Chapter 24
"Akeno, what is DDAA?"
Sitting in the ORC a few days later, I was going through paperwork necessary after fulfilling a contract. I was sitting on one of the sofas, with Akeno opposite me.
"Hmm?"
"The acronym on these forms I'm prefilling for Rias—the ones for the Devil contracts I've been doing," I clarified, wondering about the paperwork we were required to fill out. Rias had to do the final submission as the King, but each of us had to go through our own paperwork beforehand.
Looking over at the form in my hand, Akeno smiled pleasantly. "Oh, that would be the Diabolical Department for Administrative Affairs."
Looking up from the papers in my hand, I stared at Akeno incredulously. "Seriously?"
"Very," came her even-toned response. Seeing my questioning look, Akeno giggled from her seat. "Trust me, you don't want to make mistakes on those forms. While the DDAA falls under Lord Lucifer's umbrella of the government, the paperwork submitted by members of the 72 Pillars is subject to precise scrutiny."
"Huh, I thought it would be the other way around. You know? Giving leeway to nobles and all that."
"Unfortunately for us, Ser Hanfry App-Leby champions the idea of nobility leading by example. Lord Sirzechs calls him the Admin Supremo," said Akeno, hiding her smile behind her own stack of papers.
I hummed, getting back to my paperwork. "Form DC-666: Post-Manifestation Satisfaction & Recompense Audit, Section C13, Territorial Integrity: Did the summoning occur within your designated Human World territory, or was it an unauthorized 'strategic reset' of boundaries requiring a sub-committee review?" I murmured as I read through the paperwork, checking the first box in the answer sheet.
"Section C14, The Equivalence Clause: On a scale of 'Nominal' to 'Extravagant', please justify how the client's offered reward (example: three buttons and a slightly used soul) is of equal value to the wish granted (example: world peace), ensuring that no actual value was transferred in a way that would require an official audit."
I scratched my head at that one. The last contract was literally a foot massage; I had taken over for Kiba with one of his usual clients. Apparently, he was doing charity work, of all things, although he was particularly dodgy when I asked for more details. The wording was also suspicious, while the devils no longer dealt with souls, it may have been left there as a term of value, the author expecting the devils to know what it would mean in monetary terms.
"Ah, those are always fun." At some point, Akeno came to stand behind me, looking over my shoulder and reading the form with me. "Here, you can always default to answering it like this: The transaction was processed as a qualified nominal alignment, while the client's remuneration was represented in a strategic symbolic equivalency."
As she was explaining this to me, Akeno leaned further over my shoulder, seemingly pointing to a specific line on the sheet of paper, but at the same time, this put her considerable bust directly to the side of my face. Was she not wearing a bra? There was too much gravity to those things.
"Are you paying attention, Kairos?" she asked and, in what must have been complete coincidence, swung her body slightly to the side, causing her chest to hit me directly in the face.
I recoiled slightly from the shock. "Akeno, what are you doing?"
"Ara? I have no idea what you mean," came her coy reply.
I narrowed my eyes at her; she was always playful and liked to tease, but this was taking it to a whole new level. "You know what I mean."
She straightened from her bent position and put a hand to her cheek. "Ufufu, I really have no idea, Kairos; I am just helping you with paperwork. You have been such a dutiful servant to Rias, always at the forefront of battles in the last few months; I just thought I could do something to lighten your burden."
Even as she said this, she made her way to the small kitchenette hidden behind a corner. "Would you like some tea? I have received a new order of my favorite blend."
"…Sure, I'll have some," I responded, unsure what to do in this situation.
"I'll bring it right over," said Akeno. The extra swing she put into her hips was very hard to look away from. I leaned back on the sofa, closing my eyes. Women were troublesome. This was not even the first time things like this had happened. Over the last few days, Akeno had been increasing her tempo as far as teasing and "accidental" touches went.
I was saved by Rias entering the clubroom through the main entrance.
"Akeno, Kairos, good. You are here. Have you seen Kiba? I wanted to go over some things I need to include in a written report to my brother," said Rias, seating herself behind her desk and sighing. Either she was tired or her chair was very comfortable—or perhaps both.
