"...." - A character's dialogue

(....) - A character's thoughts

{....} - Issei communicating with Ddraig in mind

{....} - Ddraig speaking in Issei's mind

[....] - Ddraig speaking openly to his surrounding

(...)- Ddraig's thoughts.

------

Both of them stare at each other with completely different expressions than usual. Momo looked at Issei disbelievingly, as if she couldn't understand the unexpected hostility. Even looking at her shocked face though, Issei never let his guard down at the 'devils' that supposedly enslaved him.

The tense, uncomfortable silence was prolonged for a few moments. Some passersby look at them with curiosity, worry, or both. Although realizing the unusual situation, they all head to their designated class. All of them don't understand the circumstances in detail, but none want to get mixed in the lover's spat.

As for the girl herself, she was....confused. 

"....Hyoudou-kun?"

She reaches out her hand to him slowly, but the recipient takes a step back almost immediately. Instead of teasing her as usual, the boy only looks at her with MORE suspicion than before. Moreover, he even stared at her stretched hand as if it were something that could bite him at any moment.

With this, it's confirmed. It was not her imagination, he was wary of her. Even though he didn't say anything explicit, something severe happened to him when reincarnated as a devil.

To the point, it put him in an alert state toward her. 

That...hurt. She doesn't understand why he’s acting this way, but it freaking stings for her.

Unconsciously, she bit her lips strongly, as if she couldn't bear this 'injustice'. The corner of her eyes shed tears for this unwarranted caution.

"Wh-Why!?... Why are you so..."

She couldn't finish the sentence, but her actions were more than enough to express her current feelings. As for Issei, he expected some kind of hostility, but not for her to react this badly. He frowned confusedly with a conflicted face but didn't say anything to console her. 

His worldview has been completely flipped upside down.

He didn't want to make her sad either, but there were too many unknown risks if he interacted with her openly like last week. However, it's also true that he could be wrong due to paranoia.

So, he discreetly communicates with his partner.

{...What do you think, Ddraig?}

{Hmm...Since you shared your sense with me, I could say with certainty. This girl is not faking her feelings.}

{....Alright.}

If the wise dragon said so, it's true then. There's no reason for him to lie to Issei. Immediately, he suppressed the malice and caution directed to her. He doesn't want to cause any unnecessary misunderstanding and fight if it can be avoided.

Closing his eyes briefly, he takes a few deep breaths. Then, he opens it to look at her eyes directly. Sensing the changes in the boy, Momo also begins to calm down. Her tensed face immediately relaxed after seeing her cru---close friend disperse the hostility toward her.

"I'm sorry, Hanakai-san. I don't have any intention to hurt you. It's just....a lot happened yesterday."

"A...lot?"

Nodding slightly, the boy releases a huge, long sigh of exhaustion. The stress and sudden changes happening in these two days make him too prickly. If he's not careful, he may even lash out at someone unrelated.

Looking at his unusual state with pursed lips, Momo inquired about his situation cautiously. She predicted something would occur, but not to this extent.

"Hyoudou-kun, what...happened really?"

"...."

"You are...a devil, right? Reincarnated by Gremory-senpai?"

"!!"

As soon as that name popped up, his lowered eyelid shot up immediately. Although not to the level of glaring, it was pretty close. He's almost boring holes at her with that much intensity poured into his gaze.

From the sudden reaction, Momo flinched slightly. Undeterred, Issei asked a question almost instantly.

"How is Gremory-senpai related to this, exactly?"

"...What?"

Okay, now she's officially confused. Tilting her head perplexedly, she tried to sort out the pieces of information gathered. There's something critically missing here. It's almost like both sides have different base standards in the context of communication.

She thought that Issei had been briefed about their races and whatnot. Therefore, she screamed in joy inwardly to not need secrecy. 

But he didn't look happy or accepting of his current situation. As if his changes are truly unexpected.

"Can I confirm a few things, Hyoudou-kun?"

"Go ahead."

Nodding again, he raises his right hand as if saying, " No need to hold back." The reincarnated boy himself also realizes that there are a few important pieces of information he missed as a devil.

Getting his permission, Momo immediately asked her questions.

"You are reincarnated as a devil, right?"

A nod.

"You can also sense me as a reincarnated devil too?"

Slightly hesitant, he nods again after a few moments. From the word used, reincarnated, It looks like there's a huge difference between a reincarnated devil and a pure one.

"Have you been informed about the three-way war, Evil Pieces, and your role as Gremory-senpai's servant?"

