Hey, guess who's back.
So, after the rushed and disastrous last chapter, I'll try to compensate it with this one. It'sa the prologue of the upcoming arc, but even so, I tried to put everything together and tied it up for the upcoming chapter. A lot of things are happening in this chapter, and whatever was a good idea to mix them all or not, and if they're cringey or not, is up to the readers. Again, thanks for reading up until here, have a nice read, and greetings~.
As always, DxD doesn't belong to me.
"Hey welsh dragon; do you think I can develop some muscles here in my mental world? I mean, even by just talking to Yagura, I can feel a little tired. Maybe I can train here a little too." I said doing some push-ups on my own in my mental world which, for some bizarre reason, is now a college room, several lines of seats jumbled in a stair-like floor and a single whiteboard in front of everyone. I just notice that for some reason, maybe I can train a little here so I can still improve while also resting my body by the 'other side'. The welsh dragon, who was staring back at me from the window, however objected.
[IT IS VERY UNLIKELY, PARTNER.] He said, and with that I stopped my movements altogether to sit on the floor and stretch myself. [IT IS TRUE THAT YOU CAN STILL FEEL PAIN AND REACT HERE, HOWEVER, THIS IS BECAUSE YOUR MENTAL CONNECTION TO THE SACRED GEAR THAT LINKS US TOGETHER IS INTRINSICALLY SPIRITUAL. IN SIMPLER TERMS, IT BELIEVES WHAT YOUR MIND BELIEVES. THIS DOES NOT INCLUDES PHYSICAL IMPROVEMENT.]
"Really? Well, that sucks..." I shrugged, sitting now on the professor's table to still look around here. No kidding, first a high school, now a college classroom, I'm starting to feel a trend here in my mental word, and honestly, It feels kinda offensive. Well, since I can't improve my body here, maybe other alternatives? "Hey welsh dragon, If I can't work out my body here, how about my brain? You have some knowledge you gathered with senpai and the other users, right? Can you materialize like, a bookshelf or maybe just some books here so I can read and learn a few things?"
[PARTNER, AS YOU KNOW, YOU STATE AS ASLEEP IN THE ETHEREAL WORLD DOES NOT MEAN YOU WILL AWAKE WELL RESTED IF YOU OVERUSE THIS MENTAL STATE.] The welsh dragon came down to look at me with those big green eyes from the window of the class. Yeah yeah, I know, mental stress here and stuff, but while I'm here talking to my Navi, might as well have some productive quality time, and as much it pains me, I need to improve my grades. I can also drift my mind away about some other stuff... Like the white one.
"I know Ddraig, but even as the current sekiryuutei, I can't let myself become stupid, right? You don't want a stupid host; and I don't want to be the 'stupidest red dragon of the past, present and future'." I said, stretching myself and walking around, now supporting my hand on the whiteboard and playing with some black graphing pen. I popped the pen open, and started to write a hanged man with a few blank spaces below. "Maybe we can play a few games before I can come up with something better to be worth my time. I chose an english word, so everything goes, okay?"
[...] No response, the dragon only looked at me with an uneasy stare, but I didn't care. Just for starters, I wrote the first letter, a 'B' in a seven-letters word. I turned back to the welsh dragon, but he continued to stare back in silence.
"Okay, you don't want to play. Understandable." I shrugged, now writing some else entirely on the whiteboard, something that I try to remember during classes. Maybe I can better engrave them in my skull if I simply write them a hundred or a few times. That should keep me busy. "I will just write a few things here and try to memorize them. It might not be much, but I can try."
[...]
"And there. Some biology classes here, some maths there, can't forget general knowledge and, oh, history is also a subject I'm starting to like." I said to no one, filling the whiteboard in black ink until, surprisingly, it was covered in words, formulae and a few scribbles since I could still work some terms I can't remember. The red dragon turned his eye to the words in there, then back to me, yet no reaction. I huffed to puff my chest with the sense of achievement, and tapped the inked tip of a few words. "I never knew I could catch up some subjects the way I did. Maybe standing and hearing Gou-nee and Shii-nee study paid off."
[...]
"But then again, that's what you get for having four students from Teio university. The best I can afford is Kuoh's college section, and that's if I'm lucky enough, which is why..."
[PARTNER, IF THIS IS ABOUT THE MAID...]
*BAAAAAAAAM!*
"Yes! YES! This is about the MAID! FUUUUUUUUUUUCK...!" And for that I completely crushed that fucking pen in between my hands and smashed it against the fucking whiteboard, spreading black ink and blood everywhere! Goddamnit! GODDAMNIT! I want, I really want to distance myself from it, but everytime I think I was far away, it all comes back! Her ripe body! Her soft breasts! Her plump ass! Her supply lips! Her skin which smells so good! Ah! AAAAAHHH...! I Wanna do her! "I was so close! SO CLOSE! WHY?! WHY DID I LET THE OPPORTUNITY PASS?! I COULD'VE LOST MY VIRGINITY! I COULD'VE GET LAID! AND SHE WAS SO HOT! UUUUUUUUUUGH~...!"
She did say she wouldn't give her virginity to me and I respect that, but even so! Uuuugh! I started to wreck the place all over, flipping tables and kicking steps across the room! I punch the floor, I kick the walls, I throw things at the ceiling just to get rid of this... Frustration! In the end, I threw myself on the ground and opened a small crater here, still grunting in deep-seated break! It took me a few minutes to finally recover, and start hyperventilating...
"Dragon, please tell me I'm trash." I said turning to the green emerald stare that was still judging me, and with that, it blinked once and hummed in confusion.
[PARTNER, THIS IS ONLY A NATURAL REACTION FROM AGE. I AWAKENED SEVERAL TIMES IN HOSTS YOUNGER THAN YOU, AND WHILE SOME OF THEM DIDN'T LIVE LONG...]
"Tell me I'm TRASH!" I said out loud so that my damn massage couldn't be clearer. Was it a plea or an order? I dunno, and I don't care, I just want someone, anyone, to say what I'm feeling is wrong! To say what I'm feeling is disgusting and I'm trash for this!
[NO. YOU MIGHT THINK THAT, BUT LUSTING OVER A FAIR MAIDEN IS NOT ONLY NATURAL, BUT ENCOURAGING. IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE FEELING AND CONTROL IT, IT WILL BE INFINITELY BETTER THAN SUPPRESS IT!]
"Welsh dragon, I want you to tell me I'm TRASH!"
[AS THE SPIRIT OF THE SACRED GEAR, I SUGGEST YOU INSTEAD LEARN HOW TO CONTROL YOUR DESIRES AND UNDERSTAND HOW IMPORTANT SUCH IS FOR YOUR...]
"..."
[...?]
"Uuh~... Uuuuh~... Uuuuh~...!"
[SIGH, JUST THIS ONCE... YOU ARE RUBBISH, TSUKINO ICHIJOU.]
"THANK... You." I screamed and shouted in relief, my hands in the air after finally getting that weight out of my shoulders. Ah, much better. Yes, I am trash, I am a hormonal monster, and knowing that will keep me in line for the time being. I heard a sigh coming from the welsh dragon, which he blows a black smoke out of his nostrils, and turned back to him. I crossed my arms, and lowered my head a little, drying the moisture that was left in my eyes. "Sorry about that, Welsh Dragon. And thank you."
[...] He said nothing, only continued to stare at me with a single eye from his massive head. I puffed the uneasiness out of my system and sat on the teacher's chair, resting a little after my outburst. Ah, so light...
"Y'know, if I were a guy, I would definitely do that maid until she forgets about Nemesis-chan..."
"Whoa...!" And that out-of-nowhere spurt besides me almost made me fall on the chair. Recovering my stand on the said seat, I looked at that direction and saw the dear cutting board redhead, doing a pose and doing a V-sign. Ah, I sometimes forget that she's here too. Damn it. "Tch... Yeah, right. You would... And I would despise you to now end for that, and you know it."
"Hello, Sokka from 'The Last Airbender', I'm Son Goku from 'Dragon Ball Evolution', you're white!" She stuck her tongue out and pulled one of her eyelids down in mockery, only to laugh and start doing obscene gestures with her hand. Okay, no she's starting to piss me off! "What did practically everyone in the cast said about loosing up, Ichijou? C'mon, you did said that to indulge yourself a few times is not a bad idea."
"Yes! I know! But... I just can't stop thinking about... That." I said. I know, indulgence is good once in a while, but now I'm starting to regret not doing it with Lucrezia-san, and I'm regretting thinking about that regret; if this makes any goddamn sense! Yagura again put her middle finger inside a ring formed by her other hand.
"Said it with me: it's called 'sex', 'fuck', 'bang', 'ride', 'shag', 'fornicate', 'copulate', 'mate', 'ravish', 'score', 'screw', 'hump', 'do the deed', 'dance the vertical tango', 'go nuts', 'make babies', 'hit homerun'... Pull an Failed Knight, Go Z-rated, Direct Tether, hot coffee mod, fade to black, sexy results, restore mana, deepen thy bond..."
