It was a morning of surprises. When my eyes opened, three girls jumped on me.
"Ray!"
"Ray-chan!"
"Ray-kun!".
Akeno, Rias and Anna hugged me tight. I was confused. Haku leaned on the wall behind them, grinning.
"Haku? How did you...?"
I didn't create any interdimensional gate, they didn't make any booking, then how...? The youkai waved her hand and a cloud of moonlight mist manifested in the surroundings.
"It is certainly a complicated spell, master. But after I saw you use it once, I studied it. You couldn't possibly expect me to just wait for you to come back, right? I wanted to have the means to come to you... were it uhm... necessary".
"Uh-huh...?"
"So I studied this spell and managed to mix the transdimensional gate and the moonlight mist. Although, I'm not you, master... I have a lot of limitations. One of them is that I can only transfer to your location, nowhere else..."
"Enough of that!" Anna yelled and hugged me between her boobs, so hard that I could hardly breathe, h-how...? It has barely been a month... how are they bigger?!
"Yes, enough of that, Ray-kun... we're here now, you have to pay attention to us!".
"Uhm!" Girls, I can't breathe.
Another pair mashed up the back of my neck, big as well... I was suffocating. I turned my eyes to the right just so slightly and there, I saw a redhead with teary eyes and massive boobs, also about to throw herself at me.
If another pair falls on me, I don't think I will be able to resist.
"Then my job here is done, enjoy yourself, master~" Haku said and retreated much to my shock. She's not jumping on me? recklessly asking for my seed?
"Ughm! Kuu, are you leaving?" I managed to squeeze out Anna's boobs, just for a few seconds.
"Of course, I am busy on the other side. Now that Anna is going to be with you for two days, I can focus with Yasaka on some other important... matters..."
"You're not causing trouble, are you?".
"Fufufu~ suffice to say you will be surprised, master".
Haku left just like that, and before I could question anything... that redhead also jumped on me.
"Stop paying attention to someone else!"
"Uhmm!!"
And so I suffocated.
...
When I regained consciousness, the first thing I did was kiss Anna. We pecked our lips without any shame, she's my beloved girlfriend, and I have been missing her quite a bit too. Azrael and Tsunade haven't been around for a month now, I and Aqua have attended meeting after meeting together with Jicniv and a lot of ministers from the Empire.
I didn't sign up for it, but it was needed. One is not a god just for show.
I needed affection too and Anna was the best for it. She came at the right time.
"So it is true... you two are going out" Rias crossed her arms with a visually discontent but helpless expression.
"You thought I was lying?!" Anna said, outraged.
"We did..." Akeno and Rias said simultaneously and without delay.
I explained to them that it happened shortly before leaving and that I hadn't been the best boyfriend anyway, leaving my girl just right after we started our relationship. I talked to them and asked them many things. Turns out, it is Friday in the other world so they're able to stay for two days before heading back.
According to Rias, her mother knows that she's here... but she avoided my eyes when she said that. She said Koneko and Kuroka go hunt together in the underworld every weekend for the white cat to train her Nekoshou abilities, and so... they're free to stay here without any hindrances.
"It was actually Rias's idea, she wanted to see you so bad" Akeno giggled and Anna whistled.
"Hey, you two!" Rias blushed, she was unremarkably betrayed by her friends.
"Was it?" I hugged the redhead from behind, "You wanted to see me?~"
"I-It's because you left like that... we missed you okay?!"
"Come here you two".
I hugged Akeno and Rias too, although, I hadn't spent as much time with them as I had with Anna, they're also my childhood friends, and what I feel for them is similar to what I feel for Anna.
I just want to protect them and I want them to be okay... but at the same time, I want them to grow.
They both have an issue and that is that they refuse to acknowledge themselves for who they are. Akeno thinks I don't know... but I can see the energy of a Fallen Angel from miles away. Same with Rias, I can feel her power of destruction (which is overbearingly domineering) shrink in fear within her.
They are both afraid to be their true selves... and although I like them, this is a hurdle they must surpass on their own. Just like Anna also has to accept her youkai nature on her own.
"Anyway... is this really? a new world?" Rias asked first, looking around the room.
This was one of the imperial rooms of Jicniv's castle... among the meetings that we've had, one of them is related to the construction of a 'sacred ground' which would be my residence in the capital.
Not only would this be my residence, but also a site for prayers... until that was completed, I was assigned a whole floor of the castle. Although it is a bit empty since it is only Aqua and me together with the five elves.
"You girls want to go around? We could stay here talking all day, but it is better if I show you around and you have some fun".
"Actually, Ray..." Rias began.
"Hmn?".
"I wouldn't mind... staying in this room all day with you".
"But what is the sense of that–"
Rias took me by the collar rather aggressively, like she was gaining determination, looked at Anna one time, and then kissed me.
!!!
**
**
Perhaps I could convince my father and that would sort out all my problems. Why? why must I be betrothed to Riser...? Why can't I be betrothed to Ray?
He's much stronger, nicer, powerful... handsome, kind of cute. I'm crazy about this guy... but I already discussed this with my mother. Ray is not a devil, we have completely different backgrounds.
The marriage won't be now... it will take years, years I have to prepare and try something. To make my peerage stronger and make a name for myself. But that may not even be enough.
At that time, my mother said something that changed my scope and led me to make the decision, this decision of talking to him directly and sort out my mindset and feelings.
She told me the higher-ups of the devil council and grandfather from the Bael Clan were indeed planning to establish a marriage contract with Ray. I rejoiced naively... I thought it could be me.
But I was wrong, weak and stupid; I am the Heiress of Gremory, but that status is not high enough to marry Ray. There were four candidates and I wasn't included.
Roygun Belphegor, a rating game champion and among the strongest Ultimate-ranked Devils with a King Piece.
Cleria Belial, the Heiress of the Belial, is one of the strongest devil families.
Stella Agares, the sister of the Clan Head of another of the strongest families, Agares.
And lastly, my mother... Venelana Gremory who upon acceptance would divorce my father and become Ray's woman.
I thought it was outrageous, all of those ladies were either married or betrothed to someone else, like me. Why couldn't I be the one? My mother told me the significance of this contract was so... that she would even be willing to divorce my father and marry Ray to gain that advantage for her family, the Bael.
Now I had one more hurdle. Not only did I have to become strong enough to nullify my marriage with Riser. But if I wanted to stop Ray from slipping away, I also had to defeat the strongest candidate.
I had to defeat Roygun Belphegor.