This is the second half of chapter two. If you enjoy, please leave your Power Stones.
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"You again?!"
"Indeed it is. I'm here to escort you to the club."
Entering the classroom with a smile on his face, Kiba approached Issei and explained himself. Issei felt annoyed as murmurs of his classmates began surfacing around. It was exactly like this morning, with the exception that they were indoors and actively trying to be quieter. Nevertheless, their contempt for the brown haired boy was still as blatant as day.
Grabbing his bag and standing up, Issei quickly sped out of the room. The faster he was, the less he would have to get smack-talked.
"Hey, I'm the one whose supposed to be escorting you." Kiba caught up with Issei and jovially pointed out.
Glancing over his shoulder, Issei wondered if the boy would lose his smile if a hand suddenly came up across his head. Ignoring his malicious thoughts and the occasional comments by the female students, he instead focused on his destination.
After all, the Occult Research Club was filled the hottest, most popular girls in the school. Kiba was also a part of it, but Issei could deal with one boy toy if it meant he could tussle around in the sheets with the ladies.
Thankfully, Sona had let Issei off with just a lunch detention and not an after school one. Before, he probably would've gotten slapped with a week of after school detention for ditching. Perks for becoming friends with her, he believed.
Leaving the new building and nearing the old, Issei began to feel a little nervous. All he had thought about was goofing around with the hotties. He hadn't even considered why they were even calling him over in the first place.
It was likely that they just wanted some more information, or that they were just checking up on him, but he couldn't help getting anxious. They all seemed like good people and their intentions innocuous. He wanted to believe that he could consistently trust them. Though, his desires had definitely made him get ahead of himself. Only in dreams were girls throwing themselves at him.
"Getting cold feet, are we?" Kiba chuckled, opening the door to the old building. It was then Issei realized he had stopped right in front of the doors without entering.
"N-no, shut up! I was just thinking about something!"
"By all means, think away." Kiba took the lead as they began ascending the stairs. "Here's something to think amount. Maybe try to avoid freezing up around girls. It might creep them out."
"Creep them out?" Issei didn't comprehend Kiba's words. The pervert's actions always creeped women out. Then again, this advice was coming from the playboy himself. A guy like him would know all about what does and doesn't creep girls out. A small look of awe emerged on his face. "Wait, are you giving me your popular guy advice?"
"I wouldn't go that far. Think of it as, 'I'm giving you obvious advice.' But if you told me you wanted to be a mime, then I'm seriously impressed."
"Okay, now you're just fucking with me." Issei glared at the blonde. "It wasn't that weird. I only stood still for a moment."
"Still as a statue."
"Hey!"
"And we're here." Kiba didn't let Issei continue as he opened the door to the club.
Inside were all three remaining members of the ORC. Rias was sitting behind her desk, Koneko was sitting on the same couch as yesterday, and the last was a girl Issei had missed out on last time, but had been dying to meet. She was standing next to the counter on the far right side of the room.
The moment they entered, all three turned to look at them. The girl near the counter was the first to speak up. "Oh my~ it's good to finally meet you, Issei~kun."
'Issei-kun?! She used my first name?!' Issei felt his throat dry up and he swallowed. Her voice was so seductive that he could already feel his balloon wanting to blow up just hearing it.
"Akeno. That is not how you should address someone you just met. You know better," Rias spoke, shooting the dark haired girl a small glare.
"Aww~ but I really want to get to know him better." Akeno held her cheek in her hand as if she were holding back her desire.
"No, it's okay! You can call me by my first name!" Issei immediately proclaimed, practically begging the girl to keep using it. Rias wasn't happy with how quickly her words were thrown on her head and Akeno couldn't help giggling in response.
"Well of course, Issei~ I would looove to use your first name." Akeno gave Rias a quick, teasing look, before her smile turned provacative. "Issei~ if it isn't too much to ask, would you please use my first name? I want us to become great friends."