"..."
"Okay, some of those I made up on the spot... But! I stand where I stood: you want that Lucrezia-san butt, and there's nothing wrong with that!" She shrugged and sighed again. A vein popped on my head for that one. I was about to retort that, but she stopped me with a lifted finger. "And don't come with that 'You don't get it' crap. The dragon is right, y'know. Unless you can't control it, having dirty thoughts is not a problem like you think. No one will charge you for thinking that."
"Except my sisters, my mom, and Whoever forbids, my father!" I said with a salty taste in my mouth, and she made another face.
"And? They would never find out. The point is: Don't push yourself too hard, Ichijou. It's natural for wanting to bang a hot chick. I mean, if not, then you're either gay, asexual or a harem light novel protagonist. Nothing wrong with those except the latter one." She opened that shit-eating grin at me, and I snickered. Goddamnit, she got me in a box now. Okay, but still, it feels wrong, it just feels, but then again, would be bad if I said I don't want to do... Things to Lucrezia-san? Yagura clapped her hands, then pointed at me. "Now say it. I'll make you feel better."
"W-What...?"
"You know what: say it."
[DO AS ASKS, PARTNER. SAY IT.] Oh, hell no! Not you too, Welsh Dragon!
"..."
"Say. It."
[SPEAK!]
"..."
"Ichijou..."
[PARTNER, WE DISCUSSED THIS...]
"I... I want do Lucrezia-san..."
"Louder."
"I wanna do Lucrezia-san...!"
"Louder! Say it like you mean it!"
"Ah! Shut up! Okay! OKAY! I WANT TO DO LUCREZIA-SAN! HAPPY NOW?!"
"Just her?"
"Don't push your luck!" I flicked her nose with a quick one, and I could hear the welsh dragon's laugh causing an earthquake in here! Fuck, this is so embarrassing! I feel like burying my head on the ground and wait for it to grow out, talk; sing and dominate the world(Yagura- How old are you again?). After a second or two of total rage-induced grunts, I let out a defeated sigh, and sat next to Yagura. "I'm trash, the worst kind, for thinking that."
"The word of the Lord says that while we should despise the sin, we should also always love the sinner." And the third voice came to my mind, and appearing next to me is the Angel Ophelia-san, holding my shoulders and smiling behind my back. She poked one of my cheeks. "This is also the case of thy neighbor. While some might judge you by one aspect, one should also look deep inside to see the real, selfless and understandable Ichijou-san, who just so happens to have a little bit of libido."
"..." Ah! What is happening now! Angel; dragon and devil, all pushing me to a corner! This is beyond normal bullying, this is downright mass assault! I pinched my own cheek in disgust and revolt, and stuck my tongue out. "Whatever."
"You're not perfect, Ichijou, nor subtle. Stop pretending you ain't proud you almost did it with the maid." Yagura said with a shrug and Ophelia-san scratched her cheek, probably not used to such crude devilish language. That one hit a bit lower. Proud? To have almost got laid with the maid(oh, that rhymes)? Not a chance... Okay, maybe a little. Am I trash for that too?
[I MUST SAY, HOSTS CAME AND DECLARED MANY AS THEIR LOVERS, BUT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT HAPPENS COMING FROM A LESBIAN. YOU SHOULD REALLY FEEL PROUD ABOUT IT.] Nobody asked your opinion, you goddamn red dragon! Ah, stop feeling proud about me and Lucrezia-san, this is so wrong! I bet someone will be mad about this and that!
"And your words to her were of such passion and love... Love like this is not an easy task to find. If not by the last two, you should feel proud about comforting and sharing such a hurt lady such as miss Lucrezia." And now even the angel is having dirty thoughts and trying to push me to the corner! Ah! This is insane! What is this, some kind of blackmail date?! What the hell is happening?!
"Shut up! Shut up, all of you! What you guys want from me?! What the hell you guys want from ME?!" I declare, no joke, as an ultimatum! That's it! If they don't respond me truthfully, I'm not going to contact here ever again! I might die because of that, but fuck it, I can't stand this anymore! However, they also threw they ultimatum, and then the devil and the angel mimicked me, and the dragon huffed flames!
"I want you to say out loud what you really want! Fill your lungs, tight your asshole and say out loud what your heart desires, regardless of what the world thinks of it!" Yagura said.
[RELEASE THYSELF FROM YOUR CHAINS, PARTNER! AS A DRAGON, PUT YOUR DESIRE ABOVE JUDGEMENT, ABOVE THE EYES OF OTHERS, ABOVE THE SHAME! AS A DRAGON THIS IS ONLY NATURAL!] The dragon roared.
"Ichijou-san, you'll never find happiness like that. I know there are consequences, but don't hold back your desires!" Ophelia-san spoke, her hands pumping up and down as she's trying to encourage me. Ah! This is too much! Seriously, what do I want here?!
As Senpai's inheritor and the current host of the Boosted Gear?! I want to carry on their legacies and make their names be known again!
As my own devil self?! I want to create a legacy of my own so nobody will remember me as 'just one host'! I want to be remembered as something! As someone who could do like the strongest, the fastest, the loudest and even more!
But as some as my own?! As a guy and a man?! I...
"Fine, I'll say it, I'LL SAY IT! I... I... I WANT TO LOSE MY VIRGINITY AND FEEL GOOD ABOUT IT!"
" " [YEAH!] " "
"I WAS TO LOSE MY V-CARD AND DON'T CARE WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK!"
" " [YEAH!] " "
"I WANT TO SCREW A CHICK AND EVERYONE WHO THINKS THINKING THAT IS GROSS OR IMORAL!"
" " [YEAH!] " "
"I WANT TO RAPE A GIRL'S BRAINS OUT AND NEVER GET CAUGHT!"
" " [NOT THAT KIND OF STORY, BUDDY...] " "
"Oh, sorry. I got carried away... Uh... Shit. Well... I think I'd be nice to have my first time." I concluded, and to be fair, I don't feel shame or regret to admit that. Granted, I feel dirty all over my spirit, and yeah, I'm trash for thinking that, but that's what I think, and I guess this is enough... Maybe. Hahah. Yagura came around and poked me on the tip of the nose, smiling.
"Atta boy, Ichijou. This is another weight you don't have to carry anymore." She spoke, flipping my nose and laughing, no, chuckling. I felt my face contorting in an ugly grimace, and another poke on my cheek for that. I turned around and saw that it was now Ophelia-san doing it.
"Just because you lust over females like that doesn't mean you'll become a beast of desire, Ichijou-san. Do not think just because you have a weakness, you won't have the power to control it. Believe in yourself." She spoke, now the two spirits inside my Boosted Gear poking each one of my cheeks.
"But above all else, Ichijou..."
"... Learn to be a little selfish once in a while, and don't mind what others might think."
"..." Is that really my problem? Being an uptight idiot? How can I be something like that? How can I be selfish? I am already a dozen of negative nouns, 'selfish' is not an extra one I want in my collection! Besides... It's because I what people thought of me I'm no longer friends with Julia-chan and Nina-chan. No... Wait... It's because of what people think of me I lost my friendship with Julia-chan and Nina-chan! This... This is actually... This is why! I get it now! I clapped my hands. "Oh! Oh! I get it now!"
"Yep." Yagura chuckled and poked me yet again. "Some people will always think you're evil and lustful just because you're a devil! Some people will always think you're a horny monster just because you're a man! Some people will always think you're a loser just because you're thinking about boobs and butts all the time! Well, so what? So what!"
I snickered. She's right.
Screw people who think being hormonal is the same thing as being a rapist!
Screw people who think low of me just because I can sometimes be a copy-paste of senpai!
Screw people who think they're better than me just because they're joyless eunuchs!
Screw people who think just because I like tits and asses I'm a good-for-nothing pervert who thinks nothing else!
And screw Uncle Henry for ruining my friendship with Julia-chan and Nina-chan just because of a prank! Just because he couldn't take a goddamn joke despite being one HIMSELF!
I'll always try my best for my friends! I'll always try to improve for my peerage! I'll always get better and better so that I can put a good fight against whoever crosses my path! But if there are people who I should always try to impress and achieve higher for, those people are mom and MYSELF!
*TINK!*
"Gahoh...!" And suddenly, I felt something in my chest, something heavy being crumbled away, and then, huh, I feel actually lighter now. I looked at my left hand, and from there my Sacred Gear materialized from it. For some reason; now it's shining brighter than ever before. The grip around it is stronger too. Wait, that little moment I had unlocked SOMETHING? "What the... That's new."
"Congratulations, pervert. Your link with the Boosted Gear has been deepened." Yagura crossed her arms with an approval stare, Ophelia-san right next to her clapping enthusiastically. This approval fills me with shame, but it's the good type of shame if that makes any sense. I gave them a light nervous smile, and for a second, they also smiled, although Yagura, even for a small second, turned dark. "Although that also makes you more vulnerable to the Juggernaut Drive..."
