Chapter 15: Phoenix Ascending

Chapter 15: Phoenix Ascending

Akeno's and Koneko's behaviors grew peculiar on the sixth day, especially the latter.

Akeno's smile ever since Black's outburst became more plastic.

Her interaction with others, Issei included, wasn't impeded, but every time Issei tried to talk with her, she would make attempts to end their discussion as swiftly as possible, especially during training. At least she was still receptive.

As for Koneko, she was a different case.

She rose early in the morning to train herself to the point of skipping breakfast. Koneko's movements, her demeanour, degraded. There was a palpable tinge of frantic desperation in every swing of her fists, every twitch of her muscle, every breath that left her lips.

The combined strain of her self-intensive training and her sparring, beatings included, finally downed Koneko into a collapse by the end of the day. Closer inspection revealed signs of sleep deprivation, black bags under her eyes evidence of her skipping sleep the night before.

Issei found Koneko hobbling out the door. She looked like a mess, and her black eye bags did not help paint her in a picture of health.

"Koneko... What are you doing?" Issei asked.

The girl seemed nervous all of sudden as she looked away, thinking up an excuse. "I I'd like to catch up with the training I lost."

"In your condition?" Issei's face contorted into a small scowl upon seeing Koneko's half-recovered condition.

"...I have to." Koneko replied, avoiding eye contact with Issei, who kept staring at her for a couple of seconds before replying.

"Koneko, go back to your room. We can pick up where you left off tomorrow." Issei calmly advised.

"But I!" Koneko was about to protest, but found herself unable to finish as she grimaced.

Issei looked at her closely, taking notice of her minute body language - the twitching, the unnatural desire to move forward, the insensible disregard for her bodily health.

"Did Black's words bother you that much?"

Koneko's face fell even deeper as she could only look down in shame.

"...Well? Do you want to talk about it?" Issei offered.

Koneko looked up to see Issei was kneeling before her.

"I know it's eating away at you. Hiding this kind of stuff in your chest will only explode without warning." Issei offered a hand at her. "But before that, you wanna eat something?"

Koneko stared at the offered limb for a few seconds before she slightly looked away. However, before her mouth could open, her stomach had already replied for her in the form of a loud, gurgling noise.

The two fell into silence as Issei found himself amused at the scene, while Koneko's face gradually gained a healthy shade of red across her cheeks.

Then, slowly but surely, Koneko brought up her hand and clutched around Issei's fingers; albeit the girl herself was still refusing to meet him face to face.

Issei bit his lips in an attempt to hold himself from laughing, but Koneko could only glare from her teary, embarrassed eyes that the subtle shaking of Issei's frame said it all.

In the end, for the girl's sake, Issei refrained himself from saying anything as he simply led her to the kitchen.

In the viewing room, Issei and co. were watching the current state of the Rating Game between Rias and Riser.

"Hot-damn" Black gaped slightly at the screen before turning to Issei. "...She quoted Jotaro!" The creature pointed out.

Issei held down the urge to roll his eyes - Black is going to be insufferable for the next few minutes. "Yes, that she did, Black. That she did."

He glanced to the side and found Lord and Lady Gremory giving him questioning looks. "...Please don't ask anything, it would engage him." He whispered while shaking his head.

"Come on, you sure you wanna be like that? That girl might be your type." Black teased with an insufferable smile.

"...She doesn't even know who Jojo is." Issei merely retorted.

"Well, there's an easy solution for that" Black replied with a chuckle, rubbing his small palms together.

Issei could only sigh - Koneko was in for a party by the time she returned.

"Anyway" Venelana decided to change the subject. "I can see that Rias has improved a lot over the course of the match so far. I didn't know she could throw like that."

"Is that the result of your tutelage, young man?" Zeoticus asked with an interested tone.

"Not exactly." Issei had no hand in teaching her those skills, at least not directly. "I did suggest for her to cover the basics, though."

"Most impressive, still." Venelana said thoughtfully. "Many young devils these days believe their talent and demonic power are everything they need to thrive in Rating Games."

"Well, to me that is a one-way ticket to failure" Issei pursed his lips. "Is Riser strong at close combat?"

