The Preeminence of a Gamer: Speedrun

This chapter is split into two parts. The reason for this is because I tend to write longer formatted chapters, which isn't the preferred method for Webnovel. The word cap limit prevents me from posting it in full. The next part will come out within a few days of this post.

Please enjoy.

---

It was a sight to behold.

Two naked melons the size of his head, legs that stretched out far, and more curves then he could count.

Red hair spilled out onto him from the bare naked woman laying next to him. Suddenly, she leaned over to straddle him. "Oh, Issei~"

"R-Rias?!" Issei yelped as the girl's titties flopped in front of his face.

Rias gave him a provacative grin, resting her massive chest on his. She slowly leaned in close to his ear. "You want a piece of me~?" She cooed.

"Y-Y-YES!" Issei yelled out, his body feeling heavy. He wanted to touch, grab, kiss, lick, and smack her body all over, but his own was frozen solid.

"Me too." Another voice called out from the side. A smaller girl with white hair framing her face popped up from under the blanket. "I want in on this action."

"K-K-Koneko?!" The boy gasped in disbelief, watching the younger girl cuddle up to him. Her chest was nowhere near the size of the red-head beauty's, but even against such fierce competition, her lithe sexiness still shined through.

Rias made room for the girl on top of the boy, the two nuzzling closer to his face.

"Come on, Issei~"

"Come on, Issei~"

The two of them begged, their faces inching closer to his own. They were going for a double kiss!

Closer...

Closer...

Closer...!

"Again with this shit?" A booming voice reverberated out from everywhere around the boy. Instantly, the scene changed. Rias and Koneko both disappeared, as well as the bed and the rest of Issei's room. A flaming red void was now in its place, along with a massive red dragon.

"Gwuahhh-!" Issei screamed as he began floating in place. His panicked eyes darted around in fear, landing on the mythical beast lording above him. He then recalled going through something like this before and a scowl formed on his face. "You again?!"

"Is that any way to talk to the Welsh Dragon?!" The beast roared, flapping his wings and sending the boy flying.

"Waaah! I'm sorry!" Issei cried, flipping backwards through the air multiple times. Once he stopped, he somehow reappeared in front of the dragon again.

"Good." The monster voiced, accepting his apology. "The two women in your dream appeared to match up with their real selves perfectly. I would be impressed if I wasn't so disappointed."

"T-Thanks?"

"That wasn't a compliment."

"Eep!" Issei flinched back.

The dragon let out a deep sigh, its breath still powerful enough to blow Issei backwards. Had they not been in a dream world, his hot breath would have scorched and burned the boy alive. "This is who my partner is?" The beast muttered to itself, as if he were sulking.

"W-What?"

"Listen up."

"Y-Yes!"

It sighed again, sending Issei spinning back once more. The dragon steeled itself, as if it had come to terms with something before looking at the human before it. "I'm not sure how, but you've appeared to have gotten stronger. It's still a paltry amount of strength, but enough to awaken the base state of the Boosted Gear."

Issei shook off the heat of the dragon's breath and tried processing his words. It said that he had gotten stronger. Had he awakened another new power? He didn't have another Sacred Gear, so it would have come from The Gamer. But he didn't get any notification of a new power...

"You mean my level up?" Issei questioned as he thought of a reason for his growth.

"Level up?"

"Yeah, I leveled up a few times yesterday, s-so... that's why?"

"I don't understand."

"O-Oh, uh... y-you know like those video games? The ones I play?" Issei scratched the back of his head awkwardly as he tried to explaining it to the winged beast. It didn't appear to be following. "U-Uh, you know yesterday when I was playing around with Koneko on those machines? It's kinda like those." Issei coughed. "A-Anyway, I completed my quest and leveled up. Pretty cool... right?"

"...What the hell are you talking about?"

Issei jumped at its tone. "I-I'm saying I got a quest yesterday that told me to recruit the devils as allies and I did, so I got experience points and leveled up. Now I'm stronger... get it?" He asked, hesitatingly. He looked up at the dragon in fear of what it might do or say.

