22

I close the door behind me as I exit the Student Council Chambers, and the echoing ca-thunk reminds me how over the top the design in this part of the school is. It's like someone transported a medieval castle into the middle of a high school. I just shake my head and start to walk back towards the classrooms. Sona and Tsubaki needed to discuss what they had just learned and didn't need me there to muddle the conversation.

'Hang on,' Ddraig says as I pass another set of oversized doors, this set painted emerald green with gold trim. I, of course, stop. 'You should go into this room. There is something that feels familiar in there.'

'Familiar in a good way? I'm not walking into a fight, am I?'

'Who knows, but I doubt it. This feels more neutral and will probably be of benefit.'

'Sounds promising. I'm in," I think and walk to the doors. Once again, these doors are enormous. Eighteen feet high, at least. Why this is necessary, I haven't a clue. Opening the doors reveals an opulent circular library filled with shelves upon shelves of books with spiral staircases to levels above filled with even more books and staircases and levels. It would be the library of my dreams if I dreamed about libraries. I think we know what my dreams are usually about.

'Please tell me you can narrow this down.' I say.

'Hmm. There is an abundance of magical energy in this room. Call me out. I'll see if I can find what we're looking for.'

The Boosted Gear forms on my hand and arm, and the green crystal in the back begins to glow. Suddenly, a rattling sound catches my attention, and a thin chain is hurtling towards me. I instinctively block with my gauntleted hand and draw out Brynhildr. The chain strikes the back of my gauntlet with no real force and sticks.

'I think we're okay. I sense no hostility,' Ddraig says. I release Brynhildr and tug my hand to check the chain. Rapid clinking sounds reverberate through the room, and a small object is drawn towards me like the chain is retracting.

I twist my wrist and wrap the chain pulling the small object into my hand. A small book bound in chain to a four-bladed star with a pink stone uniting them in the center. The book itself is silver-grey with metallic corners and arcane symbols and script adorning the cover. I recognize this book.

"The Astil Codex?" I say, remembering an anime I watched a long time ago.

"Do I know you?" a disembodied feminine voice says.

'Hmm. It's a little different,' Ddraig says.

'What is?'

'This grimoire, it's similar to one I created, and yet...'

"Hello? I know I'm amazing, but it's rude to just stare," the disembodied voice says.

"Sorry about that," I say. "I'm Issei, and no, I don't think we've met, but now that we have, I have to say, I'm glad to meet you, Sora."

"Huh!? How did you know my name?" the voice asks.

I shrug. "It just sorta popped in my head. Are you sure you didn't mention it before?"

"Hmmm... Suspicious."

"Alright, alright," I say, channeling lots of nonchalance. "I'm actually a great and powerful being from another world who has been granted visions of important beings of this world, including yourself." Accurate, if twisted. Though I may be exaggerating the 'great' part, I'm working on it.

'Heh. You're funny. Okay, I've decided," she says.

I was expecting this. "And what have you decided?"

"I'm coming with you. You've got an incredibly powerful soul, you just need to bond with me, and I'll be your grimoire. Then you can learn to harness that power into magic."

"And how do we do that?"

"Just drop a little of your blood on the stone in the center of my binding, and I'm yours to command."

I prick my finger with one of my gauntlet claws and drip a drop of blood on the pink stone just before the wound heals. The room is filled with blinding white light. I should have expected that and prepared for it; instead, my vision goes white and black dots appear from the overstrained rods and cones in my eyes.

"Program search. Convert. Commit. Exe."

As the blinding white light fades, a small girl with long, pale gray hair and a slim body appears before my strained eyes. She's dressed in an odd assortment of clothes from chunky heeled clog loafers to a maroon skirt with black leggings; a sleeveless blacktop connected by a metal ring to a choker and, for some reason, disconnected black sleeves held on with white bands. All of this topped off with a black bow on her head and crossed grommet belts around her waist. And I thought Maria's succubus transformation was funky.

She places one hand on her hip, holds up two fingers in a vee, and opens one yellow eye. "Hi, hi!"

I didn't realize this was an idol show. I wave. "Uh... hi."

She drops her pose and crosses her arms. "Hmmm."

She starts circling me, looking up and down. She seems especially focused on my crotch when she returns to the front, raising one eyebrow for a second before nodding. "Yep, I wasn't a hundred percent sure before, but you're the one."

