Chapter 15

The final bell rang through the classroom like a long‑awaited release.

Issei exhaled, shoulders dropping as he began packing his things. Another day of answering questions when called upon, another day of silence from everyone around him. He felt footsteps approaching that were soft and hesitant but he ignored them. No one in this class ever came to talk to him. The empty seats beside him were proof enough.

He didn't realize the person approaching was Asia.Full novel: High School DxD: A Fighting Chance — read the rest free on N​o⁠v​e⁠l​C⁠o​d⁠e​x⁠.​o⁠r​g⁠

She paused a few steps behind him, hands clasped nervously. 'He doesn't seem anything like what people say…' she thought.

Ever since Issei stopped loudly proclaiming his perverted thoughts and instead poured himself into training, sewing, and other hobbies, he felt like a different person, yet somehow the same. The "armor" he once wore had vanished, leaving behind someone quieter, more distant from those that only saw him on a base level and painfully alone. Unfortunately, that was most people in the school, nothing he could do about it.

As Issei slung his briefcase over his shoulder, his phone buzzed. He didn't check it during class as his parents and mentors drilled respect for teachers into him but now he allowed himself a small glance. His eyes brightened and a wave of relief washed over him.

He had gotten a response from Raichi after the whole school, at least now he knew that she was alright. As he looked back down at his phone.

Raichi: Sorry, I had an emergency, but I should be there next week.

Issei: Miu-senpai said that her dad spoke with you after the tournament.

Raichi: Yep! That's what my emergency was about, but it's all good.

Issei: Good to hear and sorry, but I gave your lunch away.

Raichi: What!? Aw, man, what did you make this time?

Issei: Stuffed chicken. Kaa-san added chicken tacos. I even made a bento for Yuuma, since she hangs out with us.

Raichi: Oh yeah! Well, I hope you’re doing better, you were bleeding quite a bit. They had to clean your blood off the mat and also that Taichi dude, you busted him up! Way to go!

Issei: Haha, thanks. I'm alright, just out of commission for the week.

Issei hit send, only to freeze as someone stepped into his path. It was Yuuto Kiba and Issei never realized how close that he had gotten to his classroom upon leaving his own.

"Hello, Hyoudou-san." Yuuto greeted.

Issei stiffened. A few students nearby turned to stare. Their whispers pricked at his skin.

"Um, uh…" He bowed his head. "Sorry, I have to go."

He slipped past Yuuto and hurried down the hall, thumbs flying across his phone.

Issei: Sorry. Interacting with me with students around won't help you. I can change, but I'd still get ostracized by this place.

Yuuto stopped mid‑step as his phone buzzed. He read the message, lips tightening. 'He's protecting my reputation…?'

Yuuto sighed as he understood Issei's motive. Issei did not want to bring down Yuuto's reputation and was being considerate of Yuuto's position in the school. Yuuto frowned and wondered when the school would change, something that Genshirou realized as well, it's just bullying.

Pervert or not, calling Issei names and beating him up made Yuuto think about what Issei had said. If Issei should be bullied, the rest of them should be as well, they all had perverted thoughts, the only thing he went over the top was peeping and shouting his perverted desires.

Yuuto sighed. 'They really don't know him at all.'

Of course, Yuuto had admitted to looking at some cleavages to Koneko, when girls that had the courage, pressed up against him, what person wouldn't. If Yuuto had heard Issei sing like he did earlier at lunch, he would agree with the lyric that goes "they're the ones that stay the same" along with the next line of them not knowing him.

Genshirou could attest to the same thing after learning Issei's interests in Dragon Ball and Gundam, his knack for being able to sew, sculpt, and build things. It was something that Yuuto was looking forward to learning after his quick club meeting, since everyone else was still stuck on Issei's base level.

It's like Issei told them, they could have just sat down and talked with him, sure, Issei would have brought up breasts, but if you get past the shell that he hid himself in, then maybe you can get a glimpse of Issei. Yuuto hoped he'd get the chance to know that version of Issei too.

Sadly, other than his parents, there was one other that saw past the complexity of his perversion, but they left. Yuuto also understood that Raichi may be Issei's best friend, but it didn't mean that Yuuto didn't have a chance of his own.

He could be Issei's male best friend, sure, Issei looked up to his senpais, but he had no one that was his age that was a male friend in his grade. Not since he disbanded from the now perverted duo as Issei knew that he would not be their lapdog and be his own person.

Issei breathed a sigh of relief as he received a response from Yuuto telling him that it was alright. He headed to Elize's office to pick up the bento that he gave her.

It was also another place in this school where he wasn't under the judgmental eyes of his peers. When he got there, he gave a knock, just in case, he didn't want to disturb his "sisters'" me time like he did, when he interrupted their kissing.

"It's open, kiddo!" Elize called.

She knew that it was him because no one else usually sees her right after school ended.

He stepped inside. "Um, hey."

"What are you nervous about?" she asked, raising a brow.

"I didn't want to disturb you."

"I'm pretty sure little brothers love disturbing their big sisters." Elize laughed, while rolling her eyes.

"That applies to all little siblings…" he muttered, thinking of Honoka pestering Kenichi.

Issei didn't mind the girl as she gave him the prospect of what it was like to have a sibling. He never wanted to showcase any perversion around her either because he didn't want her to see that side of him.

Although she had heard about it from his mouth as he was honest about himself, staying true to his name.

"I guess you're right." Elize chuckled, right as Yu-Mi walked in.

"Right about what?" she asked.

"Hey, Yu-Mi-nee," Issei greeted.

She smiled warmly and patted his head. "How are you, Ise-kun? Feeling alright?"

"I'm okay."

"You're not overdoing it, are you?" Yu-Mi's eyes narrowed.

"No. I'm not." Issei shook his head vigorously to upset the Korean woman. "How were your classes today?"

"Same old, same old. I drone on, students listen, they take their notes, bell rings and I work on the homework that was handed in to me. I get lunch and it’s rinse and repeated in the next class." Yu-Mi said dismissively before she brightened. "By the way, your chicken today was delicious."

Elize clasped her hands dramatically. "Oh yeah, the cheese with the chicken and rice... heaven."

"One of your best," Yu-Mi added. "Now, back to my question... what were you right about?"

"Oh. That little siblings like to disturb their older siblings." Issei answered.

"You don't disturb me much," Yu-Mi said.

"That's because you're in another building," Elize teased. "He'd take up all your office hours."

"I would not!" Issei retorted back, although he wouldn't have minded spending more time with the Korean beauty and learning more from her.

"Would too." Elize smirked.

"Would not."

"Would too."

"Woul..."

"Would you two knock it off?" Yu-Mi sighed.

Both immediately bowed their heads. "Sorry."

"Good grief." Yu-Mi rubbed her forehead.

"By the way," Issei said, "what's the ball tournament like?"

"The ball tournament? Oh, that's next week," Elize replied. "You go against other clubs to see who wins."

"So it’s possible to face the student council?" Issei began to wonder out loud.

"Yeah, it's possible. Why?" Elize raised an eyebrow.

He had no interest in facing the student council, he was just curious about the prospect. He knew that he would likely be hated even more for hurting them or the ORC, since they hosted the popular people of the school.

"No reason. I was just curious." He shrugged and looked away. "Anyway, I got to see the people at the dojo and then head home."

"You're not staying at your club?" Yu-Mi asked.

"No. I'd get agitated wanting to train, but I can't with these stitches." He pointed to his side.

"Take it easy," Elize said, giving him a hug. "If anything feels wrong, tell me."

"You got it." Issei nodded.

"And you can always email me if you get confused with homework," Yu-Mi added.

"Oh! Could I get your contact info? For faster responses."

Elize facepalmed. "Why didn't we think of that?"

He would usually just email Yu-Mi his work and she would email back on his corrections, whenever he wasn't with her physically. In addition, Elize realized she could instruct Issei if something went wrong with his stitches without the need of him having to come to her.

"You have a point, phones these days are like minicomputers." Yu-Mi handed him her phone. "Here."

This would give him a better means of contacting her for assistance on his work. As they exchanged contact information, Issei had saved her as 'Yu-Mi-nee' in his contacts. For Yu-Mi, she saved him in her phone as 'Otouto', seeing as he was the only one that had that title. Elize did the same thing, but Issei saved her as 'Elize-nee' in his contacts.

"Thank you," Issei said. "Oh, and I think I'm making more friends."

"That's wonderful!" Elize beamed. "Just keep opening up! Show the world the Issei that you hid with your perverted exterior!"

"Yes, ma'am!" He saluted.

"Just be sure they're the right people," Yu-Mi added gently.

"I understand. Take care!" He hugged them both quickly before heading out.

The two women watched him go, pride softening their expressions.

"He’s come a long way from who he was at the beginning of the school year," Elize murmured.

"He just needed the right people," Yu-Mi said. "no one ever thought to separate him from those two that you mentioned. With them, he was being held back. without them, he is flourishing into a respectable young man. I'm sure he may have his perversions, but that is to be expected from a teenage boy."

"Yeah, but not many people can understand how hormones work at the adolescent stage in life," Elize sighed.

"I suppose."

Elize suddenly gasped. "Oh shit! I forgot to give him his bento!"

"We can give it to him later," Yu-Mi said. "No need to panic."

"You're right… Ugh, I have so much Dragon Ball manga to catch up on. Shame the creator passed away."

"Really? I wonder if Ise knows."

"Probably, I mean it was all over the internet, the dude was something else, who knows what other manga would we not have if it wasn't for the guy. He was revolutionary!"

"To inspire others," Yu-Mi said softly, "is one of the greatest satisfactions one can have."

Elize stretched her arms above her head, groaning as she stared at the stack of paperwork waiting for her.

"I agree," she said, tapping her pen against the desk. "Well… two options."

Yu‑Mi looked up from her bag. "Hmm?"

"Yeah. It's either I do these papers…" Elize smirked, leaning back in her chair. "Or we make out."

Yu‑Mi didn't even blink. "Do your work." She walked over to her seat with the grace of a seasoned professor. "We can make out when we get home."

"Ugh…" Elize slumped forward, defeated. "So no action now."

With a dramatic sigh, she dragged herself to her desk and began filling out forms.

Sona Sitri tapped her foot beneath her desk, a rare sign of impatience. Today was important, she was expecting a new member. And after contacting Yuuma, she had a clearer picture of Kokabiel's movements. Whoever Saiga had sent to deal with Kokabiel's forces had reduced her stress considerably, but the looming threat of a Cadre still weighed heavily on her mind.

'Takeshi has only unlocked the second evolution of his Boosted Gear… it helped in the rating game, but against a Cadre?'

Saiga and Azazel assured her they had contingency plans. All she needed to do was contain Kokabiel, Freed, and Valper in a controlled environment. The school, where she herself was a likely target, was the perfect battleground.

The door opened as her peerage members began to shuffle into the student council office. However, who was with them and talking with Genshirou, who seemed a little closer to Momo, is what made her smile.

Genshirou had managed to bring in Ayase Ayatsuji, the person that she was interested in reincarnating to be her knight, while Hyoudou Issei could be reincarnated to be her other rook.

"Welcome," Sona said. "It's nice to see you again, Ayatsuji-san."

Ayase bowed politely. "Hello, Kaichou-san."

"I hear you're interested in joining the student council."

"I was informed of the benefits it could provide to my family's dojo," Ayase replied calmly.

"And who helped you come to this decision?"

"It was mostly me." Ayase straightened, her expression firm. "I am aware that you are all devils. I know humans can form contracts with devils… but I am willing to offer myself to join you, in hopes that my family's dojo may be sustained."

The room tensed. Even Genshirou blinked in surprise.

Sona, however, remained composed. "I suppose you are right. My clan..."

"The Sitri clan," Ayase interrupted.

Sona paused. "Yes… How did you know?"

Ayase shrugged lightly. "Well, considering that Rias-san has basically exposed you all by keeping her clan name. I looked into your relationship with her. 'Shitori' is not a clan of the Underworld. Remove the 'ho,' and the closest match is Sitri."

"If you knew Rias was a devil," Sona asked, "why not go to her?"

Ayase lowered her gaze. "It didn't feel like the right fit."

Sona could give a nod to that answer, Rias was more offensive based, but she felt that Ayase would have fit there. Issei as well, since Sona scouted both, she scouted Ayase before and knew of her prowess, while Issei was more recently. Sona had felt the need to add in more offensive pieces to round out her peerage, since she only had Genshirou, Tsubasa, and most recently, Yuuma.

