"Rias Gremory. It's a pleasure to meet you," Azuma said, giving the woman a friendly smile. She didn't return it. He held out his hand for a handshake.

"Azuma Katio," Rias grounded out, her face blank as she stared back at him. She slowly looked down at his hand, and then slowly reached out her hand to shake it.

The fuck did I do? Why's she pissed already?

"Would you like some tea, Kaito-san?" Akeno asked, stepping towards him with a teacup in her hands. Azuma opened his mouth to answer, but the girl sitting next to him did first.

"Don't accept that, Ma- ahem, Azuma-chan," Ravel said, forcing out the last part as she resisted referring to him as she normally did, "I would appreciate it if you didn't try to poison my ma- ah, b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-oyfriend!"

Azuma gave Ravel a side eye as she very suspiciously stuttered out the last word for an entire ten seconds, her face flushed as she suddenly wouldn't look in his direction.

Azuma being Ravel's boyfriend was the coverup they were using to have a reason for Azuma to build his resort - and to be in Kuoh in general. 

The two owners of Kuoh - Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri - wouldn't just allow a random magician to run rampant in their territory. If he didn't request a meeting with them, then they would've taken action. At best, he could hope to be told to leave. At worst, he could be killed.

Of course, a random magician asking to build a resort in their territory wouldn't be approved, so he needed some backing. Backing in the form of the Phenex Family.

Azuma had initially been planning to go to this meeting alone, as he knew that Rias didn't get along with the Phenex Clan because of a certain arranged marriage to an egotistical womanizer named Riser Phenex, but he was glad Ravel had insisted on joining him now.

"Poison is a strong word," Akeno giggled, smirking at Azuma as her eyes stared at him seductively, "It's just a little aphrodisiac. It would make this stuffy meeting so much more fun."

I didn't think they'd try something so openly.

Azuma knew that the devilish women in front of him were smart and shrewd - and that they had some very loose morals. Devils, in general, were very morally loose in this world - someone like Grayfia, who was married to the literal ruler of devilkind himself and had a child with him, had no qualms about teasingly giving Issei a naked sponge bath. Harems were common, peerages were treated like slaves, and if you had money or power then you could commit crimes without fear of consequences.

The Gremory family had no qualms about forcing their daughter into a loveless, unhappy marriage, and said daughter wasn't innocent either. If you put aside her exhibitionist kink, she wasn't above doing some rather heinous things.

Azuma knew that she was a good person to those close to her - as the crimson-haired princess had an intense love for her peerage, which she treated like family, but she wasn't as kind to those that she wasn't close to.

It wasn't a coincidence that all of her peerage members had been 'saved' by Rias when they were at the lowest points in their lives. This became extra obvious in regards to Issei, as there was no way Rias didn't know about the fallen angels in their territory. And, even if she somehow didn't know, Sona most certainly knew. That woman took her role in ruling Kuoh very seriously, as Ravel had spotted one of her familiars lurking not too far from the dungeon only mere days after he arrived. 

Rias had willingly let Issei die so she could reincarnate him into her peerage. She wasn't above playing dirty.

"Y-You…" Ravel trailed off, then recomposed herself as Azuma gave her a look. 

It wasn't a bad plan, really. I'm not experienced enough in magic to have picked up on it.

Rias knew what her attractive body did the men around her, and what it would do to a young man like Azuma. By giving him an aphrodisiac, she was hoping to turn him into a complete horndog during the meeting. Then, she would've been able to take over the meeting very quickly - leading him around like a dog on a leash as she got everything she wanted.

Not a bad plan at all. I would've dranken the tea, though it wouldn't have worked as well as she hoped.

After living with Aphrodite, who was always near-nude in her skimpy toga and had a body that could rival even Rias and Akeno's, he was much better at dealing with the opposite sex. If this had been him from just a little over a week prior, he probably would've been staring openly at the two bazookas on Akeno's chest.

Now? He could hold eye contact with no problem.

"It's fine. I like a good joke," Azuma hummed, waving his hand dismissively, "But, we're not here to be clowns, so let's get to the point."

Akeno's eye twitched as a too-sweet smile appeared on her face as he indirectly called her a 'clown,' but she didn't say anything. She merely stepped back, standing behind the couch Rias was sitting on.

