32 Chapter 32: Guests

Beta read by n1ch, Shigiya and Solitary heart.

-Kuoh Academy-

-Hachiman POV-

There were not many things that scared me in life.

No, I didn't mean that I was fearless, more like I grew experienced on how to deal with them. Deadly strays? I can get rid of them easily. A psycho exorcist? Already took care of him. A certain white dragon? I know when to pick my fights.

What I truly feared was…failing. 

But today, I found out today that another fear soon formed within me. 

"Hikigaya!!!"

And the cause of my new fear was closing in on me at a rapid speed. Running so fast, that he left a comically large dust of wind, creating chaos everywhere. The girls ran away screaming as they saw the bull-like creep with red eyes approaching their direction. 

'God damn it, Issei.' I sighed at my misfortune. After dealing with Asia's case, I had completely forgotten about Hyoudou Issei and his own personal case. You can't really blame me, that night with Akeno, my heart to heart with Asia and Kalawarna's incisive flirting–my brain was just overwhelmed.

"Fufufu, he certainly is fond of you," Akeno said, standing by my side after picking her up for school.

"Don't say it out loud, Aika might be near and hear it." I would be damned if I'm at any point shipped with Issei.

I can definitely do better than that guy.

I sighed exasperatedly.

Looking at Akeno, even with what happened last night, she behaved the same as always. She didn't seem flustered or shy in any way from what happened last night. While I stiffened up to the slightest of her touch.

"I won't let you get rid of me this time, you bastard!!!!" Issei screamed like a madman filled with a deeply rooted grudge. "I got you now!"

I didn't bother moving and kept staring at him with my deadpan look, while Akeno just watched everything from the sideline like it was a comedic show.

'I won't use too much streng-'

Crash!

Just as he was about to catch me and be on the receiving end of a knee kick, two wooden shinais suddenly appeared beside and smashed the boy in his face, sending him flying away.

'Well, that's convenient.'

A familiar pink haired girl accompanied by her best friend, a brunette–stood guard in front of me,

Murayama and Katase.

"Don't you dare try and hurt Hachiman-kun and Himejima-sama with your perverted germs!" Katase shouted in fury as she glared at Issei, before turning her attention to me. "Oh, Hachiman-kun are you okay? You didn't get hurt by this pervert, right?" She asked all worried, a stark contrast to her earlier attitude.

If she had done so in front of my old self, that Hachiman would have certainly been put off or disgusted by her two-faced persona. A two trait character that she switched in between with a flick of a light switch. I would have called her a fake bitch before, but now I just treated her attitude with an eye roll.

Murayama on the other hand went to Akeno where she was thanked by the latter. Honestly, just from her expression and blush being near Akeno I worried she would get a nosebleed or even faint. 

'Her crush couldn't be any more obvious…' I noted dryly.

While we were officially a couple to our friends and devils, most of the school wasn't aware of that. We never confirmed it or brought it out to the public, also, if everybody knew about it–then I would lose my peaceful atmosphere.

And trust me, many would not like the idea of us being together. Even if I was somewhat liked due to the deeds of my club, Akeno and Rias absolutely surpassed me in that aspect. The school population literally fawned over them like they were popular K-pop idols. The possibility of a yandere coming after my life was very real and terrifying!

So I just let people like Murayama try to gain her attention, it didn't bother me. Why would it? I wasn't insecure about the relationship we had, Akeno would fry anyone who tried to force things.

"Uh… thanks for the save… I guess? He wasn't trying to hurt me." I didn't want to worsen the kid's already infamous reputation. "Hope you didn't hit him that hard."

Crouching beside the knocked-out Issei, I poked his cheeks with a nearby branch to see if he was alive.

"Don't worry! Usually, when he and his friends peek during club practice, we use way more force than this and they somehow survive."

Please don't kill your fellow students no matter how much they deserve what's coming to them.

Akeno soon joined my side, amused by my act of poking Issei. "Now, now Hachi, we should bring him to Rias's clubroom. I'm sure he still has a lot of questions left unanswered."

I can already guess that he'll ask questions about Raynare or Amano Yuuma. 

The Fallens were fine, still held up in their cage down below my house, they'll have to wait till I have my talk with Azazel. I had a meeting with him after school. The old crow sent Vali of all people to pass the message–so either it must be important or the old bastard is trying to screw with me.

