Vol 1 - Chapter 7

Issei resisted the urge to sigh as he glanced at his watch for the fifth time in the past twenty minutes. Was it so hard

for someone to be on time?

'Ah, well,' he mused. 'It's not as though I've got anything else to do.'

As it was the weekend, their group was free for the next two days. And due to their current financial situation, the girls

had found it imperative to get jobs. Apparently Tamamo found one at a cosplay café downtown. Morgiana decided to

make use of her physical strength at a construction site. They would pay her daily depending on how well she

performed. Meanwhile, Ashiya was taking the day off to catch up on the housework that had been building up over

the week. Mordred was off extorting money from her gang.

And since WcDonalds had closed for renovations, Issei had nothing to do. Then thankfully, depending on how one

looked at it, he'd received a call from Amano Yuuma. The girl asked whether or not he was free and now here he

was, leaning against a lamp post in the town square, waiting for his date to show up.

Issei took another glance at the plastic watch he'd won out of a cereal box. What? It wasn't as though he could afford

a real one.

"Here, take a flyer," a voice spoke up. Issei glanced at the speaker. It was an older, dark-haired woman wearing

some sort of strange vampire cosplay. He looked over the flyer with passing curiosity.

It was a magic circle with the Gremory crest emblazoned smack-dab in the center. He glanced up at the woman, a

single eyebrow raised. She winked at him and gestured at the pamphlet once more before walking off.

Issei turned it over to see a message written in the devils' language.

'Enjoy your date.'

Was she spying on him? He turned it over again and took a closer look at the circle. After several moments of

inspection, he realized that it was a reverse summoning circle. It would allow him to instantly be transported to

wherever it was keyed to, which in this case, would most likely be the club-room. They were especially useful for

quick getaways.

'Why, isn't she thoughtful,' he smirked just as his date finally arrived.

"I'm sorry!" the girl exclaimed, bowing to him in apology. "Were you waiting long?"

"Oh, no, just about half an hour, I'd say." Issei said easily. The girl looked startled at his bluntness before flushing in

embarrassment. "Anyway, let's get going, yeah?"

"Okay," Yuuma agreed. "Oh, Ise-kun? If it's not too much trouble, could we be back by sunset?"

"Sunset?" the brown-haired boy smirked at her. "But... the best part takes place at night."

He watched in mild amusement as his words bounced around in her head, her face flushed red.

"W-What's that supposed to mean?!"

Issei looked back at her in faux-confusion. "Why, the parties of course!" he exclaimed. "I hear there's going to be a

huge one downtown tonight."

He chuckled as left the black-haired girl sputtering behind him. Meanwhile, said girl was having conflicting thoughts.

'What the hell? He's not acting at all like I thought he would. Where's the meek, polite boy I've been watching for the

past few weeks?'

She took a good look at his attire. A dark leather jacket over a white shirt and dark jeans. His hair was also

uncharacteristically gelled. The girl had to admit, he looked good.

And when he led her around the corner, she was shocked even further.

"Hop on," he said, throwing a leg over a sleek red Suzuki Hayabusa GSX1300R. Issei smirked at her as he donned a

pair of black shades.

It had taken a good three hours for him to convince Mordred to lend him 'her baby' as she put it. He'd only gotten her

to agree after promising to go riding with her next time.

Now he had two dates to worry about after this. One with Tamamo and one with Mordred. 'Lucky me,' Issei grumbled

to himself, knowing full well that their finances would not survive such an assault.

"Is this yours?" the shocked girl asked. Issei responded by patting the spot behind him.

"Come on, princess," he grinned. "This is our first date. We've gotta make it one to remember."

Yuuma hesitated before climbing on behind him and wrapping her arms around his waist. With a roar of the engine,

the pair took off at breakneck speed.

He let out a laugh as the girl squeaked and tightened her grip on him.

'This'll be fun,' Issei grinned.

"Thank you for your patronage!" Tamamo said, bowing politely at her customers' retreating back.

"Wow, you sure are popular, Tamamo-san!" a short brown-haired girl exclaimed.