She also had Tomoe, but unfortunately, her knight didn't have a reliable weapon like Yuuto did with his sacred gear.

"So Genshirou helped you decide?" Sona asked.

"Not exactly," Ayase said. "Although he did give a key point, which was used to help push me in this direction. That was your connections and resources, which Hyoudou-san felt that I could use to help benefit the business of my family’s dojo."

"That is true," Sona admitted.

Ayase continued, voice steady. "He also asked if I felt underwhelmed in the kendo club. He was right. And I would feel overwhelmed joining Rias. But here… I feel I could find balance. I want to learn under you. In the kendo club, I'm not friends with those girls. And something in Saji-san's apology to Hyoudou-san made me realize… those girls are bullies."

The room stiffened.

Ayase pressed on. "I understand the boys peeped on them. But they never sealed the holes. Hyoudou-san did that, on his path to redemption. Now they have nothing. I believe they enjoyed flaunting themselves and used the peeping as an excuse. Girls can be as perverted as boys, but we aren't criticized the same way. If they truly hated being peeped on, they would have fixed the holes. They didn't. They wanted an excuse to act like victims."

Silence fell as most of the girls were surprised by the accusation, but also shocked that Genshirou apologized to Issei, but Ayase had spoken truths many avoided. Sona and Tsubaki remained neutral as they had similar thoughts and exchanged a knowing glance. They had sent out a form to renovate the changing rooms for the kendo club, which would patch up the holes.

However, they never received an answer back, which is what stalled Sona from proceeding because she needed their agreement. Ayase's words confirmed their suspicions. Sona definitely noted the double standards that Ayase was referring to and made a mental note to investigate Aika Kiryuu.

After all, Aika was a pervert, but yet she never received the same type of slander as the other three did. Well, Sona has heard the former trio argue with Aika, it’s kind of interesting, shouldn’t the perverts band together, not go against each other? It almost made Sona want to laugh about the irony of that situation.

'Perhaps Kiryuu-san was the real ringleader, not Hyoudou-san.' Sona wondered

When she had watched Issei fight in his tournament, he had shown one of his opponents some pity as if to say "you're just like me", but the opponent wasn't the ringleader, he was a lackey.

"I suppose you're right," Sona said. "But nothing can be done now. It seems Hyoudou-san has gotten the last laugh on them."

Tsubaki adjusted her glasses. "I believe so, if what Ayatsuji-san says is true, then by Hyoudou-san covering any peep spot, it takes away their favorite pastime of beating up on those who peep on them. From what I noticed, some girls feel glum because no one is peeping on them for them to go beat up. As a matter of fact, no one is paying much attention to the kendo club, since they are not being peeped on."

Ayase nodded. "That is correct, hence why it no longer felt fun to me and Hyoudou-san had told me that maybe a change of scenery would be good. I think he is right... after all, it's what he did, branching away from those he thought were his friends and finding solace in the mixed martial arts club."

"I'm glad you accepted the offer," Sona said. "When you join, we will look into your father's medical expenses. They will be paid off, as will the dojo's debt. My clan specializes in hospitals in both the human world and Underworld. I’m sure we can get one to partner with your family dojo, thus if anyone gets hurt, they may go there for treatment."

Ayase's eyes widened. "R‑Really?" She dropped to her knees in shock. "You… you can do that?"

"Yes, you can even ask my other peerage members." Sona gestured to them.

Genshirou stepped forward. "She's right, you and Hyoudou know that I don't have any parents, it's just me and my siblings. When I joined Kaichou, I was able to help provide for them to a better extent and work to see them happy. Thanks to Kaichou, we have a roof over our heads and I can feed them. Kaichou has also handled their educational bills, too, and a servant of her family makes sure that they are picked up and dropped off to school on time, to ease my stress about them."

Ayase trembled. "So… you could hire a nurse to help my father get around… while I do business for you?"

"Yes," Sona said gently. "But I should remind you that this is a big step. It will change your life."

"I know," Ayase nodded. "It was something that I discussed with my father before I came here."

"Very well." Sona approached her. "I guess we shall begin."

Suddenly, a soft glow formed in her hand and the knight piece appeared on its own. This shocked a lot of them as gasps filled the room, but it made Sona smile. The piece had determined that Ayase was suitable to join her peerage. It also meant that Sona had chosen well in scouting Ayase.

Sona smiled. "It seems this was meant to be. When a piece appears in the King's hand, it means it has found a suitable partner to join his or her peerage. My Knight piece wants you to join. I would like you to join. Do you want to join me, Ayase Ayatsuji?"

Ayase lifted her head, eyes determined. "Yes. I do."

"Then live for me. Live for the Sitri clan. Live for the Ayatsuji Dojo that raised you. But never forget to live for yourself." Sona raised the glowing piece. "I, Sona Sitri, reincarnate you, Ayase Ayatsuji, as my Knight."

The knight piece shone as a blue magic circle appeared under Ayase, who looked surprised. When she looked back up to Sona, she saw that the knight piece that was once in Sona’s hand had vanished. Looking down, she could see half of it sticking out of her sternum and was sinking.

Ayase stared at it, breath catching. 'This is it…'

The piece sank fully into her chest, and the light enveloped her. Ayase's eyes flashed a brilliant blue. The magic circle beneath her flared, bathing the room in light before fading into nothingness.

Her breath hitched and she stared at her hands as they felt unchanged, yet undeniably different. A strange warmth pulsed beneath her skin. She looked around as the others watched her with concern.

Sona stepped forward. "Ayatsuji-san, how do you feel?"

"I… I feel different," Ayase whispered.

"You'll get used to it," Tsubaki said gently, offering her hand. Ayase took it, rising shakily to her feet.

Sona smiled. "Welcome to the Sitri clan."

Cheers erupted from the peerage. The girls immediately surrounded Ayase, asking questions, welcoming her, pulling her into their circle without hesitation. It felt… genuine. Not like the kendo club, where conversations felt obligatory or shallow. Here, The girls wanted to know her interests.

Genshirou hung back and let the girls talk. His distance was noticed by Sona, who went to talk to him about what was on his mind.

"Penny for your thoughts?" She asked.

He exhaled. "Just thinking… this might not have happened without Hyoudou. She could've joined Rias-senpai if she wanted. But when Hyoudou asked if she felt underwhelmed… I think that pushed her to reflect and weigh her thoughts."

Sona nodded. "We should be grateful it worked in our favor."

"Still," Genshirou continued, "Rias-senpai can now choose what she could make Hyoudou, a knight that can fight in hand-to-hand combat or a rook with the capabilities of using a sword."

Sona blinked. "Hyoudou-san can use a sword?"

"He trains four days a week in kenjutsu. Actually… he trains every day." Genshirou chuckled. "I need to stop slacking. Can't let him beat me, well... again."

"I'm sure you'll do fine," Sona said.

Genshirou hesitated, then leaned closer. "Kaichou… mind if I pick your female brain? I got a date with Momo this weekend. Any idea where I should take her?"

Sona froze. 'A date? Wow, this is unexpected. You're also growing, Saji.'

"I—I'm sorry," she said, flustered. "I've never been on a date before. But I'm sure she'll enjoy wherever you take her."

Genshirou smiled warmly. "I'm sure someone will ask you someday, Kaichou."

A faint blush colored her cheeks.

"But thank you," he said. "I’ll be sure to treat her right and hopefully, we can progress in our relationship."

"I hope so too," Sona replied softly. "Now, I suppose we should celebrate and prepare for the ball tournament that will be happening next week."

"Hai, Kaichou." Genshirou bowed and went to congratulate Ayase, naturally gravitating toward Momo's side.

Sona noticed how he stood next to Momo, and she could not but feel a little envy for her bishop. However, she shook it off, she would need to meet with Rias soon about Kokabiel, now that the Gremory heiress did not have to worry about Riser.

Sona also knew that she needed to report to Azazel and the Maous about what Yuuma informed her about the Church's involvement. She did not think that she would need to speak with Saiga as Raichi would probably be handling that.

She did not realize that Genshirou and Ayase had a shared secret as well, which was Issei's singing ability.

Issei had made it to the dojo and he ran into his senpai, who were changed, but Issei knew he wasn't staying long.

"Oh, Ise!" Ikki waved.

"What's up, man?" Mizunuma added.

Ukita crossed his arms. "Thought you were resting?"

"I am," Issei said. "I'm not staying long. And Mizunuma-senpai, congrats on your relationship with Hikari-san."

"H-Huh?" Mizunuma's face turned red.

"You didn't come to the barbecue at my house because you were with her. I wish you two the best."

"Uh… thanks," Mizunuma muttered, while Ikki and Ukita snickered.

"Alright," Ikki said, clapping his hands. "Let's get this shindig going."

Upon entering the dojo, Issei locked eyes with Shigure and he froze, despite her being one of the most beautiful women that he has ever met. Her gaze could cause any man to freeze from its emotionless stare. However, when they locked eyes, it was the look that an older sibling would give a younger sibling, when they're about to scold them.

Steeling himself, he begrudgingly marched his way towards her and her emotionless stare watched him take every step. She raised an eyebrow as he stood in front of her, she could see he was nervous. This was evident by the bead of sweat that fell down from his forehead. She was going to tell that he could not train, but her eyes widened slightly as he bowed to her.

"Hmm?" she murmured.

"Thank you," Issei said.

"Thank… you?" Shigure glanced at Kenichi, who shrugged in confusion.

"Thank you for stopping me," Issei clarified.

"Stopping… you? Oh." Shigure sighed softly and patted his head.

"Huh?" Issei blinked.

"You did… good, Issei," she said. "You kept your... emotions almost... in check. Otherwise… you would have... won your pool… with flying colors. You also… imitated me with... your expressions. Did it help?"

"Yeah," Issei said, smiling faintly. "I figured if I took after you, maybe I could keep my emotions in check like you do. But when those guys threatened my friends… it reminded me of who I used to be. Who I didn't want to become again."

He bowed his head. "Being like you made things easier. You're someone I look up to. Training with you… with Mitsurugi-shishou and Setsuka-sensei… it helps. I don't know how you stay so composed, but I'm grateful. You knew what would happen if I kept fighting. I probably wouldn't be standing here. I hope I made you proud. And… sorry for letting you down, Shigure-ne... I mean, sensei."

Kenichi barely stifled a laugh. Shigure shot him a look, forcing him to turn away. She had heard the slip too and a small part of her wished he had finished the word.

"You did," she said quietly. "But… considering you're like Kenichi… I'm not surprised you… did something reckless again." She touched the bandage on his head. "We’ll begin... training, when… you’re good to go... but for now… rest."

"Hai, ne... sensei."

'There it was again,' she thought.

She sighed, patting his head before walking past him. As she did, she whispered something only Kenichi and Tōchūmaru heard.

"Otouto… baka."

Kenichi smiled as unlike him, Issei was more fascinated in weapons training, so learning from Shigure was beneficial for Issei. Knowing about Shigure's past and how Issei views her, Kenichi was sure that Shigure saw Issei as a younger brother.

So seeing him act up or get injured would worry her, it's just that his stubbornness and "never willing to quit" mentality would cause him to do reckless things. She knew that she would be there to correct him as she felt that it was her job, not as his sensei, but as the title that she hoped that he would call her one day.

"Hey, Kenichi-senpai," Issei said.

"Hm?"

"I'm not staying long. I have to go. Kiba-san and Akeno-senpai are visiting me today."

Kenichi was shocked by this. 'Those two? Visiting him?' He placed a hand on Issei's shoulder. "Alright. But be careful."

"I will. Maybe with the ball tournament coming up, they want me to join their club. I mean, Saji-san asked if I wanted to join the student council today."

Kenichi watched Issei leave the dojo floor with a thoughtful expression. 'So they're both making moves on him… no surprise, not after he unlocked his ki.'

Issei turned back toward him. "But I told him no. I like it here... with all of you training me, helping me grow, giving me another chance at life. I'm good here. I'm where I want to be."

Kenichi smiled. "That's good to hear. That you found yourself."

"No." Issei stated.

Kenichi blinked. "Huh?"

"It's not about finding myself," Issei said quietly. "It's about creating myself. At least that is what Mitsurugi-shishou told me."

