Chapter X: Fellow conspiracists

"Explain this!"

Issei jerked back at the shouts directly into his face, halfway between raising his hands to cover his ears, only to snap them back down and catch Highwire before they could tip over and hit the ground.

"Are you insane or just crazy?"

What?

"That's the same thing!" Issei snapped back to the pair purely on instinct, but he didn't even know what he was being called crazy for in the first place.

And first thing in the morning as well?

Matsuda just glared at him. "You and that glassed pervert!"

Issei looked at Motohama, who just glared right back at him. "Not me! The other one! The fiend!"

"...Aika?" He blinked. "What about her?"

"When did you get so chummy with her?" Motohama demanded, folding his arms. "And do not act as if you can lie your way out of this, you have been seen coming to school alongside her two days in a row now. Not to mention that she has joined your club! What is the meaning of this?"

Issei didn't get a word out before Matsuda's nose crinkled in disgust.

"Don't tell me Issei…" Now he looked close to throwing up. "D-did you two start-?"

Did they start what?

Looking between the two of them for a couple seconds, he felt more than a little confused by the ominous silence.

Then it caught up with him.

"You think I'm dating Aika?!"

"How else would you describe the way you two have been acting!" Motohama thrust a finger right towards his face, words accusatory. "Hanging out after school? Walking together? I bet you even have her phone number, don't you?"

…

Admittedly he did, but that was for club related reasons.

"None of that means that I am-"

"Silence traitor!" Matsuda spat vehemently, eyes narrowed. "You think you can just come here and start acting as if you haven't done anything? And you really went with Aika of all the girls? Did you so quickly forget about all the things she had done to the three of us?"

Issei nodded his head. "It's hard to forget and she still does that now-"

"Are you a masochist?"

He choked on his spit, whipping his eyes up and glaring at Motohama. "The hell did you say!? I am not a masochist and I am not going out with Aika! I would barely even call the two of us friends-!"

Highwire released a sad whine, he nudged the minicon just a little bit as a signal for them not to do that.

Fortunately, neither one of the pair in front of him noticed all that much.

Too busy throwing out crazy accusations.

"Was all of this alien conspiracy stuff just a front so the two of you could get some alone time all to yourselves? That's so cringey! What do you think this is, a light novel!?"

"I am telling you! I am not going out with her!"

Matsuda narrowed his eyes. "As if we could believe that! I bet you've made plans to go out somewhere with her at the weekend, haven't you?"

"How did-"

Oh, wait.

No.

Damn.

Far too late, he snapped his jaw shut and stopped any other words from coming out, but what was said was said. He started to wince as the two of them took barely a half second to register what it was he had done, then they were shouting in his face all over again and far louder than before.

Issei retreated, only to be followed.

There were a few more shouts about being a traitor.

That was expected.

Actually he would probably do the exact same in their position, but then again, he would be dubious as to whether either one of them would even go out with Aika in the first place.

"I'm not dating her!" Issei raised his voice, pulling his hands away and throwing them up in frustration. "She would probably ghost me if I even so much as said hello to her!"

"Said hello to who?"

What the hell!?

"Gah!?"

Two other voices joined him in surprise as he jumped back and very nearly tripped over, whipping his head around to the speaker and then dropping his surprised face into a deep frown.

Because of all the people to show up at the worst time, it just had to be her.

Actually, she was probably just waiting for it.

"When the heck did you sneak in here?"

Aika looked at him like he was stupid. "Sneak? Half the school could probably have shown up behind you and none of you dimwits would have noticed with the way you were ranting and raving…"

Then she looked at Matsuda and Motohama, sly grin on her face.

"And really? A mere rumour that Issei got a girlfriend has the two of you on the verge of tears? Well, you can dry your eyes. I'm not going out with him. So your single squad remains firmly unbroken."

Her smile grew just a bit wider.

"I would hate to break up such a close bond between guys, after all…In fact, I'm sure the three of you will have this little pact of yours for the rest of your lives."

