Edited by: Marethyu, Priapus

Standing a bit farther back than the rest of the students next to Ichiban and Issei, we look through the result board for our names, and to absolutely no one's surprise, I'm at the top of the list with full marks, which is apparently unheard of in Kuoh Academy from what I can pick up from the other students whispering to each other.

"Wow, Amamiya-san is amazing! Look at her score!"

"100%?! Holy crap! I've never heard of something like this before!"

"I knew she was a genius, but still…"

Oh, please, keep the praise coming. That's all you background characters are good for, anyway.

Honestly, I don't know what they're so surprised about. Sure, technically, I shouldn't be getting full marks because of my terrible attendance, but it's not something that can't be fixed with a bit of string-pulling. I deserve it for saving this town from Kokabiel, after all.

Why bother wasting my time on this, seeing that I'm too good for school? Because I'm not too good for quests. Even though a total of 450 points isn't really that great compared to the quests I've been getting recently, stats are stats. It's not like the quest is asking too much of me. I'm patient enough to handle school for a few months.

Besides, I got a new title out of it. One that's very useful. What more could I ask?

[Diligent Student] – Title

You are the perfect student. With a scholarly spirit and a hardworking mindset, you absorb knowledge like a sponge.

Passive: Slight chance of copying unique skills upon seeing them for the first time.

Active: All skills are 15% easier to learn and improve.

I'm not sure what really qualifies as a 'unique' skill in this instance, but if things like Power of Destruction count, then oh boy. That's one hell of an ability, even if it works primarily on luck. However, it says, 'upon seeing them for the first time'. Does that mean if it's something I've seen before, it doesn't apply?

That would make it much more useless, but hey, I won't say no. Who knows, it could save my life one day.

"Come on, come on…" Ichiban mutters to himself anxiously before he spots his name on the board, his expression brightening up in an instant. "Hahah! Hell yeah, 94%! I'm in the top ten!"

"Barely." I roll my eyes playfully. Eighth place isn't so bad for him, I guess. Considering he dropped out of middle school. "But a promise is a promise."

To be honest, even if he had gotten lower than tenth place, I would've dragged him with me to Hawaii regardless. After all, I can't have him run around where I can't see. True, I can have my Spyders keep track of him anywhere I want, but it's not better than watching him with my own two eyes.

And, well, the trip would be boring without him there. Especially seeing that my mother wouldn't be coming with us for some reason and the devil heiresses declined my offer. So it would just be me, Asia, Issei, and some of Rias' peerage.

And fuck that noise. I'd rather stay here in Kuoh if that's the case.

"It's all thanks to you." He tells me, looking at me with a big, dumb smile. "Thanks a lot for taking the time to help me study, Akane. I mean it."

"Naturally. I can't have you embarrassing me." I flip my hair, a hand on my hip. "But I demand compensation for this. My assistance isn't free, y'know."

"Sure. I'm prepared to do anything to pay you back." He nods confidently.

"Oho?" I give him a mischievous smirk. "Are you sure about that?"

Ichiban's grin turns nervous.

"Maybe not, actually."

"Pfft. Wimp." I tease him before glancing at Issei. "So what about you?"

"I'm in tenth place!" He says with a satisfied smile. "That's the highest I've ever gotten! Aw man, when my parents see this, they will be so proud of me!"

"For the first time, I'm sure."

Issei looks at me as if I shot his dog and kicked him in the balls. Shocked and hurt.

"Wha— Why?! What did I do?!" He complains as Ichiban resists a chuckle. "Would it hurt you not to kick me down for once?!"

"Oh, stop moaning. I'm just messing with you." I snort, crossing my arms. "And I bet you're into it, too, you freak."

"I'm not." He denies it with a scowl before pointing at himself proudly. "The only thing I'm into is huge boobs."

"Every straight guy is into tits, dipshit. We call that having instincts." I scoff. "The difference is that no one is as obnoxious about it as you. And that's why you'll die a virgin. Alone and afraid. Having never touched a boob."

