Welcome to the next chapter of DxD – The Last Amagiri, but before starting the story. Let's answer some reviews:

Ericsofly20: I thought about it, but I'm debating about it.

Look2019: Thanks.

Altajir95: Thanks. I thought that it would be good for them to have some time in peace before things start going off the rails.

Scrumblenut: Thanks for that, I'm glad that you like the story. I'm thankful for the proposition, but I feel it make things more special if I were to do things on my own, I'm still working on stopping the errors. And I wouldn't want to bother anyone.

Guest: I'm glad to hear that you love the harem line up. I don't know if I'll make her exactly like Lu Lingqi since it wouldn't as original, but there will be some similarities.

Onward towards Kyoto

Meanwhile, in another location somewhere in Japan that seemed to be an office, a single man remained inside of the room as he remained sitting behind a desk. There was almost no light in the room obscuring his features as if it was intentional. He remained behind his desk staring at one of the closed drawers as he leaned back in his seat staring forward toward the door leading into his office as if expecting someone.

Though it wouldn't be odd for him to remain in his office for such an extended period, it was never for such a long time to where it seemed to become a habit. Not a single person close to him was worried since he'd remain in his office for a certain amount of time before exiting it to perform his other business. For those close to him, it became a habit that wouldn't end until "that" person walks through the door.

"It has been three years since that place was torn to the ground," he said in a strong tone that seemed to carry a great weight behind them. "How long is it going to take for you to walk through that door, Kensei?"

The main continued to stare at the front door without moving from that spot almost like a statue.

Inside of the training hall build near the Amagiri Residence, there were two people inside of the room dressed in proper training uniform. Among them was Kensei who stood before his training partner wielding a bokuto around the same size as an actual katana. Claire, his training partner, on the other hand, was holding a shorter one that could fit in her hands.

"Hah!"

Claire rushed toward Kensei stabbing her bokuto forward in an attempt at hitting him, but Kensei blocked it using his bokuto. She continued to brandish her practice sword around at her training partner, who continued to block them using his. Meanwhile, Alice remained on the sidelines dressed in normal clothing holding in her hands just a sketchpad drawing, while her two favorite people were practicing.

"Hmm, I believe that the shading is off right here."

Alice wondered as she set down the pencil that she was using and picked up another one that she thought would make the drawing correct.

"Come on, Claire don't hold back," Kensei said as both went into a sword lock. "Don't forget the Amagiri Clan also designed and remodeled this hall multiple times to handle strong attacks, there's also a special barrier built all around this place so that no one can hear anything that happens."

"Alright," Claire replied with a smile. "But, don't come crying to me later, kay~?"

"That was both cute…and frightening."

Kensei laughed nervously but sensed demonic power being channeled into the bokuto, which soon had flames wrapped around it. Due to the suddenness of it alongside the size of the flames, he stepped away from Claire waving around his right hand due to the flames.

"Ouch, almost burned my hand there Claire."

He said in a joking and serious manner as he fixed his grip on his sword, though Claire had continued with her assault using her flame covered bokuto. Seeing that he would end up being burned if this continued, Kensei soon covered himself in touki to defend himself from the flames. All of the flame-imbued strikes were tough to deal with the slashes from the bokuto were akin to a well-trained person.

Kensei knew that her talents extended toward magic and demonic power, there was also her handling of swords and others such as guns. No doubt it was due to her parents being a devil and exorcist. Claire asked if he could teach her how to use different weapons due to the nature of her sacred gear. There were weapons in the Amagiri Clan aside from swords and Kensei trained her in the ones that he thought would fit her.

"Hah!"

Claire made a stabbing motion with her bokuto, in response to the strike, Kensei stood in a prepared stance then slashed it upward redirecting her slash.

"Tch."

She made a sound with her tongue, Claire caused the flames to vanish from the bokuto, then she instead caused ice to cover the entire bokuto creating an ice sword. She rushed at Kensei slashing at him wielding her ice sword, while the latter continued to clash against it using her touki-imbued bokuto.

"You're improving each time, Claire."

"Thanks, Nii-san."

"I'll get a little serious then, too."

After saying that, Kensei had pushed Claire back causing her to be sent backward a bit, but she remained on her feet without losing her balance. Before she knew it, he rushed toward her again at a speed that she couldn't track using her eyes. In response to him, she slashed her ice sword forward in an attempt to block his sword swing, but while coming into contact with it.

"Did Nii-san redirect its course?"

As Claire thought, Kensei altered the path of his bokuto but removed the touki that was imbued into it and made a straight course toward Claire's face.

"…."

As if to prepare for the impact, she shut her eyes for a moment, and the result was….

Smack!

"Ah."

Claire made a slight noise as she felt the bokuto of her sparring partner smacking her lightly on the forehead, but the impact still caused her to falter a bit and landed backward on the ground.

"Ah, why does my head feel all fuzzy?"

"I added a little bit of senjutsu into that last hit. Nothing major, it'll just mess with your head a bit and cause just a slight case of vertigo."

"That wasn't nice."

Claire sighed as she placed her head on her head.

"Well, if you hadn't closed your eyes at the last second, then you might have avoided it or blocked it with a shield using demonic power. If you were to do that in an actual fight, doing that might cost you your life."

"I know that," Clare began to feel that sudden vertigo she was placed under was wearing off, then stood up to her feet and shook her head. "Though that was a dirty move, Nii-san."

"Hmm, you're probably right about that."

Despite receiving a glare from Claire, Kensei smirked and patting her on top of her head before sitting down next to Alice who had her attention directed toward her sketchpad.

"So, what were you drawing?"

"…."

Alice remained silent and continued to focus her undivided attention toward her sketchpad almost as if she didn't hear him. Since she didn't respond to them, neither Kensei or Claire spoke a single word not disturb her process.

"…and done."

