At this point, Ichiban wasn't sure if she was doing this on purpose or not. It had taken him a bit to get used to Akane's new nature - unlike before, where she preferred to keep to herself most of the time, she's now more 'open' about herself. From the way she dresses to the way she acts. It's understandable, it's been two years and she's bound to change, but he didn't expect her to be more…

Girly? She acted more like a boy back in the day. Regardless, she was making it clear that she's not the same girl she was, intentionally or not, and seeing how she seems to love teasing him, this could be one of her annoying games.

"So what's up?" She asked, sitting on the bench next to him. "You sounded kinda urgent."

"Uh…" He stammered, trying to draw his eyes elsewhere.

But for a teenage boy like him, it wasn't easy, especially when an attractive girl wearing tight clothes was right next to him. Sweatpants that hugged her rear, thighs and legs tightly, bringing out her curves more than that bland school uniform. Red sports bra showed a generous amount of cleavage, making it clear that while she doesn't compare to certain students in Kuoh, she's still decent.

Of course, the slight sheen of sweat on her skin only made it harder to take his eyes off her. When did she get so damn attractive? Is it just hormones? Is it with age? The way she's dressed?

"Oi, eyes are up here," Akane said with a smirk, making him flinch. "What's up with you? Never seen a girl in sportswear before?"

"Ah, sorry," He apologized, face burning red. "Didn't mean to stare."

"I'm sure," She raised a brow, looking unconvinced. "It's fine, you know. I don't particularly care."

"And here I thought my balls were about to be crushed."

"Heh, well, if you were anyone else, maybe," She shrugged. "Be grateful that someone as beautiful as I gave you permission to stare."

"Yeah, whatever," He rolled his eyes, getting a bit more comfortable in her presence. "What's with the getup anyway?"

"Well, I thought I could use my free time in a positive way," She said, "School isn't difficult, so I don't need to study, and there's no interesting game I want to play. Taking a jog outside sounded nice."

"I mean, fair enough," Ichiban nodded.

"If you meant why am I wearing this specifically, well, I had no choice." She elaborated before he could question her. "I wanted a tracksuit, but then I remembered how hot it is outside, and Kaa-san handed me this instead. Trust me, I don't like it either. Too tight and stuffy."

Yeah, I can tell. His eyes glanced down at her cleavage before meeting her eyes again.

"But enough about me," She waved it off, taking a sip from the water bottle in her hands. "What do you wanna talk about?"

He grimaced, not knowing how to exactly approach this subject. Knowing how bad he was at indirect approaches, he got straight to the point.

"It's about a girl," He said, making her pause.

"Seriously? Girl problem?" Akane grinned, eyes twinkling in amusement. "Oh, this oughta be good~"

"It really isn't," Ichiban sighed. "It's… how do I say this…"

"What, do you have a girl you like?" She asked. "Is it from our class? A senpai?"

"Uh-"

"Wait, don't tell me," She continued, shutting him up by putting a delicate finger on his mouth. "Is it Haruka? I can see why she'd charm you, she's pretty cute. Nice to chat with, too. Wouldn't be surprised if you were into her."

"That's not it," He groaned, slapping her hand away. "It's the opposite."

Akane blinked. "Eh?"

"So there's this girl that I've never even seen before, and she uh, kinda walked up to me and…" His voice sounded quieter with every word. "...asked me out."

Akane froze, her grin being quickly replaced with an indescribable look. "...What."

"Yeah, that's what I felt too," He said. "It's like, why? We've only started school and I don't even look that good. I haven't made a good impression on anyone at all!"

"You can't be serious," She scoffed, looking disappointed. "You went out of your way just to tell me that? And you really think I'd believe it? Give me some credit, Ichiban."

"I'm serious!" Ichiban insisted. "Look, even I'm still shocked. It was out of nowhere that I'm still not sure if this is real."

For a moment, Akane paused, her lips thinning as she looked a little concerned. "Is it a girl from our class?"

"Nope, apparently from another school," He answered. "Wait, do you think I'm being pranked? Is this one of those cruel pranks some girls do on weird guys?"

He noticed it, Akane's face morphed into one of shock and surprise. It wasn't always she gets caught off guard like this, but clearly, she didn't expect the news either. Well, he doesn't blame her. Really, it all feels so unreal- very fake.

