NARRATOR P.O.V

Classes have finally ended and Y/N can go with Koneko to buy sweets. He was walking around the streets of Kuoh in search for a shopping mall.

Marth:"...and that's why you should never eat too many sweets."

Y/N:"Marth, I said I've never eaten sweets made on Earth not that I didn't knew what I sweet was."

Marth:"You can't never be safe enough."

Koneko:"We're here."

The two stopped at a candy shop. They had lots of different sweets. From chocolate, to lollipops. From ice cream, to all kinds of pastries. For Koneko it was heaven. For Y/N, a one way trip to get diabetes.

Y/N:"You can get anything you want. Yesterday the administrator exchanged some of my UnderCoins into yens, so I'll buy for today."

Koneko:"...anything I want?"

Y/N:"Yup!"

Koneko:"You will regret that."

Koneko started running around the store, picking everything that grabbed her attention. Y/N knew he made a huge mistake.

Marth:"Goodbye to our life savings..."

Y/N:"Koneko wait!"

The soon-to-be-broke devil chased Koneko. She was surprisingly fast considering her frail appearance. Eventually, Koneko reached the counter with 3 bags full of various sweets she wants to try out, sweets Y/N had to pay for. Once he payed for the sweets, Koneko grabbed the bags and walked towards a nearby fountain to taste them. Y/N followed her while eatinga chocolate bar, not amused by the amount of money he just wasted.

Y/N:"30.000 yens on sweets Koneko! What the hell girl! Your blood is low on sugar or something?!"

Koneko:"Everyone has an addiction. I like sweets. What of it?"

Y/N:"You made me buy them and didn't even let me taste them!"

Koneko:"You're eating a chocolate right now."

Y/N:"That's all?! A single chocolate bar?!"

Koneko:"Yes."

Y/N:"Gimme that!"

Y/N tried to reach for Koneko's bags but out of nowhere, she tried to bite Y/N. The boy pulled his hand back, avoiding getting eaten by the small girl.

Marth:"Dear Satan! Watch out Y/N, she may have rabies!"

Y/N:"Okay listen here you little brat, you're gonna give me those sweets or I'm going to-"

Timeskip brought to us by Y/N trying to get a sweet from Koneko, just for her to try and bite his hand in response.

Rias was standing next to a window, looking at a particular student sitting next to a tree, talking to his friends.

The boy was intriguing for Rias. He has potential, potential to be hers. After all, she still needs to be saved. Akeno, Kiba, Koneko and Y/N are not enough. The more, the merrier.

Her thoughts were disrupted when Koneko kicked the door open and brought Y/N inside. She was dragging him by his leg. Y/N had a huge bump on his head. Koneko dropped Y/N's leg and sat on the couch, enjoying some more of the sweets Y/N bought.

Rias:"What did you two do?"

Koneko:"He tried to touch my sweets."

Y/N:"Sweets I bought for her!"

Rias:"Ah, so you two were bonding. I'm glad to hear that."

The poor devil stood up and sat next to Koneko, who finally offered him another sweet. He took it. A lollipop. He unwrapped it and placed the lollipop on his mouth.

Koneko:"I had fun Y/N. Thank you. I was joking by the way, have all the sweets you want."

Koneko placed the bags in between the two of them.

Y/N:"I had fun too! Thanks Koneko."

Y/N gave Koneko a little pat on her head. The girl smiled and continued to eat her sweet in peace.

Rias:"Y/N, Koneko, are you two free?"

Y/N:"I was planning on seeing the tabern in case there's someone who would like to join my peerage... but I recieved no notification from the administrators so I'm free."

Koneko:"I have nothing to do."

Rias:"Good. Akeno and Kiba will arrive shortly. We're going for some stray hunting. There's a big group of strays that has to be dealt with. You're coming with us, Mr. Mercenary?"

Y/N:"Finally some action. I'm down for it."

Rias:"Great. Let's wait then."

Rias then looked at the window once again. Curious, Y/N stood up and walked towards her standing next to the girl. He spotted the male Rias was looking at and smiled.

Y/N:"He your boyfriend or something?"

Rias playfully shoved him with a smile on her face.

Rias:"What, jealous?"

Y/N:"Nah."

