"So, ahem… You look really pretty, Yuri-san." Issei felt a bit overwhelmed as he walked hand-in-hand with the maid in the Ninth Floor of Nazarick.
"Thank you, Lor- Issei-kun." Yuri blushed a bit and squeezed Issei's hand slightly as the two's date had began some hour or so after Issei had asked her out.
Yuri had excused herself for some time after Issei had asked her for a date in the changing room. Issei had interrogated the maids who had entered the changing room after Yuri had left for locations in the Ninth Floor that might interest Yuri, since he realized he'd have to come up with some basic plan for the date while Yuri was getting herself ready.
The Homunculus maids had given Issei some pointers, although with various amounts of blushing with each suggestion, and Issei had learned that Yuri was, or at least had been until few days ago, a exceedingly dutiful maid to point of being workaholic, with warm personality towards the other maids, be them Pleiades or the Homunculus variety.
Moreover it looked as if Yuri had very few interests other than to work as a battle-maid, and due to her intelligent and dutiful nature, she had become the de-facto 'head maid' of Pleiades specifically, even though technically Sebas was the 'leader' of Pleiades due to his status as the Steward of Ninth Floor and someone called 'Pestonya' was the official head maid of all maids of Nazarick.
Issei had thanked the maids and then dismissed them in order to think, as the radiant smiles, alluring beauties and nicely formed bodies of the on-the-surface calm yet breast-wise eager and pumped-up maids was severely hindering Issei's thinking ability. Mostly by the means of making the internal 'Beast-Ise' rage against the duct-tape that 'Issei proper' had tied him down with, and the internal growling for ero was severely distracting Issei.
'...In other words, Yuri-san is not very good when it comes to spending free time… Uh, that makes it easier to plan something, I think?' Issei had thought of some basic ideas on what to do, mostly centered around the rooms he had seen in the Ninth Floor.
He had also considered just taking Yuri out for a walk in Sixth Floor, or Fifth Floor when it was still experiencing clear weather, but the fact the Pleiades and the other people of Nazarick were native to the place meant that just sightseeing would likely not be fun for Yuri, as she'd probably just be seeing what she's gotten used, to while the tour would be a fun tour of discovery and wonder for Issei (or a tour of horror, depending what Issei would find under the thin veneer of beauty).
Not to mention, the memory of getting submerged into a swamp in the Sixth Floor and subsequently being covered in mud and parasites was enough to make Issei reconsider the place as a date location as he was fairly sure that if he stumbled again then he'd effectively torpedo the whole date.
So, Ninth Floor it was, albeit Issei put a mental note to visit Fifth Floor if Yuri looked like she was getting bored.
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It didn't take long for a knock to come from the door as Issei had moved to the huge conference room to wait for Yuri to get ready, and he had gotten a plan together for the date in the meanwhile.
Issei opened the door, and…
…It took almost a full minute for him to get his head straight
Yuri was clothed in a casual knee-length plaid skirt and comfortable-looking thick woolen turtleneck sweater, while her iron 'choker' that had seemed more like a prisoner's choker had been replaced by what looked like silk choker that rose slightly above the turtleneck, with a rose in the choker's center instead of chain dangling off of it.
Moreover… Yuri's hair was partially down, allowing it to reach the middle of her back except for the side where she had braided it.
All of that, combined with her glasses and a somewhat shy look, had landed a critical hit on Issei's situational awareness, as even though Yuri's choice of clothes were not particularily erotic, the woman's curves and shy behaviour was making the clothes look incredibly lewd, specifically around the bosom that looked practically irresistible to Issei's 'beast'.
Issei could practically hear the growling and muttering of his beast against his ear, urging him to go for it, urging him to strike now, reminding him that the maid would likely not resist considering what Issei had done just moments earlier in the changing room, and the beast was urging him to take her now-
Issei slapped himself.
"M-my lord?" Yuri's eyes widened slightly. "Is something wrong? Ah, are these clothes too unprofessional? In that case, I'll-"
"No, not at all. I was utterly stunned by your beauty and had to knock some self into myself in order to get my brain running again. Er, metaphorically speaking." Issei blurted out as he was still struggling to stuff the 'Beast-Ise' back to its lair.
"S-stunned… b-beauty?" Yuri blushed to her eyebrows and then to her hairline as Issei nodded to buy himself time to attach mental chains on his 'beast' to keep it back for now.
"Ahem… So, shall we?" Issei offered his arm to Yuri who took it while blushing madly. "Is there something you'd like to do, or should I pick?"
"U-um, I don't have a preference, my lord…"
"Oh, and you can just call me Issei, or Issei-kun."
"Yes, my lord- erk! S-sorry, Issei-samaa-k-kkun!" Yuri paled slightly as she struggled with using the correct honorific. "M-my deepest apologies my lord, I-"
"Shush. Everything's alright." Issei was panicking internally over the sudden turn but reached to put his hands on Yuri's shoulders to reassure her. The action was quite assertive but it looked like Issei got away with it as Yuri closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose, then opened her eyes, now a picture-perfect image of calmness and self-control.
Issei withdrew his hands and offered his arm again as the stammer-match had caused the two of them to let go of each other.
Yuri took the offered hand while blushing slightly, and Issei led her off towards one of the Nazarick's rooms that he felt could be interesting…
.
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"Yeah! You're doing well-su! Just don't panic again and everything's gonna be good-su!" Lupusregina waved her tail back and forth in excitement while she sat on a peg-chair and looked at a mirror that showed Yuri and Lord Issei from a third-person view.
