Welcome to the next chapter of The Twin Dragons, but before starting. Let us answer some reviews:
altair95: Thanks, it showed more of Kazuki's training, both with the Strongest Human and the Strongest Dragon King. Both of them are perfect teachers for him. In town, he did meet a new training partner in the form of Setsuna. I'll ensure that the results of their training will be a quite surprising thing.
Guest: No doubt, that's the response Ophis would give. Getting into a barrier space would be the same as walking into a room for the Dragon God. That's awesome for you. I'll ensure that his training with the Strongest Dragon King will breed results.
nexusplayer: Here is the update. And Happy New Year.
Altair: I'm sure that there's one person who could come to mind, based on Kazuki's description.
Lorenzo Macchiavelli: It sounds like an interesting idea. I'm sure that Kazuki would be happy to grant that wish for Irina.
Inquisitor: Both of them would make interesting additions to the team, more so since the two could bring a lot to the group.
Underworld Meeting
"Then, I'll be going now. I'm also attending the Maou-sponsored party. Let's meet again there, Hyoudou Issei and Ddraig."
Those were the words that Tannin had for Issei, who leaped off from him moments later. It was the completion of their summer training, with Issei's previous training uniform being all but ruined from the intense training. But, this granted others a better view of the robust physique achieved from withstanding the Dragon King's training, which he called torment. Although Issei didn't achieve Balance Breaker, his demonic power has been raised compared to before and could at least damage him somewhat.
"Yes. Thank you, Ossan! See you at the party!"
Despite the so-called torment, he was subjected to, Issei looked forward at the Dragon King as if he viewed him as a genuine teacher.
[Sorry for troubling you, Tannin. We'll meet again.]
Ddraig stated, feeling gratitude for the former Dragon King.
"Yeah, I also had fun since I got to work together with Ddraig," Tannin replied, feeling that he enjoyed the training himself. "I've lived a long life. That's right, do you want to enter the party by riding on my back?"
"Really? Is that okay?"
"Yeah, it's no problem," Tannin replied to Issei's surprised question, not expecting such treatment. "I'll also bring my group and come here on the day of the party. I'll contact the Gremory Clan later for more information."
"Then, I'll come here again tomorrow. Farewell!"
Issei announced, as Tannin started floating into the air and then started heading in another direction towards the same mountains he brought him to before.
[What an easy-going Dragon King.]
"I think he's a good person. When we first met, he was scary, but…he's cool for a dragon!"
[You and I are also Dragons, you know?]
Ddraig reminded Issei, but then he reminded him that Tannin was more or less a "True Dragon", whereas he's a reincarnated Devil possessed by one and Ddraig was sealed in a Sacred Gear.
"Hey, Ise-kun."
"Greeting, oh our favorite, Perverted Dragon."
Issei turned around to find that Kiba and his sister, Mariah appeared.
It could've been because of his training, but Issei found himself becoming much better at perceiving the auras of others increased. The auras around Kiba and Mariah became much stronger and quieter when compared to the last time he saw them. Both of them, same as he was dressed in tattered jerseys, which could have been done because of their training or sparring against each other.
"Yo, Kiba, Mariah."
Issei greeted them, waving his hand, but then noticed that Kiba was staring at him. At a quick pace, Kiba moved in front of him at a rather fast pace, then seemed to begin examining his build.
"Eh, what's with that look?"
Issei suspiciously asked, almost feeling the need to protect himself from Kiba's sharp gaze.
"…You've gotten a good body."
Kiba replied, sparking an immediate reaction from Issei, who moved back from his friend and teammate, crossing his chest using his arms.
"S-Stop it, what's with those eyes? Don't look at my body with those eyes!"
Issei demanded, looking fearful as Kiba was staring at him with an interesting look, the kind of expression that he'd rather want from another woman.
"H-How cruel. I just wanted to say that you built up your muscles nicely."
"You…haven't changed."
"Well, because I have the body type that has difficulty in putting on flesh. I'm jealous."
Issei and Kiba started conversing with one another, something that caused Mariah to laugh to herself about the weird interaction between them.
"Ah, and here I thought that Ise and Kazuki-kun were the only ones who could make me laugh this time much the simplest interactions," Mariah stated out loud, nodding to herself, laughing at the interactions between Issei and Kiba
"Oh, Mariah, Ise and Kiba."
Xenovia called out, waving as she approached them. Same as them, she was dressed in a school jersey, but an assortment of bandages was wrapped around her.
"But, y-you, what's with that appearance…?"
Issei timidly asked.
"I believe she's injured and tried bandaging herself," Mariah sarcastically answered. "But, you do look like the first time we fought that one Stray Devil Rook that punched you into that abandoned building. Ah, you have almost no skill in bandaging yourself."
"Muu, that's rude."
Xenovia said, making an expression that caused Mariah to giggle to herself.
Same as Kiba and Mariah, Issei could see that Xenovia's aura was much stronger and denser when compared to before. As the three continued conversing with one another, another voice attracted the three of them.
"Ara, it seems everyone from the group that went out has returned."
Issei happily turned around to find Rias standing right behind them.
"Buchoooooooou! I wanted to see you!"
"Ise…You've become very robust, haven't you? Your chest is thicker."
As Issei rushed over toward Rias, she did the same thing and approached him, wrapping her arms around him in an affectionate manner. He, who was stuck in the mountains throughout the entire summer with a Dragon and animals around him, caused the lust he suppressed to be amplified. Rias, who didn't have her sole Pawn around her found herself embracing Issei much tighter.
"Now then, everyone. Please come in. Once you've taken a shower and changed clothes, we'll meet to report the outcomes of our training."
After separating from Issei, Rias clapped her hands, catching her peerage's and Mariah's attention, all of whom agreed that a shower would be appropriate.
Having finished taking a shower and changing clothes, Issei and the others gathered inside Issei's room inside the Gremory Castle. It was confusing for the person involved, but the thing that caught the Gremory's Group the most was a particular person. Azazel, who planned the entire training program had everyone explain their results without acknowledging that person. Sitting down in the corner was Raynare, wearing a blank expression, staring forward without looking as if she were looking at the wall.
"Wait, Azazel."
"Yes, Rias?"
"Are we not going to talk about Raynare?"
Rias asked, pointing at the raven-haired young woman, who remained sitting in the chair. Same as the others, it was clear that she'd gotten much stronger than before. But, she wasn't responding at all, even though the group and even Mariah tried speaking with her.
"Oh, don't mind here. It's just a side-effect of her training with the awesome Grigori leaders," Azazel stated, wearing a casual smile on his face. "Don't worry, she'll be fine after some time. So, let's just continue with what Issei was about to say."
"Umm, Sensei. I mean, aside from Raynare, wasn't I the only one living a cruel lifestyle…?"
Issei asked, turning his attention over to their teacher.
"I was also just as surprised that you could survive on the mountain. I thought that you would run home midway. That you would begin to live normally on that mountain was also completely outside my expectations."
Azazel replied, showing a surprised look that Issei could even survive on the mountains being chased around by the former Dragon King and Ultimate-Class Devil, Tannin.
"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh," Issei shouted out loud, standing up on his feet. "What's with that…? I-I hunted, judged, baked, and ate rabbit and wild boar-looking animals native to the Underworld, you know? I kept water in a water canteen after boiling and sterilizing it once on an iron pan that I found on the mountain…."
"That's why I was surprised. You're too sturdy. In some ways, you have surpassed devils."
"How cruel! I lived while being chased around everywhere day after day by a dragon on that mountaaaaaain! Do you know how many times I was close to death!? Ueeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh!"
Issei and Azazel kept having their back and forth with one another, the latter was surprised about the fact he struggled the most compared to those among the peerage.