Akeno looked over from the kitchenette. "He is busy with some important stuff."
"Important stuff?" asked Rias.
"I'll tell you later. Would you care for some tea?"
"Yes please, the one with lots of caffeine. Kairos, do you have some time? I wanted to discuss something with you."
"Is it for long? I planned to finish this form and take a look at this one store in town." That was not completely true, of course; I did want to go to town, but I was going to scout a restaurant I saw some time ago. I wanted to see if it would be a good place for another one of our dates with Rias, but I wanted it to be a surprise.
/Break
Late Night Discussions
Lying in bed with Rias that evening, I asked her about her request earlier in the ORC clubroom. "So, what did you want to talk about?"
Rias draped one of her arms over me, laying her head on my chest. "Well, it turns out there is more to discuss than I originally planned."
"Oh?"
Rias hummed, pausing slightly. "Does… Akeno seem different to you? In the way she behaves?"
I raised an eyebrow, surprised by the topic, but answered anyway. "I've noticed, yes."
"So?"
"So what?" I asked, not really seeing where she was going with this.
"What do you think?"
"Rias, are you asking me what I think about your friend making advances on me?"
Rias nodded her head. "Akeno spoke to me; she asked if there was room for one more."
Now I was really surprised. Of course, I knew how these things went in anime and fiction, but this was still real life, with real people; the whole situation felt surreal to me. Before I could respond, Rias continued. "Akeno has been a very dear friend to me; I don't think I would mind sharing you with her, if you want to."
Hesitating slightly, I answered her question. "…It's something I've thought about before."
"Oho? Did you now?" said Rias, smirking.
"It's hard not to; I know how Devils operate, and I am not blind to Akeno, despite her teasing being just that—teasing."
"Well, you would not be wrong; my father has quite a large harem himself. Of course, my mother manages it, but he still has it."
I nodded. The Devils were quite open with their proclivity for harems; I guess I could understand it. When you live so long, life may need some spicing. With Devils, it's all about experiences.
Choosing my words carefully, I spoke to Rias. "I will not lie to you; I find Akeno extremely attractive…"
"But?"
"But I've thought about what we have, how much time we spend together. Another person would mean spending more time with them, time I could not spend with you. Because that's how I would want it to go—a relationship, not just being a harem member to have sex with without a deeper connection; I wouldn't want to do that to Akeno, she deserves better."
These were my honest feelings; no matter how much more gorgeous someone else was, I was just very happy with Rias right now, and adding another person to that could rock the boat.
In response, Rias smiled at me. "It speaks well of you that you think of it like that, Kairos. To a degree, I agree with you. I would be loath to part with you for someone else. At the same time, if someone else were Akeno—she is my best friend; it would not be two separate relationships, just a bigger one."
"You would still have to share," I told her with a pointed look. "So would I, for that matter; I take particular joy in having access to your person, Master."
"Yes, but I think we can make it work. I will take charge, but we will make sure Akeno is not neglected. She will have her time with you, and you two can go on dates alone, that sort of thing. That is, if you agree to it. Would you be interested in Akeno like that?" pressed Rias, apparently not giving up on the idea of getting me a harem, or at least the beginning of one.
To be honest with myself, I was not wholly against it; it was just my hesitation taking the driver's seat. When you find something great, just thinking of losing it or it becoming "lesser" makes one worry.
I was silent for a moment, trying to think more clearly. "She is a good person; the time I spend with her, either magical training or after school at the ORC, is always enjoyable… I think I could see something like that, but Rias, I don't want to hurt her either… I don't think I can view anyone else like I do you right now," I told Rias truthfully.
Rias leaned over and kissed me, just a short and sweet peck, but her emotions carried through. "I think Akeno understands that, but I will speak with her," said Rias, holding a hand to my cheek. "Kairos, you don't know how much it means to me—Akeno and your feelings, both."
This time I kissed her softly, making her hum in content. We stayed like that for a moment, then Rias once more laid her head on my chest.
