Chapter 8: Reintroduction

"Buchou? Are you alright?" Akeno spoke up, having just sent their potential new entrant Issei Hyoudou out for lunch. "Remember, we don't mind that show you put on earlier."

"I-It's not that, Akeno," Rias stated, still rubbing her temples vigorously. "Could I bother you for some tea?"

"At once, Buchou."

As ordered, Akeno approached her tea set and formed her signature brew of tea. She tended to grow her own leaves, which left the drink in her control. She could easily say that she had mastered the craft.

After Akeno poured out a cup for her, Rias finally took a sip of the tea she was craving for a while. Immediately, she felt her tensions lessen and her shoulders eased up.

"Buchou, can I ask what's on your mind?" Akeno inquired, hoping to probe into the subject of the matter.

"Of course, you can," Rias said, briefly taking another sip. "It's about Issei-kun, of course."

"What was it about him that left you in such a state?"

"It's… not him, really. It's about what I had done to him.

"When I reached that clearing after he summoned me, he was bleeding out, badly. Thankfully, the cut hadn't penetrated deep enough to be fatal, but he was losing blood quickly. That was why I had decided to heal him.

"But I can't help but wonder… what if I didn't? What if I'd gone with my first instinct and tried to reincarnate him instead? What if… What if things had gone differently, and he was actually killed by her?

"I couldn't reincarnate him, Akeno. I've never been in such a position. And considering the trauma we had exposed him to… we could have very easily let him die, and we couldn't have brought him back."

Akeno shook her head. "Buchou, it's unnecessary to think about such what-ifs. What matters is that he is alive now, yes?"

"Yes, but what if he died?! That… That would have been our fault, Akeno. We knew about the Fallen going after him, and we did nothing. I was trying to profit from it. I was trying to put him into a situation where he had no choice but to become my servant. And… And I wouldn't have been able to fulfil my end of the deal if I had succeeded."

"… Please, Buchou. What's done is done. He's alive, we should be grateful for that. It truly is a shame that we can't bring him into our ranks, but everything turned out for the best."

"… You're right, Akeno. I'm sorry. I was just being paranoid. Still… we can't have Issei-kun knowing about this."


As the school day ended, Issei Hyoudou once again found himself in the main office of the old school building, housing the Occult Research Club.

"Ah, Issei-kun. Please, take a seat."

Once again, he was faced with the Devils hidden in his school. Rias was sitting before the main desk of the office-like room, Kiba and Koneko were sitting on one of the pair of sofas outlining a small table where Koneko's packet of cookies sat, while Akeno was standing away with her attention on something else entirely.

"Ah, sure," Issei replied to Rias's statement. Seeing it as free, Issei took a seat on the empty sofa before Koneko. While he sat there only because it was closer to Rias's desk, Koneko must have assumed differently. "They're not for you," she muttered as she picked up her packet of cookies from the table, stingily keeping them to herself. Issei couldn't help but mentally chortle at the misconception.

"Ara, Hyoudou-kun," Akeno approached him, holding a tray with a kettle and a couple cups and saucers. "Care for a cup of tea?"

Issei blinked at the unexpected hospitality. "… I'm more of a coffee person, but sure. I'll try it out."

"Ufufufu, you're certainly honest," she remarked as she effortlessly set out the cup and saucer before him. Her motions seemed very well practised; even if it was for simply pouring out a cup of tea, every step she took fell into a rhythm. Issei could tell that she certainly knew her craft.

"Thank you," Issei said with appreciation, before gently blowing on the cup and taking a sip. "It's… nice. Very refreshing. Sorry, I'm not much of a connoisseur."

"Ufufu, that's perfectly fine, Hyoudou-kun."

"Now, Issei-kun," Rias spoke up as Akeno poured out glasses of tea for everyone in the room. "There are some things that we need to discuss."

Taking another small sip of his tea (it was actually pretty good), Issei nodded. "By the way, are you okay? After what happened earlier…"

"Don't worry about it, Issei-kun," she replied, wearing a smile to dissipate his worries. "It's just something we will look into. However, just to get it out of the way, could you grant us samples of yourself if they're requested by our scientists?"

"Uh, sure, I don't see why not."

"Thank you," she said, after which she took a break to sip from the fresh cup of tea just set before her by Akeno. "Now, let's talk business.