"I wanted, I so wanted to see Buchou! I wrapped myself in leaves and slept while remembering Buchou's warmth every niiiiiiiiight! It was so hard! Ossan wouldn't go easy on me and also attacked while I was sleeping! He blew up roooocks! I was assailed by forest fiiiiiiiiire! I ran awaaaaaaaaay! If I didn't run away, I would have diiiiiiiiiiiiied!"
"Poor Ise. You endured a lot, didn't you," Rias said, hugging Issei into her breasts, causing the feelings of despair to somewhat fade as he felt the softness behind them. "Yes. Ise, you became so sturdy…That Mountain doesn't have a name, but I'll name it Mt. Ise from now on."
"No, even so, your physical strength and stamina seem to have improved considerably. With this, the time that you can wear the Boosted Gear's Scale Mail has increased. Though you weren't able to attain Balance Breaker, right," at Azazel's question, Issei's expression gave him the answer without needing to mention it. "Well, it wasn't outside the range of my prediction. It wasn't the same as Vali, Kazuki, and the others, who experienced a kind of shock. I mean, that's the thing when it comes to gaining Balance Breaker. So, I thought that something would be changed if you were forced to survive against the former Dragon King and Ultimate-Class Devil, but it seems as if the time limit wasn't enough. Hmm, I wonder if we had another month…."
At that moment, Issei flinched at the thought of spending another month with Tannin, causing him to retreat into Rias' chest. Noticing that, Azazel shook his head and shrugged his shoulder at Issei's refusal from having a training session with Tannin.
"Well, whatever, your report meeting ends here. Tomorrow is the party. You're all dismissed for today."
Azazel pointed out, as another question came to mind as Mariah held out her hand.
"Hey, Azazel, what about Kazuki-kun and Asia-chan?"
"…Kazuki-kun."
Raynare said in a faint tone, as she seemed to have wanted some comfort from the young man, surprising them about the suddenness.
"Oh, I received a report from Kazuki. Although, it was something that he wrote up and then sent to me instead of talking to me. I haven't seen either him or Asia yet, but Raynare kept uttering his name from time to time on our way over here," Azazel commented. "I received a rather aggressive response from Tiamat about me requesting her to train the brother of the current Sekiryuutei."
[…oh no.]
Ddraig seemed to comment on that name in Issei's head.
"Uh, that name sounds familiar."
Issei commented something that caused them to think back to the last time that name was heard.
"It doesn't matter," Azazel skipped their confusion about the name, Tiamat. "Your twin brother trained with two of the bigger titans among the Exorcists and Dragons without complaints. Well, Tiamat said something about simply dropping them off around here. So, I planned on meeting up with them after finishing this meeting with you lot. I'd thought that it'd be better for Raynare to see her friends."
"Oh, that's cool. Let's go and meet…."
"That's fine. You can wait another day before meeting your kid brother again," Azazel commented much to their dismay, considering that Kazuki and Asia were close friends of theirs. "You, in the Gremory Group are supposed to be having that party tomorrow. So, rest up from the training you lot just finished and prepare for the meeting."
"Ugh, fine. I don't see the point in keeping a guy from meeting his brother."
"I didn't think that you two were that close. I mean, you two argue with each other so much," Azazel joked around and was aware of the relationship between them. "Well, since Mariah is pretty much a part of their group. She can come and meet them."
"Okay, I'll see you all later."
Mariah pointed out, as she started following behind Azazel and Raynare, both of whom silently followed behind the Governor General. All this left, the Gremory Group alone to follow their adviser's advice to get some rest, because of the training each of them has done. It was going to be one more day, so the group could at least wait that long to see their friend.
As Azazel, Raynare, and Mariah left the castle, the raven-haired young woman still not being responsive at all. All three of them were heading in the direction that Azazel said that Kazuki and Asia would be dropped off by the Strongest Dragon King. A couple of minutes passed as the group of three found themselves walking in one of the more forested areas in the Gemory's territory.
"Uh, Raynare, do you want to talk about it?"
"…."
Raynare's blank eyes didn't show many reactions to Mariah's question of concern and simply continued walking alongside them.
"Alright, Azazel, what did you guys do to her?"
Mariah asked.
"What, we didn't do anything aside from training a potential Cadre. I'll have you know that our group treats all our members as an important piece of stability."
"I don't buy that."
Mariah pointed out, showing no believe in that comment from Azazel.
"How rude? Am I that bad of a…?"
"Yes, yes you are."
Mariah stated, wearing a serious expression on her face.
"Ugh, you and the leaders too. I swear you guys have no faith in…."
[Well, look at what we have here!]
A booming voice caught their attention, as Azazel and Mariah looked forward to finding a four-meter-tall Rogue Devil in front of them. Based on the aura released by him, he wasn't a common one, as the aura around him wasn't at all weak. His physical appearance in all resembled that of a more monstrous axe Minotaur, holding a massive axe in his hands.
"That sounds like something that we should say. How come to a Rogue Devil is standing right here inside the Gremory Clan's territory? I guess that where we are is far enough from the castle, and there's no one patrolling out here. So, good on you for being smarter than an average Rogue," Azazel condescendingly spoke, as he kept watching the entire situation without being worried about a Rogue Devil being in front of him. A puff of smoke had come out of the Minotaur Devil's nose, while he held onto the axe in his hand. "So, you're smart enough to hide in a specific part of the Gremory Clan's territory. But, why come out in front of the Governor General?"
[Hmm, I doubt that the Governor General who has been at war with the other two factions for much longer than any of us has been alive! Is there some kind of plan to double cross the Underworld and Heaven I wonder?]
"Eh, no way. It sounds like a hassle and a waste of valuable time doing something like that. I've been through all this with the current leaders of the factions. Geez, do I look like that much of an untrustworthy person?"
Azazel once again asked.
"You look like the final or secret boss of either an anime or video game. I'm honestly not surprised that a Rogue Devil would approach you like this."
Mariah replied clearly, hitting Azazel in a particular spot in his heart.
"Were you raised in the Church?"
"Hmm, I get that question a lot."
"Ugh, so I'm guessing that you're here to become my subordinate if I'm planning on creating a plan to double cross the Underworld and Heaven. If so, then you might as well stop it. I'm not planning on doing a single thing like that. I find creating and researching things to be more fun than starting wars with other people. I'm also not looking forward to fighting against the current monsters that replaced the original Maou," Azazel pointed out, as he scratched his cheek. "Besides, I have plenty of good subordinates. So, I don't need some Rogue Devil that's all bluster."
[Tsk, I was a promising Rook, more than most of the rabble that's picked up to fill up numbers. And my King was too much of a fool to make proper preparations for the so-called servants he gathered up, which was the reason I left in the first place. I'll show you that I'm more promising than that dead-looking Fallen Angel beside you.]
"She's just overreacting from the exper…training we gave her."
"You were going to say experiments, weren't you?"
Mariah pointed out, as the Azazel instead pointed forward at the Minotaur Devil raised its axe in the air, with an abundance of lightning sparkling from it. A single swing released a bolt of lightning straight at them, and both Azazel and Mariah casually dodged it. But, Raynare remained in the same position without making a single sign of even avoiding it at all.
"Raynare, why aren't you…?"
Zap!
Raynare was struck by the lightning unleashed by the Minotaur Devil. However, despite being electrocuted and blasted with lightning, she remained in the same position showing no reaction at all.
"…dodging. Azazel, what kind of weird experiments did you lot do?"
"That has nothing to do with me or Armaros, that was Baraqiel's fault. If you're training with the man once called the Lightning of God regularly, then you're bound to become immune to common lightning," Azazel plainly stated, causing Mariah to blankly stare at him. "At least, this wasn't my fault. Besides, she's practically immune to lightning, because I don't know anyone aside from the Gods superior to Baraqiel in terms of lightning."
