Armored Hero: Hagane

by Mikatsuki Augus

By now you know how it goes right? You die, reincarnate and somehow turn into some kind of op character in a differnt world, much like in any other Isekai, excepet it wasn't the same for me! I was literally born without powers in a world where everyone (almost) has them, even the most useless! Well, I had to merge brain to find an alternative path and become a Hero.

7. Aika's Harem Project?

Yahoo! Happy New Year to all! Sorry, but it took WhiteDragonSky a while to correct chapter 7, so let's thank him and Darklord331 for the translation instead! chapter 8 has been ready for a couple of weeks, but it needs corrections, so I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait a little longer.

Going to the reviews corner:

Zet4: The simple and somewhat obvious answer is: Raiden wasn't home when Mai woke up. He had a pity for Rias and her situation, but it's not up to her to decide how she and Raiden should behave, regardless of what he thinks about her situation. it will be redhead's problem to make amends for her actions, and yes, there will be consequences in due course.

ArguableReader: As a reader of the novel, I can tell you that Riser is not a bad person. A pain in the ass at first because of his pride and other blood purity bullshit, but beyond that? It's not so bad when he settles down. She proved it several times in subsequent volumes and side stories, it was only Rias who was a spoiled child. Honestly, does she really think that Riser will even rub her finger with Sizerchs watching from the sidelines? She would be deleted too just for thinking about doing something to him that would upset her, but she was too busy being a schoolgirl and a victim to figure that out XD

Laplase: He will have supernatural abilities, but they will be full of unexpected and backlashes such that in most cases he will almost never use them, especially since the story centers on an MC who goes ahead with armor and technology. In the next story arc she will start placing supernatural materials and technologies, so that the terrain is on a par with other characters in the story.

---

Running in the morning was something I was used to doing, either alone or with Benkei. This time, however, I had a little different company.

"Do you need a break?" I ask stopping, seeing that Izumi has remained about twenty meters behind.

"I...ufff...can...continue...haaah..." she gasps, reaching out to me.

"Working to exhaustion is counterproductive. Haven't you experienced this before?" I ask rolling my eyes at the girl's stubbornness.

Aika had proposed the idea as a joke (?), since she wanted to make up for lost time and train with Izumi, but she was not yet fit enough to do so; therefore, she asked me to run with her when she learned that she does it alone every morning as well, not trusting that her friend wouldn't get into trouble or run into other ill-intentioned people.

Obviously it was bullshit, since I'd made her emergency bracelets to carry with her was given the recent incidents, plus the fact that she's much stronger than the average human who doesn't have a quirk of physical enhancement that isn't part of the supernatural, but Mai and Asia didn't know that and had practically forced me to go despite not wanting to (more like Mai threatening me silently and not so subtly while she thinks no one but Asia notices. The latter was making the most illegal puppy eyes I had ever seen, begging me to keep her new friend safe).

Fact is, I ended up running with her even though I didn't want to. It wasn't that I didn't want her around,on the contrary, Izumi is such a sweet cinnamon roll that you just want to hug her all the time and never leave her; however, I didn't trust myself enough to be near her much. That concoction from Rias had left side effects that seem to manifest whenever I am around a female devil. The effect is annoyingly similar to pheromones, so no matter how hard I try to ignore it, there will always be chemical reactions in my brain that will push me toward them as long as they remain. So it all depended on my self-control.

This is rather aggravated by Izumi herself, who instead of the usual tracksuit she uses for training has leggings that are definitely very tight-fitting that perfectly frame her firm ass and toned legs; not to mention that she wears a tight shirt with a slightly heavier open jumpsuit over it that emphasized her breasts almost too well (especially when they bounce during running). I couldn't stand behind or to the side of her because I would keep undressing her with my eyes, and my thoughts tended to navigate dangerous waters more often than I would like; therefore, I tried to keep my distance between 10 and 15 meters at all times so that her scent wouldn't affect me too much.

I am pretty sure that Aika did it on purpose anyway. That pervert was too careful about the wrong things, strictly at the worst possible times.

I don't feel it excessively when we are outdoors, but if it is too close to me and smells strong I start to feel quite dizzy. Maybe it's time to create some nostril filters so as to mitigate the issue until I find a solution to the problem.

[He is right partner. Working hard is fine, but overloading yourself will only harm you, especially since you haven't yet gotten used to the race change] also admonishes Ddraig, giving Izumi a frown as she looks at her left hand.

"I know, but I hate being...useless..." she says, catching her breath.

"Rome was not built in a day. If you skip the steps you'll find yourself in pieces before you know it" I try to give vaguely wise advice, trying not to stare at her too much.

Takoba Municipal Beach Park was quite beautiful at sunrise. The water shone a soft orange-gold color and it was not excessively cold. Temperatures were rising because of the arrival of spring, but they were not yet so high as to allow swimming. Without all the garbage to spoil the landscape the place was becoming quite popular again, even if there was no one around in the morning. It is also a good place to run since you strain your muscles more on the sand and there is hardly anyone to disturb us at this hour.

"Sakurajima-kun?"

"Mn?" I bring my attention back to Izumi who seems a little unsure "Is...is everything okay? You seem a little...distant lately?"

I guess it wasn't exactly subtle about the fact that I'm not well at all.

"...Let's just say I've had some less than stellar encounters over the past few days, and I'm not in a good mood" I reply, deciding to remain vague.

I don't think she would have been very happy to hear that her mistress had drugged me and that I had slept with her, which probably would have caused me no small amount of trouble with Riser, and maybe even with Sirzechs, depending on how he would have taken it. The flaming chicken was not necessarily a problem, since with a little planning and preparation I could easily have gotten rid of him, even permanently if necessary. The current Lucifer, however, was so far out of my league that it was not even fun to plan scenarios, all of which would end in my untimely demise before I could do anything meaningful against him.

Perhaps she would be more understanding if she knew the circumstances, but I didn't want to risk jeopardizing their relationship before the rating game. The chances that it would undermine her performance with peerage Gremory was moderately high, and while I am pretty sure it would not prevent her from helping Rias if she needed it, I didn't want to risk it.

Not to mention the mess with my 'father'. Honestly, how did I expect anything different from him?

That and the fact that even now I'm fantasizing about what Izumi might be like in bed.

It was strange to feel so attracted to a person. It had never happened to me before. Not in this way at least, because I don't know how much came from that concoction and how much from me. Before, I was very curious to see her and get to know her better. She is incredibly selfless, to the point where it almost hurts to look at her for someone as cynical as I am; she has that strange charismatic presence that makes you want to follow her (even if it has increased recently); and most importantly, I don't have to keep my guard up around her. I don't need to pretend to look better than I actually am, and this part was really relaxing because in almost every single one of my jobs so far, before I gained the trust of my regular clients, it was really frustrating to have to deal with them at best since they were always comparing me to 'someone' who could do as well with a suitable quirk, regardless whether or not that 'someone' would eventually come along.

Izumi was the only one I never had to go through a ton of unnecessary trouble with while working. Recently Asia was also added.

She probably doesn't see me as 'different' or 'normally inferior' because she was also quirkless, or maybe she was really so relaxed with me because she is just too nice for her own good, but the fact of the matter is that I enjoy being with her. She's actually one of the few people who hasn't given me a hard time about, well, anything.

"..." there was an awkward silence in which no one says anything, before she decided to change the subject "Emh...do you think we can go to UA after school?"

"I really don't have a problem with that, but why? The next set of bracelets won't be ready until Monday" I informed her, curious about what she wanted to do.

"I...last night a couple of guys hit on me and Aika on the way home" she begins, causing me to frown "When one of them tried to touch my butt I slapped him, but...I may or may not have inadvertently activated One for All..."

"...and?" I ask, waiting for her to get to the point, watching her in anticipation of how it turned out.

"I didn't have the bracelet, but my arm wasn't broken...and besides a dislocated jaw and a severe head injury that person was quite well!" she adds quickly at the end, unaware that as far as I'm concerned the stalker might as well have remained a red stain on the asphalt "I was wondering if my body was adjusting to my quirk finally, and I'd like to test it, since my house or the beach aren't exactly good places to test things like that...if that's okay with you."

"Mnn, now I'm really curious" I admit, definitely interested "Before any other test, what did you feel while the whole thing was happening?"

"What did I feel?" she asks confused.

"Yes. Quirks are often affected by the emotions of the owners when they are stressed. Not like a sacred gear that uses them as fuel to empower itself by default, but there are times when the user has psychological blocks that unconsciously limit it, or instances when the quirk in question has not fully awakened, or when it has a second awakening that greatly increases the base power and its abilities. "I explain a little better what I wanted to know "It's very possible that you unconsciously put a limiter on your quirk so that you wouldn't kill the guy you slapped; so I want to know everything you felt before, during and after those moments, as well as your thoughts about what happened. It will definitely help us for future testing."

"Mnn, I see, so that's what happened..." she murmurs a little disappointed "Well, I was pretty happy yesterday despite all the unforeseen events. I made a new friend, we went out together, we had fun, so much that I didn't want the day to end. It had been a long time since I had had such a...carefree day in the company of someone other than Kiryuu-san. Despite the slight disappointment at the idea of it ending, we would meet again today, so I didn't feel too bad on the way home. When those two started following us, I ignored them. I'm...used to people being so unpleasant, but it had been a while since anyone tried to be so...physical, when they made it clear that they wanted my body" she began, suddenly very uncomfortable, stiffening, now that she was analyzing her thoughts calmly "I...I admit I was a little scared at first. I felt like...well, before all this, when I was really powerless. Then I started to feel really annoyed when, even though I said I didn't want anything to do with them, they kept nagging us. Kiryuu-san was much more vocal than I was in expressing it, but...I don't know, when they tried to touch me, I just snapped...I felt like a string in my head was torn..."

"I see..." I say, frowning, as I begin to get an idea of how events unfolded more precisely "Izumi"

"Y-yes?" she says hesitantly when I call her, serious.

"When was the last time you vented properly?" I ask looking into her eyes as she blinks confusedly.

"Vented?" she tilts her head, not understanding.

