Joshua G., Shen, FromTheDeep, Tyric Gaia.

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

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

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

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

Now, feel free to enjoy the story!

"Regular character speech"

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

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

'Regular character thoughts'

'Mind Reading/Telepathic Conversation'

[Ddraig talking out loud]

[Ddraig telepathically speaking to Issei]

'Ddraig/Powerful being thinking'

"Hah!"

The sound of flesh meeting flesh resounded through the entirety of the dojo, under the watch of dozens of pairs of eyes.

"Flowing Dragon Swift Stri- Agh!"

The words were stopped by a punch to the speaker's throat, interrupting him before he could finish his technique, before the punch was followed by a sweep to the ankles that knocked the speaker down.

A stomp was aimed at the downed fighter's head, only for him to roll away and back up to his feet, before wiping the blood flowing down the corner of his mouth with a trembling hand. The fighter clenched his fist, quelling the terror that had been rising within his heart and looking back up towards his opponent...

"Crushing Beast Stomping Strike!"

Only to receive a foot to the face for his efforts.

CRACK!

No one present hesitated at the sound of a neck being snapped, nor did they so much as wince at the sight of a corpse falling outside the fighting platform at the center of the dojo.

"Another!"

The barked command was obeyed with no hesitation or delay, with another one of the present martial artists jumping onto the platform before raising his fists.

"Daoyun Jin, present-"

"Rushing Gale Claw!"

A swipe with two curled fingers resulted in the speaker's throat being torn open, his blood pouring out and adding to the red that already stained the tiles underneath his feet and the hands and feet of his opponent.

"Another!"

Yet another fighter hopped onto the platform, this one not wasting any time with introductions before dashing towards his blond opponent.

"Flying Swallow Strike!"

The fighter's feet left the ground as if he were being pushed up into the air by a powerful wind, his hands crossed into an X and held in front of him as he flew, emanating a feeling akin to that of a sharp pair of blades.

"Hmmph."

The blond snorted contemptuously, jumping above the attack an instant before it would have reached him and retaliating with a spinning back kick that completely crumpled his opponent's face, causing said opponent to fall forward, lifeless.

"Go!"

This time, the response to the command came from two people, a man and a woman. The man was armed with a pair of metal gauntlets, while the woman wielded two blades, each as long as her forearms.

"Armor-Clad Crushing Fist!"

"Siren's Illusory Blade Flash!"

A heavy punch bearing an overwhelming power flew towards the front, while mirages of blades cut the blond off from the sides and behind.

"Hah!"

The blond's response was to stomp down on the ground hard, causing the platform under his feet to shatter, thick and sharp fragments of rock and porcelain flying outward, and forcing both the gauntleted man and the blade-wielding woman to parry them.

It was at this moment that each of them received a strike to the chest, the man a kick and the woman a punch, causing them to cough out blood as their hearts exploded.

The two fell over, dead, before the same austere voice as before spoke.

"Enough! Feng, take care of the corpses. Xuanji, rebuild the platform for later use."

"Yes, Sifu!"

"Yes, Sifu!"

A woman clad in a red Qipao and a man clad in a brown Tang suit nodded simultaneously towards the owner of the voice, an old man in a grey Hanfu. He was very short, about the size of a 12 or 13 year old, with hunched shoulders, a face covered in wrinkles, droopy, downturned eyes, and with white hair reaching his shoulders, and equally colored eyebrows hanging down to the corners of his mouth.

Most would have considered this man's appearance as comedic at a first glance, were it not for the fact that simply standing around this man was difficult, as if his presence alone made the body wish to bow, and that a single glare from him was enough to leave one breathless.

"Come to me."

The old man spoke, and his intended target obeyed, his blond hair bobbing with each powerful step he took.

He stopped in front of the old man for a mere moment before bowing towards him, his voice deferential as he said a single word.

"Sifu!"