…Now that was uncalled for.

"I'm just standing here and you show up and throw jabs at my love life?!" Issei stamped his foot and glared.

Aika looked back as the picture of innocence. "Love life? Where?"

Oh this girl-!

"So then what are you doing coming to school with Issei?" Motohama demanded, pointing a finger right at him. "And for what reason would you join his club?"

Aika leaned back, one hand on her hip and one brow raised. "You have to ask? Watching one of the infamous school perverts-"

"Don't talk like you aren't one of those." Issei sniped.

Not that she even seemed to care he had spoken up.

"-turning to a conspiracy nut is definitely something worth keeping track of. It means that when he is fully tinfoil hat wearing, I should pay close attention to whatever freakish hobby the two of you pick up…say…Aren't you part of the photography club, Matsuda?"

He shuddered and leaned back. "So what?"

Grinning like a shark, Aika leaned forwards. "So then what will you do when you are more interested in taking photos of sunsets and fruit than of girls?"

Matsuda blanched. "D-don't say something like that! It will never happen!"

Then she was turning her eyes on Motohama.

"And what about you? What happens when the most important thing in your life turns into your grades? When you no longer have time to be peaking on girls?"

Motohama recoiled back. "Y-you speak utter nonsense!"

All she did was slide her eyes towards Issei, then wave a hand as if gesturing to him. "Do I?"

He had no idea what was happening.

All he knew was that neither of his friends were shouting at him, suddenly he was being grabbed by the shoulders and dragged away so quickly he wasn't sure his feet had time to hit the ground. Eyes wide and slightly alarmed, he looked between the two of them and this sudden departure.

"What are you guys-?"

"Don't worry, Issei." Motohama spoke differently now, his tone was softer and almost gentle. "We shall return you to your rightful state soon enough. These thoughts of aliens shall be forgotten."

What?

No, seriously, what?!

He sharply looked to Matsuda.

"You're gonna be alright, Issei." Matsuda sniffed, eyes watering. "I promise."

Why were they treating him as if he was dying!?

Aika kept a small laugh to herself as she watched Issei get dragged off.

Though that, rather sadly enough, meant Highwire had been abandoned.

Poor fellow.

Well, she could carry them the rest of the way.

Her phone buzzed enough to draw her eye, fishing it out from her pocket and flipping it up.

[Will Issei be alright? His friends seemed concerned for his health.]

They really were much too kind.

How they ended up with Issei of all people was certainly something else.

"Oh, he'll be fine." She replied out loud, flipping back the little weight and striding off with Highwire in tow. "Come break time and he'll be back to his old habits once again and then ready and waiting for the club…I'm actually really surprised that he is being so serious about it, I didn't know he had that sort of side to him."

She glanced down at the latest message.

[Why is that surprising? Issei was the one to offer me refuge and assistance. He did not hesitate with either.]

Was that so?

"It's just the impression he gives." But now she was thinking about his impression at school and whether that was really all there was to him.

So easy before, but now it was like seeing him in a new light.

…He was a bit less of a loser now.

[Are such things nor considered virtues?]

She actually had to stop and re-read that message before looking down at the minicon, then felt a laugh ripple out of her.

Issei and virtuous?

Now that was worth a hoot and a half.

[Why are you laughing?]

There was such innocence in their words, shaking her head from side to side as she decided how best it was to answer that.

"Issei isn't popular and that's for a good enough reason. He and his friends are perverted nuisances for the most part. Pretty much all the girls in the school loathe him and the guys keep their distance from the trio…even if they would probably all want to spy a couple of the same sights as that trio manages."

Highwire was rather quiet, such that she could tell he was thinking long and hard about something.

Perhaps he never quite figured out just what Issei's reputation at school was?

Then again, given he was here it would have been easy to miss.

And she doubted he talked it up all that much when he was present with the minicon, likely focused on finding links with ancient history and all of Highwire's missing people.

