Chapter 7: Class 2-E
"DOHNASEEEEKKK!"
The man wearing the fedora hummed as soon he heard the woman call out his name in furious anger.
"That explains where our last message went…"
"YOU BASTARD!" Raynare burst into the room they were in, to be greeted by Dohnaseek gazing back at her, alongside the petite blonde frame of Mittelt and the highly mature form of Kalawarner. The black-feathered wings on the girls' backs shadowed the ground before them.
"EXPLAIN THIS DAMN LETTER!" Raynare yelled at him, tossing the letter in her hand before him. "WHY DID AZAZEL-SAMA OUTCAST US?!"
Dohnaseek took a moment to gaze at Raynare's hissing form. Her wings were flared threateningly as she focused her hate-filled gaze on his own. Shaking his head at its futility, he approached the message on the floor and picked it up.
"I see," he said as soon as he finished reading it. "We've officially been ousted. Welcome, you three, to our new life as traitors."
"You…" Raynare hissed at him, the beginnings of tears forming at the corners of her eyes despite her hate. "Why… Why did he do this?! What did you do?!"
Mittelt was the one to respond with her snarky, condescending laughter. "It was so fucking easy, ya know? Just preach some shit about 'Azazel-sama' and how he wanted you to kill that Sacred Gear wielder, and you followed our orders like our little lapdog!"
Kalawarner simply shook her head nearby. "While Mittelt was crass about how she put it, she does have a point. It was rather amusing seeing how easily followed our falsified orders."
"F-Falsified…?" Raynare echoed. "… DOHNASEEK! You gave me those orders!"
"Yes, those were the orders we had received. From Kokabiel-sama."
The moment he said those words, Raynare's hate immediately morphed into sheer horror. Her mouth gaped in agony as she couldn't help but shield her face, feeling tears forming stronger and stronger. The strength in her legs failed her, feeling the barely felt thud on the floor as she knelt before the crime she unknowingly carried out.
"K-Kokabiel…" she muttered. "You… YOU TRAITORS!"
Immediately finding her hate once again, Raynare shot to the air and aimed a volley of light spears at Dohnaseek's figure. Yelling in her fury, she unleashed those spears with as much power as she could possibly muster.
Watching the spears collide onto the ground where the traitor stood filled her with glee. Her spears knocked up dust as soon as it hit, making it harder for her to see the one she should have defeated.
However, before she could let the dust completely settle, the gleam of another light spear emerged from under the dust. With a single swipe, Dohnaseek cleared out the dust around him entirely, allowing Raynare to fully regard his unmarred form. Not even a single scratch was on him, not even his clothes were damaged.
"That is all that you can do, Raynare. You cannot defeat me. I am many levels greater than you."
As if to prove his point, Dohnaseek unfurled his own Fallen Angel wings. Four wings shrouded his form. Unlike the others in the room who had only two, Dohnaseek had four wings to call his own.
Raynare gritted her teeth in righteous fury as soon as she saw that clear distinction between the two of them. The reason why Dohnaseek was picked as the party leader instead of Raynare herself. The sign that Dohnaseek could very easily overpower her if he so desired.
As if to prove his power, Dohnaseek nearly vanished and reappeared before her, hovering in the air. He grasped her neck with his spare hand, aiming the still present light spear at her now vulnerable jugular. Raynare, immediately feeling short of breath from being choked, struggled to escape Dohnaseek's hold to no avail.
"You are now a traitor to Azazel, Raynare," Dohnaseek addressed her. "You can no longer go back. They will kill you if you show your face to them again. Where does that leave you, then?
"You will serve us unquestioningly, or we will kill you. We are now the only ones that will accept you, and you will work with us, no matter what."
With a flick of his arm, Dohnaseek tossed Raynare's body to the floor with enough force to leave a crater in her wake. As the girl groaned and stood up, Dohnaseek used his four wings to lower himself to her level once again.
"Understood?"
Despite the hate growing within her, Raynare knew that Dohnaseek made a point there. They played her very well; she truly was stupid to follow their orders unquestioningly. Her actions, or her once partners' betrayal, had cost her the love of the one she most respected in the world.
She really had no choice. She had to accept her role as a traitor, even though it made her want to puke in her mouth.
"… Yes. Understood."
"Good. We will first begin with that Twilight Healing girl. I will be the one to take her Sacred Gear."
"Wait, but –"
"Did I give you permission to speak?"
"…"
"That's what I thought. Mittelt. Kalawarner. We're leaving."
As Dohnaseek stepped over Raynare's haunched form, Mittelt and Kalawarner smirked down at her. As they crossed her as well, Mittelt took a moment to spit in her face; an insult she could not fight back against anymore. Once the three she once called partners left, she couldn't help but let the tears fall free, finally forced to accept the betrayal she'd gone through and that she had lost the one she had valued above all else yet again.
"OOIII, ISSEEEEIIII!"
Blinking at the call on his way back to the main building after he met with the ORC, Issei looked for who it was calling out to him. It turned out to be Matsuda and Motohama.
"Where the hell were you today morning?!" Matsuda chided him once they reached, while Motohama took a moment to gasp nearby. "We were waiting for you, you know?! I got those 'books' you wanted, don't you want them?"
"Wait, books?" Issei questioned. "What do you mean?"
"Don't you remember what I told you earlier? Since you got into that weird class, I said I'd give you my new porn mag batch as soon as I was done."
"I… Issei, are you okay?" Motohoma gasped out, regaining enough breath to lift off from his knees. "You don't normally forget something like that."
Issei winced. "Uhh, no, I'm fine. Just had a few busy days, that's all. Oh, and I was called by someone today morning for some more details on my class." He didn't like having to lie to his best friends, but he had no choice. Too many people already knew those secrets he was keeping; he couldn't keep sharing them.
"Seriously, sucks that you're not in our class, man," Matsuda murmured. "We miss you, bro. No homo."
"What are you guys doing here, anyway?" Issei asked. "What time is it?"