"What else did you want to talk about?"
"I was thinking of getting a house?"
"A house?"
"Yes, for the whole Peerage. With Xenovia joining us, we need to find her accommodation, and I was thinking we could all live together in one big house."
"Well, that's not a bad idea. Do you want to manage it? You know how these things work."
Rias nodded and snuggled more closely into me, but it seemed we were not done with questions for tonight. "Kairos, there's something I've been meaning to tell you. I gave some thought to what you told me about the winds during your battle with Kokabiel."
I nodded my head. Shortly after the battle, I spoke with Rias about the winds that suddenly appeared when I entered the Balance Breaker for the first time. She confirmed that I was, in fact, the only one who had seen them; while that answered one question, it created several more. The most pressing one was why I was only able to use it during a Balance Breaker. I've found this out just yesterday when I tried to summon it again, but the power didn't respond to my call.
Ddraig was also unsure, at least not completely; there was a known phenomenon of Sacred Gears adjusting to their users, but this was quite a unique manifestation of it. Who was to say what was possible? Kiba himself proved it with his Balance Breaker; combining Holy and Demonic elements into a single sword, wielded by a Devil. Under God's system, this should not have been possible, and yet it happened.
I would need to experiment further to truly find the limits and limitations of the Winds of Time, as I came to call them. Looking down to Rias, I ran a hand through her hair, enjoying the feeling of her soft crimson locks spilling through my fingers.
"You know of Evil Pieces and how they are able to reincarnate other races into Devils," said Rias, and I hummed, remembering the lectures on basic Devil knowledge that I had with Rias and Akeno when I was first reincarnated.
"There are phenomena that sometimes happen when a new Devil King receives their Evil Pieces. You see, when we receive the pieces, they are a blank slate. By connecting our magic to them, we, the Kings, are able to reincarnate other beings into Devils. The pieces themselves are vessels, but they are ultimately connected to the King. The King provides part of their magical signature, and when new Devils are created, that signature and connection to the King stabilize the new Devil. Over time, the reincarnated Devil's body will integrate their Demonic aspect fully, but it takes some time. The King's magic keeps the piece in the new Devil stable; without it, they can be consumed by the Demonic power inside them."
"That's how Strays are made," I said, remembering our one encounter with a Stray Devil; nothing serious, it was not too much work to take care of it.
"Yes, some of them. Stray Devils are all who abandon their master without permission, but most who do usually do so very early in their new life as Devils. It's mostly due to poor choices or mistreatment by the King; one needs to choose their servants carefully and must care for them, otherwise they will not wish to serve," continued Rias.
"After their Demonic power has stabilized, they can escape without mutations and other side effects most Strays have, right?" I asked.
Rias nodded her head, scratching her fingernails on my chest. "Correct. It rarely happens, but there have been cases in the past. Anyway, I got sidetracked. What I was talking about was the ritual of receiving the Evil Pieces; when the King connects their magic to the blank pieces, there is a small chance that some will turn into Mutation Pieces. It happens rarely, but not rarely enough for every new Devil King not to hope for it."
Rias paused, gathering her thoughts. "I had one such piece, a Bishop. His name is Gaspard; he is a half-Vampire with a very powerful Sacred Gear which he cannot control. Because of that, he is sealed away, both for his own good and from his own desire. Gaspard has problems interacting with people, and he prefers isolation."
The emphasis on the past tense made me curious. "You say you had an Evil Piece," I asked Rias.
"Yes, that is what I wanted to tell you. When I turned you into a Devil, I used all eight of my Pawn pieces. I was worried it may not be enough, but one of the Pawns changed into a Mutation Piece." Pausing again, Rias stopped her hand over my heart, where the eight Pawn pieces were placed when she reincarnated me.
"I did not notice it immediately, but once I did, I looked into it. From what I was able to find, there is no mention of this ever happening. I did not tell you because it's not anything dangerous; the Mutation Piece is really just a stronger version of a normal one, but most importantly I wanted to first find answers for why it happened before I told you," she said, looking up at me.
