Chapter X

Overnight, it felt like the city had moved on from the battle.

Oh, don't get him wrong, the streets were still being cleaned and people around Kuoh were still talking about what happened on TV and at school, but just as Smith said, it seemed like someone had passed by and cleaned up the mess he left behind overnight. Not just the old building that had collapsed, but also the wrecked street, the blown out windows, mostly, and the rubble caused by the use of his power.

Cleanup wasn't completely done yet.

Just enough that it felt like the damage hadn't been all that bad to begin with.

Issei wondered if that was on purpose? Letting the clean up crews finish the job so it felt like they had done it that fast because the damage wasn't that much? Already there were a few kids in his class who said the news were blowing it out of proportion and people just got spooked from a minor accident.

In a way, he kinda felt insulted.

Being called a gas explosion wasn't funny after the first half a dozen times.

'At least they fixed the building.'

Magic sure was convenient. Yeah, he could probably make a house out of stone if he felt like it, but that's all it would be, a big block of stone shaped like a house. While whoever fixed things up somehow put the old building back together as if it had never even gotten wrecked.

It sure was a weight off his conscience.

Meaning he could finally go through with the actual reason he studied so much to get into this school!

"Are you sure this is the place, Motohama?"

"Yes, I asked around and one of the seniors said this was the place."

He nodded.

Truly, this wasn't a chance they could ignore.

"And you, Matsuda?"

"Got a new pair of glasses and everything. Word on the grapevine is that this is where most sports clubs hang out after morning practice. It's a little bit past midday so they should be coming down here any second."

Issei nodded.

Operation: Birdview was a go!

Finally, after months of struggling, studying, and slaying gods, Issei and his friends, who weren't aware of the latter part of his suffering, had cooked up the perfect debut for their endeavors. And although Motohama had at first voted to make their first sojourn into the teacher lounges, Matsuda overruled him with the temptation of hot steam and sportsmanship.

Truly, those glasses weren't without reason!

"Just imagine! Any minute now, the most athletic beauties of Kuoh, one of Japan's top ranked schools, will walk through that door. A veritable feast for our sore eyes. The sacrifices we've made have not been in vain for paradise is but a few inches of wood away!"

Issei nodded sagely.

Really, he could do with some fun and relaxation after the last 24 hours. Getting invited on a date, attacked by two goddesses during the same date, and then taken home by a government officer wasn't exactly on Issei's list of things to do. But now that things calmed down, he could focus on actually important things again.

Like oppai!

"This is taking too long, Matsuda. You sure this is the place?"

"Don't rush the process! We might be off by a couple minutes but my sources were adamant this was the place!"

Issei sighed and leaned back.

He could hardly wait!

"And what do we have here?"

A new voice spoke, and suddenly a chill went down Issei's spine. Really, they'd been found out already?!

Indeed, standing by the door was a girl their age with slight unkempt light brown hair braided into twin tails and green eyes that seemed to gleam yellow behind pink framed glasses as she stared down at the trio with a smile that emanated amusement and mischief. Going by the uniform she was wearing, it was clear that the three of them had gotten caught by a classmate.

Motohama and Matsuda were struck in shock, therefore it fell to Issei to get them out of this mess.

"And you are?"

"Aika Kiryuu, at your service."

Kiryuu… Kiryuu….

"Oh, you're in my class."

She flashed him a peace sign in response.

"Bingo! 10 points to Slytherin! But minus 50 for getting caught sneaking around. Don't you guys know it never works? Or maybe you lot were so thirsty for a show you decided to risk it for the biscuit?" Leaning back, Aika adjusted her glasses as if daring them to try and prove her wrong.

'Crap, she really is onto us.'

Quick brain, think of something!

"We got lost."

She blinked at him.

"You got lost?"

"We got lost?" His friends turned to him questioningly, probably wondering if that was the best he could come up with under pressure.

"We're new students, obviously, since this academy just opened up to boys. So our apologies, Kiryu, but we don't actually know where we are, or how to reach Exterior Building 3, office number 4. Since we have a small study period, it was our hope to scout out some of the clubs and ask to join."

It was pure bullshit - half true, technically, but utter bull.

Issei was still proud that he managed the line in an absolute deadpan and that the cold sweat in the small of his back was just that.

"Uh… huh."

"Yes huh."

"Ok."

"Ok?"

"Ok." The girl nodded. "Let's say I buy that. Then why do those two look like they're about to kowtow and beg for forgiveness. Especially since that's a boy's locker room. I was actually hoping to catch a show of my own… but if you three are into BL, well, I'm sure we can work something out~"

There was an intense moment of confusion before all three young men paled. And two of them were routed on the spot.

