Rias froze for a moment. Then, thinking back to Ryuji's earlier reaction upon hearing her name, she suddenly understood everything.
"Ah... I see. My apologies, that was my mistake for not explaining it clearly."
She took a deep breath and looked seriously at him.
"What I meant was — after turning you into a devil, I would immediately form a contract with you. That way, you'd be a completely free devil, with no restrictions from me whatsoever. Since you know my name — Rias Gremory — you should also know that the Gremory family never cuts corners when it comes to this sort of thing. And if you're still worried, I'm even willing to sign a formal contract with you."
Rias genuinely meant what she said.
In this world — a world so harsh that even she, a high-ranking devil, was struggling to survive — turning a pure human like Ryuji into a devil actually felt like the most reasonable choice. At least as a devil, he wouldn't have to worry about things like lifespan or fragile safety. As long as he didn't act recklessly like she did, there shouldn't be any problems.
But—
"I just don't want to become a devil, that's all," Ryuji shook his head calmly. "No offense, but no matter how famous the name Gremory is... here and now, that has nothing to do with either of us, does it?"
His tone was firm, but not hostile.
It wasn't that he distrusted Rias or suspected she'd treat him badly after turning him into a devil. On the contrary, he could tell Rias was genuinely kind — especially for a devil. She might act a little airheaded sometimes, but in terms of personality, she was probably one of the more soft-hearted devils out there.
And if he did become her servant, knowing the original story, he wouldn't have to worry about his personal safety. Rias was fiercely protective of her own, and once she acknowledged someone as family, she would go all-out to protect them.
After all, in the world of High School DxD, devils valued contracts above all else. Breaking a contract was almost unheard of — especially for high-ranking devils like Rias.
But still—
First of all, he was just an ordinary person. There was nothing about him worth Rias cherishing.
Second, he wasn't particularly interested in Rias herself. Even when watching the anime, he had always preferred Grayfia or Akeno.
And third — being a devil was... honestly, pretty inconvenient.
Sure, being human might seem ordinary, even weak. But at the very least, in most worlds, among most races, being human wouldn't immediately label you as some kind of public enemy.
But devils? Yeah, no such luck.
There were hardly any worlds out there where devils weren't treated like monsters to be hunted down on sight.
Right now, he didn't have the ability to travel between worlds yet. But later on? If he could just find one — hell, even half-willing — girl to sleep with, that would be all he needed to gain that ability.
And when that time came... a devil's identity would only hold him back.
"I see," Rias said softly, looking at Ryuji as if she'd finally understood. She realized he was just like some of her former servants — unwilling to give up their humanity so easily.
And that was fine. She wasn't about to force him. After all, devil pieces were limited in number. They weren't something to hand out lightly.
But even so, to her, the debt she owed him for saving her life still needed to be repaid.
"In that case... Mr. Ryuji, what kind of reward would you like from me?"
Ryuji snorted.
"Just follow orders properly. Do your part so we can all survive together. In a disgusting world like this, as long as you don't screw up over and over again and drag everyone down with you, I won't have a problem with you."
Honestly, what reward? What was she going to offer — her body? Like hell he'd believe she'd go that far. As for her magic or whatever? He was just a regular Earthling — that stuff probably wouldn't even work on him.
And claiming property or territory in a world like this? Yeah, good luck with that. Trying to hoard personal assets in a scenario where cooperation meant survival was just begging to die early. Only idiots thought that way.
Most importantly — he hadn't forgotten one very crucial fact.
Right now, in terms of combat ability... he was the weakest one here.
So what else could he even ask for? The only thing worth demanding was for her to listen and not make things worse.
"...I understand," Rias replied, catching the resignation in his tone. And after recalling everything he had said about the state of this world, she realized why he hadn't tried to ask her for anything tangible.
"I'll repay you somehow" she promised earnestly.
"Me too, Mr. Ryuji."
Off to the side, Lux also bit her lip lightly and echoed Rias' words.
But Ryuji couldn't care less.
"Alright, enough of that sentimental crap. Save your energy for figuring out how to get out of here."
Taking a deep breath, he pointed upward at the blocks of earth sealing them in.
"Right now, we're all stuck in the same boat. So if you've got any ideas — now's the time to use them."
What he cared about right now wasn't pointless promises or emotional debts — it was surviving. Clearing out these zombie monster birds was priority number one. Anything else could wait.
"I see..."
Rias gave a small nod, finally starting to understand the kind of person Ryuji was. But then, after a brief pause, she looked at him seriously and asked:
"In that case... it's okay for me to borrow your power, right?"
Ryuji shrugged.
"Nah, go ahead. As long as it doesn't hurt me or mess with my health, I'm fine with it. Honestly though, between the two of us... you're obviously the stronger one here."
Rias smiled faintly at his blunt words — words filled with annoyance and indifference — and she completely understood why he felt that way.
Without another word, she stepped closer, gently taking his hand and guiding it straight onto her chest.
"Then... I understand. Feel free to touch my body as much as you want. That's the price for borrowing your power. I'm sure... you'll enjoy this, won't you?"
Soft. Incredibly soft, yet resilient to the touch.
Instantly, a sensation Ryuji had never experienced before traveled through his palm. Even Tsunade, for all her impressive figure, still had that natural softness and — to some extent — the inevitable effects of gravity.
But this...
This was different.
It was standing firm.
He blinked in shock, completely caught off guard by the unreal sensation. And before he could even react, a sweet fragrance drifted into his senses — Rias' flushed face was already inches from his own.
Then — her soft, crimson lips pressed directly against his.
An inexperienced, clumsy little tongue slipped into his mouth, delivering a sweet nectar-like taste that instantly flooded his senses. Almost on instinct, Ryuji swallowed — and before he knew it, his own tongue entwined with hers, greedily drawing in her sweetness, craving more.
At the same time, a strange heat began to rise in his body. His hand, still grasping her ample chest, involuntarily tightened its grip.
"Mm... ah..."
Rias let out a small cry of pain — but she didn't pull away. Instead, she let him do as he pleased, allowing him to knead and squeeze her generous curves without resistance.
Off to the side, Lux was completely stunned. She could only stand there, frozen, as the scene played out before her eyes. But then — that same sweet, alluring scent reached her nose as well.
It was Rias' natural body fragrance — subtle yet overwhelmingly intoxicating. Lux felt her body growing hotter, an unfamiliar heat pooling within her, and without realizing it, her thighs pressed tightly together in response.
Meanwhile, Ryuji began to notice something strange.
It felt like something was slowly being drawn out from deep within him — his stamina, his energy. He could feel his strength draining away, leaving his body weaker by the second. And yet... it didn't feel bad at all. Quite the opposite — it felt blissful, euphoric, like sinking into a dream he never wanted to wake from.
But just as he was about to lose himself completely in that pleasure — the feeling abruptly vanished.
Rias gently pulled her tongue away, breaking the kiss. She wiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, her face still flushed, though she forced herself to sound calm and composed.
"That's enough, Mr. Ryuji. I've gathered all the energy I need. If I kept going any longer... your body might've been harmed."
~~~~~~~~~~
Bonus chapter target: 300 PS.