italics - Thoughts
Bold underlined - Spells/Sword Skills
[Bold] - Ddraig
[Ddraig] - Ddraig mental speech
{Bold} - Albion speech
[Issei] - Issei mental speech with Ddraig
[Issei] - Issei speaking with Ddraig
Underlined - Timeskips/Flashbacks
"Bold" - Rating Game Announcement
Disclaimer: I do not own Highchool Dxd, Sword Art Online, or any of its characters. All rights belong to their creators.
Chapter 22: A chicken's rehab
Timeskip, a week later...
Life was great for everyone.
Well, actually, that was a lie.
Issei had to wake up in a tangle of limbs(not hat he was complaining, since said limbs belonged to females and said bed was full of the scent of girls), had to go through the customary hour training with Kirito and Leafa(which has briefly intensified when said girl realised that he had lied to her and was one of the 'Perverted Trio' of Kuoh). And after a quick shower and breakfast, he went off to school. Which then resulted in his body getting pummelled by his other friends for walking with the 'Beauties of Kuoh'.
...now that he thinks about it, he was getting less and less injured from each pummelling. Was it a side effect from him getting buffer and fitter, and conditioning from being whacked from out of town and back by the Kirigaya siblings? Not that he was complaining or anything, but it was a little saddening to think that the seriously painful training he was going through was showing more results than he had expected. (He was fine with the swordsmanship lessons, but he could do without the weight training that bordered on super machoistic levels of sadism)
Well, after that, he and the rest of the Occult Research Club members went to their clubroom to go through the requests, have them distributed to others, and have some relaxing times with some food competitions between Akeno, Asuna and Rias.
And with Kirito being a King now, he was also getting some requests. It was tailored more towards gamers and those with some tech troubles, with some tutoring for students for Kirito, while Asuna leaned more towards accounting and cooking with a side of tutoring(Both he and Asuna went out in their costumes meant for the 'Oppai Dragon' show, plus some demonic energy to hide their features so as to not blow their cover)
Which was why when he opened the door to a surprise visit from someone, he did not expect that someone to be a familiar pretty-looking girl with drill-like rolled hair on both sides of her head.
"H-how do you do." Ravel Phenex(Issei had to remind himself not to call her the 'Yakitori bastard's sister') made a small curtsy before she looked up at him a little timidly. "May I see Rias-sama?"
"Oh!" Rias appeared next to Issei, having heard Ravel's voice. ""How do you do Ravel. Did something happen for you to come to our club? And not by magic circle to…hat is a surprise."
"Yes, Rias-sama. I'm very sorry for the sudden visit." The blonde girl bowed her head slightly. "The truth is, I would like to consult with you about a certain matter… and I did not wish to let my family know about this meeting."
This is… Issei was surprised. He had seen the daughter from the House of Phoenix a few times in the underworld, and so he knew the girl's attitude to a certain extent. He did not peg the High-class Devil standing before him to be a rebel of sorts, nor did he expect to see her in the human world at all. And Buchou does not seem to have expected her arrival either…so did is a secret meeting? Wonder why…
"Please, come in." Issei opened the door a little wider at Rias's words. "It would be better if we did this inside, and perhaps over some tea."
"Thank you for your time." Ravel bowed her head once more, before she made her way into the clubroom. "Did I catch you at a bad time?"
"No, no." Rias looked at Akeno. Getting the message, she started to prepare some tea for their guest. "I was just consulting with the latest King about his duties. Although he is quite powerful, he has not been a King for long."
"I see…" Ravel looked at the groaning pile of devil that was Kirito. "Is he trustworthy?"
"At the very least, he and his Peerage do not gossip or have the habit of flaunting their strength." Rias answered Ravel's disguised question. "Have a seat."
"Thank you, Rias-sama." Nodding her head, the blonde girl took a seat opposite Rias. "I came here today to discuss with you about…my brother." She winced a little at the end.
Issei could understand why she did so. After all, the last time the two had parted, it was not on the best of terms. Nor was their prior meetings.
Akeno gave tea to Ravel. Nodding her head wordlessly, she took a small sip.
Rias tilted her head slightly. "About Raiser?"
Ravel nodded her head, setting the cup down. "Yes. I'm sure you have heard that my brother fell into depression after that incident….."
..
Issei had mixed feelings about this situation. For one, the meeting between the two had stemmed from an arranged marriage between the two heads of their houses. Rias did not want to follow through with it as she wanted to marry out of love and not from some sort of arrangement. Riser wanted to marry her for the prestige and to strengthen their bloodlines.
Long story short, after some twists and turns and various events that happened, the arranged marriage got broken off in the end.
This also left quite the complicated impression on the upper echelons of society in the underworld. This marriage was meant to strengthen one's bloodline, and it had been going on for many, many generations. With the cancellation of this arranged marriage between two houses of the remaining Seventy Two Pillars, it became quite the scandal for the pure devils who take importance in their traditions.
And since Issei was very involved in this...well, that was part of the reason why he had mixed feelings.
On one hand, he had saved his master by bashing up Raiser, who would have taken Rias's hand in marriage. Something she did not want. So in his books, that was a plus!
On the other hand…he had inadvertently spat on a generations old tradition. In the eyes of the higher ups, a freshly reincarnated Pawn that did not know his place prevented an ongoing generations-old tradition that would have unified two houses, as well as strengthened one's bloodline. And for those who were confused, this meant that one would become very powerful, as one's bloodline had inherent abilities. Rias's Power of Destruction came from her bloodline of the Bael clan on her mother's side.
The Bael's Power of Destruction, coupled with a Phoenix's regeneration ability…that would have made a powerful devil. But because of his actions, he had prevented such a power from ever existing. And as such, may have become a sworn enemy of the house of Phenex.
A fact that Issei had to accept.
..
A weird tension was rising between Rias and Ravel. Even though the revocation of the engagement has already been settled by their parents, the current heads of their families, they should have been able to speak normally. But because the subject of their talk was Raiser...the talk instantly became complicated.
Especially since after Raiser lost to Rias and Issei, he became seriously depressed. It did not help matters that after tasting the first legitimate defeat in his whole life, a few women also left him. For a guy, there are few things which can make him even more depressed, huh.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Asia whispering to Irina, Xenovia, Asuna and Kirito. Oh yeah, that incident happened almost immediately after Asia joined us, didn't it? And those four don't know anything about him after all, having never met him. Much less this super tense situation, which happened for no reason in their eyes.
"The world of High-class Devils sure is complicated. But I look up to the society of the nobles. …..I wonder if I can find a rich man." In another corner, their newest Rook, Rossweisse, muttered to herself. But thanks to how close he was to her, he could hear her, clear as day. Uwah…Rossweisse-san is up to something.
Issei looked back towards the slightly fidgeting Ravel. Still, for her to come here…she must be in some sort of pickle, huh.
Despite the fact that Issei had not spent much time with the blonde girl, he could tell that she was a rich girl with an uptight attitude, and had the cliche tsun-tsun personality to boot!
Yet right now, she is very quiet. Not displaying even a hint of her previous attitude or her usual tsun-tsun behaviour.
"…"
"…"
"…So, Raiser has not recovered since then." Rias was the first to break the silence.
Ravel nodded. "…..Naturally, it might be wrong for me to come here. But when I asked for opinions in different places, there were suggestions that I should consult with Rias-sama. Even treatments that have been tried, didn't give any results…"
"With me?" Rias asked, surprised. "What do you mean?"
"To fix my brother's heart…my brother's mentality, I received suggestions that… Maybe it's better to learn the thing called 'guts' that the servants of Rias-sama have?"
When everyone heard of Ravel's answer, they made a dumb face for a moment, especially at the word 'guts'. But that soon broke through to some laughter in the clubroom.
Hahaha…guts, huh. Issei grinned wryly. Certainly, everyone in our group, me included, have some sort of guts. Though, in their case, it would be better to call it fortitude, eh.
At first, Ravel was slightly taken aback by the sudden laughter, but when she saw the small grins on everyone face, she relaxed. And under this lightened atmosphere, Ravel started to spit out all the things she had kept within herself.
"The fact is, my brother is pathetic! For him to stay depressed for six months after a single defeat…..! It seems like he's afraid of Dragons you know? He hasn't participated in a Rating Game since then and he's been written about in a gossip magazine, where they wrote things however they wanted! He has trauma after being defeated by Ise-sama and he doesn't talk about anything related to Dragons. I would understand if he holds a grudge instead. But he's scared you know? If he's a man, he should learn from his defeat and move on! He's really pathetic, just pathetic!"
…She has a lot of stress, huh. Issei's eyes were wide open from the super super machine-gun talk the daughter of the Phenex house had just uttered. Somehow, he just managed to catch what she said. So, that guy Raiser is in such a bad state?
"….Though, he's still my brother." Ravel whispered at the end, clutching the hem of her dress. "So, I do wish he would be back to his usual self soon. Without the cockiness he had gained from his undefeated winnings. Like before."
So deep in her heart, she's actually very worried about him. Issei watched his master. Buchou, who is being consulted, must feel quite complicated. The first thing is, she won't be able to decline it and Ravel didn't come to push the responsibility on us; she came, purely because she is worried about her brother.…..Yeah. As I thought, that's the only way.
"Leave it to me, Ravel. I will do something about it." When they heard that, Ravel and everyone else turned to look at Issei.
Issei continued while scratching his cheek, a little uncomfortable from all the eyes aimed at him. "W-Well, it's something that I did, so I think I have to fix it as well. And you want 'guts' right? Leave it to me. If you say guts, then I'm your man. Even though I'm a Devil, I do things like living in the mountains and I've been through a lot of harsh things. I'm used to those kinds of things."
"….He's an embodiment of guts both in a good and bad way." Having said her piece, Koneko went back to munching on the cookie that Asuna had baked, along with the pixie-form of their daughter, who was happily munching away on a cookie as well.
"Ise, this is my…"
Issei knew it may have been rude, but he raised his hand in-front of his master to stop her from speaking. "It's okay. I have a plan."
