Chapter 9: A reunion and a showdown on the beach!

A few days have passed since the battle at the church.

After Asia's resurrection, everyone returned to the ORC where they officially welcomed Asia as a Devil, giving her the same briefing Issei when he was first introduced.

After that, she was allowed to bunk in the clubhouse until she found some other suitable housing.

That meant that the clubroom had pretty much become Asia's apartment for the last few days.

And today just so happened to be laundry day, providing for a very risky meeting territory.

As Issei found out, the moment he walked through the door.

"Hey Buchou. Everyone, I'm he- H-Huh?"

He began greeting everyone, however stopped mid-sentence when he felt something cling to his face and obscure his view.

"...Eh?" peeling it off, the brunette was at a loss for words when he saw the piece of fabric on his face was a pair of white panties with a little pink ribbon.

"...You should probably stop staring, pervert."

"A-Ah, Koneko-chan! I-I wasn't..t-this is.."

Hearing Koneko's voice coming from behind him, Issei quickly turned around to see her staring at him disapprovingly, causing him to blush in embarrassment and try to stutter an excuse.

From her oak desk, Rias watched bemused. Then made her own presence known.

"I see you've finally arrived Ise."

"Y-Yes, good morning Buchou!"

Naturally, hearing the redhead's voice, Issei turned to her and bowed.

Raising his head back up, he looked around the room, seeing the rest of the ORC wasn't present.

"Yes, good morning. It seems you've managed to get accustomed to the morning."

"Yeah, though it took a while. If it wasn't for my mom, I probably would've fallen back asleep all week. B-But it's also because of you."

"Is that so? In that case I'm happy~"

Rias then stood up and walked over to one of the couches, gesturing for Issei to have a seat opposite of her. She continued once they were both sat down.

"What about your wounds? Better?" she asked, looking at Issei's legs.

"Y-Yeah, a lot better. Asia's healing power is something else. I felt like I could've passed out any moment during the whole ordeal, but everything was better once she healed me."

"Hmm, that's the power of Twilight Healing. It's a good thing I had a spare Bishop, so I could reincarnate Asia. Such a power is a great asset to a devil."

"Yeah. By the way..."

"Hmm?"

Hearing Issei's shift in tone, Rias looked at her servant curiously.

"Buchou, you said the Evil Pieces are like the real chess pieces, right?"

"Yes, that's right? Why do you ask?"

"Well, that means you can technically have 7 others like me, right? Since there are 8 Pawns in total."

Hearing this, Rias was surprised for a moment, before giggling lightly.

Hearing the giggle, Issei looked up confused. Then he watched as Rias stood up and wade her way behind him, before draping her arms around his neck.

"You're worried you'll be replaced by another Pawn? That's a cute side you're showing Ise, but you've no need to worry. You're the only Pawn I need~"

"H-Huh?"

"Fufufu~ You see Ise, when reincarnating a human, it's not as easy as I made it seem with Asia. Sometimes, a devil will need to use more than one piece to summon someone. And that depends on the person's ability and potential."

She then began to stroke his cheek lightly, before continuing.

"There's a saying in the world of chess. Each special piece is worth a certain amount of pawns. A Queen is worth 9 Pawns, Rooks are worth 5 and Knights and Bishops are worth 3 Pawns each. It's the same when reincarnating. Some people require two pieces when being reincarnated, such as two Bishops or maybe two Rooks. Though you can't combine pieces to give the one reincarnated different roles. And once a devil uses their Evil Pieces, they won't get new ones, so choosing which Piece to use and what to use it for is important."

"O-Ok, but...how does that relate to me at all?"

"Ise, I used up all my Pawns when I reincarnated you. Otherwise, I couldn't have made you into a devil."

"-!"

Hearing this, Issei's eyes flew wide open. The news were quite shocking, after all.

"When I first found out about the potential hidden inside you, I decided I definitely wanted to make you part of my peerage. However, I couldn't find the reason for that. Until a few days ago, that is. Your Sacred Gear, is said to be supreme. And because of that, the value of your souls was increased greatly. That's why I could only use all 8 of my Pawns to resurrect you."

Issei glanced at his left hand, where his Sacred Gear would appear, with amazement.

'H-Holy crap...My Sacred Gear made me that valuable, huh? I guess it makes sense, since it's the embodiment of incredible power, that could even kill a God...'

"When I was trying to resurrect you, I only had a Rook, a Knight, a Bishop and eight Pawns available. The other pieces couldn't bring you back, because you were most compatible with the Pawn. To begin with, the value of a Pawn is unknown, not to mention the ability of 'Promotion'. So I had to take a gamble with that, but in the end, you turned out to be the best~"

Rias finished her explanation with a happy smile. She then began brushing her fingers against Issei's face, leaning in close to the boy.

"And also, our matching is great too. My crimson and your red. The Crimson Ruin Princes and the Boosted Gear's Red Dragon Emperor. It has an awesome sound to it, doesn't it?"

"W-Well, I can't say it doesn't, hehe.."

"That's what I thought too~ But Ise, first and foremost. You must strive to become the strongest Pawn, alright? Since you're my adorable servant, I have no doubt you can achieve it. You just got to work hard for it."

As she said that, Rias leaned in further, bringing her lips upon Issei's cheek.

Feeling the soft touch, the brunette's face lit up like a Christmas tree.

After that, Rias leaned back with a little smirk, and subtly glanced behind her.

"I probably should stop adoring you like that. At least here. Otherwise our newest resident might become jealous~"

"Huh?"

"I-Ise-san…?"

"A-A-Asia?!"

Issei was at first confused by what Rias said, however it all cleared up when he heard Asia's voice come from behind them. Naturally, he immediately turned around, seeing Asia standing there trying to smile, which made Issei sweatdrop.

She then began to mumbled to herself.

"O-Of course it's like this...After all, Rias-buchou is quite beautiful and has a nice body, so of course Ise-san would like her...A-Ah! No, no, I can't think like that! Envy is a deadly sin! Oh, please forgive my sinful heart, Lord."

PANG!

"-Auu!"

As soon as she finished her prayer, Asia was struck by a jolt of pain running through her head, causing her to yelp and clutch her head.

"I have a headache..."

"Well, of course" Rias replied normally, looking at Asia. "You're a devil now. Naturally, God doesn't take too kind to us praying to him, so we feel pain when doing so."

Hearing that, Asia deflates a bit.

"Yes, I forgot. I turned into a devil. I'm sure I can't face God anymore..."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Asia."

"-!"

Hearing a new voice, the three teens looked back at the door to see Shin and Jeanne walk in. Shin was looking directly at Asia when he spoke, before Jeanne took over.

"If anything, I think God isn't able to face you anymore, Asia-chan! After all, he allowed one of His most devout followers to be killed by a bunch of baddies. If I was Him, I would be the one begging you for forgiveness~"

"S-Shin-san, Jeanne-san..."

"They aren't wrong Asia." Rias agreed with the new arrivals. "But all things considered, do you regret turning into a devil?"

"No, I don't."

Asia's answer came right away. She then showed a smile toward Issei.

"As long as I'm with Ise-san, the circumstances don't matter. I'm happy as long as I'm with him."

"-!"

Issei promptly blushed at Asia's heartfelt words. Rias, along with Shin and Jeanne also smiled.

Even Koneko, who had been silently watching everything unfold from her chair in the corner, showed a slight smile at the moment.

Rias then spoke again.

"Well then Asia, since you're now a devil as well, you will have to work hard along with Ise."

"Y-Yes, I will do my best!"

Asia nodded her head determined.

As she did, Issei finally seemed to notice something different about her. Shin and Jeanne did the same.

The fact that Asia was now wearing Kuoh's girl uniform.

"Asia, that uniform..."

Asia blushed slightly at Issei's question and spoke shyly.

"D-Does it suit me?"

"Yes! It's the best! Let's take a photo with just the two of us!"

"E-Eh, y-yes."

Shin and Koneko sweatdropped at seeing Issei take out his phone and taking a selfie with Asia, the blonde looking confused as to how to react, but gave her best smile regardless.

[That pervert better not do something inappropriate with that picture…] the two had the same train of thought, and as if feeling it themselves, they glanced at each other and gave a nod of recognition.

[Ah, blooming romance~] Rias and Jeanne on the other hand, looked on with happy smiles.

The redhead then decided to explain the situation.

"I decided to enroll Asia at the academy, so she can have an easier time living out a normal life. Since she's about the same age as you Ise, she'll be a second year. She'll also be in the same class as you. Today's her first day, so make sure to look after her, alright?"

Issei was surprised, turning to Asia who bowed her head.

"I will be in your care, Ise-san."

From the side, Jeanne and Shin glanced at each other with knowing faces. Turning back, Jeanne slung her arm around Asia's shoulders.

"Asia-chan, you'll also be in the same class as me and Shi-chan! Since you know the big bad wolf himself, you don't have to worry about a thing~ All the boys are scared of him, so you don't have to worry about anyone other than Ise-chan hitting on you~"

"H-Hitting on me? People are going to try and hit me?"

Now Shin and Rias glanced at each other knowingly, snickering lightly.

From the other side of the room, Koneko perked up and spoke for the first time ever since Issei entered the room. Her message, was simple.

"...If someone tries to hit you, you tell me and I'll hit them back. Alright, Asia-senpai?"

"A-Alright, Koneko-chan."

Hearing the affirmative response, Koneko nodded her head strongly and returned to eating her sweets in silence.

"Also, stay clear of Hyoudou's friends, Asia. They're hopeless perverts, just like him."

Lastly, Shin threw in his own two cents, causing a vein to pop up on Issei's forehead.

"H-Hey, don't tell her that! They're good guys when you get to know them!" he then turned to Asia and grasped her hands. "Don't listen to Kurokawa. I'll introduce you to them and you'll see they're good guys, okay?"

"Yes, I'll be looking forward to it."

Asia smiled at Issei, while everyone else watching on the side shook their heads slightly.

*-open*

"Ah, it looks like we've arrived a little late. Good morning Buchou. And also good morning to you all as well, Ise-kun, Shin-kun, Jeanne-san and Koneko-chan."

"Ara ara. I feel like we've missed something important Yuuto-kun. Good morning everyone~"

As the door opened, Yuuto and Akeno walked in, each giving their own entrance statement.

Looking around the room, seeing everyone was present, Rias cleared her throat and clapped her hands.

"Alright, since everyone is here and we still have plenty of time left before class, how about we start the party?"

-click

*POOF*

Rias then clicked her fingers, and a big cake appeared on the coffee table, surprising the newer members of the club.

The redhead then began looking a little shy, and her tone matched the expression.

"I think it's good to have such gatherings from time to time. A-And since we got so many new members, I took it upon myself as president to make some cake. S-So let's eat it together, shall we?"

Hearing this, everyone allowed a smile on their faces.