"Yes, we should," Sona nodded, pushing up her glasses. The other ruler of Kuoh was positioned on the couch next to Rias, which was parallel to the couch Azuma and Ravel were sitting on.

I'm surprised they chose to sit on a couch as well, but I suppose it was to make it easy to get more 'personal' with me.

"I want to open a resort," Azuma said bluntly, "It'll be on the east side of town, right on the edge of the forest. It'll be open to humans and supernaturals, and I've already cleared out the land and built most of the building. I was just coming for your permission to open it."

"If you had done your research, you would know that you don't need to ask us about a simple business being opened," Sona said sharply, trying to take control of the conversation, "If I to approve every building being made, then I'd never have any free time. Neither me nor Rias need to approve of it - unless, of course, if the business is partially owned by a supernatural entity… such as the Phenex Clan."

Applying the pressure early, huh?

Sona's eyes bored into him, the woman staring at him with such an intense fire in her eyes that a normal human would've folded, admitting to their guilt even if they hadn't done anything wrong. Luckily, Azuma wasn't normal.

"I know that. Let's not pretend that you would've left me alone and allowed the resort to be opened if I didn't contact you, Sitri-san. You would never allow a mage to enter your territory freely," Azuma replied easily, "But, don't worry - while the Phenex Clan was contracted to build the actual structure, which I'm sure you noticed by the presence of devils in your territory over the construction period, they don't have a stake in it. I'm opening it solely on my own."

"On your own?" Sona asked with a raised eyebrow, leaning forward as her lips twitched upwards and her gaze turned more intense, "Then, can you explain why all the workers were paid by the Phenex Clan? I happened to come observe the construction process one day - just out of curiosity, of course - and had a very enlightening conversation with one of the workers. They said that the Phenex Clan is fully funding the construction. Are you insinuating that they lied to me?"

She's taking this seriously if she did all this research. For some reason, they really don't want me in Kuoh - likely because of my connection to Ravel.

"Nah, nothin' like that," Azuma waved his hand dismissively, "They did fund it - because it was a gift. Ravel gifted me the resort for our anniversary."

Unfortunately for you, Sona, I'm pretty smart.

"Your anniversary? I find it strange that the sole daughter of the Phenex Clan is not only dating a human mage but also has been for a year without that knowledge becoming public," Sona asked accusingly, her gaze flickering to Ravel, "I've seen you at multiple young-devil public events over the past year, but you never brought him. Are you perhaps ashamed that you are dating a lowly human?"

Smart. Targeting our relationship to rile Ravel up.

"A-Ashamed?! I-I can let a lot slide, Sitri, but don't insinuate that I would be ashamed of Ma- A-Azuma-chan!" Ravel bit out, glaring forward at Sona. Unfortunately, Ravel's intense affection and obedience to Azuma was a double-edged sword, as the normally composed woman was prone to lashing out about things regarding him.

"Oh? Well, seeing as how you've been keeping him a secret, and are getting so defensive about it…" Sona trailed off, pushing up her glasses as her eyes bore into Ravel, "I can only come to one solution."

"S-Shut your mo-" Ravel stopped abruptly as Azuma placed his hand on Ravel's thigh, the girl's words cutting off abruptly as her face instead turned beet-red.

"No need to get personal," Azuma held up his other hand placatingly, "Our relationship is fine. I said anniversary, but I meant our one-month anniversary, so it's not a surprise that we haven't gone public yet. We've been taking things slow."

"Gifting an entire resort after only one month?" Sona asked incredulously, "That seems like a bit much to me."

Azuma squeezed Ravel's thigh, prompting the girl to answer, "I-It's my f-f-f-f-f-first l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-"

Azuma squeezed her thigh again as she couldn't get the word out.

"-love! T-The cost of something like this is like pennies to the Phenex Clan! A-And I can do whatever I want with my money, Sitri!" Ravel finished, glaring forward again at Sona, though it wasn't very effective considering her beet-red face.

"You shouldn't use the word love so loosely, Phenex-san. You've only been dating for a month, a relationship like that is so…" It was Rias who spoke this time, the girl trailing off as she puffed her chest forward and crossed her arms under her breasts. As if on cue, the button in the middle of the white Kuoh uniform popped, flying directly at Azuma as the middle of her porcelain breasts showed to the world, "...fragile."

