Issei
“Hey, Sekiryuutei—is it fine if I call you Ise? So, Ise, your dream in life is to make a harem, right?”
After Azazel asked I was stunned for a moment.
The drastic shift in topic threw me off.
We had just been talking about Ku-, Yuki-san, going by a different name and her telling us that she would tell us more about her past.
It was going to take me a minute to get used to calling her something besides Kusari.
Then Azazel was asking her about her abilities and pointing out her weaknesses like he did for the rest of us.
He had suggested a way for her to get around part of her backlash, but Yuki-san would have to figure it out for herself.
Now he was asking me about my dream to be the Harem King.
“Uhhh, yeah, that’s right.” I said.
I hadn’t exactly been quite in front of the girls about my desires, but it was weird for Azazel to bring it up now.
The room went quiet in that way it always did when I answered something honestly and everyone else immediately regretted it for me.
Azazel-sensei, on the other hand, looked delighted.
“Good,” he said, crossing his arms like a teacher pleased that at least one student in class had managed not to lie. “The would you like me to teach you about them? You might not know, but I’ve formed hundreds of harems in the past. You could learn plenty about it from me.”
I was interested immediately.
I had been having issues managing the attention and jealousy of the girls around me.
It was more like they were managing me.
So I would take any advice I could get.
“A-Are you serious?” I asked with a bit too much excitement.
Buchou’s eyes narrowed at Azazel.
“Of course.” Azazel tilted his head at me. “Tell me something first. Are you still a virgin?”
Asia made a tiny sound and turned red so fast it was almost impressive.
Akeno-san covered her mouth, eyes laughing already.
Yuuto coughed into one hand and looked pointedly toward the window like the sky had suddenly become fascinating.
Gasper peeked out of his box before hiding in it again.
Koneko-chan stared at me with total disapproval.
Xenovia looked genuinely interested in the answer.
Yuki-san gave Azazel-sensei a flat look that said she wanted the warm moment she had with us back.
“I need to know what I’m working with.” Azazel said. “If I’m going to teach you about women, I’d rather start with someone inexperienced than someone convinced he already knows what he’s doing. So I’ll teach you about women. You know, I know how much you like women’s breasts. The way I Fell was that I rubbed the breasts of a human woman. I don’t mess around when it comes to ero things.”
“What? That’s really the reason you’re a Fallen Angel?!” I asked.
Buchou sighed.
She looks done with the conversation already.
“It’s true.” Buchou said. “According to legend, the leaders of the Grigori Fell because they gave humans knowledge from Heaven after being tempted by human women.”
Azazel smiled warmly.
“Ah, we were young then. We ended up losing to temptation and having sex with those women. After we did we lost our place in Heaven. It was worth it though.”
It sounds like the leaders of the Fallen Angels are similar to me in their desires.
They sounded like lewd Angels.
“Hmm, somehow I’m starting to feel sympathy for the fallen Angels.” I said.
Yuki-san sighed.
“I thought you said you hated them.”
“That was then, things have changed.” I said quickly.
“Hahaha, you understand it don’t you Ise.” Azazel chuckled. “If you’re a man then you desire women and their bodies! I can introduce you to some beautiful Fallen Angel women. I’m sure they’d be interested in getting to know the Sekiryuuti.”
Before I could say anything Buchou hugged me and pulled me away from Azazel.
“Azazel!” She shouted. “You will not be introducing any women to my Ise!”
“Why not? He’s obviously interested in the idea. Is there something wrong with him meeting a few women?”
“Because…. Because I’m protecting his chastity!” Buchou said after looking around the room quickly. “ he protected mine before, so it’s only right that I protect his!”
She looked satisfied with her answer.
“Ummm…. Buchou?” I said awkwardly. “I’m glad you care…. but I’d like to lose my virginity.”
Buchou pouted at me.
“Ise-san, are you going to leave us?” Asia asked, tears in her eyes.
“Ara, so you like the idea of having some dirty, crow-winged Fallen Angel women then?” Akeno-san asked.
Her smile was scary.
I didn’t know why they were so upset.
Yuki-san was giving a look.
“What?” I asked.