Until Shin grabbed Issei's shoulder as the two turned away from everyone, who raised an eyebrow.

"W-What's wrong Kurokawa…?" Issei almost felt afraid just asking that. There was a certain air around the ravenette, that was unsettling.

"Look Hyoudou. I'll be blunt. I can't say me and Asia have been close enough for me to act as protective over her as I do with Jeanne. Which is why that job falls unto you now...However."

*-grip!*

'G-Gh..!' Issei felt Shin's grip on his shoulder tighten, and he had an idea as to what was coming next.

Shin then continued with an eerie smile and a low voice.

"That girl's innocence is one of a kind, got it? And it's your job to protect it, at all costs. If anything happens to that innocence, you can be sure what's going to happen next...right?"

"U-Uh-huh..." Issei nodded his head so fast it looked like it was going to fly off if he continued.

"Alrighty then! Glad to see we're on the same wave length, Ise-kun~"

Shin's whole demeanor changed, as he turned himself and Issei back to the party at hand.

[…] where all the onlookers, bar Asia for obvious reasons, sweatdropped at the exchange. After all, Issei's pale face was more than enough of an explanation to what Shin told him.

"I-Ise-san you've gone pale in the face! Are you not feeling well?"

"N-N-N-No, everything's fine Asia, really!"

It was only natural that the innocent Asia didn't pick up on what the real reason for Issei's state was, and offered to help which Issei kindly refused, in a very panicked manner.

A while later, everyone had found themselves a spot to sit on and were enjoying their slice of cake.

Shin, Jeanne and Akeno were sat on one of the couches, while Issei, Asia and Rias were sat opposite respectively. Yuuto and Koneko were also say nearby, with the boy being situated on a chair at one head of the table while the small girl was sat at the other.

There was some idle chatter, until an interesting question came up, courtesy of Yuuto.

"So, I'm curious. Since the school week is almost done, what's everyone planning to do this weekend?"

"Hm? That's actually a pretty interesting question Yuuto. Do you already have any plans?"

"Mhm. Me and Jeanne-chan are going to watch the Kendo Club's tournament. Though I was surprised when I found out she was actually coaching some of the members for the past days."

Hearing this, Issei and Asia opened their eyes in surprise.

The rest of the ORC already figured out Jeanne could use swords, based on the brief touch on the subject during her first appearance at the clubroom.

"Eh? Jeanne-chan, you can use swords?!"

"Fufufu, of course I can. Shi-chan and I were both once part of the church, Ise-chan. They use swords there. Primarily Holy or enchanted swords, which are my specialty~"

"Yes, I do remember you saying you could use Holy Swords when Shin-kun first brought you here. But, you said something of Excalibur's caliber is too strong for you. So what Holy Swords can you actually use?"

Rias was curious, so she asked the blonde outright. Said girl had no problem answering.

"Well, the ones I make of course~"

*-glow*

[-!]

To everyone's surprise this time, Jeanne extended her hand before a silver European sword was created out of thin air into her hand, which was radiating Holy energy. It wasn't massive, but it was very clear.

"A-A Holy Sword?"

"But that's...just like Yuuto's.."

Akeno and Rias were honestly taken by surprise, while Yuuto was at a slight loss for words. Koneko was also surprised, however she took it in strides, keeping her usual poker face, bar her eyes opening a little wider.

"This is my own Sacred Gear~ It's called Blade Blacksmith and just like Yuuto-kun's Sword Birth, it allows me to create tons of swords at will, only mine are Holy Swords~"

"So you have a Sacred Gear as well? Hmm, so that's why I was getting the same feeling from you as with Ise and Shin-kun. Say, would you be interested in joining my peerage Jeanne-chan? I still have a Knight piece left, and having a Holy Sword wielder would be an almost unbeatable asset against other Devils. Especially since Shin-kun said he trained you himself, I've a feeling you have a great skill set."

Naturally, Rias' nature as a devil shone through, so she had to ask the bubbly Jeanne on the chance she'd actually agree. Of course, she had a feeling she wouldn't get a new knight, given how she stood by Shin and quite possibly his own ideals, but it was worth a try.

"Mmhh..."

Though surprisingly, Jeanne seemed to mull it over.

"-?"

Even Shin was looking at her surprised. That was a rare thing to see, so Rias gained some hope.

.

.

"...Nah~"

"Guh..."

In the end though, Jeanne turned down the offer, causing Rias to sigh as if she just took a major blow. Everyone else giggled slightly at the sight.

But she didn't remain down for longer than a minute and once back up, she returned to matter at hand.

"Well then. I know what Yuuto and Jeanne-chan are doing this weekend. But what about you Ise? And Asia? Are you two planning to go on a date this weekend~?"

[D-D-D-Date?!]

At Rias' question, Issei and Asia blushed bright red, clearly embarrassed at the notion.

Though they didn't deny it.

"Fufu~ It was only a joke you two, no need to get so worked up." Rias released a slight chuckle, before turning to Shin, who had been peacefully sipping his tea.

Though he soon felt eyes on him, looking up to see everyone look at him questioningly.

"...What?"

"What do you plan on doing this weekend, Shin-kun?"

"Going to the beach."

*PFFFTT!*

"-WHAT?!"

As soon as Shin gave his response, Jeanne spit her tea out in shock, following it up with an equally shocked exclamation.

"..."

Shin wasn't exactly pleased with it though, as she ended up spiting her tea all over his face, something that made Issei begin to snicker.

"You're going to the beach without me?!" Jeanne exclaimed, completely unfazed by the fact she spit her tea on Shin.

The boy simply took a handkerchief from the table and used it to wipe his face, before taking a deep breath and exhaling.

"Jeanne, I already asked you whether you wanted to come with me or not."

"W-Wait you did…?"

"I did. And your response was, and I quote...'Sorry Shi-chan, can't talk right now. I have to make sure Katase-chan and Murayama-chan are fully prepared for their match. Talk to ya later!'...end of quote. And after you came home, you pestered me about reserving you and Yuuto a spot, after which you went to bed."

Hearing this, Jeanne stopped functioning for a moment, searching for the exact moment when she said that in her brain. And after a short moment, her eyes opened wide.

"THAT'S NOT FAIR!"

"Life's not fair Jeanne~"

Shin responded in a sophisticated tone, sipping his tea gratefully, causing Jeanne's face to turn red and pout.

Seeing this, Shin's face shifted from sophisticated win to looking as if he accidentally stepped on a puppy's tail. Something inside him didn't allow him to have Jeanne upset like that.

"-*sigh*" Shin exhaled through his nose loudly, before going into his pocket and fishing out a ticket. "It's a good thing I'm used to you not registering what I say, so I had a fail safe in case you started acting childish again."

Shin then handed the ticket over to Jeanne, who glanced at it curiously. Taking the piece of paper from the ravenette's hand, she began reading the information on it.

However, there was no need as Shin began explaining for everyone.

"That's the address of the resort I'll be at for the weekend. You can join me as soon as the matches are over."

At that, Jeanne glanced at the ticket once more, before looking up at Shin with a questioning expression.

"But Shi-chan...The resort is in a different country..."

[-!]

The devils in the room all opened their eyes wide. However, Shin didn't look affected in the slightest.

"I know. The Kendo Tournament is taking place very close to a private airport, owned by Azazel. Once the Tournament is over, you take a cab over and there'll be a plane waiting for you. After that you'll be brought to the reservation by someone."

"Wait a second. Shin-kun, you're staying at a resort in a different country for just two days, but when it came to buying Koneko two smoothies you were short on cash?!"

Rias couldn't help but question that, to which Shin gave a normal response.

"I didn't say I was short on cash, I said I was on a budget. That budget includes other, more important expenses which I can't waste."

[…]

Everyone bar Asia and Jeanne looked at Shin blankly, not believing a word he just said.

"...I think you're just really stingy Kurokawa." Issei didn't hold back, being extremely blunt with what he said.

Hearing Issei's retort, a vein formed on Shin's forehead.

"Oh boy-!"

And when even Jeanne moved away from Shin and hid behind the couch, it seemed that things were about to take a very bad turn.

Shin then began speaking in a low voice.

"Oh I'm sorry. Please, excuse me for not wanting to spend the money I've literally risked my life for! Maybe next time I get a contract, I should let you do it instead! Let's see how long you last against various S-Rank criminals and traitors!…Dickhead."

It started out slow, but soon turned out into an outburst from the teen that took every devil in the room by surprise. Mostly by the fact that just before he finished, Shin instinctively pulled his shirt collar down to show a few evident scars on his chest and collarbone.

Rias and her peerage now realized this subject may not have been the best one to bring up. And they understood why, when seeing Shin's scars. Freelancing for the supernatural could very well land you in tough spots, and obviously Shin has had his fair share of them.

"..." at the outburst, Issei was left looking sheepishly with nothing else to say.

"Tch. This is why I need a break already…!"

Mumbling that, Shin placed his tea and cake down on the table, stood up and promptly left the room, leaving an awkward silence behind.

"..." everyone was silent following Shin's exit, with Koneko borderline glaring at Issei, who began to sweat.

Even Akeno, who still held a small smile on her face, was clearly not happy with Issei.

Then, Jeanne's head peaked up from behind the couch.

"Well, now Shi-chan's triggered. Could be all day with it..." the blonde mumbled, pouting slightly.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't expect him to explode like that..."

"Oh, don't worry Ise-chan. He'll be fine soon enough. I-I think...He might not come off as such when you first meet him, but he's actually quite hot-headed and temperamental. He's like a child in that sense. Though he was better when we were in Kyoto...I guess having lived in peace and quiet there, made him more irritable here…?"

"If even you don't know for certain why he's like that, then Shin-kun must be a very complex character..." Rias mumbled to herself.

Jeanne heard it though and although she kept a small smile on her face, her voice gave away how she really felt.

"I agree Ria-chan. I've known Shi-chan for years now, and yet I feel like I barely know him sometimes..."

[…] Everyone fell silent after that.

For even Jeanne to say something like that, it made everyone else question what they thought they knew about Shin.

Well, one thing they all knew for certain. Shin didn't take kindly to having his personal information divulged to anyone other than the people closest to him.

And yet, it seemed even those people didn't know everything, which was slightly concerning. Because if people like Jeanne didn't truly know Shin, then was there anyone who did?

But in the ensuing silence, Jeanne stood up and clapped her hands slightly.

"Welp, that's how it's been for a while, so I'm used to it. I know Shi-chan will open himself up to the right person at the right time. Even if I'm not that special someone, then I don't mind~ As long as it happens~"

Although she was clearly the one most impacted by the current situation, Jeanne bounced right back up as usual.

The devils had to admire her strong will, and ability to just bounce back up like that.

