Here I present myself with a new translated chapter!
I don't want to mess you up too much this time. As you know, it's a long chapter so I hope you enjoy it.
The train had finally arrived in Kyoto. Everyone had enough rest during their trip, so the students were in high energy to start this great trip.
Everyone looked very excited, even the teachers themselves were, with the exception of one Penemue who kept all excitement to herself as she guided her first and second year students to the inn with the help of Azazel.
There was also another class that belonged to another academy that was packed with teachers who were apparently headed to the same inn. The teachers and students seemed to be very happy, especially the teachers, who kept looking at the beautiful Cadre.
Apparently, it was all happiness.
And the only one who was not happy was a certain brown-haired man.
Issei couldn't help but lean against a wall of the station as he watched several of the teachers giving discreet, but quite obvious glances at his pretty Cadre.
For some reason, that annoyed him, and yes it did.
"Do you guys want to take a little walk in the forest before we head to the inn?" Kiba asked, watching as the entire Occult Club nodded.
"I refuse." Was the resounding reply from the brown-haired man.
They all looked at him with some surprise, but decided not to press him seeing that for some reason he was quite annoyed.
"So, see you later boss." Gasper stated with a slight nod before leaving.
Seeing that Issei was left alone, Rossweisse didn't take a second to approach him with that joy-filled aura that infected him a bit. It was amazing how just having her around made that strange bad mood disperse immediately.
"If you don't want to go to the inn just yet, would you like to take a little walk around the locality with your teacher?" The Valkyrie asked her with a beaming smile, getting Issei to smile for the first time since leaving the train.
"Sounds like fun."
Issei said that, but he hadn't expected it to be so much fun.
It was strange to think that going from place to place with a Valkyrie so excited about every single thing she saw made for such a good time. She was so cheerful that it was impossible to spend an awkward or boring moment with someone so energetic and friendly.
It only took an hour for Issei to fill his cell phone with new photos with the Valkyrie. Several of those consisted of monuments, parks, spiritual gates, impressive structures, or just a picture of the fish in the ponds.
"Hum, I have to watch the money..." Valkyrie said to herself after seeing how her wallet was almost empty. "That I only bought discounted accessories for 2 yen..." She concluded, unable to help but pout a little.
"Hey, take this." Issei held out his hand with an object. Rossweisse's surprise was always there when she got something as a gift, but this time she was speechless. "I hope you like it!" he exclaimed with great energy.
Rossweisse took the frame slowly. Her eyes welled up with tears as she saw that it was a photo featuring her, her two best friends, and her future lover.
It was the picture they had taken at the fair, and all 4 of them had big smiles on their faces.
"This-this is for me?" The Valkyrie couldn't help but tear up a little when she saw the picture frame, as she knew that doing this kind of thing didn't come cheap.
"I'd like to make a keepsake with everyone. I want this to be ours." Issei stated, feeling a little touched to see Ross's reaction. "I like this one, since the frame is based on one of the thousand doors, plus we're all very happy in that picture."
"It's beautiful..." Those were Rossweisse's words, who couldn't help but look at Issei with such a pure smile that shook his heart.
"Thank you for being so good with me!"
"That's what I should say." refuted Issei as he rubbed his hair somewhat sheepishly. "Actually, I still find it quite strange that you asked me for help with those fake dates, since I'm always the one who always turns out to have the most fun." Ross's smile faltered after hearing such a comment.
"You're an amazing woman."
"Again..." Rossweisse couldn't help but mutter under her breath as she felt her cheeks heat up, at the same time the picture pressed against her chest. "The reality is, I highly doubt you're having as good a time as I am."
"Maybe you're right." Issei stated with some amusement, as Rossweisse always displayed a rather overwhelming warmth and cheerfulness that was truly second to none.
"Changing the subject, I think it's about time to head back." The Valkyrie stated, noting that more hours had passed than she thought.
"You're right, everyone must be wondering about us." He stated, starting to walk alongside the beautiful woman.
"By the way, I could tell something was bothering you when we arrived..." Ross' words would make Issei look at her with slight surprise.
"Was it that easy to notice?" Issei questioned himself for being an open book.
"What was it that was bothering you? Maybe I can help you." Rossweisse offered with her ever condescending manner.
"It was about Penemue."
Issei didn't know the reason, he said it without thinking.
Probably because he had a great deal of trust towards the Valkyrie, a trust he only had with a few other people.
"You fought with her?" Rossweisse clasped her hands behind her waist while leaning her body forward rather curiously.
"Heh, I think it's half impossible for her and I to fight." Issei stated with some amusement, since all they did when they were together was train or give each other a lot of affection.
"I guess that's true. Then?" Rossweisse insisted, leaning her body a little more to the front.
"Well, I shouldn't pry into it, but..." Issei couldn't help but pause a little dramatically at what he was about to say. "But lately I'm noticing that she's getting quite a bit of attention from other men."
"I see..." Rossweisse looked somewhat surprised at this point. "And that bothers you?" She asked, earning a somewhat fake smile from Issei.
"I just want her to find a good man, I don't want someone to take advantage of her!" Issei exclaimed defensively after noticing that the question was being directed elsewhere.
He wasn't jealous!
Wasn't he?
"Uh..." Rossweisse could only look at him with a mocking expression. "Are you kidding?" Issei couldn't help but look at her with great confusion. "Of all the women in the world, do you really think anyone could take advantage of her? If anything, it would be quite the opposite. But we know she's not that kind of person." She finally stated, getting Issei to smile a somewhat crestfallen smile.