"Have you ever felt angry, frustrated, depressed all because of everyone who insulted, belittled, beaten, denigrated or harassed you before? Have you hated them? Have you ever wished it would happen to them, too, or suffered worse?" I ask, honestly a little worried by how she was retracting with every word "Did you ever have an outlet to help you let go of that mound of emotions before?"

"..." Izumi looks away, biting her lip a little, refusing to respond. Not that I really needed a verbal response seeing her reaction.

"Right now you are like a time bomb. You kept ignoring and suppressing your emotions until now, pretending that nothing they were putting you through was going to make a dent in you, but then your life was completely turned upside down again when you were killed" she stiffens, perhaps beginning to put the pieces together "You were introduced to the supernatural, you faced situations you weren't prepared to handle, you were given tremendous power you didn't know how to use, you found out you had a longinus, you saw with Asia that the world is much worse and twisted than you originally thought. Everything is starting to become too much for you to handle, and when you found yourself facing the same situation that your old tormentors had put you in, you snapped because this time you had the power to react, and you did it without thinking."

I could have summarized my speech a bit, but I needed Izumi to hear and understand where I was going with it, because as obvious as it might seem, stress was never that easy to deal with. I know this better than anyone else.

"..."

Izumi says nothing and lowers her head. I put a hand on her shoulder, trying to ignore my internal agitation over, well, everything.

"I'm not scolding you, nor am I telling you that you were wrong to defend yourself, but you might want to talk to someone about it, possibly a professional" I advise her "What you went through is not normal or something to joke about. You lost control for a moment, and while I understand you didn't mean to hurt him, you may not be able to control yourself again if you're faced with other situations similar or worse. And with the booster gear, I don't know if it's more dangerous for you or for those around you."

"Why would it be dangerous because of the booster gear?" she asks confusedly, raising her head and looking at me with growing concern "I mean, I know I could really hurt someone if I hit them with One for All but..."

[Are you worried about the juggernaut drive?] asks Ddraig, reminding us of his presence.

"Yes" I confirm with a grimace. The last thing I want is for Izumi to experience more unnecessary trauma and injury.

"Juggernaut drive? What is it?" asks Izumi a little worriedly.

[Every sacred gear in addition to its basic form has a mode called 'balance breaker.' It is a form in which sacred gears can evolve in situations of high stress or when certain requirements or situations are reached, and it has different effects: like a drastic enhancement of the base skill, new functions and abilities. Longinus gears however are different] the ancient dragon begins to explain, giving a general smattering to the topic so that his partner could better understand the situation [Longinus have an additional state that you can attain, mainly because they also usually have a spirit sealed within it that grants an extra huge power, or programs that manage it, allowing the user to overpower even the gods with ease. The problem is that with that power also comes a huge cost]

"Does I-The booster gear really have that much power?" asks Izumi in amazement, rather pale at the idea of what might happen if she lost control of such a force.

[The booster gear's Juggernaut Drive will grant you momentary access to all my power and abilities from when I was alive at my peak, until it has consumed your life] Ddraig confirms in no uncertain terms, making the girl even paler [My previous partner got around this by creating a replacement technique for the juggernaut, which over time has become just as powerful, so that's not exactly the problem if you examine your options and look for an alternative path. The main problem is that without proper training or great mental strength, you will not be able to resist the madness it brings and you will be completely consumed by that power]

"Who was your previous host?" I ask very curious about the dragon's short story.

[Hyodou Issei. He was a human being, but still remains the most powerful Sekiryuutei who ever lived until now] at Ddraig's words I blink in confusion, not expecting in the least that the greatest pervert I knew would now appear [No wonder you don't know him. The dark century made a lot of things confusing during the transaction from the pre-Quirk era to the present, plus he always operated under a pseudonym and his identity was known only to a handful of people in his inner circle. At that time those who had them were called 'mutants,' and quirks were not even called 'meta abilities.' At that time, we could say that he was the equivalent of All Might. An unparalleled hero who fought for the rights of mutants, to defend the world and everything else] wistfully tells the dragon.

"W-what was he like? Did he have a quirk? How did it work? How old was he when he unlocked the booster gear? Was he aware of the supernatural?! or did h-"

Of course, Izumi being Izumi, the first thing she did was to pepper the dragon with questions about her predecessor. I don't know if it is a coping mechanism or she is really that interested, but I would not rule out both. The things that happened before and during the dark century caused by World War III are still being studied today, and for a quirk and hero nerd like Izumi it must be too interesting a topic to pass over.

[We'll talk about this another time! Let's get back to the main discourse!] the dragon interrupted her annoyed, when the girl started talking so fast that you could no longer make out the words amidst her mumbling.

"S-sorry!" gasps Izumi, coming out of her trans state.

[You really need to do something about that habit of yours, partner] sighs Ddraig with a degree of exasperation [However, the problem with the juggernaut is that when you are incredibly angry or upset for some reason, you may not be able to fight the urge to activate it. You will start to feel it after you unlock the balance breaker, but you'd better be careful anyway, and start preparing yourself mentally as of now]

"Is...is it really that bad when it starts?" the green-haired girl asks hesitantly, worried.

[I think 70% of my hosts died because they activated it and couldn't control it, so yes, it's much worse than you can imagine now] confirms the green orb on Izumi's left hand [In fact, the situation had worsened to the point that the souls of the previous users, instead of returning to the reincarnation cycle remained imprisoned in the booster gear, corrupted by the murderous madness and lust for power caused by the Juggernaut, to haunt the hosts who came after them and drive them mad in the same way]

"Was?" I ask, emphasizing that particular term. Finding out that Issei had existed, and was the sekiryuutei before Izumi was perhaps the best news of the past month. From Ddraig's insinuations, he seems to have managed to get rid of the ghosts in the booster gear, so Izumi won't have to deal with them later. I was, for obvious reasons, very curious how she would unlock her latent power, and how One for All would be affected. Possibly something that all owners have access to if they can unlock it. Nearly every sacred gear in the anti-terrorist squad seemed to be able to evolve anomalously, but I don't know how much is related to DxD's plot armor and how much to the users' actual abilities, which were anomalies in themselves .

[Issei was...an anomaly. I have no other way to describe him. He could do the impossible even when the odds were against him, and he seemed on the verge of getting the worst of it. Somehow, he managed to bring the previous sekiryuutei souls to their senses, more or less, who left the booster gear when he died] replied the dragon, remaining vague.

"Was it really that incredible? How did he do it!" asks Izumi excitedly, now definitely curious about what had happened.

[He...I...can't, it sounds too stupid to say out loud] Ddraig replied mortified, preferring to disappear into the depths of his prison rather than talk about it.

Somehow, I know where we are going to end up...

"Huh? What do you say that?" urges Izumi, still very excited, but with a hint of confusion at the sudden hushed tone of the red dragon.

[... Issei was a pervert. Probably the greatest pervert I have ever known, for better or worse. That nature of his helped him in the most unthinkable ways throughout his career] says with a heartbroken sigh the dragon [He was obsessed with breasts, at first it was almost his only driving force, and he aspired to be a harem king, whatever that meant. He convinced his predecessors to leave their obsession with power...replacing it with an obsession with breasts...]

"Huh?" was the only sound made by Izumi upon hearing those words.

"Pfft-" I clamped my mouth shut before my laughter escaped. Yes, that definitely sounded like Issei. I took a couple of breaths, trying to keep my expression serious "So...did they give him a nickname for it? Like, I don't know, Chichiryuutei?" I ask innocently.

What, it was for science! I had to verify as many things as possible had not changed!

[DON'T SAY IT!] howls Ddraig causing Izumi to wince, in a voice broken enough to make it sound as if he were about to cry [I WAS THIRTY YEARS IN THERAPY BECAUSE OF THAT BAD NAME! DON'T REOPEN OLD WOUNDS! I STILL HAVE HIVES AT THE THOUGHT!]

"Pffft-"

---

So right after lunch we found ourselves back at UA, in my private testing area, since Izumi had left early today (kicked out of class because she was mumbling so much that it prevented classes from continuing). Surely it was an exaggeration and an excuse to send her away, yet I could imagine her so engrossed that she couldn't think of anything else. Prophet alone knows how many times this has happened to me while working over the years.

Well, she seemed in good spirits compared to this morning, so that's good. She had also talked to All Might, who had referred her to Hound Dog, to talk about her history with bullies and mistreatment when she told him she had trouble dealing with anger, if only for a few moments. Even the middle-aged blond man agreed that it was a good idea to get rid of the emotional load before it could do damage rather than wait for it to explode, and despite initial reluctance, she had not protested when Toshinori had confessed that he had needed it after the death of his teacher. I had not elaborated much on the details, but she had told him that Shimura Nana was the seventh user of One for All, and she had died shortly before her graduation from UA while fighting with a villan.

Heavy arguments aside, I had an excuse to stay inside the armor, so I would have no distractions in testing.

This time we had also brought Asia who was very curious to see a real school, which, to her dismay, she would later attend. I had asked Nezu if it was possible to put her in the general studies class even if she passed the exam, and he had agreed.

That decision had not been influenced at all by threats of retaliation if she was not admitted by Recovery Girl once she knew what her 'quirk' was.

The elderly doctor apparently did not know about the supernatural, but had nonetheless gladly taken her under her wing to improve the use of Twilight healing, and possibly allow her to retire after her graduation from UA.

Asia was not sure whether to accept or not at first, but I gave her a little encouragement to push her to do so. The reason? Simple, she had not reincarnated as a devil, so the mana reserves on which her sacred gear depends were severely reduced compared to her counterpart. The blonde had mandated Twilight healing any race with her will; therefore, I thought she could make the most of her abilities by learning more about medicine and people's biology. I hoped that by doing so the cures would be optimized by requiring less mana and would be faster.

Needless to say, the former nun upon hearing this reasoning had accepted without a second thought. Even after recent events she had not in the least lost her desire to care for anyone in need, so she really did not have a reason to turn down an offer that would help her do better at something she desired.

