Shin slid back, gasping in pain.
"Haaaah!" He looked up and saw an armored Issei charging towards him. Before Issei could reach him, the armor dispelled and Issei fell to the ground, completely spent.
"Looks like your body still isn't strong enough to maintain the Balance Breaker for longer than 10 seconds," Shin said.
Issei panted heavily, looking up at his friend. "You don't think I couldn't see that?"
Shin smiled and walked over, pulling Issei to his feet. Issei stumbled a little but managed to stay upright.
[Do not fret, Partner. It'll take some time but I believe that you will be able to maintain the Balance Breaker for longer than 10 seconds. You're just starting out after all.] Ddraig said. [I remember Elsha didn't last longer than 15 seconds when it was her first time.]
"First time having sex or first time using her Balance Breaker?" Shin asked.
"Shin! You know what he means!" Issei said. He was red-faced, causing Shin to erupt in laughter.
"It was just a joke," Shin said. "We should find Asia."
"Where is she?"
An explosion rocked the area.
"Over there," he replied.
Asia coughed and flapped her wings to blow the smoke away. She scratched her forehead, wondering where she had gone wrong. Her eyebrows scrunched in deep thought as she stared long and hard at the strip of paper in front of her.
"You know if you keep doing that, you'll set the talisman on fire, Asia-sama," Ran said, standing behind her. Sophia sat on a tree stump with her hands on her cheeks, watching as Asia grabbed a brush and began to make necessary adjustments.
"Asia, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you and Shin were actually related to each other," Sophia commented.
"E-Eh!? R- Really?" Asia asked, blushing and twirling one of her bangs.
Ran and Sophia gave each other a glance. This girl. Was she really that starved for familial attention that an off-handed comment made her react in such a manner?
"Take two!" Asia yelled. She grabbed the talisman and began channeling her divine power into it. It had taken her two of the remaining four days they had to beg Shin into sending Vivi back to the house to get the Talisman Paper. Eventually, he caved and got the papers.
"Let those who turn away from the Divine Blessing be shot down by the arrow of the gods! Rekku Madan! Come forth at once!" Asia chanted. The talisman glowed brightly. She threw it forward and the talisman summoned a glyph in front of her. The air surrounding the talisman became compressed into a small condensed sphere of wind. The wind sphere shot forth like a rocket and impacted a rock, causing it to violently explode into small pieces.
"I did it!" Asia said.
"You did. But making a bullet out of air is pretty basic but still hard for beginners," Shin said.
"Shin! Did you see!?" Asia said, running up to him
Shin smiled. She really was like a puppy. A golden retriever puppy. A pair of ears and a wagging tail appeared behind her, causing him to chuckle. He reached up and petted her head, earning a bright smile from the girl.
"That was great, Asia!" Issei said.
Asia blushed at the praise from her crush.
"Ran, you got Issei?" Shin asked.
Ran instantly appeared next to the two and took Issei off Shin. Shin nodded in thanks.
"The actual application of this is to imbue magic power… well, in your case, divine power into projectiles. Air can only do so much compared to something solid." Shin grabbed a pebble from the ground. "May I?"
Asia nodded, mentally taking notes inside her brain to write down for later. He pulled a talisman out of his pocket.
"Let those who turn away from Divine Blessings be struck down by the Divine Arrow. Rekku Madan. Come forth at once!" Shin opened his hand as the pebble began to levitate. He flicked his thumb and fired it. The pebble shot forth with immense speed, creating a backflow of air. The pebble hit a tree, piercing through it and the tree behind it.
"Okay, so I can use the talisman to infuse my divine power into bullets," Asia said, pulling out a small notebook and writing something down. "But… wait, I need more control, don't I?"
"Yup," Shin said. "Now, let me show you…"
Rias sat in her room, sighing as she leaned back against her gaming chair. Despite what others might think, her room was extremely messy. Living without maids meant that no one cleaned her room. However, that didn't mean Rias didn't know how to. It was just her nature. Behind that elegant, graceful facade she put on for everyone was a messy, dorky otaku.
