High School DXD: The Mark of Rebirth

by Vizard Masky

"You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?" After being stabbed by a Fallen Angel, Issei Hyoudou is granted a second chance in life by a wondering Otsutuki God. In return for this, he is branded the Otsutsuki's power. How will Issei tackle the supernatural with both Boosted gear and the power of the Otsutsuki at the palm of his right hand? Literally. OOC Issei x Reya & Harem

3. Answers for the Supernatural World

Before we begin…

"Talking."

'Thinking.'

"Flashback quotes. Text from paper & signs. Intercom."

When we last left off, Issei was invited by Yuuto Kiba to meet the president of the Occult Research Club, Rias Gremory. But what exactly does she wish to speak to him about? Find out now.

---

Issei continued to follow Yuuto inside the old school building to the room he told him where the club was located in.

As they walked, Issei was surprised to see how clean the interior was for a building that Kuoh Academy no longer uses. Since Yuuto told him that they use one room to hold the club meetings in, a small part of him expected to see the rest of the rooms and hallways to be unused since the old school building was pretty much abandoned by the faculty.

One minute passes, and Yuuto stopped at the double doors of the building, prompting Issei to stop as well.

"We're here," Yuuto informs before pointing at the sign above the double doors.

Looking upwards, Issei sees the text on the sign read as the club was called: Occult Research Club.

As he read the text, Issei could feel the tingling in his right hand get a little more strong before calming down in a few seconds.

From the corner of his eye, Yuuto saw Issei keep his stare on the sign with a big frown and a hand holding onto his wrist tightly.

"Is something wrong?"

Issei snaps out of his trance and shoots his eyes towards Yuuto.

"N-No, uh… nothing."

Yuuto blinks twice at Issei before facing the doors again and knocking on one twice.

"Buchou, I've brought Issei Hyoudou."

"Come in."

After the boys heard Rias' voice from the other side, Yuuto opens the door, revealing the room of the club to Issei.

Upon setting foot in the room, Issei shivered a bit at the decorations. He found what appeared to be a summoning circle drawn in red on the wood-paneled floor near a chalkboard with similar drawings and notes on it.

'Yup…' Issei thought with beady eyes as he then notices that the whole room is lit up by candles. 'This is exactly what I'd expect for a club about studying the occult.'

Issei then looks to see two Victorian-style couches on the other side of the room with a coffee table in between them and a desk near them. And as his vision went through them, Issei saw someone sitting on one of the couches that he found to be somewhat familiar.

'Wait… is that..?'

Upon further inspection, Issei finally remembers her as the first-year student, Koneko Toujou, a rather small, petite girl with gold-hazel eyes and white hair with a black cat-shaped hair clip on both sides of her hair. And she was currently eating her chocolate slices on a small plate with a toothpick to pick up each one.

Issei has heard a lot about Koneko from the other students of Kuoh. Both boys and girls alike see her as a cute mascot for the school, making her another popular girl in the school.

And judging from how she reacted to his presence by just looking at him without a care in the world, it confirmed what one student said about Koneko being, in their words: tremendously apathetic.

"Koneko-chan, meet Issei Hyoudou," Yuuto says before patting Issei on the shoulder.

"Uh… Hello," Issei greets Koneko while stroking one of his bangs with his fingers.

Koneko nods with her expression unchanged before scooting away a bit and guiding her plate of chocolate away from Issei, making him sweat drop at the sight as he sat on the couch next to her.

"I'm not gonna take any if that's what you're concerned about."

After getting as comfortable as he can on the couch, Issei's eyes widen a little when he hears the sound of running water and looks toward the source to see something he did not expect to see.

Across the room from where he sat, Issei saw a bathtub with its curtains closed installed in the room. And after seeing a silhouette of a woman, Issei immediately withdrew his gaze and sets it on his right hand that was resting on his leg.

"Um… I might come off as rude when I ask, but… why exactly is there a shower in the club room?"

Yuuto chuckles with Issei before answering.

"The Buchou mostly showers in the club room since she's unable to use one at home."

Issei tilts his head at Yuuto, finding it a little hard to believe his explanation, but decides to accept the answer since he wanted to be polite and not jump to conclusions with how Yuuto worded it.

"Buchou, I have a towel and your clothes laid out for you when you're done."

"Thank you, Akeno."

Issei blinks without looking at the shower when he heard two familiar voices from there.

'And there's the Fuku-Buchou,' Issei thought before adjusting his sitting position and lifting his right hand up so he can look at his palm.

Koneko takes another glance at Issei and sees him continue to stare at his own palm. She almost wasn't surprised that Issei avoided staring at the silhouette of Rias since she heard of all the positive things about the boy. And with how she saw him react one day when girls would fawn over him for how "cute" his face is, she somewhat felt bad for him because of how much he didn't like the overall attention towards himself.

Leaning over a bit without him noticing, Koneko takes another look at Issei's palm, curious to see why he keeps staring at it while waiting for Rias to finish showering, especially with such a calculated, yet wondering gaze in his narrowed eyes.

It took a while, but the short girl was able to see a black four-point diamond mark right in the middle of his palm. This was a first for Koneko because with how shy and nice she observed him to be, he didn't seem to be the type to get a tattoo.

But looking back at Issei, Koneko saw that his expression looked more puzzled than before as he continued to squint at the mark with a bigger frown. She rose a brow at that because it gave her the impression that he doesn't remember ever getting the diamond on his palm.

"Well hello there~"

Issei stiffens with widened eyes and balls his hand up to hide his mark when he heard the same sweet voice that talked to Rias earlier address him. Looking up, his cheeks turn pink when he sees Akeno waving towards him with a kind smile.

"You must be Issei Hyoudou," Akeno says before giggling and starts to walk towards him. "It's nice to finally meet you~"

"Uh… Yes," Issei answers shyly as she got closer to him. "And… You must be the Fuku-Buchou, Akeno Himejima."

Akeno giggles into her hand.

"Ara ara~, somebody's done their homework on our club~"

"W… Well…"

Issei was about to respond with closed eyes while scratching the back of his head, but was silenced when she finally got near Issei, and the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was a large bouncing pair of breasts that almost touched his nose.

With an "Eep!" Issei shot up from his seat, making Akeno tither at the blushing boy's reaction as he appeared more nervous when she reached her hands for him.

"It's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you~" Akeno assured him as her hands came into contact with their target: Issei's cheeks.

With a wider smile, Akeno grabs hold of them and gives them a gentle pinch, making Issei moan at the softness of her hands.

"Aww~ Why didn't I talk to you earlier when you first transferred here?" Akeno asked sweetly as she strokes one of his cheeks with her thumb. "You're just as adorable as the other girls said you were~"

"Uh… I… I…"

Issei became a stuttering mess when Akeno continued to rub and pinch his cheeks, making him look redder in the face than Rias' hair. And Akeno was enjoying every second of it. Just watching his face squirm and stammer because of what she's doing just kept fueling her to keep going so she can see what other cute faces he can make.

"Akeno! Leave him alone!"

Issei's eyes broaden when he hears Rias call out to Akeno. Leaning his head right, he saw her in her school uniform drying her hair with a towel while giving Akeno a narrow-eyed stare with one hand on her hip, making Akeno giggle at her.

"I couldn't help it, Buchou. I just had to confirm for myself just how much of a cutie Issei-kun is~"

Rias pinches the bridge of her nose while Akeno releases Issei's face, but not without giving his cheek a quick poke to evoke another bashful reaction from him before returning next to Rias.

"I apologize for my friend's behavior, Issei Hyoudou," Rias says while discarding the towel. "She can be a bit… flirtatious, to say the least."

Issei raises a brow at the redhead before turning his head to Yuuto.

"Does your Fuku-Buchou act like that towards you?"

Much to Issei's surprise, Yuuto shakes his head.

"Not really."

Issei had a hard time believing him. But before he could question it further, he heard Rias cough into her hand, getting his attention.

"Now then, Issei Hyoudou, can I call you Ise without suffixes?" Issei nods before Rias continues. "Good. Then allow me to ask you this, Ise. Do you believe in the supernatural?"

Issei's eyes broaden a bit at the sudden question. It got his right hand to twitch once as he processed it. He was silent for a few more seconds before speaking.

"Well… I have been interested in Norse Mythology like Elder Futhark, but… I'm unsure if I would go as far as to believe it exists…"

Issei told a slight lie to Rias mostly because he was unsure why she asked such a question. And like with his parents, if he told them everything that happened to him last night and the night before, he didn't think they'd believe him.

Rias nods at Issei before continuing.

"Okay, well what if I told you that not only do beings from Norse Mythology exist, but the biblical God and other beings of the supernatural exist as well?"

Issei freezes. He knew that the supernatural existed because of what he had experienced, but to hear Rias ask a question that alludes to this…

"I… I'm not sure," Issei feigns a little confusion, not having a clue where this conversation is going and that he didn't want to jump the gun.

"Well then, allow me to be frank. They all do exist." Rias watches Issei's expression become surprised before she smiles. "And as of this very moment, you are in a room full of Devils."

All was silent.

Issei was as quiet as a mouse as he processed what she just said. Did she just say that he was with Devils in this room? The Devils that make contracts with humans for deadly prices?

"Are… Are you serious..?"

"I am," Rias confirms. "Everybody here in this club room, including myself, are Devils."

Rias saw that Issei was steadily growing uncomfortable by the second. His eyes remained as wide as saucers, his legs were shaking side-to-side, and his fists trembled on his knees. And what intrigued Rias was that Issei's right hand shook harder than his left.

"Ise?"

"Hmm?!" Issei shoots his head up at Rias with contracted irises. He stared on for a few seconds before taking a deep breath. "S-Sorry, Gremory-senpai. It's just that… to call yourselves Devils…"

"It's okay, Ise," Rias assures him. "It's a lot to take in, but believe me, what I'm about to explain is the truth." She pauses to take a sip of her tea that Akeno prepared for her, Yuuto, and Koneko, before resuming. "Now tell me, do you remember the guy from last night with black feathered wings?"

DON!

"The Fallen Angel?!" The Gremory Devils gasp with lightly bewildered expressions when Issei exclaimed while grabbing onto his wrist. Breathing a few quick breaths, he regains his composure and coughs into his fist. "Y-Yes. I recall being attacked by someone with such wings. But… How do you know about that?"

"The town of Kuoh is my territory," Rias answers, much to Issei's confusion. "And as such, I'm able to watch over the town for any possible threats." Issei didn't like how she phrased that because of what she calls herself and her friends, but he allowed her to continue. "Back on topic, that man was indeed a Fallen Angel, a member of a race of Angels who use to serve God from Heaven before being casted out for their developed desires of sin, sending them to the Underworld, or, as most humans call it, Hell. And right now, the Devils and Fallen Angels are battling for major control of the Underworld."