"'You said something, Yagura?"
"Oh, it's nothing Ichijou-san." The angel said. She picked both of my hands with her and a small light covered them for a few seconds. I could feel her heartbeat for what's worth, and when it was done; she smiled. "Yes, yes. This is good indeed. Your heart is actually clearer now, I can see. Ichijou-san, never give up in being honest to your feelings. Those feelings are what makes us strong, and also what fuels your Sacred Gear and us! So don't hold back anything!"
"Y-Yeah, I'll try." I felt my cheeks turn pink and the heat get hotter. Man, I can not deal with older women, can't I? It's not like Ophelia-san is not also a beautiful woman; but there's something about pretty and polite women I can't wrap my mind about. Instead, I walked towards the window where the dragon was resting,took a deep breath then bowed. "Red welsh Dragon... I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. Please forgive my attitude towards you."
[...] My head was still low and my eyes were kept shut, so I couldn't see his reaction, just hear his powerful voice grunt a long and hoarse one. After a while, I tried a peek at him, lifting my head a little bit, and I saw that green emerald eye shining at me, as it was laughing. [KAHAHAH! NO NEED TO APOLOGIZE FOR YOUR BEHAVIOR, PARTNER. I'VE SEEM YOU HAVE WORSE DILEMMAS AND BREAKDOWNS. SOMETHING AS CHILDISH AND SIMPLE AS PREPUBERTAL FITS ARE NOT HARD TO DEAL UPON.]
"I-Is that so? Hah... Ahahah... Okay then, thank you...?" I said. Now he's calling a simpleminded, that's kinda rude. But he's right, who am I to ask him about something as simple...-ish as hormonal fits against a dragon who saw countless wars and conflicts, including some he himself and the White one caused? It's lame to compare those, I feel lame. We both laughed it off for a moment or two...
[HOWEVER...] And then the entire place trembled when he lifted his tail and hit the ground with it! Such power, I almost lost balance for that. [DO NOT DARE TO RAISE YOUR VOICE FOR SO LITTLE TO YOURS TRULY AGAIN. RESPECT IS GIVEN WHERE RESPECT IS EARNED, PARTNER. REMEMBER THAT.]
"Y-Yeah! I-I mean... Yes, sir! Red dragon!" I responded back with a more violent bow, and again the dragon chuckled, probably amused by my show of misery. When I was done, I turned around and stretched myself a little, walking towards the exit of the classroom jumping around to avoid the holes I made. "So... Thank you all. I should be going now. After all of that, I think I need some sleep put things on my head in order again."
"Yeah, seriously." Yagura chuckled, yet gives me a thumbs up for some extra boost. I mimicked her. "Take a rest, dragon. You earn it. But remember everything that you learn, and try to live your life. Not many sekiryuuteis lived as much as you."
"Thanks, I guess." And with that, I walked towards the door, opening it and being engulfed by the light, feeling that sensation of sleepiness. So, I'll deepened my link with my Sacred Gear, all thanks to my... Uncontrollable libido. But for once, I think I'm in the safe zone...
...
...
*Brrr~! Brrrr~! Brrrr~!*
"Argh..." Now What? Just when I was about to really sleep after all that craziness, something started to vibrate on my bed head. I peeked an eye to the clock on the wall. What the hell, it's 4am, who the hell is calling at this hour? Whatever, I just need to message that someone to call me later or something. I lifted one of my hands to try to pick that one up since the other is for some reason numb and heavy. I fumbled the bed head a few times trying to reach for the phone, yet i kept pushing it away. Goddamnit. Fortunately, I sprouted a third hand and reached for the phone, but instead of refusing the call and leaving a message, my third hand slid it's finger on the screen to answer it and put it right on Rina's ea-Wait a minute!
"Hello. Sorry, Ichijou is sleeping right now, so could you call us later, thank you~." Rina, who was sleeping right next to me, groggily said to the other side of the line. Did she just sneak into my bedroom again?! Whatever, too sleepy and tired to try to scold her. Instead, I also groggily snapped my phone from her hand and put it on my own. "Or maybe not."
"Rina; what did I say about answering my calls, You dummy." I said, and still with her eyes closed, she pouted, and sighed; and again fell asleep. Why do I keep doing this? I put the phone on my ear and tried to sort things out now. Of course, the one by the other side was the last person I wanted to hear about Rina. "Hello, who is it and from where are you calling, cuz here in Japan is 4AM..."
'Ichijou, who was that?'
"..."
'...'
Fffffffff... Father...
"What do you want; dad? I said it already; it's 4am..." I said to the man by the other side of the phone, Tsukino Hajime, my shitty old man, the reason why I have three sisters from different mothers, and why I had no friends since I was seven. I heard a chuckle by the other; and as expected, he didn't listen to my question.
'Not here in Rome; it ain't! Nice sky, by the way. I will take a picture just for your mother.' He said so enthusiastically. Oh, so he's in Rome now, good for him, go get eaten by a kraken there then. 'But again, who was the girl who answered the phone? Ohohoh! Are you finally dating a girl, congrats, my son! Don't forget to use protection!'
"..." Normal and calm reaction from me? Just this once. Normally I would've smashed my phone on the nearest wall, but mother keep saying I should quit doing that since she doesn't want to buy a new phone every time one of us have a hissy fit. Fair, sure, but nowadays this is getting rather difficult. "What do you want, dad? You know those kind of calls are expensive. And just so you know, the girl who answered is NOT... I mean, we're NOT dating."
"Huhuhuh~, yet." You shut up, I need to work this problem first, then you.
'Alright, alright. Having your little escapades, I got you wholly, sony." Yeah, I know you do, we all know you're a specialist on that. I'm so sleepy I can't even think of saying anything bad to him. I grunted a little, I'm not paying for this call.
"..."
'...'
"So, how is Rome? Probably less rainy than here in Japan." I asked, trying to maybe tire him and have a 'pleasant' talk. He laughed a little for that, then proceed to talk back.
'Oh, even with summer around the corner, it looks like your mother was right about the weather. Stay strong, Ichijou. Don't want you getting colds now.' He said in a lower, but stern tone, as if he really cares about me. I grunted, but dismissed his gentility with a sigh. 'Changing the subject, I heard you're making some friends now, good to know, actually. Are they from school? I was kinda worried thinking that Kuoh may not be the safest place for you since... Y'know.'
"Yes, I know." That one came drier and more straightforward than I wanted, but I'm not sorry for that if that helps get the point across. I heard a low and hurt 'oh' coming by the other side, but then a cheerful laugh soon after. "I guess you're having fun, too?"
'Nah; not so much, sony. Reunion after reunion with some big cheeses, but nothing too exciting.' He spoke, laughing. Then the subject turned to me. 'How about you? About your friends... Are they cute?'
"Dad~..." I really wanted to scream in his ears so much it'll burst either his eardrums or some random satellite, but I was tired; so it end up as a whine, much to my own displeasure. Oh god; why now! It always like that, him asking about my life in this state. Shit!
'Mom's been telling me. So, a lot of cute girls, eh? You probably's gonna end up like Satsuki, mr. Charmer!' Came words of praise that were actually disgusting me. Uuuugh~, mom snitched me, and in the worst version possible. I really wanted this to be just an bad; bad dream, but unfortunately, it isn't! 'By the way, she also said something about... The dojo cleaning and a maid to help with the Hot springs... Ichijou, has your mother been drinking?'
"Goodbye, dad. ,Thanks for the call, but I'm not being a stud. Sorry to disappoint you." I said ready to end the call. His grunts of protest, however, kept me interested for some reason.
'Wowowow! Hang on, Ichijou. I didn't call you just to ask about your love life. Although~, hearing about it now certainly helps my mood.' He snickered. I'll give him one more chance to hold this conversation. Why? Because I know in the next sentence he'll definitely blow it up. 'I called because, listen to me, I found those two cuties back here in Rome that I guarantee you'll love t-...!'
*BEEP!*
"Good morning to you too, Dad." I said. His chances had run out; and is my patience. I clicked my phone to end the call and go back to sleep. Fortunately, he's only allowed to call on my phone once a month, so no worries for him to call me at this time again. Rome, eh? Sounds nice, but I won't go there just to meet some cute girls. Whatever, ah, finally some sleep. "Yawn~, finally..."
"Who was it, darling?" A half-asleep Yoko asked, snuggling on my left arm which I couldn't move before, opening an eye and twitching her fluffy fox ears on top of her head.
"No worries, Yoko. It was just my father..." I groggily said, her only response being a quick and also-groggy 'Oh'.
"He seems nice." Rina said, and I sighed a little. He just 'seems', unfortunately for such a charisma for him. Suddenly, *PAFT!*, a pillow flew at our direction and smacked me on the face. I grunted, narrowing my eyebrows.
