Here I am with another translated chapter!
As I always insist at the beginning, I would like someone to help me with my translation. Please, if anyone is interested, send me a private message through this platform.
I would say that it's time to answer the reviews, but things got a bit complicated since there were more than 20 reviews in this chapter, and there are probably still some to come, so I'll be as brief as possible to answer them.
First of all, I see that it is the same reader for obvious reasons. Since you did a review of each chapter, I can only answer you in a general way. From what I could read, you liked everything you have read so far, so I can only be happy about this. You also pointed out some mistakes in the translation, and personally I would like you to keep doing it to have more opinions about if the translation improves, since I'm really trying with the time I have, although it's not much, unfortunately.
There was also another reader who commented, and I am very grateful to know that he is liking this so much. He said he wanted another chapter fast, and I decided it wouldn't hurt to meet his expectations.
Having done a complete review of all this, it's about time to get down to the nitty gritty.
Enjoy!
CHAPTER 26: A TIME TOGETHER.
Issei began to see everything very blurry. The pain and exhaustion were killing him at that moment. Having been training to death for so many days was a somewhat traumatic experience for him, even for someone of his caliber who loved to train so much.
He only hoped that he wouldn't have to go through a similar ordeal in a long time...
Issei could feel his consciousness fading, but he was able to continue standing as Penemue leaned on his back, supporting him to keep him upright.
He could hear the Cadre mention certain words with ill humor towards Tannin that were inaudible to him. All he knew, was that the dragon laughed loudly for some reason.
Knowing Tannin, she was surely reprimanding him...
Finally, he could see how a small vial was brought to his lips, drinking that substance that had a strange taste. As if it were a somewhat salty raindrop.
Practically within a second, Issei regained all his senses and widened his eyes to the max after feeling his energy and wounds heal completely.
"What was...?" Issei turned around instantly, blushing slightly at the sight of Penemue standing inches from his face.
The Cadre simply sketched a small smile, as she held up the vial that previously contained Phoenix's tear.
"I thought you'd run out of those..." Thought the protagonist aloud, blinking several times.
"I saved one for when this time came." Penemue commented, stepping even closer and getting Issei slightly nervous. "I knew the damage would increase exponentially in the last stretch. That's why I wanted to make sure you healed instantly after finishing the training."
Issei blinked again several times.
"Finish it?" He widened his eyes slightly, beginning to take in that it was all over.
"That means... I made it?"
"You made it." Penemue replied placidly, then enclosed him in a tender embrace that surprised the protagonist.
"Congratulations."
Issei could only shake internally as he remembered the hell he had gone through for the entire month. It had been a complete nightmare, and the fact that he never gave up and kept going until he finally completed it brought the emotions to the surface, which intensified when he was hugged by the beautiful Cadre.
Issei slowly answered the hug, as he felt tears threaten to well up in his eyes.
"Thank you so much!" The protagonist thanked, hugging her tightly.
This caused an inevitable smile to generate on Penemue's face after feeling Issei convey his happiness to her.
"To be honest, I never thought you'd ever get to complete the training." Tannin commented, causing them both to look at him. "Damn! You even completed it a day earlier than estimated..." The dragon leaned against a tree, smiling a big smile. "I'm proud of you, brat. I don't think you have any idea yet how difficult it was to complete this training having a level so far below." Tannin couldn't help but narrow his eyes with a mysterious look. "You have quite an interesting bearer, Ddraig..."
"*I knew the tour would be very interesting from the moment we made that promise when we first met*" The dragon commented from the gauntlet, causing Penemue and Issei to break apart. "*Yet you always manage to break my expectations. Not only through your strength and mentality, you also proved it through your heart.*" Ddraig's voice sounded very proud. "I've never felt so august with a bearer, and that's because of your personality.*"
"Ddraig..." Issei couldn't help but feel amazed by the words of his companion, and also one of his best friends.
"You're absolutely right." Tannin nodded, then handed him a smile. "You've even accomplished the impossible. You managed to get close to the Ice Queen and melt her with your words. You were also able to gain a strong unconditional friendship with a Cadre who would not allow anyone to get sentimentally close to her since her tragedy." Finally, the dragon closed his eyes with a small sneer. "You are a very good person, Issei."
