One-Punch DxD: NEO

If I'm allowed to be honest, I originally plan to post this chapter, at least when I finish the entire Phoenix Arc. But I guess I can spoil you a little. Enjoy!

With skin perspiring and with gritted teeth, Issei tackled the mountains of paperwork with pen and furious ferocity inside the student council room, with a fury born from stress, instead of actual rage.

After the incident involving a missing Rover, Sona and her peerage made sure to milk every debt Issei owed them for the trouble, as they had spent the majority of the night to find the missing monster dog with six eyes. That fact that Sona did not demand his Devil Reincarnation was a miracle, but Issei might not be so lucky next time.

"Here's the next batch, Mr. Hyōdō." Momo playfully quipped as she dropped another stack of paperwork on Issei's desk, much to his chagrin.

"Oh, come on! I said I was sorry!" He complained.

"No, you didn't!" Saji retorted. "Did you know how much trouble we had trying to find your damn dog?!"

Tsubasa glowered at Issei as she held a cat in her arms. It was black as night, with its eyes amber yellow, and it looked absolutely adorable as hell. The cat mewled as it waved at the suffering Issei.

"Arrgh, come on! Spare me!" Issei complained.

"No." Tsubasa rejected as the cat started to tickle her chin with its paws. "You made me take in a stray. You must pay."

"It is kind of cute, though," Momo commented as she went to Tsubasa and tickled the cat. The cat mewled in response, playfully scratching Momo's finger.

"Aww…." The rest of the girls cooed at the feline.

"Ms. Tsubasa, while I won't forbid you to keep pets, please be mindful that the school is off-limits," Sona strictly advised from her desk.

"Yes, I'm sorry, President. It actually followed me to school from home this morning. I can't just… shoo it away, to be honest." Tsubasa smiled apologetically.

The cat wiggled in her arms until it jumped down, paddling towards Issei and, with feline grace, jumped to his desk, mewling as it playfully scratched Issei's arm.

After learning that Rover was found, Tsubasa decided to feed the strays following them mostly to vent her stress with animal cuteness. Their fluffy affection did wonders healing her soul. Saji was sort of left out, though. The one that was playing with Issei's writing hand was the stray that Tsubasa took in.

"Stop it." Issei urged, albeit not harshly, the cat from playing with him. "I'm working here."

The cat didn't seem to stop, it just continued to paw at his writing hand with increased playful fervor. The girls started to giggle at the sight of the adorable cat making things harder for Issei.

"Agh… Tsubasa, help." Issei cried out.

"Looks like it likes you, Ise," Tsubasa commented with an amused grin. "You're on your own."

"Ugh..." Issei grumbled as he looked at the cat, its cute, googly eyes. The feline's lips were curling in a playful smile, almost as if it was teasing him in a sense. "I'm more of a dog person…"

In response, the cat mewled as its eyes narrowed as if it was challenged. However, the black cat simply made itself comfortable at the edge of Issei's desk. Issei blinked at the cat's response. Was it insulted?

Issei looked back at Tsubasa, seeing her give him a criticizing gaze.

"...What?"

"Nothing." Tsubasa merely sighed, seeing no point in telling Issei something so obvious.

"I'm not that dense, you know?" Issei retorted.

"Oh, yeah?" Tsubasa quipped at him with a raised, skeptical brow.

Issei pursed his lips as he sighed, turning to the insulted cat. "…Alright, you're cute enough to make anyone a cat person." Issei wasn't sure if the cat could understand him though.

The cat opened one of its eyes and it seemed to smile again, giving a small mew as if it would let Issei off the hook for the time being.

"...This is one smart cat," Issei commented as he placed a finger near it. It playfully pawed his finger in response, eliciting another 'awws' from the female members of the student council.

"I know, right? Makes me wonder if this cat might be a youkai or something." Tsubasa commented, which elicited some laughter from her friends.

Issei also snorted and chuckled lightly, unaware at the sight of the cat tensing up for a brief second. "Oh, yeah. I met those guys before." Issei recalled that one time his father took him and his mom to Kyoto. There were a lot of Youkais there, too much in fact.

"Oh? You have met Japan's native demons?" It was Sona who asked in interest.

"Yeah, I have," Issei replied as he reminisced a little. "It wasn't intended, but totally worth the trip. Come to think of it, us second-years are going to Kyoto for the field-trip, right? I probably can take you guys there."

That actually caused everyone to perk up, even Sona and Tsubaki shared a glance of mutual interest. Considering her status as nobility and her connections; Sona had been informed about rumors and talks about the Underworld attempting to reach out to different pantheons and other supernatural factions to forge alliances, and the native demons of Japan were certainly not a bad starting point.

The cat mewled as it walked up and climbed onto Issei's arm, jumping on his shoulder as it nuzzled his cheek.

"Ack, stop. It tickles." Its fur started to tickle his skin, but he couldn't manage to shoo it away; its soft fluffiness was too strong. "Anyway, what do you say?" Issei asked the devils again, as an attempt to distract himself from black fluffiness on his shoulder.

"Well, the offer is greatly appreciated, Mr. Hyōdō," Sona replied with a small smile. The ones who would go to Kyoto might be low-class devils with little influence over the Underworld, but it would still be a win to have the first experience of Youkai custom, culture, etc., for references of future plans.

