What's up, folks? It's that time of the *insert relative measurement of time here* again, so you guys know what that means!
Another chapter!
Before starting though, I'd like to thank darkistorrik, Jarod, Joshua Garrett and Tyric Gaia for believing in me enough to invest in me in the form of donations. You support is very much appreciated.
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Now that that's said, let us proceed with the story!
"Our latest projections estimate an average global growth of 4.6% per month, over a period of 10 months."
The click of a button preceded the changing of a slide, the previous graphs changing into a pie chart.
"As you can see, this is a result of the opening of the Law branch of Humanum Services Conglomerate. Deals were made in an internal manner by the various heads of the different departments, creating a sense of cooperation and interdependence between the various branches of the conglomerate.
"The pharmaceutical and medical branches provide for the medical needs of the various branches of the group, while the Advocacy branch provides legal representation. The sciences and technology divisions give the other branches primary access to whichever new toys they make before going public with them.
"Each and every single part of the conglomerate works in a manner meant to eliminate the need to rely on external contractors, meaning that it's less money we're giving to groups and companies who would behave as competitors for us within said specific areas.
"Best of all, despite the fact that we're working with full efficiency in providing for the various branches of Humanum, we are still working in the market as normal, providing services for whomever Humanum deems a proper costumer, as long as they fulfill a few certain conditions, as written within the terms of the contracts."
One of the figures sitting around the meeting table cleared her throat, gaining the attention of all others. She was a woman whose appearance would lead one to surmise her to be somewhere around her late 60's, though having aged gracefully, her silver-streaked black hair was pulled up into a tidy bun, with a few lines around her steel-grey eyes. She was clad in a black Kimono with sakura patterns adorning it both at the front and back, golden trim and accents around the sides and the edges of her sleeves, all made of noticeably expensive materials.
The original speaker nodded respectfully towards the woman, a muttered "Madame Shimizu" signifying the passing of the word to her.
The now named woman - Shimizu - parted her previously pursed lips, speaking in a no-nonsense tone.
"These are the types of things that we hired you to take care of, boy. As long as you keep the company in the black and the projects running, then you're free to toss money around however you wish. Some of us are very busy people, who could be doing something much more important at this moment than sitting around listening to you spouting out number after number.
"You better make this worth our time, Shindo."
Sakenomi Shindo, the current CEO of HSC managed to completely hide the irritation he felt at the old woman's interruption and the questioning of his motives, his face remaining in the same neutral, all-business mien he had been keeping for the entire presentation. He felt honestly offended at the old bat's words.
It's not as if he would summon the board members for shits and giggles, right? He too would rather be elsewhere, doing something much more important than simply crunching numbers while under the gazes of a bunch of old geezers who thought themselves much too good for the rest of 'the peasants'.
However, there was a reason for him to step foot into the boardroom and call a meeting, when he could usually do business from his home office.
Other than giving the woman a blank stare that, no matter how much she tried to hide her emotions, managed to shake her and push her into silence, he did not allow any emotion of his own to slip into his whole demeanor as he spoke.
"We need to increase the funding for... That project."
His words instantly caused all of the others in the room to pay full attention to him, each of them digesting his words. Another one of the people in the room, this one shrouded in shadows, with only the smoke and burning tip of a cigar visible spoke, the tone noticeably masculine, and very gravelly in nature, each word like two rocks grinding together.
"We have already ramped up the cash flow into it by 45% over the previous 3 months, boy. What more could be needed?"
The others present, most of them hidden in the shadows could only nod in agreement, murmurs of assent rolling through the room. In the midst of all of this, Shindo still maintained his calm. He turned towards the canvas that the business data had been projected onto and pushed a button on the small remote on his hand, causing the image to change.
The footage showed a laboratory of some sort, various men and women in lab coats arrayed around the room, each of them focused on their specific activity. Another click of the button changed cameras, displaying the footage within some sort of chamber with a single opaque, grey wall, surrounded on all sides by clear glass. A muffled voice, sounding like one would expect someone behind a breathing mask talking, spoke up.
"Subject 9-2-1, prepped for the trial of compound 616, designation 'Nitro'."
A door-sized panel opened up on the grey wall, before a struggling man, his body bound by chains of all sorts, was dragged into the room by a pair of heavily armored, extremely well armed guards.
The man was placed down on a gurney that had emerged from a circular hole that had opened on the ground before having his chains attached to specific sectors of said gurney, struggling all the while, his eyes promising murder to anyone watching.
One of the glass walls parted slightly, allowing an indistinct, brown-haired scientist to walk into the room, their face covered by a medical mask. Said scientist made their way to the masked man, a syringe full of yellowish liquid in hand.
The click of a button within the recording preceded more speech from the muffled voice of the first scientist, the one that had been narrating so far.
"Doctor Ferdinand is going to be administering a diluted variant of compound 616, designation 616-2- 'Beefy', to the subject."
The chained man started struggling harder at the sight of the syringe, his eyes conveying pure terror, yet he was unable to stop the scientist from shoving the syringe into his shoulder and pressing down the plunger.
