Hello there, fandom. Missed me? I hope at least a bit. So, what can I say besides the fact this is a nerw chapter, we'll kinda dress the new dinamics of Rina's group and see what' going on on the suppotting cast side? Maybe the fact tghat Netoge no yomme will have an anime this season, and I'm looking foward to it until Masou gakuen HxH, the next shinmai maou of this year. Let's just wait for it. Enough of my rant, chapter it is.
As always, DxD doesn't belong to me. thank you very much.
"Whoaaaaah! Nero-nii-sama really did pass Ascalon to you, Ichijou!" Gremory said with starry eyes and hanging jaw, looking at my new sword coming from the Boosted Gear, the so-called dragon-slaying holy sword Ascalon. "So cool! But as expected from you!"
The group was now gathered around the training room(yeah, we have that now.), which looks more like a smooth gym with tatami floor, looking at this new weapon I have from a distance. Getting so much attention like that is kinda new to me, but since I have (partial) control over this sword, I can maintain my position a little better than when the Quarta siblings and Nashiro-san assaulted me for awakening my Balance Breaker. Still, I'm cold-sweating by just holding the grip...
"Thanks, Rina. It's still a little heavy and hard to control, but I guess I can manage it. I mean, if I don't lose control over it." I joked, lightly balancing the grip on my hands and concentrating as hard as I could on carrying this sword. I don't know if it accepted me or is just waiting the right moment to strike, but I need to be careful. "This one is totally apart from Rhongomiant, completely different. It's like comparing a skateboard with a pickup truck."
"Really? So really?! I can't believe I'm looking at a legendary holy blade from this close! It looks so dangerous and menacing compared to the illustrations I used to see!" And she continued to fangirl over the shinning blade that slays dragon. A magic arm and a dragon-slaying sword, I just hope no one pokes one of my eyes out for what is worth. Suddenly the redhead reached her hands for the blade itself! "Wow-how! The blade is also so cold and professional! Just by looking at It I can feel it's edge!"
"H-Hey, Rina! Be careful! This sword is way more dangerous than the others! If you're not caref-...!"
*CUT!*
"Rina...!"
"Wooooooaaaaah...! It hurts! It cut me, and it hurts so much!" I knew this was going to happen! That little idiot came too much into contact with the blade, and then cut both palms with the edge! Wait, it didn't just cut her, some kind of steam is oozing from the wounds! Her hands are burning with that simple cut! Tasha soon came to her help! "Oh, my Lucifer! The holy blade cut me and now it's blessings are purifying my wicked devilish existence~! Wooooah! It hurts! This is so... Awesome!"
"There's nothing awesome about being burned alive!" I said back, summoning Rhongomiant this time to whack her on the head! Seriously Gremory, this is a goddamn holy blade, it's dangerous for Devils! I'm having goosebumps just by holding this thing! "What the hell, Rina! Next time, I'll seriously cut one of your arms off!"
"Hah! Jokes on you! I'll just have to ask Beelzebub-sama for another one!" She said with a grin and her palms now with little unnoticeable scars thanks to Tasha's healing and cauterization, plus one of her own bandaged arm. I reached for Rhingomiant and whacked her on the head once again! "Owiiieeeh~...!"
"Don't you joke about this! It's not funny, you period-head King! It's... It's not funny..." I mumbled, a little depressed remembering her missing arm and getting a little point of regret from what I said before. Shit, again my temperament is getting the best of me. I sighed and looked back at her. "I'm sorry... Rina."
"For what? If you mean my arm, there's nothing to worry about. I know that you're... You're not that mean-spirited." She said, also softening her voice as she came closer to tap my head. She says that, but that last one still left it without much thought. Still hammering on the square one, aren't you, stupid Ichijou? "Ludger knows, okay, Ichijou?"
"Right." Sigh.
"Hong Long, if you don't mind my intrusion, can yours truly take your weapon and practice a little with it?" Came a question from the rook of our team, extending one of her arms to me reaching for the dragon-slaying sword. I nodded a little, and tried to pass it to her, but then *BUM!*, her hand was struck by electric shock when she tried to reach for the grip! "Oh, it looks that, even with the seals put on it, thy blade still can sense and rejects the foul existence of Devils and shadow creatures. As expected from something coming from the once Creator of the universe."
"Sorry about it, Ryuubi." I said, balancing Ascalon back and testing it's weight. It's very heavy despite being fused with my Boosted Gear. I snapped when I saw Ryuubi reaching for it again.
"Still, let me try to handle this blade once more. This time, with a little more practice." She said. I dunno if this is a good idea, and I'll feel bad if something happens to her, but I trust her. I gulped down and passed the blade for her again. However, before I could do it, she began to massage her own body, and then it began to glow. What's going on? "Energy that runs through my veins, the earth in my stomach, the water in my intestines, the air that fills my lungs and the fire that burns my heart, allow me to hold the blade regardless of our contrasting natures, because we are under the same Sun, sharing the universe as itself..."
"Err... Tasha-sensei, what's going on?" I asked the person who knows the monkey girl the most. Also, I remember she saying similar back in the pool chapter, so I guess that's the Tai Chi she was talking about? The witch girl then turned to me and nodded.
"Tai chi. Synchronizing with the energies of the world. Might work." She said, summoning a small rune on the palm of her hand and creating a small purple flame with it; soon enough, Ryuubi reached again for the blade and when she was about to reach the grip, her 'glow' suddenly spread through the whole sword, and finally, she picked the grip and *BAM!*, the glow disappeared, and now the warlord was carrying the dragon-slayer without a problem. That's so cool! "It worked. The synchro is perfect."
"As expected from a holy blade. Even with our balance in energy, it's still rejecting yours truly. But I'm glad that I was able to reach this far. I I'm at your care, Dragon-slayer blade Ascalon." And Ryuubi smiled at her reflection on the blade, as she began to tremble a little while handling the sword.
