Hey danzy where have you been

Idk man i've been chasing my own shadow. Bitch kept running away at sundown but pops by in my bedroom every frickin morning. It's freaking me out dood

okthatsitbye ( ͡ʘ ͜ʖ ͡ʘ)

Quit Staring at Me, That's Rude

〖Chapter 2〗

⦕ Supernaturals Are Weirdos ⦖

"Dude, you good? You look pale. Mom found your stash?"

"You know I don't keep that sort of stuff around," Issei sighed his words deflatingly, slightly exasperated. Not because his friend said that aloud for the other classmates to hear, but because of the implication that Issei would keep a physical porn magazine around inside his bedroom like an idiot during this day and age.

Why bother with that when the internet existed.

Issei was slumped over his desk, presently being surrounded by his two closest classmates, each sitting on someone else's seat with their chest flat against the chair's backrest. School hadn't started yet, but it would in several minutes.

"Jacked off till morning?" Motohama said as he wiped his round glasses with a cloth.

Despite the judgmental weird glances from the surrounding classmates—mostly girls—Issei's reply was flat. "I'm not that horny."

"Bullshit. All guys are horny."

"That's why I said I'm not that horny, baldy," Issei grunted at Matsuda. "I just hate mornings 's all."

"But you always hate mornings anyway," Motohama pointed out.

"I despise it more," Issei grumbled with an edgy character voice; raspy, bit goblin-ish, and downright hilarious. He sounded like an anime character with white hair with an absurdly tragic backstory. "My hatred burns like a raging fire."

"Alright Raiden, calm down," Matsuda would then say, this time with a smirk on his face as if he was trying not to laugh.

"Fuckin' Mr. Lightning Bolt over here—"

The bell rang and their goofing around and making funr of a character of certain game ended shortly after, yet Issei's torture had just begun.

As are Humans with their fragile ego and excessive materialism that revolves around reflexive, wasteful, or conspicuous overconsumption; Devils were not without their own set of weaknesses.

Issei was informed of these once he woke up yesterday, and he experienced these side effects the very moment he took off from the old school building to get to his home. He had gone straight home as Rias said it was best for him to take a rest, along with Kiba as his company— this, of course, was an attempt to keep him under the Grigori's radar.

First, the sun became twice as stingy. Not stingy in the sense that it doesn't want to share; it shared plenty alright. Even when nobody wanted it. It was stingier in the sense that the UV light it emitted pricked his skin more. The Evil Pieces had molded his body along with the skin covering it, and because the sun was created by the Biblical God, its sunlight was therefore hurtful for creatures of the night.

Which kinda hard to make sense of, because he knew moonlight was just reflected sunlight, and yet it didn't sting. What's up with that?

Either way, he could never achieve that perfect summer tan because Devils apparently couldn't get sunburned.

Vampires do. In the most literal sense. He'd like to meet one.

Secondly, he was forbidden to go near 'holy' items like Bibles and Holy Water. Not even with a ten foot pole. Nor should he pray to or refer to 'Jesus' or the Biblical God, Yahweh, unless he wanted to experience a light knock in his head, courtesy of Heaven.

Obviously he had to try it directly after Rias told him not to, and, just as previously warned, he felt a tiny bite from inside his skull along with the other Devils nearby as they groaned collectively, grimacing altogether. What was the mechanism behind that pang of head pain? He had no idea. Miracles and shit. Weird magicky stuff. Stuff he was still having a hard time wrapping his head around even without a headache.

Thirdly, he should avoid holy people.

They were inclined to exorcize him on sight and/or splash him with Holy Water.

Although the Church's Exorcists tended to veer away from a territory highly disputed between the Devils and Grigori — territories such as Kuoh Town— Stray Exorcists would nevertheless flock to the Grigori like flies to rotting corpses.

That was Rias' analogy, not his. Was that an analogy or an allegory? Or was it a metaphor?

…This is why he barely scraped by his Japanese.

Nevertheless, keeping an eye out for these sanctified men or women in conspicuously weird white robes with crosses slung around their neck was a must. They possibly wore a rosary or two around their wrist, and, should they revolve their entire character around being religious, then they might carry a bible.

Not that hard of a task. Kuoh Town was considerably rural where the folks believed more in their country's Deities. And who wears robes and capes in this day and age?

Weirdos and LARPers. That's who.

Last but not least, baby making apparently would be an uphill battle.

But as he had never died before he took in the Evil Pieces, Rias pointedly stated that as long as he stayed alive —which would be a highly preferable outcome compared to not living— the Evil Pieces residing in him could temporarily be taken away from his body, hence turning him back into a Human. Doing so would make him significantly weaker and even bedridded for a couple of days, however, but he could always re-adopt his Evil Pieces unless they had embedded themselves firmly in his Soul — which would be the result of a singular death.

So he could die twice now. Sounded nifty enough, but Issei wasn't planning on having children yet or dying either way. Not before he was well off and his parents could live without having to struggle. And he didn't want children anytime soon; he felt he hadn't lived for himself enough.

All in all, those setbacks seemed minor (aside from having an actual enemy that might want to wipe his ass from history, but Rias said he'd be protected by his seniors. Much to his relief) compared to the merits of being a Devil, as well as his own dislikes and likes. He didn't particularly feel disturbed from the drawbacks. He hated summer and heat, and he never liked hitting the beaches as there were too many people there. Being in a huge crowd didn't feel right with him. He had difficulty thinking he 'belonged' with these normal people, and normal people tended to not shy away from direct sunlight as they needed to touch grass on a daily basis.

Not being able to say the Lord's name in vain might be the hardest to get accustomed to, but he'd learn to live without. He wasn't a believer of any faith to care enough about not being able to read the Bible. Could he read the verses from Googooloo internet search engine though? Would they stung his eyes through a screen?

But those 'weaknesses' were covered by the fact that he'd get paid (handsomely) weekly as long as he did his Devily duties. With just a week of work, he could already send his parents flying to Bali! How insane is that?

Other than obvious financial ease, the fact that 'language' became a concept of the past was a great boon too. No wonder Rias and Kiba spoke fluent Japanese despite looking European; Devils were created before language was invented — before the Tower of Babel was even considered and before the OG God got mad and threw a hissy fit and reenact a scene straight from a Godzilla movie.

Felt kinda cheaty though. For those who spent a great deal of time learning a new language. Therefore, Issei swore to never let this cheaty trait go to waste — by finally getting good scores on Japanese tests. Too bad that understanding languages didn't automatically make him able to write in that language. In fact, writing became a pain because everything he wrote magically transformed into English or Japanese depending on what language his thoughts were blabbering with.

…

Eh. Well. Overthinking never helped anybody. Analysis paralysis never helped him when he was a Human and being a Devil wouldn't miraculously change that fact. It did help make his school period drifted by, however. It seemed his sluggishness wasn't mistaken by the teachers as laziness, and he was told to hit the infirmary and slept through the entire day unbothered.

He might miss out on the lessons, but oh well. Not like he could concentrate like this.

