Joshua G., Shen, FromTheDeep, Tyric Gaia.

These are heroes of the modern age, having ascended to the ranks of legends via their various great deeds, performed throughout a whole galaxy!

If you wish to join the ranks of the legends, you can do so by heading over to " Pat Reon -dot- com -slash- FrancoGamerxz ", and adding to the cosmic tip jar!

Also, if you wish to join a community of individuals of culture (degenerates) and great writers alike (I'm part of the degenerates), then feel free to do so at ' discord -dot- gg -slash- V54pcwA '. Feel free to join if you want to talk to me directly, since I drop by often.

Don't let this keep you from leaving a review, though! Those are very much appreciated!

Now, feel free to enjoy the story!

-X-

"Regular character speech"

"Differently inflectioned character speech" (Whispering, hissing, etc)

'Powerful character speech' (Backed by Killing Intent, Pressure, Sheer raw power, etc)

'Regular character thoughts'

'Mind Reading/Telepathic Conversation'

[Ddraig talking out loud]

[Ddraig telepathically speaking to Issei]

'Ddraig/Powerful being thinking'

-X-

"Yo, Souna-Kaichou!"

Sona Sitri, heiress of one of the 72 most important families of Devils in the underworld, High Rank Devil, one of the two overseers of Kuoh, King of her own peerage and one of the Four Great Onee-sama of Kuoh, jumped in place at the sudden sound of one Hyoudou Issei's voice, scrambling to hide the small hardcover novel she had been reading in her desk drawers before turning her focus towards the smiling brunet, her voice just an octave higher and the slightest bit faster than usual as she spoke.

"Hyoudou-san your presence is unexpected! Is there something wrong? Any issue that the student council needs to act about?"

"Not really..." Issei sheepishly scratched the back of his head, a close-eyed grin on his face as he spoke. "I said that I wouldn't mind coming around once in a while and play a chess match with you, so... Here I am! Unless you're too busy or just don't want me around, then I would just lea-"

"No!" Sona's eyes widened at the surprising vehemence she put into a single word, a mild wince running through her body before she took a fist to her fist and cleared her throat in an effort to recompose herself. "I meant... I'm not particularly busy at the moment, so your company isn't a bother at all."

"Great!"

Issei unceremoniously hopped onto the visitor's chair, leaving him separated from Sona only by the length of her desk, while the student council president set up the chessboard for the two of them, allowing Issei to play whites once again. The brunet opened the game by moving one of his pawns two spaces ahead.

"I am genuinely surprised by your presence," Sona's response came while moving a pawn of her own, the set of words making their way out between her lips without any actual input of her own, as if an idle thought had managed to sneak its way through her brain-mouth filter. "Hyoudou-san."

The brunet's face took on a focused look as he moved another one of his pieces, the silence allowing allowing Sona to inwardly second-guess and berate herself for having lost control of her mouth for even an instant. She hid a grimace at that before picking up another one of her pieces.

"I did say that I had an alright time playing chess with you before - even though I got my ass kicked - and that I wouldn't mind returning for further matches."

His words caused her to pause for a moment, before mover the piece she had picked up to its intended place.

"Well," 'Dear Maou, why am I still talking? Why can't I just control my mouth?' "I've seen you spending more and more time in the company of your friends, so I expected you to prefer keeping them company over a virtual stranger such as myself."

Issei moved another piece with a resounding clack, before responding.

"Already having friends doesn't mean that I can't make more. Plus, being around a cute girl always sounds like a fun time!"

Aika sputtered at that, almost dropping the pawn she had picked up before shakily putting it down in place harder than strictly necessary, garnering a loud clack of her own, before speaking in a mildly agitated tone.

"Please don't make fun of me like this, Hyoudou-san. I might get mad."

"Making fun of you? What do you mean?"

Clack

"Saying those things about cuteness."

Clack

"I was being honest, though?" Issei scratched his head in confusion with his chess piece. "Why would I lie about that?"

Clack

"Well... You have a girlfriend who is quite attractive, and you spend noticeable amounts of time with both Himejima-san and Kiryuu-san. While you may be trying to be polite, I'm aware of the fact that I'm not necessarily as attractive as them."

Clack

"Okay, first off I have two girlfriends now, Lilith and Aika. Second, I'm going to have to call bullshit."

Clack

"E-excuse me?" Issei's vehemence on his second sentence and the loud clacking of his chess piece startled Sona, causing her to accidentally move her piece to the wrong place - though it was luckily enough a legal move for the knight she had been holding - before cursing inwardly at having to change her plans, moving her win from 5 to 8 moves.

