Starting with No Game No Life: Infinite Chests

"Good evening, big sisters", Kunou suddenly bowed politely to everyone.

This immediately left Rias and the others a little embarrassed. After all, when faced with such a polite and well-mannered little girl, it would seem childish for them to keep making a fuss. On top of that, with Kunou's adorable looks, they couldn't really bring themselves to dislike her.

"I told you, I had some things to do today. I went treasure hunting," Riku shrugged nonchalantly.

"Treasure hunting?" Rias echoed, puzzled.

The only one who smiled knowingly was Schwi, but she didn't say anything. Even she couldn't always explain Riku's actions.

"I happened to run into the Hero Faction of the Khaos Brigade, so I wiped them out and recovered three Longinus." Riku casually took out True Longinus, Dimension Lost, and Annihilation Maker from his system storage as he spoke, showing them off as if they were nothing.

"Uh…"

"They really were unlucky, huh?" Rias and Akeno exchanged odd glances.

"No, that was divine punishment. They deserved it," Irina declared piously, gripping her cross with both hands.

The other girls could only offer a moment of silence for the Khaos Brigade. With their power, they could have stirred up trouble anywhere in the world, yet they ran into Riku.

"Hmph! They weren't unlucky; they got what they deserved! They kidnapped my mother and tried to use Kyoto's dragon veins to summon the Great Red. Thankfully, Lord Riku passed by, or things could have ended very badly!" Kunou huffed, still filled with anger at the now-dead Cao Cao and his group.

Hearing this, Rias and the others fell silent. Cao Cao really did have a bizarre obsession with summoning the Great Red…

By this point, everyone had accepted Kunou as a new member and stopped pressing for details.

Riku just smiled in relief. Good thing no one was making a scene anymore, or he really would have had to reestablish his authority as the man of the house!

The night continued to be lively. Only Riku could enjoy the sight of so many beautiful girls wrapped in towels after their baths.

Of course, Riku wasn't actually focused on the girls after their baths; he was playing video games with Koneko and Schwi.

Well, to be precise, he was watching Schwi and Koneko play, with a curious Kunou watching on the side.

"Ugh, lost again," Koneko said gloomily, setting down the controller in frustration. She'd gotten used to it by now, but losing every time was still a blow. Schwi really was unfairly strong at games.

No matter the game, no one could beat Schwi except Riku himself. Even then, he could only eke out a win by going all-out, and in overall record, they were about even.

"Riku-sensei, help me beat Schwi!" Koneko finally decided to ask for help, handing the controller to Riku with an expectant look. Every time she lost, Riku was her only hope for revenge.

"Alright, I'll give it a shot," Riku said with a smirk, taking the controller.

"Hm, Lord Riku doesn't seem as imposing as I imagined… Would a typical god really play video games like this?" Kunou tilted her head, puzzled.

"Kunou, Riku-sensei isn't like those uptight gods," Koneko explained.

"He might be imposing outside, but at home and at school, he's very laid-back," she added with a small smile.

"I see…" Kunou blinked and looked at Riku, who was locked in a fierce battle with Schwi, and nodded as if she kind of understood.

A minute later, Riku was KO'd by Schwi.

"Even Riku-sensei lost, huh?" Koneko muttered. "Guess there's no revenge for me tonight…"

"I'm ahead again, Riku!" Schwi said smugly, staring at him.

"Yeah, yeah, you're the best," Riku said with a dramatic eye roll. Playing games with Schwi was more exhausting than fighting all out, but he enjoyed it.

"Um, Lord Riku, could you teach me to play games too?" Kunou piped up, unable to hold back her curiosity.

"Eh?" Riku blinked in surprise, then smiled and nodded. "No problem." Another loli, falling into the gaming trap…

"But this time, let Schwi teach you. I have a little something I need to do," he added.

"Aww, okay." Kunou looked a little disappointed, but didn't throw a fit. She turned to Schwi with a happy smile. "Schwi-sama, please teach me!"

"Just call me Schwi," Schwi replied with a small nod, patting the couch next to her. She was always happy to teach people who wanted to play games.

"Koneko, come with me for a minute." Seeing the two lolis getting along so quickly, Riku smiled, then turned to Koneko.

"…Huh?" Koneko was surprised, but obediently followed him.

The two of them walked to the bedroom.

"Riku-sensei, is there something you wanted?" Alone with Riku in a room for the first time (they'd always slept together with the other girls), Koneko couldn't help but get a little nervous. Her face flushed bright red, making her look even more biteable than usual.

Even though she'd often slept beside Riku (even naked, with the others), she'd never been this tense. Being alone with him was different.

Her mind started to wander.

"Here, Koneko, I have something for you," Riku said, easily picking up on her mood. He smiled gently and patted her head.

With that, Riku took out the White Tiger Divine Beast Fragment from his storage.

"…What's this?" Koneko, still blushing, stared at the white shard that faintly took the shape of a white tiger.

"A White Tiger Divine Beast Fragment. It can reside inside a youkai, and lets the host wield power beyond the ordinary," Riku explained simply.

"——!" At this, Koneko's first reaction wasn't happiness but fear. Her face went pale, and her eyes filled with terror and confusion.

"Riku-sensei… Did you know all along that I'm a youkai?" she asked, her expression full of complex emotions.

"Yeah. Your real name is Shirone Toujou. You're a rare nekomata, a powerful youkai. I know everything about your past," Riku said gently, stroking her head. "If I told you I knew about you from the very start, and it was because of you that I wiped out the entire Naberius Clan, would you believe me?"

