Part 1
After the boy named Connla delivered us the envelope, we didn't had time to talk to anyone from the ORC or contact Liliana
"Hey, what are you two waiting for? We don't have all day!"
Our friends call out to us, the other students are currently leaving the station and we're falling behind
"We're going!" - I sign to them and turn to Ayumu
"We'll have to deal with this when we're in the hotel, discussing it now is a no go"
She nods
"It better be as quickly as possible though, also, we should give Liliana a heads up"
I agree with her, despite her apparent animosity towards Liliana, when Ayumu is serious she can leave those feelings aside pretty fast. Not a surprise, she's into this lifestyle almost as long as I am after all.
Turns out that the hotel all the students will be staying is only a few minutes walk away from the Kyoto station and the name of the hotel is...
"Kyoto Sirzechs hotel?"
"Hey Tachan..."
I nod
"Yeah, that's his name"
Rias's brother name... the current Maou Lucifer...
"So the hotel we are staying at belongs to them..."
Ayumu says with some anger in her voice
"Yeah and look over there"
I point to a nearby construction where the 'Serafall Kyoto Hotel' is being built
"Kyoto really is a city dominated by supernatural existences, huh?"
Ayumu says, more concerned that angered now
As much as I could say Ayumu's grudge is showing, I somehow feel concern course through my body as well.
That's why the Esper Community hasn't been able to stablish bases here...
Even though this should be good since we're trying to be allies of the supernatural existences, being wary of them still seems to be a reflex, after years being concerned and antagonizing supernatural existences, being in their territory will get a reaction out of you, whether you want it or not.
Overcoming the initial shock, we got inside the hotel, showed our student IDs and were given detailed instructions by the staff.
In the luxurious lobby, the students were in awe
"Woaahh! Are we really staying here?"
"That's probably... no, it is the most luxurious place I've ever been in"
"Kuoh Academy really is something else..."
Our trio of friends is talking, Kanae and Koji are even taking pictures of the lobby
"Is it really that much?" - Ayumu asks me in a whisper
I nod, I'll give credit to the Maous, even for Ayumu and me this is fancy, but it's still far from the most luxurious place we've ever been lodged. Well, I guess a 5 star accomodation would be too much, even for Kuoh Academy.
Actually, this place lacks a lot even compared to my own house... well, not that my house can ever be considered average by any means...
They had the students in the lobby sit down while Rossweisse, Azazel and the other teachers that came with us were discussing something before addressing us
Each teacher gave an announcement, standard stuff.
Untill Rossweisse's turn...
"There is a 100 yen shop in the underground shopping centre of Kyoto. If you need anything, please go there. You can never be too careful with your pocket money. If you start being a big spender in your student years, you will grow up into an unreliable adult. Money is what makes the world flow. If you buy everything you want, you will run out of money soon. So please, settle for the 100 yen shop - the 100 yen shop is Japan's treasure."
I slap my face hard, 100 yen shops!? What the hell is this?!
Looking over, Azazel is also face-palming, most students are even laughing at the sudden speech
"Tachan, is that devil really that bad financially?"
I shake my head
"She works for Rias, there's no way she's in such dire situation, I think this woman just is a huge cheapskate"
Seriously, how can you think that living out of 100 yen stores is a healthy lifestyle?
After the embarassing speech ended, another teacher gave the final declarations and we were finally given the keys to our rooms
When Issei received his key, Azazel cackled a little. We were split into duos, every duo received large western rooms with two large beds and a full view of Kyoto's scenery
"Woah! It's amazing!"
The students exclamated
Boys and girls are separate, so Ayumu isn't with me right now, I heard there's an uneven number of girls, but Kanae is trying to make the teachers give in and let Ayumu sleep in the same room as her and her friend from the Morals Committee.
The number of boys is even and Issei was supposed to be paired with me, however, we managed to make some slight changes...
Only our rooms were in another floor. Issei said he had a bad feeling about this, but I had too much in my head to worry about this.
Once we reached the room and opened the door, Issei's expression deflated
"W-w-w-what is thisssss?!"
I looked at him, didn't the Gremory's warned him?
The room was... well, poor, there's no other word to describe it.
