This is my longest chapter to date, but I hope you all enjoy Irina's story time :)
Chapter 12: Irina Shidou Origins
Jiro looked at Irina for a second and took a deep breath. "I know you expected me to ask this at some point... And I have to know... What happened that night... when we were attacked by those men in trench coats... and after that bright yellow light appeared... What happened after I was knocked out?" Jiro asked, looking at her seriously.
Jiro looked at Irina for a second and took a deep breath. "I know you expected me to ask this at some point... And I have to know... What happened that night...when we were attacked by those men in trench coats...and after that bright yellow light appeared... What happened after I was knocked out?" Jiro asked, looking at her seriously.
Irina looked back at him, eyes wide, taken aback by his question. She did in fact expect him to ask that, but didn't expect him to do so soon. "...Yeah, I knew you would ask that at some point. And...I'm sure you've wanted to know for the past decade...so I'll tell you what happened." Irina said as she began to tell him the story of the rest of that fateful night.
Flashback: 10 years earlier
"Heh heh, get a load of this kid, trying to play the hero," one of the men said amusedly, as Jiro ran towards the men once again.
The same man kicked Jiro in the face, making him fall to the ground again, and started stomping and kicking him, making him grunt in pain, while the other men laughed at the scene. Irina, watching this, was yelling and crying, begging the man to stop as she thrashed around in another man's grip. After about a minute, the man stopped kicking and stomping, and looked down at Jiro, who was on the ground in a fetal position, covered in blood and bruises, groaning in pain.
"Well, that was fun, but I'm bored now. Let's get this over with and return to base with that girl," the man said as he lifted his foot up over Jiro's head, intending to crush it under his boot. Irina, seeing this, screamed in horror, begging him not to do it.
Before the man could bring his foot down and stomp on Jiro's head, a bright golden flash of light suddenly appeared next to them. All of them were knocked off their feet by some unknown shockwave. Jiro, who was on the ground, was sent flying into an alleyway nearby and hit his head on a garbage can, knocking him out.
After Irina recovered from the shock, she stood back up and immediately tried to run over to Jiro. Before she could, however, the same man reached over and grabbed her by the hair again, stopping her in her tracks. "Where do you think you're going? You're coming with us!" He yelled as Irina screamed again, trying to escape his grip to get to Jiro.
As she writhed in the man's grip, a golden light spear suddenly flew towards them and severed the man's arm, releasing Irina, making her fall backwards as he cried out in pain. As Irina looked at the carnage with wide eyes, a woman whom Irina recognized all too well descended in front of her.
"M-mother?!" Irina said, looking up in shock to see her mother, Felicity Shidou herself. However, to Irina's shock she wore white and gold robes, and had shining white wings behind her, with a golden halo floating over her head. Felicity immediately knelt down and pulled her daughter into a relieved and loving hug.
"Irina, sweetie, I'm so glad you're alright. We made it just in time to save you." Felicity said, almost tearing up with her daughter in her arms.
Irina clung to her mother and looked behind her to see her father and a group of exorcists with swords made of light, fighting against the men in trench coats. "M-mother, what's going on?" Irina asked shakily. Felicity glanced behind and then back at Irina.
"We sensed that you were in trouble and came to save you. Don't worry, everything will be alright now, sweetie." Felicity said, with a reassuring smile as she caressed her daughter's messy hair, still embracing her.
Irina sighed in relief and then panicked as she remembered Jiro, trying to escape her mother's arm to get to him. "J-Jiro-kun! Where is he?! Is he okay?! I have to get to him!" Irina yelled frantically, trying to pull away from her mother.
Felicity held Irina in place as she tried to calm her down. "Jiro-kun is fine, honey. He's asleep in that alleyway. He's far out of harm's way, so there's no need to worry, but you have to stay close to me, so I can keep you safe." Felicity said reassuringly while tightening her grip on Irina.
