After that (ahem) eventful evening, all of our fellow second-years in the Club met together at the train station.

"Alright, everyone," I addressed them. "Rias has put me in charge of the Occult Research Club group in the off chance we have to do some…" I waved my arm in thinking of a euphemism for whatever crap we end up involved in that can't be disclosed in public.

"Occult Research?" Irina suggested.

"Yes, that," I confirmed. I brandished four cards to hand to Yuuto, Aika, Hagane, and Rahab.

"These 'passes' she told me to give you should keep you safe from the spiritual energy of Kyoto's landmarks."

"Ah, so we can visit Kiyomizu-dera, Kinkaku-ji and Ginkaku-ji without being weakened?" Hagane commented.

"That's what Rias told me, yes." I replied.

"Say those three times fast…" Aika muttered.

"And this is for you as well, Hagane," I handed her another card with the Gremory sigil. "This should allow you to permit Aika's promotion in Rias' absence."

"Why can't I just permit my own promotions?" Aika asked.

"I dunno, Miss This-Looks-Like-Good-Doujinshi-Material," I answered.

"Okay, Mr. Definitely-Only-Armor Break…" she responded.

"One, that was an accident. Two, both times were before the voyeurism and 'skinship' in the hot springs. Three…"

"Not complaining about Rias-senpai's generosity and all, but I don't really need this," Rahab interrupted me. "My angel biology already lets me resist light and spiritual energy."

"Right, I was wondering about that fourth one…" I replied, pondering. "Did your Knight piece override your angelic properties to a full devil?"

Somebody gave a familiar giggle. "As another fallen angel reincarnated by Rias, that would be a no. I forgot to bring you something."

Akeno came up to us with the vampire transfer student, Brooke Toro, and added, "She will be joining us in the Occult Research Club."

"She? Why does she not have to wear a skirt?" Rahab asked, noticing her wearing the boys' uniform.

Brooke glared at Rahab with her red eyes.

"She works as a valet for the family of Elmenhilde Karnstein… and is also part-vampire," I explained, handing the pass I had given Rahab to Brooke, "I believe this is for you, it will protect you from the spiritual energy in Kyoto,"

"Thank you, Fujiwara," Brooke replied to me. "Miss Akeno, I did bring extra sunscreen as advised."

"As expected from someone as diligent as you," Akeno replied. "By the way, you have my permission to call Makoto by his first name."

"Good grief," I replied to Akeno's statement. "Is that everything, Akeno?"

"Oh yeah," she added, "One more thing…"

She walked up to my face and kissed me… Keep in mind, everyone else was still there watching us.

"A kiss to send you off," Akeno added, "My, what was I thinking?" giggling.

I cleared my throat, "Matsuda and Motohama could have seen you, y'know that?" I replied scratching my head.

"We all did see that… Makoto…" Brooke muttered.

"Even so, I wouldn't be able to endure without a good-bye kiss while you're away in Kyoto, even just for a couple days…" Akeno said. "I don't care if jealous classmates see you with your girlfriend."

"We know," Xenovia commented.

I chuckled, "Thank you, Akeno."

"Go and have fun, Makoto! Everyone!" Akeno exclaimed.

"We will!" I replied. "See you later!"

As we walked towards the train, Aika remarked, "I feel like this trip is gonna be great."

"Yeah! I wonder what baddie we're gonna face here?" Rahab commented.

"I wouldn't jinx it," Yuuto replied. "I, for one, am looking forward to relaxing a while."

"Yeah. Especially after that Rating Game," Irina added.

"If we attract trouble once again," Brooke stated. "I will help ensure they are put to a stop."

"Amen!" Irina exclaimed. "Spoken like a true veteran of the group."

"But Pants Vampire literally just got here," Rahab replied.

"The name's Brooke Toro," she corrected, "and the suit is an essential part of my profession."

"Okay. Okay," Rahab dismissed.

"Hey, I think you are rocking that absolute territory," Aika reassured Rahab.

"What territory?" Rahab asked her. "Here or in the underworld?"

"She's speaking otaku," Irina explained. "You will get used to it."

"She's complimenting your high socks," I answered Rahab.

"Oh! Thanks, Aika," Rahab replied. "I just found them in a magazine right before the last Game, and I thought the style fit my vibe."