"Well?" with a healthy degree of curiosity laced with rising concern, Rias lobbed her question at her new Pawn. "What do you think so far? I understand a day is too short for you to form a concrete opinion, but I'd like to hear your thoughts nonetheless. About you being a Devil, that is."

Slumped on the sofa, beaten from the stinking heat of the daylight, Issei could only muster to lift his hand and give his new Master a feeble thumb's up.

If he didn't look like he had been sprinting in a marathon then Rias wouldn't be this worried. Or nervous. What if he didn't like the side effects and was just being nice about it?

"...Are you…alright, Hyoudou? I heard you were at the infirmary this entire day."

"Yah. I felt like melting butter."

Hearing his mumbled confession, her worry only grew serendipitously.

"It'll take time for your body to adapt to the day, but it will," she said considerately. "Everyone went through this phase as well."

"Eghhhh…" the boy only mumbled despite the phrase 'it's not just a phase moommmm' playing in his head, begging to be let out. He kept it inside because he doubted Rias would get the joke.

His face was covered under his forearm while his body cooled down. He had never been this extremely grateful for the invention of air conditioning. There were a pair of them in the sumptuous ORC clubroom, and they were left running through all day since morning. Global warming be damned.

"You'll… get through it," Rias quietly hoped. "The first days are the roughest. It'll be easier soon."

Issei grunted acknowledgingly in response.

"It's… not too late to change your mind, in case you're having second thoughts," Rias decided to tell him. "I won't hold it against you. Although it would be dangerous for you as you're no longer under my protection but…"

"Nahh… it's fine."

"I see," Rias said softly, relieved. "...What made you so decisive on becoming one, Hyoudou? Apart from the fact we are supernaturals."

"Well I mean I was sold when you told me how much I'd get paid," Issei answered as if it was an obvious answer. "The sooner my parents get to stop working, the better, although my mom did say she wants to try out running her own mini restaurant. Sorta like a cafe but without focusing too much on the coffee… She used to be a cook."

What a dutiful and thoughtful son, Rias thought. His parents had raised him well to be as such. "Can you cook as well, Hyoudou?"

"Naw I can't cook for shiz," he laughed. "Mom doesn't let me in the kitchen when she's cooking either as it's 'her spot', and she gets nervous when someone's watching her cook."

"Your mother sounds lovely."

"She is, she is," Issei did his usual head nodding, although he was still reclined on the sofa. "Could cut off a bit from the Korean dramas though. She's basically an addict."

School ended half an hour ago, but they were the only Devils in the clubroom-slash-base of operations. Not long ago, the rest of her Servants had taken off to take care of their Contractors via the teleportation magic circle located at the furthest side of her clubroom. She would have assigned him with the usual dumb labor for beginner Reincarnated Devils; handing out flyers, but since he was never trained in the arcane arts like Koneko and Akeno nor rigorously trained his body like Kiba, Rias figured he'd be allowed some days of leniency.

Now that they were alone, she couldn't help but feel the niggling sting of an awkward mite.

The topic she ordinarily discussed with her Servants shifted depending on who she was talking to, but mostly they danced between future prospects, her betrothal issue, chess openings and why Bongcloud Attack was underrated, or cakes and snacks. None of those seemed a viable conversation starter with her new Pawn.

She settled her papers over her desk, and pondered for a moment. She had no trouble associating herself with nobles at a ball or any social events her parents threw, but then again, Issei was a commoner and Human. She doubted he'd be invested in talking about a Devil House he'd never heard or met. Would he be interested in a discussion about tea? No… Rias recalled he wasn't much of a tea person.

Lessons? No… that would be a poor choice. Issei wasn't academic as his below average scores suggested. Droning about Japanese culture might bore him to death. Perhaps manga and anime…? But Rias had never seen the cartoons nor read the comic books. She was more interested in the country's richness of its culture and its natural beauty. She'd like to book another trip to the Naeba Ski Resort in the near future, though it would make more sense to hit the beach instead, or view the 'bubblegum mountains' of Mount Yoshino.

Should she ask him for tourist destinations? Would that be too bizarre of a topic to bring up suddenly? It was approaching the end of Spring after all, and finals were in two weeks. But perhaps that would only distract him from his studies. Rias would hate herself if he failed his finals; he'd have to take the supplemental classes and miss out on the first days of his summer break.

…

Seriously, what do ordinary humans talk about? And why is this silence more mentally taxing on her than when she was alone?

Five years in the World of Humans and three and a half years in Kuoh Academy and only just now Rias realized her selection of topics was severely limited when it was her turn to start a conversation that didn't have any correlation to studies and her Devil business.

"Are you okay, Senpa— er… Prez?"

"Hm?" She flitted her head at him. He was still laying on the couch, but his head was looking over her. "Oh… I'm… fine," she supposed. "Why did you ask?"

"You look kinda troubled," he shrugged. "Guess that's just me, nevermind."

Rias blushed a little. When did he start looking at her? "...It…it was nothing…" she muttered. It was then something hit her. "...Have you informed your parents about staying here?"

"Yep." Sensing a conversation coming up, Issei straightened himself and sat, scratching his back and then his sides. "They gave me the okay."

"They have?" That was fast. "Goodness. Here I thought I might have to manipulate their memory…"

"What an unsettling thing to say to those parents' kid," Issei dryly muttered, and Rias visibly blushed out of embarrassment, just then realizing how bizarre her statement was. "But hell, you'd go that far?"

"Well, of course," she stated firmly, proceeding to scowl as she continued, "Exorcists and Fallen Angels prey on recently converted Devils like wolves in the night. Once confronted, they'll reason they mistook you as a Stray, feigning innocence."

He should be terrified or at least uneasy, but he felt none of those. They didn't even cross his mind as he instead asked, "But why?"

"Hm? Why?"

"Yeah, why?" he echoed. "Why do they do that? Is this sort of thing normal?"

Rias sighed mellowly. "Hyoudou… when people possess unnatural powers, more often than not they are always raring to use it. They'll find reasons to justify its usage. Sometimes they'll even fabricate the reason. They'll bend the truth if they can get away with it. It's a destructive kind of craving. When it gets bad enough, they'll forsake finding a reason and simply do it as they please — most if not all of Stray Exorcists are Exorcists who got drunk on power."

"No trip like a power trip, I guess…" Issei muttered, looking conflicted.

She smiled then. "Power corrupts if you let it control you instead of controlling it. I don't think you should be concerned about it, however."

"Really? Why?" he dumbly asked.

"You kept it controlled all this time and used it for good. The power you have is… well, dangerous, for one," she said warmly. She felt like she was praising her fledgling nephew for doing something good without being aware of it because of his innocence; like saying 'thank you' without being told to because it was the 'right' thing.

He figured she was referring to the fact he cleaned up litter from the streets whenever he saw any and no one was there. But Issei felt no swelling of pride, but he did feel a bit embarrassed. As he entered his late teen years, compliments had been rare.

"Anyone would've done the same," he said, not really comfortable with being praised. "It's nothing impressive."