It was not a bluff on Issei's part. He actually did have an idea to put 'guts' inside of Raiser while also retraining his body and soul from ground up. Haha, since I have just been training, my mind has adapted to think like that. Not having any talents can be useful at times…..Hm, should I get Kirito to join in as well?
Issei thought of a terrifying prospect for Raiser!
When Issei looked at Ravel, she had a very bright expression, but she coughed after she realised it. "I…I…It can't be helped then. I don't mind asking Ise-sama. So please work hard for the High-class Devils. ….I…I will give my thanks in advance."
Taking a breath, Rias turned back to look at Ravel. "I understand. We will start the strategy to make Raiser stand up again, by having Ise act as his therapist."
"Can me and Asuna come as well?" Kirito suddenly asked.
"…Sure." Rias frowned slightly. "You could come. I can just ask Sona to help fabricate some excuses for you and Asuna-san as well, along with Ise. But may I ask, why do you wish to come along?"
"An experiment." He promptly replied. "It may or may not work, but depending on the results, I might think of extending a partnership with the Phenex family. I should be able to meet with them face-to-face, looking at out backgrounds."
"May I know what sort of benefits we may receive?" Ravel instantly straightened her back.
"I would like to keep it a secret." Kirito held up a hand before Ravel could say anything. "Now hear me out. This is purely dependent on my experiment's results. If it works like I think it will, the partnership would end up being beneficial. Even if it doesn't I would still like to ask about the more intricate properties about the Phoenix tears, and purchasing a few as well. Either way, I would be tagging along."
"…I see then." Ravel inclined her head. "I would give you some tears. In exchange..."
"In exchange?"
"Would you and Asuna-san sign some papers?" Ravel's eyes sparkled.
…eh?
"E-eh?" Kirito and Asuna blinked in surprise at the unexpected demand.
"Me and my family would like to thank you for helping to save some family friends of ours." Ravel clasped her hands together. "We are also thinking of selling some of your autographs with some merchandise to a group that had formed."
"…what group?" Kirito asked warily. Well, Issei already had an inkling of it, and he suspected Kirito did as well. Just that he wanted to run away from that possibility.
"Why, the fan group of the SAO clearers of course! The ones that are related to the supernatural." Ravel smiled.
..
Barring that, it was finally decided that Issei and Rias would help fix the Yakitori-bastard(as Issei liked to call him).
Ayano Keiko was a girl that had a done many things.
She had became a pseudo-idol and mascot in SAO with her dragon partner and overall cute looks.
She was able to sing the songs that were created by the idol Yuna quite well, and impress her friend group.
She was timid, but when push came to shove, she could be very scary, as when she decided to use a MINIGUN when she converted to GGO temporarily a few weeks ago to help Sinon, or Shino Asada, with some PKers.
"Heya A-chan, how you doin'? Here to trade for some secrets?"
And right now, she was eavesdropping on a certain pair.
She had seen Asuna slip into the house they were staying in. Curious as to why she had came to their master's(this was still taking some getting used to) home, she followed behind the girl, making use of the stealth lessons Argo had been giving her to improve her overall fighting abilities in Rating Games. Which now led to this moment.
"I'm fine Argo." Despite the fact that the room was covered with soundproofing runes and magic, Ayano could still hear them, albeit muffled, because the door was left slightly ajar. "But you know why I am here."
"Yeah yeah." Argo huffed. "Don't be a spoilsport. Think of this as revenge for skipping out on that outing we had planned."
Wait, Asuna-san is not coming?! Kayano thought in surprise. Aw…I wanted to talk to Asuna-san about how to control Liz…any maybe ask if she saw a feathered dragon somewhere. I miss Pina…
"I do apologise for that." Asuna sighed. "It's just that something sudden came up."
"Does it have to do with Kii-bou?"
"Why else would I not be following with my girls?" Asuna huffed. "Honestly, the only people that can reign him in when he is experimenting is me, Sugu, or maybe Sinonon. Rias-san and the rest won't be able to do so, since they have not reached the bond we have yet."
"Kii-bou has an idea for experimenting?" That part caught Kayano's interest, so she leaned closer to hear the contents better. "That sounds like a recipe for either good or bad things. So, where he going?"
"The Phenex clan." Came the prompt reply. "Turns out, Issei-san and one of the children of that house had a fight half a year ago, and the child in question is still suffering from the attack Issei dealt him."
"Let me guess. The child is Raiser Phenex, and he is suffering from a fear of dragons and became a NEET?"
"All in one. As expected of an info broker, I guess." Although Kayano could not see them, she could imagine that Asuna was shaking her head at that moment. "So, to cure him, Issei-san is going to bring Raiser to a place where he trained before. He said he had a plan, and he DID get kidnapped by a dragon to train before...so maybe he is going to get a dragon or two to help train him and Raiser?"
Dragon?! Kayano tuned out whatever words that Asuna was going to say next the moment she heard the magic word.
Completely disregarding secrecy(not that there was ever a need for it), Kayano burst into Argos's office. "Bring me with you! I wanna see some dragons!"
..
The next day, when Issei was in the middle of packing his bags, he was surprised to see a certain pigtailed girl arrive at their house.
"Hello there!" The girl bowed. "My name is Ayano Keiko, but please call me Silica. Thank you for having me."
"Ah, Silica." Rias suddenly appeared at the top of the stairs. "Welcome. You are just in time. We were about to leave. Please, come in."
"Pardon my intrusion." Silica bowed her head once more, before she stepped into the large house, looking around in complete wonderment at the fixtures and size.
Which gave Issei enough time to get to Rias to ask her something. "Buchou, why is Ayano-san-, I mean, Silica here? I did not expect anyone else to come."
"That would be my fault." Asuna appeared beside Rias, shrugging a little. "She overheard me talking to Argo about us visiting a place with dragons, and she wanted to come, since she had tamed dragons before in the VR game we played. Or still play." She shot an apologetic look at Issei. "Sorry about that."
"It's fine." Issei waved his hand. He was not too bothered by the new passenger. It would not affect his training schedule much. In fact, if he played his cards right, he might be able to improve his training to rebuild Raiser's body and soul...
...Ah damn. Issei just realised what he had just thought. I'm becoming like Kirito. A training sadist that actually brings out results.
Timekskip
"Haaa….It's huuuuuuuuuge~."
"…this IS quite big." From beside Issei, Asuna agreed with his assessment. "Although, I was expecting it to be…larger…I guess."
After the surprise from Silica joining them, Issei and Co. had to get to the Phenex residence via multiple different magic circles. Not only was it very far away, it was also faster than using the train, as they would have to not only avoid the crowds of Rias's fans, but also use have to take into consideration travelling time with other means to reach the Phenex residence.
So, when they arrived, they were met with the impressively large house/manor that belonged to the Phenex family, complete with decorations of their pillar's animal, the phoenix, and lots of fires all around.
Miraculously, the green gardens inside were not set on fire by the blazing flames that lit up the area.
"Eh?" Issei blinked in surprise. "What do you mean you expected it to be larger? Is this smaller than what you thought?"
"Kind of." Asuna made a 'so-so' gesture with her hand. "My parents are rich, so we have quite the mansion. It's not as high as yours, but definitely bigger and more expensive. We also have some family houses and mansions all over the country. The biggest one I think is in…Kyoto? I can't really remember which one is which."
"…how big is it?" Issei swallowed nervously.
"…about two thirds of Rias-san's place?" Asuna frowned. "Of course, I am talking about the size only. Rias-san's place is much bigger than mine, but if you compare their first impressions, mine is about on par with Rias-san's home."
"My, you flatter me." Rias gave a cheeky grin. "But really, how rich are you? My family is well off, since we have a few business in the human world and the underworld. Raiser's family is even more so since their main export is very precious and worth loads of money."
"…never have thought about how well off my family is." Asuna finally said after a moment. "So I can't really say."
*Groan~*
With a heavy sound, the large castle gates opened, allowing everyone entry into the residence. Their group consisted of: Asuna, Kirito, Silica, Akeno, him(Issei) and Rias. The rest of the Peerage had to stay behind to complete their requests, while Ravel was waiting in her home for them to arrive.
Speaking of… As Issei walked past the garden of the castle, they arrived at the residential area where people from the House of Phenex lived. In front of a gorgeous looking door, Ravel, who was wearing a dress, and several servants were waiting for them.
"How do you do, welcome to the House of Phoenix."
"How do you do, Ravel." Rias bowed her head slightly. "If I remember correctly, Raiser's room is…straight ahead, right?"
Eh? Buchou came here when she was a child? Issei thought to himself. Does that mean she is familiar with the inside of the castle?
"It used to be." Ravel lightly smiled. "After his duel with Issei-sama, he remodelled where his room was. Allow me to show you where he is living now."
With Ravel's guidance, the small group proceeded inside, passing through the door. They passed by quite the number of rooms, all with various decorations. One of them was a large room filled to the brim with books. Another was a guest room, which had various armour, statues and weapons decorating its wall. There was even what looked to be a dressing room the size of a hall, with clothes and all sorts of outfits hung from ground to ceiling. Though...
Oh, the ceiling is so high up! And the chandelier looks so amazing! Ah! This statutes and paintings are so expensive looking! It sure doesn't lose to Buchou's house!
...Issei was busy admiring the other, more mundane parts of the mansion they were in. Especially when Asuna and Kirito blushed a deep red when they came across a room full of S & M material that had been left ajar for some reason. A door that Ravel hastily closed, muttering about stupid parents and their low procreation rate(*1*).
Or the glimpse of two girls sparring against each other. Completely nude except for a thin strip of fabric that covered their chest and groin area.
Well, that part was easily excusable, since they were surrounded by roaring flames and actual flowing magma. Any clothes they would be wearing would be either burned off by the occasional embers that flew into the air, or be soaked by the sweat they were making from the combination of fighting against each other, being in what seemed to be an active volcano.
Which was further reinforced by the fact that their sweat instantly became steam the moment it left their bodies.
And yet, Issei did not notice these things. He was certainly a unique individual.
"If this isn't Rias-sama. It has been a very long time. And it's been a while since we last met, Sekiryuutei."
