I welcome thee, all ye faithful ones, and ye unfamiliar seekers on thy search for matchless stories from across the world. Stars in the sky aligned, ancient signs on Earth speak of it. The time hath come...
𝅘𝅥𝅮 Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me 𝅘𝅥𝅮
FOR MY BIRTHDAY! The day I post it, 15th June, I got yet another year older. Not that much smarter though, I think. But I started to have grey hair already, so just a few years more and no shaving and I'll at least will look sagely... And while birthday is not that much of a deal for me, it's still a birthday. So, the presents are in order, which is this chapter from me to you. If anyone wants to give me something, you're all very welcome. I accept best wishes, constructive criticism in reviews, more follows and favorites. It may be a short moment for you, but I love getting feedback from others. I'd also take Saint Quartz in any number because rolling for summer servants on two FGO servers is HELL, but I don't think this site would be cool with that, or that anyone would buy it for me anyway.
Side info, if not for my b-day this chapter would be late, at least two weeks but maybe more. Uni and studies stuff, but I somehow found time and pushed myself to give you this. Shoutout to ekaterina016 who had to beta what you have down there, his help in cleaning the mess left behind after the rush was a BIG relief for me.
Now my favorite part, the reviews corner and then on with the story!
- OechsnerC - This one's even better.
- Ryuujin96 - Everybody loves crazy cats. (◐ω◑ )
- Wic W. Athor - I hope you won't be disappointed and have fun with this and future chapters.
{Albion out-loud / telepathically}
[Ddraig out-loud / telepathically]
(Electric and others)
For Issei, this morning was just like a dream. The first thing the perverted Hyoudou saw right after waking up was a beautiful pair of breasts pressing against his face, after all. Their owner, his red-scaled familiar Miia, slept soundly, hugging him with the most innocent look the Half-Dragon has ever seen. However, an empty stomach ruined the blissful moment by reminding him he had to get up.
Doing so without waking up the girl took him a solid ten minutes – seven of those were spent by him staring at her breasts, his hands hovering right over them. Still, it was worth the trouble to see a cute little frown on Lamia's face as she searched for him with her hand and tail, before finally calming down after coiling around his pillow.
And maybe it's hard to believe, but there was a drawback to this situation. Even though a smoking hot girl was sleeping in his bed, they weren't sleeping in that sense. He probably could go all the way, with how the Lamia idolized his dragon part, but that was skipping quite a lot of important steps along the way – important to him, at least – since they still hadn't even kissed. Because of that, his private routine was interrupted. Combined with all the new stimuli, they made his balls bluer than Albion's eyes.
"I need to have a talk with Miia about this situation. Maybe a date?!" Grinning at the prospect of a proper date, Issei skipped through the corridor.
When he walked down to the kitchen, it only got better. Warming up for their cooking competition, his mother and Elaine already were busy in the kitchen. Thanks to that, the counter was full of small dishes he could use for breakfast, which he gladly partook.
"Hahaha, Ise-san, you've landed on my banana! So silly- Wah!"
Another dreamy part of this morning was how Issei was now playing Mario Kart on TV with a pretty blonde girl in a nun habit. Except for him and the still-cooking duo in the kitchen, there was one more person currently in his house: a little nun for whom the next dishes were being prepared. For Asia, a thing where people were so busy because of her was a first, and it made her extremely embarrassed. And while watching her cute tries at convincing both women to let her help with cooking was entertaining, it was also Asia's last day at the Hyoudou Residence before her departure. That's why he almost dragged the girl out of the kitchen to introduce her to the wonders of Nintendo and a certain Italian plumber offered.
Among games, Mario Karts came short in numbers of betrayals and friendships it shattered only to Monopoly and death games straight from the Danganronpa series. But with this all-too-pure nun, there was nothing to fear. Sitting on the sofa and watching her glowing with joy as he showed her how to use the controller calmed his soul. When she got a hang of it, he grabbed another Switch and joined her for a race. Taking down their opponents and riding into her traps to let total rookie win was more challenging than when he was playing seriously, but the smile she gave him after passing the finish line paid it off at least threefold. Adding her gasps and yelps after crashing into a trap or getting hit by a missile made her so adorable, that the young Hyoudou wanted to immediately call Dulio, demanding they're keeping her.
Asia wouldn't have anything against living with them – quite the opposite. She still saw Issei as her savior and the rest of the family was charmed with the polite girl, helping her adapt and learn Japanese, though to have a normal talk with non-magicians she still had to use a translating spell. Even Septimus liked her, though he kept calling her 'Nun Saber' instead. But it was obvious Asia was a devoted believer, and God meant a lot to her. And while the Hyoudous had the approval of Angels' leaders, it was an unofficial one, and Vatican upper echelons looked at them more like on a pile of dirt in a hard-to-get corner.
Of course, if he heard someone started bullying Asia, he'd bring burning justice to those responsible.
{Quite a turn to such dark thoughts you have this lovely morning.} The young Half-Dragon heard his grandfather's amused voice, appearing in his mind without announcement. {Are you sure it is wise to ruin the atmosphere?}
Issei wasn't surprised at all with Dragon Emperor's sudden entrance. Since the seal's lifting, they started to go back to their habits of intruding whenever they wanted. Albion's words made sense, since there was no point in thinking about it now after the decision was made. Asia would go back to the Church where Dulio would make sure nothing happens to her. She would meet new people, make friends, and be happy, while he could sneak in from time to time for a visit.
"Ise-san?" Judging by the emerald eyes pointing at him, Issei's silence had to be long enough to worry Asia.
Issei quickly wore a reassuring smile, not only to calm the nun down but also because it was indeed a lovely morning. "It's nothing, just got a little lost in my thoughts. But you're getting a lot better. A few more rounds and I'll have to awake my next form to even keep up with you!"