"Would you be quiet, Red Dragon? Have you not tired of privatizing me from sleep? Honestly..." I heard someone calling me by Rina's side, and it was Kan'u's voice. Damn, it's not I like to receive calls at this hour either.
"No fair. Guan Yu-chin. Cellphone, can't control it." Tasha reached her slender arm across us to maybe poke Guan Yu, and her only response after that was a quick grunt.
"Don't be like that, Kan'u-nyan. Next time, he'll put in silent mode, nyan." Ginko-san said, also poking me with one of her nails.
"Let's... Let's go back to sleep. I'm... Really... Tired~." Whiswain spoke next to Tasha, and honestly, I couldn't agree more. We all nodded for that, and soon enough, the climate around here turned cozy, little by little, I was falling asleep in the soft bed again...
...
... Wait.
'Are you sure you're not mistaken? I mean; I heard on the news Kuoh academy is closed because of the storm! You going there just because of Extra Credit...' For the millionth time; Mother spoke me through the phone I was struggling to keep on, with my umbrella and wiggly Rina and Yoko. For the Conference, I'll have to meet with kaichou and Nemesis-san on the old Kuoh building, and even with the storm and the dark sky, I had to walk there. Why not teleportation? Because everybody else is also home, and soon or later; I'd ask me to help in something.
"It's okay mom, I'll have lunch nearby too. So I won't be long there much." I said, jumping away from a puddle in the ground and trying my best to see through the dense rain, almost to no avail. I heard again a worried him by the other side of the line, so I had to reassure her. "I promise mom, it won't take long. Remember, it's not like I'm pulling a Shion..."
'Well, fuck you too, little brother.' (Shion)
'Don't be mean, Ichijou. And really; I think the rain is getting worse. Are you really going to be okay? Extra credit can wait...' She keeps saying, and honestly, I think I'm blushing a little for all of this. Mom is getting worried, and I don't want that, but for the better or for the worst, I need to keep this façade.
"Even so mom, Rina and Yoko are going too. You know I can't let them go for themselves." I said back, and by the other side, I heard mom sighing, taking a deep breath, while my sister changed some curious hums.
'Huh, you really like those girls, don't you Ichijou?' Oh mother, if only you knew the reason behind those... I heard another sigh, a quick hum, and then she spoke again in a lower, however more confident tone. 'Okay, Ichijou. I understand. But I'll make some rice porridge for you all when you all come back. Don't be late. And don't go whining when you catch a cold... Again.'
"Will do. Thanks, mom." And with that the call ended. I could finally put my cellphone down and continue to walk towards Kuoh under my pink umbrella.
"Mama Scylla sure loves you; huh? What a lovely in-law I'll have." Yoko commented with a smile, and I rolled my eyes. Still with the snake nicknames, eh? Well, that's what you get for such an unfortunate name, mom. But yeah, I also like to think mom loves me, and vice-versa.
"Oh, so we'll have Rice porridge as dinner. Maybe we should start having more evening-meetings for that." Spoke the Gremory next to me, licking her lips in anticipation. For that, I'll also starting to get hungry. Fortunately, it didn't take long for that, since we finally reached for the Old Building, Rina's eyes starting to sparkle with its vision. So this is it. "Here we are; the old Building. The original HQ of the occult research club. Ah, the history behind those buildings, cracks and wood. Where everything started, went and end, the pinnacle of...!"
"What a piece of rubbish." Aaaand~ who came, the ultimate asshole general of course. Rina suddenly stopped on her little reverie, and so slowly turned to the raven-haired general, who walked towards the said old building and started to knock on its old walls, making the whole place echo it. "Tch, there's no imposing aura around it, and the old wood and concrete will not hold for a century or two. If this suppose to be the symbol of an era, I pity the history of Devils, for choosing such unstable figure."
"..." I turned to Rina, who was saying nothing yet had that expression on her face, the half-assed grin of contained rage and narrowed eyes that were pretty much saying that someone will choke a bitch, that same face I used to do in the Underworld. Before either Kan'u could destroy the building or Rina could destroy Kan'u, Ryuubi-sensed reached for the former and pinched her ear until she was on her knees.
"Guan Yu, respect! Pay your respect for your predecessors. Now!" Spoke the general in an uncharacteristically stern tone, twitching Kan'u's ear to cringeworthy levels, until she was on her knees. Kan'u, on the other hand, was blushing for her 'punishment'. Oh God; no.
"Y-Yes. I'm sorry, mistress Liu Bei. P-Please forgive me~..." Ahe says that yet she's making that face, trembling to the last string of hair and even starting to salivate. Until Ryuubi-sensei let go of her, and she blinked, a little disappointed.
"Right. And that would be your lesson, Guan Yu. Let us go inside." She said, now morphing her frown into a cheerful smile. She opened the door to the said place, and walked inside, leaving us behind, specially a very disappointed Kan'u. Instead, I walked towards her and pinched her cheek~!
"Owowow~! Red Dragon, what are you doing~?!" Maybe I went too hard on her, she's reacting a little more than with Ryuubi's punishment, but still continued as our small quarrel.
"Waaah~, don't fight~! I thought Ichijou-san and Guan Yu-san already solved their problems~!" Whiswain moaned under her breath, waving her hands at our direction to maybe let me stop. However, Rina stepped in between us and, flashing me a devious stare and grin and a wink, she walked them inside.
"Don't worry, Whiswain. They're just... Talking, aren't you? Let's go inside, let's talk with everyone." She said, giving me a thumb up from her back, and soon enough, they entered the place, while I was still here pulling and twisting Kan'u's ear. When they disappeared inside; I ceased my little punishment, and helped her on her feet. She was still blushing a little, but her face was between a grimace and a pout.
"Honestly, partaking this activities in front of put group, specially master Berolina, You're seriously the worst influence for females, Red Dragon." She said, yet stumbled a little on her feet; so I helped her to get up. She pushed me away like saying she didn't need my help, and I chuckled, scratching my cheek.
"You going to tell me you didn't enjoy it." I shrugged, and she turned to me with a serious, if not a bit teary, expression. She reached her hand for my hair and pulled some strings away from my face.
"Everything in excessive is poison, Red Dragon. Delight without end is not bliss, but opium. Restrain your libido, and you'll live longer. Take it as a warning." She spoke. Huh, she's lecturing me, yet there's no contempt or arrogance in her words. Plus; she's still toying with my hair, pulling the bangs away from my eyes and forehead. I could only chuckle, wow, look at her going.
"Kahah~..." I snickered, and she blinked with narrowed eyes, tilting her head to a side and contorting her lips in a downwards curve. "Oh, nothing. It's just... Never thought you could be so intelligent sometimes. Was that a spurt of the moment?"
"Tch, on the other hand, a brief existence might not be a bad idea for both you and me. You take my words for granted." She formed a hook with one of her fingers and hooked my cheek. Owowow~, that hurts~. But again; I pushed a trigger of her. In the end; she frowned and turned around. "Now let us get going."
"Yes, ma'am." I said next to her; yet she could only groan under her breath. Would it be too much for me to slap her butt? Yep, it would, for now at least. Instead, I pinched one of her cheeks, and she did the same. And like that, we walked towards the inside of her claimed 'piece of junk'. "You're just the worst, Kan'u Unchou-san..."
"Line-stealer, Hong Long." Huh, we can at least agree on one thing: we love hating each other.
"See? Don't they love each other?" Tasha said as she saw us walking in the corridor, still holding cheeks to each other; until we reached in front of the door with everyone. We let go of each other and walked towards everyone around. Whiswain was pouting with a little tear coming from her eye, so Yoko patted her on the head. If only she knew.
"So, Rina, we just push the door or something?" I asked my King, pointing my thumb to said old-looking door. On the other hand, she walked towards to the door and knocked a few times. Instead of turning the knob and pushing the door, she poked it, and from it, a crimson Gremory runs appeared on it, which soon with a *CRASH*, it broke apart like glass. Only then she turned the knob to open it. That was awesomely unnecessary, if I can something myself.
"Magical lock. Being a Gremory, I have a natural key for it. Wonder if Serena-chan had any problem." She spoke, and with that, opened the door to the room/
The dimly-lit room had little to no natural light, filled with candles and runes all over the walls, with also some couches and pillows spread all over, a main table of reunion where Nemesis-san sat, hands supporting her chin and with eyes arrowing the door, while Ginko-san jumped towards her. We all entered; and with that, I closed the door behind my back. We weren't alone, though, besides my group and Nemesis-san, Aria-nee and Serena-kaichou were also here, and besides the latter, at least six other people using Kuoh academy uniform were standing behind, people I can only assume were her peerage. Oh, and Ren's also here. He waved a hand at me. So, this is the occult Research club...
"Welcome... To the Occult research club room." Nemesis-san welcomed us with a hand wave. Aria-nee cleaned her throat while petting Ginko-san.
