DISCLAIMER

The following is a fan-based

FICTION

High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.

Please support the official release.

Chapter 24: Safe and Risky

Hyoudou Issei was not sure if this was the best he could get out of his life, or if it was the 'safest' option.

The two different thoughts came to be as soon as he began to train for Grigori. It would be wrong to assume that he regretted any of that- he could tell he was picking up pace at an affordable speed as his instructors have told him and Ddraig had been growing bearable on him. Maybe it was the habit of having him around to sass him up, or perhaps the meditation sessions he had been entertaining for a while had given him a greater mental endurance than the one he had back before he started training his control over the Sacred Gear.

The Boosted Gear was both a boon and a curse- all depending on the user's take on it. Ddraig mentioned that he could easily shift his body to be more akin to a dragon to further expand his current mastery over it. The issue with that option was that it would also change his body radically.

Not appearance-wise, but biologically so. And it would force him to be more secretive about himself with others. Which is why, out of a primordial instinct to protect the thing that made himself... well him, Issei decided to take a different path: the medical boosts provided by Grigori.

Nothing experimental, John had been on the case to not have any researcher send the brunet anything that could be dangerous for his body, and, for as long as he had been taking those, he couldn't see or perceive anything which made him doubt these things were damaging his body.

The point of the shots was to render his body more prone to acclimatize with Ddraig's influence and slowly accept some of the draconic features within his own body, to let those integrate with his human self. He would still be human, but he would retain some dragon-like abilities which normal humans shouldn't have through his connection with the Booster Gear.

Speaking of which, as of recently Issei had been refining his current control over the Scaled Mail form which allowed him to tap into a powerful armor that gave him a greater resilience while using the main Boost feature. Boosting was difficult if used too intensely and too fast. If one doesn't have the body and the energy to handle the backlash, it could be fatal.

Issei was familiar with this after his first day of 'boot camp', where he was told to try and use the Boost at its maximum, only to discover the limit was also followed by a toll on his body which almost crippled him on the spot. The pain was horrible, and yet this was a lesson he would never forget: power he may have in large amounts, but the fact his body lacked control and endurance meant he couldn't use it. It was like having a blast-generating sword and yet being unable to lift it and each misfire would drain on his life force.

So, training was not exactly the wrong option. He knew he needed it and thus he went through with the grueling exercises with little to fuss about.

What really made him feel this was the 'safe option' was more related to his current social life: He had some friends, and he had just recently started to date Asia... in secret. John knew nothing of what the two have been doing, and he definitely wasn't going to know at least until they were marrying. Well, that was the hope Issei had because he didn't need his sensei to break his bones like a mobster would at the news.

He loved Asia the fullest, and while that sounded cheesy, it was the truth. Issei loved the girl, and the girl quite loved him in return with the same intensity. Up to this point, there was no issue with that. The problems started when Irina visited. Irina, his childhood friend, and seemingly close to him despite how many years had gone by since he last saw her.

It would be a lie to say Issei didn't like her back. Irina was active, chirpy, and, despite their different allegiances, quite willing to perhaps pursue a closer relationship. Or that would have been the case if he had allowed her to do so. Yes, Issei was well-aware; it felt odd for someone that still entertained himself with smut at home to be reluctant to pursue a harem. That wasn't really the issue as he still wanted that, but Irina's eagerness was the real cause of hesitation and quick rejection.

He wouldn't mind being in a relationship with multiple girls- heck, he could tell Asia wouldn't mind if she was told about it and given a voice on the matter. She was his girlfriend after all and... the way Irina wanted this so suddenly, without asking Asia first even after Issei told her they were dating, just made him upset.

He could get the need of being lustful, but the way she was so uncaring of Asia to the point of asking for 'secret meetings' ultimately drew him annoyed. Issei may like hot girls, but he didn't like it being the dick about those that loved him. Irina was visibly angry at this, and for a while she pouted her way around when he was nearby. And it made him feel bad.

Should he have been a bit more controlled in his response?

Asia told him no. The young man brought this up to the blonde, and the former nun's response stunned him.

"She was willing to step over you, Ise-kun. Of course, she was doing it more for herself than you," The cute girl suggested. "While it's fair for a girl to ask to be on equal terms, the fact she wanted to force her way into a relationship with you while sidelining me... well, that's rude and wrong."

"S-So I didn't do anything wrong?"

"I think you told her no as nicely as you could have in that situation," Asia answered. "In the end, it felt more like she was out there to be intimate with you and not out of romance."

That made sense to him and considerably lessened his guilt when it came to him. He wanted to still apologize, but felt more entitled to first receive one himself. Issei may not be sure this was the right path, but he could tell this was a good one to take anyway due to how this situation felt, so suspicious and hiding more reasons when it comes to Irina's sudden approach for him.