Why him specifically? He's pretty sure he doesn't have a good reputation with Kuoh academy, much less another school. He racked his brain for anything that might've elevated his status to 'liked' instead of being seen as 'that weirdo with the afro' but nothing.

No, he didn't make up that title. He overheard a few girls call him that.

"That's gotta be it," Ichiban nodded. "I mean, come on, who would want to go out with me, eh Akane?"

When he glanced at her, Akane had a deep frown on her face as the shock faded. He blinked in confusion, unsure of what she's feeling. She looks kinda mad? Worried? A weird combination of the two.

"Akane?"

"...So what's her name?" Akane asked him suddenly.

"The girl? Yuuma I think."

He saw it, a twinge of familiar anger sparking in her eyes before quickly calming down, her face reverting to a thoughtful frown. The worry was clear on her face as if she was reflecting on things. Was she really that worried about him?

And what was that annoyed expression just now?

"Alright, so what's the issue exactly?" She sighed. "You don't know how to respond? Just do what I did with that Yuuta guy or whatever his name was."

...Well, that's weird. He blinked. She believed me just like that. Maybe she thinks it's a prank too?

"First, I think his name was Yuuto. Second, I'm not gonna roast the shit out of her for the hell of it," He responded. "Third… I kinda accidentally said yes."

Akane whipped her head at him with a shocked expression, the water bottle in her hand slipping and falling on the ground. She struggled to say something, seemingly baffled by what she just heard, which made Ichiban blush in embarrassment.

And there it is.

"Why?"

"I-I just froze up, alright?"

"How? Seriously, how does that even happen?" Akane's shock slowly subsided, her expression forming into a grin. "Are you stupid?"

"What the hell was I supposed to do?!"

"Say no ya retard!" She laughed, switching to her Kansai dialect. "How the hell do you fuck up like this?!"

His face only reddened as she continued laughing at his predicament. Ichiban scoffed, he knew he needed to be ready for teasing and mockery from her, but he didn't expect her to find the whole thing this funny.

Hell, he never heard her laugh this hard before. There were tears in her eyes for god's sake. So what if he screwed up? Is he not allowed to make mistakes?

"You can stop laughing now," He growled.

"Hahaha, this is gold!" She panted, finally calming down. "God, yer so stupid!"

"We established that already."

"Aw, don't look so mad. I was just caught off guard," She patted his back. "If anything, I like my men a little stupid, so you still have a chance."

"Yeah, yeah- wait," His eyes widened as he processed his words. "Wait, what?"

"Alright. So you want to break off, yeah?" She said, as if what she stated earlier didn't mean anything.

He stared at her for a second before responding. "U-uhm, yeah, that's it. We have a date on Sunday you see, so the day after tomorrow. Dunno how to go about it though."

Prolly imagining things. He thought. I mean, she probably doesn't even see me that way.

"Right, well, not gonna lie to you, it'll be a bit tough," Akane said. "I mean, emotionally tough. Breaking a girl's heart is painful no matter what."

"Yeah, that's what I'm worried about," He sighed. "Any idea how I can cancel the date?"

"Don't," Akane crossed her arms. "Go along with it."

"Eh?"

"I know how it sounds, but give the girl a chance. She might surprise you, you know," She explained. "I mean, what are you so afraid of?"

"Well…"

"Not a lot of guys get this chance, Ichi. Even in our female-dominated school, a girl confessing her feelings to a guy is five times rarer than the other way around," She continues. "You might get along with this Yuuma, make the relationship serious even."

"I get that, I really do. I mean, she's really cute," He replied. "But I'm not looking for a relationship right now, I guess."

"Oh? Is there a reason for that?"

"Yeah…" He scratched his cheek nervously. "Remember when I told you I figured out what I want to be?"

"What about it?"

"My dream job is... Well, it doesn't really allow relationships," As Ichiban said that, his back itched, the ink on it acting as a reminder of his oath.

"Ahh," Akane nodded in understanding. "Fair enough. That's a reason I can understand. So it's not about what you want, it's that you can't give her a chance."

"Yup."

"Then how about going along with it as compensation?" She suggested. "I mean, you kinda agreed, so you have to suffer the consequences. It'd be pretty horrible if you canceled right now."

"But what if it was a prank?"

