High School DxD: Fox of Ill Omen

Issei 

“What the hell is going on with this house!?”

My own voice echoed down the hallway louder than I meant it to.

I was standing in the middle of the second floor in my sleep clothes, barefoot, hair a mess, my heart still recovering from waking up to Akeno-san under my blanket and then nearly dying in a battle involving naked and barely clothed girls, pillows, and control of my room.

And now, on top of all that, my room and the rest of the house had somehow gotten bigger.

I’d lived in this house my whole life.

I knew how long the hallway should be.

I knew where the turns should be, how far my room was from the stairs.

I should have known the shape of my own home with my eyes closed.

Right now, I didn’t.

I heard quick footsteps behind me.

Then Buchou’s voice.

“Ise, don’t shout first thing in the morning.”

I turned and pointed wildly down the corridor.

“How am I not supposed to shout!?” I yelled. “This place is bigger!”

She blinked once, then looked down the hallway as if only now noticing it.

Which was impossible. She absolutely already knew. “Yes.”

“Yes!?” I repeated. “That’s all you’ve got!?”

Akeno-san came out into the hall next, already somehow composed despite the pillow fight and Yuki-san falling on her.

Which I only half noticed as I was inspecting my now larger room.

She was still in her thin yukata, her hair still loose around her shoulders, smiling at me like my panic was adorable.

“My, Ise-kun noticed quickly.”

“Of course I noticed quickly!”

Asia appeared behind her, face pink from the earlier chaos, hair still a mess from sleep and very much awake now.

Yuki-san came out last, looking the most put together of any of us this morning.

Her hair was still a little messy, probably from getting smacked with pillows, and her yukata was slightly askew.

That should have been the main thing on my mind.

It should have been.

Instead, I was too busy freaking out over my house magically growing.

Xenovia came up the stairs looking irritated that she’d had to hurry.

Yuuto-san followed at a calmer pace.

Koneko-chan was with them, expression flat as always.

Gasper was the only one missing from our peerage.

He was still getting used to things.

Also, if he was forced to live with 10 other people all of a sudden, he might have actually turned to dust on the spot.

I pointed again, because apparently that my default right now.

“Why is the hall longer!?”

“It was renovated,” Buchou said.

“That doesn't make sense! It couldn’t of happened overnight without us noticing!”

“It did though,” Xenovia said.

“Koneko-chan, tell Xenovia she’s being unhelpful.”

“No,” Koneko-chan said.

I slumped in defeat.

Buchou let out a small sigh and started walking down the hallway. “Come along, Ise. Since you’ve already noticed, we may as well show you properly.”

“You say that like this isn’t the kind of thing a person should be warned about!”

Akeno-san smiled sweetly. “Would warning you have made your reaction less entertaining?”

“…No,” I admitted.

“Then perhaps things worked out for the best.”

I glared at her. She only looked more pleased.

Buchou looked back over her shoulder.

“Plus I did mention that we would need to renovate.”

“You only mentioned it once yesterday! And I didn’t think you meant like this!” I complained.

We moved down the corridor together, and the more I looked, the more my brain started tripping over itself.

The second floor really had changed.

Not just my room.

The whole arrangement.

What had once been a decent family house had become something else.

Still my house in the sense that the walls and atmosphere felt familiar, but the whole house was expanded.

It had changed from a normal home into a mansion in a normal Japanese neighborhood. 

No wonder I’d felt it in my room immediately.

The entire place had been altered around me while I had slept.

Buchou stopped in the middle of the hall and turned slightly so she could gesture around us.

“The second floor was reorganized,” she said.

“That’s one way to put it,” I muttered.

There were more doors in the hallway than before and the hallway felt longer as well. 

Yuuto-san smiled faintly at my expression and looked around too.

“It is rather dramatic,” she admitted.

“Thank you,” I said. “At last, someone reasonable.”

“I didn’t say your shouting was reasonable.”

“I was beginning to hope.”

