Here I present myself with a new translated chapter!

Many times I never talk about the course of events when I upload the translated version, so I think it would be interesting to do it more often. First of all, I would like to clarify that this arc will be somewhat accelerated with respect to the original, besides the obvious changes that always occur with respect to the development of the conflict.

Having clarified that point, it's time to answer the reviews:

MAX0910: Well, that's good. I mean, I don't think it affects the way you can perceive Ophis, although it can be a bit confusing when she's detailed as an adult woman (although she really has a much younger appearance than the other protagonists, but not enough to look so young).

vanhellsing9000: Don't worry, Rias will get her comeuppance in a few chapters.

Now it's time to get started.

Enjoy!

"THE WINNER OF THE SEMI-FINALS IS RÍAS GREMORY!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

Bewildered silence ensues for several seconds, until...

"KKKKYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The shout of all the Valkyries was heard throughout the stands as they jumped and cheered with great energy.

Meanwhile, in the opposite sector they were almost all clapping. One of them was Sairaorg, who seemed to be quite pleased at the display he witnessed from Issei.

The first thing Issei did in celebration was to approach Gasper and shake his hand with great force. The half-vampire gave him a big triumphant smile and he was quick to respond in kind.

Tiamat, Penemue and Rossweisse came down from the bleachers, even though it was illegal. They quickly ran to their future lover while giving him a big smile. Even Penemue herself looked quite proud of her performance.

Issei got up from the floor, high-fiving Tiamat who was the first to arrive, who didn't take a second to lock him in a tight, warm embrace. Penemue and Rossweisse were not long in arriving, enclosing and surrounding the brown in an embrace covered with love and affection.

Gasper just smiled at what he witnessed, while Rias and Asia seemed to share the same sentiment as the half-vampire.

"Are you all right?" The redhead asked her, noticing that Asia could barely stand. "Let me take you to the infirmary so you can recover quickly. Remember, you have to get up very early tomorrow."

"Don't worry, it's just a small injury." Asia replied with a smile, being escorted by the redhead to the room where they were treating the injured from the event.

Meanwhile, the three women continued to shower Issei who was still inside that group hug with love.

"What were you thinking to act like that!" Penemue's criticism was the first to come, who didn't take long to regain her strict attitude. "You should have finished them in an instant!" She exclaimed, causing her two friends to break away from Issei slightly to hear her reply.

"Well, you girls taught me that at some point I'll have to fight as a team, so I thought at the beginning of the battle that this was the right time to give it a try." Was Issei's answer, an answer that apparently didn't content any of the three very much, especially Tiamat.

"Are you kidding?" the dragoness laughed. "It's true we said that, but you can't fight as a team with someone who is much weaker than you. Instead of adding and bringing more to the fight, you'd just be increasing the percentage of getting killed." She explained, and the brown-haired man seemed to understand.

"Let's save the tactical concerns for later." Rossweisse stated with a slight grimace of annoyance. "Now it's time to party!" Valkyrie exclaimed with unparalleled energy, hugging Issei again.

Her two friends did the same, so Issei was once again enclosed in that embrace. The sight he left was somewhat funny, as Issei did his best to reciprocate the affection they all gave him, but it was somewhat difficult to do so when one of them was hugging him from behind.

Just at that moment, his gaze rose to distinguish a solitary Ophis, who was looking at him with great attention. For the moment, the Goddess seemed to forget all that annoying sound that surrounded her, and was only focused on the amount of happy feelings that everyone around her was transmitting. Especially, that hug that the four of them were sharing right now.

Issei gave her a smile as he raised a fist towards her.

For some reason that simple gesture made Ophis smile a little. He quickly got caught up in the festive mood, so it didn't take long for him to start clapping.

Seeing that the Goddess had returned the gesture, Issei did nothing but give her a toothy smile in response.

The celebration was not only centered inside the grand stage, as it quickly moved outside with even more energy.

