LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 30: Bravado
"So I should observe without interfering...?" asked Vahn, supporting Rias's hips as she slowly and rhythmically rolled her lower body back and forth, affirming, "That's right," before explaining, "It was wrong of me to try and place Asia into a position to grow closer to you without considering Issei's feelings, but what you're doing isn't much different. Issei has to learn how to speak and interact with girls on his own if he's to achieve his aspiration of a large harem, and Asia needs to be permitted to make decisions about her own life and future if she is to be unburdened by her past. Placing her in circumstances that benefit Issei and continually reinforcing how much he likes her places her under substantial pressure and could lead to them becoming a couple because she pities with or feels obligated to date him, not because she genuinely likes him..."
"I'll be more careful..." responded Vahn, making a mental note not to trust everything he sourced from the internet. Issei's previous reference to the Bro Code had compelled him to look into it, but in retrospect, the code's tenets were significantly male-centric and didn't lend much consideration to the feelings of a Bro's prospective partners...
"You're a very considerate person, Vahn...and your desire to support and help your friends is commendable..." said Rias, narrowing her eyes as she began to intensify her movements, adding, "But people grow fastest when they're permitted to make mistakes. You and I also have much to learn, so let's continue communicating like this as often as possible..."
"I like communicating..." affirmed Vahn, his expression and tone serious, causing Rias to exhale a light-hearted chuckle before she narrowed her eyes sensually, leaning forward and entrusting her weight to his body as she said, "And I love it..." before giving him a deep and passionate kiss as he took the lead with his hands firmly grasping her bottom...
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Though it was a Sunday and everyone had been given the day off, Issei arrived at the club room even earlier than he would have for classes, his expression a relieved smile when he entered the room and found Vahn on one sofa, reading Manga with Koneko borrowing his lap, and Asia seated on the opposite, reviewing the course materials for her future classes.
Noticing someone enter the room, Asia looked over, a smile blossoming across her face as she stated, "Oh, good morning, Issei-san. What brings you here this early?"
"Oh, I...I came to see if Vahn wanted to train..." responded Issei, initially wanting to say he was there to see her but changing his mind at the last moment.
"Mmm...it's not healthy to work and train all the time..." said Asia, looking over to Vahn or, more accurately, the very content-looking Koneko as she wistfully added, "Even the Holy Father took a break on the seventh day..."
"Asia is right," appended Rias, her actions contradicting her words as she stated, "You should return home and rest. Much has changed for you over the past week. It's important that you take the time to process it..." while pouring over various documents at her desk.
"Then..." started Issei, mustering his courage to ask, "Do you maybe want to go someplace, Asia...? There are arcades, a park, and even an aquarium if you're into that kind of thing..."
Understanding that Issei was asking her out on a date, Asia offered him a polite smile as she answered, "Thank you for the invitation, Issei-san, but I wanted to spend the day preparing for my first day of classes. I've never been to a school that taught more than the holy scriptures, so there's a lot I don't know."
"Oh...then, do you want to study together...?" asked Issei, the smile on his face cramping as he wasn't an especially studious student. The thought of spending his day studying gave him chills worse than if he approached hallowed ground, but he figured he could push through it and study well if a cute girl studied alongside him.
"Mmm...okay then...!" answered Asia, nodding in affirmation and offering a broad smile. With Vahn making Issei's feelings clear the previous day, she couldn't help feeling he was being a little pushy, but since he was offering to help her, she believed it would be rude to refuse.
"Right on!" exclaimed Issei, raising and squeezing his left hand into a fist as he spiritedly proclaimed, "Just leave it to me, Asia-chan! We'll have you caught up to the rest of the class in no time...!"
"Then I will be in your care," stated Asia, feeling a little less apprehensive due to Issei's infectious smile and enthusiasm. She also assumed he was far more knowledgeable than her since he had been attending public and private schools since he was a child, so she could surely benefit from his guidance...right?
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"Issei-san, this is wrong...you do it like this..." sighed Asia, demonstrating how to solve the equation Issei was struggling with.
"Oh, you're right...hahaha..." exhaled Issei, feeling increasingly awkward as, other than Japanese language, history, and related subjects, in which he often scored the lowest in his class, Asia was far more knowledgeable than him in every category.
Fortunately for Issei, Asia didn't view his lack of knowledge as something to condemn but correct. Thus, until Akeno notified her that it was time for them to help prepare lunch, she dutifully tutored him with the patience of a shepherd guiding and almost fatally lost sheep back to its flock...
"Ugh...I feel like my brain is going to melt...who could have guessed that Asia was such a studious girl..." groaned Issei, deflating against the sofa after Akeno and Asia departed the room.
"That's the purpose of spending time together," appended Rias, setting aside her pen, removing her square-rimmed glasses, and stretching her arms over her head with a sensual groan before relaxing her body, taking note of the fact that Vahn and Issei were staring at her as she smiled and asserted, "All you know about Asia is that she's a former member of the Church, that she's kind and naive, and that she possesses a Sacred Gear. I'm not suggesting that your feelings are insincere, but if her appearance was less appealing, would you have spent the past three and a half hours paying less attention to what she was attempting to teach than her body and its occasional contact with yours?"