We all left our jaws hanging as the pinkerette began to slash and performance a blade-dance a few times, all the movements causing small shockwaves and wind-scars on the air. Her movements were sloppy and a little slow, but to think she can do all of that while managing to use the blade... In the end, her eyes sharpened deeply, and then *SLASH!*, she created a stronger cut in the air, that it was so fast and sharp, she made a massive cut in the wall in front of her with the wave alone! That's sick! Both Ryuubi and the sword! However, the moment she did that, her hands exploded in a show of sparks, and she let go of Ascalon.
"It seems that even with my levels of Tai Chi, I can't perfectly simulate the Light Element from true wielders for too long. It's a shame, truly." She says that like it's a big issue, when she just wielded something that I was suppose to and yet have problems with. Not to mention, she's sweating buckets and still standing strong like that. It makes me realize how I still need to learn a few things.
"That was awesome, Liu Bei! Hold does it feel to hold a holy sword?!" Gremory said jumping from her seat and again reaching for the blade, but Tasha picked her by the collar score she could do something stupid again. Ryuubi smiled and showed to us small burn marks on her palms.
"It's power it's greater than I've anticipated, as you can see." She sighed and sat besides us on the floor, cross-legged. To avoid anyone(aka Gremory) to do more stupid things, I picked Ascalon again and stored it inside the Boosted Gear. Even like that, the aura from it still lingers around my gauntlet. "But this isn't the first time I've handled a Dragon-slaying weapon, so it isn't that unnatural for me. Although it can also be explained since I've become a devil under the Gremory servitude."
"Another dragon-slaying weapon...? Ah!" Gremory then snapped her fingers and a lightbulb flicked above her head. "I get it! Since you're Liu Bei from the Three Kingdoms, I bet you're referring to the dragon slaying spear of the General Guan Yu, the Green dragon crescent blade!"
"Oh! Yes, the Seiryuutou from General Kan'u Unchou. If I remember correctly, there was a tale about it cutting a dragon in half and having it's blade frozen in dragon blood." Gremory and I high-fived as we shared a small laugh for that small clashing linguistic themes, Tasha clapping her hands in dull excitement. I turned to the pinkerette to see if she'd flip and start arguing about it again, but instead, she was only there, looking a little down and her smile didn't hiding her somber aura. What? Ryuubi, that down? "Ryuubi, are you okay?"
"Huh...?" She blinked once, and snapped away from her reverie to look at us with wide eyes. Even with her newly-put smile, she couldn't hide her melancholic mood at least from me. "Oh sorry, Hong Long. I was just... Having a flashback. I apologize if that startled you or something."
"Ryuubi...?"
"I think... I think I should go take a bath. I also need to review the homework from my students. I'll be taking my leave now. See you later." And she stood up and, waving a last goodbye to us, took her way towards the elevator to the underground hotsprings. Wasn't that kinda awkward? Ryuubi is probably the more stable member of our group for now, and seeing her like that... I think no one can deal with that the right way.
"Okay~... I guess I'll also take a break, finish my homework before someone starts pulling my leg or something." Gremory stood up too and patted my head with a reassuring wink. I guess I know what she means. "See you later Ichijou. What will you be cooking today? I hope it's meat or soup! I love those!"
"Maybe, or maybe just sukiyaki, I dunno. Gotta ask mom later. Satsuki-nee will be staying at her boyfriend's home so I guess we need to balance things out later." I said scratching my head and blushing a little remembering Go-Ne's boyfriend and stuff. I wish I had a girlfriend. But anyway, I turned to Tasha. "And Tasha, could you take a look at Yoko in her room? Apparently she saw a thing back in school and is catatonic since then. I have a pretty idea how it is, so she'll need anything in reach to help."
"Okay. Nice massage, it is." And the witch gesticulated her hands in a very suggestive way, making me grunt as a warning for her own safety. She backed a few steps back but nodded in understanding and also took her way to the elevator. However, she turned around for me and tilted her head to a side. "Uh~? Tsukino-chin, aren't you going with us? There's enough space. You can also be all squishy inside between our breasts."
"As much tempting this situation seems to be..." I deadpanned. That's sarcasm, by the way. I turned back away from them and took a better look at the slash Ryuubi left on the wall. "... I'll be staying a little longer. There's something I want to test, and I'll need total concentration for it."
"Oh, okay. Here." And before I knew it, Tasha tossed something in my direction, which bumped on my head in a light way. I turned around to see what it was. It was a box of tissues. "Good luck. Privacy."
*DON!*
"Hurt."
"Just go!" And with them, the trio of ladies cramped up in the elevator and their ways to their respective destinations. I sighed to let the uneasiness go away from my body, and summoned both my Boosted Gear and Ascalon. I summoned Rhongomiant soon another to compare both blades, and as expected, despite it's size, Rhongomiant is way lighter than the dragon-slayer. I gulped, this is the supernatural for yah. "Man, there's no way to compare these two. I've been using Rhon for a while now, and yet Ascalon is weighting like a ton on me."
[JUST LIKE ARIA ARGENTO SAID, THE RHONGOMIANT WAS FORGED DURING EARLY AGES WITH STILL PRIMITIVE ALCHEMY AND DEVELOPING MAGIC, WHILE ASCALON HAD A BETTER DEVELOPMENT AND PROBABLY A SPECIAL WAY OF FORGING. COMPARING THOSE TWO WOULD BE COMPARING TWO GENERATIONS OF HUMANITY FROM THE DAWN UP TO THIS POINT.] The welsh dragon is right, Rhongomiant is a prototype while Ascalon is not only a more improved version, it's also way ahead on it's own league than it's sisters. I can still few a small link between the two swords, though. [THE BEST WAY TO IT'S CONTROL, SINCE YOU DON'T HAVE ANY TRACE OF LIGHT ENERGY INSIDE OF YOU, IT'S TRAINING HARD ENOUGH FOR THE SWORD TO COMPLETELY ACCEPT YOU AS IT'S MASTER.]