Her words nearly caused Rias to lose her cool. The red head grit her teeth, nearly baring them out in the open. Knowing Akeno's game and refusing to fall victim to it, she controlled herself and spoke before Issei could. "Hyoudou-kun, what Akeno is trying to ask is if it's okay for everyone," She paused to glare at the girl, causing her to giggle some more. "To address you by your first name, and by extension, you address us by ours."
"S-sure, but is that really okay?"
"Of course. I have absolutely no problems with that," Rias replied with a kind smile, her irritation diminishing. Issei looked over at Koneko for her opinion, as she was also included.
The white haired girl paused from her snack; a pudding cup, and shrugged. "Whatevs."
Issei could barely keep himself from jumping with joy. All three girls wanted to be addressed by their given names and wanted to address him by his. Even the cruel loner Koneko!
This was a huge step. If he played his cards right, then couldn't he get inside their panties?! Wouldn't it be a foursome?!
"Don't leave me hanging, bro." Kiba waved his hand in front of the pervert. He then pointed towards himself. "Don't you wanna call me by my first name?"
"Hell no!" Issei instantly denied. Realizing that he just came off as an asshole in front of the girls, he scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "U-uh, I mean yeah, sure bud. I don't mind," He laughed wryly.
Kiba didn't appear to mind at all, giving him an eye smile. Akeno did the same, although her lighthearted laughter continued to persist. She appeared to enjoy Issei's honesty.
"Please take a seat, Issei," Rias said, using his first name without hesitation. Hearing his name come out her mouth so casually like that almost led his thoughts back into his perverted dream world.
Needless to say, Issei was more than happy Akeno suggested it.
Choosing to sit next to Koneko on the left couch rather than lame ass Kiba on the right, Issei was surprised when Akeno brought him a cup of tea.
"Don't be so surprised~ you're out guest. This is the least we can do." Akeno gave him a warm, sultry smile that sent chills down his spine. If he were ice, he would have surely melted.
"Thank you," Issei smiled back a bit awkwardly, secretly loving the special treatment. This would now be the second woman treating him to tea today.
What a treat!
It was then he noticed that both Koneko and Rias already had teacups in front of them and Akeno was preparing another for Kiba. He couldn't help deflating a little.
Grabbing the porcelain and taking a sip of the warm liquid, Issei's eyebrows shot up in wonder. The taste was nothing short of divine!
"Fufufu~ you're reaction was perfect! Perhaps I should make you cookies next time~?" Akeno held her palm up to stifle her laughter, but her mellifluous voice was still audible to everyone in the room.
"Yes, please! If they're half as good as your tits- I mean tea, then I would love them!" Issei didn't know what was with this dark haired, pink iris senpai, but she was being super nice.
Was she always like that, or had his situation made him a special case? Or...
'Is she hitting with me?! Is she attracted to me?! Oh God, please tell me she is!'
"She's not." Cruel reality crushed the boy's dreams, as his junior sitting next to him spoke, "She messes with people. Get used to it."
"Fufu~ I don't mess with people. I play with them~"
"W-what does that mean?"
"It means she has a few fetishes," Rias answered, also taking a sip from her cup.
"Fetishes?" Issei gained a perverted grin. "Sounds like my kinda girl-oof!" He was interrupted when a closed fist hit his gut. It didn't hurt, so much as startle him.
Nice to know that Koneko cared enough not to brutalize him every time he said something dumb or unnecessary.
"Oh, no way! Koneko didn't hurt you at all!" Akeno wore a look of wonder as she cupped her cheeks in her hands. "Does this mean that... she likes you?" Her sneaky intentions leaked from her voice, her sly grin making its way back onto her face.
But was that really true? Issei had a blast hanging out with Koneko before, but did she really like him? Was that why she denied Akeno liking him and only acted semi-violent? Had he reeled in an adorable loli, the first girl on his conquest of becoming the harem king?!
"Ew."
"Guh!" Issei slumped backward on the couch, her verbal abuse hurting more than anything she could dish out physically. The last word a man ever wanted to hear out of a pretty girl's mouth was that. With that amount of power, she could kill.
