13 DxD: Recruitment Week 03

Kiyome Abe was eating lunch in the cafeteria with a few friends when she saw it. A flicker of movement disappeared around a corner, much too small to be a person, and it looked to her to be furry. It was far too fast to be a mundane animal, and none of the Devils had a familiar like that, not that she knew of at least. She doubted anyone else saw it, but she was more attuned to small and quick creatures than most of her peers.

So she excused herself from her friends, citing a need to use the restroom, and followed to where she saw it go. When she turned the same corner, she didn't see it anywhere, but she didn't let that dissuade her. Instead, she made sure no one else was in the hallway with her before she opened a window and whistled.

A few moments later a bird of some kind landed on the windowsill. To a normal passerby, it would look like a rather large raven with strange eyes. But anyone with a sense of magic would be able to tell that this was no normal bird.

"There's something in the school," Kiyome addressed the bird. "Smaller than you, gray fur and it moves fast. I only caught a glimpse of it. Circle the school and keep an eye out for it, call out if you see it."

The bird took off with a small noise and Kiyome turned away after closing the window again. She was about to continue her search in the direction she saw the gray flash of fur go but stopped when she heard a small noise behind her. She looked the opposite direction she was going to head and saw, far at the end of the hallway, the unmistakable form of a cat. No, not a cat, a kitten, not yet fully grown.

The kitten swished it's tail and meowed, the sound of it barely able to reach Kiyome's ears, before it took off in a flash around the corner, revealing itself to be the blur from earlier.

Kiyome didn't hesitate to take off after the cat, though her mind was racing. She didn't sense any magic coming off of it, not even the amount a normal kitten of that size would have. And it obviously wasn't a normal kitten, not with that speed. And if she wasn't mistaken, it had taunted her and let her see it, implying a sort of intelligence.

An illusion then? Possible. She would have to proceed with caution. But her gut was telling her it wasn't an illusion. If it was, it was a very good one. The way the cat moved matched the way she had seen beasts of similar size and speed move, and that wasn't an easy thing to fake.

Her feet carried her around the corner just in the time to see a tail disappear around another corner.

Kiyome smiled, a determined look on her face. If this kitten wanted a chase, she was glad to oblige. Her work with magical beasts kept her active, and one mysterious kitten wasn't enough to get her to back down.

Uncaring of who might see her, she sprinted down the hallway after the gray cat.

-x-

Once classes are over, I head towards the Occult Research Club. I spent some time thinking over the best ways to respond to Rias, but there are too many ways she can approach me, so I gave up and decided just to wing it. It's the strategy that has worked for me well so far.

I knock on the front door and it opens almost immediately to reveal Akeno there. Interestingly, she's not wearing her school uniform, and instead is wearing a simple black skirt and a white blouse that exposes a lot of cleavage, with a hint of bra peeking out.

"Hello Axton," she greets me with a smile. "Please, come in." She steps away from the door, giving me room to enter, and I do so.

"That outfit looks very good on you Akeno," I compliment her.

<+7 Affection with Akeno Himejima>

Her smile turns flirtatious. "Oh? I'm glad you think so, it's one of my favorites." She closes the door behind me and indicates a nearby couch. "Please, have a seat and make yourself comfortable. Rias will be available shortly."

"No rush," I say easily as I sit down on the couch. "I don't have anything in particular to do today." It's only as I'm sitting down that I hear the sound of running water. I look around the room, seeing only Akeno and me in here before my eyes fall on one corner of the room where the sound is coming from.

There's a curtain dividing the corner of the room from the rest of it, but it's thin enough that I can see the outline of the person behind it, and what an outline it is. The water I can hear and the way the silhouette is moving, it's hands running through hair and sensually down their body, makes me certain that someone is taking a shower. And my memory of DxD and the voluptuous figure I see makes me certain that it is Rias Gremory behind that shower curtain.

Sona most likely told her that I wasn't interested in becoming a devil. Between Akeno's outfit and this shower thing, it seems likely that her plan is to seduce me into joining them. It's hard not to grin at the thought. It's both the best and worst way to deal with me. Oh sure, I'm mostly motivated by my sex drive, but I'm also not an idiot. I'm patient, and I already have several girls that I'm sleeping with, so any temptation Rias can offer is going to be pretty weak.

I'll have to make sure to make it look like it's working though. I want to see how far she'll go. This right here is nothing, she was already pretty comfortable being naked around even someone like Issei. Though I wonder if it's an actual fetish of hers? I try using [Lewd Scouter] on her, but it seems like the shower curtain is enough to block it. How about [Erotic Pierrot]? I try, and I get the sense of it working as I adjust her arousal up quite a bit.

I can see her pause in response and I wonder what kind of expression she's making. Is she surprised? Is she struggling not to start touching herself? It's impossible to tell, but imagining it is actually starting to arouse me.

However she feels about it, her next action is to turn off the shower. The sound of water stops, and I see Akeno step behind the curtain, towel in hand. Rias steps out of the shower, and I can actually see just a little bit of her feet in the gap between the shower curtain and the floor.

Akeno hands her the towel and I watch her silhouette as she dries off. She takes her time doing so, putting on a show. You don't normally bend over that much when drying off with a towel, and neither do you cover so little skin with your towel at any given time. I wasn't going to complain though, especially when she follows it up with a similar show of getting dressed.

But eventually, the show ends, and she steps out of the curtain with Akeno behind her. I stop using [Erotic Pierrot] when I see her dressed, though I am surprised at her outfit. She's wearing a sleeveless sweater that hugs her body tightly, accentuating her generous curves, and below it is wearing just a short black skirt.

She smiles at me as she walks over to the couch. "I'm sorry about that Axton," she says. "Akeno and I have something to do later this evening and I thought I had enough time to enjoy a shower before you got here." She sits down on the couch opposite me while Akeno goes over to the small kitchenette. "Unfortunately it seems that I dallied in the shower a little too long. I do enjoy a nice steamy shower." She delivers that last line with a suggestive smile.

"Don't worry about it," I reply. "You didn't make me wait long, and I fully understand the allure of a hot shower." Now that she's out of the shower though, I can use my skills. First, [Observe]

<------>

Rias Gremory

Race: Devil

Level: 119

HP: 2040

MP: 3690

SP: 1650

CON: 68

STR: 55

DEX: 48

INT: 123

WIS: 112

CHA: 164

LUK: 333

<------>

That roughly matches what I expected. Not as strong as Sona, but better than any of the Reincarnated Devils. But what does stand out is her LUK stat. Normally LUK is the lowest stat, but hers is more than twice as high as her second-highest stat. It's even higher than my LUK stat, which I thought was pretty high.

Next, I use [Lewd Scouter].

<------>

Rias Gremory

Arousal: Moderately Low

Perversion: Moderately High

Affection: 28

Orientation: Bisexual

Fetishes: Exhibitionism, Public Sex

<------>

Also mostly what I expected, including the exhibitionism. The public sex fetish is a little surprising though. Sure, it's a natural extension of exhibitionism, but it also seems a bit advanced for her, at least based on my impression. Then again, this is a more lewd version of canon, perhaps that change resulted in an increase in her fetishes?

Out of curiosity, I turn [Lewd Scouter] on Akeno.

<------>

Akeno Himejima

Arousal: Moderate

Perversion: High

Affection: 25

Orientation: Bisexual

Fetishes: BDSM, Domming, Subbing

<------>

That's right, she's a switch. Predominantly a sadist but enjoys being on the other side of the equation as well.

I turn my attention back to Rias. "So, Sona said you wanted to talk to me, but didn't mention what you wanted to talk about."

"Straight to business then?" Rias asks. "Alright. Yes, I wished to speak to you about something. Sona invited you to join her peerage correct? And to join the Student Council?"

"Yes, she did," I answered. "The Student Council position I provisionally accepted. The Peerage invite I did not."

"And why not?" Rias asks, not surprised by my answer, confirming that she and Sona have talked since I met with Sona at lunch. "There are many benefits to being a Devil, benefits that I believe that someone like you would rather enjoy."

Akeno walks over with a tray of teacups and sets it down on the table between me and Rias. She does so from the opposite side of the table of me and bends at the waist, giving me a clear look down her shirt. My eyes are of course drawn to the sight. I tear my eyes away only to lock gazes for a split second with Akeno, who is smirking.

"I'm not convinced I would get as much out of it as you seem to think I would," I reply as Akeno sits down on the couch next to me, rather than next to Rias. She sits close enough that our legs are touching.

I'm honestly surprised by how coordinated their actions are. It's clear that they're trying to seduce me. The shower, their outfits, and Akeno's actions are all things that are meant to arouse and entice me. And it's working, though only physically. I'm starting to get aroused, though I'm not yet hard enough that I'm pitching a tent. At this rate though, I will be soon.

If they're going to work so hard, I might as well 'reward' them for doing so, shouldn't I? Earlier in class I was perusing my skill list when I noticed that the description for [Erotic Pierrot] had changed.