"There's really no easy way to become Hokage, eh?" I joked, a joke that probably no one on this room will get, but that aside, Partner's right, I need to continue to train and eventually, Ascalon will accept me. I think, I hope, I dunno. I took a deep breath, held the grip just like Aria-san taught me, and took a stance my shitty old man once taught me back in the days as a kendo teacher. "Okay? Okay. I just need to see Ascalon as part of my body, and concentrate. Better start with the basics."
And with that in mind, I slashed the air with it in a single, smooth slash, making it's edge cut the air and produce a sound. The move itself was no problem, but the weight it caused was too much for me, making me lose my stance. That went better than expected, at least I didn't let go of the grip. Okay, next one: I'll try two consecutive cuts.
"I just need to concentrate. One-and-two; one-and-two. Let's go! Haah!" I screamed letting the fury and determination out as I slashed the air once and, using the sword's own weight, tried another move, doing an... Uppercut(Gosh, that's lame.). I think I can use the weight as an advantage. Maybe I can also use it as a spear, like Silver Chariot? With that, I fused the sword with my Boosted Geat again and I had now a sword sticking out of my knuckles. "It feels a little tingling, but this way it lighter than using it like a proper sword. Okay, thrust moves! And one, and two and...!"
"Hey, Ichijou...!"
"Hyaaaaah...!"
*LAUNCH! STAB!*
"Kyaaaah...!" And with that voice out of nowhere, I lost my balance and Ascalon launched itself away from my gauntlet like a torpedo, piercing the freaking ceiling with it's blade! The recoil was strong enough to make me fall on my back, and when I recovered from my shock, the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes were... Panties. Black lacy panties, a lingerie collection. I know from where those are.
"Rina! What the hell, don't scare me like that! I could've killed you!" I said, jump-standing to face her and give her a good whack on the head for good measure! Shit; that was scary! If it was anyone else, It'd have cut her into a million pieces, and I think I'd have cut at least a good chunk from her airy head! With the punishment done, I picked the stuck holy sword in the ceiling, which hole it cut began to drip hot water! Now I've opened a hole to my bathroom! Great, just great! Putting that beautiful death-machine out of the way back into my Boosted Gear, I turned to the whiny redhead. "How about you? What are you doing here? I thought you were going to put your homework on schedule."
"Eheheh... About that. Liu Bei is kinda missing around here, and without her, I can't properly pay much attention to those boring lessons..." She so awkwardly flashed an smile at me, and the only thing I could do was to roll my eyes. I flicked her nose and saw her whine even more, but soon she recovered herself and blinked her bright purple eyes to me, we sharing some stares for a while until she spoke again. "But I'm also here to see you, y'know."
"Oh, really? Thanks, I guess." I said with a light blush in my face. However, her stare wasn't an amused one, by rather, a confused and curious one, making me start to get a little curious too.
"Hey, Ichijou, could you summon Ascalon again?" She said with conviction, her eyes saying she wasn't joking around. I gave her a silent confused glare, but didn't question her and summoned my dragon-slaying blade. Like before, her eyes shined in bright colors seeing the sword, but then she shook her head and put herself in front of me. "Err... Ichijou. Stance!"
"Stance?" I repeated, even more confused, but did the pose anyway, parallel feet with some distance between them on the diagonal, straight upper body facing forward and the tip of the blade pointing at the middle of her chest. I guess... This is it. "Like that?"
"Huuuh~, let me see~!" She said now jumping away from harm's way and looking at the blade from the sides. Kneeling to see Ascalon from the grip up to the tip, her eyes were shining at the reflection of the holy steel on it. However, when she was done with it, she walked back to in front of the blade, and crossed her arms. "Ichijou, would you mind lifting Ascalon a little more. I want to see something."
"Uuuh~, sure, I guess?" I said with a hint of a doubt. Since that she's been a lot more level-headed since her return, I'll give her the benefit of the doubt and did as she says, lifting the sword a little while bending my arms to give a head point, stopping midway with the handle in front of my chest. "Like that...?"
"A little higher!" She said, winking at me. I grunted a little, but did as she say again, with the handle right in front of my face and making the blade goes parallel with the way, pointing directly at the ceiling. Like before, she came closer and took her looks around me. "Okay! Now, stand still! This might hurt a little?"
"Rina, what the hell are you doin-...?"
*PAFT!*
"GAAAAOH...!" And in an instant, that little Gremory just slapped the back of my hands and made me clash my palms onto the grip of Ascalon! The scare itself was what made me scream, as I jumped and fell on my ass with the sword sliding away from me. Again, I stood up to stare back at her! "Again! What the hell, Rina?! What was that for?!"
"I was helping you!" She said with a proud grin and expression, which made me grip my own red bruised hands in rage. Goddamnit, she got stronger since back then, so it hurts even now.
"'Helping me'?! How the hell slapping my hands and almost making me lose control over Ascalon is any kind of 'help' to you?!"
"Because, y'know Ichijou, you were trembling."
"Eh...?" That sentence alone made all the rage in me suddenly disappear, as only a dumbfounded expression was left on my own face. Wait; what? I was trembling? I looked at my hands, seeing the red bruises on the back of each one, and suddenly realized how much I was sweating about it. What the hell...
[SHE'S TELLING THE TRUTH, PARTNER. YOU'VE BEEN TREMBLING SINCE YOUR LITTLE TRAINING STARTED.]
[We didn't say anything because we wanted to see how long you were going to take to notice yourself. Good thing your girlfriend did it for you.]
Ugh, shut up, you two. Great help, by the way...
"Yeah... Maybe I'm still getting the hang out of this thing." I said, picking Ascalon and doing the stance again, now noticing how nervous I become and how much the blade trembles by being in my hands. Gremory came closer to look at it for the same reason. This is somehow embarrassing. I sighed and shrugged, putting the sword away and crossing my arms to huff my frustration away. "I thought only training would be enough to deal with Ascalon, but it seems it's not only my swordsmanship I need to improve..."
"I see~." When I opened my eyes, Gremory was just a few inches away from my face, and again I reacted by jumping away from her reach. Man, what is wrong with her and her sneaks on me?! This is freaking me out! "Hey Ichijou, you remember the Bael's special ability, the one the Gremories inherited from Lady Venelana back in the Issei era, right?"