Said dragon stared at him blankly. It seemed as if time had frozen it, or that Issei had been talking to a statue the entire time. Just as Issei were going to ask it another question, it reeled its head up skyward. "OH WHY?! WHY WAS IT ME AND NOT THE WHITE ONE?! It wailed, shaking the entirety of the burning void.

"Wuuuoah-!" Issei was jumbled around the dream world as the dragon pouted, stomping all four of its feet against the nonexistent ground. "H-Hey man! What's wrong with you?!"

"My partner thinks games are real!" The dragon cried. Issei almost believed he could see tears pouring from its eyes. If this continued, then they probably would.

"No, no man! I'm serious!" Issei tried yelling over its cries of anguish. "I got a power that works like a freaking video game! I'll prove it to you!"

The red dragon stopped, the winds slowing down as Issei managed to upright his floating body. It peered over at him and sniffled. "R-Really?"

"Y-Yeah, really," Issei said sheepishly. Was this really the same dragon that nearly made him shit himself? He was so scary before. Now, he looked like a kicked chihuahua, despite his hulking size. "Just lemme outta here and I'll show you my awesome power, uh... Ddraig!"

The red dragon, Ddraig, sniffled a few more times. "Okay..." He sniffled again.

It was like he'd already accepted his cursed fate, holding out zero hope that the delusional boy was telling the truth. All Ddraig could hope for was that the next century would go by quickly and that the boy wouldn't embarrass him too much.

The flames inside the world suddenly became fierce, spinning around wildly and covering all of Issei's vision with blinding light. He shut his eyes to shield himself from the fire and screamed. When he opened them once again, he was awake in his room, alive and laying on his bed.

Sitting up, Issei opened up his Gamer Menu. "Can you here me, Ddraig?"

"Yes..." The voice had originated from a glowing, green circle that appeared on top of Issei's left hand. The way the dragon spoke made it seem like he still didn't believe the pervert.

"Woah, that's freaky..." Issei muttered after hearing Ddraig's voice reverberate through his Sacred Gear. It was still weird getting used to all this magic crap suddenly getting tossed at him. He cleared his throat. "A-Anyways, can you see the menu screen in front of me?"

"No, I can't see anything."

"Really? But aren't you literally inside me? Can't you do stuff like read my mind?"

"I can see inside your dreams and see what you see, but no, I can't read your mind. If I could, I wouldn't be talking to you from your hand, would I?"

"Good point," Issei sighed. Even Ddraig, a powerful being living inside his Sacred Gear, and by extension himself, couldn't see or even detect his power. Things just got a little more complicated. "Wait a sec, I can do this!"

Opening up his inventory, Issei pulled out some of the cash that he had been rewarded from his quest. A small stack of ten thousand yen bills had appeared out of thin air and right into his hands.

"How 'bout that, Ddraig? Did ya see that?" Issei said smugly. It wasn't much, but summoning money out of nowhere was something no normal human could do.

"I did." Ddraig replied with an impressed intonation. "I could almost jump for joy. Perhaps I can live with the fact that I'm not in a nightmare."

"Hey, gimme a break! I'm not that bad and my power is cool!"

"It is a curious ability. I couldn't detect any source of power when you used it, magic or otherwise."

"Nothing at all?" Issei couldn't help voicing his surprise as he got up to get dressed. This Gamer power was only getting more mysterious the more he used and learned from it. Initially, he had believed the dragon inside of his arm would be the strange one. "Does that mean you can detect other sources of power?"

"Of course. Those little devils and fallen angels you're playing with could never hide themselves from me."

"That's sick! Watch out, bitches! I'll sick a dragon on your ass!" Issei pumped his fist excitedly. He may have been able to detect them because of his gamer power, but having a beast like Ddraig watch his back was reassuring.

"Slow down. You are far from utilizing the full powers of my Boosted Gear, much less attempt to summon me."

Issei winced. "Y-Yeah, but you're still gonna help me out when you can, right?"

The deepened sigh vibrating across Issei's left hand felt weird. It also hurt his feelings. "I can't expect you to pay those fallen angels to leave you alone. I suppose I don't have a choice."

"Hey, it does more than that!" Issei finished putting on his uniform and put the money he'd tossed aside back in his inventory. If Ddraig hadn't said anything, he would have forgotten it.