"Goodluckseeyahlaterpal!"

Issei's two friends simply booked it, sketching short bows and then speed walking fast enough that it might have been the swiftest either of the two had moved in their lives.

"Traitorous bastards."

Grumbling, trying not to panic, though the cold sweat had advanced to full blown nervous twitching in his hands, Issei stood tall, clasped his hands behind his back, and stared at the brunette across from him.

"They're idiots, please forgive their rudeness."

He really was annoyed at them.

"Oh-ho~ So you three believed the rumor about the kendo club changing down here… don't you know girls are more clever than that." Aika winked at him. "That was just a rumor shared with the boys to see who would believe it."

"Ah ha. So, uh, I'm caught, then?"

Rubbing the back of his head, Issei tried not to show exactly how worried he was. Getting kicked out on the second day of school was probably for the worse.

"Well, I suppose that depends. If you were down here with your friends… then the club members might just note your name down. But if you were to be escorting a girl…."

"I see!"

Bowing, the teenager hoped that this girl ended up not getting hurt, she seemed nice, but his recent luck was pretty terrible.

"Would you please allow me to escort you back to class?"

She held out her hand, giggling.

"Sure!"

Relaxing, Issei, swallowing, took his classmate's hand in his… and this was as far as he'd gotten with Athena already! Not counting that glimpse of Paradise, of course.

"And don't worry." Kiryu stepped closer, smirking. "I'll think of a way for you… and maybe your friends to pay me back."

Shivering, feeling a terrible, ominous sense of dread, the young man suddenly feared for his virtue and had to fight off the urge to cover himself. Instead, he firmed his spine, remembered the feeling of Euryale's roar, and drowned this new fear in the old one!

After all, his innocence was nothing compared to the possible death of an innocent, so he should be able to face this obstacle!

That was how to be brave!

Right?

For now Issei thanked his lucky stars as the duo leisurely walked away from the gymnasium, Aika offering a friendly wave to a group of muscly young men as they jumped out of the pool and jogged towards the back… where Issei and his friends had been planning to make their watch.

'She actually wasn't lying.' The godslayer shuddered.

Once they were out of shot, Aika stepped away with a snicker.

"Next time, don't go looking for a show without checking your sources first. And really? The kendo club? Those girls might look nice, but if you're looking for quality rather than quantity then you should look elsewhere."

That perked him right up.

"Like?"

The bespectacled girl smirked, having caught him hook, line and sinker.

"Follow along and I'll illuminate you, young grasshopper, about Kuoh's Two Great Ladies."

Smith liked fast food.

It was greasy, it was tasty, and horrible for your health unless you were careful. As a humble salarywoman, however, there were very few places she could eat at during off hours that served fast, warm food that didn't cost an eye. So in the interest of saving time and money, she had gotten acquaintanced with the best joints in most cities she visited for work.

You never knew if something happened and your rest time got cut into.

And fortunately for her, the one she came here to meet with was of a similar mindset.

"Ah, Sumi-chan! I'm over here."

Sitting by a table on the corner, a nondescript man wearing a suit waved her over. With a scruffy half grown beard, glasses and a lazy gait, the man couldn't look more at ease in the fast food joint if he tried. She was sure that most people here had completely forgotten the man even was there before she walked into the place and he called to her.

Blending in was just his specialty.

"Enjoying yourself, Amakasu?"

She couldn't help needling the man. He already had a small mountain of wrappers sitting folded neatly on top of a box, having gone ahead and eaten his fill before she even arrived.

"Well, you know me. Can't help but splurge when the boss is paying."

She couldn't blame him.

She was about to do the same.

"Long night at the office?" She took her own seat in front of him, letting out a sigh of relief as her sore back rested against the half worn cushion. Because the meeting with the Hyoudous had taken so long last night, she hadn't had the time to book a hotel, and no matter how comfortable they liked to pretend they were, those capsules would never replace an actual bed for her.

"You could say that. A lot of arguing. A lot of back and forth. Your mother was there."

Smith leafed through the menu with a hum of disinterest.

"Did they decide on anything?"

Her fellow salaryman shrugged.

"More of the same. The Committee ain't letting this go and want us to start working on setting up a foothold here. Maybe not an official office, but they'll definitely want to have some agents stationed just in case."

"Kahoutsuka?"

"Pushing for it like crazy."

"Renjou?"

"Want to bury their heads in the sand."

"Sayanomiya?"

