Xenovia felt that she had been proven right in the next couple of days as when sparring with Issei in the mornings had become… different. Every time she crossed wooden blades and on the rare chance, fists, with Issei, his movements came at her sharper, heavier, almost reminiscent of Mitsurugi's relentless pressure. It also seemed that he didn't let up against Irina either, when Irina chose to join their morning spars. Issei didn't soften his blows for either of them, if anything, he pushed harder.
Usually, Irina was trying to emulate the other practitioners of the Jigen-ryū by doing the three thousand swings in the morning. It was quite the workout on her arms, but it was gradually sharpening her striking speed and when she worked with Setsuka, it was improving her natural quickness.
Even so, Xenovia and Irina felt the strain creeping into their bodies from the triple workout of sparring in the morning, then working with the MMA club, and then training with Mitsurugi and Setsuka. However, it wasn't unbearable, since they had been conditioned by the Church, so they could handle it. They were kind of surprised that Issei could handle the strain, but then remembered that he had been doing this prior to their arrival.
They were still wary of the devils, since Kuoh was still their territory and the exorcists were outsiders. However, they did receive troubling news from Raichi that Kokabiel was seeking reinforcements. That did trouble them a little because it just meant that their odds could drastically change, depending on who he got as support.
It was now Friday and the exorcists were just waiting for Issei to come back with either Ikki or Kisara to take them to school to train more on their hand-to-hand combat specialties. Xenovia was stretching her legs that were a little sore, but she was feeling a little more comfortable in using them. She had done so in a spar against Issei in the morning but that had been a mistake.
The moment martial arts was brought into their spars, Issei's demeanor became more incensed. That was when she would lose because hand-to-hand combat was his domain and she was outmatched. Irina fared no better, even when using Raichi's style that was unpredictable and made her slippery, but not enough to overcome Issei's instincts. Still, it was harder for Issei to get a lock on her in the spars, in addition to the speed that she was slowly obtaining.
Renka and Miu also helped in training them as well, which was a plus. Since Apachai wasn't there yesterday, Issei got to train with Shigure, which he clearly enjoyed. Irina, for her part, had been careful not to spill any embarrassing secrets about Issei. Unfortunately, that only made the other girls tease her more about "looking out for her man," which turned her face bright red every time.
Speaking of Issei, it intrigued the exorcists on how his mood would change, it was like night and day. In the mornings, he was fierce, aggressive, and almost wild in their spars, they wondered if he was envisioning Freed then. However, in the evening, he was calm, relaxed and happily watching Food Wars with them in the evening. Xenovia deduced that it had to do with Irina being there, regardless Xenovia found herself quietly excited that she would get to learn a new style from Mitsurugi today as well. Although, she wasn't sure if he would be teaching her the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū or something else. They were ready to go as Issei came into the house, but he seemed agitated about something.
"Hey." He greeted them.
"Hey! Um… is something wrong?" Irina asked, already detecting that there was an issue with her childhood crush.
"Kind of. There's been a change of plans. For me, anyway." Issei answered.
"What's going on?" Xenovia asked, wondering how they would be affected.
"Oh, no," Issei shook his head. "You girls are fine, it's just that something came up for me it seems."
"What is it?" Irina questioned.
"You'll see when we get to the club." He sighed and turned away, heading back out the door.
The girls exchanged a look, the kind that said we're definitely not getting answers yet and followed him outside.
Kisara was already snickering as they climbed in, teasing Issei mercilessly while he glared at the dashboard.
"Hi, Kisara." Irina greeted the older girl.
"Hello." Xenovia nodded her own greeting.
"Hey, you two. What's going on?" Kisara waved to them as they got settled in their seats.
"We're trying to figure that out ourselves. Issei said that there has been a change of plans." Xenovia answered.
"For him, yeah, but not for you two." Kisara quickly ruffled Issei's hair before shifting the car into reverse. "How're the legs, Xenovia?"
"Sore, but fine." Xenovia massaged her thigh a little.
"You don't get Ise to massage them for you?" Kisara asked, which earned her a snort from her "baby brother" in the seat beside her.
"He massages my feet and ankle." Irina told the girl.
"Ahh, so my baby brother is still a gentleman." She reached over and ruffled Issei's hair again.
"Knock it off." Issei huffed and moved her hand from his head, which Kisara only laughed at.
"So what's the change in Ise‑kun's schedule?" Irina asked.
"He needs to go shopping." Kisara snickered.
Xenovia raised an eyebrow. "For what?"
"For his date, of course." Kisara said as both exorcists' eyes widened. "By the way, we had some friends come in today, we figured that you'd want to meet them, so you wouldn't be surprised by tomorrow."
"There's more of you guys?" Irina looked back at the tough girl.
Kisara nodded. "That's right, some of our colleagues that go to another school, they're university students."
"Can they fight like you guys?" Xenovia wondered.
"You betcha!" Kisara gave her a thumbs up.
That eased some tension for Irina and Xenovia as they were glad because if Kokabiel was getting reinforcements, then they would have reinforcements to counter against him.
"That's good news!" Irina beamed.
"You bet it is, but not so much for our dear little Ise." Kisara ruffled his hair again.
Issei just grumbled, but from the two exorcists' perspective, the dynamic was obvious. If they didn't know any better, they would assume that Kisara was Issei's actual big sister figure rather than a surrogate. Irina found it comforting as it relieved her a little, but Xenovia was quite interested about the combat ability of the newcomers. It was then that Kisara remembered something about tomorrow and snapped her fingers.
"Oh, Irina, are you and Ise good for rock climbing tomorrow?" She asked.
"Yeah! My ankle should be good to go and I think Ise‑kun should be good too."
"Just checking, after all, it is going to be a competition." Kisara smirked.
Irina's eyes lit up. "If it's a competition you want, then Ise‑kun and I will aim to emerge victorious!"
"That's right!" Issei pumped his fist, also psyched up.
'They just roll off each other,' Kisara snickered, "I look forward to it."
Xenovia sighed internally. 'Prideful much, Irina?' As they carried on their drive to Kuoh Academy.
Yuuma had finished her self‑training, light spears fading from her hands, reverting back to them after developing other weapons. She was rather bored because Kokabiel hadn't returned yet from getting whatever reinforcements. She watched Valper tinker with the sacred gear extraction device, which was surprised was still intact. It was the same one she'd intended to use on Asia before being thwarted by the Gremory and Sitri peerages.
Freed sauntered over. "Something on your mind?"
"No, at least not pertaining to you." Yuuma snorted, she had seen the smile on Freed's face, when he came over.
"Oh, don't be like that." He got up close to her, which made her roll her eyes.
"Well, currently, Valper is working on making the extraction capable of utilizing it without the need of a ritual." Yuuma informed him.
"And?" Freed didn't really care about that.
"I just remembered something. I made a deal with a devil." She answered.
Freed's grin widened. "Ooh, how scandalous, is that why you weren't doing it with me? You were doing the nasty with a villainous devil?"
She scoffed, "Not in the slightest, but he likely would have killed you for laying a hand on Asia."
Freed laughed. "Ha! She was letting a devil go after I killed one of their followers."
"You were also getting your ass kicked." Yuuma smirked, remembering that day.
"Hey, I didn't expect the Sekiryuutei to be able to fight back. I still shot him in the legs." Freed snapped.
He also remembered the day that he killed someone who had a contract with the devils and Takeshi had appeared. When Freed made his "grand" entrance, Takeshi didn't hesitate to start boxing Freed, knowing that he was the enemy. Freed only got lucky to be able to shoot at Takeshi's legs before the other Gremory members appeared.
"Your hand‑to‑hand is pathetic. It needs work." She gave him a sadistic smile.
"I don't need that shit as long as I got this baby." He brandished Excalibur Rapidly.
"If you say so. But it feels like you're overcompensating for something else." Yuuma gave him a nut punch that almost made him drop the sword.
"Oh!" He winced, "I don't think Mittelt would be saying that or Kalawarner."
"If you insist." She waved her hand at him as if to dismiss him.
Freed clicked his tongue. "Still though, I can't believe that Raichi hasn't found out where those exorcists are."
"They're likely hiding, since you have killed the other priests that the church has sent out." Yuuma rolled her eyes at his complaints.
"Meh, but still for an assassin, the bitch is lacking." Freed grunted.
"Well, you should have been more discreet in your killing! Or better yet, actually extracted some information about them before you killed them!" Yuuma pointed out Freed's recklessness again. "Now they're prepared and you ran into that devil, the Gremory knight, right?"
"Yeah, what about him?" Freed grimaced after being reminded about his incompetence for killing those priests without getting anything from them besides their fragments.
"Well, if the Gremory clan is known for caring for their peerage members, if you were to run into him again, you'd have more devils to kill." Yuuma shrugged.
"Oh yeah," Freed began to stroke Excalibur Rapidly. "Maybe I should go look for him, and damn, I could give Asia some punishment if you know what I mean, but then again, the chest sizes of the Gremory herself, along with your faux lookalike, mm mm mm, I'll definitely have some fun with them. It would also bring little Sirzechs over like Kokabiel wants."
"Well, knowing him, the Gremory knight, I mean, he'll come to you, so why stress yourself?" Yuuma asked him, hoping that would keep him at bay, rather than running around and possibly interfering with Raichi.
"You're right, maybe I'll run into him while killing off some strays." Freed's face lit up with sadistic glee.
"Maybe, after all, from what I know, he really hates that blade of yours, so if he senses it, he'll come running. Plus he is probably venting himself, since he couldn't destroy the blade." Yuuma pointed at the sword that Freed was holding.
She was keeping herself from letting out a sigh of relief, since she didn't want to tip off Freed that he was doing what she wanted. With Freed going out to hunt strays, Valper busy with the machine, and Kokabiel not present, she would be giving the others some leeway to continue bolstering their defenses.
"Oh? That's right, I whipped this puppy out and he went ballistic, but he definitely worked in tandem with that boyfriend of yours," Freed pointed the sword at Yuuma, "Or is it a new boyfriend, since the Sekiryuutei dumped your ass for Asia!" He cackled. "I mean sure the kid has some boyish charm, but even I know the Sekiryuutei is better looking."
"Looks aren't everything and if you really think that, then I am sorry about your insecurity." Yuuma responded.
Freed scowled, but Yuuma stared back with her expression unreadable. "I'm not insecure!"
"Whatever you say." She turned on her heel and walked away.
She didn't need to look back to know Freed's eyes were glued to her retreating figure, more specifically, her butt as she left. It was rather predictable and she didn't mind the looks of other guys leering at her, but Freed was irritating. She was grateful that Valper was nearby as she knew that if he wasn't, she was sure that Freed's lack of restraint would have been another problem. The problem being that he would have forced himself onto her, since they were alone and she couldn't complain to Kokabiel nor Valper because she knew they wouldn't care.
At least she knew that with Issei, he may peep, but he wouldn't touch without permission. She gave the boy a little props for somewhat understanding consent and the difference between sexual harassment and sexual assault. Now he was understanding the implications of sexual harassment as well, since he distanced himself from his old peeping habits and his former friends. However, she would let him touch her if he wanted, after all, she did offer him the chance to grope her.
She exhaled and continued walking, leaving Freed to stew in his own denial.
Kisara's car rolled into the school lot, and the group made their way toward the dojo. Kisara continued to tease Issei relentlessly, keeping him in a playful headlock while Irina and Xenovia whispered among themselves.
They kept their conversation to a minimum, mostly for Issei's sake of not knowing about the supernatural. They also did it out of habit, since while the MMA club was helping them, they had their own issues to contend with.
"What are you two whispering about?" Kisara asked, while she tightened the noogie on Issei's head.
"Sorry! We were just wondering about the people we'll be meeting." Irina answered.
"Ahh, Kaname, Hibiki, and Chiaki aren't bad. And the Walkyries aren't too bad either. They've got a job to do with our dear Ise." Kisara responded.
"Valkyries?" Xenovia's eyes narrowed slightly wondering if Kisara meant the mythological kind and she misspoke.
"Walkyries," Kisara corrected. "But that's right, but not the actual ones. These are Kaname's legion, they were trained by her. I was once one before I became the Eighth Fist of my former gang, Ragnarok. Funny enough, my codename was Valkyrie, hence the slight change of name for them, when I was called up."
"So you were a delinquent?" Xenovia questioned.
"Wait, what do you mean by actual ones?" Issei shifted his head against Kisara's torso.
"Oh, don't you worry your pretty little head." Kisara noogied him again.
"Hey!" He retorted as Kisara laughed and Irina smiled because she knew that she could comfort Issei right after, when they had their anime watch party.
They stepped into the dojo and Kisara announced their arrival, although she didn't need to.
"We're here!" She called out, dragging Issei alongside her, since he was still in a headlock.
"We know." Kenichi shook his head at his brash teammate and then waved at Irina and Xenovia, who walked in behind the surrogate siblings. "Hey, you two."
"Um… hi." Irina waved back, but she was looking at the other people that were present.
"Hello." Xenovia said, observing the others as well.
The long haired Hibiki stepped forward. "Ra ra ra! And who are these two ladies, Kenichi?"
"This is Issei's childhood friend, Shidou Irina, and her friend Xenovia." Kenichi then leaned in and whispered to Hibiki. "They're the exorcists."
"Ahh, yes. Hyoudou Issei, I ran into your father at the station when he picked them up." Hibiki addressed the brunette.
"Yeah… it was a surprise for me too." Issei grunted, considering that he had other pressing issues that involved getting out of Kisara's grip.
"So you didn't know?" Chiaki asked, the heavy-set man was surprised that the Hyoudou didn't tell their son that his childhood friend was coming.
"Nope. It was a little embarrassing, after not seeing my friend in so long and the first thing that I did was nearly attack her." Issei said, removing himself from Kisara's grasp.
"What!?" The two older boys were surprised by how he reacted.
"My dear boy, you must apologize for such savagery!" Hibiki demanded.
Of course, this was for his own matchmaking purposes of getting the two childhood friends together.
"He did. It's fine." Irina answered, she looked away, cheeks pink. "He thought his mother was in danger. He stopped himself, so it's fine."
From her point of view, she got to gaze into Issei's eyes and it was the closest that she ever got to kissing her childhood crush. Well, kissing him for a second time, but Issei didn't know about the first, or at least that is what she hoped for. Of course, she wound up doing that again a couple of days, which Xenovia had called her out on.
Seeing her blush, Hibiki and Chiaki said nothing as they didn't want to embarrass the girl any further.
"Ah, where are my manners? I have forgotten to introduce myself, I am Kugenin Hibiki." Hibiki bowed to the two exorcists.
"And I am Yūma Chiaki." The heavy set man said, also bowing.
"Don't forget me!" Kaname stepped forward with a confident grin. "Hey, my name is Kugatachi Kaname. Nice to meet you. I hear you're joining us for rock climbing tomorrow." She stretched her hand out to greet them.
"Nice to meet you." Xenovia accepted the gesture.
Among the three of them, she had utmost respect for Kaname as she overlooked the older girl's body and saw her abs. Xenovia knew that Kaname put in work in her training and was definitely interested in her regime. She thought Chiaki seemed solid enough, but Hibiki was a little exuberant for her liking and reminded her of another associate of hers.
"Likewise!" Irina smiled, shaking Kaname's hand.
A sharp voice cut in, interrupting the introductions. "Ugh. Their holiness is revolting."
"That's Niijima Haruo." Ikki leaned in to inform the two girls. "He doesn't like anything related to the Church."
Xenovia's eyes narrowed. 'Niijima…?' She made a mental note, knowing that this was the one that had sent people to infiltrate the Church.
However, she didn't know if he did it upon Saiga's orders or if he did it for his own coalition, so she knew that she needed to ask him later.
"No Tanimoto today?" Issei asked, not seeing the blond boy that he would like to challenge.
"Nope!" Honoka answered as she stepped forward. "He said he had something to do. Which sucks! How am I supposed to handle my training, aniki?"
"Hey, Honoka‑chan." Issei couched down to her level. "Beats me. Oh, wait! You could have Renka-senpai train you, I mean she helped me out, so she can help you, too."
"Don't just volunteer me without my say!" Renka scolded him.
"Sorry!" Issei apologized.
"Nah, I wanna see your outfit for tomorrow." Honoka said with stars in her eyes.
"My outfit? Oh wait, that's right, my so-called change of schedule," He turned to Kenichi and the others with an outburst. "Is that what you're preventing me from training for?"
A new voice chimed in. "Hmm. I can see the resemblance between you two, Kisara."
"Yep. My long‑lost little brother, led astray by perversion but I've reformed him a bit." Kisara said, speaking like she was Issei's savior.
In a sense, she kind of was, but she never would have met Issei had it not been for Kenichi offering his hand to the boy first.
"Who are you?" Issei asked, pointing at the blonde "boy."
They were fairly tall with distinctly slightly wavy, long blonde hair that went down to their waist and light purple eyes.
"Oh? I'm Shiratori Kaoru. I was once Kisara's lieutenant." The now named Kaoru said.
"Ohh?" Issei nodded slowly. "Is your style taekwondo too?"
"Yes. Why?" Kaoru tilted their head at the question.
"Well, Kisara-nee's style is that and she taught me, however, Ikki-senpai and Ukita-senpai have different styles. The other one of their former group had some form of training in taekwondo." Issei explained, which Kaoru now understood why he asked that question.
"You mean Taichi," Kaoru said. "You did quite a number on him, I saw the tournament. Sorry, I could not be there, I had other commitments to attend to."
"Schoolwork?" Issei asked.
"Something like that. I'd like to be a therapist one day." Kaoru said, expressing her dream.
"Really? That's awesome!" Issei exclaimed. "At least I can go to you, when Kisara-nee gives me too much noogies."
"She's not that bad." Kaoru tried to defend Kisara's behavior.
"You're not the one getting noogies." Issei deadpanned.
"Oh, don't give me that! You seriously need to waste Kaoru's precious time to hear your complaining, she's got better things to do." Kisara retorted, trying to grab at Issei, who moved away.
Issei's eyes widened, but not because of Kisara's outburst, but because his suspicions about Kaoru's gender was confirmed. He knew that Kaoru was a feminine name, he should have also known from her voice and mannerisms, but he didn't want to just assume anything. He already made that mistake with Irina back in their childhood days and he could tell how that turned out.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say," Issei said, knowing that he was out of Kisara's range and turned toward the group of women behind Kaname. "Um… I'm guessing you're the valkyries?"
