Author's Note: I'm back with another chapter. Thankfully this chapter didn't take as long to finish as the other one. It's a little long but I am trying my best to finish and upload them as soon as I can. I'm actually a little surprised that some of you were able to guess who Claudia is based off of. I guess the hints were kind of obvious. Well, on to the reviews.
Keybladewielder97: The thing is that I tried hard to look for maid to do just that but I couldn't find the one that would mesh well with the story. So I went ahead and did that. You guessed right about that one, he does have a bone or two to pick with a few devils in that gathering which will be explained why in this chapter. It'll all depends to be honest, I believe it can go either way.
Sano: Thanks.
Cobalt Striker Gundam: Glad you liked it and yeah, the deal is on because it is a contract between the two.
The Storm Master 567: Well, that one was actually a mistake on my part that I didn't realize yet. Claudia is based off of a video game character, not from an anime. Vince will start using more of his other abilities soon. Well, I'll say this much. When it comes to Azazel's training schedule he won't brush it off. But he'll have his own thing to do at the same time.
Meaningless Us3rname: The thing with Vince is this, he was placed in situations where if he denied their feelings it would cause them just as much pain if not more with the exception of a few situations. He has his reasons, however hurting them is the last thing he wants to do.
Guest: Good guess, Guest.
That's all I have to say for the reviews. I really don't have much else to say so, enjoy the chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Highschool DxD or any other references or elements I may put in the story. They all belong to their respective owners I only own my OCs.
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The young devils in tow were all led to a room with an unusual atmosphere that made Vince narrow his eyes slightly. Claudia noticed this and walked at a slightly faster pace to be by his side, much to the hidden ire of Rias.
Looking up, he saw that there were seats placed in high places around the room, with distinguished-looking people sitting on the seats. Upon further examination, Vince saw Sirzechs sitting next to Serafall who was dressed formally, much to his surprise. Next to them were two unrecognizable people that were easily powerful.
Seeing the other noble devils looking down on everyone with condescending eyes, Vince frowned and crossed his arms. (At least that game bundle makes this worth it... I think.)
Despite the amount of silence in the room, the entire place was extremely tense. Due to the amount of silence and Vince now staring callously at the noble devils in the room. (No wonder they looked familiar. Some of these guys are the pricks that forced the marriage contract on me after I defeated Raiser. Since I control the Valefor clan, I think it's time for some well deserved payback...)
Raising an eyebrow Vince noticed a few beast girls and former human girls giving him an unusual look, shrugging he decided to move forward after watching the heirs doing the same, however he stayed behind the heirs.
"Good, you have gathered. In order to check the faces of you all, who will carry the burden of the next generation, you have been gathered here. This is also a meeting that is performed over a regular cycle, so that we can ascertain the young devils." An elderly male devil spoke with a solemn voice while clasping his hands together.
(Ah. That's the first prick that got pissed that I defeated Raiser and told everyone else that it's not the younger generation's job to pick up the mess from the older generation.) Vince thought, holding back the urge to punch him.
"They seem to have fought right away, though..." Full-moustached male devil spoke out sarcastically, taking a glance at Vince.
"Yeah, thanks for the security by the way. I felt real safe back there." Vince answered also speaking sarcastically, knowing that he was referring to the recent fight.
The moustached devil did not respond to that well and gave Vince a certain look while he looked at another way, blatantly ignoring his presense, much to his growing ire. (That bastard's the one that practically shoved Rias' marriage contract to me, believing that the winner should be the one to marry her despite my protest. The prick.)
Sirzechs cleared his throat from his seat, clearly changing the topic. "You seven are all devils of the next generation that have pedigree and true ability that no objection can be raised against. That's why, I want you to compete together before your debuts and increase your power in this way."
(Bearing the burden of the next generation and forcing us to compete against each other as a debut? To hell with that. I don't owe anything to the next generation, though now that I think about it, I probably won't need to make a debut since that sounds pretty much like a Rating Game. I don't have Evil Pieces, so I think I'm safe in that area. For now at least...) He thought, looking warily.
"Will we also eventually be sent out in the battle against the "Khaos Brigade"?" Sairaorg suddenly asked.
"I don't know. However, I don't want to send out young devils if possible." Sirzechs answered, taking a glance at Vince, knowing about his encounters.
"Why? Even if we're young, we carry part of the responsibility of devils. If we just receive kindness from our predecessors even at this age and nothing further is done-" Sairaorg started.
"Sairaorg, I acknowledge your bravery. However, you're reckless. Above all, I'd like to avoid sending you all, who are still in the midst of growing, to the battlefield. Besides, it would be too great a loss if we lost the devils of the next generation. I want you to understand. You are all more of a treasure to us than you think. That's why I want you to experience important things step by step and grow." Sirzechs explained.
"I understand." Sairaorg said, with a somewhat dissatisfied expression.
"Vince himself knows this more than anyone else. If his multiple encounters against them are anything to go by." Sirzechs added, much to his ire.
The other heir's with the exception of Rias and Sona, gained a surprised expression as they turned to him, who just sighed. "Mind if we move on? I don't see how any of my encounters with the Khaos Brigade is relevant in this meeting."
"Yes. Now then, I apologise for keeping you with this long talk. Well, we all see our dreams and hopes in you young ones. I want you to understand at least that. You are the treasures of the underworld." Everyone gained an serious expression at Sirzechs' words, with the exception of Vince who held back the urge to snort.
"To finish things, will you now let us hear your respective future goals?" Sirzechs asked, looking at each of the heirs.
"My dream is to become Maou." Sairaorg answered without hesitation.
"It's unprecedented for a devil from the Great King family to leave it." A male devil higher-up said.
"When the people of the underworld feel that there's no choice but for me to become Maou, I will become one." Sairaorg declared.
(That at least shows a reason why he wants to get stronger. Huh...) Vince thought to himself.
