Old habits died hard, or so they said.

Hidden underneath the covers in his hotel room, Issei Hyoudou wanted nothing more than to witness the female body in all its heavenly glory. It had been ages since he indulged in that desire, tasted that forbidden fruit, but try as he might, he couldn't resist a siren song so sweet. Even if it led him to ruin.

It wasn't like he was doing anything important right now, and he was way too excited to fall asleep. One peek was all he'd take. Just one. It would be a private memory of Kyoto he'd cherish for a long time to come.

Issei slipped out and ran to the public baths. Nobody was around to stop him from breaching the barrier separating the men's side from the women's side, and there was only one staircase between him and his destination. This was gonna be so good... but when he saw the obstacle in the way, he forced himself to stop.

"Damn it," Issei muttered.

A lone figure stood at the top of the stairs, wreathed by ethereal silver hair and clad in a red tracksuit that hugged her abundant curves perfectly.

Caught, just before he could reach nirvana.

"Right on schedule," she said, cold eyes glaring down at him.

Issei smiled, open and wide, even though his stomach was about to bottom out. "Come on, Rossweisse. Can't you let me through?"

She shifted into a fighting stance, fingers poised to summon her magic sigils. "You shall not pass."

And there it was. Issei wasn't going to give up, though. There was a way forward. There always was. He just had to find it.

"I don't want to fight my teammates," he said, "but I'm going in there." Issei put his foot on the first step. "And I'll do whatever it takes."

"Why?"

His smile faltered. "Why? What do you mean why?"

"Would you want a deviant to spy on you while you were bathing?"

"Of course not. But I'm not going to spy on them, I just want to take a peek. A small one. It's not like it'll make things worse, right?" His smile turned brittle, twisted from lingering spite. "Those girls already hate me."

Rossweisse's glare softened, though not by much. "Being aware of the consequences of your actions doesn't absolve you of your wrongdoing."

Any smile Issei had was gone, replaced by an irritated frown. He could contemplate these consequences after he got what he wanted.

"I know. That all you got?"

His dismissal was met with the briefest of smirks. "Not even remotely." Her expression returned to stern disapproval. "What do you hope to gain from peeking at those poor girls? Is it your petty revenge? The thrill of being a voyeur? Or is it an ugly habit that you just can't break?"

Issei grimaced. "All of the above, I guess."

"I see." She took a step forward, but didn't set foot on the stairs, still ready to strike. "I'm sure you know that Rias and the other girls are willing to do anything you desire."

"You're kidding," he said, but she looked dead serious. "You aren't."

"I have eyes, Issei. I'm surprised you haven't noticed."

He tore his gaze away from Rossweisse's stare, unable to bear the weight of her scrutiny.

"It's not that simple," he said, choked by fear.

"And why is that?"

Issei shook his head. "Don't worry about it, okay? It's stupid."

In spite of himself, his eyes wandered over to stare at his fellow peerage member, and felt his heart skip a beat. Gone was her imperious glare, replaced by a gaze overwhelmed by concern.

"How would I know unless you tell me?"

Issei clicked his tongue. Rossweisse already had him pegged, and she was smart enough to suss out any deflections he might have cast. It wasn't something he wanted to talk about to anyone, a secret he'd be happy to take to his grave. And yet...

Damn it. What was wrong with him?

"I can't take advantage of them," he said. "It isn't right." Her mouth opened, but now that he'd started, he wasn't going to let anything stop him. "I know, I know that peeking at random girls is wrong, but if I screw up with them, so what? It's not like it'll make a difference. But I couldn't live with myself if I hurt the president or any of my friends."

"You're afraid," she whispered. He heard her loud and clear.

There was nowhere left to run.

"Yeah. I am."

Her arms fell to her sides, but the tension in her frame hadn't eased one bit. Considering how skilled she was at casting spells, she probably didn't need to use her fists, even if her options were limited in such a tight space.

"May I ask why?"

Issei sighed. There was no time like the present, and if she didn't want anything to do with him afterwards, he could live with that. It wasn't like it would hurt her feelings. It wasn't like he'd be forced to make a life-altering choice.

