12 DxD: Recruitment Week 2.5

As I dodge the claws of a screaming Witch I curse the stupidity of my past self. I shove my knife, it's edge coated in inky darkness, into the screaming undead's eye and sigh in relief, thankful that she had a critical hit spot

My relief is short lived as I'm forced to jump upwards as a sense of doom goes down my back. I leap to the ceiling and cling to it with [Spider Climb]. Below me, a banshee lets loose a massive wave of sonic energy, obliterating the spot where I was just standing.

Already there are two skeletons, one holding a staff and the other a bow, drawing their sights on me. I blast the banshee with a [Void Beam] even as I drop from the ceiling to dodge the incoming spell and arrow. The beam of reality tearing energy melts the banshee in just a couple of seconds, but it takes half of my MP bar with it. I'm not worried though, because the [Void Edge] on my knife still has a couple minutes left and that should be more than enough to finish clearing the room.

As I land and the banshee dissolves into wisps of nothing, I briefly use [Void Sense] to get an image of the room without having to look around. In the room are the two skeletons who fired on me at the ceiling, two more skeletons with swords drawn and shields raised, approaching me from opposite directions, and in the corner of the room was a ghoul, waiting to pounce on me.

The ghoul I wasn't worried about since it could also be dealt with by a critical hit, unlike the skeletons and banshees, who lacked the critical weak spots. I turn off [Void Sense], my MP getting uncomfortably low at around the 1/3 mark.

Deciding on my plan of action, I draw another blade, my bone dagger I picked up in the normal version of this dungeon, and use [Void Edge] on it as well. I rush one of the skeleton warriors, putting the other one between me and the skeleton mage, and putting me closer to the ghoul. My knives, their edges harnessing the power of the Void itself, shear through its raised shield with little effort, and in a flurry of cuts the skeleton warrior is left in pieces, no longer animated.

I turn my back to where the ghoul is, using [Detect] to watch for its pounce. Unfortunately, it doesn't take the bait so easily, but I didn't expect it too. They had stopped being so easy to bait half a dozen rooms ago.

I rush at the other skeleton warrior, dodging an arrow from the skeleton archer, and give it the same treatment. As the warrior dies, not even attempting to fight back, the skeleton mage shoots a beam of sickly green energy towards me, and [Detect] warns me of the ghoul choosing that moment to rush me.

I smirk at the perfect opportunity to try out my new skill. Activating [Void Sense] to give me the precision I'll need, I store the bone dagger and activate my new skill, [Void Drain], coating my now empty left hand in unfathomable darkness. I hold that hand in the path of the ray of necrotic energy, even as my right hand intercepts the leaping ghoul with a knife in its eye.

The ghoul thrashes a bit as it dies, but my attention is more on the skeleton mages attack. I drop [Void Sense] and look at my stats. I'm taking damage as the beam hits my hand, but it's not as much as I should be. And more than that, my MP is actually going up.

<[Void Drain] - Level 15(53%)>

I grin. I've found my new favorite skill. As the ray stops and the skeleton mage takes a step back in shock, I use that new MP to blast the archer lining up a shot on me with a [Void Beam], reducing it to a heap of bones as I approach the mage. It tries to run away but I grab it with my void covered hand and watch as I drain the MP out of it.

"That's right you son of a bitch," I say to it. "I've got a new trick, and I'm coming for you."

The skeleton doesn't have an expression I can read, but as its movements become more frantic, I can tell that the necromancer controlling it is spooked.

I pretty quickly realized that the undead in this dungeon weren't like the mindless animated corpses in the normal dungeon. They were far too coordinated. After clearing the first room relatively easily, I noticed that the undead in the next room were actually on guard. And as I progressed, they seemed to learn, not falling for the same tricks as the ones in the previous room did. Combined with their flawless coordination that adapted far too quickly for them to be communicating with another, I realized that really could only mean one thing. They were being controlled directly by a necromancer.

