Cry Havoc Chapter 3: Are you sure Yasaka isn't my teacher?, a high school dxd/ハイスクールd×d fanfic

Cry Havoc

An idiom: to warn of danger

A buttery smooth voice called out from seemingly nowhere, "Yasaka-sama?" Said woman blinked down to her shadow with a tilt of her head. The Kyuubi was met with a pair of glowing yellow eyes. Unbothered by the unblinking eyes, she gestured for the voice to continue. "You said to remind you when the sun was about to set"

"Right." Yasaka glanced at the bloodied mess of a man before her. "We have enough evidence, right?"

"Yes, Yasaka-sama."

"AAHH—!" The shadow nor Yasaka did not flinch as the groaning man shrieked—only to stop just as suddenly as he started. The reason for it? The mystical fox flames from a legendary status Kyuubi flew into his mouth, searing his interns in its path through him. It only took a second for his body to burn from the inside out.

Yasaka's bored gaze stayed on the body for a few more moments. Her will continued pushing the compressed flames through the dead and cauterized body. As her ever-intensifying flame burst through the blackened body, her bored expression slowly turned to anger. The hands by her side tightened into trembling fists.

'You didn't deserve a quick death.'

"...Yasaka-sama."

"Right right..." The body vanished in a brilliant flash of orange and red. A scorch mark in a vague shape of a Great Kappa and various dying embers were the only sign he was ever there. "Can I leave cleanup to you?" Around them were the blackened bodies of the Kappa's subordinates. All of which were long gone, except for one that Yasaka let run off.

Rising from Yasaka's shadow, a pair of black cat ears revealed itself first. Following that, split bangs and two large loops, black as well, were barely visible with the minuscule light from the surrounding embers. From the veil of darkness, the once shadow's white skin contrasted profoundly, where her dark kimono held loosely onto her body. It was with red highlights and tied freely with an obi that matched her hazel-yellow eyes in color. From behind the backside of the kimono, her twin feline tails unfurled themselves.

All the while, she was on a knee, head down. "Yes, Yasaka-sama."

Yasaka moved to start a teleportation circle, formed by her foxfire, only to pause. Her gaze drifted back to her longtime subordinate, thoughtfully. "Kuroka," at the sound of her name, the Nekoshou's head shot up then back down just as quickly, "do you think you can teach someone from scratch?"

"Uh," the woman was caught flat-footed at the request. "Yes, I can but... if I may, Yasaka-sama?" The Kyuubi nodded for the black-haired woman to continue, "wouldn't Wukong-sama, who had taught me, or any other of Kunou's tutors be more suitable?"

"While that may be true, I do not wish to cash in my sole favor with him. Kunou's other tutors..." Yasaka gave an exasperated sigh, "They hate men far more than you do, even if he's my daughter's savior." She finished her glowing teleport circle, continuing, "Teaching this generation's Sekiryuutei may be the key to getting your sister back."

Those words caused the younger woman's heart to leap into her throat. Her eyes widened and her head shot up to her late mother figure. "R-Really?" They both ignored how dry and desperate Kuroka sounded.

"I said, 'may be.'" Yasaka stressed. "The Fallen already have a stake in him. The Devils are in... talks about whether to meet with me." Her stern gaze softened as Kuroka's hope dimmed and her head fell once more. "Peace talks are on the horizon... even despite the various uprising of men. For all my renowned 'foresight,' not even I can be sure of the future. However,"

"R-Right, Yasaka-sama."

"You are the only suitable one to teach him right now. You have no ties to any part of my faction except to me but also won't betray me—unless your sister's life was on the line, right?"

The girl shivered before giving a small nod, unable to trust her voice.

The Kyuubi only laughed. "Thankfully, no one knows you're here and thus can't blackmail you into giving out info about me, no?"

"Right, Yasaka-sam—!"

Suddenly, a fierce pressure fell onto Kuroka. It made it hard to breathe and paralyzed her with fear. "Do not slip up on hiding your presence from everyone except Hyoudou Issei, the current Sekiryuutei." A slender finger raised the rare Nekoshou's head until Yasaka could stare down Kuroka. "You have full permission to train him wherever to make sure you don't." The lips of the 'Great Youkai of Kyoto' curled, sadistically, "Alright?"

The pressure vanished but the nail against Kuroka's chin remained. The fire daiyoukai wanted an answer even as her instincts screamed at her to run, Kuroka answered, "I-, I understand, Yasaka-sama."

"Good! I'll share with him where and how to meet with you in a few days." The kitsune released her and clasped her hands together, finally powering her completed teleport circle. "I'll hash out the details with Hyoudou-dono now so don't be surprised when I send you a message in an hour." The circle roared to life in a blaze. "Bye bye~"

The young woman only gave a nod before the Youkai "Queen" of Kyoto stepped through the portal.

Once her presence and her embers died, leaving Kuroka in blackness where only her piercing feline eyes were visible, the girl slacked until she fell on her back. As she did so, she gasped for air. Yasaka was unrelenting and lashing out for failure of keeping an eye out for her daughter.

Even though Yasaka was something akin to a mother for the Nekomata, Kuroka was more similar to a bastard child. No one knew of her. No one knew if she was still alive. The devils still had her as an SS-ranked fugitive. Yasaka only accepted to take her in to gain a rare favor from Sun Wukong, her teacher and once-caretaker. All the while, she was hidden from the world for her own safety. The few times she was out, she was either running a quick errand, overseeing Kunou from the shadows, or tasked with assassinating off-the-record.

The cat-girl raised her forearm to her eyes.

She couldn't figure out why Sun Wukong had abandoned her... or why he had taken her in and taught her in the first place! Or why he was so desperate to protect her... Nor, why her real parents, whose faces were practically a blur in her memories, had left her and her sister as well.

A choked sob caught itself in her throat. It was one she swore to never let out. Instead, she had vowed to devote herself to getting back the sister she had, for all intent and purposes, abandoned.

However, with the light of the tunnel so close... She almost couldn't help the joyous cry. All the blood, sweat, and hair she shed through the years wasn't for naught.

"Shirone, I'm coming like I promised...!"

Having been dragged around the estate endlessly for an hour or two, seeing her stop suddenly in a secluded area worried him a bit.

"Kunou-chan?"

The young girl said nothing, only giving a nod, more to herself than anything. The wall before them seemed to ripple. Then, a grand bamboo door appeared, and she slid it open with her four foxtails. Either she was super strong, or the door had some sort of... mechanism that allowed her to do so. "Annnnd, this is my secret room!"

The large opening seemed big enough for a beast maybe four times his height. Welcoming him was a small green mat that read in English, "Welcome!" It was such a silly thing that Issei couldn't help the smile on his lips. This was definitely Kunou's slice of paradise.

Apparently, he was taking too long, so Kunou took him by the hand with one of her tails and dragged him in.

"Hurrry!"

"Ok ok, Kunou-chan."

His gaze drifted to the dreary, gray concrete walls, which she seemed to try and hide with various drawings and paintings. If not for those, the massive room would've felt like a prison. It even had one large window on the far end, blocked off by a pair of crisscrossing bamboo.

'Geez...'

Kunou led him to a table. Various brushes, papers, and canvases awaited the girl's eventual return. "Tada! The 'Masterpiece-making Table!'" If her art littering the walls were anything to go by, 'masterpiece-making' wasn't too far off.

"Woah! These are really good!" Although his hands itched to graze some of the brush strokes, he refrained out of respect. "So, what am I gonna do here?" The girl didn't answer. Instead, her tails tugged him to where she placed a stool.