This time, he shook his head for all three of them. If he was, then he wouldn't be in this frustrating situation, troubling him greatly. While he knew about the ongoing war and ceasefire from Ddraig, that's just second-hand information at best. He truly wasn't given any kind of context from his supposed master.

THAT surprised Momo greatly. Not only he didn't know about Gremory-senpai, but he also didn't have any kind of knowledge about the devils and the supernatural at all.

(...There's something fishy here.)

Narrowing her eyes, she pries more from Issei. This whole problem is getting more and more suspicious as the minute passes. Not toward Issei, but to the Fallen Angel and Gremory-Senpai. Her intuition tells her that both women are directly responsible for this.

"...When did you realize you are not a human anymore?"

"...This morning."

"How...exactly?"

If he knew about him being a devil, then it's natural for someone to inform the changes and know-how about it. But from Issei, it looks like he only found out about it by himself today.

Because he never knew about it in the first place.

Grimacing at her question, he rubs his stomach area, as if the hollow pain could still be felt even after being healed.

"Yesterday, when I was invited to a date by R--Yuuma-san, she...killed me, figuratively speaking."

"!?Wh-what!!"

Widening her eyes, she raised her voice, panicking greatly hearing that. Her suspicion toward the fallen angel is immediately replaced by anger and frustration. No one likes to hear their close ones got hurt, much more not having the power to stop it.

However, her anger immediately cooled down looking at his healthy state. If he was truly 'killed' as he says, then this conversation wouldn't happen in the first place.

"What exactly happened, Hyoudou-kun?"

This time, Momo asked her question much more gently than before. Death, whether supernatural or not, is a sensitive topic. Moreover, Issei nearly experienced eternal slumber. She has that much tact to not provoke him more than needed.

As for Momo's question though, he only shakes his head frustratedly.

"Your guess is as good as mine, Hanakai-san. When Yuuma-san stabbed me with...something into my stomach, my consciousness was unstable. It was a near miracle I could stay awake, even if it was barely. But.. before I completely passed out, someone appeared, talking about a reborn to be a devil or something. That's where I connect it to my current situation."

For Momo herself, it was a bit vague, but that's the most reasonable explanation after hearing Issei's circumstances. She nodded her head, showing her understanding.

...It wasn't a lie per se. He did remember his new 'master' proclaiming something along those lines. Even though Ddraig helped him a lot, it's too risky to expose the dragon's existence without knowing much. That's why he intentionally phrased it in a way he found out about it by himself.

While Momo is ruminating on the facts gained from Issei, the boy also thinks about the name given by her.

(Now that she mentioned it...)

Pausing middle-way, he cups his chin with eyes narrowed thoughtfully. When she referred to the name 'Gremory', the missing puzzle for the board itself began to gather. Not everything of course, but enough to draw a few solid hypotheses.

He knows of this 'Gremory'-senpai. Rather, if you are in Kuoh Academy students long enough, they can't miss her. Her reputation spread far and wide in this small community until it reached his ears.

Most of all, the crimson-haired person from yesterday. If he thinks about it logically, only one person has that eye-catching color.

"...Hanakai-san. Our senior, Rias Gremory-Senpai. Is she..."

Trailing off, Momo nodded her head in response to his guess.

"Yeah, she's a high-class devil of the Gremory family. Rather, she's the only heiress of the Gremory. Her family has existed from the beginning of myths until now."

Hearing that, Issei's body tensed subtly, while Ddraig in his soul frowned at the information given. He expected his master to be a high-profile person who had considerable influence, but not to this level. While he won't be thinking of something extreme like rebellion, his chance for possible negotiation has been immediately cut off.

Good communication happens only if BOTH sides have similar authority or power. Not only that, Gremory-senpai has the right to his freedom and future as she 'saved' him from the fallen angel. From the devil's perspective, any dissatisfaction spoken from his mouth is just pure dogshit who doesn't even know the word 'gratitude'.

Therefore, Issei's and the crimson dragon's decisions are obviously in sync.

{...Ddraig.}

{Yeah. Looks like we go with your way, Issei. I didn't expect the devils assigned in this town to be this troublesome.}

With this, they have decided to be obedient and good for their supposed master. It's not like they don't feel anything about it, but too much is at stake if they act without thinking of the consequences.

(....That's not all.)

Hanakai Momo, the secretary of the Student Council President, Souna Shitori-Senpai. Based on Momo's words, the power to reincarnate somebody into a devil is limited to a pure high-class devil.