Instead of enjoying the party and all the attention he was receiving from the many Demons that now seemed to idolize him, Issei only focused on all that Hell had to offer him.

"Hold still for one more second..." Tiamat commented quietly as she continued to coat his minor wounds with healing ice.

The dragoness' gaze lifted after noticing that Issei seemed to be more attuned to the buildings than all those people who were surrounding them and dancing.

"Is there anything that catches your eye?" The dragoness inquired, turning her gaze back to the last wound on his chest that she had to cover.

"I've been to Hell before, but this is the first time I've been able to see a Civil District this close up." The brown-haired man replied, grimacing slightly as Tiamat placed her frozen hand on his cheek clearly on purpose.

"You've faced an invasion, and you're surprised by an infrastructure..." She commented with some amusement.

"Should we help Rossweisse?" Penemue jumped into the conversation after noticing that Issei's minor injuries had finally been treated.

"Sounds like an excellent idea to me, but Issei shouldn't move around too much for the treatment to work properly." The dragoness stated, then focused her gaze on her crush. "Stick around, we'll be back in a second." She concluded, causing Issei to shiver as she rested one of her frozen fingers on his forehead.

Both women left as they talked about a Rossweisse who had gone looking for a lost Ophis who was sure to be admiring different food stores in the place.

"I hope she's not making a big fuss..." Issei thought aloud with some nervousness, not noticing how a figure was perched behind him.

"You're finally alone." Issei turned around after hearing the voice.

It was a hooded figure, but he could recognize those facial features even from miles away.

"Vali?" The brown-haired man couldn't help but tense up a little. "What are you doing here?"

"I had some free time, so I came to have some fun." The albino stated, then raised both hands in defense. "Don't worry, I don't want to fight. I just wanted to tell you that it was entertaining, although there are some things that didn't quite close for me..." Vali pointed over his shoulder, pointing to a bench. "Would you like to talk for a while? You know, not like Sekiryuutei and Hakuryuukou. Just like Issei and Vali."

Issei looked at him for several seconds. The tension in the place was more than obvious.

Said tension didn't take long to break when Issei finally changed his expression, giving him a condescending smile.

"Alright, let's talk a bit." Issei invited with his hand, beckoning them both over to the bench.

Silence fell between the two as they sat down. Both of their eyes were focused on all those people coming and going, the number being less and less, until there were almost no people in the place.

"How is it that you can be here without making a fuss?" Issei questioned, giving him a short look.

"I don't always look for trouble, Hyoudou." Was Vali's reply, an answer that did not convince Issei.

"You know very well that's not what I mean." He shot back, managing to make the albino smile slightly.

"Let's just say that Sirzechs was a bit grateful with the contribution I provided to stop the army that invaded them two weeks ago." Was Vali's reply, who crossed his arms to say the following. "Besides, do you really think the guard they mounted could stop me?" He concluded with a question, fixing his gaze on his rival with some suspicion.

"Well, on that last one we do agree." Issei replied as he settled back in his seat. "By the way, what did you want to talk about?"

"I found your actions in this battle strange." Vali turned his face to face him directly. "I just want to know what you were thinking."

"Was I that wrong?" Issei couldn't help but give a sigh as he noticed that he was going to be scolded again, this detail made Vali raise an eyebrow with great intrigue.

As Issei explained what he had thought, the few remaining Demons in the place finally left, making only the two of them left in that cold night.

"I see..." Was Vali's neutral reply. "No wonder you looked like a loser." He concluded with a small smile, causing Issei to roll his eyes.

"I'm sorry I'm not good enough for you!" Issei exclaimed clearly indignant.

"You're right, you're still not." Was Vali's reply, who fixed his gaze on the night sky. "But I still think you're pretty interesting, so I'm sure you'll reach that level I expect from you sooner or later." Those last words made Issei look at him with some astonishment.

"That's a nice compliment coming from my rival, I guess?" The brown-haired man stated, earning a small smile from Vali.

