Chapter 79

"And you talk too much kid."

(Damn, this isn't like me... I've completely lost my temper with this good-for-nothing...)

"It's true that it's been a long time since I've seen you this angry at someone. But it was completely deserved, I would have hated you if you hadn't reacted at all."

(I have a feeling you had something to do with it too...)

"Well, the discussion being over, I'm off to warn the two families. See you in 10 days." Grayfia bows and disappears as well.

The tension disappears in the clubroom and everyone relaxes, breathing normally again.

"Well, it was pretty intense." Kiba is the first to speak.

"Uuhh, that was terrifying..." Asia sits up, still in shock.

"I didn't like it at all..." Koneko murmured, not having touched her sweets.

"Fu fu, that went better than I thought." Akeno adds, looking at Rias.

Rias says nothing, lost in thought, then walks over to me, looking straight into my eyes.

(Oh, I'm going to get scolded.)

"President, look I'm sorry, I lost my temper and complicated things, I'm..."

Instead of stopping in front of me, she takes me in her arms, cutting me off. She holds me tight, so tight that I can feel her heart beating so fast, it must have been just as stressful for her, much more so than for us.

"Ara Ara." Akeno smiled at the sight of us.

"Thank you Senji." Rias murmured.

"Huh?" I'm surprised.

"Thanks to you, I've found the motivation I needed." She pulls away from me, one hand on my shoulder, then turns to the others. "We can do this. The club is canceled for today, we'll come up with a strategy with Akeno and tell you about it tomorrow. Rest well, everyone. See you tomorrow."

At her words, Rias and Akeno head for the back door of the room and disappear, leaving us in the club.

"Let's do what she says. Something tells me we're in for a busy 10 days." Kiba said, picking up his bag.

"...Hm, to fight the bird, we have to get stronger." Koneko adds, putting away her sweets.

"Yes, for a crushing victory." I clench my hand, motivated.

"Senji-san, you were really upset with this man..." Asia approaches me, surprised.

"Ah, yes, sorry, I can't stand that kind of person..." I scratch my head.

"You seemed pretty confident too, do you think you can beat it? He's immortal, personally, I don't see how we can win against him." Seeing Kiba already in defeat is surprising.

"I know, but I probably have a solution, I just hope it works on him." I tell him, opening the door to leave.

"What kind of solution?" Kiba asks, letting Koneko and Asia pass.

"I'll tell you about it when everyone's here." I reply.

"I understand. Well, let's stop talking about it for today, we'll have plenty of time to stress about it over the next 10 days." Kiba closes the school gate behind him.

It's already dark, and we walk slowly through the streets of Fuyuki in silence. We separate from Kiba and Koneko, heading for home. Asia seems lost with all this, looking at me from time to time with uncertain eyes. When we arrive in front of the house, Asia stops.

"Senji-san?" She calls to me.

"What is it Asia?" I ask.

"President doesn't like this Riser at all, but to protect her family, she has to marry him anyway... I feel so sad for her, to be in a situation like this, it must be horrible... What can we do for her?" Asia breaks down in front of me.

"..." I approach her and take her in my arms, which surprised her. "Our best. That's all we can do for her. For her to regain her freedom and continue to be our senpai, we must defend her, fight for her." I release her and face her. "Everything's going to be fine, I'm sure we'll be able to defeat Riser and his peerage. If you believe in me, then I can do it."

"...Senji-san... I believe you, I believe in you. We're going to win for President!" She exclaims, regaining her composure.

"That's right. Now just think about relaxing, I'm not telling you to forget but try to ignore it, okay?"

"Okay!"

After dinner, I went to my shed, practicing my magic circuits, projecting different bladed weapons.

"10 days. If it were up to me, I'd have preferred to get it over with now, but seeing Kiba so stressed out, I figure not everyone in the club is as ready as I am." I murmur, thinking back on everything that's happened. "Tell me Ddraig, am I overconfident or not?"

"Not at all." a circle of light glows on the back of my hand as Ddraig speaks. "All we need to know is if your poker card works on him, and how well it will work."

"That's why I'd ask Rias to test it on her, it would give me an idea of the power and energy required."

"Good idea, I'll let you know when it's right."

"Hm..." I nod, projecting a kunai and placing it next to the other weapons. "Rias impresses me, standing up to her and Riser's family, two families who, as I understand it, have a lot of influence in Devil politics. She refuses to marry him, and only wants to marry someone she recognizes as worthy."

"I also have to admit that she's got nerves of steel, that little girl."

