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Once I calm the girls down, I promise to eat lunch with all of them... well, expect Maria because she's not supposed to be in the school. I ask if they wouldn't mind coming with me to the Cooking Club so I'd have time to make the desert for tonight's meeting with Rias and her peerage. They agree, and we start heading back to the door downstairs.

Maria and Yuki make it through, but I stop and close the door after them, leaving Mio and me on the roof. I take Mio by the waist and spin her to the door holding it closed. Her eyes widen as I lean in close to her face and take her chin in my fingers, lifting it, so she has to look me in the eyes.

"You were very brave before. You tried to step out of your comfort zone and initiate a kiss with me, but you were interrupted. I don't think that's fair. Would you like to try again? If you are brave again, I'll make it worth your while. Name it. If I can, I will give it to you."

She blushes like a rose and shifts her eyes to the side. "C-can I call you Onii-chan?"

I smirk. "You silly girl. Of course, you can."

She closes her eyes and leans in. "Onii-chan."

Our mouths connect, and I slip my tongue between her lips to coax and tease her tongue to respond. I pull her waist tight against me, deepen our kiss. Mio's arms wrap around me, her fingers gripping my shirt. A long minute later and the bell rings. We separate slowly; her eyes still closed, I brush my thumb over her lower lip. Her little pink tongue sneaks out and catches the tip as it passes.

She opens her violet eyes and smiles. "Onii-chan"

I feel a little warm inside. I guess anime boys fall kinda quick too.

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Mio and I braved the frown of Yuki and the exuberance of Maria and made it to class barely on time. Yahiro is not there. I sit down and get ready to be bored again when there is a knock at the door. An attractive girl with knee-length black hair and blue half-rimmed glasses walks in.

"Excuse me, sir," she says. "the Student Council needs to speak with Issei Toujou."

I raise an eyebrow. I wonder what Sona wants? I guess we'll find out. I get up and approach the woman. Of course, as a man of culture, I recognize Tsubaki Shinra. I remember reading that she had heterochromatic eyes in the light novels, but they're both brown in the anime. I wonder which version we'll get here.

I arrive in front of her: one violet eye, one brown. "Miss Shinra, shall we," I say, motioning towards the door. She turns and walks out the door cool as an autumn morning.

We walk down the empty halls briskly. She's not one for small talk, I guess. "So, what does the Student Council need me for?" I ask to break the ice.

"You'll find out when we get there."

"Let me rephrase. What does the Sitri Peerage need me for?"

"Same answer."

"No hints?"

'Sage, how good are you at chess?'

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The door to the Student Council office is a bit over the top. It looks like the entrance to a royal audience hall. It's like we exited a school and entered a castle. The echo of the door mechanism clicking open reinforces that perception. Sona is a bit over the top. I guess it runs in the family.

Tsubaki and I walk in, and Sona is sitting at the head of a long table full-on lord mode, elbows resting on the table, hands clasped together, chin resting on her hands, and light reflecting off her glasses to enhance the effect. Yep, over-the-top drama queen in the guise of a serious student. We walk towards the table, but I notice the chessboard to the side. I stop and start setting up the board.

I could feel Sona's curiosity and Tsubaki's annoyance. I look up at them. "I figured we could have our discussion over a quick game. You wouldn't mind, would you, Miss Student Council President? I brought cupcakes," I say, materializing the box from my storage space.

Sona pauses for a second and then gets up from the table and walks over, and sits down across from me at the chessboard. I place a cupcake on a plate with a dessert fork next to her. I know the fork is ridiculous, but that's the sort of thing I expect from some of these noble devils. "I hope you like it. I made it myself," I say. "Miss Shinra, would you like one as well. I promise you the experience is divine."

