Before we begin...
"Talking."
'Thinking.'
"Flashback quotes. Text from messages. Intercom."
{Sacred Gear announcement.}
When we last left off, Riser Phenex, the unwanted groom of Rias Gremory, has allowed her and her servants ten days to train for the Rating Game against him. If Rias wins, she'll be free of him, but if she loses, she will be engaged with Riser. Will the Gremory Devils be able to get stronger in the span of ten days? Find out now.
~The Ten Day Struggle~
The Gremory Devils finally made it up the mountain. And what awaited them was a large white mansion surrounded by a healthy forest with a circular pond in front of the building.
"Wow, this place is beautiful," Asia says as she took in the sights while Issei falls to the ground, relieved that the painful path up the mountain was over.
"Okay everyone," Rias announces. "Let's get inside so we can change into our gym clothes."
"Eh?!" Issei immediately shoots back up with a blush and some steam fuming from his nose. "W-Will we be changing together?!"
"We likely have separate changing rooms, dumbass," Ginjo says with a deadpan on Issei.
"Well, we better get to it," Yuuto says as he goes in the building with the others, but not without stopping to turn towards Issei. "And, Issei..." Yuuto blushes with a bashful expression. "Please don't peep on me."
Issei shutters at Yuuto with white eyes while Ginjo gives his senpai narrowed eyes.
"Yuuto-senpai, I respect you, but if you say anything like that again, I'm going to punch you. I'm not kidding."
Yuuto jolts at Ginjo's warning before laughing sheepishly with a sweat drop and his hands up in defense.
"H-Hey now. It was a joke, a joke."
Ginjo kept his stare on Yuuto while going inside to change, followed by a snickering Issei with Yuuto going in shortly after him.
The girls finished changing and were the first to be back outside. As they waited, Rias noticed that the three boys were taking a little longer inside than usual. She was about to holler for them to hurry up, but stopped herself when she saw the door open, revealing Yuuto holding onto his stomach while limping.
"Yup... should've seen that coming," Yuuto grunts before chuckling. "Ow! Ow! Hurts to laugh."
"Oh gosh, Kiba-san!" Asia was quick to run to him and heal Yuuto's stomach.
"What the heck happened in there?" Rias asks before seeing Issei come out next chuckling evilly. "Ise, what did you do?"
"W-W-Wasn't me," Issei answers in between laughs.
As if on cue with his response, an annoyed Ginjo walks out while keeping his eyes on Yuuto with his arms crossed.
"Dude, I warned you. I said I was gonna do that if you joked like that again."
"I know," Yuuto groans as Asia finished healing the bruise on his stomach.
Akeno, who opted to wear her Miko attire consisting of a white haori with red accents and a red hakama, giggles as she was able to put together what transpired while Rias just sighs.
"Well, now that everyone's ready, let's get to training!"
"Yeah! Let's go!"
While Issei was excited to get stronger, Ginjo held a different expression from his. He was more stern, as if this was a very important mission that cannot be neglected at all.
'I will get stronger,' Ginjo looks at his right hand's palm. 'And then, I'll keep you safe from Riser's grasp, Akeno!'
For the first lesson of training, Rias had Yuuto teach Issei and Ginjo some swordplay. While Ginjo had no problems and showed much improvement from the last time he trained with Yuuto, Issei still had a lot of work to do, especially since he never fought with a sword before.
"Don't just focus on the sword's movements," Yuuto instructs Issei. "Make sure to use your peripheral vision to see the opponent as well as the terrain."
Ginjo practiced on his own, barely paying attention to how Issei was doing since he was so focused on getting better. But from what the girls observed, Issei needed to at least get good with offense since he's pretty good at dodging. But since he was too focused on trying to get a hit in, Issei ended up getting struck by Yuuto numerous times.
Needless to say, Issei kept underestimating how strong Yuuto is, and he'd be lying if he said that it didn't frustrate him.
After wrapping up sword training, Akeno brings Ginjo, Issei, and Asia inside the mansion for lesson two: magic training.
"You almost got it, Issei-kun," Akeno says. "Try to let the magic envelop your whole body and draw from your aura."
"Easier said than done," Issei says as he tried to do as he's instructed. "How will I even know if I finally can use magic."
"Akeno-san, I think I got it!"
Issei and Akeno look to see an excited Asia with a green ball of light above her palms.
"Ara ara, that's amazing! You have real talent for magic, Asia-chan!"
Issei chuckles sheepishly with a small smile. While he was happy for Asia, he couldn't help but feel a little jealous for how quickly she progressed.
Asia nods at Akeno with a giggle before turning around.
"Ginjo-san, look what I've done!" There was no response, which made her smile drop a little bit. "Uh... Ginjo-san?"
Issei and Akeno look over to Ginjo and saw that he was caught up with his own magic training. He was currently experimenting with his plasma magic, making the plasma balls in his hands expand and shrink numerous times. Then, the balls vanish as he takes a deep breath before plasma filaments thin and thick start protruding from his arms like tendrils.
The three look at Ginjo with awe before Asia giggles slightly.
"I guess Ginjo-san's too busy."
"Oi, little bro! Can't you pause to take a look at some progress?"
"Huh?" With the blue filaments still dancing around his arms, Ginjo snapped his head towards Issei before glancing over to Asia, who still had her green ball of magic in her hands, and offers her a kind smile. "Oh, nice job, Asia-san."
Asia nods in gratitude before watching Ginjo immediately resume his own training.
Akeno looks at Ginjo and couldn't help but feel a little concerned for him because of how quick his response was to Asia.
"Don't worry about him too much, Akeno-san," Akeno turns her head to Issei as he spoke to her. "Just like with his studies, and just recently with his art, the little man's always making sure he squeezes in as much knowledge and practice in himself as possible."
Akeno kept her eyes on Issei for a moment before looking back at Ginjo, who was practicing punches while the plasma filaments were still all over his arms. Although she was impressed with how much experimentation he's done with his plasma magic, she's still having a bad feeling about how he's doing it.
"I just hope Gin-kun doesn't push himself too hard."
"He won't," Issei says. "Sure, he may be stuck headfirst into studies all the time, but he knows when to take breaks and have fun, so training shouldn't be any different." Issei then brings his hands back to himself. "However, that doesn't mean I can't do the same. I have a lot of catching up to do if I want to get stronger!"
With intense concentration, Issei tries to conjure up his own ball of light. It was starting to feel like he was popping a vein, but later, his eyes widen as he sees a red ball of light above his palm.
"Alright! I got it!" Issei celebrates before his expression quickly turns into a deadpan. "But... It's so small..."
Issei looks at his tiny red orb for a few seconds longer before looking back up at Ginjo, who was still experimenting with his plasma magic while also shadow boxing.
'Nah... I don't want to show him this,' Issei thought. 'I have to keep trying until it gets bigger!'
"Just remember, you two," Akeno addresses Issei and Asia. "Let your thoughts take physical form and make the magic flow. Something you're good at or something you're always thinking about will take form relatively faster."
Asia nods at Akeno while Issei shifts his eyes downwards in thought.
'Something I'm good at, huh?'
With magic training done for the day, Koneko brings them out to the forest for the third lesson: hand-to-hand combat. Right now, Koneko was helping Issei get better at fighting, leaving Ginjo to practice on his own until it was his turn to spar with her.
Although he was keeping active with shadow boxing and even used his plasma magic to coat his arms in filaments again, he was still impatient. He knows just practicing on his own won't be enough to get better at combat.
Taking a quick glance, Ginjo sees Issei getting hit with an uppercut from Koneko and tumble into a tree, groaning in pain later on.
"Is that all you got?" Koneko asks Issei while popping her neck to the side.
Groaning, Issei slowly gets up and stares at Koneko.
"I'm just getting started!"
Issei charges at Koneko, but she effortlessly counters with a punch to his face. While he did roll backwards, he was able to break his fall and run at her again. When she went for a kick, Issei dodges by rolling out of the way. Koneko rushes to where he dodged and goes for a stomp. Issei rolls away again, but his shirt collar was caught by Koneko's hand.
"You're pretty good at dodging, but you need to get better at defense," Koneko lectures.
Issei tried to counter with a punch of his own, but Koneko caught his fist and traps him in an arm lock.
"Another thing, when you're on offense, aim your attacks for your opponent's line of symmetry and make sure you deliver a deep, precise blow."
Ginjo watches Koneko finish Issei with palm strike to his chest. Issei was still conscious, but his fatigue forced him to stay down.
Koneko rolls her shoulder around before setting her eyes on Ginjo.
"You're up."
"Finally," Ginjo whispers while cracking his knuckles.
Koneko noticed his stern gaze. To her, it felt different from the previous times his expression would appear as such. She didn't know how to put it, put to her, it was way more serious than normal.
Koneko makes the first move, and while Ginjo was able to dodge it, he felt one of Koneko's knuckles brush his cheek. Ginjo throws a punch of his own, and when Koneko blocked it, her eyes slightly widen at how powerful it was.
Koneko tries to counter by tripping his legs with her foot, but Ginjo jumped in time before aiming another fist at Koneko's stomach. She barely dodged out of the way and kicked him in the back.
Ginjo grunts at the impact, but he was far from out. Lunging forward, he goes for an uppercut. Koneko tries to block it, only for Ginjo to cancel the attack and kick her on her left side. Koneko almost lost balance from getting hit, and she can still feel some stings from the kick.
"Nice fake-out," Koneko compliments with the left side of her lips tugged upwards.
Ginjo snickers before charging again, both him and Koneko catching each other's fists.
Issei watched the spar from the sidelines and was surprised to see that they were pretty much evenly matched. Sometimes, Koneko would dominate in getting hits in, and other times, Ginjo would get some hits in too. However, the attacks Ginjo managed to land on Koneko were nothing compared to the Rook strength of her own punches and kicks.
Minutes go by before they finally wrap up sparring. Koneko gets some water bottles for Issei, Ginjo, and herself while the latter two walk over to him.
"Dude... you were amazing, little bro."
"Not yet," Ginjo mutters, making Issei raise a brow at him as he watches him chug his water.
"You showed a lot of progress, Gin-kun," Koneko assures him. "Just keep it up, and you'll get stronger."
Ginjo takes a breath as he withdrew his mouth from his water bottle.
"Still not enough. Who knows how powerful these girls are?"
Koneko can understand what Ginjo is saying as well as why he's pushing himself harder, but from reading his eyes, she couldn't help but feel there was something else going on from within him that's making him push himself harder than he usually would.
Issei chuckles after taking a swig of his own water.
"Sheesh, look at you guys. Here you two are being strong fighters, and I'm still nowhere near any of your levels yet."
"Maybe you should try harder," Ginjo suggests dryly, causing Issei to produce faux tears.
"Easy for you to say, little man."
Koneko walks over to Issei.
"Everyone has their specialty, Issei-senpai."
"Is that right?" Issei questions. "Name one thing that I'm naturally good at."
""You're a pervert,"" Ginjo and Koneko say simultaneously, making Issei sweat drop.
"Wow, thanks a lot," Issei says sarcastically.
"There's more," Koneko continued. "You're also a really hard worker."
Issei was taken back by her words, as was Ginjo.
"Y-You think so, Koneko-chan?"
Ginjo sighs at Issei's doubts.
"Come on, Ise-nii, you kicked that Fallen Angel guy's ass saving me and you were determined when producing those headbands, weren't you?" Issei nods, a little surprised that Ginjo still remembers those events. "Then don't give up. You'll get stronger if you keep going, okay?"
Issei felt touched by Ginjo and Koneko's words and stands up from his spot.
"Thanks you guys. Now I'm feeling even more fired up!"
Koneko smirks at Issei.
"We'll see about that."
Feeling challenged, Issei runs towards Koneko, challenging her to another spar.
Ginjo watches Issei's attempt to attack Koneko fail by watching her stop him with a simple throw.
"Come on, Ise-nii, this isn't a beat em' up."
Koneko declared lesson three to be over, and the Hyoudous would now move on to lesson four.
But technically, there wasn't quite a lesson four, as the rest of the time today was used for the Gremory Devils to do their own training until it was time to eat dinner. While Rias took Issei and Asia inside to teach them how to use magic for certain tasks like cooking and other hobbies, Ginjo decided to remain outside to work on his own magic.
Ginjo once again started with his plasma magic to see how flexible and stronger it became. Not only can he have plasma filaments all over his arms, but he also discovered he can coat his entire body in them. As he thought about that, if he were to be surrounded by enemies, then he can release that much plasma to shock them. As for how much damage an attack like that can do, he doesn't know.
