A New Motivation: Chapter 4

Rias Gremory felt a frown of concentration creasing her face as she brought her pencil down on the paper in front of her once more. It was late, much too late to even be at school, much less doing what she was doing, but she had been putting this off for weeks and she didn't have anymore time left to do it.

The redhead sighed, bringing her eyes over to the open book beside her, reading it for just a moment before jotting down what she had read on the paper in front of her.

She didn't bother to memorize it, there wasn't really any reason to after all. 

While ORC was mostly a front for the supernatural activity that Rias and her Peerage participated in, it was still a real club in every other aspect. That meant that, as club leader, Rias had the responsibility of submitting fake reports to the school board so that they wouldn't shut it down.

It was mind numbing work, especially since Rias had learned all that the book contained and more when she was growing up as part of her duties to the Gremory household. Unfortunately she couldn't just jot the answers down from memory as the humans often got things wrong about the supernatural and putting down the correct information would just be seen as her guessing.

“I should have just made a hiking club or something.” She sighed, flipping to a new empty sheet of paper to continue writing as she filled the first, “At least then I'd get to be outside instead of cooped up in here.”

She brought her attention away from her report as her best friend and Queen, Akeno, opened the door to the room. The other girl gave Rias a smile as she walked in holding a tray of tea, “Working hard, Rias?” She asked as she entered.

The Gremory sighed with a smile on her face, “It seems like I always am these days.” She joked, placing her pen down as she paused in her writing, “Sometimes I wish we could just hypnotize the school board and be done with it.”

Akeno giggled, “Well if we did that, someone would no doubt notice something off in their digital records. It’s rather hard to fabricate those as well.” She noted.

“The price of progress I suppose.” Rias sighed, “Human ingenuity is truly frightening sometimes. Though it has its perks. Devils have nothing on them in terms of entertainment.”

There was a small moment of comfortable silence as Akeno mixed Rias’s beverage for her. The Gremory didn’t need to instruct her, having known Akeno for more than long enough for the other girl to know exactly how she liked her drink.

“Is Koneko still running that contract you were too busy to respond to?” She asked the redhead, setting the tea on the desk in front of Rias with a clink. 

The Gremory took the cup happily, giving her friend a thankful smile as she sipped, humming happily at the flavor. Akeno always made good tea.

“Mmm, she is. Hopefully it doesn't take long, it's getting rather late even for us.” Rias commented, placing her tea back on its plate after drinking her fill, “I’m not sure exactly what the contract was but I hope it doesn't involve anything competitive. I don't think she's capable of letting someone win even if she's asked to.”

Akeno giggled, bringing a hand up to hide her smile, “Our little kohai does have a bit of a competitive streak doesn't she?”

Rias nodded with a small smile on her face, “She does. Remember that last competition with Sona? I was worried that she might-”

Rias's words were interrupted by the familiar burst of magic of a teleportation circle. She looked over and found said circle forming in the center of the room.

“Looks like she's back.” Akeno commented with a small smile, “I'll go and grab the pastries cooking in the oven. I'm sure she'll want a nice snack before she heads to bed.”

Rias gave her friend a nod as she left the room before turning her eyes back to the teleportation circle. It only took a moment for the user to appear within, and Rias smiled as the figure of her youngest member resolved.

“Koneko, welcome back-” she stopped speaking, freezing at the sight that she was met with as the light ceiling her friend dissipated, revealing her fully.

The girl's clothing was littered with light tears and there were wood chips in her hair, sticking out starkly against the white strands. The Gremory shot from her seat, hurrying over to her Rook with a worried expression on her face.

“Koneko! What in the world happened?” Rias held the girl still, looking over the scuffs in her clothing with concern.

“Got into a fight.” The white-haired girl said simply, patting her clothes off, “Some blonde girl summoned me in the park. She wasn't that strong but she was hard to hit.”

“She summoned you to fight?” Rias’s worry was replaced with confusion as she was assured that the smallest member of her peerage hadn’t been hurt.