"My goal for the near future is to live as the next Gremory head, and to win in each Rating Game battle." Rias spoke, announcing her goals.
(So that's Rias' goals? It's kind of simple, but I guess I shouldn't be one to judge someone's own goal.) He thought as he started to drown out the rest of the heir's dreams.
Holding back a yawn, Vince glanced around the room with a bored look and noticed everyone's attention turned to Sona. Shaking his head a little he decided to pay attention this time.
"I wish to build a school for the Rating Games in the Underworld." Sona spoke.
The devil's higher-up in the seats scrunched up their eyebrows. "If it's learning about Rating Games, isn't there already one for that?"
"That is just a school where only high-class devils and devils of privileged rank are accepted. The school that I want to build is one where low-class devils and reincarnated devils can also attend without any distinction." Sona answered blandly.
(Gotta admit. I did not expect that from Sona. It's unique and it would help out a lot. As much as I don't like schools in general.) Vince thought sighing a little.
"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"
The laughter of the entire higher-ups drowned out the assembly hall.
Rias and surprisingly Claudia narrowed their eyes as they remained silent.
"That's impossible!" One said laughing.
"This is just brilliant!" Another stated chuckling.
"I see! So you're a little girl who dreams!" A noble devil commented.
"It's good to be young! However, for the next head of the Sitri family to state such a dream, I have to say thank goodness that it was here at this place of introduction before your debut." A devil said, clearly undermining Sona's dream.
In the midst of all this, Sona spoke frankly as Vince's crossed his arms and watched over everything with a neutral expression.
"I'm serious."
Serafall also nodded strongly in agreement. As she seemed that she wanted to speak but remained silent.
A higher-up spoke with cool-headed words. "Sona Sitri-dono. Low-class devils and reincarnated devils merely work for their high-class devil masters and are only selected for their talent. Wouldn't building such a training institution make the old families, who value tradition and pride, lose face? No matter how much people say that the world of devils has entered a period of change, change can be both good and bad. Something like teaching mere low-class devils really is nothing of your concern..."
Seeing Saji about to open his mouth, a voice spoke over him. "I don't think it's such a bad idea."
Everyone turned their attention towards Vince who now took a step forward looking at the higher-up's face to face. "While it is true that Low-class devils and reincarnated devils are the working class. They clearly outnumber devils of High-class status and above. I know we're all devils here but stunting their growth and potential over a reason such as pride and tradition is rather a ridiculous reason, no?"
"Be careful how you talk young devil and do not think for a second we do not know of your "circumstances" you should be honored that you're even allowed in this gathering." A higher-up devil said.
Claudia and Rias' eyes narrowed further however Vince frowned and looked at the devil eye-to-eye. "Oh? Last time I checked, I was invited to join in this gathering and I can assure you, I certainly do NOT feel honored for being in this gathering, let alone being in the same room with you."
The higher-up devil glared at Vince while another spoke up. "Nevertheless, Vince-dono. It appears you do not know the importance of this place or our traditions."
"Don't get me wrong, I know but I don't care for traditions that are nothing more than a burden. Moving on, there is one thing everyone should take note of. If there weren't any Low-class or Reincarnated Devils, to be the working class or even Middle-class devils for that matter. Where would that leave the High-class devils? Wouldn't that mean that they would have to do the work instead?" Vince asked, looking at the higher-up devils in the room.
Everyone in the room remained silent as he continued. "Let's face it. No matter how much you people look down on Low-class or Reincarnated Devils, you need them in order for your society to function properly. It's kind of sad if you think about it. And it's not like any pure-blood devils are going to be born anytime soon. Especially by people like you."
The other heir's in the room gained a look of complete surprise over the blatant disrespect Vince showed them. The rest of higher-up's each turned red with anger as they all glared at him.
"Vince-dono! Do you realize who you're talking too?!" A higher-up devil shouted, his composure completely gone.
"Yeah, and I find your status and pride in traditions irrelevant to me. However, now that I think about it. Sona's school will be more necessary than I thought. After all, everyone the older generation is going to die off sooner or later and in turn their old traditions and a large majority of devils are either going to be Reincarnated-devils or Low-class devils. Which ever comes first." He replied shrugging.
Despite the amount of glares and scowls directed at Vince, he just looked at all of them and smirked. "I would also like to announce that I, Vince Valefor will help Sona Sitri with the construction of her school. I'm sure there's a few useless gems and jewelry in the vault back at the manor that can easily pay for the costs for the construction at least two times over."
Everyone's eyes widened in shock as the smirk on Vince's face never left, but instead widened slightly.
"Y-You can't use the treasure in the Valefor clan for a reason like that! " A higher-up devil exclaimed.
"Do you realize how irresponsible that is?! Using priceless treasures from the Valefor clan for such a meaning less reason is going against the law of traditions set forth by your own clan!" Another higher-up devil added.
"Law? Like I give a damn. I'm the sole heir and the only person with the power over my clan and that means I AM the law! Whatever I do is the freakin' law!" Vince declared, surprising Rias and her peerage along with Sona and Saji with his outburst.
"Oh my. I certainly didn't expect for Vince-sama to really get into it, I almost feel sorry for them." Claudia muttered to herself.
Sirzechs then cleared his throat, gaining Vince's attention. "I certainly did not expect that type of response from you Vince. It's quite unexpected to see you very supportive of Sona's dream. I am quite curious though, what is your goal?"
"Me? I don't have a goal or a dream. The same goes for the Underworld too." Vince answered simply, shrugging a little.
Everyone looked at him as a higher-up spoke. "After everything you spoke of. You mean to tell us you have no goals or dreams for the future of the Underworld?"
"Not at all and last I checked, I don't owe the Underworld anything. Not to mention, most of the time the "future" of the Underworld has been nothing more than a burden to me." He replied nonchalantly, angering the higher-up devils.
"Very well. Then, let's play the games, between these young people." Sirzechs said, changing the conversation.