"Well, he can still cut her using that big axe in his hands."
"That's possible. In Raynare's current mental condition, I doubt that she has the will to avoid that."
"Uh, fine. I'll take care of…."
Mariah was preparing to pull out Almace but stopped as she noticed a shadow passing by in the sky, looking like a Dragon. Soon enough, someone was descending from the position where the Dragon left, heading in the same direction as the Minotaur Devil. And then….
Stomp! Knock!
Someone landed a double kick on top of the Minotaur Devil's head, causing him to almost kneel on the ground, a pained expression could be seen on his face. As he reeled from the kick that landed on the top of his head, Kazuki, with Asia in his arms landed on the ground.
"Well, I didn't expect to run into a Rogue Devil after getting here."
Kazuki pointed out landed on the ground, with Asia leaping out of his arms too.
"Hello, Kazuki-kun!"
"Hey, Mariah-san."
"It's been a long time, Mariah-san."
Kazuki and Asia greeted, with respect as the Minotaur Devil was beginning to stand back up.
"Kazuki…," Raynare asked, looking forward with a brand new light within her eyes as she noticed him and Asia standing beside one another. "…kun. Kazuki-kuuuuuun!"
"Eh?"
If it wasn't because of his training with Vasco and Tiamat, then he would've been unable to follow the speed that Raynare displayed just then. In an instant, Raynare latched onto Kazuki, her arms and legs wrapped around him, showing no sign of releasing him. It caused her breasts, that'd seemed to have grown somewhat more press up against his chest.
"E-Eh, Raynare?"
"Kazuki-kun! Lord Azazel and the other Cadre were so mean to me throughout the entire summer! Each of them put me through so much training and torture that it made me want to dieeeee! I respected them so much, but all of them aside from Lord Shemahazai and Lady Penemune treated me like a personal guinea pig. I had wrecking balls and spiked iron balls thrown at me, even…."
[Oi, I was in the middle of talking to the Governor General! So….]
"Shut up, don't you see that a friend of mine is in distress?"
Kazuki stated with a serious, but calm look as he stared straight at the Minotaur Devil, who seemed stumped by the aura wrapped around him. But, that didn't deter the Minotaur Devil as he raised his axe in the air as it was wrapped in an abundance of lightning.
[I don't give a damn about your friend being in some mental situation. Is that's the case, then I….]
Slice!
In a moment, the Minotaur Devil found himself staring at the new sword in Kazuki's hands, but to him, it looked as if it was already swung. A second later, the light appeared to have left his eyes, as a cut was opened up right down the middle, splitting him and the axe in his hands in half.
"Was there a need to arrest him?"
Kazuki asked, holding the new sword in his hand.
"Uh, I don't think so. He invaded the Gremory Clan's territory with the intent of breaking the current balance, so it was obvious that he'd received the death sentence. But, more important than that what is that sword? Where did you get it from?"
Azazel asked, as he almost wanted to get his hands on the sword in Kazuki's hand.
"Oh, this is the sword that I got from Gabriel-san," Kazuki replied, but it differed from the sword that he'd received from Gabriel. It was instead a white katana with draconic features, the hilt had a design resembling the scales of a Dragon. Instead of having a normal blade, it has a translucent blue blade, bearing a strong resemblance to one of Divine Dividing's light feathers. "It is Byakuren. Since it was stored in Divine Dividing, I'd asked if Albion could adjust it and the others I stored too. So, I sent the images that I wanted to Albion, and it turned into this. As for its scabbard, I met a Samurai in the village I was in training in who makes swords, who made it for me."
"Interesting! Interesting! You used the same thing that Issei did when he took the discarded jewel from your Divine Dividing, then installed it into Boosted Gear to create the Dividing Gear. I wouldn't mind doing…."
"Not a chance."
"Eh, why not?"
"Tiamat said she wanted to talk to…."
"Never mind."
At the moment, Azazel didn't want anything to do with the Strongest Dragon King, considering that Tannin was at odds with him the first time they met. After informing the Gremory Clan members about the Rogue Devil, Azazel remained a while longer. Kazuki and the others intended on heading in the same direction of the Sitri's territory because they knew them the most.
"Hmm, but Kazuki-kun sure has gotten much stronger compared to the last time we saw him. Since he'd trained with his Eminence Strada and the Strongest Dragon King, his physical abilities are leagues above what he was," an impressed tone could be heard from Mariah's thoughts. "He hasn't used Divine Dividing to defeat the Rogue Devil, but managed to do it in a couple of moves. Wow, I sure met someone incredible."
Mariah sent a kind smile, as she looked forward at Kazuki, who'd continued consoling Raynare, as she refrained from letting him go. She found herself enjoying being around them far more and more from the hilarious scene of a Fallen Angel clinging onto someone as if they were a koala hugging a tree. After reaching a certain distance in the Gremory Territory, the four teleported straight to the Sitri Clan's territory using a magic circle.
Among the Underworld, the Sitri's territory was most known for its luscious nature, including numerous forests, wherever a person went. Upon their arrival, Kazuki, Asia, Mariah, and Raynare, who got off of Kazuki found that out for themselves.
"Wow, I heard about the beautiful nature here from Sona-san, but this is surprising."
Kazuki said, realizing that what he heard from Sona doesn't do this justice.
"Uh, Kazuki-kun, I apologize for that…scene."
Raynare said, feeling embarrassed from realizing what she'd done just moments ago before arriving closer to the entrance leading into the Sitri Territory.
"Don't be worried about that. I know that training with Azazel, let alone the entire leaders of Grigori would be just enough stress for anyone to endure for a week. But, it sounds as if you went through some weird experiment as a part of that training."
"Yeah, I barely received any kind of explanation about what that experiment would be. After finishing the training I underwent with Lord Baraqiel, I woke up on an experimentation table. Before being sedated, I was told that it was supposed to be somebody's modification surgery meant to turn me into Grigori's 'ideal' Fallen Angel. But, no one, not even the Cadre used it on themselves or others before. I didn't notice any changes, aside from the fact that my body developed more. And that it's become far more sensitive lately," Raynare said in a hushed tone, as her face looked to have turned redder from embarrassment. "I even got this weird symbol on my stomach."
"I can guess what that mark possibly is, because of Nii-san," Kazuki stated with the idea entering his head. "It is right above you…."
"Yes, yes it is."
"Does it have a little heart mark?"
Mariah surprisingly asked, causing Kazuki and Raynare to stare straight at her.
"I'm not even going to ask, but yes."
"Uh, I don't get it."
Asia pointed out, unable to get what the three of them were talking about, which wasn't surprising as she was a genuinely innocent girl raised in the Church. Glancing around for a bit, after confirming that there wasn't anyone around, Raynare turned towards Kazuki, Asia, and Mariah. Lifting her chest a bit, then showing off somewhat of her stomach, where a black tattoo of the Fallen Angels' symbol could be seen with a heart right in the middle.
"Ah, so they did put that mark on your stomach."
Kazuki pointed out, attempting to rationalize this, but couldn't come close to it.
"What's that, Kazuki?"
"It's a sexual tattoo put on women meant to display sexual desire or lust. It often appeared in the Hentai and other things that Nii-san often forced me to watch. I don't even know the reason that Azazel and the others placed that thing on her in the first place."
"Well, Fallen Angels fell, because of that, and the women are known for being seductive," Mariah pointed out, as a curious look appeared on her face. "Well, knowing the reputation of Azazel and the others, I wonder if it has a weird effect like those things. I wonder what would happen if I…."
