Chapter 19: A Lively Breakfast

"...kun…. Ryu…. kun... Ryu-kun. It's morning, your mothers told me to help you three get up. Breakfast is ready after all. Grayfia-san is lending them a hand at this moment." 

I was awoken by the voice of Shuri and sure enough, when I groggily opened my eyes she was already clad in her maid outfit. However, it looks like she took Grayfia's advice in opting for the longer skirt size rather than the skimpy short one. Both are nice if you ask me. But Grayfia-san, you guys forget how insanely curvy you guys are so these maid outfits accentuate your figure no matter how long or short the skirt is. 

"Good morning Shuri-nee, seems like you both met up with my moms already. Hope things went smoothly?" I asked with curiosity, as I wiggled my way out of Akeno's and Rias' grasp. 

"Yes, I must say they are wonderfully kind. I was going to apologize for the trouble, they sat me up straight and welcomed me into their family," and then with grace she held her cheek with one hand. "They are wonderful people, aren't they Ryu-kun."

"Yes, that they are. I love them dearly," I said with a smile on my face. 

I had finally escaped the rather tender hug Akeno and Rias were giving me, while also giving a mental command to Jibril to teleport without any sudden movements, and now I just gotta wake them up. Shuri was behind me as a backup in case they refused. 

"Akeno, Rias. It's morning," I said in a low voice as I shook them slightly, "Breakfast is already prepared for us."

"Muhhh, Ryuuu. I wanna keep sleeping…" Akeno turned over and pulled the bed sheet over her, as a consequence it left Rias out in the chilly morning air. 

"Ryu-kun, a few more minutes…" Rias muttered as she tried to reach for the sheet and successfully pulled it over her feet.

"You wouldn't want Grayfia-nee waking you up instead right? And Akeno, Shuri-nee tends to be rather forceful in the morning, remember?"

I felt a slight trembling coming from the both of them when I mentioned their respective guardians and soon their eyes flew open as if the previous sleepy mumbling had never been spoken. 

"Ah, Ryu, there is no need to trouble Grayfia-onee-sama. I am now fully awake!"

"I'm awake. Ah! Okaa-san! G-good morning... hehe..."

Rias stood up, with her brilliant red hair puffed up in an amazing display of morning bedhead. While Akeno fared much better with her loosely tied black hair, she had a bit of drool at the side of her mouth. Their frantic reaction to my words was a sight to behold. 

Shuri was silently giggling at their frightened reactions. I couldn't help but release a chuckle of my own as well. But that only caused the two princesses to puff out their cheeks in anger. 

"Okay okay sorry, let's get ready now… pff…" I ended up poking both of their cheeks out of curiosity and the air they had inside was blown out, which didn't end well for me ahaha. I had to attend to them and fix their hair in order for them to forgive me. Isn't this too much?!

After the two girls were back to their smiling selves, we all made our way out of the room and headed to the dining/living room. Jibril is currently following me, scratch that, she's floating above me since I told her she can eat the food while also making it invisible.

Passing by the veranda, where I had to stop the two princesses from wandering off and gazing at the blossoming flowers and serene atmosphere near the pond, we finally made it to the intersection. They were both oohing and awing at everything, since it's a pretty large mansion, who am I kidding it's because everything is so grand. 

"Ne ne Ryu-kun, you really are part of the yakuza, aren't you? Your house is so big!"

"Yup, born and raised. Dad and his second in command taught me all I know," I replied with a hint of pride in my voice.

"Will you be able to teach me? I wanna fire a gun like those in spy animes!"

With a wry chuckle and a tilt of my head, I responded to her confusing inquiry. "I could, but don't you have the Power of Destruction? I'm sure you'd be able to pull off enough control so you can fire bullets with finger guns right?"

She shook her head rapidly, "That's not the same!" But as she began thinking harder about it, she was shaking violently at the conundrum. Pumping her fists she loudly declared while facing me. "I've decided, I'll be learning how to do both!"

I smiled at the excitement. She sure has stepped far from the crying little lady I met back then. Though it's only been a few days, haha. 

"Is this where we can choose which part of the mansion we want to go to? I wanna explore Ryu! You too right, Rias?" Akeno abruptly asked us in turn. She was vibrating in place. 

