanced behind us. Issei, dragging his feet and complaining every step of the way, was currently being passed by Koneko.
"Leo, can we talk for a moment," Rias asked, gesturing with her head to lead me a little away from the group.
"Of course."
Rias led me ahead of the others, Akeno and Akari engaging the other women so as to keep them busy for us.
"What's going on Rias? Everything okay," I asked her, curious at the emotional look in her eyes.
"First of all, thank you for coming with us," Rias began as a look of gratitude flashed across her face, "Knowing that you will support me in this, when even my family won't, means a lot to me."
I grabbed Rias' hand, squeezing it to comfort her, "Of course, Rias. I may owe your father and the rest of your family my life, but you and I are the futures of our Houses. I'll always support you."
Rias turned her head to study me carefully, her eyes flickering between my own as if searching them for something. But the moment seemed to pass, and I let her hand slip out of my own.
"What is your plan for this training trip," Rias finally asked me after we had taken a few more steps up the steep path.
"The girls will join in on your training, if that's okay. I instructed them to get what they could out of it without being a hindrance, they know that Issei and Asia are the priorities."
Rias grunted in response, obviously lost in some new train of thought.
"He will be ready," I said firmly.
"I hope so. He still doesn't quite understand what he is getting into, despite it being explained to him repeatedly."
"He'll learn. Or I'll force the information into that thick head of his."
I glanced over my shoulder and spotted Issei blushing furiously as Akeno bent over slightly to check on him after he had tripped, again, and was slow to get up.
"You know, it probably doesn't help that he is so obsessed with you girls but all he ever gets is teased."
"You know, I sometimes wonder the same thing," Rias said, also glancing over her shoulder at Issei. A slight blush broke out over her face when Issei immediately locked eyes with her as if he felt her gaze.
"I've wondered if I could convince your father to drop the engagement. Maybe offer him a better prospect to be your husband."
Rias looked at me, confusion clear in her eyes until I bounced my eyebrows at her. Blushing furiously, Rias looked away, "I already tried that. House Gremory has lost a lot of political stance lately, despite my brother becoming one of the Great Satans."
Rias paused for a moment before continuing, "House Phenex has been on the rise lately. They are one of the primary Houses pushing for pure-blooded unions between devils. Their wealth and power is not to be underestimated."
"Are they really that rich?"
"The rating games are the single most influential factor for a House's political power, but wealth certainly plays a significant role as well. But yes, they are that wealthy. You remember when I explained the rules of a Rating Game to you?
"Of course," I answered quickly, not sure where she was going with this.
"Well, in the rules each team can only bring one Phoenix Tear. House Phenex are the only ones able to make them. A fact that they are not shy to hold over their rivals."
I thought about that for a moment, connecting the dots to understand the greater picture, "So they threaten to stop supplying houses with Phoenix Tears if they get in their way, which would be a surefire way for that house to drop in the rankings and therefore lose political standing."
"Exactly, not to mention House Phenex will turn their block of loyal Houses against you. Ensuring that you get awful trade deals and all but making you a political outcast."
I look over my shoulder, watching Asia heal one of Issei's bruises and giving him words of encouragement to continue.
"So, you understand," Rias noticed where my gaze fell.
"Yes. Asia gives House Gremory the ability to fight back against House Phenex. But it does nothing to help your allies."
"Unfortunately, yes. And that brings us back to your original statement. My father considered breaking my engagement to Riser a long time ago. But if House Phenex learned that we were engaged they would crush you before you even have a chance to rebuild your House."
"Rias, I refuse to let them bully you into submission."
Rias grabbed my arm, stopping and turning to face me, "Don't be an idiot Leo. While I am grateful that you are willing to sacrifice so much to help me, think about your peerage, your family's name."
I turned to watch my girls as they chatted with Rias' peerage, smiling and laughing despite how tired they are from our hike.
"Some of House Phenex's allies are more attack dogs than anything else. They wouldn't hesitate to kill all of you if they were ordered to do so."
I thought about what she said and realized she was right. As much as it pissed me off, as much as it made my blood boil with rage, I knew she was right. I just wasn't strong enough to keep them safe. Yet, I thought to myself, Soon I'll grow strong enough that nobody will be able to stop me from doing what I want.
I flexed and unflexed my hands at my sides as I tried to let go of the pressure building in my body. Taking a deep breath, I turned to look Rias in the eyes.
"I'm sorry, Rias. I need to grow stronger. But soon nobody will be able to stand in my way, and then I will be able to repay your family for everything that you have done for me."
Rias and I walked in silence after that, both of us deep in thought about the future. I knew that Rias' Rating Game would likely force me to reveal myself in some capacity. I refused to not go and watch, but I imagine that many of the other spectators would be confused why me and the girls aren't joining Rias in the game. Riser did assume we were part of Rias' peerage after all.
The thought of Riser relit a fire inside of me as I remembered his bold claim about my women. My blood felt like it was beginning to boil the more I thought about it. But before it could build much further, Ayame skipped up to my side and bumped her hip against mine.
"Your brooding again," Ayame said, her eyes full of concern yet an infectious smile played at the corners of her lips.
"Am I," I chuckled, pulling Ayame into my side even as we walked, "Maybe I was just planning what I'm going to do to you later tonight."