And for his plasma balls, they can last longer when thrown at a longer distance compared to when he first weaponized them. He can even have some plasma filaments dance all over a ball if he chooses to, but he still needs to have them there while thrown, as they just become plasma balls when he does so.
Other than that one detail, as well as seeing if he can cast plasma bolts at a longer range, there was one magic type he personally thinks needs big improvement on, and that's his gravity magic. In its current state, he might as well use it as if they were gravity guns that push and pull objects in a single shot. While he finds this useful, He feels it's imperative that he fixes that and tries to make the gravitational pushes and pulls longer.
Ginjo sets some small logs to push and pull with his gravity magic. Taking a breath, Ginjo concentrates and visualizes the objects being slowly pulled by his gravity magic. The logs did get pulled, but they immediately fall to the ground instead of constantly coming to him like a magnet.
Ginjo grunts at this and tries again on another set of objects. With harsher concentration, he does get the logs in a larger pull, but they still fall to the ground and not get closer to him. While that was a significant improvement, it wasn't enough. Ginjo wants the logs to keep coming until they're close to his feet, but he had no such luck.
Brushing a thumb across his lips, Ginjo puts the logs back to where they once were and makes another attempt, starting with a single log each attempt this time.
Minutes go by. These minutes would later turn into hours. And through that time, Ginjo was panting in fatigue, both physically and mentally. Looking at the scattered logs, he could still only push and pull them with a single gravitational cast. He was still unable to make them levitate nor hover towards or away from him.
The only developments he discovered with his gravity magic was that he can make his pushes and pulls lighter or stronger. For instance, if he uses a light gravitational push, he'll simply tip an object over, but with a harsher push, he can send that object or more flying.
"Is this... the extent of my gravity magic?!"
This frustrated Ginjo. With how much time he and the rest of the Devils have to get stronger, these results were not satisfying to him. With a secondary magic as potentially strong as his plasma magic, it was important to him that he develops it further.
"I was wondering where you were."
Ginjo's eyes widen as he hears someone behind him. Turning his head, he saw Rias standing there with her arms crossed under her bust.
"What's up?"
"Dinner's been ready five minutes ago. What are you still doing here?"
"What does it look like?" Ginjo quizzes, pointing at the numerous logs before pushing one with his gravity magic.
Rias got a look at Ginjo's steely expression and sighs.
"Ginjo, I understand how important it is to get stronger, but you won't be able to do so on an empty stomach."
"Dinner can wait," Ginjo says impatiently. "I'm not even hungry ye-"
Ginjo was cut off by his stomach growling, making him gain a shocked expression.
"Come on, Ginjo," Rias says while tapping her foot.
Ginjo looks at Rias before turning his head back to the logs. He wanted to continue training, but under someone as strong as Rias, he can tell that she's not going to let him go that easily, so he pouts while crossing his arms.
"Fine, I'll eat."
Rias giggles at Ginjo's reaction before she escorts him inside.
"Come now, Ginjo, you'll like the food. After all, not only did Asia and Ise cook," Rias eyes slit with a teasing smirk. "Even Akeno's made some food too."
Hearing that made Ginjo's cheeks turn light red before he quickens his pace, earning a giggle from Rias.
"Well, look who's finally turned up," Issei says with a wink.
"Shaddap," Ginjo grunts before taking his seat next to Issei.
Ginjo looks at what was prepared on the table and sees what looks to him like a banquet.
"Issei-san helped out a lot using his magic to peel lots of potatoes and onions," Asia tells Ginjo. "I even helped teach him how to cook some of the food you see here."
"Is that right?" Ginjo asks while taking the potatoes Asia spoke of. "So, which of these is made by you and which is made by Ise-nii?"
Issei chuckles while scratching the back of his head.
"We... lost track."
Asia laughs sheepishly with Issei, mimicking his movements.
Turning back to his plate, Ginjo saw that it now had a steak in the middle of his potatoes.
"I've been fixing everyone some steak to go with our meals, so let me know how well I cooked it, okay?"
Ginjo looks up and blushes with broadened eyes to see Akeno standing behind him, looking down at him with a heartwarming smile.
"I see... Buchou did mention you made something for us all."
Koneko gives Akeno a light glare while watching her walk to her seat to eat with the rest of the crew.
Ginjo starts with the steak. Cutting a small piece and taking a bite, he smiles as his taste buds take it in.
"Wow, this is amazing!" Ginjo compliments Akeno. "It's not just dessert, you can whip up just about anything with your skills."
Akeno's eyes broaden with a dark red blush before later giggling with a hand on her cheek.
"Ara ara, for Gin-kun to say such sweet words, I might become embarrassed~"
Koneko fought the urge to bend her fork as she listened to Akeno's words.
Issei looked between Ginjo and Akeno before setting his eyes back on his brother.
'He got Akeno-san blushing,' he thought before smiling. 'Rock on, little man!'
Asia looks at Ginjo and Akeno as if she were studying them before bringing a bowl of soup to Issei.
"Here, Issei-san, I made this just for you."
Issei looks at the soup for a moment before giving Asia a kind smile.
"Thank you, Asia." Issei gives it a taste before his eyes broaden and his smile gets bigger. "Fantastic! You're a very talented cook!"
Asia's smile widens as her cheeks burn redder.
"I'm glad you enjoy it."
The Gremory Devils continued to eat for a while before Rias speaks up.
"Ise, since we're close to the end of the first day of training, how are you feeling?"
Issei blinks at Rias twice before sighing with a frown.
"Well... I'm pretty much the weakest of the group."
Ginjo's eyes shift towards him and soften, not liking how he spoke negatively about himself.
"Maybe as you are now," Rias says. "But these ten days should provide you with enough time to strengthen yourself. Plus, with your Boosted Gear and Asia's Twilight Healing, you two are both valuable resources."
Issei lifts his left arm towards himself.
"Our opponents will be aware of this too," Rias resumes. "The least I'll expect of you two is to be strong enough to at least defend yourselves and not drag the others down."
Issei and Asia nod in understanding while Ginjo looks at the mark on his palm.
"Ginjo? how are things on your end?"
Ginjo looks up at Rias before setting his stare back on his food.
"Still exploring my gravity magic. I just wish I can say I made huge developments."
Rias nods in understanding, remembering how he acted before she had to come find him.
"Progress is progress, Ginjo. Don't worry about the little details and take it one step at a time. We still have ten days, after all."
"Ten days isn't enough," Ginjo snaps before taking another harsh bite of his food, his eyes not leaving it for a second. "It's because of this that I can't afford to screw around!"
Everyone was quick to catch the annoyance in Ginjo's tone. Ginjo realizes it too and sighs with a softer expression.
"Sorry, it's just... with the stakes of this Rating Game, I got too caught up, and..."
Ginjo pauses, unable to find what else to say. He would later feel a hand on his shoulder and look to see that it was Issei that gave him the gesture.
"I know exactly how you feel, little bro. I want to get stronger as soon as I can, too. It's like you said when we sparred with Koneko-chan, we just have to keep trying."
Ginjo looks at Issei, a little surprised that there was a spur of confidence and wisdom from his older perverted brother. He then looks away with a small pout.
"Wh-Whatever."
Rias and Asia look at Issei with soft eyes and a smile, glad to see him giving his brother some assurance.
The group have eaten for a few more minutes before Rias stands up.
"Okay, now that we've had our fill, it's time for us to head to the bath."
Issei's cheeks burn red and gets excited.
"You mean all of you together?!"
Everyone looks towards Issei while Ginjo pinches the bridge of his nose with a sigh.
Rias, however, just giggles at Issei.
"Goodness, Ise, could it be that you plan to peep on us?"
"Not while I'm around, he ain't."
Everyone turns their heads to see Ginjo with his right hand up sticking his index and middle finger out. With the two fingers spread, Issei's face pales when he sees a string of plasma connecting in the middle of the fingertips.
"Uh... Ginjo... is that..?"
"I don't know," Ginjo answers before looking up at Issei. "Wanna find out by being my first test subject?"
Issei takes a step back from Ginjo while Akeno giggles at the scene and Koneko sends him a smile of approval.
Rias looks between the two brothers before going over to calm them down.
"Now now, boys, I don't mind if Ise wants to go in together with us," She says before looking at Akeno. "How about you?"
Akeno thinks about it for a moment before a spark comes from her eyes as she grinned.
"Well, as long as Gin-kun gets to come, sure. I wouldn't mind washing his back for him~"
Ginjo's cheeks heat up as the plasma bolt from between his fingertips vanishes. When Issei heard this, he made sure to not look at Akeno if this happens while Koneko sent another challenging glare at Akeno.
"What about you, Asia?" Rias asks. "I want to make sure you're comfortable, after all."
"S-Sure," Asia answers. "I trust Issei-san, and I trust Ginjo-san as well."
Issei was starting to look hopeful while Ginjo was wondering what's going on. But despite the consent from three of the girls, there was one more Issei needed to gain it from.
"And you, Koneko?"
Koneko slowly looks up at Issei with a dangerous deadpan.
"I'd rather die."
"I don't blame you," Ginjo says to Koneko, knowing how big of a bomb her refusal defused.
"Well, you heard Koneko, Ise," Rias says with a shrug. "Sorry~"
Issei's eyes whiten before he comically falls onto his back.
"Oh, don't be a baby," Ginjo grunts while lightly kicking Issei in the head.
Ginjo looks towards Koneko and nods at her in gratitude, and Koneko did the same.
Although, deep down, Koneko wouldn't mind sharing a bath with Ginjo one day. It was just Issei that would get in the way of that, as well as a certain third-year rival of hers.
The Gremory Devils were now enjoying the bath. The girls were on their side, and the three boys were on theirs.
However, Ginjo was still puzzling about his gravity magic. After he quickly washed and rinsed himself, he immediately tried to experiment with it using a sponge. But no matter how much he visualized, he was unable to make it float above his hand. Instead, he would always make the sponge jump with what he can currently do with his gravity magic.
"Training during a time of relaxation?"
Ginjo's attention was brought from his sponge and towards Yuuto, who had just finished washing himself and entered in the bath.
"I have my reasons, Yuuto-senpai."
"So I've figured out from dinner," Yuuto says. "It's a bad idea to get impatient, Ginjo. I speak from experience."
Ginjo sighs.
"I get where you're coming from, but tell me you haven't forgotten what that yakitori pimp said yesterday before he and his peerage left."
Yuuto snorts at what Ginjo called Riser before he recalled the Devil's words.
"No, I didn't, but I'm not letting that pressure me."
"That's because you probably fought longer than me and Ise-nii combined."
"True, but I still train day after day to get stronger. And hey, you're strong too, Ginjo."
"But I'm not strong enough. The physical exercises I've done before I got reincarnated are different from training for combat."
Yuuto can see the stress in Ginjo's face.
"I know what you're saying. You feel as if enough training is never enough. Even I thought of that a couple of times when I was younger. That's why I'm going to implore you to have patience and confidence in yourself. You'd never know what will happen in ten days of training."
Ginjo blinks at Yuuto before looking up in thought. He would then look to his left and to his right, his mind still processing what his senpai said. Flicking his fingers against the water, the younger Hyoudou sighs a deeper breath.
"Maybe you're right, Yuuto-senpai. I guess I'm just- What the hell are you doing?"
Yuuto's eyes broaden as Ginjo's sudden tone swap. He then saw that he was looking where Issei was. Checking what was up, Yuuto chuckles with a sweat drop to see Issei peering deeply at the wall that separated the boys and girls baths.
"Uh... Issei, I'm not sure what you're trying to pull off, but..."
"Koneko-chan told me..." Issei began with a nosebleed. "She told me that I was very good at being a pervert, so..." Issei leans his face closer to the wall. "If perversion is a source of my power, than so be it! Maybe if I think real hard, I will gain the ability to see through walls!"
"Is he being serious?" Yuuto asks Ginjo, who looked aggravated.
"It's Ise-nii, what did you expect?" Ginjo then addressed Issei. "Come on, Ise-nii, you know that's not how gaining a power works."
"You come on, little man! It was Akeno-san who said visualization's the essence of all magic, and Buchou said that feelings powers my Sacred Gear, so with visualization and my perverse mind, I know I can awaken a new ability from it!"
"Dude, you have a girlfriend! You mean she hasn't-"
"I spent a whole month not peeping on women, Ginjo!" Issei disrupts. "Call it what you like, but if I can just get one peek..."
Ginjo's eyes twitch.
"Like a junkie looking for a fix."
"That sounds about right," Yuuto agrees.
Exhaling, Ginjo stands up from the bath.