The old man looked the blond over, aged eyes taking in the alignment of youthful feet, posture, the level of tension in the shoulders, and everything else that could be visually noted on a person in such a position.

"Rise." The old man spoke with an approving nod, though his tone was no less harsh than before. "When you came to me, asking to learn the Art and achieve your full potential, even with your adequate foundation, I believed that you would not be cut out for it, and would have fallen off the path. Instead, you surprised me greatly, both with your dedication, and with your rapid progress. That is not something that just any would have accomplished.

"Tell me, child, just what it is that drives you?"

"My name, my reputation, my friends and my accomplishments... They were stolen by another, Sifu. He ruined me... And I wish to pay him back by taking away what is his. For this reason I came to you, and for this reason I have pushed myself as hard as I could."

"The destruction of your enemies... That is a splendid goal for someone just starting out, however... If you linger too much on a single foe, then you may end up losing many opportunities for further progress; and, if you allow such a stain to reside in your heart for too long, to be your sole driving force, when you ultimately resolve such grief, then you may find yourself lost.

"So go. Go out into the world, and use this strength of yours to wipe your heart of its grievances. Once you have done so, and your heart is unburdened by such trivial matters, then you can begin walking the true path of the art... Motoyasu."

"Yes, Sheng Sifu!"

The blond high schooler bowed towards the old man again, before walking off towards the disciple's residence, a single thought firming itself within his head.

'I will have my revenge, Hyoudou Issei!'

A deep, pervasive silence engulfed the entirety of the Kuoh Academy High School division.

An air of incredulity mixed with shocked surprise hung around each and every single student during their lunch period.

Almost all of the students of said division were packed tightly together like sardines, some of them standing and filling corridors and walkways, others crowding around windows like overly-eager children during Christmas at the sound of anything remotely jingle-like.

Eyes bulged and mouths gaped, a consequence of the sheer amount of stupefaction that afflicted each and every single person present in the face of the scene they were currently witnessing.

Chu~

Motohama and Matsuda could be seen saluting in the background, and Aika smirking as she scribbled in her notepad, as Issei and Akeno leaned away after their kiss, Issei with a wide smile, and Akeno with a small, embarrassed one, a hand placed atop one of her blushing cheeks as she spoke.

"Did you really have to kiss me in front of so many people, Ise? I'm embarrassed... Though it is thrilling in a certain way..."

"Of course I had to. I had to show each and every single one of these people-" A massive smirk came over Issei's face as he surprised Akeno by lifting her onto his lap - drawing shocked gasps from those around them in the process - and wrapping an arm around her waist. "-That you're Mine, Himejima Akeno."

His other arm snaked around Aika's waist, with him shifting Akeno over onto one leg as he pulled a giggling Aika atop the other one.

"You're both Mine for as long as you wish to be, and I am not afraid or embarrassed of making this known."

He punctuated by kissing Aika in an act that was borderline pornographic from the amounts of tongue involved, before pulling back from the kiss - breaking the thin strand of saliva that had lingered between the two in the process - and turning towards Akeno, his eyes meeting hers in clear invitation.

Himejima Akeno, one of the four great Onee-sama of Kuoh, second year student and all-around dignified Yamato Nadeshiko, revealed her nature as a Fallen/Devil Hybrid for the first time within Kuoh in her inability to resist the urge to pull Issei into a deep kiss of their own, completely disregarding the fact that he had just finished kissing Aika, and that they were surrounded by stunned classmates, under-and-upperclassmen alike.

Rias' fingers were little more than a blur of motion, red trails following after them as she frantically re-drew the remote observation spell that she had keyed to Kuoh from the ground up, the shock that wanted to manifest within her mind being held back only by the joint efforts of disbelief and denial.

'This cannot be right! Something went wrong with the previous magical circle, so it was showing me that image! That has to be it! It is the only possible explanation as to why it showed me that scene! But this time I'll make sure to be as precise as possible!'

