Life.3 It's a Start

That morning,

"Yo, Issei."

Issei Hyoudou walked out of the gates of his home with a weary expression.

"Hey, Kazuhiro…"

He sighed, greeting the youth who possessed hair with a darker shade of brown than his.

"I heard about the past three days from Rias-senpai. It must be nice, watching anime and reading manga with your clients. It's too bad the contracts became invalid."

"Geez, she really told you everything? How embarrassing… You had Riser-san help me out and everything."

"How'd that go, by the way? He won't tell me."

Issei shrugged his shoulders as the two began to walk.

"He just took me around town while answering my questions about Devils and the Underworld."

"Seriously?"

Kazuhiro grimaced.

"Hey, I learnt a lot of things! Though, he forgot to mention the fact that I'd be riding a bicycle to the client's house."

"Oh, crap. I should've told you about that. You didn't have much demonic power, even for a newly reincarnated Devil, so of course you can't teleport…"

The figurehead of the Perverted Trio hung his shoulders.

"Are you saying my power level is that low…"

"Yeah, even Saji could teleport for his first contract. Though the height was off so he ended up on the roof. Atleast, that's what he told me."

Letting out a weary sigh, Issei found himself being pat on the back hard enough to straighten his posture.

"Chin up, Hyoudou. You've still got a ways to go. I might not be able to brief you better than Riser-san and Rias-senpai, but I'll try my best in other things. Maybe I can help you get strong enough so you can use a teleportation circle, atleast."

Kazuhiro stuck his hand into his pocket.

"Until then, you can use these."

He took out several sheets of paper.

For a moment, they looked empty, however—

As Issei took them, a magic circle appeared on them.

It looks different from Buchou's magic-circle…

"Well, it'll take a bit of getting used to. You just need to concentrate on where you want to go and put your power into it, it should teleport you there. In the case of clients, you can just put this on Rias-senpai's teleportation circle in the clubroom and it'll work just fine."

"Wow, thanks! Man, I really owe you a lot, don't I?"

"Nah, you don't, this much is nothing…"

Kazuhiro looked off.

My carelessness led to all of this in the first place, this is the least I could do.

As the two walked, Kazuhiro noticed Issei stealing glances at him.

Like he was wanting to say something.

Scratching his cheek, he tilted his head.

"Is there something on my face, Hyoudou?"

"Eh? Ah, oh… My bad."

The two youths chuckled.

"I don't know how to put it any better, but…"

"What's bothering you?"

Opening the zipper on his bag, Kazuhiro took out a bottle of water and leaned against a nearby shed as he began to drink it.

"Well, about the night you took over giving away leaflets…"

"What? That's nothing. I just didn't want you to run around just because you couldn't use demonic power all that well, it didn't seem right."

"No, not about that. Well, I suppose I'll get to the point."

After clearing his throat, Issei looked right at him.

"Are you and Akeno-san…seeing each other?"

Kazuhiro turned away as he did a spit-take, staining the nearby wall.

After coughing several times, he wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

"Geez, man. You got reincarnated as a Devil and that's what's bothering you?!"

"Ah, so you are!"

"No!"

"Eh? Wait, is she a booty call?"

"She's not my girlfriend so you go straight to sex friends? Man, you really are perverted!"

"Answer the question!"

After Issei punches him lightly on the shoulder, Kazuhiro sighs and looks off.

"We're really not in any kind of relationship. Though that's what she wants everyone to think, I'd rather not get involved with anyone like that for now…"

Issei chuckled.

"Man, I almost feel bad for her. She talks about you all the time. I heard from Kiba that she was the one that recommended Rias to have you help me adjust."

Ah, so it was her.

A nerve popped on Kazuhiro's head as well as on his fist.

"She just has 'that look' when she talks about you, you know? I'd hit that."

"Of course you would. She's popular for a reason. Though, I'll hit you if you do that."

Issei smiled wryly.

"Now you're just confusing me. You do like her, right?"

