Part 1
"Did you get everything?"
I ask Ayumu as she throws her backpack over her shoulder
"Yeah, yeah, I already checked a million times, don't worry"
She answers a bit annoyed
"Hey, Tachan"
Ayumu puts her hand on the waist of her skirt and spins around, showing off her uniform
"Does it suit me? How do I look?"
Aya-chan smiles and replies cheerfully
"You look great Ayumu-san, it trully suits you!"
Ayumu makes a triumphant expression, does she really wanted to hear a compliment this badly?
"Well, what about you?"
"Huh?"
I ask surprised
"What about me?"
She puts her hands on the waist and blares at me
"What do you mean 'What about me?' you are supposed to compliment me now, you know! This is my first time wearing a uniform and you get to see it first!"
My eyes wide and I step back, is it really that serious?!
"Tatseyo-san doesn't really understands girls that well..."
Even Aya-chan thinks this!
"S-sorry!" - I apologize and quickly cough
"Y-you look great! T-the suit really fits your figure and makes you look even prettier than you are!"
Ayumu's face goes red at my compliment
"E-even prettier?!"
She says with wide eyes
Noticing how embarassing what I just said was I scratch the back of my head
"Y-yeah... anyway, it looks great on you..."
We stay for a moment in this awkward of silence, before I feel a tug on my sleeve
I look at Aya-chan and see that she's pouting
"Tatseyo-san, don't we have to go to school?"
I nod awkwardly and both me and Ayumu retun to reality
"R-right, sorry, let's go"
I say pushing the door open as the two of us plus Aya-chan step out of the house in direction to Kuoh Academy
"I'm so excited! I can't wait to see how life in a normal high school is like!"
Ayumu exclaims
"You've never went to school either, Ayumu-san?"
"Y-yeah..."
At Aya-chan's question, Ayumu hesitates for a while and looks at her with a hint of sadness, but tries to hold it back the best as she can while mustering a half smile
"Ayumu and I only went to kindergarden, after our powers began to evolve the Community decided that it would be for the best if we were educated under them"
I explain to Aya-chan, but instead of looking to her while talking, my eyes keep drifting to Ayumu, watching her reaction
With Aya-chan's attention focused on me, Ayumu's smile drops and the hint of sadness on her face becomes more glaring
Damn it! I really shouldn't have poked at this subject!
This is a really touchy subject for Ayumu, her adoption by the Esper Community, her relationship with her parents...
"Oh, so Ayumu-san is like Aya too!"
Aya-chan says it pointing to herself
I give a half-hearted nod, I wouldn't exactly call our situations similar, but this is definitely not something that I want to discuss.
"Yeah... kinda like it..."
Looking to change subjects, I decide to address what we discussed with Liliana yesterday
"So... about the Khaos Brigade..."
I look at Ayumu, who seems to have become relieved with the shifting of the subject, yet gives a sigh
"We're really doing that, huh?"
I nod
"You heard what Liliana said, I think that's the best way we can find out more about them while doing the least damage as possible... at least I can't think of anything better"
Ayumu pouts a little
"I... I guess, but... aren't you risking yourself too much?"
I shrug and answer
"Well, maybe but... you are too, right?"
Ayumu looks away and answers
"I-it's not like I have a choice right? I promisse I'd be by your side"
A smile draws on my face at her reaction, even if she acts like this, I know deep down she agrees with Liliana
Aya-chan looks at me worried
"We are going to talk with Rias and the other members of the ORC?"
I nod
"Yes, we'll have to explain this to them..."
Liliana conveniently ended the call right when I asked if she and Azazel had informed Rias's group about this "plan" of hers
I sigh, mildly annoyed
"I bet Azazel hasn't talked to then either..."
The green haired girl places a hand on her chin and tilts her head
"Is it that bad?"
I raise a hand and answer looking at the two girls
"Definitely, after all, if they didn't knew about it then they'll learn just now that they'll have to be on guard for the whole trip and second"
Aya-chan looks down sad for a moment, before turning to me confused
"I see... wait, won't that be the same for you too?"