Kenichi tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

Issei took a breath, eyes drifting toward the dojo ceiling as if replaying his life. "Well… think about it. Because of circumstances, I made myself into a pervert when I listened to my grandfather. Then I made myself a builder when I got my first Gundam model. I made myself a friend when I met Shidou. Then I reinvented myself as a pervert again when I listened to that old man at the park."

His fists tightened as he continued on.

"Matsuda and Motohama helped forge that path by introducing me to peeping. It only got worse. I was stubborn. I wouldn't listen. And I got beaten up for it... not just by the kendo club. Sometimes even by Matsuda and Motohama when something good came my way."

Kenichi frowned. "Issei…"

"My loyalty was with my friends. Or who I thought were my friends. But at the tournament… I saw it. With Makoto, I was their lapdog. They said 'let's go peep,' and I'd stupidly say 'where?'"

Kenichi sighed. "Guess some things happen for a reason."

"Yeah." Issei's voice dropped. "The revelation came when those guys beat up on me... only to find out that they were sent by the ones that I thought were my friends. Adding on to the humiliation, they so graciously filmed it and uploaded it to the internet. You know once something gets posted online, it’s there for life."

He looked down at his hands.

"I looked back at the times, when we did get caught. They usually saved themselves and left me as the sacrificial lamb. Then you came along and lent out a hand... it gave me the opportunity to rebuild myself again."

He smiled faintly.

"This time, I could utilize a sense of responsibility and I seeked employment and I met my master on a stroke of luck. I was just fascinated by the shop because some of my favorite Gundam models have Japanese weapons. Mitsurugi-shishou has told me that it’s a battle to forge my destiny. He’s right, when I made myself into the Perverted Beast, I have to prove that I am not that guy anymore."

Kenichi nodded slowly. "But you said you were proving it to the wrong people?"

"Yeah." Issei's eyes sharpened. "I was seeking validation from others. But I needed my own validation. The hardest battles are the ones fought from within."

He placed a hand over his chest.

"Every hardship that I will face, every triumph that I may gain... they will shape me into who I want to become. I will face the challenge of the school jeering at me, I’ve done it before. But I am more aware of the outside noise and not too self-absorbed to block it out, not like before."

He looked up, determination burning.

"These experiences will guide me to become the strong warrior you, Renka-senpai, Ikki-senpai, Raichi, Mizunuma-senpai, Miu-senpai, my parents, Honoka-chan, your parents, Shidou and his parents, Shigure-nee, Elize-nee, Yu-Mi-nee, Mitsurugi-shishou, Setsuka-obasan… even Saiga-san can be proud of."

Kenichi blinked. "Saiga-san?"

"Yeah. Sorry, but… I want to face your girlfriend and her family someday, senpai. I need to get stronger to face them but also show that they can depend on me... rely on me and know that I can protect you all." Issei clenched his fist. "So you know you can trust me. I'll build the life I want. You'll see."

An arm wrapped around his shoulders, making him blush a little from the contact. He had felt this body pressed up to him before, so he knew who it was and tried to keep his composure.

"Those are some pretty big words," Renka said, draping an arm around him. "You sure you're up for it?"

"I have to be. For my dream, senpai." Issei answered, when he was sure that there wasn't a lump in his throat.

"Uh-huh." She nodded.

"Kenichi-senpai?" Issei turned his attention from the Chinese beauty back to his surrogate older brother figure.

"Yeah?" Kenichi asked.

"Your masters… if I trained under them, do you think I could get closer to my dream?"

Kenichi smiled. "I believe so."

Issei nodded. "And one knows Muay Thai."

"Yeah."

"Okay." He nodded again, more firmly. "I'll see you guys later."

He hugged Renka, then Kenichi pulled him into a brotherly embrace.

"Alright," Kenichi said. "Just recover for the ball tournament."

"I will." Issei waved to the others. "This time… this dream… I won't be denied."

Kenichi watched him go. "I wonder what that was about."

Renka smirked. "He intends to learn a new style. Just like you. He's following your path."

"My path?" Kenichi raised an eyebrow.

Renka sighed. "You know sometimes I do wonder if you two were long lost brothers or something because you both can be dense sometimes. You were considered the strongest disciple, remember?"

"Oh. Right." Kenichi chuckled.

"Ise's going to try to take that title from you and then surpass it if he can."

They watched Issei shake hands with Ukita, Ikki, and Mizunuma. Kisara pulled him into a hug or at least her version of a hug to give him a noogie. Tōchūmaru hopped onto his shoulder, and Shigure stroked his hair.

"Maybe." Kenichi nodded.

For a moment, just a moment, Kenichi thought he saw Shigure smile. A similar that he swore he had seen, when she had taught him how to swim.

Renka crossed her arms. "We'll make sure he gets there. He's more than just a student, he's our kohai." She walked off to join the others.

Kenichi was a bit shocked by her statement, but as long as they watched over him, Issei could continue to forge his path to what he wanted to be.

This time, Issei had no intention of squandering this opportunity. He chuckled and shook his head before he followed Renka to talk with the others about the upcoming ball tournament.

Issei had walked with more confidence as he left the dojo, he was sure of himself. As he was leaving, he received a text from Yuuto to let him know that he and Akeno were waiting at the school gate. Issei texted back that he was on his way.

But of course… trouble found him first.

Matsuda stepped out from behind a tree. "You think you can just walk off after what you did to me?"

Issei's eyes narrowed, his jaw tightened, this wasn't a fight that Matsuda was going to win, at least that is what he thought. He began to feel more presence around him. Looking around, he saw some of the same guys that had beaten him up at the beginning of the school year. His stitches throbbed. His irritation spiked.

But luck, just this once, was on Issei's side.

"HEY!"

Everyone turned to see Kenichi and the mixed martial arts club stood at the dojo entrance. They had sensed the others approaching and when Issei's irritation spiked, so did his ki.

"Is there a problem out here?" Kenichi asked.

The group of boys stiffened as Kenichi's voice cut through the air.

"Uh, no, man, we were just… um…" one of them stammered.

"Matsuda called us," another added quickly. "Said this guy was peeping again and we..."

"UURRGHH!"

Everyone turned and saw Matsuda was doubled over, collapsing to his knees. Issei's fist was buried in his stomach. The reason was obvious, Matsuda had been lifting his camera, it had been pointed at them, ready to snap pictures.

Issei ripped the device from his hands and scrolled through the gallery. His expression darkened. Then he tossed the camera to one of the boys.

"Here. Tell me what you see."

The boy blinked. "Hey… isn't that Arizawa's girl?"

"What!?" another snatched the camera. "It is!"

He rounded on Matsuda, fury rising.

"You mother...!"

"Back off!" Issei stepped between them, eyes sharp.

"Hey, he's got my girl in there too!" another shouted.

"And mine!"

"You piece of—!"

"SHUT UP!" Issei's ki flared.

It was sharp and controlled this time. The air itself seemed to tighten. Kenichi and the others felt it and feared what could happed if Issei started lashing out..

One of the boys sneered. "I knew it. You're still his friend, huh?"

Matsuda's eyes lit with a flicker of hope but Issei crushed it instantly.

"Not in the slightest. So shut up and listen." His glare cut through the boy like a blade. "You don't get to touch him."

"What!? Are you serious!?" another barked.

"I wasn't finished." Issei's voice dropped, cold and steady. "You don't get to touch him… until I'm done with him."

Matsuda's tiny spark of hope died on the spot.

"What?" the first boy muttered.

"Maybe you forgot," Issei said, pointing at Matsuda, "but your dumbass listened to him when he told you I peeped on your girlfriends. You went after me without checking anything. I bet he used this same camera and told you I did it."

The boys exchanged uneasy glances.

"So yeah," Issei continued, "I've got beef with him first. Then you can have him."

One boy swallowed. "How will we know you're done?"

"You'll know," Issei said, "because I'm coming after you next."

"What did you say?"

"You heard me." Issei's eyes narrowed. "I've got beef with you too. Did any of you even check my phone for the pictures he claimed I had? No. You just beat on me because you thought it made you cool."

He shook his head as he continued.

"You're just bullies. That's as low as being a pervert."

The boys flinched at the accusation.

"I'll admit my shortcomings," Issei said. "I was perverted. I met this idiot and his friend who introduced me to peeping. But I had morals, I never peeped on another man's girl. They wouldn't care. If they had money, they'd probably try to pay your girlfriends for sex." You are reading on novelping(.)com, the official source.

The boys stiffened at the bluntness.

"I'm sorry no one sat down and talked with me," Issei said quietly. "But frankly, I envy you. And you want to know why?"

"…Why?" one asked.

"Because I wanted the romance you have. Yeah, peeping wasn't the right way to go about it. That will probably be my biggest mistake in life in following these two, but I do want to have a sustaining relationship like the ones you possess."

"We can hook you up," one boy offered as he could sense that Issei was being genuine. "I mean we know some girls…"

"No thanks, I'm good and..." Issei cut him off. His phone buzzed. "Shit. I'm going to be late." He pocketed the phone and sighed. "But beating someone up isn't right. Pervert or not, you could have done things in a more diplomatic fashion and the fact that I got detention after punching this dipshit in the face for the black eye that one of you gave me. He was trying to act like he didn’t upload my humiliation of that beat down for the world to see and you guys never got punished? No, that won’t fly with me."

Silence befell as the boys couldn't deny it. They were praised for their actions and heralded as celebrities, when they were identified in the video and got off scot free.

"If peeping is an issue, then bullying should be too," Issei said. "Because you never know, sometimes that victim that you attacked... they can strike back. It might not be physically, it could be financially, mentally, or emotionally... so be careful on who you pick on."

The boys stayed silent, absorbing his words.

Issei turned to Matsuda, eyes cold enough to freeze bone. "And Matsuda… tick tock." He grabbed Matsuda's head and drove his knee into his face.

Blood sprayed from his nose as Matsuda screamed.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!"

"That was just a warning shot," Issei said calmly. "A little payback for all the times you punched me."

He stepped back and assessed the damage, trying not to wince on the tug that he felt on his stitches.

"My parents were right and I should’ve listened to them, but I was too stubborn to listen. I thought you were my friend and I gave you and Motohama my loyalty and defended you against them and others. I know you were never my friends now because meeting you two was the worst mistake of my life."

Matsuda trembled and trying to contain the bleeding, while he stared at his former friend. The fear made him silent because Issei had fought back again. Seeing that Matsuda had nothing to say, Issei continued his spiel.

"I was too much of an open book because of my honesty, but that is who I am, but now I am free of you or I will be soon enough. I suggest you quit spreading rumors about me or trying to play any pranks to frame me." He turned away as the group of boys winced from the attack and wondered what Issei could do to them. "Like I said… that was just a warning."

He walked off, heading to the school gate. He was annoyed about being late, since it was drilled into his head about punctuality after he got back late from his first lunch break.

Behind him, one boy pointed at Matsuda. "Dude… he pissed his pants."

Laughter broke out amongst them, completely forgetting Issei's veiled threat.

Kenichi frowned. 'Is he going down a path of revenge?' He remembered his own rage after losing to Ryūto. The others seemed to share the same concern.

Matsuda gritted his teeth as he knew that he could no longer use Issei as a meat shield. But he will wait with Motohama to get back at Issei for the disrespect as they put it. They had no peep spots, and a new surveillance system would be installed as well.

The rest of the male students dispersed, leaving the camera, which they stupidly forgot to destroy. Kenichi and the others went back to the dojo to discuss their plans. It only left Shigure as she watched Matsuda crawl for his camera, but when he got nearby...

A shuriken whistled through the air.

CRACK.

The lens shattered.

Matsuda was stunned but turned and looked up at the woman. He wasn’t sure if he should be aroused or scared.

Shigure stood there, expression unreadable. "Leave… now." Her voice was soft, but with a cold edge.

Matsuda shivered. 'Holy shit… her voice is so sexy and...' He locked eyes with Shigure, he knew it was best to run and took off.

He ran so fast, that he zoomed past Issei, who just reached the school gate to meet up with Yuuto and Akeno.

Yuuto watched the baldheaded boy run past them. "What was that about?"

"I don't know," Issei said. "Sorry I'm late, I..."

His phone buzzed and he saw that he had a message from Kenichi.

Kenichi: Heed your revenge. I know you want to do it, but it won’t be fulfilling as you think it might be. Trust me, I would know.

Issei stared at the message… then sighed.

Akeno tilted her head. "Is something wrong?"

"Yes and no," Issei said. "But it's not your problem, so please don't worry about it, Akeno-senpai."

