"ORAAAAAAAAAAA!" Xenovia shouted.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Irina yelled.
"NYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Koneko mewled.
"WOOOOOOOAH!" Yuuma howled.
"OWOOOOOOOO SEGGGGS!" Issei… did what Issei did. He was having fun controlling the four remaining characters in the eight player race.
"DO YOUR BEST!" Asia cheered, clueless about the game but having fun nonetheless.
Rias and Akeno watched in amusement as the five younger ones played a video game on the widescreen. It was a Wario Cart game on split screen and they were having a fun competition.
Exams had just ended and the Kuoh students wanted to relax and have fun. They had a summer break coming up too! The plans for the summer would have to be made later though. For now, having a good laugh while playing was more important.
"Issei! You need to concentrate on Irina! She's in first place!" Xenovia yelled, spamming the [Shoot] button in an attempt to fire her projectile faster.
"Mwahahahahaha! You'll never catch up to me!" Irina laughed evilly as she dodged the green turtle shell, the blue shell, and the banana. Her fingers were experienced. Very experienced with her fingers. She would spend time until late at night with Issei and Rias playing games.
She was a tomboy that liked playing games with Issei after all. The controller was like an extension of her body at this point.
…
Dear Readers, get your mind out of the gutter. It was nothing lewd.
"Ne, Himejima-san, wouldn't you like to join in?" Rias asked.
"No thanks, Gremory-san. I am more of a watcher than a player," Akeno took a sip of her tea. "How about you?"
"I prefer slower games, thank you," Rias smiled as she sipped her tea. She hummed in pleasure. "This tea is quite good. The best I have tasted yet."
"Ufufufu, thank you," Akeno giggled. "My… late mother taught me how to make it," her smile grew a tad bit bitter.
"My condolences," Rias said.
"Ah? Eh? It's okay Gremory-san, you didn't know. I am quite happy with my sisters now though," Akeno's smile became more genuine.
"Please, stop calling me 'Gremory-san,' Rias said, "I've already told you multiple times."
"Ufufufu, and I told you to stop calling me 'Himejima-san,' " Himejima grinned. Rias gave her a wry smile but didn't respond to that.
"Say, do you play chess?"
"Chess? I can't say I am good at it. Why?"
"Just watching them for how many hours would be boring, don't you think?" Rias got up to fetch the chess board on the shelf on the side of the television. To do that, she had to cross the path of sight of the gamers.
" " "RIAS!" " " three voices immediately shouted as she purposely stood and posed in front of them.
Yuuma and Xenovia whooped in joy at the opportunity given to them, since Rias only blocked her family's part of the screen.
"Ara? Am I that famous?"
" " "GET OUT!" " "
Akeno laughed at Rias' antics before she pulled out the chessboard from the shelf. The Gremory princess and Hyoudou wife looked to think for a few more moments before she pulled out a couple more board games. Levitation brought the extra board games with her back to Akeno.
" " "RIAS!" " " the chorus said as one as she once more froze in front of the television.
"Fufufufufufu~" Akeno giggled.
"We got chess, game of the generals, scrabble, Othello, shogi, and a pack of cards. Take your pick," Rias laid them down on the table one by one and presented them to Akeno like a businesswoman.
"Let's go with chess then, since you suggested it first. And what is the game of the generals?" Akeno asked curiously.
"It's a board game invented in the Philippines. I like it. It is more of a mental game of bluffing and memorization than chess. Learning floor curve isn't that steep either. Would you like to try?" Rias was about to set the chessboard and pieces but stopped to wait for Akeno's reply.
"Maybe after two games of chess."
As the two older girls played mind games on the board. The younger ones were shouting in despair as Irina won, once again, for the fifth time in a row.
"Why is she good at this?" Xenovia despaired.
"I understand your pain, Xenovia-san," Yuuma despaired with her.
At that moment, Rossweisse came in through the door. "I'm home," she groaned. "First week and it's already exams," she muttered under her breath. She put her shoes on the rack and removed her socks.