"Don't you dare? I touched it once, because of that same reason and it didn't make my current situation better."
Raynare pointed out, putting her shirt back down as she and the others soon found themselves being met by a familiar face.
"It's been a while, Kazuki-kun, Asia-san, Mariah-san, and Raynare-san."
Standing in front of them was Tsubaki, Sona's Queen, who wore a serious expression in a prim and proper manner, which benefited a Queen.
"It sure as, Tsubaki-senpai. I can tell that you've gotten much stronger over the summer too."
Kazuki pointed out, as he could sense the aura around Tsubaki, differing from the last time that the two met one another.
"Ah, thank you. But, compared to how strong you've become, I doubt that anyone in our peerage could match your development. A similar thing could be said about Asia-san, Mariah-san, and Raynare-san," Tsubaki stated, then motioned to show she'd be leading them forward. "Please follow behind me. Azazel-sensei informed us that you'd all would be arriving. And so, Sona-Kaichou prepared rooms for you all."
"Alright, I appreciate this Tsubaki-senpai."
Kazuki said, with Tsubaki giving them a faint smile as their entire group started heading in the same direction as the spectacled Queen.
The more the group walked, the more those unfamiliar with the area could see that there were various kinds of plants and wildlife around the Sitri Territory. Not much time passed until the group arrived in front of the Sitri Clan castle that didn't lose to the Gremory's castle. Having been greeted by their maids and workers, Tsbauki kept on leading them to their desired location.
Soon enough, led into what looked to be a living room, where the other members of Sona's peerage all gathered together. It looked as if the group was completing some last-minute plans and preparations for their match with Rias and the others. A clear and calm look could be seen on Sona's face, as she finished speaking to them with the kind of air that caused them to respect her.
"Alright, so that's the plan that I'd devised to handle Rias and the others. I haven't met them yet, but no doubt, all of them have grown stronger compared to before. It was evident enough that their group could achieve such amazing growth based on their previous fight with Riser Phenex. Despite it being their loss, each of them grew enough to fight against a Mature Devil's peerage," Sona pointed out, as she continued speaking to her peerage. "But, with a plan like this in mind, I believe that we can succeed in winning against them. However, this plan can work only if I have the cooperation of you all."
"Come on, of course, we'll cooperate with our King. There's no doubt about that."
Tomoe cheerfully stated as she looked straight at her King, something that her friends and teammates could all agree with too.
"You're our King, and someone whose dream we all want to lend a hand in."
Tsubasa added, sharing the same expression as the others.
"Besides, you're dream is our dream for the future too."
Reya stated.
"Even if those guys are our friends, that doesn't mean that we're going go easy on them."
Momo added.
"On the day of our contest against the Gremory Group, we're going to be enemies competing for all our dreams and aspirations. We're going to be the ones who win this time!"
Saji openly declared, with the kind of energy that attracted the attention of those around him. Among such people was Ruruko, who'd developed a crush on Saji, something most known among the peerage aside from the man in question. Hearing such words from her peerage caused Sona to feel a great warmness in her chest, because of the support from her peerage. But, she didn't let it show on her face much and instead maintained the calm look she's most known for.
"Alright, then let's conclude this meeting, and fight for our dream."
Sona stated, wearing a confident smile.
[Yeah!]
In that instance, the members of Sona's peerage that were there cheered at their King's declaration, something that made her glad to have them.
"Sona-Kaichou, Kazuki-kun, and the others have arrived."
Tsubaki arrived there, with Kazuki, Asia, Raynare, and Mariah walking right behind her. Seeing them, there, most notably, Kazuki, caused a faint smile to appear on her face.
"It's good to see you're all in good health. I was surprised to have received a message from Azazel-sensei that all of you would spend the rest of the summer here until we return to Kuoh Town."
Sona said, showing no issue with that at all.
"I hope that we aren't being an inconvenience."
Asia stated, showing her usual kind expression, but Sona waved that off.
"No no, there's no inconvenience at all. Numerous rooms aren't being used and preparing at least three rooms wouldn't be that big of an issue, Asia-san. Besides, I did promise Kazuki-kun once before that he'd be able to come here once. Though, showing him around the Sitri territory would have to wait."
"I know, first there's the party tomorrow and then the Rating Game soon after. So, there are a lot of things that are on your mind at the moment. I doubt that waiting a couple of more days is that serious. I know that you came up with a plan to handle Rias-senpai, Nii-san, and the others. So, your attention now should be focused on fighting for your dream. And showing those single-minded Old Devils that your dream isn't something to laugh at."
Kazuki said, in a strong tone displaying nothing but respect and support for Sona, something that sparked a good deal of emotions within her.
In that tense and serious air, there was something that was removed as Kazuki found himself feeling somebody poking his stomach and arm. He turned to find that it was Tomoe poking at him with a curious expression on her face, much to the confusion of those around her.
"Uh, Tomoe-san, what're you doing?"
Kazuki wonderingly asked.
"Oh. I was surprised to see that Kazuki-kun developed such a good body over the summer," Tomoe pointed out, a surprised look could be shown on her face. "I'm into younger guys, but I think that Reya-chan would agree with me about this too."
"H-Huh, w-why me?!"
At the mention of her name, Reya looked on surprised about being mentioned.
"Huh, weren't you the one who mentioned that Kazuki-kun was as good as Kiba-kun as a potential…."
"W-Wait, don't mention that out loud," Reya nervously stated, waving her hands around flustered about the fact a topic like that was brought in front of the person in question. She then kept looking on as Tomoe seemed to have continued urging her to touch Kazuki's newfound muscular build. "Ugh, fine fine, I'll see it!"
After being urged to do so by Tomoe, Reya started moving forward closer and closer until she walked straight up to Kazuki.
"Excuse me, Kazuki-kun," Reya nervously stated, extending her hand forward and touching his chest. At that, she realized what Tomoe was talking about, then proceeded to poke Kazuki's chest, stomach, and arms. "Wow, you were right about him having a good body now. It is much different from the last time that we saw him. Just what kind of training did you go through?"
"It wasn't the kind of training that I'd recommend for a first-timer. I was put through the wringer under the instruction of a Veteran Exorcist, and then immediately after, a Dragon King."
"Oh, I see."
"Alright, that's enough," Sona caught their attention, as a serious air could be seen around her, something that'd caused Tomoe and Reya to move back from Kazuki. "I doubt that Kazuki-kun would like the fact that both of you are feeling him up."
"Well, it's practically tame compared to what certain people have done."
Kazuki uttered under his breath, something that caught Raynare's attention.
"Huh, are you talking about me?"
Raynare asked, pointing to herself.
"Yeah, pretty much," Kazuki replied, causing Raynare to give a faint pout, though there was another person that came to mind too. "There's Kuroka-san too, but I can't mention her around them."
"Oh, does this have something to do with our Kaichou having a…," Tomoe started, Sona's dead serious eyes immediately shut her up. "Well, look at the time, I believe that I need to get some sleep."
"Uh, Tomoe-chan, I think that we still have dinner."
"Just tell the maid to bring my portion to my room. I'll handle the rest!"
Tomoe left the area using the high speed provided by her Knight Piece without turning to face anyone else inside the living room. At the same time, a maid came up and approached all of them with a respectful bow, something that caught somewhat of Kazuki's attention.
"Sona-sama, we've finished making preparations for dinner for the entire group here."
The maid calmly and gently said, bowing her head to Sona, the Sitri Heiress.
"Thank you for letting me know. Well, let's go and eat together, everyone."
Sona stated as she glanced over to the people standing around her.