Irina calmed down slightly in her mother's arms. Then, a ball of dark magic came flying towards them. Before the attack could hit them, Irina's father, Touji Shidou, jumped between them and deflected it with his holy sword. The six men in trench coats were no pushovers; they were mid-class devils and managed to kill all of the exorcists apart from Touji.
Felicity and Irina looked on in shock at Touji, covered in cuts and bruises, and the exorcist lying dead on the ground, while all six of the devils remained standing, albeit with wounds of their own, and one missing an arm from Felicity's attack. The devils started closing in on the Shidous, but Felicity stepped forward and put Irina into her husband's arms. "You two have to escape. I'll hold them off while you get away," Felicity said, turning to the devils, spreading her wings, and summoning two light swords in each hand.
Touji looked at his wife, eyes wide from her words. "Felicity, what are you saying?!" Touji asked, in disbelief, while Irina said, "mother?".
"You heard me. You two have to escape. Touji, take Irina home, pack your things, and leave town. It's not safe for either of you." Felicity ordered with a hint of concern.
"No way in hell are we leaving you here! You'll be killed!" Touji yelled, slightly demandingly and also concerned.
"WOULD YOU RATHER US ALL BE KILLED?! IRINA IS STILL YOUNG; SHE HAD HER WHOLE LIFE AHEAD OF HER! YOU CAN'T LET IT END HERE FOR BOTH OF YOU!" Felicity yelled, looking over her shoulder.
Touji looked at her, shocked, having never heard her yell before, but also knew she was right. Felicity dispelled her light swords and turned around to hug her family. "I know this is difficult, it's hard for me too. However, I want you both to live your lives to the fullest. So please run away from here." Felicity said, pleadingly while tearing up.
Touji teared up as well and closed his eyes in acceptance. They pulled away from the hug and looked at each other, tears streaming down their faces. "Alright, we'll do as you say," Touji said, reluctantly.
Felicity smiled and pulled him into a loving goodbye kiss. "Thank you, dear. And consider this me returning the favor to you when we first met, my love," Felicity said, pulling away and smiling tenderly.
Touji smiled back in remembrance as Felicity turned her attention to Irina in his arms. "Make sure to be a good girl while I'm gone, Irina," Felicity said, and Irina looked at her with wide eyes.
"N-no mother. P-please don't leave us." Irina said in fear. Felicity's heart broke even more, hearing her daughter's plea. "I'm sorry, Irina, but I have to go in order for you to live happily, sweetheart," Felicity said and gave Irina a kiss on the forehead.
Felicity pulled away and stepped back from them. "I love you both so much, now go," Felicity said, turning around, tears streaming down her face, as she summoned her light swords again.
"We love you too, Felicity. Goodbye," Touji said as he turned around and started running away. Irina cried out for her mother in tears. They both turned a corner and disappeared into the night, leaving Felicity standing before the six devils.
"Hmph, that was quite a show. It caught us right in the feels, but it's pointless. After we kill you, we're going after those two." One of the devils said, mockingly as they all took fighting stances.
Felicity wiped her tears and glared at them. "You will do no such thing, you despicable devils. You will all meet your ends here." Felicity said, lifting her light swords and taking a fighting stance of her own.
"Heh, that's cute, but let's do this. This is payback for what you did to our master," another devil yelled as they charged at her, remembering their master who was killed when Felicity and Touji first met.
Felicity fought with all her might, managing to outmaneuver and kill all six devils while sustaining major injuries herself. When the fight had finally ended, she stood, breathing heavily, covered in blood, cuts and, bruises. The six devils lay dead on the ground before her and turned to ashes, evaporating into the air.
Felicity smiled bitterly in victory and acceptance as she fell to the ground. Her wounds were deep and severe, and blood poured from her cuts. She lay there smiling as her life flashed before her eyes, remembering all the good times she had, especially when she first met Touji, married him, and started a family with him, along with all the happy memories the three had together.
'Touji, Irina, please live happily for me. And Jiro-kun, I pray that you and Irina find each other again. If you do, please take care of her. And look out for your own family. I love all so much. Goodbye everyone.' Felicity thought, as she closed her eyes.