Sure enough, Nezu, perhaps out of spite, had almost forced me to review the entire UA defense system, as well as all the school's digital equipment and servers. Apparently that was what he had wanted to talk to me about earlier, but this time he seemed to have been much more...comprehensive, regarding the amount of work he had tasked me to do. It wasn't that I didn't demand the maximum result even without him telling me, especially since I know that UA would be attacked several times from the beginning of next year, but he had been rather nagging in specifying how much work I had to do on it.

He did not seem to like being passed over, and he could become quite vindictive despite the fact that compromise was best for everyone.

"So, hit me" I say, standing in front of Izumi in the center of the testing area. She is still dressed in rather tight things, similar to this morning, although she looked uncomfortable and a little annoyed ever since she changed.

"Y-you sure? If I lose control..." replied the sekiryuutei, not quite convinced of the idea.

"To perform tests on functionality we do more tests of the subject under similar conditions. You didn't break anything when you tried to hit a person; therefore, we will reproduce a similar scenario" I reply without blinking. Then I look at Asia, who seemed equally concerned about the idea of me getting hurt, and Recovery girl, who had not yet expressed her disagreement with the idea but had it written all over her face, "We have the best doctor in Japan and the prettiest healer in the world here, I'll be fine."

I tried to ignore Asia's squeak at the compliment, but this seemed to have lightened the mood considering Chiyo's amused snort and Izumi's slight smile.

"If you're sure" the green-haired cinnamon roll says still reluctantly.

"Izumi" I call her again, opening the helmet to look her straight in the eye "I'll be fine. The Astrey, despite the lack of thicker outer armor is very resistant to blunt damage, and it has shock absorbers to lessen the internal damage caused by impacts better than anything you'll find on the market. I designed and created them to fly at supersonic speeds and to survive air crashes at very high altitudes and speeds" this seemed to convince her a little more, but I wanted her to be more confident "Besides, I trust you. I know that if you put your mind to it you can do anything, so just focus on hitting me with non-lethal force. You can do it."

The compliment surprises her a little, but she quickly gets over it and puts on a determined expression despite her nervousness. Seriously, how does she make that expression?

"Y-I will!" she says as she approaches.

"That's what I wanted to hear" I reply just as enthusiastically, closing my helmet and preparing training glove that she was to strike.

She has stopped in range and looks at her fist. She takes a deep breath and gets into a rather poorly executed boxing stance full of holes and openings, which I assume she copied from All Might.

Red veins extend throughout the other, lighting up under the sleeve of the suit, bursting from the power it contained. I brace myself for the blow, while she, despite all the excitement and determination of moments before, closes her eyes and strikes, not knowing whether wanted to see the result or not. The metal of Astrey's right arm squeaks slightly as the sudden impact shifts me a couple of inches and creates a gust of wind that has slightly unbalanced Asia, a few meters behind Izumi.

We stand still for a few moments as the 16-year-old hesitantly opens one eye to see her fist against the palm of my hand. Hesitation becomes confusion when she sees the fabric of her dress torn by the air pressure generated by her movement.

"It didn't break?" she speaks to herself, almost confused seeing her limb still working. Incredulous she moves it a little, thinking she is seeing things, but as she sees that she was not hallucinating she smiles brightly and looks at me "It didn't break..." she throws herself at me, hugging me "It didn't break! Ahah!"

I somewhat awkwardly reciprocate the hug, not used to having a friend who has this reaction. Previous patients who have had varying degrees of joy? Yes, and even those cases Jeanist, or some of her helpers, usually got me out of those awkward situations.

"Congratulations, you're one step closer to being able to use your quirk" I won't say master it, because it's not even close, but what she has done is still a step forward.

"Congratulations Izumi-san," Asia congratulates, giving a small round of applause. As always, that ray of sunshine is happy for the happiness of others, but also that her friend was not injured.

"What did you feel during the trial?" I ask curious about what was going through her mind during the test, hoping to get her to practice it again even without using a person as a target.

The question seems to bring her to her senses.

"OH, huh, yeah! Emh..." realizing what she has done, she blushes and quickly shrugs it off "I...imagined an egg in the microwave that doesn't explode..." I couldn't help but look at her impassively at the rather bland example she used, as well as Recovery Girl, who shakes her head with a smile somewhere between amused and exasperated "This time...this time the image was a bit sharper though, compared to previous times."

"Why?" I ask, wanting her to elaborate more.

"I didn't want to hurt you" Izumi replied almost immediately, "The other times even though I was thinking about it, I couldn't associate that image with my limbs after what happened with the zero pointer. I could only see what would happen if I failed. I...I didn't want something like that to happen to you" I remained silent as she tried to explain herself "Maybe I sensed it better because this time it wasn't just my health that was at risk, but I felt more clearly the heat building up and spreading in my arm. I imagined I was twirling the microwave's temperature stick as if it were my Quirk's, and the egg as my arm, as I tried not to explode it..."

"Well, I was expecting a more...I don't know, epic? crazy? Maybe complicated?" I respond rather skeptically from its simplicity, much to izumi's embarrassment "But if it works for you, I suppose it's fine until we move on to the next step."

"Next step?" she asks confusedly.

"Do you really think we were done with that level of control?" I ask rhetorically "Now you've figured out how to recall it, but you're nowhere near ready to use it in real situations, much less master it."

"Ah, right" my statement deflates her self-esteem, causing me to sigh.

"Don't get depressed before you even run into a real snag" I admonish her somewhere between serious, exasperated and amused "We've only just started, it's still a month before school starts, so give it time. There will come a time when you can say you've made that quirk your own, but that time is not today"

"Y-you can do it, Izumi-san! Keep it up!" encouraged Asia, seeing that Izumi's mood had decreased a bit.

"Asia..." murmurs the sekiryuutei in surprise, almost as if she did not expect that we would not encourage her to continue.

Honestly under the armor I frowned. Her confidence still needed a lot of work because of all those years of bullying by Bakugo&co. Honestly, I should have open an investigation against that shitty school.

"Well, let's cut the nonsense, we should continue with the training" I say, playing dumb, putting off looking for a solution later to improve her self-esteem faster. She looks at me surprised "What? Did you really think we'd be done with one punch? We still have a few more hours before Aika gets back from school to help Asia with Japanese; so, we'll keep training your quirk until then. Come on, get back in position and keep hitting with your active quirk, let's see if we can improve a little on the time with which you activate it."

Her expression becomes determined, although it is clear that she was excited to train more and definitely very happy to be able to continue.

"Yes!"

---

We really didn't make much more progress. I mean, we didn't even have two hours at the end; so, there wasn't much we could do, but Izumi had figured out at least how to activate One for All without getting hurt. And it was better than anything hoped for at the beginning of the day. The green-haired cinnamon roll, however, was frustrated after leaving the gym. There was still a lot of work to be done on control, so she still couldn't perform consecutive actions and was still quite slow in calling it back. She needed 8 or 9 seconds to use her power a second time first, and once the quirk was activated she needed 3 or 4 seconds to cover an area as large as an arm. Not to mention the fact that she could not cover more than one limb at a time.

I could have told her how to use One for All from the beginning, although I was a little hesitant because I didn't know whether once I coated the whole body she would use 100 percent or the safe limit, but in the end I decided against it. Honestly, I could have stopped with private training. The goal had always been to help her control her power without having her limbs explode, but I wasn't going to do that. Between the villan league and the supernatural Izumi will have her hands full and she will need all the power she can get her hands on; therefore, I plan to help her until she no longer needs me.

And that is one more reason why she needs to think for herself.

I will always try to help her subtly to speed up her progress, but I will not give her the solutions directly. I don't want her to become too dependent on me. If I'm not there, she has to be able to cope on her own, whether it's through fighting or something else.

"So how is Izumi's training going?"

Aika's voice distracts me from my thoughts. I watch her out of the corner of my eye as she sits next to me, who was watching Aisa and the green-haired girl as they worked on the garden. Benkei had really had no objections to the former nun taking care of it, and Izumi despite not really being a gardening type wanted to help her because, well, that's just the way she is. Needless to say, the blonde was overjoyed to be doing activities together, and honestly seeing the two girls happily working together on something was quite relaxing to watch.

"Pretty good. Today she learned how to hold her strength and use her quirk without breaking anything; so, I suppose it's a start" I reply, returning my attention to the girls who were planting flowers "She still has a long way to go, but she'll get there with practice. We still have more than three weeks before school starts, and I'm pretty sure she'll have a good grip by the time she starts the practical program."

"I understand" she simply replies.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"So, do you want to tell me what exactly is on your mind?" I ask after a few moments of silence, honestly not knowing whether or not I wanted to know what was going through the mind of the bespectacled pervert.

"What are you referring to?" she asks innocently.

"I appreciate your help in getting Asia to settle down, but it doesn't explain the scene you made at the lingerie store, or why you're trying to push Izumi toward me" I explain, making her snort.

"Of course for a genius you are pretty stupid" she comments amused.

"No, on the contrary, it's precisely because I know Izumi is interested in me that I ask why you're pushing her" I reply impassively, "I'm helping her realize her dream; therefore, I'm pretty sure she sees a rather idealistic image of me that doesn't really represent me; in fact, it's probably definitely wrong. Also, the fact that I am without quirk may have influenced her judgment a little too much."

"See, that's where you're wrong, and that's exactly what I mean when I say you're incredibly dense even with that brain of yours" Aika sighs, pushing me to look at her "Izumi knows exactly what she wants, and the only time I've ever seen her so determined was when she said she wanted to be a heroine like All Might. Even before all this supernatural bullshit, that fire had never really gone out" the bespectacled girl begins "You probably don't even have any idea how grateful and happy she is that you're helping her, but that's not the whole reason she has a crush on you. The reason she is so infatuated is because, despite everyone telling you it was impossible for you to get into UA without a quirk, you still succeeded. You set a goal for yourself and you achieved it, regardless of the odds or what others said. It is not your good looks or the fact that you are a genius that attracted her interest, but your tenacity. That's why I try to help you get her attention."

"As I told you, she might have the wrong idea about me and would be disappointed if she came closer" I reiterate after hearing her speech.

