Rias turned her head on the pillow, her crimson hair splayed like a halo. Her gaze lingered on Ryusei, who lay with her arm stretched over Charcadet protectively, eyes open, lost in thought.
"So…" Rias began, voice barely above a whisper. "Should we tell the others that we're official tomorrow?"
Ryusei blinked, then rolled her eyes gently. "I don't care. They've probably already figured it out by now… well, maybe except Issei."
Rias chuckled. "True. Not sure how he'll react."
"He'll live," Ryusei replied flatly.
There was a brief silence, filled only by Charcadet's soft snoring and the occasional creak of the house settling. Rias reached over gently, running her fingers through Ryusei's black-and-white hair.
"Let's have children."
Ryusei blinked. Then sat up halfway, choking on her own breath. "W–what?! Now?!"
Rias raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "Yes. Children. Ours. Yours and mine."
Ryusei's face turned a bright shade of red. "Rias, we have Charcadet! That counts for something, right?! Also, we're way too young for kids right now!"
Rias only laughed softly, leaning closer. "I didn't mean right now. I just wanted you to know that I want a future with you. One day. You and me—and maybe a couple of mini-Ryusei's running around."
Ryusei groaned and collapsed back into the bed, pulling the covers over her face. "You can't just spring something like that on me when I'm half-asleep…"
Rias smiled, settling back into the mattress and wrapping an arm over both Ryusei and Charcadet. "I'm serious, though. When the time is right."
Ryusei peeked out from under the covers, eyes meeting Rias's in the dark. There was no teasing in her expression anymore. Just warmth, and something deep and unwavering.
"Yeah…" Ryusei whispered. "Someday."
Charcadet snorted in his sleep, kicking slightly against Ryusei's arm.
Ryusei turned her head to face Rias again, her voice low, almost unsure.
"You… would really want to marry me? And have a family?"
Rias didn't hesitate. Her crimson eyes gleamed with affection, her fingers brushing a lock of hair away from Ryusei's face.
"Of course I would," she said, her voice steady and full of certainty. "I love you, Ryusei. I want everything with you—marriage, a future, a family."
Ryusei's pale blue eyes widened slightly as Rias continued, a playful yet genuine smile tugging at her lips.
"I wonder what our kids would be like," Rias mused. "Would they take after you or me? Maybe both? Red or Black and white hair with my eyes?" She laughed softly. "That would be adorable."
Ryusei's expression softened, and she let out a breath that sounded half like a laugh, half like she was trying to keep from crying.
"You really see all that when you look at me?"
Rias leaned in, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
"Every time."
For a moment, Ryusei didn't respond. She just stared at the ceiling, her hand lightly resting over Rias's.
"…I think I'd like that," she whispered. "Someday."
{Next Day— Kouh Academy}
AThe morning sun poured gently through the windows of Kouh Academy, casting warm light across the classroom. Students filed in with half-awake chatter, some yawning, others already lost in conversation.
At his desk near the window, Issei sat quietly, his chin resting on his hand, his eyes distant. He wasn't paying attention to the hum of voices around him. Instead, he was stuck in his own thoughts.
'I didn't get to show off at all last night… Kiba handled the fight. Akeno was flawless, like always. Even Koneko… and me? I was just there.'
His jaw clenched slightly.
'I guess I'm still useless compared to them…'
Then, a strange line echoed in his head—words spoken by the stray devil they captured.
"I only did what needed to be done."
"…Eh?" Issei muttered under his breath, trying to make sense of it.
The classroom door slid open, and in walked Ryusei. She made her way to her desk and dropped into the seat behind Issei.
"You good?" she asked casually, tapping her pencil against the desk. "How was catching the stray?"
Issei turned slightly, his shoulders slumping.
"Uh… it was good. I mean, we got him. But honestly, I was pretty useless out there."
He gave her a half-hearted laugh. "Hell, I couldn't even save Rias from her engagement with Riser. You had to do that."
Ryusei tilted her head, then leaned forward slightly, lowering her voice.
"You think that makes you useless?"