"But it is," Rias simply stated. "It is believed Sacred Gears grow according to its possessor's soul — your will and conscience, so to speak. Sometimes it reshapes you. There's no other way to say this, but only disaster awaits should it fall to the wrong hand."

"Has it ever happened?" he couldn't help but ask.

"It's the only reason for the Grigori's constant vigilance. While I can't say I agree with their methods, personally I think it's better than the Angels who only sit and watch and take action until it's far too late. But strictly on that account."

Issei had a difficult time digesting Rias' not-exactly-casual choice of words, but his smooth brain managed to break down some of it for him to swallow the point she was getting across; Fallen Angels are bad but not evil. He just wished nobody would get into trouble with anyone and just live their own daily lives. Exciting as it might be, Issei learned these supernatural beings weren't one to shy away from violent confrontation.

Mistaking his sudden pensive silence as him worrying over the Fallen Angels, Rias decided to return the conversation topic back about him.

"Don't worry about them," the she-devil said calmingly. "They put the importance of their so-called missions above all else, but they won't risk a war and harm a Reincarnated Devil. Especially mine. Me and my Servants will keep watch of you until your wings are strong enough to fly on your own."

"Wuh— how motherly!" Her maternal display completely blindsided him as Issei gasped silently from surprise. "I wasn't worrying about them though— just letting you know, Senpai. I mean uh, Buchou. Prez." Issei blinked owlishly. Weird how his brain could switch thinking between languages like this… Sooner or later he'd be unironically using the word 'gomenasorry' and 'yametekudastop'.

Rias laughed softly. Her titter was unlike Akeno, Issei thought. Hers was softer. More mature and less 'sensual'. Very royal-y. Then again, she is a Devil noble. Daughter of a duke, if he remembered his crash course correctly.

"What are you worried about then, if I may know?"

"Hm? Hmm…" Issei furrowed his brown brows, creasing the spot in between. "I dunno. Just the general kind of worry, I guess."

"Like what?"

"Oh… y'know… I mean… since there's all this 'powers' and 'sacred gears' lying about, I'm guessing there's a reason why they're around, right?"

Rias didn't quite follow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I'm no rocket scientist but is it wrong if I assume some use it to fight and kill? Y'know, that sort of stuff?"

Her chest tightened as Rias was once again reminded of the boy's innocence. Yet despite his innocence, he wasn't completely naive, and no doubt the thought of using his own power for something other than disintegrating a pile of trash had crossed his mind since yesterday. Using it at another living being, for example.

"No one will force you into doing anything you'd rather not do, Hyoudou. I can assure you that."

"Huh? Oh. Well, thanks, but that wasn't what I meant."

"Oh." Rias had never felt this painfully embarrassed. Her and her melancholic way of thinking. She blamed it on her betrothal issue.

"...Are you okay, Prez? You look a bit… flushed."

"I'm fine," she quickly retorted, slapping away her shame. "Don't mind it— elaborate on what you mean instead."

"Well, basically I don't want anyone getting hurt if it can be helped, is all," he shrugged. "I dunno. Might just me overthinking things."

Ah. Just her Servants' wellbeing in general… Of course he'd think about them despite knowing their true identity for a single day. At that, Rias could only sigh mellowly as a smile streaked her face. "Oh, Hyoudou… It's gladdening to hear you're concerned about us already."

"Wh— of course I do! You guys fight like Demons and stuff."

"Stray Devils," Rias corrected, suddenly in her teacher-mode. "Significant differences there, Hyoudou. Demons are their own race in Hell."

"Right, right, my bad," nodded Issei. "...What's the difference again?"

"Between Stray Devils and Demons or Devils to Demons?"

"Devils to Demons."

Rias smiled as she began, "There's a lot, but roundly, Demons are physically stronger, but their magic is severely limited to their race unlike us Devils that rely on imagination and their power for most of the time."

He pondered about it for a moment, already forgetting about the Demons as he was daydreaming about his first ever spell. If he could shape it and decide on its effect, then he'd want to create a spell that blocks the goddamn sunlight or keep his bedroom as cool as though an aircon was left running. Like rooms in four star hotels. That way he wouldn't have to care about the electricity bill.

Speaking of bills— "So uh…" he continued, somewhat awkwardly this time. "What… What's my job here again, Prez? I mean I don't wanna get paid without doing anything… Funny that it used to be my dream but it's kinda hard to do when you see your boss face to face on a daily basis."

Rias chuckled delightedly. He bounced from one topic to another like an easily distracted kid wanting to learn everything at once.

"Your job, Hyoudou, is first to get accustomed to the changes," she muttered comfortingly as to not make him feel bad for his apparent jobless state. "Once your body has adjusted itself, then you may worry about your duties. But for now, take it easy."

He blinked. "Gee, you're so kind, Gremory-senpai. I mean Buchou. Er— Prez. I still feel bad though, slacking off."

"You're not slacking off. You're recuperating," Rias smiled warmly. He's adorable. Adorable in a way that activated her big sister instinct. It was easily understandable how her Servants quickly warmed up to him. "I don't see how pushing you to work at your current condition will do any good to anybody." Not to mention those prowling vultures… His encounter two days ago with Raynare definitely wouldn't be the last. "It'll do more harm than good, rather."

"Right, right," he nodded dumbly, overall just glad he wasn't just being tolerated. "What about you, Prez? What's it like when you first started out as a Devil— wait you were born as one to begin with… Scratch that; what's it like when you first got here? Y'know, on Earth? Exposed to the sun and all that."

Rias got off her chair as she replied, "My first days hmm…? Well, I had constant headaches for several days. A week, perhaps." She sat on the sofa across from him. "Eventually the pain subsided and I started to feel less and less bothered by the sunlight, although summers still make me sluggish from time to time."

"I feel sluggish during summers regardless," whined Issei, before he then changed his tone and looked like that of a conspiracy theorist. "...What if I was a Devil all along."

She giggled at that, all in all glad he didn't feel intimidated by her position as her Master or as the school's apparent 'Great Lady' to prevent him from cracking silly, noncommittal jokes. Rias Gremory was well aware of her moniker, but unlike Akeno who bathed in its glory and trouble-lessly stir the hearts of the female and male students with her stupid little game of winks and suggestive phrasing and flirty, half-lidded gazes, Rias felt left out most of the time.

She wasn't assigned to this town or this school to make friends. She was an Overseer, and as a Devil who had been having a rough time completing her Peerage. Kuoh Town, despite its size, was rumored to shelter Humans with exciting prospects, and it was true. Sona's Peerage was filled with them. She practically hoarded these exciting prospects. The Sitri heiress wasn't to blame, regardless, as Rias only had herself to blame for her own indecisiveness.

Rias thought too much, to summarize. She worried too much about the Humans, whether they'd be able to take life as a Devil in stride or not. Kiba and Akeno were two special exceptions. Akeno would be hunted down and Kiba was an inch away from death's door. They didn't only deserve second chances in life, albeit as a Devil, but needed it desperately.

"...You okay Prez?" he asked seemingly out of the blue. He was seated properly this time when she came to. Of course Rias didn't notice that she was staring listlessly into space again. "You look troubled."