"Then I'll fill the spot," She gave him a sultry smirk. "Wouldn't want my buddy to be stood up after all."

His face turned red at the idea, but he didn't turn it down. I mean, it's just a joke. She probably means hanging out like we always do or something…

"I...I guess," He rubbed his neck.

"Regardless, if it makes you feel any better, I can follow you around from a distance," She offered. "In case anything goes south of course. I can cover for you if need be."

"You'd do that?" He asked in surprise.

"Of course. That's what friends are for, no?" Akane patted him on the shoulder. "I expect you do the same if I accidentally said yes to a guy who asks me out."

"You're not gonna live it down, are you?"

"You kidding?" She snorted. "This is comedy gold. Wish I was there to witness it in person."

He sighed in exasperation but then smiled. "Thanks, though. For real, you're a lifesaver. Don't think I'd be able to get out of it without you."

"Not doing this for free, by the way," She said. "I demand chocolate cake as payment. A big one."

"Of course it's chocolate," Ichiban shook his head. "I'll get you the damned cake. Happy?"

"Very much so," She said, standing up. "We can prepare tomorrow, there's a couple of things I need to do first. Not even done with my workout yet."

"Sure. Let's meet up here at 3 pm tomorrow. We can hang out after."

"Sounds good," She smiled, giving him a fistbump. "See you soon, Ichi."

He waved her goodbye, watching her restart her jog until she was out of sight. Ichiban turned his gaze away and stared at the setting sun. Giving this Yuuma a chance sounded nice, but then again, it's not smart to date normal people when you're planning to dive deep into the supernatural unless they're deep into it too.

Even if their relationship got serious, the ink on his back is bound to scare her away. Nobody wants to date a future Yakuza anyway, and there's barely any woman who's part of the Tojo clan.

Guess this is one of the drawbacks of joining the Yakuza that Arakawa was telling him about…

(Mizuki)

"Where is it…?" She murmured, looking through her keys as she stood in front of the door. "Ah, here."

Just as she was about to insert the key, the door opened and Asia greeted her with a small smile. "H-hello, Mrs. Amamiya."

"I'm home," She smiled, lifting the bag in her hand. "And I brought food."

Asia nodded and stepped away for her to enter, closing the door behind her as she put the bag on the dinner table. She looked around, trying to sense her daughter anywhere but to no avail.

"Akane didn't come back?" She asked the blond, who shook her head.

"S-she didn't," Asia said, looking a little nervous. "I'm worried about her."

"She is late," Mizuki mumbled, looking at the time. "Weird, should've returned by now."

She glanced at Asia, who while looking more comfortable than before, was still a little nervous. Mizuki wouldn't blame her, her daughter practically kidnapped the nun out of nowhere, which she found pretty out of character.

Akane has a bit of trouble trusting people - usually would take her weeks to even show an iota of trust to somebody, so to drag someone she just met today into her home was very weird. Mizuki didn't bring it up, though, because, after a bit, she realized why Akane did this.

The girl across from the dinner table has a Sacred Gear.

Mizuki noticed that the girl was trying to hide it, and was doing an incredible job at it as well. If she had never gone through the specialized assassin training, she never would've sensed it at all, which shocked her.

She isn't that surprised that the Yakuza never noticed. You'd need to be especially skilled, and even then, Mizuki wasn't able to sense her from too far. She needs to be close and actively focusing on her energy signature to sense it. Odd - someone like her shouldn't be anywhere near as skilled to pull off something like this.

Even then, then how the hell did her daughter sense this? Akane clearly brought the girl here for this very reason. Why would she help Asia otherwise? Akane is admittedly selfish - showing such generosity to someone out of the blue like this was strange.

She'd lend a hand to someone getting harassed on the streets, but she wouldn't bring them home because they didn't have a home or whatnot. So her daughter is a master at magic sensing? Was that it?

It doesn't really make sense, though. She just started using magic recently. Absurd growth or not, that's just not possible. Her daughter is hiding something big.

"U-um, is Akane getting here soon?" Asia asked innocently, prompting the older woman to smile nonchalantly.

"It'll be fiiiine," Mizuki assured her. "I'm sure she has her own reason to be late."

"Oh, okay," Asia deflated a little.

