Lost and Found

by YumeTakato

Opera had never believed themselves to be the parenting type- nor had they ever envisioned themselves in such a position. Eventually fate tears them away from their child, and fourteen years pass in fits and stops. Their Lord arrives with a thin human child and proclaims him his grandson. Yet, Iruma has his secrets, and he is unwilling to reveal his truth for the sake of freedom.

9. Cultivate and Harvest

There are a lot of chapters I won't be adapting:
The Mixer/Sabbath chapter- there is nothing to add, canon is fine.
The Demon's Manners/Ball chapter- This is, in my opinion, the moment where Azz and Ameri become allied/bond due to their mutual attachment to Iruma. There's nothing to really add.
Magical Street/The one who controls the Underworld: I don't recall how the anime adapted the start of this, but the level of spite Kalego has for his students, and his expressions are just so great in the manga. You can tell he's having fun making them suffer. X,D I have nothing to add to canon. It's a nice day out between Sullivan, Opera, and Iruma with a Delkira flashback.
Dream Date: I sadly have nothing to add here, other than that Iruma keeps his top on all day instead of taking it off for a little while while swimming/splashing around (?).

I am of the opinion that the Valac family is secretly related to the Fae. Since I'm not in any communities, I'd had no idea people speculated she was part Angel, which then made me recall some authors who'd hinted at that in their fics and it'd gone totally over my head. X,D

xXx-xXx-hiding-xXx-xXx

When Clara had invited Asmodeus and Iruma to her house to hide for a few days while the media hysteria died down, Asmodeus had known it would be a bit trying.

The Valac's are… Loud.

Certainly, he knew what he was signing up for when he agreed, and truly, he wouldn't allow Iruma-sama to go through such chaos alone.

It was just… Loud. And Busy.

He wasn't sure how he felt when her little brothers asked, in a poorly veiled whisper, which one of them was Clara's boyfriend. While he could feel a tiny pinch of pride that they'd like someone such as himself to have such an honor, he was more so insulted that they thought Iruma-sama wasn't just as fit for the role.

Not that… either of them were Clara's boyfriend.

It would be later, in a moment of (actual) privacy, that Clara would profusely apologize, and say it's because they brush one another's hair all the time, so their scents are intermingled with one another.

This, of course, caused Iruma-sama to go completely red and panic. Truly. He wasn't sure what he thought was happening when they were brushing one another's hair. They hovered around one another all day as it was! Iruma-sama always smelled more strongly of whoever else he'd groomed that day. Could he not tell..?

It had honestly been a little scary, now that he thought about it, when Iruma-sama had been with the Student Council…

Asmodeus had been a bit more occupied by the fact that Iruma-sama's scent was becoming more muted. By the end, he barely smelled like anything. (The same way he had when they'd first met, now that he thought about it-)

It was… a little funny when Clara had been embarrassed over her childhood photos. It was refreshing, really. She humiliated him all the time. It was a lovely payback.

Later he'd had to reprimand her little brothers for peeking on Iruma-sama while he was bathing. Boys their age liked privacy, and children shouldn't be peeking in on strangers in the baths. That was a crime in most places, and could be the start of more troubling habits that would be difficult to break as they got older.

Iruma-sama had kept a limb pressed to either himself or Clara after that for a time. A nervousness had settled into him that left his knuckles white under the table despite the pleasant face he was making for everyone else.

The brothers apologized. Asmodeus wasn't sure it was enough.

Asmodeus was so very thankful when it was finally time for bed.

Except Clara had to be absolutely outrageous and calmly call them over while patting her thighs.

Asmodeus Alice was not going to fall for a Lust Club trick. Lap pillows were one of the most embarrassing things-

He doesn't remember falling asleep. He'd been protesting and just… there had been a melody? He can barely remember hearing her voice before his memory faded out.

Asmodeus opens his eyes in the early morning. Clara is snuggled between them on her back as she holds them close. His head is on her shoulder, and Iruma-sama is across from him. They're both breathing softly, in the way one does while in deep sleep.

He grasps onto this momentary peace, the quiet. His heart swells with love and affection.

Asmodeus wouldn't mind waking up to this every day.

xXx-xXx-cultivation-xXx-xXx

Summer vacation is a swirl of experiences that Iruma holds happily in his heart. He's glad to finally return to school for the second semester, and is more than happy to see his classmates again.

Iruma isn't really impressed with everyone's showboating, and he, once again, mentally bares his fangs at his grandfather for declaring him as the savior of Walter Park. He can't escape that level of attention, no matter how he tries. It's going to follow him from now on.

Kalego begins class, and it is announced that the Misfits must all reach Rank Daleth (4) by the end of the semester, or they will all be expelled from Royal One. Iruma supposes that it makes sense, it's just… a lot to ask of them.

He's glad they don't have to manage such a feat on their own, but when Kalego introduces everyone else's paired instructors, Iruma and Lied pale at their Dark Lord of a teacher.

Kalego gives them a put out glare, "I won't be your instructor due to observing everyone's training. It'll be him-"

Robin-sensei.

When they get to the next day after the big announcement, everyone is swiftly dragged out of their regular studies off to their special lessons.

Lied and Iruma quickly come to the conclusion they're falling behind. Fighting spirit? Yelling?

Iruma's had more convincing Judo and Aikido lessons back in the Human World.

Meeting Bachiko is… something. Learning Sullivan asked her to help out though, is reassuring. She's strong, and if Robin-sensei had already asked for her help, then he also thought of her as capable.

She demands they get her into the mood to train them, so they become her servants. They carry her around the school. They buy her snacks. They repaint a wall at her demand (and get hit by the teachers for it. Iruma's never been hit by a teacher before-), and yet she still wasn't in the mood to tutor them.

She forces them to dress up like girls, sexually harasses them, and then demands they make her a dessert.

The fruity ground dragon was a total pain in the ass to harvest from, especially while wearing frilly clothes, but Iruma could handle it. Despite running around for a long time, he was fine.

Iruma eventually got annoyed, did a pinpoint turn, and leapt up at the beast. He took a page out of Opera-san's book, allowed himself to make full use of his strength, and kicked the beast under the jaw. The fruity ground dragon's head snapped back so hard there was a crack before it collapsed unconscious. Iruma landed, settled his petticoats, and extracted two strawberries from it.

When they came back with their bounty, only for Bachiko to say she didn't want dessert anymore and dismiss them, Iruma's mind went white.

He dazedly went to the kitchens while Lied trailed behind him, and Iruma shakily offered the berry to the nearest chef, "If you can use this, please do…"

Two kitchen staff took the berries, while the head chef rubbed their head, "Are you alright, Iruma-kun?"

Iruma gave him a weak and dazed smile, "I'm alright."

Lied still had spirit, but something seemed off about his classmate. Like, Lied was pissed, but Iruma seemed ready to have a mental breakdown. He was too pale to be 'alright.'

The chef smiled at him, "Would you like us to make a dessert for you with this? I mean-"

Iruma shook his head and responded softly, "No thank you. Opera-san would be upset if I spoiled my dinner with sweets." He turned and made his way towards Royal One to change back into his uniform.

Lied sticks close to Iruma, and once they've changed into their regular clothes, Lied drags Iruma into one of the nap rooms and forces him onto his backside.

Iruma is confused as Lied points at him with a screech, "Give! Me! Your! Brush!"

Iruma gapes at him, "Eh?!"

Lied gets in his face, his fangs bared in frustration, "Gimme your brush! I'm stressed out, and you look like you're about to fall into an Evil Cycle! Now GIMME!"

Iruma blinks before pulling out his brush and passing it to Lied, "I don't feel a Wicked Phase coming on, Lied-kun."

Lied clicks his tongue and positions himself behind his friend, "Well I see it, and your big brother's not gonna let that happen again."

Iruma frowns, "You're not the big brother, I'm the big brother."

