Special Guest

Taking your mind off the recent drama seems like a great idea, and what better way to do it than a date with Rias and Asia? Though taking two women out at the same time is daunting, it can't be any worse than Sundar randomly revealing that you have an evil doppelganger now. You make a small itinerary of ideas for things to do and put on your Sunday best in preparation. After sending some messages back and forth with Rias, you settle on a time and place to make some merriment together. Away from prying eyes you summon the Sledgehammer and negligently tear another hole in the universe. The two girls are ready and raring to go.

Rias is going casual mode with a pair of extremely tight, black jean shorts that show off her legs and a white tank top that can do nothing to hide her large chest. The burgeoning sports bra underneath is weeping under the strain of her bouncing boobage. A matching black baseball cap and aviator sunglasses conceal her identity from curious onlookers. Asia has taken the date concept more literally, with a lime green sundress and reaches below her knees. The only part of her body that's really exposed is her arms. She holds a small purse in her left hand to keep her valuables in. She looks beautiful, though it's becoming something of a cliché to tell yourself that when all of the women you've summoned are completely breathtaking.

Rias giggles and starts the teasing early, "See, he can't keep his eyes off of us."

You laugh it off and move in closer, "You both look fantastic. I never expected you to have such a sporty wardrobe, Rias."

"I asked for some pointers from a classmate," she reveals, "I'm rather… out of touch with modern street fashion." That unnamed classmate has your eternal thanks. This combo of hiked jeans and tight top showcase all of her best curves in excruciatingly sexy detail. Her skin is already glistening slightly from the heat beating down on you from above.

Asia is flattered and tries to hide between her hands. Rias isn't having any of that shy business today, she pulls her arm back down and drags her over to you. "Come along Asia. Today it's our job to make him feel like the luckiest man on Earth."

You sigh, "I already am. You don't need to do anything special for me."

Your pleas fall on deaf ears as both girls take their place on each side of you. You decided to go with something simple for Asia's first day out, and selected a local restaurant positioned on the bank of one of the city's rivers. This tourist trap boardwalk has become a very popular destination as of late – with dozens of eating and drinking establishments opening in rows down either side.

The jealous glares are back again. Rias looks like a supermodel on holiday and Asia is too damn cute for people to not stare. You grab a table outside so you can enjoy the weather. The tall buildings provide some cover from the sun's gaze. A tray of drinks is soon delivered and you all settle in for an afternoon meal together.

"What do you think about all of this summoning stuff?" you ask. Asia hasn't really aired her feelings on things to you just yet.

"It is rather strange," Asia muses, "Even stranger than becoming a devil."

"Isn't that normal where you come from? We don't have devils or angels here."

Rias is contemplative, "There are a great many things that even the most powerful devils are unaware of. While many of them believe themselves to be the apex predators, the truth is much more terrifying. In comparison to the infinite expanse of the multiverse we may be nothing more than prey for greater beings still."

"I don't think anything that terrifying can survive on this planet," you say wishfully. Everyone you've summoned thus far has been human in form. A small part of you fears what may happen if you summon someone or something you cannot control. The conversation turns away from doom and gloom and onto more mundane subjects, like the kind of things that a devil has to handle.

After you've eaten your meal though, Rias decides to heat things up a little with some probing questions to Asia.

"So, Asia. I'm considering your application to join the harem…"

"A-Application?"

Rias adjusts her glasses like a stern accountant, "I'd like to ask you a few more questions before I approve it. For starters, how many children are you planning on having with my husband?"

Asia is caught completely flat-footed by this playful change of tack from Rias. Her face is bright red and her hands are flailing in every direction as she scrambles to come up with a good answer. "Uh, I don't know. Hm. How about… three. I think three is a good number!" She clearly just came up with it now on the spot. You don't imagine that Asia has given any consideration to having children with a man she barely knows.

Rias nods and continues the charade, "Three? How do you work with others? Would you be okay with sharing hubby with hundreds of other women?"

"Uh. I think so…"

"And where do you see yourself in the harem structure?"

"S-Structure?"

"What are you talking about?" you add with a matching sense of confusion.

Rias can't hold it in any more and starts to giggle at you both; "Apologies. I shouldn't start talking about devil business without informing you of how it works. While devils will greedily lay claim to as many spouses as they can, that also comes with a great level of responsibility. The head wife, who is the highest ranking woman, is usually in charge of maintaining good order in the household. Her children also inherit the leadership of the house."

