Complicated

During his next classes, Yami couldn't help but notice the proud smile Rias had on her face. Sona and even Tsubaki, on the other hand, looked disappointed? He wasn't quite sure of that. He did, however, catch Sona glaring at Akeno a few times, when the woman was pushing her breasts against his arm.

For the class before lunch, all the Devils were missing, so Yami got to relax and didn't have to bother with Akeno's teasing. Thinking he maybe won't even have to go to the Occult Research Club as there was no one to take him there, but a pretty boy with blonde hair and blue eyes waited for him outside the room.

"Yami Atem?" He asked, "I'm Kiba Yuuto, and Rias asked me to take you to the ORC."

"Lead the way," Yami said and followed after him. He probably should've expected when all the girls started murmuring between each other and pointing at them.

"The Prince of Kuoh Academy is hanging out with the new hot guy?"

"Do you think something is going on between them?"

"Oh, the forbidden love!"

"Who do you think will be on top?"

"Maybe they take turns?"

Schoolgirls' imagination was something else alright. The moment they saw them together, they were already shipping them.

"Do you deal with this daily?" Yami asked him.

"You get used to it after a certain point," Kiba calmly replied, unfazed by all the rumors that were already spreading around. Yami nodded without responding, thankful that he won't have to deal with this after this year.

Kiba let him outside the school building to another one off to the side. The formerly abandoned dormitory had been reshaped into the three-story structure that's the Occult Research Club. It had a clock-tower as the third story, and vines crept up to the second floor.

The inside was one massive room with Victorian-style couches and chairs along the walls and a large red magical circle on the ground. There were a few doors that led deeper inside the building. However, the most eye-catching thing was the sea-through panel, where someone with a voluptuous figure was taking a shower behind.

On one of the couches sat a petite girl with white hair and gold eyes. She was devouring sweets by the second with a neutral expression on her face. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw him, and she trembled for a moment.

Akeno walked out from one of the doors with a tray in her hands. It had a bunch of sweets and what he assumed was tea.

"Rias, our guest has arrived," Akeno said before walking over to him with a swing in her hips.

Yami was amused with the situation and the way they were trying to recruit him. They, Rias and Akeno, were going for the seduction route, which would readily work on most people his age. He couldn't lie and say it wasn't working on him, but he had already made his mind.

"Tea, Yami-kun~?" Akeno offered with a sultry smile.

"Thank you," Yami took one cup and tested it, "The tea is good," he complimented her.

"Fufu, is our new playboy going after me now," Akeno said as she sat down next to him. One of her fingers reached out and started going up and down his thigh.

"Don't think I didn't notice you went to the bathroom to meet with that cute second-year student," Akeno giggled.

"I didn't think you were a voyeur," Yami smirked at her and continued, "And honestly, it was your fault, and you weren't helping much, just like now," Yami rolled his eyes at her, "Plus, Aika seemed interested in what I was packing, so I figured I might as well show her."

"Oh, my. Was it all my fault? You're making me feel guilty~," Akeno's finger became even bolder, nearly reaching his private parts but staying just a bit away from them, "Maybe you will get to show me what you are packing as well, depending on how this meeting goes~."

Yeah, they really were going for the seduction route. Unfortunately for the Devils, Yami had already made up his mind.

"Perverts," the white-haired girl muttered as she continued eating her sweets, but she kept shooting him suspicious looks with her still widened eyes.

Rias then walked out from behind the panel with nothing but a towel covering her naked body. She sat down on a couch opposite to him with a playful smirk on her face, "I'm glad you came to see us, Yami-san."

"Well, here I am," Yami said. The only reason he came was to refuse her invitation if she offered and to check if there any portals around here. Unfortunately, he hadn't spotted any nearby.

"You're probably wondering why you were invited here," Rias started.

"Not really. I'm mostly here to refuse your invitation," Yami quickly said. Since there were no portals around here, he had no reason to stay longer than necessary. Yes, there were two absolute beauties there; one which was only wearing a towel, and the other which was happily teasing him, but the longer he stayed, the more troublesome it will be for him.