"What the hell?! Why are you so mean today?!" He asks with a flinch. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Just leave the poor guy alone." Ichiban sighs. "Don't worry. She doesn't really mean it."

"Oh, but I do."

"If she did, you wouldn't have gotten invited to come with us to Hawaii." He throws me an annoyed frown before addressing the depressed Issei with a smile. "It's just her way of communicating. You'll get used to it."

"Uh-huh. Yeah, right." He glares at Ichiban. "Almost as if she doesn't treat us entirely differently."

"What?" My boyfriend blinks, looking utterly oblivious. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Oh my god. He's so fucking stupid. I love it.

Issei sighs, sounding and looking more depressed. I love that, too.

"Nevermind. It's nothing." He scratches the back of his head. "So, uh, when's the flight?"

"Tomorrow morning," I respond. "Better start packing up from now. Meet me at the school gate at about eight."

"Not the airport?" Ichiban raises an eyebrow. "I mean, wouldn't it be faster if we met there?"

"Why the airport?" I frown in confusion. "We're taking a private jet."

My nonchalant reveal makes the two momentarily freeze to process the information.

"HUH?!" Issei's eyes widen.

"A fucking WHAT?!" Ichi exclaims, equally as shocked.

"What are you so surprised about?" I blink. "What else did you expect?"

"I-I dunno!" Ichiban lowers his voice as he notices some people looking at us weirdly. "I mean, I thought we'd get first-class seats or something—"

"First-class?! What am I, a peasant?! How dare you imply that!" I playfully exaggerate my outrage before giggling. "I'm one of the wealthiest people on the planet, Ichi. Didn't I tell you to consider this my treat for getting into the top ten? First class is way beneath me."

Honestly, even a private jet isn't necessary. We could fly there by ourselves or use one of the Tojo teleporters, both of which are much faster alternatives. However, that seems a bit dull. So, being the generous goddess that I am, I might as well offer him the whole experience of living like the wealthy, complete with an obscenely rich girlfriend.

Besides, flying there would be pretty troublesome because of the luggage. We're staying there for about a month, so that's a lot of bags. Plus, I want to take my suit of armor with me, just in case. I don't know what we might encounter while we're there.

It wouldn't hurt to do some research about Hawaiian folklore and mythologies.

"Y-yeah…" Ichiban rubs his neck awkwardly, not used to being spoiled like this. I find it incredibly adorable. "Heh, I don't really know what to say. Thanks a lot."

"I demand more praise and a back massage later today," I tell him. "Go on now. Pack up your bags so we can hang out after. You too, Issei."

"A-ah, yeah, okay." Issei nods, giving Ichi a glare of immense jealousy for a split second before walking away. "See you at the arcade!"

My smirk widens as he disappears from view. He knows, but who doesn't, really? Everyone watched the finals and saw me doing that, as embarrassing as it was. What's really funny is he thinks he still has a chance with me.

I so wanted to torment him. I barely held myself back from kissing Ichiban right in front of him just for the hell of it. I can't imagine what Issei would look like had I done that.

But I guess doing that in front of so many other students could be troublesome because it would be shared around like wildfire. Although I want to crush Issei's feelings, I don't want to do that to Sona. That wouldn't be healthy for my REP/AFF points with her.

"Damn, what's with him?" Ichi wonders out loud.

"What do you mean?" I ask, knowing exactly what this is about.

"I dunno, he kinda feels a little colder to me these past few days." He sighs. "I don't know if it's just me or I genuinely made him upset somehow."

"It's probably just him." I shrug. "You didn't do anything wrong."

And even if he did, Issei probably deserves it anyway.

"I hope so." He says, smiling at me almost shyly. "So anyway, want me to walk you home?"

"Trying to fill the role of the perfect servant, huh?" I give him a cheeky smirk. "Sure. I'd like that."

"Then let me hold your bag for you."

"Aw, that's so kind of you," I say, handing him the school bag. "My little adorable slave~"

Ichi promptly drops it on the ground and walks ahead of me, which makes me audibly laugh. I take the bag and follow after him, teasing him about his reaction as he responds with irritation about being called my slave.

