The first rays of sunlight filtered through the curtains, painting golden lines across the sheets. Issei blinked slowly, feeling a pleasant heaviness in his body; that kind of deep rest that only comes after overcoming a seemingly impossible ordeal.
Before fully opening her eyes, she perceived a sweet, familiar scent: spring flowers and a subtle trace of crimson power. Turning her head, she saw her.
Rias was there, lying beside him. She wasn't asleep; she was resting on his arm, watching him with a serenity Issei had never seen in her at the Academy. Her fiery red hair was spread across the white pillow like a silk stain, and her blue eyes, clear as the morning sky, shone with a mixture of tenderness and absolute peace.
"Good morning, Issei," she whispered. Her voice was soft, a caress to his ears. "I was beginning to think the Welsh Dragon was planning to sleep until noon."
Issei smiled slightly as he stretched, still feeling the echo of Ddraig's power under his skin, though now in total calm.
"After what happened yesterday, I think I've earned a few extra minutes," he replied, turning his gaze back to her. "Have you been awake long?"
Rias shook her head slightly, getting close enough for Issei to feel the heat emanating from her body.
—Not much. But I like seeing you like this... relaxed. Without the weight of the noble houses, without the contract, without Raiser. Just you and me.
She reached out and gently traced Issei's jawline. For a moment, the room was completely silent, broken only by the beating of two hearts that, for the first time, were in no hurry to go anywhere. Rias slipped under the covers until she was pressed against him. Issei felt the softness of her skin and that intense heat that always seemed to radiate from her.
"You know," she murmured, climbing slightly on top of him, letting her crimson hair fall like a curtain on either side of Issei's face. "Last night you said you were my tool to regain my freedom... but now that I'm free, I want to discover what else this dragon can do for me."
Issei's pulse quickened. Rias wasn't acting like the President; her eyes held a mischievous and desirous glint that took his breath away. Her expert, delicate hands traveled down his chest to his waist as she leaned in to kiss his neck.
Issei let out a heavy sigh and wrapped his arms around her tightly. The atmosphere crackled with electricity, charged with a tension that had nothing to do with the fight. Rias let out a soft moan of satisfaction at Issei's response and sought his lips again, in a kiss much deeper than the one the night before.
But, just as the temperature rose dangerously and Rias settled on his chest...
¡Toc, toc!
"Issei-san! Are you awake?" Asia's cheerful voice echoed from behind the door.
Issei's heart stopped. Rias stood stiff as a statue, her face completely red.
"It's Asia!" Issei whispered in a panic. "If she comes in and sees us like this, she's going to faint!"
"I don't have my clothes anywhere near me!" Rias replied desperately, looking at the corner where her uniform lay curled up in a ball.
"Issei-san! You're not answering me... I'm coming in, okay?" The doorknob started to turn.
In a move only a Boosted Gear user could execute under pressure, Issei pulled the sheets over Rias just as the door opened. Asia peeked her blonde head out, wearing her apron and sporting a smile that radiated purity.
"Good morning, Issei-san!" she said, entering with complete confidence. "I made breakfast and..." She stopped when she saw him sitting on the bed, disheveled and sweating profusely. "Is something wrong? You seem very... tense."
Issei felt like his heart was going to explode, but Rias, after the initial shock, replaced her panic with a mischievous smile. She decided she no longer had to hide. Under Asia's confused gaze, Rias emerged from the blankets, letting her hair fall over her bare shoulders, and clung possessively to Issei's arm.
"Good morning, Asia," she said in a velvety voice. "Issei and I were just having a very special moment. Since we're officially a couple now, don't you think? Besides... it feels so good to be like this with him."
Asia froze. Her cheeks puffed out like balloons, and an aura of frustration began to emanate from the little nun.
"President?!" she stammered, tears of indignation welling in her eyes. "That's cheating! I came to wake him up first! And you can't just get into Issei-san's bed without permission!"
"Oh, Asia..." Rias let out a triumphant chuckle. "I don't need permission when Issei's heart already belongs to me. Right, Issei?"
Issei looked from one to the other, feeling like he was on a battlefield more dangerous than the Rating Game against Raiser.
"Issei-san is a pervert!" Asia shouted, pointing at him with the spatula. "I want to sleep with you too if the President does! It's not fair!"
"Wait, girls! We can talk about this!" Issei pleaded, while Ddraig laughed out loud in his mind.
Just as Asia's screams threatened to wake the neighborhood, the door swung open. Raynare entered with a determined stride and her arms crossed, wearing an expression that mixed annoyance with biting irony. She was still wearing the outfit that made her look more like a high-ranking servant than the fallen angel she used to be.