"The Bael's signature ability... Oh, you mean the power of Destruction." I said, remembering the said ability and the fact both Lord Sirzechs and Grandmaster Millicas are both where they're now thanks to it. Just by saying it, Gremory then summoned from a rune on her palm a ball of that same ability, starting to balance it around her body like a basketball! "Oe, what are you doing, Rina?"
"Y'know, there's a reason why others fear the Power of Destruction: everything it touches, turn into nothingness in a matter of seconds. Lord Sirzechs and grandpa Grandmaster has fully mastered this one, to the point their own existence can become the embodiment of annihilation." She said, still playing with that 'ball of annihilation' like it was nothing, even pretending to kick it like a footbag. I don't think it's a wise idea to play with such dangerous thing. "But y'know what? I don't, neither does mother and Nemesis. Do you know why? Because it feels natural for me. With enough time and training I was able to pull some tricks and techniques with it. Believe it, it got easier with time. So that's why using such powerful and deadly ability is a no-brainer for me."
"Huh, it makes sense." I said observantly, seeing her pick her power of destruction on her hands and dusted it away like it was dust itself. I guess I understand what she's coming from. I summoned Ascalon once again, and did the stance one more time, cutting the air with it too. I'm still trembling a little, but not as before. I looked back at her to see her smiling. "I think I get what you're trying to say... Still, it's not like I was born to carry a Holy Sword of this caliber, nor born with any remarkable swordsmanship abilities either, like you do with your powers."
"You don't have to worry about that, Ichijou. I know that, with a little bit of training, You'll become a powerful Devil." She said, coming closer to me and picking both my hands with her own in a calm and familiar way. I stored Ascalon away again, and shared stares with the Gremory, who was now blushing and her gaze going everywhere. "And this time... I really mean it, Tsukino Ichijou."
Uh... That was so cheesy, but also so cool...
"Well, you're learning quite a few lines from Aria-nee, aren't you?" I snarked, but not without a blush and a awkward scratch on the head. She tightened her grip around my free hand, which made me instinctively look back at her. The redhead was now pouting and puffing her cheeks.
"Mooh~, how rude! I have you know, I was trying to help you~!" She whined pouting even more and doing little jumps in her place like a spoiled child would. This one brought a small smile to my face, but then Gremory suddenly stopped, blushed even more and looked away. "It's the least I can do to... Someone as loyal as you and the others."
"..." I don't know why only now I'm noticing something like that, but Gremory is indeed a cute girl, and can do really cute things such as this. I keep forgetting those mainly for the fact of how she used to be. I patted her on the head and, all in all, decided to play a little with her. "Thanks. That means a lot for me... Rina."
"I-I do what I can... Eheheh." She turned back to me and smiled. Uh~... This wasn't the reaction I was expecting from her at all, specially now that she has become all lovesick.
"Uh... You do realize I just called you by your first name, right?" I lifted a finger to call for her attention. Her only response was a confused hum and a tilt to a side of her head. I was expect a lot more from that, now that we're this close in our... Relationship...? She continued to look at me with those big confused purple eyes.
"Yeah, so?" She said without a single hint of malice, confused and tilting her head to the other side. I don't get it, why is she reacting like that? Gremory blinked once, twice, and then spoke. "I don't get it Ichijou, what's the big deal? You've been calling me like that for a while now."
"..."
"...?"
"Wait, what?" Yeah! What?! I've been calling her like that... Without even noticing?! This is so messed-up! Her confused look suddenly turned into a smirk, as she hummed a victorious tune and came closer to me.
"Oh~... Hoh? Don't tell me you haven't notice it up to this point? Eeeeh~, isn't that cute~? Maybe Ichijou is a lot more pure than everyone thought~!" She began to say in a very nonchalant and teasing way! Oh, screw you, Grem-... Rina! I let go off of her hands and turned around, mainly to avoid looking at her and her to see my blushing mess of a face! This is horrible, so lame!
"Shut up, Rin-... Uuuuuuugh~! And stop laughing! This isn't funny!" I said now hiding my face in shame and trying my best to block her laughs and giggles. Ugh, this is the worst feeling, I... Can't say that I hate, but I don't like it either. Suddenly a shadow creeped on my back, and then I felt someone crossing it's arms around my neck and supporting it's light and 'soft' body on me. It was Grem-... Rina. In the end, I sighed in defeat. I was completely annihilated, and she didn't even use her Power of Destruction. "Sigh, do you really care and believe in a loser like me, Rina? I mean, I can pretty much die in any moment from now on."
"Sure, you might be a loser, but you're my loser! Besides, I'm no better, so you can say we are a match for each other." She said, without any hesitation but a deep tint of red on her cheeks. I feel warm now. Uh~, I wonder if this feels like to be in a relationship. I do like her, but not like that... Right? "I'm just kidding, Ichi-baka. You're the best there is for me! If you were anyone else, I wouldn't have... Fallen for you."
"Did you say something, Rina?" I didn't hear that last part quite well, I was too busy brooding(men broods, don't angst.) to notice her voice. She Let go off of me and dismissed her unheard voice with her head and hands.
"Nu-uh, nothing important, really. Just do your best! I'll... I'll always cherish yo-... Cheer for you! Yeah!" She said in a 'we can do it' pose and a smile, the blush still not leaving her face. I huffed that away and turned my head away from her, my face also adopting a more red tint. Uh~, why is this happening to me? "Remember: maximum effort!"
"Yeah... Maximum effort." I sighed, and did the best smile I could muster willingly, which was nothing more than forcing the sides of my lips go up in a very awkward way. She giggled, and I dismissed that stupid impression. She has me on the palm of her hand. It's funny, I kinda like that, now.
"Ichijou...?"
"What is it, Rin-...?"
*CH-...!*
*PAFT!*
"Hmph~! Iffiyoou~...!" And I did it. After weeks and weeks of intense training, I finally managed to create my surprise kiss-stopping technique, lightly slapping the middle of her face and avoiding the surprise peck! I removed my hand off her pretty face and saw a red hand mark printed on it, her pouty face decorating the rest. "Moooh~, that was not funny, Ichijou!"
