166 Chapter 3 - Part 1 - The RxR Restaurant and The Upsetting Sorcerer*

Third Person Point of View

— ○ ● ○ —

"You're going over there, Elmenhilde?" asked Kiss Shot. She along with Dracula and Queen Carmilla were in the same room as the young vampire kneeled in front of them.

"Yes, Kiss Shot-sama. Governor Azazel has requested me for a certain experiment in Grigori, I will join all of you before you go to Jin-sama's restaurant," replied Elmenhilde.

"Well, as long as you join us in the end. Fufu, you've been looking forward to seeing Fusae Hirawa and Jin, haven't you?" asked Kiss Shot.

In response to the question, Elmenhilde blushed but did not deny it. "I do, Fusae-sama was pleasant to speak with. We frequently keep up to date by text…she frequently updates me on Team [DxD] and Jin-sama's situation…"

"Oh? And is there anything that we should be aware of?" asked Dracula.

"…Fusae-sama thinks that he will come back here soon for a quick visit to see how the new faction is," replied Elmenhilde.

"He may visit in the future? Fufu, now that would be interesting. Our new faction has progressed quite fast thanks to the alliance and his aid, if true then we may as well make a festival out of it. Should we ask him in his restaurant?" asked Carmilla.

"Let's ask him when we go then," said Kiss Shot. "I'll assume that Azazel will be there too, along with other notable people and groups, so we'll ask Azazel then about Elmenhilde's experimentation."

"Hmm. You're dismissed," said Carmilla.

Elmenhilde nodded and left the room. She walked down the corridor and sighed to herself. She always felt tense reporting to the new leaders of the faction and even after some time passed, it hadn't changed at all.

She took out her smartphone and looked at her last text message from Fusae. "A night just for the big shots of various factions and pantheons, huh? I hope it doesn't turn into complete chaos…" she muttered.

The thought of various rambunctious leaders going to a place where it serves alcohol at night made her shiver. To Elmenhilde, a bunch of drunk gods and leaders wouldn't end well. Even if they are in an alliance, some may still hold petty grudges and the like, and a fight may start.

She texted those thoughts to Fusae, who quickly responded with…

|Are you forgetting who owns the restaurant? Jin won't let something like that happen. The alcohol served there will make you tipsy but not drunk. No matter how much you drink, you'll only ever be tipsy, that's why it's famous in Kuoh and other close towns.|

"That sounds extremely convenient…though won't it make more alcoholics…?" she asked herself.

|I'm surprised he hasn't been contacted by companies and the government about his alcohol.| Elmenhilde texted back.

|Oh, he has. Well, from companies, but the governments around the world know who he is and are extremely cautious, so they haven't made any moves towards Jin and his restaurant since the ones who've been in the supernatural the longest know about his powers, and warned them.|

Elmenhilde couldn't help but smirk. 'It would be a stupid choice to make an enemy out of him…'

She finally left the castle and walked through the new town. They had modernized it, but it was still covered by a foggy barrier. However, even pure-blooded vampires could walk in the streets during 'daytime' now since the fog barrier was created by Aaron to protect them from it. So the vampires in the new faction could live 'normally' now.

Elmenhilde arrived by her new home and entered it.

"Oh, Elme, you're back. How was your meeting with the leaders?" an older woman asked.

"…I'm back, mother and it was fine. I will be leaving for the Underworld in a few hours," replied Elmenhilde.

Most of the former Carmilla Faction of vampires survived the attack by the Khaos Order, and most of the vampires in the new faction were female dominated. It was around a 95% female to 5% male ratio. However, many decided to put aside their grudges and began to form new friendships and bonds—some romantic and quite a few of the female vampires were now pregnant and new pure bloods would be born into the world.

"Ara? So soon…I'll make some food for you to bring with you then~" said her mother before trotting off.

"Thank you…" muttered Elmenhilde. She made her way to her room and began packing. Unlike her previous home which was a very large manor, her new home in the faction was a large two-story house.

At the start, it felt strange for her, but her mother and siblings quickly got used to it. Elmenhilde was the type that had difficulty with change, but her parents and siblings were quick to accept most changes, so she was the oddball in the family. However, now she is used to it.

