Author's note: Started writing this story for the secks. Somehow, it ended up being more about the characters and drama. I'm completely okay with this.

MountainBookSage25: You're more or less right on the mark. The events of the story were set off due to meddling by fifth dimensional beings. In addition to this, some of the girls' special abilities are shown off. These abilities might be shown in more detail later on. Just the whole idea of a harem where each of the women have some or the other unique power seems so cool. And of course, 8man has to take it all in and be there for all of them, all with good old fashioned guts and wits.

As for some girls not getting to be part of the fun, let's see how it goes!

Lelouch Kaname: Yui is probably the single most underrated Oregairu character. She's definitely one of my favourites.

Toshiro Ricky: Shizuka would 100 percent drop a roadroller on anyone in her way.

SkyChaser17: I'll hopefully be able to avoid it. Writing this fic is kind of a way to unwind for me, and so far, it's been a lot of fun.

jargax: We'll be seeing much more of Kawasaki. She's a major character in this fic.

And finally, I guess it's worth mentioning that this chapter is kind of, sort of a crossover. Well, not really, but you'll see what I mean.

Chapter 8:

Hachiman checked the time on his phone. Am I too early? He had been asked to come over around 10. It was 9:50 at the moment. Being early was a good thing right? He grimaced. Maybe not. Would it make him look too eager or something? No, that couldn't be it. After all, Kawasaki was one of the most practical people he knew. She had enough common sense for three people. Plus, she was an experienced loner too. There was no way she would mistake his early arrival for anything it wasn't. No, she would think logically, and come to the only rational conclusion. It was a Saturday. He had no work, but was also the type to laze around and read manga in bed all day on holidays. Yet, he had also been invited to someone's place. Logically then, his choice would be to come over early, so he could leave early, and get back to reading Kanojo Okarishimasu. Seriously, what fresh hell was this? He signed up for a manga full of fanservice, not emotional damage! But wait, he was getting sidetracked here. Something about his own logic didn't add up. Well, it didn't matter. The important thing was, Kawasaki was all crunch, no fluff, much like the combat system of Devil May Cry 3. In other words, she wasn't susceptible to any of the misconceptions other girls might fall prey to. Also, boys and romance were probably the furthest things from her mind. Really, he had been conditioned to overthink something as simple as arriving ten minutes early. He blamed it on those "practice dates" with Isshiki.

Fortifying his mind thus with iron (citation needed) reasoning, he approached the front door of the Kawasaki household, and rang the doorbell. As a matter of fact, this was not his first time here. Owing to his classmate's extremely busy schedule, he had been called upon to help a few times in the past, and this had involved looking after the younger Kawasaki children while the former delinquent took care of urgent work that involved leaving the house. He found himself thinking back to these occasions, and wondering what she needed his help with this time. Ah, I suppose I might run into her brother too, huh? In times past, he had found the person known as Kawasaki Taishi to be… a problem. A pest really. Well, any male who looked at Komachi was a pest, and to be disposed of swiftly. At least, that had been his reasoning in the past. Recently, though, the thought of his younger sister spending time with boys didn't bother him as much. It was natural, and once she got a little older, she would probably date someone. The sooner he accepted that, the better. As long as she was happy and safe, he was happy.

Huh. I wonder if I was a little overprotective in the past.

Well, he would still be looking out for her, of course.

But maybe it didn't bother him so much now that she would also bestow her attention on others.

He shrugged slightly.

That's how it is. She does have a life of her own, after all.

Before he could continue with his philosophical musings, the door opened.

Again, to be clear, Hachiman had been here before. Needless to say, that meant this wasn't his first time seeing his host outside of school. Despite that, he felt his breath briefly hitch as he looked at her.

Kawasaki Saki was known around the school as a delinquent, though due to his history with her, he knew that this was no longer true. That notwithstanding, the way she dressed and carried herself at school didn't really do anything to change that image of her. However, that image couldn't be any further from the girl he was looking at right now. Clothed in a pair of close-fitting jeans and a white top with the sleeves rolled back, she had a black apron on over it all, revealing that she must have rushed out of the kitchen to open the door. Her hair was tied back as ever in a long ponytail. Indeed, she must have rushed here fast indeed, because her chest was heaving lightly under the apron. Needless to say, Hachiman tried, and failed, to avert his eyes from the sight. As Newton had said long ago, all objects have a gravitational force dependent on their mass, and his eyes had been caught by that exerted by Kawasaki's masses.

