Dxd, of all odds.

Yeah, a longer chapter, a longer exposition and introductions. Nothing much, but I think I'm doing it right. I hope so. Good read, then!

Highschool DxD doesn't belongs to me!

.

~~ x~~

.

Hamburgers, fries, sides, milkshakes, onion rings and even some proper rice with meatballs. I just paid Hellsing a full-course fast-food meal here at Bram-burguers, and since then, I'm facing a hungry vampire-ninja-devil devour every piece of meat and fat in front of me. She offered some, but I lost my appetite just by seeing her eat that mountain of food. Not that she eats like an animal, but because that whole lot of food is making me sick...

"I thought vampires only needed blood to eat." I said, taking a sip out of my juice and taking another glance at her. She's eating just like a normal person would, and that differs completely from the standard bloodsucker myth. Hellsing stopped for a moment to take also a sip out of her milkshake and looked at me.

"Actually, we don't need blood to survive, dragon." She answered. I gave her a question mark as she swallow her mix of milk and fruits down her system and sighed. "The true meaning behind this is because we need life energy, not exactly blood. You see, since vampires are undead creatures, our survival depends on how much we can cheat death by stealing other's life energy. It just so happens that blood is a better energy flow that other kind of secretions. But we can use sweat, meat, tears, saliva and even sem-..."

"I get it! I get it!" Before she could reach what I was hoping she wouldn't, I lifted both my arms in front of her and made an Stop sign with my hands. She just chuckled and returned to her meal. I wonder if those girls are just messing around so that can get a reaction from me. I hate that, but I think this is only a given since they're saving my ass on the daily basis. Speaking of which... "Hey... Hellsing...?"

"Call me Anna."

"Wha-...?"

"Anna... Or just Bell(Beru). Bell is better, less suggestive. But you can call me whatever you want. I don't mind." She shrugged.

"Okay... Belle..." I turned around just to look to another side and cough the uneasiness away. Calling a girl by her first name by the first time... I mean, after some time, what the hell. This is really weird. But I think I can handle this for a while. At least is better than 'Herusingu' (A/N: thank you!). Back to the original topic. "So... About those exorcist... Aside from the whole 'purge demons from others out of our realm' thing, what are they, exactly."

"Huh~." She stopped once again, crossed her arms and closed her eyes to probably think about my question. Are vampire-hunters and Exorcists the same thing? "Well, red, I can say that Exorcists are the Black-ops of the supernatural. They purge or at least punish demons that broke the rules of the underworld. Strays, murderers, possessors. They are the human response against the supernatural."

"Huh... This kinda makes sense."

"Just be glad that chick wasn't a stray one."

"What...?"

"Oh, yeah. Those." She grimaced a little as she turned her eyes to a side. "You see, just like devils, there's good and 'bad' Exorcists. The 'Good' ones are the ones whom take care of the 'bad' devils, while the 'bad' ones, we call them stray, just kill devils regardless of their karmic side. Those ones work alone or stick with other stray creatures."

"So... That girl who attacked us was a stray?"

"No. She probably just misunderstood things up. Devils don't have a good reputation back in Europe. But again, they used to be a lot more violent back then." And she finished her sentence sipping again on a milkshake. Stray Exorcists, huh? "I'll order some more. Do you want something?"

"No, I'm good. Thanks."

"Suit yourself. I'll bring a coke to cheer you up, red."

And she stood up and walked her way back to the ordering line. Not that I'm alone, I have finally some time to think how much everything sucks now. At least in the beginning, I just had my sisters and grades to care about. But now? Devils, angels, stray Exorcists, and probably many many more. All because of this Boosted Gear. I wonder if Issei-senpai had the same problems back them

No, Ichijou! Stay in the game! Shut up! Don't go all emo now!

'Here's your order! Thank you for your choice! Please come again!'

'Surely.'

That voice reached my ears in a second, as I lifted my head, that was miserably on the table, to look up and around and try to pinpoint the source of that familiar voice. After a while, I finally took a glimpse out of purple locks passing by.

"Ah! Kamiyama!"

"Oh, Tsukino-kun." And there she is, Kamiyama Shiori, just passing by my table carrying a grey plastic board with some fries, a cup of juice and a hamburger. She stopped on her track and turned to me. Again, I felt a sting of pain in my heart and my lungs shrank in my system. She was wearing a light-green sleeveless shirt under a purple tracksuit jacket falling for her shoulders, with also sweatpants and her long purple locks were wrapped in a ponytail. I wonder if she's been running around. Another thing: everything seemed... Too tight on her. "Good afternoon."