As I devour the last of the mana in the skeleton mage, turning it from an animated undead to a pile of bones, I relax. My MP was at about two thirds now and filling quickly as my natural MP regen worked away.

I'm very happy I didn't do this dungeon with just my Rogue class, it would have been a nightmare. Between their increased coordination and lack of critical hit spots, taking them out one by one with critical sneak attacks wasn't viable. I could maybe get one like that, taking out the more dangerous enemies before things devolved into a fight, but even that wasn't guaranteed. Witches just straight up couldn't be snuck up on, at least not by me. They were the kind from Left 4 Dead, which meant they just sat still, weeping, until they are aggroed. But apparently, their aggro isn't them noticing you, because according to my lack of sneak attacks against them, they always notice you, even when I tried attacking from a range. They have crazy good senses I guess. Or maybe they just always expect to get attacked? I'm not sure what the exact requirements are for a sneak attack.

Either way, without the added damage to my attacks from [Void Edge] and the very powerful but very expensive ranged attack of [Void Beam], this dungeon would have turned into a dangerous slog. As it is, it's still somewhat dangerous, and my progress is slow, but it's not too bad. Thankfully, unless there's another floor, it seems that the dungeon is fairly small from what I've mapped so far. It seems to have gone for quality over quantity, a rare decision when it comes to undead armies.

Something that made my Void Mage class abilities sweeter was the new aspect of my [Void Touched] perk that I discovered.

<[Void Touched]>

Which put all my void skills at a pretty good level of strength.

<[Void Beam] - Level 26(91%)>

<[Void Sense] - Level 18(66%)>

<[Void Edge] - Level 35(70%)

I unlocked another Void Mage skill before [Void Drain], but I hadn't tried it yet. It was something I'd rather practice in a much safer environment, and preferably with someone I trust watching over me.

<[Void Blood] - Level 1(0%)>

A skill that could kill me in just four seconds for such a measly increase in power was not something I was keen to try. But I suspect that the health cost will decrease pretty quickly as it levels up, and the stat gain will increase just as fast. But those first few levels of leveling are bound to be risky.

I also got two more milestone stat perks.

<[Danger Sense] - You get a bad feeling whenever something bad is about to happen>

<[Ticket Scratcher] - Once a week, a random extremely lucky event will occur for you.>

The Danger Sense was nice, but so far hadn't been very useful since this entire dungeon was a danger zone. But it would provide just a bit of assistance in surprise attacks or other moments when my guard is let down. As for the LUK perk, I was just excited to see what would happen.

I pull out my HuniePhone and look at the time. Five in the morning, just a couple hours before I have to start getting ready for school.

Yeah, I think that's enough for today. I need to go over my loot and honestly taking a bath and just relaxing for a bit and washing the smell of this dungeon off of my sounds good. I make my way back to the safe room, which is just a couple rooms back, and use [Dungeon Traversal] to arrive back home.

As I strip out of my combat gear and head towards the bathroom, I take stock of the loot I got. Discounting the crafting materials, as interesting as some of them were, like the actual nirnroot, I was left with a decent little pile of goodies.

This one I'm very interested in as a stash of loot on this world is bound to be good. But then again, it could piss off someone very strong when they discover their missing stuff. I'll look closer at it later.

...is that it? Just a rock I can't get rid of? I pull it out. It's just a normal rock, not even shaped in a particularly interesting way and it's barely larger than a marble. I shrug and stash it in my inventory, putting it out of my mind.

Ooh, that could be fun. I should use it for the next time I play chess against Sona. Or maybe just give it to her as a gift?

Simple and situationally useful. I'll take it, though I probably won't wear it most of the time. There are just too many things that smell bad.

Huh. Could be useful for setting up an ambush or something. Again, situationally useful.

Another wand for Yua to use. And this one will be useful against undead and vampires especially.

Iconic huh? I pull it from my inventory, and sure enough, I recognize it immediately as the one wielded by Gordan Freeman, or of the same kind at least. It looks too clean and fresh to be the same exact one.