"You heard me. I call bullshit on you not being as attractive as Lilith, Aika and Akeno, and I have arguments to back me up! First of all, consider the fact that you are one of Kuoh's four Onee-sama, literally the four most admired and well-liked students of the whole High School division." Issei spoke in a serious tone that had Sona focusing on his every word. "Second, said that you were unattractive in relation to Lilith, Aika and Akeno. That is incorrect twice over. Once, because you are a very physically attractive girl. And twice, because your personality, and the whole 'air' you have around you is completely different from theirs."

Clack

Sona's eyes widened at Issei's words, he fingers almost numbly moving a bishop out of sheer habit and experience, setting up the board for one of the possible winning plays she could choose to make later on, before she spoke.

"You think I'm physically attractive? I have an air around me? What?"

Issei nodded sagely at that, ignoring the fact that one of his knights had just been captured as he responded.

"Lilith is an openly affectionate girl trying her best to be casual, but who can't help but have a bit of a skewed perspective of the world due to her life growing up, giving her the occasional 'princess tendencies'. She is also very sexually open and explicit, and won't hesitate to tell me any time she feels like fooling around.

"Aika is a girl who defies social norm and convention, despite having been born and raised in a society where conformity reigns supreme. She isn't afraid of being open about her interests, despite knowing that doing so will result in her being treated differently from other girls. She's also scarily observant, having this tendency to pick up details in most situations she's involved in. Other than that, there's also the fact that she's as sexually open as Lilith and myself, though she may not necessarily be kinky in the same direction we are."

Issei ignored the way Sona's cheeks flared up with a blush when he spoke up about being sexually open, focusing more on proving his point.

"Akeno... Akeno is a fun person who has a habit of teasing others for her own amusement, though she never means anything bad with it. She likes seeing others squirm a bit, so she tries to make them uncomfortable, but i've never seen her be cruel or hurtful about it. She's curious, at least enough to walk up to the most infamous quartet in school and befriend them despite knowing about how it could possibly reflect on her image, and she's open-minded enough to not simply look at mine, Motohama, Matsuda and Aika's perversion and disregard any other quality or trait we have.

"She's... Still keeping a part of herself hidden. It's pretty noticeable for us, who spend reasonable amounts of time with her, but none of us begrudge her, since we all understand that everyone has a right to privacy. Plus, despite keeping part of herself hidden from us, the face that she shows us is still not fake in any way. It's genuine. She is still the kind, accepting Akeno who enjoys teasing others, and making people mildly uncomfortable for her own amusement."

"Ah." Sona found herself deeply surprised at Issei's insightful words, especially how he spoke about Akeno having a touchy past and how she hid part of herself, and at the honest assessment that he was making of the girls he spent the most time with, each words said with genuine spontaneity, no guile or subterfuge added to it. She nervously licked her lips, clearing her suddenly dry throat before speaking. "W-what about me?"

"Calculating. Intelligent." The brunet leaned towards her, his eyes flashing intensely as he spoke. "Aika, Lilith and Akeno are also undeniably very intelligent, but you're ahead in that department, and I'd be remiss to not highlight that point. You have the ability to make plans to achieve your goals, and you're not afraid of going into it at full effort. Despite that, whenever you're not plotting or planning, you're an earnest and straightforward person, willing to do things like apologize to a random perverted delinquent, not because you had to, but because you felt it was the right thing to do.

"You have this whole feel of 'duty and responsibility' around you as well, and it's obvious that you take the tasks you set for yourself very seriously just from the way you run the student council, and how you choose to mediate in student conflicts. It's honestly very admirable."

Clack

Sona found herself smiling involuntarily at Issei's assessment of her, picking up her Queen and planning to move it in such a way that it would lead to a Check in two moves, and Check Mate in 4.

"You're also absolutely adorable."

"Hwah-"

Sona's arm all but jerked in surprise, causing her to place her Queen a couple of places before her intended square. Wide-eyed and blushing, Sona turned her gaze towards Issei, only to find him smirking smugly at her.

"I knew it." His smug smirk widened further as he said those words, "You're so unused to genuine face-to-face compliments like these, so a bit of flirting is enough to break your focus in the match!"

Sona frowned at that, her tone carrying disappointment - and the slightest bit of hurt - as she spoke.

"So you're just saying these things to throw off my focus? You don't mean them?"