"Y-Yeah... Good afternoon for you, too." I spoke back with a little cough. This uneasy feeling again. To not to be rude, I turned back to her and smile. "So... Doing a little jogging, Kamiyama? I mean... By your... Outfit... Is seems like it."

"Yes. I usually run around the park on weekends to keep myself in shape. It trains my lungs and body and keeps me in good mood." She said, still standing up with her food board. I silently offered the empty seat in front of me and she accepted with a nod. Now, we're facing each other... And. I'm sweating buckets. What the hell, Ichijou?! What the hell did you just do?!

"S-So... Uh..."

"I saw you running around the park too, Tsukino-kun." She said, eating her fries. Oh, yeah... That little jogging. I hope she didn't saw me hitting Gremory dead on the spot.

"Ah... Ahahahahah... And... Uh...?"

"... And you suck at jogging." And now my face met with the table in front of us. Ugh! Yeah, I'm not that athletic, and I've never been on a club of those. My only physical activities are usually pick things at the grocery store and cooking. Basic stuff. However, when I turned back to her, she smiled. My world stopped after that. Kamiyama Shori just... Smiled! She smiled to me! She's smiling at me! Is a serene and small one, but it's a smile nonetheless! "But you're not too bad in rhythm. You just need better training."

"Ah! Ahahahahah...! Really? Wow, thanks." I gave an uneasy chuckle, taking a giga-sip out of my shake, and laughing nervously. That actually felt nice. And this is for the first time I can feel she means it. No red-dragon stuff, no lil'bro stuff. An actually compliment from a stranger. "This... This really makes me happy."

"But you'll need work. Like I said, you suck hard." And she took her time to take a sip out of her own. We shared a moment, and then we laughed, she muffing her own with one hand. This is weird. She just mocked me, but I don't feel any malice. And I don't feel any anger inside of me.

"Yeah, sorry about that."

"No need to." And she returned to her typical stoic persona, now focusing on her hamburger. That one bright my day, even when I can't shake those feelings off. Anxiety, trembling hands, sweaty neck and beating heart, all of this when I'm near this girl. I want to reach her hand with my own too. Is this love people speaks of? It feels really nice too. I'm confused, but the good kind of confused.

"Hey~, dragon. I'm back." There she is, the greenette I call Anna, balancing two food boards on each hand and nonchalantly calling me 'dragon'. She turned to me, and then to the girl in front of. "Oh, aren't you Kamiyama Shiori from class 1-B?"

"That is correct." The purple head in front of me said.

"Oh, nice to meet you. I'm Annabelle Hellsing from class 1-C. But you can call me just Ann-... Belle, for short." The ninja smiled, tossing her meals on the air, and kicking them to the seat next to us, all without any fail and landing on complete order, the. Cracking her pointer finger with her thumb. "*CRACK* I'm a ninja, too, by the way."

"Oi, Belle...!"

"Huh, 'Belle', 'Dragon'. Aren't you two close." Kamiyama wondered, staring at us with a curious look. She finished her hamburger, picked her things and stood up from her seat. "I guess I'll be going, then. It was nice to chat with you, Tsukino-kun."

"Ah... It was... Nice... For me, too." I blushed, as she turned to me and smiled again. This gave me the feeling to smile back, so I did just that.

"See you tomorrow in class." And she turned around to dump her trash in a bin nearby, walking to the exit after it. Before she could vanish from my sight, she turned her head around in a true SHAFT manner, smiled one more time and said. "Farewell... Dragon."

And she left. I'm dazed now. Silly smile plastered on my face, tamed demeanor, looking at the invisible horizon of nothingness waiting for the world to end. It could end for the all I care, I talked to Kamiyama Shiori! We had such a great time. But I hope I didn't end up like a creep. The feeling of cold feet just vanish too. Maybe I can only think straight when I'm away from her. Ah, she's a school idol, and I'm a... Meta-normal highschooler too. This is the normal thing to happen. She also called me dragon. I wonder if she's gonna use it regularly. This way I can avoid uncomfortable questions whenever Gremory or Annabelle slips those away again.

*SLAP!*

"Ouch!"