"Well, yeah,"

Kazuhiro ran his hand along the back of his neck and frowned.

"But not in that way, you know? Akeno-senpai is someone that can get along with anyone she wants to. She's nice, so of course I like her."

Issei chuckled, pointing at him while clicking his tongue.

"So just a friend, I got it. For now… Though I've played a lot of eroges, so I'll help you out to return the favor."

"Ah, no. No way. The last thing I need is dating advice from a guy like you."

"Oh, come on—"

Issei suddenly stopped, frozen in his tracks.

Noticing it, Kazuhiro furrowed his brow, examining his face.

Following his gaze, he found a solitary figure in the middle of the street in front of them.

Wearing deep navy colors, the Sister walked while holding a note, furrowing her brow while rubbing her chin.

It was obvious from the cross on her habit and the rosary hanging from her neck, she had the appearance of a bona-fide nun.

Did I get that rusty?

Kazuhiro clicked his tongue mentally, wanting to hit himself for not noticing her presence sooner.

This is bad news… Crap… Buchou told me about this… I'm gonna get exorcised.

Issei was sweating bullets, trying to get his breathing under control.

Seeing this, Kazuhiro took out something from his pocket and slipped it into his coat.

For a brief moment, a purplish blue aura covered Issei's body.

He turned to find the dark haired youth mouthing the words 'play it off'.

Fixing his posture, the two continued walking, intent on passing by the Sister while avoiding her path.

Two steps.

Three steps.

The pair walked by the Sister, still focused on the note she held.

"Those bastards. They really only gave me a list of what they wanted me to go out and buy. Now I'm lost, wonderful. They could've at least given me directions…"

At that distance, they overheard her voice.

Italian. Shit…

However, of the two, only Issei understood what she said.

He turned back to Kazuhiro, who was shaking his head.

"I think she's lost, Kazuhiro."

"Is she now? My bad, I can't… Wait, why should we even care? Just keep walking..! We need to make as much distance as possible..!"

"Ehhh? I have a bad feeling of letting a beauty like that get lost, what if she runs into shady people?"

"She's a nun..!"

"Exactly!"

They spoke in a low tone while they walked, Issei leaning in so Kazuhiro could hear him better.

Kazuhiro glances over his shoulder, clenching his teeth as he watches her walk away.

He turned back to the newly reincarnated youth and sighed at his attempt at puppy-dog eyes.

Holding his forehead, he sighs and turns around.

"Fine. Fine! But you'll have to do the talking, I can't understand a nick of Italian."

"Eh, seriously? I thought…"

"Well, I'm only half, so every now and then I run into 'issues'."

Fixing his bag, he gestures with his head for Issei to follow him.

As he got closer, he sighed and was about to place his hand on her shoulder.

For a moment, Kazuhiro found the world spinning as his vision began to tilt rapidly.

"Uwah, Kazuhiro!"

Issei's words were the last thing he heard before he blacked out.

Part 1

Issei watched as the nun grabbed Kazuhiro's arm and threw him so hard that a crater was formed on the ground.

He could've sworn that her pupils disappeared for a moment, and her breath was so intense that steam was coming out of the edges of her lips.

However, in the next moment, the bishoujo face that he had almost fallen for at first sight returned as she placed a hand over her mouth.

Their eyes met as she looked over to him and stood up.

"Oh my, is that your friend? Were you trying to hit on me? I've heard about boys hitting on foreigners in this country to try and take advantage of them."

Issei scratched his cheek.

"Y-Yeah. He is. We were just trying to help you out since you looked lost, ehehehe…"

"My bad. Though, I didn't expect to find someone speaking my tongue so fluently in this land. I'm relieved."

She placed a hand on her chest and smiled.

Issei held himself from squinting due to the bright radiance she was giving off.

S-She's an Angel..! This is an attack, right? I feel like my soul is stinging from how pure she is..!