<[Erotic Pierrot] - Level 30(32%)>

At some point, likely level 25, the skill had upgraded so I can now use it on multiple people at the same time. Targeting both Rias and Akeno, I start slowly increasing their arousal. I don't want to make them super horny, but I do want them to get aroused just trying to seduce me. They should enjoy it as much as I do after all.

"Maybe not in terms of strength," Rias agrees. "Unlike Sona, I saw the aftermath of the fight between you and the Fallen. You're already powerful for sure. Being a Devil would help you improve that power faster and prevent hitting some early walls in terms of power growth, but wouldn't be a very large improvement in the short term. However, there's more to being a Devil than just strength. We have our own society, with its own rules and perks."

She crosses her legs, and the movement draws my eye, which is why I notice the flash of briefly visible panties. If I'm not mistaken, she's wearing lace. Very translucent lace. I look back at her face to find her smirking as well. "There are a lot of benefits to being part of that. Devils are a lot more open about indulging in things the church would consider a sin."

"Momo did describe Devil society and culture to me, at least in the broad strokes," I say, struggling to keep a neutral face. Finding the right balance of making them think their seductions are working on me but still seeming to put up a fight against them is tricky. "Aspects of it certainly seem enticing, but still not worth the cost of entry."

Akeno leans over me, grabbing the teapot from the tray and pouring a cup of tea. Her body pushes up against mine, deliberately so. When she leans back to hand me the cup she just poured, she remains pressed up against me, the soft mounds of her breasts pressing against my shoulders and the rest of her pushed against my side. My erection stiffens a little more at the feeling of her soft body against mine.

I curse the amount of clothing between us. [Touch of Pleasure] requires skin to skin contact, and using it would make this so much sweeter. I activate it anyway, just in case she escalates.

"That's where I hope to change your mind," Rias says. "You know that you could eventually come to have your own peerage right? I would wager that you could raise through the ranks rather quickly with the right motivation." She uncrosses her legs, flashing me again. "Many Devils use their peerages as harems, creating a collection of beauties."

"Momo did describe that much," I say, ignoring Akeno's fingers as they brush against my thigh where our legs touched. "She also told me about the recent surge in popularity of harems."

"I'm guessing she told you this before giving you her blessing to create your own harem?" Rias asks.

She knows about that? I guess it isn't a secret. Momo told Ruruko, and Sona saw how Ruruko was acting. Momo probably explained things to Sona, who then told Rias. It's probably why they are aiming for the whole seduction thing in the first place, having pegged me as a lust-driven person. Which isn't entirely wrong.

That actually makes things easier, as I can respond to their flirtations without having them think I'm cheating. I relax, allowing some of the tension to flow out of me, and lean ever so slightly into Akeno. Her brushing fingers turned into her hand fully resting on my thigh.

"Yeah, it was right before that," I answer. "Being able to date multiple women is definitely an aspect of Devil culture I appreciate."

At my words and actions, Rias's smirk turns into a grin of victory. She thinks she has me. I respond by increasing my use of [Erotic Pierrot] a little.

"You also added your two classmates to your harem, practically immediately, correct?" She asks. I nod. "If you were to become a devil and rise up and create your own peerage, you could reincarnate both of them as well, and they would both receive all the benefits of being a devil, including the longevity. You could live a long and happy life with all the girls you love."

"Something I want for sure," I say. "But I'm confident I can figure out how to do that on my own. My potions are rather impressive, and I get better with them every day." Akeno's fingers start moving lightly where they're positioned on my thigh, and her hand moves ever so slightly closer to my dick, which is now noticeably bulging in my pants.

<+7 Affection with Akeno Himejima>

I wonder if that is for being aroused, or my dick size? Or perhaps both? I notice Rias's eyes flicker to the bulge in my pants as well and increase the strength of [Erotic Pierrot] on them again.

"But that's a gamble," Rias says. She spreads her legs slightly, just enough to look casual but still give me a clear view of under her skirt. Her panties are indeed sheer black lace, though the important parts aren't transparent enough to see through. Even without that, it's an arousing view, and I harden considerably.

+8 Affection with Rias Gremory

Rias grins wider and keeps talking. "How long might it take to come up with a solution like that, if you even can? Or what if it's the lesser solution? Turning into a devil now would get you started as soon as possible in rising up through the ranks.

"Maybe," I hedge. I make a show of trying and failing not to look up her skirt. "So should I consider this you officially inviting me to your Peerage? Trying to entice me to your Peerage instead of Sona's?"

"Oh yes. I would very much appreciate it if you joined my peerage, at least in the short term. I have...an event coming up that I believe you could be a great help with, but you have to be part of my peerage to participate. After that, I would be fine in giving you over to Sona if you wanted to be closer to Momo." Her grin turns salacious and she spreads her legs a little further. "Though I would be more than happy to keep you in mine. We could make you very happy here."

I swallow, acting slightly nervous and unsure as I buy time to check them both with [Lewd Scouter]. They're both at High arousal now. I increase my efforts with [Erotic Pierrot].

"That much I can believe," I say as I keep staring up Rias's skirt. She did it on purpose and wants me to look, so I may as well indulge. Perhaps sensing I'm close to breaking, or perhaps just getting into the mood of things as she gets hornier, she spreads her legs even more, definitely past the point of plausible deniability. Her skirt rides up and exposes her so much that pretty much anyone else in the room would be able to see her panties.

Akeno follows her King's lead and moves her hand to directly on top of my erection, causing it to twitch slightly. She traces along its length with a finger and I shiver as a wave of pleasure rushes through me.

"You once said that we were described as the two prettiest girls in school and that you agreed with that description. Doesn't the idea of being able to spend all of your time with the two of us sound good? We could all live in the same house, eat meals together, takes baths together, and sleep in the same bed. Isn't that the kind of life you want to live?"

I hesitate, trying to look torn. Honestly, it's not a hard act. She paints an extremely appealing picture. I might be the type of guy to prefer someone like Sona, but I'm very aware of the ways that Rias is appealing, especially in this scenario.

Akeno uses my hesitation to make her own move. She quickly repositions herself so she's straddling me, her weight on my lap and her massive boobs in my face. "Did you know," she says conversationally as she grabs my wrists. "There aren't any unattractive devils? Or not in their own eyes at least." She guides my hands and places them on her tits. My hands reflexively squeeze, relishing the softness of the feeling. She smiles at me encouragingly, and I keep up my groping. "We're all very minor shapeshifters. We can't change quickly, but over time our bodies change more towards our ideal self. This results in pretty much every Devil being very attractive. Rias and I were born with good looks, but some of the older Devils are even more beautiful than us. For now, at least. We're both still young and growing after all." She giggles.

"I didn't know that," I say as I once again curse the cloth that lay between me and Akeno, preventing me from touching her directly. I don't stop groping her over her clothes though, it was still a very enjoyable experience.

Akeno leans in, putting her boobs closer to my face, and whispers. "If you become a devil, you can meet all these beautiful devil women. And if you make your own peerage, you can turn any woman into a devil who will only get more attractive over time. Aren't devils the best?"

There was a part of me, specifically a lower part of me that was currently pressed against the soft flesh of her ass and upper thigh as she sat on it, that really wanted to agree with her. The picture the two of them painted was everything I wanted.

I forced myself to remember the costs though, the shackles that came with it. Even temporary, they weren't worth it. Not when I had the Game, which provided an alternative, if not better, way to all the things they described.

Still, their persuasion attempts netted me more than I thought they would, and there was no way I was going to just shut that down. I make myself look as if I'm seriously tempted. Again, it's not a hard act.

"I-," I start before pausing. "I'll think about it." I'm careful to say it in a tone that implies I'm hooked but unwilling to be hasty.

Akeno grins and gets off of me, separating my hands and her boobs. "Good. Don't take too long to think about it though, or else I'll get lonely."

With my view no longer obscured I can see Rias again, and she looks pleased. Her legs are closed now, though her skirt is still ridden up, allowing me to see a bit of the upper part of her panties.

"I understand," Rias says with a gentle smile. "This isn't the sort of decision you should rush into. How about this? Sona told me how you joined the Student Council to see what Devil life is like. Why don't you join the Occult Research Club as well, in a similarly provisional manner? Sona and I do things a little differently, and you could benefit from getting both experiences. And that way we can spend more quality time together."

"Sure, that sounds like it could be fun," I reply. "We should exchange numbers, to make it easier to keep in contact with each other." I had forgotten to do that with the Student Council, but more numbers of more pretty girls is always a good thing.

We take a few moments to pull out our cell phones and trade numbers. "There we go," Rias says once we're done. "Now that you're part of our club, you can come here anytime you feel like it, even during classes. I'll text you if we have anything interesting going on that day. Or if I just want to talk." She winks with that last statement.

"I look forward to it," I say. I stand up, and I notice that my pants have a rather noticeable tent in them. Akeno's actions had gotten me fully erect, and it was obvious. Rias's eyes widen slightly as my crotch rises up to her eye level and she quickly stands up after me. "If that's all for today, I'll get out of your way so you can get ready for what you're doing later. Thank you for inviting me here today, it was very enjoyable."

"No, thank you for coming," Rias says. "And I hope we see a lot more of you in the future."