"I'll take him there, " I said with a sigh, finishing my stick probing of Issei's nose,  "Also I had some things to talk about with Rias, so might as well take this opportunity to do so." I wanted to talk about Asia and allow the girl to enter the school. She wanted to make friends, and school is the perfect place for that.

"..."

Wow, did I just say that? School and friends side by side in a positive light? Ha! Hiratsuka-sensei would burst out laughing before telling me good job.

…I still miss her sometimes.

"Again, thank you for the help Katase and you too Murayama. I'll join for practice today, but it won't be for long, unfortunately. I have some… part-time job to attend to later." I said to the girls before carrying Issei on my shoulders and making my way to the Occult Research Club.

Akeno kept gazing at the retreating figure of her boyfriend, as she saw him walking away to her clubroom, where a lone Rias was located 

"This will be interesting."

…

I could feel the uncomfortable stares from the female population. 

Me, carrying an unconscious Issei off to somewhere set their imagination up a notch. I could feel their dark desires and nefarious BL fantasy write themselves in their minds. Turning my head around a couple of times, I tried spotting a hidden Aika in the wild who would most likely take pictures and start selling them to the female body.

"Oh? If it ain't Hikigaya!" To my surprise, I saw Tsubasa Yura walk out of the old building where Rias's club was located. "That's an interesting package you're carrying there." She motioned at Issei, looking amused by the scene rather than weirded out by a guy, carrying another guy like a sack of potatoes.

This girl is too chill most of the time, but I can respect it.

"Yo, Tsubasa, how're you doing?" I greeted her casually. "Also ignore him, he was just being an idiot again."

We didn't talk much, as a newly recruited member of Sona's peerage, I didn't get many chances to interact with her. 

From my first impressions of her, the girl was a hard worker and an honest person. She reminded me of myself, always trying to get better and doesn't really care about her image–she was a textbook tomboy/ikemen.

She even kept getting love letters from the female population!

"I'm fine, just came to drop off some supplies in the storage room. Hey, I heard you're someone who likes to train a lot by Sona, so do ya want to join me once in a while? Would be nice to have a training partner, the others are too lazy to join me." Tsubasa proposed, hoping to have a training buddy.

I had time, don't know if it'll be any time soon, but I could do a few laps with her. I never stopped my training, especially when my sacred gear growth had gone flat without Vritra, so I had to rely on my own capabilities to not fall behind the others. The Vajra techniques were a good alternative, but basic stuff like stamina and endurance was still important. 

"Sure, when?"  

"Before school hours, at about five." She said after thinking about it for a minute, not seeing my bewildered look. 

So early!? No wonder the others didn't want to join her!

I nearly dropped Issei when I cringed at the idea of waking up so early! I was a night owl, all of my intense workouts always started late at night when it was calm and peaceful. 'She is my natural enemy!' These early risers were the bane of my existence, Akeno included.

"I'll let you know when I'm free, okay?" I neither rejected, nor accepted her proposal–a perfectly neutral response. A universally used answer for those who just wanted to say 'no' politely.

"Great! I'll wait for you on Saturday in front of the school!" She said cheerfully before jogging away.

What?

"Oi, wait I didn't say ye- and she's gone." Why is this morning so stressful and a pain? And why is every woman in my life out to get me? I couldn't have been a terrible person in my last life.

Leaving this conversation out of my head, I entered the building and made my way to Rias's clubroom. 

Knock Knock

As soon as I knocked on the door, I heard a crash noise coming from inside, followed by the sound of frantic movements and a surprised squeak. 

"Rias!"

I didn't hesitate to burst open the door, my strength nearly snapping off its hinges. I called out my sacred gear, ready to cast [Delete Field] and take down any possible enemies. I don't know was stupid enough to attack her in broad daylight but they'll have learned a lesson from me soon.

Don't mess with my friends!

As I entered the room, expecting there to be broken furniture, blood, or even the enemy itself–but I found none of that. Everything was in perfect condition, there were no traces of conflict or intrusion anywhere.

It wasn't until I turned my attention to Rias, that I noticed something...off about her.

"Rias, are you feeling well?" I asked. 