"Hey there, freaky face!" Out of the blue, taking me out of my own, Belle just slapped me on the back of my neck. It didn't hurt that much, but the scare was the breaking point.

"What's the idea, Belle? And what the hell is with 'Freaky face'?!" I said, massaging the affected area.

"You. You're the one who's with the Freaky face." She said with a sly smile, eating her French fries while giving me a look on the edge, seating next to me. I made a question mark for that. What does she means by that?

"Is there something on my face?" I asked, reaching for a napkin in the other side and readying it to clean up whatever was on me.

"Your smile, dragon."

"What about it?" I frowned.

*CRACK!*

"Say, have you ever smile like that to anyone else?" She poked my cheek with a smile on her own, cracking her middle finger. I slapped that assaulting hand way, and was ready to say something when it came to me: no, I didn't. Huh, that's neat. Not that I didn't ever smile before, but it has been a while. I touched my face, and suddenly that upward line on my lips vanished. So I did smile. "Truth, I've been around you not for long ago, but all you did until now was frown and grunt at others."

"Really...?" I gave a nervous sip on my juice, only to realize there wasn't any of it left. Belle smiled and passed me a cup of diet coke. "I didn't realize it. Is that really a big deal?"

"I don't mind. But as a Ninja, I have to keep close eye on my surroundings. Gremory and that fox are always smiling near you, too."

"Gremory is an idiot, she's smiling all the time. Akabane... Is just having fun teasing me."

"Huh, well, you know the best, dragon." And she finished her meal right before my eyes. Huh, so what? I'm just the red dragon for them, the mere memento of a legendary hero. It's different with Kamiyama: she doesn't know about this whole thing, that I'm the current host of the Boosted Gear. I would be different too with a childhood friend. I looked to my left arm, the dragonic arm, and smiled. Yeah, I can make friends and comrades without they knowing about this thing. "So... We better be going, then."

"Hah...? Where?"

"Isn't it obvious? Let's do some training!"

.

~~x~~

.

It took us fifteen minutes, but we're finally here. I remember this place. The old building of Kuoh Academy, the Rundown place near the current place. I never really wanted to come here since people say is haunted, but I'm a devil now, I don't fear those anymore. Truly, the fact that a vampire-ninja-devil is with me helped a lot, but I'm still fearless... For now.

"Any good reason for you to bring me here, Belle?" I coughed again. I'm getting used to call someone by name. This is good. She said nothing, continuing her trip to in the Forest. That pissed me a little, but. I sighed and continued to follow. In the end, we stopped in a clear soil, with no grass or trees, only a sandy floor, big enough to be a amateur football ground. She stopped, and turned to me.

"Practice time." She said, crossing her arms and puffing her chest up. I gave her a question mark. "You're still far too weak to call yourself the legacy of Issei-sama! Let's train a little, you and me. Rhythm, breath rate, stamina. This whole thing in one place, in this sacred ground where the occult research club, the legacy of lady Rias Gremory, once stood!"

"..." Oh, brother... You're the ones who's been calling me the legacy of Issei-senpai! But, oh well, if I want to people to stop tormenting me, I better get stronger. I summoned my boosted Gear, and put myself in a battle stance. "Okay, let's finish this quickly!「DRAGON BOOSTER」!"

"Summoning technique! Albert!" When I was ready to counter whatever she throws at me, she smacked her palm on the floor, and a curtain of smoke lifted right there. Well, always with a trick under the sleeve, typical ninja. When that cloud vanished, beside Hellsing, there was a strange, green, Gigantic shell of a turtle, almost reaching her waist. A head poked out for a second, and then retracted in after. Hellsing smiled, and tapped the tip of that trap a few times. "Hahahah! This is my familiar, or animal guardian. I call him Albert. He's a friend of mine."

"Whatever." I turned around and looked to another direction, scratching my cheek in nervousness only to almost rip it due to the dragon claws sprouting out of my fingers. "Now, what?"

"Well, Albert here will be the one training you. Long exposition short, you just have to dodge and attack him as much as you can handle. Pretty simple, right?" She said, pointing at the giant reptile next to her. I approached myself next to it to take a quick glance, and poked it a few times. This shell sure is a hella hard.

"Is it really okay for me to plummel your pet turtle? I mean, I won't have any animal protection on my ass, right?" I asked her one more time. She chuckled again, and jumped in to the air, landing on a branch of a nearby tree.

