The term 'humanity' can mean an attitude, a morality or sentiment of good will toward fellow humans ; it can also mean the collective existence of all humans .
Narrator: "The Humanity of Humans: Philosophy, Science, Health, or Rights? by Robin M. Coupland discusses what comes off as an incredibly sophisticated topic to the intellectual. To the common man, however? It's safe to say that humans are easily the most unique, strangest, craziest things to ever exist on this planet. And Issei Hyoudou, the main character of this little fanfiction story, is definitely one of a kind."
Today was going to be a boring day.
It was bright out when he stepped foot out of his home, with little clouds to be seen in the sky. The wind felt nice on his cheeks, that was for sure, but it didn't do away with the foreboding that today would be boring.
That was the single thought that was running in one particular boy's head as he walked alone to school, eyes staring at nothing in particular as he simply relied on muscle memory to get to his destination. With no walking companion, he was left with random thoughts and simply whistling to occupy his time. Sometimes, he'd notice something interesting (maybe arguing cats, or a cicada, or he'd wave at people he walks pass), though there wasn't much else to be said there.
'Did I finish all my homework?' He thought just for the sake of thinking something. He hummed listlessly, passing by a stray dog. 'Yeah, I'm pretty sure I did. Guess I'll have to tell sensei that she won't be coming today, though.'
He pouted a little, wishing he could stayed back to watch over his friend; a fever is never fun to deal with. He'd had enough run-ins with the darn thing to know that being confined to his bed and forced to eat just porridge sucks a whole heck. Although, Onee-san does make the best food ever, in his opinion.
Just thinking of his older sister gets him to chuckle a little. Like a mother hen, that one is, always fretting over everyone. She may be the oldest, technically, but man is it hard to see her as that. Last time someone tried to flirt with her, they'd though she'd been twenty at the very least.
Poor guy got rejected, though. Something about 'family coming first' and all that (although he's pretty sure she just used that as an excuse to not get together with anyone at all, for some odd reason).
'Darn. Kind of want to go back home already.'
The thought was shoved aside just as quickly as it had come. Besides getting scolded for purposeful truancy, he'd be doted on by everyone back home—then again, that happens just about all the time at home, so that was sort of inevitable.
Taking a few turns, he notices a few other fellow students, complete with their dress shirts, blazers and pants for the boys, or the dress and magenta skirt with a shoulder cape for the girls. Two becomes three, then sixteen, then twenty-five. And eventually, the road becomes congested with nothing but students as all of them bustle towards the same direction he was headed, their boisterous chatter providing the background noise.
"Yo, I heard you got dumped! What's up with that?"
"Wha—Who told you that?! I never told anyone before!"
"My mom asked me to head home right after school to help with the diner, sorry."
"Dogs are waaay superior than cats, gal! Trust me on that!"
"I wonder if I'll get to see the Two Great Ladies of Kuoh later today~…"
"Crap, I left my homework back home! Go ahead without me, I'll see you later!"
"Oh my God! This is the third time already!"
The boy can't help but grin at the energy permeating off of everyone. Even early in the morning, for it to be this hectic was a good thing. It's important to start the day with positive vibes, after all!
Feeling much better, he passes through the grand gates of Kuoh Academy—freshly made co-ed after years of having been girls-only, it's no surprise to him that he's seemingly surrounded on all sides by girls. Beautiful ones, cute ones, tall and short, brown or black hair; there's all sorts of girls to go around.
Hmm. Now that he thought about it, one of his classmates has natural pink hair. Some have blue. And Rias-senpai has red, and not like European ginger, but like actual blood red. That all of them are actually natural is surprising, given that, at least to his knowledge, the only 'natural' colours should be black, brown, blond, ginger—
Wholly unfocused on the road before him, Issei is unable to do anything as someone collided into his chest. "Whoops!" The boy's eyes widen, but he manages to steady himself and grab the person by the shoulders to keep them from falling. "I-I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking and I—I-Issei-senpai?!"
"Hi there," he greeted, smiling.
"A-Ahh..! I'm sooo sorry, senpai!" The girl bowed sharply, bright blush on her face that crept up to the tips of her ears that made her look like a living cherry. "I was trying to look for a friend of mine, a-and I accidentally bumped into you..!"