"Hahaha!"
He wasn't lying – the clumsy Asia was quickly getting better. It was just a little exaggeration to make the girl happy, though. They played few more rounds where Issei toned down on taking out the competition and was giving Asia pointers instead. After one of the matches when they were picking another map, a familiar black-haired Fallen walked through the door. In striking contrast to her normal look, Raynare wore a loose blue T-shirt and pants, as well as a terrible case of bed hair. Looking at it, Issei realized he wasn't much better and should head to the bathroom before the rest of the house wakes up and the annoying lines start.
"*yawn* Mornin'," she sleepily greeted towards the two, "Coffee?"
"Looks like she's making herself at home quite well." The young Dragon thought to himself, hiding a smirk and pointing his thumb toward the kitchen.
"Tha- Huuaaaaaaw..." Half-conscious, she tried to express her gratitude, but it turned midway into another yawn. "Mil, come!"
Raynare continued her zombie-walk towards the kitchen. Then, they heard nervous rustling from where she came. For a second, a blonde head peeked out, only to quickly hide soon after. Then, there was a pink flash, and seconds later, Mittelt walked in her black dress. She must have hurriedly changed from her sleepwear, as the dress and her bow were crooked and wrinkled, while Issei also saw a flash of pink frills fluttering down behind her – most likely her pajamas. The small Fallen's chin was raised where normally her nose would be and she tried her best to look like she didn't notice the nun and the Devil at all… that it was obvious she was being overly conscious of them. Chasing after her less-bothered friend, she almost tripped twice because of her stiff walk – the duo sitting on the couch wisely chose to look somewhere else.
Right after she left the room, Issei finally could freely chuckle at the incident, but just as quickly stopped under Asia's stern, yet still incredibly cute, look. "Ise-san! It's rude to laugh at someone."
"Yes, of course. Ekhe! Sorry… Hehe…" The teen tried to wear a sorry look, but the girl's cuteness elicited a stupid grin on his face instead, resulting in a confusing mix. Thanks to Albion's chortle echoing in his head, even that was hard to maintain.
A few minutes later, the much livelier Raynare appeared with a cup and a huge sandwich in each hand, sprawling on the couch's free spot. "Huh? You're playing this early in the morning?"
Issei glanced at the wall to check the clock. Right, it wasn't even 7 in the morning – not exactly the time to be playing video games in the living room… though it certainly wasn't his first time, given his occasional starting on or ending of gaming marathons. And, during all those years he knew Raynare, she took part in some of those too.
That's why he answered his old friend's question by picking up yet another console and held it before her. The one merit of having a game-addicted Governor-General basically as an uncle was a house where there was always a spare console. "Wanna' join?"
Raynare considered his proposition for a second while chewing on her sandwich, but then looked at Asia and shook her head. Quickly swallowing a bite of food and washing it down with coffee, she answered, "No, thanks. Between playing against a noob and a sandwich, I pick a sandwich." Another sip. "But ask Mil; she's hiding over there."
"Hghn!"
Raynare betrayed her fellow Fallen Angel without batting an eye, who yelped and froze like a deer caught in the headlights.
Mittelt only acted like that because of Asia. The blonde loli already understood Issei wanted to befriend her, despite all that happened. But his death was an accident, and even then, she was shocked about being forgiven. The Fallen couldn't fathom for a second Asia Argento would do the same. That person would lose her life as a result of the plan she deliberately took part in, which was just the same as killing her. Mittelt regretted what she did, of course, but not because she thought what she did was wrong – sudden changes in personality like those novel characters were bullshit. Given a chance, she'd stop her past self, but that'd only be to avoid punishment instead of the willingness to do the right thing.
That was why she was sure the other blonde would try to get back at her and avoided her. There was no one she knew who would just let a harm of this caliber go.
At least, that's what Mittelt thought. Asia actually wasn't acting when she forgave her earlier, and now was more concerned about the small Fallen behaving weirdly. "Miss Mittelt, are you alright? Something hurts you?" With a flutter of her habit, a pure girl ran over to the shocked Fallen.
"N-No, I'm good." Under an overwhelming pressure of honesty held in that pair of green eyes, the goth lolita barely managed to stutter out an apologetic response while fiddling with her dress.
"Thank God!" A wave of relief washed over Asia. Right after that, her eyes widened and she clasped her mouth with both hands and turned sharply to Issei. "Mmhmhm!" Realizing she still had her mouth covered, Italian blushed madly in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, Ise-san! I forgot you're a Devil and~"
"It's OK, don't worry. I know you didn't do it on purpose," Issei calmly smiled as he interrupted her, despite a short flash of pain in his brain due to the G-word.
Raynare watched their actions with evident amusement from her spot. But as the last bits of her sandwich quickly disappeared, she came to Mittelt's rescue… in her own way. "Asia, I think Mil is just embarrassed. She's horrible with tech; still using a flip phone and writing letters instead of emails. She never played video games." The raven plotter then quickly hid her smirk from a certain hybrid behind a mug, who looked at her questioningly.
The shorter member of Grigori wanted to scream in denial, if not for the fact it was partly true. She just preferred the special sensation of paper and ink instead of cold electronic beeps. Why would she even need it, when a much more stylish letter would arrive almost just as fast with a magic circle?
And then, there was also this puppy of a girl, with a smile straight from Heaven, holding her hands. "So, Miss Mittelt was just embarrassed. Thank Go- I mean, thank goodness!" Asia quickly corrected herself, "But it's also my first time and Ise-san is very good at teaching. He can teach Miss Mittelt too." Not even aware of the effect her big eyes had on the other blonde, Asia waited for her answer, full of spirit.
