Sorting out the trophies pt2

Ballroom in the Gremory Castle.

"Why did I agree to all this?" Alduin grumbled, fiddling with his tie and glancing at the suit his mother had stuffed him into at Rias Gremory's request.

"Go out and socialize, they said. Gain some valuable experience, they said. At least they didn't skimp on the free snacks."

"Tatsumi, just stop. It's uncomfortable enough even without your complaining." Issei muttered.

"I understand why your presence is mandatory. You publicly claimed Gremory-senpai as yours. Since they originally wanted to dump her off, now they'll dump her off to you instead of Riser" he said as he sipped from his cup.

"Stay strong, little brother" Alduin patted Issei on the shoulder.

"But I didn't..." Issei began, realizing the depth of the hole he had dug himself into.

"A man doesn't back down from his words. Right, Kiba?" Alduin nodded to Kiba.

"I don't think Issei-san will go back on his word" Kiba Yuuto said with a half-smile. "Tatsumi-san, maybe you shouldn't drink that?" he glanced at the mug of amber liquid in his companion's hands.

"I won't back down! For Rias-senpai, I'll do anything!" Issei exclaimed.

"Well, good luck in your undoubtedly difficult endeavor" Alduin said. "Kiba, nobody has ever died from mead."

"This is actually your fourth mug. Are you sure you're okay?" Issei asked with a hint of concern in his voice.

"Chug a mug of mead

And another mug of mead

Chug another mug of mead

Till you fall down!

Chug a mug of mead

And another mug mead

Chug another mug of mead, warrior!"

Alduin sing as he raised his mug in salute to his brother before draining it in one gulp.

"Definitely not Honningbrew" he muttered, grabbing his fifth mug and taking a sip. "But hey, any port in a storm."

"Tatsumi-kun, I'd appreciate it if you refrained from consuming alcohol. Good evening, Hyodo-kun, Kiba-kun" Sona greeted.

"Well, since there's nothing else going on around here, might as well try to get drunk and forget about all this pomposity. By the way, that blue dress looks really good on you, Kaicho." Alduin remarked with a smirk.

"Thank you, Tatsumi-kun" Sona said, nodding in appreciation. "Hyodo-kun, do you mind if I borrow your brother for a moment?" she added, turning to Hyodo Issei.

"I'm sorry, Kaicho, but you know I don't dance. And I haven't finished my drink yet" Alduin replied, holding up his almost-full mug as evidence.

"We need to talk," she said simply.

"Oh really?" Alduin smiled, but his expression faltered as he noticed Sona's serious demeanor. He raised an eyebrow, pondered for a moment, then downed the contents of his mug in two gulps.

"Sure, let's go. I saw a secluded balcony where we can chat without any interruptions. And seriously, what's with all the pomp and grandeur?" He gestured towards the lavish party they were attending.

Sona began to explain the situation. "This celebration was planned for Rias's wedding, but..."

"...they decided to celebrate its cancellation instead of wasting money" Alduin interjected, nodding as he stepped onto the balcony. "Devils are just as mercantile as humans, if not more. Though, if you think about it, humans learned all the bad things from your kin."

Following Alduin onto the balcony, Sona asked with a serious expression, "What made you decide to participate in the game on Rias's side?"

"Well, first Rias barged into Issei's room practically naked, almost screaming 'take me right here' Then the maid came in and expressed her opinion about what happened. I almost evaporated her. Next, the peacock flaunted his feathers in front of my brother. I told him what I thought of him, and he sicced his whore on me. So, I hit him in the balls. One word led to another, and that's how I ended up in the game." Alduin explained.

"You have a rather unique way of expressing yourself, Tatsumi-kun. But I must admit, while your actions were risky you managed to change the course of events for Rias." Sona smiled lightly.

"I just did what I thought was right at the time. No one should be forced into a marriage they don't want, especially not with someone like Riser" Alduin said, trying to maintain a serious expression.

Sona looked at Tatsumi with a mixture of disbelief and disapproval in her eyes.

"Sike?" Tatsumi chuckled.

Shaking her head, Sona exhaled and turned to view over the balcony. "Is that really the reason?" she asked.

"Sona, when someone annoys me, I react. Have you heard about the kendo club captain from my middle school?" Alduin said.

"Kaori-san told me about him" Sona replied.

"Well, that peacock irritated me just as much with his very existence. Besides, I had suspicions that my little brother had a crush on a certain girl." Alduin explained, nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders. "So, I decided to do a good deed"

"From the way you two interact, one wouldn't say that you care about each other." Sona remarked.

"Well, we're just too different to get along, but at the end of the day, we're still family." Alduin replied.

Sona fell silent for a moment, staring off into the distance as if lost in thought.

"Family..." she whispered softly.

"I see it's familiar to you." Alduin said with a smile.

"Yes." Sona sighed.

"So, is your sister as perverted as my little brother?" Alduin asked with a grin.

"W-what? No! And don't you dare compare my sister to that pervert!" Sona retorted, her tone rising.

"Hey, hey, hey! Only I can call my brother a pervert!" Alduin chuckled.

"The whole school calls him that, and you can't deny the truth!" Sona said, her voice rising in frustration.

"Please, Sona. Do you really think I care about what those fools at school think?" Alduin retorted with a grin.

