Arc 1 - Chapter 15: Home Sweet Home
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"Speech"
Time*
Arc 1 - Chapter 15: Home Sweet Home
"How about we ask her why she was sent here before deciding anything?" Momoyo asks Chikao before asking Asia why the church has sent her into a town that's run by Devils.
Soon, Asia begins speaking about her past, which neither Momoyo nor Chikao asked about, but they decided to listen anyway.
In the past, Asia was abandoned by her birth parents in front of a church as an infant and was raised there. Sometimes, during her childhood, she had awakened her [Sacred Gear: Twilight Healing] to heal an injured puppy she discovered, which was witnessed by one of the Catholic Church members, causing her to become symbolized as the Holy Maiden. But, in all that time she didn't have either friends or people to talk to since most people viewed her as a monster who could heal wounds. Then, later on, not even a week ago, she was banished from the church for healing a devil she didn't know at the time and before she could even explain herself. She was forced to leave and with no place to go, Asia had to rely on the Fallen Angels, who show up the night she was banished and sent to Kuoh Town to meet up with the other Fallen Angels.
"Well, crap." Momoyo frown not at Asia, but because of what she just heard and she dislike the church even more than before. "Talk about mess up." Momoyo notices Asia lowering her head. "Not you, Asia! I meant the people from church. Didn't even give you a chance to explain yourself, talk about mess up." Momoyo shook her head and wonder what were the Angels even doing to allow a Devil to be so close to a church in the first place. The whole thing sounds fishy in Momoyo's opinion.
"I've heard some rumors about many nuns, as well as Holy Maidens, being banished from the church within a year and mysteriously disappear from the public ever since." Chikao said to both Momoyo and Asia, with the latter paling in fear of what is going to happen to her. "If I recall correctly, the rumors always have this person involved. The person is male. have a gentle-looking, handsome too, and with dark green hair. Usually wears expensive clothing and mostly squinting, making it hard for people to tell what kind of eye color this guy has. Wouldn't be surprised if this guy just faking his gentle-look and someone very awful." Chikao easily recalls this guy, going by the name Diodora Astaroth, the next heir of the Astaroth Clan. A real piece of work with that guy.
Asia starting to shiver, for she remembers the Devil she healed and matching the description of what Chikao just said.
Momoyo saw how Asia is reacting to Chikao's words and connect the dots together easily. Then, Momoyo scowl at the answer came into her mind.
"If Asia is even somewhat connected with this rumor. I won't be surprised if the guy is somewhere in town, waiting for Asia to be in a situation that ends up her nearly dying and the guy would come to her rescue to save her, then bring Asia here to somewhere more private, where no one shall ever hear about her again." Chikao continues off, ignoring how scared Asia is as he continues to use [Numeromancy] to see Asia's endless futures, with 80% of them being reincarnated as a servant of Rias. The 20% leftover has various results, with most of them ending with Asia not living for that long.
"How true are these rumors, Chikao?" Momoyo might not be a saint and go out of her way to save everyone, but she has morals and she wasn't going to let Asia doomed to a fate worse than death. Something is commonly known in the supernatural world, where death is a very merciful outcome for those that didn't want to be tortured eternally, even if some of them turned into Stray Devils as the result of not wanting to experience whatever cruel by other peoples' hands.
"Pretty sure, it's 90% true. My source is kinda accurate. But, who knows, since I haven't gone to my sources of information that lately. Just know some information that could be known by many people or not." Chikao wasn't going to outright say that his information is based on fragment memory and surprisingly, he would have a memory about Asia's bad past due to a Devil.
In fact, Chikao just barely know about the Devil, Diodora, due to his fetish for nuns and Holy Maidens and the main person that caused Asia to be banished from the church. Outside of that, Chikao got no other knowledge about the guy. Make Chikao wonder if that's just it, knowing a Devil for such fetish that is part of the leftover set of memories he was born with.
"Right then. Asia, do you wish to join us on our travel? I can't say much about this guy over here, but he is a powerful Magician that I know of and I know tons of Magicians who barely reach his level. While I, on the other hand, is a powerful Martial Artist." Momoyo said to Asia, who looks like she wanted to accept, but something made her unable to, which Momoyo can guess what it is. "And don't worry about that Devil coming after us. Trust when I mean just my friend here and I are enough to face many foes with just us two. Plus, I'm eager to face a powerful opponent and I'm gonna be honest with you, Asia. I partially want you to tag along to be bait for the Devil to show up." Momoyo didn't bother to hide her plans, since there is no needs to hide them in the first place since most of the plans she come up with would be improvised on the spot. Not to mention, there Chikao that could help her out without any problems too.