"Awesome." Issei nodded with a smile. Speaking of Youkai, Issei's thoughts trailed back to the nice lady and her daughter who showed his family around Kyoto - I wonder if I can meet Ms. Yasaka and Kunou-chan again.

The golden-haired fox was quite friendly to him and his family, although he had an inkling there was something going on between her and his father. He did not manage to find out what since Saitama was rarely at home nowadays thanks to Azazel.

oXo

"Whew… that's the last of it." Issei sighed as he leaned back on his seat, after spending a few hours worth of paperwork.

"Thanks for the hard work." Tsubasa smiled as she offered Issei a cup of tea.

When Issei accepted the drink gratefully and took a sip, the door of the room was knocked. Sona blinked at the door before replying, "Enter."

The guest was a young woman with long brown hair styled in several drill-like curls. "Pardon my intrusion", the woman greeted as she walked in. "President Sona, I'm here to…" Her words died down when her eyes passed by the sight of Issei, who was also staring at her. "...Ise?" She called out with a small surprise in her tone.

"...Kiyome?" Issei replied in kind. "You're… You're a student here?"

"That's my line. Since when have you been a student at Kuoh?" Kiyome asked as a smile slowly crept up her lips.

"Yeah, since second year. What about you? Why hadn't I seen you before?" Issei stood up to approach the girl.

"I'm a third-year here. I have been out of the town since the start of the semester due to family matters."

Once Issei and Kiyome were standing within arm's length, they reached out and shook hands. "How are you? It's been… a year, hasn't it?" Kiyome was smiling at this point.

"Oh, like you wouldn't believe," Issei replied with an amused smirk. "First couple of weeks and someone already wants me dead."

Kiyome snorted in amusement. "Somehow, I'm not surprised. How's Rover, by the way?"

"He's doing well, thanks for asking, and just to let you know - no, he's not for sale. Ever," Issei said with a knowing look.

"Aw, shucks. I haven't even said anything." Kiyome replied good-naturedly.

Their conversation, however, was interrupted by a sound of throat-clearing that prompted them to turn and see Sona, as well as the rest of the Student Council, watching them with varying expressions of interest and minor irritation, the latter particularly came from Tsubasa.

"Oh, forgive my interruption. Please, carry on. No need to mind us." Sona said with a sarcastic tone.

Issei and Kiyome quickly stepped away from each other with embarrassed miens, with the latter clearing her throat.

"Sorry about that. Where was I…" Kiyome trailed off. "Yes, I just want to report to you after my absence, President. I've brought the necessary papers you requested prior."

"Hn, please submit the documents to Saji before we can continue from there." Sona cryptically replied. "Moving on… How long have you known each other?" She pointed her finger between Issei and Kiyome.

"Well, since last year," Kiyome replied with a small shrug. "I take Ise here is aware of what you guys are?"

"Yep. They keep trying to recruit me, though." Issei took upon himself to reply.

"Hmm. It is a bit strange for someone like you to reject the reincarnation. Any reason why?" Kiyome asked.

"Well… I already told them this, but I don't want to take the easy way out. I don't want to get strong by becoming something else." Issei shrugged.

"Oh... I didn't take you as a philosopher, but not bad," Kiyome complimented.

"I don't need to become a philosopher to say what I said, but… Thanks." Issei smiled.

Sona cleared her throat again to gain their attention again. "Mr. Hyōdō, perhaps you should meet up with Rias after this. Ms. Abe, we will contact you once we finish looking through your files."

Issei and Kiyome blinked before they nodded. "Yes, of course." The latter replied, "Please excuse us." Both she and Issei bowed slightly before they left the room.

"I'll see you later, Tsubasa," Issei said before he closed the door.

Once the two humans had left the room, it was Saji who voiced everyone's thoughts, "...Okay, what was that just now?"

oXo

Kiyome Abe - the heiress of the Abe clan who had been a family of beast tamers for at least a few centuries. The said heiress was walking with Issei after they had left the Student Council.

"So… You've met Rias' group as well?" Kiyome asked.

"Yep on that too. Though things are a little awkward between us right now." Issei replied.

"How so?"

"Err…. Do you want the long or short version?"

Kiyome's eyebrows raised slightly in curiosity as she smiled knowingly. "Whichever that can be surmised with twenty words or less."

Issei blinked at the answer before smiling wryly. "...Really?" The woman only gave a small grin in return.

"...Alright. Rover." Issei gave in and shot back with just one word.

Kiyome widened her eyes a little. "...No way."

"Yes, way."

"Wow. Did he try to eat them?" She asked.

"Koneko... Though he also did quite a number on the others too." Issei put it lightly.

"Hmmm, that only makes me want him even more." Kiyome's smile became a tad vindictive.

"Again, my best friend's not for sale." Issei glowered a little at the monster tamer.

"Yeah, yeah, I heard you before." Kiyome waved off.

Then, Issei's expression grew a little uncomfortable when he asked the next question. "Say, how are your parents? Are they…?"

He still recalled his last meeting with Kiyome's parents, and boy, did the meeting end up in a disaster.

Kiyome sighed at the memory. "Well enough, I guess. But suffice to say, I don't think you can meet my father yet. My mother, on the other hand, is looking forward to seeing you and Rover again."