"Oh I'm sure that will be the case," I say with a smirk. I say goodbye to both of them and leave the club room.

I have mixed feelings about how this turned out. On one hand, I hate feeling like I've lost this encounter somehow, that Rias has me roped in so easily. But on the other hand, that's exactly what I was aiming for, so it's mission accomplished. Though honestly, the worst part is how I have to leave with a throbbing erection.

I activate [Detect] and [Void Sense]. Hopefully Aika and Atsuko are still hanging around somewhere and they can help me with it.

-x-

As the door shut behind Axton, Rias allowed herself to sit back down and relax. She sighed heavily. Akeno stood up and moved behind her and started to gently rub Rias's shoulders.

"I didn't expect seduction to be so tiring," Rias complains. "I feel like I barely did anything besides flash him, so how can it be so tiring?"

"You did much more than that," Akeno countered. "The physical aspects of seduction are an important part for sure, but it's the mental ones that can leave you feeling tired, especially if you're not used to it. Having to weigh each word, decide exactly how to move and when, reading the other person to see how they're reacting, and deciding your next course of action. For someone who's never actively tried to seduce someone, you did a very good job."

"If I did, it was all thanks to you," Rias said while she reached up and laid a hand on top of Akeno's hand. "I'm sorry I asked you to do something like that."

"Don't be sorry," Akeno replied. "I know it's important to get him with us, and that this is probably the best way to do so. Besides, I don't think I've ever enjoyed teasing someone as much as I did today." Akeno giggled. "And I certainly wouldn't mind going a little farther with him, he's just my type. Did you see how big he is?"

"I did," Rias answered in a tone that was almost but not quite casual. A hint of blush appeared on her face. "It was rather hard to miss when he stood up like that." Akeno laughed softly.

The two girls remained silent for a moment while Akeno rubbed Rias's shoulders. "Do you think it worked though?" Rias eventually asked.

"Hmm," Akeno hummed. "I think so. He's too cautious to immediately jump ship, but I can tell he was swayed by your arguments as much as he was our seduction. At this point, he's just being stubborn I think. We just need to make being a Devil more enticing than his stubbornness." Akeno grinned. "And I have some ideas on how to do that."

Rias sighed again. "Of course you do. Okay, lay it on me. Let's figure out how we're going to do it."

Akeno grinned, looking forward to the things she could do with Axton and to seeing how far she could get Rias to go. Rias was her best friend, and Akeno believed that she would be a lot happier if she let herself have more fun and not worry so much about her status. And Axton was the perfect target for that.

-x-

I don't find Aika or Atsuko, but without further stimulus, my boner dies down on its own anyway. Which is probably a good thing considering I'm walking around school and there are plenty of students still here. I'm still horny though. Before I forget, I text Momo and ask her to pass my number around to the Student Council members.

Just as I'm about to text Aika and ask where she is I notice a group of people with [Detect]. Considering that the clubs are meeting right now, the group isn't the special part. But this one is a bit bigger and one of the members is distinctly Devil. Curious, I turn towards the group and head in that direction.

I find the group around one of the buildings behind the school, detached from the main building. I don't recognize it until I hear the sounds of wood smacking against wood and see the group crowding the door. Half the group is wearing Kendo gear, though the rest are just in their school uniforms.

I peek over the heads of the crowd around the door to look inside and sure enough, two people are having a Kendo match right now. [Detect] marks the one on my left as being the Devil, though I would have been able to guess that by how well they are doing. I have no knowledge of Kendo as a sport, but it's clear that they're the more skilled of the two.

The rest of the match is quick, with the Devil slipped past a thrust and striking their opponent on their helmeted head. The match is called and the two bow at each other respectfully before taking off their helmets.

The girl on the right I didn't recognize, but the Devil is revealed to be Kiba himself. So this is why he wasn't in the Occult Research Club room. I clap along with the rest of the crowd watching the match. The girl in front of me starts a little, most likely not realizing that I had come up to stand behind her. She turns her head to look at me and I'm surprised to see that it's Murayama.

She looks surprised as well, but quickly her surprise turns into a smile and she gets the attention of the girl next to her, who turns out to be Katase. Katase turns towards her and then sees me.

"Axton," Murayama greets me. "What brings you out here?"

Murayama and Katase were both in the same class as me, Aika, and Atsuko. We haven't talked yet, but we've traded glances several times since Aika talked me up to them. I've simply been too busy or distracted to talk to them in person.

Fortunately, I'm not at all busy right now. "Not much," I reply. "I had something to take care of earlier and I noticed the big crowd, so I thought I would come to see what's up. I didn't expect to be lucky enough to run into the two of you."

They smile appreciatively at the comment. "Well this is the Kendo club, we're here most days after school," Katase says.

"I didn't know Kiba was part of the Kendo club," I comment.

"He's not," Murayama says. "The Kendo club is girls only. But he comes by every once in a while and spars with us."

"You wanna spar too?" Katase asks. "I'd love to see how you handle your weapon." She winks suggestively.

"I'd love to spar against you," I hear Kiba say. I blink. I was too distracted by the girls and didn't notice that Kiba had walked over to us. "From the way you carry yourself, you must be pretty good with a sword, right?"

I raise an eyebrow at him, wondering what he's thinking. "I don't have any formal training or anything, but I know my way around a blade yeah. I've never really used a katana though, I've always been more of a fan of Western blades myself."

"As it happens, so am I. What do you think of a more informal spar then? I won't ask you to try to pick up Kendo, and you can use whatever style you're most comfortable with." He turns his attention to the girls around us. "That is if that's okay with you girls? I know it's a Kendo club, but seeing other kinds of swordsmanship could be helpful to you guys."

I hear the crowd murmuring around us. "Kiba and Axton are going to fight?" "We get to see them use their weapons on each other?" "Ooh, the blond knight and the dark-haired mysterious transfer, that is a good pairing." "Which one do you think would top?" "Kiba, obviously." "No no, just look at Axton. He's totally the more aggressive one."

That's right, Kiba has a fan club of yaoi fangirls, doesn't he? I tune them out as Murayama speaks up. "Hmm. Yeah, that should be fine. Only one match though, it's almost time to go home."

"One match should be plenty I think," Kiba says before turning his attention back to me. "So? Are you interested, Axton?"

"I'm down," I say. "I could do with some exercise." Plus, I want to try my hand against an actual swordsman, and not just a skeleton swinging around sharpened steel.

The excited crowd around us directs both of us to the arena. A bamboo sword gets shoved into my hand but I turn down the offer of protective equipment. Kiba keeps his helmet off. Before I know it it's just me and Kiba with a wide space around us.

I feel the weight of the sword in my hand. It's slightly heavier than any of my knives and the weight of it is a lot further up than I'm used to, but my STR is high enough that it's a non-issue. I look at Kiba. "So, how do you want to do this then?"

"First blood?" he suggests.

"Moderate wounds only?" I request. "I don't want to lose to an insignificant nick."

He nods. "That's fine by me."

We both take a ready stance. He holds his bamboo sword in a two-handed grip, though it's the point is lower than it normally is for Kendo. A western greatsword stance then? I take a more casual stance, my left foot forward and my sword held near my right hip, the tip pointed out to my side.

Seeing the two of us ready, Katase raises her hand up high and the crowd goes silent. There's a tense moment as Kiba and I stare at each other, waiting for the signal. Katase's hand drops with a shout and I immediately step in and parry Kiba's rushing thrust.

Kiba constrained himself to human levels of speed when he rushed me, but only barely. Deciding to play his game, I limit my own speed to the same level, which means that I'm unable to take advantage of my parry before he's recovered.

Kiba probes my defenses with some light thrusts and small slashes but isn't willing to commit to any of them. I have no desire to let him set the pace of this, so I disrupt his attacks by pushing forward more aggressively. Kiba is definitely the better swordsman of the two of us, so I can't let him take control like that.

Kiba deflects my blows but is forced to step back as I push up. I find myself wishing I had a knife, or at least a short sword because I can't get as close as I would like to with such a long weapon.

I throw in a feint towards his arm before redirecting it suddenly to his gut. His eyes widen and I think I have him, but he suddenly speeds up and knocks my sword wide, leaving my guard open.

That was definitely faster than a normal person could move. I grin. Alright, if we're gonna play like that, I'm down. My stats are several times larger than his, I'm okay turning this into a competition of strength and speed. I speed up my own movements to match his.

For a while, we continue like this. Each time one of us almost gets a blow on the other, the other would speed up enough to be able to block it. Before long the hall was filled with the rapid clacking of our swords impacting each other as blows were parried and deflected.

I'm starting to struggle. As Kiba gets closer to his full speed, his technique begins to give him the edge, and the tip of his bamboo sword grazes my clothes on a few occasions. I'm switching to focusing more on fighting defensively, only making attacks in an attempt to disrupt his rhythm.

Kiba, perhaps sensing that victory is near, increases his speed again, but only slightly. I narrow my eyes. Why would he hold back now? I increase my own speed further than he does, and push aggressively again, going on the offensive for the first time in a while. Kiba's eyes widen as he's pushed back.