"Servant, I can understand. I'm cool with it even. But slave? I have my pride as a man, damn it." He complains. "Don't call me that."

"But it's true."

"Not. I'm not even your servant; I'm your bodyguard." He points out. "I just play along for your sake."

"Uh-huh." My smugness persists, causing his right eye to twitch in annoyance.

"Seriously. Is it so hard for you to show me some respect? I'm a person with feelings, too, you know." He continues to whine before he clicks his tongue. "You're so fucking annoying sometimes."

"Whatever you say, bodyguard," I shrug with a mutter, just loud enough for only him to hear. "Would've been easier if you had just said you don't want sex."

Unsurprisingly, his attitude does a complete 180, and he folds instantly.

"I'm whatever you want me to be, Goddess."

That's what I thought.

– Sona –

As Sona observed the students leaving through the school gates from the student council room, she paused at the sight of Akane waving at her with her signature smirk. This made the Sitri devil respond with a smile and a wave of her own.

Once the yakuza princess walked away and was out of view, Sona's smile dropped, replaced with an expression of unease and conflict. The past few weeks after the tournament weren't kind to her. Or rather, she wasn't kind to herself.

She thought she'd learn to move on eventually, but she only felt increasingly worse as the days went by. Even studying became a chore, and she couldn't focus properly. So much that her grades may have suffered a little, as opposed to the 100% she thought she'd get, she'd only gotten 98%, which was embarrassing enough considering how strict she was to those around her.

All she could think of was her inadequacy and weakness, day in and day out, from sunrise to sunset. This wasn't normal— since when was she so prone to feeling this inferior and pathetic? She couldn't even live her life without feeling terrible about herself.

Her look of anxiety transformed into one of irritation and fury as she ground her teeth, her hand balling into a fist. She loathed this sensation. This vulnerability of hers. As the heiress of the Sitri Pillar—she was never meant to feel this way! She was more than a high-class devil! She was better than that!

"So, what are you planning to do this vacation?"

The voice of her childhood friend snapped Sona out of those thoughts, prompting her expression of anger to disappear. She took a moment to recompose herself before turning around to address the redhead, who was sitting on her chair while balancing a pen on her nose.

"I already told you I'll be busy," Sona responded.

"Busy doing what?" Rias asked as the pen fell off to the ground. "Aw, damn it."

"You already know." Sona sighed. "Someone has to take care of Kuoh."

Rias would be too busy with her 'investigation' into what had happened with Gasper, while Akane would be out of Japan for the time being. Taking care of this town was her responsibility, more so now that the peace treaty had been signed.

She was determined not to disappoint her parents or Serafall. If she couldn't manage this tiny town, how could she possibly handle the greater responsibilities of the Sitri territory? Proving herself here was just the first step in fulfilling her family's legacy.

"In that state?"

Rias' question made Sona pause before she narrowed her eyes.

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you can't do it. If anything, you're the most qualified out of the three of us. I'm not the best at doing paperwork, and Akane couldn't care less." Rias quickly clarifies. "But I'm not an idiot, Sona. I know you're not feeling very well."

Sona's annoyed expression was replaced with one of discomfort as she looked to the side, not wanting to make eye contact with Rias.

"It's nothing to be concerned about," Sona said.

"Like hell, it isn't." Rias scoffed before she sighed deeply. "It's okay if you want to take a break every once in a while, alright? No one's gonna think less of you for it."

"Taking breaks will fix nothing." Sona snapped. "It'll just make everything worse."

"So will staying here and banging your head against the wall." Rias smoothly deflected. "Look, I don't know what it is that's bothering you so much, and I'm sure you have no intention of telling me, as hurt as it makes me."

Sona opened her mouth to speak up but found herself at a loss for words. She knew she was correct. Sona realized she couldn't share her insecurities with Rias, Akane, or anyone else for that matter. Her struggles were hers alone to confront.

"But you know whatever it is you're doing right now isn't helping either, right?" The redhead asked. "This is only gonna make you more miserable."