The scientist watched the yellow chemical push into the man in its entirety before taking half a step back, his eyes keenly watching the test subject.
Said test subject started struggling against his chains, his face contorted painfully before his eyes widened and his mouth opened fully, his cries and shouts of agony going unheard by the recording device.
"Subject seems to be undergoing excruciating pain after the application of the compound, with spikes of nerve activity equivalent to those of 3rd degree burn victims firing off through the entirety of his body. It is likely that he is receiving psychosomatic feedback telling him that his entire body is on fire."
No one in the meeting room commented on the semi-curious, semi-gleeful tone that this was said in, their focus still on the writhing test subject. Said test subject soon started shaking as if he were having a seizure, red lights blaring within the room he was in, while the voice spoke again.
"Intense pain is compromising the subject. Mental faculties are experiencing loss at an accelerated rate with the degeneration of his neurons, while his internal organs experience a rapid shutdown process."
They saw the man's body slumping, his struggles ceasing as his chest heaved in a very slow, shallow manner.
"Total loss of motor functions. Subject has fallen into a vegetative state, and his body is just barely functional. His heart and lungs are still resisting, though it is likely they too will fail in a period of 5-7 minutes, a timeframe estimated from an in-depth analysis of subjects previously exposed to the full concentration of compound 616 'Nitro' and its effects.
"Doctor Ferdinand, analyze the subject's condition and start preparing samples of still-living matter for further analysis."
After that, the voice devolved into technical chatter with the various scientists and operatives, they too outside view of the cameras, while Doctor Ferdinand did his work.
"What was this supposed to prove, Boy-" spoke Shimizu while directing a haughty tone at Shindo "other than the fact that you're wasting our time, effort, money, and achieving nothing but failu-"
She was shushed by another of the shadowed figures. However, before she could make her dissatisfaction known, the audio from the recorded video did, alarm klaxons coming from the speakers as an even faster, more intense red glow pulsed from the recording, emergency lamps within the laboratory lighting up.
An until-then unheard voice spoke with a mixture of curiosity and trepidation.
"W-what the hell? What is that!?"
The entirety of the boardroom watched as Doctor Ferdinand walked away from the trembling and shaking gurney, before the sounds of snapping steel sounded within the recording, chain links spraying around the room.
The previously thought-of vegetative subject rolled off the bed, pained groans and animalistic growls alike flowing past his lips.
His head snapped up, baleful gaze falling on a terrified Ferdinand, even as his jumpsuit strained under bulging muscles. The outfit stretched more and more, rips and tears spreading across its surface as the man's muscle mass increased at a drastic rate.
His head changed, a pair of horns emerging from his temples even as his face shaped itself into a bovine snout.
Doctor Ferdinand ran towards the doors that led out of the testing chamber, only for them to slam shut right in front of his eyes. Turning a wild gaze at the narrator, which made it seem as if he were looking directly at the camera, he spoke.
"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!?"
The narrator spoke up again, his tone speaking of amusement and professional curiosity alike.
"We cannot risk the test subject escaping the chamber, Doctor Ferdinand, so the doors have been sealed for the safety of the research staff." The voice sounded gleefully mocking as it spoke again. "It is just lab protocol, you understand, no?"
"I AM A SENIOR RESEARCHER! I'VE DEDICATED YEARS OF MY LIFE TO THIS PROJECT! YOU NEED ME!"
"Not as much as we need an object of study, doctor. Nor anywhere near as much as we need a practical test of the subject's abilities and typical behavior, now that I think about it."
The look on Ferdinand's face, directed straight at the camera, was very obvious in it's shift from anger and indignation, to outright terror. His voice was pleading as he spoke.
"W-wait! I-I can still be useful! My intellect is needed! Plea-"
The man's plea was interrupted by a massive backhand that slammed him into one of the glass walls. The man hit the wall back-first, an audible snap indicating the fact that his spine had broken on impact, ripping an agonized shout from him.
The camera focused back on the subject, revealing a figure extremely akin to that of the greek minotaur. A hulking mass of muscle standing on two hind legs, patches of shaggy fur spread through its body. Its chest was wide and grotesquely muscled, with various groupings of veins throbbing in tandem. Each of the arms was as wide as an adult man, with fists the size of trash cans, each bearing fingers as large as individual forearms. The fur was dark in color, while it's chest, which had initially been peach-hued, gradually gained a red tinge.
The thing snorted twice before letting out a deafening bellow, causing the people within the lab in the recording to let out screams of pain in surprise, thought the narrator seemed unaffected by it.
The minotaur turned towards the agonized, moaning form of Ferdinand, skin tearing under the pressure of thick muscle to display it in a visibly grotesque manner, before it's eyes narrowed. Bellowing again, it lowered its head before charging at the downed man, the thick skull and sharp horns turning him into a splatter of blood on the glass wall.
Pulling back it's head, the subject proceeded to alternate between punching and stomping the red paste that had once been a scientist, the red hue on it's chest increasing more and more.