"Hey, why is Kageyama-kun staying in a room like this?!"
It was smaller than the other rooms, with no beds, only sheets and it was the only room in eastern style. The view of Kyoto was also minimal, with only two small windows. My room was in the opposite end of the corridor, but it was most likely the exact same thing.
The lack of luxury doesn't really bother me since this was done due to strategic reasons.
I need to have a room of my own to plan and in case I need to host members of the Hero Faction, Ayumu will be receiving a room just like this in the girl's end of the hotel. Kanae will probably be disappointed since that means they won't be together even if she argues about it.
The devils also needed one to host their meetings and it couldn't be the same mine's or Ayumu's for obvious reasons. However, it seems that no one warned him beforehand...
"Hahahahaha! Sucks to be you, Issei!"
Matsuda bursted into laughter while Motohama, while holding his own laugh, tried to analyze the situation.
"Not only you'll be sharing a room in the same floor as Kageyama, you also ended up with this room! Is this the sign of some sort of budget allocation?"
I pulled him by the ear
"Hey! Is there any trouble in staying in the same floor as me?!"
"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! I'm sorryyyyy!"
Motohama got scared and left
Matsuda stopped his laughing burst and looked at me nervously
"Got something you wanna say too?"
"Eeeeeekkk!"
He screeches and leaves right behind
"Tsk"
I click my tongue
"But this is really something..."
"Yeah, why did Tatseyo ended up in the same kind of bedroom as Issei of all people?"
Eizo and Koji ask Rossweisse, who's with us alongside Azazel. I asked him to come with us because I wanted to show him the envelope that the member of the Hero Faction had given me. I'm just waiting for Koji and Eizo to leave so we can finally discuss it.
But to think these two are actually worried about me instead of mocking it like Matsuda and Motohama, I really have good friends!
I look at Issei with a winning expression
"Why do I feel like you're looking down on me?"
He answers.
"E-eh... you see..."
Rossweisse starts stumbling over her own words.
Wait... don't tell me you reserved these rooms for us without even thinking of a proper explanation to give to the students?
I look at Azazel, surely this guy must have come up with something.
"Hey, Azazel..."
"Ah, I wonder what should I have for dinner..."
"Azazel-sensei..."
"Kyoto's cuisine sure is good..."
"Azazel!"
This idiot is pretending like I'm not even speaking to him! Don't tell me they not only didn't warned Issei beforehand, but they also didn't even bother to come up with an excuse for this!
I face-palm and look inside the room. I better come up with something... and it's gotta be fast.
I put my hands in pose and reply
"No, actually... this is perfect"
"Eh? What? Perfect?"
Both say in suprise as I put my hand under my chin as if I'm analyzing a painting
"To think that Kuoh would do such a good job in attending to my desires, such a great school!"
I say as if I'm emotional
"W-what desire?"
Eizo asks and I answer with a hand in front of my mouth
"I said that when in Kyoto, I wanted to be able to experience the true traditional japanese lifestyle. This is... exactly what I wanted... truly, I'm so grateful to have joined Kuoh Academy!"
They look at each other
"W-what the hell are you talkin-"
Eizo starts to speak, but Koji puts a hand on his shoulder
"Don't try to understand it, Eizo. The minds of rich people are on a level of their own"
Eizo shakes a little and answers nervously
"Indeed, I don't think I'll ever understand the minds of the higher-class"
At least my status as the rich kid of our group is doing us some good now...
After they leave and just the four of us are left in the group, I turn to Azazel and Rossweisse
"Really? You didn't warn him?"
She nods embarassed
"W-we forgot to..."
I facepalm
"Forget about that! Am I really going to stay here?"
Issei says, desilusioned
Rossweisse placed a hand on his shoulder and said
"I'm sorry Issei, but please endure"
I nod
"Me and Ayumu's rooms are just like yours, but we can't have the Gremory and Sitri gathering in the same room we expect to receive members of the Hero Faction"
He agrees halfheartedly, the disappointment in his eyes still obvious.
"Well, that aside, you said you had something important to show us, what was it?"
Azazel asks
"Oh yeah!"
I nod and pull out the envelope given to me by Connla and from the inside I took out a letter.