"I'll go and look for Shi-chan now~ You probably won't see him until next week, but I'll keep you all posted! Laters~"

*-open*

*-close*

And with that, Jeanne was out the door in search for her long time companion.

"...I've said this before, but I feel the need to say it again. Those two have a very special dynamic."

"Indeed..."

After those two quick remarks from Akeno and Rias, the whole party mood was a little spoiled, so they all just decided to clean up and went on their way to class afterward.

And as Jeanne predicted, Shin wasn't present at the school for the rest of the day.

"Haahh...I think I got a little too heated back there..."

Following a teleportation back to the Kurokawa residence, Shin laid himself on the couch with a tired expression.

Sayaka was already by side the moment she felt him return and was now chilling next to her master. Kurome was somewhere in the house, though Shin wasn't exactly sure where.

"Dammit, everything just seems to be getting more and more complicated as the time moves on. Honestly, sometimes I just feel like giving up on it...my goal..."

His expression was conflicted for a second, all sorts of emotions flashing in his eyes.

But they all soon vanished as they usually did, being replaced by the same steely gaze Shin got whenever it came to his 'plan'.

'No, I can't give up. I haven't wasted centuries waiting for both of my halves to reunite, just to give up when everything is ready at my finger tips...But my other half is still dormant under all those seals though, so I have to see how to break them and release it...'

Thinking that, Shin's expression changed once again to a pensive one.

'Hmm...Maybe that's why. The reason I'm having all these doubts now of all times...Through all of my past reincarnations, it looks like I've once again regained a range of human emotions. Or maybe, I never lost them in the first place...'

At that moment, and image flashed in his mind.

The image of a young girl, no older than 10 years old with long, unkempt brown hair and big green eyes. Her skin was fair, covered in some mud and a few scrapes, and had an innocent expression on her face.

*-drip*

"-?"

Feeling something wet on his cheek, Shin reached up and touched it lightly, feeling a single tear.

'Tears huh...So it was the latter after all...'

Then, his fist tightened, as another emotion flashed in his eyes once again.

Grief.

'Dammit...what would've happened if I hadn't saved you that day, all those years ago? You would've been another unfortunate soul to die to the elements, soon to be forgotten by time. Hell, you didn't even have a name. No one would've cared in the slightest.'

'..And yet, me of all people did. Deep down, I cared. Looking back on it now, I know it's because you had the same hidden ability as Asia...Dragon taming. That's what drew me to protect you...and yet, I failed you...Cyra.'

*drip* *drip*

'Even after finding you a family and watching over you as you grew up...I couldn't protect any of you in the end. Not the elder, not the village, not you and not even your daughter...It seems my life is just a pile of failures. No matter how strong I am, I can never protect those I care about...'

'And yet, even though I can't protect anyone, I always end up drawing more people to me…! Even all those millenia ago...We were the most feared creatures! Our power worried even God, to the point He created one more with a single, absolute mission. To eradicate us all, from the weakest last Trumpet all the way to...me. And yet...I lived. All the others were killed, but I was spared. By the very machine sent to kill me. Against God's configurations, she spared me and took me under her wing...protected me!'

'...But when those four came down to finish us both...I couldn't protect her...'

*-sniff* *sniff*

"…?"

Shin was brought out of his internal turmoil when he felt something's breath against his fingers.

Glancing down, the boy saw his pet husky looking up at him with something that looked like worry, which caused a small smile to break out on his face.

"Heh, so it's true what they say. Dogs can feel when something is troubling their masters. Thanks for trying to cheer me up girl. C'mere~"

With that, Shin picked up the dog and began cuddling her with a happy expression, seemingly turning into an innocent child who had just received his first puppy.

*-open!*

"Shi-chaan! Please tell me you're here! I'm tired of running!"

As that was happening, Shin heard the front door open, followed by Jeanne's voice calling out.

The blonde then appeared in the hallway, causing Shin to look like a deer caught in headlights, while Sayaka was simply chilling in Shin's arms.

"..."

"..."

There was silence between the two teens. The both just stared at each other.

"-AHEM." until Shin cleared his throat and threw Sayaka to another part of the couch, swiftly crossing his arms and legs in an attempt to look like his usual cool self. "S-So...I see you've returned."

"Yeah, I did...Were you cuddling with Sayaka-chan?"

"N-No, of course not! I was just...j-just searching for tics! Yeah, t-that's it! I'm a man, so there's no reason for me to cuddle anything, even if that something is cute...and fluffy...and makes me feel good inside..."

"..."

Shin immediately grabbed Sayaka again and hugged her against his body.

"...Alright I was cuddling her."

"Shi-chan, you know I'm not going to laugh at you for enjoying cute things~ Everyone loves cute things, and Sayaka-chan is the cutest!"

"Nyaa..."

"A-Ah, Kuro-chan! Of course you're one of the cutest things as well! Please don't get upset!"

Kurome had now also made her presence known, with the sad meow she released when Jeanne said Sayaka was the cutest.

And naturally, Jeanne began apologizing to the feline, who simply walked past her and climbed unto Shin's shoulder.

"Nooo...Kuro-chaaann..."

Jeanne's eyes were leaking tears when she saw Kurome ignore her. She felt hurt.

"Honestly, sometimes I think we are nothing more than an entertainment show for others to watch, with how over the top your reactions are."

"Okay now, let's not be hypocritical Shi-chan. Your reaction to Ise-chan's remark was also a little over the top."

"..Yeah, you're right. I got a little too heated..." Shin sighed at the memory of his earlier outburst.

"It's fine Shi-chan. No one was mad, probably because they realized you've been through your fair share of tough spots while freelancing for the money."

"It's just...I despise hearing people question the things I've worked hard for. I don't even know when this dislike started..."

"Well, it's not really important when it started. What's important is to acknowledge it, and work on holding it back. Ise-chan didn't know, so it wasn't fair to snap at him like that."

"Yeah, you're right...I guess I'll have to apologize to him when I get back."

With that, Shin placed Sayaka and Kurome back on the couch, and stood up.

"W-Where are you going Shi-chan?"

"I'm going to go pack. I'm going to call Azazel to tell him to get me a plane ready to leave for tomorrow. Everything that's happened ever since coming to this town drained me more than I expected."

"O-Oh, so you'll be leaving early huh..." Jeanne's face dropped, upon hearing that Shin wanted to leave early.

Seeing this, Shin was struck by a pang of guilt once more. However, this had to be done.

'This is also for her own safety. As well as everyone else's. I can't let them get caught up into my business. This path is mine alone to take, and I need to think carefully to how I'm going to tread on it.'

He thought that, but his heart was still affected by the sight of Jeanne's sad expression.

"Jeanne."

"Hmm..?"

*-pat*

"-!"

Jeanne heard Shin's voice call out to her, so she looked up. However, she was surprised when she felt his hand land on her head.

Looking at the boy in front of her, the blonde saw a solemn expression on his face.

"You're easy to read when you're sad Jeanne. You're sad that I'm leaving early, leaving you alone. But you're not alone. It's not just us anymore. And it's not just you and Kunou anymore either. Now you have plenty of friends to keep you company for one day."

Shin then glanced down slightly, before continuing.

"I'm sorry if I seem so distant lately. I know you don't like being alone, due to what happened at the church years ago. But no matter how distant I may seem, I want you to know that I will not let anything harm you. And everything I'm doing is to ensure that stays true. I will protect you, no matter what."

"..." Jeanne was left momentarily speechless by Shin's words. She did not expect to hear them, especially not at this time.

"Wow, Shi-chan...I dunno what to say...It's very unlike you to say things like that~"

"Sometimes you have to break character to properly get a message across."

*-hug*

With that, Shin wrapped an arm around Jeanne's frame and brought the blonde close to his body.

She didn't resist and didn't reply, only wrapped her own arms around the boy in front of him and allowed the hug to continue for a while.

"Nyaa~"

"*-woof*

From the sidelines, Sayaka and Kurome watched on. And both pets showed their happiness through the respective meow and bark.

Shin and Jeanne continued embracing for a little while after that, before separating and deciding to make a dinner together. After all, school was almost over now, and there was no reason for them to return for one or two periods.

Thus, they joined forces to create a nice dinner, which after a few short attempts turned into delivery pizza, which they enjoyed regardless.

After that, Jeanne took a shower while Shin packed some of his stuff for the short vacation, before the two went to bed, the next day rolling by like a breeze.

~I know you want me~ You know I want ya~ I know you want meee~

Now, pimping inside a private jet, courtesy of his ties with Azazel, Shin was enjoying the good things in life. Music and a nice cocktail, along with Anime playing on the mini TV.

Looking out the window, Shin saw his destination come into view.

I was a nice little island, away from the main land surrounded by crystal clear waters all around. Focusing on the island, Shin could even make out the reservation he had to himself for the next two days, until Jeanne joined him for the final two.

"Hm…?" However, Shin also saw something curious on the island.

From what he could make out, a little distance away from the resort, there seemed to be another clearinh. It was too small to be a full on resort, but it seemed big enough to fit a dozen people at least.

"I think it may be a trailer park..." the ravenette mumbled to himself.

"You're right there, kiddo~"

"-!"

Shin mumbled to himself, however he was surprised when he received an answer.

Quickly looking in front of him, he noticed that the mini TV now displayed Azazel's smirking face on it.

"Azazel? What's that other clearing down there?"

"Well, you should already know that we, the Fallen Angels, do business in a similar way to the Devils. It's our only way to get substantial incomes nowadays. So, obviously, I can't have just a simple resort on that island. Do you know how expensive that floating piece of garbage is? Thus, I also needed to create some more affordable ways for traffic, so to speak. That's where that nice little trailer park comes into play! The resort is for those fancy, high class humans who like the expensive way of life, while the trailer park is for those who would like a nice little getaway at an affordable price. Believe it or not, it's actually starting to generate more traffic than the resort."

"Huh. Interesting. Is there anyone currently having their 'nice little getaway', as you so put it, down there?"

At that, Azazel smirked lecherously, making Shin lightly regret his question.

"Hehehe..." a lecherous laugh, to go with a lecherous smile. "You betcha. I didn't actually get the chance to get in contact with however rented it out for the next few days, the procedure was done through our digital secretaries, but I do know that it's a school class. And here's the kicker...it's a girls only class! Isn't that great? All those youthful tits and asses. Dammit, I wish I could've joined you right now!"

"..." Shin's face was blank, hearing what Azazel just said. In fact, the teen looked a little creeped out by it. "...I think you should probably not say something like that on devices that can be recorded."

"Pff. Like I care. What's the worst that can happen? The FBI knocks on my door? Please, I'm the Governor General of the Fallen Angels! Mere humans in funny outfits couldn't hope to stand up against me."

"Yeah, I wasn't talking about the FBI. Your own secretaries could record all of this, since you're broadcasting it from your HQ."

Hearing that, Azazel's eyes opened wide in realization.