My teasing had the desired effect, a massive blush covering her face that only got worse when Rias giggled next to me.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're as bad as Issei."
"I am not that bad," Issei called out from behind us.
"Nah, Issei is worse. At least I know how to take what I want," I punctuated my loud words with a smack to Ayame's pert rear, causing her to squeal and dance away from me.
"Leo," she cried out, though the small smile from before was now blossoming into a full one that threatened to split her pretty face in two.
"I'm surrounded by perverts," Koneko grumbled.
"Hey now, wait just a minute…" I began, but I was cut off.
"Finally," Issei called out as he raced ahead towards a large cottage. Calling it a cottage in no way did the massive building justice, but Rias was firm in her stance that it was indeed a cottage.
Built into the base of a mountain, Rias had explained before that it would have plenty of rooms to house us all and was stocked with enough food to feed an army.
"I can't wait to put my feet up," Issei sobbed as he fell to his knees.
"Issei, get up," an exasperated Rias commanded, "We start training right now. Go change and meet us back out here."
We all laughed as Issei's sobbing intensified and walked around him to find our rooms and change. Akari and Ayame followed me to mine while Mizuki took the room on our left and Airi and Yuki took the one to our right. Despite Akari and Ayame quickly pushing me into our shared room, I was able to catch a glimpse of the other girls before I was shoved through the door frame.
Mizuki seemed intrigued by Ayame and Akari's actions, Airi gave me a suspicious glare, and Yuki failed at hiding a deep blush that spread down below the collar of her shirt.
Emerging thirty minutes later from my room with a silly grin on my face, I steered my two lovely ladies back outside with my arms wrapped around their waists.
"Took you long enough," Koneko shot me a look like she knew exactly why we had taken so long.
I simply shrugged, not ashamed in the slightest, "Sorry, everyone. I couldn't find my athletic shorts," I blatantly lied. Most rolled their eyes, but Akari made a show of wiping the corner of her mouth as if there was something still there.
"Moving on," Rias got everyone's attention, though she had a slight smirk at the corner of her mouth.
Rias organized everyone into pairs, Kiba summoning wooden swords for everyone to practice with. Ayame helped him demonstrate the basics of sword fighting before everyone began to practice. Kiba personally instructed Issei while Ayame taught Asia how to evade a sword while she was unarmed. As a mage, she'd likely never carry a weapon so this was an excellent lesson for her to learn.
We also instituted the rule that no magic was to be allowed outside of magic lessons until later on in the week. Rias and I had agreed that everyone needed to be solid on the basics of armed and unarmed combat before we mixed magic into the equation.
It soon became clear that not everyone was suited for swords, even amongst our melee fighters. Airi and Yuki quickly became frustrated that they couldn't use their natural speed as effectively with a longsword. Having an idea, I asked Kiba to conjure up something special for them. Airi grinned wickedly when the sword in her hand disappeared and was replaced with a sai and an eight-inch dagger at her feet.
"Now that's more like it."
With Airi and Yuki practicing catching each other's strikes within the forks of the sai, I turned my attention to Mizuki. Despite sparring with Akeno, she was hopelessly outclassed with a sword even by the powerful mage.
Seeing the frustration in Mizuki's eyes, I approached the two.
"Watch her hands, not her sword," I instructed her. I gestured to Akeno to slow down and she complied.
Standing beside Mizuki, I showed her how her Akeno's hands would telegraph where Akeno's sword would go next, how a rotation in her wrists would indicate a feint.
Mizuki slowly began to understand better, but it was clear that she was not suited to using a sword. Despite better understanding how to block or evade Akeno's strikes, she still got hit more often than not. Eventually, her frustration boiled over and a small wave of magical power pulsed out of her.
All around us, everyone stopped what they were doing and watched as a magical symbol blazed to life on Mizuki's left eye. It flashed between multiple colors before settling on a deep purple. Instantly Akeno hesitated mid-swing, her eyes widening in fear. She immediately dropped her sword and backed away from Mizuki, her hands coming up to cover her face as she cowered away from Mizuki.
As quickly as the symbol appeared it disappeared, and with it gone Akeno no longer appeared to be terrified of Mizuki.
"Her sacred gear," Akeno whispered in amazement, her face full of surprise.
"Akeno, I'm so sorry! I'm not sure what just happened, but I know we weren't supposed to use magic," Mizuki began to ramble, already pacing as she tried to figure out what had just happened.
I put my hands on her shoulders to help calm her, "Mizuki that wasn't your fault. You just activated your sacred gear."
Mizuki seemed shocked, but was slowly processing it. Turning to Akeno, I checked on her to make sure she was okay.
"Yeah, I'm okay," Akeno confirmed before she started to recount what had happened, "Mizuki's eyes flashed and then I was overwhelmed with intense fear."
"That's pretty incredible, Mizuki. Now that you have activated it, you should be able to control it as simply as you would any other muscle in your body. We'll have to spend some time later testing its limits." Mizuki nodded, seemingly excited to practice one on one with me later.
"For now, try not to use it. While incredibly powerful, it's better to hold something like that in reserve as a trump card."
"You're right," Mizuki agreed, "I wouldn't want to have to rely on it for everything."
With the excitement of Mizuki awakening her sacred gear gone, everyone went back to training. After a few hours we took a break for some lunch prepared by Akari and Akeno before moving on to the next practice session.