On the letter was a magical seal of sorts with an introduction that seemed to have been written by the leader of the Hero Faction, the descendant of the legendary hero, Cao Cao.
[Greetings, Tatseyo Kageyama-dono and Miss Ayumu Yatsushiro. I, Cao Cao, from the Hero Faction, am delighted and humbled to invite you to join us in our most recent work against the forces of evil that prey upon this world. We urge you to wait for further contact and accept our invitation to give us a chance to prove our value.]
"It's almost like he's putting himself in a subservant position to you, how strange..."
Rossweisse says and Azazel places a hand on his chin
"Not quite... Tatseyo has showed strength superior to that of an ultimate class devil and Yatsushiro was strong enough to fight on the same level as Vali. Both would be game changers for them, it's only natural to treat someone powerful that you want on your side like this, even if they are younger than you."
He answers and both Rossweisse and Issei nod
"Game changers... what do you think they want you to do, Tatseyo?"
Issei asks nervously, I can only shake my head
"No idea, we weren't even expecting to be approached by them so easily, it threw our plans out of the window. And while it is good that we got to be invited sooner and easier than expected, it's also bad that they made the first move... and that we didn't saw it coming"
Azazel nods
"Well, sulking over it won't change things, we might as well wait for what they will do next."
I wide my eyes in surprise
"W-wait for them?"
All three look back at me confused
"Yeah, what did you expect?"
"To do something! We're just going to lay around waiting for their next move? What if they're acting now?!"
"H-hey, Tatseyo, calm down"
Issei calls me out
"You seem to be way too nervous"
Rossweisse says
Azazel, looking at the situation, sighs
"I think I know what's going through your head... all this plan was supposed to give us the initiative over them, but it seems like we're losing it right from the start, however..."
He raises his hands and shrugs
"Sometimes that's how things gotta be"
"W-what?"
He places a hand over my shoulder
"Look, I know you want to take down the Hero Faction as quickly as possible and, believe me, I want it just as much as you do. But we won't get anything by worrying over things outside of our control."
He smiles at me while giving a thumbs up
"You worry about the plans for when you have infiltrated then. Let me and the rest of the grown ups handle the rest, if anything comes up, I promise you'll be the first to know. Meanwhile, you kids enjoy Kyoto! This is your school trip, you know? Try to make some good memories in school while you can!"
I look at Azazel's face for a moment and then turn to look at both Rossweisse and Issei, who are smilling at me.
"Eh, who would have thought that a sleazy governor and teacher like you could actually have a responsible side like this..."
He laughs
"Hahahaha! I'll take that as a compliment, so, are you going to try and enjoy the trip?"
I nod
"I'll try, Ayumu is probably nervous too... I asked for her to tell about the message to the others, so they should be on the same page as us"
They nod and Azazel looks at his watch
"Uhm, it's still early, if I leave now I can still have some fun with the maiko"
Aaaaaaand the normal Azazel is back...
The shaddy governor of the fallen angels leaves trying to leave Rossweisse behind as she goes after him giving a scolding.
I turn to Issei
"So, what are you doing now?" - He asks me
"Probably gather around with Ayumu and the others, they should have unpacked their stuff already, what about you?"
"I think I'll gather those two idiots and the girls so we can go sightseeing"
I wave goodbye to him as he goes to the floor where everyone else is in
"Now, where should we go...?"
Part 2
"Ah! Kyoto's scenery is so beautiful!"
Kanae exclaims
We had finished our schedule for the day, all of the sights and places we visited were decided by our trio of friends, me and Ayumu weren't concerned with that. Honestly, we were just glad we could enjoy at least a day of relaxation before the Hero Faction eventually calls us.
"Hey, are you two okay? You two seem tense"
Eizo calls out to us
"O-oh? It must be your impression..."
I dismiss the subject, however, he was right, turns out that during this trip there were several times in which we noticed a presence staring at us.
Ayumu turns to a corner and then to me, I nod in response
Turns out the youkai in Kyoto are keeping an eye on us.
Liliana had already told us this and we were also told not to do anything, since they were just making sure we weren't threats, but it got us on alert everytime we sensed the youkai's presence.