The middle cleavage right between her massive bazookas was showcased to the world, and Azuma couldn't resist taking a glance.

Damn, those are fuckin' nice. I've only seen Aph in her mini-form, but those are nicer than even hers!

"Do you want something, Kaito-san?" Rias asked mischievously, watching as Azuma walked right into her trap and stared openly at her huge breasts, "Your eyes seem to be wandering. Are you perhaps not satisfied with Ravel's… size?"

Ravel flushed at her words, the woman opening her mouth but not speaking as she glared at Rias's huge breasts.

The two devilish women were truly shrewd - recognizing after only mere minutes of conversation that Ravel was the weak point they needed to attack.

Unfortunately for you, Rias, I'm pretty stupid.

"Nah, nothin' like that," Azuma said smoothly, still blatantly staring at Rias's breasts, "You just got some nice fuckin' tits."

Rias blinked, taken aback by his bluntness, "W-What?"

No one spoke for a moment as Rias, Sona, and Akeno were all stunned by his sudden compliment.

"P-Phenex-san, you heard that, right?" Sona asked, trying to take control of the situation again as she looked at Ravel.

"I did," Ravel answered easily, not elaborating as she silently looked at Azuma for help.

"Why are you surprised, Sitri-san?" Azuma asked with a raised eyebrow, "If Gremory-san is going to show off so openly, why would I not stare?"

"...You're alright with him doing this, Phenex-san?" Sona asked again, looking slightly lost on where to steer the direction but still trying to apply pressure.

Luckily, Azuma had picked Ravel as his attendant for a reason. The girl was smart, even if she hadn't showcased it yet in the meeting.

"I am, Sitri-san," Ravel said easily, smiling at her, "Harems are very normal in our society. Why would I have an issue with him looking at other women?"

"F-For the sole daughter of the Phenex Clan to be a part of a human mage's harem," Sona started again, her voice starting to break as she tried to pile onto the situation, "That would be a-absurd! And to a human mage who is openly gawking at your brother's fiance, no less! What would he think about this?"

There we go. I've got you right where I want you now.

Azuma had been waiting patiently for Riser to be mentioned.

"That prick?" Azuma asked, his face wrinkling into one of disgust, "Who gives a damn about what that moron thinks?"

The room froze for a second, all eyes on Azuma.

"T-That's her brother you're talking about so brazenly…" Sona finally said, breaking the silence, though she obviously was unsure on what to say, "A son of the Phenex Clan…"

She's floundering. She didn't plan for the meeting to go this direction.

"Y-Yeah, you can't just bad mouth someone like him," Rias stuttered out, her confident facade breaking, "Especially since you're a human. He would kill you if we told him you said that!"

"Eh? Let him try," Azuma waved his hand dismissively, "I'm just saying the truth. Riser Phenex is an absolute prick. The biggest prick I've ever seen. An annoying bastard who hides behind his bloodline power because he has no fuckin' balls. Why the hell would I speak respectfully about that bastard?"

The room was silent again for a moment, all eyes on Azuma. Sona opened her mouth again to take back control of the situation but was beaten by Rias.

"D-Do you mean that?" She asked abruptly, leaning forward toward Azuma as any sense of decorum was broken.

Didn't expect the 'Phenex Clan spy' to hate Riser, did you?

"Eh? Of course," Azuma hummed casually, "Why would I not?"

"...you fine with him saying this, Phenex-san?" Sona asked, locking eyes with Ravel, "I was under the impression that you were rather fond of your brother. To the point that you were even intending to join his peerage soon."

"I was," Ravel answered easily, "I still care for him, of course, as I do for all of my family, but there was an… incident a couple of weeks ago, so I'll forgive Azuma-chan for talking about him like this."

"An incident?" Rias asked, her face completely breaking as she leaned forward eagerly.

Hook, line, and sinker.

"It doesn't have anything to do with this meeting," Azuma said aloofly, waving his hand as if to blow away the conversation, "We just had a little argument."

"An argument that ended up in you trying to kill him," Ravel said blandly, glancing over at Azuma, "I don't think I'd call that little."