"You're welcome," Aika responded, adding, "Also digging the nails and makeup. You look like a total gal."

"Not gonna lie, you're gonna have to explain your lingo on the ride," Rahab responded. "I have no clue what a 'gal' is."

By the time the whole conversation about pants and socks was over, we had all boarded the train about to leave.

Hopefully, Akeno's kiss was a lucky omen.

Then, Xenovia sat next to me and whispered in my ear, "By the way, I'm defenseless…"

"Who the hell starts a conversation like that? I just sat down," I muttered in reply.

She chuckled. "I handed over Durandal to the church alchemists. They messaged me saying they found a way to reforge the sword to better focus its offensive aura, so I don't have it on me right now."

"Oh, yeah. I overheard the Orthodox Church is taking care of stuff like that and the remaining Excalibur pieces we recovered from Kokabiel," I recalled. "That kinda explains the whole 'defenseless' remark. Still weird."

"Even after training, I was still struggling to control Durandal's aura," Xenovia commented. "How can I call myself a Knight if I can't harness its power?"

"Don't beat yourself up too bad over it. You well exceed standards just being able to wield the damn thing in the first place." I replied. "I, myself, still have far to go on my wielding a holy sword, not to mention mastering my Dividing Gear before facing Halja soon."

Xenovia nodded. "Thank you as always, Makoto."

I then heard a clamor among the girls and someone approaching. I groaned, "Good grief… Hey, Yuuto!"

"Hey, Makoto, Xenovia," he replied, pulling my watch out, "I overheard your conversation, and I was meaning to give this back to you, Makoto, but is it alright if Xenovia hangs on to this while she doesn't have Durandal?"

"Sure!" I replied. "She might as well."

"The Exscalon watch? Thank you!" she exclaimed as she received it from Yuuto and put it on her wrist, making a couple discrete adjustments to fit her wrist. "You were right, Makoto. It can tell the time."

After Yuuto and I compared our classes' schedules, planning to reconvene at the Togetsu Bridge on the third day when they both are touring Tenryuu-ji.

After that, he went back to where he was originally sitting, and Xenovia sat next to Irina and Asia, leaving me alone to read the manga I brought.

Before long, I was drifting off to sleep, and then suddenly found myself in a white room, if it was a room, probably more of a white abyss.

My right arm was not in a sling, and I could move it on my own, so this must be some sort of dream state. Nevertheless, it still felt like I was at least partially conscious.

I looked around my surroundings. It was definitely similar to the dreams I had shortly after my Sacred Gear originally awakened.

One thing that suddenly caught my attention, however, were a series of chairs and round tables, all empty.

"What are these?"

"These are where the White Dragon Emperors before you would have sit," Albion explained.

"Would have sit?" I inquired, "Then why aren't they sitting here?"

"Because, in your reality, they technically did not exist."

I turned around to see a silver-haired boy behind me in a black leather jacket, looking slightly older than me but no older than Riser or Sairaorg.

"Then who are you?" I asked.

"The name's Vali," he introduced himself, "I am the White Dragon Emperor whom the original user of your gauntlet stole from."

"Oh…" I responded, proceeding to bow my head. "In that case, I apologize on his behalf."

"No. There's no need," Vali replied. "I was actually impressed how my Red Dragon Emperor colleague managed to take it."

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Vali," Albion greeted him.

Vali chuckled, "Same, Albion. Didn't think we'd reunite after Ragnarok."

"You mentioned the Red Dragon Emperor," I continued my inquiry, "I assume one other than Halja?"

"Correct. She actually received the power in a similar vein to your Dividing Gear," Vali answered. "Halja got her hands on a fragment of his armor previously cursed by her father, Loki, and then made its power her own."

"Not to be confused with Hel, his younger, created daughter, and Goddess of the Dead," another fellow in a frocked jacket with darker silver hair added. "I believe Halja, the Goddess of Death, was from his old flame Angrboda of the Jotunn."

"I'm sure that confusion was definitely not the result of a certain somebody's oversight," I commented.

"Glad to see you also here, Silva." Albion remarked.

"Glad to be seen," Silva replied, and introduced himself to me. "I am the White Dragon Emperor that resided in the part of the gauntlet that evolved into your Dividing Gear."