"Heh, it was kinda funny." I chuckled, and she tightened her pout even more. Yet, she came here with good intentions, and she does care for me. So maybe I can give her some credit. I pecked her on the cheek, and then she went catatonic. "Here, happy now? I know you came here with the best intentions, so... Uh, thank you, Rina. That was... A reward."
"Heheheh~, sure! No prob! Now I'm feeling much better to do my homework! See ya later, Ichijou!" And then she nodded with her brightest smile so far, and walked towards the elevator again, but not before tossing a kiss at me. Huh, this is the happiest she has ever been since her comeback. "Ah... Ichijou! Don't forget today's dinner!"
"Yeah, yeah. I know; I know."
And with that, she took the elevator away from this floor, leaving me alone again. Wow, wasn't that kind of enlightening. So I've been calling her... By her nickname this whole time? That's a little embarrassing, but I'm glad that she let me do it anyway. Huh... This isn't the first time I called someone by something like a nickname, but it has been a while since if I don't count Tasha's case(Her real name is Natalia, who could've thought.). Okay, enough of that, let's do some more training: I summoned my Boosted Gear, called Ascalon fourth and began to swing the blade in order to control it. Okay, concentrate, part of your body... You're using it to defend yourself and so, you shouldn't fear it's edge and...
...
...
...
Gaaaaah! I can't! How can I concentrate when I'm still thinking about the fact I've been calling Gremory 'Rina' THIS WHOLE TIME?! GYAAAAAAH~! So frustrating!
"Tsukino-chin~?" When I snapped back from my hissy fit, I've noticed that the sword again got stuck on the ceiling, right next to the previous hole. I picked it back from them, and from that bigger hole, a peeping eye popped from it. It was purple and big, so I know from who is. "Please stop making holes. You're disturbing us."
"Sorry Tasha, I'm having some accidents down here." I said with a sigh, gripping tightly on my new sword and swinging it a few times to warm it up a bit before the next session of training. Wait a minute. "Oe, Tasha! That's my bathroom! What are you doing up there?!"
"..."
"...?!"
"Pump-pump-pumpkin~, the best Halloween you'll ever seen~. Pump-pump-pumpkin~, witches~..."
"TASHA...!"
.
~~x~~
.
And here I am again at Kuoh academy. Me, the Sekiryuutei Tsukino Ichijou, walking side by side with my dear harem of Devils and a sexy fox girl. I must say, I can't believe I even bothered to wake up today, mainly because last night I was too busy popping some cherries and having my usual fun with my girls, plus the loli, the circles around my eyes and the bandages on my hands signing that yesterday was indeed an endless party. I wonder what kind of shenanigans I'll face today, because-...
"Stop messing with my entries, Mizuki-san!" And the real Tsukino Ichijou-san scolded me for having my fun, with us walking out way to Kuoh. Yep, I've tricked you all, Kyouka Mizuki speaking, everyone's favorite esper! I turned back to Izuki with my usual grin. But seriously, Izuki. What's with those bandages and bags? You look tired. He looked back at me and sighed. "Ugh, an acquaintance of mine gave me a magic sword, but it's too hard for me to control it. I've been training since last night, and didn't sleep much."
Huh, sounds tough, buddy. But you're hardworking, in a way or another, you'll do your best and something crazy's gonna happen for you to succeed. Izuki looked at me with a scowl, but then massaged his temples and walked away. Yeah, go rest a little, you dragon, you. I have some aspirins back in my pocket-dimension if you want some. He turned around, nodded and extended the palm of his hand to me, as I picked from my pockets the said aspirins, and now with them, he bowed again and walked away.
"Oh, Good morning to you, Kyouka-dono." I turned around for the rest of his harem, and while Berolina/Ludger/whatever crossed my way without a proper greeting, just an arrogant huff, Ryuubi-sensei and Natalia-san both waved their hands for me, with the bigger one carrying Akabane-san on her back. Oh hey, sensei, Natalia-san.
"Please avoid calling me like that. It's a witch thing." The purple-haired witch said while crossing her arms, and I pulled my own in a defensive stance. Okay, then, no hard feelings, let's get along. She gave a ghost of a smile for that. "Appreciated."
No problem. Now, what's with foxy? She seems kinda down a little. Ryuubi-sensei was the one who said it for her.
"Kurama-dono apparently saw something quite sinister yesterday, which traumatized her enough to such state. A real shame, really." The pinkerette with the bigger boobs said, and de facto, Akabane-chan's mental waves are a mess, more like an mental static if I may. Eh, she's an youkai, she oughta be fine in no time. Still, good morning to you, Akabane. I hope for your recovery.
...
...
Yep, still nothing. Whatever, I walked towards our way to Kuoh and took the lead, since I don't want to miss classes and it's good to take a walk and exercise. How do you think I maintain my gorgeous silhouette despite having the power to teleport myself from the Earth to the moon and anywhere in between? When I reached next to Izuki, however, there he was facing his ninja boyfriend, sharing stares and saying nothing. Even Berolina stopped a few steps away from the struggling couple as they would fight for glare dominance or whatever.
Izuki made a face, Ren-kun did the same. The dragon tilted his head, and the ninja scratched the back of his neck. They shared awkward looks that was a mix between 'struggling lovers' and 'hero-vs-rival shounen quiet stares'(which is probably the same thing, really.), and in the end, both sighed and the albino vanished away with a blow of the wind, and Izuki took his way towards the entrance. For a normal people, that was quite a stupid silent argument, but for me, it was a showdown of who can scream the loudest mentally. Seriously, their minds were in such a mess. Hey, dragon! What was that all about?
"It's none of your business, Mizuki-san. Although you'll search on my mind anyway, won't you?" You know me quite well, or maybe I'm too easy to read, ironically. But this time, I won't, and do you know why? Because you're also quite easy to read when enraged. Apparently you two got in a fight. Or maybe you discovered his little secret, heheh. "..."