A new voice? Issei was brought out of his narrow observations by the sound of a voice. Or rather, a very familiar one.
When he tuned to face the side, the owner of the voice was someone he was very familiar with. The woman who had a half-mask o her face, Raiser's servant, Isabela.
"It's been a while. Isabela-san."
"I have heard many rumours. Even if I fight again seriously, I won't be able to win."
Eh? I think I heard her say this before? Issei blinked at the deja vu he felt. Out of all the servants Raiser had, he felt that this one was the one with the best impression of him. Not that was saying much, since he was pretty sure in the eyes of Raiser's servants, he was pretty scummy for 'cheating' in a one-on-one duel with Raiser by duping holy water onto him, as well as destroying their clothes in the middle of a fight. Ah, but if she had said that before I attained Balance Breaker, she would have a chance to win. Now though, that statement is true. Since I have three sword instructors teaching me, plus two intense training regimes which are slowly increasing by the week.
"My master is over here." Isabela's words brought Issei out of his thoughts. "Please follow me."
Listening to the servant, everyone followed her up some stairs and progressed through the spacious building, effectively taking over Ravel's job as a guide.
"So what does Raiser…..-san usually do?" Issei asked, trying to see how bad the situation was. He had a bit of trouble adding '-san' to his name though, since he still had some…feelings…about Raiser still wanting to add Risa to his harem, even though he already HAD 15 girls with him. …though, how many of them are actually doing the deed with him? Because I felt like that time, he was merely boasting, since one of the girls in his Peerage was his sister.
Isabela sighed. "He hides himself in his room and he either does a virtual Rating Game, or he calls some commoners who are good at chess, all the way here, so he can have a chess match against them."
So he's a hikikomori. Issei concluded. For Raiser(that show off), that good-looking guy to become a hikikomori. I really can't imagine it.
After walking for ten minutes, the small group finally arrived outside a large door. The door was needlessly large, with a splendid relief of a fire bird engraved in the centre of the two halves of the doors.
This place is too huge! Issei complained in his mind. I also thought the same thing for Buchou's house, but all the houses of high-class devils are way too huge! And the number of rooms are insane too! Didn't Ravel-san say that Raiser remodelled the area where his room was? Does this mean that this is even more confusing, or was it as confusing as before he remodelled i- wait, Buchou said that his room used to be in a straight liiinnnneeee! Issei clutched his head. Ahhhhhhh, that means this confusing thing that I don't even have the slightest confidence to find my way back from is all my fault!
*Knock Knock*
Ravel knocked against the large doors. "Onii-sama, I have some guests for you."
…No response? Is he sleeping? Just as Issei thought that, he heard a voice from inside.
"…So it's you Ravel. I don't want to meet anyone today. I saw a bad dream….. I'm not in the mood to meet anyone."
…seriously? Issei sweat dropped at the rather lacklustre tone Raiser was speaking in.
Ravel meanwhile, merely sighed lightly, before she spoke again. "-It's Rias-sama."
All was quiet for a moment. Then–
*GASHAAANN!*
A loud crashing noise could be heard through the closed doors. "-! …..Ri…..Rias…you say…?"
Rias took that as her cue to speak up. "Raiser. It's me."
"…..What do you want with me now, Rias?" Raiser's voice came out sullen, a surprise(yet at the same time, not) for Issei. In fact, it sounded like he held a grudge. Not that Issei could blame him. His arranged marriage had been cancelled after all. In a rather public manner too. "Did you come to laugh at me? Or did you come to tell me about your intimate relationship with the Sekiryuutei?"
"…Let's talk for a bit. Let me see your face, okay?"
The moment that Rias said that, rough footsteps could be heard approaching their way, before the doors were flung inwards violently, showing to the world the face of Raiser Phenex.
His once smooths hair was now messy, and his clothes, which had been classy and neat, were replaced with some plainer-looking ones that resembled silk nightwear, that was currently very untidy and crumpled looking.
"What do you want to talk about, with the guy who you rejected…..?"
Raiser's voice came out strong at the beginning, with some anger bleeding into it. But, as his glassy eyes started to focus more on the group before him, his previously rough expression morphed into one of surprise, before it turned to slight shock when it lnaded on Issei.
"Se-Se-Se-Sekiryuuteeeei!" He shrieked out, a finger pointed at the boy in question, his face looking like he had seen a ghost.
Issei smiled a little awkwardly. "Yo." He raised a hand in greeting.
"….Hi."
Hii?
"Hiiiiiiiiiiii~!" Raisee gave out a short scream before he ran straight into his room.
…Oi, oi. Are you serious? What's going on!?
Issei unknowingly had his unspoken question answered by Raiser's next words.
"P…Please leeeeeeeave~! I don't want to remember about back then! I don't want it anymore! I don't want to experience a shabby feeling like that ever again~!"
""""…. """" Everyone was very shocked, but also confused by Raiser's attitude. Well, the ones that had not seen this before already. Meaning, Isabella and Ravel.
"Raiser-sama~" "It's alright~" Raiser's servants, the twins with the chainsaws, appeared to attempt to calm Raiser down, having been in one of the nearby rooms.
But Raiser just shook timidly inside his bed.
"Raiser hasn't lost in a proper fight since he was born." Rias explained, seeing the confused looks on Issei, Kirito and Asuna." Rias explained.
Ravel nodded. "Yes. It seems like losing to Ise-sama, head on, left a deep scar in both his body and soul."
"Eh? Seriously?" Silica peered over the people she was hiding behind with her wings, head tilted to the side cutely. "That is impressive...in a way."
"Yeah, Raiser-san was very strong when we fought at that time." Issei nodded his head. "If it's now…I wonder which one of us is stronger?"
"The answer would be definitely you, Issei." Kirito brought his hand up to stifle a yawn. "In terms of tenacity and spirit, from what I am seeing here, you are definitely the superior one. Also, I watched the previous battles he had done before. Despite the high regeneration rate of his house that rivals that of the immortality of a Phoenix, he will still lose to you even if he was not of this current mindset. That is because he usually took most of the hits aimed at him, allowing his superior regeneration to outlast an enemy and break their spirit. But if the attack in question drains a large amount of his mental fortitude, if I what I recall is correct, then he would start dodging. Because Issei's Dragon Shot is something which is small and fast, only displaying it's true power the moment you release it, Raiser would take the first shot and have a large amount of his mental fortitude shaved off. And that is not accounting for the mental fortitude being weakened by the pressure of taking on a Heavenly Dragon, hindering the effects of his regeneration."
Issei recalled Rias saying something about Raiser's immortality status that was associated with the legendary bird, the Phoenix, was linked with his mental fortitude and strength. If he was very confident, that strength would only grow. Basically, it is like those gauges that showed how many hits you can take before you were exposed, with the amount being taken off being proportional to the amount of mental strength that had been shaved off.
"….Is it that scary to fight me?" Issei asked, pointing at himself.
This time, it was Ravel that answered. "Issei-sama, it is very scary to face against a legendary dragon that was said to have given Him and the four Satans enough trouble for Him to seal Ddraig into a Sacred Gear. But because of your unpredictable actions, that makes facing you even more scary, since you do not fit in with what we devils call the norm."
Is that so? Well, I guess that makes sense. I would be also very afraid of the unknown factor that would cause something to happen as well. Issei agreed with Ravel's words. But taking on an immortal is also scary. It's scary to see someone who will regenerate again once you beat them down.
Having said her piece, Rave; turned back towards her brother. Stepping towards the trembling mess of blankets, she tugged away at one corner of it. "Onii-sama. Since Rias-sama and her group came all the way here, please get out of the bed!"
"G..Go home! Please go home~!" Was all Raiser shouted.
Ravel sighed. "Our parents also want you to come out too you know. You have been cooped up in here for way too long."
"N-no~ I am not stepping outside!" Raiser all but whined out. "It's scary~! I don't want to face that feeling of defeat again~!"
Issei's jaw dropped. Holy crap, Raiser is actually going to become a NEET or hikkormori!
"I feel…sleepy…" Suddenly, Kirito staggered, bumping into Issei. Wait, what?
"Let me take a short nap, okay?" Yawning, Kirito stumbled over to a couch inside Raiser's room, clearing it of the bits of clothes on it, before he slumped against the seat, snoring lightly the moment his butt touched the stuffed chair.
Eh? Issei rubbed his eyes, not believing for a second on what had just happened. Yet, when his sight returned, it was still the same.
He was not the only one staring at this strange sight. Rias, Akeno, Silica, Ravel, Raiser(who had peeked his head out of the covers to see what was going on) and Isabella were also staring at the sleeping form of Kirito. And for some reason, the longer he stared at the boy, a sense of tiredness started to overcome his senses.
"W-what's…going on?" Isabella stumbled against the door frame as if she had been hit by a sledgehammer, stifling a yawn behind a hand.
"Nya~ So tired."
"Going to sleep soon nya~"
The two catgirls with chainsaws, Ni and Li, yawned as one, before they curled up and started to snooze where they had been(once) standing.
"Wha…what's going on?" Rias yawned, struggling to keep awake.
"Sorry about this."
Asuna's voice reverberated through Issei's skull dully, before a sharp pain made him jump awake. "Yeouch!" Rubbing the afflicted area, Issei turned towards the culprit with a surprised face. "What was that for?"
"That was to keep you awake." An apologetic look on her face, Asuna pulled away from the brown-haired boy, a small glowing needle in hand. "I used a Sword Skill that had the lightning attribute to shock everyone awake. If you guys fell asleep, that would practically defeat the purpose of me casting a drowsiness spell on Kirito-kun."
"Drowsiness spell?" Rias rubbed the area where she had been lightly pricked. It had not drawn blood, but it had made the afflicted area glow like they had taken a mosquito bite. "Why did you do that?"
"Well, because Kirito-kun has the weird effect on people when he is asleep." Asuna put away the metal object in her hand, instead walking over to Ravel to snap her awake via smelling salts. "Before we were reincarnated, he would exude this effect that makes people around him sleepy if they stare at him for too long. It only affected those who were close to him though. But now that he became a devil, this effect has strengthened to affect others around him. We haven't fully tested this, but the effective range is about 4 metres."
