Elmesia leaned back into the sofa, a radiant, blissful smile blooming across her beautiful features.
Across from her, Erald sat with a look of profound hesitation etched onto his face.
'What on earth happened? Why has Her Majesty been acting so strangely ever since she returned from her trip with Lord Issei? Don't tell me… did something happen between them?'
Erald swallowed hard. A certain possibility crossed his mind, one so startling it left him momentarily speechless.
"Your Majesty... how was the trip?" Erald ventured cautiously.
"It was quite delightful," Elmesia replied, her voice airy. "I feel as though I've finally begun to understand what it means to be attracted to the opposite sex."
"Eh?"
In an instant, Erald turned into a literal stone statue. The shock of her answer was so visceral that his very soul seemed to have petrified on the spot.
Elmesia's smile only brightened as she murmured in a tone thick with anticipation, "I truly can't wait for our next meeting."
…
Time flowed by in the blink of an eye, and the hour eventually came for Issei to return to the DxD World alongside Rias.
Dulio and Tobio joined the departure, leaving only Vali, who had decided to extend his stay a while longer. During the final moments of their farewell, Luminous stood by, a palpable sense of loneliness clinging to her silhouette as she watched Issei prepare to leave.
Elmesia had already returned to the Sarion Dynasty and thus remained unaware of Issei's departure.
"Sigh... if it were up to me, I would've loved to stay a little longer," Issei muttered.
Without a second's hesitation, Rias delivered a sharp slap to the back of his head.
"Stop talking nonsense! As a student, you are strictly forbidden from playing truant!"
"...Yes, ma'am." Issei nodded dejectedly, knowing full well he stood no chance in an argument against Rias.
Rias was undeniably warm, gentle, and overflowing with love—but when it came to matters like this, she was remarkably strict and more than a little terrifying.
"Hahaha! It seems Rias is your ultimate weakness," Dulio teased from the sidelines.
Tobio offered a silent nod of agreement, a small smile playing on his lips.
"What are you guys talking about? Rias isn't my weakness," Issei countered, his expression softening. "She's my strength."
A wave of happiness washed over Rias. She leaned in, hugging Issei from behind, and pressed a deep kiss against his lips right in front of Dulio and Tobio.
The two men exchanged a bitter glance. With a simultaneous huff of annoyance, they turned and walked away, unable to stomach the display of affection.
By this point, they had already crossed back into the DxD World—specifically, the Underworld.
"Ahem. Sirzechs-sama is waiting. Please wrap up your business quickly."
The voice belonged to a maid with long, silver hair—an elegant, mature woman who exuded a quiet yet undeniable sexiness.
Startled, Rias flushed crimson. She tried to pull away in embarrassment, but Issei placed a hand behind her head, holding the kiss for several moments longer.
Rias's mind went blank. In a situation like this, she was completely at a loss for how to react. Grayfia, for her part, simply closed her eyes awkwardly.
Driven to the peak of her embarrassment, Rias finally resorted to biting Issei's tongue to force an end to the kiss.
"...Hmph!"
Rias let out a sharp huff, her expression shifting back to one of mature, elegant annoyance.
Issei let out a light laugh, his eyes shifting toward Grayfia. Seeing the faint trace of awkwardness on the maid's beautiful face gave Issei a strange, inexplicable sense of victory.
Rias quickly straightened her disheveled appearance before addressing Grayfia.
"Lead the way."
"Understood."
…
Shortly after, Issei and Rias found themselves in the presence of the Four Great Satans.
"The Octagram and the True Dragons... so those are the pinnacle of existence over there?" Sirzechs let out a thoughtful sigh, his gaze heavy with contemplation.
Issei gave a slow nod.
"That's only half the story. There are also Heroes whose existence can rival or even surpass both the True Dragons and the members of the Octagram."
"It really sounds like something straight out of an Isekai fantasy novel," Ajuka remarked dryly.
Issei couldn't help but nod in agreement.
The attention of the remaining two Satans shifted toward Sirzechs.
"So, what's the verdict? Should we focus on fostering better relations with them?" Serafall asked, her tone uncharacteristically hesitant.
Sirzechs let out a low chuckle, his voice relaxed.
"Of course. Why wouldn't we?"
Falbium nodded his approval. Sirzechs then turned his gaze back to Issei and Rias.
"You two may return to the Human World for now. If anything develops, I'll be in touch."
"We understand, Onii-sama."
With that, Issei, Rias, and the rest of the group made their way back to their original world.
The moment they arrived, they were immediately greeted by the crushing reality of unfinished business—specifically, the mountain of schoolwork waiting for Issei and Rias. Since classes resumed the next day, the two decided to power through it that night.
With their enhanced intellect, they managed to finish the homework in record time, leaving them with enough room to indulge in each other's company until the break of dawn.
On a side note, the Hyoudou residence had undergone a massive renovation. It was now significantly larger, designed to accommodate all the women who would be living under the same roof as Issei.
Akeno, Koneko, and Xenovia were particularly enthusiastic about the move. They adapted quickly, becoming incredibly close with Issei's parents. Akeno and Koneko, in particular, seemed almost competitive in their efforts to leave a perfect impression on his mother and father.
Issei understood Koneko's motivation well enough, but he was still a bit fuzzy on Akeno's.
"Still haven't figured it out? Akeno is desperately trying to catch your eye," Rias said.
She was currently straddling Issei's lap, completely nude, her breath coming in shallow hitches.
"If you want to truly win her over, you're going to have to work for it."
To be continued...Anvanced Chapter patreon.com/AgamYupi02