Before we begin...
"Talking."
'Thinking.'
"Flashback quotes. Text from messages. Intercom."
{Sacred Gear announcement.}
When we last left off, Ginjo and Asia have acquired their familiars after the Gremory Devils defeated Sona's group for the right to go to the Familiar Forest. Now, Ginjo must be ready to go on his first date with Akeno. Will it work out? Find out now...
~A Date and a Phoenix~
It was a bright Sunday morning. Ginjo was currently pacing himself near the spot where he and Akeno agreed to meet for their date, a coffee shop.
"Okay, Ginjo, keep calm... you got this..." he tells himself while breathing in and out. "It's your first date... you have no idea how it will turn out... but that's fine! You'll figure something out to make it fun! Just... Remember what Junko said..."
~A couple days ago~
"Oh? You'll be going on a date with someone this Sunday?"
"Yes," Ginjo nods, sitting on a couch next to Junko who has Yuki on her lap. "And, well... I was hoping maybe you can give me some advice on how to make it... you know... good?"
Junko can see how nervous Ginjo was when he asked. She can tell that he was unsure about what will happen when the day for his date comes as he was tapping his fingers on his knees numerous times.
Wanting to help, Junko giggles and offers him a smile while brushing a finger across her hair, which she's grown out to have reach past her shoulders.
"I remember my first date with my late husband. And guess what? He was just as shy as you are."
"Really?" Ginjo was surprised. Out of all the stories he heard about her husband that painted him as a confident no-nonsense person, he'd never guess he would be this nervous.
'But then again, anybody's nerves can wrack when one starts to go on dates, right?'
"Despite this, he still gave it his all and gave me a wonderful time. Of course, I had to help lead the date to the places we went to, the movies, a restaurant, etc. But when he took charge on some of these destinations, he did great."
Ginjo nodded, glad to hear that she was able to help him out on their date back then.
"So, Ginjo," Junko resumes while scooting closer to him while her daughter smiled at the boy. "Don't think about what bad things will happen with every decision you make. And don't just start conversations as soon as you get to places like the aquarium or a restaurant, make sure you talk to her during your walk to these destinations too."
Ginjo nods before scratching his cheek sheepishly.
"Easier said than done. I have no clue what sort of things to talk to her about." 'At least things that aren't related to Devil work.'
"Just make sure it's interesting and something you both like. Although... I don't think you need to worry too much about that."
"What makes you say that?"
With another giggle, Junko scoots even closer to him.
"It's because of how helpful and sweet you are, Gin-kun. I should know, because for over a month now, I can already tell that you'll make great boyfriend material. You may even be a great father too~"
Ginjo's cheeks turn pink.
"O-Oh! Y-You think so? Well... I'm flattered that you..."
Before he could finish, Ginjo jumps as he felt something soft. Looking down, his eyes widen with a redder blush when he saw Junko's foot rubbing his leg with her toes painted red.
Ginjo averts his gaze, not wanting to be rude for staring at her feet for too long. But as he looked back at Junko, he blinks to see her eyes on him with a larger smile, as if she has caught on about something.
"Hey... What do you say I put my daughter to bed for today? Afterwards, I'll give you more knowledge on dating." Junko's cheeks turn red as she lightly scratches Ginjo's leg with her toes. "Personally~"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!" Ginjo's eyes whiten and his face turns bright red as he scratches his head with both hands. "I cannot think about that right now!"
Ginjo's pacing increased in speed as he tried to stop thinking about what his regular did for him after she put her daughter to her bed. As crazy as that experience was, he needs to pay more attention to what she's told him and not what she allowed him to do while she did so.
While he was, Ginjo failed to watch where he was going and he ended up bumping into someone.
"Oof! Excuse me, I wasn't paying attention."
Ginjo was rubbing his forehead in recovery until he started hearing someone titter.
"Ara ara, how many times are you going to bump into my bosom~?"
Ginjo froze in place, recognizing that lovely voice all too well. Slowly looking up, he gasps loudly as he saw Akeno with her hair down wearing a red dress with black accents.
"Homina homina homina homina homina homina-" Ginjo slaps himself across the face to get a hold of himself. "S-Sorry."
Akeno giggles into her hand.
"I assume you like the outfit I picked out?" She asks while spinning once.
"Y-Y-Yeah," Ginjo confirms while nodding. "And... with your hair down to go with it... You look... Mesmerizing."
"Fufufufu, Thank you~" Akeno walks closer to Ginjo. "But that's not all I've done~"
Akeno aims her finger downwards, prompting Ginjo to look where she's pointing. Once he does, Ginjo blushes as he saw her feet in white heel sandals.
"P... Pearl pink toes..."
"Do you like them? I painted them myself~"
Ginjo watches Akeno wiggle her toes before he looks back at her eyes with his blush intact.
"They're very pretty, senpai."
"Glad to hear it." Akeno skips over to Ginjo's right side and winks. "You're looking pretty dashing with your blue flannel and black cargo shorts."
Ginjo chuckles while scratching the back of his head.
"Th-Thanks."
"So, where are we going first?"
Ginjo could already feel some anxiety building up, but he got this far, so he can't screw up now.
"Well... is there anywhere you'd like to go, Akeno-senpai?"
When he looked over to her, Ginjo's eyes broaden a bit to see Akeno with her hands together in front of her skirt with pink cheeks.
"Honestly, I don't know," Akeno says, surprising Ginjo further. "It's my first time going on a date, so... That's why I asked you."
'It's... her first date...' Ginjo thought as he saw that she was just as nervous as he was. "W-Well... think of the first thing you like. N-Not necessarily your total favorite thing, but... something you would enjoy that you never got the time to do."
Akeno looks up at the sky in thought. After thinking about it for a bit, she looks back at Ginjo.
"Well... I've always wanted to check out some sea life."
Feeling some confidence build up, Ginjo smiles at Akeno and winks at her.
"Then our first stop shall be the Aquarium. I know one location that has the best displays possible."
Akeno nods in agreement and grabs hold of Ginjo's hand, making his heart skip a beat and his cheeks burn redder.
"I can't wait, Gin~"
Ginjo chuckles sheepishly as they began walking.
"Y... You're dropping the suffix?"
Akeno nods.
"We are on a date, aren't we? With that in mind, I want you to just call me Akeno. Can you do that?"
Ginjo remained silent for a moment before he breathes and smiles.
"Gotcha... Akeno."
Akeno giggles while squeezing Ginjo's hand, earning a soft laugh from the boy as the two continued forward to the aquarium. While they were, his eyes shifted towards their hands, seeing that she was still holding his.
'Wow... this usually happens much later. Lucky~'
Ginjo and Akeno have made it to the aquarium, and much to his relief, Akeno was left astonished by the many displays of the sea life.
As Ginjo took a look for himself, he can definitely understand why aquariums are so cool to go to. His favorite spot was definitely where he could see the fish from the glass tunnels. It was so cool to see the numerous species swimming across the water. It felt to him like he was underwater himself.
"Gin, isn't this beautiful?"
"Yeah, I couldn't agree more," he replies while Akeno kept guiding him through the aquarium.
As she was, Ginjo was thinking about what kind of conversation to start up with her. He didn't want it to be Devil talk since this was their free day, so he had to think of something.
With some improvisation and winging, Ginjo lightly squeezes Akeno's hand to get her attention.
"So, Akeno," he starts, almost adding the Senpai suffix before he was able to stop himself. "Got a favorite fish?" 'I'll go simple and have it involve the aquarium.'
Akeno nods.
"I would have to say the sting rays. They're just so cute~"
Ginjo laughs with Akeno.
"Yeah, they're cute, but deadly, at least from what I remember learning about them."
Akeno nods while Ginjo thought about his favorite.
"As for me, well... it's difficult to decide since it tends to change, but I think I'll go with a shark, specifically the hammerheads."
"Ara ara, you like what's considered scary by most people?"
"Oh, if I were to encounter a shark while in the water, I would definitely tense up, but just observing them without danger, they're awesome."
"I see~"
Ginjo and Akeno continued to enjoy the aquarium while they tried to think about what other sea life they like, whether it's at this aquarium or not.
'So far so good,' Ginjo thought. 'And getting to see Akeno so happy... damn, is it satisfying.'
After they had their fun at the Aquarium, Akeno told Ginjo that she felt like checking out a shop or two, and he agreed. But first, they made a stop at an ice cream parlor for a quick snack during their path to whatever shop Akeno wished to go. They both had cones, with Akeno's being strawberry and Ginjo's being vanilla with a lot of sprinkles, which Akeno giggled cutely at.
They were able to finish their frozen treats on the go before they arrived at a shop that Akeno had in mind. Ginjo recognizes this place as a shop that not only has essentials for some living, but it's the store where he would restock on pens, paper, and sketchbooks for his art stuff.
'I wonder what Akeno would like from here?' Ginjo puzzled, both for what she'd buy for herself and what he could maybe get for her. 'Good thing I've saved up a lot.'
While Akeno was browsing one section of the shop, Ginjo looked over a different area without getting too far from her. Looking from shelf to shelf, Ginjo puzzled on what exactly he should get.
Eventually, his eyes would come across some bottles of nail polish. The shelf had plenty of colors, red, blue, yellow, green, even black and white. But upon further inspection, Ginjo found some more colors, and the one that caught his eye was a very specific shade of pink. This pink was about the same shade as what was on Akeno's toes, but a bit pastel than pearl.
Ginjo looks at that pink bottle for a bit before glancing over to the white nail polish. He looks between those two bottles a few times before sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose.
'What am I thinking? Knowing Akeno, she'd definitely tease me if I told her I wanted to get her these.'
Ginjo's eyes shift away from the nail polish for a bit before he sets them back on them. This activity continued for thirty seconds before he sighs to himself with pink cheeks.
'Oh, I'll bite the bullet,' Ginjo picked up the pink and white nail polish in one hand. 'I'll just find something to go with them.'
Ginjo looks over the other shelves, searching high and low for something really good. His first thought was a necklace, but he wasn't sure which one would be the best one. The same can be said for bracelets and even rings. Just what could Akeno like to wear?
Just as he was about to call it quits, Ginjo stumbled upon a necklace that looked similar to a lightning bolt. Taking a closer look, he saw that the charm was sculpted from a raw yellow amethyst crystal.
"Hey, this can work!" Ginjo says as he takes it off the rack. 'With Akeno's main magic affinity being lightning, and raw amethyst crystals looking awesome, I'm sure she'll like to wear this.'
"Find anything good?"
Ginjo turns his head around to see Akeno walking up to him carrying a shopping bag.
"I see you already bought some stuff."
Akeno nods before noticing the lightning crystal necklace.
"Wow, that looks great! Is that what you're getting."
"Yes, but..." Ginjo blushes a bit. "I'm actually... buying this for you."
"Ara ara, for me?"
Ginjo nods while taking the items in his hands to the clerk to purchase them.
"I think it suits you more than me because... well, you know..."
Akeno giggles while her eyes glint towards Ginjo with rosy cheeks as the latter gave the clerk the money.
"Well, aren't you so sweet? This makes it worth buying you something special even more~"
"Oh?" Ginjo rose his brows while the clerk processed the payment. "You didn't have to get me anything..."
"Maybe," Akeno says before winking. "But I want to. Hugs and frozen treats aren't my only methods to spoil you, after all~"
"I... see..."
"Here you are, sir."
Ginjo looks back at the clerk and sees that she has the items he purchased in a bag and takes it.
"Thank you, ma'am."
"You're welcome, have a good day."
"You as well."
After nodding with each other, Ginjo and Akeno walk out of the store. As soon as they did, Ginjo took the necklace out and, with a pinch of bravery, puts it around Akeno's neck, slightly catching her off-guard.
"There," Ginjo says with a small smile. "Now you look even more beautiful."
Akeno was taken back by his compliment with a blush. She was silent for a moment before she smiled with closed eyes.
"You really know how to make me smile, Gin~"
"You think so?" Ginjo chuckles with red cheeks of his own. "Sounds like I'm doing something right on this date."
Opening one eye, Akeno looked into Ginjo's shop bag and grins mischievously.
"Are those for me too~?"
Ginjo rose a brow before he slowly realizes what she's talking about.
"Oh, these..." Ginjo looked at the bottles of nail polish and back at Akeno with a coy expression. "Well... after seeing that you paint your toes, I..."
Akeno's smile widens as she leans her face closer to his.
"Oh, Gin, could it be that you have a favorite toe color?"
