The next three days passed fast—and the results were impossible to ignore.
Kiba and Issei both broke into A rank, their growth sharp and obvious.
Issei, unfortunately, unlocked that technique.
The one where his power surge blew clothes apart like it was canon all over again.
Koneko responded by calmly walking up and punching him in the stomach.
Hard.
"Pervert."
Issei wheezed on the floor.
"Worth it…"
Kiba didn't get the luxury of embarrassment.
Sheen. Snee. Gleam.
The three brothers moved like a storm.
One blade holy.
One cursed.
One legendary.
They attacked in rotation, forcing Kiba to react instantly—switching swords mid-motion just to survive.
A holy blade met a demonic sword.
A cursed strike demanded a purified edge.
A legendary slash required sheer will.
Kiba's Sacred Gear glowed constantly as he changed weapons again and again, sweat pouring down his face.
This wasn't sparring.
This was adaptation training.
And it was working.
---
Blazion took Asia aside, sitting with her beneath a tree.
He placed a hand on the ground.
"Strength doesn't always come from inside," he told her. "Sometimes… you ask the world for help."
Asia nodded, eyes shining.
Nate watched from a distance and smiled.
'Spirit Bond fits her perfectly.'
Akeno sat cross-legged across from Lie-In Heart, lightning crackling softly around her.
Not wild.
Focused.
Controlled.
Meditation replaced chaos.
Intent replaced instinct.
Raynare—quiet, tense, but trying—trained with Kunou.
Kunou didn't scold.
Didn't judge.
She just corrected her stance, redirected her flow, and nodded when Raynare did something right.
By the second day, Raynare's aura stopped shaking.
By the third… it stabilized.
Konako no longer ran from Kuroka.
She still didn't speak to her.
Instead, she trained alone—testing senjutsu on her own terms, watching, copying, failing, retrying.
Kuroka noticed.
It hurt.
Nate noticed too.
He pulled Kuroka into a hug, scratching behind her ears.
"She'll come around," he said quietly. "You just need to let her."
Kuroka smiled softly, tail swaying.
"Okay… nya."
---
Gasper's training looked ridiculous from the outside.
Hovernyan S floated in front of him, arms crossed.
Plush toys flew at Gasper from every direction.
He froze one.
Then two.
Then only the objects—never himself.
By the end of the day, Gasper wasn't hiding behind his hair anymore.
He was nervous.
But present.
And then there was Rias.
She sat across from Nate at a chessboard.
Not a normal one.
Each piece carried a memory.
Her Pawn.
Her Bishops.
Her Knight.
Her Rooks.
Her Queen.
One King.
Nate's side was different.
Fully stacked.
Optimized.
Aggressive.
Modeled after Riser's peerage.
Rias frowned as she studied the board.
"I'm outnumbered."
Nate leaned back. "You're outplayed, not outmatched."
She moved her Knight.
Nate countered instantly.
Her Bishop fell.
She froze.
'If this were real… Kiba would be down.'
Her fingers tightened.
"Again," she said.
The chessboard reset.
Rias exhaled slowly, fingers resting on her Queen.
She didn't rush this time.
Nate watched her without blinking, golden eyes sharp but relaxed, like a predator who already knew the outcome and wanted to see how she'd arrive there.
"You're holding back," Rias said.
Nate tilted his head. "From what?"
"From punishing mistakes," she replied. "You react instantly… but you don't crush me when you can."
He smiled faintly. "Because that teaches nothing."
Rias narrowed her eyes.
She moved her Bishop.
Nate countered immediately—clean, brutal, efficient.
Her Knight fell.
Rias leaned back, annoyed.
"So this is how you think," she muttered. "Overwhelm. Pressure. Force surrender."
"No," Nate corrected calmly. "That's how Riser thinks."
He tapped the board.
"I bait. I let you move. I let you think you're safe."
Rias froze.
'That's…'
She stared at the board.
Her Queen stood exposed.
Nate hadn't touched it.
"Why didn't you take her?" she asked.
"Because if I take your Queen," Nate said, leaning forward, "you panic. You play emotionally. You stop thinking."
He moved a Pawn instead.
A useless move.
Rias blinked.
"That move does nothing."
"It makes you overthink," he replied.
And she hated that he was right.
Rias moved her Queen defensively.
Nate's Rook snapped forward.
Check.
She gasped softly.
'He set that up three moves ago…'
Her hands clenched.
"This isn't just chess, is it?"
"Nope," Nate said casually. "It's how Hell works."
She looked up at him.
"Power isn't winning," he continued. "Power is making your enemy choose the wrong option."
Silence stretched between them.
Rias straightened.
"Then teach me," she said firmly. "Not how to win—how to rule."
Nate smiled.
"Now you're thinking like a Devil King."
Elsewhere in the mansion
Serafall sat upside-down on a couch, happily typing on her phone.
"Hmm~ Yokai King training the Gremory peerage… secret ten-day hell boot camp… rewriting rating game odds…"
She giggled.
"Oh! And he made Rias cry during chess once. That's important."
She hit send.
To:
Leviathan faction group chat
Maou private channel
Two Underworld gossip networks
And one accidental Phoenix-aligned social circle
"Oops~!"