I look at Ayumu and shrug
"Well... me and Ayumu are kind used to travelling for work, so that's nothing new to us."
Although I say this, my friend sighs and looks disappointed
"I was really forward to have a leisure trip though..."
All I can do is laugh awkwardly and scratch my head
"It's not like I didn't want that too, you know? But it can't be helped, this will be our best to find out more about the Hero Faction"
Aya-chan looks up to us and says with a sad expression
"I really wish I could go with you..."
I shake my head
"That wouldn't be good, not only there's a chance that Hero Faction knows about you, me and Ayumu wouldn't be around so we would be worried about you"
I say patting Aya-chan's head and ruffling her hair a little, getting a giggle out of her
"Hahaha, stop it, my hair will get messy"
We three laugh and I let go off Aya-chan's head
"Still, I'll be worried about all of you. I might not be there, but I'll be cheering for you!"
I smile at her cute encouragement and quickly take a glance at Ayumu
To my glad surprise, she's also smilling to Aya-chan
It seems that she really took a liking to Aya-chan fast, that's really good
"Thank you Aya-chan, I... we appreciate it"
I say patting her head and looking to Ayumu
"Right?"
My red haired friend suddenly looks at me wide-eyed
"Y-yeah, r-right..."
She blushes a little at her answer and I laugh a little
It seems it will take a while untill she admits she likes Aya-chan though
Part 2
After a while, we finally reach the school grounds
"Woaaaah! So that's Kuoh academy? It's awesome!"
She exclamates in front of the school gates, getting curious looks from the students who are still entering the school
"A-Ayumu, you are making a scene!"
I warn her, but she just turns to me excited and says
"C'mon Tachan! It's my first time going to a normal school, let me see what's inside!"
She rushes forward towards the highschool building
I only look at Ayumu's back getting smaller as she runs and stops midway to wave and rush us
Aya-chan gives a giggle as we try to keep up with my friend running through the school grounds
Once we reach the main building, Ayumu is already inside looking all over with her eyes glistening
"Wow! It's so beautiful here!"
She seems to not care even a little to the stares she's getting, once she sees us, she runs to me and ask
"Hey, Tachan! Where are we going to study? Where is our class?"
"Err..."
She's so excited I can barely keep up!
"I-I think we have to talk to Rias about it, I think she may have put us in the same class but..."
Almost as if in cue, a glimpse or red crimson colour catches my eyes and I turn to see Rias and her peerage entering the building
"Ah, hello, Tatseyo, Ayumu and Aya-chan"
Rias greets us and walks in our direction
The eyes glaring towards us increase as they approach us
"Hello, Rias-san!" - Aya-chan waves at her
"Umh, hey, Rias"
I awkwardly answer her, noticing the ammount of attention she and Ayumu are drawing to us
However, Rias doesn't seem to mind and looks at Ayumu, who has stopped looking around and is now focused on the crimson haired girl
"Hi... Rias"
She says, her expression turning from excited to nervous. I guess Ayumu hasn't gotten used to Rias's presence yet.
The president of the ORC doesn't seem to mind or notice however and just continues to talk to us
"Welcome to Kuoh Academy, Ayumu, we from the ORC are glad to have you"
The other members nod in response, almost every member of their club is here, except Rossweisse and Azazel, so I take the opportunity to warn them
"Hey, Rias, is there a chance we can all meet in the club room after classes are over? There is something I need to discuss with you"
Noticing my seriousness, Rias's expression also turns stern.
"Did something happen?"
Akeno, who's standing by her side, asks
I nod
"Ayumu and I discussed something with Liliana yesterday and well... we gonna have to explain to you later. Be sure to ask Sona-senpai to come too"
A somber expression takes over all their expressions, including Ayumu and Aya-chan
However, the mood is suddenly broken by...
"Rias onee-san and Kiba-kun are talking with that new girl!"