Her tone became gleeful as she held up the sketchpad in front of herself marveling at the work she had done, but she soon noticed the look that both Kensei and Claire were giving her.

"What?"

"Nothing, Alice-nee. It's just that you always seem to be at your happiest whenever you're drawing."

"Of course. Aside from you and Kensei, this is what gives me happiness in my life," she replied as she started at the drawing intently. "This is where my true gift resides."

"Can you show us?"

After being urged by Kensei, Alice nodded her head and showed them the drawing on the sketchpad with both of them positioning their heads in front of it and became mesmerized. It was a drawing of Kensei and Claire in front of one another holding their bokuto in their hands with the dojo in the background, a lot of detail put into it. All this just showed them that Alice placed all her focus onto drawing this picture.

"What do you think?"

""This is amazing!""

Both Kensei and Alice replied happily in response to hearing her simple question, which caused her to blink as a surprising look adorned her face.

"Well, that was an unexpected reaction to a drawing."

"Are you kidding me," Claire looked stunned about Alice's matter of fact reaction. "This is a wonderful drawing. I might not be too inattentive to things such as art, but this is nothing but amazing. Almost all the work you draw in your room is incredible, though I don't know how you keep your room clean all the time."

"Well, that easy to explain."

Alice said as she held her hand out causing her shadow to extend outward and a small monster appeared out of it and stood in front of its creator.

"I just used my sacred gear to create monsters that clean my room and organize my drawings."

"…."

Claire and to a lesser extent Kensei started at Alice who stared back at them with a blank look, while Kensei had laughed wryly.

"I can't believe that you're using your Longinus to clean your room."

"Why not? It's mine."

Alice looked as if she couldn't understand why Claire was reacting like this while tilting her head to the side. She couldn't think of a more odd thing to use a Longinus able to kill a god and even destroy the world to clean a room, but Claire hadn't met another Longinus user aside from Alice.

"Ah, I see. Never mind then."

Claire replied using a crooked smile.

"Well, have you two gotten your things packed for the trip already?"

Kensei questioned as he glanced toward Claire and Alice who seemed to be almost thrilled by this trip, which both of them replied to using a simple nod of their heads. Neither of them seemed concerned about being late for school since they woke up earlier than intended and there were still some things that they wanted to prepare.

"Ah, I'm excited about this trip. Kyoto is among the places that I've always wanted to visit."

Claire sent him a bright smile in response to his question, which Alice mimicked as even she was looking forward to this trip. It was just two days ago when Kensei informed them that they would be going a trip to Kyoto, then it immediately caused a great look of interest to appear on their faces. Both of them were interested in being able to visit one of the prized locations in Japan.

However, Claire was more interested in being able to visit Kyoto since despite being the daughter of a Japanese born man, she hadn't seen that many places in Japan. And after being taken to Hagun Island where that used to be no hope of escape, there was no hope for them to be able to visit such locations aside from in their dreams.

"There are a lot of historical locations and shrines that I would be interested in drawing."

After hearing about the trip, Alice looked up multiple must-see locations in Kyoto and was drawn toward most of the locations that she looked up beforehand. Kensei smiled at the excitement that was visible in the eyes of Claire and Alice at the thought of going on such a trip with one another.

"Well, I know that you guys will end up enjoying the trip to Kyoto."

"Do you know anyone there?"

Hearing that question from Claire caused Kensei to think of two people, in particular, one of them might end up as a reason for Claire to want to punch him.

"Of course, the Amagiri Clan has some ties with Kyoto for a long time and I visited Kyoto more than once when I was a kid. I had even met the Leader of the Kyoto Youkai Faction, she is the person that we're going to see after arriving in Kyoto."

"You mean the person who leads all the youkai among Kyoto? A woman? And you've already met her."

"That's just what you would expect from Nii-san."

Alice was surprised about him being able to meet someone of such a high stature, while Claire seemed all the more proud and not surprised about Kensei being able to someone such as that. After hearing that from Claire, Kensei smirked and starting patting her on top of her head.

"Well, I think that it's about time that we all head off to school."

Alice and Claire agreed with a single nod of their head as all three of them stood up, then headed inside the main house to get prepared for school.

Once all of them got dressed, both Kensei and Alice dropped Claire off at her school, then proceeds toward their school. While heading toward school, Kensei noticed Hisui and Rui who stood in their path, after noticing their presence, the disguised youkai hiding their animal parts.

"Ah, good morning, Ken Ken~"

Without hesitation, Hisui approached Kensei and wrapped her arms around his, as Alice stared blankly towards the jade-haired girl.

"Ever so affectionate are we, Hisui?"

Kensei laughed wryly as Hisui wrapped her arms around him as Alice continued to stare blankly at her, while Rui let out a light laugh.

"Of course, I'll be without Ken Ken for a while~ And so, I'll enjoy him while I can."

"We'll be back in a couple of days. It's not like we'll be gone for that long."

"Ah, but even two days without Ken Ken feels almost like torture for me."

"I apologize for my melodramatic friend."

"Hey."

In response to being called 'melodramatic', Hisui stuck out her tongue toward her friend who waved her off.

"Well, shouldn't we be heading off then?"

Rui questioned directing her finger toward the school building, where the students either walked or were dropped off by their relatives. Though Kensei and Alice nodded their heads, Hisui instead pulled the former toward herself wearing a cat-like smile.

"Could you give us a minute?"

"Huh, why?"

Alice couldn't understand why Hisui wanted to be alone with Kensei instead of just to flirt without her interruption, but she was stopped as the jade-haired nekomata looked pleadingly toward her. She stared at Hisui who seems to be akin to a house cat begging causing even the plain-faced Alice to falter for a bit, which was one of the firsts for Kensei.

"…Fine, just don't be late."

Alice sighed, then began walking off with Rui who laughed a bit after witnessing the begging face of her friend.

As soon as both of them were alone, Kensei glanced toward Hisui who was still hugging onto his arms, then the one question that he was wondering at the moment spoke.