Rias' eyes widened in shock at how quickly he shot her down. Akeno seemed to be just as surprised, judging by how her finger froze.

"But... you haven't even heard my offer," Rias said, her beautiful light blue eyes still wide in surprise.

"I already had a club chosen, but Akeno made it very hard for me to refuse her," Yami replied, and Akeno giggled, knowing what he was implying.

Rias stayed quiet for a moment, choosing her next words carefully, "I believe... that you already aware of the supernatural?"

Since Yami had more energy than a regular human, she was under the impression that he already knew quite a bit about their world.

"More or less. ALL myths or legends have some truth to them," Yami answered.

"Then I hope you won't judge us too badly, but all of us here are Devils," large bat wings spread out from behind everyone's back except for one, "Even Akeno."

Yami studied them with a slight tilt to his head. He already knew they were Devils and had wings, but... how did the wings come out without damaging their clothes? That was really fascinating.

"Again, before you judge us, let me tell you more about us," Rias started explaining to him about the war between the three factions, the civil war between the Devils that happened afterward, and finally, the peerage system created by Belzebub.

"I can feel that you are powerful, Yami. I can feel the power bubbling inside you, and I wish to offer you a spot on my peerage," Rias said with hopeful eyes.

"Unfortunately, I would have to refuse. You see, I was taught not to make deals with the Devil, and I would prefer to keep my soul," Yami refused her without hesitation.

"But... why?" Rias asked with a tremble in her voice. She hadn't expected him to refuse so readily.

"We... don't take people's souls. That's not profitable for Devils. And... and... there is so much benefit of becoming one. Your lifespan would increase massively, you will become stronger, magic will become easy and trivial, you will gain the ability to speak all human languages, and... and... if you become powerful enough, you can gain your own peerage."

"Those are the pros, yes, but you didn't mention the cons. The massive weakness to light magic and anything holy in nature," Ddraig already informed Yami he was weak to Dragonslaying swords or magic due to his Sacred Gears. So he didn't want some enemy to come at him with a holy Dragonslayer sword and one-shot him.

"Joining your faction will also make me an enemy of the other factions. And the worst con for me... I don't want to be anyone's slave."

"You won't be a slave! I treat everyone in my peerage as if they were my own family!" Rias stated, and everyone in the room nodded in agreement with her. Just from her voice alone, he understood that she cared deeply for all of them.

"Even if that's the truth, it doesn't change the fact that I will be losing my freedom if I join your peerage..." Yami started, and Rias was about to say something, but he quickly continued.

"I understand that you care deeply about all of your peerage members, but... hypothetically speaking, what would happen if one of them refused to follow your commands because your orders went against what they believe in? What would happen if one of them decides to leave because, for one reason or another, they no longer wish to serve you?"

"They..." will be considered Stray Devils and hunted down. Rias could possibly pull some strings due to her brother's position, but in the end, they will become enemies to her race unless they willingly returned back to serving her.

"Don't take it the wrong way," Yami said and looked at her peerage members, "Seeing how they are all dangerously glaring at me, it's obvious that they care deeply about you as well, but I do not wish to lose my freedom. Even if it's to someone as beautiful as you."

"Thank you for having me," Yami said and stood up, "But I have some work to do," mainly finishing his application for the Kendo Club.

"I won't give up!" Rias called out just before he exited through the door, "I will prove to you that I'm someone worth serving!"

Rias watched Yami leave without replying to her last words. Time wasn't on her side as she didn't have much left. Rias needed to find strong peerage members, but there wasn't much of choice in Kuoh. Sona had already swooped and recruited the ones with the most potential.

Excluding Yami, there were only four left worth recruiting. Two of them, Aika and Motohama, had magical potential due to their unique abilities, but they were nothing special. Saji had a strong aura, but Sona had already called dips on him the year before.

The last one was Issei, who also seemed to have a stronger aura than usual, but he reminded her of Riser so much, and Rias wasn't sure how much she wanted to recruit him.

However, Yami had so much more potential than all four of them. His aura was the most powerful out of all of them. He also had an awakened Sacred Gear that had something to do with Dragons, from what Koneko had been able to sense. Sona had even managed to find some interesting information about him as Yami was a descendant of a powerful Pharoh, known for his incredible magical prowess.