"Okay, Issei and Asia, please go with Akeno to receive your beginner class on using magic. The rest of you, please join Akari and I. We will work with each of you one on one to further your abilities with magic," Rias announced.
I sighed as I knew already what Akari would want me to practice. I was still trying to form just a single bead of water on my fingertip. I have made a lot of progress lately, however. Instead of the bead always shooting off at high velocity, I now struggled to limit how much water formed on my finger tip. Nowadays, too much water forms and would drip off of my finger tip. Akari said that it was still a problem with too much of my magic trying to be released at once, but I could tell that I was getting close.
I fell into a meditative-like trance as I practiced, barely registering when Akari came up and observed my progress. While the others practiced with new elements or strengthening their control over an element, I was still on this step. Despite my frustration, I understood its necessity. During the fight at the church, I had felt positively drained afterwards. I needed to learn to be more efficient with my magic if I wanted to have the stamina necessary to be successful in the Rating Games.
Time passed even quicker this time around as I focused solely on my own magic. Before long the sun was beginning its downward descent toward the horizon, but we moved on to the third lesson of the day.
Koneko pulled Issei off to practice one on one while everyone else paired up and we practiced unarmed combat. Learning to strike, grapple, and generally keep your opponent off balance was incredibly important and that was what we focused on during this lesson.
We had to keep Kiba and Ayame paired up as they were simply too fast for everyone else, much to Airi's frustration. I constantly swapped between all of my girls, wanting to get an idea for where each of them were.
Airi got over aggressive with me, but she had yet to get me to submit once. Yuki seemed to hold back as if she was scared she'd hurt me despite me constantly reminding her that I could take it. Mizuki tended to hesitate too long, focusing too much on figuring out a strategy on how best to take me down. Akari, on the other hand, put all of her effort into trying to put me in the lewdest possible submission hold. More often than not I ended up with my face between her breasts or legs and was forced to submit.
"I win again," Akari giggled as she let me up from my latest defeat.
"You are far too flexible and agile for me to pin down," I grumbled, genuinely surprised at how capable she was at brawling.
"You love it," Akari teased as she batted her eyelashes at me, her eyes dipping to stare at my manhood.
I rolled my eyes at her, ignoring her gaze and preparing for the next round.
"Alright everyone, it's time to call it here," Rias called out as Koneko and Issei emerged from the tree line.
I had to stifle a laugh at Issei's appearance. He was covered in dirt and bruises, his hair a tousled mess and his clothes looked worn through as if he'd been wearing them for weeks.
"Tonight, Issei and Asia will make dinner," Rias announced as she led us all inside.
Despite being dirty and tired, we all gathered around in the lounge and talked while Asia and Issei got to work on dinner. Mizuki and Ayame were talking excitedly about the day in the corner, occasionally giggling and looking my way. Airi and Yuki held each other by the waist as they stood by the large window, staring out at the sunset as it lit the trees up in a golden hue.
"You're worried about them," Akari nudged me with her shoulder, turning slightly to curl up into my side on the couch.
"They've been a little distant today," I noted offhandedly as I observed, "It's clear that they haven't been out of the city since their parents passed. They seem rather reminiscent."
"They'll be okay. They are still adjusting to their new life. They're probably still grieving for their past life."
I didn't respond, instead wondering if I had done the right thing getting them involved in my mess of a life.
Akari, as if sensing my downward spiral, grabbed me by the chin and turned my head to look at her, "They'll be fine with time. Soon they will come to appreciate the fact that they have all of eternity with each other, with us."
Akari's eyes were so full of affection and worry for me that I felt the tension in me dissolve away and I sunk further into her embrace. Leaning down, I kissed her lightly on the forehead, breathing deeply through my nose and taking in her smell. Sweat still clung slightly to her brow, but it was overpowered by the sweet smell of her shampoo.
"I'd be lost without you," I mumble against her forehead, my lips never breaking contact.
"Yeah, probably," Akari giggled at me.
I pulled back and poked her on the tip of her nose, "Rude. You were supposed to say something sweet or reassuring. Preferably both."
Akari rolled her eyes at me before she licked her lips, "I guess I'll have to make it up to you later, then."
Now it was my turn to roll my eyes at her but I didn't respond. I certainly couldn't complain about how attentive to my needs she was.
"Dinner is ready," Asia called from the doorway behind us. Everyone was on their feet and practically running for the dining room within seconds.
Dinner was a rather tame affair of onion soup and mashed potatoes, lots of mashed potatoes.
After a few jokes about Issei's apparent love for mashed potatoes, Asia explained that Issei was able to use his magic to peel the potatoes and onions. She also explained, much to Issei's embarrassment and our amusement, that he had gotten so excited that he proceeded to peel every onion and potato in the kitchen.
"Akeno had said that visualization was the key to magic," Issei said, but when asked what he visualized he blushed and was incapable of answering.
Koneko seemed to understand, however, as when she caught Issei staring at her for too long she glared at him, "Don't you dare try to peel me."
Issei, flustered and already blushing madly, choked on his food. Asia had to help him clear his windpipe by slapping his back.
I raised an eyebrow at him, but he simply shook his head at me. I figured I'd get answers out of him later.
Once dinner was finished, Rias announced that it was time to head to the baths. Apparently, Rias had chosen this spot because the large baths pulled warm water from an underground heated spring.
