The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD
Hey everyone, it's me Hide Shinyama.
I was intending to release this chapter a few days earlier, but – once again – I was affected by more moving to one guest family and then finally a trip back to Germany. My internship is over, so that means I won't be bothered by those things anymore and can focus properly on my story.
Apologies for the delay.
Now, in the last chapter, Issei had gone to Sanma's place, which was really the Tengu family home, and come across a family crisis of sorts.
And if that hadn't been enough, Issei finds out that Fallen Angels have kidnapped Kasumi Tengu, the oldest daughter in the family, and have hurt Sanma.
What will happen next? How will this end?
Find out in…
Chapter 31 – Finding Kasumi
23rd September, Monday, 6:22 pm – somewhere in the city, Nerima
It was already getting dark outside and the street lights were also shining. Many people were still on their way home , if they weren't out shopping or doing some other fun activities.
However, for one person, wearing a black coat and a hood over his head, this was not the case. And this person was walking around and sniffing the air, like a dog trying to find something. Or in this case, it's someone.
"Man, trying to keep focused on one scent is tough…" Issei complained. "There are just so many. It's like trying to get to one place with the help of street signs, except that there are so many of them, you need to figure out which signs have the right color – you know like trails in the mountains."
[I understand, Partner] Ddraig replied, even though he wasn't quite sure what Issei was talking about.
As Issei went through the city, some people gave him odd looks before moving on. Issei didn't feel comfortable doing this, however, he had no choice. He had to find Kasumi, her family was depending on him and how could he turn him down?
He remembered the conversation he had with Sanma and Tengu-san
Flashback
Issei had just finished explaining about why he was curious about those big black feathers.
Sanma and Tengu-san held their breath in shock. They certainly never thought that Fallen Angels could exist, in addition to other supernatural beings. However, at the same time they also became worried. They did not know what Fallen Angels were capable of, nor of their agenda.
Sadly, Issei had no idea either. He didn't know why some Fallen Angel would have interest in Kasumi either. The only thing Issei could tell them was that they were sexual beings and that they loved making love to humans.
This didn't calm them down either.
"Please, Hide-san! You must help me! This despicable man has poisoned my daughter's mind and ruined my family!" Soun Tengu begged Issei.
Issei raised his hands in a bid to calm him down.
"Alright, alright… I'll help you… find your daughter. I promise!" Issei assured him.
"Ya're going alone?" Sanma asked while trying to stand up. "I'll be… urgh!" Sanma groaned in pain and dropped to his knees, as he felt the wounds from his fight with the Fallen Angel return with a vengeance.
Soun went over to him to help him up.
"Sanma. I understand that you want to help but you're too injured. You're lucky to be alive!" Soun told the injured Sanma.
But Sanma remained stubborn. "It ain't a problem… just a scratch… I can go…" Sanma insisted.
However, the middle-aged man shook his head. "No, Sanma. You will not go and that is final. Your friend here will find Kasumi and that is it. He does seem to know these Fallen Angel creatures better than anyone of us here and relying on the police to hunt down a mythical creature doesn't sound like a good idea – especially if nobody is going to believe us."
Sanma gave Issei with a harsh look. Issei flinched back unconsciously at Ssnma's gaze, only for it to soften. Sanma sighed in reluctance.
"Alright… But ya better get her home or else ya're here from me!" Sanma threatened.
"A-a-agreed!" Issei stuttered out of fear. He didn't like that look. It was too intimidating. Were all martial artists trained to do that? Issei kept this idea in mind, hoping to apply this to his next morning training.
It was then that Issei had some questions of his own.
"Tengu-san?" Issei addressed Soun, who turned his attention to the brunette.
"I've got something I need to ask you…" Issei began his inquiry. "What's the boyfriend's name? And how does he look like?"
Soun thought for a moment before answering.
"He has long silver hair, is quite tall and broad shouldered. His name… is Yona. I don't know his surname, though…" Soun answered.
Flashback end
Issei hoped that was going to be enough of a description for he needed every detail he could get. After that, Issei went out of the house to look for Kasumi. Before he left, Issei told them he would call them and that they could be assured that he would find her.
This was why he sniffing out the trail of the Fallen Angel like a dog on a hunt.