"Nahhh, don't worry about it. It happens from time to time," he shrugged nonchalantly. God knows how many times he's done that. In fact, he remembered accidentally bumping someone and pushing them down the stairs… That hadn't been great. "So yeah," he clears his throat, ignoring that particular memory. "Let's just let it slide. And hey, you still need to go find your friend, right? Better get going. Classes might be starting soon."
"R-Right! Of course!" Bowing once more, the girl beams a smile at him. "Thank you, Issei-senpai!"
Waving happily at the fleeing girl, Issei watches her for a couple of minutes until she disappears from sight, upon which he then proceeds on to his class.
Issei Hyoudou, seventeen years old, and currently a second-year student of Kuoh Academy. Likes videogames, manga, staying home and learning a lot about different cultures and whatnot.
At first glance, Issei strikes one as a typical guy. Brown eyes and brown hair, moderately tall, comes from a simple family. There wasn't much else that he could think to describe himself other than being as average as one could get.
But here in Kuoh, it seemed as if his reputation seemed a little more 'esteemed' than he thought it should really be; sure, he's generally nice to everyone and doesn't seem to be one of those 'lecherous bastards' (in the girls' word), so everyone in school likes him. Granted, he typically earns more favour from the girls, and that naturally sets him at odds with the jealous guys that make up almost a whole ninth of the population of boys in this school, but still!
Also, nothing about him was typical. Or, more accurately, the situation he has found himself in. Verily much the opposite, actually, although we'll look into that later on.
Returning to the story, Issei strolls through the corridors of the main building, greeting the students he recognized before he eventually arrives at his classroom. Peeking through the door, he noticed that it was still fairly empty, with none of the other boys present whatsoever. Not everyone had gotten here already, it seems like.
"Oh?" A loud voice penetrated the room, drawing some eyes towards her. "Looks like everyone's best friend has arrived! Issei!"
The boy rolls his eyes, smiling at his friend's good-natured teasing. "Aika, you know that that's not true. I'm pretty sure there's eight or fifteen guys who don't like me."
"That's your clue word; guys. When it comes to the girls, well~!"
He ignored her wagging her brows at him, knowing that she meant well on her word. Aika Kiryuu was a lot of things, but mean-spirited is not one of them. Now a tease. Well, she might as well have the world written everywhere on her face to make that explicitly clear for everyone else.
"In any case, where's your friend? The two of you always come together to class, and you're always together other times too. Never seen a moment when her hip ain't stuck to yours."
"She's sick today," he replied, settling down in his seat and unpacking his bag. He's sat against the wall, in the very middle, which gave him a pretty good view of the courtyard outside. Countless other students were taking their time getting to their classrooms. "Caught a fever, so she'll be resting for today. She'll probably come back tomorrow."
"Oh yeah? Guess that's why you're looking a little glum today," her words caused him to perk up. "Thought I didn't notice it? Heh. To be fair, you don't look too different from usual, but I can tell that you're not as chirpy as always since she's not around. You really like her, huh?"
"Yeah, I'd say I do," he nodded, grinning sheepishly. "Hard not to, since we're childhood friends and all. We've been through a lot. Plus, she's a lot of fun to be with."
"Aww, poor Issei misses his little friend," the lack of mockery in her tone makes him smile back. "Well, don't worry, 'kay? Classes will be over before you know it, and then you can go back home and see her. Tell her I said 'hi', while you're at it. And wish her a speedy recovery for me."
"I will. Thanks, Aika—"
"Issei !"
He jumps in his seat at the loud outburst, he and Aika turning to find two girls standing at the door to their classroom. One bore brown hair while the other pink (seriously, the fact that it's actually natural and not dyed still baffles him to this day), and both were looking seriously disappointed.
Uncertain of what had spoiled their moods this early in the day, he tried to wrangle his brain for an idea. Discovering nothing, however, he opted to just swallow down his fear and try his best to be calm with these two. "H-Hey, Murayama, Katase. What's wrong?"
"What do you mean 'What's wrong'? Of course something is wrong!" Murayama huffed as they walked over to his desk, their classmates watching the scene play out.
Oof. That doesn't really tell him much. He could list with both hands the number of things that get on their nerves and then some more. Luckily, he doesn't need to ask them to elaborate before Katase followed up after her friend. "We saw you walking alone! We called out to you but you ignored us!"
