Chapter 259: Piece Restrictions and A New Round of Treatment
Beyond this, Haruto already had a general idea in mind about how to use his own Evil Pieces.
However, whether it would actually work remained to be confirmed once the pieces were in hand. For now, the most important thing was to verify Rias' hypothesis.
Ravel cooperatively stood in the center of the clubroom. Rias didn't plan to change pieces either, directly using that mutated Bishop piece to begin the contract ritual.
The contract ritual proceeded surprisingly smoothly. The red magic circle expanded and contracted, the piece transforming into energy that instantly merged into Ravel's body.
Having just left the Bishop position days earlier, the golden-haired twin-tailed young lady once again became a Bishop.
Since Ravel was already a pureblood demon, the rebirth effect of the piece didn't trigger—it was simply a straightforward contract.
After the contract ritual concluded, Rias and Sona exchanged glances, then looked strangely at Haruto.
The outcome was slightly better than they had imagined, but it still felt somewhat odd.
From now on, they could only select female servants. At least they wouldn't need to engage in dual cultivation with Haruto first.
Otherwise, they wouldn't know whether they were choosing servants for themselves or selecting concubines for Haruto...
"Tsubaki, cease contact with Kiyomeji Sairo."
Sona rubbed her forehead. She had finally found someone with decent potential who required four Pawn pieces.
She had intended to thoroughly investigate his character, and if he passed, rebirth him as her servant. Now she had no choice but to abandon this plan.
Looking at it from another angle, it was fortunate they discovered this early, otherwise it would have caused greater trouble later.
Kiyomeji Sairo was currently just an ordinary high school student, his latent power yet to awaken.
Without Sona's guidance, it remained uncertain whether this friend of Issei Hyoudou would eventually enter the supernatural world.
But Haruto wasn't particularly concerned. He wasn't familiar with this person, and his personality didn't quite appeal to him either.
He could barely accept Yuuto Kiba and Gasper, but regarding Kiyomeji Sairo, he had been contemplating how to handle the situation without finding any good solutions.
Haruto's moral boundaries were flexible, though they still existed.
The other party was just an ordinary high school student who hadn't done anything wrong, so Haruto couldn't justify taking action against him.
Now, through this unexpected turn of events, this problem had been resolved as well.
With the piece issue identified, all the women looked at Haruto with peculiar expressions.
Fortunately, they were already familiar with Haruto's nature and soon stopped overthinking it.
"What a pity. Gasper's abilities and potential are both quite remarkable."
Rias and Sona discussed while glancing at the cardboard box on the sofa.
As more people gathered, the golden-haired cross-dresser's shy nature took over, and he had retreated into the cardboard box to play his game of "out of sight, out of mind."
"Indeed, time-based abilities are inherently rare, and this type of mystic eye is particularly worth cultivating."
Sona was equally tempted, but unfortunately, there was no way to make him her servant.
As for replacing pieces, it would be troublesome and not guaranteed to succeed, since they had already used quite a few, and the pieces came in complete sets.
More importantly, the primary purpose of the pieces was for Rating Games. There were other methods to secure Gasper's services.
The only drawback was that without the master-servant bond, the connection wouldn't be the same.
The blond cross-dressing boy was adorable in appearance and endearing in personality, coupled with his powerful and rare time-based abilities. In the end, Rias and Sona decided to lend him a proper helping hand.
"Gasper Vladi, you will be assigned to Class 2-A starting tomorrow. There's no need to worry about your academic performance."
Sona adopted the demeanor of the student council president and spoke calmly, "However, after school each day, you must come to the student council for guidance, striving to master the power of your Sacred Gear as soon as possible."
The cardboard box wobbled slightly, and a pitifully cute voice emerged from within.
"O-okay... I understand, meow."
Sona tilted her head slightly, sighing as she pressed her fingers to her forehead.
"And this personality of yours also needs correction..."
The cardboard box shook violently all of a sudden. Gasper nearly couldn't resist jumping out to protest, but in the end, his timid nature took over.
Rias chuckled softly. "Sona, that can be taken slowly. For now, let's focus on training little Gasper's abilities."
A glint of light flashed across Sona's glasses as she nodded silently.