...
"..."
It was just a tease... But holy shit, you did discover his secret!
"Shut up, you damn esper! Leave me alone!" And he dismissed me quite rudely, turning his enraged glare at me and walking away to the entrance at high speed. I tried to read his mind, but not only it was again a messy interference going on, the dragon inside of him blocked my mental entrance. Before I could do anything, a hand held my shoulder and prevented me in doing anything else. I turned around and saw it was that bi-curious Gremory girl.
"Kyouka-san, I think it's better for you to avoid Ichijou for a while. He can be quite... Violent when he's upset. Respect his privacy just this once." She said it with a mix of worry and awkwardness, pointing at a small bite wound on her neck. Wow, for real? 'Kay, 'Kay, I got nothing to gain in making someone upset, anyway. I might be a troll, but I'm no bully. Gremory opened a smile, and nodded. "Thank you very much, Kyouka-san."
No problem. And then she dismissed our conversation and walked with the rest of her peerage towards Kuoh. Huh~... I can't read her mind, but I can read her heart, so I can tell she's all heads over heels on our dear main character. Speaking of which, maybe I can send him and his best ninja buddy to a pleasant location, maybe one of those vacation hotspots like Mt. Fuji, Disneyworld, Cancun or even that Alaskan colony for them to cool their heads off and maybe get cozy with each other. Ahahahah, I'm speaking like a goddamn fujioshi. But it's not like I'm the only one doing that...
Yep, I'm referring to you, Fre-...!
"Surprise cannonball!"
*ZING!*, nice try. Sally-chan. The little one tried a surprise attack on me, but not only she shouted her supposedly 'sneaky' hit, she mentally talks real loud inside her head. I guess even normal people would hear her scream in her mind. I trapped her inside a ball of mental waves, and leveled her to my side. S'up, little one, sorry but not this time.
"Mooh~! One day you shall see my revenge, ESPer user! And it shall be painful and pleasurable!" She said with a pout, as I noticed that a pair of curved horns has sprouted on the sides of her head. Maybe another one of the genes from her vida-loca gramps? Not to mention, she's also wearing Kuoh's junior-high uniform. After a quick mental search, I figured she actually also enrolled in here. Oh, so that makes me your senpai, Sally-chan. "Hunf! Never! As the future harem queen, I shall bow to no one besides my master, the Sekiryuutei!"
Eh, good luck with that. With the decreasing rate of natality in this nation, your dream might not be that bad of an idea. I released the baby hybrid from my mental cage and walked her towards Kuoh. She was a little hesitant, but then pouted and held me by the hand like a good kid. She needs to go see Headmistress Morimoto to say something about the Amamiya shrine, her home, while I need to go there as well since the devil headmistress said she and her crew needs someone to help with the construction materials to fix a floor and the gym ceiling.
"Nemesis-sama said also that she might need grandpa's help in some exorcism matters! And she decided that if he allows it, I can become part of Berolina-sama's peerage! One step towards my dream!" She said. Oh, so she wants to be part of Ichijou's little group of misfits, that's cute and all, I mean, every group needs a loli, and she's perfect for the role despite being still an illegal one. Becoming a harem queen, I don't think it's a very hard job to do, with all those thirsty Devils around. I looked back at her, and again she was puffing her cheeks in annoyance. Oh, so she also got that from Izuki. "How rude. I have you know, men are more complex creatures than women sometimes. They don't care just about sex, but also about sizes, and volume and knowledge about it! So that's why I'm training with sensei: so that I can learn to skyrocketed my proportions and become the biggest, most beautiful harem queen who ever lived!"
Ahahahah, you kinda sounds like one of those OC protagonists who tries to justify their actions and being all anti-pervy when they're usually worst than the protagonist in that regard. But you're right. It's not just sex, it's about T&A's and how good it feels. Sally-chan's face then lightened up in a smile.
"Uh-huh! So that's why I'm gonna stick with master and spend the time I'll have to in order to become the harem queen him and his senpai have becom-...!" And before she could finish her sentence, her eyes shined in a scary way, and a string of hair sprouted from the top of her head, much more like the Kitaro's own detector. The little exorcist stopped on her tracks and held me to do the same. "Kyouka-sama! I can feel it! There's something quite sinister... Just around the corner of this corridor!"
'Something sinister'? Like what? She just turned to me and shook her head negatively. You said something about that 'something sinister' being right around the corner, so as a precaution, I glued on the wall and gave a small mental sonar around. Huh, how strange, I can't feel a thing from this point. It should be easier since there's on one around, yet there's none. I peeked my head by the other side of the corner with the little exorcist and, Sally-chan's right, there was something quite somber right in front of the door leading to the student council room: a formless black mass of something quite eerie, more like a concentrated mass of black blob. Wait, I think I know what that is: is one of the wonders of Kuoh academy: the ghostly formless blob that wanders around the corridors!
"Ah, Kyouka-sama! Be careful! It may not look like, but I can feel the eerie aura of a grim reaper coming from that!" The loli said doin the same pose as me. A grim reaper, a shinigami, the bringer of death? But what kind of Grim Reaper we're talking about? The one who kills or the one who guide souls to the afterlife. "I don't know, but all of them are under the commander of Lord Hades from the Greek underworld! And trust me, by the color of it's robe, I can say it's quite a powerful one!"
A grim reaper, in Kuoh academy. I can't say anything since I'm a freak on my own right(even by the standards of this series, I might add), but this got me curious: why would only servant of Lord Hades from the underworld be here at Kuoh academy? Maybe it wants to suck the lives out of the student council, for what is worth. Sally-chan seemed alarmed by my eerie ways of thoughts, but you never know. Besides, that one is also one of the mysteries of Kuoh academy much like ourselves, and we don't want to be labelled the same way as a possible murderer.
