Ball

"Hey, wouldn't we—I mean, wouldn't you be able to make a ton of money if you patented and sold the items you made? Personal, full-dive VR with realistic NPCs and a customizable narrative is like every Otaku's dream..." remarked Issei, walking in a daze with his bookbag behind his head as he, Vahn, and Kiba made their way to the Academy around 7:30 AM.

"It should be possible..." confirmed Vahn, nodding. "But if I did that, the current market wouldn't be able to keep up, and a lot of people would be out of a job. And since we have no idea how the tech works, it could very easily be abused if it fell into the wrong hands..."

"Makes sense..." responded Issei. "But if it's just an issue of knowledge, can't you create technical manuals and blueprints? Then we could roll out the technology gradually over time."

Shaking his head, Vahn contended, "It's better to let people invested in things like that develop the technology organically. That way, society and legislation can evolve alongside them."

"I agree with Vahn-sama on this matter," stated Kiba, wearing his usual smile as he reminded, "Besides, as Devils and members of Rias-buchou's Peerage, we have little need to concern ourselves with human currency. The Ducal House of Gremory owns many banks, a chain of luxury hotels that spans the globe, and several islands. In the Underworld, their private domain is larger than Japan's largest island, so if you require an allowance or funding for something, you need only to inform Buchou and put in a bit of effort."

"Man, talk about old money..." muttered Issei, finding it difficult to wrap his head around how wealthy Rias and her family must be. However, when he considered how long Devils lived, it made sense that they could amass extreme generational wealth...

"Do you think Buchou would allow me to open a savings account with her family...?" asked Issei, prompting Kiba to exhale an amused chuckle before responding, "I'm certain that could be arranged," with a smile...

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With a week passing in the blink of an eye, the day of the Ball Tournament arrived. The sky that morning was gloomy and notably overcast, heralding an inescapable downpour, but it thankfully didn't begin falling during any of the morning events, consisting of soccer between first-year classes, baseball between second-years, and singles and doubles tennis between third-years. After that, indoor events were held in the gymnasium, where Clubs pitted against one another in games like basketball, volleyball, and dodgeball, with the ORC, in particular, being pitted against the Baseball Club.

"What the hell!? Why can't we hit them...!?" exclaimed the Captain of the all-boys Baseball Club, his expression morphed into disbelief as he and his friends focused their efforts on Vahn and Kiba but to no avail. They were able to eliminate Issei without much issue, focusing all their attacks on him as he ran about and dodged a surprising amount of them, but Vahn and Kiba were like machines; the former focused, and the latter relaxed as they evaded every ball thrown their way with marked ease.

"Sorry, but I can't afford to lose," stated Vahn, catching the ball thrown by the Captain with one hand, earning himself considerable fanfare from the large crowd of predominately female students. By now, everyone knew he and Rias were dating, but that didn't prevent him from acquiring a fan club and being recognized as one of the Academy's Dark Prince, a counterpart to Kiba's Prince Charming.

"Kyaaaaa~! Vahn-sama, fight~!"

"Kiba-kun, look this way~!"

"Beat those smelly jerks from the Baseball Club~!"

"Move out of the way, Issei-san...!"

"Please hold that pose so I can take a photo for the Photography Club~!"

With virtually all the girls present cheering for Vahn and Kiba, it was only a matter of time before the Baseball Club succumbed to a complete lack of motivation. Meanwhile, Rias, Akeno, Koneko, and Asia simply observed the match with crossed arms or relaxed poses as none of the boys in the Baseball Club dared throw any balls their way, making it a match between them versus Vahn, Kiba, and Issei. The latter got eliminated several times, but as he could return if Vahn or Kiba caught a ball, the match inevitably ended with the ORC's victory...

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"Why am I the only one hated...?" asked Issei, looking like he was on the verge of tears as he stood with his head lowered, leaning against a wall in the wake of the ORC's victory.

"It's because you're a pervert..." responded Koneko, her words spoken curtly and without hesitation before she returned to licking an ice cream cone provided to her by Vahn.

All but confirming Koneko's accusation, Issei grumbled, "Well...at least I got to see everyone wearing bloomers..."

"Mind if I borrow this target dummy...?" asked Tsubasa, approaching the ORC's group, directing the question to Rias and gesturing with her thumb at Issei.

"Tsu-Tsu-Tsubasa-chan...!" exclaimed Issei, briefly snapping to attention before adopting a more casual expression and posture as he asked, "Did Sona already cut you loose...?"

"To answer your question, he's all yours. Just make sure to have him back to us by tomorrow," responded Rias, prompting Tsubasa to offer her a curt nod before dragging Issei away with a relaxed expression, contrasting his excited and goofy grin. The medicine that Vahn had provided worked very well, so for the past three days, Tsubasa had been dragging him off to, as she put it, make up for lost time...

"We should also get back to the Old School Building," suggested Rias, directing the words and a narrow-eyed smile at Vahn as she remarked, "Since I defeated Sona in our match, you're mine until everyone enters the Corridor tomorrow..."