It stopped mid-punch, staggering back before screaming in agony as steam emanated from its body. Soon enough it fell over to the side, dead.
While many people outside the view of the recording could be heard screaming, crying, sobbing or vomiting, the narrator spoke with little more than professional interest.
"Test subject displayed an explosive case of hypertrophy, to the point of overstraining the likely increased flexibility and durability of its skin, and its behavior seemed to be wholly centered around violence. It was strong enough to easily pulp a human body with a single charge, and the various sensors in the ground and walls registered that each of it's blows delivered more than 1000 pounds of force, with said force ramping up overtime.
"Unfortunately though, it seems as if the ramping up of its strength coincided with the exponential increase of its core temperature, which ultimately resulted in it burning to death from the inside out.
"While this test was ultimately inconclusive, it does constitute a notable leap in our research, providing the basis for the creation of a non-lethal version of the compound.
"This is Doctor Malidus speaking, date: xx-xx-xxxx"
The click of a button shut off the recording, before Shindo refocused on the forms of the chairpersons present. He noted Shimizu's pale, trembling form with grim satisfaction, giving everyone a few seconds to recover, before speaking up.
"Strides have been made by our researchers, as you have seen, but the closer we get to the final results, the higher the costs jump. Even with the in-house agreements, we still spend veritable sums in technical equipment, materials, and many other such things."
"How much would you need?"
Everyone went silent at that, their gazes moving towards the head of the table, to a computer screen displaying a skull crossed over with a sword, a heavily modulated voice coming through one of it's speakers. Whomever this speaker was, the mere conveyance of its voice through a computer was enough to have the rest of the 'upper tiers' of society respectfully silent, some of them even flinching or cowering from the computer.
Shindo, not one to mince words and showing no fear of the speaker, spoke up.
"Double, maybe triple of the budget currently allocated to the project."
"WHAT!?"
"PREPOSTEROUS!"
"LUNACY!"
"ARE YOU INSAN-"
"The new funds will be in the project account in 2 to 3 days."
"Understood."
With the conversation finished, the screen went dark, the person previously behind it considering the conversation up and done with.
"Are there any more matters that require our attention?" Shimizu said.
Shindo responded with a shake of his head, prompting the woman to nod towards him with grudging respect, before leaving the meeting room at a pace that clearly displayed to him just how much she wished to run from there.
The boardroom emptied over the following minutes while Shindo organized his various physical and electronic materials. He opened his briefcase to slip his documents into, only for his gaze to fall on an old photograph.
He took the photograph into his hands, a photograph showing a happier, younger version of himself, ear-length black hair, lively, amber-hued eyes, a straight, 'handsome' nose and thin, smiling lips, with stubble on his chin; next to him was a woman, slender body clad in a white dress, orange-red hair, with a smattering of freckles on the bridge of her small, button-nose. She had a close-eyed smile on her face, though if her eyes were open, one would easily notice the fact that they were emerald green in color. Her pink lips were naturally shaped in a cupid-bow that many paid plastic surgeons small fortunes to achieve, and she had a beauty mark just below her lips.
Between the two of them was a young girl of age 6 or so, her hair being red in a hue just slightly darker than her mother's, her eyes having the shape of his, though the color was an exact match for the mother's. She had a few freckles atop her small, button nose, and her mouth was spread into an enormous smile, showing the fact that one of her front teeth were missing.
Shindo's finger trailed along the face of his wife, his tone reverent as he muttered.
"You were always so radiant, Lilah..."
That reverence turned into murderous hatred as he spoke.
"Until those Freaks took you away from me... From US... Kayoko... She cried for weeks on end after you were gone."
His breath hitched for an instant as his mind went back to the video he had shown the people in the room.
"The things I've done... I'm sure you would've hated them. You would've been disgusted by them, by me, but... If it means that I can keep the best gift you've ever given me... Our baby girl... Safe... Then I wouldn't mind becoming the world's enemy."
Closing his eyes and taking a fortifying breath, Shindo finished packing his case before making his way out of the office. He stopped at the door, his fist clenched as he spoke with conviction.
"I will protect humanity, no matter the cost! HUMANITAS!"
He flicked the lights off before leaving the room, the last sliver of light that trickled into it being swallowed entirely by darkness as the door was closed.
"HAH!"
Issei exhaled noisily as he bench-pressed a steel girder, his teeth gritted and his bare chest covered in sweat. Seated atop a cement cylinder a few feet beside him, Lilith watched her boyfriend pushing himself hard. Since he didn't bother trying to hide his emotions from her, trusting her not to pry into real private matters, Lilith was used to constantly feeling his superficial emotions - and appreciating the bursts of affection he sent her way whenever he noticed her looking - and she didn't know what to do about the emotions she could detect at this moment.
She could feel stubborn pride, mixed with assertiveness, a protective feeling centered primarily on her... But she could also feel a deep anger, something somewhat akin to hatred, except... Not. It wasn't hatred. She wasn't even 100% sure it was anger. However, it was similar to both. Feeling such conflicting emotions from someone usually as straightforward as Issei... And worse, feeling these complicated emotions on the surface of his thoughts, rather than at a deeper layer... Lilith was worried about her boyfriend. Deciding that she had to do something, she spoke up.
