Chapter 5 – Meeting Rias Gremory’s Peerage (II)

[Romani Oyama]

Akeno Himejima...

Another of the school's four great beauties, known for her Japanese elegance and older-sister personality.

Looking at her, it was perfectly understandable that she was called the Yamato Nadeshiko of Kuoh Academy. The reason was simple: she embodied everything people imagined when they thought of the ideal Japanese woman.

Her appearance was the epitome of Japanese beauty: pale, immaculate skin that resembled porcelain, delicate features, long black hair cascading like a waterfall of dark silk, and deep violet eyes that conveyed an expression of maternal kindness with a hint of mischief. She possessed an extraordinarily curvaceous figure that seemed to defy physics, with absurdly generous breasts pressing against her tight uniform.

Oh my~! Her school uniform was under critical pressure, the buttons straining at their buttonholes in an agonizing effort, as though they might give way at any moment and go flying like projectiles straight into my face.

"Ara~! Ara~! We have an unexpected visitor." Her voice was melodious, carrying a touch of playful amusement. She tilted her head delicately to the side, violet eyes fixed on me with interest. "You must be the new member that the buchou was so eager to introduce. A pleasure to meet you. My name is Akeno Himejima, vice-president of this club."

She bowed politely, and I couldn't help but notice how the movement made her breasts sway beneath the uniform.

"Pleasure, Himejima-senpai. Romani Oyama." I raised a hand to scratch my cheek as my eyes fell involuntarily to her chest. What caught my attention most was just how large they were; they looked disproportionate even for someone of her stature. I was the type of guy who didn't particularly care about size, given that all varieties of the female form were always welcome. Still, Akeno-senpai's chest was on an entirely different plane of existence. It was as though Mother Nature had her favorites, and she was definitely among them.

"My! My kouhai is quite well-mannered." Akeno straightened up, placing her hand delicately over her lips in a graceful gesture. "If you ever need help, I am always at your disposal~!" Akeno let out a crystalline laugh, not appearing the least bit bothered by my lingering gaze on her body. In fact, there was an amused gleam in her violet eyes, as though she was thoroughly enjoying my reaction.

Nodding without quite knowing how to respond to this beautiful girl who placed a slightly strange and suggestive emphasis on certain words, I noticed that Rias had finally emerged from the bathroom, drying her long crimson hair with a soft white towel, a few damp droplets still trickling down her skin.

"Sorry for making you wait, Romani-kun." Rias looked at me gently with her blue eyes as she settled beside Koneko on the red velvet sofa. "Welcome to the Occult Research Club. Though we only use it as a cover for our actual activities."

"I see." I nodded before opening my mouth again, processing the information. "So I should call you buchou as well, shouldn't I?"

"Hmm..." Rias raised a finger and brought it near her lips in a thoughtful gesture. "Well, it isn't necessary. You can call me however you like, that's entirely up to you." She shrugged casually, making her generous breasts sway slightly beneath the white uniform blouse. Breasts swaying seemed to be some kind of default mode in this club, didn't it? My eyes drifted toward the white-haired girl, and for a few seconds, I cast a pitying glance in her direction. Koneko stared back at me, blinking, not understanding why I was looking at her with pity. *Your chest will still grow, don't worry about it.* Offering my silent condolences, I turned my eyes back to Rias.

"That's fine, buchou."

We weren't close enough for me to call her by her first name, yet strangely, she was already calling me by mine. Rias seemed to be quite an outgoing and sociable person, traits that contrasted with my more reserved nature. I was very much on the introverted side of things, so for now let's keep it at "buchou," or perhaps "Boss," as a form of address.

"Ok."

Rias gave a faint smile that seemed to carry a trace of disappointment, but the expression faded so quickly that I found myself wondering whether it had simply been a product of my imagination. She brought her hand to her chest, tapping it lightly in an elegant gesture, and placed a warm smile on her lips that lit up her face.

"Let's move on to the formal introductions. Yuuto Kiba, who came to find you earlier, is my Knight. Akeno Himejima is my Queen. Koneko Toujou is my Rook." After introducing each with a slight nod, she turned her hand gracefully in my direction. "And you, Romani Oyama, are my Pawn, or rather, all eight of my Pawns. Your potential was so immense that all of my Pawn pieces were required to successfully reincarnate you as a Devil."

Even as a Pawn, the fact that all her pieces had been necessary made it easier to accept and gave my ego a modest boost. Still, it was a little strange that the devil clans harbored this obsession with the chess theme. It was particularly ironic given that chess was one of the few things I had been genuinely good at in my past life.

At any rate, each position in a devil peerage was occupied by a chess piece, except for the King, for some reason. The Evil Piece you become determines which bonus you receive in the form of supernatural abilities.

According to Rias's explanation, the Rook enhances physical durability and raw strength, the Knight amplifies speed and agility, the Bishop bolsters magical capabilities, and the Queen was essentially a combination of all those bonuses rolled into a single piece. Meanwhile, the Pawns, the category I belonged to, possessed the special ability to be promoted to any of those pieces, gaining their respective bonuses, provided they received express permission from their King.

"Flattering, but I still don't fully understand why you need me." I tilted my head to the side in confusion, blinking slowly as I tried to process all of this information.

"Adorable~!" Akeno, who was sitting elegantly beside Rias, raised her hand and placed it over her lips to stifle a small laugh.

Let's just ignore the fact that this older-sister figure called me adorable. That definitely did nothing good for my masculinity. Speaking of masculinity, I needed to put on some muscle mass; this body was far too lean for my taste.

"Well, I have an upcoming fight that I absolutely cannot afford to lose. I know it's selfish to place my problems on your shoulders, especially so soon, but I urgently need strong people by my side." Rias raised her hand gently, holding a strand of her crimson-red hair between her fingers, her eyes revealing a vulnerability that contrasted with her usual personality.

