Author's note: To Pirohiko-Baltazar, as well as anyone who wanted Vergil to reclaim the Yamato. If you followed the story up till this point, you already know the fact the Vergil already had more than a decade with Yamato and his powers. I'm currently building a story that pushes Vergil's character in to a huge arc of him fighting and solving things without his favorite weapon, nor his full power, else it would be very boring. Trust me, he'll regain all eventually, but not THIS soon.

Chapter 23: The Hikikomori Dhampir.

The next day after class. I was standing on the ground floor of the old school building's room that had been made the 'Sealed classroom'. Everyone from the club had gathered. Even from the outside, this room was securely closed so we couldn't see inside of the room. What was it used for, the explanation was without exception, but...it seemed that, according to the conversation, the other Bishop was here. The other Bishop... For a long time, it was a mystery club member for both Asia and me. Likewise, except for the newcomer Xenovia, the rest of the members knew about it. He existed before I was found by Rias, but due to various circumstances, he couldn't participate in the Rating Game between the Phoenix household and the battle against Kokabiel.

According to the conversation, it seemed his ability was regarded as dangerous, and because Rias wasn't able to completely control him with her powers, he was ordered to be sealed by the top brass. The seal on the door, by the looks of it, consists of an array of heavily pasted caution tapes intertwined each other, all have magical seals carved on them.

"The kid is over here. All day, that Bishop lives here. For the time being, his seals are loosened deep in the night, and if it's just in the old building, he can exit the room, but the kid inside refuses to do that.", said Rias.

Anti-social huh, seems similar to me, but extreme extent.

"The kid inside has been the biggest earner among the servants.", said Akeno.

Hoh? But, since this kid won't go outside, meeting customers is only possible through… Internet.

"So he takes online request?", I asked.

"Ara, as expected, Vergil-san knows it right away", said Akeno.

"It was the only conclusion, consider the fact that the kid refused to go outside"

"Indeed, this kid takes special contracts from humans through a computer. Frankly, it's a person who doesn't want to meet us. Those type of people negotiate in a different way, and make relations differently. They solve things through the computer. In the dealings through computers, among the new Devil servants, this kid grabs enough numbers like those of a superior rank."

"I see, a high earner as well as a powerful individual. This could be interesting", said Raynare.

"Now then, I am opening the door."

The magical seals carved on the door also disappeared, and it became a simple door.

As Rias opens the door…

"Noooooooooooooooooooooooo!"

An outrageously high-pitched scream was emitted from inside.

That extreme huh. Rias, who isn't surprised by this, sighed before entering the room with Akeno.

"Good day to you. It's nice to see you all energetic."

"W-W-Whyyyyyyyy?"

The exchange happening inside was heard. Judging from the voice, there's no doubt that it's of a middle schooler, though the high pitch… a girl?

"Ara, ara, the seal got removed, you know? You are able to go out now. Now, let's all go out together?"

Akeno said with a gentle voice, trying to connect with the kid.

However...

"Noooooooooooooooooo! This place is gooooooooooood! I don't want to go outside! I don't want to meet peopleeeeeee!"

I twitched my eyebrows due to the excessive reaction. Asia and Raynare were tilting their heads. Xenovia lets out a questioning look. Kiba was smiling bitterly, and Koneko was letting out a sigh. Those two seem to understand this situation.

I then walk inside, as I glance through the room…

The curtains were tightly shut close. Dim. The room was decorated in an colorful manner. It looked like a girl's room. Stuffed dolls were present as well. At the center of the room is… a coffin?

…

Okay…

I know what this kid is.

I went and look past Rias and Akeno, what that caught my eyes was a little girl with noble looks, golden hair and red eyes who looked like a doll. At least that's what the initial impression was like.

Somehow… it felt so wrong.

The kid was shaking a lot, seemingly trying to escape.

"Appearance-wise, this kid looks like a girl, but he is a boy without a doubt.", said Rias.

Yup, it's a trap.

"He has a hobby of dressing in female clothes.", said Akeno.

A cross-dresser huh. Nothing new to this world.

"Well that's none of my concern. Show me his teeth"

"Eeeeeeeeeeek! I am sorry, I am sorryyyyyyyyyyy!"

The kid lets out a shriek due to my voice.

"His teeth?", asked Rias.

"Dark, highly enclosed space and a coffin in the middle, only a Vampire or a half-Vampire, a Dhampir, would choose such habitat."