"Okay, that's something." Issei shrugged before he gestured his hands around his head. "Is your father's….?"

Understanding what Issei insinuated, Kiyome gave a slightly longer sigh. "Thankfully, he was able to grow them back, but they'll never be the same, considering what your dog did. They're…. No longer as moist and firm as before."

"...Right." Issei gave his own sigh in return. "Anyways, how are you doing so far? When did you become buds with Stu-Co and Rias?" Issei asked, changing the subject.

"I was in the same class as Sona and Rias since my first year here. Apparently, my family had been in touch with Rias' parents for a while, so she would come to me whenever she needed some advice or consultation about monsters, potential familiars… my family's bread and butter, basically. Of course, she tried to recruit me into her peerage, but I refused."

Issei quirked an eyebrow at Kiyome. "Oh? Why's that?"

"I… simply don't like the idea of getting too involved with Underworld. I already have my plate full with magical beasts and other creatures, no need for Three Factions and other stuff."

"Fair enough." Issei nodded in understanding.

It would seem his school life was starting to get more interesting.

After parting ways with Kiyome, Issei went to pick Asia up and visit the ORC. Kiyome wanted to catch up with the rest of her classmates for all the time she missed during her absence.

Currently, Issei and his ward made their way towards the Occult Research Club room, when they found Akeno, Yūto and Koneko standing in front of the said room, their postures peeking through the door. The Queen of the group was also holding her cell-phone towards the door.

Issei and Asia were about to call them out when Koneko noticed their presence and held a finger in front of her lips, signaling them to remain quiet. Akeno turned to them and smiled, waving at Issei and Asia to join them.

Issei was now interested in whatever secret they were peeking on. Asia and Issei joined them, leaning forward to peek through the gap of the door. Inside the room was Rias standing in front of a mirror.

"Okay, let's start over…" Rias seemingly muttered to herself before speaking in a louder voice. "Issei, I know… no, that's not right." She cut her monologue abruptly, as if to recollect herself, before speaking again, "Ahem. We may not have gone on the right... No that's too casual."

The cycle of her monologuing, stopping, judging herself, and speaking again, repeated for several times.

Then, Rias snapped her fingers as if in epiphany. "Ah, how about this? While I respect your path to move forward on your own terms, would remaining human allow you the time needed to surpass yourself? Hmmm, good start but not enough. Needs to be more sage-like…" Rias kept muttering and speaking at her reflection in the mirror while pacing every now and then.

Issei blinked. Was she reciting lines? No, she was practicing her speechcraft. He then glanced at Akeno while pointing quizzically at Rias, which was returned with the Queen's mirthful expression, all while recording the entire spectacle with her cell-phone.

"You are strong, Ise. But let me ask you this, is your ideal strength…" Rias paused before shaking her head. "No, no. Ah, must your ideal strength be tied to your humanity alone? I understand that it might be selfish of me to ask you to throw away your humanity, but is there any reason to reject Devil-hood for that reason?" Rias' lips then grew to a smirk. "...Yes, yes. That is good. Need to work on this." She then brandished a notebook and began scribbling on it.

Issei could see Rias smiling to herself from the reflection. She looked so adorable, so much so that Issei found his lips curving into a wide smile.

Rias returned the book and pen into her pocket before she resumed her recital.

"...Being a Devil is not much different than being a human. I understand that you might have grievances with the process, but in all fairness, is there a valid right to reject our kind?" Her expression returned to contemplative again. "Hmmm, need to address the 'deathly allergic' to the Holy elements dilemma to trap him. Seriously, it's not like we like being allergic to 'anything God-related.'" Rias muttered as she tapped her chin in thought.

Issei was starting to puff his cheeks. This was so damn precious that he wanted to burst in and surprise her just to see her reaction.

"Alright, now how do I downplay the Devil's weakness? It should be easy not saying that a cut of a Holy Sword is enough to down a Devil…" Rias muttered aloud. "Maybe I should leave that out. Yes, yes, I think I almost got it. If not, I will go with Plan B and take him by force.

Rias' eyes were sparkling in the mirror. Issei now wanted to ask her about said 'Plan B'. It might not be as foolproof as she thought now that Issei saw her practicing to enact her scheme.

"Alright, let's start over with zest." Rias took a deep breath as she played her lines again. "Issei, your ideal strength is noble, but is it right to tie it to your humanity alone? Be it Devil or Human, strength is strength in the end, there is no line distinguishing the two as it is, in the end, power you seek. I understand that you have grievances taking 'the easy way out,' but I assure you, being a Devil is by no means simple as you think. Great challenges and even greater rewards await you should you choose this path, so I extend my invitation to you again. Join my Peerage and become the man you always dreamed to be. Yes! I think I got it!"

Rias twirled around in excitement, and she froze in mid spin when her eyes caught the sight of her peerage peeping through the door.

The servants of Rias Gremory were holding down their urge to laugh as Rias looked like a deer caught in headlights, with her blood drained off her face. Worse, Issei had been watching as well, and was biting down his lips to keep himself from laughing.

Asia, on the other hand, looked confused - bless her soul, but that did not really make Rias feel any better.

"...How long have you been standing there?" Rias asked, though she sounded as if a lump clogged her throat.

"Well…." Akeno tapped her chin with her cell, "Around the time you tidy your hair up in the mirror?"