God, she's so cute. Mizuki's smile turned warm. Would've adopted her if she wasn't so suspicious~

What the hell is a nun doing in Japan anyway? Without any supervision or bodyguards from the church? Aside from her surprise seeing an untouched nun from that hole of degeneracy, it's wild to see one on her own here.

Sometimes, Mizuki wondered if the church were just devils in human flesh. Her former assassin clan butted heads with them far too many times, and she's seen firsthand how disgusting they are.

Experiments on children, constant raping of female agents, greed of the higher-ups - general corruption basically. Wild how the Angels never gave much of a fuck about what's been happening downstairs as they sat there twiddling their thumbs. Can't do shit without their daddy apparently.

From what one of her former coworkers said, the corruption of the church began to take root after the death of god, and it slowly got worse throughout the years. She never cared, though. If that's what happens to a faction after their leader's death, then the foundation of said faction was weak, and it deserves to be destroyed.

Of course, most of the blame lies on the limp-dicked Seraphs that are too passive to do shit. They let so many walk all over them because they're too afraid of war. Currently, the angels are the weakest of the three factions, as their numbers can't be restored very easily.

Mizuki doesn't necessarily hate them, but she couldn't bring herself to respect them either. If they did their job, the devils' peerage system wouldn't have existed in the first place.

Not like I made their job any easier. She thought. After all, there were four Great Seraphs at some point.

"So, Asia?" Mizuki started. "What do you think of my daughter?"

"Eh? Oh! Well, she's been very kind to me," Asia smiled. "She helped me with the language barrier and we left to do many fun things around town."

"Oho? Like?"

"We went to this 'Arcade'. I've never gone to one before, but we had a lot of fun there," She said. "A-and Akane has a really beautiful voice."

"Ehe, I know, right?" Mizuki gave a dopey grin. "Sometimes, I feel like I've been blessed with an Angel as a daughter."

The irony of that statement wasn't lost on her of course. If anything, it felt like an inside joke that she had to struggle to prevent herself from laughing.

"What about Mr. Amamiya?" Asia questioned innocently, making Mizuki wince. "Is he not here?"

"I'm afraid not," The mother sighed sadly.

The change in tone made Asia frown guiltily as she realized what it meant. "I-I'm very sorry, I didn't mean to bring it up."

"It's alright, love. It is a depressing memory, but it happened many years ago," Mizuki smiled softly. "Let's forget about it and eat. It's getting late."

"Eh? B-but what about Akane?"

"Oh don't worry about her. I'll bring her the food later," Mizuki waved it off.

"Oh, no, I shouldn't," Asia declined. "It wouldn't be right to eat without Akane. Please, I'd like to wait for her."

Ah, she's so nice~

"I'm telling ya, it'll be alright," The mother persisted. "This isn't the first time it happened."

"B-b-but-"

The blond's stomach growled, making her face turn red from embarrassment as Mizuki giggled in amusement. "The body doesn't lie, Asia. Is is no sin to give in to your hunger~"

"Uwah…" Asia covered her face in embarrassment.

Suspicious or not, she's great daughter material. Maybe little sister material for her actual daughter. She'll just keep an eye on her, give Majima and Akiyama a heads-up about her.

They get along well enough. Mizuki thought. Maybe my dream of getting another adorable daughter isn't impossible after all~

She just hoped that whatever Akane is hiding isn't too big. She has to confront her about it soon. Something is very off about all of this.

(Akane)

I didn't expect a change nearly that big would occur this early, but I guess I should've. I need to keep reminding myself that I shouldn't view my metaknowledge as a gospel. To think that Ichiban is a possible wielder of a Sacred Gear...

Who'd have thought that? I was so focused on Issei having the Boosted Gear that I didn't think someone else would have one. After all, that Sanji guy had one, so why not add a third wielder?

Though, what caused the change? Why did Raynare target Ichiban instead of Issei? Was it on a whim? Or maybe they're targeting both at the same time. After all, there are four fallen angels, and three of them are women.

That means Issei might be in danger. I need to prevent them from killing Ichi and Issei, but how do I do that? I'm gonna be too busy defending one of them - clearly, the two aren't gonna be close to one another when the fallen decide to kill them.

This needs planning. Ichiban is likely strong enough to defend himself for a bit, but he'll be caught off guard. Issei is weak and unaware - he's a priority right now as much as I hate to admit it.