"I guess you're right. I don't know why I'm putting so much thought into this..." The Valkyrie could instantly notice the somewhat depressed tone coming from Issei.
"Could it be that he..." She thought internally. If she was surprised, it clearly didn't show on her face.
"You always worry so much about Penemue and Tiamat..." The Valkyrie stated, noticing how Issei paused.
"And that's wrong?" Issei couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in great confusion.
Of course he cared about them.
They were the most important thing he had in his life, along with the Valkyrie and now a certain Goddess that was slowly creeping into this equation as well.
"Do you want some advice from me?" Rossweisse took a few more steps to stand in front of Issei.
"I suppose...?" More of a question than a statement, as Issei couldn't quite figure out what she was thinking.
"You're a very good man, Issei. I love that side of you." The Valkyrie said with complete sincerity.
"But..." Her eyes widened, denoting her piercing gaze.
"You must also care about yourself." Valkyrie stated, reaching over to lay a hand on her future lover's chest.
"What do you mean by that?" Issei couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, and the answer was even stranger.
"Shhhh..." Ross hushed him, then rested her ear against the brown-haired man's chest. "I want to talk to the real Issei, not the shell."
That last word made Issei's eyes widen at such a statement.
What did she mean by that?
"Oh!" Valkyrie exclaimed, pressing her ear even tighter against the young man's chest as she smiled. "He tells me he's going to try to care about his feelings!" She pulled away from him slightly, giving him a beautiful smile.
"You're going to try, aren't you?" She tilted her head slightly to the side, making her look even more beautiful, which seemed to be impossible.
"I...I don't exactly understand..." Issei stated completely overwhelmed at the beauty and request of the cheerful Valkyrie.
"But I will."
CHAPTER 54: MELTING KISSES!
"So that's what the misunderstanding is about..." Azazel's glass hit the table, spilling a few drops of beer.
"We're really sorry for the inconvenience!" The woman who appeared to be a Yokai would duck her head as a sign of regret, and the other Yokais around also did the same.
"Apparently, we missed out on a lot by being outside." Thought Issei, who was leaning against the door along with a Rossweisse who was quite serious about what had happened.
At the table were Azazel, Penemue, that woman who seemed to represent the Yokais, and a Serafall who was there to represent the Demons, since the recent attack had been towards the Gremory group.
"Don't worry, we can understand." Serafall stated with a smile. "They're going through a very delicate time, so it's understandable that they would act that way upon noticing our presences."
"Can you give us a description of the subjects?" Penemue asked as she summoned a notebook and glasses.
"The only one who was involved and managed to survive was Seung." The aforementioned took a step forward. He was in armor just like the other guards, but he was quite distinguishable over the others, and that was especially because he had most of his face bandaged, plus he was missing an arm.
"If it hadn't been for the young teacher, I wouldn't have survived." Replied the man in a strange voice, as the bandages also covered his mouth. The only thing that could be seen was one of his golden eyes. "To be honest, the attack happened so suddenly that we couldn't react in time. The only guy I can remember before I fell unconscious is a man with short dark hair, white complexion and the last thing I remember is the spear he was carrying."
"A spear?" Penemue adjusted his glasses after hearing the last words, then began to draw with impressive speed. "Was it something like that?" The Cadre raised her notebook, causing Seung to widen his one visible eye to the max.
"That's the one! It's identical!" The man exclaimed.
"It's Cao Cao." Azazel declared as he drank beer. "You were attacked by the Khaos Brigade." He culminated calmly, resting his hand on his chin.
"It's not a strange thing, that group was causing a lot of trouble lately." Penemue stated as she removed her glasses. "What really strikes me as odd is that someone like Yasaka was captured by a group like that. Not that the Khaos Brigade is weak, but she's as strong as Odin, so it shouldn't have been complicated for someone of such caliber to take them down." The Cadre would conclude, causing more than one Yokai to lower their head.
"It's true that Yasaka-Sama is very strong, but that doesn't stop her from being very weak in other ways..." The female Yokai clenched her fists tightly.
"What do you mean by that?" Serafall consulted her.
Issei and Rossweisse were completely silent as were the guards, as they didn't want to interrupt a conversation between the representatives of each Faction.
"She has a daughter named Kunou. The terrorist group entered at night to search for her directly. That way, we believe Yasaka had no choice but to submit to them so that they would not hurt her daughter." Explained the woman as her hands began to bleed from the force she was using.
"So they have her daughter as a prisoner to keep the mother in line." Was the conclusion Azazel drew. "This is more complicated than I initially thought." The leader of the Fallen focused his gaze on the Yokai woman. "By any chance, do you know why they're acting that way, Miss...?" Azazel waved his hand, indicating that he didn't know her name.
"My name is Clara." The brunette replied. "And no, we don't know what they might be planning."
"They're after the Dragon Gate."
All the guards put their spears on top of the throat of the two unexpected guests who appeared through a gap.
"How annoying." Arthur declared as he sheathed his Caliburn sword, indicating that he wasn't looking for a fight.
"Why do they always have to point guns at us every time we show up?" Stated Vali graciously as he folded his arms.
"You're part of the most wanted terrorist group among all the Factions, how do you expect them to react?" Azazel told him as he bowed his shoulders, then gave a slight nod to Clara, indicating that the albino and blond were not a threat.