"Our teacher let us out a bit early, and we're going into lunch break soon. As for why we're here, hehehe…"
Issei did not like how Matsuda was grinning while rubbing his palms together as if he were coming up with an evil plan. "What is it?"
"You're not the only one who had a busy weekend, Issei," Motohama explained, pushing up his glasses. "We were busy putting up our 'setup' for when we need it."
"… You guys seriously snuck into the school and drilled a peephole?!"
"The gym was in use earlier by some third-years. By now, the bathroom would be occupied. Wanna tag along, Issei?"
Issei shook his head. "You know I stopped that ages ago."
"Aw, come on!" Motohama yelped back. "We're men in the prime of our lives, Issei! We need to grab opportunities such as these, or we'd go nowhere in the future!"
"There's only one place where you're going by doing shit like this, and that's jail."
"Oi, oi, don't be so pessimistic! If anything, those girls shouldn't tempt us so much by being there!"
"… Yeah, I'm not talking about this with you guys anymore. Matsuda, can I get those mags? I'll at least read those while you guys commit your crimes."
"Eh, sure. Do you still wanna join us? You don't need to peep with us."
"… Sure. Just make sure that you don't rope me into your business at all."
Issei walked alongside them, accepting the porn mags as soon as Matsuda pulled them out of his bag. Not caring about reading them in public, Issei followed his buddies to the gym, but instead of entering through the front doors, they circled around to the back where they camped out.
From their location, Issei could hear the showerheads running through the walls, along with the faint chatter of feminine voices. Looking ahead, he noticed a slight discolouration on the wall in one small spot. 'These idiots actually did it, huh?'
Sure enough, Matsuda and Motohama immediately knelt before the discolouration and pulled out what looked to be a cylinder of clay, revealing a small hole wide enough to peer through. Issei sighed, knowing that he was finally in it for the long haul.
Immediately, Issei winced as he watched the two fighting over the hole, trying to be the first to get a good look. Hearing their arguing voices more and more, Issei shook his head and pulled the two by their collars away from the wall and tossed them to the bushes nearby.
"Issei! What –"
"Do you assholes want to get caught?!" Issei whisper-yelled at the two, frowning at them. "Take turns, both of you. Stop fighting over the damn thing, or you're gonna attract someone."
The two gaped at Issei like fish, then slowly hung their heads low in defeat, finally seeing the point to his words.
As the two discussed how they would share the peeping hole as quietly as they could, Issei turned around to look at the hole from a distance.
'… Should I? No, remember what Aniki told you. But… maybe… didn't I feel the dirt through Beetles that day?"
More with the urge to test his theory than to peep, Issei pulled his left eye open and called out for Beetles.
He winced as he felt an insect emerging from the surface of his left eye, trying not to register how its legs curled into his eyelids before it finally took off, exposing the white star on its back to the world that could see it. Casting a glance back at Matsuda and Motohama who were still in the middle of their discussion, he willed the Beetle to fly before them for a moment to see if they reacted in any way. Thankfully, they didn't. They weren't Stand Users.
Nodding, Issei finally went on with his plan. He gave a mental command tothe Beetle to fly into the peeping hole and move straight through. Closing his left eye, he mentally asked that Beetle to channel its vision back to him.
Surprisingly, it worked. Issei couldn't help but feel a nosebleed come in as he once again watched those third-year women change their clothes, exposing their fun bits in all their glory.
'This… This is the best! Why did I ever sto… Oh.'
Immediately, Issei willed the Beetle to turn its gaze up. He just realized that he had broken his promise to his brother.
"Issei Hyoudou. Come down here."
Immediately, Issei knew that he was in trouble. Aniki never used his full name in that unusually flat tone anytime he was about to break good news. Well, unless it was a prank.
Still, he gulped. Fearing what he had to say, he paused the porn on his computer screen and left his room to go down, to find Aniki standing as a shield at the base of the stairs.
"I just got an interesting call from your school principal," he said. "He mentioned something about you… peeping… in a woman's bathroom? Specifically, that you hid in the lockers?"
Issei gulped yet again. He didn't know what to say. He'd unknowingly made too much noise the other day when he was jerking off in the locker, and he was caught immediately. He was reported to the principal, but he was let off with a warning. He never expected that the old coot would talk to Aniki as well.
"S-So what?!" he dared to question. "I'm in the prime of my youth! I'm a hot-blooded male, aren't I?"
"Stop pretending to be Maito Gai and tell me what's your point."
"I-I mean… I-It's an open opportunity! I'd be an idiot to not take it!"
"… You remember the Shidou's, right? Our old neighbours?"
"Y-Yeah…?"
"Well, they told me there are many good Catholic Boarding Schools in Italy."
Issei widened his eyes, immediately understanding that he wouldn't like the answer his brother had for him.
"And for a boy that's a degenerate like you, I can't help but wonder what true celibacy would do for you?"
He felt the fear creeping into him the moment Aniki said 'celibacy'.
"Think about out. A 100% ban on porn or anything related to sex in any way…"
Issei's lip started quivering.
"… the people there would be all innocent, and there would be internet restrictions…"
His knees began to jitter.
"… the woman would be all fully clothed without exposing any part of their body, and there would be more old ladies than young ones…"
"No, no, please don't send me there!"
"Why shouldn't I? It's an open opportunity, isn't it? 'I'd be an idiot not to take it!'"
Issei faltered as soon as Aniki threw his old words back at him.
"My point is that just because an opportunity is there, doesn't mean that you should take it. You are responsible for the decisions you make, and you can't get out of the consequences by saying that 'the opportunity was there'. Tell me, would it be right for a rapist to say that a woman was right there, tantalizing him, so he went after her?"
"… N-No…"
"Then tell me, what's the difference between you and this rapist?"
"I-I didn't rape anyone, though!"
"Didn't you? Sure, you didn't assault them, but you still looked upon their naked forms without their consent. You caused them emotional pain because of a sexual act performed without their consent. That sounds a lot like rape to me."
"T-That's generalizing it! I didn't actually hurt them!"
"No, you did, Issei. Tell me, how would you feel if someone paraded you around in public buck naked?"
