Chapter 3- Hobbies
I knew it.
I had already known it even before I opened this door.
And it's like I said to you all before, I have knack for knowing when things don't go my way. Lo and behold, it is just as I feared: There was someone standing outside of my house waiting for me.
"Good morning, Nova-kun."
It's that blonde haired guy from last night. If I'm not mistaken, he's supposed to be one of my classmates or whatever. To be honest, I actually forgot what his name was. And I mean it, too. I can't remember his name to save my own life if it depended on it.
[That's really mean. Didn't he tell you who he was last night?]
Wait, you were listening?
[Of course I was…somewhat.]
Uh-huh…
[Alright, fine! I wasn't paying much attention, either! But still, you should at least learn the names of the people you encounter…!]
Not unless I never see them again, I don't.
[Now that's just cruel.]
Anyway, focusing on the problem in front of me…
"Come on. Don't just stand there. We need to get moving or else we'll be late for homeroom." he says to me with a smile and light laugh, which I believe to be rehearsed.
Why is this guy acting like he's my friend? The only reason why he's here is just to spy on me because I've got Vulcan inside my head, as much as I wish he wasn't.
[Hey!]
Plus, I never talked to him before. So there's no reason for both of us to acknowledge each other. At least for me…
Well, anyway, I'll just ignore him.
Closing my house door, I walk outside and simply pass by him without giving him acknowledgement or greeting whatsoever. And please, don't think of me as a jerk or anything. It's like I said earlier, I never had a reason to speak with him before. So I don't see why there's one now.
(Third P.O.V)
Yuuto watched as Nova walked ahead of him. Honestly, he couldn't blame the guy for not wanting to be around him, given the fact he knew that he was here just to keep an eye on him. And quite frankly, he also thinks it isn't right to be on Nova's tail considering the fact they hardly know each other.
Speaking of which, Yuuto has always been aware of Nova's presence inside the classroom, but never really thought much about him before. Of course there was no reason for him to think much of humans, unless they have a Sacred Gear, due to him being a Devil and handling his daily activities under Rias' command.
But getting back on topic, Nova seems like someone who people would easily forget about. Not to mention he looks really bland to a point where people would never bother looking at him twice, unless they had some sort of business with him. Simply put, he's just a generic looking guy. Heck, even his records can speak how…regular he is.
Now, he knows better than to judge a book by its cover.
(Nova P.O.V)
I know it was inevitable to lose this guy or get far away from him. And I'm not just saying this because he's a Devil, though that already plays a big factor in itself. It's mainly because we have the same class together and it would be useless to ditch someone who you're only going to see again in your very own classroom.
So I might as well put up with him till I go home.
Also…I have this strange feeling that I'm forgetting something really important. For the life of me, I can't seem to put my finger on it.
"Kyahh~! Kiba-kun!"
…
…
…
Dammit! He's popular!
That's right, now I remember who he is. He's the guy who the girls in our classroom and most of the female student body here swoon over. Simply put, he's a chick magnet who draws the attention of girls, thus earning a lot of hateful glares from guys!
But I could care less about that nonsense. I only care about the fact that he draws attention, a thing that I certainly hate. Sure, you might just think I'm over thinking it a bit since nobody ever notices me at all due being really inconspicuous.
However, now that I'm in close proximity with this guy, chances are I might get noticed by other students too. Hopefully I can be overlooked, and everybody will just forget my presence. I might sound like a jerk while saying this, but I really hope these morons just focus on…Kiba, was it? Well, yeah, as long as they focus on him I should get to homeroom without any problems.
"Ack! Taoki-san!"
Dear, God
If you truly exist up there in a wonderful place called Heaven, then please answer my prayer to you right now. And please, from the very bottom of my heart, end my life right now so all of this misery can die with me.
-Nova Taoki.
[Did you seriously just narrate a letter in your head to this God person?]
Let me have this…!
"…Taoki-san! How could you walk with this freakish pretty boy to school?" Once again, this moron has the audacity to shake me around like a rag doll. "Aren't we best friends!?"
No. That's just something you concocted.
And stop shaking me already. I had enough of that the first time you did it, and I don't want my nausea to return.
"Look, it's that creepy pervert."
"Ugh. So gross…"
"Who's that he's with?"
"Huh? What are you talking about…?"
"Right there, there's some guy next to him."
"Oh, uh…? Not sure. I've never seen him before."
This isn't good. While I am glad I can be overlooked somewhat, it's going to be a hassle if more people start to notice my presence simply due hanging around these guys. As established before, Hyoudou and Kiba are infamous in their own right within the student body. So if I'm around them too long, chances are people shift their gazes over to me.