"Ara, you deduced it again", said Akeno.

It's basic Vampire knowledge, nothing extraordinary.

"B-B-Buchou, who is this person?", the kid asked. In that fraction of a second, I saw two fangs standing out from his set of teeth. He's a Vampire, no doubt.

"These are new servants who came while you were here", said Rias.

"Eeeeek, the members increased by a lot!", he fearfully said.

"Please, can we go out? Okay? It's all right for you to not be sealed any more, you know?"

Rias said it gently, but...

"Noooooooo! For me, the outside world is impossibleeeeeeee! I am scared! I am scared of the outside! In any case, even if I go outside, it would only cause trouble for otherssssss!"

At that moment, a strong sense of agitation permeated throughout my body.

What is this… cowardice? This… is a boy?

I walked towards him and picked him up by the collar. He was lifted to my chest height.

"When your president said to go outside, you go outside", I coldly said.

"Eeeeeek!"

Along with his scream, the scenery in front of me became white. As it fully dissipated, the kid, whose collar I was holding, was gone. I look around, only to see him shaking in one corner of the room.

That phenomenon was oddly familiar.

"This is strange. Something in this moment..."

"...It's certain something happened."

Asia and Xenovia were surprised as well, but the rest of the members were only letting out sighs.

"Don't get angry! Don't get angry! Please don't hit meeeeeeeee!"

As usual, the kid is shouting. Still, I need to make sure.

"What did he do?", I asked.

Akeno comes in to explain.

"That kid possesses a Sacred Gear that caused the time of everything in his field of vision to be stopped for a fixed interval of time when he's excited."

"Forbidden Balor View…", Raynare muttered.

A temporal Sacred Gear? A dangerous power indeed, messing with time can cause serious consequences after all.

Now that you mentioned it. He kinda reminds me of a certain annoying horse…

"Because he can't control his Sacred Gear, by the orders of the Archduke and the Maou, Sirzechs-sama, he was sealed.", Akeno continued.

Rias then hugged the Vampire kid from behind, and said to us.

"This boy is Gasper Vladi. He's my first [Bishop]. For the time being, he's a first year student in Kuoh Academy. Also, before being reincarnated, he was a Dhampir"

A half Vampire,

*Clubroom*

"Raynare, what was the name of this boy's Sacred Gear again?", I asked.

"It's Forbidden Balor View, a vision-type Sacred Gear"

Rias nodded at Raynare's answer.

"Yes. That's the name of the Sacred Gear Gasper possesses. It's very powerful."

"To be able to temporary stop time within his field of vision. Quite a rule breaker"

"Yes, that's true. But your doubling power and Hakuryuukou's halving power are both against the rules too, you know?"

Even the Heavenly Dragons' powers are still within a reasonable logical limit. To stop time, one of the key aspects of existence itself, the degree of rule breaking is on a whole new level.

That said, the horse back then is still more dangerous. Greyon horses of Inferno, even normal ones, can cause temporal suspenstion in Metro-scale. Only one of them is needed to put the entire Tokyo to a decade-long temporal stasis, due to their massive magic energy pool. Unlike Gasper, these demonic horses do not need vision for their ability to work.

"The problem is that he's not able to handle it. Because of that, Gasper had been sealed till now. Him unconsciously activating his Sacred Gear was seen as a problem."

"Azazel-sama might be able to solve this problem. Forbidden Balor View is among the most known Sacred Gear by the researchers, after all", said Raynare.

"Is he the same case as me? Since he's also possesses a powerful Sacred Gear", I asked.

"Yes, he also needed a Mutation Piece. Bodies that clearly require more than one piece to be reincarnated can be reincarnated in one piece. It's a piece that can make such a phenomenon occur. In your case, Vergil, despite being weakened, you're still so powerful that alongside the Boosted Gear, you needed 8 Mutated pieces, which I had to ask from Onii-sama. And all of that was when your powers were dormant…"

Rias replied with a bitter smile.

"Buchou possessed that piece before she rescued you, Vergil-san."

That is what Akeno said. Kiba continued further.

"Usually, for High-Class Devils, one in ten Devils possesses a single piece. You already know, Vergil-san, it's an irregularity born when the Evil Piece system was created. It's kind of like a bug, but it seems like it was kept for fun. Buchou had to ask for more to preserve you. Right now, You and Gasper-kun are the only ones who used those pieces."

