Warning: So the Kuromu arc takes a couple of chapters and is sort of a mess. I'm going to do my best to summarize it, so I hope it doesn't fall flat. I've been looking forward to adapting this part of the story, yet I feel like I failed myself, lol. I'm not going to go between too many POV's for it. We know canon. I'm not rehashing it perfectly.
Warning2: I don't plan on focusing on pairings for Iruma. However, if you feel there's a vibe for Iruma/Clara/Asmodeus to any varying degree, Iruma/Ameri (I fuck it up a lot even though I ship it, I'm so sorry-), and Iruma/Kerori, you're not imagining it. Iruma brings all the milkshakes/boys to the yard and he feels so attacked right now, lol.
TW: Mentioned past child abuse/Iruma's parents. There is kissing for the purpose of feeding Mana, but, teenagers.
xXx-xXx-melody-xXx-xXx
The school day had been pretty normal, until Lied brought up Akudols.
His fellow classmate had been surprised that Iruma hadn't really known what he was talking about, but Asmodeus swiftly came to his rescue and explained their function in society. They were a necessity for helping others deal with their stress, and had a unique form of notoriety for their ability to help the masses entertain themselves.
Iruma thought it was rather nice, and that musical idols were a similar concept for humans, even if it wasn't for the exact same reasons.
And then he got called to see the Broadcast Battra, and received three VIP tickets to Kuromu's live concert that evening at the Makubari Dome.
Iruma smiled ruefully over his strange luck, but after handing Asmodeus and Clara their tickets, he informed Opera of the change in that evening's plans.
Getting there was simple enough, it was rather thrilling, and he couldn't help but get into the mood by getting ahold of his own glow sticks to enjoy the show with. It was dazzling, to finally get the chance to enjoy a music concert instead of acting as a stressed out security worker for one. Participating along with the crowd, humming along with the tune other demons were nearly shouting, it was a cacophony of sound, energy, and excitement.
He was also enraptured with every movement, every lyric. He learned it all immediately, as it was something he simply did while picking up skills for work. Even if it didn't benefit him now, he would be able to replay this moment in his head over and over again to relieve stress while gardening.
Then he got shuffled off to a meet-and-greet due to casting lots and winning. He had no idea why he had such luck, but he seemed to be swath with it here in the Netherworld, after having none of it in the Human Realm.
Kuromu was stiff, and he couldn't help but sweat a bit. He'd never had the chance to speak with someone who was famous, so he was at a bit of a loss.
She also seemed to hate him on principle, which was confusing for about three seconds, before he realized he recognized her. Her scent of shampoo, the way she held herself, her hands, and her brand of Magic. She was one of his.
It was Kerori, he Knew it.
His glass froze as the temperature dropped. Damage control, he could do that, right? "Uhm, so you're both a student and an Akudoll, right? It must be really difficult to balance everything!"
At this Kuromu became prideful, speaking about her work-school-life balance. Everything was down to a perfected schedule. That is, until she seemed to notice her glasses and lunged for them. It was silly. He'd already noticed them, but clearly she didn't want her identity as Kerori to be found out as the famous Akudoll Kuromu.
"Iruma-kun, would you like some tea?"
He hadn't introduced himself. This was his clincher on knowing she knew him just as well as he knew her. "How did you know my name..?"
This somehow sprung chaos between them. The room becomes a mess when he offers to make her tea, and she in turn does the same. To eat snacks. To do anything than verbally confirm their own suspicions. Everything is a mess, the table is upturned. Iruma would find the whole thing funny if he weren't exhausted with their little squabble.
"It's about time for me to go, thank you for having me..!" He is making his way to the door, he opens it and prepares to sneak out, "See you at school."
He almost managed to shut the door before she's snatching his hair to drag him back in, "Hold up."
He instinctively goes limp and she cages him in ice while lamenting to herself with her face hidden in her hands, "Everything's ruined now! I've worked so hard to keep my identity a secret, and my life'll totally be ruined if this gets out..!"
Iruma is freezing, and she realizes he's turning blue, so she melts her cage and gives him a small blanket for warmth as she interrogates him. "How did you figure it out?"