The excited mini Kitsune patted the flat circle surface, "Sit here please, Onii-sama!" She didn't even wait for an answer, turning away. It was cute to see. It was even cuter given that her tail started to pat the sit. They went to move excited behind her, as if they had eyes, as he fulfilled her request. "I'm gonna draw you!"

Her tails immediately set up the brushes behind her like a much-practiced skill. Her face covered with a wide smile, looking at him expectantly. "...Make a pose, Onii-sama..." Promptly, he was self-conscious. Panicking to think of a pose, he scrambled. He never noticed the glint in Kunou's eyes and the widening of her smile.

By the time he picked a pose, four of Kunou's... suddenly nine golden tails were holding the canvas over her lap. Besides the blank canvas, another two tails held out a palette, and the last tail held a small jar of water. The girl herself had put on a mini white apron (where it came from, he had no idea), that of which was sprinkled with assorted colors in various places.

- :|: -

"Painting You" Screenshot Saved.
Description: Kunou preps herself to paint you into her favored possession.

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- :|: -

At the 'professionalism,' Issei cracked a smile.

"Yes! Stay like that please, Onii-sama!"

His smile twitched in regret. The girl paid it no mind, immediately starting. Her tongue stuck out as she concentrated, bouncing her gaze up and down. Although, he found it strange that she started with the color green initially, starting from the bottom. However, she was the expert here, so he'd trust her intuition. It showed as he sat still, taking a more in-depth look at the beautiful art pieces around him.

Each piece had a person. Each was incredibly detailed. To him, it was quite unbelievable that she hashed out fine details with a paintbrush. All of them were youkai in all kinds of forms and shapes. Some were frightening in appearance. Another few were doing everyday things such as cooking. Others faced him with a serene smile with a half-transform state. The few exceptions didn't have a mouth.

There were those who stood, sat, or hovered, begrudgingly. He almost broke his stance. He could only imagine being threatened by Kunou's guards or unable to deny the princess but by the end was regretting it. Speaking of regretting... he could feel his face straining to keep the same smile on his lips.

'Mostly because...'

- :|: -

"Kuroka" route Unlocked!
Currently: 5% (?)

Status: The Key to Reclaiming My Sister

Refer to your Relationships tab in your Profile.

- :|: -

Someone was thinking of him in good faith. Though he didn't recognize the name, it was nice to think he was doing some good for someone... Even if he wasn't quite sure what he had done for this 'Kuroka.'

—!

It was then the front entrance slid open. He strained his eyes to the right, trying his best not to move his head. Else, Kunou would get angry or pouty with him. Nonetheless, the sight of a large golden fox, its nine tails, and the room temperature rising a few. It was the height of the door, crouching slightly to fit through. Its length was about four cars without the tails which was practically the same length as the main body. There was also a twitching feeling coming from his clammy left hand.

His eyes flicked up to her name. At the sight of it, he immediately relaxed.

As he calmed, he noticed a change in both Kyuubi. Kunou, failing to hide behind her canvas, made a sigh in relief since Issei hadn't reacted negatively to her mother. Said mother seemed to grin at such "boldness," saying nothing as she gathered herself around the table and her mostly-unnerved daughter and closed her eyes to rest a little. Yasaka left just enough room for Kunou to have an unobstructed view of Issei.

And so, without a word, Kunou continued.

... :|: ...

Yasaka peeked open an eye in her daughter's direction, "Finished?"

Kunou smiled down at the painting, "For now, I don't need Onii-sama to pose anymore. I'll do the details with a smaller brush and pen."

Issei blinked at the last part. That explained how she did the finer details on the paintings.

"Muuuh~" The large fox shrunk to about half the size, yawning and stretching. "Pardon me," The woman gave a wink, "I certainly haven't rested in a while."

"I could only imagine..." Her daughter was missing for nearly two weeks, after all... His mom would be freaking out and be restless if he wasn't home in time for dinner or his curfew. The latter of which was set because he would leave to train after dinner occasionally. As long as he had made it home by 10:30 pm, his parents (his mom) wouldn't dig into his business too much. "My mom is probably just like you were."

The Queen's look would've been strange, if not for her Emotions reading as 'Appeased, Easygoing, Foxy.' Her description helped reaffirm that she was just hiding her true feelings. He had almost puffed his chest out in pride. He wasn't that oblivious to her words and actions. Yasaka, on the other hand, rose to stand on all her paws beside Kunou, "Should we continue where we left off then? The quicker we get this done, the quicker you can go back to your 'den.'"

"I mean—"

His left arm became encased in a familiar warm feeling. On the back of his left arm, the orb shined before dimming but still brimming with power, ["Partner of mine, do not be so hasty to agree to everything. Just because you lack 'influence' here and now does not mean you cannot set any statue."]

"—I'll probably be fine with anything." He promptly ignored Ddraig.

Unlike Issei, Yasaka sat still for a moment, still hung up on Ddraig's words. Kunou gasped soundlessly. "M-Mama...?"

Her mother had lowered her head, and her backside was still raised. Her tails were downed and lifeless. Yasaka groveled before him. "I promise I have nothing but the best in mind," her resolute eyes peered up to his, "for you and my daughter. I have no intention to 'seduce' you from the Fallen or otherwise."

'Were they under the impression I've already made contact with the Fallen Angels?'

['Yes.'] He couldn't quite tell from voice alone if Ddraig was annoyed with him, but he wouldn't doubt it...

'I see, but still...'

"T-There's no need to grovel." He bent down and stuck out a hand, hesitantly. "If anything, I should be doing so." He made a glance to his left hand, biting down 'even if Ddraig said not to.' It was then he realized he was giving a hand to a fox, as oversized as she was. "A-Ah, my bad."

Right before his eyes, her furry body glowed and shrunk. Her paw-turned-hand, still glowing, held his, and despite his shock, he helped her up. "Thank you." In her other hand, a rolled scroll appeared. She rose to her full height, releasing her hand on Issei's, and unfurled the scroll. "These are the terms of the contract."

He said nothing. His eyes, which both Kyuubi noticed had gained a green hue, scanned over the contract. And, as he read over the last line, he smirked. "Looks good to me!" Other than that, his body language gave off nothing. Both Youkai surmised something was up but said nothing.

Kunou was the first to speak up, albeit very hesitant. "Are you sure?" Seeing that, Yasaka bit back her concerns and watched her daughter take over the conversation.

"Yeah," his smirk slipped into a gentle smile, "This is more than enough, I promise." His hand fit between the space the girl's fox ears with practiced ease and patted thrice.

"Oh, that's good to he—" Yasaka caught herself, looking up embarrassed. "O-Oh, keep going, don't mind lil ol' me." The embarrassment on her face shifted into something that hinted at the foxiness she came into the room without. The other two occupants in the room noticed her gaze divert. They followed it to the canvas Kunou placed away.

Instantly, the smaller Kyuubi launched herself forward, using her body to hide it from view. "Y-Y-You can't see it yet, Issei-sama!" One of her furry tails even stretched itself so it could try to block his eyes.

The mother blinked, seeing that. She hadn't realized but Kunou was showing all nine of her tails and despite promising not to. "Kunou?" the woman started softly, to get her daughter's attention. The girl must've been so relaxed around Issei that she had totally forgotten...

Only to be ignored as the young girl was on the verge of tears. She was facing off against the onslaught of tries and snatches from her "older brother."

"Nooo! You can't!"
"Why noooot?"
"C-Cuz no!"
"Awh, but I sat there for like forever!"
"Nope!"
"Please?"
"No!"