Everyone paid attention to Sirzechs' announcement with apt attention, even Vince who looked a bit surprised.
"Rias, Sona, would you not like to fight each other?" Sirzechs asked.
"..."
"..."
Both Rias and Sona also stared at each other, and blinked in surprise.
Without minding them, Sirzechs-sama continued. "Originally, it was planned for Rias' game to take place in a few days. Azazel has gathered Rating Game fans from each of the powers, also under the pretext of watching the games of the young people before their debuts. That's why it's fine like this. Let's hold the game with Rias and Sona."
(Rias and Sona fighting against each other? I didn't expect it to come this soon.) Vince thought, looking somewhat surprised.
Rias let out a breath, and then showed a defiant smile to Sona while she started to show a scornful smile. "It may not be an official one, but it feels like fate to me that you would be my first Rating Game opponent, Rias."
"Now that we're competing with each other, I won't lose, Sona." Rias responded without skipping a beat.
"A match between Rias-chan and Sona-chan! Yes It may fire things up!" Serafall exclaimed happily.
"The date of the competition is August twentieth in human world time. You may each divide up your time as you like until then. The details will be sent again later." Sirzechs stated.
Vince sighed seeing as how the meeting was about to conclude however, Sirzechs cleared his throat, seeing him about to head towards the door. "There is also another thing. There will be an exhibition match within a days. It would be unfair to exclude from this for not having a peerage Vince."
"By all means, exclude me. I'm not going to lose any sleep over it." He answered dryly, drawing a sigh from both Rias and Sona at his response.
"I understand that you would rather not fight unless it's at your own pace. However, I believe this is one fight, you will have to participate in." Sirzechs stated, making him raise an eyebrow.
"And why would I agree to something that'll waste my time?" He asked frowning a little.
"To prove that you have the strength to be heir to the Valefor clan. They were one of the most powerful clans back then. And I'm positive if the people here know of your strength their doubts will be cleared." Sirzechs answered.
Vince paused for a few moments and sighed before nodding hesitantly. (I guess this is a part of the contract. The whole point of me showing up was to make sure he doesn't get in trouble. Saying no would probably put him in hot water with the other nobles and doing that would defeat the purpose of everything... Damn.)
"Good. You're opponent in the next few days will be Rias in human world time." Sirzechs informed.
Rias and her peerage gained a completely surprised expression as did Sona and Saji. Vince's eyes widened and before he narrowed his eyes. (I have to fight Rias... What the hell? What is he planning?)
"Just as the match between Rias and Sona you may each divide up your time as you like until then. The details will be sent again later." Sirzechs explained.
xXxXxXxXxX
Vince sighed and walked down a hallway with a contemplative look while Claudia followed a few feet behind him looking a little concerned.
"Vince-chan!" A voice sounded off, stopping the two in their tracks.
Turning around they saw Serafall walking towards them. Claudia's eyes widened greatly as she saw her. "Leviathan-sama..."
"Mou... Call me Levia-tan." Serafall responded, pouting a bit.
"M-My apologies Leviathan-sama, but I can't. It would be rude to do so." She replied bowing.
Serafall pouted and then turned to Vince with a confused look. "Who is she?"
"Her name is Claudia. She's the current head maid of the Valefor clan." He responded simply.
"Sugoi... I thought the manor was abandoned." She commented, her eyes widening.
"That is a misconception, Leviathan-sama." Claudia replied in a polite tone, making her pout a little.
Vince sighed and crossed his arms. "So, what's up Serafall?"
Serafall then crossed her arms and pouted. "Mou! Can't you call me Levia-tan for once!?"
"The same reason why you have to use the chan honorific in my name." Vince responded with a small shrug.
"Geez..."
"Did something happen? You normally don't come looking for me." He asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I wanted to thank you, Vince-chan." Serafall answered simply.
"For what?"
Serafall's childish smile went away and replaced itself with a more genuine smile. "You stood up for So-tan and her dream. You even decided to help her dream come true and gave those old devils the telling off they deserved. Thank you, Vince-chan."
Both Vince and Claudia gained a look of surprise at her Serafall's slight change of demeanor as she continued to smile. "It's hard to support So-tan when I'm the Maou, you know?"
"Right..." He shook his head and sighed. "I wasn't doing it for just Sona. I had a bone to pick with them."
"Oh right, Sirzechs-chan told me about that. They forced you into that marriage contract with Rias-chan, right?" She asked curiously, with him nodding.
"Anyway, I wasn't joking when I said I was going to pay for the construction of the school. Like I said earlier, there's probably a few useless gems lying around the Valefor clan's vault that can pay for the construction of the school two times over." He commented with a small shrug.
"Thanks a lot Vince-chan. That means a lot to me and I'm sure So-tan feels the same-" Serafall walked closer to Vince and kissed him on his cheek. "Later!"
Serafall walked away and waved goodbye as Claudia's eyes widens. "Oh my, to think Leviathan-sama would do that."
A small blush appeared on his face as he scratched his cheek a little with his index finger. "...Yeah, I didn't expect that one either. Well, at least her lips are soft."
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"I see, so it'll be a showdown with the Sitri group and you have an exhibition match with Vince in a few days. How interesting." Azazel commented.
Despite frowning, Vince leaned against the wall with his eyes closed as Claudia stood by his side, however to his confusion she looked a bit distraught.
"You know. You didn't have to drag me out to the Gremory's main family residence. I had a few things to do." Vince spoke in a somewhat annoyed tone.
"You can do them later. Besides, you need to tell us what happened." Azazel stated, gesturing towards Claudia.
"And remind me why I'm obligated too? I'm not even apart of the Occult Research Club anymore." He replied, making the others frown a little.
"Vince, we're your friends! Don't you trust us?" Rias exclaimed, drawing silence from him.