"Playing it by ear. The Director wants to see how far we can push before we get pushback. You know how she is. Whether it be the devils or the kid, she wants to know where the limits are." Popping half a couple lukewarm fries into his mouth, the man was oddly cavalier about their immediate superior, even if she probably deserved it.

"Seishuuin?"

"Can't you ask her yourself? I figured she'd have called you with a back up plan by now?"

She hadn't and even if she did Smith might have disobeyed the old woman on principle. It was still good to know that opinions within the Committee's higher echelon were as split as ever. Had they reached a consensus the agent wouldn't have nearly as much freedom as she had now.

Smith definitely wouldn't be forgiving that old hag for offering her up as the Campione's liaison, either.

"She hasn't called me, so I don't think I figured into the plans."

Amakasu hummed, sipping from his cup.

"Well, we've only gotten this far because you managed to snap up the kid before the locals managed to. Good job on that, by the way."

'The kid'.

That's what they had been calling the magical nuke that was sitting in a classroom right now. It almost felt like sacrilege, but it always paid to be overly cautious in concealing information. Especially in public spaces like this in territory they technically shouldn't be in.

But only technically.

Loans and treaties only mattered until they had confirmation that a Campione, a God Slayer, had somehow made its way to mainland Japan without anyone being aware.

A Campione - a God Slayer, was a lord.

It didn't matter what the Yokai, or the devils, or what the gods said. This city right now belonged to a 15 year old who had more power in his hands than most ancient families could put together.

The Yokai's chiefs weren't moving. And Takamagahara was silent.

Why wouldn't they be? The gods were so used to acting through proxies and descendants that they didn't see a need to come personally. Even less so now that a Campione had taken up residence. What few kami remained in the living world likely were huddled up in their shrines, unable to act outside their immediate surroundings.

"We're really kicking the hornet nest on this one." She concluded.

The ninja shrugged.

"It was bound to happen, we are the ones in the best position to take advantage of the chaos right now."

"You mean we NEED to be the ones who take advantage of it."

Government funding and resources were usually great if you wanted to get things done.

But it didn't substitute for raw power.

They didn't have the power of the other factions who called Japan their home. Neither the blessings of shinto, nor the natural aptitude of the Yokai, and they most certainly couldn't call upon the gods for help. The only one who could wasn't gonna do it over something small, so that left the History Compilation Committee as the most expansive yet weakest mage organization in the country.

'Which is why they are so desperate to recruit a powerhouse.'

Recruit was way too nice a word for what they were doing.

Really, it was only because of Issei Hyoudou's age and personality quirks that they were able to establish a relationship that for the time being wasn't one of complete submission. In part because of her quick thinking, but even then it was a stop gap measure at most.

"So, tell me about the kid. Was he as much of a horny oni as the initial report said?"

Smith gave the man an unimpressed stare.

"Not nearly as bad. Sure, he has personality quirks and is stubborn as a mule. I don't think even if I went with the first plan I'd have gotten him to relocate. We could offer him a scholarship anywhere else in the country, and he would still choose to stay here because he actually passed the entrance exams."

It was ridiculous.

Of all things to be stubborn about, it wasn't riches, power, or even the harem that the kid seemed to put the most stock into. He was attached to the things he earned for himself.

"That complicates things, huh?"

"To put it lightly. And it's not like we can throw our weight around with this one. The moment he figured out we can't actually go through with it is the moment he just ignores us and we lose whatever trust we managed to earn."

"If he wants to stay, he wants to stay. All we can do is toady up and make sure we stay on his good side. Shouldn't be even hard if he's as mellow as you said."

Smith was definitely gonna splurge today.

She was gonna get the biggest, greasiest burger she could afford… no… she was gonna double up on it and send the bill to the office because there was no way she was being paid enough for the amount of stress the next few days promised to deliver.

At the very least she could stock up on calories while she could.

Because now she was in the middle of a stand off between her group, the local Devils which normally wouldn't be a problem to work around if not for the fact they included not one but two hotlines to the four satans, and a teenager that had so much hormones pumping through his veins she couldn't help but wonder if he wasn't some sort of mutant.

She'd had samples tested.

And they'd confirmed that he was, in fact, almost perfectly, completely, normal.

Slightly below average, in fact, for magical potential and with zero sign at all of any magical power. So little that he might have been considered a statistical anomaly in that way alone.

…Admittedly, they had been hair and dead skin samples from before he was a Campione, but it was a bit crazy to think that was their only option that didn't involved a polite request to the Emperor to borrow the Kusanagi and see if their new friend would let them shave a bit of his body off to see what changed.

"Well, we still have a couple days ahead of us until we gotta meet with the local honchos."

