—~—
Junes was the name of a chain of department stores that had sprung up all over Japan over the past few years. Our local one was in a huge complex, inside which were several dozen other smaller stores as well as a food court.
The main entrance to the complex was large and at the top of a wide set of steps, beyond which sat several glass double doors that were perpetually open during the day, with a constant stream of people walking in and out.
I walked in amongst the throng of people and just went with the flow until I finally arrived at Junes and broke off from the crowd.
Junes had a little bit of everything. It had electronics, toys, clothes, furniture—you name it and it probably had it.
It also had… some really hot employees!
I smiled brightly, unable to help myself as I made my way over to the information kiosk near the front entrance of Junes.
It was manned by a cute twenty something girl with a petite set of breasts—named Ruri according to her nametag. We made eye contact and she smiled at me. A pair of cute dimples formed on her cheeks.
"Hello, how can I help you?" She asked me politely.
I somehow managed to resist telling her that the only way she could help me was by letting me take her out on a date.
"I was told that Junes was hiring?"
"We are!" She said brightly, her smile infectious. "In fact, the branch manager is conducting some interviews right now—and we just had an interviewee cancel. If you'd like I can ask the branch manager if he'd be willing to see you?" She offered, her tone surprisingly hopeful.
Could it be… she liked me?!
"Oh please!" I said eagerly, nodding rapidly.
She gave a soft laugh and nodded. "It'd be nice to have a man around to help with the heavy lifting," she said, her tone teasing as she picked up the phone beside her and pressed a few buttons.
She thought I was a man! I found myself puffing up slightly.
A few minutes later after talking with whoever was on the other end, she smiled at me and put the phone back down. "Looks like it's your lucky day," she said brightly. "Do you know where the staff office is?"
I shook my head. "I can figure it out though, thanks for your help though, Ruri-chan!" I said, giving her a happy wave before making my way in search of my destiny.
It turned out that the staff office was in the centre of the whole place, directly between electronics and women's lingerie. I may have taken a minor detour past the lingerie section once or twice—three times at most. It may or may not have been because of a pleasant looking bottle blonde with a faint sign of crow's feet and an ass you could have bounced a coin off of.
Eventually I found myself standing in a room with several chairs alongside one wall, whilst the other was occupied by a receptionist's desk and a door that read 'Branch Manager'.
The receptionist was pretty in a prim and proper way. Her dark hair was tied back into a bun and she wore a white blouse.
"You must be the new interviewee I was told about," She said, giving me a polite smile. She set a clipboard in front of me as well as a pen. "Fill this out. The manager will see you soon."
I thanked her and picked them up, making my way over to one of the empty seats and sitting down.
I clicked the pen and held up the clipboard. On it was a form with a bunch of lines, empty fields and questions.
The questions seemed standard enough.
Name? Hyoudou Issei. Age? Sixteen. Experience? None. Availability? After school and weekends.
Measurements?
I blinked at that one, before I saw that it had a checkbox for non-applicable.
I finished the form soon enough and handed it back to the receptionist.
She smiled as she accepted it and assured me that the wait wouldn't be long.
An hour later I was jolted awake by the sound of a door hinge squeaking and a loud boisterous voice.
The receptionist stiffened and her pleasant smile became a bit more forced.
The door to the manager's office swung open and out came a… slightly dishevelled looking lady. Her cheeks were slightly flushed and several of the buttons of her blouse hadn't been done up. We made eye contact very briefly before she averted her eyes.
I watched as a large hand settled on her shoulder and followed it up to its owner.
Its owner was a middle aged man—slightly pudgy and with a wispy looking goatee. His thin hair was drawn back into a manbun. "I think you'll fit in well with our family here at Junes," he said, "If you can bring the same attitude to work that you brought to the interview, you'll go far!" he said, earning a weak smile from the interviewee. "Handle the rest of the details, would you?" He asked, turning toward the receptionist briefly, before he noticed me.
"Come in," He said, gesturing for me to follow him.
I quickly stood up from my seat and followed him in as he walked back inside his office. "Take a seat," he said, gesturing to one of two seats in front of his desk.
I looked around the office as I walked in.
The manager's desk was covered in paperwork that had been shoved to one side or the other to make room in the middle. On one pile was a worn looking name place that read: Akamine Souji, Branch Manager. Behind it there was a high-backed chair as well as several filing cabinets. One of the walls was practically covered in monitors, each showing a different part of Junes. I couldn't help but notice that several had been zoomed in on the cashier's desks—my eyes were immediately drawn to a tantalizing display of cleavage from one of the staff manning the checkouts.
"The monitors have great resolution, don't they?"
I quickly averted my gaze as I realized I had been leering and gave an awkward laugh as I scratched the back of my head. "Sorry—couldn't help myself," I said, wincing as I quickly sat down in one of the chairs and set my hands on my knees.
The manager—Souji—waved his hand. "Don't worry about it kid. I remember when I was your age. As long as you keep your hands off the merchandise we won't have a problem," he said, his tone amicable.
I felt a wave of relief go through me and I gave him a grateful smile.
He smirked at me. "That last one—the one I was with before, she was pretty wasn't she?"
I froze. I had no idea how to respond to that… was this a… test? Was he trying to catch me out or was he being serious? What was I supposed to say!
I found him looking at me expectantly.
I took a deep breath. "I didn't really get a good look at her face," I admitted, giving him a wry smile.
He let out a barking laugh and slammed a hand against the desk. "Aha! I knew it, you've got a fine eye kid!" He lifted a hand and gestured at the monitors. "I'm very selective about who I hire—gotta keep the customers happy, you know? Nothing gets customers spending money like cute girls!"
I nodded as he imparted his sage knowledge to me. Truly this was a wise man, for he knew what lay within the hearts of mortal men.
I had to make a good impression!
"You're absolutely right!" I agreed instantly. "Nothing sells things like cute girls! They get this look in their eye and you just don't want to disappoint them! This seems like an awesome place to work!"
Souji snapped his fingers. "Exactly! You understand. I'm glad we were able to reach an understanding," He said with a beaming smile.
I resisted the urge to let out a cheer, and somehow managed to stay professional. "So, when can I start?" I asked.
He blinked once. "…You aren't starting," he told me, and frowned. "I thought we'd reached an understanding?"