"No, it is more of his hobby to entertain himself, however, or so I heard." Zeoticus answered. "Most of the time, the main strengths he relies on are his pyromancy, aeromancy, and immortal regeneration."

"When you say 'immortal regeneration,' I see a glorified punching bag," Issei smiled a little as he glanced at Black. Black pointed at his two eyes before pointing his fingers at Issei. Issei subtly gave Black the middle finger in response.

"Ahahahaha!" Zeoticus laughed heartily with vigor. "My, you sound like you want a fight with the Phoenix. If you ask, I can arrange a duel in your stead with Riser. I have a hunch he might agree."

"I hmmm." Issei looked at Riser's screen, seeing the air of confidence swirling around his seated form. "Yeah, I can see Riser wanting the same. For now though, he has Rias to deal with."

oXo

Grayfia's announcing the loss over Riser's five pawns made Xuelan click her tongue. To think they would lose a chunk of their members this early in the game.

Xuelan leaned back away from Tsubasa's roundhouse kick and blocked her reverse elbow thrust before it reached her ribs. Xuelan was pushed away by that last attack, distance wide between the two rooks.

Xuelan assumed her usual flamingo posture while Tsubasa's frame bobbed up and down on her feet. She resumed their second round, dashing towards the bluenette first, dancing with her with her flying fists and thrusted kicks.

Xuelan's combat style was derived from traditional chinese martial-arts, but Tsubasa's style was derived from modern mixed styles. The former might have packed more power due to the discipline from each stance, but the latter trumped in terms of efficiency and adaptability.

Tsubasa was able to dodge every single strike as she maintained her footwork. Tsubasa exploited an opening as she ducked Xuelan's punch and slid a right look to her gut simultaneously.

Coughing spittle, Xuelan gritted her teeth in frustration as she exerted her muscles to move faster, attack faster, but Tsubasa retaliated with adeptly timed blows, striking her face, shoulder, torso, and arms.

There wasn't much strength imbued in Tsubasa's blows, allowing Xuelan to stand on her feet. However, Tsubasa did not need to defeat her foe as fast as possible. All she needed to do was to whittle Xuelan until she could fight no more, playing it safe until then.

On the other side of the gym - frustration plagued Ile and Nel, the more the tongue-rope of the sandy-haired Pawn remained unbroken the more annoying he became.

The boy was proven to be more than the twins had given him credit for; despite their coordinated movements and attacks, he could somehow dodge and intercepted every strike they threw at him.

"Ahahahaha! I've fought armies of demons, you twerps! You think a couple of midgets can get the drop on me?!" Saji boasted as he weaved his way through the twin chainsaws. Their weapons were starting to wear down, the teeth of their rotating blades abladed to bluntness as shards of blades started flying off the edges.

The twins gritted their teeth as their movements became more desperate to get their hands on Saji. However, the boy saw an opening with one of the girls.

As she pounced on him, Saji immediately circled around her and garroted her with Absorption Line, strangling the twin while the other watched Saji hold the gagging girl before him as his meat shield.

"Aha!" Saji exclaimed in triumph as Nie or Ile chokingly gasped as she wheezed, tugging at the tongue-rope tied around her neck.

"Let her go!" The other twin shouted as she attempted to attack, but Saji kept her sister in front of her as a make-shift shield. "You fiend! You dare to use my sister to protect yourself!? You coward!"

"It's two against one kid!" Saji shouted back. "A coward can't call me a coward with those odds!"

"Nel help" Ile wheezed as her eyes started to droop, the energy in her arms started to wilt as her arms slowly fell.

"Ile!" Nel shouted in horror as she watched her sister disappear in motes of light.

[A Pawn of Riser Phenex has retired.]

"YOU BASTARD!" Nel screamed in rage as she dashed towards Saji, only for Saji to exploit her moment of weakness as he landed a direct kick to her abdomen.

"Ackof!?" Nel coughed as she rolled over her shoulder back to her feet, but before she could stand, the same blasted tongue-rope tied around her neck and pulled her towards the Pawn.

"Get over here!" Saji shouted as he delivered a strong right hook into the girl's face, sending her flying and crashing into the wall.