"O-Oh, I did?" Weird. Had he seriously not heard them? Probably not, since he'd been so stuck in his head thinking about random things. "S-Sorry. I guess I wasn't really paying attention to my surroundings."
"…Well, I guess it's our fault for not approaching you to begin with," sighed the brunette. "And you looked rather absent-minded. She's not here?"
"Oh, no, she's sick today."
"No wonder you came here alone," sounding a lot softer than earlier, Katase takes a seat beside him and balanced her chin on her knuckles. "You two would always go everywhere together. Almost as if you two are a couple."
"Us? A couple?" He tried to imagine it, only to end up laughing. "Come on now, you're joking, right? There's no way that'd be possible."
"What's wrong with that?" Aika piped in, grinning. "I mean, you two look pretty cute together. Made me think that you two were dating to begin with. Imagine my surprise when you two weren't."
That surprised him. "Really? I don't think we've ever acted like a couple, though."
Katase giggled at that. "Are you sure about that? Holding hands, sitting closely together, sharing your food—aren't those couple things to do?"
"Huh… When you put it like that, I guess you're not wrong… But nah, I don't think she sees me in that sort of way. Doubt I actually catch her attention."
"You sure 'bout that? If anything, you're a pretty special guy. I'd go so far as to say that all the girls in this room would definitely want to date you."
The other two girls turned red. " Aika!"
"Me?" The brunet blinked, pointing at himself. He'd gotten rather used to being teased by the girl, but her honesty took the wind out of his sails. "That's weird. You're being weird. Are you Aika?"
"Still am, baby. And hey, I'm speaking for the entire school. I mean, you probably won't beat Kiba Yuuto in terms of handsomeness," certainly no way that'd happen. Guy's got the good-looking genes expressed. "But you're rather handsome yourself. And it helps that you've got a good personality, which is something all the girls can appreciate."
"I-I mean, she's not wrong…" Katase muttered, face the same colour as her hair. "B-But you don't need to be so blunt about it, Aika!"
"Hey, boys like him appreciate dead-on honesty. Right, Issei?"
"Huh? Well, I guess. Lots of people like to beat around the bush, but that makes it a little hard to understand things."
"Precisely!" The glasses-wearing girl snapped her fingers, looking pleased. "See? That's why you're my favourite boy in this crazy school."
"Huh. Thanks, Aika!"
Snap.
"Hmm?" He turns his head towards Murayama, whose body was extremely stiff. "Something wrong, Murayama?"
"N-Nothing!" She squeaked, trying and failing to smile naturally. Her uncharacteristic shyness is completely at odds with her demeanour from earlier. "I-In any case, are you… not interested in dating her?"
"Ehh. It's not that I'm disinterested; just that I haven't really given it much thought," his shrug and casual answer had them curious. "I mean, I get that teenagers are always thinking about relationships, but I've kinda' got a lot of things on my plate. So I don't think I can think about that for now… although, I guess I'll give it a try someday when I feel like it."
"And when you do, come to Big Sister Aika for dating advice," the girl winked.
"We're both the same age," he deadpanned at first, but his smile came easily to him afterwards. "But alright-y. I'll be relying on you then!"
"Mmhm! You bet!"
From there, the group of four chat on a little longer before their homeroom teacher arrives. That was the cue for everyone to return to their designated seats, Issei retrieving his writing materials. He notes that the seat in front of him is empty, and he can't help but pout at that. Still, he pushes that thought aside, deciding to focus on class—
Only for the backdoors to suddenly be pushed open, slamming against the wall with a loud thud. Everyone's heads turned towards the suspects.
"S-Sensei! Aaah..! W-We're not late, are we?!"
"It was his fault, not mine!"
Approximately eighty percent of—oh, no, a hundred percent of all girls in the room's faces scrunched up in disgust at the sight of the two boys, save for Aika, who rolls her eyes and smirks at them. The boys are either indifferent to them or regard them with the same distaste as the girls do.
Not Issei, though.
"Yo, Matsuda! Motohama!" He yelled, pointing at the clock. "You're two minutes after rollcall!"
"They really are," their classroom teacher sighed. "Just get in your seats, you two. And try to come earlier next time."
"Y-Yessir!"
Snickers and sighs broke out amongst the students as the two—one with a shaved head and the other wearing glasses—trod to their seats, panting all the while. Their clothes are a little ruffled, too. Did they seriously run all the way here from home?