In this group, yes. Rare as it is, there are others Mutation Pieces users, particularly ones that are with the current Maous.

"The problem is Gasper's ability."

"Is it because his powers activates unconsciously, right?"

Rias nodded at my question.

"He possesses a rare ability, and it seems his Sacred Gear's power increases when he's unconscious. Maybe because of that, every day, his power is increasing. From the previous conversation, we can say that, in the future, there's a possibility he may attain Balance Breaker."

That's not good, if he attains Balance Breaker with that degree of control, then this time, problems caused by him would definitely be even more severe than a pack of Greyons with their abilities active. After all, this is the power of a gift of God we're talking about, not that of demonic creatures.

Seemingly realized my thoughts, Rias sighed.

"Yes. It's a critical situation. However, because my evaluation was accepted, it seems I was now judged able to control Gasper by the people that evaluated me. Maybe it's because I made Vergil and Yuuto attain Balance Breaker."

Putting Kiba aside, mine is currently a half-ass one. During the fight against Kokabiel, I force activated it out of pure coincidence, and that still counts as a trade. I'm in no interest to make another, short-term results aren't worth it.

"...Uh, e-e-even though I don't want you to talk about me... a-and Vergil-san is scary…"

There's a big cardboard box placed beside me. Gasper was speaking from there.

After Rias explained the new members' identity, including mine. Gasper became afraid even more, not just about the outside, but also me, especially me. Can't blame the kid, I also don't have good relations to the beings of the night, Vampires are no exception. Placing him next to me just give him more reason not to come out.

"Judging by ability, maybe after Vergil and Akeno, he would be next. Even though I say half-Vampire, he's from a pure-blooded Vampire family with a good lineage, and has a powerful Sacred Gear because of his human half. He's well-endowed with the abilities of Vampires, and he excels in human magic wielded by wizards as well. If not so, then he probably would have been made a Bishop with just one Evil Piece."

"He's a Dhampir, so he won't have much problem with the sun, right?"

"He possesses the blood of a special vampire known as a Daywalker which can move during the day, so there's no problem. However, he may dislike it."

"I hate daylighttt! It's better if the sun disappeareeeeeed!"

"You don't attend class, right? If you don't control your power and open yourself up, then it isn't good, you know?"

I said that, but he just screamed.

"No! I am fine inside this cardboard box! The air and light of the outside are a natural enemy to meeeee! Please let me remain a boy who lives in a cardboard boooooox!"

Now that is just straight up pathetic…

"What about blood?", I asked Rias again.

"Since he's a half-Vampire, he doesn't thirst for blood as often. If you supply the blood for him once every ten days, then there's no problem. Though it seems he originally didn't like drinking blood."

"I hate blooooood! I hate fish tooooooo! I hate liver as welllllll!"

I can only facepalm at this…

"...A good-for-nothing Vampire."

Koneko spewed out those words while looking at me and then Gasper. She noticed my thoughts right away huh.

"Uwaaaaaaah! Koneko-chan is a meanieeee!"

"For the time being, till I come back, Asia, Koneko, Xenovia, Raynare, Mittelt, I'll leave Gasper's training to you. Vergil, please accompanied them as well, since you're the most experienced of us. Akeno and I will be going to the meeting place for the top of the Three Factions. And Yuuto, it seems Onii-sama wants to hear in detail about your Balance Breaker, so you should accompany us."

"Yes, Buchou."

So Kiba's irregular Holy Demonic Sword caught Sirzechs attention huh. Azazel might have already got caught by that sword before him though.

"Vergil-san, sorry, but I'll leave Gasper-kun to you."

"Gasper-kun, you should start getting used to the outside, you know?"

Akeno spoke to the cardboard box.

"Akeno-onee-samaaaaaaa! Please don't say stuff like thaaaaaaaat!"

"Ara, ara, that's troubling. Vergil-san, I'll leave it to you."

Guess I'll have to take care of you kids again huh…

"Just go, I'll handle him, even if I have to strung him under the sun", I said as I glared at the box Gasper is in.

"Hiiiiiiii!", he shrieked.

The three sweatdropped at my words, but then then reaffirmed before disappearing in the light of the Teleportation Magic circle.

"Yeah. Then, Vergil, shall I thoroughly discipline him? A weak man is no good. And also I wanted to face off with a Vampire since childhood. Leave his treatment to me."