He felt his face heat up involuntarily. While it would have been easy to claim that it was just the stimulus of looking at her chest, the truth was, the Kawasaki in front of him right now was wildly different from the one he was used to seeing. A slight glitter in her eyes, she shyly struggled to meet his gaze. "S-sorry. I was in the kitchen. W-won't you come in?"

It was a critical hit on par with Bryan Fury's counterhit knee. Hachiman winced.

What's with this ridiculous cuteness? She's like a… like a…

Even in his mind, he struggled to complete the sentence.

… newly married wife welcoming her husband home!

It was a highly specific image, but everything about Kawasaki at the moment gave off that exact energy. Hachiman realised he was in an extremely dangerous situation. Even with all of his experience as a hardened loner (former), and all of the maturity he had gained over the past year, Kawasaki's (unintentional) critical hit had done tremendous damage. In Hachiman's own words, a younger him would have confessed on the spot and gotten rejected.

Calm down! She was just cooking. Her parents are more or less in the same boat as mine. Meaning she's the one who has to take care of the food for her siblings. That's all! I need to get my head out of dangerous territory.

"S-sure," he managed to stammer out.

Hoping he looked at least a little more confident than he felt and sounded, he accepted her invitation and stepped into the house. As he took off his shoes, he heard her close the door behind them.

"Pardon the intrusion then…" he muttered as he followed her down the hall. Now that he was inside, he felt slightly calmer, though that might simply have been because he was distracted by his surroundings. The Kawasaki house was similar to the Hikigayas', though there were differences. Given the greater number of children, it felt more… lived in? Was that the right description, he wondered. There were quite a few photos of the family on the walls, besides which he could also see other things, like various toys lying around, which must have belonged to the younger siblings.

All of these observations only took him a few seconds to make, meaning he was right back to looking at Kawasaki herself once more. The apron did not cover her back, and the way her jeans hugged her body left very little to the imagination. Kawasaki had the rare body type only possible from the combination of a naturally curvy figure and plenty of training. Her legs were more muscular than most, and far from detracting from her femininity, it actually added to it, enhancing their smooth curves. Hachiman had read it countless times online in various questionable anime forums, but only now did he truly appreciate it: thick thighs did indeed save lives. Of course, the benefits of karate training extended further upwards past her thighs too, to a nice, firm butt.

As before, Hachiman was torn. On the one hand, he would be a fool to look away. On the other hand, if he continued to look, and she noticed, he might experience the full force of those legs first hand, and he had no intention of discovering if Kawasaki could perform the hyakuretsukyaku. And yet, as per the afore-mentioned law of gravitation, his eyes would inevitably return to objects of mass. Before that happened, he decided to distract himself by talking.

"So… uh… what did you need help with today?" he asked.

Immediately as the words left him, he wondered if they were a little too direct. It almost sounded like he wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible. However, if that wasn't his intention, did that mean that he, in fact, wanted to spend more time here? Before he could think any further on that, Kawasaki turned around quickly, shooting him a quick glance. Her face was even redder than before, and she looked away quickly.

"T-that…"

She mumbled something else, voice dropping so low that Hachiman couldn't hear her.

"Sorry, I don't think I caught that."

She started slightly. Before she could answer the question, however, another voice interrupted them.

"Haa chan!"

Hachiman looked at the living room. A familiar, tiny figure ran towards him, smiling happily. Having expected that he might run into her, he obliged by offering a smile of his own, even as Kawasaki Keika ran up to him. Despite loud, energetic people being his weakness, Hachiman felt he could exclude her from the list. She was a blessed, angelic existence, and even his jaded heart couldn't help but warm slightly on seeing that pure smile.

"Kei chan," he greeted. Aforementioned angelic existence took his hand and began to tug him into the living room behind her elder sister, as though unsure of Hachiman's ability to follow on his own.

"Saa chan told me you were coming. She was so happy yesterday that you were coming over to play with her!"

Of course, her words were perfectly innocent, and she had no way of knowing the effect they would have on either of the other two people present. She paused slightly, having noticed that both her elder sister and their guest had frozen in place.

Kawasaki stared at Hachiman. Even the most unobservant of bystanders would have noticed that the look on her face was the exact definition of "crap, I've been found out!" The sheer panic was palpable, and as if that wasn't enough, she was pressing one hand to her chest, as if to still the nervous hammering of her own heart. Her wide eyes as they looked at Hachiman glittered slightly.