Thankfully, his nose lead to a less frequented area where fewer people walked. The reason for that was because it was dirty and the ambiance given off by the buildings was gray and brutal. Also, it smelled like trash and… factory (he didn't know how to describe it). Yet, Issei persevered, following the lingering scent of Fallen Angel's to its origins.
Finally, it led Issei to an abandoned factory building, surrounded by chain-linked fences. There was nobody there and the wide area was open and mostly deserted. At the same time, Issei could not get in for there was no entrance.
He resorted to looking for an entrance but couldn't find anything.
Feeling that he was at a dead end, Issei asked Ddraig.
"Ddraig? Any ideas?" he asked.
[Use your brain. You have the powers of the Boosted Gear and you can't figure it out?] Ddraig said to him rather rudely.
Issei felt irked by his partner's behavior, but bit his tongue down. He decided that following Ddraig's advice was better, even if he didn't like Ddraig's tone.
Issei pondered for a bit on what he wanted to do until he had an idea. He summoned the Boosted Gear and started boosting.
[Boost!]
Issei's powers increased until after two more Boosts…
... he jumped high over the fence and landed on his feet and did a roll before coming back on his feet in a kneeling position and a fist on the ground – like a badass. This was something he practiced in his training sessions and Issei was proud to achieve it.
[I was thinking about tearing open those fences with your strength but your way also worked] Ddraig said patronizingly, leading Issei to drop a sweat.
23rd September, Monday, 6:45 pm – inside in the factory, Nerima
The inside of the factory was dark and the corridor Issei went through was narrow. Issei couldn't see anything and had to rely on groping around the walls.
Issei continued to use his nose. The factory smelled of cement and whatever polluted smell was left from its days of functioning. More importantly, the smell of Fallen Angel was still there.
Issei didn't understand. Why would Fallen Angels ever go to such an abandoned place? It was so dusty and smelly… Why would anybody even come here?
Nevertheless, Issei remained watchful for he could not know where the enemy could strike.
But still… being in the dark without any light was not a good thing. What if the enemy had spells or traps in this place? Who knows if that was the case…
It was a few seconds later that Issei realized something. He had a source of light all this time!
His Boosted Gear! Issei summoned it on his arm in a green flash and was about to use it to lighten up the place when…
"Hey! What was that?" a voice came from somewhere in the corridors.
Issei nearly jumped out of his skin at the voice. So, there was somebody in here all this time…
"What are you talking about?" asked another voice, presumably the companion of the first one.
"I thought I saw a green light come from the hallways. Let's check it out," the first voice man said.
"OK… if you say so…" the other one said reluctantly.
Issei panicked upon hearing the footsteps coming closer. That was a bad move! He needed to hide and fast!
Issei moved as quietly and quickly as possible. He headed as far away as possible from the approaching footsteps. But it was no use. They were coming closer.
That was when Issei groped around for a door to another path. He felt a handle and stealthily opened it.
It was a dead end! It looked like it was a janitor's closet, if one were to judge the small cramped room with the equipment in it. Issei was about to look for some place else to run, except that there was no time!
The footstep were getting ever closer and the men would soon discover him.
Issei thought fast. He decided that he had to do this or get discovered.
He went into the janitor's closet, made sure not to make topple any equipment and close the door with him inside as quietly as possible… which he did successfully.
At this point, Issei heard the two men come right in front of the janitor's closet and stop. Issei held his breath. He didn't want them to discover him and prayed to his dead grandpa that they did not open the door.
"You really sure that you weren't imagining things?" said one of the men to his companion.
"That's strange… I thought I saw a green light come from here…" the other man said.
"Whatever… do we get to go back now?" asked the first one.
"Yeah, I guess so… too bad. I wish I could actually use my new gun…" sighed the second man.
"Really?" questioned his companion. "You're that eager to shoot?"
"Of course! I live to kill some urchins, whether it be man, beast or devil… like this!"
[BAM!]
Issei almost screamed in surprise, as suddenly a bullet pierced through the door of the janitor's closet, missing Issei's right cheek by about 5 cm and leaving a hole in the wall behind him.
Issei's heart was beating like crazy. Did they find him?
"Hey! Don't go shooting out of the blue! You almost gave me a heart attack!" the shelter's companion said agitatedly.