With that, Xenovia pulled on to the rope attached to Gasper's cardboard box

"Eeeeeeeeek! N-N-N-No way, I don't want to fight against the user of the Holy Sword Durrandaaaaal! I-I'll be destroyeeeeed!"

"Don't scream, Gaspair. If you like, shall I prepare a cross and holy water, and also attack you with garlic?"

"Eeeeeeeeeek! Garlic, noooooooooo!"

It may have been his misfortune to have met Xenovia. I need to keep an eye on them now, since if things go awry, Xenovia will be perish as well.

*A long while later*

"Hey, start running. If you're a Daywalker, then you should be able to run in the day."

"Eeeeeeek! Don't chase me while swinging Durandaaaaaaal!"

As we approached evening, the Vampire was being chased by the Holy Sword wielder. Looking at it from an outsiders perspective, it seemed completely like a Vampire hunt. Durandal was also letting out a dangerous sound while emitting a holy aura. Gasper was also desperate in running away. Well that's because if she catches up, he'll be destroyed in an instant. It seemed that Xenovia was training him starting from physical strength on the pretext that 'A healthy spirit starts from a healthy body'. She was a lively lady as usual. This lady, who was swinging the legendary weapon and chasing him, seemed to be happy as well. Now that I think about it, after she became used to living here, Xenovia said that, from what she does and what she has to do, everything is enjoyable. That part was probably the same as when Asia got used to living in this city. Since they lived their lives in a simple fashion as believers, and with Japan being a place with almost no religion, its workings would be fresh to them.

"Even though it was an honour to have met the Bishop-san just like me, we haven't even properly seen each other's faces...*sob*."

Asia seemed regretful. She's also a bit tearful. At my house, she used to say a lot 'I want to meet the other Bishop-san', so she was looking forward to their meeting. Even though it was their long-awaited encounter, since he's a max level human hater, it couldn't be helped. Raynare and Mittelt are currently comforting her.

Meanwhile, Konek was chasing Gasper alongside Xenovia while holding garlic.

"...Gya-kun, if you eat garlic, you'll become healthy."

"Nooooooo! Koneko-chan is bullying meeeeeee!"

"Oh, oh, they're at it."

With that, the Student Council member Saji appeared as well.

"Saji"

"Yo, senpai, after hearing that there was a Hikikomori servant whose ban had been lifted, I came to see it for a bit."

"So how did your meeting with the hakase go?"

"Splendid. senpai! I received the job and deligently do all the task until night. Although I was late for home, my younger siblings was finally able to have the sweets they wanted for so long, thanks to the money I earned. Thank you, Senpai!"

Saji said as he bowed.

"No need to be so formal. I'm glad it worked out"

Siblings huh…

A lovely family indeed…

"So where is the Hikikomori, Senpai?"

"Hmmm? Oh, he's over there. He's the one getting chased by Xenovia."

"Hey, hey, Xenovia-san, she's swinging the legendary sword heartily, you know? Is it all right? Huh? Oh! Wait, it's a girl, huh! Not to mention blond-haired!"

Saji seemed happy.

"Sorry to say this, but that's a guy cross-dressing."

Hearing that, Saji became completely dejected. He's heartbroken.

"Well, this is swindling. More like, since he's wearing girls' clothes, it would be to show it to someone, right? And since he's a hikikomori, it's too much of a contradiction. It's quite difficult."

"That's right. It's an incomprehensible cross-dressing habit. Also, I can't say anything about it suiting him. So what are you doing, Saji?"

Saji was wearing a jersey, army cotton gloves, and was also holding a small shovel for flower bed use.

"It's as you see. It's the maintenance of the flower bed. It's been Kaichou's orders since a week ago. Hey, recently, there have been many events in the school, right? And also, next time, Maou-sama and the others are coming here as well. It's the job of the [Pawn] of the Student Council, me, to make the school look beautiful."

He puffed out his chest and acted magnificently.

….

Suddenly, I feel a familiar presence…

That idiot… what the hell is he doing here?

"Heh. The servants of the Maous' families' Devils are playing over here."

"Azazel-sama", said Raynare as she and Mittelt ran towards him.

"Yo, Raynare-chan, Mittelt-chan, I'm glad that you two are doing great", said Azazel.

"I thought that you said you won't do anything stupid, Azazel? This, is very stupid"

I said with my eyes half-shut and my arms crossed.

"Yo, Vergil. It's been some time since that night."