As for Hachiman…

Multiple critical hits taken. Damage is severe. Mental shutdown imminent.

His always active brain, capable of running at a thousand miles a minute, had all but frozen. had well and truly stopped working as he stared at Kawasaki, even as the words casually spoken by Keika echoed in his mind as though shouted with a microphone.

Calm down. This is obviously a misunderstanding on multiple levels. Yes, it has to be. Be calm, and don't get caught up in ridiculous situations which could never happen. Yes, that's what I have to do.

That resolve lasted for about three seconds.

"Kei chan, are you ready?"

Another voice was heard, even as its owner made his entrance. Kawasaki Taishi looked around and spotted Hachiman.

"Ah, onii chan, you're here!"

Hachiman was on the verge of yelling out his usual reminder to not call him "elder brother". His new, more tolerant outlook hadn't quite gotten to the point where he'd completely rid himself of his old habits. However, he managed to stop himself. Which was just as well, because Keika happily ran over to Taishi, who took her hand. He also had a backpack slung across one shoulder. Hachiman's mind, which was admittedly not quite working at full capacity at the moment, was still able to put two and two together before Taishi even spoke.

"Well, we'll be leaving now. You two have fun."

A pair of tickets to the new Doraemon film was conspicuously sticking out of his pocket.

Of course. He's taking her to see a movie. Come to think of it, I should go watch that movie too. But wait! That's not the issue here.

Taishi and Keika wouldn't be in the house. And Hachiman couldn't hear any other noises or voices either. Which meant, the other two siblings of the Kawasaki family, whom he had never actually seen in person, weren't here at the moment either. His ever active brain pointed out that they were most likely with the parents, who in fact might not be at work right now. Even corporate slaves were entitled to leave.

Putting all of that together, the answer became abundantly clear, even as Taishi and Keika were leaving, the former giving a poorly hidden thumbs-up, while the latter waved happily. Within seconds, they were gone.

It was at this point that completely out of excuses, his brain finally accepted the reality.

I'm… alone in the house with Kawasaki.

Kawasaki Saki could feel her heart pounding in her chest as though she'd just run 10 laps of a stadium. She knew this, because she had done so in the past. Except, even then, she didn't think it had beaten anywhere close to this furiously. Her plan was finally in motion. Well, calling it entirely her plan might be taking a bit too much credit. As a matter of fact, the whole idea of asking H-Hachiman to come over had been a spur of the moment thing. She'd rejoiced that she'd even managed to pull that off successfully. Needless to say, she had no idea what to do next after that. And so, she had arrived home in a state of panic. He was supposed to come over. What was she supposed to do?! How did this whole date thing go anyway? She had absolutely zero experience with it, never having gone out with anyone in the past, let alone having a boy come over to her house. Of course, it was still possible to gain some second-hand experience if one had friends who had done these things, but Saki had never had the time or desire to hang out with other girls and talk about that sort of stuff. Well, until recently, when she had been all but dragged into doing so by Ebina. But of course, all of Ebina's experience was limited to yaoi doujins with fairly questionable content, and BL visual novels. In other words, it was absolute useless for a girl who had invited a boy over.

It was in this moment of desperation that help had come from an unexpectedly close source. While Kawasaki Taishi lacked Hikigaya Komachi's prodigious ability for meddling in a sibling's love life, he had picked up a few things here and there given all the time he spent with her. In addition, he was actually quite eager for his gruff but actually very kind older sister, who spent all her spare time looking after her siblings, to experience her first love. And so, in a stroke of genius to parallel that of Newton himself when the apple had fallen on his head, he had proclaimed his grand idea.

"Nee san, Keika's been wanting to watch the new Doraemon movie for a while. Why don't I go see it with her? That way, you'll have the house to just the two of you."

Of course, the idea of being alone in the house with Hachiman had immediately sent her imagination into overdrive.

"J-j-just the two of us? W-what kind of weird things are you thinking, Taishi? Do I have to check your room for weird magazines again?"

"T-they aren't weird! Besides, didn't you just add those magazines to your own bookshelf?"

Saki had tried to stammer out an answer, but not quite succeeded. Somehow, her brother, who didn't have any skill in the martial arts, had managed to flawlessly parry her attack, find her opening, and counter with a right hook (verbally of course).

"H-how did you know about that?"

"Eh? You don't always close the door properly. You need to take care of things like that when reading 'research material', you know?"