"So, you tagged along to make this process less painful?" Ravel rubbed her eyes as she listened, yawning a little.
"Yeah." Asuna nodded.
"Then why aren't you affected?"
"…probably because I am the one who has spent so much time with Kirito-kun, that I am getting naturally resistant to this effect of his." Asuna paused for a moment before she answered. "Kirito-kun thinks it might be him passively using his demonic power and increasing the potency of his sleeping ability."
"…that can be frightening." Rias clasped a hand over her mouth as she muttered, staring at Kirito's prone form. "Imagine going into a Rating Game, or even a battle. If they get within the effective range of Kirito's passive forced sleeping, Kirito could be shaken awake and deal a fatal blow if he is fast enough. Or, hidden allies can do the same."
"That wouldn't work." Asuna shook her head. "This effect only works if the target in question is not wary or on the offensive. We tried before back in our VR game."
"Do you mean SAO?" Akeno asked curiously.
"No. The other ones, ALO and GGO." Asuna replied. "We dragged Kirito out when he was sleeping into a battlefield. The enemies did not even appear to be sleepy before they attempted to slice Kirito-kun. Since his Sacred Gear he also helping to translate his real-life abilities into VR, if it does not work in VR, it should not work in real life…probably." She added at the end, a little uncertain.
"…I see. So is this why you are so relaxed when around Kirito?" Rias asked, ignoring the last bit Asuna had muttered out.
Asuna nodded her head, causing Rias to give a teasing smile. "So, does this also mean you two get up to some other activities when he is sleeping?"
""wha-"" Two voices sounded out, one in embarrassment, the other in surprise.
"Buchou!" Issei shivered at the rather disturbing(and also hot) thought of Asuna jumping Kirito when he was asleep. It was mildly disturbing for the boy, to say the least.
Rias giggled.
""Awa wa wa wa~"" Meanwhile, Asuna could only splutter in deep embarrassment, her face bright red. Silica was also following her example.
Timeskip
It was not easy, but they somehow managed to bring Raiser's comatose body out of the mansion without too much trouble. Issei was particularly thankful for the other members of Raiser's Peerage coming out to help them bring out their master's body from the house. Apparently, they too wished for Raiser to be back to his usual self(or something close to it), and had agreed with Ravel that approaching him, the 'master of 'guts'', for help with that was the best way to do so. Him being a dragon(or, more accurately, having the sacred gear of a famous dragon) was another bird they could kill: To get rid of Raiser's new fear of dragons, or at the very least, diminish it so that he was not a mess whenever he so much as thought of one.
Oh, and Kirito was awake after a few minutes of his surprise beauty sleep. He was a little miffed that he had been basically used as a snooze bomb(name pending), but he was quickly appeased by some phoenix tears and a quick talk with the heads of the house.
By the way, they gave Issei their blessing to do whatever he had to do to get Raiser back to his usual self. Without the supreme amount of arrogance, if possible(this was Ravel's personal request, seeing as she missed her old brother. Not that she would say it or anything).
Yosh! Issei checked over the large bag he had packed beforehand once more, ensuring that everything he needed was in there. With this, I should have everything ready. Now, we just have to wait.
"Urgh…" Issei was brought out of his thoughts by a groan from thee previously comatose Phenex. "W-what's happening? Where am I? This…isn't my room."
"Oh, looks like the Phenex is awake." Kirito nonchalantly crossed his arms. Not too far away were Asuna and Silica, both also preparing some bags, just smaller in size. Both of them would not be joining the training regime that Issei had planned for long. Only for a day or two, before they headed back. Partly to see what he had in store for Raiser. And partly to reign in Kirito in case he went off the rails and decided to help with Raiser's training. Something that Issei feared would hinder and make Raiser even more scared instead of helping him like it did he.
Just to reiterate, although Issei had planned to add Kirito into the training for Raiser, it was meant to only happen after he had overcame his fear of dragons. Kirito was meant purely for the retraining of the body, and the fortifying of the soul that had been healed by Issei.
"Wait, who are you?!" Raiser backed away from Kirito and the two girls around him.
"Me? I'm just the watcher." Kirito gave an evil smile. "You, however, are going for one training arc with a certain Dragon emperor."
Raiser caught on quickly. "The Se-se-seekiryuutei?!"
"Hey, Issei, I have been wondering for a while now, but what kind of plan do you have in mind?" Rias approached Issei who was shouldering his bag.
Issei merely pointed at the sky, wanting to keep things a surprise as long as possible. "He should be here soon." His eyes caught movement. "...ah, speaking of. Here he is."
A giant shadow passed above them as he said that, it's large, distinctive shape catching everyone's eyes.
The giant Dragon landed in the garden while causing the ground to shake violently.
"It hasn't been that long since we last met, all of you." The giant dragon that had just arrived was the former dragon-king, Tannin!
"Oh? So this is a dragon?" Silica approached the former dragon-king with what Issei swore was sparkling eyes.
"Old man, thanks for coming."
While Issei thanked Tannin, Raiser meanwhile, chose to scream. In fear.
"Ta, Ta, Ta, T-T-T-T-T-T-T-Tannin! Ultimate-class Devil… L- legendary Dragon!"
Ah, this is worse than I thought. Issei held a hand to his head. He can't even stand after seeing a dragon. I thought he would be able to at least stay upright instead of falling to his butt, frozen in fear.
"Raiser Phoenix, huh." Tannin's large eyes zeroed in on Raiser, who let out an 'Eep!' in fear. "I've seen a couple of your Rating Game matches. I had my attention on you as a potential King in future games, but… Judging from how you are right now, it seems like you have some problems."
Problems are kind of understating it, Old Man! While thinking that, Issei explained the situation to him. When he was done, predictably, all the former dragon-king could say was the word 'pathetic'.
"Do you think you can do to him what you did with me?" Issei asked the large dragon. "His family is saying they want him to get some guts."
Tannin smiled. "I see. Guts huh. That sounds good. Are you saying you want to go to the mountains then?"
"Yeah." Issei nodded his head. "I think that would be good. I have already packed my stuff and his. Oh, and three other guys would be joining us as well. Not for you to train, but to help us train. Well, one of them anyway. The other two would be observers."
"You are well prepared." Tannin folded his arms, taking in the information he had just been told.
Or rather, this is the best thing that I can think of, since this is all I know. "Well then Buchou, that's how it is!"
"N..Nooooooooooooo!" Futilely, Raiser screamed, trying to escape, his wings of fire bursting forth and shooting him off the ground. But with a quick swipe of his claws, Tannin grasped the fleeing Phenex.
"Don't run. If you are a man, then prepare yourself." Tannin lectured.
"Hiiiiii~!"
"Buchou, we are off!" Issei climbed up Tannin's back quickly, with Kirito, Silica and Asuna following quickly behind.
"Have a safe trip!" Akeno waved her hand, like she was a newlywed sending off her husband.
"Ise, remember to call me if you are in trouble." Rias worriedly clasped her hands together.
"Hai!"
"Wait!" Suddenly, a female voice cut in, causing Issei to turn his head to face the speaker. "I will also go with you!"
It was Ravel.
At first, Issei was confused as to why the young girl had called up to him, determination written all over her face. But that confusion was soon overcome with understanding when she next spoke. "My brother….I want to fix him together with you!"
"Oh~ She has good eyes. Hyoudou Issei, it won't be a problem if you protect her." Tannin said, a lively smile(or as much as he could smile with his gigantic maw) on his face.
I would feel bad bout taking a girl to the mountains with me for training, but...for her to want to come, she must be really worried about her brother. "Sure, okay then. Let's go together, Ravel."
"Yes!" Happily, Ravel used her demonic powers to change her clothes from a dress into something she could easily move in. Perhaps it was because it fit the mood, but Ravel chose to wear an outfit typical for an adventurer, complete with the safari jacket and hat.
"Ise, take care of Ravel as well."
"Yes, Buchou!" Issei saluted. Well, even if Buchou did not tell me to do so, I would! If not, Kirito would up my training for abandoning a lady!
On the other hand, Rasier was still trying to escape from Tannin's grasp, even wih the earlier display his sister had showed.
"N..No! Why do I have to go to the mountain!?"
"This is all for you." Issei sighed, scratching is head as he looked at the pitiful sight of Raiser struggling to get out of the grasp of a large dragon. "Discard your rich-boy attitude and let's go to the mountain. Both your body and soul will be cleansed when you inhale some fresh air."
In response, Raiser glared at Issei instead of shivering in fear. Hmm, that seems more like him. Great! This means the rehabilitation has started!
"My servants! Save me! This is an order!"
In desperation upon seeing that Issei had not been affected by the glare he had set Issei, Raiser turned towards his last avenue of escape: His Peerage.
Alas…it was in vain.
"Raiser-sama, please endure it."
""Go for it!""
They were just cheering him, while waving their hands. Seeing that, Raiser became so shocked that his eyes were about to pop out. "Y-You girls! You are all heartleeess!"
Sorry, but even they find your current state too pitiful.
With that, everyone set off for a training with dragons, in the territory of Tannin.
(linebreak)
"Wow!" Silica's eyes were sparkling as she looked everywhere. "There are so many dragons around here!"
Silently, Kazuto agreed with Silica's words.
There were big holes on various parts of the cliffs of a canyon and there were dragons which exceeded 10 metres popping their heads out of them. Many dragons were spreading their wings and flying within the valley. Looks like there are many dragons living in this valley.
Everyone had been dropped off on a small section of one of the numerous cliffs available, where it was just possible a small group to stand.
From his position, he also noticed some dragons that were nesting in the spacious canyon looking at them from their nests like they found devils rare. Well, that might not be too far off, since this territory is basically the habitat of the dragons as a whole.
"This is the nest of the Dragons, where my people live." Kazuto turned to face the large dragon as he spoke. "This area is only a section of our habitat, but you can say this is the borderline, that humanoid Devils like you guys will just be able to survive. Also, these Dragon tribes are the ones which are able to communicate with others."