"I agree with Akeno! I want a tour of your home Ryu-kun!"

"I'll give you a grand tour, but we must eat breakfast first, okay?"

" " Yes! " "

They then asked me numerous questions, I gave a reply to each one while smiling fondly at their bright expressions. About what I do, what are they involved in, if I've ever seen a gunfight, is my dad really that famous, stuff like that. They even began talking to one another quite intimately without competing. Perhaps it sparked up due to the closeness Akeno saw when Rias immediately went towards me last night. 

Though they wanted to keep asking questions, they couldn't because a sudden voice caught our attention.

"Is that you, Shuri-san? Would you mind serving the kids, we're a little swamped at the moment."

"Right away Miyu-san. Hurry along kids, take your seats. I believe little Raku is already there."

"Yes! Let's go, Akeno, Rias. I'll introduce you to my brother."

We entered the dining/living room and sure enough, it was pretty rowdy, but I caught sight of my brother a little ways away sighing helplessly at the antics of the guys around him. Ahaha, he probably tried to calm them down again. 

"Raku! Good morning, I see you tried your hand at trying to calm them down," I said as I glanced at the mayhem around me. 

"Ah, good morning Aniki. Yeah, I tried to warn them, but they don't listen. Hmm? Who are they?" asked my brother as he turned his dark blue eyes from me to them.

"Ah, let me introduce you all. Raku this is Akeno Himejima and this is Rias Gremory, they will be living with us for an indeterminate amount of time. Rias, Akeno, this here is my brother Raku Ichijou," I said with an air of importance that caught them all off guard. Gotta make things official after all. Doesn't hurt to practice my business voice too. 

The first to awaken from their stupor was my brother, though he stared at me weirdly, he introduced himself. 

"H-Hello, it's nice to meet you, Himejima-san and Gremory-san. My name is Raku Ichijou."

"I didn't know you had a brother, Ryu! Hello! Nice to meet you, Ichijou-kun! I'm A-akeno Himejima," she started off brightly but bit her tongue in the process. We all suppressed our chuckles, but Rias was more open about it. I had to stop her before it blew up. 

"So you have a brother, Ryu-kun! Ah, Good morning Ichijou-kun, it's a pleasure to meet you, I am Rias Gremory, thank you for having me." Rias followed my lead but still looked at me in confusion. 

What's with you guys staring at me like I'm weird? 

"A-anyways now that we have gotten intros out of the way, let's take a seat. The food will be here soon."

(Would you like me to go in the kitchen and get something for you, or are you gonna teleport it to your position…?)

(No need to trouble yourself, Master. I already made preparations for it to be teleported as soon as they are occupied with something else.)

(I see… By the way, why are you still in your Loli form?)

(Hmm? Does this form not suit your tastes, Master? This makes it easier for me to cling to your head and shoulders!)

(... If that's what makes you happy, but stop trying to pull my ahoge, it's sensitive.)

(Yes, Master! But no promises!)

Hmm, I wonder what that dragon is doing. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes for just a bit to peek into where he was in my soulscape. Sure enough, I found the Red Dragon chilling in some magma inside a volcano reading through a screen where I could clearly see the summoner novel I told him about. This guy...

Not wanting to comment further since he seems absorbed in it, I leave the soulscape and pay attention to my surroundings once again. 

Not long after, Shuri and Grayfia both brought out our portions of food and then went back to work. 

We all silently stared at the delightfully appetizing food before finally snapping out of it and digging in. Of course, we all put our hands together, while saying "Itadakimasu."

It came out as a loud roar though because of all the guys cheering. 

"Try this Ryu-kun! Say Ahhh…"

"Ryu, how about trying some of this! Ahhh…"

There's something about being fed by a girl that makes the food taste way better. The eggs feel more fluffy, the bacon crisper and juicier… Hmm, but it seems they're still competing, though they are taking turns to feed me. Progress!

"A-aniki… aren't y-you embarrassed…?"

I turned to look at my red-faced brother, but his question made me tilt my head to the side. I chewed a bit more before swallowing the food the girls fed me and said, "Not really. They genuinely want to feed me, so I'll respond in kind and happily accept what they are offering. It tastes even better too!"