"That's..." started Issei, but it was the only word he got out, as he couldn't think of an excuse or lie directly to Rias's face.
"Relax," said Rias, smiling as she teased, "I'm not criticizing your actions or saying you did anything wrong. It's perfectly normal and healthy for a boy your age to behave like a dog following the pheromone trail of a bitch in heat. What you're missing is the significance of paying attention to the reactions of your desired partner. If you pay considerably more attention to a girl's breasts and body than her face, even someone as...considerate as Asia will eventually lose their patience."
Recalling that he had barely glimpsed at Asia's face the entire time she was tutoring him, Issei balled his hands into fists atop his knees, his face reddening from shame and guilt. He had even inadvertantly bumped his left arm against her right breast numerous times, and when she hunched over to make use of the coffee table as a hard surface, he would stare at her back and imagine wrapping his arm around her body.
Surprising Issei and causing Vahn to startle, Rias permitted the former a few seconds to reflect on his actions before revealing, "You should know that Vahn made clear your feelings for Asia when I tried to have her assist with undressing and bathing him. He was concerned about how you might react, so he firmly refused out of respect for your kindling friendship. That is something you should keep in mind when you feel jealous toward him or covetous toward us..."
"Vahn..." muttered Issei, looking at the bronze-skinned boy in question with a paradoxical mix of heartfelt appreciation and chagrin. He greatly appreciated Vahn's consideration, but knowing he had outright told Asia about his feelings made him feel...conflicted. Now, even if he mustered the courage to confess directly, Asia could simply reply that she already knew. She might even laugh at him, good-naturedly, of course, for acting like confessing was something to stress over...
Leaving Issei feeling even more appreciative and conflicted, Vahn lowered his gaze, his expression apologetic and ashamed as he expressed, "Sorry, Issei...I only realized a while after that I had overstepped my bounds and failed to consider how your and Asia's relationship might flower naturally over time. I can't undo what I did, but I sincerely hope the two of you can make things work...I don't want to compete with or hurt you..."
Exhaling audibly from his nose, Issei adopted a helpless yet appreciative smile as he asked himself, 'How am I supposed to view someone like this as my rival? Here I am, constantly comparing myself to him, and there he is, worried about my feelings and trying to help me...we're not even on the same level...'
Realizing there was much he could learn from Vahn if he stopped viewing him as a threat, Issei exhaled another faint sigh, his expression and smile becoming more sincere as he asked, "Hey, Vahn...do you think you could, you know...teach me how to interact with girls?"
Feeling increasingly embarrassed as he spoke, Issei eventually broke eye contact with Vahn and awkwardly scratched his cheek with his right index finger. In response, it was Rias who suggested, "If you are sincere about wanting to improve your interpersonal relationships with girls, I can speak with Sona about having the members of her Peerage assist you. Many of them were once human, and due to their dealings with their contractors, they have experience dealing with human desires. They will be able to tell you exactly what you're doing wrong, and who knows? If you can leave a favorable impression on them, they could become members of the harem you wish to create."
"Is that possible...?" asked Issei, a little taken aback but excited by the prospect of dating the famously beautiful and diverse girls of the Student Council.
Nodding, Rias explained, "The Sitri and Gremory Clans have enjoyed an intimate relationship these past seven centuries. You will obviously need to exhibit due consideration toward the members of her Peerage, but as none of them are in committed relationships, it shouldn't trouble them too much to entertain my request. That said..."
Shifting her attention to Vahn, Rias's smile broadened as she revealed, "In exchange for Sona lending Issei the assistance of her Peerage, I intend to propose letting them utilize the Corridor of Intertwined Fates for research and training purposes. May I have your permission to do so?"
"Yeah, of course," responded Vahn, not even requiring half a second to consider his answer. Sona was someone he felt uniquely indebted to for being the one to introduce him to Rias and the peculiarities of Devils, so he had wanted to show his gratitude to her for a while. He just never had a reason to visit the Student Council Room, so they hadn't met since the morning after she came over to his apartment, stripped to her underwear, and pole-danced for him...
"Then consider the matter settled," said Rias, nodding approvingly. She enjoyed keeping Sona apprised of her developing relationship with Vahn and his many capabilities, so it wasn't an exaggeration to say the young heiress of the Sitri Principality had a keen interest in her mysterious lover. She had even expressed an interest in trying to contract him, and if Vahn could endure contracting two High-Class Devils, he might very well find himself promoted from a Dutchess's Consort to a Princess's. The thought of being demoted to the position of Vahn's second wife left a bitter taste in Rias's mouth, but since the Gremory and Sitri Clans' perpetuation and futures were interconnected, there were benefits in her and Sona sharing the same husband...
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