"But why are you abandoning your parents, Issei-san?"
Little dragon looked up at the nun with sleepy and confused eyes. He couldn't understand what she was talking about; he wasn't going to abandon his parents, he was just moving out to his own house, his own den, and it wasn't even that far away, 15 maybe 20 minutes of slow walk away by human standards. Besides, wasn't it every teenager dream to become independent from their parents and take control over their lives?
.
.
No... Obviously not. It may be the dream of a boy raised by parents who loved him so much that they were willing to overlook his massive flaws.
It may be the dream of an heiress to the Pillar Family who wants to be seen for who she is and not just as the heiress.
But it definitely wasn't a dream of an orphan raised and abandoned by the church who just learned what it means to have a family recently.
Hell, it was hardly his dream. He was moving out only because his parents' house was too small for five people, let alone four people and a dragon.
Issei stood up and hugged her. Well, tried to at least. Due to his size, it looked more like he was trying to push his head into her boobs. He quickly realized his mistake, jumped down from her lap, transformed into his human form and tried again with much better effect.
"I'm sorry," he whispered into crying girl's ear. "I didn't think about how you would feel about it... You can stay with my parents if you prefer-"
"But-" Asia tried to protest.
"Hush. You can stay with them as long as you want, or you can move with me. I'll support whatever you'll decide and there will always be a room for you in my house. Don't force yourself with the decision right now, there still time so why don't you leave the future problems for later, hm?"
"I... I... Thank you Issei-san."
They remained like that for few more seconds before Asia pushed herself from the hug. There was a small smile on her face, but the smile nonetheless and similar expression quickly appeared on the boy's face as well.
"I'll go to the... That is, I'll go... Um..."
"Yeah, of course." Issei smile grew slightly and he released her.
He stood up and watched her leave the room. The feeling of shame was growing in him, downcast expression quickly replacing the smile. He was in Kuoh just for a few hours and he already made Asia cry.
Feeling of Rias' breast pressing against his back caused him to go through a rollercoaster of emotions; at first, he felt blissful but it was quickly shut down by the disappointment of himself that he just made his friend cry and was willing to get over it just because of the pair of boobs... however it was washed away by the comfort the hug itself offered and the thought that at least Buchou wasn't angry at him. Probably.
"What about you, Buchou? Do you want to stay with them?"
"I'm not going to lie, I'm enjoying living with your parents. It's a pleasant experience to be treated as a normal girl, not as an heiress, but it's not the reason why I moved in."
"You speak like a dragon, Buchou." Issei chuckled and turned around to face her. "You told the truth, but you didn't answer my question. So?"
"I'd like to live with both you and your parents, Ise, and so do Asia. Why do you want to move out?"
"I don't want to, I have to." the dragon sighed. "Maybe not right now, but soon, and the longer I wait the harder it will be."
"What do you mean? I'm sure that your parents would love you to stay as long as you want so you can wait at least until you graduate from the high school or maybe even college."
"Yeah, they would, but their house not necessarily."
"Huh?"
"I am a dragon, well I've always been, but now I meet my old childish criteria: massive firebreathing creature covered in scales. I doubt I'd fit in my room as I am now and I will only grow bigger."
"And can't you just stay like this? Or in that cute little dragon form?" Rias asked with the smile.
"Buchou," Issei whined "I know I'm an idiot but please, I am not that stupid. While I can stay like this as long as I want, I should spend few hours a day to avoid any complications-"
"Complications?!" Rias shouted. "Something happened? Are you sick? Ise talk to me!"
"I'm trying." he laughed. "I'm fine, nothing to worry about. I am still growing, rather fast to be honest, and human and dragon anatomy are quite different, so it'll be better for me to stay in my full form and allow my body to develop properly. As for my chibi form... It suppresses my powers so it would slow down my growth. And I've already fallen behind compared to other dragons my age, so I'd like to catch up."
"That's good to hear." redhead [King] sighed in relief. "Oh, so the renovations are for you to have a place here to transform, right?"
"Yep. Nothing drastic, they will just remove a wall and prepare the classroom next to this to act as my nest. It's only a temporary solution, though. Won't be long until I'll outgrow it."
"Remove a wall? I could do that in seconds with my Power of Destruction... So why will it happen on Monday?"
"From what I've been told it has something to do with this room defense system and Lucifer-sama has to do it personally."
"Of course Onii-sama would do something like that behind my back... And um... Ise? You are already pretty massive sooo... How big will you grow?"
"Hard to say." Issei shrugged. "Noone actually measured Ddraig before he was sealed, but he was one of the biggest dragons alive so I think at least 20m."
"Wow..." that answer left the heiress speechless, she just stood there with mouth agape and eyes wide open.
"Don't worry, it will take few years." the dragon chuckled and looked around. "Buchou? Where is everyone?"
Rias shooked her head to clear her thoughts and smiled at the boy.
"Club meeting ended shortly after you had fallen asleep. Rude, by the way." she teased.
"Sorry 'bout that." he looked away scratching back of his head. "It's Asia. She's natural born Dragon Tamer and her aura is very calming to me. Too calming it would seem."
"I see. Anything else I should know?"
"Not really. She has an affinity with dragons, so she'll gain their attention but in a positive way; they'll feel the need to protect her or just stay close. But I may act a little clingy and overprotective."
"So nothing new." Rias giggled "Is that why you risked your life to save her."
"No! Yes? I mean, it was probably one of the reasons but-" he stopped and glimpsed at his left hand. "Ddraig says that before I fully awoken the Boosted Gear her aura wasn't enough to affect me that strongly and that I'm still too dense and stupid to see the true reason."