“Oh dear, Koneko got into a fight?” Akeno spoked as she returned, a steaming tray of pastries held in her hands. Koneko’s eyes locked onto the Queen instantly, staring at the treats, “Are you alright?”

“I'm fine. Didn't even get hit.” Koneko reassured, holding her hands out towards the tray that Akeno was holding. Rias’s Queen smiled, stepping forward to place the tray on the table between the couches. Koneko immediately darted forward to take a seat at said couch, grabbing a pastry and biting into it with relish.

Rias sat across from her Rook, a fond smile growing on her face as Koneko began scarfing down her pastry. Seemed that everything was well and truly alright with the girl. Or well, with her appetite at least.

“So what happened?”

Koneko swallowed what was left of the pastry, “Well I was summoned in the woods near the park on the edge of town…”

~~~

Only minutes later, the three of them were sitting around the coffee table, processing Koneko’s tale. Akeno was silent, a light frown on her face that was shared by Rias herself.

“This is… certainly concerning.” The Gremory said, staring down at the note her Rook had given her.

Rias Gremory, I don't have much time so I'll make this short. Events are coming that will endanger the entire supernatural world if they are not stopped. The Devil's, Angels, Fallen, Humans, even the Yokai and Heroes, all factions will be affected.

Your peerage is, or at least will be, at the center of it all. Forces I can't explain have given me knowledge of these events and as such, I can shed some light on the dangers you and your family will undoubtedly face.

If at all possible, I would like to meet with you to discuss these dangers and what can be done about them. 

Regards,

Nero Okita  

It was quick, concise, and extremely worrying.

“If she does have this sort of information, ignoring her would be foolish.” The Gremory said seriously, “Even if she’s lying, disproving her claims is just as important. We will take her up on her offer to meet.”

“Are we sure this is a good idea, Rias?” Akeno questioned with a frown on her face, as she sat the tray of pastries on the table, “This girl might be dangerous.”

Rias was surprised as Koneko immediately shook her head in response to Akeno’s words, “I don't think so.”

Rias turned to the girl, surprised by her denial, “Really? Why is that?”

The white-haired girl just shrugged, “I just don't think she's that strong, compared to the average Stray at least. While we were fighting she was having trouble keeping up with me and her attacks didn't really hurt. And even when she pulled out that sword, she didn't really try to fight back that hard. Mostly dodging.”

“What was so special about the sword?” Rias asked curiously as Koneko scarfed down the pastry.

The Nekoshou finished chewing quickly, wiping her lips free of residual crumbs as she hummed, “Mm. Big sword, nearly as tall as I am. It wasn't holy but it wasn't a normal sword either. Probably would’ve hurt to get hit by even with my durability, mostly because of the fire.” 

“Fire? Was it a demonic blade?” 

Koneko shook her head, “No it was…” She furrowed her brows thinking for a moment, “You know that game series that you've been playing a lot recently? That one about the demon brothers with the white hair?”

“Oh! Devil May Cry!” Rias said in recognition. That had been one of her favorite franchises since coming to the human world. She had lost count of how many times she had played through the series, and though she had only just finished the forth and most recent entry literally yesterday, it had quickly become her favorite.

She had originally gotten into the series to bond with her most reclusive peerage member, Gasper, who was a fan of nearly all of Capcom’s franchises. Through him, she had found a love for the series that she doubted she would have tried on her own.

Koneko nodded, taking another of the quickly disappearing pastries, “Yeah, that one. Her sword looked like the one from the most recent game. Her arm too. ” She frowned at the memory, her nose scrunching, “It smelled weird.. I couldn't really place it but it wasn't devilish and definitely not human.”

“She has Nero's sword and arm?” Rias couldn’t stop the excitement from emerging in her voice. It sounded more than a little unbelievable but she knew Koneko and knew that the girl would never lie to her about something like this.

Akeno frowned from her place standing nearby. She had been listening to Koneko's story and found it all a little suspicious.

“So she had the same name as this character, as well as his sword and even his arm?” She commented skeptically, “Sounds like this girl gave straight out a video game, name and all. And she just happens to want to meet with you? Claiming to know everything she does? This seems more than a bit suspicious to me.”

Rias coughed lightly, coming back from her slight slip-up in professionalism. She could nerd out about one of her favorite video game characters after all of this was out of the way. She needed to focus right now.  “Ahem, even so, we can't risk something like this slipping through our fingers. If she actually has of future events as she claims to, then we simply can't pass this up.” Rias said, tone serious once more.

“Akeno, go get Kiba.” the redhead ordered, looking towards her friend, “I have a feeling we should all be here for this. Koneko, go grab our guest. Wait a few minutes before bringing her back so we have time to set up.”

“Yes Rias.” “Got it.”