"Eeeehhhh?!"

"Anyway, I know you won't try anything that extreme with onii chan (yet). But having a proper date alone with him might be a good first step, you know? So good luck!"

At that point, Saki had realised that her plan had grown beyond whatever expectations she might have had from it. She was now being swept along with it.

"W-wait wait wait! This is going too fast! I don't even know what I'm supposed to do! What do a boy and a girl do when they're alone anyway?"

"Well, according to Goku, they fight-"

"This is not the the time for a Dragon Ball reference! Besides, H-Hachiman's not a fighter."

"Isn't that even better? You can skip the training and get right to the real thing."

"WHAAAA-"

"Anyway, good luck, nee chan! I gotta go book those tickets online."

And so, much like the Red Empusa, Taishi had scampered away quickly. Which brought us back to the present situation.

Saki currently stood in front of Hachiman, having no idea what exactly she was supposed to do. Of course, they had hung out before, but all of those times, there had been a clear excuse *ahem* reason. Such as picking up her siblings from school, or helping out with some or the other errand. In other words, she had been able to enjoy his company without needing to think of any activities to do together. However, with no such distractions available this time around, she would need to think of something to do.

As incredible as it sounded… having fun was a serious, serious thing, and needed effort and thought put into it.

Wait, hold on a moment. I'm missing something important, aren't I?

As Saki's brain accelerated from Formula 1 speeds to escape velocity, she realised what she had failed to account for.

Right now, the lack of an excuse had just been laid bare. None of her siblings were at home right now, meaning Hachiman would not have possibly been called here to help out with any task related to them. Furthermore, Keika had pretty much all but relayed her exact thoughts on the matter.

Meaning, right now, Hachiman knew that he had been called here specifically and only to spend time with her.

Of course, the only time such an invitation is offered by one person to another, is when there is a clear fondness for the other person. And putting clues together, it would be abundantly clear that in her case, it went beyond mere fondness for him.

Long story short, she had ended up confessing without actually confessing.

Ehehehe… there's no way something like that is possible, right? I mean… isn't Hachiman famously dense?

She looked up nervously at his face, trying to gauge his reaction. He was looking to the side, unable to meet her gaze. If his face had been any more red, steam would have been coming out of his ears.

He totally knows! Her thoughts went into full panic mode.

He's supposed to be clueless! All this time, he never realised a thing about the girls he hangs out with. Why did he pick now of all times to get perceptive?!

Of course, Saki had no way of knowing that Hachiman wasn't so much dense as someone who tended to willingly avoid seeing certain things. But with his newfound increase in confidence, slight as it may be, his entire way of thinking had changed. Not to a drastic extent, but enough that he no longer deliberately blinded himself to a lot of things.

As for what was going on inside his mind…

Ah. It appears I'm in danger, hahaha.

Wait! That's too calm of a response! Crap, this is really bad, isn't it?

He had completely miscalculated. It was a catastrophic error. One of the few things he prided himself on was his ability to evaluate people. He didn't believe for a second that he understood them completely. But, he at least was able to see enough to predict with some accuracy where his interactions with someone might go. And yet, his analysis had completely fallen apart with Kawasaki. He was completely wrong. Had his ability always been nowhere near as good as he thought? Or had he made a crucial error somewhere along the way in his evaluation of Kawasaki? She was supposed to be the salt of the earth! Someone who was completely focused on her studies and her work, and taking care of her family! All business, no pleasure! Someone who had no time for this romance nonsense.

All along, had those traits merely been something he had imagined?

It was scary to think that he could be so far off the mark.

All right, calm down. I'm overthinking things again. Can't go rushing to conclusions. Kawasaki is a hardened loner, just like me. Also, she doesn't have too many people in class she can talk to. Given all of that, isn't this more likely just her trying to have some fun for once? That's right. That's the more likely possibility. In that case, I'll play along. After all, I'm an [ R].

"Ahem, so Kawasaki. You got any games or anything?"

"Haah? I- I don't. But I think there's a console in Taishi's room…"

"T-then it falls upon us to embrace the time-honoured tradition of elder siblings, and raid his room for it."

"A-ah, ok!"

And so, the two of them set out. As they walked, they kept their distance from each other, much like two animals in the wild who had agreed to cooperate, but were wary of the other's intentions.

As for Saki…

What's with this reaction? Is he… deliberately trying to play it cool? Pretend like there's nothing going on here? Grr… that's just like him. No wonder the Service Club always seemed stuck in limbo. But I'm not them! I, Kawasaki Saki, shall take the initiative!