"Not completely. Vince has a lot of trust issues, it's hard for him to trust someone. It's almost instinctual for him not to completely trust a person." Rena answered, taking a glance at him.
Seeing the other members of the club either looking somewhat hurt or frowning, Kasumi spoke up. "Vince. Can you tell us what happened?"
Seeing the pleading look on her face Vince sighed and looked the other way. "Fine. It happened after I left the dining room-"
After a basic explanation of what happened, Vince crossed his arms. "-That's pretty much what happened."
"Incredible. To think the manor was preserved this entire time..." Azazel commented.
Rena smiled a bit and held her hand out. "It's nice to meet you Claudia."
"My goodness those are gigantic." Claudia then noticed not only Rena's breast size but Rias and Akeno's size as well, looking even more distraught as a result. "U-Unbelievable..."
"Eh?" Rena looked a bit confused as did a majority of the people in the room, with the exception of Akeno who giggled.
Noticing what was wrong with her. Vince shook his head and sighed a bit. "Don't tell me you're going to go through some type of crisis over something like this?"
"Wh-What are you talking about?!" Claudia, much to the delight of Issei and Azazel and Koneko's ire, she cupped her breasts and jiggled them a bit. "The important thing it isn't the size the matter but the shape that counts-" She then gasped and placed a hand on her forehead and closed her eyes in disbelief. "Oh no! I just sound like every whiny little loser that's said those exact same words to me..."
Vince sighed and crossed his arms. "I'm not sure how to respond to this. Then again, later on before the gathering started you did flaunt how better they were in front of those women..."
"They were asking for it." Claudia commented.
"How in the world did our conversation devolve into this...?" Rena said palming her face in a manner reminiscent to Vince.
"It definitely has gotten lively around here..." Kasumi spoke, laughing a little nervously.
Vince sighed and shrugged a bit. "Now that, that's out of the way. Can you go on with what you were going to say Azazel?"
"Right. Today is July twenty-eightieth, in human world time. So we have about twenty days until the showdown day. While the exhibition match is in four days..." Azazel stated as he started doing calculations.
"I-Is it for the training?" Issei asked.
Azazel answered by nodding. "Naturally. I plan for you to start from tomorrow onwards. I've already considered each of your training menus."
"But, is it okay for only us to receive advice from the Fallen Angel Governor? Isn't that foul play?" Issei questioned, looking confused.
Azazel just sighed in response. "Not really. I intend to give data to the various members of the devil side, you know? Also, the angel side is said to also be doing a backing-up system. The rest depends on the pride of the young devils themselves. If they think from the bottom of their hearts that they want to get stronger and raise their original duration, they'll take the help wholeheartedly."
"It's to the extent that even my Vice-Governor is also giving advice to each of the families. Hahaha! Shemhaza's advice may even be more helpful than mine!" Azazel commented with a laugh.
"It makes me wonder if they'll take the advice. If not, then they'll be weaker and be easier targets to take out." Vince responded nonchalantly.
"Do you have to say it like that Vince?" Issei asked with a sweatdrop.
"That's sort of how it works Issei." He replied sighing a little.
"Well, it's fine. Gather in the garden tomorrow morning. I'll give each of you your training methods then. Be ready."
"Yes!" All the club members responded with the exception of Claudia and Vince.
"Azazel-sensei. Is it really alright for us to be training as well? We're apart of the club but not the peerage." Rena asked, gesturing towards herself, Kasumi and Akari.
"Yeah. I don't see a problem with it. And with what's been happening lately, you three are definitely going to need to be stronger in order to keep up." Azazel then turned to Vince. "The same applies to you, Vince. There's only so much you can do by yourself both in a battle and in training."
Vince remained silent as Grayfia appeared nearby. "Everyone, the hot spring bath is ready."
Everyone in the room immediately perked up at the mention of the hot springs.
xXxXxXxXxX
Vince thought as he walked into the hotsprings, with a towel wrapped tightly around his waist and sighed at seeing Kiba, Issei and Azazel going into the hot springs. (It's almost hard to believe they stuffed a hot springs in an isolated corner of their garden. Though, this sucks I was hoping to be the first one in.)
With a small sigh, he flicked his fingers as the water in the hotsprings appeared near him in the form of a small set of stairs. Vince walked on the set of stairs and into the hotsprings. With a small gesture of his index finger the water that formed into a small set of stairs formed into a ball of water and gently went back into the hot springs.
"Showoff..." Issei muttered.
Vince said nothing but instead went to a corner of the hotsprings and submerged the lower half of his body while his upper half remained mostly afloat, revealing his muscular and somewhat toned body type.
Azazel hummed a tune as he'd let out his twelve black wings. "Hahahaha, as expected, when speaking of the Underworld- of hell, it's the hot springs. Moreover, when it comes to the distinguished Gremory family's private hot spring, one of the best in the Underworld, a great spring is also a great spring."
Kiba, Issei and surprisingly Vince had matching towels on their heads and had submerged themselves in the hot water with the exception being Vince.
"Issei-kun, shall I wash your back?" Kiba asked with a blush, getting a disgusted expression from him.
Seeing this Kiba sighed a little and turned to Vince. "Shall I wash your back, Vince-kun?"
"Hm?" Vince looked up and saw the blush on Kiba's face and rubbed his temples a little. "No thanks, I already washed my back."
Seeing Gasper loitering around the entrance Issei got out of the water and headed towards him. "Hey, hey, come on, you have to enter since it's a hot spring."
"Kyah!" Gasper screamed out in a cute manner, making Issei stare and scrutinising him.
"...U-Umm, please don't look at me like that..." Gasper spoke blushing a bit.
"...Y-You! Don't put up your towel all the way to your chest if you're a guy! Because you always dress like a girl, it's confusing for me as well!" Issei exclaimed.
"...N-No way, you were looking at me like that, Issei-senpai...? I feel like my body is in dangeeeeeeeer!" Gasper shouted.