"You're right! Let's stop that freak before it's too late!" Sally-chan suddenly said, as she tiptoed to a closer hideout, coming closer to that formless black smoke. We saw as it reaches something akin to a blade towards the keyhole of the door, and when I was about to take a first step, Sally-chan unfortunately stepped too hard, and the echo reached the said Grim reaper, turning what it looks like a one-horned skull mask towards us. He moment we crossed glares, it turned to the opposite side and began to run away! "Ah! Not so fast, Spawn of the King of death! We won't let you harm anyone in this place cursed by the Gremory authority!"
She's kinda right. I levitated from the floor and chased that formless blob to no end together with Izuki's apprentice. I tried to trap that one in one of my mental cages, but the grim reaper proved itself too fast to catch in time, so my only response was to form electrical crystal walls in order to slow it down, since I can't read it's mind either. Shit, it's going for the stairs, we can't let it reach the others!
"Kyouka-sama! Kick me!" Said the little exorcist, whose body was now covered in something like a purple goo. She of herself slip on the floor and began to roll on it due to her frictionless body. Wait, is she thinking... Just kidding, I can read minds, I know what she's up to. "I'll use my inherited Slime powers to reach her with my gelatinous and slippery body! So kick me like captain Oozora would do!"
Psh... Really? How old are you again? But whatever, that should be fun. I stopped my levitation and, lifting one of my legs like a true shounen Hero would, kicked a true fireball against the rogue Grim Reaper! Like expected, Sally-chan's body was fast enough to clash itself against the reaper, and soon they both crashed on a nearby wall, covering a good chunk of the vicinity with bluish goo. I guess... We've won this time. Good job, Sally-chan!
"Yeah! We did it! *CAHAM!*, I mean... Huh, that went better than expected." Is she trying to sound like Izuki? That's cute, but I guess he'd be more annoyed-looking than just smiling like an idiot despite her words. I trapped the Grim Reaper inside a ball of Tesla Force before it could run away from us again, and soon enough me and Sally-chan smiled at each other. Yep, we did it, little one. "Yep! Master will be so proud we took care of that!"
Yes, but now, a little interrogation. I should probably teleport this thing away to somewhere quite pleasant or into Headmistress' office, but before that, I have some questions to do out of curiosity. Hey, Grim Reaper, can you hear me? If you can, you can probably understand me too. So, any reason for you to sneak around like that, right before class start?
"..." No response, and It's mind is also a bunch of random dead words altogether in a archaic tune and mixed clashes. I can't read it's mind, or see it's face due to that mask, and the only thing it's oozes is this creepy aura of death...
"I bet it wanted to sneak somewhere inside the student council body and assassinate everyone there from the shadows!" Sally-chan accused the black blob, whose aura just became darker and darker. This thing is giving me chills, and the fact it doesn't want to talk only worsens the situation. Forget about it for now Sally-chan, maybe it'll be the best if we contact Headmistress Morimoto first and then...
*WHUU...*
Wait, wha-...?
*WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*
And it happened. I dunno what happened, the only thing I remember was the fact a sound akin to a loud and deep hum, like a whale's cry, and suddenly my body couldn't move, my legs weakened, and my concentration was broken, so much it broke my mental barrier and made Sally-chan pass out, while I was so stunned by it I couldn't move a thing.
The Grim Reaper broke free from it's prison, and landed a pair of feet in front of me from it's formless blob, a pair of black high-heels. I tried to form another barrier around it, but it was no use, my ears were still ringing, so I couldn't form matter with my brain waves. Shit, mental attacks are my weakness, and that last one hit it hard...
However, instead of doing anything harsh, the grim reaper looked at me, then to Sally-chan, and then... If bowed like a polite person would, and turned around to try to escape again. Wait, what? A grim reaper who wouldn't kill someone as helpless as I am?
"W-Wait! grim Reaper-sa-...!"
"SITRI KICK!"
*DOOOOOOON!*
And before it could response to my pleas, the Grim Reaper was mercilessly shot by a blue flash right into it's mask, making it be launched to and crash on the wall! My vision was still a little blurry, but I could see who it was: tall, beautiful, strong legs and blue hair with purple eyes. It's... It's...
"I am Serena Shitori of love and justice! In the name of Kuoh Academy and all the students in it, I shall punish you!" She said doing a pose. Yep, that's definitely the beloved yet strangely avoided president of our student council Shitori Serena, or Serena Sitri of the Sitri clan according to Headmistress Morimoto. After that little show, Kaichou then came closer to the fallen grim Reaper and took a quick glance out of it. "Now, now, be calm and steady, Grim Reaper-san. If you give me a reason for your presence in my domain, I won't hurt you... That much."
"..." The grim reaper said nothing, only looked up to stare at Kaichou. The bluennete had a calm aura around her the whole time as she spoke, however, when she took a quick glance around, she landed her eyes on us, helplessly crawling on the floor, and then... It became dark.
"So... You won't speak, but you have enough courage to do a number on my precious classmates. As the student council president, this is something I can't and won't overlook." She said in a calm, yet scary tone, and her hands reached for where the Grim Reaper's neck would be, and lifted it from the floor. The whole dark being was now trembling, and it's mask was slowly cracking. Wow, Kaichou is scary now. "Now, give me an excuse, something that will give you the hope that you can escape this~. C'mon, grim reaper! Said something!"
"..."
"Nothing? Oh, well. Time to break the Batman oath!" Wait, Kaichou! Don't do anything harsh! It didn't harm us, it just... Stopped us and it tried to escape! Whatever it is, it didn't want to kill us! Apparently, Serena-Kaichou heard my plea, as then she turned around to see me. "Huh...? What in the...?"
"... Sorry." Wait, what?
"Eh...?"
"Waaaaaah~! I'm sorry! I didn't do it on purpose! I was so scared I freaked out! Please don't kill me~!" And then... This happened. The grim reaper finally spoke in rather feminine, almost cute cry for mercy and help, and it's mask finally shattered away, revealing the face of a pretty pale lady with brown wavy long hair and black eyes, that pretty much was screaming with rivers down them. Kaichou gasped in surprise, and let go of the Supposedly 'Grim' reaper, who was now a crying mess on the floor. "Hiiiih~! Please don't kill me~! I just want to enroll in this school, but everybody's so scary~!"
