The atmosphere in the Occult Research Club felt oddly stiff. Rias sat in her usual seat behind the desk, her expression indifferent.
Koneko did not seem to care about what was going on. She held a smartphone in one hand and a cookie in the other, munching on it while scrolling through the private chat group she had been invited to recently. It was packed with all sorts of 'precious' materials.
They were all pictures and videos of Yusuke. There wasn't anything strange; most of them showed parts of his daily life, his sleeping face, moments when he was eating, walking outside, or at school.
The lewdest ones were pictures of him coming out of the bathroom with only a towel around his waist, or shots taken while he was training, his upper body covered in sweat.
Compared to the secret stashes the other women were hiding, these pictures and videos were very tame. For Koneko, who was short on 'research' materials, this collection felt incredibly precious. She even started feeling grateful to Akeno for inviting her to the group chat, completely against her usual yandere instincts.
"Please, have some tea." Akeno presented the guests with tea while maintaining her calm and composed smile, then retreated to stand behind Rias like a proper Queen and second in command. The two might be in conflict, but they were smart enough not to show it to outsiders.
The guests present in the room this time were Riser and his peerage, which included Issei and Saji. There was also one more person who could not really be called a guest, standing there with his head lowered. It was Kiba.
"Rias, are you really not going to forgive Kiba-kun?" Sitting on the sofa opposite Rias, Riser spoke calmly while sipping his tea. He would rather not stay in this town a second longer if he could. This place only brought him bad memories and PTSD.
However, even though he was unwilling to come, he had to. In this town, he had managed to gain two members of his peerage and was planning to recruit another.
Kiba raised his head and glanced at Rias, but she was not even looking in his direction.
After the battle with Kokabiel, in which Rias had been completely useless, she did not forgive Kiba for his 'betrayal'. The most she did was refrain from declaring him a stray devil, but she refused to allow him back into her peerage, even if it meant losing her Knight Peerage. Her refusal was fueled by the sting of Akeno's betrayal, which had left her hating betrayals above all else.
In fact, if it had not affected her plans, she would have kicked Akeno out as well or found someone to trade pieces with her.
"I don't think that is something that concerns you, Riser," Rias spoke coldly. She hated this bastard as well. Why had he gathered so many women as his peerage members, women who ended up seducing her Yusuke? It was all these women's fault for being unnecessarily attractive!
Glaring at him, she added, "If you have something to say, then spit it out already and fuck off!" She was still brooding over the fact that this guy had come into her territory without informing her, even if it was with her brother's permission.
This territory was supposed to be hers. She should at least have been informed beforehand. When would her family stop treating her like a child?
"Fine, in that case I shall be more forward." Riser ignored her rude attitude. He felt he had dodged a bullet by breaking the engagement with her. This woman was too uncouth. She had no manners at all. As expected of the lesser gender, they were all useless and troublesome.
Clearing his throat, he spoke, "I want to propose an exchange of Evil Pieces. I would like to take Kiba as a member of my peerage."
"What?!" Issei, Saji, and even Kiba exclaimed at the same time. The three stared at Riser in astonishment before Issei and Saji turned to glance at Kiba. Having fought together and formed a tacit understanding, the two of them thought it would be great to have him as their comrade.
"I guess so." Rias did not show any surprise. Instead, she asked, "Did my brother also tell you to do this?"
"No, this is my original intention. I value Kiba's talent and character, and I came this time sincerely and in good faith to propose an exchange." Riser shook his head. Kiba was one of the most skilled swordsmen he had ever seen at his age, especially after attaining his Balance Breaker. He could not understand why Rias would be unwilling to forgive him.
Rias did not speak for a long time. She tapped the desk with her index finger for what felt like an eternity before finally saying, "Very well. You can have him."
"Rias-buchou!" Kiba glanced at Rias in disbelief, his heart breaking. Although he had been prepared for this outcome, it still hurt when it actually happened.
"Buchou!" Koneko suddenly stopped scrolling on her phone and spoke. She really liked her senpai. Even if he was sometimes stupid, he was very loyal and also cooked great food!
Akeno, on the other hand, did not say a word. With how tense their relationship was, even if she wanted to help Kiba, anything she said would only make Rias do the opposite.
"Let's start right away, and you'd better scram as fast as possible from this town. I don't want to see you here again." Rias stood up, walked around her desk, and began drawing the magic circles to start the transfer ritual.
"Are you fine with this, Kiba?" Riser stood up, walked over to him, and asked while resting a hand on his shoulder.
Kiba stared once more at Rias. Seeing that she was still ignoring him, he answered, "...Yes."