Which means---

"Hanakai-san, Shitori-senpai is a high-class devil too, isn't she?"

It was a question for confirmation. Rias and Souna lead a different group of Occult Club and Student Council respectively. With Momo as a reincarnated devil, it's not hard to guess all who affiliated with them are devils.

Sure enough, Momo nodded again.

"Since you are a devil now, I guess there's no harm saying her real name. In the underworld, she's called Sona Sitri, also the only heiress of the Sitri family who existed with the same amount of time as the Gremory family."

"...I see."

If there was any semblance of hope in his heart, all of that got squashed mercilessly. One is already heavy enough, but two? He's just asking for a death wish if he intends to retaliate or apply human logic to them.

Sighing slightly, he lowers his head to Momo in thanks. While some of his answers were left unanswered, the information given by her helped him immensely in his future actions.

"Thank you, Hanakai-san. I guess we are colleagues now."

"Well...yeah."

She agreed to his words somewhat dubiously. He's not wrong, but something doesn't add up here. He hasn't explained the connection between his nearly dead state with becoming a devil servant of Rias in detail. Of course, asking the boy himself is useless as his consciousness at that time was funky.

Like what she thought a moment ago, something is 'fishy' here.

Killed by a fallen angel, becoming a target of interest from Rias because of his sacred gear, and then reincarnated by said devil heiress after getting heavily injured.

It's too...coincidental. Almost as if it was orchestrated to be that way.

(Don't tell me...)

Surely not, right? She doesn't have a close relationship or many interactions with her senpai. But, she doesn't seem to be manipulative or callous enough to leave her new servant in an ignorant state. Not only cruel, that's just plain evil.

(No, don't think of it like that, Momo.)

She only hears it from Issei's side. While he doesn't look to be lying, concluding from only one side's mouth is just a rash action. She needs to get a wider picture from this.

Luckily, there's still some time before their first class starts. Looking at her surroundings, it looks like no other students are left. Her checked list proves that.

"...Hyoudou-kun. Could you try to remember how the 'date' went by in detail?"

Blinking at her question, he looks at her confusedly. 

"I don't mind but...why?"

"I want to help you. I don't know what Gremory-senpai's plan was or this Fallen Angel 'Yuuma''s intention, but something deeper is ongoing here. As devils assigned here, we must guard against any kind of possible attack."

That ....is a valid concern. As the person who got involved himself, he's also curious. Raynare killing him can be explained since he was targeted by fallen angels. But, how did Rias appear at his location after getting stabbed?

That kind of timing is perfect. Too perfect, if you ask him.

Frowning inquisitively at that, he folded his hands in thought. The date itself was normal. Raynare doesn't seem to be communicating or collaborating with their archenemy. Moreover, There was no trace of Rias nor her club members following him, either. At least, that's what Issei thought so.

{How about before?}

While thinking, the dragon butted in, but not unwelcome for him. He has the same right as Issei to know about this. Moreover, it was a good question too. Maybe it could lead to more answers.

(Before...before...)

Tilting his head left and right a few times, he formulated the events happening to him these few days. 

Then, when thinking about events before the date, he remembered one peculiar detail.

"...A magic circle."

He murmured the event that was closely related to the supernatural. Hearing his words, Momo perked up immediately. As a reincarnated devil to Sona, she couldn't not know about it. Their work constantly revolves around the magic circle for getting 'requests' from the normal populace.

"What kind of 'magic circle' are we talking about here?"

"Before I went on the date, there was some kind of bat cosplayer giving me some kind of magic circle flier. She also said something about "Your desire will come true if you wish for it".....!!!"

Trailing off, Issei jolts up at the word 'wish' spoken by himself absentmindedly.

---A wish can be taken in many forms, but desperation in clinging to one's own life could be included.

Not only Issei, Momo, and Ddraig also conclude the same as him.

They didn't know whether Rias intentionally left him near death to reincarnate him, leaving him with no choice. It's also possible that Rias 'coincidentally' found out about Issei's dire situation at the last minute, leaving her little choices.

However, if all three of them look at all of the circumstantial evidence left... 

What if Rias predicted the Fallen Angel harming Issei?

What if the heiress intentionally comes out at the last moment?

If they sort out all of the events and 'proofs' left at the scene---

It's not a coincidence.

{What a great 'samaritan' devil.}

With a great amount of sarcasm, Ddraig intentionally emphasizes the word samaritan, spatting the word as if it were poisonous. To be fair, the samaritan and the devil don't connect, so the crimson dragon is not wrong to do so.