Rias:"No, he's another student. However, he has a Sacred Gear."

Y/N:"Really? So I guess you want him in the peerage, right?"

Rias:"Yes."

Y/N:"Why do you need so much power? Are you in danger or something? Or do you simply want want power for the sake of it?"

Rias:"Does it matter to you?"

Y/N:"Well if you're in danger then I want to save you. I have a contract with you, can't get money if my client is dead."

Rias:"Yeah..."

Y/N:"Besides, I ran away once and left my friends to die. I'm not going to do that again."

Rias:"You already consider us your friends?"

Y/N:"Well, more like business partners. But hey, life has many twists. Who knows what could happen?"

Rias:"Okay Mr. Protector. What would you do if a powerful devil was trying to get his hands on me, eh?"

Y/N:"Fight."

Rias:"And if you lose?"

Y/N:"I won't."

Rias:"Confident, aren't we?"

Y/N:"I'm not joking. I won't lose. That's a promise."

Rias:"Didn't I tell you we Gremories care-"

Y/N:"-about the value of word, yeah. I'm a very trustworthy person. So long my contract is active, I won't lose a single fight for you. You have my word."

Before their conversation could go any further, Kiba and Akeno went inside the room. Rias closed the window just when the human spotted the two devils staring at him.

Rias:"You're gonna have the time to prove it then. Kiba, Akeno, are you two free?"

Kiba:"Of course President. What is it you need?"

Akeno:"Ready and willing."

Rias:"We are going to hunt some strays. A lot of dissappearances have been notified around Shibuya Academy. What's weird is, dead bodies hasn't been reported."

Y/N:"Maybe they eat them. Akeno and I had an... encounter with a fellow who liked canibalism."

Rias:"They dissappear in groups. If they were eating them, someone would've noticed something already. A horrid smell, the remains of one of their 'meals', blood..."

Kiba:"But you have an idea of what they may be doing, right?"

Rias:"No. My theory is, they're not killing anyone. Which disturbs me even more."

Y/N:"If that's true then we should act immediately. Maybe we're not too late and we can save them."

Rias:"I'll draw a teleportation circle. Get ready my friends."

While Rias draws the circle, everyone was either warming up or preparing their weapons. Y/N summoned Falchion and did some spins with his sword to entertain himself. Kiba summoned his own sword and was now staring at Y/N's. It looks familiar to him. Koneko sprinted towards one of the ORC's bedrooms and opened a small red box that was laying on a bed. From there, she grabbed a pair of black gloves. Once she put on the gloves Koneko returned with the group. Akeno simply stood next to Kiba and Y/N, waiting for Rias to finish.

Rias:"It's done."

Everyone went inside the circle and closed their eyes. After some seconds, they appeared in an alleyway. In front of them was an abandoned warehouse. The door was open. Everything was dark inside. Koneko looked behind the group to see Shibuya Academy at the end of the alleyway.

Koneko:"Around Shibuya Academy was an understatement. The academy is over there."

Akeno:"Making your hideout next to your hunting ground is not a good idea."

Rias:"That's why they got caught. We know they're a group, so be careful. I wouldn't be surprised if they were preparing an ambush. Be on the lookout for survivors. Oh, by the way, before I forget..."

Rias turned to her group and placed a finger on Kiba and another on Y/N's ears. She summoned a magic circle that dissappeared short after. She quickly did the same to Koneko and Akeno.

Y/N:"We can speak with these, right? Smart."

Rias:"Yes. Press a finger on your ear and the circle will appear. We will all hear your voice in our head. Try not to be too loud, I don't want to get a headache."

Y/N:"Right. Now let's move."

Rias nodded and took the lead, going inside the warehouse with the rest following close after. The warehouse was not only massive, but the enormous warehouse shelves were filled with crates and pallets with products, blocking the view and creating many places to hide.

Rias:"Akeno, can you get on the ceiling and give us some vision?"

Akeno:"Oh, gladly."

She started floating towards the ceiling, whispering some words to herself to create a spell. Koneko and Kiba patrolled the area while Rias talks to make sure the strays aren't getting closer.

Rias:"My name is Rias Gremory. You have been killing innocent humans in my territory. Not only have you betrayed my peerage, but the oath you made when entering one and most importantly, the Overworld Law. As punishment, I sentence you all to death. Come out and I'll make it painless."