"Keep an eye on my pervy bro for me, will you?"
"You're done already?" Yuuto asks. "Where are you going?"
"To get more training done."
"But Buchou says we don't have to train for the rest of the day."
"It's only for a little bit," Ginjo says before looking back at Yuuto with a small smile. "It's like you said, patience."
Yuuto looks at Ginjo for a moment before nodding.
"Just don't hurt yourself, okay?"
"I won't, I won't."
Yuuto watches Ginjo leave the bath before setting his eyes on Issei, who was still trying his hardest to gain the ability to see through walls.
Three days have past, and the Gremory Devils have seven days of training left. So far, Ginjo saw significant improvement with both his swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat as well as his plasma magic. He was even able to increase the range of his plasma bolts and filaments to a longer range of ten meters.
As for his gravity magic, while he was able to unleash stronger pushes and pulls, he still still couldn't make objects levitate yet. Even though everyone else tells him he's getting stronger, sometimes he wonders that, since he still feels like his gravity magic still has much to develop.
During his training, Ginjo noticed Issei becoming just as stressed as he was about the training. Despite the older Hyoudou's hardships, he still feels like he isn't making any progress due to his lack of skill in casting magic, swordsmanship, and hand-to-hand combat.
Ginjo can sympathize with him, but just in different areas. What Issei felt in his overall usefulness is what Ginjo feels with his gravity magic, as the younger Hyoudou knows there may be more potential to it than to push and pull stuff from a distance.
Regardless, the brothers continued to train until they're on the verge of passing out. In one of those two days, the Hyoudous have been training so hard that they almost missed lunch. That's how dedicated they were to getting strong. Both were fatigued, but Issei showed more signs of it than Ginjo.
It was now the evening. Ginjo was still in a forest practicing with his gravity magic while also getting his plasma magic done too. While he was more than happy with how his plasma magic is doing, he can't say the same for his gravity magic, still not having any luck evolving it like he did with his plasma.
Looking up at the sky, he saw that the sun was no longer up and decides to retire for the day, intending to get up very early the next morning. During his walk back inside, Ginjo looks to his left and notices Issei standing inside a column building with Rias, who was wearing glasses. Ginjo kept walking, not wanting to disrupt.
"I don't get it Buchou," Issei tells Rias with confusion. "How can battle plans like these not be useful to us?"
"It's because our opponent is a Phenex."
Ginjo stopped walking as he heard that. He shifts his eyes down, knowing how rude it is to listen into some people's conversations, but because it concerns their opponent, he decided to sneak closer without them noticing so he can listen in. As he did, Ginjo hears what Rias had to say.
"Long ago, a Phoenix was a creature that controlled life itself, and was revered by humans as a Holy beast. Its tears could heal wounds, and drinking its blood would grant immortality and eternal youth. But there is another type of Phoenix besides the Holy beast..."
Ginjo's eyes slowly widen, having a feeling what kind of Devil Riser Phenex is just by listening to this tale.
"That is the House of Phenex, a Duke-level family and one of the seventy-two Pillars," Rias continued, not noticing Ginjo listening in. "Carrying the nickname of the Phoenix creature, Riser and his family have abilities similar to those beasts. They're unkillable."
'I fucking knew it...' Ginjo thought with a clenched fist. 'I knew there was a reason for a surname like that!'
"Wait, hold on!" Issei stood up from where he sat. "Isn't that overpowered?!"
"Indeed," Rias nods. "They're pretty much an immortal family. "Riser's Rating Game records have him at eight winds and two losses, and those losses were matches he threw on purpose out of consideration to allied families. Not counting those two losses, he's undefeated. They're already saying Riser's a candidate who could usurp the grand title. And by fighting with other Devils, Phenex has honed his strength, his power is really topnotch. We've come to understand just how terrifying his power of immortality really is."
"Shit..." Issei says, feeling more stress and pressure already. "And to think someone as powerful as him is our opponent."
"But that doesn't mean he's unbeatable."
"Really?" Issei was confused, as was Ginjo, who was still hiding from them.
"There are two ways someone can defeat a Phenex," Rias says while adjusting her glasses. "We can either destroy him with overwhelming power, or crush his spirit by keeping him on the ropes."
"Overwhelming power, huh?" Ginjo whispers while looking down at his hands.
"The former would require god-like strength," Rias says. "The latter is just a matter of keeping up our own stamina until his is depleted. Even if his body regenerates, he and his will can still be exhhausted. If we can manage that, then victory will be ours."
"Sounds rough," Issei says before gritting his teeth. "But either way, we don't have a choice. We have to fight, and we have to win!"
Hearing everything he needed to hear, Ginjo quietly walks away from Issei and Rias and goes further into the forest. With bangs covering his eyes, Ginjo's walk goes from a light jog, to a run, and later on, a full sprint.
'An opponent with high-speed regeneration... Buchou... why the hell didn't you tell us this sooner?!'
Going back to the spot where he trains, Ginjo sets up the logs and stones for his gravity magic training.
"A godlike power is needed to defeat a Phenex Devil, huh?" Ginjo asks himself before one of his bangs move, revealing a widened eye with a small iris. "I'll develop something close to it with everything I got! And I'll make that yakitori pimp remember what pain is!"
With that said, Ginjo resumed his training, this time, starting with combat training on a tall log he found from his travel around the forest.
Fueled with a new determination, as well as the knowledge of Riser and his House, Ginjo would continue to chip away on training in all fields, hand-to-hand combat, swordsmanship, and especially his magic power. He can't just get stronger, he needs to make himself ten times stronger than before.
Even if it means he'll have to pull an all-nighter.
~Six days until the Rating Game~
Another morning comes. Issei was wide awake and filled with a lot of motivation thanks to Rias' talk with him after they discussed Riser's capabilities. He was once filled with doubt last night, but now, the older Hyoudou was filled a new determination to get strong.
"Good morning, Issei-san," Asia greets as he joins her and everyone else for breakfast.
The only people that weren't there were Koneko and Ginjo.
"Hey, where's Ginjo and Koneko-chan?"
"Koneko-chan's getting Ginjo up right now," Yuuto informs him.
"Really? He's usually an early bird."
Rias, Akeno, Asia, and Yuuto raise their brows at this information. Before either could respond, they see Koneko walking in the dining room with them with a worried expression.
"Gin-kun's not in his room."
Hearing that got the Gremory Devils concerned.
"Oh gosh, I hope he didn't skip breakfast."
Issei smiles at Asia.
"Don't worry, Asia, it's Ginjo we're talking about. He can take care of himself."
Just as he said that, the group hears another set of footsteps coming to the dining room from a hallway that lead outside. Looking, their eyes broaden when they see someone with messy hair, lightly torn up clothes, and a tired look in his eyes.
"Ginjo?!"
The young man in question lazily looks at Issei before throwing a peace sign.
"Yo."
Ginjo would then tiredly go to the table and make a protein drink for himself. Because of how messy his hair his, only one of his eyes was visible to his friends and brother.
"Man, you got up really early, didn't you, little bro?"
"Huh?" Ginjo glances at him for a split second before resuming his drink preparation. "Yeah... Yeah, sure."
While Issei found the way he responded to be weird, the others couldn't help but feel a little worried for him.
Ginjo finishes making his protein drink and starts drinking it. Everyone watches as he just kept chugging and chugging without a care in the world. He guzzles down every last drop before withdrawing his lips from the cup with a loud exhale.
"Alright... Back to the grind..."
Ginjo walks away, not bothering to eat anything.
"Wait, Ginjo-san!" Asia gets in front of him. "Aren't you going to have breakfast? It's the most important meal of the day."
Ginjo tilts his head at Asia before rubbing his face and yawns.
"I'll take a protein bar with me."
"Eh? But... I don't know if that will be enough for you."
"Asia-san, you'd be amazed how filling one bar is," Ginjo says as he takes a protein bar and storms off.
Despite what he said, Asia couldn't help but worry for Ginjo.
Issei didn't blame her. Because of the way Ginjo spoke as well as how his hair and clothes appeared, he felt something to be a little off from him.
"Hey, Issei," Yuuto calls out. "Don't you think your brother might be overdoing it?"
Issei's brows raise at Yuuto before looking where Ginjo once was.
"I think so... I mean, you've seen his clothes, right?"
"That's not all," Yuuto continues, his voice showing more worry. "Have you seen his hands?"
"His hands? What about them?"
With a frown and softened eyes, Yuuto answers,
"The backs of them looked like they were bleeding."
This revelation made everyone gasp.
"What?! Why didn't Ginjo-san tell me?!" Asia asks. "I would've healed him right away!"
Akeno and Koneko were concerned too. They witnessed how impatient and anxious he was since their first day of training, and if they were to guess, it was likely because of how much time they have left that he's decided to step it up further.
Sighing, Issei speaks up to his friends.
"Don't worry, you guys, I'll go check on him and make sure he doesn't get too reckless."
"I'll go too," Asia offers. "I need to take a look at Ginjo-san's hands."
Issei nods in thanks before heading out with Asia.
"You guys go ahead and get started, we'll be back."
The Gremory Devils watch Issei and Asia leave the dining room before they think about Ginjo. If he's really overdoing it, then they hope that the two can stop him from hurting himself, or worse, exhausting himself.
Ginjo was outside practicing his plasma magic on some dummy targets. With every punch of his plasma fist, a nickname he came up with for when he coats his arms in plasma filaments, the dummies would break apart very easily compared to just simply punching them. The same can be said for rare occasions when he covers his legs in the filaments and kick them.
Then, he purposely sets off a trap he's set up to try out a new move and watches a pile of stones and logs rain down on him. With his fists clenched and a snarl, Ginjo unleashes a war cry, resulting in plasma filaments and bolts bursting from his body, destroying the logs and stones before any could hit him.
Panting with shaky hands, Ginjo observes the shrapnel of wood and stone.
"Good. None of them hit me this time," Ginjo nods before his eyes narrow at the mess. "But it's still not enough."
Ginjo was about to set up the trap again before he heard someone whistling from behind him.
"Well, that explains the messy hair and torn up clothes."
Turning around, his one eye visible from his messy bangs broadens as he sees Issei and Asia here with the latter immediately approaching him.
"What are you two doing here?" Ginjo asks as Asia healed any wounds and cuts she can find.
"What? Can't an older brother worry about his little man?"
Ginjo groans in annoyance while Asia finishes up healing him.
"I'm fine, Ise-nii. If that's all you came here for, then you can leave now. I'm busy."
"But Ginjo-san, We don't want you hurting yourself!" Asia says with a face full of worry.
"You have nothing to worry about," Ginjo says with assurance. "If anything bad happens, I'll be sure to come to you."
Asia was still scared for Ginjo. She can't help but think of the worst because of his current state.
Issei's eyes soften towards Ginjo. He didn't want him to overwork himself, but surely, Ginjo is smarter than this.
"Okay, well... just make sure you show up for lunch, alright?"
"Actually, about that."
"Hmm?"
Ginjo plays with some strands of his hair before resuming.
"When it's time for lunch, do me a favor and bring it over here."
Issei and Asia's eyes broaden at Ginjo's request.
"Ginjo-san, don't you want to eat it together with us?"
"Going to the dining room to eat and back here will waste time. Besides, people eat lunch from bentos plenty of times."
"But that's not the point, Ginjo-san!"
Asia was about to continue, but she felt a pair of hands on her shoulders and looks up to see Issei. He gives her a look of assurance before getting in front of her to speak to Ginjo.
"I'll make sure your lunch is delivered Ginjo. Just promise you won't go too crazy with your training."
"Ise-nii, I said I'll be fine."
Issei and Asia were taken a bit aback by his passive aggressive tone.
"We're just worried about you, Ginjo-san."
"I know, that's why I'm telling you guys this," Ginjo tells Asia, his voice a little calmer than before, but still carried a little agitation. "Now go. Don't you two have some training to do as well?"
Issei frowned, but he slowly nods and escorts Asia back inside for training.
'I mean... It's Ginjo... I know my little bro's smarter than to go too crazy with his training.'
But little did Issei realize, Ginjo had every intention to raise his training to the next level, and he didn't care how much sleep he might miss out on.
The sun is about to set tonight, and Ginjo was still training. The bentos Issei gave him for lunch and dinner from hours ago were set next to an unoccupied tree as Ginjo kept grinding. He breathed heavy, feeling sluggish as he barely took any breaks. Every time he was about to fall asleep, he would either punch himself or zap himself with his plasma magic to stay awake.