The fox-girl grinned at her. "But of course," was her haughty reply. "Anyone would be eager to be served by one such

as myself, Chiho-chan."

Tamamo was currently in her cosplay outfit, which consisted of a tight, black bodice with frilly gray endings and tied

with bright yellow straps. The arms of her outfit were loose and allowed her free movement. A pair of black stockings

covered her legs, leaving only the skin of her thighs exposed. Her dark blue hair ribbon had been replaced by a

turquoise one and a small top hat perched perilously atop her head. The outfit left much of her cleavage exposed.

Which was probably the biggest contributor to her popularity; her natural beauty and supernatural allure aside.

The girl she was currently speaking to was Sasaki Chiho, one of Issei's co-workers. She had short brown hair that fell

to her chin and chocolate-colored eyes. Her hair sported two pink ribbons on either side of her head. Her outfit

consisted of a dark blue blazer with a plaid ribbon tied at her neck and a short green skirt. She wore black knee-high

socks and brown leather shoes.

But the biggest eye catcher was her… assets.

'They're huge!' Tamamo mentally raged. 'How does such a tiny girl have such huge breasts?!'

Chiho, of course, was completely oblivious to the fox-girl's jealous ravings. "You look so mature!" the girl gushed.

"Mou! I'm so jealous!"

The shops doorbell chimed, drawing the fox-girl's attention away from their chat.

"Welcome!" Tamamo exclaimed cheerfully, only for her face to drop upon seeing who just stepped in. "Oh, it's you."

"Thanks," Mordred said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"What do you want?" the fox asked in a bored tone. "No money, no service."

"I've got money!" the blonde retorted before snapping her fingers. Immediately, a bald man in a leather jacket

appeared, handing her a ten thousand yen note. The man then bowed at them before dashing back outside.

The other two girls stared after the retreating gang member before turning back to the smug blonde.

"A table for one," the knight demanded.

"I'm sorry; we seem to have run out of tables."

"Like hell!"

"Please, Miss; you're disturbing the other customers," Tamamo said calmly. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave,"

"Fuck you!" The blonde girl snarled, looking ready to summon her sword at any moment.

"Um, Tamamo-san?" Chiho asked meekly. "Please don't fight. I don't mind sharing my table with her, if she doesn't

mind."

"Hmph," Mordred grunted. "Well, at least some people have manners."

"You're one to talk," Tamamo growled just as her smartphone began letting out a series of rings. She reached into her

pocket and pulled it out. The girl cleaned the screen off before reading the message she'd just been sent.

"I see…" She murmured, powering down her phone and pulling out a pen and notepad. "Alright Blondie, what do you

want? The banana spit? The spit beer float? Or the spit parfait?"

Chiho slowly sank down into her seat as their argument intensified.

'Where did it go wrong?' Yuuma wondered, resting her cheek against Issei's back as he drove them back into the city.

Or perhaps a better question would be… why did it all go so right?

She had intended to spend a boring day with an equally boring boy. She'd was supposed to use every moment of

boredom she'd suffered as motivation to kill him.

Instead she'd found herself following him all over the prefecture, bouncing from venue to venue. He'd taken her to

every place she could have imagined and against all reasoning, she'd found herself having fun with him.

And that terrified her. Hyoudou Issei had to die. That was her assignment. It was the sole reason she'd asked him out

in the first place. And here she was getting attached to him; the boy she was supposed to murder.

Unconsciously, her grip on his waist tightened, prompting Issei to raise an eyebrow.

"You okay?" he called back to her. She didn't reply for several moments.

"Yeah… I'm fine, it's just…" Whatever she was about to say was interrupted by the sound of several other

motorcycles surrounding them.

"Oi, bastard!" one of the riders shouted over the wind. Issei vaguely recognized him as one of Mordred's biker gang

members. "Aneki told us you had a date today!"

"She said not to worry about it," another shouted. "But we can't just let you off the hook like that!"

"Isn't she enough for you?!" the first one, who appeared to be their leader, cried. "Die!"

"Oi, Yuuma!" Issei shouted. "Hold on tight!"