"Issei."
The brunet - with a single purple bang - finished the last 3 reps of his workout of the morning before tossing the girder aside, his eyes noticing the indents on the steel around the areas he had gripped.
He lifted himself up from the stack of girders he had dragged into place to act as a bench, using his tank top to wipe the sweat off of his body as he turned his focus entirely onto Lilith.
The succubus managed to - with some difficulty - ignore the delectable sight of his body, clearing her throat before speaking up.
"Is there something wrong, Issei? Something that you may wish to talk about?"
The young man blinked at the question, his arm still moving the tank top around his body as he wiped himself from the sweat, an attempt at gaining some time to think.
He wrung the top dry, wrinkling his nose at the amount of sweat that came out, before putting his sweat suit's jacket back on, settling on carrying the top by hand. Taking in a deep breath, he turned towards Lilith, his gaze meeting hers as he spoke.
"I'm thinking about something that happened at school."
Seeing the curious and interested tilt of the head Lilith favored him with, Issei sighed out loud, before speaking up.
"There's this guy at school... Well, myself, Motohama, Matsuda, Aika, and Akeno were just relaxing together during lunch period, talking and joking, until this jerkass shows up. He starts saying some tripe about 'lady' this, and 'fiend' that, and I pretty much brushed it off.
"That is, until he mentioned you. The bastard said that he'd take you from me."
Lilith felt a chill running down her spine at Issei's dark tone, biting the inside of her cheek to keep herself from jumping him and interrupting their moment. Unaware of her thoughts, Issei kept speaking.
"When he said that, I felt like breaking all of his bones and grinding him into dust. Rending him down to the base components of his body before disintegrating him with the awesome power of thunder and lightning."
The pressure that Issei was putting out was extremely intense, and to most people around it would have lead to them going down to their knees, a crushing weight akin to multiplied gravity keeping them there. To Lilith, however, it felt like a warm blanket wrapping around her and filling every part of her. Her horns manifested themselves, as did her tail, while she bit down on her lip, her mind forcing her thighs still lest they rub together.
The brunette's eyes lost their intensity in an instant, the pressure disappearing so suddenly that Lilith's emotions suffered whiplash. She shook her head clear of the fuzz, refocusing on her pensive-looking boyfriend.
Issei let out a weary breath, before speaking again.
"However... It feels wrong. I mean, this guy, Motoyasu... He's a complete Jerkass. An asshole. That's a fact.
"But he's not a monster. He's not someone who warrants taking care of in a more permanent basis."
He leaned back onto the bright yellow cement cylinder with his arms crossed, brow furrowed thoughtfully as he spoke.
"I'm feeling really confused. I wholeheartedly want to beat the crap outta him. Part of me wants to go further than just that though, while my rational mind knows that it would be beyond the line."
"Isn't the problem obvious?"
Both Issei and Lilith looked down at the back of his left hand, a green glow appearing there while Ddraigs voice made itself heard.
"Your human side and your dragon side are in a disagreement. Your human self wants to beat him up and thinks that's enough, but your dragon self wants to eliminate a threat in a permanent manner, to make an example out of him for any future challengers."
"What?" Issei said in a surprised tone "But that guy is nowhere near a real threat! He's an annoyance at worst!"
"But you can't help but equate him to a threat."
Issei turned towards Lilith, while the girl felt as if Ddraigs attention, too, had shifted onto her.
"I think that you're still raw from what happened to me. The whole situation with... Travis."
The way Lilith said that name was as if she had been spitting out raw sewage, while the thoughts that ran through Issei's mind in response to it were things that, if exteriorized, would have led to a standing ovation for Issei from the spanish inquisition. Unheeding of this, she spoke on.
"Travis, no matter how much we may wish not to acknowledge it, and regardless of how much you currently outclass him, actually posed a credible threat. He managed to kidnap me on home turf, in the presence of yourself, my mother, Xinthia and Luxurian soldiers.
"He had proper infrastructures built to qualify as a lair, with even henchmen of various types and hired mercs.
"According to what my mother told me of the end result of the whole thing, he apparently had some sort of benefactor that organized all of these things for him, plus a mutant monster empowered with a relic of an old god, then used said relic to possess his former henchwoman turned enemy, summoned a blood god, and then empowered himself to ultimate class.
"He was dangerous, and we both know it. This Motoyasu person is nowhere near as dangerous as him, yet what he said created a link between the two in your mind.
"Part of you is projecting Travis onto him, while the rest of you knows how much of a ridiculous premise this is, and is rejecting the knee-jerk reaction of obliterating him."
Issei's eyes widened as things clicked into place. The reason why he went from amused to annoyed, and then jumped instantly to apoplectic was because he drew parallels between the Jerkass and the Monster.
Lilith kept on.
"We both know you, though, Issei. You're not the type of person who will give an asshole the same treatment you would a monster."