Perfect timing, Ravel.

"Y-You tried to kill him?" Rias asked, looking at Azuma with wide eyes, "Riser? You fought Riser?"

"We don't need to get into it," Azuma said aloofly again, "I'm sitting in front of two clan heiresses - I wouldn't want to bore you guys…"

"N-No!" Rias shouted abruptly, causing the room to go dead silent instantly. Rias blushed as everyone looked at her, then she leaned back, trying her best to look disinterested again, "I mean, you can tell it. Meetings like this are so boring anyway - you might as well spice it up a bit."

Azuma could easily tell Rias was trying to hide it, but she was desperate to hear about his conflict with Riser. A conflict that had never happened - but the Gremory heiress didn't need to know that.

Just as planned.

"It's nothing that crazy. It's just… Ravel told me that you two were engaged," Azuma started, explaining the story he and Ravel had come up with, "And when I met him for the first time, he had his arm wrapped around a woman."

Azuma glanced away, looking out the small window in the Occult Research Club clubroom. As he did, a small gust of wind blew in, brushing his hair aside and revealing his teary, distraught eyes.

Perfect timing.

"I just… I know I never met you personally, but I've heard about how kind you and your family are," Azuma said, raising a hand to his face as he covered his 'tear' filled eyes, "Kind to the point that you treat your peerage, which many devils view as slaves, like they are your own family. When I saw him unashamedly with that woman when he was engaged to someone as amazing and kind as you… I couldn't hold back."

Azuma paused for dramatic effect, peeking through his fingers to gauge Rias's reaction.

That's what I like to see.

The girl was leaning forward again, staring at him intensely with wide eyes.

When I get bored and write a book in the future, I'll call this the 'Azuma Kaito manipulation strategy #2!'

The first strategy was just a variation of 'gaslighting' that he did to Aphrodite constantly

Azuma Kaito manipulation strategy #2: The Roller Coaster of Emotions

If a guy was watching this right now, they'd cringe. 

Acting like a 'White Knight' and a 'Simp' was undoubtedly cringe, but that didn't matter in the case of Rias.

You thought I was a spy, but I just said I defended your honor against Riser when we've never even met.

Rias Gremory had one thing she hated more than anything else in the world: Riser Phenex. In her eyes, he was not just a womanizing moron. No, he was far more terrible.

He was the man that would ruin her life. That would force her to give up her life in Japan, stripping both her and her peerage's freedom away. 

Rias Gremory was shrewd. Rias Gremory was ruthless. But, most importantly, Rias Gremory was kind. Too kind.

She valued her peerage above all else - viewing them as her own family. She would do anything to protect them. And yet, she was helpless as they were about to fall victim, along with herself, to the monster known as Riser Phenex.

She would do anything to prevent that - even going as far as letting an innocent high school boy named Issei Hyoudou die in her own territory. Even going as far as reincarnating a huge pervert into her peerage, forcing both Akeno and Koneko to withstand his constant lustful stares.

At this point in her life, there was only one thing weighing Rias Gremory down. One thing that was preventing her from living a happy life in Japan. One thing that was preventing her from experiencing a fairy tale romance that she idolized from all her favorite anime.

Riser Phenex.

Even worse, she was facing this monster alone. Her peerage was helpless - they were merely reincarnated devils, and had no power or sway in the underworld politics. Her childhood friend was the heiress to the Sitri clan - she couldn't ruin her own family's future prospects to try and help Rias. Her brother was a Maou - someone who should've had the most power and authority in all of devil kind but could do nothing. His position was an awkward one - he had given up the Gremory last name, and it would cause an uproar if he tried to interfere in the matters of two noble clans.

Worst of all - her family. Her biggest supporters - the people she loved and cared for the most - weren't on her side. No, in fact, they were vehemently against her. Her father had signed away her life to the Phenex Clan and was even pressuring for the marriage to be moved forward along with Lord Phenex.

Rias Gremory was facing an impossible situation, and she was facing it alone.

And so, she was in the perfect situation to be exploited.

When someone is alone, all they need is some company. Someone who's on their side.

"It pissed me off," Azuma grunted, slowly uncovering his eyes as he locked eyes with Rias, "So, I punched him."