"What are you going to doooooooo~!" she shrieked as he suddenly accelerated. The others gave chase, but…

"Shit, he's pretty good!" one of them cried as Issei easily weaved through the evening traffic.

"Of course," another shouted back. "I'd expect nothing less from one of aneki's friends!"

"Stop admiring him and catch up to him!" the leader shouted. But by then the brown-haired boy was too far ahead of

them. He swerved around the corner, spotting his destination just ahead.

He vaguely heard Yuuma squeak behind him as he drove right over the edge of the highway and into the park some

fifteen meters below, expertly positioning the bike to soften the impact. Immediately swerving behind a tree, Issei

killed the engine and waited silently.

Only when sounds of their pursuers' engines faded into the distance did he allow himself to relax. He glanced at the

still shocked Yuuma behind him and began chuckling.

The black-haired girl was broken out of her daze by the sound and looked up at his grinning face. Her face suddenly

felt hot, but... surely it was just from the humidity? She clutched at her chest, where she could feel her heart pounding

furiously. Surely it was just from the excitement of the chase that had just ended? But as he smiled at her… she

wasn't so sure. Slowly, she found herself laughing with him.

Issei helped her off the bike and propped it up against the tree. Taking her by the hand, he led her over to the

fountain and plopped down. Yuuma sat down beside him.

"Well, here we are," he said. When she gave him a confused glance, he leaned in closer to her. "You wanted me to

take you to the park at sunset, right? Did you have something you wanted to do here?"

Somehow, she seemed to flush and pale at the same time. "I-I…"

"Yes?" Issei asked, his smile warm. As she looked into his eyes, she seemed to hesitate even more.

"Would you…"

"Ah, wait. I almost forgot." He said with a sheepish grin before reaching into his pocket and bringing out a thin silver

chain with a small heart dangling from it. "It's not much, but here." He took her hand and clipped it to her wrist.

"It's a charm bracelet," he explained. "I've had it for some time now, but I've never bothered to buy more charms for it.

So, I'll give it to you and I'll get you a new charm for every date we go on, alright?"

'What a stupid gift… and yet…'

"So, what was it you were going to say?" he asked with an easygoing smile.

"Would you take me on another date someday?"

Issei didn't get a chance to respond before she suddenly leaned forward, capturing his lips with her own. The kiss

lasted for several moments. It was neither chaste nor passionate. It was hesitant, but sincere. And in both of their

minds, it was perfect.

As they broke away, Issei smiled at her once again. "You can count on it."

Yuuma graced him with a small smile of her own before stepping away from him. "I had a lot of fun today, Ise-kun,"

she said. "See you soon." And with that, she rushed away.

Issei watched her go, fully aware that he was being approached from behind. "Well, you sure seemed to enjoy that,"

Tamamo said dryly.

"I would be lying if I said I didn't," Issei admitted. He glanced at her outfit. "What are you wearing?"

Tamamo, who was still in her cosplay, did a little twirl and winked at him. "You like? It's my work uniform."

"Can't say I don't," he said neutrally as Mordred walked over, pushing her bike towards them. "You know what to do

from here, right?"

The fox waved him off. "Yeah, yeah,"

"Take this," Issei handed her the reverse summoning circle Rias had given him earlier today. "Use it in the case of an

emergency."

Tamamo took the proffered pamphlet and gave him a mock salute.

Poof!

From the smoke, a pigeon flew out in the direction Yuuma had left. Issei watched it go for a while until the sound of an

engine revving up behind him drew his attention.

"Where to, Master?" Mordred asked as she donned a pair of sunglasses.

"The clubroom, please," Issei replied as he mounted the bike behind her. "If something happens, Tamamo will most

likely appear there. Plus, I believe Rias wishes to know how it went."

The blonde shrugged before slamming on the gas.

Raynare glanced about nervously as she entered the church. Ever since the exorcists had been found dead beneath

the altar, everyone had been on edge when coming and going. Except Freed. He would just squeal gleefully

whenever the harsh scent of death washed over him.

He creeped her out, to be honest. She would have killed him herself if Dohnaseek hadn't insisted that they needed

him.