While Issei was lost I thought, the nun knelt down and started poking Kazuhiro.

His face was contorted in a mix of shock and pain, and his eyes had rolled back, causing only the whites of his eyes to be visible.

As his entire body jerked back to life, his pupils reappeared as he flipped upwards.

The nun's eyes widened, instinctively raising her hand.

Though, the moment he landed, his posture was wobbly as he placed a hand on his head while the other held his umbrella still.

Crap, how long was I out for..?

Falling on one knee, he still held his head.

Was I attacked? No, it happened too fast. What exactly did she do?

Kazuhiro looked up and stared at her intensely, a gesture she returned as she stood up and clenched a fist behind her back.

"W-Whoa, Kazuhiro! Calm down! It was all a misunderstanding..!"

Issei got in between their glares while waving his hands.

—.

"Self-defense, huh? Is that what they teach in abbeys these days?"

After Kazuhiro spoke, Issei 'translated' his words to the nun.

"Ah, yes. Of course! Us Sisters also need a means to defend ourselves when necessary. It was all a misunderstanding, I thought you were about to assault me."

Likewise, Issei relayed her words to Kazuhiro who couldn't understand.

He rubbed his chin, then winced as the pain on his head returned.

Explaining the situation, the two of them set Kazuhiro down in the nearby shed.

His eyes widened as he found the nun kneeling down and reaching her hand out.

"May I?"

Kazuhiro looked towards Issei, who passed on her words.

"What are you doing?"

"Just close your eyes and trust me."

With a sigh, he nodded towards the nun who then placed both hands on his head.

FLASH!

Issei felt the wind blowing as the emeralds in her earrings began to shine after she closed her eyes.

A similar light appeared where her hands were, causing Kazuhiro to open his eyes in surprise.

He felt a warmth, almost like a motherly embrace, enveloping him.

It made him feel like he was in the safest place in the world.

Slowly but surely, he was forgetting—nay, the pain itself was disappearing.

The emerald glow spread to his entire body, outlining his silhouette.

As the light faded and the Sister dusted herself after straightening her posture, both of them sat and stood still, petrified.

Kazuhiro felt revitalized, as if he had never been injured at all.

He looked up to find her putting a finger on her lips.

"Try to keep this a secret, okay?"

Issei and he shared a glance, both thinking the same thing.

[[Sacred Gear..!]]

After everything was clarified, Asia accepted their help and so the two guided her towards where she was supposed to go—

"So you're telling me, the place she was looking for, was this?"

Kazuhiro, Issei, and the nun—who introduced herself as Asia A. Strada, all stood in front of a certain establishment.

Due to the time of the day, the sign that read 'Hatch Potch' wasn't illuminated.

Kazuhiro audibly swallowed.

"Yeah, no mistaking it. The stuff on her list is straight from the menu."

He ran his hand across his face.

"Well, let's just get this over with."

He nods to Issei who explains to Asia, and the trio head inside.

The bell that hung by the door rang as Kazuhiro opened the door, raising his guard and instinctively placing his bag over his groin as he looked from left to right.

"Ah, welcome~"

—?

A familiar voice reached his ear, causing him to turn abruptly towards the source.

He was frozen like a deer in headlights, Asia and Issei entering shortly after and appearing at his side.

"Ah—"

Likewise, the person who greeted him was also petrified.

Wearing a waitress uniform with an empty tray tucked underneath her left arm, was—

"Akeno…senpai?"

"Kazu…kun?"

Hatch Part 2

The three sat on a table silently.

Issei and Asia exchanged glances as they stared at Kazoo, who had barely touched the glass of water in front of him while looking pale.

"So…yeah. I might have forgotten to mention that part, sorry."

Issei was the first one to speak.

"...it's fine."

Kazuhiro sighed, rubbing his forehead.

He looked around and spotted a familiar raven-haired beauty serving customers.

The waitress outfit suited her, he thought.

More than he wanted to admit.

Crap.