Yasaka's cold heart could only beat warmly at the scene. If her daughter wasn't so self-conscious about her art and actually looked at Issei, she would know that he had no actual intention to look since she said no. The Queen shook her head gently and decided her daughter had enough. Using one of her tails, she tapped at the boy's shoulder, "Issei, that's enough teasing of my little girl."

"Ah," he paused, mid-snatch. He glanced up to Kunou's teary gaze and immediately felt bad for taking his little joke too far. "Sorry, Kunou-chan. I was only joking."

"Hmph!" She went to another table in the room and sent a glare. Her body hid whatever else she was adding to her art of him. Based on the other pieces around the room, it would be good no matter what. Of that, Issei was sure.

'Yeah, I deserved that.'

"...While my daughter cools off, let me teach you one thing personally." The Great Daiyoukai gestured to the area before her. Issei scrambled before her, eager to learn. "While you aren't exactly a dragon or any kind of Youkai, I can still sense energies not too dissimilar to the dragons I met."

Yasaka stood then tapped a foot on the ground. When her foot grounded, a white pulse shot out. The area around them flaked away, giving way to a hill in the middle of a healthy meadow.

"Huh?"

The woman gave a wink, "Wouldn't want to distract Kunou, now would you?"

"Right right," he returned a nod.

"To continue, with the influence of the [Boosted Gear], you're now generating something similar to Dragon Energy." That coincided with his DrE stat appearing after the awakening of his Boosted Gear. "You can use that in place of Youkai energy for Youjutsu."

'Otherwise, "Demon Arts."'

The young boy gulped. It wasn't out of nervousness but rather, readiness. The gamer within him was practically drooling with anticipation. He could finally overcome the slump he was in!

"While long-distance communication without a focus or conduit is usually an advance spell, this will serve as a test as said in the contract's terms." The woman's strict face softened into an apologetic one. "Please keep in mind, you cannot appear weak." With a wave of her hands, a symbol appeared, shifting into figures he couldn't recognize. After flickering into various unfamiliar letterings, a scroll appeared in its place. It was playing her perspective of the night he returned Kunou.

When Yasaka met him, he took in the sight of him with shock. He couldn't remember anything about protecting Kunou. A trembling hand went to his neck tentatively, feeling the phantom pain of a feather sticking through his neck. Issei couldn't remember it but his body certainly did...

"Thankfully, I could twist the story in your favor. I need you to understand that women are superior in almost all walks of the supernatural world, including the Kyoto Branch of Youkai." There was a flicker of emotion on her face. Just as fast, her status changed as well. Issei barely caught it, reading: 'Spiteful, Frenzied, Distraught.' There was some backstory he was lacking... "But, do not fear. I will not discriminate against you, my daughter's savior. While I cannot speak for the rest of my council, I won't tolerate any moves against you. Any such moves would be a move against myself."

"Nonetheless, you need to be strong to match- no, overcome any hurdles from the harsh world of the supernatural. Throwing you into a deep end of Youjutsu will show to me you, at the very least, have the smarts and perseverance for that much." Yasaka refrained from saying that having to teleport would also mean it wouldn't risk Kuroka's location.

"W-Wow, you really do care about me that much?" Issei shook his head, catching himself from saying any more of his inner thoughts. "I get it, uh- Yasaka-sensei," he tested.

"My, my, I could get used to that." The foxiness he was familiar with replaced her scholar-like aura. "But I won't be teaching you after this session. I'm far too busy. Just 'Yasaka' is fine. I recall telling that earlier, no?" The smile on her lips was equal parts teasing and predatory.

"R-Right!" He couldn't help it!

The fox Youkai clapped her hands. "Alright, I'll quickly go over the 'alphabet.' Ah, before you leave for home, I'll give you a book to look over for self-study." She blinked, coming to a realization. "Oh! Forgive me, it's been so long since I've..." She trailed off in thought, before snapping back, "I have to teach you how to manifest your energies!"

"Oh oh! I think I got that down!"

Dragon Aura I instinctively gave him some bare knowledge of summoning, shaping, and manipulating his Dragon Energy. At level 4, he could call upon the ever-shifting energy within him without the influence of the [Boosted Gear]. It also allowed him to interact with the world more with energy. Things like filling objects with his energy or shaping it into a more stable physical construct still took a lot of concentration and MP since it was still very wasteful.

And so, from the palm of his hand, he formed various balls of crackling, destructive dragon energy. As they floated over his hands, they calmed down into smooth floating balls of promised destruction.

Yasaka clapped with a glint in her eyes. "Very good, Issei! A great display of turning the Yang energy into Yin energy!" She was neither lying nor overplaying his feat and had been so surprised that her tails were waving about in excitement. She was so sure that he was sorely 'uneducated' with even the basics of energy manipulation, based on his willingness to submit himself to her. However, he did it all with ease. Oh, how that boy made her underestimate him! She just wanted to snatch him up and show him for doing her wrong!

The boy smiled brightly at the praise and scratched at the back of his head. Although he eyed her status. He chalked it up to be something about her Daiyoukai or foxy nature...

'Dragon shots,' he called them, vibrated in the air, half his attention on keeping them stable in the air. "Ehehe!"

"Youjutsu needs you to shape them into certain symbols. All the while, you imbue them with intention." All around them, wisps of flames flared into existence. Each one turning to distinct symbols. "Because of the Gods, only these symbols can interact with the world in their own personal manner." Four flaming symbols flew to the space between Yasaka and Issei. "These four represent Man, Speech, Forward, and Man again."

"The reason why this is an advanced spell..." All the symbols except for the first Man died out. It flickered into the other three symbols before turning into a small magical circle. The circle floated to one of his ears, where Yasaka spoke to him directly without moving her smiling red lips, "You need to quickly imbue your intentions in each character, reinforce it then keep it in balance between each character and do so in quick succession."

The magical circle faded into two Man characters. One was red, and the other was blue. Both had different auras. "Seamlessly shifting between Yin (passive) and Yang (active) energies while focused on everything else is no easy feat. Although..." Her grin turned almost feral in her excitement. Issei was honestly a prodigy in this part. To be able to balance or flip on a dime the dark and good of his human nature, the boy was something else. "You're already halfway there."

Issei pumped a fist into the air. "Yeah! My boring training wasn't for nothing!" Immediately, he tried out what Yasaka was telling him, while it was fresh in his mind.

Within his Longinus, Ddraig felt the urge to grumble at her uselessness. She had tried to help him during his training session after awakening. However, with her lack of memories and her own specialties laying elsewhere, there was nothing she could really add.

His left hand grew cooler and instantly he was reminded of Ddraig's permanent presence. 'D-Ddraig?'

[I'm fine, Partner. I fe... I wish you good fortune in this endeavor.]

'Thanks!"

Unlike Yasaka who summoned the characters with just a thought, the Sekiryuutei drew them into the air. His invisible dragon aura turned into energy or visible 'ink.'

The Kyuubi put a hand to her cheek, calming herself. "You really know how to keep a woman going. I just want to keep teaching you but... you need to get home, no?"

"O-Oh, right, yes I do!"

A portal opened behind the woman in an instant. For a second, he was speechless. She must be good- well, it was obvious as the Great Youkai of Kyoto, but still! "Come, follow me. I'll continue telling you how to imbue your intentions, how to be less wasteful, and..." Yasaka seemed to gush endlessly and appreciate his diligent listening. To his endless questions and his fevered exclamations, she was patient and understanding.

With the Sekiryuutei, she would play the long game. Kunou seemed to suggest that the Fallen wasn't even all too into him, after all. It was just a matter of time...