"Part of the reason as to why I'm saying these things is because it messes with your focus, yes. You're both more intelligent and more experienced in chess than I am, so I have to make up for it using guile, and cunning. Doesn't make any of it any less true, though." Issei shrugged nonchalantly as he moved his own knight, capturing one of Sona's bishops. "Why would I need to lie to you when the truth would be much more effective? Is it wrong of me to tell you that I'm attracted to you, and why?"

Issei reached over the chessboard and placed a hand on Sona's face, his thumb rubbing one of her flushed cheeks, causing her blush to darken.

"Aside from all of that, there's also the fact that you're acting dutiful and serious all the time, and that's no good. Just because you have responsibilities doesn't mean you need to forget what it's like to be a regular, run of the mill person. If helping you remember that means that I have to relentlessly flirt with and tease you.." Issei's index and thumb lightly pinched Sona's cheek and tugged on her cheek, a smirk on his face as he spoke. "Well, that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make."

He released Sona's cheek and sighed explosively before knocking down his own King piece. Seeing Sona turning her confused - and likely still overwhelmed - look towards him, he chose to explain.

"I already lost." He shrugged nonchalantly. "After having captured your bishop, I saw no moves I could make that would allow me to get an advantage. If you've already set the board up so that I can't gain any advantages, then that likely means you already set up your winning play, no?"

The girl nodded, before mumbling.

"3 more moves."

"Three? Damn." Issei whistled lowly at that. "I really got destroyed. Still, not all is lost."

He gave Sona a grin that made he shiver, though if asked she would be unable to explain why, before speaking.

"Still, it was worth it just to see you blushing this cutely. If this is what I can expect from you, then I'll make sure to visit more often."

The girl covered her face with her hands before groaning.

'Great, there's two of them!'

She peered at the brunet through a gap between her fingers, before speaking up.

"Don't you have to go spend time with your friends, or something like that?"

"Pfft." Issei waved a dismissive hand at that. "They're not just my friends, they're also friends with each-other. Me occasionally spending lunch here with you won't change that fact. Though I do wonder what they are talking about right now..."

-X-

"So..." Aika began in-between bites of her bento, her gaze fixed on Akeno who turned towards her with a quizzical look. "When are you going to jump Ise's bones?"

"PFFFFFFFFTT"

"PFFFFFFFFTT"

Aika ignored the twin spit-takes from Motohama and Matsuda, instead keeping her focus on Akeno, who looked genuinely taken aback at the sudden question.

"Whatever do you mean?"

Aika responded in a nonchalant tone.

"The two of you have been making goo-goo eyes at one-another for a while now, and you've been flirting a lot. And I do mean genuinely flirting, rather than simply teasing one-another or playing around."

"...Issei-san already has someone. Two someones, actually."

"So?"

Akeno blinked owlishly at that, genuine befuddlement in her voice as she spoke.

"Huh?"

"Ise's got two girlfriends... So?" Aika rolled her eyes at that, her tone being that of someone explaining a very basic concept to another. "Where does that factor in with the question I asked?"

"You have to admit that it is... Uncommon... To be asked by a boy's girlfriend about 'jumping his bones'."

"When have any of us ever done something common, or normal?"

"...Fair point. Though... Does the idea of sharing your boyfriend not bother neither yourself nor Lilith-san? At all?"

"Not really. Maybe me and Lilith are just weird, or cracked at a very fundamental level, but... We're not bothered by the idea of Ise falling in love with more women."

"How come?"

"First of all, I believe in Ise. No matter how much love he spreads around, there will always be more than enough love to smother me in it twice over. I know that whenever I need him, he'll be there for me, just like I would be there for him as well. He won't look down on me or take me for granted. Plus, he has a tendency of saying and doing the right thing at the right moment to soothe me when I'm sad."

"And what about time?"

Aika shrugged.

"Ise spends as much time as he can with me and Lilith, and gives us as much attention and affection as we want and need. He makes the effort to give us some solo time, but even when we're spending time together, the three of us, we never feel neglected, forgotten, ignored or passed over."

The girl paused for a moment, before looking Akeno in the eye, her gaze so intense that the Gremory queen found herself startled.

"There are certain things that hurt a person at a fundamental level. Things that make deep wounds in the heart, wounds that rarely, if ever, heal; and if they do, it's more often than not a temporary thing, and any poking and prodding would rip them right open again.