No answer. Instead, a couple of strays charged at both Koneko and Kiba with rudimentary weaponry and nothing else. Y/N noticed very low mana in them. They were dressed in school uniforms.

Y/N:"These are not devils. Are they..."

Marth:"Mind controlled by someone."

Before Y/N could go anywhere to hide, Rias grabbed his arm. Y/N followed Rias eyes to see 2 actual strays walking towards the pair. A female with long white hair and greyish hair and a male, with also white hair. The woman had a black dress and seems to be whispering something. She had her eyes closed. The man was extremely tall and bulky. Although he's white, his arms were blackened by an unkown material.

Rias:"You've listened. But not in the way I hoped."

Y/N stood in front of Rias and raised his guard. Rias opened her palms, red fire appearing on them.

Male Stray:"I've always wondered if we could enslave a devil. What do you think, sister?"

Y/N:"Guys! Those are the missing students, do not kill them!"

Kiba:"Got it!"

Koneko:"I'll be gentle."

Female Stray:"A Gremory would be a fine addition to my collection."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VqSJNb968E

Rias:"It seems they won't go down without a fight."

Y/N:"Good. I was hoping for one."

Y/N charged at the duo while Rias aims her palms at the strays. The male stray roared and punched one of the shelves, making all the products be thrown at Y/N's way. The devil made a backflip and dodged them all. The female stray opened her eyes and aimed her palms at Y/N. A blue laser beam was thrown out of her palms and was about to hit him.

Y/N reached his hand to Rias who summoned a red chained and pulled Y/N towards her. The devil landed on the ground and quickly desummoned his sword to prepare a spell.

Rias:"You can't get close to them. Let me create an opening."

Y/N:"Go ahead."

The male stray charged at Rias who was walking towards him with a smile. As soon as he was about to punch her, she summoned a shield with one hand and blocked the attack. The female threw a barrage of magic missiles at Rias. The Gremory redirected her shield and made the male stray slip towards her right, being used as a shield to defend Rias from the missiles.

When they exploded in his chest, he was thrown towards Y/N who got his spell ready. Y/N summoned dozens of magic circles all around the strays.

Y/N:"Non effugium."

From the circles aimed at the female stray, shackles appeared that went around her limbs, trapping her. From the ones aimed at the male, small fireballs that started to destroy the armor on his arms. The male stray was close enough to Y/N for him to strike him with the sword, but the male stray blocked the hit with his arms. However, Y/N smirked.

Y/N:"You lose."

All the magic circles got together into a big one. An enormous fireball appeared from it and was launched towards the male stray. Y/N had enough time to get out of there, but the stray didn't. The fireball exploded upon getting into contact with the stray, destroying him. Only one leg remained of the stray. Y/N stood next to Rias, his sword already dissappeared to recover some mana.

Female Stray:"Y-You... I'll kill you all!"

Rias:"You clearly don't realise your situation."

Female Stray:"Oh... but I do!"

Suddenly the stray managed to break Y/N's chains. She started floating to the ceiling, unaware of Akeno who was above her, patiently waiting for the stray to float towards her arms. When she was close, Akeno hugged her from behind.

Akeno:"Hello~"

Electricty run through her body, burning the stray's insides. One she was pleased with her screams, Akeno released her. The stray fell to the ground, still alive but barely.

Rias:*Sigh* "If only you followed our instructions..."

Y/N summoned his sword once again and stretched his arm at Rias, showing his blade at her.

Y/N:"Let's make it flashy."

Rias:*Smiles* "Very well. Show me what you can do."

Rias rubbed his finger on the blade, red fire appearing on the sword, covering what was once a golden sword. Y/N sprinted towards the stray and jumped, ready to slice her in half. The female stray tried to kneel and prepared a magic shield.

Y/N:"Oh, this one's gonna hurt!"

He sliced through the shield and through her. When the blade touched her body, it exploded. Red fire burned the stray alive to the point that not even ash was left behind. However, neither Falchion nor Y/N were damaged. Rias approached Y/N and clapped.

Rias:"Excellent. You did well."

Y/N:"I think we work well as a team!"

Rias:"So it seems."