"Then what the hell are you doing here?" Penemue looked at him with great suspicion, earning a nod from Vali.
"Actually, I wasn't coming for this topic, but while we're at it..." The albino stated.
Some of the guards took several steps back after seeing Vali deliver them a glare. The latter himself simply smiled and approached the table, sitting down on the only chair that was free.
"As you may know, there are several divisions within the Khaos Brigade. Let's just say that now there is only my group and Cao Cao's group, which are known as the Heroes Faction. I know a lot about them thanks to Arthur, since before joining my group he belonged to his." Was the explanation provided by the albino. "Let's just say that group is composed solely of very talented humans with very powerful Sacred Gears. Their main goal is to extinguish the other Factions, as they consider supernatural beings to be the cancer of this world." Vali stood up from his seat, then looked at Azazel. "Still, they are not stupid and know their limits well. They know that Yasaka is immortal thanks to his magic and soul being the only one bound to a spiritual plane." Issei could do nothing but look at him with great confusion, something Vali seemed to pick up on. "Bottom line, she is the only entity that can be killed physically, but not spiritually. That would sooner or later cause her physical appearance to reshape itself again thanks to her magic and soul that remain bound."
"We already know that, but what does the Dragon Gate have to do with all this?" Clara couldn't help but look rather impatient at the albino's whole imbroglio. "The Dragon Gate has the ability to open once every ten years to summon Great Red, what sense does that make in that man's plan?"
"Haven't you figured it out yet?" Penemue's comment would make everyone look at her. "Opening that door requires a great deal of magical power, magical power that only Tiamat, Tannin and Ophis possess." The eyes of the vast majority widened in horror after beginning to understand where this was all going. "Yasaka has no such power. If she is subjected to opening that door, her magic will be consumed until there is nothing left in her. We all know that excessive depletion of magic renders you unconscious, but if you run out of a shred of it, you die. Without magic, Yasaka's immortality would be defeated." Was Penemue's blunt reply.
A deadly silence came over the entire room.
"No-it can't be..." Clara said, feeling like her tears were threatening to come out.
"Don't worry, we'll take care of it." Azazel declared, earning a look from everyone. "After all, we are allies." He would conclude with a relaxed look on his face.
"Thank you very much!" All the guards and Clara herself would bow their heads with much happiness at everyone's support.
"We have 13 days to prepare, as that day will be the one when the Dragon Gate can finally be opened. Finding their whereabouts would be an impossible thing, unless they show themselves directly." Penemue gave her point of view on the matter, twirling her pen as she thought endlessly.
"I'll take care of that." Azazel stated with a mysterious smile. "I'm going to call some friends." Penemue nodded as she understood who he was referring to.
"What will happen to the Demons?" Serafall consulted, gaining everyone's attention.
"To be honest, none of them have the level to take on such a dangerous group. The only one who could help us is Issei." Azazel stated, earning a nod from Serafall.
"Before I go, I'd like to tell you that this is a small setback compared to what you might be up against." The albino's comment caught his rival's attention, as clearly those words were directed at him.
Before walking away through the gap, Vali gave him a very serious look.
That made it quite clear that he wasn't joking.
"Be careful, Brand Caingelmon is very close..."
Those words echoed in his head after watching Vali disappear.
"The Dragon Slayer..." Penemue couldn't help but clench her pen, as she knew that this man was very dangerous. "He's not ready to face him yet." Her worried gaze shifted to Issei, who was still absorbing all the information.
Oblivious to all this, Asia and Xenovia were together over coffee.
"What is it, Xenovia?" the ex-nun asked as she noticed that the swordswoman's face had been very serious all morning.
"It's about Rias' plan." The comment made Asia's curiosity flare up even more. "It's not a bad idea to drive Tiamat away, but..."
"But?" Asia set the coffee down on the table as she looked at her with undivided interest.
"I think they misunderstood what I warned them about when I tried to approach Issei back then." Xenovia couldn't help but frown after her own words. "True, Tiamat had been the one to beat me to the brink of death, but Penemue..." Xenovia could only shudder at the memory. "That look still comes to mind. I'm sure that if Tiamat hadn't been there, that woman would have destroyed me with her bare hands..."
"Is that true?" Asia's look changed to one of complete concern. "Maybe we should warn the president..."
Xenovia seemed to think about that idea for several seconds, until she finally came to a conclusion.
"I don't think that's necessary. Unlike Tiamat, Penemue isn't with Issei that much, so it's impossible for her to find out about the night plans."
Meanwhile, a somewhat happy Rias was looking somewhat happy at the academy, as it was getting closer and closer to start the next part of her plan.
"I can't wait for it to be midnight!" Thought the redhead with mischievous enthusiasm as she took the chemistry assessment.
That joy drained from her body as she felt an overly threatening gaze was bearing down on her.
"Who...? Rias raised her gaze, and in that moment she couldn't help but sweat.
There was Tiamat, sitting at her desk with her legs crossed. Everything looked normal about her, but if you looked closer, you'd realize that was far from it.
After all, her beautiful light blue eyes were fixed on Rias.
If one look could kill, for sure Rias would have died approximately 100 times by now.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" The redhead couldn't help but break out in a non-stop cold sweat as she felt an icy presence begin to harass her in all directions.
An hour later...