Rias takes another swig of her tea before resuming.

"Speaking of my race, Devils make pacts with Humans for a price in order to obtain power, whereas the Fallen Angels take control of Humans and use them to destroy us Devils. Moreover, the Pure Angels, or just Angels, are tasked by God to destroy both us, and their Fallen, making this a three-way standoff, which has been in a cease-fire to this very day."

Standing up from her seat, Rias approaches Issei and crosses her arms under her bust.

"So, do you understand what I've said so far, Ise?"

Issei takes a moment to think about what Rias explained to him. Breathing through his nose, he looks down at his knees.

"So… there's currently a three-way Cold War involving the Devils, Angels, and the Fallen Angels…" Issei then shifts his eyes towards Rias. "But why are you telling me all of this? I mean… This is the Occult Research Club, isn't it? Wait… This is where you make pacts with people, is it?"

"That's somewhat true," Yuuto answers. "For the most part, the club is just a front for us Devils to use this old School building as our headquarters."

"I'm amused how learning that doesn't surprise me…" Issei whispers with beady eyes, making Yuuto chuckle at the expression.

Reaching for the top of her desk from behind herself, Rias picks up a photo and presents it to Issei.

"Ise, do you recognize this girl in the photo?"

Unsure what she's talking about, Issei takes the photo from Rias' hand to get a closer look. After putting it in front of his view, he almost dropped the photo due to the shock of what he saw on it.

It was a picture of Issei and Yuuma Amano, the very same girl that sprouted a pair of wings and "killed" Issei last Sunday.

His hand carrying the photo shook with every second he stared at it. Just seeing such a photo of her after learning Yuuma's killing intent brought memories of her betrayal.

With his brows slowly furrowing, Issei stands back up from his spot and shoots a glare at Rias.

"Why do you have this?!" Issei demands with a surprisingly angry voice that Yuuto and Koneko personally found new from him. "Actually, don't answer that. You're a Devil, so you have your ways. I think the better question is, have you been stalking me?! If so, how long?!"

"Please calm down, Ise."

"Calm down?! How can I be calm after you confirmed to me that all of this supernatural crap is happening long after experiencing it myself?! It's bad enough I have two Fallen Angels that tried to kill me, but to have Devils stalk me?!"

Rias understood why Issei is angry. With their investigation on the Fallen Angel following him having to do with watching him from afar and whatnot, he has every right to feel like his privacy was violated by her.

"Please understand that we were investigating the Fallen Angel. You just happened to be the target of her interest as we kept tabs on her."

Issei kept his stare on her. Since she said she was a Devil, he wasn't sure if he should believe her or not, so he kept silent until Rias spoke again.

"Ise, do you remember why this Fallen Angel wanted you dead? You did miraculously survive her attack, after all."

Issei was hesitant to reply, at first. But with a deep breath, he decided to tell her, since she has most likely seen it all from afar anyway.

"If I recall correctly… she claimed that I have what she calls a Sacred Gear…" Pausing, Issei slowly lifts his lightly shaky right hand towards himself to rest his eyes on the mark on his palm. "An artifact that was apparently given to me by God himself. And for some reason, she called me dangerous because of its supposed strong properties."

The Gremory Devils look at Issei with surprise on their faces with Rias and Akeno being the most astonished at what he said.

'So, he knows of Sacred Gears?' Rias questioned with a tilted head before squinting her eyes at Issei's right hand, seeing that he was staring at his black mark while he explained all of that.

"Sacred Gears are strong tools, Issei-kun," Akeno chimes in, getting Issei to look at her. "While most of them can only take effect within human society, some of them may possess enough power to harm us Devils, Angels, and Fallen Angels."

Nodding with her friend, Rias points a finger towards Issei.

"Ise, you have that kind of power within you."

Issei blinks at Rias twice before shifting his eyes down at his right hand and narrowing them at it.

He already knew that he has a Sacred Gear. Dainichi Otsutsuki made that clear when he talked with him in the void before saving him from Yuuma. And according to the God, his was a Longinus, a level that allows him to take on Gods.

"You seem to be staring at your right hand a lot, Ise."

Issei snaps his head back to Rias and saw that she and the rest of her friends were looking at him too, with Yuuto being just as curious, Akeno smiling at Issei with closed eyes, and Koneko, who just gave him her usual emotionless stare.

"S… So what if I am..?" Issei questions before attempting to change the subject. "Anyway, I have a Sacred Gear… Why would that make Amano-san want to murder me? From how she sounded, she thinks that I can go rampant with it, but… how could I? Aren't they supposed to be tools that can be controlled by me and those who may have one too?"

"You are correct, Ise," Rias confirms. "However, there are cases where a Human can go berserk with their gear due to either their lust for power or another scenario depending on what exactly that Sacred Gear is."

"But… I could never do that… Heck, I could never kill anyone… I… I…"

Issei didn't know what else to add, but the Devils knew that he was being genuine when he said what he could manage to say.

With her smile returning, Akeno walks over to Issei and kneels beside him.

"Don't worry, Issei-kun. We believe you."

Issei looks over to his black-haired senpai with a little surprise, given that she too is a Devil.

"Y… You do?"

"Of course," Akeno assures him before leaning her head closer to his with a wider grin. "You're too precious to be dangerous~ And with a cute face like yours, I'm a little surprised that the Fallen Angel would follow through on her deadly task."

Issei blushes a dark shade of red and looks away from Akeno, who giggled at the scene while Rias rolled her eyes at her, Yuuto chuckled at the sight, and Koneko just kept her deadpan stare on Issei.

"Um… Thanks, I guess…" Issei says to Akeno before frowning to himself with a deadpan of his own. 'Great… even one of the most popular girls in school is attracted to my face… Damn you, cursed genes!'

"Putting aside the Fallen Angel's goals," Rias says, returning the attention of Issei. "Why don't we move on to the next part?" Issei was attentive as she paused for a moment before finally speaking again. "Just how did you survive, Ise? With all of that blood spilled before we cleaned it up so we won't worry the humans, we thought for sure that it would be your end after Yuuma claimed you as her victim. So please, tell us from your perspective on what happened that night."

Issei's right hand flinches at the redhead's request. He still wasn't sure if he should tell them what happened. Not because they won't believe it this time, but rather it's the mere fact that the people he's speaking to are Devils. And despite sounding kind, he can't help but think that there's some other motive because of what they are.

But before anyone could say anything, everyone suddenly heard the door open, making them turn their heads towards it.

"I would like to know, too."

"Huh? Is that..?" Getting a closer look, Issei gasps in shock to see two familiar girls in glasses. One had her short hair in a bob cut and violet eyes, and the other had longer hair, a bigger bust, and heterochromatic eyes, a brown right eye, and a violet left eye. "Souna Shitori-senpai and Tsubaki Shinra-senpai?! The Kaichou and Fuku-Kaichou of the student council?!"

the two black-haired third-years enter the room with Tsubaki closing the door behind them.

Rias knew that woman very well, even her alias "Souna Shitori" being used for when she interacts with humans, something that she still finds a bit confusing since Rias uses her real full name herself.

"Sona? Tsubaki? What brings you two here?"

Adjusting her glasses, Sona sets her stare on Rias while Tsubaki stood next to her.

"You're not the only one investigating this surprising incident, Rias," Sona says bluntly before she and Tsubaki look over to Issei, who squirmed a bit at their gaze. "I also had my servants watch the Fallen Angel stalking Hyoudou-san as well, so I thought I could hear his story, too."

Issei's eyes slowly widen as she processed the student council president's words.

"Wait… Are you two by any chance…"

Sona gives Issei a nod.

"Yes, you've guessed correctly. Tsubaki and I are also Devils, and I will leave it at that for now for personal reasons."

Issei's irises go as small as thick periods drawn on a piece of paper. After learning that the president and vice president are Devils like the ORC members, it left him with more questions, specifically about how much of an influence Sona has on the school.

"Oh, hell…"

Everybody heard what Issei whispered and saw that his expression is turning into fear and distrust, the latter trait being something that Rias saw from the beginning when she got into the three Factions.

Rias was about to speak, but Sona lifted a hand to stop her and stepped forward towards Issei.

"Hyoudou-san, let me assure you that we mean you no harm," Sona expresses despite her serious face. "Unlike what you've heard about our faction, nowadays, we Devils only take the souls of those who want more demanding pacts, but for the smaller, simple requests, we only ask for either their personal items or money, like a paid service."

Issei rose a brow at Sona's explanation, finding it very odd for a Devil to take possessions from their pacts for some of them instead of just souls. And understandably, the council president saw that he was still suspicious.

"And… you're telling me that because?"

"So you can tell us without constantly thinking that we want something in return, like your loyalty or your soul." Sona pauses to shift her eyes on Rias. "Especially after telling you all about the supernatural."

Rias cocks a brow at Sona in slight bewilderment before the bob-cut girl looks back at Issei, waiting for him to explain his survival of the Fallen Angel.

Issei, however, kept his stare on the council leaders, still uncertain if he can trust her word on this. But when he played back how her voice sounded, she sounded very serious, and except for that one moment to take a quick glance at Rias, she never broke eye contact with him.

And so, with a deep breath, Issei places his hands on his knees and began to tell his story of what happened two days ago.

"That night… Amano-san did stab me…" Issei tightens his grip on the fabric of his pants as he sees flashes of Yuuma's evil grin when she threw her light spear at him. "It hurt so much… It was unlike any other type of pain I've ever experienced… I could taste my own blood… and I thought for sure that this would be the end. And while I was dying, I thought about why she did it after I helped her around town when she told me that she was new to it. But now that I think about it… I wonder if what she said was a lie just to get to me… If I was nothing more than prey because of an apparently powerful artifact…"

He didn't see since his eyes were still glued onto his quivery hands, but most of the Devils in the room gave Issei sympathetic looks. Rias, Akeno, and Yuuto could feel his pain through his voice, and Sona and Koneko, despite both keeping their neutral composure and expressions, understood what he went through two days ago.

Tsubaki, however, was the most sympathetic of them all. She listened to how slower Issei spoke the further he went in his story, and his shivering made it perfectly clear on how traumatized he was at the event.

"But once I closed my eyes, under the impression that it was the end, without giving a goodbye to those I care about, I… don't know how to explain this, but when my eyes were closed… I was still conscious."

The Devils' brows raise at this.

"Still conscious?" Tsubaki repeats.

"I know, it's weird, but when my consciousness faded, it returned in seconds despite the pitch-black darkness I found myself in. I assumed it was some sort of afterlife because while I couldn't see anything, I could still see my arms, I could hear myself speak, and I could even think clearly despite being in that dark void."

