"As if I'd give up!" - Speech
'Just do it already…' - Thoughts
"For him, it was easy." - Flashback / Emphasis
"Here we go, guys!" - Inhuman Speech
'Hah, ignorance.' - Inhuman thoughts
*Kaboom!* *Kabam!*- Sound effects
-=Chapter 9: A New Life At School=-
Present
Three years had gone and passed, huh?
In all these three years, he had gotten used to a life away from his adoptive family. Whilst somewhat lonely, it helped that he had his blood parents by his side, as well as Eve and Tiamat, his dragon partner in his SacredGear, and his Familiar.
Life had flowed simply, nowadays. The child who bore the surname Hirokami had gotten relatively fine with life in Assiah. Where Gehenna—Underworld, Hell, whatever you want to call it—was a bit lenient with some things, Assiah was just loaded with all sorts of rules.
But that didn't stop him from enjoying his life.
*Twee!*
"Sir, stop!" A policeman cladded in blue blew his whistle and shouted, but his target wouldn't stop. Instead, he vaulted over a fence and entered the bustling market area, making sure to avoid every pedestrian there was there.
The lad that was currently running was wearing a simple blue dress shirt and black trousers, accompanied with white sneakers. His black hair—accompanied with his bangs now white—trailed after him as he continued his escape. He had a cross-earring attached to his left earlobe, light bouncing off of it.
This lad is indeed Riven Hirokami, who is now 16 years old. While his time here had been much shorter than his time in the Devil world, a lot of changes has definitely occurred.
After all the training with his swords, his SacredGear and magic, he developed an athletic and lean build. He was by no means a body builder, but he was the 'skinny and had good muscles that looked cool' type. But grabbing attention was not on his plate right now, since it meant that he was being chased.
But of course, he constantly made sure to focus on his studies, shifting from politics to economics, to physiology to accountings. He had drilled the curricular all the way from other countries, such as Malaysia to Europe to German, into his mind, even more fluent in his languages now. He was, without doubt, the smartest being on the planet.
Or as his mother liked it, smarter than his own father, much to the wolf's dismay.
As of right now, he was currently distancing himself from the police. Why? Because he managed to beat up a group of criminals, seven to be exact… Yeah, I know. And the police were chasing him down for reasons only God knows. Probably saw him as a threat, maybe? It made sense, he supposed.
He wall-jumped on opposite buildings and managed to get a good grip on the building's rooftop. Putting a good foot on a loose brick, he leapt up and was now running away, on the rooftops. Yeah. I mean, if he could jump from treetop to treetop, this would be a walk through the park for him.
He jumped from a building and did a combat roll to remove any pressure, and continued running. A car was closing in on him, but he managed to vault over it, and then he had to climb over a metal-fence that stood easily over 2 feet from the ground. He snickered, feeling himself pretty far from the cops.
He kept running away, but somehow managed to corner himself in an alley. Lady Luck was not playing on his side, it seems.
Two policemen appeared at the scene, one chubby guy and a skinny one, holding their batons in their hands, and Riven managed to see that both had tasers clipped to their belts. The prince clicked his tongue in mild annoyance, not wanting to deal with this right now.
"That's it, man! It's over! So now, put your hands over your head and no one gets hurt…" The chubby police ordered, smacking his dry lips together. Oh boy, he's gonna' regret it.
"Aright, alright. You got me…" Riven feigned a surrounding posture, having to pull out an orb with white contents from his pocket earlier.. "Not!"
*Ck!* *Poof!*
Immediately, he tossed the orb to the ground, effectively breaking it and out came thick smoke, managing to dull the colours of the area as everything became a fuzzy grey. The policemen couldn't see, as everything had became a mix of white, grey, and littles of blacks.
It was only after the smoke cleared, a good minute later, did they finally realise that their target had long been gone.
"Dammit!" The skinny one cursed, cracking his flimsy knuckles. "We almost got em'."
"Shut it, jackass," the chubby police snorted, moving away from the area. "Come on, let's go already."
Unbeknownst to them, Riven was actually above them, standing on the rooftop of the building that he was cornered to, looking down on the policemen and watching them leave the area. Riven couldn't help but let loose a triumphant grin, having to have just outmanoeuvre the police, and immediately made his way back home.
Today was fun.
Riven's House
"So," Satan began, looking at the newspaper on the couch, licking between his incisors. "Kuoh is basically Gremory's territory, right? That means we're basically kings here."
"Don't take it the wrong way, dear. It just means that there wouldn't be any problematic issues that would arise here. If there had been any threats here from the other Factions, then they would be dealt with," she corrected, mentally groaning at her husband's assumption.
"Well, it still kinda' feels stupid, in my opinion. But oh well, as long as there won't be any trouble," he shrugged, laying down with a chuckle.
Tiamat, on the other hand, was humming in delight while she was watering the flower pots. Why?
See, being that Kuoh Academy was basically in Gremory territory, it partially meant that the academy belonged to them. However, it was later revealed that the Sitri family were the ones in control of the academy. Riven was immediately accepted into the school, and so was she. Finally, a place to be at instead of being stuck at home!
*Knock Knock!*
"Heyaz!" The dragoness could hear her master calling from the outside, prompting her to put her watering can as she welcomed him home.
The house was a generous gift Sirzechs had gifted to them when they came here. It was a simple 2-floored bungalow that had a regular living room with couched, a coffee table in the centre with an LCD TV that Riven managed to win in a lottery. Dang, his luck was good! The house also had good ceiling fans, lights, flower pots around and a total of 5 rooms; 3 at the first floor and 2 at the second floor.
The first three rooms was the TV and Dining area, both in one section, the storeroom and a kitchen. The second floor held both Riven's and Tiamat's bedrooms, and his parent's room respectively. Sure, the luxury wasn't there, but at least it was better than sleeping on rocks—in Tiamat's case, or out during the rain—in Riven's case.
"Welcome home, Riven. What were you up to today?" She asked, softly, allowing him space.
"Went sightseeing, got myself a new pair of glasses," immediately, he pulled out a case, in it a simple, round, black-framed glasses. "Don't worry, it has no power. Anyways, after buying that, I saw a group of thugs picking on a little girl. So…"
"You beat them up?" His father perked up immediately from his nap, sounding excited. He snickered when his son nodded back. "Nice. But I bet you got chased by police, again."
"Thankfully, parkour was not part of their training protocol," he smiled, hearing the door shut behind him. "In any case, tomorrow's the day, right?"
"Mmhm! Tomorrow, we're going to our new academy," the dragoness tittered.
