Chapter 68: Prologue II

Part 2

MC's POV

"Curse you! I told you I will not, under any circumstances meet with those girls!" I yelled.

Sinking my reinforced finger on the floor, I made it so I was completely stuck.

"Stop being selfish! We also are at our wits end here!!!" Azazel-san grumbled.

Trying to pull my legs, he failed to drag me out of the room.

The crazy, irresponsible, and self-proclaimed guardian of mine (one among many), was a tall man with a youthful appearance despite being centuries old. He looked to be in his late twenties and had an average build, black hair, golden bangs, and a black goatee as distinctive features. He was wearing grey slacks and brown shoes with a maccaron coat with an open v-shaped neck.

"Selfish!? Me!? I am being selfish!?" I yelled. "You had the gals to push this issue to me."

"We had no other choice..." Azazel-san looked at a loss. "Barakiel is a pervert, but he is a masochist. We can't expect him to play the sadist role!"

Sinking my fingers deeper into the floor, I let the roots of some plants I had always been ready to use tie me down.

"That is still a huge leap in logic!" I resisted frantically. "Aren't you guys fallen angels!? You are supposed to be wicked and full of lewd thoughts!!!"

"That is a stereotype and you know it!" Azazel-san replied.

"Huh? Excuse me? I did not hear you denying my claims here!" I did my best, but he was stronger. "Besides, aren't you the most perverted of all the fallen angels? Are you telling me that a pair of girls got the better of you...!?"

Little by little, he was dragging me and my fingers were carving the floor as we moved. None of the passing fallen angels reacted to us, in fact, someone was openly betting to see who will win. Damn, you.

"Listen..." Azazel-san paused. "Even I, have limits I do not want to cross. They are a bit too much even for me."

"I don't think I can handle them either." I bitterly said.

"You were capable of saving that girl, so I believe you can handle these two as well." Azazel-san's tone was full of trust.

"Aren't there other guys willing to deal with them...?"  I asked, still unwilling.

"...look, I am not kidding with you went I tell you that two blond and masochist beauties interested in looking for someone to 'punish' them did not attract voluntaries." Azazel-san sighed. "...none of them will ever be the same. They are going to therapy often thanks to trying to chew more than they could swallow."

"...aren't they just going to get treated with that sexy therapist?" I asked.

"I won't deny that, but some of them have indeed gotten mentally ill. I have a pair of idiots that shaved their heads and want to become monks to live on an island free of women." Azazel-san confessed.

I was speechless.

"Can't the younger sister deal with one of them?" I inquired.

"She is tired, not only has she had to deal with her big sister's antics, but she had been dealing with the other troublemaker as well." Azazel-san explained. "Really, what are the odds of getting a pair of troublemakers with Sacred Gears like those and with those kinds of kinks. Not to mention, they are both blondes, but they are from different countries and nationalities."

A nightmare made reality.

My lack of response made Azazel-san get serious.

"I did not want to do this but..." Azazel-san sighed. "I guess I will have to say your other guardians about the super dangerous experiments you have using our equipment for, not to mention, how the only test subject is you..."

"Oi! No matter how you sugarcoat it, that is blatant blackmail. Besides, I would rather have to bear that load than go kidnapping a people to use as guinea pigs." I retorted.

"Jeez, you really like to plunge directly into problems." Azazel-san smiled wryly. "Sometimes I am not sure if you are actually insane. Doing such a thing to be able to grant your people the medium to protect themselves... I can't even find where to begin retorting."

I have taken many people under me and there is no way that it will be a problem that can be solved by getting everyone holy or cursed weapons. Even physical training has its limits given how it takes time to become a proper foundation of someone's strength. Not to mention, not everyone is fit to receive physical training to become a melee fighter. That always made me wonder what should be done. If they have magic power, they can be mages. However, what if... what if they had neither sacred gear, physical aptitude, or magic power? How would they be capable of protecting themselves? I thought that making Sacred Gears was an option. Among the several ideas I brainstormed for a long time, I recalled that the shitty guy whom I killed had an organization that planned to make use of the Four Fiends to create some pseudo-avatar-type Sacred Gear. Thanks to Suzaku's help, I got information about their research before it was 'destroyed' by the Five Clans.

"And here we are." Azazel-san said.

The research was incomplete so we needed a lot of people to use as test subjects, but I could not be certain if there would be sacrifices so someone with a weak body would not do. The subject had to be strong, or at least, have a body capable of withstanding the experiments, that's why I decided to be the one that- wait, he dragged me to the room already!?