Agreeing with the heiress, her peerage and the others followed the maid over toward the area where the group would be eating together. There, the group found themselves looking at the luxurious food prepared for them and meeting Sona's and Serafall's mother and father. Serafall couldn't be there because of the Maou's business, but there was a part of Kazuki that thought he'd receive a constant intense survey from the Leviathan. Though, their parents seemed to be kind and rational people, asking him casual questions about their daughter's duties as the Student Council President at Kuoh Academy.
Of course, such questions and responses sparked a reaction from Sona, who didn't show it much in front of the people from her peerage, most of all Kazuki. It was a good thing seeing that Sona's and Serafall's parents loved their daughters, no different from the Gremory Clan.
"Hah, I apologize for that, Kazuki-kun."
"Hahaha, there's nothing wrong with that."
Kazuki and Sona found themselves sitting down on the couch in the living room, as the others were preoccupied with other business. Despite being much different from their daughter, Sona still found the thought of being talked about that much embarrassing by close relatives.
"It's still embarrassing to hear and see someone from school witnessing such a thing."
"Well, I can understand that," Kazuki stated, finding himself resting his hand on his hand. "Parents and even your older siblings can be embarrassing sometimes."
"Now, I can agree with that. I know that you experienced some embarrassing moments with Issei-kun, because of his particular 'interests'. I do remember the couple of times you were confused for Issei-kun, until the moment I fixed your hair for you. Though, I have to admit that it was a simple change and I might've done it without much thought about how it'd turn out."
Sona said, recalling the first time that Kazuki fixed his hair, because of the similarities between him and Issei that made people mistake the two.
"Well, it ended up turning into my favorite hairstyle. I haven't changed a single thing since the first time we met in my first year at Kuoh Academy."
"I see. I thought that your hairstyle hasn't changed much compared to the first time. To be honest, I didn't think it would remain for this long. I thought you'd change it again at some point."
"Well, it kinda became my own thing."
Both Kazuki and Sona continued talking with one another with more of a familiar air, showing the utmost level of familiarity. It was something that the Sitri heiress noted more and more, as the two continued speaking with one another. And that caused her to take notice that his eyes looked different compared to the last time that she saw him, causing her to come up with a conclusion. Same as the others, Sona's senses became far sharper, and so it became more apparent.
"The dragon power in you built up more over the summer break didn't it?"
"Is it that noticeable? I noticed my teeth being much sharper and my eyes are like a Dragon's aren't they," Kazuki replied with a jovial tone. "Yeah, it built up over the summer break from training with his Eminence Strada, then in training with Tiamat. It increased much higher than before, but I learned more about manipulating dragon power too from them. It's kinda like trial and error, but it still resonates with my dragon blood, causing things like this."
"So, would you need me to drain some of the dragon power later?"
Sona asked flustered about the process that comes with draining dragon power, not having in it to explain that to Kazuki face-to-face.
"Sure, I wouldn't mind that. Do you want to do that now?"
"N-No," Sona immediately replied, looking embarrassed about it and surprised Kazuki. "If I did that, then there's a chance that I wouldn't be able to focus on the first round of the Youth Tournament. So, let's do it after the Rating Game against Rias and her peerage."
"Sure thing. I recall that the process isn't something that you felt comfortable doing, while I was conscious. It isn't that big of a deal, so we can do it another time."
"Alright."
Sona agreed, finding herself smiling as she spoke with him. Kazuki couldn't help finding himself feeling more and more content each time he witnessed her smiles. He couldn't reject the fact that among the women that he met, Sona was among the few with whom he does have feelings. Though, coming outright and saying that wasn't the kind of thing that he could do right now.
"I feel that it's always good talking to you about things like this. I often feel at ease speaking to you about things, more often than when I'm speaking to most people. Almost as if I can be myself around you."
"Hah, well, I'm glad that I can be that person you can talk to."
Kazuki stated, wearing a gentle smile on his face.
"I feel the same here. Well, there are some things that I need to get prepared for the party and Rating Game," Sona said, standing up on her feet. "I plan on taking a bath with the other girls too before going to bed too. If there's anything that you need to know, then you can often find one of the maids working around from time to time."
"Thanks for that, Sona-san. Well, I guess that this is a good night for now."
"Yes, that'd be the case. Good night, Kazuki-kun."
Sona said, giving a faint wave as she walked away.
Kazuki leaned back on the couch that he'd been sitting on, thinking back to the various things that happened all of this time. It was a much different summer than what he'd ever experienced before, training with the people, such as the Strongest Exorcist (to his knowledge) and Dragon King. Both of whom put him through the literal winger, several injuries and bruises came from the ends of their daily training.
As he sat there in the same spot, Kazuki leaned forward and found himself calling forth to the person that'd been hiding as much as possible.
"Well, is there something that has been on your mind, Saji?"
"Agh."
Saji made a sound as he was being caught, then started coming out into the open, looking on embarrassed while walking up.
"Of course, you'd end up being the person who sensed me out."
"Kinda got better at doing that from training. I can tell that you've gotten stronger from training too."
"Yeah, somewhat, but it might not seem much compared to the great Hakuryuukou. I heard that the best people among the best ended up training over the summer break."
Saji sounded as if he were putting himself down, comparing himself and Kazuki, something that didn't go ignored by him. He hasn't had many interactions with Saji, the same as Issei, who didn't like people, such as him, and Kiba, who was popular among the female students. To his knowledge, Saji wasn't a Devil for that long, the same as Issei, with him having a Dragon-type Sacred Gear too.
"You shouldn't look down on yourself, Saji. You have a Dragon Sacred Gear too, so that has more potential than a normal Sacred Gear. A common Sacred Gear's potential grows depending on the person's desire, so imagine if a Dragon user wasn't on his game emotionally."
At that, Saji no matters the kind of feeling that he had towards Kazuki, those words weren't something that he could reject. He couldn't deny the logic no matter what his personal feelings were on the manner, between his personal feelings towards Kazuki.
"Yeah, but I don't know much about finding out more about what this Dragon is supposed to be sealed in my Absorption Line. I haven't heard much of anything from what's supposed to be sealed in it."
[He, is among the Five Dragon Kings, Vritra, the Prison Dragon. Moments before his death, his soul was cut into pieces and sealed in four Sacred Gears, one of them being the Absorption Line.]
"A Dragon King, huh? So, there are three other Dragon-type Sacred Gears with Vritra's soul too. But, how strong is a fragment going to be?"
[Don't underestimate Vritra. Aside from being one of the Dragon Kings, he's an Evil Dragon, those Dragons won't stop even if their bodies are torn to pieces and souls are ripped apart. All of this is simply on their desires alone. If it's Vritra, who's known for having the greatest technique among them. I believe that as things stand your inability to bring out Absorption Line's strength is due to your disbelief. And if you maintain that doubt, then you'll never become the person you want.]
Hearing such a comment from Albion, the Heavenly Dragon himself, caused Saji to feel as if he wasn't able to go against that logic.
"Huh, well it's surprising to hear that kind of thing from Albion. He's not the kind of person who would say such a thing without a meaning behind it. If you want to be strong, then you'll have to work for it. And if I'm an expert at anything, then it's going to be that."
Kazuki added something that caused Saji to feel awkward about anything that he was still feeling thus far about the person in front of him.
"Ah, I didn't think that we would be able to talk about things normally like this. I mean, I didn't like you, because of how popular you were with other girls. But, ugh, you make it so difficult for you to be hated."
"I get that a lot, surprising enough from Nii-san, too. But, perverseness aside, you're not a bad person," Kazuki in a calm tone responded, placing a hand out toward Saji. "I support Sona-san's dream of opening a school for all Devils. And I don't need to doubt that you all will be supporting her throughout the entire thing, as well. But, don't think that Nii-san and the others are going to go down without a fight."