Rias' eyes widened in horror when she saw the device in her Queen's hand. "Wait, is that a phone? WERE YOU RECORDING THIS?!" Rias shouted at Akeno, who in response, simply ran away from the room.

Rias was still in a mild shock over Akeno's recording her 'rehearsal'. It took a couple of seconds for her to snap out of it and glared at the amused-looking Yūto and Koneko. "W-why are you just standing there?! Get her!"

Both Knight and Rook shared a brief glance before the latter shrugged, and the two proceeded to waltz after their wayward Queen, strolling away with no hurry that infuriated the King further.

Rias already knew that it would be too late if Akeno were to decide to publicize that footage.

When her eyes landed on Issei and Asia again, the boy was breaking down into suppressed snorts and leaked snickers while Asia looked a tad lost.

At this point, Rias just wanted to find a deep hole and die quietly inside.

Seeing Rias' expression, Issei felt both amusement and pity. "Khukhu… Pfft. If you stop pestering me about joining your peerage, I won't say a word about this." He said with a knowing grin.

"B-But…" Rias quivered her lips, her eyes trembling as a furious blush dyed her cheeks. She then buried her face in her hands as if to hide herself from the shame.

It was a crushing defeat, like a mountain dropped on her measly flicker of hope. Between her pride, image and powerful servant, she could only choose the obvious.

"...Fine, you win." Rias said with a pouty look and teary eyes, complemented with her blushing face. "But don't think this is over."

Issei only chuckled in return. "Yeah, I'll keep it in mind. Anyway, is this a good time or do you want us to come back another time?"

Rias drew out a deep sigh, massaging her throbbing migraine along the way. "Yes, sorry. I think I need to make sure that Akeno doesn't have anything to blackmail me with."

"I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but she probably showed your monologues to Sona, at least." Issei commented.

"Damn it, Akeno…" Rias sighed yet again, drooping her shoulders in defeat. "...I'll see you later, I guess. Actually, are you going to visit Gasper tonight?"

"I tried to call him this morning, and he said he might be free if his clientele won't pester him tonight, but he can't promise anything yet." Issei replied.

"...I see." Rias had calmed down, but Issei could not help but to feel something was off with her tone. "Alright, see you later, Ise." She gave one last smile before taking off to go after her peerage, leaving Issei and Asia alone in the old building.

Issei then turned to Asia. "Say, I did say I might see Gasper tonight, but swinging by to say 'hi' is fine, right?"

Asia blinked, "E-eh?"

"You know, swinging by Gasper's room just to check how the… 'guy's' doing. Are you coming with?" Issei offered his hand.

In response, Asia beamed and took his hand.

Issei and Asia stood in front of a building they never saw before.

It was in their neighborhood, and Issei was sure as hell that it wasn't there before. How did he know?

Because the house was standing where his house should have been, and it was larger. If Issei had to describe its appearance, it looked like a grand house that some rich people live in, something that his parents might not be able to afford without winning the lottery or something, only this one bore a more western European aesthetic, brown tiled rooftops in the shape of a triangular prism and glass windows decorating the front with the double wooden door of dark brown staring at them, waiting for them to enter inside.

In addition, in front of his house - arguably speaking, were three familiar faces.

"Welcome home, Mr. Issei, Lady Asia." Catherine Lazuli decided to greet him as soon as she and her peers - Amanda Jade and Zama Turquoise noticed his presence.

Issei wanted to say something, his finger pointing between Catherine, Amanda and Zama; and to the estate occupying the space of his house. But he did not even know where to even begin.

Thankfully, Catherine seemed to understand Issei's confusion and explained. "Ah, right. All three of us would like to move into your house, Mr. Issei."

"...Why?" Issei managed to get that out.

He could not understand why they, out of the entire peerage, would decide to live with him in his home. How did they even get the construction done this fast? Did Ajuka have any hand in this?

"The answer is simple, Master Issei. We have decided to live with you by our own accord." Catherine informed.

"Okay, but how did you come to this decision?" Issei asked again.

"Looking at the recent events, we believe some of us need to stay with you in order to serve and assist you better. You can say this arrangement is for the sake of efficiency." Zama was the one who replied.

"...Right." Issei nodded but not entirely convinced. "Anyway, what happened to my house again? Pretty sure my house didn't look like this when I left in the morning."

Asia was still looking with amazement at the new house.

"We consulted with the new Lady Astaroth, who asked Lord Beelzebub for help to accommodate our living space," Amanda explained.

"...And they managed to renovate the entire house…. In less than a day?" Issei looked at his house again, as well as its surroundings. "Pretty sure that space over there was my neighbors. What happened to them?"

What the hell did Latia and Ajuka do to get rid of them? Bribery?

"Lady Astaroth had negotiated with your neighbors, Mr. Issei. Rest assured the entire proceedings had been done legally and ethically." Catherine replied.

Issei stared at the three women for another second, then at the house, before he finally sighed. "Just… Let's just talk inside. Do you have more luggage?" He asked after giving the bags the women had brought with them a brief glance.

"We'll manage on our own, thank you. We don't have much belongings to begin with."

oXo

Everyone was situated in the living room - well, the new living room that was facing a sizable garden with a small koi-fish pond, where Rover could be seen exploring the new extravagant interior and exterior, paddling with his head turned left and right with overflowing curiosity.