And so, the strangest game of mental tag began. Hachiman's objective: make sure that things don't progress, because obviously, there was nothing going on. Saki's objective: make sure things do progress, to the point where even the densest person in the world couldn't deny them anymore.

With these goals firmly in mind, the two of them arrived at Taishi's room, and promptly searched through his belongings until they found what they were looking for: an old Playstation 2, hooked up to the TV. Hachiman's eyes widened.

"This is… to think your brother would have a treasure like this…"

"This old thing? I think it's been in the family for what, ten years? Isn't it outdated?"

Hachiman shook his head.

"What you see in front of you is a device from the golden age of video games. An elegant weapon, for a more sophisticated age…"

"Riiiight."

"Anyway, what games does he have?"

A little more searching, and they unearthed a catalogue of PS2 games.

"Smackdown vs. RAW 2007? Def Jam 2? Tekken 5? Devil May Cry 3? Soul Calibur 3? I underestimated your brother… he's way more cultured than I expected."

As Saki looked on, Hachiman took the DMC 3 disk and inserted it into the console.

"Is this supposed to be something special?" she asked.

In answer, he merely started a new game, and allowed the Mission 1 intro cutscene to play. Of course, this was a strategic move on Hachiman's part. Sure enough, the protagonist, a half-demon, half-human hybrid named Dante, who was every chuuni's self insert wet dream, but actually cool, walked into frame. Fictional though he may be, but even with the PS2's low poly graphics barely having enough geometry to portray his muscles, he had enough charisma to keep Japan's birth rate stable simply by being on screen. As the two of them looked on, the iconic hero attempted to eat a slice of pizza, only to be impaled from all sides by demons that suddenly appeared.

Despite it being only a game, Kawasaki actually leaned forward, eyes fixed on the screen.

"What the hell? He's dead already?"

Hachiman grinned.

Blades still stuck in his body, Dante proceeded to thrust one palm at a demon with such force, its body disintegrated right away on impact, leaving only its head, which he casually caught and spun on one finger like a basketball.

Saki's eyes widened.

Walking forward while dragging the other demons, who were desperately trying to hold on to their weapons, which were still embedded in him, Dante pulled out one of the blades piercing him, and without looking, threw it upwards. It sliced off the ceiling fan, which promptly fell and crushed a few more of the demons. Nonchalantly, the suave, silver-haired fighter made his way over to a jukebox, which he started by punching it, before immediately knocking out two more demons with a backward swinging kick and a roadhouse respectively.

Saki's jaw dropped open a few inches.

"What the fu-"

In true DMC fashion, the action only escalated from there, as Dante proceeded to pull out his iconic handguns, Ebony and Ivory, spinning one of them in his hands to deflect a scythe the nearly slashed his face, before using to blow the attacker's head off. Jumping, he grabbed one of them with his legs and flipped it into the ceiling, even as he himself landed on a billiards table, causing all the balls to jump. The animation slowed down for a moment to show the world from Dante's point of view, his incredible speed and reaction time making it seem as though the balls were moving in slow-motion. Targeting one of them, he shot it, the bullet propelling it into the others, each one of which smashed into the horde of demons with devastating force and accuracy.

[Author's note: All of this happens in the actual cutscene. Watch it on YouTube if you haven't already, seriously.]

"Incredible speed and strength, and flawless skill…" said Saki. He was just a character in a video game, but Saki was staring at the screen, entranced. Hachiman grinned with all the excitement of an old fan introducing someone to something he knew and loved. As the cutscene ended, he handed the controller over to her.

"Go on," he said. "Give it a shot."

A brief guide popped up on screen, showing the controls. Saki had never really played a video game before, so it took her some time to commit the buttons to memory, during which she got hit a fair deal. However, a few moments later, she had managed to get the basics. Left analog controlled the direction of walking or running, X to jump, square to shoot, triangle for melee attacks, and O for special actions, which, for the Swordmaster Style, meant fancy and brutal melee moves.

Though she played with all the grace of an absolute first-timer, the experience was electric.

Dante leapt, shot and slashed with incredible agility, precision and ferocity, responding to her inputs so smoothly, it was as if he was linked to her brain directly. Somehow, it felt as if she was truly in there, fighting off demons… in style. Each time she barely dodged an attack by jumping away, each swing of her sword that cleaved an enemy in half, each shot from her gun that blasted a monster to bits felt visceral and satisfying. The game pulled no punches, and she found herself grinning at the challenge.