"Nice to meet you, too," I replied. "I suppose this make the two of you tied to my gauntlet the only spirits left in my Sacred Gear?"

"Seems so," Vali said. "With only the two of us, you won't be able to match Halja's Juggernaut Drive."

I grabbed my chin, "Seems like we'll have to find a way to contact the rest of those spirits."

"Oi! Makoto!"

"Looks like someone's trying to snap you back to reality." Silva remarked.

"Yeah. I recognize that voice," I replied. "I'll be back… sometime. I got more questions about this thing."

"We'll be in here," Vali said.

"Makoto!" Matsuda continued calling to me as I regained consciousness back on the train.

"Y- yes?"

"We were just wondering what you were reading," Motohama explained.

"Oh… This." I held up my manga.

"Well, no wonder you dozed off," Matsuda replied.

"Hey! Azumanga Daioh is peak fiction!" I retorted.

"Well, we're reading this!" Motohama whipped out his manga that unsurprisingly had a scantily clad girl on the cover.

"Lemme guess… h-manga."

"No way! It's an ecchi manga, not an h-manga! Totally different!" Motohama replied. "See? It doesn't say 'R18' on the cover!"

"I see…"

"And it's way more interesting than Azumanga Daioh!" he replied.

"I'll be the judge of that. Let's swap," I replied. He gave me his not-R18 manga, and I gave him Azumanga Daioh.

"Yo! Speaking of R18, we're still up for binging those ero DVDs you said you were bringing?" Matsuda asked him.

"Hell yeah!" Motohama replied. "I brought both volumes of Kink-akuji for this very occasion!"

As they began chanting "Kink-akuji! Kink-akuji!" I could hear Murayama from the Kendo Club scoff and say, "Go die, Perverted Duo!"

"Fujiwara isn't interested in your goon sesh!" Katase added.

I ignored the four of them and continued reading through Motohama's manga, eating one of the rice balls Asia made for me.

"Hm… The art's actually pretty good…"

Shortly after, we arrived at the Kyoto railway station.

I ended up following Brooke out. Yuuto came out shortly behind us with Saji.

"Hey, Makoto!" Saji replied. "I assume this is where 'da boys' are meeting up?"

Brooke put her index finger up in protest.

"What is it?" Saji asked her.

"…We need to avoid getting lost," she replied, pulling out her phone and opening a map. "The hotel is that way."

"Yeah. We just got here and we're already facing a worthy adversary," I commented. "I don't think you've been introduced yet, that's Brooke Toro and she's part-vampire."

"Oh, sick, a dhampir among us," Saji said, before pulling a face. "Wait… she's part-vampire?"

By the time Saji began questioning that factoid, we had caught up with the Perverted Duo, along with Aika and Asia.

"WOW! KYOTO TOWER!" Matsuda exclaimed way too loud.

"You said it, Matsuda," Motohama replied. "It must–"

"…be a shower, not a grower," I finished with him as I took a picture of the tower we'll be visiting on the last day. "You made that exact joke when we went to Tokyo in Middle School."

"I agree, you guys need to get new material," Aika replied. "Let's just head on over to the hotel."

As we approached the hotel, Matsuda yet again exclaimed at the top of his voice. "WE'RE STAYING HERE?! WE'RE BALLING!"

"Ow my ear," Brooke winced.

"That's the least annoying thing about those two clowns," Aika assured her.

It was a large five-star hotel built like a castle. Its service and amenities are rumored to have the resorts in Dubai taking notes.

"How'd us second-years manage to get into this hotel, anyway?" Motohama pondered.

"This Kyoto Sirzechs Hotel is owned by Rias' family," I commented, "so I'm pretty sure the school pulled some strings to get the rooms at a sizable discount."

"I heard the Class President's family is building a Kyoto Serafall Hotel on the other side of the station," Saji added.

"Leave it to them to engage in some good old-fashioned competition," I replied. "Even in the hospitality business."

After we checked in with the attendants at the entrance, my peerage and our year's share of Rias' peerage (featuring Brooke) broke off as Mother was waiting for us in the lobby. Rossweisse was already with her, along with Ms. Mari, the nurse.