"Yeah, I know that better than anyone. I saw the fight against Riser and his peerage too. But, I'm not losing to him, as a fellow Pawn and his friend. Both of us trained hard over the summer break. So, I'm going to put my all into our match," Saji stated, with renewed determination as he stood in front of Kazuki clenching his fist, and the two butted fists with a smile on their faces. "So, would you mind letting me steer you in the direction of the Sitri's male bath? It's my responsibility as the first male in our school to come here."
"Yeah, whatever."
Kazuki rolled his eyes at the prideful tone originating from Saji.
After that the two found themselves bathing in the surprisingly well-made bath, which seemed to have also been made based on Japanese culture. Since the Sitri House was built mostly on both their medical advancements and nature, there was even a medicinal bath too.
Tomorrow evening, Kazuki, Kiba, and Gasper each found themselves dressed for the upcoming party. However, their clothing differed from one another: Kazuki was dressed in professional attire that seemed prepared for him; Kiba was dressed in their summer school uniform; and Gasper was dressed in a cute dress, which seemed to be too much of a match for him. Each of them was pulled away by maids and other servants for different reasons, the Knight and Bishop would be acting as escorts for the girls.
Kazuki, however….
"I can't believe that Sirzechs-san requested that I'd act as a bodyguard for the party," Kazuki pointed, then began adjusting to the clothing he was wearing. "And I can't believe that people from the Three Factions keep getting my proper measurements to make clothing like this. Well, considering that Sirzechs-san and his father often talk to my parents, I wouldn't be surprised if my mom told them."
"Well, that does show that Sirzechs-sama and the others hold you in high regard. As a Knight, I'm going to be focused on guarding our Buchou."
Kiba pointed out, something that Gasper could agree with too.
"And that shows that Kazuki-senpai is awesome since he's being left in-charging several important people."
Gasper added, feeling more admiration for Kazuki.
"I must admit your weapons looks interesting too."
Sheathed beside Kazuki were his Byakuren, Centurion, and Imperator, both of whom have been modified as well, taking shape as more draconic handguns, appearing to be a cross between a handgun and revolver. Kiba could sense that Albion's dragon power was radiating from them too.
"Thanks, Albion just told me to send whatever imagine in my head to him, and then he took care of the rest. So, I thought that it'd be easier to wield swords based on Japanese swords, instead of what Byakuren and the others were. I tested each of them out during the summer break, so it shouldn't be that hard getting used to them during an actual fight."
Kazuki explained.
"I'm sure that'll be something interesting to see. So, what's the situation what your Balance Breaker?"
"Hmm, I wouldn't know, I was told not to use either it or Divine Dividing throughout the summer. But, the training I was subjected to risen the amount of time that I can use either. If I think about the control that I learned over the summer and stamina, then I might be able to maintain it for more than a day."
"Is that so? Well, I think that I managed to get through to that threshold too. My swordmaster put me through the wringer this time around and I feel as if I can pull out much more strength and skill than I could before. There's a lot that I think that I could achieve with the Balance Breaker I have now."
"I don't doubt that. I haven't heard of one that combines holy and demonic powers at the same time."
As Kazuki and Kiba continued talking to one another about their respective powers, Gasper started feeling as if he didn't contribute to anything at all.
"Both of you have some interesting Sacred Gears and Balance Breakers. I wonder if I could achieve anything like Balance Breaker in the future."
Gasper wondered.
"Of course, you can, Gasper."
Kiba immediately stated without hesitation at all.
"Kiba is right. You're Forbidden Balor View is something that can stop time, so imagine what its Balance Breaker can achieve. If you can gain confidence in yourself, then you could become the strongest Bishop and even one of the strongest Devils in the Underworld."
Kazuki added, placing a hand on top of Gasper's head, something that caused him to smile and laugh.
"Do you believe that?"
"I'll stake my reputation as the Hakuryuukou on it."
"And I, as Rias Gremory's Knight, aim to be the Strongest Knight."
Hearing Kazuki's and Kiba's responses caused Gasper to feel almost embarrassed about the compliments that he was receiving from them.
"Then, I won't go against the faith in me."
Gasper stated.
Not much time passed until the three young men approached the area where the young women were taken by the maids. At their arrival, the maids standing outside took a faint glance towards the three of them, then let out a bit of a joyful laugh, giving Kazuki and Kiba almost lustful eyes. But, maintaining their professional air, the maids bowed their heads.
"Rias-sama, Sona-sama, and the others will be out in a moment."
One of the maids said.
Moments later, the door opened, revealing all the girls who were brought by the maids, all of whom included the women among the Gremory and Sitri heiress' peerages. Each of them was dressed in proper clothing meant for a party, most of them looking like actual princesses without being one. Having exited the room, each woman not used to them began moving around in the dress.
"Well, Rias-sama, Sona-sama, we'll now be leaving you in the care of your escort to the designated location."
"Thank you for your aid."
Rias said, bowing her head in a princess-like manner, the same as Sona.
After that, the maids started leaving to finish their own business, while Kazuki and Kiba started taking on the duty passed onto them.
"Well, ladies could we escort you?"
"You shall."
Raynare replied, moving forward and returning to her usual demeanor, showing herself to be dressed in a black Western dress that matched her particular figure.
"Well, you sure returned to normal fast," Rias stated, staring straight at the Fallen Angel with a deadpan look on her face. "I kinda missed when you barely talked."
"Ah, what's wrong, princess? Are you afraid of someone telling you the truth?"
Returning to their usual relationship, Rias and Raynare began glaring at one another with an intense look, with a crimson and black aura wrapped around them.
"Come on, you don't want to keep everyone waiting. I think that it would be rude of us to keep everyone waiting," Kazuki pointed out, speaking in a manner that'd attract their attention from their rivalry. "I'm sure that everyone in this area would want to show them off to everyone."
""Humph, you're right. I wouldn't want to waste time on a Useless Princess/Fallen Angel.""
Both Raynare and Rias said at the same time, turning their head from one another with the same expression on their face. Laughing wryly at their interaction, Kazuki, Kiba, and the others started heading in the same direction as their appointed meeting place. Amid this, Asia, Mariah, and Raynare found themselves walking much closer to Kazuki compared to the others.
"So, how do we look~?"
Raynare asked, as she despite continuing to walk, managed to show off more of herself in the black dress.
"All three of you look beautiful," Kazuki replied, showing more confidence in himself, as he continued looking at the three young women beside him. "From their colors and styles matches you three perfectly. It seems as if the maids knew what they were doing."
[….]
In response to the compliment from Kazuki, Asia, Raynare, and Mariah found themselves giving a faint blush on their face. Neither of them expected to receive such a sweet-sounding compliment from Kazuki, something he'd found cute on their end.
"Hehehe, I wonder if I could keep this dress, then."
Asia wondered, as she shyly poked her fingers.
"I guess that Kazuki-kun truly does find me attractive."
Raynare said, with a particular flare as she brushed her hair using her hand.
"My, that's quite the compliment."
Mariah added, almost not knowing how to respond.
Hearing the interactions between them, caused most of the others to become surprised about the response that he made. It was the kind of confidence and openness that no one would've expected Kazuki could outright come out to say.
"…."
For some reason, unknown to her hearing that caused Sona to almost run a hand through her hair, without being conscious about it herself. It was almost as if she were waiting for a comment too, but that didn't come about as their group soon arrived at their destination. There, the group could see Issei and Saji standing there, seeming as if the two were talking to pass the time. It'd looked as if Saji was kneeling on the ground, hugging his knees, as if depressed about something.
"Saji. Saji, what's wrong?"
Looking at her Pawn, Sona wondered about the reason Saji was looking like that.
"…Sleeping? …Bath…?"
