The next day Issei, Asia, and Mash were walking around downtown. Issei wanted to show Asia a good time so that she could worry less about the current situation. Keeping their distance further away, Martha, Jeanne, and Boudica were keeping watch, dressed in casual clothes and doing their best to not look like they were following them. On top of that there were Issei's assassin class servants completely out of sight watching them too. Simply put, they had about as much security as a government official. Of course, Issei didn't tell Asia any of this because he wanted her to enjoy herself. It was noon time so they decided to go out to lunch.
"Is there anything you want to eat, Asia?" Issei asked politely.
"Uhm… I'm fine with whatever Issei-san suggests." Asia said nervously.
Issei and Mash looked at each other then Issei looked back at her with a smile. "Then why don't we get burgers for lunch so that way we won't fill up too much and have enough energy to do other things."
"That sounds like a good idea, Senpai." Mash said. Asia nodded in agreement as well and they all went to go eat. When they went to a burger place Asia had a hard time reading the menu so Issei got her the same thing that he got and Mash also ordered the same. Issei had an amused look on his face watching the nun eat her first ever burger and somewhat struggling. After they finished eating they went to the arcade where they played many different games together. While walking through the arcade a stuffed animal in a crane game caught Asia's attention, which was noticed by Issei.
"Do you see something you want?" He asked. Asia looked away shyly but nodded her head. Issei looked at the doll Asia was staring at and smiled. "Well then, why don't I win it for you?" He said getting ready to play.
Asia showed a surprised look and started waving her hands in front of her. "Ahh! No no, it's fine Issei-san you don't have to get me one."
"I'm not doing it cause I have to. I'm doing it because I want to." He said, giving her a kind look.
Asia blushed and nodded thankfully. Issei played the crane game a few times before he finally got the Rache-kun doll that Asia wanted. Once he gave it to her her face lit up and she hugged the doll tightly. "Thank you Issei-san! I will always cherish it!" She was positively beaming.
After they finished playing at the arcade the trio went for a walk in the park. As they were walking they came upon a boy who fell and skinned his knee. Issei was going to help him but faster than he could respond Asia was already walking to the boy. She knelt down and placed her hands over the area where the boy was hurt and a green glow appeared over the boy's wound. Soon the wound was completely gone. The boy was slightly confused as to why he wasn't hurting anymore but soon after he smiled widely at the nun. "Thank you Miss!" The boy said and ran off to keep playing.
So that's her Sacred Gear huh? What a nice ability, or should I say, it's the perfect ability for someone like Asia. Issei thought to himself as he walked up to Asia with Mash. Asia turned to them then looked away, sad. Issei gave a confused look. "What's wrong, Asia? You did a good thing, helping that boy with your Sacred Gear like that."
Asia had a look of surprise on her face at Issei's words. "Issei-san, you know what a Sacred Gear is?"
"Yeah, I do. I have one as well, although it's a bit more destructive than yours is. I think a healing ability is a perfect match for someone like you." He was complimenting her. Suddenly, Asia had tears rolling down her face which alarmed both Issei and Mash.
They took her to a nearby bench and she began to tell them about her life before coming to Kuoh, how she was adopted by the church and made the holy maiden when they found out she could heal others. Everything was fine for her until one day she healed an injured person who turned out to be a devil. The church cast her out saying that "No ability that can heal devils can be a gift from God!" and left her to fend for herself. That was when she was picked up by the fallen and was sent here to this town.
Mash had a sad look in her eyes and hugged Asia, while Issei had a downcast look, trying not to show his unhappiness at Asia's treatment. What the hell! They make her a holy maiden of their own accord then discard her for helping someone they don't like! She was just following the church's teachings! Issei was now reevaluating his approach to the church and the angel's side whenever he got the chance to meet them. Keeping some distance away, Issei's servants who were following them heard the story as well. There was great disappointment on Martha and Jeanne's faces.
After Asia had calmed down a bit from her story she spoke to the pair again. "This must be a test from God. He wants me to endure as to test my faith." Issei had a skeptical look but before he could respond Asia continued speaking. "I have a dream. My dream is to have a friend. A friend to go out and play with, buy books with, and enjoy spending time with each other."
Issei smiled sadly. That's kinda sad, but it's not her fault that she thinks that way. Issei thought before addressing the nun. "Well, you already achieved your dream. After all, I'm your friend aren't I?" Asia had a look of surprise on her face as Issei continued. "Not only me, but Mashu, Martha, Jeanne, and the others you met at the house as well as my parents. We are all your friends and we would be happy to do all those things with you."
"That's right, Asia-san. We would all be happy to be your friends and spend as much time together as you'd like." Mash said supportively.
Asia had happy tears coming down her face. "You all will really be my friends? Even though I'm clumsy, and lack common sense, and can't speak or read Japanese properly yet, or know the culture, and…"
"If you're struggling with those then we'll help you. If you lack common sense we'll teach you. If you fall down we'll pick you up, because that is what friends do." Issei said to her. After he said that, Asia's body began to shake. She was overcome with emotion and Issei and Mash hugged her from both sides. As they were having their moment though someone came and interrupted them.
