Nope, and they have a serious conversation!

"...okay, sure," Issei nodded, and looked to Rias.

"...you better not just be about to give him the "Shotgun talk," as I believe humans often call it," Rias told her brother, and he laughed her words off.

"Of course I'm not just asking to speak with Issei about that!" Sirzechs chuckled. "I had something else in mind!"

Rias gave him a hard stare, before walking out with Grayfia. Riser walked out himself, looking rather deflated. Issei then turned to Sirzechs. "So... What's this about, Sir... Zechs?" he then asked, chuckling a bit at his own dumb pun.

Sirzechs smirked. "Like I haven't heard THAT one before... But onto more serious business. I owe you an apology," he stated, a bit more seriously.

Issei blinked. Of all the things he had expected Sirzechs to want to say to him, that had certainly not been one of them. "...for?" Issei asked, squinting in confusion as he tilted his head.

"Well, to be honest, I've been trying to get Rias out of her engagement to Riser for some time. It was not my decision to arrange it in the first place, but you know... Politics," Sirzechs replied, grimacing and looking away while rubbing the back of his head. "I was looking for a way to do it that wouldn't result in us getting into massive political trouble. I was even ready to arrange that Rating Game as my own Hail Mary. But then the Lamp came into the picture," Sirzechs continued.

"And... How did that change things?" Issei asked slowly.

"Is it not obvious? Suddenly, whoever possessed the Lamp would have a great deal of power over her, with her incapable of even WANTING to rebel," Sirzechs snorted. "And I knew next to nothing about you, and what little I did know... Didn't exactly paint a pretty picture. I actually leaned towards Riser getting the Lamp upon learning about it. It still wasn't ideal in my mind, but, well... Riser was quite literally the Devil I knew."

"...I see... So when you had us watched while we trained, it wasn't just a test for how much ingenuity I could use the Lamp's powers with, but it was also about making sure I wasn't abusing Rias," Issei realized.

"Exactly," Sirzechs nodded. "And I'm glad it turned out that I worried about nothing. Oh, you're definitely still a pervert, and a slacker when it comes to grades, the things that worried me in the first place," he laughed, making Issei pout. "But you also proved yourself quite clever, and very driven when properly motivated, not to mention loyal as hell to those you care about. Once I confirmed you're the kind of person I don't mind my sister being with all that much, the Lamp then actually made things much easier. I would have had to hope Rias could pull off a victory against Riser if I wanted justification to call off the engagement, without that particular element. A deal would have been a deal after all, an agreement that the matter would be settled via the Rating Game would have been sufficient cause. And if she failed, I would have had to come up with something else on the spot.

"But with the Lamp in the picture, I could use that. I could turn it into a matter of whether it benefitted Devilkind more in your hands. Because the Lamp's utility was far more significant to the future of Devilkind than any political marriage could have been. Even had you lost the Rating Game, I could still justify allowing you to keep Rias and the Lamp, provided you showed a sufficient performance against an opponent clearly projected to win. And the creativity to utilize it in ways most wouldn't think of. So let the other three Satans, and the nobles bitch and moan about it. They won't have the grounds to challenge my decision on this matter," Sirzechs finished with a satisfied smirk.

"...I see," Issei replied, in slight awe as he realized the scope of the game of chess Sirzechs had been playing. Once he had found out about the Lamp, he had taken the information in stride, and began to plan out how best to use the information to his, and Rias's advantage. He had worded the terms of the agreement he had set in a manner that would give him wiggle room later to determine where the chips fell, then acted to figure out where he most wanted said chips to fall. He wasn't just a powerful Devil, but an impressive politician as well, who could come up with perfectly legal ways to get his way, regardless of who he pissed off. And Issei was extremely glad that his way and Sirzech's ended up aligning.

"But still, I did doubt you initially, and even when I stopped doubting your character, I did, in a sense, use you," Sirzechs concluded. "And for that, I offer my apologies."