'You and me both…' Issei replied mentally, as he calmed down. Good. At least they haven't found him…
"Sorry, man. I just can't help it. It's just so dull, dirty and boring in here…" the man with the itchy trigger finger complained.
"I know. It sucks. But Yuda-sama's orders are clear. We wait here until further orders. It might be boring at first but once we get our operations going, we move into a much better place – or at the very least make this backwater place a paradise," his companion said with a light chuckle.
"Yeah, I know. Just… when is the guy coming back? I hope he isn't taking too much time having fun with that Yuki chick," the other man said, letting out a tired groan. "If only he could let us have fun with that girl Kasumi…"
Issei widened his eyes. Did he just say…?
"I know how you feel. We all feel the same way. But orders are orders. Let's get back to the others. That shot you fired probably could have created some misunderstandings," the obviously more rational man said.
"Yeah, yeah…" said the other man.
Issei heard the two of them walk away, as their footsteps faded into the distance.
Issei fell to his knees in relief. That was close. Really, really close…
Even though Issei had been in a gun fight before (back at the police station in Kuoh), he never could get used to it – especially when the bullet could have killed him! Had his face been a bit more to the right, he would have died!
[Partner! Are you all right?] Ddraig asked concerned.
"I'm fine, Ddraig… I just need to catch my breath…" Issei sighed.
[You ought to be more careful when lighting up the Boosted Gear. You could have been caught by those men] Ddraig said to him.
"I know… I just didn't want to go around in the dark, you know... without seeing anything…" Issei said.
[Well, Partner. You could have just used dragonized eyes for that] Ddraig reminded Issei.
Issei hit his forehead with his palm.
"Right! How could I have forgotten?" he asked himself, before activating them. "I keep forgetting about that ever since I found out how to suppress my Dragon senses."
[It is a good thing that all these days of training came in handy] Ddraig stated in contentment.
Issei nodded and activated his Dragon eyesight. The dark corridor was now clearer to Issei's eyes and thus Issei no longer needed to stumble through the hallways. He moved quietly, making sure none of the men ahead of him heard him.
As he made his way further into the factory, Issei could not help but think.
Those men just now… something about their attitude seemed off. They didn't seem to be security guards (not the regular ones anyway), so who were they? Clearly, they were following someone called Yuda. Issei wondered who that was. Was he a Fallen Angel or a human? What's Yona's reason for kidnapping Kasumi?
Issei had many questions to which he had no answer. However, two things were definitely clear.
First, these people were up to something suspicious and Issei was going to find out what.
Second, Kasumi was here. His senses did not lie to him. Thus, Issei hurried down the hallway.
Eventually, the hallway ended and Issei came to a huge room. Judging by the width, length and height of the room, as well as some of the old boxes, it had to be a warehouse. Approaching the room carefully, Issei noticed a dim light coming from the middle of the room.
Issei peered in and saw a group of about twenty men wearing hoods gathered in a semi-circle around a lamp and having a meeting of sorts. And just behind their semi-circle was a woman, sitting calmly on a box. Moreover, she was being touched by two of the men, who were either playing with her hair or fondling her thighs with lustful grins.
Issei felt three things upon that.
First, was a look of brief arousal after seeing the men having their way with that woman. He almost felt like touching himself until he looked closer at the woman's face.
Upon closer inspection, Issei felt the second thing: Shock. For the woman was none other than Kasumi Tengu, the one who he had seen earlier today and who Sanma said had been kidnapped.
And the third thing, Issei felt was anger. Anger at the sight of a woman being groped by two men right after her kidnapping. Issei narrowed his eyes to see if there was anybody with gray long hair and broad shoulders among them. However, because they were wearing hoods, it was hard to tell.
Speaking of hoods, Issei wondered about that. They looked a bit like characters from Assassin's Creed… Who were they? Cultists?
He was distracted from his thoughts when he picked up the conversation the men were having.
"I thought we weren't supposed to be touching her," one of the men said to the two perverted gropers fondling Kasumi.
"Yuda-sama said we weren't supposed to have sex. That's all. Never said anything about… umm… feeling her up… ehehehe…" one of the two men answered with his mouth drooling.