Lied furrows his brow before tapping a clip, "I don't care. We can take turns being the big brother- whatever! But take these things off!"

Iruma stiffens. He'd rather not, but Lied is worried, and while his classmates have generally left his clips alone while brushing his hair…

It… would be nice to take a break. He wants to trust Lied- they're training together, and he hasn't even asked about his abrupt jump in physical strength.

"Promise me you won't tell anyone about this?"

Lied shifts into his point of view, puzzled. "About what?"

Iruma unclips his cat ears, and he intently watches Lied's reaction.

Lied's eyes widen. He- why was Iruma clipping down his horns?

Lied shifts to his knees as he settles in front of Iruma and gently grips his friend's wrists in concern, "Iruma, why're you hiding this?"

Iruma gives him an awkward smile, it's strangely tired in a way someone their age shouldn't be. "I didn't want the people who raised me to find out. I know Grandpa and Opera-san would accept it, but I'm so used to hiding them that I… I just can't get myself to let go of the habit of hiding them, that's all."

Lied is staring at him, he's- that's worrisome. Iruma doesn't act like someone who's had a horrible childhood, but if he thinks about the fact that Iruma declined food-

Lied pulls the other boy into his chest and hugs him tightly. Iruma squeaks, but Lied is fighting off tears. He'd made so many assumptions about the other boy! Clearly Iruma wasn't as he seemed, despite his cinnamon roll exterior.

Iruma gently hugs Lied back, "Uhm, sorry-"

Lied hisses, "There's nothing you need to apologize for!"

Iruma doesn't know what to do. He's still so unused to people being concerned about him, that it leaves him horribly lost when they show they care. He inhales deeply before sighing softly, as he lets his friend do as he pleases.

Eventually Lied releases him with a pointed lookover, before moving behind him. He keeps Iruma's brush close, but otherwise carefully puts his hands into Iruma's hair. The other teen barely flinches at his foreign contact before relaxing.

I'm safe. Lied wants Iruma to know this, as his heart bleeds for his friend. I'm safe and I'll protect you.

He isn't strong, but he will go beyond his limits for Iruma.

Lied carefully massages his friend's scalp, going in cautious circuits until he reaches those kitty-cat ears on his head. "I love cats."

It's an abrupt revelation from Lied, but Iruma perks up from being half asleep, "Mmh?"

Lied smirks to himself, "I can't have pets, but I've always liked cats. Honestly, you can never tell when a kitty becomes a cat- they're always just so cute and small."

Iruma smiles with a grin, "You're right. Kitties will always be kitties, even when they're old, they're just babies."

Lied nods sagely as he carefully rubs Iruma's cat ears, "You have cats at home, right?"

"Uhn, I like to play with them and teach them tricks, sometimes." Iruma chuckles lightly to themself, "There are times Opera-san joins in. It's really funny."

Lied raises an eyebrow, "They do?"

"Uh huh."

Lied hums, "You're happy with the people you live with now, right?"

Iruma shifts slightly towards him while staying still, "I do. I'm the happiest and healthiest I've ever been. I love grandpa and Opera-san a lot."

Lied nods to himself, before taking his hands out of Iruma's hair to press against his back with his arms wrapped around his shoulders, "If you ever need a place to go, if anything were to ever happen, you can always come to me, okay?"

Iruma smiles. Asmodeus, Clara, Sabnock, and Kerori were of the same mind as Lied when it came to him. "Okay."

Lied releases him to brush his hair, and the school day ends with little being done about their training.

xXx-xXx-cultivation-xXx-xXx

After several days, Lied finally gets fed up with Bachiko's abu-training, and bails for Robin-sensei. Iruma can't blame him, but he's holding out in hopes that there's a point to all of this.

"You're one hell of an idiot."

Iruma is stunned.

He goes through the rest of the day in a daze, while something builds in his gut.

What a bitch.

Iruma grits his teeth. He's so frustrated! He ignores Hermod- they aren't really wrong, but it's rude.

He calls Asmodeus, only to learn he's still training despite the late hour- even Clara's still training.

He's falling behind, he refuses to be considered a mindless idiot. He'll take charge of his actions.

Iruma's good at working for others! He has a plethora of actual labor jobs! He's perfect as a servant!

He just doesn't know how to please his Master just yet!

xXx-xXx-cultivation-xXx-xXx

The misfits hold a meeting two weeks into their training (sans Jazz and Allocer).

Everyone seems to be having a rough time in one way or another.

When Iruma explains his own training, everyone agrees he's just being bullied and not being trained.

Iruma still holds onto the hope that that's not true, and as everyone is summoned by their Masters for training, he goes to his own lesson while making a mental plan for the day.

"-Making a new weapon!"

Iruma stops as Bachiko appears on his back, "Huh?"

Bachiko pokes him, "Yu~up. We need to make one for training."

Iruma startles at her words, as well as the fact she jumped onto him so easily, "Eh!? Master?!"

Bachiko holds her hand in a very specific manner, "Yup! Your brand new weapon!"

She drags him off to Babyls Hills number 13 with a picnic already prepared. "Uhm, so what do you mean by weapon..?"

Bachiko huffs, "I gotta tell ya, the past several days were so fun, that I forgot all about your training! I was reminded this morning when Ss-Sullivan-sama brought it up!"

Iruma couldn't help the tiny flush of embarrassment. 'Wait, they were right!?' Hermod chuffs in the back of his mind.

Bachiko moves away from him with a warning to stay back, "There's really no point in training you, since I can only teach you one thing. I'm sure you've heard Robby and I are relatives." She summons a Magical Bow and Arrow, "My friend is the most powerful and cutest! This little guy! I'm the "Undead Archer," Barbatos Bachiko!"

She aims her bow of one hundred shots, "My arrows never miss!" She releases them in an explosion of pink fury as they hit their mark.

Iruma is left speechless. It's terrifyingly beautiful.

Bachiko explains her bloodline ability with a drop of history intermixed. Archers are a terrifying force that can turn the tide in battle. Many demons want the ability, but due to their fickle nature, just can't manage the focus necessary for it.

"If you learn this, you'd most likely pass into Rank 4… however, this weapon is unsuitable for demons!"

Iruma is flushed with excitement, his eyes are sparkling-

Bachiko is stunned silent. "What's with that face'a yours?"

Iruma grabs his cheeks, "Eh? Am I making a weird face?" This ability is perfect for him! "Are you really gonna teach me that awesome Magic, Master!?"

"Eh? Uh, if you're sure, we can start the first lesson. Let's go."

"Eh?"

"Told ya, we're gonna make your own weapon!"

Iruma follows her to the Magical Apparatus Battler- his own. She has no idea, and when he reveals that it's his Battler, she's annoyed and flustered he didn't say so sooner.

Iruma and the others have been cleaning the place up, yet when they enter, it's creepy.

Schnell reminds him he's alive and well. Iruma, silently, wouldn't mind hazing him again for creeping up the place.

xXx-xXx-cultivation-xXx-xXx

Iruma struggles to find the "core" of his bow.

The Leader of Cutthroat Valley's feathers are perfect, but he just can't get the right feelings into it, and Bachiko breaks every sad attempt he makes. She gives him an ultimatum and leaves to go shopping.

He understands her point, especially with the sort of exam the Harvest Festival is. He needs to be able to produce a tool without hesitation.

Iruma just doesn't have a great imagination for it.

He thinks and he thinks, but what sort of bow does he want..?

Food is his primary thought in life. It's sometimes difficult to think beyond that.

"You're thinking too hard." Iruma perks up at Ali's voice. "Just try to relax. And anyways, you can always change up your tutor if this doesn't work out, y'know? It's not like you NEED to master archery."

Iruma makes a strained face of dissatisfaction, "I don't wanna change instructors now, it'd be too frustrating! After all of her yelling and ridiculous errand running, even if it's just one word, I want Master to praise me!"