"Yeah? Show me."

"Okay, fine!" Accepting the dragon's challenge, Issei tried to figure out what exactly he could show him. Despite being able to see what he could, Ddraig clearly wasn't able to see the blue highlights his pseudo x-ray vision showed him. He probably wouldn't be able to hear any pings The Game would make when it notified him of something, either. It had to be something physical, something that anyone could see. "How about this?"

Pulling out another item from his inventory, Issei was now holding a circular coin-like object. It was blue in color and had an English R on both sides.

"More money?" Ddraig asked sarcastically.

"No! Just wat-"

"Issei?! Who are you talking to?!" His mother had called from downstairs.

'Shit!' Issei's heart nearly jumped out of his ass. Normally, his mother would help wake him up because he would always snooze his waifu alarm. In fact, either of his parents could have walked into his room at any point and he'd been yelling his mouth off.

"You're in trouble now..."

"Dick! Why didn't you tell me?!" Issei whispered in anger, grabbing his wrist and shaking it as if he were grabbing Ddraig himself and shaking him. He turned towards his door and popped it open slightly. "Nothing mom! Everything's fine!"

"Well then get down here and eat your breakfast!"

"I will, just gimme a few minutes!"

"You better not be jacking off again!" Suddenly, his dad joined in the conversation.

"I'm not! Uhhh, I'll be down soon!" Issei shut the door, unable to come up with a decent excuse. Whether he had one or not, they would give him some time regardless because they believed he was trying to light his rocket.

"Your parents sound very proud..."

"Shut up, Ddraig!" Issei seethed.

"You're telling the great Red Dragon Emperor to shut up?!"

"Yeah, I am. Whattaya gonna do, cry again?" Issei taunted. Inwardly, he was wincing with fear at what the dragon might do. He may have cried like a baby, but he was still a dragon.

Ddraig said he couldn't read his mind, right?

"Just show me your lame power so I can go rest my head. I've had enough pervert for one day." Ddraig gave an irritable snort, which again felt weird coming from the back of Issei's hand.

Thankfully, the dragon let him off easy. Though, he didn't really appreciate having his cool Gamer power getting called lame. "Right, here goes."

Crushing the token with his right arm, Issei watched the coin shatter into multiple tiny, glowing fragments. He had done this process once in the school bathroom where he had crushed a common token and gotten that bogus fountain pen. It still sat inside his inventory, as he wasn't really sure what to do with it. Rather than glowing a dull gray color, this Rare Token glowed blue.

The particles floated in and around Issei's closed hand, before getting absorbed inside his arm and spreading throughout his body.

Reward:

[Rare] Flight

Allows the user to fly through the air.

A warm, strange feeling grew inside Issei's body. It was similar to when he'd ran his hand across a bunch of books and instantly learned the information inside them, but also completely different. He had gained knowledge, but it was knowledge on how to use the brand new power he had been bestowed.

"Ddraig..." Issei whispered, trembling with excitement. Going over the process on how to do it, a smile slowly formed on his face. "Ddraig, did you see that?!"

"You crushing the coin?" Another sarcastic comment.

"No, this!" Issei jumped into the air. Rather than fall, he remained floating and drifted around his bedroom. "See! You see?!"

"Flight? But I haven't given you wings..." Ddraig sounded a bit stunned as he watched the boy clumsily fly around through his own perspective.

He pieced everything that happened together. It seemed illogical. Stupid, even. But the boy had referred to his power like a game.

"Are you trying to tell me that your power just granted you that ability?" He asked incredulously.

"That's right, baby!" Issei confirmed, overshooting one of his turns and smashing into his wall, putting a hole through it. He didn't let that stop him. "I CAN FUCKING FL-"

"Issei?! What are you doing up there?!" His mother's voice rang from downstairs once more. "And who do you keep talking to?!"

"Don't tell me my boy's gone senile! No wait, is he pretending to have sex up there?!" His father followed up.

"You don't really think he is, do you?!"

"I don't know and I'm not gonna find out!"

"Well, someone has to go up there!"