"You don't mean..."

"If Penemue catches you slacking off and thinking about high-school girls, you'll get in trouble again."

"Y-Yeah, but only if she catches me~"

*KNOCK* *KNOCK*

"Azazel-sama, I've noticed you've been talking to Shin-sama for a bit now. And I'm certain I've heard a topic being brought up that I've warned you not to discuss while on duty."

"Ah, speak of the devil~"

"Gah, shit! Crap, I gotta go! Take some pictures of those tiddies for me Shin!"

*-click*

And with that, the transmission interrupted, as Anime returned to the TV.

Shin sighed lightly, and shook his head bemused, before returning his sights out the window, looking down at the trailer park with curiosity.

'I thought I'd have the island to myself, but it looks like that's not gonna happen. Though the resort and trailer park seem to be far enough from each other to not disturb one another. So as long as those girls don't annoy me, we'll be all good.'

Shin then returned to his nice cocktail, leaning back in his chair and relaxing to the sound of Mr. Worldwide's music.

A while later, the private jet landed on the small private airport of the resort.

Stepping outside the aircraft, Shin slung his luggage over his shoulder and took in his surroundings. Nothing but trees all around, the smell of salt water in the air, and the gentle sound of waves on the beach.

The beach wasn't even close to the airport, but it was so silent that the sound of the waves traveled with no difficulty.

"Haaa...This atmosphere is nice. I can already feel more at ease."

Shin sounded relaxed already, and his expression showed that as well.

He then made his way over to the car waiting to take him to the resort, throwing his bag in the trunk and getting into the passenger seat.

"Hm? Sir, do you not want to get into the co pilot seat?" the driver of the car was slightly confused. Shin shook his head lightly.

"As the name suggests, the co pilot seat is for the one who's supposed to be co-piloting. I don't know anything about this islands road and the very reason I'm here is to relax a bit. Co-piloting doesn't fall under that category."

"I see. Very well then sir. Let us be on our way to the resort~"

And with that little exchange finished, the driver pushed the gas pedal and the car took off toward Azazel's resort, which from the ground looked a lot more massive than from the jet.

The drive was short, lasting not even five minutes. Of course, that's because it was an island with only two destinations, one of which was completely empty in preparation for Shin's arrival. And the other one was in a completely different direction.

Stepping out of the car, Shin was greeted by a beautiful young woman with brown hair tied into a bun, looking to be in her early twenties. She also wore a formal light blue business suit and black heels.

"Good day to you. Mister Shin Kurokawa, I presume?"

"Uh, yeah. Hey, can I ask what you-"

"'-Are doing here?'", Shin nodded his head slightly, causing the woman to chuckle. "I'm the manager of this resort. Even if Azazel-sama closed the resort to outside bookings for your stay here, someone still needs to take care of the management duties. Unless you'd like to make sure everything is in running condition every day?"

"Y-Yeah, I think I'm gonna skip out on that..." Shin responded with an awkward sweatdrop, while the woman smiled brightly.

"Great! Then I guess we'll be seeing each other for the following few days. I understand there'll be another person joining you this Saturday?"

"Yes, I promised her I'd take her to the beach again, and couldn't keep her at home. But she also has some other stuff to take care of first, which is why she'll be arriving after me. But we'll be leaving together."

"I see. Well then I'll make sure to have her room prepared by the time she arrives. But for now, please follow me and I'll show you to your suite."

"Yeah, just a sec. Gotta grab my bag."

"Do not worry about that. The majority of the staff is present, including the baggage handler. He'll take your bag to your suite in a moment. Now let's be on our way. I also need to show you around the resort, so you know your way around, at least a little bit."

The woman then turned on her heels and began walking away, so Shin threw another quick glance at the trunk, before turning and following the woman.

The two then walked through the majority of the resort, with Shin being introduced to the places he'll most likely be arriving at often. Namely the restaurant, the cocktail bar, the pool as well as the showers.

"Of course, you have a fairly large bathroom inside your suite as well, but in case you happen to get dirty while outside, we ask that you use these showers so as to not bring the dirt inside."

"Alright, makes sense. Anything else?"

"Hmm, not that I can think of right now. But in case something pops up, you can find me at the reception. Although, since no one else is going to arrive for a few days, I guess I may take a break at the jacuzzi by the poolside from time to time. You know, in case you'd like to join me~"

Shin caught the subtle wink the woman gave him, and raised an eyebrow amused.

"How old are you again, Miss Receptionist?" he asked jokingly, implying that the woman behaved like a young girl working a summer job, instead of a professional employee.

The woman chuckled, before replying in a teasing tone.

"Fufu, I'm old enough to know what I'm doing~"

There was a certain sexual undertone in the woman's voice, which caused Shin's heart to beat a tic faster.

'Dammit, why do I have a thing for older women...' he thought, swallowing a little as he saw the woman walk in front of him with a sway in her hips.

Fortunately, they arrived at Shin's suite, putting an end to any further sexual stimulation.

The woman then turned to Shin and produced a key card which she handed to Shin.

"That's your key card, Kurokawa-san. Please keep in mind you will be staying in Azazel-sama's suite for the next few days, so keep that key card on you whenever you leave the room. The locks on the doors are state of the art and if you lose that key card, you'll have no way of getting back inside, except with a lot of effort and quite high expenses. So please, for the sake of your wallet and my job, do not forget your key card."

"Alright, I get it. I'm not a klutz, so you can relax."

"Very well then! I shall leave you to get settled in now. If you ever need anything, feel free to use the intercom in your room to let me know. Or, you could come down in person and keep me company~"

"I'll think about it. Anyway, see you later miss."

"Please Kurokawa-san, it's only us and the rest of the staff at the resort. Feel free to call me Melissa~"

"Hmm, then also feel free to call me Shin. Anyway, see you around Melissa."

"See you, Shin-kun~"

And with that, Shin swiped his key card through the lock and disappeared behind the door.

Inside, Shin was once again reminded of Azazel's eccentric and high class style of living.

The room was quite large in itself, with a big balcony and great view over viewing the entire resort.

The inside was furnished with expensive leather chairs and couches, glass tables with intricate carvings, large wardrobes and a massive flat screen TV hung on the wall. There were also various antics spread around the room.

'Oh yeah, Azazel's collector habit. Though these pieces seem interesting...'

His eyes wondered around the room for a few moments, until they landed on the massive King size bed in front of the TV.

Seeing it, Shin deadpanned.

'I think I know why that bastard has such a big bed...and I'm no longer looking forward to sleeping in it.'

With a sigh, he went over and plopped himself on the bed, staying completely still for a few moments.

'Well, now I'm here. A few more people than I expected, but I guess I can deal with that just fine.'

The boy then stood up and walked over to the balcony, taking in a deep breath.

"What a beautiful day it is..."

Shielding his eyes from the blazing sun, Shin took a glance down at the massive beach a little further away from the resort. Then he glanced at his own skin for a moment.

"Hmm...I guess I could work on my tan a little. It's been a while since I've been out in the sun."

He then turned around and located his bag which was placed in one of the corner of the room.

Walking over, he quickly fished out a pair of black swimming trunks with neon blue highlights, along with some sun screen.

Then he vanished into the large bathroom, in order to change.

A while later, he reemerged dressed in his swimming trunks and a light color vest with a hoodie. His skin was glistening from the sun screen, and his black hair was slicked back and kept in place by a black and white snapback cap.

"Alright, let's go see what this ocean has to offer. Gonna remember not to swallow the water though. Salt water is nasty as fuck..."

Shin then walked out of his suite, making sure to grab a pair of sunglasses, his towel and most importantly, the key card.

A while later, the ravenette was now camped out on the beach.

*-siiip*

"Aaahhh~"

Under the protective shade of the large beach umbrella, Shin took a sip of his iced tea and released a satisfied sigh. He then leaned back in his beach chair, and pulled up a book from the little table to his side.

As he read, his mind wandered back to a previous conversation he had.

'The Khaos Brigade...She'll definitely ask me whether I'll join it or not. If I'm going to pull through with my plan, that's probably going to be the only place for me to go for a while. Hmm, though that could prove to be useful...'

He then glanced up from his book, his eyes scanning the broad horizon.

'The unending horizon...Always reminds me of times gone by. But it also reminds me of something else.'

Shin's eyes then narrowed slightly, as they released gleaming streaks.

'The end of the world...you'd think it would be an unreachable place, both physically and metaphorically...and yet it exists. That's where it is sealed away...and now with this Khaos Brigade business...' glancing up at the clear blue sky, Shin released a sharp breath. 'I don't think even you know what you've set in motion...Ophis.'

Finishing that thought, Shin closed his eyes and let the calming sound of the sea help clear his mind of any other lingering thoughts.

And before he knew it, sleep had overtaken him.

But he was in line for a very rude, round and bouncy awakening.

A little while after Shin drifted off to sleep, the voices of multiple females resounded in the distances.

And no later, about a dozen girl looking to be in their late teens appeared on the beach, quite a distance away from Shin.

"Woow, look how big the beach is!"

"I know! I've never been somewhere so..tropical~"

"And hot! I'm melting over here..."

"You'll be fine, don't worry~ This is the first time we left the North for somewhere tropical ever since we started the academy, so just get a cold drink and enjoy the nice tan you'll get!"

It seemed this was the first time these girls have ever been on a beach, and most of them showed their excitement quite clearly.

The rest just quickly set up their beach umbrellas, to get out of the blistering sun. The majority of them had fair hair or a pale complexion, so it was understandable that they didn't want to sit around in the tropical sun for too long, as they ran the risk of getting a sun stroke.

The rest though were perfectly fine, and immediately began dropping the casual clothes, revealing various types of bikinis. Some were more revealing than others, some were more colorful, but all of them showing the young women's curves.

What was certain, is that perverts like Azazel and Issei would be having a blast if they were present. Not Shin though, mostly because he was asleep, but also because he knew how to hold himself back.

Once they undressed, the girls headed toward the water, some of them jumping in right away, only to regret it as the cold truth of temperature difference hit them hard.

But while the other girls went out for a swim, there was one girl that stayed back.

She was a beautiful young woman with long silver hair, tied into a low ponytail with a few accessories like flower clips, fair skin and bright blue eyes.

The bikini she wore had a mixture of purple and light blue, along with a transparent skirt tied around her waist. However, it was mostly obstructed by the Hawaiian shirt she wore.

Due to her light hair and complexion, the girl hid under the shade of her umbrella and had her face buried inside a book.

It was curious, why she was on the beach but didn't partake in the same beach activities as everyone else.

"What are you doing out here all by yourself Rose? Why aren't you swimming in the ocean with your friends?"

"A-Ah, Granny?!"

The young girl was surprised when the voice of an older woman came from behind her, causing her to shriek in surprise and look back.