Smith wasn't impressed.

"Couldn't you give two teenagers a run around? I wanted at least one week to work things in our favor."

If Amakasu was at all impressed by her, he didn't show it.

"Sorry about that. At the end of the day, I couldn't dodge them. So I had to settle for a meeting. They technically still run this town so they want us to give them some sort of explanation."

Right now all they were to the Campione was a bunch of helpful, if overworked civil servants handling clean up and letting him go back to his student life. Smith wanted to at least try and establish a working relationship, give him a bogus position they could have the top brass approve.

It wouldn't be hard either. There was bound to be a meeting by the end of the week amongst the representatives of various interested parties, and their mission was to make sure the Committee had enough cards to play their hand by then.

Both of them looked down when their phones vibrated. And not the normal work one, but the emergency one that they never sat down, had exactly four numbers on it, and could make a call on any network in the world.

Both agents looked at the message immediately.

'HG confirmed at the Mediterranean. US-NATO scrambling jets. Church engaging the Marquis. Running battle from Hungary to Bulgaria.'

Relaxing, if only infinitesimally, Smith forced herself to take a deep breath. Hopefully the Americans would keep an eye on the new threat until the Church mustered the power to Smite it. Hopefully there wouldn't be an Eighth Campione by the end of the day.

Hopefully.

"So. Future problems."

Amakasu had already gone back to eating, seemingly unbothered by any part of that news.

She envied him a little.

"Probably. But I suppose we've got an opportunity, now, especially if we can get our new friend to make an official deal. None of the others have actual national backing outside of China and she's basically prohibited from leaving for more than a day or two at a time."

"Don't tempt fate like that." The ninja frowned. "She still considers Wakoku to be a province."

A hand wave.

"Sure, but she's never even visited us. Even during the Imperial period. We're beneath her notice."

Responding by dipping his fries in his milkshake, Amakasu nodded.

"We are." An indulgent smile. "But not our new friend. And just a friend. Ah, just so you know, since you didn't get close to him, central is sending someone new."

Frowning, the agent said nothing. She knew her co-worker hated that part of the job as much as any. Really, had it been the other way around, Smith was sure Amakasu would have probably gone through with it himself.

And that wasn't a joke.

To protect others, the salaryman would be willing to barter his own body and soul. It was only that knowledge that kept her from taking offense. Because, to her coworker, there was simply no personal sacrifice, no humiliation, no disgraceful act too great, if it meant protecting their home and those who dwelled there.

"I see."

Her gut said the young man had a lot of potential.

As a mage she couldn't help but fear what that potential might do.

As a woman she was half vexed, half amused by the kid's antics.

But… as a fellow citizen of Japan, and as a human being… it was her belief that Issei Hyoudou didn't feel normal. He didn't feel mundane. Though appearances were misleading, there was something special to him, something that could make their world a better place.

So long as no one did anything stupid and set him off.

At least that's what her intuition was saying.

"If the devils want to play… then I say let's play." The committee wasn't about to give up Japan's champion on a silver platter. And besides, at the rate Issei is going he'd probably need someone in his corner to make sure he actually finished high school.

"Do we know who they are sending next?"

Amakasu leaned back, humming.

"If they're really desperate? Either one of the Hime Miko." Because tying a Campione to themselves was enough of a pay off their superiors were willing to risk their biggest trump cards.

Smith sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

That's what she'd been afraid of.

Meanwhile

Kuoh's Old Building

'They really fixed this place overnight.'

It was really impressive. Looking on from the outside, Issei hadn't seen any marks or signs of the chase he went through yesterday, even the door they busted up when they got inside the building looked brand new!

Or, well, brand old.

Because it looked like and felt like it was the exact same door as the one from yesterday. The same one that got shattered into thousands of pieces when two angry goddesses chased him into the building. But nothing he saw implied it happened at all.

'Actually, does that mean the door is still the same door? And if it used all the same pieces, are they in the exact same configuration? And if so, does that mean it is, actually, a recycled old door that has been newly assembled? Hmm. My head hurts.'

Shaking his head, Issei focused on his surrounding and found the place still had that same smell of old wood, the same floorboards squeaked when he stepped on them, and he was pretty sure he'd seen a few cobwebs here and there despite half the building going down the last time he'd checked. Back then the building gave off that feeling of a horror movie setting.

Now?

Now it was even freakier.

Like walking into a ghost house you saw demolished.

"And a single club has this all to themselves?" The occult research club, as he'd heard about from Kiryu, was very exclusive and for two years now hadn't accepted any new members outside of the first few. And that wasn't because they were rejecting people.