I must warn Ichiban somehow, without it being too obvious. He's not good at hiding his emotions, so the fallen will notice the shift in his attitude and attack immediately. I also have to track Issei and protect him too.

I only told Ichi to go along with it so I can lure out Raynare herself. She won't be expecting me or anyone else tracking Ichiban on his 'date' with her. It's the safest way to deal with this issue. And hey, it increased my REP with him quite a bit. Not sure if it was due to my offer and advice or my flirting, but I'm not complaining.

10 Reputation with Ichiban Kasuga [80/100]

Assuming the fallen decided to kill them on the same day, but it's better to assume the worst in these kinds of scenarios. I should go to school tomorrow and check up on Issei to see if he got his date too.

Should I ask for help? Aside from my mother who I don't want to worry too much, my uncle is far stronger than the fallen, probably strong enough to beat them on his own if I'm being honest, and he's likely gonna listen to my words and help.

I can tell him to keep an eye out on Ichiban as I go after Issei. Ichi and I are already good friends, but I don't have a good relationship with Issei. If I save him from a Fallen, I'll get his gratitude and I'll be able to integrate him into our group. This way I can farm reputation and affection until I have him fully under my control.

But I'm getting too ahead of myself. Too much overthinking isn't good, I need to observe a little more before making such plans. I'm still not even fully sure the fallen will attack Issei soon, maybe they'll do so next week or something.

Ugh, the things I do for people. Playing hero is stressful.

On the bright side, if I succeed, I get two friends with Sacred Gears. One with a Boosted Gear - a broken Longinus - and the other a mystery.

It'll be tough, but high risk high reward as the saying goes. This is why I'm working out extra hard - I have to finish the training quest by tomorrow for the extra stats as insurance. I'm pretty confident in my INT and WIS as mine already surpassed Sona, who is likely a lot stronger than the fallen, but my physical stats are lacking.

Once I get the perk for the END and STR stats, I should be more than tough enough to beat them back, if not outright stop their plans right there and then.

Though, would it be fair to assume that Issei might not have a Sacred Gear? This of course changes so much that I honestly don't want to think about it, but I think it's better to consider it. Expect the unexpected and all that. If he doesn't…

Then I'm gonna mug him in the middle of the night. Bastard could've made me apologize to him for nothing. He's going to the fucking hospital alongside his shitty friends.

Quest added

-[Beginning of a New Story] - Quest

Objective: Stop the Fallen Angel's plans

Bonus Objective: Kill the Fallen Angels

Rewards: Cryomancy Spellbook [Random], 1 Rare Gacha Token, Moderate EXP

Bonus Rewards: Cryomancy Spellbook [Random] 1 Epic Gacha Token, Major EXP

Oh.

Thank you, Game. I appreciate it. Truly.

"Oh, you're still here?"

I glance at my mother, who has a Mcdonald's bag as she closes the door of the warehouse behind her before returning to focus back on my workout. I didn't give her much thought to be honest.

"You really took it seriously, huh?"

"I suppose."

"Hehe, that's my girl," Mizuki puffs her chest in pride. "Though, are you sure you're not overworking?"

"I'm fine. If anything, I'm just a little hungry."

"Well, Asia and I already ate, but I got your food right here," She says. "Should've seen the girl, she tried to eat a burger with a fork and knife. She's so cute~"

"I'm working out and you got me Mcdonald's of all things?" I raise a brow, stopping the treadmill. "Didn't you say I should stop eating Fast Food?"

"You're the one who knows her restaurants. I just got the closest thing to our house," She shrugs. "Besides, I'm lovin' it."

I cringe at her shitty attempt to 'joke' before snatching the bag out of her hand. "That was horrible and you should feel bad."

"Hehe." She grins cheerfully.

I sigh and shake my head, stepping out of the treadmill before heading towards the couch. I put the bag on the table and take the food out of it. I've been craving a greasy burger for a bit now, and thankfully the workout quest says nothing about what I eat.

I can probably eat the worst kinds of food out there and suffer no consequences as soon as I get the Perfect Body perk. No more worrying about my calorie intake, hooray.

"So where's Asia anyway?" I ask before biting into my food.

"She went to bed," Mizuki answered. "She got very sleepy after eating. Poor girl must've been exhausted."