"That's right. We're known as the Walkyries, named after the ones that followed Freya's commands. And currently, your fashion experts. I'm Ayazaki Chisato." The first girl said.
Issei turned his attention to her and had to admit that she was attractive with waist length brown hair and warm brown eyes. Of course, that combination made him wonder if she was related to Murayama because of how she looked at him. At the same time, she also looked eerily familiar to him as well. He was sure that he had seen her face from somewhere, but he was not certain from where. He also wasn't sure about it, but he was quizzical about the so-called valkyrie or rather her style.
"Aw man, you girls wore casual clothes? Not the sailor‑scout uniforms?" Kisara complained as she looked at what they were wearing.
'Sailor scouts? Like Sailor Moon? And what's wrong with their outfits? They look fine, but another thing. They're trained under Kaname-san, so I wonder…' Issei tilted his head, which got Chisato's attention.
"Is something wrong?" Chisato asked, eyeing him up.
"Sorry, but is your style like Kaname-senpai's?" Issei asked her.
"Yes." Chisato nodded. "I was trained by her grandfather, but I prefer to use tonfas as my weapon of choice."
"Oh, okay, and, um…" Issei scratched the back of his head. "Do you by chance have someone in your family by the name of Murayama?"
"No, sorry." She answered, "Why?"
"Well, there's a girl by that name that goes here, she's one of their girls that I wanted to peep on, but I never got a chance, my former two friends usually got a look and I got the beating." Issei blushed in embarrassment.
Chisato's expression sharpened. "Well, you know peeping is wrong." She glared.
Issei shrank back and winced from her expression, the other Walkyries were also giving him some judgmental looks, but also looks of curiosity.
"Yeah, I know," Issei sighed. "I had a talk with the school nurse about it, in which we sealed up any peeping spots."
"That's good to hear. Especially if you're coming on the beach trip with us." Chisato continued to chide him.
"I'd be too focused on training to really care about peeping or any of that, sorry." He scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. 'It feels like I'm getting scolded by kaa-san.'
"Why's that? Considering that you asked about a girl, I'm guessing she must be cute for you to want to peep on her." She countered.
"I'd say she is," Issei admitted on Murayama's appearance. "I followed my former friends on that, things changed and I learned that they were never really my friends." His eyes softened as he gestured toward Irina. "I never had a true friend after Irina left."
A new voice chimed in. "Is she the one that you're taking out on a date?"
Issei looked over at the girl and thought that he was seeing double because she looked almost like Kisara, even had the same lean build up top. The only difference was that this girl had blue hair and blue eyes compared to Kisara's reddish brown hair and green eyes.
She smiled confidently. "I'm Usami Reo, by the way. I want to be a medalist one day and I prefer to use the bo staff."
"Oh, so you want to join Japan's Olympic team? That's awesome! Do you know what sport? And no, we're not going on a date." He completely missed Irina's subtle, wounded expression.
The other Walkyries noticed and had to give her a look of pity, but it intrigued them about why he rejected the notion. They could tell that Irina was pretty attractive, so they didn't understand why he was turning her down, when it's clear that she liked him.
"Hopefully, skiing or swimming, definitely could use the beach to do some swimming and train for it." Reo answered, hoping to
"Nice. I still need to do some underwater training myself." Issei pondered, remembering Shigure's advice.
Said kunoichi, who was listening and gave a nod of approval, knowing that Issei had been listening to her. She knew that there had been times when he had glanced at her breasts, but as their sibling relationship improved, there was less perverted awkwardness.
Another girl stepped forward, sharp‑eyed and perceptive. "You sure about that date?" She'd caught Irina's expression. "The name's Igarashi Yōko. I want to be able to inherit my family's furniture store. My choice of weapon is the sais."
She had dark grayish-blue hair that was tied in a ponytail with a white bandana.
"Cool. Hopefully, I can pick some up from your shop, whenever I get my own place." Issei replied, ignoring the question.
"Cool with me," Yōko shrugged. "Maybe I'll give you a discount."
A girl with shaggy blonde hair that went to her shoulders and grey eyes raised her hand. "I think we should all introduce ourselves, since you're going to be stuck with us for a while, I'm Yūki Hibiki. However, you can just stick with calling me by my surname, so you don't get confused with Siegfried or Hibiki." She pointed over at the silver haired Hibiki. "I want to be a singer and songwriter and funny enough, I usually work with Hibiki, since he sings. My choice of weapon is a flail or a chain meteor."
Next came a girl with caramel skin with curly dark brown hair that is tied up into two high fuzzy pigtails and dark brown eyes.
"I'm Fujimiya Ami." She said, "I'm working to be a politician's secretary and my preferred weapon are tessens or metal fans, if you didn't know what that was and as we're shopping, I'll be sure to take lots of pictures." She nodded toward Xenovia, who she could tell was foreign and lifted her camera for the exorcist to understand.
Then a tall, busty blonde with gentle brown eyes stepped forward, Issei blushed slightly and tried not to look at her breasts.
"My name is Toyonaga Shizuru." She smiled, she caught Issei's glance at her chest. "I would like to be a doctor one day, but in my spare time, I do enjoy flower arrangements. Otherwise I am training with my naginata."
"That's cool. My nee‑san is the school nurse." Issei answered, hearing her desired profession reminded him of Elize. "She helped me after I got beaten up. Kenichi-senpai helped me get there, it was the first time that someone lent out a hand and steered me from a horrible path. If he didn't, then she would have…" He jabbed a thumb in Irina's direction. "Because that's what friends do, they help each other."
Hearing her words lifted Irina's spirits a little. She looked towards him and saw him smiling at her. She returned the smile and blushed, looking away because she knows that Issei is listening to her, but she needed him to feel her.
A girl with a Chinese bowl‑cut hairstyle practically bounced forward. "Well, the name's Aiba Yuriko and I dream to be a manga artist one day, since I enjoy reading it, it's my passion! And my choice of weapon is my whip!" She exclaimed.
"Oh! You gotta give me some recommendations!" Issei was excited to meet a fellow otaku. "My bookshelf is kind of empty since I have given most of my Dragon Ball manga away to someone else. All I got is my Gundam manga, but I am looking to stock up on some new series in both manga and light novels."
"Sure thing, if we see anything in the mall, I'll let you know!" She gave him a thumbs‑up.
"Awesome! If it's any good, I'll have to see if there is an anime adaptation to it." Issei nodded eagerly.
"Oh yeah, but be warned, sometimes the anime can change things up from the source material." Yuriko told him.
"Oh yeah, I know what you mean, but sometimes it can be a good change or it can be a bad change." The two otakus looked at each other, they had reached a silent agreement.
"Yeah, but depending on the change," Yuriko began her explanation. "The fandom gets split as you got people who only watched the anime and never read the source material and then you got people that actually read the source material and then go scoff at the anime adaptation because they mess up the character or they animate a scene rather poorly."
A girl with slightly ruffed orange hair cleared her throat loudly. "Ahem! You otakus can converse later. Anyways, I'm Tatsumoto Yumeko, I like to cook and watch movies. I want to be an announcer one day and my weapon of choice is the nunchaku."
"Oh, my kaa-san taught me how to cook and I definitely would have to ask you for some movie recommendations as well." Issei noted.
It was more than just fashion and tips on his clothing, he could go to them for other recommendations as well.
"No problem." Yumeko shrugged. "I know the one that we're seeing tomorrow is a horror sci-fi."
"I know! I even have the video game and guess what, they're making a sequel to it, I'm so psyched!" Stars practically shone in Issei's eyes.
"Then let's get you a good outfit for your date." Yumeko told him.
"We're just going to eat after the movie, at least Irina and I are." Issei replied back.
"That kind of makes it sound like a date." Chisato informed him.
"Not really," Issei shrugged. "It's just childhood friends catching up, I mean we only talked one night and we usually are watching anime together."
Irina rolled her eyes so hard the Walkyries nearly winced. They didn't understand Issei's dismissive attitude and made mental notes to pry into what was going on in his head.
"Is it just going to be just you two?" Chisato crossed her arms.
"Yes!" Irina exclaimed, slapping a hand over Issei's mouth before he could say anything and possibly ruin this.
The Walkyries giggled at Irina's reaction and surprisingly, she didn't blush out of embarrassment or at all. The MMA club also laughed and made jokes that the 'wife' was taking over the conversation now.
"Alright then." Chisato smiled knowingly.
"Hey!" Issei pulled Irina's hand away from his mouth, which she gave him a look that the subject was over. Thus Issei moved on to another subject, turning back to Chisato. "By the way, Ayazaki-san, what's your dream or at least what are you working towards? Sorry, if I'm being nosy, I just noticed that you didn't say it."
"Oh, well, I would like to start a business with Freya… I mean Kaname-sama. We all go to Kōryō University and I study business with Kaname-sama and Reo." Chisato answered.
"Oh, and why…" Issei began to question, but Kaname answered, knowing what he was going to ask.
"They were all trained by my grandfather, as you know my style of martial arts is weapon based, they're like branches of me." Kaname told him.
"Got it." Issei nodded.
Kenichi clapped his hands once to get Issei's attention. "Alright, you better get going."
"Wait, what?" Issei blinked.
"Time for you to get a new outfit." Miu smiled.
"That's why I'm missing training!?" Issei exclaimed.
"Duh," Raichi rolled her eyes. "You need to look good for your date, oh, and while waiting, we can do a dance number to make some quick cash, if you know what I mean."
"Then shouldn't we practice?" Issei tried to argue.
"Nah, it's a song that we've done before, you'll be fine." Raichi waved her hand.
"But..." Issei once again tried to argue.
"Take him, girls!" Kaname ordered.
"Hai!" The Walkyries nodded as Reo and Yuriko grabbed Issei's to begin to drag him away.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Issei continued to protest.
Honoka grabbed his sleeve. "Don't worry, aniki! I'll be with you to make sure you look good."
"But don't I look good enough?" Issei looked around.
"You have some boyish charm like Kenichi," Chisato analyzed, turning to Kenichi. "Are you sure you two aren't related?"
"Nope." Kenichi shook his head. "Just keep him away for a couple hours."
Issei tried one last desperate plea. "Wait! Irina and Xenovia need a ride to Shishi‑Oh after club activities!"
"Don't worry. I can handle that." Kisara smiled, giving him a thumbs up.
"Alright…" He sighed in defeat as the Walkyries continued to drag him away. "I'll see you guys later."
"Don't worry about it, at least you'll look good tomorrow." Ukita laughed.
"Yeah. The Walkyries know their stuff." Ikki added.
"I can testify to that," Mizunuma nodded in agreement. "They helped me with my outfit for my date with Hikari."
"Whatever." Issei groaned, then in a burst of energy, he slipped out of the Walkyries' grip, and walked over to Shigure and hugged her gently. "Later, nee‑san."
"Have fun." She stroked his hair softly. "I'm sure you'll… look great… tomorrow."
"I thought my clothes were decent enough." Issei muttered.
"Hmm…" Shigure tilted her head and eyed him down. "They could… be better."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, nee‑san." Issei deadpanned as she blinked, confused, unaware that her teasing didn't match her tone while Tōchūmaru snickered atop her head. "I'll see you later too, Tōchūmaru."
He went over and hugged Renka, who had been relatively quiet throughout the whole ordeal.
"You'll be fine." She assured him.
"I guess." Issei shrugged.
"Chin up and be sure to wow us tomorrow." Renka gave him a wink.
"Yeah, yeah…" Issei rolled his eyes
He hugged the rest of his senpai, bidding them goodbye even Raichi, who was still amused by his predicament.
He was about to leave before he turned back to Irina, who looked like she was already expecting a hug from him. He hugged her without hesitation and her eyes softened, her arms wrapping around him with a familiarity that made the Walkyries exchange knowing looks. He hesitated as he thought about hugging Xenovia, but noted that he didn't know her well enough. So he offered her a handshake, which she accepted with a firm nod.
Then, he took Honoka's hand and walked out of the dojo with the Walkyries following closely behind. They were making sure that he did have second thoughts and considered running away at the last moment.
The moment the door closed behind him and Irina had waved him goodbye, until she turned around and noticed that almost everyone was looking at her.
Her smile froze. "Uh… yes?" The stares were making her nervous and Raichi slithered up to her.
"Now that he's gone, it's time for some wonderful stories about our dear Ise." Ikki said with a mischievous smile.
"W‑well… what do you want to know?" Irina gulped.
Kisara moved to her other side. "You want to talk about that prank that you pulled on him?"
"You mean with the shaving cream and water?" Xenovia said. "Apparently, she has been a troublemaker and according to his mother, Issei has never beaten Irina in a prank war. Even after that, she woke him up with another water balloon, but she changed his sheets."
"X‑Xenovia! You weren't supposed to say any of that!" Irina exclaimed.
"Then I suppose you start talking because the sooner you talk, the more time that we have to train." Xenovia glared at her, she didn't care if Irina was betraying Issei's trust and walked toward the hanging weight bag. "Um, Shiratori‑san?"
"Yes?" Kaoru looked over at her, surprised that Xenovia had proper Japanese etiquette.
"You mind assisting me with my taekwondo, Kisara has been helping me these past couple of days, but I'm sure she's kind of busy right now." She nodded toward Kisara, who was leaning in eagerly to hear Irina's stories about her childhood with Issei.
She could also see that Irina wasn't so pleased, but she wasn't getting assistance from Xenovia and thus knew that if she wanted to train, she had to spit out what she knew.
"I can do that." Kaoru nodded.
"Thank you. But first…" Xenovia whirled on the pointy ear teen that was on his personal device. "Niijima!"
Haruo slightly jumped and looked for who was calling him and could see Xenovia marched toward him. Her roar had also caused those surrounding Irina to stop and turn to see what the issue was.
"Hmm? What do you want from me?" Haruo snorted.
"You infiltrated the Church and gave Issei information he shouldn't have had. Why?" Xenovia accused him.
"That's right! You put him in danger!" Irina was grateful for the distraction and gave her own input.
"Now hang on, don't get mad at me!" Haruo tried to distance himself from Xenovia, he really did find her holy essence revolting.
"They're right, Niijima, supplying Ise with that information is a step to bringing him into the supernatural." Kenichi told him, which made Shinpaku Alliance's Governor General scoff.
"Oh, please, the first step was you lot taking him into your club and the second step was that master of his. At least he doesn't know that you two are carrying Excalibur fragments." Haruo countered, while pointing at the two exorcists.
However, while he prided himself on being right, he was wrong about the second step and that was Elize and Yu-Mi. Unfortunately, neither human group was aware that the other knew of the supernatural. Kenichi felt the need to help someone out and that was just who he was as a person. They never anticipated his connection to Irina and Elize's words about a job is what lead him to Mitsurugi. Now that Mitsurugi asserted himself as Issei's master, it also became his responsibility to speak with Issei about the world.
"That's beside the point!" Kisara yelled at him.
"Yeah, man. What's the deal?" Ikki said.
"Oh, shut up," Haruo adjusted his collar dramatically, not even looking at them as he spoke. "You should know him, Kenichi. He's just like you. You should've known he'd come to me. Just like you did."
"I didn't come to you," Kenichi sighed. "Well… not at first…"
"Look on the bright side. He's not recklessly hunting that psycho." Kaname pointed out.
Which was true, Issei didn't just go out looking for Freed. He stopped and seeked information and began to plan on what he needed to do. He focused his training into being able to beat Freed and using his sparring lessons with Xenovia and Irina for openings.
"That is true." Hibiki nodded and turned to Kenichi, "But what's the plan for handling this situation?"
"Raichi already told us that Kokabiel is looking for reinforcements, but after this…" Kenichi let out a heavy sigh. "I think the jig is up."
"That's right, so how do you want to handle this?" Chiaki asked him.
"It will depend on the reinforcements that Kokabiel gets, if what Xenovia says is true, I'm sure Mitsurugi can handle Kokabiel." Kenichi informed them.
"His aura is similar to Eminence Strada." Xenovia added in.
"Vasco Strada has defeated Kokabiel before, that's what my grandfather has told me." Miu said.
That allowed them to have a sigh of relief, if Mitsurugi was anything like Vasco Strada, then Kokabiel would not be a problem. It would depend on the matter of when Mitsurugi decided to intervene in the situation.
"So that just leaves Freed and Valper." Ikki said.
"No," Raichi shook her head. "Valper can't fight, so it would be a numbers game against Freed, he would likely rely on the abilities of the Excalibur fragments that he possesses, but the guy is too arrogant and will think that he can do it all by himself. If he starts to use the fragments, it will mean that he's desperate and even if he runs away…"
"Ise will be lurking to put him down." Renka added in, "Unless Ise sees the dude's beaten down body to suppress his urge for violence."
"Ise-kun is not a violent person, though." Irina tried to reiterate.
"Not when he's in his soldier mode," Ukita turned to her. "And think about it, you're his childhood friend, has someone tried bullying you, when you were young and Issei didn't fight back?"
Irina opened her mouth and then closed it because she knew the answer. They hadn't been friends when he stood up against those kids that she had pranked. Issei defended her and he tried fighting back, when they picked on him next. Of course, his perversion was tied to his optimism, so Issei didn't really care. So they sat there in muddy clothes, talking with each other about their favorite shows and toys. Issei didn't care for any apologies about how she had gotten him beaten up and they just chose to stick together after that.
"You have a point…" Irina finally said, "We always had each other's backs. That's why we promised it'd be us against the world."
"What a lovely promise between star‑crossed lovers." Hibiki exclaimed in his sing-song voice.
"W‑we're not star‑crossed lovers! Besides if it wasn't for the devils, I wouldn't have had to move and I'd still be with him, course correcting him." Irina rebutted.
"No, you wouldn't." Xenovia snorted and Irina deflated instantly.
She already knew what would happen, the only difference is that she wouldn't have met Irina. It was something that did get to her and it made her grateful that Issei was considerate of what had happened. It kind of worked out in the end, since Irina and Issei were able to reunite with one another.
Haruo cleared his throat, getting their attention and he looked at the exorcists. "If I may ask… what would happen to the boy, since he received such information?"
"Well, the church would look for the leak and possibly consider eliminating him." Xenovia answered.