"And that is?"
"Dunno. He refuses to say."
"Welsh Dragon isn't very helpful, is he?"
"Quite the opposite, in fact, he is almost endless well of knowledge it just comes with an unhealthy amount of sarcasm and occasional insult. But he says it's something I have to learn myself."
"If you say so. Anyway, Ise, do you have any plans for today?"
"I guess... I was thinking about going on a little shopping trip but I think it would be better to take Asia home right now."
"Perfect! Then you can go shopping with me tomorrow."
"It will be my pleasure, Buchou."
"Wait here, I'm going to check on Asia."
On the way home, Issei asked what happened in Kuoh Academy when he was in Hell and it wasn't much. Without him, the b̶o̶r̶i̶n̶g̶ peaceful life of the Academy continued as usual.
His disappearance wasn't a big deal, which surprised him, but it made sense in hindsight. After all, when he didn't come to school his classmates simply asked Asia what happened and learned about his so-called internship.
That was good to hear. It should make his return easier. He could easily imagine what kind of rumors and crazy theories would circulate around school if it happened before she moved in...
.
.
Who was he trying to fool... Never had logic and facts stopped his classmates from coming up with crazy theories and spreading weird rumors. If they were able to convince almost entire school population that he, dubbed Perverted Beast by them, and Kiba were an item just because they saw them talking few times what would stop them from doing something like this now?
Why did he come back to this lair of idiots again? Oh, right, his [King] and friends were here...
Speaking of the ORC, he missed the Ball Tournament and didn't participate with them, but he had mixed feelings about it.
On the one hand, he was really looking forward to it, maybe not the Ball Tournament itself but participating in different events as a member of the ORC and there weren't that much of those.
On the other, they were selected to take part in the Dodgeball Championship which meant they had been given an easy win. Well, they would probably win in any of the events prepared, compensating lack of skill with their enhanced devil bodies, but in Dodgeball it didn't matter because of who the members of the ORC are.
Rias and Akeno. Two Great Onee-samas of the Kuoh Academy. Can't hit that.
Asia. She quickly climbed popularity rankings and was dubbed The Angel of Kuoh Academy. Ironic, but Asia took it as a compliment it supposed to be. Anyway, it combined with the pure innocence pouring from her gave her immunity.
Koneko. School mascot. And since students don't know how strong she really is they didn't want to hurt her.
Kiba. While guys would love to use it as an opportunity to blow off some frustration they weren't willing to gain ire of his fangirls, in other words, the entire female population of Kuoh Academy.
In the end, there weren't any possible targets to throw the ball at. And because participation was obligatory it led to bizarre situations where students were passing the ball to their favorite girl (or to Kiba) and asked to receive the honor of being eliminated by her and lamenting that they can be eliminated only once.
However, if he was present on the field the situation would be slightly different. That is, everything would probably happen exactly the same way, but only after their opponents tried and most likely succeed in eliminating him in the most brutal and humiliating way possible. Still better than having massive boulders thrown at you by a dragon, but beggars can't be choosers.
And that was pretty much the only interesting thing that happened in the past two months. Other than that he just missed lessons, regular gossip and a party in celebration of Kendo Club winning eliminations to some tournament, but he doubted that he would be invited to it in the first place so not a big loss there.
Rias had expected the awkward atmosphere during dinner, but what surprised her was that Issei's parents weren't the source of it. In fact, they were acting relatively normal considering the weird behavior of the three teenagers in the house.
She herself was anxious and nervous. She simply didn't know how she was supposed to interact with them. She knew was that they were [not happy] with how peerage system works, but not what it means for her.
Should she pretend that everything is the same, or maybe pretend that she wasn't here? Maybe she should introduce herself once again this time as the heiress to the Pillar Family, but she didn't want to. Ask them or wait for them to bring the subject? What was she supposed to do?!
The last question was the same that troubled her [Bishop]. Even if Issei managed to cheer her up in the clubroom depressed thoughts returned shortly after they had arrived home. All it took to erase the smile and turn the nun into the little pile of misery was Mrs. Hyoudou's innocent question [How was school?].
It hurt Rias to see her like this. But it hurt even more that she couldn't do anything to help. Choosing the place to live was the decision her [Bishop] had to make for herself. Of course, as the [King] she could order her to move out or stay, but she didn't want to. It wouldn't answer the dilemma and the question [what if she had chosen differently] would haunt the former nun later.
And she didn't know what was the right choice either. If she ordered her to stay, Asia might see it as her attempt to separate her from Issei so she could spend more time alone with him. But if she ordered her to move with them she risked that Asia or Mr. and Mrs. Houdou would blame her for taking them away. Especially with how they reacted to learning about situation their son is in.
There was one thing that she could do that might resolve all those problems. Yes, she'll have to call her brother and ask for help later, but that shouldn't be a problem for him.
The last teen in the house was her [Pawn], whose undivided attention was focused on the food. That wouldn't be necessarily a bad thing if it was from having his mother cooking after so long, but it wasn't the case.
He was just sitting there with empty eyes, mechanically eating his dinner. It scared her how similar he looked to Koneko when she killed all her emotions.
And the worst part? Rias had no idea what had happened. They were walking home talking about what happened when he was in the Underworld when suddenly his usual energetic persona vanished leaving an empty shell. But, of course, he claimed that everything was fine. Maybe he was just more bothered by the fact that he was, in his words, forced to move out than he let on?
Rias was devastated. Not only this day went nothing like she imagined, it was only getting worse and worse.