"Did you want to join us Issei," Rias asked, a grin splitting her face, "I'm sure Leo would prefer to share the other bath area with his peerage. Is everyone okay with that?"
"Definitely not," Koneko didn't hesitate to respond.
Issei seemed torn between arguing and crying and Akari pouted at Koneko, but I simply rolled my eyes. Besides, I'd have two of my ladies in my bed tonight anyways.
Heading into the baths, I washed quickly so that I could relax my aching muscles in the steaming water. Kiba and I quickly got comfortable, but Issei seemed to be having some issues.
"I think he's trying to glare a hole through the wall," I laughed as Kiba and I both got a kick out of Issei's panting form as he leaned on the wall separating the two baths.
"Should we leave you two alone? You and that wall look like you could use some privacy," Kiba joined in.
"I am trying to use my magic to see through this wall! Think of all the amazing beauties on the other side, bountiful tracks of land just waiting to be discovered."
"I'll remind you that some of those bountiful tracks of land have already been claimed," I responded with an edge to my voice. That seemed to do the trick as Issei spun around so fast I thought he might keep spinning like a top.
"Sorry, Leo. I guess I'm just frustrated."
"It's fine. You just need to be more aware," I replied, not truly mad at him as I knew he'd be unable to suddenly manifest x-ray vision, "So tell me Issei, what allowed you to discover this incredible power of peeling things."
Issei once again blushed and seemed hesitant to answer.
"Oh, come on Issei. We're all guys here."
"Fine. To be honest, I imagined Akeno naked and then suddenly I peeled the onion in my hand."
Kiba and I blinked at issei for a moment, both of us sure that we had misheard him. When Issei didn't repeat himself and instead seemed to blush further, Kiba and I looked at each other and suddenly the dam burst in both of us. Our uproarious laughter echoed off of the high stone walls as tears began to spill down my cheeks.
"There is no way," I tried to breathe, clutching my side tightly through the pain, "that that is what worked for you."
"No," Kiba responded, also struggling to breathe, "It makes sense for Issei."
"Shut up," Issei yelled, his embarrassment turning to frustration, "I don't care what my power is! If that's what I have then I'll take every advantage of it to become the ultimate harem king."
This was the wrong thing to say as Kiba and I began to laugh once again, this time the pain in my abs was so intense I had to hold up a hand as if begging Issei to stop.
"Please," I begged, "No more, Issei."
Issei stewed in silence for a while as Kiba and I came down from our uncontrollable laughter.
"Screw you guys," Issei finally said as we finished and wiped the tears from our eyes.
"Listen, Issei. We aren't making fun of you," I struggle to say, laughter still threatening to emerge from me, "Honestly. It's just so you that it is hilarious."
"Seriously dude," Kiba added.
"Yeah, whatever," Issei still didn't seem reassured so I made sure to wipe the smile from my face and be more serious.
"Issei. No matter what you do, there will always be people trying to drag you down. Trying to prevent you from reaching your goals," I paused for a moment to think. I needed some way to get through to him that it was time he started getting serious. He had the Red Dragon's Boosted Gear for crying out loud!
"Issei, what do you want?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"I mean," I drawled, as if talking to a child, "What are your goals? Both short term and long term. Where do you want to be in a year? 5 years? 20 years?"
Issei seemed about to shout something, probably about his desire to be a harem king, before he paused and thought more seriously about my question.
Finally, he responded with a voice full of resolve, "I want to be strong enough to protect those I care about. To do and say as I please and not have to worry about anyone else. I want…" he trailed off momentarily before resolving himself once more, "I know I've said that I want to be a harem king before. But what I truly want is the loyalty and love of the women that I care about, like Asia and Rias. because… because I love them!"
Mentally, I applauded Issei for finally having the balls to say it aloud. Personally I wasn't sure that Rias would ever come to love Issei, but I was sure Asia already did or was on her way, at the very least.
"Then stop acting like such a pussy all the time," I replied, my tone every bit as serious as I could make it. Issei spluttered and didn't know how to respond so I continued, "I know for a fact that Rias has been naked in your bed multiple times. That Asia has offered herself to you multiple times. Yet you still haven't so much as touched them despite those advances. When are you going to man up, tell them how you feel, and take what you want?"
Issei gaped at me, not having been prepared to be spoken to like that. Yet, before he could respond I continued.
"I have half a mind to take Rias under my own wing, since you seem incapable of doing anything about it," I momentarily considered telling him about the other night when Rias begged me to take her virginity, but I worried it might detract from my message.
"You wouldn't," Issei yelled as he launched to his feet and summoned his sacred gear, ready for a fight.
"There's that fire," I grinned at him, "Now sit down. We aren't fighting in the bath about a girl like kids."
Issei growled at me, but did as I said and dismissed his sacred gear.
"I'll make you a deal, Issei. I won't take Rias, but only if you win this Rating Game. If you lose and I have to save her myself do you really think she'd ever come to love you?"
Issei lost all the fire in him as he thought about my words. It seemed that I had finally struck a chord within him, but instead of firing him up it seemed as if he almost wilted. Before I could say anything else, Issei suddenly perked up and I could see the fire within him relit.
"You're on!"