The brunet exhaled at that, his tense shoulders relaxing as he turned a smile towards the purplette.
"Ain't your opinion of me a little bit too high?"
Smiling cheerfully, the girl answered with a "Nope!", popping the 'p' for emphasis.
Chuckling, Issei pulled Lilith into a hug, his head resting atop her own. He enjoyed the softness of her body, and the way she wrapped her arms around him.
"Guess it's time for me to go, before I'm forced to watch the two of you humping one-another."
Ddraigs words broke the magic of the moment, causing the two to separate with sheepish smiles, before Lilith tweaked her nose, her voice as noticeably teasing as the smirk on her face as she spoke.
"You really need a shower."
Issei responded by pelting the girl with his dirty tank top, which elicited a yelp from Lilith, before running away from her and towards his home, loud, exaggerated cackling following after.
The purplette chased after him in mock anger, waving her fist in the air in exaggerated motions. Inside, however, she was smiling. Seeing her boyfriend unburdened by conflicting emotions as a consequence of her words and actions made her feel much better.
Truth is, Lilith herself had some negative feelings from the whole Travis thing. While most of her problems were quite easily overcome with plenty of loving from Issei, and the company of her mother, Xinthia and Jackie/Hylda, the true thing that stuck with her was just how useless she felt during that whole thing.
She was unable to do anything other than wait for Issei to rescue her, and while she was right in her absolute certainty that Issei would be there to save her, she still felt... Useless. Powerless. Especially when she heard about Jackie/Hyldas contribution to the 'Lilith Rescuing' effort.
She never again wanted to feel as helpless as she did during that time period. She had talked to her mother and Xinthia, and the two of them had helped her improve in certain aspects that she was now confident in, despite the fact that they were unneeded so far - after all, it is better to have but not need, than to need but not have - however, the knowledge that she could help ease Issei's burdens, however slight they were, made her extremely happy, and proud of herself.
She was not going to be a burden. She was not going to be left behind. She would stand right beside her man, as would the rest of his harem.
She would make sure of it.
"If that's such a big problem, then why don't you just move out?"
"Because, Jun... Actually, yeah, why don't you move out?"
Issei, clad in his work apron, gave both Jun and Kuno, the two guys that were talking to him, an unamused look, before speaking in a slow tone one would use to explain things to children.
"Because moving out costs money."
Kuno snorted at that, putting down his beer before responding.
"What're you complaining over money about? I spend enough time here to know you're making an absolute killing off of tips alone, especially whenever some guy has their girlfriend around and wants to look richer to her by tossing around stacks.
"Plus, Ginei gave me a general estimate about his pay, which wasn't anywhere near insignificant, and you've been working overtime on the weekends.
"You may not be rich rich, but you're definitely rolling in the dough. Hell, based on my estimates, you earn more than the average middle-class family, all on your own!"
Jun, and more than a handful of patrons who were completely unaware of just how much money Issei was making, turned towards the brunet - with a purple bang - in tandem, wide-eyed and gaping-mouthed, while Issei 'lightly' bonked Kuno across the head with the plastic tray, before responding.
"The only reason why you think the money I have is enough is because your aspirations are nowhere near as high as my own."
Issei leaned back onto a table, a flame igniting behind his eyes as he spoke, his voice full of conviction.
"I have a dream! I dream of the most magnificent harem in the history of humanity, one with a proper balance between number and quality, where each and every member shares their heart fully and equally with myself, and with one-another!
"A real family, created with a basis on bonds of affection, both emotional and physical, and consolidated on the basis of the Marital Arts!
"However, for this dream to be fulfilled, certain conditions have to be met! Amongst these conditions there is an appropriate living space, a home wherein everyone can choose to perform any activities they wish to together, while still having the ability and possibility of carving out their own niche for privacy, and their alone time!
"A home where comfort and entertainment are mutually assured, in various forms!
"Pools! Jacuzzis! Sports fields! Gardens! Large front and backyards! A large home with many bedrooms! Media room! Games room! Garage! Pool! Home gym and spa!
"A home that can host visitors, and a home that you can raise however many children you wish to have in!
"My dream... Is to build myself... THE PLAYDRAGON MANSION!"
By the end of his speech, Issei found himself winded, his chest heaving as he regained his breath.
Then, the clapping started.
It was slow at first, but soon enough, the majority of the people in the bar, primarily the single people, were giving Issei a massive ovation, with a few even shedding emotional tears.
Many of these men once had aspirations as high as Issei's, dreams of large homes and harems. Life, however, took it away from many of them. Many things happened that ended up taking that drive, that flame from within them, to make them see the True Harem Plan as nothing more than an Utopia, an unachievable dream in a cruel world that did its best to chew on the hopeful and optimistic, and spit them out as jaded individuals.
Issei, however, was unlike them. Issei had within him a flame, a fire that burnt strong, pushing him ever further towards his goal. No fear. No hesitation. To him, the True Harem Plan was more than just a far off fantasy, something that men achieved only within the best of their dreams, the ones which would result in pangs of loss once they were lost to the cruel realities of the waking world.