"Whatever, just cut it out. OK? We're having a meeting here. And we'd appreciate it if you two get over here right now. This is important," the first man said sternly.
"All right…" "No need to be so grumpy about it…" both men murmured and stopped their touching.
They headed right to where the others were and joined in the assembly. In doing so, they faced one man, who was standing at an improvised podium. The light was shining from the podium, making the man on it visible for everyone to see. Kasumi was in the dark sitting five meters away from them. She was sitting in such a position that the man on the podium could not see her because of some big containers blocking her from his view. The other men had their back towards her, so she was completely unguarded.
Issei realized that with those men all distracted, the room being dark and there being boxes everywhere…
[This is your chance, Partner! Seize it!] Ddraig urged Issei.
Issei didn't need to be told twice and ducked among some boxes with the purpose of getting to Kasumi unnoticed.
"What is it you wanted to say?" one of the two gropers asked the ringleader among them.
"First off, it's about how some of you used your guns just a few minutes ago…" the ringleader glanced at other men in the circle.
One of them raised his hands defensively. "Hey, Joseph was the one who fired the gun. Not me!" he argued.
"Hey!" yelled the man named Joseph. "I really thought I saw something suspicious back there!"
"Regardless…" the ringleader silenced him. "…you don't just shoot your gun any time you like – especially if you're not in a shooting gallery. Please keep that in mind."
"Yes, Isaac…" Joseph replied reluctantly.
"Good," the ringleader named Isaac simply said before moving on to the next topic.
Issei was careful not to be seen, which is why he made sure to remain behind the rows of boxes, trying to get as close to Kasumi as possible without being seen.
"Now, the second thing I wanted to talk about was about how we are going to distribute our tasks," Isaac announced.
"What tasks were there again?" asked one of the hooded men.
"They are as follows: Hunting down Devils and their summoners, searching for recruits and dealing with the girls," Isaac answered.
At this point, even Issei could not help but be interested as to what their plans were. Taking care of the girls? There were more?
Yet, he decided not to get too distracted and opted to listen as he went. He was on his knees, trying to keep himself lower then the boxes and crawling forward.
"I want to be with some ladies. It has been quite a while since I stuck my manhood into one of them," said one of the perverts from before.
"They are not for us," said one of the men next to him. "They are for our clients. We start putting Kasumi here to good use once Yuda-sama has taken her virginity…"
"What? You mean to tell me that Yuda-sama hasn't done it with her yet?" said the other pervert.
"Apparently not. I heard Yuda-sama and Yuki-chan are meeting with the other Fallen Angels here in Tokyo. Heard that they were discussing what further actions to take," the man answered.
By now, Issei had reached an area of boxes that were separated by gaps. He needed to make sure nobody saw him. Thankfully, they remained focused on their meeting. Issei just needed to get to the other side of the circle and past some boxes until he reached her…
"I suggest that we divide our numbers into three," said another hooded man. "Six of us will deal with the Devils and their summoners, Six of us will deal with recruits and six of us will take care of the girls when they get here."
"Wait, there are twenty of us. What about the other two?" asked one man.
"What about getting food and doing the chores? Somebody has got a do this stuff," stated another man.
"All these things can be done by you," Isaac said with authority. "You are all adults. You can handle it…"
"And what about our pay, huh? That's another thing that needs to be addressed," another man spoke up.
And many more of the men assembled asked whatever questions they had on their mind, but Issei had heard enough. It was clear to him that these people were nothing more than dangerous criminals who were engaging in prostitution and exorcism, he guessed. However, judging by what they said, they planned on killing people, too. That also, made Issei seethe in anger as he made his way to Kasumi. No way that he was going to let them have their way with her.
It was then that Issei finally reached Kasumi's position. It seemed like she didn't notice him at all. He decided to whisper to her.
"Psst! Kasumi Tengu-san?" Issei whispered, while making sure that none of the hooded men heard him. Thankfully, they did not. However, neither did Kasumi.
Issei repeated the same action but still nothing.
Issei decided to tap her shoulder but she still didn't move or say anything.
Issei tapped her again and still nothing happened.
Issei was getting nervous. While he may not have been noticed up till now, there was only so much time he could remain here. He pondered the risks… and stood up a bit. He looked at her face.