And that is something I cannot allow to happen. Thankfully, Hyoudou is an idiot so he'll most likely pay attention to the stuff people are saying about him. That will give me a window of opportunity to quickly sneak away from his sights along with the rest. Fortunately, we don't share a class together so I can have a little space to myself.
As for Kiba, well, I don't think I have to worry about him. Since girls are naturally drawn to him like flies drawn to artificial light, I most likely won't be noticed unless he tries talking to me. To which case, I can just act like one of these horn dogs and just give him that jealous glance due to his chick magnet status and charisma.
"Now ladies please settle down." Kiba says with a somewhat sheepish smile.
"Damn pretty boy…" Hyoudou growled, tightly clenching his fist at him.
This is my window.
(Third P.O.V)
"C'mon Taoki-san, let's go…!" Issei says, turning to where Nova stood only to see him gone. "Eh? T-Taoki-san…!? Where did you go?"
While Issei was frantically looking for Nova, Yuuto was following Nova's lead by trying to get to their homeroom as well. Although he has to admit, he was surprised that Nova had managed to sneak away from all this commotion without him noticing. Granted, he was distracted by the female students, but still…as a knight he should have at least noticed something.
"Ahh…! Dammit! It's almost time for class!" Issei irritably said. "Guess I'll have to hang out with Taoki-san, then." Just as he was about to leave, he sent a glance at Yuuto, to which the blonde picked up on. Then afterward, he ran to his classroom.
Yuuto inwardly smiled in amusement knowing that look meant Issei is going to be joining them pretty soon.
(Nova P.O.V)
That was rather stressful.
I never imagined getting in my own classroom would be that much work. Well, no thanks to the people looking at our direction, that is.
[I kinda wished you stuck around a bit longer. I wanted to talk to that other guy.]
Huh? What other guy?
[You know, one of those…gear things or whatever they're called. I felt someone inside that Hyoudou guy.]
Wait, you can sense that?
[Guess I can. I didn't notice myself till a little while ago. But, yeah, there's somebody inside him contained in one of those gear items.]
Huh…Well, that's interesting, I guess. But why do you want to talk to him? Is he like you?
[He has to be. Otherwise, I wouldn't have felt his presence if he wasn't. And what's more, he could be possibly someone who I've known before losing my memory.]
So I have to be around Hyoudou even more, then. Well, alright, if it'll help you…then I'll hang around him until the guy inside his Gear responds.
[Aww, you're a swell guy Nova…]
Don't get used to it.
The break had rolled around before I knew it. Everyone had immediately gotten out of their seats to either talk with friends, leave the classroom, or just remained in their desks. As for me, I fall into third category of just staying in my desk. There really isn't a reason for me to leave or get out of my seat, so I just pulled out the book I've been reading and continued where I left off.
However I felt myself tense up when I felt Kiba's gaze on my back. I mentally groaned wondering what he wanted. I started listening to his footsteps, but instead of approaching me…he just walked out the classroom.
…
…
…
I exhaled out of relief thinking he would approach me. Ever since I learned about this supernatural world, I have been feeling a bit apprehended considering the fact Fallen Angels tried to kill Hyoudou and myself.
Truth be told, I honestly wouldn't know what to do if something like that happened again. And it's not like I can take on someone in that unnatural world. How could I? I'm just an average human you can find anywhere without any trouble.
If I were to be in a situation like that again, chances are I might end up in a heap of trouble. Running, of course, is an option but trying to get away from people who can fly and shoot or fire light projections at you is going to be a major problem.
And I'm pretty sure those supernatural folk can conjure some kind of…uh, what was it called again? A barrier…? Yeah, that's it. If they can bring up one of those then I'd be stuck inside a cage without chances of escape. Moreoever, they would sense my presence regardless if I hid it or not.
[You're being too paranoid.]
Can you blame me? The only reason why I'm feeling this way is because the girl who quote, unquote "dated" Issei knows my face now, along with that other girl, whatever her name was.
[Are you just forgetting her name of purpose? Because it feels like you are.]
So what if I am? Doesn't change the fact she tried to kill me, too. Not to mention I wanted nothing to do with her in the first place.
[True.]
Anyway, if you're suggesting something you may as well say it.
[You could always fight back using your power.]
What do you mean my power…? If anything that's your power, not mine. I'm just a container or a vessel at best.
[You are right, in a sense. Thing is, I can't do anything while I'm inside your soul. So if anything, whatever power I have or had becomes yours now.]
I guess that's something. Wait…Do you not know what your own powers are…?