To Issei, it was 'Harem or Die', and Issei sure as hell didn't plan on dying soon.
The brunet, winding down from his passionate speech, kept on explaining his thought process.
"You guys understand what I wish to achieve, no? And I'm sure you understand just how much money it will cost me. Just buying a plot of land big enough will cost me a small fortune!
"Deposit check. Utilities. Furniture. Internet. Telephone coverage. Food costs. Laundry costs. Miscellaneous day to day things, such as napkins, paper towels, towels proper. Hygiene products such as soap, shampoo, and so on and so forth.
"Each and every one of these things would be an added expense to be paid. An expense that I don't have to deal with for as long as I live with my parents.
"That is why I don't move out right now. My wallet is nowhere near prepared for the effort."
Jun, wiping tears of emotion from his face, slapped two 10,000 Yen notes on the table before calling out.
"Dragon-san! Please get me a beer, and keep the change!"
The same phenomenon occurred throughout the rest of the bar, the many hardened delinquents, criminals and yakuza being deeply moved by the boy's determination to achieve his noble dream. In a move of solidarity, they made cheap orders while paying with absurd amounts just to help the young man reach his full potential.
Issei did not miss this, emotional tears building up in the corner of his eyes as he took everyone's orders, a massive smile on his face as he did.
Behind the counter, Andre could only chuckle lightly as he wiped a glass dry.
"Those absolute idiots."
Daichi, who was close enough to listen to his uncle, pretended not to see as he wiped a tear from the corner of his eye while mumbling about dust getting into his eye.
Once again, love and harems resulted in the best of mankind showing itself.
"I hope you're ready to get the asskicking of your life, Hyoudou!"
Issei and Motoyasu stood across each other, both clad in Karate gi - Issei only as per the instructions of Tsubaki, who had been elected as the referee - with Motoyasu proudly displaying his black belt, while Issei had a white belt shoved into his hands by another of the Karate club members, likely an attempt at demoralizing him, a rudimentary mind game.
Issei however, completely shrugged it off, focusing more on properly putting on his gi, taping his hands up, and putting on the sparring gloves he had been given.
They had been offered headgear as well, but both of them refused it for the exact same reason, funnily enough.
Neither of them felt as if they needed it.
Only one of them was right, though. Guess which one it is.
Their battle was originally meant to occur in the Karate clubs dojo, however, the student turnout rate was much too high, so they ended up moving the fight to the auditorium, laying down some padding in the middle of the structure so that everyone could see the action properly.
Tsubaki, the referee, was discussing something with Sona in hushed tones, while each of the fighters got ready using their own methods.
Motoyasu shadowboxed, executing some of his most complex blows, once again, in an attempt at pressuring Issei due to his lack of Martial Arts education.
If only he knew that Issei only lacked formal Martial Arts training, then perhaps things could have gone differently.
The brunet - with a single purple bang - for his part simply did a few basic stretches, limbering and loosening himself up for the fight to come.
He could hear Motohama, Matsuda, surprisingly enough, Aika, and, even more surprising, Akeno, shouting at him to 'Kick the crap out of that bottle-blond jerk!'. Smirking in amusement, Issei sent a thumbs up their way, before Tsubaki moved towards the center of the mat, signaling the crowd to go silent, and getting everybody's focus to turn towards her.
"This match, which was originally meant to be an unsanctioned brawl between two students of Kuoh, has been turned into a legitimate one in order to minimize the health risks to those involved.
"In order for this to be achieved, a number of conditions and rules have been set.
"This match finishes when either fighter reaches 10 points, or forces the other into unconsciousness, or submission.
"Points are gained via successful, significantly-damaging blows. Regular blows grant one point, while critical blows grant two. I, as the referee, will be keeping track of the points. I will dictate whether a blow is significant enough to count as a point, and what blows count as regular or critical.
"Other than these basic conditions, the fight stops if I say it stops.
"Have the fighters understood?"
Motoyasu nodded at Tsubaki while Issei gave her a thumbs up, prompting the girl to raise her hands.
"Fighters ready?"
Motoyasu nodded, leaning onto the balls of his feet, while Issei simply stood there, relaxed, his face relaxed, his gaze fixed onto Motoyasu searchingly, as if he were trying to find the answer to something or another.
"Fight."
Motoyasu shot off towards Issei barely a second after Tsubaki took a step back and let her hands fall, leading off with a right punch.
Issei watched the motion that was, by most human metrics, fast, yet it felt... Slow. To him, the blond looked as if he were wading through molasses.
Issei reacted by leaning his head to the side, allowing the fist to travel past his face.
Motoyasu, for his part, didn't hesitate. He pulled his right fist back even as he shot off his left one, trying to use his still-outstretched right arm to keep Issei's head trapped while his left one went on a direct course with the brunet's face.
His eyes lit up with glee as he watched his fist moving forward, barely a finger's length away from smashing into Issei's nose.
'First poin-!'