"It's only been a few months since you've started. You've had growth that I've never managed to witness before." The albino commented, focusing his gaze on Issei. "That's why I think you're interesting."

"Actually, I wouldn't have done anything if it wasn't for Tiamat and Penemue..." Issei downplayed his advances as quickly as he could, earning a smile from Vali.

"After the trouble I had with my family, Penemue had also offered me to be his ward, but I flatly refused. Probably because at the time I was an arrogant, lonely brat who believed I wouldn't need anyone's help to control my own power." Vali rambled between his words, not realizing that he was telling Issei a part of his past. "I guess I regret it now, since I could have learned to control my power from a much younger age. After all, she does look like an excellent teacher." He concluded, fixing his gaze on the brown who was looking at him with great interest.

"Indeed, she is." Issei replied, then giving him a somewhat dejected smile. "Heh, it's funny that both current bearers have had problems with their parents, isn't it?" This last made Vali's eyes widen a bit as he noticed that he had spoken out of turn.

"Forget what I said." Was Vali's cutting comment, earning a glare from Issei.

"I understand if you don't want to talk about it."

Vali would have taken those words as the words of all those who always claimed to understand him, even the words that were always delivered to them by his friends to comfort him when they learned of his past.

They were all looks of pity.

But, on this occasion...

He wasn't getting pity...

He could only see a man who was rubbing his hundred with breathtaking frustration.

That's the way it was...

He wasn't handing his pity to him...

He was handing him his pain...

A pain that for the first time seemed to be quite similar to his own.

"To my parents I am something of an outcast. They always treated me with utter indifference, as if my mere existence bothered them." Issei couldn't help but let out a big final sigh.

"All that because I didn't turn out to be a girl..."

"Hyoudou..." Was all Vali could say after hearing such a revelation.

"They can't wait to get rid of me. Although they did it in a roundabout way, they always branded me from a young age with aspirations that I would never be able to reach. Basically, they labeled me as a poor devil that wasn't worth raising." Issei couldn't help but grit his teeth slightly at the bleak memories. "Luckily, I met a friend who took me away from my own loneliness. Soon after that I was alone again." A small smile appeared on his lips. "I don't know how many years passed before I was able to meet two other friends, who are probably the reason I'm still alive." Issei lifted his gaze, unable to help but sketch a wistful smile as a myriad of beautiful memories came to his mind.

"It will seem like a joke what I'm about to tell you, but I feel like I've started to be really happy since Tiamat appeared in my life."

"Actually, it doesn't seem so strange to me." Vali's comment made the brown-haired man look at him with some astonishment. "You know something?" Vali stood up from his seat, handing his back to Issei.

"Since you told me your story, I'm going to tell you mine..."

Vali removed his hood, only to close his eyes as those distant memories began to invade his mind.

"As you should already know, my father was the Ancient Demon King. He was also involved with the affairs my grandfather was up to, and was even the leader of the operations that took place not too long ago. That makes it pretty clear that he was also conquering various human women just to have half-demon children to add to his army. I don't even know how many half-siblings I must have killed in the last battle, I only met one sister who is already a very distant memory. Evidently, having Albion saved me from being corrupted as it happened to all of them, and since I was so small, none of them realized I had it in me. Thanks to that I had a much kinder demeanor, something my father couldn't stand. When I turned 5, I heard that my parents were fighting once again, so I quickly tried to defend my mother when I heard about my father's attitude. My sister was there too, obviously she was on the wrong side. I remember my dad had used magic in front of me and my mom for the first time, and that was the moment she fell limp to the ground when her neck was pierced."

Vali's fists clenched after what he commented.

"I don't remember exactly what happened next, the only thing that comes to mind was afterwards. I didn't know how I did it, but I had white armor protecting me while my sister and father lay on the ground with figures so grotesque they were barely recognizable."

Vali gave a small sigh, relaxing noticeably.

"After that, I wandered aimlessly for a while until finally Azazel found me."