"Hit the taunt button," said Hachiman from next to her.

Completing a three hit combo that culminated in a massive swing that sent several demons flying backwards, she did as he said. Dante cockily dropped his hands, gesturing at the enemies he'd just launched away to come at him.

"Hey, do your job!" he drawled.

"Why… is that corny line so cool?!" said Saki.

"I know, right?!"

Part of the appeal of the game wasn't just the fact that Dante was cool. It was the fact that he was just as much of a dork as the player, and actually going out of his way to act cool. The idea of a superpowered badass revelling in his own powers in a completely wholesome way, the idea of a protagonist whose personality reflected the player's wish to be stylish added depth and relatability to the game, immediately making the protagonist loveable.

By the time the first mission ended (which was only five minutes), Saki was invested.

"I can't believe Taishi never told me he had something like this," she said.

"Well, you're always busy," replied Hachiman. "He probably couldn't play games with you even if he wanted to."

Saki didn't immediately reply. It was true. A lot of the things that people of her age normally did, she missed out on. Lost in thought, she handed the controller to Hachiman, who took over for the second mission. The two of them continued to play the game. Outside his office, Dante encountered more demons, who he swiftly put down, even as a gigantic tower rose out of the ground in the middle of the city, causing an earthquake. At the very top of the tower was his twin brother, Vergil, whose appearance well and truly set the tone for the game.

Devil May Cry 3's plot was simple. Two brothers, both half-demon and half-human, the sons of a human mother, Eva, and a demon father, Sparda, who was known as the Legendary Dark Knight. Over 2000 years ago, Sparda had awoken to justice, and defeated the Demon King, Mundus to protect the human world. Afterwards, he had sealed the demon world away, giving up most of his tremendous strength to do so. Later, he had lived on Earth, where he eventually fell in love and had twin sons with a human woman. Eventually, Sparda was gone, and tragedy struck when the family home was attacked by demons. Eva was killed, and the twins were separated, each of them growing up on their own, in their own way. Now, all these years later, fate had brought them together again.

Vergil, who believed that demonic power alone was strong, and rejected his humanity as weakness, sought to raise the Temen-ni-gru, the ancient tower used to seal away the demon world. By opening the portal between worlds, he wanted to obtain his father Sparda's sword, and his power.

In contrast, Dante was a demon hunter who spent his days in a haze of alcohol and violence, slaughtering demons in vengeance for his last family, perhaps because it was the only way he felt he could make it up to the ones he'd lost.

Vergil needed Dante's half of the Perfect Amulet to open the portal between worlds.

Dante was simply not one to run from a fight.

And so, the brothers of blood must clash.

Saki found herself enraptured by the narrative. There were no cinema-grade, photorealistic graphics. No forced walking sections. The plot didn't pretend to be anything it wasn't. Yet, it had something that couldn't be gained with all of those things. Rather than exposition, the game relied on gameplay itself to express character.

As the missions went by, and bit by bit, more of Dante's past and personality was revealed, she realised that the over-the-top swagger and theatrically exaggerated violence were just the attempts of a tortured soul attempting to distract himself from his own pain. The cockiness. The reckless abandon in the way he wielded his weapons, leaving himself wide open to danger if he missed, straddling the line between being in control and losing it. The trash-talk and the mannerisms, as if he was constantly playing to a camera only he and the player could see. And the difference between his more subdued, sombre mood when he was alone, and the way he became excited and animated when he came across enemies. All of the pieces fit in, and Saki saw a man who didn't belong, because he was neither fully human, nor fully demon. Lonely, unable to find company and unwilling to try, he sought excitement from the very foes he defeated. Unable to forget the family he had lost, and without a future to look forward to, he trudged on, from one battle to the next. Jaded because he had already seen the worst of the world, he had nothing to fight for, nothing to believe in.

As different as he may be, he reminded Saki in a strange way of another loner she knew.

All of a sudden, even besides the incredible combat, it made sense why this game meant so much to Hachiman.

And of course, that was where the story shone once again, introducing the other protagonist, as well as the other villain.