"Excited, aren't you?" He chuckled, somewhat surprised. Being a dragon, she had constantly been used to isolation, so to hear her saying that she wants to interact with society was something rather mind-blowing.
"Mou, don't be mean…" She pouted for a moment, before her grin resurfaced. "I mean, there's so many things that we'd get to do there! It'll be fun!"
"Yeah, I could understand what you mean," he nodded in understanding.
"Plus, your sister is there," the point immediately stopped him.
So, he'd be reunited with Rias after three long years. Ooh…
"…I think I'm ready to hit the hay now," he spoke in a monotonous tone, giving a kiss to his parents before walking up the stairs.
"Did I say something wrong?" The Dragon King asked after her liege was out of earshot, a tad bit curious.
"Nah, I doubt it. Running from the police for so long takes a toll on your body, stamina-wise," Satan explained, earning an understanding hum from the dragoness. "Welp, we should get to bed too. It's evening when he came back, it'll be night soon."
With a nod, both human, wolf and dragoness left for their own rooms, with Tiamat bunking in with her liege.
The Next Day
Starting at home, both Riven and Tiamat had adorned the outfits for the school.
For the boys, it was black blazer with white details, worn over a white, long-sleeved dress shirt and a black ribbon on the collar, matching black pants and brown leather shoes.
He would have worn them all, considering the thought that he didn't like ribbons all that much. As such, he discarded it, swapping it for a black tie he purchased during his free time before this. He too changed the brown shoes for black ones, as it had became his favourite colour in the world.
The girls would wear a white long-sleeved buttoned shirt, again with the black ribbon on the white collar, a black corset and shoulder cape, as well as a maroon-purple skirt with white trailings.
She didn't like some of her own very much either, opting to throw away the shoulder cape. She went with everything else, putting on white knee-length stockings and blue shoes.
"Well, well. Milord, you look dashing," she wasn't making false flattery here. She was honest-to-goodness blushing, admiring how well he looked. She liked his tie too—she couldn't imagine him wearing the ribbon instead.
"Y-You as well," he admitted, bashful as ever. Either he was too shy to accept compliments, too shy to give them, or possibly both.
And then, they left the house, on their way to the academy.
It was great, just great. Besides the fact that he would probably make a lot of friends there, that he'd have a blast of a time there, that he'd study and work hard, he was reminded of the fact that his sister, Rias is there, studying in the same academy he was currently going to.
'Oh, I feel like I'm about to pass out…' Riven felt sloshy. His legs were like iron balls, chained to his abdomen, friction intensified greatly as it made him harder to move forwards.
Ever since the incident in the bathroom, he had developed a slight anxiety towards his sister. Of course, he still loved her, but he was afraid that when time came that it was just the two of them, alone, then things would indefinitely take a turn for the scariest.
He couldn't dare imagining what could happen next.
But the books taught him plenty. As part of some school's curriculum, a student was required to study on the anatomy that made up both man and women. This ranged from respiratory, to excretory, to… reproduction.
God, the awkwardness he felt when he was reading up on the women was real! Now, he didn't dare look at a girl the same way he had once—childishly innocent no longer, he was now suited up with bountiful knowledge. Sweet, horrendously mind-scarring knowledge.
But still, that would not stop him from forging and strengthening bonds with girls and the like. He knew that he'd have to fall in love someday, and he'd have to pluck the flower someday. Until then, he'd study as much as he could, and—
"Aargh!" Was that a scream?
"Who was that?" Tiamat asked, curious.
'Hnngh! This sensation..!' Eve suddenly perked to full attention, scanning the area for the same sensation.
'What is it, Eve?' He asked, feeling a tad bit cautious.
'Riven, the scream from earlier! It belonged to the host of the BoostedGear!' At that, the boy's eyes widened in surprise.
'Really? Well, wouldn't you know. Eve, where is he?' He asked, able to hear her hum.
'He's… outside of a building. Surrounded by women with wooden swords,' she told him, earning a look of questioning from the prince. 'Hey, I'm not kidding here! Let's just get there quick. I can tell that he's about to get one hell of a beating!'
And off the liege and his Familiar rush off.
Kuoh Academy
'This sucks..!' The boy, wielding the BoostedGear, mentally whined, completely at the mercy of the Kendo club. 'Ooh, I'm so dead..!'
This is a character fairly easy to identify. There is no possible way that anyone would not know him. Well… unless they haven't watch the anime, read the manga or light novels, or even heard of him.
In any case, let's do a simple recheck. This is Hyoudou Issei, a simple human boy who does indeed possess the Longinus [Boosted Gear]. He was an ordinary fellow with an average height and build, with brown hair that spiked softly, leaving two ends to branch out behind his head, going well with his light brown eyes.
He was wearing the same outfit that the students of Kuoh adorned, albeit wearing a red T-shirt underneath the dress shirt and blazer, as well as blue and white sneakers instead.
Now, why was he in trouble in the first place? Let's do a simple second recheck.
Issei, from a time none know, is considered a perverted boy. His desires for breasts and attraction to the female body—going so much as to peek on girls, which is the main reason for his current dilemma—has utterly won him the title as one of the 'Perverted Trio of Kuoh Academy'. Despite this, he continues on to do whatever his heart yearned, which led him to his ultimate demise.
See, his friends, Matsuda, a bald person, and Motohama, who wears glasses, are known with Issei as this 'Perverted Trio'. Just today, they had gone on their mission to peep on the girls once more. Except, this time, the girls were much more prepared this time, able of catching the three early. However, being the bad friends they were, both Matsuda and Motohama had ultimately used Issei as a sacrifice, leaving him behind so that they could escape.
'Argh, why am I friends with them again..?' Issei had just dug a grave for himself, and there was no way he was going to get out of this alive.
"So, what do you think you're gonna' do now, huh?" A girl's voice, he recognised all too well as Murayama, co-captain of the Kendo club.
She was beautiful, he had no doubts about it. She had long brown hair, tied into a ponytail that stretched well below her waist. The kendo club outfit she wore was just adding detail to her developing D-cup and toned stomach, the latter an effect due to all the training she's done.
B84-W70-H81 cm, just as Motohama had said.
Appearing beside her was Katase, a girl with pink hair. Pretty, as she too participates in the Kendo club's activities, being that she was a member of them. She had a bust not big as Murayama's, but still bountiful for the seeing.
B78.5-W65-H79 cm. Damn it, he really needed to stop thinking about things like this…
"M-M-Maybe you could let me go..?" He asked with a shaky grin, letting out a yelp when the other brunette struck her shinai against the wall. "I-I promise I won't look anymore!"