"That's why I'd fight for her. "I get up and stretch. "She promised to help me get stronger, and she already has." I look down at my hand. "I owe her a debt of five years. And I intend to pay her back. If she won't marry the bastard, then she won't marry him. It's as simple as that." I exit the hangar and head for the bathroom.

(We might as well take advantage of these 10 days for intensive training, and if we have to skip school... Hmm, and if I talk to Minori, will she accept? Not sure, maybe ask her to train me? But does Rias want anyone to know? Never mind, I'll skip class and if Minori's not happy, well, I'll pay the price, no problem...)

Lost in thought, I enter the bathroom and quickly undress, grabbing a towel and heading for the door to the washroom. When I open the door, I'm surprised to see Asia, taking a shower.

(What? She was there?!)

I turn to see that her clothes are indeed on the dresser.

(Damn it, I was completely lost in thought, so I didn't check to see if anyone was there!)

Asia looks at me, confused, she's completely naked, her body and hair wet from the shower she's had, and I can't help looking at her. Especially after what happened with Rias.

She has beautiful proportions... Tight hips, small buttocks, thighs that are neither too skinny nor too fat. And her breasts you can't tell when she's wearing her clothes. It's not small, and it's not so bad.

(Wait... What's happening to me, what am I thinking?! Why am I staring at her so much! Since this interaction with Rias, I don't recognize myself...)

As I battle with my brain, I see that her gaze has dropped, and has done so for some time. I look down to see that there's nothing covering me. I look on my shoulder to see the towel that was supposed to cover me. I take it and quickly cover myself. Asia blushes rapidly and looks away. I also look away.

(There are too many things wrong right now, but the most serious thing is that she used to be a Sister, so I'm probably the first man she's seen naked... It was already a hard day for her, so this must be the last straw for her! I must disgust her now... Did I just traumatize her, what did I just do...)

"I... I'm sorry Asia, I'll leave you alone..." I turn and start to walk away, but Asia grabs my wrist, preventing me from leaving. "Asia...?"

"...I'm... I'm sorry. It's... it's the first time I've seen a man's... I'm sorry..." Asia's voice trembles, murmuring.

"No, no. I'm the one who's sorry, I came in without checking and I'm sorry I saw you naked, it wasn't on purpose..." I apologize again.

(What a jerk I am... Why didn't I check to see if there was someone there first, after all, it's not like I'm the only guy in this house, right...)

"No, I understand... I've been told about this rule, when taking a bath in Japan, so it's fine with me..." Asia cuts me off.

(Excuse me? someone told her? a rule? a Japanese rule for what?)

"In Japan, I heard there's this thing where we bathe together... That you get to know each other better by taking a bath together..." Asia explains.

(It's impossible, who could have said such a stupid thing...) The image of a little blonde comes to mind. (Yeah, it's got to be Kodama... Besides, it's between people of the same sex...)

"...As I was... I was told... to do it with someone I want to form a special relationship with... I don't mind doing it with Senji-san... No, I want to deepen my relationship with Senji-san even more... That's why... do you want to take a bath with me?" Asia continues.

I pinch the top of my nose, looking for a way out of this situation. I know very well that she doesn't think any further than what she says, she must be thinking innocently about it. I know I could never do anything to her without her consent. I have no problem taking a bath with anyone else, but we're talking about Asia here, a former Sister. Even though... she's just seen me naked... and she trusts me completely...

(No matter how much I turn my brain over, I can't see myself taking a bath with Asia, I get the clear sense that she's forcing herself and that she's not as ready as she presents herself. And above all, I risk being... after what happened with Rias, I'm afraid of doing something stupid. Yeah, I've made up my mind.)

Having made up my mind, I grab a towel from a ledge, turn to face her, avoiding looking at her body, and cover her body with the towel.

"Listen Asia, I'm glad to know you trust me so much. But an opposite-sex bath is just not possible. We're at a stage in our lives where that kind of situation is far too dangerous." I explain.

"Um... I understand..." Asia seems to look behind me, embarrassed.

"That's very true, I'm glad to hear you say it Senji." I hear Fuji-nee's voice behind me.

(Oh...)

I turn to see her looking at me with a neutral expression, I have no idea what she's thinking and it terrifies me, I can feel my body going cold.

"Fuji-nee, listen, it's a misunderstanding..." I stammer out a few words, trying to defend myself, but Fuji-nee stops me by raising her hand.

"I only believe what I see. And here I see a young man who obviously didn't look to see if there was anyone already in the bathroom, and is trying to get out without causing any more damage."