"Who is she?"
"She was running all around the school untill now"
"She's with Tatseyo-san... do you think she?"
"No way..."
She could be what?! Say it damn it!
As expected the other students are already talking about us, what is up with this school filled with rumours?
Embarassed, I shake my head, trying to hid my face
"A-anyway, can we talk about this later?"
Rias giggles a little and the rest of the ORC laughs at the sudden shift
"It's settled, I'll warn Sona to call the rest of the Student Council as well. See you all later then"
Rias and Akeno say goodbye to the rest of the ORC before heading to their classes
However, despite the mood of the ORC members having improved at the gossip tendencies of our schoolmates, I notice that the mood of my two female friends still seems tense
Of course it is, unlike Rias, Akeno and the others, they know what we are talking about... they won't be distracted so easily.
"Hey Tatseyo, let's get to class already"
I hear Issei calling out to us with Kiba, Koneko, Xenovia and Irina from the stairs
"Ah, we're going"
I say to them, before turning to Ayumu and Aya-chan
"Look, I know it's difficult to be holding into that, but we gotta do that. Meanwhile just enjoy the school day, alright?"
The girls wide their eyes and look confused for a moment
"I-I'm sorry, I was so excited, but then I met them and it all came back what we're doing"
"Aya is sorry too, I can't help but be worried for you..."
I sigh with a half smile, but before I can say anything Ayumu slaps her own cheeks, making a loud sound that draws everyone's attention even more
"Ugh! Why are we so gloomy?! Tachan is right! We'll deal with this later, it's my first day at school so let's enjoy it!"
Saying this, Ayumu grabs me and Aya-chan by the pulse towards the stairs, we are both taken so off guard that we don't even put up any resistance
"W-woah, Ayumu, what are you doing?"
She turns back and looks at us with a beaming smile
"C'mon, let's just be normal teens for a while!"
I feel myself blushing at her smile and her words
Aya-chan giggles and smiles as we follow towards the stairs, stopping just a few meters from Issei and everyone else
"Hi, I'm Ayumu, I hope we can get along as classmates!"
She says enthusiastically, having shrugged away the doubt and nervousness from earlier
Xenovia nods at Ayumu
"Hi, I'm Xenovia Quarta, I like how energetic you are"
She says giving her a thumbs up
Ayumu looks confused for a second, but quickly replies
"Yes!"
They shake hands
"H-Hey, Xenovia! Don't go hogging the new girl all to yourself!"
Irina says, jumping in to grab Ayumu's hand as well
"I'm Irina, this is Asia, we were from the Church with Xenovia, hope we get along!"
Asia seems suprised, but also nods along
"Y-yes!"
Ayumu looks shocked for a moment and the others give a small laugh
Looks like Ayumu is already making friends, or is it that they just adopted her?
We say goodbye to Aya-chan, Gasper nad Koneko as they make their way to the first year's classroom
"So Aya-chan is a first year..."
Ayumu says looking at the green haired girl, she and Koneko still don't talk to each other, Gasper is between them, cowering in fear, good luck boy...
I sigh
"Yeah, based on her age and knowledge we decided it would be the best if she was there, it pains me to be away from her for so long, but I think she'll be fine with Koneko and Gasper..."
At least I hope...
"So everyone still here is a second year?"
Ayumu asks and Kiba nods
"Yes, we are all from the same class"
Ayumu looks a little impressed at first and stammers an answer
"Err... does that include me as well?"
My eyes wide and I turn to them as well
"Y-yeah! Did Rias managed to put us in the same class?"
My anxiety gets a smile out of them and a few giggles
"Don't worry, buchou has managed to put us all in the same class"
I give a sigh of relieve, but quickly my balance is shaken by Ayumu hugging my arm
"Yay! You heard it Tachan? We'll be in the same class!"
My happiness is quickly replaced by embarassment at Ayumu's sudden display of affection
"A-Ayumu! Everyone's looking at us!"