In her dreams, brunet walked out of the magic circle in the clubroom and after short but affectionate greetings with the rest of her peerage he asked her out on a date in late celebration of breaking her marriage contract. The date was her second best day ever, losing only to the day Issei won her freedom, and it ended with him taking her home, to his room and... Better to not go into this particular memory line or she'll have to spend an hour in the bathroom to get it out of her head. Again.
But it wasn't like that. When he showed up they didn't recognize him and almost attack him! Sure, he looked different and Koneko's warning set them on edge, but those were just excuses. Sona recognized him for crying out loud and she wasn't the one who moved in into his house! She'll have to ask her friend later about it, there must be a reasonable explanation for it.
But that was just the tip of the iceberg. After they cleared the misunderstanding she learned that her love interest's parents may hate her. She hoped that it was just another misunderstanding, but what if it wasn't? She didn't want to even think about it. And then instead of taking her on a date her [Pawn] fall asleep. Granted, he had a good excuse for it and they had spent an hour playing with him like he was cute little puppy which was probably tiresome, but still, a girl can have dreams.
And now this gloomy atmosphere during dinner with which she couldn't do anything. She could talk with Issei's parents about him being her servant, but it might only worsen the situation, and she didn't know how to do it.
How should she refer to Ise's parents? Mother and father like she used to or was it not welcome anymore? But that was just a minor detail she could easily avoid by not addressing them directly.
The real issue was how to begin the conversation.
'I'd like to explain few things.' But that sounded defensive and she didn't do anything wrong. Actions of the Fallen Angels weren't her responsibility and, as brutal as it sounds, saving the life of a single human wasn't worth risking restarting the Great War. In fact, she did the best thing she could to ensure his survival without forcing him to join her peerage based on assumptions: she gave him her flier. If she approached him earlier she still couldn't do much more.
Warn him? She didn't have proof that Raynare was going to kill him, she didn't even know if it was her plan. And if it was, the warning would mean nothing. Offer him protection? Ever since the Evil Pieces were introduced such contracts were forbidden unless he would become her contracted magician and he was no magician. Offer him to join her peerage? Yes, because [the girl pretending to be your girlfriend may try to kill you. I can protect you but only if you become my servant] is a great way to start such relationship. Offer him to join her peerage without mentioning anything about the threat? If he refused she would have to leave him to die or resurrect him against his will. And if he would agree to her resurrecting him if the Fallen killed him it would be almost the same situation like right now, with two slight differences. First, if Raynare wouldn't kill him it would be her who brought him to the Supernatural world and she'd prefer him living as a normal human rather than throwing him into this world without any means to help him. And she'd have to break her oath.
Unlike Sona, who came to Kuoh in search of potential peerage members, she came here to escape her miserable life as Riser's playtoy for as long as she could and she promised herself that she won't take anyone with her if she had another choice. How could she offer anyone to join her peerage if she knew that she'll be trading them away if she marries Phenex? She'd trade her current members to someone who would take care of them for unused pieces, destroy them with her Power of Destruction, or if it wouldn't be enough, she'd find a way to throw them into Dimensional Gap consequences be damned. Her last pitiful spit in Riser's face. However, saving someone life was good enough reason to use her Evil Pieces even if the end result would be far from ideal. And yes, she was aware that it may seem like she intentionally left Issei to die to gain a powerful piece, but that wasn't her intention and her conscience was clear.
'I heard that you have some questions.' But that sounded dismissive, nonchalant and borderline arrogant like she didn't care. And while their opinion on the subject didn't really matter, considering how Issei was fine with being her [Pawn] and, again, how she did nothing wrong, she still wanted to have good relations with his parents.
'Ise asked me to talk with you.' Slightly better. It still gave the vibe like she didn't care about their opinion, but at least it showed that she cared about their son and didn't have any ill-intentions. Unless you count tying him to the bed and... She definitely spends too much time with Akeno. Nephilim's personality started to rub on her too much. Or maybe it was always there she just hadn't allowed herself to even think like that with her pending engagement?
"Those Evil Pieces. How exactly do they work?"
Voice of Issei's mother broke her trance. Apparently, her servants and Issei's father left the room when she was lost in her thoughts leaving her alone with Hyoudou matriarch.
"You mean how they turned him into the devil?" she asked confused.
"No. I meant the part where they turned him into your slave." Mrs. Hyoudou responded with an unreadable expression.
'Oh! right. That makes more sense...'
"He's not my slave. He is my servant, member of my precious family and I don't care what the laws say. I would never treat him like my possession and not a person."
Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to change the blank look on Mrs. Hyoudou's face. And so, Rias began long explanations of the Underworld's history including the Great War and Civil War and how it lead to the creation of the Evil Pieces and the Peerage System. She explained what exactly it means for Issei to be her [Pawn]; she tried to focus on benefits but didn't skip the obligations, and she emphasized what profits Ise will gain when he will be promoted to High Class. During that whole time, Issei's mother did not speak and her face did not show any emotions.
Rias took a deep breath and waited for the verdict.
"So what you're saying is that my son is your slave according to the laws of the Underworld, which is a fancy name for Hell in which devils live, but you don't consider him to be one, and yet you expect him to serve you for until he'll be promoted to High Class, which may happen years from now or even won't happen at all. Is that correct?"
"I... I... it's..." the heiress stutter.
"I'll take this as a yes."
Rias looked at her feet in defeat. She tried, she really tried hard to convince Mrs. Hyoudou that this situation is not like she thinks, but she failed. There wasn't anything more she could say that may change her mind. The only question which remained was what now?