She clicked on another video. As the video began to play, someone knocked on her door.
"Rias-sama?"
"Akeno? Come in," Rias said. She looked behind her and snapped her fingers. Several magic circles appeared and shoved the mess of video games, anime cds, and t-shirts into the closet next to her bed.
Akeno slowly opened the door and saw the closet door slamming shut. She looked over to Rias, who had a questioning look on her face. Akeno sighed and brought over a tray of snacks and tea.
"Thanks," Rias said, grabbing a cookie.
"You know. You're a really messy person," Akeno said. She bent down and picked up a case. "You missed one. Huh? Rance?"
Rias snatched the case from Akeno's hand and dropped it into a magic circle. "A-Akeno, I hope you're here for something important and not to just make me feel like a pig in my own room," she said. A blush had overtaken her face.
Akeno rolled her eyes and reached into her pocket. "This is another piece of footage that Grayfia-sama got for you. It's on Riser-sama's most recent Rating Game."
"Thanks, Akeno," Rias said. She grabbed the cd and placed it into a stack of tapes next to her monitor.
"You know we'll be fine, right? We've trained so hard for 10 days. And Issei unlocked his Balance Breaker. With that ultimate trump card, our chances of victory are much higher than before," Akeno said.
"I know… but I can't help it. Even if our chances are higher, Ise's time limit is 10 seconds which means I need to strategically time the moment Issei enters the Balance Breaker. One false move and we could end up losing the game," Rias said.
Akeno nodded. "Do you need anything else?"
"Huh? Oh right. Can you call Kaa-sama and Tou-sama to get my dress ready?" she asked.
"Dress?"
"Yeah. After the game, regardless of who wins or loses, the Princess and Lady Lilith are going to host an after-game event. This is supposed to be the Princess's first event as acting Lucifer since Onii-sama went to go take care of something outside of the Underworld," Rias said.
"Understood," Akeno bowed and left the room. As she shut the door, she heard Rias's screaming. "At least blow on your tea first…" Akeno mumbled.
She walked down the hallway, humming an old tune her mother had hummed whenever she cooked. Today was the last day before the Rating Game. Everyone was off preparing in their own way. Issei was with Shin and Sophia, who were testing the upper limits of his Balance Breaker. Kiba had gone off into the woods to practice his sword training and Koneko had gone to a distant part of the estate to safely utilize the full extent of her abilities.
She looked down at her hand and summoned small sparks of lightning. "I need to get some practice in. I can't be the only one not doing anything," Akeno said, closing her hand.
She stepped out of the house, onto the porch when she saw Shin and Sophia helping Issei to the house.
"What happened?" Akeno asked.
"We figured that's enough for today. Tomorrow's the game and we want Issei to get some rest," Shin said. "You?"
"Oi, I can fight!" Issei said.
"Dumbass, you made a promise to Senpai that you'd win. Are you gonna go back on your word?" Shin gave Issei a sideways glance.
"N- No, fine," Issei said, giving in.
"Where are you going, Akeno-senpai?" Shin asked.
"I said stop it with the Senpai. Just call me, Akeno. A! Ke! No!" she said, putting her hands on her hips. "And for your information, I'm going to go practice. Everyone has been working so hard that I feel out of practice," Akeno said.
"I can go with you," Shin said.
"That's sweet but not necessary. My training can get a little… destructive," Akeno said.
"That's nothing new to me. After we got older and my parents began going on more frequent trips, my sister took up training me. I had to dodge an airwave that carved a canyon behind the town," Shin said.
"Akeno-senpai, I think you should let him go with you. Shin's handled… worse," Issei said. While he had personally never been trained by Akane, he had been on the receiving end of her fury. It was terrifying to behold. She truly deserved the title, Most Terrifying Female Existence.
"Come on. If you tire yourself out, what are you going to do? Crawl?" Shin asked.
Akeno pursed her lips at his comment. She never went overboard with training. However, the thought of having some alone time with Shin appealed to her.
"Alright, you can come," Akeno relented.
Shin nodded. "Sophia, Ran, you two can take Issei to our room, right?"