"The first girlfriend I ever had killed me. She used me; she only went out with me so she could steal my Sacred Gear."

Rossweisse frowned. "I'm sorry you had to experience that."

"Don't be." He was about to break down and cry like a little bitch, but he couldn't, not in front of anyone. "She's dead. The president avenged me."

"Good. I can't imagine how traumatizing that must have been."

Issei chuckled, mirthless and hollow. "You don't need to." His eyes were still burning, threatening to spill his tears, so he took in a short breath, blowing out air from his lips. "I bet any guy who tried that with you wouldn't live to regret it."

She scoffed, a strained, strangled sound. "I'd need to have a boyfriend for that to happen."

He winced. "Shit. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," she said, soothing him.

He'd almost forgotten, but she had her own issues, too, ones he could easily empathize with. That was what he needed to focus and distance himself from his feelings.

"Honestly, if a guy like me can get a girl to notice him, it should be a cinch for you. You're really smart, you care about people, and, well, you're gorgeous."

She blushed, a bright pink. "Um... thank you." She sighed, regaining her poise. At least she was still smiling. "If only it were that simple. Every attempt I've made at finding a boyfriend has failed, miserably. And I've tried, more than you know, but I can only handle rejection after rejection."

"I feel you. It's like, even though you know you deserve to be loved, even though you know you're good enough, none of that matters after your heart's been broken into pieces."

"Exactly."

Issei took another step, and another, ending up on the landing... right in front of Rossweisse. He was immediately enraptured by her green eyes. They were a different shade of green than Rias' eyes, almost blue, but they weren't any less alluring.

"You're pretty close," she said, and he almost swore he saw a rosy blush brush her cheeks. It might have been from embarrassment or something.

Regardless, he took a step back, careful not to lose his footing. "Sorry about that."

Rossweisse nodded, but didn't say anything else. Instead, her eyes roved over his body, and it made him feel like he'd been stripped stark naked, even though he was fully clothed.

"Do you still want to go to the baths?" she asked.

"Not really." And it was a surprise, to him. He expected a fight, and while it would had been fun, this was definitely nicer.

"Then I suggest you go back to your room. I'll escort you, if you'd like."

Another thing that he forgot: she was still on the job, protecting him from innocent girls... and himself, come to think of it.

"Please."

She granted him a brief smile before she led him down the stairs and back to his 'humble' lodgings. He had a nice view all along the way.

Issei hadn't just been checking Rossweisse out, he managed to calm himself down and think about what he wanted to say, but he had no clue how to express himself without feeling or sounding like a total goon.

"Here we are," she said at the entrance to his room. "Château de Issei."

She was about to leave, and he still hadn't come up with a damn thing. Seriously? What was with him? All he had to do was speak, say the first thing on his mind.

"Thanks for listening to me."

Rossweisse smiled. "My pleasure. If you ever need a place to vent, call me and I'll come running."

He nodded, a slight grin brightening his features. "I hear you." Time was running out: he had her attention, but it wouldn't be forever. He had to say his piece, or forever hold his peace.

So he stared at her, mustering up all the conviction he could. "Any guy would be lucky to be your boyfriend. If they can't appreciate who you are, then they're the problem, not you."

Rossweisse blinked rapidly, then a smile spread across her face. "Thank you. And for the record, you have nothing to worry about. You're going to be all right."

"Yeah." A gnawing pull tugged at him. He didn't want her to leave, but asking her to stay would be too sudden, and selfish. Even if he just wanted to talk some more. "See you tomorrow."

She nodded, and before it disappeared, he saw the hints of a frown on her face. "Good night, Issei."

After Rossweisse left, Issei went inside and buried himself under his covers. Sleep was bound to come sooner or later, but his mind was whirring a thousand miles a second.

Holding a serious conversation with a woman – especially a total babe like Rossweisse – without flaking out was a major confidence boost. He honestly enjoyed being able to talk about tough topics without being mocked or humiliated, and he liked that there were no strings attached.