"Careful there Issei. I know Gasper is very convincing for you at the moment but he still has the private parts of a guy." Vince joked with an amused smirk.
"Shut up, you two!" Issei shouted with annoyed expression as he picked up Gasper bridal style and tossed him in the hot springs, resounding in a loud splash.
"Nooooooo! It's hoooot! I'm meltiiiiing! Issei-senpai is perverteeeeed! Help me Vince-senpai!" Gasper screamed, with his voice echoing through the entire hot springs.
Vince yawned a little and leaned against the rocks in the hot springs. "Hmm? Did you say something Gasper?"
"D-Don't be meeeeean Vince-senpaiiii!" Gasper yelled.
"Issei, you can't sexually harass Gasper, you know?" Rias stated with in a teasing voice as the other girls in the hot springs giggled.
"Yeah, you could at least buy dinner first." Vince quipped while chuckling a little.
"Aaaaargh! Shut up, Vince!" Issei dunked his head in the hot springs out of pure embarrassment and resurfaced a moment later.
"By the way, Issei." Azazel went towards Issei with a lewd expression.
"Yes?" He asked, having a teary-eyed and embarrassed expression.
"Have you rubbed Asia's breasts?" He asked, causing Vince to blink.
"Y-Yes! With my right hand!" Issei gestured proudly by bringing his hand up in the air.
"I see. Then, how about-" Azazel thrust his index finger forward horizontally and spoke. "Have you poked a woman's nipple with your finger?"
"-! ...N-No, not yet." Issei said, looking shocked.
Azazel then sighed. "What's with you? You haven't poked nipples with your finger? You poke a nipple not with a "press", but with a "squish". Burying the finger into the breast is the best part, you know?"
"N-Nipples aren't front door buzzers!" Issei exclaimed.
Azazel shook his head at my words and grinned. "No, it is close to a buzzer. When you push it, it rings "Hyaaan".
"What the-" Vince stopped talking in mid-sentence as he shook his head disbelief at what he just heard.
"Breasts and nipples have such a function... I thought breasts were only for rubbing, sucking, and holding between them. I see, so it can be poked and made to make noise..." Issei trailed off with Vince just palming his face.
Azazel then patted his head. "That's why you still have some way to go. A woman's breasts are infinite. Handled correctly, they are packed full of infinite possibilities more than the Uroboros Ophis, you know? Because I was fascinated with them, I plunged into the breasts of women and fell. I don't regret it."
Tears flowed down Issei's cheeks as he spoke in a trembling voice. "Sensei- I want to poke breasts..."
Azazel gently patting his head and grinned. "Yeah, don't give up, Issei. If it's you, you can do it. If you give up, that will be the end of breasts, right?"
"Yes. Yes!"
(Dammit it's like listening to my grandfather talk about women all over again.) Vince dunked his head in the water, resurfacing for a few moments later.
Seeing Issei grinning pervertedly after hearing voices from the girl's side of the hot springs. Vince went towards the middle of the hot springs and covered his ear in a layer of lightning, to enhance his hearing, to understand the conversation that's was happening in the other side of the hot springs.
"Ara, Rias. Did your bust get bigger again? Can I touch it a little?" Akeno asked.
"R-Really? Umm…Your way of touching is a little indecent. Rather, didn't your bra cup change more than mine, Akeno?" Rias questioned in a curious tone.
"My old one was still fine even though it was a bit tight…However, recently, I've been thinking that it wouldn't be bad to show it off in a bigger way. A woman becomes bolder when she has a partner she'd like to show it to, Rias." She stated with a knowing smile.
"...T-That's true. However, please don't stimulate Vince so much." Rias replied with a small stutter.
"It'll be difficult to do that. Vince has good control and he's more self-aware of his actions." Kasumi added in as she submerged body in the hot springs, with the exception of her head.
"I agree with you Kasumi. But how is it that Vince has a lot of self-restrain?" Rias asked curiously.
"My mother made sure to spend most of her time teaching Vince on meditation and the benefits for doing so, while my brother trained him physically to keep a balance between body and mind." Kasumi explained with a small sigh.
"That and from what Vince told me, I think he's just used to being beautiful women. After Kasumi left with her mother and Hayate-san around six months later he met Gabriel-san and Shura-san." Rena added in, sighing happily as she leaned against the rocks in the against the hot springs.
"Ara ara, no wonder he seems unfazed most of the time. It's still quite surprising to hear that Shura-sama and Gabriel-sama trained Vince." Akeno commented.
"Indeed. I was quite shocked myself. Shura-sama hasn't one taken an apprentice in the Vatican and from what I've seen with Gabriel-sama thus far, she seems to be very busy in Heaven. Xenovia stated with a thoughtful expression.
"Rena-sama, I do have one question I would like to ask of you." Claudia said, after taking a sip from a small bottle of water.
"Sure. But why are you using an honorific like that for me, Claudia?" Rena questioned, looking a bit confused.
"It seemed most appropriate to refer to you with that honorific. You are Vince's lover, no? The way you speak of him implies that you have strong feelings for him. Possibly love." Claudia answered simply.
Rena's face lit up with a noticeable, she quickly shook her head with a surprised expression. "E-Eh...?! H-Hold on! We're not lovers or anything of that sort. We used to date though and umm... I love how Vince doesn't give up unless it's necessary and he's a kind person..."
"Oh dear. You're face is nearly the same color as Rias-sama's hair, Rena-sama. You must really care for him." Claudia teased, giggling a bit as did Akeno.
"Ufufu, you sure didn't mind being intimate with Vince-kun, Rena-chan." Akeno chirped.
Despite it being impossible Rena's blush deepened, her face now resembling Rias' crimson hair color. "M-Moving on... What was your question Claudia?"
Claudia nodded but then looked at her chest in disbelief. "How is it that you have such massive breasts? I've never seen anything like it my life."