Vali turned around to face his opponent, who looked rather stricken after all he had heard.

"Everything that follows is history." The albino culminated, showing his typical serious expression.

"That's why you were looking for the Demons of the old caste..." Issei deduced, receiving a negative response when Vali shook his head.

"That's not entirely true. I had only set out to hunt them down because they had hurt a very important person to me." The albino stated. "They're all dead now, but everything that happened made me think twice about the safety of my companions. I only have one dangerous target left to take care of." He concluded, gaining the brown's attention.

"But if you already eliminated all of them, who's left?" Issei's question would make Vali raise his gaze to the sky.

"Surely Tiamat already told you about him. You know, the Dragon Slayer." Vali paused for a few seconds, thinking about something carefully. "What was his name...?"

"In the end Tiamat was right about your presence here." Penemue's words would cause the conversation between the two to break down. "What are you doing in a place like this?" The Cadre inquired, earning a nod from Vali.

"I just came to offer my congratulations to Hyoudou." The albino excused himself, getting Penemue to narrow his eyes with great suspicion.

"If you say so..." Her tone made it quite clear that she didn't believe a word he said.

That little bit of tension that was building was immediately broken when an Ophis arrived with a rather particular view.

"Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum..."

Was all that could be heard as she ate a candy popsicle with her cheeks puffed out and a completely innocent look on her face.

Penemue and Vali were completely petrified at the sight, while Issei had a completely adverse reaction.

" WHAT- WHAT- CUTE!" The young man shouted, as his body jerked at a great shiver from witnessing such tenderness that would blind anyone.

That reaction caused Ophis to tilt her face slightly to the side as she continued to eat her sweet with an adorable glow around her.

"At last I find you!" Exclaimed Rossweisse in agitation as she landed next to the Goddess, who couldn't help but raise her eyebrows in confusion.

"Yom, yom, yom, yom, yom?" The Valkyrie could only freeze at the sight.

"You look like a squirrel." She said the first thing that came to mind, and Ophis didn't seem to like it.

From one second to the next she found Rossweisse screaming in pain as she begged for her to stop as the Goddess was pulling her cheeks so hard.

"Look at all I got!" Tiamat came into the small gathering, holding up the bags full of peculiar ingredients. "By the way, why are you here?" Her gaze was automatically fixed on Vali, though her attention was completely diverted when she heard Ophis' "yum, yum".

At the time, the dragoness didn't know, but her question would make her suffer.

"Why are you acting like a squirrel?"

Ophis' "yom, yom" ceased to be heard as the Goddess fixed her disinterested gaze on a Tiamat who couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"Apparently, you have a lot of work to deal with on a daily basis..." The witticism Vali presented after his comment made Issei nod as he watched Tiamat and Rossweisse were crying comically at the same time their cheeks were stretched.

"Well, she has yet to adjust..." Issei stated with his eyes rolling as Rossweisse and Tiamat's incessant wailing begged for her to stop.

"yum, yum, yum, yum, yum."

CHAPTER 53: THE KISS OF DISCORD.

The sun was threatening to illuminate Kuoh City from the horizon, providing the first glimmers of light.

The silence in that place was total, or at least it was until the sound of a door closing was heard.

Issei placed the bag on his shoulders as he headed towards the pavement. Tiamat followed silently as Ophis gave a big yawn.

"The station is towards the other direction." Was Issei's comment, who could notice the somewhat dejected look on the dragoness' face.

"... I won't even be able to visit you in the evenings?" She consulted him, earning a negative answer.

"As far as I know, it's a pretty open residence and it could be a problem if anyone sees us there. Especially Matsuda and Motohama." Issei stated, then rubbing his hair in slight annoyance. "You know, we could erase his memory, but that's pretty painful..."

"Okay, I understand." Tiamat replied, sketching a smile.

"So, I guess I'll see you in two weeks then." Issei raised his hand in farewell.

