"Good to see you're on-time." Gremory-senpai greeted with her usual pleasant smile. Everyone else of the ORC was already assembled in the room: Issei, Yuka, Akeno-san, and Asia.
"Came as soon as you called." I replied. I gave a determined grin. "I'm definitely gonna catch me a strong familiar! You better believe it!"
Gremory-senpai seemed amused by my enthusiasm. "I'm glad to see that Sona has explained the entire situation to you. That saves quite a bit of ti—" It was then that my crimson-haired senpai's eyes wandered over to Sitri-senpai and Sera-tan. "L-Leviathan-sama! I-I didn't expect to see you here!" She bowed. "Forgive me for not preparing for your arrival, but may I ask what your purpose is in coming here?"
Sera-tan gave a cute peace sign. "I'm gonna help Haru-tan catch a super strong familiar! I AM his King after all, so I gotta do some things other than simply shower him with my endless affection, ya know!" Sera-tan pulled Sitri-senpai closed and hugged her tight. "And how could I even think about leaving out my adorable So-tan!?"
"Please let me go." Sitri-senpai said, monotone.
"Never!"
They once again got into one of their little "moments". Gremory-senpai looked lost on what to do, staring with her mouth open.
I waved it off. "Just give'em a few minutes. You can finish the preparations for the ritual while they cleanse themselves of…'this'." I wasn't entirely sure what to call it, so I just broadly gestured to the two sisters.
Gremory-senpai nodded. "Alright then. Please gather in the magic circle with the others while we begin."
I nodded and walked over to meet with the other ORC members.
Yuka smiled perversely. "It looks like you just can't keep away from me, Haru~to!"
"Oh?" I wondered. "Wasn't it YOU who begged Gremory-senpai to invite me along?"
It was good to see that things were still normal enough where Yuka and I could tease each other incessantly.
"So you will be coming with us, Haruto-san?" Asia asked, walking in front of me, smiling cutely. "That is a relief, knowing my husband-to-be will be near me to protect me from any unforeseen dangers!" Asia clasped my hands in her own, still smiling.
Oh yeah…I knew I was forgetting something.
Asia still believed that I had proposed to her! I guess… maybe now…
Then I looked at Gremory-senpai who was giving me a sharp look. She was mouthing something… let's see…
I read her lips as such:
'If you… love being a man… don't you… dare hurt Asia.'
After I finished reading Gremory-senpai's lips, she gestured to my "manhood" and made a pair of scissors with her hand, mimicking the motion of snipping something.
I paled as I realized what she was saying.
Well, no harm in keeping things like that for now, right!? I-I mean, it wouldn't be so bad being engaged to Asia!
I nodded as quickly as my body would allow.
I managed a force smile for Asia. "O-Of course, my lovely wife!"
"...Stupid… bastard… playboy… douche…" I saw Issei standing behind Yuka and Asia, emanating a dark aura directed towards me. Oh boy he was hating me. What fun!
Seeing Issei seething with envy was enough to cheer me up again.
"Buchou, if we're going to go, we'd best get going right now."
We all turned towards Akeno-san who had finished all of the preparations she was doing, all of us having stalled our departure for as long as physically possible.
"Right." Gremory-senpai then turned towards all of us, clapping her hands together. "Alright, everyone! Gather in the magic circle now! It's time to depart!"
"Yaaay! Come on, Haru-tan! Let's go and catch ya a super-mega-adorable-uber-amazing familiar-chan!" Sera-tan clung to my arm, squeezing it in-between her ample bosoms.
I blushed slightly, smiling. "R-Right."
"Auuu…It will be really hard competing with Leviathan-sama…" Asia was muttering to herself as she shyly grasped my other hand in hers, all of us gathering into the magic circle as instructed.
Then there was a powerful blinding light emanating from the magic-circle, gradually enveloping all of us.
Then we were gone.
***
When the light died down, we were in the middle of an unfamiliar forest. Seriously, what is it with Devils and locations that look like they could've come straight out of a horror flick? Large, dark trees decorated the landscape for as long as the eye could see and the sky was a dark-red color, like blood.
I crossed my arms, a pensive expression on my face.
Promise…
I blinked, surprised by the strange word that appeared in my head. "Did…Did you guys hear that?" Everyone looked at me in confusion.
"What do you mean, Haru-tan?" Sera-tan asked. She cocked her head as if to listen to silent words. "I don't hear anything?"
I was starting to look a little crazy to everyone at the moment, so I let it go.