"Well, how did it go?" a buxom woman with long, navy-blue hair asked. It was Calawarner, one of her fellow fallen

angels.

"Did he squeal like a pig when you gut him?" It was Mittelt, a younger angel with dirty blonde hair tied up in pigtails.

A tall, middle-aged man wearing a trench coat and fedora watched her reaction carefully and apparently found

something unsatisfactory. "You didn't kill him." Dohnaseek accused. When she flinched, his suspicion was confirmed.

"Why?"

The black-haired angel quickly composed herself. "We still don't know for sure whether or not he possesses the

Sacred Gear," she said tersely. "I see no reason to kill anyone if they don't possess it."

"I don't believe it," Mittelt giggled. "Don't tell me you actually fell for that guy!"

"Like hell!" Raynare cried, though the blush on her face betrayed her. The others broke out into laughter.

"Listen, Ray," Calawarner began, wiping a tear from her eye. "He's just a human. You'll get over it sooner or later."

"Yeah," the blonde girl continued, still giggling. "Once the plan succeeds, I'm sure Azazel-sama will be all over you."

Raynare smiled weakly before it slid into a frown. "Still, I don't think he's carrying the Gear…"

Dohnaseek heaved an exasperated sigh. "Well lucky you," he smirked. "Cause we've just confirmed it. He's not

carrying it."

The black-haired girl visibly relaxed after hearing his words. "So… it's the girl, then?"

The sole male of their group grinned. "Sure is," he nodded. "I saw her at that new café that opened downtown. Unlike

you, I'm not going to risk getting attached. I plan on dealing with her right now."

As he said this, a pair of black angel wings sprouted from his shoulders. "I'll be back late," Dohnaseek said as he took

off out the window. "Don't wait up."

Unknown to them, a small pigeon had witnessed the entire conversation. With a look of worry, the bird disappeared in

a flash of red light.

"Welcome back, Issei-kun," Rias greeted them as he and Mordred entered the club-room. She and Akeno were the

only ones there. Kiba and Koneko were likely off providing services.

"Ara, ara," Akeno said, her voice teasing. "I hear you were on a date, Issei-kun. How cruel to Tamamo-dono and

Mordred-dono."

"I imagine they're already planning to pay me back in full," the brown-haired boy grumbled. He winced as the blonde

girl elbowed him in the stomach.

"And how did your date go, Issei-kun?" Rias question curiously.

"Surprisingly well," he answered. "Though it was obvious she had been planning something, it seemed to fall apart as

the date progressed. I saw the conflict in her eyes before she left."

"Ara, how romantic," the black-haired «Queen» said, placing a hand to her cheek. "A forbidden love, not that she

knows it's forbidden…"

"Not quite as forbidden as you might think," Issei admitted. "You know the fallen angel Shemhazai?"

"He's one of the Grigori, isn't he?"

"The Vice Governor-General," he nodded. "He actually married a devil woman some time ago."

"You're kidding!" the two girls looked shocked.

"I'm not," Issei smirked. "I don't know if she was a member of the Pillars, but Azazel informed me that she was indeed

a devil."

"But, why would Azazel tell you, one of his enemies, this?" Akeno asked with a dark frown marring her lovely

features. Issei raised an eyebrow. She seemed unusually hostile about this. Did she have something against fallen

angels?

Perhaps that was a stupid question. All devils disliked angels, fallen or otherwise, on principle alone.

"Of all the three factions' leaders, Azazel is the most peaceful," Issei explained. "At the end of the Great War, he and

his Grigori were the first to retreat. He has been adamantly anti-war since then."

"Of course, not all the Grigori agreed with this," Mordred added from the couch she was currently lounging on,

casually swinging her leg as though she owned the place. "This is why we're currently trying to hunt down a traitor."

"And to be honest, I think I know who it is," Issei muttered.

"Really, who is it?" Rias asked, but the boy shook his head.

"I'm not going to make any accusations," he said firmly. "Not until we've got proof. But I can tell you that during the

War, one of Azazel's subordinates was particularly… vicious in his methods."

Rias looked like she wanted to say something, but was interrupted by a magic circle suddenly shimmering into

existence.

