"I know that you are smart, but you'd better be quiet about what has happened here."
As he stared blankly at the ceiling of his room, Sato heard Grayfia's voice that was as cold as usual, yet contained a threat that couldn't be hidden.
"...why did you do this?"
Why did he receive all of this?
Why did all the women he met seem like perverts?
Why did they love to dominate him so much?!
"I don't know, but..." Grayfia, who had cleaned up his room, stared at him silently and said, "You just seem so easy to push."
"...." Sato.
Was he such a pushover?
Or, did he develop his Twice Critical so much that it could make people feel lust toward him, or feel comfortable?
More importantly, Grayfia is the wife of Lucifer!
If others knew... then, wouldn't he be as good as dead?
Yet, he had to say, while it was all good, he also felt that everything was dangerous.
"By the way, are you really not going to join Rias's Peerage?"
Still, he could tell that she didn't intend to let him continue to dwell on this problem as if what had happened previously was just a momentary impulse and should have been forgotten forever.
Sato stared at Grayfia, whose face was as flat as ever, and didn't even show a fluctuation of emotion despite what she had done to him. While he let out a helpless sigh, he also didn't intend to pursue this problem.
After all, what was the use?
Did he want to make her his, possess her as his woman?
"No."
Whether that answer was to answer the question within his mind or the question that was asked by Grayfia, he knew that it was unrealistic, especially if he joined Rias's Peerage members; he was afraid that he would face Rias and Grayfia together.
By then, he—
"I see..." Grayfia didn't continue to persuade him. Instead, it somehow gave her a better opinion of him as he was loyal, yet this also made her disappointed as he couldn't be part of the House of Gremory. "But, can I ask you to help Rias?"
"I think that you can rely on the owner of the Boosted Gear." Instead of him, Sato thought that it was better for them to rely on Issei, as Issei's Sacred Gear, Boosted Gear, was of a better quality than his Twice Critical.
"You think highly of him." Grayfia shook her head and said, "He is just a perverted boy who spends all of his days jerking off on porn daily. Do you think that he can fight against Riser Phenex, who has had experience in the Rating Game for a while?"
"He can."
"...." Grayfia.
"But it won't be easy, and he'll probably need to pay a certain price." Sato felt that Grayfia had understated Issei so much. "I agree with you about how he is, but he is still the current generation owner of the Boosted Gear. If he is pushed to the corner, he will do anything, unlike me, who is clearly thinking about the reality; he isn't that bright, so he will do many crazy things that you won't imagine."
"...you are right."
However—
"That's why you are better."
"..." Sato.
Issei was an element that couldn't be predicted. Even if the others tried to bet their everything on him, no one knew the result, or rather, he was like a double-edged sword.
If that blade hit their opponent, it would be great, but if that blade hurt them, then—
Yet, Sato was different, as he saw everything calmly and thought of the pros and cons of his life. Even if some might give him the greatest benefit, he would reject it as the risk was too high.
Step by step, steady steps, or simply baby steps.
For him, who had no one to rely on, his every step had to be taken carefully, or else, one wrong move, then he would be as good as dead, like those cryptocurrency investors who would jump off the building when they lost all of their money.
"Before I leave, I will give you one last piece of advice."
"What is it?"
"Stop getting horny so easily."
"..." Sato.
Grayfia let out a helpless sigh as she pointed at his immense object that grew harder as she pointed it. "Not everyone is as silly and naive as Rias and Sona, and if you show your unsightly reaction in front of others, especially those with a high status, even if you also possess this dangerous thing that can seduce anyone easily, you won't be able to get out unscathed."
"....."
Her words were contradictory since she told him that he would be either killed or forced, like what Grayfia did to him, due to his origin, which was mistaken as a giant.
The Giant.
It was a race that should be looked down upon, but with the development of cultures, it had become a race that was worshipped by many.
Even in this country, many worshipped a gigantic wooden penis on the Penis Festival, right?
"You might have potential, but now, you haven't reached the point where you can live peacefully, where you don't have to worry about being killed.
"Yes, you might have the protection of Sona's older sister, Serafall Leviathan, but it doesn't mean that you are completely safe, as you can face many things that endanger you."
As she kept talking, reminding Sato of many things with a hint of confusion, "...are you worried about me?"
"...."
Grayfia quickly shut her lips for a moment before she said coldly, "No, if you want to have such a dream, then do it when you sleep."
"..." Sato.
"Don't think what is impossible. You should just focus on serving your master, and don't get involved in many things that you can't control."
"Wait!"
As Grayfia was about to leave, Sato quickly stopped her. "One question, let me ask this question."
"What is it? Hurry up. I am not as free as you, who can sleep with the best friend of his master."
"...." Sato.
Was this her way of hiding her embarrassment?
Did she like him?
Or did she hate him?
Either way, he didn't bother to think too much since, like Miki, who had her own family and probably would prioritize her family more, he knew that Grayfia was the same.
Still—
"What if I still want to get involved despite all the troubles?" Sato asked without looking away.
This time, he was glad to ask that question as it was his first time seeing her flustered, but Grayfia wasn't the wife of Lucifer and the strongest queen for nothing.
"As I have said before, if you want to dream, you should do it during your sleep, but... if you are really serious about what you have said, you... should grow stronger since, at this moment, you are too weak.
"Then, I will leave. Goodbye."
Would they meet again?
Yes, but he wasn't sure whether the same thing would happen again.
Still, her words were also a reminder that he needed to grow stronger.
One year.
Whether he wanted to or not, he had a time limit, and that was a time before graduation, and he needed to grow even stronger to the point that he could at least protect himself from all of the cosmic-level danger.
"..."
As he lay on his bed, his eyes twitched uncontrollably, wishing to sleep, thinking that everything was a dream, yet he couldn't fall asleep, and he knew well that everything was a reality.
However, it might be a good chance for him to summon the third and the fourth Sato.