"Rias is preparing for the... Rating Game?"
I looked up from the chessboard, fingers still hovering over my bishop. Sona sat on the opposite couch, back perfectly straight like someone had shoved a steel rod down her spine. Afternoon light painted the Student Council Room windows, making her glasses flash when she tilted her head to look at the chess board.
How the hell time passed away so fast?
Either things were moving way faster than I remembered, or I'd been so deep in potion brewing that the rest of the world could've ended and I wouldn't have noticed. Probably the second one.
This whole week had been nothing but grinding with ingredients and watching reactions that would've made my high school chemistry teacher weep. Three different potions, batch after batch. Gravebloom Restoration. Hell Claw Surge. Styx Touch. The names sounded cool as hell but making them was about as exciting as watching a flying car.
Before my weekly hibernation, I did give her a bottle of the Gravebloom and Hell Claw Surge though. I figured it was the least I could do since she kept throwing magic books and rare ingredients my way like she was trying to win my trust like Pennywise. What really threw me off was she didn't leverage it. No "hey you'd be great in my peerage" conversation. Just thanks and that was it.
Concern
Sona coughed, noticing me zoned out mid-conversation and gave a look of "hey dumbass, I'm talking to you"
"Are you aware of what a Rating Game entails?" She picked up her pawn, holding it between two fingers like it personally offended her. And with her losing pieces so far, it won't be an exaggeration "Or should I give you details about it?"
Yeah....Not really.
I don't want another long-winded explanation about devil politics and supernatural bullshit I already knew. I'd hit my lifetime quota on those weeks ago. I nodded fast, hoping that'd be enough.
She made her move, the pawn clicked against the board "For the upcoming week, Rias will be spending her time training at her family's mansion. Meanwhile, I will fulfill your ingredients supplies request until then"
That's a relief Sona taking over supply management while Rias played Rocky montage before the Rating Game. I suffered enough losses when I was asked to not go for any Stray Devil Hunts, luckily it won't be the same case for potions. Luck seems to be in my favor so far.
"What do you think?" I asked, focusing on her hand as I caught a glimpse of her next move "Will she win?"
"I am uncertain..." Sona said, making her move "However, she appears fully confident that she will be victorious"
Yeah, because admitting that you will lose to your best friend when you're Lucifer's little sister? That's not happening. Pride's a hell of a drug, and she'd been injecting it since birth. Sona could probably read the worry behind all that confidence, but some things you just don't say out loud when you've got a family name that heavy sitting on your shoulders.
"What about the potion I gave to Leviathan-sama?" I leaned forward, making my move for my win "Did it work, or did I accidentally create a lethal poison instead?"
Look, I'd tested that thing, and ran it through every check I could think of, which was just my ability. But! But there's a difference between "I'm pretty sure this works" and "confirmed by literal Satans, yeah this works and we have a deal".
Sona's hand moved to her glasses again, she adjusted them and then looked at me with a smile.
"Your potion for Sleep Disease has been approved, Motohama kun"
The relief hit me like running back home from school at the start of summer vacation.
But Sona wasn't done, she said "I was also instructed to relay additional information"
I raised my brow, wondering if my newfound joy was shortlived.
"Ajuka Beelzebub has extended an invitation for you to meet with him personally"
Ajuka? One of the current Satans. The guy who made the Evil Pieces system.
I'd put this in my top three possibilities when I handed Styx Touch over to Serafall, and If I played my cards well, I could possibly, convince him to teach me equation-based magic. Man, taught himself the Kankara Formula, shit that literally nobody else in the entire Underworld could pull off, not even his own bloodline. Now that's someone who truly deserves a spot he is in.
I moved my King and asked "So when can I expect this meeting?"
"Next week, we shall be attending the Gremory-Phenex engagement party in the Underworld" She replied "I will be your escort to ensure your safe arrival for the Lucifaad, the Satan Territory"
And there it was. The final nail in the coffin for any lingering thoughts that Rias or her brother might try recruiting me into Rias's peerage. That's what you get when you're being acknowledged as valuable and are fully independent.
Feels good. Feels really damn good to be free.
"Checkmate"
Sona's eyes snapped to the board. So did Tsubaki's. The Queen had been standing behind her this whole time, silent as a ghost, just watching. Observing. Doing whatever it is loyal second-in-commands do when their boss is occupied.
The pieces told the whole story as both devils stared at Sona's white king trapped with no escape routes. The latter had face had pissed-off expression you get when you've lost at something you're supposed to be good at for the fifteenth time in a row.
"This is absurd.." She crossed her arms "How is it that I have not secured a single victory ever since we began playing?"
I gave her my best look of who knows "It's just, I am good at predicting your moves before you make them"
She stared at me as if she was trying to x-ray through my skull and read the cheat codes written on my brain.
After what felt like two thousand years, she sighed, admitting her defeat "You are the only individual who has ever defeated me at chess. And I still can't figure out how?"
