Lucian woke up late—high noon, sunlight pooling across tangled sheets and the faint scent of perfume and sweat still lingering in the air. After the night he'd had with Sona and Tsubaki, it was a miracle he woke up at all. Neither of the girls had moved from his side, both buried under the blanket with soft, exhausted breaths.
The rest of the household, however, hadn't been so lucky. Between the creaking floorboards, muffled gasps, and the occasional very un-muffled moan, no one had slept. Still, duty called, and the rest of Sona's peerage had left for class looking like extras in a zombie movie.
Lucian stretched, unbothered. Devils were sturdy, but he was built different—body, soul, and stamina reinforced to absurd degrees. If the girls woke up right now, he could probably go again… though that would be cruel. He grinned to himself and rolled out of bed. "Breakfast first. Recovery later."
He decided to cook. A proper meal. Something rich and comforting—his favorite from his past life. After a quick hop through the Essence of Nomad to pick up ingredients, the kitchen came alive.
The opening chords of Mr. Brightside filled the apartment, and Lucian grinned. "Early-2000s power," he said, drumming on the counter. Lamb shanks sizzled in the pot, fat crackling and releasing a mouth-watering aroma. He flipped them with tongs, admiring the golden crust. "Perfect."
He worked methodically—onions, carrots, and celery hit the hot pan, scraping up caramelized bits. Garlic and rosemary followed, filling the air with warmth. A splash of red wine hissed into steam. "That's the stuff," he murmured, letting the alcohol burn off before pouring in stock and setting the lid.
When the oven door shut with a thud, he leaned back against the counter, coffee in hand, Hey Ya! now blasting. The apartment smelled divine. If the aroma didn't wake them, nothing would.
It did.
---
Sona stirred first, hair messy, voice rough. "Who's cooking…?"
"Probably Lucian," Tsubaki yawned, dragging herself out of bed. "Smells heavenly."
"I'm hungry even without smelling it," Sona grumbled, rubbing her stomach. "Three p.m. already? No wonder."
By the time they cleaned up and stepped into the kitchen, Lucian was setting the table, sleeves rolled up, expression smugly domestic.
"Morning, ladies," he greeted. "Fancy a meal with the chef?"
Sona smiled, offering her hand. "Certainly."
He kissed her knuckles. "Your table awaits."
Tsubaki, less ceremonious, plopped into her seat. "Looks heavy… but wow, this smells amazing." She took a bite, eyes widening. "Okay. I'm impressed."
"Definitely," Sona added, savoring hers. "You could've mentioned you could cook like this."
"And risk being drafted as your personal chef? No thanks," he teased. "I'm fine being your boyfriend."
"Not personal chef," Sona countered, voice sweetly dangerous. "House husband."
Lucian pointed his fork. "Eat more, talk less."
"Why do I feel like a lamb before slaughter?" Tsubaki muttered, earning a laugh. "President, I think he's planning another all-nighter."
Sona's cheeks flushed crimson. Lucian smirked. "Can't confirm or deny."
The laughter that followed was warm, easy, familiar—the kind that only comes after intimacy.
---
Later that afternoon, the rest of Sona's peerage returned from college, drawn in by the lingering aroma. Their reaction was unanimous indignation.
"Lucian! You should've made more!" Momo complained.
"Yeah, seriously!" Tomoe added. "Did you not think about us?"
Lucian shrugged innocently. "Well… Sona and Tsubaki worked very hard last night. Consider it a special treat."
The room went silent. Then the collective realization hit, turning half the peerage beet-red.
Sona groaned. "You're incorrigible."
He grinned. "I know."
---
The days that followed blurred into a comfortable rhythm. Lucian fit into the household seamlessly—sparring with the combat members, helping Tsubaki with strategy sessions, occasionally sitting beside Sona as she worked through endless paperwork. They went on dates—sometimes together, sometimes separately—but always ended up back in the same bed, sharing quiet laughter before drifting off.
He met with Rias and her peerage a few times too. Between his All-Seeing Seer and Sona's efficiency, they cleared every stray devil around Kuoh in record time.
Weeks passed like that—simple, domestic, almost idyllic. Until, one afternoon, the familiar pulse of the System rippled through his consciousness.
[New Essence Acquired – Essence of the Harem Protagonist]
Lucian stared at the description that unfolded before him and sighed. "…Of course."
---
Essence of the Harem Protagonist
There is something about you that can attract anyone, even beings beyond mortal and divine comprehension. What that something is differs for each individual, but there will always be a spark of fascination—one that can grow into friendship, affection, or genuine love with time and contact.
