The Protagonist System

04 Expectations

I sat there for ten minutes and silently cuddled Koneko before Rias let out a sigh and looked at Kiba. With a nod, the blonde Prince of Kuoh went to her desk and picked up several sheets of paper. He came back over to her couch and handed them to her.

“Akeno, here are your regular assignments for today.” Rias said and gave her one of the sheets.

Akeno took it after giving me a pointed look. “This isn't too bad. I should be done quickly.”

“Thank you, my friend.” Rias said and I could clearly see that she was staging the scene. “Kiba, these are yours.”

Kiba smiled warmly at her and accepted the list.

“Koneko, if you could do these today, I would appreciate it.” Rias said and held out the third sheet.

Koneko gave me a look, as if I wasn't going to let her go and she was unsure if she wanted me to let her go.

“I know you have a job to do, Koneko. I won't interfere in your life or make you do anything you don't want to do.” I said and gave her another light peck on the lips. “Please be careful. God knows there are people out there that will take advantage of such a pretty girl if given a chance.”

Koneko, Akeno, Kiba, and Rias all winced in pain when I said the word God.

“Oh, I'm sorry!” I gasped as well as I could to cover up my intentional use of a holy word and hugged Koneko to rub the cheek of my face on hers, like a cat would. “I guess mentioning the Big G directly is annoying?”

“Hurts.” Koneko said and gave me a pointed look. “Not you?”

“Apparently not.” I said and leaned back on the couch as I let her go. Thank you, system altered mind.

Koneko gave me another pointed look and stood, walked over to Rias, and accepted her list. She read it over and nodded, gave me a third pointed look as if to pin me in place, and went over to the corner of the room and used a teleportation circle to go to the first client on her list.

“I think you are one of those people trying to take advantage of a pretty girl.” Akeno said with an even voice, probably because her anger seemed to have cooled over the last few minutes.

“Of course I am.” I said and the surprise was back on their faces. “That girl is practically starved for someone to love and care for her unconditionally. If I can give her even a few minutes of peace and quiet to just cuddle and feel needed, then I'm going to do everything I can to make her content.”

“Not happy?” Rias asked.

“That's months or years away.” I shook my head. “Feeling contentment is only the second step.”

“What was the first?” Rias asked.

“Acceptance.” I said and didn't clarify anything. I didn't tell them that both Koneko and I had to accept the situation and by her stopping me from leaving, despite the clear divide between myself and everyone else, she fully accepted that she was the only thing keeping me here. It subconsciously gave her a lot of power over the rest of the group and the others would soon realize that.

Rias held one more sheet. “Iss...” She barely stopped herself before she completed saying my first name. “Hyoudou, this is your limited client list. It is your first time, after all.”

I thought about refusing until she made it an order.

Rias must have seen it on my face, because she sighed loudly. “You would have been given the same client no matter when you were informed about everything.”

I stood and held a hand out for the paper. She handed it to me and on it was only a single line. A person's name with an address and nothing else. I looked at her face and raised my eyebrows at her.

“A Devil's first client is usually the most important one.” Kiba said.

I ignored him and kept looking at Rias. “This is a regular client?” I asked and she nodded. “They keep contacting you for wishes?” I asked and she nodded again. “That means that none of you, including the King, have ever completed a contract with this person and now you're tossing it at the new kid that doesn't know any goddamn magic.”

All three of them winced in pain.

I stood there and stared at Rias for thirty seconds. “Well? What are you waiting for? Are you going to teach me teleportation magic or are you going to make me FUCKING WALK across half of the city to get to this address and probably get attacked and killed again by Fallen Angels or stray exorcists?”

Rias looked horrified for a moment before she dropped her head into her hands and tears rolled off of her face and onto her lap.

“You are a horrible person, Issei Hyoudou.” Kiba said as a sword grew out of the floor beside his hand and he picked it up in a fluid motion to point it at me.

“Like you didn't know that before I was recruited by your King!” I accused and his sword faltered. “I was a member of the Perverted Trio until this morning, so don't deny it. The whole school knows.”