"And did you find them?"
She shook her head against my chest. "No, and I don't think I can, not without contacting my brother or Lord Ajuka directly. I did not consider it necessary, as I already said, it's nothing dangerous."
"Then why tell me now?"
"Because it happened again."
My brows furrowed. "What? Do you think it has to do with the Balance Breaker?"
"Either that or your new manifestation of time powers; perhaps it can even be both, I cannot really say. You are the first reincarnated Devil with a Longinus, so there is no precedent for this. The point is, now two of your Pawn pieces are Mutation ones."
"Well, it's certainly interesting, though I am not sure what to do with this information."
Rias sighed softly. "I'm not sure either; that's why I wanted to ask if you think it may be a good idea to tell my brother about your heritage. We could also try to find more about the Mutation Pieces you now possess."
I thought about it for a moment; the main reason I asked Rias and others to keep it hidden was because I was still vulnerable and I did not want to endanger others, but now that was not really the case. I achieved the Balance Breaker, and every day I was growing more powerful.
"If you think it's still early, I am willing to respect that. I don't want to force you into something you yourself don't want to do, Kairos."
"No, you are right; I feel confident sharing my secret now. It's not like we announce it to everyone—just Lord Lucifer and those he deems trustworthy."
"True enough, but secrets have a way of stopping being secrets once you tell too many people. In any case, I don't think we need to rush it; train with your Balance Breaker for now and explore this new power, and when a good opportunity presents itself, we can share it with my brother," said Rias.
I rested my head more comfortably into the pillow, listening to Rias' breathing as we just rested in bed. Before I drifted off to sleep, I had one final thought.
Well, that was a lot of food for thought for tonight, that is certain.
/Break
The rays of the early morning sun were not what woke me today. I released my hold on Rias's hair, the muscles in my body finally relaxing. A head of crimson hair rose upward, sea-green eyes meeting my own as a pleased smile spread across the Devil heiress's face.
Rias used a finger to scoop an errant bit of fluid from her lips, bringing it into her mouth enticingly.
"Good morning to you, too," I said, releasing a very satisfied sigh.
Rias smirked at my words. "I told you I would wake up first one of these days."
"If I knew you meant this, I would have pretended to be asleep just on principle," I teased as she moved back up, resting her head on my shoulder as we lay in bed.
With a flick of her wrist, she summoned the devil candy from the other day, popping one into her mouth.
"I told you, these are very popular with female devils," Rias said with a smirk, handing me the case. I took one as well, the pleasant flavour of lemon and mint instantly masking any morning breath.
Leaning down, I kissed Rias deeply, the magical candy taking care of any undesirable… flavour from her previous actions.
After almost half an hour of simply lying in bed and enjoying each other's company, Rias brought up an intriguing rumour she had heard from Akeno. Apparently Kiba and Asia were now, 'sort of, kind of, maybe' dating.
"I can't say I expected that," I admitted.
Rias hummed thoughtfully.
"Do you think I should talk to Kiba?" I asked her.
"About?"
"The shovel talk," I told her, stating the obvious. Asia was a little angel with devil wings, and although Kiba was a genuinely nice guy, I felt the need to at least scare him a little.
Rias raised one of her sculpted crimson eyebrows, her silent question clear.
"I mean, she doesn't have any living relatives—not that I know of, at least. I feel responsible for her, in a way," I continued, feeling less sure of myself by the second.
"Kairos, it's good that you care. Asia is a sweet girl, but you need to be more considerate of her growth."
I asked her what she meant.
"She needs to become more independent. I know she's lived a sheltered life, but it will do her good to make decisions for herself," Rias explained.
"I guess you're right. I just think of her as a child, but you're right—she needs to become her own person." Perhaps I was being overprotective. Asia could take care of herself, and Kiba was an outstanding guy.
Rias hummed, slipping out of bed and grabbing her phone as she headed toward the shower. I followed close behind, continuing our conversation as we made our way through the apartment.