Iruma is still chattering, his wolf has been oddly silent, but there is a small thrum of static along his body to speed up heightening his temperature. "Ah, well, it was your hands, really." He explains himself, how she has a unique way of tucking in her thumb and that Kuromu does the same. She ponders this for a time.
He opens his stupid mouth, "Honestly, I'd like to learn how to attract less attention like you do at school. You're so good at erasing your presence, and I-"
She explodes with ice and anger. Kerori is red-faced as she leans into him, "You just carelessly attract everyone's attention..? I have been working to the point of sweat, blood, and tears to make everyone look my way, and you're just doing it on accident!? I can't- AM I A JOKE TO YOU!?" She looks dizzy, she has a cliff of ice behind her.
"C-calm down-!"
She becomes wobbly on her feet, "T-to lose, to the likes… of you..!" She falls, her ice melting behind her and he realizes he has done something unforgivable.
He has overstressed someone, whose primary purpose is to erase stress.
He has his own ways of dealing with life stressing him out. He's never had such luxury. But he'd be damned if he ruined someone else's hard work and purpose with his carelessness.
He barely manages to call for help before he is told he is useless. He is in the way.
He will not be in the way. He just doesn't understand.
Mal-san's words should have hurt more, struck more.
They spurred him on to be better. To make this right. It was his own thoughtlessness that caused Kuromu to pass out during her most important performance of her career.
Suzuki Iruma would not be her downfall.
Mal-san and Kerori explain her backstory, her difficult relationship with her family…
Some might say he had every right to feel like his situation growing up was far worse. That he should be petty and say he'd suffered hell because of his shitty parents.
But teenagers and children were inherently selfish. They desire their parent's approval- he himself even had for a time, when he'd thought that maybe they'd give him a pat on the head for his hard work.
They never did, but that didn't stop him from trying to gain their love.
Iruma can loosely sympathize. He has great empathy for others, and a deep well of kindness that should have been beaten out of him the moment his mother first called him a little devil and slapped him at the age of three. He doesn't even remember the reasoning. It's just the first time he can recall her singing his name and harming him.
He clenches his fist, "Let me help! I can do anything, sing, dance, or perform! We can be her opening act until she recovers!"
Mal-san is agitated. She sees no value in his offer, "You'll just be in the way! Everyone came here to see Kuromu!"
Asmodeus and Clara step before him. He has barely had the chance to give them a breakdown of what has happened during their time apart. Asmodeus is firm, "No, Iruma-sama has told us about what's going on. All we have to do is help relieve their stress until Kuromu-san is ready to perform, yes?"
Mal-san frowns, "I appreciate your enthusiasm, but everyone is here to see the cute, amateurish, high schooler Kuromu! Any amateur would be fine but-"
Clara sidles beside her with a mischievous look on her face, "Then shall we make one?" She taps her pockets and pulls out two feminine costumes. Iruma and Asmodeus immediately shy away from the concept, and Clara allows no room for arguments as she pounces on them to force them to change.
Iruma manages to slap her hands away and yell in frustration, "We can change ourselves!"
Clara snickers as she shoves the two boys into a room and slams the door. She takes care of herself, but now Iruma has second thoughts.
He… was he really going to dress up like a girl to make it up to his classmate for possibly trashing her career?
His stomach rolls and he shuffles behind a screen, away from Asmodeus's questioning eyes. Yes. Of course he was.
He'd never sleep peacefully again if he didn't.
He takes off pieces of his uniform. Examines the dress and how it's been imagined into reality. There are random zippers- he understands how these garments work. It's just strange to think he'd be dressing up like a girl again.
He sometimes played roles at the local theaters that required children, and young ones are easier to shift their perceived gender with a touch of makeup and hair extensions.
He swiftly gets the dress on. He can't risk Asmodeus checking up on him and seeing his back. He checks himself in a nearby floor mirror. He has enough male pride to feel a little embarrassed, and pulls out from his long list of roles a unique magical girl he once played. He can do this.
He pauses for a moment, contemplating his ears, before unclipping them and unwinding his tail from his waist.