Sophia nodded. Ran glanced over at Akeno, glaring at her briefly before walking over to Shin. She relieved him of the burden of supporting Issei's arm.
"We'll see you two in a bit okay?" Shin said.
"Come on. Let's head to the training grounds." Akeno walked past him, leaving a fresh floral scent in her wake. Shin nodded and followed after her.
"How is my bow coming along?" Akeno asked as they walked to the field.
"Your bow is coming along fine. It'll be ready by tomorrow before you guys leave for the Underworld," Shin said.
"You're not coming along?" Akeno said.
"How can I? I'm human. Before you say anything, I know humans can go but it isn't my place to be there," Shin said.
"Shin, is this about not being one of us? I told you already that even if you aren't a member of Buchou's peerage, you're still one of us," Akeno said, giving him a cross look.
"Eh? N- No, it's not that. I'd just look extremely out of place there," he said.
"If you want, I can ask Buchou to have Grayfia-sama open a booth for you to watch," she replied.
Shin gave her a stupefied look before waving his hands in refusal. "N-No, I'm fine. Besides… I think Sophia might make me go one way or another," he said, whispering the last part under his breath.
"What was that?" Akeno asked, hearing him trail off.
"N-Nothing, I was just thinking about what Nee-chan might do to me if we lose any more business to Vincent's," Shin said.
"Right," Akeno said.
After a few more minutes of walking, the two reached the training grounds. Despite the intense spartan training, Rias put her peerage through, there wasn't a speck nor a crater anywhere. It was as if no one had been here at all.
"Alright," Akeno said. She raised her hand into the air and summoned a red magic circle. Lightning struck her form as she donned her Priestess garb. "Please stand back."
I forget that… she's a Himejima, Shin thought as he walked a distance away from her.
Akeno closed her eyes, channeling her demonic power through her body. A golden aura surrounded her. She opened her eyes and raised her hand. Several yellow magic circles appeared around her and fired bolts of lightning across the field.
She took to the air and snapped her fingers. A large spike of ice erupted from the ground where the lightning had struck, sending a wave of cold air across the field. "And finally," Akeno said, raising her hand into the air. A large fireball appeared above her head. She threw her arm forward and tossed the fireball at high speeds towards the ice construct.
The fireball exploded violently, sending steam and melting shards of ice across the field.
Shin covered his face with his arms. The scalding wave of heat washed over him, causing his flesh to sting from the slight burn.
"Woah," he said, looking up at her.
With the elements revolving and waiting to please her, Akeno appeared to resemble a merciless yet serene Goddess of Destruction.
"Next set." Akeno snapped her fingers. An orb of ice and lightning collided with each other, transforming into a jagged spear of ice. Shin's eyes narrowed at the mastery of elemental magic.
To fuse multiple elements into a cohesive form, that's some skill, he thought.
Akeno fired the spear at a rock. The ice exploded, splintering the rock while the lightning created an outward force that sent pieces of it everywhere.
She breathed and landed on the ground softly. "That was a good warm-up."
"T-That was a warm-up? What's your regular training like?" Shin asked.
Akeno titled her head to the side, pondering his question. She placed a hand on her lips before answering. "Mostly, as you are aware, I am a Wizard-Type Fighter with some shades of Technique because of my archery. I mostly just fire off spells like this, sitting down, controlling and refining my demonic power to cast high power spells in a cost-effective manner," she said.
"I see. How… How destructive do you usually get?" Shin asked.
"Well, I got banned from the Gremory Garden Estate once because I trained there. I probably started a forty-acre fire trying to learn a fire spell," Akeno said.
"F-Forty!?" Shin nearly spat out his tongue in shock.
"What about you? I'm sure your training sessions got destructive," Akeno said.
"Er.. well, touche but it was never me causing the destruction. It was mostly my sister," Shin said. "I never did anything on your level or hers."
"You're extremely skilled," she said.