And when I say everyone, I don't just mean Issei, Asia, Kiba and everyone of the ORC who started laughing at Ayumu's reaction, but everyone in the hallway who's been looking at us ever since my friend's energetic entrance.
Ayumu doesn't seem to care though, I sigh to myself
How come she gets embarassed with minor things and doesn't care at all about rubbing her body on mine?
Ayumu starts asking
"Hey, where is the class? C'mon, c'mon, let's go!"
We finally reach the classroom and once in, many eyes turn towards me and Ayumu
The members of the ORC wave goodbye to us and go towards their seats
"Hey, Tachan, why is everyone looking at us?"
Ayumu asks me and I rub my head
"I-it's complicated..."
I still haven't told Ayumu about my bad reputation at school, but I think she'll find out soon enough
Right now my eyes drift towards in a particular direction
My trio of normal friends sitting in our corner of the class
"Hey, Ayumu, come with me, there's some people I want you to meet"
I sign for her to follow me
"Uh? Okay"
She answers simply and follows right behind me untill we reach the friends who've been looking at me ever since we arrived on class
"Hey, guys, this is Ayumu, she's my childhood friend from back where in town"
Ayumu's eyes go wide at the presentation and Koji, Eizo and Kanae both look at Ayumu for a few moments before answering
"Damn Tatseyo, you told us about your friend but you never told us she was like this..." - Eizo says
"H-huh?" - Ayumu reacts surprised
"W-what do you mean by-"
"So cute!"
I hear Kanae's shout as she stands up and grabs Ayumu's hands together
"K-Kanae? What are you doing?!"
Koji calls her friends as he and Eizo look wide eyed at her
"I knew we were right approaching you Tatseyo! You have such cute girl friends, now our group will have the same number of boys and girls!"
"Thanks, I guess" - I answer
Ayumu is still looking bewildered as I motion to introduce everyone to her
"So... this is Kanae and these are Eizo and Koji"
The two boys wave at Ayumu who replies timid
"Hi... I'm Ayumu"
She then turns to me and says in a whisper
"Y-you've told them about me?"
I nod
"Of course! Why wouldn't I tell them about my best friend?"
The trio listens to me and nods
"Yeah, Tatseyo has been talking to you in class for a while, it even seemed like he was talking about his girlfriend, hahahaha!"
"Hey! Eizo, what are you talking about" - I scold him
Ayumu seems a bit embarassed at Eizo's unrequested comment, but smiles at me
"Tachan is making so many new friends, I'm... happy for you"
She says it with a smile on her face, but... there's something off about it
But before I can even think of asking
"Wait, wait, wait, did you say 'Tachan'?"
Kanae says this and the eyes of the two boys light up as well
"Oh damn!" - Eizo puts a hand over his mouth
"She did say it!" - Koji exclamates
Ayumu looks confused
"Y-yeah, I always called Tachan like this"
Kanae turns to me with a triumphant smug look
"What else have you been hiding from us, Tachan~?"
All I can do is sigh and place a hand against my forehead
"Please have mercy on me"
Kanae smiles at Ayumu and pulls her hand
"You're going to sit right over here, tell me all about Mr. Scary face's past"
I hunch myself in the seat and emerge my scary face in one of my books
"You brought this upon yourself mate"
I hear Eizo saying
Yeah, fuck yourself too.
During lunchbreak we get together with Aya-chan and with the whole group together we go to our usual eating spot
Kanae was asking questions about our childhood to Ayumu every chance she got, but even now she still won't stop
"So you became friends when you were in elementary school?"
Ayumu nods
Of course it's a lie, we didn't even met in elementary school, we didn't even went to elementary school.
But we can't just say 'We met in the Esper Community's education center'
We keep talking about different topics of our mostly fake life untill Koji brings up a subject that makes me, Aya and Ayumu tense up immediately
"So, you just transfered here right before the trip to Kyoto, are you going?"