Their teacher at the front sighs. "Well, now that that's over, here's what you should expect to today…"
Issei is, by no means, a bad student. His relatively above-average grades in class should be a pretty good indication of that. He makes sure to pay attention to class, answering questions when asked by the teacher, and generally making sure that he doesn't come off as being inattentive.
Which he definitely wanted to be.
By some miracle of life, classes manage to go faster than usual. Lunch rolls around, and Issei bids his friends farewell as they pile out of the class. Aika mentions needing to see the photography club for something, while Murayama and Katase are oddly flustered and tell him that they'll be 'somewhere'. Where that is, he wasn't sure.
So that left—
"Oh, those two? They got called over to the principal. Probably to be given a what-for. You know, the usual stuff."
Yeah. Those two aren't troublemakers… which they are, in the sense that they're known infamously as the 'Perverted Duo'; two of the most perverted dudes in the school that get flagged for peeping on girls and taking pictures on them while they're changing and whatnot. No wonder almost all the girls in the school hates their guts.
Especially Murayama and Katase, who are often the victims of their 'pastime'. On the one hand, he's honestly shocked both guys keep getting away with that. On the other, how have they not fixed that supposed peephole in their building already?
'Well, that leaves me with no one to have lunch with,' he sighed, somewhat dejected by that. 'Who else..?'
While it was true that Issei was generally cordial with just about everyone, he doubted he could say that he was actually close with that many people. While most of them had their little groups, his consisted of his childhood friend, Aika, Murayama and Katase—and since all of them are absent, that just about leaves him with nil. And he doubted he was brave enough to walk up to someone and ask if he could eat with them.
Hmm… Who else is there? Maybe he could try out the roof. Technically, no one's allowed to go up there, but it should be—
"Issei!"
He perks up at the voice that calls for him. Turning his head, he spots a blue-haired girl whom he recognizes to be his senior approaching him with a smile and a wave. Beside him, a pleasant-looking girl with braided brown hair is also waving at him.
"Reya, Tsubasa!" He grins. "Hey. You two on a student council job?"
"Not at all. We're just heading to the cafeteria to have lunch with the others," the bluenette answered. "How 'bout you? If you're free, you wanna' join us?"
"Oh, is that fine? I mean, I thought you'd like it if it's just you guys."
"Not at all, silly," giggled Reya. "While it's usually just us, we don't mind if others come join us. In fact, I'm pretty sure everyone would like it if you could join us," she tapped her hands together. "Won't you eat with us, Issei?"
"Weeelll… When you put it like that, how can I say 'no'?" His reply got them to perk up with joy. "Lead the way!"
The student council of Kuoh Academy, led by Souna Shitori, is known for being the most scariest group in the school; they exact justice in the blink of an eye, taking down any wrongdoers and maintaining order within the school so effectively, it's as if they're actually a secret task force. Which, considering everything he's seen, wouldn't be the weirdest thing, to be honest. If all the anime's he's watched before holds any truth, it's that student councils in schools are usually super
But that aside, he also knew that the people who comprise the student council are all actually nice people. Issei can't help but recall his first time dealing with the student council; funnily enough, it hadn't been because he'd been caught doing something wrong. In fact, it was because he'd gotten lost in one of the old buildings. That was how he ended up meeting Tomoe, and to this day, they're still good friends as back then.
Since then, he'd befriended the rest of them, so he's gotten along with them rather nicely ever since. And that meant they'd try to invite him into joining them in countless activities. Nice people, all of them, and genuine in carrying their duty.
They arrived at their destination shortly after, having chatted together about all kinds of things. Reya and Tsubasa guided him to a large table in the far back, where he could spot everyone else, already partaking in their meals as they talked about one thing or another.
Until Tsubasa decided to make their presence known. "Hey everyone, sorry we're late!"
"Oh, don't worry about—Ah! Issei-senpai! Hi!"
"You'll be joining us for lunch, Issei-chan? That would be lovely."
"Oh, cool! I was hoping you'd join us! Come on, take a seat!"
Issei laughs at how welcoming everyone is, happily taking a seat at the table. Ruruko Nimura is chirpy as ever, filled with energy even with just greeting him. Momo Hanakai regards him with a warm look, her pet name for him a way of showing affection on her part. And lastly, Tomoe Meguri, the very first student council member he'd befriended.