Issei, Haruka and Asia were sitting on one couch together, with the three new tenants sitting across the table filled with snacks and drinks prepared by the matriarch.

"How did Ajuka manage to get past Rover, now that I gotta ask?" Issei asked a very good question. If Rover saw strangers tearing down the house, he would have gone ballistic on them or something equally violent in retaliation.

"I'm… afraid we didn't get much details either." Catherine replied a little awkwardly. "We contacted Lady Astaroth about our wish around yesterday, and we only received orders to remain stand-by this morning."

"Are we… inconveniencing you?" Zama asked with a slight fear in her tone. "If we're bothering, we shall leave immediately."

"No, no, of course not." Haruka replied while waving her hand. "A new house, and three new gorgeous tenants living with my son? I'd love to have you three here."

"There you have it." Issei tilted his head at his mother. "Besides, it's not like I have any reason to kick you out either. Although, now that you'll live here for an unforeseeable future, there will be rules, am I clear?"

[Yes.]

The three chorused in unison with pleased expressions on their faces. Then, Rover suddenly barged in while barking happily at Issei. Zama, in particular, winced at the presence of the dog that nearly tore her arm off.

"Hey, what's up, buddy?" Issei bowed down to reach the puppy-sized monster. "You like our new house? Wait, why are your jaws wet?" He furrowed his eyebrows when he patted Rover's head.

Issei then glanced at the fish pond at the front yard, and at the same time, Rover let out a small burp from its maws. The boy quickly put the two and two together and heaved a deep groan.

"Oh, for God's sake, Rover, you can't eat the fish!"

The dog whined at the chiding, and it proceeded to puke its stomach's content to the floor, believing it would amend its mistake somewhat.

Both Issei and Haruka groaned even more, Asia yelped at the sight of a couple of slimy fish carcasses, while the three new tenants scooted away from the spectacle.

"Ew! Not that you can puke on the floor either! The fishes are beyond saving now! Take them back in!" Haruka chided this time.

Rover did as it was told as it scooped the carcasses with its maw and swallowed them whole. Nonetheless, the floor was already dirty with dog vomit.

"Bad dog, Rover. You'll get a cut on your dinner tonight." Haruka chided, and the black dog could only hold its head down in shame.

The three new tenants watched the unfolding events and found themselves smiling and even giggling in amusement.

"Sorry about that." Issei said after noticing the girls again. "Rover's usually well-behaved."

"It's alright, Mr. Issei. This is kind of a refreshing change of pace for us as well." Catherine replied with a soft sigh.

Then, Rover finally registered the girls' presences. It sniffed the air for a second before it growled and started barking at the girls, causing Issei to intervene and placed his hand on Rover's head. "Hey, hey, easy bud. What's wrong?"

In response, Rover grew its size as it barked and growled between Issei and the girls.

"No, no, they're cool now! They won't harm us now. Right?" Issei understood that Rover just registered the girls via their scent, recognizing Zama from that night.

"Um… Is there something I missed here?" Haruka asked after watching what just happened.

"No, it's nothing, mom. Don't worry about it." Issei quickly waved off her mother's concerned tone.

The three women, however, glanced at each other, signaling each other with silent messages before nodding.

"Um, ma'am?" Catherine politely addressed Haruka. "There's actually something… which we would like to confess, considering our wish to live in your house."

Issei threw them a baffled face while Asia looked worried. However, the girls had made their decisions. They spent thirty minutes explaining their previous crimes to Haruka, their previous allegiance and their past attempts on her son's life before narrating the events that led to their current state after Issei beat the tar out of Diodora in a legal match.

Catherine, Amanda and Zama hung their heads in shame upon finishing their story, too afraid to see Haruka's reaction to their confession. On the side, Issei and Asia could only watch with uncomfortable and worried looks; even Rover understood enough to stay put for the time being.

"Lift your heads, please." Haruka's voice was heard a few moments later.

The girls slowly looked up, only to be greeted by a serene look from the matriarch. "...You must have suffered. I can't even imagine what all of you have gone through."

The three devils expected yells, angry shouts, even scorn; but instead they were stunned speechless at the sheer kindness in Haruka's tone.

"But everything will be alright." The three she-devils then found themselves being pulled by Haruka - who had walked around to their seats, into an embrace. "You are safe now. You don't have to do or experience those awful things ever again." Haruka consoled with maternal benevolence and genuine care.

Catherine's breath hitched as she was choked in tears, with Amanda and Zama fared no better than her as they began to break down in Haruka's arms. "But… We tried to kill your son…!"

"My son lives, and if he forgave you, then there's no point for me to begrudge you any further." Haruka then let them out of her embrace. "Besides, it's not as if the first time someone went after my son's life. He's used to those kinds of things."

The trio and Asia did not expect the light-hearted remark at the end, although Issei was rather perplexed. "Wow, thanks for having faith in me, mom." He said sarcastically.

"Oh, hush you. You're fine." Haruka waved her own son off before standing up and addressed the girls ahead. "I trust you girls will behave from now on, okay? Otherwise feeding you all to Rover would be a kinder punishment." She spoke with a sincere smile without missing a beat. The devil girls glanced at the dog which continued growling at them as images of the dog's fangs and what could be worse flashed before their eyes, prompting the devils to nod with fearful eyes.

