Fallen Scales

Confrontations

Disappointed. Deceived. Betrayed. No words could describe what Issei was feeling. Something told him to listen in on what Rias and Akeno were talking about. So, he did just that. But soon after... He wished he never did.

When he came to Kuoh he decided to act oblivious to any flirts or advancements made onto him. He knew of the feelings that some classmates harbored for him. That included Rias and Akeno. While the ladder of the two was much more forward about her feelings, the former was much more passive. The nervousness she had around him was much more than a regular girl being nervous around her crush. No, it was much more of her being worried about something. It somewhat bothered Issei but he never decided to look into it as he thought it wasn't anything major. But after hearing their conversation he realized how major it actually was.

What stuck out to him the most was how Rias claimed how if she couldn't get him to love her then she would have to marry some man named Riser. He assumed she meant Riser Phenex as he was the only high-class Riser he could think of. But it didn't make sense. Why would Issei be a deciding factor in whether or not Rias would end up marrying the Phenex. The Elders would have surely forced her to marry him whether she liked it or not.

Unless there was something he didn't know about.

What if Rias had another option for who she would marry. Surely, she would rather choose the other option as Riser Phenex would never be a first choice for any woman outside of his peerage. Issei thought the situation through and was led to one conclusion. He was the second choice. All the signs pointed to that direction. The nervousness and her attraction towards him seemingly out of nowhere. At least Akeno had a decent reason for her attraction to him. He had to conclude that somehow, he was engaged to Rias. It would explain why she would have a sudden attraction to him. But this revelation led to more questions than answers. The most important of all being. Who authorized the engagement?

The Devils couldn't forcefully have the son of the Governor General be engaged to the sister of the current Devil King Lucifer. Not even the Elders had that much power. If they didn't authorize this then only one person could've. Azazel himself. It was the only explanation. Azazel has been going to see Sirzechs more often than he used to in the past few months. It was the perfect way to set it up. But there was one problem with his theory. Penemue wouldn't allow such a thing to happen. Would she?

Issei hoped to say that Penemue would be against Issei being engaged to anyone else. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that wasn't the case. He recalled to the day where Raynare pleaded for Penemue to help her get closer to Issei. He also remembered how Penemue hadn't told Raynare that the two were already in a relationship to get her to back off. The idea of Raynare having to share a one-bedroom apartment should have raised some suspicion as Penemue would have never let that happen.

Now he didn't know what to think. The woman he loved the most kept such a major secret from him. He felt betrayed, Lost, and alone. The one woman he loved and would do anything for is pushing for him to have more lovers? He was confused, dejected, and despondent, what type of woman would willingly want to share her lover? He got the whole Harem subject, but he was positive if any of those girls could have their lover all to themselves they would without any hesitation. Was Penemue hiding more then he thought? He felt sick just thinking about it. He needed answers, and he needed them fast, and the only place he would get them was in the Grigori.

He summoned a magic circle next to his ear and contacted Penemue.

"Issei? What's wrong did something happen?" Penemue asked, clearly confused by the sudden call.

"Nothing's wrong I just need you to get Azazel and meet me in my room at HQ. There's something I need some clarification on" Issei replied. His voice held no emotion. It was hollow. Void of any feelings he had.