Once again I feint for his arm before redirecting it towards his gut, but this time the redirection is also a feint and I swipe down, aiming for a solid blow to his leg. I see the panic in his eyes as he realizes what I've done, desperately trying to step back out of range, but my sword impacts his leg, covered in protective gear, with a loud crack that reverberates in my ears.

The room falls silent, with no one moving or speaking. Kiba and I are both frozen. I'm not sure why he's not moving, but I'm honestly surprised that I hit him. It takes me a moment to figure out why I did, and I feel like an idiot for not noticing sooner. We had simply hit the point where he couldn't move any faster but I could.

I step back and rest my sword on my shoulder. "I guess that's my win," I say. I stick my hand out. "It was a good match though. By far the most intense sword fight I've ever been in."

<+12 Affection with Yuuto Kiba>

<+18 Affection with Murayama and Katase>

He grasps my hand and shakes it, a smile on his face. "I knew you were probably fast on your feet, but I wasn't expecting you to be that fast. Your form needs some work though."

"I'm better with a knife," I say. I look around to the surrounding members of the Kendo club, who have broken out into excited chatter. "Is it going to be okay that we let loose so much in plain view?"

"It's fine. I cast a minor spell beforehand so they wouldn't freak out if things got a little superhuman," he reassures me. "We have to use it whenever we do events with each other on school grounds."

"I see," I respond. Before we can continue our conversation Murayama and Katase walk up to us, eyes wide.

"That was amazing!" Murayama exclaims. "Kiba, I had no idea you were holding back on us so much."

He smiles but brushes off her compliment. "I come here to practice my Kendo, not my other forms of swordsmanship. I'm not nearly that good at Kendo."

"If you say so," Murayama said skeptically. She turns to me. "And Axton, I wouldn't have guessed you could handle a blade like that. Are you sure you don't have any training?"

"Nothing formal," I repeat. "But I've sparred with some people before, and my reflexes are pretty good."

"Too bad the club is girls only, or else I'd invite you to join," Murayama says. "With a bit of training, you could probably make it to nationals." She shakes her head before turning to the crowd around us. "Alright girls, the show's over and our time is up. Let's get cleaned up." As various members start cleaning up she turns back to me. "Hey Axton, are you free after this?"

"Sure, I don't have anything else going on today," I reply.

"Could you stick around then?" She asks. "There's something I want to talk to you about afterward." Katase nods in agreement.

"No problem. I'll wait just outside then, I don't want to get in your way."

She smiles and winks at me. "Thanks!" She turns around and starts directing the girls, getting them to clean faster. Kiba and I exchange looks before stepping outside. He's still wearing his protective gear, but considering how different it looks in terms of style and color compared to the gear the girls are wearing, I assume that it's his own things, rather than the clubs.

When we step outside, alone, Kiba speaks up. "Did Rias send you this way?" he asks.

"Nope, it was pure coincidence," I answer. "After meeting with her, I noticed a crowd over here and thought I would see what's up."

"I guess I do draw a crowd whenever I visit," Kiba laughs. "So then, how did the meeting with Rias go?"

"I didn't accept her offer," I say bluntly. "But I am considering it. Rias and Akeno can be very convincing."

He nods. "They're both very strong-willed, that's for certain." Sure Kiba, that's what I meant. He continues. "Well, if you're considering it, I'll say this much. I'd love to have a guy like you as part of our family, even if it's just for a bit. You seem like a good dude, and I think you'd be happy with us."

His sincere words catch me off guard. I double-check his Affection. It's at 28, which should be the level of a casual friend, only slightly more than an acquaintance. I guess Kiba is just that sort of guy, huh?

"Thanks, man," I say. "And even if I don't join up, I'd love to keep sparring with you. We could learn a lot from each other I think." I need to get experience against actual swordsmen so I'm not caught off guard when faced with a sword-wielding enemy that isn't just a pile of reanimated bones.

"It would be nice to train my swordsmanship against someone faster than me," he muses before smiling at me. "I'll take you up on that then."

"Hell yeah," I respond with a grin and I hold out a closed fist at him. He blinks at it, not understanding for a moment, before a look of realization washes over his face, and he grins and fistbumps me.

<+6 Affection with Yuuto Kiba>

Kiba looks at the sky where the sun is quickly approaching the treeline. "Well, I should get going now. Rias will be waiting for me now that you guys are done."

"See ya later man," I say and he nods at me before walking off in the direction of the Occult Research Club room.

To kill the time while I wait for Murayama and Katase, I pull out my phone and start up a chess match. I'm close to being able to beat Sona, I just need a little more practice.

As I'm playing, I receive several text messages. They're all from the members of the Student Council. I guess Momo did as I asked and gave them all my number. Most of the texts are simple hellos with a note of who they are so I can save their number. However, one of them has a picture attached.

Opening the picture reveals it to be a selfie of Ruruko. She has one of her hands up in a peace sign and she's wearing her school uniform still, though judging from the background I don't believe she's at school still.

I send back a reply to all of them, saying hello back and thanking them for their number. I make sure to compliment the photo of Ruruko when I respond to her, though it doesn't gain me any affection. I guess it's too high for something as simple as that to increase it.

I finish responding to texts and get back to my chess game, but before I can finish it I see Murayama and Katase walk out of the Kendo building wearing their school uniforms. I put away my phone and smile as they approach me.

"So what can I do for you girls?" I ask them.

"There's a new cafe close by that opened up not too long ago that we've been meaning to try," Murayama says. "How about we go there to talk?"

I shrug. "That's fine by me."

The two girls position themselves on either side of me and the three of us exit the school grounds and walk into town. I send a mental image to Yua to tell her to go home, and I feel her through our bond head that way.

On the way there we mostly talk about swordsmanship. They spend a little time explaining the rules of Kendo to me since I had only been vaguely aware of them before, and I explain that I definitely don't have any actual training and just fooled around with some people I knew when I was younger. During the conversation I manage to gain six more Affection with them, bringing them up to 42.

We enter and find a booth. Within moments a waitress in a rather short skirt and a deep cut top comes and takes our order. A glance over the menu shows that it's mostly pastries and fancy coffees. I order a scone and some coffee, while both of the girls order cake and tea.

"I can see why you wanted to check this place out," I say as I eye the long legs of the waitress as she walks away.

They just grin. "Did Aika tell you about us?" Katase asked.

I shake my head. "Not really. Just that you guys might be interested in some casual fun. She always mentioned you two as a package deal though, so I can make some guesses."

"Let me be explicit then," Murayama said. "Me and Katase are a couple, though we don't advertise that much. I'm trusting that won't be an issue?"

"Not at all," I say. "Love who you wanna love, sleep with whatever consenting person you want. But where do I fit in in that?"

"We're both bisexual, not lesbians," Katase says. "And we're both pretty hedonistic. Don't get me wrong, I'll spend every night with Murayama and always be satisfied, but we both enjoy some variety every now and then. We'll invite a person for a steamy threesome. Usually a guy, but sometimes a girl. There's a lot of very attractive girls at our school, but it's hard to tell which of them swing that way without asking them."

"Ah, I see," I say. "So Aika knows you guys do this, and so when me and Aika hook up she decides to introduce me to you guys, knowing I'd be down."

"We've actually asked Aika to join us in the past," Murayama says. "But sadly, she has no interest in girls. That's how she knows about it though."

I decide not to comment on how Aika is a bit more open-minded these days. Before I can say anything though, our waitress comes back with our food, bending over more than necessary to serve it to us, giving us a good look down her top.

I use the opportunity to use [Lewd Scouter] on both of them.

<------>

Murayama

Arousal: Moderate

Perversion: High

Affection: 42

Orientation: Bisexual

Fetishes: Threesomes, Vaginal

<------>

Katase

Arousal: Moderate

Perversion: High

Affection: 42

Orientation: Bisexual

Fetishes: Threesomes, Anal

<------>

As she leaves Murayama speaks up again. "So first, some ground rules," she says as she takes a bite of cake. "First, what happens today is between us. I guess Aika is okay to tell since she's the one who hooked us up and she knows not to talk. But this is a low key sort of thing, I don't want to hear stories about it at school."

"That won't be an issue," I say. "I'll keep quiet."

She nods, and Katase speaks up next. "Second, this is casual and a one-time thing. There've been a couple people we've invited more than once, but just because it's happening now doesn't mean it will again. We'll approach you if we want to go for it again."

"I can live with that," I reassure them. They're cute, but I'm fine just sleeping with them for the quest progression rather than adding them to my harem. And more than that, I'm confident I can get that invitation again if I change my mind.

"Third," Murayama says. "You can only stick it in my pussy."

"And I only do anal," Katase adds.

I would have been a bit more surprised by that if I hadn't used [Lewd Scouter] on them and seen their fetishes. "That's fine," I say. "I'm not particularly picky about that sort of thing."

They both smile at me, and I get the odd feeling that I just passed a job interview. "Good," Murayama says. "In that case after we finish up our food and you pay the bill, we'll head over to a love hotel and get this started."

It only takes a few minutes to scarf down the food and I leave twice the cost of our food on the table as payment and we walk out.