~~~

Within only a few minutes, the entirety of her Peerage sans Gasper and Koneko was present. Rias had debated bringing the Dhampir out of confinement but had ultimately decided against it. There was no way that Gasper would be willing to meet with a stranger, she could barely talk to him without his Sacred Gear activating after all. He'd just have to sit this one out.

Rias brought her eyes back up as a teleportation circle lit up in the center of the room. She stood from her desk, making her way around it as the creator materialized within it, along with their passenger.

The girl with Koneko stumbled as the floor suddenly materialized underneath her, just barely managing to catch herself before she fell to the floor. 

The girl who Rias assumed was Nero groaned, bringing a hand to her head, “I had a feeling that would be disorienting as heck but I didn't think it would be that bad.”

The girl was rather attractive, even when compared to the Devils in the room. With her smooth skin and silky blonde hair and nearly perfect features, if Rias didn't know any better she'd believe her beauty was artificial or enhanced like their own.

As Nero brought her gaze up, she gulped lightly from the weight of the stares around the room, and Rias was glad to see that she actually showed fear. She had half been expecting for the girl to be some sort of aloof mastermind, hard to read, it was good to see that she just seemed to be a regular teenager.

Well, regular was pushing it. Even now Rias could sense the demonic energy leaking from the girl like a faucet. She was practically bathed in it, especially her arm. 

Rias kept a placid expression on her face as she stared the girl down. She had claimed to be here on peaceful terms and her actions during the ‘fight’ with Koneko lent some sincerity to her claims. She was still an unknown element in her territory and everything that Rias had learned from her parents and older brother had taught her to treat unknown elements with a healthy amount of suspicion.

“Nero, I assume?” Rias broke the silence, stepping forward to address the girl.

Nero's eyes locked onto her and she nodded slightly, “Yes, that's me. It's a pleasure to meet you.” She bowed slightly towards the Gremory.

“That note you wrote held some very interesting things.” She crossed her arms under her prodigious bust, “I certainly hope they all weren’t just fabrications in order to get this meeting.”  

The girl shook her head “No, they were not. Everything I wrote on that paper is true. I really do have some information that is vital to the continued existence of the current state of affairs.”

“I see. And Koneko said that you possess some very… interesting abilities.” Rias not so subtly stared at the girl’s arm, just barely suppressing the nerd in her as she saw it was exactly like the one that the girl’s namesake possessed, “I don’t suppose you would be willing to show us? A bit of proof to your claims as it were?”

Nero blinked, “Oh, um sure. I have something that would probably prove them, but I need to warn you, it's a bit… intense.”

Rias just nodded at her, curious as to what she was about to do, “Go ahead.”

Neto took a small breath, “Alright then.” She said, holding her demonic hand out with fingers curled as if she was grasping something.

Rias watched with interest as blue light coalesced in her palm, building up before extending outwards in two glowing bars. It wasn't magic, or at least none that she had seen before, and she wondered exactly what form of energy the girl was utilizing to do this.