"Come on, not even a li~ttle?" Akeno pursued.
"Stop. Anymore and I'll puke."
Issei didn't think he could take much more. It was like beating a dead man with a stick. She already got him, so why did she keep going?
Akeno noticed his inward cries and decided to comfort him. "Hey, it's okay Issei. She's just upset she got her little tushy smacked."
A gasp escaped Koneko and a line of red dusted her face. "You better not-"
"Buchou, what was Koneko's punishment for ditching school yesterday?"
"You-!" Koneko's face lit up further, as she lost more of her composure.
Rias decided to play along, an innocuous smile hiding her devilish intentions. "It was unfortunate, but bad girls musn't get off without consequence. Otherwise, she would risk repeating it. To avoid such an event, I took the transgression out on her bottom."
Koneko's hair covered her eyes as she looked down to hide her shame, the humilating truth coming to light. Her whole face was steaming red, the contrast between her snow-colored hair and unblemished skin accentuating her blush further.
"H-Hold on. You SPANKED her?!" Issei couldn't believe what he was hearing. There must have been a misunderstanding somewhere along the line. That couldn't have happened to Koneko of all people, much less carried out by a babe like Rias.
"Yes, I did." Rias's smile brightened, as if what she said was perfectly normal. "Her punishment was only suppose to be a hundred spankings, but after she mouthed off a few times, I had to double it."
"It was sooo~ hot. You should have been there, Issei." Akeno licked her lips, as her own depraved blush contrasted Koneko's humilation. "They sounded like moans at first, but her wails soon turned into cries. Can you believe that even I got to take a few swats?"
"Only after you begged to join. I couldn't let you miss out on something you enjoy so dearly."
Blood was rushing to more than just his face, as Issei stared at Koneko with amazement and second-hand embarrassment. The girl herself looked as if she would roll over and die at any moment. Her fists were balled as if she were ready to swing on all of them in the room, but she continued to sit helplessly on her side of the couch.
"Alright, I believe she's suffered enough," Rias eventually said, putting a stop to her teasing. Anymore and the little girl might've run out the room.
"Oh boo~ and I wanted to see her cry again." Akeno expressed her disapproval.
"We're all a family. We shouldn't try to make one another cry."
"A family?" Issei asked the leader.
"It means that Rias treats all of us like members of her family. 'Course, we're not all actually related." A clinking sound was made as Kiba set his tea cup down, finally joining in on their eccentric conversation. Things had gotten so intense earlier that Issei had honestly forgot he was still here.
The red head nodded in agreement. "All of my peerage members are precious to me. Even if they've been bad, I don't like it when they get hurt."
She looked over to Koneko who peeked over at her. Now that the bullying had stopped, she was brave enough to make eye contact. Rias gave her a comforting smile, while the younger girl's lips twisted into a small pout.
Looking between the members of the club, Issei could tell they were close and had all been together for awhile. He was sure they all really did consider each other family. But something like that contradicted what Sona had told him earlier at lunch. "Aren't they your servants? Doesn't that make them your slaves?"
In devil society, servants had to obey their masters orders without exception. If one of them disobeyed, they could be branded as a stray devil and hunted. Once they were found, they would either be severely punished or put to death. Stray devils also usually wound up becoming monsters. It was a scary truth about devils that Sona had told him in complete honesty. It was a show of good will and that she wasn't attempting to fool him.
Rias clicked her tongue irritably, realizing that Sona must have informed Issei about devils before she could. It was possible that Sona pulled the curtain back on the darkness of their people, so that Issei would be more reluctant to join her peerage. Rias didn't know what she was up to and she hated calling her close friend into question, but it was possible Sona was trying to get in her way, so that she could recruit Issei for herself.
The idea of something like that alone pissed her off to no end. They've held several discussions on the matter before the boy was even directly involved and now she pulls something like this. After their discussion here, she would be having another discussion with the other King about where her intentions lie and make it crystal clear that Issei was off limits.
