Day 5–6
By the fifth day, it stopped feeling like "training" and started feeling like evolution.
Even the air around the Gremory territory felt different—denser, sharper, like the world itself was bracing.
---
Asia was the first obvious success.
She stood in the courtyard, hands trembling only slightly as she whispered to the land.
Golden-green light answered her call.
A Spirit Shield bloomed in front of her—solid, layered, humming with borrowed strength.
Then, with a small gasp of confidence, she extended it outward, shaping it into a barrier dome.
Issei stared.
"…Asia just made a better defense spell than most high-class devils."
Asia smiled shyly. "I—I asked nicely…"
Blazion nodded proudly, arms crossed.
---
Kiba was no longer just a swordsman.
He stood at the center of the field, eyes sharp, breathing steady.
One sword formed.
Then another.
Then five.
They hovered around him, rotating slowly, responding not to his hands—but his mind.
Sheen, Snee, and Gleam attacked simultaneously.
Holy.
Cursed.
Legendary.
Kiba's eyes flashed.
The swords shifted instantly—each intercepting the correct blade, rotating, swapping positions mid-air.
Steel rang like thunder.
Nate watched with interest.
"…Yeah, that's terrifying."
---
Gasper had stopped hiding entirely.
Hovernyan S floated nearby, tossing plush toys—random, soft, harmless.
The moment they entered Gasper's range—
Time froze.
Every plush stopped mid-air.
Not cracked. Not unstable.
Perfect control.
Gasper swallowed… then smiled.
"I… I can do fields now."
Everyone slowly backed up.
---
Koneko was something else entirely.
Senjutsu flowed through her body like a second circulatory system.
Her skin glowed faintly as she layered it over herself—dense, refined, efficient.
A holy blade struck her arm.
It didn't burn.
It slid off.
"…Temporary immunity," Nate muttered. "Yeah, that checks out."
Kuroka watched silently from a distance, pride and regret mixing in her eyes.
---
Akeno stood beneath the open sky.
She raised one hand.
A single beam of lightning shot upward—piercing the clouds.
The sky responded.
Winds shifted. Pressure changed. Clouds rotated unnaturally.
She smiled softly as rain began to fall exactly where she wanted it.
"…I am literally watching her manipulate atmospheric molecules," Nate said.
He sighed. "Anime logic BS."
Akeno giggled. "Ara~ you say that, but you taught me."
---
Issei?
Issei was a walking war crime.
Boost.
Boost.
Boost—
Instead of stacking, he compressed them.
The energy detonated forward in a concentrated blast.
Then he tried again—this time firing boosts in rapid succession like a machine gun.
The ground exploded.
Everyone stared.
Rias slowly turned to Nate. "…Is that safe?"
Nate: "Define safe."
---
Raynare was quieter—but her progress was just as shocking.
With Kunou guiding her, fragments of holy power resurfaced.
Not burning her.
Not rejecting her.
Coexisting.
She looked at her hands in disbelief.
"…I thought I lost this forever."
Kunou smiled. "You just needed permission."
---
And finally—
Rias.
For the first time, she trained physically—not as a noble, not as a symbol, but as a leader who might have to stand on the front line.
Nate taught her Spirit Bond basics—not for raw power, but for awareness.
Then came the real test.
---
Pseudo Rating Game
Board laid out.
Living pieces.
King: Nate
Queen: Kunou
Agents: Nate's Yokai.
Rias led her peerage against them.
Nate didn't play fair.
He played like Riser.
Aggressive pressure.
Sacrificial pawns.
Psychological feints.
Rias faltered at first.
Then adapted.
She issued orders faster. Cleaner. Smarter.
When Kunou nearly checkmated her—
Rias countered with a coordinated sacrifice play that forced Nate to retreat his King.
Nate blinked.
Then smiled.
"…Yeah," he said quietly. "She's ready."
Rias straightened, breathing hard—but smiling.
"I won't lose," she said. "Not to Riser. Not to anyone."
Nate nodded.
"That's the future you're carving."
And somewhere far away—
Sirzechs felt a chill.
Something in Hell's balance had just shifted.
Day 7–9
By the seventh day, the chaos settled into rhythm.
No flashy breakthroughs.
No new absurd techniques.
Just refinement—the kind that actually decides wars.
---
Koneko and Kuroka finally started talking.
Not warmly.
Not comfortably.
But honestly.
Short exchanges during training.
Occasional corrections.
Awkward pauses that didn't immediately turn into avoidance.
The tension was still there—years don't vanish in a week—but it had shifted from a wall into a door that was… cracked open.
Nate noticed Kuroka smiling more.