"So?" she asks as if there's no problem "Even if there is, her bubble bursts, and if it just wasn't supposed to go then peace. It's not like the world will end if you're not together, you know? We still have our whole lives ahead of us, we don't need to rush. She will have her experiences and learn. If she doesn't try, she'll never know in the end, will she?"

"...Okay, I wasn't expecting all this maturity and deep thoughts from you" I admitted, as Aika gave me a dirty look "I was expecting more of a girl somehow fantasizing about how we would be together, or at least a threat in case I broke her heart."

"Did you really think that all I did was go around measuring the dicks of the guys I saw around?" she asks annoyed as she stares at me evilly "Okay, don't answer that, I don't want to know. The fact is that Izumi lacks both common sense and the slightest hint of self-preservation, not to mention self-confidence. I had to balance things out, so I'm the mature one between the two, most of the time at least...besides, I've been practicing encouragement for her in front of the mirror, since she desperately needs it."

"...Fair enough" I agree.

Well, I can respect your dedication to your best friend. It's not something someone would willingly do for just anyone, especially when it comes to no quirk, especially not at this time in history-

"That's why I'm going to help you make a harem!" says Aika without warning, interrupting any admirable thoughts toward her before I could process them.

"Hah?"

"A harem!" repeats Aika "Think of the variety of girls you could have! Or all the kinky things you could do with your future mates! For every kind of taste and situation!"

And all the respect I was beginning to feel toward the pervert began to crumble very quickly.

"You were this close to impressing yourself, and somehow you managed to screw it up" I say, pointing to a rough distance with my thumb and forefinger, completely unnecessary, but it was just to make the point more obvious.

She rolls her eyes at my words.

"So you can look me in the eye and tell me that you have never in your life had such a desire?" she asks skeptically, as I continue to stare at her silently "As I imagined."

Okay, what anime-loving guy hasn't thought it might be nice to have one? Scratch that, what healthy guy wouldn't be interested in sex or variety to make it more fun at some point? I'm not exactly afraid to say that I also have and had my own fantasies, but I don't make it a status issue or a headline.

After my rebirth I simply had too much stuff to think about, but I still have a fuck buddy, although the circumstances behind that story are a bit peculiar.

"That doesn't explain why you're more interested and enthusiastic about the idea than I am" I reply, ignoring her last lines "I mean, I've had friends with benefits with whom I've had rather fun encounters as we explored different fetishes, but it seems like you're more interested in that concept than I am."

When I held up the point, she snorts, as if I had said something incredibly stupid.

"Seriously, you still have a lot to learn about women, man" she shakes her head, causing my eyebrow to twitch, "First, if you're not completely unaware as you say, you've surely noticed that both Asia and Izumi are interested in you, and that's the first problem. Both of them are too nice for their own good, so if they don't start a rivalry then they will try to push you toward each other as if you were a ball, because neither of them wants to hurt the other's feelings. Needless to say, a lot of unnecessary problems would arise. Second, Izumi swings both ways. More than once, even though she thinks I didn't notice, she peeked at me rather closely or when she thought I didn't notice. Same with other girls, although she has never tried to check for obvious reasons. I don't know if Asia is bisexual, but even knowing her recently I can say that she would not be averse to making Izumi happy if you're not there, if you know what I mean, and that would remove almost any problem that might arise when you're going to get a harem" when, not if. She sounds like she's pretty sure things will work out "Third, but not least: do you know how hard it is to find a guy your size who isn't a filthy son of a bitch or has so many problems that he's not unavailable for relationships? Honestly, I can't wait to take a ride on that wonderful-"

"Aika" I scolded her, before she could continue with that speech.

"Okay, okay, but you get my point. I'm not a bad judge of character, and I can see that underneath that stone face you really care about those two. I'm sure with a little work you will become a wonderful gentleman" she says, nodding to herself a couple of times at the end.

"I think the term you were looking for was 'pervert' actually," I reply impassively, still not too sure of the idea.

"Pff, who isn't? I simply don't mind saying what I think, it's a little different," she snorts amused.

Would I like a harem? Yes. There would be quite a few headaches in the beginning and maybe what a problem scheduling time with everybody, I guess, but it would add quite a bit of variety to sex and...I'd like to have a family of my own at some point, maybe. In my past life I didn't exactly have the best experiences in that regard, in this life it may have been even worse, and the harem could show me a possible preview of what that side of life might be like that I had refused to go down that path or didn't get a chance to try.

I could also perfectly see the scenario Aika was alluding to, especially considering that Izumi and Asia were, well, exactly as they had described them. Izumi would never want to hurt a friend's feelings and would surely back down to give Asia a chance to get involved with me, even helping her in case she needed it. Asia's counterpart had become competitive in her attempt to win over Issei mainly because of Rias's defiant attitude, but considering Izumi's character, she would probably feel guilty at the idea of competing and would probably try to do the same thing, especially if she noticed that the sekiryuutei was in the same situation.

Honestly, I don't even know how this eventual development will impact both short-term and long-term Izumi. UA and all the Mha events will start soon, not to mention Riser and all the other supernatural crap. I don't want my presence to be a negative source of distraction.

Then there is also Kiryuu Aika. She is not a bad girl in the end, just a little more 'normal' than supernatural women. Despite being a huge pervert, she is a good person and takes great care of those around her. Maybe a little too much at times.

"Let's put it this way, if you start dating Izumi she will also start to have more self-confidence" the sudden exit of the bespectacled girl makes me blink for a moment "Girl talk should stay between girls, but I will make an exception this time. When I asked her if she liked you after she told me about you she started to stutter and blush as you can surely imagine , then tried to play dumb and change the subject, and finally spilled the beans when her attempts didn't work. The bottom line is that in the past years her bullies have convinced her that no one would be so desperate to date her because she is useless, without quirk and all the other crap that that bastard Bakugo usually spews in round; so, at some point she started to really believe it and now not a bit of self-esteem, which got worse especially when middle school started. She has had several instances where they have played bad jokes on her about it, and I don't need to tell you how bad it ended up" my eyebrow twitches at the idea of someone maliciously trying to pretend to be her boyfriend/girlfriend just to take the piss and have a laugh. It was a shitty joke in any case that I never could stand, but to do it only with the intention of ridiculing Izumi made me want to scuttle the lives of the idiots who tried, especially since they did it simply because it was without quirk "The scene at the store? That was my most pressing attempt to get her to do something, anything to get your attention, because she thought it was literally impossible for you to be interested in her outside of training, since she considers herself unwatchable. And the way you came off, she thought that the show I told her would turn you on had instead annoyed you."

Okay, if the problem is so entrenched maybe it was a little worse than I initially thought.

"But-"

"You wanted to save tough guy face, I know, but you could at least give her some signs of appreciation" she interrupts me before I can say anything else, annoyed, completely unaware that my inhibitors were so loose that I would have no problem fucking her even in that dressing room "So, I want your help with Operation Harem. Considering how shy Izumi is and the general bad image she thinks she has, it won't be easy to convince her of the opposite; so, tomorrow I'll evaluate you and after that we'll start planning how to seduce her and break her view of herself."

"Has it now become a real mission?" I ask sarcastically, without too much annoyance.

"Yes, we should discuss your date!" she exclaims resolutely, causing a drop of sweat to fall from my forehead.

"Now you're just making it too dramatic" I comment impassively.

" Yes and no. Izumi is stubborn, so making her gain self-confidence will be quite a task, and we should plan our moves well" Aika replied harshly.

"Raiden-san, what do you think of these flowers?" calls Asia from the garden, drawing my attention.

"Go, we'll talk later tonight" says the pervert with a giggle that did not bode well at the end.

---

"Sir, there is a message for you."

I raise an eyebrow when Prophet calls me. It's 9 p.m., Asia is probably getting ready for an early bedtime since she was tired between gardening and intensive study to learn Japanese, Mai was going over material for end-of-year exams, and Benkei...I honestly don't know, he's been a bit absent the last few days. The list of people who would contact me at this time is rather short.

I was in the workshop preparing some new armor. It was still only a draft, but after analyzing Excalibur I felt inspired; therefore, I wanted to try to create one that could amplify my abilities with senjutsu. I didn't know how to do it yet; I had asked Benkei for an encyclopedia or something about the materials used in supernatural and forging techniques, as well as information on the creation of nichirin blades. Those swords were made to have the same properties as the sun (perhaps even the sacred attribute) and the ability to channel senjutsu; so, if he found something to reproduce that effect it would be of great help to me, although I'm not holding out too much hope considering how rare and scarce information on the subject is. The old man simply said he would see what he could do.

Then there was also a stealth armor and a multi modular one for the school, but they were not important for now.

"Show me."

?: Ehy, nice hunk, it's Aika, you're still awake right?

"Well, she said she would get back to me" I murmur seeing the very familiar way she refers to me.

Me: Yes. What is it?

Aika: I need a picture of you shirtless. Be sure to flex your muscles when you shoot, I know you're nice and puffy under your shirt.

I raise an eyebrow at the strange request, definitely very suspicious.

Me: What do you need it for?

Aika: for our plan. Trust me, a man of little faith :P

I look for a moment at the holographic screen my right arm has created with some degree of annoyance. 'Our' plan? She decided it all on her own. Then again, I had agreed to help her with Izumi's self-esteem, and having a harem feels a little tempting...

Me: All right, give me some more details about exactly what kind of pictures you want.

Aika: one of you shirtless, duh.

Me: I had gotten that far too. Do you want it to be a normal picture? More sexy? Accommodating? That kind of detail, so I adjust lighting and pose...

Aika: Ohoh, now you're speaking my language!

Aika: make it sexy with the lights a little dim, if possible. Be sure to show off your sex appeal!

I winced at her response. I can already imagine how she must be drooling at the anticipation, and it's making me uncomfortable honestly, especially considering how out of my comfort zone I am. Seducing is not something I've thought about much before.

Whatever, I suppose there is a first time for everything I guess.

Me: Good. I'm going to take a shower first, I've been in the lab for a while now, and I need to get cleaned up first.

Aika: Even better! Send me one as soon as you get out! 3

Me: you got the wrong letters for the emoji

Aika: I know what I sent 3

Me: I'm starting to feel dirty, and this has nothing to do with anything I've used so far while working...