<(3) Heart Crystal>

Individually, they weren't as good as the Super Heart Crystals I've already found, but I got several of them and combined they're more useful. I immediately use them, not seeing a point in holding on to them.

The large one goes to Serafall, bringing her up to 29 Affection, confirming that my bonuses don't apply when it comes to the heart crystals. I attempt to use two of the normal heart crystals on her as well, but I get a message saying I can only use one heart crystal on a target per day.

I could save the normal ones for the next day, but I could also just spend my nights grinding for more, and I probably will do that, so I might as well use them. Scrolling through my relationships list, I select Akeno, Tsubaki, and Ms. Nakano. Akeno because she is still at 8 and I don't like her having just a single digit. Tsubaki is also at a relatively low 10, and while I'm at 60 with Sona, I want to be on good terms with her Queen. Half of Sona's peerage is also at 10, but Tsubaki is more important since she has influence over the rest. And Ms. Nakano because it's been frustrating seeing that value not go up and I want to see if bumping her up to 30 changes anything.

I keep my Super Heart Crystals though. Twenty free affection could help a lot with first impressions and could get me out of some dicey situations.

As I slip into the bath, relaxing in the hot waters, I look at the last items I found in locked and trapped, chests. Six whole Gacha tokens. Without any hesitation, I use them.

<[Doppelganger] - Level 1(0%)>

That will be very useful. Even if it can't really do damage, it could set up the perfect sneak attack opportunity. And depending on how much stronger it gets when I level the skill, it might even be combat worthy.

Another one of these, huh? I used the last one on Yua, and it was tempting to use this one on her too. But honestly, I was getting to the point where an increase in HP, MP, or SP could be very helpful. So I take it out and eat it.

It tastes like sex. Not like sexual bodily fluids, just actual sex. Somehow. It was extremely good, but it was also really fucking with my senses so I swallow it down and move on. I open up my stats to see the results and let out a low whistle. Over 14k MP, with a regen of 282 a second. That should be very helpful with my new, very expensive Void Mage skills. I could now do 42k damage with [Void Beam] by emptying out my MP bar, and I could keep [Void Sense] up indefinitely.

I spin the Gacha again, hoping for something just as good.

<Don't Touch Me>

Uncaring that I'm currently in the bath, I put them on immediately. Blue leather runs up my arms, and at the top of my shoulders are small triangular plates of metal, while more segmented metal covers my hands. They were comfortable and a couple small slaps against my arms showed they definitely absorbed a lot of force. They were slim enough that I could probably fit my wrist blade over it as well.

I stash it away, content that my combat outfit has received a very nice upgrade.

<Anti-Gravity Sphere>

That...might be useful? Could be funny to see a large enemy incapable of flight flail about for a minute.

Well, at least I won't ever be caught without the right tool for the job. Not that I ran into that sort of situation very often.

That is very interesting. So essentially I can do the Ender Dragon boss fight? Hmm. I wonder how powerful the Ender Dragon is. Some guy with enchanted diamond armor, enchanted swords and bows, and plenty of building material can beat him, right? He can't be that tough. Still, I'll hold on to this for now. Maybe wait until I max out Void Mage, or get close to it.

Out of Gacha tokens to spin, and loot to peruse, I just lean back and enjoy the bath. I wonder what school is going to be like now that the devils know about me, or as much as I've let them know. I guess I'll find out at lunch today.

-x-

A couple hours later and I'm walking to school. Yua is with me again, sneaking nearby. I made her promise to not immediately forget about being sneaky again, though I did tell her that she could hang out with Koneko if she wanted to.

On the way to school, I decide to train one of the skills that I got in the dungeon last night, as a drop from a Banshee.

<[Audiokinesis] - Level 1(0%)>

Mostly I just use it to dampen the noise I make. [Sneak] does that already, but I'm just trying to level it up some, and quieting more than just me would draw attention. I can't lower it much right now it seems, and the leveling is slow, but it's something. I try amplifying my footsteps as well, and that works a bit better than dampening them, but I stop quickly as it makes it sound like I'm stomping.