"...Uhm..." Issei blinked down to his right, where Kunou held his hand. In his other hand, he held a book. "Kunou-chan, where'd you get the fox from?"

The younger girl smiled shyly, lacking her ears and multiple tails, "She is my- She was my only friend, Onii-sama." Kunou took a glance right and left. Then, the sleeping 'fox' combusted into a wisp of fox flame. "I just thought it'll help sell your story better."

It was just a small glimpse of her power. He could tell. It was explained by the fact her level was so much higher than his that her status only revealed '?' She was all sorts of talented despite being younger than him... Nonetheless, she called him, "Onii-sama," a person worthy of respect, someone deserving of admiration.

There was a pang of jealousy and a sense of self-doubt, but he ignored it. "That's so cool!" He watched as Kunou reformed the illusion of the fox. "I gotta learn something like that too one of these days." Internally, he was panicking since the last part reminded him that he needed to study.

Kunou's hand tightened against his. "You got this, Ise-sama."

Gods, his hands were clammy. "...Yeah."

He opened the front entrance to his home. At that, his mother's voice called out, "They let you out from work early, Dear?" Her approaching footsteps almost matched his pounding heartbeats. "Are we gonna search for Ise again? L-Let me wash up real quick..."

"H-Hey, Kaa-san—"

At the disheveled sight of his mom, he froze. Her brown hair was up in odd places; various pieces had food or patches of dirt, leaves, or other miscellaneous items. Her hazel eyes were surrounded in crust, and just under them, a pair of dark half-circles complimented her weary expression.

Those same tired eyes widened, and her status flickered multiple times over, seeing him.

"I-Ise?"

"Sorry to be late..."

As his worrywart of a mother practically lunged at him, Kunou's hand left him.

"Oh, my baby Ise..." The boy bent at the hip, so she could cradle his head with her shivering arms, under her chin. His arms encompassed her waist, squeezing lightly. He had practically promised to be right back, only to worry her needlessly for two days.

Guilt welled up into him endlessly.

He couldn't tell her that he was almost killed twice, that he's been lying to her for weeks, that he wouldn't have changed if not for his "game-like" powers. For how honest he was "praised" to be, he sure as hell didn't feel like it.

"S-Sorry to worry you, Kaa-san..."

"Oh, Ise..."

... :|: ...

Issei glanced down to his slumbering mother, brushing some strands out her face, dapping, and wiping her tears and crust. It would suck for her eyelids to encrust together after all. Doing that much was the least he could do. He then tucked her in. "Love you, Kaa-san."

Opening the door, he was greeted with Kunou, her faux ear against the air, which used to be the door. The kitsune stiffened, caught. "H-Hey Onii-sama!"

He neither blamed nor reprimanded her, holding a stiff hand up apologetically. "Sorry to let you see that."

The young girl shook her head, vigorously. "There's nothing to be sorry about. And, if I try to say sorry back, you wouldn't let me, Onii-sama..." The illusion of the fox flashed, turning into a hammer 'bonking' a chibi Kunou. It served its purpose as he gave her a small laugh. Kunou returned it happily, succeeding to raise the mood.

"Okay okay, time to get you home. I'll explain... most of what happened to her, alone. I got this." This time, he wouldn't exactly lie... Hopefully, his poker face had gotten better.

Kunou was supposed to help him drive the story of him being injured, then staying over to make sure he was alright and in thanks. The girl wanted to argue as she felt responsible for what happened and thankful for their care. And she tried, "But, I can sta-"

"Kunou," he left out the '-chan,' "Your Kaa-san is waiting for you." The girl wilted. "I'll visit you, remember?"

"Yeah but..." The girl went to stomp her foot. But, she stopped, remembering that his mother was sleeping not too far off. "I don't want that..." During times like these, Kunou's age would shine through. At it, Issei could only smile fondly. He'd miss her presence at home... as would his parents, he was sure of it.

"We'll all miss you. I promise to visit often." He tightened his left hand into a fist. Gosh, he could barely wait. "I can barely hold back my excitement to get stronger!"

Recalling his frustration and annoyance at his lack of progress in the forest, she grew both equally proud and happy at the contrast. However, his last exclamation brought up a question.

"Uhm, Onii-sama?"

"Yeah?"

Kunou wasn't sure why she was so hesitant to ask. If anything... It'll be something straightforward! He was the Sekiryuutei after She nodded to herself with that conclusion, "Why is it that you want to get stronger?"

"Hm." Issei put a hand to his chin. It wasn't too long before he continued on, "Honestly, there's a lot of reasons. I'm a little greedy, you see?" He gave a wide grin, showing his teeth. "The biggest reason is that I don't want to see my important people cry."

"O-Oh..."

"That includes you too, Kunou-chan. We're friends after all!"

"Yes, Onii-sama!"

"Ok, time to get you home before Otou-san returns!"

"Aww!"

The doorbell rang the following day. It brought Miki out of her musing. It was one she had heard every day since her son started dating, one that kept her company when that son went missing as well.

"Good morning, Yuuma-chan!"

"Good morning, Hyoudou-san."

The mother tilted her head at the formal tone. "I've told you 'Kaa-san' works too." The girl deserved more than to just address the woman casually. However, Miki had no idea how she would repay the young girl yet.

The girl bit her lips and looked away. "A-Any word on Ise, K-Kaa-san?" She hadn't picked up on the older woman's glowing expression, one she hadn't seen since Issei's disappearance.

"Why don't you ask him?"

Her son practically jumped down the stairs, "Is that Yuuma-chan?"

"I-Ise! You're back!"

- :|: -

Name: Amano Yuuma (?)
Race: Human (?)
Lvl: ?!

Description: Shocked to see you so soon
Emotions: Surprised

- :|: -

Apparently, Yuuma got stronger since the previously "?" next to her level turned into "?!." And, she was so surprised that she couldn't hide her emotion. That would mean she wasn't expecting him yet- but how and for what reason?

The black-haired girl rushed into his space, grabbing at his hands, and pulling them up between them, drawing him from his thoughts. "Y-You're okay?" She didn't let him respond before groping and rubbing him all over.

The boy could only laugh as she ended up prodding his tickle spots. "Aha~ Yes! I'm all good," He held her hands still, topped off with a smile, "I promise."

"Heh." His mom snickered from beside the couple.

Issei parted instantly at the sound. Something was stopping him from moving too far away, so he glanced down at the hem of his black shirt. That was where Yuuma refused to let go, blushing towards the ground. She was too cute! It also seemed his mother warmed up to his girlfriend.

Finally!

...Apparently, Yuuma also had joined his parents for breakfast, keeping them grounded in his absence. However, since his return, it disrupted their three-day "practice."

The brown-haired boy glanced to his right where his girlfriend ate, shyly. Then, he glared at his parents, who were watching them with keen eyes, only to return to Yuuma as she grabbed his right thigh.

"I-It's just a little bit embarrassing," her finger prodded the outside of his legs nervously, "and they're giving me.. b-breakfast and lunch so it's okay."

"...If you say so."

"Un." She nodded, releasing his leg, and finishing the last bit of food.

"'Saru-chan, they're so cute, right?!"
"Of course, Mi-chan. That's our son and daughter-in-law, after all."
"Yesss~"

Issei could only use both palms to cover his face. His parents were the worst! A hand landed upon his, pulling his hands down. He recognized the warm feeling and could only glance down to his perfect girlfriend, who peered up at him, earnestly "...I think you're cute, Ise."

His heart melted. "Y-You're too good for me, Yuuma-chan..." He turned his hands so he could intertwin their warm hands and said, "You're too beautiful for me, I swear!" The boy gave a small squeeze as he watched her perfect eyes water over with happy tears.