"D…D…Dragons…" Not too far away from him, Raiser whimpered in fear from his trauma with dragons, but Kazuto ignored him, instead focusing more on his surroundings and Silica, who was turning her head around at the number of dragons around.
"There are so many dragons!" Silica practically gushed as she looked over the cliff in excitement. "Big ones, small ones, fast ones, slow ones, ones with huge scales…Oh! Some breath fire, while others breath ice or lightning! Tannin-sama!" Turning, the small girl faced the dragon that had brought them here. "Where are the smaller dragons?"
"Oh? Why the interest young lady?" Tannin leaned down to look at the girl better. If Kazuto had not been there, he would have thought that Tannin was about to eat Silica, from how close he was to her.
"Ah, I was trapped in SAO before, and I had a tamed dragon under me…" Shyly, Silica pushed her fingers together. "So, I was hoping to find him here. Ah, but even if I don't find him, I want to play with some dragons!"
"SAO…" Tannin nodded his head slowly. "I see. So you are one of them then…well, there were a few of my brethren who got stuck in that death game, so it is a possibility you might have been companions with one of them. Very well. I would bring you to where the younger batch of my brethren are, along with some of the dragons that had been trapped in SAO. However, for the safety of the young ones under my care, I would have a dragon or two watch over you as you play with them."
"Thank you!" Silica chirped back.
"Tannin-sama." Suddenly, a unfamiliar voice was picked up by Kazuto's ears, followed by a light blue-scaled dragon that emerged from the clouds.
-! A hostile? Cautiously, Kazuto brought his hand up to his ear, ready to release his Gear get out Dark Repulsor to fight if need be, while disguising the action as him scratching his head. Kazuto thought that there might be some devils who would be discontent with devils, since they forced one of their kind to be reincarnated as one. Sure, it was a deal made to ensure the survivability of dragons, but it was something that some dragons could not stand and might harbour an irrational hatred for devils, or humanoids in general.
"At ease, young one." Tannin noticed Kazuto tensing. "This one is a high-level dragon that serves under me. I'm thinking of leaving Raiser Phenex to this one for his training."
"Eh? Won't I be fine for that?" Issei blinked in surprise, pointing to himself as he spoke.
"You would be too soft, Hyoudou Issei." Tannin stood to his full height. "So, the two of you would be training, although Raiser Phenex would be training more under my subordinate."
"Ah, Old Man," Issei called out to Tannin. "Could Kirito follow us? He wants to do some experimentation with some things he has on him. Plus, he would want to spar with me as additional training."
"What Issei said." Kazuto thanked Issei before he continued. "I would like to oversee Issei's training, since I did a contract with his master to make him stronger. Plus, it would be a good way for me to see how well he has come after your training, as well as see how well he would fare under different conditions. So far, we have only fought under the sun or rain, on flat terrain. I wish to see how well he would do under more extreme conditions, like this mountain."
"Hmm… " Tannin scratched his chin. "Another trainer for the Sekiryuutei? Sure, I do not mind. If you could, also help with Raiser Phenex's training of his body and soul."
"…Uuu, how can this happen…."
Kazuto pointedly ignored the groaning from the cowering member of the devil race.
Timeskip
So, everyone went their separate ways.
Ravel went along with Issei, Kazuto, and Raiser for Raiser's rehabilitation.
Silica was sent off to some secret location to play with and talk to the smaller dragons. Asuna hoped she would find Pina, if he did get trapped into SAO by Kayaba. If not...well, the familiar ritual would work. They tried it out with a beast that Argo had tamed before in ALO. Turns out, by altering the chant and adding a reagents, one would be able to create a physical body for the familiar, as well as summon the familiar(or rather, the digital beast that had been tamed). Whether the summoned familiar would be able to use it's abilities that it had in the game is a different story entirely, as it involves other specific reagents, spells, and a lot of demonic energy.
Asuna also followed Kazuto to ensure that he did not go overboard with his experiments. Plus, she would admit, she also wanted to help out. It was very interesting to see how the experiments Kazuto made would turn out. Most of the time, it was like cooking. For example, a simple health potion that he made in real life? The process to make it was like making a fruit punch, only the solids would become liquids the moment it touched the bowl. Health crystals? They made a few, and the process to make them was like making some jelly. Concentrate some of the health potions, place them in a cold place for a few hours, and you would have solidified health potions with hard outsides, and brittle insides.
She wondered if there was a method to make something that involved process like rising for baking bread, or folding of the dough for making ramen.
Well, after seeing the pitiful sight of Raiser being blasted with literal blizzards by a dragon every time he even attempted to run and his little sister casually cheering him on, and comparing it to the almost stoic figure of Issei running along in the snowing mountain, she decided to set up some tea. Or tried to, anyway. Every time she managed to get the water hot enough, it would become cold the moment she tried to drink it. THAT was how cold the surrounding area was. Well, at least it did not freeze into ice. Then she would have nothing to drink at all.
Timeskip
After a long day of training and experimenting, Kazuto, Issei and Raiser went to sleep in one cave, while Ravel, Asuna and Keiko(who had cam back in time for dinner) went to sleep in another portion of the cave, but this time, in a tent. No sense subjecting them to the same treatment as the boys by sleeping on the cold, damp surface of the cave.
Or, so that was how it was supposed to go.
"Asuna-san, we need to talk."
"Hm?" Asuna stopped prepping her own sleeping bag. Turning, she faced the owner of the voice who had spoken. "Ah, Silica-san. What was it that you wanted to speak about?"
"I-it's about Kazuto-san." Keiko stuttered at first, but as she spoke, her voice gained more confidence. "I...no, we wish to be involved with him. In an intimate manner."
"…why would you tell me about this now?" Asuna frowned lightly. She had known about the feelings the girls had about Kazuto. Well, Silica and Liz at the very least. Sinon was giving some mixed signals, and as for Suguha, she wagered it was more of a confused jumble of emotions than love. But, if her guesses were wrong for the two of them…well, she would not do anything. At least, unless they acted first. "I knew of your feeling for Kirito-kun, so there is no need for you to–"
"Asuna-san." Keiko gently cut Asuna off. "We loved Kazuto-san, yes. But before, when you two first started dating, we were simply content with watching."
"Content?" Asuna raised an eyebrow at that.
"Barely content." Keiko amended. "We would not actively try to 'steal your man'. Nothing of that sort. But if you did dump him, or something happened that made it such that you were in such a state where you could no longer date him, we would have jumped at the chance." With a faint dusting of red on her cheeks, Keiko admitted to jumping at the chance to date a 'widowed' Kazuto. "But that was in the past, when we were still human."
"So because we are now devils, where polygamy is allowed and practised, you two are going to start to vie for his attention?" At seeing Keiko's nod, Asuna sighed. "Is that why you are telling me this now?"
"Yes." The smaller girl nodded her head. "We talked about it before I was told to approach you, but if Kazuto-san reciprocates any of our feelings, you would be the main wife, while we would be….lovers…of Kazuto-san."
"…I see." Asuna stayed silent at that. Truth be told, she had been expecting something like this to pop up sooner or later. I knew that they had feelings for Kirito-kun, but for them to act on them now... Needless to say, Asuna was a tad bit mad at that. After all, other girls, her friends, were also wishing to date her boyfriend at the least, and marry him at the worst. Which was still open for possibility, since they said lovers. And they actually told her about this! Well, it is better that they be upfront about it instead of being all sneaky like.
But then, she thought about it. Sure, she might be mad that the girls wanted to date(and possibly marry) her man, but what does that change, really? Their friendship might get a little strained, but that's all. It would also be a little awkward, since they were also going to start dating her boyfriend/husband, but it was not as if they were going to do it right before her very eyes. And if they did? Well, it would not bother her. That much. Wait, no, that part is a lie.
Not much would change besides some awkward moments borne from them seeing her man, since they were being upfront about it and admitting it straight up.
And there was also considering if Kazuto would even DATE the girls. As it was, it took them a near-death experience to start dating/marry each other in SAO. If that was what it took to get him to date other girls, she did NOT want that to happen again. Seeing it twice was bad enough. She didn't think she would be able to survive a third time.
Plus, Kazuto was very faithful to his spouse.
And then, there was also considering the more...extreme fans.
Asuna shuddered when she recalled them. My goodness, their eyes… if looks could kill, I would have been dead several dozen times over. Did I also mention the disturbing sounds I heard in the bathroom? Oh God *ow*, the sounds…I partially want to throttle them for even THINKING of doing it with Kirito-kun, while the other part wanted to make myself deaf permanently from the sounds…Oh the sounds…
"…I'll think about your proposal." Asuna finally responded after a few minutes of silence. She wanted to think the prospect of sharing Kazuto over for a few days. Plus, as she felt the anger ebb away, she realised that she did not mind the girls dating Kazuto. Not as long as they told her about it first, and they allowed her to be the main girl. But she won't say yes yet. It will take some time for her brain AND heart to accept this arrangement. And there was also Yui to consider…
"That's fine." Keiko replied, a small smile on her face. "We were not really expecting an answer straight away after we told you about this plan of ours. We can wait."
As Keiko went to her own sleeping bag, humming all the while, Asuna wordlessly slipped into her own, pulling the thing up to her chin. …This plan…honestly, what should I do with you, Kirito-kun? You are such a lady-killer, even though you are not conscious of it.
Outside, Kazuto sneezed once in his sleep, but thankfully, it did not wake anyone up.
Timeskip
And thus, for the next three days, these events repeated itself over and over again.
Raiser is forced to run and train next to, and by, dragons. With every passing day, the trainings became more intense. Honestly, Issei was half-expecting some of the ones that had popped up, like the Phenex running through a blizzard area with some dragons shooting ice and hail at him from all directions, or the dropping him into a pit with dragons(albeit, younger ones) so that he could get used to their presence. He did not expect the one where Raiser had to go through an obstacle course made for dragons. Not to mention the fact it was entirely MADE OF dragons.
Right now though, they were doing the same thing they had done on the very first day.