Aika: eheh, trust me, you will thank me later ^^

A chill went down my spine for some reason. Do you know what? I don't want to know.

I left the lab and went to my room to get a change of clothes before I ran into another unexpected situation. When I entered the bathroom and undressed, once I opened the glass door to go to the shower area, I was confronted by Asia.

Completely naked.

She turns to look at me. Sitting on the stool, her line of sight was directly aimed at my groin because of the height difference. Her face turns crimson.

"Eeep!?"

I quickly cover myself at her squeak and look away so as not to make her more uncomfortable than she already was.

"Sorry, there was no sign, so I thought the bathroom was free" I say quickly.

It had been Mai's idea. Since her room and Asia's room were next door to mine, it is obvious that they are using this bathroom since it is closest to them. What leaves me confused is why they don't just lock the door lock when they are using the bathroom, but decided to put up a double-sided sign.

The whole situation seems to have come out of an isekai-harem anime so bad that the author did not even watch it.

"It's n-no problem. I...forgot to turn the sign around" she stammers.

"I'm going out, take your time" I say as I start to close the sliding door.

"A-wait!" hearing Asia's call I stop, but I don't bring my gaze back to the blonde "A-ano...this is the f-first time I've seen the...of a man...I was s-shocked..." she gags a little with the words and stutters.

"Don't worry, it's partly my fault for getting lost in my own thoughts while undressing" I reply, realizing that indeed, the light was already on when I entered. I really needed to wake up, I've been pretty distracted lately.

"W-We're all right now" Asia says, trying to reassure me as she covered the front of her body with a towel "H-I heard about the rule of socializing naked in Japanese culture..."

Mild guilt is stifled by confusion at that phrase. There was no actual 'rule' that said such a thing in Japan. It was more of an old custom in the Onsen, and even then the baths were usually divided by sex or there was a warning in the case of mixed baths. In the last century that custom has somewhat changed or been lost, depending on where you are, mostly because of the advent of quirks. Only recently has it come back into fashion, if you can call it that, mainly because of changing attitudes and beauty standards toward mutant-type quirks.

In the more radical and traditional parts of Japan (often and often outside the big cities), for example, people with very obvious mutations that change the humanoid shape of the body are banned from entering and are still strongly discriminated against. This usually prevents them from going to certain places, such as the Onsen, but it also applied to bars, restaurants, cinemas, or tourist locations.

'It was Aika, wasn't it?" I really didn't need to ask her.

If Asia had heard about it from Bankei she would probably have received a history lesson on the subject and realized that she was missing vital information, because although he kept his passions well hidden, most of the time at least, the old man really likes the Onsen. Never would he have done something like that, but he would have invited her to take a bath with her while he explained the topic a little more in depth; Izumi would not even have had the courage to suggest such a thing; Prophet would not have suggested such a thing if there was a possibility that would cause me trouble, and he would have informed me beforehand in case he did; Recovery Girl and Nezu did not interact much with the blonde outside of school, and especially they would never have told her to do such a thing, so it was necessarily the pervert by exclusion either directly or indirectly.

But when did she do that? I mean, it's not like I'm not around when they're visiting, and especially Asia's only been here a few days...

"You know...q-that of interacting in the bathroom to c-know a person in a m-more in-depth way" she stammers, still very embarrassed by the whole situation, unaware that while she wasn't wrong, this wasn't even the situation she thought it was "I-I...I want our relationship to grow deeper!"

It was at that point that I felt her body clinging to mine. If I didn't know any better, I would think she was trying to seduce me. At that point I looked at her, observing with ambivalent thoughts her red face and determined gaze.

'Well, I was going to have to seduce her sooner or later anyway, so I might as well start now...besides, she was the one who asked for it' I say to myself, before pushing her away slightly, "All right. Do you want me to wash your back?"

The flushed blonde's expression becomes pensive for a moment before nodding, hesitant.

She took another stool and I sat behind her while Asia fixed her hair with a towel, leaving her back completely exposed. Her ass was not the largest I had ever seen, but it was extremely pleasing to look at and I really wanted to sink my fingers into that immaculate flesh. Her proportions were 'normal' compared to those oversized of many DxD girls, and although she would later develop more over the course of the story, she was always in the 'well developed for her size' rather than an iconic of sex like Rias or Akeno.

That was why I found her extremely pleasant to look at, especially now that I had a clear view of it. Also, thanks to the height difference, I could see her breasts from back here. I am pretty sure I could convince her to be more physical with a few sentences, but I prefer to take my time. I don't want to ruin a possible relationship or scare her away by speeding up things too much, even though she clearly trusts me enough to 'socialize' naked in the bathroom.

I took the girl's white sponge and once soapy I began to rub it on her back, not too hard. She stiffens as I touch her. Her skin is incredibly smooth and soft. I run both my hand and the fabric over her a little more slowly than I think she expected.

"Mn...you are tense and have many knots, especially on shoulders and upper back. Do you want me to give you a massage?" I ask, as my hands moved closer and closer to her lower back.

"M-massage?" she stammers, stiffening like a board.

"Yes. After practice and a bath Baa-chan used to give them to me. She said it helped relieve pain before, during and after sports activities" I say in a slightly softer tone when talking about her.

"Baa-chan? You're talking about Benkei-san's wife, right?" asks Asia curiously, forgetting some of the embarrassment when she hears me talk about her. She had seen pictures around, in old albums or around the house; so, I guess she is a bit curious, although she never asked too much, especially after seeing the small shrine in the house.

"Yes. When I was younger I had a lot of problems, so I was almost always in a bad mood and overloaded between work and training. To keep me from being too sore or so angry that I was hurting, she would often do them. I was always less sore and a little in a good mood afterward" I confessed, handing her a basin of water with which she then rinsed to remove the soap.

"I understand...s-if it's not too much trouble" she agrees "My shoulders are a little stiff actually..."

There was nothing too sensual actually. I kind of enjoyed the sight of Asia almost naked from some angles, since I had to massage her biceps and triceps as well. By the time I was done she was so relaxed that she didn't even notice that I had slipped the towel she was covering her modesty with if I hadn't told her so much to her embarrassment. I was a little disappointed when she wrapped it around her torso honestly, but I didn't show it. I teased her a little good-naturedly about the fact that when it was her turn to soap my back she took her time to stroke and explore her muscles, with no small amount of curiosity. After washing herself she came out of the bathroom rather quickly with her face practically on fire.

After that fun encounter, I took a quarter of an hour to relax soaking in the warm water before going out and sending the photos to Aika.

Aika: It took you a while, had you fallen asleep in the bathroom?

Aika: by the way, wow, what muscles! I'm a pretty hot right now! And also a little wet actually. Just...wow. I knew you were pretty bundled up, but my goodness, you look like a perfectly sculpted and polished Greek statue! Covering them up is a crime!

Should I be happy or feel dirty with those comments? It wasn't the first time perverts made comments about me, but Aika really has no filter for christ sake...Not being able to make up my mind, I opt to go with the flow. I'll have to get used to having a succubus disguised as student in the form of Aika drooling over me I guess.

Me: I was with Asia. We crossed paths in the bathroom.

Aika: Ohoh, an old-fashioned cliché! Tell me the details!

Me: Nothing too striking. I saw her naked and we washed each other's backs. Although she seemed to enjoy caressing me.

Aika: can you blame her? I'm literally dying to lick them myself.

Me: ...

Aika: Oh, come on, stop being so demure!

Me: My annoyance is not being demure, it's your comments that are bordering on sexual harassment. -_-

Me: What were you going to do with those pictures anyway?

Aika: Mnn, it should have worked in theory.

Me: worked who and what?

I barely made it in time to write this that I got messages from Izumi. I closed the chat with Aika to open hers, and almost drop the phone out of my hand when I see what she wrote.

Izumi: K-Kiryuu-san m-sent me l-your f-photos

Izumi: I saw them...sorry!

Izumi: I-I didn't mean to, m-but I didn't imagine that a-she'd m-may have accidentally sent q-something like that!

Izumi: N-not that your muscles aren't great!

Izumi: W-wait, that's not w-what I meant!

Izumi: I-I...emh...w-to keep c-things fair...-q-here!

The attached image is a selfie of her, but what shocks me is how she photographed herself. She is in front of the mirror and the only light sources are two All Might-themed lamps (like the rest of the room) in the background. Her face is not visible, as the top half of her head is cut off and the bottom half is covered by the shirt she was holding up with her mouth, but she was evidently bright red judging by what little could be seen of her cheeks. Her bra is pulled up, leaving her breasts exposed, except that her nipples were covered by her fingers. They are a little spread out because of the way she had positioned her arms, but now I could see how big they really were. Maybe slightly smaller than Xenovia and Irina's size. She is not wearing shorts, and her panties were down, but her modesty was covered by the smart phone.

I admit that I needed a few moments to recover. Izumi looks incredibly sexy in this photo, I didn't expect anything like this from her at all. Not that I minded, on the contrary, but it was...I don't know, I didn't think she had the courage to do something so daring. Aika must surely have done something, but still, it was a surprise to see how far she was willing to go to get my attention. Is she really that attracted to me?

Me: Do you really stutter even in a chat room?

Me: Anyway, it's not a problem if you've seen my pictures, but I really appreciate the gift you gave me.

Me: Much more than you think. I will make good use of it tonight 3

Especially since I now have an erection so obvious that it almost hurts.

Izumi :!

That's all she wrote to me, but that's okay. Maybe I went overboard with that line.

Me: I think maybe we went a little overboard with Izumi tonight. I can already see her passing out, and it would be a problem if Inko-san saw the chats, or the state she was in...

Aika: so, liked the gift? XD

Aika: however, no, you can be quiet. We were talking about how she has a crush on you when I 'accidentally' sent those pictures, and I made a suggestion to apologize.

After that I get a picture of her in her pajamas open in the front, bra up, seen from above, where she was giving a sensual look at the camera with a condom between her lips, curved in a smirk innocent .

Me: seriously?

Aika: what? Do you appreciate my apology so little!