After swearing Kiba to secrecy, I had retired from the bath and made my way back to my room. It was now a few days later and I was sitting in a dark cave meditating on my shadow powers.
Rias was giving everyone else a lesson about the great war that occurred between all three factions. Since I already knew all there was to know on this, I decided to take this time to meditate further on my powers.
Lately I had seriously hit a wall in furthering my ability to control shadows. Being able to command the shadows of others or even manifest them into physical objects like the trees and sword I had used before was incredibly powerful. But I could tell that there was something more I could do, something far more powerful. Yet no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't seem to reach it.
I was about to give up and return to the others when something suddenly disturbed some of the loose rocks on the cave floor.
Peering through the darkness, I noticed a figure leaning against the cave wall.
"Who's there," I called, taking control of the shadows in the cave.
"Don't get your panties in a bunch, I didn't mean to scare you," Airi stepped closer so that I could see her.
"Airi? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be learning about the great war with the others?"
"That lesson ended hours ago," Airi giggled at my lapse of awareness on the passing of time, "I offered to guard you while you meditated. We all know how unaware of the outside world you can get."
I did my best to not show how shocked I was that Airi of all people volunteered to watch over me. We hadn't gotten much time to interact lately, and I could tell that she still held a bit of a grudge against me.
"Thank you, Airi. I think it's about time I took a break though."
Airi fell into step beside me as we began to exit the cave, neither of us speaking another word.
Just as we were nearing the exit to the cave the entire mountain shook, rocks falling from the ceiling all around us.
"Airi, watch out," I shouted, diving to the side to tackle her out of the way of a rather large cluster of rocks that had been heading straight for her. Most of them missed, but a few glanced off of my back. Unfortunately, one of the smaller ones still managed to strike her in the head, dazing her.
Even as tangled up as we were, I was able to twist slightly and land hard on my back, at least softening the landing for Airi. Air's eyes seemed glazed over, but rocks continued to crash around us so I quickly scooped her up into a princess carry and ran for the exit.
Piles of rocks were starting to block the exit, but I released a powerful stream of water that made a hole wide enough for me to dive through.
Running through the trees with a still stunned-silent Airi, I heard voices shouting ahead. As we broke through the tree line, I could see all of the women berating Issei over something. A massive furrow in the ground led from him directly towards the mountain we had just escaped from. The peak of the mountain was suspiciously missing.
"You could have killed them!"
"Pay attention to what you are doing!"
My girls were really laying into him. "We're okay," I called out, gaining their attention.
"Airi!" Yuki called as I gently placed Airi on her feet and checked her for damage. Yuki practically threw me aside as she took my place inspecting her, immediately finding the rapid bruise forming on the side of her head.
"She saved our lives," I said as Akari, Ayame, and Mizuki rushed me for a group hug, "I would have still been lost in meditation if she hadn't accidentally kicked some rocks nearby me."
"I'm not sure we would have been fast enough to get out of the cave if we hadn't already been leaving when it began to collapse."
"You collapsed the cave!" Akari shouted at Issei as she pulled back from the hug. I could sense the magic in her beginning to build so I pulled her back into me and held her tightly.
"I'm fine, Akari. I'm not sure what happened, but I'm positive he didn't mean it."
"I didn't! I had boosted so many more times than ever. I didn't know how much power I had stored."
"Honestly, it's a miracle Kiba wasn't killed by the attack as well," Rias noted, drawing my attention to Kiba. He was smiling at Issei's panic, but his face was slightly pale as well.
I turned my attention back to Airi. Asia was bent over her as she used her sacred gear to heal the damage to Airi's head. Slowly, Airi seemed to awake from her dazed state.
She blinked owlishly for a moment, "Yuki? What happened?"
Yuki cried out in happiness as she pulled her sister into a tight hug, Yuki crying in relief as her confused sister just looked at us without a sense of what was going on. Akari finally seemed to settle down in my embrace now that her adrenaline was wearing off.
"Well, I think that is enough excitement for one day," I point out. After my meditation wearing me out and then nearly dying, relaxing at the cottage sounded really nice.
Yuki continued to fret over Airi even as we all walked back to the cottage. Pulling Rias aside, I told her that I wanted to cook dinner with Yuki tonight.
After reassuring my girls that I was perfectly fine and checking on Airi, I led Yuki into the kitchen for us to make dinner.
"I asked Rias to let us make dinner tonight," I told Yuki as we got into the kitchen, "I wanted to make something special for Airi. We're both alive because of her."
Yuki gave me an emotional look that I couldn't quite decipher, but it passed almost as quickly as it started, "That's a great idea!"
Yuki quickly took charge in teaching me how to make a very complex Japanese dish. Apparently, this was something that their mother used to make for them when they were little. Some of the ingredients were expensive so they very rarely ate it, but it was Airi's absolute favorite.
It took a while, I may have slowed our progress down by making a few mistakes, but eventually we finished and served everyone in the dining room.
"Chirashi-Zushi!" Airi exclaimed, apparently capable of identifying it by smell alone since she hadn't even entered the dining room yet.
Airi practically bowled everyone else over in her rush to get to the table. Sitting down, she eagerly waited for everyone to join us so she could dig in.
Walking past her to get to my own seat, I bent over and kissed her softly on the cheek, "Thank you for saving my life today. I hope you enjoy the meal."
