16

Mio was pissed. I get it. I was out all day and all night, and she was pretty much relegated to staying home the entire time, and then she happened to smell Rias's perfume on me. I was letting her cool off before I tell her about the engagement. She is stomping the entire way to the school as it is. She may explode if she hears that.

I gave a succinct warning to Rias, whispering in her ear while helping her with her bra. "The next time I find you naked in my bed, you had better be ready because I'll take it that you intend to give yourself to me, and I won't turn down such a gift."

For Rias's part, she looked back over her shoulder and held my gaze for a moment before nodding. As much as I enjoy waking up between two sexy women, I refuse to be teased mercilessly and be expected not to act on it. I might be playing it slow and trying to consider Mio's feelings and her readiness, but Rias is a different case entirely.

Mio is still pretending to be a princess. She thinks she's acting like she's in charge, but her threats and outbursts are toothless. She couldn't pull off guile if her life depended on it. Rias, on the other hand, was raised a princess. As hamfisted as she's being, she is still aware of her own manipulations, and for the most part, they work on the high school level minions she's used to.

Unfortunately for her, she's still a pawn in someone's game, being pushed around the field at their will. She'll need more power and experience before she can get a promotion. Not that I have much in the way of experience. I'm relying on my cheats and my knowledge of the various anime to fake it myself. Fortunately, we're still early in the various plots, so I have some time.

As we arrive at the front of Kuoh Academy, Rias is waiting for me with her arms crossed, leaning against the gate like a model out of some magazine. It's a pose I refer to as CSS one. Cool. Sexy. Suave. The pose where she is leaning on her elbow and smirks at your antics is CSS two.

"Why, Miss Gremory, are you perchance waiting for me?" I ask.

Oh, there is her smirk. Look complete.

"I'd like you to come to the club room after school today," she says.

"Hmm. Is it alright if I bring Mio, I think you two need to meet? She's a little grumpy right now-"

"Hmph! Who's grumpy!?" Mio harumphs. She still has a hard time with her emotions.

I just shake my head. "Like I was saying. I think it is important for her to meet your group as well. Maria will have to wait for now, but eventually, we'll all need a sitdown. Maybe we can make the next meeting at my house."

"Perhaps. We can talk about it tonight. I promise I won't just show up naked in your bed," she says, and glancing at the deepening frown of Mio's, she smirks. "again."

Mio jerks and focuses her glare... at me, of course. The mark on her neck flashing a briefly flashing a pale pink, just enough to send a tremor through Mio's body. I let out a sigh. Why did I put myself between two redheads? I know the answer, but still, the question begs to be asked. I roll my eyes at Rias, and she smiles, spins, and walks through the gate.

I look at the glowering Mio. "Would you relax, please? She is our ally now. I need you to think about this as if your life depends on it because it may."

That got her attention—a trace of fear iced through her eyes. "Hey," I say and step closer, taking her hand. Then, leaning in closer, I speak in a low voice so only she can hear me. "If they want you, they're going to have to get through me, and I'm going to drop every roadblock I can between them and us no matter what. Hell, I'm willing to make a deal with a devil to keep you safe. You and Maria are precious to me, and I'm never letting you go."

She turns a rather bright shade of red before stuttering out, "W-what are you saying, b-baka!?"

I just smile and turn to walk through the gate. "You know, you're pretty cute when you're embarrassed."

"Baka!" she shouts, attracting the attention of the other students around us. I just kept walking until another voice brought me up short.

"Issei," the voice I recognize as Yuki says. I turn to see Yuki walking towards me. I smile, genuinely happy to see her. She comes in and hugs me, and as promised, I hug her back.

"Why were you with the Gremory heiress?" she asks in a soft voice near my ear.

I smile a little but make it just a bit sad, as though I held some regrets. It's an act. I regret nothing about my time with Rias. Well, maybe not nothing, but nearly that. "I need allies, Yuki. People to stand with me. The Hero Clan won't, so I'll find those who will."

"But... they're devils," she says. "How can you trust them?"

"Her peerage is made up of people who would have died if she hadn't saved them, and every night they go out to rid the city of strays and other threats to the population. The world isn't as black and white as the Hero Clan, and the Vatican would like us to believe."

She backs away, a troubled look in her eyes, and nods. "Just be careful, Issei."

I grin. "Of course. You as well."

She turns and walks away. I can feel the glower of my favorite demon princess behind me, so I turn and smile at the scowling Mio. "Your face is going to freeze like that if you aren't careful."

"Hmph."

She marches past me towards our class.

'Wise Man, how much LP do I currently have?'

[LP Remaining: 21000]

"Oh, shit. That's a lot."

'Alright, let's go on a little spending spree while I'm flush. Let's pick up Astarte's Favor and Synthesis. Also, I have an idea. Let's up my food game and create a skill to put me in a league of my own, but not too far beyond the human realm. I'm not saying their clothes should spontaneously explode as they cum from a single taste, but I'm also not not saying that. Maybe something in the middle; small orgasms and a bit of an aphrodisiac. What can we do?'

[A Dash of Ambrosia (C)

You are virtually a food god in the mortal world. The culinary treats you create are beyond mortal ken and can soothe the soul, replenish vitality, and enflame the libido. Needless to say, the taste is orgasmic.]

'Nice. Create it.'

[Remaining LP: 10500]

I continue on my way to class, catching up with Mio. At lunchtime, I will pay a visit to the Cooking Club. I'm happy with my purchases. I'm pretty sure I have a shit-eating grin on my face at this point.

"What are you so happy about?" Mio grumps.

"Why wouldn't I be? I have a beautiful girl at my side and new allies to meet. So I think I'll bake something to break the ice when we meet the rest of the peerage," I say. Then, looking over to Mio, I add, "You're welcome to join me if you'd like."

