Atsuko DxD Adventures 27

Full Title: Why the Heck was I Reincarnated in DxD without a Cheat Power!?

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"So as I was saying." Rias said in a regal tone and pose in her chair. Her eyes were closed to maintain her elegant demeanor.

Definitely not because of Atsuko's amused expression at her pouting. Which was naturally wrong, since she wasn't pouting. She was just recentering herself to focus.

Atsuko had pulled one of the chairs in the room to sit next to Rias for this conversation. She had a wide grin all the while, but dropped it once Rias started talking, adopting a more attentive expression.

"Atsuko, I wanted your opinion on something." Rias said in a more calm tone.

"Shoot." Atsuko said back.

"I'm thinking of inviting someone into the Peerage, who would have support skills to round out our abilities. Someone you know." Rias said, focusing on Atsuko's reaction. "And I want to know your opinion on it."

Atsuko looked up to the side, running through the list of people she knew.

"Not Irina." Atsuko confidently said. "Asia?" She raised an eyebrow at her King.

As usual, Rias was impressed and reminded that for all her antics, Atsuko was quick to catch on to things.

"Asia Argento has been ex-communicated from the Church. I'm actually surprised that someone as pious and devoted to the Church as Irina, is so friendly and concerned for Asia." Rias explained. "At the moment she can live in your home without trouble, but Irina can't look after Asia indefinitely, and Asia can't be on her own without a faction to support her and act in her defense.

"So I wanted to ask for your take on it. As long as she lives in your home, I of course will consider her under my protection, but you'd have to continue looking after her as you are. However I think she would have more freedom to move around in my Peerage, without needing to look over her shoulders, or have you, Issei, Irina or your parents constantly around her to chaperone her."

Atsuko took the time to listen to Rias in full, nodding at her words, before then firmly replying.

"That's recruitment won't work at all." Atsuko said plainly. Rias blinked in surprise, and waited for her Bishop to continue explaining. "Asia despite her circumstances genuinely loves praying." She then pointed up. "And genuinely loves God." As they both expected it and were getting used to saying His name, the headache that hit them wasn't as bad as usual, but more like small sharp poke to their heads, that ended right away. "So for Asia, there is no reason or upside to being a Devil. More freedom wouldn't be seen as a plus, if it will cost her being unable to pray or read the Bible without feeling pain."

"Really?" Rias asked, surprised and intrigued a bit. "Even with all the Church did to her, she's still loyal to them?"

"Not the Church." Atsuko shook her head. "She's loves Heaven and God and is loyal to them. The Church being stupid enough to throw her away is their problem. Ultimately Asia has everything she could ever want. Friends, family and a home. She sees these things are a reward from God for her hardships, and thus wouldn't give up being Human when being a Devil doesn't really offer, or represent anything better."

"I see," Rias looked down. "What about Mil-tan? I think maybe--" She said in a slight hurried tone.

"Rias," Atsuko placed a hand on Rias's knee, surprisingly not in a lewd manner, but in a comforting way. "It's going to be okay, we're going to win."

Rias let out a sigh, as she hunched down in her chair.

"Right, of course we are. Sorry, Atsuko for putting you on the spot like that. I didn't mean to imply or put pressure on you, that we have to... need to recruit Asia. It's just--" Rias tried to explain herself.

"No, no." Atsuko giggled, making Rias look up. "I'm not trying to cheer you up, Rias. Okay, well, yes I am, but I'm not saying we're going to win as some platitude." Atsuko shook her head, before giving Rias one of her infamous madden grins. "I mean, our victory is now inevitable. Well as long as we don't do something stupid or get lazy."

"You... You really mean that? You're serious?" Rias asked in surprise and curiosity at the assuredness in her Bishop's voice.

Even though Atsuko said she wasn't trying to cheer Rias up, the firm convection in her voice couldn't help but remove all of Rias' doubts.

"Yep! We got exactly the amount of time we need. We have our sparring partners so each of us can focus on our own training as well, so you and Akeno don't have to dedicate time into training me or Issei, and cut into your own training time." Atsuko explained.

