Ashiya took a deep breath, adrenaline pumping throughout his body as he finally prepared to face what he'd been trying to ignore ever since Calawarner first moved in.

He felt a small surge of electricity flow through him and his mind grew muddied at the mere thought of the gorgeous woman. He'd tried being subtle about it, but the woman just didn't seem to notice his feelings. The white-haired man licked his lips in anticipation and steeled his nerves.

It was time!

He quickly grabbed his trusty sponge and began furiously scrubbing the accursed stain. Honestly, how did she not notice it?! It was her favorite jacket and yet she walked around with an enormous stain on it! No one else seemed to notice it either! Was he the only sane person in this apartment?!

Either way, the wretched thing had plagued him long enough and it was high time he dealt with it. Ashiya gripped the sponge until his knuckles were white, furiously doing his best to erase the smear that had tarnished the blue-haired angel's garment.

Slowly, but surely, he could see the stain growing lighter and lighter with each successive sweep of his arm until the original violet color was finally unmarred.

"You put up a good fight," the white-haired man spat before cackling evilly. "But there was never any chance I was going to allow you to survive."

"There's something wrong with you," Chachazero remarked from her position on the kitchen counter. "Freak."

Ashiya ignored her, instead moving towards the window to hang the jacket outside on an overhanging clothesline. After making sure the garment was secure, he turned to its owner.

"It should be dry by the time school ends," he told her. Calawarner nodded at him in gratitude.

"Thanks," she said. "Sorry you had to do it, though."

"It's of no consequence," Ashiya nodded. "I've been doing such for centuries now. Though I hate to insult him, even I have to admit that Issei-sama is completely hopeless at any kind of housework."

"Speaking of our resident Maou," Mittelt spoke up. "Where is he, anyway?"

The three fallen angels had recently moved into a neighboring room with Asia volunteering to stay with them as well; though they still spent much of their time in Issei's room with everyone else.

"Emi and friends showed up early this morning, banging on the door and causing a general ruckus," Suzuki explained lazily. "Eventually she ended up dragging him out the door. Haven't seen them since."

"And you didn't do anything?" Yuuma asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It was five in the morning," Tamamo huffed defensively.

"Besides," Mordred shrugged. "I'm sure he's fine."

_______________________________________

"Would you put that damn knife away?!" Issei growled as he reluctantly led Emi and her group through the school corridors. "Why are we here anyway?"

"If we want to get into the academy we need you to introduce us to the dean," Emi replied as she stowed her hundred-yen-weapon inside her pocket.

"And why can't you just hypnotize him?" he demanded. The redhead sent him a glare.

"You're asking me to lie and cheat my way in?" she retorted. "Have you forgotten who I am?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Issei waved her off.

"This establishment is quite impressive," Suzuno remarked as she admired the immaculate school grounds.

"Yes, tuition is quite expensive," he said absentmindedly. The school was silent. The only students here were in the various athletic clubs and they were all out on the grounds practicing.

"Definitely out of your price range," Emi remarked. Issei was about to retort but was cut off.

"Ohoho!" a voice called out. The group of four turned to see an elderly man approaching them from behind.

"Dean Honou," Issei greeted with a polite bow. Emi and her compatriots likewise bowed. Strangely, the dean kept moving, almost as though trying to get into position for something. "We were just looking for you."

"Fufu, why hello, Hyoudou-kun!" the dean said, bowing surprisingly low from his new position behind Emi. He smiled merrily, thrusting his finger upwards like a super sentai ranger. "And what can I do for you?!"

Well, someone was certainly excited. Or perhaps this was simply his personality? This was the first time Issei had met the dean personally since enrolling in the school.

"Well, these two here would like to enroll," Issei said somewhat awkwardly, as the old man was still standing behind Emi.

"Oh!" the principal bowed again for some reason. "I see!" He bowed again.

…

…

"We were wondering about scholarship options,"

Bow. "Of course!" Bow. The dean kept bending over as his eyes constantly focused at a particular spot, not even look at him as he spoke. It wasn't hard to figure out he was pretending to stretch while peeking under Emi's skirt.

And it looks like she was starting to catch on as well.

"Young ones should stay healthy, you know!" Bow. "It will keep you ahead," Bow. "In life!" Bow. Bow.

…Did he say that to justify his bowing as a stretching exercise? It wasn't even related to the conversation they were having.

"Yes." Issei nodded, glancing to the side to see Emi's fuming face. "Thank you for the advice. Now, back to the question at hand…"

Dean Honou's mouth began to slant into a perverted smile as he bowed again. "Oh!" Bow. "The doujin- er, scholarships!" Bow. "Well, classes will be starting soon." Bow "Why don't you come to my office after school? We can work out the details then…" Bow.