Hearing this, Penemue couldn't help but turn slightly serious.
"He's right, but don't let..."
"I won't let that kindness blind me." The protagonist commented, making the Cadre visibly relieved. "Tiamat had told me about this before. After my fight against Kokabiel, I know well how to tell the difference between people who deserve a second chance, and those who don't..." He commented, clenching his fist slightly after remembering everything that had happened.
"I'm quite relieved that you know that..." Cadre commented, then looking at him very seriously. "But also remember that those people won't always try to be the main function." The Cadre narrowed her eyes slightly, causing Issei to look at her intently.
"The most troublesome ones, they are always the ones who move in the shadows."
Meanwhile, at Kuoh Academy...
A figure of a rather recognizable woman opened the bars of the Academy through the darkness, stepping into the complement as she gave a small sigh.
"They make me go at this time of night..." Tiamat thought, having a small flashback.
"Sorry to bother you, but I need you to take a box to the Occult Club." Azazel's voice echoed through a small magic circle. "I'm too busy to go, and I don't feel like bothering Sirzechs with this stuff. They're materials from the boys that will be used next week."
Tiamat looked at the enormous amount of furniture outside the huge rebuilt building, indicating that only a few final preparations were needed to enable classes again.
The dragoness went straight towards the Occult Club, giving a small yawn as she entered the facility. She couldn't help but look at the place with some curiosity, as she had never before seen the place where Issei and the others usually gathered. She wandered around the facility for a bit, until she finally stumbled upon something strange.
"Is that door sealed?" the dragoness wondered, only to squint with great suspicion.
Tiamat set the box aside, and slowly approached, resting her hand on the various chains and ribbons, not to mention the magical circles that contained the room, both inside, and out.
Tiamat blinked in slight amazement after feeling a fiber of energy from the other side. Though said energy was something very unusual.
"How strange... The power felt in here is quite recognizable. But, at the same time, it's very different..." She couldn't help but think, only to be distracted by hearing a book sticking out of the box fall to the floor.
Tiamat's eyes widened in utter amazement when she saw what it was, and she quickly moved to pick it up. She fixed her gaze intently on the first page, noting that it wasn't just a book, it was an album. A photo album.
A photo album of Issei...
Tiamat couldn't help but smile sweetly as she flipped through each photo, watching Issei slowly grow up. Each photo, was taken in a different year.
His growing smile disappeared when he realized that the photos were very sparse, and since the photo he had with the girl who looked like a boy, he had stopped smiling.
Tiamat turned to the next page, seeing that the pages were blank.
There were only 11 photos, each representing a birthday. So it was certainly a bit odd that he didn't have at least 6 more pictures.
For obvious reasons, this made Tiamat angry, as it was very obvious that he seemed to have spent a rather lonely life, where not even his parents had accompanied him.
Before she closed the album, she witnessed how the thickness on the next page was different. She didn't hesitate for a second to turn the page, only to get a surprise.
A rather pleasant surprise...
"My fourteen years!"
"Thank you very much, friends!"
Below the photo, she had written those words, where she could see how Issei was sharing a barbecue in the park quite familiar to her. Two people close to his age were accompanying him, hugging him tightly by the neck while holding a huge toothy smile on their faces.
She could not at first make them out, but as she went through photo by photo, year by year, she could quickly begin to recognize them. Finally, she came to the conclusion on the last photo, where she could see how the protagonist was celebrating his 17th birthday, again with another barbecue, as usual. And of course, those two men were there again.
"Thank you very much, Matsuda and Motohama!"
"It's those two..." Tiamat couldn't help but think with slight astonishment.
Now she could understand why Issei always spoke so highly of the two of them whenever he had the chance.
After all, they had been the only ones who had been around for the most important moments in her life, at a certain point.
Tiamat turned the page, resting her hand on the empty spot earnestly, then quirked a rather loving little smile.
"Just wait..."
The next day...
Penemue was doing the paperwork as usual. The wooden table was already somewhat deteriorated from being in the forest for a month and a half, but that wasn't of much consequence, as the time there was about to end.
