The Underworld didn't have mornings the way the human world did. There was no sunrise, no chirping birds or warm golden rays peeking through curtains. Instead, everything remained bathed in that eerie, consistent twilight — dim, yet clear.
But inside the Gremory estate, mornings had taken on a very real and very painful form.
"Again."
Grayfia's sharp voice cut through the air like a whip, firm and unyielding.
Rias and her peerage stood on the training field — panting, bruised, and coated in sweat. The soft earth had been scorched and torn in all directions, a testament to the brutal drills they'd been undergoing every day.
This wasn't the future they'd expected. In the original timeline, they were lazy, carefree nobles. But Gasper's presence — and more importantly, Grayfia's subtle divergence as Sachiko — had changed everything.
She had taken full control of their training regimen.
And she did not believe in going easy.
"Faster, Kiba," Grayfia ordered. "You're hesitating mid-step again."
"Yes, Grayfia-sama," Kiba grunted, dashing forward and vanishing in a blur of sword strikes.
Rias collapsed onto one knee, gasping. "This is insane…"
"Get up, Rias," Grayfia said without turning. "A Maou's sister shouldn't be crawling."
"Sadist," Akeno muttered with a smile as she blasted a moving target with a bolt of lightning.
Koneko stood in a corner doing handstand push-ups on two fingers, grumbling under her breath.
From the sideline bench, Gasper watched it all. He was required to attend every session — even if he wasn't always participating directly.
And just as always…
Akeno spotted him.
"Gasper~," she sang as she walked over, her combat shirt clinging to her curves. "Still watching from the sidelines? You know, if you keep staring at me like that, I'll have to start charging you."
"I-I wasn't—!" he stammered, flailing his hands.
She knelt in front of him, resting one hand gently on his thigh while brushing a damp lock of hair behind his ear. "Then were you watching Rias? Or Koneko, maybe? Or…" she leaned closer, her lips just beside his ear, "…are you secretly into your scary trainer?"
"I wasn't watching anyone like that!" he squeaked.
"Oh my~ you're trembling," Akeno whispered, giggling as she ran a teasing finger down his cheek. "You're so fun."
She finally backed off, stretching her arms above her head, and walked away without a care.
He clutched his chest. Every day, this.
Later that evening
The others had retired for the day. Now it was Gasper's turn — his private training session.
Grayfia stood in front of him in a tightly fitted black training uniform, gloves on, hair tied into a neat bun.
"Mana control, spell shaping, barrier countering," she instructed. "Focus. You're still wasting too much energy on startup phases."
"Yes, Grayfia-sama."
She waved her hand, summoning a grid of floating glyphs in a circular pattern.
"Use your fire spells to destroy only the red ones. Touching a blue one will shock you."
He nodded, concentrating as the glyphs started shifting around him.
He cast a minor flame from his palm — precise, small — and aimed it at the first red glyph.
Zap!
His arm jerked.
"You hesitated," Grayfia said, stepping behind him.
"I was trying to adjust—"
Her gloved hand suddenly wrapped gently around his wrist.
"You overthink too much," she murmured, voice low. "Your body isn't just a vessel, Gasper. It's a weapon. You need to trust it."
Her other hand slid up to his shoulder, fingers grazing his neck.
He froze.
"You're so tense…" she whispered near his ear, warm breath brushing his skin. "Does my touch make you nervous? Or do you just like the way I talk to you?"
"I—Grayfia-sama, I—!"
"Look at you," she smiled darkly, her hand moving down to rest at the small back of his, pushing him gently into posture. "You blush like a maiden. Such a soft, delicate thing…"
His legs nearly gave out.
Internally, Grayfia was smirking.
Watching him tremble, feeling him flinch, hearing his short breaths — it stirred something delicious inside her.
He was vulnerable. Fragile. Malleable.
A perfect subject for her favorite game.
She had always taken pleasure in exploiting weakness. In taking someone apart and rebuilding them in her image. Gasper was made for it.
And she had already decided: she would make him hers.
Not now. Not yet.
But soon.
Inside Gasper's Mind
His hands were steadying again, but only barely.
Every time one of them touched him — Akeno, Grayfia — he felt like he was losing control. But behind the flustered smile and shy exterior, his thoughts were… different.
They all think they can tease me forever.
One day, I'll be stronger than all of them. Stronger than even Grayfia.
And when that day came… they'd pay.
Every giggle, every sly smile, every wandering hand — I'll make them all kneel.
He looked up at Grayfia with big, innocent eyes.
"Yes, Grayfia-sama. I'm ready to try again."
Weeks Passed
Training intensified. Rias began shaping destruction magic without losing control. Koneko broke a boulder with a single punch. Kiba's sword danced like lightning. Akeno's sadistic instincts found sharper discipline.
And Gasper? He grew.
Not just in strength, but in precision. His magic expanded rapidly, enhanced by system-backed bonuses and quiet rewards.
But the teasing continued.
If anything, it worsened.
One Night — System Notification
[System Update: Mission Completed]
Mission: Upgrade Sirzechs's personal defense enchantments
Status: Success
Integrity Evaluation: Optimal
Detection Risk: 0%
Overall Impact: Strategic-level support confirmed
Gasper sat up from his meditation mat, mentally opening the reward panel.
Reward Pool (Grayfia - Reincarnator-01):
Slight Increase in Demonic Power
Charm-Nullifying Pendant
Memory Seal Token
Custom Spell Slot (One-time Creation)
Advanced Tactical Insight Skill (Passive)
Reward Pool (Gasper - System Master):
Mirrored Options Unlocked.
The system waited.
"Select rewards?" it prompted.
Gasper's eyes landed on one option in particular.
His brows lifted slightly. Unexpected. He hadn't thought this type of reward would appear so soon.
It wasn't hidden.
It was clear. Dangerous. Useful.
And it had many implications.
He sat there in silence, considering the ripples it would cause if he chose it.
A small smile crept onto his lips.
End of Chapter 3