"That's... about right..." (Please Asia don't say anything..)

"Well, you can get dressed and wait for Asia to finish, okay? It's getting late so let's hurry." She says, giving me room to get out.

"Yes, sorry." I step out of the powder room, and grab my stuff.

"Oh, and tomorrow morning, we'll have to talk." She said as she left the bathroom, closing behind her.

(...This is the worst possible situation...)

Saturday, March 25, 2023.

This morning gets off to a flying start. I barely have time to get dressed when Fuji-nee enters my room without warning, accompanied by Asia, who is slightly embarrassed. Asia and I sit opposite each other, with Fuji-nee between us, as if she were arbitrating.

"Okay, listen to me Asia-chan." Fuji-nee cuts the silence.

"Yes, Fujimura-sensei." Asia gasped and turned her head toward her.

(For Asia to call her sensei, it must be really serious.)

"What you need to know about Senji is that he has no problem showering or bathing with anyone. You could even say he's the opposite of demure. If he could walk around the house naked, he would." Fuji-nee explains very seriously.

"Fuji-nee, firstly nobody needed to know that, secondly it's not entirely true." I get annoyed.

"So go ahead and tell me what's wrong."

"Nude is a little too extreme." I frown.

"Well okay, you're wearing shorts, okay, I'll give you that, even though I think it's the same thing." Fuji-nee scoffs.

"It's not at all."

"It is."

"There's a difference between being completely naked and wearing shorts! You're not the one who's going to tell me that when you were walking around in a bathing suit all summer."

"..." She looks at me then turns her head away. "Well, I'll give you that."

"It's not a question of giving me that..." I pinch the top of my nose.

"Um..." Asia looks totally lost, turning to me and then Fuji-nee, her face completely red.

"Hmm, I see we've lost you Asia-chan, sorry. All this to tell you that if Senji wasn't a gentleman, he would have agreed to take a bath with you, but luckily for you, I raised him well, so it's all good." She said, standing proudly upright.

"But... Um... Senji-san has already... bathed with other people?" Asia asks shyly.

"Yes, with certain members of my family... and with Kiritsugu." I answer.

"And with me, too." Fuji-nee adds.

"With Fujimura-sensei?! But... but Senji-san told me it was forbidden between opposite sexes..." Asia hides her mouth in surprise.

"Hm? There's nothing wrong with Fuji-nee, she's my big sister." I say simply, which makes Asia freeze.

"And he's my adorable little brother, if a little silly at times." Fuji-nee adds, running her hand through my hair.

"Sometimes I wonder who's more stupid..."

"I see... so... Senji-san doesn't see me like that..." Asia murmurs something, but I can't hear her since I'm bickering with Fuji-nee.

"Anyway, now I want you to understand something really important to you Asia-chan, and it's for girls in general." Fuji-nee pauses to give a dramatic edge. "Boys are wolves. They'll devour you if you approach without caution."

"...Men are werewolves? That's scary... I certainly couldn't walk around outside during the full moon..." Asia takes Fuji-nee's sentence too seriously.

Fuji-nee doesn't know what to say, completely taken aback by Asia's first degree, while I massage my temples.

"I knew it..." I sigh.

"Hey..." Fuji-nee approaches and whispers to me. "Asia-chan is too defenseless."

"How can you blame her, she hasn't had an ordinary life I remind you..." I reply, deadpan.

"Certainly, but I still have to tell you how much boys your age are interested in girls, and Senji counts in the lot." I raise an eyebrow at her words. "And that girls like you who aren't careful enough are going to become easy prey."

"I think I understand..." Asia thinks seriously.

"And then if there are any boys approaching you, then Senji will will beat the crap out of them." She says, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"If we can avoid getting to violence right away, and then it's not very pedagogical for a teacher to say that..." Fuji-nee puts her hand over my mouth.

"Anyway, I'd ask the girls to prepare you for all this, they know how to do it, especially since they're part of the Maken-ki, so they're used to kicking boys' butts!" Fuji-nee said theatrically.

"Um... but I don't want any boys to get hit because of me..." Asia said sadly.

Fuji-nee freezes, before lowering her arms and looking at the tatami. I knew she was innocent, but at this point, I'm at a loss for words.

Then a noise is heard to our right, we turn to see Chiyo's silhouette through the door, which opens, to see her barely awake, her hair a mess.

"Good morning... what's going on... so early in the morning..." Chiyo walks over to us and lies down on my futon, resting her head on my thighs.