"Tamamo has returned," Issei said, standing up. Mordred copied his action, her earlier relaxed attitude gone.

As the light faded, they saw the fox-girl with an unusually serious expression.

"They're making their move," she reported. "The male of their group is going after the true Sacred Gear user." She

looked at Issei solemnly. "He's going after Chiho."

The fox-girl suddenly clutched her chest, wide-eyed. "What's wrong?" Issei asked in concern.

"They've made contact," she hissed. "We have to move now!"

Issei nodded. "Prepare for transport."

"We'll go with you," Rias offered. The boy didn't bother to reply; instead he had whipped out his cellphone.

"Ashiya," Issei barked when the other man picked up. "It's time. You know what to do." He hung up and turned to the

others who had gathered around Tamamo. "Let's go."

In a flash of blue light, the group appeared in the residential area of the city. The smell of blood permeated through

the air and they immediately spotted a crumpled form on the floor.

"Chiho!" Issei exclaimed. He cradled her in his arms and felt her neck. Her pulse was weakening. "Tamamo!"

"I'm on it," the fox nodded. She paused. "Master, the fallen angel is still in the area. You can probably catch him."

Issei glanced at Chiho still in his arms before nodding. "Alright, take care of her, Tamamo." He gently handed the

prone girl over before standing. "Rias, Akeno, assist Tamamo."

The redhead nodded. "Very well."

"Ara, ara," the black-haired girl said sensually. "So aggressive today, Issei-kun. But if you insist…"

Issei turned to the blonde girl beside him. "Mordred, go."

The knight nodded before crouching low and disappearing in a show of pure speed. The brown-haired boy glanced at

them once more before disappearing as well.

Tamamo returned her attention to the wounded girl in her arms before closing her eyes and beginning a healing ritual.

Rias assisted her, channeling her own healing magic while Akeno set to cleaning up the blood that had splattered on

the walls and sidewalk.

After several minutes, Tamamo opened her eyes. There was something wrong. "She's not responding," she said

urgently, causing Rias' brow to furrow. She placed her fingers to the girl's neck.

"Her pulse is weakening as well," the redhead muttered. "Is her body resisting the healing spell?"

"Damn it!" Tamamo growled. "Don't you dare die on me, Chiho. I promised Master that I'd take care of you and I

refuse to lie to my Master!"

"I have an idea," Rias said, prompting Tamamo to raise an eyebrow at her. The girl's voice sounded far too sly. "And I

have a feeling you know what it is."

"You want her," Tamamo said bluntly. Rias merely smiled. The fox glared at her for a moment, before sighing.

Rias obviously wanted to turn Chiho into a devil. While doing so would most likely assist in their healing, it would also

turn the girl into her servant. While not ideal, Tamamo knew her master possessed no Evil Pieces, and he likely didn't

want Rias knowing that he could reincarnate people without them. At least she knew Chiho would be serving under a

kind master. The Gremory clan was well known for their great affection for their servants, after all.

"I suppose we have no choice, then," Tamamo muttered. She nodded at the redhead. "Do it."

'That was way too easy,' Dohnaseek mused to himself as he flew back towards the church at a leisurely pace. 'I'll

have to rub it into Raynare's face when I get back. Next time, she can't get attached to the target.'

However, in his musing, he failed to notice a figure approaching him at blinding speed until a searing pain surged

through his back.

"Aaargh!" he grunted in agony as he suddenly found himself crashing into the ground. He looked back at his wings to

see a long cut on both of them. It wasn't enough to cause permanent damage but it was more than enough to keep

him from flying.

"That was way too easy," a voice complained, unknowingly copying his earlier thoughts. He looked up to see a figure,

completely encased in a suit of heavy red and silver armor. A horned helm obscured the knight's face, leaving him

unable to tell his assailant's gender. "Hey, angel-boy, if it were up to me, you'd be dead already. But fortunately for

you, we need you alive."

"Who the hell are you," he could feel her aura. It was incredibly powerful. It was terrifying, actually. "Are you a devil?"

"Unfortunately, I'm not at liberty to discuss things with you," the figure said, placing a sword at his neck.