He obviously didn't expect her to pounce on him and give him a nice kiss on the forehead that seemed to last forever.

"Take care of yourself." Issei simply smiled at the dragoness' concern, returning the hug to comfort her.

Meanwhile, Ophis looked between them as he used a straw to drink the contents of the juice box.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine!" Issei exclaimed with great confidence, separating from the light blue-haired woman, who couldn't help but look at him with a sense of loss as she left his side.

"I'll be waiting for you..." Tiamat thought as she held her chest and watched her beloved leave along with an Ophis who didn't take long to jump on his back for him to carry her.

A moment later, at the station...

"ISE, OE ISE!" Matsuda shouted with great energy as he approached his friend with a toothy grin.

"Are you ready for this trip?" Motohama consulted him, only to emphasize what he held in his hands. "I brought a camera."

"I have my cell phone." Was the brown-haired man's simple reply as he showed them the cell phone.

The central thread of the conversation was diverted when Ophis made an appearance over the chestnut's shoulder, as he was still carrying her.

"Wow! Who is she?!" Matsuda and Motohama couldn't help but shout. "Is that your girlfriend?!" They both shouted at the same time, getting many people and some students who had already arrived to look at them as if they were crazy.

"No! She's my...!" Issei thought of the first lie that popped into his head. "My cousin from Ireland!" The brown-haired man almost kicked himself in the ass after such a stupid excuse.

"Is that so?" Matsuda looked at her from head to toe, though in reality he could only see how the Goddess had her face resting on Issei's shoulder, her eyes were closed due to her desire to sleep.

"That explains why we've never seen her before. She's pretty." Motohama added as an afterthought as he adjusted his glasses.

"She's Ophis." Issei moved his shoulder a little to get the dragoness' attention. "These two are my best friends, Matsuda and Motohama." They both gave a thumbs up with a toothy grin after being introduced.

Ophis rubbed her eyes wearily as she fixed her gaze on one of the two friends. She reached out her hand rather sweetly and placed it on Matsuda's head.

Sleeping beauty said the first thing that came to her mind.

"Bald."

"Ah!" Matsuda couldn't help but groan comically as an arrow with the word "bald" pierced his chest.

"Ophis, don't be rude!" Issei scolded her, earning a tired look from Ophis. "I'm really sorry!" The brown-haired man bowed in front of Matsuda. "She acts like that when she wants to sleep badly!"

"It's okay, it's okay. It's no big deal." Matsuda waved his hand dismissively. "We'll wait for you inside the train." His friend concluded, leaving along with Motohama.

Issei began to stroke Ophis' head to sleep on his shoulder as he listened to the bald man complain, saying that it was really just a haircut.

"How about you go sleep at my place?" Ophis opened one of her eyes after what she heard.

"Can't I come with you?" The question made Issei shake his head.

"Let's just say the place I'm going to is by invitation, and you're not invited." Issei stated, getting Ophis to pout a little.

"That's unfair." She rant, then parting ways with her future lover.

"Thank you for joining me, and remember not to use magic in front of humans." Issei dismissed her with a tender greeting, earning a nod from the Goddess before she disappeared into the increasingly bulging crowd.

Time passed and it didn't take long for his fellow Demons to join him.

Soon after Penemue and Rossweisse arrived. The Cadre was as serious and skeptical as ever, while the Valkyrie had developed a somewhat abnormal sort of happiness.

Issei attributed it to her always cheerful and energetic attitude, especially when Ross underwent learning something new and usually that new always turned out to be very entertaining for the Valkyrie.

Yes, even if he already knew her to that extent, it was rather curious that a person who had lived thousands of years would find so much amusement in such basic things. She was simply adorable, or that's how Issei classified her.

Next to introduce himself was Azazel, who made a couple of comments to embarrass Rossweisse and anger Penemue. When the Cadre started insulting him for being a lazy shit, the man turned a deaf ear and left the place while cleaning one of his ears with his little finger, claiming he couldn't hear very well. The Cadre couldn't help but spit cement at the attitude that was driving her crazy.