"Drop the 'miss', I'm younger than you!" Mittelt huffed and turned away to hide the red which tinted her cheeks. But when she glanced back, those eyes were still there, now looking as if they're about to cry. "*khe* I-It's not that I don't want to play, but..." she started hesitantly, but a hope-radiating stare broke her last bit of resistance, "I'll play..."
"Cuteness is true justice," Issei whispered, at which Raynare and Albion sagely nodded in agreement.
That was how the Dragon Hybrid's morning turned into a gaming session with two blondes sitting by his sides and an old friend discreetly giving him a thumbs-up. This was like a dream, with bodies of two beautiful girls – though lacking a little in breast size – pressing against him when they unconsciously mimicked moves from their karts. As a large grin crept upon his face, Issei was glad the day started just like one of his less-perverted fantasies.
"FUUUUUUUUCK! SOMEONE HELP ME!"
Of course, reality then reminded of itself how it wildly differed from dreams and fantasies with a loud scream coming from the first floor. The unmistakable voice of Septimus echoed through the Hyoudou residence, most likely waking up everyone still asleep.
"Issei, can you check on your brother?! I'm a little busy here!" Ms. Hyoudou yelled from the kitchen.
"On it, Kaa-san!" Issei shouted back, slowly standing up and leaving his avatar to crash into the wall.
"Ise-san, how can you be so cold! Sep-san needs our help!" Before brunet managed to rise up, Asia was already on her feet fidgeting with worry. Her gentle personality couldn't understand how such nice people like Issei and his mother could be so indifferent when their family was in danger – their voices sound almost bored!
"Ah, don't worry." Issei picked up the console Asia accidentally dropped, worrying her even more. "If something serious happens to him, I'll feel it. It comes with having a telepathic connection. You can just keep playing the game, I'll be back in a moment." Patting the cute nun on the head, the hybrid tried to check the situation via said connection, but his brother's mind was too chaotic to understand anything concrete at the moment.
"We can't be sure; what if he's really hurt?!"
Seeing her emerald eyes full of conviction, Issei shrugged apologetically out of reflex. He had no reason to, but somehow, he felt bad. "She's better at this than Izu, and doesn't even realize it. Scary..." Finally, he said out loud, "Alright, I'll hurry. And Asia can join me too."
"Count me in; I want to see what Sep's done this time." Raynare stretched and joined the two.
"H-Hey, don't leave me alone!" Mittelt hurried up alongside them, her voice breaking a little.
"GUYS, HELP MEEEE! SERIOU-"
"NII-CHAN, SHUT UP! IT'S WEEKEND MORNING! I WANT TO SLEEP!"
"AND I WANT SOMEONE TO HELP ME!"
"FIND THAT SOMEONE QUIETLY!"
Walking upstairs, the group heard Septimus' cries for help was turning into a fight when an angry Izuna shouted back at him. Their arguments only worsened the situation, as the sleepy and confused heads of the other awakened residents looking around the corridor being a proof of that.
"Was… Whad iz going on hiir?" A yawning Rossweisse peeked through the door Issei passed by, clearly with no idea what was happening. The slight accent coming through and her flustered face, combined with a hint of alcohol the young Dragon's nose caught, told him the Valkyrie was drunk again, despite her weak tolerance to it.
"Albion, do you know someone who would hire a Valkyrie? It's not healthy for her to go on like that." Issei poked the old Dragon in his head, outwardly greeting Rossweisse with a smile and a quick wave as he passed her.
{Vali can always take her into his group.}
"I don't think going from Odin's secretary to a member of Vali's fight-freaks will satisfy her. In fact, I bet she'll drink even more."
{If you worry about her, ask your King to recruit her. Or take her in yourself. She's a fine woman, and you already possessed one slave and a familiar. In fact, how come you still have not done that?} The Dragon Emperor answered as if it's the most obvious answer, while his grandson almost choked on his spit.
There were a few things to address there, but the most shocking for the pervert was how the thought had never crossed him. It wasn't because the silver-haired woman was unattractive – she was hot and with an amazing bosom – then, why? It couldn't be that with a sudden rise in numbers of girls surrounding him, he started to be indifferent to them, right?!
Shaking off such a scary vision, Issei stopped before the door to his brother's room. "For the record, Mittelt is not my slave. You've been listening too much to Sep's ranting." With a faint hope of getting back to his dream-like morning, Issei pushed the door.
…
"Huh? Why're you just standing there; open it." Raynare walked up from behind, expecting to already see the source of screams.
"The lock's open, but there's something blocking it from inside. Give me a sec." Bracing himself, Issei hit the door with a shoulder slam, then another one as it barely moved. There was no reason to break the wooden frame entirely, and he clearly held back, so it took a few tries, but they finally could get inside.
"Hang in there, Nisa! I'll do whatever you want, but please, PLEASE, don't let them fall on my desk!"
"Wha…?"
The inside of Septimus' room was filled with books… literally. Not even the most chaotic library could accurately describe what it looked like. It looked more like a storm-ravaged book warehouse, scattering them all around the place. As they entered, Issei and girls were knee-deep in books, surrounded by a strong smell of old paper. At the center of it laid the Nekomata, buried so deep only his head was visible. The little Fairy he called forth struggled to try to hold off a wobbling tower of – hardly surprising – more books.
"Sep-san!" Asia was the first one to come back to her senses. "Are you hurt-" For her, the image she saw was a clear sign something bad had happened. Of course, her first response was to check if she could somehow help, but she stopped when the boy in peril whipped his head in their direction and smiled with relief.
"Great, you're here! Quickly, help Nisa stabilize this damn book-jenga!" Asia's worries were wasted on Septimus, who was more worried about his familiar and tried to focus their attention on her.