Much more useful than the [Bone Manipulation] skill I also picked up, which just let me change the shape of dead bone, though I hadn't really experimented with that one yet.

I also keep up [Void Sense] now that my MP is high enough to more than sustain it, though the cost for it increases as the level does. Honestly, it probably won't be a spell I keep up constantly. Sensing every inch of everything within my range is a hell of a lot of information to process all at once.

By the time I get to school I've gotten [Audiokinesis] up to level 18, and my footsteps are practically silent now, even when I stomp. Honestly, in terms of just noise reduction, it's far more effective than [Sneak] was at that level, and a lot cheaper too. I couldn't gauge how much MP it used because whatever it was was less than my regen rate, which really just meant it was cheap, and that was fine by me.

[Void Sense] is at level 22, but I shut it off once I get on school grounds. Its range is 27.5 meters now, and that distance included far too many guys for my liking now for me to be able to sense the outline of their junk. I can forcibly shrink down the range of the skill, but it levels up far slower like that.

Although slow is better than none, and I don't mind sensing the intimate details of the nearby girls, so I turn it back on, along with [Eavesdrop] and [Detect]. All three are skills that have no sign of use and are pretty useful, even if all the information it's giving me is a lot to process. But once classes start, I can focus just on those.

I arrive in the classroom to see Aika and Atsuko already there, talking to each other. "Hey girls," I greet them as I sit down. Aika flashes a smile at me and Atsuko blushes a little but also looks happy to see me.

We chat a bit before class starts, conspicuously not talking about anything related to last night. I suspect that Atsuko is avoiding it because of all the people around and Aika understands that.

The morning classes are fairly boring. I barely pay attention and instead focus on the skills I'm keeping active, and occasionally checking up on Yua. The skills are slow to level up, but by the time lunch comes around, I've made decent progress.

Aika shoots me a smirk as the students around us get ready for lunch. "So Axton, you want to come with us and find a quiet spot to eat lunch in?"

I sigh. "I really wish I could, but Sona asked me to come to the Student Council room today."

Aika looks surprised, and Atsuko looks clearly disappointed. "Oh? What about?"

"About Momo I'm pretty sure," I answer. "Sona is very protective of her student council." Understanding appears on the faces of the two girls. "I'll see you guys at the end of lunch," I say goodbye as I get up and exit the classroom.

A short walk and a flight of stairs bring me to the Student Council room where I knock on the door. I hear Sona call me in, so I enter.

Once again I'm greeted to the sight of Sona sitting on a couch in front of a chess set on a coffee table while the rest of the student council sit at desks around the edges of the room. Except this time, Momo is sitting on the couch opposite Sona, though a little to the side. She smiles when she sees me.

"Axton," Sona greets me. "Thank you for coming. Please, take a seat. I have something I want to discuss with you and thought we could play another game of chess while we talk."

"Sure, sounds good," I say. I sit down next to Momo and lean over and give her a quick kiss. Sona cocks an eyebrow at the PDA, but the joy on Momo's face made it worth it.

<+6 Affection with Tsubaki Shinra>

<+6 Affection with Reya Kusaka>

<+7 Affection with Tomoe Meguri>

<+6 Affection with Tsubasa Yura>

<+7 Affection with Kagetsu Saji>

<+7 Affection with Ruruko Nimura>

That also made it worth it. I guess the people trying to pretend like they aren't watching us all saw her expression of joy as well. Was Sona's gain canceled out by rule-breaking, or was she just already too high for something like this to increase it?

I turn back to Sona and the chessboard in between us. "You know, I actually picked up a special chess board yesterday, we could use that instead if you want."

"I have no problem with that, this is simply the chess set I keep here in the Student Council room. I don't mind using another." She picks up the board, pieces remaining still on top of it, and moves it to the side. I pull the Wizards Chess Set out of my storage. The pieces are more ornate and are styled after actual soldiers rather than symbols.