“I told her recruiting you would be a mistake!” Akeno said.

I didn't say anything and pointed to my still damaged shoulder with part of my coat and shirt burned away. Her face showed anger and she started to stand again.

“S-stop. STOP IT!” Rias yelled and we all did. “I order you all to be nice to each other from now on. I don't care what happened or how we got to this point anymore.” She sat up and wiped at her eyes. “You will act civilly or you will answer to me.”

Akeno looked shocked at the order, because I was sure she felt as strong of a pinch in her chest as I did that we were so strongly ordered to obey.

“Akeno, I want you to go to the school uniform store and get a new shirt and jacket for Hyoudou. You damaged it and you will replace it.”

“My shoulder...” I started to say.

“Take off your jacket and shirt. I will handle healing you.” Rias ordered.

I frowned at her making it an order and I didn't bother unbuttoning anything. I pulled the jacket off and threw it on the floor and then I gripped two handfuls of my shirt and tore it into shreds to throw onto the floor.

All three of them stood there, completely shocked, and stared at my rippling muscles and perfectly sculpted figure. The only thing marring my perfection was the inch deep hole in the shoulder muscle and the surrounding burns. Akeno shook herself at seeing the open wound and quickly left to get my replacement clothes.

“Get on with it.” I said and watched as Rias licked her lips and walked over to me. “Don't you dare take any liberties, King. Only Koneko has my permission to touch me familiarly.”

That stopped Rias in her tracks. “Iss...” She stopped and sighed. “Hyoudou, I have to hug and cuddle you. It's how I heal others.”

“Do all Devils do it that way?” I asked.

Rias clamped her mouth shut and didn't answer.

“I'll take that as a no.” I said and held a hand up to stop her from coming closer. “I thought you said Devil magic was imagination based? Why are you cuddling to heal? Can't you cast a spell to do the same thing?”

Rias sighed and stepped back. “I never learned how to do it like that.”

I looked at Kiba and at Rias as I waited for them to say something. Akeno came back in and tossed the shirt and jacket onto the couch I had been sitting on. I waited another minute and they still didn't say anything.

“You're not going to mention it?” I asked and they looked confused. “Not only did you abandon me in my bed after making me a Devil, you shared my bed to heal me and used me as a cuddle pillow without my knowledge or permission.”

Rias' face went blank at the implications. “I order you to accept my healing.”

“I wasn't refusing your healing. I objected to the completely unnecessary method of application.” I said and was surprised I didn't feel that pinch in my chest from her order.

Rias looked surprised as well. “I can apply healing however I want.”

“No, King. You will not take advantage of me again for your own petty desires.” I said and squinted my eyes at her. “You were already naked in bed with me. Are you going to order me to become your sex toy next?”

“N-n-no, I... I w-would n-n-never...” Rias stammered and took another step back.

“You have already crossed several lines you swore you never would with your family members.” I pointed out and she started crying again. “Akeno can no longer express her displeasure at me being a waste of your time and I cannot retaliate for her harming me so grievously.”

Rias shook her head several times and took several more steps away from me. She wiped at her face and wouldn't look at any of us.

Akeno walked over to the teleportation circle and did something to it, and waited. Barely a minute later, a silver-grey haired and quite tall maid appeared in a flash of light. The annoyed look on her beautiful face didn't really bode well for anyone, especially me.

“Lady Grayfia, Rias is in distress because of him and needs your help.” Akeno said and pointed at me.

“King is in distress over the truth and how wrong she handled everything.” I responded to the accusation.

The maid stepped out of the circle and a very strong oppressive power filled the room. Rias, Akeno, and Kiba all froze at the anger they could feel through the power.

I just quirked an eyebrow at her. “Is whatever you're doing supposed to mean something?”

The surprised looks on everyone's faces was worth being flippant to the powerful Devil woman that could squash me like a bug.

“Do you know a healing spell?” I asked before she could attack and moved my shoulder closer to her so she could see the damage. “Akeno attacked me in the middle of a heated discussion about proper procedure when handling a newly reincarnated devil, namely myself.”

Grayfia's surprise face faded back to a blank one. “I will deal with family before dealing with you.”