"See you later, good luck with today." Akeno took her leave of the locker room, without first winking at her mistress.
"I hope tonight goes as planned..." Rias thought aloud as she put on her blouse.
Classes were over, and now she had been left all alone in the locker room.
Or so she thought, as the sound of the door made the redhead look in that direction as she closed her locker.
"You're finally alone." Tiamat declared with a friendly smile, making Rias feel uncomfortable.
After all, the dragoness had never given her a smile. In fact, she could tell that she always gave her a look coated with disgust.
"Why are you in the locker room?" The Gremory asked her, feeling a bit uneasy.
That uneasiness turned to fear as Tiamat leaned against the door, causing it to freeze. The ice expanded in the blink of an eye over all the lockers and the floor, creating a sort of refreshment. The only piece of meat inside was Rias, and Tiamat was the butcher.
The redhead couldn't help but watch in horror as her feet had frozen, making it impossible for her to move, no matter how hard she tried.
Her gaze rose in terror as she heard the footsteps slowly approaching her.
Tiamat continued with that friendly smile, and such a thing only helped to worsen the atmosphere.
"Someone told me you were messing with someone I love very much." The dragoness stopped in front of Rias, causing her victim's eyes to widen.
"Who-Who told you?" Rias couldn't help but tremble with fear.
"Does that matter?" Tiamat couldn't help but tilt her head to the side as she placed a hand on her waist. "If I were you..." Tiamat would cup Rias' chin, then whisper in her ear,
"I'd worry about myself."
"No-no... you can't just keep all the women away from Issei." Rias tried to defend herself, and that seemed to work, as Tiamat pulled away from her ear so she could look at her while feigning interest in her words. "That's wrong, you're not protecting him, you're just making it so he can never know love!"
Rias was unable to continue speaking as an ice stake flew past her, shattering a locker completely and leaving a deep gash in her cheek.
"I see..." Tiamat began to walk around the redhead while the redhead was still completely paralyzed by what had just happened. "You think I'm going to believe such stupidity?" The redhead could feel the dragoness' icy breath hit the back of her neck.
"What do you want?" Somehow, Rias found enough courage to address her again.
"Now if I feel like we're getting somewhere." The dragoness commented in a rather cheerful tone.
A sick joy that would make even the biggest psychopath shudder.
The dragoness spun around on herself as if she was dancing until she was finally in front of Rias. She didn't take a second to grab her chin. Her lips came dangerously close to his.
"I just don't want you to do that again." She said, beginning to stroke the redhead's chin.
"Can you do that?"
The dragoness didn't receive a clear answer. She could only feel Rias' head nodding. It was the only thing she could do, as she was truly terrified.
"Alright!" Tiamat released her with a small chant as she turned her back to Rias.
Rias looked at her in utter amazement, and it was obvious the reason for her reaction.
"That's it?" She thought in relief, after sensing that the dragoness had settled for just a promise.
"By the way..." Tiamat's comment caused Rias to glance at her back, noticing how the dragoness had gone completely still.
"If I ever find out you broke your word..."
Tiamat spun around so fast that Rias couldn't even react.
The redhead's feet finally freed themselves, though the manner had not been pleasant at all. The fact that she had spat out a large amount of saliva as Tiamat's hand began to choke her was proof of that.
Rias could barely open her eyes, noticing an expression that Tiamat had not presented so far.
An expression of restrained fury that promised to murder in the cruelest way possible anyone who tried to hurt that person she cares so much about.
"I'm going to squeeze your neck like this..." The dragoness commented, making Rias' neck look smaller as her hand squeezed even tighter, causing Rias to spit blood. "And when you're about to die from suffocation..." Rias' hands tried to remove the dragoness' grip to no avail.
"I'm going to rip your fucking head off."
A completely sadistic grin graced her facial features as her light blue eyes glittered hungrily for blood.
"Did you get that?" Tiamat squeezed her neck even tighter.
Rias was trying to speak, but trying was the operative word, as she seemed to be choking on her own blood.
"Y-yes..." Rias was finally able to speak, falling to her knees on the ground as Tiamat released her.
"Was it that hard for you to say a simple word?" Tiamat taunted her as she placed both hands on her waist, enjoying how Rias gushed blood endlessly. "Come on, I barely used a little bit of my strength!" She laughed in a somewhat terrifying way. "Are you going to tell me you couldn't take it?"
The dragoness turned around, causing everything to begin to thaw.
"In any case..." Tiamat opened the door, stopping at that moment. "I hope I don't have to come talk to you again."
The sound of the door closing caused Rias to raise her gaze with a clear expression of pain as she kept coughing.
"What am I going to do now?"
Returning to Kyoto...
The day had started off pretty strong, but everything continued as normal. The inn was a great place and they also had the chance to make some travel friends thanks to the fact that the students from the other Academy were also there.
Although, to tell the truth, making new friends was the last priority for Issei, who was still deep in thought about Vali's words.
To his luck, Matsuda and Motohama had done their best to distract him from his worries, and at the end of the day they seemed to have succeeded.
At that moment, he didn't know that a much bigger worry would torment his mind.
The two friends of the brown-haired man were walking along with their girlfriends as they talked with great energy. Issei just listened to them with a smile, until they finally bumped into a teacher from the other Academy.
"Hello, could I ask you a question?" inquired the blond man with glasses while rubbing his hair somewhat shyly.