Thanks to that plus the whole situation we are in, I barely have been able to enjoy this trip. But at least our trio of friends seems to be having a blast.
Once we get back to the hotel, we met with Issei and everyone else from his group for the trip
"Hey, did you had any trouble?"
He shakes his head
"No, everything went well in Fushimi Inari and the others places we went"
"We also went pretty well, still no sign of the Hero Faction, though..."
I take a glance outside
"The youkai have been keeping a pretty close eye on us"
"Yeah, I noticed it too, but Buchou already told us, we are foreigners in their territory after all"
I give a half hearted nod,even if they have their reasons, it's not like I'll feel comfortable with this anytime soon.
"I'll head to my bedroom right now, it's almost time to sleep and I still have to dine, shower and call Liliana to give a report with Ayumu"
He nods
"I should also try to call Buchou and everyone back in Kuoh... well, I'll see you later then!"
I wave at him as I leave, heading towards the hotel's lobby to meet everyone
We gathered to dine in the hotel. We had our fill of the Kyoto cuisine, the food was suberb as expected, even the vegetables tasted different from what I'm used.
However, during the meal, I couldn't help but notice that our friends were staring at me and Ayumu.
Specially considering...
"Uhmm, this tofu is so great! Tachan, open up!"
She says, holding out a piece of tofu on her chopsticks, our friends looking at us, surprised
"W-what?"
Ayumu holds it closer to my face
"C'mon, eat it! Ahhh"
She opens her mouth, mimicking what she wants me to do
"A-Ayumu, I can eat on my own!"
She pouts
"Mou, what's the problem with eating from my chopstick, c'mon, open up!"
As Ayumu's insistence grows, our friends look at us even more suspiciously and I finally give in to her demands
"Yay! How is it?"
She asks, with a wide smile on her face
"G-good..."
Indeed, the tofu here is fantastic, but... why the hell did you had to feed me like this?!
"You two... have been acting strange ever since the start of this trip..."
"Yeah, very suspicious..."
"Is there something the couple wants to talk about?"
I choke on my food
"We're not a couple and there's nothing weird going on! Isn't it right... Ayumu?"
I look over at my friend, Ayumu however, is just shily looking at her food
"C-couple... n-no, we are not..."
She says, just that?!
"Yeah... I see..."
"Definitely suspicious..."
Ahh, why is Ayumu acting like this!?
Part 3
"Ahhhh..."
I breath out as I soak into the warm water
The public baths are open so we decided to use them before heading to our bedrooms
"Kyoto's baths are amazing"
Koji says with a sigh
"Hey, Tatseyo..."
Eizo turns to ask me something
I turn to him, a little bothered by the interruption of this perfect evening bath
"What is it?"
"Are you and Ayumu really not dating?"
I jump in place
"W-w-what!?"
He shrugs
"Dude, I see how you look at each other, also, that scene during dinner, I don't see why you two are denying it"
Koji nods
"Yeah man, we won't be more jealous than we already are"
I shake my head profusely
"W-we're not! We're childhood friends, that's all..."
Both look at each other and then at me
"What about her?"
I answer with a puzzled expression
"Her?"
Eizo facepalms and Koji sighs
"Have you considered she may like you?"
Koji asks me
"...What?"
I dumbfoundedly reply
"Oh my God! How can you be so dense?!"
Eizo says so loudly that the other boys on the bath look over to us
"Calm down Eizo, some people are just sheer stupid with their feelings like that"
Eizo groams
"Poor Ayumu, Kanae is probably doing the same questioning to her too..."
"In her own way..."
Koji completes with a hand on his chin, before turning to me
"Anyway... you should consider it seriously, I think you two would make a good couple"
"True, though expect us to tease you a lot for it!"
Eizo says, laughing
We talked about other things as well, but the conversation was still in my head the whole time
Untill one of the boys says
"Hey, has anyone seem Issei or the rest of the ecchi trio?"
I look around for a few seconds, but no, they are not here
"Strange, everyone should have returned by now"
Says Koji
"Maybe they just decided to shower in their own bathroom?"
I reply, there are bathrooms in each room for us to shower when the public bath isn't open, even in the most simple rooms.