The hook seemed to break something critical as Ile's body also soon disappeared into the light.

[A Pawn of Riser Phenex has retired.]

In the meantime, Mira could not help but feel apprehensive at the knowledge that she was the only Pawn left in the game. With Ile and Nel's retirement, their chances against the three servants of Rias Gremory had decreased significantly.

Albeit, her moment of distraction allowed Amanda an opportunity she would not waste.

"Gotcha!" Amanda secured her hold on Mira's staff with triumph.

The Pawn gasped, trying to free her weapon from Amanda's grasp, but Amanda's hold was strong, and she was overpowering the Pawn. Losing ground in the tug of war, Mira could only release her weapon and leap away some distance before Amanda overwhelmed her.

Upon landing, Mira watched as Amanda smashed the staff into her knee, breaking it in two and threw the sticks down with visible frustration.

"Need some help?"

Mira clicked her tongue upon seeing the sandy-haired Pawn of Gremory joining the Rook.

"I am fine." Amanda replied without leaving her gaze from Mira. "I believe I can handle the Pawn without her primary weapon alone. What about Tsubasa?"

Suddenly, Mira caught something from the corner of her eyes, forcing her to duck below Xuelan's body as it flew over her. The Chinese Rook's body crashed through the wall before she also disappeared in fading light.

[A Rook of Riser Phenex has retired.]

Saji and Amanda then turned to see Tsubasa jogging towards them - sweat was visible on her skin. "Huff, that was one tough cookie. What'd I miss?" The winning Rook asked with a cheeky grin.

Saji and Amanda only turned to Mira, who swallowed a lump and her face paled at the sight of three opponents staring down at her.

However, just when the trio were about to go after the lonely Pawn, they sensed their entire surrounding trembled for a brief moment, before everything went white.

[A Pawn of Riser Phenex has retired.]

A loud explosion erupted, the sound of the boom reaching all over the field, touching every ear in the Rating Game. A mushroom cloud of fire and smoke rose from what remained of the sports gym, fires dancing amongst the wreckage.

"What the-?!" Yuuto could not help but exclaim at the sight, as he locked blades with Siris.

Ravel, on the other hand, only narrowed her eyes at the development. If she recalled - her brother and her had sent Xuelan, Mira, Ile and Nel to the gym; however, so far, only the announcements of their member's retirement had been heard so far. It had been a minute passed, yet there was not a single announcement of any loss from Gremory group.

She then looked up to the sky, where she could spot a figure in elaborate robes holding a ceremonial staff floating above the smoking remains of the sports gym.

Yubelluna, the Queen of Riser Phenex, scowled as she inspected her handiwork. She felt bad for Mira, but considering how many losses they had counted after observing the fight in the gym, they had to pull off their emergency measures anyway.

What vexed her, however, was that she did not hear any announcement of the retirements other than their pawn. After all, she had channeled a significant portion of power into her explosion spell.

She descended to see better through the smoke and dust-cloud, and among the rubble inside the crater, she could make out three figures on the ground.

Tsubasa, Amanda and Saji were on their fours; hacking out dust and smoke from their system as their ears rang with the most piercing, deafening pitch.

"Agh! Did Rover just bomb us?!" Saji shouted, but his own voice could not pierce the deafening ringing; they were all deaf to the world as of this moment.

Tsubasa barely replied with a groan while massaging her head.

"Mawp. Mawp!" Amanda, on the other hand, was blocking one of her ears with her finger, while muttering those words.

The Queen of Riser clicked her tongue as she watched them pick themselves up, scanning the surroundings.

"Hey! Guys, can you hear me?!" Saji shouted as he kept slapping his ears, trying to hit the ringing away.

"What!?" Tsubasa screamed in return as she pressed her palm on her ear - all she could hear was still ringing sound.

Amanda, meanwhile, was scanning her surroundings while muttering her 'mawping' noise.

Despite their impaired hearing, the three could vaguely make each other silhouettes through the smokes and slowly made their way to regroup.

However, when Amanda looked up, her eyes widened at the sight of a female witch pointing her staff at

oXo

Saji did not know what happened.