The moment that the blue energy resolved into an ornate katana, every Devil in the room took a breath. The girl hadn't been lying when she said that it was intense, the weapon was clearly very powerful, filling the room with its presence the moment it was revealed.

 Rias just barely held back an excited gasp that threatened to break her composure as she took in the weapon.

She recognized the sword, it was undoubtedly the Yamato, hours spent using that same weapon in the various games of the series told Rias that much. She barely suppressed the urge to reach out and run a hand along its beautiful black saya before she came back to herself. This wasn't the time.

She looked around, finding the rest of her peerage staring at the weapon in various states of awe. Kiba especially looked extremely interested in the weapon, his fingers twitching lightly as if he were imagining holding it in his grip.

“Well then, I suppose you were telling the truth.” Rias said, voice light  as she stared at the beautiful sword, “You can go ahead and put it away for now. It's proof enough to at least hear you out on your claims.”

Not to mention it was getting hard to focus with the sheer presence that thing was putting out 

Nero nodded and the Yamato disappeared back to where it came in another flash of blue. Rias masked her disappointment as it did so by fixing the girl with a serious stare.

“Now then, why don't we get started on why you're here. You said in your letter that you had information of events that could endanger my peerage.”

Nero nodded, “I do, though I should warn you, the things that I am about to say are going to be… more than a little unbelievable but I swear to you that every word of it is the truth.”

Rias raised a brow towards the girl, wondering exactly what could be more unbelievable than what she had just shown them, “We'll save our judgment until after your explanation has finished. Go ahead and begin.”

The girl visibly gathered herself, shoulders rising and falling with a deep breath, “Alright. Well then I suppose I should start with where I come from.”

Rias raised a brow, wondering how that had any relevance to the situation. The girl was clearly Japanese even if her hair was an uncommon color. Had she come from Kyoto perhaps?

She was not prepared for the girl’s next statement. “Where I'm from, Earth is almost exactly like it is here except for one thing. The supernatural world is a myth, Devils, Dragons, Yokai, all completely and utterly non-existent.” Here, she paused, “At least as far as anyone can tell.”

Rias carefully masked her shock and skepticism at the girl's words. A world without the supernatural sounded… completely asinine truthfully, but when compared to wielding weapons straight out of a video game it became at least slightly believable. She decided to give Nero the benefit of the doubt, at least until she had more information.

“Even now I’m not sure how I traveled from my world to yours. My memories from just before my transmigration are completely gone and I haven't gotten any of them back yet.” Nero shrugged helplessly, “For all I know, I was going about my everyday life just as normal, and then suddenly I was waking up in an alley in a body that wasn't mine.”

Rias frowned, “Hmm…It's possible your essence traveled through the Dimensional Gap.” she postulated, “Mortal souls can't withstand extended exposure without some sort of damage so memory loss isn't exactly uncommon.”

Nero hummed, a thoughtful look coming to her face, “That's possible, though it wouldn't explain the lack of any other symptoms. For the only sign of my passing to be memory loss would be a bit strange.” She mused.

She shook her head, “Anyway, that isn't important right now, my origins can wait a bit longer. Right now, we should get the really important things out of the way”

She thought for a moment, “First of all, I suppose I should start with Kokabiel.”

“The Cadre?” Rias interrupted, looking startled, “What does he have to do with anything?”

Nero chuckled, though Rias could tell there was little humor in the action, “Oh just about everything, at least this early. See, Kokabiel isn't really happy with the current state of affairs in the supernatural world. He doesn’t like the fact that the Devils and Angels are as powerful as they are and wants to prove that the Fallen are superior. To do this, he wants to start another Great War which he plans to do by…”

Rias could feel her heart sink the longer she listened to Nero's tale, a feeling that she had little doubt was shared by all of those around the room as their guest prattled on.

The Holy Sword Project, Ophis and Great Red, even the Old Satan faction. All of them were things that her peerage would have to face in the future if this girl was to be believed.