"Oi! What are you doing? How could you take advantage of the time I was thinking to drag me towards this place!? When Nora-kun is speaking, even villains wait to act!" I exclaimed.

"There you go!" Azazel-san smiled craftily and pulled me from the ground before throwing me towards the room in one swing. "Have fun!"

Smiling, he slowly closed the door and my fate was sealed after hearing the click coming from the door.

"Kuh! Have you come to shame me again? Haaaa, haaaah, I-I w-will tell you, it won't end like last time!"

A resentful (?) voice but with some hidden enthusiasm spoke. It belonged to a woman who would normally sound dignified if the content of her words were not... her usual interactions with me.

"Please~ Please~ Hit me, hit me~"

A cute voice that belonged to a cute girl called out eagerly, but the content would make eleven of ten people tilt their heads quizzically.

The room was fully illuminated when I entered, but as soon as the door closed, it grew darker and several tools attached to the wall were illuminated separately, showcasing them or perhaps highlighting them.

Face palming myself, I swore to mix a laxative in that damned cadre's coffee... again.

Why does he force me to do this every time!?

Lips twitching, I could fill two pairs of eyes filled with expectations so I-

Part 3

MC's POV

"I feel dirty..." I sat down.

"Now, now, it wasn't that bad, was it?" Azazel-san put a transparent bottle of water in front of me.

It was made of glass and it had a fancy design.

We were both in his office, sitting each one in wide coaches usually meant for several people, with a long and low table between us.

Scowling, I saw him put a pair of empty water glasses with a few ice cubes inside.

"Cold water? Service must not be a thing for fallen angels." I said.

With his lips twitching, he gestured for me to touch the bottle of water.

"...this is a grave issue, exploiting a minor like this." I grumbled.

Touching the bottle, I let my demonic power do its job. I had three types of demonic powers inside of me, or rather, I would call them demonic energy. I originally thought they were the same but after surviving so long with three types of them inside me, I noticed certain differences. You could say they share similar traits to people's blood since as your body grows, they developt small but defining differences. It is usually the case that the stronger blood is usually the one that decides which inherited bloodline ability will the child when he is born to develop. This is one reason why devils are so proud of their bloodlines. The purer the blood is, the more likely for a descendant to develop their Clans abilities. It is not, by all means, to share demonic power since I have tested it before, but it is not as effective. Regular magic powered by demonic power is not an issue, but regarding bloodline abilities, the effects may vary. In my case, I had my body parts replaced by three freaking devils. Without any regard for my life, it was possible to make the unthinkable. Artificially create a devil capable of using not one, but three different bloodline abilities.

It might sound amazing, but your regular folk will die just by changing one organ. Once the body rejects the organ, instead of helping you, it will become a nasty poison.

"Anything in particular you want?" I asked.

"...I have not tasted a good bourbon in a while." Azazel-san wistfully said.

"Alrighty, anything other than bourbon." I smiled.

Watching him suddenly panic made my day so I did as he asked.

"Don't scare me like that, kid." Azazel-san grumbled.

"I guess it is true that you are too old." I smirked.

"How about showing some respect to an old guy?" Azazel-san grumbled.

He sulkily grabbed the glass and drank it all at once.

I was left speechless at that display but a normal occurrence won't keep me from talking for too long.

"How about actually acting like an old guy? Who was the guy who took me to a bar to use me to pick up chicks?" I mumbled. "What kind of respectable old guy does that?"

Filling myself a glass, I copied his actions.

"Huh? You say that, but all the chicks were onto you!" Azazel-san complained.

"What nice weather we have today..." I sighed.

"It was raining the whole day around here." Azazel-san retorted.

"Ain't that nice? I love rain." I shrugged my shoulders.

Filling his own glass, he just sank back comfortably on the couch.

"Jeez, evading the topic like that. Ah, whatever." Azazel-san sighed. "So? What do you think?"

"Laura-san was pretty cute, but she must be in her late thirties so her goal must be scoring husband. I do not suggest going after her." I mumbled.

"Who cares about the chicks!?" Azazel-san retorted again.

"One of the most perverse men of the whole history is saying that? Sh*t hit the fan, what happened? The world will end today?" I asked.

Feeling like I would continue to mess up with him, he magically pulled some files and threw them my way. I easily caught and after reading them, I put them down.

"It is as you have guessed. It will take me a little while to take care of all that poison. It is nothing but a miracle that she was alive in the first place." I said. "I am not sure why you brought her here to this building if you were planning on killing her."