"Y-You punched him?" Rias asked, leaning forward even closer to him.

Rias Gremory was trapped - by her family, by politics, and by her monster of fiance. 

I'm sure she'd love to knock the annoying smirk off his face every time she sees him - so I did it for her.

Of course, Azuma didn't actually do it for her. He'd never even met Riser Phenex.

But she won't know that. I have the best possible person backing me up.

"He did," Ravel muttered to his side, putting on her best 'annoyed yet impressed' face, "Right in the middle of our manor, too. Azuma-chan can be so impulsive sometimes."

"What happened?" Rias asked abruptly again, blushing as all eyes turned to her. She cleared her throat, relaxing as she tried to look uninterested again, "I mean, after you punched him. I'm sure he wouldn't just let that slide."

"Of course not, he was fuckin' pissed," Azuma chuckled, "But, just because I'm a human doesn't mean I'm weak, y'know?"

"I don't mean to insinuate that you are weak, Kaito-san, but…" Sona frowned at him, "I'm doubtful that a mere human would try to assault someone like Riser, in his own home no less. He's not just a high-class devil, but also one of the strongest young devils in our generation."

This is going too perfectly.

Leave it to Sona to ask exactly what he wanted. Azuma was glad he hadn't overestimated the girl's intelligence when planning out this meeting.

He needed a showcase of power in this meeting - it was essential for what was coming next. He needed more than just Ravel's words to back him up. Not just for the resort to open, but also for what he would do in the future in the DxD world. He needed Rias to view him in a different light.

He couldn't be a 'helpful piece' in saving her. He couldn't just be part of the solution.

He needed to be the whole solution.

"Ah, Sitri-san, once again - just because I'm a human, doesn't mean I'm…" In a split second - no, a split second was too slow. Even a split millisecond would be too slow, as Azuma quite literally skipped through time, appearing directly in front of Sona with a grin on his face, "Weak, y'know?"

Sona flinched, her face jerking back as her face flushed at the sudden movement. His face was now inches away from her, the woman's eyes wide as she didn't see him move at all.

"Wha-" Rias stuttered next to her, cutting herself off as her eyes also went wide as Azuma was suddenly on the other side of the table.

Didn't expect a human to be so strong, huh?

And, with that display, the seed was planted. While the feat had been solely possible because of his [Time Dilation] ability, in their eyes it looked as if he had moved faster than their eyes could process. 

For devils with enhanced eyesight, especially high-class ones, this was probably something they had never seen before. Most importantly, it proved to them that he was strong. Stronger than they could even gauge.

"Believe me now?" Azuma chuckled, pulling back and giving Sona some space as he walked back around the table and sat next to Ravel, "That bastard didn't even see my first punch."

"F-First punch?" Rias asked, the girl getting over her shock quicker than Sona, "There was more than one?"

"I still think you went too far," Ravel sighed next to him, the girl closing her eyes dramatically as she added fuel to the fire.

"What did you do?" Rias asked again, not able to keep the eagerness out of her voice.

"It wasn't that bad," Azuma waved his hand dismissively again, "His regeneration meant that I couldn't kill him, so I just… made him apologize."

"Apologize?" Rias asked, looking at him curiously.

"Hah. Making me say this in front of my girlfriend… you're kind of mean, Gremory-san," Azuma chucked, looking away as he dramatically scratched his chin in an 'I don't want to admit this' kind of way. As he did, another very coincidental gust of wind blew into the room, brushing his hair aside.

"I know this is our first time meeting, but I already had some ideas about you," Azuma said awkwardly, causing Rias to continue to look at him curiously, "You're the sole heiress to the Gremory clan. I'm sure there's not anyone in the supernatural world who doesn't know about you."

That wasn't untrue - pretty much every devil in the underworld would've at least known Rias's name. She was a heiress to the Gremory clan - which was one of the remaining 72 pillars - and the sister to the new Lucifer himself. Both her and Sona were well-known in the supernatural world.

"And meeting you here only confirmed it. You're…" He slowly glanced over at her, his eyes locking with hers, "Strong. Beautiful. Elegant. Kind. Even if you didn't know me, I couldn't let that bastard get away with what he was doing. So, I beat his ass until he apologized…"

Plant the seed.