Even if she wanted she couldn't take her pieces back and turned Ise back to human. He'll be her [Pawn] until death. Either his or her. But it didn't mean that she was going to treat him like her possession and she didn't want to take him away from his family. Quite the opposite in fact. She wanted to become part of that family and right now it seemed to be impossible as she felt unwelcome in their lives.
Maybe she should say it? She doubted that there was anything that says [Ise is not my slave] more than [I love him]. Although there may be a part of Akeno that would disagree and claim those two to be synonyms.
But she wasn't ready to say it. If only because she didn't know if it is love. She had never been in love so how could she tell? The love manual she read didn't help either: there wasn't a chapter about [my adorable servant beat my fiance and saved me from unwanted arranged marriage] and feelings that follow it.
And what if it wasn't? After everything Ise did for her she didn't want to break his heart because she rushed things and it turned out to be infatuation or even just gratitude and happiness she'd mistaken for love. She needed more time to confirm her feelings and preferably time she'll spend with her [Pawn] and not a time when he is in another dimension.
"I guess it's time to give up the dream of having grandchildren to spoil." Mrs. Hyodou sighed.
'Wait, what!? That's your problem?'
The glare Rias received from Issei's mother clearly said that she accidentally voiced her thoughts.
"Don't give me that look, young lady. While I'm not too happy with current situation Issei seems to be and I'll respect his decisions. Besides, as much as I hate to admit it, being your slave is better than him being dead."
"He's not my slave..." Riad weakly defended herself.
"I heard you the first time and I'm glad to hear you don't think about him as your slave. But it doesn't matter what you think. What kind of woman will marry another woman's slave?"
Rias didn't see the problem here as there weren't any laws that forbid peerage members to marry someone. And while they usually happen when both [King] and servant were the same sex, it wasn't a rule.
Besides, she could easily and accurately point one woman who wouldn't care about Ise being her [Pawn]. After all, that woman was somewhere upstairs.
But then again, she had to agree that such marriages weren't popular, especially among Low-Class servants and maybe that was one of the reasons behind it.
Ise's mother took her silence as agreement and continued.
"I've always known that it's unlikely for Issei to become a father with this ludicrous Harem King dream, but I could hope that he'll meet the one girl so special to him that she'll be his whole world and he'll settle down. But now it doesn't matter. I don't have devil's lifespan to wait for his promotion and my grandchildren! So unless you want to marry him then yes, it is my problem!"
Rias blushed madly and looked away unwilling to face her interlocutor. She was desperately trying to come up with something to say, but before she found her words-
"Tou-san! We'll have our grandchildren! We don't have to worry anymore!" Issei's mother shouted happily running out from the room.
Rias smiled to herself. While the conversation didn't go as she suspected and there still were some unanswered questions on both sides, at least she knew she had Mrs. Hyoudou blessing.
~o0o~
Rias walked into her... That is Issei's bedroom in a happy mood.
Her bodypillow was back!
Mental note: under no circumstances should she refer to Ise like this in his parents' presence.
She didn't mean it to sound like he was an object, he was much more than that, but that could be easily misunderstood.
It was surprising how quickly she got used to, or maybe even addicted to sleeping with her [Pawn]. She's done it only once, twice if you count healing session after Dohnaseek attacked him, but it was enough to make her miss the comfort and the feeling of safety it offered. She briefly wondered how his new physique and harder muscles will affect it, but there was no point to mull over it when she could just try and see.
There was just one tiny problem with that. Asia already claimed her position on his side and was sleeping hugging his arm with a content smile.
Now, Rias wasn't stupid. She knew that Issei wanted to become the Harem King, probably everyone in Kuoh heard about it since he shouted it to everyone whether they wanted to hear it or not, and that if she wanted a relationship with him she'll have to share. But she didn't want to be a side chick, she wanted to be the first and legal wife. And currently Asia seemed to be in the lead, both because she had started trying to get Ise's attention earlier and because of her Dragon Tamer aura. Unfair.
That didn't stop Rias from smiling at the sight. They both looked happy and that was most important. And if she could get some of that happiness for herself it would be even better.
"I guess I shouldn't be surprised that my mother cares only about how my situation affects her possible grandchildren."
Rias paled. How much did he hear? Too much? Not enough and he reached conclusion on his own?
"I'm sorry, I didn't try to eardrop, but that shout was hard to miss."
Only that. Good. She relaxed, nothing to worry about.
"You should give your mother more credit, Ise. She really cares about and wants only the best for you. Besides, there's nothing wrong with wanting grandchildren and if you didn't cause her to worry so much that it may never happen with your open perversion then maybe she wouldn't be so-" Rias stopped mid-sentence when she noticed her [Pawn] standing next to her. He was breathing heavily with closed eyes.
"Ise? Are you-"
"I'm going to sleep on the couch tonight. Goodnight, Buchou." the dragon said without opening his eyes and walked out the room before she got a chance to say anything more.
For a moment she was worried that it was her words that drove him away, but she quickly realized something and giggled softly.
Maybe it wasn't the best idea to undress in front of a perverted teenager who just spent almost two months basically alone in the mountains.
That was quite unfortunate, she was really looking forward to testing her new bodypillow, but one more night alone won't kill her and it was obvious that her [Pawn] needed some time alone.
She grabbed her clothes and proceed to Asia's bedroom but was stopped by a sad whimper.
It came from her still sleeping [Bishop] who already had traveled through half of the bed in search for her companion.
'Just this once, since I'm kind of responsible for Ise leaving...' Rias thought and put her things back on the desk.
~o0o~
Next morning Rias and Asia walked into the kitchen where Issei's mother was already preparing breakfast. The former was trying to hold back a laugh, but few giggles escaped, while the later was blushing madly and avoiding looking at her [King].