I try to say, "I'm the one what?" but I'm interrupted by Sora diving towards me, lips first, and kissing me, but it's one of those weak-ass kisses that only involve lips and lack passion. If someone wants to get frisky, that's fine, but at least show some conviction, dammit.

I reach down grabbing her tiny ass, and lift her in my arms, wrapping her legs around my waist. Snaking one hand into her hair, I grab a handful and pull her in, pushing my tongue through her lips into her mouth. Our tongues touch, and her eyes shoot open.

At that moment, a deeper connection forms, and a surge of energy shoots through me. It feels like my chest might explode, but something won't let me release the kiss. Sage isn't warning me, and Ddraig seems quiet, so... I guess this is supposed to happen? Maybe?

The surge fades, and Sora slides slowly back down to set her feet on the floor. That was intense, but not in a sexual way, really. The kiss was nice, but the weird surge left me winded. "Okay, want to explain what that was all about?" I ask.

"Y-you kissed me," she says, touching her lips.

"No. You kissed me. I just upgraded it. Now, why did you kiss me?"

She gets watery-eyed and says. "That was my first kiss."

"Well, aren't you glad it was such a good one instead of some lame peck on the lips?"

She stops and cocks her head to the side. "You know... I think I am," she blinks a few times. "Thank you, master."

"You're very welcome. Now, how about answering my question."

"Hmm?" she says, confused for a second, but immediately remembers. "Oh! I was just helping you integrate with the Mage King Element."

"Mage? King? Element?" I say, confused. Didn't Arata have a Demon Lord Element in the Trinity Seven series? Did the world change it, or am I forgetting something? Maybe something from the wiki? Anyway, that series was a bit dense and heavy on the exposition. Every episode felt like a philosophy class on how to do magic, why you can do magic, and what is doing magic. Ain't nobody got time for that.

'Ddraig?'

'Hmm?'

'You know about this magic stuff, right?'

'Of course.'

'I'm going to give you access to what I remember about Sora here and the rest of the world she comes from. Can you look it over and tell me the differences later?'

'Oh, yes! A-ahem. I-I mean. I suppose that would be alright.' Ddraig says. I think Ddraig might like anime. I should keep the more depressing ones away from her. Having a depressed dragon just sounds like a nightmare to me.

The sound of a book dropping draws my attention. One level up, I see two girls watching over the railing. One, a blond with twin tails, glasses, and a camera, is probably Selina Sherlock from the same series as Sora, making the other girl with the powder short blue hair and a perpetually blank expression on her face, Arin Kannazuki. I have Sage double-check, and I'm right, but there is a discrepancy. Arin's surname is Kasuga, not Kannazuki.

Does that mean the world pushed her and Hijiri into the same person? No, I doubt it. Maybe they're sisters. That sounds probable. This world seems hell-bent to throw more waifus at me, and I appreciate their efforts.

I wave, and Arin heads towards the stairs. I wait, wondering what she'll say. Selina stays where she is with a nervous look on her face. Arin walks up to me and just stares at my face. I stare back for a moment, but she still doesn't say anything.

"Hello?" I say.

"Hello," she replies blandly.

We continue to stare at each other. I really should have expected this. I turn to look at Sora, but she's gone, and the book is back, chained around my wrist. I turn back to Arin. "Well," I say. "I have to get back to class now. I... I guess I'll talk to you later."

She nods. "Mmm," she mumbles.

I wave to Selina, still on the second landing watching us behind the spindles through the lens of her camera. I turn and exit the library and head towards my class Arin on my heels. Remembering the first meeting of Arata and Arin, this seems pretty normal. I should just go with the flow, right. Mio and Yuki will be annoyed that some new girl is following me around, but it is what it is. They need to get used to this. It's the price of following a harem protagonist.

I wanted to go over all the new shit with Sage, but having a small shadow isn't the best time to do that. I'll wait until I'm alone tonight and review everything then.

.

.

.

Arriving back at class, Arin follows me right inside, ignoring everyone else staring at her, including the teacher. Coincidentally, the girl that usually sits beside me in class is out today, and Arin sits in her seat and continues to watch me.

"Stare..." Yes, she actually says 'stare' in a long and droning voice.

"Miss," the teacher says. "I don't think you belong in this class. You should return to your own."

"Stare..." Arin ignores the teacher.