Issei glanced at her, unsure how to respond.
"You've got heart," Ryusei continued. "And that counts for a lot more than you realize. You don't have to be the strongest in the room to protect someone. You just have to be willing to."
"Thanks… Ryusei."
"Don't mention it." Ryusei leaned back in her chair.
Matsuda and Motohama rushed over, both visibly agitated. "Yo, have you guys heard? A bunch of the girls have been out sick lately."
"It's weird. They all suddenly collapsed with anemia... mostly upperclassmen and those who have huge tits!"
Ryusei narrowed her eyes. "What?"
{Occult Research Club – Later}
Inside the Occult Research Club room, the atmosphere was equally warm, Rias sat beside Ryusei, holding a pair of chopsticks.
"Here, open wide!" she said, offering a bite-sized piece of meat.
Ryusei blushed but complied, "A-ah..." She took the bite and chewed thoughtfully. "Wow... this is really good!"
"Really?" Rias's eyes sparkled.
"A sweetness that melts in the mouth, and yet ever so slightly salty. It's truly delicious," Ryusei praised. "This kind of tastes similar to my sister's cooking. Did Haruka teach you last night when I wasn't looking?"
"Yes," Rias admitted with a smile. "Shortly after you fell asleep, I asked your sister if she could teach me how to cook so I can make your lunch from now on."
Ryusei's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, my sister said that?"
Before Rias could respond, Akeno approached with a tray, placing a cup of tea before Rias and grape juice before Ryusei. "Oh my, it's only lunch and you two are already getting lovey-dovey."
"Since we started dating, it's only natural that I make her lunch," Rias said proudly. "Her sister also invited me to live with her and Ryusei too."
Ryusei nearly choked on her grape juice. "She did what?!"
Meanwhile, across the room, Issei slouched in his chair, a pout on his face. "No fair... how come Ryusei gets to taste Rias' food?"
"Oh, Issei, I made you lunch..." Asia said softly, holding out a bento box with a light blush on her cheeks. "I can feed you too if you want?"
Issei's eyes lit up, the earlier gloom forgotten. "Really? Thanks, Asia!"
A small glowing white magic circle appears on the coffee table, at its center, a small holographic projection of Grayfia Lucifuge emerged.
"Grayfia-san!" Rias straightened as the others turned to face the image.
Grayfia's voice echoed calmly but with urgency. "The stray devil you captured last night has been identified. He was a demonic alchemist."
Rias narrowed her eyes. "A demonic alchemist...?
Grayfia continued, "Yes. And during our investigation of his lab, we found something… concerning."
Rias folded her arms. "Something to be concerned about?"
"A chimera—one formed from Hell's carnivorous plants and dragon DNA—was successfully created in his laboratory and released. We believe it is currently somewhere within your city."
"Wait, what's a Chimera again?" Ryusei asked, tilting her head. "I thought it had like a lion's body or something?"
Asia also nodded. "I've only heard about them in fairy tales…"
Before Grayfia could answer, Akeno stepped in with her trademark serene tone, "A chimera is a creature composed of different animals or monsters fused into one body. The classic one you're thinking of, Ryusei, does have the body of a lion—but they can take many forms."
"A m-monster?" Issei gulped.
Ryusei blinked, connecting the dots. "Okay, so this one's got plant parts and dragon parts? That's… nasty."
"A fusion of carnivorous flora and a dragon's physical attributes would be troublesome," Rias added gravely.
Grayfia nodded once. "That is all the information we have for now. However—" Her eyes met Ryusei's through the magic projection. "—Sirzechs-sama wishes to speak with you directly. Regarding your reward for defeating Riser Phenex, and about your relationship with Rias-sama."
Ryusei flushed slightly, scratching the back of her head. "Oh. Uh… okay. I'll have Rias contact him when I'm free."
Grayfia gave a light nod. "We'll update you when new information becomes available regarding the Chimera. Please be prepared."
"Understood, and thank you, Grayfia," Rias said, and with that, the projection faded.
At that moment, the door opened and Kiba entered alongside Koneko.
"President, we're back."