I felt… confused.
"You're… not going to hire me?"
"No," he told me bluntly. "I only hire cute girls—what use would I have for a guy like you?"
I watched my beautiful future—a future surrounded by attractive salesgirls—shatter into untold pieces.
Now that I thought about it… I hadn't really seen another guy working in this Junes, had I? All I'd seen were girls. It had been why I had been so excited, hadn't it?
This… this wasn't fair!
"Can't I do anything to convince you?" I all but pleaded. "I really need a job!"
He scoffed. "Sorry kid, you ain't got the parts you'd need to convince me." He paused, and a look of consideration crossed his features. He sighed. "Look, I'm not a monster kid. You reminded me of, well a younger me. That's part of the reason I can't hire you, you know? The sexual harassment claims would put me in an uncomfortable position."
He lifted up a bundle and paperwork and pulled out a brightly coloured sheet of vouchers. He folded the upper half and then casually tore free one. "Here, this'll get you a nice discount on a video console. It's not a job, but it's better than nothing right?"
I looked down at the voucher as he held it out to me.
I sighed and reached out, taking it from him. "…thanks, I guess…" I said dejectedly as I stood up.
He stood up and walked me to the door, opening it and clapping me on the back heavily, causing me to stumble forward a few feet. I flinched as the door shut behind me with a heavy thud.
The receptionist gave me a pitying look that made me feel even worse. "Here, let me validate that voucher for you, sweetheart," she said kindly. "Otherwise it won't be worth the paper it's made out of."
Funny… he hadn't said that it needed to be validated. I moved over to the receptionist's desk, my legs feeling wooden.
She took the voucher from my hand and used a heavy looking stamp on it before handing it back. "Would you like me to keep your form on file just in case… we get a change of management?"
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.
Half an hour later I found myself sitting on a bench in the food court, the stamped voucher clutched in my hand.
I was feeling many, many things, and none of them felt pleasant. I didn't even have the words to describe how I was feeling.
I was upset.
I was angry.
I was embarrassed.
This… this wasn't fair! I had seen the Promised Land! It had been there! I could have touched it—I would have been fired, but I could have!—it had been that close to me that I could taste it in the air!
But.
But a fat, vile, ugly troll had appeared in front of me at the last second and denied me what was rightfully mine! Without a job I was never going to see my beloved figurine delivered into my hands!
No, more than that… he had said something unforgivable.
He had said that I reminded him of himself!
I was livid.
I was nothing like that bastard!
I had seen all the signs on that girl when she had left the office—it was clear that he—she—they had done it in the room! He'd forced that poor girl to do unspeakable—unthinkable things!
Unthinkable because thinking about it would have involved thinking about that fat asshole naked! The simple thought of potentially thinking about it made me retch.
This wasn't fair!
This wasn't right!
I… I had to do something! To protect those beautiful girls!
But…
I slumped forwards.
What could I even do?
Faunus made itself known in my moment of need.
"You can do anything you desire," It told me. "All you need is the will to move, and the rest will follow."
I could do anything I desired? I don't know about desire, but I really wanted to punch that asshole right in his face! But if I did that I'd get in a ton of trouble, wouldn't I? Maybe I could slash his tires? But how would I find out which car was his?
I almost found myself lost in my plans for reven—justice, when a spark of inspiration hit me.
I was going about this all wrong!
I was thinking like the old Issei! The old Issei who didn't happen to… to…
I had no idea what sort of crazy super powers I'd gained from Faunus awakening but—that didn't matter. I knew that I had them. More than that, I knew that this guy had a… what did Igor call them? Demo… Demi… Demen… Demesne! Right! This guy definitely had one as well—or at least I think he did, if I had understood what Igor had said.
"Am I right, Faunus?" I asked, glancing up at the glass ceiling of the food court. I absently noted that it was beginning to get dark outside and the lights were beginning to flicker to life inside the building.
"You do not need me to tell you what you already know."
I nodded, accepting his response for what it was.
He was right. I didn't know how I knew—but I did.
This guy existed in the World of Desire.
I thought back to Matsuda and the spontaneous change he had undergone. The shift in his motivation and the realization of his true nature, once his excess desire had been shed.
I found myself given pause… was I… really considering doing what I thought I was considering doing?
The World of Desire had terrified me, hadn't it? It was a nightmarish world empty of meaning except for places like Matsuda's, as odd as it had been.
What if I was wrong? I'd be stranded far away, and I'd have to find a way back to the real world—I'd have to find another person with abnormally strong desires and take their Shard.
But—wouldn't the same thing happen when the sunset? Or had that just been a coincidence?
I felt it hadn't been.
I noticed that Faunus had gone quiet again.
It did that a lot. Said a few mysterious things and then upped and vanished.
Honestly, half the time I felt like I had just gone crazy and was hearing voices.
"One of those things is true."
I blinked owlishly.
"I don't suppose you could tell me which one is true?" I asked, unable to keep the hopeful tone out of my voice. "Because I really wonder."
"You do not need me to tell you what you already know."
I rolled my eyes.
"Have you decided?"
I had.
I stood and made my way out of the food court, back past Junes and all the way to the front of the shopping mall.
I found myself standing on the top of the steps, people walking around me, heading both in and out of the complex.
I stared out over the horizon and watched as the sun slowly set, sinking below the horizon.
I licked my lips and closed my eyes, trying to keep my breathing steady and calm—constantly reminding myself of why I was doing what I was doing.
The sounds of the crowd suddenly vanished, and when I opened my eyes again I saw that the world had changed.
The sky had turned red.
The ground had become black
The buildings had turned white.
The crowd around me had faded into indistinct shades, moving aimlessly without purpose.
I let out the breath I had apparently been holding and slowly turned around.
The shopping mall had vanished.
I found myself at the end of a long, large red carpet that spanned over a hundred meters. Each side of the carpet was blocked off by barriers, beyond which there was a veritable sea of shades. The sides were so thick with the phantoms that they appeared as a sea of flickering black and grey.
At the far end of the red carpet was a courtyard, beyond which a truly massive mansion sat. It was large, far beyond what Matsuda's Gallery had been. It loomed in the distance, grandiose and opulent in all the wrong ways. The walls were an almost sullen off-white compared to the empty white of the surrounding buildings.