"Well, well... what a touching scene," Raynare said, leaning against the doorframe with a lopsided smile. "The great heiress of the Gremory Clan resorting to cheap seduction tactics to keep her ally? Pathetic."
Rias narrowed her eyes, and the atmosphere in the room turned icy in an instant. The rivalry between the demon and the fallen angel was a spark always on the verge of igniting.
"I remind you, Raynare, that you are in this house thanks to Issei's mercy," Rias replied sharply, still holding the brunette's arm. "You have no right to question what I do on my own property."
"Issei-san doesn't belong to anyone!" Asia interjected, stamping her feet loudly. "And Raynare-san is right! You're abusing your position, President!"
Raynare let out a dry laugh and walked toward the bed, ignoring Rias's murderous glare. She leaned toward Issei, invading his personal space until he could smell the dark, intense perfume emanating from her.
"Master…" she said in a deliberately suggestive tone, emphasizing the word. "Breakfast is getting cold. If these two finish fighting over who sleeps closest to you, I suggest you go downstairs. Although… if you prefer to stay here, I can bring you something to eat in bed myself. After all, I do know how to serve a true warrior without the need for contracts of nobility."
"What did you say?!" Rias and Asia shouted in unison.
Issei sank into his pillow, wishing the earth would swallow him whole. The "Dragon Treasure" was proving to be a magnet for romantic trouble.
—Ddraig... help me —he pleaded mentally.
"Don't even think about it, buddy," the dragon replied mockingly. "This is much more entertaining than fighting Raiser. If I were you, I'd be careful... the Gremory's aura is starting to spark."
The walk to Kuoh Academy under the morning sun should have been normal, but after the weekend's events, nothing felt the same. Issei strolled down the main street, hands in his pockets, enjoying the breeze. To his right, Rias moved with renewed grace, keeping a minimal distance from him; to his left, Asia clung to his arm, still with a slight pout on her lips. A few steps behind, the three Fallen—Raynare, Mittelt, and Kalawarner—followed the group silently, drawing envious glances from the other students.
As he stepped through the academy's main gate, the atmosphere felt vibrant. Issei noticed the murmurs following him, but his mind was elsewhere. Rias, noticing his composure, moved a little closer and spoke to him in a low voice, a proud smile on her face.
"It seems news travels fast, Issei. You're no longer just a pawn in the eyes of others. You're the man who did the impossible."
Issei looked around the school building, the same place where he had recently been an ordinary student. Now, every step seemed to mark the beginning of a new era.
"I don't care what others think, Rias," he replied calmly, seeing Kiba and Koneko waiting for them at the entrance of the old building. "All I care about is that we're all here, together."
Koneko looked at him and, for the first time, gave him a bow of profound respect. Kiba, for his part, smiled at her with complete camaraderie.
—Welcome back, Issei-kun. Student Council President Sona Sitri has been asking about you. It seems she wants to talk about what happened in the Underworld.
Issei thought that, after facing the elite of the Underworld, nothing could scare him. He was wrong: he still had to survive the "Perverted Duo." Upon entering the room, the silence lasted barely a second before Matsuda and Motohama pounced on him like hungry predators. Matsuda grabbed him by the collar of his uniform, while Motohama adjusted his glasses, which glowed with an eerie light.
"Damn you, Hyoudou!" Matsuda roared, shaking him. "We saw you come in with President Gremory and Asia-chan! And not only that! Those three foreign beauties were trailing behind you like you were some damn king!"
"Explain this to us right now, traitor!" Motohama demanded, pulling out a notebook. "Our informants say you disappeared with the President over the weekend. Where were you? What did you do? Our envy radars are going off!"
Issei tried to back away, cornered against his bench.
"Relax, guys! We were... uh... at an intensive training camp!" Issei blurted out, using the first excuse that came to mind. "You know how the President is with the club."
"Lies!" they both shouted in unison.
"Look at that smug look on your face!" Matsuda pointed out. "That's the face of a man who's reached the top! Hyoudou, for the sake of the Perverted Alliance, confess! Was there any high-level physical contact?!"
Issei felt a bead of cold sweat trickle down his spine. If he told them Rias had gotten into his bed that morning, he wouldn't leave the hall alive. Just as he was about to come up with another excuse, the door opened and Rias Gremory's imposing figure appeared in the doorway. Upon seeing him, she gave him such a radiant smile that the entire hall gasped.
"Issei, can you come here for a moment?" she asked gently. "Sona is waiting for us in the Student Council."
Matsuda and Motohama were stunned, petrified with pure envy, as they watched Issei get up to follow the most desired girl in school.