"That won't be happening." A female voice came from above.
The trio looked up to see a fallen floating there, but not just any fallen.
"Raynare-sama…" Asia said. It was the fallen who had started this chain of events.
Issei and Mash had now gotten up and stood in front of Asia. Mash had changed into her servant form and Issei had his magecraft on standby. Raynare just sneered at the two and continued speaking to Asia. "You've had your fun but now it's time to return back with us."
"N-no. I don't want to go back to that place. I don't want to go back with people who kill others for no reason." Asia was cowering behind them.
"And you won't have to." Issei said firmly to Asia. He then took a confident stance and addressed the fallen. "So, Raynare, have you come to clean up the messes you made after screwing up not only once but twice?" He said as smugly as possible.
The fallen now had an ugly grimace on her face from the taunt. "You filthy human! You get lucky a few times and think you're better than us!?"
"That's rich coming from someone who thinks themselves superior just because they're a fallen. Does the word hypocrisy ring a bell to you?"
"Humph! I don't need to justify myself to you! I'm not here for you right now anyway. I'll deal with you after I take the nun back."
"That won't be happening, after all, she very clearly stated that she didn't want to go."
Raynare gave a smug look of her own. "Like she has a choice. She is a member of the fallen angels, what we do with her is our business. Interfering with your betters will only bring trouble for you. So why don't you crawl back to your pit you call a home and wait to die."
Issei was now getting upset and was about to talk back when he felt someone grab his arm. Asia had grabbed him and had a look of resolve on her face. Issei had seen that look before. "Issei-san, I don't want to cause you trouble so-"
She was interrupted by Issei putting his hand on hers and speaking. "I know what you're going to say and I'll tell you right now, it's pointless to sacrifice yourself to try and save us. As you heard she planned on killing me and she would never hold up any bargain about sparing me. Even if she did, I would go to save you so there is no point in putting your life on the line." He gave her a bright smile. "We will protect you, so please believe in us."
Asia had moist eyes and nodded in agreement. Raynare, who had decided she had waited long enough, spoke again. "Fine, if you won't come willingly I will take you back by force!" She dived at the group while creating a spear of light.
Mash took a defensive stance ready to block the attack, but before it even reached, the fallen was hit by a different attack. Martha had jumped in and intercepted Raynare, using her staff to knock her to the ground. While the fallen was picking herself off the ground Boudica and Jeanne had moved in and were preparing to strike. Before their attacks landed Raynare flew back up into the sky. She made sure to go higher this time so as to not get taken by surprise and while she considered striking back, not only was she outnumbered but she didn't know anything about these newcomers. "Damnit!" She yelled. "Don't think that this is over! I will get both of you!" After yelling that she disappeared in a flash of light.
After they chased off Raynare they all returned home. They had taken the day off from school so if they went there now while classes were in session it would look suspicious, so Issei sent a text to Rias and told her they would meet a little after school ended. In the meantime everyone, including Da Vinci who was communicating via comm link, was convened in the living room deciding what to do next.
"So what should we do now Master? She made it clear that she wasn't going to stop." Said Martha.
"If they're targeting mommy then we should just kill them, right?" Said Jack.
"We can't be too hasty. If we just kill them without planning it properly we could cause more problems down the line." Said Jeanne.
"But we can't just let them keep attacking Master and Asia. They deserve to be able to walk around their town without having to worry about getting their heads chopped off." Said Boudica.
"Just what are those devils doing? Aren't they supposed to be handling this? Why are they dragging their feet when our precious Master is in danger?" Said Raikou upset.
Conversation like this was going around, debating the pros and cons of doing something about this situation. Issei was listening to everyone intently trying to decide what to do. He looked to the side where Asia was sitting. She looked a bit downcast, like someone who thinks they're causing problems for everyone else. Issei put his hand on her shoulder which seemed to bring her out of her brooding. "Remember this isn't your fault. They were coming after me before you even came to this town. This is just as much my problem as it is yours, so don't think that this is all your fault." He said with a reassuring smile. She smiled back at him and with that he made up his mind.
Issei stood from his seat. "Listen up everyone!" He said strongly to get everyone's attention. "We are going to deal with the fallen angels and their group tonight. I already asked Da Vinci to prepare some of the servants beforehand and with you guys here it should be a cakewalk. Some of you will be staying in case they send people here while we aren't here, but by tonight's end we will be rid of these annoyances."
"Senpai, are you sure that's wise?" Mash asked concerned.
"Of course it's not without its risks, but the longer this goes on the more of an advantage the fallen will get by getting more information about us. Not to mention it only takes one mistake to lose everything, so it's best to deal with it while it's still manageable."
Everyone nodded in agreement and began to prepare for tonight's excursion. As everyone was getting ready Issei went to his room to get his Mystic Code gear Mash brought over from Chaldea. As he was changing there was a knock at the door.
"Issei-san, may I come in?" Asia asked.
"Give me a second Asia." Issei finished changing into his gear and then went to open the door. "What do you need, Asia?" He asked kindly.
