Issei closed his house's backdoor with a soft click, took a quick look around and didn't see anyone. He let out a sigh, and turned to return to the living room where his parents and the Gremory Peerage were staying.
Just as he turned a corner next to the kitchen, Asia came out of said kitchen.
"Mr. Issei!" Asia almost jumped in surprise.
"Ah, hey, Asia. Did I take long? Bathroom, you know. The food and drinks were a lot." He said, rubbing his belly and chuckling.
Asia tilted her head. "But I went there first, no one was using the bathroom?" She commented. There was no suspicion or doubt in her tone, just confusion.
Issei grimaced, as the guilt hit him.
"Right, sorry." He let out a sigh. "Truth is, there was an unexpected guest that came with Creepy Fallen Guy. I went to have a talk since he didn't feel hostile. Might have made a friend, or a rival or both. I didn't say anything, because I didn't want to worry anyone. Sorry." He finished with a sheepish smile.
"Mr. Issei! You should have said something to me or your mother." Asia scolded with an adorable pout, as she put her hands on her hips. "You disappeared suddenly. It was too long that it was noticeable. I was worried something might have happened!"
Issei let out a chuckle while looking bashful, as he rubbed the back of his head.
"You're right, you're right. Sorry, Asia." He said while holding a hand up to placate her. Immediately Asia lost her 'fierce' expression, as she leaned in to look at him with concern.
"Are you alright? Did everything turn out okay with that new person?" She asked.
"Yeah, yeah. His name is Vali, he seemed like a pretty okay guy." Issei replied with a relaxed smile.
"Alright," Asia stood back and nodded. "We should get back, but please remember to take care of yourself, Mr. Issei." Asia began to head back.
"Asia, you don't have to call me 'mister', you know. It feels weird when we're the same age." Issei said following her.
"Mmm," Asia nodded with a happy smile. "Then let's go, Issei. By the way, Mom Miki noticed you were gone for too long, and said she wants to have words with you once the guests are gone."
Issei stumbled before he continued walking, suddenly feeling dread on his shoulder, as he returned to the living room, and seeing his mom's "smile" at him.
Ah. I'm in for it once Rias and the others leave.
"And Issei, don't worry. The second we get back to the club, I'll contact my brother and inform him of this situation. That should give some headache to that old crow." Rias said as she stood at Issei's door to leave, even though she and her Peerage would just use a teleportation spell after leaving the Hyoudou residence. "Really, I'm sorry that your experience with the supernatural side, with our world has been troubling for you till now." The red haired Gremory Princess actually looked remorseful as she said that.
"Senpai, seriously, it's fine. You can't control what other people do, that's just how things are. The best we can do is prepare and be ready for next time." Issei said, before a thoughtful look came to him. "Hmm, I'm gonna need to make some protective charms for my parents and Asia." He said to himself.
"Eh? You can make protective charms? No, never mind that." Rias shook her head, before looking at Issei intensely. "Tell me what you need? Whatever materials they are, I'll get them."
"Umm..." Issei was taken aback by how serious and earnest Rias was. He held back a smile as he didn't want to seem like he was finding her actions funny. That sincerity of hers was kinda charming.
"Please! Don't hold back, whatever you need, please tell me. I won't fail in my duty as Kuoh's supervisor this time, and I will definitely keep your home safe." Rias said with determination.
"Oh my, Buchou is pumped up." Akeno said with a smile.
Issei chuckled at the devil's actions. "Okay, okay." He finally said. "Although I'm looking for are prayer beads bracelet. I'm not sure if you'll be able to physically handle an item like that, since it would be holy. I think."
"Oh!" Rias's eyes lit up. "That's no problem. Holding stuff like prayer beads or crosses normally aren't a problem, unless they are really blessed. Even then it's like holding something hot, not lethal. For the most part, at least. Also, also!" Rias said with excitement. "Akeno is a miko, so we can definitely make you some high quality prayer beads."
"Wait, seriously?" Issei's eyes widened, as he looked at his other senpai in new light.
"Oh?" Akeno smiled as she placed a hand on her cheek. "I suppose should show my cute kouhai how capable I am."
"I'll be counting on you, Akeno-senpai." Issei smiled and nodded back.
"Fufufuf," Akeno let out her iconic laugh, where it sounds like she knows something others don't.
"Then we'll get going now. I'll call as soon as everything's done, Issei!" Rias said with her usual cheerful grin.
The Gremory Peerage said their good byes, and after leaving the Hyoudou house, were engulfed by a teleportation magic circle and disappeared back to the ORC building.
Issei let out a sigh as his guest now being gone, and closed his house's front door.