As he was here to help and not to judge his brother's cleaning habits in the first place, Issei carefully waded through the books. Out of respect for the printed word – even those which weren't ero magazines – he tried his best not to trample on them, but the sheer numbers meant at least one or two got damaged. The tower was over a good meter-and-a-half tall, so instead of trying to keep it up, he split it into three more piles. "Here you go."
"*huf* Thankies, Issi!" An orange Pixie sprawled on the desk, using the last of her strength to wave cheerfully to Issei.
"Yeah, thanks. You've saved me and my figurines," came the reply from the floor.
"Wait… you screamed like a skinned cat because your figurines were in danger?" Raynare asked. The raven-haired Fallen struggled through the mess in a more careless way than Issei, until she towered over Septimus.
"Hey, they're expensive and rare stuffs, OK?! And it's not only because of them! But first, get me out of this pile and I'll explain." Septimus tried to sound cocky, but when he had to perk up his head to barely be able to look her in the face, Raynare let out a gleeful chortle.
Issei wasn't one to laugh at this matter – collectible exclusives could hike insane prices. His favorite Goku could go for a couple hundred thousand yen at the auction, and even though with their 'pocket money' from Azazel and Grigori made it reasonable for their wallets to replace it, it'd still hurt. "I don't get one thing, though. Why wake up the whole house, when all you need is one telekinetic spell-"
"NO MAGIC!" Septimus stopped his attempts at glaring at Raynare and screamed, his cat-eyes wide with fear. "Whatever you do, don't use any magic here!"
The sudden scream startled them a little. "Why?" Raynare asked.
"Because you're knee-deep in magic books, almanacs, and grimoires full of spells and magic circles! Most of them open, where in some cases a jolt of magic energy can activate them!" Still laying under a dangerous pile of books, Septimus hurriedly answered.
"Boom..." Nisa, now sitting up, slowly spread hands before her, clearly describing what could happen in that case.
"It'd be like walking with a torch into dynamite storage, so yes, boom! Or a binding spell, like the one I'm under! Or whatever sick spell someone put there, varying from a simple fireball to summoning a bunch of tentacles straight from a hentai flick! And I don't know 'bout you, but I don't wanna' be raped by some perverted seafood!"
Every girl in the room instinctively flinched at the mention of their natural enemy, Mittelt even going as far as hurrying out and shielding herself behind a wall. Long, slimy, reaching everywhere, especially at girls' private parts – a cursed thing which should be burned from the face of the Earth and every other world. Even Issei grimaced – although when watching it could be… stimulating, he didn't want such a thing to happen to pure Asia. Or him.
"Understood; no magic," Issei answered in a grave tone, getting serious nods from girls. "But tell me, please, why the fuck did all of this happened..."
The stares drilling into Septimus had enough hostile intent to make his hair stand up. "H-Hey, easy there, I have a perfectly sound reason! But first, dig me out; I can't feel my hands. By the way, Ray, move! I can't glare at you!" What he said was true. The binding spell, a silvery string which was hidden from others by the books, had him tied up like a ham, even starting to cut off his blood circulation. He had been burned by Phoenix Fire barely yesterday, so if something happened now, Mira wouldn't let him live.
"So what?" The mentioned Fallen wanted to savor a few more moments of having the Nekomata tied at her feet. Huffing with satisfaction, she straightened her back. "Why should I care; I have the high ground."
"Because instead of your face, I can only look under your fucking T-shirt and see your saggy tits!" Normally, he'd throw back something like, "You underestimate my power!", but he wasn't in the best situation and didn't want to end up like the guy who last used that quote. As a tall person, being looked down on was annoying for Septimus. The fact it was Raynare was even more irritating, and because of that, the Nekomata misjudged the consequences.
"They're not saggy! My body is top quality, and an asshole like you should feel lucky to even get a glimpse! Take that back, bitch!" Raynare wasn't one to blush at someone seeing her breasts as she was especially proud in her looks and body being exceptional, even among Fallen Angels. But that only made it worse for Septimus to insult her breasts. Her good mood disappeared and she furiously stomped on him.
"Crazy crow! Get that shit off me!" With a foot on his forehead, Septimus wriggled using every muscle he could. However, instead of escaping, it only moved the sole around his face and made Raynare angrier, so she pushed harder. Finally fed up with the humiliating position, the angry Youkai swallowed with disgust and used drastic measures. Trying not to think of it... he bit her.
"Aaaa! What the-?" Shocked by sharp pain, Raynare tried to yank her leg, but doing so she lost her balance and landed on the books.
Asia and Mittelt blankly watched the absurdity of what was happening. Nisa was on the desk, laughing so hard tears were flowing down her cheeks. Albion had it even worse, his roaring laughter echoing in Issei's head – one he'd die from if he wasn't already dead.
Issei'd probably be doing the same if he could. However, those two's fight was nearing a dangerous point, and any moment magic could start flying. So, to avoid catastrophe – tentaclestrophe, more precisely – ironically, he had to behave like the most mature person in the group and stop the two black-haired troublemakers.
"Enough!" The tone he used was harsher than intended, but Issei had more important things on his mind than being nice. With a bit of superhuman strength, the Half-Dragon lifted his spitting brother and helped his childhood friend stand up. "First, let's you get out and free, Sep."
A few minutes and one ripping of a restraining spell later, the group stood before the bathroom. "Now's the time for some explanation."
Septimus, finishing brushing his teeth for the second time, looked at Issei. He wanted to clean it two more times – sure, there was still weird aftertaste of his... self-defense, but that could wait. "Alright, alright. I opened a small portal to the Grigori library and tried to take a book off a bookshelf, when that damn thing tilted and dropped on my head. Reflexively, I used magic to stop it, but one book already opened and reacted, trapping me."