As the shades stepped onto the red carpet, the shadows drained away revealing figures in expensive clothing and finery—jewellery and handbags that looked like they would have cost a kidney or two.
Some however, looked almost ordinary in comparison—like businessmen, school kids and their mothers—everyday people you'd walk by on the street.
They all walked the same red carpet, oblivious to each other.
At the far end stood a pair of thickly muscled bouncers—almost ridiculously so. Their chests were massive, and their waists were tiny, like a caricature of a strongman. They wore white suits with red ties—but their most striking feature had to be the white, expressionless mask each had where its face should have been.
It was a bit far away—but I saw that as the shades reached the bouncers, they were either turned away, or welcomed inside.
There was no rhythm or reason to it. Sometimes the rich looking shades were let in, other times they weren't, some of the businessmen were rejected, and some of the children got in.
I would have liked to stay back and figure out what was going on—but it didn't look like that was going to be happening. I could… not so much sense, as feel that the longer I remained, the greater the chance that the monstrosities that lurked in the shadows would take notice.
I took a deep breath and stepped onto the red carpet and began the long walk toward the mansions courtyard. The world became darker around me as I walked, with the red carpet beneath my feet being the only constant as the world beyond it—and where it led—fading away.
The two masked bouncers somehow got bigger, and bigger with every step I took, until finally, I had arrived and they were both two feet taller, and four times as wide.
I swallowed and whispered under my breath. "F-faunus you've got my back on this, right?"
"I have."
Relief flooded through me and I gave a big smile to the two bouncers as I approached. "Yo!" I greeted them, lifting a hand up and waving.
The two bouncers looked at each other briefly, before one stepped forward and lifted a massive hand the size of a frying pan. "Hold it," it said, its voice warped and sounding gruff. "What business do you have in Junes?" it demanded to know.
I had a few options—several of which involved gratuitous amounts of violence. In the end I decided to take the nonviolent approach.
I pulled out the voucher that I had been given earlier by Akamine. "I have a voucher from the manager," I told the shadow, holding the crumpled voucher out.
It leaned in, its massive form taking up my vision as its mask got closer and it looked down at the voucher.
It straightened up, and both it—and its friend stepped aside. "Our apologies, honoured customer. Please be sure to spend all your money."
I held back on giving it an odd look and walked between the two, tensed up until I stepped through the archway and into the courtyard.
The courtyard was fancy. The edges were made of yellowy-green hedges that reached up into the sky, and at the very middle there was a large foundation the middle of which were composed of letters spelling 'JUNE' vertically.
The various shades that had been allowed in mingled with each other—or at least I thought that was what was happening at first.
In reality they were gathered around several… figures.
Figures I recognized as employees from Junes—except they weren't dressed… exactly the same.
Instead they were wearing what could only be described as sexy white and orange cheerleader outfits that were sinfully brief.
"Hello!"
I turned and found myself confronted with a visage of an angel—or at least I thought she was at first. The girl who had manned the information desk—Ruri—had suddenly appeared, a bright smile on her face, showing off her killer dimples. She was… wearing the new uniform. Her stomach was visible, as were her upper thighs, and I found myself having to avert my eyes as my cheeks burned.
Ah! She was so cute—but this… felt somehow wrong.
I found my eyes drifting back down, before I shook my head rapidly and took a deep breath, forcing a smile onto my lips. "Hi Ruri-chan!" I greeted her, absently noting that my guestimation of her bust had been spot on—her breasts were really quite petite.
Her smile brightened. "Have we met before? I'm sorry mister, I don't remember—perhaps you can help me?" she asked, doing this… weird… thing where she tilted her head and pressed a finger to her bottom lip, while shifting her hips ever so slightly that… made me just want to do everything she asked of me.
"I… uh… yeah…" I reached up and scratched my cheek, averting my eyes. "You uhm… helped me earlier today."
"Oh!" She straightened up and lightly smacked the bottom of her fist into her up facing palm. "I remember you now—say since I remembered you and everything could you help me?" she asked, giving me that killer smile. "It's a bit embarrassing but I'm behind my sales quota… could you help me out, mister?" she asked cutely.
"Nn..nnnn…nnn..." I found myself struggling to say the word.
"You're the best mister!" Ruri said, slipping an arm around mine and holding it tightly, before dragging me along past the courtyard and up to the steps of mansion shaped demesne—which was even more lavish and imposing up close.
Two masked bouncers—just like the ones at the end of the red carpet—stood on either side of the massive double doors. They each reached out and grasped an oversized golden handle and pulled, opening the double doors and allowing Ruri to pull me inside with a giggle from her.
I found myself being lead into a large open foyer. The walls were a burnished gold colour and accented with what appeared to be actual gold. At the far end were a set of double stairs that wound their way up to a second level, between which was a closed door in front of which a masked bouncer stood. To the sides of the rooms were two large doors which each had a plaque on it. One read 'Electronics Department' the other read 'Women's Clothing'.
In the foyer itself there were dozens pedestals—on each was a different item.
One had a vacuum cleaner.
Another had a pair of glittering shoes.
Each had something different and odd.
I could see books, miniature furniture, video games, baby toys and more.
"These are our current specials, mister," Ruri told me as she dragged me over toward a pedestal with a set of Tupperware containers on it. She leaned against me and I could feel the softness of her body press against mine. "Do you see anything you like?" she asked, smiling up at me.
I blushed and looked away. "I-uh was… I was…"
I found myself flustered by the cute girl's question and had to look away.
My gaze wandered around the room, looking anywhere but at Ruri.
It helped calm me down—but more then that, it allowed me to remind myself why I was here.
To save Ruri and the other employees from that bastard! What was I doing letting this… this… fake! This super fake, super cute, adorable—beautiful and affectionate girl who smiled at me in a way that… that…
What was I doing?
I was supposed to be… kicking that bastard's ass! That's right! I had been distracted again!
"Ruri-chan," I said, giving her a forced smile. "Could you take me to see the manager?" I asked her.
She gave a laugh and waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, no, no! I couldn't. He's too busy right now with new employees! Oh! But how about this?" her hands slid down my arm and grasped my hand, tugging me along with that smile of hers.
It killed me to do it but…
"No," I said firmly and stood my ground, even as she tugged on my hand. "I want to see the manager right now… I have a complaint!"