"A promise from you is a useless promise," the girl coldly shot, the other club members nodding in unison. "Well then, Issei, I hope you're ready for your punishment. Get ready for the beating of your life!"
"MOMMY..!" He cried out, and at the right time—
"Wait!" All eyes turned to the source of the voice, and a blush filled the faces of every girls there.
A handsome teenager, possibly sixteen, came up to them from nowhere, dressed in the school's uniform, except with a tie. It was so odd, that it only added to his appeal.
"Umm…" He didn't know what to say, but the way all girls suddenly stood, transfixed to their spots as they stared at him was beginning to unnerve him. "H-Hello?"
"O-Oh!" The brown-haired girl was the first to snap out of her stupor, the reddening on her face still not disappearing. "Y-Yes? How may we help you?"
"Sorry, I came to have a… private chat with that boy over there," Riven pointed to the brunette on the ground, who sported soft bruises on his arms. 'Yeesh… What did they do to him..?'
"H-Him? Really?" The pinkette was surprised, wondering why such a wonderful person such as him came to see this perverted beast.
"Yes, really," he nodded, softly smiling that only intensified their blushes. "I know that you have a… matter to discuss with him, but I'd like it if I could borrow your friend here for a while, if you're fine with it?"
"S-Sure," the brunette nodded, before outstretching her hand, weakly. "N-Name's Murayama, by the way."
"Pleasure. I'm a new student," he took her hand in his, a firm grip that almost melted her. "I'm Riven Hirokami, just transferred here. I'm hoping that we can form a fruitful school life together."
"O-Of course!" She nodded too quickly, as if she had whiplash. The blush disappeared the instant she turned to look at the boy on the ground, the cold glare almost setting off his bowels. "Go."
"R-Right!" The brunette nodded, rushing forwards and walking away with Riven.
"…" Riven stayed quiet for a moment there, looking past his shoulder to make sure they were out of the clear. "…Okay…" He sighed, deeply. "That was difficult… You alright, man?"
"Y-Yeah…" He nodded. "Thanks, Riven..?"
"Mmhm. That's my name," the lad smiled back, swiping his black hair aside so his eyes could be seen. "You looked like you were on death's door just now."
"Yeah, tell me about it…" The brunette laughed, before shaking the other guy's shoulder. "Thanks, for just now. I'm Issei Hyoudou."
"Good to meet you," the prince smiled back. "This here is Tiamat, a friend of mine."
"Whoa, killer looks!" Issei immediately flared to life, before wilting under her suddenly cold stare. It looked worse than Murayama's.
"Riven, I think we should put up a notice at the notice board. 'A student gone missing', it would say," it didn't take long for the [Boosted Gear] wielder to put two pieces together, paling at the realisation. "You look at me like that ever again, and step across the line, you're dead meat."
"Y-Y-Yes, ma'am…" He shook his head much too quickly.
"Good," Tiamat grinned back at the brunette's stupidity, mumbling a soft note to herself. "Only Riven can do anything to me…"
"What was that?" Said person asked, responded with a shake of the head. "O...kay. In any case, I think we should get going, don't you think?"
"Yeah. I think we're in the same class, aren't we?" The brunette crossed his arms behind his head.
"Should be. 2-B, right? We're sixteen," he commented, with Tiamat being the only one older than anyone on the campus.
But would he really need to point it out? As long as there were no problems, he saw no reason to hoist a death flag.
At first, he was just hoping that the moment he'd step into the classroom, all he'd have to do, was to greet the students and teacher, introduce himself, and just take a seat. Hopefully, Tiamat would sit somewhere beside him, as it would set his heart at ease. That was the original plan, but—
"Oh my, who's that?"
"Oh Lord! He's so handsome!"
"W-Why is that girl with him?!"
"Are they dating?! I want to be with him too!"
The moment he stepped inside, stepping in front of the blackboard, everything turned a complete three-sixty.
In his mind, Riven could only nose-bleed horribly as he deals with the endless flattery. Tiamat however, felt so tempted to just eat them off. Though, of course, she wouldn't be able to do said actions, if it meant hurting her liege's heart. If anything, she wanted to be the only one to stand by her lord's side.
Then the boys were up.
"Crud, another bishounen…"
"We've already got one, now we have two?!"
"That chick, she can't possibly be with him, right?!"
"Damn that kid!"
The prince frowned, biting the insides of his cheek in slight sadness. Catching notice of this, Tiamat immediately snarled at the boys, whom flinched from the sudden action, proceeding to hold her lord's hand to give him slight comfort. Her fingers rubbed against the back of his hand, and his mood improved by a bit; he appreciated the sentiment very much.
The dragoness? She had to avert herself from facing her liege, trying her best to make sure he didn't see the bloom in her face.
After a while, he decided that it was time to speak.
"R-Right, my name is Riven Hirokami. And this here is Tiamat. We will be starting a student life with you, and I ask that we get along!" Riven ended his statement with a bow, to which Tiamat followed suit.
Although, he couldn't lie that the squeals from the girls and the hateful mutters that spread amongst the boys couldn't help quench his slight anxiety. The teacher instructed him to find a seat, pointing to the farthest corner at the back.
"Okay," he nodded, motioning for his Familiar to follow, of which she complied.
But then—
"Sup'!" Surprise, surprise.
"Issei?" Riven's eyebrow raised. "Huh, wasn't expecting for me to sit with you."
"Same here! At least I have someone to sit with," the brunette smiled, before limply sagging on the table, sniffing sadly. "Everyone sat away from me."
"Well, this works, but what about you, Tia—" He didn't get to finish his sentence, as said dragoness had appeared beside him, holding a table and a chair in both hands, setting it beside his own desk, which would mean he'd be sitting between the two.
The students looked at the scene, somewhat surprised.
"I like sitting close to milord," she said simply, not noticing the embarrassed groans leaving her liege's lips.
It was then that rumours would spread. Only God knows what could stir from this fire. Class proceeded, and everything just went down like usual.
An Hour and a Half Later
Class was uneventful, and Riven had not even bothered to listen to the teacher's lessons. This was because Sirzechs and Grayfia had already tutored him on these thi—Oh right, his family. Riven gave off a sigh, he missed his family and old friends he made back when he was still in the Underworld.
But going back on the topic, Sirzechs and Grayfia had put all their efforts into teaching Riven everything he needed. And now, he was considered to be the most intelligent person there was, able to compete with his own brother in various competitions, and winning on a ratio of…
Actually screw it! Ratios were meaningless, cause' Riven couldn't remember any more. He just had too many victories under his belt, much to his embarrassment.
"So, you guys came from somewhere else?" Issei broke the silence, stirring a conversation with the prince and his Familiar.