Asia looked down for a moment then resolved herself and looked directly at Issei. "I want to come with you." Issei was surprised by this and was about to tell her that she should stay here but she continued. "Like you said earlier, this is just as much my problem as it is yours. I may not be a good fighter but I can heal anyone who gets injured." She looked down again as she continued. "I want to see this through to the end. I don't want to always have someone else do all the work for me."
Issei stared at her for a bit. It seems that the resolve she was going to use to sacrifice herself earlier had come back. At least it was in a more proactive way this time. He found it hard to say no to her even when it was with her best interest in mind. "... Fine you can come with us but you will stick to either me, Mash, or another servant at all times depending on the situation. I don't want them taking you hostage and making things difficult." Asia nodded with determination and they all continued to prepare for tonight.
"We're going to be attacking the Fallen Angel's base tonight. We are going to take out everyone there and destroy whatever projects they are working on." Issei stated matter of factly to Rias. It was dusk and Issei had come to meet with the devils to let them know what happened earlier that day and to inform them of what they were planning to do. Rias was stunned at the statement that was made and was about to rebuke him. Before she could though, Issei shut down any attempt to stop him. "I am only telling you this as a courtesy and to give you a chance to help in this situation, not that we need it. You are not my boss and I'm starting to become tired of all this tip toeing around the problem." Issei gave Rias an exasperated look.
Rias now had a stern look on her face. "You do realize what could happen if you handle this wrong, don't you?"
"Of course I'm aware of the danger but waiting around for someone to get a lucky shot at me isn't exactly a better alternative." He narrowed his eyes at her. "Why are you dragging your feet with this? It's one thing to be afraid of repercussions, but it's another to basically ignore a problem that is escalating right in front of you. The more you wait around the stronger the enemy will become. They know you're afraid and that's why they are going to keep pushing and pushing until they either take you out or cause you problems. You need to plant your feet and bite the bullet on this, because if war does break out it's in your best interest that your enemy is as weak and ill prepared as possible and the more time you give them to prepare the more likely you are going to lose."
Rias had a dissatisfied look on her face. She knew that he was right but she didn't want to be the one responsible for starting the war. But if she lets him go and the war does reignite, people will blame her for negligence in her own territory. She was also aware that she was dragging her feet because she didn't want her brother to come and deal with the situation. Now she had her back in a corner, she had to make a decision right now.
"Are you sure you can handle this?" She asked. She was talking more about making sure the job was completely done rather than whether or not he would succeed.
"I'm positive. Like I said I'm only telling you because we agreed to share information related to this. This is also a chance for you to not only prove yourselves to me, but to more than likely gain a bit of prestige among your devil compatriots. I'm sure that defeating the fallen that have entered your territory will be a boost to your reputation in devil society." Issei didn't know for sure but he was guessing that it would be the case. "Of course, you could just leave it all to me and nobody has to know anything happened." He said airily.
Rias hesitated. It was grading to have him run the conversation like this but what he said was ultimately correct. She sat and pondered a bit more then decided how to proceed. "Give us a bit of time to confirm something." She asked him.
"I will wait an hour, but this is happening tonight, so decide soon." He gave her his ultimatum.
Rias nodded then created a communication magic circle to contact her brother. After forty-five minutes of talking and getting the information she needed she ended the call. "Good news. After discussing with my brother and getting the relevant information we have found out that the fallen here are acting against orders and as such it would be no issue taking them out." She said confidently. She was hoping that would get her some good will from Issei.
Issei gave her an exasperated look from his position on the couch, Fou perched on his shoulder relaxing. "If it only took that long to find out whether or not they were supposed to be here, why didn't you do it sooner?" His voice emanated annoyance.
Rias slightly frowned, this wasn't the reaction she was hoping for. She did concede that this would have been dealt with sooner if she had done this earlier. She was just worried that her brother would overreact, but he had been completely helpful and didn't give any signs that he would come of his own volition. She was relieved by this but understood that this showed Issei that she was slightly incompetent and was now going to have to prove to him how capable she was. "W-well now that we know, we will also be going with you to deal with the Fallen Angels."
Issei nodded in approval and once the members of the ORC got ready, they all headed out.
So now we head to the climax of volume 1. As I'm sure you guys noticed, this volume was more for world building than for character growth. Getting into volume 2 will be where I start getting into the characters more. But now is the time where Issei shows the ORC what he has at his disposal. Also, for this chapter I did things a bit different from not only the main story but from a lot of other fanfics I read. Even when other fanfics make Issei op they always make some excuse for Asia to be kidnapped or killed and usually just feels forced in when there were clearly better options to avoid it. So that's what I did for this chapter. Letting Asia get taken away when Issei has so many people to help and skills of his own at his disposal doesn't make sense. Also, I saw someone saying in the last chapter that it didn't make sense for Issei and Mash to be tired after the fight with Kalawarna and all I want to say to that is that it was stress fatigue not actual exhaustion. It was that feeling when you're so wound up but then you get to a point when you relax and just feel tired. I can imagine a lot of people would be stressed when they are attacked by surprise even if they have experience fighting. Also I plan to make Mashu and Asia like sisters since their personalities are similar but Mashu has a bit more sense than Asia does.