Issei coughed as Emi began to twitch violently.

"Thank you," The redhead growled, her hand twitching towards a non-existent sword. She turned on her heel and began walking off.

"Wait, before you go!" Bow. "There's something you should know! It's important!" Bow. Bow.

"What is it, sir?" Saber questioned, raising an eyebrow. The dean scanned the area around them as though he was about to tell them something dire. He motioned his hand to his cheek to partially conceal his mouth so only the four of them could hear his next words.

"Watch out for weird perverts…!" he whispered. "You never know who could be one of those… those dangers to society!"

Issei could only stare in astonishment to hear that coming from him.

"Sure…" Suzuno muttered, her brow twitching. "We'll watch out for them, thanks."

"Wait!" Bow. "Would you like to hear a story?" Bow. Stretch. Bow.

It looks like he wasn't quite done with them yet. The look on Emi's face was amusing though.

"Sure," Issei grinned. "We're in no hurry."

"Urmfh!" Emi scowled at him venomously.

"Well!" Bow. "It all started back when I formed th-"

"P-Pervert!" Saber suddenly shrieked. She pointed at the old man, her face cherry red. "You bowed to look up our skirts!"

Did she just figure it out?! Issei stared at her incredulously as an awkward silence descended on them.

"…"

"…"

"…"

There wasn't even a wince of movement from any of them anymore.

"Principal!" Saber exclaimed. "You were loo-"

"NOOOoooOOO!" The dean suddenly dashed away at a speed that was quite impressive for a man his age. Issei could only sigh as Saber began giving chase, prompting the other two to do the same.

"Ugh…" They were no longer in sight, but he could still hear the dean's panicked shrieks resonating throughout the hallway. It seemed like he was well experienced in escaping the scene of a perverse crime

"Get back here!" Issei sighed once more as the girls' own voices added to cacophony of noise.

It was going to be one of those days, wasn't it?

_______________________________________

"Hello, everyone," Emi bowed at the front of the class. "My name is Yusa Emi. Please take care of me."

Issei gazed up tiredly as he sat at his desk. He rested his chin on his right arm and sighed. It seemed that all his classmates were slowly being replaced by his various acquaintances.

"I'm surprised they managed to get in," Tamamo remarked.

"How'd you do it?" Mordred questioned.

"Don't ask," Issei grunted.

Apparently Saber possessed a strong dislike of mischievous old men. The girls had cornered the pervert near the old school building. A few choice words were exchanged and the man offered (read: bribed) them the chance to attend for no cost. Suzuno had even been hired as the new Japanese history teacher and in exchange, the little 'incident' would not get reported.

"So much for not being deceitful," Issei whispered as Emi passed by his desk.

"Shut up!" she growled quietly as Saber began her introduction in the background. "It was the least he could do after taking advantage of us like that!"

Tamamo raised an eyebrow at him as the redhead took her seat. "What was that about?"

"Nothing," he sighed. The fox rolled her eyes slightly, a smirk on her face.

"Sure," she conceded. "Anyway, Rias-hime has something planned later so we'll be meeting after school."

Issei sighed but nodded. "Alright," he muttered as Asia finished her own introduction and Calawarner called for class to begin.

_______________________________________

"Well, here we are, princess," Mordred grunted, plopping down onto one of the clubroom's new couches.

With the drastic increase of club members recently, Rias had concluded it would be prudent to acquire more furniture. The clubroom now sported over a dozen different sofas, loveseats, chairs and recliners; all of which were tastefully situated around various coffee tables, end tables and the like.

Issei sat down next to Chiho and looked up at their club president. The crimson-haired beauty was currently staring out the window, not even registering their sudden appearance.

"Buchou's been like that for a while now," Chiho's whispered in a worried tone.

"She seems to be worried about something," he remarked in return as the redhead finally seemed to realize their presence.

"Oh!" Rias let out an embarrassed squeak as she finally snapped out of her daze. "What are you all doing here?"

Tamamo raised an eyebrow. "You asked us to come here, hime,"

Rias coughed slightly. "Ah, yes," she said, regaining her composure. "I believe I've found a way to compensate you for giving Asia to me, Issei-kun,"

"Is that so?" the brown-haired boy remarked. "And what did you have in mind, senpai?"

"As you may know, the full moon is tomorrow night," the redhead replied. "The gateway will be open during that time and I was planning on getting Chiho and Asia their familiars. I would be honored if you accompanied me."

Issei raised an eyebrow. "You're allowing another party to enter the dimension with you? That's a pretty intimate gesture, Rias-senpai."

