10

On my way home, I come to a footbridge that looks very familiar. I smile and walk over it to the center. Setting down the bag, I lean on the railing, the sun just beginning to set behind me but still fully above the horizon. I think of the words for a moment before saying them out loud.

"What a dark youth I have," I say, recalling the lines. "At this rate, my 'academic life' won't be in bloom even in bud. And it will end with me unable to touch any tits... Is this really the end?"

"U-um..." And my summon beauty spell has born fruit. A treacherous fruit, but if handled properly, delicious. That actually gives me an idea, but I'll think about it later.

"Are you Issei Toujou from Kuoh Academy? You are right?" a lovely dark-haired beauty asks.

With my head down, a slight smirk comes to my lips. I really should buy an acting Ability to help smooth over the rough performance. I've gotten lucky so far, but if I start playing with real liars and con artists like the delicate flower in front of me, I will get caught. 'Wise Man, create a D-rank acting ability to help hide my intentions.'

[Mask of Thespis (D)

This ability helps the user to enter a role thoroughly and convincingly. Audiences will be more likely to believe and be engaged in the user's performance.]

[LP Remaining: 2400]

"Um..."

"I-I'm sorry, what was your question?" I ask.

"N-not really..."

"Oh, that's great!" She's quite an actress herself. Not that it makes sense, really, but it doesn't need to if the mark is that desperate. "I-I'm Yuuma Amano. U-um... would you... go out with me?"

"Wh-what did you just say?"

"I often see you crossing this bridge. And that's when I...um... fell for..." Her last words are hardly more than a mumble. It's pretty cute. Too bad it's bullshit. "So... so, would you..." She steels herself, "Would you please date me!"

"A date?" I say, feigning shock.

"Yes. This Sunday... You don't want to?"

"Why wouldn't I want to?! Of course, I want to."

"That's great. We can meet here at noon, Sunday. I have to go now," she says with a radiant smile and starts running off. Just before the end of the bridge, she stops and looks back. "I'm looking forward to our date."

"Me too," I call back, waving as she heads off. It's only Monday, and I already have a date with an angel. A Fallen Angel still counts, right?

.

.

.

I start walking home.

'So, what was that all about?' Ddraig asks.

'You've seen my memories of that world. You know who she is.'

'Yes, so, why not just kill her before she-'

'Nooooo! Bad Ddraig,' I think with a definitely disappointed tone. 'Getting rid of a perfectly fine LP farm is not conducive to our growth.'

'LP?'

'Yeah, think of it as a renewable resource that I can use to create and modify abilities with. I need a lot of it, and the best way to get it is through hedonistic actions; pleasurable experiences with members of the opposite sex, indulging in decadent foods, and other material desires.'

'Hmm. You're more dragon than I thought.'

'Pfft. I'm more dragon than you know. I don't really have all the deets, but before I was conceived, my dad got into a situation that put him at odds with the dragon Fafnir-'

'Fafnir! That perverted freak is the one who should have gotten such an ignoble name, not me!"

'Okay... I'm guessing there is a story there.'

'The prick got me drunk one night and-'

Oh, shit, I knew this was coming as soon as I heard Wilbert was genderswapped.

'I, sort of, slept with him,' Ddraig says, embarrassed. Wait for it. 'The worst part is that he'd been in a serious relationship with-'

'Let me guess. Albion, right? And you've been at each other's throats ever since.'

The mental sigh that comes across is rich with regret. 'She's just so unreasonable. Always wanting me to apologize for something that wasn't my fault.'

'Two questions. First, how do you get a dragon drunk?'

'Certain herbs have an intoxicating effect on dragons. Much like humans with alcohol, we can react differently. I become... well, let's just say the bastard took advantage of me in that state.'

'I guess it's a good thing dad gutted him then,' I say. 'Second question, if he was dating Albion, what were you doing together to get drunk in the first place?'

'Ugh,' Ddraig groans. 'We were supposed to plan a surprise for her Albion's birthday. Before, Albion and I were friendly rivals. It wasn't until the Fafnir incident that she's claimed vendetta.'