"And it ain't gonna be me!" His parents continued bickering amongst each other about his outrageous behavior. Issei would have felt embarrassed if he wasn't still gliding across his room.

Meanwhile, Ddraig was still trying to wrap his head around what he had just learned. If he understood everything correctly, his new partner had just received a new ability from his other ability. His first instinct was to believe that the power was just an extension from his other one, but the pervert was treating it as if it were entirely different. Perhaps the whelp was just excited to fly around, much like a newborn bird, but the possibility that it was more than that couldn't be dismissed.

The act of summoning forth that blue token and crushing it in his hand had granted him the ability. If he hadn't just witnessed such an act, he would have believed something so foolish to be impossible. Ddraig searched inside the boy's body for any clues on how it worked. Even though he was still getting adjusted to his new host, he was certain the power hadn't existed until now.

Searching through Issei's body for any new presence, Ddraig eventually felt it. Not that Game power the boy kept spouting, but the flying ability. It appeared to take the form of a magical seed that had grown inside of the kid's very soul. It was like a blessing of sorts. When the process happened, Ddraig hadn't noticed it. Either because it was too small, or his connection with the boy wasn't yet strong enough to detect it, or some other factor.

Wanting to find the so-called Game power that had performed such a feat, Ddraig searched harder. He tried as hard as he could and used every method he knew to scan over the kid, but he couldn't find anything. Despite his perversion and childish mannerisms, Ddraig was certain Issei wasn't insane. He did have this unique power, which had granted him another. It all sounded infeasible, and yet it was true.

Whatever the case, it wasn't something he could ignore. Ddraig needed to learn more about this power.

"Issei."

"H-Huh?" The voice shocked him out of his literal high. Had Ddraig ever called him by his name before? He floated back down on top of his bed. "What is it?"

"Tell me everything you know about your power."

"Okay, but why?"

Footsteps could be heard making their way up the stairs. Ddraig felt annoyed, knowing it wouldn't be a good idea to let ordinary humans know of his presence and by extension, the supernatural.

"When you get the chance, talk to me. And don't let anyone else know about it." Maybe it wasn't as big of a deal as it seemed. It may have had limits and the power could only grant a few small powers. There was likely a limit to how much it could do.

But to avoid his detection; a being on the level of Gods... Even in his weakened state, it was still a reason for concern. If that was the case, it was possible that the power wasn't governed by magic, or any such laws Ddraig knew of.

If that was the case, it may be that the power could also reach the realm of God. The prideful dragon would never admit that another power was better than his own, but this new one had his mind racing over the potential it had.

One thing was certain.

Issei Hyoudou was either incredibly fortunate, or incredibly not.

The glow on the back of Issei's hand dimmed down before fading away entirely. As it did, the door to his room was slammed open. "Thank God, you're dressed. Now, come down and eat!" His mother scolded him with a mean gaze.

"Alright mom, geez. You don't gotta break my balls." Issei stood up and grabbed his bag, following her downstairs. He sat down and ate his meal, which was still warm enough to be appetizing. His parents were throwing a few burns his way; his perverted nature at fault for that. They also encouraged him to do better, believing he had it in himself to do good. It was a similar spiel he was used to, so they were mostly ignored.

Instead, Issei's thoughts were on what Ddraig had said. His voice had always been intimidating and when he first saw him, the boy nearly had a heart attack, Issei believed he was a commanding, no nonsense monster. Now that he'd gotten to know him a little better and looked at him a bit differently, he could tell that this time was different.

Ddraig was being serious. He didn't sound worried or anything like that, but Issei got the feeling that it was urgent. He wanted to know all the details about The Game and what it did. Honestly, Issei himself was still in the process of learning everything about it and what all it could accomplish. The fact that Ddraig had no idea about the power and held a high amount of intrigue over it proved that The Game was special. It had to be.

'A super secret power that even a dragon is interested about.' Issei snickered, getting a big head. 'What did he call himself again? Woosh Dragon, or something? Meh, Breast Dragon sounds better.'

Bidding his mouthy parents farewell, Issei placed his school bag over his shoulder and headed for the door. He'd remember to talk to Ddraig sometime later today. For now, it was time to go to school.