"Uwaaaah! It's going to freeze! My fire is going to freeeeze!"
*BUUUUUN!*
"Hey, hey, you are getting too slow, you know?" The blizzard dragon waggled its finger at Raiser.
On the snowy part of the mountain, the duo once again going through the run around the mountain. And like before, Raiser attempted to run away. You think he would have learned by now that running away is useless.
On the bright side, this sort of thing was becoming less and less frequent.
"Dammit!"
"Raiser-dono! The shout you have to say during this training is 'Dragon'! Repeat after me, 'Dragon'!"
"D-Dragon!"
"Say it louder!"
*BUUUUUN~*
"D-DRAGON~!"
Yakitori-san was being chased by a Dragon. The light blue Dragon was breathing out ice from its mouth, as it was chasing Raiser who had also changed into mountain climbing gear.
"Looks like Raiser-san is getting bolder now."
*clang*
"Yeah, that Yakitori seems to have overcome some of his trauma." Issei hummed. "Now, he is able to stay upright when he is facing dragons, being close to them and talking to them are still out though."
*ding*
"Not much you can do with that, right?" Kirito swung his blade again as they talked, forcing Issei to shuffle out of the way of the sword, before he attempted to counterattack Kirito, only to find it avoided completely with a well-timed step back. "Trauma takes time for it to be fully cured from a person."
"But I am a little worried that the training might make him fear dragons more." Issei grunted as he swung his sword, which hit the base of Kirito's own nameless blade(they were both using normal ones instead of their own weaponry because one had an unusual affinity with dragons, while the other had the ability to seriously harm dragons). just barely, he was able to hold onto the blade.
"Well, it's working, so that means he is not going to fear dragons even more, at the very least." With an expert move, Kirito disarmed Issei, the blade's tip resting against Issei's neck. "And that's the match."
"Thank you for the match, Kirito." Issei bowed his head, before he took out some bottles of water. Holding one out, he passed it to Kirito, who took it gratefully. "Thank goodness these bottles are enchanted, otherwise we would have to heat them up to get anything to drink."
"Agreed." Kirito stared at the bottle for a moment, before he took a sip.
"Ha…hah…hah…" As if like clockwork, the third member of the devil race on the snowy mountain collapsed next to the duo. Coming to a stop, he finally collapsed on the ground, breathing hard. "….I'm going to die…"
Oi, oi. I still have stamina you know? And I ran twice the distance you did, and even had to spar with Kirito for ten minutes! "You know that you haven't been running for that long? Or rather, your stamina is too weak."
"S-Shut up!" Raiser said in a cross voice. "Doing training by living in the mountains is something barbarians do! That's why reincarnated Devils know nothing!"
"What are you saying? Even Devils can become stronger by training, so there is no loss by doing this you know?"
"I'm a pure High-class Devil you know?" Raiser shot back. "High-class Devils have to live like a noble, by taking importance in our blood and our talent! My house is so great that I can take someone from the house of Gremory, who produced a Maou, as my fiancée! For me to do something so filthy like this….!"
Ah, that sure is the attitude of a genuine rich boy. It's still the first day you know? It's still too early for you to be whining. Well, I was also troubled and scared at the beginning when I started living with a Dragon like this. Issei could sympathise with the Phenex for having to endure the same treatment. Though the difference was, Raiser was only going to go through a quarter of what Issei did at the very most.
"Ah, Onii-sama!" A female voice made it's presence known. Blinking in surprise, Issei turned to look at the new arrival, who had a basket on her arm. "Why are you panting so hard on the ground?"
What is this? Some sort of fantasy light novel where everything is going along conveniently on the off day for a character? Issei sighed lightly as he witnessed Ravel poking her brother's cheek. He was too tired to bother with moving out of the way of the younger girl, so he just laid there.
After a few minutes, everyone was sitting on a small rock and eating some food. Well, Issei and Kirito were. Raiser had been forced to run again by the blizzard dragon.
"…..How is my brother doing?" Ravel asked Issei worriedly.
"Hmm, I'm not sure." Issei took a bite out of one of the pancakes he took. "But even though he's complaining, he's doing what he has to do. Even I was like that when being trained by old man Tannin, so I think he will manage after he gets used to it. The reason why he couldn't stand up on his own two feet may be because he's spoiled."
"I see….." Hearing that, Ravel's tense expression melted. "I'm a bit relieved."
"Don't worry! Even if am not the one who is training him, he will definitely better!" Issei assured Ravel. Taking another bite, he spoke to Ravel. "Still, these pancakes are pretty good."
"R..Really?" A faint blush on her face, Ravel beamed. "I received ingredients from the Dragon-san around here and there were ingredients that I didn't have….. So I couldn't bake it to my satisfaction….."
"Yeah, why is there a need for me to lie about it? It really is good. Ravel sure is good at making cakes." The moment Issei had placed the confectionery into his mouth, a sweet taste instantly spread around his mouth, along with a good sensation.
"O…Of course!" Obviously happy with the praise, Ravel used a hand to cover her mouth. "Ise-sama sure is lucky to be able to eat the pancake I made! I wish you taste it while being grateful to me!"
"Yeah yeah."
"W-What's with that response!? Geez! I woke up very early in the morning and…"
"Early in the morning?" Issei asked.
"N-No! I can make things like this in a short time! I just happened to wake up early today!"
This girl seems like she's acting high with so much rich-girl quality, but there is a pure part deep inside her. As he thought that, Issei asked Ravel something he had been wondering. "By the way Ravel…In terms of school in the human world, which year are you in?"
"Hiiiiii~!" Not too far away, Raiser was screaming as he ran desperately from the carefree blizzard dragon, but the sister of the poor devil being forced to run ignored the screams of her pitiful brother. Uwa…that's some tough love.
"Then I will specially answer your question. In Japanese high school, I would be a first-year."
"First-year!? Seriously!?" Issei was shocked. "You are my junior then!"
Issei looked over the small girl. Especially at a certain area. So she's the same as Koneko-chan and Gasper! Compared to Koneko-chan, she is better developed and in some areas, she has more growth than Asia who is a second-year…..
"…Issei… Kirito said in a low tone, pausing from munching on the sandwiches that Ravel had given him(Asuna made them, Ravel was simply delivering).
"I know, I know." Issei sighed. Well, even if I thought about Ravel in a slightly lecherous way, I would still feel guilty, since she is my innocent kouhai! Plus, Ravel would look nice in the Kuoh Academy uniform.
"Next time, I would like to wear Kuoh Academy's uniform."
Speak of the devil… Appreciating the irony of his earlier thoughts, Issei smiled at Ravel. "Sure, try it. It will suit you."
"Of course! I will definitely wear it!" Ravel fidgeted slightly in her seat. "…C…Can I also come and visit your home next time?"
"Sure. Come whenever you want."
Sorry Buchou...I hope you won't get mad for me deciding this on my own...
"Th-Then, I will come and visit without any hesitation! It's also the duty of a High-class Devil to understand the living style of a commoner in the human world!"
A short, explosive sound caused Issei to narrow his eyes at Kirito. "Oi! What's so funny?!"
"O-oh…nothing, nothing~" Kirito hummed, not allowing his eyes to meet Issei's. T-this pretty boy…
"Oh yes, tonight Rias-sama and the others will be coming to this mountain."
""Buchou/Rias-san and the others?"" The two boys asked in a questioning manner.
Ravel nodded her head, still ignoring the screams. "Yes. It seems that there is a good hot spring near here, so they would be having a dip there at least once before all of us leave."
"Leave? Ah..." Issei was confused at first, but he remembered that technically, they were on a tight deadline. Kaichou's excuses for us would only last so long after all.
Elsewhere...
Two girls were meeting. One from after playing with dragons. The other, from after cooking up some food.
"So, Asuna-san, have you thought about it?"
"…I have."
"What's your answer?"
"… …as long as Kirito-kun agrees with your crazy proposal, and I have the child first."
"…Good luck, since our species have a low birth rate."
"I know."
"… …you are being evil, aren't you?"
"But I am a devil, you know?"
"… …Dang it."
Timeskip, that night
Although it was nighttime, Issei could not go to sleep.
The reason why was partly because the next day was the last day they had to stay on this snowy mountain before they had to go back to school. After that, the gruelling training would drop in its intensity from super-freezing-and-strenuous to just strenuous. And with him being able to attend school, meant that he would be able to sleep in a comfortable bed, and not have to worry if he would get a sore back from sleeping in a mountain cave for days on end. Although, him getting used to this sensation was not bad in itself, but every time he thinks about it, he felt like crying tears.
As for the other reason…well, it was his base desires speaking.
I want to see it! Buchou's oppai! Issei could no longer control himself. Although it is only Buchou, but to be able to see oppai dancing in these frigid mountains…
Honestly, it was a little sad to see how Issei's serious attitude in trying to fix Raiser make a complete 180 after hearing the words 'hot springs'.
…. But if that's the case, I have to leave this cave without Raiser and Kirito realising it.
Issei glanced over at Raiser's direction, before he looked over at where Kirito lay. Knowing Kirito, he would probably beat me senseless for going to look at the girls. But I will be careful! I will listen to make sure only Buchou is there before I enter! Otherwise! Asuna-san and Kirito would beat me within an inch of my life!
But then, Issei realised something.
It was very quiet.
Too quiet.
Hold on… Issei instantly became suspicious. Ever since we came here, Raiser has been complaining and saying things like 'How can a noble sleep in a cave!' and 'Sleeping in a sleeping bag is the worst!', but tonight he's quiet. …This is strange.
Ever so slowly, Issei slipped out of his sleeping bag and checked on Raiser.
"!" When Issei touched the suspiciously light sleeping bag, it rolled over, revealing a fake face, complete with the eyes looking elsewhere and tongue lolling out.
What!? When did he slip out and replace himself with a crappy drawing of a face... Issei felt a tad bit irritated when he saw the false face. …So he does have a sense of humour…
-wait! This is not the time for this! So he listened in on my conversation with Ravel?! What ears! Issei's mind went towards his red-haired master. Shit! That harem bastard is going to peek at Buchou!