Knowing she had some time left, Rias decided to do her best to prove she was someone worth serving. Hopefully, she would be able to change his mind before it was too late. Sona will definitely try to recruit Yami now that he rejected her, but he will refuse her as well... probably. At least Rias hoped so.

After writing his application for the Kendo Club, Yami returned back to his last few classes. Rias and Akeno didn't return, but the teachers paid them no mind as if it was the most natural thing. Benefits of being a Devil, Yami thought.

When the bell rang for the last time, Yami quickly left the school. The two portals in Kuoh Academy were currently a bit hard to access without bringing too much attention to him, so he decided to test out one of the other three. Maybe they won't be too difficult.

However, there seemed to be a change in plans as Yami saw someone waiting for him outside the school gates. Aika was standing there with a sultry smile.

"You promised me something, and I just couldn't wait," Aika said, walking up next to him.

Yami thought for a moment and asked, "Your house or my house?"

Since he currently didn't have money issues, he could use his night time to train or clear the portals. One benefit of absorbing lots of life force was that he didn't need that much time to rest. Yami was many things, but he was not a liar, and he always kept true to his words.

"Or maybe somewhere in the open?" Aika asked with a smirk.

Oh, he was really starting to like the girl. Yami could bring Aika to the park, have fun with her in the middle of the trees, and then hop right into one of the portals.

"I know the perfect place," Yami said, and Aika followed after him.

They had just entered the park, and he was about to lead her deeper when there was a sudden change in scenery. The sky turned purple, and a malicious aura lingered in the air.

Dohnaseek, covered by his grey trench coat, stepped from behind a tree. He and his comrades were sent to Kuoh under the orders of Azazel to find any Sacred Gear users and observe them from a distance. If they could recruit them, fine, but they were told not to interfere with the Devils. That's until they were given a new set of orders.

Kokabiel had taken over their team of four and given them new orders. They were to kill all potential recruits for the Devils in town without exception. Dohnaseek and his group didn't know why they were given new orders, but they didn't question them. After all, they were nothing but grunts compared to one of the leaders of the Grigori. They either followed their orders without question, or they would get kicked out of their group. Simple as that.

Kalawarna chose to deal with the blonde, Raynare picked the pervert, and Dohnaseek was left to deal with Yami. As he was the strongest of their group, he naturally got the most dangerous human. Mittelt, the last of their group, had the job of being on the lookout.

Dohnaseek observed his target and the weak human with him. Yami was the only one that had an awakened Sacred Gear, but he wasn't worried. After all, he was a Fallen Angel while his target was nothing but a human. He will die, just like the girl with him.

Yami stared at the trenchcoat and fedora-wearing man with trepidation. He knew he would face supernatural enemies in the future; he had prepared for that. However, the appearance of the man was what got him. He looked so much like the guy that had ended up killing him in his past life.

It had been just a regular weekend night. Yami had visited a local club, wasted all of his money on drinks, and was forced to walk back to his home. Nothing out of the ordinary, but on the way back, he had ended up meeting a guy wearing a trenchcoat and fedora. Yami hadn't thought much of him in his drunken state, but the guy turned out to be a mugger.

The man had threatened him with a knife, but Yami didn't have any money on him. He had no valuables to give away, and his mugger hadn't like that. The man threatened him again with his knife, and Yami came with the brilliant idea of fighting him off in his drunken state. In the end, he was left to bleed out after the mugger went through his pockets.

Yami had been powerless, but he had ended up having another chance at life. He had no idea how he ended up in this dangerous world, but Yami knew he didn't want to ever again feel that same way. Power and freedom, that's the only thing he desired and sought to acquire since the moment he woke up in this world. And he would NOT let this man take it away from him again!

"A Fallen Angel and your first actual challenge," Ddraig shared in his mind, "Let's see how you will fare, whelp."

The Dragon was right. The Basic Insects had been slower than him, the Man-Eating Plants were barely able to move from their spot, and he was able to run around the Mystical Elves while he slowly drained them dry.