She decided to pack extra clothing because she didn't know if the experiments Azazel had ready for her would blow them apart, and from what she had read and heard from Fusae, things like that in Grigori tended to happen which she didn't look forward to.

Her pocket suddenly buzzed and she took out her phone and was surprised to see who had texted her. She had last texted this person about four weeks ago…

|Hey, I heard you're traveling to Grigori and you're probably joining your leaders for that night at the restaurant, right? Any requests you want? Like food and drinks? If not I'll just serve you the regular menu.|

Elmenhilde hadn't expected a text from Aaron so she temporarily froze up. She shook her head and answered him.

|Governor Azazel said I would only be there for the day, so I'll join my leaders at night. Well, anything that's not garlic would be fine…|

|I see, I'll serve you food that Gasper and Valerie like then. I look forward to seeing you again, and so does Fusae.|

She sighed to herself after seeing that text message. "I would have been fine with normal food…it's like you said, Fusae-sama, he's a busybody…"

— ○ ● ○ —

"Azazel, why did you request on seeing Elmenhilde?"

Azazel, the Governor of the Fallen Angels was in his office when suddenly a voice asked him that question. Knowing the voice, he looked up and sighed.

"You have Valerie-chan already. Do you want to increase your vampire count in your harem, Jin?" asked Azazel. "I'm betting the rest of our funds that Queen Carmilla and the female progenitor are in your sights too."

Aaron Toole stood by his office's doorway leaning against the frame. He already knew that this would happen, but also asked Fusae for some details.

"The old man has finally gone senile, and no. Fusae and Elmenhilde are getting along pretty well and she comes up relatively frequently in conversation between Fusae and I. She's also coming to my restaurant tonight along with other big shots from various pantheons and factions. You're coming too, right?" Aaron asked.

"I am. Why would I miss a chance at drinking with Geezer Odin? And so many—" Azazel froze as he felt Aaron's piercing eyes glaring at him. "S-so many fine women that are single that may show up there!"

Azazel shook his head and said, "We wanted to experiment with some pure-blood vampires. According to you, there are still various factions left in the Khaos Order, right?"

Aaron nodded at his question. There were twelve factions left in the Khaos Order, however, due to the war they didn't have too many members left—the use of Azrael's blood and Lilith's old body had also stopped, meaning their armies couldn't grow nor could they be empowered anymore. This was due to Nyarlathotep's death as well as Aaron messing with reality.

The True Satan's Faction, The Exiled Harmony (changed by Ayumu after the death of Hanezu Himejima), The Wizards of Oz, The Vampire Faction, The Fallen Angel Faction, Remnants of Magicians Faction (A mix of Nilrem and Hexennacht magicians), The Alliance of the Evil Gods, Evie Faction, Phantasma Faction, Malebranche, The Seekers of Truth, and finally, the Monkai Association.

These were the remaining factions left in the Khaos Order, and after the war, the vast majority of their armies were wiped out, and the ones that were in different worlds and universes were stuck there and had no backup, nor could they come back to the Draconic Deus. Their power had been significantly reduced, and the blood that was in their members had also stopped working. This meant their powers had shifted back to their original states.

"So, we wanted to be ready for them, if and when they attack. We'd assume some of them are pure-blooded, at least their leader. You mentioned someone called Kecate Tepes, right? We did some digging and found out some rumors, though you probably already know the truth," said Azazel.

He brought out some documents and laid them out on his desk. "Kecate Tepes, the bastard child of King Tepes. He had made a child—a daughter with another pure-blood that was considered a commoner, and they neglected this child and she was presumably dead…until you mentioned her to Valerie-chan."

"We asked Gasper and Valerie to help with this too, but now we need a pure-blood. Anyway, since Avezza has knowledge about the artificially created devils and vampires, we're using that to our advantage. Back to Kecate, according to our sources she's the only leader for the vampires, but there are some other powerful ones in their rankings," said Azazel.

"Suzaku mentioned a Dhampir called Neculai she encountered while we visited the Hindu Pantheon," said Aaron.

"We can just assume a former pure-blood, you know, sexually assaulted a normal human, forced them to give birth and either let them go and wiped their memory or killed them," said Azazel. "It's common since humans are just playthings to a lot of the supernatural."