"Alright, what do you want to know?"

Kensei questioned her believing that Hisui wanted to talk to himself alone not to flirt, but to talk about something without Alice being around. At least, that was what he thought since Rui, a youkai herself would know a lot more on Kyoto.

"Ah, Ken Ken knows me so well~"

Hisui didn't dance around the subject like she normally would most times, then freed his arm from her grasps and stood in front of him with a cat-like smile.

"Well, I wanted to know your little plans heading into Kyoto."

"I'm just heading there to receive whatever documents that were left in the possession of Kyoto's Leader."

Kensei replied thinking about the reasons for Hisui to be prying into something like this.

"Hmmm, I recalled hearing that the Amagiri Clan was tied with the Five Principal Clans, right? So, why would the first choice be the Leader of the Kyoto Youkai?"

Hearing her continuing to probe for more information caused Kensei to become a lot nervous, which was notable as he glanced in another direction. Noticing that his change in demeanor caused Hisui to let out a slight laugh as she realized that she was on the right path of questioning.

"I don't know if it was you or your mother, but if Yasaka-san was the first that would mean that you also had prior interaction with close enough to where you could trust her to watch over the secrets of your clan. Though none of the others would have questioned that since they aren't youkai or has connections with Kyoto, but that what the first question that Rui and I had thought of."

"Why is she being this inquisitive? I can understand Rui since it's in her nature to investigate."

Kensei turned around as he realized that Hisui had poked him in his chest causing him to turn toward her as she leaned forward reaching his ear.

"You're nervousness and fear of Claire might want to kill you has something to do with the darling daughter of Yasaka-san, right? The Princess of Kyoto?"

…and that hit the nail on the coffin as Kensei's face dropped into an expression that felt almost defeated.

"Fine fine, my mother and I have a prior meeting with Yasaka-san and her daughter before. And I guess that it was her who left our clan's secrets in her care before leaving. Why're you being so intense with all the questioning?"

"I just wanted to know about the competition~ I don't know if a little neko like me can hold a candle to a princess."

Hisui said in a singsong tone, which as usual displayed her carefree nature causing Kensei to let out a slight sigh out of amusement.

"I swear is there anyone as carefree as you?"

Kensei questioned as he placed his head on top of her head in a gentle manner, which caused Hisui to let out an affectionate 'nya' as he brushed her ear. Her expression and nuzzling his hand caused him to blush, which Hisui enjoyed even more.

'Ah, look at them.'

'I didn't think that Kensei-san and Hisui-san had that kind of relationship.'

'Well, he is usually seen hanging around in his usual group."

Their interaction was catching the attention of the students walking passed them causing Kensei to snatch away his hand resulting in a pout from Hisui.

"W-Well, let's head off to school."

"Fine fine."

As Kensei scratched the back of his head, Hisui replied in a blase tone.

Both of them started to head in the direction of their school, where Alice and Rui were standing near the entrance waiting for them to finish their conversation. Soon enough, all four of them started to head inside of the building, where they encountered Zane, Maria, and Layla already in their seats. Their time in school went alongside about the same as usual with their lunchtime meet with one another where all of them planned to visit a location within Kibou Town, which is something that all of them agreed upon a long time ago.

Once school ended, as a group joined with both Claire and Iris, Kensei and the others headed in the direction of a large well-built house that has both a large front and backyard. It has an unused home build that received some minor renovations to act as the orphanage for all the children who lived on Hagun Island, which was run by Anna Clark, the mother of Abigail. And received the name "Clark Institute".

As soon as Kensei and the others arrived in front of the Clark Institute, several children were running around the front yard. In their hands, there was a soccer ball being kicked around several times from child to child. It was later launched in the direction further from the others, but one of the boys rushed towards the place it was heading and caught it.

"Come on, pass it here!"

"No here!"

"No, I'm open!"

In front of him, a group of children standing in position as the boy balance the soccer ball on top of his foot, while the others held their hands up signaling for it to be thrown toward them.

"Here it comes."

The boy kicked the ball toward them, but there was too much strength put into it causing it to fly over their heads over the perimeter built around the house. Before either of them could panic about losing the soccer ball, a hand reached out and caught it in their hands.

"A little too much force behind that last kick."

[Look, it's Kensei-san/Aniki! And Zane-san!]

[Maria-nee, Hisui-nee, Layla-nee, Alice-nee, Claire-san, Rui-nee and Iris-san!]

All the children boy and girl shouted out their names as if they witnessed the arrival of big-time celebrities, which the nine of them were to all the children on Hagun Island. During the Hagun Island Rebellion, there were a lot of them who witnessed or heard what all of them had done to win their freedom. Afterward, all of them started viewing the nine of them as their heroes and despite them being a lot older than them, many older teens had the same thought.

The moment that all of them passed the gates, the nine of them were almost bombarded by a large number of children who were in the front yard and those in the backyard who had heard their names. At first, Kensei and the others were a little nervous about all the attention, but later got used to it after a while and even promised to visit the orphanage once in a while. In response to the children crowding around them, Kensei who was leading in the middle handed the soccer ball to the kid who kicked it.

"Don't put too much force behind the kick. If you were to be serious, then it would have been launched toward the other side of town."

Kensei said in a joking manner knowing that this boy, in particular, could do something like that.

"A-Ah, yes. But, my ability isn't anything all that useful."

As soon as Kensei pointed that out, the boy let out an embarrassed laugh as he glanced to the side, but later felt a little bit of pressure on top of his head.

"Well, there's no such thing as a useless power. Everything has its use in a fight."

"Right!"

He had gotten to know a lot about the identities of the children living in the orphanage, as well as their pasts. The child in front of him has blood ties with the clans from the 72 Pillars used various methods such as breeding with humans to keep their bloodline from vanishing. He doesn't know the full details, but the boy in front of him has a unique magic power, which dealt in a form of body strengthening or modification. For the children who had those kinds of ties with the 72 Pillars, they were closer to Claire who among the same pillar.

