Rias entered the Occult Research Club room, prompting the busty woman sitting on the couch to stand up.
Seeing the woman through Rias's eyes, Orion couldn't help but do a double-take. Somehow, this black-haired woman was just as beautiful as the redhead. Wearing the same uniform as his host, her hair tied in a ponytail and almost flowing down to the floor, and a naturally seductive look on her face, she looked even more like a succubus than Rias, who had a somewhat cold aura to her. The warm dusk light shining through the large windows to illuminate her from one side only added to her charm. Then came the eyes. Her violet pupils held a mesmerizing quality that completely stole Orion's attention away from her supernaturally sexy body.
How am I supposed to keep my cool when there are chicks that look hotter than the most attractive movie stars I can think of right in front of me? I was just a normal person until an hour ago…
"Buchou," Akeno greeted her King with a respectful bow. "Grafiya-sama just contacted me about the meeting. They have set it up in an hour."
"Typical of them to set a time without consulting me," Rias snorted with displeasure and approached the couch.
"I'll make some tea."
"Thanks," Rias sat down and crossed one leg over the other, and leaned back. "Have we taken care of the stray that ate two people last night?"
"We tracked it down to the outskirts of the city, near the border of our territory," Akeno said. "Kiba and Koneko went there with Issei to teach him."
"How'd it go?"
"Issei is getting familiar with the Boosted Gear. But he still needs training. His body is too weak to handle more than six boosts. If they decide to expedite the Rating Game, I don't know how much help he's going to be."
"We need to set up a training bootcamp for him," Rias said. "It would be a waste of potential if this generation's Red Dragon Emperor ends up losing his first Rating Game."
[Orion—]
[Don't even think about it. You've seen my human form. I identify as a male through and through. The only pleasure-based testing that I do will be on women.]
[Pity. If you could help Issei surpass his physical limits, my upcoming match would be a breeze. Maybe getting a reference of the Boosted Gear might even enhance you…]
[Don't try to tempt me. I'm not touching a man. That's final. If you let me touch you, the game will be finished before it even starts once I enhance your Power of Destruction.]
[Touché.]
Rias turned her attention back to Akeno, taking the teacup that her Queen respectfully offered.
"Sit. There's something that I want to talk to you about."
"Is something wrong?"
"We will let Koneko and Kiba focus on training Issei. You will join me for some specialized training to enhance your magic. I have come across something that will be able to help you get a much-needed boost for our upcoming battle."
"I thought we were going to focus on bringing Issei up to par so that he can be our trump card in the upcoming battle…"
"He has barely been a Devil for a week at this point, Akeno," Rias smiled sadly. "And while I would like to see him stand up to the occasion, I want to work on a backup plan as well."
"I understand," Akeno nodded. "What do you need from me?"
"Orion, do you mind showing yourself?"
[What are you doing?]
[Don't worry. Akeno is my Queen and trustworthy. Her life and death are in my hands. If push comes to shove, I can take care of everything. I want to introduce you to her as more than just a slime familiar.]
Akeno was confused as nothing happened for a few seconds, and opened her mouth to ask. But before the words could escape her lips, some kind of black material emerged from under her King's shirt, amalgamating into a sphere that floated away, pulling more black mass from under Rias's shirt. She looked with a curious expression as the black, misshapen blob quickly condensed into a humanoid figure and turned into a young man who looked barely in his early twenties with striking green eyes and a head of messy black hair. His emergence, whether because of his physical appearance or otherwise, left Akeno staring for a few seconds.
"This is Orion; he is a special kind of slime-based creature," Rias said.
"Did you get a new familiar?" Akeno asked.
"How rude," Orion mumbled, making Akeno jump a little.
"Apologies," she said. "I thought that you couldn't talk, Orion-san." She stood up and politely bowed. "I am Akeno."
"Orion," he smiled and waved casually. "As Rias just said."
"Sit down, both of you," Rias said.
"Yes, Mommy," Orion spoke mockingly as he took the seat adjacent to Rias and Akeno's couch. His words earned him an annoyed glare from Rias and an amused look of curiosity from Akeno.