Ali sighs as he relents to his Master, "Ye~esh. Can't be helped I guess, so let's make this shorty's jaw drop!" Ali places his hands on Iruma's as the teen holds onto his last feather, "Iru-boy, what's your most embarrassing desire?! One you wouldn't want anyone to hear?"

Iruma flushes, "Embarrassing!? Why?!"

"Listen well, Iru-boy! 'Desire' isn't something isn't something pretty like 'being strong' or 'protecting others!' It's your true feelings you have buried deep inside! You have one, right? So spill!"

Iruma mumbles to himself while fidgeting, "...I'm not a demon like the others, but I want to be with them…"

Ali perks up, "Hmm? What was that? I can't hear you!"

"Augh…" Iruma takes in a deep breath, "I want to stand proudly next to everyone and become Rank 4 together with them, like a hero!"

Ali laughs at him, but he can feel the truth of his Desire, "That sure is embarrassing!"

"QUARTZ QUARTZ!"

A black glove encases his hand and forearm as it creates the curving swirl of his bow. A harness manifests around his chest and springs into two strong wings on his back. They aren't real, but they are more flight worthy than his own and it makes his heart race as he looks towards his Master standing in shock at the door. 'I did it!'

Hermod howls in pride in the back of his mind as Bachiko nearly bursts into tears and immediately investigates his bow.

She doesn't break it- it is truly his, and his alone.

xXx-xXx-cultivation-xXx-xXx

From the start of their training until the beginning of the Harvest Festival, it is a full six weeks. Everyone not only met, but surpassed their instructor's expectations, and thus, they were rewarded with even more hellish training.

Iruma did his best to brush everyone's hair (minus Jazz, Allocer, and Purson- the last simply never connected, which made Iruma a little worried). It was the only way he could cheer them up. Kerori didn't even have the strength to give him Mana, but that was okay. She needed every bit of it for their training.

She pouted at him about it and gave him the weakest punch in the hip joint for his kindness, before collapsing in his arms and napping for thirty minutes.

Iruma ran himself ragged for his training. Once he got the hang of actually attacking things instead of defending against them, it was easier to pierce through the cans Bachiko obtained as his target.

When the Harvest Festival arrived, everyone was run ragged, but they looked determined.

"To each their own hunt!"

He and Lied would be a great team.

xXx-xXx-harvest-xXx-xXx

The first half of the first day was spent getting used to the surrounding area and gathering food.

Iruma's high-survival mode went into full gear as Hermod internally directed him to what was edible and what wasn't.

Iruma knows he probably surprised Lied a bit with his intensity, but after he was reminded of his previous living conditions, he was thankful he could guide his friend through it. Adapting, saving energy, eating, all of these things were important.

(Playing around was kind of a bonus, but who was counting?)

It was while they were eating that something popped up out of the nearby bushes. Iruma jolted at the sound, and both boys froze at its menacing aura. It took Iruma a moment to realize who it was, and had to grab Lied from attacking, "Hold on, it's Clara! There's a name tag!"

-Iruma really didn't know what to think of that one. Though the strange stuffed suite was definitely on brand for Clara's aesthetic.

"You're right! Uhm, Clarin?! What're you doin'?"

Elizabetta appeared beside her, "Fufu~ you found us!"

"! Nee-san!" Lied panicked, 'They're here to steal our ingredients!' He turned to his partner, "Hey, Iruma-kun, watch out!?" Clara had Iruma by the arms, and Lied tried to grab him. "Iruma-kun!"

Iruma yelled as Clara dragged him off, while Elizabetta kept Lied from following.

It was a few minutes before Clara set him down, and they sat in silence.

Clara was a very active and loud person, so Iruma couldn't help but think he'd maybe made her mad because they hadn't been able to spend much time with one another. "Y'know, Clara… I'm-" The suite grabs his hand, and his train of thought derails, "Clara-"

He doesn't expect the suite to unzip and shove him into its belly.

It's dark, warm, cramped, and Clara's scent is concentrated here along with her Magic. It's buzzing along his skin, and he can't help but flush as the feeling of being pressed against her, while his senses are overwhelmed with the concentration of everything that is Clara.

She grins up at him, "I finally got you, Iruma-chi!"

Iruma's heart is pounding. This isn't good for him, after being separated for so long. "You surprised me!"

Clara perks up, "I know! This is Bakkun!" She wraps her arms and legs around him with a squeeze. She's so excited to be by his side after being apart for so many weeks. "I finally got to see you after so long~! Y'see, I've learned a lot from my training!" She loosens her grip and allows some space between them as he hovers over her, "That's why, Iruma-chi… Let me show you."

Iruma panics, "Eh? Huh?!" She leans upwards, and he can't help but mentally derail as he thinks she's going to kiss him-

And then she bonks his head, and of course she wasn't going to kiss him, what in the world had he been thinking?

"!? I'm? Tiny?"

Clara appears with some squirt guns, "Welcome to my Toy Box!"

Iruma forgets that he's in the middle of a survival exam, and the two play for hours, to the point that they both collapse from exhaustion. He's never played so much nor for so long. It's amazing and wonderful.

The small Iruma is soft and adorable as he snuggles into Clara's chest, "I love playing with Clara the most!"

Clara is charmed, and with a pouting flush she accepts their draw. "Well, I guess it can't be helped." She rolls onto her side while cradling him close. "I also think playing with Iruma-chi is ve~ery fun and exciting." She looks down at him with a love of pure affection, "...It's what I love the most."

Iruma is dazzled by Clara's love for him. She turns away, and Iruma can't help but reach towards her, "Eh, Clara-"

Zii~iip!~

Elizabetta appears before them, "Good morning~!"

Iruma blinks, dazed and back to his normal self. "-!? Wha!? It's night?!" He feels weak kneed as he steps back out into reality. "I can't believe so much time has passed…"

Elizabetta and Clara turn to him as his friend points at him with a challenge, "I'll let you off, for now!"

Iruma is flushed, with far too many thoughts and feelings to process as the girls run off with their bounty. "...Demon girls… are terrifying!"

xXx-xXx-harvest-xXx-xXx

It was the evening of the first night, and after discussing love, Lied and Iruma went to sleep.

This was all fine and well, until Lied woke up and needed to pee.

It was the Harvest Festival, it was dark, he didn't think it'd be a good idea to leave Iruma alone… so he did the logical thing and tried to wake him up.

He didn't expect the boy to burrow under his pile of leaves and hiss at him, with glowing gold eyes that reflected the light of the moons. Lied froze and went mute as Iruma's Magic pressed against him in warning.

Abruptly the Magic disappeared and Iruma pushed himself out of his blanket of leaves, "Oh, Lied-kun! Sorry about that, old habit!"

Lied shivered with tears in his eyes. 'I almost wet my pants!' "Habit?!"

Iruma rubbed the back of his head, "Ah, yeah, anyways, what'd you need?"

Lied slumped as he gripped his friend's sleeve, "I need'ta go…"

Iruma blinked before his face lit up with a chuckle, "Oh, too scared to go alone?"

Lied snapped at him, "I didn't want to leave you defenseless!"

Iruma blinked. He wouldn't have been defenseless, even in his sleep. He had Hermod-

Right, Lied didn't know about Hermod.

Iruma pushed himself to his feet and lent a hand to Lied to get up, "My bad, thanks for worrying about me."

Lied grumbled incoherently to himself as they walked away from their temporary camp.

xXx-xXx-harvest-xXx-xXx

The next morning after breakfast, Lied began to strategize, while pointing out that they had zero points.

Iruma had fallen too far into survival mode, and had completely forgotten about collecting points, so when Lied made the mistaken guess that he was aiming for the Legendary Leaf, he went with it.

Hermod howled in laughter in the back of his mind. (He was gonna be scolded for this by Master, wasn't he..?)

After discussing their base plan, Lied used "Controller" to locate Kamui and Kerori, so that they could find out the translated lyrics of how to find the Legendary Leaf.