"Shouldn't black cats bring bad luck to others instead of being unlucky?" Raynare snarled from behind Issei. She was still mad at him for biting her even after Asia used her Sacred Gear to heal her, but Issei quickly moved to hush her.
{Why do you need those books?} Albion asked from his descendant's chest, starling the two blondes.
"Ideally? I wanted an easy method to beat Phenex without the need for holy stuff or killing him."
"Did you get it?" Now Issei was curious. Phenex's ability was on a nearly-broken level, what with their offensive capability and regeneration – although Ddraig would of course boast how his flames were the strongest. With the initial rush gone and without the jealousy of the grand harem blinding his head, Issei saw their chances being a little lower than Septimus initially said. In the first place, the game could technically end with the retirement of the King instead of the whole team. Comparing their leader to Riser, there was no doubt who had the advantage there. His brother already did some groundwork to better their odds, but there was no such thing as being overprepared.
"Umghpf..." Septimus grumbled and let out an inaudible sound, "Kind of..."
"You didn't," Issei flatly stopped him.
"It's not my fault! I've spent the whole night digging, devising plans, but most of those books are useless!" Septimus's character quickly switched. "You know what most books said, if there was even anything remotely related to it?! 'Take some holy water and pour it on those bastards, then stab with Light Spears until dead!' Unfortu-fucking-nately, after getting a Rating Game rule-book from Rias, I found out we can't use anything holy unless it's naturally a part of our attributes!" Screaming, he poured his frustration out.
After some thoughts, it made sense for such a ban. Otherwise, Devils would not be bothered by the concept of fair play, and would simply buy blessed weapons on the black market to quickly defeat stronger opponents. Issei could easily picture where it would end, with Devils throwing holy hand-grenades exploding with holy water… and Azazel watching it all from his hacked Underworld cable with sake in one hand, fanning with all the money he'd earn from it.
"Sep-san, please calm down. You should not use bad words." Septimus' sudden change scared Asia a little, but after he tried to defend her from Freed, she just couldn't see him as a bad person… even if he never called her by her name after all this time, and instead used 'Nun Saber', or cursed way too much.
"Relax. You said 'most of them', so there had to be at least something useful." Issei backed the blonde nun up. When he looked at her, his earlier mood came back and he fought the urge to pat her again.
At the same time, the pervert was getting worried again. First was Miia and his lack of actions, then Rossweisse… and now when he looked at Asia, he was without any impure thoughts. Was his dream of a grand harem in danger?!
"Yes and no. The book-jenga you fixed not only threatened my collection – it was built with all the books opened on specific pages I've thought have something useful." Unaware of Issei's internal crisis, Septimus continued with a pained expression. "But, unless you have a live Phenex on whom I can test methods of intense violence, I can't give you anything definitive yet."
"Sorry, can't think of anyone. But I'll ask online if there's one with an extreme M fetish." With his mind still circling around his problem, the pervert answered, forgetting about the three girls next to him, especially Asia. The two tainted Angels giggled at his dirty joke, but the blonde nun only tilted her head in confusion.
"Hah, before that, ask Red-senpai when she shows up if she has anything on Phenex. Devils should be more useful here than Angels." Opposite to Issei's expectations, Septimus barely reacted with a weak snort and walked past them.
"What about you?"
"I'll hit the bed and then go to the Sandbox with Ela after Dulio eats his bribe. Otherwise, my mood-roulette will be horrible."
"Good idea." Issei noticed how his brother was acting more erratically and was about to bring it up. Right before Septimus showed up, a sleepless night would tire him out, but now with the seal masking his Dragon characteristics lifted, he could theoretically manage without sleep for at least a week and still be in an alright physical condition. However, in practice, it was better to keep a regular sleep schedule to give the mind some rest. "But you remember your room's state, right?"
"..." Nekomata stopped, his silence proving he, in fact, forgot. "…I'm taking your bed." Without looking back at the snickering group, he moved to the next room. But when Septimus opened the door, he faced a surprised Miia.
"…good morning." The commotion behind the wall woke up the Lamia a little while ago. After finding out she was hugging was a pillow instead of Issei, the red-scaled familiar quickly dressed up and moved to find her Darling, when the door opened and Septimus was blocking her way.
"Hi. And bye." He briefly answered her as he walked by, and without more words, fell face-first onto the bed.
"Ise-san, now that Sep-san is safe, let's do something else before you go. As you showed me video games, maybe I can show how fun reading a Bible can be?" Asia asked innocently, hoping to spend as much time as she could with Issei.
"Sorry, reading a Bible right now is impossible for me. Even before reincarnating as a Devil, I was only interested in one Bible… which was Black," Issei answered with a smile, once again seeing how a girl with such a strong faith would feel better in the Church. This time, however, it would be somewhere where she wouldn't be alone.
"Hai?" Pure emerald eyes stared at him in confusion, tilting her head sideways and touching her cheek.
"Nothing, just a slip of the tongue." Issei quickly corrected himself. There was no need for Asia to find out about that piece of Japanese recent culture. Feeling Raynare behind him trying to stop herself from laughing, he grabbed the little nun by the hand before she could ask more questions. "I think there should one spare Switch or two I can give you. How about it? This way, we could play some more even after you leave. Wanna' come too, Miia?"
"Yes!" Two bright smiles beamed at Issei with the power of a laser gun, as the nun and the Lamia excitedly answered.