My tone contained small amounts of anger.

"We brought her here for damage control. By the time we found her, her whole village had melted into a lake of poison. It was to prevent more damage from occurring." Azazel-san muttered. "A few events occurred and what to do with her was postponed, although our judgment was to kill her."

"She can't be said to hold no blood on her hands since she was brought up as an assassin, and her abilities were put to use on numerous occasions. However, I think that killing her just like that is too much. She is not a toy you can dispose of after you get tired of her." I said.

"I am sorry, but it is unthinkable to risk other people's safety for one individual. If she archives Balance Breaker and happens to use it in a city? Do you know what kind of sight will that be? You were capable of withstanding a chat with her, but it is not like her poison did not affect you, did it?" Azazel-san muttered.

Biting my lips, I could not find words to deny that.

"Thus, she cannot leave this building." Azazel-san concluded.

"But, that time..." I insisted.

"She managed to control it, but it was only for a while. It will take her a long time to be capable of controlling her to the point that no one around her will be poisoned to death. That said, using her abilities effectively will take even longer." Azazel explained. "You already know that, you recommended that she should stay here."

"At that time, I let her take a mouthful of fresh air and frolic in the outside world." I said. "It was a pocket dimension but it was a replica of the human world. It was devoid of people, but she was simply happy of being able to walk around like a normal person. However, at that moment, I got it. She would be extremely hurt if she harmed anyone."

Filling his glass again, Azazel-san listened to me.

"Part of me wants her to go to the outside world, but part of me wants her to live here." I mumbled.

"I see." Azazel-san said nothing more.

"I... I will go and take off more poison from her." I stood up.

"...go." Azazel-san muttered. "Oh, swing by the lab. The latest test results are still there, you should know the password already. I don't have to repeat this, but make sure no one else enters there."

Nodding at that, I left the place.

...

...

...

Finished with my tasks for the day in that place, I left the Fallen Angel's HQ. My next place to be was actually a patient I had to attend to. He was a stubborn old man, and someone I was familiar with. The time Yasaka-san gave me my new job, she introduced me to several facilities I never went to before.

The jail was quite wide to have a space to accommodate any type of prisoner. The youkais had some large fellows amount us so regularly human-sized would not cut it.

Among the many prisoners I saw, there was one guy who called out to me, a familiar face. The old guy who I met in the devil's prison.

He tried to steal some stuff and got himself caught.

Somehow, fate allowed us to meet again. Thus I began considering fate my enemy after that.

That said, he managed to get a free pass out of jail since Yasaka-san felt grateful for his actions back then.

Unfortunately for me, he began pestering me after being released. He spoke some nonsense about fate, and he said it was about time he settled down.

It was absurd, I thought so and it was not just me. Yasaka-san thought as well because she ran away immediately. I was uncertain why he could not just use his secret stash of money he used to brag to make a living somewhere else, but he embarrassedly said that he lost everything gambling. That was why he thought I should hire him as a teacher, and he would teach me his craft. I had no other choice but to do it since when I tried to escape, he clung to my leg and unsightly began to cry with snot running down his face. At that point, I knew it was all an act, but the looks that people gave me at that time made me want to dig a hole and hide there, eternally.

Having given up already, I got him a place to stay and arranged for some people to keep watch on him.

It was only when I was going to head home that he introduced himself, he was called Eric.

...

...

...

"*Cough* I see..." Eric nodded.

It was never easy. No matter how many times you do it, you can never get used to it completely.

"I don't think you have that much left. Without any external help, you will not survive by the next year. However, if you allow me to-" I mumbled.

Slowly raising his hand, he stopped me from saying anything else.

"Now now, don't put that face. I know that I am quite popular as a suave gentleman, but I am not fond of making males attached to me." Eric laughed faintly.

I wanted to smack his head for that comment but I knew he intended to change the topic.

"...why do you want to die?" I asked.

"Hmmm, no one really wants to die, you know?" Eric replied. "However, humans have a limited lifespan, one shorter than supernatural beings. It is normal that few of us pass away as we live our life. Yes, it is normal."

Gritting my teeth, I could not accept it.

"Before settling here, I had one unfinished business." Eric confessed.

Gulping, I wondered if I could use that business to keep him living.

"As embarrassedly as it sounds, I had a daughter that I could never raise properly. Her mother and I never married, we only spent some time together before parting ways. I learned of her pregnancy later on, but she never allowed me to get close to her." Eric smiled wryly. "Jessica and I loved each other, but she was a foolish woman who could not let go of her past. She was always afraid that the vampires would catch up to her, and it was clear that they did not like humans very much so she protected me by keeping me away."