Her answer made the dojo fall in a tense silence.
"But you haven't reported it to your higher‑ups?" Kenichi asked, expecting them to deal with people from the Church.
"No… not yet. And I couldn't possibly be the one to kill him." Irina clasped her hands in prayer. "This feels like another trial from the Lord. I must choose between the Church's safety… or my childhood friend's."
"Meh." Raichi shrugged. "Just don't say anything. You finish your mission, Ise gets his hands on Freed, and everyone moves on."
"And considering that the church hasn't looked into the leak, I can say that Kyōichi and Tōko handled their exit quite well." Haruo pointed out.
"Those are the ones you had infiltrate the Church?" Xenovia asked.
"Yes. That's all you need to know." Haruo told her.
Xenovia had to admit that he had a point as she only knew what Issei knew because he told her himself. If Issei said nothing, then she wouldn't have been any the wiser and then she realized something. Issei had told her what he knew because he actually trusted her and she knew that he had his walls up. So for him to actually speak with her about this, kind of meant a lot to Xenovia.
Ukita coughed loudly.
"Yes, what is it?" Haruo said, looking at him, quizzically. Ukita simply pointed behind him.
When Haruo turned, he immediately tensed up, freezing. The reason was because Shigure stood there, chain in hand, eyes cold as winter steel. She had been silent throughout the whole ordeal, but now that she knew where Issei got his information, all bets were off for Haruo.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Haruo screamed.
"You gave… information… that could get… my otouto hurt… I can't… let that slide." Shigure stared him down.
"WAIT, NO! HE ASKED! PLEASE! DON'T LET HER TAKE ME!"
Shigure wrapped him in chains with terrifying speed and dragged him away like a captured criminal.
The others except Irina and Xenovia could only sweatdrop as they watched the scene transpire. Raichi decided to play into what she knew about Irina and leaned in to spook her out.
"That's what you have to deal with if you want my bestie." Raichi whispered to her.
Irina gulped so hard it echoed and her thoughts spiraled. 'She's not only beautiful, but she's so scary, how is she Ise-kun's big sister figure? I need her approval if I want to consider being with Ise-kun, I'm screwed!'
Seeing Irina's scared face made Raichi snicker as she knew that Shigure isn't that scary, she's still just socially awkward. The only person that she would ever chain up would be Haruo. There were exceptions, such as Kensei, when he tries to peep on her or dragged Kenichi with him. However, Miu had put a stop to Kensei taking Kenichi with him.
Raichi snickered. 'Don't worry, girl, Shigure's not going to hurt you unless you hurt Ise.'
"I guess with him out, I can't get the information that I want about those two." Xenovia sighed.
"Don't worry about that, I can contact Kyōichi after practice for you, he can tell you all about what he got from the Church and told Ise." Kenichi told her.
"That's fine by me, thank you." Xenovia gave a bow and she returned to training.
"Come on, Irina, let's get you going on your training, too!" Raichi slapped the girl on her back.
"R‑right!" Irina snapped out of her thoughts and followed Raichi.
"Guess we're supervising, Renka." Miu said, looking at her former love rival.
"Yeah, yeah…" She waved it off, though her thoughts drifted and looked back towards Irina. 'I can clearly see that she likes him, but it does make me wonder, what does Ise like in a woman? I know he has nonchalantly spoken about breasts and legs, but there's gotta be something else, I wonder what, though.'
Over where Irina and Raichi were preparing to stretch, Irina got curious about what else her childhood friend had been up to. She already knew that he could sing after she listened to him, when she was supposed to give him a gift from her father. Of course, she remembered Raichi had told Issei before he left and had to ask.
"So Ise‑kun dances?" Irina turned towards Raichi.
"Yep. Helps loosen the hips." Raichi said as she began to spin her hips around as if she had a hula hoop.
"Oh… I see." Irina put her head down.
"Relax," Raichi scoffed. "I'm not going to take your childhood crush. He's your man until you say otherwise, but even then, I still wouldn't go after him. So chill, girl."
Irina turned bright red. "S‑so what kind of dance is it?"
"You'll see tomorrow, now come on, let's up your hand-to-hand combat, can't rely on just your sword." Raichi nodded toward the bracelet on Irina's left bicep, where she had Excalibur Mimic.
Irina nodded and got into the stance that Raichi had been teaching her for the past few days.
'I wonder how Ise‑kun is handling shopping… He's surrounded by a lot of girls… maybe he's happy?' Irina's mind drifted as she took a deep breath.
However, this Issei was a little different from the one she knew in her childhood that spoke about oppai almost every five minutes. Well, he still did, except only in his thoughts or in private.
For Issei, he was in a car with Honoka, Yuriko, Yōko, and Chisato, he was in the backseat with Honoka and Yuriko. They were talking about manga and light novels. He was a little surprised that Honoka was interested, but he wasn't surprised that she liked magic girls like Sailor Moon and remembered seeing the anime.
He thought back to how he'd criticized Irina and Xenovia's battle outfits. 'How did the Sailor Senshi fight in skirts that short… and no armor?' While talking, Issei felt like someone was watching him, but he didn't know how right he was.
Chisato, who was driving, kept glancing at him through the rearview mirror. She had been trying to get a bead on the boy, since she had heard from Kaname that he was a pervert. So far, he was like any boy that she had met, noting how his eyes traced their bodies, but didn't go any further than that. She was already aware that he was dense, painfully so. Otherwise he would have noticed Irina's behavior. However, it made Chisato curious as to why he was in denial about tomorrow not being a date.
"Alright, we're here!" Chisato called out, causing the talking in the back seat to come to a halt.
She parked and the other car that housed the other Walkyries parked next to them. Unbeknownst to Issei, they watched as he helped Honoka get out of the car, whatever frustrations he had about not training was simmered while talking with his surrogate little sister. When he was done, he turned to Chisato and had a bored look on his face.
"It's your show." He said.
The Walkyries were surprised by how he surrendered so easily. They were still anticipating that he would make a run for it. However, from what they saw recently, they didn't think he would abandon Honoka.
"Um…" Chisato raised an eyebrow. "Okay, well, Shizuru, Yuriko, Yōko, and I will take you to the shop that we took Mizunuma to, the rest of you can do some shopping of your own. We'll switch off every half hour."
"And what about Honoka-chan?" He gestured to the middle schooler that was with them.
"Huh? I'm with you, aniki!" Honoka said as if stating the obvious. "So I can approve your outfit for tomorrow, but after the first shift, Yuriko and I are going to go look at some manga."
"Of course you are." He deadpanned.
"Alright, girls! Let's move out!" Chisato instructed her group.
"Hai!" The Walkyries complied before they split off into their respective groups.
The first group guided Issei and Honoka towards a clothing store, which Issei just followed along. Chisato kept an eye on him as she was walking on the other side of him, since Honoka had claimed, or rather Issei was making sure that she remained close to him.
"I'd say he's about the same size as Mizunuma. What do you think, Shizuru?" Yōko said as she looked over Issei.
"Hmm…" The busty blonde stepped forward and lifted one of Issei's arms. "Perhaps. But his arms are more defined, since he does more weapons training than Mizunuma.."
"In addition, we're heading towards the summer, so perhaps a nice polo shirt?" Chisato suggested, looking at her colleagues.
"Yeah, and some pants." Yuriko perked up.
"Why not shorts? You said it yourself, we're heading towards warm weather." Issei looked at them.
Unfortunately, all four Walkyries stared at him with identical deadpan expressions, while Honoka just looked between the two of them.
"Yeah, shorts could work… but they might not look so good." Yōko told him as she undid her white bandana.
"Maybe tapered pants to show off the calves." Chisato began circling Issei, a hand to her chin.
"Mm. I can see why he likes shorts." Shizuru had bent down and squeezed one of his legs, which made Issei jump a little.
"What'd you do to work on them?" Yuriko asked.
"I had to house sit for someone that lives in the temple in town, it has a lot of stairs." Issei answered.
The Walkyries nodded in understanding, but they also knew that Kisara also had something to do with it. After all, her style was based on kicks, thus she had likely had him doing leg workouts and the stairs were a means to maintain the definition of his legs.
"I could never go up those stairs… there's just so many…" Honoka groaned dramatically.
"If you ever want to go up, just let me know. I'll carry you. I could use the weight training." Issei held out a fist.
"Sweet!" She bumped it happily.
'He's going to spoil her.' The Walkyries thought, which could be a good or bad thing, it depended on one's perspective.
"Hey, what's your favorite color?" Yōko asked.
"It's clearly red. Look at his undershirt." Yuriko pulled at said shirt.
"What do you think, Shizuru?" Chisato asked the blonde.
"A darker color would suit him… but this color does suit him, according to what Kaname‑sama said." Shizuru answered.
"What did she say about aniki?" Honoka asked.
Issei raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, what did she say?"
"Well, I can say most came from Ikki, but…" Chisato folded her arms. "That you are quite passionate about what you do. Considering that you are taking your training seriously, but you let your anger take over sometimes, which that violence represents you, whenever you're fighting for your friends."
"Like in the tournament. If I may ask…" Shizuru leaned closer. "What angered you so much then?"
Issei looked away. "I… well…" He sighed. "It was like looking in a mirror, so to speak."
"A mirror?" Yōko re-did her ponytail.
"Look, there's some stuff that I don't want to talk about with Honoka-chan here, so can we let it drop for now?" Issei pleaded with them.
"Hey! You can tell me anything, aniki!" Honoka told him.
"Yeah…" Issei shook his head. "Just not this. Trust me."
Honoka pouted, cheeks puffed.
"Very well." Chisato nodded, respecting his decision. "Wait here and we'll start looking for shirts. We only have twenty minutes."
The Walkyries dispersed into the racks like a coordinated strike team, which surprised Issei by how efficiently they worked.
Issei stood with Honoka, who tugged his shirt.
"What's up, Honoka‑chan?" He turned his attention to her.
"Is this about your perversion? You already told me about that. So what's the harm?" Honoka asked.
"It's part of it, but there's more to it as it also pertains to my former friends and something that was said that I pray will never happen to you at all." He remembered what Matsuda had said to that girl the day after he had gotten beaten up by those boyfriends.
"And what's that?" Honoka continued to pry.
"Only when you're older, then I'll tell you, but for now, just let it go." Issei reaffirmed his position on the matter.
"Fiiine…" She drawled as she pouted again but her curiosity burned bright.
It kind of reminded Issei of himself, of course that was when he was curious about breasts. Now he was just curious about the things that he had missed out, when his perversion was running wild.
Issei sighed. "Alright, how about this… if you really let it go, I'll buy you ice cream."
"Really?" Honoka looked at him in astonishment.
"Yeah." Issei nodded, he figured that he might as well bribe her with sweets.
"And you'll deal with my mom if she gets mad?" Honoka questioned him.
"I'll deal with obasan too." He held out his fist.
"Alright!" She bumped Issei's fist with renewed enthusiasm.
Shizuru returned with her portion of clothes. "Let's get some of these shirts and jeans on and see how you look."
"We should also look at other colors as well." Chisato came back with her own share of clothes for Issei to try on.
"Well, we better hurry up." Yōko returned with her own portion.
"Already on it." Yuriko said as she handed Issei a black shirt and some jeans.
"Huh?" Issei was perplexed by the amount of clothes that they brought.
"Time is going by quickly, so get a move on." Chisato ordered him and grabbed his wrist and dragged him toward the changing rooms.
It was then Issei realized, with dawning horror, why men were not so enthusiastic about shopping for clothes like girls were. He was going to be stuck in this changing room for the next couple of hours. Once the girls decided on an outfit, that was what he was going to go with and be done for the day.
Meanwhile back at the dojo, training continued in full force for the exorcists, things were progressing well. Kisara was making Xenovia work on her reload speed in kicks, just like she did with Issei. Xenovia was kicking the pads on Kisara's hands, while Miu coached her about her stiffness. She was also giving tips on how Xenovia should loosen her hips to improve fluidity in her kicks, which would help with her reload.
Raichi was testing Irina's ankle by making her do jump kicks on the weighted bag. Irina noted how it was similar to Setsuka's training, however, instead of working her arms, it was working her legs. She had her ankles taped as well, for stability purposes. Renka coached her in using her upper body to add more torque into her kicks.
The two exorcists were getting their work cut in and they could feel the burn in their thighs and legs. It made them grateful that tomorrow's "rest day" was a blessing in disguise for them. Of course, they remembered that they still had training with Mitsurugi and Setsuka after this. Eventually, Shigure came over which put a halt to the training.
"Do you need something, Shigure?" Miu asked, seeing the kunoichi approach.
"Yes…" Shigure nodded. "I need… your measurements."
"Our measurements? Don't you already have them?" Renka raised her eyebrow.
"I mean… for them." Shigure looked at Xenovia and Irina, who were resting and massaging their legs.
"For what purpose?" Xenovia questioned, looking guarded.
"It's for some chain mail." Kisara answered, removing the pads from her hands.
"Chain mail?" Irina looked at Raichi to answer.
"Uh huh," Raichi nodded. "You wear it under your battle suits, it helps reduce damage."
"Plus it is flexible," Miu added. "We wear it under our own suits."
"It does help with weak magic attacks as well." Renka explained further. "Normally, we deal with humans, but sometimes, we have to contend with some supernatural beings."
"It may help in your fight, but it depends on when that happens." Kisara told the exorcists.
"Oh, I see, thank you." Xenovia nodded in understanding. 'Armor underneath our suits, yes, that could help.'
"Have you considered altering your battle outfits?" Miu asked, "I mean your outfits tend to show off a good amount of skin, so more weak points."
"Ah, yes, but I haven't really decided on how, considering that they are skintight…" Irina answered.
"You're not wearing any underwear underneath them, are you?" Renka bluntly asked.
"N‑no." Irina replied in a subdued tone as her face turned crimson.
"Do you have any recommendations, then?" Xenovia wanted to know their expertise, since they likely had suits that allowed them to perform their martial arts style without issues.
"Well, we wear full body suits over our chain mail and we have some light armor as well, usually, shin guards and wrist braces." Miu informed them.
"That's usually where the heaviest armor goes, but we also have armor for our chest, thighs, and sides." Kisara added.
"I have some armor for my biceps, but it all depends, since Irina, you would probably prefer more light armor, so your speed isn't altered too badly." Renka gave her suggestion for Irina's possible outfit.
"While Xenovia, you may prefer a little more armor, since you rely more on power. Of course, you need to learn how to distribute your power, otherwise, you get tired easily." Miu told the blue haired exorcist.
"Kind of why we are helping in your training and improving your stamina, which has been getting better these past few days." Kisara explained their training methods.
Xenovia allowed herself a small smile from the praise, knowing that she was getting better for the fight ahead.
"Same with you, Irina, your speed is getting better and better, especially your striking speed." Raichi gave her own praise.
"Thanks," Irina smiled. "I have been working on a style with Ise-kun's boss, she said it would help with my striking speed, so I usually practice my strikes in the morning with Ise-kun and Xenovia."
"What… style is it?" Shigure asked, she was curious what those two would be teaching the girls.
"Ah, it's the Jigen-ryū." Irina answered the kunoichi mistress.
"I see." Shigure nodded approvingly, then turned to Xenovia. "And you?"
"Hmm? Well, I have been sparring with his boss, but he hasn't taught me a style." Xenovia answered begrudgingly. "I am hoping that he would teach me the style that he is teaching Issei, since that is all that I have seen them use, the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū."
"He also… uses the… Kōsaka style." Shigure told her.
"What's that?" Xenovia was curious, wondering if she had seen Issei use any techniques from this other style.
"My style." Shigure answered, which made Xenovia's eyes slightly widen.
"It must be a strong one." Irina was surprised that her childhood friend actually knew two different styles.
"It relies… on being bonded… to your… weapon. He only… knows the… basic move… the Kōsaka… slash." Shigure sighed.
She was aware that Issei was persistent on learning more of Mitsurugi's style, but he always showed interest in her own and she was glad to teach him.
"I see." Xenovia nodded and then remembered something, giving a glance over at Tōchūmaru, who Issei had said was a high class disciple.
"Now… may I get… your measurements?" Shigure held up a measuring tape.
"Oh, sorry. I'll go first." Xenovia winced as she stood up for Shigure to take her measurements.
She started with Xenovia's arms, then worked her way to the bust, down to the waist and her thighs and legs. When she was finished, Tōchūmaru jotted each measurement in a small notebook, once again, surprising the two exorcists about the mouse's intelligence. Irina stepped forward as Xenovia moved out of the way and Shigure repeated the same process.
"Thank you." Shigure gave them a small bow.
"You're welcome." Irina said with a bow of her own and Xenovia followed suit.
"Alright, I think we can take a break, let your legs cool off a bit." Kisara told the two exorcists.
"Thanks." Xenovia let out a sigh of relief.
"Those Walkyries… can they really find an outfit for Ise‑kun?" Irina asked the girls.
"Oh yeah, they're good." Kaname reassured her as she approached with the guys in tow.
"I can attest to that." Mizunuma chuckled.
"They mean well." Hibiki said, giving his own opinion about the group.
"Indeed." Chiaki nodded firmly.
"They also like seeing their work, I could say that it's a good thing that they only had one day in advance." Kaname chuckled.
"Why's that?" Xenovia looked at the older woman.
"They would've gone all out." Ikki laughed, knowing that Issei dodged a bullet somewhat.
"All out?" Irina asked, she was wondering what they could have meant by that.
"Yeah, he'd probably be getting a haircut, a manicure, pedicure, you name it." Ukita told her.
"Oh wow…" Irina was in awe, amazed at how those girls worked and her mind began to go elsewhere.
Raichi giggled. "They're such fanatics about romance."
"Oh, just like Ise‑kun…" Irina smiled and then her eyes widened, knowing that she'd said too much.
"Oh yeah, we still got to hear some of those stories of your childhood." Ikki smiled and so did the others, except Xenovia.
Irina looked around and could see everyone's eyes sparkled with anticipation, except Xenovia, which made Irina sigh. She didn't want to give into peer pressure, but she was essentially trapped. Issei also wasn't here to stop her as well, and she knew that she couldn't keep her mouth shut, when talking about him, Xenovia could attest to that.
'Oh, you're going to hate me for this… sorry, Ise‑kun…' Irina thought before giving out a heavy sigh.
