Second Chapter Go!
A week had passed since I became the Treasurer for the Student Council. Putting the idle chatter about equipment and that aside, it wasn't so bad. A little tedious but honestly not so bad. All the girls in the student council were pretty nice, they didn't push trying to get anything out of me nor did they look unhappy when I said very little or nothing at all. Putting it into thought, Sona's group was the only one that could work for me from the get-go. Of course I'd probably fit into place over time if I was say in Rias' peerage but here there are people like me in Sona and Tsubaki-san, even Yura-kun fit the bill for me personally. Though I think she was just kinda cold to everyone who didn't like what she did or considered better than her, those primarily outside of the peerage and me so far.
Nimura-chan or should I say Nim-chan was the hardest for me to deal with on the most part. Like Tomoe, our resident Knight, she was very energetic and more so than I would want in a friend. Like me, she was new to the group and she had became a member of the group right at the start of the year meaning she was technically at the same level as me in terms to loyalty within the group. Due to this and the fact that she was one of the more frequent members of the study sessions I held in the Library, she took to me the quickest in the group and tried to get me to open up. She took the desk next to mine in the Student Council room, she would come to fetch me once lunch had started to force me into eating with the whole group, she would also come to drag me out of the classroom during the first break stopping me from reading my book or reorganizing my deck. She broke my pattern, my status quo.
Despite the change that had come to my life in that week alone, I didn't dislike it. When you get into a set routine, doing something different is not good but doing something that is completely outside of you can actually be fun if you are with the right group. Tomoe and Nim-chan proved this to me, even causing me to ignore Yubel's random groans in annoyance.
The daily after-school spars were something I took with a slight indifference. The only two I didn't spar with were Sona and Nim-chan. The others I fought in their respective fields so Sona could see my point of being a Jack-of-all-trades. Tomoe was better than me with a sword but I held my own. Yura-kun could hit much harder than I could but I could definitely strike faster and recover from hits better. Tsubaki-san trumped me in combat with her naginata but I could employ my magic on the move unlike her who had to stop so we ended up in a draw. I defeated Kusaka-chan in magic combat easily thanks to it being the one type that I practised in the most, especially due to the fact that I had the ability to wield all the elements with relative ease.
Then it came down to me with Nim-chan, I was to be her tutor again but this time in combat. As a Pawn like me, we don't have a specific set of talents that we should go for like Knights have bladed weapons. Pawns are to be a Jack-of-all-trades, the stronger and more effective ones anyway. We are the underdogs of a peerage and as I already had knowledge in multiple ways of combat, it was me who was to train her. There is also the possibility that the study sessions came into play through one way or another.
Her energetic personality went over into how she could move her body. She was very agile with her petite size, it was easy to tell that has had lessons in dance previously maybe even gymnastics, possibly even rhythmic gymnastics at that. Her body had the lightly toned look that you'd expect from doing those things, it was actually pretty pleasant to see that she was already able to move the way I would want her to and like with her academic studies, she learnt pretty quickly.
The last thing to talk about that week devil-wise would be making contracts and going around giving out leaflets to put myself out there. Sona said that new devils would normally pass out leaflets themselves until they got their own familiar to go and receive theirs, only me and Nim-chan didn't have familiars as you could only go on the night of a Full Moon. Luckily though I have the ability to bring spirits to life and because of that, I was able to create yugioh monsters to go around for me and per Sona's request Nim-chan. I was half-tempted to cut off my magic completely and summon Hamon from my Sacred Beasts but i'm not sure how it would go when I summoned him, his power would annihilate everything here more than likely. In the end I just summoned 2 Winged Kuribohs to deal with our leaflets, the only reason Sona allowed this was because it gave us more time to do other things which is in turn the only reason why new devils get familiars in the first place. In the future we will be going to the familiar forest so Nim-chan can find something for herself and supposedly so I can find some strong monster seen as I won't die.
Then came Monday of the second week and the bitch of a woman i'd have to put up with.