"Sir," Lillith, the other redhead beside Mio, stands up. She's from the Trinity Seven series, so there's a good chance they know each other in this one. "I know her. I'll talk to her."

The teacher nods, and Lilleth walks back to talk to Arin. "Arin, why are you following Issei-kun?"

"I'm supposed to be his spouse," she says. I had a feeling.

"S-sp-sp-SPOUSE!" Lillith sputters.

"""SPOUSE!!""" Saya, Mio, and Yuki shout in stereo, leaping to their feet.

"Wife. New bride. Young bride. Really young bride. Which do you like best?" Arin says. I, being the prudent person that I am, keep my damn mouth shut. The bell rings, but no one except the teacher moves. He scrams, the coward.

"Wh-what are you saying? You can't just decide that out of the blue! Issei is..." Mio shouts, but her voice fades off at the end under the

"Issei belongs to me!" Yuki says, kneeling on her chair to glare at Arin.

""You can't just decide that on your own!"" Saya and Lillith shout.

"I can't," Arin says, tilting her head in apparent confusion and looking at the girls. "This is pretty difficult."

"Ara, Issei-kun has yet another fiance?" a sensual voice pipes up from the doorway, attracting the attention of everyone in the room. Akeno stands in the doorway with Tsubaki. What the hell are they doing here?

"Cheating on your wife already...?" Arin says to me.

"Well, I wouldn't mind having all of you at once," I say, surprising myself. Did I just get caught in her dialogue? Shit. Lillith spins with a hand, aiming to add her handprint to my face. I catch her wrist, shocking everyone.

"Use. Your. Words," I say succinctly. She looks at me, and her shoulders slump, and her head drops to her chest.

"Sorry, I lost control of myself for a moment."

"I understand," I say, releasing her wrist. "Emotions were running a little high, but striking someone in this situation is inappropriate."

"You're right. What can I do to apologize?" she asks red-faced with embarrassment.

"Hmm. After lunch, come with me during the free period. You can help me with a project," I say and get up and walk over to Tsubaki and Akeno. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Tsubaki answers. "Your... fiances were wondering if you would have lunch with them."

"Together?" I ask.

"It's only fair," Akeno says in a tone that indicates being grudgingly resigned to it. Yuki and Mio are listening to the exchange, both looking disappointed.

"Hmm. Well, you'll have to pass my apologies to my dear fiances, but I already have lunch plans," I say, and Mio and Yuki perk back up. "Akeno, tell Rias I look forward to seeing her tonight. Tsubaki, if Sona wishes to speak with me, I'll be in the Cooking Club after lunch."

Both Akeno and Tsubaki perked up at that. The cupcakes have definitely made an impression. I better make extra dessert. Arin is still following me but looking back at the embarrassed Lillith and the other girls; I catch a forlorn Saya on the verge of tears. Frowning, I walk over.

"Saya?" I say, and she looks up like a deer caught in headlights. "Are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine," she says, sniffing and wiping her eyes. I watch her for a second. I had noticed her interest previously, I'd have to be an idiot not to, like Takashi, but I didn't think it was this intense. Reviewing my inherited memories, I finally understand.

I turn to Mio and Yuki. They both look concerned about the teary-eyed Saya. Despite not knowing her for long, these two both have big hearts and immediately sympathize. The blond girl with glasses that sits next to Saya looks concerned too. I still haven't placed her yet. I know I'm going to slap myself when I figure it out.

"Would you two mind going ahead to the cafeteria. I'll be along in a moment. I just want to talk to Saya about some things." They both look at Saya once more and nod. I'm a little surprised they agree so easily. Maybe, they understand more than I gave them credit for.

The room clears out in a few seconds. A few people try to stay and listen, but others drag them out. Even Arin is gone. Once we're alone, I whisper the silencing spell Maria helped me with and sit at the desk next to Saya. I'm not really sure how to start this off. I'm pretty much winging it. "Saya, we've been friends for... a long time, since we were like eight. I'd like to think I'm pretty easy to talk to, so... why don't we... have a chat."

Her eyes are a little red and puffy, but she still manages to roll them at me. "No one says 'have a chat' anymore."

I shrug. "Sounded good in my head. So, let's talk. You go first. What's bothering you?"

She wipes her eyes and stares at me for a minute. "Do you really not know?"

"I have a guess, but I don't want to assume. Why don't we make everything crystal clear between us?"