"While that may be true, I would never take advantage of my servants," Rias said with a smile, masking her inner-emotions.
"But you could if you wanted to?"
"Yes, but that will never happen. I love them all dearly."
"It's true. She's never done anything to jeopardize us in any way." Kiba then looked over at Koneko, who was still red in the face. "Or at least not seriously?" He chuckled awkwardly.
"And I wanted my ass to get a spanking, too. But Rias is Rias." Akeno sighed, rubbing her face somberly.
Issei perked up, his hand raised up high. "I could help you with tha-oof!" Another jab embedded into his side, courtesy of Koneko. Despite all the verbal abuse and suffering at her expense, the blow was still light enough to avoid inflicting pain.
Looking at his attacker, he watched the flustered girl force herself to meet his gaze. She gave him a reassuring nod. "It's aight."
If Koneko said so, then that was enough for him. There was a possibility that Rias had forced or manipulated them into answering in a way to disarm his arguments and ease his worries, but that likely wasn't the case.
Each of them were freely expressing themselves without care. Koneko's flushed cheeks, Akeno's sexy allure, and Kiba's annoyingly cool disposition. Even if they were devils, they couldn't fake that.
'Wait a sec...' A thought suddenly crossed Issei's mind. Using Observe, the boy wanted to strangle himself as he realized he could just check if they were being controlled or not by using his Gamer powers to check their status. 'Am I a dumb ass?"
"As you can see, all of my servants are happily in my care. If you joined my peerage, I can assure you the same." Knowing he would refuse, Rias continued, "But that isn't why I called you here today. The reason I have summoned you is to officially form a contract with you."
"A contract... I've heard of those." Issei recalled another piece of information Sona had explained to him.
Devils could make contracts with other races; typically humans, to form a deal with them. This deal was a trade between the two parties, in which the devils would offer some type of service or object and the recipient would in turn give the devils payment. Most payments were simply money, but they could vary depending on the contract.
Overhearing the younger boy, Rias once again affirmed to herself that she needed to talk with Sona after this was over. "Yes, I would like you to form a contract with one of my servants here."
"Ooh~ pick me! Pick me, me, me!" Akeno bounced in excitement, raising a hand as her breasts jiggled aggressively, catching Issei in a trance.
"Akeno, you know I need you by my side."
"Aww..."
"What this contract will entail is that one of us will act as your bodyguard to protect you from any danger you may find yourself in... Issei?"
"Huh? Wha-? O-oh, right. I'm listening."
Rias paused for a moment, considering if she should flaunt her own breasts to maintain his attention. Doing that would only distract him more, which was the opposite of what she wanted. "In exchange, I would like you to officially join the Occult Research Club."
"The club?" Issei considered what the club president was offering him. She said that she wasn't inviting him into the peerage, so joining the club should just be joining... well, whatever all this was. He still needed to remain cautious. "Does committing myself to the club mean I gotta do some weird stuff?"
"Not at all. I would like to get to know my new friend better and this is the simplest way for us to see each other. Wouldn't you agree?"
Friend. Again with this. It was almost incredible how both devil King's had extended a hand of friendship out towards him. His concern at her proposition was what kept him from mulling on it for long.
"I guess..." The pervert looked inwards at his Gamer system for guidance. If there was any danger or tomfoolery, it should have warned him about it. There weren't any notifications appearing, so he would trust Rias wasn't making a deal under false pretenses. "Okay, I'll join."
Hidden Objective Complete!
Join the Occult Research Club
Rewards Received:
1,000 Experience Points
1x Rare Gacha Token
1x Random Gacha Token
Level Up!
Level 5 - Level 7
Yelping at the sudden pop up, Issei earned himself strange looks from all his now fellow club members.
"Issei? What's wrong?" Rias asked with concern, the glee she felt from his acceptance having been replaced immediately.
"E-Erm... I uh, forgot to show you my new power," He deflected, swiftly standing up. Within a second, he was now hovering in midair. Rias looked smitten with awe, while the others appeared surprised.