As at the mall, Issei sneezed as a shiver went down his spine, the sneeze was heard by the second group of Walkyries, who turned towards him, but he was in the changing room.
"You alright?" Reo asked.
"No." He grumbled.
"No!? What do you mean no?" Ami couldn't believe his attitude.
"You didn't like the outfit?" Yūki asked, moving some of her shaggy blonde hair out of the way.
Issei shook his head. "It's not that."
"Then what is it?" Yumeko asked.
"Well, I just feel like my friend is talking about me…" Issei answered as he rubbed his forehead.
He stepped out of the changing room so they could inspect the outfit.
"Hmm. The black jeans work." Yumeko gave a nod of approval.
Reo commented, "Yeah, they show off the quads quite nicely."
"Turn around." Ami instructed and Issei obeyed. "Hmm. Not a bad ass."
Issei's face went red and he was grateful he wasn't facing them. 'Oh man… looking back on how I used to talk about girls with Matsuda and Motohama, I can't even be mad. That'd make me a hypocrite. I guess it's a good thing I got my ass into shape before meeting these girls… but now I know how girls feel when guys talk about them.' He sighed. 'I definitely need to do a better job about how I treat women moving forward, but I guess that is why I got big sisters for.'
His thoughts were interrupted by someone tapping him on his shoulder and snapped him out of it.
"Uh… yeah?" He turned to whoever it was.
Reo facepalmed, "You must have been in a daze, did you hear what we said?"
"Um… after the pants?" Issei shook his head. "No. Sorry."
"Well," Reo sighed. "We were saying how the turquoise shirt doesn't suit you, Chisato was right, red is more of your color."
"Oh. My bad." Issei said, which made Reo sweatdrop.
It was so weird how she looked similar to Kisara. Issei was expecting a noogie from her, but that didn't happen.
"Back to the changing room you go." Reo said, while she pushed him back inside and headed off to find more clothes.
Issei sighed, forehead hitting the wall and began to grumble to himself about the situation that he was in and locked the door. "Clothes shopping is the worst… and just what are you telling them, Irina…?"
Said girl had her head down, slumped in her seat as she was in Kisara's car with Xenovia beside her as they were heading towards the shop. Kisara drove, while still chuckling about the stories that she heard from Irina, plus the stories that she heard from Issei's mother. She knew that the rest of the club had a riot, hearing about the prank wars between the two childhood friends, plus the bets that were made. They were slightly surprised about how he spoke about his preference of big breasts back then.
"Man, you two were such troublemakers." Kisara said.
"Yeah…" Irina answered, her voice was small.
"What's her deal?" Kisara asked, glancing at the two through the rearview mirror.
"She believes that Issei will hate her for telling you all those stories." Xenovia answered.
Thanks to the girls along with the two mothers, Xenovia had gotten better at conversing in Japanese. However, she still had trouble with katakana and it did infuriate her a little, since she actually was interested in the Gundam manga and wanted to know the story of the robots.
"No, he won't," Kisara snorted. "Maybe a little mad, but he's not going to hate you."
"I already know he doesn't like me." Xenovia answered.
Even though Issei trusted her with the information of what he knew, how he acted in the morning said otherwise.
"You think so?" Kisara raised an eyebrow as she knew that if that was the case, then Issei would not have asked for them to be friends.
"When we train, he strikes with such ferocity… similar to my spar with Yuuto Kiba, however, he is still in control." Xenovia explained.
"You're overthinking it." Kisara chuckled, "You're making something out of nothing."
"Can you explain?" Xenovia asked, she figured that Kisara would know more about Issei's thinking process.
"He likely sees you as a rival, so he wants to surpass you. I mean right now, he's better at taekwondo than you are. I'm guessing that he has seen you using a blade and it irked him. After all, you're always good until someone better comes along, you two were his 'someone better'." Kisara informed her.
Irina groaned because she didn't want Issei to see her like that.
"I see…" Xenovia said as she processed the information quietly.
"Try not to worry about it, he usually gets like that, when he's training, but he does ponder how he can be better." Kisara sighed. "It's kind of been his goal, trying to be better and reshape his image. While he was doing that, we had our worries about the peerages here wanting to recruit him."
"Why's that?" Irina finally spoke up, a little worried about her childhood friend becoming a devil, then they really would be star crossed lovers if he noticed her feelings.
"Well, he's unlocked his ki, that's kind of beneficial, but I don't think they have anyone that can help him utilize it. We taught him how to fight and they're looking to reap the benefits." Kisara answered her question.
"That's typical of devils." Irina scoffed.
Kisara raised an eyebrow. "Isn't it the same with the Church?"
"I'd like to say that the Church does not really care for power, an example of this would be a student that goes to your school. The former holy maiden, Asia Argento, has the power to heal anyone, but she healed a devil and was excommunicated. We offered to exterminate her, but her comrade would not allow it." Xenovia answered, "But given the circumstances that involved Freed's creation and also the Holy Sword project, the Church was not aware of what Valper was doing until it was too late. So you may be right."
Xenovia's answer made Irina look quizzically at her, trying to understand how they could be the same as the devils.
'Power to heal? Must be her sacred gear, but she has a point, the church could have extracted it and killed her off or found a way to extract it and move on from her.' Kisara thought, 'But it seems that Xenovia is slowly seeing that the Church is no better. We're all doing things and believing it to be for good intentions to justify our greed.'
"Are you okay, Kisara‑san?" Irina asked.
"Yeah, sorry, I was just thinking about what your partner said and you have a point. Anyways, we're here, I'll see you girls tomorrow, yeah?" Kisara turned towards them, after coming to a stop along the street.
"Uh huh." Xenovia clarified, "In the afternoon."
"But not me. You'll see me in the morning." Irina beamed, her positive energy coming back.
"I don't know… Ise might think otherwise after hearing what you told us." Kisara smirked.
"Mou~ don't remind me…" Irina slumped again, pouting as she went back to her depressed state.
Kisara laughed. "Relax, he wouldn't want to see his friend sad and he probably knew that this would happen, since he wasn't there to keep your mouth shut."
Irina groaned louder in response to what she said, but she also knew that she was right.
"Is that why you sent him away today?" Xenovia asked, while stepping out of the car.
"Nope. We just want him to look good. We're his big siblings, after all. Gotta look out for him, ya know?" Kisara laughed. "It's his first date."
"I suppose I can understand that." Xenovia said tentatively.
While she knew that they were competent fighters, she still found them to be rather weird at times.
"Like I said, cheer up, Irina. He won't be too mad at you." Kisara said.
"Yeah, yeah…" Irina rolled her eyes.
"As I said, later girls and don't be afraid to ask Ise to be your masseuse, it will help alleviate the soreness in your legs." Kisara waved as they closed the door and she drove off.
Irina and Xenovia waved back, then turned toward the shop.
"You should probably let him know we arrived at the shop." Xenovia told Irina.
"But… what if he doesn't want to talk to me?" Irina replied back.
"Seriously, Irina." Xenovia deadpanned.
Unless the other members had texted Issei about what they learned, then there wouldn't be any issues. Issei was rarely ever going to get mad at Irina and Xenovia knew that, so there wasn't really anything for Irina to worry about.
"Okay…" Irina sighed as she pulled out her phone and messaged Issei.
"Besides, he couldn't be as mad with you as he is with me." Xenovia told her.
"But Kisara‑san said it's because he sees you as a rival." Irina reasoned.
"Maybe. But he's not as close to me as he is to you." Xenovia countered.
"He told you that he wanted to be friends, so it can't be that bad, I'm the one that exposed his secrets…" Irina sighed as they entered the shop.
A familiar voice greeted them. "Exposed whose secrets?" They turned to see Setsuka going through her catalog without looking at them.
"Irina fell under peer pressure and told the stories that she knew of Issei to his club members, such as how he watched romance movies to be able woo girls and secure a harem, who his favorite Kamen Rider is, how he talked about big breasts, when they were young, his interest in sci-fi, and so forth." Xenovia answered.
"X‑Xenovia!" Irina panicked because her partner never knew how to "read the room".
"Well, it's nothing that I haven't heard before." Setsuka shrugged, continued to browse at her kimono designs to see which one she could make.
"Huh?" Irina looked over at her new master.
"You forget that in the store, he talks with me the most, when he's not training." Setsuka looked up at the girls. "I am also aware of how his grandfather spoke of harems to both of you, when you were young, but like Ise, he didn't know you were a girl, hence why he spoke about them in front of you as well."
"Oh…" Irina felt dumbfounded as she realized that was true.
"See? Nothing to worry about. Now let's train for our impending battle." Xenovia said, wincing as she began to walk towards the back room.
"I guess…" Irina sighed, knowing that Xenovia was right.
"You don't have anything to worry about, Irina. Just tell him what you said and I'm sure that he will still care about you." Setsuka reassured the girl. "He's not going to hold a grudge over you about it. If he held grudges, don't you think that he would hold one against his own mother for when she brings out that album of his?"
"You know about that too?" Irina was surprised, since Setsuka had never been to the Hyoudou residence.
"I told you, he tells me things as well. By the way, why wasn't he with you?" Setsuka asked, seeing the brunette not with them.
"Something about getting him an outfit for his date with Irina tomorrow." Xenovia answered as she continued to make her way and Irina blushed instantly.
"Hmm, gotta dress to impress," Setsuka nodded, seeing that Issei was taking this a little more seriously. "And on the bright side, it is payday for him as well. Oh! I also have your battle outfit all stitched up as well, Irina."
"Really? Thank you." Irina was grateful to have her exorcist suit fixed, but then she frowned.
"Is something the matter?" Setsuka asked, seeing Irina was thinking about something.
"Hmm," Irina looked up. "Oh yeah, I was wondering if I could alter my outfit, after the battle, of course."
"You want to change it?" Xenovia stopped her trek to look at Irina.
"Well, yeah, you heard what the girls said, it doesn't cover much, so there are many weak points. I can see what Ise-kun was talking about with them not being such good battle outfits." Irina explained.
'Oh, Heishirou has definitely influenced that boy. I know Ise had to have leered at them first before he snapped out of it.' Setsuka chuckled inwardly before asking. "So, what are you thinking?"
"Well, from the recommendations, I would like it to be a full body suit, but I don't know where I can get the armor from. We were told that we would be given some chain mail, whenever that gets ready." Irina explained.
"Ah, so your outfit would have to be bigger and not as skintight, so you can wear it underneath it, correct?" Setsuka deduced, 'They couldn't wear anything underneath their current outfits, which actually limited them. Frankly, they might as well be fighting naked.'
"That's right." Irina nodded.
"Well, I would say that a sleeveless bodysuit would suit you, similar to a former opponent of ours, her name was Taki." Setsuka said as she eyed up Irina with a calculated gaze.
"Taki?" Irina wondered about the name.
"That's correct," Setsuka answered back.
"What was she like?" Xenovia asked, curious about an opponent that took on Setsuka and also Mitsurugi.
"Well, she's a ninja, I wonder what she's doing now." Setsuka pondered out loud.
"What about armor?" Xenovia asked.
"Well, I know Taki didn't armor her chest, I know Ise would have ogled her chest or had a nosebleed," Setsuka chuckled. "But still had armor around the ribcage, which framed her chest, her arms and legs."
"I'd like armor to keep my chest from moving around." Irina said as she was self conscious about it, when she was in fights.
"I never really cared much… Ah!" Xenovia winced as she felt something on her torso.
A thwack had echoed as Setsuka jabbed a shinai into Xenovia's chest.
"You should care," Setsuka warned her. "A strike to your torso can be fatal, you could be struck in one of your lungs or worse, your heart and be dead." She moved the shinai away, but she knew that Xenovia understood her point.
Xenovia swallowed hard. "Duly noted." She nodded, but her heart was racing a little, knowing that if that was a real weapon, it would have been her death.
"Come on. Let's head to the back and finish off the day strong." Setsuka said, placing the shinai on her shoulder.
They followed the woman to the training garden, where Mitsurugi meditated in silence.
"Our students are here. But you already knew that." Setsuka informed her husband.
"Our students? I don't sense the boy. So what do you mean 'our' students?" Mitsurugi responded, never opening his eyes.
"Oh? You're going to be like that?" Setsuka teased.
"Be like what?" Mitsurugi's gruff voice retorted to his wife's teasing.
"Are you going to continue playing hard to get? I'm sure that Xenovia proved her worth." Setsuka stated, gesturing over to the girl.
Mitsurugi answered back, "She did. Both of them. Their presence elevated Issei."
"Excuse me?" Xenovia stepped forward.
"I used you, Xenovia, you were a means for Issei to succeed," Mitsurugi explained. "He's honing his ki and while you are a better swordsman than he is, he is better at harnessing his ki, while you have yet to unlock yours."
Setsuka winced internally. 'But they are close to it… wait a minute, oh my, you have done it again, dear.' She was noticing the anger bubbling in Xenovia and beginning to display on her face. 'She certainly is a dou-type fighter, based on their personalities. Irina may be a sei type fighter like myself. Students tend to follow the paths of their masters.'
"Xenovia…" Irina tried to calm her partner down.
Xenovia's anger ignited. "So you just used me, so he could get better!? Were you ever going to train me!?"
"I sparred with you, didn't I?" Mitsurugi waved her off.
"That was so you could train me, I wanted to learn your style! So I could be capable of fighting Freed and Kokabiel and completing our mission!" Xenovia's voice slightly cracked.
"Oh?" Mitsurugi stood, eyes still closed, and tossed her a bokken, which she caught. "So what are you going to do about it?"
"RRRAAGH!" Xenovia roared, the adrenaline caused her to forget about the soreness in her body.
She charged, fury exploding like a storm. She couldn't believe that she was being used to better someone else. Blinded by her anger, she didn't realize the irony as the Church was using her as its weapon as well.
"X‑Xenovia!" Irina moved to rush forward, but Setsuka caught her wrist gently.
"Let her be." Setsuka held Irina back as Xenovia's bokken clashed violently against Mitsurugi's.
"But…!" Irina tried to argue, but stopped from her new master's gaze.
"Trust me." Setsuka told her.
Irina hesitated. "How can I? Were you using me too?"
"No." Setsuka shook her head. "But I use different methods, unlike my husband."
Irina blinked. "Methods?"
"In a sense, what he said is true, you and Xenovia are better in wielding swords than Issei, but his ki is triggered from that anger." Setsuka explained. "In order for him to win against Freed, he needs to draw out that ki. His jealousy of you two brings that out because of his inferiority complex, so he pushes himself to surpass you two. Once he does that, he will continue to push himself to surpass others."
Irina's eyes widened. "That explains that look in his eyes… I always wondered…" She placed a hand to her chin. 'I'll have to ask him about it tomorrow…'
"Now, as you can see, my husband believes your partner is the same as Ise." Setsuka said.
"Same how?" Irina wondered about the similarities between her childhood friend and partner.
"Finding ways to unlock your ki." Setsuka answered. "Thanks to your church training, it has been cultivated with you as it has with most humans, but many of them continue on a path that strays from unlocking it. We hope that it could give you an edge in your fight. He believes that Xenovia is a dou-type fighter like Ise, thus…"
"She is driven by her emotions to get stronger." Irina finished.
"Ah, so they did teach you something after all, huh." Setsuka chuckled.
"So what about me?" Irina wondered, she had talked about unlocking their ki with Xenovia and this was her chance to do so.
"I feel that you are a sei type like myself," Setsuka crossed her arms. "But unlike your partner, your sensory ability is lacking."
"How so?" Irina raised an eyebrow, wondering what she meant.
"Xenovia could detect different types of energy. I know you have the talent, but you just don't choose to use it." Setsuka stared down her student. "I'm going to heighten those senses of yours, it may help you against Freed."
"I'd be able to detect enemies?" Irina said in surprise.
"Yes," Setsuka nodded. "But you'll do more than just that, by sensing their ki, you could be able to possibly know where and when they could attack."
"Really!?" Irina was shocked about the potential of ki.
"Of course, but first you need to meditate and look within yourself." Setsuka tapped Irina in her sternum.
"Okay!" Irina was energized about unlocking her ki.
"Follow me. While those two…" Setsuka began to say, until she heard a familiar technique's name.
"Ryūtsuisen!" Xenovia cried out, she leapt high, swinging her bokken down toward Mitsurugi's head.
Mitsurugi blocked it effortlessly and laughed. "Haha! So you've been watching Ise and I."
"That's right! I had been watching you two spar, so I could mimic the move. I got the idea, when he admitted to watching me practice one morning, so I decided to try it myself!" Xenovia gritted her teeth, trying to use her strength to push on his bokken.
"Too bad. Your form is still sloppy." Mitsurugi smirked.
He knocked her bokken aside and, while she was still airborne, grabbed her by the throat and slammed her into the ground.
"Agh!" Xenovia grunted in pain.
However, Mitsurugi wasn't done as he lifted her up again by her throat and slammed her into the ground another two times. She groaned in pain, vision blurring and then her eyes widened as she saw Mitsurugi preparing to stomp her head.
She gasped and rolled out of the way as his foot smashed into the ground leaving an imprint into the ground.
"Grr…" Mitsurugi growled as he pulled his foot free.
"You could've killed me!" Xenovia looking between the imprint and his face.
"Ah, but you rolled out of the way, so I didn't." Mitsurugi responded back in a nonchalant manner.
"THIS is how you train Issei!?" Xenovia called out, she already knew the answer as she had seen him try to stab Issei in the head a couple of days ago and the days after.
"Oh no, you've seen how I trained him in the past few days, I use my ki because he uses his. With you, I don't use it at all because I cannot use it against someone who hasn't unlocked theirs." Mitsurugi replied back.
"Where did you get such training practices?" Xenovia questioned.
"Hahaha! Have you heard about how the Greek trained their armies?" Mitsurugi's eyes gleamed with that lust for battle, remembering his time there.
"The Greeks?" Xenovia wondered out loud.
"I thought you would know something about that, being from Italy and all. Did you know that the Syracusan Greeks had Italian mercenaries from whom they learned the art of war?" Mitsurugi began to circle her.
"Italian mercenaries…?" Xenovia wondered where he was going with this.
"I know, quite surprising as the Romans copied the ancient Greek military model." Mitsurugi informed her. "You'd be amazed how the training of the samurai is similar to that of Greek warriors. I train him that way because of his name, do you know what it means?"
