One-Punch DxD: NEO

The dog isn't there anymore.

Akeno - clad in a short, white kimono, thought as she peeked into Issei's dark bedroom. She stepped into the suite.

Familiar faces slept with the boy.

A simple dark blue tank-top and a pair of yellow shorts adorned Tsubasa while a white T-shirt covered Koneko's frame until her thighs. Koneko slept between Issei and Tsubasa, latching on Issei's torso while Tsubasa beside him, normally.

Akeno closed in and crawled onto the bed, inching her body towards Issei's frame, aiming towards the other side, a mischievous grin spreading her lips.

She giggled as her arm overreached around Issei's frame, about to pull the boy into her loving embrace.

However, her wrist was grabbed, gripped so hard she nearly felt it snap as she winced as Issei immediately rolled over atop of her, elbow to her neck with the hand holding her wrist while his other arm threateningly pulled back with fists clenched.

Koneko was pulled in his sudden roll, falling on his other side as she opened her eyes from the sudden motion.

Akeno could not utter a word due to Issei's elbow to her throat when Issei's fist closed into her face, even as it stopped an inch from her nose when Issei took his time looking at her closely,

"...Akeno?" Issei blinked as he looked at her for a moment, loosening his elbow from her throat. The sudden pressure to her diaphragm made her slightly cough when he pulled back.

"Ise-senpai…?" Koneko rubbed her eyes as she looked at him. Tsubasa yawned as she woke up as well.

Both girls saw Issei straddling Akeno astride; one hand gripping her wrist and the other clenched, knuckles near her face.

An idea raced through Akeno's mind, as her eyes gained a brief mischievous glint before her expression flushed.

"No~ Ise-kun, please! Don't be so rough with meeee~!"

"What?" Issei looked at her confused for a moment.

"...Wow." Tsubasa commented on Issei.

"Ise-senpai?" Koneko quipped.

"Oh, you little…!" Issei now understood her game, especially from that blatant smile of her face.

"Akeno-senpai." Tsubasa met Issei's gaze before she directed her gaze to meet Akeno's. "Isn't this a little too late for your games?"

Akeno turned her head to Tsubasa.

"...Shouldn't you be a little shocked to see him assaulting a girl?" Akeno asked, confused by her reaction.

"Hah. This isn't a cliche anime. Plus, you're not the first one he nearly punched in the face." Tsubasa remarked - during one of her past sleep-overs, she once tried to pull a prank on a sleeping Issei and nearly paid the price.

"Akeno-senpai. Leave Ise-senpai alone." Koneko pouted at Akeno.

Issei sighed as he released Akeno, now laying on the bed supine.

"...What are you doing here? It's..." Issei asked and threw a brief glance at the nearby clock. "Two in the morning."

"I felt lonely in my new bedroom, so I thought I could use some company." Akeno replied with a sultry smile.

"You should've asked like they did." Issei pointed out as he pointed at Tsubasa and Koneko.

Koneko crawled over to Issei while he was talking and hugged his waist. Akeno and Tsubasa could see her feline tail swishing back and forth, Koneko purring as her cheek rested on his chest.

It was downright adorable.

Although Akeno felt something twinging inside upon seeing how comfortable Koneko looked. She then turned towards the other woman on the bed.

"...And you're fine with Koneko?" Akeno asked Tsubasa.

"With that bashful yet earnest expression combined with those ears? I couldn't say no to that," Tsubasa shrugged.

Akeno lightly pouted at her junior, who only raised an eyebrow in return. A few seconds later, she sighed, "...Then, can I share a bed with you on the next night?"

Issei and Tsubasa shared a brief glance before they shook their heads together.

"...Yeah, nah."

"Yep, not happening."

Akeno blanched slightly, "What? Why? I asked properly."

"Akeno, you have your own room." Issei reasoned.

"Koneko-chan also has her own room." Akeno returned.

"It's because it's late." Issei yawned as he laid his head on the pillow. "Try again tomorrow." He mumbled as his eyes grew droopy.

"Heh, yeah, good luck with that too." Tsubasa gave a brief giggle before she went back to bed, muttering a quick good night.

Akeno pouted at their casual dismissal of her attempt. She, one of the top beauties of school, was utterly rejected. She did not know how to feel about that other than her status being attacked.

However, she refused to give up. She rose from the bed and left the room, but not without flashing a grin at them by the door.

"This is far from over, you two." She finished with a wink at Issei before she left their plane of sight.

Once she was gone, Koneko yawned adorably before she snuggled onto Issei's chest. Issei pulled the comforter sheets over himself and Koneko, letting her rest comfortably. Issei stared at the ceiling… his eyes felt heavy, but he could not sleep yet.

"Hey, Tsubasa?"

He spoke hushly not to disturb Koneko.

"...Yeah?"

"About our…. Date on the other day. Are we... actually a thing?" Issei asked while turning his head slightly to Tsubasa's direction.

Issei could see Tsubasa's slightly bemused expression, "...Are you really asking that now? Is it not obvious enough?"

Issei shook his head briefly while flashing an apologetic smile, "Sorry, it's just… the way it ended, now that I look back, is kind of confusing."

Tsubasa blinked as realization dawned on her face. Her face felt warm as she looked away towards the ceiling. "...Yeah, I guess I can see that."

"Yeah, so…?" Issei could not help but ask.

Tsubasa licked her bottom lip nervously. She glanced to see that Koneko was still fast asleep. Then, she woke up and leaned over, sending her face towards Issei.

"Um, what-?"

Before Issei could finish, Tsubasa silenced him by pressing her lips against his. It lasted for a second as Tsubasa retreated under her blanket, not a blue hair was seen.

Issei unconsciously licked his now-wet lips, confused by the sudden action and the alien taste.

"Don't talk. Just go sleep." Tsubasa spoke from beneath the covers.

There was nothing he could muster to retort.

He simply leaned against his pillow, his eyes widened and fixed on the ceiling in an unblinking stare. His fingers trailed along his still-moist lips, before he softly snorted in mild amusement at the development.

[Congratulations, partner. You finally got yourself a woman.]

The back-hand of his left glowed a faint green light that Issei noticed.

"You make it sound so dull, you know that right?"

[Hah! Try being a Sacred Gear for a few centuries. I've been in many hosts, and all of them had women gather around them. However, I must depart my wisdom before you continue your relationship.]

Issei looked at his left hand.

"So, what's on your mind this time?"

[Despite your misgivings, I am still a wise ancient dragon. I have learned from experience with my past hosts the quandaries of love between different life spans, especially between a Human and a Devil.]

"What's your point?" Issei quirked a brow.

[Meaning your lover will grow her first crow's feet by the time your hair color fades and you degrade as fertilizer for grave soil. Assuming that the absurd power behind your father can't extend his years to the length of his might. The lesson here is… ponder on your future when it comes to different races. How do you wish to spend your years, and, in this case, how many years do you have to fulfill?]