"Hello Chiyo-san... we're... trying to make Asia-san understand something." I say, surprised.

"Chiyo-san, why are you lying on Senji like that?" Fuji-nee asks.

"Because Senji is comfortable, can you stroke my head?" Chiyo asks, which I do. I gently stroke her hair, which brings a soft smile to her face.

"Well, what Fuji-nee is trying to tell you is that boys our age are interested in girls. Which in itself is something quite normal. But for some it becomes an obsession, they're constantly thinking about obscene things." I try to explain it in my own words.

"Do you think of obscene things too, Senji-san?" Asia asks me.

"..." I look back at my interaction with Rias... "Well, I'm still a boy, so it happens to me yes, like everyone else, but I do my best not to think about it too much."

I can feel Chiyo's insistent gaze, but I ignore it. I can also see Fuji-nee nodding with a smirk.

"I see... it happens to me too..." Asia admits shyly.

(Seriously?)

"As Senji says, it's completely normal, but some people think about it a little too much and can drag girls into dark alleys and do really bad things to them!" Fuji-nee explains, moving her fingers mischievously.

"Do bad things?" Asia tilts her head adorably.

"Man, each of her actions is damn cute." Fuji-nee turns her back on Asia, clenching her fist, before facing her again. "They're... they're touching your body! Then they touch your body again! Then they touch your body again! In other words, they do indecent things to girls! It's dangerous, isn't it? Scary, right?"

"Yes, it's scary. But if I'm in danger, Senji-san will come and save me." Asia smiles and answers Fuji-nee as if she really believes.

Fuji-nee, falls backwards, holding her heart. I'm speechless, I didn't expect this at all, I don't know what to say, such trust in me... I feel a strange sensation inside me, but I leave it aside, because this is no time to be emotional.

"Fufu! You're so adorable Asia-chan!" Chiyo comments.

"But Asia, you have to be aware of your status as a girl. I'm scared because you never doubt other people." I add.

"Are you afraid, Senji-san?" Asia asks me.

"Yeah, I am..." I scratch my head, a little embarrassed. "If people try anything on you when I'm not around, then I'm going to beat the shit out of them, I'm that worried about you, Asia." I tell her seriously and sincerely.

Asia listens to me with the utmost seriousness, since I've put on a serious face. What I'm telling her couldn't be more sincere: if someone cheats and hurts Asia, then I certainly won't be able to hold back, even if someone tries to stop me. Is it because she's a girl? Maybe it is. Is it because I like her? That's part of it too. But more than that, I've completely changed her life. I've changed her life from Sister to the complete opposite. I turned her into a devil because of my weakness... At the time, it was the right thing to do... but as time goes by, I'm starting to regret ever meeting her... because if we'd never met, maybe she'd still be a Sister today...

"I wanted to make her into my servant, so you don't have to be concerned about it, Senji."

I remember Rias' words at that moment. I know it wasn't meant to make me feel bad, but it's just not enough, not enough anymore.

I have to take care of her so she can live in peace. And that goes for everyone, I have to become a hero and make this world a peaceful place, for the rest of my life, that's all I have to do. I, Senji Emiya, must protect Asia Argento for the rest of my life, and obviously that applies to everyone.

"I understand. I would never do anything to trouble you, Senji-san. That's why, please, teach me more." Nod Asia.

"Hmm, it would be better to ask the girls to do it rather than a boy. I'd mention it to Rias-senpai and Akeno-senpai too, just in case. So, just get used to your current lifestyle little by little." I say.

"Yes." She replies.

I breathe a sigh of relief. It looks like we've come to a good conclusion. Anyway, I'll talk to our roommates and the girls from the occult research club when we get back to school. Now I've got to find a way to tell them without mentioning the bathroom incident...

"Um... Senji-san, there's a question I want to ask you." Asia becomes shy and her cheeks turn red.

"Hm? What is it?" I ask, confused.

"If... If the bath incident would have happened with Rias-senpai, or Haruko-senpai or Inaho-san... instead of me... would you have taken a bath with her...?" She asks, stammering.

(What?)

I'm stunned by this question, I never thought Asia would ask me such a thing. Yet she has a serious face, which is completely red.

(Huh... Why would she ask me a question like that, that kind of scenario would never happen... Yeah, I take that back. Haruko would probably kill me on the spot. Since Inaho and I look so much alike, she'd have no problem taking a bath together and Rias... same thing I guess, she doesn't seem the prude type...)

I turn my attention back to Asia, and I get the impression that she's about to cry.