"If you say so," Yuuto replied. "I guess since we are visiting you, you can lead the way."

"Might as well," Issei muttered, shrugging as he started walking.

The three walked in silence for a few minutes. Issei kept a small distance, an uneasiness lingering in his chest. He tried to hide it, but it was there.

Yuuto and Akeno exchanged a glance. They decided to start the conversation as they wanted to know for sure if Issei joined the student council, but from what they could tell, he was not one of them.

"Hyoudou-kun," Yuuto said, "The lunch you made was good."

"Oh. Thank you. Try not to tell Raichi that or she'll get jealous. I'm basically her chef now."

Akeno giggled. "Ara~ ara~… I wouldn't mind a personal chef."

"I'm sure you can get one, Akeno-senpai."

"Would you like to be mine, Issei-kun?"

"Um, no thanks." He blushed at her tone.

Issei was grateful he wasn't facing Akeno. If he had been, she would've seen the blush burning across his cheeks. But judging by her soft giggle, she already knew.

He shook his head quickly, trying to banish the thought. Yuuto and Akeno exchanged small smiles. The perversion was still there, muted, reshaped, but undeniably part of him. And like Issei had once said, everyone had perverted thoughts of some kind.

Yuuto cleared his throat. "Um, Hyoudou-kun… what did Saji-kun talk to you about?"

"Hm? Oh." Issei shrugged. "He wanted to apologize. Said he was acting like a bully, which made him no better than a pervert. He didn't want his siblings to see him like that. Sure, perverted people can be bad, but bullying someone isn't the way to deal with it."

"That is true," Yuuto agreed.

"Now that I think about it," Issei muttered, "I look kinda hypocritical after threatening those guys earlier."

Akeno tilted her head. "What guys?"

"The ones who beat me up. Matsuda brought them as backup. But they saw he had pictures of their girlfriends on his camera." Issei sighed. "Now that you're here, Kiba. I kinda wish you were there."

"Why's that?" Yuuto asked.

"Didn't you look through my phone when we exchanged contact info?"

Yuuto stiffened. "Oh... uh, yeah. Sorry."

"At least I have a witness that I never had those photos."

"Oh." Yuuto realized what Issei was insinuating.

"Anyway," Issei continued, "I told them their victim could strike back. Kenichi-senpai just texted me saying revenge won't be as fulfilling as I think. Renka-senpai's gonna scold me for hours. At least I scared Matsuda off for now. I kneed him in the nose."

Yuuto froze at the word revenge. Akeno noticed the reaction immediately, her eyes narrowing slightly. She wondered if Yuuto would lash out but he steadied himself, breathing slowly.

"I see," he finally said.

"Hm?" Issei glanced back. Something in Yuuto's tone felt… off.

"What if the revenge is justified?" Yuuto asked quietly.

Issei slowed his pace. "It would depend. Sometimes those who seek revenge on someone, the person that they got revenge on may want to strike back. Take for example, a prank war, while it may not be as deadly as revenge, it is still applied. I could start a prank on you and you may retaliate, thus I would want to retaliate to your retaliation, and the cycle continues. You get me?"

However, Issei seemed to be remembering something at the same time, when he spoke about pranks.

Yuuto hummed thoughtfully.

Akeno stepped in, changing the subject. "So, Issei-kun, did Saji-san make you an offer?"

"Yeah. How'd you know?" Issei turned to her.

Yuuto raised his hand, seemingly back to normal. "Ah, I told her. Remember I’m in Saji-san’s class and he asked you, while I was still there."

"Oh, right." Issei nodded. "He asked both me and Ayatsuji-senpai to join the student council. I said no... I like where I'm at. But I told Ayatsuji-senpai she should join."

Both Yuuto and Akeno stopped mid-step.

"She… accepted?" Akeno asked.

"Yeah, she did," Issei nodded. "And good for her. I had this feeling that she was underwhelmed in the kendo club. According to Saji, apparently, Ayatsuji-senpai is more skilled than Murayama, but yet... Murayama is the captain."

"Interesting," Yuuto murmured.

"Yeah. If you're ever busy, Kiba... I’m going to head to Ayatsuji-senpai’s family dojo to spar with her or maybe you can join me. That way we would have someone else to join us."

"I don't see why not." Yuuto nodded at the suggestion.

"Ah, here we are." Issei unlocked the door. "Kaa-san! Tadaima!"

Miki peeked out from the kitchen. "Hmm? Oh! Ise-kun! You're home and you brought more friends! It’s nice to meet you, I’m Hyoudou Miki."

"Actually, they're..." Issei tried to explain his connection to Yuuto and Akeno, but was interrupted.

"It's nice to meet you," Akeno said with a polite bow. "I'm Himejima Akeno, a senpai of Issei-kun's."

"My name is Kiba Yuuto," Yuuto added. "I'm in the same grade as Issei-kun."

'Acquaintances, not friends,' Issei thought with a sigh. 'And… Issei-kun? Really?'

He shot Yuuto and Akeno a weird look.

Saori stepped out next. "Oh, you're home, Issei-kun?"

"Saori-san!" Issei exclaimed, upon seeing her.

"Mou~, Issei-kun, that’s not how you properly address your aunt." Saori teased him.

"Ah, Saori-san, please don't force me. It's still too early for that." Though he knew… someday, he'd say it.

"I suppose you're right," she said with a smile. "Sorry."

Yuuto and Akeno exchanged confused glances as they had assumed she was Miki's sister.

"Oh, I'm Shirahama Saori," she introduced herself. "Nice to meet you."

Akeno blinked. "Shirahama?"

"She's Kenichi-senpai's mom," Issei explained.

"Oh! He's in my grade," Akeno said. "Now that I think about it, you two do look similar. Different hairstyles, but still. Wouldn't surprise me if you were cousins, Issei-kun."

Saori laughed. "We've talked about that ourselves."

"Speaking of relatives," Issei said, turning to Yuuto, "are you related to Miu-senpai?"

It had been on his mind, ever since he had talked about it with Ikki that one day. So he figured that he might as well get that answer.

"No, I don't think so." Yuuto shook his head.

"Really? Considering that blonde is not a common hair color in Japan, it does surprise me that you aren’t. Same with you, Akeno-senpai... are you sure you’re not related to Shigure-sensei?" Issei asked her.

Akeno blinked. "Shigure-sensei? Oh, the woman who was with you that day? No, I don't think so. But then again…" She frowned, thinking about the Himejima clan's secrets.

"Oh, you changed your ribbon," Issei noted.

"That's right," Akeno said proudly. "It matches my outfit from our competition."

"I'll have to ask you two about that later." He turned to his mother. "We'll head to my room so we don't disturb you."

"Alright," Miki said, watching them go upstairs.

Saori smirked. "You're going to get the album, aren't you?"

"Of course," Miki replied. "As a parent, I must embarrass my child."

"I do the same with Kenichi," Saori laughed. "And when Honoka gets older, she'll go through it too."

Yuuto and Akeno stepped inside Issei's room and were surprised by what they saw. While they had expected to find some form of perverse content, there wasn't any. Instead, they saw Gundam models, Dragon Ball and Gundam posters, and the artwork that he received from his senpais. Issei felt more confident about his room after the mixed martial arts had attended the barbecue between the two families.

Yuuto nodded. "Nice place."

"It was much different at the start of the year," Issei admitted.

Akeno sat on the bed. "How so?"

"What do you think?" Issei sighed, sitting at his desk. "It was saturated with perverted stuff because I was too blind. Thankfully, my kaa-san helped me get rid of it. I rediscovered the things I liked growing up... Gundam, Dragon Ball, Super Sentai. I'm pretty much a nerd."

He shrugged. "Not surprising I got beaten up. Isn't that how it goes? The jock beats up the nerd?"

Yuuto shook his head. "I wouldn't say I'm a jock."

"Takeshi is," Issei replied casually.

Yuuto chuckled. "I guess you're right." He wandered toward the corner of the room, picking up the bokken leaning against the wall. "This is a nice bokken. It seems that you have been using it if the nicks on it were any indication."

"I use it when I train with my master," Issei said.

Akeno pointed at one of the artworks. "What does that one mean?"

Issei followed her gaze. "Something that I need to learn to do. Even now, I tend to overthink things. Since I’m injured, I shouldn’t focus on training and just relax and ease up."

"And the samurai one?" she asked.

"Well, my master is a samurai. He teaches me things I tend to spout off, so the club made that poster for me. The 'Overthink' one was from Renka-senpai. She's with me the most besides Ikki-senpai."

"You have such considerate senpai," Yuuto said, spinning the bokken effortlessly.

Issei's eyes widened. "Whoa! How'd you do that?"

"I've practiced with my own master."

"Aw man… the best I can do is switch my grip." He took the bokken and flipped it into a reverse grip with impressive speed.

"With that speed," Yuuto said, "you could probably swing it full circle. Instead of catching it, let it swing while guiding it with your hand. May I?"

"Yeah, sure." Issei handed the bokken back to Yuuto.

Yuuto demonstrated, swinging the bokken in smooth arcs, gradually increasing speed. Issei watched closely, especially Yuuto's thumb, which subtly controlled the momentum.

After several rotations, Yuuto stopped and handed it back. "Now you try."

Issei took it and went to stand by Kiba’s side, facing Akeno, so he wouldn’t potentially harm her if the bokken would fly backwards. By facing her, he could stop it much faster as he would not need to quickly jolt his hips to turn and not aggravate his stitches. He began to try and swing, which he didn’t get down at first.

After another few minutes and a few close calls nearly sent the bokken flying toward Akeno, who only smiled serenely. He was able to get a successful full swing of the bokken.

FWIP—SWISH—CATCH.

Issei's eyes lit up. "Whoa! I did it!" He laughed triumphantly.

"Well done, Issei-kun," Yuuto said.

But Issei's smile faded. He slumped into his desk chair.

Akeno leaned forward. "Is something the matter?"

Issei hesitated. "You know, Kiba… or maybe I should call you Yuuto, since you called me Issei. Is that okay?"

"Yes, that's fine." Yuuto didn't mind being on a first name basis with the brunette.

"I was envious of you," Issei admitted. "Having the girls and all that. But honestly… I guess I wish that I had been your friend."

Yuuto blinked. "Well, I mean, we can be..."

"No, no... I mean that if I had met you and not Matsuda nor Motohama. You know the ones that made my perversions flourish. I feel like you would have helped me hinder them or at least keep them to myself. You would’ve known of my aspirations of why I wanted to be harem king, but... I think you probably would have told me the same thing that Mitsurugi-shishou did."

Akeno tilted her head. "Why did you want to be harem king?"

Issei sighed. "It came from my grandfather. My perversion is… hereditary, technically. He was the most perverted, and I surpassed him, not exactly something to brag about. He told me and Shidou about becoming harem king. He passed the dream to my dad, who settled for my mom and was happy."

He chuckled weakly.

"Shockingly, I did find that my mother and grandmother were also perverted, but a little more reserved. I kind of wish that I had that perversion... keeping it reserved but like I said it’s why I disappoint myself in meeting those two."

"So your dream came from your grandfather?" Yuuto asked.

"Pretty much. But Mitsurugi-shishou told me it was admirable to try to achieve my grandfather's dream… but I was going about it the wrong way." Issei informed him.

Yuuto nodded slowly. "Then what is your dream, Issei-kun? If harem king was your grandfather's dream… what's yours?"

Issei pointed at a poster of Goku. "I wanted to be like him. I want to be a strong warrior that can fight for my friends, protect them, know that they can depend on me, know that they are peacefully safe."

He leaned back in his chair.

"I wouldn’t just be a warrior in combat either. It would be for anything, like say you need some yen, I got you. If I had a car and you needed a ride... I got you. Need someone to talk to late at night? Well, that may be one of the few things that I miss about my old self."

"What was that?" Yuuto asked.

"I used to stay up late and play video games, since I adapted to this new style, I haven’t really played in a while. Oh, man... I did meet this one dude, at least I think they're a dude. They seemed younger than me but we used to play together, now it feels like I abandoned him. I hope he’s alright and is doing well. Maybe one day, I’ll get back on and chat it up with him."

Akeno smiled softly. "You're loyal to your friends. I wondered why you kept going back to those two. If only I met you sooner… maybe you would've been coming back to me instead." Her tone dipped into something suggestive.

Issei blushed but also frowned.

Akeno noticed. "What?"