A ball of excitement formed inside him as he thought about the devil hotties he would be spending his day with. Koneko said she would protect him and they spent all day playing at the arcade yesterday.

Maybe they would go another round today? Was she going to be his escort again? Maybe Rias wanted a turn on the Issei train? He had two arms, maybe they'd both come?! Wasn't Himejima-senpai also apart of their group? He'd sure as hell love getting to know those bongo-bongos!

Using his pseudo see-through vision, Issei could see a blue figure waiting for him outside in front of the house. A lecherous grin nearly split his face open.

'Koneko! Koneko! Koneko!' He chanted. Looking closer, he could tell the figure was a bit taller than she was. 'Buchou! Buchou! Buchou!'

Dashing out the front doors, Issei came face to face with the person waiting for him. His grin faltered and his mood instantly tanked. "...Is this a fucking joke?"

"No jokes, my friend. I'm here to escort you to school," A blonde haired pretty boy answered, a kind smile on his face.

"Not you! Why the fuck would I wanna go with you?!" Issei angrily shouted at him.

"Hey, man. Why you gotta hate?" The boy tilted his head, his friendly smile ever-so present. This boy was known as Kiba Yuuto and he was far and away the most popular boy in school. Almost every girl wanted a piece of him. It was for that very reason that Issei hated him with a passion.

"Screw you, pretty boy! Why'd they send you and not Koneko?!" The pervert openly voiced his disdain without shame.

"Ah, I take it the two of you have gotten close?" Kiba once again deflected Issei's aggression with kindness. "I would like to get to know you too, if you don't mind."

"I do mind!"

That remark managed to put a small chink into Kiba's unmoving smile, as if Issei's words had truly hurt his feelings. Nevertheless, Kiba shook it off like a champ. "I understand, but let me know if you need anything." He gestured for Issei to walk with him, which the pervert grumpily complied.

Walking to school with Kiba and not one of the hotties was possibly the worst way Issei could start his morning. Other than Raynare or any other mofo that wanted his head on a pike coming for him, then this was it. The fake ass prince charming who always acts like a goody-goody. Getting a new power and flying around with it had been a great start, too.

Bummer.

Trudging alongside Kiba, Issei did his best to conceal his contempt in case blondy decided to open a can on his ass. When he used Observe on him, he learned Kiba was a level 23 devil with his specialty in speed. He also had a Sacred Gear called Sword Birth, which has the ability to create magic swords. It sounded tight as hell, but Issei refused to give bitch boy any credit.

'Why did it have to be Kiba?!' Issei whined. Sure, he may not have been able to blatantly perv on the girl walking next to him, but he could at least smell them! Why would he ever want to smell kiba? Sure, Kiba was wearing cologne, and yeah, he did smell good. But fuck him!

Thanks to Issei's slower pace, the two took longer than Issei typically would have alone. Kiba patiently waited up for him without complaint and eventually, Kuoh Academy came into view.

"Looks like we've safely arrived." Kiba smiled over at the brown haired boy.

"Looks like we've safely arrived." Issei mocked him under his breath. Even while trying his hardest not to, Issei couldn't help being a bit of a dick. Kiba still heard him, but didn't let it get him down. Other students, specifically females, were looking over at them.

"O-M-G, is that Yuuto-kun with Hyou-dog?!"

"No way, this can't be happening, right?!"

"Why would Ki-baby ever hang out with that ugly worm?!"

"Don't tell me he's supposed to be cool now?!"

Comments continued to rain in, beating up Issei like a punching bag. Everywhere he looked was another girl talking with her friend about how sucky he was compared to Kiba. They weren't even trying to whisper. It was like they wanted him to hear their disgust. Kiba wryly scratched his cheek, doing his best to ignore them all. Unfortunately, that didn't translate over to Issei.

"Are you serious, guys?! Fuck off!" He barked. It wasn't so much him getting insulted, he was more than used to that. What grated his nerves was the fact they said that Kiba was better than him.

He wasn't!

"Did he just yell at us?!"

"Eww! He's so gross!"

"Gross and pathetic!"