"Orion is not my familiar," Rias said, not addressing Orion's comment. "He is a symbiotic creature that has bonded with me. From what I understand, his powers revolve around support. Things like accelerated healing, enhanced recovery of Demonic Energy, and probably more. But he needs a test subject to work with him to help him explore these abilities. If nothing else, his powers can surely help you recover to your peak state after a prolonged battle. It would make things very convenient for us during the upcoming Rating Game."
"Like Asia?" Akeno asked.
"Yes, but her limitations are obvious. She can only mend flesh wounds and needs to touch us. Since Orion's true body is that of a slime, we can simply leave a part of him on you to heal and help you recover during the battle. However, these things still require some testing. Which is why I need your help to test his abilities. I'd do it myself, but I am going to make a somewhat fundamental change to Kuoh, which will keep me occupied for some time. Once you two get the hang of his recovery abilities, you and I can start some one-on-one magic training."
"Understood," Akeno nodded. "What do I need to do?"
"I think he would better explain that to you," Rias turned to look at Orion.
"First off," Orion looked at Rias. "Can you teach me magic? I'm curious to see how it works."
"No problem. But only after the Rating Game. We don't have the time to dive too deep into the basics. Would that be fine?"
"Disappointing, but understandable," Orion nodded before looking at Akeno. "My powers revolve around the concept of Tantric. It is a type of energy that I can produce during sexual contact—anything from simple stimulation to sexual intercourse. This energy can be used to achieve a variety of effects, ranging from basic healing and recovery to providing permanent enhancements to the physique and magical energy. I don't know how to do the latter for now, but I can confidently enhance healing and recovery exponentially."
"Sexual contact?" Akeno paused for a moment, hesitating as hints of red appeared on her face. "Buchou, I'm not sure if…"
"I understand your hesitance, Akeno. We can limit it to something simpler, like physical contact with your breasts. He said simpler stimulation also works, right? We don't need to jump straight to penetration."
"Thank you, Buchou." Akeno's hesitation immediately vanished. It seemed she had no issues letting him touch and play with her breasts as long as they didn't go further. Her sudden shift in attitude made Orion raise a brow.
This seems like a fundamental difference in the mentality of Devil women… but wasn't Akeno a human originally? At least half of one. Maybe the race change directly alters their mentality or something to make them more open about their desires. Though considering her reluctance toward sex, there certainly are some inhibitions present. Then there's Rias, with her complete unwillingness to be touched by me with sexual intent. Curious…
"Do we start right now?" Akeno asked, turning to Orion.
"Give me your hand," he said, extending his hand toward her.
She nodded, casually extending her dainty hand toward him and placing it on top of his palm. He held it, putting his thumb on the back of her hand, and tightened his grip. The faint tremble he felt from her palm was enough to tell him that she was much more affected by the situation than her outward casual attitude seemed to convey. He gave her a knowing smile that made her lower her head with slight embarrassment. A black mass flashed at the points where the two of them held their hands as Orion separated a part of himself and sent it into Akeno's body.
Detected Suitable Host. Prime Host Already Designated.
Subordinate Host Conditions Unmet.
The feedback from his system made Orion pause as his gaze toward Akeno turned from curious to desiring. Rias seemed to notice his state and hummed, stealing his attention.
"Let's postpone the testing to after the meeting. Akeno, do you mind calling the others?"
"At once, Buchou," Akeno nodded, suppressing her embarrassment. She pulled her hand away from Orion's grip and stood up, straightening her skirt before turning around to leave.
"Something the matter?" Orion asked her after Akeno left.
"My advice? Don't get too attached to her."
"Why?"
"Do I really need to explain it to you? Once we leave for another reality, the Akeno you meet won't be the same as this one. She might behave the same, have the same experiences and memories. But she won't be the same."
"We can take—"
"No, we can't," Rias said, interrupting him. "My spell is severely limited. Even bringing you with me was a miracle, let alone someone else. Unless you have the confidence to bring Akeno with us when we are forced to leave this dying reality in a few weeks, you'd better keep your emotions under control."
"Why are you so sure that's what will happen to this reality?"
"It's the same for every reality that I go to," she said. "My spell only allows me to enter realities that have already been fractured. It's just my advice. If you want to get attached to her and get your heart broken in a month at most, be my guest."
"You truly are too much like Rick."
"Who?"
"Doesn't matter…"