The part of the Underworld occupied by Fallen Angels wasn't as developed or famous as the part where Devils lived. It was partly because Grigori invested a big part of their resources on Earth, making their presence there even more important than the Church, although not in such a flashy manner. Instead of proudly announcing their organization and making their own country there like their 'white' brothers and sisters, Fallen Angels acted in the shadows. The other reason why Devils' territory was more higher-profile was their aristocratic society, with income coming from the region belonging to High-Class Devils, while Grigori was a military organization in the first place.
That didn't mean all Fallen Angels lived in barracks. In the millennia after they won their part of the land which became their home, members of the Cadre made sure nothing was lacking there. Their biggest city, Dudael, was a prime example of that. With the Grigori Headquarters located there, it had a large variety of high-end resorts which mostly focused on adult-oriented entertainment, as well as tech and training facilities. The military importance of Dudael was the only reason preventing it from becoming one of the best tourist spots in the supernatural world, alongside Valhalla or Olympus.
Working in his office, Governor-General Azazel in shorts and T-shirt hoped that would change if – no, when –their project to bring different races and factions together succeeded. Fallen Angels would greatly benefit as their potential in business was great. Money and stability would increase their influence and prestige, silencing those voices crying for restarting the War and reducing their leader's workload.
"Hooo~" After revising the last document, Azazel sent it to one of his lower secretaries for printing and distributing. Closing his laptop – a model designed by him and the Grigori R&D team he planned to introduce for commercial use after peace was established – the faction leader stood up and stretched after sitting for a few hours. "The problem is, even if I could sell it, none of these geezers would buy it..." He spoke to no one in particular, looking at the device. "All of them are centuries behind and the younger generations aren't much better. They know about the television, and it's a miracle if they've heard about the Internet; however, that's not even close to the advanced quantum computer using hybrid of electricity and magic… But I can't even try that before that damn War ends! What are those kids doing when we need one more big score?!" His stretches turned into chaotic flailing midway the more his monologue progressed.
At that moment, the door opened unannounced, letting Shemhazai see his brother and best friend in all of his working splendor. Across centuries as a Vice Governor, he witnessed Azazel working while drunk, hungover, extremely angry, extremely happy – though that one happened only after breakthroughs in his Sacred Gears studies – horny… or any other state which could be named. The present situation wasn't special enough to even make him raise a brow.
"What would happen if one of the lower-ranked members saw you throwing around like a drunkard?"
"Don't you remember I won a battle against our dear brother Uriel while completely wasted? We were partying after forcing ol' Leviathan's forces to retreat, and when everyone was drunk, uninvited guests arrived." Azazel calmed down and his eyes moved to a pile of documents Shemhazai was holding. "What's this?"
"Reports. Interrogation of rogue agents, search teams' results, and so on," Shemhazai answered with a stone face, ready for a standard reaction, which was…
"Are you crazy?! I've barely finished with previous ones! And why printing it all when you could just send an e-mail?! It's because of fossils like you no one buys our inventions, and I can't monopolize the supernatural market! Use the Internet!" Azazel screamed at the prospect of more work. Shemhazai only sighed, waiting for a moment when his brother had to take a breath.
"I come here personally to make sure you're not skipping on your work. I can't be sure of it through e-mail. And because of the last incident, everyone has more work; not only you. I wanted to spend the weekend with Rosa, but now I will have to work overtime."
"…" Azazel had no answer for that. Shemhazai worked more than three men altogether, and it was mainly for Rosa. She was a Devil his brother fell in love with and unofficially married, as well as an additional motivation for the white-haired Fallen to work beyond his limits for her and their upcoming child. "I'm sorry. I know you want to avoid what happens to Hybrid children..." He walked to Shemhazai with a sorrowful expression and to hide it by starting looking through reports.
"It's alright. I work because I still have a chance to stop what happened to Baraqiel… or you..." For a second, Shemhazai got rid of his professionalism and smiled sadly. Then, he quickly moved to highlight the important points so both of them could finish sooner. "The traitors still refuse to say anything, but their mental defenses already started to crumble. Besides that, we've finally got the first information from the Cadre's investigation. Surprisingly, there was no proof Kokabiel was involved."
"Which means he either is innocent or masked his tracks better than we thought," Azazel muttered, flipping through different documents. Then, one in particular caught his eye. "Shem, why is S-51 asking for a ten-time budget increase next month?"
"S-51? Ah, the Sandpit. They ask for more money to cover the estimated damages after the Sins booked it for a week."
"Really?" Azazel dropped the documents on the desk. Without missing a beat, a bright light and a rain of black feathers surrounded him. When Shemhazai could see him again, Azazel was wearing a white linen suit with a light blue shirt under it. "As their main supervisor and the head of the project, I should go there and-"
Azazel was preparing to teleport, but Shemhazai grabbed his arm without holding back his strength. Completely serious, Vice Governor-General of Grigori stared with a slight smile which seemed kind, but sent cold chills down his boss' spine. "Governor, you obviously aren't trying to run away and leave me with even more work, am I right?"
"But the kids are also part of my work..." If Azazel's brain was one of the biggest weapons the Fallen Angels had, then Shemhazai acted as its conductor, motivating him and punishing when needed. He was the only one who could force Azazel to do his work, which was why Shemhazai grabbed over half of the papers and slammed them back into black-haired Fallen hands.
"Here, those are only about kids. Do it in the Sandpit, or I'm taking a month of vacation and you'll get all my work." His tone didn't change, but the vision of all the paperwork without Shemhazai was something which beat many battlefields Azazel took part in.
"Okay, okay, just don't leave me."
A large red magic circle appeared and quickly disappeared, leaving behind a group of teenagers and a pile of backpacks. The Devils curiously looked around, having a chance to see a Grigori facility for the first time. It was too big to be called a room – a warehouse was a more accurate way to put it. A solid roof of concrete over twenty meter high and chains of lamps illuminating them and the towering objects everywhere. Unfortunately, they couldn't see what those objects were because, except for the steel floor and walls, everything was covered by grey fabrics.