"Issei-kun, despite Devilkind's changed ways, we must still accept some form of payment for the contract you used the day before yesterday. The job we had performed for you was saving your life, so you must pay with something of nearly equal value. I initially supposed that you joining my Peerage would be enough, but now we see that it is not possible.

"That is why I suggest that for payment, you swear fealty to me. You are the Red Dragon Emperor and having you on our side would be no better payment. If you swear to work for us and stay on our side, you will earn the support of Devils as a whole. Also, you must promise that you will become my Pawn when we learn what's keeping you from it."

Issei gaped like a fish at the request made of him. "… Wait, so, you're just asking me to call you my master?"

Rias nodded as if that explained everything in the world.

"… I'm sorry to say this, but no," Issei said, trying to put her down gently.

"You don't understand, Issei-kun. You owe us. We saved you from the Fallen Angels and near death, meaning that your life is in our hands."

"Look, I get that. I owe you my life, and I should pay you back in some way, but I'm not going to surrender my whole life to you. I have matters of my own to handle."

"Oh?" Rias retorted. "What are these 'matters' that you speak of?"

"Well…" Issei found himself quickly faltering. What did he have? He had a couple porn mags from Matsuda he had left to read, and he had his training and cooking schedule… but what else?

"You… may have a point there," Issei conceded. "However, I still have a right over my own life, don't I? I am grateful that you saved me, but I'd rather pay you some way else than simply surrendering myself to your whims. Sure, I've already given you my permission to make me your Pawn when the time comes, but don't I have a right to my own life until then?"

"… I am not one to force people to work for me. If you are truly against becoming my submissive, then I have no choice but to let go. How about… partnership?"

"Frankly, I thought that was what you were going to suggest at first. Yes, I don't mind partnering up with you. You can seek my help whenever you need it, and I can seek yours."

"Good. I can agree with that. However, there is still the matter of the payment for the contract."

Issei hummed and looked at everyone in the room. "How do you guys handle your lunches?" he asked.

"Akeno cooks them for us," Rias explained, quirking a brow in confusion. "Most of us are hopeless in a kitchen, and Koneko only bakes sweets on occasion. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I just so happen to pride myself on my cooking skills," he explained. "Sure, I'm no Pro Chef, but I like taking inspiration. I'm offering to pay for you saving my life with bento boxes."

Akeno giggled nearby. "That's a statement if I've ever heard one."

"Okay, Issei-kun, please," Rias spoke up. "Bento boxes are not going to be enough for a payment of that value, but certainly-"

She was interrupted by a soft hum-like grumble coming nearby. Rias faltered at the sound, understanding where it came from very well. Looking away from Issei for a moment, she saw Koneko glaring at her, delivering her signature cute pout. Nearby Kiba was softly chuckling at Koneko's actions, while Akeno could only smile as well.

"I could certainly use some help in the morning," Akeno said. "I've never said this but cooking for everyone can be rather troublesome. Also, Rias, don't you think it would be better to experience two different sources of Japanese cooking?"

"T-Two diff – Akeno! Not the time!"

"Ufufu, you're so cute, Buchou."

"Grrr, fine! Fine! Issei Hyoudou, from now on, you make our lunch boxes alongside Akeno. But! You owe us a favour other than that, understand?"

"Wait, still?!"

"Yes, of course! Maybe everyone does want food, but that doesn't make up for us saving your life. You still owe us more than that, which is why I'm suggesting that you owe us a favour."

"… Well, as long as it's something I can do and I don't outright refuse it, then sure."

"You want to refuse it as well? How much are you asking for, Issei Hyoudou?"

"Aniki always told me to be careful with things like these," Issei stated, taking another sip of his tea. "I'm not going to offer you a mindless favour, no matter what. If I refuse it, you can ask me for another any time after that, but I will not do whatever I refused."

"What if you just refuse everything I ask of you?"

"You have the right to convince me otherwise. Knowing how tactically you handle things, that won't be any problem for you, I'm sure."

"A-Ah, yes," Rias unnaturally felt herself getting flustered at that moment. Casting her gaze away for a moment, she took a breath to calm herself and turned to Issei once more.

"So, do we have a deal, then?"

"… Sure. We have a deal."

"Ara," Akeno murmured from nearby. "So, you've finally made a deal with a devil, Hyoudou-kun?"

"Don't make this any worse than it is!"

Rias smiled at Issei's quick retort. "I'm glad, then. It's good to see that we can get along, despite our differences."

"Yeah, I understand that sentiment," Issei replied.