It didn't mean his problems had been solved. He might have had the dragon and the devil's luck, but life wasn't that easy. There was no denying it any longer; he needed help, lots of it, and Rossweisse had lent him that helping hand without asking anything in return.

She understood, like he did, that heartbreak was a curse that he wouldn't wish on his worst enemy.

Issei didn't get a lot of sleep that night, but whatever dreams he had were filled with silver hair and emerald green eyes. When morning came around, Azazel showed up out of the blue, whisking him away to some meeting. Rossweisse was there, along with the rest of the Gremory family, but other than a brief exchange, she devoted her attention to the meeting.

Made sense. It wasn't like she'd drop everything to give him the time of day, not that he wanted her to. She might have been young to a valkyrie years, but she was still a grown woman by human or devil standards, and he was just a dumb kid.

Rossweisse caught him staring, but instead of glaring, she gave him a brief smile, and that little gesture was enough to put a stop to his downward spiral. He had to get it together, focus on the meeting.

Said meeting went by in an instant: the youkai faction's leader had been kidnapped by terrorists, and Azazel promised to find her. He promised that their trip would go on uninterrupted, but they had to be ready for anything. The Khaos Brigade could spread chaos at any moment and ruin his fun.

It was really lame, but it wasn't like that'd make things easier. He just had to get used to it.

In between early morning training and touring Kyoto's various tourist spots, there was a lot of things to distract him from the impending threat, and the second day of their trip went by pretty quickly. That included a love compatibility test he did with Asia and surprise, surprise, it was pretty strong.

Sometimes, when he was feeling a bit conceited, he imagined himself as her knight in shining armour. Like all the maidens in those fairy tales, she was as pure and sweet as they came. The real surprise was that being her knight didn't bother him as much as it should have.

Asia was someone he had to protect from anything that would harm her, and there were plenty of bastards out there that could easily take advantage of her innate kindness to seduce her, ravish her, break her. Bastards that didn't care about her feelings or virtue and only wanted her for her body and her burgeoning womanhood were bastards that didn't deserve to even look at her.

And he wasn't above it all, either. He was a slimy, unapologetic pervert and somehow, she still wanted to be around him. She deserved better. The last thing he wanted was for Asia to be a victim of his perverted ways.

He still felt that way even after talking to Rossweisse, but it wasn't the insurmountable nightmare that had consumed his waking thoughts whenever he couldn't repress it. It was only a matter of time until it became a distant memory, a dull scar, and maybe then, he'd be truly worthy of a good woman's affection.

Once again, he was thankful for Rossweisse's help. Was she thinking about something important to her, too, wherever she was? Hopefully, she was having fun at work. It would be pretty bad if she never got the chance to explore this wonderful city.

As he took in the city's sights, its temples and heritage sites, he could see why Rias had fallen for it. Its architecture was at a crossroads between the past and the future without compromising either, allowing him to experience its rich history and enjoy his creature comforts.

He was glad that he wasn't the only one who was enjoying it: the so-called church trio oohed and aahed at each and every attraction.

Unfortunately, though, the good times had to end, and just when he thought he'd get a bit of time to relax and enjoy Kyoto's finest tea, he saw his classmates fall asleep, courtesy of a local fox spirit. Trouble always seemed to find him and his friends, but as long as he got to kick its ass into next week and nobody got hurt, that was fine. He readied the gauntlet, but a flash of silver hair stopped him in his tracks.

Rossweisse had arrived and brought glad tidings with her. The misunderstanding they had with the fox princess had been cleared up, and said princess even wanted to apologize. That meant they had to attend another meeting, but that was cool with him. They had an official ceasefire between their respective groups. Before he could actually head over there, Rossweisse pulled him away.

"Do you have any plans for this evening?" she asked. Her cheeks were pink again, clashing with her immaculate lavender suit. "I want to spend some time with you, but I'll only be free after sunset. If you're not interested, that's fine with me. You don't have to spare my feelings."

Seeing her get all flustered and nearly tripping over her words was kind of cute, but by the end, she sounded way too anxious. Best if he nipped this in the bud.

"Where should we meet up?"

She took a breath to still herself, and smiled. "I'll send you a message as soon as I'm ready. Is that okay with you?"