"Good morning!" Issei exclaimed with a big yawn, receiving a quizzical look from the Cadre.
"Good morning... Why are you still wearing your robe?" She asked, causing Issei to look down at himself. "It's no longer necessary." She commented to him in a sweet voice, and Issei could only smile at her.
"You're right." Issei took off his black robe, leaving it on the floor, causing everything to give a little shake.
The protagonist looked down at himself in utter amazement, wiggling his arms and legs.
"Amazing... I feel like I'm floating."
"It's only natural." Penemue explained, signing one last piece of paper then rising from his seat. "Your body weight has dropped exponentially. Your body is much stronger now than it was a month ago. On top of that, the armor control not only helped you with that, but also, as you've been brushing against your magic limits all the time, your reserves have increased to be able to adapt on those days."
"My magic reserves have increased!" Issei wondered with great happiness. "How much have they?"
"Considering your magic reserves are almost low, and you were over two weeks over-demanding them..." Penemue put her hand to her chin, thinking carefully. "... I think they're twice as big now." She finally found the answer, causing Issei's eyes to widen in overdrive.
"TWICE AS BIG AS BEFORE?!" he shouted, completely incredulous.
"It's not as much as it seems." She commented quickly, causing Issei to visibly deflate. "Remember that your magic reserves are ridiculously low. Now, we could say they're quite low." Penemue held up a finger. "It's only gone up by one level."
"I see..." The young man commented, as he felt a depressive aura begin to surround him.
"It's not to be disappointed." Penemue commented quickly, sketching a small smile. "With all the progress you've made now, I'm sure you'll be able to maintain the armor a great deal of time. Remember that the Boosted Gear is responsible for boosting your powers. Therefore, your magic will increase twice as much as it did before with each Boost." Penemue approached him, positioning a hand on his shoulder. "Besides, that's just one goal of what we accomplish in our training. With your body in the condition it's currently in..." Penemue would narrow her eyes with an air of slyness about her.
"How many Boost do you think you could do with your Balance Breaker active?"
This made Issei's eyes sparkle with great intensity.
"Now that we both have some free time, I'd like to teach you that skill I mentioned to you earlier." Penemue clarified, receiving full attention from Issei. "First, we must go to a desolate place."
They both walked through the forest for a few minutes, arriving at a large open field, where the grass glowed brightly, and the huge mountain where Tiamat usually watched Issei's training could be seen.
"So many memories..." Thought the protagonist, remembering that this place is where he had been tested by Penemue.
"You know the Transfer skill, don't you?" Penemue perched beside him, watching the scenery as her long hair waved freely thanks to the breeze.
"Ddraig had explained it to me, though I've never used it before..." Issei commented, rubbing his hair.
"Very well." Penemue nodded, then looked at him seriously. "That ability is known to empower allies. But certainly, the potential of that ability is far from ending there." Hearing that, Issei looked at her with great interest. "You can also empower objects, or even other elements."
"Elements?" Issei couldn't help but ask, unable to keep up.
"Create a Dragon Shot." Issei instantly heeded her, materializing his gauntlet and implementing various Boosts.
Issei created a Dragon Shot of an average size at his level, then proceeded to look at her.
"Now, transfer all Boosts to the attack." Hearing this, the protagonist couldn't help but blink in great surprise.
"Transfer!"
That surprise only increased even more when the insignificant ball grew to an impressive size, being as big as he was. Issei couldn't help but feel harassed at the sheer pressure of the attack. He felt that it would soon be impossible for him to control it.
"Now, expel it." Penemue commanded, holding Issei's back so that he wouldn't go flying when he released the attack.
The attack shot out as a massive crimson bolt of lightning, traveling at a much faster speed than he was used to. The attack obliterated everything in its path, smashing into the mountain and disintegrating it completely, leaving no trace of it.
The protagonist could only watch in complete shock as a huge path of destruction rose up around the place, while the attack seemed to go on and on, with no end in sight. Finally, he had to cover his eyes when a huge crimson glow appeared in the distance, creating a huge explosive wave that reached where they were, creating a huge blizzard that if it hadn't been for Penemue, would have blown away almost instantly.
As soon as the wave disappeared, the protagonist observed all the destruction with great astonishment, which only turned into an enormous tiredness from one second to the next.