Sona said nothing, turning around to face the window before sighing to herself. Rias was right, as much as she hated to admit it. Ignoring the problem wasn't helping, but what was Sona supposed to do? How was she able to combat this… feeling of inferiority?

Telling herself she'd do better next time was one thing, but her weakness had actual consequences. It had caused them real problems that no words of encouragement could fix. What if there wasn't a next time? What if, say, Kokabiel had succeeded in killing one of them? What if Akane had been kidnapped never to be seen again? How could Sona live with herself like this?

The thought of what she could have accomplished had she been a bit stronger drove her mad. And as she watched Akane effortlessly leave her behind in the dust during the tournament, it nearly convinced her that she was simply inferior. Unworthy. Weak.

Since then, her feelings and unreasonable resentment towards her dear friend had only intensified.

If Sona wasn't so pathetic, then…

"…Rias?"

"Yes?"

Sona hesitated.

"…What do you do when you feel like…" Sona exhaled. "…You're not good enough?"

"Oh." Rias paused before humming in thought. "Well, that's a bit embarrassing to ask."

"What?" Sona looked at her in confusion. "Why would it be?"

Rias giggled sheepishly.

"To be honest, whenever I feel that way, I end up venting to Sirzechs." She said. "He always knows what to say to make me feel better."

The Sitri devil took a moment to process Rias' answer, her eyes widening in realization. Of course, Serafall! Was Sona an idiot? Why didn't she think of that?

"I know it sounds stupid. Sounds exactly like what a spoiled princess would say." She said. "And it's probably not the answer you're looking for, but it does genuinely help."

"I see…"

"Sorry, I couldn't be much help."

"Not at all. I very much appreciate it." Sona nodded, smiling at her childhood friend. "Thank you, Rias."

"Don't mention it~" The redhead waved it off with a grin. "If you're going to Sera, tell her I said hi."

Sona nodded again, creating a magic circle before teleporting to the underworld right outside her sister's office. Serafall, the kind of person she is, immediately kicked the door open when she felt her little sister's presence, tackling Sona in a hug.

"Sona-tan~! I missed you so much~!"

"Let me breathe!" Sona choked, trying to push Serafall off. "What's wrong with you? I wasn't even here for five seconds yet."

"But-but I thought I was going to die! I thought I wouldn't see my adorable Sona-tan ever again!" Serafall sobbed. "It's all work, work, and more work! I was drowning in paperwork! It's horrible!"

Sona almost regretted taking Rias' advice as she reluctantly patted her older sister's head, who buried her face into Sona's chest. Sera was probably doing these theatrics as an excuse to escape work. She could be incredibly lazy sometimes.

Then again, this worked for Sona.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop making a fool out of yourself in public…" Sona sighed.

"I'm sowwy~" She sniffed. "Ehe~ You smell good~"

"Enough." Sona scowled, kicking her away. "That's it. I'm leaving."

"Waitwaitwait! It was just a joke! A joke!" Serafall panicked. "Won't happen again. Ever. I promise."

Sona stared at her with narrowed eyes.

"Ahem." Serafall composed herself. "So, uh, what's with the visit? I mean, I'm not complaining since I love Sona-tan lots and lots. But I thought you were busy?"

Sona sighed again. This could be the biggest mistake she'd ever make, but it was better than sulking in misery.

"I know I've never asked you this before, but—"

Sona looked at her sister in the eyes and made her request.

"I want you to train me."

– Mizuki –

"Are you sure you're not coming with us?" Her daughter asked with her arms crossed. "You looked so into it when I told you the first time."

She was honestly very worried about her daughter leaving Japan without her. Even going to the underworld didn't make her feel as queasy because at least Mizuki was there with her. As well as Akiyama later on. This was different.

Despite the fact that there was nothing to worry about since Hawaii had little to no supernatural activity, Mizuki didn't like this one bit. She knew it was just her being a typical worried mother, but it didn't help that she was kind of busy herself.