"Paahh~!"

His mom made a noise, fainting into his dad's arms. The patriarch gave a smile, dragging his wife away. "We'll get out of your hair. Don't be late, ok?"

For a second, the Sekiryuutei was annoyed at the mood killer but Yuuma might've been grateful for it. She wasn't good at accepting praise. So, he simply puffed his chest and went with the flow, "I've never been late!"

Yuuma put a hand to her chin, "Well... there was this one time—"

"Ahh! That was something out of my control!" It really was out of his control since awakening his [Game Gear] threw for a loop. He had gotten lost in all the info and the possibilities!

His dad sent him a weird look, before shaking his head and said nothing else. The man's status, on the other hand, revealed that he knew something. Chills shot up his arms at the thought...

"Ise?" Yuuma asked as she reached for his plate.

"Sorry sorry," He scrambled for a response, "just thinking about how... silly my Kaa-san is."

"Mmh okay," she didn't prod, making her way to the sink.

He watched as she tied the apron around her hips and grabbed a sponge. Then, a realization beat out his lewder thoughts- "Wait! Let me do the dishes!" Drawing upon his AGI and DEX, he took the dishes from her gloved hands.

"No!" She swiped the dishes from his hands, "I already had this argument with your Kaa-san! Let me repay your family for breakfast and lunch." Vigorously, she scrubbed the plates, giving him a small glare from over her shoulders.

"W-Well, I'll help even still!" He turned the faucet his way, grabbing the soapy plate from her hand. "I'll wash it down." His wide smile defeated her argument.

"You-" Yuuma bit down her case and turned away from him pouting. There was nothing she could do to sway him, after all. And so, they cleaned the morning dishes together in relative silence.

At one point, the shorter girl mishandled a cup, trying to pass it to him. Thankfully, Issei caught it. He had gotten splashed in the process. Immediately, she tried to wipe him down but then she remembered she was still angry with him! So, she blurted a quick apology, "Sorry..." and turned away. However, she still allowed a warning to escape her lips, begrudgingly, "You should put on an apron."

Issei looked down at himself and gave a small giggle. "Yeah, maybe I should've." He neither stopped washing down the dishes nor moved to get an apron. They were practically done after all. Before they knew it, all the dishes were spotless as they dried on the rack.

The boy let out a soft "Hey, Yuuma?"

Caught off-guard while untying her apron, the black-haired beauty blinked up at him. "Hm?"

"Thank you for watching over my parents." He bowed at nearly a 90-degree angle. "I appreciate it a ton!"

"A-Ah, it was nothing much."

Issei only shook his head, rising to meet her eyes, "I have no doubt they'd be in a worse state."

"Mmh," She made an uncommitted noise in embarrassment. It was far cuter than cute! "Let me help you catch up on schoolwork, ok?"

Instead of asking for a reward, she asked to help him more! "I'll be more in your debt but," he bowed again, half-jokingly, "please take care of me!" She really was an angel! Nothing could ever change his mind on that matter!

"Ise! Yuuma! You better get moving!" His mother called out from somewhere in the house.

" "Ah!" "

They glanced at themselves and rushed to grab their bags, lunches and hobbled out the door.

From beside him, the ravennette grasped one of his hands, "Are you sure you're all okay?"

"Yes, Yuuma." He refrained from the '-chan,' trying his best to express his sincerity. To his response, she smiled widely, tightening her hold on his hand. She said no words, choosing to hum happily as they continued on their way to school.

"Sooo, Ise, where ya been?"
"Yeah! Yuuma-chan here was worried about you the whole time!"

His best friends practically hounded him when he entered the classroom. They were probably angrier at him for worrying Yuuma, who had quickly become their friend.

"Sorry sorry, but I found the owner of Kunou-chan..."

He spent the rest of the period before classes to recount the experience. Obviously, he censored a good portion of said experience. He had also gotten a real kick from their reactions and jealousy of meeting someone who was practically royalty and built like a blond, MILF "Yamato Nadeshiko!"

The door slid open, "Good morning, class."

" "Good morning, Sensei!" "

... :|: ...

Issei groaned before putting away his materials. Missing a few days of school was a pain in the ass. He could barely understand everything. He had only taken notes upon notes upon notes, learning nothing in the process. He might have to cut back on his evening training...

'Oh! That reminds me, Yuuma-chan was supposed to...'

The brunet looked up to his approaching friends, before glancing behind them where the class was looking at him. He frowned at the attention, "Is it just me, or is everyone looking at me differently?"

"Oh oh! I know this one!" Yuuma raised a hand, ever the studious child. Her boyfriend couldn't help the wide smile and laugh as he 'chose' her. "Ok! So, people still thought that you... were doing heinous things to me." Yuuma pouted, aiming a disappointed look at their other classmates. Deflating with a small sigh, she continued, "So I lost my composure and lectured them. I didn't mean to but... they kept saying such bad things about you in your absence since I was all sad without you."

Masuda Miyahara pumped a fist, "Yeah, Motohama and I was just gonna ignore it and keep Yuuma-chan company. Watching her go off on them was too funny." Issei wouldn't blame them for the former. However, hearing the latter, he tried his best to imagine it. But he couldn't.

His shy Yuuma reprimanded their classmates? There was no way it could be her! Nonetheless, the idea of it warmed his heart. That hole in his heart was slowly filling and he was more than fine with it.

Motohama Tanaka, on the other hand, could only grin before adding, "She was all kinds of heated about you. It was nice to see someone besides us stand up for you."

"P-Please don't remind me." Yuuma couldn't meet his eyes, pouting slightly. Her status revealed that she thought he might get mad at her.

As if!

The distance between him and Yuuma shrunk in an instant. "You did nothing wrong. If anything..." For a second, he was distracted by her heavenly smell, her divine body, and her lovely everything in his arms. It was nothing short of perfection. "Sorry to leave you alone."

The girl gave a happy sigh, relaxing into his arms. She said nothing, and everything in their world was perfect.

"Uh, Issei, Yuuma?" Motohama's hesitant voice drew the couple back to reality, "You're still in the classroom, you know..."

The girl in Issei's warm arms stiffened and withdrew immediately. "A-Ah!" She peeked up to Issei, who had made no argument nor resistance. Apparently, he was too busy sporting the biggest smile on his face. "P-Please don't tease me in front of everyone, Ise..."

All the other classmates listening in dropped whatever they were holding. Their jaws followed not too far behind. Then, their disbelief grew as Issei only blushed. The pervert was not too different from a blushing maiden. Some of the students would even say he was almost as cute.

"Y-Yuuma-chan, wording..."

Even though none of them could see it, they knew that red started from the tip of Yuuma's toes and rose to her head. "Nooo!" She was out the door and sprinting down the hall by the time they could blink.

"Wait!"

Issei wasn't too far behind.

Masuda and Motohama shook their head in mirth, grabbing their friends' lunches, and began following them to their secluded spot under a tree.

"Gods, we need a girlfriend."

"I hear ya'."

Although, it was nice to see Issei all happy after mostly isolating himself for two months. They could stomach the jealousy for now. After all, they would follow in his footsteps and get a girlfriend!

' '...Preferably soon.' ' Like in the next few hours... the next minute would be nice as well.

...Yeah, they wouldn't bet on that either. However, keeping an open mind to such things kept them going through life with a laugh!

... :|: ...

"O-Oh..."

Learning that Yuuma would be moving to Kuoh after graduating, Issei wasn't sure what to think

"Y-Yeah," she fiddled her fingers together, "My parents want me to go to the prestigious all-female Kuoh Academy." The brown-haired boy could feel her half-smile as he lowered his field of vision. "T-They think, uhm, I-I'm too good for Kyoto High..."