Certainly, the guy was quite handsome.
"What can I get you?" The one who spoke was Issei.
"I'll be blunt. I was wondering if your black-haired teacher has a partner." The man's question made Issei's mind completely cloud over.
"No." His answer was automatic, an answer that seemed to cheer the man up.
"Great, then I guess I might as well have some fun these next two weeks." The man commented happily, then placed a finger to his lips. "Let this be our little secret!" He concluded, winking at them, then walking away.
"Issei, are you okay?" Matsuda asked him as he noticed that the brown-haired man was looking rather overwhelmed for some strange reason.
"Yes, I am..." He would reply, then start walking.
"Where are you going?" Motohama asked him. "We have to go for dinner."
"I'm not hungry. I'll go to sleep." Was his curt reply that left no room for discussion.
They all looked at each other, their worries more than evident.
The first to remove that expression from his face was Motohama. In fact, they all looked at him with a raised eyebrow as they noticed how he adjusted his glasses with a sly smile.
"What are you up to, honey?" Aika couldn't help but look at him with a lot of suspicion and curiosity.
"Let's go talk to that guy." Replied the man with a small final laugh. "I want to know when he's going to go looking for Penemue..."
The three of them looked at each other, as they couldn't decipher exactly what he was thinking.
They only had to wait a couple of seconds for light bulbs to go off above their heads as they bumped their fists after realizing such a wonderful plan.
Issei pulled on the blankets and tried to sleep in his lonely, empty bedroom.
At first he seemed to be relaxed.
He seemed...
The brown's eyes crinkled as he changed his pose.
That act was repeated several more times, until finally he began to roll around as if he were a worm.
"Ahhh, it's impossible!" Issei exclaimed dramatically as he threw the blankets away.
Issei sat up, rubbing his face with exhaustion and some... sadness?
Issei couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he dropped his head back onto the pillow.
"This is funny. I can't even get through a night alone without missing her so much..." Issei patted his face, thinking of a certain dragoness. "And that's not the only thing that bothers me." The brown-haired man couldn't help but frown at the memory of that blonde professor.
He would eventually end up slapping himself hard in an attempt to calm down so he could sleep.
Unbeknownst to Issei's parents, the dragoness had once again sneaked into her beloved's room, and seemed to be having the same problems.
Although, in the end, Tiamat looked much more comfortable as she clung to the sheets very tenderly.
It was something normal if we add two constants.
Those two constants would be the dragon's highly developed sense of smell and the sheets that had the scent of her beloved. The result was a moderately satisfied dragon.
It would have to be seen if that compliance would last in the coming days.
The next day...
The day's events went completely smoothly. Issei was together with his two friends at almost all times as they took pictures of the various tourist sites as souvenirs.
Meanwhile, Penemue was being dragged around by Rossweisse to a myriad of locations. The Cadre remained serious at all times, although if you knew her well, you could tell she was having fun in her own way.
Finally, the time for the hot springs arrived. As expected, Issei, Matsuda, Motohama and Kiba were the only men in the sauna, as the professors had bathed earlier and the men from the other academy were to bathe later.
The brown-haired man broke off for a moment to talk about everything that had happened yesterday with Kiba. The blond stated that there was nothing to worry about, as it would be very rare to see them again before the day when the gate could finally be used.
Matsuda and Motohama were always of the typical people who enjoyed bathing, but on this occasion they looked quite rushed to leave together with their friend. Something Issei could only categorize as weird.
"What's the rush?" Issei couldn't help but ask his companions as they came out of the locker room with only a pair of pants on and a towel hanging from their shoulders.
"We thought it would be good to set up a game before we go to dinner." Motohama stated with a smile.
"You know, the King's Game." Matsuda commented while striking a ridiculous pose.
"The King's Game?" Issei couldn't help but bring both of his hands behind his head after the numerous memories came to him. "I remember we used to always play that game before to give each other magazines." Issei couldn't help but laugh a little embarrassed, as the contents of such magazines always had a naked woman as the cover.
"But this time it will be different, a truly great King's Game!" Motohama adjusted his glasses as they glittered with mystery and cunning. "Our girlfriends will go too. We just need some more members. That's why we told the girls to go get Rossweisse, since she seems to really enjoy these things." Concluded the glasses with an odd smile.
"Plus she's cool." Matsuda added in an afterthought.
"Seems like a good idea..." Just then, Issei realized something. "Wait a minute, why are we going to the women's sector?"
"We would need another member, and you get along very well with Penemue." Motohama explained to him, earning several nods from Matsuda, indicating that he was very much in agreement with his friend.
"That's not a bad idea, but I don't think she's interested in this kind of..." Issei stopped his conversation as he noticed that the door leading to the hallway was ajar.
The three men peeked out, noticing that there were two people talking in the hallway.
At that moment, Issei could feel his heart startled like never before.
"What do you want?" Penemue asked him, removing the towel from her head, causing her beautiful, damp dark hair to fall freely.
"Well, how can I put it..." The blond professor looked somewhat embarrassed as he rubbed his hair. "Since the day we arrived here, I've noticed you. I think you're beautiful and I'd like to spend the next few days of the trip together with you."
It was a more than obvious statement, and the three spies seemed to be quite surprised at what they witnessed. Especially Issei, who couldn't help but bring a hand to his chest as he began to feel a sense of discomfort for some strange reason. His two friends noticed his reaction, but decided to remain silent.