And he didn't know yet, but he had truly gotten that one right.

Irina felt upset. At herself. Rightfully so, even.

Maybe she was exaggerating a bit with her reaction, but Issei's rejection felt expected and warranted. She had been too quick, too demanding and... too prideful to take the fall when he told her no. He had all the rights to refuse her- her, someone that was his childhood friend but had purposely disregarded the long time they hadn't spent together.

She felt so stupid, but her plan was, as one would know through her predicament, driven by desperation. Irina was a strong believer that sins should be cleansed through good deeds. She had made a mistake, and she wanted to rectify it by shifting that pleasure into building a proper relationship... despite the fact Issei was already with someone. That need to get to him despite that notion had completely shown her how much she was desperate for a solution.

Irina was no idiot and she knew what sex was. She knew that men and women could be together without being 'together' under the eyes of God- well under the eyes of Michael, but that sinful desire that had slowly taken over her was giving her no chance of genuine relief. A quick look on why further explained why she was so into this- puberty was a natural and biological part of life which made people prone to be quite eager for adulthood. And sex was part of that, regardless of which religion or lack of one could be dealing with.

It pained her a lot to even consider it, but it was slowly getting to the point where her religious education mattered very little in her own craving. Part of her wanted to blame the discovery of God's death as a reason on why she was less obedient to his teachings, but Irina knew it was more than just that. She was a young woman with her own needs and, after years of stressing herself being a proficient warrior, she just felt the need to be rewarded properly. Not with a thank you or a pious reward to be used on prayers such as incense and rosaries.

She wanted to screw like a bunny... and yet not.

It was a continuous clash of thoughts in that regard, and she couldn't get any solution or reprieve about it.

Well, that was until she stumbled in quite the sight that changed many things in her current confusing state of mind. She was on her way to her room to catch some rest after her standard patrol when she ended up passing once again by bathroom. The door was supposedly closed whenever someone was using it, especially if it was a matter of showering, but somehow 'due to unexplainable reasons', it was always open.

Was it John? Of course not. The man would never be caught thinking of such a thing. No, the culprit was the cheeky blonde that would try to behave as the most lewd of imps. And in that moment, right as she passed by, someone walked out of it while holding a pair of manly underwear.

Xenovia stopped on the spot, face reddening in embarrassment as she was caught on quite the deed. Wearing just a shirt that was quite sweaty , a pair of underwear where some filled condoms could be seen popping from the edge of John's underwear she had clearly stolen.

There was silence for a moment as both tried to grasp what was going on, but Irina was the one that recovered first and... she sighed. Xenovia frowned as her partner picked one of the condoms, unwrapped it and drank it in front of her.

"Let's go back to our room. I think there is a lot to talk about."

And by talking, things took a very expected turn of events. Xenovia had caught her masturbating with John's underwear, she really got into the smell thing about the used boxers, made a point to wear a pair of used ones most of the time and she may have developed a taste for his cum too. This was, by all means, a most lecherous and yet most 'relieving' discovery which also enabled quite the predictable outcome between those two horny girls.

Sharing the bed, both girls were laying apart from one another by very little, each lost in their own world as they were taking this chance to relieve together in a most perverted and yet refreshing fashion. Irina knew it was wrong, so wrong- but she could at least say that if someone like Xenovia was making less of a fuss than she was, then it couldn't be truly that bad.

The rest of the day passed like that, with them sharing tidbits on what they tried and wanted to try for the next few times spent together. They wouldn't be alone in this, not with how frighteningly new this all felt. And yet, as they seemed to have found some footing to stand on by having someone else to confide with, their hopes to not have to deal with something more than just that were doomed from the very beginning as a certain blonde stood beside the entrance of their room, smiling deviously as she knew her plan was all coming to fruition.

All before being caught by Raynare lazing about her shift and thus setting herself for another round of punishment. Yep, Mittelt's life was going through some ups and downs alright...

AN

Next time, something serious will happen and something that will force John to make a few daunting steps to prevent being discovered by hell while also helping someone around.

P.S. I now have a discord server! Discord .gg/ceBMM2Zz6c

Also Pxtreon: P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin

REVIEW Q&A!

Zhany: Three years ago, he was 24.

Wacko12: Have not reached that point yet.

Asakawa Keiji: There are plans for an EX mini-arc.

Oshinobi Sensei:
1) Merci is open to sharing;
2) May have been too awkward if I went with Satina;
3) Gelbooru. Huge ass is a tag there;
4) I really don't know because it would be so confusing to most of my readers in FFN. Maybe?