"Yeah..." Her parents weren't wrong. Kyoto High wasn't too focused on academics as it was their more physical programs.

"W-Wait! It's becoming c-," the girl struggled with the word, "co-ed after this semester s-so you can join—!" Her excitement died in her throat, knowing she was pushing the boundaries. "m-me..."

"I..." Could he ask his parents to drop everything and move there? It was unlikely that they'd agree. His dad was even getting a higher position. Could he even pass the entrance exam? He could barely understand anything in class today! Could he stay with Yuuma? It didn't seem likely...

—She would be leaving him.

"...Ise?"

"A-Ah, I could ask my parents for a phone?" Yuuma said nothing in return, opting to continue looking at his trembling hands.

A few more moments of silence passed. Apparently, the silence was as unbearable to Yuuma as it was for him because they both shot up, moving to apologize. He wanted to apologize for the lack of responses. On the other side, she wanted to apologize for dropping this on him.

"Sorry—!"
"Sorry—!"

Again, silence reigned a little bit more.

"...You probably won't have much time between studying and basketball club over there? 'C-Cuz you're far too skilled not to be accepted." He wouldn't want to be a bother—a burden. He couldn't do that to Yuuma. It wouldn't be fair, even if this situation wasn't fair to him. Raising his voice, he raised his head. "I-It's okay if you don't visit. I'll.. I'll come to you every once and a while!"

Yuuma nodded vigorously. "Yes, of course!"

Yes, their relationship could still prosper.

—Ping!

- :|: -

"Yuuma Amano (?)" route
Status: "Lying on a mound of lovely lies"
(UNCHANGED)

Currently: 20%

Bonus(es):

+ Basic Holy Light Manipulation I
+ Basic Sin Mastery I

Refer to the Relationships tab in your Profile.

- :|: -

As new skills registered themselves into his mind and body, combined with the fact he was finally making progress with Yuuma, he hopped up in joy. He pulled Yuuma up as well, throwing his arms around her.

'S-Sure, it'll suck to be away from Yuuma...' It would more than suck in his opinion. If anything, it'd be the worst thing that had ever happened to him—but still! The notification had to be a sign! It just had to be! It wasn't like she was going to die.

And, despite that, the tears continued to pool up. The relief that they could still stay together, the idea he would part with Yuuma, the fact he had nearly died twice and left his loving parents... it all caught up with him. Those thoughts were all too much for him.

As he sobbed aloud tears of joy and grief, the girl in his arms said nothing at first, softly patting his back. "...'m sorry to make you cry, Ise but... you'll be alright, I promise." He had barely caught the whisper. It only served to make him tighten his quivering arms. He could only hope she knew how much those words meant to him.

The door that had led the couple outside flew open, "Hey Is—" Masuda froze at the sight of the couple. The tall athlete couldn't wrap his head around what could bring his friends to tears.

From behind him, Motohama blinked up to the taller boy. "What's wrong, Masuda?"

"Uhh..." His friend could only point with his free hand. His other hand held up his lunch.

Motohama peeked by Masuda's shoulder. "...Yeah, I got nothing either."

The short-haired boy glanced at his glasses-clad friend and shot a thumb towards the relaxed couple. "I think they're calming down now?"

Issei and Yuuma seemed to hear him since they parted and turned towards them. They looked neither offended nor too embarrassed. Seeing that, the two males approached.

Masuda was the first one to speak up. He did so with an awry smile, gesturing out to Motohama. "We aren't interrupting, are we?"

Yuuma shook her head, softly. Issei gave a thumbs up and wide smile, adding a "Nope!"

From around his neck, Motohama swung his camera behind him. Then the long-banged boy passed the couple their lunch, asking, "Wanna talk about it?"

Issei sent a glance to Yuuma, who fidgeted in place. "Well..."

The girl stopped and put a hand over Issei's. "I-It's okay, I can tell them." And so, they set up lunch, and Yuuma explained the situation.

" "...Kuoh Academy is going co-ed?!" "

Both boys shot into Yuuma's face, only focusing on that one piece of news.

"Y-Yeah, my, uhm, uncle learned about it just a week ago." Issei raised an eyebrow as her status conveyed that she was lying. He said nothing, pushed his inquiries to the back of his head. "It came as a surprise to everyone at the school too."

The boys' faces twisted in perverse glee. Their giggles of joy and lustful hope rang in the air between them as they looked at one another. "Masuda, you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Motohama, I do think I'm thinking what you're thinking!"

...And as they continued to talk to one another, Yuuma felt a need to latch onto Issei. At her slight discomfort, he could only scratch the back of his head. "Honestly, I'm surprised this is the first time you've seen them like this up close." He thought for a moment before speaking up again, "I guess they've been holding back a little since you've been around."

"I see..."

"I would've joined but I don't see myself convincing my parents to move to Kuoh."

Yuuma's arms tightened slightly. "I... I can try to convince my parents so you can move in with us?"

Issei shook his head, softly. "I can't do that." Yuuma hasn't even suggested anything like meeting them. Probably, for a good reason... Nevermind the fact, his mom probably couldn't bear to be away from him.

Yuuma didn't say anything. Instead, she pulled a pair of chopsticks up to his lips. To it, he opened up with an "Ah~" Seeing her peaceful smile as he chewed was all he needed to cheer up again. "I really love you, you know?"

He did not use the word for 'like.'

The girl froze for a split second then turned away from him. She was blinking away tears. Issei needn't read her status or peek over her shoulder to know it. "I mean it, Yuuma." Her shoulders trembled as she dropped the chopsticks back into the bento box. He gathered her into his arm, trying to convey his honest words.

"I-" The ravenette sniffled, "I know." Following that, her stomach growled. Quickly, she fought to leave his hold.

The brown-haired boy gripped her still, "Your turn, Yuuma." He knew she could feel the smile against her hair. Like the pout on her lips, he did not need to see it to know it was there.

"I can feed m-myself."

"Nope, not having any of that!"

He still couldn't get the revelation of Yuuma's future out of his head. And as she parted with him at the bridge... the uncertainties, doubt, and thoughts all returned in full. It kept him company while his legs walked him home.

Stepping through the front entrance, his lips moved before he could stop them and announced, "I'm home."

His mom peeked a head out, moving to respond. The woman stopped, reading his expression as if it was written across his forehead. She approached, asking with a tender tone, "Ise, what's wrong?"

The boy only bit his lip, conflicted. Thinking wasn't one of his stronger 'skills,' especially on the fly. Nevermind the fact, he had lied enough in his opinion. "Yuuma is... going to move to Kuoh and start high school at Kuoh Academy."

"Oh, Ise..."

"I mean, it's okay. I'll just see her much less, right?" He slipped out his shoes with sagging shoulders. "O-Otou-san won't have to quit his job or jeopardize his new position. I probably won't pass the entrance exam there anyway, right?" A hasty smile upon his lips slipped easily. "Yuuma will probably be busy with studying and clubs. I can't hold her back; it wouldn't be right."

Stepping upon the first step of the stairs, his mother pulled him back and said, "If... If you really work for it, I'm 100% sure you could pass, Ise." Her hands guided him to a chair in the living room. "You've been improving a lot so don't sell yourself short. Don't think your overprotective Kaa-san didn't notice." She left for a bit in a hurry, rummaging in the kitchen.

Miki returned with cups full of tea. "You know..." She handed him a cup and blew against her own before continuing, "we could move back to Kuoh." She pulled out a chair across from him and sat, patiently.

