Could be worse!

"...why do you keep scratching your arm like that?" Raynare asked Issei curiously as they rode together on the bus.

"Haven't you worn magical disguises before?" he asked her quietly, grimacing as, indeed, he scratching his left arm with his right hand a little. He was trying to refrain from it as much as he could stand though. "It just doesn't feel right like this anymore."

"...huh, makes sense. I've gotten used to such things, so I forgot how annoying it was when I first adopted them. Of course, stronger seals don't have the same issue, they help outright suppress the true nature of the part temporarily, which makes the disguise more bearable... Though it comes at the cost of not being able to change back quickly and easily for the most part."

"Yeah, the other spell we had to address this would have basically locked my arm like this for days at a time, but you make it sound like it would be more tolerable," Issei noted.

Raynare shrugged. "Like I said, you just have to get used to it until you barely notice it anymore. It takes a couple weeks of time just having the disguise on as often as possible, but it's doable," Raynare remarked. She bit back the temptation to add, "Speaking of a couple of weeks..." Azazel had told her not to bring that up for now. Last thing they needed was the Peerage being even more careful with their secret than they already were if they found out she knew that much.

They got off the bus as Issei told her quietly, "Yeah, that tracks with what Akeno said... Where are we headed, anyway?"

"A nice, fancy spot. Not one of the cheap places you used to take "Yuma" either. I'm dining on filet mignon on your dime tonight!" she smirked.

"...I totally should have put a limit on the price of the promised dinner," Issei sighed good naturedly. "That's my bad..."

"Your loss," Raynare smirked, finding the restaurant she wanted, and walking with him into it. Thankfully, the place wasn't TOO fancy, so no reservation was needed. It WAS however as expensive as Issei was afraid of. Ah well, a deal was a deal.

After they made their orders, Issei asked her, "So... Did you report directly to Azazel?"

She snorted. "Of course I did. He's very interested in just what fell into your laps. And of course, he's worried it might change the balance of power. And it's only a matter of time before the Angels also take notice. So yes, he's personally handling this and taking my reports."

"Bet that makes you feel pretty important right now," Issei smirked as the waiter brought them lemonades. "...huh, I just realized something," he noted.

"What?" Raynare asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You like lemonade still. You drank it on all our dates as Yuma," Issei chuckled. "Nice to see that much about you was true at least."

"... you're still trying to figure me out? Why are you even bothering?" Raynare snorted, and Issei shrugged.

"Well, the fact remains, I'm still very much interested in growing the harem," Issei replied. "I'm just trying to see if you're actually worth pursuing at this rate. You still did intend to kill Asia for her power without remorse, so regard for human life is something you would have to work on, if you're even capable of that, before I particularly tried."

Raynare snorted and rolled her eyes. "You think I'd be interested in joining the harem of a, to borrow Freed's expression, shitty Devil?" she asked, though trying to hide a flush.

"You'd be surprised at how enticing it can be," Issei smirked.

"I'd sooner join one of the thousand harems of Azazel," Raynare snorted, and then outright laughed as Issei did a spit take.

"...Azazel has a thousand harems!?" he demanded as Raynare cackled at his reaction, and his attempts to work through the sheer logistics of such a thing.