The Occult Research Club

Rias Gremory stared at Issei Hyoudou, the dullest boy at Kuoh Academy. His terrible grades showed it. He had no creativity, no clever ideas. He’d found one trick with that damn sacred gear of his and clung to it like a lifeline. She hated to admit it, but it worked too well.

After he’d taken her virginity in the council room, Issei didn’t let up. He grabbed her wrist, his fingers digging in, and pulled her to the private showers. Steam hit her first, thick and hot, as he twisted the knob. He shoved her under the spray, water soaking her skin, and stepped in close. The heat wrapped around them as he pinned her against the tiled wall. His hands were rough—grabbing her breasts, teasing her nipples until they stiffened. His lips smashed into hers, hungry and hard. He hooked her leg over his hip, spreading her wide, and thrust into her again. Their bodies slapped together, wet and loud, the sound bouncing off the walls. She silently thanked the low fertility of devils as he spilled inside her once more.

When it was done, he washed her. His touch turned soft, careful, wiping away every mark he’d left. He dried her with a towel, fixed her hair, and dressed her like she was his toy. She looked perfect again, flawless. No one would guess what he’d done. Akeno and Koneko wouldn’t see the danger when they looked at her, and that was his plan.

Issei’s voice cut through her daze. “Call an emergency club meeting. Send a message to get them here fast, but don’t scare them too much. No alarms, no teachers, no fuss.” Her mind spun, **** for a way to warn them through those words. But his command was tight, unbreakable. She couldn’t bend it.

Her hands shook as she pulled out her phone. She typed the message, forcing the words to sound normal:

Guilt hit her like a fist. Akeno—her closest friend, her rock—was walking into a trap. And she’d drag sweet, innocent Koneko along. Rias’s stomach twisted. She had ****, but it didn’t hurt any less.

While they waited, Issei grabbed his sharpie. He scribbled his name inside the Occult Research Clubhouse—her clubhouse. Rage burned in her chest. That room was her safe place, a haven for her peerage, filled with warm memories. Now his ugly mark ruined it. He kept going, writing new rules: Anyone inside this room must let Issei Hyoudou write on their body as a toll for entering. They can’t leave without paying.

The words hid from the outside, only showing once you stepped in—too late to escape. Issei stood out of sight from the door. Akeno and Koneko wouldn’t spot him either until they were trapped.

The next ten minutes dragged on forever. Rias’s thoughts raced, searching for a way to warn them, to keep them out. But Issei’s orders were clear: act warm, welcoming, friendly. Hide the mark on her arm until he claimed them too. She was stuck, helpless, as the clock ticked down.

Then they arrived and it was all over. Rias Gremory stood frozen as Akeno and Koneko stepped into the clubhouse.

Her heart pounded, heavy with guilt. She hadn’t found a way to save them. She’d failed her peerage, her family. A fake smile stretched across her lips, tight and trembling, as she welcomed them to their doom. Issei’s orders twisted her insides—he wasn’t just making her watch; he was forcing her to help enslave them.

“Before we start,” she said, her voice smooth despite the chaos tearing through her, “there’s been a small change. Look over there—Issei owns the building now. He’s letting us stay, but he wants to write a few words on our arms as payment. He’ll leave after, and we can talk about the real problem.”

The text she’d sent Akeno earlier about Fallen Angels in Kuoh—devil territory—had done its job, tugging at their worry just enough to lure them here. Akeno and Koneko glanced at each other, concern flickering on their faces, but they didn’t push. They trusted her. That trust burned in her gut. They just wanted Issei gone, blind to the nightmare waiting.

Issei stepped forward, his smirk wide and smug, sharpie in hand. Rias’s breath hitched as he grabbed Akeno’s arm, his rough fingers pressing into her soft skin. The marker scratched across her flesh, carving the same shameful words branded on Rias’s own arm: Issei Hyoudou’s ****. Akeno’s eyes widened, but she couldn’t pull away. Then he turned to Koneko, his grip firm, scribbling the degrading phrase on her pale skin. Each stroke sliced through Rias, her eyes stinging with the sight.

“See, Rias?” Issei’s voice oozed into her ears, thick with cruel joy. “If you’d helped me with Akeno, you’d be free by now. Two hours after I claimed you. And if you’d licked my cum off the floor without a fight, you might’ve stayed a virgin. Such a pity.”

His words sank into her, sharp and poisonous, stripping her bare. He smirked, his gaze pinning her, letting the silence stretch. “You resisted, and for what? I’ve got Akeno anyway. You’re still mine. What’s the lesson here?”