The silence between the blond and the Cadre would start to become somewhat awkward. Especially because of the woman's crimson eyes that glowed with utter disinterest.
Then, the answer finally came:
"I'm sorry, but you don't interest me in the least."
The man was quite surprised to receive a resounding rejection without that woman having had any gentleness with her words.
"But, I was told you didn't have a boyfriend." The blond insisted. "I meant having several days of pleasure, you know, nothing amorous."
"Which word didn't you understand?" Cadre couldn't help but cross her arms in an intimidating manner, making the man feel quite uncomfortable. "I'm not interested in you in the slightest. I'm not looking to have any romantic, let alone carnal, relationship. Besides, we're on a school trip. You disgust me." She concluded, spitting out the last word with some venom.
The blond could only grit his teeth at such humiliation.
"Okay, I get it!" The man exclaimed, starting to walk away. "You could have at least been a little nicer, bitch." The man thought with a vein scarred at his temple.
For some reason, Issei let out a silent sigh at how everything had turned out.
Still, this was no time to relax.
Especially when your two friends give you a tremendous kick in the ass so that you roll into the hallway until you're in front of the beautiful Cadre.
"Hug, those fuckers...!" Issei rubbed his butt as he stood up, and at that moment he realized.
He realized that he was in front of a Penemue who looked quite dismayed at the sight of him.
At that moment, Issei's mind went completely blank, as he had no idea how to talk to the woman because of what he had witnessed recently.
But...
He was definitely not going to expect such an outcome.
What was that outcome?
That answer was easy to figure out seeing how Penemue had hugged him so tightly for a reason unknown to all.
"Did you hear everything?!" She exclaimed as she hugged him even tighter. "I didn't accept him! I would never accept anyone! Ever!"
Issei could tell how Penemue's tone looked somewhat desperate, as if she was seeking some sort of forgiveness when she hadn't really done anything wrong.
And, in any case, everything that had just happened was none of his business.
That was what he thought when he returned her hug, causing the beautiful woman to stop shaking.
"Why are you getting like this?" Issei couldn't help but chuckle a little as he comforted her with strokes on her hair, that simple fact made Penemue cling even tighter to him. "I heard that you refused. And if you hadn't, that's none of my business." He explained while patting her head a couple of times, making the scene quite tender in the eyes of Matsuda and Motohama, who were still watching on eavesdropping.
"Now that I remember, you always say that, if I'm happy, you're happy too..." Penemue couldn't help but sink her face into the brown's neck as she blushed, as knew she had acted strangely.
She was right.
He had always told her that if she was happy, he would be happy too.
He had always thought of it that way.
But, now...
Something had changed...
"He tells me he'll try to care about his feelings!"
Was it because of those words of Rossweisse?
"..."
"..."
"..."
"No."
Penemue couldn't help but turn her face away slightly after hearing the word.
"How?" The Cadre inquired, noticing how Issei broke away from her to confront her face to face.
Penemue was very hard to impress.
She really was...
But she had never seen such a serious face covered with conviction on Issei's part.
It was as if he was discovering a whole new side of himself.
"I said no." He stated, then clarified. "I wouldn't want you to have a partner."
Penemue was undoubtedly stunned at the moment.
"What's wrong?" She asked him as she began to stroke his cheek, knowing something was on his mind.
At that moment, Issei's expression returned to a much more usual one on him. In this case, it was a face that represented being embarrassed.
"I've thought about it, and I wouldn't like to..." Was the reply from Issei who began to rub his cheek with a finger. "I think that, if that happens, we wouldn't be able to spend as much time together as we always do. I'm terrified at the thought of distancing myself from you..." The brown-haired man confessed, then lowered his gaze, being sorry for himself. "I know it's a selfish thing to do, forget what I said..."
Issei's eyes couldn't help but widen when Penemue's lips kissed his cheek.
"Silly boy." The Cadre said as she grabbed Issei's chin to make him look at her.
At that moment, Issei felt a great shiver from the great emotions that his body wasn't able to handle.
That reaction was because Penemue was very close, and her smile was a mixture of sweetness and affection.
Something he had never seen in her before.
And that shiver returned to his body when the Cadre hugged him tightly again, though this time she did it much more gently.
"Don't be afraid." She pressed her cheek against his in a rather loving way as she whispered in his ear.
"I'm never going to walk away from you, no matter what happens."
Matsuda and Motohama watched this with a smile, feeling very proud of their friend. The problem was that footsteps began to be heard, so they immediately became alert. Especially seeing as they were their girlfriends and Rossweisse, who seemed quite excited at the idea of playing with her students.
They both immediately tensed up and stood up, then charged their lungs to full power.
"HOW GOOD IT IS TO SEE THEM AROUND ALREADY!" The shout from the two men caused Penemue and Issei to break away with a great start, while Rossweisse gave them a confused look that quickly turned into a smile.
"I'm glad to see that excitement!" The Valkyrie exclaimed as she clenched both her fists in joy, evidently not understanding what was going on.
Meanwhile, Aika and Murayama gave the two men a thumbs up, causing them to nod, making it clear that the first part of the plan had been a success.
"Now there's only the most interesting part left..." Thought the four at the same time with great mystery.
A moment later...
They were all in one of the small rooms. They were seated around a small round table while waving the chopsticks inside a glass.
"What are you doing here?" Penemue fixed her gaze on a certain man, getting him to smile cheekily at her.