"C-Cutting right to the chase, aren't we?" Ginjo blushed as his heartbeat quickened. "Well, normally I don't care about the color of a woman's toes, but..." Ginjo's cheeks brighten red as he remembers Reyna's feet. "Lately, I've been... intrigued by French tips..."
"Ah, is that so?" Akeno asks before plucking the bottles of nail polish out of the bag to look for herself. "I have lots of colors at home, but I'll be sure to keep your tastes in mind~"
Ginjo watches Akeno store the nail polish in her purse. In her other hand, he saw that her shopping bag was also now empty.
After assuming that her purchases were in her purse as well, Ginjo checks the time on his phone before looking back at Akeno.
"So, Akeno, ready to grab a bite? I don't know about you, but I've worked up quite the appetite from all this traveling."
Akeno titters.
"Sounds good to me. What do you have in mind?"
Ginjo looked up into the sky to ponder where to eat. After giving it some thought, he looks back at Akeno.
"Does steak sound appetizing?"
Ginjo and Akeno are now sitting together at a steakhouse enjoying their meals together. As he was eating his steak, Ginjo would always take long glances at Akeno, her beauty irresistible to his eyes. And the gleeful bliss expressions she makes with every bite of her food were quite a sight to behold for the boy.
'Man... this almost feels like a dream...' Ginjo thought to himself.
Akeno was about to eat another piece of her steak before she noticed Ginjo staring.
"Ara ara, do I have something on my face?"
Hearing Akeno snapped Ginjo out of his daze.
"Oh! N-N-No!" Ginjo has his hands up in defense before looking away with a blush. "I... dammit, this is going to sound real silly to you, but..."
Akeno giggles and winks at Ginjo.
"Goodness, Gin, what could you possibly say that would make it sound silly?"
Ginjo scratched his cheek for a bit before exhaling.
"It's just that... I never thought I'd make it this far... B-Being able to ask you out, that is."
"That's all?"
"Y-Yeah."
Akeno blinks once before giving Ginjo a warm smile. And with her eyes slit, she guides her steak to her mouth and slowly entraps it into her mouth.
Ginjo shudders with a darker blush as he hears her moan in delight of the flavorful meat in her mouth while still maintaining eye-contact with him. With more hums, she chews thoroughly before swallowing.
"Oh, Gin~, I think you're doing great so far. And the place you picked out to eat is perfect~"
Ginjo chuckles.
"Well, this steakhouse in particular was where me and my family went to for dinner to celebrate my dad's birthday last year. The way they cook the steak here is so superb, that's what got me to take you there."
"I see~"
Ginjo nods with her before resuming his meal.
"So, once we're done here, where do you plan to take me next?"
Ginjo swallows his steak before responding to Akeno.
"Well... um..."
Ginjo was tapping his fingers on the table, trying to think of where else to take her. One idea was a theater to watch a movie, but he wasn't sure how she'll respond, other than a possible tease about watching something romantic. Taking her to the arcade he, Issei, and now Koneko go to together for hangouts was shot down just a few seconds after thinking about it. Not that he had doubts that Akeno can play video games, but he wasn't sure if she'd want to.
A mild migraine was slowly coming on for Ginjo. Other than maybe the movie theater, just where else could he possibly take Akeno during the afternoon?
"Hey, you don't need to stress about it too much, Gin."
"Huh?" Ginjo looks back up at Akeno. "St-Stress? What do you mean? I'm just... thinking long and hard about it, that's all."
Akeno frowns.
"I know those faces you made earlier, you're having a hard time, aren't you?"
Ginjo tries to think of something to respond with, but since he's got nothing but duds, he sighs in defeat.
"Sorry, Akeno... I just didn't want my next choice in destination to be something that's either not your cup of tea or..."
Ginjo couldn't find any more words to describe it, but Akeno already understood as her eyes soften towards him.
"Don't worry, Gin. We still have time to decide that since we're still eating, don't we? So take this time to relax so we can continue to enjoy ourselves."
Ginjo could feel his heart melt in his chest.
"S... Sure..." 'She's such a caring and understanding woman.'
After taking another bite, a twinkle appears in Akeno's eye as she grins and adjusts her seating position.
Ginjo took notice and was about to ask what was up, but before he could, he almost jumped from his seat when he felt something soft and warm touch his leg.
"Here~ Will this help you relax~?"
Ginjo rose a brow at Akeno. He then felt the same soft feeling go up and down his leg and checked under the table to see what was going on. Looking at his leg, Ginjo almost did a spit-take when he saw that Akeno was rubbing her foot against it.
'Are you kidding me?!' Ginjo exclaims mentally as he watched Akeno's foot continue to prod and stroke his leg before getting his ankle in between her toes. 'I mean, I'm not complaining, this feels good, but... but that's not the point!'
Ginjo suppressed his moans and tries to fight the urge to grab Akeno's foot since they're in a public place. For now, he took a deep breath and swallowed a lump before resuming the consumption of his steak, taking Akeno's footsie in stride.
"Well~ Isn't this helping, Gin~?"
Ginjo had a feeling that Akeno was trying to tease him, so with stern eyes, he only responded with a nod and kept eating since he was almost done with his meal.
Akeno saw this and couldn't help but giggle.
"My goodness~ Why the defensive look? It's not like I'm gonna do anything really naughty~"
"I know, and I appreciate that," Ginjo acknowledges. "But knowing you, you're gonna amp it up to more than just a simple footsie."
Akeno's smile widens.
"Fufufufufu~, to be expected of Kuoh's Midnight Prince. And here I was hoping to get more reactions out of you. Oh well~ Maybe next time."
Ginjo looks up at her when she mentioned the title given to him by his fangirls. Thinking about it, Ginjo sighs before resting his eyes on his plate.
"You know... I wasn't always like this back then..."
"Hmm?"
Akeno's eyes broaden a little when she saw Ginjo's expression soften up.
"Being cold and serious all the time... they're not my default emotions, Akeno."
Akeno tilts her head at Ginjo.
"Oh? I wouldn't think so since we all develop as we get older." She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. "Unless you're talking about way back."
"I am," Ginjo confirms before his lips curve into a small smile. "I'd still think back on it sometimes... being so scared and cowardly when I was really little. Always hiding behind Ise-nii and relying on him to scare off the jerks who would bully me because of my nervousness. He may be a total perv, but if there's one thing that hasn't changed from back then, it was how protective he is over me. I'd like to think it was more so before I started to change a bit."
Akeno listened intently as he talked, finding this revelation to be both a surprise and interesting. When he stopped to finish his last few bites, she got curious and asked:
"So what got you to be who you are now? Did your parents take you to a self defense classses and help you boost your confidence?"
Ginjo shook his head.
"No, but I was taught some swordplay from my auntie Kurumi. But... one day during my first year of junior high, someone else helped to toughen me up and teach me hand-to-hand combat."
"Who was it?"
Ginjo was silent for a moment before he continued.
"He was an old friend, someone I met during the week Ise-nii decided to sleepover at his friends' place instead of spending time to help me on a school project. During that week, I got to know him a bit, but he was really reserved to dive more into his life, so I left it at that back then." Ginjo snickers. "He was so reserved, he only gave me his first name and not his surname." Ginjo laughs for a little longer before coughing into his fist. "Anyway, the next day, I was being harassed by some bullies that went to my school, and to my luck, he came in to stop them. It was that day he decided to... train me, as he puts it."
Ginjo takes a sip of his drink before resuming.
"It was tough at first, and I've shed some tears hear and there, but it was all worth it. I wasn't as scared as I used to be, and I can put up a decent fight. But during that week I spent with him, he left some important words that I've stuck with to this day: Stay strong, don't give up, and of course, don't take shit from anybody." Ginjo's smile widens. "That last piece of advice my old friend left was the one I recall the most." Ginjo pokes at the straw of his beverage. "The last day I got to hang out with him was on Friday. He said it was some personal stuff he had to take care of and that he won't be seeing me again for a long time. Naturally, I was upset. Not only have I found a new friend in him, but... I'd even go as far as consider him as another brother."
Akeno's expression softens towards Ginjo. When she learned about why he's like he is, she couldn't help but become more transfixed by the boy.
"Anyway, enough of the sad tales," Ginjo says before showing a toothy grin while patting his own stomach. "Phew! That was filling~! I wonder if my old man would like to eat here again for another birthday or two?"
Akeno's brows raise at how quick he was to change the subject, but seeing her kouhai still in good spirits, she smiles back and giggles.
"Seems like you're leading quite an interesting life."
"You think so?" Ginjo asks. "I don't know about that. I think the title for having that kind of life would go to you since you've been Buchou's servant the longest."
"Fufufu, fair enough." Although she's still smiling, Akeno's eyes lowered. "But... I'm not sure you'd want to hear about it."
Ginjo noticed the look in Akeno's eyes before giving her an assuring expression.
"Hey, if you don't want to tell me, you don't have to."
"Oh no, it's not like that," Akeno says with her hands up. "It's just... some of the details are... dark, to say the least."
Ginjo's eyes soften.
"I understand. If you're not yet comfortable to dive into your past, then don't push yourself. Just tell me about the good stuff."
Akeno's heart skipped a beat. The way he told her this with such a gentle voice got her wanting to just glomp him right here and now. But she suppressed that urge and later gave Ginjo a sweet smile with closed eyes.
"W-Well... I guess I can start with how Buchou made my life better, but I'm skipping how we first met since doing so would require the dark stuff."
"Deal."
Smiling sweetly, Akeno began to explain to Ginjo how she became friends with Rias and how she helped guide her through the world of the Supernatural and its politics. As Ginjo absorbed her tale like a sponge, from how Rias developed a fear for camels to the many things she's learned under her wing, he couldn't help but quip about some of the things he's learned, earning a couple of laughs from Akeno.
And while Ginjo waited on the check so he can pay for the meal, the two continued to chat about other things, like their favorite music, hobbies, and movies too, as well as what was currently going on in their lives and such.
They were both happy. Ginjo was especially ecstatic, not just because he was able to go on this date with Akeno, but he was able to make it very enjoyable for her as well.
Ginjo and Akeno walked out of the steakhouse with the bill paid and their appetites satisfied. the former had a goofy grin on his face, still remembering the stories Akeno told him from her time she became Rias' friend and servant.
Along the way, Ginjo felt his hand get grabbed by Akeno. Usually, he would be flustered like when she first did it on the start of their date, but after having that steak with her, it became instinct for him to just accept it like it's normal.
"So Gin, have you decided where else to go while we still have some sunlight left in the sky?"
Ginjo's brows raise, remembering earlier that he still had at least one more place he wanted to take her. He thought about it for a while before deciding to go all in.
"Wanna watch something cool?"
Akeno looks at Ginjo.
"Oh, like a movie?"
Ginjo nods, more confident on this date than before.
"Yeah, but again, it's something cool. Nothing romantic since those movies are all the same to me."
Akeno giggles into her free hand.
"I don't blame you for thinking that way." Akeno opens one eye towards him. "Let me guess, an action movie?"
"Only if you're up for it. If not action, we can see what else the theater has available."
Akeno thought about it for a few seconds before nodding.
"Okay, let's find us an action movie to enjoy~"
Ginjo nods in agreement.
"Alright! The theater should be four minutes away on foot, so-"
"Who do we have here?"
Ginjo and Akeno stopped moving when they heard someone call out to them. Turning their heads, they look to see a young man who looks to be around Issei's age with blonde hair that looked to Ginjo like it's been dyed that color. Behind him are two more boys, one whose hair is dyed red and the other dyed blue, and a girl with long pink hair, crimson lipstick, and a rather revealing school uniform.
"Tch!" 'It's one of those types of posers,' Ginjo thought before getting in front of Akeno with a steeled gaze. "Uh... Can I help you?"
The boy with blonde hair snickers.
"Well, we were just wondering around minding our own business until suddenly, we came across this fine piece of ass right here."
Ginjo's eyes twitch as he knew he was referring to Akeno, who looked just as repulsed as he did despite her face not showing it.
"Sorry, but she's with me," Ginjo tells him as politely and calmly as he can. "Now if you'll excuse us, we have a movie to catch."
The three boys and pink-haired girl laugh at Ginjo.
"That simply won't do, little man," the blonde boy said.
"Yeah," the blue-haired boy chimes in. "Why would a bombshell like her waste her time with someone as short and bland as you?"
The pink-haired girl giggles.