Then, as if she had not threatened them a second ago, Haruka clapped her hands. "Now, let's get you settled and I'll start preparing dinner. We'll have a feast tonight!"

"...So this happened when we're still at school?"

Tsubasa pointed her finger around the new interior of Hyōdō Residence, as she joined in enjoying the small feast Haruka had prepared to celebrate the new house and welcoming the new tenants.

The dinner consisted of Japanese and Italian cuisine – red bean rice, pasta, meatballs, sukiyaki, yakitori, sashimi, yakiniku, and etc, considering half of the occupants were from Italy.

"...Yep."

Then Tsubasa pointed at Catherine, Amanda and Zama. "And these came around to live in, as they… Sorry, what's your reason again?" She asked any of the girls.

"For the sake of efficiency." Catherine provided. "We deem it would be easier to come o Mr. Issei's help if some of us were to stay close to him. Our Queen chose to remain at our apartment to look after the others."

"...Right, efficiency." Tsubasa did not completely buy it, but she would play along for the time being. "Man, I've been a devil for sometime, but it's still weird to see devil magic working like this… Or I guess that's a demon lord for you." Tsubasa remarked as she looked around a little more.

The girl had actually come over to have a sleep-over at Issei's house, hence joining the dinner.

"It's been ages since we have so many people to eat together. It feels like I'm having more daughters." Haruka commented pleasantly.

Tsubasa looked at Rover, seeing the black dog eating raw meat from an extravagant dog bowl.

"...Wait, how did they get past Rover?" Tsubasa asked.

"Yeah, I'm still wondering about that." Issei still couldn't figure out how they did it without chalking it to Devil Magic.

"What about your cat, by the way? How's it doing?" Issei asked.

"Eh, doing alright. Also, tell your dog to not chase and eat cats just in case." Tsubasa warned as she flipped the meat, letting the grill heat the uncooked side.

"Will do."

"Anyways," Haruka chimed in. "Sooo...? What have you two been up to?" Haruka asked Tsubasa as her eyes darted back and forth between her and Issei.

"What do you mean?" Tsubasa asked.

"Didn't you tell me you were joining my son's nightly jogs? So? How are you doing with Issei?" Haruka asked with a coy tone as she sliced her steak with a fork and knife.

Tsubasa blinked for a moment before looking at Issei and then at Haruka.

"Come on, you've been together with him since you're in middle-school. You can't tell me that there's nothing interesting between you two yet?" Haruka asked with a very wide grin.

Issei was looking awkward while Tsubasa was full-blown flustered. Asia on the other hand, was more confused.

"Um…. I've been wondering, are Mr. Ise and Ms. Tsubasa… a couple?"

Everyone did not expect such a question coming out from the former holy maiden, but Haruka noticed there was a hint of anxiety in the younger girl's tone.

"...Well? Are you?" Haruka asked.

"N-No!" Tsubasa shook her head furiously in frantic denial. "T-There's nothing going on between us!"

Haruka squinted her eyes at the girl. The woman was forming a growing cheshire smile.

"...So you are not a couple?" Asia voiced her thoughts again. Issei did not miss the semblance of hope hidden in her tone.

"Nah, not really," Issei replied. "Tsubasa and I are simply old friends from middle-school, that's all."

Tsubasa frowned at Issei when he said that, her lips quivering as she narrowed her eyes at the only male in the feast - well, human male if one included Rover.

"Idiot." Tsubasa muttered under her breath.

"Hm? What did you say, Tsubasa?" Issei asked - he seriously did not hear that one.

"Nothing." Tsubasa pouted while looking away.

Haruka, on the other hand, heard the whole thing and snickered at the spectacle, while Asia looked visibly relaxed. The three other devils who joined the dinner only watched with mild amusement.

"Perhaps this will be a regular occurrence." Catherine whispered in between bites.

"Compared to that hell back in the Underworld? I'll take these shenanigans any day." Amanda remarked with a hushed tone as well.

"Agreed. Everyone back in the apartment really missed a lot." Zama put in her two-cents.

Asia simply brought her hands together on her chest as she had a determined expression on her face. Issei was too busy in engaging the pouty Tsubasa, as well as making sure that Rover did not make a mess, to hear Asia whispering something about still having a chance.

Haruka on the other hand, simply watched while grinning from ear to ear.

Dinner lasted for another while due to the abundance of food and hungry stomachs. Once the plates were eaten clean, everyone washed up and prepared themselves for the night. In the interim, Issei managed to placate Tsubasa and they agreed to play one or two games before turning to bed.

When Catherine, Amanda and Zama were about to leave the dining area, they paused on their tracks when Issei called them out.

"Ah, Catherine, Amanda, Zama. Can you come to my room in a few hours? I want to talk about something."

The three devils in question blinked at the sudden request before they glanced at one another. They soon nodded to Issei before leaving the room.

Night descended at last, the time for bed looming over the occupants of Hyōdō Residence.

However, none had noticed a presence flying towards the house, fluttering her bat wings with a confident smile on her face.

However, the smile faltered when she saw the building… the very fancy building she usually saw in the Underworld's nobility.

"What on earth…?" Rias Gremory blinked at the sight of the small mansion.