The Devils were now more surprised. Issei was in a void of nothingness and was conscious there?

When Sona was thinking about that, she couldn't quite find the connection between the other realms related to death and the area Issei described.

"That place you described as a pitch-black void," Rias began. "Just how long were you in there before you woke up? And was there really nothing in that void?"

"I didn't keep count," Issei admitted. "But yes, there was not a single thing to spot in that mysterious afterlife." he then opens his right hand so he can take a look at his mark. "But… that was until I found one being who spoke to me."

"A being?" Sona says with a tilted head, earning a nod from Issei.

"Yeah… He was the one who saved me from death."

This got the Devils more intrigued. Now there was an entity who visited him in this pitch-black void.

"Can you describe what this being looked like to us?"

Issei waited a moment before replying to Akeno.

"Well, let's see… he had pale skin, his eyes were glowing blue, and… what else..? Oh yeah! On his head, he had a pair of white horns."

Rias and Sona memorized that description and tried to make any other connections to the other factions. But so far, they couldn't think of any race that had such features. There are a rare few Devils that have horns themselves, and a few can have pale skin, but the glowing blue eyes are what got them stumped. Not even Akeno and Tsubaki could think of anyone like that that isn't a Devil or any other race they know that exist.

As for Koneko, when she heard Issei recount the entity, she couldn't help but find that description to be… familiar. But at the same time, she couldn't think of a time when she saw such an entity, whether in real life or in a photograph or fictional story. But whenever she tried to remember such a being, her head would start to hurt, almost as if the memory was blocked from her access.

"Hyoudou-san, this entity you met in that void," Sona resumes. "What exactly did he do to you? You did say that he was the one who brought you back to life."

Issei nods at Sona.

"I don't quite know how he did it, but before he brought me back, he told me what Amano-san was; that she was a Fallen Angel. And he told me what Sacred Gears are and that mine was very strong." Bringing his right hand closer, Issei peers at his diamond mark before resuming. "But then… he told me that I had to adjust to the supernatural after he revealed its existence to me, and… that I would cease to be an ordinary human being."

Issei decided to leave out Dainichi's identity and the part about this "great evil" that he tasked him to be ready to face. Part of it is because they are Devils despite Sona insisting that they aren't as evil as the lore states, but for the most part, it was because he had yet to know what exactly it is.

And he was not in the mood to remain in this room to go into the conversation on the "great evil" and be probed on the Otsutsuki God that resurrected him.

After breathing another sigh, Issei continued.

"So, after that, the being began to fade away from the void. And soon, I was suddenly awake in the park where Amano-san was supposed to have killed me. Other than my shirt being torn up, there was no sign of a scar from the stab wound, appearing as if I never got gutted. And with all of that dried-up blood, it's still shocking to me that I was able to stand in seconds. It was late when I regained consciousness, so I ran back home, and… well, that's all she wrote."

The Devils took in all that Issei has said. To say that they were amused by the boy's tale would be an understatement. They found what happened to Issei so strange and mysterious that they were unsure what to think about it.

A full minute of speculating has passed before Yuuto spoke up about something he's paid attention to during Issei's explanation.

"Issei, I hope I'm not prodding, but where does that black mark come in?"

Issei grunts with widened eyes as he covered his right hand's palm.

"Wh… What mark?"

"The one on your hand."

Everyone looks to where Yuuto was pointing and see that he was addressing what he was able to see on Issei's palm. While Sona and Tsubaki raise a brow in curiosity, the only two who fully understood what he meant were Rias and Akeno, as they were able to see it themselves yesterday, with Koneko just having a look at the mark just minutes ago.

Issei remained silent on what Yuuto was talking about, and the Devils can tell that he was very hesitant on talking about the mark.

Five seconds later, Issei sighs in defeat and slowly lifts his right arm up before opening his hand, revealing his palm for all the Devils to see.

"You mean this?"

The Devils take this moment to get a full, proper look at the black mark on Issei's palm. When Sona and Tsubaki saw it, they were unsure why Yuuto brought it up since the mark appeared as a simple four-point diamond.

As for Rias and Akeno, they got an idea judging by how Issei's facial expressions were every time he laid eyes on the mark.

"Hmm… Now that Yuuto's mentioned it, that mark seems to be putting you on edge. Why is that?"

Issei's eyes slowly shift to the black diamond, appearing more confused by the second.

"I… don't know how to respond to that…"

"Well, do you know where it came from?" Yuuto asks. "From how you're looking at it, you don't seem to have acquired it by yourself."

The Devils look at Yuuto with interest in how he phrased his speech before looking back at Issei, who lowered his hand to resume his stare on the mark.

Once again, he was very hesitant, but the reassuring stares he was getting from Sona and Tsubaki about what they told him earlier got him to speak up again.

"I… I got it after I woke up from that void… I never saw it get etched onto me like an actual tattoo, but for some odd reason, when I came to, it appeared on my palm." Issei clenches his hand a few times before continuing. "So far, nothing feels out of the ordinary for me. It's just… a tattoo of the most basic shape."

The Devils were intrigued by Issei's explanation of how the mark got on his hand. It left them all curious as to what exactly the mark is. It definitely isn't an ordinary tattoo since Issei stated that he got it after awakening from the void.

"Let me take a closer look at it."

"Eh?" Issei looks up to see Sona standing in front of him.

"I have studied plenty of things related to the supernatural. And since you've got that mark through such occurrences, perhaps I'll have a clue what it is if you'll allow me to feel it out."

Issei looked between Sona and his mark. He does this motion with his head two more times before breathing through his nose and moving his right hand towards Sona.

He was slow, but eventually, his hand got close enough to where Sona took two steps to gently grab hold of it in two of hers.

Sona peers deeply into the diamond mark on Issei's palm. So far, she found nothing out of the ordinary.

BA-BUMP!

But suddenly, Sona jolts in place with contracted irises as she started to sense some power from the mark. And over time, she could feel more and more of it erupt, as if it was flowing out of Issei's hand but was invisible to the naked eye.

Issei and the other Devils noticed Sona's current condition. With how her legs shook and her breathing being a little shaky, they began to get a little worried for her.

"Uh… Shitori-senpai..?"

"Kaichou?"

Issei and Tsubaki didn't get a response from Sona. She was too focused on the black mark on his palm as she continued to feel more power from it with every second she held onto Issei's hand.

After a few more seconds passed, Sona then saw that her and Issei's surroundings became pitch black, a detail that was unnoticed by her kouhai.

'Wh… What is this?!' Sona questioned nervously as her eyes shifted side to side by this sudden occurrence. 'And why do I feel so… unnerved?'

As soon as she finished that thought, Sona notices something else. From behind Issei, the Devil gasps with wider eyes when she saw a large pair of glowing blue eyes with matching colored pupils staring right at her.

Sona's breath got caught in her throat at the frightening sight. And with how furrowed those mysterious eyes are, it felt to her as if they were piercing right into her soul.

Unable to handle it any longer, Sona's hands break away from Issei's and began to stumble backwards with a shocked expression.

"Kaichou!" Tsubaki was able to catch her before she could fall onto the ground.

"Sh-Shitori-senpai, are you okay?!" Issei asks with worry as he and everyone else sees Sona taking short quick breaths while trying to regain her balance.

It took her a moment, but Sona was able to stand on her own before taking a deep breath, pushing her glasses back before they could fall off her face, and wiping her forehead.

"I… I'm alright…" Sona assures Issei before regaining her posture. "It's just… I've never felt anything so mysterious and powerful before."

"Powerful?"

Sona saw that Issei was confused about what she meant, so she turned her head back to him to explain. And as she was about to, Issei saw that the council president's expression was much more serious than what he was familiar with when he watched her work from when he was passing through one time.

Heck, one time, Genshiro even told him a horror story about how strict she was.

"Hyoudou-san, please allow me to be frank. Whatever that mark on your palm is, it is not normal, and I don't mean with how it appeared on the night you survived the Fallen Angel attack. From what I've felt, there is a very dangerous amount of power within it. But what it is and how it can be activated, I am unsure, as the mark itself is still a mystery."

Issei had a feeling Sona would say something like that. But when she said that the mark contained power, it made him look right back at the black diamond with a face of shock and perplexity.

Sona and the other Devils can see how frustrated Issei is becoming right now. They can tell that there is a lot going through his mind after Sona revealed the existence of power within his mark.

"Hyoudou-san, perhaps it's best that you go home and take some time to let all of this information sink in."

"Eh?" Rias was caught off guard by what Sona instructed Issei, who was also surprised. "Sona, are you-"

"Rias, Hyoudou-san is clearly going through a lot of stress because of how much was revealed to him. Therefore, he needs to go home and think about this on his own."

Issei remained where he stood for a while. He was still in surprise that Sona, a Devil, was willing to let him leave the room after all of this.

Sighing to himself, Issei takes one last look at the black mark on his palm for a few seconds before clenching that hand into a fist.

"Can I at least ask one more question before I go?"

The four third-years look towards one another for a moment before turning back to Issei.

"Of course."

With a long, deep breath, Issei lifts his head towards his senpais and gives them a serious stare.

"After I woke up and went home, why was I declared dead by the school before my father quickly rectified that?"

Everybody in the room gasped softly, but then they remembered his story of how he survived. They even understood why Issei would ask such a question because of his circumstances of that night.

"It's my fault entirely, Ise," Rias tells him, breaking the brief moment of silence. "Because of how much blood there was on that night I was summoned to where you used to be, I made the assumption that you were slain by the Fallen Angel."

"Wait, hold on, summoned?" Issei rose a brow at that. "Why would you be summoned at a place where I was supposed to have died?"

Rias was hesitant at first, but she didn't want to lie to Issei and went ahead to explain.

"Ise, do you remember being given a flier by a lady?"

"Y… Yes." Issei answers, not being quite surprised that she knows this because of her reveal of her and her friends being Devils.

"Buchou?"

Ignoring Akeno, Rias pulls out something from her desk and reveals it to Issei. What he saw made his eyes go as wide as saucers.

In Rias' hand was a flier. Not just any flier, but it was the same leaflet that brown-haired woman gave him on the day he was touring Yuuma, the Fallen Angel.

The Devils saw how shocked the young man was at the sight of the red circle on the flier, a reaction Rias expected Issei to have.

"That's right Ise," the redhead says with some guilt on her face. "I've sent her to give you this summoning circle because of the Fallen Angel's presence and her keen interest towards you. Had you still been on the verge of death when it activated, we would've met earlier and I would have saved you from death."

"… Saved me..? How?"

"By… By making you one of us."