"I heard you wanted to play, and it seems to be something fun." Was Azazel's simple reply. "Besides, that's something I should ask myself." He culminated, delivering an amused look to the Cadre, who couldn't help but avert her gaze.
"I had no choice, she was really insistent." Penemue replied, remembering how Rossweisse tormented her about 50 times to play with her.
"Now that we're all gathered, it's time to begin!" The bald man exclaimed with a toothy grin.
The game started out rather calm, especially when we talked about this kind of game.
The King always proposed that x number would tell an exciting story or make rather superficial challenges. It went on like that for quite a while, until the King finally turned to Matsuda, who immediately became serious.
The bald man raised his gaze to fix on Motohama, who was sitting next to the brown-haired man.
His friend seemed to understand him with just a glance, so he also became serious immediately.
"Well, I'm the king!" Exclaimed the bald man, returning to his typical goofy grin.
"I'd better prepare for the worst." Motohama sneered as he took off his glasses and began wiping them with his finger.
Matsuda looked closely at one of the glasses, noticing how it illuminated the number on Issei's chopstick, being 1.
The bald man averted his gaze as slyly as possible to his right, noticing how Penemue was standing next to him. The Cadre looked somewhat bored as she held her chopstick with no intention of hiding it.
A somewhat mischievous chuckle appeared from the bald man, managing to make everyone look at him with some confusion.
"Why don't we take it up a notch?" Matsuda proposed, then slammed his hand down hard on the table.
"NUMBER 1 AND NUMBER 3 HAVE TO KISS 100 TIMES!"
"W-WH-WHAT?!" Issei couldn't help but jump when he noticed that he had been one of those mentioned.
"You're 1?" The Cadre asked calmly.
"Yes." Was Isseim's simple reply as he had the intentions of killing his friend, but he quickly realized something. "Wait..." Issei turned his face in a robotic manner to face the Cadre again.
"Don't-don't tell me..."
"I'm 3." Penemue showed her chopstick, and this time she couldn't help but blush a little.
"But-but this is ridiculous..." Issei declared.
"The king's orders are absolute!" Matsuda exhaled a large amount of air through his nose after what he commented. "But since I am a benevolent emperor, I agree to let them go to another room to do so, if that seems more comfortable to them."
Issei seemed to have the intentions of speaking, but Penemue interrupted him before he could do anything.
"Alright. Let's go to the dining room, since they'll be using the other one for the day." Cadre commented, taking her future lover by the hand, who couldn't say anything.
"Will this be all right?" Thought Rossweisse with some concern, watching the door close.
"These brats..." Azazel couldn't help but chuckle internally as he noticed how Matsuda and Motohama had planned it all.
Issei and Penemue sat across from each other. The nervousness was more than evident, especially in the brown.
"Come to think of it, this isn't bad." Issei stated with a slight blush. "We just have to hang around for a while for them to think we met the challenge. Maybe about 20 or 30 minutes."
"That's what I had originally thought." Penemue confessed, then blushed a little. "But this is just a game. I don't think it's that bad, do you?"
"Penemue?" Issei couldn't help but look at her with great shock after her words. "It's true that it's a game, but you still never kissed anyone. I wouldn't want to steal that from you." The young man commented with complete sincerity.
"Heh..." She laughed, getting Issei to look at her with much confusion. "I guess it's for that very reason that I want you to."
"What do you mean by that?" Issei couldn't help but tense up a bit at such a statement.
"I had told you before that I could only talk to you about how it feels to have a first kiss. I feel the same way now." She closed her eyes, showing that she was completely sure of what she was talking about. "I think you're the only one I could have this experience with. I simply want to experience that feeling for myself, especially after what you told me in the carriage..." She stated with complete sincerity.
"Uh, I knew you were curious. But not to this extent." Issei felt this was all a bit strange.
After all, Penemue had always been a woman who hardly ever showed any interest in the opposite sex. Especially if we were just talking about kissing.
And now, she was asking something like this...
"Although..." Issei snapped out of his thoughts as he noticed Penemue shyly shifting in her seat, a sight he'd never think he'd be able to see.
She raised her gaze, denoting a sad gleam in her beautiful crimson eyes.
"I can understand if it's that you don't want to kiss me..."
"It's not that!" Issei's shout shocked even himself.
"So, are we going to do it?" She asked him, unable to help but avert her gaze with some regret.
"We will, although I think a hundred kisses in crazy..." Issei declared more to himself than to her.
"Then let's get started." Penemue mustered more courage than she thought to say those two simple words.
But a funny and curious thing happened, as they both stood there staring at each other for several seconds without saying a word to each other.
"Hem, Penemue..." Issei commented with a bead of sweat. "You need to come a little closer." He told her, noticing that there was at least about 5 meters of distance between them.
"Oh, sorry!" She quickly apologized and began shuffling the chair in a rather comical manner.
"I never thought to see her so embarrassed, though I can't say I dislike this." Thought the young man with slight amusement.
After all, he always thought there would be no other person more shy than him to discuss such matters.
"Now what do I do?" Penemue asked him with her blush still in effect, feeling her knees bump against Issei's from the closeness.
"Lean into me." Issei stated as he did the same.
Penemue simply nodded, and the two began to bring their faces closer together.
Just as they were about to kiss, their noses and foreheads collided, causing them to pull away in slight pain.