They really should have thought about the fact that they were in a competition first, before waltzing into Kerori's "territory."

Kamui interrogates them, and after some back and forth on what they wanted, and how they'd found them, he turns to Kerori for her opinion. She asks what they have to have to offer in return, and while it isn't much, Lied tells her about their run in with Elizabetta and Clara.

The information is alright, but she makes them put on dresses and dance as a secondary payment for what they want, because…

Because Kerori is one step away from a Wicked Phase, and she needs to vent, and even though she herself is an Akudol, she also loves Akudol's as a fan.

The two boys are surprised by the request, but after everything they'd gone through with Bachiko… well.

It was quite easy to throw on the dresses Kerori produced for them and start dancing and singing for her.

Eventually she said that it was enough and had the beasts sing their song about how to retrieve the Legendary Leaf. Kamui handed over the lyrics, and Kerori gave them a parting warning, "Today was special! But the next time you ask me for something, I'll make you dance on a real stage!" She turns away from them happily, "Well, please be careful!"

The two boys strategize, and Iruma and Lied choose which part of the Legend they will focus on.

xXx-xXx-harvest-xXx-xXx

Alikred sang along to the lyrics of the Legendary Leaf as Iruma made his way down several stairs. Iruma chuckled lightly, "You're in high spirits!"

Alikred reclined in the air, "You're finally alone, so I can come out! Though… wouldn't it be safer to go in pairs?"

Iruma hummed, "Yeah, but we're kind of out of time, so…"

Alikred moved in front of him, "And who's fault is that?" He projects mini versions of himself as Ameri and Bachiko, "They'd be quite upset if they knew about you playing around with Clara! We lost so much Mana while you played with her!"

Iruma flushed and rubbed the back of his head, "Ah, uhm, yeah… sorry." Bachiko was gonna be pissed.

They continued walking, and Alikred couldn't help but notice, "Keep your danger senses up, it's getting darker, and there's a weird stench… Stay calm, no matter what!"

Iruma nodded while covering his nose. Whatever it was, it was making his nose burn, "Right, I'll make sure to keep a cool-" A cloaked figure got in his face and reminded him of the grim reaper back in the human world, "HEAD!?"

Iruma screamed, the cloaked figure screamed. The stench became overpowering and Iruma almost threw up as he plugged his nose and tried not to taste it with his tongue.

"Gyoo~ooo!" The figure wiggled, trapped in vines.

Iruma moved a little away from them to recover, before he thought about who the person was. 'That's right… that's…' "Mouthless-Nafra-san? … So there was someone else here looking for the Legendary Leaf…"

Alikred floated behind him where Nafra couldn't see, "Looks like they fell into a trap. That's the Gripping Weed, it got wet by the trap down there and they got stuck in it. If beasts find them, they'll be dead. …Though, that stench is probably keeping any beast away for now. Eventually they'll have to withdraw."

Iruma feels bad for them despite the horrible smell. Nafra starts flailing and making a loud ruckus, "Let's leave them, Iru-boy!"

Iruma ignores Alikred and climbs up the gripping weed, "Are you alright?" And frees them.

Alikred smacks him on the back of the head, "Ow!" "Are you crazy!? They're looking for the Legendary Leaf too!"

Iruma gives him a hopeful look, "But it looked like they were asking for help! And anyway, traveling in pairs is safer!"

…Alikred can't fight that one, and waves him off with a sigh, "A~ah, alright, I got it. You're a real pushover…"

Iruma finishes removing the weeds from Nafra, and they hug him in thanks. He nearly passes out from their smell, "I-I got it! Thank you! Le-lemme go!" His eyes are watering. It's so bad!

Nafra finally lets him go, and follows him as he makes his way down. Alikred points it out, but Iruma sticks to his excuse. "It's better to travel in pairs…"

Hermod won't even speak to him. The stench is too much for them.

They get through various traps and mazes before they find a unique room with a temple at the end of a corridor. Nafra follows him the whole way through, and he slowly acclimates to their smell, and he finds their added presence comforting. He thanks them, and he notices the Legendary Leaf upheld on a pedestal.

Iruma doesn't understand Nafra's warnings when he reaches the Seed. He goes to lift it, but his Danger Sense goes off, and barely manages to grab Nafra and dodge in time to miss being flattened by a massive hand.

The Genie Thoth introduces himself, and gives them two options. Fighting him, or telling him something interesting.

Iruma choses the latter.

xXx-xXx-harvest-xXx-xXx

Thoth is a being of all knowledge relating to the Netherworld, so after some quick thinking, Iruma asks, "Thoth-san, have you ever heard of Hatsukoi Memory..?"

The Genie is immediately interested, and thus, with Nafra's help, re-enacts an abridged version of most of the volumes Iruma's read to Ameri. He collapses, tired, and Thoth gushes about the story happily. The Genie rewards him with the 'Seed of Beginning,' and congratulates him, hoping to hear the story of his victory.

Iruma almost screws himself over by mentioning that there was more story to tell, but promises he'll tell him more some other time, and he gains Thoth's phone number.

(He never realized he has the phone number of one of the Netherworld's Deity's, and thus, never uses him to their advantage. Perhaps, one day, he will realize it.)

Iruma secures the Seed to his hip, and they begin to make their way out, thanks to Thoth's directions. A lot of time has passed, and Iruma has a small panic of morality in terms of splitting points between himself, Lied, and Nafra-san.

He decides to cross that moral-points-bridge when he meets back up with Lied.

Iruma realizes Nafra's scent isn't bothering him, and even goes so far as to sniff them. He can catch their normal scent now, and he walks off without realizing he's flustered Nafra by his actions. He's stuck, deep in thought, thinking about how this Festival has reminded him about his old life. The way his parents put him in danger, the struggle to survive the elements… all of those things were helping him get through this test more easily than it probably was for most of the others.

…Though, eating all of his points was kind of. Not good.

Iruma doesn't see how various beasts run away from them due to Nafra's smell.

He's stuck in his own thoughts.

'The Netherworld has so many fun and mysterious things, a lot has happened since I arrived here, but…' They reach a glimmering landscape of stalagmite and geometric stones. Iruma and Nafra are amazed by the sight of it all, and as they make their way towards the exit, Iruma wobbles.

Nafra worries for him, but he's fine. He's not sure what happened, but he brushes it off. 'It's my own decision to do my best here, and my heart is throbbing with excitement! That's why, I want more of this world!'

He is suddenly greeted by the vision of his parents, his mother chuckling, as they've made camp-

"AH?!" Iruma is. Shaken. How the hell had they gotten to the Nether-

Of course. They're his parents. Of course they managed to get to the Netherworld. His mother speaks, "I~ru~ma-cha~n! We've fou~nd you~!"

Iruma feels his blood drain, "Wh-how did you two get here..?!"

They tilt their heads as she responds, "How? On foot?"

Iruma doesn't want it to be true, but somehow, someway, they would find their way down to the Netherworld to get him back. Their little money-maker. Iruma's trapped between their arms as they excitedly dance around him. His mother sings, "We're outta money aga~in, so we're looking for more! Sounds exciting, right!?" They become looming shadows above him with glowing eyes, his father still ever-so-silent, yet even more terrifying-

His mother's glowing eyes curve in fiendish joy as she pulls her arm back to hit him again, "Let's go back I~ru~ma-cha~n, you'll do whatever your mommy and daddy ask, won't you, you little devil~?"

Iruma wants to throw up from the number of words and feelings he's always held back. He backs up and away from the apparitions, the deep pooling fear and despair his parents have heaped upon him throughout his whole life. He won't go back, he wants to tell them off for selling him, he-

Iruma flinches and tries to guard himself from the apparitions that seek to harm him with a scream, and falls back off the edge into the pit.

Nafra can't see what he's hallucinating, and can't save him as he falls swiftly out of reach while they scream after him.