"Screw you, Hyoudou!" One of them was brave enough to yell directly at him. Their hate was growing so loud that even Kiba was starting to get nervous. Thankfully, another voice cut in before it could get any worse.

"That's enough! Get to class!" A girl wearing purple glasses deeply yelled out. Like wildfire, the crowd of girls spread quickly, scurrying off through the front gate in fear of their student council president. Within seconds, the only ones left were her, the vice president, the two boy's, and the occasional student still arriving to school.

Kiba breathed out a sigh of relief, grateful the ruckus had ended as soon as it began. "Thank you for that, Kaichou. I wasn't aware my buddy here was so disliked."

"It was a simple matter. Your thanks is unnecessary." Sona folded her arms as she looked at the blonde. "I would like to speak with Hyoudou-san for a moment. Please go to your class, Yuuto-san."

Issei felt a lump in his throat. She was singling him out to talk to him? What for?!

"Of course, Kaichou." Kiba bowed his head, lifting it to give Issei his trademark smile. "I'll see you later, Hyoudou-kun."

If he weren't standing in front of Sona and the vice president Tsubaki, Issei would have mocked him again. Instead, he watched the popular blonde leave towards the school building, inwardly wishing he had bailed him out, or at the very least stayed behind to back him up.

He knew Sona was a devil and that devils were allies, but this was the student council president. Even if she wasn't a devil, she was terrifying on her own! To top it off, she had her own back up with her!

She may have let him off easy the other day, but that wasn't a guarantee. Like a twig, she could snap at any moment and give him detention!

"Hyoudou-san," She spoke, her voice sharper than a blade.

Issei swallowed the lump in his throat, wearing his 'wasn't me' face. "Yes, Kaichou?"

Her index finger tapped the side of her arm, as if she were irritated. The glint in her eyes as she looked up at him unnerved the boy greatly. She took a slow intake of breath and asked, "Why did you skip school yesterday?"

Issei felt his ass clench from all the bricks he just shat.

She had him trapped.

If there was one thing he knew about Sona, it was that she was adamant about the importance of school. He tried thinking of an excuse, praying that his expression hadn't already given himself away. She may as well have put a gun to his head. No matter how he answered, she would end up pulling the trigger.

Well, better to try and fail than not try at all, right?

"We had school yesterday?"

From behind, Tsubaki winced.

Sona's eyes narrowed further, her mood turning sour. She inhaled another breath. Like a twig, she snapped.

"Detention."

---

Once again sitting inside the student council room, Issei squeezed his hands against his legs to prevent himself from fidgeting. Like before, he and Sona were alone. However, there was something else that was bothering him...

"I know you said I had detention, but..." Issei trailed as he watched the bespectacled girl place a double-sized bento onto the desk. "...Why am I here during lunch?"

Her eyes met his and he felt himself get tense. "Are you not going to eat, Hyoudou-san?" She asked, evading his question.

Issei scratched his head. "Uh, you called me here before I could go to the cafeteria, so I don't have anything."

"That is fine. You may have some of mine."

"N-No, I couldn't-"

"Please, I insist." She cut him off, popping off the top layer of her bento and sliding it over towards him. A pair of cyan chopsticks were placed next to it, as the girl pulled out a second pair for herself. He thought it was strange for her to carry two pairs of chopsticks in her bag. It was almost like she had planned for this.

Knowing she wouldn't take no for an answer, Issei meekly grabbed the chopsticks and opened the bento. As soon as he did, he was hit with a blast of warmth, followed by an aromatic wave of food. There were six pork cutlets with sauce and thinly chopped lettuce and carrots, as well as five nori rice balls that each had their own separate fillings.

'Oh my God! Seriously?!' Issei's mouth watered as he looked at the meal presented before him. She was giving this to him? What exactly did he do to get the king treatment?

The food looked fresh, like it had only been prepared moments ago. Most bento did not retain heat and needed to be stored in an insulated carrying case to only somewhat keep it warm, yet the food was hot enough to give off steam. The sound of liquid pouring dragged Issei's eyes away from the bento and to the cup he hadn't even realized was placed next to him.

"I assume green tea is fine?" Sona asked, placing the tea kettle back near the corner of the room.