Issei looked down, staring at his left hand with no real answer.

"...I see." Issei continued staring at the ceiling in silent contemplation. He turned around and lookeded at Tsubasa… He pondered on his future for a quick second.

Until he decided to simply shrug and leave it to his future self to deal with. Right now, all he wanted to do was sleep.

"Agh!"

Rias grunted upon her body slamming the ground, grimacing when Tsubasa pressed a knee against her back with a fist cocked ready.

"Yield, princess." Tsubasa said with a soft exhale and a victorious smile.

"Ugggghhhhh. Curse close-combat exercises…" Rias groaned with irritation as she raised her hands in mock surrender, prompting Tsubasa to stand, letting her roll over to face the ceiling supine.

The King cringed when she felt her shoulder muscle aching. She must have pulled something.

"Would you rather fight Koneko or Issei instead?" Tsubasa retorted with a light smile as she offered Rias a hand.

"…Good point." Rias sighed as she accepted the hand, letting Tsubasa pull her to her feet.

Asia and Ravel were together, stretching sets with Koneko supervising them. Akeno, Zama and Amanda were in discussion as the former offered a sports drink to the latter.

Issei, on the other hand, was dealing Catherine and her swinging sword, mostly per her request as Issei fended off her onslaught - not wasting energy in his evasion, the blade barely reaching him in small margins with every step much to Catherine's vexation, and his his hand deflecting her swings from only the flat of her blade.

Catherine was impressed by Issei's adaptability.

When they first fought to the death, Issei was more awkward than he was now. This one was more refined than before, his movements sharpened like a reforged blade once weathered by disuse.

Catherine narrowed her eyes as she aimed for his left side upon seeing an opening, but Issei caught her wrist and clenched his fingers.

Catherine hissed when Issei nearly broke her wrist with a profound grip, her fingers slackening, bones cracked and sword slipped out her fingers.

Grimacing, she tried to wrench her wrist off his grasp, but she found Issei's knee just below her chin before she could twitch a muscle.

"Consider your head rattled. And you're waking up with a headache." Issei commented much to Catherine's slight chagrin, releasing her wrist.

"...Splendid as usual, Master Ise." Catherine sighed. "Yet must you go to such lengths to make me yield?" She asked as she rolled her broken wrist, flexing her fingers.

"Hey, you're the one with a sword." Issei retorted. "You aimed for my neck like five times, you know?"

"It's…. I guess it's an old force of habit." Catherine bashfully replied.

Normal people wouldn't call continuous attempts at beheading in a practice match a force of habit. Either way, their morning exercise neared its end.

Issei looked at Rias and saw her rubbing her sore arm, pouting at Tsubasa in the meanwhile. He saw many sporting bruises on Rias as Rias huffed and stomped away towards Asia for healing. Issei sneaked his way towards Tsubasa as he stood beside her.

"So, how was Rias this time?" Issei asked his now girlfriend.

"She can finally take a punch if you're asking about that." Tsubasa elbowed his side a little.

"So... the usual."

Issei looked at Akeno and saw her lecturing Jade and Zama on something. Issei heard something about proper usages of magic and stuff like that from her lips while the two listened to the Nephilim with their utmost attention.

Ravel was sitting on the floor, sweating a river and panting while Koneko kept calling her 'grilled chicken' much to his amusement. The noble lady kept telling her to stop along the way, but Koneko continued.

Ever since Ravel shared the same roof as her, Koneko never stopped calling the noble girl as grilled-chicken, much to Ravel's dismay.

"Say, I gotta ask." Tsubasa turned to Issei to banish the silence between them. "How does it feel to live with so many girls at once?"

Issei could not open his mouth as he pursed his lips at the question.

If he had to recall, it was… sexually frustrating in a sense. Being with so many female presences was not something a healthy teenager like him could endure without consequence. Other times he felt like his manhood was at stake, especially with Rias' previous stunts back then, and that didn't include the other girls.

"Hard to say. But I will say I don't feel lucky at all."

Tsubasa quirked a brow at his answer.

"Really? You're living in a mansion with a bunch of girls under your roof. Do you know how many guys that will kill for that? Especially your perverted shadows."

She was referring to Matsuda and Motohama.

"The price is being the target of a noble asshole and fighting said asshole in the ring with Asia on the line. And that doesn't count me furiously training a certain girl and her peerage enough to defeat a senior in a traditional sport of noble douchebags. Some might find it not worth the effort."

"But you did it in the end. Because, in your words, you kinda earned it," Tsubasa grinned.

"So is there any reason why you are asking me something like this?" Issei asked.

"Oh, no reason… just want to know if you're thinking of cheating on your first and only girlfriend." Tsubasa said the latter half of the sentence aloud enough for the other girls to hear.

Various reactions were sparked, Rias narrowing her eyes, Akeno smiling with a silent issue of challenge thrown at Tsubasa's way, Jade and Turquoise looking amused, Koneko pouting, and Asia somewhat looking like she was about to tear up for some reason.

"That's it. I'm out." Issei raised his hands in mock surrender as he escaped towards Ravel.

"Make sure to keep it in your pants!" Tsubasa shouted with a shit-eating grin while Issei flashed a middle finger back at her.

Ravel was drinking from a bottle of water as she noticed Issei.

"Hello, Ravel." Issei waved.

"Oh. Greetings, Lord Issei." Ravel returned his greeting as she wiped her brows with a towel. "What brings you here?"

"...Stuff." Issei avoided the question. "And I decided to check on you. You have anything to say from your training?" Issei asked.

"I…" Ravel took a deep breath, "I believe I need to start with my stamina."

"...I never bothered to ask, but how did you train in Riser's Peerage?" Issei asked.

"That… well, only the Knights and Rooks bothered to train themselves outside of Riser's schedule exercises. Hmmm, if I must be honest, I am more of a tactician than a fighter, so I barely participated in strenuous calisthenics."

"Ehhhh…" Issei narrowed his eyes at Ravel. Ravel looked away to avoid his criticizing gaze.

"Well, now's better than never. And you made friends with Koneko along the way," Issei glanced at Koneko who looked away from Issei.

"...The cat? All she did was slander me. As motivation!" Ravel threw a stink-eye at Koneko. Koneko looked at Ravel, flashing a small cheshire smile.

Issei awkwardly chuckled, "Heh, that's just her showing that she cares." He winked at the Rook who blushed in return.

Issei wondered if he should take Ravel for some special training, though. Maybe he should bring Rover as motivation to run around. Being chased by a giant fire-breathing dog all day could do wonders.

The door-bell rang, shaking him out of his thoughts. He recalled about receiving visitors today.