Ayumu quickly gulps down and answers
"Y-yes, I'm planning to go, h-heard it's really fun in there"
I hope they didn't notice we tensing up and continue to eat my lunch
"Huh? So you never went there? I thought that since Tachan went there once you might have gone as well"
Kanae says giving me a mocking look as she uses my nickname, she'll tease me with this for life I swear...
Ayumu shakes her nod
"No, my unit- I mean, my family never sent me there"
My eyes wide and I nearly choke on my food as Ayumu gives me an apologetic look for her slip of the tongue
"Uhhhh?"
Kanae leaves out a long interrogation and I just feel my stomach sink
Did she notice it?
"How awful Tatseyo! So you went on a trip without Ayumu-chan? What kind of best friend are you?"
"W-what?"
I ask as a mental load is suddenly lifted, thank whatever god has helped me!
"Well, it was family business and Ayumu had her family too so I-"
Kanae lifts her finger
"That's not an excuse! I'll have you make up to Ayumu-chan in this trip!"
She then puts a hand on the side of her face so Ayumu can't see her expression and winks at me
I'm taken completely off guard, however, I'm also relieved that the situation has been resolved
"A-alright then"
I say and go back to eating my food
"Ah, I just can't wait! It's gonna be so much fun!"
"Yes! My friends from the third year told me last week's trip was awesome!"
"I wanna taste the Kyoto cuisine and dip down on an onsen!"
As the trio of friends start hyping up their expectations for the trip, the rest of us look at each other
Our expectations for this trip aren not exactly high...
Part 3
After classes are over we say goodbye to our trio of friends and head to the ORC where not only Rias and her peerage are waiting, but the whole Student Council as well
"Hi everyone"
I greet them as I motion to introduce Ayumu to the Student Council members
"Ayumu, this is Sona Sitri, in school she goes by Sona Shitori, but she's the heiress of the devil house of Sitri, just like Rias is the heiress of Gremory and Liliana the heiress of Caim."
"H-Hello"
Ayumu replies with a wave, I mentioned Sona while we were getting ready for school but they are only meeting now
"And this is Azazel, he's our homeroom teacher"
Ayumu takes a long glance at the fallen angel and points at him
"He's that Azazel?"
I also mentioned Azazel to her, having a mythic fallen angel as a teacher is kind of a big deal, however, I also made a point to mention, well... to mention how he actually is
"Indeed, I am the great leader of the fallen angels that defied the God of the Bible" - He replies with a victorius smug look
Ayumu turns to me with a half disgusted expression
"Seriously?"
I nod
"Yup, just like I told you"
"What do you mean by that?!"
Azazel jumps at his seat
We decide to ignore him and Ayumu goes to greet Sona
Sona nods and extends her hand
"It's a pleasure to meet you, as it is for my peerage"
The members of the Student Council nod their heads and Sona goes by introducing everyone to Ayumu
Once it's Saji's turn however, he asks
"Ayumu, right? Did you actually fought Vali Lucifer?"
I can see Ayumu is taken off guard by the question
"Saji!"
Sona scolds and he visibly shrinks before trying to stutter an answer
"S-sorry, Kaichou, I was just curious..."
However, despite their leader's disatisfaction, I could see that the other members also looked at Ayumu with curiosity in their eyes
I sigh and look at Rias
"You talked to them?"
She nods
"Naturally, Sona and the Student Council are also responsible for this town"
I stand in silence for a moment before asking
"Even about...?"
The crimson haired girl nods
"Yes"
Catching on in what we were talking, Sona speaks up
"Don't worry about it, we all understand the importance of what Rias told us. Your secrecy is safe within Kuoh Town."
I nod and look at Ayumu, who also looks somewhat impressed at the girl she just met.
Unlike Rias, Sona doesn't have the same... how can I say, air of nobility? She doesn't send you into awe the moment you lay your eyes on her, however, her air of seriousness and profissionalism is much greater, somehow despite knowing her way less than I know Rias, her eyes send me a message of confidence.