Saji uttered under his breath without a single reaction to Sona's question, despite being loyal to his King.
"…?"
Sona looked on confused about her Pawn's reaction.
"Nii-san, what did you tell him?"
Kazuki asked, turning his attention over toward his older brother.
"I was just talking about my usual daily routine with Buchou."
Issei replied.
"Please stop doing that around him."
Kazuki stated, staring at his brother with a sideways glance.
"Tannin-sama and his family have arrived."
A butler from the Gremory Clan stated, bowing his head and Rias nodded her head in agreement.
Amid that, it seemed as if the members of Sona's peerage managed to console Saji, who'd become depressed, because of whatever he and Issei were talking about.
After that, the entire group headed in the same direction as the garden, where they were met with the sight of an assortment of Dragons being led by the former Dragon King and an Ultimate-Class Devil, Tannin. For those, like Kazuki, it would be the first time he met him.
"I came just as promised, Hyoudou Issei."
Tannin announced as he stared down at the current Sekiryuutei, who acted as his student during the summer.
"Yeah! Thanks, Ossan!"
Issei announced, showing a good deal of familiarity with the former Dragon King.
"While those who're riding on mine and the other's back, I'll place a special barrier around you. With that, your hair and clothing won't get messed up by the wind. Since those things are important to women."
Tannin stated, with a good amount of sincerity behind that comment, something that surprised those who weren't that acquainted with the Dragon King.
"Thank you, Tannin. We'll be relying on you until we get to the meeting place," Rias asked, looking forward, then turned her attention to the others around her. "There are also those from Sona's peerage and others who're also joining us as well. Is that okay?"
"Ooh, Miss Rias. You're especially beautiful tonight. Please leave that matter to me," Tannin said, before turning his attention over to the person who attracted his attention the most among the group. "I didn't believe it when I heard that Albion ended up in the host, who happened to be the twin brother of the one who houses Ddraig. Isn't that quite an interesting phenomenon to occur in this era?"
[I was surprised myself. I never thought that my host would be the same either, Tannin.]
Albion stated, speaking out to the former Dragon King.
"He certainly seems to be a talented fellow too, despite being the younger brother," Tannin said, almost causing an immediate reaction from Issei, who seemed miffed about that comparison. "But, there are certain things that one is better compared to the others. So, the results of your future fight will depend on what you two could attain at that point."
After that, Tannin and the other 10 Dragons made it so that all of them could gather on their backs before taking off. Amid that, Kazuki found himself sitting on top of a Dragon, with Sona sitting behind him, while Asia decided to ride on the same one as Xenovia. It was surprising seeing how close the two were becoming, compared to the first interaction between them. Behind them, though were Raynare and Mariah, both of whom seemed to want to sit behind Kazuki.
"It's quite a unique experience to be able to ride on top of a Dragon's back."
Sona pointed out, getting a good feeling from seeing the environment around her pass in the air. As Tannin said before there was a barrier around them so their hair and clothing wouldn't get tarnished.
"Yeah, I'd gotten to experience this with Tiamat-san. Though, that was temporary as she dropped me and Asia off as soon as we arrived near Azazel. At the same time, it looked as if a Rogue Devil approached them at that time too. But, I took care of that one."
"That sounds like an interesting reunion. It must be one of the reasons that Sirzechs-sama wanted you to act as a security guard for the party."
Sona pointed out, as she found herself remaining close to Kazuki.
"Yeah, I was surprised to have received that request from them. And that the leaders of the Three Factions had made a personal recommendation for me."
"Well, being trained by the strongest Exorcist and Dragon King isn't something that anyone could ignore, both of them were recommended by Gabriel-san and Azazel-sensei too. I know that among the people who trained over the summer break, I wouldn't be surprised if you pulled out the most results."
Sona stated, feeling more admiration and respect for the kind of person that Kazuki had started growing into from the first time the two met in their first year. And now, he was becoming a person who was favored by the leaders of the Three Factions.
"It feels great seeing Kazuki-kun becoming this kind of person. It feels odd seeing the kind of person he was just in his first year, then into his second year. It makes me wonder the kind of person he'll become in the future."
As Sona thought that, she almost unconsciously leaned forward towards Kazuki, with a warm feeling manifesting in her chest. But, her rational and intellectual senses started returning to her, causing her to move back from him with faintly flushed cheeks.
"Oh, I didn't get the chance to say this."
"Hmm, what?"
Sona curiously asked.
"That dress looks beautiful on you, Sona-san. Blue does suit you."
Kazuki stated, turning around to face Sona with an honest look.
"…."
Sona's face turned red from that compliment, showing an expression that Kazuki hasn't witnessed from her in the past. Reacting to that compliment, she felt a warm sensation in her chest, then glanced to the side as she linked her fingers together.
"Thank you."
"She's being so cute!"
Kazuki thought, noticing the expression that Sona made in response to that compliment, something that'd caused his heart to skip a beat. Even Raynare and Mariah were surprised that such an expression could be made by the usually calm and collected Student Council President. Sona herself felt a good amount of feelings from receiving such a compliment from Kazuki, but the genuine feelings weren't shown on her face.
Not much time passed until the Dragons landed in the locations, where the group would be escorted to the high-class hotel. Afterward, Tannin and the Dragons headed to the location designated for the Devil, who was a particularly larger height compared to human-sized Devils. From there, the entire group was driven over to the hotel in a limousine. After some last-minute preparations for those unprepared for what was about to occur during this party; the group arrived there, where Akeno made the confirmation at the front desk.
"Although, this is a party held by the Maou for the young Devils. But, in truth, people won't get that excited once we enter the room since this is an annual custom. If anything, it's more like a gathering for the members of all the distinguished families to meet. So, we the next Clan Heads are just extras, while it's a part for our fathers and the current Heads to enjoy themselves," Rias explained to the newcomers for the situation. "In reality, they'd made reservations at nearby facilities until the fourth or fifth after parties. Well, the proof is that they'd arrived right at the meeting place separately from us. They probably gathered together before the young people arrived and may have already finished their alcohol."
At Rias' explanation, people like Kiba and Akeno gave a wryly smile at the thought of the Clan Heads doing such a thing, which sounded accurate.
Once their elevator arrived at the right floor, the group found themselves in an incredibly large and gorgeous hall, where a crowd of Devils and various foods there. In the hall, there was a huge chandelier, as well as a big stage, where musicians were playing their instruments. Despite saying the people there wouldn't get excited at the sight of them, the people there became excited after seeing Rias.
[Oh!]
"Princess Rias. You've become more and more beautiful…."
"Sirzechs-sama must also be proud."
Suddenly, some Devils started to gather around and almost mobbed Rias, who exited the elevator before all of the other occupants. At the number of people gathering around them all, Gasper almost felt himself becoming a bit faint despite his training to endure this kind of situation. After that, those from the Gremory and Sitri peerage found themselves circling the hall. As those with closer relations to the Underworld's future, it would be foremost important for them to converse with the Devils there.
However, as the assigned security guard, Kazuki found himself making rounds around the room. However, also as the Hakuryuukou, he attracted the Devils' attention, male and female, most notably the latter, who had found themselves attracted to him. Amid that, he wasn't rude and simply talked to them all without hesitation, being friendly around them. It was surprising for most of them, but the female Devils found that side of him to be the more appealing side of him.
In certain situations, it was obvious enough that he could handle himself well enough with the constant flirtatious comments from the female Devils. All in all, Rias and the others found it surprising that Kazuki could even handle himself alone without aid. Amid his still having some female Devils around him, he picked up one of the legal drinks he could have and drank from it.