Any other day, I would have expected Airi to immediately try and assault me if I attempted to kiss her. But I guess preparing her favorite food for her stunned her long enough for me to survive the attempt.
Airi blushed heavily but didn't say anything, choosing instead to begin to stuff her face.
"Slow down, Airi, or it'll all be gone before you even taste it," Yuki admonished her sister.
Dinner was great, if I do say so myself, and seemed to be what everyone needed to help ease the stress of what had happened earlier in the day. Airi helped herself to three portions of food, hardly slowing down until all of it was gone.
Yuki insisted on cleaning up after dinner alone, so I joined my girls in the lounge area as we all basked in the feeling of being so full.
"Tomorrow is the rating game," Rias announced to the room.
"We'll win this, for you," Issei declared confidently.
"We'll be there to support you all," I said, my girls echoing the sentiment.
Not much else was said as we all relaxed into the comfortable cushions of the chairs and couches in the lounge. Not that much else could be said. We had spent nearly a week up here in the mountains training. Issei and Asia had a much better understanding of their abilities now and they both better understood their role in this upcoming fight.
My girls had grown significantly in strength and in confidence. Airi and Yuki were confident in their ability to move quickly around a fight, harassing and disrupting our enemies. Yuki had expressed a desire to have some kind of throwable to further allow them to disrupt our enemies during a fight. Supplying them with plenty of throwable weapons would be difficult, but if they could advance their grasp on magic they might be able to use that instead.
Mizuki grew much more confident in her ability to be our strategist now that she had a better understanding of all of our capabilities. She was still a little lacking in a melee fight, but she quickly grasped magic in all of its forms and I was confident that she could maintain distance from an opponent and wear them down before they could engage her in melee.
Ayame proved to be our best melee fighter to no one's surprise. Years of practicing kendo enhanced by her devil strength and speed from her sacred gear made her a veritable force of nature. Even Kiba, who was the most dedicated of anyone to the sword, and Koneko, who was by far the physically strongest person here, couldn't catch her when fighting her two versus one.
Akari, of course, continued to be my overpowered magical goddess. She matched Akeno pound for pound, and no clear winner emerged even when Akeno switched to using Holy Lightning and Akari her of their fights ended in ensured mutual destruction and I couldn't decide if I should be slightly scared of Akari's power or incredibly turned on at her shows of strength.
Leaning back against the couch, I let the warmth of the lounge ease my tired muscles as I sank deeper into its comfort. The others chatted quietly in small groups except for Issei who declared loudly that nobody would be able to stop him from achieving his goals now, earning him an elbow to the ribs from Koneko.
I chuckled to myself and took a slow breath, my gaze drifting across the room until it landed on Mizuki.
She sat apart from the others, as she often did, quietly nursing a cup of tea. Her fingers traced the rim of the glass absentmindedly, her blue eyes fixed on the liquid swirling inside. If I hadn't spent enough time around her to recognize her subtle tells, I might've assumed she was just lost in thought.
But I knew better.
Her mind was turning over something again. I had a pretty good guess what. She had so far refused any practice with her sacred gear, claiming that she had more important things to work on.
Pushing off the couch, I crossed the room and took the empty seat beside her. She didn't look up at first, but her fingers stilled on the glass.
"You're overthinking," I said simply as I studied her face.
Mizuki exhaled slowly through her nose, the corner of her mouth twitching just slightly before she finally met my gaze. "And you assume too much."
I smirked. "Maybe. But I don't think I'm wrong."
She sighed, shifting in her seat. "It's… difficult. You saw what happened with Akeno."
I nodded. "Yeah. You scared the hell out of her."
She flinched slightly, the briefest crack in her usually controlled exterior, but she didn't look away. "And that doesn't concern you?"
"No," I answered easily. "It means your Sacred Gear works. You just need to learn to control it."
Her brows furrowed slightly, a storm brewing behind those icy blue eyes. "I don't want to manipulate people, Leo."
I leaned back against the couch, considering my words before answering. "You're already manipulating people."
Her head snapped toward me, and I watched as she squared her shoulders slightly-but I continued before she could get worked up.
"You think about every word before you say it, every move before you make it. You calculate how people will react before you act. That's manipulation, Mizuki. And you aren't the only one. Everything we say is manipulation."
"Right now, I am saying what I feel is the truth, but ultimately it is to change how you feel about your sacred gear. Arguably, that's manipulation. Parents manipulate their kids into doing their homework. When people flirt, they are manipulating someone into liking them. This," I gestured vaguely to her eyes, "is just another tool. And I trust you to use it wisely."
She was silent for a long moment, her grip tightening around her cup.
I let her think. Mizuki never did anything impulsively—she weighed the odds, calculated the risks, and made her move only when she was ready. Finally, she spoke.
"If we do this," she said carefully, "you have to tell me the second it becomes too much."
"I will." A breath. Then a nod.
"Alright," she murmured. "But… not here." Her eyes flicked toward the others, still lost in their own conversations.
"Your room?" I asked.
She nodded once, rising from her seat. Without another word, I followed her out of the lounge and down the hall.
Mizuki's room was as neat and calculated as she was. The small space was immaculately kept—no clutter, every item positioned at perfect right angles, and a bed that looked like it had been made with military precision. I imagined that she might have some degree of OCD. A single window let in a sliver of moonlight, casting soft silver over the dark blue bedding.