"Good, then that's all for today! Issei, if you like, you can become a member of the ORC despite not joining our Peerage. I don't normally do this, but for you, I don't mind an exception."

Issei decided to think about it for a while. Thumbing the handle of his teacup, Issei thought about what joining the ORC could do for him. He had no clear idea of who the Devils were. For the Stand Users of 2-E, he already had a good understanding of them and the suffering they had gone through thanks to the past few days. However, he couldn't say the same for the Devils. He couldn't understand what they were, exactly. He couldn't determine if they were friends or foes.

"Thank you for the offer, Gremory-san. If you truly don't mind, I'll take it." As they say, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. He wouldn't lose anything from joining the club, and he would better understand the Devils over time.

Rias smiled at the response. "I wish you a warm welcome, then. Unfortunately, I cannot have you partaking in our signature club activity since you aren't in my Peerage, but you can always follow us with whatever we do. You can even keep asking favours from us, as long as you're ready to pay your due over time."

"Hopefully, I wouldn't need too much help. But still, thanks for the offer, Gremory-Buchou."

Nodding in satisfaction, Rias stood up from her desk. "In that case, I should ask you if you're free to join our activities now?"

"Actually, before we do that, can I ask what it is you all do? I don't want to be unprepared."

"… Well, I was hoping to demonstrate it to you, but I can give you an explanation if you desire. Akeno, could you start us off?"

"Ufufu, of course, I can, Buchou," Akeno said, gently tracing the rim of her own teacup. "Our role in Kuoh is to treat it as our territory. This means that other Supernaturally affiliated beings would have to report to us for matters in this land, including a residence for any period. Of course, I mentioned that to you when I spoke to you about the Fallen Angels."

Issei winced at the brief reminder but shook it off quickly. That wasn't a place to break down his walls, after all.

"As such, we also take care of threats to Kuoh," Akeno continued, missing Issei's expression. "There are threats of Stray Devils and Exorcists, which we handle."

"… Handle?"

"We kill them," Kiba was the one who spoke up. "Strays are beings that betray their masters, regardless of them being Devil or Exorcist. Their disloyalty deserves to be punished."

Issei faltered at how easily Kiba had spoken of such a thing. "Wait… so, you kill them? No trial or nothing?"

"We simply carry out the orders given to us, Hyoudou-kun," Akeno replied. "We may kill them, but they chose their path by carrying out their own desires over the ones that granted their abilities to them. In the case of Devils, their bodies can be morphed into a state to reflect their unbecoming."

"Strays are evil," Koneko added with an aggressive bite of her cookie. Gnashing the crumbs, she kept speaking. "They are all monsters."

"Well… maybe there are Devils that betrayed their masters for good reasons?" Issei surmised out loud, thinking about the possibilities. "I don't think simply betraying them should warrant a death sentence."

In return, Koneko glared at him. Despite her small figure, Issei could tell that she was unable to tolerate the things he was saying.

"Is something – "

Issei quickly held his tongue. He wanted to ask Koneko if she had something to say against his view, but he remembered what Akeno had said earlier.

"Don't ask too many questions about our past, please. Not everyone will be as open with things as you were."

"Nevermind. So… you kill them? I'm guessing there's more to it than simply killing them as well?"

Koneko hummed, quickly letting go of her anger. "I sniff them out and tell Rias, so we kill them."

"Huh, I see. So, wait… you can smell out things?"

"Koneko," Rias interrupted them. "I'll speak of our abilities to him later. For now, are you free to attend today's sessions?"

"… Ah, well, not really. I've got a pretty tight schedule. If you don't mind, I'll take today to restructure it to fit this club."

"Of course, feel free to do so. In that case, the club is dismissed for you, Hyoudou-kun."

Nodding with a forced smile, Issei picked up his teacup and handed it to Akeno. "It was really good. Thanks for it," he said, wanting to leave a better impression on them.

"Thank you for your kind words, Hyoudou-kun," Akeno replied with a soft smile, accepting her cup and saucer back.

"Well then," he greeted the rest of the room. "I'll see you all tomorrow."

With that, Issei left the clubroom.

Rias sighed as she slumped onto her desk. "That… was close," Rias spoke. "Thankfully, he's still happy with us. Everyone, you can do your own thing for now."

With the command, Koneko set out of the room, her bag of cookies in hand. Kiba steadily stood up and moved to the front door after Koneko, only to be stopped by Akeno.