Everyone but myself and the Fallen Angel sisters went to battle stances. Asia went hiding behind me.

"Se-Senpai, by Azazel, do you mean…"

"Yes, that's Azazel, the Governor General of the Fallen Angels"

I then extend my arm to the side.

"Stand down, all of you. He's not stupid to pick a fight here, trust me."

"Yeah, I don't feel like fighting. Hey, relax your postures, Low-class Devil-kun. You should somehow know that even with the bunch gathered here, without Vergil, you wouldn't win against me, right? Even I don't plan on bullying Low-class Devils. Since I was taking a stroll, I came to visit the Devils' place. Is the Holy Demonic Sword wielder present? I came to see him."

"He already went to Sirzechs' place with Rias and Akeno since the morning, so you are way too late", I said.

"So he's with Sirzechs huh… *Sigh*… What a shame"

"Well, since you're here, I have someone who's in need of your specialty", I said as I pointed at Gasper who is hiding in the tree shade.

"Yeah, that's also why I came here today"

While scratching his head, Azazel approached.

"The Vampire hiding over there."

Gasper panicked. While approaching Gasper, the Fallen Angel Governor said.

"You're the possessor of the Forbidden Balor View, right? If you can't use it properly, then it will become a thing that causes harm to others. As a support-type Sacred Gear, if you can supplement the deficient aspects, it should be fine but... Now that I mention it, the research of Sacred Gears by Devils didn't progress much. If you invoke it via the five senses while the Sacred Gear's owner's capacity is insufficient, then it will move naturally, and it will be extremely dangerous."

He said as he peered into Gasper's eyes. Gasper became even more trembled by Azazel's presence.

The latter then switch his sights to Saji, who despite remaining scared, still firmly hold on to his stance.

"Is that Absorption Line? If you're practising, try using it. Connect it to this Vampire, and if he invokes it while you're absorbing the Sacred Gear's excess, it would probably run less wildly."

After Azazel's explanation, Saji showed a complex expression.

"...M-My Sacred Gear, it can suck the power of the opponent's Sacred Gear as well? I thought it simply absorbs the opponents' power and weakens them..."

Hearing that, Azazel had an amazed expression.

"Seriously, it's because of this that the Sacred Gear owners recently don't try to know the power of their Sacred Gears well enough. Absorption Line holds the power of one of the legendary five Dragon Kings, the Prison Dragon, Vritra. Well, this was found out thanks to recent research. That thing can connect to any object, and can scatter that power. If it's a short time, it's possible to separate the line from the owner's side and connect it to some other person or object."

"T-Then, the line on my side... For example, I can connect it to Vergil-senpai or some other person? And then the power will flow into Senpai?"

"Yeah, if you grow, the number of the lines will also increase. If you do that, the output of absorption will increase many times as well."

"..."

Saji became quiet.

It seems that this call of mine was a right one.

"For improving the Sacred Gear, the fastest way would be to drink the blood of the host of the Sekiryuutei, in this case, Vergil's blood. If you let a Vampire drink blood, then they'll gain power. Well, do the rest yourselves. Raynare-chan, Mittelt-chan, I'll be going now"

"Do you have to?", Raynare replied with a slight saddened expression.

"I have to, if I stay any longer, even the Maou would notice my presence"

"Sorry for Vali, our Hakuryuukou, coming into contact with you on his own accord. I am sure you would have been surprised, right? He's an unusual guy, but he doesn't think of settling the rivalry between red and white immediately."

Having said that, he left the scene.

"You two can go with him if you want, I won't stop you", I said to the Fallen Angel sisters.

But both of them shake their heads sideways.

"As much as we admired Azazel-sama, he is still the Governor General, his responsibility is with the people. We can't ask for special treatment, Vergil-niisan", said Mittelt.

"Besides, you were the one who saved us. We owned our lives to you now, Senpai. We want to stay with you… forever", said Raynare.

…

I make a surprised look at them. Having noticed my gaze, they became stuttered as they say.

"O-o-only if you…want to…", said Raynare as Mittelt nodded.

…

Seriously…

"No need to be so nervous. Just do what you want", I said.

Their expressions immediately brightened up.

"Yes!", said Mittelt.

"Yes! Please continue to take care of us!", said Raynare.

But then Raynare pouted after looking at my face for a short while. What is she dissatisfied about now?

"Although everyone else seems fine about it so they didn't tell you… But you really need to smile more, SEN-PAI", she said as she put up an index finger.

