Chapter 16: Serenity
Following the most intense and invigorating shower of his life, Vahn learned Rias's morning routine by observing Akeno before joining her in the club room to discuss the specifics of his abilities and come up with a schedule for utilizing the Corridor of Intertwined Fates. They had learned the previous afternoon that he could acquire OP from other people killing monsters, albeit at a rate divided by the number of people within, further multiplied by 10% per person, so Rias was hoping to use it to strengthen the members of her Peerage and to ensure he had sufficient resources to produce equipment for himself and them.
"We're typically on standby to respond to summons between the hours of six and ten post meridiem, so the best times to use it is immediately after school lets out or throughout the night," reasoned Rias, sitting snugly next to Vahn with the fingers of her left hand linked through his right, caressing his thumb with her own as she expressed, "My only concern is that using it too often could adversely affect our day to day lives and our perception of the importance of dates and deadlines. Even if we only used it between the hours of ten post-meridiem and six pre, that would equate to an extra 546 days by the end of this year alone."
(Her math is accurate.) stated Sis, sparing Vahn the need to calculate it himself.
Raising her gaze from their linked hands to meet Vahn's gaze, Rias's smile softened as she stated, "While high-ranking Devils can live for upwards of ten thousand years if they are not killed, you at least appear to be human. Since we are seemingly unable to enter the Corridor of Intertwined Fates without you, overutilizing it would make it appear as though you are aging very rapidly from the perspective of normal humans."
Shaking his head, Vahn contended, "That shouldn't be an issue. I may be human, but based on what I've been told, I should be able to live forever unless I'm killed..."
"Oh? Then I look forward to our long and happy relationship~" hummed Rias, gleefully narrowing her eyes. Her inability to subordinate and thus reincarnate Vahn had been a slight concern for her, but if his lifespan was as vast as he claimed, that raised different concerns.
"Could you tell me about where you came from...?" asked Rias, squeezing Vahn's hand as she sincerely and unfetteredly expressed, "I want to know everything about you..."
"I can't," responded Vahn, shaking his head as he calmly revealed, "Most of my memories from that time are gone, and those that remain are locked away. I know I was in a lab, and I remember experiencing a lot of terrible things, but the details are blurry..."
"I see..." muttered Rias, using her free hand to draw Vahn's face to her bosom as she nestled her face into his crown and expressed, "I am truly sorry you had to experience something like that..."
"I'm not..." responded Vahn, causing Rias to feel equal parts curious and confused before he raised his face from her breasts, smiling as he stated, "Because I wouldn't be here otherwise..."
"You're as smooth as a baby's bottom..." hummed Rias, rewarding Vahn's sincerity with a kiss to the top of his head. She would have kissed him on the lips, but after he was finished speaking, he promptly returned his face to her bosom, enjoying the experience of being held...