The reason? Asia woke up with her head in Rias breast.
The redhead was perfectly fine with it. When she was younger she used to sleep with Akeno and they both were cuddlers. As it turned out Asia was also one, and since unlike Issei who sleeps solemnly on his back, Rias preferred sleeping on her side, the girls ended up in a rather intimate embrace, which was clearly embarrassing for the former nun.
"Good morning, mother." both girls spoke in unison.
"Good morni- Asia-chan! Something happened? Did Ise do something to you?" Mrs. Hyoudou asked with a voice that promised eternal punishment if the answer was anything else than no.
"Yes." the blonde responded with a pout. "He left me alone with that succubus."
"It's not my fault that you find my breast more comfortable than your pillow." Rias laughed seeing how Asia's face became even redder.
Mrs. Hyoudou visibly relaxed and shook her head with a smile.
"*sigh* youth... Breakfast is almost ready so why don't you take the plates and make yourself comfortable."
"Of course. Ise's up?" Rias asked picking up plates.
"How should I know? He didn't come down." Mrs. Hyoudou asked confused.
"He um... He said he was going to sleep on the couch tonight..." it was Rias turn to blush slightly at the memory of last evening.
"He did? That explains the blanket actually, but he wasn't there... Wait, why did he sleep on the couch?"
"Issei-san slept on the couch? But he was with me when I fell asleep."
"Well... He left when I was undressing..."
An awkward silence fell in the room. None of them knew what to say next.
After a few moments, Mrs. Hyoudou cleared her throat. "Anyway... it's good to see that this training had a positive influence on Issei. I don't think he' ever been up so early on his own volition, but he could've stayed and helped with breakfast."
"Maybe it's for the best he didn't. I doubt Tannin-sama taught him how to cook." Rias joked.
"True, but he can't learn if he'll just wait for someone to do it all the time."
"He doesn't have to. I can cook for him." Asia stated firmly.
"Oh Asia-chan, it's truly a blessing that you showed up in my worthless son's life. But you can spoil him so much, he has to fulfill his part of house chores."
With that conversation ended and all three women moved to finish breakfast preparations.
When they finished Issei still hasn't returned and after a short debate, they decided to not wait for him since they didn't know where he is or when he'll be back.
The atmosphere during the meal was filled with smiles and small-talk; mostly it was Issei's parents asking about various supernatural topics like Underworld's culture, church true nature and what Japanese myths were actually true.
The last one caused Rias to go into her Otaku mode much to other's amusement. However, her lecture about Yuokai was interrupted by Asia's surprised squeak.
Crimson Ruin Princess was immediately on her feet, a ball of Power of Destruction gathered in her hand ready to annihilate any threat to the girl she saw as her little sister, only to see a small red dragon standing on her lap supporting himself with claws on the table edge and looking around.
"Good morning, Ise." Rias relaxed, sit back and returned to her meal like nothing happened.
"That's my son!?" older Hyoudous screamed in unison causing the little dragon to look at them with a tilted head.
"I told you I'm a dragon, this is how dragons look. At least Western ones. What's so surprising?" Issei said grabbing a toast.
"My... My son... Is a pet.." Mr. Hyoudou stammered.
"You... You can turn into this cute little creature? Why didn't you tell so?"
"I may be little, but I am not cute! Dragons are terrifying and awe-inspiring not cute!" this would be probably taken more seriously if he wasn't rubbing on nun's hand petting his head moments earlier.
"Have you seen yourself in the mirror?" Rias laughed.
In response, they were treated with a pout attempt which only reinforced their opinion.
"I'm not cute..."
"My son... Is a pet..." Mr. Hyoudou face showed utter shock and disbelief.
"I am not... Ok, in this form I guess I'm as close to a pet as an intelligent being can be, but I refuse to accept this... This slander about me being cute!" Issei shouted.
"What's wrong with being cute?" Asia asked.
"Nothing if you are a girl or a fluffy puppy. But I am a dragon! Dragons aren't cute... We are world's greatest and strongest predators, our presence alone strikes fear into our enemies' hearts! What part of it sounds cute?"
"The one where you are cutely munching toast sitting on Asia's lap." Rias counter without batting an eye. "Ise, look, I get it. You want to uphold the reputation of a terrifying dragon, but level with us.
Even if your full form may scare those who don't know you, we know what kind of person you are. Can't you just accept that we are not afraid of you, not because we think you are harmless, but because we know you would never hurt us, and agree that you look cute?"
"Asia?" small dragon looked at [Bishop] looking for help.
"I don't agree with Buchou. I think that you look cute in your both dragon forms."
"Mom?"
"You are my baby boy, you will always be cute for me no matter how you look."
"Dad?"
"My son... Is a pet."
"Yes, dad, we heard you the first time." Issei rolled his eyes. "I can't win this, can I?"
"Nope." three women in the room responded with smiles.
"Aren't dragons supposed to be huge?" Mr. Hyoudou finally snapped out his trance.
"In my full form, I'm over 5m tall. It's all part and parcel, the whole dragon gig." Issei smirked.
Whirlwind made of orange flames surrounded the table and his ruby aura formed massive dragon head behind Asia.
"Phenomenal dragon powers!"
Next moment fire and aura disappeared without a trace.
"Itty bitty living space. At least that how it supposed to work." Issei muttered the last part to himself.
"Issei-san, you are scaring mother and father."
Issei looked at his parents. They were indeed pale and were trembling slightly.
"Don't worry, I have perfect control over my flames, they won't burn anything I don't want."
"It... It doesn't make that whirlwind any less frightening, kiddo."