"What's wrong with me?" he asked, causing Penemue to hug him more tightly.
"Once the augmentations come off your body, let's just say your stats go back to normal." Penemue explained. "This type of attack is very powerful, but it also represents a lot of wear and tear. In a battle this attack should be your last card, because once you use it, there won't be a second one. At least, there won't be a second one, until you manage to overcome yourself again."
"How will I know when that time comes?" The protagonist asked, receiving a small smile from Penemue due to his curiosity.
"It's still too early. You've improved a lot, but you're still not able to use the full potential of the Balance Breaker." Penemue rested her chin on top of his head, closing her eyes calmly. "Perhaps when you can break those limits, you'll just be able to control such power."
"Break the limits?" Issei wondered, then stared at her. "What do you mean by that?"
"It doesn't all end at the Balance Breaker. But unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to help you with that. Each bearer evolves differently, depending on the bearer's characteristics. It's something you'll have to find on your own." Cadre commented, separating herself from the protagonist as she held a finger to his head.
"You'll have to use your mind."
Hearing this, Issei remembered Penemue's three main teachings:
Mind, heart and body.
But, in all of this, there was something strange...
"At what point did we train my mind?" The protagonist asked.
At first, Penemue was a bit shocked by his question, but quickly answered him with a smile.
"Do you want to play another game of chess?" She asked slyly, causing Issei's mind to light up at the answer.
Their chatter was interrupted when a light blue light appeared on the spot, followed by a tackle to Issei through a tight hug. The long light blue hair was the most obvious clue as to who it was.
"Congratulations!" Tiamat congratulated him, hugging him tighter as she rubbed her cheek against Issei's with great affection.
"Thank you so much." A cute smile appeared on Issei's face, reciprocating the dragoness' hug.
Issei could only laugh at the dragoness' warm attitude, though that moment was interrupted when a call came to him.
The young man got up from the floor, slightly surprised to have received a call.
When he saw the contact, a small smile appeared on his face.
"Hello, Motohama." He quickly replied, causing both women to stare at him. "Are you with Matsuda?"
"¡HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"
A huge tower of wind shot out of the cell phone, causing Issei to turn his face away slightly as he rolled his eyes.
Hearing this, both women couldn't help but be visibly surprised.
"Oe, we know you're far away!" Motohama's voice was the first to be heard, but he could be heard being pushed away by Matsuda. "But we plan to have a barbecue when you get back to celebrate!" They both tuned in to the cell phone. "What do you think?" they asked at the same time.
A small smile appeared on Issei's face.
"Sounds great to me. See you tomorrow." Issei cut the call, then stretched his body like a cat. "I'll go stick a bath." He declared with a small yawn, heading towards the stream.
Unnoticed, Penemue and Tiamat shared glances for a short second, then nodded.
Obviously, they were planning something...
Later that day...
Issei gave a big pleasant sigh, as he sat down in the middle of the stream.
"Nothing better than staying in the water for a while after a swim!" The chestnut exclaimed with a huge grin between his teeth. He was wearing only his underwear, relaxing completely in the water.
That smile on his face disappeared almost immediately, after remembering his friends' congratulations.
"Eighteen years, huh?" he thought, looking up at the violet sky of Hell.
His deep thoughts were broken as he looked at his reflection in the water, surprised to see how his muscles had changed. Now, they were all about the same slim but were perfectly marked, seeing that there wasn't a speck of fat left in his body.
"I hadn't noticed before, but..." The brown-haired man lightly squeezed his arm, making his muscles even more marked. "They've changed a lot in this month." Issei couldn't help but sketch a small smile, seeing that the work had paid off more than he thought. "I don't think they can grow any bigger because of my physical build. But still, it's amazing..." He concluded, smiling slightly at what he was seeing.
The self-exhibition ended when he heard a splash behind him, followed by four arms slowly sliding down his chest, enclosing him in a tight embrace.
Soon, a small blush appeared on his face as he felt very soft, spongy surfaces rest along his entire back. The blush only increased when she felt a pair of lips cup both of her cheeks, delivering a nice kiss full of affection.