Yuri had explained the situation first to Lupusregina, and then to both Sebas and, through a [Message], to Nigredo as well.
Lupusregina had at first stuffed Yuri full with as much information about naughty things as she could, and had received a 'palm of lecture' chop from Yuri in turn for being excessively lewd. However Sebas had been somewhat more useful as he had come to investigate the ruckus, and the Steward had helped Yuri pick an outfit for the date, alongside offering to help Yuri via a [Message] throughout the date to ensure that Yuri and Lord Issei had fun after Yuri confessed to Sebas that she didn't know what to do during the date and feared that she'd bore the Supreme Being.
Lupusregina had already been preparing mobile cardboard boxes and bushes for camouflage for use in the shadowing-operation, but Sebas had halted that and contacted Nigredo while asking Lupusregina to fetch the Mirror of Viewing from one of the rooms in the Ninth Floor.
Nigredo, who was responsible for maintaining and controlling the Anti-Divination countermeasures of Nazarick, had agreed to drop anti-divination countermeasures for the Ninth Floor for the Mirror of Viewing only as it'd be quite useful for looking over the date and ensuring that distractions were eliminated, literally or not, and that Yuri could use some covert phrases and motions to ask for help via [Message] if she was losing control of the situation and if Lord Issei was looking bored.
"It's going good-su!" Lupusregina fist-pumped the air as Lord Issei and Yuri entered the 'Arcade Room'. "Over to you, Sebas-san!"
"...Lupusregina-san. We are not casting a match on the Sixth Floor. Please calm yourself." Sebas looked stoic while he reminded Lupusregina of the reason they were present in the first place, and Lupusregina blew a small raspberry in return.
Sebas had a microphone in front of him, which enabled him to use [Message] in a prolonged manner as normal [Message]'s were limited by 'call time'. "Yuri-san. Please attempt to answer the Supreme Being's questions about your hobbies as accurately as you can, but do not attempt to exaggerate or downplay them."
Yuri was nodding happily towards Lord Issei as the two of them were in the 'Arcade Room', the contents of which were quite the puzzle for Sebas and Lupusregina outside base knowledge that it was a game room of some sorts for the Supreme Beings.
The fact Yuri was asked to participate in one of the 'minor' games of the Supreme Beings was quite monumental for many reasons, not to mention that it gave some hints to how Lord Issei viewed His servants as seemingly 'equals'.
However, Sebas discarded all that pondering for now in order to ensure that the date went well by advising Yuri from afar. And so the two of them watched and occasionally spoke to Yuri to advise her as she interacted with Lord Issei
"Uh, eeh, yeah, that's super boring-su…" Lupusregina looked a bit worried as Yuri explained her hobbies, or lack thereof, to the Supreme Being after being asked about them half an hour into the date. "Eh, then again… I should probably not throw stones… Dunno if pranking is considered a hobby…"
"It seems that Lord Issei has not rejected Yuri because of that, however." Sebas noted while stroking his beard slightly. "Yuri. You're doing great. Keep it up."
Yuri nodded enthusiastically to the side after nodding to Lord Issei's question.
"...'Would Yuri like to eat something?' Hm… That is quite troublesome." Sebas leaned slightly forwards as Lord Issei asked Yuri about her diet. Or rather, asked if she was hungry. "It might be a good idea to agree to eat something, elsewise Lord Issei may think that you are refusing his offer. You have a preference for food, correct? However, it should be something that Lord Issei also eats or elsewise the brunch might become awkward. Try to focus on finding out what Lord Issei would like to eat. I shall let the sous-chef know that he should prepare what Lord Issei wishes."
Yuri had pretended to turn around to ponder, which allowed her to show a 'terrified, worried, uncertain' finger-motion to Sebas and Lupusregina through the Mirror of Viewing, while Lord Issei was in a calm, contemplative pose behind Yuri.
The motions were not missed by Sebas or Lupusregina, and Lupusregina gave Sebas a thumbs-up. "Right! This needs some hands-on work-su! Yuri-nee is obviously scared that she can't pick something that'd suit Lord Issei, and that he'd get annoyed at her because of it, right?"
"I deduce the same… And Yuri confirms." Sebas noted that Yuri gave a slight thumbs-up after Lupusregina had spoken, all the while Lord Issei was clearly becoming quite puzzled over Yuri's behavior. And then he sighed quite heavily while looking somewhat disappointed.
Sebas suppressed an internal sigh of shame while continuing to stroke his beard after he spotted the change in Lord Issei's behavior, since it was clear that Lord Issei had caught onto their tricks, not that it was their intention to mislead their lord either way. "It seems that Lord Issei has deduced that we have been assisting you, Yuri. Moreover, it doesn't seem that he approves- um? Wait- Yuri, no!"
Yuri had paled to the complexity of a sheet of paper, and then instantly prostrated towards Lord Issei.
"That's bad! We have to go help her now-su!" Lupusregina grabbed the back of Sebas's suit and took off before Sebas could even get a word out of his mouth to the contrary.
"Lupusregina-san! Wait, waaaaaaaiiitt!"
.
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'Um…' Issei was reliving some uncomfortable memories as Yuri turned her back towards him while making some very vague finger-movements. Normally Issei wouldn't have noticed, but between him reliving some fairly uncomfortable flashbacks due his earlier murder-date combined with the fact he really didn't want the date with Yuri ending like it had with Raynare, Issei was unusually on-edge.