"Everyone!" Using their momentary distraction, Issei, carrying Izuna on his back, ran to the biggest object and grabbed the massive cloth. "Welcome to the Sandpit… also known as 'Azazel's Playground' – or most commonly, as Area 51!" With a dragonified hand brunet uncovered the object, revealing the unmistakable shape of a metal disc twenty meters in diameter.
"UFO!" Rias's Peerage and Miia shouted in unison at the iconic spaceship. Issei laughed wholeheartedly reminded of his own identical reaction years ago. At that time, Azazel said he'd show them their new training facility, doing the exact same thing Issei did.
"Nii-chan..." The young Werewolf sighed from her place on Issei's back, but she too smiled. Izuna was little down because she wanted to do it too, but lost in rock-paper-scissors and had to let her brother do this.
"But wait… So… aliens are real?" When the initial rush came down, Rias questioned how it was possible. As an heir to a prestigious clan, her education included many races who appeared in legends, but the green-skinned aliens were widely known to be just a bunch of rumors and crazy talk. Some goblins loosely fit the description, but those were too stupid to build even a stable house. Besides, Rias heard goblins as a race recently went extinct because of one angry guy who never takes off a helmet. Even if those visitors from outer space were kept a secret, Rias would still know with one question thanks to her doting brother.
"Not that I know of." Azazel entered the storeroom, grabbing their attention with his flashy white suit. No one expected him to even be in the facility, so his presence surprised even the Hyoudou siblings who planned the trip. "I've built that baby in my spare time a century or so ago. Who would have thought stealing a few cows and playing with some fields would make it such a big deal?"
"Azazel?"
"A-Azazel-sama?!"
"Zaz-ji?"
"Governor-General?"
A chorus of surprised voices accompanied Fallen Angel's entry.
"Right on all accounts. But Izu-chan, is that '-ji' really necessary? I don't ask to be called 'Onii-chan' like some three sis-con perverts in your family, but 'Uncle' makes me old," the one they called out lightheartedly joked.
[Bah! And that was from someone almost as old as me! Have some shame, old crow!]
{There is no human civilization which survived as long as you have lived – even 'Grand Ancestor' is not enough.}
At the sheer absurdity of Azazel's claim, even Albion and Ddraig had one of their rare moments when they agreed.
"I like to think I am forever twenty inside. Many ladies can vouch I live up to that claim where it counts." Azazel gave a playful wink to the girls… and only got a stink eye from them and a warning glare from Issei in return, but he played them off with a laugh. "Don't worry, my taste is a little more mature. You're ten years too early." The looks aimed at him got even worse, where even Kiba was looking at him with disconcerting gaze and Koneko started putting on her gloves. "But let's be serious. I've heard you're here to train, so let's stop wasting time and show you around."
"Don't you have your own job?" Issei asked, angry at how Azazel interrupted him and then hit on Rias, Miia, and Akeno right away. His sisters obviously were outside of this list, as despite his words, Azazel really only saw himself as their uncle… likewise with Raynare and Mittelt. Even though at least half of the female Fallens – and part of the males – in every generation had a crush on their leader in the last millennium for reasons unknown to Issei, he rarely looked at his own race. And as a fellow man even more enlightened about the greatness of big breasts than Issei himself, Koneko was… disqualified.
*Crack*
The white Nekomata, guided by a sudden urge, turned towards Issei and cracked her knuckles loudly. Her reaction would be seen as cute by the boy, if he didn't remember what she did to a Stray Devil before.
"But I am doing my job. Your win in the Rating Game will be a great push for the unification project. The underdog Gremory Princess winning against the immortal Phoenix… Is there a better stage to show the power of the Hyoudou kids?" Azazel conveniently skipped the part where he dumped half of his work on Shemhazai.
"We want Buchou's match to be won with her own strength, though..." The reaction was skeptical, especially from the Devils who weren't amused at his help, thinking back to the time Grayfia warned her about the controversy if more Fallen Angels were to be involved.
"Then we have to think of a way to make it happen both ways. Now, shouldn't you show your guests around, brats?"
"..." Issei stared back at Azazel for a while, but in the end, he only shook head in resignation and turned to Rias and the group. "Buchou, let's find some free rooms for you. Are our old rooms still standing, Zaz?"
"Cheeky brat, ignoring me and flirting with a girl. I see you've learned well!" Azazel chuckled and proudly patted Issei on the back. "They're the same as you left them. Without you here, barely anyone uses this facility except for throwing old junk here."
Miia raised her hand, trying to get everyone's attention, though Issei noticed how the tip of her tail was twitching nervously. "I don't mind sleeping with Darling!"
"Ohh, she's a bold one. Reminds me of my youth." Azazel's laughter intensified as Miia understood how he took her words and turned red with embarrassment.
[You mean the time when humans were chasing after mammoths?] Ddraig jabbed at the Fallen, but he and Albion also jollily watched Lamia's reaction.
"N-No, I-I-I mean sharing a room! Like back home!" She quickly tried to correct the misunderstanding.
"Ara~ So you're already sleeping together?" For Akeno, Miia's troubled face stirred her sadistic side. The Japanese beauty walked to the unsuspecting Issei and grabbed his arm between her breasts to tease his familiar more. "Fufufu~ I want to join and have some skinship with my cute kouhai." She smiled sweetly, watching the redhead squirming at how close she was to Issei. Puffing her cheeks, Miia glided to them and grabbed Issei's other arm, shutting down all higher functions of his brain with that and leaving him with an idiotic grin as the two girls pulled him.