"Yeah. We actually lived back in Malaysia," Riven informed, earning himself a look of confusion from the brunette. "Hmm, how to… Oh, our student planners have maps. Take yours out."
The brown-haired boy followed his orders, withdrawing his black student planner from his own schoolbag. Flipping the pages toe the very last section, to the part where the map was, Riven began showing where his lie-of-a-home was.
"So you lived… damn! That's kind of far! I think," Issei ended his sentence with a simple thoughtful look, earning himself a chuckle from his friend.
"I doubt it's that far. In any case, my parents, both pure Japanese, took me there because my dad was on a business job, and his job required him to work there," making things up on the spot proved to be one of the most easiest things for the prince. "And, after his job was settled, we returned back to the land of the rising sun."
"Whoa, cool story," the brunette whistled, not realising that he had been lied to. "Then what about Tiamat here?"
"Well, as she so bluntly put it earlier…" Said dragoness gave a sheepish grin to her liege's words. "She came from a family of retainers that have long served my family. However, I bought her using my own money, and had her set free. You know how it works. Buuut…"
"I still want to serve him," the girl participated in the lie, giggling at her liege's well-practiced groan. It sounded almost like a real one. "Oh, come now. I practically owe my life to you."
"Maybe I should have just taken a train and ran away…" Riven's words were being taken for granted by the brunette, who still didn't catch up on the lie. "Well, that's all there is. How about you, man?"
"Nah, my life's just normal. I live my parents in the neighbourhood here," he began. "I came to this school because it was closest, so yeah."
"Aah, I could understand that…" The lad nodded, simply enjoying this casual talk between the three of them, although there must have been another reason his new friend came here, but he'd decided to let it slide.
Sooner then, their little conversation was broken by the appearance of a new figure.
"Excuse me?" Perking up, all three looked up to the figure—Issei hissed in annoyance. He saw the person he was talking to was Kuoh Academy's 'Handsome Prince'. And truth be told, he would be lying if the man he saw before him was anything but handsome.
Kiba Yuuto, his name was. He was indeed a handsome young man with short blonde hair, grey eyes and a mole underneath his left eye. He wears the Kuoh Academy boys' school uniform long-sleeved dress shirt with a black ribbon on the collar, matching black pants, and brown dress shoes.
"Great… It's the bishounen…" The brunette blew a raspberry, somewhat annoyed that this out-of-the-world-kind boy came to them. "What do you want?"
"I merely came here to pick up Lady Rias's brother," he answered, and—
"WHAT?!"
'Ah shoot… This guy must be part of Rias-nii's peerage then…' Riven mentally sweat-dropped, distraught that his cover had been blown.
"R-Really?! But Rias-senpai has red hair! This guy has b-black, with a bit of white!" Issei sputtered, each word holding loose assonance or consonance.
"True, but I was adopted by her family for a while, which counts me as her adoptive brother," the prince decided to come clean, earning even more surprised yelps from everyone there. "My ears… Ouch…"
"Lord Riven," oh great. Just because he was Rias's sibling, meant that he'd have to be treated like royalty now. "Rias-sama is the buchou to the Occult club, the current club that we are taking part in. She has asked that I take you to her."
"Let's dial it a bit backwards now. How did she know that I was here? I didn't even tell her or anything," Riven asked, that question bothering him a bit.
"Oh, it's simple. She said that she could 'sense you from a mile away'," the bishounen answered with a calm smile.
Ok, that sounded creepy.
"So, should we go now?" He asked. Tiamat and Issei shared a brief glance at each other.
"Yes, I hope I'm not disturbing you in any way?" Kiba asked, a calm grin on his face.
"Oh no, no problem at all. But if possible, I want Issei and Tiamat to come with me," he said, gesturing to the dragoness and his new friend, the latter beaming with stars in his eyes.
"Of course. Now if you'd please," Kiba gestured, and the trio followed the blonde boy to the old school building, where the Occult club was located.
Occult club
'This is amazing..!' Issei had practically been over the moon from earlier.
He never liked the bishounen that much, but Riven was straight up a different case. He had an aura of royalty, yet it was apparent as day that he rather treat others like an equal. Add to it that he was fairly a fun guy to be with, and everything about him was enjoyable.
And when the guy was invited to go see his sister—a big ass shocker for the brunette—and that he had invited both him himself and Tiamat to come with, he was practically crying in his mind, thankful for his new friend.
But stepping foot at the old building, it somehow gave him the creeps, but it also possessed an aura that was actually… inviting. Yes, call him crazy and all, but it just felt that way.
No doubt that getting to their destination was going to prove to be a toughie. Riven had asked that he and Tiamat go somewhere to discuss about something, telling Kiba and Issei that they'd catch up soon. Of course, being the gentleman he was, the blonde excused himself, leaving them alone, with Issei trailing after him.
"Well, what do you think? Ready to meet your sister after three years?" Tiamat asked, the toothy grin she was giving not helping him with his trepidation.
"I don't know… It's an odd feeling," he admitted, his Familiar tilting her head. "It's just… I'm finally reuniting with my sister after so long. On one part, I'm feeling extremely happy that I get to be with her again. I missed her a lot, after all."
"And the other?" She pried.
"…Anxious," the word came out slow, soft that she almost couldn't hear, despite her sharpened dragon hearing skills. "I'm worried what she'll think of me, what she'll say…"
"Really? Then I think you have nothing to worry about," his Familiar smiled, gaining herself a bewildered look. "What? I mean, why should you? Both of you are like two cloths knitted together. Your bonds are just as strong, if not stronger from the separation. I bet that she still loves you. Don't you think so?"
"I-I suppose so…" He nodded slowly.
"See? Stop worrying so much!" She giggled at his innocent dumbness, taking his hand in hers and rushing off. "Come on!
Tiamat was right. He was finally going to see his sister. This was a moment of happiness!
And yet…
With Kiba not there to guide them through the building was instantly one of their regrets when they stepped foot into the building. It was too hard, seeing that there were corridors that ran left and right. Seemingly endless, added with the fact that there was no lights whatsoever! Though, of course, with much practice being in the dark, he's managed to get a good sense of where to step and where not to run forwards, lest he bash his head against the wall.
Taking a turn at the left, they continued marching forwards, until they landed at the same place they started earlier. Riven took the stairs in front of him and turning right once more. He decided to continue walking until he took a turn to the right—
*Thud!*
"Gah..!" Instantly regretting it as he felt his nose squished by the wall. He jumped backwards, gawking at the strange feeling of wood that made contact with his noise.