"Ara, Yuuto, we forgot something," she said. Reaching the table next to the door, she pulled out one of their summon pamphlets. "We have no way of contacting Hyoudou-kun for now, so could you please hand this to him?"

"Of course, Akeno-san. I'll see it done."

"Always so reliable, Yuuto."

Graciously accepting the task given to him, Kiba accepted the pamphlet with the summoning circle on it and exited the room.

The first thing he saw was Koneko staring out of the window in the hallway. Her bag of cookies was set away for that moment.

"Kiba-san, we have company. They're for you."

Quirking a brow in confusion, Kiba made his way to the window, looking out to see what Koneko was talking about.

Fangirls. Almost all of them were standing out of the building, hoping to catch a view of their dear Kiba-kun.

Yelping, Kiba immediately stepped away, trying to hide despite the quick glimpse of him sending the girls in the yard into overdrive with their cheers. "What… What do they want?" Kiba urged.

"Maybe they want to try and join the club? Too bad we don't accept any other members."

Kiba hissed as he took a breath to calm his fraying nerves. "I'll ask Buchou to contact Sitri-san to get them to keep them away. But I can't go out there like this…"

"Is there something you need to do?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact. Akeno-san asked me to deliver one of our pamphlets to Hyoudou-san."

"I can take it to him."

"Wait, can you?"

"If I run, I can catch him now. I'll leave him to deal with the fangirls."

"Thank you, Koneko-chan! You're a lifesaver!"

Smiling, Koneko accepted the pamphlet and ran off, hoping to find Issei quickly.

Sighing, Yuuto cast a quick glance to the window once again, hoping that the presence of those girls would just magically disappear. Thankfully, they had charmed the building to make it so that they couldn't be overheard during their discussions. Grimacing, he took a moment to think about how annoying those girls were. He certainly appreciated the attention, but he didn't want them getting in his way.

Taking a moment to calm his nerves, Yuuto slowly set back to the main office.

"Buchou, there's something you should know."

"Yuuto-kun? What is it?"

So, Yuuto spoke about the crowd of fangirls outside, despite the growing blush on his face. Ignoring the way Rias and Akeno laughed at his plight, Rias reassured him by saying that she would call Sona to keep them away.

As she dialled her smartphone that she got because she was fascinated with the technology of the human world, Akeno noticed the absence of the pamphlet on his form.

"Ara, you delivered that paper rather quick."

"Ah, no, I didn't. Koneko said that she could take it to him for me."

Akeno's grin quickly faded, while Rias slowed down the typing on her phone. "… What?"


Issei knew something was up.

Aniki had taught him how to hide his actual feelings about things. He always said that the best tacticians are the ones who were multifaceted; they should conceal everything they can so that they can acquire more when the time was right. Similarly, he also taught him how to spot aversions in speech, or when people were trying to hide things from him.

Rias was certainly hiding something from him.

It was tied to Koneko. The way she had nearly ordered Koneko to stop speaking set off every alarm in Issei's mind. She may have played it off as saying that she would talk about it later, but she could have easily spoken of it then. Nothing was holding her back.

'Something about Koneko being able to smell things… wait, just how many things can she smell? If she's like a dog of some kind, she can track the scents of anyone around her. Then… why were they keeping that fact from me? Or was it some other ability they didn't want to talk about?

'Just what exactly are they hiding?'

"Hyoudou-senpai."

Faltering at the soft voice calling for him, Issei turned back to see Koneko standing there. All alone.

"Buchou wanted you to have this," she said, handing him a familiar pamphlet. Accepting it, he noticed the same summoning circle that called them to him the first time. "For emergencies."

"Of course," Issei replied, mentally cheering at the chance to get to talk to Koneko all alone, without Rias intervening and keeping her from saying things. "Say, can I ask you something?"

"Ask them to Buchou. I won't say anything."

"Ah, no, please! I mean, I still need to leave, so can you please answer my questions quickly? I promise they won't be anything sensitive."

"… Fine. Ask me."

"Thank you," Issei said, mentally wondering how to ask the unknown questions he had. "First off, you mentioned something about you being able to smell things? Is it like a dog tracking people's scents?"

"Never compare me to a dog ever again," Koneko harshly stated, puffing her cheeks a little at the comment.

"A-Ah, sorry."

"… But yes, it's similar," she carried on. "I can smell people. You smell like a dragon. The Fallen smell like old crows. Strays smell like decaying matter. Exorcists smell like they've applied too much perfume."