"You should blame your Sacred Gear for your death, boy," Dohnaseek said while creating a spear made of light in his right hand, "And you should blame him for your death, girl," he continued, making one more in his other hand.

Yami had feared the Fallen Angel, mostly due to his appearance, but the moment Dohnaseek threatened Aika, something snapped within him. No one threatened what was his! Yami didn't get to dwell on those foreign thoughts as he immediately took action.

[Boost!]

The Boosted Gear formed on his chest as Yami turned to Aika, quickly picking up the girl and dashing away just as two spears of light detonated in their previous location.

"W-What's going on?" Aika asked with a trembling voice laced with fear.

Yami had no time to answer her questions and took out two cards from his pocket, "Mystical Elf!"

"Protect her!" He commanded the two blue-skinned elves. They positioned themselves in front of Aika and formed two Mystical Barriers.

Dohnaseek studied them carefully, wondering what kind of ability summoned those two creatures. Was it a variant Annihilation Maker? But then why did he hear the words Boost from the boy?

[Boost!]

There it was again. The words came from Yami as he rushed towards him. Did the boy have two Sacred Gears? If so, Dohnaseek had to kill him quickly. His black feathery wings spread behind him, and he flew in the air as he formed another pair of light spears in his hands. Dohnaseek wasn't stupid enough to allow someone who possibly had the Boosted Gear close to him.

"Mystical Elf!" Two more of the blue-skinned women appeared in front of Yami, blocking light spears with a shimmering barrier.

[Boost!]

"This is just a waste of time. Accept your death, mortal," Dohnaseek said, creating more spears and firing them at the shields. The boy had already reached his limits as no more Boosts came out of him, but he wasn't worried about him. The Devil in town will probably come storming in soon, and he didn't want to deal with them.

Yami hid behind the Mystical Barriers of his elves, hoping that the Fallen Angel would get complacent, thinking himself invulnerable in the air. Yami's biggest weakness was his lack of ranged attacks, and as much as he tried to learn the Mystical Bolt of his summons, he had made very little progress with it. He had one chance, and he had to make it count.

Dohnaseek continued sending more and more light spears their way, and the barriers were starting to break, so Yami acted, "Fire!"

The Mystical Elves began shooting Mystical Bolts at the Fallen Angel, who was forced to dodge in the air for a moment, forgetting about Yami. He made his move then, materializing Absorption Line.

[Transfer!]

The three Boosts were transferred to his other Sacred Gear, which shot out two lines at Dohnaseek that sought him out like raging thunderbolts.

"What the?!?!" Dohnaseek yelled as two lines wrapped around him. He couldn't even believe this. Two Sacred Gears was already something deemed impossible, but three? Who was this kid?

[Boost!]

Dohnaseek didn't have the time to think about that as he felt his energy slowly being drained. The worst part was that Yami was also pulling him down with his eyes blazing in anger. He was still able to resist, but for how long?

The Fallen Angel tried firing light spears at the boy, but the blasted elves stepped in front of the attacks and blocked them with their barriers.

[Boost!]

Dohnaseek was starting to have trouble resisting, but he still managed to keep himself in the air. The problem was he lost all of his mobility, and he was a sitting duck for the Mystical Bolts of the elves. The attacks slammed into him, causing him to grunt in pain. He had to do something; there must a way out of this predicament!

[Boost!]

The moment he heard it, Dohnaseek lost all hope. The human had suddenly become as strong as him. Resisting became almost an impossible task, especially since the lines had started wrapping around his wings as well. Dohnaseek was pulled down and slammed hard on the ground.

Yami rushed at the fallen Fallen Angel and wasted no time, punching and kicking him with all his might. He loved draining his enemies, but this one had to suffer. Not only did Dohnaseek threaten Yami, but he also threatened Aika. That angered him beyond belief.

After having his fill, beating the Fallen Angel to a pulp, Yami decided it was time to end it.

[Transfer!]

[Absorb!]