"It's okay! He can take quite a damage! You should be worrying about yourself instead!" She screamed at a distance. Well, whatever, this is just a training, so I guess I can make a little effort at this. Nonchalantly, I kicked that she'll out of my sight, and it simply rolled to a side.

"Seriously, Anna, I can't figure it out where you want me to g-..."

*SMACK!*

"Yeouch!" And before I could complete my sentence, I felt a strong bat against the back of my head, making me falling face-first. When I stood up, a little dizzy from the attack, I saw that green shell land next to me, still spinning. Ugh... Was that... That shell? What the hell~? Again, I kicked that thing with all of my strength, and again, it rolled to a tree. However, when it hit it, it bounced to another one in a way that could gain some height from the impact, and then came back to me! "Oh, no! You don't!"

[BOOST!]

*PUNCH!*

I punched that thing square in the right side, and again hit and bounced back to me. I tried again to punch it, but it was so fast that it hit me right in the stomach! Good thing I only had a shake, or else I'd be seeing my lunch again. Ugh~...

"Hahahah! Not bad! You lack speed, but your reflexes aren't too shabby, dragon!" She said, jumping from the tree and walking to beside the turtle shell. "Trust me, this is a lot harder than it looks. My Albert is a Ninja Turtle. He has the speed and the reflex of a human, and he is also a good strategist. Of course, his memory spam is minimal, but if you're not careful, he'll bite your ass like a gecko."

"Huh..." I stood up again, regaining my balance and breath, and stretched myself for another session. As if I'll let a turtle mock me!

[BOOST!]

"Let me ask you something, Tsukino Ichijou." She lifted her hand in a hold manner, and out of politeness and curiosity, I stopped on my track. She's calling me by my name. Good thing, this is not. "You said that Dragons can be cool, right?"

"Yeah, I recall that... So?"

*CRACK.*

"What kind of cool? You're the protagonist, and because of this, you have to be cool, but what kind of cool?" She asked me, cracking her little finger. "I mean, there's a lot of archetypes of cool. We have the loser-cool, the cool-cool, the lame-cool, random-cool, and the awesome-cool. It all depends in how much you put effort in a thing. For example, if this was a novel, Gremory would be the random-cool, the kind of character that is cool because she's unpredictable, you can't possibly expect something from her, and yet she impresses with how much she can do in a spam of a second; that fox girl would be the lame-cool, she does simple and boring things, yet she's still cool doing exactly those. Finally, I'd be the cool-cool. I was born cool."

"What are you saying?"

"Basically? Gremory would fit a lot more in a shounen comedy-action manga; that fox would fit perfectly in a sports manga, I would fit better in any kind of manga as long I'm the rival or the foil of the protagonist. The problem now is you, Tsukino Ichijou." She pointed at me. "If this was a novel, what kind of protagonist you would be, and what kind of cool you fit the most? Is it the random-cool, the awesome-cool, the loser-cool? Issei-sama was unpredictable, pragmatic and a total dork by the eyes of the viewer, making him a trinity of this tropes. Now, you're uptight, lame and pessimistic, but you have potential. This makes you... A sour-cool type, the character that fights not because he wants to, but because he needs to, regardless of your karmic side."

" I don't get it." I really don't. So, I'm the sour-cool type of hero. Those usually with a tragic past and the destiny they have to fulfill. I kinda have the one without the other.

"You don't need to. Following character archetypes is a pain in the ass, and usually they lead to a short serialization. For a genre, you're the disinterested-type, the protagonist that doesn't want to do anything. Can't say those aren't popular, since we have series like ONI-ani and Maoyuu, though, but. I doubt that yours is fitting here at all."

"Hey! Stop categorizing me!"

"I'm not, I'm just trying to figure you out. You see, people usually are born here to be awesome and do awesome things as protagonists. Not you, you're just a normal highschooler wanting nothing more than a quiet day and a cup of tea, while others are destroying worlds and getting women by the second chapter of so." She crossed her arms and grimaced to in her clothes. "I wonder if you're a kind of protagonist fitting for a harem series such as here. No tragic past, no will of fighting or revenge story, no anything."

"Hey! Stop that!" The gauntlet announced [BOOST] again, and I dashed to the turtle, now punching it with all of my strength and making it destroy some trees and bounce to another one. Because of the distance, I could see from where it was coming, so I charged once again and punched that damn shell again to out of my sight. "You're saying that I'm the kind of protagonist unfitting for a series like this? That my kind is not fitting here?!"