"Roger that, no playing with fire inside the house. Anyway, most if not all dragons can alter their size and many have some sort of shapeshifting ability, so I guess the image of a dragon in human culture was created based on the most traditional form and legends about their battles. Plus, I wouldn't be surprised if those who had seen dragons in their reduced form didn't survive long enough to tell a tale after they called the dragon cute."
"Shapeshifting? You mean dragons can pretend to be humans?"
"Just like me? Yes, in a way. From what I understand human-like look was adopted by many different species, like devils, and some has looked like humans from the beginning, like angels, and such form became standardized appearance. While I don't know about any dragon currently living in the Human World it's possible. Hiding as a human in a densely populated city sounds like a good idea for a dragon not affiliated with any faction. And it happened before. There's a legend about Wawel Dragon killed by a cobbler who tricked him into eating a lamb filled with sulfur. But the cobbler was, in fact, the dragon who faked his death after church sent Dragon Hunters to kill him."
"They humans? It would seem you abandon your humanity quite easily." Mrs. Hyoudou pointed sadly.
Issei stopped eating and was watching his toast with the distant look in his eyes.
Did he really abandon his humanity that easily? From his parents' perspective, it certainly looked like he did since he hadn't told them what happened when he was in the coma.
But even if you count the time he had spent with Ddraig inside his mindscape is it really fine for him to abandon his heritage and his parents' teachings? He was a dragon for a year, but he had been human for 17 years even if he doesn't remember much of it.
Then again, according to the Welsh Dragon, as the possessor of the Boosted Gear, he was always a dragon. After Raynare killed him he was resurrected as a devil, but he was still a dragon by their standards. So was he ever truly human?
He was raised as one and he thought he was human, that's for sure. Maybe that was important. Not the biology and his species, but how he was raised.
"No, I didn't abandon my humanity. I accepted that I'm not human."
"That's good to hear. So why don't you pretend to be a human for a little while and eat breakfast with us like a normal teenager?"
"Sure, why not." Issei laughed.
Shopping. Trivial activity: make a list of things you want, go to the shop or shops that sell them, buy 'em and go home. Or maybe while you are at this you go to the GeekCenter to see if there is something you want to waste your money on or grab something to eat.
At least that was what Issei thought. Rias, apparently, had a different idea.
They were currently in the seventh clothing store and she was once again she was trying on whatever caught her eye. If she had a shopping list, which Issei doubt, it was constantly growing; every dress needed shoes, shoes needed a matching purse, and purse needed accessories.
Issei couldn't understand why she was buying even half of this stuff since he has seen her almost exclusively in the Kuoh Uniform. Even now she was wearing it. The only exceptions he could think of were their morning training sessions and the engagement party. And the last night in the Gremory's mansion before the Rating Game with Riser when she was wearing neglige if you really want to be exact.
Maybe it was just devil's greed showing up and the satisfaction came from having and not using those clothes. Not that he was in a position to judge with all Gundam models and various collectible figurines he keeps in the attic.
It was also possible that Rias simply likes buying things. She dragged him into the department store specialized in designer clothing from leading fashion houses where she saw some red t-shirt she thought he would like and offered to buy him anything or everything from the store.
Issei appreciated the gesture but found it unnecessary, he already had all and more clothes he needed. He creates his clothes during the transformation into human form, they are durable, dirt resistant, he doesn't really sweat so he doesn't need to wash them, and if somehow something happens to them he can just recreate them. Also, he still had training clothes that Tiamat gave him and he even had Kuoh Academy Uniform because he was obliged to wear it. What more could he need?
Apparently a whole new wardrobe. He was now an owner of a few t-shirts and shirts, two hoodies and two jackets, few pairs of jeans, suit, tuxedo, and even a tailcoat. And the worst part? Rias either didn't know or didn't care how important colors are for dragons and she insisted to buy classic black tuxedo with a white shirt. The rest was fine even if not everything was red, he could live with it. But the idea of wearing something white was troubling him. However, when he brought that up Rias just laughed and called him childish.
He wasn't childish! Okay, maybe a little with his aversion to white, but there was a reason for it. Dragons are honest creatures in nature, even if not as much as angels, and they despise lying and deception. At least most of them and as long as they can't gain something from it; dragon's treasure is most important and overrides any rules or traditions. Since scales' color is part of dragon identity it shows in their human form in their hair and clothes, so wearing something in different color means going against their nature or hiding their identity.
He really should talk with Rias later and explain more about dragon nature, but for now, it was fine. She was happy and so he was happy.
At least he thought like that, but there was a small problem.
He wasn't happy. He was bored, but that was the price he had to pay to make his Buchou happy so he could ignore it. He was hungry, but he was almost always hungry so he's learned how to live with it. He was annoyed with other people constantly watching them and talking about them, but he had to agree that two red-haired tall western-looking teenagers stood out from the crowd and it wasn't that big deal. The real issue was that he was nervous. No, he had been nervous in the fourth shop, now he was plain scared. Why? That's a good question and the one he had no answer for.
It started when they reached the mall, but he didn't give it too much thought as he assumed it was just his instincts going haywire due to his senses experiencing over-stimulation from the crowded shopping center. However, if that was the case then with time he'd get used to it and calmed down and yet he was getting more and more scared.
The spirit sealed in his Sacred Gear wasn't helpful, Ddraig just said that he's perceiving this situation as a threat to his life. Which didn't make sense at all! He was a dragon, who survived the fight against the Strongest Dragon King (it counts, even if she wasn't serious and presumably tried not to kill him), surrounded by normal humans. There wasn't anything dangerous to him here. Hell, he'd probably survived if the whole building collapsed on him.