"Pawn to E4," I say out loud. Sona's eyes widen slightly as the appropriate pawn moves forward two spaces. "Reset," I command, and the piece steps back into line with the rest. I look at Sona. "They actually take out other pieces too, but it's all repaired at the end of the game. Neat, huh?"

"I've never seen a board like it," Sona agrees.

We start playing, our moves much slower than the last time we played. My INT was now a lot bigger than hers, but I wasn't any more familiar with chess than I was during that game. Still, the mental boost was enough that I got the feeling I was actually giving her a challenge. I use [Erotic Pierrot] to subtly increase her arousal as the game goes on.

A few moves into the game, Ruruko walks over and sets a tray of sandwiches down before sitting down right next to me, on the other side of Momo. I look at her in askance, an eyebrow raised.

"Since the President asked you to come over during lunch, I thought it was only fair that we provide some actual food," she explains with a smile, not at all explaining why she sat down next to me. From the slightly confused look Sona is shooting her, she has no idea either.

"Thanks," I say, picking up one of the offered sandwiches. "I really appreciate it." I take a bite. "That's pretty good actually," I comment after I swallow. It's a simple sandwich, just turkey, cheese, and mayo, but the ingredients are fairly high quality and they come together to make a pretty good sandwich.

<+7 Affection with Ruruko Nimura>

Huh, guess she made them herself. She certainly looks like I just complimented her. I look over at Momo, the question clear on my face, and she smiles and nods. It seems like Momo already talked to her and gave Ruruko the go-ahead for getting closer to me.

<[Thigh High Guy] - Increases Affection gain with girls who wear thigh high socks by 20%>

That's a pretty specific perk. But it is also a very appreciated perk. The 50 Affection perks were really starting to add up.

I smile and Ruruko before turning my attention back to the chess game.

"So, Momo tells me she explained everything about Devils to you," Sona says a couple moments later as I contemplate my next move.

"Yep, she gave me the full crash course," I confirm. "It was a lot to take in, but Momo is pretty good at explaining things."

"So you know what a Peerage is, right?"

"Yep. Reincarnated Devils that have been turned from another race, usually human, and serve the Devil that reincarnated them. Benefits include becoming a long-lived race, magic, and the potential to rise up and form your own peerage. It's also chess-themed, for some reason."

"Ajuka Beelzebub, the Satan that created the Evil Piece system, is very fond of chess, and through his influence that has spread to a lot of aspects of Devil culture," Sona answers. "But yes, that is correct. And Momo mentioned that the Student Council is my peerage, correct?"

"Yeah. She said it was how you found talented individuals and helped improve them. I also remember you extending an invitation to me to join last Saturday."

"I did. While some members of my peerage reincarnated as Devils before they joined the Student Council, the others I all invited to join to see how they worked with the group as a whole before extending the invitation to my peerage. My invitation then was exactly that. However, that was before I knew the full extent of your abilities and knowledge.

"As things stand now, I do not feel like a trial period is necessary. You handled the situation with the Fallen well, and while you might be a little rough around the edges, you show real talent and ability. And I have no doubts you can work together well with the rest of my peerage. So I, Sona Sitri, Heiress to the Sitri Clan, would like to formally invite you to join my Peerage."

Her declaration leaves tension in the air and I can feel everyone's attention on me. I sit up straighter and look up from the chess game, giving her my full attention as I think about how to respond.

When I first arrived in this world, I would have gladly accepted her proposal. A free Devil race change and I get to spend all of my time with Sona and the other beautiful girls of her Peerage? Sign me up.

But things have changed since then. Already I'm stronger than Sona, with my recent level-ups and the Stardrop this morning making all my stats, HP, MP, and SP all higher than hers. Honestly, I doubt she'd be able to resurrect me with an Evil Piece.

But more than that, the idea of being tied down like that irked me in a way it wouldn't have in my past life. I had gotten a taste of power and total freedom and found it to my liking. Even if seduce the whole peerage to the point where I am the de facto leader, Sona's position alone would act as a chain as much as it would a boon.

