Ddraig wasn't lying when she said that Issei would be experiencing mental exhaustion. It took a few hours for the effects happening to his body to calm down once he started to focus on the meditation, the shower having kept him clean during the process as he turned it off. Pulling himself out of the shower.

~Just get to the bed, once you land I'll take care of the rest.~

'Fuck, I hate mental exhaustion, makes me feel like I'm emotional.' Mental exhaustion was hard to cope with, it made you feel vulnerable, and emotional. Made you overthink things easily, by the time Issei was already throwing himself onto the hotel's bed, he had already questioned a few times about his current path, confirming if it would be the right path or not before he just passed out once his eyes closed.

~Good, rest well Issei. You will wake up a new man.~

It was hours later, around about ten hours of dead sleep when Issei opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling of an unfamiliar room, he didn't freak out.

Worst case he was kidnapped, best case? He stumbled across a hot maiden, swept her off her feet, and banged the night before.

~Hehkek... I guess the second one could be technically correct. We had a night of hot passion after all.~

Ddraig's voice sounded... Soothing? Less deep and dragony, and silkier smooth like a sex hotline person, it was still pretty difficult to 'hear' the female tone in it, but it was different.

~I had to use energy to speak to you previously since we weren't fully bonded, but now it's easier to speak with you, meaning I have to expend minimal energy to do so, first before you get up, I recommend you take it slow and easy. You're a lot stronger than you were before.~

Issei grumbled about being an old man as he slowly got out of bed, even with the small movements he could tell that he had gotten stronger.

Making his way to the bathroom he checked himself out on the mirror.

"Oh... That's going to be hard to explain." Issei chuckled, he definitely looked a lot more handsome. As if there was a new allure about him, but now he had horns.

~They are presents. You can just break them near the base. They're no Excalibur but Dragon horns are capable of harming all creatures. These are a good tool for you right now.~

'Will I wake up with them from now on?'

~Only when you want me to create them again. They take time to grow so it's best I do it while your sleeping.~

Reaching up Issei took a firm hold of them near the base of then at his skull before snapping them off. It felt like clipping a toenail off. Once he had them snapped off, they became a lot sturdier by hardening. Their weight and sturdiness made them good stabbing weapons. 

He took a few practice swings before laying them on the counter and getting into the shower to take a proper shower this time.

~They are also great medicine, especially for things focused on strengthening. So I recommend you crush them and add them to your... Smoothies when you work out.~

'Dragon bone protein powder sounds metal as fuck... I could sell that.'

Ddraig snickered softly at him finding a way to make use of something new to his body.

'Would you be able to able to tell how much stronger I am? Say a scale of 1-100, and I was a 5 previously.'

~Hmm... I'd say you've jumped up to a little over 12, you are now 'Twice' stronger than your base, but since we're so compatible, it's more like 2.3x. The good thing is, you can now stand against a normal devil child with the strength you have now, though that was from when I was a dragon... I am not sure how strong they have gotten now that times of changed, as your memories are nothing to go by but superficial knowledge.~

'That makes me how strong compared to the normal human?'

~Hard to estimate since humans have so much energies they can gain to strengthen themselves, but I'd have to say you'd be able to easily fight off a normal professional boxer.~

'Oh, so I just skip weight classes now, great.' Issei chuckled as now that he had cleaned himself and brushed his teeth, he closed everything in the small bag that held his 'overnight' items and he put on the extra uniform he had.

~That Fallen has stayed watching your room all night, though they finally switched out just an hour ago, this one feels a lot weaker, smaller. Also much worse at hiding themselves.~ Ddraig updated Issei.

Now Issei could almost... Feel it, someone was watching him, now that he didn't have the uncomfortable feeling from yesterday and his mind and body were at peak shape, he could tell now. Actually, it felt like his senses have expanded.

It was almost annoying to learn that despite his dedicated training, he awoke his sacred gear and in one night he was already better than himself from yesterday.

He kept the horns in his bag as he started his trek to school, letting his parents know that he had fun and was heading to school now.

Instead of discreetly following him as the man had before, this woman blatantly used her wings and what looked to be magic for blurring senses.

It affected Issei to a point, but it was easier to get past it than yesterday already, and it didn't even register to Ddraig that it was doing anything so they were able to keep tabs on them all the way until they started getting near school, it looked like only then did they actively try to stay away and out of sight.

Once he was in school he relaxed more. 