My brother's eyes opened wide as he stared at me slack-jawed. I was confused by this reaction but I returned back to accepting the food they were feeding me with. I suppose it's the normal reaction for him, but in time he will begin to accept it. Hopefully. 

At some point, my moms, Grayfia and Shuri, joined us but only talked amongst themselves as they stared in my direction with interest, amusement, and envy…? Mamako what's with that dissatisfied face…

"I want to feed my Ryu-chan too! Hmph, how unfair!"

Miyu placed a hand on Mamako's shoulder as she said, "Mamako it can't be helped, our little Raku is a natural charmer. You've seen them all right?" 

"Muuhhh, yes, I know. But Miyu-chan he's still too young. It's a mother's duty to pamper him before sending him off to other women! Wait, nooo I don't want to send him off either! Ah, little Raku will also be taken from us! Noooooo, what's with these complicating feelings!"

"You've changed, haven't you Mamako-sama? Ahh, but I know what you mean, Ryu-san is such a sinful boy," said Grayfia with a mysterious smile on her face. It sent shivers down my spine! Holy smokes… don't tell me?! It's too soon! She probably wants a reaction out of Mamako from the way her eyes slightly glinted in her direction. 

"Ah! Gray-chan I won't let you lay your hands on my innocent Ryu-chan!"

"Ara, my master sure works fast~," said a giggling Shuri.

I could only let out a small laugh while sighing helplessly at their words. Seems like they even included Raku in their conversation… Ah, the pill! Carefully making sure no one was looking in my direction I made it appear in my hand before swallowing it along with my tea. Phew safe. 

The same warm sensation appears inside of me so I just close my eyes and let it seep through. Ah, my mind feels incredibly clear...

After some time, breakfast had ended and it looked like the only ones remaining were my moms, Grayfia, Shuri, Akeno, Rias, Raku, and me.

"Ryu-kun, weren't you going to join that Chess Competition today? You signed up for it, did you forget?"

"...?! I forgot all about it!" So many things happened this week I forgot all about the competition! I suppose my mom, Miyu, would definitely remember since she's the one who got me to play chess and sign up for the competition. Chess rings a bell for me for some reason, hmm, am I missing something?

"Can we go with him, Okaa-san!" said an excited-looking Akeno snapping me out of my thoughts. 

"I wanna see Ryu-kun win!" said Rias as her ahoge bounced up and down in expectation. 

"You must still attend your training session today, Rias-sama. And we must be present when the Gremory household arrives to renovate Ryu-san's room. It will be supervised by his mothers since Ryu-san has a prior appointment, so they mustn't sneak out to follow after him, right?" Grayfia shut down both Rias's and my mother's plans while directing a piercing gaze at them with her ruby-red eyes. They were practically glowing, I must say even I got enchanted by them, everyone else got scared.

"Grayfia-san has a point, we must continue training Akeno-chan, not to mention catching up on your studies," Shuri said while cupping her cheek with her hand as she smiled. 

"Gray-chan, I must attend the competition. I will provide support as his mother!"

"Aacha, it's no use Mamako, Grayfia-san looks like she won't budge. We'll have other chances in the future, Ryu-kun is pretty amazing after all," my mom, Miyu, said with a resigned sigh as she placed her hand on Mamako's shoulder and shook her head. 

"Aniki, can I accompany you!" My brother Raku excitedly exclaimed. Ah, right, he's also learning about chess. 

I smile and ruffle his hair. "Of course, you can come with me Raku, I was going to invite you anyway."

"Hooray! Lemme go change out of my yukata," he said while getting up and sprinting to his room. 

I chuckled at his enthusiasm while bidding farewell to everyone else. Akeno and Rias seemed reluctant to part with me, but I gave them some head pats and promised to play with them when I came back. It's better if they don't become dependent, though I doubt they will since they are seriously studying and training. 

I made my way out of the dining room, and following close behind was the invisible loli, Jibril. I only took the occasional glance wondering when she would change back but the constant flooffing of my hair and the random hugs made me think she hadn't even thought about it. Well, let's let her enjoy this. 

Seems like I walked pretty fast since I finally arrived at my room. So without further ado, I went in and began changing into something. Some dark blue pants, a breezy white undershirt, and a black and white flannel.

And with that finished, Jibril and I made our way over to the entrance to wait for Raku.