"Happy birthday." Tiamat and Penemue rested their faces on the chestnut's shoulders, as a magic circle of light blue and violet appeared in front of him, revealing a sheath for his katana with a cool design.
Seeing this, Issei's blush quickly dissipated, and he took the sheath with starry eyes.
"Wow, this is cool!" The chestnut exclaimed, quickly turning around and hugging them very tightly, where they didn't take a second to respond to him with the same affection. "Thank you so much!"
"There's nothing to thank." They both spoke at the same time again, unable to help but blush slightly, as they felt Issei's skin so firmly. Still, that didn't stop them from stopping smiling.
"I'll go holster her quickly!" The brown exclaimed with great happiness, darting off to where he had left his clothes. "Seriously, they're the best!"
Both women stared at Issei for a couple of seconds, as their blushes slowly increased. Their smiles disappeared, adorning a rather serious face, as their gazes seemed to wander over the brown-haired man's body. His completely toned body...
The seconds continued to pass, until Tiamat decided to speak:
"I'm getting more and more eager to be split down the middle..." The rather vulgar comment left her lips, causing Penemue to nod.
"Me too..." Cadre replied without being able to deny it, causing the blush to intensify a little more on her face.
Issei placed the katana in the sheath with a big smile, as she admired the design of it. The women approached, sitting down on either side of the chestnut.
"Something seems strange to me..." Penemue commented, watching the clouds pass by. "If you're a sophomore in high school and you're 18, does that mean you flunked a year?"
Issei couldn't help but grimace a little at the memories.
"You don't have to count it if you don't want to." She commented quickly, seeing that Issei looked rather annoyed.
"No. In fact, I'd like to talk about it. Especially, with you two..." Issei rubbed his hair with a somewhat dejected smile, remembering his past. "When I was little, my parents only took pictures with me during my birthdays. They were with me on the first four. Still, they never spent time with me for anything else, especially as I got older. Finally, my fifth birthday came, and it was the first one I spent alone. After those dates, I started preparing food for myself, as my parents cared less and less about what I did. Not that they cared at first, though..."
Issei raised his gaze, giving a small sigh after remembering what happened on his sixth birthday.
"When I turned 6 years old, I discovered in a discussion with my parents that they wanted to give me up for adoption. They had always wanted a girl, and that is why they disowned me in this way. I think that as the years went by and they didn't even have the possibility of having another child, it made the repudiation increase more and more. Luckily, I didn't have such a bad time on my sixth birthday, since I was a pretty lonely kid anyway, and I didn't really understand what they meant by adoption. My seventh birthday was another one that I spent alone, and somehow, I felt that loneliness was starting to affect me. Luckily, when I entered third grade, I met a transfer boy and we became very good friends." Issei scoffed lightly to himself. "After all these years, I've only just come to find out that that boy was actually a girl..."
Issei smiled slightly as he felt the comforting touch of both women, indicating that they supported him all the way.
"She transferred before she turned nine. And from that point on, that's where the darkest time of my life begins..." A somewhat wounded look graced his face. "After coming out of loneliness, you don't want to go back into it ever again. Unfortunately, I was too shy and was never able to make any more friends. The years went by, and being all alone I began to find it completely ridiculous to celebrate my birthdays, being that I was only reminded of how lonely I was. When I turned twelve, I began to have a mild interest in women. A childish interest, mere curiosity. Without the vigilance of my parents, you can imagine the things I discovered on the internet. For that reason, I always tried to get girls to like me, and I never succeeded. However, I never gave up. Let's just say I had gotten a little different kind of fun..." He explained, then shook his head after remembering what happened the next year. "My parents enrolled me in a high school where there were no girls. Obviously, my interest in going to school was zero for obvious reasons. Without having any kind of inspiration, and without having the vigilance that a parent should always have over you, I just skipped the whole year, going to parks and reading not-quite-right magazines. But, obviously they found out, since before the end of the year, they saw me in one of the parks. Still, it was too late to make up for all the lost time."
A big smile graced the protagonist's face.