"Sorry," Issei said. "It's just the double standard. You sounded a bit perverted, suggesting something that possibly may be inappropriate. If you said that at school, girls would fawn over you. Guys would… well, most guys would probably jerk off in their dreams to what you’re implying, Akeno-senpai. If Ki… sorry, Yuuto did it, most girls would give him a pass and try to jump on him. Same with Takeshi, there’s also probably some guys that may go for him like there are some girls that would want to be in between your legs."

He pointed at himself.

"When you’re an average person like me... if I did that, I would be ostracized like I have been. Hence the double standard. Basically, if you’re a girl... it’s okay to say perverted things, you won’t get shunned. I mean just look at Kiryuu. If you’re as good looking as Yuuto or Takeshi, it’s the same thing."

Akeno sighed. "I suppose you're right. Sorry."

"Don't be. Remember what I told you? If it's part of you, embrace it. Same for me. I'm still embracing my perverted side. I want to shun it, but it's part of me. I'll just keep it hidden until I find my significant other."

Yuuto nodded. "You're right. Like you said, we all have perverted thoughts. I'll be honest… sometimes I look down at a girl's cleavage when she hugs my arm."

Issei teased. "Oh? So you must've looked down at Akeno-senpai before. You're clubmates. I’m sure she must have given you a hug before." Then he realized how he said that. 'Raichi is really rubbing off on me.'

Yuuto's face went red. "What? No!"

Akeno giggled. "Ara~ ara~… I never knew you felt that way about me, Yuuto-kun."

"I don't! I prefer Tsubaki-san and..." He slapped a hand over his mouth.

Issei blinked. "The student council vice president? That Tsubaki?"

Yuuto nodded miserably. Issei didn't think that someone like Yuuto could actually be embarrassed. It made him wonder when the 'prince' had fallen for the strict, vice president of the student council.

"Hm. Well, I don't know how she views you. I told Saji he should look at what's in front of him and ask out Hanakai-san. Maybe you should do the same with Kusaka-san." Issei suggested.

"Reya?" Yuuto was surprised by that.

"Yeah. She gives you the same looks Hanakai-san gives Saji. But I don't know how Tsubaki feels about you. Kaichou kinda meets Saji with indifference, even when he tries to act macho in front of her."

Akeno smirked. "You certainly brought your bravado when you met Riser."

"Riser?" Issei blinked.

"The yakitori as you called him." Yuuto reminded him.

"Ohhh. Looks like you guys won. Makes me wonder... how did you fight, Akeno-senpai? Yuuto said you'd tell me."

Akeno smiled mysteriously. "Maybe one day. But not today. That's my little secret from you, Issei-kun."

"Aww. Well, what if I showed you some hand-to-hand combat moves?"

Akeno's lips curled into a teasing smile. "Oh? You want to get hands on with me, Issei-kun?"

"Not like that, Akeno-senpai!" Issei yelped, face turning red as he facepalmed. 'Akeno-senpai is going to be a detriment to my health if she keeps up with these innuendos, her and Yuuma.'

Akeno laughed softly as his reactions reassured her but if he ever stopped blushing and became indifferent, that would worry her. It would mean his heart had been damaged beyond repair and incapable of love because of how his perversion had gotten him treated.

Yuuto stepped in. "Well, I'd look forward to sparring with you, Issei-kun."

"Ah, yeah. I would need to get some shinai from work. Though I could ask Ayatsuji-senpai if she has some at her dojo that we could borrow. I have no intention of asking the kendo club because that is a path for instant rejection." Issei shook his head, not wanting to deal with anyone from kendo.

Yuuto chuckled. "Alright. And… about my situation in romance. How are you so observant about these things?"

Issei shrugged. "Like I said... I’m a nerd. I watch a lot of anime, another mecha one that I have watched is Neon Genesis Evangelion, it’s really good. I like Asuka, she had this fiery and energetic personality that I love. Her confidence never wavered either, she probably would have whipped my ass of my perversion but would have done to make me better."

Akeno giggled at his declaration. She knew that she wasn't like that herself, but his preferences were amusing to her.

"But I watch other genres too," Issei continued. "You know, Yuuto… you kinda remind me of a character from K‑Project."

"K‑Project?" Yuuto blinked.

"Uh-huh. Another anime I watched. Though one character is definitely there for fanservice, now that I think about it."

"How so?" Yuuto asked.

"Well… she's in uniform, but her assets wiggle around a lot. Which is why I'm curious how Akeno-senpai fought in your competition."

Akeno raised an eyebrow as she wondered about the similarities that she had to this character. Considering that it was Issei, she deduced that he was wondering how she fought, given the size of her breasts.

"Even when I ogled girls in gym class," Issei said, "I did wonder why they run without bras on. Aren’t they meant to support your breasts? Keep them compacted, so they don’t get in the way? It feels like they are a weak point for women. Just like our nether region is a weakness for us, Yuuto."

It was a perverted question but also a genuine one about woman anatomy. Yuuto and Akeno exchanged a glance. Issei hadn't reacted like his old self at the mention of breasts. And he'd labeled them a weak point, meaning he wasn't afraid to fight girls, something they'd already seen when he dispatched Riser's pawn.

Akeno smirked. "Well, you're right. It's not as painful as you getting hit down there. Unless you want to test it out."

Issei shivered. 'She kind of reminds me of Yor or Nico Robin… she may be all smiles on the outside, but that dark humor tells me she’s hiding something terrifying on the inside.'

"I think he's good, Akeno-san," Yuuto said quickly, instinctively covering his own crotch.

"Ara~ ara~," Akeno teased, licking her finger. " I thought you could handle a little pain."

Issei shivered again and not in a pleasant way. 'Nope, fuck that. I feel bad for you, Yuuto. She may be easy on the eyes, but senpai is definitely some sort of dominatrix behind the scenes. Maybe her psycho fan base likes that.'

Just then, Miki appeared in the doorway with Saori. "How's everything going in here?"

Issei stiffened as something about his mother's smile felt… dangerous. Saori walked over and gently held Issei down in his chair. Miki sat on the bed beside Akeno.

"Please have a seat, Kiba-san," Miki said sweetly. "You'll want to see this."

That's when Issei saw the album his mother was holding. His face was drained of color.

Saori tightened her grip. "It was going to happen sooner or later. Just let it happen."

Miki simply smiled at her son’s pleading face as she opened up the album for Akeno and Yuuto. They could tell that they were pictures of Issei when he was young.

"Ara~ ara~," Akeno purred.

"This is Ise when he was in grade school," Miki said proudly.

Akeno flipped a page. "Oh my~. He went to the beach naked."

"Oi, kaa-san! Stop showing her those!" Issei cried.

The remnants of his high school life flashed before his eyes and Akeno's sparkling eyes didn't help.

Saori giggled. "You were just like Kenichi when you were young."

"Really?" Issei looked at her in curiosity.

"Mhm." Saori nodded.

"Did you also have a dream of showing off his album like my kaa-san does of me?"

"Yes. She told me about that dream."

Issei groaned. "I think my perversion was trying to save me from this embarrassment. That's why I became unpopular with girls, so she could never show that album."

Saori laughed. "But then you matured, and thus brought people over after all... it was to celebrate your success in the tournament and she wanted to meet your friends."

"I suppose the good thing is that Matsuda and Motohama never will see those pictures... but then again, she probably never showed it to them because she probably knew that they weren’t really my friends."

"A mother's intuition is almost always undefeated," Saori smiled at him.

Issei sighed, "I guess so, hmm... wait a minute."

Yuuto was smiling at the album and something about that bothered Issei deeply.

"Oi, oi, Yuuto! Don't look!"

Taking advantage of Saori’s slacking, Issei broke free of her grip to try and lunged for the album in Yuuto’s hand. However, Yuuto dodges it so smoothly and in the process, grabbed the bokken to use to keep Issei at bay. Instinctively, Issei grabbed the bokken, causing Yuuto’s muscles to strain as Issei was trying to move the bokken away.

"Hahaha! Don't worry about it," Yuuto laughed. "Let me enjoy your album a bit more."

Yuuto was a bit surprised by Issei’s strength as the bokken was slowly moving away. Akeno also noticed this, too, but she wasn't feeling any ki from Issei. Yuuto gave a slight smile, while Issei smirked as when the bokken was out of the way, he would lunge again. That is what he did, but if Yuuto wanted to get more distance, he would have to let go of the bokken but didn’t. Saori smiled warmly as the two reminded her of Kenichi and Tanimoto.

"Knock it off, you two," Miki said.

"It's fine," Saori replied. "Boys will be boys."

"Well," Miki added, "unless Ise wants to knock over another Gundam figure, then he would stop roughhousing."

Issei stopped as he immediately let go of the bokken. Yuuto stumbled backward slightly, but was able to correct himself before he tripped over anyone or anything.

Saori clapped her hands. "I think it's time we head out."

Miki turned to Akeno. "Please keep them in line."

Akeno smiled. "Of course."

Issei hugged Saori. "See you later, Saori-san."

Saori chuckled. "You be good, dear."

"I will." He hugged his mother next. "Drive safe, kaa-san."

"I will. Don't mess up the house while I'm gone. It was nice meeting you, Kiba-san, Himejima-san." Miki said to the two ORC members.

"The pleasure is ours," Yuuto said politely.

Akeno bowed. "Thank you for having us."

The mothers left and the room fell quiet. Issei slumped into his chair with a long sigh.

Yuuto chuckled. "I didn't expect you to get so uptight about the album, Issei-kun."

"Yeah, well… There are some embarrassing photos. And I know she already showed the mixed martial arts club while I was at work."

Akeno smiled. "If they cause you trouble, you can always come to the Occult Research Club."

"No thanks," Issei said flatly. "You and Yuuto have seen the photos. I can't trust either of you not to tease me about them."

"Ara, I would never do that to my precious kohai," Akeno said with a sweet smile.

Issei shivered again. There was something behind that smile, something dangerous, mischievous, and absolutely terrifying. He quickly turned his attention to Yuuto, who was still holding the bokken.

"Hey, Yuuto. Could you set the album down for a minute?" Issei was seeing something.

"Hm?" Yuuto was a little confused by the request.

"It ruins the shot. If you don't want me to have it, fine. Just give it to Akeno-senpai."

"…Okay?" Yuuto handed the album to Akeno, who immediately resumed flipping through the pages with far too much enthusiasm.

"Now," Issei continued, "could you hold the bokken down, with the wooden blade into the ground. Have one hand on the pommel and keep it at an angle, please?"

Yuuto blinked. "Alright?"

"And stand straight."

Yuuto followed the instructions without complaint.

"Smile," Issei said, snapping a picture.

Yuuto tilted his head. "What was that for?"

"You'll see." Issei reached for a block of clay.

Before he could begin sculpting, Yuuto spoke up. "By the way, Issei-kun, do you have the recipe for that stuffed chicken you made?"

"And the tacos?" Akeno added.

"You'll have to ask my kaa-san for the tacos," Issei said, flipping through a notebook. "But I can get you the stuffed chicken recipe… here."

He tore out the page and handed it to Yuuto.

"Oh, I could've just taken a picture," Yuuto said.

"Maybe," Issei replied dryly, "but considering your curiosity with my photos, I wouldn't be surprised if you flipped through the rest of my notebook without permission. Besides, I can always copy the recipe again. Kaa-san has her own notebook of recipes, which she keeps hidden. I’ll just get the recipe from her again, no biggie."

Yuuto chuckled. "So what's with taking my picture? Are you interested in me, Issei-kun?"

Issei stared at him flatly. "Kiba," Reverting back to calling him by his surname. "I am way more interested in Akeno-senpai and more willing to be stuck in a room with her than I will ever be in you with what you're insinuating."

'I will pray for you, if it ever comes to that.' Yuuto thought as he saw the predatory gleam in Akeno's eyes, when Issei had said that and he knew that Issei could be a target for the Gremory queen.

"Just keep to the photos, but if I find copies of them spread all over the school, I don’t care how popular either one of you two are, I will come after you." Issei continued on, not aware of the danger that he was in.

Akeno smiled sweetly. "We would never do that, Issei-kun."

"Yeah, well," Issei muttered, "typical high school trope, the pretty girl claims innocence before destroying the nerd's heart. I'm not taking chances."

Yuuto sighed. "Well, as a show of faith... let us hand over our phones to you." He handed over his phone and Akeno followed suit.

"Thanks," Issei said, placing them aside and focusing on the clay to work on the sculpture that he wanted to make.