Turning away after their eyes met, he placed a hand beside his face as he looked down on the glass.

"Well, I'll put in the order for takeout, but we should also eat some grub while we're here. You'll love the Classic, trust me."

"Ah, of course. I'll have to take your word for it."

Asia gives Issei the sheet of paper she held, taking a glance towards Kazuhiro who looked like he was about to have a mental breakdown.

"I'll uh… I'll be back, you guys just order whatever for me."

Standing up from his seat to go somewhere, he nearly walked right into someone.

Grey eyes met purple ones, before both looked away.

"Um… Hi."

"H-Hello, Kazu-kun."

Kazuhiro ran his hand along the back of his neck while Akeno covered the lower half of her face with the tray she held.

Cutting off the awkward silence by clearing his throat, Kazuhiro decided to move aside.

"I think Hyoudou would like to order something, so I'll get out of your hair."

"Ah, I see… Umm—"

"L-Let's talk later, okay?"

Kazuhiro hurried away from the table, leaving Akeno with Issei and Asia.

As if snapping out of a trance, Akeno's mouth was agape for a few moments as she spotted the nun that sat beside her junior—both as a student and as a Devil.

With a face that gave off the impression of a mother seeing their child doing something bad, she placed a hand on her cheek while Issei scratched the back of his head.

"Hello there, Ise-kun."

The youth who was named audibly swallowed as he shakily raised the sheet of paper he held.

Meanwhile, Kazuhiro made his way at the bar and sat down on one of the stools, leaning in slightly.

The person behind the bar wore a uniform befitting a bartender and had her hair split into two parts and crossed over her head, secured with a headband.

It was her—Akane Faulkner's, usual appearance.

"Akane-san."

"Ah, hello there, Kazu-chan."

As if on cue, the older of the Faulkner siblings placed down a glass of milk.

"Don't 'hello there' me! Why didn't you tell me that Akeno-senpai was working here?"

"Ara, I don't remember you asking."

She rubbed her chin.

Kazuhiro sighed.

"Actually, it was my idea."

A voice chimed in from an uncomfortable distance, causing Kazuhiro to turn behind him in a hurry while raising his guard.

"Shinko-senpai."

"I wanted to hang out with her more after classes, so I suggested that she work here. Telling her that you worked here definitely helped. We needed more people while you were recovering, but someone filled in before her, so she ended up on an earlier shift."

Damn it, I go away for a few days and everything gets turned upside down?! I shouldn't have exerted myself so much…

He turns and glances towards Akeno who stood by Issei's table, in conversation.

How am I going to explain this to the old man? That doting father would kill me…

"Wait, what do you mean someone filled in before her?"

Then, his eyes widened and he recoiled as a person wearing a mask appeared beside him all of a sudden.

She wore the same waitress uniform that Akeno and Shinko did, possessing snow white hair while wearing a kitsune mask with its lower half missing.

Due to the fact that her usual pair of ears in addition to the mask's was gone, as well as the tails that usually protruded from her rear, Kazuhiro almost didn't recognize her until he took a second look.

"What the—Mikazuki-san?"

"H-Hello, child—I mean, Kazuhiro."

While clicking her tongue, Shinko moved her raised finger from left to right.

"Mikazuki-kun, that's no way to talk to your senior~"

"Ah, right. My bad, Shinko-senpai, I meant to say Kazuhiro…senpai."

The goddess of the moon touched the tips of her fingers while slightly turning away.

"What are you saying to a goddess..?! More importantly, what are you doing here?"

Turning her masked visage towards Kazuhiro, Mikazuki straightened her posture.

"I… I wanted to be more useful to you. All this time, you've been working alongside protecting the town. If I can lighten your burdens in any way I can, then I'll take it."

"Ah, that isn't necessary. Kazu-chan is the type of person that can handle whatever you throw at him. I do appreciate the help, though."

The one who responded was Akane, causing Kazuhiro to sigh.

You've only known me for a year, Akane-san.