The two girls lead me into the section of town with all of the love hotels, but unlike the last time I was here, we don't stop at the first one we come across. Instead, we head deeper into the area. The love hotel we do go into looks just a little more ornate than most of the others we passed.

The girls quickly purchase a room, looking for an available one of a certain kind. As we take the elevator up, the two of them start clinging to me, pushing up against me.

"I hope your stamina is as good as Aika said it was," Katase says.

I wrap my arms around their waists, pulling them into me. "Oh it is, don't worry about that." They smile, and the elevator dings as we arrive at our floor.

As we enter the room they checked out, I look around, curious as to why they wanted a specific kind of room. It's not immediately apparent though. It's a nice room, nicer than the one I went to with Raynare, but otherwise not notable.

"Go sit down on the bed and wait for us," Murayama instructs me. "Katase and I need to get cleaned up and ready." The two of them enter the small bathroom right next to the entrance to the room. I shrug and do as they say.

It's when I sit down on the bed that I realize why they chose this specific room. I'm facing the wall separating the bathroom from the rest of the room, but it isn't really a wall. It's more of a window. The entire thing is made of glass, giving me a perfectly clear view inside.

Katase sees me notice and winks at me. The two of them start putting on a show, slowly stripping each other. They take their time, making sure I always have the best angle as they peel off each layer, displaying themselves to me.

Finally, they get down to just their underwear, and with a knowing grin, they slow down, drawing it out. They turn sideways so I can only see their profile, their breasts pushing up against each other. Simultaneously they unclip their bras and slip them off, but their nipples remain hidden by the others' boobs.

They stay like that for a moment before they start kissing, arms wrapped around each other's waists. I can feel my erection growing as I watch them make out, and I start slowly stripping my own clothes as well.

They separate after a few moments, as I'm unbuttoning my shirt. They turn to me with a grin before Katase kneels in front of Murayama, finally revealing both of their nipples, which are visibly hard. Katase brings her face close to Murayama's crotch before biting the top of her panties and slowly pulling them off with her teeth.

They're still angled so I can't see her now exposed pussy, but that only makes the scene more arousing. Once her panties are at her knees, Katase allows them to drop to the ground, and Murayama carefully steps out of them.

Things become less teasing as Katase then stands up with her rear facing me before bending over. Murayama, in front of her, grabs either side of Katase's panties, and slowly drags them down, revealing Katase's small perky ass, and the wet slit between her legs, perfectly framed.

I speed up my own stripping. I'm tempted to just store my clothes in my inventory but I know I can't. As the two girls step into the shower, hands held, I remove the last of my clothes, sitting there on the bed with my erection standing tall.

I lightly stroke myself as I watch them shower together. And by shower I mean they let the hot water run over them as they covered themselves in soap, made out with each other, and groped each other, giving me quite the show.

Soon they finish their show and step out of the shower before they dry off. They exit the bathroom and approach me, their hips swaying and seductive smiles on their faces. Quickly, I activate [Touch of Pleasure]. Without speaking, they push me back so I'm laying on the bed and crawl on top of me. Each one is straddling one of my legs and their heads are resting on my chest.

As one, they reach down and wrap their hands around my dick, which is just big enough for both of them to get their full hand on.

"Aika said you were big," Katase says in a breathy voice. "I didn't imagine it was this big though." The two of them start stroking me, jacking me off. Their hands twist in opposite directions even as they move up and down in tandem, creating a feeling unlike any I've felt before.

"It won't be a problem though," Murayama says. "We've used toys this big, we can make it fit."

My dick twitches. "You ladies sure know how to get a guy excited." I wrap my arms around them, grabbing their boobs and groping them while I pull them closer to me. I use my new lewd skill, [Increase Sensitivity] to make them feel it more. They both gasp lightly at the sensation.

"You're pretty good with your hands as well," Murayama replies with a grin. The two of them increase their pace, jerking me off faster. The sight of them stroking my dick is blocked by them raising their heads enough to start kissing each other again. In the moments where their lips separate I can see how intertwined their tongues are with each other.

Their earlier teasing got me pretty aroused and seeing them make out so close to me while they stroked my dick is enough to bring me to climax. With a grunt, I come, shooting strands of sticky cum upwards with enough force that some of it lands on Murayama and Katase's faces and boobs. Though most of it lands on my own stomach.

The two girls pull away from each other, breaking their kiss. Katase uses a finger to collect some cum on a fingertip before putting it in her mouth. My dick twitches in response.

"Still hard?" Katase asks as she squeezes me. "Good," she purrs. "We're just getting started." She pulls away, but before I can see what she's doing, Murayama pushes herself up further on me and captures my lips with her own, and I get lost in kissing her. Her breath is warm and heavy as we make out frantically, and she guides my hand to her pussy, which is soaked in arousal.

Getting the hint, I start running my fingers up and down her entrance, lightly brushing up against her clit with every pass. She moans into my mouth and kisses me deeper.

I flinch as I suddenly feel something cool on my dick before feeling a hand pumping up and down on it. The movement is slick and is obviously covering my dick in lube. Which means Katase is up first.

Sure enough, a moment later I feel her weight straddle me. A moment later I feel it as she lowers herself onto my dick. The tightness of her anus is incredible, and I gasp at the sensation. It wasn't anything like even the tightest pussy I had entered. The way it gripped me was completely different.

Katase moans loudly as she lowers herself, [Touch of Pleasure] and [Increase Sensitivity] causing it to feel even better. She goes inch by inch but manages to get the entirety of my cock inside her ass. Once it's in, she takes a minute to grow accustomed to it, and I can feel her insides writhing around my length.

Murayama takes my attention back to her by pushing herself harder against my hand and moaning needily. I oblige her and stick a finger inside her, fingering her. Even as I do so, I feel Katase start to move, making small up and down motions as she bounces on top of me.

I slip another finger into Murayama and finger her properly as we make out. Both her and Katase are moaning now, though Murayama's moans are muffled by my own lips. I feel Murayama clench tight around my fingers as she cums. She breaks our kiss as she does so, breathing shakily.

I finally can see Katase on my dick, her boobs bouncing as she moves. Her pussy is clearly displayed, cleanly shaven and dripping with arousal.

I feel the pressure rise up in me and I don't fight it. I cum, filling Katase's ass with my semen. At the sensation of my hot jizz filling her, she moans louder than before, and clear liquid squirts from her pussy as she orgasms.

She takes another moment to recover before she lifts herself off my dick, nearly as slowly as she lowered herself onto it. She lays back on the bed, her head just barely hanging off the edge, and spreads her legs invitingly.

Murayama reacts before me and dives for her soaked crotch, licking at it intensely. Katase moans as Murayama eats her out, but my eyes are on Murayama's pussy, which is stuck up in the air as she goes down on the other girl.

Getting on my knees, I line myself up before I slowly push my length into her. Murayama moans as I do, temporarily halting her efforts. However, Katase soon pushes her head back down.

We continue like that for a few minutes, me thrusting into Murayama from behind as she eats out Katase.

"She's close," Katase says, out of breath from the constant pleasure. "If you cum inside her, she'll cum hard." She grins devilishly. "So do it. Cum."

Like she spoke the magic word, her words bring forth a sudden orgasm from me and I paint Murayama's insides white with my seed. Sure enough, Murayama shouts in pleasure as her back arches and she climaxes as well.

I pull out as Murayama collapses on top of Katase. Katase looks down at the other girl with a caring smile on her face as she strokes Murayama's head, comforting her. "You didn't disappoint with the stamina, usually three times is too much for a guy and one of us goes disappointed."

"And I'm not done yet," I say. Her eyes widen as she looks down and sees that I'm as hard as ever. Murayama also turns her head to look, a smile on her face. Katase spreads her legs, revealing herself underneath Murayama.

"In that case, come on," Katase invites in an expectant tone.

"We're waiting," Murayama teases with a sultry voice.

I grin and line myself up with Katase's ass. These girls are so much fun.

-x-

It's pretty late by the time I get home, but as someone who doesn't need to eat or sleep, I don't mind. I walk into my apartment to see Kyu watching TV with Yua curled up on her lap. I decide to relax for a few moments and sit down next to her, propping up my feet on the coffee table.

I pull out my phone and notice that I have two unread messages. I open them up to see a text from Rias and I save her number. The other one is from Akeno, and also has a picture attached. Excited, I open it immediately. In the photo is the reflection of Akeno in the mirror. Her phone is held right below her face. She's completely nude, but an outstretched finger held horizontally covers her reflection's crotch, and the reflection of that same finger covers her reflection's nipples.

But everything else outside of her nipples and the very bottom of her crotch is clearly visible. Enough so that I can tell that she's cleanly shaven down there. And considering she's only covering her nipples, that still leaves a lot of her boobs fully on display.

"Oh damn. That's hot," Kyu says. I look over to see her looking at my phone. "Is she the next girl you're going after?"

"Not the very next one, no," I answer. "But soon. Actually, right now, it's more like she's going after me. She and Rias are trying to seduce me into becoming a Devil."