And so, Issei realised what Rias was keeping from him.

"Wait, hold on, so you could smell the Fallen?"

"Yes. I've been keeping a close eye on the Fallen group here as well."

"And… well… how far can this smell go?"

"I'll lose the scent completely if they're over 2 kilometres away."

"Wow. That's pretty far… but didn't you smell that Fallen Angel that approached me?"

"Of course, I did. I'd even told Buchou of it," Koneko said. "Fallen Angels meeting with Sacred Gear Wielders is a serious matter, after all."

That answered every question Issei had.

"Sorry, Toujou-san. I need to speak to Gremory-san again for a moment."

Koneko crossed her eyes at the sudden request. "Why? What are you thinking?"

Before Issei could respond, the two heard the sound of rapid footsteps. Rias and Akeno were storming down the steps to them, with Kiba following behind wearing a confused expression.

"Koneko!" Rias immediately called out. "What did you tell him?!"

"Buchou? I just – "

"She told me enough," Issei harshly replied, earning him a confused glance from Koneko as well.

"I-Issei-kun, we can – "

"I never should have trusted a Devil."

With that, Issei stormed out of the hallway, hell-bent on leaving the building.

"B-Buchou?" Koneko whimpered. "Did I… do something wrong?"

Rias stayed silent for a moment, casting her gaze low. "… No, it's fine, Koneko. It was my fault for not telling you about it sooner."

"About what?"

"About our ploy to keep our hand in Issei's assault out of his sights."

"Wait, our hand?" Kiba spoke up. "Wasn't it the Fallen Angels that attacked him?"

"Yes, but we had done nothing to help him," Akeno spoke up. Ignoring his confused glance, she turned to Koneko. "Koneko-chan, Hyoudou-kun asked you if you were able to track the Fallen Angel that pretended to be his girlfriend, yes?"

"Y-Yes, that's what he asked. How do you know?"

"What was your response?"

"I-I said that I saw her, a-and I told B-Buchou about it. That Fallen Angels and Sacred Gear Wielders meeting was a major risk."

Akeno's expression quickly soured. "Then we have failed, certainly. Hyoudou-kun no longer trusts us."

"What… but why?!" Koneko roared out. "What would that change?!"

"He deduced the truth, Koneko," Rias explained. "We had noticed the presence of the Fallen Angels near him, yet we had done nothing. We had a job to keep the people of Kuoh safe from the supernatural, yet we ignored the presence of the Fallen near him."

"Did… what? Why did we…?"

"I was waiting for him to die," Rias confessed, making Koneko gasp out loud. "I wanted to invite him into my Peerage because of his Sacred Gear, so I allowed his murder to happen. I made sure that he had a pamphlet so that he could call for me when he was desperate for life, where he'd have no choice but to rely on me."

"B-But you can't reincarnate him!"

"Yes, but I didn't know it back then. I thought that I could let him die, then I could give him an Evil Piece. Now… I'm just glad that I chose to heal him first.

"He won't trust us anymore, Koneko. He would never care for someone that held so little regard for his life, even as a human. I know that I wouldn't, after all."


Issei crumpled the pamphlet in his hand in his fury.

'I can't fucking believe it,' he screamed in his head, ignoring the presence of the girls near the window nearby. 'Those bastards… Couldn't they have done something?! Did they want me to be their servant so badly that they would let me die?!'

He retracted every good thing he'd thought of them at that moment. Rias Gremory was a manipulating, scheming bastard. A person that most accurately fits the position of Devil. Maybe her Peerage wasn't bad, but Issei couldn't even be certain that she'd used similar methods with her own Peerage members.

Noticing a trashcan nearby, Issei gripped the crumpled pamphlet even tighter. With a curt yell, he tossed the paper into the trash alongside every bit of budding respect he had for the Devils.

'Never again,' he vowed to himself, gnashing his teeth. 'I am never associating with them again. Not with someone like Rias Gremory. That damn pamphlet… I will never call them again.'

"Wait…" Issei muttered, thinking why that statement rang in his head. "Call?"

"The Bats may sin, but keep their call at hand."

Chimon Tabata's prophecy. He never gave it much thought, but maybe he should?

"The Bats may sin," Issei recalled out loud. "Bats probably refer to the Devils. Keep their call at hand? Does that mean…?"

Looking back at the trashcan where he threw the pamphlet away, Issei thought about his options.