"What happened?" She couldn't help but open one of her eyes, showing utter confusion.
"I forgot that we have to turn our faces to do it." Issei could only blush in embarrassment, as he was supposedly playing the teacher and couldn't even get what was essentially the simplest thing right.
"Okay." The Cadre nodded.
They both approached each other again. The same funny result happened once again, as they both tilted their faces to the same side.
"Wait, wait!" Issei exclaimed as he rubbed his forehead. "It doesn't have to be both on the same side!"
"Hug, sorry..." Declared Penemue, who was in just as much pain as her beloved.
They both opened their eyes, meeting each other's gazes instantly. Stares, which, by the way, were really close due to the fact that their bodies were still leaning forward.
The two stood looking at each other for a couple of seconds while rubbing their foreheads together, until they started laughing at their antics.
"Sorry, you asked me to do it, but the reality is I have about the same experience as you in this." Issei commented amusedly.
"No worries." She said, amused. "I was really nervous at first, but it turns out doing this with you is fun. Or at least, trying to do it." She concluded, unable to help but give him a look coated with complicity.
"Yeah, I guess that would be the key word." Issei chuckled.
Just then, they both turned their focus back to each other.
Their smiles slowly paid off as they looked at each other with an intensity very different from what it was at first.
That shyness had completely disappeared just by spending that funny little moment.
They both began to move closer without saying a word.
Their lips slowly drew closer, until they finally met in what seemed like an eternal wait.
They kissed in a completely shy way.
Their lips didn't take long to part.
It had been a really short kiss.
It was okay, since it was just a game, and they had to finish quickly.
Then...
Why were they looking at each other with uncontrollable passion?
In that moment that their lips had met, they didn't know what had happened, but they had simply gone crazy.
The proof of that was not long in coming when the split-second silence was nipped in the bud when the chair Penemue was in fell with a crash to the floor.
The Cadre mounted on top of her beloved's lap and hugged him by the neck with a desire she had been holding in her heart for a long time.
Issei didn't even resist as her lips collided with a force and passion that was simply disproportionate to any display of love ever seen.
That unleashed desire to be with each other was what had driven them mad.
The key was that first kiss.
That, unlike this one, now you could witness how their tongues were digging deep inside their mouths, in an attempt to transmit all that they felt to each other.
Their teeth were clashing, making it clear how inexperienced they both were in this area. But that didn't matter.
The only thing that mattered was to be able to hug and feel the other.
The only important thing was to transmit to each other all that love that had been sealed inside them for so long.
A love so strong that it was even making Penemue start to cry.
That feeling of happiness was so strong that she simply couldn't stand it, and she didn't care.
She had been enduring it for so long, she no longer cared about being a mess of emotions right now.
She just wanted this moment to last forever.
In Issei's case it was something similar.
Though in his mind, he was making a comparison.
After all, her taste was strawberry, exactly the same as Rias.
So...
How could she be so fucking different!
How could he love this kiss so much while the other one disgusted him immeasurably!
Oh, yeah...
The answer was simple...
This pleasure and all this overflowing, uncontrollable passion was because she is Penemue.
It was a rather concise answer, but at the same time it was so clear that it was scary.
He feels nothing for Rías.
He feels everything for Penemue.
That was the conclusion.
All those crossed thoughts between the two happened in the same kiss.
The same kiss that was finally broken when they ran out of air, making a strange sound when they separated.
They both stood looking at each other without saying a word as they did their best to catch their breath.
Issei had grabbed her cheeks without even realizing it. He could only see how the beautiful woman who was resting her forehead with his was doing her best to catch her breath while sobbing non-stop.
That moved him completely.
It had been a long time since he had seen Penemue cry.
Now she was doing it again, but it wasn't a cry covered in sadness.
Her tears were a way of expelling all that happiness she couldn't contain inside her body that wouldn't stop burning.
How could a kiss feel so fucking good?
Both Issei and Penemue could feel that question settling in the back of their minds, but they were too focused on something else to pay attention to their minds that were a mess right now.
Once they caught their breath, it didn't take a second for their lips to come together again, showing even more intensity than the previous one.
That made Penemue's tears even more pronounced, as well as the strong uncontrollable burning that was burning her chest.
But it was not a painful burn.
It was quite the opposite.
It just felt so good that she couldn't and wouldn't stop.
And in these moments, it was when her true feelings couldn't help but overflow.
She didn't say it in words, she didn't express it openly.
But the intention was more than clear.
"I may lie to myself, but the reality is that I know very well that I don't want to watch your heart heal thanks to other women while I'm just watching!"
"I want to be one of them!"
"I want to love you!"
"I want to caress you!"
"I want to kiss you!"
"I want our body and soul to become one!"
"I want to be your woman!"
"I love you so much that I'm going crazy!"
It was as if she wanted to convey all those words with her kiss.
"Yuck!" They both broke apart after a long minute, starting to catch all the missing air.
Issei looked at her intently, noticing how her beautiful crimson eyes were clouded at the sensations she could barely control. He could feel her tears falling on his hands non-stop, added to her heavy breath that was constantly hitting him due to their mouths constantly rubbing together.
They both closed their eyes and made the greatest effort to catch their breath faster and end this "game" as soon as possible.
END OF CHAPTER!
On this occasion, I can say that it was an enjoyable chapter.
We'll be seeing you very soon for the continuation.
Thank you very much for reading!