If you asked a woman what they wanted in a boyfriend, they would tell you a variety of things. However, there were a few that were always universal:

Tall. Handsome. Charming. A gentleman who would love and defend her. A kind, charming man who would protect her. Someone who would write her poems - who would enchant her with paragraphs upon paragraphs of love. A man who would do anything to defend her honor. The type of man who would beat her cheating ex's ass, then carry her off into the sunset. The Prince Charming type.

"For trying to hog those giant tits for himself," Azuma said abruptly, killing his charming vibe instantly, "I've been jacking off to pictures of you on the devilnet for years, and this bastard is going to get to experience them?! This dumbass fuckin' burnt chicken bastard?!"

If you asked a woman what they wanted in a boyfriend, they would tell you a variety of things. Of course, most of those things would be lies. A woman might say she wants a nice, kind, charming man who would defend her honor - but that wasn't the type of guy she would date.

Women don't want nice guys - not drop-dead gorgeous women like Rias Gremory. They want the guy who will catcall them on the street, harassing them until they finally give in and go on a date. The scumbag that will cheat on them every other week, creating drama to keep the relationship interesting. A scumbag that'll cheat with no guilt, but that will also beat the shit out of any man that dares to look at her.

A playboy. A jackass. A pervert. A hypocrite. The worst possible man to date.

There's a reason even an average guy like Issei can form a harem.

Being charming and romantic is nice, but nothing is more effective than being blunt. Humans are all animals of instinct deep down. Bringing out one's most basic instincts with the classic 'You're hot, let's fuck' can work wonders.

"I can't believe that fuckin' moron is gonna get to feel those bazookas," Azuma said bluntly, a fire appearing in his eyes as he stared down Rias, "That bastard doesn't deserve that! You got the biggest ass I've ever seen, and you're getting married to Riser Phenex of all people? A dumbass third son?!"

The 'Phenex Clan Spy' turns out to actually hate your biggest enemy, Riser Phenex. Then, he turns out to be a charming white knight who admires you so much that he fought for you. Rias Gremory's emotions were already flipped on their head, and her opinion of Azuma had changed. Of course, that wasn't enough. He needed to confuse her even more.

"A-Are you alri-" Sona tried to interject into the conversation, but Azuma abruptly stood up as his rant turned even more passionate.

"If it was someone competent, maybe I could let it slide! If you were marrying a longinus user, or a literal god or some shit, then I'd feel better," Azuma ranted, his hands slamminng down on the small wooden table between them as he intensely stared into Rias's eyes, "But Riser Phenex? You have fuckin' cannons on your chest! Bazookas! Literal mountains! An ass so big that it could - no offense Ravel - swallow Ravel's fuckin' ass whole! You could put Sona and Ravel next to each other and you'd still be thicker! The sexiest body I've ever seen! As if that's not enough, you're actually a good person too! A cool fuckin' girl with a bangin' body, and you're being taken by a fuckin' burnt chicken!"

The room was silent for a moment, all eyes staring directly at Azuma. Sona was staring at him strangely, her face unreadable. Ravel's face was blank, the girl doing her best to hide her emotions. Even though Azuma had told her the plan beforehand, she was still notably upset with his 'love-stricken' rant about Rias. Akeno was staring at him with an amused expression, and Azuma couldn't help but notice the woman rub her thighs together.

Meanwhile, the woman the rant had been about, was staring at him with wide eyes. Rias's face was blushed bright red, her composure breaking completely as Azuma blatantly ranted about how amazing her body was.

The final touch was finished. Send Rias Gremory onto an emotional rollercoaster, changing her opinion of him with every passing minute. Create a mystery around him, one where she can't decide what kind of person he really is.

Then, love-bomb the shit out of her. Every person - be it male, female, human, devil, or whatever else - wants to be praised. They want to feel cool. To feel beautiful. To feel attractive. To feel loved. 

After a whirlwind of emotions flowing through her, where her expectations of the meeting were completely flipped on it's head, she'll be left with one final positive impression.

"Ahem, my bad," Azuma coughed, sitting back down on the couch, "Got a bit too fired up."

"N-No! It's fine… it's, um…" Rias said, blushing as she looked away, obviously torn about what to say. She glanced at him, then back to Ravel, then finally spoke, "I didn't mind…"

The acts finished.