"…"
"Awful, yes? Then how did they feel?"
"H-Hurt…"
"You see now, don't you? Emotional pain still counts as pain. I need you to promise me this, Issei. Promise me that you will never peep on real girls again. I've put up enough with the scar on your parents' memory with you turning out to be a pervert, but I won't stop you from watching porn or reading those mags as long as you clean up well, air out your room every now and then, and focus on your studies and training. However, bringing actual people into your perversion without their consent is where I draw the line. Promise me that you won't do that anymore, Issei."
"… O-Okay. I promise."
"Thank you. Also, if you break that promise, I will turn all your porn into salt."
"H-Hey!"
Looking down at the changing room with Beetle's eye, Issei found that for the second time that day, naked bodies weren't turning him on. Frowning, Issei made to withdraw the insect, until he noticed something.
For some reason, one of the girls pointed in the direction of where Issei and the other two were, nodding to an almost ready girl. From the looks of it, it was the same pink-haired girl he'd encountered when he first entered Kuoh.
Wondering what that was about, Issei summoned another Beetle from inside his ear and allowed it to enter the room. Using the visual Beetle as an overhead camera, Issei positioned the auditory Beetle next to the pair of girls who were speaking. Thankfully, they couldn't see the insect approaching them.
"… I'm telling you, I really did hear something back there! It was almost like boys were talking back there!"
"Okay. I'll go ahead and check. Murayama, grab my shinai when you come out."
"You idiots…" Issei muttered, looking back at the two dumbasses that he called his best friends behind him. "Matsuda, Motohama, time to bail."
"Eh? Issei, we still haven't made our plan!"
"Well, you ran out of time! I just heard them talking about us! We have to hide!"
Calling back the auditory Beetle to himself, Issei willed the visual Beetle to move out of the changing room and follow the pink-haired girl and the brunette that left, armed with their wooden swords. With a quick glance at each other, the two girls turned right and walked with the wall.
"Both of you. Stick with me, and stay quiet," Issei ordered the two as he brought the two up and guided them to their left, making sure they kept enough distance between themselves and the girls.
Using the visual Beetle to keep tracking their position, Issei ensured that he moved in tandem with the girls, giving them absolutely no chance of looking upon the three of them. However, Issei decided to pause once they reached the end of the left wall of the building, keeping them at an optimal place to hide away from those two if they ever decided to turn past the wall.
Still looking at them, Issei watched as they inspected the area behind the changing room where they had camped at first. Thankfully, they hadn't left anything behind, and they didn't leave any clear sign that they were there. However, under the watchful gaze of the Beetle, Issei noticed one thing they had forgotten.
"Matsuda!" Issei softly yelled at his friend. "You forgot to hide the peephole!"
Blinking in shock, Matsuda slowly pulled out the white cork that shielded their last night's work in trepidation from his own pocket. Motohama, meanwhile, facepalmed as soon as he saw that.
'Okay, think, Issei. Does it really matter if those two see that hole? They won't know it was us. Sure, these two will be bummed that they lost their hole, but they did have it coming. Seriously, sneaking into school in the middle of the night just to drill a peephole? What's wrong with them?! Anyway, should I do something about it? Should I take the risk?'
Looking to the side, Issei saw the despaired tears forming in Matsuda's eyes, alongside Motohama that had collapsed to his knees in defeat.
'… Fuck it.'
"Give it to me."
"Huh? Issei?"
"You heard me. Give me the cork. I'll put it back."
"B-But the girls -"
"I'll avoid them. Trust me."
Pursing his lip, Matsuda gently offered the cork to Issei's outstretched hand. Holding it tight, Issei moved to the opposite end of the wall, where he would be able to look at the two girls if he just leaned his head. Not that he needed to, of course. Not when he already had eyes on them.
"Beetles."
Summoning a swarm of his Stand from his palm, Issei commanded them to head back to where the girls were. He didn't bother turning around, as he still used his visual Beetle to keep an eye on them all. He willed the swarm to move past the girls' location, then fall altogether on a set of twigs behind a bush.
"Who's there!" Katase immediately called out as soon as she heard the crackling noise, holding her wooden sword in front of her as well. Murayama unsheathed her weapon as well and gently approached the bush.
In the end, it didn't matter if they found anything or not in the bush. All that mattered was that they turned away from Issei.
Bracing himself, Issei leapt past the turn on the wall to reach the same side as the two girls who were bending over to inspect the brushes. Forcing himself to not stare at their asses under their skirts, Issei brought back the invisible swarm of Beetles and had them take the cork from his hands. Immediately, Issei jumped back to the other side, in the safety of Motohama and Matsuda.
Letting out a sigh, he turned back to face the other two and nodded. Even though they silently cheered, however, his job wasn't done. As he walked back to them, he willed the swarm of Beetles carrying the cork to the peephole, then using the visual Beetle, he made them all properly insert the cork into the hole in the wall. Thankfully, it was loose enough to allow his insects to ram into it over and over again to shove it in.
"Huh, nothing's there," Katase finally said as she stood up from the nearby bush. Looking back, she found that nothing changed.
Calling back every Beetle he summoned including the visual one, Issei nodded to a job well done.
"Alright, guys. Let's get out of here."
Nodding, Matsuda and Motohama followed him out of the vicinity of the gym, ensuring that no one noticed them for the rest of their way back.
However, they did not notice the slightly chubby boy with binoculars behind one of the trees nearby.
"New kid did well there," he said to himself as he put his binoculars down, revealing his round glasses behind them. "Beetles, huh? That's a neat Stand, and he can certainly use it well. Wouldn't expect that from a newbie."
Nodding to himself, his body shimmered in a blue aura before completely disappearing.
As Issei walked to the cafeteria alongside his two best buddies, he revelled in their praise for getting them out of that situation.
"Seriously, though," Motohama asked. "How in the world did you hear them coming?"
"Haha, I guess I was lucky!" Issei said, doing his best to lie to them. "I have no idea! Man, I can't wait to dig into those mags!"