"Huuuh~... Well... Uhh~..." Wow, isn't that awkward? The so-called deadly formless blob from Kuoh academy, one of the scariest wonders that was, is just a meek girl with big boobs trying to enroll here... Or something. By the looks on them now, and for the fact she had a pretty big bruise on her left cheek, made me rethink who is the real villain in here. Kaichou was speechless, and tried to reach the now hapless girl. "Huuuh... Hey...?"
"Hiiiih~! Noooo~! Don't kill me~! I'll be good, just leave me alone~!" But then the Grim reaper crawled away like a legless cockroach, making Kaichou feel even worse, if her aura is any indication. Not even the greatest heroine Kuoh ever had could deal with this. Don't blame her...
After some time, a lot of talk and avoiding the other students to see such mess of a girl, we finally settled down on the student council room. The grim reaper girl has a name, Whiswain(lame, right?), and apparently she's a grim reaper/human hybrid raised by her human father and only now is getting in touch with her supernatural side, trying to enroll in Kuoh for herself to feel more 'in home', as she says. Apparently, he has fail since then...
"Huuuh~... Interesting, interesting indeed. However, that doesn't explain why you were trying to sneak into the student council room. Care to explain that, missy?" And again the little apprentice was incorporating her said tutor, using a chair to put herself the same level of the busty reaper girl, who was cowering away from the little girl. It was kinda funny to see that, but quiet down for now; Sally-chan, you're scaring her. "Okay~!"
"But she's right. Whiswain-chan. I would like to know why you were trying to reach my office." The now calm and smiley President of the student council said pouring more tea on Whiswain's cup. The devil lady proved herself that she can be scary when she wants, and even I am kinda uneasy about it. Hey, Grim reaper, you know your stuff, you better explain it soon. By the way, I want more tea, kaichou. "Sure, here it goes, Mizuki-chan." Thank you.
"I-I was trying first to... Contact Nemesis-san, the headmistress, but I was so scared of her that I... I almost gave up trying to enroll here~! I heard that she beat her own sister once, so I was scared that she might do the same to me~!" Half-said half-cried the hybrid, taking a quick sip from her tea while Kaichou tried to comfort her only for the reaper to jump from her seat. Wow, she might be a reaper, but she lacks spine. Also, I can't read her mind, but Serena-Kaichou was oozing a very uncomfortable aura. I helped the grim reaper put herself sit again, and she continued her tale. "So... I thought that I could contact the student council instead... But when I heard they have also a werewolf and other scary stuffs... I would always idle around to try to gather enough courage to call you all, but then students would fill the corridors... And even at evening, I couldn't talk for that same reason~!"
"Hyahahahah! Grim Reaper-onee-chan is a coward! Scared of her own shadow!" Sally-chan laughed at her, as Serena-Kaichou was now hiding her grin and chuckles. Yeah, it's kinda funny how scared she is. Kahahahah~.
"H-How cruel~! Waaaaah~! Stop laughing at me~! Why no one wants to laugh with me, only at me~?! Waaaah~!" Ah, ah! There she goes again crying like a baby. This is gonna lose it's charm very soon, that's for sure. Serena-Kaichou ceased her laugh and put her hands on Whiswain's shoulder in a reassuring manner. Or at least tried to, because the brunette the moment she saw the hand coming closer, simply vanished from the spot to hide behind me, letting Kaichou slip, lose a step and fall to the ground with a loud bam! Sorry Kaichou, but that was also kinda funny!
"Well, maybe your temperament has something to do with it... Or something like that~." Sally-chan again emulating Izuki's speech. Heheh, no, that one was kinda too harsh on her, Sally-chan, you can't just go around judging people like some people. Kaichou stood up from the floor and rested herself on a chair.
"Okay, okay. Let's put bygones to bygones here, Whiswain-chan. I'll notify Nemesis-san about your enrollment here, and forget everything that just happened." Serena-Kaichou said now at a distance, waving her hand innocently towards the grim reaper behind me. He brunette popped her head by my shoulder and looked through the eye that wasn't covered by her long bangs. The Kaichou winked, and poured some more tea for herself.
"R-Really? After everything we went through? And I... I am one of the wonders of Kuoh!" She said with an exasperated tone. Eh, don't worry about it, people will eventually forget about it anyway. I'm one of the Wonders myself, together with Sally-chan. The grim reaper turned to me them. "R-Really...? Then... Maybe I can also... But transferring so late into the year here is... Kinda scary..."
Man, she really is a scared kitty.
"Well, yeah. You don't know anyone, and a pretty girl such as yourself with draw too much unwanted attention, with no one to protect you." Serena-Kaichou said in rather calm tone, which contrasted with the reaper's exasperated face, but knowing her by reading her, I can tell that she has already a plan in mind. And I guess we can all assume who she's thinking about. "But don't worry, I know just a perfect group for you to hang out! And don't worry, they're so socially awkward themselves you will get used to Kuoh in no time!"
"Eh...? Really...?"
Oh, we all know how this is will go down to...
.
~~x~~
.
"Hey, Ichijou! It's your new girlfriend! Whiswain!"
"What...?"
Huhuhuh, typical~. Ludger was indeed wrong, this my life is always exciting!
You get an development, you get an development, everybody gets an development! Trying my best to develop the new dinamics of the gremory group, and before you kinow it, bam! they're they are. It's really funny toi think about it now, since it has been a while since my last date, college and stuff...
But enough of cute bruisers, I want a helpless damnsel in distress now. Meet the new girl, Whiswain... It means white wine, hahahah...
P.S.: For those asking about if Annie resembles Levi Kazama from Trinity Seven, yep, the answer is yes, minus the ponytail and with green hair. I think i've already stabilished that before, but apparently not. Sorry for this. Although some of the inspiration came also from a character named Kiruko from the cancelled manga shinmai fumei Kiruko-san. It has funny, but not very much.
That's it for now, hope youve enjoyed this chapter with nothing much happening. Stay golden.