"Like I'll let you!"
Rage burning in his heart, Issei instantly transformed into his Balance Breaker state. If he were more rational, he would have been happy at the change, but as it was, he was more preoccupied with preventing Raiser from peeking at Rias's body. Asuna was fair game though, since she would help him beat his ass. He would have done it, but he did not want to traumatise Raiser again.
Flying out of the cave, he quickly started to look for the flying devil. He already knew the basic location of the hot springs, since he had asked a passing dragon where it was. So, he need to either wait for Raiser, or–
–there! In the midst of the falling snow, Issei saw something that looked like a swaying fire. Wings of fire!
Accelerating, Issei quickly caught up to the flying Raiser. The moment he got within a few metres, Raiser turned around, as if he had just noticed the person flying up to him. "Tch! So I was caught!"
"Ah! The way you spoke! You really were trying to peek into the hot springs!"
"What's wrong with me taking peek!?" Raiser shot back. "If there are women going into hot springs, then it's a man's duty to peek!"
"Is that something a noble should be doinnnng!?" Issei half shouted, half tsukkomied, at Raiser's words.
This perverted Yakitoriiiiiii! I have to protect Buchoooouuu! Charging in, Issei went to try and grapple the Phenex, but it was easily evaded. Shit! In an air battle, looks like the Yakitori has the advantage!
"Your attack is sharper than it was in the past!" Raiser commented, before his wings flared up, releasing an enormous amount of fire. "But I just want to see Rias's breasts! It's not forgivable that you are the only one who can enjoy it!"
"Are you an idiot!? There's no way I will let you see them! She's my Buchou!"
Issei dodged the fire, and sent his demonic powers at him. But that was also dodged! Both of the attacks that they released ended up hitting the mountains, and made the snow fall along with an explosive sound.
"I'm her former fiancé! Do you think I can give up without seeing those huge oppai even once!? Stand in my position and think!"
Issei stopped when he heard those words. …Hmm, certainly it might be hard to give up. But! That is that, and this is this! More than that, how lecherous are you to revive just because you want to see breasts!? You have high tension which is the total opposite of the time you were training! Why don't you train with that enthusiasm! They said that he no longer had any guts! Even Ravel was worried about you! But you do have guts after all! Something that does not lose to my own guts, called the 'Perverted Guts'!
*GOOOON! DOON! DODOON!*
Whirls of flames and the aura of a dragon clashed against each other, causing snow to be disturbed over the mountain they were fighting on. Honestly, it made Issei think that they were redoing the battle they had in the past. Flames and dragon aura were clashing, they were doing it alone, and they were doing battle in mid-air! Only this time, the matching was a bit more even.
For ten minutes, they clashed against each other. But at the end of it…
"Ze~haa~"
"Ze~haa~"
Eventually, the two of them became tired from the fighting. Issei because no matter how much he attacked Raiser, he would always heal himself an come back. Raiser because his stamina was decreasing from the amount of revivals he had done all the way until now. Issei thought that Raiser was extremely persistent for a guy who was a hikikomori…though, he kind of knew the reason why. He' continued to have such a strong spirit, because he was thinking about erotic things.
Puffing, Raiser said to Issei. "….You sure have become quite strong. You can stay like that even in a mid-air battle which is an advantage for me. Man, you are indeed terrifying, Sekiryuutei!"
'course I would! I trained like crazy even before I met Kirito and he started to train me even more. All so that I would be able to protect Buchou! Issei glanced behind him, where the lights of the onsen could be seen in the distance. We should also not be so noisy now, since we are so close. I don't want to startle Buchou out of the hot spring. I want to peek after all!
Then, suddenly, Issei felt a shiver up his spine. And judging by the confused look on his face , Raiser felt it too. What is-
"Yo." A voice, thick with bloodlust, instantly made Issei start to sweat cold sweat. Not only because of the sheer amount of bloodlust being directed at him, but because he KNEW the person who was speaking. "Nice night out, isn't it? I wonder why you two are flying above a hot spring though?"
"Y-y-yo, Kirito." Shakily, Issei turned his head to face the young man. He nearly jumped back in fear when he saw the blunt blade they had been using for sparring in his hand. He also had a green visor covering the top-half of his face, indicating his Sacred Gear, Reality Mould, was activated. "W-what are you doing here? I t-thought you were sleeping?"
"I was asked by Asuna to stand guard." Came the boy's response. "If it had been Rias-san, she would have probably allowed you to come in, Issei. But since Asuna is also there...well, you know what is going to happen, right?"
"…I was only going to peek at Buchou?" Issei tried to escape Kirito's wrath, if only slightly.
The blunted blade being pointed at his lower area did not reassure Issei at all.
..
..
In the hot springs...
"Ah…" Sighing, Asuna allowed her body to relax in the hot waters. "This is really nice~"
"Indeed~" Rias sighed as well. "Silica, thank you for telling us about this hot spring."
"It's not aa problem…." Sullenly, the smaller girl sulked. "I simply asked some of the dragons I was playing with if there were any good hot spring around. He told me there was one here."
"I must thank you, Silica-sama." Ravel bowed her head slightly towards the smaller girl. "This place is a very good hot spring. I heard that there were rumours of one inside Tannin-sama's territory, but not many devils have been able to find it or even step foot in it. To think it was on a snowy mountain here…"
*..y~*
"Ah ha ha ha~ No need to thank me Ravel-san. Please, enjoy yourself." Keiko said in a dead voice. A dark cloud formed over her head.
Asuna winced slightly, as did Rias. They knew the main reason for the young girl's bad mood. That was-
"Nonsense!" Ravel huffed, standing up. "I must thank you in some way."
-yes, the young girl was busty for her age. An age which was practically Keiko's own, since she was older than the girl by a few months. And Keiko had little to no bust to speak of. Well, it was growing, but the change was not very noticeable.
"Eh he he he…" Awkwardly, Asuna brought a hand up to pull Ravel down into the hot spring. "Ravel-san, there is no need to thank Silica-chan, since she obviosity wanted to share this experience with all of us. Also, call us without the '-sama' suffix. Just call us b name, or with a '-san' suffix. We are not above your family."
*...yu~*
"…If it is your wish." Ravel allowed the older girl to pull her down. The steaming water rose up to cover her body up to her chest, making Keiko's mood lighter, now that the object of her dissatisfaction was gone.
Speaking of objects of interests... Asuna sighed as she rested her bare back against the cool stones behind her. Before they entered the hot spring, Asuna and Keiko had talked about the harem plan the girls had cooked up. She was allowing the thing to happen. Normally, any normal girl would be jealous and refuse such a thing outright. But Asuna did no such thing. Partly because she knew that her friends were hurting, being unable to be with the boy they loved in that manner. And partly because, having her friends join her in bed with the young Kirigaya would help her fend off the other females that might try to go after Kazuto. She would rather the girls sleeping with her boyfriend/husband be people she knew and allowed, rather than some unknown harlot that wanted to sleep with Kazuto purely for the prospects of power that came with his tittles.
Plus, not that she would ever admit to anyone, she had some kinks she wanted to try out after reading it online. And she suspected the others would be fine with them as well.
*hyu~*
What on earth is that noise? Asuna frowned. She had been hearing it for a while now, and it was irritating her slightly. Kazuto was outside guarding them, so…
Her eyes widened. Wait, does that mean-
*SPLOOSH!*
With the sound of displacing water, three figures hit the hot spring. Thankfully, because of the suddenness of their entrance, as well as the steam from the hot spring, their figures were obscured from view. Giving Asuna enough time to grab four towels for the others to wrap their bodies with.
When she got back, the steam was dissipating. The first thing she saw Kazuto's back facing everyone, his eyes covered by a single hand. The second thing was the bizarre sight of someone's feet stuck in the air, their head submerged. The third was Issei staring at the naked bodies of Rias and Ravel, a small dribble of blood on his face. Though, he did have a surprised look on his face when he was looking at Ravel, so she thought that Issei had not expected Ravel to be there as well.
Quickly, she gave Keiko a towel to wrap around herself with.
"…Ise-sama? Onii-sama?" Ravel sounded a little surprised as she spoke. Ah, so the one in the water must be Raiser.
Wordlessly, Asuna waded towards Ravel, her own body covered by towels, before she held one up to her exposed chest.
Realising her predicament, Ravel's face instantly blushed a deep red as she hid her chest immediately. The, wings of fire emerged from her back as she wrapped the towel around her body almost possessively. Ise-sama you ecchiiiiii!"
*GOOOOOOOOON!*
"Gyaaaaaa!" Issei, along with Raiser, was blown out of the water by Ravel's impressive fireball, forcing them to land outside of the hot springs.
"Hold on, hold on! Spare me please!" Hearing the sound of Issei's pained screams, Kazuto quickly waved his free hand around, trying to prevent the embarrassed girl from acting against him.
It did not work.
"Kirito-san, please get out!"
*Doon!*
"Hot! Hot!" Frantically, Kazuto jumped into the water to extinguish the fire on his clothes, his hand still covering his eyes.
Raising her hand, Ravel prepared to throw another fireball at the boy, but Asuna raised a hand, stopping the girl. Nearing the soaking boy, Asuna whispered some things in his ear. "Kirito-kun~"
Kazuto shivered. "A-asuna…"
Said girl giggled, before she turned to the others. "I'll lead Kirito-kun away from here. The rest of you, please enjoy youselves."
Still giggling a little, Asuna dragged the sightless boy by his hand, away from the rest of the group, into a more secluded area where they could cuddle together.
When she judged that they had gotten far enough away, Asuna pulled off Kazuto's soaked shirt. "Kirito-kun, join me in having a soak, okay? You must be cold from keeping guard for us."
The boy, sensing the girl's actions, tried to escape. "I-Issei and Raiser-san might come back, so let me-"
"Kirito-kun." Her tone subtly changed, causing the boy to stiffen. "Join. Me."
Kazuto sighed heavily, before he went behind a rock to take off his dripping wet clothes. When he emerged, he was only clad in his underwear, his eyes still covered.