They shift, they look themself over in the mirror. They take a deep breath and smile, posing as they once had as Mahou-Shoujou Neko Kuro-chan and wink at their reflection. They aren't sure if they can do the voice anymore, his tenor having dropped, but they can still pull a good falsetto.
Iruma pops out from behind the screen, and poses with their hands curled in cutely, balancing on one foot as they use a higher pitched voice that comes up scratchy and painful when they use a well-practiced catchphrase that unknowingly falls out of translation, "Minna-sama, welcome to Kuro-chan's Neko-para festival!"
Asmodeus is as speechless as Iruma. They can ignore the pained scratch in their throat, as they can't help but gape back at the fact Asmodeus is fully dressed in something far more complicated than what they're wearing.
Iruma flushes, Asmodeus turns red and shivering with a heavily restrained emotion Iruma chooses to ignore.
Iruma coughs into their hand, flustered, "Uhm, whups-"
Asmodeus grabs them by the shoulders glittering with admiration and shakes them, "That was adorable beyond words, Iruma-sama! What was that!?"
Iruma clears their throat. They're gonna need a quick sip of tea from that, "Uh- n-nothing!" They laugh nervously as they tap Asmodeus's hands off of their shoulders and run over to the door, "We better get moving before Clara comes for us, Azz-kun!"
Asmodeus tries to pull them back, but Iruma is a slippery thing that is immediately jumped on in the hall by an over-excited Clara.
There is chaos for a moment between the three before Clara threads a hair extension into Iruma's hair within seconds.
A light application of makeup to push a more feminine shadow to their features, and Iruma runs out onto their most difficult stage yet.
They are embarrassed, but if Asmodeus can endure, so can they. The three wave to the crowd excitedly, introduce themselves as the beginning act, and Irumi-chan and her happy friends are on.
Irumi dodges and dances while Alice-chan shoots her flame to spell out their name.
Irumi will do anything it takes to keep the crowd excited, before ice filters in and freezes Alice-chan's flame.
Kuromu is in the spotlight as she enters from her own ice-created stage, "How long do you plan to take over my show!?" She is re-energized. She makes her way down to the three interlopers, and they are all pleased to see her well. "Thank you for everything. Really, thank you so much!"
Irumi nods and shifts to leave, "Then I guess we'll be on our wa-"
Kuromu snatches her, "Where do you think you're going? You're standing on a professional stage, and you've gotta keep going until the end!"
Irumi doesn't know what to make of this, but she instinctively takes the microphone Kuromu hands to her. Her tail swishes with anticipation as they meet Kuromu's gaze with ears pointed high in fake confidence. Kuromu reaches out to her, pulls her in close as the two turn to the crowd and in unison speak, "Here we go!"
Irumi and Kuromu meet in perfect time as they perform 'Your Little Devil Apocalypse' in choreographed unison. Irumi has no idea they are performing what might possibly be the first helldance in all of Akudoll-dom with no practice whatsoever. Irumi mirrors her partner, she sings opposing lines. They are perfectly in-sync.
This is what sets Irumi's career into motion, though she has no idea. She is a mystery to her fans, and she will be ignorant of how far those flames go. That, however, is for later.
For now, Kuromu has learned much and come to a multitude of realizations. Her interest is piqued towards her classmate. Plans are forming in the back of her mind even as the crowd sings and cheers with them.
She notes the ears and tail. They are real and not mere accessories.
They are things Iruma hides. It may not be intended as an olive branch, but Kuromu takes it as one.
Iruma knowing that she is Kerori, Kerori knowing that Iruma has cat ears and a fluffy tail.
Kuromu will invest in this boy's vocal talent. He has range. She will see to it that he keeps it. He is something new that she can bring to the table to further her career.
Kuromu and the mysterious Aku-doll Irumi finish their performance. It is glittering and wild, and Irumi is surrounded by light and sound.
Kerori has her hangups with Iruma, but she is pleased when he brightly asks for her autograph during the afterparty.
xXx-xXx-melody-xXx-xXx
The next day when Iruma comes to class, he is immediately faced with the events of the previous night. The school newspaper has a large image of Kuromu and Irumi together, and it is full of questions about the mysterious Aku-dol.