[Of course not…How could I possibly know what powers I possessed if I can't recall what they were in the first place?]
You have a point.
[Anyway, just promise me that you'll meet up with that Hyoudou guy soon. I'm itching to talk to the other guy.]
I said that I would. Be patient, alright? Lunch will be coming up sooner than you know.
[Okay.]
Issei grumbled as he was 'picked up' by Kiba who had entered his classroom. It took him by surprise that pretty boy would walk into his class only to ask for him, which completely surprised everybody in his class. Hell, the girls tried to stop the blonde saying that he would corrupt him or whatever.
Ha! If he does, then maybe he can steal his thunder and he'll be a hit with the ladies. Moreover, though, it did irritate him that some of the girls suggested that they would get into that kind of relationship with each other.
Putting that aside, the main reason why Issei is following Yuuto to the old school building is because he said that Rias wanted to see him. And the fact he decided to become a Devil.
Last night, before going to bed, he had done some thinking about Rias' offer to become a Devil. He was hesitant about changing his species but his encounter with Yumma, whatever her real name was, opened his eyes into thinking if he has a chance of defending himself then maybe he should be a Devil.
Moreover, the bigger reason why he's making this decision is because of Nova. His friend had come to his aid when he was in trouble instead of ignoring the matter and running away. Hell, he even attempted to sacrifice himself to save his life! What's more, like himself at the time, he had no idea what was going on but still jumped in to save him…!
Rather than to be worried about himself, he should be concerned for the safety of his friend and do what he can to protect him from these Fallen Angels.
…
…
…
Buuuttt…on the off chances he does become a Devil, there is always the possibility of him achieving his dream to become the Harem King sooner than he intended. Plus, having cool superpowers might be the edge he needs to get all the ladies, and do lots of pervy things with them.
"Ehehe…" Issei stupidly laughed at whatever he fantasized he was thinking about.
"Ahem." Kiba interrupted. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything, but we've arrived."
They were standing in front of the door.
Kiba opened it and kindly offered Issei to go in first before him. "After you…"
"Thanks, I guess." Issei said, walking inside.
Once he stepped inside the room the first thing he noticed were women's clothes hanging rack. Being his usual self, he of course, goes to check it out.
"I wouldn't if I were you, perv." Koneko's monotone voice spoke, causing the brown haired boy to look at her sitting on the couch eating chocolate.
"Oh, uh…hi," Issei sheepishly said, scratching the back of his neck.
The white haired girl just ignored him and continued to eat her chocolate. Then Issei hears running water, completely surprised that they even had a shower in here, unlike Nova who had noticed it instantly when they were in here last time.
Getting back on topic, he can see the silhouette of a certain red head through the curtains. He began to question how he loved this clubroom and how lucky he is.
"I've hung your cloths so you can get them when you come out," Akeno's voice spoke, informing the red head in the shower.
Issei couldn't be any happier to watch someone shower.
(Nova P.O.V)
[Okay, Nova! Go find that Hyoudou guy…!]
I'm getting my lunch first. I'll talk to him after I eat.
[What?]
Look, just be patient, alright? Otherwise, I'll have to block you out just to get some peace of mind.
[*Grumble*]
Sigh. Ignoring my long term guest, I head over to the cafeteria to get some food. I didn't feel like bringing a lunch with me today, so I thought having something in the cafeteria might be a good change in pace. They usually have a lot of good choices to choose from.
Entering through the cafeteria doors I pick up a tray and get in line. Fortunately, there was a variety of stuff to choose from, and I picked out whatever I felt like having. Moreover, I even got a cinnamon roll that they had on display.
After finding an empty table, I quietly sat down and began to peacefully eat my food.
…
…
…
Yup, this is exactly how it should be.
"Hey…"
It's nice to have a little breathing room to yourself, surrounded by the empty space of quietness, with everlasting peace.
"…is this seat taken?"
Maybe I should get some of the cafeteria food more often, it's really good.
"Hmm…the silent treatment, eh…?"
I wonder if I should eat quickly?
"Well, if you're going to be like that…"
After all, I have a delicious cinnamon roll to eat when I'm done with this. And it's still warm, too.
[How long are you going to play this out?]
It's just your imagination.
"…I suppose I'll have to take extra measures, like this~!"
Urgh…! Alright, alright fine…! I'll acknowledge this strange girl talking to me! Sheesh, is it too much to ask to have some time for myself?
[…Apparently,]
Be quiet.
Reluctantly, I peer over to my uninvited guest who sat rather closely to me, much to my discomfort. Her face was too close to mine, so I scooted away to get my personal space bubble back. So when I was at a reasonably far distance from her, somewhat, I got a better look at her.