Ruri froze.
I don't meant she went still in shock.
I meant she physically stopped.
Her body flickered before vanishing, blinking out like the light in an old television set.
The large hulking masked bouncer that had been standing in front of the door at the far end of the foyer began to walk toward me, its black fists balled tightly.
I took a deep breath and slowly clenched my fists. "Faunus, you ready for this?" I asked my imaginary friend.
"I wouldn't say that I was imaginary." Faunus said, its voice amused.
"You're a voice who only exists in my head—I'd say that's plenty imaginary."
Faunus went silent for a moment. "Valid point. My rebuttal, I want you to tear that Shadow's Mask off."
I stilled and watched the massive bouncer stomp toward me. I began to backtrack, keeping the distance between it and me constant. "Faunus. Real talk. You are the most real thing I know—and I know a lot of real people, and they're really real."
"Flattery will get you everywhere," Faunus purred into my mind. "However, in this instance, I am also being real. You must strengthen your body as well as your soul for what is to come. If you cannot defeat this lowly shadow, then perhaps this is as far as we shall go."
I swallowed a lump that had developed in my throat.
Faunus wasn't joking.
He wasn't going to help me until I tore the mask off the shadow's face. Even if it meant that it killed me—which it would. Its arm was the size of my entire body and it looked like it could bend an inanimate carbon rods like a pretzel.
"I changed my mind," I told the Shadow, giving a nervous laugh. "I don't really have a complaint—quite the opposite really! I have praise! Praise!" I insisted.
It didn't care for my words.
I clenched my fist, and my mind raced as I tried to come up with a plan of action that didn't involve me getting squished like a bug. I was far from the most physically fit in my year—a fact that I was beginning to seriously regret as I was advanced on by something that could body shame the Hulk.
I found my back soon up against the doors to the foyer, and I turned, attempting to open them using the oversized golden handles— but they wouldn't budge.
I stiffened as the shadow of the bouncer came over me, blotting out the light from above.
I felt the wind shift around me as it raised its massive arms up.
I lunged to the side, narrowly avoiding both of its fists as they swung down and smashed into the door with a thunderous roar. I made it several feet before it swung around and began to give chase, its almost comically oversized body swaying with each step it took toward me.
"C-come on we can talk about this!"
I glanced back toward the twin stairwells leading up to the second floor, and saw that at the top of each was another set of bouncers—who seemed content to wait and watch as their friend tried to get its hands on me.
I slipped behind one of the pedestals and took several feet back as it swung one of its meaty fists and smashed the marble into dust.
I ducked behind another—grabbing the glittering shoes off the top and throwing them at the bouncer.
They bounced off its head, eschewing its mask and causing it to sway briefly before it lunged at me.
I hopped out of reach and ran to the next pillar. This time I picked up the vacuum that sat on top of it and gave it an almighty throw.
It met one of the bouncer's fists and exploded into plastic shrapnel.
My jaw dropped slightly—but I didn't stop moving. That could easily have been me!
Over a dozen pillars later—and a floor littered with the smashed remains of various on sale items, I found myself approaching my limits as I found myself running out of both things to hide behind, and things to throw.
I lunged out of the way of the bouncers swinging fists and found myself skipping along the floor—wincing as the rubble from the pedestals and various on-sale items digging into me.
I moaned in pain and reached out, grabbing onto the edge of one of the remaining pedestals and pulling myself up onto my feet. "Come on Faunus… at this rate I'll…" I grimaced and looked at my next weapon against the increasingly irate bouncer.
Atop the pedestal sat the most pathetic looking plastic toy sword I'd ever seen. Its handle was lime green, it had a flimsy blue guard and the blade was less a blade and more a thin grey rectangle.
I let out a hysterical laugh, but I grabbed it none the less and stumbled backwards, just in time to avoid being pummelled.
My feet slipped on the debris as I clambered backwards.
I looked at the trashy fake sword in my hand and let out another laugh—I couldn't help it. This was all too much.
I laughed some more as I brandished my chosen weapon at the Shadow. "Come at me if you dare!" I called out to it.
It took my challenge and began lumbering toward me, its fists raised.
I let out a shriek and threw the toy weapon at it as I scrambled for cover.
The toy sword soared through the air, its lack of aerodynamic properties causing it to spin wildly.
The sword bounced off the shadow's head—or rather, everything told me that it should have.
Instead…
The Shadow let out a shriek of pain and a spurt of malignant red ichor erupted from its mash as the blunt plastic blade of the toy sword cut through it.
The shadow's massive hands reached up towards its head as it writhed in pain. It tore away the not-so-trashy plastic sword, and the two halves of its mask fell away.
Its body contorted and bloated, before erupting in a shower of black and red ichor, revealing its true form… a tiny, attractive auburn haired pixie with two dragonfly wings.
The tiny pixie looked at me, its large eyes filled with the promise of pain.
I tilted my head to the side. "…Huh…"
"Prepare to die!" The Pixie yelled at me, her voice high-pitched and lilting.
She was adorable!
On a second look she wasn't that tiny either! She was nine inches tall from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet—not taking into account her wings.
She lifted one of her elbow length blue-glove-clad hands and faint sparks of electricity arced between her fingertips.
"Zio!" She shouted and thrust her hand toward me.
Lightning erupted from her tiny hand and tore through me as though I was tissue paper. Agony erupted in every nerve ending I had, only to abruptly stop as the attack ended.
I gasped for air, my muscles contracting uncontrollably as faint curls of smoke wafted up from my clothes.
I could smell something… was… was someone cooking?
Oh…
That smell was me?
I smelt… delicious.
"Buhauwhawa! Fear me!"
I looked at the Pixie.
It flittered several feet away before pointing a tiny finger at me. "Surrender now! You're a thousand years too soon to challenge Master Souji!"
"Would you like my assistance now?" Faunus asked me.
I considered it as my hand muscles twitched uncontrollably.
I bent down and picked up the crappy plastic sword that had managed to wound the Pixie's masked form.
I gave it several experimental swings.
It felt as shitty and fake as it had the first time but…
I turned toward the Pixie and smiled.
It blanched and lifted its hand again, electricity arcing between its fingers.