"You better hand those over soon, okay?" Motohama demanded. "It hurts to think about it! Matsuda, how are they?"
"Bro, they're amazing like always! The artwork of the comics was awesome! I already picked out the ones I didn't like as much so that right there is all perfection!"
Issei's grin grew wider. "Oh, man… I just wanna go home now…"
"Aaaah! You better hand them over soon, got it, Issei!" Motohama demanded yet again, tears breaking out of the corner of his eyes. "I'll give you a day! Stay up late tonight to read them!"
"No way, man! I'm savouring these!"
"Oh, come on! I wanna read them too!"
"Oi. New kid."
Issei faltered at the sudden shift in tone in their conversation from a new voice Looking at its source, he shivered as he saw who it was.
"Daichi mentioned something about him vouching for you," the sandy-blond-haired boy with a scar running down from his right eye, Fumihiro Sasaki, spoke up. "Just to let you know, I'm not impressed with what I'm seeing now."
"U-Um, Issei?" Motohama asked. "Is he talking to you?"
"Y-Yeah. He's from my class."
Immediately, the other two shivered as they turned to him again. Sasaki let out a light growl upon seeing their response, making the two of them whimper in fright.
"W-What do you want with Issei?!" Matsuda nearly yelled, balling his fists in fear.
"Matsuda, it's okay," Issei said, resting a hand gently on his shoulder. "Thanks for trying to stand up for me, but I got this. You both can go ahead. Motohama, I'll give you the mags I'm done with tomorrow, alright?"
"A-Are you sure, Issei?" Motohama asked. "We can help."
"No, don't worry. It's just a class matter, that's all."
Looking at each other, they hesitatingly stepped away from him and Sasaki.
"Okay then. We'll be in the cafeteria when you're ready to join us."
"Don't worry, I've got my own bento, after all! I'll see you after school, alright?"
Nodding, the two departed to the cafeteria, leaving the two boys from Class 2-E behind.
"New kid," Sasaki said. "Walk with me."
Issei looked at him questioningly but nodded. Even though Sasaki did not bother to slow for him, Issei quickly kept pace with him.
While Issei followed the slouching scarred boy, the two together walked into a crowded hallway holding the second-year classes. Students were all over the hall, hanging out in front of their own classrooms or waiting before the bathrooms. There were several that were leaving their class to move someplace to eat.
However, Issei couldn't help but notice their stares at Sasaki.
It was clear that Sasaki was different. Unlike the standard Kuoh Uniform which had a grey blazer and grey pants, Sasaki wore blue pants with his uniform's grey blazer. He also wore running shoes in the halls unlike the indoor shoes everyone else switched to when they entered school. Thankfully, the shoes did not track any mud; he must have switched to cleaner ones for school use.
In the end, the shift in the uniform made something very clear to the students in the hallway. The blonde scarred boy was a member of Class 2-E.
That was when the whispering began.
Issei watched as the students started looking at Sasaki and whispered to each other, trying to make it so he couldn't hear them.
"Sasaki-san, I'm guessing Bushida told you about my Stand?"
"Yes, he did."
"I'm going to use it for a second."
Seeing Sasaki's nod, Issei called out Beetles from the depths of his ears. Having seen the method, Sasaki frowned.
"Isn't that uncomfortable?"
"It is, but I know I should get used to it."
With the Beetles from his ears, Issei sent them out to listen in on the whispering students around them.
"Didn't you hear? That guy's from 2-E."
"The murderers' class, right?"
"Yeah, those guys. They killed some adults during their field trip in their old school."
"Waah?! Why aren't they in prison?"
"Apparently the judge let them go. I think those guys bought the court out."
"Scary! Hey, do you think they'll kill someone again? What if it's one of us?"
"Oi, don't say that, man! … Still, why did Shitori-kaichou allow them to come here? Boys joining Kuoh are one thing, but actual murderers?"
"You heard them all, yes?" Sasaki said, knocking Issei out of his focus on spying.
Looking at Sasaki with widened eyes, he grimly looked down and frowned, but nodded.
"So, you know how it is for us," he said. "We're the murderers' class. These idiots have no understanding of what self-defence is. They don't understand that we did what we had to do to keep ourselves alive.
"You see this scar on my face? I got this during that event. One of those guys used his Stand to gouge my eye out, but I barely dodged it, resulting in what you see here. I was nothing but thankful when Bushida and Ahame killed him later."
Issei gaped at him, shocked at the truth of his scar.
"W-Why are you showing me this?"
"You need to know what you're getting into, Hyoudou. Being a Stand User is a thankless job with far too much risk to be feasible. You need to be able to make tough choices on a whim. That's why you need to understand who you are before you attempt a Stand Battle. The only way you can make life-or-death choices without regret is by knowing yourself first and foremost.
"In 2-E, nothing will be waiting for you. With us, you will lose your potential to be popular. Any friends you have outside our class, even those two you were with earlier, will soon leave you, or you will leave them. It's inevitable. You cannot become a person that other people can admire anymore, because no one will admire you when they learn of your future misdeeds."
Issei gulped once Sasaki was done with his description. Was he serious? Was the life of a Stand User that dangerous?
'Aniki… did you go through this as well?'
The two reached the end of the hallway, standing before the front door of Class 2-E.
"Are you ready to live such a life, Issei Hyoudou? A life where you constantly look over your own shoulder, one where you can no longer feel at home? One where you will lose everything you hold dear eventually?"
"I…" Issei started. "Are you serious about all that? I don't… Kami, I have no idea. I-I don't completely understand everything you said back there either. I should… know myself? What do you mean?"
Sasaki gently nodded. "No, that is a good question. You need to be able to consciously make decisions that you would normally make unconsciously. If you know who you are, you will be able to make choices knowing that you would not regret them, ever. If you regret the choices you make, you don't know yourself. It's not something you should master immediately, but it will come to you soon. You will see the worth of my words very soon. For now, you should come into the class."