Behind her was an elderly woman, wearing a deep blue flowing dress, with a straight posture and a fearless gaze.

However, she looked down at the young girl with a smile.

"You can study all you want back at the Academy Rose. We're here as an end of the year field trip! You should go out there and enjoy yourself, like the rest of the girls your age~"

"I-I'm just trying to make sure I know everything for the finals Granny! I don't want to fail!"

"Rose, you are worrying yourself way too much. Take it from me, out of all the girls in your class, you are definitely the strongest and smartest."

"You're just saying that because I'm your granddaughter, aren't you?"

"Come now Rose. Sure you are my favorite granddaughter, but what good would inflating your ego bring?"

The woman then sat down next to the girl named Rose, and grasped her shoulder.

"You need to learn to kick back and live a little Rose. This is why everyone is picking on you! By the way, on that note. When are you going to bring home a boyfriend?"

"B-B-Boyfriend?! D-Don't you start too! I don't need a b-b-b-boyfriend right now!"

"Rose, you're almost twenty something years old. If not now, then when? I've already lived this long, I want to also finally see my great grandchildren!"

"I-I'll find a boyfriend after I become a good Valkyrie! I also can't rush with this, just because you want too! W-What happens if I find the wrong one?"

"But you already know someone that fits the bill, don't you? What was that young man's name?"

Rose's grandmother grasped her chin, and seemed to think hard about something. Then, she opened her eyes wide, as realization hit her.

"Ay yes, now I remember! Shin, that was his name~"

At the mention of the name, Rose's face turned about as red as a tomato, with steam coming out of her ears. She then hid her face behind her book.

"N-Nononono! I-I couldn't possibly date Shin-kun..."

"Here we go again...And why do you think that dear?"

"W-Well, I just...I mean he's...a-and we couldn't...I-I-I just can't be talking 'bout that right now!"

'The dialect is shining through again. Why does she get so embarrassed when talking about this boy?'

"Once again, you're worrying too much Rose. You two seemed so close when he arrived in the north. And that other girl as well...what was her name…?"

"H-Her name was Jeanne-chan."

"Ah yes, Jeanne! The bubbly blonde. You three spent quite a lot of time together during their stay with us in the north. So can you honestly tell me there's no chance of Shin maybe feeling some sort of attraction toward you?"

"W-Well...ya know I can't...B-But he been with Jeanne much longer than we been together, so she probably be having more chance with him than me!"

*-bonk*

"Yowiee!"

Rose yelped upon being bonked on the head by her grandmother.

"Being a pessimist doesn't suit you Rose. You can never know for certain unless you woman up, and take a chance to ask him out!"

"..W-Well, I don't even know where he is right now, so even if I wanted to I couldn't ask him.." Rose mumbled, holding back her dialect and talking normally again.

However, the grandmother showed a ghost of a smirk, throwing a quick glance in the distance, before responding cryptically.

"Oh, I think that won't be much of a problem Rose~"

"..?" Rose was confused by what her grandmother said, but couldn't question it when one of the other girls called her.

"Hey Rossweisse-chan! We're one player short over here! Think you can put down the book and play some volleyball with us?"

"W-Well-"

"She'll be down there in a minute sweetie!"

"G-Granny?!"

Before Rose could even begin her sentence properly, her grandmother answered for her, causing her daughter to look up at her in shock.

The woman merely smiled and her grandchild, taking the book out of her hands against the silverette's protests.

"You've been invited by your classmates Rose, it would be rude to refuse them. Now you're going to leave this book here with me, while you go out there and have fun, okay?"

"B-But.."

"No buts! The only 'but' I want to see is yours when you jump after the ball and land with a jiggle~"

"G-Grandmother!"

"Now go ahead Rose! The others are waiting~"

Although red from embarrassment, Rose didn't argue with her grandmother, and begrudgingly made her way out into the sun and over to the volleyball court, where some of the other girls were ready to play.

And so, the game was on once Rose joined.

Although it was a slow start for the young woman, she got better and better as the game progressed. She even seemed to be enjoying it, as she was now playing quite competitively.

"-Hyah!"

*-smack!*

"No, the ball!"

Maybe a little too competitively, as she ended up smacking the ball way too hard, and sent it flying into a very unfortunate direction.

The very direction our midnight haired protagonist was peacefully asleep.

*whooshh*

*-BANG!*

"-GAH FUCK!"

Naturally, it didn't last long until the ball reached it's target, and hit Shin square in the face breaking his sunglasses, sending his snapback cap flying off and busting his lip a bit.

The impact also caused him to jump up in surprise and fall face first into the sand, while the ball bounced a little further away.

"A-Ah, oh my God, I'm so sorry!"

Rose immediately called out worried, and hurried over. She didn't even know there was someone else present on the beach, so she had no idea who she hit.

"Ghh...damn, I was having such a nice dream too…!" Shin mumbled through a mouthful of sand, which he then spit out.

"Oh, I'm so sorry about that! I-I didn't know there was anyone else here, so I didn't hold back! A-Are you okay mister..?"

Rose then reached the boy and crouched down, trying to help the boy to his feet.

However, as soon as Shin turned around, Rose's eyes opened wide in shock.

"S-S-S-Shin-kun?!" she exclaimed loudly.

Hearing the shock in the voice, as well as his name being called out, Shin immediately glanced up at the girl, only to open his eyes wide as well.

"R-Rossweisse?"

The two of them kept staring at each other in silence, both too surprised to say anything.

Fortunately, Shin quickly snapped out of it and broke the silence.

"Rossweisse..? What are you doing here?"

"W-Well, I'm here with my class on a field trip...B-But I could ask you the same, what are you doing here?! I thought we were the only one on the island!"

"Yeah, that's what I thought too. As for why I'm here, well you'll notice I'm in need of regular vacations nowadays. My body won't be able to sustain me much longer otherwise, eheheh~"

Hearing this, Rossweisse glanced down at the teens body, an expression of shock appearing on her face upon seeing how scarred his torso was.

Cuts, burns, bullet wounds, stab wounds, it was almost like a canvas for different types of wounds, some of them overlapping.

"By the Gods, what happened to your body Shin-kun?!"

The ravenette chuckled at the question, standing up and dusting himself off as he did.

"A lot of things happened. Some good, a whole lot bad as you can see, but at least Jeanne and I are alive and well~"

"T-Those scars...Does Jeanne-chan also have-"

"No, she's fine. Other than the ones you remember, I've made sure all possible scars landed on me and not her. She's just fine and dandy."

"I-I see..."

"Rose, are you alright back there? Is that young man alright?"

From behind them, the voice of Rossweisse's grandmother called out.

When she turned around, Rossweisse saw her grandmother along with the rest of the girls that were playing volleyball approach them.

Following the silverette's line of sight, Shin also saw the new audience.

"Ah, Gondul-san. It's been a while, hasn't it? Have you been well?"

"Yes, it has indeed young Shin~" the woman named Gondul gave the teen a smile, before she noticed the same thing Rossweisse did about Shin's torso. "My goodness, what happened to your body boy?"

*-gasp*

The rest of the girls also gasped in unison upon seeing the scars.

The unwanted attention made Shin's sweatdrop and scratch the back of his head.

"It's taken it's fair share of action, I'd say. But you don't have to worry, any wound I sustain now, as long as not lethal, will eventually heal. All of these happened after we parted ways, while Jeanne and I were still traveling. And before you ask, she's just fine."

"Tsk tsk tsk. I had a feeling you'd end up with a few 'life marks' on you, but I never expected something like this...It's like life itself has it out for you boy."

"I asked myself that plenty of times before..." Shin laughed slightly at Gondul's observation.

"I'm sure you did...But I guess you and Jeanne are fine now? Have you finally found a place to call home?"

"That we did. After a few years we ended up in Japan, where the leader of the Youkais took us in. She became our mother, both metaphorically and quite literally~"

"So you're technically the son of a leader now? I'm certain that comes with a lot of privileges, huh?"

"Well, sometimes. Though I'll probably get in a whole lot of trouble when I get back, since I forgot to tell her I'm here..."

"B-But then how did arrive? You need to take a plane here, not to mention the island is owned by the Governor General of the Fallen Angels."

Rossweisse read up on their field trip location, so she knew Azazel was the owner of the island, and by extension everything on it.

"Oh that? Yeah, I had to call in a favor from Azazel. A few things happened back in our town and I needed a little escape."

"Hoh? You know the Governor General? My, you've been up to a lot after we last saw you off. I'm certain Odin-sama would love to hear your stories."

"Heh. That old pervert is still alive?" Shin laughed slightly, causing Gondul to follow suit, along with Rossweisse to some extent. She still remained polite, even though the All Father picked on her for not having a boyfriend.

"Eh? Gondul-sama, how can he speak of Odin-sama in such a disrespectful manner?!"

"Yeah, he needs to be punished!"

Some of the Valkyries-in-training didn't take too kindly to it, and made their thoughts heard.

However, Gondul simply waved them off.

"Oh, don't you all start. Odin-sama has met this young man when he was still just a boy and even offered to take him in. Out of all of us, he's the only one who can get away with saying such things, so relax a bit."

The woman then turned back to Shin, who was trying to fix his sunglasses.

"But to answer your question, yes. Odin-sama is still very much alive. And he is indeed still quite perverted. Well, when he's not picking on my poor Rose that is."

At that, Shin turned to Rossweisse with an upset expression, while the girl blushed.

"That old fart is still picking on you? After all these years?"

"Y-Yes...and it's always the same thing.." she then gained some tears in her eyes, which caused the others to take a step back, as they knew what was coming.

"H-He always picks on me for not finding a b-b-boyfrieeend! I-It's not my fault I c-can't find a boyfriend! After all, I-I'm just a Valkyrie whose age is the same as the years she's been singleeeee! Uwaaahhhh!"

And soon, poor Rossweisse began full on crying, ending up having to hold unto Shin's body like her life depended on her, as tears just poured out of her eyes like a fountain.

All the while Shin could only sweatdrop and awkwardly pat the silverette on the back, waiting for her to let everything out, while the rest of the spectators watched on from the sideline, feeling a little bad for Shin having to deal with Rossweisse's antics.

A while later, the tears finally stopped, the girl letting go of Shin's body and taking a step back with an embarrassed blush on her face.

"I-I-I'm sorry about that S-Shin-kun...I don't know what came over me..."

"It's fine, don't worry. Everyone needs to let go sometimes. Fortunately, you didn't let your dialect shine through. Ya know what me mean?"

*-pfftt!*

At Shin's little remark, everyone did a double take, including Gondul.

And that caused Rossweisse to look at them in shock, tears threatening to spill over once again.

"T-That dialect! Y-Ya be making fun 'o me ain't ya?! A-Ah I mean..crap!"

As Rossweisse's dialect slipped through, everyone began laughing while poor Rose pouted and cried to herself lightly, requiring her grandmother to calm her down.