"These types of wounds hurt so very badly... Even when you push them down and lock them away, they still exist as an ache, pulsing and twinging at the back of your mind. I used to think that these sorts of wounds had no real fix."

Aika's whole 'aura' changed after that, her posture, eyes, and even the intensity of her voice showing a deep belief in the words she was about to say.

"I was wrong."

Listening to those words, said with such a high level of certainty, something within Akeno throbbed. Something she had buried as deep as possible, and stomped down hard on for good measure. Emotions that she did her best to keep locked away and hidden threatened to surface, uninvited. She was still frozen in place, however, avidly hanging onto each and every single one of Aika's words, a warm, indescribable sensation blossoming within her chest, only to lose cohesion in the face of her pain.

"Ise... He just knows how to make things better. It's almost as if he can feel when I'm sad, down or upset, and he loves me in just the right way to soothe me. And you, Akeno... You need soothing."

Akeno felt a bitter smile flash across her face at that, her tone rueful as she spoke.

"Believe me when I say that it's better for all of us that Issei doesn't fall in love with me. I'd do nothing but bring him trouble, and cause him problems."

Aika surprised Akeno by flicking her on the forehead.

"That's not really up to you to decide, is it? You are in love, or at least falling in love with Issei, he's reciprocating the feelings, and his girlfriends trust his judgement enough to know that he'd only ever fall in love with good people, that they'd be willing to accept as a friend and sister of sorts.

"There doesn't seem to be any problem here than those you're trying to make up to justify your hesitation to accept help."

Aika didn't allow Akeno to interject, her tone strong as she spoke.

"To be honest, if you asked Issei for help right now, as a friend, he'd still give it to you. He'd give you all of the friendly, platonic love he could to help make you better. Thing is, the two of you aren't feeling particularly platonic towards one-another, and ignoring this would likely lead to even more heartache."

"But... I..."

"How about this, then: You and Ise go on a date. A single date, just the two of you. After that, you decide whether or not it's better to simply remain friends, or if you want more. What do you say?"

"...Alright."

Both girls were so focused on their conversation that none of them even noticed the fact that Motohama and Matsuda had somehow succeeded in emptying the courtyard they were at, ensuring that their conversation was completely private.

-X-

"Well, I'm sure that whatever it is they're talking about, they're having a great time!"

Issei seemed perfectly willing to ignore the way Sona glared at him through the gaps between her fingers, the blush on her face and her moist eyes just making it even more adorable.

"Careful there, Sona-chan!" He said cheekily, "If you keep being this adorable, I might just fall in love with you!"

"Y-Hwh-Get out!"

Sona - not Souna Shittori, student council president, or Sona Sitri, Heiress of the Sitri family and younger sister of the Satan Leviathan - just Sona, the girl, all but jumped over her desk towards Issei, her hands balling into fists that she batted at Issei's chest with, her eyes clenches shut while her face burned with an embarrassed blush.

"Get! Out! Right! Now!"

"Haha, fine! Fine! I've had enough of teasing you for now, so I'll go."

He then surprised Sona by pecking her in the cheek before rushing out the door before she could react, a mad cackle following after him.

The girl lifted a hand to her cheek, her fingers connecting with the spot where the warmth of Issei's lips lingered, before she involuntarily pressed the tips of said fingers against her own lips.

She sat back down on her chair, her trashy novel forgotten as fantasies about a certain brunet troublemaker came around.

-X-

The last bell of classes rung, signaling freedom to each and every one of the many teenagers whose minds had been wandering for the last hour, and whose brains were all but mush after the mind-numbing grind of having their coursebooks forcibly fed into their heads by their teachers.

Issei was one of these students, stretching with a lazy yawn as he walked towards the gates of the academy with Aika, Motohama and Matsuda, the throng of students subconsciously parting around him and his group, which allowed them to proceed unmolested.

Many gave curious stares as Issei kissed Aika and traded words with her and his two friends before they departed, while he leaned against the wall beside the gates, his arms crossed in front of his chest and his eyes closed.

Issei was still there by the time that all of the students were either gone, or were with their clubs for their after-school activities, silent and still as if unperturbed by the biting chill of the autumn wind, or the miscellaneous noises that could be heard pretty much everywhere in a city, even if from a distance.

The sound of a particular set of steps reached his ears, prompting him to speak up.

"Hey Akeno, Aika said that you wanted to tell me some-" Issei trailed off the moment he opened his eyes and his gaze fell onto Akeno, who was simply smiling in a manner that anyone would say was natural to her, the same smile she gave everyone at the academy on a daily basis. His eyes gained a certain type of intensity, narrowing before softening again, his whole face and body softening at once before he spoke. "Are you free right now?"