Eizo laughs sarcastically
"As if! If those three stooges aren't here they definitely must be trying to peek into the girl's bath"
"W-what!?"
So something like that can happen? I thought it was just something they made up in manga and comedies.
"Shouldn't we try to stop them?"
I ask, but Koji shakes his head
"The girls from the Kendo club and the student council are there. If those three try anything it's going to be a world of shit for them"
Eizo agrees
"Rossweisse sensei or another female teacher will probably be on guard as well, we don't have to worry"
"I-I see..."
Not to mention Ayumu is there with Kanae, so if any boy tries anything they will...
My eyes wide immediately
"Holy shit! Ayumu's in there!"
I jolt upwards and get out of the bath
"Ta-Tatseyo? Where are you going!?"
"To the entrance of the girl's baths!"
I say, while quickly drying myself off and grabing my clothes
"Are you worried about Ayumu?"
"But the girls will deal with it if the ecchi trio tries anything!"
"I know..."
I reply before rushing over
"... That's what I'm worried about."
I quickly reach the main entrance that gives way to the female baths, however, no one is there.
"Uh? No one"
For a moment, I start to think that perhaps we misjudged them. Maybe the ecchi trio did just decide to shower for themselves in their own rooms.
However, after scouting the place, I start to hear some sounds coming from the emergency staircase
"A battle?"
I follow the magic energy and sure enough, there they are
"Hmph! Your attacks are strong as ever! As long as it's related to sex, you can raise your power to this level...! How ridiculous!"
"If it allows me to witness the naked bodies of the girls in my grade, I will gladly battle to the death with you today!"
"What level of pervertness is this! You! Shouldn't you be satisfied with seeing and feeling Rias-san and Akeno-san's naked bodies virtually every day?"
"That is that! This is this!"
"What! This perverted playboy dragon is hopeless!"
Rossweisse and Issei are having a duel in the staircase, with Rossweisse standing between him and the entrance to the girl's bathroom.
"By the way, even if you get past me, there are the second year Sitri girls guarding against you. As a final resort, we will even let Saji awaken the Dragon King to obstruct you. - No matter what, you will not peek into the girls' bathroom."
What the fuck?! They really are willing to awaken a dragon just to not let Issei peek? Sona really is one scary girl.
Well, it's still not worse than the scenario I imagined...
"You two stop this nonsense, right now!"
I stand between the two and an expression of shock is draw on their faces
"T-Tatseyo?!"
"Kageyama-kun? What are you doing here?"
"I thought Issei and his friends would try to peek at the girl's baths and turns out I was right, but what the hell are the two of you doing?!"
Rossweisse points at Issei and starts talking
"This pervert dragon is trying to spy on the girls baths so I had to fight him to stop it!"
Issei responds
"Stop being so stuck up! If you keep being like this you won't be able to get a boyfriend, you know?"
The silver haired valkyrie goes red at Issei's provocation
"B-b-bo-boyfriend?! Boyfriend is irrelevant! A-a-after all, I am still the virgin former valkyrie! I also want to do erotic things with a handsome boyfriend with a promising future!"
The mention on the word 'boyfriend' seems to have hit a nerve in Rossweisse, as she starts to yell and release magical power from her body
The walls started to shake violently and cracks started to appear on the walls
This crazy woman! She'll release her magical aura here?! It'll wreck the staircase! Maybe the whole building!
Having had enough of it, I raise my hands towards them
"Can the two of you please, STAND THE FUCK DOWN?!"
I force both of them to kneel with my power
"Wuahh! S-sorry!" - Rossweisse apologizes
"W-we'll stop figthing, so please stop!"- Issei asks
I take a deep breath and release both of them
"Damn it! So even Tatseyo will try to stand in my way to savour the girls bodies?"
Issei states with a painful expression while standing up
"That's right! With Kageyama-kun on our side there's no way even a super pervert like you who gains power from ecchi things will be able to cross the door"
They start saying things like this, to which I answer annoyed
"I'm not on your side though?"
At my answer, Rossweisse turns to me, baffled
"K-Kageyama-kun, what do you mean by that?"
