"I… I don't dislike you…"
Koneko's answer was soft, barely above a whisper, tinged with embarrassment.
Rias and Akeno exchanged surprised glances. Tenra, meanwhile, just nodded, as if he'd expected nothing less.
Not disliking him—that was about as neutral as it got. Closer than ordinary friends, maybe, but nowhere near love. After all, Koneko wasn't the type to swoon over a guy just because he was nice to her.
But Tenra only smiled.
"Koneko-chan, I really do like you. In fact, I've already decided—I want you to be my wife, just like Rias and the others."
He said it openly, no hesitation, his ambition and desire laid bare. Whether it was her beauty, her strength, or simply her status as one of Rias's peerage, Tenra had never planned to let Koneko slip through his fingers. And now that he'd stolen her first kiss, there was no way he'd let anyone else have her.
"Tenra-senpai, I… I…"
"Ara ara, Tenra's not holding back at all," Akeno teased, eyes gleaming with mischief.
"You… you jerk!" Rias sputtered, her patience wearing dangerously thin.
First Gasper, then Akeno, then Asia—now even Koneko was being swept into Tenra's ever-growing harem. It was like he'd set his sights on collecting every single member of her peerage!
"Isn't it enough that you already have all of us?" Rias gritted her teeth, exasperated.
Tenra just shrugged, brushing his hand through Rias's crimson hair. "Having you all is the greatest honor of my life, Rias. But my ambition—and my desires—are way, way bigger than that. I'm nowhere near satisfied."
For a moment, Rias was left speechless. Devils were supposed to have desires, to chase them, to grant them, to yearn for more. But Tenra, half-human as he was, sometimes seemed more devilish than she'd ever been.
Tenra caught the look on her face and chuckled, but he knew when to ease off. His tone softened.
"But don't worry, Rias. This is my ambition, yes—but if Koneko-chan doesn't want it, I'll never force her. On the other hand, if she falls for me and chooses to be my wife, I hope you won't interfere."
He looked her in the eye. "Fair?"
Rias huffed, but there was relief behind her glare. "If Koneko chooses you herself, I won't say another word."
"Deal, then!"
Tenra grinned, ruffling Koneko's hair.
"Koneko-chan, from now on, I'm going to do my best to make you fall for me. If you don't want to end up as my wife, you'd better work hard to keep your distance and not let yourself get swept away."
Rias couldn't help but laugh, even as she rolled her eyes. Did this guy have any idea how absurdly confident he sounded?
And Koneko, caught in the middle, looked more conflicted than ever. He was warning her to guard her heart even as he announced his intent to win it. It was… weird, to say the least.
"I—I understand, Tenra-senpai."
She managed to keep her composure, though her cheeks were bright pink. If Tenra-senpai was giving her fair warning, she'd just have to be extra careful from now on.
With that, the matter was settled. Rias didn't say another word. If Koneko still fell for Tenra after all this, she'd have no right to complain.
After breakfast, Tenra called out, "Irina, Xenovia, why don't you join us at school today?"
Irina's eyes sparkled. "Yeah, I'd love to!"
"School, huh? Sounds interesting…" Xenovia said, a hint of curiosity in her usually stoic voice.
Back in the Church, their days had been filled with training and missions. The idea of a normal school life had always seemed distant—now, it felt like an adventure.
Once everyone was ready, Tenra set off for school with Gasper and the girls, just as he did every morning.
"Uncle Hyoudou and his family still live here, huh? Brings back memories," Irina remarked as they passed the house next door.
"Not just Uncle Hyoudou. Issei-kun goes to Kuoh Academy too," Tenra replied, a knowing smile tugging at his lips.
"Issei Hyoudou? You mean that kid who was always going 'oppai, oppai'?" Irina deadpanned.
"Yep, the very same oppai-loving Issei-kun."
"But I heard he's been having a bit of girl trouble lately. He's been on leave, recuperating at home. Want to visit him later, Irina?"
"Visit that pervert? No way!" Irina scoffed, folding her arms.
"Suit yourself," Tenra laughed.
Thanks to Tenra, Irina only knew Issei in passing—and she'd never had much patience for his perverted antics.
They'd just say hi if they bumped into him. No need to go out of their way.
The group passed the Hyoudou house, chatting and laughing. Unbeknownst to them, a figure stood at an upstairs window, watching their retreating backs.
Issei Hyoudou.
"Ah… Tenra's harem just keeps growing…"
He sighed, sounding utterly defeated. In the short time since they'd last met, poor Issei had grown noticeably thinner.
Ever since Motohama and Matsuda had been arrested and "rehabilitated," Issei had been on indefinite sick leave. Not that he had much choice—his obsession with oppai had kept him going this long, but he was reaching his breaking point. If he had to spend another day at school surrounded by all those "flamboyantly beautiful" guys, who knew what might happen?
Still, as the days dragged on, his longing for true love only grew stronger.
What really shocked Issei was what he'd done two days ago: he'd actually confessed his feelings—to his own father.
His very first confession, and it was to his dad.
The look of horror on his father's face was seared into his memory. Even thinking about it now made Issei shudder.
Naturally, he'd been rejected—hard. His dad had given him a good beating and locked him in his room, forbidding him to go out.
When had his life gotten so complicated? He couldn't go on like this.
Oppai or true love—he had to choose.
With a deep sigh, Issei gazed out the window, lost in melancholy. At the crossroads of his life, he had no idea which path to take…
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