"GAHHHH!" Finally, Dohnaseek screamed in pain, which was music to Yami's ears. He was going to drain everything the Fallen Angel had and take it for himself! With the Boosted Absorb, Dohnaseek screamed in pain until he turned into a withered husk, and shortly after, the wind gently blew away his ashes.

With the death of Dohnaseek, the sky returned to normal, and Yami thought it was very similar to the event after clearing one of his portals. He didn't spend any time thinking about it, though, as he had to check up on Aika. He rushed to her in worry, and again, he had to wonder what was going on with him. Since when was he so attached to her?

Yami did, however, return his monsters to their card form before going to her.

"Are you okay?" Yami asked when he neared the trembling girl.

"I... what the hell happened? What was that? What was he?" Aika asked, clearly panicked by what she had just witnessed.

"He was a Fallen Angel," Yami answered, but before he could elaborate anymore, two groups teleported near them, both coming out from a pair of magical circles.

"They might be able to explain better," Yami said as Aika looked at her fellow schoolmates. She recognized most of them as they were pretty popular in school.

"What happened here? We felt someone set up an Isolation Barrier around the park," Rias quickly spoke while Sona looked around, studying everything around them.

"A Fallen Angel attacked. I killed him," Yami explained simply.

All of them looked at him in shock. They knew he wasn't a regular human, but to have killed a Fallen Angel on his own? That was an incredible achievement. However, there was more to that, and only Sona realized it. Aika was also there, and she looked to be unhurt, so he had not only killed a Fallen Angel without taking any damage, but he had also protected her at the same time.

"We will have to investigate why a Fallen Angel so brazenly attacked someone in our territory, but first we have to deal with her. It's better if we just alter her memory..." Sona was about to explain her reasoning.

"You will not!" However, Yami growled, surprising even himself.

"Whether she knows if the supernatural world exists or not doesn't make much of a difference. But you will only alter her memories if she chooses so!"

Aika stepped slightly behind Yami. She didn't understand what was going on, but she knew that he was defending her. He had protected her from the Fallen Angel, and he was now stopping her schoolmates from altering her memory.

Aika had feared for her life when Dohnaseek fired light spears at them, but Yami had done his best to keep her safe. And damn if that hadn't been hot. He also cared; he actually cared for her! She definitely didn't want to forget this no matter what.

"But..." Rias was about to say something when she spoke up.

"I don't want my memories altered!" Aika said with conviction.

In the end, the Devils left, but Yami was sure they would like to speak to him the next day. For now, he had to explain whatever he knew to Aika, who was looking at him with hungry eyes.

"Come, let's go to my home for now," Yami said before calling out to the Dragon in his Sacred Gear. He really didn't have anyone else to ask.

"Ddraig, what's going on with me?"

"Hahaha, do you think I call you whelp for no reason?" Ddraig laughed in his mind.

"You have two Scared Gears in your body, both Draconic in nature. Even one of them would be enough to give you some Draconic characteristics, but you have two of them!"

"How are they affecting me? And why did I react that way to Aika getting threatened?" Yami asked.

"Devils and Fallen Angels are known for their sins, but Dragons are the greediest creatures out there. Be it power, riches, or beauties, we desire it all! And we are also very territorial, especially towards our mates. You marked the girl earlier with your seed, so she is effectively your mate now," Ddraig explained.

"This complicates things," Yami said in his mind, not very happy with the situation.

"Ah, but it also makes it easier for you to acquire mates," Ddraig said.

"What do you mean?"

"Dragons are very charismatic. Others wish to fight us, follow us, or to be loved by us. Why do you think your elves or the girl were so accepting of your advances? They were happy to be dominated by a Dragon," Ddraig laughed in his mind.

"Ah, this reminds me of the good old days when I was still a young Dragon. I used to go around stealing princesses from their kingdoms, and they were happy to see me! They were happy to be taken by me! Then I even got to play with the pesky heroes, who believed they can take me down. Haa, the good old times."

Yami wasn't sure what to think of all of this, but he believed he will figure it out in the future. For now, he had to deal with Aika and explain the situation to her. Figuring out how to help her grow stronger was also on his mind, as he would prefer her not to be helpless. Ahhh, life was complicated.