Rias Takes Off

Hachiman's younger sister, Komachi Hikigaya, looked at Eriri with a sweet smile, her eyes squinting into little crescent moons. Her slightly round face beamed with a youthful energy. And so, under her eager gaze, Eriri introduced herself once more.

"So you're Komachi! What a cute name. I'm Eriri Spencer Sawamura."

"Oh wow! Eriri-neesan, are you mixed? People always say mixed-race people are super pretty, and I guess it's really true!"

Komachi then looked over to see Akino and Yukino and gasped again in awe.

"Whoa, twins! You two are also so beautiful! Eriri-neesan, are they your friends?"

Having kept an eye on Eriri, Akino smiled back at Komachi and joined in the conversation.

"Hello, Komachi! I'm Akino Yukinoshita, and this is my younger sister, Yukino. What do you think? Do we look identical?"

As Akino hugged Yukino's shoulders and brought her close, Komachi studied the two faces carefully, unable to tell the slightest difference no matter the angle she looked from.

"Wow, amazing!" Komachi was completely in awe.

She didn't have even the slightest shyness typical of meeting new people, and soon, even Yukino, who usually kept to herself, was chatting with the lively girl. As for her brother, the original protagonist with his famously deadpan stare, Hachiman Hikigaya sat alone beside her, staring intently at the stage.

An hour later, the sea lion show wrapped up, and Komachi reluctantly bid Eriri and the others farewell as she left the theater with her brother.

Once outside, Komachi excitedly chattered to Hachiman about what had just happened and looked at her brother with high expectations.

"Hey, Onii-chan! Akino-neesan and Yukino-neesan are in Sobu High School too! Have you heard of them?"

"I have." Hachiman nodded, remembering the well-known Yukinoshita sisters at Sobu High School. Though he wasn't social by any means, he was aware of the school's beautiful twin "flowers on a high peak."

Komachi looked envious, "It would be so nice if they could be my big sisters! So, Onii-chan, how do you feel about them?"

She spoke with meaning behind her words, worried that her socially awkward brother would end up alone. She was keen to play matchmaker and considered Yukino and Akino to be excellent candidates.

As for Eriri, she didn't even dare to entertain that thought. No matter how her brother tried, she felt Eriri was leagues out of his reach. What Komachi didn't know, however, was that her matchmaking plans were doomed from the start.

"Don't say silly things." Hachiman shot her a look, never foolish enough to think he had any chance with such high-class girls.

"Let's just grab some lunch."

"Roger~" Komachi grinned and playfully stuck out her tongue before following closely behind him.

…

After lunch, following a brief discussion, Eriri and the others made their way to the theme park in the center of the aquarium. Upon arrival, they immediately noticed the massive roller coaster track looming in the air and the slowly turning Ferris wheel in the distance.

But for Eriri and Akino, these thrilling rides had no effect. Whether it was the screaming roller coaster or the freefall of the tower, to them, it was no different than a gentle ride. However, Yukino and Alice couldn't get enough of it, though their faces turned pale from the excitement.

Soon, the day passed quickly, and Eriri and the others explored all the most popular spots, satisfied with their outing.

The next day, Eriri returned to the Saekano world with Alice in tow. Everyone warmly welcomed the newcomer, especially Reina and Sakura, who were excited to have a new friend to go to school with. Alice finally got to meet the angel she'd eagerly awaited, but upon seeing Gabriel's lazy attitude, her reaction was as expected by Eriri.

The once-idealized image of a holy angel vanished, replaced by Gabriel, lying in bed grumbling and glued to her video game. Gabriel still spent considerable time gaming, yet her power level kept rising, now at the Mid-Fourth Level. However, she was still no match for her formidable elder sister.

…

Another three days passed, and with little patience to stay idle, Eriri planned to visit the High School DxD world. This time, however, she wasn't going alone—Aoi Kujo and Liliana joined her.

Liliana, thrilled to be accompanying Eriri on an outing, could hardly contain her excitement. Serving Eriri was her purpose in this world, but Eriri had left her behind during previous excursions, leaving her disheartened for some time.

After breakfast, Eriri, Aoi Kujo, and Liliana set out for the High School DxD world. Eriri's entry point was typically near her friends, so she soon found herself in the Occult Research Club room of Kuoh Academy, where Rias Gremory and Akeno Himejima were seated on a sofa.

The room featured a European-inspired design, with two sofas facing each other, separated by a wooden coffee table. The walls held golden candle holders, and a large, elegant chandelier hung from the ceiling, though it was unlit as warm sunlight streamed in through the windows.