They punch and yell at the ones who laugh and pride themselves for this folly.

xXx-xXx-harvest-xXx-xXx

Iruma slowly awakens on his back. His hair has fallen out of its ponytail, and one of his clips has fallen off. He notices it next to him and grabs it with an unsteady hand, before clipping his ear back down. 'It's about time to replace them, huh..?' He doesn't know where he'll get a new clip, at least, not one without too tight of a spring.

It was the one good thing about buying a cheap product. It might not last, but he could use it for a good while without injury.

"Where am I..?" He looks upwards, "I saw mom and dad, and…" Pain shoots up his leg as he flinches to look at the sight of injury, "OW!" He finally notices the wound. He's surprised that he was cut through his boot, "I'm wounded… and I need to hurry and get back!"

He hears sound, and he turns to see Asmodeus and Clara in their uniforms. Iruma shifts, excited and worried to see his friends, "Eh, why're you..? Did you guys fall too..?" Something is off, weren't they wearing something else..?

He reaches for them, and Asmodeus slaps his hand away, "Stay away from me, human." He sounds disgusted. Like Iruma is something worse than a bug. "Your Magic, your abilities, all of it was a lie."

Iruma panics, "Eh? That wasn't-!"

Asmodeus and Clara turn and walk away from him as she speaks, "I hate liars! I can't believe we brushed each other's hair!" Asmodeus ignores him as he speaks, "Don't ever speak to us again, you traitor."

Iruma feels lightheaded, scared, and devastated. He- he'd never meant to lie to them! It was just- how could he explain himself!? There were so many times before, when he could only think of how not human he was… only to end up in the Netherworld and think of how horribly human he was! "Please wait!" He needs to beg them for forgiveness, "You don't understand..!" He grits his teeth, his leg won't let him get up. He bows his head while on his hands and knees.

"It's obvious." Kalego's voice sounds pained behind him, making Iruma turn to him. Hermod stirs as the vision of his teacher speaks with an agonized expression that seems familiar despite how wrong it looks on his face, "It's impossible for humans and demons to co-exist. You don't belong here."

Sparks travel up his body, Hermod roars-

"Iruma-kun~!" Iruma turns to Sullivan's sing-song voice, misses the way the apparition of Kalego fades away as Hermod manifests and eats through it. He's too focused on his grandfather and Opera- they can keep everything from falling apart-!

"I'll make sure to return you to your parents, since they came to pick you up." Iruma's heart nearly breaks at the sight of his grandfather reaching out towards him, morphing into a terrifying black shadow along with the vision of his parents behind him, "Now Iruma, let's go home together!"

Iruma screams, he scrambles to run and falls onto the ground. He pushes himself up- his leg hurts, he hides from the wandering shadow and collapses, a shivering mess as tears gather in his eyes. 'They would never… they would never say such things..! This must be an illusion, I'm sure of it..!'

There is a silent brush. A coolness that seems to come from within. His Magic clings to that 'hand' as a lifeline. The throbbing heat of his leg becomes tolerable. There is a faint whisper of worry that is more feeling than words, 'What's wrong..?'

The feelings he wants to send back, he can't grasp them. He's trembling. He knows what he's seeing isn't real, and yet… 'I can't move..!'

He thinks back to before, when he had to mostly rely on himself. He'd been so used to being alone and self-sufficient…

The worst thing that could happen to him, would be to lose the loved ones he's gained while being in the Netherworld. His friends, his new family, they are all so important to him, that to separate from them and return to solitude would be unbearable. He pulls his knees up to his chest while weeping, "I'm so lonely…" He can't help but sob, "Augh, please… don't leave me behind…"

A light illuminates the darkness of his thoughts, "Geez, really? Y'know, you really are an idiot beyond repair." Iruma looks up to his Master who is looking at him with her usual brand of annoyance, "Have you forgotten what I've taught you!?"

The vision disappears, and Iruma's heart settles into hope. He pushes himself up despite the tears and the pain, because his Master taught him not to fall back. 'I'm an archer! I will pierce right through this terror!'

'The thing I fear most, isn't my parents or that beast. It's being separated from the ones I love, so I will destroy this fear with my bow!'

He takes a calming breath before aiming with focus, "I will protect the place I belong! Pierce through, Suzuki Iruma!" He releases his arrow, and pierces through the veil of his terror and grins. "I will live in the Netherworld."

Iruma feels his strength leave him as he flops down in exhaustion. "Oh! …Recoil from the bow..?" He rubs the back of his head, "Guess it's just relief, huh..?"

There is an injured spider creature, and Iruma realizes that the illusion had made it into his enemy and calms down. He chuckles lightly, "I see… Alright! The festival isn't over, so I have to get back!" He thinks of his classmates and hums while folding his arms over his chest, "And then, I'll prove that I can stand by everyone, even if I'm human. It's my big chance!" He checks the area around him, to make sure no one can hear him, "Hm~ even I can be a bit demon-like.. Because…" He mumbles to himself, "I'm human."

He ties back his hair and pumps himself up, "This festival shows who the strongest demon is…" He licks his lips while pressing a hand over his heart, "So I'm going to win this!"

xXx-xXx-harvest-xXx-xXx

Iruma sighs, "I want to see Azz-kun and Clara." He's self-motivating with this mantra while trying to find a way to climb back up.

Alikred leans on his head heavily, "How many times're you gonna say that?"

Iruma can't help but chuckle, "Well, it kinda makes me feel better…" He's fallen a long way down, and with his wings as useless as they are, he's gonna have to do it the human way.

Unfortunately, his leg doesn't make it any easier. "I fell just before the exit, so I think I can climb out…"

Alikred hugs the Legendary Seed, "You fell alright, you're lucky I was around! I protected you while you were hallucinating, and even picked up the Seed!" He floats beside Iruma, "That sure was some nasty spell. It's fortunate you broke free!"

"Thank you, Ali-san!" He reaches upwards to test if he can pull himself up, "But… thanks to all of that, I know where I belong! So I have to get back!"

Alikred observes his charge before sighing lightly to himself, "...Right, but how're you gonna do that!?" He hides behind Iruma as Nafra appears upside down in his face.

Iruma and Nafra scream at each other in surprise, before Iruma catches his bearings, "Wait, Nafra-san, you came down to find me?"

Nafra nods before pointing to their wings. Iruma gives them an awkward smile, "Ah, I uhm, injured them when I fell, so I can't fly." Nafra furrows their brow before flying behind him to attempt to lift him up. They don't get very far before they exhaust themself. "I'm sorry… My leg is injured too. Nafra-san, it's okay… you can leave."

Nafra rummages through their collar before pulling out a part of the gripping weed. Iruma's surprised, "A gripping weed! You kept it!?" Nafra wags their finger at him, as if it were elemental, and also pulls out a watering can. He's surprised that they have one before he pauses, "Wait, why do you have a watering can..?"

Nafra pours water onto the gripping weed, and it shoots up the high pillar Iruma had been attempting to climb.

He makes an attempt at it, but his leg throbs. The cooling sensation from earlier is long gone, and there's no way he can climb it in his present condition and make it back in stares at his leg injury, and suddenly a Memory comes back to the forefront of his mind. He picks up Nafra and tucks them under his arm, "I have an idea!"

'This is the Netherworld, and I'm Human, which means..!' "We're gonna climb this in seconds, using my own Magic!" He cuts his exposed finger with a fang and splashes a drop of blood onto the gripping weed.

'I will break through all hardships..!'

He barely has time to grab on when the weed explodes to life, traveling upwards as they break through not only to the surface, but high above the festival arena. He's exhausted from holding onto Nafra and the weed, panting, when he notices a camera. "Ah, camera-san?" He waves at it, "Suzuki Iruma, here! I made it!"

xXx-xXx-harvest-xXx-xXx

Iruma gets scolded by Kalego through the camera, after telling Lied to meet up.