[I had noticed Issei did not have an upstanding reputation, but your words give me greater concern. I saw him physically assaulted despite not doing anything to earn this. Or is it a human social cue that I have not realised?]

"Are you sure he didn't do anything wrong?" It was not that she did not believe them, it was that it was hard to grasp. Normally someone didn't go out of their way to beat up Issei unless he had done something to earn it.

Otherwise it was silent looks of disgust and avoidance.

[He questioned a human female who had been smelling me as to why she had done so, but then she departed without a word and those who overheard believed he was harassing them and he was attacked. They did not wish to hear his side of the story. It was concerning.]

Aika actually had to stop walking.

There was an awful lot going on in that sentence.

"Someone was sniffing you?"

That was just so weird, right? More to the point, as far as anyone knew, it was Issei's bike so why would a girl of all people start sniffing his bike?

But the latter part hardly surprised her.

Yet when it came from Highwire, it did seem more than a little sad.

[They were. Is Issei a known liar or deceptive by nature?]

"Actually, no." Aika could say that about him. "He's probably one of the most honest people in the school, now that you mention it. I guess people don't want to hear too much about all of his honesty…and it's a little pathetic sometimes. Loudly boasting about being a harem king and all that."

Issei had to have mentioned that to them by now, surely?

[Aika.]

She eyed her phone.

[Thank you for taking a chance to join Issei despite his reputation.]

She made a small noise and glanced at the bike, then back to the phone.

"You don't need to go and say all that, geez." Despite her words, she smiled. "I wasn't really joining out of the kindness of my heart at the time."

[But you did join and you did stay after you learned of the full extent of our club goal.] Highwire argued.

If that wasn't enough, they continued on.

[And despite his apparently poor reputation, you made the commitment to remain by his side. You, like Issei, have a kind spark. I am pleased to call you my comrade.]

…Damn.

This guy was gonna make her blush with all this corny praise.

"You know something?" Nudging the bike a little, she kept walking. "You're not so bad either."

The vocal and very happy sounding chirp that followed needed no translation.

She blinked.

It felt like something cold just washed over her back.

That was weird-

"Uhm, excuse me?"

A voice broke that thought, and she didn't actually recognise it at first.

Blinking, she turned around to face the speaker.

It was a girl with dark hair who…she didn't recognise either, nor was that the school uniform.

True enough they were barely inside the gates to begin with, but that did not change all that much. Especially given that judging from the age of this dark haired girl - not that far from her own - they had their own school to go to.

As far as she knew, the closest school was in a different town entirely.

So…what the heck was this?

"Yes?"

The dark haired girl looked a bit awkward, glancing left and right before taking another step forwards and facing her.

"I apologise if this comes out of nowhere but…is that your bike?"

Aika looked down, then back towards the girl.

…What?

"...No." She answered very slowly. "I'm just holding onto it for a classmate."

"Oh, just a classmate."

What was with that relief on her face when she said those words? It was as if some great weight had been removed from her shoulders.

Aika was a bit suspicious about this girl now, the way they were acting was like they were building up to ask whether Issei had actually been her boyfriend or something or if he was just a classmate.

…No, that was pretty far-fetched.

"It was just that…I noticed the little symbol on the side of it."

Symbol on the side-

Aika looked down on pure instinct and glanced at where was being pointed to, leaning back a bit and then raising her head back up.

"What about it?"

The girl looked really nervous now, fidgeting on the spot and then offering a shaky smile. "This might sound a bit strange to ask but…do you know the history of it? Because it's…really quite special."

Aika narrowed her eyes just a bit, turning her attention towards this newcomer with a bit more interest about her.

Now it made a bit of sense why they were so nervous, it probably was a bit weird to walk up to someone and just pop the question.

"...I've started some research on it, yeah." Answering slowly, she inclined her head. "But the guy you want would be the owner of the bike-"

"Hyoudou Issei, right?"

…

How the hell-?

"Y-yeah?" How did she know that and more to the point why did she brighten up so much when she said the name? If she knew his name then she definitely would have known a lot more about what was going on with that name, right? "That would be him…why?"