"Not quite. If you look around, those are pretty common in place like this, but the way and pace that you're getting your harem and powers are... Frustrating. As a sub-heroine, I can say that yours is slow and almost jarring." She shrugged, While I dodged that fast shell to a side. So what? For All I care, I don't want a harem!

*SMACK!*

Back of the neck again. I kissed the floor again, and that shell fell to my side, spinning back to Hellsing. She chuckled. So, Apparently, I'm not fitting in this universe. That's sad, even. I mean, she said that my type of cool and personality is not uncommon here, but my pace is slow and frustrating. So...

"What kind of universe I belong to, Hellsing?"

"Hell if I know. You'd be the back character of a harem series, the foil, or the sour protagonist of a seinen manga. Even so, they usually don't care about the protagonist, they're more interested in the heroines. Why do you think there are so many substitution-types around here? They viewers don't care about you, they care about them. You're safe for now."

"Oh, I get it. Since this is a harem series in your head, people don't care about me as long as there's girls around. This is why harem-genre has so many blunt protagonists."

"Exactly. So much that OVA's and spin-offs are usually about the heroines, no matter how much importance they hold."

So... This is how it is, right? Being simply a tool for others to imagine themselves into. No matter how much I try to stay unique, no matter how much I think on my own, people won't care a damn about me, they will only care for the heroines. They'll only draw fanarts and make figures out of the girls, never the lame, idiotic protagonist. They'll never use the lame protagonist in fanfics, only a substitution-character to fight alongside their favorite heroines. I guess this is the fate of a simple protagonist of a harem-genre, I guess this is my fate...

...

...

Y'know what? I'm sick tired of this stuff...

"I had it."

"What?"

[BOOST!]

"I had enough of this!" I screamed as I stood up running and kicked that shell the hell away from me! "So what if I'm the protagonist of a harem-genre?! So what if I'm the lame protagonist?! I'm still a character! I deserve some respect, damn it!"

[BOOST!]

"Who said a fanfic with the canon-protagonist can't be good?! Isn't solar God the best around here?! And who the hell said that my pace is slow?! I'll move and get stronger on my own way, damnit!" I kicked that shell before it could hit me on the head again. It bounced, it destroyed some trees, and came back for more. I just uppercut that away.

[BOOST!] [BOOST!] [BOOST!]

"And so what if I'm lame and uninteresting for a protagonist of a series such as this?! Just watch me! This story will be an awesome shounen with an awesome protagonist and his crew, and not a harem-story with that annoying guy with the heroines!"

[EXPLOSION!]

"Just watch me! I'll be the center which everything spins around here! JUST WATCH ME!"

*BOOOM!*

And right before my eyes, I opened a crater right in front of me, that turtle shell buried at least 5ft down the ground. [RESET!], the gantlet announced, and all I could do was to sigh. Huh... For all of that, I guess I'd be just the lame, weak protagonist. Others have tragic pasts, special lineage and super powers since the beginning, while I'm stuck here being saved left and right.

"Not bad, dragon. Although, your counterparts already can do better by this time." Hellsing, sliding down the crater for me, said with her hands on her pockets. "But, hey, don't need to be upset. You're a sub-character, too. This means people will be paying attention to you."

"I guess so. However, I still respect senpai, and thinking that I'm his substitute makes me feel bad. I bet he was the best protagonist of the whole universe."

"He was... Unique, to say the least." Unique, huh? No wonder. I sighed. I'm really boring.

"Well, he was turn into a legend. He's on another level."

"Yep! To think he was also a lame, perverted human before all of this..."

"Yeah..."

...

...

Wait, what?

"H-Hellsing... Did you just said... 'Human'? Issei-senpai?" I turned around to her, and she eyed me with surprise.

"Oh! Didn't you know? Issei-sama was a human before discovering about his Boosted Gear. No tragic past, no abusive household, no destiny to fulfill. He was just a normal, if not perverted, boy."

"Wait! Wait! Wait! I kinda know he couldn't be totally a supernatural creature since Gremory said that you need to be at least a part human to have a sacred gear, but... Come again? He was a total human before? Not anything worth mentioning?"