Yuuto-san laughed softly.

Buchou gestured first toward the room I’d just stormed out of. “This is still your room.”

“Still my room,” I repeated. “Sure. Except now it’s huge.”

“Yes.”

“Why is it huge?”

“Because the renovation made it larger.”

I stared at her.

Akeno-san put a hand lightly over her mouth. “My, Rias. You really are enjoying this.”

“I’m not,” Buchou said, which was absolutely a lie.

She continued before I could complain again.

“Asia’s room is beside yours.”

Asia blinked and then looked at me with a small smile.

“Mine is the first one to the right.” She said.

I looked.

Sure enough, the nearest door beside mine was now clearly another full room rather than the smaller arrangement I remembered.

“And Buchou’s?” I asked.

“The next one,” Rias said.

I turned to look at her. “So you and Asia are both next to me?”

“Yes. And both rooms have doors connected to yours.”

For a second, I forgot about the rest of the layout because my brain got caught on the extremely important and extremely dangerous fact that Buchou and Asia were now both directly beside my room.

This house renovation might kill me before any enemy ever got the chance.

Then Buchou turned and indicated the door directly across the hall from mine.

“That room is Yuki’s. And like yours it’s one of the biggest bedrooms.”

I blinked.

My eyes moved automatically to the door opposite my own.

Then to Yuki.

Then back to the door.

Then back to Yuki.

Her expression remained calm, but she looked at Buchou like she wanted an explanation.

I was wondering too why she had been placed right next to me like Asia and Buchou had. 

I stared at the door a little too long.

Akeno-san noticed, of course.

“My, Ise-kun. You’re looking very seriously at Yuki-chan’s room.”

I snapped my gaze away. “I am not!”

“You are,” Koneko-chan said flatly.

Yuki-san folded her arms loosely. “I am also interested in why my room is placed where it is.

That should have sounded like a rescue.

Instead, because it was Yuki saying it in that quiet, dry tone she used when she was half amused, it somehow made me more aware of the fact that her room was opposite mine.

“Yes,” I said too quickly. “Exactly. It’s interesting. That’s all.”

Akeno-san’s smile deepened. “Of course.”

I ignored her, knowing that responding definitely wouldn’t help.

“Wait,” I said, forcing myself to focus. “If mine and Yuki’s are across from each other, and Asia’s and Buchou’s are on my side…”

I looked farther down the hall.

There were two more doors on Yuki’s side.

I frowned. “Who’s rooms are those?”

Everyone followed my gaze.

The two rooms beside Yuki’s.

“Those rooms are both currently empty.” Buchou said.

That made the whole arrangement feel even stranger.

My room and Yuki’s were the biggest.

Buchou and Asia were beside me.

And then the spaces beside Yuki-san were just… open.

Yuuto-san was the one who spoke first this time.

“That is a little odd,” she said mildly.

Xenovia nodded once. “It is not efficient.”

“For once,” I said, “I fully agree with Xenovia.”

“Then something truly strange has occurred this morning,” Akeno-san murmured.

Buchou looked at the doors, then back at us.

And for the first time since this tour started, she looked genuinely uncertain.

“I don’t know why the floor was set up this way,” she admitted.

That got my attention fast.

“You don’t know?”

She shook her head.

“The renovation plans I was given did not explain the reasoning for every placement in detail. I knew the house would be expanded to accommodate everyone more comfortably.” Her eyes moved along the hall. “But as for why the second floor is arranged exactly like this…”

She paused.

“I don’t know.”

That should have reassured me.

Instead, somehow, it made it weirder.

Because if even Buchou didn’t know, then somebody else had decided the arrangement.

And I had a pretty good guess who had authority to make weird household decisions without explaining himself.

The same person whose “suggestion” had led to the move-in in the first place.

My thoughts were confirmed when Buchou spoke again.