Her head perked up. "Hm? Oh. It's… nothing."

"Yeaaah I don't buy that…" her Pawn grunted. "It's cool if you don't wanna talk about it tho, no pressure. Just letting you know I'm all ears."

Her smile was gentle. "I'm fine, Hyoudou. Thank you. I appreciate your concern."

"Hmm… well aight. Can't say I'm not curious but," he cut his sentence abruptly with a shrug. She literally only knew him for a day, so it made sense that she was still reserved. "Anyway, how do you like it here, Prez? Was Japan your first… Earth country?"

"Italy was the first country I visited," Rias promptly recalled. "It's where I happened to meet Kiba."

"Oh? The guy's Italian?" he asked as he made that hand gesture.

She smiled again. "He is."

He bunched up his brows. "But his name's Japanese? Yuuto, right?"

"It's a name he chose to adopt," Rias answered somewhat melancholically. "Formerly his name was Isaiah or Izaiya."

That didn't sound Italian, was the first thought that crossed his occasionally empty mind, but Issei kept it in there. "Hmm, hmm," he nodded thoughtfully, thinking the name change was some kind of a symbol where the blondie left his former life, some symbolic, meaningful thing like that.

…

Thinking about it over, Kiba started to look more and more like an anime protagonist. Depressing backstory? Check. Handsome? Check. Good-nature? Check. Popular with the girls? Check. Formerly a Human now a Devil? Check.

"I don't feel comfortable talking about his personal history without him knowing, Hyoudou. But if you would like to know more, I'd appreciate it if you ask him directly instead."

"Uh-huh, sure, sure," he nodded several times again, saving the topic for when he had the chance to ask the Knight. "So why Italy?"

"Hm?"

"I mean, why pick Italy. Is it the food or… I dunno, the climate? Or you were assigned there by… the Devil Overlords or… things like that."

"Oh, no, no, it was a vacation," Rias chuckled, not realizing she had been unwinding as she chatted to him that wasn't related to her job or engagement. "Italy— or mediterranean countries in general is… well, not an advisable spot for Devils to roam around. Our influence is the lowest in those countries."

"Really? Why?" asked Issei, dumbly.

"Because—"

"Ohh right— Christians," he then realized, unintentionally cutting off her answer.

But Rias simply nodded. "Yes. Christians."

"But you went there anyway?"

"My…brother is a respected figure," she said without the intent to gloat. "He had gone there to attend a meeting with Heaven's representatives, regarding what I'm not authorized to know."

"Man, that sounds awesome," mused Issei, already awed, "I guess in my case that'd be like having a brother that rules a biker gang. Or is a Yakuza. No one's gonna want to mess with you."

At that, Rias smiled wryly which he missed as he was drowning in his boyish fantasy. "I suppose you can put it like that."

"So when did you move in here? Nipponland, I mean."

Rias hummed. "Three years ago, give or take. A year before this academy became co-ed. Sona and I were assigned to be this town's Overseer to replace our predecessor."

"Oh? Did something happen to them? Did they retire?"

"In one way or another," Rias smiled bitterly. Truth be told, she had been digging around for the truth behind Cleria Belial's death. It didn't seem likely for the a renowned Exorcist to suddenly gone berserk and murder her and then took his own life out of the blue.

Oblivious to the Overseer's history, Issei returned to his earlier question, "Do you like it here?"

"Hm? Yes. Yes I do," her smile warmed this time. "The climate is gentle. It's neither cold nor warm during winter or summer. The typhoons can be troubling at times, however… and other natural disasters."

"Ahh, I know right? We're pretty far from the sea but it still could get real nasty."

"Mmm."

"Not much things to do here though," Issei prattled on as he stretched his hands, popping his bones. "There's only one mall, no beaches, no pretty sakura blooming during spring, and the festivals aren't really… festive, ironically enough."

"Truly? You find it so?"

"Yeah. I've been here since… well since I was born, actually."

Rias could sympathize, and capitalize on that new information. "Would you like to travel sometime, Hyoudou?"

His eyes immediately lit up. "Boy, do I? I never could! No money and my parents are kinda overprotective."

"You do, hm?" she giggled again, for what seemed to be the sixteenth time since the past hour. "Well… this week or the next I can organize a… getaway, so to speak, at my House's vacation house."

"Your house have a vacation house? Oh my god— how rich are you?!"

"No, no, by 'House' I meant my family… The Gremory. It's a Clan name."

"Oh," Issei calmed down, but his excitement rebounded up again as he realized what this meant. "Are we going on a club trip? In Hell?"

"W-Well it's not a trip per se… I'd expect some exercises to be done and to show you a glimpse of the current state of Hell, as well as teach you how to "

Issei was too excited with his daydreaming to be bothered by having to work out. "Are we gonna swim in lava?"

Rias had to blink as she processed his insane idea of training before she eventually spoke, "No, Hyoudou. That kills people."

"Oh."

"Although the method isn't unheard of. It builds resilience to immense heat and although sometimes an imminent death triggers a certain hidden power to surge in certain individuals, it's… not a method I'd prefer."

"Seriously? You do those? I was only joking." And then he shrugged. "Well. Half joking. Didn't think that's possible."

Rias couldn't stop herself from smiling. "Nothing is truly impossible on this side of the world, Hyoudou. A Devil, one of our Great Satan, has found a way to create a star and with it create a day and night cycle."

His eyes widened. His mind was blown. If it already was by his discovery of these supernatural entities residing in the same Earth and having their own Earth, then those tiny pieces had exploded again into tinier bits.

Break

Issei walked shiftily as he readjusted his pants. His balls got wrapped around his shorts like some skin anakonda.

Yesterday, he had spent most of his uptime lounging or sleeping or somewhere in between. Lazing around not doing a single thing was nice and all, but he felt bad to his hardworking senior Devils who, according to Rias, returned back to 'base' at nine and oftentimes ten in the dark. Although they didn't have to work that late everyday — or work everyday to maintain their Contracts for that matter— he felt like a slob.

Therefore, he had asked Rias to give him something to do, and that thing to do was spread flyers around. He was given a stack of two hundred, all resting inside his sling bag. Seemed he'd be spending most of his evening out on the streets instead of tucked cozily in his bedroom, playing games or watching movies, or watching online people play video games.

But since Issei had always been a night owl, not to mention his recurring sleeping problems, feeling more invigorated during the night was the best thing he had since sliced bread.

He didn't like bread that much, but it was how the saying goes and he wasn't a literary genius to start changing idioms.

Despite having those slick-looking wings, he was instructed to do it by walking or cycling his way around the town. He could ride a bike with no problem, but Issei just liked walking. It might take a longer time, sure, yet he figured it'd be more convenient than having to stop cycling every ten meters. And besides, he didn't know how to fly yet.

The wings felt icky and gross whenever those bat-like appendages unfurled out his back or when they folded —where these things were stored he had no clue— Issei got used to it after a few repetitions. Flying didn't come naturally, sadly. At least 'fly' maneuverably, and not just jump high and fall, because the first time he flapped his wings, he slammed his head against the ceiling of his clubroom, knocking himself out cold and nearly ruining the Occult Research Clubroom lamp.