I leaned forward, and the moment her lips moved I lunged to the side, narrowly avoiding the arc of lightning. I gritted my teeth as my legs throbbed in pain but I pushed through it as I crossed the distance between us.
I swung my sword, but at the last moment I hesitated and twisted my wrist, striking the Pixie with the flat side.
It let out a cry of surprise and was sent spiralling through the air, before its wings kicked in, fluttering rapidly and righting itself.
I wouldn't say that I was one to enjoy hitting girls—far from it! I loved to hit on girls! But that had felt…
I smiled and gave the sword another few test swings, before looking at Pixie again.
She panicked and lifted her hands up, waving them rapidly. "W-wait!"
I began to walk toward it.
"N-no! Wait up! C-can't we work something out?" it asked, its eyes going wide as it began to drift backwards. "D-don't kill me please!"
"Oh, I won't kill you," I promised it, licking my lips as I kept walking.
"T-the way you said that!" It stammered. "Y-you know, I think we're a lot alike!" it said quickly, flittering closer—but just out of reach. "I think in any other situation we'd have gotten along really well!" she insisted.
I hesitated.
"…Issei," Faunus said, its tone disapproving, as if it knew what I was thinking.
Which it didn't! Because I had no clue what I was thinking, and if I had no clue, how would it?
"Wh-why aren't you saying anything?" The Pixie asked, flittering further back, before zooming forward. "H-hey! At least let me know if you're planning on killing me!"
I blanched.
Kill her?! How could I? She was… cute! Adorable even!
…On the other hand… the lightning…
"Oh!" The Pixie exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "Here!" She lifted a hand up and I tensed, ready to dodge.
"Dia!" She exclaimed, and a green glow began to diffuse throughout my body.
I moaned in relief as the pain that filled every inch of my body vanished.
"There! That's better, isn't it?" she asked brightly, clasping its hands together.
I gave it a suspicious look. "Thanks?" I lifted a hand and flexed my fingers. To my surprise they moved without difficulty, as if I hadn't just been shocked with a hundred volts moments prior.
"S-so you'll let me go right?" The dragonfly winged pixie asked, flittering closer with a cute look on her face.
I hesitated. I couldn't just let her go… "If I let you go what will you do?"
She considered it as her wings beat rapidly behind her to keep her afloat. "I'll probably… try and kill you again!" she said brightly, before paling and waving her hands. "B-but I don't have to! Like I said I think we're… a lot… alike…" she trailed off, before a faint blue glow began to emanate from her. "Huh. I feel… funny."
I stepped backwards.
The Pixie's head snapped up, her eyes wide with revelation. "I see…" She turned toward me and smiled. "So I'm actually an existence that drifts about in the sea of humanity's souls… My real name is Pixie!" she told me happily. "I'm Pixie! Nice to meet you! From now on I'll live inside your heart mister!"
"Wait wha—"
Pixie suddenly burst forward, the blue glow surrounding her burning brightly.
I let out a panicked shriek as she plunged into the left of my chest—vanishing inside and suffusing my body with the same bright blue glow that faded away over the next few seconds.
I looked down at my chest wide eyed, uncomprehending of what had just happened.
I heard a new voice from within.
"I am Thou, Thou art I!"
I heard an old voice from within.
"It's going to get very crowded in here, isn't it?"
"Hello Mister Goatface!"
I groaned, lifting a hand up to my face as the two voices inside my head began to converse with each other.
I let out a bark of laughter that quickly devolved into hysteria.
"It's your own fault, Issei," Faunus chided me. "Don't talk to Shadows, just destroy them."
"Mou! Don't be like that Mister Goat! I'm sure he can make lots of new friends!"
My laughter died away as I noticed that the two masked shadows that had been patiently waiting at the top of the stairs had taken notice that their comrade had failed.
I felt myself hesitating briefly, before I clutched the sword in my hand tighter.
I could do this.
I had done this.
I felt like I could take on the world—or at the very least a small country.
"Oh! Oh! Can I help?" I heard Pixie ask, her voice oddly excited.
"I wouldn't mind help," I admitted as I spun the shitty fake sword around in my hand. "It'd be nice not to be on the other end of one of those zaps."
"Pixie!" I called her name as I had Faunus' when it first came to my aid.
Nothing happened.
I blinked owlishly as the two lumbering masked shadows advanced on me. "…Pixie?"
"She was borne of the collective unconscious of Humanity. If you wish to call upon her aid, then do as I say," Faunus whispered into my mind.
My eyes widened, and I grinned.
I lifted my hand up and placed it over the front of my chest.
It began to glow bright.
I reached into my heart and grasped her existence
I tore my hand away and a ball of blue flames crackled to life between my fingers.
I lifted the hand up and squeezed down. "Pixie!"
The flames erupted and twisted and shaped themselves and Pixie emerged from inside.
"Yay!" She let out a cheer as she stretched her arms out and flittered around, circling me before positioning herself between the Shadows and I and seemingly reclining in the air.
"Alright!" I cheered and pointed toward the advancing, thickly muscled Shadows. "Zap them!"
"Huh?" Pixie blinked owlishly and look at me, bringing a finger up to her lips. "Zap?"
"…what you did to me before," I told her flatly.
"Oh! You mean Zio!" She said happily, clapping her hands together once.
I sighed. "Fine, Zio. Zio them, please?"
"Got it!" She said happily, twirling around and extending a hand toward the two enemies. "Zio!" She called out and lightning erupted from her fingers, striking the Shadow on the right.
It gave a wail of pain and its body began to twist, before bursting and revealing its true form.
… A creepy football headed red creature with a bowl cut.
I stared blankly at the creature as it hopped to its feet and began to bounce on its feet, lifting its oversized hands up and grinning at me, its mouth wide and filled with bright white teeth.
Despite taking the direct attack it didn't look like it was even phased! That wasn't fair! It hurt like a bitch when Pixie zapped me!
"The Shadow's mask acts as a shield. Until it is broken or removed they are impervious to damage." Faunus told me.
"You could have told me that before," I muttered and gripped my sword tightly as the other Shadow advanced on me. I leapt forward, crossing the distance between us.
It lifted its thick arms up, but it was too slow! I gave a shout and swung my sword, slicing through its mask!
It contorted and shed its masked form, forming into a second bowl cut gremlin.