He couldn't really figure out what exactly Yuri was signaling, but it was clear that she was quite distressed as she became rigid as a plank of wood all of a sudden. '...Yeah, I don't think she liked that I asked her about grabbing a bite… I hope she didn't think that I was calling her fat or anything like that when I mentioned food- I should probably clarify that, or would that kind of clarification come across as awkward? Eh… I-I don't know!'
Issei was about to open his mouth, but before he could, Yuri suddenly snapped around to face him… And instantly prostrated towards him on the floor of the arcade.
"I am terribly sorry, my- I-Issei-sam-kun! I have attempted to deceive you by seeking the aid of Sebas-san and Lupusregina-san, and have been taking their advice all throughout this date via a [Message], as my lord has deduced! I humbly request that I am relieved of my duties and-" Yuri began but Issei quickly cut her off.
"Everything's alright! Don't worry! You're doing fine!" Issei deployed the usual 'one-two-three' combo of 'what to say when Nazarick's people were doing weird or suicidal things'. "What's wrong? Sebas-san and Lupusregina-san?"
There was a long skidding noise from the outside of the 'Arcade room', followed by a huge crash from the door as if something hit the door from the outside, and a second after that the door opened to show that Lupusregina and Sebas were outside and the pair stepped into the room.
Lupusregina, for some reason, had a huge bruise in the center of her temple as if she had hit something, which explained the skidding and crashing sound Issei as he noticed that there were other maids in the hallway with wet mops in their hands as if they had been obsessively cleaning the outside of the Arcade room… Or, as Issei's 'beast' pointed out, possibly peeping on him and Yuri.
Normally the idea of someone peeping on Issei instead of the other way around would have sounded ridiculous, but as it was, it sounded quite plausible even though the idea was quite overwhelming and more than a bit worrying. Mostly because it forced him to keep in mind that everything he'd do would be observed… And that made Issei realize just how annoying and scary his peeping would have been for the girls he had peeped on when he had been in Kuoh. '...Yeah, not good. Definitely not good… Not to mention, these kinds of thoughts don't suit a date- The date! Yuri!'
Yuri was shaking while prostrating, and Lupusregina and Sebas had joined Yuri in much the same pose.
"Wait, waitwaitwait, what is going on?" Issei tried to halt the situation before it got even more out of hand. "Did something happen? Sebas-san?"
"Yes. We provided Yuri with assistance regarding our lord's decision to take her out on a date. However, we observed the date from afar via a Mirror of Viewing, while also giving instructions to Yuri in real time in order to ensure that she'd be able to entertain Lord Issei." Sebas explained with a matter-of-fact tone. "I deeply apologize for this breach of conduct. It was my decision to shadow Yuri in this manner, and take full responsibility for my actions."
"Yuri?" Issei turned to look at his date who flinched miserably from being addressed, which in turn stabbed Issei's 'good mood' in the back and turned it miserable as well since it was clear Yuri was not having fun. "Um, is what Sebas is saying right?"
"Yes, my lord… I believe that I am not suitable for this task, so I sought assistance in order to ensure that I will not fail and bore my lord during this date. I shall justly flagellate myself for this failure of-" Yuri began and Issei instantly cut her off.
"No, no, nothing like that! It's fine, I just- Sebas! Everything's alright! You didn't fail or upset me or anything! Yuri, the same!" Issei instantly went for damage-control since it looked like the people of Nazarick once again saw something he did and did some mental gymnastics in order to turn a straight line into a maze. "I was just thinking back on some things, so don't worry! And Yuri! Don't worry about things like that! It's a bit strange that Sebas and Lupusregina followed our date but I've read about those kinds of things in a manga- ahem, I mean, it's alright, but you're doing fine, Yuri, so don't worry about me having fun or not! I'm having fun if you're having fun!"
Sebas, Lupusregina and Yuri took a sharp breath with the last words while Lupusregina looked clearly shocked, while Sebas's eyes were slightly more open than previously which clued Issei that he was clearly shaken, and Yuri was looking even more miserable than before for some reason.
Issei realized the reason for Yuri's misery and wanted to bang his head against the nearby pillar repeatedly. 'Yeah, of course, if Yuri thought that the goal of the date was to make me have fun, and she was miserable because I wasn't having fun, then she'd likely think that because she was miserable then that was the reason I wasn't having fun, which is kinda true, but that's indirectly insinuating that everything was her fault-!'
A small part of Issei's brain pointed out that it was quite unusual for Issei to think that hard, or think of feelings of others that deeply in the first place, but the combined effort of the 'beast-Ise' and 'skeletal post-nut Issei' took the faint voice and shut it up because it was distracting.
However, now that the root cause was discovered… Issei had an idea on how to approach it.
Namely-
"In that case… I propose a solution. Also, you three can get up from the floor, it is kinda awkward." Issei lifted his finger up while Sebas, Yuri and Lupusregina got up to their feet. "Now, I'd like to go on a record- No, not that way, you don't need a notebook Sebas-san, you don't have to actually record me- anyway I'd like to remind Sebas-san and Lupusregina-san that it's perfectly alright that the two of you helped Yuri out, and in fact I find it really good sign of cooperation and that you guys are getting along nicely. Same with Yuri-san trusting them enough to go to them for advice. And if Yuri-san feels that she needs help with the date in terms of real-time advice then that's alright too, but I'd really like it if Yuri acted how she personally saw fit."