Aika: joking aside, I must keep up appearances, no ? ; )

Me: very funny -_-

Aika: No fun! I persuaded her pretty much right away. She didn't even dismiss the idea as she did at first, even without the persuasion that came later, I barely pushed her actually. She only needed a couple of encouragements when she wasn't sure if they were okay.

Aika: I'm sure that gave her confidence a boost ^^

Me: I hope so...

Aika: whatever, let's think about it in the morning! It's late, and some less intelligent people still need to go to school ^^

I will have to get used to this situation...

---

While the girls were at school, I accompanied Asia to UA to meet with Recovery Girl. Even before teaching Japanese, it seems they were already teaching her the basics, so she was learning quickly, although she has difficulty writing, especially kanji, but it's okay, one step at a time. Although she was naive and gullible, Asia was not stupid at all; in fact, she is actually very smart. She was easily grasping the basics of what Chiyo was teaching her from books, much to the old doctor's delight.

"So what exactly are we doing?"

Despite last night's last message, Aika skipped school and dragged me to a bar near the UA while waiting for the blonde to finish her medical classes. Honestly, I wanted to get to work on my new project since the materials had arrived, yet...

"We need to talk about how you're going to take Izumi out, wasn't it obvious?" she replies sarcastically, looking at me as if I were stupid.

"Of course, of course" I say sarcastically, "So how should I do it?"

Prophet and I had tried concoctions that were supposed to eliminate the residue of...whatever Rias had made me drink, to no avail though. Somehow, my body and that stuff reacted positively, causing me only severe stomach aches and nausea. I was honestly confused as to why, but I was still pissed off at Rias and didn't feel like seeing her again at all.

Childish? Maybe, but the experience of losing control of myself again had not sat well with me. It had been bad enough when I had nearly killed some bullies in college with my bare hands, but sexually assaulting someone was a new level of disgust that I had no desire to experience at all.

I had, alternatively, created those filters that I was thinking about, but I didn't like having my sense of smell muffled.

"Mnn...she really doesn't have much of a claim since besides having no real experience, she's never thought much about romance beyond a few random thoughts here and there while doing other things," Aika reasons "I think pretty much anything goes if you don't overdo it. It's pretty much a blank canvas. Could you take her to some convention on heroes or comicon maybe?"

"I've thought about it, but in this month there isn't even one practically, especially here in Musutafu, since in two months there will be a sports festival at Yuuei" I reply, having already checked for such a thing.

It is practically the substitute event for the Olympics, one of the most anticipated events in Japan, incredibly famous in the rest of the world as well. When All Might began to become important in all corners of the globe for all that it did, the principal who ran the most famous school in Japan at that time in order to boost UA's reputation began to hold and publicize that event, which then became what it is today. The first sports festival of UA became the forerunner of sports events that involved the use of quirk legally, which then debuted many other extreme sports around the world, in addition to the fact that other states later replicated the same festival.

It is somewhat of a tradition to broadcast it everywhere, not only to show the young people who would take the place of the previous generation, but also as a source of boasting with other nations.

So, yes, there is not much hype for other events when the sports festival is near, reasoning that many comicon and fairs do not attract much attention at this time, and it was considered a waste of time and money by virtually everyone to prepare them.

"Ah, damn it " she curses, thoughtfully "Try movies about heroes? If I'm not mistaken there's one about Red Riot right now..."

"Do you know him? He's a little old-fashioned" I ask surprised.

"Well, Izumi doesn't really have any other people to go to the movies with besides me and her mother; so, I've learned and met several old and recent heroes with her hobby" she replies with a shrug "You could take her there to get started, even though today is the last day it is broadcast. I advise you to hurry and get ready."

"Wait, what?!" I gasp a little as I hear her. Was that why she wanted to see me this morning! "Well, shit...can you take care of Asia while I'm gone? I'll send the Astrey with you too just in case."

"That was what I was planning to do. Why do you think I came here?" she replies smugly, "She didn't have time to go see it before, so she will definitely accept if you are the one to ask. Just be sure not to rush too much and don't mess things up."

"I...I'll go then. Do you think I should surprise her at school or text her first?" I ask puzzled about what would be best to do. On the one hand, it would be incredibly fun, but on the other hand, I wouldn't want to surprise her too much?

"Take her to school. Since there might be some idiots who will try to approach her" she says with a frown. I raise an eyebrow at her sourness, and she decides to elaborate "Word has spread that she passed the entrance exam and placed high in the rankings, as well as having a quirk 'powerful'; therefore, all try to approach her because she is the school's 'star' on par with Bakugo. Honestly, that herd of idiots really doesn't have a drop of shame..."

"Is it really that bad?" I ask with a grimace, already feeling the discomfort rising.

"Hah, you have no idea" snorts Aika, crossing her arms to give vent to all her exasperation, "Honestly, I can't understand with what kind of face they try to approach Izumi as if they were lifelong friends, when all they've done since elementary school is insult and belittle her for no damn reason! Seriously, who do they think they are! If I were Izumi I'd slam them to the ground so hard I'd bury them!"

"..." I watched her silently as she vented. I would have told her to calm down, but that would surely have made her angrier.

"Would you believe their audacity! That ball of lard with wings carrying that explosive shit even asked her out! Him! Who up until two days ago was making jokes about her being quirkless and how she had tried to get into UA, along with the other long-fingered moron!" she growls, slamming a fist on the table "And don't even get me started with the teachers!"

I gave an apologetic glance at the other customers and a nod to pretend nothing was wrong, when the girl with the glasses started ranting in full force.

"They started praising her and taking credit for her hard work, when until recently all they did was look away and ignore all the bullies who went against them, or worse, encourage the motherfuckers with potential hoping they would then thank them once they were successful! That godforsaken shit school doesn't even know where Google Maps is, how the fuck are they supposed to remember teenagers who so retarded they don't even know where they belong !?"

"..." wow, that's a nice bit of pent-up anger she has there. I watched for a few moments as the girl gasped after the outburst "Feeling better now?" I ask, handing her my soda, since she had already finished her own out of nervousness.

"Yes, a little" she confirms, downing my cola with a gulp "Sorry about that, but I had to get it off my chest a while ago."

"It's fine, I've been there myself firsthand, I know how annoying it can be to see events unfold again and again in a loop" I wave it off as if it were not a 'problem' while Aika stares at me for a moment.

"...Right, without quirk and all. Honestly, with all the crazy stuff you have in the lab I had completely forgotten about it" she confesses with a slight sense of guilt.

"That's okay, in fact, it's actually quite pleasant to spend time with people who don't treat me as disabled or sick because of it. It's a welcome change of pace" I reassure her that I wasn't bothered by hearing about the problems I had gone through to some extent myself.

Unlike Izumi, however, I hold a grudge even now against many of those who had 'tried' to bully me, not to mention the fact that I could actually defend myself without feeling guilty when I sent them half-dead to the hospital. I honestly cannot explain how she and her male counterpart were able to put up with the bullies without the burning desire to retaliate in the slowest and most painful way possible. They really must be saints, eh?

"...Honestly, I started it, but you better take care of Izumi if you want her to stay attached down there" Aika warns me, causing me to emit an amused snort.

"As you say, 'otou-sama'"

"Oi, I'm too pretty to be Izumi's old man!"

---

Izumi barely held back a sigh when the bell rang and put away the last volume of 'Hero Analysis for the Future' volume 14. After being reincarnated as a devil she had hurriedly filled what remained of the previous volume with a flood of ideas and strategies when the enormous malleability of demonic power had been revealed to her. Too bad she barely had any in her body, for she really hoped to be able to fly freely or spit huge fireballs like dragons. According to Ddraig she will also get there with only booster gear and dragon power as she adapts to her sacred gear. Unlike the malleability of demonic power, dragon power was power in its purest and rawest state, difficult to transform into anything other than dragon affinity, but still making up for the lack of versatility with unparalleled overwhelming power, especially in her case since she is the current sekiryuutei.

Ddraig also admitted that it was probably precisely the primary cause of her lack of magical power first and demonic power later. In life he had always been more of a physical combat type since his body had always been unnaturally strong, even by dragon standards. Fighting Albion and an innumerable amount of adversaries during his younger years, he had developed a near immunity to even the most powerful magical attacks of the beings that inhabited the earth, as well as abnormal endurance. Many years after his death, through his many incarnations, he had noticed that this trait tended to be inherited by his hosts as well, and in those few that were not so they tended instead to have inordinate amounts of magical power and skill in whatever art form they followed, although in most cases it was the Albion hosts who had those traits.

Very curious to learn more about the skills she might develop and the abilities of her predecessors, Izumi had been bombarding Ddraig with questions all morning in an attempt to ignore her new 'fans,' so to speak, and a very enlightening conversation had ensued.

In addition to the 'boost' skill that doubles any ability by consuming stamina, she also had the 'transfer' skill that was used to pass the power she had doubled at least once to other people, objects or anything else can be doubled. There is also the 'penetrate' ability that allowed her to pierce through anything, even the barrier between dimensions once mastered; and his flames, which were capable of burning gods to the point that they were unable to reform. Unfortunately, these two abilities in particular had been blocked again when booster gear was reinserted into the sacred gear system. Ddraig's guess was that the system had perceived the booster gear as 'damaged' and restored it to its basic functions; therefore, needed to find a way to unlock them again.

Then there were the forbidden techniques, such as the balance breaker that removed certain limiters such as the ten seconds needed between boosts, the aforementioned Juggernaut Drive, and the Longinus Smasher, the most powerful attack created by Ddraig himself.

Her partner had warned her, however, that sacred gear tended to evolve unpredictably, and that this tended to change from user to user, especially when it came to Longinus. The example to which the dragon had referred was once again Issei, who after his first clash with Albion's previous bearer, the hakuryuuko of the previous generation, had assimilated one of the crystals of the dividing armor, which had made it possible for him to use the 'Divide' and 'Reflection' abilities, the latter being another of Albion's original abilities blocked by the biblical God. Since Albion's power was cancerous to Issei, however, he had created the Dividing Wyvern Fairy after intense training and numerous tests. Basically small sentries that changed color from white to red to freely use the power of both dragons.