If I were to describe her as a whole, it would have to be an author who people would see during a book convention as they would have their favorite stories autographed by the very creator who made the literature. And the reason why I'm saying this is because of her somewhat large, purple square shaped glasses over her light brown eyes. Also, her hair is long and brown tied in two braids.
While she may look like a typical, ordinary person, like yours truly, her facial expression and the feeling of mirth she emits from her own sockets were unsettling. Simply put, she seems like someone who would start trouble by either embarrassing your or something else entirely. Personally, I wouldn't want to know either way.
"So you've finally noticed a cutie like me, huh." she says with a flirtatious tone, causing me to scoot away even further. Yup, she's defiantly dangerous. "Come on, there's no need to be shy."
Shy, no. Cautious, yes…
"Anyway, the name's Aika Kiryuu. It's a pleasure to meet you, Taoki. Or do you prefer if I call you Nova instead?"
Okay, just how in the absolute hell down below us do you know my name?
"Hmm?" she questions, which should be something for me to do. "What? Surprised I know your name?" Yes. "Oh, don't worry about it." Too late, already am. "I just overhead those three perverts talkin' about you, that's all."
If you have a shred of humanity, do not tell me what they were talking about. I, personally, do not want to know in the slightest.
"Apparently, you and Hyoudou are really good friends," Lies. "He keeps going on about how you're a true, loyal friend who'd literally give his life for him when needed." That just proves he doesn't know me all that well. I'd be willing to throw him under the bus any time of the day if it wasn't for my damn conscious.
"So I got a teensy bit curious," Which should have killed you by the way. "…and decided to see what this person was like." Well I hope I didn't meet your expectations, cuz I want to enjoy this blissful lunch hour quietly.
Honestly, what was it you're hoping to find? I'm not really interesting nor am I trying to be.
[Maybe you can use me to attract attention? I'd be the treasure that everyone would look for.]
Quite the narcissist, are you.
"Hmm," she leans in closer to get a better look at me. "Sadly, I haven't found anything that would make you stand out aside from that hair antenna." Nothing I can do about that. "But something tells me, there's more to you than meets the eye."
I implore you to not listen to whatever is telling you that.
"Well, then, I've bothered you long enough. I'll take my leave now." Yes, please do. "Later~"
I do not like the way she said that.
When I finished eating after talking with that extremely odd girl, I wondered around the school for a bit. I know Vulcan told me to go out of my way and find Hyoudou, but I figured he'd come to me instead. After all, that guy has a weird knack for tracking me down wherever I'm at.
[What…!? I thought you were lookin' all this time!]
Pipe down, will you? Your yelling might cause some brain damages.
[Pfft. Please, if anything, I think I'm giving it a tune up at best.]
You wouldn't dare…
Before Vulcan and I continued our little dispute with each other, Hyoudou's voice had brought us back to reality.
"Taoki-san!"
With an exasperated sigh, I look to see him running up to me.
Somehow, we had enough time to talk for a little bit. To summarize, Hyoudou had now become a Devil and had apparently absorbed all of the Pawn Pieces. Therefore, making him Gremory's one and only Pawn in her…Peerage? Huh, kind of a stupid name if you ask me. But I'll tell you my own thoughts on that later.
Back to the original topic, Hyoudou had become a devil and proclaims that he is on the path to becoming this stupid Harem King. Of course, just as I assumed, she gave him the quick rundown of the supernatural world's history. Moreover, he has to do something or other in order to go up in the rankings of the devil system.
I didn't care enough to know what these rankings were. All I know is that if he succeeds through them, he eventually will have his own Peerage group. Also, he needs to adjust to being a devil as they apparently are sensitive to bright lights and can see in the dark, which explains why everything in their was so dim lighted.
So yeah, he's part of the "Occult Club" now.
Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to talk about the Gear he posses inside of him. The lunch bell had rung so we had to go back to our respective classes. Reluctant as I was, I forced myself to ask him if we could meet by the stairway. I briefly told him it was about his Gear.
Of course he was curious about why I wanted to talk about that with him, but he agreed to meet anyway.
And now, hours after classes have ended for the day, we met by the stairway.
"Yo." he smiled at me.
Not wanting to be rude, I returned the gesture by giving him a simple wave.
I wasted no time knowing he has to do his duties. So I briefly told him about Vulcan, who I referred to as the "Annoying Roommate" and said that he might know the spirit in his Gear. Of course, I didn't say anything about Vulcan being a dragon or the fact that he lost his memory. Now that I know Hyoudou is working under Gremory, I didn't want him to tell her this.