Her face was completely red as if she had gone through a long session in a sauna. On top of that, she was sweating like crazy, her sweat dripping down her face, drenching her clothes making them see-through–showing off part of her black bra. The once well taken care of crimson hair was now a huge mess as if she came off a huge fight–her heaving breathing was also worrying.

"O-oh, Ha-Hachi-ku-Hachiman! It's good to see you!" She said with an flusterd tone. 

"..."

It was clear that she was panicking, trying to hide something from me. Looking like a kid caught stealing cookies from the jar.

Her table was a mess, papers thrown everywhere, looking exactly like a certain teacher's desk, I once knew off.

"We just saw each other yesterday… what happened?" She was acting too weird to be normal. Granted Rias was a genuine clutz, she would have her moments and be laughed at by Akeno and the others. "Like seriously, you look like a mess."

But this felt different...

"O-oh, i-it's nothing, hahaha, I was just too caught up in my work all day and I just came back from my training. My brother gave me some advice on how to advance my Power of Destruction to another level. So don't worry, it's not something bad!" Rias said while trying to organize her desk, doing her best to fix her skirt.

"You know, being the little sister of the current prince of lies, I would expect something better from you...this is just embarrassing."

I narrowed my eyes in suspicion, making her fidget at my gaze. The girl, even while being a devil, was a horrible liar. I could be critical in my observation but not gullible to such a simple lie. The delicate silence that followed, coupled with her aversion to looking at me in the eyes, was a clear indicator that she wanted to move on with the conversation. 'Something funny is going on here.'

Not wanting to crack this case, I just acted as nothing happened and brought Issei in. I kept my gaze on her eyes, I would have noticed that they were looking down my waist.

"Why is Hyoudou Issei here?" She asked curiously, her face redder for some reason.

"Got beaten up by Murayama and Katase for being an idiot." I brought the boy to the sofa and placed him there till he would wake up later. "I'll leave him up to you, I don't know when he'll wake up or even if he does–I don't have time for him today. Answer his questions, don't talk too much about Raynare, basically just do whatever you feel is right." I won't be his babysitter, the guy needed to get a hold of reality soon enough and move on with his life.

Rias was a good person to talk to, even if she was a bad liar, she was a hell of a capable temptress. "You're going to turn him into a devil? I know you still have some pawns, a knight, a bishop, and a rook. From what Koneko told me, the boy has a dragon-based sacred gear–probably [Twice Critical] with his small magical reserves. Something like that may seem weak, but can be quite powerful when rightfully used." I doubted the boy could reach such a level by himself without the devil's enhancement. His powers and magic reservoir were so minuscule, that it barely existed. Even newborn babies have better magical power than him!

'At least, I found someone shittier than me.' I thought to myself sarcastically.

"Who knows, you might even get the legendary red dragon, [Boosted Gear]. He will fit perfectly in your peerage, with you being known as the Crimson Ruin Princess. Hehehe, a match made in hell." I said jokingly not noticing the frown on Rias's face.

The girl obviously didn't like some of the things mentioned.

I still had my doubts about the whole devil peerage system, it has its flaws but it wasn't a cruel form of slavery when paired with a good king. There existed far more sinister and evil ways to bind someone in this world, the peerage system didn't even come close to some of those–and yes that's even including the existence of strays. Heck, I don't even need to go so far, even human society had its own forms of slavery hidden in plain sight. 

Becoming a corporate slave may seem like a simple thing but many are forced to work in tasks beyond their capabilities–pushing some to give up on life. Not just with corporates, modern slavery was still a thing that existed, it's all around us, with people forced to work in all kinds of fields and are severely exploited. To those people, becoming a devil would be equivalent to true freedom, even when knowing about all of its downsides–they would do it in a heartbeat.

For crying out loud, slave trading still persisted to this day, in the black market!

In the supernatural world, the practice of soul exchange still existed, though a bit rare in modern times. Magicians regularly forge soul-binding contracts and trap innocent people and use them for experiments.

"So what do you think? A dragon's sacred gear is a boon in any team, I'm sure if you promise him a harem, he'll accept the offer, without hesitation. A single pawn would suffice, maybe two if I'm proven wrong." Of course, he'll have the freedom of choice in the end. If he so desires to keep his humanity then Rias will comply, otherwise, there'll be a new devil in Kuoh.