The Gremory heiress did not instantly activate the array after finishing it, instead looking its structure over repeatedly and checking and rechecking all of its various parts and components, using the years of magical education she had under her belt to ensure that there was no flaw in it. Only after making sure of the array's perfection did she activate it.

"T-the image is the same... How? I made sure that the circle was perfectly elaborated, flawless! That means... That Akeno and Hyoudou-san really are kissing..."

The redhead leaned back into her chair, her eyes wide and her shock so intense that she found herself unable to say, or even think anything coherent for a few seconds.

Smack

Slapping herself across the face, Rias managed to break free of her daze before leaning atop her desk, her gaze still on the image of her queen and their underclassman thoroughly exploring each other's tonsils, stopping only so that the brunet could switch over to the glasses-clad Kiryuu. She linked her fingers together, forcibly pushing down the shock she was feeling, and allowing her mind to function, the gears in her head moving with full intensity.

'Akeno already has problems of her own she is trying to work through, I can't have a random show up all of a sudden, deceive her, hurt her, and undo all of the progress she's made so far. I need Koneko's observation data to figure out how to deal with him. If he's bad news, then I'll convince him to break up with Akeno as amicably as possible, to minimize the hurt. Otherwise... I could always have another Knight, or Rook. He is skilled in combat, his grades speak for his intelligence, and he is a potential sacred gear holder, after all.'

Having set up the skeleton of a plan, Rias decided to wait on Koneko's conclusions to figure out a more concrete path. But, one thing was an incontrovertible fact.

There was little she wouldn't do to protect her peerage.

-Kuoh Park-

"3997... 3998... 3999... 4000!"

Issei jumped to his feet after finishing his set of push-ups, rolling his shoulders and stretching with a small, satisfied smile on his face.

There were many things in this world that he enjoyed taking pleasure from - the overwhelming majority of them being sexual and/or obscene in nature - but for a good while now he had been taking a great pleasure in exercising.

Aside from the various physical and physiological results of exercising, such as the feeling of any knots of tension within his muscles loosening during the process of the pre-workout warm up, the elevated release of hormones within the brain during the workout itself and the feeling of tired relaxation that came from taking a warm bath after an intense session, there was also the satisfaction that came from the knowledge that one was working towards a tangible set of goals, be they the ability to run for longer, the strength to lift more weights, the definition of the body, or anything else of the sort.

For Issei, the most satisfying part of working out was the knowledge that every single push-up, sit-up and squat he did, as well as any other exercise, contributed towards the improvement of his physical condition and combat strength, allowing him to be able to protect those who were near and dear to him.

'Alright, now that the calisthenics are done, it's time for the roadwork!'

He then sprinted into a thicket of Kuoh park, his image easily blending in with the many yellow and red-leaved trees.

Unseen by most, a flash of white entered the thicket shortly after.

Toujou Koneko.

A third year student of Kuoh's middle school division, Koneko was a very popular and well-known figure by pretty much all of said division's students.

If you were to talk to any of them, they all would have something to say about her, despite the fact that the overwhelming majority hadn't even traded a single word with her.

Terms such as 'cool', 'stoic' and 'quiet' would easily be tossed around, as they were the most obvious and noticeable parts of her temperament, at least from what information one could gather via observation alone.

They would describe the fact that she was always composed regardless of the situation, seemingly never being caught on the back foot for any occasion. Whether it was a pop quiz for any given subject, a stray ball flying her way during gym class, or any of the newly joined boys staring at her while whispering about 'mascots' and 'angels from heaven itself' - and oh, if they knew the irony of that statement - a basic trait of hers was the fact that she did not lose her composure. Ever.

"Yo!"

It's fair to say, then, that any and all of these people would be utterly flabbergasted at the sight of the white-haired girl frozen in place, her eyes wide in shock at the situation she currently found herself in.