Without warning something heavy collided with my back, and a pair of arms wrapped around my neck.
"I got you!" The first gremlin cackled and bit down on my neck.
I yelped in pain and reached up, trying to pull it off to no effect.
"I'll help!" Pixie called out and lifted a hand.
I felt a faint draining sensation deep inside accompanied by a sense of panic. "W-wai—"
"Zio!"
I screamed as the bolt of electricity struck the thing on my back and ran right through me. To my relief it was nowhere near as painful as the first time, with the football headed monster taking the brunt of the blast.
Its grip loosened and I threw it at its friend with all my might.
They collided and tumbled to the ground.
I wasted no time and ran over, giving them a vicious kick!
It grabbed my leg as I kicked it and bit down on my ankle.
It hurt.
Not as much as the lightning—but it did all the same.
I swung my sword at its head with all my strength and the plastic blade cleaved through its body.
The gremlin's body evaporated into embers of shadow, and in seconds it was gone.
The remaining gremlin panicked and scrambled backwards, raising one of its large hands. "W-wait!" It stammered. "I-I know we got off on the wrong foot bu—"
I cleaved it in two, giving it no chance to bargain for its life.
Pixie stared at me.
I could feel Faunus' surprise as well.
"…What?" I said, frowning. "I know where that was going. There's no way I'm going to let a creepy bowl cut monster into my soul."
"Ah! That makes sense!" Pixie said, smiling brightly and nodding before she vanished and I felt her return to her place in my heart.
"…I cannot fault your logic," Faunus conceded. "It was an unpleasant creature, wasn't it? Pixie is significantly more pleasing to the eye."
"Oh you! Teehee!"
I beamed. "We really are the same aren't we Faunus?" I said happily
"Was there ever any doubt?"
I mean… maybe a little. He did leave me to fend for myself against Pixie's Shadow form.
"It was for your own good." Faunus insisted with a huff. I could practically feel it fold its arms defensively. "I only want what's best for you, Issei."
I couldn't help but smile, even as my cheeks burned faintly. I shook my head soon after. "What do we do now?" I asked, glancing around at what remained of the room—mostly rubble.
The large double doors behind me were still closed—as were the side doors and the one between the stairwells.
"Pixie, do you know where Akamine is?" I asked the voice in my head.
"Uhm… I think I had a key?"
I blinked It wasn't what I had asked, but I'd take it. I turned around and walked to where I had struck down her Shadowself.
I leaned down and peered at the rubble, and a faint glimmer caught my eye. "Aha!" I grinned and picked up a thick brass key from the rubble. "Thanks Pixie!" I said and made my way over toward the door between the two stair wells.
I slotted the key in and twisted it. There was a heavy thud as the door unlocked.
I turned the handle and pushed. It swung open slowly and I stepped through.
"What the…" I found myself slowing down as I entered what could only be described as a giant atrium. Each of the four sides were covered with several levels of balconies, on which I could see 'customers' mingling with the 'employees' in their skimpy uniforms.
I found myself unnerved—but not for the reasons you'd have thought.
Everything was discoloured by an unpleasant red light.
As I stepped forward I began to see the reason.
Far, far up in the sky—at least three stories up—was a large domed glass roof, beyond which laid the sinister red sky. I could see the edges of the sun creeping along, the flames of shadow licking at the corners of the glass.
I swallowed and turned my gaze out to the atrium itself.
It was a sight to say the least.
There was a large shallow pool near the centre and it was surrounded by dozens of water fountains, manicured hedges and garden beds thick with flowers with colours so bright they managed to resist being dyed by the eerie red light.
The pool wasn't empty.
It was filled with facsimiles of the Junes employees, all of them wearing miniscule bikinis that were white and orange. From what I saw the water must have been very cold—or their swimsuits must have been as thin as they looked—because a lot of them were partnering up to… share body warmth.
I reluctantly looked away and saw that there was a path of large stepping stones leading toward the centre of the pool.
My expression darkened as I laid eyes on my target—the enemy of all women!
In the middle of the pool was a tiered island. On the lowest rungs several Junes employees—including Ruri were also… sharing body warmth.
At the top of them all sat a large throne made of gold and encrusted with dozens of gems of wildly different shapes and colours.
Akamine sat upon it in a silky white robe. A scantily clad girl stood beside him, feeding him grapes, and another knelt… between… his… legs?
"Akamine!" I shouted out at him as I crossed the stepping stones.
Akamine's yellow eyes snapped toward me and a look of displeasure crossed his face as we made eye contact. He lifted a hand up and the girl feeding him stepped away, and the one between his knees… finished what she was doing and shuffled away as Akamine casually folded one of his legs across the other and reclined in his throne. "Oh? Didn't I already deal with you earlier today?" He asked, before lazily waving a hand. "Welcome to my Playjunes Mansion. Keep your hands off the merchandise, alright kid?"
I attempted to seethe internally.
It didn't take.
"You fucking bastard!" I shouted at him. I slashed my fake sword through the air and pointed the tip at him. "You're abusing your position and your employees!"
He sneered at me. "You're a child, what do you know?" He lifted a hand and gestured at the scantily clad fake employees around him. "These are all grown women—each capable of making their own decisions, and they chose to work beneath me." He paused, and smirked, reaching up and running a finger down the jugular of a woman that looked distressingly like his receptionist.
"Often literally," he purred out as she quivered at his touch, and a faint moan escaped her lips.
I saw red—even more then there already was.
I didn't know where his Shard of Desire was—I didn't care.
This… this bastard…
"It's assholes like you that give people like me a bad name!" I snarled at him and broke out into a sprint.
Akamine held up a hand. "Relax, kid," he said to me, his tone condescending. "You wanted a job right? How does janitor sound? I could use someone to clean up after me," he said with a laugh.
I grinded my teeth together and glared at him.
"Hey now, don't knock it, there are… perks."
The silk robe wearing ass snapped his fingers and I found my route to him cut off as several of the facsimiles of the Junes employees sidled up toward me.
Each one of them dripping wet—the bikini's they wore doing as little to hide their modesty as a wet tissue.
"Hey, mister!" One of them said brightly, her smile enticing. "Come play with us!"
