Haha... sorry for the wait, but it's here. To be honest I don't feel very motivated to write for this fic much these days, but I will definitely finish it eventually. I've just mostly been writing stuff for my eyes only. As for other distractions, I played through the original Yakuza 2, and man is it fun. So glad I still have my PS2. If only I kept my CRT from when I was a kid cause you get noticeable input lag when playing old games on an HDMI TV. That tangent aside, enjoy the chapter and the inevitable long-ass wait for the next one.

"Sh... Shirone?!"

Koneko stared at Kuroka, not knowing how to respond. She then turned around and began making her way out of the house.

"Koneko, wait! Where are you going?" Izuku asked as he followed her.

"I'll explain to you at school tomorrow." she said quietly. Izuku let her get away, now knowing he'd learn more the next day. Akeno had to leave as well to see a client of hers.

The atmosphere got a little awkward as Izuku realized that him and Kuroka were now alone, but the older woman didn't seem to be in the mood to tease him like she normally would. He was about to ask her if everything was alright, but she retreated to her room. Izuku wanted to talk to her, but he decided it would be best to leave her alone for a little while.

Izuku then got a text from Rias. She told him that he had a different client for today, and that she would send him to them momentarily. He still found it little concerning that Rias could do that from afar, but he was grateful for the warning.

After stepping in the magic circle, Izuku was transported to a more traditional-looking house. He immediately felt an incredibly powerful and intimidating aura coming from the other room. He was quite cautious, but relaxed a bit when the voice of an older man enthusiastically called for him to come in.

Izuku entered the room to meet his client, a man who was relaxing on the couch. He appeared to be a foreigner, his golden bangs against black hair immeditately standing out. The aura Izuku felt earlier was far more potent now, starkly contrasting the man's carefree demeanor.

Despite the feeling that something was off, Izuku took a seat next to the man. "You don't need to be so tense, kid." said the man. "When I found out I'd be meeting the new Red Dragon Emperor, I was expecting something a little different."

Izuku was caught off guard. "Red Dragon... how did you-" Before he could ask how the man knew who he was, the man stood up, and twelve black feathery wings extended from his back.

"And you're just gonna ignore me, Ddraig? How rude." he said, making the gauntlet materialize.

[Did you have to scare my partner like that, Azazel?]

The man known as Azazel pat Izuku's head. "Sorry about that, kid. I just wanted to look cool. I wasn't gonna attack you or anything, I'm just interested in that Sacred Gear of yours."

Izuku said nothing, not knowing what to do, and still put off by the fact that he was talking to a very powerful fallen angel.

Azazel looked at his watch. "Ah, we'll have to cut it short for today. I got a meeting in five minutes. Lame political stuff I'd rather not have to deal with, but it is what it is."

Izuku was still quiet, feeling too intimidated to respond. Azazel then pulled out a DVD, showing to Izuku. "I'm supposed to give you some kind of payment, right? Is this fine?"

Izuku blushed when he saw the cover. "Um... th-this is..."

Azazel smiled. "Boys your age are into this stuff, right?"

Izuku looked away. "I don't need-"

Azazel insisted. "No need to be modest, kid. I was looking at all kinds of magazines when I was young."

Izuku was still too embarrassed to look directly ahead. "N-No, I mean... it's um... unnecessary... and besides... it feels totally wrong accepting any kind of payment from someone way more powerful!"

Azazel was silent for a moment, but couldn't hold back a giggle. "You're so funny, kid!"

Izuku looked up at Azazel. "Izuku. It's Izuku"

Azazel cleaned himself up as he got ready for the meeting. "Izuku, huh? Well, I like you already. We'll have to meet up again sometime. Get a proper introduction, huh?"

Izuku smiled, feeling more relaxed now. "Yeah, that sounds nice."

Azazel began leaving the house. "I gotta go now, see ya next time."

Izuku waved. "Yeah, see you."

Izuku then made a magic circle to go home. Thankfully he was able to transport himself to locations he'd been to before. When he arrived home, he figured Akeno was still out as not much time had passed.

Deciding to check on Kuroka, he gently knocked on her door. He entered when he heard a quiet "come in".

Kuroka patted the space next to her on the bed. "Come here."

Izuku sat down beside her. "Is... is everything alright?"

Kuroka sighed. "You were worried, huh? Sorry about that. I'm fine, I guess. It's just that I haven't seen my sister for so long, but she wants nothing to do with me. It definitely hurts at least a little."

Izuku paused before responding. "She's your sister? I had no idea... I'm sorry if I-"

Kuroka gently put her finger to Izuku's mouth, silencing him. "You said it yourself, you had no idea. You did nothing wrong."

Izuku was still worried, though. "Well, is there anything I can do to help?"

Kuroka moved closer to him. "I'll tell you what happened some other time, but for now, can you just stay here for a bit?"

Izuku nodded, blushing when Kuroka hugged him, but not disliking it. Soon after Izuku got comfortable, Akeno came home and entered the room, though she was understanding of the situation at hand.

Kuroka smiled awkwardly. "Sorry about hogging your boyfriend."

Akeno climbed in bed on the other side, behind Izuku. "It's fine. I could tell you were upset about something earlier, and I'm sure he just wants you to feel better. He's really sweet like that." she said as she wrapped her arms around Izuku.

Akeno and Kuroka talked more, with Izuku thinking that this was the oddest way he'd seen a friendship begin. Eventually he fell asleep sandwiched between the two women who then bonded over how adorable he was when sleeping.

The last thought on Izuku's mind before sleeping was that an afternoon nap could kill his sleep schedule.