CHAPTER 52
The spar between Issei and his soul tenants came to a close, since it was time for the brunet to wake up and start his day.
The trio exchanged no words, but it was obvious that Zangetsu and Ddraig were amused about something that had to do with their host, whom they purposefully left in the dark as to why they showed such a sentiment.
It didn't take long for Issei to understand the reason behind their amusement, though.
As soon as he woke up, he resisted the urge to yell in surprise, as well as supress a boner from forming at his crotch.
Somehow, during the night and obviously when he was occupied by the Dragon in his Sacred Gear and the sword spirit in his inner world, three more bodies were added in his small bed.
More specifically, a completely nude Rias Gremory was sleeping peacefully with a matching smile on her lips on his right, with his arm being trapped between the devilish valley of her gorgeous breasts.
Similarly, on his left, the same thing was happening to his other arm with Raynare as the perpetrator. The difference between the raven haired beauty and the crimson haired one, however, was that the former was wearing a slightly see-through nightgown in the color of black. Underneath it, she wore a sexy set of equally black brassiere and a thong to cover her modesty.
Yet, somehow, Raynare was on the same level of sexiness as the nude redhead.
Idly, he silently wondered what would happen if Akeno had joined them in this endeavor.
Wrong move, because it almost caused him to have a boner in an instant, knowing her nature as a teasing personality. So, he forcefully put the thought where it came from.
The last person wasn't exactly on the bed, per se. After all, Asia used his chest as a pillow and the rest of his body as a mattress, her delicate hands hugging him and intertwining behind his abdomen. She wore a yellow nightgown with white floral patterns, underneath which she sported her white undergarments.
Both Asia and Raynare mimicked Rias' peaceful expression and matching smile as all three used him as a personal heater and body pillow.
Even though it's a bit late, the brunet realised that he could see all these details clearly because there wasn't a sheet covering them.
He couldn't stop the scowl on his face when he heard Zangetsu's uproarious laughter in his head, but didn't comment on it as he tried to focus on how to get out of their grasp, without alerting them of his movements.
Unfortunately he didn't get to finish his thought process as Raynare chose to wake up at that moment.
"Huwaaa~..." she yawned cutely, still sleepy as she sat up a little and stretched her body. While this small process did delightful things to her scantily clad breasts, it also freed Issei's left arm. She let out satisfied moans, that sounded way too arousing in the brunet's ears, when she heard and felt the pops on her limbs. Turning her head slightly to look at him, she smiled sweetly as she whispered "Good morning, Ise-kun~!".
"Good morning, Ray-chan." Issei whispered back with a slightly defeated tone, finishing with a matching sigh.
Curious, Raynare looked at the rest of the bed, her waking mind instantly recognising the reason behind his demeanor. She silently giggled behind her delicate right hand in amusement, before she looked at him with a mischievous expression.
His eyes widened slightly in surprise when she leaned down and sweetly pecked him on his left cheek. Yet, when she ascended back to her sitting position and continued to look at him with the same miscievousness as before, he felt a little bit disappointed that it didn't last longer. That said, it didn't mean he couldn't return the favor. "Come here, I wanna tell you something." he whispered in an almost inaudible voice.
Raynare, leaned towards his face with her head turned slightly, so she missed the sudden glint in his eyes.
So, she was totally caught off guard when he pecked her right cheek in the same way she had done to him a few seconds ago. She almost squealed in surprise, but showed her sentiment by jumping off the bed and looking at him in shock, her entire face and neck covered in a feverish red blush. Her right hand snapped towards where her rapidly beating heart was, while her left clamped her mouth shut, since she was conscious enough to not wake up the rest of the house's residents with her screaming.
His triumphant smirk made her want to beat him up for his teasing, as well as happy that he finally reciprocated the gesture.
The Fallen girl gave him a look that clearly said 'this isn't over' and quietly got out of his room, inadvertedly giving him quite the view of her back side.
Issei wanted to celebrate this small victory, but he was unable to due to the other two occupants on his bed that essentially trapped his body with no way of escape.
So, he settled for sighing quietly in resignation, hoping that the two girls would wake up soon.
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It was another lively morning in the Hyoudou household, with Akane wondering why Raynare was almost glowing from giddiness.
Her answer came when the female Fallen Angel told in front of everyone that she and the youngest Hyoudou shared a 'good morning kiss', even if it was on the cheeks.
And, while Akane and Gorou were visibly ecstatic about this -admitedly small- develoment, Asia and Rias gave the Sekiryuutei pouty, clearly jealous glares. The former of the two younger girls' look was completed with unshed tears in the corner of her eyes and an adorable rosy blush on her cheeks. That said, Rias was also adorable, simply because she was pouting.
Issei chose to ignore the craziness for the sake of his almost nonexistent sanity.
The brunet was fortunate that it was a school day, so the girls would have a solid distraction for the rest of the day.
Speaking of...
"We have to go." Issei stood up from the table, gaining the attention of everyone else.