"Ise, your friend is coming!" Haruka chimed as she entered the gym with towels.

Oh, right, Yuuto was to join them in training as well. Although he was a tad late.

His mother entered the room with a smile as, behind her, Yuuto followed as he waved at them.

"Pardon my intrusion." The knight greeted politely.

"Kiba." Issei was the first to reply and approach Yuuto, before the rest followed. "You're late. What took you so long?"

"Good morning to you. I am afraid that I was not informed on the schedule of the morning routines for some reason." Yuuto replied after giving nods to his other peers.

For some reason, huh.

Issei craned his neck to glance at Rias, who refused to make eye contact.

"Still, you're in time for breakfast at least. Come on, join us for a bite. Mom knows how to make some great stuff on the fly."

Yuuto blinked, "Oh, no. I don't think I can intrude anymore than-"

"Nonsense." Haruka interjected, patting Yuuto's shoulder. "You've come all the way here and you are our guest. Adding that you are also my son's friend, I also would like to know you better."

Yuuto glanced at the others who were smiling and nodding at him, causing him to sigh in acceptance. "I will take you up on your offer, then."

The dining room was then occupied, hearty meals steaming-fresh on the table. The girls, two boys, and two alien beings joined them with Rover on Issei's lap and Black across the table, stealing the meat plates from the girls that were not Asia.

During the antics of the table, Issei had a thought as he chewed, glancing at Tsubasa who sat next to him.

"Say, Tsubasa. I've been wondering; when you moved here, did you bring your cat along?" Issei did not remember anything about the cat being moved here. The cat was rarely seen in the mansion.

The girl blinked before replying, "I…" However, her expression suddenly contorted into a small scowl. "...I can't remember for some reason."

Issei became confused as well. "You can't remember? But it just appeared the other evening, right?"

"She did, but… Then I can't remember where she went off to when we got back…. Did you?"

Now that Issei thought about it, he could not tell either. It was as if the black cat just vanished to thin air as soon as he ensured Rover's proper behavior by the end of the date.

"No… But do you remember anything when you're still at your house?" Issei asked in return.

"Um…. I do remember that Kuro-"

"Kuro?" Issei quirked an eyebrow at the way Tsubasa named her cat.

The girl threw a pout before continuing, "Shut up, I had to make it up on the spot okay? Anyway, I remember Kuro always being around whenever it was dinner time, and my parents told me that Kuro would just lounge away in the house and sometimes would even play with them during free-time."

"Is that so…?" Issei mused. However, his musing was interrupted when his mother noticed he had been talking quietly with Tsubasa.

"What are you whispering about, love-birds?" Haruka asked with a grin.

Issei and Tsubasa immediately looked up - the latter blushed at the mentioning, to see the entire table were looking at them.

"Oh, nothing. The food's great as always." Issei tried to play it off.

"Peachy." Haruka shrugged before she leaned forward, "So, I guess the two of you finally hit it, huh?"

Issei blinked, noticing Tsubasa's face went even redder. He looked around the table to see everyone else was giving them various looks. Black was smirking, while Yuuto was smiling in amusement. The three girls from previously Diodora's peerage were giving him intrigued looks.

The most notable ones were the looks from Asia, Rias, Akeno, Ravel and Koneko, whose looks were kind of hard to discern.

"That's a… um…." Issei glanced at Tsubasa again, who returned his look sheepishly. Thinking that it was pointless to dodge the question, Issei decided to wing it. "I… guess we are?"

"I see." Haruka nodded.

Meanwhile, Issei then felt Tsubasa was reaching out to hold his hand under the table. He turned to see her smiling face, and found himself squeezing her hold in return.

"But as much as I'd love to tease the crap out of you, you kids still have schools, right? So chop chop. We're wasting time at this rate." Haruka clapped her hands, and on cue, everyone returned to finish their breakfast.

The school was in an uproar.

Tsubasa had the gall to announce their relationship in the most direct way possible - a quick kiss in front of many eyes in a hallway. It lasted for a few seconds before Tsubasa ran off with a wave at her boyfriend.

Cries of excitement, jeers of envy, glares of hatred haunted him, marking him as the enemy of all male and female admirers that followed Tsubasa. Matsuda and Motohama did not relent in their vocal tirade as they vented all of their woes and petty envy at Issei's ears. The amount of attention he received did surprise him, though.

If he had attracted this kind of attention by dating Tsubasa, what mayhem awaits him should he date Rias? He imagined the coupling igniting a nuke every male and female student roaring in rage with hundreds cursing his name.

Issei swore not to become that kind of dense character trope, he was sure that the route was still there despite Tsubasa telling him to 'keep it in his pants.' He really, really did not want to endure another hour of the obnoxious verbal dissent from every male body that he knew.

However, his musing was cut short when the whole class erupted at the arrival of a certain someone.

Issei turned to see Yuuto entering his class, garnering looks of admiration and (possible) lust from the girls, while the boys were giving him death glares. The knight, however, simply focused on coming to Issei's desk.

"Hello, Ise-kun."

"Huh, Kiba." It was rare for him to enter his classroom. "What brings your pretty face here?" Issei casually greeted the Knight.

"Yes, I am here to convey President Rias' message. She wishes to remind you to join her in our preparation for the upcoming Ball Tournament." Yuuto replied.

Issei failed to understand the word 'Ball Tournament' and the word 'our.'

"...Ball Tournament? What 'our'?"

Yuuto also shared Issei's confusion, "Um… You are part of the Occult Research Club, remember?"

No, Issei swore on his family's name that he did not sign any club papers or said that he was a part of a club.

"No, I'm not?"

"Yes, you are?" Yuuto denied.

"I am pretty damn sure I didn't say 'can I join' or sign any papers, Kiba." Issei denied as he looked left and right, wanting out of this conversation.

"But we've been through a lot together. You are already an honorary member for your astounding efforts, Issei."

"It did?" Issei blinked, confused.

"No, it didn't."

Another voice came from the door. Standing by the exit, Tsubasa leaned on the doorframe with a frown.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Kiba. But Ise here is joining the Student Council team."

"Is he?"

"Am I?" Issei was very confused.

At this point, the three's conversation had garnered attention of the entire classroom, as well as those outside.

"Yeah. Ise's been working with us for some time, so that makes him an honorary member of the Student Council." Tsubasa elaborated.

Issei felt like… actually, he was not sure he could find a proper analogy other than a toy that two children were fighting over.

"Um, I'm pretty sure I was a paperwork debt slave to you guys… And since I cleared that debt, so…" Issei replied.

"...Does the fact that your girlfriend is with the said Student Council affect anything?" Tsubasa asked.

His expression turned flat at her counter.

The girl then laughed, "I'm kidding, I'm kidding! Still, if I ask you to join the Student Council for the Ball Tournament, will you say yes?"

