Rias watched the three of them, her eyes twitching nervously. "I… I dread to think what he did to them. Yuto, Xenovia, and Irina have definitely become stronger, but it looks like he carved permanent trauma into their souls…"
"My, my… I'm certainly glad we had Leesha-san as our instructor," Akeno said with a smile, though she looked a bit disturbed as well.
The "Wizard Group"—Rias and the others—had also entered the time-dilation barrier the day after Kiba's group finished.
Leesha-san smiled gently. "In terms of efficiency, Miu-san probably would have been a better teacher for you all, but I wasn't a magic academy instructor for nothing. I like to think I'm a bit more 'gentle' than Maurice."
Koneko-chan looked up at Leesha. "You helped me with my training too, but… how did you understand the flow of Touki so well? I've been meaning to ask."
"It was mostly intuition. Plus, I'd heard about the mechanics of Ki from Issei. All I did was teach you the flow and application of energy. In your case, Koneko-san, Issei and your sister Kuroka had already built a perfect foundation for you. I only managed to help because of the work they did."
"Issei-senpai… and my sister…"
Koneko-chan murmured the names, then sank into the water up to her mouth, blowing bubbles. She was trying to look stoic with her half-lidded eyes, but I could tell she was happy.
Rias spoke up, her voice regaining its usual strength. "I feel a bit bad for the other D×D members. Only our group got this special training, though Sona and the others gave us their blessing."
"Maurice and I had a very limited window to raise everyone's levels," Leesha explained. "It was most efficient to focus on Rias-san's group, since we already understood your powers best. If we had more time, we would have trained the entire D×D roster, but…"
"We know. That's why we have to be the ones at the front, crushing anything in our way," Rias said firmly. "I've managed to shorten the charge time for my Extinguishing Star, and… our new finishing move is finally ready. If I combine my power with Yuto's, we should be able to deal devastating damage."
"Rias's new move is truly merciless," Akeno added, backing her up. "With Yuto-kun's precision, it's a guaranteed 'One-Hit, One-Kill' strike."
One-Hit, One-Kill. A terrifying phrase, but a comforting one right now. I don't know exactly how much they've grown inside that barrier, but it's clear that everyone who underwent the training has reached a new plateau.
Rias stood up, her expression regal and commanding—the true face of a "King."
"We will win. And we will all come back to this house together. Not one of us will be missing."
Alice-san stood as well. "Right. I don't want to see any more tears of sadness. The next time we cry, let it be because we're happy."
Everyone nodded solemnly. We all had something to protect—this world, our school, our homes. We would seize the future and come back as a family. That was our absolute goal.
As everyone hardened their resolve, Reyna-san sheepishly raised her hand.
"Um… about that… I have something to discuss. Specifically with Rias-san and Alice-san."
"With us?" Rias asked.
"Yeah. It's… something we'll need for the battle. Azazel-sama mentioned it too, but we ran out of time, so I have to ask now…"
Reyna-san looked incredibly conflicted. She hung her head, looking a mix of apologetic and embarrassed.
Rias looked concerned. "If it's necessary for the fight, don't hesitate. Just tell us."
"Exactly," Alice agreed. "If it's something we can provide, we'll get it ready immediately."
Encouraged by their support, Reyna-san looked up, her face turning a deep shade of crimson.
"Well… can I… have some of your breast milk?"
"...What?" Rias and Alice said in unison, freezing in place.
Their… breast milk?
Irina-san seemed to realize something and clapped her hands together. "Oh, right! It's for Issei-kun's Oppai-zer! The refueling, right? He used it back during the battle at Agreas!"
"Ah…" The room let out a collective gasp of realization.
I see. During the Agreas fight, my brother used the "Oppai-zer"—a stabilization device that allows him to draw out massive amounts of power. However, its design requires a "refuel" after use to stabilize his energy.
And that refueling process involves… well, the "Switch Princesses."
Rias and Alice started to panic. "Wait, wait, wait! Now?! You want to do this right now?!"
"I—I know that's how the device works, but does it have to be this second?! Can't it wait until Issei actually wakes up?"
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