Chapter 8 : Forced Friendship
'Friends?! When the hell did I tell them I wanted to be friends? Being on good terms is not the same as being friends. Hmph…well at least they're not being super pushy about the recruiting thing. Besides these two look pretty…and pretty tough. I guess if it keeps them off my back,' Issei thought as he checked them both out.
'Something about that Vali girl seems strange to me…I can't quite tell what it is, but I have a weird feeling about her. Keep your guard up around her Issei. She must be very powerful if Tiamat's taking orders from her. I wonder why they're working for Ophis?' Ddraig said telepathically.
'I think Red mentioned something about Ophis challenging him a while back. I'm not sure if that has anything to do with it. We could always ask him when we go back,' Issei replied to Ddraig.
"Friends? That might be pushing it a little. How about this, I'll stay out of your way and wave if I see you in the hallway. And I guess you can eat lunch with me if you want…but that's it. I'm not your lackey, I'm not your ally, and I sure as hell am not your friend. So, don't try cozying up to me," Issei said strongly.
"For a dragon with little renown, you're awfully bold to talk to us that way," Tiamat said with a low hiss.
"Maybe so, but I don't take shit from anyone whether they're a dragon king or a Satan," Issei countered.
Tiamat smiled at his fearless attitude, "You've definitely got the right attitude to be strong. I can still train you if you want. I don't see many other dragons these days."
"No thanks…I'd rather not get mixed up with you two if I can avoid it. You can still eat lunch with me if you want though," Issei said dryly.
"Suit yourself, dumbass. I've never offered to train another dragon before…but I kind of like you so far. The offer still stands if you change your mind," Tiamat said as she got really close to his face and licked his cheek.
Tiamat then left leaving Vali and Issei alone. The silver-haired beauty cocked her head at him as if deep in thought, "Say…that red motorcycle at the front of the school wouldn't happen to be yours, would it?"
"Yeah it's mine…what of it?" Issei asked.
"It looked pretty decked out…it might even be as fast as mine," Vali noted.
"You ride?" Issei asked surprised.
"Hell yeah I do. I got my bike imported just the other day. I know you're trying to keep a low profile by avoiding us and all, but if you're up for it we can go riding sometime," Vali suggested as she took her leave.
Issei couldn't help but stare at her ass for a moment almost transfixed by it. He quickly collected his thoughts as he returned to class. As he walked inside and down the staircase, he saw gorgeous girl with crimson red hair pass by him in the opposite direction.
The two briefly made eye contact before Issei passed her. He looked back at her standing on the stairway to see that she was staring at him. Her sapphire gaze was drilling a hole into him, yet for some reason he wasn't bothered by her staring.
He quickly departed shortly afterward as his mind wandered on the encounter, 'Who is that girl?! Her hair was redder than blood…and what was with that look she gave me? She smelled like a devil…is she the Gremory Devil girl that runs the Occult club here? I don't think I've ever seen her before.'
As Issei's mind wandered he stopped paying attention to his surroundings and ended up walking into someone. It was a blonde guy who looked rather handsome and well-groomed.
Issei had no idea who he was, but he accidentally knocked this guy down by walking into him. This seemed to cause a scene as many surrounding girls shrieked and gawked at the scene.
"Oh my god! Hyoudou knocked down Kiba-sama!" one of the girls proclaimed loudly.
The blonde boy quickly recovered and stood up looking at Issei surprised. It only took him half a second to detect the trace of a devil scent on him.
'Damn how many of these things are in this school?!' Issei fumed mentally.
The blonde boy, Kiba, seemed shocked that Issei was able to knock him down by absent-mindedly walking into him. He rubbed the back of his head and gave a friendly smile, "You're a lot stronger than you look. Sorry if I got in your way, Hyoudou-kun."
'Huh…he's being respectful? That's odd. He definitely isn't part of Sona's devil den then. All of them are uptight assholes. What'd that girl say his name was? Kiba?' Issei wondered.
"Yeah, my bad…I didn't see you," Issei replied calmly deciding not to be an asshole to the guy.
Kiba seemed surprised at Issei's lack of hostility as did the surrounding Kiba fangirls.
"Well excuse me, Hyoudou-kun. Take care," Kiba replied with a smile as he took his leave.
'He must be part of the Gremory Clan. He didn't seem like a half bad guy for a devil,' Issei thought as he returned to class.