A Hope to Crush

[Student Council, Kuoh Academy]

{Quest: Win in any of the events of the Inter-School Talent Display that you take part in.}

{Reward: Will Depend on the Event}

"And so you have to choose an event."

Sona's business smile did nothing to calm my mind. Instead, I felt annoyed at being forced to compete when I had absolutely no intention of doing so.

"Of course, you can choose an easy event and not worry about winning or losing. Just participating is enough." Her assurance about victory or loss didn't sit well with me.

I wasn't a very competitive person, but there was no way I was going to embarrass myself by failing in front of a crowd.

And failing didn't complete quests; winning did.

Although it's tiresome having to jump into things that I'm not interested in or sometimes even dislike.

Rarely do I get a quest that I genuinely feel interested in.

"What are the events?" I had to ask; the quest depended on it.

This made her pull out a pamphlet from under the drawer. "Well, there are pretty much every sporting event you can think of, as well as events related to dancing and singing—various types, quizzes, spelling bees, and a few others."

The pamphlet listed nearly a dozen events, some of which I hadn't even heard of.

What is regball? 

Cheese rolling?

Bossaball?

I haven't even heard of these.

And I know lacrosse has been spreading in Japan, but I didn't know it was one of the top picks.

Because it is highlighted here.

"And don't worry about it just yet," the devil heiress must have seen the annoyed look on my face. "There is a very high chance the event will be delayed. There is a lot of political tension between some lands, and getting permission to organize the events in Kyoto is challenging."

I had heard there were a lot of protests in Kyoto—something about the government approving a company dealing with nuclear waste building a plant there.

And everyone knows how we feel about nuclear stuff and waste.

And this company has combined both.

"This time the event was supposed to be organized in Kyoto, and the committee would not like it if we chose another location. After all, each place has to wait an entire year for a chance to host this event."

Just how big is this thing?

And how come I haven't heard of it before?

"So, this is going to be delayed. You can take your time deciding and focus on things you feel are more important for now," she said. "I know you've been dealing with a lot lately."

This was referring to a lot of things.

Constant supernatural issues and the physical and mental strain from them.

"Is the supernatural world always this chaotic?" I had to ask. "I feel like I barely get a moment's peace before some supernatural calamity falls upon me."

She chuckled a little. "I know you've faced a lot of unfortunate events lately, but trust me, it's not half as chaotic as your experiences."

Well, at least she was entertained by my pain.

"It is politically complex, just like the human world, with racism, classism, and many other prejudices—just like on Earth." Her words made sense; after all, as long as a being has free will, they can always be difficult.

Not that I'm proposing oppression or dictatorship.

But it would be nice to have a more peaceful world.

"Anyhow, I heard something from Lord Azazel." Her tone suddenly shifted as she mentioned Azazel. "His helper, huh?" 

She sounded amused.

"I'm surprised you accepted his proposal. After everything you went through with Raynare, I thought you would hate Fallens."

That was a fair assumption. Almost everyone would, and until I met Azazel and learned that Fallens are not inherently evil, just like devils—I decided not to hold any negative emotions toward the entire group.

"I don't hold others responsible for the mistakes of one." He was the Governor General of the Fallen, and just as you wouldn't blame a governor for a random thug killing a pedestrian, I can't blame Azazel either. "And I doubt a being of his level of popularity would do anything stupid."

"I just hope you know what you're doing, Reo," she warned. "People are not always as they seem in the supernatural world."

Honestly…

Humans are the same.

You'll find kind people, rude people, arsonists, psychopaths wanting to commit mass genocide, and many more.

The only difference is that we have man-made weapons and nukes, and they have magical ones.

Terrifying, but so are humans.

"Anyhow, I should probably get going." I had quite a task ahead.

Handling the whole maid situation.

"I don't think I can change your mind about it." She sighed. "Just make sure you don't end up in a place you wouldn't want to be."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Although it did seem like that would be quite difficult.

…

…

[Hours Later — Phenex Mansion, Underworld]

{Riser Phenex}

A few more days.

That's all Riser had to wait for.