Though his heart skipped a beat at Rias's words, Vahn managed to appear calm, aided by his Will of the Emperor, as he adopted a teasing smile and replied, "I'll be sure to reward you plentily..." before punctuating his words with a wink. Rias exhaled a faint and throaty laugh in response, but before he left with Akeno, Koneko, and Asia, he turned to Kiba, bumping knuckles with the blonde-haired Knight as he added, "Good work today. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Indeed you shall," responded Kiba, reciprocating the gesture with a smile and waving at the group as they departed. Soon after, a thunderous crack caused the lights within the gymnasium to flicker, eliciting several startled cries as the sky opened, unleashing a veritable deluge...

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"Hmmm? Vahn, wait a second..." said Rias, recovering from the stupor she had fallen into in an instant, her blue eyes swimming within her sockets as if she were searching for something.

"What's wrong...?" panted Vahn, slowing and stopping his movements but keeping his hands on Rias's waist from behind. They had been going at it doggy-style, so as he awaited her response, Vahn couldn't but admire the line, contours, and dimples of her back.

"I just received a report that two cloaked figures were seen heading into the Abandoned Church that previously served as a base for the Fallen Angels that killed Issei and tried to steal Asia's Sacred Gear..." revealed Rias, clamping her insides but pulling away from Vahn, allowing him to slip out of her before turning to face him, smiling apologetically as she stated, "Sorry, Vahn. But if these two have anything to do with that group, I must be prepared to react in case they try anything."

"Don't apologize," responded Vahn, shaking his head and adopting a smile of his own as he expressed, "As much as I enjoy sex, I'm happy just being able to spend time with you."

"You would say that~" hummed Rias, grabbing and caressing Vahn's not-so-little brother and kissing him before releasing him to get up from the bed, crimson Magic Circles appearing above and below her. Then, in less than a second, she was completely clothed in her Kuoh Academy uniform, her face slightly flushed but otherwise nothing to indicate they had been having sex for multiple hours.

As if she had been waiting the entire time, Grayfia abruptly appeared from a silver Magic Circle, her hands folded neatly atop her lap as she modeled her shorter-skirted Maid attire.

After a curt nod in Vahn's direction, Grayfia looked to Rias and reminded her, "Since this town is under your and Sona-sama's jurisdiction, I cannot intervene unless the situation becomes especially dire."

"I am well aware, Grayfia. Thank you..." responded Rias, looking between the silver-haired, silver-eyed Devil and Vahn before shaking her head. For a brief moment, the thought of having Grayfia substitute for her entered her mind. However, as Vahn had made it clear several times that he didn't want to complicate things between Grayfia and her brother, she promptly dismissed the notion. Instead, she summoned Asia.

"Eh? Awawaaaaau—"

Not expecting to be summoned so suddenly, Asia, wearing a transparent black negligee with black, pink-trimmed panties and stockings, nearly lost her footing as she was unceremoniously dropped out of a crimson Magic Circle. Before she could, Rias caught her by her shoulder, supporting her as she said, "I need to look into something. You will accompany and take care of Vahn in my stead. Have fun."

"Oh? It would be my pleasure...!" responded Asia, going from confusion to fiery-eyed excitement the moment her brain fully processed Rias's words. She even struck a guts pose, her fists raised excitedly up to her face and her bat-like wings unfurling behind her, causing Vahn's smile to cramp as he had originally wanted to accompany Rias for her investigation. Now, he felt he had no choice but to accompany the excited Asia...

'I need to get stronger more quickly...' thought Vahn, concluding that Rias was, once again, prioritizing his safety. He understood why, but he would much prefer if she trusted and relied on him rather than feeling she had to protect him...

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"This is so exciting! I've always wanted to explore the Corridor with just the two of us~!" exclaimed Asia, her emerald eyes sparkling as she and Vahn appeared before the sealed door of the Second Stratum's Twentieth Floor. Ever since she was reincarnated as a Devil, the pure white sections of her papal attire had turned pitch black. More notably, both layers of her robes were now open at the front, exposing her black lace panties, garter belt, and stockings despite the Set's stats and effects remaining the same as before.

"Just remember to stay behind me," said Vahn, wearing a confident smile while feeling guilty on the inside. Shortly after Rias and Grayfia departed, he asked Asia if she wanted to enter the Corridor, reasoning that it would give them more time when, in reality, he just wanted to have someone rely on him...

"Of course~!" responded Asia, sporting a happy smile as she clung tightly to her staff, sincerely excited by the prospect of entering a new area with just the two of them.

Exhaling from his nose, Vahn turned his attention to the door, which, ever since he acquired his Will of the Emperor, pulsed with a faint bluish-white light. The plan was to enter it the following morning as a group, but since Vahn was feeling restless, he wanted to, at the very least, take a peek at what lay beyond.

With such thoughts driving him, Vahn placed his right hand against the glowing wolf pattern, gently caressing it as the image of the colossal wolf from his dream resurfaced in his mind. Something deep within compelled him to want to know more about the mysterious and ostensibly lonesome creature, so as the crystal barring their entry into the Third Stratum pulled away like crumpling blocks, Vahn, accompanied by a smiling Asia, took his first steps into what he would quickly learn was aptly anointed the Frozen Abyss...

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