Akane was right; Mizuki had intended to leave the country for vacation this year, and Hawaii sounded terrific. But after that invasion, she had a few things she needed to do and a lot of questions that she needed to get answers to.

That time when she'd thought her daughter had been kidnapped… all Mizuki could think about was what the Amon clan was doing to her. What kind of torture they were forcing her to go through. She was lucky that she had been let go without any complications. That Jo apparently wasn't as cruel as their father.

However, she had strong doubts about that. He must have done something, even though the scans she'd performed on her daughter while she slept showed nothing—no tracking chip or similar devices as if she'd remained completely untouched.

But more than that, Mizuki knew she couldn't keep this up. The seal on her magic was just one scare away from breaking. She had to go somewhere where she could release it safely. And with that power… she knew she could keep her daughter safe. In fact, had she been capable of accessing it during the invasion, she would've stopped them in seconds.

She was just a little nervous that said power would bring back some of her bloodthirst. If it was already that hard to keep a tight lid on those thoughts, then gods help her if she felt that urge again while drunk on power.

"To be honest, I wanted to visit your dad." She admitted. "It's… been a while. Someone has to take care of the grave."

"I thought some of the Omi Alliance yakuza already do that?" Akane blinked. "Despite him being a Tojo yakuza."

"Both organizations highly respected him." She said. "Regardless, I just wanted to say hi. Tell him all about the adventures you've been having. I'm sure he'd be very proud of you getting 100% at school."

Akane paused, then looked to the side with a conflicted frown.

"You're gonna make me feel bad for not coming along." She said with an uncharacteristically melancholic tone.

"Oh, Akane. It's nothing to feel bad about." Mizuki smiled gently, putting a hand over her daughter's cheek. "Tatsu will be right where he is when you come back. And I bet he'd love hearing about what you'll do in Hawaii."

Akane stared at her silently for a few moments, almost as if she were trying to read Mizuki's feelings.

"A part of me feels like you're hiding something."

"I'm—" Mizuki quickly stopped herself from lying, then shook her head with a sigh. "You're too sharp for your own good sometimes."

"Gotcha~" She smirked cheekily. "So?"

"It's just… something I have to do back home. Alone." She answered.

Her daughter, thankfully, didn't pry.

"Fine." She said. "Just make sure to follow us when you finish with your business."

"I'll try."

Akane nodded, then called out for the girl upstairs.

"Asia! Hurry up, or we're going to be late!"

"Coming!" The blond responded, going down the stairs with her bag. She paused as she saw her not-older sister, eyes glimmering in wonder. "Wow! You look so nice, Akane-san!"

"Naturally." Her daughter winked as Asia referred to her wardrobe change. "I'll look nice in anything I wear."

Forgoing her usual look of a button-down shirt and black pants, Akane wore a black crop top and blue jeans with her red jacket wrapped around her waist. She'd even tied her hair in a messy ponytail, a few locks covering the left side of her face, with the farthest ones reaching down to her neck.

"Oh really?" Mizuki grinned challengingly. "Then how about I buy you a few magical girl outfits to test that theory out?"

"Do it." Akane was unfazed as she opened the front door. "I'm not scared. I bet I'd even rock the magical girl look."

"Ohohoho! We shall see!" She chuckled, taking out her phone before scrolling through said outfits. "Remember, you said yes. You don't get to complain later."

"Whatever." Her daughter rolled her eyes as she and Asia left the house.

"What's a magical girl?" The blond asked curiously.

"Oh, uh… How do I explain this…" Akane hummed. "Okay, so they're basically—"

She shut the door behind them, leaving the giggling Mizuki alone as she ordered several magical girl outfits online. Red, blue, green, pink, yellow, black— all colors she could find. Oh, this was going to be great. She couldn't wait to see the embarrassed look on Akane's face when she volunteered (Read: was forced) to wear them.

Mizuki would probably die of cuteness-induced heart attack, but it would be so worth it.

She sighed, and slowly, her grin fell, replaced by a worried look. As soon as the car holding Akane and Asia drove off, she put her phone in her pocket and left the house. Another car was parked in front of her home, with a Tojo agent waiting for her.