Her son's eyes widened. He had totally forgotten they had lived there up until he graduated from primary school. As quickly as his eyes widened, he deflated. His gaze swept through the house. Compared to his childhood home, this house was all kinds of better. It was larger, contained a spacious backyard to keep his mother company, and was but a ten-minute walk to his grandparents' home.

'Speaking of grandparents...' The brown-haired boy made a quick mental note to visit them.

"What do you say, Ise?"

"Well... I'd love to go, but..." He averted his eyes away from his mom. His uncertainties and indecision made him feel small. He didn't deserve his mother's kindness.

"Issei, look at me." The boy made a glance at her. His eyes flashed over her status automatically, only to be hit with a wave of guilt. He couldn't help averting his eyes again. "Please?" He hated to worry his parents.

"S-Sorry."

He lifted his heavy gaze. Meeting it, his mother gave him an understanding smile. Her cool brown eyes, a few shades brighter than his in the sunlight beaming down at her, held him still. She was ever the dependable parent. "I'm sure Masaru wouldn't mind. We'd do anything for you, Issei." She gestured at the teacup in his hands with her own.

He got the message and took a sip. And, as the calming warmth traveled within him, he couldn't help the relieved sigh that slipped through his lips.

"Ise, we—"

"—I'm home early!" His dad's voice rang from the entrance.

"Oh, Dear!" She set her cup down and moved to meet him, "in the living room!"

"Be there in a flash!"

Hearing that line reminded Issei of his childhood. Back when his dad was everything fast, powerful, and cool in the world. Back when times were much simpler.

"...Is something wrong?" His dad's voice and the hands on his shoulders startled him from his thoughts. And as he told Masaru the news, the Patriarch massaged Issei's shoulders, soothingly. Alongside the massage, the dad nodded with understanding throughout his doubts and fears.

Issei had ended up saying a lot more than he expected. He was glad to get it off his chest. A few times he had almost slipped up about his powers but caught himself. He was thankful for his parents' lack of prodding. Through it all, his parents, one behind and one beside him, stood over his chair. It was like he was small again. That he was but a child once more.

['Yes Partner, you are but a hatchling. Doubts, uncertainties, fears, and guilt come swiftly. They may shackle you. However, you will grow. It matters not your reason for betterment. Just shackle the unfair world to your whims and soar! I'll be here to help guide you.']

'R-Right! Thank you, D-.. Ddraig-sama!' He mentally fist-pumped, getting her name correct.

The hands on the boy's shoulders departed, drawing Issei from his thoughts. It was followed by the owner's voice, "So, Ise, what is it you want to do?"

The boy gulped. "W-Well, I want to be with Yuuma." He missed the couple's wide smile at the admittance, too embarrassed that he had said so in front of his parents in a serious conversation. "But..."

"You really like her, huh?" His dad started incredulously, "even though it's only been under two weeks?"

The Sekiryuutei could only nod vigorously, ending with a small "yes."

"That's funny cuz," his dad laughed, "we quite like her too!"

Issei turned to his mother, who joined the laughter. "Yes, darling, I like Yuuma too." It was relieving to hear it aloud even if it was confirmed this morning.

And so, he made up his mind! "But I'll sleep on this for two days!" Sorta...

His parents only laughed with a small shake of their heads. The boy joined, taking no offense.

... :|: ...

Issei hopped into his bed and rolled onto his back with a huff. He was finally alone to check his various notifications and updates. He had meant to during school, but he really shouldn't have missed those few days...

Immediately, his personal status revealed itself to him.

- :|: -

Name: Issei Hyoudou
Race: Human
Lvl: 15 | 48%

Stats:

HP: 390/390
MP: 108/108

STR: 19
END: 18
DEX:10
AGI: 14
INT: 13
MAG: 7
DRE: 21

Extra Pts.: 6

Equipped:

Head: (empty)
Top: Kyoto Junior High Uniform
Bottom: Kyoto Junior High Uniform
Left Hand: Boosted Gear (hidden)
Right Hand: (empty)

Accessories:
(empty)

Skills:

Boosted Gear Lvl: 6 | 0%

Scan MAXED
Boost Lvl: 6 | 17%
Explosion Lvl: 2 | 60%
Dragon Aura I Lvl: 7 | 4%

- :|: -

Struggling through school and building upon the lessons Yasaka taught him the evening prior got him a few stat boosts in his INT, and MAG. But if the former was worth the trouble... he wasn't sure. On the other hand, his physical stats have been static. Especially his DEX and AGI, their growth was lackluster...

The Dragon Energy or DRE stat surely grew to the highest stat quickly.

Ddraig perked up. Finally, there was something else besides fire training that the sealed dragon could speak on about. ['To be a dragon is..."] She paused in thought, before deciding, hurriedly, ["many things. You are quite dragon-like so it makes sense for your dragon stat and Dragon Aura I skill to raise swiftly.'] The once-living dragon couldn't quite name what she was feeling.

Speaking of which, Issei decided he should really look at the Dragon Aura I skill. He had been too busy fretting over how he should save/free Ddraig when he had the chance...

As the boy read through the skill description, his lips grew into a wide smile.

As that skill grew, so would his DRE stat, which took his mana and refined it. Pure dragon energy was supposed to be more unstable than mana, if not for his aptitude for being dragon-like. When mana was refined into pure dragon energy, it would be nearly 4x as potent, double that efficiency when used for dragon skills. Apparently, dragons were as BS as they were in games and other media!

However, that wasn't the main takeaway for him. He would also appear more and more desirable to the opposite sex. Otherwise, getting a harem would be more and more possible.

Issei shoved the fact it would draw stronger opponents to face him to the back of his mind. Instead, he hoped the lessons with his upcoming teacher would help with suppressing it if need be...

['With the influence of myself and the Boosted Gear, I do wonder how you'll meta- change.']

"What do you mean?"

['Would it be fair to say as the skill Dragon Aura I... levels and evolve, you would become more and more dragon-like physically?']

The boy blinked.

['It's not uncommon among my wielders... I think.'] His left hand grew cold. However, before he could ask, the chill vanished and Ddraig's tired and soft voice returned, ['However, they would give up a piece of themselves.']

"W-What?" He couldn't imagine living without an arm or leg...

['Turning an arm or leg would gift immense power.'] Following that, a new notification materialized before him. It told him a new skill branching from the Boosted Gear.

Dragonification, it was called. Requiring the user to replace parts of their body, the user would be granted explosive growth, power worthy of a dragon, and a dragon's version of that body piece. The ability scaled exponentially on the percentage of his total body mass. However, the larger the "portion," the longer it would take for him to finalize and acclimate to the change. Forcing the change to happen quicker would come at dire consequences, the description warned. So, changing a piece of him at a whim or in an already dire situation was out of the question... or at least, he hoped it would never come to that.

Although, he couldn't see the issue in turning himself into, at least, a half-dragon. Why wouldn't he dragonify himself?

['Partner, you are but a youngling. Despite making leaps and bounds and reaching levels among normal human adults, you are lacking compared to beings to the likes of the Kyuubi Queen. You aren't ready for the attention you would garner, the kind that fox was trying to warn you of. Your body isn't ready. The sudden power would flood over and... seek release outside your body, to say the least.']

At the last part, he could only nod, solemnly. It was why Explosion and Boost had a limit, after all. Again, his body could remember the feeling of using Explosion for the first and only time, right after awakening the Longinus. Ddraig advised against using it, explaining he was too exposed and too weak to use it, effectively. It was best to build up his body's resistance to high energies with stacking boosts, where she

Issei's shoulders and arms shuttered as he could barely recall the feeling of limitless power. His body went stiff, so full that he could barely move. The memory of fire, ruined greenery and the dread from the Oni trio flashed through him. Faintly, he could feel the smirk from the memory return to him.