To his surprise, her eyes were open but she had a blank look on her face that showed no emotion. She didn't seem awake or asleep, more like she was hypnotized. It was then that Issei remembered what Sanma had said about her being hypnotized by the Fallen Angel.
Issei gritted his teeth. She was still in a hypnotized state? But that would mean that she wouldn't be able to act on her own. She would have to be dependent on someone to lead her out of here.
Suddenly, she fell sideways. Issei managed to suppress a yell, as he caught her. Looking at her face, he realized that her eyes were shut and that she was breathing calmly and gently.
In other words, she was asleep.
'…or should I say carry her out of here…' Issei corrected his thoughts and blushed.
He couldn't help but stare at this mature young woman. Her long brown hair tickled Issei's arm a bit. Her bust was pretty decent, too… Issei felt tempted to feel her up then and there, but shook his head quickly.
'Focus, Issei. You're in enemy territory. Get her out of here, then worry about her boobs…' Issei chastised himself.
He looked at the hooded men, who were still in a heated discussion.
"I want… no, I demand an additional 100 yen if I have to go out on patrol!" one person argued.
"Who do you think you are to demand a pay raise above everyone else, huh?" another one argued back.
"I don't want to do the cooking!" another man protested.
"Everyone makes meals for themselves…" his companion next to him explained with a sigh.
"One at a time. One at a time!" Isaac desperately tried to maintain order.
'Well, seems like the coast is clear…' Issei thought relieved. 'It seems like they're quite busy in their discussions to worry about Kasumi.'
With that in mind, Issei scooped Kasumi up and carried her bridal style.
Upon weighing her, Issei had to admit that she was lighter than he had expected…
He snuck away quietly, one step at a time…
This was easier than expected. When he first set out retrieve Kasumi, Issei thought that he had to fight this Fallen Angel called Yona. A very worrisome thought, especially given what Issei knew about their capabilities. Sanma's injuries were no joke.
Luckily for Issei, it didn't seem like he would be confronting them after all…
He walked a bit faster with Kasumi in his arms. He was done here. Now, it was time to head back to the Tengu residence.
As Issei left the warehouse and entered the hallway, he was so eager to get away that he didn't pay attention to his surroundings. It would have been bad for him, had Ddraig not spoken up.
[Partner, stop! I sense two powerful sources of energy just ahead! Hide quickly!] Ddraig warned Issei.
Issei stopped immediately. Energy sources? What did he mean?
Suddenly, he heard some voices coming around the corner.
"Wow, you're amazing as always! I just can't get enough of your smoking hot body…" a cutesy female voice said flirtatiously.
"Yeah, yeah… whatever…" said a deep manly voice impassively.
Issei widened his eyes in shock. He started panicking. Were they the sources of energy Ddraig was talking about?
Issei looked around hastily and saw a hallway leading to his right. He quickly and quietly tiptoed into it with Kasumi and saw it was a dead end. However, there was a door at the end of it to the left.
He made his way there and saw where that door lead him.
'Perfect! Now quick before they spot me…' Issei thought and opened the door. He headed into it with Kasumi and quietly closed it behind him – and just in time.
For as it turned out, the man and the woman with the strong energy source were none other than the Fallen Angels Yuda and Yuki.
Yuki was a petite, girlish but seductive woman with blonde twin tails.
Yuda was a gray-haired man that could easily tower over most humans. He had an imposing figure.
"Now, if you want we could continue to do it in there," Yuki said as the two of them stopped by the hallway leading to the room to where Issei and Kasumi were.
Yuda nodded but then froze and then quickly turned to face the door at the end of the hallway. Yuki noticed this and moved her face closer to Yuda's.
"Is something wrong?" Yuki asked curiously.
Yuda said nothing for a moment before then speaking up.
"Do we happen to have… any powerful Sacred Gears among the Stray Exorcists?" Yuda asked Yuki, while keeping his gaze on the door.
Yuki looked at Yuda confused. "Huh? No, not that I know of. Why?" she asked.
Yuda narrowed his eyes. "Because I can sense a very powerful Sacred Gear coming from over there," Yuda answered.
Yuki widened her eyes in shock and turned her eyes towards the door as well.