"Not even I would want to date someone that plain~"
"You know it, babe," the redhead agrees.
Ginjo could feel his own anger rising, but he knew better than to let it control him.
"Appearances aren't everything. Now again, please get out of our way."
The blonde boy got agitated by Ginjo.
"Excuse me? Do you have any idea who you're talking to?"
"A complete tool who thinks dying one's hair and wearing messy clothing is the true definition of a cool guy?"
The other two boys and the pink-haired girl were caught off-guard by Ginjo's response, but the blonde boy wasn't having it.
"Oh? So you think you're all hot shit because you got a hot babe by your side and are acting like the calm and cool type?"
"I said no such thing," Ginjo answers calmly, but there was a hint of aggravation within his voice. "You're just jumping to conclusions."
A tick mark appears on the blonde's forehead before he grabs Ginjo by his shirt collar, towering over him because of their height difference.
"And what makes you think you're so better than me, huh?! You're just a little shit with boring hair, you hear me?!"
"Self projection much?"
"Oi! You better be careful not to make our boss mad, little man," the redhead warns Ginjo.
"Yeah," the pinkette agrees. "He gets real nasty when he's mad."
Ginjo gives the girl a deadpan expression.
"Are you in denial that you're nothing more than an object to these three?"
The girl and the two boys gasped at what Ginjo said, prompting the blonde to shove Ginjo away from Akeno. He was able to keep balance and not fall, but the blonde was really testing his patience.
"Gin!"
"Hey now, forget about that squirt," The blonde boy says before winking and pointing a thumb at himself. "You're way out of his league, so how about you ditch that bland piece of trash and come join us instead?"
"Yeah," The blue-haired boy adds. "We'll give you a better time than that pipsqueak has ever given you."
The pink-haired girl titters darkly.
"I can support that fact," she says while making kiss noises at her with her lips.
Ginjo's anger was rising. They dare speak to Akeno as if they claimed her like a prize?
He was about to march towards the group and really let them have it, but before he could do anything, he paused when he heard Akeno start to giggle.
Akeno continued to titter in her palm, much to the confusion of Ginjo and the group. She kept at it for one more minute before her eyes open towards the four.
"Ara ara, that's quite the tempting offer you're providing~"
"...Akeno..?"
"But... Only a fool would accept an invitation from a group of wannabe playboys like you three."
Everyone's eyes widened, with the three boys with dyed hair and the girl being the most shocked. Ginjo was surprised too, but started to feel some relief.
"Honestly, it's because of boys like you three that made me uninterested in dating men for quite a long time," Akeno continued before motioning her head to her right. "But then, I met Gin, who was the only interesting guy of them all. He intrigued me the very moment I laid my eyes on him. And only when I got to know him did I understand why I wanted to stick around with him and no other man. So, with all due respect..." Her eyes slit dangerously at the group with her smile remaining. "If there's anybody who's out of their league to be with me, it would be you three."
The three boys and pinkette were stunned by what Akeno had to say. But no one was more floored by her than Ginjo himself.
"...Akeno..."
Ginjo had what she said about himself going on loop. If she meant what she said, not only did he find himself lucky, but he felt so honored that someone as strong and as beautiful as Akeno would paint him in that kind of light. And as he kept looking at her, a strange wave of emotions and feelings overwhelmed him, feelings so strong that a blush was made present on his cheeks.
However, the best moment of his life was disrupted when the blonde boy started laughing some more, despite the rest of his friends still holding bewildered expressions.
"Seriously? You're willing to take that bland shorty over someone like me?"
"I stated my reasons why," Akeno says. "Now please go away. You're disturbing our date."
The blonde's eyes get more crazed as his lips form a twisted grin.
"Come on, baby, you don't know what you're missing~"
"I said no."
The blonde was starting to get impatient and started to walk closer to Akeno, who took a step back from him.
"Oh, I see. You never experienced a real man's touch, haven't you? No problem, I can fix that for you right now~"
Akeno's eye twitched at the boy's madness and his inability to take a hint. She watched him reach a hand out to grab either her arm or her breast, and her anger was starting to rise because of this.
But before anything else can happen, the blonde felt his wrist get grabbed by someone. Looking to see who it was, everyone gasps when they see that it was Ginjo who stopped the blonde's advances, his hair overshadowing his eyes.
"Don't you dare lay a single dirty finger on her, you fucking degenerate," Ginjo snarls before snapping his head up at him, revealing to all a very deadly glare with bloodshot eyes. "YOU DON'T KNOW A DAMN THING ABOUT THIS WONDERFUL WOMAN!"
Akeno gasped at Ginjo with wide eyes and a blush. She and everyone else were awestruck by the boy's commanding voice as well as his venomous expression aimed right at the blonde.
The blonde was intimidated, but with a small chortle, he scoffed at Ginjo.
"Oooooh, looks like the little shit's all angry~ What are you gonna do-AAAAAAAAAAACK"!
The blonde was silenced by Ginjo when the latter tightened his grip on his wrist, resulting in some popping and cracking sounds emitting from it, freaking out the blonde's friends.
"Fuck around and find out, cock bite. This is your last warning!"
The blonde was getting really angry.
"Yeah?! Just what can a bland fucker like you do?! HUH?! Come on! I fucking dare you! Try to hurt me!"
It was at this moment a red line sparked across Ginjo's head.
"Thought you'd never ask."
"...Huh?"
Before he could blink, Ginjo slams his knee right into the blonde boy's crotch. The attack was so harsh, the blonde's eyes whitened and nearly bulged from their sockets.
Three of the blonde's friends' jaws drop at the sight while Akeno just stood back and watched.
While the blonde was writhing in pain, Ginjo grabs his arm in two of his hands and spins around. With enough momentum, he lifts the blonde over his shoulders and slams him violently to the ground, causing some spit to spurt out of his mouth.
The blonde struggled to breathe. He was unable to get up due to the impact of the crotch shot and being thrown to the ground. As soon as he blinked, Ginjo towered over him with his wrath in full display on his face. Crouching, he pulls his fist backwards and finishes him with a punch to his face.
The pink-haired girl screams as she sees Ginjo's punch draw blood from the blonde's nose. Enough was spilt to splatter on the floor near her and the other two boys, who were just as frozen as she was when Ginjo brutally knocked him out.
Akeno saw Ginjo's actions with a big smile and her eyes on the blonde, enjoying his brutalized state.
All was silent. Ginjo's heavy breathing was the only audible sound present. Blood was dripping off of the boy's knuckles as his fist shook with fury.
The two conscious boys and the pink-haired girl didn't dare to move a muscle. They couldn't even get a word out because of how terrified they've become of Ginjo. And Akeno kept enjoying every second it.
With a shuttering breath, Ginjo slowly lifts his head up towards the three teenagers, whose heartrates skyrocketed as they saw his eyes are still bloodshot.
"Anybody else wanna fuck with me?"
The three took a step back. It was clear to Ginjo and Akeno that they didn't want anything to do with the former after seeing what he's capable of.
With a raised brow, Ginjo stood up straight and harshly kicked the blonde over to the three, causing them to gasp when he lightly groaned despite his unconsciousness.
"Not so egotistic now, are you?" Ginjo quizzes before moving some bangs of his hair out of his eyes with a shake of his head. "Now get out of my sight before I really start doing some damage."
the two boys and the pink-haired girl shuttered at Ginjo's gaze and his intent to fight. Not wanting to be next, the two boys quickly and sloppily pick up their unconscious friend and ran away from him as fast as they could with the girl running right behind them.
Ginjo's glower remained on the trio who shouted many words involving not wanting anything to do with him, making him mentally call them all pathetic while his fist shook lightly.
Once the group were long gone, Ginjo takes a deep breath, exhausted by what has just happened.
"Dammit. This is exactly why I hate these kinds of people. They're so full of shit."
Akeno walked over to Ginjo and offered him a small smile.
"Well, at least you showed them what happens if they try to mess with you," she says before giggling. "The way they were freaking out as they dashed away like cowards was very satisfying to see."
Ginjo looked up at Akeno for a moment before setting his gaze back to the ground with his hands in his pockets.
"Truth be told, I actually wanted to settle this calmly. In fact, I never really was big into settling things with violence, especially when I first started defending and standing up for myself. I always try to settle it peacefully and use physical force as a last resort for jerks like them." Ginjo pauses to sigh. "Then again, with the type of words I say that can be used for psychological warfare, it may mostly be my fault that things turn out like this."
Akeno's smile remained as she walked over to Ginjo and started to pet his head.
"Don't worry too much about it. Whether you're aggressive or calm, you're still you, aren't you?"
Ginjo blushes at Akeno's affectionate stare before smiling back.
"Thank you," he says genuinely before remembering what she told the three boys earlier, causing his cheeks to turn redder. "So hey... Akeno..?"
Akeno hums with a cute tilt of her head.
"If you're going to ask about that movie, I'm still gearing to go."
Ginjo's eyes broaden a little.
"Oh, uh... Y-Y-Yeah! Let's go."
Ginjo and Akeno resume their walk towards the theater. As they did, the former was thinking to himself.
'While I still want to see a movie with her, that wasn't quite what I wanted to ask her.' the light red color returns on his cheeks. 'What she said to those assholes... I wonder, does she really..?'
"Ah! Here's the theater!"
Ginjo's thoughts were cut short when he heard Akeno. Looking where she is, he saw that they were indeed at their next destination. Shifting his eyes from her to the theater a few times, he sighs with a small smile.
'Eh, I'll ask her later.'
Going inside the theater, the two approached the area that showed the listing of movies that they have playing here. Ginjo checked the list thoroughly until his eyes came across one with a familiar name.
"Oh hey, they're still playing that one?"
Akeno looked where Ginjo was pointing and saw a movie titled Furiosa: a Mad Max Saga.
"Ara, are you interested in this one?"
"Interested? I've been meaning to watch this movie for a while now," he explains as he got excited. "The Mad Max movies are the best I've seen, and Fury Road is among my favorite of the saga. The action of that film is fantastic, and it got me super into car combat and wasteland stories!"
Akeno giggled at how hyped he was as she watched him imitate the combat and driving he's referring to.
"Okay then, we'll watch that one."
More excited than before, Ginjo was quick to purchase two tickets to the Mad Max prequel as well as some popcorn and drinks for himself and Akeno. The two then showed a staff member their tickets and went inside the auditorium that played the movie. Once they found the best seats, silenced their phones, and got everything else settled, they sat back and got ready to watch the movie.
... Right after the PSA about silencing phones by Deadpool & Wolverine finished playing, which earned some chuckles from both Ginjo and Akeno, as well as a few other patrons.
The film has begun, and everyone was silent. Already, Ginjo was immersed by the cinematography, as well as the film's environmental storytelling and some with dialogue. It was the action that he looked forward to the most, and so far, he's liking how the first ten minutes played out.
As the movie kept playing, Ginjo would occasionally glance to his left where Akeno was sitting. From what he can see, she was enjoying it to, especially the action scenes that involved the characters getting hurt. Ginjo was glad this was the case, as he didn't want to pick a movie that only he alone would enjoy.
But there was one thing on his mind while he was still paying attention to the film, and that was the possibility of getting to hold hands with Akeno as the movie kept going. There was space to do so despite the popcorn bucket in between them, and they've held hands twice before, so hopefully it will be fine, right?
Ginjo wasn't sure. Then again, it wasn't like this was something important to do when watching a movie on a date, but because of the nice things Akeno said about him before they made it to this theater, it became more of something he wanted to do than a requirement in a date.
As he was contemplating this, Ginjo guided his left hand to the bucket to get some more popcorn and ate it up to help him with the thinking process in a way. He was about to get more, he felt his hand brush Akeno's. While he was a little stunned by what happened, he immediately thought that she wanted some popcorn herself, so he moved his hand out of the way from within the bucket.
But as he was doing so, his hand was suddenly grabbed by Akeno, surprising Ginjo even further. Shifting his eyes, he saw that she was slowly guiding his hand out of the bucket before resting it behind it. And when he looked up from it, he saw that Akeno was smiling with a warm blush.
Ginjo did not expect something like this to happen. Well, he doesn't have any problems, he just wished he was the one who initiated this instead. But either way, he was happy to have his hand held once more. He went ahead and returned the grip, a little tighter than her own. As soon as he did, he was able to hear Akeno giggle in glee.
That was enough for Ginjo to smile giddily and sit back to enjoy the rest of the movie even more. At this point, he didn't care what would happen next. He felt complete.