I point at Issei
"You can all stop Issei and his friends from spying, but the problems is that if he reaches the girls baths... Actually you could say that I came here to stop Issei and his friends from dying if they were to try and spy on the girls, specially... Ayumu"
Both have puzzled expressions on their faces
""Ayumu?"" - They ask
I nod
"Ayumu is incredibly powerful even for a high class devil to handle, but she has poor self control. If you were to get into the girl's baths, even if the Kendo girls and the Student Council are there to stop you, if Ayumu so much as thinks a peeper is there... You'll be reduced to a pile of ash"
A lump forms on Issei's throat
"I-I see... she was able to fight against Vali too, b-but I won't be discouraged! If it's to get to see the girl's naked bodies then I don't care if I'm reduced to ashes!"
I jump back in disgust, this guy! He already has Rias back in Kuoh, why does he need to spy on naked girls too?
"That's not just it, you idiot! What would happen if Ayumu were to blow her cover?! Burning you down in front of the whole, do you realize how damaging this would be?"
Even after I say this, Issei still seems conflicted
"However, even so... I still want to..."
I facepalm
"Very well... if you won't do it of your own free will..."
Issei makes a stance, preparing for a fight
"I'll make you do it!"
I raise my hands and Issei is lifted in the air
"W-woah! No fair, no faaaaaaaiiiiirrrrrrr"
He yells as I send him back from the door he came from
After this I breath in relieve
"Honestly, what's wrong with him..."
I say as I sit on the stairwell, a heavy sigh scaping my lips as I close my eyes trying to relax
"Thank you, Kageyama-kun"
Rossweisse thanks me and I wave my hand
"Don't mention it, as I said, this was so Ayumu wouldn't turn him into dragon barbecue"
Despite trying to humor myself, my tone of voice still heavy and Rossweisse notices it
"Is everything alright?" - She asks
I nod while placing my hand on my forehead
"Yeah, it's just that things with Ayumu have been weird lately, this combined with the whole thing with the Khaos Brigade..."
I stop mid-sentence and sigh
Rossweisse stays silent for a moment
"I'm probably sounding really pathetic, huh?" - I say with a small ironic laugh
She sits beside me
"I don't think so..."
"Huh?"
I turn to her and she smiles
"You really care about Ayumu-chan, don't you?"
I nod
"We've been together for years, she's the person I trust the most, that's why I asked her help, but... it seems that by doing that I only managed to drift us apart..."
Ayumu's sudden change of behaviour and the way she acts around Liliana, for the first time in years I don't know what's going through her head.
"I think it's a beautiful friendship you two have, you know, if I had someone like that I would definitely not let them go. I would do whatever it takes to keep someone like that with me"
I look at Rossweisse
Let them go... I definitely don't wanna let Ayumu go, never.
I want Ayumu by my side, for as long as we live
As I'm thinking about this, my friend's words come to mind
[What about how Ayumu feels?]
Yes, what does Ayumu want?
And more importantly... what do I want?
I give a tired smile
"You are right, I definitely want Ayumu by my side, whatever it takes, I'll keep her with me."
I reply
"Thanks, Rossweisse sensei, talking to you really helped me"
But to my suprise, Rossweisse starts gathering tears in her eyes
"E-eh? What happened?"
Suddenly, she bursts into tears and starts blabering
"Uhhhhhh! I wish I had a childhood friend like you two have each other! Someone to trust and watch my back, maybe even a handsome guy with a good future so he could be my b-b-b..."
Suddenly this weird valkyrie started going on a rant about boyfriends again! Just when I started to think she was somehow reliable!
"H-hey, calm down!"
I try to cheer her up before I feel a presence approaching the door from where I came from.
I'd recognize this aura anywhere.
"What the hell is going on here?"
Azazel says as he opens the door and sees me trying to comfort the crying valkyrie
I started to fumble around trying to explain
"I-I don't know, we were just talking and she started to cry talking about boyfriends and stuff"
Azazel, apparently used to this, just sighed and facepalmed
"Anyway, I need you guys to come with me, the Student Council were just summoned to a meeting and she requested you to be there as well"
A meeting? Right now?
"Who is 'she'?"