She kicked her feet.
"Ah well! Rumors make things spicy!"
Phoenix Territory.
Riser Phenex leaned back in his chair, legs crossed, wine glass in hand.
A servant nervously handed him a report.
"Milord… rumors from Gremory territory."
Riser skimmed it.
His laugh echoed through the room.
"A Yokai King?" he scoffed. "Training Rias for ten days?"
He waved dismissively.
"Scare tactics. Desperation."
His peerage chuckled along.
"One human-trained freak won't change the outcome," Riser continued. "My team is perfected. Optimized. Experienced."
He smirked.
"Let her try."
Then his smile twitched.
"…Wait."
He reread a line.
ZZ-class confirmed. Serafall Leviathan witness.
Riser's brow furrowed.
"…Serafall?"
He clicked his tongue.
"Tch. That woman exaggerates everything."
He stood, flames flickering lazily around him.
"No matter. Even if it's true—"
He turned toward the window.
"—she still won't win in ten days."
Unseen, a servant swallowed nervously.
Because deep down…
Riser didn't laugh quite as confidently anymore.
Day 4
The morning air was cool, sunlight barely breaking through the trees as the mansion started to wake.
Koneko walked beside Nate in silence, lunch trays in hand.
He broke it first.
"You need to talk to your sister."
Koneko didn't look at him.
"I am."
Nate stopped walking.
She took two more steps before realizing he wasn't beside her anymore.
He turned to face her. "Not like this. You listen during training, then shut her out like she doesn't exist. You know exactly how that feels."
Koneko's jaw tightened.
"She abandoned me."
Nate exhaled slowly. "She was dismissed. Cast out. Punished for what she did."
Koneko turned sharply and shoved his chest.
Or tried to.
Her hand barely moved him.
Frustration flashed across her face, and she looked up, fists clenched.
"Does she know how I feel?" she snapped quietly. "Not hearing a single word from her. For years."
Her voice wavered—just a little.
Nate didn't answer immediately.
The silence stretched.
Then—
"Do you know how she feels?"
Koneko froze.
Nate knelt down so they were eye level.
"She lost her home. Her position. Her name. And the first thing she was told after surviving all that was that the one person she loved most—"
He tapped Koneko's chest lightly.
"—didn't want to see her."
Koneko's breath hitched.
"She didn't come back," Koneko whispered. "Not once."
"She watched you," Nate replied softly. "From a distance. Every year. Every change. Every fight."
Koneko's eyes widened.
"She thought if she showed her face," Nate continued, "it would hurt you more. That you'd see her and remember what she did."
Koneko's nails dug into her palms.
"…That's not fair," she muttered.
"No," Nate agreed. "It isn't."
He stood back up.
"But this?" he gestured between them, toward the mansion, toward Kuroka somewhere inside.
"This isn't punishment anymore. It's just two sisters bleeding in silence."
Koneko looked away, ears twitching.
"…What if I don't forgive her?"
Nate didn't sugarcoat it.
"Then don't. Forgiveness isn't owed."
He paused.
"But at least let her speak. Don't let the last ten years end on assumptions."
Koneko swallowed hard.
Her voice came out small.
"…What do I even say?"
Nate gave a faint, tired smile.
"Start with the truth."
A bell rang in the distance—breakfast was ready.
Koneko took one step forward.
Then stopped.
"…Stay close," she said quietly.
Nate nodded. "I'm not going anywhere."
And somewhere inside the mansion, Kuroka felt something tighten in her chest—
not hope.
But fear.
Because hope hurts worse when it breaks.
Konako left, as Nate saw her go.
He sighed and hold someone hand they where invisible, as it was another Nate
Then he removed a hidden leaf, Turing back to Kuroka.
Kuroka saw her sister leave. "That's what she feel"
Nate just looked at her. "Yeah... Sorry this was the only way, for you to talk to her".
She smiled. "Tanuki Magic is something".
Kuroka watched Koneko disappear down the path, her ears twitching slightly.
"…She's grown stubborn," Kuroka said softly. "Just like when we were kids."
Nate crossed his arms. "She's not wrong though. You vanished. From her point of view, you chose to."
Kuroka winced. "I know. But I didn't have a choice. I was declared a criminal. If I stayed, she would've been dragged down with me."
She clenched her fists. "I thought… if she hated me, at least she'd be safe."
Nate glanced at her, then sighed. "Congrats. You succeeded a little too well."
Kuroka let out a weak laugh. "…Yeah."
Later
Rias moved a piece on the chessboard.
A Bishop fell.
Nate raised an eyebrow. "You sacrificed it without hesitation."
Rias smiled calmly. "Because it already served its purpose."
She tapped the board lightly. "A piece doesn't need to survive to win the game."
Nate leaned back. "That mindset is exactly why you lost to Riser in the first place."
The smile froze.
"…Careful," Rias said, crimson eyes sharp.
Nate moved his Queen forward—aggressive, suffocating.
"Riser throws power around. You try to protect everyone. That's the difference."
Rias exhaled slowly, then surprised him by knocking over her own Knight.