"Welcome back," Rias greeted them. "Judging by your expressions… I assume you found something?"
"Yes," Kiba said seriously. "We believe we've located the source behind the sudden cases of anemia affecting the female students."
"Girls?" Ryusei blinked, looking at them with curiosity. "You mean... like, the ones with bigger chests?"
'Looking so innocent...' Rias sighed. 'But not for long~'
"...Don't tell me this Chimera's got a thing for boobs." Issei says.
Koneko gave him a blank look. "That would make it Issei-senpai-like."
"Well, sorry for being me-like again...!" Issei pouted.
{Short Timeskip- Night}
The forest was unnaturally quiet, save for the soft rustle of leaves and the distant chirping of cicadas. The group—Rias, Ryusei, Issei, Akeno, Kiba, Koneko, and Asia—moved in formation, following the trail of residual magic.
Ryusei glanced around, her senses sharp. "So the rumors were true? All those girls getting sick… It wasn't just coincidence?"
Rias nodded, serious. "It's true. But it wasn't just anemia. Yuuto and Koneko detected traces of magical energy lingering within the victims."
"Magical energy?" Ryusei echoed.
"Energy extraction," Kiba explained.
They soon approached a clearing deep within the woods—and stopped dead in their tracks.
There, towering from the forest floor, was a grotesque rose-shaped creature, pulsing and writhing with dark energy. The petals were thick like armor, and thorny vines coiled around its base. Embedded in its center was something far more disturbing: a dragon-like skull, its jaws twitching as if tasting the air.
"Hide!" Rias hissed.
The group dove into the underbrush just in time. Moments later, two Kouh Academy girls stumbled into the clearing, their expressions glassy and unfocused—entranced, as if under a spell.
"What the hell...?" Ryusei whispered.
The chimera reacted. Vines slithered toward the girls, glowing faintly. The group watched as the creature began to drain shimmering life force energy directly from the girls' chests—tentacles pulsing as they siphoned power.
Asia gasped softly, her hand over her mouth.
The two entranced students stumbled away from the clearing, clearly weakened but alive.
Rias stepped forward, eyes blazing. "Regardless of what it's doing, this ends now."
The chimera hissed, its dragon-like head rising above the massive rose-like body. Tentacles shot out like whips, striking toward the group. Rias leapt into the air, avoiding a barrage, while more vines crashed toward the others.
"Look out!" Issei tackled Asia to the side, narrowly avoiding a strike.
Ryusei, already mid-motion, unsheathed her Darkfang Dagger, her cursed energy flaring as she sliced through the incoming tentacles.
"No time to hesitate! We end this before more students get hurt!" Rias raised her hand, a glowing red magic circle. She unleashed a torrent of energy, incinerating several tentacles at once.
With a flash of light, Akeno transformed into her shrine maiden outfit, electricity crackling around her.
Koneko smashed through the tentacles with raw force and Kiba summoned a demonic sword, cutting clean arcs through the onslaught.
Issei activated his Boosted Gear, his gauntlet glowing.
Boost!
With a shout, he delivered a heavy punch—but the tentacles absorbed the impact with barely a reaction.
"Tch! Not as dumb as it looks!" he grunted, dodging a crushing strike.
The chimera roared and snapped its jaws, devouring Ryusei's dagger whole. "Well shit bro. You got that."
Rias narrowed her eyes. "It's drawing power from the very air and soil of the human world... and the life force it's already stolen."
As if on cue, thick vines erupted from the ground—snatching Asia into the air.
"Asia!" Issei cried, jumping forward, but more vines blocked his path.
Then—Rias, Akeno, and Koneko were all caught in a sudden sweep, pulled toward the chimera. Vines wrapped around them, suspending them mid-air in glowing magic restraints that pulsed with suppressive energy.
"Rias!" Ryusei yelled.
Kiba stepped in front of her. "Wait—if you rush in, you'll be next."
"But—!" Ryusei clenched her fists, watching Rias struggle in the vines.
Then she noticed Issei… standing off to the side, jaw slack, a stupid smile on his face.