"What are you talking about?" Mittelt asked in confusion.

"Do any of you have familiars?" Issei answered her question with one of his own. Yuuma shook her head.

"A decent familiar is hard to come across," she told him. "Whenever the opportunity presents itself, it's usually a higher ranking fallen angel that receives one."

"Well, luckily for you, the devils possess a way to obtain them much easier than the other factions," Tamamo remarked. "Millennia ago, a hidden dimension was found in which thousands of familiar races make their home. It's a secret that the devils guard jealously."

"Every full moon, the gateway to that dimension opens," Issei explained. "The dimension is split into different sections that host various habitats. Attaining one's familiar is somewhat of a rite of passage to the devils and traditionally, only one party may enter a sector on the night of a full moon. To invite another group to accompany you is a very intimate gesture of friendship."

"And you wish for us to come with you?" Ashiya questioned. Rias smiled.

"Indeed."

"Ano," Chiho spoke up, raising her hand. "What is a familiar?"

"A familiar is usually a non-sentient being which serves a sentient being," Ashiya explained.

This didn't seem to help very much, so Calawarner stepped in. "It's basically a glorified pet,"

"To put it crassly, yes," Rias said in a dry tone. "In a way it is similar to a servant. Forming a familiar contract usually grants the creature a higher degree of intelligence or at least enough to understand orders and communicate."

"Technically, anything can be a familiar, so long as they accept the familiar contract," Tamamo explained. "But most sentient creatures refuse to degrade themselves to being another's 'pet' if you will."

"What kind of familiar do you have, Tamamo-san?" Chiho questioned. The fox-girl smiled and snapped her fingers. A small, blue magic circle appeared on the tabletop in which a small cat appeared. The creature had creamy beige fur with black feet and a black diamond-shaped marking on its forehead. Its most notable feature was its tail, which split into two at its base.

(Tamamo Familiar)

"This is Kirara," Tamamo said as the kitten-sized cat leapt into her arms. "She's a bakeneko."

Kirara purred slightly before noticing Koneko sitting across from them. The cat leapt onto the table and onto the white-haired girl's head. Koneko blinked in surprise before smiling and scratching the small creature on the head.

Koneko raised her hand, a red magic circle appearing and a small white kitten appeared on the coffee table.

"…This is Shiro," the white-haired girl said as Kirara hopped down to inspect the smaller feline. Rias smiled slightly and snapped her fingers. In a small flash of light, a spherical pink bat-like creature appeared.

"And this is my familiar," she said. "I believe you've met her already, Issei-kun."

In a puff of smoke, the bat transformed into an older black-haired woman wearing vampire cosplay. "Ah, yes, I remember now," Issei remarked as it returned to its animal form. "She handed me that reverse summoning circle."

"Ara, are we all summoning our familiars?" Akeno questioned with a serene smile. In a small flash of light, a small oni demon appeared in the palm of her hand.

A flash of light in the corner of his eye prompted Issei to turn and see Kiba with a small falcon on his shoulder.

"And what do you have?" Calawarner asked Ashiya. The white-haired man replied by flicking his wrist. In a flash of red light a large black and white cat appeared on the table. Two small horns protruded from the cat's head as it grinned up at them.

(Ashiya Familiar)

"This is Kuro," Ashiya said as the cat went to sit with his fellow felines. Koneko looked deliriously happy to be surrounded by so many. "He's a cait sith."

In a flash of light, an orange toad the size of a small dog and wearing a blue jacket appeared before Suzuki.

(Suzuki Familiar or summoned.. I think?)

"This is Gamanichi," the ninja said offhandedly. "He's a ninja frog." A vein popped up on the toad's head.

"That ain't my name!" the toad grunted in a gruff voice. "My name is Gamakichi! KI-CHI! With a 'K'! And I ain't a frog, I'm a toad! There's a difference!"

"I-It can talk?!" Asia gasped. The toad glared at her.

"I'm not an 'it'!" he growled. "I said my name is Gamakichi!"

"That's his real name," Suzuki nodded. "But his father is also named Gamakichi and 'ni' means 'two' in Japanese. Ergo, he is Gamanichi."

"Why you…!"

A flash of light signaled Morgiana's summoning as a white, long-eared monkey appeared on the table. "This is Momo," the petite redhead said with a small smile. "He's a flying lemur."

(Morgiana Familiar)

"A flying lemur?" Mittelt questioned incredulously. In response, Momo spread his arms to the side, revealing a thin, bat-like membrane attached to his arms. Suddenly the lemur leapt onto Mittelt's head, causing the fallen angel to let out a shriek. The loud noise startled the primate causing it to spread its wings and begin flying around the room. Rias and Kiba's familiars seemed to take this a challenge and began racing after him.