Iruma's flustered by it, while Asmodeus and Clara have their own little squabble. He ignores them as Kerori grabs his attention, shy and flustered. "Look, if things hadn't turned out the way they had, with you knowing who I was, it would have been totally different! I'll defeat your ability to gain attention while trying to stay conspicuous, so…" She hides behind her newspaper, "Please go easy on me."
Iruma's cheeks warm as he nods. He smiles a little, happy that maybe he's finally getting closer to this quieter girl-
"Would you, maybe, brush my hair..?"
Iruma startles at Kerori's request, but this instead brings further attention to their side of the room as Lied, Jazz, and Gaap clamor over to them in excitement. "We want our hair brushed too!"
Iruma startles at them, "Eeh!?"
Lied pumps his fists, "It's not fair for just Azz and Clarin, or Sabnock and Kerori! We want you to brush our hair too!"
It's somehow become a quiet competition. Who can get Iruma to feel proud of them and offer to brush their hair? However, the Misfits aren't the least bit patient, and if Kerori's gonna ask him upfront, they want dibs on the action too!
Iruma flushes. He's become slightly more aware at how unusual the hairbrushing habit had become between him and his friends. It's more intimate than he realized, but it's an established pattern. He panics. "What do you mean? Does everyone in our class want me to take time out of my day to help with their grooming?"
Lied is in his face, "YES! Absu-devi-lutely YES! We wanna be praised for our hard work too!"
Iruma blinks, "But what hard work have you done?"
Lied dramatically slams a fist on the table, "I don't know! I showed you Akudols! You didn't even know about them before!"
Jazz hummed, "But it was Asmodeus who explained what they were, not you."
Lied ruffles his hair in frustration while groaning.
Iruma has pity on them while scratching his cheek, "Well if all of you are so intent on it, write your names on the board and we'll make a rotating schedule of who gets their hair brushed." He feels a chill behind him, "With Kerori as first in line!" He laughs nervously, and she beams at him while skipping over to the board.
The rest of the Misfits join her, though Iruma pulls Asmodeus and Clara out while they whine at him, "Azz-kun, Clara. You don't need to put your names on the board! I plan to brush your hair everyday like we've been doing!"
They pause and tackle him in excitement. Seriously. Did they think he was going to give up an established pattern now? He liked when Asmodeus and Clara doted on him, and he enjoyed returning the favor.
Between the hairbrushing, and the games Clara played, Asmodeus was certainly warming up to the girl, even if he was still a little lost at times with her brand of chaos.
Soon enough ten names were written on the board, with Kerori first, and Sabnock at the bottom.
Iruma blinked at the name Purson Soi, vaguely recalled the fact that Kalego-sensei called for him during roll-call, and glanced around the class.
He just barely noticed the lavender haired boy before he disappeared.
Iruma stared at that spot intensely before turning to the board. Okay. Maybe cats could see ghosts, 'cause what the fuck was that!?
…Did ghosts want their hair brushed too..? Y'know what. Sure. He could roll with it.
He pulled out his phone, and was bombarded again by his classmates asking for his info, entering it, adding a chat app to his phone, and then creating a specific group chat for the daily rotation.
Iruma didn't know why his classmates were like this, but that was okay. They were all His, so taking care of them would become natural.
He did have one last thing to say about it though, "If you need a new brush from Clara, you gotta make it up to her for making you one, okay?"
There was a chorus of response as everyone agreed to his terms.
Iruma sighed, pleased with himself.
Hermod stretched and curled in the back of his mind. 'What an interesting pack you've obtained, pup.'
Iruma blinked at the thought, and smiled proudly. 'Yeah. They're all very unique… friends.'
xXx-xXx-dissolution-xXx-xXx
Henri had been thrown off of his trail of investigation when he'd previously gone to Babyls to come into contact with Lord Sullivan's ward.
It niggled in the back of his mind, a something-somewhere familiarity that kept him up late into the morning hours that evening.
He hadn't expected a particular file he kept in his home to partially burst into flame and die out shortly thereafter.