"Oooooh, oooh-oh-oooooh~. Ooh-ooooh-ooh-OOOOH-oooh~. OOOOH-oooh-oooooh~, oooh-oooh-ooo-...!"
"Seriously, Aria? You have to do this for every time someone enters this room?" Nemesis-san sighed with a facepalm and another slap on one of Aria-nee's breasts. Aria-nee stopped... Ariaing and smirked.
"Hey, if we're gonna reference something, we better do with the best we can." She shrugged. Nemesis-san rolled her eyes.
"Well, stop it." And with that, she turned back at us again. "Retrospectively, welcome, Berolina, peerage and... Kurama-dono."
"Happy to comply, Nemesis from the Gremory house. Thought my business here are mostly as a companion for my dear husband." Yoko said with a quick smirk and hugging one of my arms. Seriously, who the hell is this Kurama? Is this Yoko's alias or something? How does this work?
"Right. As you all know by now..."
"If not, here comes exposition!"
"Aria...!"
"Ainjuzeying!"
"As I was saying, as you all know by now, The Vampire-Devil conference, that will organize a peace truce between the two races, shall be taking its place here in Kuoh academy soon, and as the Devils in charge, we should organize ourselves in order to make such meeting run as smooth and peaceful as possible." She said, tapping her fingers a few times on her table and standing up. We all nodded for that. "So, as Headmistress and devil in charge of Kuoh town, I ask for your help in the matter at hand. Serena from the house of Sitri and Berolina from the house of Gremory, Please use the better judgement to organize your Evil Pieces for such Meeting!"
"Yes, Headmistress." Both the heiresses said in unison, and both now sat on the opposing sofas in the middle of the room, being her queen I sat next to my King, and Serena-chan waved at me. I did the same, but when Rina did the same, Kaichou simply pouted and turned away. What was that about? "Uuuuh~... So, we better get to know each other first, right? My name is Berolina from the house of Gremory, Nemesis's younger sister and King of my own peerage, also vice-president of the Suggestion Box club. Nice to meet you."
"..." Kaichou was still pouting while the rest of her peerage nodded for us in respect, all the six of them. The girl who was sitting next to kaichou had to nudge with her elbow for her to talk, and still pouting, the Sitri turned to us. "Serena Sitri; more commonly known as Shitori Serena. I'm the current President of the student council of Kuoh academy and heiress of the Sitri clan... But apparently SOMEONE doesn't think that's important enough to pay a small visit to the Sitri house during weekend!"
"Sigh, I'm sorry, Serena-chan~!" Rina laughed nervously, scratching the back of her head. Y'know what? I'm not even that surprised, it's not even shocking. "But your mother always says that you're always organizing things in your house! I don't want to interrupt or anything!"
"Yeah, because I'm just like a heroine in a light novel: since my route was never to be, you completely ignore me for the rest of the walkthrough!" Kaichou crossed her arms and turned her pout to us. "Just because you already finished my Social Link doesn't mean I don't want to spend time with you! Next time, we're going fishing!"
"O-Okay..."
'Ooooh-oohh-OOOH-ooooh~! Ooh-OOOOH-oooh-OOOH-ooooh! OOOH-Oooh-OOOH-oooh~!'
'Aria...!'
'C'mon, Nemis. They were just asking for this one.'
"Okay, we got that covered, thank you. I think it's my turn: My name is Ichijou and I'm a first year, Berolina's Queen, president of the Suggestion Box club." I stood up and bowed to the group in front of me. Better give them a good first impression and maybe break the ice! They all clapped for me, and the girl next to kaichou, who had dirty brown hair with blond ends and violet eyes hummed something. After a minute or two, I lifted my head and, to go on, I materialized my Boosted Gear. "Uuuuh~... I'm also the current Red Dragon Emperor; but you all might already know that since the School Trials, ahahah..."
"Yes, indeed. But to be honest, I thought the pink one was the queen." The girl next to kaichou said, standing up to put herself on my level. She's at least as tall as kaichou, therefore slightly taller than me. She looked at me deep in the eyes, then to behind my back, probably to Ryuubi-sensei, then back to me. In the end, she shrugged with no malice in it, and extended a hand for me. "I'm Serena's Queen. Pleased to meet you... 'Partner'."
"Uh-huh... Nice to meet you too." I responded reaching for her hand and with my own, shake it. Wow; her hand is so cold for some reas-...!
*CLICK!*
*DON!*
[WELSH DRAGON: BALANCE BREAKER!]
"What?!"
[WHAT/What/What?!]
"I-Ichijou...?!" Before I knew it, for some reason, an electric shock ran through my body and I was forcibly threw into my Balance Breaker, the crimson armor emanating a heavy aura so powerful things began to tremble! Soon enough I deactivated it, and heavily panted for it.
"Ah, what the hell...?!" I said between heavy breaths, feeling like throwing up! I tossed my eyes upwards to look at brunette in front of me, who was now showing a small drill-like button coming from her pawn! "You...!"
"So sorry for this; Tsukino-kun, but I was just confirming your status. This small invention allows me to have the most diverse reactions from Sacred Gears it comes in contact with. I'm surprised, the majority vomits after it." She said that matter-of-factly, and suddenly punching her was in the list of things I wanna do! That was... Something, and besides angry, I'm actually impressed how she was able to make my Sacred Gear react. How the hell...? She picked the small button, which was now emanating some smoke, and tossed it away. "Some improvements were needed, but since grandfather is not here anymore, I'll just have to continue to use his collection for now."
"Your grandfather?"'I asked. She turned back to me and then flicked her hair, scratching then back of her ear. Wait, don't tell me!
"More or less. Grandfather is just a cute name for an ancestor of mine. Let me try this again." And she sighed and, out of nowhere, she sprouted two wings from her back. One as expected was a typical black leather-like bat devil wing, but the other one resembled the one's of a crow. No, worse than that. Between it's feathers, jet-black feathers, I couldn't see anything. As in I was staring at everlasting darkn-*COUGH!*
...
Sorry, that corn was super dry, hard to swallow in one go.
But yeah, they're super black.
Huh, much better.
"My name is Shiranui Akatsuki, Serena Sitri's queen and Azazel's descendant from one his mistresses. Please to meet you, Sekiryuutei."
"..."
"..."
...
"Uuuuh~, is your name seriously Shiranui Akatsuki?"
"..." And then she blushed. I mean, yeah, Azazel's descendant, another one! And under Serena-kaichou's command; which is in itself pretty intense, not to mention her wings. But seriously, Shiranui Akatsuki? That's so... Stupid. It's even funny! Kahah... Ahahahah! She shot her eyes wide open with a frown. "I have you know, sekiryuutei, my name is one of the proudest families in Japan! The fallen angel known as Azazel chose my ancestor, the empress Kagari, as one of his mistress because...!"
Kagari... One of her ancestors... Is named Kagari...
...
"Pffft~...!"
"Hush you, red dragon emperor!" And she was already on the brink of tears, but still trying to sound tough, slowly but steadily failing in keeping the cool appearance, while I was also failing at that. I stopped for a second, then I calmed down. Hahahah... No, I must keep impressions and honour, even for a little.
"S-Sorry, Its just... I mean... I'd never thought someone with such an..." I stopped to notice how altered she still was, then after another deep breath, continued. "Exquisite name could possibly be real. Forgive my manners."
"O-Okay, good!" She spoke, calming down and drying the tears on her pretty face. She took a deep breath, then released it to go back to her calm and professional self. "Also, I'm sorry for my little outburst, who is extremely uncharacteristic. As I was saying, Tsukino-san..."
"On the other hand, you can call me Torisuna Kazuma if you want..."
"Oh, now you're just asking...!"
*VOOOOSH! VOOOSH! BAM! BAM!*
"It's raining cats and dogs outside and I have a meeting with my Archnemesis Ixis Vassago! I DON't HAVE TIME TO DEAL WITH TEENAGE DRAMA, SO GO ON WITH THIS SHIT BEFORE I SEW YOU TWO TOGETHER!"
" " Yes, ma'am!" " We both said in unison seeing two pencils cross between us at the speed of sound and hit the wall with maximum damage, practically opening two fissures there. We straightened up and turned to each other again. I bit my lips so no other nonsense would escape them, and then stretched my hand for her again. And she did the same. "Uuuuh~... Okay. Sekiryuutei Tsukino Ichijou, Berolina's queen. Nice to meet you."
"L-Likewise. Descendant of the fallen Emissary Shiranui Akatsuki, Serena's queen." She spoke, and again we shook hands. This time, no tricks or treats, just a semi-friendly handshake and a small bow from both of us. While we were doing it, some tension increased between us, so I could only try to break the ice.
"So... Uuuuh~, Azazel's descendant. That's nice." I said with a light blow to the side to get rid of the uneasiness. That wasn't a lie just for conversation though. I'm really impressed. "I heard a lot about him from everyone. A great inventor, leader and fallen angel. Senpai used to admire him a lot, and so do I."