"My lord, I-" Yuri was clearly about to say something self-derogatory about her abilities but Issei cut her off before she could start as he got an idea.
"...After all, if Sebas-san told Yuri-san what to say in each circumstance and how to react, then I wouldn't be on a date with Yuri-san, but with Sebas-san with Yuri-san acting as a medium." Issei finished while pointing his finger up.
Sebas's eyes widened in shock. "I- I see! That is- I am deeply sorry, my lord, I did not consider-"
"It's fine now that you know! But that's why I'd like it if Yuri-san could form her own opinions and make her own decisions! I don't care if they're something unsightly or awkward, but if she's having fun then it's alright!" Issei finalized, feeling as if he needed to push the point home even if it was highly embarrassing. And he realized that he might have sounded a bit desperate so he turned to clarify to Yuri. "T-that is, the point is that we're both having fun and it won't work if Yuri is too preoccupied in trying to make me have fun at her expense."
It felt slightly slimy for Issei to say that he was interested in Yuri, not because he wasn't because he definitely was interested in her, considering how she acted and how nice she looked, but he felt slimy because he had already sort-of confessed to Albedo and Shalltear and was internally dreading on how they'd react once they heard the news about Yuri. 'Yeah, that's definitely cheating… But Albedo seemed to take the idea of a harem with Shalltear somewhat positively so it should be alright, maybe?'
A small part of Issei reminded him of Rias and of Issei's crush on her, but it was shooed off by the 'Beast-Ise' and 'Skeletal Post-Nut Issei' since he had a really pressing issue at hand that could probably escalate a lot if handled incorrectly, so he couldn't afford distractions.
Yuri was shaking a bit but it didn't look like she was miserable anymore. Only somewhat indecisive and a bit glad, or perhaps worried. It was hard to tell since she seemed to go through a myriad of emotions simultaneously.
Sebas, meanwhile, looked stoic and seemingly realized what was going on. Normally that would have been a warning sign for Issei considering the events of the past few days, but based on the few interactions Issei had had with the man, he concluded that Sebas was abnormally normal considering the bar for normalcy in Nazarick, so Issei didn't clarify himself even further.
Lupusregina's expression, meanwhile, looked… strange.
"Lupusregina-san? Is everything alright? Remember, you haven't done anything wrong so don't worry about anything." Issei wanted to make sure that she wouldn't do anything unnecessary and asked her.
"Yes, my lord. I believe that I have merely discovered something that explains some things." Lupusregina gave Issei a polite bow, making Issei a bit worried as she had been somewhat high-spirited in previous encounters and now she acted like a 'proper lady', for the lack of a more accurate word. "I apologize for my hasty actions, my lord."
"It's alright. Don't worry about it. Everything's fine, so don't stress about it." Issei waved his hand in Lupusregina's direction and then offered his hand again to Yuri. "Anyway, I'd like if this date was fun for you, Yuri-san. So please don't hesitate to say if there's something you'd like to do? You know, something that you'd like to do and not just something you think I might want to do?"
"I, um…" Yuri blushed. "I… don't really have anything I'd…"
"Please."
It looked like hearing that from Issei's mouth caused quite an effect on her hesitancy, and Yuri lifted her finger slowly, almost experimentally to vaguely point in the direction of what looked like a classic arcade two-player fighting game.
Issei had played those sorts of games with Matsuda and Motohama, and knew how they worked so nodded to Yuri. "Sure, let's try it out. Sebas, Lupusregina, feel free to do, hm, what you normally do. So let's put this scene behind us, alright?"
"Yes, my lord." "Yes, master." The two of them agreed and after some curtsying and bowing withdrew from the room.
"So… Have you played this before, Yuri-san?" Issei asked as he moved towards the arcade machine, now hand-in-hand with blushing Yuri.
"N-no, my lord… But it looks familiar and, ahem, something I think I'd excel in considering my proficiency as a 'brawler'... Um- T-that being said, if my lord- Issei-kun's specialization as a Necromancer harms his enjoyment of this game then-!" Yuri seemed to backpadal so Issei made a motion of rolling up his sleeves, although he didn't actually pull them up since there'd be nothing to show but bones under the sleeve.
"Don't count me out yet! You might be surprised- I played this with my friends back in the day, so I won't be an easy opponent!" Issei pumped himself up, feeling that he needed to take initiative again in order to not make Yuri relapse. However, Nazarick's 'dates' were seemingly everything but normal, so it didn't really worry him as he'd just talk to her again if something happened.
Although unusual occurrences were becoming almost a norm by now.
Yuri blinked a bit and then nodded seriously after giving an intrigued and almost starry-eyed expression at the stick and buttons of the fighting game. "In that case, I won't go easy on you, Lord- ahem- Issei-sa-k-kun!"
Issei stared a bit at Yuri, causing her to blush a bit over her nonsensical way of addressing him.
"I mean… That is, Issei-kun… ahem…" Yuri was blushing quite hard by now as she grabbed the fighting stick and put her hands on the buttons, and picked her character in the game.
Issei nodded his skull and picked his fighter as well.
.
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"...I take it that you've discovered something, Lupusregina-san?" Sebas asked after the two of them had exited the Arcade Room and shooed off the maids who had been eavesdropping on the room under the guise of cleaning the corridor and had polished it to the point the floor was almost as smooth and slippery as ice.