Without a word, Yuda summoned a light spear in his hand and walked towards the door, while Yuki stayed behind.
"Yuda?" Yuki asked.
"Stay where you are. If my intuition is correct, then…" Yuda ordered her, as he got closer to the room where Issei and Kasumi were.
Issei and Ddraig noticed this and were sweating nervously.
[Partner. The Fallen Angels are getting closer] Ddraig said to Issei with urgency.
"I know, I know!" Issei whispered back, while trying to think of how to get out.
He readied and started boosting, expecting to have to break out, take the Fallen Angels by surprise and then grab Kasumi and run out of here…
[Boost!]
…But doing that was way to risky and Issei knew this.
So how could he get out of this mess? He didn't want to die and he most certainly didn't want to surrender, even though it seemed like the easy way out. No, rather, when looking at Kasumi, he realized that he could not just give up here. Too many people were depending on him to get her home safely. It wasn't just her father and Sanma, this woman also had sisters and probably friends and loved ones who needed her back.
Clenching his fists, Issei resolved himself never to give up.
He himself had lost his parents and had lost everything in Kuoh whether because he wasn't strong enough or because of his own stupidity. He was not going to let that happen to Kasumi's family.
[Boost!]
Issei's power doubled again. He could hear one of the Fallen Angels getting closer. It was now or never…
[Partner, wait!] Ddraig suddenly spoke up, almost breaking Issei's concentration on boosting. [I've got a plan. It's kind of embarrassing but it might just work. Here's what we'll do…]
While Ddraig explained his plan to Issei, Yuda stood just outside the door with his light spear ready.
Issei protested against Ddraig's plan. 'No! No way! I'm not doing that!' he replied mentally, only to be interrupted by the imminent threat
"Whoever is in there, come out. Identify yourself or you will be skewered alive," Yuda threatened with a calm but cold demeanor.
Issei was sweating intensively and his heartbeat quickened.
Dang it, he had no choice… he had to do this…
Issei pulled down his pants…
"This is your last warning," Yuda told Issei and readied his spear in order to stab him through the door. "Come out or you will die in three seconds. Three… two… one…"
Just when Yuda was about to stab through the door…
(((FAAAAAAART!)))
… the most disgustingly loud sound of a flatulence came from within the bathroom.
Yuda instinctively backed away from the door and walked backwards away from the door with his nose covered by his free hand. Yuki likewise covered her nose and turned away from the door.
"Ugh! Seems like whoever is in there must have a Sacred Gear that makes people… do that!" Yuki said in disgust.
"Maybe. I'm still interested as to who is in there… but that can wait until after he finished his business… Let's go to see what the Stray Exorcists are up to," Yuda said making it clear by his body language that he wanted to get as far away from that disgusting smell as possible.
Yuki was likewise just as eager to get away and thus quickly followed him to the hallway leading to the warehouse where the hooded men were having their meeting.
After thirty seconds, the door opened and Issei came out with his face looking green and almost feeling the need to throw up. He resisted doing so because Kasumi was in his arms and he didn't want to throw up on a woman. It was a surprise she hadn't woken up to the smell.
"Tell me again, how did you come up with this idea?" Issei asked Ddraig.
[Let's see… Toilet… we're screwed… you're probably going back into the earth… dirt… dirt is poop… poop is accompanied by farting… skunks do something similar to drive away attackers… And that's how I came up with this idea] Ddraig explained in keywords on how he came up with this sophomoric idea.
Issei just looked at the Boosted Gear with a deadpan expression. "Make sure nobody finds out about this, OK? What happened just now will remain a secret between us two forever," Issei declared to Ddraig.
[No worries, Partner] Ddraig responded with a hint of a chuckle.
Issei noticed this but decided not to press it any further. He had more important things to worry about than… a Boosted flatulence… ugh! Thankfully, it was a toilet so at least it was the best place to do it without raising too much suspicion.
Anyway, now that the coast was clear, he needed to get out of here. Issei ran, hoping to make it out before anyone noticed that Kasumi was missing.
23rd September, Monday, 7:03 pm – inside in the warehouse, Nerima
As the meeting went on, the Fallen Angels Yuda and Yuki entered the warehouse.
All the Stray Exorcists, as they were known, looked up and stood up from their seats.