Felicity, thinking her final thoughts, succumbed to her injuries. She lay there smiling for several more seconds... and perished. Her body glowed a bright golden light and dispersed into golden particles, evaporating in the air.
Touji ran all the way home, Irina crying the whole time and tears in his eyes, falling uncontrollably as he sensed Felicity's presence disappear completely. They eventually made it back to their house, by this time Irina had fallen asleep from the exhaustion of the night. Touji entered their house, laid Irina down on the couch, and started packing everything they absolutely needed while planning to have everything else shipped to their new location.
Once he had finished packing their suitcases, he called a cab, loaded all their suitcases, laid Irina into the back seat, and they drove off to the airport. 'She's probably going to be devastated when she wakes up. How am I going to explain this to her?' Touji thought, glancing back at Irina's sleeping form in the back seat.
They arrived at the airport and Touji pulled one of their suitcases, with the other on his back, and carried Irina in his arms while she slept. They boarded a plane to England, and Touji laid Irina on his lap so she could sleep comfortably. Soon, he found himself drifting off as well.
The next morning, the plane landed, and they arrived in England. Touji woke up, but Irina stayed asleep as he took her and their luggage off the plane and called another cab to a hotel, choosing to stay there while they looked for a permanent place to stay. However, he did have several connections, being a highly ranked priest, so they would have a place very soon.
When they arrived at the hotel, Touji checked them in, and they went to their room with their luggage. Awhile later, Irina finally woke up slowly, her eyes fluttering open as she rubbed them and looked around. She realized the location was unfamiliar, and her face paled as she remembered the events of the night before.
Irina got up in a panic, yelling out for her mother and father. Touji came into the room, and Irina calmed down slightly. "Irina, you're finally awake. Did you sleep well?" Touji said, embracing her softly.
"Father, where's mother? And where's Jiro-kun?!" She asked, slightly panicked. Touji froze upon hearing her questions and looked at her with a pained expression, knowing it would be sinful to lie to his daughter and that she would find out eventually. He sighed and proceeded to tell her what happened.
After he finished, Irina was sobbing uncontrollably. "Waaah! Mother! Waaah!" She cried while Touji tried to calm her down.
"Waaah, mother, waaah, I wanna go home, I want to see mother, waaah, I wanna see Jiro-kun, waaah." Irina yelled between sobs. Touji looked at her, heartbroken to see her so sad, when she was usually so cheerful.
Touji pulled her into a tight hug while she sobbed into his chest. "It'll be alright, Irina. Your mother is happy right now since you're alive and safe. It was too dangerous to stay at home, so we had to come here. And don't worry, Jiro is safe; he wasn't hurt at all." Touji said, reassuringly.
Irina calmed down slightly and looked up at her father, tears still streaming down her face, as he continued. "You'll be safe here. In fact, I know a few people here who can help you grow strong, so you won't be in trouble anymore." Touji said, catching her attention and making her look at him with wide eyes.
"R-really, I-I can be strong so I w-won't get in trouble?" Irina asked, hopeful, but still teary eyed. Touji nodded. "Yes, then when you are, you can go back home and see Jiro again and protect others when they're in trouble." Touji said with a reassuring smile.
Irina wiped her tears and looked at him with a determined look. "F-father, I want to be strong so I can go see Jiro-kun again, protect him, and protect you and everyone." Irina said, making Touji smile.
"I'm happy to hear it. We'll go to the place later today. For now, let's go eat. I'm sure you're hungry." Touji said as he took Irina's hand and led her to somewhere to eat.
On the inside, Touji was conflicted and scared. On one hand, he wasn't too keen on letting his daughter train at the church here while she was so young and without knowing if a certain individual was still lurking around it. On the other hand, however, he knew he wouldn't be there to protect her forever, so he needed her to grow strong to defend herself when the situation arises.
They ate and walked outside hand in hand to a large church. When they arrived, Irina looked up in awe, having never seen such a large church. Touji chuckled at her reaction.