'Wha-'

Koneko found it unnervingly difficult to move for no reason that she could easily discern, her neck moving as sluggishly as if she was wading through thick molasses, until she finally saw, from the corner of her eyes, the young man she had been tasked with observing.

The same young man who had a penchant for disappearing from her sight at the drop of a hat.

"It's a nice day we're having today, don't you think?"

The same young man who successfully detected her observation of him, lured her into a thick copse of trees where there were no witnesses, and then snuck up on her, completely undetected by her until the moment he willingly gave himself away by talking to her.

Koneko felt herself bristling, her fists clenching and unclenching the same way they did whenever she faced a stray, even as the part of her which she did her absolute best to suppress and ignore all but shouted at her, telling her that initiating a fight would be a very bad idea.

Without even noticing it, Koneko found herself obeying this inner voice - instinct - for the first time in years, unclenching her fists and spreading her hands and arms open around waist-level, before slowly turning around to face the brunet.

"So... My name's Issei. What's your name?"

"...Koneko."

"Alright, Koneko-san... Would you mind telling me why you've been stalking me for weeks now? It's a bit disconcerting to feel eyes on my back almost every day."

Koneko thought about how she would react if the situation were reversed, with her confronting a persistent stalker in a place devoid of any witnesses, with said stalker at her mercy.

She met Issei's gaze, and felt her body start shivering, though she couldn't really explain why. All she knew was that her hands and shoulders were shaking, and her thoughts seemed to have blanked out in a way she never felt before.

Issei noticed the trembling of the girl's hands and the blank look on her face, sighing lightly before surprising her by taking her hand in his.

"Come with me."

Koneko found herself incapable of resisting as she was dragged away.

"Here."

The white-haired girl blinked in surprise as a mug of cocoa was placed in front of her. Issei sat down across her, removing the marshmallow from his mug and adding it to the one in front of Koneko, before taking a sip, a pleased smile appearing on his face as he did so.

Koneko's hands slowly and gingerly wrapped around the mug she had been given, allowing the warmth to seep into her hands, before a single word left her mouth, completely outside of her control.

"Why?"

Issei blinked, his gaze turning towards the white haired girl that seemed to be trying to stare into his very soul. He raised an eyebrow, before speaking up.

"Why what? If you mean 'why did I put the marshmallow in your cocoa', it's because I'm not particularly a fan of marshmallows, but you seem like someone who likes sweets, so... Why not?" He leaned back a bit, increasing the distance between himself and Koneko. "If you mean 'why did I bring my stalker to a coffee shop and bought her a hot cocoa', then, well... You were shaking out there, and I thought that something warm would help with that."

"Thank you." Koneko responded in a whisper so low as to almost be inaudible, before raising the mug up to her lips and taking a sip. Despite the tense situation she was in, she found herself involuntarily relaxing as the sweetness of her drink reached her tongue, and the warmth ran down her throat to settle close to her chest, emanating outwards from there and soothing her further.

"Now that you're more relaxed," Issei spoke up in a casual tone, a finger of his running along the rim of his mug "How about you finally tell me why you've been following me all this time?"

Koneko stopped to think. Her primary reflex was to simply remain silent in the face of the question, stoically staring at him until he was unnerved to the point of giving up his questioning; she didn't, however, as she all but knew that it wouldn't work on someone like the young man sitting across her.

The second thing she considered doing was lying, but... She couldn't do it. He was... Nice. Even if she didn't count the way he treated her today, or what he had done during the festival between academies a while back, she had still been watching him for weeks, and she witnessed him perform various minor acts of niceness, for no reason other than because he could. Lying to someone like this... It would feel wrong.

So... She decided to tell him the truth. A partial version of it, at the very least.

"To know more about you."

"I see." Issei surprised Koneko by leaning forward until they were practically nose to nose, his eyes narrowed as he spoke. "Do you intend to - or work for someone who intends to - harm me and the people I'm close to?"

"No..."