"Out of all of the questions to ask... You're asking about that?!" Rena shouted, covering her chest with her arms in embarrassment.
Rias then gained a look of interest. "Now that you mention it, I am quite curious about that as well. Vince seems to know but hasn't told anyone. Would you mind telling us Rena?"
"You too, Rias?!" Rena blushed a little embarrassment as the others all turned towards her.
"Can you tell us Rena? I'm also curious too." Akari stated, also adding into the conversation.
Seeing the others looking at her expectantly Rena submerged her head in the hot springs for a few moments before resurfacing taking a deep breath. "I mostly inherited that trait from my mother. That and Vince would grope my breasts in private back then when were dating. And it eventually became the size it is today."
"Oh my, maybe I should have Vince-kun grope my breasts too." Akeno stated with a small blush.
"If Vince is going to grope anyone, it's going to be me." Rias commented.
"I'm envious of how big you three are..." Asia said, sounding a little sad.
"Ara ara, Asia-chan. Haven't yours also gotten bigger than before?" Akeno questioned.
"I-Is that so...? B-But, if they're only this big... I can't seem to be able to come to like it." She replied sounding a little sad.
"Asia, did you hear the talk of how they become bigger if you rub them? Like this-" Xenovia said, sneaking behind Asia to grope her.
"Haan! D-Don't! Xenovia-san! Ah... Uuun... Issei-san still hasn't done this kind of thing to me..." Asia said, moaning a little at the sensation.
"Hmm, Asia is different from me and has a good touching sensation. I see. This maybe what delights men as well." Xenovia commented as she continued groping Asia's breasts.
"Ara-ara, it's good to be young, isn't it, Rias? By the way, based on this feeling, you really have been getting bigger every day, haven't you?" Akeno said as she started groping Rias' breasts.
"Aan... A-Akeno, cut it out, release your hands from my breasts. The movements of your hands are Aaaun! Where did you learn such a thing...?" Rias asked, moaning from the groping.
"Rias' breasts... What a nice sensation... Ufufu. I'll do this here and..." Akeno leaned in close and started rubbing her nipples.
"No... Aaaun, even though Vince has already done kind of thing... S-Stop it... I decided that Vince will be the one to do this... Aaann..." A blush crept up Rias' face as she tried to get away from Akeno's assault.
Rena slowly took went into a corner of the hot springs as did Kasumi and Akari with their arms guarding their chests as they tried to enjoyed the hot springs. Claudia on the other hand just played a video game on her handheld, mainly ignoring what was happening in front of her.
Over to the men's side Vince blinked owlishly as Issei's blood started dripping from his nose. "Wait. When did I grope Rias like that? I don't even remember."
"How could you not forget something like that!?" Issei shouted, looking at him disbelief.
"Because I don't. Also stop your nosebleed or get out of the hot springs, you're going to make it dirty." He commented as he went near the wall that blocked the women's side to gain some distance from him.
"What's with you? You want to peek?" Azazel asked with a perverted smile.
"No. I'm just trying to remember when I groped Rias in the same way as Akeno is doing now." Vince spoke in a nonchalant tone.
"Eh? You don't remember. Must have been a rough night then, you normally don't forget something like that." Azazel commented.
"I know it's like-" Vince paused for a moment before he gained a look of realization. "Oh I see. It must have been when I was sleeping. I remember waking up one morning and I saw myself spooning Rias."
Issei's jaw dropped while Azazel's grin widened to great proportions. Vince blinked twice before he palmed his face. "I can't believe I just said that out loud."
"That's not so bad. It's a thing happens between men and women. -However, that just makes you a pervert in your sleep." Azazel stated casually.
Vince's eye twitched violently as the water around him start to spin violently like a small whirlpool. Undeterred by his increasing irritation he continued. "It's a rule similar to a guy peek at the women's bath while in the hot spring. It also makes Issei a second-rate pervert."
"Second-rate!? T-Then, what do you do if you're first-rate!?" Issei questioned, desperately trying to find the answer.
Azazel paused for a moment and contemplated before grabbing Vince's arm, surprising him. "...That's right. Like this!"
"It's feeling! Vince, you're way to mad you need to relax!" Azazel exclaimed tossing him over the fence that blocked the side of the woman's hot spring.
"Aaaaaagh!" With a loud splash Vince landed in the middle of the woman's hot springs.
"Urgh..." Vince resurfaced and shook his head, looking around he saw everyone naked in the woman's side of the hot springs. Sighing a bit, he pinched his nose and glared at the other side of the fence. "Fucking prick."
"Kyaaaah!" Asia quickly covered herself and submerged her body while Xenovia and Koneko followed suite, however Koneko sent Vince a glare to which he rolled his eyes and pointed a thumb at the other side of the fence, gesturing towards Azazel. Claudia however covered herself and turned the other way with a small blush, surprisingly.
On the other hand Rias, Akeno, Akari, Rena, and Kasumi did nothing to cover themselves.
Akari gained a mischievous smile. "You could have asked me earlier and we would have gone to a mixed bath together."
"I really didn't expect this from you Vince. It appears you're getting bolder. Not that I'm against it though." Rena commented, giggling a little.
"Now that you're here, perhaps I could wash your back?" Kasumi questioned with a teasing tone.
"Ara, Vince. Were you thrown over by Azazel? Was your body properly washed?" Rias asked smiling wryly.
"Ufufu, oh Vince-kun. You're so daring." Akeno said laughing a little with a wry smile.
"You five are just screwing with me now, aren't you?" He asked dryly.
"Vince-kun I caught you." Akeno said seductively, embracing him from the front.
"...I need an adult." Vince responded with a small blush.
"I'm an adult." Rias whispered in his ear, suddenly appearing and embracing him from behind.
Vince sighed and tried to remain calm however the blush on his face turned into a darker shade of red.