Yeah, and you can thank the Eyes of Future for that one. Without this bullshit ability, I'd have been crushed in six moves while Sona made polite conversation about the discipline or some shit. But with it? Every possibility spread out in front of me like a roadmap.
"Motohama-kun. Can you take some time out of your busy schedule to complete a task for me?" She crossed her legs and pushed up her glasses, with a look that meant it's a serious one.
Well, I still have a potion left on my table which I am yet to introduce to Kalawarner. While she was passed out from exhaustion, I had created it knowing well enough that it's a magic enhancement spell but with some concerning backlash when its effect wears off.
"Sure, I was looking for a breath of fresh air after long tiring Alchemy sessions" I just hope Kalawarner hasn't drunk it because hell claw surge and that potion are very similar in appearance.
But knowing her, she would probably drink it as she knows well enough what would its after effects lead to.
"It appears that Stray Devils are being hunted with increased frequency in recent days. I wished to inquire whether you are responsible for this activity"
"Nah" I shook my head "I've barely left my room, let alone my house. Kalawarner and I were working every single day to get new batches ready"
Lately, I have been so obsessed with alchemy that I almost forgot I had an unused rank 2 gacha ticket in my inventory.
"It would appear to be the work of an outsider" She then looked at me with earnest gaze "I would request that you accompany Tsubaki to investigate the individual responsible for eliminating Stray Devils within Kuoh Town's territory. I am a bit occupied with school management work, so can you?"
Well, having Tsubaki tag along meant clearing any suspicion off Kalawarner and the other Fallen Angels that could possibly seem to working with her. She would be a perfect alibi for it. Seems like nothing would go wrong.
"Yeah, I'll do it" I stood up, turned to face Tsubaki directly "Give me a message when you would leave"
She nodded once, as I summoned my magic circle to return back to my room for new experiments and creations.
But the question kept gnawing at me as I headed for the door.
Who the fuck was behind it?
I ran through everything I remembered about the plot, scrolled through character lists in my head and found no one to be fitting to the puzzle.
Could it be someone from a filler episode?
---
The magic circle faded beneath my feet, leaving me standing in my bedroom.
And I am proud to say it was now completely clean, it once resembled the war zone of two cat nations.
Not a single broken vial on the floor, no sticky residue creeping across the floorboards. The whole room looked like someone had taken a sweet time to it, then followed up with an exorcism for good measure. I looked around the room, half-expecting to find Kalawarner's corpse somewhere because no way in hell she cleaned this place willingly without some kind of life-threatening motivation. Maybe she'd finally snapped from breathing in potion fumes all week and decided cleanliness was next to not losing her remaining two brain cells.
I collapsed onto the bed, springs groaning under my weight as exhaustion slammed into me.
Thank god. Everything was moving according to plan, Rias off training for her rating Game, Sona handling supplies, Ajuka's invitation, and I was still gloriously free from peerage bullshit.
My shoulders sagged into the mattress as relief unknotted muscles I didn't realize I'd been tensing for days. Just please, for the love of all things, don't let the one behind the Stray killings turn out to be Kokabiel or some other plot-relevant psychopath who'd drag me into an unnecessary fighting arc. But knowing myself and this gacha system, it wasn't my choice to make.
Then it hit me, I still had that Rank 2 Gacha ticket.
The familiar blue screen appeared in front of my face, glowing softly in the dim bedroom light. Text scrolled across it in that clean, game-like font that always made me feel like I was living in some badly translated JRPG.
"Rank 2 Gacha Ticket Available" blinked at me like it was daring me to press it. I reached out and tapped the screen. The ticket flared brilliant white, pixels scattering like fireworks, before solidifying into something long and sleek that clattered onto my bed. A sword. White scabbard, circular gold guard, wrapped hilt in best condition.
[ Wado Ichimonji ]
I lifted the katana, turning it over in my hands as information flooded my mind.
One of the 21 Great Grade Swords, forged by Shimotsuki Kouzaburou, blade sharp enough to cut through damn near anything and durable enough to survive battles that would shatter lesser weapons into scrap metal. The weight felt perfect, balanced like it had been made specifically for a swordsman hand, though definitely not mine.
This thing was a masterpiece. For a Rank 2 ticket, this was actually a solid pull. But here's the thing, I wasn't a swordsman and I had zero training, and the only thing I'd accomplish with this beauty was accidentally cutting off my own limbs or giving Kalawarner the perfect murder weapon when she inevitably would break from getting overworked with no pay.
I shoved it under the bed until it clinked against the wall.
Out of sight, out of mind.
And more importantly, out of reach of my homicidal servant who seemed to be missing at the moment. My gaze drifted across the room and snagged on the potion still sitting on my desk, completely untouched, its contents swirling with that "magical enhancement with concerning side effects".
Relief trickled through my chest. At least Kalawarner wasn't stupid enough to drink that, even if it looked identical to Hell Claw Surge, the potion that had given her a pain in the ass both metaphorically and physically after that. I would have gotten the same pain, but thanks to the Gravebloom potion, I dodged that bullet.