It seemed too coincidental for his taste. It was the file relating to Lord Sullivan's Security Devil. His hands had been thoroughly tied during that debacle. Between the cleanup of his own reputation, keeping Narnia from shoving his nose into that slop of muck, and generally raising his young daughter on his own, the follow-up had fallen behind.
Then the feline had given birth. Lord Sullivan hadn't kept his own tabs up-to-date, though it was understandable. However, the portal wasn't something they could allow, and after taking the innocent child from the second fiercest dog he'd ever known, he had walked forward with the whelp into the Human Realm alone.
Henri had handed the child off to two blue-haired young people. Far too pleased and happy with their bastard child to exploit as soon as possible, and returned to the Netherworld while sealing the path without a second thought for their wellbeing.
He'd then gone to pour over the investigation once more as the Security Devil fought for their life time and again, surgery after surgery, until the Hex team had deemed them capable of not being crushed by the weight of their Curses.
How bizarre the whole case was. What was even the point?
Why use the Security Devil to get at the Lord? To force a child into the world and steal them away?
Henri took the time to study old papers. Notes and documents by the medic team and recovery team. Piece by piece he re-evaluated the situation. Finally he picked up the frail contract. Before, there had only been one side decipherable to their tongue, yet, as he turned it over, suddenly a litany of new language had overwritten the old.
It is now even more damaged, but Henri can read the fine print the foolish humans had ignored.
They had broken their side of the contract somehow.
Suddenly Henri straightens his back, with wide eyes and a deep-set frown.
Baal had tipped him off, forcing him to detain the Lord.
His daughter accounts the fireworks that Iruma- no, Kiriwo Amy's Battler had created. The fire and brimstone Sullivan had prevented from falling from the sky and killing his own daughter and every last student there.
He had nearly been used to help murder his own daughter.
Henri sneered, he had enough control to set down the document.
If Baal was involved with both cases, it was possible he knew that the Curses had been lifted off the Security Devil.
But where the child had ended up was of great concern. A half demon running around in the Human Realm should have alerted them by now. Fluctuations of Mana should have been caught on their sensors.
Henri ponders over his thoughts once more.
It is too hasty. There is no proof. It seems entirely impossible.
Perhaps the whelp had been returned, and Sullivan's sudden acquisition of a grandson was simply coincidental.
Too bad not even the great Lord himself knows.
xXx-xXx-melody-xXx-xXx
Iruma is settled behind Kerori, a small bundle of nerves. He knows she tolerates him more since performing. Iruma ponders if she's moreso in hate with him than anything, but cautiously sets those thoughts aside to begin gently massaging her scalp and horns.
She squeaks in surprise and Iruma reassures her while pulling back his hands, "Oh, sorry about that! It's just part of the routine Azz-kun, Clara, and I have!"
Kerori blinks up at him, "You touch their horns?"
Iruma smiles uneasily with a nod, "Yea." It's funny, how the two tufts on Asmodeus's hair are actually where his horn base is. They're growing out a little bit, and he faintly wonders if his friend is going to grow out his hair.
Kerori hums, before nodding and relaxing her muscles, "I'd like that too."
Iruma grins to himself before returning to his ministrations on her scalp. He is gentle at first, but when Kerori shivers in a way that has nothing to do with the temperature, he changes his tactic and pressure. She hums and melts into it, and he is left a little embarrassed.
Still, he does a good job of it, even going so far as to press his thumbs along the back of her neck to get out the kinks hours of dance rehearsal brings to her muscles. She melts beneath him, and he is pleased that she likes it.
He pulls back a little before tapping her shoulder and wordlessly asking for her brush. It is new and fresh, light blue and glossy like her hair as he begins to cautiously run the bristles through.
She sighs while hugging her knees, "It's been a long time since anyone's brushed my hair."
Iruma hums, "Before I came here, I'd never experienced it before."
Kerori's posture straightens, but his brushing halts, and she forces herself to relax. He continues as she speaks, "That's sad."
"That seems to be how everyone feels about it that know."
She hums. It is depressing and her own problems seem paltry compared to that one declaration. He hadn't had any negative reaction to her problems, so maybe he really was just that kind..?