…
I'd woken up early, gotten to school early and before pretty much everyone other than the teachers and Sona and Tsubaki-san. The reason was because my class was having a transfer student, a foreign one at that. Said transfer student was the child of a very influential person in America supposedly and someone who is a contract and friend of Sona's father, Lord Sitri. Because I was in the class that she was being put in, all the work was being put down to me. This work being showing her around the school and town, showing her the best and most famous spots for clothing or restaurants, making sure the boys know their limits and keeping the perverts away from her. The worst part was that she'd be one of my clients, my first one at that. Honestly I wasn't looking forward to it, Sona had shown me her file and everything led down a route I wouldn't ever be found going down if it wasn't for this.
I had sat myself down in the lobby area of the Headmaster's office in wait, I was there rather than the teacher's office because the Headmaster would have to grovel and suck up because this company was that influential. From what I saw it had it's hands in a lot of pots, primarily Oil though. As I waited I brought out my book and then put my glasses on before starting it.
I waited a while and got through most of the book itself until the little princess got here. She arrived in her gaudy limo once all of the other students had arrived and got into their classes meaning that I was going to be late, not something that's ever happened before. At least the reason for why would be known, I had seen the look on the teacher's faces when I dropped by to pick up a few things for the student council. The female teachers all looked a little tired thanks to the male teachers there, even though she wasn't the type i'd talk to let alone even bother of going after I could agree with the notion that was going around. She was a pretty attractive girl.
When she finally arrived in the headmaster's office, I peaked over my book to take a quick glance at her. Average height, well proportioned body that would definitely make the perverts ogle her, short blonde hair with a small patch towards the bottom at the back that reached down to her lower back. Unlike the rest of the girls already here, she wears neither the shoulder cape or it's matching corset. Pretty peculiar if you ask me. She moved pretty quickly too so I couldn't really see much else but I knew from the info sheet everything else. Light blue eyes and her name is Marina Price, her family name seemed kinda fitting honestly.
She gave me no notice, the same as the secretary as she went straight through into the headmaster's office. Typical Ojou-sama although I only know them through anime, I wonder how she'll act in accordance to all these facts.
I went back to my book for the final chapter of it, finishing it with plenty of time left before the headmaster finally finished his grovelling. Putting my book back into my bag, I relaxed back into the chair that I was sitting on. Looking around the room I could see how bare it was in accordance to liveliness. Plaques littered the walls with the odd photo here and there that had pictures of the headmaster with investors and the like. The only free picture from that group was the one I couldn't see directly but had seen before a.d it was the picture of the secretary and her young daughter. I could even tell from just looking that she didn't really enjoy being the secretary here, I had overheard a conversation where someone said that the headmaster was pretty reluctant of letting other boys see the wondrous girls here. They were his words not mine.
I tilted my head to the left slightly as I heard the clicking of heels against the ground, I saw Marina standing there expectantly.
"Hyoudou Issei, nice to meet you."
"Let's go already."
I let out a brief sigh as I stood up from my chair, I collected my bag and before I could even turn to leave her bag was dumped into my arms and I was slightly surprised at it's weight. Swinging my bag over my shoulders, I took her bag into my left hand and directed her out of the room and towards our class, 2-B.
"I'm gonna keep this brief as I can as the headmaster might have already told you. I'm the Class Rep so if anything is troubling you then i'm all ears, of course you don't have too but i'm the only person you'll get a truly neutral answer from. The first break is the time i've designated to show you around the school, if any of the girls catch your eye then you are free to go round with them and befriend them of course. After school, i'll have my class duties to do as well as pick up my papers from the Student Council room but that'll only take a few minutes at tops so i'll show you around town straight after. You can wait wherever you want so either in the classroom or in the Student Council room if you want to keep away from the boys badgering you. Is that ok with you?"
"Yes, that's fine."
Good, I didn't want you to say much else even the tone she held to answer me was pretty pissy.
Coming up to the door to our class, I knocked once before sliding it open with a spare few minutes left before the end of homeroom and luckily our homeroom teacher was our first teacher for mondays.
"Kokonoe-sensei, i've brought the transfer student."
"Thank you Issei-kun."
Kokonoe Haru was one of the better teachers here in the school and one who knew about the devils here, she was also one who helped me out giving me some higher grade stuff to deal with. She was also our math's teacher.
Turning my head briefly to look at Marina, I nodded my head to the side gesturing her to come in before going over to my seat placing my bag down and then putting her bag at the open spare seat just to my left. Luckily I held the Anime Protagonist's seat at the back by the window, taking my place the teacher spoke up.