"I don't have their phone numbers or anything like that… but I really don't want to have to trust them again. … But he said it, didn't he? The Bats may sin, and they sure did. Why… Does it want me to keep in contact with them regardless?"

Balling his fists, Issei dredged over to the bin once more. Grimacing the whole while, he picked out the pamphlet yet again. Checking it to make sure nothing tainted it, he flattened it as best as he could and folded it properly, then pocketed it once more. Having retrieved the calling card, he walked away, hoping that the prophecy was wrong and that he wouldn't need their help ever again.

Meanwhile, Rias watched from the window as Issei picked up that pamphlet, rekindling her hope that he would seek their partnership still.


Issei was sure he'd done more workouts than he'd intended to. Punching Bags were great stress relievers, after all. With how backed up he'd gotten from his dealing with the Devils, he had to take it out somehow. Yes, he would also be reading Matsuda's hentai that night; he needed a distraction.

However, before any of that, he had to prep something to cook. With a look in his fridge, he winced.

"I'm all out, huh?"

He was completely out of protein and some other vegetables were missing. For the day he had, he would certainly not go to sleep without some meat in his diet. Especially after that extra aggressive session in his gym room.

"Seems like dinner will be late today, then."

Resigning himself to his fate, Issei spent a few minutes reading Matsuda's hentai, and once his body was cool enough, he showered. Dressing up, he picked up his door and bike keys and made his way out of his house.

Issei cycled down to the supermarket to get everything that he needed. Thankfully, he wasn't planning on making meat a regular part of his diet, so he could carry several things in one bag. He only needed one trip to make it back.

It was 6:00 PM when Issei was in the middle of the path to his home. He watched as the traffic grew stronger from the people returning from their work. Buses were becoming even more crowded with those same people. Issei chose to cycle on the pavement since he needed to move the way other than moving traffic.

While he was riding, however, he recalled the prophecy that was told to him earlier that day.

"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."

The words seemed to stick in his head very well; maybe an effect of Visions They Say. He already knew that this prophecy was coming true from what happened earlier that day, but he still didn't understand what they all meant.

As he thought about those words, he chanced to pass a bus stop. It was barren; no one was waiting at the stop at that time, and with the growing traffic, buses were taking longer to reach their stops than normal. Surely, the stop would remain barren for a while.

Along the pavement behind the stop was a convenience store. Issei knew about it, but it did not have any of the things that he needed to buy. If he ever wanted to buy the next JUMP edition, he would have gone there. If he felt like hogging out on cheap candy, that would be where he went. However, he wouldn't consider the place for a proper dinner like he needed at that moment. The supermarket he went to was better for the things he aimed to buy, even if it was a little further away.

However, Issei noticed something else on the glass pane of the store as he cycled by. Something that seemed unusually familiar.

As he stopped his bike, he noticed that there was a draft coming in from the opposite direction. That draft was not there because he was moving against the wind. That must have also been why Issei noticed the familiar poster on the glass, pressed against the surface by the wind.

It was a Devil's Summoning Pamphlet.

Confused by the presence of the pamphlet, Issei rested his bike on its stand and approached it. Upon picking it up, he noticed it felt a little oddly damp. Despite that, he cast a quick glance over it.

It was torn in half, but partially; the flap formed by the tear that Issei wasn't holding on to was fluttering in the air, yet not freeing itself from Issei's grasp. It was only because of that loose section that Issei noticed something behind the pamphlet. A flash of red.

Bracing himself, Issei turned the page around. He immediately let it go involuntarily, letting the wind catch it away from him. There was blood behind it. That was the source of the dampness; the blood on the paper seeped its moisture into the rest of the material.

Looking around, Issei noticed something weird in the surroundings. He wasn't able to keep his eyes on a portion of the pavement nearby; his eyes were glossing over it.

Immediately, he knew that something was going on. It was related to the Supernatural.

His first thought was to hightail it out of there. Whatever was going on was none of his business, and there was no way he was going to be a hero or whatever. He was completely ready to abandon whoever was in trouble behind that patch he couldn't see.

He charged up to his bike and unhitched the stand, mounted it and was about to pedal ahead –

A girl stepped out of the barrier, walking backwards.

The girl was a little shorter than him and had blonde hair and cutely familiar features. She was wearing a nun's dress stained with a few drops of blood. Whatever was going on, she wasn't a part of it, however. Her expression was horrified; she seemed as if she stared into the face of death itself. Her visage was white and her palms were quivering, held before her in feeble protection.