"(Isn't that...?)" Tamamo said.

Inwardly sighing, I let my hopes diminish.

"By the time I learned of her death, my daughter was a teenager." Eric muttered. "I spent a long time looking for her, but she was crafty. I could never catch her, although I did learn that she followed my footsteps and became a thief. Haha, a phantom thief. I guess it was on her blood."

Smiling rather fondly, he talked.

"That said, I had given up finding her by the time you met me. However, when I saw the crazy spectacle of you in jail, I thought it was an opportunity. The rest is history." Eric mumbled. "Settling here was an opportunity to gather money rather honestly. I am rather old and I cannot pull stuns effectively anymore, which is why I was caught. However... Haha, who would have thought you brought that child here? Hahaha."

"...so I became the reason why you want to die?" I muttered gloomily.

"Hey now, that is not true and you know it." Eric smiled wryly. "I found my daughter and I found someone to pass down my skills. My life has been full of exciting things and I enjoyed it. I can't say I did not want to change a few parts, but there is nothing you can do about it."

"(It is ok, hubby.)" Tamano said, after reading my mood.

"I... see." I mumbled. "I guess I can do nothing about it."

In a heavy mood, I left a flask of pills beside his futon.

"These are some vitamins. You are old and your body is not working properly, your diet does not include these and your body needs them. Take them daily, and don't stay outside for too long during the night. It is getting colder these days." I spoke before standing up.

"You have to accept one thing, humans have shorter life spans. When they grow and get older, you will remain the same. Kiddo, what are you going to do regarding your human friends? They will grow older and..." Eric mumbled. "I know that for you they are precious friends, but are you ready to bear it if you lose them slowly as I told you?"

Sighing, he gestured for me to leave.

"Leave..." Eric said.

With even more bitter feelings, I walked away. The magatama shined for a moment, but my mind was pondering his words.

-----------------------------------

3rd Person POV

"Well, if it isn't the foxy housewife." Eric mumbled.

As soon as Nora left, Tamamo materialized in the room.

"...it is not only my dear husband who has been working hard these years. I have been working hard in my studies of magic and hexes. If I desired, I could cast a unique curse to kill you and no one would suspect a thing." Tamamo frostily said.

"Ohoho~ that is scary, what is an old guy like me supposed to do when he is told such a thing? I am a helpless guy after all." Eric mumbled weakly.

"Cut it. Even if your death will sadden him, I would rather that than you continue speaking crap like today. What is your goal?" Tamamo asked.

Sighing, Eric hesitated briefly.

"...it is precisely that that is troubling me." Eric said. "I am nothing more than a burglar, a thief, a man who earned his living by stealing it from other people, but even for someone like me, he shows such care. He reached the point of getting attached to me." Eric muttered.

"My hubby <3 has that kind of nature, he might get emotional and act imprudently without considering the situation sometimes, but he tries to understand others. He saw that deep down, you are not evil and that is why you were truly allowed to be here." Tamano said. "That woman can be said to be the ruler of Urakyoto, but she trusts my dear hubby's judging of character."

"How did you even add hearts to your words?" Eric seemed baffled.

Tilting her head, Tamamo was not sure what to say.

"Then let me put it this way. If someone like me is causing him distress, what would happen to someone he gets to spend more time with? What if he falls for someone? No, I am not trying to imply anything so stop with that scary glare..."

"Hmph, don't think I do not know about your plan to have your daughter and my hubby..." Tamano snorted. "However, you are right, he would be devastated. Although you should be aware that there are ways to acquire quite the long lifespan even among humans."

"If you are talking about becoming a sage, drop the idea, not everyone can do something like that. Besides, you are not considering one big issue." Eric refuted. "Would they even want to become something other than humans? Do you think they would be happy becoming devils? Have you considered the most troublesome obstacle to that idea? What if... they do not want to because they can't stand seeing those close to them age and die?"

With no words to retort, Tamamo stayed silent.

"Maybe you think he will go and force them to become immortal or something like that?" Eric smirked.

"No." Tamamo immediately said.

"He needs to find a way to sort his feelings or find a solution for his problem before he is hurt greatly by it. It is not much, but this old man thought he should use his death as the last lesson for him." Eric shrugged his shoulders.

"*Sigh* The two of you are such idiots sometimes..." Tamamo bitterly said.