"Hey everyone. Glad to see everyone made it," Mother greeted us. "How was the trip?"

"It went well," I replied to her. "I did have some weird vision of two guys in my Sacred Gear,"

"Two guys in your Sacred Gear, huh?" Aika replied.

"No, not like that!" I retorted, shutting down her fantasies in my head. "Get your head out of the gutter. They were two spirits who are somehow connected to my Dividing Gear."

"Interesting," Mom said. "We will have to discuss this further when we have some privacy. Most of the others are starting to gather."

"Speaking of the Sacred Gear," Ms. Mari chimed in. "I managed to get in contact with one of the locals. I think we have a lead on a way we can actually heal the arm."

"That would be great," I replied.

"I will be heading out now," she said. "They will get in contact with you soon."

I nodded. Where exactly it was to be, I don't know, but she seemed assured of the contact's intention to meet with me.

Once all the stragglers had been accounted for, Mom called for the students' attention:

"Greetings, everyone! Welcome to Kyoto! Before you all get settled in, Ms. Rossweisse will be giving some important announcements for this afternoon!"

Rossweisse nodded. "Everyone… BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE 100-YEN SHOP LOCATED AT THE–!"

Mom tapped her shoulder, "No. Not that one, the other one…"

"Oh…" Rossweisse replied, blushing in embarrassment, as Mom handed her the notes, "Um… Once you all get your luggage to your rooms, free time is until 5:00, with dinner at 5:30, but we ask that you stick to the area around Kyoto Station, y'know, where the 100-yen shop is."

Again, with the 100-yen shop. She must have really come to appreciate the cheap essentials here on Earth compared to the more ostentatious Valhalla.

"Question!" Matsuda called out, "Are either of you free this afternoon?"

There was some laughs and jeers in response, the latter mostly by the girls. I'm pretty sure I heard another "Go die" from at least one of them, probably from the Kendo Club.

"The Student Council will be accompanying us faculty this afternoon," Mom replied. "Thank you."

"Dammit!" Matsuda muttered. "Shot down by the Student Council yet again!"

"I appreciate the effort of shooting your shot," Motohama commented. "But you do realize Makoto is already Miss Rossweisse's teacher's pet?"

"Yeah, and I'm gonna punch him over that when we get to our room!" Matsuda replied.

"You do realize I'm behind you right?" I muttered, and they both comically froze up.

"You should spend your free time with your fellow students," Rossweisse lectured them. "Might I recommend checking out the 100-yen shop under Kyoto Station?"

She keeps coming back to that 100-yen shop. I must say, I respect the grind.

"Okay, thank you, Ms. Rossweisse," Mom said before she had a chance to rattle off more about the 100-yen store. "Please see the attendants for your room keys by surname!"

As they all dispersed, Mom began walking up to me. "Makoto. This one's for you."

She tossed me a key. Not a keycard, a regular key.

"Okay…" I observed after catching the key. "Thanks, Mom!"

I was supposed to have a room to myself, since I was one of the few guys. Matsuda and Motohama were in a room together and Yuuto was with Saji.

I went up the elevator and approached the room number etched on the key.

The door was a Japanese-style sliding door, "Weird. I could've sworn from the pictures online that the rooms were Western. Maybe I got some special suite."

I unlocked the door and opened up the room… which was a small old-school Japanese-style room, complete with an old-school box TV.

"What the hell…?" I muttered.

As I looked around the room, observing its various "amenities," I heard brisk footsteps up the hallway.

"Makoto?" Rossweisse called out to me as she reached the door.

"Yes, Rossweisse?" I replied. "Y'know where the bedding is in this room?"

"Omigosh I'm so sorry…" Rossweisse said to me before I could finish my question and then buried her hands in her face. "I can't believe I'm serving my new master in this way… I will never find a husband for sure!"

"It's okay, Rossweisse, I'll make this work…" I went to grab her hand to console her, but she was holding another keycard. "Is this yours?"

"It's the key to your actual room," Brooke chimed in, "You're rooming with me, Makoto."

I nodded. "Somehow that makes more sense than putting me up in the comedy backup room. But you do realize…"

"Oh, yes, we are fully aware of the co-ed arrangement," Rossweisse composed herself. "But, with her last-minute transfer, someone insisted of her being more acquainted with boy matters and you being exceptionally comfortable around girls, so we ended up resolving the odd number this way."