Curiosity piqued, he wiped his hands against the wall in clean strokes, able to feel the smooth touch of stone. And yet, there was a soft breeze from a little gap. He could even hear sounds from behind it.
"Must be a door," Tiamat suggested, her liege humming in acknowledgement.
"Well, let's put your hypothesis to the test," he muttered, lightly placing the flat side of his fist against the wall. He flattened out his hand now, applying some force to the wall.
*Creak…*
Just as Tiamat had guessed, the wall was indeed a door; probably a secret entrance. He sighed, now seeing another stretch of a corridor before him.
Together, they travelled down it once more, arriving at the foot of a flight of stairs to their right halfway through the corridor. Deciding it was better than nothing, they climbed upwards, now in front of a door after they travelled a complex maze of even more corridors.
She couldn't lie; she despised corridors now.
The two glanced at each other, with Tiamat nodding at her liege before the latter gave a few good knocks on the door with the back of his knuckle.
"Come in," he heard a familiar voice, one that belonged to Kiba, the same blonde that he met earlier. He twisted the knob, entering the now open doorway.
Now, Riven was not wanting to insult the club's sense of room-making, but—
*Cssh!*
A shower in the club room… seriously?! Tiamat could only groan in slight annoyance while Riven was fidgeting, trying to avert his gaze away from the showers. He looked to his surroundings, and he noticed some people; familiar and new.
There was Koneko Toujo, whom Riven had no problem identifying as a Nekomata and as Kuroka's sister, Shirone—she didn't seem to notice him, even after he came into the room after all this time, leading to him wondering as to why she was so distant. Nonetheless, he decided to sit tight, no words said as he watched her nibble on a piece of chocolate. She had short silver hair and man, was she small. Her eyes briefly met his, pausing from her previous action, and the treat immediately left her lips.
"…Riven..?" She called out, surprising everyone else there was there. "I-Is that you..?"
"A-Ahaha… Heyaz…" He waved shyly, yelping a bit when she suddenly crossed the room to him. "G-Good to see you too… How have you been?"
"F-Fine…" She nodded, blushing for just a moment.
"How's Kuroka? Are you two getting along fine?" He missed both the girl before him, and her sister. The two of them were good friends of him.
"W-We're fine," she nodded, poking her finger with a chocolate against his lip once, before nibbling on said finger, the blooming on her face coming afterwards.
"U-Uhh…" The looks of disbelief on everyone else's faces—Tiamat, Issei, Kiba, a black-haired girl who stood at the side, a boy in a box, a girl in a nun's outfit, another exorcist he could assume, and a valkyrie he heard of— was enough to tell him that this must have been one hell of a thing. He licked the chocolate off of his lip, his own blush coming forth. "T-Thank you…"
"N-No, that won't do," Koneko shook her head, taking out a chocolate bar from her pocket and giving it to this person. Multiple gasps filled the room in its wake. "Here."
"Oh, thanks," he smiled gratefully at her, watching as she returned back to the couch she sat at, whilst he was left to sigh in his mind. 'Damn it… Why is she so small? Stunted growth? Maybe lockdown of her own senjutsu?'
He ignored the thought in exchange of the boy in the box just beside Koneko, whose eyes were focused solely on him. He was a half-vampire whose name was Gasper Vladi, and Eve could tell that he had a SacredGear. With the knowledge he acquired, the dhampir had the 'Forbidden Balor View' in his possession; truly a powerful artifact. A fan of girly things, he wasn't much of a boyish person, but that didn't mean he was weak. He just liked female clothing, so?
Next, he saw Kiba Yuto, whom he met earlier and knows has a Sacred Gear, sitting on a couch opposite of him, previously reading a book, now staring at him with a look of befuddlement. Riven could sense the aura of 'Sword Birth' pulsing from the blonde, probably as an indication of him being a Knight.
"N-No way…" Issei, who was sitting beside Kiba, was the first one to break the silence. "Koneko-chan never gives her chocolate to anyone!"
"…Only if they're not perverts…" She shot back, smiling softly at her friend before returning back to her snack. She ignored the pained look on her other senpai's face—Issei.
"W-What the hell?! Riven, explain to us! How the heck do you know Koneko here?!" The brunette had practically demanded, with everyone else besides the Nekomata, staring at the person of interest.
"W-We met in a forest. I was nearly killed by some assassin, her sister saved my life, I made dinner for the two of them, and I left," he surmised, leaving the details of magic and senjutsu for later. "It's been… what? Six years ago?"
"D-Damn… To think that she still remembers you…" The brunette fell back into the chair, ignoring all his manners as he droned on the thought. "And she gave you her chocolate…"
"Yeah… Is there a problem with that?" He was truly curious why this was such a big thing. Was it not normal to share food with your close friends?
"Riven-nii," he turned his sights to the human-vampire halfbreed. "Koneko-san never shares her food with anyone. Never."
"Which makes you very special to her if she actually shares her food with you," another person spoke.
Their fuka-buchou, Akeno Himejima, the half-fallen half-devil that stood there. Being the daughter of a human woman, and the Fallen Barakiel, he was surprised to find her still unable to master the powers of lightning. Even so, he decided that it was a topic all on its own, wanting not to upset Rias's Queen.
"Ara ara~! Now I'm interested in what your history together was…" She purred, the lad shuddering from her sultry tone.
"I already gave you the details," he sweat-dropped. He flicked his orbs to the next person, smiling gently at her. "Hey there."
"H-Hello…" The blonde girl tugged on her nun's outfit's skirt, not knowing what to do.
This was Asia Argento, a former nun turned devil who controlled the SacredGear of healing called the 'Twilight Healing'. Nifty. But reading on her little backstory was outright tragic; shunned by the same people she lived with just because she healed a Devil back then. But now, clearly she was contented with her current life, indicated by how she was enjoying her conversation with a woman with blue hair and a slit of green earlier.
The next person on the list was Xenovia Quarta, a former exorcist, who had control over a very dangerous sword, the Durandal. A previous wielder of an Excalibur was already a huge boost in her respect level, so that was that. But it seemed that her beliefs were flexible, as she seemed to not really care despite being a devil, unlike Asia, who he could tell must have struggled with the idea.
The second last was probably a new addition to the group; Rossweisse, a valkyrie who hailed from the Norse world. A previous servant of Odin, she now was a Devil who worked as an instructor at the Kuoh Academy. He knew this, because he saw her teaching a class on his way to his own class.
Out of a sudden, he noticed Issei moving to his seat, with him and Tiamat moving to the side to make room for the brunette. Funny, he was in between them again.
…Not in that way.
"Sorry… I don't think I can handle that Kiba yet…" Issei whispered, annoyed all the same.