"Excuse me?"

"I asked if you're free? Do you have anything you need to do this afternoon and cannot reschedule or skip in any way, shape or form?"

She wanted to say yes. She had, in fact, gotten a free afternoon, as did Yuuto, a consequence of their king working on a backlog of paperwork that impeded them from going out and fulfilling contracts for the rest of the day, yet she still wanted to say tell Issei that 'Yes, she was very busy'. She knew he would know it was a lie, though she wouldn't be able to explain how she knew. She also knew that he would act like he believed her regardless, giving her the space she wanted all the while offering more support.

The sheer look of worry in his eyes, however, were what ended up sealing her choice.

"No, I'm not busy."

A slight smile spread across Issei's face - a soft, mild thing that made Akeno's insides twist in a way that she was unable to decide whether was good or bad - before he softly took Akeno's hand into his own and lightly tugged on it towards himself.

"Come on, you're coming with me today."

Akeno allowed herself to be pulled by the brunet, her mind focusing more on the dichotomy between the thick callouses on the palm of Issei's hands that spoke of roughness, toughness and strength, and the softness and care with which his hand held her own, even as he 'dragged' her by the hand.

By the time the two finally stopped walking, they had reached a movie theater.

"Wait just a second!"

After saying that, Issei walked up to the ticket booth, empty but for a single employee. The two whispered with one-another before Issei slid the man a few bills, receiving a pair of tickets which he instantly slipped within his pockets.

After taking a detour to get a bucket of buttery popcorn and two sodas, Issei took Akeno by the hand and pulled her into an empty screening room, seating them in the middle of the room.

The movie began in a suspenseful scene, with a person being stalked very closely by the camera in a manner very much endemic to horror movies to the point of clichedom. Akeno settled in for another viewing of a cliche-fest...

"Oh shit!"

Until the person whose point of view acted as the camera slipped on a banana peel and fell down the stairs, startling a snort of laughter out of her.

Things only got more ridiculous from then on, with every single horror movie cliche being dealt with via subversion, some of them a quick think that startled a laugh out of her, while others had elaborate setups that built up expectations, only for the payoff to result in uncontrollable peals of laughter.

By the time Akeno and Issei walked out of the theater, the girl's smile was much more genuine than before.

Seeing Akeno's smile made Issei smile as well, and prompted him to try his best to keep her happy. With that thought in mind, he decided on where he'd take her next.

-X-

"Welcome, Akeno, to the Kuoh Arcade!"

The moment Issei said Akeno's name, more than a handful of the people in the Arcade, other students of Kuoh high, turned towards the two of them. A look from Issei dissuaded them all from saying or doing anything, however, allowing the two of them to make their way through the arcade undisturbed.

The whole event was deeply amusing to Akeno, drawing another genuine smile from her, who simply stared at Issei's back as he walked her through the Arcade, explaining to her about the ins-and-out.

"First things first, you have the counter. The counter is a pretty simple, but important place. There will always be someone behind the counter at all times, tasked with doing various things, primary among them is breaking bills down into coins to allow people to operate the games machines. Behind the counter are also prizes that can be bought using tickets you earn by winning certain games.

"Since I have plenty of coins on me, we can skip going to the counter and go straight to picking games. Let's find you one that you'll like."

Akeno looked around the room before pointing towards one of the machines.

"What is that one about?"

"That one is Call of Battlefield, you basically pick up a gun and shoot everything that shows up on screen."

"Mhm..." Akeno took a moment to think before pointing towards another machine. "What about that one?"

"That's Super Italian Racer. It's a racing game featuring all the iconic characters from Funtendo's most prolific franchises. It's pretty fun."

"Racing, huh..." Akeno then pointed towards another machine. "What about that one?"

"That's 'Super Mega Fighter's Legacy: Armored Core'. It's a fighting game with a few interesting mechanics. Basically, you pick a character who has a basic set of moves, but the properties of those moves and some of the basic stats of the character are influenced by the amounts of armor you choose to play with.

"You can choose full armor, which generally speaking increases defense - and damage in hand to hand fighters - in exchange for an intense decrease in attack speed and stamina. You can go half armor, which has a less significant in the speed of the characters, to the point that some of them only lose speed while using certain specific moves, rather than altogether, and shows only a minor increase in damage for hand-to-hand fighters.; there's also no armor, which results in the lowest defense score and lower damage for hand to hand fighters, in exchange for higher movement speed, attack speed and stamina.