“You really are dense.” She muttered.
I didn’t get it!
I mean I get that Akeno-san and Buchou would get less time with me, but I’m like a toy to the two Onee-san’s of the group.
And Asia was like family to me, so she didn’t want to be left alone.
But Yuki-san was looking at me like it was more than that.
“...Ise-senpai is the worst.” Koneko-chan muttered.
At first I thought she was sad too, but she turned away to laugh!!
“So I need to get Buchou to let me have a child with Ise. Hmmmm, I’ll need to think of something she would accept as a trade…”
I ignored Xenovia trying to barter for me.
“Ise-san, maybe you just wait a while longer to be with someone.” Yuuto-san said.
“You’re really popular Ise-senpai! I couldn’t deal with all the attention!” Gasper said from his box.
“Normally I’d say that he would need some experience with women in order to better create a harem.” Azazel said, “But Ise seems popular enough already. With Dragons naturally attracting multiple partners that makes sense. It looks like he might not need my teaching after all?”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
Azazel pointed toward my Sacred Gear arm.
“You have one of the two Heavenly Dragons inside you. The Boosted Gear doesn’t just give you a weapon you can use to fight with.” He folded his arms as he spoke. “Dragons are not like humans. Their instincts don’t arrange themselves the way yours do. Territory, treasure, lineage, dominance, pride, they’re all different to them. And people have always been fascinated by Dragons.
I frowned.
That sounded similar to what Ddraig had said before about how Dragons attracted others to themselves.
Everyone was listening quietly.
Even Buchou, who still looked unhappy, didn’t interrupt.
Azazel continued.
“A dragon’s power doesn’t just make enemies take notice. It draws everything around it into orbit. Fear, admiration, challenge, greed, fascination, loyalty, desire.” He shrugged. “People react. That’s part of what an overwhelming presence is. It doesn’t wait to be acknowledged.”
“Ddraig mentioned it before, but essentially Dragons just attract people?” I asked.
“In crude terms? Yes.”
Akeno-san smiled. “Ara, ara. That sounds convenient.”
“It can be,” Azazel said. “Which is why his harem dream isn’t so far fetched, but it can also be a problem. Not everyone attracted by power gathers for the same reason.”
That part made sense immediately.
Vali, Riser, Freed, Kokabiel, every fight I kept being dragged into since I became a Devil made a bit more sense.
“With women in particular,” he said, “it becomes even more obvious. Strength brings attraction. Instead of seeking you out for a fight, they’ll be interested in you. The ability to protect, claim, shelter, and stand above others are all things that draw responses. But not always healthy ones and not always simple ones.”
Xenovia nodded thoughtfully.
“That seems reasonable.”
“So it’s like an instinctive interest then?” Yuuto-san asked.
“Pretty much. It doesn’t change how someone thinks or feels. It just draws people to them and makes them more appealing.” Azazel said.
Buchou crossed her arms.
“That doesn’t mean you need to encourage him.”
He grinned.
“I’m not encouraging him,” Azazel said. “Dragons naturally form polygamist relationships, so I’m explaining it to him.”
Azazel let the room settle for a moment before adding, “Of course, wanting something and being able to hold it are different things. After all there are a few other beings that have a similar Presence to Dragons. And in your case—”
He pointed at me again.
“—you may need to compete for the girls in this peerage.”
My first reaction was immediate and simple.
That made sense.
Each of the girls in the peerage was beautiful and any guy would be interested in them..
Then, before I could say any of that, Azazel raised one hand and pointed.
At Yuki-san.
I stared.
Everyone in the room turned to her again.
Yuki-san stared back at Azazel with a tired expression that suggested she wanted Azazel to leave.
“What?” I asked.
Azazel-sensei smiled wider.
“There, for example.”
I looked at Yuki-san again.
Still didn’t get it.
But then, after Azazel continued to point at her, something Ddraig had said to me before surfaced again.
Competition.
Ddraig had said that some Kitsune could have a similar effect on people as a Dragon did.
What I didn’t understand was why Azazel-sensei was saying she was my competition.
That part made no sense.
If anything, wouldn’t she be the one attracting competitors?