"No?" Xenovia shook her head, she didn't consider learning Issei's name.
"His name means 'honest soldier', so I train him like a soldier. Of course, I do limit myself because he is not my child. I don't need lawsuits from his family, but I only go as far as he wants me to go. He wants to become stronger, I will make him stronger. He wants to become faster, then I shall assist him in that regard. He wished to learn my style so that he may progress as a warrior for his friends, so I granted it." Mitsurugi pointed his bokken at her. "You only want it for one battle and then what? You'll be done with it and move on, however there is a difference between you two. He is a soldier that has ambitions that he hopes to achieve, you are also a warrior like your namesake, but you… have nothing, you're just a drone."
It made Xenovia gasp as she heard what Mitsurugi thought of her, his words hit harder than any strike. She hated to admit it but she could see that he was right. She only wanted to help herself for her mission, but she had no purpose beyond the mission. She was just doing what she felt was right for the church and moving on to the next task that they gave her. She then remembered something that Mitsurugi said.
"What… do you mean by my name?" Xenovia asked.
"Well, aren't you named after the warrior-queen from Palmyra, Queen Zenobia? Of course the name is misspelled." Mitsurugi shrugged.
"I… I don't know and I can't ask my real parents either, I was adopted and where is Palmyra?" Xenovia asked him.
Mitsurugi answered, "It's the country now called Syria."
"How do you know so much about this?" Xenovia looked up at him.
"Because it was my dream to become the strongest, I traveled the world seeking warriors from many countries to fight. Sometimes, I had the luxury of facing a supernatural being." Mitsurugi stared at her with his intense gaze.
"I see…" Xenovia tried to process what he said. "And Issei?"
"I passed that dream onto him, but it is up to him on how to utilize it." Mitsurugi began to circle her again.
"How does one… utilize a dream?" Xenovia questioned.
"You work for it," Mitsurugi took a seat in front of her. "Did you know that he wanted to be harem king as a means to honor his grandfather?"
"Yes," Xenovia nodded. "Irina has told me about that, he hasn't."
"Well, I will tell you that he wasn't utilizing the dream, he wasn't working for it." Mitsurugi answered and then he asked. "How can a dream come true if you don't work for it?"
"Really…?" Xenovia winced as she adjusted her posture, since her back was aching.
"Yes." Mitsurugi stabbed the bokken back into the ground. "Now, we should do what your friend is doing." He pointed toward Irina and Setsuka, meditating.
"What are they doing?" Xenovia asked.
"They're meditating, possibly to help your friend unlock her ki." Mitsurugi told her.
"And what of my own?" Xenovia remembered her and Irina talking about this.
"That's why I angered you earlier." He said.
"So you didn't use me?" She had a sliver of hope that was the case, she wasn't being used and he was just testing her.
"No, I did," He answered, dashing her hope. "For his sake, and I wanted you to take that anger on me and hopefully unlock your own. I figured that it would help, but you don't have your own purpose."
"But I…" She tried to understand.
"I don't mean what the Church wants, I mean what you want," He pointed at her. "The same goes for your partner. Now, close your eyes and focus on yourself, there will be no physical training for the moment. It will help your body rest up a little." He gestured for her to sit properly.
"Did you have Issei do this?" She asked as she got into position.
Mitsurugi laughed. "My wife has told me to take it easy on him, so he can enjoy his youth. However, he is driven by his training. I am not opposed to training him if he asks for it."
"I see…" She closed her eyes.
A similar conversation had already happened with Setsuka and Irina, thus the two exorcists were now meditating. Looking within themselves about what they wanted for themselves. Something than just their mission, something that was away from the orders of the Church. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on the perspective, for Irina, it came easier. For Xenovia, it was like trying to grasp smoke.
Consecutively, while the exorcists arrived at Shishi-Oh, Issei was exhausted, but he exited the store with a bag containing his new outfit. The result of nearly two hours of being shoved in and out of changing rooms. He was now with Chisato's group, who had Reo's group stay for another consecutive 30 minutes with Issei. He never knew that trying on so much clothes could be tough work. He had a newfound respect for women who said they had "nothing to wear", since they had so many choices. It still made him thankful that he was born a guy, so he could take things in life with a little more simplicity.
"Hey, aniki, can we get that ice cream?" Honoka asked.
"Huh?" Issei blinked. "Oh yeah, sure, now let's see, we need to find a place that isn't going to close soon."
"There should be an ice cream parlor at the food court, we'll head there to grab something to eat and then we'll drop you at your work." Chisato said, hearing the conversation between the surrogate siblings.
"Lead the way." Issei said with Honoka dragging him along, which did separate him from the Walkyries.
Something that Issei was fine with as he didn't want someone from his class to notice him walking with a bunch of unknown girls. The last thing he wanted was being accused of paying for escorts because he was a pervert. These girls didn't need that slander because they were helping him out, although he knew that they only did it because Kaname told them to.
"Is something the matter?" Chisato asked him.
"Huh?" Issei turned to see the older girl was right next to him.
"You have this look on your face." Chisato observed him.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to look at you pervertedly." Issei said, looking away.
"No, it wasn't a perverted look," Chisato shook her head. "You seemed… saddened about something."
The others turned toward him.
"It's not because of me, is it, aniki?" Honoka asked, feeling like it was her fault.
"Nah, it's not because of you, Honoka-chan. If anything, I'm glad that I could spend some time with you." Issei smiled at her. "Did you get what you wanted?"
He was genuine about his response because he never had a sibling growing up, so he was happy to spend time with someone that saw him as a sibling.
"Oh yeah," Honoka brightened up. "Yuriko-san helped me pick out the manga that I wanted, I only got a couple of volumes, I don't want to spend all of my allowance."
"Well, there's a spot near my work, we can head there sometime and check out the prices there, it may be cheaper." Issei told her.
"Okay!" Honoka nodded in agreement.
The other half of the Walkyries caught up to them.
"Hey, guys!" Reo greeted them
"You finished with selecting the outfit?" Yūki asked them.
"That's right," Shizuru nodded. "We went with your selection on the pants, the black does well with the red."
"Nice!" Yumeko gave a thumbs up.
"We thought about going with a gray shirt with red trim, but we did not want to make him look gloomy." Yuriko said.
"Gray also doesn't do well with his tan, which is surprising to see on a Japanese person who has a tan." Ami added, quite surprised that Issei had a natural tan.
"Well, I was usually outside when I was child, so I guess that played a factor into it." Issei explained, "However, as I got older, I kind of became a bit of a shut-in otaku, albeit a perverted one, but still an otaku."
"We've heard." Yūki giggled.
Ami chuckled, "Uh‑huh."
"Kaname‑sama told us about you." Reo shrugged.
"I'm guessing because of what Ikki-senpai has told her." Issei deduced.
"Most likely." Yōko readjusted her headband.
"She told me mostly and I told them," Chisato explained, "But you haven't answered my question and also why are you distant from us?"
Issei exhaled. "Well, I only know that you're willing to help me because Kaname-senpai told you to and I'm distant because of my reputation at school, come on, Honoka-chan, let's get you some ice cream." He walked off with Honoka, seeing that they reached the food court.
Honoka gave them an apologetic look, but followed Issei as the surrogate siblings walked towards the ice cream parlor. The Walkyries looked at each other as they didn't understand what he meant.
"What did he mean by that?" Reo asked as she looked at her teammates.
"He seemed down about it." Shizuru pointed out.
"No worries. I'll get him to talk." Chisato glared into the back of Issei's head.
"You're not going to threaten him, are you?" Yōko raised an eyebrow, looking at their second-in-command, since Kaname was not around.
"Yeah, that might be overboard." Ami also looked quizzically at Chisato.
"What? No," Chisato answered. "Or did you forget that we trained Mizunuma as well? I'll sit him down and talk. Surely, he would have to talk with a girl in an intimate setting."
"You have a point there, well, let's get some food," Yūki rubbed her stomach. "But some of us should stay with our stuff."
"Yeah, I'd hate to lose this bikini, if someone stole it." Yumeko looked into her bag.
"Then let's split up, half and half, just like we did with the outfit selection, plus Issei and Honoka-chan can find us." Yuriko suggested.
"I see some tables open, let's grab them." Reo pointed at an area of tables.
The Walkyries moved like a coordinated squad because they were with Reo leading the way toward a cluster of open tables, waving the others over. The rest followed her and then split up with Reo, Yumeko, Shizuru, and Ami staying behind, while others went to get their food and drinks. A few minutes later, they saw Honoka with her sundae and Issei walking from the parlor, they called out to them.
"Hey, Issei! Honoka! Over here!" Ami called out.
Issei flinched as he looked around the food court to see if he knew anyone from school. As he noted, just him hanging out with a girl would make anyone from his school question the girl's sanity and spark rumors. With a group of girls, he knows that they would think they were his "harem" and badmouth him about paying girls. That was social suicide, no thanks to rumors spread by his former friends. He didn't want someone to get slandered because of him. However, he couldn't do much as Honoka was already waving cheerfully and heading toward the Walkyries.
Issei sighed and followed after the middle schooler, since he felt obligated to watch over Honoka, while he was here. He sat down at the table, automatically shifting into "guard mode" as the others left to get their meals. Honoka happily dug into her sundae, a mountain of whipped cream, chocolate drizzle, and enough sugar to power a small city.
Issei stared at it. 'I didn't know she had that much of a sweet tooth…'
It made him think about the cheesecake that was at home for him. He was in his thoughts, that he never noticed Chisato sit across from him, until she cleared her throat.
"Ahem." Chisato said.
"Huh, oh. Sorry." Issei blushed as he never had a girl sit like this before with him.
Of course, that didn't include when either Irina or Xenovia sat across from him at the dinner table.
"You didn't get anything?" Chisato pointed out.
"I don't usually eat until after I train." Issei answered and looked away, which Chisato picked up on.
"I see…" Chisato took a sip of her drink. "So tell me, why were you so distant with us, is it because of your Perverted Beast reputation?"
Issei stiffened. "I… er…"
"Don't try to lie to me." She said, putting him on the spot.
"I wouldn't, it wouldn't do me any good if I did," Issei shrugged. "It goes against who I am."
"So I was right." She answered back.
Issei exhaled slowly. "Yeah, I mean as I said you girls are only here because Kaname-senpai told you to. If I had requested your assistance myself, I doubt that you would help because of what you know about me. Frankly, any girl would keep their distance from me. I bet you even thought that I may consider peeping on you, which yeah, it did cross my mind, but it would ruin my path of redeeming myself if I had a relapse of my perversion."
A few Walkyries instinctively straightened their posture at his statement of peeping because he was right. It was partially part of the reason why they kept him in the changing room for so long, at least for some of them.
Chisato sighed. "I guess you are right about that, we may have declined, but you did follow our instructions without complaint. And I appreciate the honesty about you wanting to peep, but it's not a good look."
"I know and I wouldn't be doing me any favors if I did." Issei told her.
"Because you know it's wrong?" Chisato questioned.
"Well, that and also I wouldn't be setting a good example for Honoka-chan either." Issei pointed out.
"Huh?" Honoka paused from eating her sundae, when her name was called.
"Just keep eating your ice cream." Issei told her as he patted her head.
Honoka shrugged and returned to her sundae, figuring that it was another thing that she should just let go for the time being.
"Care to explain what you mean by that?" Chisato asked, now that she could retain Issei's focus with Honoka distracted.
"Well, I'd want the next generation to be better than mine, so by doing perverted things in front of them wouldn't be a good look. It's something that I'm learning the hard way." Issei answered as he thought back to the bell that he heard in the park, when he was helping Xenovia and Irina get to where he was attacked by Freed.
Chisato took a bite of her food and sipped her drink, studying him. "Is that so?"
"Yeah." Issei leaned back and looked up.
She leaned forward slightly, shifting into a more evaluative tone, the same tone someone would use when assessing new recruits.
"Well, then tell me more about yourself." Chisato asked.
She was seeing how he could talk to girls, it was the same with the rest of them as they wondered how he would perform.
"Uh…" Issei cleared his throat. "What do you want to know?"
'Hmm, from what Kaname-sama has said, along with Ikki, he was loud and boisterous about being harem king, but with a girl, he seems nervous, so he still has some innocence about him, let's see.' Chisato thought for a moment. "Well, what about your dreams?"
"Uh, well… I want to become strong for my friends and um… previously, it was to be harem king, but that was more of my grandfather's dream passed down to me." Issei answered.
"Both seem a little selfish, if you ask me." Chisato noted.
"Really?" Issei blinked.
"The harem king dream, you would be selfish about women, and becoming strong is admirable, but you would be selfish in wanting power for yourself." Chisato explained.
"That's not true! It'd be for my friends, so they can achieve their dreams." Issei tried to reason.
"That's a little more selfless," Chisato nodded. "So your dream is seeing others achieve their own dream?"
"I guess." Issei shrugged.
'Could have answered that with a little more confidence.' Chisato thought before she responded, "What if someone wants to be harem king then?"
"If they're my friend, I'd help them, I can only hope that they don't go after my potential girlfriend." Issei answered.
"I mean if she's pretty, some guys don't have morals and go after married women and girls in relationships." Chisato continued on with her questioning, she had done her research on genres, further looking what Issei may be into.
"Yeah, I've seen NTR stuff, it made me cringe on how people could act like that, even when I peeped," Issei shook his head on his past self and remembered Yu-Mi's words because it was not where he was going. "I wouldn't want to do so on another man's woman, speaking of which, are any of you in a relationship?" Issei looked at the rest of the Walkyries. "I did note that I was tempted to want to peep at you, but doing so without knowing your relationship status wouldn't have done me any good. Like you said earlier, even if you are still single, it's still wrong."
Chisato seemed to accept the answer. "I'm glad that you understand that, but what else about yourself?"
Issei scratched the back of his head. "I'm not sure what else I should tell you, I mean Kaname-senpai has already spoken to you about me."
"Ugh, okay," Chisato straightened herself up. "Think of it like this, Issei, you're on a date with me and I don't know about you, just like you don't know about me. Our previous interactions are not relevant, we know nothing of each other. You asked me out and I accepted because I thought you were cute."
Issei raised an eyebrow. 'Typical superficial chick.'
Chisato noticed the frown and mental note to not mention looks, so she decided to rephrase her statement. "Ah, sorry, it's just that you interested me, you intrigued me, so I figured that I should get to know you."
"I see," Issei nodded. "Well, since I interest you, it means that you know about me, but I don't know anything about you. So let's not make it about me, that's also pretty selfish."
'Well played, he spun it back on me. It's good to let the girl speak and not always talk about yourself.' Chisato nodded, she was not aware that Issei had a little coaching from Elize and Yu-Mi, prior to this. "Well, I like to train, but when I'm not training with my tonfas, I do enjoy playing tennis."
Issei leaned forward as well. "Oh, well, I like to train, too, but that is because of my dream, honestly, I like Dragon Ball as well. Goku's my favorite character and he's always training, wanting to get better and prove himself. I strayed from that path, but I want to do the same and better myself, too. I mean I'm no Saiyan, but I will keep working to be where I want to be. What about you? Why do you train?"
'This is good, I'll play along.' Chisato cleared her throat. "Well, I want to do Kaname-sama proud, she and her grandfather brought me in and helped train me. So I guess you and I have some similarities with us in that regard."
Issei nodded, taking mental notes about what she said. "I guess so."
'Now, I need to turn it back on him.' Chisato responded back, "So other than training, what else do you like?"
Honoka suddenly chimed in, "Oh, he does sculpting and building up his action figures." Her answer made the other Walkyries giggle, "What?"
Yuriko answered her, "Honoka, you're not supposed to answer, it's a simulated date."
Honoka looked confused, "Sima-what now?"
Shizuru giggled, "A simulated date, it's a date, but not really a date, Chisato is playing the role of Issei's potential date. It's why she said that their previous meeting is irrelevant, so they must not know a thing about the other. The conversation is just between the two of them, and we will provide feedback for Issei for his date tomorrow."
Honoka turned towards Issei. "But it's not a date, right, aniki?"
"That's what I keep telling people but…" Issei tried saying, until he heard Chisato cut him off.
"Oh, Michael and Kami, you can be so dense." Chisato facepalmed.
"What?" Issei was confused as to how she didn't know his name or believed she misspoke.
Yūki laughed. "You really don't get girls, do you, Issei?"
"Not really, other than they want a good looking guy." Issei answered, noting how the girls in his school flaunted over Takeshi and Yuuto for their looks.
"True, but looks aren't everything." Reo pointed out, similar to Kisara, she was self conscious about her chest and noting how more guys preferred bustier women like Shizuru.
Yumeko added, "But they are a bonus."
"Well, I mean you're all pretty, so I'm sure that you can get a guy here." Issei shrugged.
He looked away to check the area, not noticing that they all slightly blushed at the compliment.
Ami interjected, "Um, thanks, but as we said, looks aren't everything, do you remember what I said about myself back in the dojo?"
Issei turned back to look at her, "Uh, yeah?"
"Alright, well, then what kind of guy do you think I would be interested in?" Ami asked him.
Issei thought for a moment, trying to piece what she had said before answering, "Hmm, let's see, well, despite you wanting to be a politician's secretary, you like taking pictures, so I guess you may be interested in a guy that's in the photography club?"
"That's correct," Ami nodded. "But come on, you gotta speak with more confidence."
Yōko entered the conversation, "Nice! What about me?"
"Um, well," Issei processed what he learned about her from the dojo and Ami's critique. "You said how you want to be able to lead your family's business, so maybe there's someone that may pique your interest in one of your business classes, I guess."
Shizuru giggled, "So you have been listening, that's good, some girls like a man that can listen."
Something about Shizuru reminded Issei of Akeno, but Shizuru does less teasing from what he could gather.
"Don't be a "yes" man, you should be able to assert your own opinion as well." Yumeko informed him.
"Got it." Issei nodded at that information.
"And no relationship is perfect either, so when she says assert your own opinion, speak your mind. Don't let the girl walk all over you." Yuriko said.
"That's probably why my perversion is a weakness." Issei noted as he put a hand to chin.
"Oh, you would be correct, a woman can use her body to get a man to do what she wants." Chisato nodded. "It's not just you, there are other guys that are out there, who would fall for that and be used for the woman's leisure. She's not doing it because she loves the guy or girl, she does it to have control."