'Ugh,' is right. What is this a soap opera? This pretty much guarantees that Vali is going to be gender-bent as well. My real question is, why? Why did the gods that put this world together switch around the genders of certain people? I hope it's not to create a bigger harem for me. Even if I only grab the DxD girls, the Testament girls, and the Highschool of the Dead girls, that's more than a dozen without even leaving the first season, ridiculous. I'm going to need to up my stamina and sex-play to keep them all satisfied.

'Did your dad really gut Fafnir?' Ddraig asks.

'Yeah. Drank his heart's blood even. It's why his quirk evolved and probably why mine is... difficult to control.'

'That makes sense and explains your affinity with the Boosted Gear. I see that there are seals on your power. Is that to keep it from going out of control. I may be able to help you with that.'

'Oh?'

'I am the Red Dragon Empress of Dominance, called the Dragon of Pride. Do you really think I would not be able to maintain control over something so simple as a mere quirk?'

'I am not relying on another entity to control my abilities.'

'Of course not. You wouldn't be a suitable host if you would. Dragons have been teaching mortals magic for millennia. We've even created living grimoires that are passed down to worthy successors. Your potential as a hero is already elevated relative to most mortal. With the inclusion of a dragon king's heart's blood to your bloodline, you could easily be one of the most powerful mages in the world.'

'Wow, and that doesn't even include my demon lord or god heritage.'

'...'

'What?'

'I-I'm sorry, maybe I heard that wrong. Could you repeat that?'

'The part about the god and demon lord heritage?'

'Explain.'

'Before my father's fight with Fafnir, he was involved in the Great War and had engaged in a heated battle with the sister of the demon lord. Who is Mio's mother, by the way. Anyway. Apparently, while they were fighting, an armistice was reached, and one of the higher goddesses tried to interfere with their fight. Well, neither of them was willing to give up the fight, and the goddess got dragged into the battle. I have no idea what my dad was thinking, honestly. I mean, as far as I've heard, he was on good, if not great, terms with that goddess to begin with. Their fight caused a rift to open and deposit them directly in Fafnir's path. One thing leads to another, and the three ended up in a fight with Fafnir...'

'He probably tried to claim the women. He's more pig than dragon.'

'I could see that. So, my dad manages to get the two women out of there and back through the rift before battling Fafnir and some crazy cloning technique he used or something. Dad toughs it out and barely survives the battle. Remembering the old story of Fafnir and the last person who killed him, dad bathed in his blood and drank the heart's blood. On the other side of the rift, mom and mom were doing their best to tear it back open and rescue dad. Pulling him back out from the site of the massacre, they nursed him back to health. One thing leads to another, and Sapphire ends up pregnant. However, complications occurred, and Raphaeline uses god magic to transfer me into her merging her bloodline into mine, making her just as much my mother as Sapphire.'

'H-how... Your father told you all this?' Ddraig asks.

'Oh, hell no. I read it on the wiki.'

'Huh?'

'Just like with what you saw, my origin story is all kinds of effed up. I'll show you the memories later. What were we talking about again?'

'Ah. Your potential as a magus. Which, after hearing that, I'm more shocked that you aren't one yet.'

'So, do I need a grimoire or...'

'I'm practically a grimoire anyway, so for now, I can meet that role, but in the future, you may wish to obtain one as they are specifically built with aiding a magus in the research and development of their Thema.'

'Wait!' I stop in my tracks. 'Thema. That's it. That's where I remember Levi from... and Lillith, too. How much of that world is influencing this one. Fuck. Okay, one problem at a time.'

'What are you babbling about?' Ddraig asks.

'The gods that made this world used many other worlds to create it. I just need to know how much was used. Right now, it seems like your world and Mio's world are the largest contributors, but that doesn't mean there isn't something bigger going on out there. Knowing how chaotic these worlds are, I'm shocked they fit together as well as they do. Gods, I'm going to get a headache from all this.'

.

.

.