"But, that mistake I made, allowed me to be in the same year as Matsuda and Motohama, and it was there that we met. All three of us had the same interest in women, although clearly I was a bit more knowledgeable due to my parents' neglect. After a very short time, we stopped talking only about sex, and started having get-togethers with each other to play video games, or other things. Obviously, the subject of women was always left as the main thing, but we never quite let each other absolve ourselves of it." Issei waved his hand dismissively, "That's how time went by... The great frustration of not even being able to have a girlfriend was overwhelming, but we were always together. We always supported each other. Simply put, we became inseparable."
Issei laughed again, after recalling a little anecdote.
"In fact, the parents of the two of them were the ones who pressured mine to transfer the three of us to Kuoh Academy..." After getting to that part of the story, both women could feel a dark aura surround the protagonist's body, at the same time as his smile slowly disappeared. "The three of us went in with the idea of getting a girlfriend. We had even made a bet as to which of us would get a girlfriend first..." Issei clenched his fists tightly.
"And she came along..."
He felt Penemue's hand squeeze his shoulder lightly.
"That part of the story we already know. You don't need to repeat it again." The woman commented quickly with a concerned tone, causing Issei to look at her with great appreciation.
"Thank you..." He replied, positioning his hand above hers.
Penemue just smiled at him, nodding her head.
"But... Whenever I remember it, I think about it and come to a conclusion: it's good that it was like this..." Hearing Issei's words, both women looked at him with great surprise. "After all... If Yuuma, if Raynare had been a real thing... I would never have met Ddraig... I would never have met Tannin..." Issei hugged them both tightly by the hips, drawing them to him and making them blush at the delicate touch.
"I would never have met you two!" Protagonist exclaimed with a chuckle.
"You taught me that yes there are amazing women! That yes there are such nice women! That yes there are such empathetic and caring women!" Issei lowered his gaze slightly, looking at them both with great affection.
"You two taught me that if there are irreplaceable women..."
Issei could only watch in confusion as Tiamat and Penemue's eyes glowed brightly, coupled with their blushing faces. In fact, they looked like they were about to cry...
"Did I say something wrong?" Issei asked, feeling a little sick at the sight of both of their faces.
The answer came to him practically instantly, as both women pounced on him, knocking him to the ground from the big hug. The protagonist only had time to scream in surprise.
"Saying something bad? Are you serious?" Penemue asked, further reinforcing their embrace.
"To us, you're irreplaceable too, Issei." Tiamat replied, giving him a kiss on the forehead. "We are so glad that you feel the same way."
Issei could only smile, further reinforcing his embrace with them.
"You two are the best!"
"By the way, tell me more about that boy who turned out to be a girl..." Penemue commented, causing Issei to chuckle slightly at the memory of Irina.
"You can't imagine how I reacted when I found out she was really a woman..." Issei began to tell the story, making Penemue chuckle slightly before the expressions the young man made to explain himself.
It was simply two women and a man having fun at the edge of a stream. It wasn't very out of the ordinary.
The problem comes when the ones having fun are the supposedly the coldest and most dangerous women in the world...
Issei didn't realize how special he was, and what he generated in those two women whenever they were near him.
Probably, that innocence of his was one of the many points that enchanted the dragoness and the Cadre...
Several hours later...
The hours passed quickly, where Issei narrated some funny stories that he spent with Matsuda and Motohama. He was not the only one to tell certain anecdotes, as Ddraig joined him, as well as his other two companions, where they narrated certain stories from the past. All of them were very pleasant, even funny. It was no time to tell sad stories, especially with the atmosphere that had been generated.
Simply, they all laughed together and shared the best experiences of their past together...
It was nice to see everyone acting with great ease, denoting that the walls of the past between Ddraig and Tiamat were perhaps already slowly beginning to fade, as well as demonstrating the great trust that had been generated between the dragon and Penemue. Still, the dragoness always found a way to annoy Ddraig, something that seemed quite funny to Issei and Penemue, but not to Ddraig, for obvious reasons. Anyway, the dragon always took it quite well.
After so much chatter, they all fell asleep without even realizing it.
The first to wake up was Issei, who instantly realized that it was already getting dusk.
"How long have I been asleep?" thought the protagonist, grabbing his head.
His thoughts were dispelled when he saw that his companions were still sleeping beside him. Both of them were breathing very calmly, denoting the great relief they were feeling at the moment.