However, Issei could not get Sasaki's remarks out of his head. Summoning a Beetle from his hand, he looked down at the white star on its back. The Beetle he carried suddenly felt as if it outweighed a mountain. He could not understand it at all. As of then, Beetles had only helped him get out of and survive situations that he never would before. It was a weapon, wasn't it? What exactly had Sasaki meant? Why did it matter to learn who he was, as Sasaki put it?
'Is gaining enlightenment a part of being a Stand User?' Issei wondered, letting out an inward chuckle.
Even then, he could not ignore the sense of danger in Sasaki's words. He knew already that being a Stand User was no easy task; he had to look no further than his own brother. He already knew that Aniki was a Stand User, there was no other explanation for why he wanted to train Issei so much, why he urged him to stay away from Alliance, and even how he performed some of his pranks. However, now that Issei was a Stand User as well, he could feel the danger steadily crawling to him. The pull of Gravity on and from his own soul.
In the end, would he be able to do it? Would he be able to kill someone, just like the others in his class? Most importantly, would he actually be able to juggle the risks involved in the two worlds he was engaging with?
'I need to be ready for anything. I need to step up my training.'
Finishing his train of thought, he looked up to see Sasaki holding the door of Class 2-E in front of him. Lightly smiling in gratitude, Issei followed him in.
The first thing he noticed was that every student was still in the class despite it being a lunch break. No one bothered to leave the class and go somewhere else to eat. The whole class was filled with students who chose to wear blue pants and skirts rather than the school-mandated grey ones, besides Issei himself.
"Hyoudou-kun!" A familiar blonde tomboy greeted him first, skipping out of her desk. "How're you doing?"
"I-I'm good, Ahame-san," Issei said. "Where's Bushida?"
"Here," Bushida red-haired form with his long face greeted him as well, gently sipping at a flask lid filled with what looked like green tea. "You have no damage from yesterday, I hope?"
Issei grinned upon hearing that. "I should be asking you that. You know who won, right?"
Chuckling as well, Bushida set his tea down. "Yes, I do. Now, Hyoudou, tell us all about you."
Issei cast a glance at all the others in the room, who were all focusing on him as soon as Bushida said that. The mix of different hair colours all unified in his direction started to make him feel more and more nervous.
"I-I'm Issei Hyoudou," he introduced himself with a feeble grin, fighting against the weight of the stage he was on. "I-I like video games, physical training and… well… other things." He took a deep breath; the next topic he would cover would not be an easy one. "I-I get that you guys have gone through something a lot worse than anything I've experienced, and I probably will experience something like that soon because I'm a Stand User as well. But I want to say… you won't find me against you for any of that even now. I can see how you've struggled, and I'll do whatever I can to lessen that load on your shoulders. I promise you that."
"…"
"…"
"…"
"… Um, o-okay! That wasn't embarrassing at all, haha! I can't believe I just said something like that out loud…"
Despite the silence, Ahame smiled as soon as Issei said that. "Don't worry, Issei. We'll also be here to help you get through the struggles you'll face in the future. We're conditioned to this; you don't need to bother with us."
Issei outwardly smiled upon hearing that, but he inwardly frowned. There was no way he could do such a thing, after all. He still had to keep them away from the Supernatural World.
"Alright, enough of hearing the ugly people talk. It's time a true man took up the stage!"
Almost immediately, every person in the class collectively groaned. Every person other than the one who said that statement, that is.
The boy who spoke looked unusually like Kiba. Fair skin that did not belong on an Asian with svelte blond hair and dark blue eyes. He held himself with a puffed chest and a smug smirk on his face as he introduced himself.
"Allow mine divine self to be the first to introduce himself to you, Ugly Hyoudou," the boy said. "You may call me Kanpeki Danna*, or you can simply abbreviate it to Danna-sama."
"… I can tell you right now I don't swing that way."
"Hah! It's no matter of 'swinging' some way, you plebian. A divine being such as myself deserves respect from all folk, to be placed upon a pedestal to be presented as the greatest being of existence! Such perfection, such wonder, such beauty! None can portray such feats better than I!"
He pulled out a compact from his pocket and opened it in front of him, looking into the mirror with a longing gaze.
"Oh, how I wish that I were someone else, all so I could marvel myself from afar…"
Issei blinked in shock. After hearing so much about how messed up this class was and how traumatised they were from what they had gone through, seeing a character such as that one sent him on a mental roller coaster.
"C-Can someone please explain what's going on here?" he pleaded.
"That's Narcy-kun," Ahame replied to him with a chuckle. "His real name's Daruma Kaneki. He's a full-blown narcissist."
"How many times do I have to tell you, Ugly Ahame, that it is not narcissism if I truly am the most divine being in existence!" he yelled back with gritted teeth, snapping his compact shut. "True perfection without any need of artificial touches to mar it, that is who I am!"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Narcy-kun. Hyoudou, you still need to finish lunch, don't you?"
"Yeah, I was curious about something with that," he said. "Why are you all here? Wouldn't some of you prefer to go somewhere else to eat? Or were you all waiting for me?"
Immediately, Issei was met with silence once more. Looking at the deadpan gazes of every student in the class alongside Ahame's small pout, Issei groaned as he recognized why they did so.
"Right. You don't want anyone treating you like murderers, don't you?"
"That's right," Ahame responded. "People don't see you as one of us yet, so you can still go out there. But we'd like to get to know you a little better, so feel free to stick with us as well."
"W-Well, okay then!"
Nodding appreciatively, Issei walked to his own seat, relieved as he saw the others going back to their own business. Reaching his desk, he sat down and upon opening his bag, he withdrew his bento box.
"Pretty big bento you got there, bro," the boy sitting to his left in the anime protagonist's seat remarked. He was wearing the variant of Kuoh's uniform for 2-E students with its blue pants but was out of place among the rest of the group by being a little chubby and having large round glasses on his round face, hiding dark blue eyes and spiky black hair underneath. "Did your mom make it for you?"
Issei shook his head. "No, my mom isn't exactly around anymore. I'm an orphan, after all."