Rias on the other hand didn't seem as eager as she would have hoped to be. If this was another reality, the heiress would have jumped on the possibility of having a dragon-based sacred gear in her group. She would have probably converted him when the actions of the rogue Fallens, turning him into a devil on his deathbed. 

But she hesitated…

Looking inside her box, where the rest of her remaining chess pieces were kept, she eyed the neatly arranged pawn pieces and the other ones as well. Her eyes darted from the pieces to Hachiman and back to the box, back and forth a couple of times.

"Unfortunately… these pieces are reserved for someone else…" Rias said while I stole some of Koneko's hidden SUPER coffee stash.

"..."

The sound of me popping a can of coffee broke through the silence, as I took a sip before giving Rias a side stare. "You're still trying to get me to join?" I was met with a slight nod.

"Honestly, for you to think I am strong enough for your entire pawn collection, is very flattering. You don't need to save up for me, with your growing power and my shitty talent in magic and half-asleep sacred gear–even a single pawn is already too much for me." I said in a self-deprecatingly manner as a joke.

"That's not true!" Rias stood up in anger while slamming her hands on her table, nearly destroying it with her flaring power. "Don't you realize how strong you are!? Out of everyone I know, only you train every day and come up with all kinds of spells, despite your lack of talent in magic! Where you stand currently in terms of power, is more than enough to be worth more than a couple of pawns, and I'll be damned on wasting my chance on having you by my side–on some boy I never met!" She finished screaming while panting heavily in the end.

I was at first a bit taken aback by her sudden outburst, before remembering who I was dealing with. Releasing a slight chuckle, I couldn't help but retort, "Come now, Rias, at least let me belittle myself a bit. You people care too much, you're risking a potentially broken sacred gear user in your team. I'm sure you prefer having someone bette–" 

Slap!

"-!"

I was shocked by the stinging sensation on my face, as I watched in surprise at Rias's face filled with anger and sadness. "Don't. You. Ever. Say something like that to me ever again!" She took hold of my uniform collar and brought me closer to her face, making me look directly into her eyes, noticing the tears ready to break out. "Or I swear to Satan, that I'll forget our deal and forcefully turn you into a devil and show you just how much I care about you!"

.

.

.

'Damn, I went a bit too far today.'

We stayed like this for a while, our eyes zoned in to each other. I could make out each of her emotions clearly from her gaze, with her so close to me–I could read her like an open book.

Before this situation got out of hand and Rias would do something irreversible, I gave her an excuse to leave. "Class is soon starting… I should leave."

"..."

Looking at me for a few more seconds, she released a sigh before letting go of my collar. "Yeah...sorry for the slap." She said meekly while avoiding my gaze once more.

It might have been at the spur of the moment, I couldn't really blame her. I was being a pessimistic asshole for a bit there, even if it was a joke, so I deserved that slap to get me out of my hole. 

"Take care, be sure to put Issei up to date with everything," I said while leaving the clubroom. "Also...thanks, Rias."

{Break}

With Hachiman gone from the room, Rias once again slumped on her chair, both relieved and frustrated with what just happened.

"Oh, Satan… I nearly kissed him without thinking… and I slapped him!" She hid her face in shame while mentally apologizing to her queen/best friend. Of course, his previous statement did make her slap him on the cheeks, but he deserved that. It was at the heat of the moment, she wanted to comfort him so badly, that she nearly did something cheap behind Akeno's back.

Rias hadn't given up on him, she didn't think it was possible, especially with what she witnessed last night. But she wanted to win him over with her fight against Riser to prove a point–that she wasn't a damsel in distress.

To impress him as well.

And what's worst of all, he nearly caught her in the middle of her doing something unthinkable. 

Opening her cabinet, she took out an old crinkled picture of her and Hachiman posing in an anime convention while cosplaying. She needed something to take away her pent-up desires… so she resorted to using his picture and replaying last night's scene again and again in her head.

She would have died from embarrassment if he had caught her in the middle of herself getting off to one of his pictures.

"Haaaa! I'm such an idiot!" She screamed to herself not caring about waking up the still unconscious Issei, and banged her head a couple of times on her desk.

"Stupid, stupid…"

Now she had to figure out what to do with Issei!