"This is where I'll be working, and you'll be able to get strong. Now let's go inside." Touji said as he led his daughter inside.
When inside, the other priests noticed them and went over to them with enthusiasm. "Touji, it's been a while, old friend. What brings you here? And who is this young girl?" The head priest asked, approaching them.
Touji smiled at the warm welcome. "This is my daughter, Irina," Touji said, surprising all the priests. Irina said, "Hi," with a bright smile.
"You have a daughter?!" The head priest said with a surprised smile.
"Heh, as for what brings me here, we just moved here, and I'll be working here from now on, while Irina will train to become an exorcist," Touji said, shocking the priests even more.
"What are you serious?" The head priest asked, to which Touji nodded. "I'm fine with you working here, but are you sure you want Irina to become an exorcist? At such a young age? The training is not easy." The head priest asked, to which Touji nodded again.
The head priest sighed in acceptance. "Very well. She's your daughter, and if you are okay with it, I have no room to argue," the head priest said. Then, Touji approached him and whispered into his ear.
"Tell me. Is that lunatic Valper Galilei still working here?" Touji asked, whispering in a serious tone.
"Oh, him. No, he was excommunicated from the church a while ago after he was found to be behind the forbidden holy sword project. He's now with the fallen angels, so there's no need to worry." The head priest whispered back, to which Touji nodded, sighing in relief and stepping back.
"Ok then, Irina should be safe," Touji said, and then turned his attention to Irina. "Irina, I expect you to be on your best behavior here," Touji said, to which Irina responded, saying, "Yes, father."
Touji then turned his attention back to the priests. "Okay, so can she begin now?" Touji asked, to which the head priest nodded.
"Yes, she can begin now. Sister Griselda, bring little Irina to the training room with the others." The head priest said, gesturing to one of the nuns.
She nodded and approached Irina, giving her a kind smile. "Hello, Irina, my name is Sister Griselda. Please come with me, and I'll help you get strong." Sister Griselda said, reaching out her hand for her to take.
Irina nodded nervously and took her hand, as she led Irina to another room. The priest watched as the two left the room and then turned back to Touji. "Alright, Touji, what's the story? What made you suddenly move to England? And why is there so much holy power emanating from your daughter despite her young age?" The head priest asked in a slightly more serious tone, as the other priest looked at him, thinking the same thing.
Touji sighed and told them the story of the previous night. After he finished, they all looked at him in shock. "So she was attacked by a group of devils? And her mother was an angel, who died while buying time for you to escape?" The head priest asked, to which Touji nodded.
To think you married an angel and started a family with her. I'm so sorry for your loss, Touji. I hope you know we're here for you, old friend. The head priest said as the other priest nodded in agreement.
Touji smiled appreciatively. "Thank you, I know, but I promise I'll be fine. I just hope Irina will be alright." Touji said reassuringly as he glanced in the direction Irina and Sister Griselda walked towards.
Irina and Sister Griselda walked through a hallway hand in hand as Irina looked around nervously at the unfamiliar setting. Sister Griselda looked down at Irina, sensing her nervousness. "It's ok, Irina. There's nothing to be nervous about. I'm just going to take you to meet two people before you start training." Sister Griselda said with a reassuring smile.
Irina calmed down slightly upon hearing her words, and they continued walking. They came to a room and opened a door, revealing a dormitory with multiple beds. The only people in the room were two children reading books. One was a little girl who was one year younger than Irina, with short, blue hair with a green streak on the right side, dark yellow eyes, and a constantly stoic expression. The other was a young man of 13 years old, with short white hair, black eyes, and appeared more laid-back.
"I'll leave you three alone to get to know each other while I prepare for your training." Sister Griselda said as she left the room, leaving the three children in the room alone together. Irina walked up to them with a slight nervous but bright smile.
"H-hi, my name is Irina Shidou. It's nice to meet you." Irina said as she waved at them. The blue-haired girl nodded at her greeting. "My name is Xenovia Quarta." She said, simply with a deadpan expression.