"There is also another feature inherent to this game, one that is extremely important."

Issei leaned towards Akeno, his tone serious and his gaze hard as he spoke.

"Jiggle Physics."

"Jiggle... Physics?"

"When you're playing a female character with low to no armor, moving her causes her breasts and butt to jiggle in a manner akin to that of a real life woman's. I heard that the developers of this game single handedly revolutionized the jiggle physics market by motion-capturing over 3000 pairs of breasts in various levels of physical activity, with varying levels of support, doing many different types of movements an under various environmental conditions such as intense winds, underwater, and covered in mud, slime and oil!

"They created the 'Jiggle Engine™' , which they've been using in their games as well as licensing to other game development studios, and earning boatloads of money off of it."

"Wow," Akeno said in amusement. "You seem to be very informed about this game."

"Of course I am! I've been playing Shinobi Squad games ever since I was a kid, since they've always had jiggle physics and hot, scantily clad female characters! I have learnt the guts of all of their fighting systems from the inside out! I've especially mastered 'Armored Core'!"

The amused smirk on Akeno's face widened further, before she spoke.

"How about you let me watch you play a few matches of this Armored Core game, and after that we pick a game for me, together?"

"Alright, I guess."

Issei sat down in front of the arcade cabinet and inserted a coin before selecting one of the characters, a big-breasted purple-haired kunoichi name 'Hayame', before selecting 'No armor', causing her to be clad in a skin-tight leather outfit that was akin to a hybrid between a corset, a one-piece swimsuit and a pair of bloomers.

Akeno watched as Issei fought a series of fights against CPU opponents, until a loud noise blared from the cabinet.

'A NEW CHALLENGER HAS STEPPED INTO THE RING!'

A character named 'Kagemusha', a big, hulking brute clad in a full suit of wicked-looking black armor, showed up in the arena across Issei's 'Hayame', hefting a massive bastard sword.

'ROUND 1, FIGHT!'

"Kekeke, this idiot picked the lowest health character with zero armor!" A reedy voice came from the other side of Issei's cabinet. "This is a sure win for me!"

Akeno, and pretty much everybody around, could only watch in fascination and shock as 'Hayame' danced circles around 'Kagemusha', stepping in range to strike at him before dodging out of his attack range before he could complete a full attack, before stepping in and adding more damage to it by throwing.

The first round was over in 30 seconds.

The second one was over in 15 seconds, since Issei had adapted to the other guy's playing style.

"I... I can't believe... I lost..."

Issei shrugged at that, only for his eyebrows to raise again with a new message of 'A NEW CHALLENGER HAS STEPPED INTO THE RING!'.

He demolished that player as well, then another, and another.

Soon enough people were betting tickets on whether he'd be able to continue his streak or lose, with some of the cut going to him, while others used tickets as buy-ins for the crowded cabinet opposite to Issei's.

45 minutes later and Issei had already built up a 90 game win streak, and had a sack full of tickets.

While Akeno watched the delightfully agonized faces of the losers degenerate into despair at the sight of her handling the tickets as if they were cold, hard cash, Issei finished another match before groaning in boredom, standing up from his seat to give another a go.

"Man, this was so boring. Everybody here is weak."

"Perhaps you are just too good at the game? None of these people present were able to take a single round off of you, after all..."

"Tch." Issei clicked his tongue before crossing his arms over his chest and looking away. "That's because none of them has put in the time and effort to grind this game to hell and back. The only people I know who can actually play me and make me work for the win are Motohama and Matsuda."

"Maybe we should go for a different game? The Super Italian Racer one looked fun?"

"Alright, let's do it."

They played at the machine for a while, before shooting some hoops, playing a Dating Sim together - which resulted in much chuckling from Akeno at the sheer hilariously bad plot of the game - before Akeno finally headed over to a dancing game, the name on the machine reading 'Shuffle Step Rebellion'.

Akeno picked a song before allowing herself to lose herself to the rhythm, her feet shifting and moving in a way that netted her 'Perfect!' after 'Perfect!' call from the machine.

By the time she finally stopped dancing, she had already accrued a crowd.

She graciously took Issei's offered hand in order to climb down from the machine, soaking in the envy and dissatisfaction of the other boys present, especially when Issei positioned himself specifically in the position that let him block the small flash of upper thigh that she would have given in her school skirt.