"That's a classic Devil move," Kyu says, nodding. "Is it working?"

"A lot more than I expected," I admit. "But I'm pretty stubborn. Mostly I'm just enjoying their attempts. This," I hold up my phone to indicate the picture, "is just the start of things. She was on my lap earlier, after Rias flashed me. Would have left me pretty blue balled if I hadn't run into Murayama and Katase right afterward."

"Oh yeah, I noticed you made some progress on my quest earlier," Kyu said. "I should've guessed it was those two. I spied on them a bit today at school, and during lunch they snuck off to go make out in the girl's bathroom. Things got pretty fucking steamy, it was super hot. Those two were such an easy target I'm tempted to not let them count or to only count as one. But screw it, I'll let it slide. It's not like you're going to stop adding girls to your harem once you finish the quest. And after seeing you bang all these girls I'm so pent up that if I don't get laid soon I'm gonna go crazy."

"I'm pretty close now, it shouldn't be too much longer," I reassure her. "Though if you want to maybe fool around a bit before I complete the quest…" I trail off suggestively.

"Nuh-uh buster," she shoots me down. "What happened Sunday morning was borderline. But I set a goal for you and you'll complete it before we do anything more than that."

I raise my hands in surrender. "Alright alright. Message received. I'm not the one who's backed up here."

"Ugh. Trust me, I'm very aware of that," she complains. "Don't you have a gross dungeon to go fighting in or something?"

"In a bit," I say as I turn my attention back to my phone and text Akeno back to let her know how much I appreciated the selfie. "I just wanna relax for a moment first."

"Fair enough," she says. We fall into a comfortable silence after that. I play some more chess on my phone, though I'm only barely paying attention to it.

After a few games where I win despite my lack of attention, I sigh and put my phone away before equipping my dungeon gear.

"I'll be back in the morning," I tell Kyu as I lift up Yua from her lap, waking Yua up. "Come on Yua, we're going to do some more training. I want you playing support this time though.

"You know, just because you don't have to sleep doesn't mean you shouldn't," Kyu comments. "Sleep is nice. I'd even be willing to share a bed."

I hesitate. It was a tempting offer. But I shake my head. "I really want to finish this hard mode dungeon. But I'll think about it."

"Suit yourself," she says with a shrug before turning her attention back to the TV.

...maybe I'll rush a little bit through the dungeon, see if I can't get back in time for a couple hours of sleep.

With that thought, I use [Dungeon Traversal] to enter the hard mode zombie dungeon.

-x-

These Dungeons are strange. I know they're something just made by the Game, but nothing reminds me of that fact as much as [Void Sense] does. [Void Sense] gives me a perfect understanding of the shape of everything within its range, like a 3D map that I'm constantly aware of. And so I can tell that just outside of the outer walls of the dungeon is precisely nothing, just pure Void. The same is true for above and below as well.

It also brought my attention to the walls, which are strange. While [Void Sense] doesn't give me much knowledge about the physical makeup of an object, I could tell that the walls on the surface were very different from the walls a couple inches in. Some testing with my own abilities revealed that the outermost layer of the walls was essentially nothing but a fancy decor. Beneath it was a solid slab of unbreakable material with no seams or lines. And more than that, the decoration grows back after being chipped away, though it does so slowly.

I hadn't planned on attempting to shortcut the Dungeon before, but now that I know that it's impossible I'm slightly annoyed. Between some of my new abilities and confirming the layout of the dungeon, I could have easily created a path to the boss. The dungeon is essentially a series of rooms in concentric squares, with access to the next layer being on the opposite side of the entrance to the current layer. Blasting through the walls would get me to the center, which has to be the boss room, in just two or three rooms.

I put those thoughts out of my mind and move to the door to the next room. Yua follows me silently just a bit behind me using [Sneak]. Her [Sneak] skill and my [Mentor] skill were now at level 30. But at level 25, I noticed that the description for [Mentor] updated, and I could now teach party members two of my skills.

It had been difficult to choose which skill to give her next. I have a lot of skills that focus on stealth, maneuverability, and information gathering. In the end, I chose to go with [Spider Climb]. Yua's health was too low and she lacked weapons, so she had quickly become a backline supporter using the various spell wands I had picked up. She could already climb fairly well, but her ability to do so was very dependent on the terrain. [Spider Climb] made that not a worry, and made it so she would always have an angle to cast her spells with.

I press up against the door to the next room and feel it out with [Void Sense]. There are ten skeletons and two ghouls, all of them facing the door, waiting for me. The two ghouls were on either side of the door, while the four skeletons with swords were just a couple feet in front of the door, and the six skeletons with staves and bows were further back, aiming at the door.

"Two ghouls," I tell Yua. "Same arrangement as last time though. Same plan as before, got it?"

"Ready!" she says. With a nod, I countdown with my fingers, and then I slam the door open and rush straight for the skeletons.

I see a wall of ice go up behind the skeleton warriors, cutting us off from the ranged skeletons and leaving me to deal with just the melee undead, thanks to Yua's new wand.

That wasn't the only new useful trick I picked up in the dungeon. My Void Mage class has passed level 50, and I got a powerful new skill.

<[Void Call] - Level 12(29%)>

It drains most of my MP, but that's not a bad price. I cast it and the upper halves of two of the skeletons are enveloped in a flash of darkness, which disappears to show nothing of what was caught inside remaining. Their lower halves crumple to the ground, no longer animated, leaving me with just two warrior skeletons left, and the two ghouls behind me.

Yua has climbed up the wall and is waiting for her MP to recharge, and I purposefully keep unstealthed to make sure the enemies keep their attention on me. I'm low on MP so I approach the skeletons with my two new daggers, their edges coated in Void energy.

Both daggers swung outwards as I dashed between the two remaining skeletons, gouging deep into them. However, one hit wasn't enough to kill them, not without a critical hit spot, and these skeletons had none. Before they can react, I spin around and cross both knives across the spine of one of the warriors.

Not even waiting as it collapses, I sheath my bone dagger and use [Void Devour] to grapple the other skeleton warrior and suck it dry of mana. As my MP bar fills back up I watch as the two ghouls approach me. The instant before they reach me I use my wrist blade to finish off the skeleton I have grappled and unleash a [Void Beam] at the closer of the two ghouls.

It's too close for me to have time to finish it off completely, but by the time it's in range to attack me, a simple stab in the gut with my Double Strike Dagger is enough to finish it off. Unfortunately, this leaves me open for the second ghoul.

With a wet snarl, it lashes out at me. I raise an arm to block it. Don't Touch Me, the long gauntlets I now wore, blocked most of the damage, and activated its special feature. For just a brief moment I turn completely invisible.

I quickly activate all of my stealth skills and immediately create a [Doppelganger] behind me. The ghoul lunges at it immediately, and it does as I instructed it do, which is dodge as best it can. It won't last long, but I don't need it to.

While the ghoul is focused on my double, I step around it, positioning myself behind it's defenseless back. Almost casually, I slip a [Void Edge] covered blade into its back. I had done the math recently, and between my Hornet Ring, [Backstab], and [Void Edge] I did an absolutely ridiculous amount of damage with my sneak attacks. Not enough to take on someone like Serafall, but I could pose a threat to just about anyone below her in strength, under the right circumstances.

The ghoul spasms violently before dying. My doppelganger stops dodging, gives me a lazy two-finger salute, and then pops like a bubble into nothingness.

[Void Sense] tells me that the skeleton mages and archers have finally made it around the ice wall taking up the majority of the center of the room, two on each side. I create another [Doppelganger] and send it rushing towards the ones on the right as I rush the ones on the left. It won't be able to do significant damage, but it will prevent me from having to dodge their attacks while I deal with the other two.

Or not, as I feel the double burst immediately, too slow to dodge a spell. Nevermind, it bought me enough time for me to close the distance to the ones on the left. I focus my slashes on the archer, cutting it down immediately, and then I grapple with the mage. [Void Drain] drains it of mana as I use it as a shield to advance on the other two skeletons.

Uncaring of my 'hostage', the other two skeletons open fire on me, killing the half drained skeleton mage and doing slight damage to me. I'd be annoyed, but I see that my MP is over 10k again. As my gauntlets turn me invisible, I cast [Void Call] on the skeleton mage. Unfortunately, they are too spread out to get them both, but I'm left with just the skeleton archer now.

As I blink back into the visible spectrum, I take my Shiny Coin out of my inventory and rush the skeleton. It throws an arrow at me that I barely dodge out of the way of. When I'm close, I flick the Shiny Coin high into the air, and the enchantment on it draws even the skeleton's attention.

As it's forced to look up, I quickly activate my stealth skills, slip behind it, and attack it. Exactly as I hoped, I see the notification that the attack counts as a sneak attack, and the skeleton falls to the ground in two pieces, no longer animated.

I relax and call out to Yua. "Come on Yua, the next room is a safe room, we can rest in there."

"Okay!" she calls out as she scampers across the ceiling, hanging to it upside down, before dropping down onto my shoulder from above. "Did Yua do a good job?"