"Azazel was an hedonistic scum, a rapist, a rebel without a cause, a hormonal pig and a walking disaster area with nothing but women and selfish inventions in his mind who indirectly and directly killed a bunch of people including his best friend's wife and a innocent japanese boy, couldn't control his other best friend and his own son, created several copies of a potential rapist, induced his own protégée to kill his own family which also triggered the beast of the Apocalypse and died as he lived: trying to make the world a better place yet epically failing."
"..."
"But~ there's also several reasons to admire him, I admit." Oh, so someone has some sense of morale here, as it narrow as it goes at least. She shined me a small smile, and I sighed to lightly bow again. "So... Pleased to meet in your acquaintances, Sekiryuutei. I hope we can work as well as our predecessors did."
"Yeah, me too."
"..."
"..."
" 'Please to meet in your acquaintances' means is a pleasure t-..."
"Yeah, yeah! I know, I know. Thank you." And with that running gag out of the way, we both parted hands and sat back in the sofa. Huh, for some reason, I liked her, she's... Different. I pointed to the teacher behind me with my thumb. "Also, the pinkerette who you thought it was Rina's Queen? She's our Rook."
"A thousands pleasures to meet you, members of friendly Peerage! And humbly reciprocate such feeling with our presence!" And Ryuubi-sensei walked to the other side and politely bowed her head. She then crossed her arms and flashed them a smile. "The one who with thou speak is General LIu Bei, descendant of such namesake and trained under master Sun Wukong, the supreme ruler of the Land of Fruit and flowers! Glad to be on your care!"
"Nice girl. Unlike their queen." Akatsuki... Shiranui-san said with a sigh, looking at me with father unimpressed eyes, without any malice however, then she looked at another student behind her and signed with her head for him to go to forward. "It's only now fair that we present our Rook as well. Bello-kun..."
"Yas!" And then a bigger man stepped up. This student, topping even Ryuubi-sensei, had olive-colored skin, yet blond hair as pure gold, light-emerald eyes which looked like two jewels, and a jawline so masculine I think I could top a horse on top of that. Not to mention, he was quite muscular too. And not just 'skinny-muscular-like-a-light-novel-MC' buff, but uber-muscular buff. You cold grind a whole cow in those! He walked in front of sensei, and smiled as well. "Hello, Liu Bei! Bellerophon is my name, and such as yourself, it is also my legacy and pride! Let us work together to crush our enemies, to see them driven before you and hear the lamentation of their women!"
"My strategy consists mainly in Divide and Conquest, so the joys of bloodshed are not included. But someone such as yours truly cannot ignore passion." And then the feeling was mutual; and she extended her hand for him. I sighed, so did Rina and Shiranui-san, so we're practically thinking the same thing: we're always surrounded by weirdos. "Glad to be under your same care, Bellerophon-dono!"
"This feeling is mutual, General Liu Bei!" And they shared a handshake. You'd think something from Liu Bei and innocent as a handshake would actually we sweet; well it wasn't, the moment their touched palms, the whole place trembled, and with each shake, a new tremor around. In the end, after the place was almost one meter away from where it actually was, they waved themselves goodbye and walked to their position, like nothing happened. "Nice gal."
"Possibly a hero." Ryuubi-sensei said with a smile. I turned to Rina and the rest of the girls and, yeah, apparently Bellerophon-san's charms is not just affecting me. For some reason, that pissed me off. Sensei then signed with her hand the one next to her. "And to continue our presentation, this one next to me is Guan Yu, also the descendant of a hero and my oath brother. She's also master Berolina's final Knight!"
"Guan Yu, knight of Master Berolina. Don't touch her or my mistress. That is all, go die." I facepalmed, talking about weirdos. Maybe I should just bite the lobe of her ear so that she could behave just like that.
"I'm so sorry for her." I lamented, turning to Kaichou and Shiranui-san. Kaichou shrugged with a laugh.
"No worries, we got our own social-blockhead as well." She said to the ruffian-looking silverette of short rebellious hair and grey eyes who was next to another bleached-blond pretty boy of long hair wrapped in a girly ponytail and bright brown eyes, the former just clicking his tongue in a distasteful 'tch'. I know him, he's One of the most handsome students of Kuoh academy, the one Kan'u was hunting, and head of the disciplinary committee Sanada Hideyoshi-senpai. "You might already know them: Sanada-kun and Nanami-kun."
"So, you're the red dragon emperor who Serena was talking about." The blond one who I assume was Nanami-san said, walking from behind Serena-kaichou and right in front of me, his eyes narrowed in a frown, as he's trying to pick a fight. I looked at Serena-kaichou, and she only made a silence gesture for me. Oh shit, what now? I gulped in anticipation, then nodded for him. "Then I have a question for you, Sekiryuutei Ichijou."
"..." I frowned as well to match him. A question, right here and now? Sounds dangerous, but knowing devils as for now, he probably won't hold back either. Or ask a stupid question, for what's worth. I nodded for him. "Right, ask away."
"Very well." He landed both his hands on my shoulders, took a deep breath and then looked at me dead in the eyes. "Say, if you're really a dragon, I ask you this: If you happen to found a dinosaur hidden in the melting polar icecaps, what would you do?"
"..."
"..."
I knew it, stupid question. But still.
"Uh... I would train him to balance on a ball, I guess." I answered. Still with that same poker face, he turned to Kaichou.
"Serena-kaichou... This guy is fine on my books."
*SLAP! SLAP!*
"Sousuke, enough with your nonsense! Tsukino-kun, do not encourage this idiot!" And reason came by with the form of a paper fan on our heads, courtesy of Shiranui-san. Nanami-san however opened a carefree smile and sat next to his queen, receiving another paper fan hit. Wow, so carefree. "Honestly..."
"Well, dragon that is dragon knows his stuff, right Nanami-kun?" Kaichou high-fived that guy, who I just notice now was wearing a SAO shirt under his uniform. Why am I not surprised? She then pointed at the two last members of her peerage, a girl with chocolate hair pulled in a ponytail and quite the shy aura and another pretty girl with silver hair in a bowlcut and bespectacled white eyes. "And those are my final pieces: My precious seven-worthy pawn Kakinozoka Orie and my only bishop Kurogane Akira."
"Kaichou, don't go saying my Evil pieces! It's so embarrassing!" The brown-haired one said with a blush, while the other one winked at us while adjusting her glasses.
"As for me, my two bishops: Tasha Campbell and Whiswain... Whatshersurnameis." Rina used both her hands to portrait our own last pieces. Whiswain as always hid behind Tasha, who for starters walked towards the other two. standing right in front of... I think it's Kurogane-san. She blinked, and Kurogane-san winked again.
"Huh. Bigger than mine." I facepalmed seeing the two collide breasts. But then, Tasha snapped her fingers and some sparkles flew off, while Kurogane-san smiled again. "What's your gimmick?"
"..." Kurogane-san said nothing, only lifted her hand and, from her sleeve, pulled something like a paper seal. Suddenly, a blue glow involved it and then wrapped itself around Tasha's flames, forming something like a paperbag, not unlike rock candy bags. She picked it by one of the edge, then pulled away from Tasha, only to them rip it apart and then, to everyone's surprise, show that the fire was still lit. Even Tasha clapped as the flames vanished.
"You see, Akira-chan actually is part of a family of exorcists who teaches lessons directly from Abe no Seimei. Since her family needed some boosted fame, they traded they youngest child for my peerage for a small piecem of land for another school." Kaichou explained. That's actually kinda sad. I looked at Kurogane-san, however, and didn't saw any form of sorrow or sadness in her face. On the contrary, she seems pretty lax. She looked at us and waved a cute one. "Also, I wouldn't make her talk too much. Even her words are so sacred it can harm us."
"Uuuuh~, poor you. Does it hurt? Not being able to talk?" Whiswain said, doing a sad face for the exorcist. Even I'm feeling kinda bad for her, but Kurogane-san waved it away and instead kissed both bishops on the cheek, synching a 'please to meet you'(Yoroshiku), or maybe an 'I'll kill you'(Koroshi yo), with her lips. Whiswain went hysterical, fuming by her ears, while Tasha simply blushed. "Awawawah~, Serena-kaichou's pieces are as bold as her~!"
"Soft, nice." Tasha massaged her kiss area, then tossed her eyes to the other bishop who winked again, and smiled. "I like her."
"Of course you would." Berolina said, shrugging with a smile. Her purple eyes scanned around the place, then waved at Yoko, who was so casually talking to Nemesis-san. She looked at us, then Rina pointed a finger at her. "and she's... Our unofficial member, The nine-tailed fox Akabane Yoko."
"Unofficial member?" Shiranui-san asked with a tilt of her head.
"She's... My husband. And since I'm with Berolina, she's in for the ride." I said, turning to Yoko, who gave me a happy smile. The vision, however, was obstructed by Nanami-san's mischievous smile.