The presence of the girl jolted Issei out of his first decision. After all, the girl was a very familiar one.

"Asia…"

From within the barrier, a fully bloodied hand thrust out and pulled the girl back into its safety.

That motion spurred Issei on. He first turned his bike around and threw it onto the floor, wanting a quick getaway just in case. Ignoring how his freshly bought ingredients spilled onto the ground from their bags, he then charged straight into the place he couldn't notice.

Immediately, the place morphed. It wasn't a simple wall he wasn't seeing, it was an entire alleyway. It was surrounded by a purple barrier, much like what he'd seen when Raynare tried to kill him.

A man was bleeding out nearby, but his body wasn't moving. It was mercilessly thrown into the trash bin, his blood still dripping down the sides of the metal.

The feeling of bile filled Issei's throat as he noticed the man with the bloodied hands that pulled Asia into the barrier. The man had white pasty hair and a boyishly freaky face, wearing a madly wide smile. He was wearing white church clothes as well, but they were stained deeply in red from the blood of the one he'd no doubt killed. In his left hand sat a sword hilt, and holstered to his hip was a pair of guns, but he wasn't carrying any magazines for bullets.

The first one to notice Issei's arrival was that person. That madman.

He said… something. He was speaking in Italian. However, it was clear that Asia, who was standing right before him, understood his words. She jolted back in fear, only to be even more afraid once she noticed who it was.

"I-I-Issei?!"

"Asia," Issei greeted, immediately gesturing with his open palm moving down slowly. He was trying to calm her down and reassure her that she would be fine. Asia, meanwhile, only gulped at his presence.

The white-haired man said something else as he stepped past Asia. He looked back at her and gave her a cocky smirk.

"Issei!" she urgently called out with a swipe of her hand.

Issei jolted to the side to avoid the man's sword hilt from which emerged a bright light-based blade, not unlike the Fallen Angels before.

"Beetles!"

He'd thought about summoning the Boosted Gear, but he didn't know who this person was. In any case, he was connected to the Supernatural World, and he wouldn't be a Stand User. That was why he used Beetles to keep his cards close to his chest.

The white-haired man did not see the incoming insects with white stars on their backs, all aimed at him. He yelled in confusion as something bit into several parts of his body, all while snagging parts of his uniform. With a shriek, he unlatched something from his pocket and threw it at Issei; it was a bomb of some kind. In an instant, it blew up into some kind of white powder that stung Issei's eyes.

However, he'd already been ready for that. As he summoned Beetles, he repeated the painstaking process of summoning them from his eyes. Looking through his Beetles, he was able to avoid the man's sword and even a couple of what seemed to be light-based bullets from one of the guns on his hip. The man yelled something in fury, then kept charging at him. Issei still kept his normal eyes closed and used Beetles' eyes instead. He wasn't able to dodge properly due to the difference in perspective messing with his motor instinct, but he dodged the man's sword swings well.

Grunting in fury, the man jumped back, only to find that the bites had gone through his clothes and were feeding on his skin. He tried to swat the invisible things away, but that proved to be futile as they kept pecking at his flesh like candy.

Shaking his head, the man looked around for a moment, then creepily grinned. Not knowing what the madman had planned, Issei dared to open his eyes. The sting was gone, thankfully, and he could see. However, he faltered when he noticed what the man was staring at.

"Asia!"

He was too late. The man bolted up to her and pressed the barrel of one of his guns on her temple while locking her in a choke with his free arm. Once again, he barked something indistinguishable out loud, but with the deepening of his hold on Asia, Issei didn't need any further explanation for his demands.

Wordlessly, Issei withdrew Beetles from his skin, allowing the madman to take a quick breath. However, he still didn't let the girl go. However, the man was still cackling and digging his gun barrel into Asia's head, making her wince and letting the beginnings of tears form in the corner of her eyes.

At that moment, Issei didn't know what to do. He had absolutely no way of defeating that man with all his abilities. Even if he summoned the Boosted Gear, the man would just use that as an excuse to blow Asia's head off.

… He still wanted to talk to her. He'd never been as open with anyone as he'd been with her, save for Matsuda and Motohama. They had a connection that Issei could not ignore; no, it was not a romantic one. From the moment Issei saw her, he internally wanted to take care of her as if she would be his little sister. It was as if his very being was asking him to keep her safe.