After running his hand through his face—

"Oiiii, newbie! If you've got time to talk to that waste of flesh, you've got time to serve tables!"

Hitting her on the back of her head, Mikazuki turned around to find her inugami senior fuming.

"Ah, apologies. I'll get back to work."

Bowing to Ran, to Akane, then to Kazuhiro and Shinko, Mikazuki left without another word.

Waste of flesh, really?

As he thought that, Ran's gaze—or rather, her glare, snapped back towards him for a moment before she also left.

"I, I'll go back to my table."

With a grimace, Kazuhiro sat down with Issei and Asia while intertwining his fingers in front of his face.

Man, you look away for a couple seconds and…all hell's broken loose.

From his seat, he watched as Akeno and Mikazuki got to work as waitresses, until their orders arrived.

True to his words, Issei ordered burgers for himself and Asia for dine-in, along with the rest of the menu items on her list for takeout.

The one who put down their order was, of course, Akeno.

Following suit behind her, Mikazuki carried two paperbags filled with the takeout and placed it on the floor beside Issei.

Kazuhiro and Akeno exchanged wry smiles before averting their eyes, not noticing that the nun had been watching their interactions carefully.

Asia was snapped out of it, her serious expression vanishing without a trace, as Issei nudged her slightly with his elbow.

"Hey, princess. You can eat this by taking the wrap off like this."

"Ah, yes. I know how to eat a burger, but I appreciate the gesture."

"Oh, ah… Hehe…"

Issei scratched the back of his head.

On the other hand, Kazuhiro furrowed his brow slightly.

What did he say?

Looking towards Issei, his vision grew hazy for a moment.

What…is that?

The words echoed in his mind.

However, they were…different.

"You ever eaten one before? The Classic tastes really good, trust me!"

"Okay, first to unwrap it like this, then you take a huge bite! We're both kids, so we can't even make a dent, but if we practice a lot, we can do it like adults!"

He rubbed his eyes slightly, before they widened at the sight before him.

"Kazu-kun?"

Akeno put a hand on his shoulder, but his gaze remained fixed and distant.

She followed his eyes towards Asia and Issei, who were idly chatting about food.

However, that was not at all what he was seeing;

A little boy with unruly brown hair sat beside another boy who was about his age.

His hair was a strange color, being a white color with a bit of black at the roots.

However, his face was…

What?

In place of the second boy's face, was a mosaic of pixels that shifted constantly, like a glitch.

"Wow, you were right! It tastes so good, Ise!"

He couldn't make out their face, but their voice definitely sounded like a young boy's.

"That's the spirit, eat as much as you want!"

"Hey!"

Kazuhiro turned towards the source of the new voice.

That was when Akeno saw it.

His eyes were shining with a pale white light.

She recoiled slightly, while Mikazuki, who was not far beside her, froze in place.

Rather than seeing Akeno standing to his side, he watched as the figure of a little girl approached the table and slammed her hands on it before getting on the seat beside him.

" is the one who saved Ran and me, so why are you eating the food I had papa and mama treat him to as well, Ise?!"

She had black hair extending just bellow her neck, her red eyes beaming behind a pair of round glasses.

"Yeah, Ise, I'm telling Gorou-ojiisan and Miki-obasan on your ass!"

Another little girl followed the first one.

She had short chestnut-colored hair, tied into a single short ponytail behind her head.

Before he could focus on their appearances any further, he felt a sting of pain assault his head.

What the…

He held his head, his eyes twitching erratically as he looked down.

His entire body shook as he found himself falling forward, only being stopped as he put his hand on the table.

—.

Oi, snap out of it.

A reflection of his face was on the glass of water.

He furrowed his brow as he heard a strange voice that wasn't familiar to him once more.

Taking a closer look, he noticed a fatal detail about the reflection.

It seemed to be his face at first, but upon looking closer,

You're not supposed to be here, kiddo. Wake the hell up.