Issei rolled his eyes. Now they were shoving him in between a rock and a hard place.

"Settle your score with him if you want dibs since he asked first." Issei pointed his thumb at the knight.

"That doesn't mean that you should avoid my question!" Tsubasa gave him the fish lip as she glared at Yuuto, the latter returning the glare as sparks seemingly danced between them for a few seconds.

"So?!"

"Which one of us will you join?"

Tsubasa and Yuuto turned their attention back to Issei. He could feel their expectations oozing out of their eyes and smothering him.

"...Do I have to attend it in the first place?"

oXo

Work nowadays was less of torment and more of chores after Saji returned to the Student Council.

Ever since the alien creature that defied all logic and common sense called Black introduced himself, and 'seduced' Sona with his talents, the workload of the student council was significantly reduced manyfold.

Turned out having a creature that could self-multiply as much as the protein consumed was an unexpected boon in terms of labor. The Power of Destruction, The Phoenix Regeneration, none of the clan powers could ever defeat this ability when it came to honest, hard work, work that was needed to keep every organization running.

Turned out, the creature had much experience in this field in the Grigori, allowing him to work with not only Azazel, but every branch of the Grigori around the world. Technically, if one would place a salary on each of Black's duplicates, the creature himself would've made an instant fortune while monopolizing the labor market completely and utterly. He could transport papers, do manual work better than anyone, could fight, and could be used as an instant messenger as Black has a strange hive mind that allowed him to communicate with everyone around the world without fear of the message being hacked or intercepted by third parties.

Overall, a creature of many talents.

And he was in this room, standing on Saji's soles as Saji was doing hand-stand push-ups mostly for entertainment while being paid in food.

"Come on, keep burning those muscles, kid! Your lunch is on the line!" Black threatened while holding Saji's lunch, one inside a plastic bag.

"Aggggh, please! Not the curry bread!" The sandy-haired Pawn whined as his stomach grumbled.

The others were looking at Saji with pity, but Sona's attention was directed at the piece of paper laid on top of her desk.

"President~! Please help mee!"

The said president sighed as she closed her eyes briefly, before she said, "Black, please grant Saji some reprieve. I need him to function for the rest of the day."

The creature stared at the young woman for a few seconds before he scoffed, "Fine… ruin my fun, will ya?" he grumbled under his breath as he hopped off Saji's feet, allowing the latter to let his body fall to the floor.

"Oh, thank goodness." Saji sighed as panted with relief.

Saji flinched when he felt something landing on his face. It was his curry bread that Black stole.

"Thanks, coach." Saji peeled off the plastic and munched on the rare goodness.

Black simply frowned that his fun time was over. He simply walked over to Sona as the girls helped Saji up on his feet.

Black noticed the student president emitting a very hostile presence, her eyes lased on a specific envelope with such intensity it could combust to flames.

"Rare to see your kind of beauty ticked."

Sona perked her head at Black who climbed atop the table, peeping at the envelope.

Tsubaki refilled an empty cup next to Sona with a steaming tea.

"Wait, isn't that the seal of the Vatican?" Black asked as he pointed at the wax insignia sealing the envelope.

"You know… Oh, yes, you are affiliated with Azazel." Sona almost forgot.

"The other me's work for the guy on many wages. I'm making a killing there." Black chortled. "But seriously, you and the pigeon lovers? You going to war or something?"

Sona shook her head at his question. "We'd been requested an audience by the emissaries of the Vatican tomorrow." Sona said as she took her glasses off so she could massage the bridge of her nose.

"And with high-profile individuals as well…. How concerning." Tsubaki said with a small frown.

"Let me see." Black swiped the letter from the desk and took out the paper, eyes skimming the contents. "...Oh, shit." Black looked at Sona. "They're sending the heavies."

Sona and Tsubaki looked intrigued, "You know them?"

"Eh, two of them." Black pointed at a certain name. "But this one rings my danger bells. I ran into her once. Heard she's one of the best. It's a very funny story, actually…"

Saji gulped a bottle of water before he interjected.

"You? How funny are we speaking coach?" Saji asked, very curious.

"Er, let's just say I accidentally stumbled upon her when I was strolling around the cathedral… She was not happy when she saw me."

His words inspired curiosity within the entire student council. Sona and Tsubaki were intrigued by the creature's encounter with one the finest within enemy ranks.

"Moving along, I will notify Rias of this message. Tsubaki, you will coordinate with Akeno to prepare the meeting venue."

Tsubaki replied in affirmative, then Sona turned to Black. "I have a feeling that Mr. Hyoudou should be notified about this development as well. Would you relay this information to him?"

"Eh, might be more interesting for him to find out for himself." The creature replied with a shrug.

Xenovia Quarta sighed inwardly as she followed her friend.

She was from the Vatican, a disciple of the greatest female swordsman the order could offer, a prodigy or so the higher echelons of the Vatican believed that could potentially match Vasco Strada in near future.

She was a devout believer of God and His teachings. She has affinity with the holy element, allowing her to wield Holy Swords without impediment.

Strapped on her back and securely wrapped in white cloth was her holy sword, one of the Church's most prized weapons.

Their current task was to secure lodging for their seniors, but her partner insisted on a detour, a visit to an old friend from her childhood days. She was still surprised that he was still in his hometown.

The reason they were here was due to the trail of the stolen artefacts from the Vatican's secure treasuries leading to this small town, the place where her current partner was born.

Now she walked the suburban street with Irina Shidou in the lead. She glanced down at their attire; a plain formal suit in black and grey theme colour. Personally, she would have preferred to be clad in her usual war apparel since she was entering 'enemy territory,' but her superior ended up chastising her; thus her current get-up.

When they finally stopped, Xenovia found herself looking at something… unexpected.

"Um, Irina…" Xenovia addressed her partner. "Is this childhood friend of yours… very wealthy, by any chance?"

Why was there a mansion covering many acres? Her partner was sharing her confusion as she also stared at the house with confoundment.

"...Not that I know of, no. Huh, don't remember the house looking like this before." She then took a quick look on the planks next to the fence. "But the names are correct, so… this should be it."

Xenovia recalled Irina's description: a simple family home. Nothing about this was simple, from the iron brick fence to the heavily reinforced gate.

Not only that…

Something was paddling towards them from beyond the gate.

It was small, black, and it was a dog, yet definitely not a dog as it stared at them with its two crimson eyes… And it was growling at them.

Xenovia instinctively placed her hand on the hilt of her holy sword, but Irina cheered up upon seeing the thing.

"Oh, Rover! Hello, boy! Don't you remember me?! It's your friend, Irina!" Irina cheerily waved at the black dog.

As if registering her words, the dog stopped growling and tilted its head, confused. The dog furtively approached the gate as Irina crouched, putting her hand through the bars as Rover sniffed her fingers.