"That would be my job," another voice called out. Dohnaseek looked up to see the same boy Raynare had become

smitten with approaching them.

"You!" he cried. "But you're just a human!"

"Appearances can be deceiving, datenshi-san," *

"And what the hell do you want with me?" Dohnaseek demanded. "We haven't done anything to you."

"Not to me, no," Issei admitted. "But you've brazenly attacked one of my friends, who happens to be a Sacred Gear

user. I thought Azazel wanted to study Sacred Gears. Wouldn't killing their users be detrimental to that?"

"We had orders to kill that girl," the injured fallen angel growled. "Wait, why am I explaining myself to you?!" He flexed

his fingers, wanting to summon a light spear, but the sword at his neck prevented him from doing anything.

"You're right," Issei chuckled. "You technically don't have to answer to me." He smirked. "But I know someone you do

have to answer to."

The fallen angel sneered at him. "And who would that be?"

"That would be me, Dohnaseek," yet another voice called out. The older man paled upon hearing this voice and they

turned to see a magic circle appearing several meters behind them. From within the circle, three figures emerged.

"A-Azazel-sama," Dohnaseek whimpered.

"I apologize for taking so long, Issei-sama," Ashiya said, bowing slightly. "I was picking up Morgiana when you called

me."

The redhead in question was currently gazing down at Dohnaseek, an emotionless expression on her face.

"Yeah, sorry for being late," Azazel said cheerfully. "I was really surprised when Alciel suddenly showed up in the

middle of my office. I almost attacked him, you know!"

"If you did, Morgiana would have kicked your face in," Issei said with a smirk. Azazel glanced at the tiny girl and

shuddered. He knew firsthand how powerful those limbs of hers were.

"Wait…" Dohnaseek whispered. "Did you say… Alciel? As in, one of the great angel generals that sided with Lucifer

when he became a devil?"

"The very same," Azazel smiled as ten pure black wings appeared from Ashiya's back. The white-haired man stared

at the fallen man coldly.

Dohnaseek turned his terrified gaze towards Issei. "And you're his master?" he whimpered. "But Alciel only served

one person! He's dead! You're supposed to be dead! Who the hell are you?!"

Issei chuckled before crouching down to his level. His eyes suddenly turned burning red. "Quite frankly, I'm your

worst nightmare," he whispered as a truly demonic grin stretched across his face. Suddenly, an overwhelming force

slammed against Dohnaseek's mind, causing his eyes to roll back and making him stammer incoherently before

blacking out.

There was silence for several moments before Azazel finally spoke up. "Well, I thank you for your cooperation," he

nodded at Issei. "I'll be taking him into custody for interrogation."

"You should be aware that the other fallen angels remain active," Issei said, his eyes returning to their dull brown

color. "This one acted independently tonight."

The Governor General nodded. "I'm aware of that," he replied. "Their assignment was to observe the Sacred Gear

user, but it seems that whoever is giving them their orders deviated from mine."

"You know what she carries, don't you?" Issei said accusingly. The Governor grinned at him cheekily.

"I do, but I'll let you figure it out!" he cackled.

"Hopefully we can get a name from this one," Ashiya remarked before Issei could retort. "Dohnaseek, his name was?"

Azazel nodded. "I'll send a message to the others stationed here that Dohnaseek was recalled, to avoid questions

about his disappearance."

"Have you heard anything about a nun from Europe coming here?" Issei suddenly asked. The Governor frowned

thoughtfully.

"No, can't say I have," he admitted. "Why do you ask?"

"The others seem to have plans involving her," the brown-haired boy replied.

Azazel frowned. "I don't know anything about this," he muttered. "This traitor must be growing bolder. He's acting

completely independently from me now."

"I'll keep an eye on them," Issei said. "And I'll keep you informed if I learn anything."

"Thank you," the Governor nodded. He pointed at the unconscious Dohnaseek, who began levitating. Walking a short

distance away, a magic circle appeared beneath them. "I'll leave it to you… You prefer going by Issei nowadays,

right?"