Smile huh…

I seem to forgot how to…

"I'll try", I said while closing my eyes. I can feel both of them nodded without hesitation.

Having finished the conversation, we move back to Gasper's training.

"...For the time being, shall I use my Sacred Gear on the new face-kun over there? In that state, let's try using his Sacred Gear and practice. In exchange for that, next time, I will have you help me out with the flower bed, Senpai.", said Saji after making a sigh.

"Yeah, let's go with that. About the blood solution, we'll definitely have to leave it as the last resort.", I said as I inspected Gasper.

"Why is that?", asked Xenovia.

"Gasper is weak by basic, as far as I know through experience, if we inject my blood into him… it could kill him."

My words shocked the whole group, included Gasper. We then all agreed to my proposition, hence the blood method would be reserved for the last, if others failed.

We then experimented with Gasper using Saji's Sacred Gear, He connected his Absorption Line on Gasper and then using it to suck the excess power from him before I threw a ball into Gasper's field of vision. It was frozen in midair for a few minutes before dropping to the ground.

We continued and found out that people stopped by Gasper's Sacred Gear was completely stopped, to the point of consciousness and only felt some malice before it happened. Also, things closer to Gasper in his field of vision were stopped for much longer than those far away.

With Gasper's skill in his Sacred Gear, only certain things in his field of vision stopped. It seems that he hasn't gained conscious control as there were a few accidents of him glancing at others with body parts getting stopped. He managed to stop my arm a few times. That did make Gasper run off while yelling "I'm sorry!". I could catch him myself, but Koneko and Xenovia insisted on doing it themselves, so I let them.

*Way, way later*

"How is it? Is the practice making progress?"

Rias came to see us after making sandwiches for us. It seemed like she was worried about Gasper after all. The person in question was having his power sucked continuously and saying 'Eek, Eek'. We ate the sandwiches during rest time.

"Hmmm, these are really good, despite their simple appearance", I said.

"Fufufu, thanks. The ingredients weren't a lot, so I was only able to make simple ones."

"Tasty!", said Saji as he finished his sandwich.

I told Rias about Azazel showing up. She was a bit surprised as she spoke.

"I hear Azazel has substantial knowledge about Sacred Gears. Advice about Sacred Gears... Maybe he had spare time to give advice to another person."

"He's that kind of person after all, if it involves Sacred Gears, then he'll show his face. I guess I should have known…"

"Rias-senpai's back, so I will be going back to my flower bed."

After taking in two, no, three sandwiches Buchou made in his mouth, he said that.

"Saji-kun, thanks for going out of your way to keep my servants company. You have my thanks."

"I-It's alright. You're Kaichou's precious friend, and I saw some new possibilities regarding the Sacred Gear. But I have to work on the flower bed as well, so..."

"Later Senpai. Work hard.", said Saji as he smiled, taking a bite out of one of the sandwiches.

"You work hard too, I'll put in a good word for you to Sona. At least she'll know that her servant is in good light"

"Really?! Thanks, you're the best.", said Saji as he left.

"Gasper, you can still continue on, right? After getting sucked by Saji-kun, your power has been regulated to a perfect level, for the remaining time I will also keep you company in the training.", said Rias to Gasper as he was resting under the shade of a tree.

"I-I'll do my besttttttttt.", he said, stuttering. He was a bit exhausted, but he still pulled himself up for night training.

*After a while of night training*

"Gasper, please come out. It's my fault for pushing you into going with Vergil."

Rias was apologizing in front of the door of Gasper's room.

"I thought that if you worked with Vergil, it might be for your benefit as well..."

"Fueeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

Gasper, who had locked himself in the old school building, could be heard crying loudly to the point of dying.

Before then, Rias told me about Gasper past.

Gasper's father is from a noble family of Vampires, but since his mother was a human mistress, he wasn't pure-blooded. Pure-blooded Vampires hate those who are non-pure bloods even more than Devils. They scorn those who aren't pure bloods, so even if it was their sibling, their treatment was discriminatory. Gasper's family was no exception, he was bullied by his siblings since childhood. Even when he went to the human world, he was treated as a monster, so he had no place he could call home. However, he possesses the unique abilities of Vampires, and the ability of a human, a special Sacred Gear. Since he was born with both of them, even if he didn't want to, as he grew older, I heard his powers would also become greater. Even if he wanted to become friends with someone, if by some chance his Sacred Gear got activated, it would stop the other person.