"ISSEI!" she barked.
He blinked. "Huh—what?"
"Snap out of it and help us, idiot!"
The tentacles released Asia and Koneko, tossing them aside like discarded dolls. But the monstrous rose-head doubled down on Rias and Akeno, its vines tightening, glowing faintly as they pulsed with stolen life force.
"Rias!"
"Akeno-senpai!"
A small white magic circle bloomed on the battlefield like a floating lotus. From within, Grayfia Lucifuge's holographic image shimmered into view.
"Grayfia-san!" Asia called out from behind Issei.
"I've identified the Chimera's purpose. Its body was alchemically designed to siphon life energy exclusively from females with—"
She paused, the explanation clinical yet blunt.
"—larger breasts. It stores that energy to grow 'Chimera Fruits.' Consumption of these fruits reportedly allows any woman to increase her breast size to her desires."
The entire group blinked in stunned silence.
Issei nearly fainted.
"W-wait, what!?"
Ryusei didn't care.
She was too focused on one thing:
Rias, suspended mid-air in the grip of thorned vines, struggling as she cried out—
"Ryusei! Help me!"
That was it.
The sky darkened around Ryusei, cursed energy crackling and swirling violently at her feet. Her eyes narrowed, glowing with rage.
"I'm ending this."
She reaches into her Inventory and takes out her Silverine sword.
[Cursed Energy Manipulation: Blitz Impact]
She vanished from the ground, appearing midair like a pink thunderbolt.
Hundreds of pink-colored cursed energy slashes burst from her sword in rapid, waves. Each cut tore through vines, severing the tentacles holding Rias and Akeno.
"RYUSEI!" Rias cried as she fell—only to land safely in Ryusei's arms, princess-style.
"I've got you." She landed, setting Rias down before turning.
"Let's see you swallow this, you overgrown weed."
She raised her hand like a gun.
[P.O.D: Spiralling Bullet]
With a deafening crack, a small, tight orb of destruction exploded from her fingertip—spinning with violent torque, colored a deep, furious crimson. It pierced the Chimera's core before erupting inside its body.
A blinding burst of crimson light swallowed the monster whole.
The Chimera screeched once—and was gone.
{Short Timeskip- few minutes later}
Issei's head stuck out of a hole in the ground, cheeks puffed, dirt caked into his hair and all over his uniform.
"I didn't defend the Chimera! I just said maybe we study it first! That's science!" he whined, flailing his arms uselessly beneath the soil.
Kiba, arms crossed, shook his head.
"You said, and I quote, 'Maybe the Chimera's not all bad if it gives girls the option for a better chest.'"
"That's a misquote!"
Koneko plopped a rock on top of his head.
"No, it's not."
Issei growled, looking up as Ryusei and Rias walked by. Rias had her arms wrapped around Ryusei's, cozy and content, her red hair flowing gently in the breeze. She wore Ryusei's black jacket, oversized on her but wrapped snugly around her shoulders.
"Wait, Rias, what are you wearing?"
"My girlfriend's jacket," she said sweetly, nuzzling into Ryusei's side.
Issei froze.
"…Wait. Girlfriend? GIRLFRIEND?!"
He whipped his head toward Ryusei. "You two are DATING?! Since when?!"
Ryusei smirked, hands in her pockets.
"We became official after I defeated Riser when you were in that coma."
"WHAT?! This isn't fair! Not fair at all!"
He thrashed like a worm in the dirt.
"I fought for Rias too! I almost died for her!"
"Let's go home, Ryusei," Rias said with a sultry little smile. "After a day like this, I could use a nice, hot bath~."
Her voice practically purred. She leaned up and kissed Ryusei on the cheek.
Issei screamed.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
The group started walking off, leaving Issei behind.
"You're really not gonna dig me out? Anyone?"
"Goodnight, Issei," Asia called sweetly as she followed the others.
"See you tomorrow." Kiba waved.
"Enjoy the dirt." Koneko said.
The moon hung high above, Issei remained half-buried, thrashing and muttering to himself while the rest of the group left him.