'His face' that was in the glass, having light grey hair instead of his usual blackish dark brown, moved closer on its own and 'spoke'.

Kazuhiro stood up abruptly, surprising Akeno, Mikazuki, Issei, and most of the people that were in Hatch Potch at that time.

For a moment, the pale light that seemed to cover his eyes vanished as he became aware of his surroundings.

"Kazu-kun?"

"Akeno-senpai? What… What am I..?"

Losing his balance, he placed his hands on her shoulder, causing her to hold them in return as he nearly stumbled.

"Are you okay? Hey!"

Issei also stood up.

Kazuhiro turned back towards the table as his eyes flashed white once again, his migraine returning along with it as he saw the children and the interior of the Hatch Potch covered in a strange dark fog once again.

It's alright.

His eyes widened as the child with a distorted face stopped talking to the other three children and turned towards him.

Putting down his half eaten burger, he gently pulled his seat back and stood up from the table.

Everything will be alright.

At that moment, Kazuhiro's eyes, now lacking the pale white light covering them, completely dulled.

He limped up completely, catching Akeno off-guard.

Fortunately, he was caught by Mikazuki who was nearby.

She laid him down on the floor, cradling his head in her lap as she held its sides, a cool pale blue light shining from her hands.

Issei came to his side, Shinko who rushed over kneeling down opposite to him.

Tears.

From his dull eyes that didn't seem like they were looking anywhere in particular, came tears.

"Shin-chan."

—?!

Shinko's pupils dilated after hearing that word. While Issei confusingly glanced between her and Kazuhiro.

Those words,

She hadn't heard them in nearly ten years.

Hatch Part 2-1

"What was that?"

"I… I don't know."

"It sure looked like your Authority."

"That, it did."

Mikazuki sipped the iced tea through a straw.

She had taken off her mask, letting it rest on the bar beside her drink.

Covering the upper half of her face, particularly her eyes, were several layers of black bandages.

Opposite to her, the bartender eyed her suspiciously.

"It's weakening."

"It was bound to happen, especially since I let him use it so liberally."

"Then maybe you shouldn't have told me to make him aware of the Contract."

"No, this is needed. I just know it. To survive in this world, he can't do it alone."

For a few moments, only silence filled the air.

"You know, we could've explained all of it away with it being cosplay."

"Well, I wanted to try my best to blend in, atleast. It's the best path to avoid anything bad."

Mikazuki, from what was visible of her cheeks, was slightly flustered while Akane chuckled.

Then, she let out a breathy sigh while rubbing her forehead through the bandages.

"How troublesome… I wanted to lighten the burden he was carrying, but now…"

"The floodgates you've placed haven't given out yet. Besides, I'm not worried about that idiot at all. He's tough, he'll work through it. The one I'm more concerned about, of course, is her."

Mikazuki followed Akane, who was cleaning a glass with a towel, her gaze landing upon her younger sister who silently sat on a stool that was on the edge of the bar.

The glass of water that was in front of her had barely been touched as she looked off.

Ditching the straw, Mikazuki drank down the entire glass of iced tea before putting on her half-mask once again.

"Just be gentle. It's time we returned to our regularly scheduled program."

"This is my sister we're talking about."

As Mikazuki resumed her work as a waitress, the only thing she had in her mind was the fate of her Contractor.

Part 3

Several minutes earlier,

Himejima Akeno volunteered herself to carry Kazuhiro into the employee's break room.

Shinko had become shaken,

Issei as well, for reasons that evaded the Queen of Rias Gremory.

She set aside such thoughts and focused on her present situation.

With one of his arms thrown over her shoulder, her strength as a reincarnated Devil made the task of carrying him relatively easy.

In the same regard, Kazuhiro's nature made him no less heavier than even a middle-aged man with a large build.

"Heave-ho… There we go."

In the end, she managed to lay him down on the couch in the break room, folding his arms in so they don't hang off the edge.

