Ravel Phoenix was technically only Rias's servant in name. Since she was a pure-blooded devil, Rias hadn't seen the need to use a piece on her yet. More importantly, the blonde loli hadn't slept with Ethan yet. This made her the perfect control subject for the experiment.
Ravel stood in the center of the room. Rias used the same mutated Bishop piece. This time, the ritual was flawlessly smooth. The red magic circle pulsed once, and the piece dissolved into energy, merging with Ravel's body.
Ravel, who had recently lost her status as a Bishop in her brother's peerage, was now a Bishop for the Gremory family. Since she was already a devil, there was no physical change—it was a purely formal contract.
Rias and Sona exchanged a look, then turned their gaze toward Ethan. It was better than they expected, but still incredibly weird. From now on, they could only recruit women. At least they didn't have to sleep with Ethan first... though knowing Ethan, that was probably inevitable.
"Tsubaki, stop all contact with Saji Genshirou," Sona said, rubbing her temples. She had found a boy with decent potential who required four Pawn pieces. She had been observing his character, planning to recruit him. Now, she had to give up.
Fortunately, they found out now rather than later. Saji was still a normal human; his Sacred Gear hadn't awakened. Without Sona's guidance, he might never even enter the supernatural world. Ethan didn't care much; he wasn't close to Saji and didn't particularly like his personality.
With the "Piece Problem" identified, the girls all looked at Ethan with judgmental eyes. But they knew his nature by now and quickly moved on.
"It's a shame. Gasper's potential is quite high," Sona remarked, looking at the cardboard box on the sofa. With so many people in the room, Gasper's social anxiety had won out, and he had retreated to his fortress.
"Time-based abilities are rare. An Evil Eye like his is worth cultivating," Sona agreed.
Since they couldn't make him a servant, they had to find another way. The Evil Pieces were mainly for the Rating Games, but there were other ways to bind someone to a house. However, without the pieces, there wouldn't be that soul-deep bond between Master and Servant. Still, given Gasper's rare talent, both Rias and Sona decided to mentor him.
"Gasper Vladi," Sona said in her cold, presidential tone. "You will be transferred to Class 2-A. Don't worry about your grades. However, every day after school, you must report to the Student Council for training. You need to master your Sacred Gear."
The box shook. A pitiful voice drifted out. "O-okay... I understand-pya."
Sona sighed, adjusting her glasses. "And we need to fix that personality of yours..."
The box shook violently this time. Gasper almost jumped out to protest, but fear kept him pinned inside.
"Don't worry, Sona. We can take it slow," Rias laughed.
With the Gasper situation handled and the "Vampire" incident resolved, Ethan decided to leave the other half-vampire, Nanaue, alone for now. Gasper was shy, but Nanaue was hyper-vigilant. Pushing her too hard would only backfire.
Night fell, the stars scattered across the sky. Ethan finished his shower and reclined on the large bed in the Occult Research Club's rest area, flipping through a book to pass the time. He was waiting for tonight's "patients."
Earlier that afternoon, Ravel had approached him to discuss the ongoing "treatment" for her brother's former peerage. The recovery of the twin lolis and the two maids had given the remaining girls hope. That hope was now a burning fire, and their damaged bodies were reaching their limit.
Ethan had originally planned to test his SSS-rank Dual Cultivation on Rias, but "saving lives" took priority.
The early summer breeze was pleasant. For the first time in over a year, Ethan felt a moment of quiet peace. "Maybe a night alone isn't so bad..."
He barely finished the thought before an orange flame magic circle appeared in the room. His solitary night was over.
"Ethan-sama, I'll leave them to you," Ravel said, her face flushing. She bowed and left, leaving four young women standing awkwardly in the center of the room.
"Ni, Li, Mira, Shuriya," Ethan greeted them with a warm smile. "Come here. Don't be so nervous."
Ni and Li were cat-girls—one with red hair, one with blue. They looked remarkably similar, likely sisters rather than twins. Mira was a petite, blue-haired girl who fought with a staff; she was the strongest of Raiser's Pawns. Shuriya, the last of the four, was a wild beauty with healthy, tanned skin. Her usual outfit was incredibly provocative—mostly just silk ribbons and very little fabric.
All four were Pawns. Aside from Mira, they all had long hair. Ni's hair was tied in a long, pinkish-red braid that reached her calves. Her sister Li had a high ponytail of similar length. Their styles suited them—Ni was the energetic one, while Li was more reserved. Like their hair, one was fire, the other was water.
Speaking of fire, Shuriya, with her silver-grey hair and tanned skin, was no less passionate. She looked like a "gyaru" and acted like one too. If she hadn't been Raiser's servant, she would have definitely been experienced by now. Unlike the others who had dressed up, she was practically naked.
Shuriya was the first to walk into the bedroom, the other three following close behind.
"Ethan-sama..." Her supple, wheat-colored skin shimmered under the moonlight. The slight flush on her cheeks proved she wasn't as scandalous as she appeared.