He, more than anyone else, was surprised when his fist hit nothing, causing him to overbalance. Issei, who had crouched, tapped Motoyasu's leg just hard enough to cause him to take a small tumble onto the mat.
However, neither Issei's tap, nor Motoyasu's fall were significant enough to warrant a point.
Motoyasu hopped back to his feet, humiliation-caused anger flaring within his eyes as they settled on the still relaxed Issei.
Motoyasu's pride was hurt twice over by Issei, once due to the fact that the brunette caused him to take such a pitiful fall, and twice because he did not capitalize on it.
'It's as if he doesn't even consider me a threat!'
Coincidentally enough, that was the truth of the matter.
Motoyasu shot off towards Issei again, releasing a barrage of punches and kicks that the majority of the watching student body found terrifying, that even members of both the Karate club, and other combat sports would consider fierce, however Issei reacted by simply dodging each and every one of them.
Punch? Dodged.
Kick? Dodged.
Feint? Anticipated, real strike dodged.
No matter what sort of move or combination Motoyasu used, Issei simply dodged all of them with the utmost ease, an almost bored look in his eyes.
Motoyasu, humiliated both as a man and as a martial artist, decided to try to hurt Issei with his words.
"What's the matter, Hyoudou? Why don't you do anything other than dodge? Are you only good at running away? Are you a coward?"
His taunting riled up the other students, causing them to jeer at Issei. The jeering gave him some of his confidence back, causing a smile to spread out on his face. He opened his mouth, intent on continuing-
"Nothing you've done so far has convinced me to actually attack you. It'd be a waste of effort."
The crowd was silenced in an instant, while Issei's own group cheered loudly. Akeno, always a fan of sadism and humiliation, thoroughly enjoyed this.
Motoyasu, on the other hand, did not enjoy it. Not even a little bit.
You could measure how much he didn't enjoy the joke simply by looking at him, as you'd notice how hard he was gritting and grinding his teeth, his eyes wide and wild, and his fists shaking in anger.
"YOU BASTARD!"
He threw himself at Issei, completely overlooking his flashy and complex moves in order to focus his complete strength, speed, and savagery on simple, more reliable moves.
Unfortunately for him, Issei kept dodging, showing literally no intent to counter him, which just made him angrier.
"WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!? YOU'RE NOTHING MORE THAN SCUM! PERVERTED SCUM, NOT FIT TO TASTE THE BOTTOM OF MY SHOES! SCUM LIKE YOU ARE MEANT TO FALL TO COOL GUYS LIKE ME! THAT'S HOW THINGS ARE! THAT'S HOW THE WORLD WORKS!"
His rant had effectively silenced the entirety of the school once again, while his disparaging comments about Issei drew pronounced negative expressions from some. Motohama and Matsuda shouted out threats, Aika constantly and continuously casting aspersions over his manhood, and Akeno smiling at him.
Menacingly.
Even Sona could barely contain her frown at that.
Issei, for his part, kept dodging at a wholly unconcerned pace, his face as calm as that of someone enjoying a summer breeze on their front porch.
"FIGHT ME, YOU COWARD! STOP RUNNING AWAY! STOP LOOKING DOWN ON ME, GODDAMNIT!"
Aika noticed the way that Akeno jumped lightly when Motoyasu said the last word, but she simply shrugged it off and refocused on the 'fight'.
Issei, completely ignoring Motoyasu's words, kept dodging every blow from him.
"A COWARD LIKE YOU DOESN'T GET TO HAVE A BEAUTIFUL GIRLFRIEND! I'LL SHOW THAT GIRL OF YOURS A REAL MA-"
Motoyasu was interrupted by a slap to the face.
It wasn't a hard slap. It didn't instantly knock him out, or even down. It was simply hard enough to cause him to freeze in surprise, as well as everyone else in the room.
Motoyasu raised his hand to his face, showing complete disbelief at the fact that he had just been slapped on the face, while Issei simply kept watching him.
Tsubaki, noticing that the slap didn't really do much more than stun Motoyasu, and that Issei seemed to deliberately not go for a follow through, decided that it wasn't significant enough to warrant a point, especially when Issei's slap was performed while wearing a padded glove that made it hard to properly splay his hand for a slap, with added tape underneath as extra padding.
"HOW DARE Y-"
Motoyasu found himself interrupted by another slap.
"RAAAAGHHH!"
He cried out in anger, dashing at Issei in an attempt at delivering a high kick, only for Issei to dodge... And smack him on the face.
Again and again this pattern repeated, Motoyasu getting angrier and angrier, while Issei dodged and countered with a slap to the face, all being watched by a silent audience.
Soon enough, Issei seemed to get bored of the whole ordeal, sighing out loud before speaking up.
"Okay, here's the deal. I got really, really angry at you when you said those things you did. It was wrong of me to do so. Stupid as well. You don't get mad at the bird for flying, do you? Do you get mad at the mouse for scurrying?
"Do you get mad at the worm for writhing in the earth?"
Motoyasu's face got redder and redder with each word Issei said, even as Akeno's eyes got more and more glazed.