"So… playing with their feelings?" Issei asked.
"That's right." Yumeko nodded.
"Have any of you ever used your looks to get something from someone?" Issei looked around at each of the Walkyrie members.
"No. Why would you think that?" Yōko raised an eyebrow at the question.
"He called us pretty, remember?" Reo reminded her teammate.
"Ah. Right." Yōko nodded in understanding.
"No, but I can see why you would think that," Chisato sighed. "Again, thank you for the compliment. It would make us feel a little hypocritical if we were to use it and tell you about it, I mean we could have just used it on you and made you pay for our bikinis."
"Don't you dare manipulate my aniki, hussy!" Honoka cried out as she waved her spoon like a tiny warrior.
"Honoka!" Issei winced as he glanced around, mortified on getting unwanted attention
The Walkyries burst into laughter as they'd seen similar reactions from Honoka whenever someone tried flirting with Kenichi.
"No worries, I won't," Chisato raised her hands in surrender. "It would also be going against Kaname-sama's orders, if I did such a thing."
"Right. Actually… Can I ask something?" Issei turned to her.
Chisato nodded, "Sure, what is it?"
"Well, actually," Issei placed his hands on the table. "It's a couple of things, but this beach trip, what's it like?"
"Ah, that, well, it's usually for us teens to go relax, I'm not sure if you know this but Miu's father is quite rich." Chisato explained to him. "He has a private jet, which is what we take for our beach trips. It's usually a different country each time, but thanks to touring for different martial arts tournaments, you get to sometimes see the sights. If we like the place, we usually make a note about visiting there. From what I know, Kaname-sama said that you asked for her surfboarding lessons, correct?"
"That's right, I'm trying to pick up different things, I mean there's so much to the world than just…" Issei stopped himself before he turned and covered Honoka's ears.
"Hey!" She called out, but it was muffled.
"As I was saying… there's more to the world than big breasts." Issei answered.
"Really? That's your preference?" Reo glared as she sounded mildly offended, since she was the smallest‑chested among them.
"Well… it was. But that's not why I liked Renka‑senpai." Issei told her.
"Whoa, you liked Renka? Damn." Yōko said with mild surprise.
She thought that he would like Miu like all of the other guys before him. Of course, given his explanation earlier and knowing that she was with Kenichi, he wouldn't go for her.
"Yeah," Issei let out a heavy sigh with a nod. "But she likes Kenichi-senpai, but I just felt like I could gel with her. Considering that she's the one that trained me and I could talk to her about things."
"What about your childhood friend?" Yūki asked him.
"Irina? Yeah, I could talk to her about anything, I mean she was my first friend and best friend. However, my role to her has been replaced by Xenovia, I just hope that she can keep her in check. Irina is quite energetic, her smile is contagious and despite her pranks on me," Issei smiled, just thinking of the smile that he got to see when he was young and was grateful that it was till there after all these years. "It's just tough to stay mad at her. Hell, now that I'm not there, she's probably blabbering the things she knows about me, which you will probably hear about."
"Such as what?" Yumeko leaned forward, curious. "I mean if we're going to hear about it, we might as well hear it from the source. I know we're strangers to you, but hopefully, we can be friends, but just to warn you, we will laugh at you every time you wipe out if you roll with us for the beach trip."
"Yep!" Yuriko nodded in agreement, her bowl cut slightly bobbed. "We'll rib you hard. So try not to wipe out too much."
"I'll do my best." Issei told her, then he checked the time. "Shoot! We need to get Honoka-chan home."
Shizuru checked her phone. "It's that time already?"
"Yeah." Issei said.
"We can take Honoka and then…" Yumeko began to offer, but Issei stopped her.
"Sorry, but I would feel much safer if I accompanied Honoka-chan home, I'm messaging my boss that I will be a little late." Issei looked at the orange haired girl, before turning back to his phone and quickly typed Setsuka a message. "I don't really know you all well enough to trust Honoka's safety to you."
"That's fine, but could you quickly tell us what you feel like your childhood friend might say?" Chisato asked him.
Issei sighed. "Sure, she would likely tell you how I'm into chick flicks, you know cheesy romance stuff, I watched that stuff because I wanted to be able to talk to girls and secure a harem." He rubbed his neck. "Based on this simulation, I'm not so sure that I would ever get one, plus I never worked for it anyways. I just declared that I would be harem king, but didn't put in the work to achieve it, I just assumed that it would fall into my lap."
The Walkyries exchanged looks between each other, some amused, some sympathetic.
Issei continued on, "Honoka-chan has already told you about the action figures, she means my Gundam models. I like to make them in my free time, it keeps my hands busy. It also got me into sculpting as well because I needed to distract myself."
"You also spoke in the car about your love for manga and anime." Yuriko reminded him.
"That's right," Issei gave a nod to his fellow otaku. "Also another reason why I liked Renka-senpai is because she reminded me of Chi-Chi, Goku's wife. I would say that she is one of my waifus, she's up there with Bulma and Android 18." New chapters come out on novelping(.)com first.
"There it is." Yuriko snickered. "The waifu list. Every otaku has one. Anyone else?"
"Ah, ah," Chisato waved a finger, cutting off their conversation. "You can carry on the discussion in the car, we're wasting time, remember?"
"Right!" The Walkyries called out to their second in command, doing so in a low tone to not draw too much attention to them.
They cleaned up their trash, while Issei handled Honoka's trash while she guarded the bags like a tiny sentinel until they were done. After the area was cleaned up, they headed out of the mall with their bags to head to the Shirahama residence.
Issei had learned that the Walkyries were staying at Miu's place, so the other car gave their goodbyes to Issei and headed for Miu's, otherwise known as Ryōzanpaku. The Walkyries continued to give Issei feedback about how he should be more relaxed tomorrow. He should also be a little more confident in himself, noting that he should take that confidence he had about being harem king and use it. He listened quietly, absorbing every word as they made it to Honoka's home.
"Alright, Honoka‑chan. We'll hang out sometime." Issei said as he helped the middle schooler out of the car with her new purchases.
"You got it! And good luck on your date, aniki!" Honoka waved as she quickly headed to the front door.
"It's not a…" Issei began to say, but the girl had darted inside before he could argue further. "...date." His voice softened at the end.
Issei sighed and slid back into the car.
"How are you close to Honoka again?" Chisato asked, when he got back in.
"Well, our families get along quite well, since they first met, apparently, Kenichi-senpai's father works in the same company as my tou-san." Issei answered. "It's where he met my kaa-san, who decided to get back into the workforce. She is working remotely for the time being. Saori-obasan is usually with her as they got close to each other like mothers do."
"Okay, now we can get back to your waifu list." Yuriko was interested in who was on his list.
"Um, before that… Ayazaki‑san?" Issei asked the driver
"Just call me Chisato, Issei." Chisato felt compelled to allow him to say her first name.
"Erm, right, sorry… but um, this rock climbing thing, anything I should know about it?" Issei asked her.
"Oh? Who's your partner for that?" Yōko asked.
"Irina is," He answered. "She was asked by Kisara-nee. Kisara-nee noted my interest in it during one of our training sessions and she told me to bring a partner."
"Well, it's a competition, girls go against girls and guys go against guys." Yuriko answered his question about what to expect.
"That's right, I have joined before, Kaname-sama always wins, though, Kisara is quite nimble, you think your girl can hang with them?" Chisato glanced at him through the rearview mirror.
"Irina's not my girl." Issei clarified. "She's my childhood friend."
"Do you want her to be? Like you hoped for Renka?" Yōko looked at him.
Issei looked out the window. "I… don't know. Romance is not on my mind right now, I just want to do good and show my senpais that their efforts weren't wasted and become the best version of myself. And long distance relationships don't last, she's pretty and from what I've seen people usually get attracted to foreign things. In our school, all of the girls love Kiba. You'd probably like him, too, of course, first he needs to get out of his funk. Well, anyway, he's foreign or looks the part, despite him having a Japanese name, similar to Miu-senpai."
"Oh yeah, Miu looks foreign because of her blonde hair." Yuriko agreed with his assessment.
"Well, whenever you meet Kiba, he looks like he could be related to Miu-senpai. He also kind of looks like he could be related to Tanimoto-san." Issei pondered out loud.
Yōko chuckled, "Dang, wait until you meet Tirawit."
"Tirawit? Who's that?" Issei looked at the three Walkyries that he was with.
"You'll probably meet him on the beach trip." Chisato said as she continued to drive.
"I see…" Issei wondered about who this guy was and since he was friends with them, it meant that he had a martial arts style.
"Alright, Issei. We're here." Chisato pulled along the street next to the Shishi-Oh.
"Thanks. And thanks for the info." He stepped out, but Chisato leaned out the window.
"And Issei, remember what we said, don't be so nervous and you'll be fine. Listen to what she says, but speak your own thoughts as well. Don't just be a "yes" man. And another thing, whatever person you were in the past, quit letting him hold you back." Chisato advised him.
"And don't forget to check out Dan Da Dan, it's the latest anime around, so you should check it out after you're done with Food Wars!" Yuriko called out to him.
"Seriously, Yuriko…" Chisato scoffed, which reminded Issei of his mother for some reason.
She was annoyed that she was interrupted in her speech to uplift Issei. Yōko and Yuriko laughed at their second-in-command, who eventually just sighed.
Chisato turned back to Issei and continued, "As I was saying, you're not that same guy, I'm sure you still have perverted thoughts, many of us do. We're not fucking saints nor perfect, it's what makes us human. However, think about how you feel when you are with her, you never know, what you're looking for could be right in front of you."
"In front of me?" Issei looked at her quizzically. "Are you implying…"
"I don't mean me, you dumbass!" Chisato yelled at him, which made Yōko and Yuriko burst out laughing.
"S‑sorry!" He bowed deeply. "But as I said… romance isn't my thing right now, I don't think I would find it in this town. It's why I made a note and a promise that when I go to college, I'll find my partner there."
"Your reputation is that bad, huh?" Yōko gave him a look of sympathy.
She and the others knew that his constant reflection of his reputation held him back from being able to see that there was interest in him.
"Yeah, but the fault is mostly my own, it's also why I tried to be distant from you in the mall. If someone from school even caught me with a girl, I fear that girl or person would be slandered for hanging with the Perverted Beast." Issei explained. "I already get bullied for my perversion, others don't need that backlash. I didn't want someone eventually finding one of you on social media and belittling you for being around me."
Yōko gave him a look of respect. 'So he takes in the pain, so others don't get affected by it, not bad.'
"I guess that explains why you insist it's not a date." Chisato sighed.
"Because it's not!" Issei exclaimed.
"Keep telling yourself that." Yuriko laughed.
"You really can be dense, Issei," Chisato said, making him look at her. "Look into her eyes and tell that it's not a date and ask yourself what you see. The eyes are a window to the soul, hopefully, you can open yours. As I said what you're looking for could be right in front of you"
With that said, she waved as the car pulled away.
"See you tomorrow!" Yōko called out.
"Bye!" Yuriko said, both had rolled down their windows to say their goodbyes.
Issei waved back and when the car disappeared, his smile faded.
'You can be so stubborn…' Chisato shook her head as if she could sense his frown.
"You don't know what I want, but then again, I'm not even sure of that either. " Issei looked up at the night sky. "Right now, I just want to help Kiba overcome his burden and his revenge and also hope that Freed doesn't hurt my friends. That's what I want right now, but in the long run, I don't really know, other than my dream of seeing others achieve their dream. That's why I want to be strong for them." He exhaled and stepped into the shop. "Alright… let's see…"
He closed his eyes and concentrated on sensing ki like Setsuka taught him, and it was like a faint pulse. He could feel Mitsurugi and Setsuka in the back. However, he could also sense the small sparks of Xenovia and Irina. He clenched his fists as he could see that they were close to advancing further than him once again. They were both growing.
"They're getting stronger… faster than me again." He mumbled as his eyes opened.
Determination burned quietly behind them.
'I can't let them surpass me, while I am glad that they are advancing, I don't want to be left behind. I'll have to step it up, I'll work on some moves that Apachai showed me after my shift.'
He clocked in for work, tying his apron with a quiet sigh.
Of course, the shift was slow, when there were no customers coming in, so he busied himself with restocking the floor and checking inventory.
"I guess I can't really be too mad with them, they got training before I ever did, but it still sucks." Issei came back out of the room and went to an aisle, placing a box of gloves down. "I've always been left behind, first by Irina, then that old man, then Matsuda and Motohama. I need to outdo them, I always need to outdo them or I get left behind."
He paused and exhaled. "Then again, me outdoing Matsuda and Motohama earned me that nickname... the Perverted Beast." He continued to restock the gloves on the shelves and continued to talk to himself. "If I could surpass those two, and Kiba, then just maybe…"
He packed up the empty box and stood up to put it away with the trash that was in the back. His mind was spinning about what was said to him today and realized something.
'What is my dream now? My name means "honest soldier"… but I feel like a soldier without a fight.' Issei sighed and shook his head. 'No. My fight is with Freed. But after that… what?'
He stocked another shelf. 'If I win, then what? But if I lose, well, shishou said that I probably won't be getting a third round.' He clenched his jaw. 'No, I'm fighting for my friends' dreams, that's why I'm getting stronger.'
He began mentally making a list of the possibilities that could happen if he won, 'It would put less stress on my senpai's back, so that they don't have to worry about me and I can support them. I can help Kiba by beating Freed, then he can destroy that blade that Freed has if it is Excalibur. With Freed defeated, Xenovia and Irina can complete their mission and go home safely. Ojisan and obasan won't have to worry about Freed going after them in England. Hell, my parents would be safe, Saori-obasan would be safe, Honoka-chan would be safe.'
He exhaled. 'Sure, I will avenge my loss if I beat Freed, but I'm not just fighting for me anymore, that's why I need shishou to get stronger, I need Setsuka-obasan, Elize-nee, and Yu-Mi-nee to get smarter, I need Shigure-nee to get faster. I need all of them supporting me, so that I can support them in the future. If another Freed comes along, I can be ready, another Taichi comes along, I can be ready, and if another Makoto comes along, I can help them like Kenichi-senpai helped me.'
After ensuring that the shelves were restocked and the floor was in order, he finished his shift and was grateful that he was already in his training clothes. He bought some athletic tape within the shop as well, so he could use the posts in the garden out back. It never occurred to him how Mitsurugi and Setsuka kept the place lit in the evenings. He figured that it definitely increased their electricity bill.
He taped up his wrists and hands and began to do some breathing exercises as a means to get into his zone. His zone, which his senpais dubbed as his 'soldier mode', when he is training. He entered the garden to find both of his masters, including the exorcists meditating. He already had a feeling that Setsuka and Mitsurugi knew he was there, whereas Xenovia and Irina did not. He did look over at his supposed date and since her eyes were closed, he couldn't know what was going on in her head as Chisato's words came again.
He quietly approached the wooden posts to not disturb them, but he knew that once he started hitting the posts, they would make noise. He breathed again and got into his stance and threw a punch.
THWACK.
His fist slammed into the post, making a thwack sound as he made contact with it. The noise disrupted both Xenovia and Irina, who jumped up and got on guard. However, Mitsurugi and Setsuka did not move, they did not even flinch from the sound.
"Sit down. It's just Ise." Setsuka told Irina without bothering to open her eyes.
"How did you…" Irina began to question.
"I said sit." Setsuka gave her order.
Irina stared at the woman but decided to comply, but not before looking at Issei one more time. Xenovia stared at him a little longer as if trying to understand him.
"Sit." Mitsurugi commanded. "The boy is training himself."
"His eyes…" Xenovia stated.
"I know. He is in conflict. Just like you." Mitsurugi told her without bothering to look in Issei's direction.
"Like me?" Xenovia asked.
"Indeed." Mitsurugi nodded without opening his eyes. "But you may watch if you want."
Another THWACK echoed.
Xenovia took a seat, but decided to watch Issei as he punched the post, she could see that his punches were getting faster. This was because Issei was now seeing Freed in place of the post in front of him. Every strike was aimed at that imagined face, thanks to his training with Ikki and Apachai, his punches were more fluid. His hips were flexible and shifted with precision thanks to Raichi, Renka, and Kisara. His stance was grounded as he was remembering Mitsurugi's word about true focus, it lied in between rage and serenity.
His rage for Freed, for killing that priest, for antagonizing Yuuto, for others that he may have harmed along the way. He was certain that Freed left a path of bodies on his way to Japan, if he was from the church, which he knew was not here. However, he thought about the serenity aspect, which was his clubmates, his parents, his surrogate aunts and uncles, big sisters, he would even throw in Xenovia and Irina being happy about completing their mission.
Mitsurugi opened his eyes as he heard a faint crackling sound fill the air as Issei's ki was coming out. He turned to Setsuka, who opened her eyes as well, the sound was different but they knew what it was. They could both sense Issei's ki leaking out, so Mitsurugi decided to call out to him.
"Boy." Mitsurugi called to him.
Issei didn't listen as he kept punching and punching, they were becoming faster and stronger. He began to start throwing in kicks and elbow strikes in his attack combination. All he was seeing was Freed's face, feeling his fists make contact with the post was giving him some relief.
"Boy!" Mitsurugi said with more urgency.
Issei continued carrying on his strikes, more cracking sounds were heard, but to Issei that was Freed's face breaking. Xenovia watched how fluid that he was being, of course, she knew that he had more training than her. So like how he had watched her, she decided to do the same and maybe get some lessons on how to incorporate what he was doing into her offense.
"BOY!" Mitsurugi marched toward him.
Irina stood up instinctively, but Setsuka held her back.
"Stay." Setsuka told her, while shaking her head.
Issei's rage was manifesting itself slowly, his punches were leaving indents into the wood. He could see Freed's expression of pain as each blow hit into his flesh, at least from Issei's point of view.
"ISSEI!" Mitsurugi roared his name.
"RRAARGH!" Issei roared in response, driving a vicious right into the post.
CRACK.
The top of the post broke off, breaking from the blows that Issei had been dealing into it. Not just from today, but from when he first started training in the garden with Mitsurugi. His body was shaking from his anger, but his fist was throbbing in pain and he was heavily breathing. He began to hear some clapping, which snapped him out of seeing Freed's fallen body.
"Well done." Mitsurugi said with a smirk.