Asuna sighed exasperatedly at that sight. Take a hint dummy! "Stay here." Dragging the boy down, she forced him next to her, before she pulled his hand away from his eyes. "And you can look, you know? Not like you haven't seen everything before."
"That does not make it better, and you know it!" Despite what he said, Kazuto allowed Asuna to pull his hand away from his eyes. Then, they cuddled next to each other, watching the stars and enjoying a good soak in the hot springs.
Although a small, petite girl joined them not too soon after, causing Kazuto to cover his eyes again until he heard about the harem plan from Asuna.
A plan which he reluctantly agreed to because of the puppy eyes that Keiko aimed at him.
Elsewhere, in a certain cave...
While Kazuto was getting lucky with his girlfriend(or so Issei thought anyway), the duo had returned back to the cave, licking the wounds they had obtained from their encounter with Ravel's womanly fury.
Well, Issei was fine with the results, since it meant that he did not see Rias's oppai.
Suddenly, Raiser spoke up. "I will give up on Rias. So please let me see Rias's oppai next time." "Fuck you! Yakitori bastard!"
I was going to let you off, but as I thought, you are my enemy! With those words, Issei and Raiser started their second battle for the day.
And also needless to say, Raiser was cured quite a bit with this incident, and it appeared that he had overcame his fear of dragons. Mostly. He still could not stand fighting against a dragon. Well, without prompting from Ravel, anyway.
Timeskip, a few days later...
"Haa…" Issei sighed in relief as he felt the cool water hit his sweaty skin.
It had been a few days since they had parted with the Phenex siblings. And in that time span, a few things had happened.
The first, most obvious one would be the feathered dragon that was now in the house.
It had happened when they were leaving that mountain. Just as they were going to be teleported back to the Phenex residence(courtesy of a temporary teleportation seal Tannin had got), Issei saw a blue blur shoot towards them, before it hit him in the gut. So sudden was the action that Issei did not have time to brace himself, causing his body to be launched away from the small group. Thankfully, this was after the circle had activated, so Issei was not left behind. It was later revealed that the blur that had hit Issei's gut was actually a dragon that Silica had tamed in SAO. A feathery dragon named Pina.
Through Ddraig, they communicated with the small dragon. From there, they found out that the blue thing had spent the past few days flying towards their location at full speed, having sensed Silica's presence when she first entered Tannin's territory. As the feathery dragon preferred to be alone, it did not hear the call to play with a small devil, which had been Silica. Had he heard of it, he would have been brought to her much earlier.
But because he did not, Pina had to fly at it's top speeds, only stopping to rest it's wings, eat and drink water.
Long story short, because Pina was so happy to see Silica after sensing her, he forgot to stop himself and slow down, which ended up causing the diminutive dragon to act as a live cannonball which forced Issei a few inches off the ground. Pina was also able to be with Silica since he had his own NerveGear which enabled him to play as well. Although, he was only able to play as a tamed beast, it was fun for the small dragon, as it got to interact with others.
Now, the small dragon, its master, and the family of three that were staying with them were i their room, playing ALO. Pina was also playing via a small headset that Kayaba helped make.
Everyone was also doing their own things. Asia, Xenovia and Irina were on an outing, Rossweisse was marking some papers, Gasper was playing a game that Kirito had recommended to him, Kiba was working on some sword forms, Akeno was out tending to her family's temple, and Rias was reading a new light novel she had bought.
As for the boy himself…just a few minutes ago, he had just returned from an intense training session, so he was extremely sweaty and dirty. Ah, clean at last! Issei walked out of the bath, clean as a whistle. What should I take for today…fruit milk, or coffee milk?
Just as he was thinking that, the door opened, revealing–
"B-buchou?!"
"Ara, Ise." Naked as the day she was born, Rias stood before Issei, a small towel in her hand. Hurriedly, his towel which had been held loosely in his hand, went towards his groin to shield it from her eyes, before he attempted to leave. "B-buchou, I was just leaving, so–"
Rias quickly took Issei's hand, preventing him from leaving. "It's okay. Stay with me for a bit."
Really? Thank you for the trea- wait, no! Issei brought himself back at the last moment. Buchou, are you sure you should be like this? I am a man, you know? A young man and a young woman should not be in the same room in our states of undress, otherwise things would happen! I should know, since I have read so many doujinshi about these type of situations after all!
But…if that was what Buchou wants… Issei swallowed his spit as he gazed over his master's body. Because of how her wet hair clung to her body, it made Issei think that she looked even more irresistible. Would I be man enough to push her down?
"It's only the two of us. If I was to be pushed down by Ise here, what would happen to me?" As if she knew what Issei was thinking, she looked at Issei out of the corner of her eyes as she spoke, her face slightly flushed."But, since you must be familiar with my body already, so you might not feel like that?"
"T-That's not true!" Issei quickly responded. "Buchou's body is the best!"
"…..If that's how you really feel, then push me down right here…"
Eh?! Issei stared at Rias in surprise. She had taken his hand, and placed it on her breast. Wait wait wait wait! This is different, from what we usually do, ain't it? Usually, Buchou teases me, and I answer back! Our usual exchange where Buchou enjoys me acting shy! So why is she so forward today?! And telling me to push her down...is that really okay?
Unaware of his inner turmoil, Rias asked Issei, a tinge of sadness in her expression. Something that Issei did not catch.
..
If he had caught it, things might have gone differently. Maybe there would have been no need for the unneeded awkward atmosphere that was born from this situation. There would be no tension.
But, even if he had caught it, how would he have responded? Most likely, he would have responded in the same manner, but with something extra?
Who knows. Not even Issei knew. Even as he reflected on what happened later, he still did not know how to respond to Rias's question properly, without things turning out the way they did.
..
"Hey, to Ise, what am….I?"
"Buchou is Buchou!" Issei automatically responded, his brain still a bit preoccupied by his inner turmoil. "Nothing more, nothing less!"
Yes, Buchou is Buchou! Someone who is a one of a kind person in my heart! So that's why, Buchou is Buchou!
..
Issei did not know how warped his feelings were at that moment. Or rather, his thoughts about his feelings.
..
Hearing that, Rias's expression tightened. Then, she grabbed his hand tightly. "… ….If that's the case, then I just have to become more than that…"
"Eh?" Issei's mind finally caught up with the situation. "What do you-"
*fwop*
Rias leaned against Issei's body, causing the two of them to topple over and onto the floor. Feeling the soft and supple feeling of a woman's skin against his body, especially the one that he loved, Issei's mind overheated as he thought about what this situation meant.
Buchou is riding on top of me?! There is no doubt that pointy things rubbing against me is her nipples, right? Then, is this that situation right? Where we profess our love as we make love to each other?! Wait, where should I put my hands? Her oppai? Her butt? Her waist? Her thighs?
"Ise~" Groaning against the brown-haired boy, Rias's mouth met Issei's. Unable to resists her, all Issei could do was be dazed as the one he loved attacked his mouth with fervour, an obscene sound echoing in the large room. We kissed so many times already...but this time, there is more passion in it...
"Bu…Buchou…I…."
..
It was at this moment, that Issei knew he had made a mistake. Only later would he realise what he had done wrong.
And how warped his thinking had become.
..
The moment those words left his mouth, Rias stopped. An mask of no emotions instantly took the place of her seductive expression not but a few seconds ago. "…..'Buchou'…? You still call the woman you are about to make love to…even if I do this much…..Buchou…..?"
She got off of Issei, who was a little stunned by how cold she sounded. How…hurt…
"…..To you, 'what' am I…?"
No small amount of confusion entered Issei's body as he gazed at the expressionless face of his master. The one he loved. "Buchou, what happ-"
"Don't follow me!" Speaking over the boy, Rias yelled, before she rushed out of the bathroom, her towel long forgotten.
Buchou… Issei stared down at the place where she had stood. He could still hear the echo of Rias's voice cracking, and her voice mixing with sobs. A small gimmer of water showed she had been crying before she left.
What…did I just do?
(*1*) – This is a partial reference to a RWBY fanfic called 'White Sheep', as well as something to fill in the gaps of what devils did when they were bored and wanted some….'fun'. Plus, being able to regenerate from some life-threatening wounds would make a great incentive for some serious BDSM play. Especially without the threat of dying hanging over their heads.
AN
Ah, finally! I am done with this chapter!
Apologies for the super late chapter. With some changes in my life, I found less time to watch anime and write fanfics. Which led to the current situation of me procrastinating writing this chapter. So enjoy this extra long chapter for the time being!
Although, with this, I have set things up for that particular bit in the season 4 of the anime! For those of you who know what I am talking about, congratulations! For those who do not, I recommend…to do so, much to my hesitation. Honestly, I was a little put off by that particular scene. And what are your thoughts on my version?
Issei is a little less perverted, and more clear-headed thanks to Kazuto and Asuna's training. But being a little better does not make him all that different from his perverted self from before he met those two. Rather, he would pick up hints faster, but for him to act on them…well, there is a reason why despite wanting to be a harem master, he only got as far as kissing in the light novels(volume 13, that is)
…wow, has it really been a year since I posted this fanfic? Time sure flies. Because of this, I would post another chapter as soon as possible in celebration of this fic's birthday!
… …That said, with this, I have also set up Kazuto getting a harem! Cookies for those who guessed this bit happening! (::) And have some cookies for those who were hoping this is a single pairing. Sorry boys, but the harem ship sailed the moment he became a devil!
With this, I want to see how many people want Kazuto to have in his harem. Asuna is the main girl, as everyone can guess. Keiko as well, since she brought it up. I will be setting up a poll for the choosing of the girls in the harem, so do make sure to vote! There will also be a poll for who to set up Klein with later on, after the poll for Kazuto's harem. Just to warn you, Kazuto would only have 5 to 6 girls in his harem, like Issei(Rias, Akeno, Asia, Koneko, Ravel, Xenovia and Irina). At least, that is for now. Only read up to Issei getting his new body for the LNs, so forgive me for not putting the ships yet.
The poll would come out next update, so stay tuned!
Anime is life, and please review!