"You think I'm skilled? You've never seen my sister fight then. My sister is the youngest person to ever master the martial art of my mom's family, the Onigari-Ryuu. In terms of skill, if we could measure it like water, I'm a glass of water and she's the entire ocean. That's how far apart we are in terms of skill," he replied. "But that's okay. It makes me admire her even more. She's a goal that I want to reach."
"It must be nice," Akeno said.
"What is?" he asked.
"Having siblings. I'm an only child," she said. She walked over and sat next to Shin. "My mom… my mom passed away before she could have any."
"Well, if it makes you feel better, it's not all it's cracked up to be," Shin said, grabbing a rock and tossing it across the field. "Siblings, especially sisters, are the worst. I know. I have… 4. One is gallivanting around the planet, the other is in Europe, and…"
"The others?" Akeno asked.
"The other two are in the manor healing Ise," Shin said.
Akeno raised an eyebrow. As far as she knew, Akane was Shin's only sister unless he referred to surrogate sisters of course. The last part made it click for her.
"I can't possibly imagine having someone as terrifying as Akane be my older sister," she said.
"Yeah but… Onee is a big softie once you get to know her. At school, she looks calm, cool, and collected but around us, she's emotive, bubbly, and overly affectionate," he said.
"She sounds like two people I know," Akeno said. Her mind drifted to a certain magical girl and a red-haired siscon.
"Sorry if she scared you during your first meeting. I promise that Onee's not that bad," Shin said.
"You know, when I showed up to your house with you unconscious, your sister tried to vaporize me. She had me by the throat," Akeno said, unconsciously rubbing her neck.
"Yeah, Vivi told me about that. I'm really sorry. My sister's just really overprotective of me," he said, apologizing on her behalf. "My parents said the reason I'd never get a girlfriend is because Nee-chan will scare away every woman who so much as bats an eyelash in my direction."
Akeno covered her mouth to stifle a laugh that was bubbling up. The similarities were there. It was too uncanny. She's like Sirzechs and Serafall-sama, she thought.
"O-Oi! Stop laughing! I might be single forever because of my sister!" Shin said.
Akeno couldn't help the raucous laughter that escaped her mouth.
Shin gave her a deadpan stare. In his mind, the situation he was in wasn't a laughing matter at all. He wasn't going to die a virgin. Not if he had anything to say about it. Though, saying it was easier than actually doing it. However, there was one thing Shin could admit.
"You have a pretty laugh," he said without realizing.
Akeno stopped laughing and looked at him. She had a growing blush on her face. He thinks… my laugh is pretty?
"Are you alright? Your face is turning red," Shin said.
"I'm fine," Akeno said, coughing into her hand.
"You sure? It is pretty hot out for a spring day. I guess that's just Japan for you. You know when we went to Scotland for Christmas, there was snow everywhere. Even the loch was frozen completely," Shin said.
"Did you see the Loch Ness Monster?" Akeno asked.
"Oi, Issei and Irina keep asking me that question, and for your information, no. At least, I don't think I have," Shin said, grabbing a stone. He channeled magic into it and fired it at a rock. The rock cracked but didn't explode.
Akeno glanced at the rock silently. A memory of a blue bullet piercing her mother flashed inside her head. She closed her eyes and sighed. That was a long time ago, she thought.
"What about you? I know your mom passed away but do you have any other family?" Shin asked.
Akeno's face grew dark as the unpleasant memories intensified. Shin noticed the look on her face and dropped the pebble. There was a noticeable aura of hostility around her.
"Or… we don't have to talk about that. Sorry if it brought up any unpleasant memories," he said.
"It's fine. I just don't like talking about my family except my mom. As far as I'm concerned, they're dead to me. Rias, you, this peerage, you all are my family now. I don't need them back in my life," Akeno said in a hollow tone.
Shin nodded and decided not to push any further. The two sat there in silence for several minutes as the sun began to set. He felt a weight on his arm and saw a mop of black violet hair tied in an orange ribbon on his shoulder. It really is a warm March, he thought as his face began to heat up.
"Hey Shin-kun," Akeno said.
"Yeah," he replied.
"Do you think that in another life, under different circumstances, we would still be friends?" she asked.