No one would feel happy if said savior was just masquerading their malicious intention by pretending to be the 'good' person. Ddraig, and especially Issei are not exceptions to it.

As for Momo, she was apoplectic after reaching the horrid conclusion. This happened to the boy she liked. To someone she genuinely cared for, the one whom she wanted to avoid the danger of the supernatural.

"....How dare she...!"

Clenching both of her hands into fists, Momo gritted her teeth hatefully.

Even the silver-haired girl herself was aggravated by Rias' action. Reincarnated devil or not, she has quite a bit of upright morals left when she was a former human. Moreover, following Sona's dream and working as Student Council make her treasure integrity and duty.

There's a big difference between being reincarnated decided by your own will and compelled to do so.

To put it simply, Momo is pissed at Rias' unlawful and irresponsible act. As one of the rulers in Kuoh Academy, she has to stop the Fallen Angels before they cause harm to anybody.

Leaving aside the fallen angel's hostile act, the devil's side, which is Rias in this context, paints them as extremely manipulative. No wonder the boy was confused and even wary of her. Hell, even she would be the same if she was put in his shoes.

Turning back, she headed toward the old school building. This is not something to be shrugged off. Her emotional state didn't make her see reason anymore.

Luckily, Issei was the epitome of serene. It was ironic who was supposed to be the victim was the calmest one though.

Grabbing her wrist firmly but gently, he stopped Momo from being able to move a single step further. 

"Hanakai-san."

"Hyoudou-kun!? Why did you---"

Seeing Issei with a calm face, shaking his head left and right, she also began to simmer down her rising emotions. But it also makes her perplexed at the same time. He was the biggest victim in this, so why can he be calmer than her?

Relieved at her seeing reason, he released her hand held by him. Moreover, it's not hard to predict what she is thinking right now, looking at her conflicted expression.

...It would be a lie if he was not moved by it. Initially, he thought that Momo was a collaborator but that's just his bias speaking. Not all devils are evil, ironically. In the end, they are also individuals who have their own opinions.

Devils are no different than humans. Their jobs, position, and circumstances don't reflect their true nature all of the time.

"I appreciate you getting angry for my sake, but lashing out at her won't solve anything. It'll just make the situation worse for you and me."

"...That's..."

Biting her lips in frustration, Momo lowered her head dejectedly. Unfortunately, what he said was true. She's just a low-class reincarnated devil, while Rias is a bona fide pure high-class noble who has prestige AND power at the same time.

Power is the be-all and end-all in the supernatural world. This case is the same. If Issei or Momo get angry at Rias without solid reasoning or powerful backing, it's not hard to imagine what their fate will be. It doesn't matter what Momo thinks about reincarnating Issei into a devil without his permission.

If they looked at it through the lens of the Devils, Issei should feel grateful to his new owner who saved him, not bashing or spitting at her 'magnanimous' act.

In other words, this has to be swept under the rug.

"...How can you be so accepting of this?"

Issei more or less rationalized it before this talk, but Momo is different. She's not mature nor kind enough to shrug off Rias' actions. No matter how she looks at it from every angle, the devil heiress is in the wrong. 

Staring at her downed face, the brown-haired boy lets out a bitter smile. She and Ddraig, these two care for him a bit too much. He didn't feel he deserved to receive this much kindness for himself.

Sadly, their goodwill will go to waste this time. 

Letting out a resigned sigh, he smiles at her powerlessly.

"...There's nothing I can do. If she decides to abandon me because of my 'silly' thoughts, I have to repel the attack from the fallen angel and possible enemies by myself. Moreover---"

Lowering his head, he lets out his inner thoughts to this classmate who was still caring for him. In the end, being a devil or not doesn't make a difference. Hanakai Momo was a true friend to him.

---That was enough. To him, that was a reward in itself.

"....My parents could get hurt."

Hearing his worries, Momo hitched her breath. She wanted to slap herself for carelessly saying Issei accepted the situation. It's not that he doesn't feel grief.

He was forced to be a big-hearted person, to protect his family. 

"..*Hick*...I...I'm sorry, Hyoudou-kun. I just!--"

Seeing her crying only makes him more guilty for doubting her. Letting out a long breath, he approached her slowly. Then, he wrapped his hands around her.

"Thank you, Hanakai-san. Thank you for caring about me. Thank you for getting angry with me. Thank you so much."

That was the breaking point. Unable to restrain herself, she wrapped her hands around him too, crying openly. He feels his shirt getting wet due to her tears but he purposefully ignores it. Instead of pushing her away, just like Raynare, he rubbed her back gently to console her.