It was a curious thing, considering they were both dreaming horrible nightmares every day... Every day, before Issei invaded their hearts without even realizing it...
The protagonist turned around, looking intently at Tiamat's entire body. It wasn't because of her obscenity, he simply felt... strange, that was the word. It was very strange, the feeling her body conveyed to him.
He had always wanted to be surrounded by beautiful women with a knockout body. And, if possible, naked or in their toplesses. And here they were, the two most beautiful women he had ever met, only in their underwear. Well, Penemue used a towel to cover her breasts, but it was practically like she was in her underwear.
"|What are you thinking so hard about, partner?" Ddraig's voice echoed through his mind, causing Issei to sigh internally.
"On the promise..." Issei explained in his thoughts, his tone sounding genuinely confused. "There's no doubt that I was able to complete it, and that I can already control myself..."
"But...?" Ddraig insisted.
"But now I feel a different kind of attraction..." The protagonist thought, rubbing his hair as he rested his gaze on Tiamat's face. "And it only happens to me with the faces of the two of them. It's strange..." Issei tilted his hand hesitantly, in the direction of the sleeping dragoness' face. "I know very well that it's not about something dirty... Simply, I want to caress her face." Issei stopped her hand just before touching Tiamat's face, feeling a discomfort begin to grip her abdomen. "For some reason, I feel like it's even worse than wanting to touch her body... It's very frustrating."
Ddraig couldn't help but smile internally, seeing how Issei was beginning, not to discover, but, to accept those feelings that plunged him into misery a few months ago.
Issei knew very well what he felt for them, another thing was that it was so hard for him to accept it because of his past...
"Would you die for me?"
Raynare's words echoed in his head again, making him frown.
"Why do I always have to remember that?" thought the protagonist with great helplessness, as he held his stomach tightly with one hand, feeling how that discomfort had increased quite a bit with just one second of remembering the woman who had hurt him so much.
On the impulse of that same helplessness, or perhaps out of sheer unconsciousness, Issei ended up positioning his hand on Tiamat's cheek, caressing it with indescribable affection.
The dragoness opened her sleepy eyes, slightly surprised by what her future lover was doing.
Seeing that Tiamat had discovered him, he felt like a child who had been caught doing a misdeed.
"I'm sorry..." Were Issei's simple words. He lowered his gaze, not having the strength to look her in the face as he removed his hand.
Surprisingly to him, Tiamat positioned her hand above his, preventing him from leaving her cheek, then reached over and hugged him tightly.
Before Issei could ask, the dragoness gave him a big, beautiful smile, indicating that she had really enjoyed that touch of affection, contrary to what he had thought.
The surprises didn't end there, as Penemue joined them, hugging him tightly from behind while nestling her face in the nape of the protagonist's neck very tenderly. In addition to that, she took Issei's hand that was holding his abdomen tightly, intertwining it with her own in a rather sweet gesture.
Issei couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed at the sudden situation, but he quickly reacted and couldn't help but tease himself.
"Why would I put so much thought into something so simple? It's just a simple touch!" thought the protagonist, bumping his forehead against Tiamat's, making the dragoness' smile grow even bigger as she closed her eyes in great happiness.
The three of them were very cuddled for a few seconds, until a call broke the harmonious sunset.
"Issei, can you hear me?" Azazel's voice was heard through the small magic circle, causing the aforementioned to open his eyes. "I'm done with Rias and the others. We'll gather at the Occult Club for a vitally important meeting."
Azazel turned around, looking at the small old building.
"See you in five minutes." He concluded, cutting off the call.
The boss put both hands in his pockets, watching as a figure giving a glorious image approached through the door.
"It's been a long time, Azazel." A rather relaxed and friendly voice echoed after the door opened, causing a huge smirk to appear on Azazel's face.
"Don't give me your cheesy crap..." Azazel waved his hand dismissively, then narrowed his eyes with great seriousness.
"Michael..."
END OF CHAPTER!
Don't expect another one so soon, I have to update the main story soon and I'll focus on it completely. Maybe another new chapter will be seen in 3 or 4 days.
Thank you very much for reading!