In their haste to catch the lemur, they flew straight into Gamanichi, whom had leapt at Suzuki as though to attack her. The toad cursed and produced a kunai out of nowhere and hurled it at them. It missed, nearly hitting Akeno in the head. Her familiar took offense to this and leapt at the toad, multiplying into ten separate beings in the process.

Issei sweat dropped as the room began to descend into chaos. "Mordred, whatever you do-"

"Relax," the blonde said offhandedly as she observed the chaos. "She's too big to fit in this room anyway."

The brown-haired boy sighed, ducking underneath Momo as the lemur flew by his head. "Well at least-"

"Ahahahahaha!"

Issei groaned as he turned to see Chachazero gleefully attacking anyone that got too close. He was about to intervene when the door opened.

He turned to see a somewhat familiar group of people standing in the doorway with a similar look of shock gracing each of their faces.

"Ah, Sona!" Rias exclaimed as she ducked underneath a thrown kunai.

"…Should I come back later?" a black-haired girl in glasses asked.

"No, no," the redhead shook her head, dismissing her familiar. One by one the rest of the club did the same until only one familiar remained.

"Aw, it's over already?" the doll groaned.

"Chachazero, how did you get here anyway?" Issei asked tiredly.

"I slipped into your bag this morning," she replied as Sona and her peerage cautiously entered the room. "You were too busy being held at knifepoint to notice."

"And why didn't you do anything to help?" the brown-haired boy demanded.

"Kicks," was her flippant reply.

"Was there something you needed, Sona?" Rias questioned, ignoring their banter.

"Well, I heard that you got new club members recently and I felt we should introduce ourselves," the glasses-wearing girl said. She turned to Issei in particular. "Rias has told me quite a bit about you, Hyoudou-san. I apologize for not having the chance to introduce myself until now." She gave a polite bow. "I am Sona Sitri of the House of Sitri and the student council president of this academy. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine, Sitri-san." Issei bowed in return. "And please, just call me Issei."

"Very well, Issei-san," she smiled slightly. "Then I ask that you call me Sona in return." She gestured towards the girl next to her. "This is Tsubaki, my «Queen»."

"It's nice to meet you." Tsubaki nodded politely.

"Momo and Reya, «Bishop»."

"Hello," a girl with long white hair smiled.

"Hey." Nodded a long-haired brunette.

"Tomoe and Tsubasa, «Knight» and «Rook» respectively."

"Hi," A short-haired brunette.

"Yo." A girl with short blue hair.

"And this is Ruruko and-"

"Saji Genshirou, I'm kaicho's «Pawn»," the sole male of the group spoke up, looking Issei straight in the eye. "And I took up four of them."

(Saji)

(Ruruko)

"…Congratulations?"

"How many did you take up?" he demanded.

"Genshirou!" Sona barked, causing him to flinch slightly. "Issei-san is a pure-blooded devil. Do not  embarrass me."

"Too late," Mordred chuckled from her lounging position beside Tamamo. A vein bulged on Saji's forehead and he turned to glare at her.

"Oh, and who are you?" he demanded while Tsubaki sighed in frustration.

"That's Mordred Pendragon, idiot," she said coldly. "Weren't you listening when kaicho briefed us?"

Saji flinched again under her glare before muttering an apology and returning to his original position behind his master.

"So you've been talking about us, eh, princess?" the blonde knight grunted. Rias merely smiled coyly.

"So, Sona, I doubt that this was the only reason you've come to see us; today of all days."

"Indeed," the president nodded. "As I'm sure you know, tomorrow night is the full moon. I intend to enter the forest and allow my servants a chance to claim a familiar."

"Well then, we are at an impasse," Rias said sweetly. "As I also intend to enter."

"How shall we settle this then?" Sona smirked slightly.

"I think I have an idea."

_______________________________________

"So this is where you wandered off to," Issei remarked as he came across Emi in the courtyard.

"The school seems to be in a frenzy," the redhead replied, eyes narrowed. "What have you done, Maou?"

The brown-haired boy let out an aggravated snort. "It's hardly my fault," Issei countered. He turned on his heel and began walking towards the tennis courts with Emi not far behind. "Rias is having a tennis match with the student body president. Incidentally, both happen to be extremely popular with the students here."

Issei raised an eyebrow at her. "Had you been there you wouldn't be out of the loop."

"We were busy familiarizing ourselves with the school," the redhead replied. "Suzuno and I believe it wise to know our surroundings should something occur."