Tsubaki looks at Sona, who nods slightly, and Tsubaki accepts the dessert... and fork. Of course. I smile as they take their first bite and their eyes practically bulge out of their heads. I take two pawns from the board and hide one in each of my hands. "Have you ever noticed, Miss Sitri, that sometimes someone with the most technically sound skills will make a mediocre product, while someone with what can only be considered mediocre skills will make an absolutely incredible piece of art? Do you know why that is?"

Sona shakes her head and chooses one of my hands, concealing the pieces. I open my hand, revealing the black piece. She takes it, and we place our piece on the board. "Very simple. Art isn't only about technical skill. Art is expression. Art, whether painting, singing, or even baking is about putting some of yourself, your soul, into the art," I say.

Sona and Tsubaki are a little flushed at this point, and every bite they take from the cupcake escalates their condition. "I'm not speaking metaphorically. This is part of creating art. It's not a large chunk of the soul, it would be like plucking a hair from your head, and it grows back, maybe even stronger than before."

I change gears. "Before we begin our game. Would you care to make any wagers? Perhaps a similar one to how you got your engagement annulled?" I ask. "I believe you said, 'Only someone at least as smart as you could be your fiance.'"

Both women freeze. Tsubaki's eyes are wide, and Sona is caught mid-bite, her fork, at her lips.

"I assume Miss Gremory has given you the gist of our alliance, though maybe not the exact details. Perhaps that's why I'm here?"

Sona swallows and puts the fork down. "Rias has informed us of the coming threat that you have warned her about and that you've entered an alliance. The details of which are somewhat of a mystery to us. I was wondering if you were willing to illuminate us as to the nature of the alliance?"

"Fairly standard. Mutual aid in times of crisis, assistance in training, and my ability to directly and dramatically increase the power and abilities of the peerage members... with some cost, but nothing damaging. I just need a unique energy source for my abilities."

Something passes between the two women. "Would you be willing to give us a demonstration?" Sona asks.

"I'm a little low on LP, currently. It wouldn't be anything shocking," I say.

"Well, what did you show Rias? Maybe you can do the same thing?"

"The only thing I showed the Gremory Peerage was when I offered a gift to Koneko, and that silly girl wished for larger breasts. Personally, I think the girl was perfect the way she was, but it was her wish and body, so who am I to deny it. So, I granted her an ability I call Bust Up, which increased her breast size by one to two cups sizes."

They look at each other, with Tsubaki giving a hard stare at Sona's chest. Sona's frown says it all. "I should also note that I can also add abilities to items. Take this chessboard, for instance. I could, in theory, enchant it with the ability to arrange and move pieces according to the players' wishes."

Sona thinks for a moment. "Would you do that, just as a demonstration?"

I have Sage calculate the cost. It's not too much. There isn't an AI there, just basically a mental joystick and a way to define active players. "I can. Is that what you wish?"

She nods.

I use 'Get Creative' to make a D-ranked ability called Board Control. Basically, it allows registered players to think about their moves and use an 'execute command' The board will move the pieces itself.

I briefly explain the actions, and then I move a few of the pieces around the board, look at Sona, and smile. "Register player. White. Issei."

"Player white registered. Issei," a feminine voice that was a little breathier and sexier than I anticipated, says.

I think for a moment, and the white pieces move back to the start positions. I motion towards the board. "Your turn Miss President."

"Register player. Black. Sona."

"Player black registered. Sona."

The black piece shortly reset to their start locations.

"And you can do this with people as well?" Sona asks.

"Yes. Want to be a talented swordsman, but have no talent? I can give you the talent. You'll still have to practice, but the effects will be much better. Want to improve your talent in magic? I can help with that as well. That and any number of other things, but it all has a cost," I say, then sigh a little. "And I do have a certain limit until I get stronger as well. I could not create Rias's Power of Destruction, for example; it's too high tier... for now."

"And you're just willing to share this with us-" Tsubaki starts until I hold up a finger to forestall her.

"With allies. And like I said, there are limitations and costs. This isn't a free-for-all. I'm not a god..." I say but pause to think. 'I guess technically I have a god bloodline, so... maybe?'