Issei's eyes narrowed further, before he surprised Koneko by leaning back into his seat and shrugging nonchalantly.

"Alright."

Koneko blinked owlishly at the brunet's nonchalant response, a tinge of disbelief showing in her words.

"Alright? Just... Like that?"

"Yup." Issei crossed his arms over his chest. "You said you didn't have any ill intent, and I believe you. Feel free to ask me what you want to know, and if it's not too personal, then I may just give you a straight answer."

Koneko nodded at him, already knowing the first question she intended to ask-

BEEP BEEP.

-Only for him to halt her with a raised hand, reaching into his pocket for his phone.

She watched as his relaxed smile gradually turned into a frown, before he slid his phone back into his pocket and stood up.

"Something came up, so we're going to have to postpone this... Q&A session." Issei pulled a couple of 10000 Yen bills out of his wallet and tossed them atop the table, meeting Koneko's gaze as he spoke. "Treat yourself to something good."

Koneko watched as the weird - interesting - brunet walked out of the shop, his slow gait and relaxed shoulders doing nothing to calm the side of her that had cried 'DANGER!' at the very sight of his frown.

She took a few minutes to calm herself, her heaving chest slowing as her breathing returned to its regular pace. Hesitating for all of a moment, Koneko picked up the two bills and ordered as many sweets as she could.

Perhaps they'd manage to stop the weird feeling that showed up in her belly while she watched his sweaty form working out earlier.

Issei didn't hesitate to seat himself beside Aika and wrap an arm around her shoulders the instant he crossed the threshold of his home, his tone soft as he spoke.

"Hey baby."

Seeing Aika's lack of response, Issei pulled her closer towards him, allowing her to slide atop his lap so that he could pull her into a hug. She allowed her own arms to wrap around Issei's torso, while burying her face into his chest.

"Do you want to talk about what has you upset, or would you prefer to just cuddle it away? I could even go and brew you some tea, if you'd like? I know you like lemon tea the most..."

Aika snorted at that, before her muffled voice came from Issei's chest.

"With your culinary skills, watching you butcher a pot of lemon tea would just stress me out more."

"Aww, come on." Issei whispered playfully. "I'm not that bad, am I?"

"You could burn water, Ise."

"I see, I see..." The brunet chuckled into Aika's hair, ignoring the sweet scent of her shampoo and the way that it tickled his nose. "Are you better now that you re-asserted your culinary supremacy over this lowly one, oh Lady of the Spatulas, mighty queen of the bento, Aika-sama?"

"Your mom is the Queen of the bento, Ise. I'm a junior princess at best."

Aika sighed at that, her playful tone vanishing as she shifted so that her face was level with Issei's, their gazes meeting as she spoke.

"Mother came by."

Issei's eyes narrowed at that, while his arms pulled Aika's body tighter against his in a reflexive display of both protectiveness and possessiveness. The girl's heart fluttered at that, but she managed to push that down in order to proceed.

"How she got the address I can't say, but she came by about half an hour ago and knocked on the door, calling me by name and saying that she needed to talk to me."

Issei's hand softly stroked Aika's back, causing her to relax further into him as she spoke.

"I told her to go away, but before she did she told me a few things... Basically, there is going to be some ritzy party for the rich and famous, and as one of the two possible heiresses of Yellow Dragon Corporation I'm expected to go. Something about showing stability, putting on a strong front and stuff like that, as well as making things easier for either myself or Mira when either of us inherits the company by creating a positive image towards the heirs of the other companies."

"I see."

"Yeah. I'm thinking about whether or not I should go. I would like to simply say 'no' just to spite her, but... While doing it would be cathartic in the short term, it could genuinely make things harder on the company, and for father. Plus... Mira is likely to inherit the corporation, and I don't want to make things difficult for her."

"You seem to have already decided on what to do, so what's the matter?"

"...You can't go."

Issei blinked.

"Mhm?"