"Oh, Venelana mentioned something like that," you recall.

"Some of those houses decide to build a 'structure' out of the harem. The higher-ranking women have the command over the newer ones. Though I get the feeling that you don't like the idea of assigning differing levels of importance to your partners."

True. That seems more than a little callous. You shake your head, "Not really, no."

Rias shrugs it off, "Don't worry. My mother is a deft harem wrangler. Seniority or no, she'll make sure that everything runs smoothly."

"I really must learn more about being a devil," Asia mutters.

"Me too. You always say stuff that surprises me Rias," you sigh.

"You two are so cute when you get like this," she smirks. Akeno's sadistic side is rubbing off on her.

"I-I only became a devil recently!" Asia cries.

"Hm, and what about you hubby?"

You shrug, "You don't exactly sit down and explain this kind of thing in the TV series."

"Then I'm afraid I'll have to give you both a very thorough education. I'll wear a tight black skirt and glasses, just for you."

That'll be a sight to see.

Asia finally breaks through the noise and asks you a question of her own, "You don't mind me?"

"Of course not. But I just want to make it clear that you don't have to go out with me just because Rias is asking you to. I know that it's a pretty big leap to go from knowing nothing about me to doing all of this couple stuff."

"That's okay. I'd like to get to know you better." Asia gives you an angelic smile that could make the coldest, most miserable man melt into a puddle. She's a lot different from the constant teasing and confident sexuality of Akeno and Rias. It makes for a nice change from being surrounded by women who have the libido of a freshly minted teenage boy discovering internet porn.

"How about we pay the bill and walk around town?"

The three-way date continues as you visit several other local attractions with Asia and Rias. Rias tones down the teasing a lot and allows Asia to enjoy herself. Asia brings a sense of innocent wonder to even mundane activities, presumably due to her extensive duties in her previous position as a sister in the church.

You endeavour to try and show Asia the 'real' you. The fact of the matter is that Mitsuru can't exactly vet each and every universe for total accuracy within the TV adaptation of your life. You tell her stories, some of the things you enjoy doing in your free time, and how you came to meet some of the other people in your harem.

But all good things had to come to an end eventually.

As you are strolling further into town to try and find something new to do together, the one and only Vali Lucifer exits a shop right in front of you! He's just as surprised to see you as you are him. Judging from the twin bags of groceries in his hands, he wasn't expecting to fight anybody at all.

"Vali!" Rias scowls.

"If it isn't Rias Gremory," he smirks as his gaze turns to you, "I suppose what they told me about you was true."

"What are you doing here?"

He holds the bags aloft, "The good lady has asked me to perform a few chores, as a gracious guest I had **** but to accept."

…

You snap your fingers, "Whipped."

His face drops, "W-Wha…"

Rias nods, "Very."

Asia holds a hand over her mouth, "You poor thing."

"I am NOT whipped!" he declares.

"What kind of guest does the hosts' chores?" you respond, "I didn't realise the white dragon emperor was a house maid."

"I'll make you regret those words."

This time? Not likely. You look down the alleyway to your left, "If we're doing this, we're doing it out of sight."

"Fine by me."

Vali follows you down the pathway and into a backlot parking area. Mitsuru made sure that the surveillance systems within the city would never capture your likeness. She led you to believe that there's a jamming system within the Sledgehammer that activates whenever you summon it. You press Lala's bracelet and summon it from the void. Vali finds a place to leave his bags and dusts off his hands.

"This battle will only end like the first, with your convincing defeat. The power of the white dragon emperor is absolute."

"What should we do?" Asia asks.

You glance back at your dates and shake your head, "No need to get involved, you'll ruin those amazing outfits. Anyway – we're going to use that plan."

Rias nods, "I see. Very well. Let's stay out of the way, Asia."

"Y-Yes President!"

Rias and Asia retreat to the entrance of the lot. You transform into your armour and stare down Vali, who doesn't even see the need to don his own. Before you can even react, he disappears from sight and materialises next to you, swinging around and striking you with a kick. You barely notice it in time to raise your arm and block it. The **** of the hit is enough to send you flying across the yard and into the door of a parked car. Metal bends, glass shatters, and the alarm blares.