His gym clothes were even more torn up, both from his plasma magic and numerous physical activities as well, and his hair was even more messy. Despite all of this, Ginjo still kept training, and he has no intention to stop. He still felt like he has so much more to do if he wanted to get as strong as Riser Phenex.
With shaky hands and his eyes heavy, Ginjo glares at the logs and stones he used for his gravity magic practice. With every push and pull of the objects with his gravity magic, he still couldn't evolve it in a way he can use it differently. And if that wasn't annoying to him, he found a new conundrum with his magic. For some strange reason, Ginjo was unable to wield plasma magic and gravity magic in unison.
He even tried using the magic types with one hand, his left hand using plasma magic, and his right hand gravity magic. But no matter how much time he spent to try and get that to happen, it would always end with either his gravity magic coming out alone, or his plasma magic unleashing alone.
"Dammit..! Why can't I use them both at once?!"
Frustrated, Ginjo punches a nearby tree. He hisses in pain, but he shook it off, not having time to worry about it. He still had more training to do, not having a care for how late it was getting as he was too focused on perfecting his magic power.
~Five days until the Rating Game~
As soon as he saw a single glimpse of light from the sun, Ginjo rushes inside the mansion to make another protein drink. Since he didn't sleep at all, he almost tripped on himself and almost ran into some objects inside. Making sure he doesn't wake anyone, he begins making his drink while getting two protein bars ready.
Ginjo looks to have seen better days. His clothes were more ragged, dark circles were now under his eyes, and he never bothered to take a bath yesterday. But he didn't care about that. He didn't want to do anything that would waste valuable training time.
Ginjo almost spilt it, but he immediately started drinking his protein drink right after preparing it. He almost choked, but he got every last drop of it down before putting his cup in the sink and grabs the two protein bars. But as soon as he took them, Ginjo felt himself losing consciousness and had to hold on to the table for a bit.
"No... Don't sleep, don't sleep, dammit!" Ginjo growls. "I don't have time to rest!"
Biting his lip, Ginjo uses every ounce of his willpower to stand back up and head back outside for more training.
But as he left, Ginjo failed to notice Koneko watching him from the doorway. She grips the bottom of her shirt and her eyes soften, worried about her best friend's health.
"Ginjo is what?!"
Issei cringed when he heard Rias shout from the dining room. Jogging over there, he looks to see Rias speaking with a very concerned Koneko. Looking around the dining room, he saw that Akeno, Asia, and Yuuto were not here.
"We have to stop him, Buchou," Koneko tells Rias. "Who knows how much damage he'll do to himself if he keeps overexerting himself like this."
"Hey, wait," Rias and Koneko look to see Issei approaching them. "What's going on here?"
Rias looks at Koneko for another moment before setting her eyes on Issei.
"Ise, Koneko has told me that your brother has pulled an all-nighter."
"What?" Issei's eyes widen at this before he turns his head to Koneko.
"I've seen his current state," Koneko tells him. "He could barely stay awake while barely eating anything but two protein bars."
Issei was further confused but also shocked.
"Hang on, there's no way! How can he go this far?!"
"I've seen his condition with my own eyes!" Koneko snaps, surprising Issei and Rias because of the emotion that went into it. "You can't be the only one who hasn't found his state and attitude yesterday to be off. Something is going on with him, and if we don't stop him..."
Rias and Issei watch Koneko get more frustrated as her hands ball up into fists. the white-haired girl rarely showed any emotion, and for her to display it regarding Ginjo, they can tell it was serious.
Rias then sighs while pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Well, there we have it. What about Akeno, Asia and Yuuto? Where are they now, Koneko?"
"They're probably out doing their own training, which was before I talked to you about Gin-kun."
'So they're unaware of what Ginjo's doing...' Rias stands up from her chair. "Very well, Koneko, let's go find him."
"No."
Rias and Koneko pause when they hear Issei. Looking at him, their eyes broaden when he carried a very serious expression on his face.
"Ginjo's my brother, Buchou," he says before locking his eyes onto hers. "Let me talk to him."
Rias took a step back with pink cheeks as she saw the resolve in his voice and his movements.
Issei kept walking to find his brother. Before he took another step, his shirt was pulled. Turning around, he saw that it was Koneko who stopped him, her bangs blocking the view of her eyes.
"Koneko-chan?"
"... Please..." Koneko utters. "Please help him... I don't know what's going on in his mind, but..."
Issei knew that Koneko was worried for his little brother, and it made him happy. To assure his kouhai, he gently pets her head, making Koneko look up.
"You don't need to ask, Koneko-chan. It's an older sibling's duty to make sure their younger ones are taken care of." Issei turns back around to leave the dining room. "Besides... I think I have an idea why he's going as far as he is..."
Right after he said that, Issei remembers two nights ago how he spilled his frustrations to Rias about how weak he is and remembers how powerful Riser is. With narrowed eyes, Issei runs off in search for Ginjo.
Rias and Koneko watch how fast he went to find his brother, and both are hoping he'll bring Ginjo back here as soon as he can.
With nothing slowing him down, Issei runs across the forest to the spot Ginjo trained at Yesterday. Once he was there, he saw that he wasn't here. All that remains were some broken logs and busted stones. And among the rubble, he found two empty bento's and rushes to them.
"Come on, Ginjo," he says as he picks them up. "Where are you now?"
Standing up, Issei continues his search for Ginjo. He knows that he practices in a forested area, so he didn't stop searching there. As he kept running, Issei hears a sound similar to an avalanche before looking up to see some plasma filaments in the sky.
"Found you."
Issei heads to the area where the rumbling sounds and the plasma was, sprinting faster than before so he can stop Ginjo from potentially hurting himself. Stopping, he sees Ginjo using plasma magic to destroy and deflect logs and stones, and Issei's eyes widened at his current state.
Ginjo's appearance was messier and bloody, and his movements were fitting of an insomniac. Issei could barely see his eyes because of how messy and dirty his hair got, and he can still tell that he's in a very bad state.
Ginjo was about to push a large block of wood out of the way with his plasma magic, but suddenly, he lost balance and fell to the ground. Slowly looking up, Ginjo gasps as he see's the block about to crush him and still tries to push it away with gravity magic in one hand, but he lacked the strength to try and get it working.
Just as the block of wood was about to get him, Ginjo's eyes widened as he sees Issei jumping in front of him and punch the block away from them with his Boosted Gear cladded fist.
"I... Ise-nii..."
Rotating his left arm, Issei turns around to look at Ginjo only for him to gain another shocked expression as he got a better look at his little brother's condition. Ginjo's knuckles were bleeding, as were his knees and his shoulders. He even spotted a trickle of blood going down his forehead, and the circle's under Ginjo's eyes were as black as the ace of spades.
"Dammit, Ginjo..." Issei began before kneeling towards him. "I thought it was crazy that you would pull an all-nighter, but for you to inflict this much damage to yourself too?! What the hell, man?!"
Ginjo groans.
"Ise-nii... what are you doing here?"
"I'm the one asking the questions, pal!" Issei counters. "Why did you pull an all-nighter?! Why would you hurt yourself like this?!"
"I need to get stronger, Ise-nii... we all do!"
"I get that, Ginjo, but what you're doing is not going to help at all!"
"We don't have enough time, man."
"Maybe so, but that doesn't justify pulling an all-nighter!"
Ginjo frowns and rolls his sleepy eyes.
"So I pulled two all-nighters... big deal."
"Two all-nighters?! That is not a good thing at all, dude!"
"What else was I suppose to do? Waste time doing mundane shit?!"
Issei's eyes widen further.
"You have got to be kidding me, Ginjo. It's one thing to train hard and push past your limits, but going this far is not good for your health, man!"
"... I know..."
"Oh, now you understand?! Then why did you do it, then?!"
"I just told you."
"No! I am not accepting I have no choice or I need more strength as your answers!"
"Tch! When did the pervy bro get so serious?"
"Oh, don't you dare go there, bud! I may be perverted, but I have a heart! Your my little brother, man! I'm worried about you! So is everyone else!"
Ginjo's eyes broaden a little before he frowns and looks away.
"... I know..."
"If you do know, then why are you overexerting yourself then?! Do you want to die?!"
"What, no!"
"Are you that obsessed with training like you are with studying!"
"I am not obsessed with studying!"
"Then why, Ginjo?! Why the fuck are you risking your health like this, dammit?!"
"BECAUSE I DON'T WANT THAT FUCKING PIMP TO TAKE AKENO FROM ME!"
Issei leaned back at Ginjo's very thundering snap. It was so loud, Issei wondered if the others might've heard him from here. But what shocked Issei the most was what Ginjo has exactly shrieked.
The whole forest was silent for a full thirty seconds before Ginjo spoke up again.
"... It's not just her freedom that's on the line here... Koneko-san... Asia-san... Buchou... Even Yuuto-senpai and us too! That so-called noble said it himself that he'll control us as if he gained an additional peerage at his command. And after seeing how he treats Buchou and his servants and when I figured out that he was mostly immortal, I just... I just had to keep pushing myself!"
Issei's eyes widened.
'Did he hear me talk with Buchou about it that night?'
Issei then releases a gasp as he starts to see his little brother tear up.
"There, that's my reason, okay? I just don't want us to be treated like toys, and when I imagined Akeno and the others doing his sick bidding..." Ginjo's irises contract as he also remembers a certain woman with a Zweihander. "It made me take these drastic measures in my training!"
Issei's eyes soften at Ginjo as he watches him try not to cry. He moves closer to him and puts a hand on his shoulder.
"Ginjo... I get it."
"No you don't. You barely did any physical activities even before we got reincarnated."
Issei snorts lightly.
"Maybe, but at least I know when to have patience, something I know you're lacking right now."
"How can I be patient when I can't even evolve my gravity magic?"
Issei squeezes Ginjo's shoulder.
"Then work with what you got. I've seen what you can do during our time here, little man. You're very talent-"
"Don't you dare use that word!" Issei jolted away from Ginjo as he snapped and swatted his hand from his shoulder. "By the Gods, I hate that word! Everyone's always telling me I'm talented, in magic from Yuuto-senpai, in drawing from you and some of my classmates, and my studies and everything else from our parents! I didn't gain these skills because I have talent, dammit! This was all hard work! I worked hard to get the drawing skills I have! I worked hard to make sure my brain remembers what I've studied for tests and exams! And I worked even harder to develop and evolve my magic and strength because we now live in a world where it may be life or death because of some supernatural bullshit!"
Ginjo's tears finally roll down his cheeks as he kept breaking down.
"Just because I'm a fast learner, it doesn't automatically make me talented! I still needed to work my craft on all these fields! To hell with the concept of talent! I HATE THAT WORD! I FUCKING HATE IT!"
Issei's heart pained as he watched Ginjo sob with his face in the dirt. All this time, Ginjo has been suffering physically and mentally, and Issei could've seen it sooner.
Issei sits Ginjo up from the dirt and gently dusts him off. Before Ginjo could question what he's doing, Issei immediately brings him in for a strong hug, silencing the younger Hyoudou.
"No more crying, buddy..." Issei says while petting his head and his back. "Everything's going to be okay."
"H-H-How do y-you know th-th-that?" Ginjo questions between hiccups with more tears going down his face.
"You're not the only one working hard. Everyone's training their asses off to stand up against that yakitori pimp. And we're all determined to win."
"Maybe they are... but how can I..? I'm not... I'm not strong enough..."
"I said the exact same thing to Buchou, buddy. I don't know how long you were there when you listened in to me talking to her that night, but I was in the same state you're in right now. I called myself weak, pathetic, useless... I even called myself a loser." Issei's arms around Ginjo tighten. "But Buchou... she disagreed. She told me how much potential I have, even if I can't see it right now. Like you, I was impatient. I wanted to get strong so badly, but with Buchou's words and her comfort, I'm waiting for what the results will be on the final day of training without resorting to extreme measures like all-nighters and something as hardcore as what you've been doing."
Ginjo looks at Issei with an astonished expression. He knew he was stressing too, but for him to learn more details and see how more optimistic he was than usual...
"Ise-nii..." Ginjo tried to find the right words to respond to his speech, but he failed as he ended up resting his head on his shoulder and settled with, "Ise-nii... I'm so scared, man..."
"Me too, buddy," Issei says while patting his back. "But we can't let it control us. For now, let's tackle this ten day struggle together, along with our friends. I know they'll be there for us too."
Ginjo releases a deep breath from his mouth as his head gets more comfortable on his shoulder.
"... Yeah..."
Issei smiles, satisfied with his answer before he lets go of him and wipes his tears from his eyes.
"Now come on, little bro, let's get to your room so you can get some sleep."