"S-Sure. No problem," the lad shrugged nervously, awaiting the presence of the last person.
*Creak!*
'Sister…' Never had he thought he would even think about saying it, but…
She grew even more beautiful than he last met her.
The door to the shower room opened, revealing a wet red-haired woman who held her towel over her chest. She busied herself with wiping away all the trickles of water in her hair and on her body, opening her eyes a moment later and smiling at everyone else in the room. Her hair was longer now, red, danced all the way to her waist. Her skin like porcelain, and her eyes like diamonds
And then her eyes fell upon the prince, blue orbs meeting black ones, the former widening to the size of saucers.
"You better go say 'hi' to her…" Tiamat softly elbowed his side, prompting him to step off the couch and standing in front of her.
Emotions shooting forth like a broken dam, it felt like he was high on drugs or something. He was feeling nauseous, wobbly, and he almost fell back there. Thankfully, he managed to avoid said problem.
And now, he stood, opposite of her, breathing calmly as he looked at his sister, who looked as if she had just been hit by paralysis.
'Ah, damn it. I forgot what to say…' He mentally whimpered, and willed his hand to raise, waving shakily at her. "H-Hey, Rias-nii. Nice to—"
*Thud!*
"Guh!" He hadn't a moment to even finish his sentence, instead with his body pulled into a strong hug, with red being the only thing he could see. "R-Rias-nii?"
"Y-You idiot…" She muttered, grip wavering as her body shook. "You left…"
"I-I did…" He accepted his fate of getting hit, but instead got a hug. Nonetheless, he didn't hold himself back from hugging back the otherwise half-naked girl. "It's been so long…"
"It has…." She nodded in his chest, the sniffles audible to everyone else.
A moment passed like that, as brother and sister kept their embrace, despite being displayed for the eyes of others. He blushed a bit, feeling his head beginning to grow lighter under the looks of surprise from the others.
"N-Neh, Rias-nii… We could always just continue this afterwards. Your, uh… Your club members are still here," he added after that slight delay.
She didn't speak a word. While she was reluctant to let go, she had to admit that it was kind of shameful to be doing this in front of her peerage members. She released him, face and eyes red as she smiled longingly at him.
"It's good to see you again, brother…" She smiled, the most amount of joy displayed there, in that one instance.
"Yeah," the prince nodded, mirroring his sister's smile with one of his own. "It is."
Later
"S-So… Let me get this straight. All of you," the 'Perverted Trio' member gestured to everyone here. "Are all devils?"
"Except me, because I'm a demon," Riven corrected.
"And me, because I'm a dragon," Tiamat admitted, gaining looks of shock from everyone else besides him and Rias.
And Issei too, because he knew little to zero.
"Wait a minute… I knew the name 'Tiamat' was familiar. She's one of the Dragon Kings," Kiba noted, eyes widening as the revelation fell upon him. "Wait a minute, you mean—"
"Yup. I'm Tiamat, a Dragon King, at your service," she kicked back into the couch, gasps encore. "Oh, and to let you know why I'm here, and not elsewhere, it's 'cause I'm Riven's familiar."
Even more gasps came forth.
"God, I thought I was going to die back there…" The prince in question groaned. "The battle was tough, I'll admit that."
"Indeed, and he made Lady—Wait a minute, you fought her?!" Rias suddenly screamed, eyes filled to the brim with disbelief.
"Believe it or not, your brother is super strong. Faced me with that one kid. What was his name again..?" She stroked her chin, as if there were a beard there, until the answer came to her. "Aha! I know! Vali! Vali Lucifer!"
"What?!" All eyes turned back to him once more. God, if he was going to be the centre of attention for much longer..!
"We're friends," he sighed, wishing that he could just disappear. Being in the spotlight felt so awkward and nerve-wreaking for him. "And it'll take me a heck of a lot just to reason with him to not kill you, Issei."
"Huh? Why's that?" The brunette asked, feeling a part of his stomach drop.
"You know the SacredGear that I talked to you about, right? The [Boosted Gear]?" At his question, he was responded with a nod. "Alright. In that [Boosted Gear], there's a dragon called Ddraig. Ddraig's got a rival, and that rival is in the SacredGear that my friend Vali has, which makes him your rival."
"Oh, okay. But what's there to worry about?" He asked once more.
"Issei, you're a human as of right now. Vali, on the other hand, is a direct descendant to Lucifer, one of the Devils. He can probably kill you if he wanted to," at that, the boy paled. "Or, I could try talking to him. Maybe then, he won't do anything."
"Please do so…" Issei had begged this time, looking weak.
"Will do," Riven nodded.
"So… I have this powerful item inside of me that was passed down from God? Cool…" The boy's expressions took a turn for the lecherous, as he suddenly began drooling, eyes dreamy. "Ooh, I could imagine it now! Red Dragon Emperor! Loved by all the women in the world! My harem dream would become real!"
"…Pervert…" The Nekomata muttered, loud enough for the [Boosted Gear] wielder to hear.
"Shut it! No one asked for your opinion!" He practically roared at her, but the girl kept eating away. He sweat-dropped when she continued ignoring him. "Seriously..?"
"So, what now? We can't leave him as is," Riven pursed his lips in a straight line, pondering on the thought.
With Issei being the wielder of the [Boosted Gear], it'd mean that he'd have to clash blades with Vali someday, and Vali was already good at fighting. By now, he should have gotten over his fear of people, so that would be an immense boost for him.
And with the [Boosted Gear], there was no way his human body could truly resist the strain from wielding it. In fact, it would ultimately cause him to implode, or burn out. That was something he was wishing to avoid.
'Wait a minute…' Suddenly a thought came to mind, calling forth Eve. 'Eve, can you relate [Royal Arcana] to anything?'
[Royal Arcana], his self-named Longinus. He had wondered on what to call it, when it came to him like a snap of the fingers.
'Well, technically speaking, it's basically about tarot cards. Arcana,' she said simply. 'What are you thinking?'
'Well, considering how it works… Say I were to form a peerage, do you think I could imbue him with the power of the [Royal Arcana]? With it, he could stay as a human, yet have enough power to wield his [Boosted Gear] without imploding,' he suggested, and she thought on it for a while.
Over the years, the both of them had studied on the tarot cards, related to the term 'arcana'. And from there, it had led them down an extensive reading on a certain topic, where it talked about those who 'forged a contract' with those like Riven are called 'confidants'.
It began simple, and detailed explanations were drilled into his mind, as they are into his partner's. He'd have to figure out the whole thing soon enough.
'So maybe, if I can form whatever contract with them, just as how I made one with Tiamat, and you made one with me, maybe I could make one with them as well,' he simplified, a new goal set.