"Aren't you mistaken him with Lord Vali Lucifer, the descendant of the original lord of the Demons, holder of the Divine Dividing, the Sacred Gear of the White Vanishing Booty Dragon Albion, and grandson of Rizdevim Lucifer the harbinger of... Ops! Sorry, no human material here."

So... Wait, wait! Issei-senpai, the same issei-senpai who had an harem of dozens, the previous holder of the Booster Gear, the devil turned legend... Was a simple human in the beginning?

"You're not kidding with my face, are you, Belle?"

"Why would I? I don't have any reason for this. Truth to be told, Albert did already the job in crushing you. And you repaid him quite well, too."

Huh... That's neat. This means... I can be just like him! Yeah. If issei-senpai became a legend despite being born a human, why not me? This boosted my esteem off chart.

"So... This means I can be just like him, right?"

"Just like him? Meh, suit yourself. I bet you can."

She gave me a thumbs up. This is cool, this is really cool!

Now I have another new reason to admire my senpai!

.

~~x~~

.

"I'm home."

"Good night, Ichijou." My big sister Satsuki greeted back, waving a small spoon next to a caldron of soup. It's almost dinner time, and I spent some time with Hellsing to train. Although my physical strength is yet to be desired, at least I'm having more control over my breath and cardio, not to mention that now I can maintain a single boost session for a longer time. Truly, I passed out in the middle of the training when it announced [BURST!], but aside from that, the bruises and the sore knuckles, I think that I'm okay. "We're having veggie-soup today. Shion is still on the host club, but Minatsu and Futaba are around with your friend. Go take a bath while I finish the meal. Don't take too long, though."

"Alright, sis."

"Hey, What's up? I'm coming in, too." Oh, yeah, for some reason, despite the ridiculous gap between then and now, Hellsing is coming for dinner too. Satsuki gasped seeing another girl home. "S'up, sister. My name is Annabelle Hellsing, and I'm a classmate of your brother here!"

"Ichijou~...!"

"Oh, look! I'm dirty as hell! I'll be in the bathroom if you need anything! Belle, if you need something too, ask Akabane! Bye!" And before she could nuke me, I dashed to the bathroom, picking my towel and some of own personal things on the way. I was in such a hurry that I forgot to knock, and then...

"Phew! I'm saved!"

"Oh, Ichijou-kun!"

"Grem-?! Ah! Fanservice!" And here I am, facing the back of a completely naked Gremory, who's sitting on a small plastic stool, washing her body with... Is that my sponge?! Wait, wait! Calm down! Don't scream. Scream, and they'll come here only to misunderstood things up and beat me to a pulp. Just relax, turn around and apologize. "I... Uh... Sorry. Should've knocked."

"Nah, no worries, I don't mind being naked in front of my servants." Oh, yeah. We've already slept naked. It kinda lost it's novelty since then. Yet, her nudity now it's making me uncomfortable. Geez, what a day. "Say, can you wash my back?"

"..."

"Pretty pwease~? I'll forget what happened this morning and give you a 'thank you' kiss~!"

Deep breath, Ichijou. You can't see breasts if they're by the other side. Besides, I really want that forgiveness. So I pulled another pink plastic stool nearby, sat on it and picked the sponge full of soap and foam. I took a quick glance at her back, only to notice the wall of hair in front of me.

"Could you please wash my hair, too? Sometimes it's a bother to do it myself." And now she passed me the shampoo bottle. I sighed, picking it up, pouring some of the lotion in my hands and now passing through her crimson locks. They're surprisingly smooth and soft, like I'm passing my fingers on some quality silk. I scrubbed her head a little and continued to turn and washed her hair with all the care I have. Don't be surprised, I used to do this all the time when I used to bath with my sisters, and since this hair is impeccable, is a lot easier then those times. I finished soon after and then picked the small shower to wash the foam away. "Brrr... It's cold."

"Sorry, but the water needs to be warm to not damage the hair. You don't want double-ends, right?" I said, finally reaching normal temperature and washing the remaining shampoo. Gremory then chuckled.

"Heheh... Ichijou-kun does know a thing about women!"

"Shut it! I live with five women! If I didn't, than I'd be retarted." I pulled her hair in a single braid and pushed it away from her back, picking a sponge and washing her from behind. For some reason too, she has some scars here and there on her back. That actually makes me feel sad. "Hey, Gremory, those scars..."