Welsh Dragon countered it by saying that he wasn't always that strong, quite the opposite in fact, as he used to be rather weak, and the warning came from something he experienced earlier.
What was it Issei had no idea. Shopping trips with his parents were one of his best memories, he didn't remember anything bad to ever happen to him or his parents on them. But his instincts were subconscious, so the fact that he didn't remember meant nothing if it was buried somewhere deep in his mind.
Actually no, it meant problems. The only way to silence his instincts is to prove beyond doubt that they are wrong and his life is not in danger. Good news is that he wasn't dealing with some irrational phobia but with a warning based on previous experience, however, it still may be hard to convince his subconscious. And if he didn't know why he was scared? It was almost impossible.
"Ise, what do you think about this one?" Rias walked out of the changing room wearing a white summer dress with some red flowers. If he had to guess he'd say poppies.
It seemed Rias took his complaints as a challenge and was trying to prove that white clothes were fine, which was both unnecessary as he didn't have a problem with other people wearing white things, and doomed to fail as he didn't care how others looked in them.
"You look beautiful, Buchou." he responded with a bright smile.
"Mou, Ise, you said it about every dress I picked."
"Hey, it's not my fault you look beautiful in everything."
"You were supposed to help me chose not encourage me to buy everything." Rias whined as she walked back to the dressing room. She seemed to be simultaneously delighted and annoyed with his answer.
Women. He'll never understand them.
"Such a nice young man." Issei overheard cashier talking with her friend.
"Indeed he is. He reminds me of my husband when we were younger and he took me on dates, now the closest thing to a date I get is takeout for dinner."
Even the smallest biological processes in Issei's body stopped turning him into a statue when his brain processed the words said. It all made sense now.
He wasn't afraid of shopping or the shopping center itself; he was scared because last time he was here he was with his murderer and he died hours later. At least as far as reasons for being scared goes that wasn't that bad. Of course, he didn't think even for a second that Buchou will kill him, because if that was her plan then she wouldn't resurrect him in the first place, but the situation was similar enough for his body to raise alarm.
In a way, that was good news. Since he wasn't in danger all he had to do was prove it to his subconscious, probably just by repeating it few times until it accepts that all is fine and he's good.
'I wouldn't celebrate so soon if I were you, Partner.'
'What do you mean, Ddraig?'
'I'm not sure if it's the place that's scaring you. It's possible that you are afraid because you find those situations similar or it may be part of something bigger.'
'Ddraig. Please don't tell me that you are insinuating that I am afraid of dating.'
'Fine, I won't.'
After a few moments of silence, Issei realized that Ddraig took his request literally.
'Are you serious right now? You know what? Forget it... Why do you even think that? It doesn't make any sense! Yesterday I was ready to claim Buchou as my own without any care for her opinion and it wasn't even the first time when I almost let my dick control me.'
'Your desire for physical contact is a completely different matter than your fear of getting emotionally close to someone.'
'What?'
'Listen, my son," Ddraig voice lost its usual smugness and became gentle "you are not afraid of women, however, you have deep trust issues. In your whole life you've been close with only two people, and they both betrayed you, at least in your opinion.'
"Again, what? I don't remember being betrayed by anyone but that damn fallen."
'Your childhood friend-'
"Rin? He never betrayed me, he just moved with his family to England."
'Leaving you alone and lonely. What do you think it was for a seven years old child?'
"Fine, let's say that I felt betrayed back then. What does it have to do with anything?"
'Rin was the only person outside your family you were ever close with. After they moved to England you've never opened up to anyone else until you had met your murderer. I'm not saying that Rin did anything wrong, you had understood it later too, but you've never got over it. When you finally met someone who wanted to be your friend, excuse me, girlfriend you opened up your heart only to had it pierced by a light spear in return. After that, you've locked yourself even more and you built walls to keep away others.'
'I'm not building walls to keep others away. I always wanted friends, why would I do it?'
'Because you are afraid that they will leave you or stab you in the back when you are vulnerable. But keep in mind we're talking about your emotions right now; you'd place your life in your friends' hands, you'd fight for them, you'd bleed for them, but you won't get close to them because it won't hurt that much when they leave you. And I am not talking about you making friends.'
'This... This is bullshit. I am NOT keeping others away.'
'You don't? What about that nun you had risked your life to save her?'
'I'm her friend. She had always wanted a friend, I can't ruin it by forcing myself on her.'
'And what about that raven-haired nephilim?'
"Akeno-san? She's my senpai and [Queen], not to mention the second most popular girl in the school. She likes teasing me, but it doesn't mean I should pursue a relationship with her."
'The cat?'
'Koneko-chan hates me and for a damn good reason, what do you expect me to do?'
'Fine, then what about Eirwen?'
'I was in Hell to train so I wouldn't die and not to find a girlfriend.'
'And there you have it, your walls. Whenever you have an opportunity to pursue a relationship with someone you find a reason why you shouldn't and back off.'
'Ddraig... Just what are you trying to tell me?'
'That right now you are scared because you see the similarities with the day you were murdered, but it's just an extreme case of your everyday fear of getting close to someone.'
'... ... ... Fuck... Me... Sideways... I need a good therapist...'
'I may know a guy. Maybe he doesn't have qualifications, but he has a lot experience, his hours are very flexible and he's just one thought away.'
'Thanks, Ddraig, I appreciate the offer, but seeing your relationship with Tia I think I'll pass.'
'Foolish hatching. You've met us after I had fucked up and got sealed ruining our relationship, but you have no idea how things were when we were younger and I was free. Besides, I have more experience with human relationships than you thanks to being stuck in this gauntlet.'