"Oh, 'husband', eh? So you have a waifu? That's nice." She said, nudging his fellow knight on the side with his elbow, and in response *PUNCH!*, there goes a nice punch in the face, ouch. Nice one, but ouch nonetheless.
"And with presentations done, and I must remind you that we still have to go finishing on the weekend!" Serena-kaichou smiled at Rina who so nervously comply, then unfolded a piece of paper on top of the tea table, which was a complete map of Kuoh academy. "We can start with the main course of our reunion: our positions during the conference."
And then it started. It was actually quite smooth in planning since we were just going to pay extra eyes for the Vampire Empire since they demanded extra security, thus making us go through all of this. It was simple: Bishops would stay at the New Building creating a new barrier and also serving as intruder signals, Whiswain and Kakinozoka-san doing such while Kurogane-san and Tasha would protect them; Rooks Liu Bei and Bellerophon-san will protect the surroundings of the Old Building where the conference will take place and the Knights will play snatchers at any suspicious activities around the area since, well, we're dealing with Vampires. Now; Serena-kaichou and Rina will work as members of the conference themselves, and me and Shiranui-san will work as their bodyguards.
"The room will have us, our queens, Cohen-sama and Zoroaster-sama for the devil faction and Nosferatu-sama and Desmond-sama for the Vampire Empire, with Haruka-sama as bodyguard." I clenched my fist for Kaichou's declaration. Haruka-sama and Desmond-sama being in the same room, there's something of a bad joke in that, but I took a deep breath and let it go. Kaichou nodded together with Rina and hummed. "And I think... That covers all, except... Uh, Ichijou-kun...?"
"Eh? What about me?" I asked.
"Haruka-sama has been reporting some activities surrounding Kuoh and the constant presence of the White Dragon Emperor. So we'll have to be prepared." Nemesis-san said. Oh, so that time with Yoko wasn't just a coincidence, the Hakuryuukou is really around Kuoh academy, and that's concerning. A cold sweat ran down my head, while Aria-nee walked towards me and snapped her fingers for a crimson red rune to appear that. She touched the back on my hand with it, transferring the magical circle on it, and then disappearing it.
"There, bro. Just like the previous time, this special circle will allow you to teleport away from the barrier in case of any problems." Aria-nee smiled, then jumped away from me. Oh right, like that time when I accidentally used [DRESS BREAK] on her. Hahah, such embarrassment. After that, I took a deep breath, a little worried about the white one. I talk and talk, yet when it comes to this, it's really frightening. But then it hits me.
"So, if I were to leave Rina and the others behind, who would guard her with Shiranui-san?" I asked with a hand in the air to call for Nemesis-san's attention.
"That would be me, Ichijou." And talking for the first time, Ren presented himself, jumping all the way to besides me. He lifted a fist to me, so I responded with a fistbump, while everybody else wooed in awe. Hey Ren, man wasn't that a long weekend, kinda missed him for all of that. "I'll be taking your spot as her AND lord Nosferatu's bodyguard. Don't worry, I won't cup a feel like you two would, if that's what you're thinking."
"Smartass, as if!" I lightly punched his arm; and he continued to laugh. But still, he's gonna be Rina's bodyguard, and that makes me at ease, if that makes any sense. "But I'm happy that you're be the one to take care of Gremory if I had to step up. Believe me or not, having you by my side also says that she won't do anything stupid."
"Blll~! Stupid Ichijou." Rina stuck her tongue out to him and me. "I have you know, I can take care of myself now! I don't need a ninja to nanny me, even more that I have my Peerage and Yoko with me!"
"She's right." Yoko said, hugging my arm. "But between saving you or Ichijou, I'd save him instead. So no promises~!"
"Why, you...!"
"That would be a no, Kurama-dono." But the one who cut us all was Nemesis-san, saying that in a way Yoko lost her smile and her hug around my arm slugged away. Wait, what? She noticed our unspoken question, sighed and wiped some sweat from her forehead. "And before any of you ask, Kurama-dono won't be allowed to participate on the Conference."
"But why not?" Yoko asked for all of us. "If this is anything related to my position, you know very well that as a representative of the youkai faction from Kanto...!"
"I know exactly that, Kurama-dono, but this is not about Kanto. It's about the Vampires and Devils!" Nemesis-san cut her off. "This conference is between The entire devil faction and the Vampire Empire who were already hard to convince to join. We from Kuoh academy will serve as Bodyguards from our own faction, while the Vampires will use Ninjas; who are a clan of total neutrality. You on the other hand, is already part of the Kanto faction, and your presence will be considered an act of espionage at best and a terrorist attack at worst. And for that, the Devil faction will already start with the wrong Foot. To avoid problems in this conference we all have been waiting for, you'll have to step back this time."
"B-But... But..." She held my hand and gripped on it, hard, like she doesn't want to let go. I responded the same way. And we shared stares. The tension in the room grew tenfold, and both heiresses seen that were about to jump at each other. "But... I swore to... He's my husband."
"He's property of the Gremory first, then your husband; just like you're the leader of the Youkai Faction first, then his wife. Do not mix them, otherwise you can't call yourself a leader." The grip around my hand grew tighter, and I ain't the only one feeling the aura suffocating the air and dragging everyone down. I gulped hard. "I'm sorry, but this is the way it has to be. If even for a second the Vampires distrusts us, we'll lose their faith, their race will be extinct, and the legacy of Rizevim will still linger the Underworld."
"..."
"Yoko..." I called for her, to no avail. Nemesis-san is doing it again, she's being too harsh on her words. I know she probably didn't mean to say all of that, and is being harsh just to reach Yoko, but still there's something there that's pissing me off. Yoko then took a deep breath; and turned to Nemesis-san.
"Very well, I shall comply. But you promise me that you'll take good care of him and everyone else." She spoke with conviction; blowing everyone away except Nemesis-san, who continued to stare with the same tone. "If anything happens to him, or he dies, I don't think I would be able to control myself."
"And as my duty as Headmistress and Devil in charge of Kuoh, I'll give my life to protect this place and it's students." Those words were as equally as powerful, and a small smile grew on Mine and Rina's lips. I know that much, Nemesis-san's not lying. In the end, both sighed and opened a small smile to each other. "I gotta say, Rina. You'll need to grow fast if you don't want Yoko to earn some points from me as well."
"Eeeeh~?! Et tu, Nemesis?!" Rina bawled and we all laughed, getting rid of the uneasy aura. This is actually pretty fun. However, Nemesis-san is right, we don't want to risk to cut ties with the vampires; even now that... Annie is also on our reach. This will be dangerous, and With Ren around, maybe it's not a so hot idea, but it's all we got. Maybe if I'm lucky, my peerage will bump into her in this mess before anything can happen. And then I'll prepare her some meal, but not before filling her fucking face with smacks.
"Aren't you popular? Looks like I found my everlasting rival!" Nanami-san with a salute from his part, and received another slap from Shiranui-san's paper fan.
"Yeah, right. As if you can build a harem like he did!" She spoke, giving me a side glance and blushing a little. Huh, now that I notice, she's actually a pretty girl. Nanami-san, however, opened an even brighter smile and a thumbs up.
"Don't be like that, Akarsuki! Otherwise, I might think you're just falling for my charms~!"
"As if, Bakami..."
"Okay, okay. We're done here!" Aria-nee said cheerfully, pointing at the ceiling with her energy full. "Now, to commemorate such and the meeting between the legacy of the Gremory and Sitri, let's go eat at JONATHAN'S!"
We all cheered!
"But I'm not paying!"
We all booed.
Cheap Aria-nee...
... 15... 16... 17.
I can't believe it.
I have 17 numbers on my contact list. And not just from my family. I never even thought it would reach on the double digits, and for some reason, I like this. It feels nice to have all of those numbers on it. Of course, It's not like they're all my friends; but it's a nice feeling.
"Ichijou, you have been staring at your phone since we left JONATHAN'S. Is something to matter?" Yoko said on my neck as we shared the umbrella, and I was quick to turn it off. I hope she doesn't notice that I was too busy daydreaming about my newly new calls... Or the scandalous Lucrezia-san wallpaper. I should probably change to something more innocent soon enough.
"Nothing, Yoko. Just... A little tired." I yawned a little, only noticing how tired I really was. "Stupid dad calling me in he middle of the morning, not to mention the girls kicking and punching me when I try to return to sleep!"
"Heheh~! Sowwy~, but it's so nice that I could sleep with you again. It feels cozy." Rina said, getting closer to me under the umbrella we're sharing. She then turned her eyes for the rest of our peerage. "And I think I'm not the only one who thinks that. Isn't that right, guys?"
No one said nothing, since whiswain was too busy blushing, Tasha was talking to Ryuubi-sensei and Kan'u only muttered a 'tch' under her breath. Cozy and warm, eh? Can't complain much either since I also used to stick to mom a lot when I was younger. Besides, seeing Kan'u react every time I pinch her leg is kinda funny. She punches back, though, like I said before. The rain was a pain, but we finally reached home with only a few wet spots, and once inside, the warm air soon made us forget about the cold outside. Ah, home sweet home...