"...I think I know what Lord Issei meant when he said 'it's alright as long as Yuri is having fun'..." Lupusregina was unusually serious as she spoke. "After all… It's kinda like how I was made… I wonder if that was also how Beast King Mekongawa experienced emotions… It's kind of making sense, you know? I feel pleasure when people who trust me suffer, but, I wonder if it was the reverse for the one who made me? That he feels, er, good when someone who trusts him feels good? In a not-necessarily-lewd way? Like, they have fun so he feels that he's having fun?"
"...Hm." Sebas nodded seriously while the man's expression was stone hard, betraying his internal turmoil due to how too unshakable his expression was. "It is plausible. After all, the Supreme Beings are quite varied and since they are all gathered to Lord Momonga's body as Lord Issei, it's possible that their individual traits and mannerisms are starting to surface. For instance, I feel as if my creator's, Touch Me's, gallant mannerisms are showing through. Only faintly right now, but I did definitely feel some hints of it during that conversation."
"Yeah…" Lupusregina looked quite serious even after saying her piece, and Sebas knew now why she looked that way.
"I take it that you're putting your best behavior forward in order to not disappoint your creator by acting whimsical in front of him?" Sebas noted. "However, I feel as if that effort is misplaced. After all, Lord Mekongawa created you, so he knows how you really wish to act."
"Yeah… It's really weird though. To think that Lord Mekongawa and the other Supreme Beings are now one being-su…" Lupusregina let a small whine while letting her act down just slightly. "Wait- dang! I must have actually insulted Lord Issei by acting like that! Since he'd know I don't normally act like that, so when my acting changed he must have thought I wasn't believing that Lord Issei was partly Lord Mekongawa before that-"
"Do not worry. After all, didn't Lord Issei say that you have done nothing wrong just before our parting?" Sebas reminded Lupusregina before she'd sprint back to apologize. "In other words, he realized that you'd act differently, and forgave you before you even realized that you had slighted against him."
"Ah…" Lupusregina shook a bit while her eyes opened wide in realization. "Lord Mekongawa… I'm sorry… Lord Issei… You already realized that I…"
"...However, I believe that it would be a good idea if we kept an eye on the Homunculus Maids during Lord Issei's date with Yuri." Sebas continued after a while. "It seems that while the maids are quite good at their jobs, considering their levels, they seemed to have gained a bothersome trait of nosiness and rumor-spreading. Could I ask you to ensure that the maids do not bother Lord Issei while I let Peronya know that she should lecture the Homunculus maids somewhat?"
"Yeah-su!" Lupusregina slapped her cheeks to bring herself back to reality and shake herself out of her 'serious stupor' that she had fallen into. And her tail began to wave under her dress in excitement, causing the skirt of her maid dress to swish a bit. "I'm on it-su! I'll ensure nosy maids get bonked! And that no-one interrupts Lord Issei's date! I'll sacrifice my life if needed to!"
Sebas paused for a moment and reached to stroke his beard in serious contemplation. "...That might be necessary, if Albedo-sama finds out about the date."
Lupusregina paled and stopped while Sebas walked off to find Peronya.
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Issei noted that Yuri looked to be quite relaxed after letting her act drop gradually during the three hours of the date.
Since Issei wasn't feeling as if he was getting tired, and seeing that Yuri hadn't been getting tired either, the date had stretched a bit. Issei had made sure that it was Yuri's decision to keep it going and that she wasn't just hiding her tiredness. However, it looked to be the contrary as Yuri was getting more excited and pumped the longer the date went.
The two of them had gone from the Arcade to what looked like a luxurious if somewhat oddly decorated small karaoke-bar that looked more like what'd happen if someone tried to make one from memory and legend instead of actually visiting one themselves. Nonetheless it had been fun to try to sing songs that Issei had never heard of, followed by listening to Yuri singing, which was surprisingly beautiful… At least as far as her raw voice went, since it looked like Yuri hadn't sung much and was struggling a bit with getting a proper tone going outside of just speaking the words aloud.
Nonetheless it looked as if doing something fairly mundane like that was waking something inside Yuri so she kept trying while looking like she was having fun, and Issei kept clapping after her songs.
Most interestingly, Yuri's manner of speech had changed quite considerably after visiting four or so other locations.
"Issei-kun? If you don't mind, I'd like it if we took a walk in the Cherry Blossom Sanctuary and… um… hehe…" Yuri looked like she was drunk, even though the two of them hadn't reached the bar yet… Mostly due to the fact that Yuri was dullahan, and she had gone through some specifics of her race during the date. Namely that she was immune to alcohol, alongside other things.
Or rather, after opening up a bit, Yuri had complained that she found it annoying when her head fell off her shoulders by accident, or when Lupusregina snatched it in order to play a prank on Yuri, although she didn't fault Lupusregina about it, or how Yuri found it sad that she couldn't really enjoy snacks since she wouldn't really taste anything even if she tried some so she had stopped trying and instead focused on her 'career' as a Pleiades, and so on and so forth.
And so, after some time, the two of them departed the Ninth Floor and to Eight due to Yuri's request… Although with the memory of the last time Issei had ventured out to the Eighth Floor fresh in his mind, Issei decided to use the teleportation gates instead of the big door leading into the 'Wilderness'.