"Let me guess, that logic was Sirzechs'," I commented.

"Yes, it was," Rossweisse replied.

"Sorry for having to put you through that, Rossweisse. I should have been clearer to Makoto," Mother said as she then showed up. "I apologize for the confusion. This is just the meeting room Rias set up for us to have meetings if necessary. Since you're in charge, Makoto, I set you in charge for keeping up with it."

"That's alright, Mother. I would be perfectly fine with the room if this hotel's biggest competition wasn't the Burj Al Arab," I replied. "I'm particularly intrigued by this old box TV. Haven't seen anything like this in ages," I fiddled around with the settings on it. "Holy cow, they somehow got a Roku on it." Rossweisse and Brooke were impressed by that development.

"Yes, that TV is set up so we can easily connect a presentation to it, if need be," Mother explained before switching gears. "But on the subject that you mentioned earlier, since we're here, you mentioned two spirits were in your Sacred Gear; what do you remember about them?"

"Well, I remember one of them was named Vali," I remember.

"Vali?" Mother asked, "As in Vali Lucifer?"

"He didn't give me a last name, but he did look like someone with the last name of Lucifer."

Mother was wide-eyed, "This is huge. He was one of the ones we thought were retconned out completely by Halja."

"So, there's a possibility of restoring some of them to this reality?" I asked.

"It's not out of the question," she replied. "Halja did preserve some of the old Longinus Sacred Gears such as the two halves of True Longinus and Regulus Nemea,"

"Not to mention my own Sacred Gear manifesting seemingly on its own…" I replied and then turned to Rossweisse. "By the way, I like that tracksuit. Where'd you get it?"

"Thank you, Makoto. I got it at a 100-yen shop," Rossweisse replied. "Got it on sale for ¥980!"

"Hmm… Maybe I do need to check out that store under Kyoto station."

"It was a rare bargain," Rossweisse replied. "Normally the set goes for triple that."

I put my hand on my chin "Well, maybe we should go look for some more bargains."

Rossweisse blushed, seemingly construing it as an invitation. "Is this a… d-d-da…?"

"You two should finish getting your luggage to your room and join your fellow students before Ms. Rossweisse blows her top in embarrassment," Mother advised Brooke and I as Rossweisse continued stammering.

We nodded and headed out.

Brooke and I went off to Inari Station, a couple blocks away from Kyoto Station, where we quickly found out where it got its name.

"Oh wow! Look at the cute foxes!" Irina exclaimed as she noticed the miniature statues for sale on display.

Xenovia nodded in approval, "I see! Hopefully we have enough cash for all these souvenirs!"

"We might if we save a bit of money at the 100-yen store," I half-jokingly replied.

"Be careful, Makoto," Aika warned me, "You're starting to catch whatever Ms. Rossweisse has!"

My eyes widened. "Shoot. You may be right,"

"I think it's a good idea to be responsible with our spending while we're still young," Asia chimed in.

"Oh no," Xenovia exclaimed, putting one hand on her head. "It's spreading through our peerage."

"What? Responsible spending?" Irina replied.

"I was right. I gotta get to the top before you all!" she abruptly said, rushing towards the path up Inari Mountain.

Aika shook her head, and then pointed at a lion statue near one of the shrines, "Is that…?"

"Yes. That's an exorcism statue that repels beings with dark energy like devils and vampires," I explained. "That's why you all were given a pass that allows you near them."

"Neat!" Rahab said as she and Hagane exited out one of the shrines. She leaned against one of them and pulled a peace sign.

"Hey. Be careful," Hagane warned her as Motohama and I were taking pictures. "You may be pushing it. Especially since you don't have a pass as a devil, even though you have angelic spiritual energy to counteract it."

"Relax," Rahab said. "Being a gal is about pushing boundaries!" Hagane shook her head in response while Aika gave a nod.

Irina looked around, "Do you think we're being watched?"

"The youkai were informed of our arrival," I replied. "They should understand we come in peace."

I did notice a bit of rustling in the nearby trees.