Shaking my thoughts loose, I continue what I was saying to Tsubaki and Sona. "Also, we'd have to negotiate terms for an alliance. Rias's peerage was offered quite good terms, really, but that was then, and this is now."

"May I ask one other question?" Sona asks. I nod, not being pedantic. "How did you know about the plan to restart the war by taking my and Rias's life?"

I smile. I was wondering when she'd get here. "I've been privy to a number of potential futures, and in each of them, there were a few consistent things. One of them was that giant douche, Kokabiel, tries to kill you two to restart the war."

Sona frowns. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to tell us how you came to be 'privy' to these 'potential futures,' would you?"

"I'm afraid that's something only I can know. I can't give up all my secrets, now can I?"

"I suppose not. Shall we begin our game?"

"Certainly. Stakes?"

"If I win, my peerage gains the same terms as Rias's peerage. If you win, I believe you already know the prize," Sona says levelly.

"Are you certain? I'm not generally a fan of treating someone like a trophy, and that is essentially what you are suggesting."

"That's only if you can win," she says confidently. I grin like a demon.

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"Checkmate."

Tsubaki stares at the board in utter disbelief. Sona is at least at the Grand Master level. If I didn't have Sage backing me up, I would have lost hands down. Cheating? Maybe. But I won as soon as the stakes were set. Either result was identical. Part of the alliance with Rias was our engagement, and so, as part of our alliance, per Sona's request, she would also become my fiance.

Sona was still in shock. "Don't worry, per the terms of our wager, this result was inevitable," I say. Sona looks up at that, confused.

"I guess Rias neglected to mention that one of the stipulations of our alliance was that she and I became engaged. Admittedly, in that case, it was for strategic reasons, but none the less the result is the same."

"I walked right into your trap, didn't I?" Sona says.

I scrunch my face. "Maybe a little. Honestly, I didn't think it would work out so well, but since it did, we should discuss the terms of our alliance. Of course, these terms are identical to the ones I came to with Rias and her peerage. Consider it a benefit of our pending nuptials."

I proceed to explain the basics of my abilities and the concept of LP in much the same way that I did with Rias and her peerage. By the end of my explanation, both Sona and Tsubaki were bright red and wide-eyed.

"B-b-but, then, we would have to... W-with you," Sona stammered. "And Rias agreed to this?"

"Yes, that's the way the abilities work. I'm not saying you need to have sex with me; I gained LP by cuddling with Koneko for a little while. Sex would probably give a bigger boost, but as long as you're not in a hurry, smaller intimacies would work as well, over time."

They both looked at me, a trace of suspicion in their eyes. Well, if by trace I mean a mountain, then it's a trace.

"Look. LP is about satisfaction. So developing our relationship would lead to a more satisfying experience and thus more LP. That's why just jumping right into intercourse isn't what I'm after. If it was, there are easier methods to reach my goals," I say.

I actually believe this. I noticed when I was throat fucking Raynare; it took a lot longer to reach the same level of LP gain than it did with either Mio or Maria, Hell, even anally finger banging Shizuka got more immediate results. We had just met, but the thing was that the interaction was, strangely enough, more satisfying. Maybe if I break through Raynare's shell and can engage with her like a real person, I'll be more fulfilled, and the LP will roll in a little better.

"This isn't just a ploy to take advantage of us, is it?" Sona asks.

"My lovely fiance, if I wanted to take advantage of you, I wouldn't be giving you an out on the sexual activities. I want us to develop a relationship for mutual benefit. There are threats in this world that none of us can face alone. Only by uniting and standing together can we overcome these challenges. I know not all of this makes sense, but going back to those potential futures I mentioned earlier, I've seen you face adversity many times. You are one of the people I would happily stand next to and face it together."

They both stare at me, a trace of a blush on Sona's face to match the suspicion from before. Eventually, their shoulders relax, and their tension drops. I guess I've made a molehill out of the mountain.