"Greetings, my lord." Aureole Omega greeted the two of them instantly once Issei stepped out of the swirling gate, hand in hand with Yuri, and emerged into what looked like a tatami-covered traditional Japanese-themed room, which in glance seemed to be on the second floor based on the view out of the windows. It seemed that the shrine-maiden-like Pleiades noticed that Issei and Yuri were holding hands instantly upon glancing at the two, and she let out a surprised sound. "Ara?"
"Hi, Aureole-san. Thanks for receiving us. Ahem, sorry for not giving you a heads-up but I'm here on a date with Yuri-san…" Issei felt slightly awkward as Aureole seemed to have adopted a 'ufufu?' pose complete with a mischievous, cheerful expression on her face and a hand on her lips as if to hold herself back.
"Ara, ara… Of course, my lord. Do enjoy yourself. The Cherry Blossom Sanctuary is, as always, open for you two." Aureole had a faint blush as she got up and the human-like girl in the shrine-maiden outfit skipped out of the room. Or would have done so if Yuri hadn't stopped her.
"Ahem… Aureole-nee, um, do you have that… thing… that I may have once mentioned?" Yuri blushed quite hard as Aureole sent her a knowing look, followed by a 'ara-ara?' that seemed to shatter Yuri's remaining calm and cause her to look to the side while shaking in embarrassment.
"Of course, with my lord's blessing-" Aureole turned to glance at Issei who nodded back, unsure of what Yuri was talking about but feeling as if she wasn't doing anything too outrageous.
"In that case, I'll be back in a moment." Aureole sat down on seiza-pose next to the door, bowed towards Issei, slid the sliding door open and withdrew from the room while closing the door as if the scene was from some edo-period drama.
"Wanna tell me what that 'thing' is or am I in for a surprise?" Issei asked as his curiosity peaked.
"It's… well…" Yuri blushed a bit.
"Don't worry. Anyway, do you want to sit for a while? It's pretty outside." Issei motioned towards the second-floor balcony which showed the cherry trees all around the 'sanctuary's buildings.
The railing was quite low while the balcony was clearly intended for lazing around and sightseeing, so Issei took a seat on one of the cushions on the balcony while Yuri sat down a bit nervously… And chose to sat on a cushion next to Issei.
And then slowly, almost experimentally, Yuri leaned her shoulder a bit on Issei's.
Issei responded by tying his arm around Yuri's shoulders after freezing up a bit in order to fight off the phantom image of Raynare, and Yuri leaned in towards him a bit more.
The moment seemed to prolong a bit and he looked at Yuri after a while, only to see that she was blushing quite hard while looking at him with quite an odd expression on her face.
Issei was stuck staring at Yuri for a while as her beauty once again hit him in the 'Beast-Ise' part of his brain and forced him to concentrate on reigning it in, all the while Yuri looked like she'd start steaming at any second while she looked like she was drunk. Or rather perhaps she looked as if she was dreaming while awake, and it looked like her earlier hesitations had seemingly evaporated completely.
Yuri leaned a bit towards Issei, and Issei found himself leaning a bit towards her…
Issei opened his mouth a bit, although he wasn't sure what for, while Yuri opened her mouth just slightly and gulped nervously…
"I have brought the item… Ara? Oh my, I apologize, my lord." A spirited speech turned to an odd mixture of playfulness and surprise, and caused Yuri and Issei to jump a bit as they realized that Aureole had returned with a bottle, a tray and a small wooden table of sorts in her carry. "Ara, ara… How bold. Would you prefer if I left and you two to continued-"
"No, it's alright. Ahem, what is that, Aureole-san?" Issei found it quite hard to think, even with his undead 'post nut state', and resisted the urge to shake his head to clear it because he was fairly sure it'd be misinterpreted. 'W-what just happened? W-wasn't that, erm, t-that was, it- um, I… Yuri, she… it looked as if she'd…'
"It… I figured that it'd be nice to have some sake and watch the cherry trees…" Yuri blushed quite madly while looking away, all the while Aureole was chuckling quietly to her hand. "Ahem, that is, I heard that it can lead to, ahem…"
"My, how bold, Yuri-nee. Well then, in that case I'll excuse myself." Aureole put the tray and table down, poured some of the liquid into the wooden cups, and left in the same edo-era appropriate manner as she had before.
'Wait, Yuri-san, don't tell me you forgot that I'm a skeleton and that's going to cause a huge mess?' Issei realized that Yuri's plan, while fairly good under normal circumstances, would run into troubles with Issei's new body.
Moreover, now that Issei looked at the sake, it practically oozed something really bad. It was somewhat similar to the feeling he had gotten from the ice-cream that the Pleiades had prepared for him, and Issei felt as if he'd die if he drank the sake… Not to mention that he'd probably also stain his new clothes.
However, as Yuri picked up the wooden cups and offered one to Issei, he found it difficult to raise his concerns and took the offered cup.
"A-ahem, this sake contains Negative Energy and therefore is something that I've heard Undead are capable of consuming, and since Issei-kun is undead, like I am, I figured that… well, um…" Yuri looked like she was running low on courage as she was blushing and staring down at her cup while turning it in her hands.
"I see… In that case I look forward to it. Would you like it if we went back to the balcony to drink?" Issei bought time in order to think about how to avoid the impending disaster involving sake-stained clothes.
"Ah… Yes, that'd be nice." Yuri looked like she was buying time as well.