The school day was normal, a few more people noticed how better he was looking. But the Devils in the school were paying more attention to him than usual, could they sense his sudden rise in strength, or were they sensing Ddraig?

~A possibility that it's both Partner, Devils have a natural ability to 'sense' the strength of someone, humans are insignificant, combined with a slight inkling of your increased strength, and the fact I have fully awakened, even if I am actively suppressing myself... Sona, the sexy one with glasses? She's a sharp one, the Sitri have always been keen individuals.~

'So, hot stern types are your style?'

~I've had a few hosts that were, I even once got to watch a bit of Teacher Student role play, I won't lie and say it wasn't hot, it would be beneath me.~

'So much for Dragon of Domination, you just like being dominated.'

~It is true! Female dragons prefer to mate with a stronger dragon than themselves... Though it was hard for me and Albion to find mates due to our rivalry, we ended up getting... Pretty strong in pursuit of besting the other.~

'So, that rivalry, is it friendly?'

~Quite! She and I have been friends for many, many eons. When we were sealed away and made into sacred gears, that rivalry only got passed down to our hosts.~

''Issei?'' 

Issei looked over from the window, it was currently lunchtime, and Issei had forgotten to grab lunch and he didn't care for the lunch rush to the cafeteria so he hung back, he would go to one of the vending machines, they pretty much restocked every two days.

It was an average pretty Asian girl with brown hair and eyes, his brows went up, it was Katase Ogura, someone in his class and one of the girls on the kendo team. Her practice sword was still in its bag, so that was a good sign.

''Yes, Katase?''

''I've been told be another member of the Kendo team that they have seen you at their gym working out, and despite us having held practice two weeks prior to school starting, we have yet to see the Per-... Your usual three anywhere around, I spoke with it to the President and she said that you and Motohama have turned a new leaf... I would like to ask you to prove that.''

Issei raised a brow and leaned back in his chair and turned a bit to look at her properly, now that he was looking he could see a few other Kendo members standing at the open door at the back of the class.

''How can I prove it other than just, not doing what I used to?'' Issei asked, at least a little interested in where this was going.

''Well, if you properly went to the gym, and focused on working out and bettering your health, then you'll be able to keep up with one of our newer students in a spar, I know from middle school you have some practice in Kendo.''

Issei did actually, it was a phase when he wanted to be cool, he tried learning Iaido, which was a quick draw combat style. 'All you need is one slash'.

The problem is, Issei never once tried to actually apply any of what he learned, but he had a way around that.

''Technically, I practiced in Iaido and Western style swordsmanship, I didn't get far in Iaido but I still practice Western, is that fine?'' 

There was a moment of contemplation on her face before she nodded. ''It is fine, it is always good to learn how to fight against other styles that aren't Kendo, it helps broaden the mind.''

Issei nodded before he stood and began to walk with her and the other girls to the Kendo Dojo the school had. The group that Kanase moved with kept their eyes on him.

Once they arrived in the dojo there were already two people fighting, Issei watched the fight for a few.

''You will be fighting against Saski, to the left.'' Kanase affirmed as they watched.

A good seedling for sure, a natural talent, and her strikes with the bokken were strong and swift, it was a pretty even match but Saski seemed to pull out a victory and everyone clapped for the fight. 

Saski didn't remove her mask but the other person did, Issei's brows raising only momentarily to see that it was Kiba, the Prince of the high school.

''Good work Saski, you are quickly improving, I hope that I will see you in the swordsmanship tournament being held in the next few months?''

''Y-Yes! B-But then I'm sure you will win since you will be using the style you're used to!'' Saski confirmed from behind her mask, was their a tournament like that happening?

Kiba chuckled softly causing the girls to swoon around him, though Issei noticed how he was now in a staring contest with the guy.

~I don't like him, he looks too... Pretty? No roguish charm.~

Issei chuckled to himself a bit before he went to the wooden sword currently hung up for training, he grabbed one of the straight non-curved Bokken, making sure there was no wear or tear on it indicating it was a newer one the school had ordered.

He gave it a few practice swings with one hand, getting accommodated to the weight of it before he groaned inwardly.

'Fuck, I'm going to need to hold back if I don't want to break this sword...'

~Consider it training for sex.~

'For what?'

~Sex? You know, when a man puts his th-~

'I know WHAT sex is Ddraig, I meant 'Why' sex.'

~Oh, because the last thing you need to do is use your strength and break someone during it... or something-?~ Ddraig put emphasis on the 'thing' and then it clicked.

Ah yeah, he didn't want that happening.

---

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