"That's amazing! You didn't tell me you could fly!" The redhead gushed, suddenly finding herself on her feet.
"I couldn't. I-I mean I just didn't know how," Issei quickly corrected himself, still withholding the true extent of his Gamer ability. His body inched backwards, the boy's control over Flight still imperfect.
Using his concentration, Issei pulled himself back to the floor and sat back down next to Koneko. His eyes were then pulled to the sweet-sounding giggle across the room.
"My~ aren't you just full of surprises, Issei?" An amused look appeared in Akeno's eyes. "Flying and a Sacred Gear? If you're already this incredible, then I can't help but wonder how incredible you are... down there."
"D-Down there?" Issei swallowed, falling for her provocations once again.
Rias sighed, pinching her nose. She could reel in the girl's leash, but knowing her nature, she'd end up teasing the boy later anyway. Letting her indulge herself now would allow Issei to adjust to it quicker. The sooner the better. She sat back down and called out to the boy, "Now it's time for you to choose, Issei. Would you prefer Koneko to be your bodyguard, or Kiba?"
"You're letting him choose?" Kiba asked his leader. He then picked up his bag and stood up, giving her a bow. "If it's alright, I'll be heading home for today. I believe I'm no longer needed."
"Hold on, he hasn't chose ye-"
"I choose Koneko!" Issei cheered, waving his arms maniacally.
"Saw that coming," Said the girl in question, having began chewing on some hard candies some time ago.
With that, Kiba bowed to his master once more and left the room with a friendly wave goodbye. Akeno couldn't stop herself from eagerly laughing at Issei's antics and Rias found herself sighing again.
Right, the boy's a pervert. She shouldn't have even asked.
They didn't have any requests today; putting them off in favor of supporting and making a contract with Issei. Kiba leaving early was perfectly acceptable, though she hoped that it wouldn't be too difficult for Koneko to put up with their newest member's perversions. After the two had ditched school together yesterday, she trusted that her Rook would be able to pull through.
Getting the two ready, Rias guided Issei through the process of forming the contract. With the exception of school grounds, Koneko was to remain by his side until he was no longer a target of the fallen angels.
"Hold on, even when I'm at home?"
"Of course. We can't guarantee they won't attack you at your place of rest. This is the only way to make sure you're protected at all times."
"Then that means..." Issei looked over at the white haired girl nervously. He would be having her over at his house. Not just that, but she would be STAYING over?! A little hottie like her?! His lecherous thoughts began leaking onto his face.
"Dont try anything. The contract protects you from the fallen, but it doesn't protect you from me." The tiny girl cracked her knuckles.
"Got it! Won't try anything!" Issei stiffened, saluting his superior.
"Make sure not to pick on him too much," Rias giggled, walking over to the younger girl. She then pulled her into a hug. "And please, be safe. If you run into any trouble, you call us right away."
"Yes ma'am," Koneko's head bobbed against their cushions, her voice muffled by her master's large breasts.
Holding her tightly, Rias held her concern back and released her cherished Rook. "Alright then. You two are free to go."
"We can leave? But don't we got club stuff?" Issei asked.
"Not today. If we had, then Kiba would still be around. We'll show you what we do here at our club tomorrow, so you kids go enjoy yourselves today," Rias smiled, waving them away.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Issei~" Akeno waved, making sure to moan out his name. Rias rolled her eyes.
Feeling all fluffy inside, Issei grabbed his bag and rushed towards the door. "Okay, see ya tomorrow! Let's go, Koneko!"
The first-year hooked her bag over her shoulders and bowed. "Later Buchou... senpai." She glared at Akeno, leading towards another bout of laughter.
As the two made their way out of the old school building, Issei stopped in his tracks after catching something in the corner of his eye. It was a singular blue silhouette behind a room, his Assistance Mode detecting a life form. Peeking down the hallway, he could see several chains and locks bolted tightly on a pair of doors.
'Has that always been there?' He wondered, indirectly staring at the person inside.
"Ignore that. It's nothing important," Koneko said from behind, wanting to leave.