Another moment of silence comes in. Issei had his eyes staring towards the ground as he worked out what he was told, as well as taking into account that Rias, her friends, and Sona and Tsubaki, are all Devils. And what he thought next caused him to have another sense of dread, especially when being around them.

"… Right…"

With his eyes hidden by his bangs, Issei turns around and quickly went for the door, looking to get out of here as soon as possible.

"Wait, Ise!"

Rias tried to call out to him, but her words fell on deaf ears as Issei opened the door and bolted out of the room. And as soon as the door slammed shut, he was gone.

Rias' eyes soften at the door with a sorrowful expression, remembering how frightened Issei looked right before he closed the door.

"Yup… It's safe to say that Ise doesn't trust us."

Akeno shared the same expression as Rias.

"It's such a shame, too. I thought maybe I could get to know him a lot more and maybe spoil him."

While Koneko just has a neutral expression at the door, the rest of the Devils share sympathetic expressions for Issei.

"What should we do now, Kaichou?" Tsubaki asks Sona, who pushed her glasses up.

"For now, we keep watch over Hyoudou-san, make sure no other Fallen Angels are planning to kill him." Sona pauses to turn her head towards Rias. "As for you, it's best that you don't interact with him for a while."

Rias nods in understanding as her eyes remained on her desk with her hands folded on top of it with her expression appearing sorrowful and regretful.

---

Issei has finally made it home. After greeting his parents, he was quick to enter his room and plop onto his bed back first. Upon doing so, Issei releases a big, frustrated sigh as he guides his right hand over his face.

A lot was on his mind right now. From Devils living in the town under his nose to the reveal that they've been watching him and that they were able to make him one of them, he just got more questions than answers.

Have the Devils always planned on making him one of them? Did they keep an eye on them from the first day he transferred to Kuoh Academy? How much more territory does Rias or even Sona have in this world?

His mind was on question after question. And he found himself thinking about how they're able to make him like the Devils. With every second he recalled Rias stating this, his right hand would rumble harder.

"Where is this going to go from here..?" Issei asks himself while clenching his right hand with a breath per second. "And who else is going to come after me because of my Sacred Gear? Dammit… What am I gonna do?!"

Issei's breathing was about to go further out of control, but he suddenly felt something soft brush against his legs. Sitting up, a light gasp escapes his lips when he saw his cat Midnight looking at him while

"Oh, hey, girl," Issei greets as the black cat walked over to him so he can pet her. "Everything's going crazy tonight. I've just learned a lot of things I never thought would be real. I mean, I kinda already learned after my stabbing, but… it's still crazy."

Midnight's eyes soften at the young man as if she understood what he was talking about. She presses her head onto his fingers and trills, hoping that that will make him feel a little better.

Issei snorts as his lips were able to curl slightly upwards.

"Heh heh, you really do know how to perk me up, don't you?" Midnight climbed on Issei's lap and reached her paw to pat him on the cheek twice, making him laugh even more. "Well, I might need you around longer until mom finishes dinner. I can think more clearly with your therapy."

Midnight got more comfortable on Issei's lap before he wrapped an arm around her. And after he did, his mind then went back to what he learned. He was still concerned with what the Devils will do next, if there are any other Fallen Angels out there that may go after him, or if he'll encounter any other supernatural entity.

But whatever happens next, he was going to be as ready as he can, and make sure to avoid any other situations relating to the supernatural.

---

It was the next day. During that whole school day, Issei mostly kept to himself. He was obviously silent on the whole supernatural thing from the other students, and when he saw those from the ORC, he made sure to keep his distance, especially after the whole stalking and the possibility to become "one of them."

And as much as he hates doing it, he was kinda avoiding the student council as well since the Kaichou and Fuku-Kaichou are confirmed to be Devils too. He really wanted to see Genshiro and Reya again, but since they're very busy with the council, therefore making them around the two leaders, he decided to wait for the one possibility that they're free.

He was even concerned for them since they most likely don't know that the two third-years they and the other council members are working for are Devils. If he finds the courage, then maybe he'll be able to talk to them about it.

It was now the end of the school day, Issei was sitting with his back against a tree while staring at the mark on his palm. And as usual, he's still thinking about what he's learned and how he's gonna live with it. Not only will he definitely be watched, mostly by Devils in his own school, but he'll even be hunted by others who may want him dead. And it was that thought in particular that made him realize that he's gonna have to protect himself.

"Hey."

Issei hears a familiar voice from his left side and turns his head to see who it is. His eyes widen as a familiar friend approaches with a weak wave and a downcast.

"G-Genshiro!" Issei sits up a bit. "Hey, man! I… I was trying to see if I'll be able to talk with you again."

"Yeah… Me too…"

Issei could see the frown that remained as he offered Genshiro a spot next to him, who took it without his guilt-ridden expression ever changing.

"So talk to me. You look like you have a lot on your mind."

"Oh, Hyoudou… You have no idea…" Genshiro breathes deeply while tapping his fingers together before looking at his friend. "So… you heard of the supernatural?"

Issei stiffened a little at how blunt Genshiro was about it, but since it gave him a chance to figure out about the council being run by Devils, he decided to give him his answer.

"Well… Yes, actually. And… just yesterday, some Devils went into further detail on them. Or… at least how Devils and Fallen Angels operate."

Genshiro's expression got worse, and it worried Issei a little because of how guilt-ridden the blonde appeared.

"Was it the ORC that told you?" Issei nods, making Genshiro snicker and shake his head. "Figures. Look I'm sorry if I'm appearing stressed, but, I know what you're going to ask next."

Issei's eyes broaden a bit.

"Wh… What question?"

"You're wondering if the Student Council are Devils too."

Issei's eyes open further. He knew Sona and Tsubaki are Devils, but for Genshiro to mention the entire council.

"Well, I am aware of Shitori-senpai and Shinra-senpai's identity as such, but, for you to say that the whole council are-"

"That's because it's true," Genshiro finally blurts out. "It's not just Kaichou and Fuku-Kaichou… Everyone else is a Devil. Nimura-chan, Yura-san, Meguri-chan, Hanakai-chan… even me and Kusaka-san! We're all Devils!

Issei thought that he took in a lot of information for the past week, but this was a new dump of details that he did not expect to learn.

"G… Genshiro…"

"I know," Genshiro says with his hands over his head. "And I'm sorry. I kept it quiet from you because of your human status. Plus, humans can't know what we are without any consequences. And it was hard keeping it a secret, it really was, because I was very unsure about how you would react. But after Kaichou told us about what happened yesterday, I had an idea how you'd feel."

Issei remained shocked at Genshiro's confession. Seeing his friend's expression, he could tell that the guilt on the blonde's face has not gone away. And unlike the others who called themselves Devils like it's normal for them, Genshiro felt awful for being known as one, especially known by his human friend.

It was that detail that just had to make Issei ask this next question.

"Genshiro… You could've kept quiet about that specific part about yourself… Why tell me this?"

"Because I didn't want to lie to you about it," Genshiro replies. "I mean, you kinda already knew after that incident with that Fallen Angel bitch, so what was the point of hiding anything?"

Issei's eyes widen.

"You know of Amano-san?"

"We all did. And when Kaichou got wind of this from Gremory-senpai, I got so pissed. I wanted to avenge you right there and then, but when we got a sudden update from the school board that you were alive, I thought it was a miracle. Hell, that's what I was sorta wanting to talk to you about two days ago before you took off to buy something for your cat."

Issei blinked at Genshiro with surprise.

"You… wanted to talk to me about that?"

"Yeah. Would I violate Kaichou's rule where I can't disclose any supernatural info to someone? Yes. But I don't care, because you're my friend. And reading your expressions during that time two days ago, it looked like you had a hell of an experience."

Issei chuckled a bit.

"Yes, I have… Yes, I have," he says before shrugging. "But hey, I'm doing my best to get over it."

"You sure about that? There's more to this world than the three factions going on, you know?"

"Other than Norse Mythology, to be honest, I'm counting on it after all the crap I've learned." Issei takes a breath before shifting his head towards the clouds. "Anyway, back to you and the rest of the Council being Devils." Genshiro visibly cringed, awaiting nervously for Issei's response. "And… Honestly, I'm not that mad at you."

Genshiro's eyes slowly open until they were as wide as saucers. Did he just hear Issei right?

"Y… You're not..? But… when I heard how you reacted to Gremory-senpai after she-"

"That's because of how she did it," Issei quickly interrupts and rectifies. "It was what else she revealed to me that I started keeping my distance from her and her club members. I mean, yeah, I bet all Devils were watching me because of this powerful artifact within me, but the whole 'summoned when on the verge of death' thing, especially since it has to do with Amano-san, I'm still a little upset about."

Genshiro breathed a little bit, but he wasn't fully relieved.

"O… Okay… But what about Kaichou?"

"Well… they don't seem to be involved in Gremory-senpai's activities, so… I only promise to try and keep an open mind."

Genshiro's eyes soften. He knew he would still distrust Devils, but Issei's promise did give him a bit of hope.

"Well, I hope you can keep it neutral with all of us Devils, Hyoudou. They're still good people, even Gremory-senpai and her friends."

"Like I said, I'll try." After telling him this, Issei could now ask more questions relating to the Devils. "So… Genshiro?"

"Yeah, dude?"

"Since you're a Devil… what's it like?"

Silence was in the air. Since Issei didn't say anything else in a ten-second span, Genshiro tilts his head at him.

"What's it like? that's the big question you have for me after learning I'm not human?"

"S-Sorry!" Issei says before scratching the back of his head. "It's just that after what Gremory-senpai and the Kaichou told me, I thought maybe you can give me more details other than what they said."

Genshiro understood. After adjusting himself comfortably in his spot, he got started.

"Well, it's definitely a lot of hard work. For starters, we Devils go about the town and hand out fliers to the people who can be our potential pacts. Then, we wait for them to summon us and see what they want us to do. And as I think you've already been told, the price for these contracts is either money or one of the client's personal belongings."

Issei rose a brow.

"Your Kaichou has said that those were the prices, but what about the jobs?"

"Oddly, and thankfully in some cases, the requests our summoners have are some usual odd jobs. It could be to do their laundry, fix something that's broken, or even give them massages. Those are some examples of what our clients would want."

Issei tilts his head with both brows raised.

"Really? They don't ask for anything dark like a usual Devil's contract."

"I thought so too on my first day as a Devil, but no. There might be weird requests, but I have yet to meet someone with dark desires. The same can be said for the rest of the council."

Issei nods as he adds the information to his memory.

"Anything else I should know?"

Genshiro nods twice.

"Even though we're Devils, we're not entirely free to do what as we please."

"Seriously?" Issei did not expect to learn this. "I thought they would."

"Well… Yes and no. The obvious nos are to killing and stirring up trouble. And second, we student council members have to follow orders from Kaichou."