Ever since her first plan to sway Issei Hyōdō with words ended in failure, she decided to go with Plan B – seduce the fuck out of the boy and ensnare him to her side with her feminine charms. Aside from the shenanigans with Akeno, something else had occurred on her side during the day, and she could not afford to waste any more time - it was now or never. She would get him to join her one way or another, even if she must resort to… More immoral methods.

She landed on the front yard, and took a quick look at her surroundings. Since when was this mansion built? Sure, her own home dwarfs the one before her, but Rias could not help notice that the renovation was from a Devil's hands, considering that it took less than a day to transform the entire abode.

Not only that, she could sense powerful magic protecting this building… damn, she could not teleport inside.

In any case, she had to enter somehow. She approached the glass sliding door separating the living room and the front yard, and she suddenly heard rustling behind her when she was about to touch the door-handle.

She slowly turned back and her teal eyes encountered three pairs of ruby orbs. Rover was watching her from its newly built dog house while tilting its head in curiosity.

Well, the dog's presence was a good sign - that meant Rias was not int the wrong house, appearance and size aside. On the other hand, she could not afford to have the dog ruining her plan, so she came prepared.

She fished out from her skirt pocket – several packs of dog treat she had bought from a nearby pet shop, the best she could purchase. She wiggled the bait for a few times before she tossed the biscuits at the dog which happily accepted and feasted on without care in the world.

First phase, successful.

Seizing the chance while Rover was distracted, she slid the door open. The door wasn't locked, which made Rias smirk. Once she was inside, she closed the door and locked it, making sure that Rover was still too engaged in filling its stomach outside.

Now onto the second phase, the more difficult hurdle. She could find Issei's bedroom if she was dealing with the previous house, but in this small mansion? The layout rendered her memory useless, and the map of the prior residence was no longer useful. Her only option was to rely on chance, praying to whatever gods would listen and grant her success in her trial and error.

Furtively sneaking up the stairs to the upper floors, where the bedrooms usually reside, Rias saw two rows of doors, one on each side of the hallway. Unable to tell which room was which, Rias wasted time approaching the nearest room to check.

Opening her first room, which was again, unlocked, she was greeted by a cloud of dust hitting her right in the face from the differing air pressure, forcing her to cough out while waving the dust away from her face. Turns out the room she just opened appeared to be a storage room for some reason.

Seriously, what genius put the storage room inside the main house instead of outside? - Rias frowned at the sight of miscellaneous junks inside the dark room before she quickly closed it back.

Proceeding to the next one, she slowly opened the door, eliciting a nary creak, and found the room normal - and occupied.

The interior was sizeable, filled with miscellanea that reminded her of Gasper's room, a small LED-screen television, a computer set, gaming systems, and some books. Between those and the bed were a small table and a few pillows on top of a carpet.

Rias' attention was more focused on the bed, however, where a white bundle of blanket laid on top of it. Considering the collection inside heavily insinuating the presence of a boy's hand, Rias was certain she had gotten the right room.

Now, onto the hardest - the third phase.

She closed the door behind her, and after a deep breath, she began to strip her uniform, slowly but surely, starting from her skirt, her top, until her underwear, leaving her as naked as the day she was born; before she made her way towards the bed.

It's okay, Rias. You can do this. Any man will not be able to resist you, you are attractive and you know that - Rias told herself in her mind as she took another breath to steel herself.

However, what does a devil, particularly she-devil, do when seducing a man? As far as Rias had learned in the past, anything related to engaging the opposite gender was concluded with, 'be courteous, elegant, and leave the rest to the man'. How does that even work?

She was a virgin, and she had never learned or seen any explicit or indecent materials before. Should she just climb on first and press her body against him? Maybe rub her body against his as well? At least Rias knew enough that would incite furious arousal in any male this way.

No longer hesitated, Rias climbed on the bed and reached out towards the edge of the blanket, slowly uncovering what was beneath…

oXo

Tsubasa was a tad sleepless that night.

The night was to be well; the absence of client requests earned her some free time to crash at her childhood friend's (new) house for the sake of old times.

The small dinner party to celebrate the new house and welcoming the three new tenants - the former servants of Diodora Astaroth, were unexpected, but not necessarily unwelcomed. However, what rattled her mind was when Haruka asked one particular question - her current relationship with Issei.

Obviously, Tsubasa was not yet ready to approach the subject, as she was still not completely sure of her own feelings towards him. However, hearing Issei's casual dismissal, his careless remark of them being 'mere old friends,' kind of ticked her off somehow.

On the other hand, Issei might have been too much of a blockhead to notice, but Tsubasa saw the look in Asia's face when she pressed on her relationship status. To be honest, Tsubasa was not whether to be amused or threatened by Asia's entering the ring; she was admittedly, downright cute.

Tsubasa pursed her lips as she laid on the bed of her guest room - her entire frame covered beneath the blanket. She found herself preferring the old house; where she would just spend the night sharing Issei's room without any awkward feelings. Now that the house had more space, it was only proper for Tsubasa to sleep in a different room.

She looked down to herself - how would Issei look at her? Would he find her attractive? Due to her past training and physical exercise, Tsubasa had developed a somewhat tomboyish look - the source of her fair popularity among both boys and girls in Kuoh Academy. Still, that did not change the fact that Tsubasa did not possess Asia's adorable charm.