Koneko scowling less.
Progress.
---
Issei worried Nate.
Not because he was failing.
Because he was too close.
Every spar with Venoct pushed him harder. Every near-loss forced something deeper to claw its way up.
His Boosts were cleaner. His control sharper. His instincts screaming.
Once—just once—Nate felt it.
That familiar pressure.
That threshold.
"…Almost," Nate muttered to himself.
Balance Breaker.
Issei was right at the edge.
Nate said nothing.
Some awakenings needed to happen naturally—or they broke the person instead.
---
Raynare surprised everyone.
She wasn't just using holy power again—she was using it the way she had as a Fallen.
Precise.
Cruel when needed.
Controlled.
No backlash. No instability.
Kunou watched closely, tail swaying.
"See?" she said cheerfully. "You didn't lose yourself. You just changed sides."
Raynare laughed softly. "…Guess so."
---
By the ninth day, improvement wasn't a question anymore.
It was obvious.
Everyone gathered in the living room—some on couches, some on the floor, some leaning against walls that had been repaired several times this week.
Nate stood near the center.
"Whisper," he said calmly. "Status."
Whisper floated upward, tablet glowing.
"Training assessment complete~!"
He adjusted his glasses dramatically.
"Kiba, Raynare, and Issei: S Rank."
"Akeno and Rias: SS Rank."
"Asia, Gasper, and Koneko: A Rank—"
He paused.
"However, when Koneko uses full-body Senjutsu reinforcement, her output temporarily spikes to S Rank."
Koneko crossed her arms. "…Tch."
Kunou hopped onto the arm of a couch, legs swinging.
"In devil terms," she added cheerfully, "everyone in Rias's peerage is now solidly within High-Class territory—just at different layers."
Silence followed.
Issei swallowed.
Asia clasped her hands.
Kiba exhaled slowly, eyes sharp.
Rias looked around her peerage.
Not as pieces.
Not as responsibilities.
As fighters.
"…This," she said quietly, "is what it means to be ready."
Nate leaned back against the wall, arms folded.
"Enjoy it," he said. "Because from tomorrow on—"
He smirked.
"—people are going to start noticing."
Kunou then looked at Rias. "Weird question, but how do you Hide Rayner in Kuoh Academy".
Rias sighed. "She is another student there, like all of us, but to the student body... She is Issei girlfriend".
Kunou blinked.
Once.
Twice.
"…Wait," she said slowly, ears twitching. "So the solution was lying."
Rias pinched the bridge of her nose. "It was the fastest cover story. Kuoh already thinks Issei has… a reputation."
Nate lost it.
Like—actually lost it.
He doubled over, hands on his knees, laughter echoing through the room.
"No—no—hold on—" he wheezed. "You're telling me the girl who murdered you, almost killed the nun, and started a Fallen Angel incident—"
He pointed at Issei, gasping.
"—is publicly your girlfriend?"
Issei scratched his cheek, looking away. "I mean… technically my ex."
Nate straightened just enough to stare at him.
"…Issei."
He put a hand on the boy's shoulder, deadly serious.
"Your life is a romcom written by a drunk god."
Raynare clicked her tongue, arms crossed. "For the last time, I didn't want any of this. Not the killing. Not the Fallen mess. Definitely not becoming a Devil."
Kunou tilted her head, genuinely curious. "Then why stay?"
Raynare paused.
"…Because leaving would've been easier."
The room went quiet for a beat.
Rias sighed softly. "It keeps her monitored. Protected. And… accountable."
Nate exhaled, rubbing his face.
"Hell really looked at this situation and said: yes, this is fine."
Serafall, who had been lounging upside-down on a couch this entire time, burst into giggles.
"I love this household," she said happily. "It's like a soap opera with explosions."
Nate glanced at Raynare again, expression settling.
"…Alright," he said. "But if this cover ever blows up—"
He smirked.
"—I'm blaming Issei."
Issei yelped. "Why me?!"
Kunou smiled sweetly.
"Because it would be very on-brand."
Somewhere far away, Fate itself facepalmed.
Day 10 arrived quietly.
No alarms.
No training bells.
No Yokai getting summoned at ungodly hours.
For the first time in over a week… everyone rested.
The Gremory mansion felt different—lighter. Like the air itself knew the chaos quota had already been met.
The courtyard was peaceful.
Kiba was polishing his swords under a tree, movements slow and careful instead of frantic.
Asia sat nearby, practicing gentle Spirit Bond flow just enough to keep the energy warm—more meditation than training.
Akeno was stretched out on a bench, eyes closed, letting natural lightning drift through the clouds without forcing control.