"Yeah, you did great," I assure her while I pet her. I walk towards the door and open it to enter the safe room I had gotten to last time, though this time I had come down the other way. Which meant that I had finally cleared the outer ring of rooms. If the rooms stayed the same size, I had two more rings to clear before reaching the boss room.

I use [Dungeon Traversal] to head back home and check my loot. I appear in my living room, which is now dark. No sign of Kyu, which means she's already asleep. I shrug and unequip all my gear before looking over my loot.

First, the fruits of my level-ups. There was the [Void Call] skill I got for reaching level 50 with Void Mage, but I also got two new perks.

The CON perk is nice, but it's the INT perk I'm looking forward to playing with. I pull up my list of skills and see what I can combine.

I start out with the obvious one. [Sneak], [Chameleon], and [Ghost]. The latter two were just upgrades to the first one anyway. I feel the perk go off and a new window appears.

<[Fade] - Level 86(49%)>

<[Sneak] taught to Yua has been changed to [Fade]>

I got even more than I hoped for out of that. I was expecting the skill to start at level 1, but instead, it seems like some of my progress has been saved. I frown at the number though. That's not the average level, nor would it be the average XP. How did it calculate it then?

I shrug. Either way, I'm grateful that I don't have to start over with it. And for the fact that the skill I had taught to Yua with [Mentor] automatically changed as well.

I look through my skill list for more skills to combine. I try a couple random ones that I never leveled up but it seems I can't just combine any two skills. However, I do find a few more combinations that work.

<[Green Thumb] - Level 1(0%)>

Useful. Or it will be when I finally get around to growing my own alchemy ingredients. I bought some windowsill pots before but have yet to plant anything in them.

<[Void Detect] - Level 58(71%)>

It was only a minor upgrade to [Void Sense], but it did increase the level of the skill by a lot. I try it out now and notice that each person in my range feels distinctly different. I don't know their names, but I can tell that they're all human with a small amount of magic and I'm sure I could pick each one out of a crowd in the future. So it was a major upgrade to [Detect].

<[Sound Domain] - Level 42(71%)>

This one I'm less sure about. On one hand, it's a massive improvement to [Eavesdrop], but on the other hand, I feel like I lost out on some utility of [Audiokineses]. Testing it out, I can't alter the frequency or any of the other aspects of sound other than the volume. Still, being able to create sound easily within that range was useful, I could definitely play some mind games with that.

None of the other skills I have combine. I expected to be able to something with [Sound Domain] and [Void Detect] but it doesn't work. Oh well, time to check out the loot I got.

Relatively useless, but neat. I pull it out. It's a simple oak staff about five feet tall. A couple inches from the top of it there's a "0.0 meters" etched into the wood. I stand up and walk around the couch and it updates in real-time. I shrug and stash it back into my inventory, curiosity satisfied.

Now, this was useful. [Void Detect] let me get a pretty good idea of what's on the other side of a wall already, but some things just can't beat being seen. I quietly walk to my bedroom door and put the peephole up against it.

The mirror changes as soon as it's attached, and no longer does it reflect me but instead looks like I drilled a hole through my door and stuck a camera on the other side of it. I have a good angle on my bed, and sure enough, I see Kyu lying there asleep, naked save for a pair of panties and a blanket that is barely covering her stomach.

I grin before I put it away. I'm sure there will be plenty of peeping opportunities now that I have this. I go back to the living room to finish going over my loot.

The next item is a Small Heart Crystal, which only gives me 5 Affection. I look over my list and I'm about to use it on one of Sona's peerage members who still are only at 16 Affection before I stop. The early Affection points are really easy to get, and these heart crystals only work up to 50 Affection, so wouldn't using it on someone who is either difficult to gain Affection with or is nearly at 50 be better?

With that in mind, I use it on Serafall, putting her at 34 Affection. I have a lot of people at higher Affection but still below 50, but at this point in time, Serafall is the most difficult person to get more Affection for, and I need her to like me before I can make any serious moves on Sona. I can only use one heart crystal on a person a day, but I'm not going back into the dungeon today so I won't get any more, so it's not a waste. This also puts her in the perfect position for me to use a Large Heart Crystal to get her to 49 Affection, and I can use another one to get her a good way above 50.

The last loot I got in the dungeon was three more Gacha tokens, which I don't hesitate to spend.

I already barely used my [Lockpicking] skill and it seems like that usage is going to go down even more. Still, this was useful. I could always give it to a companion too.

<[Far Reach] - Level 1(0%)>

Magical grapple hook? Yes, please. If this is the skill I think it is too, then it'll be very helpful. I test it out and target the TV remote on the table. An inky black tendril forms and shoots out at the remote. It wraps around the remote and then reels in, putting the remote right into my hand. Very useful indeed.

Huh. I pull out the book and open it up to see what it looks like. Sure enough, it reads like a textbook on magic. The first section is just dedicated to explaining Dark Magic and how to unlock your ability to use it. Dark Magic is apparently powered by the soul power, either that of the caster or siphoned from defeated foes, and the caster's emotions.

I flick through the rest of the book. The spells seem to consist mostly of damage dealing spells, though there are a few that hinder enemies and even a couple that can help allies. I don't bother trying to learn it though. The description explicitly says that I can't do so, and I can always pick up the class later if I want these spells.

I stash it in my inventory. I'm sure that it'll come in handy later. Empowering someone mundane is always useful, especially with how limited [Mentor] is.

Loot finished, I look at the time. I still have several hours before I have to leave for school. And I could spend that time in the dungeon, exploring the town, or grinding [Alchemy], Kyu's invitation, and the sight of her sleeping form are at the forefront of my mind.

Mind made up, I stash all my clothes save for my underwear into my inventory, and make my way into the bedroom. Kyu stays asleep as I enter the bedroom and slip into the bed next to her, spooning her. The warmth of another body in the bed and the sound of her breathing is enough to send me to sleep almost immediately.

-x-

I wake up to a pleasant feeling coming from my dick. Still not fully awake, I reflexively twitch a little, and I feel that my dick is surrounded by a soft and warm feeling. Coming more into my senses I also feel that my hand is cupping a small but soft boob, and I can hear Kyu breathing heavily.

Thinking quickly, I cover the signs of me waking up and see where this goes. At first, nothing happens, but after a few moments, I feel Kyu move. She's grinding herself on my dick, which is free from my underwear and stuck between her legs. My erection is causing it to push up against her crotch. She's still wearing her panties, but they're damp.

She moans breathily as she rubs herself on my dick. I risk opening my eyes slightly to see that one of her hands is working away at her crotch. The other one I feel settle over mine to push my hand harder into her boob.

Her movement speeds up and I hear a muffled moan as she bites her lip to keep from being too loud. I feel the wetness of her arousal completely coating the top part of my dick as she slides her crotch along it. She then suddenly stops and shudders, her legs twitching around me.

I'm close to cumming myself, but not quite there. So when she relaxes and starts to move my hand off of her chest, I stop pretending to be asleep and push my hand back to her breast. I pinch her nipple as I start thrusting into her thighs. She yelps in surprise and turns her head to look at me in shock, with just a hint of guilt on her face.

"You know," I start conversationally, "It's rude to use other people's dicks to masturbate. You may as well make sure you return the favor."

"How long have you been awake?" She asks, her face flushed and her breathing still heavy. She doesn't push me away though.

"Oh not long," I answer as I continue to pump my hips. "Surely you didn't think I could sleep through something like that though?"

"You're a pretty heavy sleeper," she replies, trying hard to look like she's unaffected. But I can feel the way her chest is heaving and the way she keeps biting her lip. "You also get pretty handsy in your sleep."

"You learn something new everyday I guess," I say. Taking her lack of telling me to stop as tacit approval, I kiss the back of her neck as I thrust harder. She moans slightly, and the sound of it is the most arousing thing I've ever heard. I activate [Touch of Pleasure] and her moans instantly increase in volume.

"Hey!" she protests. "Who said you can do that?"

"Is it so wrong of me to want you to feel good as well?" I ask. When she doesn't immediately respond I continue. "You know, this is nearly having sex with you. I just have to stash one little piece of cloth into my inventory and change the angle just slightly, and I'd be inside of you."

She shivers at my words but shakes her head. "You can't, not yet. You're lucky you're getting this much."

"Lucky? Or are you just very horny?" I ask. She blushes but doesn't answer. I thrust harder, changing my angle so I dig more into her crotch. "You know, I'm not sure you could stop me in time if I decided I didn't want to wait."

She laughs, but her voice is shaky. "You wish punk. I'll shrink down as soon as you even try, and good luck trying to penetrate me when I'm smaller than your dick."

"Oh I wouldn't worry too much about that," I say. I lean in and whisper in her ear. "After all, wasn't it you who told me? Girls stretch."

Her whole body shakes and she moans, unable to hold her voice in as she cums again. Her thighs clamp around me tighter and I finally cum, shooting thick strands of cum straight into her panty covered crotch and her thighs

As she gets her bearings after her second orgasm she makes a noise of complaint. "At least when I cum I don't leave a mess." She gets up, floating and pulling herself out of my arms. She heads for the bathroom. "I'm going to take a shower and clean up. Do not join me."