"Akeno! Get away from my Vince!" Rias wrapped her arms around his neck and tried to snatch him away from her. However, Akeno firmly cling to him from the front, causing his eye to twitch in annoyance and his blush to deepen even more.
"No way. I've decided to enjoy the hot springs with Vince-kun. I'm already heating up our bodies by clinging like this... Vince-kun's body feels good just by touching it like this..." Akeno said as she clung to him much more firmly.
"Stop it! Vince's body is mine! Who do you think knew him first?! It's the fruits of our childhood together that made the sensation of embracing him like this the best! From this child's hair to his entire body, everything is mine! -Aah. Somehow, I'm feeling sensitive. Is this because of what Akeno-san did just before... or is it because I'm remembering Vince's touch?" Rias questioned as she embraced him more firmly, making him feel more of her body pressed against him.
This however caused Vince to snap out of it and made his eye twitch violently. With a swift movement, he poked Rias' forehead and then Akeno's forehead with his index and middle finger, making them wince.
"Ouch!"
"Didn't we go over this already? I'm not anybody's property and I don't recall giving anyone permission to cop a feel of me." Vince replied with a frown.
Rena sighed and got up from her position. "I believe that's enough for a day. Wouldn't you two agree?"
"Rena-san is right. We did come here to relax before training." Kasumi spoke up in a calm tone.
"Any sort of dispute can be worked through with a training session. Not to mention, Asia, Xenovia and Claudia are still here." Akari added.
Rias and Akeno turned towards the three who looked at them albeit awkwardly. Before they could speak another shout echoed across the hot spring. Looking up, they saw Issei being flung from the other side of the hot spring, landing in the water near Vince.
Issei shook his head and got up. He quickly looked around and saw everyone else naked with exception of Vince, Akari and Kasumi Claudia who quickly covered themselves. Turning to his right. Issei saw Xenovia and Asia covered with only their towels and blushed a bit. His then eyes darted towards Rias and Akeno and upon seeing them naked blood gushed out his nose. Looking further down he saw Rena naked and promptly passed out with even more blood coming out his nose. "R-Rena-senpai's oppai... So big..."
Rena expression remained blank, however she covered herself and greatly restrained herself from doing anything else. Despite this, every could sense a large amount of killing intent coming from her. "I'm just going to pretend that didn't happen."
Vince however glared at the other side of the fence and extended his hand as lightning started crackling from his hand. "You definitely ticked me off, old man!"
However instead of lightning a massive ball of fire came place in front of his hands. Feeling the spiritual properties of the fire. Both Rias and Akeno quickly took a couple of steps back. "Take this!"
He chucked the massive fireball into the air, however the fireball remained overhead of the male's side of the hotspring and rained down several small fireballs that all seemed to home in on Azazel.
"Why are they all coming after me?!" Azazel shouted as he dodged a large majority of the fireballs headed this way. However a small fireball grazed his hair, lighting up his hair on fire.
"Aaaaagh! My hair's on fire again!? It burns!" Azazel yelled as he tried to put out the fire that started to slowly spread across his hair.
"Again? I need a better grip on this element." Vince spoke more to himself than anyone else. Closing his eyes and concentrating hard enough, the giant fireball that rained down fireballs eventually disappeared as did the smaller fireballs.
xXxXxXxXxX
Vince stood in the middle of a forest, taking a deep breath. He turned his attention towards a large boulder right in front of him that stood right on top of a tree stump. Looking around, he saw several boulders set up in a similar way. Wordlessly, the Totsuka-no-Tsurugi appeared in his hand in a burst of light. (I need to focus more on using Totsuka as a regular katana rather than using it's other abilities. I won't get very far if I rely on just that or my Sacred Gears for that matter.)
With a deep breath, Vince unsheathed his katana and repeatedly slashing the boulder as fast he could. He then sheathed his katana as parts of the boulder shattered and broke off into numerous pieces, despite getting pelted by the various chipped off boulder pieces. The boulder that remained left was the shape of a deformed cube. (That's no good. The boulder is supposed to be in the shape of a sphere not a cube. I guess, I have more to work on than I thought. I want to call Chloe for advice, but I'm not sure if I should bug her. Not to mention, swords are kind of a sensitive subject for her...)
Sighing a little he turned his attention towards another boulder near him, set up in a similar fashion to the previous one. (If I can't get a sphere shaped boulder within the next two tries, I'll call her.)
Within a few seconds, he quickly charged forward while slashing the boulder in several areas. Vince sheathed his katana at the same time as pieces of the boulder shattered and broke off into numerous pieces. Turning around, he frowned a little when the shape was still a deformed cube shape. (Still nothing. The point of this exercise is to improve more on my technique and my speed. I'm on my way with increasing with my speed but the technique is the problem. Just what am I doing wrong?)
Vince placed his sheath on the side of a stump and ran towards another boulder and with a look of pure concentration this time he started slashing the third boulder with a series of quick slashes before bringing down his katana and finishing with a diagonal slash.
The boulder broke off into several parts, Vince wincing a bit as he was pelted again by several debris of slashed off pebbles from the boulder. However, the boulder on the stump was now a somewhat crooked sphere. (Huh. Not bad, I still got work to do but at least it's sphere now. I just got to practice until I get the hang of it.)
Turning to the next boulder, Vince held his katana in a firm grip and made sprint towards it.
xXxXxXxXxX
A few hours after finishing his exercise with the boulders Vince walked underneath a large ledge waterfall that roared loudly, the sound that echoing across the area. Despite going into a meditative pose, Vince shuddered and winced visibly as he stood directly underneath the waterfall. (D-Damn, that's c-cold. I got to stay focused here I need to meditate so I can try to bring out my Spiritual Fire. It's too risky to do that in a forest, so this waterfall will do just fine.)