Issei returned her smile. "Sounds good to me. I can't wait."

After that, they rejoined their group, just not at the same. Asia noticed that he left, but she hadn't seen him leave with Rossweisse, which was a relief. Barely any time passed before they stepped into the world of youkai and found out more about the fox princess Kunou and her mother, the nine-tailed beauty Yasaka.

While he wanted peace in Kyoto, getting a reward from her hotness was one hell of a motivator. So was the one-on-one time he was going to spend with Rossweisse. In fact, that was the only thing he could really think about. He couldn't let the Khaos Brigade or anyone else get in their way and ruin their day.

Since it wasn't technically a date, Issei didn't feel the need to overdress for the occasion, sticking with his signature red shirt and school slacks. Obviously, he'd make sure his clothes were clean and that he took a proper shower, he wasn't that stupid. But the real challenge wasn't impressing Rossweisse with his looks, it was making sure that she had a good time and gained some confidence.

After all, it must have been pretty nerve-wracking to build up all that courage, but if he was in her shoes, he'd be stoked to have it validated.

Around eight, his phone buzzed with a message from Rossweisse.

Meet me at the lobby in about five minutes. Please don't be late.

Game time. Once again, he was glad that the girls in his life actually gave him their cell numbers. The hot pics he got were the icing on the cake. Someone knocked on the door; hopefully, it wasn't someone who'd cramp his style.

When he opened it, he was Asia, dressed up in a nightgown. Hoo boy.

"Hi, Issei," Asia said. She clasped her hands behind her back, leaned forward and smiled. "Are you busy right now?"

He looked around, biting his lip. "Uh, why do you ask?"

"I thought we could play some games together." She held a hand out and a deck of cards materialized in her palm. "Irina and Xenovia wanted to join us, too."

Well now, that sounded real nice. Playing games that got more and more provocative as time went on was just what the doctor ordered. He could imagine the strip poker already, and hear every sizzling sound, savour every peal of laughter. Chances were that it wouldn't get that far, but a guy could dream.

"I'd really like to, but..." His tongue tied up. Spit it out, he told himself. "You actually caught me at a bad time."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I already made plans for tonight. I'm really sorry."

Asia frowned, slumping out of her pose. "Oh, it's okay. I'm sorry for bothering you."

His heart lurched. Issei set his hands on her shoulders. "Don't be. Maybe we can play some other time."

That managed to bring back Asia's sweet smile. "I'd like that. I hope you have fun tonight, Issei."

He smiled, too. "I will. Thanks, Asia."

Once he was ready, Issei locked his door and went to the lobby, making sure that he wasn't being followed. It wouldn't do him any favours if he stumbled into the church trio or worse, Matsuda and Motohama, but somehow, he reached his destination without seeing anyone. Would he finally go one night without being interrupted by the peanut gallery? Hell if he knew.

According to his phone, five minutes had passed since he got her message but Rossweisse was already there, clad in her red tracksuit. Unlike last time, she'd left it partially unzipped, letting him glance at her chest. Key word being 'glance', since he absolutely needed to show her the respect she deserved.

Besides, her breasts were covered by a plain white t-shirt. No cleavage for him.

"Good evening, Issei," Rossweisse said.

"Evening," Issei said. "I'm not late, am I?"

"You're right on time, which I really appreciate."

He smiled. "Come on, I could never stand you up, Rossweisse."

She turned away, hiding a shy smile with a light cough. "Ahem. I have a list of shops I want to visit. I've noted their prices, compared them to their competitors." He could practically see the lights shining out her green eyes. "There are so many bargains begging to be exploited. Let's get going!"

Thrift shops? She couldn't get enough of those 100 yen deals, huh? Talk about obsessed. Well, this was what he signed up for.

The evening air was crisp and mildly chilly as they left the hotel, invigorating him. Kyoto at night was mesmerizing, littered with bright lanterns fuelled by blazing oil and shining electrical lights, casting the surrounding buildings in a warm glow. He couldn't help but take a couple of photos to capture the scenery. It wasn't every day that he got to experience delights like these, so he definitely wouldn't waste it.