Issei couldn't just leave it at that. He felt disturbed that there was a person seemingly trapped inside that room. "Are you guys keeping someone locked up?"
"Gaspie prefers it that way," She stated, mildly surprised by his intuition.
"What do you mean by that?"
"He's a coward."
"...That doesn't really tell me anything."
"He's a shut-in who doesn't like going outside." Koneko turned around to head for the stairs. "Come on, let's go."
"Okay..." He didn't want to leave it at that, but figured it was best for now. He couldn't use Observe on the person because he couldn't see them directly, so he couldn't learn anything about them or see if they were a prisoner. Koneko didn't seem like she was trying to hide anything and even said their name was Gaspie. His Game didn't alert him of any danger, either.
She was probably telling the truth, bizarre as it may be. He never heard of a shut-in who would lock themselves away from the world with literal chains, but they were devils. There were so many unusual things about them already, like how they had a shower in the corner of the club room. There were oddities about them he would just have to accept.
Making their way outside, Issei suddenly gained a look of panic. "Oh, shit!"
"What?" Koneko deadpanned.
"You're staying over at my house, right?! Where are you gonna sleep and what am I gonna tell my parents?!"
"Stop shouting. It's annoying." She rubbed her ears with a disgruntled look. "We'll use magic."
"Magic? What kind of magic?"
"Hypnosis. Rias showed me how to do it."
"Wait... you're gonna mind control my parents?!"
"Relax. It'll just influence them not to question us." She then glared at him lightly. "And stop shouting or I'll elbow you."
"R-right..." Issei laughed wryly.
They made their way out of school grounds. Once again, it felt a bit awkward for the brown haired pervert. Sometimes, it seemed like he was actually making decent conversation with Koneko. Others, it felt as if he were standing in the line of fire. He felt like they had a fun time at the arcade yesterday, but that ended up with her getting punished.
He still hadn't apologized for that.
"Hey, I'm really sorry about what happened..."
"For what?" Her disinterested voice rang.
"That you got spanked because of me. That's not cool."
The girl stiffened up, making him turn around to look at her. Her bangs covered her eyes, and her cherry red blush from before had made a reappearance. It was like she was in a hypnosis herself, standing there silent and unmoving.
"Koneko?"
As if hearing her name snapped her awake, the girl began walking again. She walked past him, refusing to utter a word.
"Um... you good?" Issei asked with concern. Now that he thought about it, bringing something like that up was really embarrassing and insensitive. She got her ass handed to her and he thought it was a good idea to talk about it?
What the hell was wrong with him?
"I-It..." Her voice croaked, barely audible for his ears. Issei was shocked that a girl like her could stutter at all. "It isn't your fault... It's mine..."
"How is it your fault?"
"I suggested we ditch school."
"Yeah, but you were also helping me. I was feeling really scared about everything and you cheered me up. You also saved me from that fallen angel before. So what if we ditched school?"
"..."
Her silence gave him the need to continue. "If anything, I'm just as guilty as you are. I also bailed, so shouldn't I get an ass whooping?"
She peeked at him through her light-colored hair. "...That can be arranged," She said dangerously.
"E-err... I meant like a spanking, not actually get my ass kicked," He replied, trying to walk back his statement in some way.
The girl crinkled her nose as an unpleasant image entered her mind. "You'd probably get off on that. Weirdo."
"H-hey, just what kinda guy do you think I am?"
"A pervert."
"...I guess I can't deny that," He said, begrudgingly.
"This way." Koneko turned to walk over the crosswalk they were passing.
"Where are we going, anyway?"
"Candy store."
Issei felt himself smile. "You really like sweets, don't you?"
"What makes you say that?"
"I dont know, maybe because we're headed towards a candy store while your holding a bag full of candy." He pointed towards the bag that she had taken out, filled with dozens of colored gumdrops. Koneko didn't answer and instead began snacking on them. Issei slowly reached out to grab one for himself, before his hand was swiftly slapped away. "Ouch!"