"Class, we've got a foreign transfer student today. Price-san, please introduce yourself."
Marina gave Kokonoe-sensei a swift glance before turning to us all with a seemingly superficial smile which caused the girls to look on suspiciously and the males to have hearts bursting out of their eyes.
"My name is Marina Price. It's a pleasure to meet you all, please look after me during my time here."
As soon as I heard that I made a light groan at the back of the class which didn't pass by the two girls in front of me who let out a quiet snicker in response. I didn't bother to remember their last names but I remembered that they were the Yuri twins and by that I mean their first name was both Yuri and not that they were lesbians though they just might well be.
Amidst the swooning boys I could hear some of the mumbled responses from the girls about her blonde hair, ample breasts and light skin. While I can see why it could be considered desirable I couldn't really care less myself about changing to fit the public, if they don't like how I am now then stuff them.
"Ok Price-san, i'm sure you have already been informed about Issei-kun so if you ever have any trouble then speak to him or any member of staff. Your seat will be the empty one beside him."
As Marina walked through the class and took her seat next to mine, I could feel the annoyance and murderous intent coming from the boys in the class. Their annoyance at the fact that the 'Beautiful Foreign Girl' sits next to me, the only boy who doesn't show interest in the girls here. Supposedly it was a waste and I could find no reason to back up that statement, it was ridiculous.
…
That day was not one that I wanted to have again. I'm sure it was as boring for her as it was me, maybe. Despite living in this town for my whole life I actually don't know it all that well. I don't know which restaurant is best or has the sweetest cakes or even which clothes store is the most fashionable. All I ever needed to know was where the local bookstore and the train station was, everywhere else wasn't really needed. That obviously showed on my tour around the town and even when I took her back to the house that was bought for her and whatever servants she had to live with her.
I couldn't help but sigh on my whole way back to school and in turn the Student Council room.
"Issei-kun, you are back. How did it go?"
As soon as I entered the room Sona spoke to me.
"Life changing. I didn't know we had so many clothes stores."
A soft chorus of laughter from the girls in the room came at my annoyance to the whole thing as I lazily plopped myself down at my desk.
"I'd have better company from a rotting corpse. She is just a brat, through and through. If you hadn't specified that this was a part of a Devil Job/Contract I would denied doing it and dealt with whatever punishment you had for me."
"Then how about you alleviate that?"
I turned round to face Sona with a hint of confusion on my face but once her desk came into view, I saw a chess set out of the desk.
"Chess. You've played before correct?"
"Yeah, you could say that."
Standing up from my desk, I dragged my chair over to Sona's desk and sat down opposite her. The others here stopping their work to come and watch. I already know that she is meant to be really good, well that's what I get from just looking at her anyway. Winning or losing is completely 50/50.
Taking off my glasses I allowed my eyes to accustom themselves to the pieces in front of me. I watched Sona take her first move, it was a slow one but not through thought of what she would do. Through her movement I felt like she would play by putting herself against however I moved my pieces, change her strategy as I made my moves.
The first two moves went like this, Sona moved her pawn on either end where I moved the pawn in front of my king one place compared to her two places and then my King into the gap made by the pawns movement. Seeing her reaction was a good one because I know by fact that players who actively use their Kings never move it so early, they send out their force and then move their King.
Sona then moved her two knights turning into the centre of the board rather than the outside. I then surprised Sona by making the same moves with my pawn and King to my Pawn and Queen right next to it. I had stumped her there, what I was doing was not in any strategy. It was just simply being bold despite the earliness in the game but that was what helped me out by the end.
The game ended in a draw. Chess in itself is a strategy game just like what Yugioh is but of course it's strategies are completely different but strategy nonetheless. The game was nothing but a draw the whole way through, on the turns that she just moved a piece were the turns that I just moved a piece and on the turns where she took one of my pieces was a turn where I took one of hers. Unlike Yugioh I can't set up my pieces before it so I can't have set strategies like I want so I simply counter what's been put before me, I look for the optimal places to hit back and put my pieces in those places. While it's a hard and unusual thing to do, it works against any opponent because of how different the tactic is. I'm nowhere near familiar enough with the game to go all-out and try to win so I just counter, I do the same for when I play shogi.