After everyone is eventually acquainted, Rias clears her throat
"Now that we're all here, I believe we can start to discuss the plan against the Hero Faction, no?"
"Ah, yes"
Both me and Ayumu nod
I look at Azazel as I address the issue
"Before you say anything, yes, it is risky, but the plan that Liliana and Azazel discussed seems to be the only way we can solve this mess with the less casualties as possible..."
Rias puts a hand against her cheek
"And what would that be?"
Ayumu gulps down and replies
"We'd infiltrate the Hero Faction and act as informants"
When we say this, the eyes of everyone in the room aside from us and Azazel turn wide
"W-what?"
Rias stammers an answer
"T-this is... h-how would you..."
Even Sona that usually looks calm and composed seemed to be caught completely off guard
"W-wait, are you serious? Sensei, what is this about?"
Issei says, turning to Azazel
The fallen angel sighs as he scratches his goatee
"Well... Issei, Rias, Sona, have you all heard that famous quote about how knowing your opponent is half of the battle? You see, the problem is, we don't have that half yet"
Rias cocks an eyebrow and asks
"You mean we don't have enough information about the Hero Faction yet?"
Azazel nods
"Yes, we do know about their leader and a few members of the inner circle, but we don't have anyone inside their organization to feed us information."
When he says this, the looks on everyone's faces turns to realization
Sona adjusts her glasses and replies before anyone can say anything
"So your plan is to send Tatseyo and Ayumu in the Hero Association to have them act as our moles?"
"Correct, with that we might finally be able to find out what their goal is and hopefully what their plans are"
Hearing this Issei interrupts the conversation
"Wait, wait! They are going to join the Hero Association and betray them? Isn't that too dangerous?"
Xenovia agrees with him nodding her head
"Didn't you said they had the strongest Longinus among them?"
Even Saji and Asia speak up
"I know they are strong but... aren't you putting too much faith in them?"
"T-that's right, I-I think it's too dangerous for them to do this"
Rias tries to calm them down
"Everyone, I know Liliana and Azazel must have their reasons to do so... as I believe Tatseyo and Ayumu have their reasons to have agreed to it"
After the initial commotion has stopped, it's Sona the one to speak up
"You need them to infiltrate the Hero Faction because no one else can, right?"
Azazel sighs again and places a hand against his forehead
"Yeah, you are right, it's been a pain to find out someone able to do it. And when you take into account everything that's happened, I guess you could say Tatseyo and Ayumu fell out of the sky for us, hahaha"
After an awkward laughter at his bad joke, he procceeds
"When it was about just the Maou Faction, their objectives were not only clear, but getting moles inside of their ranks was relatively easy considering we just had to make our contact pretend he had betrayed us and were now working with them, however, with the Hero Faction things are much more complicated..."
He looks outside the window with a stern gaze
Issei frowns and asks
"You mean it's harder because they only recruit humans?"
Azazel groams a little and shakes his head
"Almost, but not quite right, both us in Grigori and the Devils have contacts in the human world that we could use if that was the only issue. The problem however, aside from that nasty death curse that's preventing us from capturing any of their members alive, is that their recruitment process is incredibly selective, it seems that no one can actually join the Hero Faction by themselves"
Rias places a hand on her chin as she hears that
"No one can join by themselves"
I nod
"They are the ones that come to you"
Azazel nods
"So far all the members we have identified were humans marginalized by society in some way despite of their powers or humans who had some sort of animosity with the supernatural beings, it seems the Hero Faction finds these people and researches them before making a move to recruit them, thus it's impossible for us to put anyone there without them becoming suspicious"
I raise my hand
"And that's where we come in"
Despite having things explained, most still look confused
Issei scratches his head and asks
"So... you and Ayumu would join?"
Irina tilts her head at this affirmation
"But how? Didn't they saw you fighting against us?"
Rias nods
"Ayumu is one thing, but Tatseyo has been attending Kuoh for a while..."