While all of this unfolded, Kiba and Koneko were busy dealing with the mind controlled students. They had a surge in power and strength due to the female stray's magic, but they were still humans.

Two male students approached Kiba with rusty iron bars. He parried their attacks and slowly walked forwards with a smile. This wasn't a problem for him. When one of the students made the mistake to try and hit his head, Kiba ducked and striked the student's stomach with his elbow, launching him to the ground. The other tried to smack Kiba but the blond boy dodged to the side and whacked the student on the head with his sword's hilt, knocking him out cold. He approached the other student that was still trying to get up and kicked his face, defeating him.

Koneko was facing 3 students on her own. One tried to kick her just for Koneko to block the attack, grab the student's feet and throw him at a wall. The next one tried to stab her with a knife. Koneko grabbed the student's wrist and threw the student over her shoulder. From there, she placed her leg around the student's arm and then twisted it, breaking the arm and making her release the knife.

The last student tried to tackle her just for Koneko to grab the male student's shoulder and throw him directly at her knee, hitting him on the stomach. She was over with all the students.

Kiba:"Was that truly necessary?"

Koneko:"Akeno will heal her later."

Kiba:*Sigh*

5 more appeared and rushed at the two. However, before they could fight them, they all saw a red explosion coming from Y/N and Rias position. The students all looked at the explosion and soon after fell asleep. The female stray was defeated and the mind control spell was neutralised. Akeno landed in front of both the rook and the knight.

Akeno:"I'll deal with these group. Is that... is that a broken arm?"

Koneko:"Yes."

Akeno:*Sigh* "Next time don't be so harsh on hostages, Koneko."

Koneko:"My apologies."

She grabbed a candy she had from her pocket and started eating it. Kiba and Koneko then walked towards Rias and Y/N who were speaking with one another.

Rias:"And Akeno?"

Kiba:"She's going to deal with the students."

From their heads, Akeno's voice was heard.

Akeno:"I will leave all of them in front of the school and call an ambulance. They'll know what to do."

Y/N:"An ambulance?"

Rias:"Doctors on wheels."

Y/N:"Oh."

Koneko:"Can we go now?"

Rias:"Yes. I'll make the circle." *Looks at Y/N* "I will give you the payment once we reach the ORC."

Y/N:"Okay."

Koneko:*Looks at Y/N*

Y/N:"I'm not gonna buy you more sweets."

Koneko: :(

Before Y/N could say something, he noticed how his symbol appeared on his chest out of nowhere. Everyone looked at him, confused.

Y/N:"What's going on?"

Marth:"Someone in the Underworld took your request. Could this be our first memeber of our peerage?"

Y/N:"I hope so."

Kiba:"So... you gonna explain that?"

Y/N:"Sorry, got distracted. Yes, that symbol means someone took my request for new peerage members."

Rias:"Ah, so you got yourself someone who's willing to follow you. That's good to hear."

Y/N:"You sound dissapointed."

Rias:"Well I was hoping to make you mine."

Y/N:"What?"

Rias:*Giggles* "I'm joking silly. But you having new people in your peerage means I'll have less chances to enjoy the contract I formed with you."

Y/N:"It's not like you were going to look for a fight everyday, right?"

Rias:"..."

Y/N:"Right?"

Timeskip brought to us by Akeno leaving bodies in front of the academy, nervous someone might catch her.

After recieving their money for a job well done Y/N teleported himself to the Overworld. He was walking towards the tabern he visited with Akeno.

Marth:"Okay Y/N, remember to be a gentleman but don't be stupid either. You're the King of this peerage, not them. They have to meet your expectations."

Y/N:"I got this. Hey, how do you think they're going to be? Maybe a legendary warrior? A powerful magician? What about-"

Marth:"A complete nobody. Be realistic."

Y/N:"Hey, dreeming is free y'know? Dear Satan, what a party pooper..."

Marth:"Hey! I'm really fun! You should've been my birthday parties! One day, Tiki and I-"

Y/N:"I'm sure they were a blast."

Marth:"...you didn't even let me finish."

Y/N:"Back into a more serious note, should I make them my queen right away?"

Marth:"Absolutely not. Wait until we see them in combat. Hell, ask them what their strengths are. They use magic? A bishop. They fight mano a mano? Rook. And so on."