Behind him, he could hear the two whispering and giggling over his childhood photos. He ignored them, studying the picture of Yuuto on his phone as he shaped the clay, starting with the legs. He worked his way up from the legs to the torso, making sure that Yuuto did not look too skinny.

Eventually, Akeno and Yuuto would glance at what Issei was doing, while discussing the photos. Akeno seemed to have a knack for looking at his embarrassing nude photos as a child.

Issei grimaced. 'This is why I fear my mother. She always has a camera ready…'

"I don't know why you're embarrassed," Akeno said.

"Well…" Issei paused. He almost mentioned parents but stopped himself as he knew Akeno's family situation was complicated and didn't want to upset her again. "They're just embarrassing. I should've known she'd do something like this."

"How so?" Yuuto asked.

"She once told me, and I quote, 'One day when you bring lots of girls to our home, I want to show them your album.' She thought it'd stay a dream because I was unpopular with girls. Honestly, I was almost thankful for my perversion, it kept girls away so she couldn't show them."

Akeno giggled as Issei was finding some optimism in his perversion. She was slowly finding her own groove with harnessing her fallen angel powers as they helped with the rating game.

"But I did want a girlfriend," Issei continued. "And she was likely to see those photos. Imagine my dismay, coming home from work and learning that my club and some others from a different school saw those photos. I can only thank my stars that Raichi did not see those photos or she will tease me to no end."

"Oh…" Yuuto murmured.

"Even worse," Issei said darkly, "one of them was capable of obtaining my number. So I have a feeling that he has copies of those photos and that is what worries me."

He remembered Haruo's smirk and felt the urge to punch something. How that man was friends with Kenichi was beyond him, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Yuuto winced. "I see. Well… hopefully it won't be too bad."

"Not yet," Issei sighed. "But once Renka-senpai gets going, she won't stop. She was tame because of my injuries. But I do know that once I’m healthy... she will be going all out with the teases of what those photos implied by whatever my kaa-san told them."

Akeno placed a hand on her chest. "Well, you can count on me to protect my kohai."

"Renka-senpai told me the same thing," Issei said flatly. "And you both have the same ammo of those photos. So I cannot trust you on that front."

Of course, if he did trust Renka as she would tease him privately. He wasn't sure about Akeno's teasing as she had been doing it more publicly and unlike Renka, Akeno was the one with a rabid fan base in the school.

"Ara~. Then I’ll have to be more convincing to prove it to you." Akeno teased.

"Whatever you say," Issei muttered. "Renka-senpai can be protective of me because I am her student, not just her kohai. So despite her teasing, she’ll do it in good faith, but not to hurt me."

"Akeno isn't too bad," Yuuto offered.

"Perhaps," Issei said, but never turned away from the sculpture he was working on. "I won’t judge her, Akeno-senpai and I have only met on a few occasions, so I don’t have any room to judge her. Everyone sees me in a perverted situation, just one time and that’s it. I told you, the double standard... if you put Akeno-senpai in those continuous perverted situations, do you think anyone’s going to call her a pervert or a slut?"

"No, I don’t think so." Yuuto admitted.

"Exactly." Issei dusted his hands. "Anyway… it's done. The Prince of Kuoh is now immortalized."

He spun around, revealing the clay sculpture, an impressive, detailed replica of the pose he had Yuuto hold.

Considering that Issei used a full block of clay, rather than a half like he did with the dog statue and bull statue for Honoka and Chiaki, respectively, thus Yuuto's sculpture was bigger.

Akeno gasped. "Wow!"

Yuuto's eyes widened. "This is amazing, Issei-kun!"

"We can put it in our club," Akeno suggested.

"Where did you learn this?" Yuuto asked.

"I learned from making these," Issei said, gesturing to his Gundam models. "When I needed to distract myself from my grandfather's antics, I worked hard on them. Used my allowance to buy them… and my former porn."

"Got rid of it. Even my secret stash. Kaa-san sold it all while I was at school."

"So she got rid of it?" Yuuto asked.

"Yeah, she did it for me because I asked her to, that beatdown was like an epiphany for me. Amazing how I never could see it, when I was beaten down by the kendo club, those bastards always left me." Issei told him, feeling relief of getting it off his chest. "That time, they rat me out... you know despite all the times that I went peeping. Do you know how often I ever got a look? I rarely did because of them. When I did, no one was in the changing room because after those two got their fill, they would make noise and then bail. So while I looked into an empty room, the kendo club would already be right behind me... waiting for me." He laughed bitterly.

"I've had the opportunity to witness those beatings," Yuuto admitted.

"I kind of wished that you said something then or anyone for that matter," Issei said quietly. "My loyalty to those fools made me keep going back to them. Kenichi-senpai and Elize-sensei helped break that spell or whatever it is that they had over me. If not, I would have gone back to those idiots and... I would continue to be held back by my perversion."

Yuuto lowered his gaze. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Issei said. "Better late than never. I've got friends now... real ones. People who took a chance on me and were willing to help me. Show that they are my friend, rather than shun me... showing me the true meaning of friendship. Something that I haven’t had since Shidou. Helping me right my wrongs or causing trouble with me."

Yuuto glanced at a photo on the desk. "Is that him?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah." Issei picked up the frame. "That's Shidou. And that's Touji-ojisan. We played together, had sleepovers, went to mass, got into trouble… we were inseparable. Until we weren't."

"He left you?" Akeno asked softly.

"Something like that. Renka-senpai teased me that my perversion scared him off. My baa-chan refuted that. We were both influenced by my grandfather. I think the church helped them suppress theirs. Meanwhile, I got reintroduced to mine by some old man in the park." He sighed. "I’m pretty sure my parents were using the Gundam to distract me, since I learned the perversion was hereditary. My family made a pact to not let it get to us, but I’m sure that my parents let theirs flourish again, when it’s just the two of them."

Yuuto pointed at the photo again, specifically at the sword Touji carried. "Do you remember this?"

The sword was an old European sword, which Issei believed to be a fake sword. However, Issei took note of the change of tone in Yuuto's voice, Akeno did as well as she looked at the photo.

Issei squinted. "Hmm, before I would have said not really, since I was really small back then. But remembering my friendship with Shidou and he has told me that good things come to those who pray. I believe it was Touji-ojisan that kind of got me inspired with samurai, since he had it around whenever I went over to Shidou’s house."

Yuuto chuckled darkly. "Things like this happen… to find it in an unexpected place."

Issei narrowed his eyes. 'What is he talking about? His eyes… they're full of hatred.'

Akeno whispered, "Yuuto…"

"This is a Holy Sword," Yuuto said.

"Holy sword?" Issei blinked. "Well, that makes sense. Touji-ojisan worked for the church."

"I will destroy it."

Issei's expression hardened instantly. Issei took offense because to him, it felt like Yuuto was going to go after his surrogate uncle and childhood friend.

"You're not going to do shit." Issei seethed.

He stepped forward until their foreheads pressed together, noses touching, eyes locked in a heated glare.

Akeno felt the tension and felt the need that the two needed to be separated. If Issei was capable of utilizing his ki, he would beat Yuuto as Akeno knew that Yuuto did not have hand-to-hand combat experience that Issei did.

Yuuto would have to summon one of his swords for the advantage, but that would expose Issei to the supernatural world.

"Let's calm down and back up for a minute," Akeno said, trying to wedge herself between them.

"I'm going to do it," Yuuto growled. "You can't stop me."

"You're going after someone I consider family," Issei snarled. "I’m not going to let you hurt them. Neither one of them."

"We'll see about that."

Issei shoved him, which prompted Akeno to get in front of Issei to keep him from advancing. Normally, Issei would have been ecstatic to feel Akeno’s chest on his own, but his focus was too much on Yuuto to even notice her.

"If I hear either of them is hurt," Issei said coldly, "I'm coming after you."

"Try to get some revenge?" Yuuto smirked. "Didn't you say it's short-lived? Maybe you should kill me, Issei-kun."

"I'm not doing that."

"But you'd have to. It's the only way. You don’t know half the shit of what your dear uncle has done. I bet your childhood friend followed in his daddy’s footsteps." Yuuto taunted.

It surprised Akeno to actually hear Yuuto curse, but it just goes to show how deep his hatred ran.

"So what?" Issei growled, ki flaring.

"Then they're in the same boat. After all... you said it yourself. You're not a hero. You can't protect everyone." Yuuto stood, brushing himself off. "I'm heading out. Akeno. See you."

With that, Yuuto left the room, while Issei watched him go, it wasn't until he heard the front door slam shut. That was when Issei exhaled in frustration as he sat down and ran his hands through his hair.

"I'm sorry about that," Akeno said softly.

"He's right." Issei growled out.

"Huh?"

"I'm not a hero," Issei muttered. "I didn't go to protect your friend and help her with her engagement. I didn't think that was my fight, but Shidou is my friend and you have no idea how close our families were, or maybe still are. I never talked to my parents about them until recently, maybe they were still in contact with them, while my perversion clouded things around me."

He clenched his fists.

"He does have a point, I don't know what happens in the Church behind the scenes, I never asked about it. But I am a soldier. If Yuuto goes after Shidou, then you are making it my fight." Issei warned.

"I understand," Akeno said gently.

This was not the first time that Akeno had seen this switch in Issei. She had to admit that Issei's desire to protect his friends was admirable, but it could also make him act recklessly.

"I just wish I knew what they did to him…" Issei exhaled as he stared at the sculpture he made.

Akeno placed a hand on his shoulder. "How about you walk me home? I still need to hang up my artwork. And thanks for house-sitting."

"…Yeah, sure. I’ll carry the sculpture for you, and you can take it to your club." It didn't fully register in Issei's min what Akeno had asked of him.

"Thank you." Akeno nodded.

They headed downstairs.

One would think that Issei would ogle Akeno as they were putting on their shoes, but this is not the same Issei as before. He was fairly the same, but his perverted shell was missing.

He was worried about his friend and uncle in England and about Yuuto's hatred towards them or the Church to be specific. When Akeno saw Issei take out his phone, she was going to tease him about taking a picture of her, but he shut that down.

Akeno tried to lighten the mood. "Ara~, taking a picture of me to sculpt me next?"

"No," Issei said bluntly. "I'm texting my kaa-san that I'm walking you home since Yuuto left."

He showed her the phone screen.

"Oh…" Akeno deflated slightly.

She was trying to ease the tension, but she forgot that this wasn't the same Issei. His perversion was still there but locked away for now for the time being.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Mhm." Akeno nodded as they exited the house with Issei locking it up.

He did not have to worry about dinner, since he smelled that his mother and Saori had already handled it before they left. So his father, whenever he returned, would have something to eat when Mototsugu dropped him off.

The two walked in silence to the temple, where Issei made a note to get his license as this would have been easier with a car or motorcycle.

Meanwhile, Akeno felt that this would have been easier if she could just teleport, but would only make Issei question her. In addition, she also realized that because she had her magic, she never considered getting a vehicle of her own, when she had her own license.

"So," Issei said, "you excited for the ball tournament?"

"Oh, yes. It should be fun. How about you?"

"This is my first one, considering that it's a battle of the clubs and this is my first time in a club."

"Fair point, we could be going against each other."

"And I'll beat you." Issei stated, getting competitive.

"Ara~, I thought you would go easy on your dear senpai."

"So? Raichi and I don’t like to lose, it doesn’t matter if you’re my senpai or not. If I want to surpass you, I have to beat you."

"I suppose that's fair. But just know... I won’t go easy on you, then, Issei-kun."

"I'd be disappointed if you did. But you'd be praised as a hero."

"Why's that?"

"Remember? I’m still the Perverted Beast." Issei reminded her. "They don’t care, but I’m not going to compare myself. It will only bring more negativity to myself."

"I suppose you’re right, so who do you want to face in the tournament the most?" She asked.

"The photography club."

"Why? It seems to give you an unfair advantage." She remarked, knowing the MMA club had more physical prowess than the photography club.

"So I can beat Matsuda within the confines of the rules and show him up in front of everyone." Issei told her.

Akeno could tell that he wasn't joking around either. The sadistic part of her wanted to see what he would do to his former friend.

Akeno smiled. "Then I look forward to facing you, if we do go against each other. It is a tournament after all."

"Yeah. I guess so."

They reached the long staircase to the temple. Issei didn't hesitate as he started climbing them.

"No hesitation," Akeno said.

"Well, house sitting for you made things easier and not to fear the amount of steps. It helps me with cardio." He responded, never breaking stride.