The white-haired boy put his book down, got up, and walked over to Irina. "My name is Freed Sellzen. Nice to meet you too, Irina." He said while reaching out his hand for her to shake, which she accepted.
"Don't worry about her. Despite that edgy face, she's actually really nice." Freed said, gesturing to Xenovia, which made her glare at him while Irina giggled.
"I'm guessing you're here to become an exorcist too?" Freed asked. Irina nodded. "That's right, I'm gonna get really strong and protect people," Irina said with a determined smile.
Freed chuckled at her enthusiasm while Xenovia uncharacteristically wore a small smile. "Glad to hear it, let's give it our best in training." Freed said, giving a thumbs up.
Irina smiled happily to have new friends while thinking of a certain other. 'I wonder if Jiro-kun would be good friends with them. I hope he's okay. But one day I'll return to Japan and we'll be together again, and then I'll introduce them.' Irina thought with a hopeful, wistful smile.
"Hm, you ok?" Freed asked, noticing her expression. Irina blinked and came back to reality.
"O-oh, I'm fine, just thinking of someone important." Irina said, causing Freed to smirk. "Who is it, your boyfriend?" Freed asked teasingly, making Irina blush furiously.
"W-what? N-no, he's just a friend of mine!" Irina said, waving her hands in the air with a massive blush on her face. Freed laughs at her reaction while Xenovia chuckles softly.
A moment later, Sister Griselda re-enters the room. "Hm? It seems you three are getting along well. Now then, follow me, and we'll begin your training," Sister Griselda said, gesturing for the three children to follow her.
With that, they began their training. Their training consisted of sword practice, memorizing the best incantations to exorcise powerful devils, and learning to make the strongest holy water to fight against devils.
Soon 5 years passed and Irina, Xenovia, and Freed continued to train rigorously under the supervision of Sister Griselda, Touji, and the head priest. On one particular training day, while engaged in sword practice, Irina suddenly managed to unfurl her wings and summon her halo for the first time as she blocked Xenovia and Freed's strike and knocked them back. Everyone in the room except for Touji looked on in shock at Irina's transformation, apart from Touji, who looked on with a proud smile.
"I-IRINA, YOU'RE AN ANGEL?!" Xenovia uncharacteristically yelled in shock. Freed could only look on, gobsmacked. Irina turned her head to look at her wings, which shone a bright white, and reached up to feel her halo, which was smooth and warm.
Irina then remembered her mother's appearance, the last time she saw her. "Y-yes, I am. My mother was an angel, while my father is a human." Irina said, nodding in agreement.
Xenovia, Freed, and Sister Griselda all turned to Touji, who was sporting a smug smile. "Heh, Oh, did I forget to mention it?" Touji said, chuckling.
Soon after obtaining her wings, Irina began to excel in her training, becoming significantly stronger. Even Xenovia showed she was a natural prodigy and excelled. Freed, however, despite being the oldest of the three, and while getting stronger himself, was starting to fall behind.
The three would go out on many missions, sometimes as a trio and other times on solo missions. They would go to areas where demonic presences appeared and deal with them accordingly. Irina and Xenovia would complete these missions with minimal effort, while Freed struggled in defeating devils constantly.
With time, Irina and Xenovia built a reputation in England and even started to get noticed by the higher-ups of heaven, particularly one archangel who would soon become the leader of heaven. Freed began to become desperate to prove himself by having extra training sessions and going out on more solo missions, becoming increasingly unhinged.
Irina and Xenovia began to grow worried about him and tried to stop his reckless behavior. However, Freed started to push them away, having secretly begun to resent them.
After many solo missions, Freed started to despise devils as a whole and began to enjoy the feeling of killing them. He even started becoming disillusioned with humans despite being one himself, considering their summoning of devils being the reason for their missions. During one particular incident, Freed was out training by himself and sensed demonic presences, so he went to investigate. Once there, he slaughtered the strange beastly creatures he believed were devils, but not yet satisfied, he murdered the people who had summoned them. Before leaving, he saw strange writing on the wall that said "All Hale, Lord Zeref," but he paid it no mind.