Y/N:"Right, gotcha."

Marth:"We're here. Let's see who's gonna be our partner!"

Y/N walked inside the tabern and went straight to the board. He grabbed his request to read a name applied for it.

Baiken.

He scanned the room until one of the humanoid cats approached him. Already knowing what Y/N was here for, the cat pointed at a woman sitting on a secluded spot on her own, waiting.

The woman looked at him. As soon as their eyes met, Y/N knew she's trouble. The devil sighed, patted the cat's head (who replied with a meow) and walked towards what could be his new partner. Y/N sat in front of her. She was looking at him up and down with a frown on her face.

Y/N:"So, you're Baiken."

Baiken:"The one and only. Let's get straight to the point. I need to get up the food chain, you need pieces for your peerage. We both need each other."

Y/N:"Hey, I just got here. I want to know who I'm getting into my peerage. Let's talk."

Baiken:"What's to talk? I'll be your pawn so long you help me get answers. That's all. We don't have to talk about anything."

Y/N:"Well, we could start by talking about what question has to be answered."

Baiken:"Who killed my family. Is that start good enough for you?"

Y/N widened his eyes. Baiken looked at him confused.

Baiken:"What?"

Y/N:"Funny thing is... I'm looking for something similar to you. I also need to know who killed my family."

Baiken stared at him, trying to decipher if Y/N was saying the truth. The devil did had a hurt expression. Not due to Baiken words but because it's the first time he's going to speak about this with someone else than Marth.

Y/N:"Someone slained my family. I couldn't do anything to stop them. Hell, I don't even know how they were."

Y/N is not the only one who's doing something for the first time since Baiken looked at Y/N with a little bit of sympathy. He's in a similar spot than her. However, at least she knows who the murderer is. Y/N does not.

Baiken:"Hmm. Ironic. Two strays found themselves as King and Serveant. Almost like a fairy tale."

Y/N:"You have an interesting sense of humor."

Baiken:"You can say I lack one. I can't even amuse myself. In any case, let's begin again. We both want the same thing. Find the ones responsibles for our family's death. I say we help each other. I have experience, you have a Sacred Gear."

Y/N:"How do you know that?"

Baiken:"The ring. I see a Sacred Gear when I see one."

Y/N:"Oh."

Baiken:"It also radiates mana. It's very powerful. And alive. Tell it to mask it's mana better."

Y/N:"...Marth?"

Marth:"If she managed to detect me, she's one hell of a warrior. I say we get her for us."

Y/N:"And about the mana..."

Marth:"I'm doing all I can okay?!"

Y/N:"There's something you should know. I'm one of the lowest families around."

Baiken:"I know."

Y/N:"I barely have any money at all."

Baiken:"In terms of money, I have none."

Y/N:"You are the only piece I would have."

Baiken:"I never liked crowds."

Y/N:"I live in Earth, in an apartment complex."

Baiken:"I'm not a fan of castles and it's been a long time since I've been in Earth. Now, if you don't have any more pointless excuses to not add me to your peerage I say we go to your apartment or we part ways."

Y/N:"No, no, no! I do want you in my-"

Baiken:"Then let's go."

Baiken stood up and started walking outside. Y/N grunted and followed her outside the tabern.

Y/N:"Hey. I have to draw a teleportation circle, where the hell are you going?"

Baiken:"Nowhere. I merely wanted you to move your ass. Draw it."

Y/N nodded and started drawing a teleportation circle on the ground.

Y/N:"One more thing. I made a mercenary contract with Rias Gremory. She intends on using me for her own purposes. I want her to get some answers."

Baiken:*Chuckles* "A Gremory? Well, that surely makes things much easier."

As soon as the circle was made, Baiken stepped in and once again they closed their eyes. When they opened them the two were on Y/N's apartment.

Y/N:"One more thing. I have to go to Kuoh Academy and attend some classes there. You must-"

Baiken:"Hell no. I'm not going to-"

Y/N:"There's a kendo class. They're down one teacher."

Baiken:"Are you in that kendo class?"

Y/N:"No but if it makes you join then I'll go."

Baiken smirked. It was a very dangerous smirk.

I think I just invited the devil into my house.