"That's a really deep question," Shin answered. "But I'd like to think so. I couldn't imagine living in a world where I wasn't friends with the illustrious and great Onee-sama, Akeno Himejima."
"Shut up." Akeno took her head off his shoulder and smacked his arm.
Shin bit down the urge to express his pain. That area was going to bruise for a few weeks. She had used her rook strength to punch him and his entire body felt it.
"No but seriously, ever since you came into my life, I can't imagine what life would be like now without you. It's really weird," Shin said. Same goes for Sophia, Issei, everyone in the ORC. I can't imagine a life without them.
While Shin was reminiscing the times he spent with everyone, Akeno interpreted his words in a different manner. Is this… a confession? Akeno thought. While she appeared demure and mature to everyone, her mind was still that of a teenage girl who knew naught of romance. And her mind had interpreted his statement in such a manner. Her heart began to beat faster and her cheeks slowly began to turn red once more. If he keeps doing things like this… her thoughts trailed off.
"Ready to head back?"
She snapped out of her reverie and saw him standing in front of her with his hand outstretched. The light of the setting sun made him look different, making his eyes look like a rich shade of copper. Her breath hitched before she composed herself once more and took his hand.
As he pulled her up, Akeno only had one thought inside her head.
Shin-kun's hand is big… and warm.
Issei sighed as he leaned back against the wall. Hell would have to freeze over before he sat in that bastard Cassanova's bed. Asia and Ran had left him in the room to rest. Judging from the smell, the two were helping Sophia make dinner. Working in a restaurant had allowed Issei to better distinguish different tastes and smells. And from what he could smell, the girls were making katsudon.
[That nose of yours might help you one day] Ddraig commented.
"It's just food. I don't think I can smell poison," Issei said. He grabbed his backpack and pulled out his laptop. He typed in his password.
[Your password is Pu$$ySlay3r69?] Ddraig asked.
"Come on, man. Have some decency. Looking at other people's passwords is rude y'know," Issei said as he waited for his computer to boot up. He opened Skype and looked at the Recents tab. After a few minutes of scanning, he found the contact he was looking for and clicked it.
A loading screen appeared in front of him. Issei placed the laptop on his lap and stared at the loading screen for a few seconds. He pulled out his phone and checked the time.
"She should be awake. It's 10 AM over there," Issei said.
After a few more seconds, a video appeared on Issei's screen. The sight almost made him choke on his spit and he had to cover his nose to keep blood from leaking out.
"I-Ise! Are you alright!?" A concerned voice called out from the screen.
Her… Her oppai!
"What are you wearing, Irina?" he asked, removing his hand from his face.
"It's called a tank top, you dong," she replied.
The girl on the screen crossed her arms, further emphasizing the size of her bust. Her chestnut-orange hair was wet and matted down, signifying that she had just taken a shower. Issei swallowed his spit as he gathered his wits to talk to her.
"Where are you anyway? That wall doesn't look like your house," Irina said.
"I'm at a friend's house for the weekend. We're on a club outing and we've been here for a little over a week just studying," Issei said.
"Really? I wish I was back there. The Lord knows how much I want to go back but alas, it is not meant to be yet. Maybe in the future, I can go back and we can hang out like old times? Just you, me, and Shin," she said in a cheerful tone.
Issei smiled. Irina was always like this. Happy and emotive. A frown rarely appeared on her face. She was what one would call a Stepford Smiler.
"Yeah. So how are things over there?" Issei asked.
"Everything's been fine. There was a small thing that our teachers scrambled over but everything's fine. Xenovia's not here right now so it's just you and me. We're having our finals in a few weeks so after that I can get more free time," she chirped.
"Finals? That must suck. We don't get finals until June but everyone's already scrambling to study," he said.
"Oh yeah, I can bet. I hope God has mercy on their souls when the test finally shows up. Let me tell you, my roommate isn't much of an academic. The only reason she's passing is because I'm carrying her… hard," Irina said with a proud look on her face.