"Yuda-sama, Yuki-sama. It is good to have you back," said Isaac, the leader I'd the men assembled.
"Yes, yes…" Yuda waved him offhandedly. "Anything to report?"
"Not much, sir. We were just holding a meeting concerning the division of duties," Isaac answered with the other men nodding alongside him.
"Division of duties?" Yuda asked.
"Yes. We have decided – after much discussion – that ten of us here go hunt Devil summoners, Devils and Stray Devils. Four of us deal with the girls when we have them, the remaining six of us will deal with intelligence gathering and processing of intelligence. All of us will go out for errands, such as buying food and clean-up duties on a rotational basis. And last of all, I will be handling the budget for our group," Isaac debriefed the imposing Fallen Angel, the latter who was listening with a certain degree of indifference and his female colleague with boredom.
"I see. Good work, I suppose," Yuda said naturally.
"Thank you, Yuda-sama," Isaac bowed politely. "May I ask how things went in the meeting?"
Yuda did not answer at first. Instead, he went in front of the stage and cleared his throat. This signified to all other Stray Exorcists that he had an important announcement to make and thus they listened attentively.
"The meeting I and Yuki had with the other Fallen Angels led by Dohnasseek was a productive one. We have already started to woo in a number of girls in different parts of Tokyo for our operations. For now, there aren't many, but in time we will grow. And in a few years at most we will have taken over the Prostitution business in Tokyo. We will push out the competition and the Yakuza and other pumps with our capabilities and powers. We are also mulling to go into the drug business, but we are still in the discussion phase. Keep up the good work and you will be rewarded handsomely. We must make sure neither Heaven nor Hell get a foothold on this city and you will be on the front lines. In doing your duties, you will receive great honors from the Grigori for your services, for we never forget those who pour their blood and sweat for it. For the Grigori," Yuda ended his speech, followed by cheers and thunderous applause, along with cries of "For the Grigori!".
Isaac, the Stray Exorcist Leader had to applaud as well. As someone who had been left dissatisfied by the Church, he was especially glad to be in an organization that was going somewhere and fulfilled his dreams of ambition.
Yuki smiled cheerfully and glanced at her partner sideways. He always knew how to get a crowd motivated with his booming voice. It was one of the things she liked the most about him. She could hardly wait to get more on "the action" in bed tonight.
As the applause subsided, Yuda went to Isaac and addressed him.
"Anyway, now that I've said all that I needed to say, where is Kasumi? I need to continue where I left off with her," Yuda said to Isaac.
Isaac nodded in agreement. "Yes, yes. She is…" Isaac stopped speaking and looked at where he remembered Kasumi was, but he found nothing.
"Ummm… people? Does anybody know where that girl is?" Isaac asked.
At this, everyone looked around each other and to their surprise, they could not find Kasumi.
Yuda was tapping his foot impatiently. "Well?" he asked calmly, while concealing his dislike for being delayed.
"That's strange," said one of Kasumi's two founders from earlier. "I thought we left her there…" he pointed at the box where Kasumi sat.
"Yeah, I thought so, too…" said the other oone named Joseph with a nod.
There were some worried murmurings in the air at what had transpired. If she disappeared they would be in a world of trouble…
"I know!" one of the Stray Exorcists piped up. "Maybe she went to the bathroom. Maybe that's why she is not here!"
The murmuring subsided and was replaced by sighs of relief. Oh, that made sense… Looks they weren't in trouble at all…
But they were wrong.
Yuda grew angry and threw a light spear into the middle of the assembly, much to everyone's shock.
"You fools!" he spat out. "My hypnosis would never have subsided this easily! It would have taken until tomorrow for her to wake up from it without any intervention!"
The Stray Exorcist were scared stiff. Looks like they were in trouble after all…
"M-maybe someone accidentally broke her hypnosis or something like that, like…" one of the Exorcists said, glancing his gaze to the two perverts.
"Don't look at us! She was well hypnotized when we left her," Joseph said defensively.
Yuda was growling angrily. He could hardly leave them for an hour or two and they were already making messes. That was when something clicked.
One of the men here said something about the bathroom. Come to think about it there was someone in there. He forgot all about it after that… sound… dismissing it as one of the Exorcists taking a dump.