"Asia, I don't know what you're thinking, but as Fuji-nee explained, I... I have no problem taking a bath with anyone. For me, this moment is for relaxing and not thinking about anything." I explain, somewhat awkwardly.

"Does that mean...?" Asia asks, uncertain.

"What Senji wants to tell you is that if you want to share this moment with him, you can, but that you shouldn't force yourself to do it. He'll never make you do it anyway." Fuji-nee straightens up. "But you also need my consent, and that nothing happens in this bathroom."

Asia turns completely red, you can almost see steam coming out of her head, but she pulls herself together.

"I understand. Thank you, Senji-san, Fujimura-sensei. I'll get ready for it." She bows.

(...It's not a matter of getting ready...)

"So I too can take a bath with you Senji-kun?" Chiyo asks.

"Hm? Yes, I don't see a problem." I nod.

"Yay!" Chiyo exclaims.

"You know Chiyo-san, I wonder if you're a child in an adult body, or an adult with a childish mentality." Fuji-nee wonders.

"Fujimura-san, I am the demon of the night. I've been around as long as the concept of night has existed. Strictly speaking, I am ageless. It's just that I'm learning how your world works little by little." Chiyo explains.

"Yeah... hard to give you an age... I see... I've got lots of questions to ask you..." Fuji-nee prepares to unpack all her questions.

"Um... excuse me?" From behind my bedroom door, Haruko can be heard. "Breakfast is ready."

"Oh, never mind." Fuji-nee murmured. "Okay, we're done here, we're coming!" She replies. "Come on everyone, breakfast is sacred!" She jumps to her feet and exits the room, surprising Haruko.

"Is everything all right?" She asks.

"Perfectly well, you know Fuji-nee and her mannerisms." I said.

"Um..." Haruko looks at Chiyo, who still has her head lying on my thighs.

"Hi Haruko-chan, smells good!" Chiyo greets her.

"T...Thanks..."

"Well, let's go." I pat Chiyo's shoulder.

"Okay!" She stands up and stretches. "I'll get dressed and be right over."

I get up in turn and leave my room, followed by Asia, but I stop beside Haruko.

"I could use your help, it's for Asia." I whisper to her.

"Hm?" She immediately becomes curious.

After explaining Asia's problem and having breakfast, I received a message from Rias, asking me and Asia to pack for ten days and come to school.

(Hmm, looks like we're off to boot camp... Is this her idea? How did she convince Minori?)

While I'm racking my brains with questions, we finally arrive in front of the school. We can see the whole occult research club, Minori, Aki and Tohsaka Rin.

"Senji, Asia, hello to you both, I hope you're ready." Rias greets us.

We greet each other, then Rias turns to Minori.

"Thanks again Minori-sensei, I'll make it up to you." Said Rias.

"It's perfectly normal. Your absences are already justified, so don't worry about it." Minori reassures.

"Um... Where are we going?" Asia asks.

"Ah, it's true I do owe you an explanation." Rias turns to us. "For his next ten days, we're going to a mansion my family owns in the mountains. We're going to train there to take on Riser. So I asked Minori-sensei for her agreement and she accepted."

"Of course I accepted, sweetheart. Fighting to call off a marriage you don't want? Of course I'll let you go and train." Minori said.

"Wouldn't it have been easier to train in Kuoh?" I ask.

"Impossible, we let you have liberties but you still have schedules to keep, if we let you make your own days, then we should do it for everyone." Explains Aki.

"My only regret is not training you myself..." Minori sighs. "But I'm counting on you to come back victorious, there's no way you're leaving school without your diploma."

"Fufufu, knowing that Minori-sensei and Aki-sensei are counting on us motivates even more." Akeno smiled.

"We'll be back for sure." Nod Kiba.

"...We'll kick Riser's ass." Said Koneko, as stoic as ever.

"And in the meantime I'll keep an eye on Fuyuki on my own." Tohsaka intervenes.

"Sorry again about that Rin-san, we'll redouble our efforts when we get back." Rias apologizes.

"No need to apologize at last, this situation is exceptional, and then in truth I'm not all alone, I'm in contact with the Sunset Dragons." Rin turns to me.

"Yes, I've warned them, they're at your disposal." I tell her.

"Cool, thanks Emiya-kun, I'm counting on you to come back with a crushing victory." Rin smiled.

"Very good." Rias shines a magic circle at our feet. "On that note, we're off. Thanks again."

Minori, Aki and Rin wave to us, before being engulfed in a veil of light, teleporting us elsewhere.