I turn my attention back to the board. There was a knight piece just one move away from putting me in to check, but also perfectly positioned to be taken out by my queen. But I had already realized it was a bait, and instead, I called out a move that would put one of my bishops in a position to take out the knight if it approached my king.

I look back at Sona. "While I certainly appreciate the invitation, understanding fully what it means, I'm afraid I'll have to decline. I have no interest in becoming a Devil."

Sona frowns slightly. "Can I ask you to expand on why? You yourself listed the benefits, and I feel you would fit well into Devil society. If there are any concerns you have, please allow me to address them."

I sigh. "Well, it's not concerns so much as I just don't think I could benefit from it very much. Sure, flight and Devil magic sound nice, but they're not worth the weakness to Light that comes along with it. At least not for me. I'm sure I'll figure out flight sooner or later, and I'm rather fond of my own magic and what it can do. My skill set is fairly broad already, and I learn more every day.

But mostly, it's that being permanently subordinate to someone doesn't sit right with me. Don't get me wrong, from what I've seen from you, you're an intelligent, level headed, beautiful, and caring leader. If I had to choose someone to serve for life, you'd be at the top of my list. But I don't have to choose that, and it doesn't matter how well you would treat me, I'm not comfortable committing to that."

"To address your points in order," Sona starts, a determined look on her face, "I believe you are underestimating both how much stronger a Devil is than a human and how it would be a multiplier to your current abilities, and also Devil magic as a whole, which is theoretically limitless in its potential. Furthermore, while it's true that I would initially hold a lot of power over you, and that I'll always be your King, the reality is a little different. Once you ascend to High Tier status and receive your own Evil Pieces, I would hold very little true power over you. You could disobey me all you want and there would be practically nothing I could do about it directly, except leverage my own political influence against you, the same as any other Devil could."

I didn't actually know that was the case. Instead of a shackle that I could grow to ignore over time, it was more of a shackle that withered away as I grew stronger. Still, it wasn't enough.

"While that does sound much better, I'm afraid it's not really enough. And I'm not sure becoming a Devil would be as much of a multiplier as you think it would be."

"Still, even if it's only a small gain in strength, wouldn't it be worth a relatively short term investment? The extended life span alone should make it worth it."

"I've actually been looking to options about that using my own abilities," I counter. "I'm not worried about my lifespan, I'll have it figured out long before then. Within a few months with any luck." I had a few plans in mind, and I knew the Game could give me hundreds of ways to increase my lifespan, through Gacha or through magic. Assuming the Game didn't just make me unaging anyways, which it probably did.

The hesitation on Sona's face makes it clear that she doesn't want to appear pushy, but that she also really wants me to join. She sighs. "A compromise then? Join the Student Council, work with us. I'll bring you along as an advisor to any business I would take my peerage to. This will give you a chance to see what it would be like for yourself. I can be patient, and I'm sure I can convince you eventually."

I hesitate. She wouldn't convince me, but spending more time with them and being plot-relevant did sound nice. That being said, there was an issue. "Not to sound lazy or petulant, but the time commitment of Student Council work is a bit more than I can fit in my schedule without some pretty big changes that I don't really want to make."

"That's fine actually," Sona replies immediately. "You can just join on a provisional basis. So long as you have time to join us at least twice a week after school, and whenever you want for lunch, then that will be enough for now."

I could definitely spare that much time to get closer to the Student Council. "In that case, I accept joining the Student Council on a provisional basis. Thank you for having me."

"No, thank you, Axton," Sona replies, a smile on her face. "Now, let's set aside the business talk and focus on this game."

Neither of us had made a move in several minutes. "Right, yes. I think I have a shot this time." I start using [Erotic Pierrot] on her again, having stopped when she asked me to join her peerage.

"You are certainly doing better than your last game, but still have a ways to go before you can beat me," She brags. And it was partially true, but not to the extent she made it sound. She still definitely had the edge, but every advantage she had earned had cost her, and I wasn't going down without a fight this time.