"Never mind… Must've been my imagination." Seriously. I had the distinct feeling that something was gonna pop out somewhere. It was cold, dark, and full of indistinguishable trees that made it easy to get lost on your own. I really feel like this is the kind of place a serial killer would vacation at.
"Get daze!"
"Huh?!"
"—the Hell?!"
"Kyaa!"
Issei, me, and Asia all had our own reactions to the sudden, surprising voice that we heard.
I couldn't blame Asia for screaming. The sudden loud voice took me by surprise. I felt a little more happy when Asia hid behind my back. It was so adorable and made me feel like punching whatever appeared would mean so much more.
"My name is Satooji of Madara Town! I'm a Devil in training, aiming to become the Familiar Master!"
I stared at him, deadpan…OK…Something about that—
"Why does it feel like something's being referenced here?"
Gremory-senpai gestured to Issei and Asia. "Satooji-san, I brought the ones I spoke of."
"And I also brought my most adorable Queen, Haru-tan!" Sera-tan said, introducing me.
Satooji seemed to pause, eyes wide in surprise and awe. He quickly bowed to Sera-tan in a respectful manner.
"I see, Leviathan-sama! If this is your Queen, then I will do everything I can to get him the best familiar we can catch!"
"Thank you very much!" Sera-tan thanked him. Satooji then turned to Issei and Asia.
"I will also do my best for the dull-faced boy and the blonde-haired beauty!"
"Pfft!" I almost burst out in laughter. Issei's a "dull-faced boy"! Ha!
"Shut it, you damned bishounen!" I stuck my tongue out childishly at Issei, causing him to begin to tremble with rage. For a brief moment, I was certain our fight would get physical until Gremory-senpai cleared her throat to gather our attention.
"Issei. Haruto. Asia. He is a professional in terms of familiars." Gremory-senpai explained. "Today we will catch familiars in this forest while receiving advice from him. Okay?"
""Yes.""
"Now, what type of familiar do you desire? Strong one? Fast one? Or one with poison? There are so many different types of familiars to capture."
I opened my mouth to say something, looking back to the others.
"Seriously. Am I the ONLY person who feels like something's being referenced here?"
And oddly enough, I was ignored.
"You must choose wisely, Namikaze-kun." Sitri-senpai said, appearing next to me. "Familiars not only perform certain tasks for their masters, but they can also specialize in fighting. You must decide what you desire your familiar to specialize in. Don't go about recklessly and choose a random monster. You must make it count."
I puffed up my cheeks, crossing my arms and ignoring the "Awww! Haru-tan's so cuuuute" from Serafall. "Booo! I just wanted to get a cool-lookin' Dragon or somethin', but you're takin' the fun outta this, Senpai."
"Yeah. Why do ya gotta be such a funkiller, So-tan?" Sera-tan said, appearing next to me with the same look on her face and her arms crossed.
Sitri-senpai stared at us blankly. "Why…? I…" Sitri-senpai held out her hands in a "hold on" gesture, taking a calm, deep breath. "Forget it. With Onee-sama and her Queen who is so much like her, it can't be helped."
Both Sera-tan and I cocked our heads in confusion.
And what do you mean "her Queen who is so much like her"?
The Familiar Master pulled something out that looked like a catalog and pointed at a creature drawn on it that displayed great ferocity. It covered the whole page.
"If it's Dragons you want, Queen of Leviathan-sama, this is what I would recommend! One of the Dragon-Kings, Chaos Karma Dragon, Tiamat! It's a legendary dragon! It's also the only female among the Dragon-Kings! Even until now, there hasn't been a devil who has caught her yet! That would be obvious! Since it's said to be as strong as an Ultimate Devil!"
"Whoa! Something as strong as Sera-tan!? That sounds awesome!" I cheered. "It's good that she hasn't been caught yet!"
Issei was staring at me wide-eyed. "Whaaaaat?! Even if it hasn't been caught, it's a Satan level! Are you crazy!? No matter how I look at it, it looks like the Last Boss which appears in an RPG! You! Will! DIE!"
Yuka tapped on Issei's shoulder. "Um…Judging from the stars in Haruto's eyes, I'm not quite sure he's listening."
"Eh, I kinda drifted in and out there," I said in a whimsical voice. "So coooool! I wanna catch me a Dragon-King!"
Sitri-senpai sweatdropped. "I…I think I have to agree with Hyoudou on this matter. Attempting to even confront such a being would be…unpleasant."
"Can't hear yooou! Too busy being excited over catchin' me a Dragon-King!"
"Ara ara, I admit I'm somewhat worried that Haruto-kun may have lost his sense of realism." Akeno-san noted with a mix of amusement and nervousness on her face.