"Aniki! Could you teach me how to fight using a sword?!"

"Me too, but I want to learn from Maria-nee!"

"Zane-san, can you teach me how to use magic!"

"Oh, I want to learn something from Hisui-nee!"

All of them started answering the requests from the children as they came flowing in, their answer was either 'later' or 'alright'. Kensei, Zane, Maria, and Hisui started making their way toward the backyard where the one who ran the house was located with the other children.

"Wonderful, you're doing an excellent job taking care of these plants and vegetables."

The voice of a woman could be heard in the backyard.

She stood behind one of the girls tending to the garden, which seemed to have been growing in a section of the backyard so that it wouldn't get in the way of the children playing around. This was a blonde-haired woman who seemed to be an older version of Angela after meeting up with her on Hagun Island and blue-green eyes dressed in proper attire for working in the garden. She was Anna Clark, the mother of Abigail.

Anna turned his attention toward them after initially turning around to see what the other children were doing and her expression lit up into a smile.

"Ah, Kensei, Zane, Maria, and Hisui. What a pleasure to see you all? Ah, where are the others?"

"They're still talking with the others, Mrs. Clark."

Zane replied motioning his hand toward the direction where they had come from.

"I see, well all of you are heroes for these children."

Anna took off the gloves that she was wearing on her hands.

"Well, it kinda took a while to get used to. I don't know how to feel about being called a hero."

Kensei mumbled that last part as he and the others continued to approach them.

"You don't have to be embarrassed about it. It is a wonderful thing to be such as a thing for children, it gives them something to aspire to. A lot of the children I meet never have the drive to continue to live their lives, but when a group such as yourselves arrive, then they'll begin to wonder if they can achieve the same things. I just hope that neither of you gets yourselves hurt. I might not be a fighter, I know the kinds of battles that will be ahead for you all and even the most promising of exorcists would meet their end with the slightest misstep."

Anna spoke to them in a manner that seemed almost like a mother, which was similar to Abigail who sounds a lot more like an older sister to all of them. From the moment that all of them met Anna, she tried to get them fighting, though she understood that it would be an impossible task considering the trouble they became involved in.

"Believe me, Mrs. Clark, we all know from experience that one mistake might be fatal, but we also know that if we don't fight, then the situation might end up worsening. We all have been prepared and resolved ourselves to deal with whatever situation might occur."

"I'm sorry Anna-san, but I've never been the kind of person to run away from a fight. Especially, when someone's aiming for my life."

"I'm the most realistic among us and I know that not fighting in this world would be an almost impossible feat."

"As long as Ken Ken and the others are fighting, I'll do the same thing."

Maria, Kensei, Zane, and Hisui gave their response to Anna who sighed as if already expecting such a reply.

"I expected as much," Anna smiled. "I just wanted all of you to be safe and careful, especially you, Kensei."

"…."

Kensei's expression and smile had become crooked as Anna mentioned him like that, which caused the others to stifle a bit with laughter. In response to their laughter, he glared toward his friends who continued to laugh at him and started to approach him.

"Ah, what kind of friends are you?"

Anna laughed as she watched the four of them interact with one another.

"As long as you all are together, I guess I don't have anything to be concerned about."

"Ah, who are you talking with, mother?"

Kensei and the others heard the voice of women who neither of them could forget.

Walking in the backyard was a beautiful eighteen-year-old blonde-haired young woman with a slender figure and a bust that was neither too big or small. She was holding a child that seems no older than one-year-old within her arms with a bottle in their mouth. Abigail Clark, the older sister that all of them had come to know while on Hagun Island and who had become an important part of their lives there.

"Ah, Kensei, Zane, Maria, and Hisui," after noticing who the visitors were, her smile brightened. "I didn't think that either of you would come here today."

"Well, it was kind of a spur of the moment thing. It's just that since Kensei, Claire, and Alice will be going on a trip soon, I might be best to strengthen the barrier around this place just in case."

Zane answered to Abigail who started to approach them in the backyard.

"Well, I guess that you could never be too careful. I'll be wishing you all luck on your trip."

"Ah, by the way, Abigail-san," Hisui caught her attention then pointed at the child in her arms. "I didn't know that you had a kid."

In response to Hisui's plain joke, no one made a single reaction in response as if not believing that joke in the bit, but Abigail still laughed.

"Hisui, I've known you long enough to know that you could tell if I were pregnant and if this child was mine," there was a slight yawn that came from the child in her hand showing that they fell asleep. "There is a businesswoman who lives near this orphanage and she couldn't find a babysitter almost a month ago. And so, she has a mother to watch him when she goes to work. This is quite the obedient child would either of you like to hold him?"

Abigail questioned as she directed the child toward them, which the four of them stare toward the sleeping child, but neither Zane or even Hisui tried to do anything.

"I'll hold him."

Kensei said as he held out his arms, but neither of the people around him thought that it was a great idea yet the child was placed in his arms by Maria. Though their worries were unfounded as the child remained asleep in his arms without moving restlessly and remained asleep. Kensei noticing the looks that he was getting stared at the three of his friends with a blank look on his face.

"What, I said I had a little brother. Is it that odd that I know how to cradle a child?"

[Yes.]

All three of them replied in an honest manner, which sparked a reaction from Kensei, but he restrained himself as a single shout could cause the child to stir awake. Maria glanced toward Kensei and the child, then she held her arms towards him, which signified that she wanted to hold the child. Kensei carefully passed the child onto her as she smiled toward him.

"Aw, he looks for adorable."

Maria spoke in a girly tone for the first time, which caught the three around her by surprise, though she must not have heard them since she was too focused on the child in her arms.

"His face is so squishy."

Hisui pointed out as she touched the cheek of the child.