"Get your own."
"You're telling me you can't share a single one?"
"Nope."
"Well fine. I'll just tell my mom not to make dessert today and boy, does she make some mean brownies!"
Her fingers twitched as they went to place a gumdrop in her mouth. She considered her options, eating a few more gumdrops for thinking power. Slowly, she held out the bag towards him. "Just one."
Mentally pumping his fist, Issei reached for the bag. "What happens if I take two?"
"Death."
Feeling brave, Issei decided to go for it anyway, quickly snatching two gumdrops and stuffing them in his mouth. The taste of lemon and lime. A good combo and a solid pick for his last meal.
"You got a lot of balls," Koneko hissed lowly. Issei's mouth began morphing between a smile and a frown, fearfully anticipating what she was going to do. When nothing happened, he looked at her with perplexity. "I'll let you off. Just don't do it again." Whether it was because she respected his bravery, or because she couldn't be asked, he didn't know. He was just happy to make it out in one piece.
Maybe the two of them really were growing closer?
"Hey, Koneko... Are we friends?"
"...No."
Observe.
Name: Koneko Toujou
True Name: Shirone
Race: Devil, Nekoshou
Gender: Female
Level: 20
Relationship: Friendly
Friendly. Not indifference.
She was lying.
Nevertheless, Issei decided to play along. "Then I guess that means I need to try harder to get you to like me."
"That'll never happen."
He grinned, knowing it already had.
"By the way..." Koneko gave him a peculiar look, slight suspicion in her eyes. "...How are you getting so strong?"
He felt himself tense up, an act that wasn't missed on Koneko. Her eyes narrowed and Issei scratched his head. "I'm not that strong. You're way more amazing than me. I haven't even been in a real fight."
She stared up at him, her blank, hazel eyes boring holes into him. "You're weaker... but you keep getting stronger... How?" Her nose moved cutely as she sniffed the air. It was like she could detect his power through scent alone.
'She noticed I got stronger?' Issei realized.
Back in the club room, he had completed a Hidden Objective and leveled up twice from it. He hadn't paid much mind to it because he was busy trying to distract everyone from his outburst, but it was something important. He didn't even know Hidden Objectives were even a thing. Though, that's probably why they were called Hidden Objectives.
His power was still miniscule and his growth even more so, but Koneko had been able to detect it.
'Scary...' He thought. None of the other devils appeared to notice. Maybe because they had all been distracted by his Flight ability. Koneko hadn't mentioned anything until now, so they could have. She was also a Nekoshou, which sounded like an animal person. She weirdly sniffed the air like that occasionally, making the boy think she was more perceptive than the rest because of it.
Needing an explanation, he decided to just wing it. "It might be because of the Boosted Gear, or that my powers are slowly awakening... Maybe that's why?"
Koneko's stare was eating him alive. It felt like she could see through his lies completely. Feeling awkward, he did his best to put on a front and smile. Her mouth slowly opened and he believed she was going to call him out.
"...Incredible."
Apparently not.
Looking closer at her, Issei could see a faint glimmer of awe flickering in her eyes. Even though he was weak, he was still growing at a rate that impressed the young devil. Though he hadn't felt like he necessarily earned it, her admiration still filled him with pride.
Before he could say anything back, there was a sharp gust of wind and a gasp. Suddenly, the boy was hit in the face by a piece of fabric.
Peeling the cloth off his face, Issei glanced at the white material before looking up at the culprit. It was a pretty blonde nun around his age who had lost her habit. A habit he was currently holding.
She peered up at him from the ground, having fallen over from the wind. "Scusatemi, ma potreste per favore restituirmelo?"
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Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please forgive the fact they come out slower than some other stories. I try to insure quality, and doing so means writing longer chapters so that the story isn't completely cut up. I feel it is more enjoyable to read that way. They may be split, but it could be worse.
Longer chapters take longer to write. The ones I generally put out are over 10k+ words, so try not to worry much over the frequency they release. I hope this isn't a bother and you continue reading my story regardless of that.