Vanishing, Tamamo changed into her intangible form and went back to Nora.

"I am too old for that. Weakened my ass, foxy can still be super dangerous if triggered." Eric wiped his cold sweat.

Acting composed took a toll on him who had to act the part, but he was scared.

"Jeez, isn't there a single of your women who is not scary?" Eric complained.

...

...

...

Walking with his head hung low, Nora stopped when a figure embraced him from behind. The familiar feeling made him instantly know who that was.

"Yasaka-san?" Nora muttered.

"Ahhhh!? It's Tamamo though!? How could you confuse me- wait! Could it be? Did my breasts finally grow to that point?" Tamamo mumbled.

"There is no way that happened, dummy." Nora retorted.

Releasing him and moving to be in front of him, Tamamo put a hand on her hip and showed a sulky face with puffed-out cheeks.

"Now now, don't sulk. I was just joking." Nora smiled.

Sighing tiredly, Tamamo grabbed one of Nora's hands and began walking by holding onto him. It was the very picture of some lovers walking around, but the faces each carried were hard to associate with those of lovers.

"Nora, I know that you like to hide it whenever you get sad like that to us. I know that, however, I cannot really accept it." Tamamo spoke. "Tamamocchi knows it all!"

Smiling slightly, Nora sighed and began talking.

"You must be aware of it, but he is just trying to care for me. I sometimes consider what he said as I observe the growth of my human friends." Nora muttered.

"Hubby, that growth you observe is only about girls, isn't it? What part of their growing selves were you observing? Tamano is curious." Tamano narrowed her eyes.

"Jeez, I am talking about their overall growth. They will grow from teens to adults and then..." Nora sighed. "I have considered several ways to grant them longer lifespans. However, that would be selfish of me. I can't just go and say 'Hey, drink this. I cannot bear to see you die so you will become something other than a human'."

Stopping by a shop that sells Dango, Nora bought a few servings for the fox and him. They sat inside the store and continued the chat after the youth set up a barrier to maintain their conversation to themselves.

"Pretty smooth." Tamamo commented.

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"Shishou would not allow me to leave the Land of Shadows if I could not do something so trivial." Nora smiled wryly.

"...trivial, he says." Tamano whispered.

Eating one Dango, Nora munched it slowly as he thought.

"Tamano... I can't always act upon my feelings." Nora said. "No matter what, I know that no matter how righteous they might look, they are just my selfishness. Sometimes, it could be the right answer. However, there is not only one right answer or one solution. It is reduced to the solution I thought of. Then, what if someone else thought of a solution and both are good?"

"For me, your will is my will." Tamano said.

"Yosh, I shall marry Yasaka-san right now."

"On second thought..." Tamano mumbled.

"Haha, ok, enough jokes." Nora exclaimed. "I just can't force them. Putting Ikuse-san aside who lost his parents and grandmother, Toujou-san, Natsume-san, Samejima-san, and Nanadaru-san have family members. Lavinia-san is an orphan as well, but she has many humans acquainted too. Then I have people like Musashi and Suzaku..."

Not answering, Tamamo only opened her mouth and leaned closer to Nora. The youth simply smiled and fed her.

"I can feel the love!" Tamamo said.

"No, those were the dangos..." Nora retorted.

Staring each other in the eye, they both laughed.

"Hubby, I can't say I have no idea what you are going through, but it would be rude of you to just push away those people who openly shower you with their trust and friendship." Tamamo lectured. "I am a very understandable wife and I am certain that your harem will go beyond what I have seen. I am not sure about the guys, but other than Toujou-san, you can just conquer the other girls and they will not mind becoming devils or youkais for your sake!"

Giving the youth a thumbs up, Tamamo winked at him.

Freezing slightly, Nora slowly raised his head and before Tamamo could even register his movements, she was karate-chopped.

"I was a fool for expecting a serious answer..." Nora smiled wryly.

"Hoho, Tamamo thinks that you are not seeing the obvious." Tamamo tried to act composed, but her teary eyes got in the way.

"And that is?" Nora inquired.

"...aren't you feeling better?" Tamamo asked in a gentle tone.

"...I-It is n-not because of what you said or anything!" Nora said.

Acting flustered all of sudden, Nora stopped because Tamamo had a blank look.

"Pffft, haha, what's with that?" Tamamo began laughing hard.

"...I was trying to make you laugh but if you react that strongly, I get embarrassed." Nora shyly scratched his cheek. "Thanks."