That aside, it'd be additional work for the Devils if he got spotted flying by a civilian. At this information age, rumors travel quicker than a plague, and Kuoh Town was pretty small for a town and their social medias' PR was always on the lookout for juicy rumors or urban legends to increase the town's appeal.

Speaking of urban legends, as he jammed in another into an unsuspecting mailbox, Issei quietly wondered if they existed too. Yōkais. Yōkai or yōkais? Well anyway— he wondered if these Japanese spirits exist or they were purely urban legends. If they did, then could he meet them? Or see them? Talk to them, even? Provided they wouldn't want to immediately chop his head off?

He wondered if there was a job where you interview these supernatural species. Provide deeper insight than blindly trusting rumors and assumptions made by people. But then again, weren't they made by people technically? Actually, in that regard, weren't Gods made by Humans? Wait, this just got too confusing for his poor brain. He could feel his synapses short-circuiting.

Disintegrating a few trashes along the way, though they were very rare and mostly left out by dumb idiot kids that couldn't be bothered to hold on to their tiny pieces of garbage until they spot a trash can, where they hopefully could dump themselves in as well while they were at it, Issei glanced listlessly into the night skies.

Clouds.

Lots of 'em.

Might be raining soon.

He didn't know much about Devils and probably should have asked if they had built-in resistance to common cold, but he wasn't going to risk it. Picking up the pace, he changed his walking pace into a jogging pace, dumping in the plain-looking flyers. It was the least he could do. A task all beginner Devils must do. The objective being to expand the Devils' connection and therefore increasing the likelihood of finding themselves a Contractor, as well as getting him used to Kuoh's layout. It didn't have much excitement, but aimlessly walking around had been his daily ritual nonetheless when he didn't feel like playing or harm his sight with blue screen exposure, so it didn't bother him much. He just had to plop in strange papers to mailboxes.

He wasn't alone either. Rias had assigned one of his fellow Servants to ensure his safety, the stealthiest being Koneko — but he didn't know that. The petite shorstacked Devil had no difficulty in hiding herself, munching on her chocolate bar as she tailed him, using parked cars as her hiding spots, jumping into someone's gate whenever he glanced around, shushing the barking dogs with a glare as they whined and ran back inside their dog house or their owner's house.

Koneko didn't mind though, playing babysitter like this. She was the runt of the litter and getting to watch over a junior despite Issei being several years older than her gave her some kind of weird, indescribable satisfaction. She felt… more 'grown up', to dumb it down. She might like being a Senpai in one thing for once.

And it was interesting watching him use his eyes power to take care of the menial things, and as he did it again, obliterating a random piece of dried leaf as it shrieked briefly and minutely, Koneko quietly shoved her chocolate bar wrap into her skirt's pocket, feeling a bit guilty for wanting to leave it on the street.

But then Issei stopped. Anything he was doing he halted right then without any warning, standing completely still all of a sudden. It spiked Koneko's alertness. What if, she immediately thought, he had been faking his cluelessness all along? What if this was all an elaborate prank? What if he had been aware of her presence since the beginning as well as the Devils and the supernaturals?

"HEAGHG—CHIEGHH—!"

She flinched as a powerful, robust sneeze erupted from his lungs, her eyes wide with full-blown alertness. Calming her speeding heart rate, Koneko peeked around the sedan, nervously watching the young man sniffle and scratch his nose. There was a feeling of silliness amidst the rising embarrassment for even thinking Issei was anything more than a beginner Devil.

But that was a mortifying sneeze. One hell of a sneeze. And that sneeze jump started a chain reaction as the neighbors' dogs started to bark, as if verbally showing their protest for having their sleep disturbed.

Issei quickly strutted away from the scene, rapidly moseying on as he feared he might have given someone's granny a heart attack. His classmates said that he sneezed like their dads, and he could confirm that he sneezed like his father. How girls and even some of his guy friends could stifle their sneeze in or sneeze cutely or quietly was beyond him, but he was starting to suspect they might be supernatural oddities.

Or just him and his dad that were weird.

Either way, Issei rushed over to the next block to proceed with his assigned duty, and Koneko hurriedly shadowed after him. He never spotted her, luckily, and as she noticed his flyers were just about to run out, she planned on a route where she could unseemingly bump into him and make up some bullshit reasoning as to why they met.

And so they met.

Just as Issei slotted in the last of the few flyers he had, with the skies already getting darker and darker, he came by a crossroad and saw his senior Devil and junior schoolmate walking over from one of the streets.

"Oh! Koneko-chan," he greeted, surprised to see her. She seemed just as surprised to bump into him. What a coincidence! "Finished doing your Contract thing?"

"Yea. More or less," the Devil said vaguely, quickly shifting the topic away. "What about you, Senpai?"

"Yea-yea, same," he bobbed his head as he patted the fliers in his hand. "Only got like ten more. Might rain soon though."

Koneko extended her hand. "I'll help."

"Nice, thank," and he handed over half of his remaining papers as they continued along the road without fanfare. "Did you do this too, Koneko-chan?"

"Uh-huh," she hummed quietly as she walked over to the house across the street.

"For how long?"

"Not that long."

"A week?"

"And a half."

"Oh."

He sounded dejected. Koneko smiled thinly at that fact. Not to revel in his suffering, but because she was amused by how suddenly dispirited he was. It reminded her of her rookie Devil days.

"It's to get used to the town's layout," she added whilst shoving another paper into a mailbox, "but since you've been here for a long time, Senpai, I don't think it will take you that long."

"You think so? Well I do hope so," Issei nodded, humming. "I know these streets better than my own pocket. The neighborhood streets at least."

"Do you take a walk every day, Hyoudou-senpai?" Putting in the last of her share of the flyers, Koneko stepped back to the same lane as him, just as Issei had finished his portion of the work.

"Every now and then, when I feel like it," he said simply as he checked once again for the dark clouds. "I was gonna get some takeaways but… I think it's better if we head straight back."

"It's okay," Koneko said, standing still. "I can get back alone."

"...Yeah, nah. Devi— D-word or no D-word, you're still my junior, Koneko-chan. I can't call myself a good senior if I let you walk home all by yourself, and my father will be severely disappointed in me if I let a girl go home on her own. Not that I'm doing this because you're a girl… well.. It kinda is, but… y'know."

Koneko smiled flatly as he fumbled with his words. "Just shut up and take me back to school, Senpai."

Being served an out, Issei gladly took it.

"Yeah you right."

And thus, they began their walk home, filling their trek with inane conversations about how boring school could be and how being out in the sun sucked. Issei mortified himself the moment realization dawned on him that PE would expose him to direct sunlight. Koneko consoled him by saying it stung only during the first week.

In the middle of their stroll, she reached inside her pocket to check if she still had her chocolate bars, only to be reminded that she had already eaten it the moment she pulled out its empty foil. Her disappointment was beyond measure and her day was ruined.

"You gonna eat that."

"No," she flatly replied.

