The awkwardness that hung over dinner after Jin's failed joke slowly dissipated, replaced by an atmosphere of tired but sincere serenity. Devils, as it turned out, knew how to quickly let go of social blunders, especially when good wine and the chance to relax after stressful days were at stake. Zeoticus, having regained his cheerful disposition, began spinning tales from his turbulent youth, making Rias blush and Sirzechs smile reservedly. Venelana, like a true lady, maintained the small talk, skillfully steering the conversation from dangerous topics to discussions of tea varieties and the latest fashion trends in the Underworld.
After dinner, the whole company moved to the huge, cozy living room, where magical fire crackled in a giant fireplace, casting warm reflections on the velvet upholstery of the sofas and the gilded frames of paintings. The evening flowed into its informal, relaxed phase. Everyone found something to their liking.
Rias, Akeno, Asia, Xenovia, and Koneko settled on one of the sofas, having a quiet girls' chat over cups of fragrant tea served silently by Grayfia. Koneko, as always, accompanied her drink with chocolate cake, Asia listened with delight to Akeno's stories about the intricacies of court etiquette, and Xenovia, with a serious look, tried to understand why the color of the tea set should harmonize with the season.
The male part of the company settled on the soft carpet in front of the fireplace. Issei, with excitement worthy of a battle for the fate of the world, was dealing cards.
"My turn!" he announced triumphantly, laying the Queen of Hearts on the carpet. "I beat your Jack, Kiba!"
Kiba just sighed, discarding his cards. "You're cheating again, Issei-kun. I saw you hiding a King up your sleeve."
"Not true! It's... it's a strategic maneuver!" he protested, blushing.
Gasper, sitting nearby, giggled timidly, covering his mouth with his hand. After the night training, he seemed to have become a little bolder and was now not so afraid to be in company. Jin played silently, with an inscrutable face. He won almost every game without visible effort. His phenomenal memory allowed him to calculate all combinations several moves ahead, turning the card game into a simple math exercise.
From time to time, he felt someone's gaze on him. Rias. She sat half-turned, pretending to be engrossed in conversation with Akeno, but Jin saw her blue-green eyes return to him again and again. In her gaze was a complex mixture of emotions: curiosity, wariness, gratitude, and something else he couldn't or didn't want to decipher. He diligently ignored this attention, fully focusing on the cards, but felt it almost physically, like a light tingling on his skin.
"That's it, I've had enough!" Issei groaned when Jin collected a full house for the fifth time in a row. "You're just a cheat, Jin! It's not fair!"
"Yeah, yeah, thaaat's right," he shrugged, gathering the cards.
"Maybe enough gambling for today?" Rias intervened, her voice soft but authoritative. She stood up from the sofa. "It's been a hard day, everyone needs to relax. I have a suggestion."
All eyes turned to her.
"Not far from here, in the mountains, there are thermal springs. A special place. They say their water relieves not only physical fatigue but also magical exhaustion. I think we could all use a dip."
The proposal was met with enthusiasm. Issei jumped up immediately, his eyes lighting up with anticipation.
"Springs?! With girls?! I'm in!"
"Ara-ara, a wonderful idea, Rias," Akeno purred, stretching with feline grace. "My shoulders are so tired after all these events."
Even Koneko nodded, putting aside her empty plate. Xenovia asked with interest if this water helped restore fighting spirit, to which she received an affirmative answer.
"Then it's decided," Rias smiled. "Gather in ten minutes at the exit."
The journey to the springs took no more than half an hour. Magical transport provided by the Gremory family delivered them to the foot of one of the mountains, shrouded in a light, glowing haze. From there, they had to walk along a stone-paved path winding up the slope. The air here was clean and cool, filled with the scents of unfamiliar flowers and moisture.
The springs themselves were a truly magical sight. It was a whole system of natural stone pools cascading one below the other. Water, saturated with minerals and magical energy, flowed from the upper pool to the lower ones, forming small, warm waterfalls. All this was surrounded by lush vegetation and oddly shaped rocks, and above shone the purple sky of the Underworld.
"Changing rooms are there," Rias pointed to two small wooden buildings nestled in the greenery. "Right for boys, left for girls."
Issei, hearing this, pretended to think.
"Hmm, I'm kind of confused where right is, where left is... I think I'll go... over here!"