"Ah. You don't have to worry about those, Ichijou-kun." She said, giggling a little after I touched a spot on her back. "Those are just so training accidents. It happens."

"..." So Gremory has those, huh? I couldn't even imagine. She's giving her best too. "Say, Gremory... What kind of protagonist I am?"

"Huh...?"

"Nothing, nothing. I was just thinking out loud. Forget what I said."

Yeah, no need to drag her into this. I mean, it would be bad for her to know I'm not the suitable kind of protagonist of a harem series. She sees Issei-senpai on me and wants me to be just like him, so I better not to crush her expectations.

"Huh~... Ichijou-kun... Aren't you being a little too aggressive?"

On the other hand, according to Anna, Senpai was a complete normal human before all of this Boosted Gear thing, and this kinda makes me happy. Just imagine what he could do, and what I'll be able to do!

"Ichijou-kun, you're being a little too..."

*SLIDE!*

"Kyah!"

But again, I wonder what kind of motivation he had to continue even with all those things around him. Did people could see pass his Red Dragon status and see him as a friend? Gremory said that he had a Harem, but she also said that he was a nice guy and that chicks digs dragons. Isn't that kind of paradoxical?!

*GROPE! GROPE!*

"H-Hey... Ichijo-Kyah! Ichijou-kun~!"

Lady Rias, lady Akeno, lady Koneko and even a nun! How the hell is that even possible?! Was he the kind of protagonist that just makes women gravitate around him?! He was just sitting there while the opposite sex just land on his lap on the daily basis?!

"S-Stop it~... Ichijou-kyun~... Those are m-My weak spots...!"

*PINCH!*

"waaaaah~...!"

Ah! What the hell am I thinking?! Since when I want a harem?! I don't want it, damn it! A lot of series can be good and popular without harem! I don't need it, I don't need it, I don't need it at all! AT! ALL!

*MAXIMUM GROPE OVERDRIVE!*

"Hyaaaah~!"

"Huh?"

*K.O.! GREMORY LOSE!*

And just now I realized it: my hands just slid up to Gremory's chest and now they're groping her with all I have, while my face is glued to the back of her neck. Oh, no. I've been so deep in my own thoughts I think I just assaulted Gremory without mercy. Fast as I could, I jumped away from her, and then she and collapsed on the floor, completely red and taking deep, hard breaths. Oh, shit...

"Ah, ah! Sorry, Gremory!" I said, washing away some of the foam in my face and hands and picking a towel to wrap her with.

"That was awesome!" But before I could do something else, she stood up from the ground and facing me with starry eyes. By her tone too, this 'awesome' is pretty innocent. "So this is the legendary 'Boob-grope' of the red Dragon. Is more intense that I could ever imagine! You're really on the road to be just like Issei-sama, Ichijou-kun!"

"R-Really? Huh, thanks, I guess." I turned my head to side to avoid looking at her naked figure, I scratched my cheek with a finger.

"Now, we must continue our intimate session to see if you're capable enough!" She picked a small plastic bucket and washed all of the foam and soap out of her body, opening her arms. "Now, come, Tsukino Ichijou! Show me the way of the man and touch me all the way to my-...!"

"You're clean, right, Gremory? So, so long and thanks for all the meal!" And before she could finish her sentence, I pushed her lightly with my foot and let her slid all the way to the exit, I closing the door soon after and holding it still with my back.

Phew... What a day. It was an interesting day. I looked again to my left arm and sighed, and in the end, I smiled. Looking at the mirror, I could only wonder how alien a smile is on my face. I frowned, and suddenly the feeling of relief filled my heart. My default expression, typical of a sour-cool type of protagonist...

I'm still wondering if I can be just like senpai...

.

~~x~~

.

Yep, sorry about that. I think. I just went all meta back there. But this is what you get when your characters have at least minimal knowledge about the world they're in. Being completely honest, Ichijou was suppose to be the loser-cool of protagonist, but now I decided to leave him as the sour-cool protagonist. His goal for now is to be Just like issei, and there's nothing wrong with this, really.

Now, about other thing: I just updated my poll in my Bio chart! Now, you can choose 'Kamiyama Shiori'! Tcharam! How about it? By the way, I changed the name of the second daughter and Ichijou's second oldest sister, "Shiori", to "Shion", to avoid confusion. I hope you can all understand.

With all being said, well, stay golden!