"Hey, everyone. Thanks for having me."
"Oh, don't you worry about it. It's always a pleasure to have you with us," at the white-haired girl's words, the others all made sounds of agreement. "Hope you aren't uncomfortable with only girls being here."
"Considering my household, it'd be strange if I felt awkward because of that," he chuckled back. Then, he looked around their table to look for a couple of familiar faces. "Actually, yeah, where is Saji? He out on an errand or something? And kaichou and fuku-kaichou too."
"Oh, Genshirou-kun didn't come to school today. Caught a fever," him too? Dang. He muttered a soft prayer for his quick recovery. "Kaichou and fuku-kaichou, on the other hand, are currently sorting out some documents in the room. They told us to go ahead and eat, so here we are."
"And it's a good thing that you're here, becaauuse!" Tomoe rummaged through her bag for something, before laying it on the table with a flamboyant motion. "Ta-dah!"
He tilted his head once the object was revealed. "A pack of cards?"
"Meguri…" Reya sighed. "You know we're not allowed to bring anything like cards into the school. This is considered as contraband."
"Oh, please! So long as we don't get caught, it won't be a problem!" Talk about a dangerous attitude. Then again, she wouldn't be Tomoe if she wasn't. "Plus, there's not much else to do while we wait for lunch to finish, so let's play a quick game or two!"
"I don't mind," Issei planted a rice ball in his mouth, chewing on it before swallowing. "I mean, if you guys want to, that is. Otherwise, we don't have to."
"…Well, I suppose it wouldn't be so bad," Tsubasa was the first to cave, getting the maroon-haired girl to cheer. "But strictly no gambling, alright?"
"Of course, of course! Jeez, what do you take me for?"
"Uh-huh. I'll choose to believe you. For now."
"What do you mean 'for now'?!"
"Do you know how to play blackjack, Issei-senpai?" Ruruko asked while Tsubasa and Tomoe bantered over the latter's likely habit of gambling when no one notices, something that she's being very vocal about denying.
He nodded back. "Yup. My sister taught me how to play."
"Which one? Your little sister, or your older sister?"
"My big sister," he chuckled. "She likes playing games a lot, and she especially likes the kinds that people can play together. And then she came across blackjack one day. Needless to say, she's gotten really good at it ever since," he notices how Tomoe perks up at the last bit. "Every time I play with her, it's at least a two-to-five win ratio in her favour."
"That so, eh?" The maroon-haired girl grinned impishly. "Sounds like a worthy challenger…"
"If you want, I can ask her if she'd like to play a match or two with you sometime later."
"Sure! But first, let's play together!"
"Hmph. If we are to do this, then I shall give my all. Issei-chan, watch me win this game!"
"You got it. Good luck, everyone."
And from there, the student council members plus one descend into a moment of chaos, distrust and bragging moments, along with yells of 'rematch!', callouts for cheating and so on. Needless to say, it wasn't a very boring lunchtime.
The rest of the day, just as Aika had said, went by like a blur. And the next thing he knew, he was packing up his stuff and getting ready to head back home.
'Felt like it was just a couple of minutes ago that I'd just been playing blackjack with everyone. Man, how time flies.'
Everyone were shuffling out of the classroom as he thought to himself, bidding him farewell in the process. In turn, he responded kindly, still trying to put his things together and make sure that nothing would slip out later on.
"Yo, Issei!" He perks up at Matsuda's voice, noticing the wide and pervy grin plastered on his face. "You free right now, man? Wanna' come over to look at some—gack..!"
"Issei's one of the only good ones in this school, and we do not need you corrupting him!" Murayama shouted, having struck him squarely in the ribs with her bokken. Oof. That's definitely going to bruise later on. "Issei," she calls, all smiles now. "Wanna' head out together? We can walk you home, if you'd like."
"That should be my line, you know," he chuckled back. "But sure, just until we're outside then."
"Then let's go. Katase and Aika are waiting outside."
Moving past the wheezing Matsuda, it doesn't take long to hear his fellow partner scream out his name in fashion similar to a soap opera, rushing over to help him up. Murayama doesn't even blink at them, although Issei does take a moment to sheepishly nod at them.