She sniffs, not in a dismissive way, but in the, 'I have snot dripping and don't have a tissue way.' "Okay. We can do that," she says. Taking a deep breath, gathering all her courage, she unloads on me. "Why are you living with that girl? Who is Yuki to you? Who is that girl who came in with you today? WHY ARE YOU ENGAGED TO THOSE TWO DEVILS? WHY ISN'T IT ME?"

She was shouting by the end with tears streaming down her face, and I'm glad I put the silencing spell up. My foresight is getting better. That and I was planning to bring up supernatural shit with her anyway if this went the way I thought it would.

"I-I thought, with Rei out of the picture dating Hisashi, you'd finally..." she trails off.

I watch her red, tear-stained face for a moment. "Saya," I say, taking her hand in mine. "Why do you need Rei out of the picture? Is there some rule in your family about monogamy or something?"

She looks a bit shocked. I mean, this world has commonplace polygamy, and she was worried about one other girl? Maybe their personalities are still tied to their previous world's standards. That makes a bit of sense, actually; otherwise, they'd have developed completely differently in this world.

Saya and I have been friends since I was about eight years old. In fact, I'm pretty sure it was the Takagi family that helped dad and I settle into the mortal world. It was also at that time that I met Rei Miyamoto. They weren't my only friends, but they were some of the special ones.

Saya, Rei, and I were together almost all the time. It was actually helpful to be like a normal kid for the pre-me me. He had started believing all the nonsense the village elders and fear-frenzied numbnuts were saying. So, for the next couple of years, it was pretty nice just being a kid. The biggest issue was when we were playing house, of all things, and Saya and Rei were arguing who would be the first wife. I guess Saya forgot those early days.

That all started to change towards the end of middle school when Rei confessed her feelings, and Saya felt like a wedge was being driven between us, and she was being pushed out. Rei had a big personality back then, but like any adolescent, she was not so good at looking at things from an outside perspective. She never meant for Saya to be pushed out; she was actually waiting for Saya to confess so they could be sisters.

Instead of engaging in an emotionally healthy discussion and resolving the situation, Saya chose to embrace her tsundere personality and started picking fights with Rei until they weren't talking to each other at all. Again, I can't say I was emotionally healthy or logical when I was a teenager the first time, either, so I can't exactly throw stones.

Takashi-brain here, who makes Basara look like a wealth of interpersonal knowledge and understanding, could have helped the situation but fucked it up just like he did with the Rei situation over the break, leading to their breakup and Rei dating Hisashi. It worked out for the current me since all this crazy shit happened while Rei was out of the picture.

A lot of people take issue with Rei in the original story, but I don't think they really appreciate all the shit that she was going through. At heart, she's a naive person. Her parents filled her with a strict moral code of black and white, which did not prepare her adequately for reality... or what passes for reality in an anime.

Her life started spiraling out of control even before the zombie apocalypse happened. Being held back by that vindictive cocksucker, the idiot Takashi seemingly ignoring her, her emotions leading her to break up with Takashi and start a new relationship with someone else, only to have even that stability pulled out from under her because of some fucked up nightmare situation. I can't really hate her for that.

Was she a bit annoying? At times, but I blame her upbringing for that nonsense. Hell, Saya's annoying sometimes too. Most tsundere are. The inability to be honest about your feelings is super annoying when everyone else knows you want to bone the person you're all bitchy towards. Constantly scowling can't be good for you. Just fuck and get it over with already.

But Saya wasn't acting like a tsundere right now. She was feeling vulnerable and needed support, not a deep dicking. More's the pity. Am I a sucker for vulnerable women? Can I blame this on the respective protagonists from the various series? Was I like this in my previous life? Hmm... maybe a little, but at least I followed through. Love and support only go so far; eventually, you need more. Otherwise, you're just a friend.

The blank stare turned into rapid blinking. Saya.exe has suffered a catastrophic malfunction. "Um... ah... no?"

"No, your family doesn't have some rule about monogamy? Or no, you didn't need Rei out of the picture?"

She squeezes her eyes shut. "Both?"

"Then, what is the problem? I've never pushed you away. If you want to be closer to me, you can. If you want to go on a date with me, you just have to say yes. If you want me to kiss you, you just have to let me."

Her eyes shoot open. "Let you?"

I lean forward and let our lips gently touch. Just a peck, really. It barely qualifies as a kiss. But it's enough for her cheeks to match the color of her hair. It's enough.