Later, the sun was beginning to set and Shin was invited to chill with Rossweisse and the rest of her Valkyrie class.

They were currently preparing to make a bonfire, searching the beach for some rocks to build the fire pit and some of the girls venturing in the surrounding forestry for the fire wood.

Gondul was currently supervising, with Shin and Rossweisse sitting nearby, catching up.

"Wow, you've really been through a whole lot ever since the last time we met Shin-kun. And you're now living in the territory of the daughters of Gremory and Sitri? Aren't two of the current Maou from those clans?"

"They are. Lucifer and Leviathan. I met both of them a while ago, along with Beelzebub when Leviathan threw a welcoming party for me."

"A welcoming party?" Gondul quipped from the side curiously. "Why did Leviathan throw a welcoming party for you?"

"Well, I'm technically her Queen now. She wanted to introduce me to some of the hot shots in Devil Society."

Hearing that, both Gondul and Rossweisse were surprised.

"You're Leviathan's Queen? But...I can't feel any demonic energy from you..."

"That's because she couldn't actually reincarnate me into a devil. The spirit in my Sacred Gear won't allow me. That's why I'm her Proxy Queen, until she finds someone suitable to reincarnate.

"Wait a second, you can't be turned into a devil because of your Sacred Gear? I didn't even know you had a Sacred Gear Shin."

"That's how it is."

"But, how does your Sacred Gear prevent you from being turned Shin-kun?"

"Because it contains the soul of the Dragon God of the Destruction. It's power prevent the reincarnation process."

"-!"

Hearing the name, Gondul was shocked. And it displayed clearly on her face.

However, Rossweisse seemed to be confused, which surprised Shin. That's because everyone who had been in the supernatural for a while seemed to know recognize the name.

"T-The Dragon God of Destruction? Who's that..?" the silverette turned to her grandmother for answers.

The woman seemed to think back on things with a serious expression.

"That Dragon God was a calamity that roamed the land centuries ago. A dragon whose power made even Gods want to avoid him."

"E-Even Gods were afraid of him?!" Rossweisse exclaimed surprised, as Gondul nodded her head.

"Yes. It was one of the few documented encounters with that dragon. And unknown God crossed the dragon's path, and was ripped in half with a single swipe. It was over before he knew it. And the dragon went on his way as if that God was a mere ant his foot."

"By the Gods..."

Gondul's granddaughter was left in awe at what she heard.

"Shin, if that soul residing in your Sacred Gear is really the Dragon God of Destruction, then you best be careful. That dragon was also recognized as an Evil Dragon in a lot of factions across the world. Those kind of dragons are the worst, because of their self destructive and violent nature. Do not let that corrupt you."

Gondul said that sternly, surprising even Rossweisse.

Shin was silent for a minute, before shrugging his shoulders.

"I don't think you've any reason to worry. Aeryon has been sealed under a number of forbidden seals, to the point not even his consciousness can come through. It's been confirmed by one of the Dragon Kings."

"So one of them confirmed it huh..." the old Valkyrie nodded her head in understanding, but there was still a hint of doubt in her voice.

Silence befell the three for a while, until a certain question was asked by none other than Gondul.

"So, do you have any girlfriends yet Shin?"

"-Eh?"

"G-Granny, what kind of question is that?!"

For Shin, the question came out of the left field, making him stop functioning for a moment, while Rossweisse reprimanded her grandmother, who simply shrugged her shoulders.

"What do you mean Rose? He's a young man now, there has to be someone that interests him. Or, are you afraid he already found someone and you don't have a chance anymore~"

"N-No, of course not! Stop bringing that up!"

Rossweisse began blushing bright red again, while Shin finally registered the question properly.

"A-A girlfriend, huh? Well, I don't have an official girlfriend yet though I do have a couple of girls that would want to, apparently. Ruling out my little liaison..." he mumbled that last part to himself, however Rossweisse and Gondul still heard it. And both had different reactions.

"Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-You've had a-a what?! B-B-But you're still too young to be having a s-s-s-sexual liaison!"

"Ohoho, so you've already done the deed eh? Geez, and here my young granddaughter is still a virgin! Oh well, it's still fine. That means Shin will know how to handle you when you two are finally going to take that step~"

At that, both Shin and Rossweisse blushed.

"G-GRANDMOTHER!" Rossweisse yelled absolutely embarrassed, before burring her burning face in her knees, away from public view.

"I-I see you still have your granddaughter's best interests in mind, Gondul-san..." Shin said that as ironically as he could, which prompted the elder woman to burst out laughing once more.

RUMBLE RUMBLE

[-!]

However before anything else could happen, a loud rumbling resounded from the ocean, as the island itself shook quite violently.

"W-What the hell is happening?!"

"Are we being attacked?!"

"I-I dunno, I can't sense anyone else on the island other than us and the staff!"

The young Valkyries began to panic, dropping whatever they had in their hands and looking around in order to try and spot the potential enemy.

"To think someone would attack at such a time…!" Gondul wasn't exactly pleased with the situation, and her scowl showed it perfectly.

Shin and Rossweisse were also already on their toes, ready for a fight.

RUMBLE RUMBLE *-crash*

The island shook and rumbled once more, and now waves from the ocean began crashing on the beach.

[-!]

Seeing that, Shin and Gondul now knew where the threat was coming from. That's why nobody sensed anything on the island.

Because the enemy was coming from the sea.

And right on cue, something started rising from the ocean, the form growing bigger and bigger with every second, until it ended up towering over all of them.

And soon, the deep-sea monster was revealed, shocking the Valkyries present. It was humongous in size, with a serpentine body and long tendrils protruding from the area just under it's head.

It's head had four pincer-like protrusions and in it's mouth were rows of sharp teeth. It also had four eyes and a horn on top of it's head.

[M-Midgardsormr?!]

-GYYAAOOHHH!

[Iyaah?!]

The monster released a loud roar, which forced some of the younger folk to shield their ears due to the volume. Even Gondul and Shin had to cover at least one ear, to mute some of the sound.

However, that roar told Shin something.

"Gh...That's not Midgardsormr. That's not even a dragon! It's a sea serpent!" the boy yelled out through the loud roar, causing Rossweisse to turn to him, still covering her ears.

"B-But that's what Midgardsormr is, Shin-kun!"

"No! That...can't be Midgardsormr! He's a Dragon King, and they have a special aura! It may look like him, but Midgardsormr is still asleep, trust me!"

"Then what the hell is that thing?!"

Following the question, the sea serpent finally stopped roaring, and now focused all of it's attention on the people on the beach, growling loudly.

"That is what one of the Maou's is named after!" Shin finally revealed what the creature before them was, causing everyone's eyes to widen.

[-!]

"S-So you mean...that thing is the Leviathan?!" one of the girls exclaimed.

Shin however, cringed lightly.

"That's not the Leviathan. It's a Leviathan."

"So, there are more out there?" Gondul asked, receiving a nod from Shin.

"They are scattered across the world, sealed within the deepest parts of the oceans. So how is one of them here?!"

"-! Watch out!"

DOONN!

Instead of an answer, Shin had to dodge a water blast from the Leviathan, which pretty much eradicated the spot the boy was previously on.

Seeing the damage, Gondul quickly deduced what the attack was made of, and announced it.

"That was a compressed water blast. And if I'm not wrong, then it's also imbued with some form of acid! Do not let it even scrape you!"

As she said that, the sea serpent reared it's head back once more, however this time it tilted it to the side, which alerted everyone of an incoming wide water slash.

DOON!

Which as expected, cut a fairly large line across the length of the beach.

With everyone having managed to jump back in time, it was around this time that it became clear they all should probably start attacking the damn thing.

[Take this!]

*-glow*

-BOOMM!

A few of the Valkyries flew up in the air and summoned a number of Norse magic circles, which began raining down powerful energy blasts at the monster at the same time.

As Valkyries are technically Demigods, the shockwave from the impact was astounding, and actually made Shin take a step back so as to not fly away.

The assault only lasted a few moments, but from the amount of smoke that was rising, it seemed to have dealt more than enough damage.

*-grroowwwll*

[-!]

However, as the smoke cleared, the Leviathan was still standing with no scratch to be seen anywhere on it's body.

"W-What?! That didn't do anything?!" one of the Valkyrie's exclaimed, shocked at what had happened.

But that wasn't the worst of their problems, as the Leviathan proved much faster than it's huge size suggested, and lunged at the women with incredible speed, opening it's giant mouth to swallow them whole.

"No!"

-glow

*-crash!*

Fortunately, Rossweisse managed to act quickly, erecting a few protective barriers in front of her classmates.

However, it was barely enough to stop the monster, as it managed to break through with only enough delay for the Valkyries to move out of the way and escape.

Back on the ground, Shin was holding in order to analyze the situation. There was no point in going up against something they weren't familiar with.

'Think Shin...The Leviathan's didn't have too many weaknesses, but that attack should've at least done some form of damage...'

But while Shin was thinking, Gondul turned to her granddaughter.

"Rose!"

"Got it!"

With a sharp nod, the two flew up in the air while the Leviathan was distracted by the others, and raised their hands in unison.

*-GLOW!*

On cue, countless magic circles bearing Norse symbols appeared in the sky, layer on top of layer, all of them surrounding the serpent. And when it finally realized that as well, it was already too late.

[Have this!] Gondul and Rossweisse brought their hands down, as a myriad of spells and energy blasts, each more powerful and explosive than the other, engulfed the sea creature.

And unlike the before, this assault of spells didn't last a few moments. No, this kept going for a solid five minutes, blasts going off without any sign of stopping.

But after those five minutes were over, Rossweisse and Gondul came back on the ground, the young silverette panting slightly, while Gondul watched the smoke carefully.

'Rose my think that was a little too much, but if that thing survived that first blast without a scratch, then we can't hold back in the slightest. I'm in charge of keeping all of you safe, and I will not take any chances.'

"D-Did we...get it?" Rossweisse said between breaths, regaining her posture fairly quick.

It was silent, as everyone awaited anxiously for the smoke to clear and see if this attack proved more effective than the last.

-GYYAAOUUUU!

[-!]

"I-Impossible!"

Everyone, even Gondul was shocked when the creature roared again, blowing away all smoke to reveal it's body was still in perfect condition.

Seeing the situation didn't change one bit, the Valkyries took a step back, trying desperately to think of a solution to kill the monster before them.

Fortunately, Shin had finally figured it out.

"Of course...It's immune to Norse Magic!" the boy exclaimed, as he finally connected the dots.

Hearing this, Gondul and Rossweisse turned to the ravenette, who already had his black flame burning in his hand, which surprised the two.

"Are those-"

"-divine flames?!" Gondul started, only for Rossweisse to finish.

Shin turned to them with a smirk.