"Ah, sorr – "
"No, don't worry, it was a very long time ago. I made this myself. Cooking's a pretty useful skill, you know?"
Upon opening his bento and revealing the combination of miso soup with kelp, rice and an assortment of toppings alongside a simple curry, the boy grinned. "Seems like you're pretty good at it too," he observed. "All I've got is my hamburger steak set."
"Yeah, he really is. Pretty reasonable distribution of nutritional value as well. Also, Noboru, you should be careful about what you eat."
That line was spoken by the boy on his right. A lanky boy who was an inch taller than him, with light brown hair and dark brown eyes. Once again, he wore blue pants rather than the school-mandated grey ones along with running shoes.
"Don't say that, Kenta! I like this stuff, what's wrong in indulging a little, huh, bro?"
"Indulging is fine, but not every day like you do. Be a little more conscious about your health."
"Aw, come on! If I get a heart attack when we grow up, you'll give me a medical discount, won't you?"
"No. No, I won't. Not when you're literally asking for it like an absolute idiot. Also, I'm not training to be a doctor."
Issei watched the two argue over him, gently eating his own bento as peacefully as he could.
"Hey, Hyoudou-san," another voice called out to him over the other two who had finally stood up and started arguing with each other even more, the person sitting at his front-right corner, the one in front of Kenta's seat. "Don't worry about those two. Kenta-kun and Noboru-kun have very different beliefs, so they're always at each other's throats."
Issei regarded the boy who was speaking to him as well. If there was anything that could be said about him, it was 'average'. He had traditional Japanese straight combed black hair with slight browning to its tone, and his eyes were dark brown. However, he still followed the 2-E rules of wearing blue pants and running shoes despite his average demeanour.
"How long has this been going on?" Issei asked him.
"Ever since they first met, really. Noboru-kun loves wasting time more than anything, and Kenta-kun's the kind of guy who's paranoid about the time he has to spend. Noboru-kun doesn't care much for his diet, but Kenta-kun wants to inherit his family's pharmaceuticals company. Also… Noboru-kun uses his Stand really recklessly, but Kenta-kun… he doesn't have one."
"Huh?" Issei remarked. "I thought every person here has a Stand?"
"Kenta-kun is an exception," the boy explained. "Unusually, he can see Stands very well, but he can't manifest his own. He's an exception to that 'If you see a Stand, you're a Stand User' rule, and we're doing what we can to help him through that."
Issei looked back at Kenta, who was busy showing his lunch set to a whining Noboru while pointing out the relevant vitamins and minerals he would attain from that set.
"Anyway, enough of that!" the average boy cut into his thoughts. "I should introduce myself, right? Chimon Tabata, at your service."
"Issei Hyoudou," he replied after turning back to Chimon. "But you already know that, right?"
Nodding, Chimon grinned at him. However, he immediately frowned upon looking at him after that. Casting a glance at the others in the class, he looked at Issei once more, then put his hand out as if he wanted to shake his hand.
"Hyoudou-san, do you mind if I do something?" he asked, still holding his hand out.
Issei blinked in wonder. "What do you mean? What do you want to do?"
"I want to take a reading of your future."
As soon as Chimon said those words, the class fell into silence. Not even the arguing Noboru and Kenta made any noise after that, for they both had their gazes locked onto Chimon and Issei.
"My future?" Issei echoed. "Is that your Stand ability?"
"It is, and I promise you that it has no adverse effects," he said with a grin. "I've never foretold anyone's deaths until now, after all, so I'm pretty sure that my readings will help you avoid them."
Issei cast his gaze down at Chimon's outstretched hand. Gently, Issei reached out with his own hand. He had no real reason to refuse such a reading, after all.
"I'll be in your care then, Tabata-san."
Issei accepted the handshake.
"Very well."
Chimon smiled as he said his next words with closed eyes.
"Visions They Say."
White tape materialised between Chimon's hand and Issei's, tying them both together. Issei briefly tried to struggle but found that the tape was ridiculously strong and would not let him go at all.
By then, the rest of the class had approached the two. They seemed to understand what was going on, so they were looking forward to the display that would occur before them.
In a flash, Chimon opened his eyes, revealing purely murky green orbs glowing beneath aside from his original brown irises.
*GASP!*
Sharply, he sucked in air, allowing the noise to draw further attention to himself.
And so, with everyone focusing on his ability, he versed in an echoed version of his own voice.
"Two Half-Brothers, split apart by their Father,"
"One must dispel Fate to bring them together,"
"One who is chosen, one will be their messenger,"
"The Red Star will be the beacon for a sinner."
The Stand within Chimon took a breath but did not let go of Issei's hand. It was almost as if it were taking a small break before it broke out into verse yet again.
"The ill-seeking church traps the ill-sought nun,"
"Among the Crows lie one other ill-sought,"
"Madmen shall act when most end their day's run,"
"Twilight Healing beside a daily stop,"
"The Bats may sin, but keep their call at hand,"
"The Jailed Dragon will face the sins he's due,"
"Brothers will be avenged if you're reckless,"
"Listen to the hearts of all to come through."
With a loud hiss, the bands around their hands came undone, releasing Issei from the hold of Visions They Say. Chimon gasped loudly as he opened his eyes.
"So?" Noboru asked from behind him. "What did you hear?"
"Huh?" Issei asked, still processing the things he heard. "None of you heard that?"
"V-Visions They Say speaks only to those who need to hear the prophecy," Chimon explained to him as soon as he caught his breath. "If that prediction was for your ears only, only you will hear it. No one else heard it, yes?"
Immediately, everyone in the room shook their heads.
"Okay, that means that prediction is your own."
"Still, that's a relief," Fumihiro Sasaki commented from nearby. "I thought he'd be roping us into his business."
Issei's face soured. "I know better than to do that now. Especially after everything I've heard."
"Good. Keep us out of your business."
"Now, now," Azumi Ahame cut in. "Hyoudou-kun can still get help from us if he needs it, right?" As if to agree with her, Daichi Bushida grunted nearby.