"This whole thing is strictly invite-only, with a list of names and everything, meaning that I won't be able to take you as a plus one."

"Why is that a problem? This is about you, Aika, not me. Just remember that I'll always be in your corner and cheering for you for whichever choice you make, whether I'm physically present or not."

Aika smacked Issei's chest, a slight smile on her face as she spoke.

"Stop trying to be so magnanimous, especially when I can feel your hands gripping my butt tighter at the mere thought of the possible implications of me mingling with similarly-aged male heirs without you around to scare them off."

Issei smiled ruefully at the fact that Aika saw through him so easily, shrugging lightly at her words with zero shame in admitting it. The girl planted a small kiss on his jaw, before continuing.

"What I meant was that I don't think I can stand being around either my mother, or a bunch of uppity spoiled brats, male and female, who will likely spend the entirety of the event showing off how much money they spend on whatever is fashionable at the time, all in an attempt to impress and overshadow one-another, without you there to keep me from going crazy."

Issei cringed at that.

"Yeah, that definitely does not sound like a good time."

"Now you know why I'm hesitating to go."

"...You know, the 'always in your corner' thing still applies. If someone starts bothering you too much, just imagine your barbarian boyfriend punching them in the mouth, before climbing on a table, tearing his shirt off and beating his chest. It's a ridiculous enough thought to cool down any irritation."

Aika's nose scrunched up as her mind conjured that image up, before she giggled in amusement.

"It is a funny image. I can just imagine how people there would react to something like that."

The two fell into silence for a moment, before Aika sighed and spoke.

"I guess I better start dress-shopping."

"OMEGA COMBO! WINNER!"

Issei took one look at the victory screen before sighing and turning off his PlayBox DS. The entirety of his day was... Boring.

He had woken up to a note from Aika saying that she had left early to make the final adjustments to her dress for the event later that night. His early exercise was, for the first time in a long while, done entirely alone, as his stalker seemingly decided to skip her activity that particular day.

His parents were out for the day, so he couldn't visit them, the bar was closed, with both Andre and Daichi out doing their own things, and Lilith, Aika, Motohama and Matsuda were all busy, as were Butsu, Ginei, Kasumi and Suzushi.

Ddraig was asleep, and Aquila seemed to not be paying attention to the psychic link, so not even there could Issei find some company.

Thus, Issei resigned himself to spend the rest of his day at home, bored out of his mind.

'I am so bored... I wonder what the guys are doing that has them so busy...'

-Kuoh Town-

"Oh! This is the latest issue of Busty Babes Ultramaxxx!"

The shopkeeper grinned at that, his tone smug as he spoke.

"Correct, Motohama-san! As a consummate peddler of all things smut, I could not, in good conscious, allow my shelves to not have at least a few copies of this month's issue! What would my customers think of me if they came in here looking for goodies, but were forced to leave empty-handed?"

Motohama nodded in understanding, before placing the sealed magazine atop the checkout counter and pulling out his wallet.

"My allowance just dropped, so I can buy this one fresh off the presses! Also, I'll take this and last month's issues of 'Tsunderes Monthly', and a copy of 'The Foot Fetishist's compendium'."

The shopkeeper nodded at that, his eyes all but turning into Yen signs as he tallied up the costs of the books.

Motohama managed to ignore his wallet's metaphorical cries at its sudden emptiness, suppressing any twinge of pain related to the loss of money with the knowledge that his enlightened, cultured tastes were going to be thoroughly sated for the foreseeable future.

-Kuoh Academy-

Click!

"N-nine point nine five... That's faster than the current under 20 100m world record..."

Kimie stared at the stopwatch in incredulity, eyes wide and lips trembling. She looked at Matsuda, watching him take a sip from his water bottle. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, a smile on his face as he spoke.

"I have to say, after weeks of running on asphalt, dirt and grass, coming back to a track and just letting loose feels really good! It's pretty refreshing, and it brings back memories!" He turned towards Kuoh's Track club captain. "How did you manage to get us in here on a weekend anyway?"