You are physically far tougher than normal, able to survive the catastrophic results of typical harem shenanigans. You will never suffer crippling or lethal harm from those within your harem.
You passively draw toward yourself individuals of great power, destiny, or narrative importance. This effect is toggleable.
You possess infinite stamina and vitality, capable of pleasing an impossible number of partners without exhaustion.
Members of your harem are naturally inclined to cooperation and mutual goodwill. Their affection and loyalty endure indefinitely unless you yourself destroy that bond.
Fate, Destiny, and Coincidence will conspire to keep your harem yours. They cannot be stolen or corrupted by external powers, and any attempt to do so will fail spectacularly. You will know instantly who dares try.
---
Lucian ran a hand through his hair. "Right… so the System's just leaning in now."
Between this and the Affection Multiplier, he was officially the universe's biggest walking trope. But, to be fair, both worked beautifully: one brought people close, the other kept them happy.
Over the next several days, he noticed subtle changes. The rest of Sona's peerage—who had previously kept a polite distance—started flirting more openly. Lingering glances turned into playful remarks. A touch here, a teasing comment there.
And Sona… didn't stop them.
If anything, she looked faintly amused by the whole thing.
Lucian decided not to question it. He'd stopped pretending he wasn't enjoying himself a long time ago.
When he finally checked the System's Affection Chart, he couldn't help but whistle.
---
[Affection Multiplier System – Current Relations]
[Eve]
Type: Subordinate / Devotee
Affection Score: 103
Threshold: Slightly Obsessed
[Sona Sitri]
Type: Lover
Affection Score: 99
Threshold: Love
[Rias Gremory]
Type: Deep Crush
Affection Score: 81
Threshold: Romantic Feelings
[Tsubaki Shinra]
Type: Lover / Master
Affection Score: 100
Threshold: Love / Care
[Velzard]
Type: Interest
Affection Score: 52
Threshold: Curiosity / Care
…
…
[Momo Hanakai]
Type: Crush
Affection Score: 75
Threshold: Romantic Feelings
[Reya Kusaka]
Type: Crush
Affection Score: 55
Threshold: Care / Curiosity
[Tomoe Meguri]
Type: Yearning
Affection Score: 45
Threshold: Lust / Attraction
[Tsubasa Yura]
Type: Deep Crush
Affection Score: 90
Threshold: Romantic Feelings / Lust / Care
---
He stared at the glowing screen and chuckled. "Yeah… definitely leaning in."
By now, daily life at the Sitri residence had settled into a comfortable chaos—study sessions that somehow turned into flirt-offs, evening dinners filled with laughter, and the occasional Sona glare that was never truly serious.
Even Amanush would occasionally project itself through the Dream Network just to report to him about its 'adventures'… leaving Riser and Diodora with fresh PTSD each time.
---
A few more days drifted by. One evening, while lounging in the common room, both Sona and Rias appeared—intent and businesslike.
"Lucian," Sona began, adjusting her glasses, "we want to train our peerages for the upcoming Ranking Matches. Would you take us to the Cardinal World?"
"Rimuru's there," Rias added quickly. "It's perfect for intensive training."
Lucian smiled, leaning back. "Training arc, huh? Guess it's about that time."
Truth be told, he'd been missing Rimuru anyway. And a trip back to the Cardinal World sounded like the perfect change of pace. Of course, he had told them about Rimuru.
Sure, he was hoping Velzie would get back before they went, but it wasn't like he lacked confidence—he could hold his own against anyone short of the Cardinal World's top brass.
"Alright," he said, standing and dusting off his hands. "Pack your things. Next stop—Cardinal World."
Sona's lips curved into a rare, genuine smile. "Thank you, Lucian."
He winked. "What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't enable your world-domination ambitions?"
She rolled her eyes but couldn't hide her grin.
Before evening, they were all ready and packed to go. Rias had even brought Gasper—how she managed that remained a mystery.
As the teleportation circle flared to life beneath them, Lucian glanced around the living room—warm, messy, alive—and felt a strange contentment settle in.
A/n: Well that's that... The chapter is a bit smaller and also doesn't cover much but it just felt like it was needed, a breather to the story and some time skip.
Anyways, what do I do with Gasper?
Time stop in Tensura is the absolutely highest level power, it just feels off thst some Scared Gear can do it, I wouldn't mind it if the time stop didn't mean digital nature.
Tensura Rule No.1 Everyone without digital nature is fodder to anyone with Digital nature.
Should I just give him some other power? Kill him for character development of Rias? Instead of Time Stop he can now only slow time to extreme? Or just let him have the powers but he never uses it or doesn't know how to use it?