The movie was now over, and Ginjo and Akeno can be seen exiting the theater while they both stretched.
"Fueee~, now that was a great movie."
"Yeah, it was," Ginjo agreed before scratching the back of his head. "I mean, it wasn't as epic or action heavy as Fury Road, but it was still pretty decent. Definitely makes me want to watch the other Mad Max films I have on Blu-Ray."
Akeno giggles while the two started to walk.
"By the way, Gin, that PSA that was used to promote that other movie was really good too."
"Yeah? I have plans to see Deadpool & Wolverine too. Maybe... if you're up for it, we can see that one together too once it comes out?"
"Sounds fun~ I'll see if I can get some free time for the both of us when I get the chance."
"Okay." Ginjo then looks up at the sky and sees the sun starting to set. "Whoa! We've been out for quite a while haven't we?" he chuckles with closed eyes. "What's the old saying? Time flies when you're having fun?"
"That sounds about right," Akeno answers before grabbing his hand again. "And Gin?"
"Y-Yeah?"
Ginjo saw Akeno blushing while she smiled with eyes that were hypnotizing him to have the same red cheeks as hers.
"... I really had a great time today. Thank you, Gin~"
Ginjo's eyes widened as he was silent for a moment before smiling back.
"No problem, Akeno, but... I'm the one who should be thanking you for the opportunity. And..." Although he paused, it was shorter than the previous times as he wasn't that nervous about the date anymore. "I hope we can go on more dates like this in the near future. It really was awesome."
Akeno's smile widens.
"I would like that~"
Ginjo couldn't feel anymore lucky right now. Not only was his first date a successful one, but now he has more opportunities to spend time with her like this.
'Yup. Life is good~!'
"Anyway, Gin, I have a quick favor to ask of you?"
"Oh?" Ginjo rose a brow. "Name it."
With her eyes glinting and her blush turning redder, Akeno's grip on Ginjo's hand before she wraps both of her arms around it, catching Ginjo off guard by such an advance.
"Will you walk me home?"
Ginjo gawked at Akeno while he released a quiet sound that almost sounded like he was squealing, but it was more of a slow breath out of his mouth, something Akeno found to be very cute.
Shaking his head to calm himself, Ginjo steeled himself and looked back at Akeno with his blush still there.
"Of course."
Akeno titters excitedly and moves her left arm away and adjust her other arms wrapping around Ginjo's so they can resume their walk together. Their destination: Akeno's home.
Along the way, Ginjo could not stop glancing at their arms being linked together. It was his first date, and already, she's holding onto him like this. Just how many times was he going to call himself lucky today?
'There's no way I'm going to lose my memories on this. Not a single chance in Hell!' Ginjo faces forwards with a bigger grin. 'That's right, Ise-nii! I got to go on a date too, and it was successful~!'
"Here we are~"
Ginjo and Akeno stopped walking after Akeno made that announcement. He saw some stairs that lead a long way, but guided Akeno up them nonetheless. Once the two climbed a few flights, his eyes nearly bulge from his sockets as he saw Akeno's home.
'HOLY SHRIMP!' he exclaims in his head as he saw how amazing Akeno's house was.
Or rather, Akeno lived in a shrine, not a house. But it was a really cool shrine. Behind it, there were two more smaller buildings with one on each side.
"Akeno... how in the..?"
Akeno giggled at Ginjo's white-eyed state.
"Buchou was able to hold onto it for me so I can live here. It was abandoned after it's last priest passed away."
"I... see..." 'That explains why I don't sense any danger here. Shrines are supposed to be dangerous to us Devils, right?'
Ginjo puts that thought aside for now as he watches Akeno take five steps from him before spinning around and looking at him.
"I guess this is where we say goodbye for the day. It really was amazing, Gin~"
Ginjo's cheeks heat up again, loving that happy expression of hers very much.
"I couldn't agree more..." Ginjo was then about to say goodbye, but then, he remembered something. "W-Wait, Akeno!"
"Yes, Gin?"
Ginjo was quiet. His eyes were hidden by his bangs while he breathed out of his mouth.
'Come on Ginjo... you can do it...' "Um... I've been... meaning to ask you something... about what you said earlier..?"
"What do you mean? I've said lots of things at an earlier time before you walked me home."
Ginjo can almost hear his heartbeat thumping, but he wasn't going to let that stop him, no matter how much it will choke him up.
"I'm... referring to what you said to those jackasses who blocked our path to the theater for a bit... What... What you said about me..." Ginjo's blush went from his cheeks to his face as he starts poking two of his fingers together. "This... This is going to sound like a really stupid question, but..." He could already feel himself starting to breath heavy, but there was no going back after that buildup. "Did you mean what you said?"
Not another word was spoken after Ginjo blurted out his question to Akeno. The only thing that was audible to him right now was the sound of crows cawing as they flew by.
Akeno's eyes were broadened. As she saw the body language Ginjo was displaying, she can understand why he asked such a question. But then, she remembered when he first asked her out on the date, both how nervous he was and how happy he got when she accepted his request. She then recalled all that's happened during their date, the many times he's made her smile and giggle, and how joyful she became because of his thoughtfulness as well as his actions.
Akeno smiles and starts to walk over to Ginjo. The latter didn't notice since his gaze was still on the ground, having no idea what response to expect from her. It was until he felt her hands clasp onto his own shoulders that he took notice of her close presence. Looking up, he saw Akeno with the brightest smile he's ever seen on her today.
"A... Akeno..?"
"Will this answer your question?"
Ginjo didn't know what she talked about, but as soon as he started blinking, he felt his lips get caught by something that forced his eyes shut. He slowly opens them, wanting to know what's keeping his lips pressed against it, but his eyes go as wide as they can possibly go with contracted irises as he sees Akeno's face very close to his.
That was when Ginjo realized it. Akeno was kissing him, and his cheeks were the shade of Rias' hair as she kept their lips connected for what felt to him like a whole hour.
As Akeno breaks away, there was a small trail of drool that was connected to their bottom lips before finally breaking as she took two steps back.
Ginjo was stunned to silence by that kiss, and watching Akeno lick her lips was enough for him to release another quiet squeal. As he kept it up, his entire face turned burning red as steam shot from his ears, making Akeno laugh sweetly.
"I guess that was your first kiss, wasn't it, Gin~? It was definitely mine~"
Ginjo didn't respond. He was still in a state of shock with his ears now shooting puffs of steam like a machine gun. He was like this for thirty more seconds before his hands suddenly lifted themselves up and slam against his cheeks hard, making a loud slapping sound.
"OUCH!" Ginjo exclaims to the heavens before rapidly shaking his head, his cheeks now stinging of his slaps, worrying Akeno a bit. "No no no! I'm good, I'm good!" he assures her. "I just... wanted to check and see if I'm dreaming..."
Akeno looked at Ginjo with mild surprise before she started laughing.
"Nope, you're not dreaming. You've earned that kiss, my adorable magic apprentice~" Akeno opens up one eye with a loving gaze. "But if you're still unsure, I can kiss you again~"
"Yes please," Ginjo says immediately before realizing what he said out of instinct and shakes his head with his hands up. "I-I mean, if you're up for it, sure! I..." Ginjo couldn't find anything else to say and sighs with a hand behind his head. "Sorry... I just... never expected this... I mean, I'm happy to have my first kiss to be with you, really, I am, but..."
Akeno giggles and rubs his cheek tenderly.
"Say no more. I understand."
Ginjo nods, his blush slowly going from red to pink as his lips slowly curve upwards.
"Akeno... Thank you. Seriously."
"Fufufufu, you're most certainly welcome~ And thank you for giving me a fantastic time~" Akeno's eyes widened. "Oh! I almost forgot! I bought you something at that store where you got me that necklace and nail polish."
Akeno dug her hand into her purse to search for the item in question. Finding it, she pulls it out and presents it to Ginjo.
In her hand, Ginjo saw a box that contained a fountain pen. But this was no ordinary fountain pen, it was a G-Pen, something suited to create manga. But what made it different from any other G-Pen was that it accepted Ink cartridges and can be dipped in an ink bottle. So whichever way Ginjo preferred to fill it up with ink, either or can work.
"Akeno..." Ginjo was astonished by the pen's design the box displayed. "I... I don't know what to say."
"I had a feeling you'd like it since you're a good artist. There's a reason I held onto that headband."
"Y... You kept it..?"
"Of course I kept it, sweetie~ your artwork is great~" Akeno's cheeks turn pink. "Plus, I still have yet to let you draw me, and I think this pen here is more suited for the job~"
"W-Well... it'll take a lot of practice for me to use a G-Pen," he starts nervously before getting pumped up. "But I won't let its hurdles slow me down, especially if the offer of getting to draw you is still available!"
Akeno giggles while nodding.
"I'll always be available when you're ready."
With a grateful expression, Ginjo guides his hand to accept the pen Akeno has bought for him. but as it got closer, Akeno lightly pulled it away.
"Huh?" Ginjo looks up and sees Akeno giggling some more.
"Sorry Gin, but I have one more favor to ask you before I let you leave with this pen~"
Ginjo blinked at Akeno, who was walking towards here home, before he smirks at her.
"I know that look in your eyes. What are you up to?"
Akeno turns her head around and beckons Ginjo with a finger.
"Follow me and you'll find out~"
Ginjo wasn't sure where this was going, but he did as he was told. As they got closer to the shrine, he wondered if she was going to invite him inside to do her the favor, but he kept his expectations low. Despite all that's happened, it was still his first date.
Once they reached the wooden stairs that would lead to the doors, Akeno stopped moving and turned around to face Ginjo. Grinning, she takes a seat on one of the steps, her eyes not breaking away from him.
"You see, Gin, all of this walking on our date has done a number on my feet, and those pesky stairs leading to my home have made the aching even worse. Sooooooo~," with a kick of her legs, Akeno's shoes get thrown off of her feet, revealing her soft soles to Ginjo. "I'm going to need you to make them feel all better~"
Ginjo was taken aback by Akeno's request. Normally, he would get flustered when his favorite part of the female body is presented to him without any footwear, but after the events of this date, and that his first kiss was with the woman he has fallen for, he felt more lucky and confident than he ever has before.
Taking a deep breath, Ginjo walks closer to Akeno and kneels to her feet. He looks at them for a moment, admiring her soles and her pink toes for a bit before setting his eyes onto Akeno.
"Lift your left foot up. I'm going to start with that one."
Akeno does as he asked. Ginjo clasps his hands onto her foot and glides his thumbs across the sole.
'By the Gods, they're so damn soft.'
Ginjo lightly rubs all his fingers on her foot to feel it for a little bit before he got to work. He started by kneading his thumbs into the ball of Akeno's foot for one minute before slowly guiding them to the arch. Another minute passes before he would move on to her heel. Rinse and repeat.
Akeno moans as she felt Ginjo's warm hands massage her foot. The waves of pleasure were strong enough to help her feel relaxed as he kept his pattern and rhythm going. She could even already feel the aches she felt from it go away the longer he rubbed it.
"Oh, Gin~" Akeno purrs with her hands on her cheeks. "Is this your first time doing this?"
"Y... Yeah..." Ginjo answers slowly, more focused on her foot as he both tried to make her feel good and admired the beauty of it at the same time. But he did blush when he saw the expressions Akeno was making during the massage.
"Ara ara, you must be a natural~"
"Well, I'm aiming to please," Ginjo says as he puts her foot down to get to work on her other foot.
Akeno continued to giggle and moan as Ginjo gave her right foot the same treatment as her left. For the most part, it was pretty easy for Ginjo to give her a foot rub. He'd like to think it's because of how it's done compared to massaging one's shoulders or back, but he was having no trouble making Akeno feel good with the method he's using.
But then again, this wasn't his first ever foot fetish experience with a girl.
As he continued, Akeno would sometimes wiggle her toes for Ginjo. Whether it was to encourage him or to entice him, he didn't know, but he didn't care.
"Gin, rub your thumbs up and down my arches."
Ginjo blinked at Akeno, but would later grab her left foot into his right hand and applied one thumb to one arch each.
"Like this?"
Akeno feels his thumbs press against her arches as he stroked them repeatedly.
"Yeah~ That feels good~"
Ginjo nods with a small smile and resumed taking care of her arches. He would then get his fingers in between Akeno's toes and give those areas a good rubbing, getting a pleased giggle out of her. Every ten seconds he would go from that to rocking her toes back and forth, earning himself more titters and a happy look in her eyes.