"You do?"

"Yes. Kaichou is the leader, and we council members are her Devil servants. This team of Devils is called a Peerage. It's based on a class system that's too complicated for me to remember it all. But what I can say is that Kaichou and any Devil leader of a peerage are High-class Devils, while me and the rest of the council are a lower class. And we Devil servants can try to increase that rank by scoring a lot of pacts."

Issei locks all of this new information in the vault.

'So the Devils have a class system on which one is superior to the other… Maybe the Fallen Angels have one too?'

"Well, that's all I can explain for now," Genshiro says while dragging a finger across his forehead. "I'm still getting the ropes, but I hope it gives you more details on the Devils."

"You gave me enough, thank you." While Issei was indeed grateful that Genshiro told him all of this, there was this one thing that was still on his mind. "So… you said the contractor gives you money or a personal item as payment, but can the Devil decide which of the two they can have?"

"Actually, yeah, in some cases."

"Then… If you don't mind me asking, what do you ask for the most out of your pacts?"

Genshiro was quiet for a few more seconds before speaking up.

"Money. As much as I can ask for depending on the contract."

Issei blinked in surprise.

"That's it? Just money?"

With his hands clenching tighter, Genshiro looks up at the sky and squints.

"Yeah. It's for my siblings."

Issei's eyes widen further.

"Your siblings?"

Genshiro nods before continuing.

"I have a younger sister and a younger brother, Kaho and Gengo. Ever since the passing of my parents and even my grandfather, I've been taking care of them all by myself. It was tough as hell, but I managed, even if financial issues can piss me off. It even got to the point where I thought I'd have to become a thug just to pay for food and shit. But ever since I met Kaichou and found out about the supernatural from her… as crazy as this will sound to you, she made everything better."

Issei kept quiet to allow his friend to keep talking. And as he did, he notices some tears starting to build up in Genshiro's eyes.

"Kaichou was the one who helped turn my life around. Not only did she resolve my financial difficulties, but she also gave me a solution to keep making money without resorting to any crimes. I mean, I was careful and skeptical because she's a Devil, but when Kaichou gave me the proper details, I instantly accepted reincarnation as her Devil servant. If it meant I can keep my siblings happy and help them live the best lives they can, then I'm taking that opportunity! Kaho and Gengo deserve to be happy, and I won't let anything bad happen to them! Never!"

Issei took a step back as Genshiro finished his speech. He watched as those tears finally started rolling down his friend's cheeks as he tried to suppress a sob with clenched teeth. But from how Genshiro spoke, Issei knew that he was serious about taking great care of his two siblings.

"Gosh… Genshiro…"

"S-S-Sorry…" Genshiro says while wiping away his tears. "I never meant to get so emotional. I must look pathetic, don't I? Especially since I'm getting such help from a Devil like Kaichou."

Another moment of silence passes. Genshiro kept his eyes shifted away from Issei as he kept his mouth shut. He hears footsteps coming his way and before he could turn towards them, Genshiro felt a hand on his shoulder and sees Issei smiling at him.

"No. I don't think it's pathetic at all. In fact, I think it's pretty noble of you."

Genshiro's irises shrink. That response was not what he expected Issei to say at all.

"Y… You think so?"

"Yeah. As long as you're not hurting anybody and it's just tasks and jobs, making money doing this… I don't think it's really a sin."

With a bit more confidence bubbling up within himself, Genshiro stands up and faces Issei with a serious face.

"Hyoudou, I promise you, we Devils have zero intention to hurt anybody. All we do is help people for a price like a transaction in a store."

Issei nods.

"Then we're cool, Genshiro. And I'm serious about calling what you're doing as a Devil noble. I can tell that you care about your younger siblings very much, so… man, I'm terrible at finding the right words for motivation and encouragement, but…" After pausing, Issei gives him a smile with closed eyes. "Keep doing what your doing, Genshiro. Make sure you become a helpful Devil to those in need."

Genshiro's eyes widen at Issei. Even though the human's words were so simple, they left a great impact on the blonde.

With more tears welling up in his eyes, Genshiro rushes towards Issei and traps him in a hug, catching the latter off guard as the blonde Devil began to cry.

"Dammit, Hyoudou, if you were a girl, I would totally kiss you right now!"

Issei sweat drops with beady eyes as Genshiro continued to sob into his shoulder.

"Uh… thanks..?"

After ten more seconds, Genshiro's whimpering has ceased and released Issei before taking two steps back with some tears staining his cheeks.

"Heh heh… sorry about that. It's just… You have no idea how relieved I am to hear you motivate me like that."

"It's alright."

"So… we're still friends?"

"Of course we're still friends," Issei confirms before patting him on his shoulder. "You're a good person, Genshiro, and I know you'll do better."

Genshiro scratches the back of his head with a toothy grin.

"You're too kind, Hyoudou."

Issei chuckles with him before stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"Anyway, I'm going home now. Gotta tend to the cat and… I got a feeling I need to start working out more often." Issei turns around and starts walking. "See you later, Genshiro."

"Hyoudou, wait! One more thing!"

Issei halts his pace and turns his head around.

"What's up?"

"It's about your Sacred Gear."

Issei's eyes broaden a bit before turning his whole body around, seeing Genshiro's face turn serious again.

"What about it?"

Genshiro was silent for a moment before speaking.

"If you're ever in any grave danger and there's nowhere left to run from the enemy, use your feelings and thoughts. If you think hard enough about them, as well as your needs and willpower, then that's when it'll work."

"R-Really?" Issei was surprised with him mentioning his Sacred Gear, but whatever information will keep him more on guard for future hunters and other dangers, he'll take it. "But… is that all there is to it? Just using thoughts?"

"That's how I've awoken mine," Genshiro says, surprising Issei further at the revelation. "Also, and I should've mentioned this first, but think of the strongest thing or being and imagine them where it's the strongest. That's your best bet on getting yours activated on the first time."

Issei lifts his right hand up to look at the black mark on his palm for a few seconds before balling it into a fist.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Thank you, Genshiro."

"No problem, Hyoudou. And thank you for accepting me as I am."

The friends bump fists with each other before smiling.

"See you later, Genshiro."

"Yeah. See ya, dude."

The duo departs, with Genshiro feeling happier after he told Issei everything he did, while the latter began to memorize everything he said, with the Sacred Gear control and activation being what he's focused on the most.

Unbeknownst to the boys, a certain brown-haired girl listened in on their entire conversation from afar. After the two said their goodbyes, she slowly placed a hand towards her heart, being in deep thought as she immediately took off from her spot.

---

Issei was now on his way home. During his walk, he moved his eyes left and right to see other people doing their usual routines.

But while doing so, he was still thinking about the supernatural. Are there any other people outside Kuoh Academy that know of their existence? He knows that it's possible people far from where he lives right now may be aware, but what about his neighborhood? With the town of Kuoh being where the Devils hand out fliers, he was left curious about how many people acknowledge the existence of these beings.

As for his Sacred Gear, Issei recalled what Genshiro said about how to activate and wield it.

'Feelings and thoughts. Is that really all there is to use my Sacred Gear?'

Before he could think deeper about his Sacred Gear, Issei sees someone walking far in front of him. Upon further inspection, he saw that it was Reya Kusaka with her eyes hidden by her bangs as she had her head down.

Wanting to check on her and hopefully catch up, Issei jogged towards Reya with a hand up.

"Reya-san!"

The girl in question froze at the familiar male voice. Turning her head around slowly, her eyes widen when she sees Issei approaching her.

"I… Issei-kun…"

Issei stopped in front of Reya, noticing her saddened face as she tried to avoid eye contact.

"Hey, how's it going?" Issei asks nervously because of how Reya is right now. "I… I've been wanting to talk with you again."

Reya's expression didn't change, but her eyes went towards Issei every couple of seconds.

"… You want to talk?"

"Yes. I really do."

Reya kept quiet for ten seconds before speaking up.

"Why? You do know that I'm a Devil, don't you?"

Issei's eyes widen, not having expected her to ask such a question.

"Wh… What are you…"

Reya sighs, interrupting Issei.

"No need to play dumb. I know you found out that we're Devils. I heard you talk to Saji-kun about it."

Issei is once again caught off guard. This new revelation was not something he expected to hear. But nonetheless, he stood his ground.

"If you did hear all of that, then you know that I don't care about what you guys are. You're still who you are."

Reya's eyes widen for a moment before her expression goes back to uncertainty.

"Do you really mean that, Issei-kun… Are you sure you…"

Before she knew it, Reya's shoulders were clasped by Issei, causing her cheeks to turn red as she saw the serious expression on his face.

"I really do mean it, Reya-san! If I told Genshiro that we're still friends, then I will definitely still see you as one too! You're not evil, Reya-san! And no matter how many times you ask me the same question in many different wordings, it won't change the fact that I accept you and I still want you to be my friend!"

Reya's breathing sped up. Her eyes began to tear up as she keeps hearing those words echo in her brain. And the sincerity in Issei's voice and his eyes were enough for those tears to roll down her cheek as she runs towards him before hugging him. Her force was so strong that Issei had to re-balance each other so neither of them wouldn't fall and get hurt.

"Issei-kun! You… You really are a gentle soul!"

Issei returns the hug while patting her back in comfort.

"I'm told that a lot, Reya-san."

Issei allows Reya to keep letting out her sad emotions. For too long, she thought she would be resented and accused of planning something awful for Issei, but he made it clear to her and even himself that even as a Devil, she was no such person.

And she even had Genshiro to thank for clearing up the many details about modern Devils and how they operate.

"Are you gonna be okay?"

Reya hiccups twice before looking up at Issei, not letting go of him even for a second.

"Yeah… Just… can we stay like this for a little longer..? I need this."

Issei felt his cheeks heat up, but he smiles and nods, allowing Reya to snuggle her head against his shoulder.

The two stay embraced for thirty more seconds before Reya speaks up again.

"So… what do you plan to do now?"

"Huh?"

"I… I can't help but still worry for you. Now you know that the supernatural exists, it'll only be a matter of time before you are hunted by those aware of you carrying a Sacred Gear."

Issei chuckles softly.

"Well, it won't be the first time. It's just that this time, I'll know what to expect. Somewhat, at least."

Issei's eyes broaden a bit when he felt Reya's hug tighten.

"Issei-kun, I swear to you, I will use my powers as a Devil to keep you safe. You've almost died once, I don't want you to go through that again."

Issei could feel Reya's voice be shaky in slight fury as he heard her make that vow.

"Thanks, Reya-san."

"And to start…" Reya pauses before lifting her head up towards Issei with a big smile and closed eyes. "I'm going to walk you home from now on."