"Pathetic. You aren't even fit to shine my shoes."

This guy is seriously pissing you off. You struggle back to your feet and check your HUD, there's a special someone lying in wait for just this occasion. The system reacts and ejects the card into your palm. You quickly slide it into the chamber and twist it.

"ISSEI HYOUDOU, SHATTERING!"

"W-What?!"

You smirk and pull the trigger. Reality warps in front of you, shattering into pieces and filling out the silhouette of your special guest. Spiky brown hair, red t-shirt and school uniform all in place. He's confused about the sudden summoning, but it doesn't take him long to realise the situation.

He stepped forth and clenched his fist in anticipation, "Yosha! The red dragon emperor is here!"

You did summon him from Rias' universe, so hopefully this taken man isn't in love with you. He turns to face you, his eyes lighting up in fanboyish reverence, "Oh man! It's the real deal! You're here, in the flesh! This suit is totally awesome!" He couldn't stop himself from circling you and taking it in from every angle.

"Hey, Issei. Gush later – Vali needs to be taught a lesson."

He chuckles and rubs the back of his head sheepishly, "Sorry. But I'm always happy to give that cocky bastard a beatdown! Leave it to me." His hand glows green and his trademark red armour begins to appear around his body. He poses pridefully next to you, soaking in the chance to be next to one of his favourite 'fictional characters.' You glance to your left and admire the detail on his draconic suit.

"You know what, we do look really cool together."

"I know, right?"

Vali is furious, "They told me that you only summon women, you cheating bastard!"

You shrug it off and laugh, "I never said anything like that. I think it's perfectly fair to summon someone who's much stronger than you. Looks like your divine dividing isn't going to be so useful after all."

Issei points to himself, "Leave him to me. That power is something that only the red dragon can defeat..."

Vali shakes his head, "I'm not going to lose to you again, Issei."

"Well that's too bad. Because I'm gonna' beat the hell out of you!"

Before you can get started, enemy mooks pour into the parking lot from every angle and surround you. Damn it – they must have been waiting for you to appear. You grab Issei's shoulder, "You take care of Vali. I'll handle these small fries."

"Got it!"

Issei disappears in a flash of red light, moving so quickly that your human eyes can't even perceive him properly. He rematerializes a second later with Vali clutched between his clawed hands. Both dragons tumble and fly through the air, crashing through the side of the nearest building and out of sight. A bolt of red lightning cuts its way through the herd of mooks as Rias runs over to you.

"Where did these fools come from?" she scoffs. Asia is shaking like a leaf behind her.

"We've gotta' take care of them. This shouldn't be too tough!"

You leap into the fray and punch a robot's head clean from its body, sending it tumbling across the tarmac like a morbid football. Rias claims some skulls of her own as she unleashes a blast of red lightning at the approaching mooks, frying several of them into piles of scrap and wiring. Asia doesn't seem too enthused to fight back herself, hiding behind a magical barrier being emitted from the palms of her hands.

You use some fancy gunmanship and blast more of them with rapid trigger pulls. There's nothing the robots can do to protect themselves from such powerful blasts. They just charge forward and try to overwhelm you with sheer numbers. Vali and Issei soon reappear, tussling and wrestling for control over the other. Their heavily armoured bodies crash down and plough through dozens of the enemy soldiers, destroying them instantly and leaving a huge crater in their wake.

The fight is so intense and destructive that Vali is quickly doing even more damage to the enemy troops than you are. He has little regard for the safety of his so-called allies, presumably as his loyalty lies with the mysterious person who Sundar has recruited to be your rival. They send bolts of energy at each other, delivering kicks and punches that are powerful enough to pulverise a mortal man like yourself.

"Why are you doing this man's dirty work? You're an insult to the lineage of the Red Dragon!"

"Because he's a real man, the one I look up to! And I'll always take the chance to beat some humility into you!" Issei punctuates his declaration with a haymaker of a punch, that sends Vali flying into the brick wall behind him. Vali retaliates by firing blue energy from both of his wings.

"DIVIDE!"

Issei just barely avoids the attack, but Vali is even faster. He dashes onto him and wrestles him back down to the ground.

"DIVIDE!"