Neither would Rossweisse, apparently.

"How'd you get the chance to go out shopping?" Issei asked.

Rossweisse chuckled. "Never underestimate the power of negotiation. With the right amount of leverage and a bit of bargaining, you can obtain anything you want." She grimaced. "Of course, you need to have something of value first, but that's another issue entirely."

"Let me guess, you offered to cover another teacher's shift if they covered yours?"

"Close, but not quite. I asked the student council to watch over the hotel in my stead, and informed Azazel about my plans for the night. Simple, right?"

Issei nodded. "So how much free time do we have?"

A smile graced her lips. "We have an hour in total. I wanted more, but unfortunately, Azazel wouldn't budge."

This would be the moment where he grabbed her hand in some dramatic display, but he didn't want to scare her off. "An hour's more than enough," he said. "Let's make the most of it."

Rossweisse stepped a bit closer to him as they continued to wade through the streets, passing by trendy adults and loving couples. With how much confidence she was exuding, Issei never doubted that they'd get lost, even if he wasn't sure where they were actually going. Eventually, they arrived at a hole embedded in the wall of an ordinary side street.

"Here we are," Rossweisse said, pride in her voice. Pride in what, he wasn't sure. There wasn't even a sign, just a board with some prices on it. Those prices were pretty cheap, though. Maybe she was onto something...

"How'd you even find this shop?" Issei asked.

"The same way you find anything worth finding. Take this tracksuit, it only cost me 980 yen! I spent most of my free time digging for it, but it was worth all of that hassle!"

Well, he couldn't argue with that, and even if he wanted to, he didn't want to turn Rossweisse's broad smile upside down.

There were antiques and knick-knacks laying on shelves or secured by glass displays inside the shop. This particular shop had a rugged, aged atmosphere, and the man attending the store had this impenetrable air to him. Rossweisse wasn't fazed, and when she got to work, it was like watching a spider spin a web around its prey, a lioness about to pounce on a buffalo.

She was in her element, talking up a storm and winning the attendant over with a cadence and phrasing so authentic that it was almost like she was actually from Kyoto. He did see a couple of girls with silver hair during their trip, so it wasn't like Rossweisse was wearing a neon sign that screamed 'look at me, I'm a foreigner'.

It wasn't long before they left the humble shop. Rossweisse was now the proud owner of some unique Kansai souvenirs. All purchased at a discount, of course. Some of them dated back decades, and their history and quality made his souvenirs look pretty tacky.

"That's one shop down," Rossweisse said, punching the air in front of him. "Come, Issei, the next store awaits!"

What followed was a whirlwind of fast money and faster movement. Rossweisse was a woman possessed, which was saying something considering that they were literally devils. He wasn't sure how many shops they visited, he'd lost count somewhere after the fifth one, but he wasn't winded at all. Once again, he was glad that he spent his summer getting his ass beat by a super strong dragon.

At least he got something for himself: a dark blue sweater with KYOTO written with English letters, manga volumes he'd been looking all over for, and some rare figurines. Rossweisse, on the other hand, would have been swamped in bags if she hadn't used magic to teleport everything away. She didn't just buy souvenirs, she bought clothes, toiletries, old-school vinyl records, 80s movies on DVD and Betamax, and lots of other stuff.

The scary part was that she hadn't even put a dent into her savings.

"You've got a real gift, Rossweisse," Issei said, shaking his head.

Rossweisse gave him a smile. "Thank you, but I prefer to think of it as a skill."

They were back on one of the main streets, but they hadn't returning to the hotel yet. Rossweisse wanted to grab some refreshments, and he was definitely in the mood for a good drink. Shopping was thirsty work.

"How'd you hone this skill of yours?"

Her smile turned wistful. "I didn't have a lot of money growing up, and due to my upbringing, I was rarely given an allowance or a birthday present. I learned to make do with whatever I had, which served me well when I started to work for Lord Odin."

"Why's that?"

"I wasn't paid very well."

He blanched. "Ouch. That's got to suck."