Soon enough Zane also was chosen to hold the child, but he was nervous throughout the entire experience until the others arrived after dealing with the other children. After more time passed, Kensei and the others did as they planned and strengthened the barrier around the orphanage before leaving home.

Inside of the Amagiri Residence, Claire was standing in the kitchen cooking something as there were three bento boxes near her. Though the three already finished eating dinner, she later continued to cook due to their eventual trip to Kyoto.

"Hmm~ Hmm~ Hmm~," Claire sang happily envisioning their trip to Kyoto. "I'm almost done making our lunch for the trip with Nii-san and Alice-nee~"

Inside the living room, Kensei was sitting down on the couch watching One Piece on TV with Alice fast asleep on his lap.

"Jeez, she falls asleep too easily whenever she lies down."

Kensei said in a soft tone as he rubbed the top of her head, resulting in a soft 'Nnn' to escape from her mouth as she nuzzled against his lap and curled more in a fetal position. Though he didn't want to admit it, there were a lot of moments where his heart would start beating faster whenever Claire or the others (mostly Hisui) started doing these kinds of things around him.

"Is this what mom mentioned before about going through puberty," he questioned in his head. "I never once had one thought things like this as a kid."

After that question entered his head, he felt the couch move and someone leaning their head against his shoulder. He didn't need to guess what it was Claire who just finished their lunch for the trip to Kyoto in a couple more hours after the sun rises.

"I'm finished cooking our lunch, Nii-san," Claire informed him. "I added a little bit of demonic power to the bento to ensure that it'll remain fresh until we start eating. I can't wait for tomorrow to come."

"Yea, there are some places in Kyoto that I haven't visited yet despite knowing about them."

"Well, I can already tell that it'll end up being a fun trip for all of us."

"Yea."

Kensei smiled as he noticed how excited that Claire was about their eventual trip to Kyoto, which was one of the things that he planned to do with both of them. To be able to go on trips around the world and had different kinds of adventures. And to truly experience all the wonders that existed within the world, something that neither Claire or Alice was able to do in their lives.

"…huh."

Claire felt that Kensei moved a bit causing her head to fall forward a bit, but she soon felt his hand on top of her head and felt him rubbing her head in the same manner that he would do to calm her down. After turning towards him, Claire looked and noticed that there was a bright smirk on his face.

"Well, if you're this excited to go on a trip to Kyoto, but there are other places that I plan on going around with two of my favorite girls."

In response to his statement, Claire felt her cheeks heat up as red had dusted them, then she looked away in another direction.

"Don't try buttering me up, Nii-san."

"Hahaha, let's get to bed."

Kensei said as he turned off the television using the remote.

He later picked up Alice, then placed the sleeping blonde-haired girl on his back and started to head upstairs with both her and Claire.

"Uh, Nii-san. Can I sleep in your bed?"

Claire questioned as she glanced toward him with a flushed expression, but Kensei smiled.

"Sure," Kensei answered. "But, if that's the case, then I'll just put Alice in my bed too since she'll end up getting a little jealous."

"Alright."

Having decided that, Kensei had gone inside of his bedroom to go to sleep alongside Alice and Claire.

The next morning was their eventual trip to Kyoto and all three of them gathered their respective duffle bags with the things that they packed beforehand; the other things that they couldn't easily carry around were stored inside of their dimensional storage. Soon enough, Kensei, Claire, and Alice dressed in casual clothes arrived in front of the train station that would be taking them to Kyoto. Standing before them were Zane, Maria, Hisui, Rui, Layla, and Iris all dressed in their regular clothing since all of them weren't in school.

"As I said before, we might not return for a couple of days."

"No problem, if neither of you returns on time. We'll just use magic to make sure the teachers think that you're all in class and give you the materials that you missed."

Zane replied calmly.

"You don't have to concern yourself with anything here. Just enjoy your trip to Kyoto."

"But, don't have too much fun without me."

Both Maria and Hisui added as Claire sighed at the response of the latter.

"Make sure that you guys see the favorite spots at Kyoto."

"We'll be able to handle things in Kibou Town, while you're gone."

"C-Claire, please return soon. I don't think that I'll be able to handle everyone in our class alone."

Rui, Layla, and Iris added after them with Maria patting the white-haired on top of her head in a comforting manner.

"We'll be sure to enjoy ourselves at Kyoto," Kensei was the first to speak up. "Though, before that, I'll make sure to retrieve the documents from the Amagiri Clan. There are also people that I would need to reunite with while at Kyoto and that might take a little longer, which is why I believe it'll take a while for us to return."

"There are a lot of famous places that I would love to visit, but I don't know if that would be fine considering that I'm a half-devil."

"Well, if you can't go then maybe I can…."

"Not a chance."

Claire cut off Hisui who was attempting to replace her on the Kyoto trip with a blank expression, causing the jade-haired nekomata to whine. Kensei and the others couldn't help but laugh at the usual disagreement that had occurred between both of them.

"You don't have to be concerned about that," he said gently toward Claire. "If you're around me, then it should be fine even if the shrine has heavy spiritual power. And if things get serious enough, then I'll just make sure that you receive a special pass."

"I plan to view and illustrate all the beautiful scenery of Kyoto. Based on just what I read, there are many sightly locations in Kyoto."

Alice added with a notable look of excitement practically painted on her face.

As all nine of them continued talking, they heard the warning signal from the train causing Kensei to turn toward the train. After hearing the whistle, Zane had directed his attention toward them.

"Well, before we make you guys late. As Layla said before, we can handle things here, while you're away," Zane said as soon as he and Kensei did their usual fist pump. "Just ensure that you guys finish your business in Kyoto without getting into too much trouble without us."

"Ah, well you know me."

The moment those words left his mouth, Zane smiled knowing that Kensei has been known to attract trouble no matter what happens and even if he isn't attempting to attract trouble. And if something were to happen the three of them they wouldn't be able to ask for assistance.