"Eh?!" Issei was taken back by this. "N-N-No! That's not necessary."

"It is," Reya insists. "Even in the evening, trouble is definitely bound to come. I can defend myself too, so it's no problem."

"E-Even so, what about your master? Is it really wise to keep this close to me despite you serving the Kaichou?"

"Oh, I can properly explain it to her," As she spoke, Issei shivers when a sudden dark aura began to surround her. "Without stripping you of your free will."

"Eh?! But Genshiro made it clear to me that you can still live your life how you want to!"

"Indeed… But it's because of that redhead that I almost lost my relationship with you."

"Huh? Do you mean Gremory-senpai? I mean, I still don't trust her, but…"

"Now, come along, Issei-kun," Reya says before locking her arms around Issei's left arm, making his blush redder. "Let's get you home~"

"Wait! Wait a second-"

Issei was unable to protest any further as Reya was already walking him to his house with their arms linked. And as embarrassed as he is that she's willing to walk with him like this because of the potential staring they'll get, deep down, he was just glad that Reya's doing fine again.

---

Finally home, Issei plops onto the chair in his room and turns his TV on. He wanted to invite Reya inside for dinner, but she had Devil duties to attend to, so he was stuck with watching something fun with his cat Midnight hanging out, playing with a ball of yarn.

After he has the dinner that Miki was cooking right now, Issei thought about heading out for another evening jog. Would it be dangerous because of what he's learned? Definitely. But he would most likely be watched by the supernatural people anyway if he needed to do errands for his mom or dad in the evenings like buying groceries and supplies.

Plus, it's very likely that that Fallen Angel man will still be hunting him, and if he resorted to terrorizing his family… Issei didn't know how he could handle that.

Issei was also hoping that Genshiro, Reya, and the other students at Kuoh Academy will be safe as well. Even though this town is guarded by Sona and Rias, two High-class Devils, he's still unsure what else could possibly happen next. The least he can do is keep his guard up and hope for the best.

"Issei, dinner's ready! Bring Midnight with you!"

Issei heard his mother call out to him and got off his seat and turned off the TV.

"I'll be right down!"

After looking down at Midnight and scratching her back for a bit, Issei heads downstairs with the cat in tow, looking forward to chowing down on what his mother has fixed for him.

---

After having his stomach filled, Issei was outside to have another jog and walk in town. Of course, his parents were still worried for him, but he promised them that he'd be okay like last time. Although, he did lie to them about why he was out of breath yesterday when that Fallen Angel called Dohnaseek attacked him and another named Kalawarner protected him.

During his time out with the evening sky above him, Issei was thinking about he was going to handle self-defense. He wants to try and train by himself with some shadow boxing and basic swings with a blunt weapon, but he was also thinking about joining a club that can sharpen his skills as well. He just needs to know if any of these clubs that have all types of fighting are still taking students.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!"

Issei gasps with widened eyes as he hears a girl screaming to his far right side, which was later followed by a menacing cackle from another woman. Turning in that direction, he sees a large abandoned building with a few of its windows destroyed.

'That scream…' Issei thought with his irises slowly contracting. 'Is that Katase-san in there?!'

Even though the building he heard her from had danger written all over it, especially since he could feel his right hand shaking right now, he couldn't leave Katase out there in whatever she's gotten herself into.

Breathing in through his nose and out the mouth, Issei runs towards the abandoned building and finds its double doors. Swinging one open and going inside, Issei feels another throb go through his hand that's harsher than the last time. But regardless, he pressed onwards through the dark rooms, looking for his classmate and hoping that the worst hasn't happened to her.

Issei finds himself in a large open room with many pillars along the way. Spinning himself around, he searches for Katase. After three more turns, his eyes broaden when he sees a certain pink-haired girl with her back against the wall and some blood trickling down her forehead.

"Katase-san!"

Issei runs to her quickly to check on the girl's condition. He stops midway when he notices that her shirt and skirt were torn up, exposing her teal underwear with white stripes.

Although he blushed at the sight of her bra and panties, Issei knew better than to stare and kept moving to her aid, stopping by her right side.

"Katase-san! What happened to you?!"

There was no response. Katase's eyes were shut. Not even shaking her awake was working.

Taking Katase's arm, Issei places two fingers on her wrist and listens carefully.

"There's still a pulse," Issei says before sighing in relief. "Okay… I gotta get her out of here. But… who did this to her?"

"There you are, my pretty~"

BA-BUMP!

Issei's blood runs cold when he hears a seductive yet menacing voice of a woman. With his hand twitching like mad and his eyes shaking, Issei slowly turns his head before his eyes got even wider at a new sight above him.

From the ceiling, Issei could see a beautiful woman around thirty years old with long black hair, gray eyes, and red fingernails.

But the one detail that shocked Issei and had him trying not to look too much was that she was naked. There was nothing covering this woman that looked at the boy with a perverted stare.

Issei didn't need to think twice to know that the nude woman above him was not human. She didn't have to hold on to anything to stay as high as she was in the air.

"Haaaah~ What a treat indeed~" the woman moans out while grabbing a handful of her own breast. "I've been wanting to get my hands on you for quite a long time~ But unfortunately, you were too far and guarded, and the only meals I can salvage are the more bland-tasting humans. Although, there were some good ones, like that sweet little girl I was about to try for example~"

With how hostile those words were, Issei knew that this woman was bad news.

"S-S-So… It was you who hurt Katase-san?!"

The nude woman cackles before setting her twisted gaze on Issei again.

"I was planning on gobbling her up before figuring out how to lure you in here, but since you came to me because of her, I won't have to get my hands any dirtier." Issei feels a shiver down her spine when the woman licks her lips in his direction. "That girl is nothing more than an appetizer, but you..?" The woman blushes before she fondles her boobs and pinches her pink nipples. "You are my one true prey~!"

Issei sees a pair of bat-like wings sprout from the crazy woman's back.

'She's a Devil?!' Despite his heart still thumping harshly, Issei worked up the courage to shout at the woman: "Who are you?!"

The woman giggles into her hand while keeping her eyes on her prey with a blush on her cheeks.

"Call me Viser, sugar-baby~"

Issei hears a loud thumping as the woman appears to be floating towards him. As he was about to wonder what was going on, his breath shutters when he sees a giant hand with red nails for claws emerge from the shadows below where the woman was floating.

Issei's breathing gets faster and faster as more of her lower half is revealed. He holds a hand over his mouth as he bears witness to the monstrosity that is Viser's lower body. It has two large arms as its front legs while the back was that of a centaur's. Below the woman's stomach was a cavity with sharp teeth and a blue gem above them.

'My God… can all Devils have such transformations?'

"Now then, cute boy," Viser purrs out before lifting her left giant hand up. "Shall we have some fun before I eat you and the girl up~?"

'I've got to get Katase-san out of this place!'

Issei turns straight around to his unconscious classmate and runs towards her. But before he could reach Katase, Issei was quickly grabbed by the large hand of Viser. Shouting at his capture, he tries to pry the Devil's fingers off with his free arms to get himself free, but her grip was too strong.

Her grin widening, Viser brings Issei closer to her and gushes at him.

"Oh my~ I knew you were my type when I first laid my eyes on you, but up close, you really are a cute one~" Viser grabs the left side of Issei's face and pinches his cheek tightly, sending more fear into the boy. "Such a lovely face~ You never get to see that even with some younger guys. I change my mind, I won't eat you. Instead, I'll keep you all to myself as my personal sex slave~!"

Issei felt his stomach turn at those foul words while Viser brought her face closer to his. Sticking her rather long tongue out, she starts to lick Issei's cheek slowly and seductively. This grossed Issei out as he felt her tongue go in sloppy circles, closing his eyes in fear that it might touch his orbs of vision.

Viser moans at his facial reactions as she kept licking his cheeks a few more times.

"Don't worry… I'll be gentle~"

Issei's heart beats rapidly as Viser inches her head towards his with a twisted expression. He struggled time after time, but Viser kept a firm grip with both her lower body's hand and both of her own holding his cheeks. As her face got closer, she began to pucker her lips with the tip of her tongue poking out, and this got Issei to snap.

"LET GO OF ME!"

With one more desperate move, Issei violently slams his head into Viser's. Because of the pain she received from his attack, he was able to break free from her lower body's hand and jump away from her. But upon landing, his leg got hurt because of the height of the fall.

Hissing at the pain, Issei grabs his leg and feels it out. Nothing felt broken, but it hurts when he kept rubbing it.

Getting up on one knee, Issei sees Viser covering her face, still feeling the sting of the boy's headbutt. But as her hands slid down, it revealed a tighter glare, a grin, and a bloody nose as she tittered at Issei.

"Oh, so you like it rough, huh, lover boy?" Viser snarls before grabbing her breasts and aiming her nipples at Issei. "Alright then, let's get rough~!"

As much as Issei tried to not stare at Viser's boobs, he couldn't help but notice that her nipples were erecting while radiating a yellow aura. Seconds later, a brighter yellow light appears in front of each breast before launching towards Issei, who was quick to avoid them with a roll to his left, getting closer to Katase.

Turning his head around to see what that attack was, Issei gasps when he sees that the walls behind him were melting and leaving holes and dents.

'Acid?'

Issei turns his head back to Viser when he hears her bellow in laughter with her eyes locked onto him.

"You're pretty quick for a human, aren't you? But a human is still a human. No matter what you do, you will be mine, right after I devour that girl!"

Issei's irises contract after he heard the Devil's intentions.

'Damn! What am I gonna do?! If I don't save Katase-san, then that Devil will kill her! But… what can I do… I don't have the proper fighting experience to defend even myself… What can I…'

Issei pauses. His eyes slowly go wider and wider when something clicks in his memory.

'My Sacred Gear! Maybe I can use that!'

Seeing Viser getting ready to charge at him and Katase, Issei flexes his fingers and shuts his eyes with gritted teeth.

'Okay… just remember what Genshiro told you…'

"Think of the strongest thing or being and imagine them where it's the strongest. That's your best bet on getting yours activated on the first time."

Despite his leg still aching, Issei kept his feet firmly on the ground as he began to imagine the strongest character he can know. But there were many to think of, both fictional and mythical. From Shonen protagonists to powerful animals like dragons, he couldn't quite pick which one would be the best one to imagine.

But then… Issei remembered that one being… The very being that was responsible for reviving him.

Dainichi Otsutsuki.

Issei recalls this being's godly aura, but the one detail that he was focusing on the most about Dainichi was his eyes. If there was any part of the Otsutsuki God he personally found to be the most powerful about him, it was definitely those mysterious glowing blue eyes, and that's the part of Dainichi Issei was most focused on.

Viser kept rushing at Issei and Katase with her claws ready, cackling harder as she saw the former with his eyes still closed and his hands clenched into fists.