Rias took a moment to look at the time and, true to the brunet's words, it was time to go to school with very little time to spare. So, with a nod to the blonde italian girl, she mimicked Issei's actions and got ready to leave.
Before that, however, "Thank you for your hospitality, Hyoudou Akane-san, Hyoudou Gorou-san." the redhead bowed and said in elegant politeness with a matching smile on her lips.
"It was a pleasure, Rias-chan!" Akane bowed back, albeit without being formal in her words.
Gorou mimicked his wife. "You can come and stay any time you want, Rias-chan! Me and my dear wife will be happy to have you! And I'm sure our son and the girls won't mind as well!" he exclaimed with a wide grin.
The Gremory heiress withheld a triumphant grin at the permission to come whenever she desired. That way, she could get closer to the one she wanted!
Her inner happiness must have shown on her expression, because the parents' grins widened a fraction.
"I-I don't mind!" Asia's shy, yet giddy declaration almost caught the three of them off guard.
To their inner embarrassment, they had almost forgotten that the ex-nun and the female Fallen Angel were in the room.
"I don't mind as well." Raynare said disinterestedly as she washed the dishes. "As long as I can have my fill of Ise-kun, I don't care even if an entire army of girls flock around him."
Her serious statement caused Asia and Rias to have atomic blushes from the implication, while Akane and Gorou wore dreamy expressions at the thought of so many daughters-in-law and subsequent grandbabies to spoil.
"I would appreciate it if all of you left my personal affairs for me to decide."
Issei's clearly irritated voice broke the spell, making them almost jump in surprise at his sudden re-entrance.
He broke the awkward silence with a resigned sigh and made his way to the door.
Asia and Rias broke out of their trance and, in a couple of seconds, they were by his sides, ready for school as well.
The brunet opened the door for the girls to go out first and paused when he was about to exit as well. "Ray-chan." he called over his shoulder.
"Y-Yes?!" she called back, clearly embarrassed that he heard her previous admission.
"Come to school at about five in the afternoon."
With his piece said, the brunet closed the door behind him, not waiting for any kind of reply.
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"Why did you tell her to come after the school day ends, Ise?" Rias asked him curiously, the earlier events already stored in the back of her mind.
The trio were walking in a relaxed fashion, knowing that they would reach Kuoh Academy on time, without Sona reprimanding them for being late.
"Well..." Issei hummed to gather his words properly. "Truth is, yesterday I noticed something that you completely lack during your punishment. And, knowing that you're stronger than your Peerage in some aspects, I think that they lack the same thing as well. Probably Sona-san and her Peerage too. It goes without saying that Raynare is included too, which is why I told her to come." he said seriously, not looking at her as he was focused on their road.
The two girls were caught off guard by his words, with Rias choosing to ignore the word he used to describe her humiliation at Akeno's hands.
"What was it, Ise-san?" Asia asked, equally curious with the redhead on his other side.
"Instict." his almost flat response almost caused the girls to stumble on their feet in surprise.
They gazed at him expectantly, but it didn't seem like he would clarify what he meant any time soon.
"What do you mean, Ise?" Rias forced herself to sound curious and not frustrated.
"I'll explain everything this afternoon." the brunet said calmly, before turning his head slightly to look at the redhead from the corner of his eye. "So, do me a favor and tell Sona-san to meet up with us at the gym, along with her Peerage." he added in the same tone.
"Ok." Rias nodded her consent. "Will we need anything else?" she asked curiously.
"A couple of black ribbons to act as blindfolds will do." he replied casually, returning his attention to his front.
Rias suppressed a shiver at the reminder of the reason why she couldn't react at Akeno's relentless assault last night.
Asia was slightly confused. "Um, Ise-san?"
"Hmm?" Issei hummed in question at Asia's call.
"Will I be included in the training you're talking about?" she asked curiously, inwardly hoping that he said 'no'.
"Truthfully, you should." Issei said gently as he looked at her from the corner of his eye. At her confused expression, he elaborated. "As a healer and a non-combatant, there's a high chance that you're going to be continuously targeted in future Rating Games. With my training, we'll try to reduce the probability of success to a bare minimum."
"Is it going to be harsh?" Rias couldn't help but ask, hiding her trepidation behind a mask of curiousity.
Issei hummed in thought at that for a few seconds, before he answered honestly. "Probably. In reality, it all depends on how easy or hard it is for all of you to get what I'll try to teach you."
While his answer wasn't all that reassuring, Rias and Asia chose to be optimistic and think that whatever he had in store for them and the others wouldn't be all that harsh.
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Lunch break came quickly in Kuoh Academy and Issei found himself under a shade of a tree behind the Kendo club, having his meal in peaceful silence.
The brunet teen's oversensitive ears picked up that Rias passed his message to Sona, along with the fact that Raynare would join them.
The SCP agreed to meet up with them, albeit reluctantly, since she and her Peerage had their SC duties to attend to.
Curiously enough, Akeno didn't voice any objection.
This time.