She closed the door behind us, taking a deep breath before turning to face me. "This is better."
I nodded. "Yeah. No distractions."
She hesitated a moment before walking to the center of the room, her fingers clenching at the hem of her skirt before she smoothed the fabric down again. It was an uncharacteristic show of nervousness from her.
"Start with simple, happy emotions first. You ready?" I asked.
She exhaled and met my gaze. "I think so."
The faint symbol in her eyes shimmered to life, a gentle swirl of shifting hues like water rippling in moonlight. For a second, nothing happened.
Then warmth spread through my chest, subtle at first—like the comforting embrace of a late summer afternoon. It was calm, peaceful, like all the weight on my shoulders had been lifted, even if only for a moment.
My lips quirked. "That's nice. Feels like a warm blanket fresh out of the dryer."
Mizuki's lips parted slightly, surprise flickering across her face before she schooled her expression back into neutrality. "Good. Now…"
The colors in her eyes shifted.
A sudden, sharp burst of energy shot through me—exhilaration, as if I had just won a fight, as if my whole body was buzzing with the high of victory. My fingers twitched with the urge to move, to act, to do something.
I let out a low whistle. "Damn. That's a rush."
Mizuki exhaled slowly, her hands clasped together in front of her. "It's working?"
"Oh, it's working," I assured her, shaking out my arms. "Alright, what's next?"
She hesitated for a moment before the glow in her eyes changed again.
A wave of warmth rushed through me—stronger than before, yet gentler. It wasn't just peace; it was contentment. The kind that settled deep into your bones, that made you want to stay right where you were, in this exact moment, because nothing needed to change. The kind of feeling you got when you were surrounded by people you cared about, when everything felt right. My mind immediately flashed to a memory of waking up, Ayame and Akari snuggled into my sides.
I let out a slow breath, my body instinctively relaxing. "This one… this one feels real good."
Mizuki tilted her head slightly. "Describe it."
I smiled. "It's like… being home. Not just in a place, but with the right people. Like nothing outside this room matters."
Her brows lifted slightly, as if the answer had caught her off guard. The glow in her eyes softened.
Then, another shift.
This time, a gentle spark ignited in my chest, spreading outward. Excitement, but not the heart-racing kind from before. This was something deeper—anticipation, wonder. Like that feeling of waking up on the first day of a long-awaited vacation, or unwrapping a gift you just knew was something special. My lips curled into an involuntary grin.
Mizuki blinked, watching me intently. "What are you feeling?"
I chuckled. "Like a kid on Christmas morning." I shook my head, still grinning. "Damn, Mizuki, this is really something."
A hint of color touched her cheeks, but she stayed focused. "One more."
The glow shifted again.
This time, it was warmth—not just emotional, but almost physical, like stepping into the sun after a cold day. It spread from my chest outward, wrapping around me in a quiet embrace. A slow, sure sense of joy settled in my gut, different from the sharp burst of exhilaration before. It wasn't overwhelming or electric—it was steady, grounding.
Like standing beside someone who gets you.
Like knowing you're exactly where you're supposed to be.
My throat felt tight for a second, but I exhaled through it, giving her a lopsided grin. "Mizuki," I murmured, "this one's dangerous."
Her brows furrowed slightly. "Why?"
"Because if you hit me with this in the middle of a fight, I might just stop caring about winning."
She exhaled a small laugh. "I'll try to use it wisely, then."
The glow in her eyes faded, and the emotions vanished with it. My body adjusted back to neutral, but the echoes of what I had felt still lingered.
I watched her for a moment, studying her face. She was still composed, but there was something thoughtful in her expression—like she was replaying the entire experience in her mind, analyzing every detail.
I tilted my head slightly. "Do you feel it too?"
She blinked, the question catching her off guard. "What?"
"The emotions," I clarified. "When you make me feel something, do you feel it too?"
Mizuki hesitated, then shook her head. "Not exactly. I don't experience them the way you do, but…" She trailed off, her gaze dropping slightly as she searched for the right words. "I have to channel them. It's like… summoning a feeling, shaping it, and then pushing it onto you. If I don't focus on it properly, it's incomplete or doesn't take hold at all."
I nodded, taking that in. "So you're not just activating a switch—you're creating the emotion and projecting it outward."
"Yes," she said softly, lifting her eyes back to mine. "It takes effort. More than I expected."
"That makes sense," I mused. "You're not just controlling emotions—you're transferring them."
She gave a small nod, but I could see her fingers twitch slightly at her sides. She was still wary of her power, still cautious.
Which meant it was time to push a little further.
I straightened, my voice calm but firm. "You should practice some negative emotions too."
Mizuki stiffened slightly, the air between us shifting. "Leo—"
"It's part of your power," I said evenly. "You can't just focus on the good. You need to understand both sides of it. What if you're in a fight and need to overwhelm an opponent? Or throw them off balance? You need control."
She stayed quiet for a moment, clearly weighing my words. Then, finally, she exhaled through her nose, a small sigh of reluctant acceptance. "Fine."
Her posture shifted subtly—straighter, more composed—as she lifted her gaze to meet mine once more.
The glow returned to her eyes.
And then it hit me.