With these words, he dashed towards the women's changing room. But he didn't manage to run far. Jin, walking nearby, didn't even slow down. His hand shot out lightning-fast, grabbed Issei by the scruff, and without changing his facial expression, he dragged the resisting and screaming Red Dragon with him into the men's changing room.
"Let go, Jin! I just wanted to say hello!" his muffled cries could be heard.
"Say hello later," Jin replied in an even tone, shoving him inside and closing the door behind him.
The men's changing room was simple but clean: wooden benches, lockers for clothes, steam from hot water seeping through cracks in the floor. Kiba had already calmly started changing. Issei, realizing his plan had failed, pouted, but also began to strip off his clothes.
Jin took off his shirt, and Issei, casting a glance at him, involuntarily whistled.
"Wow, Jin! You have a figure like a statue! Not a gram of fat, all muscle! Girls must go crazy!"
Jin ignored his compliment in typically perverted style, continuing to undress. But his attention was drawn to Gasper. The vampire stood in the corner, clutching a towel, shifting hesitantly from foot to foot. He was clearly waiting for everyone else to leave to change alone. His shyness and fear of being seen were almost tangible.
Jin sighed. This indecisiveness was starting to tire him. He chose the path of strength himself. Yet he behaves just as before.
"Gasper," his voice sounded sharp in the steam-filled room. "We won't wait for you all evening. Change."
The vampire flinched and shrank even more.
"I... I'll be right there... You go, I'll catch up..." he stammered, his cheeks flushing deep red.
Kiba tactfully turned away, pretending to look for something in his locker. Issei stared at Gasper uncomprehendingly. But Jin decided enough ceremony. Since persuasion doesn't work, direct action is needed.
He approached Gasper. The latter recoiled, his eyes filling with panic.
"What are you... what are you going to do?"
"Help," Jin answered in an even tone. His logic was simple: Gasper is shy to undress himself? So he needs help. "You're my student, right? And students should listen to their mentor. Undress."
Without waiting for an answer, Jin reached out and grabbed the collar of his school uniform, intending to pull it off. Gasper squealed. His face, previously just red, turned crimson.
"Aniki-i-i-i! NO-O-O!" his high, almost girlish scream of horror echoed through the changing room. "Don't! I'll do it myself! Please!"
He tried to fight back with his thin arms, but against Jin's iron grip, it was useless. Issei, previously watching the scene with curiosity, suddenly froze. The picture before his eyes was... ambiguous.
Absolutely naked, muscular Jin, with a cold, focused face, was trying to rip clothes off fragile, incredibly beautiful Gasper, who due to his androgynous appearance could easily pass for a girl. Gasper resisted desperately, his face burning with embarrassment, and tears about to burst from his eyes. In Issei's head, raised on hentai and dating sims, this scene instantly formed into the only possible, monstrous picture.
"JIN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" he roared, rushing forward. "LEAVE HIM ALONE! PERVERT! I KNEW YOU WEREN'T SO SIMPLE! BUT TO MOLEST GASPER?!"
He tried to pull Jin away, but he didn't even budge.
"Buzz off, Hyoudou, I'm training him," Jin tossed out unperturbed, continuing to struggle with the buttons on Gasper's shirt.
"THIS IS TRAINING?!" Issei didn't let up. "THIS IS REAL ASSAULT! GASPER, DON'T BE AFRAID, I'LL SAVE YOU FROM THIS TYRANT!"
Meanwhile, on the other side of the thin wooden wall...
"What are those screams?" Asia asked, listening worriedly.
"Voice sounds like Issei-kun," Akeno noted. "And, it seems, Gasper-kun?"
The girls fell silent, trying to make out the words.
"'Aniki-i-i! NO-O-O!'" came Gasper's desperate wail.
"'LEAVE HIM ALONE! PERVERT!'" roared Issei's voice.
"'I'M TRAINING HIM!'" answered Jin's cold voice.
"'THIS IS HARASSMENT!'"
Heavy, awkward silence hung in the women's changing room. Asia's face slowly flushed with color. Xenovia frowned uncomprehendingly. Koneko thoughtfully tilted her head to the side.
"Ara-ara..." Akeno drawled, and familiar devilish notes played in her voice. "It seems the boys are having something very... intense happen there. I wonder what kind of 'training' our Izayoi-kun arranged for poor Gasper?"
"Maybe we should check?" Rias asked anxiously. "What if it's something serious?"
"I think not," Akeno giggled. "Judging by the sounds, they'll manage themselves. Although... I would very much like to watch."