"Here. Let me take care of it for you," Issei said, and Koneko handed him the empty 'Meiji' Milk Chocolate sheet, and keenly watched his eyes as those brown irises erupted into stunning violets for a flicker of a second. And with it, his scleras turned pitch black as she could hear a short-lived squealing from the paper foil signifying its erasure from existence.

"Heh. Sometimes they sound like a duck getting squished."

She blinked from his bizarre analogy as they moved along the road. "When did you first realize you can do that thing with your eyes, Senpai?"

"Uh… When I was like… ten, I think," he tried to recall. His effort was made visible by his bunched up eyebrows. Her rare show of surprise was shown by her widened eyes. "Yea, pretty young."

"...How?"

"Well… there was this time I got jealous over some kid's kite, and— I was a kid and an annoying brat, so when someone got something that I don't have, then nobody gets to have it. So I thought real hard about it and then… the kite disappeared while it was flying. Screamed too, but not as loud like Kiba's sword. I was lucky it was at the park and no one would believe some kid's insane story about how his kite had gone up and vanished. His parents probably thought it snapped and he was making up a story to get a new one."

"...You discovered your power because of a kite."

"Yea," he blandly nodded. "I guess it's not that impressive huh."

"It's… impressive… in its own way," Koneko said quietly, albeit 'quiet' was just her normal voice. "It's so… random?"

"Yea I know," Issei agreed wholeheartedly. "It's a good thing it happened when I've grown a bit of conscience and the idea that what happened was, by all means, abnormal. Sometimes I get the jitters whenever I think about the 'what ifs'. Like what if it activated when I was even more of a brat? I could've made some kid disappear."

"That's scary," Koneko could only say. "...Are you scared of your own power, Senpai?"

"Hell, I'm scared it might hurt someone accidentally," he answered readily. In truth, Issei had been dying to share the emotional baggage he had to carry to anyone.

"I… see…" Koneko muttered. Quieter this time. Her elder sister's visage immediately entered her mind, and the screams among the sparks of that laboratory replayed itself like a broken record. She noticed she was breathing a little bit faster, and didn't have any snacks to nibble on to distract her thoughts, and Koneko feared she might be in the middle of a nervous breakdown without any of her seniors present.

She shouldn't have brought this up. She shouldn't have asked him. She should have stayed quiet and all of this would be avoided. Kuroka shouldn't have killed those people. These fears shouldn't exist. Her powers shouldn't exist—

"But," he then went on, not realizing Koneko had been clutching her fists even as she continued to follow him. "Now at least I can use it to help you guys. Dunno how. Maybe take out the garbage or sumthin'... Maybe there's a Contractor with a garbage problem… Hoarders exist, right? Well anyway, I'm glad you people came to me. Knowing there are other people like me and I'm not completely alone in all this helps to ease that kind of fear, y'know."

That… put her at ease as well. "...What if… even if you're aware of all that, you're still afraid to use it, Senpai?"

"Hm? Hmm… Well, I guess it depends if it's needed or not… So far in my life, I've never had a moment where my life depended on making something go 'poof' in an instant."

"Aren't you scared you might lose control?"

"Yeah," Issei sighed, folding his hands as he mulled over this again. Not rarely did this exact pondering sauntered inside his mind like a thief in the night. "But at the same time, not using it seems like a waste, so I… I guess I trained myself to control my emotions better…? Y'know, calm down and count one-two-three, deep breaths, that kind of pointers whenever you're getting mad."

"Your emotions?"

"Yea, yea," he bobbed his head twice like a parakeet. "I don't want… y'know… I don't know if I can or want to handle the guilt of accidentally beaming down someone permanently over something as impermanent as anger."

Koneko glanced up at her Devil junior with a newfound sense of admiration and respect, and a little bit of sympathy. Eight years he had spent by himself not knowing of their existence. He must have felt lonely often.

"You're surprisingly mature, Hyoudou-senpai," she finally said.

Issei grinned at her light jab. Always one for inconsequential banters, this young man, and he wasn't afraid to bounce it back with his own as he uttered, "And you're remarkably short, Koneko-chan."

At first, Koneko was surprised that he'd return her jibe. Shocked, even, as almost nobody had ever made fun of her height as everyone perceived it as her cutest trait. But she found herself giggling to herself, and then with him, as Koneko realized why her Master had been rightly concerned about him; Hyoudou Issei was a good person.

…

The walk back was, to summarize, uneventful. The two picked up their pace at the first sound of a rolling thunder, not needing to have their night ruined by sudden rain. During their jog that eventually turned into a dash, Issei realized that he didn't get tired as quickly. His leg muscles still burned by the time they arrived at the school gate, and while he could tell Koneko was taking it easy so he wouldn't be left in the dust, Issei didn't doubt his increased stamina was all thanks to his Devil body.

Odd to think a couple of weird chess pieces could do all these things, but then again, his eyes weren't exactly normal.

The pitter patter of the rain had also picked up its pace. They rushed in the silent and dark main school building, quickly running out to the field and making a break for the old school building as the rain grew and grew in intensity.

"Run faster, Senpai."

"I'm… TRYING," Issei growled, much to the small girl's amusement. "Goddammit— this is why you should've exercised routinely you lazy bastard—" Now's the time as ever, he then thought to himself as he spread his wings, and propelled himself with a single flutter of his brand new bat-like pinions.

"OH FUUuuu"ᵘᵘᵘᵘᵘᵘᵘᵘᵘᶜᵏ" he screamed as he launched himself above the old school building, overshooting several meters above the roof.

…

"In my defense, I didn't know I'd go that far."

While her Servants chuckled or laughed quietly —for Koneko's case; grinned with satisfaction— from her Pawn's poor defense and poor judgment, Rias could only squeeze the bridge of her nose as she let out a sigh.

"What ever shall I do with you, Hyoudou… What if you have gotten hurt worse than this?"

She was referring to the mint-fresh tiny bump on his forehead with a pack of ice pressed against it. A scientifically explainable result for smashing headfirst into a tree.

"Well… guess I'd need more ice."

Even Rias couldn't make herself stay mad after hearing his quip. He was alright, all things considered… It was all that mattered. She didn't want to ruin the rare, lively mood either. Not rarely did her Servants get to loosen themselves this much. Making light of things by cracking jokes wasn't exactly her forte. Not Akeno's either. Her 'jokes' were too… vulgar, to say the least.

"Just be careful next time. We'll teach you how to fly, Hyoudou, just be patient and… try not to get yourself hurt again. Twice now you've gotten injured."

"Right, yes, I won't. Sorry," he sheepishly nodded. "But damn that was a rush. I can't wait until I can fly. My head can't wait either."

"It sure can't," Rias shook her head again. "I've contacted your parents already, Hyoudou. I've let them know you will be spending the night here and gotten their approval."

"You have? Sweet," he grinned. …This did mean he couldn't change his underwear or shirt.

"Yuuto has bought some clothes for you to change into. They're laundered already."

Nevermind. "Seriously? Holy hell you guys act quick…"

None of the Devils were willing to admit they had planned this from the start. The pouring rain was merely a lucky coincidence.