Eventually he relaxed and continued resumed his meditation with little to no problem. Despite the loud sound of the waterfall and the water crashing down on his body, soaking him completely. Noticing this, he took several steps back to avoid getting even more drenched by the waterfall. With a deep breath, Vince concentrated more and slowly but surely a small flame appeared in front of his hand after extending it. Opening his eyes, he focused on the spiritual flame however, it grew double in size. "...Ah crap."
He quickly turned his hand away from his face and aimed it at the waterfall. To his surprise, he shot out multiple fire shots from his hand that exploded on contact with a fiery explosion. However due to the waterfall being hit, it caused a massive mist to cover the area. "That was close. Way too close..."
(...I think I'll skip on learning how to use Spiritual Fire for now. This amount of destructive power it has is dangerous. I don't want to bug Yume since she's sleeping right now, I don't exactly trust Azazel enough to help me in that regard and he doesn't look like he specializes in it. I'll have to call Yasaka then and ask if she can help me learn how to use it properly. Even though I talk to her twice in a week over the phone. Now that I think about it, I haven't told her about how I got the ability to use Spiritual Fire. I wonder how she'll react when she learns how I got it.) Vince thought, chuckling a little.
Sighing a little, he walked towards the middle of the waterfall and went into a meditative stance. Ignoring the think amount of fog still in the area. Despite wincing a bit from feeling the pressure of the waterfall, Vince eventually got used to it and closed his eyes.
xXxXxXxXxX
"Here you are Vince." Claudia spoke as she handed him a large green towel, her hair and eyes now back to being both light blonde and blue eyes respectively. Now wearing her usual dress.
"Thanks." Vince took the towel and quickly dried himself off.
"You could have told me earlier that you were going to use the Valefor clan's territory for training. I would have assisted you." She replied pouting a little.
"I wanted to do some training by myself. Besides, you had to install that new update for your new game, right?" Vince questioned.
"That still doesn't make me feel any better." Claudia said.
Vince shrugged as he took off the rest of his clothes, much to her embarrassment. He went towards a tree and tossed them over a tree branch for the clothes to dry off and wrapped the lower half of his body with the towel right afterwards. "Now that we're alone, there's something I've been meaning to ask you Claudia..."
"Y-Yes...?" She asked trying to composure herself after seeing him take off his clothes.
"Can you explain what happened earlier with your change before we went to the gathering? You said you would explain later." He replied.
Claudia nodded as she sighed a little. "It's a little bit complicated. However, I was told that I was born with an abnormal amount of power, even for a devil. That change you saw earlier was me no longer suppressing my demonic power. However doing so changes my appearance as you saw earlier. Thankfully, my control over it doesn't cause any other side effects."
"Looks cool though." He commented with a small shrug.
She smiled and giggled a little. "Why thank you for the compliment."
"Sure. So you're sure you don't mind me staying here again for the night? This whole heir thing was temporary. After tonight, you can go back to how things were." Vince said.
"I'm sure. You've helped me quite a bit. That and you're still considered the heir especially by a large majority of the devils that know of you and by me." Claudia answered.
"Great... It's like opening up a Pandora's Box." He commented with a small scowl.
Claudia however giggled. "Don't be so pessimistic Vince. As I've stated earlier, you have advantages an heir could only wish for."
"Oh right. I'm practically an heir just by title. I pretty much run the whole clan now." He stated, remembering of what he said in the gathering.
"My sentiments exactly. That and the previous head of the clan told the previous head maid to be prepared to assist the new heir whenever asked or is necessary. That duty was passed down to me she when I inherited the responsibility of being the head maid. I believe we will be seeing more of each other." She replied with a small smile.
"Seems like it. But, it's not like I mind it." Vince said.
A small smile appeared on Claudia's face as she nodded. "Thank you. I'm also here to deliver a message from Azazel. He expects you to be in the large garden at the Gremory's manor tomorrow. He stated that it was important."
"Thanks, I'll go as soon as finish training in the morning then." Vince answered with a small sigh.
"Shall I go and dry your clothes in the laundry room in the manor then?" She offered.
"If you can then thanks. I'll be here in the meantime training." He replied as he brought down the clothes from the tree branch and handed it to her.
Claudia took the clothes and looked slightly worried. "You won't do anything that will be dangerous, will you?"
"Unless you count me meditating underneath that waterfall dangerous, then no. Besides, practicing with my sword with only wearing a towel is a bad idea." Vince answered with a small shrug.
"Very well then. I will be back when the clothes are dry and I shall bring a new towel as well. But please be sure not to catch a cold when you're meditating." Claudia then made a magic circle underneath her and promptly teleported to the manor as he went to the waterfall in order to start meditating again. (I'll call Yasaka after I hear what Azazel has to say. I'd rather have a free schedule before asking her.)
xXxXxXxXxX
The next day Vince raised an eyebrow as he saw the others in the garden wearing their school jerseys. Looking down, he saw that his white t-shirt had been worn down and a torn up a bit while his cargo pants had numerous holes and rips in it, his face covered in a few cuts and dirt. Sighing, Vince walked towards the table that everyone sat at with Claudia following in tow.
"You're a little late Vince." Azazel spoke before raising an eyebrow at his condition.
Everyone at the table look relatively surprised at his appearance.
"What happened to you Vince?" Issei asked with a surprised look.
"I've had a busy morning." He replied without skipping a beat.
xXxXxXxXxX
Author's Notes: And that's the end of the chapter. I know this chapter is shorter in comparison to the last one but I wanted to set things up for the next chapter.
I'll admit I had fun writing a few certain scenes and that made writing it a breeze.
While Claudia is a bit more of the teasing type one thing to note is that she just met everyone and doesn't know them well enough, including Vince so her reactions are expected.
Vince's training was a little scene I decided to add at the last minute, I thought it would be a good addition to add in.
Chloe's sensitivity towards the subjects of swords will be explained in a future chapter.
That's all I have to say for now. Although, I do have one question. For those of you curious, would you like for me to say what character Rena is based off of? Anyways, take care.