'Well, it would be very nice if it works. Who knows? If we do pull it off, maybe it could help us as well,' she hummed, with the prince mentally nodding, cutting off the connection to return to reality.
"So what now? What would you want me to do?" Issei asked, beginning to question the reason he came here in the—
Oh wait, never mind. He remembered now. Riven invited him. He was the one that Rias wanted to see.
'God damn it…' He mentally groaned.
"Well, I was hoping if you would accept serving me in my—" Riven waved at his sister, immediately catching her attention. "Yes, Riven?"
"Listen. I know that you want to make him your peerage and all, but there is a hypothesis that I wish to test with him. And it requires him to be free first," he explained. Several looks of curiosity were shot here and there, but his sister trusted him.
"Of course, Riven," she nodded, lovingly as she ever could. "Take as long as you need, alright?"
"S-Sure…" He nodded, shakily. He swapped his glance to the clock on the wall, eyebrows raised when it showed 6.30. "Wow, it's been late… I guess I should be going home then."
"B-B-But… I want to stay with you…" She whined, pulling off the puppy-eyes trick.
"I know, I know. We're staying away from each other, but I'll come back home one day. For now, I still want to remain in Assiah. Just for now, okay?" He smiled at her, able to reason with his sister, indicated by the sigh she released.
"Alright, fine… But make sure you come back in the end, alright? We all miss you very much," she pouted, cute as she could ever be. Issei had burned the picture in his mind forever.
"Of course, Rias-nii," he smiled back at her, laughing at the blush that popped up. "Come on, Tiamat."
She nodded at her liege, following suite after she gave a bow to everyone.
To think that they have finally met the brother of Rias Gremory. His name was forever burned into their minds, as he would leave a legacy.
The members of the Occult club felt relieved, now knowing that they had a powerful ally by their side. Well, powerful was lacking. It was way more, not even Sirzechs wanted to face off against him.
That Night—Unknown Place
*Final Fantasy XV—Cape Caem (Play Song)*
…What the..?
Riven could feel as if he had defied the very laws of gravity, feeling lighter than usual. He got off… What the?
"Why am I on a bed..?" He asked himself, surprised when he was wearing a strange outfit. "H-Huh?"
He moved to a mirror, taking a proper look at himself. His hair had grown slightly longer with more white streaks and black markings on his face. His outfit resembled that of a lord's, with a white cape having a red interior, a blue attire with metallic gauntlets, and a cravat. All in all, he looked cool.
"If only I could wear this outside of… wherever I am," he muttered under his breath, deciding to leave the room, that looked like a hotel's room.
Stepping out, he was greeted with a long corridor that stretched forwards, expensive vases of porcelain holding valuable flowers on either side. He walked forwards, nervous that there weren't anyone else here besides him.
The path too was not one to ignore. Polished to the point that he could see himself, it was probably built from fine marble, just as the walls and ceiling were. Chandeliers were often hanging above him, leaving a gap in between before another of the crystalline object hung.
"Damn, wherever I am, the person who owns this place must be one rich guy," he whistled to himself, not realising that the end of the corridor was close, until he could make out brown, oaken doors. "Welp, here goes nothing."
He stepped forth, placing his hand on the door's face, and pushed forwards.
*Creak!*
*Final Fantasy XV—Cape Caem (End Song)*
*Nights of Azure—Shallow Grave (Play Song)*
"What the…" How the corridor and the room he was once in displayed a strange amount of regal pride, this room too took to imitation. It was bright, possessing a hanging chandelier in the centre of it all, with the same vases in the corridor placed delicately—and to a good amount—here and there. Paintings adorned the expensive-looking walls, with ornate furniture and velvet smoke spewing from nowhere and becoming a thin layer on the ground. There was a desk below the chandelier, with a man sitting there, yet dark from some shadow. "H-Hello?"
"Quiet!" He yelped from a new voice, eyes landing on two identical girls wearing the same outfit—some sort of warden's outfit, with and eyepatch on either the left or right—standing on either side of another desk in front of him. "Sit down, inmate!"
Nodding silently, he seated himself, trying to make as little to no sound as possible. The girl on his right was scary enough. The girl on his left didn't say anything, which only made the whole situation creepier.
Though, were he given the chance to voice out his opinions, he would have admitted how comfy the chair was.
"Master, he is finally here," the girl on his left finally spoke.
"Hahaha… Truly now?" The man, where the shadow had covered him earlier, was now full to see. He was a strange-looking old man with a long nose that gave him the visage of a human Pinocchio, pointed ears and bulging, bloodshot eyes. The black suit and white gloves gave Riven the impression of a businessman. "So you are awake. Welcome to my Velvet Room."
"Velvet room..?" He muttered, soft so to not seem rude. "Wait a minute… I was in my room asleep. How did I..?"
"The you in reality is merely asleep. You are merely experiencing this as a dream," the girl on his left explained, answering his question.
"I… see," he nodded, sitting up straight. He, for some reason, could tell that if he had not done so, the one on his right would have probably yelled at him again.
"Welcome, prince. I am delighted to finally make your acquaintance," the man behind the desk spoke, settling the side of his chin on his fist. "This place we stand in now, is a world between dream and reality. Between mind and matter. It is a room that only permits those bound by a 'contract' to enter."
"Contract…" Riven repeated, still not getting the full understanding of the situation he was in.
"I am the master of this place, Igor. I ask that you remember it well," he tapped his free hand against the wood, that creepy smile miraculously still being held up despite it supposedly making his jaw sore by now.
"U-Understood…" The prince, though dressed like one, felt that, as he sat in this very room, he was what the girl on his right called him; a prisoner.
"I summoned you here not to bother you with trivial matters. I shall spare you of pointless chat. No. Rather, I have called you here due to important matters, which involves your life as well," the final words did it to fully attract the prince's attention, as he stood straighter than before, putting on all ears.
"What do you mean?" Riven asked, making sure not to overstep his boundaries, in case the girl on his right would hit him with her baton.
"I suppose you'd like to know. Still, it surprises me," Igor looked to his surroundings, the smile still not dissipating. "How this room appears reflects the state of your own heart. To think that a room befitting of a palace would appear as such."
"I… was constantly treated as some blue-blood, even by my family. I supposed I accepted it in the end," he admitted, still trying his best not to look away from the man's soul-piercing gaze.
"Hmm, an interesting remark. You truly are worthy of the title, as a 'prince'," he remarked, chuckling softly. It sounded dark, probably that it was his voice. "However, as I said before, I came here to inform you of the important matters aforementioned. You see, in the future, the world as you know it will be facing ruin."