Now, she really looks confused. "Mio," I say, stopping. She turns to me. "I know all of this is overwhelming, and living as you have only to find out it was all a lie... can't be easy. I'm sorry you had to go through it. I want you to know. I'm not perfect. I'll make mistakes; I'll probably do many things that you don't like, but I will also always care about you and protect you to the best of my abilities. If you ever have questions, don't be afraid to ask me. I'll answer you. If I'm doing something that worries you, ask me, and I'll tell you why I'm doing it. If you're still not convinced, we can talk about it. Maybe come up with a better solution. I know you feel like you're just being dragged along, but it's also your life, and you have the right to decide for yourself."

She paused for a second, conflict in her shifting eyes. Then, finally, she looks up. "What did you do yesterday?"

"I took a hostile fallen angel and bound her to be my servant and secured an alliance with Rias Gremory and her peerage."

"What's a peerage?"

"That's a little more complicated. Think of it as a team, but with heavier family overtones. Rias is the captain of her team, and the rest are her teammates. They are bound to her through artifacts called Evil Pieces. Crap name, I know. Basically, these artifacts look like chess pieces, and by absorbing one or more, the person is transformed into a devil, if they weren't one before, and gain abilities based on which piece they absorbed."

"But they're devils. How can you trust them?"

"Yuki asked the same question. You're a demon. The world is not as black and white as we have been led to believe. The good guys are not always who you think they are."

"Are you one of them?"

"I hope to you I am. That's kind of subjective, really. I'm the bad guy to the people we may think of as bad guys. Everyone is a hero in their own story."

She frowns, contemplating what I mean.

"Come on," I say. "We're going to be late for class if we keep standing out here."

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Lunch was a successful endeavor at the cooking club, and a box full of treats with a certain adorable Nekoshou's name on it was currently being carried by yours truly up to the Occult Research Club's club room. Mio decided that she'd wait to meet the peerage until she could do it with Maria around. So, I had Maria pick her up from school so she wouldn't be walking alone. I had wanted to talk to Yahiro, but he wasn't in class today. I guess the shot he took fucked him up more than I thought it would. Well, that's what he gets for being a dick.

I knock on the double doors and get no response. So I knock again, and finally, the door clicks open, and an adorable white-haired golden-eyed girl with a blank expression appears in front of me. "You must be Koneko. I'm Issei, but I think you knew that already. May I come in?"

"Un." She nods and walks back towards the extravagant couch where she sits and starts munching on a chocolate bar.

I enter and sit down near her, but not directly next to her. Placing the box of treats on the coffee table, I open the top. "I heard that you like sweets and cakes, so I thought I'd make some to share. I'm a pretty good cook," I say, not looking at her but the cupcakes in the box. The aroma emanating from the baked goods is heavenly, and I see, out of the corner of my eye, a line of saliva running from the corner of Koneko's mouth. I lift a cupcake from the box and present it to her. "For you, cutey."

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About ten minutes later, Rias and Akeno come through the door to see something they never expected. Rias is stunned, and it takes Akeno a moment to understand what she's seeing.

"Ara ara, Koneko, when did you become so comfortable?" Akeno asks.

For Koneko's part, she's purring slightly while sitting on my lap enjoying another cupcake, her fourth, while I gently comb her hair with my fingers. Koneko turns to look Rias. "Mm. Buchou," she says and nods to Rias, a smudge of frosting on her cheek.

"Koneko, you got a little frosting on you," I say and wipe it off with my finger before licking the drop of frosting up. Koneko blushes a little and goes back to her cupcake and mews a little when she reaches the gooey ganache at the center.

I look over to the two women who stare slack-jawed at the girl in my lap. "Don't worry, we saved some cupcakes for you, too. Koneko's already had four, though, so you should hurry up."

"Mm. Good," Koneko says.

Rias and Akeno approach cautiously. "I-is there something in these?" Rias asks.

"Only normal ingredients. I just wanted to make something to break the ice."

Rias takes a bite, and her eyes widen, and she lets out a small moan. It's amazing; as sexy and sensual as Rias naturally is, she has minimal experience with the sensual. Something to work on in the future.

A louder moan escapes the delicate lips of Akeno. Akeno is like the essence of seduction, and yet, is supposed to be bad with men. "Oh, my. That's..." she says at a loss for words.

"Mm. Told you," Koneko says.

"If I remember correctly, there are two more members of your peerage. If I'm not mistaken, one is in seclusion, and the other, Kiba, is probably on patrol," I say. Rias starts from my words, but before she can raise the question, I wave her off. "I know a lot of things that I have no business knowing, though not everything, and some things are a little different than what I expect."

"How so?" Rias asks.

"Well, for example. In the information I received, House Phenex was not one of the parties interested in capturing Mio, and yet, I came across one attempting to kidnap her a couple of weeks ago. Needless to say, I counted him as a stray."

"They have been quiet lately," Rias says, a frown forming on her face. "I thought it was related to something else."

"I don't think they are going to challenge you on that for a little while. Their interest in Mio may even delay their response," I say, readjusting my position on the couch. Of course, with Koneko in my lap, she moves too. I wrap my hand around her tiny waist and pull her in tight, running my fingers across her stomach. The effect is immediate, and her moan sounding more like a mew escapes her lips around the chocolaty treat she's nibbling on.

Both Rias and Akeno's jaws drop. Slightly embarrassed by her reaction, Koneko settles herself back, curling against my chest with her head tucked under my chin. I stroke her hair some more with my one hand. The room is near silent with the shock of the other two women; the only sound is the gentle purring of the kitten resting on my lap. It really is soothing to the soul.