There's nowhere for Issei to run now, the power of his sacred gear is drained before your eyes, weakening his abilities and giving Vali the upper hand. You quickly charge your Sledgehammer and take a pot-shot at him. The blast hits his helmet, smashing it into pieces and revealing his face once more. He glances up at you with murderous intent.

"Stay out of the way, you damned nuisance!"

Vali dismounts Issei and marches towards you with intent. This time you manage to put your arms up and block some of the punch that comes your way. You fly off of your feet and into the air, only to land between Rias' breasts as she flies up and catches you. You both fall back down onto the ground with a heavy thud.

"Gah! Are you okay, Rias?"

"I'm fine. Worry about yourself!"

Vali smirks, "She's right, you know. That weak mortal body of yours can't stand up to much punishment, can it? Maybe you should know your betters and quit while you still have the chance."

Issei's body stirs from behind him. He's taken a lot of hits, but the power of the Red Dragon is going to withstand being divided once or twice without issue. Vali is so engrossed in his war of words that he doesn't even notice as Issei begins to wind up for another attack. Vali eventually follows your gaze to behind him, but by then it is too late to stop Issei.

"BOOST!"

Issei gives out a manly cry as he punches the air and sends a ball of green energy flying towards Vali. He deftly moves to the left and avoids the attack, turning to gloat at him in the aftermath. "That was the best thing you could do? You missed!"

"No, I didn't."

Vali realises too late the mistake he has made. The red energy that flies from his gauntlet was never intended to strike Vali himself, you just so happen to be standing in a perfect position behind him. The power boosting orb hits your body and energises you, but there's only one thing on your mind at this moment – pulling the trigger and blowing Vali away.

You fire, and a huge beam of energy is emitted from the front of the gun. Vali is out of position and was unprepared for you being the one to deliver the fateful attack. His armour shatters into pieces as the beam slams against him and sends him flying into the side of the nearest building. You release the trigger to try and prevent any more collateral damage. A charred and bruised Vali only just manages to use his wings to stop himself from falling and hitting the pavement below.

"Guh! You piece of shit..."

Before he falls to the floor, he summons a magic circle underneath his feet and disappears out of sight – three bags of groceries lighter for the effort. Asia and Rias hurry over to you and Issei as you take a moment to catch your breath after such an intense battle. The damage is severe to the surrounding area, but you managed to teach Vali a lesson at least. If this copycat decides to summon him again, it's going to be a tough battle.

You take a moment to catch your breath as Rias and Asia fuss over you. Bruised and battered again, one punch from that guy was almost enough to put you down for the count...

"Dude, this is so cool," Issei gushes. His armour disappears and he reaches out to shake your hand eagerly, "I never thought I'd get to see the real thing in action, not to mention being summoned by you! I'm a huge fan."

"The feeling's mutual, Issei."

"It's nice to see you getting along so well," Rias giggles.

Issei quickly turns to regard them, "Ah! Pres, Asia!"

"I'm so glad that you're both okay," Asia says.

You chuckle, "No need to worry. Issei's got it covered. You really saved my butt there."

Issei scratches the back of his head with that characteristic goofy smile, "Geeze. But why is Vali even here?"

You sigh, "They cloned the Sledgehammer, so that means-"

"There's an evil version of you, who's like... a girl."

"You already know?"

Rias smiles and crosses her arms, "Of course. That's one of the most popular arcs from the tenth volume. Though some take umbrage with the addition of anime original content that extends it to a full season. I think the importance of a rival character deserves a long, well-told story."

"Uh, what she said," Issei nods, "She didn't summon Vali Lucifer in our world, anyway."

What a messy end to your double date. There are seemingly hundreds of dead robot carcasses all over the place – and several of the surrounding buildings have had holes blown clean through them. Issei pats you on the shoulder, "Hey. I gotta' get back pretty fast. Sumire-chan is going to wonder where I've been."

"Sumire?"

Rias shrugs, "His girlfriend. She's rather possessive. Perhaps a fear of having his manhood separated from his body is why he has put his plans for a harem on ice."

Issei objects to the theory, "Hey, come on Pres! She's just that great that I don't need another girl."

"That's what most people do normally..."

"Sumire is cute, funny, and she hasn't tried to **** me yet like my ex. So what if she gets a little jealous when I go to club meetings with you? She's a joker for sure. Says that if she sees me with Asia or Rias again she's gonna' lock me in a cage." Issei laughs off the ever-present threat to his freedom like it's no big deal. Why does this guy have such strange luck with women?