"Pfft, might have to curb your smug look there, Miss Nun. I heard that pride was one of the seven deadly sins," Issei joked.
"Hey! I have a right to be smug! I'm carrying Xenovia through the classes!" Irina said indignantly.
Issei burst out laughing.
"Mou, Issei! Stop laughing! I'm serious!" she said.
"That's like me saying I'm carrying Shin in class when it's the other way around!" Issei cackled, slapping his knee with his hand.
"Hmph! Keep laughing, jerk. I guess you don't want a sneak peek of what I'm getting you for your birthday," Irina said, pouting.
"Birthday? My birthday's in April. You're already planning that far ahead?" Issei said, coming down from his laughing high.
"Well duh. I have to pay for shipping fees and everything! Making money while I'm in school isn't an easy thing y'know," Irina said. She had a sly smile on her face.
"Well, are you going to tell me what it is?" Issei asked.
"Why don't we make it a surprise?" Irina winked. "Anyway, got anything big coming up?"
Issei stopped talking.
"Ise? Are you alright?" Irina asked.
"Y-Yeah, I'm just a bit nervous," Issei said.
"For what? Don't tell me you're going to fight someone?" she asked jokingly.
"About that… Irina, I have something to tell you," he said.
"What? Are you actually fighting someone? Ise, what did I tell you about picking fights with other people?" she scolded.
"It's not that. Well, it's part of that but… um, ahhh! Let me start over. Irina, I have something important to tell you and please promise me that you won't freak out, okay?" Issei said with a serious expression on his face.
Seeing that Issei's normally jovial and perverted expressions were gone, Irina went silent and nodded. Whatever it was he had to tell her was extremely serious. Did Ise get a girlfriend? She thought as her heart began to pound inside her chest in anticipation.
"Irina… I… I'm a Devil!" Issei said.
"Well, of course, you are. With how saucy and perverted you get during our calls, I wouldn't be surprised if your parents adopted you from a devil family," Irina joked.
"I-I'm being serious here! Look!" Issei picked up the laptop and placed it on Kiba's desk. He then walked a few inches away from the camera and turned around. "See!"
Pah!
A pair of wings popped out of Issei's back.
"And look at this!" he held his left arm up towards her and summoned the [Boosted Gear].
"You have a magic glove on your fapping hand?" Irina asked.
[The hell did that girl just say!?] Ddraig called out.
"Irina, cut the crap. I know you know. Shin told me about your family," Issei said, sitting down.
Irina looked taken aback before letting out a long-winded sigh. Shin, you dummy! I wanted to tell Issei myself. But… from what it looks like, I guess you had no choice but to say something, she thought as she rubbed her forehead.
"So Shin told you everything?" she asked.
"W-Well not everything. He just said that you and your parents knew about me having a [Sacred Gear] and all that," he answered.
"Well, to be fair, I didn't know that much. I just overheard Tou-san and Kaa-san talking about it with Akari-oba and Rowan-oji during your birthday. That's how I found out. I'm guessing Shin knew way before I did because when I told him, he didn't really look surprised. By the way, what the heck happened? How are you even a Devil?" she asked.
"Er… I got stabbed."
"YOU GOT WHAT!?"
Issei began to sweat bullets when he saw Irina's worried and angered face.
"I got stabbed by a Fallen Angel when I was out. Shin tried to save me by holding them off but there was this other one with huge honkers that came in and stabbed me in the liver I think," Issei said, closing his eyes. He shivered as he relived the memory of the Fallen Angels.
"Anyway, that's how it went. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you earlier, Irina."
"..."
"Irina?"
There was no response.
Issei opened his eyes and paled when he saw Irina's furious gaze. She had flames. Literal, actual flames were wafting off her hair. Her eyes were glowing a vibrant orange glow that resembled that of the sun. Issei swore he could feel the heat from behind the screen.
"Um, Irina. If it makes you feel better, I'm fine now. We got them back. The Fallen Angels that killed me are… dead," Issei said. He grimaced remembering how slow Raynare died at the hands of God herself. He didn't know what happened to the other three but he assumed that Buchou and Akeno killed them.