Ddraig and I spent the rest of the walk talking about magic and control. Along the way, I came across two more materialized demon beasts that needed dematerializing. When I got back, the girls were pouting on the couch. I guess I took too long coming back from my talk with Yuki. After setting the cake down on the table, I sit down on the other couch and ask what's wrong.

"We were worried. Where were you?" Mio says.

"Well, as you heard when you were eavesdropping at the coffee shop, Yuki is the observer from the hero village."

"We weren't-" Mio starts.

"Oh, stop. Before the curse kicks in for trying to lie to me," I say, causing her to blush. "I knew you two were there, and I know when you left."

They both drop their heads a little and fidget in their seat.

"Like I was saying. Yuki was trying to warn me off of the two of you, but I told her that was not happening. I'm all in, and you two are mi- my little sisters." I say, almost slipping into some possessive shit there. I wonder if I can blame that on the dragon blood?

"I think that's about the time you left. Things that you missed and are relevant to you. Mio, we are going to have to work on your control. You've only been doing this a little while, so it's not your fault, but you give off so much demon energy that you're attracting demon beasts like cats to catnip. If it starts impacting the surroundings and people start dying, the hero village will reclassify you from 'observe' to 'eliminate.'"

I have a terrible bedside manner. Mio and Maria both looked shocked. "Don't panic. Panicking is the worst thing you can do," I say in a calming voice. "We will deal with the situation."

"How?" Maria asks.

"For now, Maria, you and I are going to patrol the surrounding area and eliminate any demon beasts that materialize."

'What about me?" Mio asks.

"Your job is to get control over your power. I know Maria has been teaching you for a while, and you've made great progress. Keep doing that. In the meantime, I'm going to try to reinforce the seals dad made around the house to contain your power."

'Can you help me with that, Ddraig?'

'Hmm, shouldn't be a problem.'

"But, I want to help," Mio says.

I smile. "I understand, but the best way for you to help is by staying inside the wards at night. The wards and seals are a bandaid at best, and they only work if you're inside them. It will reduce the area affected by your power and the number of demon beasts Maria and I will have to deal with. It's the best sort of help," I say. "Look, I know it sucks right now, but once you've got a handle on the power, these minor nuisances will go away, and we can focus on the real threats, and you'll be right there beside us."

Maria reaches over and takes Mio's hand. "He's right, Mio-sama. This is the best way."

"Don't worry, Mio. I know it sounds like Maria and I are doing all the work, but your job is even more important."

"I feel like I should be fighting, too," she says.

"There are too many opportunistic scheming assholes, and I haven't identified all of them yet. The best way to shut them down is with absolute power, but we don't have that yet. So the next best thing is to build to it. That requires control."

Maria nods. "I see. I understand the situation."

Oh, here we go.

"Great, let's make dinner," I say flatly. I know what she's going to say next.

'However, if you're out this late on a lovers' rendezvous, then it is a slight cause for concern.'

"However, if you're out this late on a lovers' rendezvous, then it is a slight cause for concern."

Yep, she's going through the motions.

"Maria," I say, staring at her.

"We thought you might be working together with her! Right, Mio-sama."

Mio looks at me with a slight blush, but the cold expression I have freezes her before she can confirm.

"Ma-ri-a," I say, ice water in my voice. She looks at me, and her next words die on her tongue.

We stare at each other for a moment before I say, "Cut the bullshit. What is it you want?"

She still says the lines, but the inflection is different. It's pleading instead of demanding. "Of course, we have faith in you. We trust you. We do! It is just, as those who are going to be fighting together from now on, we would deepen our bond of trust. That's all. Right, Mio-sama?"

That last came out as a squeak as she was fidgeting some more in her seat.

Mio was still a little frozen, but Maria saying her name caught her attention, and she looked back down and blushed. "U-um. R-right. Exactly."

Maria looks back up at me with puppy-dog eyes. "Do you not agree, Iss- big brother?"

I take a deep breath and sigh. "Of course, my cute little sister."

Her puppy eyes fill with stars, and she hops up excited. "I knew you would say so! That's our big brother!"

"So, what did you have in mind?"