Ginjo was about to retort, but he suddenly felt his eyes get heavier and his strength weaken. But after remembering Issei's words, he sighs with closed eyes.
"... Okay..."
"Good. I'll be sure to call Asia over so she can get you patched up."
Issei waited for a response, but he didn't get one. Taking a closer look, his eyes broaden to see that Ginjo is already fast asleep. Chuckling, Issei carefully lifts him up and starts to carry him on his back. As he walked back to the mansion, Issei would occasionally check up on Ginjo and smile as he hears him snoozing.
"Ginjo... you really love Akeno-san, don't you?"
As he got closer to the building, he would check on Ginjo another time and notice a blue light coming from Ginjo's right hand. Taking a closer look, his eyes widen to see that it was coming from the mark on his palm. As it kept glowing, Issei would then see some of the cuts and bruises around that hand heal themselves. This surprised Issei, as he and especially Ginjo have been trying to figure out just what that diamond mark is, and to find out it has some sort of healing factor was quite a revelation for Issei.
But for now, Issei was more focused on Getting Ginjo on his bed while texting Asia to come to his room as he did.
"Don't worry, little man. We're not alone in this struggle," he whispers as he gets to his room and gently lays Ginjo onto his bed. "And trust me, we're sure as hell not going to be alone once the Rating Game starts."
~Four days until the Rating Game~
Ginjo's eyes slowly open after having been sleeping for a very long time. He sits up on his bed and yawns with his arms stretched. As soon as he did, he would notice something a little off. Taking a look at his hands, he noticed that they were no longer bloody and messed up, and the same can be said for the rest of his body.
'Must be Asia-san's work.'
Brushing some strands of his hair, he looks down at the bed, remembering what happened yesterday, from him almost getting killed during his own training to the talk he had with Issei. His eyes soften as his hands gently morph into fists.
'Something tells me I've got a lot of apologizing to do...'
Getting out of bed, Ginjo grabs his phone to check the time, only for his eyes to widen to see that it was almost the afternoon. Wasting no time, Ginjo stands up, gets dressed, brushes his teeth, and quickly makes his way to the dining room.
"Well well well, look who's finally decided to join us."
Ginjo's body stiffens as he sees Rias in front of him with closed eyes and a smile with Issei and Asia in the room too.
"I... take it that the other three are training..?" Ginjo asks despite the room he's read.
"That's right, but they're still aware of what happened to you."
Ginjo's face turns a little blue.
"Alright, I'll bite, how much did-"
"Ise told all of us everything about your intense training," Rias says before her eyes open. "Especially how you've pulled two all-nighters."
Ginjo cringed and scratched the back of his head.
"... I'm sorry for causing you guys trouble."
"You better be sorry, Ginjo-san," Asia says sternly as she marched up to him with a pout. "Do you have any idea how scared I was when you slept for the rest of yesterday?! You missed a day's worth of meals!"
"I know..." Ginjo says with a sweat drop. "I just realized that..."
Still pouting, Asia grabs Ginjo's cheeks and pinches them harshly, making him shout in pain as she tugged them hard. Releasing his cheeks, Asia's hands clench to fists for a bit before he immediately hugs him.
"Asia-san?"
"Don't ever do that again! After Issei-san told us all what you've been going through that compelled you to pull all-nighters, I just couldn't stop thinking of the worst yesterday!"
Ginjo's eyes soften at Asia as she hugged him and feels more guilty than before for worrying her. He then looks over to Issei, who nods at him.
"Yeah, I told them about our talk yesterday, so don't worry about explaining yourself to the others if they come back in here."
Ginjo nods slowly before looking back at Asia, who lifts her head up at him. With a small smile, he pats Asia's head.
"I'm really sorry I worried you, Asia-san."
Asia nods and releases Ginjo before Rias approaches him next. Despite her gentle demeanor, her eyes still displayed some seriousness.
"Honestly, pushing yourself to this extreme because you're worried about Riser's regeneration abilities. I mean, I get it, but come on, Ginjo."
Ginjo sighs, having a feeling Issei also told her about him listening in. He notices Rias getting closer, and with a frown, he expected either a slap or a bonk on the head.
But instead, Rias hugs Ginjo, making him gained a surprised expression since his head was in her bust because of his shorter height.
"Uh... Buchou?"
"I'm sure Ise already told you this, but we're all in this together. Each and every one of us is doing everything we can to become strong enough to defeat Riser and his peerage. And there is definitely no shame in leaning on us."
Ginjo's eyes glint as Rias' words sync in just as much as Issei's did from yesterday. He also remembers how helpful Akeno was with his magic training months ago as well as Koneko's guidance to being a Devil and his sword practice with Yuuto.
With all those memories in mind, Ginjo sighs calmly with softened eyes and a small smile.
"Thank you, Buchou."
Rias smiles and nods as she pets his head, giving him further confirmation that everything will be okay.
"Yeah, you better enjoy that chest while you can, buddy," Issei says with a grin. "Who knows how your main hugger will feel if she walks in on this~"
Ginjo's eyes widen at Issei's implications and immediately gets off of Rias, who giggled at his reactions while Asia tilts her head at the scene.
"Damn you, you pervy bro..."
Issei laughs loudly.
"And the Ginjo we know and love is back~!"
Ginjo blinks at Issei before sighing and grinning back at him.
"I can't be mad at you."
Issei, Asia, and Rias all smile together, glad that Ginjo's feeling better.
"Anyway, now that we got all that cleared up, we should probably get back to training." Ginjo says while stretching. "We got four days left, and I intend to make them count."
"Oh, no your not."
Ginjo's stretching pauses before his head turns to Rias.
"I'm... sorry?"
With a stern stare and a smile, Rias puts her finger onto Ginjo's nose.
"Consider this your punishment, Ginjo. You pulled two all-nighters, so that's how many days you're not going to train."
"What?!" Ginjo jumps back in shock. "But Buchou!"
"No buts." Rias' eyes calm down before her smile widens. "Hey, don't see it as a punishment, think of it like earning yourself a vacation. You get to spend the rest of two days relaxing and doing what you like." Rias' eyes close. "Just don't think about spending the tenth day training. The tenth day is relaxation day. Understood?"
Ginjo sweats a bit, sensing some tension from Rias despite her nice expression.
"W-W-Wait, hold on... That means I'll only have one day to-"
"Understood?"
Ginjo's cheeks turn blue again as he feels more tension from Rias, making him resign with a sigh.
"Yes, Buchou."
The tension Ginjo was feeling suddenly vanished followed by Rias giggling, freaking him out a little.
Issei smiles at the two before approaching Ginjo and placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Alright, now that's out of the way, let's go, Ginjo."
"Wha..." Ginjo tilts his head at Issei. "But Buchou just said that-"
"You mean you haven't noticed yet?" Issei asks. "You need a bath. You smell like you came out of No Man's Land."
Ginjo raises his brows at Issei before he sniffs his arms and pits. He frowns with a surprised face.
"By the gods, you put me to bed with me smelling like this?!"
"I thought about getting your sleep recovered first! Now come on!"
"Okay, okay!"
Rias and Asia watch Issei escort Ginjo to the baths so the younger Hyoudou can freshen up.
"Ginjo-san! I'll have lots of yummy food prepared for you by the time you get done!"
Ginjo looks back at the beaming Asia and smiles at her gratefully.
After taking an hour long bath, Ginjo is back in the dining room chowing down on the food Asia has cooked for him. Issei and Asia look with amused stares as he chowed it all down like a piranha.
"He sure is hungry," Asia says.
"That doesn't surprise me," Issei adds with a small laugh. "Little man's spent all day sleeping like the dead."
Ginjo finishes the last two plates of food and belches loudly before cleaning his lips with a napkin.
"That hit the spot!" Ginjo says before drinking his water.
"Wow, Ginjo-san, you managed to eat every last bite!"
Ginjo chuckles kindly.
"What can I say, Asia-san? You're cooking is just superb. You keep this up, and I'm sure you're recipes will earn adoration from a certain someone~"
Asia gasps with her cheeks turning red while Issei's eyes broaden at Ginjo.
"Wait, what are you saying, Ginjo?!"
Ginjo just chuckles at Issei and Asia while giving them a grin.
"Ara ara, look who's up and about."
Ginjo eyes broaden before turning his head to the source of the familiar voice, seeing Akeno, Yuuto, Rias, and Koneko entering the dining room.
"Hey there, Ginjo," Yuuto greets. "Looks like you've recovered nicely."
"Recovered?" Ginjo chuckles with closed eyes. "Interesting word choice, Yuuto-senpai."
As soon as he opened his eyes, Ginjo saw Koneko walking towards him with an unreadable look on her face.
"Oh, hey, Koneko-sa-"
Ginjo was disrupted by a gut punch from Koneko. She didn't go full force, but it was enough to render some mild pain for Ginjo. Asia gasped at the action, but Issei put a hand on her shoulder, assuring her that it's nothing crazy.
They watch Ginjo nearly fall from his seat while holding a hand onto his gut. Instead of being shocked, Ginjo just chuckles and groans while he stood up from his chair.
"... Yeah... I deserve that."
"... You're damn right..." Koneko mutters with clenched fists. "You got all of us worried yesterday."
"I know..." Ginjo says with a small smile. "Ise-nii and Asia-san made that perfectly clear."
With her fists still trembling, Koneko immediately latches onto Ginjo and wraps her arms around him, catching Issei, Yuuto, Rias, and Akeno off guard by her actions.
Ginjo looks at Koneko with broadened eyes before they soften as he puts his arms around her too.
"I'm sorry, Koneko-san. I got too paranoid and anxious when I found out more about the House of Phenex and their capabilities. Their immortality is what really set it off."
"You mean when you compelled yourself to do all-nighters?"
"Yeah..."
Ginjo lets go of Koneko only for him to lightly gasp when he saw her very concerned expression with glinting eyes.
"I... I can't stand seeing you in such a rough state... And when Issei-senpai told us your reasons..."
Ginjo sighs with a sympathetic expression and pets Koneko's head, rendering a gasp and a blush from her.
"I really am sorry." He turns his head to Akeno and Yuuto. "And I'm sorry to you two as well. Yuuto-senpai especially. You were the one who told me to have patience and I ended up lacking it."
"It's alright," Yuuto tells him. "It happens to the best of us for our first major battles."
Ginjo nods in thanks before hearing more footsteps come his way. He looks and sees Akeno approaching him next with Koneko staying next to him with her eyes narrowed at her.
"Goodness, to think that my magic apprentice would lack confidence in himself because of who our opponent is."
Ginjo wasn't sure how to respond other than possibly repeat what he's said to Asia, Koneko, and Yuuto. But before he could say anything, Akeno hugs Ginjo.
Normally, Ginjo would be enjoying himself, but since everyone's watching, he gains an embarrassed face with burning red cheeks.
Koneko looked just as surprised with some annoyance, but because of what Ginjo went through yesterday, she kept herself calm.
'Sheesh, just how many more hugs am I gonna get today?' Ginjo wondered.
SPANK! ZAP!
"YEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWW!"
Ginjo leaps high in the air with his hands clenching his ass. Akeno giggles as she watches him bounce around the room while Issei snickered, Rias, Asia, and Yuuto looked on with raised brows, and Koneko glares at Akeno.
"Akeno-senpai, what the hell?!"
Akeno giggles louder when Ginjo snapped at her.
"Just a little punishment for worrying me sick~" She says with one eye open. "Aww~, don't give me that look. I didn't use that much lightning magic~"
Ginjo kept his wary eyes on Akeno while he still felt the mild sting on his butt. He then felt a hand on his shoulder and looks to see Rias.
"Don't worry Ginjo, you weren't the only one who got pranked like this."
"You call that a prank?" Ginjo questions before he sees Rias shutter lightly.
"Fufufufu, what's wrong Buchou? Did I awaken a memory from our childhood?"
Ginjo looks between Rias and Akeno before deadpanning.
"I'm not sure if I want to know."
Hearing that made Akeno laugh gleefully while Rias looked away nervously. Issei and Yuuto were curious, but Koneko has an idea what Rias implied by childhood pranks.
"Well, I'm glad things are alright now, but you three must be starving after all that training," Asia says with a smile. "Why don't I go ahead and cook you all something to eat?"
"Sounds good, Asia," Yuuto says.
"I'll help you out, Asia," Issei offers.
Asia nods gratefully at Issei while everyone else watch them get started, smiling at the sight.
Ginjo then felt his shoulder get tapped and turns his head to Koneko.
"What about you? You gonna have more to eat?"
Ginjo tilts his head up in thought before looking back at Koneko with a smile.