The meeting had started with Rias disliking Azuma off the bat - as she thought he was sent by the Phenex Clan to spy on her. Through expressing his hatred for Riser, he had reversed that opinion into a positive one. Then, bluntly, unashamedly, shower her with compliments in front of his own girlfriend while also solidifying his hatred of their common enemy - Riser Phenex.

Taken men are more attractive.

Women tend to care a lot about what other women think - so a man with a girlfriend or wife is automatically considered 'attractive' since another woman thinks he is. A single man could instantly become tens of times more attractive by putting on a wedding ring.

And so, as a result, the situation was completely reversed.

Reputation Update!

Your Affection with [Rias Gremory] has advanced four stages!

[Strongly Disliked] -> [Disliked] -> [Neutral] -> [Liked] -> [Strongly Liked]

Your Affection with [Akeno Himejima] has advanced two stages!

[Disliked] -> [Neutral] -> [Liked] 

Your Affection with [Sona Sitri] has advanced one stage!

[Disliked] -> [Neutral]

Perfect.

"A-Anyway!" Sona cleared her throat, bringing the attention back to her as she tried to steer the meeting back onto her desired course, "This meeting was about the resort, not about the Phenex Clan. Despite your words, it's obvious that the Phenex Clan has some stake in the resort. Whether you agree or not, the final decision is ours, so I'll have to request that you lea-"

"It's fine!" Rias interrupted abruptly, her elbow digging into Sona's side. Her face was composed again, the woman looking entirely different from the blushing mess only a few seconds earlier. Despite that, her smile was much kinder than it had been at the start of the meeting.

"Are you sure, Rias?" Sona muttered to her friend, looking sideways at her. 

"I am," Rias nodded, her face blushing again lightly as she quickly explained, "I-It was just a gift from the Phenex Clan! We can't turn him down just because they paid for it!"

"So, I have permission to open the resort?" Azuma asked casually, continuing once Rias nodded at him, "Thanks, appreciate it. It was nice meeting you both, Gremory-san, Sitri-san."

"It wasn't nice to meet me?" Akeno asked teasingly, bending over slightly from her spot behind the couch Rias and Sona were on and causing her breasts to flop downward, "Bad boy~ I might need to punish you for that."

"Shush, Akeno!" Rias said, glaring over her shoulder at Akeno for a second before looking back at Azuma with a smile, "It was nice to meet you as well, Azuma-san. I'll be sure to come check out your resort once it's fully open."

First name basis now?

"Feel free. I'll give you a discount," Azuma nodded with a hum, "10's get in free, so don't worry about bringing money."

"Are you flirting with Rias right in front of your girlfriend, Azuma-chan?" Akeno giggled, her eyes staring him up and down, "Calling her a 10/10 when your girlfriend is right there - how naughty!"

"Nah, I didn't say that," Azuma said dismissively as he stood up, looking back at Rias, "She's more like a thousand out of ten with tits like those."

"I'm sure we'll meet again, Kaito-san," Sona nodded, ignoring the way Rias blushed lightly again as she watched Azuma leave. He merely nodded in response as both him and Ravel pushed through the clubroom door.

As they left the club building, Azuma reached down, grabbing Ravel's hand in his own. She blushed, glancing up at him.

"M-Mas-"

"Shush," Azuma muttered, not explaining as he simply led her away from the building, out the school gates, and back towards the dungeon. Luckily, she didn't try to ask again.

Once Azuma decided they were far enough away, he softly let go of her hand, "They had familiars watching us. I hope Aph didn't get spotted."

The bimbo Goddess of Love had been given the task of creating the very coincidental gusts of wind throughout the meeting to add to Azuma's image.

"That meeting went just as you said it would, Master," Ravel said, looking up at him with an impressed look in her eyes.

"Told ya," He simply replied. 

I can't use my knowledge about this world from my past life very often, but this is one of the few times it came in clutch.

The world of Highschool DxD didn't have a lot of opportunities to abuse his past life's knowledge about this world, as no amount of knowledge could help him if a random god decided to smush him like a bug. There wasn't a way to get a powerful sacred gear, or learn an overpowered type of magic, or anything of that sort. In this overly ecchi world, it was best used for building relationships.