In retrospect that wasn't his brightest move, but he was overwhelmed and too high on adrenaline to think straight.

"Are you hurt!? Where's your harvest report? Are you withdrawing?!" Iruma can tell he's stressed out his teacher.

"Eh? Ah, no! I'm gonna win!"

Kalego can't help but explode at that, "If that's so, then hurry up and get back to harvesting, you zero-point brat!"

Iruma covers his ears for a moment before remembering, "That's right! I have zero points… we need to regroup! Let's go!" He thinks about how he'll get down as the camera turns around and flies off. He looks to Nafra, before making a decision as he lowers himself to their level, "Hey, can you help me fly..?"

They look up at him, "A-gyuu?"

He gives them an awkward smile as he releases his wings. They have necropsy scales in random places, and they now know that he's fibbed with them earlier. "Can you help me glide down..?"

Nafra is a little upset, but they're more upset about the natural state of his wings. It's understandable that he'd fib about it. They nod, and float up behind him. "If you can't help me to a clearing, I'll have to pull them back in before we hit the tree-line, okay?"

He can feel Nafra nod behind him as they grip his harness, so he hops off the side of the mutant gripping weed, and they descend with a somewhat controlled speed into a small clearing.

Iruma immediately pulls in his wings when they touch the ground, and turns to his ally. "Sorry I lied about my wings earlier…"

Nafra stayed afloat in thought for a moment longer before allowing themself to land gently on the ground. They hummed, before lightly whapping his knee. "Mph!" They pulled back and gently patted his thigh, "A-gyay."

Iruma smiled at them, "Thanks." He then turns to head towards the lover's statue where he and Lied were supposed to meet up. It takes a little time, but finally he regroups with his friend, "Lied-kun~! Did you find the pot?"

Lied slowly turns to him, "I found it… I found the pot of ending, but…" He turns to him fully, sobbing with an empty hand, "It got stolen!"

"EH!?"

Lied moves over to him and cling-hugs Iruma crying his woes of how mean Elizabetta was to him and crushed his feelings while stealing the pot. Iruma flops onto the ground, and comforts his friend while rubbing his head. Lied cries, "That wasn't our usual nee-san!"

Iruma blinks as he thinks about his own trial earlier, "You're right, that might have been an illusion."

Lied startles, "Illusion!?"

Iruma raises a clenched fist, "You see, when I was underground, I saw something unpleasant too! It must be someone's Magic! Anyway, let's find Eliza-san to be sure!"

Lied nods enthusiastically, and begins to use Controller to locate their classmate.

Lied stiffens oddly and causes Iruma concern, "Lied-kun, are you alright?"

Lied lifts a hand, "Hold on, be quiet." He's hit the jackpot!

He cries while listening to the girls converse in the bath as he clasps his hands together and bows, "I'm… I'm so glad I was born with this ability!"

Iruma startles, "A-are you crying!?" What in the world is going on? "Are you okay?"

Lied waves a hand at him, "Yes I'm fine, so be quiet." Kerori begins to spin her plan to Elizabetta and Clara, so Lied pays full attention.

Iruma notices blood drip from Lied's nose, and wonders if the poor guy's had an aneurysm from focusing too hard, when Lied abruptly slams his fists on the ground and screams, "I'm not a pervert!"

Iruma has no idea what to think. "Lied-kun?!"

"Oh no, I lost focus! But.. now I know where nee-san is! Let's go!"

"Ah, yes!"

Lied abruptly notices Nafra, "Wait, who's that, and why do they stink!?"

"Gyoo!"

xXx-xXx-harvest-xXx-xXx

By the time Iruma and Lied meet up with Elizabetta and determine the pot was stolen by someone else, Lied discovers the missing Clara's in danger. "I found Clara, but this is bad! Orobas is right behind Clarin!"

Iruma wants to run there immediately, "We have to go there now!" He doesn't want her to suffer under an illusion like he did!

Lied grimaces, "Yeah! But it's far away… and it's too hard to fly in this dense forest!"

Iruma refuses to give up, "We can run-"

Kerori interrupts him and puts her foot down, "You won't make it in time. I'll lend you my guards, so hurry and go!"

Iruma takes her up on her offer, forgetting his earlier promise about dancing on stage, "Thank you!"

Iruma and Lied take off towards Clara's location, and after Lied uses one-shot focus, they make it to a clifftop. They can see Clara sitting limp in front of a monster, still too far away from their position. 'She's already under his spell!' She's in danger. Iruma needs to save her. It's too far. They can't make it in time.

Iruma touches his feather and doubts himself. 'It's too far. It's my last feather. I'll miss. What if I hurt her? What should I do? What should I do?!'

He takes in a deep breath, regains his determination and creates his bow, 'Don't just stand there thinking, if you're an archer… make up your mind when it matters most!'

"My arrows never miss!" He shoots through the monster, and he and Lied swiftly make their way to Clara's position. 'Master… I'm so glad you taught me to be an archer!'

When they finally catch up to her, Clara turns to him and runs into his arms sobbing, "Iwuma-chiiiiii!" She repeats his name over and over as she rubs her face into him, "Iwuma-chi, Iwuma-chii! You called me a nuisance and wouldn't play with me and you wanted juice and uuuwwwaaaaaaaahhhhhh!"

"What juice?!"

Orobas approaches them from the treeline, "You again, Iruma!?" The boy's aura is deep and dark with frustration. "You lot keep getting in my way! Unforgivable!" He rants and raves while threatening as Iruma tucks Clara into himself to protect her, "I'll drown you in your deepest nightmare!"

And suddenly Asmodeus is there, fire in his hand as he punches Orobas and engulfs him in a burst of flame. "I don't care about you being second place, but I won't allow you to lay a finger on my friends!" Asmodeus turns towards Iruma, "Sorry for the wait, Iruma-sama."

Iruma brightens, "Azz-kun!"

Camera-san interrupts them, "Devi- Asmodeus Alice is disqualified!"

"Eh, disqualified?!" Iruma forgets for a moment as to why.

Orobas gleefully explains how Asmodeus messed up, but the white clad demon doesn't care and punches Orobas with a fire-laced punch again and threatens him lowly. "If you lay a finger on anyone from the Misfit class or Iruma-sama, I will fly out from the spectator's tent and burn off your head." He pulls back, "Keep that in mind."

The camera is flapping frantically nearby, "Asmodeus Alice, go to the dropout tent immediately!"

Asmodeus nods, "Alright."

He is held in place, and Iruma and Clara cling to his coat. It hurts his heart, they're looking up at him in desperation. He's trying to stay cool. He loves them so much-

Clara tugs again, "Azz-azz don't go!"

Iruma chimes in, "T-that's right! You were just protecting us, I'm sure they'll…"

Asmodeus sighs as he pats Clara's head as she clings to his side, "I did what I had to do… So now, I will entrust my feelings to you, Iruma-sama. You are the only one worthy of the Young King's crown." Asmodeus places a hand onto his chest as he somehow becomes sparkly, "Besides, I've been a Rank Daleth (4) this whole time. When this festival is over, let's celebrate. Just the three of us, at my house!"

Iruma's eyes widen as he smiles, "Yeah!" The three fistbump, "It's a promise!"

xXx-xXx-harvest-xXx-xXx

After realizing someone saved Orobas, Lied tries to figure out what they could still do. "Without the pot, the seed won't grow! We can't win!" Lied is out of Mana, so he can't track where Orobas was taken. "You're exhausted too, and the festival is almost over. There's nothing left for us…"

"Let's keep going. A lot of people have entrusted their feelings to us. We can't despair. Let's hurry." Iruma's still prepared to try, but the moment he tries to walk he flinches and falters.

"! It's impossible with your leg!"

Iruma tries to force his will, what's the point of giving up now?! He refuses, "But… I don't want to give up now! It's just too frustrating!"

A teacher pops out of the brush, "Exactly."