...
"What are you doing?" Being pressed against the wall by a busty beauty was a unique experience. It reminded Yusuke of his first meeting with Aika.
Right now, he was being pressed by a blue-haired beauty. Her buxom figure pressed against his, and her face was dangerously close to his. Meeting his eyes, Xenovia spoke, "Yu! I believe the impression I gave you until now wasn't the best, so please allow me to introduce myself again."
"I don't think people introduce themselves this way," Yusuke said calmly, glancing at her. He was curious about what she was planning.
He had sensed her presence from far away, before she could 'ambush' him, but he allowed it anyway, just to see what her game was.
After the battle ended, the ones most affected were Xenovia, Irina, and Asia. The first two were completely mentally broken. The news of God's death was extremely devastating, especially for Irina, whose faith surpassed even that of Xenovia. What made it even more crushing was that now, knowing the truth, if they returned to the church, they would be silenced.
On the other hand, Asia was holding up quite well. She showed no signs of breaking down after that day. Her life had barely changed; she still prayed to God and acted normally. Yet for some reason, Yusuke noticed that the light in her usually bright eyes had dimmed, making him believe she was only trying to act strong.
That day, both Xenovia and Irina had mental breakdowns. They clung to Yusuke desperately, crying in his arms and saying things like, 'I only have Yusuke now!', 'Without God, I still have Yusuke.', 'Your name is holy.', 'My faith rots without you.', 'Your voice replaces prayers.', and even, 'You're my new God!'
It scared the poor Issei and Riser as well. Even Kiba stared at Yusuke, who remained calm, with deep admiration.
This showed just how fucked up they had become. It could also be their coping mechanism, directing all their insecurity and self-doubt toward Yusuke, wrapping their already twisted love into something even more fucked up.
Xenovia enrolled as a student in this school and became Yusuke's classmate along with Irina. The two usually acted normally around others, but they became very strange whenever they were alone with him.
"This is how we introduce ourselves in Europe," Xenovia said, blinking as she delivered an obvious lie with a straight face.
"Nope, I don't think so. Besides, this is freaking Japan," Yusuke's lips twitched.
Xenovia pressed her cheek with her index finger as if thinking deeply before saying, "Don't sweat the details. I didn't know Yu was old-fashioned. But I like it!"
"I am Xenovia Quarta! Previously a Church Warrior and currently your wife!" She winked at him and added, "Let's get along, Yu!"
'Is she doing this because she is a yandere, or because she is an airhead?' Yusuke stared at her with a blank face, thinking.
[Both.] The system answered his question.
"Now that we are officially husband and wife, let's consummate our marriage!" Suddenly, while he was still thinking, Xenovia took a step back, distancing herself, then grabbed his arms and dragged him to the back of the room.
"Where are you taking me? And what the hell do you mean by officially a husband and a wife?!" Yusuke followed her with a stunned look. Was this girl even right in the head?!
"Of course we are! I already checked. The legal age for marriage in Japan is 16!" Xenovia answered confidently, giving him an assuring look. "We are both 17, so it is completely fine!" She made an 'Ok' sign with her free hand.
"That's not the problem!" Yusuke's lips twitched at her answer. Getting married doesn't just happen because someone says so. And yes, the legal age for marriage is 16, but only if the parents of both sides are present. Clearly, the two of them did not even have parents to speak of!
'Wait, why am I even taking her words seriously in the first place?! Shit, she did it again. I got swooned by her rhythm!' Yusuke suddenly realized. These two airheads, Irina and Xenovia, always had their own ways of closing the distance between him and themselves.
"Where is this?" By the time he realized, he found himself standing in an empty room with only a mattress on the floor.
"Of course, it is the place where we will consummate our marriage! Do not worry, I already researched everything thoroughly." Xenovia closed the door, walked to the mattress, and started taking off her clothes. "I heard it hurts the first time. However, I am confident that I can bear the pain!"
She threw her shirt on the floor, revealing her breasts covered by a blue bra, and said in a serious tone, "So don't hold back! Let's have lots and lots of sex and children!"
"What are you waiting for, Yu? Do you want me to help you remove your clothes?" Xenovia noticed he was standing still. Then, with a thoughtful look, she added, "I happen to hear that in ancient Japan, women helped their husbands change their clothes. Do you want me to help you?"
Without waiting for him to answer, she approached and grabbed his clothes.
Yusuke did not speak the whole time and did not even try to stop her. His eyes were fixed on the tightly shut door.
"Stop right there!" And just as he expected, seconds later, it suddenly burst open.
...
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