"Asia just turned seventeen a little over a week ago. Because of the whole mess with the Holy Swords and Kokabiel, we weren't able to throw her a party. But Kiba's birthday is next week, so I'm thinking of celebrating both at the same time," Rias said as we entered the bathroom.
"Sounds good. I'll have to think of some gifts. Where are we hosting it?" I asked, grabbing towels for both of us.
"We'll have to organise something. We'll see how it works out," Rias told me as we stepped into the shower.
"Alright, let me know if you need help with the preparations."
"I will," Rias said with a smile. She turned around, her naked body in full view. "Now, come here. We need to continue where we left off," the crimson-haired Devil added with a smirk.
/Break
"So? What did you want to talk about?"
After finishing school later that day, I received a message from Azazel requesting a meeting. In the past, I had met with the Governor-General of the Fallen multiple times; he liked calling me on contract. Our previous meetings had been quite harmless—occasionally Azazel would question me about my Sacred Gear, but mostly we just played video games and drank. Azazel, if nothing else, had excellent taste in alcohol.
The Fallen leader smirked at my question, motioning toward the couch near a small table set with drinks.
"Why don't you join me? We can have a few drinks and talk," Azazel said.
Complying with the Fallen Angel, I accepted the offered glass, enjoying the exquisite vintage. After a moment of silence, Azazel spoke again.
"I will be departing Kuoh soon. My purpose here is done, but I thought I would say goodbye—and perhaps offer some information."
I motioned for him to go on, setting my drink on the table.
"Kokabiel acted mostly alone. He had some supporters, but I'm rooting them out even as we speak; soon I will have them all rounded up," Azazel informed me, taking a sip of his own drink. "We shall be convening a summit to deal with the fallout. It will be held here in Kuoh in two weeks' time."
I thought for a few seconds about the information Azazel shared with me.
"I find the coordination between Angels, Devils, and Fallen quite fascinating. You say the summit will take place in two weeks? That seems awfully fast on such short notice… unless it isn't," I said eventually.
"Something like that." Azazel smirked, choosing not to divulge anything further.
"The White Dragon Emperor... he works for you, yes?" I asked, already knowing the answer—especially since Vali himself had mentioned Azazel when he came to collect Kokabiel.
"Yes, though perhaps working with me is more appropriate than working for me. I provide him shelter, but he has a way of being fiercely independent," Azazel replied.
"Is that why you sought me out? Because of the White Dragon Emperor?"
Azazel held my gaze for a moment, taking another sip of his drink.
"Partially. But Kokabiel was the priority here in Kuoh; you were just an added bonus," Azazel replied, then smirked. "I am somewhat of a Sacred Gear enthusiast. It's not every day a Longinus user gets reincarnated as a Devil. It goes against the original intent of God… but with him being dead and all, many interesting things are possible."
"And did you learn what you wanted from me?"
"Not even close, but I have a feeling we will have more opportunities for that in the future," Azazel said, his knowing smirk never fading. "By the way, I am sending you a present. I hope you'll like it."
I had no idea what he meant, but knowing Azazel, it was going to be either a massive headache or very entertaining.
/Break
Leaving Azazel behind, I teleported back to the ORC clubhouse, stepping out of the magical circle in the corner of the room. I had left some papers I needed to pick up; I figured I'd take them home now rather than wait until after school tomorrow.
Putting the papers into the bag, I watched as Akeno teleported back to the clubhouse via the magical circle. I suddenly felt a little nervous. Akeno was skittish around me the whole day; Rias must not have told her of my decision from last evening. I was honestly not sure how to proceed here.
Asking a girl out or managing a relationship were things I'd done before. But inserting a third person into the mix was completely uncharted territory—the kind with 'Here Be Dragons' written in bold letters on the map.
HEH.
Not the time, Ddraig.
Well, I might as well be direct. Be still, my beating heart.
I greeted her and smiled at Akeno, extended my arm. "Do you want me to walk you home?"
She appeared surprised but quickly nodded. There was a hesitation about her that I wasn't used to seeing. Rias was similar in that regard; both acted mature and self-assured, but occasionally their true age peeked through.