Students weren't applying.

For some reason it was like everyone knew about the club, everyone gushed about the pretty second year students who managed it, but somehow nobody said they wanted to join it.

Rias Gremory.

Akeno Himejima.

Issei remembered seeing them back at the opening ceremony, standing in the row of last year's honor students. He would have to be blind not to notice them. A rare European beauty with red hair and striking blue eyes, as well as a body that could make a super model weep. The way she looked at him was like she was challenging him, daring Issei to be bold and to stand up. Observing the sheer confidence she exuded, like she knew how much others desired her and knew that she was worthy of that desire, was almost like a drug.

She was the president of the Occult Research Club and something of an idol for the school as a whole.

He understood why.

The other 'Great Lady' didn't fall short either. A traditional japanese beauty that, to put it lightly, belonged in some fantasy setting. He wasn't sure what Kuoh was feeding their students but he was wondering if it could be mass produced and distributed nationwide.

Because Akeno had a body designed by a god of love.

And not just her Oppai, either!

Her eyes had a… smile to them. Like there was a secret she was sharing with only you and her lips would quirk just so. Even the way she walked, it was more like she was an elegant retainer than a normal girl. To say that Akeno Himejima was the ideal of Japanese beauty was an understatement! So, when standing next to her friend, they seemed like the perfect pair of contrasts, like some grand design by God or, maybe, the Devil to tempt men.

Were those a thing?

He forgot to ask Agent Smith.

And had he not been afraid of the consequences of doing so, Issei might well have made offerings to both Okuninushi-no-Mikoto and Benten to secure an opportunity to speak with the two of them!

But he was still confused about a few things.

Not even Matsuda and Motohama, and he was sure those two would have at least tried if they knew there were pretty girls involved, had even learned when the club would hold interviews and meetings to scout potential recruits.

So either these girls weren't as popular as he thought they were…

'Or something is keeping people from thinking too hard about them?"

When Issei heard the building was fixed, he didn't think much of it. After all, they had to fix both it and the busted street if they wanted to help cover up the fight. So obviously whoever was working for Smith or the locals had to do it. But now Issei was wondering if maybe whoever fixed the place wasn't involved with this mysterious Occult Research Club.

'I mean… it can't be that easy, right?'

Not that he was particularly smart. He knew that magic stuff happened, so he was starting to wise up to coincidences. Hiding in plain sight as a club of occult enthusiasts would be pretty clever.

But right now he didn't have any evidence, just a hunch.

So here he was.

'Only the third day of class… hmm. Maybe I'm being too quick?'

Hesitation warred with the desire to hopefully have answers to questions that had plagued him for more than a month. Some that had eaten at him to the point the teenager had even lost time playing his favorite games.

"No." Muttering to himself, he strode up the central staircase, gathering as much boldness as he could. "No. I need to at least try. And, hey, worst comes to worst, I can always just ask for a membership form."

Walking through the building, and once more being struck by how absurdly huge it was, Issei happily trotted along the least-dusty section, and was somewhat surprised to just come across an open door. It was a bit obvious, but, well, there wasn't exactly any other indication of where he ought to go.

'This isn't a trap, is it?' Maybe he was just looking too deep into it.

They were a club, they were out of class, he could hear voices and steps inside the room, so they probably were getting settled for the afternoon. Really, he might as well go over there and introduce himself.

Nobody liked an unannounced guest.

'Besides, what's the worst that could happen?'

He knocked on the door frame, clearing his throat as he stepped out of the hall and into the room proper. Dimly lit, with closed drapes, there was a slight sweet smell of vanilla and the place looked less like a school club and more like one of those fancy private hangouts.

"Hey, sorry for the intrusion-"

There was a moment of shocked confusion.

Rias, Akeno, a short white haired girl, and a blonde pretty boy all turned around and looked at him.

And then each and everyone of them acted.

The blonde stepped forwards, breaking his line of sight and manifesting a sword longer than the boy was tall, leveling the blade with absolute ease, and then angling his body to block line of sight to the girl.

Lowering herself to all fours, the white haired girl leapt to the side, taking up position in Issei's blindspot before rearing back - almost like a cat about to strike.

All while Akeno had begun to levitate as lightning gathered around her hands!

"Um… ah, is this the Occult Research Club?"

Wincing, and then flinching, Issei felt very dumb. Both at his question and how all three of his classmates looked ready to farm him for loot.

"Should I… come back later?"

"What the heck is happening here!"

The others didn't react.

Rias, the last member of the group, had rushed into the room.

Issei did.

"O-PPAI?!"