"Huh?" Issei snapped out of what he was focusing on.
"You've gotten stronger, boy. But remember, controlled aggression." Mitsurugi reminded him.
"I don't…" Issei tried to process what happened.
Mitsurugi scolded and praised his student all at once. "You seem to have found focus on your target, but you must be aware of your surroundings. I was calling to you, but you were not paying attention, if I was an enemy, you would be dead."
Issei lowered his head. "I'm sorry. I…"
"You lost your way, you had conflicting thoughts about what you want on your path to becoming strong." Mitsurugi continued to lecture him.
"Is it selfish to want power?" Issei asked, remembering Chisato's words.
"Yes, but it depends on how you use that power," Mitsurugi sighed. "Take for example, politicians, they use their power to pass laws in their countries. Giving their view of society should be run. You probably would be fined for your peeping, since you are a minor still. However, the laws can change and maybe you could get tried as an adult."
Issei nodded in agreement. "Guess it's a good thing that I started looking for a change in my life."
"Perhaps." Mitsurugi grunted and then he looked at Issei's fists, he could see that Issei had scraped his skin punching the post and likely scraped his elbows, too. "Unfurl your fists."
Issei hissed in pain as he slowly uncurled his fist, groaning at the throbbing pain that was there. He began curling and uncurling his fists, groaning at the pain, but getting used to it. Mitsurugi watched as Issei's jaw clenched, breathing through the pain.
"Looks like you need some ice." Setsuka said as she approached with Irina beside her.
Irina rushed forward. "Are you okay?" She gently held his hands, inspecting the damage.
"I'll be fine." Issi nodded.
"I'm going to go get you some ice." Setsuka went towards the house.
Issei just kept his head down as he wanted to look into Irina's eyes, but he wasn't sure about what he would find.
"We can cancel tomorrow's rock climbing if you want." Irina offered.
Issei lifted his gaze, meeting Irina's worried eyes. "No, I'll be fine." But inside, a quiet thought slipped through. 'Wow… she really does care.'
Feeling embarrassed, he looked away to hide his blush as he did feel awkward about a girl touching him, even Renka's painful massage made him blush. Of course, having a girl gently hold his hands was on a whole different level. Setsuka came out of the house with an ice pack.
"Here. That should help for a bit." Setsuka handed it to Irina, who pressed it carefully against Issei's bruised knuckles. "I'm going to go get some bandages for you and Issei, don't forget to pick up your check on your way out."
"Right… thanks, obasan." He shivered slightly as the cold seeped into his skin. "Thanks again, Irina."
"Hey, you helped me with my ankle. I'm just returning the favor." Irina smiled warmly at him.
Issei turned to Mitsurugi. "And Shishou?"
"Hmm?" Mitsurugi crossed his arms.
"I know what I have to do." Issei said with a firm tone.
There was no going back, he understood that and Mitsurugi knew that, too.
"I'd be disappointed if you didn't." Mitsurugi grunted out.
Issei hesitated, then asked the question weighing on him. "If you fought him… you could beat him, right?"
"Of course, I'm disappointed that you would think so little of me," Mitsurugi scoffed. "But I will tell you that when you fight him. You may need help, keep in mind, while you may have been growing stronger… so has he. Don't be afraid to rely on support, you have yet to reach the strength where you can take on several opponents on your own for what you're about to face."
It made Xenovia and Irina's eyes widen as they feared that Mitsurugi would introduce Issei to the supernatural world. They were aware that the responsibility was on Mitsurugi as they had been informed by the MMA club of why they didn't tell Issei. However, there was not much that they could do if Mitsurugi did.
"Yeah… which is why I'll rely on you to keep making me stronger. So I can reach that level." Issei told him.
"You'll get there in time and you'll surpass me, I only hope that I am able to see it." Mitsurugi responded.
Issei's eyes widened. "You really think that?" He was surprised by the faith that Mitsurugi had in him.
It wasn't only him, but Xenovia was intrigued about why Mitsurugi would take in somebody like Issei and put these expectations on him.
"I wouldn't be training you if I didn't, remember, I said that I would make you into somebody. This fight of yours will be the first step and don't worry, I'll be watching, you may not know it, but I will." He chuckled. "After all, I, too, have my own battle to prepare for."
It was Mitsurugi's confidence that also bolstered Xenovia and Irina's own faith in succeeding in this mission.
"You three go home and enjoy tomorrow, youth doesn't last long, so enjoy it, while you still can." Mitsurugi gave his instructions.
"Hai, shishou!" Issei bowed deeply.
Xenovia watched the interaction, but she knew that his words meant that he would be there to face Kokabiel. Unfortunately, she still didn't know what she was looking for within herself. However, Issei's eyes had changed from before when she was watching him, they were not looking as lost as before. She envied that clarity as she wished she could have his ambition and figure out what she wanted for herself.
Irina also gave a bow and her thanks to Mitsurugi, who caught Xenovia's lingering stare but he said nothing. With that done, the three headed back towards the front of the store. Issei was holding the ice pack to his hand, he didn't want to have Irina feel the need to pay him back, even if she insisted on helping out. They met Setsuka, who was at the front of the store. Issei also noticed his bag was there.
"I got your bandages." Setsuka told him.
"Thanks, obasan." Issei nodded.
"Here." Handing over the bandages. "And nice outfit, by the way." She smirked. "I knew those were your colors."
Issei flushed, while Irina peaked up. "Ooh! Can I see?"
"Tomorrow." He quickly snatched the bag then winced as pain shot through his hand. "Ah!"
"Maybe I should hold the bag so you can keep icing your hand." Irina suggested, but Issei knew of her curiosity.
"Not happening." He turned to Xenovia. "Hey, Xen?"
"Yes?" Xenovia blinked, surprised he addressed her directly.
"Can you hold this?" Issei held out the bag. "I kind of need to hold the ice pack to my hands."
"It's fine," Xenovia nodded, taking the bag. "But there's something that I would like to ask you. After your date."
"It's not…" Issei stopped and Chisato's words echoed in his mind, so he glanced at Irina and could see that she was looking at him with a hopeful, almost pleading expression and relented. "…Alright."
"Yes!" Irina pumped her fists, then froze as everyone stared at her. "Uh, sorry."
Irina chuckled nervously, while scratching the back of her head, while Setsuka merely chuckled. Setsuka understood why Irina was happy, after all, she was aware of how Issei always denied tomorrow being a date. This was also the first time that he had accepted it.
'I guess Chisato was right… but why is Irina so happy about it?' Issei thought, still not believing that a girl could like him.
"I suppose we should head back." Xenovia said, shifting the focus from Irina.
"Yeah, especially while that freak is out there, it's best to stay in populated areas." Issei informed them.
'Look at you, using your big head,' Setsuka smiled proudly and spoke her opinion. "That's a good idea, stay safe, and have a fun day tomorrow!" The teenagers left the shop to head home or rather back to Issei's place.
Issei merely shook his head at his boss' enthusiasm as he waved goodbye to her. They followed Issei's strategy, which wasn't a bad idea, believing that Freed wouldn't attack. However, it did get some strange looks, since Xenovia was holding a bundled Excalibur Destruction. It also didn't help that Issei was icing his hands and Xenovia had a little bruising from when Mitsurugi grabbed her by the neck and slammed her down.
The only one of them that looked normal to people was Irina, who was smiling for her own reasons. It is probably why people didn't ask the girls if they were alright because she was fine. However, they likely thought that Issei and Xenovia were a couple of domestic abuse, if they could see the bruising on her neck more clearly. Issei was grateful the lighting hid the bruises on Xenovia's neck and he didn't need rumors about that on top of everything else. Needless to say, it was an awkward walk back home for Issei. He did notice how neither girl seemed to mind the attention, but he could tell that Xenovia was vigilant as was he, in case Freed ever did show up.
The whole crew was gathered at Ryōzanpaku, the Walkyries already noted to Kenichi that Honoka arrived home safely. They did note that Issei wasn't going to leave her alone with them as well, hence why they dropped her off first. It did make those of the MMA club smile a little that Issei was showcasing responsibility over Honoka's safety. It wasn't until when the masters showed up, that they began to discuss what they knew, though Raichi was absent to keep up her cover.
"So we still have no clue who Kokabiel is seeking as reinforcements?" Saiga asked.
"No,we don't." Kenichi shook his head. "Sorry."
"It's fine," Hayato laughed. "It's possible that Kokabiel hasn't found the reinforcements yet or he is hiding it from Raichi, since she is human and doesn't trust her."
"That could be it, after all, Kokabiel is an arrogant jackass. So how do you want to do this, old man?" Sakaki asked.
"It's not my call." Hayato looked over at Kenichi. "Well?"
"Well, from what we know, Mitsurugi is in for the fight." Kenichi placed a mark down on the board.
"Add in whoever Azazel has as a contingency plan as well." Saiga pointed out as Kenichi made another mark.
"Looks like we won't be needed, then." Akisame deduced, knowing that they had the numbers.
"Apa!" Apachai sighed at not getting to fight.
"Well, there is a small matter," Hayato looked at Kenichi. "Your protégé. How is he?"
"Can't do much about him, no thanks to Niijima. He has information on Freed." Kenichi answered, looking pointedly at Haruo.
"Well, it's not technically my fault." Haruo tried to say.
"Yes it is." The MMA club retorted back, not giving him room for much argument.
"Oh, you know he was going to fight him one way or another and you know what they say, knowing is half the battle. He now knows his opponent and can possibly beat him." Haruo exasperated.
"But that's if Excalibur is knocked from his hands." Miu reminded him.
"Well, those two exorcists are there." Renka said, reminding them about Xenovia and Irina.
"But can they handle Freed?" Hibiki asked.
"Didn't you also say that the Gremory knight would be looking for Freed?" Chiaki pointed out.
"Hmm," Hayato mused. "If anything, that would make the devils involved, I would not be surprised if his peerage members went to support him. From what I know, the Gremory clan treat their servants as family."
"That would bring the heiresses into play, I would say that Kokabiel will strike the school. It's an important landscape to both heiresses here, so striking it would cause them to go into a disarray." Akisame deduced.
"Yeah, they're going to want to defend their territory." Sakaki nodded, knowing about the pride of a devil.
"So I guess an alliance will be made, huh?" Ikki leaned back.
"Oh yeah." Ukita nodded. "But after all this is said and done…"
"An actual alliance will be made." Saiga said, "I'm sure like Azazel, he has been looking into the same terrorist group as I have."
"Azazel is looking into Yami?" Miu asked her father.
"Much worse, the Khaos Brigade, and considering that we don't have contact with Mitsuya…" He answered.
"Which makes me wonder if they will want an alliance with us." Kenichi began to question if it was possible because they may be wary of them because of Mitsuya's transgressions.
"They will, considering the power that Mitsuya now possesses, I'm sure that he wouldn't stay in Japan to avoid the Nakiri clan." Saiga told them.
"Do we even know that he killed the previous user?" Miu asked.
"That's true, we don't know if he did, but without contact, the factions will be wary of us." Saiga said, "Of course, it would more so be the fallen angels and devils than those of the Church."
"Wouldn't they try to use Kenichi's protégé against us?" Kensei spoke, having remained in thought.
"Not likely." Saiga shook his head. "Mitsurugi wouldn't allow that."
"I know that he wants power." Chisato informed them.
"What do you mean?" Kaname looked at her second in command.
"When we shopped for his outfit, he said that he wanted power. In a sense." Chisato answered her leader.
"Hmm, so he could be another Mitsuya or another Isshinsai." Hayato pondered about the two humans that let power get to their head.
"No. I don't think so," Chisato shook her head. "He said he wanted power for his friends. You guys. To protect you and achieve your dreams. I can see why you speak fondly of him, Ikki."
"Haha! That's my boy!" Ikki clapped his hands.
"He doesn't want you to worry about him, so that is why he strives to get stronger, so he can make you all proud. That's his goal, albeit a little selfish, but I feel like whatever I say, he's going to be stubborn… like Kisara." Chisato explained a little further.
"Hey, it runs in the family." Kisara smirked, while shrugging.
"HAHAHAHA!" Hayato let out a bellowing laugh.
"Elder?" Akisame wondered about this reaction.
"I cannot wait to meet this boy myself and how has he done with your training, Apachai?" Hayato asked as he only saw the boy at the tournament, but never got to properly meet him.
"Apa! He is very diligent and enjoys learning Muay Thai, he pays attention to every move that Apachai shows him." Apachai said with glee.
"He does… the same with… me." Shigure answered, while picking at her food.
"Ah, quite the little brother that you have, eh, Shigure?" Hayato teased.
"Otouto… baka." She merely said as Tōchūmaru squeaked proudly.
"Well, I guess we are still in the dark." Saiga sighed. "If the devils get involved, then Kenichi and Miu, you should be on the battlefield. Show the devils, or rather, the Gremory clan that we mean no harm. Sona Sitri will be able to vouch for us and while that goes down, the rest of you shall be hunting strays, so you don't get rusty."
"Hai!" Everyone responded to the order.
"But for now, enjoy tomorrow, show the exorcists that we mean well. Keep our alliance to Azazel as a secret still, he will likely make his move and call for a peace treaty, when all of this is said and done." Saiga told them as he wanted to give Xenovia and Irina a sense of comfort.
"Understood." Kenichi nodded.
"Cross Times Kiss…" Saiga waved his hand. "You're dismissed."
"Hai, Saiga-sama!" The teens stood up and gave bows to the masters.
The teenagers left to go to their rooms and talk about their plans for tomorrow. Of course, Kensei heard the Walkyries talk about trying on bikinis and wanted to slink away. However, his plan was thwarted by Shigure, who threw a kunai that embedded itself in the wall beside him. It let him know that she would be watching his moves and she would as well not let Issei go back on that path.
"So I suppose we shall be supervising them while they take on strays, correct?" Akisame asked once the teenagers were gone.
"Yes." Saiga nodded, but then turned to his father. "What are you thinking, father?"
"Hahaha, oh nothing, but I do have a feeling that on their beach trip, that boy will be like Kenichi. He's going to want to train, rather than relax as you should on a school break." Hayato said as he had a feeling that Issei's will was a cross between Kenichi's and Mitsurugi's.
"He's going to break his body if he does." Sakaki pointed out.
"That's Mitsurugi's way. Break it down and then build it up." Saiga shook his head at Mitsurugi's methods.
"I do feel sorry for the boy, they dwindled his perversion, it is his right for it to be." Kensei was saddened by the loss of a fellow pervert.
"Perhaps, but it certainly didn't do him any favors." Akisame countered.
"Renka will bring him into the family, no worries." Kensei replied back, confident that his daughter wouldn't lose out a second time.
"But doesn't he have his childhood friend?" Sakaki smirked. "If she lays it down, then your daughter is shit out of luck."
"And she'll be gone after all of this, so what does she need to worry about?" Kensei retorted.
"I wouldn't be so sure, considering how his father is fishing buddies with Azazel, he may pitch in and send him to her for school break." Saiga told the Chinese master.
"And miss out on the beauties in bikinis!?" Kensei thought it would be stupid to miss out on that view.
"Well, Kaname said that she would be teaching him surf lessons, so who knows, however…" Akisame pondered out loud.
"He can do both. It's no matter." Hayato chuckled.
"Apa?" Apachai was a little confused.
"This fight is going to drive him more and more and he will keep going until he can get to where he wants to be," Hayato smiled. "Someone that they can be proud of, but I feel that there's more to it than just that."
"You think he'll lose?" Akisame had to ask.
"No, he'll have help, but he's going to continue to get stronger till he doesn't need it." Hayato chuckled as he saw Shigure frown. "Don't worry, Shigure. I'm sure he will never leave you."
"Yes, he'd never leave your heaving bosom…" Kensei cackled before having to dodge a storm of kunai. "Hey, don't give me that!"
"Actually…" Miu spoke up, reentering the room as she heard the last bit. "He doesn't look at Shigure like that, he really does look at her like a sister. He even pouts like a child, when she lectures him."
"Really? Even when those things are in his face?" Kensei was in shock as he pointed at Shigure's chest.
Shigure looked down and cupped her chest, which caused Kensei to have a small nosebleed. "They're not… that big… are they?" She asked.
"Uh, well, you are bigger than me, Shigure," Miu laughed as she remembered that the weapons mistress had once asked Kenichi the same question in a battle against the Walkyries. "But I can tell that what Chisato said is true and he wants you to be proud of him just like grandfather said."
"He may not say it, but he probably thinks it." Kensei snorted.
"I'm not a mind reader, so I can't argue with that, but I just came for reassurance." Miu said as she looked at her father.
"Of what, Miu?" Saiga asked.
"Do we really want Kenichi and I there? On the battlefield, I mean." She asked.
"Yes, you two are our most experienced fighters," Saiga answered. "Renka may also be included so we have the offensive advantage against whatever reinforcement that Kokabiel gets. I don't think they will be on his level as a threat. In addition, the numbers of the devils, plus the exorcists, and whoever Azazel brings will help, so the others aren't needed as much."
"Alright. I just wanted to be sure." Miu nodded in understanding.
"No worries, have a good night." Saiga gave her a nod.
"You too, and good night, grandfather." Miu turned to address her grandfather.
"Goodnight, my dear." Hayato answered her as she bowed and left the room once again. "I suppose we can put our stock into the boy."
"I already have." Saiga smiled, knowing under Mitsurugi's tutelage that he can get proper training.
"After the statue he made, I did as well, still so much left to uncover about him." Akisame said, knowing that they had more layers to discover about Issei and cultivate.
"Yeah, only time will tell." Sakaki said, while taking a swig of his beer and everyone else nodded in agreement at the statement.
The three teenagers had reached the Hyoudou residence safely, but they were still alert and Miki came out of the kitchen to greet them. Her eyes immediately locked onto the clothing bag in Xenovia's hand, which made her curious.
Issei groaned internally. 'Of course she noticed… I really am her son.'
He knew that he got his nosiness from his mother, so he knew that he would have to explain the outfit. Of course, he wasn't going to do that in either Irina or Xenovia's presence.
"Um… you two can use the bathroom first. When you're done, let me know." Issei said as he took the bag from Xenovia.
"Alright." Irina said, taking off her shoes and proceeded to head upstairs.
"Thanks." Xenovia told him.