She intertwined her arm with mine, our shoulders brushing as we walked. Once we stepped past the school boundaries, we walked in silence while I tried to decide how to open the conversation. Akeno still had that uncharacteristic, shy hesitation. And I decided I didn't care for it; I liked the bold Akeno—the one who wasn't afraid to speak her mind. I never pictured her as a demure creature, and I didn't want that to change.
"I spoke with Rias last night," I said, glancing sideways. I could almost see the thoughts swirling behind her purple eyes. The colour was beautiful. If there was one thing I adored about this world, it was the vibrant variety of hair and eye colours; it might sound basic, but there was something enchanting about the natural riot of colours here.
Seeing that Akeno was still waiting for me to continue, I didn't keep her in suspense. "I must admit, I had some reservations, but I would like to see where this goes—if that is also what you desire," I told her.
Akeno was silent for a moment before finally locking her gaze with mine. "Were those reservations about my nature as a Fallen Angel?" she asked, a clear tremor of weakness in her voice.
I was taken aback. "What? No, that never played a role in it. Why would you even think that?"
"What else could it be? The Fallen tried to kill you, and then Kokabiel did the same. I would not fault you for hating my kind," Akeno said, looking down at her feet.
I stopped and took both her palms in mine, forcing her to look up at me.
"Akeno, the fact that you happen to be part Fallen Angel has never bothered me. Honestly, I don't care what people are—gods, Angels, Devils, Fallen—it's all the same. The person is what matters, not what they were born as," I said firmly. "Since I've known you, you've been fun to be around, you've helped me with magic, and you're a wonderful influence on Asia. I haven't seen a single thing in your character that I dislike."
Akeno shook her head. "You don't know me that well. There are many things you might dislike about me."
"That is for me to judge, and I've yet to see them," I countered.
"Why the hesitation then?" she asked, tilting her head.
"I'll be honest. You are a wonderful person, and you are beautiful. If it were just that, I'd have no complaints. Rias is even for it; it's practically a man's dream, isn't it?" I said, looking into her eyes. "But that's just it—it feels like a dream. A relationship takes time. I spend so much of my day with Rias, and I was afraid adding another person would mean sacrificing that quality time."
"But now you say you want to try."
"I'm… open to it. Rias supports it, and you two are close, so perhaps we can make it work," I said, imagining the future. "I still feel we might be getting ahead of ourselves, though. Perhaps once you get to know me better, you won't even want to be with me."
At that, Akeno regained some of her usual spark, and we talked more comfortably as we approached her home. I had to admit, the idea of being with another beautiful woman while staying with Rias was exciting. Despite the reservations of my logical side, my baser instincts were all for it. Harems were popular among Devils, after all.
As we reached the small hill where Akeno's shrine-style house rested, she turned to me. She tucked her hands behind her back, smiling and batting her lashes.
"You know, I am quite envious seeing you and Rias together. Do you know what it does to a girl, watching such sweet gestures all day?" Akeno teased, a small smile playing on her lips.
Making my decision, I took a half-step closer. I reached out, tucking a dark lock of hair behind her ear, my hand lingering there as I slowly pulled her toward me.
I pressed a gentle kiss to Akeno's lips. Their softness and her pleasant scent immediately assaulted my senses. Pulling back, I watched a pretty crimson blush dust her cheeks. I moved my hand to the bridge of her nose, giving it a playful nudge with my thumb, making her blink in surprise.
I smiled, a warm feeling settling in my stomach. "You know, Rias and I talked about getting a house for the whole peerage to live in," I told her.
Having recovered, Akeno smiled back, the blush still lingering.
"Yes, I know. Rias told me earlier today. I'll start packing."
"Isn't that a bit soon? I think it will take some time to arrange all of that."
"I'm surprised you still don't know how Rias operates—but perhaps that's because you haven't spent much time with her parents yet. I'll see you tomorrow, Kairos," Akeno said, smirking as she ascended the steps to her house.
Watching her leave, I considered her words, wondering exactly what she meant.