A fight?

That was rather vague and didn't give me many details, but judging by her serious expression and the tone of her voice, it seemed she didn't want to touch on the subject just yet. Still, I could at least partially understand the reasoning behind her decision to recruit me. Now the question was whether I should truly get involved in this, not that I had much real choice in the matter. Rias had explained earlier that Devils who abandon their master are viewed as treacherous strays throughout supernatural society and are relentlessly hunted by pureblooded Devils. While the idea of being hunted by several powerful Devils sounded exciting on some primal level, I don't think it would end particularly well for my side, especially given how weak I currently was.

But even so...

The idea of serving someone was a little strange and uncomfortable for me, going against my independent and reclusive nature. However, Rias Gremory seemed to be a genuinely kind, fair, and welcoming girl. She truly treated her peerage as her family, with genuine affection and care, not as mere tools or disposable subordinates. I also owed her a considerable debt for having saved me from certain death, a fate that would surely have been my end. And the fact that she was a beautiful girl was merely a bonus, a very welcome bonus at that.

And beyond that... well, honestly? There was a strange appeal in the idea of having guaranteed logistical support without having to chase it down on my own.

Not to mention, there was something about the prospect of the fight, about the unknown, that had ignited something in my internal circuits.

Perhaps one of my other constitutions was awakening.

The lethargic boredom that had dominated my morning had dissipated for a few moments.

I figured I could at least help her with this mysterious fight, especially since the prospect genuinely seemed exciting, not to mention that I'd have substantial resources backing me for a while. After that fight, I could think more carefully about what to do regarding my future, partly because I had never been particularly good at thinking in long-term plans or committing to distant objectives.

"Alright." I nodded firmly, keeping a neutral and composed expression. "I don't know if I'll be of much practical help, but as someone who owes a life debt, I'll at least do my best to help you."

"Really? Thank you so much, Romani-kun." With a wide, radiant smile on her lips, she lightly brushed her fingertips together in an adorable gesture of gratitude, while Akeno let out a small musical laugh at her side, seemingly finding the behavior of her King both funny and charming. Koneko cast a few appraising looks from her golden eyes, still keeping her primary focus on the sweets she was methodically savoring.

This seems like quite a strange and eccentric group, doesn't it? But at the same time, it feels rather welcoming and comfortable, like a dysfunctional yet close-knit family.

"You're welcome." I raised my hand to scratch my cheek, feeling a little embarrassed and flustered by her effusive animation and genuine gratitude. "But what exactly does a Devil do in reality? What are our practical functions?"

With my direct question, a somewhat more serious and professional expression gradually formed on her pretty face.

"We grant wishes, Romani-kun." Rias crossed her legs elegantly, giving me a brief and tempting glimpse of her red silk underwear beneath her uniform skirt.

Discreetly appreciating the tantalizing sight for a few precious seconds, I quickly raised my gaze back to her face, trying not to look too obvious. "Like traditional devil pacts?"

Souls in exchange for wishes. That sounds rather demonic.

I hope it's nothing like Mephistopheles?

"Not exactly like in the old days." Rias raised her hand and slipped it inside her generous neckline in a natural, casual motion. "We Devils used to make pacts in the past in exchange for human souls, but that is nowadays frowned upon and considered antiquated by modern devil society itself. These days we grant human wishes in exchange for money, future favors, or something of material value, and most importantly, through these contract rituals, we can gradually increase our innate demonic power a little." With her hand still inside her neckline, she produced several colorful brochures and extended them in my direction.

*Why on earth do you store those in your chest?* Even as I silently wondered that with some perplexity, I moved my hand and took the offered papers.

Huh? The brochure was slightly warm to the touch and imbued with a sweet, floral feminine fragrance, most likely her natural perfume. Don't get me wrong, I was definitely not complaining about the situation. Holding the brochure that had until moments ago been nestled against my boss's generous chest, my eyes fell upon the printed contents. There were several elaborate pentagrams and mystical symbols rendered artistically, but the main highlight was the phrase written in bold, eye-catching lettering at the center: "We grant your wish." Well, there were also several chibi-style devil girls drawn around the borders, lending the material a curiously cute touch.

"These are magical summoning circles. In ancient times, those seeking contracts would draw the summoning circles themselves with ritual precision, but that archaic practice became obsolete over time. These days we use professionally pre-drawn circles and distribute them strategically to potential clients."

I nodded, absorbing the information as Rias patiently continued her detailed explanation. Modernized devil work.

"So, I'd like you to experience firsthand how contracts are conducted in practice. After all, they are one of the most important and fundamental parts of a modern Devil's career."

"That makes logical sense, but isn't it a little too early for this? Until a few hours ago, I was a completely ordinary human with no knowledge whatsoever of this world."

"Actually, it isn't too early. This is just to give you an initial feel for what Devil Work looks like day to day. Besides, you'll be attending a regular client who would normally be Koneko's, since our Koneko received two summoning requests at the same time tonight." She raised her hand and gave the small girl beside her a fond, affectionate pat on the head; Koneko raised her hand and flashed a "V" for victory sign in my direction, her expression remaining stoic despite the gesture. "So, what do you think? Are you alright with giving it a try?"

I raised my hand and placed it thoughtfully on my chin, weighing the implications. But seeing no real reason to turn down the opportunity, and because the experience seemed like an entertaining stimulus and an interesting adventure, I simply opened my mouth and gave my answer.

"I'll do it!"

Author's Note: Poor Koneko is the only one with a modest figure in the club, especially when standing next to Rias and Akeno. Anyway, next chapter: Romani's first Devil job. What could possibly go wrong?

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