Soon after he was excommunicated from the church for his actions, and had become a became a stray priest. Irina and Xenovia were both heartbroken, having considered him a good friend, and they still hoped he was okay. However, they continued their training and pushed their feelings down.
Another 5 years passed, and Irina and Xenovia further excelled in their training. Irina had mastered her use of light magic and swordsmanship, soon becoming as strong as her mother was before her death. Xenovia had become a master swordswoman, strong enough to slay mid-class devils and wield holy swords. They had become quite favored by the high-ranking members of the church and heaven, again by particularly by a certain archangel who had become the leader of heaven, and received rewards for their hard work over the last decade.
Xenovia was reincarnated as an angel for her reward and given her first holy sword, known as "Excalibur Destruction". Irina on the other hand, was finally allowed to return to Japan for her reward and was about to depart with a suitcase and backpack.
"Everyone, thank you for all you've done for me over the last 10 years," Irina said, standing in front of Touji, Sister Griselda, the head priest, and Xenovia, deeply bowing her head. They all smiled warmly at her gratitude.
The head priest: " There's no need to thank us, Irina."
Sister Griselda: "Yes, you worked hard, became quite strong, and deserved your reward."
Irina ran over to hug her mentors who had trained her, and they reciprocated. She then turned her attention to the newly reincarnated Xenovia. They had become very close during the last decade, almost like real sisters.
"Please take care, Xenovia-chan. And put those wings and holy sword to good use." Irina said, hugging her tightly.
"Of course, Irina. I hope you find your childhood friend, the one you would never stop talking about." Xenovia said teasingly, while smiling as they pulled away and held each other's hands.
Irina giggled and turned her attention to her father. Irina ran up and gave him the tightest hug of all. "Father, thank you for all you've done for me. I'll miss you so much." Irina said, tearing up while burying her face into his chest.
Touji returned the hug and patted the top of her head. "Again there's no need for thanks, Irina. You earned this. I just did all I could do as your father. Your mother would be so proud if she saw you right now." Touji said, also tearing up with a bright smile.
Irina looked up at him and nodded as he gave her one last goodbye kiss on the forehead. They reluctantly pulled apart, and Irina grabbed her suitcase. She turned to board the plane and waved goodbye to her loved ones, who waved back in response.
Irina boarded the plane and flew back to Japan. Once there, she took in the sight of her hometown, Kuoh. "Ahh, it's good to finally be home. I've missed this place so much. I'm so happy the higher-ups gave me permission to live here again. Alright, I start school tomorrow morning, but right now, I should find a motel to stay in for the time being. I wonder if he still lives here...I hope I can see him again. I bet he's changed so much."
Flashback end
Irina finished her story as she and Jiro lay next to each other in each other's arms on his bed. Jiro, having listened intently, had a mix of emotions coursing through him. "Well, damn. So that's what happened." Jiro said, to which Irina nodded.
"Felicity-san was an amazing mother. To sacrifice herself to save her husband and child... I guess I have experience." Jiro said with a wistful smile.
Irina looks at him with a hint of concern. "You do? You never told me what happened to your parents." Irina said as Jiro looks up at the ceiling.
"...They're gone...both of them...killed by someone I'll stop at nothing to find." Jiro said, deadpan, but the pain in his voice is still noticeable. Irina's expression softens as she looks up at him.
"Jiro-kun...I'm so sorry." Irina said as she embraced him tighter. "No need to apologize. It's not your fault. And so we're clear, I ain't getting consumed by revenge or nothing. I'll find him eventually, but I'll take my time." Jiro said with a reassuring smile.
"Even so, I wish I could've been there for you when it happened. Just know I'm here for you now, Jiro-kun." Irina said, resting her head on his chest comfortingly.
"I know. And I'm happy to have you here, Ri-Ri-chan. But we're not talking about me right now; this is about your story." Jiro said, changing the subject with another reassuring smile as he pulled Irina closer.