The two headed to the counter, where Issei traded the majority of the tickets he had won to get... Something, that he kept Akeno from finding out, whereas Akeno got a mug that depicted the character Issei had used in the fighting game in a wet tank top and doing a risque pose.

"So, Issei-kun, where are we going next?"

"Mhm..." Issei swiveled his head around as if searching for something, before his eyes lit up and he dragged Akeno over with him. "In here!"

The two shuffled into a photo booth, adjusting themselves so that they could both show up in the photo fully, before Issei wrapped an arm around Akeno's shoulder and pulled her into him. Akeno allowed herself to luxuriate in the closeness to Issei, absorbing his boy heat and relaxing to the steady, powerful thump of his heartbeat, until the two of them left the booth.

Issei could see that she was about to turn reflective and/or sad again, so he took her hand and pulled her to a coffee shop. He guided her to a table, before pointing at her and speaking.

"You, sit here for a bit! I'll go order us some drinks!"

He hustled off for the counter, not having to wait in line for too long, before returning to Akeno with two steaming mugs of hot cocoa.

Akeno took a sip of her cocoa, enjoying the warmth and sweetness before her eyes widened in surprise at a sudden burning sensation on her tongue. She turned towards Issei, only to see him smirk at her, an amused glint in his eyes.

"Enjoying the cocoa?"

"That... Did you order a spicy cocoa for me?"

"Yup!"

"...Why?"

"For the same reason why I chose that movie in for us to watch: I figured you'd like it."

Akeno's look shifted to a mix of surprise and curiosity.

"How come?"

"The Cocoa was a surprise prank. You expected a sweet and smooth drink after a few rounds on the dance machine, and are instead surprised by a bit of a spicy hit to your taste buds. The movie... Well, that movie is basically a horror movie played for laughs, with the idea of the things that would generally result in people suffering, dying or being grievously injured resulted instead in the murderers getting hurt in the most comedic manner possible, and the would-be victims suffering minor, and often ironically funny inconveniences related to the way they were going to be killed.

"Something bad is turned into a mild, mostly harmless joke, the same way that you satisfy your sadistic streak by teasing others."

"...So you know I have a sadistic streak."

Issei shrugged.

"You never really made an effort to hide it. If anyone doesn't notice it, they're either excessively naive, or wilfully blinding themselves."

"And that doesn't bother you?"

The brunet turned towards Akeno, his hands falling onto her shoulders and his eyes meeting hers as he spoke, his tone as serious as it was earnest.

"You have a few quirks that mark you as beyond the norm, but that isn't necessarily bad. I personally like it, and I know our other friends do as well. It's something so inherently you that there's no way to misinterpret it, or take it to heart. But despite all that, a single fact remains, Akeno. Something that I believe in with my whole being.

"You're a good person."

Akeno looked away from Issei, feeling incapable - unworthy - of meeting his clear, earnest gaze, only for him to grab her by the chin, keeping her focus on his face as he spoke in a powerful tone, one that conveyed incontrovertible belief in an immutable fact.

"You, Himejima Akeno, are a good person."

He punctuated that by reaching into his pocket before pressing something into Akeno's hand. The Fallen Hybrid opened her hand only to see a small, round, steel-colored locket.

"Wha-"

She popped open the locket, only to see a small version of the photograph they took earlier at the photo booth of the two of them close together. Her hand headed towards her mouth, two fingertips touching her lips as a single thought went through her head.

'I don't remember having smiled like that.'

Many things popped up within her chest at the same time, a jumble of emotions fighting against each other so intensely that she felt them almost physically. Before she knew what she was doing, she already had wrapped her arms around Issei's torso, a rueful chuckle leaving her lips as spoke in little more than a whisper.

"This isn't fair, you know? Things weren't supposed to go like this."

Issei rubbed a hand on her back, not saying anything, and simply content with letting her speak up her mind.

"I have issues. Damaged goods. Other than that, I also have parts of my life that I have to keep a secret, whether I want to or not. There's no way that I can make a relationship work with an average guy, much less one who already has two girlfriends. I know this in my mind, I know that the most prudent thing to do is to harden my heart, but..."

Issei kept rubbing Akeno's back, only speaking up when he felt she wouldn't continue.

"There is nothing forcing you to enter a relationship, be it with me, or with anyone else. I won't lie and say that I'm not attracted to you, both your personality and your appearance, despite knowing that there are parts of you that you're keeping private. I understand the want - and often need - to keep some things private. But, there is something that I am before 'attracted to you', and that is your friend.