"Well, this party is going well," Kazuki thought while scanning around the room and could see that the others had a normal experience too. "Asia, Raynare, and Mariah seem to be enjoying themselves too. I haven't seen much in terms of potential disasters with the fact that a former Nun, Exorcist, and Fallen Angel is here. Though, there's a particular person that I'm wondering will come and speak to me."
Kazuki wondered that, as he could sense a particular person's eyes being trained on them, but that person hasn't made much of an effort to approach him. In that instance, aside from that person, he instead felt a strong person approaching him, something that almost caused him to flinch.
"It's your first time being invited to an Underworld party like this, isn't it?"
He turned around to find a new male voice, but the young man in front of him was much taller than him and with a muscular build that made him appear to be more of a martial artist rather than someone of noble birth. Though, certain facial features reminded Kazuki of Sirzechs.
"Yeah, I ended up getting invited and even acting as a security guard for this party."
"Hahaha, let me guess, it was Sirzechs who came up with that one."
The young man said in a friendly tone, sounding as if he knew that something like that would be something that Sirzechs could come up with.
"You wouldn't be wrong about that," Kazuki replied in an equally surprising tone, taking another drink as he and the young man shared another laugh. "So, my name is Kazuki Hyoudou."
"I know. It wouldn't be the first time that I've seen you or your brother before. You might not have noticed it in the crowd, but I was there during my cousin's engagement party with Riser Phenex."
"Ah, cousin. So, that means you're Rias-senpai's and Sirzechs-san's cousin," Kazuki stated, realizing the reason behind the similarities. "So, you're from the Bael Clan, right? I heard their mother came from that clan."
"You're quite knowledgeable about such things, but that's true. My name is Sairaorg Bael, the next Head. I must say, I never thought that I'd get to casually see the Sekiryuutei and Hakuryuukou in the same room. I didn't know what to think when I heard the two turned out to be twins too."
"Yeah, that sounds strange to everyone. Well, it's great to meet you, Sairaorg-san."
At that, both Kazuki and Sairaorg shook hands, with him being able to tell the immediate difference in strength, as a result of the simple grip strength from the Bael Heir.
"Well, I just wanted to come over and give my greeting. I'd continue, but it looks as if there's someone else that's interested in having your company. Besides, this kind of party keeps us Clan Heirs preoccupied."
Sairaorg pointed out, making Kazuki believe more and more that he was closely related to Sirzechs and Rias by more than simply their blood. Just then, a beautiful blonde-haired young woman dressed for the party walked up to Sairaorg respectfully.
"Sairaorg-sama, there are some other Devils who would want to speak with you."
"See. I'll be there, Kuisha."
Giving one final wave, Sairaorg walked over, following behind who Kazuki expected to be his Queen, considering her body language and presence. At that, he turned his attention over to the one person who was avoiding all kinds of contact with him. Standing in front of one of the pillars in the hall, he'd patiently stood there holding the glass in his hands.
"You know, most people would find a member of the Phenex Clan hiding from them as being rude. But, I think it's cute without you acting tsundere, Ravel-san."
"Ugh."
Ravel, who was hiding back turned and leaned up against the pillar and couldn't help making a sound as she's been caught. Having no other option, she revealed herself from behind the pillar, wearing a cute dress that matched the fact she was of the Phenex Clan.
"H-Hello, K-Kazu-sama."
Ravel managed to utter, with some nervousness behind her tone.
"Hey, Ravel-san. And your reason for hiding from me is?"
"I-I wasn't hiding. As the daughter of the Phenex Clan, I-I don't hide from anyone."
Ravel stated, in an attempt to save herself from the obvious answer.
"Well, I'll forget about it then. So, how have you been doing lately?"
Kazuki asked, in an attempt to play along with the fact of ignoring what the youngest daughter of the Phenex was doing moments ago.
"I've been doing just fine lately. I have been handling things I couldn't focus much on before since I was dealing with things related to Riser-oniisama and being a member of his peerage. But, compared to that being involved in the formation of peace between the Three Factions is something truly spectacular. I heard that you'd fought with the members of the Old Satan Faction, the Leviathan Descendant herself, and even the Wendish Dragon."
"Yeah, though I had help in those battles. So, it wasn't like I went at it alone."
Kazuki pointed out, as he set the now empty glass down.
"Yeah, but it's still amazing that you're involved in all these kinds of situations," Ravel stated, then found herself looking at the differences between what he looked like then and now. "B-But, I c-can see that K-Kazu-sama has been training over the summer, same as Rias-sama and the others."
Witnessing Kazuki's newly built physique caused her cheeks to turn bright red, but couldn't bring herself to even mention it in front of him. No matter what, she couldn't help but keep looking at him, taking the faintest glances at the person that she'd become acquainted with, respected, and liked.
"Y-You've certainly gained a good body," Ravel uttered under her breath, without making that thought known to him, but he heard small bits and pieces of what she said. "W-Well, in hearing about the things that Kazu-sama is going with the others. I t-thought about doing something to ensure that I'd be able to provide some assistance to you in the future. I talked to my parents about letting me attend school in the Human World."
"Really? That's cool. I think that you'd like to attend Kuoh Academy with the others. If you need a place to stay, I recently gained a renovated house of my own and planned on starting a new club."
"I-It would be an honor," Ravel immediately said without hesitation, however, she recalled where the two were at this moment. "I-I mean, you should be honored that I, the daughter of the Phenex Clan would grace you with her presence."
"Ah, you adorable tsundere."
Kazuki said, then found himself petting the top of her head, something that caused Ravel to soon feel a pleasant feeling. She felt a good amount of gratitude and happiness right now, she would get the chance to experience, as well as feel as if she'd accomplished a longtime goal of hers.
"Well, Kazu-sama, if you wouldn't mind, there's some…."
"Hm?"
Amid that, Ravel noticed that Kazuki seemed to have noticed something, he turned to find that Koneko was in the process of leaving the room. But, that wasn't the thing that caught his attention, instead, it was the thing that she was chasing after. In front of Koneko's line of sight was a black cat. It wasn't a normal black cat, instead, it let had a presence different from a normal one.
"What's wrong, Kazu-sama?"
"A familiar? A black cat, at that," Kazuki said out loud, but felt someone, in particular, entering his mind without a single thing to go against that thought. "Well, it looks as if there's something that's about to happen. So, it looks as if I'm going to have to do my job as a security guard."
"Huh?"
Ravel tilted her head from confusion.
He didn't know what was about to happen in this incident, but he was going to ensure that this moment wouldn't end up becoming one that'd leave another scar on Koneko. Kazuki couldn't guess the reason 'that person' would be attempting to contact Koneko after all this time. But, he wasn't going to remain on the sidelines as he happens and began preparing for whatever would happen.
A/N: And there goes the next chapter of The Twin Dragons, this one was the end of their summer training with Issei and the others returning to the Gremory Castle. Several of them had their kind of experiences over the summer, with Raynare seeming to have it the worse, training with the Grigori Leaders and being subjected to body modification surgery. Kazuki arrived in the Underworld with Asia, dealing with the trauma Raynare was subjected to, right after dealing with a Rogue Devil. At the Sitri Region, Kazuki reunited with Sona, both of whom started speaking more closely together.
After all that, it soon progressed to the Underworld Party, where Kuroka and Bikou are going to make their appearance.
Issei's Harem: Rias, Akeno, Koneko, Xenovia, Lucia, Tsubasa, Kiyome, Aika, Elmenhilde, Yasaka, Kunou, Bennia, Roygun, Ingvild.
Kazuki's Harem: Sona, Raynare, Asia, Irina, Lucina, Mariah, Kuroka, Ophis, Rossweisse, Ravel, Le Fay, Gabriel, Jeanne, Lint, Tiamat, Lilith, Valerie.