Issei's nonexistent brain noted that, technically, he was still a 'minor' when it came to alcohol consumption age limitations of Japan, and wondered internally if that could be an excuse to avoid the mess. However the notification was taken down by the rest of Issei's brain as it noted that the situation was well outside Japanese law's jurisdiction, not to mention that it didn't look like the people of Nazarick would care much for it in the first place.
However… The part of his head that was still in fairly high-strung after the training session with Cocytus reminded him of an ability he had discovered- the 'Inventory'.
'Cocytus-san said that it was like 'stashing away' something or 'putting it away', and I put that katana into my 'inventory' by 'putting it aside', so technically…' Issei's brain pat itself in the back as it realized that there was a way out- A trial by fire, so to speak, of his new ability to store things since if he failed he'd end up ruining the date. But since the alternative was to shoot down Yuri's suggestion of drinking with her, he decided to go for the do-or-die.
Yuri sat down on the cushion next to Issei and was cradling her cup. "Um, that is… About what happened before Aureole-san brought this…"
Issei was already mentally halfway in saying 'don't worry about it' before he realized that it could be seen as a rejection, and instead bought time by drinking some of the sake in his hand- And he only barely remembered that he needed to 'stash' it away after it had passed through his skeletal jaw as he was distracted by what Yuri had brought up.
A single panicked 'gulp' later Issei froze a bit as he realized that he had just jumped off the metaphorical bridge without thinking much, which in turn didn't really surprise him as he had never been blessed with foresight. However, since he hadn't felt the liquid splash on his chest, he realized that the 'stashing' to his 'Inventory' had worked.
And if Issei concentrated enough, he realized that he had something called 'Darkness-Infused Sake' stored somewhere, like if he had a list in the back of his head.
Issei drank the rest of the sake, glad that something had worked for him ability-wise.
"Ah, it's good. The drink, that is." Issei felt a faint tingle on his teeth in an oddly refreshing way and realized that Yuri might have been expecting some sort of answer. "And about what happened just now… did you dislike it?"
"No! No, that wasn't- I was… I hope I was not overstepping-" Yuri looked like she'd keel over from rising embarrassment and panic and did as Issei had done just now- Drink the sake to buy time and calm down. "Cough… ah… About that, actually I was thinking that maybe if I drank some of this then- um- n-nevermind?"
"Yeah?" Issei didn't get what Yuri was saying and prodded a bit while shaking the empty wooden cup in his hands. "I meant it, it's good. Thanks for introducing me to this."
"Ah, t-that's good to hear, um…" Yuri looked like she was unsure what to do. And then she shuffled just a tiny bit closer to Issei.
"Do you want to continue where we left off?" Issei's 'Beast-Ise' slipped partially off its chains for a moment as 'Issei Proper' was stuck trying to figure out how to salvage the situation as it was starting to get a bit awkward.
"..." Yuri froze a bit, making Issei freeze internally as well, and then Yuri nodded barely perceivably. A slight motion like that would have likely completely passed over Issei's head just a few days ago, back when he was in his 'devil' body, but with his current state it was not particularly hard for him to concentrate enough to notice that sort of thing.
Issei realized that the two of them had stayed still for a while without either making a move, and he steeled his courage, fully determined to end the date in a good note instead of replicating 'Raynare 2.0: Stab to the heart in a psychological sense instead of literal'.
However, as soon as Issei leaned towards Yuri and she opened her mouth just slightly while looking a bit up so that their heights matched, he realized a myriad of small and big problems that became increasingly worrying the more he thought about it. One being a self-conscious worry that his breath stank after the sake, and the second and biggest being that he remembered he didn't have lips.
The mood of the moment overtook those ponderings, though, as 'Beast-Ise' snapped what few mental chains were left holding it back, and Issei leaned down to push his teeth against Yuri's lips.
"...Mh…" Yuri let out a small sound and kissed Issei's skeletal teeth in turn, making Issei's head blank out, not from the pleasure of touch as he couldn't really feel it, but rather from the significance of the act.
.
.
Yuri wasn't sure what she was supposed to feel as she felt as if her stomach was doing cartwheels inside her body, all the while her head felt sluggish and oddly liberated after she had let her hair down, both physically and metaphorically, and let herself discover and expose her unprofessional side.
The idea to visit the Eighth Floor had been highly impulsive and based off the brief conversation between Aureole, Yuri and Solution about the latter two's acting around the Supreme Being, with Aureole offering Yuri some of the Darkness-Infused Sake during the 'conversation' that was more like a small lecture from the adorable if quite concerned youngest sister of the Pleiades.
Yuri had figured that perhaps Issei-kun would like to have a taste of that as well, albeit a rational part of her mind reminded her that her lord would likely know the sake and had likely sampled it plenty of times, but the inexperienced and unprofessional maiden-like side of Yuri had not listened to the rational thought and had gone ahead with the idea.
It looked like it had been a good idea since Lord Issei seemed to have liked the drink. Not to mention that Yuri had an ulterior motive with the invitation- Namely to drink something to hopefully get a psychological 'relaxation' from it since alcohol wouldn't be able to get an undead drunk, and after she was in a relaxed mood, then perhaps she could have… attempted something.
However, even if her half-thought half-dreamed up plan had not worked out as she had thought… It had resulted in something.
That something being Lord Issei kissing Yuri in the balcony of the Cherry Blossom Sanctuary.
Yuri's head spun.
The whole idea was utterly bizarre, and something that Yuri would have normally delegated to the realm of dreams and delusions… But it had happened either way.