"Ruin? What is it?" Riven asked, seemingly not liking the sound of things.
"I speak of the end to everything. Destruction, Ragnarok, end of the world, and many other things," he began, chuckling at the look of fear on the prince's face. "Tell me, prince. If there were a means to prevent such a fate, would you do so?"
"Of course. I will. It's my duty… as a prince, and as a person," the human-demon halfbreed nodded, sweating by the side of his head. "Please, sir, tell me. How do I prevent it?"
"It is simple. You must be 'rehabilitated'," rehabilitated? As in restored to health? "You must be rehabilitated toward freedom. With your rehabilitation, only then will you be able to avoid ruin."
"Rehabilitation…" The word sounded so foreign, so difficult to say, despite it just being English.
He was snapped out of his reverie when the girls from earlier, in perfect synchronisation, spun on their place to look at him.
"Ah yes, I forgot to introduce you to them. Forgive me for that," he sounded honest, despite looking very, very scary. "To your right is Caroline, and your left, Justine."
'I get it… Okay, Caroline's the girl who likes to shout, and she's on my right. Justine, almost silent, on my left. Got it,' he made a mental nod to himself.
"The both of them serve as wardens here," Igor pointed out, though Riven knew already. The outfit they wore were enough indication.
"Well, inmate, you can try and struggle as hard as you like. Nothing's getting you out of this one," Caroline huffed, the baton acting as a reminder that she would not be hesitant in dealing with him with violence.
"N-No, I promise, I won't… do anything of the sort…" He shook his head, visibly shrinking under her one-eyed stare.
"You need not worry, inmate. As wardens, we are tasked with protecting inmates. As such, you may consider us as your collaborators as well," Justine on his left told him. The last thing she mentioned, he didn't understand much. "That is, of course, if you remain obedient. Cross the boundaries, and we cannot promise you your safety."
'Wow, okay. This girl is not only creepy, she can be really good at threatening people. Okay,' thankfully the sweat-drop in his mind was unseeable to the girls, or to the man in the room. "Forgive me for asking, but will they—"
"We have names, inmate!" Caroline chided, rather loudly if he dared to add.
"…Will Justine and Caroline merely be watching over me each time I come here?" Riven asked. He felt as if there were some other reasons that they were here. Justine did call themselves his collaborators. To put it simply, they were, synonymously, his assistants.
"Ah, of course. Though, I cannot explain today, as our time today is cutting short," he sounded slightly disappointed, but still his grin remained. "No matter. The next time we meet, we shall talk even more. I implore you to take your time to understand this place. We shall meet again, you have my word…"
"W-Wait, there's no way—" A bell suddenly ran. From where, he couldn't tell. One thing he could say, was that it was loud.
"Time's up, inmate," the warden on his right, the scary one, spoke. "Now hurry up and go back to sleep!"
"W-What? How?" Riven asked, but the answer didn't come at all.
*Nights of Azure—Shallow Grave (Play Song)*
The Next Day
He had woken up by then.
"Gah..!" He woke up with a surge of adrenaline pumping through his being, sweat dripping down his body, cold. He took time to calm himself, but it was apparent enough that it wasn't working. He was too worked up on what he saw to even stay calm.
'W-What does he mean..?' He asked himself, still wondering if there really would be a chance for him to meet Igor. 'He came to me… because of my [Royal Arcana], I bet. He has the answers. I need to speak with him once more.'
'Mnggh… Riven, what are you thinking about..? You sound so serious…' Eve moaned in his head, breaking the prince from his train of thoughts.
"Oh shoot, I can't tell her yet," he spoke out loud, knowing that it would take too much time just to explain things. And there were still details he didn't know. He returned to his mind. 'Sorry, Eve. Had a strange dream. Go back to sleep, alright?'
'Y-You know it…' She began with a snort, and finally ended with her catching the z's. Riven sighed, grateful that he hadn't been caught yet.
"No matter, I'll find out soon enough. One way or another," he nodded to himself, getting himself in his bathroom early before calling Tiamat that it was her turn next.
But it took a full thirty minutes just for him to get her up. Tiamat does not do mornings well.
After school had ended, Tiamat had rushed off to the Occult clubroom to discuss something with Rias. Apparently, his sister had wanted to catch up on details through the dragoness, so he allowed her to go.
Riven was walking towards the gates of the academy, planning to just wait outside until Tiamat would get back. He whistled a lone tune to himself, looking out to the road to see that it was surprisingly quiet.
Though he looked calm on the outside, his mind was a battlefield.
'Damn it… So I can only meet Igor when I'm asleep?' That thought brought a frown to his face. 'Shoot… I'm scared that I won't get my answers quickly enough. I'm desperate by now.'
The thoughts of how his Longinus worked was still a large mystery. The suggestion of transferring a tarot card arcana to others to give them a sort of… To be honest, he didn't know, and that's why he had to know. It was killing him just to know. There were so many questions! So little answers! And this Igor was the key to it all!
'Igor…' His thoughts fell onto the other two girls as well. What would they help him with? 'And how do I actually go on my path to 'rehabilitation'? To avoid ruin… Ooh, I need to know!'
"W-Wait!" Suddenly he heard the voice of a girl call him. He looked to his left, and saw a fallen-in-disguise wearing a school uniform he had never seen before approaching him. "U-Um, excuse me… Are you Riven Hirokami?"
"Yes, that's me," he nodded in conformation. "How may I be of assistance?"
"Oh, thank goodness…" She sighed, happy. "Ah, sorry. I suppose I should be introducing myself. I'm Yuuma Amano."
"Ah, I see. It's a pleasure to meet you, Yuuma," he gave her a smile, surprised when it was her that blushed instead of him.
"A-Ah, yeah! Same here," she smiled, bashful, before her eyes met the concrete road. "Sorry, it's just…. Can I ask you a question?"
'I've seen this… In manga, anime and light novels. And as always, the leading genre is romance,' he gulped, bracing himself for what was to come. "Sure, go ahead."
"R-Right… Well, it's, ahhn…" Yuuma bit the inside of her cheek, looking unsure. If this was fake, then wow. She's a really good actor. "A-Are you currently seeing someone?"
"N-No, no. I'm still perfectly single," he admitted. 'No! Why did I just say that?! I should have said that I had a girlfriend and be done with it! But no, Riven! You had to be honest!'
That was just how he was.
"R-Really? I see! W-Well, it's just…" While this may have very well been an act, or something from a cheesy romance drama, there was nothing in the worlds that could truly keep his heart steeled in the face of someone that, even if fake, confessed to them.
"I love you! Please go out with me!"