And so he wanted to do so, despite being so weak. He wanted her to be saved from that madman's clutches. He wished for it so badly… He wished for it…

The crumpled piece of paper in his back pocket glowed red.

Issei withdrew Beetles back into his form and held his hands up, surrendering to him. He knew that if the man could kill him, he should be satisfied enough to keep Asia alive. Asia quickly trashed in her hold upon seeing him do so, but the man quickly shut her up with a tug on her neck. Looking back at Issei, the man grinned as he swirled his gun around. Knowing what he meant, Issei decided to turn away.

He couldn't escape that one. Aniki always told him to not bother being a hero, but he couldn't simply ignore Asia's woes. It irked him as to why he trusted her so much, but he did, and that could not change.

That was why he would lay down his life for her.

Just as he heard some kind of sparkling sound, the gunshot came. Issei yelped as he felt something penetrate into his back and move through the rest of his body in a straight path.

Issei groaned in agony as something wet grew on his back. With every movement, the bullet dug further into his body, triggering his nerves in sharp jolts of agony.

Issei blinked a couple times; his vision was slowly darkening. Just as he fell onto the floor, something came in his way to pick him up.

A woman with crimson red hair.

He couldn't make out her features. He couldn't sense anything anymore. He was losing the feeling of her hands on his skin, her scent in his nose. His mouth was slowly losing the taste of copper as the feeling of being parched set in instead. But he couldn't drink; no, he couldn't swallow. His body was running low, slowly claiming the remains of his sight as well.

And everything turned black.


**PLEASE READ**

A/N: Now, I know that not many people are willing to leave comments or reviews for this story, and that's fine to me. As long as I can see people reading it, I'm happy. However, this time, please consider leaving a response to this question behind.

I'm at a bit of a crossroads with the ending of the current arc. I have two possible directions I could take the story, but both of them are radically different. Heck, the very themes of the story will change depending on the chosen path.

That's why I want to leave it to you, my dear reader. Note that this vote will only influence my decision; it's not a final decision to the winner. In the end, I will write what I feel like writing, but I want to know your opinion on it. Naturally, for the sake of avoiding spoilers, I will be as vague as possible with their descriptions.

The first option, the one I had initially planned, is the happy ending. Since things would be resolved very well in that ending, character relationships would become a lot more easygoing, and it would be a lot more probable to see ships sailing sooner. Not only ships, other character relationships will become a lot more stable. However, the story will lose weight when compared to the other option. The theme for this will become family, and that's it. The other themes will lose a portion of contribution. Pick this option if you want a comforting reading experience. Note that choosing this will not magically turn this into a slice-of-life, there will be angst regardless. It's just that it won't be as bad as it could be.

The second option is the one I'm growing to prefer. The tragic ending. Don't ask me what the tragedy is, I will not spoil my own story. Anyway, the case with the tragic ending is the polar opposite of the happy ending. The benefits are that the story will become a lot more heavy and impactful. Regrets will become the essence of the tale, but overcoming them will be what makes it even better over time. This will even tie together both the Stand and Supernatural worlds, making them both seem similarly impactful onto Issei's life. There will be far more themes present than family, none of which I will talk about. On the other hand, character relationships will become a lot more strained, and it will take a lot longer for relationships to form. The weight of the story may make it difficult to read at times as well.

Now, please let me know your choice. Happy Ending or Tragic Ending?

**No need to read further than this**

One thing I will mention now is that there can be quite a bit of Rias bashing in this story. Frankly, her character makes it far too easy. All actions she took before Riser's defeat were in some way manipulated by her to her own favor. Yes, that is absolutely how I view her. She gets better over time, or rather, she loses impact in the story. Seriously, after Kokabiel, there hardly was any story path inspired by her. The author treated the girls of the series as prizes to be won after their feature arcs, and I hate that perception. It's stupid and unrealistic. Sure, certain moments of a person's life can change them radically, but that doesn't make it so nothing cares about them anymore after their bit is done. She may have been the King of their Peerage, but the story later realised that Issei was the protagonist and completely forgot about her impact.

Okay... deep breaths... sorry about that, I lose myself whenever I shit on DxD. Back to the mention of Rias bashing, it will only be for a while. Rias needs to grow as a character, and as of now, she's a whiney little bitch with too much power. I'm going to give her more chances to grow in this story. Once she's better, I will stop bashing on her.

Now, that should be all. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next chapter.