"Hm, good for her, then."

With this little exchange, I focus on my food, a few moments of companionable silence passing by. I try to come up with a solution to my current predicament - saving Issei and Ichi at the same time - but the best plan I have now is involving my uncle.

My mother… She's physically weak, but I can tell she's pretty knowledgeable and experienced even without knowing who she was before. Can she maybe defeat someone if they weren't aware of her? After all, assassin's don't generally fight face-to-face.

…Nah, I think it's safer if I just involve Akiyama. The Fallen are probably weaker than Sona or Rias, and he's way above the heiresses. I shouldn't risk my mother's life over something like this.

"Hey, so I was thinking," My mother starts. "Why did you offer Asia to live with us for the time being?"

"Hm?" I raise a brow, swallowing the last bit of my food. "Well, obviously because she has nowhere to go-"

"It's her Sacred Gear, isn't it?"

I freeze, my face twitching as I calm myself. Really shouldn't panic, what is she gonna do about it anyway? I should probably come clean, she knows already. No point in lying.

"...Yeah, that's it," I nod, answering her truthfully. "Felt something weird inside her, so I assumed it was one of those Sacred Gears you talked about."

"And you brought her to our house, why?"

"Don't you remember?" I smile a bit. "You said there are devils in Kuoh, and I didn't want the poor girl to be involved in their peerages or whatnot."

"Hm, fair," She said, looking oddly serious. "I'm just wondering how you felt it."

"You mean the Sacred Gear?" I look at her in confusion. "Well, easy. I just sensed it."

She's acting a little weird. Something's off, she's too suspicious. I didn't fuck up somehow, did I?

"Easy?" She looks at me right in the eye. "I was barely able to sense it myself. It wasn't easy for me, so how was it for you?"

Ah…

"What are you hiding?"

Shit.

I feel cold sweat trailing down my cheek and clench my fist nervously. I was careless, it seems, too careless. I had no hopes of fooling an assassin from the start - I had to be a lot more subtle.

I panicked a little when I realized that Asia was gonna return to the fallen. If she did, then there's a huge chance that they were going to kill her. I had to save her, but doing that so recklessly made my plans too obvious.

But… why couldn't she, a 'legendary hitwoman' easily sense Asia's Sacred Gear? Of course, I personally didn't need to sense it as I had my knowledge. Sure, I shouldn't be too reliant on it, but if she doesn't have it, then what the hell would she be doing in Japan?

There's a reason she's here, and what confirmed her purpose was knowing that she lived in the abandoned church. I'm certain that's where the Fallen live.

Is Asia that skilled at hiding her powers? Some unknown third party?

"...I'm not hiding anything," I lie, even when I knew she wouldn't buy it. I can't just tell her about The Gamer, or anything close to it. "You're imagining things."

"We both know that's not true," She insists, taking a step towards me. "Please, tell me the truth, Akane. I just want to understand you."

I stand up from the couch, trying to think of a solution. How do I avoid telling her? No, how do I avoid telling her without having her become too suspicious of me? I can't lie, she can easily deflect anything back at me.

Think, something that can stop her from questioning me now and in the future. A short and long-term plan.

"Why should I tell you?" I narrow my eyes, trying to buy time so I can come up with something.

"B-because I'm your mother. I worry about you," She says, looking a little hurt at my distrust. "Look, I-I notice these little things, alright?"

"What do you mean?"

"The way you zone out?" She says, making me grimace as I realize what she's referring to. "T-the way you look so… lifeless? It scares me, Akane. I have to know what's wrong."

"You don't," I say bluntly. "Because there's nothing wrong with me."

"You know that doesn't exactly help your case," Mizuki narrows her eyes, a mildly annoyed look on her face. "Stop lying to me, Akane."

I stay quiet for a moment before I get an idea. I surprise her as I gaze back into her eyes with a scowl. Nothing much I can do right now, if I have to protect a secret, then I need to reveal another.

"Didn't know you were this much of a hypocrite, Kaa-san," I scoff. "I'd stop lying if you did."

She freezes as her eyes go wide. "W-what?"

"You think I don't know?" I say. "The whole fucking armory in your room? What the hell was that about, huh?"