Compared to his personality, if he couldn't master his power soon, the blond cross-dressing boy's school life would likely be far from peaceful.
"If you need any help, just say the word."
Even after entrusting Gasper's matters to the student council, Rias had no intention of completely stepping back.
After all, the other party had just made a pact with her, pledging to serve the Gremory family in the future.
Sona nodded. "Don't worry, I will."
If student council work remained manageable, it would be fine. But once things got busy, Rias would undoubtedly have to step in and assist with Gasper's training.
Thus, the reclusive blond cross-dressing boy hiding in his cardboard box came under the guidance of the next heads of two of the Four Great Satans—the Gremory and Sitri families.
This was an opportunity many could only dream of, yet all Gasper wanted at that moment was to hide inside his cardboard box for the rest of his life.
The outside world is too scary... I should just go home...
With Gasper's situation settled and the vampire incident completely resolved, Haruto decided to hold off on contacting the other hybrid vampire with unique abilities, Tachibana Nanao.
If Gasper was timid and reclusive, then Tachibana Nanao was overly cautious.
Both had endured difficult childhoods, yet slight differences in their experiences led them down entirely different paths.
Approaching Tachibana Nanao with an agenda would likely backfire.
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Under a starry night sky, Haruto finished his shower, picked up a book, and leaned back on the large bed in the Occult Research Club's lounge to pass the time.
He was waiting for tonight's patient.
After discussing Gasper's situation in the afternoon, Ravel approached Haruto and quietly discussed continuing the treatments.
The recovery of the twin lolitas and the two maid sisters had ignited hope in the hearts of the remaining girls.
This flame of hope burned brighter and fiercer, to the point where their damaged, delicate bodies could barely withstand it.
Originally, Haruto had planned to let Rias test the effects of SSS-level dual cultivation first. But saving a life was worth more than building a seven-story pagoda—improving his strength could wait.
The early summer night breeze was quite pleasant. Outside the window, the chirping of insects and the rustling of leaves blended into a serene, soothing melody.
Having been in this world for over a year, it seemed Haruto had never spent a single night alone in quiet solitude.
"Once in a while, this feels rather nice..."
Shortly after the voice faded, an orange flame magic circle appeared in the clubroom, bringing his solitary evening to an end.
"Haruto-sama, thank you for your trouble."
Ravel's face flushed slightly as she bowed before departing, leaving four young girls standing awkwardly in the center of the clubroom.
"Ni, Li, Mira, Shuriya."
Haruto composed himself and greeted the girls with a smile. "Come closer, there's no need to be so nervous."
Ni was a red-haired catgirl while Li was her blue-haired counterpart. Though they looked similar at first glance, closer inspection revealed differences - likely sisters rather than twins.
Mira was a petite blue-haired girl who wielded a staff, possessing the strongest combat ability among the eight pawn pieces.
Haruto remembered her quite well - in the original timeline, she had knocked Issei Hyoudou out of commission with a single strike during their first encounter.
Lastly was Shuriya, a wild-looking girl with healthy wheat-colored skin whose daily attire was particularly revealing.
To put it simply, she was an exposed, ribbon-adorned sexy beauty.
All four girls held the pawn piece class. Except for Mira, the other three all had long hair.
The catgirl Ni wore her hair in a pink scorpion tail braid that reached down to her calves.
Her sister Li sported a smooth long ponytail of similar length, also extending to her calves.
Their hairstyles perfectly complemented their personalities - Ni being lively and outgoing while Li was more gentle.
Much like their hair colors suggested: one red like passionate fire, the other blue like gentle water.
Speaking of fiery passion, Shuriya with her silver-gray hair and tanned skin was no less intense.
Not only did her skin tone resemble a gyaru's, but her personality matched as well.
Her daily outfits were practically criminal - had she not become Riser's servant, she likely would have gained certain experiences already.
Compared to the other three's careful dressing, she might as well have been wearing nothing.
Upon hearing Haruto's call, Shuriya was the first to enter the lounge, followed quickly by the other three girls.
"Haruto-sama..."
Her smooth, soft wheat-colored skin shimmered with a crystalline glow under the moonlight. The slight blush on her face betrayed that she wasn't as wanton as her appearance suggested.