Riku's words made Koneko's body tremble as she stared at him in disbelief.

Riku's words about wiping out the Naberius clan were no exaggeration. When he first arrived in the Underworld, he encountered the Naberius family.

The first thing that came to his mind was the Naberius clan's cruelty toward the Koneko sisters. So, even if none of the later events had happened, he'd already intended to annihilate the Naberius family.

As for the true culprit behind Asia's exile from the church, Diodora Astaroth, heir to House Astaroth, Riku simply ordered his execution, not even bothering to explain why.

When it came to those close to him, Riku was fiercely protective. Anyone who dared harm a character he cared about would be crushed without mercy.

"So that's how it is…" Koneko looked up blankly at Riku, who towered over her. When she learned that Riku had destroyed the Naberius clan because of those crimes, she was stunned, and her affection for him only grew deeper.

That's why, back when Rias and the others were still a bit distant from Riku, Koneko was always at his side.

She hadn't realised that Riku had destroyed the Naberius clan for her sake, though the family's own actions doomed them; she could sense Riku's sincerity.

Koneko didn't want to recall her dark past, which was why she always hid her youkai bloodline. Now, with everything laid bare, she found that her old negative feelings had faded away.

"Riku-sensei, you really are sly…" Koneko whispered, her eyes growing red as she easily guessed Riku's true intentions.

"It's not good to keep things bottled up inside," Riku shook his head softly. "It'll only break you down. Actually, about your sister Kuroka, she did what she did to protect you…" Riku began.

"Riku-sensei, I already guessed as much…" Koneko blinked, her expression complicated. "When the truth about the Naberius clan came out after their fall, I understood everything."

"My sister… she did it all to protect me, didn't she?" Koneko said softly.

"Yeah…" Riku was slightly surprised, then sighed. So Koneko had realised long ago. That also explained why she'd been so close to him from the start; it wasn't just his charm.

"Even though my sister was protecting me, she still did some wrong things. She shouldn't have kept doing bad things after escaping the Underworld, continuing to fall, even joining the Khaos Brigade," Koneko said gloomily, recalling what she'd learned from the Monkey King.

"If she won't come back, just drag her back and teach her a lesson," Riku said matter-of-factly, patting Koneko's head.

"So, take this," he added, holding out the Divine Beast fragment in his hand.

"But, Riku-sensei, you've already done so much for me, and now you're giving me a gift… I…" Koneko looked conflicted.

"It's fine. I have my own motives too. I want to win your heart and keep you by my side. I'm not letting you go, Koneko," Riku said, winking teasingly.

"…Mm!" Hearing his confession, Koneko's delicate face flushed scarlet, her emotions finally showing. She shyly nodded, whispering, "I'll never leave you, Riku-sensei."

"That's more like it. So, take this fragment. As for your sister, you'll have to defeat her and bring her back yourself. For that, you'll need power," Riku said seriously.

"Understood." With that, Koneko nodded firmly, no longer hesitating as she took the White Tiger Divine Beast fragment from Riku's hand.

As soon as the fragment touched her, it merged into her petite body.

A faint white tiger's roar echoed, and Koneko's usually hidden cat ears and tail appeared in an instant.

At that moment, Koneko's cuteness hit its peak, making Riku's eyes light up.

If Koneko wasn't in the middle of her transformation, he would have been unable to resist touching her ears and tail, just to see how they felt.

"She'll need some time, let's step outside," Riku thought, sensing Koneko's state and making sure nothing was wrong. He set up a barrier and left the room.

Outside, Rias and the others were startled by the sudden surge of energy and looked over in shock.

"…Riku-sensei, what happened in there?" Rias couldn't help but ask.

"Nothing much. I just gave Koneko something," Riku replied with a relaxed smile.

Hearing that, Rias and the others were speechless. So simply giving Koneko something could cause such a commotion? And now her power was skyrocketing? That was terrifying.

"Lord Riku, my body feels strange…" At that moment, Kunou's voice rang out, drawing everyone's attention. Kunou's face was flushed as she looked at her feverish body, clearly alarmed.

"The Divine Beast fragment inside Kunou must've been triggered by Koneko's transformation. Well, it's as good a time as any to activate it and make it Kunou's own power," Riku mused, quickly understanding the situation.

Then, under the puzzled gazes of all the girls, he brought Kunou into Koneko's room.

"Ara, what's going on?" Akeno wondered.

"Riku probably gave Koneko a new power, and from my analysis, Kunou has a similar one. Now the two of them are resonating. But this is good for both of them. After it's over, they'll probably become Maou-class powerhouses, and very strong ones at that," Schwi explained calmly.

Hearing this, Rias and the others gasped. To become that strong, just like that, was truly a single leap to the top.

Sure, they'd met plenty of Maou-class beings thanks to Riku even seen some get one-shotted, but that was only possible for Riku. In reality, the Maou-class was still the peak of power in this world. As long as you weren't an enemy, people would treat you with the utmost respect.

Even Asia, Xenovia, and Irina had only become pseudo-Maou class after turning into angels. While they all had potential, none of them had leapt to the top so quickly…

"…Kinda makes you jealous, doesn't it?" Rias and Akeno exchanged wry, conflicted smiles.

They used to be the strongest. Now, it seemed, they were the weakest. That really was a bit demoralising.