Mizuki flinches and steps back, her glare morphing into a terrified look. "I-I…"

"You might've told me about how this supernatural thing works, but you never once told me about your position in it," I state, stepping towards her. "I mean, what would a housewife want with some military-grade weapons?"

"T-that's- well…" She panics, taking a step back.

"I don't know what you need those for, but you're clearly not who I thought you were," I laugh bitterly, my throat suddenly tightening uncomfortably. "Really, am I even talking to my mother here? Or are you just pretending?"

This makes her flinch violently, trembling as she tries to utter a response.

"O-of course I'm your mother!" She says, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. "H-how can you even say that?!"

"Oh I dunno, seeing so many weapons specifically designed to kill made me have second fucking thoughts!" My scowl deepens as I feel my blood boil. Why is this making me feel like this? Why is my heart beating so fast? "What the hell do you need these for?"

"T-they're…" She looks away, unable to answer.

"You won't even give me a clear answer," I scoff. "And you know what? I would've been fine with that. You have your own secrets, I respect that."

"But when you try to force me to spill my own, that's when we have a fucking problem," I continue, calming myself down. "I'll keep it short and say this: You're not entitled to know anything about me, got it?"

"I'm sorry…" She whispers, barely holding back the tears.

My scowl drops for a moment as my heart starts to feel uncomfortable. I shake my head and ignore this feeling, doubling down instead of trying to comfort her.

"Yeah. You should be."

-5 Affection with Mizuki Amamiya [90/100]

10 Obedience with Mizuki Amamiya [60/100]

I mask my anger as I see the messages, then head towards the exit. "I'm going home. Goodnight."

"W-wait-" She tries to call for me, but I ignore her.

I don't even look back as I close the door behind me. Taking a deep breath as I finally ask what's been mildly bothering me for a while. I tried to ignore it or chalk it off as something insignificant, but with how I felt right now, I need to know.

I can deny it all I want, but there's no doubt that I do care about her- them. I need an explanation, Game. The Sociopath trait said that forming emotional bonds is impossible, so what the hell is going on? Why did I feel so emotional?

Complications with the reincarnation process. Pay it no mind-

Oh no, I will pay it mind. What the fuck was that all about?

As I said, the reincarnation process did not go as smoothly as I expected. What you're feeling is normal.

I've been monitoring it, and so far, I have yet to see anything severely limiting or detrimental. You are fine.

Fine or not, I need it to stop. How the hell do I get rid of it?

With waiting. Growing powerful will speed up the process.

I rub the bridge of my nose with a frustrated sigh. So nothing has changed. I just keep doing what I'm doing right now while trying to ignore this shit.

I frown and glare at the blue text box in front of my face. I feel like you're hiding something.

I don't get a response and walk home. Whatever, if getting strong is what I need to do then so be it. I'll just have to stomach these emotions right now and try to mute it. Getting 'friends' is just gonna drag me down.

They're a liability. I don't need them.

All I need to rely on is myself.

(Raynare)

"What do you mean you lost her?!" She snarled at the stupid human, who shrugged nonchalantly. "Do you have any idea how valuable the girl is?!"

"Look, I'm just sayin' that she may or may not have gotten kidnapped," He said. "You know how paranoid those Yakuza fucks are? It ain't easy laying low even with the Energy Inhibitors we have."

"So you just let her get kidnapped? Without even trying to stop her?" She grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up. "You incompetent idiot! We can't let the Tojo Clan get Asia- Cadre Kokabiel will have our heads!"

"Well, whose fault is it?" He smirked, even as a nervous sweat trailed down his cheek. "You dumb bitch just let her go to 'take a breather' and look how that worked out."

"And I told you to follow her and make sure she doesn't get in trouble, fuckface!" She screamed. "Are you trying to sabotage our plans? Because nobody will cry over your shitty worthless corpse, human."

Even Freed flinched at the hostility. Strong or not, Raynare is still a veteran that had years of experience under her belt. Sure, she can admit that she's not the strongest out there, but someone like this stupid human isn't powerful enough to face her.

Said human might've completely ruined their plans with his sheer incompetence. It was a simple enough plan: Get Asia, wait for the Sacred Gear Extractor that will arrive tomorrow morning, get Twilight Healing, then finish Phase Two by killing the two others in Kuoh extracting their gears.