And the longer that they listened, the more that Rias felt out of her depth.

~~~

It took nearly an hour of just speaking to even get a fraction of what I wanted out, and when my story finally ended, the room was plunged into silence, the entire Peerage coming to terms with what I had told them.

Even in that time I hadn't been able to reveal everything, but I had managed to get some of the more pressing stuff out of the way; specifically Kokabiel and the Holy Sword Project, as well as the little secret hiding in Koneko's hair clips and the true nature of her sister.

I was sure that even if my story was unbelievable, at the very least that information on how to create artificial Super Devils would interest the higher-ups in the underworld. Especially with actual immediate proof of my claims.

“That's about the gist of it. The really important stuff at least.” I finished, shuffled lightly on the couch at the sudden silence, “I don't have nearly enough time to get into all the small details but I can just write them down. Much easier to go over that way.”

Rias nodded but didn't speak. Nobody did, the room falling into an uncomfortable silence once more.

I had a feeling the silence would have been much worse if I had told them exactly how I possessed the information that I did. I had chosen not to inform them that they were just characters in an ecchi harem anime, staving off the possible existential crisis that would likely occur as a result of that.

It didn't really matter at this point anyway. If Rias asked how I knew what I did I would tell her, but as it stood, this was real life now: there was no need to freak them out unnecessarily.

The silence was eventually broken by Rias as the girl sighed, slumping back in her seat with a tense expression on her face.

“This is so far above my head that I don't even know where to begin.” She said, bringing a hand up to rub at her temples, “I'll have to call Nii-sama and maybe get Sona to call her sister as well. This is too important to not tell them about it. I might even have to get the rest of the Pillars involved.”

I winced, “Sorry.”

She waved me off, “It's fine. I'm glad you came to us with this despite knowing how dangerous it might have been to you. I’m just… It’s going to take a while for me to process all of this.”

She wasn’t the only one. Looking around the room I could tell that my words had had a profound effect on the entire peerage. Akeno’s easy smile had faded minutes ago and now the Queen was staring at the table in front of her with a pensive frown. And she was probably the least affected.

Kiba was staring off into space, mouth pressed in a thin line. His hands were clenched into fists at his sides and I could tell he was just barely holding himself together. He had always been extremely emotional when it came to anything pertaining to excalibur, so to have found out the reasons and origins of his suffering had hit him especially hard.

Koneko was staring at her hair clips where she had placed them on the table. The silent Nekoshou didn't say anything, but I could see the disquiet in her face. After the revelations pertaining to Kuroka, she clearly didn't know what to think.

Kiba suddenly turned to Rias, drawing the room's attention to him, “Rias, may I be excused? I need time to… process some things.”

Rias didn't even hesitate, merely nodding at his request, “Yes Kiba, I understand. Take all the time you need.”

He gave her a thankful bow, before turning and making his way out of the room, mind no doubt whirling with all of the revelations that had come to light.

Rias looked to me as her Knight walked out, “Now then, I expect you must want something in return for this information, right?”

I nodded silently and she did as well. “Well then, what is it? As long as you continue working with us I’ll do my best to grant it. Within reason of course.” She crossed her arms under her breasts, staring at me as she awaited my answer.

She didn't have to wait long. I already knew what I wanted, had known it since the day I arrived in this world. 

“I want to join your peerage.” I said plainly. Rias's eyes Widened.

“Wait, seriously?” She asked, confused, “You want to join my peerage even knowing everything that is going to happen?” I nodded, “Why?”

I just sighed, “Because if I didn't, I know I wouldn't be able to live any sort of peaceful life. I know what's going to happen, I know how terrible those things will be and how dangerous they are. I would never be able to live peacefully in a world like this even if I tried.”