"Anytime, hubby! That is why Tama-chan is the perfect housewife who always takes care of her hubby! That's right, you won't find a kitsune as caring and gentle anywhere else!" Tamamo struck a pose.

With both hands making fox head shapes, she winked at Nora playfully.

"Indeed, my Tamamo is really unique." Nora smiled.

"Kuhhh! Sneak attack! How dangerous! To call me yours all of sudden!" Tamamo put both hands where her heart was and held them together. "Now then, since we have reached this point, sign here and put your personal here..."

Out of nowhere, Tamamo pulled a certain certificate already signed with her name and put it in front of Nora.

"...do you carry that everywhere?" Nora asked speechlessly.

"Always!" Tamamo replied at once.

"...how did you even have the time to go to the city hall and get the certificate? I am sure that you cannot travel that far by yourself yet." Nora tilted his head quizzically.

"Oh, dear. You have no idea what kind of violent fight is happening under your nose..." Tamamo stared at Nora with some pity in her eyes. "It is so ruthless and the lead changes so much that factions are being made..."

"...I am certain of one thing, I did not know to know that." Nora covered his face with both hands.

Giggling at his actions, Tamamo gently pulled his hands apart.

"You are loved by many people, it is not a reason to grieve. Regardless of what your friends' future ends up becoming, I, no, us, will never leave your side. Even if you lose a friend, I will love you even more in their stead." Tamamo muttered slowly. "Why don't you hang out with them and try to figure out what you really want to do? Regardless of your choice, whether you decide to keep them at a distance or close to you, I will support you."

Smiling at that, Nora-

"Thank you, as expected of the best little sister one can have, you are really reliable." Nora said.

Frozen, Tamamo's movements became those of a robot lacking oil inside its joints.

"Nora... YOU IDIOT!" Tamamo stood up and fled the scene.

After confirming through several methods that she was not nearby, Nora changed the properties of the barrier to hide even his figure and it was only that his smiling face began to quickly heat up and turn bright red.

"Arghgsjsbajjaa." Nora banged his head on the table. "That was close! Way too close!"

Nora covered his face and screamed for a few minutes.

"...that kitsune got me good there." Nora sulkily said. "Stupid hormones, they weaken my resolve towards Yasaka-san."

Eating all the dangos at once, Nora touched his stomach and felt that he was hungry. Grimacing, he pulled a flask of pills from a magic circle.

"...just how many of these did you make Kaa-san?" Nora sighed before eating more than ten pills. "Urgh, I definitely have to make them with improved flavor. That said, one fills you for a whole day but now I get these sudden urges and I need to use these to keep the hunger at bay."

Storing the flask again, Nora let his head rest on the table.

"...Yasaka-san might have feelings for me, but perhaps because she promised Kaa-san to protect me, she will never accept me. Not to mention, she wants Kunou-chan to marry me..." Nora mumbled. "There is Kuroka-chan who is getting bolder with her actions each day, but I am safe as long as Raikou-san lives under the same roof as us... Pffft, yeah, right. That woman is kind of dangerous, she has trouble accepting others' opinions and thus fails to make a proper distinction of 'love'."

Sighing, Nora stood up and left some tips on the table.

"A mother huh." Nora pondered. "I have been meeting far too many people with motherly attributes lately."

Walking away, Nora had a sudden idea.

"Oh yeah, those guys should have finished their last mission two days ago. I should hang out for a bit with them." Nora said. "...but normal meetings get boring, don't they?

---------------------

3rd Person POV

In a well-lit room, a wide desk devoid of an owner could be seen. On top of it, a speaker rested.

Six youths stood close to the entrance in front of the desk and observed the well-furnished room made of mostly wood with wide couches on each side.

"Good morning angels."

A rather familiar voice to the youths was heard from the speaker.

One of the youths felt the need to be the straight man, or rather, the woman in this case.

"What are you doing... Nora-kun?" Natsume asked.

"...I have no idea who that person could be, but from the name, I can infer that he must be an attractive cat. That aside, my name is Charlie. Don't tell me you forgot already...?"

"...that is a really old movie, isn't it?" Sae asked.

"Well, it is." Tobio smiled wryly.

"Nora-kun put a lot of effort as always." Lavinia beamed.

"...he does like to go all out in this sort of thing." Kouki smiled wryly.

"...won't he get angry for ignoring him like this?" Shigune shyly asked.

The voice coming from the speaker got silent after listening to their talk.