She'd already spoken to Daigo about this. She was about to do something incredibly reckless, but she needed answers. Ever since Akane had talked about her encounter with her twin, Mizuki had tried to make sense of it, but she just couldn't.

"Just what the hell are you planning?" She spoke to herself softly.

She entered the car's backseat, and the agent quickly drove to the airport.

If she couldn't determine his intentions, her only option was to ask him directly.

– Akane –

Looking at the little fake ID in my hand, I can't help but chuckle. Akane Amamiya, a twenty-one years old college student who is legally allowed to do whatever the fuck she wants in Hawaii. Why would I have something like this? Because I want to have fun there. I want to drink, I want to gamble, I want fun. Who cares about age when I fucking killed monsters who can nuke entire cities?

I have fake IDs for everyone here besides the two devils since they're not the yakuza's responsibility. It's probably not the most responsible thing to do, but who gives a fuck, really? Like I said, I'm infinitely superior to regular humans. Why should I care about their silly little laws?

One could argue that if I thought that, then I wouldn't bother getting IDs, but I also don't want to get in too much trouble. Sure, if I really wanted to, I could just use force or my illusion magic to hypnotize low-level background characters to let me do whatever I wanted, but that wouldn't make the yakuza look favorably on me. Also, nobody knows about my illusion magic.

So I'll just break the law in another way. Thankfully, Majima was nice enough to do what I asked and forged the IDs. Why would a supposedly responsible adult like him do such a thing? Because he's the Mad Dog of Shimano. So he probably thought it would be funny.

God, this trip is going to be so fucking amazing. Even the base-building stuff is gonna be very fun. I can't wait~

"Holy shit, I've never been on a private jet before." Issei breathes in awe. "This is surreal."

"Bro, I've never been on a regular plane," Ichiban responds. "Imagine how I feel?"

"We're so high…" Koneko mutters as she looks out the window.

"We tend to teleport around the underworld and the human world, so we never saw the need to board a plane," Kiba says. "This is certainly a new experience for us as well."

"You should be thankful that you have someone generous like me around." I give them a grin. "Because there's more where that came from. You're about to enjoy the best trip of your lives."

"Oh fuck yeah. I'm sure of it." Ichiban says excitedly before glancing at the nun worriedly. "You okay there, Asia?"

I look at Asia, who is sitting next to me. Contrary to the rest of the group, she's having the worst time imaginable. Dizzy and airsick, she tries to keep her lunch where it belongs, prompting me to rub her back gently.

Poor thing.

"Oh, dear…" She exhales. "E-everything is spinning…"

"Hang in there," I tell her. "You'll get used to it eventually and feel better."

As pitiful as this is, I find it funny, considering her Sacred Gear is the healing one. Yet, she can't use Twilight Healing to cure her air sickness for some inexplicable reason. Why or how, I don't know. Is it incapable of healing unease? Is its healing strictly for physical injuries?

Or is this a special case? The best I can theorize is that her lack of concentration makes her unable to manifest the Sacred Gear. Maybe. I don't know. And I honestly don't care. I just find this amusingly ironic.

"I-I feel like—hrrk?!" She gags, putting a hand over her mouth.

I flinch and make some distance between us, grimacing in disgust as I hear her audibly swallowing.

"Oh god…" She mutters with wide eyes, on the verge of sobbing. "Please… make it end."

She rests her forehead on the table in front of us, one hand over her mouth and the other over her stomach. I hesitantly rub her back again, hoping she'll feel better because I don't need her throwing up right now.

"Um…" Ichi rubs his neck as he looks at me, almost as if he had sensed my distress. "You wanna switch places?"

I contemplate the offer, look at Issei, who is next to Ichiban, and then promptly decline.

"It's fine." I wave it off. "I'll take care of her."

5 Affection with Asia Argento! [75/100]

She's practically my little sister at this point. I guess it is my responsibility to take care of her. Or, well, until she outlives her usefulness.

-1 Affection with Issei Hyoudou [49/100]

Oh fuck off and cry about it.

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