"You don't have to thank me, it's just common courtesy, you know the saying, ladies first." Issei shrugged.
Xenovia gave a small nod. "I see. Very well, then." She followed Irina up the stairs.
Issei watched them leave, until he turned back to his mother, he could see her holding in her pride, while smiling. Her eyes sparkled with the kind of excitement only a mother who smelled "romance" could have. Her smile was not the gentle, motherly smile, it was the "I'm about to interrogate you like a detective who smells gossip" smile. He knew that once the two were out of earshot, she would be on his case. They stayed silent for a few moments and Issei began looking for an escape, but the path to the stairs was blocked by mother and then the dam burst.
"I'M SO PROUD OF YOU!" She launched herself at him, hugging him so tightly he nearly lost balance. "You've become so chivalrous! Those big sisters of yours taught you well! They drilled manners into that thick skull of yours!"
"And you couldn't?" Issei groaned as with his hands aching, he couldn't pry his mother off of him.
"Please." Miki scoffed. "As if you'd listened to me. You were always so rebellious because of that perversion you inherited from us. But look at you now! You only started listening after those sisters got into your head. Thank goodness they did! Remember I said it first, those friends of yours, they were bad influences on you, I mean they have been good boys at some point, but not good influences." She suddenly narrowed her eyes. "Now… what's in the bag?"
"It's my outfit for tomorrow." Issei answered.
"Ooh! Try it on!" Miki was giddy with excitement and wanted to see the outfit now.
"No, kaa‑san." Issei shook his head. "I stink. I'm not putting on good clothes when I reek."
"Fine," Miki pouted but she didn't give up. "Then let me see what you picked."
"I didn't pick it out, some girls that Kaname-senpai know did." Issei told his mother.
"Oh? So you were prancing around with a bunch of girls that I don't know, you should have brought them over." Miki was disappointed, but Issei knew why she wanted him to bring them over.
"You are NOT showing that album again." Issei warned his mother. "And Honoka‑chan was with us."
"Ah, so she got to see the outfit, huh? Yet you won't show your own mother?" She pouted dramatically.
"Really, kaa‑san…" Issei deadpanned at a grown woman pouting.
"Come on, just let me see it." Miki reached for the bag.
"Fine." Issei rolled his eyes and he handed it over with a sigh.
"Thank you!" Miki squealed as she opened the bag.
"Hey, where's tou-san?" Issei wondered, surprised that he didn't see his father yet.
"Oh, he's resting and since you three missed dinner, I'll have to reheat it for you." Miki shrugged.
"Cool. Can I use your shower then?" Issei asked her.
"Sure. Just don't wake your father." She rummaged through the bag. "Ooh, this shade of red looks great with your tan."
"That's what the girls said," As he headed for the stairs before he stopped. "Oh! And could you keep it hidden, please?"
"You got it!" Miki smiled as Issei continued his way upstairs.
When Issei got near his room, he could hear the shower running in the bathroom. He gave a sigh and was about to enter his room, but his instincts made him feel like someone was there. He opened the door slowly and let out a small sigh at who was there.
"Oh. It's just you." He said.
Irina sat at the desk, prepping the last episodes of Food Wars.
"Yep! Just getting things ready for when we're all freshened up." Irina told him, keeping her eyes on the screen.
"Okay," Issei nodded. "Well, I'm going to use my parents' bathroom, so try not to be here when I'm done."
"Why?" Irina turned to look at him, confused.
"I don't think you want to see me naked." Issei deadpanned.
"Well, it'd be payback for all the girls you peeped on." Irina countered with a deadpan expression of her own. "You know what they say, if you can't take the heat, then get out of the kitchen."
"Are you sure ojiisan's perversion didn't rub off on you?" Issei asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Sh‑shut up!" She blushed. "I didn't mean it like that."
"Think of it as payback for the pranks you pulled on me." Issei crossed his arms. "That's not very holy of someone from the Church."
"Mou~, you know that they're harmless and if you're mad about it, just say so." Irina pouted, making Issei chuckled.
"I'm not mad, but they can be annoying, but it's all part of the fun, I guess, it's nice to know that you still have a knack for some trouble." Issei smirked.
"Only when I'm with you…" She whispered, turning back to the screen.
"What was that?" Issei's smirk fell off, hoping that she would repeat herself and that he wasn't hearing things.
"That's for me to know." Irina smirked, thus Issei was the one to pout.
"Meanie, oh, and kaa-san said that we missed dinner, so she said that she'll reheat it for us. You should let Xenovia, when she is done with her shower." Issei told her as he pulled off his shirt.
Irina wasn't paying attention, so she didn't see it as her eyes were still on the screen.
"Okay!" She nodded.
"I'm going to shower now, later." Issei gave a wave and was about to head out.
"See ya and also…" Irina gave a wave and changed from speaking Japanese to Italian. "Mi piaci (I like you)."
"Huh?" Issei stopped and looked at her, confused by what she said.
"I said I'll see you later." Irina turned around and blushed at seeing her childhood crush topless.
However, her blush began to rescind as she looked at the scar and stitches that were on his right forearm.
"What?" Issei asked, noticing her staring.
"I can't believe Freed did that to you." Her eyes never left the scarred forearm.
"Oh yeah, that's right, you never saw the damage," Issei remembered that Irina had only seen the arm bandaged, but never the extent of the damage done to said forearm until now. "But don't worry about it, we just need to prepare for our rock climbing competition."
"Are you sure that you're good?" The concern in her eyes never left. "I mean you did bust up your hands a little, while punching that post."
"I'll be fine," He assured her. "You just focus on beating Kisara-nee and Kaname-senpai, how good are you at climbing?"
"Well, it's my first time climbing a rock wall." Irina scratched the back of her head.
"Same here," Issei laughed, knowing that they were both first timers. "We're going to have to strategize, it'll be just like old times, however, instead of causing trouble, it'll be to handle a rock wall." He walked over to her and held out his hand.
"Right." She took it gently and then switched back to speaking Italian. "È quell'ottimismo che mi ha fatto innamorare di te (It's that optimism that made me fall for you)."
She had taken inspiration from an anime that she watched where the girl spoke Russian to express her feelings. Irina decided to do the same, but speak in Italian, since she knew that Issei didn't know Italian. Unlike the main character who knew Russian because he sought to learn what his childhood friend was telling him before she left. She could see the similarities between their childhood and hers with Issei, since the girl left and came back and the main character didn't know that it was her, similar to Issei.
Issei blinked. "What? Seriously, what are you saying?"
"Guess you need to up your language skills." She giggled.
"Seems that way," Issei sighed. "Man, if life was like a video game, that's what I would definitely do. It would make things so much easier, especially if I could travel the world, you know."
"I bet." Irina nodded in agreement as she remembered her time having to learn Italian.
"I'm pretty sure that betting is a sin," Issei teased her with a nudge of his elbow. "Since it's related to gambling which ties to greed."
"Oh? When did you learn that?" Irina asked, surprised that he actually knew that.
"I have some awesome big sisters like Yu-Mi-nee," He boasted, while puffing his chest. "She really ingrained knowledge into my head. Considering what I want to do in life after school, you know?"
"I guess so, which…" She hesitated and then shook her head. "…Nevermind."
"What?" Issei asked as he wanted to know what she was going to say.
"I think I'll hold off on my question until tomorrow, so we can really catch up on what we missed, maybe we can go to our spot in the park." She smiled.
"Oh yeah, where we did all of our planning, which led to us getting in trouble." Issei laughed, 'Oh, shit, I need to remember where that place is. I haven't been there in a long while, ever since…'
"And where we developed the thigh‑tap Morse code." Irina's voice snapped him out of his thoughts, but he heard her and nodded.
Issei noticed that he couldn't hear the water from the bathroom and quickly went to see if Xenovia had finished. Looking in the hallway, he had seen Xenovia step out of the bathroom, steam drifting behind her and head to the guest room.
"Yeah, it looks like Xen's done showering, you better get cleaned up as do I." Issei said, missing Irina's pout as he turned to leave and headed to his parent's bathroom to shower.
Unbeknownst to him, his mother was listening in on the conversation from the stairs and snuck back down, when he passed by. She was covering her mouth to prevent her from screaming in glee as her boy had an actual date. She knew that he had been improving with girls, thanks to the women in his life, and she knew he would get a girl eventually, so knowing that he had a date was a big achievement. She would just have to wait until tomorrow to start teasing him and she would be sure to get pictures as well.
'Ah, nothing beats embarrassing my dear child.' Miki giggled to herself before slinking away.
Issei felt a chill go down his spine, and he was sure that it wasn't from the cold shower that he was taking. However, something told him that his mother was up to no good and that is what he feared.
'Oh no… what is kaa‑san planning?' Issei thought with a groan.
However, there wasn't much he could do, so he let it slide and finished his shower. His father slept through it all and figured that he also got his sleeping habits as well as his perversion. He could understand that his knack for mischief, when he was young, came from his mother. He entered his room and noticed that there was food there.
'Kaa-san must have brought our food up here, so we could eat and watch the show.' Issei sighed.
He dried his hair and began to pull off his towel, when his doorknob clicked, signaling that someone was beginning to open it. He had a flashback to when Xenovia had just promptly walked into his room, came to him like getting hit by a truck. His instincts flared and he reacted quickly by rushing and slammed the door shut. He heard a female voice yelp and then wince in pain, so he quickly grabbed some shorts to put on and checked to see who it was. When he opened the door, he found Xenovia on the ground in the hallway, rubbing her forehead.
"You…" She glared up at him and then stopped when she saw his bare chest. "Oh, I was about to walk in on you again, huh?"
"Yes. Do you not know how to knock?" Issei tilted his head.
"I do!" Xenovia retorted and then explained, "It's just that your mother said she left dinner in your room and I was hungry, so I…" She trailed off and looked away, embarrassed.
Issei laughed. "Hahaha, you're just like me."
"Huh?" Xenovia wondered how they were similar.
"My manners go out the window, when I'm hungry, too." He explained as he offered his left hand because he wasn't sure about the pain tolerance in his right arm. "Come on."
"Thanks." She took it, standing up as her stomach growled.
"Food's on the desk." Issei pointed as he went to grab a shirt, but also needed to moisturize his skin.
He figured that he could use his closet door as cover, hoping that Irina didn't just randomly walk in.
"Thanks again." Xenovia gave a small bow and went to sit in his new chair.
It still surprised him how he has yet to sit in that chair, but in time, they'll be gone and he could sit in his chair. He then remembered something that he noticed wasn't around Xenovia's neck.
"Hey, Xen?" Issei called out, the closet door blocking her view of him.
"Yes?" Xenovia turned to where his voice originated from.
She was already used to the nickname that Issei had given her and she didn't mind it.
"Where are my headphones?" He asked.
"They're in our room, I take them off so they don't get damaged, the sound is good, but I don't really have much to compare it to, since I never wore headphones before." Xenovia answered as she was surprised by how they sounded, fascinated by the technology.
"Man, you really were sheltered in the church." Issei noted as he finished moisturizing and put back on his shorts and shirt, until a knock sounded. "Come in, Irina."
Irina peeked in. "Seems like you guys are ready."
"I just finished dressing." Issei told her, which made Irina stop moving.
"With Xenovia… in the room?" She asked, looking between Issei and Xenovia.
"Well, I had started and she was about to walk in and slammed the door in her face." Issei explained to Irina. "She was hungry and so I put on some shorts and let her in. I used the closet door for cover, so she didn't see anything while I got changed. I asked her where my black headphones were. I'm guessing you have my white ones."
"Yep!" Irina nodded.
"Alright." Issei sighed. "Let's finish this season up. Luckily for us, the other seasons, they're just 12 episodes."
"Nice!" Irina cheered, meaning that they could get through the other ones faster, if they had the time.
"Not bad." Xenovia nodded, she was slowly understanding the hype of anime.
"Well, let's get started and we can watch the OVAs." Issei said.
"What's an OVA?" Xenovia asked.
"They're like special episodes, most are separate from the main story or they give a little backstory to characters." Issei answered as he sat in his old chair and began eating his dinner.
"Got it." Xenovia understood the meaning of them and it did make her curious about some characters.
"Ahem." Irina cleared her throat, crossing her arms as she looked down on Issei.
"Oh, sorry." Issei apologized, he got out of the chair for her to sit down, he felt that it would have been awkward for them to sit and eat in the same chair.
"I can sit in your lap." Irina told him.
"It'd be pretty weird for us to be in the same chair and eat, you know." Issei reasoned with her.
"Not really," Irina shrugged. "I mean I did feed you cheesecake and you didn't mind it."
"Yeah, but I was tired, so I didn't argue with you about it." Issei reminded her of why he didn't mind her feeding him cheesecake. "Just take the chair for now, until we finish our dinner, we're wasting time, remember we got an early morning." He told her, while taking a knee next to the chair.
"Alright." Irina chose not to argue and sat in the chair to eat her own dinner, while she started to play the episode. "So who do you think will win the Autumn Elections?"
"Well, they introduced this Akira guy, I think he'll win these preliminaries, but I don't think they'll do the actual competition until the second season." Issei gave his nomination.
"I would have said Erina, but she's exempt, since she's in the council of ten." Xenovia said, disappointed that she couldn't have chosen the God's Tongue. "However, they seem prominent on that Megumi girl, so I would say that she makes it into the tournament, but I don't think she will win."
"Ah, man, that was my pick," Irina sighed. "Hmm, I guess I'll go with Erina's cousin, Alice. I mean she is a Nakiri, which by the way, isn't that one of the clans here in Japan?"
"Yeah, it is," Issei nodded. "Now that I think about it, when Yu-Mi-nee was teaching me about it, Akeno's surname was also mentioned."
"What's her surname?" Irina asked.
He answered, "Himejima."
"Ah," Irina nodded at the answer, but made a mental note.
They continued on watching, when they got into the sixty contestants cooking.
"That pineapple fried rice looks good." Issei noted and began to wonder if Renka or Raichi may know the recipe.
Of course, it was possible that he might be able to find the recipe online, since there were likely fans that uncovered it and posted it online for others to try and make.
"Mhm." Irina nodded in agreement, but also hoping Issei would make it for her.
After all, she had tried cooking for him, and she was curious about seeing those cooking skills that her obasan taught him.
Xenovia just rolled her eyes at the childhood friends and possibly sweethearts. She was sure that her partner had a crush on him. However, it went over the guy's head that a girl liked him, and it made her wonder if it was because of his perversion. She wondered if that was holding him back from maybe moving forward.
They continued to watch, until the winner of the preliminaries was announced, that resulted in Issei pumping his fist.
"Boom, called it." They heard Akira's name be announced as the winner. "Man, never knew how impactful spices can be."
"Probably why mama and obasan are such good cooks." Irina said, remembering how Miki commanded the kitchen.
"Yeah," Issei agreed. "So do we want to watch the OVAs?" He asked.
"What are they about?" Xenovia asked.
"Let's see…" Issei moved forward to move the cursor on the trackpad and changed the browser, once again, thanking himself for also deleting his history prior to these two showing up. "Well, the first one is about Takumi, and the second one is about Erina on summer vacation."
"Why not, it'll be like a little adventure before we get back to the action of the Autumn Elections!" Irina cheered, personally, she just wanted to keep watching the show as it would mean she could stay close to Issei.
"Alright." Issei nodded and proceeded to play the first OVA episode.
Since they had finished their dinner, it also meant that Irina could reclaim Issei's lap as her seat and thankfully, he didn't argue about it. Another 40 minutes had gone by, where they had finished both OVA episodes. They all got up from their respective seats to stretch their legs and test their sore muscles.
Issei gathered plates. "We should stop here. Otherwise, we'll watch all night."
They had stopped with the next season starting off with the cooking battle between Soma and Alice.
"I don't feel confident in my pick." Irina slumped, knowing that with Soma being the protagonist, he'd likely advance.
"Well, you only picked her to make it into the tournament, not win it." Issei pointed out to her.
"Oh yeah." Irina let out a sigh of relief.
"Well, I'm going to go wash these," Issei gestured to the plates. "Have a good night."
He began to leave the room, until he heard someone calling out to him, making him stop.
"Wait up!" Irina exclaimed.
"Wha…" He turned and she hugged him.
"Friends always hug, when seeing each other off, remember?" Irina reminded him, she sighed in content because tomorrow, it would be the step for them to ascend from childhood friends.
"Uh… yeah. Right." He blushed lightly and hoped that she didn't feel his heart beating faster. When Irina let go, he nodded to Xenovia. "Good night."
"Night." She responded as she and Irina left for their room, while Issei headed downstairs to the kitchen.
However, this time was different because of everything that had happened today and he was trying to process it. He began to ponder about why he blushed when Irina hugged him, when never did before. He was wondering what that was about and thought that it had to do with tomorrow. He believed that it may have to do with the date after the movie. That word, 'date', made something tug at Issei, while he washed the dishes.
It then struck him that he actually had a date, and it would be his first one that he ever had. It was kind of funny to him that his first date would be with the person that he considered as his first friend and it made something flutter inside of him. He chuckled to himself and shook his head but then wondered what he was feeling.
'My first date… and it's with my first friend.' He chuckled to himself.
He shook his head, but the warmth didn't fade.
'Why do I feel like this? Am I falling for her? No. She's my friend. But is it possible that we could be more than that? I mean she has seen me for well… me. She doesn't see me as Issei the Perverted Beast or any degenerative name. I am Issei, well, actually, Ise. I mean she's the one that even gave me that nickname.' Issei smiled. 'I guess a pervert like me can fall in love, but if she reciprocates… Where do we go from there? No, Ise, one step at a time.'
He shook his head and dried his hands, went upstairs, he stopped and looked at the guest bedroom door. He made a mental note that he could not screw this up, since a second date meant that he could spend more time with Irina.
Tomorrow would be a new day for himself. A day that he had to be ready for and it would be something that he needed to face. With a last glance, he entered his own room and slid into his bed, and he could just hear the pounding of his heart in his chest.
'Irina has said that good things come to those that pray,' Issei thought as he made a silent prayer to whoever was listening. 'I don't know if you're up there. I know that I've prayed to you about being harem king before, but I'm asking you. For tomorrow, please help me out and don't let me screw this up.'
With that last prayer, Issei closed his eyes and let his body relax, letting himself succumb to sleep and think about what would be the biggest day of his life.