---

Unfortunately, there was an imminent threat that Issei's girlfriend was going to castrate him if he left her sight for any longer than thirty minutes, so under recommendation from Rias you decided to send him back to their world before that could happen. Before you left the scene, you spotted a red scale resting inside one of the craters. It must have been knocked off of Issei's armour during the battle. Not wanting the enemy to take anything away from the fight, you retrieved it and put it into your pocket.

With your first date with Asia wrapped up and the invaders repulsed once more, you decide to retire to the garage and see if Mitsuru had made any progress on her form change device. You can hear the whirring of her machinery as you approach the front door. She's hunched over a bench with plastic goggles wrapped firmly around her head. Sparks fly from beneath her.

"It appears that Mitsuru-san is busy..." Asia whispers.

The whirring stops, and Mitsuru places a small tool onto the bench beside her; "Actually. I just finished. Thanks to my own intervention completing the advanced translocator was easy enough that even a dullard could have done it. Though there is still one missing component."

You chuckle, "What? He didn't even tell you how to complete it?"

Mitsuru opened the top of the device and showed the internals to you. A large space had been left behind. It was entirely intentional. The arrangement of the parts that had been hinted at in the paper had made that space on purpose, and several diodes pointed inwards to connect to whatever that missing piece is. As you start at the shape, an idea starts to form in your mind.

You reach into your pocket and place Issei's scale down onto the work desk. What a freakish coincidence. It was almost like your son from the future already knew that this was going to happen. Mitsuru reaches over and holds the scale over the slot, her brow furrowing in irritation.

"Typical. I was getting worked up over nothing." Mitsuru didn't hesitate, sliding the scale into place and pinching each side with a small conductive clip to connect it to the system. The mechanism whirs to life for the first time. Mitsuru does a small jig in celebration; "My future genius knows no bounds."

"Isn't this kinda' cheating?"

"I still discovered it in the end!" she snaps back. Though this time loop does beg the question of who discovered this thing originally. Since Mitsuru is informing herself about how it works, it technically means that nobody has ever come up with this without outside intervention. This is both extremely confusing and not worth the effort to think about – so you discard the problem and just roll with it.

Mitsuru returns to the computer and checks the readings, "That scale contains an incredible amount of power. This is what my future self must have intended."

"So does that mean I can do this form change thing now?"

Mitsuru waves her hand in the air, "Give me a few hours to figure this out. I should be able to use the data from the scale and your previous battle to make something special for you."

"As long as it means I can deal with Vali myself..."

Rias shrugs, "Issei will never object to knocking him down a few pegs."

"Sure. But at what cost?"

"She isn't going to castrate him that badly," Rias smiles.

"I'm sure she's really happy that her boyfriend is in a club filled with nothing but beautiful women."

Rias smirks, "And a beautiful boy."

"Sure. Kiba too."

"I've never been called beautiful before," Asia whispers. Given that she has the face of an angel and pretty blonde hair – you aren't really sure that's the case. Were all of the people at her church blind or what? And while you'll never reveal this out loud, you've seen more than enough of her body naked to know it's no slouch in the curves department; unless you're comparing her to Rias and Akeno. That's an unrealistic standard to attain for most. They both have bodies that a perverted twelve-year-old would scribble down onto a scrap piece of paper for fun.

"I guess that means our date is over with, and Mitsuru finally has what she needs to finish her device so... what now?" you grunt.

Rias jumps at the chance to tease Asia a little; "You could take her down to the special 'chamber' and show her how much fun being your lover can be." Asia squeaks and covers her face all over again.

"I-I don't know anything about that."

"About what?" Rias prods.

"S-Sex!"

Asia shouts it so loud that if anyone were still present on the industrial lot, they would have all have heard it. She stomps her feet on the floor and runs to hide from Rias as she continues to hound her with more sing-song questions about making love and being your girlfriend.

"She can be very mean when she wants to be," Mitsuru comments glibly.

"Eh. I think she likes teasing the members of the club."

"But she was rather jealous in the original, was she not?"

"But you brought her from a world where devils have multiple spouses – of course she's not going to find it upsetting when she's been raised that way from birth. I think being positioned as the head wife is also going to keep her happy."