"Hmpf!" Izuna huffed loudly from her place on Issei's back and glared with visible possessiveness at the girls suddenly hugging her Onii-chan.
"…perverts." Koneko commented flatly. She then effortlessly picked up a backpack twice her size. "Where are those rooms?"
"Enough of this! Akeno, we came here for a reason; stop toying with Ise and Miia." Rias raised her voice authoritatively. Right now was not the time; she could at least wait until they see the rooms! Her Queen obediently released the Pawn's arm, 'accidentally' making her breasts jiggle like a poked jello and then turning away with a playful wink.
That woke Issei back, and with the now-free arm, he wiped a small line of saliva which escaped from his mouth. "Yes! We have things to do!" He then looked and Miia, "I'm sorry, everyone will have their own rooms. I'm gonna' train extra intensively to get back in shape, so I'll barely use the bed… and even that'll be at random hours."
The dejected expression Miia gave him as she released his arm almost caused him internal pain, but it was better for their training this way. Also, there would be a problem with his 'alone time' if they shared a room. But the main reason was to help with their training, obviously.
Or, at least, that's how Issei justified that.
Soon after, they all grabbed their baggage and finally left the room, led by Issei and Azazel. Contrary to what Azazel said earlier, the base was brimming with Fallen Angels as they walked past the white corridors. Issei had to turn every so often, answering greetings from the Grigori members. The Devils in the group were in the most unrest however, surrounded by curious and sometimes even hostile looks, but thanks to Azazel, Raynare, and Mittelt chasing off the other Fallens, nothing bad happened.
"I'm sorry, Buchou! We didn't know the base would be this full!" Issei bowed apologetically before Rias, unknowingly bringing her face-to-face with Izuna.
"Rumors about the Sins coming back here got out, and almost everyone with permission and free time rushed to see you again. But I promise, no one here will attack you in any way." Azazel explained, addressing the last part to the Devils, and took out a keychain with plastic cards attached. After spinning it for a second on his index finger, he tossed it to Issei, but Izuna caught it before him. "Your old keys. There are also keys to every other room in this part; take your pick. Now, drop your stuff and let's continue-"
"*sniff*" In the middle of Azazel's speech Izuna sharply moved on Issei's back and sniffed loudly, cutting him off. "*sniff sniff*" With her eyes glowing, the Half-Werewolf grew a pair of white wolf ears and a fluffy tail. "NII-CHAN!" Using her brother like a springboard, Izuna jumped forward, the momentum making her look like a white bullet.
"Wha-?!" Issei stumbled and regained balance. "Izu, keys! Dammit! Everyone, after her!" he screamed and ran after her.
"Let's go!" Rias without missing a beat ordered her Peerage, who released their wings and flew – or in Yuuto's case, just ran.
Those left behind looked between each other. Finally, when the Devils vanished behind the corner, Azazel broke the silence, taking out a spare set of cards. "So, you want to check your rooms, or go after them?"
Miia took keys with a 'Thank you'.
Back with Issei, his chances to catch Izuna were… precisely none. Running quickly turned ineffective when Kiba caught up to him and he switched to flying, with a little help of fire magic as a propellant. Yet still, the best the both of them could do was maintain the distance between the running wolf-girl.
(Disclaimer: Thanks to special procedures and periodic drills in case of Hyoudou family visit, no Grigori member was accidentally harmed during the chase.)
Izuna stopped running after getting into a training room. There, Yuuto and Issei saw her waving her tail as she hugged and snuggled happily to a teenage boy who was patting her back. The boy had hazel eyes and light silver hair, with a shade close enough someone could assume he and Izuna were related, and a handsome face emanating a devilish charm even with the warm smile he had. Seeing Rias and the others catching up, he quickly wiped his smile and replaced it with a bold smirk.
"Yes, your brother is happy to see you too, Zuna… And here comes Rias Gremory. I have to thank you for picking up my brothers." He didn't bow his head and his tone was too arrogant to be taken as sincerely thanking someone, which would have irked Rias if not for her experience with Septimus.
"I did that for my own reasons too, but you're welcome," Rias answered chillingly. She ended up annoyed with this person's behavior even after being exposed to Septimus for some time already. "However, a polite person would introduce themselves first."
"Please, don't…" Issei weakly sighed, knowing what was about to happen.
"What, Ise? I'm just gonna' introduce myself to the sister of the fake Lucifer, just as she wants." Giving him a smile like he was picking a fight, the silver-haired boy moved a few steps from Izuna. "I am Vali. White Dragon Emperor, the Vanishing Dragon. Great-grandson of original Lucifer." At his last words, the last adoptive child of Hyoudous unfolded four pairs of bat-like wings from his back.
A member of Azazel's unification project, Vali Lucifer-Hyoudou, or to the human world known simply as Vali Hyoudou,
"Here we go again..." Issei sighed again, preparing for a repeat of his and Sep's introduction. Yup, just the way his brothers worked – always dropping bombshells like that. Well, he was the same in that regard...
Alright, anyone surprised that Vali is the last in Hyoudou half-breed family, please raise your hand. Or anyone who would want for Raynare to step on them. But to not mix the two, you raise your leg. Though I think there are more legs in the air right now than hands. The original half-devil in the series finally shows up and looks like he's going to assist Team (Rocket) Rias in their training.
I hope a healthy dose of Asia's cuteness loaded you with positive energy and you all like this chapter with its shenanigans. There's no new omake or anything, but hey, I plan to drop something extra with the next chapter release, whenever it will be. I'm split between making a new side-series of omakes with younger Hyoudous like the Halloween one, or interview-like Q&A with the cast. Though for that I'd need questions, preferably from you readers. If there's anything in lines like that, PM me or leave it in the review.
Anyway, that's it for now. See ya.