Eventually, Akeno found herself drawn to his sleeping face and couldn't help but stare.

Using her hand, she moved several strands of his hair to the side, letting her behold his full visage without obscurity.

She smiled.

Oh, Kazu-kun~ I could watch you like this forever~ You're just so adorable~ So defenseless, like this~!

A tinge of red appeared on her cheeks as she took out her phone from her pocket and began taking pictures of his sleeping face.

Her breathing started to become ragged as she looked at her shots one by one before hugging the phone to herself with a low squeal.

Then, she gasped as she snapped out of her trance.

Oh gosh, what am I doing?! He literally collapsed! I have to..! I have to…

"Shin-chan…"

She was going to walk out of the door to see the situation outside, but his words stopped her.

Akeno's head mechanically turned back towards him.

What?

"Shin…chan. ..ry. I'm sorry…"

Kazuhiro groaned.

I've heard that before… That's, that's what Ise-kun calls Shinko, isn't it?

Her face twisted as a thought crept into her mind.

Shinko told me that their relationship was just… A senior and her junior… But for Kazu-kun to call her that..!

The light in her eyes slowly vanished as a smile crept up her face.

She approached the couch silently.

It creaked slightly under her weight as she straddled him, the twisted smile still upon her face.

You're mine, Kazu-kun… I don't know what happened just now, but I won't let anyone steal you away from me..!

She put one hand on his cheek, turning his head and holding it in place as he groaned slightly.

Licking her lips, she leans forward and puts her face right up to his, the close proximity causing her breaths to grow heavy as her chest heaved.

I definitely won't.

Taking the final step, she used her tongue to wrench open his lips, parting his teeth as well.

Akeno closed her eyes, taking in the feeling of devouring him.

Ever since back then… I wanted to do this…to give you my first, as thanks…

Her tongue wriggled and lashed about inside Kazuhiro's mouth, like a living thing searching for its prey.

Eventually, it found his own and played with it.

CLICK!

A single photo.

Akeno opened her lips, making sure their tongues were intertwined and in full view.

CLICK!

Another—

Akeno took more and more, a seemingly unending stream of pictures being created.

—?!

It was at this point that Kazuhiro's eyes snapped open.

"A-Akeno-senpai?!"

He quickly broke the kiss, pushing her off of him with all his might.

"Aahn, so sudden~"

She sat at the edge of the couch, a single hand on his thigh.

Kazuhiro sat up, holding a hand over his mouth.

"W-What are you doing?"

"What I've always wanted to do, Kazu-kun~"

She tried to lean in for another kiss, but was stopped by Kazuhiro grabbing her shoulders.

"S-Stop! Snap out of it, senpai!"

Lilith! What did you do?!

No response, Kazuhiro's panic grew even more as Akeno pride his arms off of her.

"What's gotten into you, senpai?!"

"Love, of course~"

Pushing herself onto him, she straddled him once more, pushing his body against the couch as she put both of her hands on the wall.

The sight of her massive bust heaving with her disheveled waitress uniform took up most of Kazuhiro's vision as he swallowed audibly.

"W-We can't do this, senpai…"

The blush from Akeno's cheeks vanished as she frowned slightly.

"And why not..?"

"T-This is wrong..! We're junior and senior! B-Besides, I never looked at you like that, I promise..!"

She lowered her head slightly, causing her eyes to be covered in shadow.

For a few tense seconds, Akeno didn't say a word.

However, a smile. The same smile from before, appeared on her face again as she raised her head, as well as her phone.

Now it was Kazuhiro who paled and grimaced at the contents of the screen.

"That's right… It's wrong… Unfortunately, I don't think you have a say in the matter~ So~ This is what we're going to do, my adorable Kazu-kun~"

She cupped his chin.

Kazuhiro's arms slumped down to his sides.

"Ara, so obedient~ I always knew you were a good boy…"

And so, a chaste kiss marked the beginning—

The beginning of Kazuhiro's woes.