“As for why Yuki is on this floor, it’s because my Onii-sama asked me to have her take a room close to mine so that I could keep an eye on her.” She said with a slight roll of her eyes. “I know that I don’t need to, but I didn’t see a real reason to refuse him. So Yuki got the larger room because of the inconvenience and I didn’t assign anyone to the rooms next to her because they are connected to her like mine and Asia are connected to yours.”

My eyes shifted automatically to Yuki.

She had gone very still.

Sirzechs-sama was still casting a strange shadow over Yuki whenever his name came up.

I noticed her reaction. 

So did Koneko-chan.

I think all of us had realized exactly the kind of effect Sirzechs-sama had on her.

I just didn’t know if it was because he was one of the most powerful figures in the Underworld, because he was the one to give her to Buchou for her peerage, or something else. 

Yuki-san looked at the two empty doors for a second, then at the much larger room opposite mine, then at Buchou.

“If it’s an issue,” she said quietly, “I can move upstairs.”

The words came out so naturally they felt sad.

Someone else may have been happy to get one of the largest rooms in the house.

Instead Yuki-san was being practical again.

If something felt strange because of where she was, then she would remove herself and solve it.

That was how fast it happened in her head.

That was still how she worked.

Buchou answered immediately.

“No.”

Yuki-san’s gaze flicked to her.

“It’s fine,” Buchou said more firmly. “You don’t need to move.”

Asia nodded at once. “Yes. Please don’t.”

Koneko-chan spoke next, blunt as ever. “Yuki-senpai shouldn’t have to move because the layout is strange.”

Yuuto-san gave a small nod. “I agree. Rearranging now would only make it more complicated now that we’ve already moved into our rooms.”

“Exactly,” Buchou said.

Xenovia crossed her arms. “The solution is simple. Leave it as is.”

Akeno-san smiled at Yuki-san. “Besides, if you move upstairs now, Ise-kun may think you’re being shy again.”

“I would not—” I started.

Then stopped, because if I protested too fast, it would only sound worse.

Akeno-san looked delighted.

Yuki-san’s mouth twitched very faintly, almost a smile.

“I don’t think that’s his concern,” she said.

No, of course not.

Definitely not.

Absolutely not the concern of a healthy teenage boy whose room was now directly opposite the room of a beautiful fox-girl with mysterious competition aura nonsense.

I rubbed a hand over my face.

“I just want to understand why my house was suddenly turned into a mansion and a Devil dormitory."

“That isn’t inaccurate,” Buchou muttered to herself.

I stared at her.

I sighed.

Then I realized something else and looked down the hall again.

“Wait a second. You said mine and Yuki’s are the biggest?”

“Yes,” Buchou said.

“Why?”

Akeno-san made a thoughtful sound. “My, now that is a very interesting question.”

Buchou looked slightly annoyed at that, which meant she’d probably been wondering the same thing.

“Well your room was the largest because Asia and I sleep with you whenever we can. So you needed a much larger bed, thus a larger room.” she said. “As for Yuki’s room, I’m guessing it was done to make the floor layout symmetrical.

“Fantastic.”

Yuki-san glanced at me, then at the hall, and said the words that made me want to hit my head against the wall.

“Then I really can take a smaller room elsewhere.”

“No,” I said at once.

Everyone looked at me.

I tried not to look as startled as I felt by how quickly that had come out.

Buchou’s eyes sharpened slightly.

Akeno-san’s smile turned downright dangerous.

Asia looked relieved.

Koneko-chan looked satisfied.

Yuki-san just looked at me quietly.

I cleared my throat.

“What I mean is—if everyone’s already settled, changing it all again would be a pain, right? And Buchou and everyone else already said it’s fine.”

That was not the most elegant recovery I’d ever made.

But it was the best one available.

Buchou mercifully helped me.

“Yes,” she said. “It’s settled.”

Yuki-san held my gaze for half a second longer.

Then nodded once. “Alright then.”

The others dispersed a little after that, still taking in the hall and the new layout.