He was wobbling towards Tsubasa with his ears still recovering one second, the next he found Amanda suddenly pushing him aside.

As he fell behind, a magic circle sprung to life where he was before, at Amanda, before another explosion engulfed the borrowed Room, the knockback blasting both him and Tsubasa tumbling away.

[A Rook of Rias Gremory has retired.]

The first thing that Saji heard after his hearing had recovered was Grayfia's announcement.

Rage filled his mind as he looked around prone to find the bastard that took Amanda out. He looked up, seeing the condescending smile on Yubelluna's face.

"Finally. I must admit, you are surely resilient for a fractured peerage." The woman half-praised half-mocked as she looked down on them from the air.

Saji only growled at the Bomb Queen's floating form. "You bitch!"

The Pawn was about to rush at her, only to be stopped by a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Tsubasa mildly glaring at him.

"Saji! Don't know if you can hear me, but we have to go! Now!" Tsubasa shouted through the ringing noise in her ear as she pulled Saji away.

"But...!" Saji could hear her, albeit barely, as he let Tsubasa pull him away with bitter resentment.

Seeing the remaining two survivors, Yubelluna aimed her staff at the two fleeing survivors.

"Your escape attempt is futile!"

The tip of her staff glowed, another spell ready to fire. However, Yubelluna suddenly sensed magical energy flying towards her from the side, forcing her to cancel her spell as she backed away just when a ball of Power of Destruction grazed the front of her dress.

Seeing the skin of her stomach revealed through her torn dress, Yubelluna clicked her tongue as she looked in the direction of her attacker. She narrowed her eyes upon seeing Rias Gremory and her Queen floating afar side by side.

"Rias Gremory. Aren't you supposed to be nesting in your base?" Yubelluna asked with a narrowed look.

"Yubellena, the Bomb Queen. Shouldn't you be by Riser's side, tending to his needs?" Rias quipped back.

In return, Yubelluna merely scowled as Rias smirked with smugness.

"Saji, Tsubasa! We'll take it from here! Go join the others!" Rias shouted at her surviving teammates.

Saji could barely hear Rias' words despite her attempts. Instead, he gave her a thumbs up and shouted, "T-Thanks for the save! We'll leave it to you!"

Tsubasa was still recovering as she could only vaguely hear her surroundings, but she was receptive enough to reply with a wave of her hand.

Rias nodded and turned to her Queen. "Akeno, can you tend to them?"

Akeno nodded, but she asked first as she glanced at the enemy Queen, "What about her?"

Rias' smirk returned as she turned to glare at the woman in question.Read latest chapters at novelhall.com Only

"Leave her to me."

"Tell me. Whose unorthodox idea was it that you attempt to borrow other Servants from other Kings? What did you do in that grace period of yours, I wonder?"

"What does it matter?" Rias asked.

"More than you know, dear Rias. Everything depends on your answer." Riser responded with unexpected authoritative resonance in his tone. Rias felt his words more than she would've liked, a small ping of guilt panging inside.

"...It's Ise's idea." Rias bit out.

"Ah, so it was his idea." Riser mused. "You see, Rias." Riser chuckled as he shook his head at the Gremory. "...This only shows that the boy is more King than you. Do you know the quality that every king should have?" Riser asked.

Rias replied after a moment of thinking, "Charisma."

"Not quite." Riser denied. "The power to stand on their own and carry their subjects with them. Your borrowing strength from others proves your lacking, and your parents' lack of faith in you."

"Oh, as if looking for loyal and willing servants is a crime," Rias snarled.

"Fairly, it isn't, but I've been hearing rumors and stories of how you more like reincarnated them under very ultimatum circumstances. Is it true that you reincarnated all of them on the verge of death?"

Rias winced at the truth, unable to deny that she invited her servants when they were in dire straits.

"So what if I did?" Rias barked back, her voice wavering. "While it is true, I didn't instigate their misfortunes like Diodora. I am still a woman of honor and pride, Riser, and abandoning those who need aid the most is a crime, not as a person, but as well as a king."