"Rias, I'm here to visit! And Akeno, it's been a while," Eriri greeted them with a smile.

"Eriri! Why didn't you tell me you were coming? I could've prepared something." Rias stood up in surprise, looking at Eriri with delight.

After so much time spent together, Rias no longer maintained her initial formal respect towards Eriri but rather saw her as a true sister, as the others did.

Akeno smiled gently, bowing respectfully. "It's been a while, Eriri-sama."

"Wanted to surprise you," Eriri said as she casually took a seat on the sofa across from Rias and Akeno.

Following close behind, Aoi Kujo and Liliana politely stood just behind Eriri. Rias noticed them and warmly greeted them.

"It's been a while, Aoi-san, Liliana-san. I still remember Aoi-san's amazing cooking!"

They had met only briefly at Sakura's birthday celebration, but they remembered each other well. They were all far from ordinary, with exceptional memories to match, making it difficult to forget anyone once met.

As Eriri's personal maid, Aoi Kujo held a special status among the other members. Her incredible cooking only made her more memorable.

"You're too kind. I'd be happy to prepare lunch for everyone today," Aoi replied smoothly.

Having received Eriri's assistance, Aoi's power had now risen to the Top-Fourth Level, surpassing many in the chat group. Yet she remained humble and deferential in her interactions with Eriri's friends.

"That's wonderful news! I'm sure Koneko will be thrilled," Rias said with a glint in her eyes. She remembered Aoi's food fondly.

Koneko, also known as Shirone Toujou, was another of Rias's female peerage members. She had accompanied Rias to the Saekano world for Sakura's birthday celebration. An avid foodie, Koneko had been enamored with Aoi's cooking and had asked Rias countless times when they would next visit the Saekano world.

"Oh, is Koneko still in class?" Eriri asked, recalling the cute, soft-furred cat girl.

Having learned the original storyline from Rias, Eriri knew of the misunderstandings between Koneko and her older sister. With Rias's help, Koneko had resolved her resentment toward her sister and accepted her identity as a Nekomata. When Eriri last saw Koneko, she had adorable cat ears and a tail, prompting Eriri to pet her like Reina or Shea. Koneko's fur, though not as luxurious as Reina's, had its unique charm.

"Yes, if you hadn't come, Akeno and I would have headed to class soon."

After a chat group mission, time in each member's world synchronized with the others, except for the date. So Japan was currently in the early morning hours.

"So, aren't you heading to class now?"

"Nah, hanging out with you is way more important," Rias replied without hesitation.

Being a devil, school held little significance for her. Besides, Kuoh Academy was under her family's, the Gremory family's, management, so no one would care if she skipped. Her enrollment was more out of interest in human culture.

Rias then looked over at Akeno and said, "Akeno, go ahead and head to class. I'll take care of things here."

"Oh, no, I couldn't leave with such a distinguished guest here," Akeno refused cheerfully.

Though officially superior to Akeno, Rias was also her best friend, so minor things like this were commonplace.

"Fine, suit yourself," Rias sighed, resigned.

At that moment, Aoi Kujo took out an exquisite tea set from her storage ring and began preparing red tea. Noticing this, Rias and Akeno both remembered they hadn't prepared any refreshments for their guests. Akeno immediately offered to take over.

"Aoi-san, please, let me prepare the tea."

"Thank you for the offer, but I know the lady's preferences best," Aoi gently declined, leaving Akeno no room to argue.

Soon, a pot of fragrant tea sat on the table, filling the room with a sweet aroma.

"Lily, don't stand there—come have tea with us." Eriri patted the spot next to her, gesturing for Liliana to join.

Knowing her well, Liliana didn't refuse and took the seat beside her. Eriri then pulled Aoi Kujo to her other side so that everyone now had a cup of tea before them.

Taking a sip of the tea, Eriri turned back to Rias, asking, "So, is your engagement resolved?"

"Not yet. Since you wanted to watch the show, I've kept my current strength under wraps. The real fun will be in the rating game with Riser."

Since the recent mission in the Akame ga Kill world, a week had passed. With chat group points from Eriri's bonus, Rias had leveled up her power to the Early-Fourth Level. Though she still had a way to go compared to others in the group, she was now an impressive fighter in the DxD world.

In her world's terms, Rias was now an Transcendental-Class Devil, as strong as her older brother Sirzechs.

"Very good, this is exactly what I wanted. Honestly, my main reason for coming here was to see this play out." Eriri cast a look of approval at Rias.