"Might as well. I got nothing better to do," Ginjo says before he remembers something. "Oh yeah, there is one thing..."
"It better not be training for the day," Koneko warns with her grip tightening on his shoulder.
"No no, of course not!" Ginjo assures her. "Buchou said I can't do that for two days."
"Then what are you gonna do?"
Ginjo chuckles before scratching the back of his head.
"I'm gonna get the PS2 set up. I've been feeling nostalgic today."
Koneko blinks at Ginjo twice before smiling back.
"What games did you bring?"
"I'll show you if you're willing to help."
Koneko nods and follows Ginjo to retrieve the console to set up in the living room. Rias and Akeno watch the two get it set up and smile at them, glad that Ginjo was back in good sprits as they watch him and Koneko boot up Jak and Daxter.
~Three days until the Rating Game~
It was night time. Ginjo was lying on his bed with his eyes on the mark on his palm, finding himself unable to sleep. Until he finally felt tired, he took this time to think about the the last couple of days, this day, and what will happen when it's time to compete in the Rating Game.
The day went by pretty well. While he did appreciate being able to relax for this day like he did yesterday, Ginjo still wished that he could get at least a little bit of training done. But it was because he worried his friends and brother pulling two all-nighters that he got himself in this position.
And despite what everyone has told him, Ginjo still couldn't help but feel worried when the time comes to fight. Will the training they did be enough? Have they developed enough strength physically, mentally, and magically? Is there a concrete strategy Rias can think of?
All these questions and more got Ginjo to sigh exhaustedly and get up in a sitting position on his bed.
"Dammit, I really am worrying too much."
Breathing through his nose, Ginjo gets up from his bed. But just as he was opening the door, his eyes widen when he sees Akeno standing at the doorway looking right at him.
"Akeno-senpai... you're up too?"
Akeno nods once.
"Issei-kun asked me to check and make sure you were sleeping."
"Really?" Ginjo was surprised by this revelation before he then sighed. "Sorry, I'm just having trouble sleeping tonight. I figured getting me a glass of water would-"
Ginjo was cut off when Akeno presents him a glass of water. He was further surprised by this before he slowly takes the glass in his hand.
"I'd ask, but I'm not sure if I can handle the answer."
Akeno giggles with a hand on her cheek.
"Can I come in?"
Ginjo's cheeks tinge pink before he nods, watching Akeno enter his room before he closes the door. He sits back down on the bed while taking a sip of water with Akeno sitting next to him, scooting close until their thighs touch.
"You're still worried, aren't you?"
Ginjo takes another sip of water before answering Akeno.
"Not as much as when I overdid it, but yeah," Ginjo admits before taking another sip. "To be honest, that's kind of a part of why I can't sleep."
Akeno nods in understanding.
"We're all anxious about the Rating Game."
"I know. I'm not the only one who heard that yakitori pimp say what'll happen if he marries Buchou." Akeno giggles at the name calling. "And of course, we have the case where the Devils of Phenex may be immortal."
Akeno nods again and again. Later, her lips more curve upwards.
"But that doesn't mean he can't feel pain."
Ginjo nods.
"That is true. We just need to bring that prick into so much pain that he can't take it anymore."
"Fufufufufu, now you're speaking my language~"
Ginjo chuckles with Akeno as they were on the same page. He would later sigh and look down at the floor.
"But even if he has little style in combat, he's still got raw power. And how powerful that is is something I'm unsure of. Besides, we have his servants to worry about too, and one of them can be just as conniving as Riser. And... I can't help but keep asking... are we getting enough training?"
Akeno's eyes soften towards Ginjo. She can see that he was still a little doubtful about his current strength throughout the past week. So, Akeno places her hand on top of Ginjo's. He blushes when he felt it, but he finds himself getting more calm as her fingers intertwine with his.
"Gin... There's no doubt in my mind that you'll make magnificent progress once these ten days are all extinguished. And you know what? I think you're already showing it."
Ginjo's eyes broaden.
"You think so? How?"
Akeno's smile widens.
"By sensing your magic, silly. The more you use your magic and experiment with it, the stronger it becomes. It doesn't have to come from training, but it can also be from fighting battles too. And from what I'm sensing, you're magic is getting much stronger."
Ginjo's eyes flutter as he took in what Akeno had to say.
"Akeno... I..."
Akeno taps his nose with her finger.
"We'll see how you do on our last day of training tomorrow. For now, be patient and have some confidence in not just us, but in yourself as well."
Ginjo's brows raise when she mentioned the last day, but he then remembered that Rias wanted the final tenth day to be a relaxation day. As for Akeno's advice in confidence, he would once again recall how helpful Akeno, Rias, Koneko, and Yuuto were when he first started out as a Devil. He then lifts his right hand up to look at the mark on his palm, and as he did, his lips would slowly curve upwards before he balls that hand into a fist.
"Thanks, Akeno. I'll be sure to remember that."
Akeno giggles with her thumb rubbing the top of his hand once before standing up.
"Good, now we have that out of the way, we should get some sleep."
"Yes, you're right," Ginjo says before he starts tucking himself in. "Tomorrow's the only day I can train, so the sooner I rest, the better."
After he got comfortable, Ginjo turns his head back to Akeno. But as soon as he did, his eyes nearly bulge from his sockets as he saw what she was doing.
Akeno was stripping until she wore nothing but her pink bra and panties. Seeing that Ginjo was looking, her grin gets bigger with a twinkle in her eye as she unhooks her bra and lets it fall, revealing her bouncing breasts to him.
Ginjo's cheeks turn red, not expecting Akeno to take off her clothes in his room and also not showing a single sign of embarrassment from him looking at her pink nipples.
"A... Akeno..?"
Akeno titters in her hand before giving Ginjo a wink.
"Well, Gin? Aren't you going to scoot over?"
Ginjo processed what Akeno just asked. And right after he did, his face starts glowing dark red while quietly squealing like a steaming tea pot, earning another giggle from Akeno as she found that really cute.
Seconds later, Ginjo is now laying on the side of the bed close to the wall while Akeno climbed in under the blanket. As he felt her get more comfy, he gasped as he saw her arms wrap around him and pull him closer, pressing her boobs against his back.
"Gin~," Akeno coos before her lips get close to Ginjo's ear. "Why is your back to me, my apprentice~?"
"Y-Y-You mean it's not obvious?" Ginjo asks. "Y-You're wearing nothing but your underwear!"
Akeno titters as her hand lightly rubs Ginjo's chest.
"And? You got to see my boobies, what's stopping you now~?"
Ginjo's eyes shift left and right rapidly as he feels Akeno's hug tighten, resulting in her breasts pushing further into his back.
"W-W-Well, I don't want to be rude..."
Akeno cooed at his response before nuzzling her cheek onto his shoulder.
"Don't worry. You're my special magical apprentice. Only your eyes are permitted to gaze at my nude figure. Now go on. don't be shy~"
With his cheeks heating up more, Ginjo swallows a lump before he slowly turns himself around on the bed. He was hesitant as he almost faced her, but since she insisted, he finally got in a position where he can see Akeno. Not just her beautiful face, but he can also see her naked breasts as well.
Ginjo's eyes were wide as he got a look at them. He knew that Akeno was a gorgeous woman, but to see her in the nude with just her panties on is something he never anticipated to happen, not as much as getting to share a bed with her.
Smiling, Akeno gently takes Ginjo's head and places it in her bust, rendering another blush from the boy.
"There we go~" Akeno whispers as she kept her hand on the back of his head. "Nice and comfy, yeah?"
Ginjo slowly nods, his eyes still on her boobs as Akeno stroked the back of his head. He felt so good, he ended up nuzzling his head onto her breasts, making Akeno giggle some more.
"Ara ara, even though you have a foot fetish, you still have a spot for boobs, don't you?"
Ginjo gains an embarrassed face.
"I guess so... But I'm more into butts than I am boobs..." Ginjo's eyes widen as he realized he let that slip. "Sorry."
Akeno giggles sweetly at his confession.
"Don't be. I like when you're honest and comfy like this," Akeno assures Ginjo. "And besides, I know you're a good boy. Are you? Are you a good boy?"
Ginjo shutters in her embrace, but he later nods.
"Yeah... I'm good..."
Ginjo softly gasps as he then feels Akeno's feet rub up and down his legs, getting him more cozy in the bed with her. Akeno giggles as she watched him cuddle up more with her.
"Now, Gin... just relax in my embrace," She begins to whisper in his ear. "Let all your troubles go away. You have your friends... you have your brother... and of course... you have me~"
Ginjo nods as his eyes grow heavy, feeling sleepy because of how hypnotic Akeno's whispering is as well as how warm her body is.
"That's it," Akeno whispers as she kept petting his head with her fingers gently playing with his hair. "Just fall asleep... Tomorrow will be a better day..."
Looking down, Akeno saw that Ginjo was already asleep. She giggles with a light blush as she saw how peaceful and secure he looked in her embrace. Keeping his head on her breasts so they can be used as pillows, Akeno adjusts herself while keeping her arms around Ginjo. Once she did, he presses her lips onto his forehead and keeps them there for five seconds before removing them, giving him a good kiss.
"Sweet dreams, my cute little Gin~"
~Two days until the Rating Game~
Ginjo's eyes flutter open. As he came too, he immediately blushed when he saw two pink nipples staring him in the face. Looking up, he saw Akeno, who has also awoken from her slumber, smiling at him.
"Uh... Hey, uh..."
Akeno giggles before gently pulling his head closer to her breasts, making his blush a darker red.
"Morning, Gin~" Akeno coos. "Did you sleep well?"
"Y-Yeah..." Ginjo answers. "A lot better than two days ago."
"Fufufu~, glad to hear it."
Ginjo smiles with Akeno before taking another quick glance at her boobs.
"Not gonna lie, this still kinda feels like a dream."
Ginjo hisses when he feels his butt get lightly pinched by Akeno.
"Well? Does that confirm it?"
Ginjo's blush remained as he looked at Akeno with a surprised expression. He would later nod before his eyes slit and he slaps her ass. Akeno moaned at first, but she later giggled with a mischievous grin.
"Oh, Gin, have you forgotten I like this kind of pain~?"
"Oh, I know," Ginjo acknowledges. "That's why I'm not doing it again."
Akeno's M side makes her bite her lip with a blush.
"You meanie~"
"you started it, so I'm finishing it."
Akeno giggles loudly before she plays with Ginjo's hair. She then gets out of bed, showing Ginjo her butt despite her still wearing panties. She starts to put her clothes on, starting with her bra before getting her haori on. Feeling Ginjo's eyes on her, Akeno would then bend over for him to bring her ass a little close to his face while she puts on her hakama, making Ginjo gasp at the sight.
"Wow, Akeno... that was..."
Akeno titters with Ginjo.
"Yeah, that was exciting for me, too," She says before brushing his cheek with her fingers. "Now, you just stay here and rest for a little longer. I'm gonna whip you up something special."
Ginjo's eyes broaden.
"R-Really?"
Akeno nods before she leaves his room. As she did, Ginjo saw her hips sway with every step she took before she shut the door behind her.
Ginjo remained in the bed, but he did not feel like resting anymore, and he has Akeno to blame for that. There were a lot of factors, from seeing her boobs to her giving him ASMR to sleep easier and from feeling her ass from spanking her, as well as seeing those hips sway, Ginjo gripped the bedsheets as those scenarios replayed in his head numerous times.
Sighing, Ginjo gets the blanket off of him and sits up.
"Might as well get it out of my system," He mutters as he picks up his phone and taps the screen a few times.
After taking care of something real quick, Ginjo did his dental care and walks right to the dining room where Akeno was waiting for him.
"Ara ara, there you are," Akeno says as she pulls out a chair for Ginjo to sit.
Taking his seat, Ginjo looks to see pancakes with syrup on them.
"Woah... you made these?"
"Sure did," Akeno says before giggling. "Go on, give them a try."
Ginjo cuts the pancakes and takes a piece in his fork. Having a bite, Ginjo's eyes widen as he chewed and swallowed.
"Amazing!" Ginjo exclaims. "Not even IHOP can compare to what you've crafted!"
Akeno smiles with pink cheeks as she watches him devour the pancakes, pleased with the results of her cooking.
"Good morning!"
Ginjo and Akeno turn their heads to see everyone else enter the dining room with the only exception being Koneko.
"Oh, hey guys," Ginjo greets before turning his head back to his breakfast.
"Oooh! Are those pancakes?" Asia asks as she and everyone else takes a closer look.
"Wow! Those look awesome!" Issei says with stars in his eyes. "Can I try a piece?"