"I see..." Rias fondly smiled. "You really have been anticipating this, so you planned ahead." She chuckled. "Let me guess, you already have some training schedule written up for everyone in the Peerage, didn't you?"

"Yep!" Atsuko said cheerfully.

"Very well, tell me all about it." Rias smiled and nodded. "Also stop sneaking your hand up my legs."

"Tsk," Atsuko pouted. Her hand that made it as far as her King's thighs. She gave it one last squeeze then removed her hand.

"Don't look so sad." Rias shook her head in amusement. "Who knows, maybe I'll let you sleep on them as a reward for winning the Rating Game." She teased.

"One hour of unrestrained cunnilingus." Atsuko immediately counter offered with her most serious face.

"Pfft, what?" Rias laughed, before a more serious sultry look came to her. "Lap pillow for ten minutes."

"Thirty minutes petting under the waist but not direct touch to private areas."

"Lap pillow until you fall asleep." Rias smirked at this amusing negotiation continued, even slowly and theatrically crossing her legs, getting Atsuko to zoom in and follow her legs' movement like a squirrel after a peanut.

"Squeeze my head with your thighs till I faint." Atsuko said firmly.

Rias laughed out loud. Her cute Bishop looked so serious that she couldn't help but laugh, feeling all her anxiety and worry dissipate.

"Alright, fine. Deal." Rias cheekily grinned.

"Wait, seriously!?" Atsuko snapped her head up, taking her eyes off Rias' legs to look at her. She couldn't believe her King went with that.

"Yep, seriously." The amused Gremory nodded. "So what've got for me?"

THUD!

A very large and filled up binder appeared on top of Rias' desk and fell down with a slam, startling her. It came from Atsuko's storage space.

Storage Space was a common devil spell for carrying things around by making an imaginary space anchored to one's self and placing items in it. The spell doesn't take much energy to maintain, when it is empty. Having it set up takes too little energy, that a devil's natural Demonic Power regeneration overcomes the drain.

The limitations however were the constant feeling of the combined weight of the stored items, and the more items one stores, the more the Demonic Energy drain.

"...When did you write all this?" Rias said, as she slowly lifted the cover, like it was some ancient tome.

The binder was titled 'GERMORY PEERAGE POWER-UP GOALS!'.

"I started the day you told me you had a fiancé." Atsuko said with a nod.

"That's... more than three weeks ago!" Rias said with astonishment.

She smiled. A warmth spread in her chest at  thought of Atsuko worrying about her that much. For all her antics and overreactions, the Hyoudou girl cared about Rias.

"Yep!" Atsuko nodded with a proud smile. "Although half way through, I realized there's no way for everyone to learn everything here, so I made a list at the end of what to focus on for guaranteed victory."

With a wide excited smile, Rias flipped through the binder.

It even has a Table of Contents. Rias giggled, before blinking at the listings.

"Wait, why am I last?" Rias pouted at Atsuko.

"Save the best for last." Atsuko shrugged. "Besides the info on the Final Boss should always be for last."

"Oi! Why am I suddenly a Final Boss?" Rias pouted even more, with a playful tone.

"We're Devils."

"That's stereotyping."

"Not if you willingly do it with flair." Atsuko then stood up, raise a hand and stood on one leg like a ballerina.

Rias laughed at her Bishop's antics, as Atsuko took her seat again.

As she looked through the binder, Rias had a teasing smirk.

"Uh huh, I'm last because I'm the King, and Issei is first because he's a Pawn. Totally not any favoritism." Rias said.

The Gremory King noted the order of training for her Peerage within the binder were: Issei, Koneko, Kiba, Akeno, and then ending with Rias.

Rias wondered if Kiba being in the middle was because Atsuko didn't think about him, or she did not favor him as everyone else.

"Oh no, It's definitely that. I am very biased."

Rias found herself laughing out loud again.

That was the scene Akeno found Rias and Atsuko in, reading out from a binder, joking and laughing before Atsuko had to leave to spend the night with her family and friends before the training trip the next day.