There is no way in hell she'll use any of her eight pawns on him, no way! That was for Hachiman only! If her knight, bishop, or remaining rook didn't work–then she would just let Sona take care of him.

Her battle with Riser didn't bother her that much, she still had a lot of time left.

If things went smoothly and the Phenex family agreed upon the set date they agreed upon, which is after her graduation–she will have been prepared by then.

But with the political climate in the Underworld, you never knew what would happen next.

{Break} 

-Hachiman POV-

After classes were done, I walked to the roof of the school. It was a barren place, where no one would see me teleport.

Aika was taking care of the small requests, but she's been asking me to look for a new member, cause she couldn't keep up. Though Akeno was technically the vice president of the club on paper, I wouldn't ask her for help as the people would request ridiculous things from her.

Also, apparently, Issei had woken up and got updated with everything that happened, the problem was, according to Rias's text–he was still in denial with Raynare.

He honest to god still thought that he had a chance with her and that the Fallen had some hidden feelings for him as well. 

He just wouldn't listen.

'I'll have to take drastic measures if this continues.'

"Ah, good afternoon Hachiman-kun." On my way to the rooftop, I came across Kiba–who gave me a polite greeting.

I guess he needed some alone time, being hounded constantly by girls would be tiring for anyone. The boy looked like your typical ikemen, while Vali would be the quintessential bad boy, Kiba would be his opposite–a charming prince.

"Yo," I waved at him lazily, "did you send that device to my house?" I asked about the sacred gear extractor we found last time. Though mostly broken, I'm sure I could find a use for it.

"Don't worry, I sent the package without Buchou knowing about it." He said, his pleasant smile still plastered on his face.

"Good, I'll be going somewhere now, be sure to check up on Issei, before he does something stupid." Like trying to meet Raynare.

"Don't worry, I got your back." 

We exchanged a few more words before going our separate ways. I trusted Kiba, he was a kind-hearted individual, but he had his own problems as well. It took a while for me to accept him at first–his resemblance to Hayama was too much for comfort.

But now things were good

As I reached the rooftop, making sure that there is no one around, I began my teleportation spell. Focusing on one of my anchors, the one I left in Azazel's home, I soon began drawing on to the source–till a black magic circle formed beneath my feet and slowly engulfed me in a dark violet light.

{Break}

-Azazel's house-

Just like before, it only took me about a few seconds to reach the other side. With time and practice, I was becoming more and more efficient with it. 'Who knows, one day I won't even need these anchors anymore.'

The room I found myself in was a prime example of a boujee lifestyle apartment. Marvel countertop, modern kitchen, fancy lighting, and gold plated items. I wondered if people in the supernatural world just loved to show off their wealth… I wonder how the angels would differ, cause isn't greed a sin?

"Oh, boyo, you're just in time! I have some guests today." From the corner of my eyes, I saw none other than Azazel, the governor-general of the Grigori. He hadn't changed at all, which is something you would expect from a nigh immortal being. 

I greeted before turning my attention to the other two individuals in the room. 

"-!"

Immediately I felt my instincts freeze up as I glanced at them.

In front of me was an older-looking tall man, towering over Azazel himself, who I considered to be very tall, to begin with. He has white hair that's often spiked up, wearing a gold armour that seemed to refract light itself. He looked even more unnatural with his white eyes, which radiated a godly aura.

On his side was a beautiful woman, with dark hair and eyes she was the complete opposite of the man. Her clothing was a long black dress that became see-through at the bottom showing off her legs. And just like with the previous guy, I could feel tremendous power from her.

Azazel noticed my reaction and tried to soothe things out in the room, "Hey you two, might want to regress your powers for a bit, you're scaring my friend over here." Without any warning, he shoved a glass of whiskey to me and gave me a warning glare. 'Don't panic.' That is what his stare was conveying. "As for you, Hachiman, these are a few of my oldest friends from Ireland. Lugh and Badb, both are gods here to acquire some... assistance from you."

He said to me casually before walking out of the room and leaving me alone with two freaking gods!

'Stay calm, Hachiman, just greet them politely.'

.

.

.

"Yo."

Damn it, I fucked up… 

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Next 4 chapters are already available on my p@treon at /NimtheWriter

Also get early access to my second fic's chapter The legendary Saiyan in a fairy's world.