Yip?

The dog yelped with confusion as it looked up at Irina.

"Wow, is it just me, or you never changed? I mean, it's been over ten years!" Irina cooed as she reached her hands out in a friendly gesture, but the dog retreated slightly, eyeing Irina warily.

"…Irina, you're supposed to be aware of what that thing is, correct?" Xenovia gently reminded.

"Of course I am! It's a dog!" Irina smiled cheerfully.

No, no matter how Xenovia looked at it, it was definitely not a dog. However, considering she was dealing with Irina, Xenovia saw no point in arguing further. "Alright, just… be careful."

Irina blinked owlishly at her before she snorted, "Sheesh, what's gotten into you, Xenovia? I played with this cutie when I was a kid! It's harmless!"

That thing had fangs that definitely do not belong to a dog. The said dog was also staring at her with an inexplicable gaze that filled her with unease.

"…Hello, there. Do you girls need anything in my house?"

Irina and Xenovia turned to see a woman with brown hair tied in a low ponytail approaching them with a few groceries at hand.

"Oh, Mrs. Hyoudou! It's me, Irina! Do you remember me?!" Irina waved at the older woman.

The woman stared at the girl for a good few moments before her eyes widened in realisation. "...My goodness, it is you, Irina-chan!" The woman gushed out as she approached and gave Irina a quick hug.

"It's good to see you again too, ma'am." Irina greeted as Haruka appraised her looks.

"It has been too long! You used to be so boyish, but seriously, look at you! You've grown to such a fine lady!" Haruka praised, eliciting a bashful smile from Irina. The older woman then noticed the other one. "And this is…?"

Irina then glanced at her partner, "Oh, this is Xenovia, a friend I made during my stay at England. Xenovia, this is Haruka Hyoudou, my childhood friend's mother."

Xenovia simply nodded politely without a word.

Haruka smiled at the blunette before returning to Irina. "I guess you're here to meet Ise? My son will definitely get stunned by how gorgeous you look now."

She then opened the gate, allowing Irina and Xenovia to follow her inside the estate, where Rover was still watching in confusion.

"Rover, look here! Guess who's coming back?" Haruka gestured towards the twin-tailed girl.

Seeing the lady of the house was acting friendly with the girl, Rover finally dared to approach Irina, who crouched down and gently reached out to pat its head. A few seconds later, the dog began nuzzling its head against Irina's palm.

Xenovia could not help but scrunch her brows - Just what kind of family Irina had befriended in the past?

oXo

"Y'know, while it's not mandatory, it's still not cool for you to reject the entire ball tournament."

Tsubasa grumbled at Issei.

"Ise-senpai, why?" Koneko asked, sounding sad.

Ravel and Asia followed behind the trio walking home. Rias and Akeno had to stay behind to look after the Occult Research Club and would join them later in the evening.

"Sorry, but this guy takes no sides." Issei replied with triumph.

"Boooo. Pick one, you coward." Tsubasa jeered at him

"Yeah, good luck with that." Issei raised his hands in mock surrender as Tsubasa playfully pushed his head.

"I wanted to compete with you…" Koneko pouted at Issei, who looked at her in return, seeing her adorable eyes looking up at him.

"Ack, come on, don't give me that. Oh, right. Ravel, you playing the Ball Tournament?" Issei asked the noble lady, attempting to divert the topic away from himself.

"My classmates approached me with the invitation. Brother never hosted such sport events before, so consider me intrigued." Ravel replied with eagerness.

"Asia?" Issei turned to the former nun.

"U-Um, I-I'm actually excited and nervous at the same time, so I will do my best!" Asia replied with determination in her tone

"Which side?" Issei asked.

"She's on my team." Koneko answered for Asia.

Now Issei was beginning to feel left out. Could he be the only guy that refused to participate in this tournament?

"Ms. Catherine, Ms. Amanda and Ms. Zama!" Asia shouted upon seeing the three ex-nuns at the intersection. "Good afternoon, are you three on your way back from work?"

Asia quickly ran to them with a joyful smile. It was great to see Asia making friends, even though they shared her former profession.

"Ah, Ms. Asia." Catherine greeted back with a pleased smile, as her two comrades also returned the greeting in kind. "Yes, apparently we have earned ourselves an early leave. I hope you're enjoying the school today?"

"Mhm!" Asia flashed a brilliant smile.

Issei noted Asia's cheerfulness. He smiled at seeing her life getting better. She really did not deserve someone like Diodora destroying her old life. She was a lot happier now, living a life she deserved.

Although, Issei was now worried about his non-participation in the Ball Tournament. Should he or should he not play the game?

As he pondered on the choice, he stopped in front of the gate. As Issei pushed the door open, he looked back, seeing the others, minus Asia, frozen on their feet with color leaving their faces.

"Um, e-everyone?" Asia asked, sharing Issei's confusion.

Amanda and Zama were scooting closer to Catherine. Koneko was hissing at the house. Ravel leaned closer to Koneko while Tsubasa stared at the residence.

"Ise… There is an exorcist inside." Tsubasa warned.

The word 'exorcist' aroused a memory Issei would rather not face again. His brows scrunched as he glared at his home.

"Asia. Could you stay here with everyone for a moment?"

"Y-yes… s-stay safe, Mr. Ise." Asia gave him her blessings.

Issei took a deep breath before he opened the doors, his face filled with hostility, a kind of hostility he refused to show to the girls as he approached his lavish home.

Opening the door, he checked the lounge. No signs of forceful entry or dirt trekked into the home. They could not have snuck in… could they?

"Mom?" Issei called out, deploying his Longinus on his left arm. His worry was stockpiling as tensions rose.

"Rover?" Issei then tried to call his dog.

Rover would not let exorcists into their home without a fight. Did they manage to…

"Ise, is that you?"

Never mind. His mother sounded healthy.

"Come inside! We have guests! You won't believe who they are!"

Issei was confused by her jubilance. What kind of guests? Issei was sure that there were exorcists inside. Issei braced himself as he slowly approached the living room, ready for combat. Although when he saw his mother sitting with two girls, Issei immediately banished the Boosted Gear when he entered.

"It's been so long since I've seen you, Irina! Oh, we have so much to catch up on! How is Mister and Misses Shidou doing?"

Haruka sat down with a plate of cookies, freshly baked.

"Oh, they're doing fine! I wanted to talk more about you! Like this house and Issei!" Irina giggled as she took a cookie.

Rover panted on Irina's lap while Xenovia eyed the black dog with visible discomfort.

"Oh… sorry, uh…" Issei looked at the girls, confused. He was sure that they were wearing standard church uniforms in a sense, but his mother seemed to recognize them… and Rover was friendly.

With exorcists.

From that Church.