"You don't have to worry about our safety. The important people that I plan on visiting within Kyoto will assist us if anything were to happen."

Kensei added in an attempt to alleviate their concerns.

"Well, we'll see you guys later."

"Later."

Alice and Claire said as the two of them followed Kensei who started stepping onto the train that would lead them to Kyoto, while Zane and the others waved their hands toward them.

All three of them entered the train placing their belongings onto the compartment above their seats, then took the seat right under them. After taking their seat, with Kensei in the middle, Claire had a pamphlet in her hands which had different famous locations in Kyoto and started humming as she read the information.

"Well, aren't you excited for seeing Kyoto?"

"Of course," Claire replied happily. "There weren't a lot of places that I could go as a child since my Kaa-san did not want to take the chance of some of the old devils or anyone else finding out about me. But, she always made a promise that we would be able to go on trips without worrying, especially if there was a chance that the Three Factions would be able to find peace. A silly dream, right? I mean, who would allow the daughter of a high-class devil and exorcist live, right?"

Claire sounded a little somber after mentioning her unique situation and the trouble that it could cause all the people around her. Kensei and Alice knew that she could be cheerful in most situations able to enjoy all her time together with them while being mature enough to be able to realize the kind of trouble that could occur within the near future.

"Claire…stop being negative and serious."

"Ouch."

In response to her negative comment, Kensei held up his arm and bunked her on top of her head, but it wasn't at all hard enough to cause actual pain.

"Why'd you hit me?"

Claire placed her hands on top of her head, with some tears in the corners of her eyes.

"There is no need for negativity on a trip meant for fun. I don't care about the circumstances of your birth of about who your parents were. The moment that I decided to associate and protect you, it was my decision and no one else's. So, I don't care if anyone has a problem with it or if one of those old bastards from the Underworld or even some holier-than-thou prick from the Church. I'll beat down anyone who comes near you with malicious intent…no matter who they are."

Claire sensed the seriousness that came from his tone, which caused a different kind of shiver to rush down her back as she felt her cheeks to turn bright red.

"I feel the same way as Kensei. If someone aims malicious intent toward the girl I adore as a sister…even if I have issues with it. I'll use my Longinus to fullest and eliminate them."

Alice sounded more motivated about protecting Claire, but she sounded a little nervous about using her Longinus after recalling the incident that occurred in the past because of it.

"Alright, I guess that I can be a little too serious and negative sometimes. But, I won't allow that to get the best of me, while on this trip with Nii-san and Alice-nee."

Claire had reassured herself as she stared back the pamphlet in front of her with a brightened smile on her face, which caused both the people sitting next to her smiled in response to her renewed excitement. All three of them remained in their seats either waiting for the train to arrive in Kyoto or talking to one another to pass the time.

Several minutes passed as the three of them heard the announcement, 'We'll be arriving at Kyoto soon', then the three of them prepared to depart from the train after picking up their respective duffle bags. After getting off at the train station, Kensei had breathed in the air and stretched out his arms and letting out a long groan. He could feel the spiritual presence wafting in the air and sense that there was some youkai hidden in the area, then let out a wide smirk as he realized truly how long it has been.

"Hah! I'm back in Kyoto!"

Kensei exclaimed in an excited tone as he stretched his arms.

Alice and Clare followed behind him, then realized that the Kyoto Station was covered using a huge atrium which also has multiple automatic escalators. It was truly a massive railway station despite being an ancient capital, but it made sense as it was a major sightseeing destination.

"Incredible. I can already feel the presence despite not being a sensor," Claire stated as she looked around the train station. "What an amazing location. This train station doesn't lose to Tokyo at all!"

"I can already feel the inspiration filling up my imagination."

Both the new visitors were excited about arriving in Kyoto as they looked around amazed.

"Ahhh, this is a nostalgic feeling."

"Kensei, you sound like an old man."

Alice pointed out letting out a slight laugh, which caused him to glance toward him.

"Alright, what's with everyone taking shots at me?"

In response to his question, Alice and Claire laughed after noticing the expression on his face.

"So, is there anywhere that we can sleep at night?"

"I contacted the Yasaka-san beforehand about our arrival and said that we could stay inside of her mansion for our visit. She almost didn't believe me when I first said who I was, but I can't blame her since it was almost years since the last time we met."

"I can see why. So, where do we go, first?"

Claire questioned glancing toward him fixing her grip on her duffle bag.

"Well, she said that a special guide will meet us as a food stand where I used to eat with my mother. Now, that I think about it that's where I first met…."

After answering Claire, Kensei said that last part in a low enough tone to where neither Alice or Claire could hear him. Though they were curious about who this 'special guide' would be, especially since they heard that Kyoto is a location filled with different youkai.

"Well, let's head toward the food stance. I just hope that it's still there, those people served the best snacks that I have never tasted."

Kensei said looking forward to being able to devour this snack, then started heading toward the direction where it was with Alice and Claire following behind him.

It took them a couple of minutes to head toward the food stand that Kensei was talking about and in that direction to a certain degree, Alice and Claire could feel as if they were being watched. Of course, it was a skill that at least all the people kept on Hagun Island learned through experience. However, none of the eyes on them appears to be filled with malice as Kensei didn't warn them.

All three of them soon arrived in front of the stand that read "Yamato Taiyaki" causing stars to sparkle in his eyes as he realized that the food stands he liked remained. In a matter of moments, he appeared in front of the food stand looking at all the fish-shaped cakes being cooked in front of him with both girls following behind him.

"Ararara, what an energetic customer. I can tell you've eaten one of these before. What would you like?"

The female stand owner laughed as she realized the excited expression that was on Kensei's face as he stood in front of her stand.

"I'd like four custard taiyaki."

"What about these lovely ladies," the female stand owner said as she looked toward Claire and Alice who seems to be new. "We make this special taiyaki using a secret ingredient."