Lied and Iruma panic as they approach, "We're not withdrawing!"

The teacher smirks, "Frustrating indeed." They reach towards their face as static charges the air, "We feel the same way. We started thinking, thought a lot, and came up with a plan. Those who think they've already won, are the easiest to deceive. If they trick you, trick them back." Allocer pulls away his disguise as he presents Lied's pot, "It's the cunning ones who win in the end."

Iruma and Lied gasp as Allocer explains the plan he and Jazz devised for their revenge against Orobas. "Just like that, now it's in my hand. The 'pot of endings.' And this…" He plops it into Iruma's hands, "Is for you."

Lied and Iruma panic, "Are you sure!?"

Allocer hums, "No prob. There's not much time left, and there's no point in me having it… and it just wouldn't be the same to win without Jazz. We're a team." He gently presses the pot into Iruma's hands reassuringly, "Faith will move mountains. Make the Misfit class win this."

Iruma pauses as he pulls the pot towards himself, "Okay!"

xXx-xXx-harvest-xXx-xXx

Iruma and Lied stare down at their ingredients. "Finally, it's time… Let's bloom the Legendary Leaf!"

Iruma places the seed into the pot, and then they stare at it. It does nothing.

Lied recalls their first lesson and places his hand over it while channeling a few drops of Mana, "I'll make you grow, Legendary Leaf! Quan Quan!"

Nothing happens.

Lied's horns droop as he sighs before screaming, "I was wrong, wasn't I!?"

Iruma jolts, "Huh? Oh, yeah! You were!"

Lied flies into him sobbing, "What is it three~~nnn!? The festival is almost over!"

Iruma feels helpless, "There's nothing in the song, what should we-" Nafra uses their watering can to pour water on it, "-do?" Iruma runs over to them, "Nafra-san, what're you-!?"

The leaf begins to glow and open a little. Nafra turns to them, "Gyoo!"

Iruma and Lied realize what they're trying to say. They both reach out, "Quan Quan!"

They don't have enough Mana. Iruma goes to use a higher mode on the ring, but Alikred has no more Mana. However, he realizes Clara has a crazy amount of it.

Iruma turns to Clara and reaches for her, "Clara! Lend me your strength!"

Clara grins and grips his hand as Iruma and Lied try one final time, "Quan-Quan!"

The Legendary Leaf sprouts and a black fog pools out of it, encasing their vision, as Iruma snaps his eyes open to a hand grasping his shoulder before a voice speaks over his shoulder while hands move to cup his face, "So it's you."

"Eh?" His heart is thudding notably in his chest-

Iruma goes to turn, but Lied interrupts him by coughing and waving away the smog, "What the heck was with that black smoke? More importantly, did the Legendary Leaf-?"

Boink

Iruma and Lied have no idea what the fuck that plant is… but it wasn't what they expected to be Legendary.

xXx-xXx-harvest-xXx-xXx

The Harvest Festival comes to an end, and Iruma and Lied carry the Legendary Leaf to the submission station.

They arrive, and it's honestly a little embarrassing. They know it's the Legendary Leaf, but with the murmurs, they can't help but agree that it's unbelievable.

Balam-sensei and Suzy-sensei run over in excitement as they examine their specimen, "Ah! It's exactly as it's described in the books!" "This stupid face and annoying face! It's definitely… the real Legendary Leaf!"

Dali-sensei asks if the points should be divided, but Nafra and Clara both decline any points, as they want Iruma and Lied to win.

And they would've won, had it not been for Orobas having 58,000 points.

The crowd screams in excitement as Orobas is declared the winner, and Iruma feels nothing but frustrated disappointment.

Jazz pops up between Iruma and Lied, and interrupts the celebrations, "Objection!" He leans forward, pondering, while grasping Iruma's shoulder. "Well, thinking about it, I'm sure there's a mistake in the calculation. When divided in half, the Legendary Leaf is 50,000, but wasn't the pot alone 20,000?"

The teachers panic and recalculate. They were hasty in their excitement, and re-evaluate the points. "Iruma and Lied turned the tables! They win with 60,000 points! They are the new Young Kings!"

xXx-xXx-harvest-xXx-xXx

Everyone celebrates Iruma and Lied's victory. Orobas apologizes for his behavior, and there are no hard feelings between him, Iruma, and Lied. Ameri congratulates Iruma, and it's revealed that Nafra is part of the Student Council, and was acting as a secret character for the Legendary Leaf quest.

All in all, the quest was… pretty shitty.

But its purpose, to find the least demon-like demon… well. Iruma fit that role a little too well-

The Legendary Leaf congratulates them all, and blooms into a flower the Netherworld had never seen before.

…Of course, there was no way to know that a student would come along before the quest's completion, and bloom a sakura tree well in advance. It didn't make the sight any less breathtaking, but it was a little bit…

Iruma couldn't help but internally apologize for the unintended one-upping of the scenery.

"Iruuummmaaaa-kuuuunnnn~~!" Iruma jolts at the sound and touch of his grandfather as Sullivan sobs while hugging him, "Congratulations on winning!"

Iruma is pressed into Sullivan's chest, and Iruma hugs him back happily, "Grandpa~!"

Sullivan sniffs as he uses a hanky to wipe at his eyes, "I saw everything! I was so moved!" He settles on the ground with Iruma, and they gaze up at the flowers, "The person who created this festival probably wanted to show this to everyone…"

Iruma pulls back as Sullivan moves to stand. The teen can't help but try and butt in, "B-but those flowers are-"

Sullivan hums with a nod, "Yup! The perfect scenery!" He turns dramatically to Iruma and Lied, "Now stand next to the beautiful flowers, students who have just finished their trial!" Iruma and Lied startle and point to themselves, "Yes, you two! Line up, line up!" Sullivan snaps his fingers, and the two are gifted crowns and capes for their efforts. Sullivan pulls out a mic, "Now let's move on to the award ceremony and rank announcements!"

xXx-xXx-harvest-xXx-xXx

Sullivan gives a short speech of their achievements, and after covering their horns and fangs, Iruma and Lied are promoted to Rank Daleth (4). Kalego then moves on to announce the others who have risen in rank during the festival. Other teachers also join in on those who had shown outstanding ability during the festival and granted their own rank ups. All in all, several members of the Misfits class rose in rank, and Iruma couldn't help but be proud of them.

Sullivan took center stage one last time, "This marks the end of our great festival, cheers to these demons!"

The crowd of students cheer, and Iruma and Lied meet back up with their classmates.

Each pair of Misfits are approached by their Master, and Iruma and Lied are left wondering where their own Masters are.

"I can't find Master Bachiko…" Iruma wants to see her, and then something heavy lands on his shoulders.

"Su~up!"

Iruma's leg screams in pain, reminding him his injury is still present, but he's startled by the body that's jumped him, "Wah?!" She wraps her legs and arms around his neck and he's pulled back while choking, "M-master!"

Bachiko can't help her grumblings, "Iruma, you bird-brain! What the hell was that first day!? What were you thinking eating all'a your ingredients!?" Iruma tries to get a word in but fails, "I told you to think! Yet you ignored all of my advice!"

Iruma shifts to look back at her, "Not all of it!"

Her hair drapes forward and she gets in his face with a huge smile, "Seriously, you are one stupid student." She shifts and points her fingers in her archer's stance while rubbing his head, "Great job, Iruma."

Iruma gasps as he happily holds her legs for balance, "Yes!" He's full of happiness and joy. The pain in his leg doesn't matter at the moment. He's just so very happy that Bachiko said he'd done a good job.

Bachiko pauses and pats his head, "Iruma, where's your crown?"

"Ah, Lied took it!"

Bachiko clicks her tongue, "Get it back!"

Iruma moves forward, "Yes ma'am!"