"I don't know..." Asia still wasn't sure to agree to join Momoyo and Chikao's little group of two. Completely ignoring what Momoyo just said about using her as bait, as there more important things in her mind than that.
"We want to help you and be your friend." Chikao said the keywords to make Asia accept them, even if he is kinda being manipulative in other people's eyes, but this is for Asia own good. Even if Momoyo is giving him a weird look right now for saying such a thing. After all, he has not once said the word: Friend to Momoyo once up to now. "Also, we have food if you're hungry."
On cue, Asia's stomach begins to growl, causing her to blush and Momoyo to chuckle at this.
"Come on, I'm sure you're hungry from all the travel from wherever you were at the time before coming to Kuoh Town." Momoyo didn't take no for an answer as she technically, kidnap, Asia by dragging her along to the car. Where the food is all inside.
20 minutes later*
"I feel like you're a bad influence over Asia." Chikao said to Momoyo dryly, who is eating her food in a way, that makes one question if she is even chewing her food enough before swallow and Asia standing next to Momoyo is trying to do the same, only to end up choking a bit before drinking the water bottle Chikao hand to her a while ago before going back to trying to follow Momoyo's way of eating.
"I have no idea what you mean." Momoyo truly didn't and look at Chikao with a confused look. As she continues munching down her food like no tomorrow. "By the way, Asia. Have you decided to join us? Trust me, we'll go to all kinds of places, that I'm sure you haven't seen before."
"Um." Asia looks down at the ground for a few seconds before looking back at Momoyo with a smile. "Yes, I would like to join the two of us, if you're okay having me tag along."
"Great! Now, with you on board. Should we leave Kuoh Town or we're staying here to face Kokabiel? I kinda want to punch a few Fallen Angels." Momoyo said to Chikao.
"Don't you mean trying out your new martial art?" Chikao looks at Momoyo with a deadpan.
"No, I literally mean I want to punch a few Fallen Angels." Momoyo said to Chikao, who let out a sigh.
"I would understand if you want to try out your martial art on them, but why you want to punch them? Not that punching isn't part of your martial arts." Chikao stops trying to use [Numeromancy] on Momoyo for a week now. Somehow each time he tried to check the futures with Momoyo in it. Everything went crazy and making it very hard to predict the many futures. So, Chikao would just avoid including Momoyo in those futures most of the time and when he needs Momoyo in it. He would, but Chikao wasn't completely sure the end results of those routes would be good or not.
"Eh, I'm just in the mood to punch some Fallen Angels." Momoyo shrug, not that bother that Chikao didn't really believe her. After all, she did many things in the past just because she was in the mood at the time to do whatever she wanted to do at those times when she in the mood.
"Right..." Chikao sweatdrop at this, then uses [Numeromancy] to exclude Momoyo, to see the results of him encountering the Fallen Angels and Kokabiel later on. But, it looks like there wasn't any point of using [Numeromancy] from this point on, outside of combat, for the future became extremely chaotic. Chikao blames it on Momoyo, for she somehow some kind of relationship with this town.
"So, are we going to stay?" Momoyo really wants to punch a Fallen Angel and be done with it, then she can do whatever catches her attention. "Plus, wouldn't this be fine too? We're making it so the Fallen Angels that Asia met won't come after us the least we expect it or when we're too tired to fight back." Momoyo starting to think up many reasons why they should stay in Kuoh Town for a few days; well, maybe more if Kokabiel doesn't show up after all the chaos is going on.
"You're awfully eager to want to stay here." Chikao really wishes his [Numeromancy] would work again because he back to the point of being cautious towards people like Momoyo due to not having ways to be sure nothing bad would happen to him due to the influences of others. Bad enough already, that Chikao might come across Nyx again in this town. Chikao won't be surprised if Nyx is still in town after he left.
"And why are you so eager to want to leave here?" Momoyo gives Chikao the look, that if the reasons why wasn't good enough. There will be a fight and Momoyo won't be so defenseless against Chikao after training in the [Root Martial Art of Raging Flame Erupition], even if has only been a week since she obtained the book on it.
"Because I met Nyx here and she nearly killed me, even with my [Human Magic]." Chikao decides to risk it and explain his past in Kuoh Town before leaving it, where it's mainly related to Nyx that made Chikao wanted to leave Kuoh Town right away. "And that's why I want to leave so bad."
"Huh, I guess there are other people you can't handle, even with your broken [Human Magic]." Momoyo kinda feels relief, that Chikao wasn't that person that is impossible to defeat, but just that she wasn't on the level of fighting Chikao on an equal level, even with his [Human Magic] in play.