He needed power.

His left arm grew warm at the sentiment. The boy took it as a sign of Ddraig's approval. And so, Issei moved on to his new skills, Holy Light Manipulation I and Sin Mastery I.

Both benefited from his INT and MAG stat. Depending on how much mana or dragon energy he used, he could bypass the low-level limitations. However, he doubted he could do so without great cost and/or strain.

The former's description explained that he couldn't call upon Holy Light directly. He lacked an effective way to generate it, unlike Angels or other light beings. He could, however, refine sunlight into holy light at a painstakingly slow process, akin to turning his mana into dragon energy. As the skill leveled and evolved, his body would become more and more accustomed to refining and wielding it.

Though, his affinity for the holy element was low. On the other hand, his light affinity was decent enough, making up for his low aptitude. Ddraig had proudly shared that it was due to his dragon-likeness coming into conflict with the "holy" element. Ddraig had some ill will for things "holy," it seemed. It made sense since a God had trapped her in a small gauntlet for many centuries...

The latter's description, in layman's terms or as Ddraig explained to him, allowed him to sense and compel "sin," in him, others, or the environment. Sin, ranging from leftover ill will from the Gods to the little lies people tell day-to-day, would also aid in his training with the Youjutsu training immensely.

It would help him uncover the secrets and lies his girlfriend was hiding from him. He could only hope she wouldn't be upset with him when he did so.

At the current level, he could only just better tell when people were being impure... which was rather useless given he could just look at people's status. Thankfully, Youjutsu training also counted as sin manipulation based on what Yasaka showed and explained to him. The skill would be yet another thing that would benefit from said training.

He really couldn't wait for the training to begin in a few days. Speaking of which... He should prepare himself for it.

He glanced over Intermediate Fire Mastery I. There wasn't anything too special about it and was rather straightforward. Ddraig perked up at it during yesterday's training. She seemed quite proud of his natural talent.

Even if it had come from Kunou, he immediately showed proficient handling of fire. Quite proudly but not as to look down onto him, the ancient dragon gave pointers. At various points, she had made sure to say that even a legendary Kyuubi's flame was nothing compared to her own.

His excitement turned to joy at the memories. He nearly burst into laughter, thinking back to it. The boy refrained, knowing not to "hurt" the pride of a dragon. Ddraig referred to him as Partner and was supposed to guide him to better use the Longinus gauntlet. However, up until now, her expertise and lack of memories made her no better than a bystander and leech to his soul.

He could understand the feeling somewhat.

In any case, it was nice to see Ddraig feel excitement... and quite cute to think about Ddraig, a once fearsome dragon, pouting in envy. He imagined a chibi dragon pouting with fire sprouting from the corner of the mouths

His left hand flashed to a sizzling temperature, only to fall back down to normal just as fast. In that instance, he missed a notification, one that was wiped away from his "NEW" notifications list by his own hand.

'D-Ddraig?'

['I'm alright, Partner.'] In other words, don't worry about the big prideful dragon emperor. The dragon's 'presence' receded, and Issei let out a "Heh." The boy shook his head and moved on... or back.

Pain Tolerance... It allowed him to act despite pain or damage. While it didn't seem like much as Gamer's Body practically any damage negligible, it was the only thing making the strain of using Boost easy, so to speak. Since nearly dying twice, awakening the Boosted Gear, the skill doubled in level. He was confident at the current level that he could even act during the stress of Explosion!

Issei shook his head before he would fall to the temptation of using Explosion.

He sighed, looking at Sprint. It was a skill formed out of his desire to rectify his lower "speed" stats, AGI and DEX. It was lackluster, to say the least. He hoped after it reached a maxed level of 10, it would evolve to something with more substance... A gut feeling was telling him he wouldn't regret having it, but did it suck to level.

The boy "clicked" onto his Relationship tab.

From there, his many relations were split between Love Interest, Friends/Family, and Acquaintances. Most of his classmates, teachers, and many other familiar faces fell into the latter. It was the largest section as well.

No matter how many times he looked over the Friends/Family section, a wide smile would replace itself on his lips. The warm feeling that'd bud from his core was just the best. If he had ever felt down or had any doubts, he would look over this section.

It expressed how his parents and best friends felt about him. And from the various paragraphs under each of the listings, he could feel the tears threatening to pour over. The many paragraphs were filled with heartfelt words and thoughts, the equivalent to the Scenes tab for the Love Interest section, but just as impactful if not more.

It was nice to know his effort to change and betterment wasn't for nothing.

His wide smile turned lecherous in anticipation as he shifted over to the last and smallest section.

It consisted of Amano Yuuma, Kunou, Ddraig, and Kuroka. Looking at the bars, Kunou was in the lead. Even though Yuuma was his girlfriend, she wasn't in "first place." He wasn't sure how to feel so he moved on, turning to Kuroka and Ddraig.

The dragon's bar sat at an even 10%. He stared at it for an especially long time. There wasn't a notification telling him of this... He hoped his "gamer" powers couldn't glitch out... Beside Ddraig, Kuroka's minuscule bar glared at him. Her name meant "Black Song." And if that wasn't a bad omen, he wasn't sure what was. However, she had a noble goal of trying to reconnect with her younger sister. That was something more than respectable in his eyes. The boy couldn't help but nod at that notion. Though, he assumed Kuroka was one of the hidden agents, spying on him during his time with Kunou or while in a coma.

At the top, he gave an extra-long look for the three "screenshots." Pictures were the only time he could admire people without the litter that was their statuses. Occasionally, he'd miss his life before the [Game Gear], his ignorance, and the lack of pressure to better himself and...

He scratched at his head, moving on before he thought too hard. He felt like he had done enough of that for today.

"—Ise! Yuuma is here!" His mother's voice rang from the bottom of the stairs.

"Shoot! I forgot Yuuma offered to tutor me!" The brown-haired boy shot out of bed and scrambled to look presentable, "I'll be right down!"

"He's probably studying at the moment. Do you remember where his room is?"

Aes (AN): Yeah, I removed the gamer tag from the summary that I had added after the first chapter. Why? I didn't want it to be the main drawing factor for the story, and it was supposed to come as a bit of a surprise when I introduced it initially. Kinda counterintuitive if I kept it, no?

I'm still on the fence whether I want Raynare to betray Issei... and if so, how I would do it. Honestly, I like all the paths I could take too much. I feel the same with the M&M friends... without the betrayal part, even if I don't like them personally.

Holy moly, I didn't mean to take so long to get to his skills and whatnot. I hadn't meant for it to be so word-dumpy either, but it isn't too complicated... I think.

[Words: 12,421]

Haah, I keep forgetting to respond to reviews. My bad.

Xerozzuro: :))

Chrislgerlach: That's the plan!

Tyrant Overlord Killidia: The harem is.. most of the girls from the series? As for your inquiry about Raynare, I mentioned my plans for her in the AN- or well, the lack of them so to speak.

Ricku28: Haha! Same here so I feel your pain mate. Thanks for the 'faith!'

Gilgamesh King of Mongrels: dig the knife deeper, would ya?

Azure-Star-Dragon: dang man, sorry to make u feel butt hurted.

johnpoop2529: WHa- ;)

Westrannor: Thank you as well! I hope to continue pleasing ya! ;)

KaliYugaFan: :))

To everyone else (yes, you shadowless readers too): Thank you a bunch as well!