"You can imagine my disappointment... but as I said, I learned to make do, so I never took what I had for granted. As they say, old habits die hard."

"For sure," he said. "Whether you call it a skill or a gift, it's really something. If I were you, I'd probably get ripped off ten times over."

Another smile tugged at her mouth, revealing her pearly white teeth. "You always know exactly what to say to make people feel better about themselves. Has anyone ever told you that before?"

Issei smiled, a bit wryly. "It's nothing special."

"Don't sell yourself short. I was really impressed with how you spoke to Kunou earlier today, and I doubt she was the only one you've inspired."

She wasn't wrong. One way or another, he'd helped out every one of his friends in some way, supported them through times of genuine struggle and hardship, inspired them to become better people or start healing from past trauma. But it was never something he consciously tried to achieve, he was just trying to be a good friend.

"Too bad I can't inspire away my problems," Issei said, bitterness seeping into his words like poison.

Rossweisse flinched, but only for a moment. "May I ask you something?"

"You already did." He winced. "Sorry. Go ahead, ask me anything."

"Why you haven't told anyone else about this?"

He sighed. "It never came up. Even if it did, what would I say? I hate lying to everyone, but I don't want anyone to get hurt... and that includes me."

Nothing but silence, as he expected. Damn it, he screwed up again. "Sorry."

What he got wasn't the scathing retort he expected, just a slight shake of her head. "You have nothing to apologize for. And besides, even if your worst fears come to life... I won't abandon you."

The certainty in her green eyes was so tangible that he believed she wasn't just telling the truth, she was speaking it into existence. At that moment, it felt like the world was standing still, and the time limit they had didn't matter as long as they were together.

Huh. This wasn't the first time he'd been moved by something Rossweisse said or she did. How had he not noticed her?

"Thanks, Rossweisse," Issei said. He nodded, feeling his throat starting to seize. "I really mean it."

Rossweisse smiled again. "If there's anything I learned from you, it's that you shouldn't be afraid to ask for help from someone you trust."

If only it were that easy. A series of beeps pinged from Rossweisse's pocket, and when he checked her phone, he took the time to breathe, get a grip.

"Unfortunately, our time's almost up," she said. "We'll have to go out for drinks another time."

"Another time?" he asked, a teasing lilt to his words.

"Definitely. This date isn't over, it's only on hold."

They looked at each other, then started laughing. It was the first time he heard her laugh, and it sounded really nice and melodious. This was a private moment they shared, something that only belonged to them. It was... priceless.

"Seriously, though, I don't want to be tardy," she said, after pulling herself back together. "Let's get going."

In a blink of an eye, they were back in the hotel lobby. It took them sneaking into a hidden nook before Rossweisse could conjure a magic circle to send them back, but it was a lot faster than running back together, pitting all their strength to beat the clock. Man, that would've been so fun.

"Thank you for putting up with me," Rossweisse said. "I almost forgot we were together when I was shopping." A nervous chuckle escaped from her mouth. "I really got out of hand, didn't I?"

Issei shrugged. "Hey, this was your day. Er, night. I won't forget this any time soon."

"There you go again." She held out her hand. "I really enjoyed spending time with you, even if our time was cut short."

"Same here." He took her hand in his and marvelled at how smooth her palm was, the feel of her slender fingers entwined in his. After she squeezed it, he smiled. "I never expected shopping would be this interesting, but it's all because of you." A few seconds passed as they gazed into each other's eyes, and he was feeling the heat. Good thing no one was around to see them. He wasn't gonna take that chance, though. "Anyway, I should let you get back to work."

"Of... of course," Rossweisse said. "Sweet dreams, Issei."

She let go and walked away with a bit of a skip in her step. He hated seeing her go, but man, he loved watching her leave. Once she left his sight, he decided to return to his hotel room. This wasn't the first date he had, but it was the first one that hadn't been interrupted, which was an incredible relief.

The best part was that he'd helped Rossweisse find some confidence, and against all odds, she helped him, too. It didn't take long for Issei to fall asleep and when he did, he dreamed of silver. It sure was sweet.

He couldn't wait for their date to continue.