I frowned harder.
Until I remembered Yuki-san touching Akeno-san at the pool.
How Akeno-san loved to tease Yuki-san more than the other girls.
Xenovia’s interest in her after hearing how Kitsune women can have children with other women.
Koneko-chan always staying close to her.
Asia and Yuki-san suddenly being on a first name basis.
Buchou acting off and more concerned around Yuki before their fight after unsealing Gasper.
Yuuto-san…. actually, nothing came to mind for her.
Yuki-san caught the look I was giving her and asked, very flatly, “Why are you staring at me like that?”
“I’m not staring,” I said automatically.
Akeno-san chuckled.
“Yes, you are Ise-kun.”
Azazel, being a terrible person, decided to explain.
“Kitsune can have a similar effect to Dragons for attracting potential mates. And since Omen-chan is a Kitsune, that also means that everyone in this peerage is a potential mate.”
The room went quiet again.
Asia’s blush deepened all over again.
Gasper let out a small gasp while watching through a crack in the top of his box.
Akeno-san looked delighted at more chaos unfolding.
Xenovia’s eyes sharpened with interest.
Buchou looked instantly suspicious of the direction things were heading.
Yuuto-san looked caught between exasperation and amusement.
Koneko-chan’s eyes narrowed at Azazel.
Yuki-san closed her eyes for one second, then opened them again and said, “No.”
Azazel-sensei laughed.
“But it's true. I’m being informative.”
“You really shouldn't be.”
He ignored her.
“A dragon attracts through scale,” he said, looking at me first. “Presence. Force. The sense that something overwhelming is in front of you.” Then he gestured toward Yuki-san. “A kitsune is different. It can draw others in too, but the shape of it is more subtle.”
He actually paused there.
As if deciding how much detail to inflict on the room.
Naturally, he chose too much.
“With foxes like her, the pull can be more ensnaring. Voice. Beauty. The feeling of being seen. The sense that there’s something warm, dangerous, intimate, or impossible to look away from.” He tilted his head. “More sensual than a dragon, generally. Less like standing before a mountain and more like wading into a pool of water and not realizing how deep it is.”
Nobody moved.
Asia glanced between Yuki-san and I.
Gasper’s box had turned to give a better angel to watch from.
Akeno-san’s smile turned bright enough to count as malicious.
Koneko-chan stared at Yuki-san for a few seconds before going back to giving Azazel a glare.
Xenovia said, in a tone that suggested she was sincerely trying to understand, “So dragons gather through force while kitsune gather through allure. But both do so with power.”
Azazel-sensei pointed at her approvingly.
“Exactly.”
“But that is only for Kitsune like the Kiyuubi.” Yuki-san said.
“Yes, the Nine Tailed Fox and other exceptional Kitsune.” Azazel pointed out with a grin.
I looked at Yuki-san again.
Because now I was trying to match what Azazel said to what I actually knew.
Did being around her feel like what Azazel described.
At first she’d felt withdrawn, dangerous, wounded, hard to approach.
Then as her tails increased, the shape of her presence had changed.
She was slightly harder to ignore and easier to notice.
More striking even when she was silent.
Was that what he meant?
Maybe.
I still didn't know if that meant she was interested in the girls in the peerage.
Buchou had said that she thought that Yuki-san was interested in me.
So maybe Azazel was wrong about her being competition for me.
If anything, what he’d just described only made me think more strongly that other people would absolutely come after her attention.
I didn’t like that thought.
Yuki-san’s face remained flat.
“That was unnecessary,” she said.
Azazel-sensei shrugged.
Akeno-san laughed softly. “I have to admit, it does explain certain things.”
Buchou turned toward her at once. “Akeno.”
“What?” she asked sweetly. “It does.”
That made me think of the extra tails.
Of how Yuki-san felt different after each release.
Of how people looked at her now compared to when she first joined us.
Yuki-san shifted slightly in her chair and said, “I dislike being discussed like this.”
“That makes sense,” Yuuto said quietly.
It was the first thing she’d said for a while.
“If it's making you uncomfortable, we can talk about something else, Yuki.” Asia said with concern in her voice.”