And, in the end, the meeting had gone perfectly. All three girl's opinions of him had increased, and they knew he was powerful.

"How'd you know it would go like that, Master?" Ravel asked, looking up at him curiously.

"She hates Riser," He replied smoothly, "We just needed to lead to conversation to him. Once she saw that I also didn't like him, she would lean more toward liking me. Add in a made-up story where I beat his ass, and I'm in. She'll think I'm her way out of the engagement."

His hatred of Riser and supposed beating of him would lead to Rias wanting him in her peerage. He was strong, and could be charming in the way he defended her. Add in the way he obsessed over her sexy body, and was blatantly a pervert? Rias will view him as an easy target.

He could defeat Riser for her, and she could use her body to convince him to join. He had also showcased that he wasn't a bad person, and that he was willing to defend her. He was a perfect target for the crimson-haired princess.

Of course, I have no intention of joining her peerage, but I will help her get out of the engagement.

His rant hadn't been fully an act - Rias was far too good to end up as Riser's wife. She would end up a member of his harem - he'd make sure of it.

And, most importantly, she knew he was powerful. She didn't know how powerful, but she knew that he could move faster than her eyes could track. He didn't need to showcase any more than that, as letting her imagination run wild would only benefit him.

This was important for more reasons than just getting on her good side - Rias viewing him as the solution to her 'Riser Phenex problem' meant that she would become reliant on him. Having all the benefits that came with the Gremory heiress relying on him would be a big boon.

However, there was an even bigger problem that was solved with Rias viewing him as her possible savior.

Issei Hyoudou.

Azuma had confirmed through Ravel that he was before canon began, but not long before. Issei wasn't a student of Kuoh Academy quite yet, but he would start attending it soon..

If Rias saw Azuma as a 'decently strong mage who could help her against Riser,' then she wouldn't put her sole focus on him. She'd still look for other ways to escape her engagement, or for other people to help her. She'd keep a close eye on Issei Hyoudou as a possible peerage member.

I can't let Issei join her peerage.

Even beyond Issei being an annoying pervert who would be lusting after the women Azuma wanted, he was also the wielder of the Boosted Gear. 

Preferably, I find a way to take it from him. At the very least, I make him my subordinate.

Issei was also the protagonist of this world - letting him run wild was too much of a risk. If Azuma couldn't find a way to take the Boosted Gear, then he would force the boy to work under him.

But, I'd rather not have the pervert around. Even if there's no way to take the sacred gear with the system, there's still Raynare's group.

It was very convenient that a group of fallen angels, who Mittelt happened to be friends with, were going to show up with a sacred gear extractor in the near future.

"Did I do good, Azuma?" Aphrodite's voice rang out behind him as the duo approached the dungeon, the small goddess flying down towards him, "You better be grateful! Do you know how hard it was to make sure none of those little familiars saw me?!"

"You did great," He nodded, reaching out and patting her tiny head with his hand as she preened under his touch, "That went even better than expected. It was perfect."

There were variables that couldn't be accounted for during the meeting - in this instance, how Sona Sitri would react. The Sitri heiress was smart, and there was a chance she'd pick up on Azuma's irregular behavior.

If she thought deeper, she'd realize it was a bit too coincidental that Azuma hated Riser Phenex, was opening his resort in Kuoh, and just happened to show up right as Rias's family was pushing the wedding forward.

Luckily, she didn't question it. She might've realized, but she won't do anything. This is too big of an opportunity for Rias.

Azuma knew that Sona wouldn't try to dissuade Rias from recruiting him to her peerage, no matter how suspicious his arrival was. This was the same girl who gave up on Issei, the literal Red Dragon Emperor, so Rias could have a chance against Riser.

"I didn't know you could be so manipulative, Azuma," Aphrodite frowned, poking her finger into his cheek, "Who knew you had that in you?"

Azuma glanced over at her, his face deadpanned.

"Yeah. Of course you didn't."

"W-What does that mean?!"

And so, the first meeting with Rias Gremory went smoothly, and the dungeon continued its growth.

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AN: Thank you for reading! The next chapter will be out in about a week, or you can read ahead at Patreon.com/Koyon !