Seeing Eriri's pleased smile, Rias felt that her decision to delay dealing with the engagement issue had indeed been the right one.

"In that case, it's about time I have my family arrange a date for the rating game against the Phoenix family."

With that, Rias used a special method to communicate her rejection of marriage to Riser, expressing her desire for a rating game to her parents and brother.

Moments later, an intricately patterned white magic circle flashed within the Occult Research Club room, from which a silver-haired beauty in a maid uniform emerged. She cast a brief glance at Eriri, Aoi Kujo, and Liliana, then assumed a serious expression as she approached Rias.

"Young Lady, Sir Sirzechs has been informed of your intentions. Are you certain about this? While you and Lord Riser are both High-Class Devils, the Phoenix family's immortality isn't easily overcome. And it seems you're lacking in numbers among your peerage."

"Don't worry, Grayfia. I'm not the same person I once was. Even alone, I could easily make Riser and his peerage retreat." Rias crossed her legs, exuding such confidence that the silver-haired beauty's gaze flashed with intrigue.

The silver-haired beauty, known as Grayfia Lucifuge, was called the "Queen of Annihilation." She was a bona fide Satan-Class powerhouse and the wife of Rias's older brother, Sirzechs. Though Satan-Class strength maxed out at only around level 3, in comparison to Rias's current level 4, the gap was quite vast.

At this moment, Rias could easily overpower Grayfia, the woman known as the Underworld's most powerful female devil.

"Understood. Sir Sirzechs has tasked me with overseeing the rating game and determining the victor. The game will be set for three days from now."

Grayfia refrained from questioning Rias's sudden confidence. Though she didn't personally believe Rias would win, deep down, she hoped she could. Both she and Sirzechs loved Rias dearly, but due to the circumstances, they were unable to directly help their sister.

In ancient times, the conflict between devils, fallen angels, and angels drastically reduced the number of pure-blood devils. To ensure the survival of their bloodlines, female members of noble devil houses often had arranged marriages with other noble devil families. To oppose such arrangements, one needed the strength to back it up. Rias's close friend, Sona Sitri, had been able to escape her own engagement only by winning a rating game against her intended match.

"I've no objections," Rias replied casually. But she turned her gaze to Eriri, hoping to hear her opinion.

"Eriri, what do you think of the timing?"

"Three days sounds good; it's not too long. I'll have just enough time to explore a few other places."

Rias and Eriri's exchange drew Grayfia's attention. Finally, Grayfia focused on Eriri, realizing that she had overlooked her. Although she had been briefly struck by Eriri's stunning appearance, she hadn't initially paid her too much mind.

Not only Eriri, but Aoi Kujo and Liliana were all so powerful that they vastly outstripped Grayfia's own abilities, even though she was unaware of this. To her, Eriri, Kujo, and Liliana merely appeared as humans, leading her to assume they were the new recruits Rias was eyeing for her peerage, which explained her lack of initial curiosity about their presence.

But something seemed off. Grayfia found herself increasingly curious about Eriri's real identity; no ordinary human could make Rias defer to them.

"Very well then, Young Lady. I will return to report to Sir Sirzechs. Please make your preparations for the rating game three days from now." Grayfia vanished from the room in a white flash.

…

Before long, it was noon, and the morning classes at Kuoh Academy had ended. Koneko arrived at the Occult Research Club room at once. She usually brought her own bento for lunch but often enjoyed eating with Rias and the others in the club room.

Seeing Eriri seated on the couch, Koneko's eyes lit up. Although her expression didn't change much, the joy in her gaze was evident.

Koneko quickened her steps and walked up to Eriri, speaking somewhat shyly, "It's been a while, Lady Eriri."

She also noticed Liliana seated on Eriri's left, as well as Aoi Kujo, who was arranging delicious-looking dishes on the tea table.

With a slightly restrained manner, she greeted them both. "Nice to see you again, Miss Liliana, Miss Aoi."

But almost immediately, Koneko's eyes were drawn to the table filled with mouthwatering food. Compared to Aoi Kujo's exquisite dishes, her own bento suddenly seemed far less appealing.

Watching her adorable little face and the slight movement of her throat, Eriri could tell Koneko was positively drooling at the sight.

"School's out, huh, Koneko?" Eriri's mood visibly lifted at the sight of Koneko.

Without a second thought, she pulled Koneko onto her lap, her hand instantly reaching up to rub her soft cat ears.

Koneko, caught off guard by this sudden move, momentarily forgot the food on the table, her face flushing red.