"Ah, I'll like two strawberry taiyaki."

"And I'll take two chocolate taiyaki."

As both Alice and Claire answered the store owner, the woman smiled and began putting their taiyaki inside of the packets. Having paid for the taiyaki, all three of them started walking toward a nearby wood bench. After taking a single bite from the taiyaki, both girls immediately fell in love with the sweet taste and texture that danced on their taste buds as the sweet smell entered their noses.

"Ahhh~ Thesh is sho goood."

Alice said in an out of character tone as she smiled widely with Claire making the same expression.

"I missed eating these things so much."

Kensei started eating the custard-filled taiyaki in his packet with the same ecstatic look on his face, then stood up to throw away the wrapping letting a relieved sigh to escape from his mouth.

"How often did you eat these, Kensei?"

"I first had one after visiting Kyoto for the first time. I started having at least one or two after a fight or whenever I just had free time."

"What did you do in your free time."

"Ah, I used to just walked around with…."

"…Nii…."

Kensei has a distant "Nii", then turned towards Claire who was standing at a certain distance away from him.

Ah, Claire did you call me?"

"Huh, no."

After hearing a distant "Nii", Kensei thought that it was Claire speaking in a low tone, but she was throwing away the wrapping paper after finishing her chocolate taiyaki.

"I can tell that someone is calling out 'Nii' several times. I guess that they're calling someone…else…."

Kensei started to speak but started hearing fast footsteps coming in their direction and sensed a presence that didn't belong to a normal human, then turned around and saw a figure rushing toward them.

"…wait…is that?"

"Ken-niiiiiiiiiiiii!"

Moments before he could even finish his question or give a response, Kensei was soon pounced on by a girl rushing in his direction. The girl without warning wrapped her arms around his neck and legs around his waist; the commotion caught the attention of both Alice and Claire who stared at the individual with an odd look on their face.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?"

Claire questioned in an angry tone, believing that it was just some random girl, but stopped after noticing that Kensei was laughing as if he knew who the girl was.

"W-Well, this is a surprise," he said as he glanced down and noticed who the person was holding onto him, putting his hand on their waist to ensure that the girl didn't fall. "I didn't think that I would run into you like this. I should have guessed that Yasaka-san would have sent you instead of an attendant, Kunou-chan."

Hugging him was a familiar young girl who seemed to the same age as Claire with blonde hair that seemed to be almost golden and matching eyes, dressed in a traditional miko outfit. The girl named Kunou smiled childishly as she started to affectionately rub her cheek against Kensei who couldn't help but smile.

"Kunou didn't know when she would see Ken-nii again. I almost didn't believe it when Hahaue told Kunou. Ken-nii was returning to Kyoto. But, Kunou will always wait for Ken-nii!"

Kunou said as she continued rubbing her cheek against his, which caused Kensei to feel a certain amount killing intent from behind him. Though Kensei didn't want to admit that hearing her talk in the third person was adorable, but if he did mention that out loud, Claire might kill him.

"…'Ken-nii', huh? Nii-san."

Claire questioned with a creepy smile, as he could even feel the killing intent off her words.

Claire recognized the blonde-haired girl from the photo that was inside of his bedroom and there was the fact that she called him "Ken-nii", which made her feel conflicted. Alice noticed the expression on her face, but didn't say anything and just decided to see what would happen next.

"Uh, I can tell that this is going to get complicated. Give me a second?"

Kensei reached into his pocket where he pulled out some talismans, noticing that there weren't that many people who were around their area. All of them soon gave off a bright light, then a wide barrier meant to keep away people were formed around all four of them.

"Ah, Kunou-chan, could you please get down and introduce yourself."

"Kay' Ken-nii!"

Kunou jumped off of Kensei and stood in front of both Alice and Claire who stared back toward her with a curious look on their faces, though Claire was a little more intense. But, Kunou either didn't realize their look or she didn't care about the expressions. Soon enough, fox ears matching her hair and nine fluffy tails appeared near her butt, then bowed her head in front of them.

"I am Kunou, the daughter of Yasaka, the Queen of the youkai living in the inner and outer Kyoto. You two must be the friends that Hahaue said Ken-nii was bringing."

Kunou respectfully introduced herself to Alice and Claire who remained in front of her as she smiled at them.

"My name is Alive Evangelista."

"My name is Claire Yaegaki Belial."

Alice and Claire introduced themselves, the latter said so in an impassive tone, using her full name, but then she later coughed into her hand.

"How do you know, Nii-san?"

Kensei felt a cold chill running up his spine as he heard her tone.

"Kunou met Ken-nii when she was exploring Kyoto, while our mothers were having a meeting with one another. I ended up getting into trouble with a demon, then Ken-nii came and rescued me. It was then that Ken-nii became Kunou's Ken-nii. How do you know Ken-nii?"

"I've lived with my Nii-san for almost over five years."

"Huh? I don't understand why, but Kunou feels as if you're challenging me."

"Well, maybe I am."

Both Kunou and Claire started to approach one another as a smile crept on their faces, but it didn't appear to be genuine as time passed. This was the first time that either of them was meeting one another, but there was a feeling that neither of them wanted to lose to one another. It was something that Alice noticed as she looked between both Claire and Kunou as they started to step in front of one another.

"Well, the more this progresses, this feels more like two little sisters fighting over their older brother."

Alice pointed out as she stared at them, before glancing toward Kensei with a wondering look.

"Is there anything else you're hiding?"

"One or two more things."

Kensei replied as the looks that Claire and Kunou were sending to one another started growing more intense.

"Well, I know more about what Nii-san likes more than you."

"Well, Kunou has bathed with Ken-nii more than you."

"I know everything that Nii-san loves to eat."

"So do I. Kunou has been practicing for a long time to be able to cook all Ken-nii's favorite foods."