The girl with twin-tails noticed his presence and waved at him, "Ah, hi, Ise! It's me! Guess who I am?"

No matter what Issei could scrounge, he could not recognize nor identify the cheerful girl. His only concern was that she somehow tamed Rover.

"...Who are you?" Issei asked. He admitted he sounded like the dumb one for asking that, but again he was out of the loop.

"Issei!" His mother chastised him. "How could you not recognize your childhood friend?!"

"Huh?" Issei stared at the girl for a moment, trying to piece together what vague memories he could…

"Wait…"

That chestnut hair color… the only one that had that was…

"HAH?!" Issei pointed at Irina. "YOU?! Wait, wait, wait, wait! Are you…?!"

Impossible! Issei swore that… that kid was a guy!

[AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! DUMBASS!]

Ddraig laughed in his head, exploding in mirth.

"Iri!?" Issei blurted out the nickname he used to address a certain childhood friend. "But, you- you're…. A girl! A cute one, even!"

Irina pouted lightly, "Hey, what's that last part supposed to mean?"

"I… wha… I mean…" Issei flabbergasted as he cleared his throat. "Ahem, I mean… I thought you were a boy." Issei sported a furious blush of shame as he rubbed his hair.

Irina then sighed, "Well, I did behave like a boy back then. But that's still rude!"

In the meantime, Issei took a glance at the other guest, who chose to remain watching in silence. A young woman with short blue hair, not unlike Tsubasa, but she carried herself with a certain fortitude that made her kind of unapproachable. In other words, the type who takes no nonsense from anyone.

"So… who's your friend here?" Issei pointed at the blue-haired girl.

[Ten bucks that she's your other childhood friend you mistook for a boy.]

'Shut it or I will feed you to Rover.' Issei growled at the Welsh Dragon inwardly.

"Oh, this is Xenovia, a friend from Italy." Irina introduced with an amicable tone.

However, as soon as Xenovia's eyes met with Issei's, the former narrowed her eyes ever so slightly in scrutiny.

"...Nice to meet you?" Issei nodded his head neutrally, which Xenovia returned in kind. "So, when did you arrive in town? You staying here long?" He returned to address his childhood friend.

"Just this morning, and no. I'll probably be here around a week or two, since… Well, we're not exactly on vacation either," Irina replied.

"...Irina." Xenovia turned to her. "They seem to be aware of our occupation."

Issei glanced at Xenovia. Yeah, he could not blame her. He was tense when he saw the package Xenovia brought and she did not manage to hide it that well. Not to mention the silver cross hanging below her and Irina's neck.

"Hah… well, I didn't really see this coming." Issei walked towards them and joined them, sitting beside his mother.

Issei stared at Irina and looked at Rover panting on her lap. It was great to see him warming up to strangers… even if they were exorcists.

"I did recall your dad trying to sway me into religion…" Issei muttered as he remembered his time with Irina's family. "So, what brings you here?"

Before Irina could have replied, however, Xenovia responded first, "It's confidential."

Irina threw a quick glare at Xenovia's blunt answer.

"...Right." Issei almost forgot how obnoxiously uncompromising exorcists could be in person.

Frankly, he was surprised that Irina and Xenovia were not aware of their affiliations.

"We do have a lot to catch up on." Issei moved on, deciding to be cordial with the girls.

"Oh yeah, before that. You have to tell me something." Irina joined as she waved her finger around. "Since when did you become a billionaire? I didn't think that your dad could get this far."

Issei nearly broke into a snicker when she mentioned his dad. Yeah, he could not see him striking gold like this either.

"Oh, that's a funny story." Issei wondered what his dad was doing right now. "But you can say that we kinda won a lottery instead… With a very big prize."

"Huh, must have been a grand one." Irina retorted with mild amusement.

"Hah, yeah. Won overseas. Something about being the millionth something with a free construction makeover and stuff."

"That does sound like him." Irina agreed with a giggle.

"Ahem." Xenovia interjected with a cough. "Mrs. Hyoudou. Would you mind letting me use the restroom?"

The matriarch tilted her head, "Please, make yourself at home. The house is quite big, so… Ise, be a dear and show her around?"

Issei regarded his mother for a second before he sighed and stood up.

He jerked his head at Xenovia, "Follow me. It's this way."

Issei led Xenovia out and into the hallway while in thought. The boy quirked his eyebrow at the sight of Xenovia bringing her 'luggage' along, but he opted not to comment anything.

Of all the people affiliated with the pigeon-loving hypocrites, his nearly forgotten childhood friend was one of them. He was not sure how to break the ice with her. She did not seem aware of his family's initial encounter with the Church's ilk.

Issei broke off his musing due to a wild encounter with the other housemates that snuck through the door. All of the devil girls and Asia were staring at him and the new girl.

"…Oh." Issei quickly threw a glance at Xenovia.

Xenovia was staring at them. Her eyes were still stoic, but her aura spilled her intent clearly.

"I see that I found the answer to your lavish lifestyle." Xenovia placed her hand on her luggage. "You have been seduced by these devils. Shame on you for-"

Murderous intent flared before she could draw out the holy sword in her bag.

"Don't."

Issei interrupted her. She froze when she saw his eyes.

Rage burned behind those calm amber eyes, so much silent rage. Xenovia stepped back on instinct. For a moment, she felt… small, as if Issei's presence magnified his size two-fold for a split second.

The aura did not fail in spilling to the other girls. Asia and the others trembled briefly, feeling scared for the first time around the kind boy.

"The restroom is this way." Issei reminded her with a dark tone, pointing his thumb in the opposite direction.

Xenovia scrunched her eyes in retaliation, but failed to muster a glare as she pulled her hand away from her luggage.

Once Issei confirmed that the guest settled down, he turned to his girlfriend.

"Tsubasa, take everyone to their rooms. Now." Issei demanded with a rare strictness.

It was the first time they heard him address Tsubasa with such a harsh tone.

They could not find the strength or courage to talk back. Silently, Tsubasa followed his words and hesitantly led the others upstairs, leaving the two humans alone.

Issei gestured to Xenovia to follow him, leading her to the first floor restroom.

"Here." Issei stopped before the bathroom door.

Xenovia took a deep breath before she faced him. "…While I admit that you are not what I expected, and I'm against your current state of living, I am here for you."

"…Excuse me?"

Xenovia did not answer as she took something from inside her suit jacket.

"I have a message for you from a certain someone. He told me you will know once you hear its content."

In her hand, Issei saw… a vintage voice recorder.

"I am under a strict instruction that this message is for your ears only. So listen by your own discretion."

Issei quirked a brow as she handed the device to him.

"Okay…?" Issei did not know how to feel about this. "So, what now? Are you going to start a witch hunt in my name or something?" Issei asked Xenovia as if challenging her.