"Well," I said in response. "I'm gonna try and catch up to Xenovia,"

"Race ya!" Aika exclaimed, dashing in front of me. I shook my head and started jogging.

The rest followed behind me, even Matsuda and Motohama.

However, pretty soon, the two of them were beginning to get winded.

"W- Wait for us!" Motohama exclaimed.

"How are y'all still kicking?!" Matsuda added. "Even Asia is keeping up!"

After a couple minutes, I, who had established the lead, caught up with Xenovia who was at a hall lined with red arches, who, in her frenzy not to catch our alleged thrift cooties, was starting to get winded herself.

"Here…" I said, handing her my water bottle.

"Thank you," she replied, chugging, and then asked. "So, do you plan to wish for anything at the shrine at the top of the mountain?"

I shrugged, "Didn't give it much thought."

"Well, Asia, Irina, and I wish that your arm is fully healed, and you can fight with us at full power once again!" she explained.

"Thank you!"

We continued our trek up the mountain, stopping at some shops and landmarks on the way to rest and take pictures (and to give Matsuda and Motohama a chance to keep up).

Several minutes later, I reached the top, closely followed by Xenovia, then Rahab, Irina, and Aika. Brooke was behind them, currently entrusted with my water to curb her accelerated heat exhaustion. Asia was soon after, dragging a bit to show mercy to Matsuda and Motohama, but, at this point, the humans were running well behind us.

"Well. We made it to the top," I stated as Asia showed up.

Brooke nodded, wiping her sweat, and chimed in, "Do you think we could still be being watched?"

"Yeah. I still have a suspicion we may be attacked soon," Irina replied.

"Hard to say. I doubt it, though," I replied. "I would place a bet that if we get attacked before tomorrow, my peerage will have a meeting in the comedy backup room."

"I mean, that is what the President set that room up for, right?" Xenovia replied.

"Okay… the closet of the meeting room."

"You need a better wager than that," Aika said.

"Like what?"

"I dunno. Maybe buying a set of undies for the President as a souvenir?"

…

"I am not buying Rias lingerie," I commented.

"I didn't say 'lingerie.' It could be any style of underwear," Aika replied. "What, are you embarrassed, or something?"

"No," I replied, blushing. "I just… don't know what she likes."

Just before there was another awkward silence, we were greeted by a blonde woman in a miko outfit.

"Greetings, young travelers," she replied. "I see you made it safely to Kyoto."

I exhaled, "I believe we have."

"My name is Yasaka," she introduced herself, "I have been entrusted with your arrival."

Is she one of the trip coordinators? Or could she be…

She approached me and placed her arms around the injured arm in a sling, "I see you have been afflicted with a grave curse."

"Uh, yes…" I replied, choosing my words carefully since I had no idea whether she was who I thought she could be. "It is having trouble healing."

"That is unfortunate…" she replied. "I will consult my people. They may have an adequate cure for it."

It was then that Matsuda and Motohama caught up with us. As they were struggling to catch their breath, Matsuda appeared to notice Yasaka with her arms on mine and exclaimed:

"Oi! Stop hogging all the cougars to yourself, Makoto!"

Yasaka giggled, "Cougar is not what would best describe me, but I appreciate the compliment." She began to walk off. "Until we meet again, Makoto Fujiwara…"

She already knows me by name. That is always a mysterious sign.

"Uh… Thank you!" I said back.

"What did she mean by that?" Matsuda pondered.

"Maybe she has children!" Motohama replied, "Which would make her a MILF!"

"Be careful around her, Makoto!" Matsuda warned me, "Unless you plan on being the dad who stepped up!"

"Good grief," I sighed, "I'll keep that in mind."

Shortly after this, we made our way back to the hotel to prepare for dinner.

I went light on the buffet they had there this evening, as we were informed that the Club, along with the Student Council group, would be meeting with some other guests later for another meal later in the night. It was still a very exquisite selection of local delicacies.

Brooke and I made it back to the room, "Last call for objections to this setup."

She shook her head, "I heard from Koneko you 'make an attempt to respect women,' so I have no objections," she said.

"Not the most convincing endorsement, but I'll take it."

Brooke nodded and grabbed her towels and change of clothes, "I'll be heading down to join the girls in the public bath."

"Just wondering," I chimed in. "Have you typically been comfortable with other girls?"