Looking at this scene in Issei's soul, Ddraig could only sigh forlornly. If the situation was more upbeat, he could tease him for being a natural flirt. But all of that scatter away seeing both teenagers comfort each other for being powerless to change anything.

(...I guess some things never change.)

For the former tyrannic dragon, it was quite ironic to feel grief in this situation.

----

.

.

.

A few minutes later, Momo apologized for her outburst timidly. While Issei himself was amused by her cute reaction, it was quite embarrassing for Momo to cry openly like that.

Chuckling at her pink face, Issei pats her shoulder slightly. 

"Like I said, it's fine. I'm just happy you care for me that much. So let's leave it at that, okay?"

"...Okay."

Coughing slightly, Momo inquires about his plan for the next few days. Now that he decided to become a devil, his routine would change.

"I'm waiting for Gremory-senpai's side to contact me. I don't know why she leaves me ignorant, but I'm sure there's a deeper purpose."

...A deeper purpose? Rather than a 'deeper purpose', to Momo it almost sounds like---

Realizing what she wanted to say, Issei shook his head.

"Hanakai-san, please."

"!! I...I understand."

He doesn't elaborate, but Momo gets the underlying message. For now, he'll play by the book. He doesn't want to attract more trouble than now, complicating his precarious state.

"Ah...also."

"??"

Raising his index finger to his mouth, he looked at Momo with a pointed look. It was a universal sign to be quiet and a warning.

"When anyone from the Student Council or Occult Club asks for our talk, just tell them I overstepped my bounds when talking to you. I'm sure they will be convinced if I'm in panic after yesterday."

"!?... Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"I...I got it."

"Thank you."

Hearing his thanks, a bitter laugh involuntarily came out from her mouth. He was in a situation that wouldn't be seen as weird getting any kind of retribution. Instead of doing so, that said person stopped her to prevent Momo from getting in trouble.

(...He's truly ridiculous.)

Sighing melancholically, she smiles wryly at him while nodding her head. Momo also understands that all the talk between Issei is just speculation at best. Not only that, if taken the wrong way, people could look at him slandering her 'kind' master. He wanted to prevent that.

She understood. She really did. 

But that doesn't mean she'll take this down like a doormat.

(Gremory-senpai...I don't know what your plan is, nor do I care anymore.)

"Then...let's go to class together, Hyoudou-kun. The first period is about to start."

"Oh, if the beautiful Madonna of our class invited me graciously, how can I refuse?"

Giggling at his over-the-top flirty line, she smiled shyly at him while walking side by side. Even though both of them had removed their masks, they didn't get hostile with each other. Instead, Momo feels herself getting closer to the boy more easily than usual.

It was soothing for her.

That's why, for this person. To this kind boy who never stops caring for others no matter what the situation is---

(I won't let this slide.)

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

With a cold glint in her eyes, Hanakai Momo decided her next move with determined steps. Issei stopped her from saying bad things about Gremory-senpai, but he didn't say anything about reporting the truth about her actions.

Just like the boy beside her, she will take a step forward without faltering. Whether it'll be a good outcome or not, not even she knows.

But that won't stop her anymore.

-----

Author's Note: And that's the end of this chapter. As always, please leave a comment or review if you have time. I think some of you may feel dissatisfied looking at this chapter, but please forgive my poor skill.

Anyway, let's talk about the chapter. Here, Momo is positively mad at Rias for making Issei to be her servant without asking. As Issei is her crush, it's natural for her to feel anger. She didn't think of him lying to her either, as she believed him due to their previous bond.

As for Issei, he initially wanted to tell the whole truth, including Ddraig. However, realistically, that is a very dangerous move. A secret could hurt people, but it also can protect oneself. Issei knew he was too weak to change anything, even with Ddraig backing him up. That's why, his future modus operandi is to bide his time, gain strength as Sekiryuutei, and build a positive relationship with the devils, including Rias. Like he thought, there's no need to earn unneeded hostility, and tension if you can avoid it.

My MC may be from the Shounen protagonist, but his action is leaning more toward Chaotic Good. Have a decent moral as a person, but be decisive and ruthless enough to do what needs to be done, including killing and deceiving.

But for the future....well, please wait for the update.

(P.S. Some people leave comments that this is trash for me writing Bashing Rias story. I won't stop or criticize readers thinking that way. As I said, this is just for my satisfaction, nothing more and nothing less. So please enjoy it casually. Don't like it, don't read it.)