"That 'something' being me?" he questioned in a bored tone. "How long has it been now? I'm not about to try anything, Emilia."

"Emi," she corrected him. "And one can never be too careful when it involves you, Maou."

"Do as you wish," Issei sighed. They rounded the corner, only to find the tennis courts devoid of any people.

"A tennis match, you say?" Emi eyed him suspiciously.

"Odd," the brown-haired boy muttered. "Where is everyone?"

"I don't have time for your games, Maou," the red-haired girl said, annoyance coloring her voice. "I need to go find Saber… and…"

Issei gave her a strange look and turned to see what had distracted her. The sight had him physically restraining himself from facepalming.

"Yes," Bow. "That was a fantastic match," Bow. "Sona-chan!" Bow. "It's a shame you couldn't finish it!" Bow.

"…Yes, thank you, Dean Honou." The black-haired girl said stiffly as the principal once more took a peak up her skirt.

"Emi," Issei said warningly. "Don't-"

"You!" the redhead roared. The old man froze at her voice and slowly turned to face them.

Their eyes locked. Emi's gaze furious; his gaze terrified.

"You-"

"NOOOoooOOO!" the dean shrieked before taking off across the schoolyard once again, Emi hot on his heels.

Issei sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose as Sona watched on in silent shock. "Sorry about that," he apologized.

"…No need," the black-haired girl replied after taking a moment to regain her composure. "I should thank you. He was being quite a hindrance. Rias asked me to wait here for you."

"Ah, that's right," Issei nodded. "The match. What happened?"

The president paused here, as though trying to find the correct words. "Something has come up. The match has been stalled indefinitely for the foreseeable future." She said at length. "She has requested your presence at the Occult Research Clubroom."

"That's all?" Issei questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," Sona nodded, though her eyes showed a deep concern that made him worry. "Please, go quickly."

"Alright, I will." And with that said, they parted ways. Issei moved swiftly in the direction of the old school building.

By the time he reached the clubroom, he was confused to see his own servants waiting outside. Tamamo had her hands linked with the fallen angels. Judging by the fact that he couldn't detect their auras, she must have been disguising their presence. He opened his mouth to question them, but the fox silenced him with a shake of her head and gestured towards the clubroom door, where voices could be heard arguing.

Rias' voice in particular stood out in its vehemence and Issei leaned in to listen.

"I will NOT marry you, Raiser!" she snarled.

"Oh, but you will," a male voice replied smoothly, his voice alone telling much of his personality. "You have little choice. Both of our families support our union."

"I'm afraid that Raiser-sama speaks the truth, Rias-sama," a third, female voice said calmly. "The wedding has already been arranged. Your grandmother is putting quite a bit of pressure on this."

"And what of my father?" Rias demanded. "Does he too wish to bind me to this... this pig?"

"Such a dirty mouth you have, Rias," the male voice. "I will enjoy correcting it."

Tamamo made a small noise of displeasure that caused Issei to glance at them. As a matter of fact, each of them had a frown etching their faces, some more than others.

"You see?" Rias sniffed; her disgust evident. "I refuse to marry a man like Raiser just because my grandmother wishes to extend her influence. If I marry, it will be to a man I love and who loves me in return."

"How amusing," the male voice chuckled vainly. "I'll tell you what, Rias. I'm willing to annul our marriage but you must first defeat me in an Rating Game. Unofficial, of course."

"…And if I lose?"

"Isn't it obvious?" the male asked. "You will marry me without objection."

There was a long pause here before Rias finally responded. "Very well then. I agree."

"Splendid," the male crowed. "I will even be kind enough to give you a week's preparation."

"Very well," the third person said. "If both parties agree, I will let the elders know of your decision. The Rating Game will take place in one week's time."

"Farewell, Rias," the male called out as the telltale light of a transportation circle bled through the doorframe. "Next time we meet shall be on the battlefield and then, the altar."

There was silence for a short while before Rias could be heard sighing. "You can come in now," she called out weakly.

Issei and his entourage entered without a word. Rias had collapsed at her desk, her exhaustion evident on her face.

"I'm sorry you had to witness that," the crimson-haired princess said sorrowfully. "Please believe me when I say I did not want you getting mixed up in this mess… but…" Her voice cracked a bit and in that moment, Issei remembered that despite all her intelligence and maturity, Rias was still just a girl. A girl with a dream of marrying the love of her life.

"Please," The redhead looked up at him, her eyes pleading. "Help me."

"Oh?" Issei questioned with a small smile. "And what exactly did you have in mind?"

"I want you to train us."
_______________________________________

A/N: By the way this is what Magic Circle issei group use look like.