Kimie shook her shock off, clearing her throat before she answered.

"The heads of the clubs have the ability to make use of school facilities for training purposes every day other than holidays and breaks, as long as they log their entry and exit times, and tidy everything up before leaving."

Matsuda whistled appreciatively at that.

"Kuoh really treats its clubs' captains well."

"Of course." Kimie said with a nod. "Part of Kuoh's reputation stems from our successes in basically all women's sport extracurriculars. Tennis, Volleyball, Kendo, Track and Field, Karate, Judo... Kuoh consistently places high on all of these modalities. Ever since Kuoh was first established, there hasn't been a single year where each of the clubs hasn't won at least a single major event."

Matsuda's eyes widened in shock. "Wow..."

"Yeah, I reacted like that as well in my first year, when my senpai told this to me."

"And when you get good results in such events, the school's prestige and pedigree rises further, right?"

"Yes. And us club captains are in charge of keeping things running smoothly, as well as setting things up in such a way that the cycle continues even after we graduate. When this school year ends and I move up to Kuoh's college division, I'm supposed to have a replacement trained and ready to keep our streak going.

"It's too bad neither you nor your friend, Issei, are members of my Track club."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, according to the last time we logged for you today, you are technically the fastest teenager in the world, since you beat the under 20 world record. Having someone like that as the face of the club would raise the club's stock all on its own.

"And your friend, Issei... The first time I saw you run, you only reached that level of focus and performance because of what he told you. Plus, in order for you to manage to improve this much, then you've had to be training quite a bit, and I bet that he is at least involved, if not fully in charge, of said training.

"Am I wrong?"

"No, you're right."

"Now you see it, right? The fastest runner, and the man who managed to make him into the fastest runner... My Track club would sweep every other academy for the three years you freshmen have here in Kuoh. What a pity..."

Matsuda stood there awkwardly for a moment, before Kimie surprised him by smacking him on the shoulder, a smile on her face as she spoke.

"Go on ahead and hit the showers."

"Shouldn't I stay and help you tidy things up, though?"

Kimie waved her hand dismissively at Matsuda.

"You've pushed yourself harder than I did today, so you've earned your rest! Plus, you don't even know our system, so it'll be faster for me to work alone, so just go ahead and hit the locker room!"

"...Alright then. Thanks."

Matsuda nodded gratefully towards Kimie, before making his way into the locker room. He shed his sweaty clothes, bundling them together with his underwear and putting them aside before retrieving the clothes he was going to wear after his shower and laying them out on one of the benches.

He shuddered slightly at the feeling of the cold tiles underneath his bare feet as he made his way into the showers proper, turning the knob until the water was at a hot enough temperature for him to comfortably stand under the spray of the showerhead, resulting in a curtain of steam obscuring his vision.

He allowed himself to luxuriate under the warm water for a while, chasing off the seasonal chill, all the while polishing his bald head to a shine.

"Matsuda."

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEKKK!"

Our bald-headed hero let out a manly roar of surprise that sounded nothing like the screech of an 8 year old girl when someone suddenly called his name out from the middle of the steam.

He definitely did not shriek again when a pair of hands clamped themselves around his shoulders hard enough to leave nail marks.

He tried to step away from his mystery assailant, only to slip on the soap he had dropped. He managed to brace his arms behind his neck to keep from hitting his head, but this came at the cost of his assailant getting full access to his body.

He felt a pair of hands vigorously kneading muscles all over his body, only for the steam to die down enough to reveal a stern-faced Kimie.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?" Matsuda once again roared heroically, having done so at a pitch that almost cracked glass in a several meter radius. "WHY THE HELL ARE YOU... FEELING ME UP!?"

Kimie crawled up Matsuda's body, her intense gaze meeting his as she spoke in as serious a tone as she could.

"Where are the punctures?"

"What?"