Kensei started feeling as if the two of them were raising their auras causing the air between them to become a lot tenser, then Claire and Kunou took a deep breath before speaking their 'trump cards'.

""Well, you know what?! Nii-san/Ken-nii and I/Kunou are getting married! Huh?! What do you mean?!""

Both Claire and Kunou shouted at the same time causing them to question one another.

"Nii-san promised that we'd always be together!"

"Ken-nii said that we could get married! Both Sakura-san and Hahaue even already agreed to it! So Ken-nii is my genuine fiancé."

In response to that, Claire became silent, it was something that she wasn't expecting to hear from someone. Without uttering a single word toward Kunou, Claire instead turned toward Kensei and started walking toward him as a crooked smile adorned his face.

"Nii-san."

Claire spoke to him in a low enough tone that it scared even him for a moment.

"U-Uh, hey Claire."

"Is what this 'thing' here said true?"

"Hey, Kunou isn't a thing!"

Claire ignored Kunou and kept her eyes on Kensei who let a slight breath escape from his mouth and sighed choosing to be honest about it.

"Yes."

"…."

In a single moment, a white light covered her right arm and a white angelic gauntlet manifested and covered it, then with cheeks puffed up, Claire punched Kensei in the stomach sending him back. A surprised gasp came from Kunou as he landed on the ground, while Alice just seemed a bit surprised about it. Claire soon turned around on her heels and started walking toward the edge of the barrier, holding out a single hand and opened an exit using her demonic power 'worthless'.

"Ugh."

Kensei landed on the ground feeling the pain dealt to him in the stomach.

"Ken-nii! How dare you hit, Ken-nii?!"

Kunou shouted as she pointed toward almost rushing toward Claire who continued walking away in a huff. Alice then glanced toward looked toward Kensei, using a single nod of her head who returned it, she began to follow Claire who didn't even turn back around. Kunou though rushed toward Kensei who was sprawled out on the ground as a pained laugh escape out of his mouth.

"Are you alright, Ken-nii?"

"Gah, that wasn't the worst punch that I've ever taken before. I thought she was going to hit me harder than that," Kensei e laid on the ground holding his stomach. "…I had that one coming."

He laughed as he felt the pain from the impact, but it wasn't too painful as he could still laugh almost as if it was a joke, then sat up from the ground glancing toward the opening of the barrier.

"Well, she took something else from our spars."

Kensei mumbled as he placed his hand on his stomach.

Claire was walking off ahead in the direction that she had exited the barrier without direction with her cheeks puffed out. She was still thinking about all that just happened moments ago and what she had just heard from the nine-tailed fox girl. But, what stuck in her head was the thing about her being Kensei's fiancée.

"Baka Nii-san."

Claire said those words at least a couple of times as she stomped off without caring if someone were to hear her words. She hadn't even noticed that she walked off without thinking about it and found herself in a more isolated location, where there weren't even people walking around like before. Claire realized that she wasn't even paying attention to where she was going, but she wasn't too concerned about getting lost.

"If he wants to find me, then he can use senjutsu and find me without trouble," she mumbled in a low tone as she clenched her fists in frustration for a moment, then opened them. "He could've at least just told me about that 'girl' before we arrived here. I guess, he was afraid that I would end up getting mad and punch him, which I kinda did. Uh, I know this that was a childish thing to do. I owe Nii-san an apology…but he also owes me one for not just telling me the truth in the first place."

Claire found herself turning around, then started to head back towards where she left Kensei, Alice, and…Kunou, but she stopped after a sudden sense of unease crept up her spine. She had started glancing around the area as she entered a more prepared stance as she realized that someone had set up a barrier.

[Claire, did you sense that?]

"Yea," she recalled the sensation that she felt before as a child. "I believe that it was my devil instincts warming me about something."

She replied to Radueriel who spoke to Claire inside her head, who later prepared her demonic power in response to a sudden attack aimed at her. Claire felt her heart rate increase as she thought about the different kinds of things that it could end up being.

"Yahoo~!"

Claire heard something rush toward her from behind, then held her hand out making a barrier using her demonic power and blocked what seemed to be a sword. But, it didn't have a normal blade, instead of a light that formed into a solid blade.

"A light sword, like Tou-san," Claire mumbled as she pushed backward forcing her attacker to jump back landing on the ground as a slight laugh escape from their mouth. "Are you an exorcist?"

Claire didn't need a response as she realized from the light that came from the sun, which showed the clothes of her attack. She realized that it belonged to that of a priest, but it wasn't an old male. Standing before her was a white-haired teen who seemed the same age as Kensei yet what caught her attention were his red-colored eyes, which reminded her of Iris' eyes.

"Hehehe~ how lucky that I ran into a little Devil-chan while on recon."

Claire felt unnerved and irritated at the singsong tone of the teenage exorcist, as demonic power started to form more in her hands as she stood her ground. She didn't think that she would end up running into an exorcist from the Church this soon, but she didn't let that unnerve her.

"Who're you?"

"My name is Freed Sellzen~ Let's dance for a while Devil-chan~!"

The priest now named Freed rushed towards Claire wielding the light sword in his hand.

A/N: And there goes the sixteenth chapter of DxD – The Last Amagiri, Kensei and the others prepared for their eventual trip to Kyoto where they had to do a lot of things in Kuoh Town before leaving. There was the usual playful banter of Hisui who realize that there was something else with Kensei's connection with Kyoto and their leader's daughter. We also got to see what happened with all the children who were freed from Hagun Island and seeing Abigail's mother. Kensei and co arrived at Kyoto where we got to see the first appearance of Kunou who I decided to make the same age as Claire. And in the end, there was also the surprise appearance of Freed. I wonder what will happen on their trip.

So, until next time.

Kensei's Harem: Alice, Claire, Hisui, Kunou, Yasaka, Lu Lingqi, Mirana, Sarah, Minako, Koneko, Kuroka, Ravel, Amaterasu, Brynhildr.