He gets about ten steps in before his leg has had enough and gives up on him. He squeaks as he barely manages to keep from launching Bachiko off of his shoulders. Bachiko digs her hands into his hair, "Iruma?!" Iruma settles, and Bachiko slips off of his shoulders while looking him over critically, "...Are you hurt?"

Iruma grasps his injured calf with a wince, "Yeah, I uh. Kinda forgot for a moment."

Bachiko clicks her tongue, there is a strange smell that is both revolting and horribly sweet, and she mildly panics as she grips his bicep, "Was it poisonous?" Poison can smell sickly sweet like that-

Iruma shakes his head, "Ah, no. Uhm, if you could get Balam-sensei, he can patch me up." He chuckles awkwardly while rubbing the back of his head.

Bachiko grabs his collar and pulls him close, 'You're not dizzy, or nauseous, are you? You're not hiding anything else, right!?"

Iruma blinks up at her, "...I think I cut it on a rock. So no… I'm just really hungry."

Bachiko blinks at him before exhaling heavily, "Fine, but Balam will know if you're lying!"

Iruma chuckles, "Got it."

Bachiko huffs, and after one last look over, she runs off to grab his requested teacher.

Iruma settles back on his legs with a soft sigh as he watches the sakura petals flutter down around him. It's peaceful, and it gives him a moment to think over the past four and a half days. He glances around and wonders, 'Where's Opera-san..?' He hadn't noticed them at all during the ceremonies. Did they go home..?

"Iruma-kun!"

Iruma startles at Balam-sensei's voice, and sits upright, "I'm here!" He waves, and Bachiko is right on his heels. She's determined to see him well, and Iruma supposes he can't hold that against her. He should've mentioned his injury to his grandfather earlier.

Balam-sensei shifts his mask while looking down at him critically, "You should have said something earlier, Iruma-kun."

Iruma chuckled lightly, "Yeah, sorry about that."

Balam-sensei sighs softly before he bends down to pick him up princess style. Iruma lets him, he really doesn't feel like trying to prove he's fine when he is pretty tired…

Balam-sensei hums as he carries him to a small tent off to the side, his voice soft, "I'm surprised no one else is bothered by the smell…"

Iruma blinks, "Eh?"

Balam-sensei glances at him, "Your blood has a strong odor, but maybe it's simply because you've all been fighting for so long that no one's bothered to note how off your blood smells."

Iruma can't help but flush at that. He really should have thought of that earlier, "...Oh."

Balam-sensei sets him down and pulls up a prepared first aid kit. Bachiko settles by the entrance, both entranced by the smell of Iruma's blood, and terrified that something is horribly wrong with him. Balam carefully removes Iruma's boot and rolls up his pant-leg to view the injury. He can't help but frown at it- it's deep, but it seems to be healing a little on its own. He shakes his head and pulls out disinfectant.

Iruma winces while trying to not hiss at the pain of the anti-septic. It burns, but it's needed. He hopes it was a clean cut, or he'll have problems later.

It takes about five minutes to fully clean the wound, before Balam cautiously uses a healing spell on the area of injury. They can't risk anyone else smelling Iruma's blood, and he doesn't want to disappoint Opera by not fully taking care of it.

Healing spells aren't natural for him either, but he learned them during his grieving period after Opera's near death experience. He couldn't sleep without gaining as much knowledge he could to prevent such a thing from happening to them again.

When he's finished, Iruma carefully rubs his hand over the sealed wound. It feels bruised, but it's still much, much better than before. Knowing it won't continue to bleed, and that he won't entice anyone to eat him due to the smell of his blood, is a relief. He smiles, "Thank you Balam-sensei."

Balam nods while settling back. Iruma fixes his pant leg and puts his boot back on.

Iruma shifts to stand, but Balam lifts him up for a moment before settling him on his feet, "Don't overdo it, alright? It's not completely healed, okay?"

Iruma nods, "Yup! Thank you Balam-sensei!"

Balam nods and waves him off. Iruma runs over to Bachiko and grabs her hand, "Let's go get my crown back, okay Master?"

Bachiko has questions, but she smiles and follows him out of the tent and away from that smell, "Let's go!"

xXx-xXx-celebration-xXx-xXx

Iruma grabs Asmodeus and Clara, and drags them over to the seat that's been prepared for him for the celebration banquet. They are more than happy to stay glued to his side, and he can't help but want to squeeze them close. He'd been so lonely, and his living nightmare made him far more aware of how important they were to his well-being.

Slowly, each Misfit came to crowd around them. Sabnock with Kerori, Gaap and Agares, Jazz and Allocer. Summoning Kalego-

Well. It was lively, and he ate whatever was offered to him by his classmates. He hugged all of them, and before leaving for the night after changing back into his school uniform, Kerori snagged him for a moment of privacy.

Iruma blinked as she pulled him into a corner while Asmodeus and Clara waited nearby, and whispered, "Are you alright..?"

He was confused, "Huh?"

Kerori pursed her lips while studying him before elaborating, "I felt… You were absolutely terrified out of your mind for a moment. I…" She flushed a little, "I reached out because I could feel it. Are you really okay now..?"

Iruma's eyes widened, 'So that was real..?' He hugged her tightly for a moment, causing her to squeak before hugging him back. "...Uhm, yeah. I saw an illusion and… I don't wanna talk about it, but I'm okay now. Being around everyone helped a lot."

Kerori slowly relaxed in his arms, and with a soft sigh, patted him on the back, "Alright. I just wanted to make sure." She lets him go, and he backs off as well.

Iruma gives her a genuine smile and waves before running off, "Be careful on your way home!"

Kerori nods and waves goodbye as well, "Yeah, you too."

Asmodeus and Clara give him confused looks, but their intrigue is swiftly forgotten when he tightly grasps their hands.

xXx-xXx-celebration-xXx-xXx

Asmodeus and Clara bring him home and drop him off at the gate, and with a promise to text them if he gets lonely, they part ways.

Iruma makes his way towards the front door slowly, "That was fun~, and in the end, I was able to talk to everyone like always…" He pauses to look upwards in contemplation at the moons. He sighs softly, "Like always, huh..?" The moons are so dazzling and bright, and so very different from the Human Realm-

"You'll get cold if you keep standing there." Iruma nearly screams while clutching his hands to his chest at the sound of Opera's voice behind him so suddenly.

He didn't hear them at all! "Agh!"

Opera moves around them, and with a short backwards glance, Iruma is quick to take their cue to follow them.

Opera holds their hands behind their back as they greet them at the door, "Did you have fun at the party?"

Iruma brightens, "Yes! I had a blast!"

Opera's tail waves slightly behind them happily, "I'm glad, we were also preparing-"

Sullivan interrupts them and lifts up Iruma while spinning him around happily, "I~ruma~kun~! We'll throw a party to celebrate your victory too! We've prepared food, and the decorations sparkle~!"

Opera clears their throat, "Sullivan-sama."

Sullivan settles Iruma back down onto his feet with a cough, "There's a lot to talk about, but we have something to say first." Iruma is intrigued as his grandfather moves beside their butler, and both reach out to take each of his hands.

Opera smiles at them warmly as Sullivan continues to speak, "You did a good job during the long days of the Harvest Festival."

"Welcome home, Iruma-kun."

Iruma grasps their hands, his heart full of love. "Ah, yeah!" He gives them a large smile, "I'm home!"

xXx-xXx-libra-xXx-xXx

Please let me know if you enjoyed this chapter. It, for all intents and purposes, covers the end of S2 through nearly the end of S3 for anime watchers. For manga readers it's chapters 89-140. It took two and a half days to write this, and it was difficult because I feel like I over-and-under wrote what was happening. (I contemplated splitting the chapter, but decided against it.) I managed a few pieces here and there of original content... In the timeline, we're pretty much at either mid September, or nearing October. Mairuma's timeline is difficult to follow sometimes… IRL has been crazy, and it doesn't seem like it'll chill out anytime soon. XS

Please look forward to the next chapter, and leave a review!