Finally, Rías arrived to say goodbye to her servants a minute before the trip started. Everyone had entered the train, the only one who still had to say goodbye was the brown-haired man, who looked a bit rushed because the redhead seemed to have dragged the whole situation out too long.

"Take care of yourself, Issei." Her mistress stated, earning a nod from Issei.

"Don't worry, most likely nothing bad will happen. And if something does happen, I'm prepared." Was Issei's blunt reply that showed great confidence.

"I know." The redhead replied, listening as the train's horn signaled its early departure. "Before you go, I'll give you a little parting gift."

"A parting gift?" The answer to his question came immediately as Rias caught his lips against his will.

At first, Issei had no reaction.

He didn't have one later either.

Everything was too strange at the moment.

Rias broke away, giving him a cute smile.

Issei didn't know what to say. He took advantage of security giving his last call to enter the train and escaped from her by a quick trot as he raised his hand as a gesture of farewell.

Rias couldn't help but laugh as the train began to move.

"That was a little gift so you won't forget me in these two weeks." Rias' eyes would sparkle with bold intent.

"Although that won't be the only thing I'm going to give you these days..."

A few minutes later...

Everyone in Issei's carriage was asleep. The only one who was still awake was him, who was sitting alone in one of the seats at the back.

Why couldn't he sleep?

That was simple.

It was because of that kiss.

The first time he kissed someone he couldn't even feel that woman's lips because of the moment they were going through, so it was impossible for him to remember what Tiamat's mouth tasted like.

In this case, he could taste strawberry.

It could be said that this was a good taste, but the reality was different.

Very different, for some reason...

He didn't know the reason, but if he had to describe his experience in one word, it would be...

"Unpleasant." Issei said to himself as he felt the constant taste of strawberry that had remained in his mouth, even though it was actually long gone. "Very unpleasant..." The brown brought one of his hands to his lips as he used the other to reach into his pocket for something.

"Why the hell did she do that?" His question would come to nothing when he finally got what he was looking for.

A tablet of gum that Azazel had given him emerged from his pocket.

The flavor was mint.

Just what he was looking for.

Issei took two of these chewing gums into his mouth, starting to chew. At that very moment a cold and tasty sensation invaded his lips and mouth that made him forget what had happened just a short while ago.

His wrinkled and tense expression slowly changed to one of tranquility.

Now, that disgusted feeling had been replaced by one of contentment.

"For some reason, mint is really relaxing..." Issei thought with a small smile as he continued to taste the gum.

"Can't sleep?" The back door opened, causing Issei to turn his gaze to see that it was Penemue. "Me neither. You can tell that the wagons and I aren't very good friends." The Cadre stated, sitting down in the empty space next to her future lover.

"I don't have a problem with these trips, rather it's something that's been bothering me..." He commented somewhat sheepishly as he rubbed his hair.

"I see..." Was the response from the Cadre, who grabbed the brown-haired man by the shoulder and pulled him closer to her without warning.

"Penemue?" The protagonist looked at the woman doubtfully.

"Come here." Penemue patted her legs a couple of times. "Sit on my lap." The woman stated, earning a smile from Issei.

"Thank you for caring about me." He said, sitting down on the Cadre's lap.

"It's the least I can do." Penemue brought his hands over Issei's hair to begin stroking it lovingly.

At that moment, Issei felt the dream that had never appeared begin to wash over him with the force of a thousand tides.

It was probably due to the inexplicable and incredible comfort and warmth transmitted by the caresses of the beautiful Cadre.

They were both silent for several seconds, a silence shrouded in calm that they both kept enjoying.

The phrase that silence sometimes means more than a thousand words could be coupled to what was happening now.

