56 Lewds And Leviathans - 3

A frown was on her face.

There had been all day in fact. Actually, it had formed last night, when she'd gotten a message from her father.

Her parents had went back on their agreement. They had decided to push her marriage date up. Now, instead over having over four years to prepare, she didn't even have a week.

She was expected to return to the underworld and marry Riser Phenex come the weekend.

Her hands tightened around the cup of tea clasped in her hands as she stared out of the window of her clubroom.

The school grounds were empty and quiet, the sun already beginning to set and casting a warm orange glow over the school building.

…She didn't know what to do.

"Rias."

She flinched at the call of her name and looked over to the couches where Sona sat, a blank look on her face and her own cup of tea, now empty sitting on the table.

She blinked slowly, how long had she been staring out of the window? She was sure it was just a moment ago Akeno had poured the tea for them both before leaving them to speak in private.

"Do you have a plan?" Sona, blunt as ever, got straight to the point.

"No." Rias shook her head, and replied honestly. She had some countermeasures prepared in advance at best. Because she'd known for a long time now, her getting free of her engagement, would come down to a Rating Game.

The problem was, she thought she had until she had finished college until such a thing would come up, that was what she had agreed upon with her parents.

While she and her peerage weren't quite a match for Riser yet, she was sure at the rate they were going that by the time came, she would be well above him.

Even trying to be humble about it, Rias couldn't deny her peerage's innate potential, was far above Riser's own peerage's.

"I'm still not even sure why they've rushed it ahead." she admitted with a tired sigh, feeling the beginnings of a headache begin to form.

"It's because of Hyoudou." Sona replied without missing a beat.

"…Issei?" Rias tilted her head, "Why would he be the…oh…" she trailed off.

"You told them you had obtained the Red Dragon Emperor, didn't you?" Sona asked pointedly, knowingly, a glint shining on her glasses, "You couldn't resist the urge to brag to your family about your success."

Rias felt her cheeks heat up. While that wasn't quite all of it…it wasn't wrong either.

"I don't believe any devil has ever managed to recruit one of the heavenly dragons hosts," Sona mused aloud, "Most of them never reach their full potential because of the innate limiters that come with being human, not to mention their longevity. A Red Dragon Emperor freed from the chains of being human, under the precious little sister of the Satan Lucifer? I can only imagine the monstrously powerful beast they've imagined. Your parents know Riser Phenex has no chance against even a half way trained Red Dragon Emperor, so they're taking care of this issue before you have a heavy hitter in your corner he can't hope to overcome. Your parents aren't stupid Rias, I'm betting they've known for a long time you planned on pinning your fate on a rating game."

Rias grimaced…she was right, wasn't she? As weak as Issei was, with magic power about as strong as an average human toddler even after being reincarnated and only barely being as fit as an athletic sports playing human, he'd managed to overcome that fallen angel, Raynare who by her estimates, was on the mid-class, far from her own and Sona's level, but still vastly above where Issei stood even now.

Yet, with no training at all, having no experience in fighting at all and against such a fallen who had a power healing Sacred Gear at her beck and call, he'd shot past her momentarily with the Boosted Gear.

Such was the power of a Longinus.

One year of dedicated training, and she was sure Issei would become too strong for Riser to defeat.

"Of course, you most likely forgot to mention that your own Red Dragon Emperor, may very well be the weakest in all of history," Sona mused, "Hyoudou definitely isn't what most would picture when thinking of the Red Dragon Emperor."

"Well…you're not wrong." Rias admitted with a sigh. She had grown fond of Issei, like a silly, pervy little brother. He was not however, the hardest working person.

His growth in the last month or so she'd been training him, had been middling at best. He dragged his heels when it came to training, and wouldn't do any at all unless she personally forced him to.

With how gung ho he'd been about becoming High Class and getting his own peerage and harem initially, she was actually a bit surprised by how little effort he was putting in.

…Effort that had dwindled even more in the last two weeks. Ever since their little run in with Kaito Evander. Issei had been sulking a lot the past two weeks and was constantly hovering around Asia as if expecting the other boy to pop up and steal her away.

Which was silly, because as she'd told him after Kaito had left, he'd only put his crass offer out in the open, to get a rise out of Issei.

But, it hadn't done anything to soothe his worries.

'I really did underestimate the dislike they have for each other.' she thought. Kaito had been nothing like when she spoke to him or what anyone said about him, usually, most had nothing but good things to say about him. And Issei couldn't fathom that the boy was lying about what he wanted and was out to steal Asia from him.

…And Koneko, and Akeno and herself.