"*Cough* I have a mission for you, angels." The voice from the speaker (Nora) spoke. "We have tracked one possible route of 'that' sake. After our agents followed a certain man's movements, they studied carefully a man our target met. This led us to a certain village where not much information could be compiled. It is far from our base, in the Hokkaido region."

Rolling her eyes, Natsume walked towards the desk with stealthy steps.

"After studying the movements that man made for the last months, we traced how he would make travels to a particular area quite often. Your mission is to- Wait, don't look under the desk. Ignore the cat under the desk!" The speaker suddenly stopped transmitting.

Pulling a small black cat from under the desk, Natsume brought him in front of the others.

"...you guys never play along." Nora's cat form crossed its arms.

"...you didn't call us back after our last mission so we were rather worried." Tobio muttered.

"We came here fast because we thought you needed our help immediately." Kouki shrugged his shoulders.

Sighing, the cat tried to free himself from Natsume's grip but was unable to do so.

"Etto, Minagawa- ahem, Natsume, I want to get off..." Nora mumbled.

"Remember that promise about doing whatever we wanted...?" Natsume smiled widely.

Trying to flee again, Nora was held strongly.

"We were really worried." Natsume said.

Looking for allies, Nora saw Kouki go towards one of the couches and when he noticed the cat's eyes on him, Kouki only flashed him a thumbs up. Lavinia looked like she might help... Natsume to carry Nora herself. Shigune was unsure if she should extend her hands and help him or go and take a seat. As for Tobio and Sae, they were already seating and chatting without any care in the world.

"...I just wanted you guys to have some free time. I am not a demon, I made you guys have a hard time studying for your exams last time." Nora mumbled.

Groaning slightly after hearing what he said, Natsume could not say anything back.

"You should've still contacted us." Natsume concluded.

"Yes." Nora meekly said.

"Now then... Shall we get started?" Natsume muttered.

"...are we still doing that?" Nora asked.

"Yes~" Natsume nodded.

Lavinia and Shigune walked towards the unoccupied sofa, leaving some space for Natsume.

...

...

...

"Hehehe." Natsume laughed happily.

Petting Nora, she was leaning on a couch as she happily played with him.

"You can act all scary, but this form is so cute!" Natsume muttered.

"I don't have any dignity left..." Nora's eyes looked dead.

"I think that is why they say to be careful with what you promise." Kouki advised.

Watching as Natsume fawned at the cat, Kouki clicked his tongue.

"Perhaps I should take advice from you about picking up girls." Kouki sighed.

The youth had a scary appearance so it was hard to find someone, not to mention, his lifestyle was not a normal one so a regular girl could get in danger.

"...if you think this is being popular, I think you must be blind." Nora muttered. "Look beside you, that is a smooth operator."

Kouki did as he was told and an almost blinding pink aura enveloped Tobio and Sae who were leaning against each other. After years, they did not feel that shy about showing this much affection in public.

"No... The level is too high for me..." Kouki immediately gave up.

"Now then, I guess I should start explaining what you have to do." Nora said.

Suddenly changing forms, he ended up on top of Natsume who froze immediately. As she leaned on the sofa, it seemed like they were going to get intimate with each other.

"Playtime is over, ok?" Nora said.

Nodding meekly, Natsume could not say another word.

"Awawa, straddling her all of sudden." Shigune covered he face, but could still peek from the opening her hands left.

"Nora-kun... my turn..." Lavinia downheartedly muttered.

Standing up, Nora went to the desk and sat on the chair there. Natsume was still frozen in place so he waited until she recovered.

"Later, ok?" Nora spoke.

Nodding at that, Lavinia did not try to press for her turn any further.

"Eh... I..." Shigune fumbled her words.

"I will take care of dinner today." Nora smiled.

Half excited by that and half disappointed, Shigune nodded.

"I will let you do the same as well." Nora wryly said.

"Yes!" Shigune replied full of spirit.

"I think that the smooth operator is you, Stray-sensei." Kouki spoke.

Tilting his head quizzically, Nora was unsure what the other party meant. Kouki decided not to pursue the topic since Natsume was showing signs of recovery.

"Argh!!!" Natsume stood up and pointed at Nora. "I told you to not do that!"

Resting his head on his interlocked hands, Nora smiled.

"...do you dislike it?" Nora asked.

"Urgh." Natsume looked away.

"Isn't it nice to skip a beat once in a while?" Nora inquired.

"...you are going to pay for this." Natsume sat down sulking.

Laughing slightly, Nora leaned back on his chair.

"I will patiently wait." Nora said.