"No, it doesn't make me feel better. Issei, you got stabbed! In the LIVER of all places. How am I not supposed to worry? What if that Devil wasn't there? Am I supposed to be just fine with not seeing you again!?" Irina scolded.
"Well, I'm fine now so there's nothing to worry about. Though, I should've told you sooner. Sorry for making you… worry so much. You and Shin always worry about me and I feel like I'm always getting into trouble," Issei said.
"Ise, that's what we're here for. No matter how many times you trip, we'll be there to help you back up because that's what friends are for," Irina said. The word "Friends" didn't sound right on her tongue but she forced it out anyway.
"So, I guess this means that you don't mind that I'm a Devil," he replied.
"Ise, no matter what, even if you are a Devil, you're still my Ise. Ise will always be Ise to me no matter what. Even with those wings on your back and the blood of Satan running through your veins, I will never ever see you as anyone else other than my Ise," Irina said with a tender smile on her face.
Issei blushed at her words and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "It looks like I was worried for no reason… thanks, Rin. I really needed that," he said, giving her a bright smile. "Which brings me to the next point… I'm about to enter a Rating Game with my King."
Irina sighed. "What about it? This should be normal, right?" she asked.
"I'm a bit nervous."
"Oh. Well, Ise, trust your… whoever your King is. And I believe you can do it."
"That's a real confidence booster," he snarked.
"Do you want a good luck kiss?" she teased.
Issei blushed. "N- No."
Irina smiled cheekily. She brought her fingers up and kissed them before pressing them on her webcam. "There you go. A digital good luck kiss from me to you. Is that what you wanted? A cute girl like me giving you a good luck kiss?"
Issei's blush intensified and he looked away. "According to your church, vanity is a sin too."
"I'm only sinful when it comes to you~!" Irina replied.
Issei and Irina continued to argue, all the while not knowing that Shin was standing outside the room. He had a small smile on his face before deciding to leave and let the two unknowing love birds have their alone time.
"Shin. Is Issei-san not coming down?"
He looked down and saw Asia standing at the foot of the stairs.
"No, let him be. He's… having some much-needed alone time," he said.
"Alone time?" she asked. Is Ise-san sleeping? she thought.
"Come on. I'll help set the table," Shin said.
"Okay, okay. Calm down, calm do-" Issei's head snapped to the side. Ran had just slapped him.
It was the day of the Rating Game. Issei was inside Hatch Potch, waiting for Rias and the others to come and pick them up. Unlike Koneko, Kiba, and Akeno, Issei couldn't teleport to the Underworld so he had to rely on Rias to come and pick him up.
"Thanks. I needed that," he said, rubbing his cheek.
"No problem, Issei-sama," Ran said.
"So you ready?" Shin asked.
"What do you mean? Of course, he's ready. We spent ten days beating him into the ground," Sophia said, taking a sip of her soda.
"Where are they?" Issei asked.
As if on cue, a red flash of light appeared inside the pub. The light died down to reveal Rias and Akeno standing in the middle of the room.
"Ise, we're here to pick you up. Everyone is waiting in the club room," Rias said.
"Right. This is it," Issei said, looking towards the others.
"Good luck, Jailbait."
"G-Good luck, Ise-san! I know you can do it!" Asia cheered.
"Best of luck to you, Issei-sama," Ran bowed.
"Ise, Irina said that if you win, she'll have something for you on call when you get back," Shin said.
"R- Right!" Issei said. A light blush dusted his cheeks.
"Oh, Akeno-sen-"
Akeno gave him a small glare.
"Er, Akeno. Here." Shin walked forward and handed her a wrapped item.
Akeno took the object from Shin's hands and unwrapped it. Her eyes grew wide in surprise when she saw it. Her mother's bow. It looked completely brand new. Everything about it looked like how it did seven years ago. A tear fell from her face onto the bow.
"I replaced the bowstring with something stronger and used my Contract to help restore it," Shin said.
"Thanks, Shin. I don't know how I can repay you," Akeno said.