All those insults and shouts would turn into words of praise.

A few days until Riser would have the Gremory princess begging me instead of yelling.

"Your hair has been shining lately, my lord."

Of course it would. Riser has the blood of the Phenex, and every Phenex can flaunt their flawless hair.

"It's denser than any other." The maid who recently became my attendant praised. "It's shiny without being oily."

"You are doing well." I felt the muscles around my head and neck relax with her skillful finger movements. "Hairstyling and massage—you are skilled at both."

She deserved the praise.

"I am not worthy of your praise, my lord."

Humble, skilled, and most importantly…

"Hah, it's always the beautiful ones who act the most humble." Yes, she was beautiful.

Luscious black hair, flawless skin, big breasts, and a plump ass with a face like any other.

It almost made Riser want to make her Riser's.

Maybe if she were of a higher class, Riser would have.

"It's all as the rumors say, my lord." This drew my interest. "You are kind, handsome, strong, and most importantly, smart."

Riser already knew that.

"That feels better."

"You even rejected Lady Grayfia's request to have Lady Rias acquire some temporary members for the upcoming rating game." Her hands moved skillfully across Riser's hair. "Having an unfair situation where she would bring a human of unknown powers to her side would give her an unfair advantage."

Hm?

That wasn't the reason Riser said no.

Riser just wanted to see Rias lose all her hope.

"If you had accepted and lost because of the human, it would have—"

"Stop."

This…

"What do you mean by Riser losing to a human?"

This irked Riser.

Her body jerked as she felt my magical pressure building in the room.

"F-Forgive me, my lord—" She jerked in fear. "I-I must have misspoken."

"No." This irked me further. "Tell Riser—what did you mean by Riser losing to a human?"

She moved her hands away, nervous.

"I-I didn't mean to offend you, my lord."

"Tell Riser."

As Riser's magical power fully released and the pressure bore down on her, she answered.

"I-I mean we do not know what power he has. He might h-have a Longinus which might make you…"

"Make Riser?" This was both funny and infuriating. "Riser? Lose? To a human?"

It didn't matter what the human had.

No Sacred Gear would defeat Riser.

Not even a Longinus.

"He is weak, pathetic. He is cocky without skill." Riser recalled his presence; it was minuscule. He wasn't even worth a pawn piece in anyone's peerage. "He acted cocky and clever in front of Riser, yet he did not have the power to back up his insults. If not for Lady Grayfia being there… Riser would have ripped his head off."

"O-Of course, my lord." She nodded, fearful. "You will not lose to a human."

"Only if Riser had the chance to make him beg and cry."

Only if…

However, as Riser said that, the girl looked confused.

Almost as if she wanted Riser to yell at her.

"What's with that look?"

"I-It's nothing, my lord." Yet she didn't answer—only infuriating Riser further.

"Tell Riser." Riser's voice grew louder.

"M-My lord, if you wanted him to beg for your mercy and apologize, if you wanted to see him cry…" She paused to gulp. "Shouldn't you have accepted Lady Grayfia's request?"

My annoyance and anger suddenly turned into curiosity.

"Explain."

"W-What I mean is… if you let him fight against you, y-you can make him beg for your mercy. You can hurt h-him without consequences, insult him, and embarrass him in front of everyone." She bowed. "I am sorry!"

But Riser paused.

Riser paused and looked at her.

Eyes flickering and lips curled.

"You…"

"I am sorry, my lord!"

"No." Riser laughed. "Don't be."

This…

This gave Riser a really good plan.

"You are right."

A smile, a massive grin bloomed on Riser's face.

"You just gave Riser the best way to make him lick Riser's boots!"

Oh, this is so good!

"My lord?"

"Go!" Riser's voice rose again, but this time in joy. "Go and tell father that Riser will allow Gremory to have that human trash on her team."

Oh, Riser is going to love this.

"Riser… Riser will show the underworld one of the most entertaining Rating Games."

THE most entertaining Rating Game.

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P.S. Riser speaking in 3rd person in the anime is an English dub thing, but I kept it cuz it makes Riser even more annoying.]]