I looked down at my arm, “And that's not even mentioning my abilities or this. I'd have to go every day hiding a rather large chunk of myself and I have a feeling that it would be almost impossible to hide from other supernaturals.”

I looked over towards Koneko and the girl just nodded, “Smells weird. You'd probably stick out really badly in a crowd of normal humans to anyone with a good nose.”

I nodded, having expected as much.

Rias thought for a moment, considering what I had said, before nodding, “That's respectable I suppose. Alright then, I'm willing to make you a member of my Peerage. How do the rest of you feel?”

She looked around the room at the members of her Peerage and I followed her gaze, happy to see no overtly hostile faces. Kiba wasn't present but he didn't seem to have a problem with me and none of those left voiced their denial, seemingly fine with leaving the decision to Rias.

In fact, the only voice at all came from a certain Nekoshou who had nearly beaten me into the dirt, “If she joins, maybe I can teach her to fight instead of just dodging all the time.” The girl commented from her place on the couch.

I felt a bit embarrassed at the words but focused on Rias as she turned back to me, “Alright. Guess it's decided.”

There was a flare of magic and in a flash of light, Rias held a chess board, multiple dark red pieces sitting upon its surface. Several of the pieces were missing, already held by the Devils around the room, leaving only a Knight, Rook, Bishop, and the Pawns left for use.

As Rias held the board towards me, several of the pawns began to glow, reacting to my presence. “Six…” Rias muttered in surprise, which I shared, “That's… a lot.”

It was. Even Issei, this generation's Red Dragon Emperor, would only take two more pawns than I apparently would. Was my potential really that high? That was… kind of daunting if I was being honest.

Rias looked towards me, “Are you absolutely sure about this?” she asked seriously.

I nodded without hesitation, “I am.” I had made up my mind days ago and I wasn’t backing out now.

The redhead took a breath before her posture visibly straightened and her eyes hardened, “Alright then,” She spoke firmly, “Nero Okita."

I straightened at the sound of her voice, much firmer than it had been only moments ago. It took me only a moment to realize that I was no longer hearing the same girl as before. 

This was not a schoolgirl who enjoyed spending her time watching anime or playing video games, no. This was Rias Gremory, heiress to one of the remaining 72 pillars of the underworld and little sister to the current Lucifer.

Her voice was commanding as the pawns on the board began to glow even brighter, rising into the air as she spoke, ” I, Rias Gremory, welcome you into my family. Accept these pieces and be reborn in service to the House of Gremory as my Pawn. Along with all the responsibility and prestige that may come with it.”

The glowing pieces shot forward towards me, and I barely held back a flinch as they sank into my chest, disappearing underneath my clothes and skin as if they weren't even there, a bright glow emanating from the area they entered.

As the glow faded away and Rias sent her Evil Pieces back to wherever they had come from, I looked down at my hands, one normal and one demonic. I clenched my fingers, furrowing my brow, I didn’t feel any different. Maybe it took a while to set in?

GROOOWL

I blinked at the extremely loud sound and vicious rumbling coming from my abdomen. Rias raised an eyebrow at me as I brought a hand down to my stomach, heat coming to my cheeks.

“I guess I've been so preoccupied with figuring out how to get into contact with you that I haven't eaten in a while. Sorry about that.” I said sheepishly.

That broke whatever tension was left in the room. Akeno laughed lightly behind her hand and Rias gave me a small smile. Even Koneko's expression seemed to lighten up a bit.

“It's fine, why don't I order us something to eat. It's nearly dawn so some places should be serving breakfast right about now.” Rias commented, walking over to her desk, “While we eat, you can tell us more about yourself. I would like to know more about the newest member of my family.”

I smiled, “That sounds great! Even though I’ve been here for a few days I’ve barely tried any of your food. It’s so different from the food back home that I’m eager to see what you guys have to offer.”

Akeno giggled lightly as Rias retrieved her phone, dialing a nearby restaurant, “Well hopefully it doesn't disappoint.”