Groaning, Natsume crossed her arms and did not say anything else.

"So, it is quite simple. You guys need to find what they are up to in that place." Nora muttered. "You will act as a tourist and go around the location I will provide later. For this mission, I will need four of you to act as a tourist group while the rest will handle support from the shadows. Tobio and Sae will play as a couple, and for obvious reasons, they will certainly act properly the part. As for the other couple, Kouki and either Natsume or Lavinia... eh? Why are you guys looking at me like that?"

"Stray-sensei, are you being serious?" Kouki asked.

"What's wrong?" Nora inquired.

Sighing heavily, Kouki crossed his arms and looked at the green-eyed cat pitifully.

"Nora-kun, I would rather die than act as another guy's couple." Natsume stated.

"Eh...ok? Then Lavinia can..." Nora turned to the magical girl.

Chuckling slightly, Lavinia smiled and a strange pressure could be felt. No words were said, but the denial was obvious.

"...I guess that Shigune will have to..." Nora began sweating.

"Sorry..." Shigune embarrassedly shook her head.

Scratching his head, Nora was at loss.

"Can't we just take of it with only one couple?" Tobio read the heavy air and changed the topic.

"Eh? Oh, well, I would rather have two pairs being close to one another. It is a small rumor, but there has been news about couples going missing around the place I am going to send you. The support might not make it in time if things go south." Nora explained.

"I see." Tobio nodded.

Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, Kouki suddenly grinned.

"Stray-sensei, how about you go?" Kouki asked.

"Don't be ridiculous, that won't change anything. We still need a couple..." Nora mumbled.

"I think I can play the part if it is really needed." Natsume coughed.

"Nora-kun, it would be a good opportunity to deepen our bonds." Lavinia said.

"I would like to participate." Shigune exclaimed.

Grinning, Kouki decided to make things more complicated. It was not because he was sulking over being rejected by the three girls and he certainly was not jealous of Nora.

"However, since there are many choices, shouldn't we choose the one who would be more 'compatible'... with the mission? I mean, not only it needs to look natural, but the skills should be counted." Kouki muttered.

"Hmmm, I guess that is true." Nora pondered aloud. "W-Well, I guess I could call Musashi-san since we know each other for quite some time, we practice together often so we know how to work together very well."

The slight blush on his face made the air stagnate in the room and Kouki began to feel like things would get out of control, but it would at least be funny.

"Nora-kun." Lavinia smiled. "I don't think you should trouble her with this. Besides, don't you think a magical girl like me can be good to support a melee fighter like you?"

The words coming from that smiling face were unexpectedly cold.

"No, I am an archer." Nora rebuked.

"An archer, he says..." Everyone retorted.

"Ahem, I think that since he and I share a similar long-distance fighting style, I should be accompanying him." Natsume muttered. "He spent a lot of time teaching me."

Never in his life did Kouki have such a fervent desire for popcorn.

"...we also spend a lot of time practicing. He taught me how to use Shikigamis." Shigune intervened.

Feeling like things could get ugly, Tobio asked.

"Eh... Does it really have to be couples?" Tobio mumbled.

"Hmm? Not really. The disappearances are mostly young couples so I wanted to use our investigation to check on that rumor, but our goal is to find the origin of that sake." Nora explained.

"Can't we just go as a group?" Tobio asked.

Sighing, Nora reluctantly began explaining.

"Today I destroyed the last gang from the Extra Clans so they would be immediately wary of a group of youths arriving at one of their possible production factories of the liquid." Nora said. "Since it is going to be a season where many couples go there, I think using it as a cover is a good idea."

Feeling like things will get solved easily, Kouki spoke up.

"Stray-sensei is right. The couple plan is a good one." Kouki said. "That is why you need to decide who should go with you."

Nodding at that, Nora stopped midway. He noticed the implications of that. Before he could change his mind, a few shadows got closer to him slowly.

"Damn you." Nora cursed.

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Author's corner

Anyways, this chapter is after a 4 year time skip. I did not go directly to the canon time since several things will happen here that are important so it is necessary to write full volumes. Some details will be explained in short stories such as the characters introduced this time around. I can tell you that Shirone's gang is formed by the starting ships from Azure Lane.

You can find story with these keywords: Highschool DxD: A new opportunity, Read Highschool DxD: A new opportunity, Highschool DxD: A new opportunity novel, Highschool DxD: A new opportunity book, Highschool DxD: A new opportunity story, Highschool DxD: A new opportunity full, Highschool DxD: A new opportunity Latest Chapter