"...That's the nice way of saying he's being an idiot." Auuu! You're so harsh, Koneko-chan!
"Onee-sama, please talk some sense into your Queen," Sitri-senpai urged Sera-tan.
But it was to no avail as Sera-tan's eyes became bright with pride at the sight of her adorable servant.
"That's my Haru-tan! He always shoots for the stars!" Sera-tan grasped my hands in hers, both of us staring at each other with sparkling eyes. "Don't worry, Haru-tan! I'll definitely help you catch that Dragon!"
"Onee-sama." Sitri-senpai said in a warning tone. "Remember what happened when you tried to 'help' Rias and I catch our first familiars?"
Sera-tan waved off Sitri-senpai's concerns. "Oh come oooon! It wasn't THAT bad!"
"You reduced Rias's bunny rabbit to ashes!" Sitri-senpai exclaimed, raising her voice.
Gremory-senpai sniffed, her eyes somewhat watery as she reflected on a sad memory. "I would've named him 'Cuddles'." Akeno and Yuka ended up walking to her side, patting her on the shoulder, trying to cheer her up.
I was snapped out of my excited trance by Sitri-senpai's comment concerning Gremory-senpai's rabbit.
"Erm…On second thought… maybe it would be best if I got a more lower-level familiar…"
There was a collective sigh from everyone except Sera-tan who pouted and Satooji who seemed to have failed to understand what was going on.
"Alright then!" Satooji said, regaining his previous energy, turning to another page in his book. "If you don't want Tiamat, how aboooout—This?!" He showed me another page in that book of his. He showed me a large serpent with multiple heads. It looked quite ferocious. "Hydra, an incredibly powerful poison-type familiar!"
"WHOA! SO COOOOL!"
"Haruto-san's eyes are sparkling again." Asia noted.
"I'M GONNA CATCH ME A HYRDA!" I cheered, pumping my fists into the air.
"YES! I'll definitely help Haru-tan capture a Hydra!" Sera-tan cheered as well.
"Not again…" Sitri-senpai sighed, face-palming.
"OI! Stop telling Haruto about final boss characters, you dumbaaaaaass!" Issei screamed while punching Satooji in the face. Then he turned to Gremory-senpai. "Buchou! Tell Haruto about your dead rabbit again!"
Gremory-senpai suddenly fell to her knees, her eyes watering like a child. "Cuddles…" She whined.
"Shit! S-Sorry!" Issei apologized, trying to cheer up his club president from the depression of the memory of her first attempted familiar's death.
It would be so sad if it weren't so damn funny! Hahahahaha—
Then I paused, my expression and emotion level returning to normal as I realized something.
"Hmmmm…" I said, cocking my head sideways.
"""Hmmmm?"""
Everyone mimicked me, staring.
I frowned, crossing my arms. "Er… Weird question, but…When did the world turn upside down?" I was staring at everyone's surprised faces as they were looking up (down?) at me. But then I recognized the ground they were standing on and realized that I was the one who was upside-down.
SQWAAAAAAAK!
Eh?
I looked down (up?) to see a huge, bird-like creature with a body like a vulture…
Wait…vulture?
The creature let out loud screeches similar to its previous one before flapping its giant wings, soaring higher into the air.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHH!?"
Before I knew it, the vulture creature was carrying me away.
"EEEEK! Haruto-san's being kidnapped!"
"That's a Giant Vulture!" Satooji called out. "They tend to come out from time to time to swoop down on humanoid creatures! It will probably take you back to its home to eat you!"
"HOW THE FUCK DOES THAT HELP ME!?" I screamed back. "ISSEI! SMACK THAT IDIOT UPSIDE THE HEAD FOR ME!"
There was a loud echo-y snap sound and a subsequent "Ouch!".
"THANK YOU!"
"So worry, Haru-taaaan! I'll save you!" I heard Sera-tan call out.
"No no! Onee-sama don—!"
But it was too late. I literally FELT the large blast of demonic energy Sera-tan let out before I saw it.
It missed me only by a millimeter, hitting the vulture holding me in its vicious claws.
I remained suspended in the air for several more seconds until gravity decided to act like a smug jerk and tug me downward.
"Uh oh…"
Then I ended up free-falling through the air down into the forest below. Well…since I'm probably gonna die anyway, might as well take the Pokemon joke up a notch.
"It looks like I'm blasting off agaaaaaaain!"
Then I hit my head hard…
Shortly before darkness consumed my vision… It was the weirdest thing, but I could swear I heard a voice…
You promised… remember Onii-chan…? You promised us we'd play again…