Ginjo scoots his plate away from Issei with narrowed eyes on him.
"Access denied."
Akeno giggles at the scene before her.
"Sorry, Issei-kun, but I made these just for him since we were the only ones awake."
Issei's eyes broaden at the revelation while Rias, Yuuto, and Asia smiled.
"Oooh, aren't you a lucky little man."
Ginjo's cheeks burn red at Issei's comment, but as his eyes remained on his pancakes, his lips curl into a small smile.
"Yeah, I am..."
Just as he whispered that, Ginjo then sees a plate of eggs and bacon getting propped next to the pancakes. Looking up, he sees that it was Koneko who put them there.
"Oh, good morning, Koneko-san," Ginjo greets before setting his eyes back on the eggs and bacon. "You made those for yourself?"
Koneko shakes her head, taking quick glances at Akeno before her eyes were locked on to Ginjo.
"I made these for you," Koneko says. "I... felt like trying out some cooking and started with these. Please, give them a taste."
Everyone was surprised by this with Ginjo being just as shocked.
"O-Oh! Really? I mean... if you worked hard on them, I'd much rather you have them. You like bacon and eggs as much as all of us here, don't you?"
"I can wait for Asia-senpai to make breakfast," Koneko replies, taking another glance at Akeno with a shift of her eyes before they go back to Ginjo. "Go ahead, I insist."
Ginjo blinks at Koneko, still stunned that she was willing to make him something. He takes a piece of bacon and gives it a shot. His lips curl upwards as he tasted it.
"Woah, crispy," Ginjo says. "And it's really juicy too." Ginjo swallows the bacon before eating the eggs next. "These are good too! You did good on these, Koneko-san."
Koneko's cheeks burn red before she looks away from Ginjo, but her lips would slowly curl upwards.
"I'm glad."
Koneko then hears Akeno giggle.
"Ara ara, our sweet Rook here is getting into cooking?"
Koneko looks up at Akeno, her expression back to her usual deadpan, but her hazel eyes told a different story.
"Just felt like trying something new."
Akeno smiles sweetly.
"I see, I see," she says before opening one eye at Koneko. "But don't expect any other recipes to be any easier, Koneko-chan. Even the sweetest tasting foods can prove difficult to perfect."
"I'm prepared for anything, Akeno-senpai," Koneko retorts with furrowed brows. "And I have no intention of backing down."
Ginjo and Issei do a double take as they could've sworn they saw some sparks of lighting coming from Akeno and Koneko's eyes as they stared at each other. While Ginjo was cautious and kept eating the food both girls provided for him, Issei just slowly shakes his head at the slight.
'Soon that will be Yuuma-chan and Buchou...' Issei thought with red cheeks and a grin. 'Just you wait little man, I'll be getting a harem too like you have!'
Ginjo caught a glimpse at Issei being his usual pervy self, almost as if he was able to read his mind.
'Oh brother...'
After everyone finished breakfast, Rias brough her servants outside for more training. What they were going to do today was something Issei and Ginjo wondered.
"Ise, we'll have you go first," Rias says. "Please activate your Boosted Gear for this match."
"Eh? A match?" Issei questions with Ginjo sharing the same wondering expression.
"Yes. For today, I will have both you and Ginjo sparring with one of our peers." Rias looks over to her Knight. "Yuuto, will you be Ise's sparing partner?"
"Of course, Buchou," Yuuto replies while getting his wooden bokken sword ready. "Shall we begin, Issei?"
Issei looks at Yuuto for a moment before nodding with with furrowed brows.
"Okay! Boosted Gear, go!"
{Boost!}
Everyone watches Issei's Sacred Gear appear before Rias continues.
"Ise, listen carefully. In the past, you've used the Boost ability within a span of a few minutes, which caused you to collapse, correct?"
"I think so," Issei answers with a nod. "It's like I'm drained if I'm powered up too much.
"There's a reason for that, Ise. Think of it like this: If you load enough cargo onto a truck and exceed its wight limit, then it will be unable to move? Does that sound right to you?"
Issei thinks about it for a moment before lifting his Boosted Gear towards himself.
"So... in this case, I'm the truck, and the power each boost grants me is the cargo?"
"Precisely. As the vessel containing this power, the stronger you are, the more you can withstand more boosts. Therefore, improving your baseline strength is how you can improve with the Boosted Gear."
Issei's eyes slowly wide as he starts to realize what Rias is saying.
"I see..."
Rias nods with a confident smirk.
"If you do, then go ahead and start boosting yourself."
"Roger! Now, power up boost!"
{Boost!}
"Again, Ise!"
"Yes, Buchou! Going for another!"
{Boost!}
"Another!"
"Gotcha! Power up boost!"
{Boost!}
"Try and go for one more!"
"Way ahead of you! Boost!"
{Boost!}
"That's not enough! I need more! Keep powering me up! Boosted Gear!"
{Boost! Boost! Boost!}
"Alright, that's enough, Ise."
Issei and everyone else take another look at the gauntlet and see its gem still glowing green. As it was, Issei's eyes widen as he feels... different.
"Can you feel your power Ise?" Rias asks him. "Just eight days ago, your body was unable to handle this much. And look at you now."
Issei's eyes glint at his gauntlet.
"Yeah... This feels like a cakewalk compared to when I fought that Fallen Angel bastard."
Rias smiles at Issei.
"Then you understand that your training wasn't a waste. Yes?"
Issei's eyes remained glued onto his Sacred Gear before nodding with a smirk of his own.
"Yeah, let's do this!"
{Explosion!}
Everyone watches Issei's body burst out red and green aura.
"Woah..." Ginjo whispers in awe. "That's a lot compared to what happened back at the abandoned church."
"This will allow Issei-kun to fight with this accumulated power for a certain amount of time," Akeno adds.
Rias nods at Issei before looking over to Yuuto.
"Begin!"
Yuuto nods and sprints towards Issei. He was caught off guard by how fast he went, but Issei manages to block his attack with his Boosted Gear with almost the same speed as Yuuto. Grinning, Issei counters with a kick to his ribs, sending Yuuto backwards.
"Hell Yeah! I finally got a hit on the pretty boy!" Issei celebrates.
"Ise! Next, I want you to unleash your magic power!"
"Eh?" Issei wondered why Rias would instruct him like this during his spar, but he trusted her and nods. "Okay, here we go!"
With his left hand, Issei conjures the magic within his body with his Boosted Gear enhancing it. Looking at what he's got, Issei's eyes widen as he sees his red ball of light.
"What? It's still this small?"
"Trust yourself, Ise!"
Yuuto, seeing an opening, lunges forward with his bokken aiming at Issei's stomach. Trusting Rias, but mostly going off instinct, Issei punches the small red orb, and what happened next was something nobody expected.
Issei's small red orb expanded into a large red laser beam. Not expecting this, Yuuto evaded to the best of his ability while shielding himself with his bokken. He almost got hit as he felt the attack's heat on his cheek. Falling to the ground, Yuuto and everyone else watch the giant red beam continue to travel until it hit a mountain. The blast was so powerful, it forced everyone to shield their eyes with their arms.
The explosion kept going for five more seconds until it finally calmed down. As it did, Issei's jaw dropped as he saw the mountain his beam hit destroyed.
"Woah... Did I do that?"
"Yes, you did," Rias confirms with a proud smile.
"Damn..." Issei mutters. "That was..."
{Reset!}
Issei's Boosted Gear deactivates on its own and he starts to feel fatigue. Before he could fall, Ginjo rand to him and caught him while Asia ran to them to check on Issei.
"Ise-nii, that was insane!" Ginjo says with a wide grin.
Issei saw how excited his brother was and chuckles with him.
"Yeah... I didn't think I had it in me."
"Well, you do now," Yuuto says while walking to Issei. "You really took me by surprise. That single burst you shot was equivalent to a high-class Devil's attack."
Yuuto shows the boys and Asia his bokken. And just as he did, the practice weapon's tip fell apart, stunning the Hyoudous and Asia even further.
Rias looks at the results of the spar and smiles softly before focusing her stare on the younger Hyoudou.
"Ginjo, you're next. Step forward."
Ginjo nods, prompting Yuuto to help Issei up while Ginjo got ready.
"Koneko, you will be Ginjo's sparring partner."
Koneko nods as he walks to the center with Ginjo, cracking her knuckles while keeping her eyes on him.
"Don't expect me to go easy on you, Gin-kun."
Ginjo clicks his tongue and grins.
"Never wanted you to in the first place, Koneko-san."
Everyone observes Ginjo and Koneko get into position before Rias spoke up.
"Ginjo, don't hold back on anything. Not even your magic power."
"Heh! No need to tell me twice, Buchou. Or at all, actually. Knowing Koneko-san, she wouldn't want me to fight without my magic."
Koneko's lips curl into a small smirk.
"Took the words right out of my mouth."
Rias' smile widens.
"Alright then. Begin!"
Koneko makes the first move, rushing him with her fist aiming for his stomach. Jumping back, Ginjo aims both his palms at Koneko and unleashes a large blast of gravity magic, launching her away from him three feet.
Koneko was quick to recover, but this gave Ginjo time to clap his hands once, coating his arms in plasma filaments before taking a boxing stance.
Koneko was wary of his plasma magic. From observing the filaments, if she were to try and aim for his upper body, one of those bolts could get her. With a little plan hatched in her brain, she starts to sprint in circles all around Ginjo.
Ginjo shifts his eyes left and right to keep track of Koneko. Even though she's a Rook, he knows that she's still capable of going fast enough to catch her opponents off guard.
'So that's how it is, eh?' Ginjo thought as he closes his eyes with his hands clenched to fist. 'I was hoping to save this for the Rating Game, but Koneko-san's not giving me a choice.'
As Koneko kept circling him, Ginjo focused his magic power, resulting in some more plasma filaments sprouting from his body. He hunched over as he could feel more of his plasma magic build up while Koneko went to sweep kick his legs. But as soon as she got down to strike, Ginjo shouts as his body lights up and shoots plasma bolts from all over his body, shocking Koneko and forcing her to roll back before more bolts could hit her.
As she recovered with a couple plasma burns and a small tear on the sleeve of her gym shirt, Koneko and everyone else's eyes broaden as they see Ginjo covered head to toe with plasma filaments. His hair stood up lightly, his body glowed blue as the filaments were providing that lighting, and to surprise them further, some darker blue lightning bolts would occasionally spark across his body.
"Ginjo..." Issei utters as he witnessed his little brother's new form.
"There's so much magic power radiating off of him," Yuuto adds as he observed the plasma and lighting bolts from him.
Akeno and Rias see how much plasma magic is coursing through Ginjo, smiling at how much progress he's made with Akeno being the proudest of the two girls.
Koneko looked at Ginjo and the numerous plasma filaments and darker blue electrical sparks. Her eyes sparkled at the sight and her cheeks tinged pink, seeing something amazing and magical about this new form.
"Gin-kun... all this worrying for these few days and look at you now," Koneko says before smiling.
Ginjo looks at his arms with the plasma filaments and electrical discharges before looking back at Koneko and smirking.
"Yeah..." Ginjo gets into a position that's different from his usual fighting style. "Let's see the results."
Koneko took a step forward to advance, but Ginjo has suddenly become faster and he leaps towards her with a spin. As she dodged his punch, Koneko saw his fist make a dent on the dirt ground followed by the dark blue sparks surrounding the dent for a second. With his eyes locked on her, Ginjo jumps forward again, spinning the other direction with his fist aimed for Koneko's face, but she rolled out of the way. But that didn't stop Ginjo from continuing to chase her down, leaving Koneko no time to counter as he kept throwing punch after punch and kick after kick while leaping, skipping, and jumping.
"Wow... Ginjo-san's faster than before," Asia comments with a hand close to her mouth.
"He hasn't even promoted to a Knight, and his speed is almost on par to one," Yuuto adds as he kept watching Koneko roll and evade away from Ginjo's attacks.
Koneko was having a tough time shaking Ginjo. As soon as she finished a dodge, he would immediately surprise her with another barrage of attacks. And because of his movements being unorthodox, it was almost even harder to predict his movements.
With the plasma filaments still going strong and the navy blue electricity still sparking from his body every two seconds, Ginjo lunges forward with his fist cocked back. Acting quickly, Koneko steps to the side to evade his punch while her eyes were on his fist. For a moment, she thought she was good, but next thing she knew, she felt her cheek get electrocuted and the sting almost made her fall as she stumbled back.