While Tsubasa was trying to sleep despite her thoughts, she suddenly heard the door softly opening. She was slightly too tired to look out from her position, though she was curious - while there was no hostile intention, who might it be on this late at night?

She doubted Asia, Haruka or the trio of devils would bother entering her room this late. When her thoughts wander to Issei… she stiffened under the sheet.

She remained still beneath the blanket for a few seconds, mulling over the idea of her childhood friend visiting her room at midnight - when she heard the sound of fabric dropping to the floor.

Her eyes widened, her face warmed up and her heartbeat increased. Waitwaitwaitwaitwait – did Issei take his clothes off? What is he doing?! Tsubasa's mind trailed back to the teasing her friends from the Student Council threw at her.

Is this truly happening? Issei was giving her… What is it called again? Night visit?

Night visit…

Nonononononono, I'm not ready for this! - Tsubasa's eyes shot down to scan her attire, seeing nothing but a blue T-shirt and a pair of panties. Plain white panties! What should she do?!

Tsubasa ended up settling by closing her eyes to wait for the inevitable to happen, all while clutching her hands on the pillow together.

When she sensed her blanket was being pulled open, she slowly opened her eyes, only to meet a pair of wide teal-coloured eyes, framed by locks of crimson red hair.

Issei was in the middle of relieving himself in the newly built toilet - yes, a personal toilet built in his bedroom at the end of the second floor, when he heard the door to his bedroom was opened. If Issei must be honest, it was one of the whitest, shiniest, fanciest toilets he had ever seen, no tint of ammonia tainting the air, only the sparkling sheen of cleanliness in all four corners of the bathroom.

"Mr. Issei…?" Catherine's voice was heard, followed with several footsteps. "...We have arrived per your request."

"Ah, right. Just make yourselves comfortable. I'll be there in a second." Issei replied from the bathroom as he pulled his pants back.

One flush and hand-washing later, Issei stepped out to his bedroom, only to stop his feet as he stared at them with wide incredulous eyes. "...What are you three doing?" He asked the three girls.

When he asked for them to come to his room, he meant to lay down their living rules as well as offering them to play some games to see if he could lift their spirits with modern entertainment. He did not expect to see the girls entering his room wearing… Very revealing, perhaps even erotic clothing on their persons - see-through night gowns, elaborate lingeries; prompting him to gawp at them with great confusion. One of them was only clad in their bra and panties.

"Um… Did we do something wrong, sir?" Amanda asked as she and her two comrades were sitting on top of Issei's newly Queen-sized bed, as if they were willing and waiting for him.

"I-I-I d-don't what…" Issei's brain was fried at this point at the tempting sight of the three female devils before him. "What are you wearing? Why are you wearing that?!" He managed to ask that one question while he was too flustered to even look at the girls properly.

"Um… what?" Zama responded with quizzical looks.

"...Wait, hang on…" Issei held his hand up and narrowed his eyes at them. "What comes to your head when I said 'come to my room tonight'?" He had a sneaking suspicion that they were receiving wrong messages.

"...That you wish for us to accompany you for tonight, sir." Catherine responded.

"In… those?" Issei gestured at their respective attires.

The female Knight, Rook and Bishop aligned themselves on a straight line facing Issei while kneeling on the bed. "Of course. We believe these fineries would be… the most suitable to service you tonight. You can relax and enjoy yourself, sir. This is the least we can do after everything you've done for us." They bowed slightly, emphasizing their respective cleavages and curves to Issei, whose face was becoming redder and uncomfortable.

His jaw slowly fell off its hinges as he understood the context of their words.

"That bastard…" Issei whispered-cursed at Diodora.

He didn't want to think about it before he beat the living crap out of him, but to see the aftereffects of that bastard's work like this…

When the girls noticed Issei's distraught expression, they became worried as well. "Perhaps… would you prefer virgins?" Catherine asked with a worried tone. "Forgive us, sire. I'm afraid all of us-"

"Stop." Issei raised a hand and took a breath to calm himself down. "...Let me get this out of the way before I blow up. One, I did not call you for... this." Issei gestured at their attire. "I'll say it again - I am, in no way, anywhere near Diodora. That means I will not, absolutely not, do… these things to you in bed against your will. Hell, I'm not even ready for this kind of thing."

[Wuss.] Ddraig commented from inside his soul-scape.

"Shut up!" Issei inwardly gritted out at the Welsh Dragon's comment, before returning his attention to the girls. "Second… I called you here just to talk about the living arrangements, since you'll live here for a while… and maybe see if you girls would try some games or movies for the night."

The girls blinked at Issei's choice of words. They looked at him for a moment before their faces slowly turned red and covered their bodies with their arms.

"…Wait there, I'll get something for you to wear." Issei walked to the wardrobe.

However, before Issei could have even looked through his wardrobe, a shriek - no, two female shrieks suddenly echoed through the whole house.

Issei's head snapped towards the shriek alert, the girls shot up from the bed with their faces pensive. Rover's bark could also be heard from the outside the window.

Issei then proceeded to walk towards his bedroom door, while throwing a brief glance at the still scantily-clad girls. "Alright, change of plans. Suit up and meet me at Tsubasa's room."

The women chorused in affirmation and rose as Issei left the room.

Check out the next chapters in my (p) atreon account! Cheers!