I stretched my arms overhead as I yawned from the exhaustion which even Cloranthy Ring doesn't seem to ease up. I really pushed myself beyond repair.
I needed a good uninterrupted sleep, not the half-conscious dozing I'd been doing between potion batches for the past week. Kalawarner was probably passed out in her room after working herself to exhaustion, and Asia wouldn't be back from school for hours. The bed tempted me to dive in, and I was too tired to resist. Just a quick nap before I had to drag myself out with Tsubaki to hunt down whoever was killing Strays in Kuoh.
This peaceful moment was short-lived, and I knew it, but damn if I wasn't going to enjoy it while it lasted.
I let my eyes fall shut, darkness swallowing me whole as consciousness started to slip away.
....
..
..
.
Slurp
Slurp
Slurp
My eyes cracked open, groggy and unfocused, as wet heat enveloped me below the waist.
"What the—?"
My hands scrambled for the covers, yanking them back in one sharp motion. The sight that greeted me made my brain filled with lots of question marks.
Kalawarner? Completely naked. Her blue hairs spilling across my thighs as her head bobbed, lips stretched around my length as she took me deeper with ease. But it was her eyes that made my brow raise, her pupils were wide, irises ringed with glowing pink hearts that glowed with each movement. She moaned around me, the pleasuring jolt shooting straight up my chest, and swallowed me to the hilt in one fluid motion that made stars explode behind my eyelids.
Pleasure flowed through me like honey melting across the tongue, slow and rich.
My head fell back against the pillow, gaze snapping to the top as my mind scrambled to process what was happening. Then my eyes found the desk. Empty. The potion was gone! A surprise and arousal warred in my chest as realization crashed down on me.
She'd drunk the magic enhancement potion with the aphrodisiac after effects. The one I'd specifically made a mental note to keep away from her. The one I'd been so relieved she hadn't touched.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck?
"Kalawarner—" I gasped, trying to form words as her tongue did something that made my thoughts scatter like dropped marbles on floor
She pulled back just enough to speak, saliva connecting her lips to my tip in a glistening strand, those heart-shaped pupils locked onto mine with feverish intensity.
"I couldn't stop myself anymore..." she breathed, voice heavy with desire, cheeks flushed crimson as her chest heaved. Her hand wrapped around my base, stroking slowly as she continued, words tumbling out in a rush "You told me....you told me what it would do. But I wanted this, and now the potion just... gave me permission to do it~"
I should've pushed her away and dealt with this responsibly. But her hand squeezed, her thumb swiping across the sensitive head, and rational thought evaporated like water on hot coals. Her other hand traced up my thigh, nails dragging lightly across skin as she leaned forward again.
"So stop thinking" she whispered against me, breath ghosting hot and wet across my ear "and just let me do this~"
Then her mouth was on me again, and thinking became impossible.
Her tongue swirled, smooth cheeks creating suction that made my hips buck involuntarily. Those hearts in her eyes glowed brighter with each bob of her head, her own arousal evident in the way her thighs pressed together, the flush spreading down her neck to the chest. One hand braced on my hip to hold me steady while the other worked with her mouth, twisting and stroking in ways that suggested she was committed to reducing me to a gasping mess.
Wet sounds filled the room, obscene and unmistakable, mixing with my ragged breathing and her muffled moans.
The thought flickered weakly in the back of my mind before being drowned out by another wave of pleasure. My fingers tangled in her blue hair, not pulling, just anchoring myself to something solid as the tension built higher and higher in my core.
She hummed in approval, the vibration nearly sending me over the edge right then. All of a sudden, her lips sealed tight around me and slid down until her nose brushed my pelvis, throat contracting around the tip.
"Kalawarner—I'm—"
She didn't pull back, and instead she gripped my thigh harder and doubled her efforts as if determined to wring every last drop of pleasure from my body. Her eyes never left mine, those pink hearts blazing with hunger and satisfaction.
Release tore through me in pulsing waves as I spilled down her throat, her name breaking from my lips in a strangled groan. She swallowed it all, working me through the aftershocks with gentle suction until I felt boneless and twitching with oversensitivity.
Only then did she pull off with an audible pop, licking her lips as she sat back on her heels with a grin on her face.
The potion's effects were far from over, if anything, they were just getting started. And judging by the way she was already crawling up my body, slick heat pressing against my thigh, round two was inevitable.
My exhausted brain tried to calculate how long the enhancement lasted, what the backlash would look like when it wore off, whether Tsubaki's message would come before or after Kalawarner rode me into unconsciousness. But as she sank down onto me with a breathy moan, her voluptuous figure made it hard to get up, only metaphorically.
I took out a Gravebloom potion and drank it in one go, as I felt my Cloranthy Ring vibrate in excitement along with Kalawarner.
I couldn't think straight anymore.
. . .
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