Hidden Part 4

Asia Argento entered the abandoned church, the food items she had bought being placed in paper bags that she held in her hand.

"Welcome back."

The one that greeted her was not one of her colleagues. Instead, it was the Fallen Angel with blue hair—.

"Hello, Kalawarner-san."

Asia took one of the paper bags she held and gave it to the Fallen before her.

"Nice! You're a lifesaver, sister."

However, upon seeing her face, Kalawarner furrowed her brow.

"Hmm, did something happen?"

Putting down the rest of the bags on a nearby pew, Asia rubbed her chin.

"I'm going back out, so hold the fort for me. Be sure to give the rest to those children, they're the ones that asked me to buy them in the first place."

"Ah, yeah. Yeah, leave that to me. Again, what happened?"

"Oh, nothing. I think I just stumbled upon something interesting in this otherwise uninteresting town."

She revealed an eerie smile before turning her heel and exiting the Church once more.

Kalawarner, after taking the rest of the paper bags, stared at where Asia had vanished, before making her way to the altar.

Pressing her elbow against a part of the malformed crucifix, the entire back part of the altar began to shift as the piece rotated, revealing a stairway that led further down.

Eventually, she found herself in what seemed like a prison with only a few cells in it.

"Ah, it's the other kind oneechan!"

"Where's the Sister, though?"

In one such cell, were several children.

Seeing their faces, completely unawares, made Kalawarner sigh as she put on a facade and smiled.

"Yeah, yeah. I brought the food that Sister Asia bought for you, so be nice and stay back.

Doing as their told, the children stepped back as she opened the cell and began taking the food out of the bags.

Cries of joy erupted as the children started eating one by one.

Kalawarner exited the cell, her own bag and one other in hand.

To her surprise, her shorter colleague stood there.

"Hey there, shortie."

"Geh, I told you to stop calling me that, Kala."

"Well, here's yours. It's a kid's meal."

"Don't make me laugh!"

With a nerve popping on her forehead, Mittelt snatched the bag that was meant to be hers as Kalawarner chuckled.

The pair sat down on a bench opposite to the cell, watching as the children talked.

"You're hard at work, I see."

"Of course! I'm not the type to laze around, like you."

Kalawarner watched as Mittelt's hands were raised up, making movements with her fingers as thin, string-like light extended towards the cell and into the ears of the children.

After the light retracted, Mittelt sighed.

"It's the least I can do… Atleast this way, they won't suffer, right?"

"The procedure itself is different, though."

"I know that! But…"

"Geez, Raynare is going to be pissed to find out you're tampering with the minds of these kids instead of being on lookout."

Kalawarner took out a hamburger and unwrapped it, letting out a sigh before taking her first bite.

"Kids, huh…"

Mittelt looked towards the children who were still chatting away, having barely touched her food.

"What, don't tell me you're missing them after agreeing to a heist like this?"

"Wha, of course not! They're all grown up, they don't even visit me anymore! Besides, even if I get found out by the higher ups, I'm so detached that they probably won't do anything to those guys."

Kalawarner chuckled at her senior's words.

Indeed, despite appearances, Mittelt has given birth to two children.

"Yeah, let's hope for the best."

The two Fallen Angels looked on with smiles, but their gaze betrayed their sorrow, as the children before them had what was probably their last meals.

Asia Argento

The Witch of Emilia, born and raised in Bologna.

Through rigorous training from the man who adopted her after meeting her by chance, she became a rising star amongst Exorcists rather quickly.

However, after a certain incident, she rebelled against her superiors, killing a Devil that was meant to be released back to his family which was a nobility part of the 72 Pillars.

After being branded a witch, she was found by and came to Kuoh with David Cerro and Siegfreed Sellzen's group under the whims of a certain benefactor that kept Stray Exorcists like them afloat.

However, her own intentions are unknown.

Sorry for the long wait, got swamped by responsibilities. Leave a like, subscribe, and all that shebang.