"Yup." Chikao wasn't ashamed to admit he wasn't so all-powerful Magician or whatever he is by Momoyo. "So, can we leave or you want to fight Nyx too?" Chikao knew that without even using [Numeromancy] to know Momoyo's answer. After all, it has been over 2 weeks since he met Momoyo and that is enough time to get a good grasp over Momoyo's personality.
"Nope, now that there is a Primordial Goddess here in town. I'm more eager to stay and take my chances with the Devils getting on our case. If any of those Devils try anything; well, I'm sure with the two of us, including Asia, who can heal us whenever one of us is badly injured. We will be able to take them on." Momoyo is now more than happy, that Chikao somehow got them to Kuoh Town by accident.
"Great." Chikao would love to abandon both Momoyo and Asia, but he has already seen 99% of the futures, with his death related to other beings wanted to force him to join their factions or whatever, and the worse part is that Chikao would be hunted down and would be worn down before a fatal mistake occur. So yeah, Chikao knew how he still wasn't in that position where he can be a loner without having to care about others and possess the capability to do so.
"Oh, don't be so bummed. I'm sure something will make it interesting for you to be glad to stay in Kuoh Town for a while." Momoyo leans in closer, to give Chikao a pat on the back. "Besides, we got ourselves a new member in our group. Things would be even less boring with a new person to talk with." Momoyo point at Asia, who is still trying her best to copy Momoyo's eating method, yet continue to fail and forced to drink more water than eating.
"I guess." Chikao let out a sigh, but on the bright side, he can now have Asia bless things, to help him out face against anything that could be fatally harmed by anything holy. "Also, Asia. You don't have to copy Momoyo. I'm sure she won't be offended if you take your time eating." Chikao feels a little worried about Asia because at the rate she going. He won't be surprised if she begins to choke and require CPR or whatever to stop her from choking.
"Yeah, you should slow down." Momoyo agreed with Chikao, not wanting her new friend to die from choking on food for eating so fast. Not realizing she is the main cause for Asia eating such a thing.
"By the way, do you happen to own a house or something, for our stay in Kuoh Town?"
"If Nyx hasn't taken over it, then yes." Chikao wonders if he should use [Numeromancy] to check on the haunted house or not, but decided that if Nyx is there, then Chikao can just let Momoyo fight her while he provides support from a distance. Hopefully, Momoyo would be able to push Nyx enough, to make the Primordial Goddess leave Kouh Town.
"Great, let's go." Momoyo got into the front passage seat, something she claims as her own spot, and Asia looks confused about where she should sit since the back is filled with boxes.
Chikao notices this and just take any boxes out, that filled with expired food already and leave them near a public trashcan nearby before there is now enough room for Asia to have her own spot in the car.
There is one thought that pops into Chikao's head before he drives off.
Where was Issei?
30 minutes later*
"Dang, you lived here?" Momoyo looks at the haunted house and wonder how in the world Chikao is so clean and tidy, then recall his bullshit [Human Magic]. "Never mind, I can roughly guess why you picked this place to stay." Momoyo shook her head and head inside with a box filled with food, for their dinner later, in her hands and Asia following right behind her quietly.
"Just be glad we don't have to pay rent nor have to deal with people coming to check on why we're making so much noise." Chikao said to Momoyo as he heads inside with a box filled with his stuff, like the laptop he uses to make money.
"But, don't you have enough money for us to stay at some fancy hotel, though?" Momoyo enters the building and whistle that the place is a little dusty, for a few seconds before everything became clean thanks to Chikao using his [Magic] to clean the entire house instantly without even putting any physical effort.
"Yeah, but I'm cheap sometimes and it became a habit during the time when I didn't have [Magic]." Chikao recalls his dark time, where he was forced to always have a tight budget for many things and would still barely make it at the end of the month's rent.
Momoyo didn't really think about that and think about her lifestyle if she didn't have access to her [Ki] and shiver, that her life would be extremely difficult. Making Momoyo glad she has [Ki] and more glad, to meet Chikao, because she still has to physically clean things with her own hands. While Chikao around would make such boring tasks done right away.
"Now, I mainly stay in the living room, since there is no point in me staying in any bedrooms or any other room for that matter. If you girls want to be in any bedrooms. Go ahead. I've already checked beforehand and everything is clean and nothing harmful." Chikao said to Momoyo and Asia. "I'm going to take a nap for a bit. And if you girls need to leave the house for whatever reason. Please just wake me up and explain to me why. Don't leave notes or whatever, because I'm bound to ignore them just because it wasn't important to me at the time."
"Will do, come on, Asia. Let's explore the place." Momoyo is curious about what is hidden in this house and if Nyx had left behind anything worth checking out.
"Okay!" Asia nods at Momoyo, happy to hang out with Momoyo, even though she would like to chat with Chikao a bit, but with him about to take a nap made that option not available.