Those words made me smile. “I didn't need more proof that I'm not really considered family as a part of King's Peerage; but, thank you anyway.”

A loud sob came from the side of the room where Rias had huddled in on herself.

Grayfia saw the state she was in and raised a hand to strike me.

“Go ahead and beat me like a dog, whoever you are. Give King even more proof she screwed up with how she is handling things.” I said, completely in defiance of the woman's authority.

“S-stop! STOP! STOP IT! STOP IIIIIT!” Rias yelled and cried and cried.

Grayfia sighed and lowered her hand as she glared at me. “We will be having words.”

“No, we won't. You are not my mother and you have no authority over me.” I said, still pretending I didn't know who she was.

“You need to show the wife of Satan Lucifer the proper respect.” Kiba said, his voice calm and his face filled with anger.

“Respect needs to be earned, my coerced friend. It cannot be given, shared, or stolen.”

“She fought in the Great War and is almost as strong as the Four Satans.” Kiba told me.

“Is that supposed to mean anything to me? I'm a newly reincarnated Devil with no experience with the supernatural.” I said, just to tweak him.

Grayfia ignored us and walked over to Rias and knelt beside her. Rias lunged and hugged her tightly, then she started telling her everything. It was highly biased, as it always was when told from a different perspective, and I stood there without saying anything to refute her version.

“You two need to get to work.” I said in a friendly voice to Akeno and Kiba. “Have fun.”

“You have work to do, too.” Akeno said, sweetly.

“I can't do it until I can get there and back without dying.” I said. “See you when you get back.”

“You think you will still be allowed here after everything you've done?” Kiba asked as he and Akeno went to the teleportation circle.

“You said it yourself, I'm automatically a member of the club. I have no choice in the matter.” I said and grinned. “On the plus side, neither do you.”

The teleportation circle lit up and they disappeared in a flash.

I decided to sit down again to wait. I also couldn't dress until my damaged shoulder was healed. Then again, assuming I was allowed to leave, I could probably heal on my own overnight. I looked at the name and address on the paper and knew who it was they were sending me to. It was their joke client and they were foisting him off onto me.

Mil-Tan was a twenty-something year old very muscular man that could put the current Muscle Magazine's Mister Universe to shame. He also had the only wish that Rias and her Peerage couldn't grant. He wanted to become a sexy magical girl for real.

I suddenly had a startling thought, even though I hadn't seen a lick of a game system or notice boxes since I woke up. Show Karma Points.

Current Karma Points: -360

Well, fuck. I thought. I knew I was playing a dangerous game with what I was doing with Rias. I just didn't realize how much damage I was doing by teaching her a lesson about her behavior. I couldn't do anything to mitigate it at the moment, not with her draped all over one of the strongest Devils in the Underworld.

Grayfia talked with her for over twenty minutes before she made the mostly recovered girl stand up, cleaned her up with several spells, straightened out her school uniform, and carefully led her across the room to sit her on the couch across from me.

Rias looked almost lost as she sat there with her head hung down.

“As for you.” Grayfia said to me as she stepped around the coffee table to glare down at me.

“Are you going to heal me, berate me for speaking the truth, or listen to what actually happened?” I asked her. “I leave the choice for you to decide on what to do first.”

“How dare you dictate terms to me.” Grayfia said and her squinted eyes were the only clue that she was angry.

“You were summoned to deal with the situation. Are you refusing to complete the verbal contract?” I asked her.

Rias sucked in a sharp breath and Grayfia's eyes lost the anger.

“Well? Are you giving up your Devil powers to me or are you going to finish the job?” I asked.

Grayfia softly sighed as she stepped around me and knelt on the couch to place her hands on my shoulder. They started to glow as a ritual circle formed over my wound. “Tell me what happened.”

I turned my head to face her and to look into her eyes as I explained what happened, word for word, without embellishment. I told her everything as quickly as possible, added details when she asked for them, and finished up with the confrontation with Rias and her peerage.

My final words stated that I was trying to teach her a lesson about her childish and irresponsible behavior.

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