He gives a sly smile and replies
"The cutest Maou Shoujo sama herself"
Part 4
"I can't believe we are going to meet one of the Maous..."
Ayumu says as we approach the restaurant where the meeting is supposed to be
"I couldn't believe when Azazel said it too, but it seems like she's really curious about us ever since Sona talked about our encounter"
And by 'encounter' I mean the time I almost killed them
I give a deep sigh, hope she won't hold a grudge against me. I really don't need a Maou as an enemy right now.
"I wonder what's going on, Azazel suddenly called us out of nowhere..."
Irina asks nervously, I nod
"I'm mostly concerned with why she called me and Ayumu here, a meeting with the Maou, I wonder how she is..."
Azazel called her 'cute', but if it's just appearances then I think mom and Kuriko, two of the strongest women I know, could also be called that, but that doesn't mean their behaviour can't be scary as all hell
"Err, you probably shouldn't worry so much"
Issei says scratching his cheek.
"Eh? What do you mean by it?"
I ask, but he just replies with a troubled look on his face. No, really, I'm even more worried now!
"...The 'Dairaku' restaurant, so Leviathan-sama is in this kind of place."
A member of the group says and I nod
"Yup, it's here"
We walk in with the ORC, passing through the path filled with traditional Japanese atmosphere, a single room appeared.
Opening the door, we see that the the Student Council has already arrived and sat down
And across from them is a cute looking woman with tied up black hair, eyes the same colour as Sona and wearing a really fancy-looking kimono.
"Hello! Sekiryuutei-chan, and servants of Rias-chan, it's been a while!" - She greets Issei and the other members of the ORC with a smile and joyful voice
Saji and the Student Council greet them as well and the members of the ORC quickly go towards the table to take a seat.
However, me and Ayumu stand in front of the doorway, staring at the woman.
"T-this woman... it's her, right?"
I nod nervously
"It has to be, no doubt about it"
Despite her appearance, both me and Ayumu have felt this woman's energy.
Powerful, deadly, definitely stronger than any devil I've met so far.
She's on another level compared to these guys, maybe she's even stronger than me.
Noticing our lack of response, the woman turned to me and Ayumu.
"Uh? Ah, you two must be the esper-kun and esper-chan, right? Please come take a seat"
She signs over to the table and both of us regain our composure
"Y-yes, thank you"
I take a seat on the floor, across from her with Ayumu by my side
"You must be Maou Serafall Leviathan-sama, correct? I am Tatseyo Kageyama and this is Ayumu Yatshushiro, it's a pleasure to meet you"
Ayumu nods along
"I-indeed, a pleasure to meet you"
We are tense, we have no idea of how her behaviour is.
She tilts her head
"Oh, so you know who I am? Did Azazel mentioned my cuteness?"
She says with a cheerful expression, almost childish
We both nodded
"The moment we entered this room, your energy is... something else"
I say, the Maou tilts her head and looks intrigued for a moment
"Ara? My energy? You two can feel it even when I'm relaxed like this?"
"It's an esper thing, our sense are pretty sharp..."
She places a hand on her chin
"Uhhh, so it's just like Sona-chan told me, you guys are something else!"
Serafall says, impressed, I shake my head.
"N-no, I must say you are impressive, you truly have a strong aura, very few creatures I've met have an energy like yours. And it's the first time I've met a demon like you, it's not like the Esper Community has ever had an encounter with a Maou."
I try to praise her. However, despite what I said being true, her energy is still far from being the strongest I've seem and I believe Ayumu must have felt that as well.
Ayumu's eyes are gazing at the well dressed woman, as if seizing her up.
Is she comparing her to me? To herself? Maybe to my mother or perhaps even Kuriko?
"Ufufu! Thank you! However..."
Suddenly, aura starts seeping from her body and she glares at me
"Don't think I've forgoten that you've beaten my dear Sona-chan"
She glares at me with piercing eyes and I gulp
However, despite my nervousness, I must say I am, in my head I'm making calculations about how strong a woman like this could be if she actually got serious and honestly... maybe I miscaulculated. No, the Esper Community miscalculated.
In therms of power I can say with almost certainty that mother and father are much stronger than her. Could it be that we overestimated how strong a Maou is?