With everything going smoothly so far, the brunet decided to have a conversation with the two tenants occupying his mind and soul.
"So, what do you guys think about the training I plan to do for the Devils and Ray-chan?" Issei mentally asked in genuine curiousity.
"We've been over this already, partner..." Ddraig sighed in exasperation.
"Doesn't hurt to talk about it one more time." Zangetsu dismissed the Dragon's sentiment, albeit in a surprisingly gentle manner. "Alright. Essentially, you're gonna try to teach them your sensin' Haki." he summurized aptly.
"Uhuh." the brunet nodded in agreement. "Although, it'll be a weaker version of my own. I just want them to feel their surroundings and up their fighting insticts. Not make them like me." he explained casually.
"Honestly, I'm not sure it's gonna work on them." surprisingly, it was Ddraig that almost objected the idea.
"Why's that?" Issei couldn't help but ask, more than a little curious.
"...Now that I think about it, maybe the lizard's right..." Zangetsu reluctantly agreed with the sealed Dragon, making the brunet even more curious.
As if sensing that, Ddraig spoke seriously in a lecturing tone. "Partner, you've got to consider that what you want to teach the Devils and that Fallen girl is an otherwordly power. One that you're the only known user of. Not to mention the other ones. The best you're gonna accomplish is to completely and utterly confuse them with the consept."
"What if he took the trainin' from their perspective, though?" Zangetsu interjected with a seemingly valid question. "King is a human, while they're not. Or, some of them aren't any more."
"You guys have a point." Issei hummed in agreement with both his tenants. "Since they're not human, one way or another, there's little chance that it'll work the same with me, if at all."
"Glad that your brain didn't fry from today's morning." Ddraig deadpanned at his host. Ignoring the latter's sudden sputtering at the jab, he continued in his previously serious tone. "The best you can do is what you originally intented. Kick-start their fighting insticts. In this world, all supernatural species have them. It's up to those species to hone their insticts and abilities to their best and survive against stronger foes, or even numerous and weaker ones."
Issei held back the comment about the Dragon speaking from experience. After all, it was widely known that both Heavenly Dragons lost to the combined might of the three Christian factions, even though they both were included in the top 10 strongest beings in the universe.
"Then, how should I go about it?" the brunet asked curiously after the small pause in the conversation, showing that he had understood them.
"It's as you told Red this mornin', King." Zangetsu said nonchalantly, giving the impression that he shrugged his shoulders in the same manner. "You'll explain to them in the afternoon. They may be rookies, for the most part, but they're still supernatural species. They have their own insticts and, as the lizard said, the best you can do is kick-start them."
"Don't forget that the Sitri girl is going to be with them." Ddraig reminded them suddenly.
"Good point." Issei almost cheered at the reminder. "Sona-san is the most intelligent person out of all the Devils here. She's gonna be of great help to this whole thing."
Satisfied that his conversation bore some fruits, Issei cleaned up and got ready to go back to class.
"King." Zangetsu spoke up suddenly, making the brunet pause mid-step. After a hum of acknowledgement, the sword spirit spoke again. "If ya want to listen to me, don't do the other thin' you have in mind." he said seriously.
"Why?" Issei couldn't help but ask with a frown on his face.
"Because there's no reason to." Ddraig interjected coldly, almost making his host flinch from his tone. "None of these humans deserve your apology. None of them were close to you in some way or another. Just because you defeated the reicarnated Knight in such a way, these humans became totally afraid of you. If this much is what it takes for people to have an opinion of you, then they don't deserve your attention, much less your apology."
"Plus..." Zangetsu added in the same coldness as his roommate, before their wielder could say anything. "most of them are hypocrites. Mostly the girls. If they want you in their lives, they should be the ones to apologise for havin' such a reaction. You've done nothin' wrong."
Issei sighed heavily in emotions that he couldn't describe as he re-started his walk towards his class.
Like always, his tenants were right in everything they said.
Most, if not all, of the girls in school were as much of perverts as Matsuda and Motohama, but they seemed to hold their perversion to themselves.
For the most part.
After all, when he and Yuuto were close to one another, talking like the friends they were, the girls started some unsavory yaoi rumors between the two of them; sometimes including Katase and Murayama, who all but ran a crusade against M&M by beating them to a pulp with every chance they got.
Especially Kiryuu Aika. That girl was worse than M&M combined, but got away with her perversion just because she was a girl and sometimes kept in line the aforementioned perverts.
The only people that he thought weren't perverts were Yuuto, Koneko and Asia. Probably Sona too, but that had yet to be determined. The same with the other members of the SC.
"You're right..." Issei whispered with a defeated sigh as he closed in to his class. "They're not worth it..."
His current belief strenghtened when he entered the classroom and, aside from Asia -who smiled kindly at him and waved shyly in greeting-, everyone else didn't even dare to make eye contact with him as he made his way to his designated seat -responding to the ex-nun in kind as he passed by her-.
With his mind somewhat clean, Issei focused on what the teachers taught, inwardly anticipating this afternoon a little more eagerly.
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