She paused, "Yes and no," she replied. "It's a long story that boils down to my house being of a female-dominated clan, my mother of the Karnstein clan mating with a human, them not liking that, and me saving the lives of a couple nobles."

"I got the gist," I replied, nodding. "You can tell us the long story later."

"Meet me at the stairwell outside the bath in about half an hour so we can head on to our next obligation," she clarified, "You know where that is, right?"

"I think Matsuda and Motohama pointed it out to me."

"Of course they did."

After I ran through the shower and changed into a t-shirt and shorts, I made my way down the hall. I had to take a second to remember where the emergency stairwell to the spa floor was.

A second later, Matsuda and Motohama burst out one of the doors, fleeing past me.

That's probably it.

I walked up the stairs, where a certain someone in a red tracksuit was waiting, battle-ready, supported by two of the Student Council girls.

"I knew you would be coming back up here… As a teacher, no, as a woman I shall protect their bodies with my–!"

"Rossweisse, it's me," I interjected, "I'm just here to meet up with Brooke."

As if it were a comic jump cut, she immediately assumed the fetal position and Momo and I had to rub her shoulders and back to console her.

"She already has had to drive away the Perverted Duo," Momo explained.

"Twice!" Tomoe clarified.

"She probably confused you for one of them." Momo added

"I did it again…" she whimpered. "My career is over!"

"It is not," I assured her. "You are an extraordinary teacher and one of our best magic users!"

She lifted her head and wiped her eyes. "I just worry that my service to you has been inadequate."

"It is more than adequate," I replied. "For one, just today, you showed me the value of 100-yen shops!"

Her face lit and she stood back up, "So, you are also a believer!"

I nodded.

"I knew you were a much better master than Odin!" she said.

"From what I'm getting, that isn't that high a hurdle…"

The door opened, "I'm through, Makoto," Brooke said as she emerged from out of the bath in a sweater and sweatpants, "Sorry it took so long. The other girls really wanted to chat me up."

Rossweisse nodded, "We have some time until our meeting at the restaurant, so I guess we can get that date in at the 100-yen store!"

"Since when did I say it was a date…?" I asked.

"He did it again, Motohama! How does he get special hooter privileges that we don't?!"

All four of us glared at them as the duo suddenly reemerged up the stairwell.

"Well, what'd you know?" I exclaimed, wearing my new blue tracksuit, as the three of us walked up the stairs at Kyoto Station "¥2,500 for all three!"

"I was worried that I wouldn't be able to replace mine for cheap if something happened to it," Rossweisse commented, carrying her bag. "But not only were they on sale for ¥1,250, but they were buy two, get one free!"

"I must say, this is very comfortable," Brooke said as she felt the fabric on her purple tracksuit, "and it looks sharp."

"I make a note to tell everyone; they are comfy and easy to wear!" Rossweisse noted.

As we stepped foot on the station floor, the area suddenly shifted to greyscale.

"This again…" I observed. "Haven't experienced this since the last time my arm was critically injured."

"Tome of Babylon," Brooke chimed in.

I turned to her and inquired, "Tome of Babylon?"

"That is an upgraded Longinus Sacred Gear owned by none other than Zeke Sellzen, a notorious vampire hunter of the Protestant church."

"You have sharp eyes as always, Brooke Karnstein. Lady Halja has graciously lended me the description of her ability to seal off a dimension to my tome of power," a voice approaching us called out.

Brooke's red eyes were suddenly consumed by a dark indigo void, and, in a flash, quickly knocked back a very familiar silver-haired priest, who now had a robotic arm and a purple sword, and then simultaneously, like she teleported through the shadow below her and through another on the wall, blew away a second, oddly similar-looking exorcist holding a massive red blade, aftly dodging their attacks on her.

"Well, well! We meet again, Angelface!" Freed said, wiping the blood off his face from Brooke's counter-ambush with his robotic arm.

Rossweisse and I stood on our left and right side of Brooke, magic sigils ready for combat.

"Makoto Fujiwara, Brooke Karnstein, and Rossweisse of the Valkyries," Zeke showed himself, holding his opened tome of power, "Lady Iblis and Lord Naberius told me you would be coming to Kyoto…"