Now that he thought about it…
"Isaac?" Yuda addressed the leader of the Stray Exorcists.
Isaac approached Yuda cautiously. He was afraid Yuda might have another outburst of anger.
"Are these all the men here?" the imposing Fallen Angel asked.
Isaac looked at them for a moment, then counted them.
"No doubt about it, Yuda-sama. Those are all the twenty men here, myself included," Isaac answered.
"And were any of them in the bathroom in the last ten minutes?" he looked at all the men this time.
The answer was unanimous. All of them either denied it or shook their heads.
Yuda was frowning angrily. Yuki was getting confused and concerned.
"Hey, Yuda. What does this all mean?" she asked.
Yuda did not answer her. Instead, he gave Isaac an order.
"Go out and find her. Send out your men out there and bring her back," he told Isaac coldly.
"Yuda-sama?" Isaac asked flabbergasted.
"Someone has intruded in our base! You idiots better find her and the intruder or so help me!" Yuda shouted and pointed at the door.
The men hastened out the door, not wanting to anger him further. After a few seconds, the hall was empty with the exception of Yuda and Yuki. And that was when Yuki finally understood the reasoning behind all of Yuda's questions.
"There was an intruder in the bathroom? So that's what that strong energy signature was – and the fart," Yuki said with a giggle.
Yuda sighed. Such a humiliation… all he wanted was to just relax and take Kasumi's virginity. Instead, he was treated to this humiliation. This was going to be a long night… and someone was going to pay for it…
23rd September, Monday, 7:13 pm – out on the streets, Nerima
Issei hastened as fast as he could to get to Kasumi's house. However, it was quite tiring to carry Kasumi over time, leading him to take a break at a nearby bench. He laid the unconscious woman down and sat next to her, trying to catch his breath.
Suddenly, his… watch rang?
'That's strange… Why would it do that?' Issei pressed a few buttons intending to stop it. He found the right button, but to his surprise…
"Dude! Where are you? It's past seven!" Issei heard Matsuda speaking from his watch.
"Matsuda!?" Issei yelped in surprise. "How…? What…?"
Issei was so flabbergasted, he didn't know what to say.
"Apparently, our watches have a phone function. Neat, huh? Hide-san showed us," Matsuda answered. "But anyway, where are you?"
"I'm out. I more or less witnessed a kidnapping and have just finished rescuing a woman. I'm bringing her to her family. I'll be at the Tengu family dojo. Bye!" Issei ended the conversation.
"What? Hey, wai-!" Matsuda called out, but Issei ended the call.
At this moment, Kasumi stirred. Issei was taken by surprise and scooted away when she sat up.
"Nu… Where… What… happened?" she asked.
She saw Issei looking at her stunned. She blinked and scooted away from him, while remaining on the bench.
"Who… who are you? And what are you doing right next to me?" she asked Issei suspiciously.
And that was Chapter 31 of the Lone Vigilante Issei.
Finally, Issei gets to act like a "Lone Vigilante". Finally, I managed to get the story in line with the title – even if it's only for this arc.
I've been wanting to put his skills once more to the test, this time with an emphasis in sneaking.
Though, I have to admit, that I never thought I would have to throw in a fart joke of all things into this. That was… kind of odd… But even fart jokes can be well executed. Just look at Prison School!
Now, about the Fallen Angels and Stray Exorcists in this chapter.
The Fallen Angels in the canon story did have nefarious individuals, such as Raynare, Dohnasseek, Mittelt and Kalawarner. I wondered "What if I decided to throw in more of these rogues? What if I made it into a bigger conspiracy?" And so, I did. Prostitution and the drug trade. That was what I came up for their conspiracy.
Why? Well, consider the fact that Fallen Angels were Angels that have fallen due to their sexual desires. I figured that those would be good fits for them. And drugs? Well, they were an added bonus. If Fallen Angels, such as Raynare had no problem killing humans to get their Sacred Gears or because she saw them as a nuisance, then why not make profit out of them?
Now, obviously with what I have given away in the story, we will be dealing them in more than one arc, so stay tuned.
Meanwhile, what did you think about this chapter. Did you like it? I would like to hear from you.
And as always, I hope to see you again soon.
Until then.
Hide Shinyama