He also had other unique abilities and transformations created because of modifications made to his body during his lifetime, but which unfortunately he could not replicate because, precisely, they were peculiarities of his body. The very small chances that he could replicate them were lost along with all abilities gone with the reset unfortunately, along with any traits handed down from predecessors that had influenced booster gear up to that point. It made Izumi think a lot about how powerful and skilled Issei was despite being human (with some dragon body parts). It was both an inspiration and a huge reminder of how much she had not really committed herself until All Might's offer, so she had a lot of catching up to do.

By the end of class she had filled almost the entire notebook with possible workouts and ideas Ddraig had told her to strengthen herself, some of which were very difficult to carry out without the help of other dragons; therefore, she would have to ask her crush for help again.

The thought almost made her blush again, much to Ddraig's irritation. They had had long debates about whether Sakurajima-kun was interested in her or not, which had ended with the dragon finally screaming in exasperation at her lack of confidence in general or her pessimism. Not that her ... advice, was really of any use. What idea would Sakurajima-kun have of her if she had simply jumped on him with the intention of...

She shakes her head to avoid thoughts dangerously spicy. It was not nor the place nor the time. She had to go to practice, since she wasn't on housekeeping duty today (and no one was trying to push on one of the school's 'best' pledges their chores anymore) so she didn't want to burn out the daylight any more than necessary since she needed every second she could use to improve. She was tremendously behind her future classmates since she could barely control her quirk while the others had had their whole lives to learn how to use theirs.

"Midoriya-san, do you have plans today? My friends and I would like to go to the mall and go shopping" a classmate who doesn't even look asks her as she puts her things back in her backpack.

"Nah, she's not the shopping type. Do you want to come to the porch with us?" asks a boy who had turned her down a dozen times in less than three days.

"Hah? An elegant girl like her why the hell would she spend time with you losers?" another girl from the first group asks rudely.

"Loser to whom! You want to be seen with her anyway to make your ex regret dumping you and going with someone more popular!"

"How dare you-?!"

At that point she had stopped paying attention to the other students who were arguing among themselves over who should leave with and why. Normally Aika would have shooed them away as they left with a long trail of insults and sarcastic comments, but she was not here today; therefore, she quietly slipped across the room and toward the exit, going unnoticed by everyone as she always did when everyone belittled her right to be human before the UA exam. A part of her that finds unpleasant is happy to see their disappointed expressions when she ignores them as if they are not even there after all they have done to her, but she can do little about it. The only person in the room who had never stopped looking at her with animosity was Bakugo.

Bakugo, not kacchan.

Calling him that after so long was quite strange actually. After years of her twisted friend trying to hammer into her head that the explosive blond had never been her friend, she had recently begun to think that maybe she was right. Aika (and her family) was the only person besides her mother who treated her normally after that diagnosis (although recently Mizuki and Masaru had begun talking to her mother frequently again). They had then been joined by her fellow ORC members, although they did not agree on everything, as the recent incident with Asia had shown her, but despite the tension the events had caused they were on good terms. No one had ever weighed in on her ineptitude; on the contrary, they had helped and prodded her when she needed it, patients when she was clumsy and made mistakes, both in training and with the whole business of being a devil (as much as she struggled to adapt).

Then there was Asia, who holy All Might, was the personification of kindness on earth. She had endeared herself immediately to the blond former nun. How could she not? It was impossible not to love someone with such a kind heart. Screw all those who call her a witch, helping others is not wrong, no matter the race or gender. She categorically refuses to believe that helping those in need is wrong, and there is no god in this world that can convince her otherwise. The only thing confusing about the whole new situation with her was the butterflies in her stomach when talking, reading, or working in the garden. She knew she was swinging both ways, but she couldn't have fallen in love with Asia too, could she? Not that there was anything wrong with being attracted to girls, and Asia in particular, but...

Sakurajima Raiden. He is everything she aspired to be. Too afraid to touch on sore subjects to ask him directly, she had asked Rias for more details about his past. Although he had no quirk, he is incredibly intelligent, and he had used his intellect to achieve the goals he had set for himself, no matter how much others told him it was impossible or how much anyone tried to hinder and mock him . His unwavering determination had helped him through the ups and downs that tried to sink him. Unlike him, he had not let anyone walk all over him. Not by the bullies at school, not by the abusive teachers, and not even by the more problematic clients he had had over the years. He had had a lot of family problems that had caused him anger management problems and depression, but he had passed over even those having a chance to get into UA. He had also learned about his 'emergency' activities in case he failed. He had prepared himself to fail if necessary and had created a way to help others in the form of Best Jeanist's open clinics. His knowledge in the scientific field had helped thousands of people in the course since their opening to have normal lives with incredibly difficult to control quirks. He had made plenty of acquaintances in the ranks of heroes, in the shadows, to avoid attracting unwanted attention from individuals who wanted to maintain the status quo at all costs. She had asked Rias why there had been all the trouble in the reports she had given her in trying to open the clinics, but received only a thoughtful (troubled) look and just as much confusion.

So, yes, the explosive blond had stopped bothering her, yelling at her, or insulting her, but he had not for a second stopped looking at her with even greater hatred than he did before. She had never understood when, how, or why her childhood friend had become so hostile toward her, but it had happened at some point and had never stopped stalking her ever since, until Sakurajima-kun showed the footage taken from the armor he had saved in his memory. Honestly, more than all the physical abuse she had suffered or the insults he had hurled at her, it was his gaze that had hurt her the most. Because of his mother's rather...fiery temperament, Bakugo had always been rather vocal with expletives since childhood, as well as hyperactive . The admiration for All Might that they shared, their desire to reach the pinnacle of heroism, the tenacity and stubbornness that drove him to never give up was what had, slowly, overwritten the image of All Might when he thought of 'victory'.

However, that image gradually cracked as she spent her days with people who really cared about her well-being. As much as she did not want to admit it, comparing her relationship with her new friends with her 'old' ones, she could not help but realize how...false the bonds she had with almost everyone she knew were.

That is why she began to wonder if she and Bakugo had ever really been 'friends.'

That is why Sakurajima Raiden, without knowing it, was rapidly replacing her image of victory.

"Izumi" a calm voice that she knew well calls her.

"S-Sakurajima-kun?!" she gasps a little when all the attention in the schoolyard had been focused on her and the boy near her. More so than usual.

He is dressed almost completely in black, as always. He wears a suit: long-sleeved jacket with side pockets and leopard print interior, a black metallic shirt decorated with skulls on the right upper part, cargo pants, black boots with red soles.

A flood of whispers and murmurs begins to ring in her ears.

"Yo. Sorry for the impromptu visit, but do you want to go to the movies?" he asks without warning, causing her to stop "There's a movie tracing the origins of Red Riot that has its last showing today, do you want to go?" he asks again, seeing that she had frozen.

Sakurajima Raiden? Was her crush here for her? Was he asking her out! Was this a date!? Why! When?! How?!

" I... me...you...m-movie...?" she stammered confusedly, in a trembling voice, barely able to put her thoughts together to say words that resembled a sentence.

Hearing the whispers start to get louder and the stares more intense, she quickly grabbed the boy's hand and ran off at full speed, too embarrassed to stay there.

---

Well, it had been quite amusing to see Izumi's reaction. Seriously, how could a person go through such a varied range of facial expressions in a matter of seconds? Not to mention how her face had lit up, between happiness and embarrassment!

The fact is that she agreed, although honestly at one point she started talking and stuttering so fast that it made me worry. Was she even breathing? How long could she have been in apnea? Would she have fainted from lack of oxygen? Was she even breathing in the storm of words she was saying as she dragged me away?

We then went through her house first to get her changed. I was actually quite surprised at how cute she looked dressed for a date. She wears a see clear with a white stripe down the center where brown buttons keep her laced up. She doesn't show much cleavage, which stops just above the hollow of her breasts, showing a bit of her collarbones and trapeziums. The long-sleeved shirt also has two ribbons that cross over her neck that hold her in place and keep her from falling down. Instead, her lower body is covered by a long emerald green skirt with a rather elegant white belt that ties it just above her navel. Her curly, somewhat wild hair was a little tidier. Rather surprising considering it took her only half an hour to get ready. Her clothes are quite comfortable and warm since the warm weather has not yet begun, and temperatures tend to drop in the late afternoon.

"You look really pretty in those clothes" I compliment seeing her coming out of her apartment.

"R-Really?" she asks hesitantly, perhaps thinking I would have something to say about her attire.

"You are incredibly pretty...and a little daring, but it doesn't have to do with the clothes, more with the fact that even if you try to hide it, your breasts are very large and invalidate any attempt to hide them" I say amused, seeing how she blushes more.

"t-thank you very much..." she mumbles lowering her gaze a bit, unable to look me in the eye "A-you s-you look cool in those clothes too..."

"That's good to hear" I thank, trying not to notice Inko who was peeking through the ajar door "We're going Inko-san" I greet her anyway though, thinking that maybe Izumi would have a funny reaction.

"O-Okaa-san!?" she shrieks, almost jumping out of her skin.

"Don't mind me" she whispers, with barely restrained joy in her voice and eyes so bright as to light up the doorway "Have fun" the woman says, still looking at us intently, waiting for us to do whatever we did.

"Just...come on, please" Izumi begs, almost mortified by her mother's behavior.

"Yes, yes" I say amused. Then an idea occurred to me, so I take her by the hand and see the blush on her face getting even darker, but I pretend not to see it and start walking .

When we exited the apartment building I realized I was being watched, so I texted Prophet to check who was following me with the security cameras pointing in our direction as we were moving, but he didn't need to since recognized the phone numbers as those of Mai, Asia, and Aika who were following us. I decided to ignore them though, as long as they do nothing to disturb us, although I wonder who was the idea.

The only thing that made me frown a little inside was Izumi herself, or at least, part of her attitude. Not that she had done anything wrong, on the contrary, I found her to be very... clingy? It wasn't a bad thing. It made me frown because this was the result of the failure of today's society.