"The punctures! The entry wounds for syringe needles!"

"What the hell are you talking about!?"

"I am going to ask you a question, Matsuda," Kimie started, "And I need you to answer me honestly. Have you been making use of competition-illegal performance boosting substances?"

Seeing the still confused look on his face, Kimie shook her in exasperation head before elaborating.

"Performance-Enhancement drugs? Anabolic Steroids? Doping?"

"Why would you even think that?"

"The first time I met you, you just barely miss the mark for the under 20 100 meter world record, even if doing so leaves you basically exhausted. Less than three months after that you are able to break the record, and still look at least somewhat fresh afterwards.

"The previous record holder was 18, almost at the tail end of puberty. You're still 15, maybe 16 max, with a massive build disparity from him. It's almost impossible for you to have reached that degree of speed and stamina naturally."

"I don't inject myself with anything!"

"Then do you ingest them orally? Cutaneous creams or gels? Suppository?"

"I don't use drugs of any type!"

Kimie's hands grasped Matsuda's shoulders supportively as she spoke.

"You don't need to lie to me, Ma-chan, I won't judge you. I promise."

"I am not lying! All I've been doing is running almost every single day with Issei and the others!"

The two held each other's gaze in an intense battle of wills, until Kimie let out a sigh.

"I believe you."

"THANK YOU! Now will you please step outside and let me shower?"

Kimie blinked owlishly at that.

"What do you mean step outside? I need to get clean as well."

"Just go on the girl's side or something!"

"This is the only side."

"Then let's take turns or something!"

Kimie's eyes narrowed as she stood up, her body still covered by the steam as she spoke.

"Why are you getting so bent out of shape anyway?"

"We're naked! Together!"

"And?"

"What do you mean 'and' ? Where's your sense of modesty?"

"Modesty is for strangers and prudes, and you're neither of those things! You, Matsuda... Are my secret weapon!"

Matsuda's eyes widened at that.

"What do you mean secret weapon?"

Kimie leaned forward until she was basically nose-to-nose with the baldie, her eyes shining intensely as she spoke.

"My Track club may be fully ready to compete in any woman's competition, but the same cannot be said of men's competitions. Boys have just barely joined our school, and they can't truly be said to have fully integrated yet. What's more, the amount of boys that joined is not at all sizable, with the majority of them being of a more... Bookish... Background, rather than a more sport-oriented one.

"There are a few boys here who are athletes, but they're the glaring exception rather than the norm. My track and field team only has three boys anywhere near good enough to compete, and even then I wouldn't expect them to even get on the podium.

"But you? If you participate in any meet, I'd be more surprised if you didn't place first than otherwise. And now that I know you're not consuming any sort of competition-illegal substance, then I can place my hopes on you.

"That is... If you're willing to do it?"

Matsuda stared at Kimie in silence for a moment, before answering.

"I'll do it, but on one condition."

"What is it?"

"Please get off of my penis, you've been crushing it for over a minute now."

"Oh!" Kimie hopped off of Matsuda, her image being completely hidden from view by the steam cloud, and allowing the baldie to regain control of himself before standing back up, intent on finishing his shower.

It was at that moment that the steam cloud waned, leaving the two teens facing one-another in all their nakedness.

-Issei's Apartment-

'They're probably just as bored as I am.'

The brunet sighed again, before allowing himself to sink further into his couch.

'I really wish something came up right now to curb my boredo-'

BEEP BEEP

Issei stared at his work phone in mild incredulity.

'Now that I think about it some more, I'd rather things were still boring.'

A small tap of the screen later, and he spoke up.

"Issei here."

"Hey, Issei, it's me, Hageshi. There's a job that needs your presence..."

-Chapter, End!-

Alright, this one fought me every step of the way, but I think I did an alright job of it. Remember to give me your opinions of the chapter, be it in the form of a review to the story itself, a PM, or both.

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Anyways... See you next chapter!