"No, you don't get mad at them for doing those things, because that's just what they do. It's in their nature, who and what they are.
"And what you are... Is envious of me. However, it is quite natural.
"I'm smarter than you. I'm better-looking than you. I'm stronger than you. I am constantly surrounded by loyal friends and beautiful women.
"I talked to Lilith, my girlfriend, about this, and she made me understand that I don't hate you.
"No. The only thing that I can feel for someone like you... Is Pity."
By now Akeno was all but drooling, her hungry gaze locked completely onto Issei.
Sona, on the other hand, was off in her imagination world, watching as a roguishly dashing, sparkle-surrounded Issei looked down upon a less-handsome, and not at all sparkling evil knight from another kingdom, delivering the same speech to him.
Motoyasu's emotions, on the other hand, were completely different. His fury had reached an all time high. Fueled by raw, burning anger, he threw himself at Issei with a clenched, pulled back fist, forgetting about his years of training and his black belt.
Issei, however, had other plans.
He had finally managed to understand what he felt towards Motoyasu after watching him flailing helplessly against him, with the conversation he had with Ddraig and Lilith in the back of his mind, so he decided to close this very minor, almost insignificant chapter in the book of his life.
Before Motoyasu had travelled half the distance originally between the two of them, Issei had already appeared within his guard.
He managed to notice the shock in Motoyasu's eyes overriding his anger, before he struck.
Punch to the chest, one point.
Rising palm strike to the chin, one point.
Kick to the knee, one point, with the bonus of causing Motoyasu to fall down to said knee.
Pulling him into a clinch, Issei kneed his face hard, twice. Two points apiece.
Knee to the gut, one point.
He then finished by gripping Motoyasu's gi by the chest and shoulder, planting his feet before pulling with his arms, turning with his waist, twisting his hips, and pulling the blond's body over his shoulder in a perfect rendition of a shoulder toss, slamming him into the mat hard enough to knock the breath out of him, and causing his eyes to swim groggily.
"Match! Victory, Hyoudou!"
A few moments of silence passed through the entire auditorium, various people reacting to the end result of the fight in different ways.
Motohama, Matsuda and Aika unreservedly cheered Issei on, with Aika singing praises about his manliness.
Akeno looked at the brunet - with a single purple bang - the same way a hungry lioness looked at a baby gazelle, only with even more drool and chop-licking involved, which was only hidden due to her placing her sleeve atop her mouth. That didn't do anything about her eyes, though.
Sona's imaginary version of Issei gained even more sparkles around it, the previously indistinct purple background with blooming roses gaining new patterns, and the roses becoming animated, blooming in a looped fashion.
Rias felt simultaneously as if her opinion on the similarities between Issei and... Him... were confirmed, while being forced to acknowledge his fighting skills as extremely impressive for a human. She couldn't help but think to herself about how strong he would be if he were a devil. Said thought planted an idea within her mind.
'Perhaps I could!... No, no. I'll keep track of him, try to keep it as a possible option, but as a last resort. Yes, that makes sense.'
Issei looked down on the defeated Motoyasu, before speaking.
"Motoyasu. Right now... You're weak. I don't mean combat-wise. While I may be stronger than you, you're still a black-belt at 15. No. What I mean by you being weak is the fact that you're lazy and spiteful.
"You see someone in a position that is better than yours, and rather than trying to get better to catch up with, or overcome them, you do the opposite.
"You envy them, you try to drag them down to the same level as yourself, so that you can try to steal the parts of them that you love for yourself.
"But you can be better than that, Motoyasu. You just need to admit to your faults, and work on changing them."
Having said that, Issei stretched a hand out for Motoyasu, while the auditorium held its breath.
Motoyasu looked at Issei's hand blankly, before his face contorted into a sneer as he slapped it away.
Sighing, Issei spoke.
"Your choice, Motoyasu. But do remember. I've already dealt with you once. If you try to come after me and mine..."
Motoyasu, who was meeting Issei's gaze straight-on, saw what seemed to be a mirage, a massive pair of green eyes suspended behind Issei, with a massive maw full of wicked teeth right below them, spread in a facsimile of a grin towards him.
"I will hurt you."
The mirage disappeared as fast as it had appeared, while Issei turned his back on Motoyasu and started walking towards the exit, the crowd parting for him like the red sea.
After his display, no one, not even his friends, took the initiative to follow after him, all of them still taking in the events that had occurred.
"HAH!"
Once again, Issei found himself in the abandoned construction site, punching steel girders.
The small spat he had with Motoyasu had been unsatisfactory, so he decided to release some tension by beating the crap out of construction equipment.
Exhaling after the latest steel-denting blow of his, Issei's eyes narrowed as he felt more than heard a small breeze flowing through the construction site.
*BOOM!*
Issei watched the smoke cloud from the area he vacated in a bout of high-speed movement slowly dissipating. He spotted a set of furrows dug into the ground, before his eyes moved towards the shadows of unfinished building.
"So, you're the one who's been stalking me this whole week huh?"
-Chapter, End!-