"I did say I've taken residence in Japan didn't I? And while yes, these flames are based on the same principle as Amaterasu's Holy Fire, this one is a tad different!"

*-flare!*

DONN!

Finishing his sentence, Shin waved his hand and sent a large wave of flames darting toward the Leviathan in an irregular pattern, making impossible for the creature to know which whey they would inevitably attack from.

And it proved successful, as the flames swiftly moved around the serpent's body and ended up landing against one of it's outer appendages situated under it's head.

-GYAAOOUU!

The Leviathan screeched in pain, waving it's body around to reveal in appendage mostly gone while whatever remained what either still burning of was left severely burned.

"It worked!" Rossweisse exclaimed happily, seeing the creature was finally damaged.

However, it wasn't dead. Which for Shin, meant that he was now facing an extremely pissed off deep-sea creature, with a fairly high level of power. It was during moments like these, that Shin would usually end up receiving a new scar or two.

-GYAAHH!

And that seemed to be the case here, as the Leviathan rared it's head back, and launched an extremely powerful water blast directly at Shin, forcing the teen to quickly raise a barrier to protect himself.

-DOONN

"Gh-!"

"Shin-kun, look out!"

As with the Rossweisse before, the barrier only managed to stop the attack for a few brief seconds, before it smashed through and obliterated the spot Shin was previously standing on.

Fortunately, Rossweisse managed to tackle the teen before the barrier was destroyed, sending them both flying out of the attacks path.

But they didn't have time to breathe, as the serpent reared it's head once more for an attack.

"Rossweisse, I need you and the other Valkyries to make some steps for me when I give you the signal!"

"What for?!"

"Just do as I say- Dodge!"

-DOON!

Shin didn't even get to finish his sentence, before he had to push Rossweisse and himself away from each other, in order to avoid the Leviathan's attack.

Quickly raising his body, Shin turned to Rossweisse and by extension the other Valkyries.

"Get ready!" he called out, before beginning to move toward the ocean.

"W-What are you doing Shin-kun?!"

"Just wait for my mark!"

Rossweisse didn't understand what Shin's plan was and became understandably worried, however Shin just reminded her to wait for his signal. So shaking her head, she turned to her fellow classmates and her grandmother.

"Everyone! Get ready to create some steps for Shin-kun to jump on!"

[O-Okay!] the other Valkyries nodded their heads, awaiting the signal.

As of this moment, there was no reason to doubt Shin's word. After all, their native magic was ineffective against the Leviathan and only Shin's flames proved to do quite a bit of damage.

Speaking of the boy, he was now running toward the giant serpent, using his ice to create a walking path on top of the ocean.

Seeing him approach, the Leviathan launched another water blast at the teen.

However, this was what he wanted.

*-flare!*

Igniting his flames, Shin reared his arm back preparing to counter the Leviathan's attack.

"Here we go! Forbidden Fire Art! Heaven's Black Piercing Fang!"

With his flames flaring violently around him, creating the same dragon shape around him like during Shin's battle with Sairaorg, the teen reared his arm back, before punching forward and sending and concentrated wave of flames toward the Leviathan's own water attack.

DOOSSHH!

The two attacks collided, sending a shockwave rippling through the surrounding area, affecting even the Valkyries back on the beach. It also began releasing massive amounts of steam, due to the colliding hot and cold temperatures.

'Kh-! D-Dammit...I didn't expect a compressed water jet to be this strong! That sand...must be special, because it made this thing seem much weaker than it is!'

Shin's ice was beginning to crack under his feet, due to the sheer force of the Leviathan's water attack.

As it stood, the two attacks were locked in place. However, Shin was at a clear disadvantage due to his ice not being able to withstand the force for much longer. He needed to think of something, fast.

"Grr...Hraah!"

Focusing on one central spot, Shin's flames intensified and began pushing back against the water stream, ultimately managing to break through and fly right at the Leviathan's face, burning off a majority of it's left side.

GYYAAOOUAA!

The serpent reared back, screeching in pain.

Shin then turned to the beach.

"Rossweisse! Now!"

"Alright! Everyone!"

*-glow*

Wasting no time, the Valkyries created a number of magic circles in the air, for Shin to use as footing to climb to the Leviathan's height.

And Shin wasted no second either, jumping off his crumbling ice and unto the first magic circle, before hopping to the second and third and kept hopping until he reached the final circle, right in front of the Leviathan's head, which from so close, was truly gigantic.

"Time to finish this!"

*-flare!*

Once again, Shin's body became surrounded by flames, which now seemed to form a pair of hings on his back.

He then put all his strength in his legs, and launched himself off the magic circle, shattering it in the process.

Then, while still airborne, the boy seemingly 'flapped' his flame wings to give him just a little more of a boost, so he was now right above the Leviathan, who was still recoiling from Shin's previous attack.

"Return to the bottom of the ocean you giant shoelace!"

Shin's wings then disappeared, as the boy reared his arm once more, smoky blue and black flames flaring up behind him this time.

*-woosshhh*

[-!]

And to the amazement of everyone watching, the sky itself turned dark for a moment, with a crescent moon shining just above Shin.

But the reason for the amazement, was that the sky turned into night while the sun was still setting on the horizon.

"Burn, Blaze of Antares! EXTINGUISHED CRESCENT MOON!"

DWWOOONNN!

With a mighty cry, Shin fell down unto the Leviathan like a comet, his flames flaring so strongly that they actually covered up the crescent moon shining behind the boy.

He then smashed his fist against the top of the monster's head, releasing an extremely powerful shockwave, coupled with his flames erupting all over the Leviathan's body.

The beast then released a final roar, before Shin's flames began bursting through it's body, burning it up from within and turning it into nothing more than a charred husk not long after.

The Leviathan then began sinking back into the ocean, it's corpse returning to the depths from which it once came.

[He did it!] The Valkyries celebrated the Leviathan's defeat.

However, Rossweisse and her grandmother knew there was still one more matter to take care of.

The fact that Shin was now falling at high speeds toward the ocean, seemingly having passed out from his own attack.

"Shin-kun!"

But fortunately, Rossweisse was once again fast enough to save Shin from a very bad crash against the ocean's water which, in his unconscious state, we would've most likely drowned in.

After the silverette brought him back to the shore, Gondul decided to head into the resort to get the boy somewhere where they could tend to him until he woke up.

But from much further away, three hooded figures had watched the entire battle against the Leviathan unfold.

"An unexpected turn of events." one of the figures spoke, their voice revealing them to be a young male.

"Indeed. We only prepared for the Valkyries to be the only supernatural beings on the island. It's why we made sure to give the Leviathan immunity to Norse spells before we awakened it. It looks like that boy threw a wrench in our plans." another figure spoke, also revealed as male by his voice.

"No. This is good."

[..?] hearing the third figure, also a male, speak up, the other two turned to him.

"What do you mean?" the first one asked, hearing a slight chuckle from the third.

"That's no ordinary boy. I can feel he's human, but there's a vast amount of power lying dormant within him."

"-! Do you mean, that attack was the boy's own power?"

"Maybe. I do not know for certain. But what I do know, is that he would be a perfect addition to our Faction." the third figure showed a smirk under his hood.

"Do you really think he'll be willing to join us? Especially after what just happened?" the second figure showed his doubts to the plan.

However, it didn't seem to bother the third one in the least, evident by his answer.

"I doesn't matter whether he wants to or not. That boy, is exactly what we need for our cause. To show the supernatural that us humans don't need their power for protection. And look."

*-shiing*

[-!]

The third figure brought out what seemed to be a golden spear from under his cloak, the tip of which was emanating a soft glow, which surprised the other two.

"The spear- rather, the Will of God inside the spear is reacting to that boy. There's definitely something special about him."

"So what do you plan to do? Are we going to just go over there right now to recruit him?"

"No, of course not. For now, we'll return to HQ. But we'll keep an eye on the boy. Now let's go."

And with that, the figures disappeared from the spot in a cloud of dark mist.

That's a wrap!

A few things happened this chapter. Asia was officially welcomed into the ORC, Shin decided he needed a vacation, to which Jeanne almost threw a fit for not being invited outright, and most importantly, the biggest piece of Shin's history was revealed this chapter~

But that's all you gonna get for a while to come! No more hints up until the Excalibur Arc!

And with this chapter, Rossweisse joined the story!

She'll appear in the next chapter as well, but that will be it until her official appearance in the Light Novel.

During the harem poll, she was among the three most voted characters for Shin's harem, along with Grayfia and Tiamat.

Now, Grayfia and Rossweisse have made their official appearances in this story, which means that Tiamat is the final one!

And you needn't worry, she'll make her official debut in two chapters. So not the next one, the one after that!

But yeah, returning to this chapter, we also had a fight!

I was originally planning on using the 'Behemoth' that appeared in the Bible, but since Shin and Co were on the beach, I decided to use it friend, the actual Leviathan!

Some of you may have thought it's description reminded you of something, well that something was the Reaper Leviathan from Subnautica. That's the image I described, since I didn't have the time to come up with an all original design.

And we also got a little mysterious cameo at the very end!

Who were those guys I wonder? But it's obvious~

They'll be making a return in the future, so look forward to that!

Now, unto the harems:

Shin's Harem: Serafall, Yasaka, Jeanne, Akeno, Kuroka, Gabriel, Tiamat, Grayfia, Roygun, Rossweisse, Koneko, Irina, Ophis, Kunou, Ravel, WIP.

Issei's Harem. Rias, Asia, Xenovia, LeFay, Sona, WIP.

Yeah, that's what it currently looks like.

Now, unto the funny post chapter bit!

BEHIND THE SCENES! -though it may be shorter than the last ones because I'm tired~ Also, since she's one of my favourite characters, Rossweisse will be Shin's girlfriends off camera. Fight me.

SHIN P.O.V

*-click*

"Alright everyone, we're back!"

I turn the camera on, and pointed it at myself and the rest of the guys, who looked up and gave a slight smile.

We've finished filming the next episode, and were now all chilling in the Rec Room.

However, what the other don't know, is that I've been plotting my revenge ever since the last segment.

You probably know what I mean.

Those guys made me cry on camera with their teasing, so I'm going to get them back!

And I've gotten the perfect prank set up.

"Hey Rose-chan, Grayfia-san, Crom can you guys help me with something? The director asked me to help move some of the props to another trailer, but since I'm filming the segment, I only have a single hand available to do stuff."

"Hmm? Oh sure Shin-kun."

"No problem man."

"I'm always ready to help, Shin-kun."

The three I called stand up from the places they were chilling at and followed me outside.

Huehuehue, these three are the one going to help me with my revenge! Mwahaha- *cough* *cough*...I'm sick, by the way.

Ended up getting sick after shooting the Leviathan fighting scene, since the water was cold and I had wind blowing in my face the entire time. Hopefully it stays just a cold and nothing serious like pneumonia.