"You're really good at this, Gin~"
"Glad to hear it," Ginjo says as he went back to just rubbing Akeno's right foot.
As he took care of it, Ginjo hasn't realized how close his face was getting to her sole while he was getting his fingers in between her toes. As he kept massaging, Akeno started to giggle louder than usual, making him jolt his head back a bit as his concentration was broken.
"Wh... What's up?"
Akeno kept giggling with her hand over her mouth before she opened her eyes.
"Did you just kiss it?"
Ginjo's eyes widen with a dark red blush.
"D... Did I?"
Akeno's grin widens.
"Oh, yeah. I definitely felt your lips brush against my foot~"
Ginjo remained silent as he realized what he did. He gains an embarrassed expression as he looked away from Akeno.
"I... I don't know what came over me..."
Akeno uses her foot to turn Ginjo's head back to her.
"Come now, Gin, you know you can be more honest with me since it's just the two of us here," Akeno assures him while rubbing her toes against his cheek. "Besides, you've made my feet feel so much better~ So if you want to add some finishing touches with those soft lips of yours, I won't mind. In fact, I'd love for you to do it~"
Ginjo's heartbeat increases. Her last sentence was echoing in his mind two more times before he gains a glint in his eye. He was hesitant at first, but after seeing Akeno's consenting smile, Ginjo swallows a lump and brings her right foot closer to his face before he pressed his lips against her sole.
Akeno giggles as she felt Ginjo slowly continue to kiss her foot. He kissed the sole five more times before slowly and shyly switching to her left foot.
Akeno continued to giggle and sigh in ecstasy. Her toes curl up with every two kisses of her feet, and seeing his flushed face as he kept going made her enjoy it more.
But then, with an idea hatched into her head with sly eyes and a grin, Akeno pulls her feet away from Ginjo's face before wrapping her legs around him, catching him by surprise.
"A-A-Akeno?"
Akeno's grin widened at Ginjo before she used her legs to pull him close. He yelped as he fell forwards, but Akeno caught him in a tight hug with a hand pushing his head into her breasts. Ginjo blushed as he learned where his head was and was about to adjust himself, but Akeno's legs wrap back around his waist, trapping him.
'Wh-Wh-Whoa, mama!' Ginjo mentally shouted as he felt the softness of Akeno's chest.
"Fufufufufu~ Gin..."
"Y-Yeah, Akeno?"
Ginjo looks up at Akeno and his blush turns a darker red as he saw her stare at him with tender eyes and a warm blush of her own.
"Gin... what you've done for me felt really good~"
"It did?" Ginjo asked before feeling more flustered. "Even when I... kissed your feet?"
Akeno nods.
"Yeah~ I had no idea your lips would be so pleasurable for those lovely finishing touches on the massage." Akeno's blush turns redder. "But then again, your lips felt great to kiss, so I wasn't sure why I expected any different~"
Ginjo was glad that Akeno liked what he did, but he still felt embarrassed.
"Hey, don't worry," Akeno assures Ginjo before she started petting his head. "Like I told you before, we all have our kinks. And I liked every moment of what you've done for my feet."
Ginjo's eyes widen slightly at Akeno before they soften and he nods, feeling some relief as he gets more comfy in Akeno's embrace.
"Hey, Akeno... Is it okay if we... stay like this a little longer?"
Akeno giggles before giving his forehead a kiss.
"Of course, my sweet Gin~"
Ginjo blushed at the kiss, but he would later smile happily before nuzzling his head into her bust, prompting Akeno to smile back and continue to stroke the top of his head as they stayed embraced.
With the sun still slowly setting, Ginjo was content with how the date went, and he didn't want to separate from Akeno's hug for a while.
Akeno felt the same way. She was very happy with the date Ginjo has taken her out on, and she too really didn't want to let him go yet.
All in all, they thought that today turned out extremely well for the both of them.
With the sky now getting dark, Ginjo and Akeno had to part ways and said their goodbyes for the day. Although he wanted to stay with Akeno for a little longer, it didn't stop Ginjo from coming home with the biggest smile he's ever had on his face. Sitting on his bed, he was unable to stop thinking about that date.
"Oh man, that was awesome!" Ginjo says joyfully as he hugged his pillow tight. "Who would've thought I would get my first kiss from Akeno?! By the gods, her lips were amazing! And her feet, they're so soft and beautiful. And the fact that I was able to kiss them..."
Ginjo's face glows red, still remembering how lucky he was to do what he did for her. And while it was a great experience for him despite it being a little embarrassing for him, his thoughts would then go to how the rest of the date went. From seeing Akeno's smile to how gorgeous she was in her outfit, he hoped that there would be opportunities to take her out on another date in the near future.
Taking his phone out, Ginjo looks through his photos and sees the picture Akeno took of her in the embrace she had him in back at her shrine. Both were smiling, with Ginjo's blush more red than Akeno's. As he looked at the photo, he then remembers the words she's said about him to those delinquents that blocked their path to the movies. His smile never broke as he recalled everything detail in her speech.
Another wave of emotions goes through the boy. He wanted to be more than just Akeno's kouhai, more than just Akeno's apprentice, more than just Akeno's friend.
With a darker blush, Ginjo slides through that photo before he looks at a set of pictures he never thought Akeno would allow him to take before he went home. This set consisted of Akeno's feet in all positions and in all angles of those said positions.
Ginjo scrolled through feet pic after feet pic, his blush turning redder and redder with every one he saw. After looking at them all, he leaps off his bed and strolls over to his desk.
"Normally, any boy with hormones would relieve themselves over something they find erotic..." Ginjo says to himself while sitting in his chair in front of his desk. His eyes were overshadowed by his bangs for a moment before his head shoots up, revealing a stern but motivated expression and pink cheeks. "But not this guy! With these feet, as well as other reference material when I get to them, I shall take this moment to get good with a G-pen! I may be young as well as a Devil, but life is still short!"
With steam shooting from his nose, Ginjo takes out a pencil and a sketchbook before setting his phone next to them. Then, he brings out the G-pen Akeno has gifted him and loads it up with an ink cartridge while also thinking about getting an ink bottle soon.
Being all set, Ginjo scrolls through the feet pics of Akeno and lands on the photo with them crossed by the ankles with the angle showing her soles and pink toes. After getting them drawn with the pencil in the same way as the artist he admires, the late Kim Jung Gi, Ginjo gets his G-pen and starts to ink the drawings.
He was familiar with the basics, especially for thin lines, but he knows that the range of thickness was something he needs to master, unlike when he just used Gel pens and art pens that weren't nib pens. So far, he was doing pretty good as he inked the feet, but once he got to the ankles, Ginjo's brow twitches as he saw that some of the lines for them are a bit thicker than the other lines. But as he checked his progress, his brows raise when he saw that other parts of the feet appeared too thin for the toes, and too thick for some of the wrinkles of the soles.
"Damn, this pen really is difficult!" Ginjo grunts while tapping the butt of the pen on his forehead for a bit before regaining a resolved expression. "But I mustn't waver. Not only will mastering this pen allow me to make better drawings without constantly swapping art pens, but it will get me closer to the day I can draw Akeno!"
With that thought motivating him further, Ginjo pencils in five pairs of feet from the photo's Akeno allowed him to take. Taking a deep breath, Ginjo gets his G-pen ready to ink them in, starting with the pair he penciled first.
But before the nib could get close to the drawing, Ginjo stops as he feels a magical presence inside his house. He pushes himself away from his desk and looks at his door to sense it out further before lightly calming down.
"Oh, that magic presence belongs to Buchou," Ginjo says before scooching back to his desk. "I guess she decided to drop by to lecture Ise-nii on how to be a better Devil."
With that said, Ginjo started to ink the first pair of feet he drew. He was slow and steady, making sure to use the right amount of thickness for certain lines. He kept going until all the drawings were inked and leans back to check his results. So far, he thinks it's an improvement, but he knows he has a long way to go before he gets the G-pen down pat.
Brushing some strands of hair from his face, Ginjo takes his pencil out before looking for reference material that wasn't related to feet. Even if he perfected drawing them with the G-pen, he still needs to make sure his performance is the same with other parts of the body, as well as inanimate objects.
Ginjo was about to find the pose to use as reference, but was halted when he feels another magic in the house. He slowly lifts his head from his phone, finding this magic signature to be unfamiliar. Sensing it out further, just like Akeno taught him during their training session, his eyes slowly widen.
Someone else is in the house, and judging by how he felt the signature, that person is in the room with Issei and Rias.
Because of his unfamiliarity with Underworld politics, he was not sure how he should react to this new presence. It was likely that it was another Devil that Ginjo may not have heard of, but because of the fact that it decided to show up at his home, he couldn't help but be on edge.
Following his instincts, as well as being worried for his big brother, Ginjo stands up from his chair and bolts to his bed. Digging a hand under it, he collects his sword and strides out of his room to approach the door that leads to Issei's.
Ginjo's heart was thumping fast, but after taking two deep breaths, Ginjo throw's the door open and rushes inside Issei's room with his left hand gripping the scabbard and his right hand holding the hilt tight.
"Oi!"
Ginjo looked ready to fight, but it only took seconds for him to take a step back as he looks at a sight he did not expect to see.
He saw Issei sitting on his bed, who was shocked by his little brother's sudden appearance, and there was Rias, who was also surprised by his presence, but would later understand since she knows Ginjo's talent with magic and being able to sense it.
What bewildered Ginjo about Rias being here was her state of dress. She was wearing her school shirt, but only had the top area buttoned, barely covering her breasts, and only had her panties on as her skirt was on the floor. He blushed at the sight, but he knew better not to stare. Instead, he looked into her eyes with furrowed brows.
"... What did you do?"
Rias' eyes widened before she put her hands up in defense.
"N-N-Now, Ginjo, it's not what you think!"
"What. Did. You. Do?"
Rias saw how serious Ginjo got as the hand holding his sword shook and sighed with an embarrassed blush.
"L-Look... it's complicated."
"I take it this boy is your servant as well, Rias-sama?"
Ginjo's eyes widen as he hears a new voice in the room, getting him to remember that someone else is here as well. Quickly turning, he was surprised again to see a beautiful woman with silver hair and matching colored eyes wearing a maid's uniform.
"It's alright, Ginjo. This woman is not an enemy," Rias assures him before looking at the maid. "Yes, he is my second Pawn next to Ise. He's his younger brother, Ginjo Hyoudou."
Ginjo was a little taken aback that Rias knew this woman, but he calmed down and removed his right hand from his sword's hilt. As he did, the maid looked him up and down, as if she was observing him like prey because of how serious she looked.
The maid eventually nods in acknowledgement and speaks to Ginjo.
"Good evening, Ginjo-sama. I am Grayfia Lucifuge, a maid in service to the house of Gremory." The maid bows her head to him. "It's a pleasure to meet you, brother of the Red Dragon Emperor."
Ginjo still had no idea what was going on, But wanting to be polite, he bows his head back to Grayfia.
"Y-Yes... it's nice to meet you as well."
Rias properly dresses herself after Ginjo and Grayfia exchange greetings. She would then set her eyes on the maid.
"Alright, let's head over to the headquarters. You won't mind if Akeno joins us, will you?"
"Not at all," Grayfia answers. "It's only proper for a Queen to be at their King's side."
Ginjo rose a brow at Grayfia.
'Underworld politics, I assume.'
After nodding at Grayfia, Rias walks over to Issei and gives him a soft look.
"Ise, I'm sorry for my behavior towards you until now. Can we pretend this never happened?"
Issei blushed as he recalled what happened before the maid showed up, but he nodded.
"Y-Yeah, sure thing."
Rias gives Issei a grateful smile before he leans over to kiss his cheek, rendering a darker blush from the older Hyoudou. She then walks to Grayfia's side as she activates a transportation circle.
"Ginjo, allow me to extend my apologies to you as well."
"O... kay..?"
Rias' smile grows before waving at the Hyoudous.
"I'll see you two tomorrow."
With that, Rias and Grayfia vanish with the circle's bright light. There was a small pause because of what has transpired, but Ginjo would eventually turn his head to Issei.
"Dude, what the hell happened?"
Issei jolts before putting a hand up.
"Wh-What happened?! I... Don't worry about it, okay, bro?"
"Who do you think I am, a gossip hound?" Ginjo questions. "Just tell me."