"Ise, are you there?" Rias voice broke through his thoughts.
"Hm? Oh, right... I was just talking with Ddraig, but that can wait, I am all yours."
Their shopping trip continued without problems. Issei was still unnerved, but knowing why exactly he's afraid of, made it easier to pacify his instincts.
After the eleventh shop Rias run out of shops or desire to go to the next one, Issei wasn't sure which one, but it didn't matter: now it was time to quickly buy what he came here for and get something to eat.
He was lucky to find contact lenses with almost the same color that his eyes used to be, so hopefully, people won't notice anything, and he bought an entire box of them. Better safe than sorry and he had a feeling that he'll forget to remove his contacts before transformation and they will burn.
He didn't buy a cell phone because when he mentioned that he needed one Rias walked into a nearby electronics shop and got him latest high-end smartphone. She said that he was the only member of her peerage who didn't get one since he already owned a phone, and that it was a perfect opportunity to make things even. He'd argue with that logic, partially because he knew that his living situation is different than other members', and partially because he didn't need anyone to get him one as he could easily do it himself, however, they were too close to food court for him to care about anything other than what he'll eat. So he quickly voiced his thanks and walked toward his promised land.
~o0o~
And so, the hunt began.
Young dragon moved swiftly through the jungle made of chairs and tables. His mind was focused on one goal, one target and he needed a good spot to prepare an ambush.
It didn't take long for him to find a perfect place for his plan and it took even less to claim it as his. He got comfortable as he didn't know how long he'll wait for his meal to come by.
His eyes were glued to his target. He watched it move toward him in slow-motion waiting for an opportunity to strike.
It was getting closer and closer. Any moment now it'll be just in range, just a few more seconds, just a few more steps. It was almost here, he was ready, there was nothing that could stop him now.
He took a deep breath. There was no place for mistakes. It's here. Now, it's time to strike!
"Hello, I'd like to order a large pepperoni pizza with double cheese and two large sodas. Buchou? Do you want something?"
"Just water for me, thank you."
"One large pepperoni, two large sodas and a glass of water, coming right up."
The beast in disguise ate his meal in quick yet civilized manner. Unfortunately, a piece of it was robbed from him by his companion, but it was just a minor inconvenience; he doubted that this little piece would've made any difference and satisfied his hunger.
His body craved for meat. Thankfully, he knew the perfect place where he can find it.
Ten minutes later he left Steakhouse unsatisfied. They couldn't sell him a raw steak and even blue rare turned out to be too cooked for his likening. Next time he'll find some Tatar instead.
Unbothered by this little failure the dragon went to the only place he knew it sells what he was looking for: a sushi bar. He devoured about half of the menu accompanied by Rias' growing amazement and worry.
"Ise, are you sure it's safe for you to eat that much? I know you are a dragon, but..."
"Not only it's safe, it's recommended. I'm a young fast growing dragon. Usually, Large Western Dragon grow at least half a meter a year until they turn 25, so by that logic I should be over 8 meters tall and I'm only 5. It means that in next eight years I'll grow over seven meters, and if Ddraig's prediction about my size is correct, I'll grow at least fifteen meters, which is triple my current height. Even if my circumstances are different and I'll be growing longer because I wasn't born as a dragon, there're still a lot of bones, muscles, and scales to grow, and they have to be made from something. Besides, I won't eat like that every day, it's just I didn't eat enough yesterday and I don't want to chain my mother to the cooker so I want to eat a little more now when I have a chance."
"Ise..." Rias sighed "You do realize you can order food to your house, right?"
"Never in my life we had dinner that wasn't made by my mother and I think it would break her heart if I order something now, no matter what my reasons are. On the other hand, I do eat raw meat now so maybe I could get away with it... Speaking of which, we should head home, it's almost time for dinner!" Issei exclaimed excitedly causing Rias to sweatdrop.
In a flash of inspiration on the way out Issei stopped by a bakery and bought two cheesecakes (chocolate and a classic one) for a dessert, which Rias teleported to the house so he didn't get any weird ideas. Probably a wise choice.
AN
I have no excuse for being so late. Well, I do, it's just a lame one: I forgot how to write. Really! I knew what I wanted to write, but when I opened editor no words showed up in my head or I write something only to delete it later because it seemed wrong... Is it what they call writer's block? Anyway, I think I've got over it, but just in case I didn't I'm not going to make any promises about next chapter. Sorry :(
So, to recap this chapter. I wasted your time with: Issei is moving out, a repeat of canon DodgeBall tournament, resolving Rias' situation with Issei's parents that I unnecessarily created in the first place, Issei is a pet bit, shopping trip and documentary about Issei eating. And yet, somehow, I am really happy with how much important stuff I manage to put in this. I hope that you agree with me.
I'd love to promise you more action in the next chapter, but... I still have to deal with Issei going back to school and I'm planning to address his thoughts about his relationship with Rias there, club meeting in his house because it's important for the story, him finally moving out, and meeting with the Student Council. Not too many explosions in those events.
A new season of the anime! YEY! But not really... While I don't hate the anime as much as some of the members of that site (Hi, Nosferatu, how are you?) because I had watched it before reading LN, so I was like "LN are sooo much better" rather than "OMG, anime ruined it", I just don't have a reason to be exited. The plot? I know what will happen from LN. Opportunity to see more b̶o̶o̶b̶s̶ ̶amazing fights? New studio, new style. I just don't want to get hyped only to be disappointed later. Now, I invoke my right to remain silent until I watched the actual episode, it's different but maybe I'll like it, I'll comment it later. Maybe.
'Till the next time.