"Welcome home~"
She spotted them playing a game. "What's that?" being a girl from the Swedish rural area, she had no idea how to play games that included a screen.
"Wario Cart," Xenovia answered.
"Would you like to try?" Issei offered one of his controllers.
Rossweisse took the offered controller and sat down after taking off her coat. "Sure. How do you play this?"
"I would also like to try!" Asia gained the courage to ask. Having another newbie to learn beside was good for morale. Not that Asia thought that way. She just thought it would be fun to play with another newbie.
While Issei explained to them how to play, Koneko got up to get more snacks. Unhealthy junk food was pulled out of the pantry by the kilograms. But it was okay. Why? Exam week had just finished and relaxing should be granted to the students who did their best. Koneko did her best in the exams.
Irina also brought a pitcher of cold beverage from the fridge, to refill the one they finished.
"Say, Xenovia, what are you doing while you guys are here?"
"Irina?" Xenovia processed the question. "Well…" what had she been doing in the weeks that they were here again? "I have been training, doing my daily devotions, training again, cleaning and repairing the local Catholic church, training, and… more training." Was her life just really training?
"Would you like to enroll in Kuoh Academy then?"
"Isn't that the school where Issei is studying at?"
"I'm also studying there, you know."
"I don't care where you study."
"That's pretty mean you know!" Irina cried out. She sagged her shoulders. "So, do you want to enroll there?"
Xenovia took a moment to think. On the one hand, she didn't like school much. On the other hand, she hated boredom and stagnation more. "I'll ask Sister Griselda first."
"Oh, I already asked her!" Irina gave Xenovia a thumbs up and wink. "She said it was fine."
"I see. Let me think about it."
"Okay! They got the gist of it!" Issei addressed the group. "Let's go?"
[Yes!]
"Rias, Akeno-san, why don't you guys play with us?"
"I'm fine with watching."
"You know me, Love, those kinds of games aren't really my thing."
"Suit yourselves."
The gamers continued playing with two more to join them. Laughter echoed in the house as they competed for first place in the race. Asia had fun despite barely knowing what to do and Rossweisse was stressing out on not knowing what to do.
"Rias-san," Akeno said as they played, speaking in a low voice so as to not get heard by the group. Rias raised an eyebrow. "I just want to ask about what happened to Issei-san. I heard some of it from him but, I feel like, it's not the whole story yet."
"Ah, I see. You're curious about that…" Rias maintained her smile as she looked back at memories dear to her.
"I just want to understand him more. If you don't want to-"
"No, it's fine. Issei doesn't mind talking about his history. It's a thing of the past. The pain is long gone. The grievances have been settled. And the perpetrators," Rias' smile turned ice cold. "Have been dealt with."
"Look, Issei, look, it's a sakura tree!" a young girl happily showed a pink leafed bonsai. Glee was on her face as she showed it to her companion and best friend. "It's a sakura tree from Japan! Like you, you're from Japan," the red haired girl giggled.
A monstrosity of too many teeth, too many eyes, too many limbs, towered over the girl. All of the eyes turned to look at what the girl brought. All of the mouths smiled in pure happiness.
"Woah! Where did you get that?" the voice of the abomination was no longer like a beast's. It was no longer the sound of a thousand damned souls. It was the voice of a young boy, around the same age as the red haired girl.
"Nii-san brought it with him from his trip to Japan! Don't you like it?"
"I love it!" The glee in the boy's voice didn't reflect the melancholy in his many eyes.
The girl pouted but said nothing. Instead, she grew wings and flapped them. She flew on top of the hairy head of the monster and stared at its eyes. "Don't worry you'll see your parents soon," she patted its head in comfort.
The beast stayed silent.
"Look at it this way, Issei," the girl said. "You can now control your voice, which you couldn't do before. You'll soon be able to control your form!"
Issei smiled. "Yes, Rias, you're right."
"Aren't I always?" Rias laughed merrily as she flew back down. "Let's put this bonsai in your room!"
"Not in yours?"
"We could get another one for that! Ah, we should name it too!"
"Do we really have to?"
"Of course we have to, dummy."