"Hey, Vergil. How would you feel if you could stop time?"

Rias asked me.

"It really depends on how you use it. But generally, messing with time itself can lead to detrimental consequences, so it's not a power to be playing with", I answered.

"I-I...don't need such a Sacred Gear! B-Because I stop everyone! I scare them! I make them dislike me! Even I dislike it! I don't want to stop my f-friends and c-comrades... Any more of having to look at the faces of my cherished ones stopped...I-I don't want that...", Gasper was sobbing inside the room.

"What a quandary... For making this kid to once again shut himself in...I am a failure as a King.", Rias became depressed.

"Isn't your meeting with Sirzechs-sama and the others in a short while from now?"

"Yes, but I will extend the time a bit more. I have to make sure that Gasper is all right first..."

"Then go, leave the rest to me. I was responsible for him to begin with, I'll carry things out till the end"

"Vergil… All right, I got it. Can I count on you?"

"Trust me"

Rias was hesitated for a moment, but she reaffirmed herself with my words, she then looked back with worry and regret at Gasper's room. I waited until Rias left, before taking a deep breath and sat down in Seiza stance front of the door.

"Cry out all you want, Gasper. Until you come out, I'm not leaving!", I said with a strong voice.

It was a battle of endurance. I remained seated for an hour, but there was no change. There was no sign of him coming out either...

…

Guess just sitting quietly like this won't help anyone. Let's change the air a bit.

"...Are you scared? Of the Sacred Gear...and of us? Of me?", I asked to remind Gasper that I was here.

"I had power once… immense power you can say. I was able to defeat strong foes with that power. But now, I can't do everything as good as I was able to before."

I don't know how much of this will reach him. However, in this case, I have to be honest, just for a bit.

"It was only thanks to Rias discovered me, that I know that I also possess a Sacred Gear. The power of one of the most powerful Dragons is residing in it. Unlike you, I do not scare of its' power, but as a foreign power I have no knowledge of, even I was worried of the harm it can cause. But even so, I still feel like to proceed further"

Since Ddraig's power is the only thing left I have.

"Why? M-Maybe, you may lose something important, you know? Why do you want to live such a straightforward life so much, Senpai...?"

Oh, he replied. That's good.

"Lost something important huh…"

To think I would tell him this… but… this might be necessary, for me as well.

"I already lost… someone. He was my best friend, the friend who alongside another, had journey with me through the good years of my life. Part of my quest in the later years of solitude… was also to honor him, to honor his memories… But now, I have another reason"

"What is it?", he asked.

"I… don't want to see Rias cried. Due to my helplessness, the Gremory peerage lost in that Rating game match. Those tears of her when she saw me injured was… the drive for me to reawaken. Now here I am, alive and well, to tell you this."

That said… I wish I was the one to die…

The door opened a bit to show Gasper in tears.

"...I wasn't present during that time."

"No one's blaming you for that. But from now on, it's going to be different, right?"

I then released my stance and sit down on the floor, normally.

"...I-I will just cause trouble... I am a Hikikomori, I am intensely shy...and I can't properly use my Sacred Gear..."

As I patted Gasper's head, I peered into both his eyes. The eyes of power that can alter destinies.

"No one in this group hate you. If I phrase this correctly… As your Senpai, I'll always look after you, so leave it to me."

Well, I literally the oldest in this group.

"Would you like to drink my blood? Personally, I wouldn't recommend it. But if what Azazel said was true, then my blood should help you control your Sacred Gear."

"...I am scared. Of drinking blood directly from living beings. I am even scared of my own power... If anything more happens than this then... I will... I will..."

"I know. You don't like being used by your Sacred Gear. Though, I am a bit jealous of your power you know."

I said as Gasper looked at me surprised.

"Just imagine how many innocent people you could've save just by having 1 second longer… how many horrible fates you could've prevented…"

…

Why am I mellowing out like this? Am I becoming weaker even in emotions?

[Or you're just slowly regaining things that you buried, things that you hold dear, that is]

Ddraig said in my head as he laughed lightly in amusement.

Why the hell should they came back?

I don't even deserve them…

Instead of find it weird, Gasper was smiling happily.

"Vergil-senpai, you're a kind person. Totally unlike the rumors about you"

Kind huh…

That's the second time I got called that…

"I'm not kind. I'm not fitting to be called that. The rumors are somewhat true, you should know that."