"Speaking of which…" He places a hand above his chest. "I still don't get this whole Scared Gear thing myself. Heck, if I do have this thing, I wouldn't know how to bring it out."
…You and me both.
"But I guess…if your guy wants to talk to whoever it is I got, then by all means."
Hear that?
[Sure did!] He sure is excited. [Ahem…Hey buddy, wake up! Don't just sleep in there, come on!]
Wow…
[Shut up, Nova! Now listen here, guy! Wake up right now…! You're wasting away your perfectly good after life by sleeping! Open your eyes, and see the world's ventures.]
Now you're just making no sense.
[Come on, guy! I know you can hear me…!]
"U-Umm…" Like me, Hyoudou was very uncomfortable. Even though he can't hear Vulcan's voice, he can certainly feel his presences leaking from my person.
To be frank, this does feel really ridiculous. So I'm going retire for today.
[Hey, no, wait!]
You tried, alright? But I don't think talking to whoever is in Hyoudou's Gear will help much right now. We should at least wait until he awakens.
[Guess I have no choice...]
You'll get your chance.
After parting with Hyoudou, I left campus and was heading back home.
And you know, it's really good to have this space again. Now that he's become a devil, I don't have to walk home with him anymore. Moreover, he'll be too busy doing this Devil activities to bother me. Sure, he may still want to chat and whatnot but that's going to be about it.
Simply put, my average little life can be set back on the straight path again...
[Man, that sounds really boring. Can't we do something else for a change...? Not sure I can stand hanging out in your room while you read some book or watch TV. Or go through that internet thing on your computer...]
Not sure what else I can do. That's pretty much how I spend my time. I mean, sure, it's not much but that's mainly it.
[Well can't you find something else?]
Hmm...
Something else, huh...? To be honest, I do have a few hobbies that I haven't done in a while.
[Oohhh! Hobbies, huh... Now that's really interesting.]
Settle down, alright? It's like I said, I haven't done them in a while.
[Then get ready to do 'em again! So, what are they...?]
It's nothing special really, but I like to make bottle rockets and then launch them off into the sky hoping they'll head into space. Also, I like star gazing and finding whatever constellation is out there. Not to mention build and collect rocket models.
[Wow, sounds really neat. Especially building these rocket bottle things and then sending them flying...!]
Sounds like you already chose.
[Yeah!]
Well, I would if I could but building it takes time and I would need to buy a lot of things from the hardware store and grocery store as well. Not to mention I'd have to make a list of what I need.
[So what do you need?]
A lot of stuff, really. Anyway, like I said, it would take a lot of time to prepare everything.
[Oh...okay...]
...
...
...
You know, Vulcan, we could just stay outside for a little while and star gaze. I'll even show you where the constellations are and name some of them for you.
[Really...?]
I'm not in a rush.
[Alright! Let's go...!]
I didn't want to be too far away from home, so I came to the staircase of this abandoned shrine. Actually, it wasn't too far from the school either, maybe a black or two away. In any case, I'm a little surprised this place is still here and hasn't been torn down yet. Maybe it's because someone is paying for the property and one day hopes to rebuild it.
Anyway, I bought myself a bag of potato chips just to have as a little snack before going back home for dinner. So right now, I'm just staring up at the starry sky admiring how vast it is…
[Huh…]
Something wrong?
[No, it's just…For some reason, I feel at peace when looking at the stars like this.]
I know what you mean. After all, space is so vast that is stretches for lightyears making it seem that there's nowhere left to venture.
[Say, Nova…Do you really want to go out into outer space that much? I didn't notice it until now, but you seem to love the idea of going out there.]
Hmm…so you noticed, huh. Well yeah, I wanna be an astronaut someday. And when I finally do, I can leave the Earth and venture out into the cosmos.
[The cosmos, huh. Heh. Sounds really interesting! Maybe you aren't a boring guy, after all…!]
Watch it.
Ugh…I could feel this guy snickering inside my head. Oh well, whatever. I should probably head back home, dinner might be ready soon anyway.
...
...
...
But then my hair strand started to wiggle.
[Move out of the way, Nova!]
Not going to argue with the warning, I immediately leaped over to the side and fell onto the ground. Turning back, I look to see a spear made out of light pierced onto the spot I was at earlier. I gulped knowing what this meant. And thanks to Gremory's little info about these guys, I knew who or rather what it was...
A Fallen Angel.
And there we have it. Anyway, for those of you who like this story, I'm sorry this took a while. Been busy with life and all. Just wanted to post this on the last day of 2018. Speaking of which, hope you all have a Happy New Year.