~~~

Koneko unfortunately wasn't able to stay for long after that, though I had a feeling that she wasn't exactly in the mood for small talk anyway after the revelations that were brought to light. 

That left just Rias, Akeno and I sitting around the table as we ate our late dinner. Sushi.

I had never had sushi before due to the area that I had lived in not having much in the way of Japanese cuisine. Now that I had, I had to say it was pretty good, the eel rolls especially. Tangy but sweet and well offset by the otherwise bland rice. Yummy.

As we ate, I answered questions about my life before I had arrived in the world, along with asking some of my own, hoping to fill in some of the gaps in my knowledge of this world. 

Eventually, the subject reached the abilities I had received.

“So you have Red Queen as well, right?” Rias asked curiously as picked up another piece of sushi with her chopsticks. I nodded between bites of my own fish.

“Yeah, I've got it. I haven't practiced with it yet or even really pulled it out all that much though. Apart from the fight with Koneko, I mean.” 

Rias nodded slowly, “Can… can I see it?” She asked.

I blinked at the eager look in her eyes and voice as she asked me. Why did she look so excited to-oh right. Japanophile. I had forgotten about that.

“Sure I guess.” I shrugged, placing my chopsticks down on the table as I brought my demonic arm to bear. 

In a flash of blue light, I was holding Red Queen once more. Despite having barely used it, it felt comfortable in my grip just like before, like it belonged there.

I leaned forward to place it on the table between the couches, allowing the two of them to view it fully.

The wood creaked from the sheer weight of the weapon and the majority of the blade hung well off the edge of the table. The two Devils leaned forward, observing the weapon with varying amounts of eagerness.

“Wow, it really is… That's so cool.” Rias said in awe as she took in the weapon with a critical eye that only a fan of the series could possess, “It even has all the engravings on the throttle!”

“Well this certainly dismisses any disbelief in your abilities at the very least.” Akeno said, slowly running her hand along the smooth metal with gentle fingers, “This sword is certainly something. It's massive at the very least.”

Rias's hand went to wrap around the handle, the throttle in particular, and I nearly shot out of my chair, placing my hand over hers to stop her from moving it.

She gave me an extremely shocked look and I grinned sheepishly, slowly removing her hand from my weapon.

“That's… probably not a good idea.” I said, grabbing my sword and lifting it off the wooden coffee table,  “Unless you want to cover your table in extremely flammable fuel. And trust me, it soaks into everything. I learned that one the hard way.”

Rias blushed sheepishly, slowly pulling her hand back, “Oh yeah, probably not the best idea.”

Akeno giggled lightly, “Oh my, Rias. Are you that eager to get rid of this old table? I'm sure your brother would be more than willing to send you a replacement if you asked for it.” The Devil teased.

Rias just pouted, causing me to grin as I placed Red Queen back in storage.

“You know, there are easier ways to get rid of unwanted furniture. Some of them don't even end with the schoolhouse burning down!” I joked, sharing a grin with Akeno.

Rias sighed, “Great. Another one.” She narrowed her eyes at me, “Please tell me you aren't secretly some sort of super masochist or something. I can barely handle Akeno as it is.” She practically begged.

That set the two of us off, Akeno giggling behind her hand while I practically clutched my stomach with laughter. Rias just stared at us with a pout on her face, but after a moment or two she joined us in our laughter.

Soon enough, after around an hour or so of chatting with Rias and Akeno and having a pretty good time doing so, I was starting to feel the fatigue from the day's events and was ready for it to end.

They set me up in one of the spare classrooms that Rias had long since turned into a guest room. It wasn’t the fanciest but it was much nicer than my room back at the homeless shelter so I was more than happy to take her up on her offer.

I slipped off my clothes and slipped under the covers, the silk sheets feeling absolutely fantastic against my naked skin. I normally liked to shower before bed but I was just so tired that I figured it wouldn't hurt to skip it for the night. Besides, with an easy application of Separation, my body wasn’t really dirty anyway. Clean enough for me not to care, at least.

Less than a minute later, I was out, sent into a world of dreams much like the one I had arrived in.