As you watch Mitsuru hammer out hundreds of lines of code at an inhuman speed, you finally ask something that's been on your mind for a long time now.

"And how do you feel about it? You don't find any of this stuff weird?"

She shrugs, "I was the one who came up with it – and we've both long been immersed in the non-traditional. Every indecisive otaku dreams of having a big old harem from time to time."

But what about your relationship with Mitsuru? It feels like everything she's doing is for your benefit alone. Sure, they help you fight off the aliens, but you're living the high life with a dozen devoted partners while she slaves away to make new weapons for you. You haven't done any of the fun stuff you usually do together for months now.

"Are you worried about our friendship?" she asks pointedly, "It's written all over your face."

"There's nothing wrong with that."

Mitsuru pauses for a moment and turns back to you, "I feel an elevated sense of responsibility to protect this planet. We are the only ones who can do this. The fun and games can wait for later."

"You haven't thought about summoning a few wish fulfilment picks of your own? We have some spare space rocks..."

There's a long pause as your suggestion hangs heavy in the air. Mitsuru blushes and returns to her work in a huff, "Not interested."

"Really? Not a single anime guy you'd like to make into your boyfriend?"

"Not interested," she repeats sternly. It's the kind of reaction that you only ever elicit when you're pushing a button that she doesn't want pushed. She really means it. You can't inquire any further as Rias bursts out from the side office, dragging Asia with her by the collar.

"If you're going to be a member of the harem, you have to get used to that kind of talk! A good wife should help take care of the husband's sexual needs. It's perfectly natural."

"B-But the church never talks about things like this!"

"Then we will simply have to provide you with an effective and detailed sexual education!"

Asia is still trying to wriggle free even as Rias hugs her in mock compassion, "Please, president!"

You step in to break things up, "Come on Rias. I don't want to pressure her into anything she isn't ready for."

Rias pouts and allows Asia to hide behind you, "Very well."

"Did you have fun Asia?" you ask.

Asia smiles, "Y-Yes. Thank you very much for bringing me." She wraps her arms around your waist and hugs you close from behind. She then backs away and bows politely to you, "I would love to do it again."

"That's the spirit," Rias grins, "As long as you endeavour to become a good wife, you will make progress."

"A good wife... I need to do more research to find out what a good wife does."

Rias approaches you and pulls you down into a kiss, "It looks like it's time for us to go. Don't be a stranger, hubby!"

"Of course. I'll pencil something else in again soon."

You say one last goodbye to Asia and send both girls home by resetting the Sledgehammer. Issei is going to have a big story to tell all of his friends about, if they're willing to believe that he was summoned by a 'fictional' character. You mull around the lab for a little longer – coming across a set of plans on one of the tables for renovations to the industrial estate.

"I just bought a big house out in the sticks. Are you sure you don't want to build a secret lab under it?"

"It's easier to do here," Mitsuru explains, "These buildings are already tooled and equipped for the kind of industrial work I'm planning to do. If I moved to your new house, we would need to completely change the surrounding infrastructure to handle power consumption, for one example."

Some of the older, more rundown buildings are going to be demolished and replaced with new ones. The disparate pieces of the industrial estate are going to be connected together into one larger building. The underground sections are also being enlarged with some help from Lala's warp space rooms – though those plans are specifically marked with big red lettering to prevent them from being handed in on accident.

There are also a plethora of features designed to protect the lab from attack or investigation. Machines that won't be used, buildings that are just there for decoration, full security camera footage, motion sensors and alarms, and doors that are impenetrable from the outside. The entire thing is a convincing façade for a local research and development company. The detail involved means that Venelana's fingerprints are all over it.

These expanded spaces would allow Mitsuru to purchase and use much more advanced testing machinery. Right now, she has to make do with whatever she can fit into the garage, which means large devices are mostly out of the question. If she can do this much with such a sub-optimal workspace you shudder to think of what she will create with the proper equipment.

Speaking of renovations, you need to follow up with Rias and Venelana about getting the mansion fixed up so you can use it properly. No doubt the pair have already drawn up detailed floor plans and picked out all of the custom-built furniture they want placed inside. Maybe you can summon a battle maid to help keep the place tidy, because it's way too big for one person to handle.

You can worry about that later. You need to start packing what few notable possessions you have into some boxes and get ready to move in.