She's not dumb enough to fight two Sacred Gear users without any backup plan. Asia is the easiest of the bunch. She's not a fighter, so there won't be much trouble getting her Sacred Gear, which is why she's keeping the other two for last. It's always good to be cautious when deep in Yakuza turf. Who knows if the other two unlocked theirs or not.

If yes, then Twilight Healing will be a very useful tool against them. The report was saying that one of them is a possible Longinus wielder, and when Raynare got close to this Ichiban boy, she sensed a powerful draconic aura from him.

He must be the one with the Longinus. From what Kalawarner said, Issei Hyoudou had a draconic aura too, but his was very faint, almost unnoticeable. He wasn't as important but still needed to be dealt with before the Devil Heiresses or the Yakuza notice.

She wasn't sure why Cadre Kokabiel was so adamant on getting the Sacred Gears from Kuoh - this could very well be a declaration of war, and last time she checked, Lord Azazel hated war.

She's not supposed to question her orders, though. The Cadre said this was an order from Lord Azazel, so her job was simply to shut up and do what she's told. Raynare isn't about to piss off someone who can kill her with a glare because she's suspicious.

"W-well, if it's any consolation," Freed put his hands up. "I saw who took her."

"W-what?" Her eyes widened. "Then why didn't you start with that, dipshit?!"

"You didn't let me?" He shrugged with a raised brow. "You kinda started screeching the moment I came back, couldn't get a word in over your whining."

Raynare gritted her teeth in anger before letting him down. "Speak."

"Ahem, thank you," He nodded. "Well, remember the emo bitch I told you about?"

"...A-Akane Amamiya?"

"Yes, that bitch," He grinned. "Well, Asia got dragged around town by her, and… well, you should know the rest."

Oh… oh no…

"You're telling me Asia was 'kidnapped' by the one person with guards literally flocking her everywhere she goes?" Raynare's blood ran cold. "Are you serious?"

"Eyup."

How the fuck am I supposed to get her back then?! She grimaced as her heart thumped in her chest. I'm so fucked. If Cadre Kokabiel hears about this…

"Why the hell didn't you interfere?" She growled at him.

"My dear, bitchy Raven, if I did, then I don't think I would've been able to hold myself back from teaching that whore a lesson,," He shook his head as if he's saying the most obvious thing before chuckling. "You should be thankful I didn't fuck up the plan."

"The plan is already fucked you stupid manchild!" She roared, grabbing him by the throat before slamming him on the wall. "Now we lost our only possible chance of getting the Gears without alerting the fucking Tojo Clan."

Freed choked as Raynare tightened her grip, but even then, he grinned madly.

"Damn it, I knew I should've let Mittelt go after her," She cursed. "Instead I let your dumbass handle something clearly above your mental capacity."

His face turned red as he tried to breathe, and before Raynare could kill him, she let Freed go, prompting him to cough and gasp for air. Kalawarner and Mittelt entered the room, looking at the panting Freed in concern and worry.

They're not worried about him, of course, but likely concerned over their leader's outburst. Raynare calmed herself as her partner addressed her. Getting angry is no use, it won't make Asia magically teleport here.

"We heard everything," Kala said. "How will we proceed now?"

Raynare paused for a moment before answering.

"There isn't much we can do. We will start Phase 2 without Twilight Healing," She said. "Kala, as I told you before, Ed will assist you in case anything goes south. Freed, you're with me."

"Aha… ahaha," He laughed raspingly. "And here I thought you were gonna ground me."

"There will be consequences once we get this over with," She scowled. "Right now, you'll act as my guard. I'm sure you won't object, will you?"

"Oh, I'll be honored to guard you, my mistress," He bowed sarcastically.

Her anger flared at his disrespect, but she ignored him. "Mittelt, you, Dohnaseek, and the rest of the stray exorcists will remain here as backup."

"Understood," The blond Fallen Angel nodded.

All Raynare can do now is salvage whatever she can. The plan isn't fully ruined thankfully - the Yakuza seem to be unaware of them due to the Energy Inhibitors technology they got from one of Cadre Kokabiel's associates, but this is no excuse.

One small mistake could be the end of them all.

And Raynare is not ready to die just yet.

This has finally caught up, so don't expect consistent updates anymore. I am working on the next chapter tho, and I should hopefully be done with it before the end of the week.

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