Rias bit her tongue, the coppery taste of blood grounding her. She wanted to scream, to claw at him, but she held it in. After he’d taken her twice, filmed her shame, and now ensnared her friends, she needed something—anything—to cling to. A shred of herself he couldn’t touch. “No matter what you **** me to do,” she said, her voice low and fierce, “they’ll know I didn’t betray them to save myself. They’ll know I fought for them.”

She looked at Akeno and Koneko. Their eyes met hers, glowing with love, trust, and a soft pity that cut deeper than Sona’s icy glare ever had. “I’m sorry, girls,” Rias whispered, her voice cracking. “I tried. And no matter what he makes me do or say, I’ll always love you.”

“Same to you, Rias,” Akeno murmured, her warmth a fleeting spark in the dark.

For a moment, they stood united, a quiet defiance pulsing between them despite their inability to meaningfully rebel. Rias steeled herself for Issei’s rage, but he only laughed, a low, vicious sound. “Careful, girls. Forever’s a long time. I’ll break that in five minutes.”

A chill slithered down her spine at his certainty. Koneko, though, stood firm, her tiny frame unbowed. “Stupid pervert thinks his bluffs scare us,” she scoffed, voice steady.

Issei’s smile tightened, his eyes flashing with danger. “Koneko, Akeno, come here.”

“Wait!” Rias’s voice broke, panic surging hot and fast. Her friends shuffled forward, standing before him, arms bare and exposed. She cursed herself—why hadn’t she stayed silent, let him gloat? “Stop! What are you doing?”

“Arms,” he barked. They stretched them out, obedient despite the fear flickering in their eyes. His sharpie scratched again, writing Issei Hyoudou’s Mind just below the **** mark. Rias’s stomach plummeted as the truth hit her.

“What were those words you used?” Issei taunted, his smirk widening. “No matter what I do, they’d always know you didn’t betray them? Are you sure about that? I think they’ll remember it differently. Koneko, Akeno, fall into a trance. In this state, you only hear me. I can twist your memories, your feelings, everything.”

Their faces slackened, all life draining away. Their eyes—blank, hollow, emptier than Sona’s—sent ice through Rias’s veins. Her breath caught, dread pooling in her core.

“Stop,” she begged, voice trembling. “Please.”

Issei ignored her, his tone casual but commanding. “Koneko, Akeno, Rias and I have a deal. If she gets me enough high-quality girls, I’ll free her. Not you, though—you’re mine forever, and it’s her fault. She sold you out to start her quota, offered you up without me asking. She planned it all—the text to lure you, the wall’s command, calming you so I could claim you. Then she bragged about it, the heartless bitch.” His eyes locked on Rias, his smirk a blade. “She gloated about her freedom, her cleverness, how you’d never escape.”

“You hate her,” he continued. “ She was your friend, and she betrayed you—”

“I didn’t,” Rias sobbed, tears spilling hot down her cheeks. “I promised I wouldn’t. Please—I didn’t betray you.”

“—and soon, she’ll be free. You want to make her suffer, hurt her as much as you can before she goes.” He paused, then added quickly, “But nothing that scars her beauty. That’d upset me, and you don’t want that. Unlike Rias, you can’t escape. Pleasing me is your only way to survive.”

“Akeno,” he said, “you’re my girlfriend now. Your dream is to be my wife. It’s a rare chance—you fit the Yamato Nadeshiko ideal. You're beautiful, but you're aware you are replaceable if someone better comes. You’ll give me everything—cooking, kids, all of it—to keep me. You want to make me love you so I won't replace you. Plus, being my girlfriend- and later my wife- means you’ll run my harem. It's the perfect position for punishing Rias.”

“Koneko,” he went on, “you’re Kuoh’s mascot, cute but not my type. I like bigger breasts. You’ll be my pet girl, the harem’s mascot. You’ll strive to be a treasured pet, hate Rias for dooming you to this, and envy Akeno for reaching heights you can't.”

He trailed off, then grinned. “Oh, and one more thing: anything bad I do to you? It’s Rias’s fault, not mine. That’s it. When I clap, you won’t hear me until I clap again. Stay in the trance.”

He clapped sharply. “Can you hear me? No? Good.” He turned to Rias, voice cold. “Stop crying.”

Her tears stopped, her body obeying even as sobs choked her throat. Her breaths came quick and ragged, but she couldn’t weep. All she could do was whisper, “I didn’t. I didn’t. I didn’t.”