"If you want my help... If you need my support, I'll be there to give it, be it as a friend, a boyfriend, or anything in-between. It's your choice, Akeno. Do you want me to support you as a friend? Do you want me to support you as something more? Do you want me to stay away from you?

"I won't begrudge any choice you make."

Akeno's arms wrapped around Issei's torso even tighter, her strength crossing well over into the supernatural side of things without her even noticing, her shoulders shaking with her sobs while warm tears drenched Issei's shirt.

"I... Will you really take me?"

"Yes."

"Even knowing that I'm hiding things from you?"

"Yes."

"Even though I'm a sadist?"

"It only makes things more interesting."

"Even though I'm damaged goods?"

"Everybody I know is off their kilter one way or another. Having people that understand and accept your quirks, and help heal your injuries is very important. I want to be one of these people, for you."

"...Promise me you won't ever abandon me, or throw me away."

"Not even Death would keep me away from the people I love, Akeno. You are one of those people."

The girl pulled Issei down into a kiss.

It was wet. It was salty. It was messy.

It still made the two feel as if fireworks went off behind their eyes, and within their chests.

-X-

Akeno and Issei stood next to one-another in the subway station, their fingers grazing one-another periodically, though Akeno's fingers would ultimately end up lightly jerking away from Issei's hand, a blush tinting her cheeks.

Issei turned towards Akeno, meeting her gaze while giving her an inviting smile, which resulted in the girl taking a deep breath, mustering up her courage before allowing her fingers to interlock with his.

"Heh."

Issei's chuckle made Akeno chuckle sheepishly before whacking Issei's arm with her free hand.

"It's not good manners to tease your... Girlfriend."

A full-body chill ran through Akeno when she said that word, the warm bud of hope in her chest condensing, and helping push away the ever present pain from the gouge in her heart, caused by the death of her mother and the abandonment of her father.

She had... Issues. She was terrified by the idea of being abandoned by those she considers near and dear to her.

To be fully honest... She still does. You don't overcome deep-seated trauma in a single day. Recovery is a long and gradual process, one that involves time, effort, support, and often necessitates for old wounds to be opened so that they can heal properly.

But this... Issei's presence... His words... His promise...

It gives her hope. More than that, it gives her confidence in the thought that she will one day be able to fully heal her heart, rather than have to live pretending that nothing is wrong.

She allowed the fingers she had entwined with Issei's to squeeze, receiving a light squeeze in return, before her train slowed to a stop at the station, right in front of them.

Akeno turned towards Issei, tucking one of her side bangs behind her ear before speaking.

"So... My train's here."

"Yeah."

"I should probably get in."

"...Yeah."

The two stood there, staring at one-another, their hands still linked, before Issei took half a step towards Akeno, stopping with his lips a hair's breadth away from hers, before speaking.

"I know that this is new to you, Akeno, and I don't want to force you into doing anything you're not ready, so if you feel like things are ever going too fast, feel free to say say it, alright? Just tell me what you want to do, and-"

"I want to kiss you."

She the leaned forward, allowing their lips to connect in a kiss that, while neater than their first one, held no less passion, before she tentatively let her tongue out to explore, with Issei responding in kind, the tips of the pink muscles flicking at one-another.

"FINAL CALL TO XXX-XXXX STATION! XXX-XXXX STATION! ALL ABOARD FOR XXX-XXXX STATION!"

Issei and Akeno both leaned back at the sound of the announcement, neither of them really having noticed when they had first closed their eyes. Their fingers gave each-other a final squeeze before releasing, allowing Akeno to board her train.

After the train departed, Issei allowed himself to slump into one of the station's benches, still thinking back to the raw emotion he felt from Akeno during their hug, and their first kiss.

Want. Need. Longing. Fear. Despair.

But, the most powerful of them all was the last one, that sprouted powerfully the moment their lips met.

HOPE.

'Akeno needs help.' Issei's head leaned against the backrest of the bench. 'And I'll give as much of it as I can.'

Issei's introspection was interrupted by the ringing of one of his phones.

His work phone.

The name on screen read 'Hageshi Katagi'.

Tapping 'accept', Issei called out.

"Issei here."

"Hello Issei, I hope I'm not interrupting anything important?"

'You're a minute too late to do so.'

"No, you caught me while I was free. What's the situation?"

"We have a new lead. You are to go to..."

-Chapter, End!-