Due to her sensitive ears, Koneko quickly relaxed, her small body leaning snugly into Eriri's embrace.

"Haven't you gotten even cuter since the last time I saw you, Koneko?" Eriri gave her a gentle pinch on her smooth cheeks, a smile of pure delight never leaving her face.

Although Koneko was technically the same age as Eriri at sixteen, her petite figure was closer to that of a young girl. Her silky white hair fell around her sweet face, only enhancing her doll-like charm.

At less than 140 centimeters tall, Koneko was a full 20 centimeters shorter than Eriri, making her look like a delicate doll as she sat in her lap.

Soft, warm, and exuding a faint scent, Koneko let Eriri indulge her desire to cuddle a cat-girl for quite some time.

"Lady Eriri," Koneko murmured. Though her ears and cheeks were being gently pinched, she showed no resistance, instead leaning her face into Eriri's hand with closed eyes like a kitten.

After a few minutes, Eriri released her, and they all began to enjoy the delicious lunch Aoi Kujo had prepared. The bentos Koneko and the others had brought were completely forgotten.

…

After lunch, Eriri left Kujo and Liliana in the Occult Research Club room, while she entered the Dimensional Gap of the High School DxD world on her own.

The Dimensional Gap acts as a barrier, blocking invasions from other worlds, and is guarded by Earth's strongest being, the "True Red Dragon God Emperor."

This being's name is Great Red, also known as the "Apocalypse Dragon" or "True Dragon," and was one of Earth's two Dragon Gods, earning the title "Dragon of Dragons." In fact, the abbreviation "DxD" in the original title actually stands for "Dragon of Dragons" in honor of Great Red.

The ever-drifting Great Red within the Dimensional Gap had not noticed Eriri's arrival. The reason Eriri had come here, after all, was to find Great Red.

In her past life, Eriri had read plenty of fanfiction depicting Great Red as a stunning red-haired beauty in human form, and she'd come to satisfy her curiosity to see if that was true.

Though Great Red's movements were unpredictable in the Dimensional Gap, Eriri could pinpoint her exact location the moment she entered.

Using instant movement, Eriri teleported directly in front of the colossal dragon.

Great Red's body was enormous, spanning hundreds of meters, embodying the classical image of a western dragon. With a single, skyward-pointing horn atop her head, she was entirely covered in glowing, crimson scales.

Great Red was caught off guard by Eriri's sudden appearance, but before she could fully register what was happening, she collided with her. Eriri placed her hand firmly on Great Red's massive horn, stopping her from moving even an inch further.

The massive momentum made Great Red tremble, but it was nothing that could actually harm her. As the mightiest dragon on Earth, her Level 6 power was nothing to underestimate.

"Who are you, and why could I not sense your presence?" A resounding voice echoed throughout the Dimensional Gap, containing only the faintest hint of a quiver.

Great Red was anxious. Even in close proximity, she couldn't sense anything from Eriri—not her power, not her identity.

Eriri ignored her question, patting Great Red's forehead as she declared, "Alright, change into human form!"

With Eriri's words, the Dimensional Gap went silent. Great Red stared wide-eyed at Eriri, utterly speechless.

People often said that Dragon Gods were genderless, but this wasn't entirely true. Just from that initial glance, Eriri was able to confirm that Great Red was unmistakably female.

And so, with a light smack, Eriri patted her head once more.

"What are you staring at? Hurry up and transform. Come on!"

Great Red had never experienced anything like this before. Although she wanted to resist, the reality of Eriri's strength left her no choice but to comply.

Reluctantly, she changed her form, and the massive crimson dragon vanished from the Dimensional Gap. In her place appeared a loli with scarlet hair flowing down to her ankles.

This little girl, now Great Red, had a height of only about 140 centimeters, with delicate features possessing an ethereal beauty that, though not quite on par with Eriri's, rivaled the likes of Ai Hayasaka and Shinobu Oshino.

At the moment, Eriri still held onto Great Red's singular horn, which now resembled an adorable, oversized cowlick on her head, causing Great Red's cute face to wrinkle slightly in annoyance.

"Release me, insolent one. I've heeded your request. Can you let go now?" Her voice was like a pouty loli's, carrying a slight lilt that made Eriri's heart skip with excitement.

Letting go of Great Red's little horn, Eriri swept her into a tight hug, snuggling her face against Great Red's soft, smooth cheek.

"So cute! Alright, it's settled. From now on, you're my dragon girl. I'm naming you Scarlet."