“Oh, but you did,” he said, smirking. “Or you’ll act like you did. Play along with Akeno and Koneko’s memories of their capture. Be the Rias they’ll remember—a selfish, heartless bitch who’d sell out her friends and family just to claw her way to freedom.”

Her throat tightened, exhaustion weighing her down like wet chains. “Why are you doing this?” she murmured, voice soft and broken. Why did he hate her so much?

Issei scoffed, his dark eyes glinting with mockery. “Why? I saw how you flinched when I asked about your hot older sister.”

Her breath snagged, sharp and sudden. She’d tried to hide it, to bury the truth under a mask of calm, but it was too late.

“You couldn’t lie to me,” he went on, voice low and taunting. “So it can't exactly be a hot, older, sister. I'm guessing one of the adjectives don't apply. Which one is it? I’m guessing she’s not blood. Adopted, maybe? Or may be it's 'older' that's causing an issue. Do you have a sexy younger sister? You tried to trick me, but I can’t tell where the lie starts.”

“Sister-in-law,” Rias blurted, the confession spilling out before she could stop it. “Grayfia. She’s beautiful. You’d love her.” Her stomach twisted as the words left her lips, bitter and heavy.

Issei’s smirk grew, hungry and predatory. “Maybe I’d have swapped her freedom for yours if you’d handed her over. But now I know about her. I can make you get her for me. She’ll be mine, won’t count toward your quota, and when I’m done, she’ll hate you more than Akeno and Koneko ever could.”

Rias’s chest burned, a sob trapped behind Issei’s cruel command to stay dry-eyed. Tears would’ve spilled—hot, messy, and useless—if he hadn’t forbidden it. “That’s not fair,” she whispered, voice cracking like thin ice.

“‘That’s not fair,’” he mocked, pitching his voice high and whiny. “Here’s your problem, Rias. You think you can outsmart me. Hide things. Play this game so you slip free while tossing me scraps. You’re keeping beautiful girls from me because you care—friends, family, whatever. You’re scared they’ll hate you if you betray them. That they’ll feel stabbed in the back. Well, guess what? They will anyway.” His eyes bored into hers, sharp and unyielding. “Now, tell me the truth. Are there more girls you’re hiding?”

“Yes,” she admitted, the word dragged from her like a splinter. Her mother, Venelana, flashed in her mind—another secret she’d fought to shield. Venelana was almost her mirror: same curvy figure, same striking face. Devils aged slow, so they looked like sisters, not mother and daughter. Only their hair and eyes set them apart—Venelana’s short brown locks and violet gaze against Rias’s scarlet waves and blue-green stare. Issei had once promised freedom for an identical twin, and Venelana was damn close.

“You can betray her,” Issei said, his voice a dark caress. “Get her for me, see if I’d free you. Live with the guilt, knowing she hates you for it. Or don’t. But when I find her—and I will, just like Akeno, Koneko, and Grayfia—I’ll twist her against you anyway. The only difference? You’ll still be stuck here. Got it?”

Defeat sank into her bones. Rias nodded, her shoulders slumping under the weight of his words.

“Good,” he purred, tone shifting to something lighter. “You wanted a shot to hunt girls for my harem, right? Lucky you—I need to show off my new girlfriend to my parents and break in my little pet. You’ve got six hours. Have fun.”

Issei’s hand flicked toward the door, a lazy wave that felt like a whip cracking across her skin. He wanted her to leave, to hunt fresh girls for his sick harem. The order sank into her gut, twisting it tight. Her legs trembled, heavy as stone, each step dragging her closer to the exit. The air pressed against her, thick and suffocating, her skirt brushing her thighs with every slow shuffle.

She paused at the threshold, unable to resist a final glance back. Issei’s eyes were locked on her ass, drinking in the curve of her hips. His smirk was sharp, dirty, promising more shame if she didn't earn her freedom. Heat crawled up her spine—fear and disgust mixing with the unwanted tingle of his stare. Beside him, Akeno and Koneko stood like broken dolls, their faces blank, stripped of the warmth she’d once loved. Next time, she knew, those eyes would blaze with hate, all aimed at her.

A shaky breath slipped from her lips as she stepped into the hall. The door clicked shut, locking her in with her thoughts. Could she do it? Could she trick her mother, Venelana, into this nightmare? Lure her own flesh and blood to Issei’s greedy hands? Or just wait, helpless, while he hunted her down and ruined her anyway? It wasn’t a real choice—just a twisted game, his rules rigged to crush her. Her chest ached, her body still humming from his touch.

What would she do? What could she do?