Izumi is hungry for affection. The only people who could give it to her were limited to Aika and her mother. Touches with affectionate intent were almost unknown to her, since anyone who touched her usually hurt her or wanted something else. Aika would have been more than happy to shower her with affection, in more ways than one, even if she was not sexually attracted to her, but knowing her, Izumi definitely did not ask her to do so so as not to 'bother' her with her problems. Inko, on the other hand, as much as she cared for her daughter, was perhaps even more emotional than her; thus, hugs often became bear hugs, probably painful ones. In all likelihood she held back with Asia, not wanting to scare or upset her in any way, although the blonde would have been more than happy to hug and comfort her.

That is why, when she found a touch that did not cause her pain but relief, she was attached to it. I noticed it right away because if for any reason I let go of her hand, she seemed to be physically straining not to take it back right away. I made a couple of attempts to see if I was right, and, as it turned out, she seemed almost about to dive on it as if it were her lifeline. That's why, even on the train and on the bus to the movies, she had never left it. She had even crossed her fingers with mine.

I was happy to see that she reciprocated the interest, but also upset at how affection for her was so unknown. I knew from experience that lack of affection and trauma, especially at a young age, need a lot of therapy to heal, and even then it would scar the person for the rest of their life in most cases.

The only time she let go of my hand was after ticketing, when just before the movie we got sneaks and drinks, although after realizing she needed both hands she seemed rather annoyed, much to my amusement.

The movie was not that interesting. The 'heroes' were basically civil servants that you see every day; so, in 99% of cases seeing movies about origins was extremely boring, unless your name is 'All Might. ' Not that there were really accurate films about its origins. Even today there are literally dozens, maybe hundreds, of films about its possible origins with every theory imaginable. The only thing that was accurate about the Red Riot film was the rawness with which it described the past for what it was.

Some of the critics and people criticized it for the harshness with which the subject matter was treated, since the old hero pro was prior to Toshinori's rise as a symbol of peace, but it was the part that I personally preferred, and almost certainly the subject matter that people did not like to remember, considering how harsh those not-too-distant times were.

On the way back we took some pictures on Red Riot posts and statues, talked a little about how we had felt about the film, what we preferred or what we didn't like, but again, nothing too heavy or relevant.

Izumi on the means even had the courage to rest her head on my shoulder. I really didn't feel like teasing her or joking about it, also because I really enjoyed the contact myself. Her presence was very comfortable and relaxing.

Unfortunately, the serene atmosphere had been ruined by sudden rain, and we did not have umbrellas since no rain or bad weather was predicted in the weather forecast for the next three days.

"Sorry for the intrusion" I say, as if it were a kind of ritual before entering someone else's home. Almost every Japanese person I've met does this.

"It's fine, although Okaa-san stayed behind at the hospital since a colleague was late" she says without much thought, before starting to blush heavily "We...have the house free for a while...if you want to come in..." after her shy request, she heads for her room, after hanging up the jacket.

Needless to say, I followed her to her room, where she was already undoing the belt and buttons of her blouse, but she was stiff, evidently nervous; so, I decided to try to get her to relax.

I approach her and hug her from behind, causing her to freeze.

"You are beautiful" I whisper in her ear, which I can see blushing and getting darker by the second "I really want to do it with you, but if you don't feel ready or aren't sure don't force yourself, I can wait."

"I-I...it's my f-first v-first time..." she stammers, before turning around and looking at me "I-I'm a little s-scared but...I want to p-practice."

"Practice?" I ask curiously, seeing her nod.

"Y- I think that...i-if we p-practice...I'll be able to go f-fine when...you know..."she says, trying to find the words as she wallowed in embarrassment "U-until w-when Okaa-san r-returns."

"Are you sure?" I ask again, surprised and rather happy that Izumi was gaining courage after only one date.

"If...I...wasn't, I-I wouldn't have a-asked you to come in, s-so don't w-worry" she replies decisively, though a bit stutteringly.

I smile slightly seeing her as she tries to step forward. I lean down crossing her midway, resting my lips on hers. I didn't try to push right away with that kiss, just savoring her lips. There was still some of the aftertaste of the snak we had eaten at the movies, but I didn't dwell too much on that, more on how soft they were. After a few moments I tapped against her teeth, asking her for permission, which she does after a few moments. Without getting carried away, I moved my tongue to touch it and swirl it around her, in a slow, methodical rhythm.

"Mnn..." she lets out a little moan as she loses herself in the sensation, and I took the opportunity to undo her belt and the buttons of her skirt, which falls to the floor.

We break away for a few seconds to catch air, leaving a thin trickle of saliva between our tongues, and I watch her breathe a little laboredly with quite a bit of excitement beginning to stir inside me. She looks a moment stunned after the kiss, making me smile a little amused.

"Was that your first kiss?" I ask curiously, since she had barely moved during the first exchange.

"Y-yes..." she admits, lowering her gaze, perhaps demoralized by the admission.

"Well, practice makes perfect, doesn't it?" I ask rhetorically, touching Izumi's cheek to make her look up and kiss her again.

She squeaks a little surprised, but this time she tries to kiss me back and be a little more active, trying to move her tongue more to compensate for her inactivity earlier. In the process I undo the remaining buttons of her shirt and move the top off, sliding it down her arms and falling to the floor. We move during the kiss to her bed, and pause only to lie down.

Izumi on her back and me on top of her. I look into her eyes, as she gasps for breath, with an expression mixed between pleasure and anticipation. I kiss her again, but don't go too deep, deciding to move over, leaving a trail of kisses on the edge of her lips, on her cheek, then going down her neck, passing over her collarbone, finally arriving on her breasts. She moans, trying to keep hers moderately low, and with her hands she tightens the covers under her a little, not wanting to interrupt me.

Finally, I remove the cloth covering the two mountains that have done nothing but attract my attention for the past few days, and admire them a little. They are large, and Izumi's nipples seem almost painfully erect. With almost vindictive joy, I sink my fingers into them, which sink into the soft flesh as if they were mashmellow.

"Ngh-ah"

Her moans get louder as I begin to lick them. I make sure to taste them, slowly, running my tongue over her right nipple, making her tremble as I continue to lick and suck it, making circles on her halo with my tongue. I continued to play with the right one a bit, before moving on to the left.

I let my right hand run along her abs, finding the soft flesh over the hard flesh of her muscles very pleasurable, before reaching lower, passing over her panties.

"Ah! Um...a-wait a minute" gasps Izumi, her face crimson.

Despite how much I would like to speed up things and have more fun, I stop as soon as she asks. I don't want to ruin her first time after all.

"If you want me to stop-"

"No! I mean..." she interrupts me shyly, undecided whether to be embarrassed or get courage "C-can I...can I t-touch you too?"

"..." I blink, not expecting the sudden request.

"I-if you don't want to n-do n-nothing, but it didn't s-seem r-right that I felt b-good only, so-"

"No, sorry, just surprised me, that's all" I interrupt her before she starts to get lost in absurd excuses that at the end end up blaming herself. Unfortunately, in the midst of her embarrassment and agitation she doesn't seem to hear me...

"I-I-I know I'm shy and s-silent... I don't think I could-"

"Izumi" I call her a little louder, making her gasp.

"Y-yes?!" she snaps to attention.

"It's not just you" I tell her, lowering my pants and boxers "Trust me, you have no idea how much I want you right now."

"...Ah..." she only makes a sound mixed with apprehension and surprise when she sees my rock-hard erection.

Although she was crimson with embarrassment, she managed to stop staring at it and, though hesitant, reached out her hand to touch me.

"Ngh" I inhale a little harder as she runs her fingers down my length.

Her fingers are surprisingly fine and delicate despite her musculature. She is quite pleasant when she begins to move, though a little hesitantly, her hand.

"S-sorry, wh-what is it?" she asks curiously, looking for a way to improve.

"Pleasant, but you should use a little more force" I tell her. She seems to see it as if it were made of glass; so, while I appreciate the thoughtfulness, besides being a little pleasant it won't do much else.

"Wah...!" she squeaks in surprise as we reposition ourselves, both of us themselves on our sides.

"Your left leg, can you move it a little?" I ask, as I slide my hand under her panties.

She seems to want to give confirmation as she proceeds, but I shush her with a kiss. This time I am a little more aggressive, but not too much. I immediately plunge my tongue into her mouth, twisting it around hers as one of my hands passes under her and grabs her breasts, wanting to play with them some more, making the owner moan. The other, however, picks up where it left off. My fingers run along Izumi's lips, rubbing her entrance already very wet with arousal. Izumi's hand tightens around my cock a little reflexively, and she awkwardly tries to reciprocate, making me hum a little contentedly both because of her growing confidence and because her soft squeeze was appreciated. I dip my fingers inside Izumi's pussy, making her break the kiss.

"Mnaaah!" she moans freely now as I move to suck on her neck, continuing to move my hand.

Her walls are soft and warm, indeed red-hot, and they clutch my fingers as if they will not let go. I move my two fingers inside her, pushing them deeper and spreading her from the inside, while Izumi squirms a little trying to moan in a lower voice and panting, but fails when I move my thumb and stroke her clit a couple of times.

"AAAh-!" suddenly the girl's juices splash onto my hand as she arches her back.

I stop for a second to observe her. Her bare chest trembling from the orgasm shaking her, her face flushed, her eyes half-closed with longing and bliss, her breathing labored.

I had tainted her pure existence. One part of me slightly regretted doing so; the other wanted much more.

the conflict between the two sides was rather confusing honestly, but I decided to ignore it and kiss Izumi again, a little more gently this time.

"Izumi-" I call to her as I position myself between her legs-.

"I'm at home! Ara?" but the world had other plans.

"!" the cinnamon roll also comes to her senses, as all the excitement leaves her body "S-sorry Sakurajima-kun, I thought we had more time!" whispers of the apology, a bit mortified by the interruption, as she hurriedly got out of bed to get some clean clothes "Okaa-san, welcome back! Sakurajima-kun is still here, wait a moment!"

"..." I watched her as she got dressed and rushed out the door to greet Inko, and prevent her from seeing what we were doing.

I let out a snort somewhere between amused and annoyed at the intrusion, still painfully hard.