"Issei," Goro's voice called from behind Issei. He looked back to see his parents giving him a more somber and serious look, while Asia looked confused. "Son, I know you said you needed time, and your mother and I were more than willing to give it, but given everything... You said that Fallen Angel girl stabbed you and left you for dead?" Goro tried to explain the complex heavy feeling that he and his wife, were experiencing upon learning that information.
He wanted to hug his son. To hold him in his arms and never let him out or experience danger and pain again. Yet another part of him was proud, yet concerned about how strong he had gotten. About how old his eyes looked, and the worry of what could have possibly resulted in that.
"Issei," Miki went to her son, holding one of his hands and rubbing his back. "Can you please tell us what happened? We want to help."
And the best, the Hyoudou parents decided to do so, even without needed to verbally tell each other, was to learn and understand what happened to their son. That's how they could start helping him.
Asia came to Issei's other side to hold his other hand, mirroring Miki, to tell him she was there for him.
"...Okay." Issei let out a long sigh. "Okay, let me get some stuff from my room first. Visual aid should help a bit."
Issei's parents nodded and went to the living room with Asia. Issei went to his room, then returned with a box of clay figures, and some unused clay.
"Oh my." Miki had a hand to her mouth, as she smiled in pride. "Those are really well made! Issei, you have to make some commission with these! You can really turn this hobby into a side-job."
"Maybe in the summer." Issei chuckled and said back.
"Woah! Is that a dragon?" Goro asked as he extended a hand to the giant black-colored dragon with neon green crest in its chest. Issei nodded, and Goro delicately picked up the clay dragon model from the table, inspecting it. "Is this Ddraig?"
A snort was heard from Issei's arm.
[Please. One, my scales are red. Two, I am way more awesome than that loser.] Ddraig said, cockily.
"Really?" Issei chuckled. "I distinctly remember that you wanted me to start hangout with Siegfried more often, after that Rheingold hunt just incase Fafnir turned up again. Said it was one of the best dragon fights you got into in a long while."
[Look, without Albion or his wielder around, I was getting dragon fighting withdrawal, okay!] Ddraig exclaimed.
"What happened to that whole 'I'm wiser now' speech you gave him a while ago." Issei said in shock.
[Both can be true.] Ddraig said back, sounding petulant.
Issei laughed, and his parents and Asia chuckled at the pair's antics.
"Okay," Issei said, as they all sat down, and Issei placed a figure of a Fallen Angel in a slutty bikini outfit on the coffee table. "It all began when this Fallen Angel-which I know learned is named Raynare-asked me out on a date. You already heard the details, but long story short: I died. In a technical sense."
"Issei... what do you mean?" Goro asked warily, putting the clay dragon model back in place.
"Well, basically my soul left my body." Issei paused, trying to think on how to say the next part, before shrugging and going for it anyways. "But my body was alive, and so was my soul, as it was still connected to it. Thus technically, I was still alive."
Issei had to repeat himself for Asia's sake, but sometimes he would switch to English, as his parents knew the language a bit, before switching back to Japanese, when he needed to clarify something in detail.
"So the next part is a bit confusing." Issei said with a smile. "Basically," Issei placed the figurine of a girl with a sassy grin. His first clay model, now colored with the girl's uniform being black and white, and her hair being an orange-shade of red. "My soul ended up in another world, placed in a body made of magic, as I helped this girl." He said with a nostalgic loving smile. A smile that had his dad's eyes widened in understanding, and his mother gasp in recognition. A smile filled with love. "A girl named Fujimaru Ritsuka, who was tasked with saving her world that was already destroyed."
"Wha..." Goro said in shock.
"But, wait, how... can you save her world if..." Miki added.
"My god." Asia's eyes were in near tears just from hearing about the Master of Chaldea's situation.
[Oi! You're not gonna skip over the whole 'Prince Hydro' part are you?] Ddraig said with a smirk in his tone.
"God dammit, Ddraig." Issei exclaimed. "Look it's not important, and it doesn't add much to the story. It's really not that relevant."
""'Prince Hydro'?"" Asia and Miki tilted their head in confusion.
"Hydro, Hydro." Goro said the name a few times, tasting it on his tongue. "Is that... Westernized attempt at Hyoudou?" He said, before an amused smirk slowly rose on his face. "Issei, did you try and play yourself as a prince for this girl?"
"No!" Issei denied.
[Yes!] Ddraig insisted.
"Issei~? Tell mommy the truth~." Miki said with a knowing look.
"Okay, look, technically yes, but it wasn't really intentional." Issei quickly tried to explain.
"I'm starting to notice a lot of technicalities in this story." Goro said with a smirk matching his wife.
"It's all that shitty flower wizard's fault!" Issei stood up and cried out, hands slammed on the table dramatically.
[HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!]
"And thanks again for hearing me out, Onii-sama." Rias said to her brother via her cellphone.
"No, I'm glad you're reaching out to me for this, Rias." The gentle voice of Sirzech, the Satan Lucifer, answered her. "I'm proud that dealing with this situation so quickly right away, rather than waiting to deal with it on your own. This really shows how much you mature with your judgement."
"Yeah..." Rias' looked down, her dejection clear in her voice.
"Rias?" Came the concern voice of Sirzechs.
"I failed him once, Onii-sama. I know I can't protect every human in Kuoh. And I know that being the supervisor for the magic side of thing here, doesn't mean that I'm responsible for every human life, but... they are people living in my territory. I should at least make them safe from the magic side of things, yet I couldn't do that, and he almost died to a Fallen." Rias said, frowning. "And it wasn't just some random person, but someone so close to me. Someone that goes to school with me. I should have been more attentive."
"Rias," There was a proud smile in Sirzechs' voice, at hearing the sense of responsibility Rias grew. "I understand your worry, but that's the thing about ruling and responsibility. You can't do everything, no matter how strong you are. So you just get better and find other solutions. Delegate if you have too many tasks. If there are weakness in protections, patch them up. If you need to deal with something without a fight, find the right information. You are still learning and that's the point of giving you and Sona that position in Kuoh." He said to cheer her. "The important thing is to not let stumbling one time stop you from getting up, and trying again, doing better."
"...Umu. You're right, thanks, Onii-sama!" Rias said with a cheerful grin.
Sirzechs had to hold back sqeeing at his Ria-tan making her cute anime noises again. It looked like he succeeded in rising her spirits.
"Now," the Satan Lucifer's voice took on a more serious tone that Rias took note of. "Rias about the Red Dragon Emperor, given his unexpected strength, and from what I understand from you, his stance to remain independent, correct?"
"Mmm, yes." Rias nodded.
"Then I need you to prepare for the possibility that Kuoh might not be under yours and Sona's control in the near future." Sirzechs said.
"What do you mean?" Rias blinked a few times at that.
"Kuoh might turn from a Devil Territory to a Neutral Territory." Sirzechs said. "To clarify, because of Issei Hyoudou's unexpected strength, politically it would seem like you're invading his territory, by declaring it as your own. Doing this, even if Issei himself doesn't care to declare Kuoh his own, could draw hostilities. Either from beings that want to get him to their side, or those that want to get on his good side by challenging you for trying to 'usurp' his home town."
"But... me and Sona were already ruling Kuoh before Issei found out he was the Red Dragon Emperor." Rias protested.
"I'm afraid none of that matters. Not to those who would view the situation like that from the outside. If you could get him in your Peerage then nothing would have changed. But given that you can't..." Sirzechs trailed off.
"Then me and Sona can't truly claim that we are the supervisors of Kuoh, rather than two upstarts acting out on a dragon's territory?" Rias said with a frown. "What about having Issei as my Contracted Magician? He was open to that idea."
"That might work, or it might backfire." Sirzechs said with an apologetic smile, to which Rias groaned. "It might seem like Issei works for you, or it might seem like you work for him, as he's the stronger party." He explained. "If you don't find some way to definitively cement your ownership of Kuoh, then it would turn into a Neutral Territory duo to the uncertainty that, are you and Sona really ruling it, or just being allowed to run around by the Red Dragon Emperor. Of course, there's the option of actually having Issei declare Kuoh as his territory, thus cementing it as a Dragon Territory, but-"
"I might do that out of spite if too many people come to Kuoh and annoy me." Rias ended up saying.
"Ahahahhaaha," Sirzechs chuckled while feeling a bit worried about his impulsive little sister. "Please don't actually do that."
"Okay, Onii-chan!" Rias said back with a wide grin.
"...Rias, do you have your fingers crossed behind your back?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Rias said quickly.
"Rias-" Sirzechs said with exasperation.
"I'm really glad for all your help, Onii-sama! Say hi to Grayfia and Millicas for me, okaybye!" Rias hanged up the call. She let out a sigh at that part being done, then looked around to see her Peerage trying to look busy, while Akeno gave her a deadpan stare. "Oh shut up, like you wouldn't do that too." She said with a pout, that just caused her Queen to giggle at her King's antic.
Rias then called Issei to give him the good news... and she might have to sit down with him and Sona to figure out this whole "Kuoh's real ownership" thing later on.
The phone rang but the person who picked up wasn't the Red Dragon Emperor.
"Hey, Issei, so good news. I called my brother, and he said he and Serafall, that's the Satan responsible for foreign affair, will handle things, so you don't need to worry about the Fallen Angels acting against you." Rias quickly said the good news.