Also entering the tower, in order to hunt down her murderous father was a woman who had given up her old name, only going by "Lady", a name given to her by Dante over the course of the game's events. Unlike Dante, she came with a clear purpose: to end the mess started by her father, who had helped Vergil raise the tower, and to kill every last demon that came through. Immediately, Dante's free-spirited, carefree nature clashed with her duty-bound spirit. The player encounters Lady several times through the game, with each meeting serving to reveal a little more about her past to Dante, and in the process, slowly but surely changing him.

Lady's father, a murderous madman by the name of Arkham, sought to gain Sparda's power, and had even killed his own wife in the pursuit of demonic might. Thus, Lady had come to end his life, and prevent any further harm he could bring. Lacking the powers of a demon, yet struggling on with her human abilities and her determination, she continues to fight despite the odds, and in the process, shows Dante humanity.

Her own family history, a warped mirror of his own, and the way she deals with it, a reminder to take responsibility.

Dante, who had refused to even think about his father, hating the demonic side of himself because of the cruelty he had seen from demons, finally introspecting, forcing himself to see all the things he had avoided. Coming to learn about his father from the demons he encounters in the tower. And through it all, coming to understand the reason behind his actions.

Having seen what was precious in humanity through Lady, and having understood what it meant to take responsibility and make a choice from his own father, Dante grows.

The past could not be changed, and no matter what, Eva could not be brought back. But he could do the right thing in the here and now. For her memory, and because he wanted to.

Thus, just as Sparda had done long ago, Dante too awoke to justice. From vengeance, to protection. From jaded indifference, to concern, even if it meant hurting himself. He had seen humanity now, and knew the human world was worth protecting. And so, he would be the one to do it.

Paralleling his growth as a person was the growth his power, something the player experienced in the form of new weapons and skills he gained over the course of his journey.

By the time the player and Dante arrived at the final battle, neither were the same as before. From an indifferent youth who fought for the thrill, to distract himself from the truth… to a mature warrior with iron determination and an unshakeable reason, the journey was incredible.

It was a good thing Taishi's PS2 was the older version of the console, which had better cooling, and thus, could run for longer without overheating. They had reached the end of the game in a single sitting, and Saki could not look away from the screen. More than any movie she had sat through for her siblings, more than any book she'd had to read because it was school-assigned, she was invested. She cared what happened next. She needed to know.

"Think you can handle this one?" asked Hachiman.

"I've got this," she replied.

Over the course of the playthrough, she had improved substantially. She had gotten the hang of the basics and could execute most of Dante's attacks with his various weapons. She'd even done a few of the major boss battles herself. Thus, it was now time for her to face her ultimate test, in the final boss of the game, Vergil.

With Arkham already dead and Lady in the human world, the final mission of the game takes place on an interstice between human and demon worlds, a fitting location for the showdown between the two brothers, who had both made their choices.

Saki struggled gamely, but it was evident right from the outset that this fight (the third encounter with Vergil in the game) was on its own level of difficulty. Dual wielding his signature katana, Yamato, and his father's sword, the Force Edge, Vergil had become the patron deity of all edgelords. Except, he was every bit as powerful as all who followed him wanted to be. Blocking Dante's attacks mid-combo, teleporting around the battlefield, striking with a variety of vicious sword slashes and thrusts, and even cutting through space itself with his iconic Judgement Cut, this was the archetypal final boss of the character action genre.

And true to Devil May Cry spirit, halfway through his health bar, he got even stronger.

Much like Dante, Vergil too had the ability to transform briefly into a full demon form, amplifying his already considerable strength, speed, durability and power, while increasing his healing factor to the point where he regenerated health during the fight. And sure enough, after a little while, Saki noticed that Vergil had more health than he had had a while back, undoing some of the progress she had made against him.

"Keep attacking him," said Hachiman. "You're not going to win by playing passive!"

"Right!"

Taking his advice, she pressed the offence, wary of his sudden and quick counterattacks.

Eventually, she managed to get him to a third of his health, at which point, he took a page out of the Goku playbook, and went even further beyond.

Warping around the battlefield so quick that he disappeared, he rained down countless Judgement Cuts all over the place, forcing Saki to run around and jump desperately as she tried to avoid the onslaught. Immediately after it was over, he continued to attack, repeatedly teleporting above Dante and landing with descending slashes. Having predicted the typical player response of jumping away to avoid this, he even followed up these slashes with a forward thrust intended to catch anyone who had relaxed their guard.

It was absolutely brutal.

After what felt like 30 attempts, however, Saki was able to prevail.

"Dante…."