Nate blinked. "…You're intentionally weakening yourself?"
"No," she replied. "I'm changing the board."
She stood up, walking behind him.
"My peerage isn't pieces. They're people. And people grow."
Nate chuckled. "Mind games, huh?"
She leaned down slightly. "You taught me."
Training Grounds – Evening
Koneko trained alone, fists striking the air with precise senjutsu control.
A voice spoke behind her.
"You always tense your shoulders when you're angry."
Koneko froze.
"…Go away."
Kuroka didn't move closer. She sat down instead, tail curled around herself.
"Alright. Then I'll talk. You can ignore me like always."
Silence.
"I missed you," Kuroka continued. "Every day. But I was scared that if I came back… you'd be hurt because of me."
Koneko's fists trembled.
"You left," she said quietly. "No letter. No message. Nothing."
"…I know."
"You don't get to decide my feelings for me."
That hit harder than any punch.
Kuroka bowed her head fully. "You're right. I was selfish."
A long pause.
"…I don't forgive you," Koneko said.
Kuroka smiled sadly. "That's fair."
"But," Koneko added, not turning around,
"…you can stay. For now."
Kuroka's ears perked up instantly. "R-Really?!"
Koneko glanced back just enough to glare. "Don't make me regret it."
Kuroka grinned, tears in her eyes. "I won't. Promise."
From afar, Nate watched with Rias beside him.
"…You planned all this," Rias said.
Nate shrugged. "Sometimes people need a push. Sometimes a trick."
Serafall popped up out of nowhere.
"Ooooo~ so that's how the rumor started! Nate manipulating emotions, Rias playing 4D chess—no wonder people think you two are scheming!"
Rias sighed. "Please stop spreading that."
Serafall winked. "No promises!"
Nate smirked. "And thus, the legend grows."
Rias then looke at Nate. "So, what's your relationship with Kuroka?".
Nate looked at her. "She is my and Kunou Body guard and she is one of the girls in my harem".
Rias nodded and then stopped. "Harem?"
She repeated it like she had miss heard.
Nate modded, as he grinned. "Yup, even Water Fairy is part of it".
Rias blinked and Started at Serafall as she was Gigiling. "That's my cute nickname he gave me".
Rias just… stared.
Silence.
Actual, honest-to-goodness system reboot silence.
"…Harem," she repeated slowly.
Nate nodded again, completely unbothered. "Yup."
Rias turned her head—very carefully—toward Serafall.
Serafall was already holding her stomach, giggling uncontrollably.
"Heehee~ seeee? I told you he was fun!"
"That," Rias said flatly, pointing, "is not an explanation."
Nate shrugged. "She joined willingly."
Serafall puffed out her chest proudly. "Of course I did! I'm a Water Fairy~ ✨ That's my cute nickname he gave me!"
Rias' eye twitched. Just once.
"…You're basically my aunt."
"And?" Serafall replied instantly.
Rias inhaled. Exhaled.
Then looked back at Nate, crimson eyes sharp again.
"How many," she asked, very calmly, "are we talking about."
Nate thought about it. Actually thought.
"…Depends on how you define 'official'."
Rias: dangerously polite smile "Define it."
"Well," Nate said, counting on his fingers, "Kuroka, Kunou, Serafall, Water Fairy, a few spirits, one half-divine being, and—"
"STOP." Rias slammed her hand on the table.
The chess pieces rattled.
Akeno, watching from a distance, smiled sweetly.
"Oh my~ Ara ara… this is getting interesting."
Rias pinched the bridge of her nose. "You're telling me—casually—that a wanted Nekomata criminal, my aunt, and an elemental spirit are all part of your romantic circle."
Nate grinned. "When you say it like that, it sounds wild."
"It is wild."
Serafall leaned over Rias' shoulder. "But you're curious though~"
Rias stiffened. "…I am not."
Nate raised an eyebrow. "You moved your Queen three turns ago because you thought I was baiting you. You are curious."
Rias froze.
"…You noticed that?"
"Yup."
She slowly sat back down.
"…So," she said, regaining composure, "is this harem a power thing? Influence? Control?"
Nate shook his head. "Nah. They're with me because they want to be. If they leave, they leave."
That answer caught her off guard.
Akeno tilted her head. "Ara… that's unexpectedly healthy."
Serafall clapped. "See? Green flags~!"
Rias studied Nate carefully now—not as a rival, not as an ally… but as a variable.
"…You're dangerous," she concluded.
Nate smiled. "Only to bad endings."
Rias looked down at the chessboard.
Then—quietly—moved her Queen forward.
"…Check."
Nate's grin widened. "Now that's interesting."
Serafall gasped dramatically.
"Ooooo~ is this the start of a new rumor?!"
Rias groaned. "Please don't."
Serafall already vanished in a splash of magic.
"Too lateee~!"
Akeno laughed softly.
"My, my… this household is going to be very lively."
And somewhere nearby, Kuroka sneezed.
"…Why do I feel like someone just talked about me?"
To be counted
Hope people like this Ch and give me Power stones, so anyway I have questions, do you guys want Koneko in Nate's Harem?
1. Yes
2. No