"I will look out for you from now on. However, what happens next will be up to my senior. Know that this will not be the last time you see us. Our Church will bring you to salvation." Xenovia replied as she disappeared into the restroom, closing the door on Issei.

"…Tsk." Issei clicked his tongue as he walked back.

They have finally left.

Irina departed with Xenovia, though not without worsening his mood.

Not long after, Rias, Akeno, and Sona teleported into the mansion. They gathered everyone inside Issei's room, Haruka left out as they sat on the carpet.

"I'm so glad that you all are fine…" Rias said with a sigh as she pulled Koneko, Asia and Ravel into a hug.

Sona was sitting next to Tsubasa with her hand placed on the latter's shoulder.

"I did not expect them to visit this place. Please forgive my oversight." The Student President said with an ashamed look.

"Don't beat yourself up. I doubt anyone could have seen it coming." Issei interjected.

The girls turned to Issei, seeing him on his bed massaging his brows.

"So…. care to explain what you were doing chatting with a bunch of exorcists?" Tsubasa asked.

"So you were listening in." Issei bemused.

"What? You were in there for a long time and we were worried... And then curious." Tsubasa defended herself.

"How much did you hear?" Issei asked.

"We heard you shouting something about 'I thought you were a boy.'" Tsubasa smiled impishly.

[AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!]

'Not a word!' Issei inwardly shouted at Ddraig.

The girls smiled when his expression scrunched with a comical frown.

"...Answering your previous question." Issei sighed, not wanting to entertain Tsubasa. "I only know one of them. Apparently, she's my childhood friend."

"...Define 'childhood friend.'" Tsubasa eyed Issei owlishly.

"...My other, longer childhood friend." Issei rolled his eyes. "I thought she was a boy at the time."

"PFFFFT!"

"Don't comment," Issei warned Tsubasa who was about to blurt in laughter. The smiles of the girls grew even wider.

"I know what you're all thinking, but she was so boyish back then. I mean, it's so hard to tell with that attitude of hers. Anyways, moving on, she had to move away when I was six. Heard she went to Europe or something back then. Didn't expect her to come back as one of them. Although I should've expected it when I remembered how insistent her father was in trying to bring me to religion…" Issei then shook his head. "But back to the main subject. Sona? Why is the Vatican here in Kuoh?"

Issei locked his gaze into Sona. Sona fixed her glasses, knowing that Issei knew that she was aware.

"We have received a request for an audience from two Vatican officials, who wanted to discuss… certain items being hidden inside the town."

"Define 'items,'" Issei asked for clarification.

"The objects in question were not specified. They intend to disclose the information in a personal meeting. The sent party was meant to be two officials escorted by two Vatican exorcists… Whom apparently the ones that recently visited your family." Sona replied.

"Two church officials with two exorcists… Well." Issei pursed his lips.

It looked like he must involve himself in further devil business.

"Think you can make room for one more to join the meeting?" Issei asked.

Sona and Rias glanced at each other for a moment.

"You wish to join in our matters?" Rias asked.

"Yes. I am human, and I am, in a sense, affiliated with the Grigori, but that's not the point." Issei shook his head. "I will not let the Vatican do as they please in my home. If I ever see them get out of hand…"

Issei's hands clenched so hard the girls could hear his skin tightening. Asia, Tsubasa, Ravel, and the rest shared concern for him. They could feel his rage leaking out of his mien.

Then, the boy immediately calmed down after a deep breath. "My point is, this is my hometown. I think I have cause enough to join if it involves it."

The girls regarded Issei for a few seconds until Rias and Sona shared a nod. "Very well, then. The meeting will be held in the Occult Research Club room. Sona and Tsubaki will attend as well." The former said.

Issei huffed a deep breath. He looked at Sona and Rias for a moment before closing his eyes.

"Then that's all I want… sorry for making you all worry." Issei apologized.

The girls were still worried for him.

"Yes… I shall take my leave." Sona nodded as she glanced at Rias. Rias understood from Sona's eyes to keep an eye on Issei for now. Sona rose and teleported away, leaving the girls in the mansion.

The girls hoped that Issei's mood would improve with time.

However, despite the calm look and his kind disposition remained, the girls noticed that the anger he displayed earlier still also remained in his eyes, even as he ate with Rover sitting on his lap.

Soon, Issei was in his bedroom, lying on his bed as his eyes glanced at the vintage voice recorder on his study desk.

"Yo."

However, he received a visitor.

"Hey, Black… where have you been?" Issei greeted without waking up from his position.

"Fetching a surprise. Got a gift for ya… but you seem kinda down. Lemme guess, the Vatican?" Black hopped onto the bed.

"Yeah… wait, what are you holding?"

Issei glanced at his big brother figure, seeing the black teletubby-abomination holding what looked eerily like a samurai sword in a sheath. Wait, it was an actual katana.

"Ehehehehehe, guess what? I know what you're thinking, but big brother Black got himself a genuine demon sword from the Black market!" Black laughed as he raised the weapon overhead. "The fucking genuine article! Remember that time you wanted to be a samurai when you're a kid? Guess what, now's your chance!"

His answer completely and utterly stunned Issei into dumbfoundment.

"Black… wow." Issei was kind of speechless. He was so stunned that he could not help but scratch his cheek in embarrassment. He could not help but smile, reminded that he still has family looking out for him as his anger dimmed.

"Yeah, it's a hassle to get. One of the other me's found it by chance sold in the dark underbelly. Haggled it for cheap, too."

"...How cheap?" Issei quirked a brow.

"Relax, I tested it. Ran some tests with a black pigeon and he said it's a demon sword. It's not something you can't handle." Black assured. "...Probably."

"Huh… Let me see." Issei said as he reached out towards the sword in Black's hand.

However, as soon as the tip of his finger made contact with its sheath, Black saw the boy suddenly pull back his hand.

"Whoa!" Issei instantly backed away as if he put his finger on a burning candle.

"Err… kid?" Black asked the boy, who was looking at the sword with wide eyes.

"Black… What was that?" Issei asked with an alarmed look.

"What? What's what?" Black blinked as he looked up at the katana, confused.

[Partner.]

Both Issei and Black turned to see Issei's left hand glowing.

[The creature spoke truth. The sword is genuine. However… While technically our power is stronger, I suggest you not to wield it under any circumstances.]

Issei and Black shared a glance and the former blinked, "...What? Why, is this some kind of a dragon-slayer?"

Swords with the dragon slaying element were Ddraig's bane. It has a peculiar ability to cut through him no matter how many times he was boosted. One cut was enough to make maintaining the [Boost] effect that much more difficult as well as destabilizing his power.

[No… well, you can wield dragon-slaying swords, Issei. But it is not about that.]

"What? Is it cursed or something?" Black quipped, looking at the sword confused.