"To tell you the truth, the train isn't the only thing keeping me awake..." That statement made Issei's eyes widen. "To be honest, there's something I've been wanting to ask you for a while..." Her hands clutched somewhat tightly to the brown's hair, making it clear that she was somewhat nervous at the moment.

"What is it about?" Issei turned his gaze, only to see an expression that Cadre was showing very circumstantially, and that expression was one of sorrow. "You know you can tell me anything!" The brown exclaimed to give the beautiful woman more courage.

"I know." She smiled, though that smile would not last long because of her next words, "How does feel...?" La Cadre said softly, only to turn her gaze away and blush noticeably.

"How does a kiss feel?"

At these moments, the expression on both of their faces was a complete delight to any onlooker.

The ever stoic Penemue was now flushed and embarrassed to hell, while Issei couldn't have been more wide-eyed at such a completely unexpected question.

"Well..." It took Issei a couple of seconds to speak, but he finally did. "To be honest with you, I never imagined you'd be curious about that sort of thing."

"I may always look pretty rough, but at the end of the day I'm still a woman and it's obvious that I'm somewhat curious about that sort of thing." The Cadre stated, a little less embarrassed than before.

"I get it, you have a point there." Issei couldn't help but lower his gaze, and Penemue could tell that he had become quite nervous. "But, I don't think I'm the one to tell you how that feels..."

"You're the only one I can ask." Penemue stated with absolute esteem and sincerity.

"Okay, but then don't be disappointed." Issei rambled, then began to think.

"How does it feel to kiss?" Issei asked himself as he put a hand to his chin, not noticing how Penemue was looking at him with great attention and interest.

"To be honest with you, the experience I have with it is a mix between a bleak and disgusting feeling."

That comment made Penemue impressed to such a degree that even her eyes grew large.

According to what she had heard before, kissing was supposed to be something rewarding, sweet, cute, passionate and even pleasurable.

Or in a nutshell.

A way to share your love.

But...

Heartbreaking and disgusting?

She had never heard such a statement before.

"I think it's precisely because of what I mentioned, because of my experience." Issei clarified as he noticed that Penemue was visibly fidgeting. "I remember absolutely nothing about my first kiss." Issei's fists clenched at the memory. "The only thing that comes to mind back then is hopelessness. My mind was completely clouded with that feeling. I only realized what I had done when I saw that Tiamat seemed to be recovering." His explanation drew a sigh from himself. "Remembering that moment is not at all pleasant."

"I see. I'm sorry I made you remember that..." Penemue couldn't help but lower her beautiful crimson eyes with some guilt.

"Then came the second one." That comment caused the Cadre to raise her face again in great surprise, for she had not heard that Issei and Tiamat had a second kiss.

"I don't know what Rias was thinking."

Penemue's alarm bells immediately went off at just hearing that name.

"She kissed me against my will. I remember a taste of strawberry. I had time to process it at the time, not like I did with Tiamat. But I guess you can only find a kiss disgusting when you're forced to do it, and you're also doing it with someone you don't even feel the slightest interest in."

"When did that happen?"

Issei couldn't help but feel a small shiver as he noticed Cadre's cold, deadly tone.

"Uh...it was before we got on the train." Issei shot a glare at Penemue, causing him to flinch slightly as their eyes collided.

It was completely natural, as the Cadre's eyes seemed devoid of life and promised indescribable pain.

"I see..." Was the simple reply from the Cadre, who began to stroke Issei's hair again.

At that moment, silence returned between the two.

Although Penemue had an expression from beyond the grave, the warmth and affection conveyed by Issei did not fade for a moment.

"Don't worry, we're going to protect you." She thought internally, watching as her beloved finally fell asleep.

Cadre's gaze lifted, and her brow furrowed completely.

"I'm going to have to talk Tiamat into taking care of this."

END OF CHAPTER!

I hope you didn't enjoy it! You know, because of Rías' kiss and all... well, anyway, I know it's not a good joke.

Next chapter will be out in 2 days, since it's longer than usual.

Thank you very much for reading!