I open my mouth to answer, but Sona is shaking her head and answers before me
"No... it makes sense"
The stares are draw to the student council president as she adjusts her glasses and glares at Azazel
"What do you mean, Sona?" - Rias asks
She places a hand on her chin
"Everything that has happened between us and Tatseyo has happened within the barrier of Kuoh. This town is probably one of the most protected and secure places against all kinds of foreign threats, which means that aside from the first confrontation with us where Tatseyo helped the others escape, they should have no idea of what has been going on with us ever since"
And then, as if a switch has turned on in her head, Rias eyes lighten up
"Oh... I see, so that's what it's about."
Everyone else still seems confused and Azazel explains further
"All the Hero Faction may possibly know so far is that Tatseyo helped it's members escape and somehow you are all still alive. Liliana's intervention and Tatseyo's allignment with us is something that should have stayed hidden"
"Wouldn't that raise suspicions? If it wasn't for Liliana's help at least one of us should be dead, right?
I nod and answer in Azazel's place
"Don't worry, they'll think we are pretending to have a truce with you while plotting behind your back. We got a cover story for that already"
"Even though it's a really risky one..."
Ayumu agrees with me, despite her pessimistic comment
I give an awkward laughter
Silence takes over the room and you can feel the tension with your skin, everyone seems uncertain about the plan, even Azazel, even Ayumu... even me.
"It's certain that this plan is risky, outright dangerous, but it's the only way we can the initiative"
The eyes in the room turn to me, Azazel nods and Ayumu sighs
"As espers, me and Ayumu know that best. When you were fighting against the Old Maou Faction you had the chance to take initiave because you knew your enemy, but now it seems you are just waiting for them to act and that's not going to help. You need to be able to strike first, before they do more harm than they have done already"
When I say this I look at Aya-chan, who's been silent all along, out of everyone in this room this girl is probably the one who suffered the most in the hands of the Hero Faction.
No one answers to me, Azazel closes his eyes and Ayumu meekly looks at the floor. I am right, they know I am, but it doesn't stop being a risk
Rias is the first one to break the silence curtain
"Are the both of you sure about it?"
I look at Ayumu and we both nod
"Yes" - I answer
"There's no way around it..." - Ayumu replies
She closes her eyes for a moment and nods
Sona steps in and asks as well
"Then when would that happen"
Their eyes wide upon our answer
"Next week"
Issei replies, due to his surprise he speaks a little too loud
"Next week?! But that's when the trip to Kyoto is schedueled!"
Azazel groams loudly causing the attention in the room to shift to him again
"We got the information that members of the Hero Faction have been seem on Kyoto, like we said, Tatseyo and Ayumu will only be able to make contact with the Hero Faction if they come to them first, they won't be able to do that in Kuoh since we are protected and any step they take here will be higly monitored. But in a youkai dominated town like Kyoto, they might lower their guard, that's when Tatseyo and Ayumu will act."
"We'll try to gain their trust and make them reveal their plans"
Ayumu keeps from where I stopped
"With any hope we don't blow our cover and manage to get to the guys at the top"
When we say this, the looks on their faces turns from concern to sadness and I start to feel confused
"Huh? What's with that, why the droopy faces?"
Ayumu also seems taken aback
"We already said, we'll be fine, if anything goes wrong we'll make sure to get out immediately"
Issei shakes his head
"That's not it, it's just because... since you guys will be working with the Hero Faction..."
Rias crossess her arms and says with an sorrowful expression
"You won't be able to enjoy the trip at all"
It's mine and Ayumu's turn to get surprised
"W-w-what?!"
"That's what you're all worried about?!"
I can hear Azazel's laughter in the distance
"Of course it's important! You guys won't be able to enjoy your first school trip because of it! That's so sad!"
Irina says in an overly dramatic manner
I try to laugh off that statement
"D-don't worry guys, me and Ayumu are high ranking espers, remember? It's not the first time we go to an iconic tourist city only to work"
Ayumu nods, agreeing with me
"Yeah, it's fine, we've done it a dozen times"
"""""THAT'S EVEN WORSE!"""""