Asia went to check whether some of the room decorations and small things she’d unpacked had been moved correctly.

Xenovia started walking and talking to Yuuto-san about which rooms would be best for training, which was not something normal people should have to plan into their home life, but had long since become normal for mine.

That left me, Buchou, Akeno-san, Yuki-san, and Koneko-chan in the hall for a moment longer.

Yuki looked between the doors again.

“If someone wants to move into the empty rooms next to mine I don’t mind.” She said.

“I’ll let the others know that they are available if they’re interested.” Replied Buchou. “I didn’t want to crowd you since your room can be accessed from the other ones.”

“I appreciate it, Buchou.”

“Who do you think would want to move next to Yuki-san? Would you want to, Koneko-chan?” I asked.

Koneko-chan glanced at Yuki-san and then the unoccupied rooms.

“…Maybe.” She eventually said. “I don’t think I know if I want to move my room already though.”

“I won’t mind if you decide to move next to me, Koneko-chan.” Yuki-san said. “I know at least you won’t be a bad neighbor.”

Koneko-chan looked up at Yuki-san and gave a small nod.

Yuki-san glanced at  Akeno-san and then at me with a dull look.

“Ara, Yuki-chan. Are you implying that I would be a nuisance? How could you say such a thing?” Akeno asked, placing a hand to her chest.

“You’ve already broken into someone’s room on the first day.” Yuki-san replied.

“I recall you coming into the room uninvited as well. Also, I wouldn’t abuse having a connected room with you too much.” Akeno-san leaned closer to Yuki-san and put an arm under her breasts pushing them up. “I would just make sure that we could enjoy our alone time better. We could continue from where we were today before Rias pulled you off of me.”

Akeno-san had been teasing Yuki-san more since the whole pool thing a little while ago.

I couldn’t tell if she was paying her back for it or if she thought it was all part of some game between them.

She likes to tease me too, so I could understand Yuki-san’s reactions when it happens to her.

Akeno-san acts like a huge flirt and a bit lewd, but I feel like she and Buchou just see me as a toy to fight over.

I don’t know what Akeno-san thinks of Yuki-san, but Yuki-san seems uninterested in her attention.

Besides that one time at the pool.

I still don’t know exactly what to think of that.

Yuki-san gave Akeno-san a dull, unamused look.

She turned to Buchou.

“Can I request that Akeno-san not be allowed in one of the rooms next to mine?”

“Approved.” Buchou said.

“You’re both no fun.” Akeno-san pouted.

“I’m just protecting myself from one annoying neighbor.” Yuki-san said. 

I remembered she had glanced at me too when she made that first comment. 

“Hey! I will be a great neighbor.” I said with a huff. “Plus, it’s my house!”

“We both know that it’s pretty much Rias-Buchou’s house at this point.” Yuki said dryly.

I opened my mouth to respond before closing it when I realized she wasn’t exactly wrong. 

Buchou clapped her hands once, not loudly, but enough to draw the attention of the group back together.

“Now that everyone understands the room arrangement,” she said, “try not to create any more chaos before breakfast.”

Akeno-san looked innocent.

This fooled no one.

“I make no promises,” she said.

“You never do,” Buchou replied.

We spent the next little while actually going through the rest of the house.

Or maybe palatial residence was the better phrase now, because that was what it felt like.

New rooms.

Expanded upper floors.

Larger common spaces.

Enough room for the peerage to live together comfortably instead of crowding into the old limits of the Hyoudou home.

It still smelled like my house.

Still felt like home in the important ways.

But now it had the scale of something larger.

The kind of place where beautiful devil girls could move in with all their luggage and somehow the walls themselves would decide to adjust.

A few days after summer vacation began, my ordinary house had stopped being ordinary altogether.

And as I stood there looking at the expanded halls, the rooms, the strange second-floor arrangement, the multiple new floors, and the new shape of my everyday life, I could only think one thing.

In this way, my house was transformed into a palatial residence a few days after summer holidays began.

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