The fact that it was a draw stunned the occupants of the student council, they had all suspected me to lose because while I am book-smart they know about me and Yugioh so they could come to the conclusion that i'm good at before-hand preparation. Amidst the stunned expression were a smirk that Sona held.
"Again?"
That was the question that Sona asked while keeping her smirk and to which I just nodded to in response before moving all my pieces back onto the board in their respective places.
In this second game we both made the same play although this time I moved the Queen and its pawn before the King and its pawn. That was my signal for the fact that I was changing how I played slightly. I played it haphazardly making her confidence and thought shift in how I was playing. In the first game I set myself up for the counters but here I played strangely but set all of her pieces up so they could be taken in two ways when she moved her foremost pieces.
The thought which came to me when I wanted to do this play was tightrope and piranha. You are safe off the tightrope but once you get on it, multiple are gonna try and nip at you. That was the play itself with the forefront pieces being the tightrope, once her pieces got into a suggestive area my pieces, the piranha, would nip and take her piece. The problem being it could also be considered plain old swapping of pieces as her back pieces could take mine in response. My strategies are off, I keep away from the usual ones because they could make me look better than I am or simply give the opponent more times to take a piece as they are the usual strategies.
This strategy though was the only strategy I had which would result in me getting a win when I played against my family and it didn't let me down here with the game ending in my win when it got down to my King, Queen and Pawn-Promoted Queen against Sona's King with my King being more forward in the attack compared to my Queens. This itself elicited more stunned expressions that were kept during the whole game, this time though Sona was as stunned as her peerage.
I, myself, was completely indifferent like I usually am. Winning in something like this does not give me a satisfying feeling and losing doesn't make me feel down at all. It wasn't the hobby that Yubel had got me into therefore I barely held a true interest in it.
"Issei-senpai won!"
The joyful cheer came from Nim-chan who was behind me the whole time watching both games from over my shoulder like in a 3rd person video game. I'm pretty sure that if I wasn't sitting she would have jumped on me in celebration and for one that annoys me slightly because I can't truly see why she does it. I'm unsure whether her energetic personality stems that far or if it's an attraction towards me, i'm not too sure.
"He did."
The stony response was from Sona who came out of her stupor and just stared straight into my eyes that were lacking the pride one usually gains from winning.
"You expected the victory, Hyoudou-kun?"
That's what she is thinking?
"Not in the slightest Kaichou. Winning in anything bar the lone game I enjoy doesn't spur any joy to me, I don't have an interest in excelling in any other game. Even if i'm good from the start, it really just doesn't bother me."
"Hmm … that's fine. Everyone, you are dismissed for tonight."
I was the first to get up and leave the Student Council room, the reason being I was the only one living elsewhere. The rest of the girls lived together as a part of building up loyalty and familiarity between each other. Sona hadn't asked me yet and I say yet because I can tell that it's pure scepticism. Even though I keep to myself, they don't really know what i'm like in private. They really don't know if I would try anything if I was in the same house as them, most mind find that a little hurtful but it doesn't bother me.
Giving the group a small wave, I leave for the day.
As I left the school building I could see Rias and her peerage leaving the old school building where their clubroom is located. I couldn't help but narrow my eyes when I saw Saji from their group look at me, I couldn't help but feel like he was scowling at me for some reason. Perhaps he is feeling incompetent.
Once I got to the gate I had met up with Rias' group, not that I wanted to but for some reason they stopped to wait for me.
"Issei-kun, how is the new girl doing?"
"If you are trying to taunt me then don't bother even talking to me."
I continued on walking straight past the group not wanting to bother with anything. My annoyed state rose a point further when I felt the shadows of Vritra spur into life and start coming after me, they were still weak. There was no chance at all that a possible week of training would be able to stop what i've achieved in 11 years. I took no notice of it and broke free with no hassle at all and just carried on walking, only lifting up my right hand to wave back to them in response.
…
The whole top floor for the apartment complex that my parents owned, one that was over 5 stories tall with 6 apartments per floor. With my winnings I decided to buy out the whole top floor just for myself giving me what I wanted in space and freedom but still being close to be with my parents if needed, the money then went to my parents for improving the rest of the complex.