Issei chuckled loosely. "S-Sure! I'll get your help if I really do need it." That was a lie. He knew that if it were Supernatural related, he wouldn't call them.
"Heh, from the looks of it, you got two predictions, right, bro?" Noboru commented, roughly slapping his shoulder. "Of course, with a Stand as perfect for spying as Beetles, you should be totally fine, bro!"
Issei paused for a moment upon hearing that, then jerked back around to face him. "How do you know about my Stand?!"
"Daichi-san told us about it earlier today. Also, I happened to peep on you and your little visit to the girls' showers with those friends of yours."
"Wait, what?!" one of the girls nearly screeched. "Did he peep on anyone?"
"Don't worry, Reina-chan, he was dragged by his bros there and he helped them escape from being caught. He didn't do any peeping himself," Noboru explained, discreetly winking at Issei, much to his embarrassment.
"Still, he was an accomplice!" the same girl screeched, her voice slightly making Issei's ears ring.
She stormed up to Issei's desk and pointed at him. Looking at her more clearly, he found that she was a fairly short, yet very thin white-haired girl with a puffed-up chest (No boobs, Issei mourned) as she looked down on Issei. Her pristine white hair was tied into twin tails with soft curls on the ends. All in all, she seemed like a very pompous, rich girl. She wore a blue skirt with her white shirt, but the uniform's red ribbon was replaced by a dark blue one that unusually made the appearance work on her, unlike the others.
"Listen here, you bloody pervert," she, 'Reina' as Issei heard, demanded out loud with a finger pointed at him. "If I ever catch you or those friends of yours peeping on us, I'm beating you all down! Got it?! That's the word of Reina Endo, I'm telling you!"
Noboru snickered. "Reina-chan, Naruto already took claim to the 'I'm telling you' bit."
"Shut up, otaku fatass."
"Kami, so harsh."
"I-I get what you're saying, but don't worry," Issei replied. "I don't mean to peep on anyone. I used to do it, but I don't anymore. I… can't say the same about the others, but I can get them to stay away from you, Endo-san?"
Reina snickered. "It's a start. Whatever."
As she walked back to her own seat, Noboru chuckled as he looked at Issei. "Ah, I haven't actually introduced myself to you, haven't I?" he realised. "Noboru Iwata. I live my life as I see fit and I love reading manga, especially Naruto. Heck, my Stand is based on Naruto too."
"Based on Naruto?!" Issei remarked. "What the hell is your Stand?"
"Heh. Army of One."
Issei watched as a blue blob grew out of Noboru's outstretched hand. He threw it to the floor beside him, where it splattered and then rose into a pillar above itself. The same blue goop moulded itself into a boy similar in appearance to Noboru's own, then mimicked his colours as well.
"Army of One is capable of cloning my main body," the newly formed Noboru explained. "Just like Kage Bunshin, I get the memories of my dispelled clones. Non-Stand Users can see these clones too, you know?"
In a blue flash, the clone disappeared just as fast as it came.
"Let me tell you, bro, it becomes so fun to do work with this Stand," the real body of Noboru Iwata spoke. "I can literally split myself into different bodies and get everyone to work on one thing. I can finish studying a whole year's course in just one day if I get my clones to study, while I keep reading my manga!"
Issei blinked in shock. "That… shit, I so damn jealous, Iwata-san!"
"Hm, hm, don't worry bro. Your Stand is pretty cool too. To think you can use the Physical Extension ability they have like that. I like spying on people with my Stand, you know, but you're leagues better than me with that!"
"Wait, Physical Extension?" Issei echoed. "What are you talking about? I thought that was my Stand's ability?"
"Huh? No, Physical Extension is the trait that most typically humanoid Stands have. If they have sensory organs of any kind on their body, those can be used in place of your own as well. Considering how Stands can go through walls if they want to, your Stand is pretty OP for spying."
"So… You're saying that if a Stand has eyes, their User will be able to see through those eyes?"
"Yep! Stands are extensions of ourselves, right? That's why the trait's called Physical Extension; it extends just our physical senses. By the way, I thought your ability was that power multiplier thing?"
Issei faltered in confusion, then blinked in shock. "A-Ah! H-How did you figure that out?"
"Daichi-san told us."
"A-Ahaha, I see… Bushida-san did, huh…"
That was not good news. If Bushida told them about the Boosted Gear, then how would he be able to introduce his Stand's actual ability when he discovers it? He thought his Stand's ability was the Physical Extension, but that was disproved.
'Hopefully, I can find out soon… and somehow tell these guys too…'
"Fatass Noboru is right about one thing, we both forgot to introduce ourselves to you," another voice, one Issei found to come from Kenta, spoke up. "I'm Kenta Itawari, future head of Itawari Pharmaceuticals. Sorry I didn't say it sooner."
"I-It's okay," Issei softly replied, still reeling from being taken out of his thoughts so quickly. "By the way, can I ask – "
*RRRIIIINNNNGGGG!*
"Shit, my lunch!"
Issei sighed as the day ended. The rest of the day in 2-E was not as impressive as that recess. He rubbed his forehead; just that day, he had himself exposed to two completely different worlds. It got tiring after a while.
Speaking of, it was about time another headache showed up.
"Is Issei Hyoudou here still?" another annoyingly familiar voice called out for him.
"Kiba-san…" Issei muttered, immediately placing the voice as he stood up and revealed himself.
"There you are, Hyoudou-san. Rias-Buchou is inviting you to officially join the Occult Research Club."
"Wait, really?" Issei asked, casting a quick glance at the confused looks from the others in the class. Briskly walking up to Kiba, he leaned into his ear. "Isn't that only for… your kind?"
"Rias-Buchou wants you to join regardless. Of course, in the end, it is your choice."
"… Sure, why not."
"I'll be heading off, guys!" Issei called out to the rest of his class, receiving waves back as well as he left the class and followed Kiba.
"The straaanger's joining a club?" another familiar figure, Sakuna Hirose, drawled out. "Iiiinteresting…"
"What do you think he's doing, Sakuna?" Sasaki asked.
