Chapter 22

Arriving at a restroom, he looked around to ensure nobody was there before casting teleportation magic. Now, he found himself in a familiar room – the Occult Research Club room. Seated at the table in the center was the girl he now recognized as Koneko. "Hey, Koneko, did your boss tell you I was coming?"

"Yes, Eden-sama. My boss is taking a shower, and Akeno thought you might drive here, so she went to the front of the school to meet you."

"First, you don't have to call me 'sama.' Second, let me text Akeno." Now that he was aware of the situation, he heard the sound of running water from the adjacent room. After sending the text, he glanced at the white-haired girl who was enjoying chocolate as they waited. "Shouldn't you let your boss know I'm here so she doesn't come out indecent?" he asked. After considering it, she did just as he suggested and went into the bathroom to inform her master.

He took out a grimoire as he waited. He had improved his illusion magic to the point of expertise; he was now working on transmutation magic, another skill he'd wanted to learn but had previously set aside. After Koneko returned, informing him that her master would be just a moment, someone almost rushed into the room. It was Akeno. "Hey, Akeno, I teleported here today. I thought since this is a more casual meet-up, there's no need for all that tedious stuff."

"Of course, Eden. My apologies for not asking how you'd be arriving. I'm also sorry on behalf of my boss for keeping you waiting," she said as she took a seat next to him. He closed the grimoire and put it in his inventory, engaging in some small talk with Akeno before hearing the shower turning on. After a moment, Rias, wearing the Kuoh uniform, entered the room with damp hair, toweling it dry. "Sorry for the wait, Eden. Welcome once again to the Kohn and the Occult Research Club."

"Absolutely, I'm happy to be here. I've got a proposal for you, but first, let me show you something." {Greater Illusion}. Now, in addition to the three of them, the room was populated with many others. Grayfia stood there, along with all of Rias' peerage. But on the opposing side stood a blonde man with women of various ages and nationalities beside him. "Riser," Rias spat upon seeing him. Then, the illusion played out, showing Riser entering her office, disrespecting her servants, and threatening to take her back to the Underworld for marriage before Grayfia intervened by suggesting a rating game.

"Why are you showing me this disgusting illusion, Eden?" Rias demanded before turning her glare back to him. "While it's an illusion, I didn't show it to you to disgust or shock you. This is just what the future holds – in about a week, two days, twelve hours, eighteen minutes, and fifteen seconds."

"What do you mean? Is Riser coming here?"

"Yes, to accelerate your engagement, Rias."

Upon hearing that, Rias' face contorted. "No, you're trying to trick me. My parents would never allow that."

"The same parents who would not let you break off the engagement in the first place?"

"Both of you, calm down," Akeno intervened, stepping between them. "I didn't mean to make you angry, well, maybe a little, but your anger's aimed at the wrong person. I'm just the messenger and someone who doesn't want to see this happen. I'd much rather see this." Eden then altered the illusion. They were no longer in the Occult Research Club. Now, they stood in a spacious, upper-class living room with Rias and her peerage on one side and Riser seated on the other. The same sequence unfolded, but in reverse – Rias told Riser to end the engagement, he refused, Rias approached him and slapped him so hard his neck twisted, and then she challenged him to a rating game before leaving. "This seems like a much better outcome, don't you think?" With that, he waved his hand, ending the illusion.

"There's something I need, something I need your help with. You need training. I think we can come to a mutually beneficial arrangement." After digesting everything she had just witnessed, Rias extended her hand for a handshake. "I think we can, Fateweaver."Afterwards, he and Rias settled down and drafted a contract. They agreed that the training would kick off on Friday, right after school. They would then enter a time dilation bubble, where an hour outside would equate to a day within. Their plan was to spend from 5 PM to 10 AM in this time dilation – essentially 17 days. At the midway point, an unnamed task was slated, something he required from them as payment training There was also a second condition that Rias had agreed to, but the two of them would discuss it in detail during their training.

"Also, you need to bring your entire peerage. Raynare and Mittelt will be joining the training, and that's not up for discussion. We need them for that thing."

"I'll get Issei ready to deal with that," she replied, though her expression revealed that she wasn't quite ready for that challenge.

"Why does Issei hold such a grudge against Raynare anyway?"

"She posed as his girlfriend and then killed him. He would've died if I hadn't reincarnated him."

"That's valid ," he said. They continued chatting, exchanging contact numbers. "Akeno, I'll probably handle your magical training, along with Rias. So, get prepared for that."

"Of course, Eden. You can teach me anything you desire" Akeno said With that, he teleported back home.

After getting back home, he texted Ryoko to see if she wanted to hang out again tomorrow. Her response was positive, as long as they were planning something different. Eden felt like taking it easy the next day since he had plans for Friday that involved working on training plans for Rias and her peerage, a task that would occupy much of his time. Given his own training during that period, he considered just unwinding and skipping the practice for the day, opting to attend his classes instead. This week, he hadn't really attended classes much, even though he enjoyed people-watching, which was one of his main reasons for attending school. However, with his favorite show, "Sajou Gets Rejected by Natsukawa," not airing, classes had been dull. Yet, he held onto the hope that perhaps something interesting might unfold the next day.

In place of his usual training, he spent the remainder of the day watching a movie with Asia, taking the opportunity to discuss her first day at school.