"Y-Yes," Issei stuttered, feeling incredulous.

Tea, too? What's next, a lap dance?

Sona returned to her seat across from him and opened her half of the bento, which appeared to have the exact same contents as his own. "Feel free to begin whenever you like."

Not needed to be told twice, Issei muttered a small thanks and delved into meal. Choosing a pork cutlet first, he bit into the tender meat.

Perfection.

He continued to eat, trying each of the items in the box, as well as the fresh green tea that was brewed.

"How is it?" A voice knocked him out of his euphoric wonderland.

"Good! Really good! I've never had a school lunch this yummy before!" Issei praised, unable to keep a smile off his face.

"I see. I'm glad you think so," Sona nodded her head, satisfied with his answer.

Curiosity peaked, Issei couldn't help but ask, "Were you the one who made this?"

"Y-" Sona's words trapped themselves in her throat. She balled her hand and lightly cleared her windpipe. "I did... with the assistance of Tsubaki..."

"Really? Then the two of you are amazing cooks! I wouldn't mind eating like this every day!" Issei laughed jokingly. Though if he were honest, he truly did mean that. His mom was a great cook and he was lucky enough to eat her food, but this certainly rivaled it. If he hadn't already known that he'd get shot down harder than a bird in the sky, he would've asked Sona to marry him on the spot.

"Is that so?" The girl appeared to contemplate for a moment, before nodding her head in satisfaction. "Right, then. The reason why I asked you here at lunch is because I wanted to pick your brain as soon as possible. I assume you'll be rather busy with Rias after school."

"Rias?" Issei questioned mid bite. He wondered how in the world she would even know about his connection with Rias, before coming to the embarrassingly slow conclusion that Sona too was a devil. Of course the two of them were affiliated. "Has she... told you?" He asked vaguely.

"Yes, she's filled me in about the fallen angels and the deal the two of you made. Rest assured, they won't be a problem for you." She replied, setting Issei more at ease. Had Rias ordered Sona to watch out for him? It was good to know so many people were looking out for him. "I was surprised to hear her holding off from inviting you into her peerage."

"Peerage? What's that?"

"Were you unaware?" Sona's eyebrows raised slightly. "No matter. I could explain it to you, if you'd like."

"Sure, I guess."

"I'm sure you're more than familiar with the game of chess?" Sona leaned forward with a knowing glint in her eyes.

Although eating, Issei's mouth felt a lot more dry than before. "Psssh, yeah I know chess. Of course!"

"I'm well aware of that. If you wouldn't mind, would you perhaps entertain me with another game after our lunch?"

"U-Uh, u-ummm, yeah, no problem," He smiled wryly. If Assistance Mode worked the first time playing her, then it should be able to work the second time.

He hoped.

"In the game of chess, a player's board is made up of eight pawns, two knights, two bishops, two rooks, one queen, and finally the king. A devil's peerage copies this formula to a T."

"Oh... I still don't get it."

"You will," She said rather soothingly. "A peerage is essentially a group, or a body of people. A devil's peerage involves recruiting others into their faction with their evil pieces." A small red object appeared in Sona's hand, a low glow emitting from it.

Issei leaned his head a little closer to get a better look at it. "It's... a chess piece," He answered slowly, recognizing the object but still doubting his knowledge.

"A pawn, to be precise."

"Why's it all glowy and stuff?"

"Good question." Sona set the piece onto the desk. "This is known as an evil piece, and they are what add others into a devil's peerage, thereby transforming them into a devil."

Issei gulped, swallowing a bite of his food nervously. "A-Are you gonna turn me into a devil?"

"Of course not." Sona dismissed her evil piece with a wave of her hand. "Doing that would cause quite a few problems. Although..." She rested her chin onto her hands with a sultry, predatory gaze. "Rias wouldn't be able to say or do too much if you decided that on your own accord. What do you say?"

"U-uh, w-w-what?"

"Join me, Hyoudou-san," Sona said, reaching across the desk and cupping her hand over his. "Do so, and you will not regret it. The differences between Rias and I are clear. You will quickly find that I am the superior master between us. I will do everything within my power to make you successful and happy."