The two of them convene with Katase and Aika outside of their classroom, and soon the group of four are moving together, heading for the main entrance. Issei doesn't say much as they talk about today's events, having not paid much attention to the goings-on today beyond lunchtime.
Eventually, however, he's dragged out of his thoughts by the sound of his friend's voice. "So Issei, we were wondering if you'd mind us coming over to your place?"
"…Huh?" He blinked. "Sorry, zoned out there. Can you repeat what you just said?"
"Nothing, really. Just wanted to ask if it's cool if we came over to your place. Hang out for a bit."
"You girls want to?" He didn't intend to sound so surprised, but he still did. "No one's ever wanted to come over before. I don't think anyone ever has, to be honest."
"Then you could call it curiosity on our part, you know. It'd be interesting to see where you live," Katase said, the other two nodding. "T-That is, if you don't mind, of course!"
"Precisely. So?" Aika smirked at him. "How 'bout it?"
Shoot. This is… well, this is new. He hadn't ever had friends from outside ever come over to his house; probably because there'd never been a reason for them to come in the first place. If there was ever a group project, he'd go to a friend's house instead of inviting them over.
He recognized that as a strange thing. And not because he actively repels people from coming over; far from it. It's just that he recognizes that his house isn't really the most productive place to be, considering all the people inside, who might jeopardize his time and dote on him—a little too much, he would say which, sure, he loves them for it, but it would certainly distract him from what's important. So, he doesn't make the offer.
Now that it's happening, however, he's experiencing conflicting emotions. On the one hand, he's excited to have them over. On the other…
"My place is kind of weird. You girls okay with that?"
"Pssh. Weird, he says," scoffed Aika. "I've dealt with weird my whole life. Heck, Kuoh alone is weird. What's there to surprise me?"
"I've got a pet alligator."
If this was a comedy show, this would be the perfect time for the music to cut off into a screeching halt, and maybe add the audience's laughter. All three girls promptly stopped to stare at him, eyes wide like platters. Issei stared back, all too casual.
"I'm sorry, but did you just say you have a pet alligator at your home?"
He rubbed the back of his neck, offering a sheepish smile. "Well, we say that he's an alligator, but it's hard to tell if he's actually a crocodile or not. And he's hairy—"
"Hairy ?"
"He's one of a kind. Anyways, we call him Rokuha… actually, I gave him that name. We were planning on changing it, but he kind of liked it, so we let him have it. In any case, Rokuha's really nice! He's super gentle, so he won't hurt anyone. Except thieves."
"H-He attacked someone?!" Murayama gasped.
"I-It's okay, though! The guy didn't lose a limb or anything. He, uh, sort of passed out after peeing himself, and we stopped Rokuha from eating him. So, all's went that ended well, am I right?" Seeing the lack of faith in the girls, he could only laugh nervously. "Err, yeah. But really, there's nothing wrong. I'm sure you'd love him."
"Err. Issei, you do know that most people would likely freak out from the concept of an alligator being inside one's home, right?"
"I know that! But, it's just… well, he's been with us since I was six, so we kind of got used to it."
"That's…" Katase struggled for words before eventually letting out a deep sigh. "How have we never known this about you?"
"Probably because it's not something that typically comes up in usual conversations," they grumbled about how he was right about that. "Also, we have a parrot—parrot? Well, he talks, but he's not really a parrot. And we have a jaguar, and a—"
"Wait wait wait, you have a jaguar now? How many pets do you have?!"
"Ahaha… Weeelll…"
It's funny how his norm is considered to be so out-of-this-world for his three friends… which, to be fair, is true. They'd never grown up their whole life alongside some of the crazy things he has, so there was no denying that they'd likely be caught by much surprise once they arrive at his home.
In fact, the walk back isn't as long as he expected it to be. Aika, Murayama and Katase hound him with question upon question, of course, but they're also powerwalking their way to his house (he has to jog as a result to lead the way home), so the trip back home isn't too long. They come upon a generous three-floored house, renovated to house all the new residents that enter his life along the years. It had costed them quite a bit, but everything worked out in the end.
Just seeing it fills him with happiness. It feels a little too silly to feel that way, but Issei knows that he's simply happy to go back to his family and see everyone. He doubted he'll ever lose this feeling.
"I'm home!" Issei loudly announced when he was outside, walking towards the door. He turned his head to say something to his friends, though he noticed none of them were near, so he looked behind him to find the girls looking wary and standing a few ways back. He grinned back at them. "Girls, don't worry, it'll be fine! Everyone here is really nice. Nothing bad is going to happen."