"You may be much better. However, none of your servants had a choice. You have never given any of your servants a choice, and when you do, you would coerce them when nothing falls in your favor. Don't bark back at me this time, your efforts on the Red Dragon emperor is proof enough."

"I" Rias faltered in her words. Her eyes darted as she hung her head, a rising seed of panic taking away the words she wanted to say, a rebuke to explain herself, yet when her memory swam towards Issei, her throat clogged as her actions completely reflected Riser's accusations.

"You are but a spoiled girl, Rias. You are a King that cannot stand on her own feet. You are the kind that is carried by your subjects. Your greatest mistake ever since you took on the role is not relying on yourself. Did you not give yourself up the moment you heard the engagement?" Riser concluded.

Her resolve started to crumble like her defiant mien. Riser's attacking criticism was the same as Issei's, an heiress that had never earned anything in her life - her talent, servants, resources, status, on a silver platter. When her golden world was threatened by reality, she could only fight back with an incomplete peerage and a haphazard plan to recruit no, coerce a strong candidate to save herself.

Like they said, Rias could not stand on her feet. Even the state of her and her Peerage now was because of another's plan and efforts.

However, before Riser could verbally lash at Rias more, a blast of lightning descended from the heavens and struck him.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHGggggggggghhhh?!" Riser shouted in pain - excruciating pain.

Riser's flames burned his wounds back to normalcy, but something was wrong. The burns and laceration were not closing instantly.

"No IMPOSSIBLE!"

Riser threw his widened gaze at Akeno - her finger poised at him, her features befouled by an enraged scowl.

"Rias does not need to hear you anymore." Akeno warned with an ominous, threatening tone.

"You. How could you perform holy-element magic!?" Riser shouted at Akeno, his calm, confident facade shattered in an instant by outrage and shock.

The Queen's expression did not shift, albeit she sent a brief smile at Rias before addressing Riser. "...Allow me to enlighten you."

The holy-element poisoning in his body continued to course through his veins as Riser calmly gave her his ear.

"I loath to admit. You are not wrong about Rias." Akeno began.

Riser flicked his gaze to his left, seeing the Pawn, the Rook, and the Knights starting to surround him.

"However, you are wrong about another thing." Akeno narrowed her eyes as her smile disappeared. "We may carry our King, but in return, she carries us. You are a powerful King yourself, Riser, but in return, you neglected your subjects the most."

"Oh?" Riser hummed with interest. "In what manner of speaking are you referring to?"

"You treat your Peerage well." Akeno's fingers crackled with holy lightning. "But you have denied their growth in your negligence. Your subjects are lacking because of your pride in yourself."

Yuuto and Catherine tightened their grips on their respective blades as Saji and Tsubasa readied to charge at the lone King. Riser closed his eyes, his lips curling into a smile despite the overwhelming odds.

"Well played." Riser praised her with genuine respect. "You have successfully won the argument. And your demonstration won my genuine shock. However" The moment Riser opened his eyes he instantly waved his arm at Yuuto's direction, firing a corona of inferno as the fires blanketed Yuuto's vision.

The Knight widened his eyes in surprise as he raised his sword to protect himself, but Riser's flame overwhelmed him, sword and all.

"YUUTO!" Rias cried as Grayfia's voice echoed the battlefield.

[One Knight of Rias Gremory has retired.]

"I will be sure to thoroughly discipline both my and your Peerage once I crush you here and now, Rias." Riser smiled as he cast his gaze and drank in Rias' shock and despair.

Another bolt of lightning flashed, the third son of Phenex swerving in the air as the crackling plasma struck where he once were. In retaliation, Riser threw another massive stream of flame towards Akeno. The sheer firepower forced the grimacing Queen to evade, yet the fires did not lick her, only scraping bits of her clothes in its hunger.

"And Priestess of Thunder" Riser turned to Akeno with eyes of calm rage. "What are you, really? No mere Devil can use the Holy Elements."

The Queen of Thunder closed her eyes briefly and revealed the determination in her lavender orbs to the world.

"I am the daughter of a human woman Shuri Himejima, and fallen angel Baraqiel"

Akeno's words caused every eye sans Rias to widen - Riser in particular, as a black wing belonged to a fallen angel manifested next to Akeno's devil wing.