A choir of voices even from the Sitri peerage makes me and Ayumu jump from our seats
"What a terrifying life, going on work trips ever since youth"
Irina says with tears in her eyes
"Hey, why are you crying? Also, you are from the church Irina! Who are you to talk about us?!"
Xenovia steps in and says
"We never went on trips like that! Also me and Irina are exceptions"
Even Sona is glaring at us more intensily
"Such a strong work ethic, no wonder you've become so strong... have you two considered joining the Student Council?"
WHAT?!
"Kaichou! This is no time for recruitment!"
In the end, the briefing is finished like this. I'm glad that it ended in a more light hearted tone due to what we discussed, but in the end, as me, Ayumu and Aya-chan were making our way home, we still had things to discuss, things we couldn't say in front of the ORC or the Student Council
"Tachan, are you sure no one at the Esper Association knows what we are doing?"
"We've already talked with Liliana about this..."
I say as Ayumu addresses the subject again
"And I wouldn't be talking about it again if it wasn't so important! Are you even taking this seriously?!"
Ayumu angrily shouts and stops in the middle of the sidewalk with angry tears in her eyes
"A-Ayumu-san..."
Aya-chan and I stop as well
"I-I'm sorry"
For Ayumu, it might trully seem as if I'm not taking seriously the weight of what I did to get her here.
"But Ayumu... I did that because it was the only way they'd allow any of this, you here, the secrecy. You understand, right?"
She gives me a half hearted nod
"Yes, I do and I'm glad you trusted me with this but.."
She sobs before continuing
"Everytime we talk about it I can't help but worry, not about the Hero Brigade, Khaos Faction, or whatever stupid name they have, but worry about the Esper Community, what if they find out about us?"
I place a hand on Ayumu's shoulder, I think long and hard about it.
I'm tired of overthinking it
"Then... we'll face them"
I give one simple, but resolute answer.
Ayumu lifts her face to look at mine, her eyes starting to get red from the crying
"Face... them?"
I take a deep breath as I answer
"Yes, if we are all together, then we can face them. Even if I'm afraid, I'm willing to do it"
Ayumu looks at me, surprised
"You really are willing to go this far?"
I nod, that's what I've decided.
It's futile to keep thinking I can avoid a confrontation with the Esper Community.
"Something like this can change the whole world as we know it, if I have the power to change things, then I think it's my responsability to do it"
"Even if it means fighting against our own?"
I gulp down
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that"
Letting go off Ayumu's shoulder, I continue
"However... as long as we fight together, things will turn fine, I hope"
Ayumu seems to be a little happier as she dries away her tears
"You really shouldn't finish a sentence like that with 'I hope', idiot"
I laugh a little
"Yes, I really shouldn't."
Ayumu recomposes herself and once again we are walking together
Aya-chan smiles and says
"Tatseyo-san, I'm also worried about you and Ayumu-san but... I believe things will work, no, I'm sure they will."
"I'll be sure to get stronger so I can fight by your side as well, so please, return safely from Kyoto!"
Ayumu looks surprised at Aya-chan, I don't think she was expecting something like this out of this little girl
I pat her head
"Thank you Aya-chan, I'll be counting on you too"
With Aya's gleeful giggle, we return home
Now it's only a matter of time
Untill Kyoto, Hero Faction
Afterword: I'm so sorry, this chapter was supposed to be released on St. George's holiday in my country, but due to some circunstances and due to my legislation professor giving us an huge assignment (in which I got a full score btw, so at least it was worth it) I had to delay untill today. Good news is that now I'm on "vacation" and will have more time to write, it's also good because we are FINALLY in the Kyoto arc. Thanks so much.
And regarding the suggestions, I really liked it, they all seem things I can work with. I've read Kengan Asura but stopped midway for some reason and I also have to caught up with OPM since it's been months since I've read it. Thanks and sorry to keep you waiting for so long.