"I apologise, I haven't introduced myself." Dark haired girl raised her hand to her lips and bowed her head. "Let me start over. My name is Amano Yuuma."

Raising her head with a bright but innocent smile, she continued.

"And you said you did some research into that symbol as well, right?"

What?

Wait…

No, what?

"As well?"

What was happening here?

"Yes!" Yuuma nodded forwards with bright sparkling eyes. "There has been so much about it that attracts the eyes! Like the old ruins they found which might be older than even Uruk!"

…Well, at least she knew her stuff?

But this was just something else entirely.

"And you say Hyoudou Issei is doing this as well, right?"

"...Yeah?"

What was this sense of-

Aika stopped and thought about it.

No.

Absolutely not.

There was no way Issei could possibly land a girl this pretty.

No!

And yet…

She thought about the expressions the two other perverts would make if they saw Issei with a girl like this?

On the other hand, if the girl found out Issei was a massive pervert that would probably be a major turn off and he would probably get hurt.

Unless she already knew?

It was difficult for her to think of a person who could introduce Issei without closely following his name with 'notorious pervert' in the same sentence.

"I see." Yuuma said softly, cupping her hands against her chest and nodding her head. "Would it be alright if we were to meet together later? It's…I haven't met anyone else who shares the same hobby as me."

"...I'll need to speak with Issei about it." She answered very slowly, but already figured he would be screaming yes at the top of his lungs.

"Wonderful!" Yuuma clapped her hands and bowed her head once more. "Thank you so much! I'll wait for you by the bridge!"

And then with that, she turned on her heel and all but sprinted right out of the school gates like someone lit a fire under her ass.

That was something else entirely.

Raynare kept her smirk as she entered the Church, flicking her hair back.

"Enjoying yourself, I take it?"

A comment she could have done without having it cloaked in mockery.

Her good mood dropped and she sent a scowl the way of the owner. "I am progressing the mission, if you must know."

"The Sacred Gear boy, I know." Flicking under her fingernails Mittlet looked briefly disgusted as she found something under them and launched it away, turning bored eyes upon her. "So did you kill him then? I can't see why else you'd be in such a jolly mood."

Raynare rolled her eyes. "No. This takes precedence over Sacred Gears."

Mittlet straightened at that, eyes narrow in suspicion. "Devils?"

"What? No."

Why would it have anything to do with those vermin?

And why would she be in a good mood about dealing with trash?

So one was thrilled when they dumped garbage or stepped on cockroaches.

"Precedence, I said." Punctuating the word and popping the 'P' as she spoke, then dropped her hands upon her hips and smirked. "Far more important."

"...You're obsessing over that stupid symbol again-"

"It was on the bike of that boy!"

"And?!" Mittlet threw up her hands and leaned back into the pew. "Who cares? Would you be following this up if it was tattooed on his feet or something? I doubt it has anything to do with that mission that apparently dates back to a time older than any of us!"

Raynare scowled.

This idiot just did not get it.

"This is why I am in charge and you are just a grunt working under me."

Drumming her finger against the side of her temple, she continued.

"You don't use this. You do not consider that there might be a connection between a boy with a Sacred Gear and that symbol?"

"Yeah, maybe he thought it was cool and decided to spice up his bike." Mittlet replied with a flat tone.

This girl…

Raynare huffed once more and shook her head.

Whatever the case, it was certainly something worth looking into.

Even if it led towards nothing at all, she would still use it as a means of getting close to the Hyoudou boy and then killing him when the time came. Yet there might be a chance he unearthed something useful for them to use, he had to get the idea from somewhere, and that girl was talking about a research club into the symbol.

So clearly they had noticed it.

Either it worked or it didn't.

Whichever outcome, the human would still die.

But it was worth keeping them around for a little bit, at least in the chance she had something worthwhile to present towards Lord Azazel.

He would definitely be pleased with her if she could find something of value.

He prized information about that almost as much as Sacred Gears.