"So, have you accepted your fate?! Good! Just sit still like a good boy while I make mince meat of your friend! Once I've eaten her, I get to keep you all to myself~!"

Because of her raging lust, Viser was unable to take notice of the glowing green light that just became present on top of Issei's left hand.

With his eyes still shut and barring teeth, Issei takes one step forward and lifts his left fist up before opening his eyes with a fierce gaze.

"LEAVE US ALONE, YOU MONSTER!"

SHKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!

Viser's eyes broaden when she finally sees the emerald-green aura engulfing the boy's left arm. Before she could comprehend it, Issei punched her square in the face with all of his wrath to protect Katase.

The impact of the punch was strong enough to send Viser skidding away from Issei, almost hitting the wall behind her. She snarls in pain as she placed a hand on her bruised cheek.

"That brat!" Viser growls before shifting her eyes on Issei, only to gasp when she sees something new.

With his left arm still in front of him after the punch, Viser saw that it was now clad with a red dragon-like gauntlet. It has claws, a green gem on top of the hand, and two golden spikes protruding from the elbow part of the gauntlet.

"This feeling… He has a Sacred Gear?!"

Issei kept panting while keeping his glare on the Devil. It took him a few seconds to notice the gauntlet on his arm.

'Is… Is this it?'

Before he could think about his gauntlet any further, Issei jumps when he heard Viser laugh.

"Well well well, isn't this an amazing discovery?" Viser grins before getting her claws ready. "However, it would seem to me that this is your first time activating it. You can't even properly fight, either!"

Issei panics again when Viser rushes towards him. He may have awakened his Sacred Gear, but that doesn't change the fact that his self-defense is below average. Plus, what can he do with a red gauntlet other than having a harder punch with his left hand than his right? Was it really as powerful and dangerous as that Fallen Angel said it was?

Unfortunately for Issei, he won't have any time to figure it out since the cackling Viser was getting close to him and Katase. With little to no other options, Issei gets his left fist ready to land another punch on the Devil while she aims her claws for both humans.

SHINK!

Both Issei and Viser pause when they hear the loud sound of flesh being pierced. Looking for the source, their eyes widen when they see a yellow spear of light lodged into Viser's right shoulder, stopping her from harming Issei and Katase.

With her irises shrunken to the size of periods, Viser screams in agony and was forced to move backwards as she felt the burning pain from the spear that's causing a steam-like heat to fume from the bleeding shoulder.

"A Stray Devil preying on innocent humans. Why am I not surprised?"

Issei gasps widen when he hears a familiar voice behind him. Turning his head, his eyes broaden when he sees a certain blue-haired woman walking over to him while keeping her yellow eyes on Viser.

"Y… You…"

The blue-haired woman stops moving for a moment to look over Issei. She then notices the red gauntlet covering his left arm, her eyes lightly widening when she understood what it really is. But she decided to save that for later and sets her stare on Issei himself.

"Keep your friend protected, Issei. The Stray Devil will target you both if you try to flee."

Issei was confused when the familiar woman called the Devil a Stray. He was going to ask her to clarify, but she was already ready to fight Viser as she resumes walking towards her and conjures a lance in her right hand.

"You bitch! Who do you think you are?!"

The blue-haired woman was unfazed by Viser's hiss as she sprouted her black feathered wings.

"I am Kalawarner. Normally, I'd let one of the Devil Heiresses take care of monsters like you, but… let's just say you have made this very personal for me." Kalawarner points her light lance at Viser and gives her a mild glare. "I take no pleasure in getting my hands bloody in battle, but if it's to protect these humans and make sure nothing goes wrong in this town, then I will fight."

Viser's face twists more into fury as she roars at the Fallen Angel.

"SHUT UP! The only one who will die here is you, you pesky crow! I'll tear you apart and change the color of your hair into your own blood!"

Issei gains a shocked expression as he witnesses Viser's face mold itself into a more monstrous appearance. Her ears turned pointy, her teeth became as sharp as a piranha's, and her scleras blackened, making her eyes more demonic than before.

"What's that supposed to be? A power-up transformation?" Kalawarner chuckles as she looks the transformed Viser up and down and sees the bigger teeth in her stomach cavity chomping twice. "Okay, I'll bite. Show me what you got, Stray Devil."

Viser charges at Kalawarner and tries to get a bite out of her with her cavity's teeth, but the Fallen Angel was quicker than her.

"Really? That's as fast as you can go?" Kalawarner asks while dodging the cavity's bites before stabbing her lance into it and twisting the weapon to deliver more burning pain to the Stray.

As she pulls it out, blood and steam spurt from the cavity as its teeth started to fall out, disturbing Issei because of the brutality.

"YOU WHORE!" Viser screams as she tries to scratch Kalawarner's eyes out with her arms, but the Fallen Angel effortlessly chops them off, dealing more light damage to the Stray Devil.

Screeching in greater pain, Viser got desperate and started to use the giant arms that are her front legs to fight. But Kalawarner was able to avoid every attempt the Stray had to squash, impale, and smack her around.

"Well, I'll give credit where credit is due," Kalawarner states as she kept avoiding her attacks. "Despite you being weak to light as a Devil, you sure do have a lot of adrenaline to ignore my lance's searing burns." The Fallen Angel then makes her lance bigger than before, and while her right eye was somewhat obscured by her bangs, her left eye showed a menacing stare. "Unfortunately for you, an adrenaline rush is not enough to take on the likes of me."

With one mighty swing, Kalawarner dismembers Viser's lower body. Issei tried his best to hold his stomach in as he saw blood rocket from where the hips are supposed to be connected.

With a pain-fueled scream, the upper half of Viser plummets to the ground and creates a small crater from her head. With so much strength lost, Viser tried to crawl away from Kalawarner, but she stopped her with a foot slammed on her back.

Shrinking her lance back to its normal size, the Fallen Angel gets ready to kill Viser in one final blow.

"Any last words, Stray Devil?"

Viser looks up at Kalawarner and gives her a defying snarl.

"Fuck you!"

Kalawarner impales Viser's skull with her lance of light. Blood splatters all around her head as her life was immediately forfeited.

The Fallen Angel lets go of her lance, allowing it to vanish after she finished what she needed to do. After adjusting her bangs so her right eye is visible, she looks at Issei, who was understandably terrified at how gory the battle ended.

"Are you alright?"

Issei was snapped out of his trance, seeing Kalawarner walk to him with a worried expression.

"W-Well… my leg is still hurting when I fell earlier, but… I'm okay." Issei then looks over at his unconscious classmate. "But Katase-san… She needs a doctor. I don't know how bad her head injury is, but I have to get her help fast!"

Kalawarner can see the concern in Issei's face when he spoke of the pink-haired girl. Wanting to check herself, she goes over to Katase and kneels beside her. Lifting her right hand, the Fallen Angel guides it to Katase's head and a strange light appears from her fingers.

"Hey, what are you doing?!"

"Don't worry. I'm helping the girl you call Katase," Kalawarner assures Issei. 'I need to erase her memories of her encounter with the Stray Devil.'

After a few seconds, the light from Kalawarner's fingers has disappeared.

"She'll be okay," the Fallen Angel tells Issei. "The blunt trauma isn't too bad, it's just a scraped forehead. All she needs to do is rest for the rest of the day."

Issei sighs deeply with his eyes closed and his hands clasped together.

"That's a relief." He says before looking at Katase, whose blood was being wiped away by Kalawarner's handkerchief. "Now I need to figure out how to explain what happened to her parents."

"You leave that to me," Kalawarner states. "I can make a transportation circle to teleport her back to where she lives thanks to me being able to read her memories of her past and present."

Issei's eyes broaden a bit before taking a stance near Katase.

"Look… I know you saved me before and have done so again, and I am grateful, but… how should I know that you..?"

Kalawarner can see that Issei was still suspicious of her, and she couldn't blame him. Two of the same species as herself have tried to kill him with herself being the only exception, and especially after this evening, he was quite on edge.

Standing up, Kalawarner walks closer to Issei and gently places a hand on his cheek, rendering a surprised expression and a blush from the boy.

"I'm not like those two Fallen Angels. I genuinely want to protect you. Raynare and Dohnaseek were never supposed to harm you. I promise you, I will not hurt you nor allow anyone else to harm you and those you care about."

Issei was bemused with Kalawarner's kind words. When he looked at her eyes and heard the calmness of her voice, it told him that she meant what she said. Plus, his right hand isn't shaking, so there's that too.

"O… Okay… I'll trust you on this one," Issei says, allowing Kalawarner to go over to Katase. "But… before you leave, why protect me? I'm a human who shouldn't have learned about the supernatural, and yet you decide to protect me from your own kind that tried to kill me."

Stopping in front of Katase, Kalawarner taps her foot on the ground twice before giving Issei her response.

"Well, to be honest, Issei," Kalawarner starts before turning her head towards him to give him a smile with closed eyes and pink cheeks. "I've grown a liking to you."

"Eh?" Issei's cheeks burn red. "L-L-Liking?!"

Kalawarner giggles at his reaction before turning back to Katase and picking her up in her arms.

"Issei, I suggest deactivating your Sacred Gear. Don't want any weird looks your way, don't you?"

Issei tilts his head at Kalawarner before looking at his left arm.

"Oh, crap! That's right!" Issei shouts with white eyes. "Okay, h-how do I do it?! How do I deactivate this thing?! Ugh! Let's see, he mentioned something about using thoughts and feelings, but that's for using its powers! So how the heck do I-"

Before he could finish that sentence, the red gauntlet disperses in a green light, leaving Issei's left arm uncovered.

"Oh… it really is based on thought, like a mental switch," Issei moves his left arm around with a bemused expression. "Well, that's one thing out of the way." He then looks back over to Katase for a moment with softened eyes before shifting them to Kalawarner. "Please be careful, especially with Katase-san."

Kalawarner nods.

"Don't worry, I will," she says before winking. "I'll see you later, sweetie~"

"Eh?!" Issei blushed a dark red while Kalawarner activated a yellow transportation circle beneath her feet before she teleported out of the abandoned building with Katase in her arms.

Issei blinked twice, still remembering what Kalawarner called him before he shook his head away from any more thoughts on it and immediately heads for the exit, having a slight limp because of the pain in his leg.

"I hope Katase-san will be okay after all of this," Issei says to himself. "I've decided to trust this Kalawarner-san, so whether I made the right choice or not, I'll have to find out tomorrow."

---

Issei made it straight home to his house. While greeting his parents, he did his best to ignore his hurting leg so he wouldn't worry them and made it to his room to relax for the rest of the day.