"That you have to point it out at all is concerning!"
"Yeah, but—"
"Issei."
All four teenagers turn towards the source of the voice… only to find no one. At first. But when Issei looks down, his lips morph into a wide smile as he regards the little girl with black hair and eyes, dressed in black, violet and blue.
"Ophis! I'm home."
"Yes. Welcome home," she nodded back, accepting his head pats. Though her face showed no change, there was no mistaking the joy her eyes seemed to reflect. Then, she looked past him, to the three girls staring at her in a mix of surprise and curiosity. "And, they are?"
"Oh, them? These are my friends from school. They wanted to come over and visit us for a bit."
Call it a trick of the light or something equally ridiculous, but he swore that, for a moment, Ophis's eyes seemed to narrow while she looked at them. It was gone with a blink later, though she suddenly latched onto his arm like a koala. "Issei, come inside."
"Yep, yep. Say, how Lucy's doing?"
"She's, better. Misses you very much, however."
"Yeah… I missed her too. Even though it's only just been a day. Oh, Rokuha! Heyaz, I just got back from school. Whoa, easy there, these are just my friends! No need to be so on-guard. They're just visiting for a lil' bit."
"Oh my god, it's actually a hairy alligator! Issei, what in the world is that?!"
"Like I said, this is Rokuha, our pet alligator. Well, I say pet, but we treat him more like a family member. Everyone else too. Rokuha, this is Murayama, Katase and Aika. Say hi!"
"How is there an alligator that massive living in your house?!"
"Oi oi oi, what's with all the ruckus? Can't a bird get some shut eye when he—huh? Who're they? Issei, you brought in outsiders again?"
"They're not outsiders, Griffon. Again, they're my friends. We're in the same class."
"…iffon! Your feathers are shedding again! Can't you do something about—Ah! Issei! Welcome home! And you brought friends!"
"Chiyo Onee-san, I'm home! And yep, I did! This here is Murayama, Katase and Aika."
"…Whoa."
"Welcome! Any friend of Issei's is a friend of ours! Oh, Issei, you must be sweltering in that blazer of yours. Come, take it off, I'll get it washed in the meantime. And I've already prepared our meals in the kitchen, so why don't all of you just rest first in the living room while I…"
As the Hyoudou residence gets louder and louder, and his friends are predictably drawn further and further into the chaos and confusion as they step into his home, Issei can't help but simply let himself join the mayhem, laughing along with everyone as he returns to what is a typical day in their household.
And, just as ever, he wouldn't want it any other way.
Author's Notes:
I know I promised not to release so many stories at once, but writing stories is my stress-relieving method—an odd thing, I know, but it is what it is. And I've already dealt with so much these past few weeks; exams, festivities, studies and social shiz. Been nuts, so going back to this routine is just really relaxing.
For anyone who's read Khaotic Afterbirth back in the day, it was an attempt for a supernatural multi-crossover story with what could have been an actual plot… but uh, that fell through one way or another. God, that one's an oldie.
So instead, we have this story! Slice-of-life, comedy and supernatural beings as Issei interacts with beings of all kinds from just about every imaginable corner of the world. He's the kind of guy whose charisma and personality has allowed him to befriend just about everything and everyone in the series—from humans to different races and even old enemies. That's one thing that I really like about his character, and one that'll definitely come into play in this story.
This one will have crossovers from all kinds of stories. Most of them aren't hard to figure out, while others might not be so obvious from the get-go. But yeah, I'm pretty sure each and every character will be able to provide the delight we all seek for in this light-hearted story.
Also, at the top of every chapter, there will be a small snippet from a character's wiki or journal (if it's a journal, I'll include the title and the author just like this one), or anything really. I'll avoid anything religion-or-politics-related stuff for the sake of avoiding the mistake of offending anyone.
And that's it for now. To anyone who used to read Khaotic Afterbirth, thanks, lmao. It was such an old story and I still cringe reading it again, but it's helped me reach this point in my life and find the style I'm most comfortable writing, so it wasn't a total waste—definitely learnt better than to call girls 'onii-chan' XD. And I hope that you'll be able to enjoy this story all the same with my other works. Until then, see ya'!