"Really Rias-chan? That's great!"
It was Miki, the Red Dragon Emperor's mom, that answer.
"Eh, Miki-san? Ah, I'm glad you're happy." Rias said. "Um, is Issei not available?"
"Ah, he's just busy telling us about his isekai adventure and all." Miki said casually.
"Mom! Come on, don't just blab that out." Issei's sulky voice said in the background.
"Eh, she's a Devil, she probably heard stories like that hundreds of times, that'd be bored to hear another one." Miki said back.
"Really don't think that's the case." Issei said back.
"Anyways, thanks for all your help Rias-chan. Please continue to be friends with my trouble-finding son." Miki said with a smile.
"Mom!" Came Issei's embarrassed cry.
"So you're telling me the Ark plan didn't work? But then how did you survive Heracles?" Goro's voice said in the background.
"No, it worked, but that's only after I overcame my fear and unlocked Balance Breaker for the first time. Then I was able to grab the tree holding the Ark, and hit Heracles with it." Issei explained. "And that's when we began our counterattack on the Argonauts."
""Woooow!"" Goro and Asia's voices cheered in the background.
"Good bye, Rias-chan!" Miki said cheerfully and closed the call.
"Wa... Wait..." Rias said too late, then looked at the phone looking lost.
Silence hit the room like a physical force. Every member of the ORC stopped what they were doing and focused on their King.
"Rias..." Akeno said slowly, extending a hand to grab her King. "I know what you heard... is... very surprising, and a big revelation, but-"
Rias moved.
The windows slammed opened with her will.
"Caught her!" Koneko said as she had grabbed the flying Rias' legs.
"Buchou, please calm down!" Kiba, who had grabbed Rias' from her wait, exclaimed.
"THE ISEKAI IS REEEEEEEAL!" Rias shouted from the bottom of her soul.
"Rias! Rias, listen to me, you can't just barge in on the Hyoudou house. They just went through a supernatural being doing that." Akeno tried to make Rias see reason.
"Issei did! He went to another world!" Rias cried out with excitement, joy, despair and tears at realizing that one of her most favorite genre is real, and that she wasn't there to hear about it. "Let me go! Let me go! I WANNA KNOW HIS BACKSTORY!"
"Rias, you can ask him tomorrow at school!" Akeno started to use her magic, as Rias started trying to teleport.
"Noooo! I wanna know! I wanna know now! DON'T MAKE ME MISS THE EXPOSITION! NOOOOOOOO! ISEKAAAAAAAAI!"
It was a battle in the Occult Research Club house to contain their frenzied President.
"You're telling me that filthy human is strong enough to make the Grigori Governor retreat." The voice was filled with so much vitriol, that would usually be followed by pain upon the ones who caused it.
The servants had long since been broken emotionally to show fear, at their master's anger. Yet their learned tactics at not drawing their master's anger, or attention in his irritated moods, was due to the many times they have experienced it.
"Yes, my lord. It would see the Red Dragon Emperor of this era has had enough time to grow considerably in strength." The former Holy Maiden, now Peerage Queen told her King.
"Useless! Useless!" The Astaroth Devil throwing his power around without a care.
Most of the Peerage wasn't completely harmed, as they weren't in the direction of the blast. But the one unlucky Piece, who was kneeling obediently like her Peerage sisters, took the full brunt of the demonic power and was blown back, slamming into the wall of the room. She grunted in pain, but was used to this level of it. She wasn't too injured, thus went back to her previous spot and began healing herself.
"Obstacle after obstacle. I swear if it's not one thing it's another. Why can't those idiots just do things correctly?" He said with a look of disgust, before sitting back in his chair and letting out a sigh. "Then again, they were Fallen Angels. Can't expect those birdbrains to follow a plan even if you laid out the bread crumble for everything for them." He narrowed his eyes in thought. "The Red Dragon Emperor is the compassionate type, right?" He said, as his Queen nodded, while keeping her gaze down to the ground, as he didn't give her permission to look at him. "Alright then, let's play on that. On Asia's safety." The Astaroth Devil smiled. It was a vile thing. "I might have to contact them though." He said thoughtfully.
"'Them', my lord?" The Astaroth Queen asked.
"Those of Chaos," the King Devil clarified. "After all, since the Red Dragon Emperor is trying play with the grown-ups, let's show him how big the world really is. As a precaution of course, so he doesn't bite off more than he could chew. So he could see that Asia is safer with me." He grinned. "Aren't I so kind, Emily?" He said to his Queen.
"Lord Diodora Astaroth is the kindest person in the world." Diodora's Queen replied blankly, much to her master's amusement.