"E-eh? I'm sorry, that was just..." - I still try to apologize, but am suddenly interrupted
"Onee-san! I told you to leave Kageyama-kun off the hook! He already apologized and is trying to help us against the Khaos Brigade even at the cost of his own safety!"
Sona stands up and her older sister suddenly goes back to her childlike behaviour
"Ehhh? But even if I forgive him I'll never let him forget this! How dare you beat my beloved Sona-tan and her friends! Meanie esper!"
She says in a cute scolding tone
Me and Ayumu look at each other, probably thinking the same thing.
Is this woman really a Maou?!
After the cute Maou ojou-sama calmed down, she started ordering dishes for us, even though we just had dinner we still took a few bites due to how amazing the taste is.
"So, why has Leviathan-sama come to this kind of place?"
To Issei's question, she made a kiraboshi pose and replied.
"I came here to secure the cooperation of the Kyoto youkai forces."
Oh yes, Liliana did said something about the Maous trying to secure the cooperation of the youkais under the Kyuubi's rule.
Azazel took a heavy gulp of his alcohol and replied
"She's currently on a trip to meet with Sakra from Mount Meru, however, so we couldn't get in touch with her yet. But we heard from other sources that she's fine, but..."
He looks at Serafall, who nods.
"We are worried that the presence of the Hero Faction in Kyoto might mean that they will try to mess with our efforts somehow."
I nod, so it seems. If there's a reason for them to be here, it may very well be this one.
"Hey, have you guys gotten any news from the Hero Faction yet?"
Saji asks me, I shake my head
"Nothing yet, just this letter, by the way, Leviathan-sama, I think you should read this"
She takes the envelope from my hands with a curious expression and reads the words outloud, quickly her joyful expression turns to a concerned frown.
"So they are scheming something in Kyoto after all..."
Azazel nods
"And are trying to recruit Kageyama-kun and Yatsushiro-chan for it"
Me and Ayumu sigh
"But we still don't know what..."
I say under my breath
"What should we do?"
Ayumu says, a bit annoyed.
I feel the same as her, our initial plan was to take initiave, but that was suddenly stolen from us the moment we set foot in Kyoto.
Maou-sama serves Azazel another cup of alcohol and talks to us
"Meanwhile you can leave the situation to us, I'll keep trying to secure the cooperation of the youkai forces of Kyoto and find out what the Hero Faction is planning"
Azazel nods
"I'll keep working on that as well, as of you..."
He points with his cup towards us
All you kids, including the two of you should keep enjoying Kyoto. It's your precious school trip after all, so untill the scumbags of the Khaos Brigade try anything, you can leave it to us."
I smirk, sounding all cool and responsible again. This governor seriously has two personalities, huh?
"Yes. Also Sekiryuutei-chan, as well as Sona-chan's servants. Please enjoy your time in Kyoto. I will also enjoy myself as most as I can!"
The cheerful Maou declares, going back to the feast placed in front of us
Issei and everyone else seems happy with this, I look at Ayumu and we shrug
It is true that we can't do nothing while the Hero Faction seems dormant, so we both raise our juice glass and make a toast
However, the situation we are in starts to weigh more and more on me.
And I take a quiet sigh after drinking.
It seems that things are only scaling more and more as time goes on.
Afterword: So, yeah, about the meeting with Serafall. You might have noticed that Tatseyo talked about how weak she is compared to Tatsumaki and Mob, when I said before that a Level 5 was only about the same level as a Maou. Well, in the story it will be explained that it's because Espers didn't have contact with the Maous so they expected to be on the level or even stronger big threats such as Psyko-Orochi or Golden Sperm, but they greatly overestimated it.
So, you might be thinking, is it a retcon or did I planned this from the start? Well... it's a retcon, I won't lie about it. I admit that I overestimated the Maous power when writing and was behind OPM's chapters so I didn't knew Tatsumaki's full capabilities, that's on me. But I hope this was at least a good retcon and I promise no one in the story will be nerfed and that I will do my best not to make such mistakes again.
Also, sorry for the delay, I got a bad flu and it lasted for days so I stayed some time without working on the story while recovering, hope this long chapter and the next one will make up for it.