The brown-haired boy nodded as the Azazel and Dohnaseek disappeared in a flash of light.

With a small sigh, Issei turned to his gathered servants. "Well, let's go check on the others."

He had sensed a large infusion of devil-magic earlier, so he already had a feeling of what'd transpired in his absence.

As they rounded the corner, he was not surprised to see Chiho still unconscious in Rias' arms. Tamamo immediately

bowed to him submissively as he came into sight.

"Master, I was unable to heal Chiho," she said shamefully. "Rias-hime had to reincarnate her. I apologize for this

failure."

Issei chuckled slightly. "It's fine, Tamamo," he said easily. "Quite frankly, I already suspected Rias' intentions when

she asked to come with us."

Rias grinned at him. "Sorry, Issei-kun," she said with a coy smile. "I'm a devil, greed is in my blood."

"I likely would have done the same, were I in your shoes," Issei nodded. "And what piece did she take?"

"I was actually quite shocked," Rias replied. "She actually took up all eight of my «Pawn» pieces."

Issei raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Her Sacred Gear must be incredible," he remarked. He put on a mock-frustrated

expression. "And I just gave her to you!"

Rias giggled. "Sorry, first come, first served," she teased. "Anyway, she's completely healed now. Normally, a wound

like that would take quite a while to heal, but Tamamo-san's healing ritual worked wonders."

Issei nodded. "Yes, she's quite talented," he said, causing the fox-girl to perk up at his praise. "You should probably

get her home. I presume you already know where that is?"

The red-haired girl nodded. "I memorized the homes of all your co-workers," she admitted. "As a precaution."

"Then I'll leave it to you," he said before nodding towards Ashiya. The white-haired man nodded in returned and

summoned a magic circle beneath them. "See you Monday, Rias-senpai, Akeno-senpai."

With that, the group of five disappeared in a flash of blue light.

"Ugh, what an exhausting day," Issei sighed as he plopped down at the kotatsu.

"It certainly was exciting wasn't it?" Ashiya sighed as he, too sat down.

"Not exciting enough," Mordred grunted. "That fallen angel was such a pansy. I need more action than that!"

"So long as it ends favorably, I'm fine with it," Issei shrugged.

"If Issei-sama is happy, I'm happy," Morgiana said quietly.

"Same here," Tamamo chimed in. "Ne, Master! I made a lot of money off tips today~"

"Oh, did you?" Issei smiled. The fox-girl grinned at him reaching into a pocket hidden in her sleeve and pulled out a

wad of cash.

"Yup, fifteen thousand yen," she bragged. Issei patted her on the head.

"Great job," he said as Mordred scoffed.

"Please, I managed to get twenty five thousand,"

"Extortion is a criminal offense, Mordred-chan," the fox-girl taunted, though her glare was icy.

Issei pointedly ignored their impending argument. "And how did you do, Morgiana?"

The redhead glanced at him before placing her pay on the table. The entire group froze as they stared at the stack of

ten thousand yen notes.

"H-How much is that?!" Mordred stammered. "I thought you were doing construction work!"

Morgiana shrugged. "I'm a hard worker."

Ashiya snorted. "I saw what she was doing," he said. "She single-handedly finished the construction."

"But all they had this morning was the foundation!" the blonde cried. Ashiya nodded.

"I know," He ignored Mordred's furious, incoherent muttering. "She even managed to get a contract with the

supervisor."

"Morg-chan!" Tamamo embraced the redhead, tears rapidly falling down her face. "With this, we can go eat a decent

meal at last!"

Morgiana awkwardly patted her on the back as the fox-girl sobbed all over her shoulder.

"Alright," Issei nodded. "In celebration, why don't we go out to eat tonight? What do you guys want?"

"Sukiyaki!" Tamamo cried. Issei looked at the others. Ashiya and Morgiana didn't mind and Mordred was still

stammering incoherently.

"Alright, sukiyaki it is," he smiled.

As the group left to go eat, a certain puppet was left behind to wonder why she hadn't been invited to any of the day's

events. The fact that she still reeked of exorcist blood was completely irrelevant.

*Datenshi means 'fallen angel' in Japanese.