"...As well as Rias Gremory's Queen, Akeno Himejima!" The newly-revealed Nephilim declared as the sparks of holy lightning danced around her body.

"I hope you don't mind reheated leftovers."

Issei offered dinner to Koneko at the dining table, some rice and the remaining side-dishes.

Koneko said not a word in response. Her hands reached for the chopsticks and picked a few bites. The atmosphere was awkward, if not downright uncomfortable as she silently ate her meal.

"So, about earlier"

Nervous was on her face as she kept staring at Issei, her eyes creased.

Running his hand through his brown locks, he sighed in a mild frustration for his inability to find the right words to say.

"Look, you and I both know I suck at this." Issei pursed his lips as he nodded his head in self-defeat. "But we both know if we don't get this out of the way, everyone suffers. So, answer me. What's eating you?"

In response, the girl only looked down in shame, her eyes trembling with the words seemingly clogged in her throat.

"Remember when we first met?" Issei asked as he leaned back in his chair, running his hand over his face.

The sudden change of topic perked her attention as she gave him her gaze.

"Properly met, of course. Right after you met my family's dog" Issei continued on as she grimaced a little at that recent memory. "I was trying to kill a monster on behalf of the neighborhood while you and everyone else mistook my dog for said monster's familiar. It was awkward tensions were ablaze and you were nearly dog food."

Issei leaned forward, placing both elbows down on the table with his back hunched.

"But we made up in the end. Well, not entirely between you and Rover. I told you everything I can about Rover despite that. I still feel guilty about not training Rover well enough to know better. But in the end, we pulled through, and Rover seemed to like you enough back there in the first training arc."

Koneko frowned as she narrowed her eyes, her cheeks puffed in pouting.

"What? He likes you now." Issei grinned. "But the point is, we resolved everything at least. Like I helped Rias with this and her wanting me in her Peerage. So why don't we talk about what's happening now?"

It took a good few minutes of silence for Koneko to eventually talk, "I. I do want to help President Rias. But"

When her face scrunched up in agony, Issei grimaced as he himself was at the wits end.

"You know what? Forget it." Issei sighed in resignation as he stood up, eliciting a startled look from Koneko. "I can't force you to talk or confess anything. Though I guess this is as far as you can go."

Issei rose from his seat, taking his leave. However, before he took his third step, Koneko raised her voice.

"There's no meaning if I end up a monster!"

Issei stopped in his tracks on the words.

"...Excuse me?" Issei turned around, raising a brow at Koneko.

Koneko widened her eyes at her outburst as she hung her head again, blushing furiously.

"...Define 'monster'." Issei asked as he took his seat again.

"I it is not easy to explain."

"Do you have unexpected cravings for human flesh?" Issei asked.

"I huh?" Koneko raised her head, her head tilting confused.

"Do you have any volatile tendencies to break and kill things just for the hell of it?" Issei continued.

Koneko remained confused. No, she was even more confused more question marks popped above her head.

"Do you suddenly have an inrush of adrenaline and drug-like euphoria rushing through you removing any and all moral inhibitions?"

Issei's words were growing scientific with each question, making Koneko sweat as she remained there helpless, unable to find the words to respond.

"What? You said 'monster,' so I am curious. Black told me a lot about monsters back in his day, and I gotta say, it is quite educational." Issei explained. "So, a quick question. Did you sacrifice your humanity to become a monster? Well, technically you sacrificed whatever race you were to become a devil honestly, but you get the point."

Koneko blinked as she slowly digested the question. She slowly shook her head in denial. Her powers were more natural from birth.

"So what you're saying is that your latent abilities are completely natural?"

Koneko slowly nodded.

"Then I am confident you're not a monster. Or a struggling one." Issei leaned back in his chair.

"How can you say that?!" Koneko immediately shouted in an outburst. "My sister turned into a monster the moment she-!"

She closed her lips before she could continue. It was too late, however.

"...Koneko." Issei leaned forward and laid his arms on the table. "Look me in the eyes and tell me this. Do you know how she turned into a monster?"

Koneko looked away, her cheeks blushing in embarrassment.