Lying down on his bed with Midnight hopping on his lap, Issei lifts his left hand towards himself and thinks about what has happened back in the abandoned building. From what he remembers, he knows that Kalawarner has called the monstrous Devil a Stray, and that gave him more questions on how things worked in the supernatural.

However, the one thing that's currently plaguing his mind the most right now is his Sacred Gear. What's so dangerous about a red dragonic gauntlet that the Fallen Angels Raynare and Dohnaseek felt the need to kill him for having it? Just what exactly can it do?

For the time being, Issei will just assume it's for harder punches and to block certain blades and, if he's lucky, magic attacks like light spears. It's a Sacred Gear, so it should be able to do that. And even if he wanted to ask the Devils at his school about it, he knew that it will most likely make them want him to be one of them more, especially if they know that there's more to that red gauntlet than meets the eye.

'Maybe I can show it to Genshiro after school tomorrow. He's one of the Devils I can fully trust.'

With that thought in mind, Issei decides to call it a day and get some rest. While he was, his cat looked at him with a worried gaze.

---

On the next day, Issei walks to school while releasing a yawn. His leg felt much better than yesterday after he slept it off, making him thankful that it really wasn't anything too bad because of that fall during his encounter with that crazy Devil.

'Okay… Genshiro should hopefully get an idea of what my Sacred Gear is… So after school, I'll find him and talk to him about my red gauntlet. But first thing's first, I need to see if Katase-san's alright.'

"KYAAAAAHHH!"

Issei halts his walking when he hears a girl scream, followed by an audible thud on the ground. Quickly turning his head towards the source, he saw a blonde girl wearing a green nun outfit with white accents, a silver cross around her neck, and a white veil that fell off her head from the fall.

"Hey, are you okay?!" Issei asks the girl as he offers her a hand to help her back to her feet.

The blonde girl noticed the hand and grabbed hold of it.

"Ah… Thank you very much, sir."

As he got her to stand, the blonde girl's face was revealed to Issei. She has emerald-green eyes and a face anyone would find adorable. It even caught Issei off guard a bit before he shook his head away from those thoughts and picked up the veil off the ground.

"Here, your headdress."

The blonde girl gasps at Issei's kindness before taking the veil and putting it back on her head.

"Thank you so much, mister!"

Issei blushed at the smile she gave him, finding it quite cute.

Before he could say anything in response, Asia's expression turns worrisome.

"What's wrong, miss?"

"Oh no! My suitcase!" Issei turns around to where she was pointing and saw that the case was opened with some clothes and other items scattered around it. "Oh, why must I be so clumsy today?"

"Don't worry, miss. I'll help you."

"Oh no, that's not necessary," the girl says to Issei, but he was already collecting the items and putting them back in her case before shutting it tight.

"There we go. Everything you need is all packed up."

The blonde girl's eyes glint as she watched Issei hand her his suitcase before happily accepting it.

"Wow, you're such a kind soul, mister! It seems that the Lord is smiling upon me today."

Issei smiles at the blonde, understanding why she would say something like that if her dress was anything to go by.

"So, are you traveling, miss? You seem to be carrying a lot of stuff in there."

"No. I've been appointed to the church in this town, but I got lost on the way." The girl blushes a bit before shuffling her feet on the ground. "Sorry if my speech pattern is weird, I'm not quite used to the Japanese language yet, but I'm still learning it."

"It's quite alright," Issei assures her before switching to a language he got the hang of quite well a year ago. "If it's okay with you, will English work?"

The girl's eyes sparkle before nodding enthusiastically.

"Yes! English is my strong suit as well!"

Issei nods with his smile before continuing to speak to her in English.

"Anyway, if you're looking for the church, I probably know where it is in this town. I have plenty of time before I go to school since I got up pretty early, so would you like me to take you there?"

Asia gets happier and happier with Issei before giving him a stronger nod.

"Yes, that would be great! The Lord really points the way towards the best path!"

Issei laughs with Asia, finding the nun's cheerfulness to be very heartwarming.

"Alright then, just follow me."

Issei was about to lead him to a church he knows he can find, but was interrupted when he heard a young boy crying. This prompted the nun to quickly approach the boy, who was on the ground holding onto his leg, and crouch to his level.

"Hey there." The boy quits sobbing when he hears the nun talk to him with a kind face. "A boy shouldn't be crying over a scrape like this."

Issei watches Asia hover her hands over towards the scrape on his leg. Before he or the boy could ask what she was doing, their eyes widen when they see a green light surrounding where the mild injury was. And much to the boys' surprise, the scrape was healing itself at a rapid pace.

Upon further inspection of the nun's hands, Issei was able to spot two silver rings with a blue-green jewel embedded in each one, and the gems were glowing the same colored light as the one that was healing the boy's leg.

'Those rings…' Issei thought as he had his eyes glued on them. 'Could they by any chance be..?'

"All better," the blonde nun says before helping the boy stand. "You'll be alright now."

The boy looks at the nun in surprise before shifting his eyes back to his leg, still amazed with how it was healed.

"Yoshi-kun!" Issei, the nun, and the now-named boy turn their heads towards the source of a new voice and see a woman who appeared in her twenties rush over to him. "You had me worried sick! Where did you go?!"

"I'm sorry, mama," Yoshi said. "I hurt my leg, but that Onee-chan over there healed me."

The boy's mother looked over to where her son was pointing and gasped when she looked her up and down.

"It looked very painful, so I helped him, ma'am."

Issei expected a "Thank you" from Yoshi's mom, but instead, he was shocked to see that the woman has given the blonde a dirty distrusting look.

"You shouldn't be talking to strange people, Yoshi-kun. Let's go."

"Mama, wait! You misunderstand!"

Yoshi's mother ignored his words and kept walking him away from the nun.

"Tch! What's her problem?" Issei asks with crossed arms. "If it has something to do with religion, then she should've at least-"

"Please, mister! Don't worry about that too much," Asia tells him in English.

Turning around to face her, Issei gives the nun a worried expression, still a little ticked with how that woman looked at her.

"Did you understand what she said?" He questions her using the same language as hers.

"No. My Japanese isn't that advanced yet. But…" the Nun's eyes cast downwards as her expression gets sad. "I know those eyes…" 'Even in this city, there's no change…'

"Arigato, Onee-chan!"

Asia was snapped from her somber thoughts when he heard Yoshi talk to her one last time before his mother had to tug his arm to keep him walking while quietly scolding him.

"Arigato is thank you in Japanese," Issei explains, making the nun smile before waving the boy goodbye, who kindly waved back without his mother noticing.

"Sorry about earlier, mister," the nun says to Issei with a silly look on her face. "I can get meddlesome sometimes."

"Don't worry about it," Issei assures before turning his head back to where Yoshi and his mom used to be. 'The least she could've done was be thankful to the nun. But then again, what she did to heal him would be unorthodox to an ordinary human who's never seen evidence of the supernatural existence.' Issei sighs with softened eyes and a frown. 'I just hope that kid doesn't get scolded too harshly if he describes to his mother how she healed him.'

Issei felt a tug on his shirt from the blonde nun, getting his attention.

"It really is nothing, mister. I get looks like that all the time. I'm used to it."

That got Issei bewildered. He may not have been devout, but he at the very least knows that Christianity was supposed to teach some positive aspects of life, even if the religion has been exploited by some people.

Letting that go for now, Issei looks at the nun's rings before asking:

"So… that energy you used to heal that boy… Do you mind telling me exactly what it is?"

The girl's lips curl upwards again.

"This is my power of healing. It's an amazing power gifted to me by God."

Hearing that got Issei's body to stiffen. With his bangs covering his eyes, Issei lifts his left hand towards himself, recalling what a certain black-haired Fallen Angel has told him before she gutted him at the park on that night. He then switches arms to look at the mark on his palm, which was given to him by a different God than the biblical one the blonde girl spoke of.

After another flood of memories regarding that incident, Issei balls his right hand into a fist and sets it down.

"Right… let's get you to the church then."

Hearing that made the blonde nun to gasp in realization.

"Oh, that's right! The longer we stand here, the higher the chance you'll be late for school! I'm so sorry!"

"I-It's okay, really," Issei says with his hands up. "I'm a fast walker, so I can still make it on time."

Nodding at him, the girl follows Issei towards the church he spoke of while helping her carry her luggage.

It was a two-minute walk, but eventually, the two discover a white and red church with a golden cross high above.

"Ah! That's the one! I'm so glad!"

Issei watches the nun skip over to the church after taking her suitcase from him.

"I'm happy to be of assistance, miss," Issei says before bowing his head to the nun. "Then, I'll take my leave."

"Wait, please!" Issei felt his arm get caught and turned around to see the nun holding onto him. "You've taken me all the way here, please allow me to repay you in kind."

"N-No, that's fine. I can't be late for school, so…"

BA-BUMP!

"Ick!"

Issei's breath nearly gets caught when he suddenly felt his right hand shiver, making him shift his eyes towards it before he got on the verge of sweating.

'What's going on..? This is a holy place. So why..?'

Issei quickly looks around to see if he and the nun were being followed, but from what he saw, there was no one else there. And yet, his hand is still shaking…

"Mister?"

Issei was snapped from his trance when the blonde got his attention.

"O-O-Oh! Uh… yeah, like I said, I got school and other things to worry about, so… sorry."

The girl looked disappointed before her eyes go back up to Issei.

"Then… maybe next time when you're free, you can visit?"

Issei thought about it for a while before giving her his response.

"Well… I can't promise anything, but I'll see what I can do," he tells her before pointing at himself. "I'm Issei Hyoudou, but you can call me Issei. And you are…"

The nun's eyes glitter in hope before introducing herself.

"My name is Asia Argento, but please, call me Asia~!"

Issei nods before smiling kindly and walking off.

"Well then, Sister Asia, I'll talk to you later when I have the time. Take care."

"Yes! You too, Issei. I can't wait to see you again soon!"

Issei chuckles while waving Asia goodbye with her doing the same.

After getting far away from the church enough, Issei's speed-walk turns into a light jog, which later on becomes a faster run so he can still make it to school on time.

Along the way, Issei was thinking about that bad feeling he got in his right hand when he stuck around the church he escorted Asia to. Unless he was stalked by an unknown person of the supernatural that can hide themselves well, he was still confused about why he would have such bad feelings around somewhere that's supposed to be a safe place.

For now, Issei can only hope that he did the right thing.

To be continued in the next chapter: "The Red Dragon and a Stray Priest."

Issei's current harem: Reya, Kuroka, Kalawarner, Tiamat, Akeno, Asia, Irina, Rias, Koneko, Xenovia, Ravel, Serafall, Gabriel, Tsubasa, Tsubaki

Genshiro: Momo and Ruruko

Until next time, folks~!