Koneko held her cheek, still feeling the sting that happened to it all the sudden. She thought she dodged the punch, but as she remembered what Ginjo's body was surrounded in, it clicked for her as he saw Ginjo grin at her slyly.
'I see... as long as Gin-kun's close enough, his plasma magic can zap me if his physical attack misses. And I can only imagine what would happen to me if I blocked his punch.'
The rest of the audience thought similar with Koneko and were astonished by this new development in Ginjo's plasma magic.
"Welp, that's my magical apprentice for you," Akeno says with a giggle and a hand on her cheek.
Rias nods in agreement, pleased with how strong Ginjo has gotten.
As Issei watched Ginjo and Koneko continue to fight with the latter being on the ropes, and while he was proud of him, Issei can't help but feel a little jealous as he thought that Ginjo was much farther than him in the magic area.
A full minute passes and the spar was still going. Koneko gained more bruises from the plasma stings and her clothes got dirty from all the rolling she did just to avoid Ginjo's attacks. And while Koneko was panting from the large amount of stamina she had to use, Ginjo was panting because of how much more plasma magic was building up in his body.
Everyone else noticed this too, especially since the navy blue electrical discharges were becoming more frequent than before.
"Alright then... time to wrap things up," Ginjo says as he balls his right hand into a fist and crouches.
As he did, Koneko noticed that all the plasma filaments and navy blue lighting sparks were now being more prominent in his right fist and arm than the majority of his body. Lifting his head upwards, Ginjo jumps high into the air and aims his fist for the ground.
Issei watches this and suddenly gets flashbacks from a PS2 game he played with him back when they were little as well as during his own breaks from training yesterday and was quick to shout:
"Everybody get back!"
Rias, Akeno, Asia, and Yuuto look towards Issei while Koneko got ready as Ginjo was about to land on the ground. Right before he did, Ginjo drives his right fist into the ground ten inches close to Koneko. What started was a large electrical discharge that went from his fist to the ground, but then, a loud thundering boom goes off as Ginjo's ground slam creates large-radius shockwave of blue plasma and darker blue electricity.
This new attack forced everyone to take flight with Rias holding onto Issei and Yuuto carrying Asia. Koneko, however, was the least fortunate and got caught by the shockwave. Blue electricity covers Koneko, making her scream as she was sent flying back at a large distance because of the wave.
From above, the others saw how far of a radius the plasma shockwave traveled, measuring in feet as the filaments and electric bolts persisted.
"It... It's covering so much ground..." Yuuto utters with wide eyes.
"... Ara ara..." Even Akeno hasn't anticipated Ginjo to develop a magic attack as powerful as this.
As the attack was performed, the plasma filaments and dark blue electrical discharges coming from his body were calming down and his hair was returning to normal. Soon, the plasma and lightning from the shockwave were gone, and Koneko has finally crashed to the ground, covered in bruises and plasma burns with her shirt and pants torn up.
Ginjo remained in the position of his ground slam for a moment before slowly getting back up, his eyes still on his fist with wide eyes and an opened mouth. He blinked at it twice before looking over to Koneko, seeing her groan. Worried, Ginjo sprints over to Koneko and checks on her.
"Hey, you okay?!"
Although it still stung, Koneko manages to lift her head up at him before chuckling at him.
"Damn... that was overkill, don't you think?"
Ginjo's cheeks turn pink as he scratches the back of his head.
"Sorry... I'm still trying to control its overall brute force since it's done by taking on that new form I fought you in."
Koneko's smirk remained as she takes Ginjo's hand, allowing him to pull her back on her feet. As he did, Ginjo noticed that her clothes got torn up, but thankfully, it wasn't enough to expose her underwear.
"Sheesh, I'm really sorry about that!" Ginjo says.
But instead of being annoyed by what happened to her clothes, Koneko just shakes her head and lightly punches Ginjo's shoulder.
"So... remind me again why you still think you're not strong enough."
"Huh?" Ginjo was taken back by Koneko's words. "What are you..?"
"I should be asking the same thing."
Ginjo and Koneko turn around to see everyone else approaching them with Asia running to Koneko to get her healed up.
"Ginjo, that was insane!" Issei exclaims. "Taking a move from those games and making it your own, that's badass!"
Ginjo gets flustered by Issei's compliment.
"I... I just used it for my first time..."
"And it looks like you pulled it off just fine," Yuuto says. "And here you were days ago feeling the need to nearly break your body."
Akeno nods as she walks closer to Ginjo and pets his head.
"Gin-kun... you're making me prouder every single day with your new abilities. I knew you could do it if you have the right mind set."
Ginjo's cheeks turn redder.
"Thanks..."
With a mischievous grin, Issei approaches Ginjo and plants a hand on his shoulder.
"So, let me guess, this new attack is going to be called the Plasma Bomb?"
Ginjo's face remained neutral, but his eyes shift away from him with his blush intact, making Issei laugh.
"Come on, Ise-nii!"
"Hey, I'm not complaining, it's a good name, and it's a very devastating attack."
Ginjo scratches his cheek before eventually chuckling with Issei.
"Not as devastating as you destroying a mountain with a friggin laser."
Issei smirks.
"Yeah... I never thought I could do that in nine days..."
"Yeah... Nor did I think I could take on this plasma form and do the Plasma Bomb like I did earlier."
Before either brother could say anything else, they hear Rias giggle and turn their heads towards her.
"So, I guess this means you two understand now?" The Hyoudous raise a brow at her, so Rias continued. "Ise, you told me that you were the weakest and had no talent, but that was only half true. Because of your Boosted Gear, you were able to develop much more power and strength, such as when you used your new attack on that mountain. That was a top-class Devil attack you used, Ise. Most opponents would be completely obliterated if they got hit by that."
"Eh?! For real?!"
"For real, Ise," Rias affirms. "By honing your body, you've become a strong vessel for storing greater power produced by the Boosted Gear Even now, you're more than capable of containing that power. It's like I told you, you can become powerful just by improving your basic abilities."
Issei was touched by Rias' words, feeling grateful that her help and his training has paid off well.
"And Ginjo, your Plasma Bomb is just as devastating. Not even I, a High-Class Devil would want to be caught in that shockwave. And where Ise just had to strengthen the basics, all you needed was a creative thinking process and some patience. And like Ise, you have also strengthened your body be able to carry so much plasma magic in your body."
Ginjo was a little flustered by Rias' words, but he nods in thanks nonetheless. He then felt a hand on his shoulder and looked to see that it was Koneko.
"Buchou wasn't kidding, your Plasma Bomb really hurt like hell."
Ginjo sweat drops with a guilty expression.
"I'm really sorry about that."
Koneko shook her head.
"Don't be. If anything, this level of pain tells me we're going to kick ass."
Ginjo chuckles at Koneko's comment while Rias nods with a smile.
"Ise, Ginjo, your increase in power will drastically influence the course of this game, making you boys cornerstones. Even when powered up, fighting alone can prove fruitless and dangerous, but since this is a team match, you'll have allies like us to aid you. So make sure you trust and believe in us, and more importantly, trust yourselves with what you can do for your team."
Issei and Ginjo nod.
"Gotcha... We'll believe in you guys," Issei says.
"And we'll trust in ourselves to see this Rating Game through," Ginjo finishes.
Rias nods with the boys and looks at them with fond eyes. It almost felt to her like yesterday where they were just newbies getting a feel of things, and now, they were more prepared than ever.
"Alright everyone, Let's give it our all when the the Rating Game comes! We're going to stick it to everyone who doubts us, even if that opponent is a Phenex!"
[Yeah!]
With everyone pumped up, Issei looks at Ginjo and grins at him. Ginjo grins back before the brothers bump fists, knowing that they will have their backs when the battle begins.
~Last day until the Rating Game~
It was early in the morning. Ginjo got up and quietly headed to a forest, carrying something in a large black case. As he moved, he kept checking to see if anyone was following him, and so far, he was still alone as he made it.
Rias made it clear to everyone that the last day would be relaxation day before heading back to the club room to await the game. But before the time comes to teleport back, there was something Ginjo wanted to do real quick. finding a log to sit on, he opens the case and takes out something contained in it.
The object in question was a six-string Gibson wood grained acoustic guitar. He glides his hand along the instrument, remembering his aunt Kurumi gifting it to him on his thirteenth birthday. Taking the guitar pick out, he takes another look around his surroundings, seeing that no one else is coming. With this in mind, he started to strum the strings to test them. The first and third string was out of tune, so he adjusted them to get them sounding properly.
After taking another look around him, Ginjo sighs deeply and gets ready to play. The song he decided to perform to himself was an instrumental he found a few days ago called A Fragment of Blue by Jonathan Ian. With the pick resting on the guitar, Ginjo starts to strum the strings with his fingers while playing the correct notes he memorized from his numerous times he listened to the song.
As he played, Ginjo still felt nervous about the Rating Game tomorrow. Each string he played with each note he formed reflected his anxiousness as he played slowly. And yet, as he kept strumming with his his fingers, he could feel a small serene feeling was over him as he progressed the instrumental. Despite the stakes, he knows that he has his friends and his brother to help out and carry the game forward.
Reaching the one minute mark of the song, Ginjo takes the pick in his right hand and began to strum the next part of the instrumental in stronger strums. As he did, he feels more confidence building up. He was confident in his allies' abilities and their will to win. He felt certainty that they've trained enough to win against Riser Phenex. And of course, he was confident in himself. He knows what he needs to do when the time comes, and will do everything he can to make sure he and his allies achieve victory.
This confidence was displayed as he continued to play his guitar. Every strum and every change of a note were in perfect harmony. It has been two years since he touched his guitar, but he still knows the right chords to use, especially for this instrumental he wanted to perform for a while.
Ginjo finally concludes the song, and as those last strings sounded out their melody, Ginjo breathes through his nose and smiles to himself.
"Heh heh... I still got it."
"Hell yeah, you do, little man."
Ginjo was startled when he heard Issei. Looking up, his eyes widen when he saw him and everyone else there.
"Wh-Wha..?! You guys?!"
"Wow Ginjo-san! I had no idea you could play guitar!" Asia said while she applauded him.
"You're pretty good with it, Ginjo," Yuuto compliments.
"W-W-Wait..." Ginjo's cheeks start burning up. "How long were you guys here?!"
"As soon as we heard music from your guitar," Rias answers with a giggle. "And here we were, thinking you were going to do more training. Glad to know I'm wrong."
"Ara ara, Gin-kun, to think you'd also have skills for music as well. What you played was lovely~"
Ginjo blushed at Akeno before smiling softly.
"Thank you. I played it since I was thirteen, and I just remember how to use it."
"Well, I still think it's great!" Asia tells him while jumping up and down. "Play another song! Play another song!"
"Eh?!" Ginjo was surprised by Asia and starts tapping his feet with a flushed face. "I... I don't..."
Ginjo looks back up at Asia and saw her pleading face with glinting eyes.
"Please Ginjo-san. We could all use some music."
Ginjo felt his heart melt at Asia, like she was a little sister wanting something from her older brother. He would then see Koneko walk up to him with her hands behind her back.
"Just do it, Gin-kun," Koneko says bluntly. "It seems to have helped you out with your nerves. Help ours out too."
Ginjo tilted his head at Koneko, giving her a weird look before his eyes went to the others. Asia still looked like she wanted to hear more while Akeno, Rias, Yuuto, and Issei gave him encouraging nods.
"Come on, little bro," Issei insists. "Asia wants to hear music, so play some more."
Ginjo rocked on the log he was sitting on with his eyes on his guitar. He then remembered the good times he cherishes with them and how they were able to help him get through some tough times as a Devil. So, he brushes some strands of hair out of the way and sighs.
"Oh, alright. But I'm picking the song."
Asia applauds for Ginjo while everyone else awaited Ginjo's next melody. The tune he plays next is another instrumental from Jonathan Ian called Full Circle.
As he played, Ginjo took some glances at the others and saw them enjoying his performance while they also enjoying each others company. Seeing this made him smile as he kept going. Just seeing his friends and brother happy gave him another confidence boost in not just playing his guitar, but for the upcoming Rating Game to save Rias from an unwanted marriage.
'That's right... no matter how dire things get, we have each other. And we won't give up until victory is ours.'
To be continued in the next chapter: "The Game of Fate".
Harems (In no particular order):
Issei: Raynare, Rias, Asia, Irina, Mittelt, Isabela, Rossweisse, Le Fay, Bennia
Ginjo: Akeno, Koneko, Reyna, Xenovia, Siris, Ravel, Sona, Tsubaki, Tomoe, Tsubasa, Seekvaira, Kuroka, Kalawarner, Coriana
Until next time, folks~!