Kerori closes her eyes, breathes, and reaches out. She wants to cling to his Mana as she did her mother and grandmother's. His Mana barely flickers in confusion before fading. She opens her eyes, frowns, and after broadcasting her intention, turns around.
She observes him, and Iruma places the brush in his lap while holding the handle.
Iruma observes her with a questioning gaze. She is sucked into his deeper blue, and without thinking she has her claws clipped behind his jaw, lilting him towards her before coolness pulls over her skin. Iruma is lost at her proximity, and she dives in to press her mouth against his. He is rightfully confused, but she is bothered with her discovery.
This boy has very little Mana to offer- but not because he simply can't. If she can easily overwork herself with emotions, then he can cause himself to pass out with a simple Quan Quan. It makes no sense with what he's accomplished, but his Mana reserves are abysmal.
So she takes it upon herself to shove her Mana down his throat to open those pathways. She can feel them this close, how tightly bound they are. Something has made him this way, to be a weak, meek little thing. She will drag out his fierceness, the strength that his Mana can bring to his growing muscles.
He is a child who has not had his parent's Mana poured into him. He is starving.
No wonder he eats so much! He's compensating for the things he was starved of in the past. She won't ask questions. Kerori has merely decided to be the medicine that wasn't asked for.
Iruma digs his nails into her sides and they gasp in unison. She is on top of him in the grass, and he is breathing heavily, red faced, but still somehow more satiated than before as he blinks up at her bewildered while on his back.
Iruma feels cold, his lips, his fingertips, his nerves. There is a tingling, like a sleeping limb returning to waking. His blood is pumping too hot, and he knows, instinctively, that this isn't something she should be doing. He greedily took what she had to offer despite that, because the taste of her Magic is addicting, cool, somehow inherently blue, but also sweetly floral. Whatever this is she's doing is downright sinful, and he quickly realizes he doesn't have the nerves available for her to continue her onslaught.
His teeth barely chatter as he asks, "Wh-what are y-we doing..?"
There is a hesitance, a fear there that Kerori doesn't desire. She takes a moment to catch her breath while settled on top of him, "I'm waking up your Magic with my Mana."
Iruma blinks. He is a bit behind on decorum, but isn't that something meant for-
He frowns, "And you thought hair brushing was a bit much?"
Kerori gapes at him. He flushes at his smart mouth, but she buries her face into his neck with a whine, "You're not wrong but it's weird!" She pushes herself up and off to the side of him as she leans over him flustered, "Your Mana's all out of whack- your Magic is starving- That's why you eat so much, right?! To try and make up the energy for Mana that's somehow been kept from you by your parents, right!?"
Iruma has no idea, his facial expression broadcasts how little he understands about himself.
Hermod has been restricting his Mana all of these years so as to not be caught. He doesn't know this.
The Human Realm is also not a place flowing with Mana. It is a barren desert. Iruma has been utterly starved of even the smallest of basics.
Kerori felt this the moment she'd tried to touch his Magic. The wolf hadn't reacted.
Hermod knew it was time to correct the errors of their necessary protection. Time was of the essence on this.
Iruma had a chance to recover from his dual-sided hunger. He'd need outside Mana to fill his stomach, not simply food.
He, nor his caretakers, knew this.
Kerori took in a deep breath and sighed as she pointed at him with a stern look, "We will do this once a week. Make time for it, got it?"
Iruma blinks at her, but nods. Males do not deny the demands of females. "Got it."
Kerori smiles before helping him sit up. She wraps her arms around him and drags her fingers through the back of his hair with a light hum, "Thank you, again, for helping me the other night."
Iruma gives her a short hug back, "You're welcome." His voice is quiet and subdued.
She pats his head, he sighs, and leans into her while closing his eyes.
Iruma needed to do some reading.
xXx-xXx-derkila-xXx-xXx
Iruma learns the Transformation Spell Cherusil in class, only to go to lunch and have a problem the second Asmodeus and Clara gain distance from him.
The Spirit of the Ring on his finger manifests, and he immediately panics. Iruma hasn't used much Magic power, there isn't any need for the Spirit to come out and drain everyone around him. He glances around, "I need to go to grandpa-!"
"I'm not that hungry, though."
