Issei and Kiba face off again, both drenched in sweat, breaths ragged. Ten grueling days of training have pushed them to their limits—and now, it shows.
Kiba dashes forward, sword shimmering with light.
Issei grits his teeth, gripping his Boosted Gear.
"BOOST! BOOST! BOOST!"
A massive surge of power floods his body. His eyes gleam with newfound confidence. With a roar, Issei unleashes his Dragonshot, a spiraling beam of crimson energy that tears through the air like a missile.
BOOM!
The entire side of the mountain explodes, dirt and trees obliterated in a deafening flash of power. Kiba leaps out of the shockwave, but it's too late—he's caught in the edge of the blast and knocked clear across the field.
Everyone stares in awe.
"He... won?" Koneko blinks.
"About damn time," Akeno smirks.
"Nicely done, Issei," Rias says proudly. "This marks the end of our training. We're ready."
{That Night — Celebration Dinner}
The smell of grilled meats, spices, and freshly cooked rice fills the mountain mansion's dining hall. Rias and Akeno are hard at work preparing a feast, and the atmosphere is one of hard-earned triumph.
Laughter and chatter fill the room.
"Thanks for the training, Ryusei," Issei says, still a bit sore but smiling. "My body feels way tougher now."
"No big deal," Ryusei replies, sipping soup. "Couldn't let you be the weakest link."
Rias serves Ryusei personally, gently feeding her spoonfuls of food while Charcadet sits happily in her lap, also being hand-fed.
Issei huffs in frustration until Asia sits next to him, shyly holding out a spoonful of curry.
"Here, Issei-kun…"
His mood instantly does a 180. "Asia… you're the best!"
{Later That Night}
The party dies down. The moon hangs high in the sky. Inside her quiet room, Ryusei lies in bed, curled slightly on her side, fingers lightly turning the silver ring on her right hand—the one that holds Rika.
"I wonder if you're okay… You haven't come out in a while."
The silence in the room seems to echo her worry. She sighs and turns, clutching the ring close to her chest.
"I hope you're okay…" Her eyes slowly close.
Sometime After Midnight
A warmth surrounds her.
Something soft brushes her stomach.
Ryusei's eyes flutter open, face drowsy and confused. Then—
A hand slips under her shirt, gently caressing her toned abs, fingertips moving in circles.
"Wh—What the—!?"
She turns her head, startled—and finds herself staring into the glowing crimson eyes of a beautiful woman with long black hair, skin pale like porcelain, and a mischievous, loving smile.
"Ryusei~! Did you miss me?" the woman whispers, hugging her tighter.
Ryusei stiffens.
"…Rika?! How are you—how do you have a human form?!"
Rika's smile grows wider, her cheeks bright pink as she giggles.
"I've been storing up energy all this time~! Just for this! So I could make a body and be with you~!"
Ryusei's face burns crimson as she gapes at her.
"W-Why haven't you come out of the ring at all…?"
Rika snuggles even closer, lips brushing Ryusei's ear.
"Because I was saving up for this… and I wanted to surprise you~! Now I can finally touch you... properly."
"We're sharing a bed… and you're naked, aren't you—?!"
After two intense hours, Rika's time runs out. Her form begins to glow faintly before vanishing in a swirl of soft light, returning to the silver ring resting on Ryusei's finger.
The room falls silent again.
Ryusei lies there, chest rising and falling with heavy breaths, her shirt torn, revealing a mess of bite marks, hickies. Sweat clings to her toned skin, and her hair is fanned out across the pillow.
"...Damn it, Rika…" she mutters weakly, too drained to move.
Her eyes are closed, body spent.
The door creaks open gently.
Rias quietly steps into the room, holding a sleepy Charcadet against her chest. She pauses, noticing Ryusei passed out on the bed, exposed and breathing deeply. Her eyes drift across Ryusei's marked skin for a moment—her cheeks turning a faint pink—but she says nothing.
"Poor thing… must've overtrained."
She sets Charcadet gently down on the bed, who curls up beside Ryusei's arm with a happy chirp.
Rias slowly slips under the covers and nestles herself beside Ryusei, carefully draping an arm around her waist.
"I told you not to push yourself so hard…" she whispers softly, brushing a stray strand of hair from Ryusei's face.
Charcadet shifts slightly, nuzzling against them.
Rias closes her eyes and rests her head on Ryusei's shoulder, not noticing or choosing to ignore the bite mark peeking from Ryusei's collarbone.
"Good night… Ryusei."