"You're asking for trouble, Tatsumi!" Sona growled and glared at Alduin, her eyes flashing with irritation.

"Just having some fun!" Alduin said, placing his hand on Sona's head and playfully ruffling her hair.

"Tatsumi!" Sona exclaimed, batting his hand away.

"What? Let me enjoy the height advantage. You don't have any complexes about it, do you?" Alduin teased her.

Sona rolled her eyes and let out a small huff. "You're impossible" she said with a small smile, shaking her head.

"Why can't you just act normally?" she asked wearily, running her hands through her hair. "Tell me, how did Rias manage to turn you into her servant?"

"If everything is always normal and by the rules, life would be incredibly boring." Alduin replied after taking a few deep breaths. "And just to be clear, I'm not her servant. I never was, I'm not, and I never will be."

"Then how did you participate in the Rating Game?"

"By contract, as a mercenary" Alduin replied with a smile. "Only, I didn't make a contract with her, but with her piece. In short, from my side, I guaranteed that I would make the maximum effort to win for the owner of the piece for an agreed-upon fee. And since your Evil Pieces can't make a contract themselves, Gremory-senpai signed it on behalf of the piece."

"Used a loophole in the rules? Quite inventive," Sona remarked. "I won't ask where you got such information from. We don't trust each other enough to share that kind of information. But what did she offer you in exchange?"

"You're right about trust," Alduin replied. "Some things are better left unknown or learned later. As for your question, it wasn't her who offered me something, but I who stated the price."

"What was the price?" Sona asked.

"A house of my own, convincing my parents to let me live in it, and a few hundred million yen in my account" Alduin said, grinning. "She was in a tight spot, and I needed a house and financial independence from my parents. I picked the perfect moment, didn't I?"

"And you so open about it?" Sona commented.

"A devil reprimands me for taking advantage of another devils's plight? Ridiculous."

"What if you had lost?" Sona asked.

"Lose to that peacock?" Alduin scoffed. "Out of all his pieces, the most dangerous were three - the Chinese girl, the flat-chested girl with a sword, and his Queen. The others were nothing."

"You seem quite confident," Sona observed. "How long have you been capable of this?"

"Capable of what?" Alduin responded, feigning ignorance.

"Don't play dumb with me, Tatsumi" Sona said, shaking her head.

Alduin measured her for a few second, cleared his throat, putting on a serious face, and spoke with grandeur.

"For a long time. And I can do a lot more than that. I can manipulate the laws of the universe, the forces of nature obey my words and my power knows no bounds..."

Sona poked him lightly in the side and rolled her eyes. "And I think you should add 'treat my narcissism' to your to-do list."

"You asked - I answered. Consider it as a promotion, just in case you find yourself in a similar situation." Alduin said to Sona.

"I won't. I told my family that I wouldn't marry someone who isn't smarter than me. So far, I've managed to fend off candidates, though certain someone have chances."

"Need this someone's legs broken? Just say the word" Alduin snorted.

"And how much will such services cost me if I need them?" Sona asked.

"Oh, President, are you trying to seduce Tatsumi-kun?" Akeno asked, stepping onto the balcony.

"I'm not even sure, Himejima-senpai, whether that was an attempt to seduce young me or an interrogation" Alduin pondered.

"It's just a normal conversation, Akeno. Tatsumi, it was nice talking to you."

"Likewise, Sona."

Sona took one last look at Alduin and headed back.

"Are you already that close?" Akeno asked in surprise, watching Sona leave.

"Hmm, if that were the case, how soon would we be at each other's throats? I can't live by the rules, and Sona seems unable to live without them."

"Umm? I don't think it would come to that" Akeno said, approaching the him.

"Aah, what to do now?" Alduin stretched, his eyes wandering around the boring party. "I was distracted from my mead, this party is boring, and I don't have the energy to watch all this pretentious aristocracy. Himejima-senpai, would you do me the honor of transporting me to the human world?"

"Why, of course" Akeno replied slyly, taking his arm and snuggling up to him. With a flash, they arrived in the dimly lit Occult Club room, lit only by flickering candles.

"Himejima-senpai, I am in your debt" he said, looking at the slyly smiling Akeno.

"You owe me nothing," Akeno purred, not letting go of his hand but instead pressing closer to him. "Tat-su-mi-kun" she slowly pronounced his name, savoring each syllable.

"Himejima-senpai, aren't you supposed to be at the celebration?" Alduin asked, feeling her warm breath on his neck.

"I couldn't resist spending a little time alone with my dear, bloodthirsty Tatsumi-kun" Akeno replied playfully. "I enjoyed your wild nature during the Rating Game."

"Hime..." Alduin couldn't finish as Akeno's finger covered his lips.

"A-ke-no" she drawled out her name, her eyes smoldering with desire. Suddenly, a small magical circle appeared near her ear, distracting Akeno from Alduin.

Disappointment seeped in as Akeno let go of his hand and stepped away, her face showing a hurt expression.

"Rias is wondering where I disappeared to. We'll continue later, Tatsumi-kun" she said with a wink before disappearing in the transfer circle.

As Alduin headed towards the door, he couldn't shake the feeling that he had missed out on something special.

"Why do I feel like someone just stole my sweet roll?" he muttered to himself.