"So I'll be going ahead. I'm also a little tired." Yoko said discarding her sandals and walking inside, shaking a little to get rid of the small droplets on her. "I'll take dip at the hot springs until maybe dinner. So if you need me, I'll be downsta-..."
"Yoko..." I called her. She then stopped, and turned her little head to me. I have been thinking about this since we left the old building, and since we're all quiet now, I think this is the best opportunity I have. "Are you... Mad about Nemesis-san's decision. Like... I know you said it was okay, but still, are you okay about it?"
"..." I could only stare at her golden eye, staring at me so intensely. I think I finally could see pass her facade; and foe that, she gave a melancholic smile, which morphed into a grin. "Thanks for worrying about me, but y'know Ichijou, I think that sometimes you forget that you wife is a fox spirit."
"Yoko, I'm serious." I said more sternly, which made her fault her smile, back to the previous melancholy. I never knew she could actually try that one. It makes me feel a tad bad, actually.
"Don't worry, I won't do a think. I know how important this meeting is for anyone, plus the chance we have to reunite with that ninja. I just hope my... Cheerings for you can reach the barrier." She recited, her melancholic smile not fainting, indicating she's being serious. I can feel the blood running down my lips. I didn't know what to do, so I did the only thing I could: I pat her on the head.
"Yoko, you don't need to worry about me... Or anyone." I said, as she now was snuggling on my hand, touching its back with her soft fingers. This is the only way she can calm down. "I promise you, even if I'm just flesh and bones, I'll back for you... And everyone."
"I want you... And everyone, to come back as full as possible." She murmured, and held my hand tighter. She kissed my palm and continued to snuggle on it, seeking maybe some comfort in it. She's all the rights to be worried, even I'm not putting too much faith into this mess, either for me, My peerage, Annie or the conference in general, but words are the only thing holding me to this small hope. I'm not the most confident person in the world, but this is all I got, and I hope this is enough for now.
"Sure, whatever you say. I'm your... Husband, after all." I said, and I could feel a warm drop on my hands. Tears, I don't know if those are from fear, regret or happiness, but I don't want her to cry, whatever the reason. Yeah, I'm her husband, and unlike my shitty father, this vow is unbreakable as diamond... Or a shield... Or a vow... Something, something, something, unbreakable. Damnit, I knew I should't've skipped that poetry class to fight Kan'u. But anyway; yeah, I'll come back alive.
"CAHAM!" And the atmosphere was broken when Rina appeared out of nowhere next to us. We both turned to her, Yoko with a scowl and me with wide eyes, and she crossed her arms and grinned. "No worry, Yokkins. You know very well that I'm a better king now, and so, nothing bad will happen to my Queen... And my peerage. This is a promise from Berolina Gremory."
"Oh...!" And Yoko's scowl disappeared soon after. She blinked once, then blushed a little for Rina. Such confidence and spirit, and there's something in there that makes me feel a little better, since it also boosted Yoko's self-steen. Rina came closer to hook a hand around her neck, and dragged her away from me. "Okay, Right. I trust you, Berolina..."
"And I'll make you not regret that choice! Let's share a moment in the bath!" She said, giving me a side glance and a wink. Oh, so that's what she wanted to do. Well, yeah, I feel lighter now, and a little more confident. Yeah, I'm not alone in this one. I felt something soft press on me from behind, and then hands on my shoulder. I looked up, and it was Ryuubi-sensei supporting herself on me.
"Hong Long sure has quite the lovers, eh? Confidence and trust like those make feel powered-up for more!" She said in a confident tone, a tone I'm yet to develop, and without much hesitation, threw her own clothes away and jumped to the door! "But she's the correct idea! Let us delight ourselves in the springs before the storm! embrace me, warm waters of relaxation and bliss!"
"Ah! Wait for me, Mistress Liu Bei!" And Kan'u pushed me away to follow her master. The ones who caught me before I could fall, Whiswain and Tasha, pushed me to stand up.
"Well, that was something." I said in a tired tone, dusting my clothes a little. I turned to the two bishops by my back, and gave them a thoughtful look. I mean, it's not like I don't trust them, but the events that might follow are not actually giving a positive vibe and, for those two who were drag into this, it makes me feel a bit nervous. "So... About the conference, you two..."
*SMACK!*
"Don't worry about us." And she did it! Tasha went ahead and kissed me on the lips! A light tap of lips, but still a kiss! What the hell! Tasha gave me a light wink, then waved her hands a little, a few sparkles flying off of it. And then she started walking towards the door downstairs, stripping her uniform and let it fall on the ground. "I will keep Whiswain-chin safe. Don't worry."
"Even if you say this... And I'm not picking those up, Tasha!"
"Uuuuh... I think I'll also take a dip in the springs. If you excuse me..." Whiswain said, now following Tasha and picking the discarded clothes of Tasha, Ryuubi-sensei and Kan'u left. Before she could go downstairs, she turned her single eye for me, blinked it once, and nodded with a blush. "Uh... Uh...! I promise... I'll also do my best! So... So you and Tasha-san won't need to be worried! I promise that, Ichijou-san!"
And then she left. Everybody is so confident about this meeting, it makes me feel that I'm the one weirded out a little. Yoko won't be there to save my ass, and if the Hakuryuukou shows up, it'll be harder to keep up with things. Nah, I slapped myself on the face, I need to stay positive. Being negative never worked on my favor, it won't work now. Since everybody is showering right now, I think I can have a little me time.
Taking the evelator upstairs, to the final floor, I crossed the line of rooms, the guest's and my sisters's, until I finally reached the last one, my own. I opened the door and soon moved towards the closet, which looks like a second room now. From the layers of clothes, I reached a white box and, opening it, I was showered with light from the expensive-looking suit I received from Desmond-sama as a gift. Dry-clean, huh? No wonder...
It didn't take long for me to wear it. The white shirt shining as pearls, the black blazer and pants, dark as night, the small bolo tie with a jewel on it and buttons that look there were made of gold... Skip that, they ARE made of gold! I looked myself in the mirror, all suit up and, I have to admit, for all his cheesiness, Desmond-sama has a great sense of clothes. Although the smell of blood on it is a bit of a turn off. Can't complain, vampire...
[Looking good, Ichijou.] Yagura's voice echoed in my head.
"I look good in almost everything, so naturally." I responded; and her counter was a hum. It might sound like arrogance, but this is just personal experience. I look good in anything thanks to my frame, being a knight suit, a smoking, a dress, Princess Sapphire Dress, a dragon suit, the grim reaper... Freeza suit, a disney Princess costume, a skirt and makeup... Yeah, everything looks good on me, unfortunately.
But still, even with this suit, I feel uneasy, it's like it's weighting a lot more than it should, and with a reason. There's something odd poking the back of my neck, and it won't go away. I want to believe in everybody, and I do, but this is big beyond what I expected, this is almost a world conference, and I can feel it. This is big; and I can't shrug it off as another Reunion of the clubs or even a family meeting, this is big... So very big...
*BRRR! BRRR!*
"Huh...?" My phone? Ringing at this house? How odd. Shaking my head off my current thoughts, I reached for the pants of my uniform and picked the small device on it. I was ready to throw it out the window if it was from my old man again. But the name on it caught me by surprise, as so it's message:
-SHIORI-SAN!-
'Ichijou-kun, it's raining really bad here. Are you okay?' -S
A smile crawled on my face. Oh... Oh shit, I better text back or else she'll get worried! I typed a few times then answered.
1-'Yep! Stayed at home the whole day. Thanks for asking!'
...
'I'm glad. The rain doesn't seem it'll stop anytime soon. Take care.' -S
1-'You too.'
'So see yah in class. Good afternoon.' - S
1-'Yeah'
.
...
Yeah...
Yeah, that's right! Not wasting energy feeling bad about myself. There's no way whining and cowering in fear will solve any of my problems. At worst, they'll only make things worse. No, I'm better than that, I can both rely on my Boosted Gear, my peerage, my comrades and, mainly, myself. I might be dragged into this, but it's only up to me to do my best. After all, there are people who'll wait for me; so no time to think about the worst, I need to survive this, I need to stay and come back alive.
For those who'll wait for me, and for myself, I will stay alive. I won't give in; I won't falter. I need to survive...
I need to live.
I need to win.
[Huh... Interesting.]
[What about it?]
[Nothing. It's just... This is the first time.]
[First time about what?]
[The first time since I woke up... That I can feel a will as strong as my father's.]
So, the beginning of the arc. I hope it came out smoothly. Truth to be told, it was acually a better chapter to pull off, all things considered, and I'll try to write serena's peerage the way theuy should, specially those who I think deserve it, like azazel's descendant and bellorophon. I might not promise much, but I'll try my best.
So it's all for now. Stay golden and hope you enjoy this arc.