A slow, creeping doubt seeped into my chest, spreading like ink in water. Uncertainty wrapped around my thoughts, dragging them into a spiral of hesitation. Am I doing enough? Am I making the right choices? What if I fail? What if everyone is expecting something from me that I can't actually deliver?
My jaw clenched. The confidence I had just felt moments ago was gone, replaced with a nagging, persistent whisper of inadequacy.
I exhaled sharply, forcing myself to shake it off. "Okay," I said, voice steady despite the weight pressing down on me. "That was… effective."
Mizuki's fingers curled slightly, but she remained quiet. The glow in her eyes shifted.
The emotion changed.
Fear.
Not the kind that made you jump at a sudden sound, but something deeper. A cold, anxious dread settled into my stomach, twisting like a vice. What if things go wrong? What if everything I'm working for slips through my fingers? I felt the phantom grip of hesitation in my muscles, the way fear could make someone freeze up at the worst possible moment.
I took a slow breath through my nose. "Mizuki…"
The glow shifted again.
And then it hit me harder than before.
A sharp, suffocating loneliness.
It wasn't just fear. It was a hollow ache, a desperate clawing for something just out of reach. What if I'm not enough? What if no one ever truly loves me? What if I'm just here, filling a space, never really belonging? The weight in my chest was unbearable, pressing down like a force I couldn't escape.
My breath came a little slower now, heavier. The intensity of it was different from the others—not just a fear of failure or uncertainty, but something personal. This wasn't just any negative emotion.
This was her fear.
I lifted my gaze to her, and for the first time since we started, I saw something crack in her expression. Her hands trembled slightly at her sides, her lips pressed together as if she were trying to will herself back into control.
I exhaled, grounding myself, and took a step closer.
"Mizuki," I said quietly.
Her eyes widened slightly at the sound of her name. She blinked once—twice—then the glow in her irises faded.
The weight vanished. The emotions snapped back like a rubber band retreating to its source.
She dropped her gaze, swallowing hard.
I didn't hesitate. Stepping forward, I wrapped her up in a tight hug and held her close. But I knew my presence alone wouldn't be enough. Something like that, something rooted that deeply, needed to be addressed.
"Mizuki," I pressed gently, "that was yours."
She inhaled a small, shaky breath. "…Yes."
I squeezed her shoulder lightly. "You're wrong."
She finally looked up at me, her eyes searching mine. Her usually controlled expression flickering with something uncertain. "About what?"
I held her gaze steadily. "You are loved. You do belong."
Something in her shifted at that. Her lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but nothing came. Instead, her shoulders relaxed—just slightly—and she let out a breath she probably didn't realize she'd been holding.
I am not sure how long we stood there for, but eventually Mizuki looked up at me again.
"Thank you," she smiled weakly at me, tears brimming in the corner of her eyes, "For trusting me."
"Always," I replied simply, smiling a genuine smile down at her.
Her smile grew, threatening to split her face. And that, I thought, was a victory in itself.
I had Mizuki practice a few more emotions, this time sticking with happy ones, until she felt confident in her ability to control her sacred gear. Wishing her goodnight, I hugged her one last time before heading back to my room.
I figured everyone would be in bed, it was incredibly late now, but as I walked to my room I heard Rias speak.
"I need to speak with you privately anyways."
Peaking my head around the corner, I spot Rias and Issei heading outside. I considered following them to listen in, but decided against it and continued down the hall towards bed.
Finally climbing into bed, Ayame and Akari were already asleep. Naked and cuddling face to face, I couldn't help but smile as I climbed in next to them. I softly kissed each of them on the cheek so as not to wake them up before laying on my back next to Akari. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, but the events of the day kept swirling in my mind.
So lost in thought I was that I didn't even notice the door open and close. It wasn't until someone climbed onto the foot of the bed did I finally realize that Yuki had walked in. She was smiling sweetly as me as she put a single finger over her smiling lips, indicating to me that she wanted me to remain quiet.
Yuki opened her robe to reveal that she was wearing nothing beneath as she slowly crawled over my body until her heavy breasts were swaying against my chest and her warm breath prickled my ear.
"I wanted to thank you for asking to help me make her favorite dish to thank her for saving you. Personally, I think you saved her today. But I guess that makes two things I have to thank you for. And as it so happens, I have two things here that would like to thank you," Yuki whispered seductively into my ear, sending goosebumps down my spine.
As she pulled back her face was split by a seductive grin as she watched me stare at her tits. Her nipples, hard as stone, dragged across my chest until she lowered herself to my crotch.
Laying down slightly on my lap, she used her hands to capture my rapidly growing cock between her tits, the head barely poking out enough that she could silently slurp on it while she pumped me with her tits.
Her eyes never broke eye contact from me as I watched her work my cock, already leaking precum and twitching between her pillowy breasts.
My orgasm came quickly and Yuki expertly swallowed every rope of cum, not letting a single drop escape past her lips as she locked them around my head. My hips thrust up into her tits with a mind of their own, seeking to heighten my pleasure as I emptied my balls completely for her.
When I finished, Yuki licked her lips before placing a soft, delicate kiss on the tip of my dick. Slowly sliding off of me, Yuki retied her robe around her waist and winked at me before retreating from my bedroom, Akari and Ayame none the wiser as to what just happened.
Still stunned that that had just happened, sleep claimed me quickly as exhaustion suddenly overtook me.