"I.. it's our n-nekomata powers."

"Koneko." Issei sighed. "...I have no idea what you're afraid of."

Koneko raised her head.

"My family dog can grow big and breath atomic barks, my pseudo-big brother is an alien asshole with a tentacle growing out of his head, and I have an uncle that knows how to burn several city blocks with a flick of his wrist. So what makes you think I cannot take on whatever you think you might become?"

Koneko sheepishly fidgeted in her seat. No matter what she could conjure, she could not find the right words to refute or hide behind. There was no way she could considering his estranged family. That and she couldn't argue against the giant six-eyed dog.

"I" Koneko looked up. Her eyes were still trembling, but she slowly pouted at Issei. "...It isn't fair."

"What is?" Issei asked with a smile.

"Everything. You are using Black and your dog."

Issei snickered. "Yeah, I know. So, what do you think?" Issei asked. "You want to talk about it now?"

A few moments later, Koneko closed her eyes and exhaled in acceptance.

"Can I tell you a story?"

"Go ahead. We have all night."

Issei smiled as Koneko finally opened up on her story.

It was the story of two cat sisters, one that managed to fall under the service of a certain Devil master.

In the beginning, the sisters were orphaned - both of their parents died when they were young. Their life on the streets was harsh and they spent their days scraping enough to survive each day, but they were happy with each other.

One day, a passing devil offered them shelter in exchange for joining his Peerage, and the elder sister accepted the offer on their behalf.

However, their new life did not last long when the older sister tapped into their hereditary as Nekoshou - Senjutsu. The story ended with the elder sister killing their Devil master in cold blood, standing above the bleeding corpse of their former King.

Issei listened in stride as he nodded.

"...So" Issei pursed his lips. "In short you're afraid you'll do something similar and kill Rias, don't you?"

Koneko nodded, "My sister. She didn't just kill her previous master, but those who attempted to stop her as well. She She just changed."

Issei hummed. There was something fishy with that story. As far as he knew, he had never heard of any youkai going berserk unless they somehow learned how to achieve monsterfication as Black described.

"Can you show me? Your true form."

Koneko looked up to see Issei's soft gaze regarding her. After a brief of hesitation, Koneko then grew a pair of cat ears on top of her head, as well as a white tail coming out from her lower back.

At the sight of Koneko's new form, Issei looked at the ears with a pleasant surprise.

"Huh so that is what you really look like."

"This is what I truly am, Ise-senpai." Koneko said with a resigned tone. "...Are you scared of me now?"

Issei smiled as he broke down in snickers, eliciting a bewildered look from the girl.

"Koneko." Issei looked up, seeing her confused face. "You are looking at a boy whose best friend is a giant dog that breathes atomic death. I am, by far, the last person on Earth you should ask."

Koneko's ears drooped down, her tail started to swish back and forth as her blushing face grew redder with embarrassment.

"If you want my honest opinion, I find your cat ears cute. They definitely suit you." Issei gave her an encouraging thumbs up.

"E-Eh?" Koneko's blush grew redder as she reflexively covered her cat ears, though her tail swished back and forth faster, a sign of happiness amongst cats.

"Yeah, you're cuter this way." Issei then got up to walk around the table until he stood before Koneko, and reached out to place his hand softly on top of her head. "And to answer your question - no, I am not scared of you."

Under Issei's words and treatment, the girl found herself biting her lip lightly as she looked down, obscuring her eyes with her bangs. Then, Koneko timidly muttered, "Can you say it again? That you're not scared of me?"

Keeping his hand on Koneko's crown, Issei complied, "I'm not scared of you."

Koneko's bitten lip slowly stretched into a smile, as Issei could see a few tears leaking out from her obscured eyes. "Say it again, please?"

"I'm not scared of you." Issei complied without missing a beat.

Koneko's tail kept swinging back and forth as she asked, "Then, will you please keep me in line? I don't want to become a monster."

Issei replied with an absolute conviction, "Even if you become a monster, I'll definitely save you. You can count on me."

Koneko then strode forward, pushed her face into Issei's torso while wrapping her arms around him.

As usual, review! XD