Irina understands that he most likely doesn't want to talk about it at the moment, since it might be a very sensitive subject. However, she does plan on asking him to tell her in detail another time. "So you were in England all this time? I'm glad you found new people to be close to, along with Touji-san." Jiro said with a smile.
Irina smiled, remembering them fondly. "Yes, my father, Sister Griselda, and the head priest were great trainers. And Xenovia-chan is a dear friend; she's like a sister to me." Irina said with a nostalgic smile.
Jiro's expression then turns serious as he recalls her other training partner. "And you said you trained with someone named 'Freed Sellzen'?" Jiro asked in a serious tone.
Irina noticed his change in tone and looked back up at him with a concerned expression. "Y-yeah I did. W-why do you ask? Do you know him?" Irina asked curiously.
"Yes, I do. I've been looking for him for months to kill him." Jiro said, his eyebrows furrowing. Irina looked at him in shock.
"W-what do you mean?! W-why would you...?" Irina asked, trailing off at the end.
"Because he's a danger to society. He's a murderer, torturer, and rapist. He's killed and raped so many innocent people indiscriminately. But I haven't found him yet. He's one illusive bastard." Jiro said, causing Irina to panic as she sits up.
"N-no, p-please don't, he's my friend!" Irina said, making Jiro look at her, eyes wide. "What?! I know you two trained together for awhile, but don't you know what he's become?!" Jiro asked in shock.
"I know what he's become, but he's still my friend who was going through so much at the time, but I couldn't help him. I want to speak to him to try and at least reconcile with him. Maybe I can convince him to change his ways." Irina said, hopeful.
Jiro looks at her silently for a second until she speaks again. "Promise me. Please promise me you won't hurt him, until I've at least spoken to him." Irina said firmly, looking down at him, and gripping his t-shirt.
Jiro sighed in acceptance. "Fine, you know I can't refuse when you're pleading like this. But if I see him hurt one more person, I'll incinerate him to the point where not even bones are left. Got it?" Jiro said, to which Irina nodded.
"Got it. I'll see what I can do about him. Just let me handle it." Irina said with a determined look as she laid back down.
Jiro then cleared his throat and changed the subject. "Anyway, that Xenovia girl, you said she was reincarnated into an angel?" Jiro asked as Irina chuckled.
"Yes, she was reincarnated as an angel. She's even able to use a holy sword, 'Excalibur Destruction,'" Irina said with a hint of pride for her friend. It was Jiro's turn to chuckle.
"Heh, is that right? Wonder how strong she is? I hope I can meet her at some point." Jiro said as Irina smiled, liking the idea of her two closest friends meeting and becoming friends themselves.
Jiro then glanced at the clock, which read 11:13 pm. "Looks like it's gotten even later," Jiro said as Irina looked at the clock herself.
Irina sighed in disappointment, wanting to keep chatting, but knew they had to get their rest for school the next morning. "Yeah, it really has, hasn't it? That's a shame." Irina said, making Jiro chuckle again at her expression.
"Hey now, we can chat all you want tomorrow. But I'm glad I finally know what happened that fateful night, after all these years. And I'll never forget Felicity-san; she was a remarkable woman." Jiro said in satisfaction at Irina's story and remembrance of someone he considered a second mother while he snuggled closer to Irina, ready to sleep.
Irina smiled warmly at his words, feeling appreciative and affectionate towards him. "Yes, my mother was very sweet and kind. I'm glad you think so highly of her, and I'm happy to have told you about my... origins so to say." Irina said as she snuggled closer to him, while Jiro chuckled.
They wished each other good night and closed their eyes to sleep in peace and ecstasy.
To be continued
Hoh boy, forget the last chapter; this was a real long one.
Anyway, I hope you liked Irina's origin story, and I hope you enjoyed the Jiro and Irina reunion mini-arc.
In the next chapter, we finally move the plot forward with the fallen angels' arc.
See you there :)