All 6 of the apartments on this floor were then knocked into one and renovated. I used 2 apartments on one side for living purposes while the third on that side was for kitchen alone and all its appliances and food. These 3 rooms were all open plan making it one huge room but it got even bigger as I used the apartment directly opposite of the only door I have into my apartment used for shelves for all of my books.
The next two rooms were then closed off and they were my bedroom and bathroom, the bathroom which you could only enter through my bedroom. My bedroom was where I kept all of my Yugioh cards in protective sleeves and in alphabetical order perfectly once sorted into their categories for card types such as Monster, Effect Monster, Ritual, Fusion and so on. Recently I had to put in a new shelf for the Pendulum monsters.
Just above this was the roof, a completely barren roof and the place I use to just relax as no one else goes there or can go there really. Using the demonic body I inherited from Yubel I am able to jump from the outside balcony area up onto the roof. It was also a good collection point, I could see pretty far around especially with Yubel's eyes. Using the height from the building it even gave me a better calculation for where things were, such as the four Fallen Angels and numerous priests in the area. From here I could follow their signatures perfectly, even better now thanks to the 7 Mutated Pawns that live inside my chest.
As I stood up on the roof with my wings out and my eyes in focus, I could sense a new presence entering the area. One of a nun, one that made the rosario around my neck quiver. It was a similarity, one that breaks the fragile barrier between the factions. One that Yubel desired to create many years ago.
Yubel is actually pretty well-known to the Three Factions, the older members at least. She was the Demonic Spirit Priestess, the one being who commanded the spirits of the Underworld and used them in combat against the Angels. Rather than speaking or praying to them, she spoke to them through her eyes, all 3 of them. The 3rd eye being the strongest form of speech for her and the one that controlled the shackles over the Demonic Sacred Beasts, the beasts created from the original Lucifer's elements. Demonic energy, Thunder and Fire.
Yubel was and still is regarded as a High-class Demon rather than a High-class Devil. The priestess of spirits that ranged greatly in power from newborns all the way up to Ultimate-class Demons, as long as it was Demonic in form she could talk to it and control it.
That leads me to why my rosario is reacting to this new presence within town. Yubel also had the affinity for Holy spirits despite her Demonic body, she could talk to them and calm them but she wanted to do more. She was a Demon that cared greatly for her own race and with her caring thoughts in mind she set out to purify herself so she could speak and control the spirits of the world. This all came at a great price though, a price which was her life. A price which she was more than glad to pay.
And that's why she was with me now and why my rosario was reacting to this newcomer. I held the ability to control all spirits regardless of their nature but I was still a demon, those two points fit hand in hand just like the presence ahead of me. This being had the ability to make spirits protect her through her pure and innocent nature because she was a Child of God but that wasn't just it. She had an affinity for spirits and magic, unlike anyone else. Thanks to Yubel I have the affinity for all magic but there are some who have the affinity for specific elements. Sona has water, the Phoenix clan had Fire and Wind but this girl, this girl who was the opposite of me had the affinity for Dragons. Something which made me tingle deep inside my left arm.
A human with the affinity for Dragon is rarer than rare. Comparable to the true Dragon Priests/Priestesses of old, lacking in information and knowhow, they also never knew their greatness. This young girl though, wrapped in the garb of a nun at the same age as me with her long blonde hair and beautiful emerald eyes, had the ability to heal. A Sacred Gear that wasn't prejudiced and healed anything that she wanted to heal.
This girl and I, we are kindred spirits. She is not someone I can allow the Fallen Angels to take ahold of. Sona be damned, this girl is to be more important to me than anything else. Her reputation and a potential stray status for me has no hold at all over the decision I've just made.
This nun will join us, she will join me.
There is the second chapter and one which brings Asia into play.
Asia is a character that's on the back burner in Canon, i feel that she is really underplayed as a character.
Personally, i like her character despite the fact she won't fight.
Doing this story the way i am though can change that pretty well plus change up dynamics for the future events.
The transfer student is someone who is important to Issei's devil life but won't have that much relevancy.
She will have her parts here and there, mainly small but she will have her times when i bring up her actual contracts in the future.
I decided to create a fitting back story for Yubel and the Sacred Beasts.
While it's not something that directly fits from GX, it works in this scenario.
Ciao.