"I understand," I say. "I'm just too tempting. I'll wait for my turn."

She half-heartedly flips me off as she closes the bathroom door behind her and I grin. She might have hidden it from my view when I used [Lewd Scouter] on her the other day, but I know she has a size fetish and very much wants to get fucked when she's doll-sized. I'll have to get that [Imbue Stretchiness] skill before that happens though, most likely. Girls didn't stretch that much, even lewd Love Fairies.

Satisfied at such a good start to my morning, I get up and start getting ready for school. I have a good feeling about today.

-x-

Later that day I'm sitting in the Student Council Room. For once, I'm not sitting at the center area facing Sona. Instead, I'm enjoying lunch with Ruruko and Momo over in a corner of the room. The other Student Council members are at their own desks eating as well, though some of them have paperwork in front of them even as they eat.

Like yesterday, I'm eating lunch made by Ruruko. Instead of sandwiches this time though, it's a nice curry over rice, with just enough spice to make my tongue tingle without being overbearing. I didn't get any more Affection when I complimented her on it though. I guess her being over 50 Affection means casual compliments of her food no longer are enough to increase her Affection. Ah well.

"So Ruruko," I say. "Momo told me how she joined Sona's peerage. How about you?"

"Through my amazing investigative skills!" she proclaims.

Momo raises an eyebrow at her. "Oh? Is that how it went?"

Ruruko deflates a little bit. "Ah. I mean. Kinda?" Momo continues to stare at her and Ruruko sighs in defeat. "Okay okay, I got lucky. I came around to the Student Council room to ask about joining and there wasn't anyone here but the door was unlocked. So I came in and sat down to wait. I nearly had a heart attack when instead of coming in the door they teleport in with a flash of light."

"Understandable," I say. "Though that situation doesn't really sound like something Sona would allow. Surely there were precautions to prevent exactly that from happening?"

Ruruko and Momo both nod. "Oh, there were," Ruruko said. "Two of them actually. The door was actually meant to be locked, but the lock wasn't working right and no one had noticed yet. And there's also a ward that tells Sona whenever someone enters the room, but it's not active during school hours because of how much traffic there is in this room. Normally we don't teleport in and out of here during school hours, but she had something going on that day where she had to leave on short notice." She tilts her head. "I don't remember what."

"Family business with her father," Momo provides. "They needed to sort out some things and the paperwork was due by the end of the business day. Tsubaki and I both helped."

"Right, that. Boring business stuff," Ruruko dismisses.

"So you're sitting here, and all of a sudden they teleport in," I summarize. "How does that lead to you joining her peerage?"

"Well instead of immediately erasing my memory or something she asks me why I'm there. I'm kinda freaking out at that point but also not, it was weird. My thoughts are a mess but I'm acting pretty calmly. So I end up just telling her the truth, that I wanted to join the Student Council and I was waiting for her. She thought about that for a little bit and then started telling me all about Devils and why she was here and what she was doing and how the Student Council were all people she had turned into Devils. Then she asked if I still wanted to join. And I didn't see any downside to becoming a Devil, so I said sure, and that afternoon I reincarnated as Sona's Pawn."

"Just like that? No hesitation?" I ask.

"I wasn't gonna miss the chance," she says. "I get to live longer, get magic powers, and can become super strong? I'll sign that deal in a heartbeat. Having to serve Sona is a small price to pay for that."

Momo sighs. "You still didn't need to rush into it. Sona offered to let you take some time to think about it."

Ruruko shakes her head. "Nah, didn't need it. My Mom always taught me to act fast and not let chances slip by." She looks at me and winks. "Chances like you actually."

"Speaking of," I say. "When are you free next? If we're going to be doing this, I should take you on a date."

Her eyes light up. "I'm free tonight! In the evening at least. After school we have training, but we usually wrap up with that around six or seven, so we can do something after that."

"A little last minute, but I'm also free and don't see a reason to wait, so sure. Do you want to meet somewhere beforehand?"

"Actually," Momo interjects. "Sona wanted me to invite you to our training afterschool today. We do some workouts, sparring, and magic practice a few times a week to get ready for Rating Games. As a regular activity, Sona thought you would benefit from seeing what sort of training we do. Also, I think she wants to see how strong you actually are. So if you join us for that, you and Ruruko can go straight from there to your date."

"Ooh yes, you should totally join us for that!" Ruruko says. "I wanna spar with you, the normal human who took down a squad of Fallen Angels by himself!"

"I don't think I really qualify as 'normal'," I respond. "But sure, that sounds like fun. Just come here straight after class?"

She nods. "We'll travel to the training grounds as a group." She smiles at me. "I'm glad you want to come. We've all been pretty curious about what exactly it is you can do."

"The feeling is mutual. I didn't even know Devils existed last week, so I'm interested in seeing how Devils fight." An electronic chime echoes through the room, signaling the end of lunch. I place the cover back on top of the bento box that Ruruko had prepared for me and give it back to her. "Thank you once again for the food, it was very good."

"Sure thing, Axton. I'll cook for you anytime," Ruruko says excitedly. "As long as you're okay with sandwiches, curry, or instant ramen anyways."

I laugh. "Sounds like you've got all the important kinds of food covered then." I stand up alongside Momo and Ruruko. "I guess I'll see you girls after classes then."

Momo draws close to me and leans to plant a kiss goodbye on my lips. I kiss her back and smile. Ruruko, either feeling challenged or perhaps just fired up, immediately copies her, though she kisses me on my cheek instead.

I give her an encouraging smile to let her know I appreciate it. Then I say my goodbyes to the rest of the Student Council and leave for class, my thoughts already on the rest of the day.

I had an idea earlier for something to get a reaction out of Ms. Nakano, and I'm looking forward to trying it out. I grin. Aika's going to have a lot of fun with it too, I'm sure.

-x-

…

The being known to some as The Man in the Wall observed the Tenno as they scrambled across their solar system, fighting for their own causes. He felt their every movement as they drew on the Void to connect their minds to the Warframes and channeled their abilities. Through them, he felt nearly every corner of the universe.

The Man in the Wall and the Void were essentially the same being, though they were also separate. It was a relationship that could not be put into words, or it hadn't at least. The Man in the Wall could probably explain it in a way that the Orokin could have understood, but he saw no point in doing so.

The Orokin had been boring and rude, intruding on him, on his domain, greed in their eyes. That greed was their own undoing, time and time again, as their own creations and their own mistakes grew to topple their civilization out from under them.

Still, the Orokin had stumbled into creating the Tenno, and if The Man in the Wall was capable of such a thing, he would almost be thankful of them for that.

He had been wary of the Tenno at first, afraid that their use of the Void would weaken him, leave them thinner as these children expended the Void across their solar system. But that didn't happen. Instead, he grew stronger. The Void felt more full for lack of a better word, more potent.

And more than that, it gave him something akin to family. The Tenno were bastard children of the Void, touched by it rather than born of it. But he still felt connected to them in a way that he had never felt before. After so many eons of things being the same, the Tenno were a new and exciting experience.

And it seemed as if they were not the only new thing he was to experience. As he observed the Tenno, he noticed a new pull, a different one. It was almost hidden, which struck him as strange. The very idea that anything related to the Void could be beyond his notice was baffling and something he had never considered before.

He followed the feeling and found something even he struggled to understand. It was a hole of some kind. Not one that led to the layer of reality where the Tenno resided. No, this led deeper. Which was intriguing, because deeper wasn't really a concept that could be applied. There was nothing below the Void because the Void was between Everything. And yet, the hole undoubtedly led deeper.

Curious, he followed where it led. He had no fear. Even should it lead to a place hazardous to himself, he would simply reform in the Void. Luckily, this was not the case, and after following some Void stuff leaking through the hole, he found himself somewhere strange. It felt like the Void, but not. His connection to it was weak and incomplete.

It felt like a Void he had no connection to, tainted by the Void he did have a connection to. It was truly strange. He pondered, wondering if there were others like him, and somehow they had been connected.

He felt a draw on this Void, not unlike what happened when the Tenno channeled their abilities, but more potent. Interested, he followed the pull and observed where it led. To his surprise, he found a person there. A boy with black hair and golden eyes, and a soul that was tainted by the same Void he found himself in now.

For a time, he observes the boy. He was so similar to the Tenno, but also so different. Where the Tenno had been so thoroughly changed on a physical level, this boy had only had his soul affected by whatever it was that happened to him. The rest of him was untouched.

It had no ill effects on his strength the Man in the Wall observed. The boy drew deeply on the Void, and in more inventive ways than the Tenno. Their shape seemed limited though, just as the Tenno's were.

He was almost shocked to see a familiar beam of Void erupt from the boy's hands, so like the Tenno. He was even more surprised when the boy followed it up by replacing a section of space with the Void, an effect so strong it sent ripples through the Void he found himself in. The ripple was familiar as well, and he realized it was what allowed him to find the hole in his own Void.

The Man in the Wall did not currently have a physical form, but if he had, it would be grinning. It seemed as if he had found a very interesting new source of entertainment.

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