[All demon swords are cursed swords. However, there is an unnerving presence within that blade. I managed to repel it before it took hold over my host.]

Issei and Black glanced at each other, and looked at the sword.

"Really? Then why do I feel fine?" Black pointed out.

[Probably because of your unique nature and origin. If I have to take a guess, perhaps even the curse in that sword can't register what you are. I doubt there is a curse out there that specifically targets your kind.]

"Huh… neat." Black did not question it.

"I thought you said you tested it?" Issei asked.

"I did. Pulled the sword out and swung it a few times myself. Cuts very well and still felt fine." Black retorted.

"…Ah." That explained a lot.

"So… you still want it, kid? I mean, I wager you can beat this one like in the anime… What was it called again? The name is at the tip of my tongue."

Issei stared at the sword for a moment.

"Um… okay, uh, keep it away for now." Issei suggested. "Not sure what to do with that. But in case things get weird, get rid of it."

It was a genuine demon sword, so Issei felt like it would be a waste to scrap it like that. Not to mention, throwing it away was the same as waiting for some poor schmuck to pick it up and open a nasty can of worms.

"Okay, if you say so." Black then stashed the sword away… somewhere. "So, I heard from your mom that one of the pigeon-lovers from Italy was apparently your old bud. Soooo? How'd it go?"

"Ugh, don't tease me. Ddraig hounding me is bad enough." Issei begged, knowing from Black's impish grin.

"Ahahahaha! Alright alright. Moving on, whatcha got there?" Black asked as he pointed at the old tape recorder.

"A message from old-man Vasco. Remember him?"

"Ah, old muscly Non-Darkshine. Yeah, what did he say?"

Issei simply leaned back and stared at the ceiling, "...Nothing good."

The Occult Research Club room was tense.

Rias and Sona sat on one couch next to each other, with the rest standing dutifully behind them. Across the table, were four individuals clad in clerical outfit, complete with white hooded-robes with blue linings.

Standing by, Issei glossed over the four. Xenovia and Irina - clad in a different fashion than they were yesterday, were standing behind another couch, where two older individuals. One was an old man wearing circular glasses and was sporting a smiling, amicable face. The other was a beautiful European woman who was roughly his mother's age group, assuming that she was his mother's age.

The only catch was that she was very beautiful, like those from Hollywood.

However, putting the four guests aside, Issei could not help but glance at a certain knight standing next to him. Yuuto had been throwing death-glares at the four, it was the first time Issei saw the Knight looking so hateful.

The tense silence was over when the elderly-looking man spoke up, "We would like to extend our gratitude for the time you devils have made to organize this convergence." He said with what Issei could describe as an 'oily' voice.

Playing along, Rias and Sona gave their small amicable smiles in return. "It is no trouble for us. It is our pleasure to host a meeting with esteemed figures such as yourselves; Chief Exorcist of Female Division - Griselda Quarta, and Archbishop Valper Galilei."

It was supposed to be another day inside the Hyoudou Residence.

The recently 10 year-old Issei was spending his day-off in the humble living room, where Rover and Black faithfully sitting by his sides, watching a show on the television - a movie about a wayward samurai fighting and striving for his friends and what he believed in.

"So cool….!" the child said with his eyes sparkling. "I think I'll ask uncle Genos to teach me how to use a sword!"

"Eeh…" the dwarf creature sitting next to the child tilted his head in skepticism. "Bare-handed is better, honestly."

"Why would you say that?" Issei asked in return, "You ever met them or something?"

"Met? Kid, I fought an actual samurai back home. I nearly decimated him, you know? The only thing that nearly killed me was that martial artist. And that guy beat the crap out of everyone there!"

His mother was cleaning the utensils from lunch in the kitchen, his father and uncle had to go for their work, despite the weekends. At least they both told him it would not take long until they returned.

Haruka just finished cleaning the dishes and preparing snacks for her son and friends when the doorbell rang.

Who might that be? Certainly not her husband.

"Yes?" Haruka answered the door after a few moments. What awaited her was a group of men clad in formal black suits, some of them were wearing crosses around their necks. "Can I help you?"

"Good afternoon, ma'am. We apologize for interrupting your day off." The man at the head of the group greeted politely. "This will sound rude, but is it alright if we go inside?"

Haruka looked guarded, she did not know any of those men. "...I'm sorry, who are you people?"

"We received reports from your neighbours and locales that there are… sightings of strange creatures within your abode. We are here to investigate." The man right behind the leader spoke.

Haruka regarded the men for a few seconds. "...Are you policemen?"

The leader shook his head in a mild amusement, "No, I'm afraid not, ma'am. But we do work with them from time to time. In fact, where are my manners - we are officials working for the newly built Adonai Church at the town's outskirts. Please, ma'am, at the very least, is it alright if we see the rest of your family? This is for your and the neighbourhood's safety."

Back in the living room, young Issei began to wonder what took his mother so long to answer the door.

Was it one of those people…. What were they called again? The guys that always tried to sell weird stuff from door to door?

He stood up and was about to catch up with his mother when suddenly, some noises were approaching.

"Wait, stop! I'll call the police! You can't just-!"

His mother's cry was no longer on Issei's mind when a group of men in black suddenly appeared in the living room, looking around until their eyes rested at the creatures in the living room.

Black and Rover just happened to be engrossed by the television that he forgot to hide himself.

Issei's first instinct upon seeing a bunch of strangers with eyes on Black and Rover, was to turn around and tell his friends to book it. However, by turning away, Issei missed the hardened look on the strangers' faces as they whipped out several guns and swords of light from their coats.

Omake

Issei sat as he stared at the voice recorder on his desk.

The boy leaned back on his seat to relax his nerves. What he had heard from the voice recorder was far from comforting. Then again, he could at least appreciate the warning - at least he would not get caught off guard.

Trust old man Vasco to actually try making amends with him and his family.

However, apparently the recording has not finished yet as an elderly man's voice was heard.

[Ah, I nearly forgot to mention this - for the sake of discretion, this message will self-destruct in 10 seconds.]

Issei perked up and blinked owlishly at the device before him. His left hand then glowed.

[Um, partner? I think you should immediately find a way to discard that thing safely.]

However, Issei only let out a soft scoff, "Oh, relax, Ddraig. What he meant 'self-destruct' is probably the device short-circuiting and becoming unusable, not what you're scared of. Let's just clear the table to avoid fire-"

BOOM!

oXo

Issei's bedroom door burst open, revealing everyone inside the residence who immediately came running after an explosion had occurred.

"What was that!? Ise, are you okay?!" Haruka was the first to ask with an alarmed tone.

The boy in question was lying on the ground, his desk was charred and ruined. While he was not sporting any injuries, his skin was covered in black soot and dust.

Issei had decided, the pigeon-lovers in the Vatican had a serious issue with their sense of humor.