"Oh? Axton is trying to beat the President at chess? And didn't he call her beautiful earlier?" Ruruko comments. Sona freezes, and there's just a tinge of blush on her cheeks.

"Both of those are true," I say, feigning ignorance to the implied connection even as I ramped up [Erotic Pierrot] on Sona. "Sona has managed to stir my competitive spirit when it comes to chess, so I am of course aiming to beat her. And she is definitely beautiful, there is no denying that."

<+7 Affection with Sona Sitri>

"Yes. Well," Sona says, slightly flustered. "I'm glad I can be such a source of inspiration for you to improve your own skills so quickly. And thank you for the compliment. But we still have a game to finish, and we should do so before lunch is over." She shoots Ruruko a glare. Ruruko responds by grinning but doesn't comment further.

The conversation after that died down, and the only sounds were me and Sona voicing our commands, the occasional 'ooh' or 'aah' from Ruruko, and the sound of the chess pieces moving over the board and cutting down the other pieces. Sona's eyes lit up whenever that last one happened.

Soon enough though, the game came to an end, as much as I tried to delay it. But in the end, delaying was all I could do as I was left only with a pawn, a rook, and a king, compared to the six pieces Sona still had, most of them surrounding my king.

"Well, you were right," I say. "But I came close, and a little more practice can get me there I think." As I concede, Sona's black pieces silently cheer before all of the pieces are repaired and take their positions back on the board.

"I'll have to step up my own efforts to make sure that doesn't happen. I admit I've grown complacent, so sure no one could threaten me. But you have definitely proven that someone dedicated enough could do so."

I laugh. "I'm glad I could be of assistance. By the way, please, keep the chess set as a gift. You are pretty much the only person I play against not using an app, and I feel like you could put it to better use than I."

<+7 Affection with Sona Sitri>

She seems surprised but pleased. "Thank you, Axton. I'll cherish it."

I look at the time. "If that's all? Lunch is almost over."

"Rias wants to talk to you as well," Sona says. "She asked me to ask you to head to her clubroom after classes."

I pause. "Is she also going to try to convince me to join her peerage?" Sona averts her eyes. I sigh. "Yeah, I'll be there."

I stand up, and Momo stands with me. "I'll walk you to your class," she says. I smile at her and nod, and the two of us leave the Student Council room together.

"I'm sorry I didn't accept Sona's offer," I say to Momo as we walk through the halls.

She shakes her head. "No, you should do what you think is best for you. Either way, we can spend time together."

"True, especially with me joining the Student Council," I agree. "Speaking of, I'm guessing you already talked to Ruruko?"

"This morning, yes, and she's definitely interested, though wants to get to know you better on her own." She looks at me with a small smile. "So how did things go with Aika and Atsuko?"

"Pretty well," I say, slightly awkwardly. Even with her explicit agreement, it feels weird to be so open about it. "I laid out the whole thing, and they seemed to be okay with it. Hell, they were practically enthusiastic about it."

"I'm glad to hear it. We'll all have to hang out soon."

"I'll come up with a good group activity for us," I say. I look around. There aren't any students in sight, and we're getting close to my classroom. I turn to Momo and pull her into a deep kiss. She's a little surprised, but immediately leans in and kisses me back. When I pull back, we're both breathing just a little harder. "And don't worry, you're still important to me, no matter what."

She smiles at me. "I know. I'm not worried about that anymore." She steps back, glancing around. "As much as I enjoy kissing you, you need to get back to class, and I to the Student Council room."

"If I have to," I say with an exaggerated sigh of disappointment. "I'll see you later then?"

"Tomorrow, most likely," she says.

"Tomorrow then," I say.

As I watch her walk away, I contemplate the meeting I have with Rias later. I know she's desperate for a strong peerage member because of Riser, but no one knows I know this. A grin forms on my face.

I wonder how much fun I can have by using that to my advantage?

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