"M-master?" Issei latched onto the keyword within Sona's proposal. He didn't like the idea of being owned by anyone, even if that person was a hot babe. Though he believed he could now trust Rias and Sona to a fair degree, he couldn't put his full faith in them just yet.

Maybe Sona was telling the truth when she said she is a better 'master' than Rias, but Issei didn't know either of the two well enough to know that for sure. His monkey brain was still trying to wrap itself around her brief explanation of how peerages work. If he still couldn't completely understand the concept, why in the world would he sign the check?

It was a disaster waiting to happen.

Reading the blatant look on his face that surrendered his answer, Sona disengaged. "You needn't worry, Hyoudou-san. I merely jest." She retracted her hand, resting back in her chair and picking her chopsticks back up. "I would have been caught off guard had you actually accepted my offer."

He looked at her with surprise, before scratching his cheek. "Good one, hahahah..." He forced himself to laugh. She had a weird way of telling jokes in his opinion. She sounded so serious.

Maybe that was normal devil humor?

Sona carried on, understanding she had unnerved him to a degree. "Alleviate your concerns, Hyoudou-san. Neither Rias or I have any intentions of taking advantage of you. Know that whether or not you join either of our peerages, you will still be considered my friend and ally."

Believing his ears had just betrayed him, Issei couldn't help asking, "I'm sorry, but could you please repeat that last part?"

"I said that whether or not you join either of our peerages, you will still be considered my friend and ally."

"That's what I thought you said..." Issei couldn't conceal the shock he felt.

Friend. That must have been the very last thing he could ever imagine Sona saying when referring to him.

"Is that a problem, Hyoudou-san?"

"No, no! I'm just really surprised!" Issei waved his hands frantically, praying he wouldn't suddenly wake up. She had always been aloof and mean around him. The girl who would constantly give him and his friends detention for their antics.

Now, she was extending her hand in friendship. If this was a dream, then he would become reality's biggest hater.

"Are the differences between us so wide that we cannot become friends?" Sona asked.

"We can! I would love to be your friend!"

"That settles it then." A calm, delicate smile spread across Sona's face.

Issei almost felt his heart skip a beat. He never seen her smile like that before. Maybe a wicked smile while smiting students with punishments; namely him and his friends, but not this. It was a real shame she didn't do it more. She was a genius girl with intellect and maturity well beyond her years, and yet that smile was all she ever needed.

Not even a week ago, all Issei could see her as was a nerdy bitch with a bubble butt. Sona's impression of him likely hadn't faired much better. Now, they were calling each other friend.

"Is something wrong, Hyoudou-san?"

"I'm just glad I could see you smile."

Her eyes slightly widened and a mild blush appeared on her face. She quickly fought it down and readjusted her glasses. "Friends often smile around one another, yes? I don't see what is unusual about it."

"It's unusual for you! I didn't know you were secretly an angel!" Issei complimented, freely expressing his approval. Sona's blush doubled back, nearly lighting her face on fire. Her lips quivered, losing their speech. Issei completely missed her reaction as he realized the weight his words may hold. "Oh shit, is that weird? You're a devil, so getting called an angel would be offensive, right?" He questioned, bowing his head. "I'm really sorry. I'm insensitive and a dumb ass."

"N-no, it's quite alright." Sona turned in her chair, propping her arm up to conceal the visible part of her face. "I understand the analogy. You did not offend me, so don't lament."

Issei nodded hesitantly. "If you say so. But please tell me if I'm doing something wrong. I'm new to all this."

Breathing rhythmically, Sona turned back around, fully composed. "Yes, I will grant you my guidance whenever you're in need." She gestured back to their dishes. "Now please, let us make haste. We have much more to discuss and I still wish a quick rematch before classes continue."

"I still don't understand the stuff about devils..."

"In time, Hyoudou-san. For now, I would like to hear more about your powers. I've heard about it from Rias, but I would like to hear it directly from you."

"Right, well..."

---

Sorry for the abrupt ending. Again, this chapter is split into two. The rest will come out soon. Thanks for reading, and you are interested in Sword Art Online, feel free to check out my other story.