"Joooooiiiiining a club, Fumi-kun. He's not a 'murderer' like us yeeeet, so let him enjoy his freedom for now."
Meanwhile, Issei was following behind Yuuto Kiba.
"You seem to be getting along well with them."
"Yeah, well, we found some common ground. They're a little intense overall, but they're not bad people, you know?"
"I see," Kiba said. "Maybe we can seek their help. It's not every day we find people who've -"
"No."
"… Come again?"
"You're not going to tell them about any of this," Issei demanded, gripping his hands into fists. "I'm the Red Dragon Emperor, right? If you tell them, I will immediately stand against you and Gremory-senpai. Those guys have suffered enough, don't you dare let them go through another experience like that again."
"… You speak as if you know what happened to them."
"No, I don't. I have no idea, honestly, and I don't want to ask. But I do know that those guys hate that event more than anything. They're all hurting from its events still, so don't you Devils go stirring the pot."
"… So be it. I'll inform Rias-Buchou about that as well."
Sighing, Issei nodded in gratitude.
"… You certainly care for them very much, don't you?" Kiba asked.
"Well, it's hard not to once you get to know them better," Issei replied, secretly wondering what the ORC wanted with him further.
*Danna-sama means household master or husband (in a traditional sense, where the husband/father is the head of the family). Daruma Kaneki calls himself Kanpeki Danna, which loosely translates to 'Perfect Master'.
Stand Name: Visions They Say (based on "They Say Visions" by R.E.S.)
Stand User: Chimon Tabata
Abilities: Prophecy. When contacting an object, the user can will his Stand to recite a prophecy of that object's immediate future. Prophecies are normally associated with drastic events in the immediate future; the ability won't work if nothing of risk will happen to the object.
Destructive Power: E
Speed: B
Range: C
Precision: A
Development Potential: A
Stand Name: Army of One (based on 'Army of One' by Coldplay)
Stand User: Noboru Iwata
Abilities: Cloning. The user can make clones of himself that can be seen by Non-Stand Users. Clones can appear wearing or holding whatever non-mechanical and non-living objects they want, but the objects on them cannot be separated from them without dissolving into nothingness. All memories acquired by the clones will be sent back to the user once they are dispelled. They usually take a single hit to be dispelled unless they are reinforced with another clone underneath.
Destructive Power: C
Speed: D
Range: A
Precision: B
Development Potential: C
A/N: I'm back! Exams are done and dealt with, and now all I've got for uni is my thesis and I'm done. Speaking of, I've already wasted a semester by not working on it, I should really get started soon...
Anyway, how you enjoyed the chapter! The main points of interest here is Issei recognising how to use his Stand with his other senses. Yes, I gave Issei Beetles because I imagined he would use it to peep on women, but he won't be doing that any longer.
This was followed up by a another introduction to Class 2-E. I've made a few more characters, but I haven't filled out all 17 members yet. Just like any class, I plan on introducing them all over time as Issei gets to interact with them all, typically with a Stand Battle. Let me tell you, some of the Stands I've got planned are ridiculous as shit. The two revealed here are pretty simple abilities, but trust me, the future ones will be much more interesting.
Also, Chimon Tabata's prophecy for Issei. The first one was a more general one for the overall story, while the second one was for this arc exclusively. The first one was more slapdash than anything, but I tried to form an iambic pentameter for the second one. The voice stresses aren't perfect at all, but at least I got the number of syllables perfectly. I might experiment with other poetic methods for future prophecies. Lord knows this isn't gonna be the last time I'll be using Visions They Say. By the way, the second prophecy is predicting this whole arc, and is kind of a spoiler for everything.
Oh, let's not forget that bit with Raynare. I'm gonna be giving her the Spiderman 2 treatment. What better way to make an audience love an originally hated character than beating them to the fucking ground and forcing them to fight to get back up? Why not throw in a whole ton of plot and character development along the way to perfectly start off the arc? Yep, I'm starting this one pretty big.
Now, onto the reviews.
NeroAlmia: Thanks a ton for the praise! Hell, it's pretty surprising you found this story if you're not into either of the stories, but I guess reading DxD fanfics can help there. I certainly hope I can keep it up, with this being a technical first draft and all.
It truly is a shame you stopped JoJo's at Part 4, though. Its antagonist made it my favorite part in the anime. But I guess if you don't like Stands, then you probably won't be a fan of it.
And yeah, reviews help a ton of authors, not only me. Frankly, I don't review unless necessary either, which is something I'd like to change about myself.
Don't worry about commenting on the wrong chapter, by the way. I got your message, and that's what counts. I can always look at the dates to know which chapter you submitted the review for.
brakamonoga: Thanks for the questions! You can say that the two worlds were split by the act of Fate. That is, coincidence upon coincidence kept them apart. None of the gods I've seen in DxD are omniscient, they just watch what they can. So, not even the Gods know about Stands. Also, who's Haku? I know Haku from Naruto, but who're you talking about?
As for your other questions, I'll answer them in sequence.
1. In the VN, according to the Wiki, Issei manifested the Boosted Gear first. The Twice Critical stage did not exist there. I found that to be much more useful to me for the future development of this story, so I followed those rules.
2. This is set in the Stand Arrow universe; the Devil's Palm probably won't exist here. So no, Jesus is not related to Stands.
3. That's a very good question. Stands are visible at a particular frequency in the upper end of the IR spectrum, as I mentioned in MCBA, and I honestly forgot about that fact while writing this. There are a couple reasons why that is not possible though, which I will be covering later in the story. Did I make those new rules up to cover a plothole? Absolutely. Also, I can say that Supernatural beings don't really shift their vision spectrum. Can you tell me anyone in DxD that can see in the IR spectrum by themselves? These Beings choose not to change their vision so they can see well in battle. But theoretically, it would be possible to see Stands if they shifted their range of vision, if it weren't for that new rule I'm setting.
That's all! I'll try to upload a new chapter of Re: Teyvat next, probably. Or I'll just hold out until I'm done with Arc 1 of this story. But to that note, I'll see you next chapter!