Issei was still hesitant for a moment, but he decided to trust him and tell him everything that's transpired in his room.
After hearing what he had to say, Ginjo gave him a deadpan.
"So... a Devil maid came here because Buchou wanted you to do her?"
Issei was embarrassed, but he nodded.
"I-I tried asking her what was up, but she gave me a cryptic answer. Something among the lines of... a matter of her freedom?"
"A matter of her freedom?" Ginjo echoed.
Issei saw his suspicious expression and puts his hands up.
"I promise you I tried to stop her! I told her how sudden it was, and that I wasn't sure if it was a good idea."
Ginjo's eyes slit.
"Judging by her state of dress, she was almost close to taking you, wasn't she?"
"W-W-Well, I was still fully clothed, obviously, but..."
"But what?"
With a darker blush, Issei responded with, "It was when I told her that I had a girlfriend that she finally stopped."
Ginjo's eyes widen slightly.
"Really? That worked?"
"Yeah... I mean, Buchou is hot, and she has great boobs, but... I still have yet to get freaky with Yuuma-chan! You have no idea how difficult it was to fight the urge to motorboat Buchou's chest! As much as I want a harem, I want Yuuma-chan to experience my love for boobs first before I dare to do so for Buchou!"
Ginjo's eyes broaden at Issei's speech. He took two steps back slowly before his lips slowly curve upwards. He would then start to softly laugh, making Issei raise an eyebrow at him.
"What? What's so funny?"
Ginjo stops laughing before looking up at Issei with softened eyes.
"You really like Buchou, don't you, Ise-nii?"
Issei's cheeks flash red before making an X with his arms.
"Wh-What?! No!" Issei then looks down at the floor. "I mean, I do, but..." his head shoots up at Ginjo with white eyes. "Dammit, I just said that Yuuma-chan's my girfriend!"
"I meant as a concubine, you moron."
"Eh?" Issei's eyes broaden. "C-Concubine?"
Ginjo sighs.
"Ise-nii, you've been wanting a harem of women for how long, and you don't know what that means?"
"O-O-Of course I know what it means!" Issei snaps with a redder face.
Ginjo snorts before turning around to leave Issei's room.
"Have fun with that potential wet dream, pervy bro~"
Issei watches Ginjo leave and shut the door behind him. He gawked at where his brother once was before sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Damn you, Ginjo..." he grunts before looking below his own waist.
On the next day, after school, Issei, Ginjo, and Asia were walking to the old school building with Yuuto and Koneko.
"So, Koneko-san, what do you think of the band, Cake?"
Koneko removes her cat-themed headphones and puts them around her neck before giving Ginjo her answer.
"The Distance is the best track of them all."
Ginjo chuckles.
"Yeah, it's a good one, but let's not forget other classics they put out like Meanwhile Rick James, Frank Sinatra, Long Line of Cars, Never There, and of course, Comfort Eagle."
Koneko nods with Ginjo.
"Those are good too, but they'll never top The Distance for me."
While Ginjo and Koneko continued to discuss music, Issei eyes were on the ground, still thinking about what happened last night.
"Is something the matter?"
Issei was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Yuuto speaking to him. He pondered it for a moment before deciding to ask him.
"Hey, Kiba? Do you by any chance know what's going on with Buchou? Lately she's been... how do I put it? Worried?"
Koneko and Asia look at Issei with raised brows while Ginjo's brows furrow. He understood why he asked, but he wasn't sure if it was a good idea to bring it up, no matter how much he disguised it.
Yuuto thought about Issei's question for a moment before looking back at him.
"Sounds like an issue within the house of Gremory. Political stuff, you know?"
Issei nods.
"Any chance Akeno-san would know what's going on?"
"Probably, since Akeno-senpai is her confidante."
Issei blinks at Yuuto before nodding again and shifting his eyes away from him with a frown.
'I know it's not right to pry, but... I can't help but feel worried for Buchou because of what she said before that maid showed up.'
But suddenly, Yuuto's eyes widen and stops walking.
"What's up, Yuuto-senpai?" Ginjo asks.
While Asia wondered the same, Koneko was also looking at the entrance to the club room with a nearly identical expression to Yuuto's.
"... It's the first time I've felt a presence like this..."
Ginjo didn't get it at first, but he would later sense this presence Yuuto spoke of and narrow his eyes at the door.
'Is that who I think it is?'
Ginjo feels the sleeve of his shirt get tugged and looks down to see Koneko, who's eyes have softened on him.
After composing himself, Yuuto opens the door for his friends and the group enter the room. Once inside, Ginjo and Yuuto's feelings were confirmed.
"Oh boy," Yuuto mutters with a sweat drop.
'I knew it,' Ginjo thought, seeing that the maid known as Grayfia was here standing next to Rias, who had an exhausted look on her face.
Akeno was here too, but despite her smiling with closed eyes, Ginjo had a feeling that the smile was fake because of what's potentially happening here. He had his theories, but he kept them to himself for now.
But because of Grayfia's presence, Asia felt a little nervous, even more so when Grayfia's eyes land on her and the Hyoudous.
"It's okay, Asia," Issei tells her while gently patting her head. "She's with the Gremory as well."
Asia nods, but she remained behind Issei just in case.
"Good, everyone's here," Rias says with a serious expression. "There's something important we need to discuss."
Grayfia steps forward.
"My lady, do you want me to explain, or shall you?"
Rias lifts a hand up before addressing her servants again.
"The truth is..."
Before Rias could speak another word, everyone takes notice of an orange light appearing behind the couch. And just as they went to check, the light shines brighter while shooting out flames.
"Hot hot hot!" Issei exclaims while shielding Asia and himself from the flames.
Ginjo took a closer look at where the fire was, sensing magic from within the flames. As he did, his eyes broaden to see an orange transportation circle. And inside the flames, he saw a silhouette of a person.
"That crest..." Yuuto says. "It's a member of the house of Phenex."
"Phenex?" Ginjo repeats. "Like the phoenix bird?"
Yuuto nods in confirmation as the flames finally die down, revealing a man appearing in his twenties with short blonde hair and dark blue eyes, wearing a red suit fit for a nobleman.
"How long has it been since my last visit to the human world?" The blonde man brushes some bangs of his hair with his thumb before laying his eyes on Rias. "I have come for you... my beloved Rias."
Rias glares at the man with gritting teeth while Ginjo's brow raises at the scene before him.
'Ooooooooooooh, it's one of those situations, isn't it?'
With a bigger grin, the man walks over to Rias.
"Come along, my love, it's important that I show you where we'll hold the ceremony," he says before wrapping an arm around Rias. "The date has also been decided. It's like they say, the sooner, the better."
Rias violently shoves the man off of her.
"Get your hands off me, Riser."
Despite her voice carrying venom, the blonde man didn't seem that intimidated by her.
But no one was more agitated by the scene than Issei, who saw Riser try and get intimate with Rias again.
"Hey, you! Quit being rude to Buchou! Just what kind of guy treats a lady like that anyway?!"
'Dammit, Ise-nii, not now!'
While Ginjo was worried what will happen next, Riser looks at Issei with a repulsed face.
"Oh? And who might you be, boy?"
His expression not faltering, Issei slams a hand to his own chest.
"Issei Hyoudou, a Pawn serving under Rias Gremory-sama!"
Riser looked Issei up and down for a bit before giving him a deadpan.
"Ah, I see."
Issei almost face faulted to the floor before looking at Riser with white eyes and shark teeth.
"H-Hold on! Just who the hell even are you, anyway?!"
Although his brow twitched at Issei's attitude, Riser looks back at Rias.
"Rias, you haven't told your servants about me? Is there truly anyone who doesn't know who I am? Perhaps you've recently reincarnated him?"
Rias looks away from Riser with a huff.
"There was no need to tell him about you."
Riser chuckled sheepishly, but Ginjo could tell he was a little irritated.
"Oh, darling, You're as hard on me as ever."
"Issei-sama," Issei turns his head to Grayfia, as does Asia and Ginjo. "This gentleman is Riser Phenex-sama. He is a High-Class, pure-blooded Devil, and the third son of the venerable House of Phenex."
"Okay, and?" While Issei was awaiting more information, Ginjo already put the pieces together before Grayfia answers.
"He is also to be the groom to the heir of the House of Gremory."
'And there it is,' Ginjo thought with no shock in his face.
Issei, however, was very surprised by this.
"Wait, what?! So... does that mean..?"
"Yes," Grayfia answers. "Riser-sama is engaged to Rias-sama."
While Issei's jaw dropped and Asia was just as surprised, the rest of the Gremory Devils reacted to the news with negative expressions, with Ginjo being the most wary of them all.
Once everything has settled down, if Ginjo could even call it that, Riser is now sat on the couch next to an angry Rias, drinking from a tea cup.
"I must say, Queen of my future bride, your skills in making tea are very impressive."
Akeno bows her head.
"Your compliment is appreciated."
Although she sounded polite as she walked back, Ginjo could tell that Akeno didn't like this Riser character at all. And he didn't blame her. Seeing how Riser was treating Rias as he played with her hair and rubbed her leg while grinning at her, he already wanted nothing to do with him.
With a snicker, Riser slowly moves his hand closer and closer to her thighs before Rias stood up in aggravation.
"Enough!" the redhead snaps before glaring down at him "How many times do I have to tell you, Riser? I will never, for as long as I breathe, ever marry you!"
"Yes, yes, I've heard that numerous times," Riser says with a cocked brow. "But from what I've learned, your family is already at their wits' end over this."
"They're worrying too much!" Rias counters. "As successor, I should be free to choose my own husband! Damn them, being in such a hurry. I was even promised freedom up until the day I began college in the Human world!"
"Sirzechs-sama and your parents are just worried about the survival of your family line," Riser reminds Rias. "We lost many purebloods in the three-way war between God, the Fallen Angels, and Devils. It even resulted in a number of Houses being driven to extinction." Riser pauses to drink more tea. "It's only natural for the remaining name-bearing purebloods to join together to preserve our Houses and bloodlines, is it not? I'm sure you understand why children born to High-Class purebloods are so valuable. Revived Devils like your servants have been filling the ranks of late, but that hardly does anything to strengthen the positions of our esteemed pureblood families. New blood is good and can be helpful, but we can't allow the purebloods to go entirely extinct. When Sirzechs-sama left your House, it made you the only successor. As more members of the so-called Seventy-two Pillars fall, you must see that the future of all Devils is tied to our impending marriage."
Ginjo quietly breathes through his nose as he took all of what Riser said in.
'Politics, how tiresome.'
"Hey, Yuuto," Issei whispers. "What are the seventy-two pillars?"
Yuuto understood his confusion and explained it for Issei, Asia, and Ginjo.
"Long ago, there were seventy-two rank-holding clans that prided themselves on their power, but most were eradicated during the war. The distinguished Houses of Gremory, Sitri, and Phenex are three of the small numbers that survived."
Issei sighs while shaking his head.
"Sheesh. I knew the situation in the Devil world is pretty complex, but..."
"Don't be foolish," Rias grunts at Riser. "I won't let my House fall to ruin, and I will eventually take a husband."
Riser smiles at Rias.
"That's great, then let's-"
"But I will never be married to you," Rias cuts off. "The husband I pick will be the one I acknowledge. And I do not acknowledge you one bit, Riser."
Issei was silently cheering Rias on while Ginjo looked at her with an impressed stare, as were everyone else with an exception of Grayfia.
Riser however, gains an annoyed expression and stands up from the couch. Walking closer to Rias, his brows furrow.
"You know, Rias, I too bear the reputation of the House of Phenex, and I will not have it sullied. Even though I came all this way just to meet with you, I don't much care for the Human world. The wind and flame of this realm are weak and foul. To a Devil who commands wind and flame, It's unbearable!"
Riser's eyes get dangerous as he flares up his magic aura, which consisted of flames, but Rias was not intimidated as she stared right back at him.
"I will bring you back to the Underworld," Riser declares. "Even if I have to turn all of your servants to ashes!"
Riser's aura grows stronger, forcing Rias' servants to take a step back and get ready.
"Not if I have anything to say about it," Rias snarls while flaring up her Power of Destruction, her eyes glowing red in the process.
Issei and and Ginjo tense up at the display while Asia remained hidden behind the former.
"Both of you, calm down." Rias and Riser cease their aura when they and everyone else turn to see Grayfia with her eyes closed. "Rias-sama, Riser-sama, I will not be able to stand by idly should either of you take this any further and disrupt the peace." Grayfia's eyes open, shooting a deadly glare at both Devils. "For the sake of Sirzechs-sama's honor, I will not hold back to intervene."