"Doing nothing feels illegal," Issei muttered, lying flat on the grass.
Koneko was sitting on his stomach.
"Move and I'll punch you."
"…Worth it."
Gasper hovered nearby, half-visible, reading a manga without accidentally stopping time for once—an achievement in itself.
Raynare leaned against a pillar, watching everyone with a conflicted expression. No orders. No missions. No hatred humming in her wings. Just… quiet.
She didn't hate it.
Inside the mansion—
Rias exhaled as she set her cup of tea down.
"…I didn't realize how exhausted we all were."
Nate was sprawled on the couch like he paid rent, Kunou curled against his side in her smaller form, tail flicking lazily.
"That's what happens when you compress months of growth into nine days," Nate said. "Your body catches up eventually. Your soul always does later."
Rias looked at him. "You planned today intentionally."
"Obviously," he replied. "If I didn't, someone would try to train through muscle failure. Probably Issei."
"Hey!" Issei protested from the hallway. "I only did that twice!"
Kunou peeked up at Rias. "Rest days are important. Power settles when you stop forcing it."
Rias smiled softly. "You sound very experienced for someone your age."
Kunou grinned. "I am."
Serafall suddenly appeared upside-down again, dangling from the ceiling.
"So~ tomorrow is the big day, right?" she sing-songed. "Rating Game prep, final strategies, dramatic entrances~"
Rias stiffened slightly.
Nate glanced at her, then smirked. "Relax. Today's for peace. Tomorrow we remind a phoenix why fire isn't special."
Rias chuckled despite herself.
"…Thank you," she said quietly.
"For what?"
"For not treating us like we were already doomed."
Nate shrugged. "You weren't. You just needed perspective. And better teachers. And less panic."
Serafall nodded sagely. "And more chaos."
"Especially that," Nate agreed.
As the sun dipped lower, everyone gathered for dinner—laughing louder than usual, eating more than usual, existing like a family instead of soldiers preparing for war.
Tomorrow would be strategy.
Tomorrow would be Riser.
Tomorrow would be Hell watching closely.
But tonight?
Tonight, the Gremory mansion rested.
And for the first time since the engagement was announced…
Rias Gremory slept without fear.
The night was calm.
Too calm.
Nate sat at the table with a cup of tea, steam curling lazily upward. Across from him, Issei sat stiffly, like he was about to be interrogated… or executed.
Nate took a sip, then casually dropped the bomb.
"So," he said, eyes half-lidded, "you wanna build a harem."
Issei flinched. Hard.
"…You can laugh," Issei muttered, shoulders slumping. "Everyone does."
Nate didn't laugh.
He just tilted his cup, thinking.
"Why would I?" Nate replied.
Issei blinked. "Huh?"
Nate looked at him flatly. "If I laugh at you, I'm laughing at myself. I literally have a harem."
Issei's brain blue-screened.
"…You're serious."
"Dead serious."
Issei stared. Processing. Failing. Rebooting.
"But—you're strong. Confident. You're not a pervert like me."
Nate snorted into his tea. "Buddy, confidence doesn't erase desire. It just stops you from being ashamed of it."
Issei opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.
"So… you're not gonna tell me I'm disgusting?"
"No," Nate said immediately. "I am gonna tell you to not be an idiot about it."
Issei leaned forward. "Meaning?"
"Consent first. Always. Communication second. Power imbalance awareness third," Nate said, ticking fingers off calmly. "And if you ever treat them like trophies instead of people, I'll personally kick your ass."
Issei swallowed. "…That's fair."
Nate smirked. "Also? You don't 'decide' a harem. That's not how it works."
Issei frowned. "Then how does it work?"
"They choose," Nate said simply. "You just don't screw it up."
Issei went silent.
Then, very quietly—
"…Do you think I could?"
'…Yeah. This is gonna be hilarious.' Nate thought
Nate studied him for a long moment. The insecurity. The hope. The idiot bravery.
"Yeah," Nate said. "If you grow up a bit. And stop thinking with only one head."
Issei nodded rapidly. "I can do that."
Nate raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"
"…Most of the time."
Nate laughed then—soft, genuine.
"Good enough for a start."
Issei leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling.
"…I just got harem advice from a Yokai King."
"Welcome to Hell," Nate replied, sipping his tea. "It only gets weirder from here."
Somewhere in the mansion, Serafall sneezed—smiling for no reason at all.
To be continue
Hope people like this Ch and Give me power stones and enjoy, I am back baby, my Exams are over here is some new Ch, also checking the Vote, yeah Koneko Toujou is being added to Nate's Harem