“No, it’s just a pointless topic.”
Akeno-san, meanwhile, was having far too much fun.
“Ara, ara. It’s not pointless Yuki-chan. Issei may need to worry about more than one sort of rival after all.”
I pointed at her. “That’s not helping!”
“It’s helping me.”
Yuki-san sighed.
“There is no competition. I am not romantically interested in anyone in the peerage. Boy or girl.”
Buchou narrowed her eyes at her in suspicion.
Koneko-chan had a thoughtful look on her face.
Akeno-san moved closer to Yuki-san and leaned towards her suggestively.
“You don’t have to be shy, Yuki-chan. You seemed very excited when you had your hands all over me.”
Yuki-san frowned.
“Akeno-san….”
“That doesn’t mean that you couldn’t give me a child though.” Xenovia said tilting her head. “Or if you’re still opposed we could practice making a child instead. It would be like training.”
One of Yuki-san’s eyes twitched.
“Xenovia-san.”
“Yes?”
“I know where you live. I can and will put a curse on you and your apartment.”
Xenovia opened and then closed her mouth.
She turned to Buchou.
“Is she allowed to do that?”
“Yuki, please don’t curse the other peerage members.” Buchou said tiredly.
“I won’t for now Buchou.”
Buchou sighed.
“Good enough. There you go, Xenovia. Now Azazel, if you’re done harassing my servants, can we get back to talking about training?”
“Fine, I’ve had my fun already.” Azazel said. “You all need to become stronger. In particular the Seliryuuti needs to complete his balance breaker and Fox-chan needs to circumvent her spell’s backlash. You’ll have plenty of time to train over summer vacation.”
With everything happening I had forgotten that the term was about to end.
It felt weird to talk about something so mundane again.
“We will become stronger. And we will further master our powers.” Buchou declared.
Azazel nodded.
“Thats the right mindset. You each have areas to focus on individually. But enough of that. I’ve heard that there will be a meeting between some of the young Devils soon. I also heard the name Rias Gremory discussed as one of the Devils debuting.
Buchou nodded.
“It’s a custom for the nobel families and older generation to gather to meet the Devils of the younger generation.”
That sounded like something we should skip if we wanted to train.
Instead of talking to Devil nobels we could focus on getting stronger.
“Is it a good idea to have the gathering soon after the attack on the summit?”
“It’s definitely a good idea. Having the younger generation of Devils fight each other in Rating games is a great way for them to gain experience fighting that they will need.” Azazel said. “The Rating Games are designed in an ingenious way to provide entertainment for Devils while giving the participants battle experience in multiple different arenas and types of battles at the same time. Sirzechs and the other Maou really thought it through when they designed the current system.”
I guess that made sense.
We would be able to fight and gain experience in a protected environment.
It was practically just training by fighting against other peerages.
“I’ll prepare you for your matches don’t the training camp. You wil each have improved your personal power and your control of your sacred gear by the time the matches start.” Azazel chuckled. This will be interesting. There’s the. Boosted Gear, the new holy-demonic sword, Hidden Balor View, and Twilight Healing to work with. I’ll be able to expand my research and push each of them into new forms!”
Azazel began chuckling to himself in a worrying way.
I glanced around the room again.
Everyone looked more determined than they had before.
I looked at Yuki again.
That old comment from Ddraig about her being a a strange Kitsune came back into my head.
After Azazel being up Kitsune attracting others like Ddraig had mentioned before and point Yuki-san out as well it made me think about it all over again.
When Ddraig said it I thought that other guys would be competing with me for her attention.
When Azazel said it he said it like o would have to compete against her for the other girls attention.
Buchou had said that she believed Yuki-san was interested in me.
And Yuki-san had said that she wasn’t interested in anyone.
And now I couldn't tell which version of it was the correct one but, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
But for now all I knew for sure was that Azazel himself was going to train us to get stronger like we needed, and Yuki-san had promised to tells us more about herself.
So I would finally learn more about her past.
I only hoped that with whatever painful memories that would get dragged out of that talk, we would be able to be there for her.
END OF VOLUME 3
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