Rias and Riser gasp with a cold sweat as they saw how serious Grayfia was. Even Ginjo was intimidated. Although he saw no sign of any magic aura radiating from the maid, he can tell that she's very powerful. So much so, that it was causing Ginjo's right hand to twitch.
Akeno saw what was happening to Ginjo's hand, and she wasn't sure if her mind was playing with her, but for a moment, she could've sworn that the mark on his palm was flickering blue as Grayfia made her statement.
Riser remained still towards Grayfia for another moment before lightly chuckling.
"Well... even I can't argue if the order comes from the woman known by some as the Strongest Queen. I don't wish to pick a fight with Sirzechs-sama's lineup of monsters."
Ginjo rose a brow at this.
'Sirzechs-sama's monster? He makes it sounds like she's this guy's servant.'
There was a moment of silence before Grayfia breaks it.
"We anticipated such response from you, my lady, so we have prepared a last resort."
"What kind of last resort?" Rias questions Grayfia.
"My lady, if you insist on not wanting Riser-sama as your groom, then will you settle this matter via a Rating Game against him?"
Rias gasped at Grayfia while Issei's brows raise.
"Wait, a Rating Game?"
"Have you forgotten?" Ginjo quizzes. "It's a battle between Devil servants and their masters."
"Oh yeah, that's right." Issei nods in remembrance. "These games apparently affect the hierarchy in Devil society too, but... If I recall correctly, Buchou can't take part yet since only fully grown Devils are accepted, right?"
"Exactly as you've stated, Issei-sama," Grayfia confirms. "Rias-sama can't participate in the formal games yet, but underage Devils may engage in unofficial matches. There are many such instances like this before."
Issei and Ginjo nod in acknowledgement while Asia was still trying to make sense of what she's listening to.
"They're used for family feuds and other internal affairs," Rias chimes in. "So basically, Father didn't just anticipate my refusal, he went ahead and prepared for these games." Rias grows more frustrated. "Will they ever stop interfering with my life?!"
"My lady, may I take this as your refusal to the game?"
"No," Rias replies firmly. "I'll never get another chance like this, so I agree to settle it with a game."
Riser laughs in amusement.
"How intriguing. Are you sure about this? Not that it makes any difference to me, but you should know I've participated in numerous Rating Games with the same number of victories."
"I don't care!" Rias retorts. "I will fight you, and I intend to blow you away, Riser!"
Riser gives Rias an impressed smirk.
"Alright then. Should you win, you can do as you please. But if I win, we are to be wedded immediately."
Grayfia steps forward.
"I, Grayfia, have received consent from both of you. As mediator between your houses, I will handle the operations of this game. Understood?"
"Yes."
"Yeah."
Grayfia nods in acknowledgement.
"Very well. I will inform the members of both Houses."
After that was said, Issei started getting anxious.
"Sounds like a big deal. Guess we're joining the game too, huh?"
"Obviously," Ginjo says with tightened fists. "And we'll have to give it everything we've got."
Issei and Asia saw how serious Ginjo's expression was as his eyes were locked between Rias and Riser.
"Uh... you okay, Ginjo?"
"Tell me Rias," Riser starts before pointing at her group. "Is this ragtag group of yours the extent of your Servants?"
Rias' eyes squint at Riser.
"So what if they are?"
Riser laughs loudly.
"Well then, it won't be much of a fight, then! Only your Queen even begins to measure up to my precious servants! Behold!"
With a click of his fingers, another orange transportation circle appears on the ground before erupting in flames. And as they slowly vanished, the Gremory Devils see all fifteen of Riser's servants.
And much to Issei's shock, and not so much to Ginjo's, they were all beautiful women.
Scanning them all, Ginjo sees a mature woman with purple hair and what seems to be a magic staff, a woman in knight-like armor, a girl with the same blonde hair as Riser's, two cat girl twins with different colored eyes and hair, another group of twins with green hair wearing gym uniforms, a woman with a Chinese warrior outfit, a woman with black hair wearing a kimono, a woman wearing a mask and clothes that look to Ginjo like that of a biker chick's, a short girl with blue hair and a combat staff, two maids with different colored hair, and a barefoot woman who looked to be a dancer.
Ginjo took a quick look at that dancer's feet. While he thought they were pretty, he believed that Akeno's beat hers. But as he looked back up, his eyes broaden a bit to see that the dancer was looking at him, as if she took notice of where he was looking.
But instead of looking repulsed or weirded out, the dancer smiled at Ginjo and secretly winked at him while wiggling her toes. Ginjo blushed at her actions before quickly looking away so no one else will notice where his eyes were. But as he did so, he got a look at the fifteenth woman in Riser's peerage.
However, once he got a look at her, Ginjo froze in total shock.
The servant in question was a tall woman with long black hair with a dark blue tint in five thin ponytails going around her head held up by a golden hair accessory on top of her head. She wore a white top with black accents modeled after a Chinese cheongsam, red shorts, and armored, knee-high boots with matching gauntlets. She also has a giant Zweihander mounted on her back.
This woman was looking at Ginjo too, and she held the exact same expression as he did. Both were stupefied to see each other in the positions they are in right now. Ginjo didn't know what to say, and neither did the woman with the Zweihander.
"Uh... Rias..?" Both Ginjo and the girl were snapped out of their thoughts when they hear Riser speak with a slight weirded out tone. "That Pawn of yours is staring at me with teary eyes..."
Ginjo and the woman look where Riser was pointing and see Issei doing exactly as he described. And from what Ginjo observed, Issei was glaring at Riser with a high level of envy.
Rias sees this and sighs with a hand on her forehead.
"Ise's dream is to have a harem. I think seeing your servants has moved him to tears."
Ginjo deadpans at Issei while shaking his head, not knowing what he'll do to him.
While some of his servants were weirded out by that new detail, Riser looks at Issei with interest.
"Is that right?" Riser turns his head left. "Yubelluna."
"Yes, Riser-sama."
Everyone watches the mature woman with purple hair approach Riser, whose smile grows as she got closer to him. Shifting his eyes towards issei smugly, Riser brings her face closer to his and starts to kiss her right in the lips.
Seeing such an action infuriated Rias and her servants, especially as Riser and Yubelluna start slipping the tongue. Even the girl with blonde hair and the woman with the Zweihander looked away from the scene in annoyance.
Asia felt frightened and surprised by what they were doing, so Ginjo averted her gaze with the help of Koneko, who looked like he wanted to break Riser in two.
As the two separated with some droll connecting their lips for a bit, Riser starts to fondle Yubelluna's breasts while keeping his eyes on Issei.
"You'll never obtain what I have," he says as he rests his chin on Yubelluna's shoulder. "You Low-Class servant!"
"D... Damn you!" Issei snaps while pointing a finger at Riser. "A womanizer like you like you is unsuited for Buchou!"
"Said the guy who just minutes ago was idolizing this womanizer," Ginjo states with a deadpan.
"Sh-Shut up, Ginjo! Why are you defending this guy?!"
"I'm not. I'm just stating what I'm seeing, dude."
Issei frowns at Ginjo before shooting his glare back on Riser.
"Even if you do marry Buchou, so what?! You're probably just gonna mess around with more women after you're wedded!"
Riser chuckles while he squeezed Yubelluna's boobs harder, rendering a moan from the woman.
"Nonsense. This is just the relationship I share with my servants. Heroes love women. That's the saying in the Human world, is it not."
"That phrase fell out of style by ninety percent years ago," Ginjo interjects. "Especially in some Western countries, from what I've looked into."
"Yeah!" Issei shouts. "Hero, my ass! You're just a seed-scattering bird bastard!" Issei then gives Riser a toothy grin with mischievous eyes. "Your name's based on the Phoenix like a fire bird, but you look more like a yakitori to me!"
Ginjo snickers under his breath and whispers, "Oh boy..." while Riser took offense to Issei.
"Y-Y-Yakitori?! How dare you!" Riser snaps his head towards Rias. "Haven't you taught your new servant any manners?!"
Rias turns her head from Riser with a sly grin and her arms crossed.
"I don't have to when it comes to you."
Still grinning himself, Issei activates his Boosted Gear and shoots a challenging stare on Riser.
"To hell with having a Rating Game! I'll kick your ass right here, right now!"
Issei charges at Riser only for him to suddenly get pulled back by a strong force. Everyone looks to see who it was with Issei gaining a surprised expression when he saw who stopped him with a hand grabbing his shirt collar.
"G-Ginjo?! What are you doing?!"
"Stopping you from doing anything stupid."
"Hah?!" Issei's brows raise. "But I can't stand that yakitori! He's pissing me off!"
"And I understand that," Ginjo says. "But if you want to kick that prick's ass so badly, wait for the game."
"B-But, little bro!"
Issei was silenced as Ginjo gave him a warning stare.
"Ise-nii, with all due respect, you and I both know you're not strong enough to take this guy on. Disagree with him as much as you want, but unlike us, and even our Buchou to an extent, this Riser guy has way more battle experience than all of us combined. So shut up and wait for further instructions from Grayfia-san or any of the Gremory higher-ups she serves on when we'll get to fight him."
Everyone was taken back by what Ginjo had to say. Even Riser and Grayfia were astonished by Ginjo's calm and stern nature towards Issei.
The woman with the Zweihander wore that look of surprise for another moment before her eyes eventually soften towards Ginjo with her lips curling upwards.
Issei looked between Riser and Ginjo numerous times. He still wanted to clobber him up, but deep down, he knew that Ginjo was right. He was reluctant, but eventually, he deactivated his Sacred Gear and slowly crosses his arms in front of his chest.
Riser looks between the two boys and laughs softly.
"Those are some fine words said, boy," Riser says, addressing Ginjo. "And judging from your dialogue, I take it this Issei boy is your brother."
Ginjo's expression didn't change as he looks at Riser while the woman with the Zweihander secretly looks at Ginjo with concern.
"What's it to ya?"
Riser chuckles.
"Well, you don't seem to share any similarities to that Pawn over there."
"Let me guess, it's the color of my hair and my eyes. Trust me, I get that a lot, but we are related by blood."
"Well, yes, but I was referring to your mindset."
"My mindset? What are you talking about?"
Riser's grin widens.
"I mean that you don't seem to think like your brother."
"Is that a bad thing?" Ginjo questions with squinted eyes. "He's an idiot and a pervert who's bad at thinking twice, but he's still my brother."
Riser lets out another laugh.
"A very respectable thing to say. But I'm curious, how well do you think you'll do against my adorable servants?"
Ginjo shrugs while keeping calm. Despite Riser seeming polite, he can tell from Riser's eyes that he's trying to get under his skin.
"I've only been training for a full month and some weeks now, so how would I know?"
"Understandable. But if you ask me, you and your weak brother have no chance."
The Gremory Devils and the woman with the Zweihander notice Ginjo's brow twitch.
"You presume us weak, Phenex-san?" He asks before lifting his head up for eye contact. "Should you... given that you don't know us at all?"
Riser was a little surprised by the tone of Ginjo's voice and his eyes before his smirk returns.
"Well, you have stated yourself that your big brother here isn't strong enough to face me," he states before looking at him. "And let's see... before he tried to come at me, I believe his arm was cladded in Boosted Gear. Such a powerful gear, and if used properly, he can prove to be quite deadly. But I don't see that happening. Would you like to know why, little brother of the Red Dragon Emperor?"
"Oh please, do go on," Ginjo replies dangerously.
"Simple, really, it's because no one lives long enough to master the Gauntlet. And from how that Pawn behaves, he's no different."
Ginjo's hands clench into fists.
"I'd be careful if I were you, Phenex-san. You might be in for a surprise when the Rating Game starts."
"Pfft! HA HA HA HA! Will I now?! I doubt I'll see anything from him, but what about you? You must be a new recruit too, plain lowborn."
A tick mark appears on Ginjo's forehead while Issei started getting angry again.
"Plain, huh? In what regard?"
Riser grins as he leans his head close.
"Plain as in you're an amateur. Someone who I also don't believe will get far and fly through the ranks. You couldn't even pass off for a warrior."
Ginjo's bangs hid his eyes as he remained silent, worrying Akeno and Koneko while Issei's rage rises.