"I suppose you're right." Akeno realized that she normally used magic, rather than actually walking up the stairs.

She would have to physically exert herself and that was something that she was not used to.

"By the way," Issei asked, "is everyone in your club sporty?"

"Yes," Akeno said, though in her mind she added, 'We're devils, after all.'

Issei blinked. "Hmm, even Argento-san?"

Akeno nodded lightly. "I suppose."

"I see… well, looks can be deceiving. You know, one time I saw this green glow come from her hands. It was weird. She used it on this kid, and he got up just fine. I swear he had a cut on his knee."

Akeno froze. 'He saw her use her Sacred Gear?'

Her eyes widened but Issei didn't notice, since he was walking ahead. By the time he turned back, she had already composed herself.

"You still there?" he asked.

"Erm, yes. Sorry. I was just a little surprised by what you said." She answered.

"Yeah, I didn’t believe it either, but I just couldn’t get it out of my head."

Akeno was contemplating on erasing that memory from Issei's head, but she decided against it. It seemed that Issei didn't really believe what he saw, plus he had never questioned Asia about it either.

However, if they were able to recruit him, it would make sense to him later on, so she felt that he would need that memory for that only.

They reached her home.

"You mind doing the honors?" Issei asked.

"Of course." Akeno unlocked the door.

The place was still the same as Issei had left it, when Akeno opened the door for them to enter. Upon entry, Issei placed the Yuuto statue on her table and stretched his arms. He began looking around the place for the artwork, so he can put it up for her.

"Alright," he said, scanning the room. "Where do you want to hang your artwork?"

Akeno pointed. "Hmm… could you hang it on that wall?"

"Sure. Want to see how it's done?"

"Ara~ I was hoping I could just call you for that. Then I'd never have to worry about it."

"You gotta learn to do things yourself, senpai," he deadpanned. "But then again…"

His voice softened. He remembered she had grown up without her mother and maybe without her father too.

"I'm going to make us some tea," Akeno said.

"Oh... uh, sure."

He simply sighed as he sat down and studied the wall that Akeno wanted to set up the artwork. It was in a prominent position that it would stand out in a good way. However, when he turned around, he noticed that it was right across from the shrine that she had to her mother.

"So she wanted you to see it, huh?" he murmured to the photograph, just as he had many times while house‑sitting. "Well… I hope you like it too."

He went to get the artwork ready as he grabbed the command strips that came with the artwork and he turned back to the photograph.

"You know," he said to the photo, "there's this light frame that makes the art glow. I think it looks nice... especially with the ones that display scenery of places, they look amazing. Man, I wish you could see it. Oh! I know! I could show your daughter the shop, so she can see them for herself."

Since he was so engrossed in talking to the picture of Akeno's mother about the shop where he got the acrylic artwork, he lost track of time.

In the process, Akeno had gone to take a shower to relieve herself from the stress of the day. As she was drying herself, she heard the kettle whistling in the kitchen and decided to see if Issei would turn it off. However, all she heard was him talking to someone, which she believed was his mother, but in actuality, it was her own.

She put on a short bathrobe and went to the kitchen to begin removing the tea from the kettle to serve it. Issei noticed that the whistling turned off as he thought Akeno was still in the kitchen the whole time, never aware that she had gone to shower.

As he moved, he saw movement in the kitchen and he went to see what she was doing. However, when he got closer, he noticed her in her short bathrobe and froze for a few seconds.

His face burned red, and a thin trickle of blood escaped his nose.

He quickly rushed back to his spot and just like when he saw Renka's breasts through her soaked T-shirt, he was trying to remove the image of Akeno in her bathrobe from his head.

He bowed deeply toward the shrine. "Forgive me for what I have seen. I never meant to walk in on your daughter like that!"

He drove his focus back to Yuuto and his issues to remove what he had seen, while he was lucky that Akeno didn't notice him or so he thought.

She had felt his presence and was going to tease him, but he had left before she could do anything. She laughed to herself as she knew that he was kicking himself for that, but she wasn't trying to surprise him. She just didn't think he would investigate the kitchen.

'At least we know you don't play for the other team, Issei‑kun.' Akeno thought, surprised that she was enjoying her time with a man.

She believed that it was because she enjoyed getting a reaction out of Issei. She changed into red pajama pants and a white T‑shirt to make him more comfortable.

During the time she was changing, Issei was able to calm his thoughts and think back to why Yuuto hated the Church so much. He was also trying to figure out why he called his ojisan's sword, a holy sword. He could only deduce that it was because Touji worked for the church.

'Maybe that’s why he called it a holy sword. It's the only explanation.' Issei thought to himself.

"Tea's ready, Issei‑kun," Akeno called.

He jumped. "Ah, thank you, senpai."

"What's the matter?" she asked, setting the tea down. "Are you getting a fever? Let me see."

"No, senpai, I'm..." He turned towards her to try and reassure her that he was fine.

However, he was stumped, when she placed her hand on his forehead.

Issei exhaled in relief as she was fully dressed. It made forget about her hand on his forehead and then noticed how she looked. Her hair was down, soft and flowing. She looked like a mix between Yuuma and Ayase.

"Your temperature seems fine," she said.

'So warm… her hand is so warm… comforting… wow… Is this why she's considered one of the great Onee-samas? Not just her looks?'

"Just to be sure, have some tea." Akeno told him.

"R‑right. Thank you." Issei nodded.

"What's with the blush?" she teased. "Were you thinking of something naughty, Issei-kun? Maybe it includes just the two of us?"

"No!" he blurted, startling her. "Sorry! I wasn't thinking anything naughty. It's just… when I heard the kettle stop, I went to check, and I… um… saw you in a short bathrobe. Sorry! I didn't mean to! I should go..."

He was about to get up, but she grabbed his arm.

"No, it’s okay. You didn’t know what to expect, when you entered the kitchen, have some tea, it will help calm you down" She noticed his guilty expression. 'He really is honest to a fault and true to his name… he genuinely feels bad about seeing me like that. I should be careful with my teasing. I don't want to push him away. Though… Renka teases him too. I wonder if she's interested in him…'

She was lost in her thoughts that despite looking at him, she did not realize that he turned to her. Issei had to admit Akeno was beautiful and she seemed so lost in thought, which made her a little more attractive to Issei.

The scary thing was that if she smirked, Issei would instantly be reminded of Yuuma. To him, the two were essentially twins in his eyes, now that he was thinking about it, if he included Ayase, they could be triplets. The only difference was that Ayase did not have violet eyes like the other two did.

"Akeno‑senpai?" Issei asked, sipping his tea.

She said nothing as she just stared, Issei didn't know what to do, so he reached out and shook her leg.

This caused her to jolt and she thought she was being attacked, she was going to activate a magic circle. However, to her luck, Issei grabbed the hand that she brought forward in his direction, thus stopping the activation of the magic circle, so he never saw it.

"Issei‑kun?" Akeno was surprised and then realized that he could've taken advantage of her shocked state, but didn't.

"Um… hey. You zoned out." Issei told her, looking at her skeptically.

"Sorry. I was just… thinking about potential women who might be interested in you."

"You don't have to think that far. The number on that list is zero." Issei deadpanned. "But… I need to ask something."

"What is it?"

"Yuuto called my ojisan's sword a Holy Sword. I figured maybe he said that because ojisan worked for the Church. But… the term 'Holy Sword', it shows up in games and light novels. They couldn't possibly exist, right?"

Akeno stiffened. "Erm… no. They don't."

"You're lying." Issei stated without flinching.

"Huh?" Akeno wondered if Issei could read her mind.

"Your eyes drifted away as you answered. That’s how I know you’re lying, but I won’t push it." Issei told her.

The last time that he did, he made her cry and he didn't want a repeat of that fiasco.

Akeno felt bad about lying, but in telling the truth... she would expose him to the supernatural world.

"You're his clubmate," Issei said quietly. "Can you tell me about his past? Yuuto's, I mean."

Akeno sighed and moved closer, taking his hand gently. "I can't tell you that or rather, I can't tell you much, but Yuuto had family and friends. They were killed by the Church in an experiment, which was called the Holy Sword project."

"Holy Sword Project?"

"Have you heard the legend of King Arthur?"

"Yu-Mi-sensei has talked about it to me before when she was teaching me history."

Akeno blinked. "I don't recall a teacher with that name."

"She's a university professor. Teaches physics. But she's good with history too. She helped me decode some of the messages my master wrote in the book he gave me."

Akeno folded her hands in her lap, her expression unreadable. "I see… then what if you were told that King Arthur's sword, Excalibur, was real?"

Issei blinked. "No shit! Huh… well, Camelot's somewhere in Britain, and so is the Christian Church. Yuuto was right. I don't know half of what the Church does. I thought they just praised the Lord. Are you alright, Akeno-senpai?"

She had suddenly grabbed her head, wincing. "Yes… I'll be fine."

"Maybe you should get some rest." Issei said, noticing the strain in her eyes.

"Issei, I'm okay," she insisted, rubbing her forehead.

"No, you're not." He set down his empty teacup, stood, and held out his hand. "Come on. Let's get you to bed. I think I can do something to help you relax."

Akeno hesitated, then placed her hand in his. "Um… okay."

A part of her was wondering why she was allowing this due to her hatred for men. Issei was not one of her clubmates but so far, he has proven that he wouldn't take advantage of her.

He already knew where her room was, thanks to his house sitting, but he never wanted to breach her privacy anymore than that, so he did not snoop around. If he wanted to build trust, he couldn't resort to those perverted antics, plus it was decent money and didn't want to lose that income.

"What are you going to do?" she asked as they entered.

"Well… Renka-senpai enjoys them, and they help her relax. I was wondering if you'd like a back massage."

"A back massage?" Akeno wasn't expecting that.

"Yeah, if you'd like, maybe it'll help you relax. I don't know everyone's different. It also helps Ikki-senpai relax as well after we have our boxing sessions in the morning, but he usually gets a shoulder massage." Issei told her.

Akeno smiled slyly. "Ara~ ara~… you must be quite the masseuse. I suppose I could try one." She began lifting her shirt.

"No! No!" Issei yelped.

She paused. "Hmm?"

"You don't need to take your shirt off, senpai. But… do you have any massage oils?"

"Hmm… let me check." She disappeared into the bathroom. He heard her rummaging before she returned with a small purple bottle. "Will this do?"

"Yeah, that's perfect." Lavender-scented. He silently thanked his past self for researching massage oils. "You should get a towel too, just in case."

"Alright." Akeno followed his instructions.

As she left again, Issei's thoughts spiraled.

'Excalibur… real? Was the Church trying to find the new king or something? Why not find the king's direct descendants? It just makes no sense, but if the Church killed Yuuto's family? Did my ojisan do that? And Shidou, if he followed that path in working for the church, did he kill people? Oh, man, I want to help Yuuto, but I don't want my childhood friend to get hurt either. This is so fucked, now that I think about it... there are some of those horror movies that depict demons and how the Church needs to fend them with exorcism. Could all that shit be real?'

Akeno returned. "Issei-kun, I have the towel. What were you thinking about?"

"I was thinking about everything you told me. I feel like Shidou's in danger. I don't want him to run into Yuuto. But I also want to help Yuuto get over his pain… and this revenge." Issei frowned.

"Why do you want to help Yuuto so badly?"

"I wouldn't say badly," Issei said, taking the towel. "But I'd like to be his friend. And Shidou is my friend and he's out there. If he has followed the path of the people that wronged Yuuto, I will try to pull him from it because that is my friend and that's what friends do. They help each other."

He placed the towel on the bed.

"Yuuto is right, I'm not a hero and I get that, but as I told you and it's literally my last name. I'm a soldier and I will fight for my friends, but also those I hope to become friends with. It's why my dream is to become a strong warrior to help my friends and know that they can depend on me and that I will be there for them."

He smiled faintly as he thought of his childhood friend.

"If I had Shidou's contact information, I would have wished him happy birthday, let him know that I'm still here. He would give me shit about the perverted things that I have done. But I know he would help me get back on track like Kenichi-senpai has done because that is the type of friend that he is."

Akeno softened. "Sounds similar to you. Being loyal to your friends... through thick and thin."

"I guess so. Maybe that's why I never wanted to let him go." Issei remembered when he learned that Shidou had to move away.

"It makes me wonder," she said quietly, "why didn't you want to help Rias?"

"Why I didn't want to help become her hero?"