Gasper remained silent.

"You and I are similar in so many ways, we're both victims… But you still have a chance. Don't be like me. Support Rias when I can't, for there are things… only you, and this group can help her, not me…"

This time, Gasper interjected.

"N-no… this is also exactly why you're kind. If you're not, then why would you advise me?"

"…"

I became silent at his words.

"You saved Buchou when none of us can't. You helped Kiba-senpai move on from his past. You pushed through to save this town against a dangerous enemy. Even I am here today thanks to you, so please don't berate yourself, Senpai!"

He must have heard all the stories from the others, make sense, since he's one of Rias' servants.

"Hmmm… thanks for the support, kid", I said.

"To be able to have a friendly chat with Gasper almost immediately… you're full of surprise, Vergil-san"

As we both look behind me, it was Kiba who appeared.

"Kiba huh. So you've finished your conversation with Sirzechs?"

"Yes, I also noticed that Buchou look worried, so I came here as I was also worried"

What a good kid, as expected from Rias' "little brother".

Maybe this is a perfect opportunity.

"Kiba, come here"

"What is it, Vergil-san?", he asked curiously as he sat down next to us.

"Perhaps… inspired by Gasper's words… I think there's a need to say this"

"That's suddenly hearing about that, what happened?"

"I don't know for how long… I'm going to stay in this group, for there are things I want to discover on my own"

Kiba seemingly wanted to say something, but he restrained himself to listen to me with absolute calmness.

I know, Kiba, but this is important.

"For the time I have left, I have thought about an alliance between the male members of the Gremory team."

"That has... Roused my interest. What do you mean?", Kiba asked interested.

"That we do our best to protect the girls as much as we can during any future battles... We'll cover each other's weaknesses as well as protect each other from whoever may come after us…."

"… And when I no longer here, I hope that you two can remain firm in doing it, with any new male members, and without me"

A silence blanketed us. It took a while before Kiba broke it.

"It certainly pains me to envision the day you would leave… But that is something indeed sounds like you, Vergil-san", said Kiba as he chuckled before Gasper spoke apologetically. I noticed that his hands were shaking.

"Sorry, but is it alright if I am inside the cardboard box? ...I won't close the lid. Just, when I talk to people, I can calm down inside the cardboard box."

"Well, it's an improvement at least… So I'll let it slide"

Gasper moved the box closer and sat with a sigh of relief.

"Ah this is calming~. This is it~. The cardboard box is my heart's oasis..."

That said, this ain't going last long.

"If you dislike meeting eye to eye with people that much, then how about this...?"

I then threw him a black demonic looking mask. It's something very familiar to Kiba, who knew me in the past.

"Vergil-san, is that…"

"Yes, the anti-magic mask I wore during my earlier years. Perhaps, not only would it help Gasper with his social problems, but also help him regulate his magical power. Gasper, wear it on"

"Is it ok, Senpai?", he asked.

"It's the least I can do right now for you. Besides, I don't need it anymore, you can have it"

I originally created it to regulate and conceal my energy, due to my inexperience in the earlier years, a… special teacher taught me how to… and this is the refined result. Partly thanks to it that no one knows my face. Though the later years it was out of pure luck that no one other than the Maous and the Grigori know, since I didn't wear it anymore.

But then again, most of those who saw me ended up dead… even the innocent ones…

"To be given that by Vergil-san. I'm jealous of Gasper-kun", said Kiba as he smiled bitterly.

"Ehh, th-then…"

"No no no, I was just joking, you can have it", Kiba strongly refused.

Gasper was hesitant for a bit, but then he put it on his face.

"T-This is..."

The cross-dressing young boy wore a paper bag on his head in the dimly lit room. A red glint made by his eyes was coming from the narrowly-opened slit on the eyes area of the mask.

"H-How is it~? Does it suit me~?"

"Maybe a bit old for your age, but somehow… it suits you"

"Really? Ah, but, this... It's good, right? It may suit me... my value as a vampire may increase...", said Gasper surprised and happy.

With the good development, our conversation went on into the night. It was through it that I discovered a surprising fact, that Kiba was a bit of a lecher himself, as he then went to the topic of girls, that is.

P/S: the mask is basically Shin Reglia's mask from Maou Gakuin no Futekigousha, you can see it in episode 8 of the anime, and the illustration of volume 4(II) of the light novel.