Yuri leaned into the kiss while Lord Issei reached to hug her close, making Yuri let out a small, maidenlike moan. "Mh…"
It looked as if that had signaled Lord Issei to go ahead as he reached to run his hand down Yuri's back and then to her thigh, causing her head to go blank that her delusions would turn to reality.
She leaned back as Lord Issei leaned forward, causing the two of them to topple over to the balcony's many cushions.
Yuri had closed her eyes as she struggled to comprehend the situation, all the while Lord Issei kept the kiss between her lips and his teeth going, followed by him opening his mouth just slightly.
When Lupusregina had started to explain all sorts of lewd things after Yuri had asked for help on the date, she had taken the lewd explanations as just the playful werewolf playing a regular prank on Yuri… But now she realized that Lupusregina hadn't been playing a prank and it had been actual advice.
'I'm sorry that I doubted you, Lupu-nee…' Yuri thought while she reached to deepen the kiss by adding her tongue into it, trying her hardest to remember what Lupusregina had said about such things even though thinking was getting increasingly hard for her.
[Emotion Suppression] activated for Yuri, causing the haze in her head to slightly wane but it was nowhere near strong enough to cause her to snap out of it. Not when Lord Isse was running his hand up Yuri's stomach… And then reach to touch her breasts.
"Ahn… haa… Issei-kun… Yes…" Yuri's 'sensible' side that was somewhat revived by the [Emotion Suppression] pointed out that she was acting too familiar and lewd, but the thought was like a whimper during a typhoon, easily ignored and pushed aside.
Yuri's body shook and bent to a bow out of shock as Lord Issei fondled her chest while she kissed him, all the while his other hand had gone inside Yuri's skirt and was holding her butt.
The sharp bones might have been uncomfortable if Yuri's body wasn't reinforced by her levels, but as it was she could only feel incredible elation from the gentle touch- Not to mention that it was incredibly lewd.
Yuri felt odd pressure, as if she was about to burst, and was about to alert Lord Issei to it… Before she realized that it was something that Lupusregina had explained with a smirk. That was, the feeling of being hot and bothered.
Yuri took a deep breath into the kiss and she tied her hands around Lord Issei's back and put one of her hands against the back of his skull to push it against her lips, at the same time as she pushed her body against Lord Issei's chest.
It looked as if Yuri's initiative was causing an effect on Lord Issei as well, as he reached to pull Yuri's sweater up so that it exposed her midriff, and Yuri's legs opened as if on instinct as Lord Issei adjusted himself so that he was laying on top of her
Yuri felt as if her non-beating heart would burst out of her chest as she realized through the haze in her head what might happen soon, and felt as if her normally deathly-cold skin would burst into fire from the feeling that the thought imbued on her.
Lord Issei reached to grab Yuri's skirt and slowly slid it downwards while stroking her hip with the motion, making Yuri moan in an utterly lewd way before she even realized she was capable of such a sound.
She realized that the sound might have been unsightly so she opened her eyes and looked into Lord Issei's red orbs, and felt reassured as Lord Issei was looking at her while his burning red eyes were calm and dim, showing his superior experience and calm while Yuri was blushing and moaning like a innocent maiden- Something that she realized she was, just as Lupusregina had pointed out.
The kiss broke for a moment, during which Yuri closed her eyes, and Lord Issei reached to push his teeth against the side of Yuri's neck, making her turn her head a bit to allow Lord Issei better access to the spot where her head connected to her body.
Yuri moaned loudly as she clutched to Lord Issei with almost desperate fervor while he kissed the side of her neck and caressed her exposed hip.
The sweater she wore felt stifling, and Yuri pulled it up even more to allow her underwear to show and to allow Lord Issei to touch her breasts directly.
"Ah- Issei-kun… that… Haahn… Yes, touch me, please, more…" Yuri opened her eyes as she felt that Lord Issei reached to slide her skirt down lower and then placed his hand on her exposed thigh...
Yuri's eyes opened while her head was turned to the side-
'
D̵̚͠E̷͊̀AT̸H̶̾͋
̴̲̌̍͝Ḅ̵̢̃A̷͖͕̗̒͊D̵̵͑̽̀̈́̈́ E̶̜̎́͘Ṇ̸͉̅̋D̵̑͌
̷̩͒̃
Yuri froze utterly still, terrified of what she saw.
Since Yuri was laying on the cushions while looking to the side she saw into the room that led to the balcony. And more specifically, she saw that the room was utterly dark with all lights turned off.
Moreover, it looked as if there were bloodstains on the thin paper walls of the room, clearly stained from the hallway-side of the room as if a murder had happened there.
The sliding door leading into the room was slightly open.
The small opening showed a baleful yellow eye and black hair on a silky-white face, even if more than half of the face was obscured behind the sliding door, hiding the expression of the observer sans the insane and wide-open eye that looked like it was staring right into Yuri's very soul.
The single, yellow and bestial eye was terrifying, and Yuri felt as if her undead immunity to [Fear] strained and buckled under the onslaught.
It was as if her soul was cracking under the pressure while her body had rebelled against her head and caused it to stop functioning, freezing still like a corpse undergoing rigor mortis.
"Hm? Ah- sorry, I must have gone overboard-" Lord Issei noticed that Yuri had frozen and lifted himself off her slightly. "Yuri? What's wrong?"
Yuri turned her head towards Lord Issei, utterly terrified and opened her mouth to say something, a warning-
But it was too late.
Yuri felt as her head fell off her shoulders.