"Perhaps."

Issei sighed. "I can see how Takeshi looks at her, for one, and two, she's a bit of a reminder of my past self, and three, to me, she feels a little bit self absorbed."

Akeno blinked. "Self‑absorbed? And what do you mean she reminds you of your past self?"

Issei took off his jacket and shirt, leaving only his black muscle shirt. "Well, she feels a little self-absorbed to me and I know that I shouldn’t judge anyone... but when I first saw her. I felt uncomfortable... like I was supposed to just bow to her... like she was supposed to be this goddess that we should all worship. I didn’t want that, you see..."

He opened the bottle of oil.

"Before you saw my room, it was saturated with lewd stuff. I even had a lewd alarm clock. It was bad."

Akeno giggled. "I'm sure it was."

"Even worse, I had posters of busty red-haired girls. I thought my preference was someone like Gremory-senpai. So when I saw her, I shuddered. I didn't want someone like her."

"Oh? Then what do you prefer?" Akeno asked, wondering if it was what he told her in the hallway or if it was what he said about Asuka.

"I thought I already told you." Issei laughed.

"Ah yes... big breasts and nice legs. Does that mean I fit your quota?" she teased, lifting the back of her shirt slightly.

"Physically, sure. But there's more to it. Girls like you and Yuuma are playful. Too playful. It feels like you could be playing with my feelings. And I don't want that."

Akeno's smile faltered as that was how she viewed fallen angels. Seeing them as manipulative and cruel and that was how Issei saw her.

"However," Issei continued, "Yuuma's mellowed out. Still playful, but not as much. She even suggested we see a movie when she gets back. And… if you and I can become friends, maybe I can understand you better."

He smiled gently as he rubbed the lavender oil between his hands.

Akeno watched the gentle smile forming on Issei's face. It wasn't the lecherous grin he used to wear, nor the flustered one he showed when teased. This one was… genuine. Soft. Warm.

And she realized something.

'I like this smile… I want to see it more.' As she told him. "I would like that, Issei‑kun. You've helped me more than you know."

Issei blinked. "You mean with you accepting a part of yourself? Well, I mean if you didn't, you would be afraid of yourself. I was told that facing fears head on is how we grow. I have to go to school everyday and deal with the ridicule because of my perversion. Should I be afraid of that ridicule and worry about being bullied because of it? Well, fear is a choice and I would need to turn those past struggles into fuel for my journey forward."

He placed his hands gently on her back.

Akeno tensed for a moment at the unexpected warmth of his palms. She had expected the oil to make his hands cool but instead, they were steady, warm, grounding.

Her body slowly relaxed after several moments.

"You ready?" He asked, seeing her shoulders droop.

"…Yes." She nodded.

Issei nodded and began working across her upper back. His movements were careful, deliberate, not the touch of someone trying to impress, but someone trying to help.

Akeno let out a quiet breath, the tension in her muscles easing under his hands. It wasn't a sensual sound but more like the relief of finally letting go after holding too much inside.

Issei smiled faintly. 'Good… looks like I found the right spot.'

"Ah~." She moaned, which Issei expected, thanks to Renka, so he knew that he was doing okay.

However, something that did worry him, which is something that Renka did was that she kept moaning, which is what Akeno was doing.

"More~." She continued to moan, giving into her massage as Issei moved down her back, massaging the backside of her ribs. "Mm~. A little lower… that area's been tight all day."

He adjusted, working along the muscles near her ribs. Her breathing steadied, her posture softening as the stress of the day melted away.

'He's… surprisingly good at this. No hesitation. No ulterior motives. Just… kindness.' Akeno closed her eyes. "You're… very gentle, Issei‑kun."

"Renka-senpai says the same thing. I just try to help where I can."

Akeno felt her chest tighten, not from pain, but from something else. Something warm. Something she hadn't expected.

'He really is different now… and maybe he always was like this, when he wasn't acting perverted.'

Issei exhaled slowly because no matter how many times he gave massages, he still didn't understand why people moaned. Renka did it. Ikki did it. And now Akeno. At least here, in the privacy of her home, no one would misunderstand.

Still… Akeno was one of Kuoh's Onee‑samas. If she had a stalker, and they heard her voice like this… Yeah. That would be a disaster.

'Good thing this isn't happening on the school field,' he thought with a grimace.

Unlike with Renka, since when he gave her massages, it was on the grass field. If anyone heard her, they would assume that they were having sex. Last thing he needed was for rumors to spread about him and Renka. He didn’t want to damage Renka’s reputation in the school and people would think that she was banging the school pervert. If that happened, he was sure that some guys would think she’s easy because if she could 'give it up' to him, then she might give it up to anybody.

He wasn't going to let that happen to anyone he cared about.

While he may have been a pervert and fantasized about a woman's body. He had no intention of groping a woman without her permission. However, since he held the title of 'Perverted Beast', people tend to overlook that aspect.

He may have been a pervert, but he was a chivalrous one. It’s literally why he was even giving Akeno this massage, and he did not leer at her, when he easily could have. He just figured that if it helped Renka, Ikki, and his parents with their stress, then he could help Akeno as well.

"Lower, Issei‑kun~… don't stop."

Issei's eye twitched and deadpanned. 'Why must she sound so sexual…?'

He moved his hands down from her shoulders and neck, focusing on the tension there. Akeno's breathing softened, her body relaxing under his touch. She hadn't expected him to be this skilled but she should have. She'd seen him sculpting earlier. His hands were steady, precise, gentle.

Akeno closed her eyes. 'I'm glad you left those two behind, Issei‑kun… I could get used to this. If I tell Yuuma, she'll be jealous… but we made a deal. I'll tell her when she returns. And maybe help her get her own massage. But that doesn't mean I'll stop enjoying this myself…'

She smiled faintly, letting another soft sound escape as she exhaled.

Issei sighed again. There was no stopping it. At least she wasn't wiggling like Renka as that had been a nightmare. He'd had to straddle Renka just to keep her still, it didn't. So he got a great feel of her butt to his pelvis, which he immediately jumped off of her, when she started grinding into him. With how she moved around and acted, Issei did believe that Renka might have been a cat in another life.

He needed a distraction and wiped one hand clean and reached for his phone.

"What are you doing? Use both hands… I want to feel you." Akeno complained.

Issei blushed and his eye twitched again. 'Seriously, senpai?' He kept his expression deadpan. "I'm just getting my phone."

"Alright… but hurry. It feels so much better with both of your hands on me."

'Are all girls this pushy? Man… I still have a lot to learn...' His eyes widened. "That's it!"

"Hmm?" Akeno peeked back at him, catching the genuine smile on his face again and it made her smile too.

"Just a second, senpai." He never noticed that she was looking at him.

He set his phone down near Akeno's side and applied a little more oil to his hands and began to massage her back again. Thus getting her to sigh and moan again in contentment.

He then used his nose to select a song on his phone and began to sing as he knew that it helped him block out the moaning of his "patients", either that or humming.

His voice was soft, steady and surprisingly emotional as those singing lessons were coming into play. It was nothing like the loud, goofy Issei she once knew.

Akeno listened quietly. 'So this is who you are beneath that shell… Issei‑kun.'

In the process of his singing, plus his massage, her body completely relaxed as she began to fall asleep. Of course, knowing that Issei had already seen her in her short bathrobe, it was what she envisioned herself in.

She saw herself sitting in Issei's lap, he was in a bathrobe of his own. He was rubbing her shoulders, while he serenaded her. Of course, for Issei, he was never plotting to serenade her, he was just singing for himself and blocking out her moans like he did with everyone else that he gave a massage to.

It was a pleasant dream, but she could not tell if she was arousing this dream Issei. All she knew was that he was mimicking what the actual Issei was doing, so she knew no sex would happen in her dream. She was intrigued by this version of Issei and looked at similarities in their self loathing. After all, he, alongside Yuuma, was slowly helping her come to terms with her fallen angel side.

'I've never been interested in men and haven't been, since… Yet, little by little… he's helping me accept myself. Even the parts I hate. Just like he is accepting his own perversion. Just like Yuuma… I need to grow stronger too. I need to face my father someday. I need to face my fear at some point… just like he said.'

Coming to terms on her "dirty wings" was what helped her come to terms with Yuuma and she knew that the other hybrid was off somewhere. She feared that Yuuma was getting stronger and knew that she needed to get stronger in harnessing her fallen angel powers and utilizing her holy lightning.

Issei continued his ministrations, but it wasn't until thirty minutes later that he noticed Akeno's breathing had changed. He stopped what he was doing, just to be sure and seeing how she made no complaint, he could tell that she was sleeping. He let out a sigh and brought her shirt back down over her back.

He gently lifted her up and removed the towel from underneath her and set back down. He lifted the sheet over her, but not too much, so she wouldn't overheat in the night. He packed the towel in the hamper and put the massage oil on the counter in the bathroom and then washed his hands. He grabbed his school jacket and shirt and put them back on and put his phone in his pocket.

Then he wrote a small note explaining why he left and where he put everything and placed it on her dresser.

"Have a good night, Akeno‑senpai."

He closed her door softly and left the house, locking it behind him so she could sleep safely.

While walking down the stairs, he checked his phone and saw that his mother was home, based on her text. He decided to call her to let her know that he was heading back.

"Hello?" Miki answered.

"Hey, kaa‑san. I'm heading home."

"That's good to hear. Did your friends make it back?"

"I don't know about Yuuto. I just left Akeno‑senpai's place, the temple. She fell asleep."

Miki's voice softened through the phone. "Well, it was considerate of you to walk her home."

Issei rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm just doing what you taught me about chivalry."

"I'm glad you remember. Let me know when you're five minutes away so I can reheat your dinner. So it will be warm when you get here."

"Thank you. I'll see you soon."

"You too. Stay safe."

"Will do. Bye, kaa‑san."

"Bye, Ise."

The call ended with a soft beep.

Issei slipped his phone into his pocket and continued down the quiet street, the night air brushing against his face. His sigh drifted into the darkness. He learned a little about Yuuto’s past or at least what Akeno was willing to share. A part of him felt like there was more, but he knew that he knew Akeno wouldn't tell him because it wasn't her story to tell. That right belonged to Yuuto, since it was his story.

His thoughts drifted to Touji‑ojisan. To Shidou. To the church.

'Priests don't carry swords… do they? What exactly did Touji‑ojisan do? What did Shidou grow up seeing?'

A cold knot twisted in his stomach.

'Yuuto wouldn't… he wouldn't actually fly to England, right? He wouldn't go after Shidou…?'

His fist clenched. "I want to help you, Yuuto… but I don't want to lose Shidou either." He stopped walking.

'Damn it, Yuuto. I want to help you, but I don’t know how. I really wish I could ask Touji-ojisan, but he may lie. I mean is the Church really that bad behind the scenes? Man, I could really use your help, Shidou... maybe you could run espionage or something and see if it’s all true because I don’t know what to do.'

He was frustrated about the predicament that he was in, even though it pretty much wasn’t his fight. It became his fight now that his friend was threatened and it scared him. It also pissed him off that he may not be able to do anything and potentially hear that either Yuuto died while pursuing his revenge or his childhood friend died.

Eventually, that frustration boiled over. "Damn it!"

His fist lashed out, instinctively, unconsciously, and a burst of ki exploded from his knuckles. It caused an indent through the wall that was beside him, making bits and pieces crumble onto the sidewalk. However, Issei didn't even notice.

"This fucking sucks."

He just lowered his hand and kept walking, shoulders slumped, the weight of the world pressing down on him.

Shidou's mother's voice echoed in his memory. "Take care of Shidou, okay?"

That seemed pretty hard to do, since they were in another country. However, Issei knew that he didn’t want to disappoint his surrogate aunt any more than he already did with his perverted exploits.

He swallowed hard. 'I won't give up on you yet, Yuuto… but if you come after my friend, I'll protect him. And when this is all over… I hope we can still be friends.' He looked up at the night sky. 'Wherever you are, Shidou… I'll keep my promise and look out for you. So please… stay safe.'

The wind carried his thoughts away.

He continued his trek home, the streetlights stretching his shadow across the pavement. At least he had eased Akeno's stress tonight. That was one good thing.

Everything else… He could only hope that training for the ball tournament, for his own growth would distract him from the fear gnawing at his chest.

Because deep down, his instincts whispered a warning to him. Something is coming. And he wasn't ready yet... well, not if Mitsurugi has anything to say about that.