But anyway, returning to the matter at hand. Crom turns to me and asks.

"Everything set?"

"Yup! I already spoke with the special effects guy, and got a few of the props set up for the prank."

"Alright, but what exactly does this prank entail Shin-kun. You've failed to filled me in."

Ah yes. I just realized I indeed forgot to tell Rose-chan about my plan. What a silly boyfriend I am.

Oh yeah, Rose-chan and I are actually a couple behind the camera. Then again, she's written to be part of my harem during the story too, so I guess it's only a matter of time before she becomes my on-screen girlfriend too.

But anyway, the prank.

"Okay, so you know how the other we all had the horror movie night? Remember what movie scared everyone the most?"

After I say that, Rose-chan seems to think for a bit, before her eyes open in realization.

"The Ring!"

"Exactly!"

There we go Rose-chan! You should probably get the gist of it already.

"So you want to make Samarra pop up in the rec room, and scare everyone? You can definitely count me in. What do you need me to do?"

I give her a wink and respond.

"That's my girl~ You're going to play 'Samarra'."

I then gesture toward Crom, who was leaning against the wall.

"Crom is going to play with the special effects from the other room. I had the effects guy connect those special effects to the Rec Room. He'll basically be playing with the lights, and will turn on the TV you'll crawl out from."

The three of us then move into the room right next to the Rec room.

This room is pretty barren, since it's only used for equipment and such, but that's why it's the perfect base of operations!

Now, I gesture toward Grayfia-san.

"Now Grayfia-san is going to be the voice of Samarra. I got a few speakers installed and hidden in different corners of the Rec room. Before you pop up, she'll make some creepy noises, since she's a great voice actor and can change the pitch of her voice."

Then and I rest my eyes on Rose-chan, producing a white night gown and a black wig from behind me and hand it to her.

"Rose-chan, since you'll be playing Samarra, you're going to need those."

Then, I bring Rose-chan to the spot the prank will start from.

On the wall, you can see a slim plank. It's painted so it looks like the interior of the wall to the Rec room, but it can be slid out from this room.

Under that, there's a little cubby hole, where Rose-chan is going to hide while we slide the plank out and place the old TV in the corner in front of it.

"Rose-chan, once you're dressed, get into that cubby hole and wait for me to give you the signal. Once the lights are out in the Rec room, I'll put the TV in front of the hole to the other room and slide that plank out. When the TV turns on, it will play the well scene. That's when you will crawl out of the cubby hole and into their room, to give them the scare of their lives!"

"Mhm! Okay, I got it Shin-kun! Count on me!"

That's the response I wanted to hear Rose-chan!

"Alright then! Crom, get the controls!"

"Already on it dude!"

Crom calls over from the control panel! Damn, the guy is fast. And silent! I guess that's why he fits his character so well.

Anyway, once I see Crom is ready, I turn to Grayfia-san and give her a small mic.

"Grayfia-san, when I give you the signal."

"Count on me Shin-kun."

Once I see Grayfia-san also give me the good to go, I turn to Rose-chan, who's now in Samarra's outfit. Damn, she's also really fast!

"Damn Rose-chan, you got ready fast! But, your hair needs a little adjusting."

The only adjustments I make is to hair, which I mess up a bit and put it so it covers her face.

Now it looks perfect!

I give Rose-chan a thumbs up which she returns, before getting into the cubby hole.

Alright, everything is set!

But before I give the all clear, I quickly sneak out to lock the door to the rec room.

Don't think I'll let you all escape! Y'all will first piss yourselves from fear!

When I'm back, I give Crom the good to go, and the plan is set in motion.

*-click*

"H-Huh? The light went.."

"A power outage maybe?"

I hear Rias and Akeno-chan's voices.

I quickly turn my camera to night vision and put the lens against another hole I found in the wall. That way, they can't see our room, but I can record what happens in their room.

From the looks of it, they're all surprised, but no one seems particularly afraid yet.

Rias, Akeno-chan and Asia are sitting in the corner on one of the couches, while Issei, Jeanne, Koneko-chan and Yuuto are sitting on the bean bags in the room.

Hehe, all of them are facing directly toward us!

Letting go of the camera for a moment, I grab the TV and put it against the wooden plan covering the whole in the wall. Then, I turn to Grayfia-san, who clears her throat a bit, before releasing a low wheezing sound, almost like a pained moan, into the microphone.

I gotta admit, that really sounds creepy as hell.

"W-What the hell is that? Guys, tell me you're hearing that shit too!"

Issei's the first one to show fear in his voice. Yes!

After him, Rias, Asia and Jeanne also show their concerns.

"T-This is really creepy...where the hell is it coming from?"

"It sounds like its coming from...everywhere. B-But how?"

"Guys, I don't like this...Why are we still hanging around here? Let's move!"

Jeanne get's up and heads toward the door.

*-rattle* *rattle*

"H-Huh?!"

That's right, the door's locked! You ain't getting out!

"Guys, t-the door's locked!"

"What do you mean the door's locked?!"

Yuuto get's up and goes to the door as well, trying to force it open. Too bad, these door are reinforced, so you're not breaking it down and they're also soundproof, so no one gonna hear your screams either!

By the way, Grayfia-san hadn't stopped doing her wheezing sound. She's been doing it this whole time, which is amazing.

I then glance back at her, and she nods her head, proceeding to turn her wheezing into a much lower, guttural pitch, sounds almost like a growl now.

When I look back in the room, everyone's really starting to look worried now! Hehe!

It's time to start the final phase of the plan.

I look down into Rose-chan's cubby hole, giving her a nod of my head to let her know it's her turn.

Then I turn the TV on right during the infamous well scene, and quickly swipe the wooden plank away from it's place, flooding the Rec room with the light from the TV.

Quickly switching my camera's night vision off, I look through the lens to see the terrified faces of my crew mates.

"N-No no no no! T-That's the cursed video isn't it?!"

It's a good thing Issei is so easy to scare. The other's are obviously terrified as well, but seems to be taking it much better than the brunette.

Akeno-san is the bravest though, and begins to walk forward.

"C-Come on guys, it's probably just a prank. Very funny!"

She obviously said that last part thinking us, the pranksters, would hear her. Well we did, but it ain't gonna change anything.

"Look, nothing is gonna pop out of the TV. That's just a movie and this is just a prank, probably by Shin-kun or something."

Damn, this girl is sharp! But let's see how much of a prank you think this is in a second!

I see Akeno-san was now in front of the hole, but still far enough to not notice Rose-chan's cubby hole. She then reaches her hand out toward the screen. Yes!

*-grab!*

"I-IYAAAHHH!"

As soon as Akeno-san got within reach, Rose-chan reached out and grabbed her hand, causing her to shriek in absolute terror and scurry back toward the other, who were now going pale in the face.

"..."

Releasing her own wheezing sound to add to Grayfia-san, Rose-chan slowly began to crawl out of the cubby hole and into the rec room, making her body twitch every now and again. Damn, she's really into character.

"A-Ah, it's her! It's the girl from the movie! LET ME OUTTA HEREE!"

Issei is now clawing at the door, desperately trying to get it open. Yes, this is my revenge!

As Rose-chan nears the guys, they become more and more frantic in trying to get away.

"N-NOO! I DON'T WANT TO DIEE!"

H-Holy crap, some of them have even begun to cry. Damn and Rose-chan doesn't stop. She just keeps slowly trudging toward them all.

*-thud* *-thud*

A-Ah! Koneko just fainted! A-And Asia followed right after.

Now all of them are crying! Shit, I don't want them to be scarred forever!

I quickly turn to Grayfia-san and gesture for her to stop, before glancing at Crom and motioning for her to turn the lights back on.

Then, I hurry outside and to the door to the rec room.

Unlocking it as the same time Crom turns the lights back on, I go inside to the see everyone curled up on the floor, sobbing to themselves.

"G-Guys, calm down it was just a prank! You're not gonna die!"

[-?]

Hearing my voice, the one who didn't faint before stop crying and look up at me. To say I look sheepish right now, would be an understatement.

"W-Wait, this was all just a p-prank?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm sorry about scaring you like that Issei. I didn't mean for it to go this far..."

"YOU PIECE OF CRAP! YOU'RE LUCKY YOU DIDN'T GIVE ANY OF US A HEART ATTACK!"

-grab!

A-Ah! Issei grabbed me by the collar and began yelling in my face!

Thankfully, Crom steps in and manages to pull him off of me, while I try to defend myself from behind Grayfia-san.

"L-Look I only wanted to scare you guys! I didn't know you were so affected by that stupid movie!"

"Y-You know, as much as I want to yell at you right now, I guess we did kind of have it coming for making you cry the last time.."

Rias says that while shakily getting up from the floor and wiping her eyes.

Yes, thank you Rias!

Then, I also hear Akeno-san's voice from the ground.

"Alright you pranked us, now we're even...N-Now, who's...that?"

She points at Rose-chan, who was just been standing there the entire time, not saying a word. Weird…

The prank is over Rose-chan. You can break character now.

"Oh, that's Rose-chan. It's why I brought her out along with Grayfia-san and Crom. They helped me with the prank.

"Did I hear my name just now?"

[-!?]

Hearing a familiar voice, we all turn to the door, where Rose-chan is standing, adjusting her black wig.

W-Wait a second…

"R-R-Rose-chan?!"

"Yeah, that's me. Sorry I had some trouble with the wig, I couldn't get it to sit still. Hey, what's going on? Did you start the prank without me?!"

...What…?

I stutter a response.

"N-N-No...we didn't..."

At this point, I don't even need to look, to see that everyone had gone pale in the face. Even Crom, who wasn't scared in the least while watching the movie.

And then, I say the thing we all didn't want to hear.

"B-But wait...Rose-chan, if you're here...then who is..."

We all slowly turn out heads toward the short, black haired girl standing in the middle of the room wearing a muddy night gown.

"..."

She doesn't say anything.

*-tap*

Instead, she takes a step forward! That's enough to send us all over the edge!

[KYYAAAAHHHHH!]

? P.O.V

Screaming at the top of their lungs, everyone rushes out of the room.

Huh. They didn't even bother grabbing the two passed out girls with them.

"-aaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaa-"

...Okay.

Nevermind, Shin-kun just ran back, still screaming mind you, and grabbed both of the girls that were passed out on the floor and skedaddled.

But when I look on the floor, I see he dropped his camera. That's not good. Camera's are really expensive you know?

I walk over and pick up the piece of equipment, checking to see if it's still working.

And once I confirm the camera's just fine, I point it at myself and slick my hair back out of my face.

"Hehe~ That's all for today's special 'Behind the Scenes'~ Make sure you tune in to the next episode for a special Christmas Edition~ For now, I guess I'll just use my own name for the outro. Ophis-chan, out~"

-End of transmission-

*-click*