Several more swam over toward the stepping stones that I stood upon and drew themselves up, resting their arms and upper bodies on the stone surface. It did wonderful things to their breasts, accentuating their fullness to the point where I couldn't look away. I watched a droplets of water cascaded down over the swell of their breasts and I found myself enchanted.
"Come play with us," Another of the employees—a bottle blonde purred into my ear as she pressed herself against my back, her arms sliding around my waist as two large things pressed into my back.
I whimpered as my resolve found itself thoroughly being tested.
They are not real, I told myself.
But they felt so good!
They are fake, I told myself firmly.
One of the employees took my hand and slowly lifted it toward her chest.
My eyes locked onto the girl's chest as my hand slowly moved toward it.
I felt time slow down.
I felt the heat of her body radiating from her… from her…
"No!" I shouted and reached out, grasping my outstretched hand by the wrist and jerking it back. "I will not be tempted by fakes!" I declared and pushed past the beautiful… fake… horrible… evil girls who I couldn't let myself touch despite the fact that they clearly wanted me to.
The girls around me went completely still, and their expressions became blank and emotionless. Whatever sexuality they'd been exuding had abruptly been extinguished by my rejection.
I pushed past them and began to advance on the throne.
An ugly look passed over Akamine's face. His lips curled back into a sneer and a moment later he erupted into a cloud of crimson veined shadow that momentarily obscured him and his throne from view.
The shadows dissipated and I found myself stumbling in shock at what Akamine had become.
There… there was no easy way to say it.
He had grown in size significantly and his robe had vanished, revealing a gaunt and muscled purple figure. What had remained of his hair had vanished, and in its place two large obsidian horns had sprouted from his forehead. His facial features had changed significantly—with a large crooked nose and two large pointed ears having taken the place of his plain features. His teeth had become pointed and sharp, and his wispy goatee had grown into a thick grey beard.
But…
The most startling change of all—beyond the fact that he had grown a thin devils tail—or that he was utterly, utterly naked was that his throne had also transformed.
Gone was the gem encrusted throne, and in its place was…
… A porcelain throne.
I found myself caught in the duality of the sheer intimidation of what he had become, and the incredulousness of the toilet he sat upon.
"Issei! Focus! This is not an enemy to be taken lightly!" Faunus hissed into my mind, snapping me out of my stupor.
I shook my head and clutched my sword. "R-right!"
I took a deep breath and broke out into a sprint toward the horned devil. I reached into my heart—metaphorically—and drew out Pixie. She arrived in a burst of incandescent flame and immediately extended a hand toward the creature that Akamine had become—a creature that I instinctively knew to be called Belphegor.
Lightning pooled between her fingertips and arced toward him, striking him directly in his chest.
The purple monster swayed backwards an inch, but otherwise seemed nonplussed by the attack from Pixie. He lifted one of his large hands and brushed away the faint singe mark on his chest. "Is this the strength of your resolve?" He asked, his voice the verbal equivalent of nails on a chalkboard.
"W-what?! No Fair!" Pixie protested as she saw her attack amount to little. She flinched as Belphegor's eyes turned to her and flew behind me, her small head peaking over my shoulder.
"Allow me to show you mine." Belphegor's lips peeled back in a mockery of a smile and it lifted a gold gloved hand, extending a crooked black talon toward me.
"Bufula."
There was a cold snap and my world froze.
Frost formed on my skin as my insides did their best impression of an ice cube. Twisting spikes of ice erupted from the floor around me, and I barely avoided being skewered. The ice quickly spread to the water around me and the pool was flash frozen as spires of twisted jagged ice formed. In mere moments I found myself surrounded by a thick field of twisted ice.
Pixie let out a cry of pain and the next moment I felt her vanish and return to her place within my heart.
The facsimiles of the Junes employees perished, flickering out of existence as if they had never been there—the only signs of them were the empty holes that had formed in the ice where their legs had been.
The temperature had plummeted, and the cold bit at my skin like rabid ants— my feet felt as though they had been frozen solid.
I let out a shout of surprise as I realized that the ice had begun to crawl up my legs. I swung my sword at the ice, frantically attempting to break it and free my legs—but no matter how hard I struck it, or how many times the ice remained resilient.
My ears were filled with the sound of Belphegor's mocking laughter as I desperately tried to break the hold the ice had gained on my legs. It couldn't end like this. I refused to become a human ice sculpture!
"Call upon me!" Faunus demanded, its tone urgent as it resounded in my mind.
"F-Faunus!" I shouted out its name, desperately willing it into existence.
My inner self appeared with little to no fanfare.
One moment it was not, and then in a faint flash of blue fire, it was.
Faunus hadn't changed since the first time I had summoned it. I found myself envious of the thick coat of black fur that coated its upper and lower body.
It wasted no time in bringing its flute to its lips. A melodious tune issued forth and the ice creeping up my legs shattered.
"Nice!" I said with a grin as I shook off the frost from my legs. "Let's kick his ass!" I took a step forward—only for my foot to slide on the ice. I would have fallen and impaled myself on the ice had Faunus not reached over and steadied me.
"Thanks," I said, smiling at it briefly before turning my gaze to the enemy.
Akamine's Shadow—Belphegor—had not moved from its porcelain throne. Its lips were pulled back in a mockery of a smile, showing off its jagged, unpleasant teeth. "Is that all you have?" It asked, its voice jeering. "Greater men than you have tried and failed to take what was rightfully mine!"
A grinding sound filled my ears. It took me several moments to realize that it was coming from me grinding my own teeth. I stopped and took a breath.
There was no point in getting worked up.
I had to stay cool—not cold, just cool.
I felt Faunus' approval, before it whispered into my mind. "Be ready."
Before I could ask what for, Faunus took off like a rocket toward the horned demon, smashing through the field of hoarfrost and spires of ice as though they had been made of sand.
I watched as Belphegor's attention was drawn to the greater threat, and its finger was drawn away from me.
"Bufula."
Ice erupted around Faunus as it moved, and yet somehow it remained untouched as it danced across the atrium, its cloven hooves never quite touching the ground as spears of jagged ice erupted in its wake.
As it danced, it brought its flute to its lips and blew. A tune bellowed forth—different from the one previous. It was similar to one that it had played before that had driven the Oni that Monsuda had commanded to attack him.
Belphegor however seemed unaffected and snarled out another Bufula as Faunus continued to effortlessly slip through the ice that erupted around it.