Vergil's voice rang out in a cry that had perhaps more sadness than anger in it, even as his brother's sword pierced him, and the last of his health disappeared, triggering the end of mission cutscene.

The two brothers rushed towards each other, but Dante was the one to connect, defeating his brother, and preventing him from claiming Sparda's power. And though it was the end of the game, in a single moment, layers were added to Vergil's character.

"No one can have this, Dante", the blue-clad brother said, clutching his half of the Perfect Amulet. "It's mine. It belongs to a son of Sparda." Defeated he might have been, but the dignity and honour with which he'd carried himself throughout the game had not been lost, not even here and now, at his lowest moment. Earlier on, Hachiman had pointed out that Vergil did not use firearms, as he did not see them as weapons befitting a true warrior. Throughout all his appearances in the game, he had faced all his enemies fairly, defeating them with superior strength and not underhanded tricks.

And just like that, Saki found herself feeling bad for yet another character in a video game.

"Is that really the end of him?" she said, as she watched him plummet down into the demon world.

"Well, you'll have to play the 4th and 5th games to find out," replied Hachiman, unwilling to spoil the experience for her.

She put the controller down, leaning back against the bed frame as she let out a satisfied yet wistful sigh. It was a good game, really. No, that was an understatement. It was an amazing game. Not that she had anything to compare it with, but she had a feeling something this good couldn't be common, or the entire world would be at risk of becoming shut-in gamers.

Shut-in, huh?

She'd just seen an entire journey of growth and change, one that she'd been part of too. Now that she'd come out on the other side, she felt that her own nerves had settled somewhat. It was true: while she wouldn't be killing demons with a giant sword anytime soon, the idea of making a choice and sticking to it, being brave… that was important. She looked once more at Hachiman, who was looking at the screen with a rare satisfied smile on his face. It was common practice amongst their classmates to call him weird or creepy, but she had never felt that way about him. Not even when they had first met, and she hadn't known him at all. It really did all come down to perception and rumours. Someone called a person "creepy". Others, knowing nothing about that person, simply parroted what they heard. So, a rumour was born, and that rumour determined people's perception of the person. No one ever bothered to see and find out for themselves. Yet, Hachiman was exactly the opposite of what most people thought of him. Indeed, he was even the opposite of what he kept telling everyone he was.

He was smart and determined, and would keep working at a problem until he solved it, no matter the method it took. He was kind too, and though he grumbled, he constantly went out of his way for others, often even when he wasn't forced to. He didn't boast about what he did, either, nor think of himself too highly because of it.

She liked those things about him.

He doesn't look bad either.

Of course, her feelings for him didn't have anything to do with some misinterpreted statement. No, it was just that as time went by and they were brought together by various circumstances, she came to see him as someone she could rely on. And gradually, that turned into something else. She hadn't acted on those feelings so far, because of the Service Club. It was plain to see that he was surrounded by plenty of others who were interested in him. And once upon a time, perhaps she would have been okay with just letting things be like that. Allowing him to pass her by, until he would just be a fond memory.

She couldn't stand the thought of that.

Not anymore.

Somehow, she had lucked out. He wasn't with the Service Club anymore. And, she'd even been able to talk to him. At the very least, she knew her own feelings now. She wasn't going to give up on him. Kawasaki Saki was used to giving up things for her family. She didn't mind it, didn't hate it. She knew they loved her, and she loved them. She loved being the one to take care of them.

Even so… just this once, she didn't want to give up.

She wanted him for herself.

That's right. He's still trying to convince himself there's nothing here, isn't he? Is it because he doesn't feel the same way? Or is it because he's… afraid? I don't know.

She was aware that he'd booted up the console and started this game in an attempt to distract her. Maybe it was selfish of him. But he was quite selfless most of the time. She wouldn't hold this one time against him. And besides… she felt her face growing slightly red as she realised that she didn't mind seeing this more human side of him either.

But we can't stay like this forever.

Whether it was because he didn't like her the same way, or because of some other reason, she had to find out. She couldn't just leave this to fate.

"Hey… Hikigaya."

Hachiman, who was mentally congratulating himself on having successfully defused the situation, suddenly found a hand on his shoulder. He had no idea that his plan to distract her had done the exact opposite: she was now more determined than ever. They had been sitting on the ground, leaning back against the bed frame. Now, she had moved over, so that she was right in front of him, leaning towards him on all fours. With his back against the frame, he couldn't move away.

"Are we going to keep pretending like there's nothing going on here?"