"It's no problem. We're friends. But if you really want to repay me, you can work two days of overtime for me," he said.
Akeno smiled at his words.
"Akeno, let's go," Rias said.
"Right. I'll make sure to stay in this restaurant late with you. That's what you want. Right, Shin-kun~?" Akeno said with a serene smile on her face. Her tone said otherwise, causing Shin to blush at the insinuation.
"Good luck, everyone!" Sophia said.
The three nodded as they disappeared in a flash of red light.
"Well, I guess it's our turn. Come on, Shin. We need to get there before the game starts," Sophia said, hopping off the barstool.
"I can't believe you're forcing me to go," Shin said.
"I don't wanna go face Runi-nee, Mom, and Brother by myself. Let's go."
"Ugh, fine but you owe me."
"You want me to work overtime too?" she teased, winking.
"Shut up."
And with that, a flash of violet light engulfed the bar before dying down and leaving an empty room.
[]
Irina Shidou
The childhood friend of Issei Hyoudou and Shinku Faulkner.
She has been away from home for a long time and constantly seeks a way back.
Her relationship to Issei is that of close friends yet they act more couple-like than most couples.
It is because of this that Rias Gremory views her as a rival.
Reviews
Another_Jojo: Dude... This chapter was phenomenal. I think it was the perfect way to make a casual fight scene that involved everyone, and the way that you managed to take what frankly, I thought was going to end up simply being a inside-joke, and turn it into a really cool fight scene which involved everyone in some way was nothing sort of incredible. I love the character work in this story, each little character quirk you've spread out through this chapter, and the rest of the fic as well.
Another thing I've made notice of, and this is a quality I love in fanfics, is the 'bit', a little section, maybe a line or two that is just really funny on it's own. Little moments and exchanges that really stick out and leave an impact on you. I personally find those to be the marks of a great fic, and you have them in spades in this chapter. From Ddraig anguished cries of despair at his partner's antics, to the Skype joke with Irina...
I completely have fallen in love with Azure, and I can't wait to see how the story continues from this point on! Great work!
Thanks man! I tried to balance it out and keep it from Issei's point of view in what was basically Issei vs the entire cast. I also wanted to use it to show how much Issei has grown since the beginning thanks to his dual training with Rias and Shin. I'm sure you've noticed but Issei is more combat-capable here than he is in canon. But he's not... overpowered in any way that turns fights into a cheese. He's just average and are catching up to the level of the people who are trained him.
I'm glad that you like the little quirks I had for each character. I feel like having characters with their own random bits is a key to making them really come to life instead of... you know... that one cursed fanfic we shall never ever talk about.
Dragons123d: Probably one of the few times I found Issei getting Over Booster early enjoyable but also slightly emotional. I hope Issei keeps his promise however.
I promise you that Issei will keep his promise. Promise. Pinky swear. Maybe. Hopefully. Though, Issei getting his Balance Breaker this early will make things easier for Tannin in the future.
Kyred: Hmm…YATTA! Balance Breaker Issei before the first fight, I like. Hopefully some more Honkai inspiration takes place in this story. Keep up the good work. Also good luck if your pulling for Adult Bronya.
If you keep a look out in some small or big details, there might be more things you see. Also, thanks to you wishing me luck, I got her! Silverwing is an absolute beast in damage. Nihilus and Elysia got bullied in ER Real. Balance Breaker Issei will be what makes or breaks this fight. We'll see if he can actually keep his promise and win.
Alright, everyone! We've reached the end of this chapter. Next is the... Gremory Peerage vs Phenex Peerage. Just kidding it's Shin and Sophia watching them like two ESPN commentators. This peerage battle will be mostly from their point of view. I've never seen a peerage battle done from the audience's point of view so this will be interesting to write. And I hope you all liked Irina. Remember, since Shin got her contact information and gave it to Issei, the two have been interacting ever since she left so yes, their relationship is a bit different than in canon. Well, you all saw that from how close they are. Remember, guys! Leave a review. Follow. Recommend it to your family. And take care of yourselves! Have a great day/night or not, the choice is yours.