I found myself just standing there and watching, suddenly feeling very out of my league. It was like something out of a movie—it was something that was beyond me.
Faunus had told me to be ready—but ready for what?
What could I do that Faunus couldn't?
It was running circles around the demon—literally. Belphegor couldn't even touch Faunus, and I as the seconds ticked on I was becoming more and more exhausted. The smart thing to do was…
I metaphorically froze as a sudden realization struck me.
I had misunderstood what was happening.
I had made a massive error in judgement.
It wasn't that Faunus was evading the attacks.
That hadn't been what was happening at all.
The ice—the jagged spikes and twisting spires— the hoarfrost that formed in its wake wasn't the attack.
That was just an aftereffect.
The actual attack was the bone chilling cold that it inflicted—a cold that sapped strength and made brittle what was strong.
More than that I had forgotten something fundamental.
I am Thou. Thou art I.
Every time Faunus was hurt I was hurt as well—not physically but something deeper and spiritual. Even now I could feel a weariness settling in on me that I had only felt during some of the most stressful of days in my life—like when I had narrowly avoided missing out on pre-ordering my limited edi—that wasn't important.
What was important was that Faunus couldn't keep this up forever.
Even now I could see frost beginning to form on fur.
He was distracting Belphegor to buy me time to find an opening—and I had just been standing around like an idiot!
I focused all my attention on Belphegor and tightened my grip on the fake sword in my hand.
The purple demons eyes were solely focused on Faunus, and a cruelly amused smile sat on its lips as it painted the atrium in ice. No matter where Faunus ran its eyes would follow—but it would never get up off its toilet.
I knew that it was important somehow—even if I didn't know why.
I began to slowly creep forward, using the field of ice as cover as I got closer and closer.
A shrill sound pierced my ears as Faunus finally began his counter attack.
Belphegor let out a bellowing howl of pain as welts began to erupt all over its naked body. It writhed in pain upon its porcelain throne and its concentration wavered.
My eyes widened. This was it!
I broke out into a sprint, crossing the remainder of the distance between where I was and the dais that the purple demon resided.
I let out a shout and leapt through the air—my jump carried me further and higher than I expected—I swung my sword down toward Belphegor's neck.
The moment felt like an eternity as gravity took hold and my blade descended.
At the very last moment Belphegor twisted its body and its arm raised up slamming into my stomach.
I let out a grunt of pain as I was smacked away like a ragdoll, painfully crashing through several spires of ice. They shattered and the fragments of ice dug into my body painfully, my clothes doing less than nothing to shield me from the debris.
Pain exploded throughout my body—but it was done.
Belphegor howled in agony as its two obsidian horns clattered to the ground in front of it before evaporating into shadow. It clutched the top of its head, writhing in pain. "Yoooou!" It snarled out as its head snapped toward me.
"Suck it." I said, giving it the biggest shit eating grin I could muster as I lifted up a hand and flipped it off.
Belphegor gave me a look filled with pure loathing and it lifted its hand up, its intention to end me.
Faunus made itself known in that instance.
If you've never seen a giant purple demon get bitch slapped across the face by an anthropomorphic goat you should at some point.
I highly recommend it.
I did my best to ignore the several dozen shards of ice stabbing into my back and enjoyed the sight of Belphegor being knocked off his throne as best I could.
Belphegor hit the ground in what I hoped was a painful way, and he rolled. As he did he began to shrink, and his demonic features receded until only Akamine remained.
I dragged myself over to Akamine as he laid there, quivering in pain. I did my best to ignore the shards of ice sticking out of me and enjoy the simple experience of seeing him in pain.
Unfortunately at some point his robe had come undone and I saw… things. Things that required immediate repression for the sake of all things good and pure in this world.
Somehow I resisted the urge to throw up.
"W-why did you do this?" Akamine asked, his yellow eyes wide and fearful. "I-I thought we had an understanding?" He stammered, trembling as he pulled himself onto his knees. "W-wait! D-don't kill me!" He pleaded, raising his hands in an appeasing gesture.
I felt a minor surge of panic at the thought of him trying to 'bargain' for his life and my immediate reaction was to lift up the sword in my hand to finish the job. It was only Faunus' reassuring presence that stopped me from trying to prematurely end the negotiation.
Seeing my hesitation Akamine waddled closer on his knees. "H-hey you wanted a job right, right?! H-how does assistant manager sound?" he offered me eagerly. "You can do whatever you want—to any of the girls!"
"…You're a real piece of shit," My eyes flickered up to the top of his head. His man bun was missing. It must have been severed when I cut off Belphegor's horns. His thin hair had fallen, revealing a large bald patch on the top of his head.
Faunus must have returned to my soul at some point, because I felt its reassuring presence at my back.
I took a deep breath and counted down from five before I released it, along with my anger.
I smiled down at the worthless bastard in front of me.
"Fuck you and fuck your understanding." I lifted the sword in my hand up and pointed it at his throat. "Girls are the most beautiful things in this world. If I find out you've touched a single hair on Ruri-chan's—or any of their bodies—I'll be back to finish the job."
Akamine nodded rapidly. "S-sure! I understand completely! B-but what if they—"
"A. Single. Hair."
Akamine whimpered and began to crawl away through the remains of the icefield that he had created.
All that was left was finding his Shard.
But I already had an inkling about that.
I made my way over to the dais slowly, where the porcelain throne had once more become golden.
I placed my hand upon it and…
It was hard to describe what I did. It felt vaguely similar to how I called upon Pixie.
I reached inside it and took hold of the spark of desire that it had grown from.
When I opened my eyes the throne had vanished, and in its place I found a bronze nameplate.
I left soon after and made my way to the front of the demesne. The doors that had been shut were open and the masked bouncers gave me a wide berth, for which I was grateful.
A strong breeze could have done me in—not that I let it show.
I found the Door to the Blue Velvet Room in the courtyard, just beside the Junes Fountain. It was identical to the first one, from the darkness ever present in the door frame, right down to the faint blue glow at the bottom.
I closed my eyes and stepped through. When I opened them again I found relief in the sights and smells of the familiar room.
Except.
It wasn't all familiar.
"Good Evening, Master. I am pleased to make your acquaintance."
—~—