"It's as I've stated before, this Rating Game will be a cakewalk," Riser continued. "A weak Low-Class with an unperfect Boosted Gear, and a plain lowborn who probably has no talent. Face it, brat, you won't stand a chance against me, you poor weakling."
"Hey!" Issei snaps. "Don't you dare talk ill about my brother, you-"
Ginjo halts Issei with his arm up in front of him, silencing him while also making Issei look at his brother in concern.
Ginjo remained silent for ten seconds before whispering.
"Is that what you think of me?"
Riser sneers.
"I don't just think that, I know it, boy."
"Really?" Ginjo spoke up with repressed anger. "Well, I have something to say in response. Want to hear it, Phenex-san?"
Riser laughs.
"Enlighten me, lowborn."
Ginjo slowly lifts his head back up, revealing a cold glare aimed right at Riser, frightening some of his servants a bit.
"You look like an extra from a budget porno flick. The kind where everyone gets tested afterwards. Even the cameramen."
Everyone was shocked by Ginjo's words, but not more so than Riser.
"Wh-Wh-What?! I-I-I-I-"
Ginjo didn't give Riser any time to respond and kept going.
"Were you spoiled too rotten? Were you bullied as a kid? Did you get your start in bar fights?"
The Gremory Devils were gobsmacked by Ginjo while Issei started to feel like laughing, but had to cover his mouth.
Riser started to sweat a little, feeling like this is getting a little too personal. But Ginjo didn't waver.
"Do you have any actual friends? Any relationships at all that aren't about your money, your position, or your servants?"
Riser's eyes nearly bulged as everything Ginjo spoke to him was on loop. And for some reason, he felt impelled to slowly lift a hand up and point a thumb at the blonde-haired girl.
"... I have a sister."
Ginjo looks over to the girl in question and checks her out. Blonde hair, blue eyes, and they're both the exact same shade as Riser's.
"... I feel nothing but pity for you."
Riser's sister was bewildered by what Ginjo's said and looks away from him, not wanting any part in this feud between him and Riser.
"N-N-Now hold on just a minute!" Riser snaps after he got a hold of himself. "What exactly are you implying when you pity my sister?!"
Ginjo gives Riser a mischievous smirk. "Your a Devil, whose mythical nature is to be dirty and evil, you tell me."
Riser and his sister were confused at first, but eventually, their eyes widen in realization and their cheeks develop an embarrassed blush. But before either of them could retort, Issei finally bursts into laughter, bringing everyone's attention on him.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Issei says while still chortling, "I... I just thought of something, little bro!"
"Hmm?"
"Calling that yakitori a porno extra... He's no yakitori... he's a Yakitori pimp!"
Issei bellows into more laughter while falling to the floor holding his stomach.
Checking behind him, Ginjo saw that Rias, Akeno, and even Koneko and Yuuto were quietly chuckling without Riser noticing. And as he thought about it further, Ginjo starts cracking up.
"Alright, Ise-nii, I'll give that one to you."
Even the woman with the Zweihander couldn't help but crack a small smile at the gag without Riser or anyone else noticing.
"Uh... Ginjo-san?" Asia speaks up. "What's a pimp?"
"You'll learn when you're ready, Asia-san."
Asia tilted her head at Ginjo, but she decided to leave it at that for now.
"You insolent brat!" Riser roars at Ginjo. "How dare you address me with such words!"
Ginjo replicates the same grin Riser's been giving him, Rias, and Issei.
"Well, you're kinda like a pimp, collecting woman after woman just to fulfill your numerous kinks and fetishes. And even if you marry, it'll never be enough. That's why Buchou hates you, buddy, and it's also why you will never earn anyone's respect, yakitori pimp~"
Riser snarls.
"Oh, you think you're being cute?!"
"Bitch," Ginjo thumbs some bangs of his hair. "I'm adorable."
Issei grins at Ginjo proudly while getting looks of respect from Akeno, Koneko, Yuuto, and Rias. Even the woman with the Zweihander quietly giggled towards Ginjo with pink cheeks.
Riser gains blood shots in his eyes before snapping his head to the side.
"Mira! Teach this brat a lesson!"
The blue-haired girl named Mira leaps forward and lands in front of Ginjo.
"Are you sure about this?" Ginjo asks Mira. "You can always be patient and wait for the game."
Mira's eyes squint before she lifts her staff to attack him, worrying Issei and Asia.
However, Ginjo just effortlessly catches the tip of the staff with his right hand. While there was some gust of wind because of how fast the attack was, Ginjo didn't lose balance.
This surprised everyone watching except for Akeno and Koneko. Mira was shocked as well, but before she could try and kick him, Ginjo slams her staff right into her nose with all of his strength, sending her crashing into a wall behind Riser.
Ginjo spins the staff around his hand before looking at Riser with a grin.
"Told you you don't know me."
Riser went over to Mira with two more of his servants checking on her too.
"Forgive me, Riser-sama."
Riser gently strokes Mira's hair before shooting a glare at Ginjo.
"Don't get too cocky, lowborn! Mira here is one of my Pawns, and she's the weakest of my servants."
Ginjo snorts with a cocked brow while throwing the staff back at Mira. as he did, the girl with blonde hair's eyes broaden slightly as she got a look at his palm.
'That mark...' the blonde girl thought. '... Is that what I think it is?'
"She's your weakest?" Ginjo questions Riser. "Well, if she spent more time training and less time giving you head, she might've stood a chance."
Mira's eyes widen with a dark blush before she snarled at Ginjo with a glare.
Riser's glare remained on Ginjo before he calms himself down.
"I will admit, you've intrigued me, brother of the Red Dragon Emperor, and I'm curious to see how much you're able to grow, even your brother." With a hand on his chin, Riser thought about it for a moment before smirking at Rias. "Darling, Let's have our game ten days from now."
"Excuse me?" Rias rose a brow at him. "Are you giving me a handicap?"
"Why so defensive?" Riser asks with a chuckle. "It would be fun to see your servants gain a fighting chance. Assuming you can win a battle with passion alone is naive. I've seen countless geniuses lose because they couldn't properly lead. A King's true value is reflected in the ability to empower their servants."
Rias glared at Riser, but she knew he was right. Her servants do need to train to face someone as strong as Riser, and these ten days is what they need.
"... I understand, Riser."
Riser nods at Rias.
"Make those days count, my love," he says before turning around. "Yubelluna, make preparations. We're leaving."
"Yes, Riser-sama."
Yubelluna gets the transportation circle ready, prompting Riser and his peerage to walk to it.
As soon as they walked on it, Riser looks at the Hyoudous.
"A word of advice, don't ever bring shame to your King. Everything you boys do reflects on your master."
While Ginjo's expression remained steeled, Issei looks down at the floor with some doubts, unsure if he can get stronger with such time.
"We'll meet again on the battlefield Rias. And when I win, not only will you be my bride, but I will also gain control of all of your servants."
Issei was shocked to learn this, but hearing that made Ginjo's blood run cold. His fists clench tighter, his eyes slowly widen, and his irises shrunk as he kept that information playing on repeat.
If Riser meant what he meant, then not only will he do unspeakable things to Rias, but he'll be able to do the same to Asia, Koneko, and even...
"...Akeno..." Ginjo whispers quietly as his fists tighten even more, his nails almost drawing blood.
As he finally released them with his palms showing, nobody noticed Ginjo's black mark glowing blue, as if it's reacting to Ginjo's emotions.
As the Phenex Devils were leaving, the woman with the Zweihander notices Ginjo's current mood and frowned for him with glinting eyes. Her stare remained on him until they were teleported away.
Once they were gone, Issei saw that Ginjo was still motionless and goes up to him.
"Ginjo..? Buddy, you okay?"
Ginjo blinks as he felt Issei gently shakes his shoulder. He looked at him for a bit before quietly sighing and walking past him and everyone else.
"... I'm going home."
"E-Eh?" Issei was a little spooked by the dark tone in Ginjo's voice. "B-But what about club-"
"We have ten days before we face off against sixteen strong Devils," Ginjo says while opening the door and exiting the room. "We can't afford to waste a single second."
Ginjo slams the door behind him, making Issei and Asia cringe before they and everyone else hear the sound of running before it got farther.
Akeno and Koneko got a glimpse of Ginjo's face as he left, and they could tell that he was in no mood to waste any time.
Issei understood too, but it was because of how he talked that he couldn't help but be concerned for his brother.
Back at home, Ginjo was in his room to practice his magic. Right now, he was trying to further explore his gravity magic. He can currently push and pull objects to and from him, but it was only in a burst. What he was trying to do was to have the objects constantly go to and from him in a sort of constant stream.
Using cube erasers for his gravity magic training, he continued to try and get them to come to him as if they were marbles with a longer pull. But no matter how much he concentrated, he could still only pull them for a single second. It may be a slight improvement from a split second, but it wasn't enough, especially with the time he has to get stronger for the Rating Game against Riser.
"Dammit!" Ginjo curses. "If only I can get my gravity magic to last longer to keep pushing and pulling objects like a magnet!" Ginjo then looks at his right hand and morphs it into a fist. "And if I can get it strong enough, I might even push and pull people too."
That was the main goal for Ginjo, to master his gravity magic to not only make his pushes and pulls last longer, but to also be able to push and pull people as well.
With deep breath, Ginjo looks back at his cube erasers and tries again. But before he could use his gravity magic, Ginjo hears two knocks on his door. He grunts in slight annoyance but he calms down while picking up the erasers.
"Come in."
Ginjo's door opens to reveal Issei and Asia.
"Ginjo-san, we were worried about you," Asia says.
Ginjo sighs while scratching the back of his head.
"Sorry, Asia-san. I wanted to start training as soon as I could." Ginjo then looks at Issei. "What about you?"
"Buchou said to pack up some things," Issei says. "She says we're leaving to train somewhere. Oh, and don't worry, she told our parents that it was a club trip."
Ginjo raised his brows before standing up.
"Okay... Where are we going?"
Ginjo's question was somewhat answered minutes later as Rias transported herself and her servants to a mountainside. From there, Rias instructed them to hike up a mountain to their true destination with all of their stuff and essentials on their backs. Issei was haunted by this because of how heavy the stuff he's carrying is, but Ginjo wasted no time and got to hiking with a look of pure focus.
Both brother's were panting heavy as they hiked for thirty minutes, but because Ginjo did more cardio than Issei, Ginjo pretty much left him in the dust.
"Dammit..! Wait up, Ginjo!" Issei shouts as he tried to keep balance despite how much stuff he's carrying.
"Oh, suck it up!" Ginjo shouts back. "We're almost there, so keep moving!"
"E-Even so..." Issei tried to say before he almost tripped and had to stop for a bit so nothing falls off his back.
"Um... Buchou? Should I help him? What about Ginjo-san? he's carrying more stuff than Issei-san."
"They'll be fine," Rias tells Asia. "If they carry a lot of stuff, then this hike will make their bodies stronger."
Even after she said that, Asia was still worried for the Hyoudous.
Once he fixed his bag, Issei resumes his travel up the mountain. As he kept going, he hears Yuuto and someone else coming from behind him. Turning around, his eyes nearly bulge from his sockets when he saw how much stuff they were carrying, with Koneko having a lot more on her back than Yuuto.
"We sure picked a lot of vegetables. They'll make for nice side dishes for dinner." Yuuto would then notice Issei and wave hello. "Hey, Issei. We're going ahead."
"See you."
Issei's eyes twitch as he watches Yuuto and Koneko carry the numerous things on their back so effortlessly.
"I can't lose to them... I refuse to lose to them!"
With a battle cry, Issei starts sprinting upwards and zooms right past Rias, Akeno, and Asia.
"Ara ara, so fast," Akeno comments as she watches Issei keep going.
"I hope he doesn't hurt himself," Asia says with a hand over her hand.
Rias just looks at Issei with an impressed stare.
"This is either adrenaline doing its job, or Ise has a hidden strength he's unaware of."
Rias then sighs to herself as she and the other two girls follow the rest of the crew up the mountain. The Gremory Devils have ten days to gain more strength against Riser and his peerage, and they intend to make every day count.
To be continued in the next chapter: "The Ten Day Struggle."
Harems (in no particular order):
Issei: Raynare, Rias, Asia, Irina, Mittelt, Isabela, Rossweisse, Le Fay
Ginjo: Akeno, Koneko, Reyna, Xenovia, Siris, Ravel, Sona, Tsubaki, Tomoe, Tsubasa, Seekvaira, Kuroka, Kalawarner, Coriana
Until next time, folks~!