"I… had thought it'd be too late to send you home after you were finished with your task," Rias said as she glanced at the clock. Fifteen minutes to ten. Issei subconsciously copied her. "Fallen Angels tend to get more active during the night as well. Of course we'll take you home if you wish to."

"No, no! It's fine, it's fine. I always wanted to spend a night in school. …Well this isn't the main school but it's still a school so that counts."

"You do?" Akeno asked first. She was seated next to him and had been the one to bring the packed ice from Koneko's mini freezer. "How so?"

"It sounds spooky and therefore fun," he reasoned without having to think. "Oh, are the rumors true? That this building has ghosts walking around?"

"That's likely Koneko-chan sneaking around for her late-night snacks," Kiba laughed softly, whereas Koneko immediately snapped her head over to Rias to check her reaction. It seemed she had known all along.

"Huh."

"...It counts, still, when you think about it," tittered Akeno. "Hm? Koneko-chan?"

"I guess," Koneko shrugged, pouting a bit. One day she'd reveal her true self to the new junior. But that day was not likely to be this date.

"Do you like horror stuff, Issei-kun?" asked the blonde Knight out of curiosity. Kiba was presently lounging across the opposite couch, his school uniform a bit wet from the drizzle during his trip to the convenience store.

"I'm still trying to find something that freaks me out, to be honest," said the rookie Devil, much to everyone's mild surprise. "I dunno. I just can't get scared. I get the tension, but I've never been properly creeped out since… since I was a kid, probably."

"How nice~" the girl with the ridiculously long ponytail smiled and clasped her hands, as her purple eyes strayed over to Rias. "You and Buchou will be an excellent match."

"Really? You into horror too, Prez— Buchou?" he furrowed his brows. That didn't sound right. Did he refer to Rias with Prez or Buchou? Both carried the same meaning, sure, but he could've sworn he chose 'Prez' because it had more 'oomph' and one less syllable.

Rias' reply was carried by a sigh and a somewhat chagrined expression, "No. They're poking fun at me because I'm terrible with horror. A fact that seems to amuse these children." Much to her dismay.

And it seemed Issei had taken an interest in seeing her scared reaction too. "Huh? Even though you're literally running the Occult Research Club?"

"There's differences between fiction and reality… and somehow fictional movies make it all the worse. Scary horror stingers don't happen in real life, and I'm never as powerless as the characters in those movies. …Or as stupid."

"You're not good with scary stuff?"

"No."

"When you're the president of Occult Research Club?"

Rias nibbled her bottom lip this time. "Yes."

"That's a gap moe if I've ever seen one," Issei commented, eyebrows risen. "So when can we watch one?"

"I…" Rias stammered, frowning as she did. A group activity would accelerate his integration to the group, but at the same time, she wasn't at the condition where she could afford losing more sleep as she already had. "...Well I suppose we could… just… not this soon."

All he needed to hear. "Ooh— have you heard of Shutter? It's a Thailand horror movie. About ghosts appearing in photographs. My friends said it's the scariest shit— err movie they've ever watched. I have it already on my PC, but I just wasn't in the right mood to watch it yet."

"That's… fascinating…" Rias sheepishly alleged.

"Do you happen to be one of those people that's immune to horror?" Akeno followed with growing interest. Any chance to bully the school's revered lady was a chance too precious to let slip by. A skewed sense of satisfaction filled her chest as she witnessed Rias' souring demeanor due to her prolonging this topic.

"Hmmm…" Issei tilted his head slightly. "I guess so. I've poked around abandoned buildings out of curiosity."

"That's trespassing, you know. And Evil Spirits do exist, Issei-kun. They don't like trespassers very much, especially when someone's being disrespectful." Akeno thoughtfully warned. "They often feed on people's fear."

But Issei didn't flail or look remotely concerned. "Where can I see one."

The Devils glanced at each other. Eventually, Kiba was the one to ask, "Why?"

"I wanna ask them stuff."

Akeno couldn't help but smile. The more she learned about him the cuter he appeared in her eyes. "What kind of stuff?"

"Well… I… dunno. Whatever pops in my head first, I'm assuming. Maybe why they haven't passed on or that sort of thing. What's holding them back and such."

"Sorry to ruin your curiosity, but there's nothing holding Evil Spirits back. Not even the place of their demise," explained Rias. "Most if not in all cases, they linger in one place because it is their hunting ground, not because they are bound to it."

His eyes widened. "That is an expert thing to say. Have you guys gone ghost busting?"

"I used to," Akeno hummed, to the surprise of her fellow Devils. As were most of Rias' Servants, each of them had a bitter past they preferred to remain buried. "Well. Until I became a Devil of course, as then I've forsaken the blessings of the Gods. Shinto Gods, I should add."

His eyes only widened further. "You were blessed by a God?"

"Everyone in the Five Principal Clans does. My Clan is known for its age-old mystic arts… and its fanaticism to tradition, unfortunately," Akeno went on, adding more to the surprise for both the rookie and the experienced Devils. There was a sad smile on her face that Issei failed to notice due to his excitement. "But that's a history lesson I'll save for another rainy day, Issei-kun."

"So you're like a miko? A uh— priestess?"

"Was and still am."

"Woah…" came his response. "Man, you guys sound like you all had an exciting life. Prez is a bona fide Devil, Akeno-senpai kicks Evil Spirits butts, Kiba has cool swords and knows how to swing them, and Koneko-chan… well, I'm sure Koneko-chan has a way more flowery life than what I got so far. I must be so dull to you guys. I've never done anything. My life is prolly like stale bread."

"You don't want to trade yours for any of our life, Hyoudou-san," Kiba said with a sheepish laughter, attempting to lift Issei's downbeat mood. But instead, the Knight had successfully made the air around them more somber.

Each of them seemed as if the past had slapped them across their face, and once again Rias felt helpless whenever their past haunted them. Paired with the downpour, the gloominess only became all the more noticeable, almost inviting.

"Hmm… well, I guess mine isn't so bad, all things considered, even if it is a bit dull," but Issei moved on without fanfare, oblivious to the darkening mood as he was too busy imagining what he'd do if he bump into one of those absurdly tall Yōkai women. One that looked like madame Drimitrulescue— or something. That big vampire lady in Resident Evil.

He'd imagine asking how much she weighs would not be a wise question to ask.

Either way— "It's getting late," Rias announced. "I suggest you take an early rest, Hyoudou. I don't want you to feel sluggish in the morning since you didn't get enough sleep."

"Ah— good point…" The dread on his face was apparent. It lifted the Devils' mood somewhat. "As if I need more reason to hate mornings."

He was not alone on that, as Koneko whinefully followed with a disgruntled, "...Tell me about it."

Break

"Bad news, the Devils had their hands on him. Saw him earlier tonight and he's no longer Human."

Bad news. Raynare hated bad news. Who would even like bad news. And like she had done to every bad news delivered by her henchmen who happened to be a man in a suit and tacky fedora, her response was as simple as it could get; "Fuck."