Iruma pauses, the Spirit pauses. "...You can talk?"
"Eh?" The silence is uncomfortable as the Spirit comes to terms with being able to talk, "Eh!? Wait, I can talk now!?"
The Spirit is quick to lose their mind to excitement, attracting unwanted attention. Iruma grabs the apparition and scuttles into an empty classroom, socially exhausted, as he abruptly settles himself with his knees drawn away from the door.
"So uh, I have no idea why I can talk now. But anyway, I'm the avatar of the Ring of Gluttony."
"I have no idea either." Iruma pushes himself to stand again. He is unsettled, and his wolf is silent.
Then Iruma gets an impromptu lecture from the ring, and his poor treatment of it-them? And his poor use of Magic. The avatar then explains how Magic works. Something he has been sorely missing the point of, as it uses Imagination.
Something he is, decidedly, not good at. The Avatar has him change their appearance first- the Spirit is annoyed with him in short order as his creativity is sorely lacking. The Avatar has him transform himself. Iruma tries color first, then clothing he's either worn or seen.
The Avatar challenges him with something he absolutely won't wear, and he recalls himself dressed as Irumi.
The Magic reacts strongly to his thoughts, and he finds himself clothed in a dress, embarrassed, with Ameri suddenly slamming through the door yelling at him.
She is aghast, he is aghast at being caught.
There is nothing but misunderstandings between him as she rushes off, and he is now labeled as crazy and perverse in Ameri's mind.
His social death is imminent, and the Avatar manifests beside him once more, nonchalant and a bit of an asshole for abandoning him in his hour of need.
He transforms his clothing back to his uniform and searches the school to the point of exhaustion. "How can I explain this to Ameri..?" He honestly wants to cry.
The Avatar manifests themself once more before tapping him on the nose, "If I were you, I'd say that it was my hobby, and kept the lie a secret 'till I died."
Iruma sniffs, "Where did you go, why did you abandon me..?"
The Avatar takes a moment before responding, "I am an Unknown, a mysterious sentient object that, if discovered, could be forced into an untold tale of experiments!" They hugged themself, "You should understand not wanting to be noticed, all things considered, Master."
Iruma reluctantly agreed. It was true.
Iruma still wants to find Ameri and explain the situation, but he decides to ask his grandfather about the Ring instead.
He goes to his office to explain the situation with the Ring. Sullivan has no idea what he's talking about, and orders Opera to put him to sleep, since he's clearly fatigued and delirious.
He ends up taking a nap due to Opera's short lullaby. It's embarrassing, and the Rink laughs at him on the way to the Library.
He finds a small amount of information, and Iruma then questions how the Ring came to have a consciousness.
"It was probably around that time, y'know?" Iruma hums in question, "When I dragged you towards that pervert and had you wring his neck since he was dangerous?"
Iruma is aghast, "That's what that meant!?"
The Avatar's memory is fuzzy, so Iruma begins to create a timeline. This is how they discover his awareness and power are linked to Iruma's Rank. Iruma's pleased by this discovery, so he plans to raise his Rank.
The Avatar is quick to rain on his parade by informing him that it'll make people notice him more, but that they're like two hearts beating as one. They're symbiotic to one another, and Iruma is quickly embarrassed by their use of "My Master" towards him.
The Avatar relents, "Then I suppose I'll just call you Iru-boy, if it bothers you so much."
Iruma smiles, "What can I call you then, Gluttony-san?"
"...Alikured… oh, or Ali for short!"
Iruma nods, and is pleased to have a new ally,
It isn't until later that night that Iruma remembers he never cleared up his misunderstanding with Ameri.
Hermod and Alikred stare one another down during the deepest dark of night. Ali nods. He won't touch the boy's measly Mana reserves- it'd be like eating his own tail. Hermod, by extension of that imposed rule, is safe as a Mana construct with consciousness.
Hermod settles, and Alikred plops down beside his sleeping young Master.
The boy had much to learn, but strangely, so did he.
xXx-xXx-charm-xXx-xXx
A/n: I'm not going to be posting for a few weeks, I work 12 days in a row. -laughsobs-
Please let me know if you enjoyed it!