"You should've offed him instead of toying with him," another voice niggled her patience. Mittelt, the blonde brat in gothic lolita dress, was only a few years younger than her but looked and sounded like she should be in school. "Now what do we do? His weird eyes are a cataclysmic threat and no way Penemue will let him off."

"And? What then? You want to piss off the Devils? I'm not messing with a Satan's little sibling." Kalawarner followed through, currently sitting above a broken pew with her arms crossed under her sizable bust.

"So you'll disobey Lady Penemue's orders?"

The blue-haired Fallen Angel went mute after Dohnaseek's words.

"...I miss Kokabiel," Mittelt sighed melancholically. "He's nuts but at least he doesn't give a shit about this kind of thing. Maybe I should file a request to be relocated…"

Her face buried in her hands, Raynare let out a drearier sigh. "He'd kill that boy on his own, if anything. That'll tick off the Devils and kickstart the war. Two birds, one stone."

Mittelt grunted and grimaced at the reminder of their former Cadre's obsession. "Ugh— everything was great when he was in charge. He's a psycho, sure, but we got paid for lazing around."

"Save the reminiscence for another time when our plate's empty," Kalawarner scoffed. Her sharp eyes seemingly permanently stuck in a glower, making her look infuriated all the time — which wouldn't be entirely wrong. She had two moods; annoyed and angry.

"You should have killed him when you had the chance, Raynare."

"Oh shut your yap," Raynare griped. "You could've feigned ignorance and murdered him instead of scampering off yourself."

The only man in their small group frowned. Dohnaseek was a Fallen Angel with an impressively built body and stature, but sadly he was as courageous as a raccoon. The mere notion of that boy's ridiculous disintegrating gaze could have made the man sweat blood.

"I can say the exact words to you."

"The audacity of— so I messed up," Raynare exasperatedly said, looking daggers. "What do you want me to do about it? Invent a time machine?"

Dohnaseek raised his hands up with open palms, "I'm pointing out I'm not the only one to blame."

"Maybe I should bisect you to see if you have any guts," spat the appointed leader of the flock. "Point fingers all you want. We need solutions. If you don't have any then keep your mouth shut or I'll sew it shut."

"You should just tell her as is," Mittelt then said with a bit of hope in her voice and expression. "Have her reconsider. We fetched her that Holy Maiden, didn't we? Flew her all the way here from Italy. That counts for something, right?"

"It's Penemue," Raynare said flatly. "She'll just say that's part of our job. It's what we're expected to do."

Mittelt sulked, but nonetheless attempted to find that hard-to-see ray of light at the end of the tunnel. Raynare, on the other hand, was starting to think there was never an end to this particular tunnel because it had caved in, and now she was stuck with these three stooges of hers.

"Well... that's a given, but it'll buy some time at least. Y'know, delay the inevitable… If she wants to get rid of that boy then sure, go ahead, but I'll be in another country. Preferably one where no Devil is a Satan's relative."

True. The Fallen Angels in Kuoh Town were basically fishes inside a ridiculously small pond gasping for air. Yes the Devils didn't have an absolute authority over the town, but having not just one, but two Satans' little sisters were practically a giant 'fuck you' to the Fallen Angels. As if that wasn't bad enough, Satan Lucifer and Leviathan's reputation as doting older siblings meant that touching a single string of their little sister's hair would end in a death warrant.

"Turn in your resignation letter if you're so scared of meeting her," Kalawarner said harshly. Being unhelpful. As usual. Brash, but at the very least this brute of a woman could stand her ground and wouldn't turn away and run when it counts...

But Raynare could use more brain than brawn at this moment. "Are you stupid? She'll have me flogged for cowardice."

"I thought you liked those kinds of things."

"Not when I'm on the receiving end," Raynare grunted, this time also folding her arms under the nook of her breasts contained by swimsuit-like outfit. "And do you want me to be replaced? Are you aware that whoever takes my place will be someone chosen by her?"

"Mary's tits—" Mittelt cursed, finally realizing the severity of this predicament. "I think I'll just ask to get relocated."

"You need my permission first, Mittelt, and even then I'll need to talk with Penemue detailing the reason for your oddly-timed request. All of you do," Raynare made it a point to ensure everyone was looking at her as she said her next words with an almost manic-like grin growing on her face. "If I'm going down, I'm taking all of you bastards along… Sink or swim. So start thinking for a way out, because like you people, I don't want to fucking drown."

To be continued…

What will Raynare and her gang do, now that they have more than 5 collective brain cells? How will Pene-"Staff Sergeant from Hell"-mue react to Issei's reincarnation? Will Raynare even stay in Kuoh? Will she seek help from the Devuls? Will she explode by the end of the first arc like she did in canon?

Y'know it's always been kinda stupid how low-ranking fallen angels would risk fucking around in a city where 2 Satans' lil sis are doing their internship. Like how wild is that. Given Sirzechs and Serafall's comic relief reputation as a siscon, you'd think the Grigori would carefully select what type of lackeys they'll put in Kuoh. definitely not one that wants to start shit up with Rias or Sona

Yea the fallens might hate devils because that's normal for them, but stirring shit up on broad daylight with Rias Gremory's Pawn? Wars have started for dumber reason, is all i'm saying

Bit of a lengthy chapter, hopefully it didn't overwhelm you people. I want to get the plot into motion while not glossing over Issei's first days with a few lines of 'and then he did this and that, and learned to do this and that', because it's important to establish the dynamics between him and each separate devils at his early stage as one. I prefer bits and pieces in individual chapters rather than devoting a whole arc to establish a character

Sorta awkward but motherly/sisterly Rias probably is her greatest character I've come up with. I basically used this entire chapter building up on her backstory since she, out of all the girls, has none (i don't count being a pampered noble daughter fit enough to be counted as one)

It is sorta slice of life-ish, and I will be taking things slow, as per usual, only hopefully not too slow, like, ffs dzanzny not another one. Hundreds of fics in and maintaining a good pacing elude my working 4 brain cells.

And yes, there will be romance, just not soon. It'll take a while to bud since Issei's not interested in that sort of thing or even considered it. Not yet or maybe even not ever

SO. This chapter's purpose is to showcase the difference in his interactions with his seniors and his canon interaction. In canon, he's been the constant buttmonkey of the jokes and Koneko was downright disgusted by his pervy antics. Here, he's sort of a... reliable guy figure that doesn't have a traumatic backstory (kiba, akeno) and isn't her master who she can share bits of her worries with, without fearing she's lumping an emotional baggage on him

Same goes with the rest of the club members. I have bunch of fluff scenes between the ORC members because character interactions is my jam, and I think a story that centralized too much around their main character is too wasteful. The plot's still there, I can assure you, and I've tweaked with it enough that it's comparably different from canon dxd

Obvious example is Penemue. Kokabiel is doing kokabiel things in god knows where. And then there's Asia, who has already been secured by the Fallen Angels. Her chance of becoming Rias' slave is extremely low. And spoiler alert, I'm going to introduce 'late game' characters earlier for more shenanigans with Issei and the group.

No it's not gonna be Nyx again this time