Aaron nodded because that's what he found out when investigating the more notable vampires, dhampirs and artificial vampires in the remaining Vampire Faction of the Khaos Order.

"Anyway, I have something to tell you regarding the match between [Team Phantastic Dragons] and [Team Trump Card of Heaven]," said Aaron.

"Hmm? What's that? Something from the other organizers?" asked Azazel while looking at the documents he had laid out.

"No. During the game, the remaining Fallen Angel Faction will attack during the match."

Azazel looked up at Aaron once he heard that. "Should we cancel or reschedule then?" he asked.

He shook his head. "No, let's stay on schedule. I'll stop them with my own group. I don't want to cause a panic or have them ruin this tournament when they attack. I've already stopped other attempts at other matches."

"…Also, Chazaqiel will appear during it along with a few others that you lost contact with after they became fallen angels," he added making Azazel's eyes widen in surprise.

"Gabriel, she—"

"I know. That's why I'm bringing Gabriel, other fallen angels and angels with me. Oh, right, during our fight with Qlippoth, I came across someone named…Yomiel? He got in my way when I was in a rush towards Rizevim, so I just killed him on the spot without waiting for his speech, but…"

To that, Azazel burst into laughter. He kept on laughing and clutched his stomach. "He…he…! It's a good thing you did that. He would have gone on a thirty-minute tangent if you didn't. But he was obsessed with Penemue, if you didn't know."

"Previously, I didn't, but I found out after a bit. I've asked Penemue about him, but she didn't really comment much about him, saying that he at least went quickly."

Azazel stopped laughing and shrugged his shoulder. "They had history before they fell, but after that, the guy just spiraled out of control and left. Penemue was bummed out about it but had to move on. Well, it doesn't matter now, does it? He's dead and now she's engaged to you, so she got her happy ending."

"And you?" asked Aaron.

Azazel scoffed. "What about me? If you're expecting me to settle down, you've got another thing—"

The door to his office slammed open with a very annoyed purple-haired fallen angel walking in. It was Avezza who looked angry, very angry.

"Oh, please do continue Azazel, I'd like to hear the rest of your sentence," said Avezza. She then turned to Aaron and smiled. "Welcome to Grigori, Jin. How's everyone?"

"Hey. I'm good, so is everyone else. Oh, are you coming to the restaurant tonight?" he asked.

"Yep, Baraqiel, Shuri, Penemue, Shemhazai and I are coming with this idiot so he won't get black out drunk," said Avezza.

"My liquor won't get you drunk, only tipsy, no matter how much you drink," said Aaron.

"Really? That's a relief then. I'll have some myself if that's the case," she said happily and walked over to Azazel. "Well?"

The governor had gone silent—sweat pouring down his face. He looked at Aaron for help, but he turned his head away. It wasn't his problem, unfortunately. However, he glanced at Avezza and still felt mixed feelings.

He was glad that she was on their side, but also felt bad that she had forgotten the existence of her previous lover or the acts she had gone. But what's done is done and he wouldn't dwell on it, because he knew that this was better for her. He didn't want her to grieve him forever—though whether if his decision was the right one or not, he himself didn't know.

"…Anyway, I'll get going. I'll see you guys tonight, and don't abuse Elmenhilde too much," said Aaron before leaving.

"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelp meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee daaaaaaaaaamitttttttt!!" screamed Azazel as Avezza approached him.

— ○ ● ○ —

Yumi Kira's Soliloquy

— ○ ● ○ —

Not too long has passed since [Team Lightning] versus [Team Golden Rakshasa] has happened and many teams feared fighting Aurelia-san's team after that. However, in ten days' time, we, the Gremory group will be fighting an unknown team, but three other matches would happen one after another and they would have far more covered than ours.

First would be [Team Phantastic Dragons] versus [Team Trump Card of Heaven]. After that would be [Team Imperial Purpure] versus [Team Spear of the Draconic Emperor] and then finally…[Team Sona Sitri] versus [Team Golden Rakshasa].

As it is, many are excited to see those matches like us too, but we had to focus on our match first. Currently, it was after school and we were making our way to Aaron's restaurant. We agreed to help him with setting up the restaurant. Usually, he closes his restaurant around one in the morning, but because of the VIPs coming tonight, he's closing them at ten to prepare.

This means we cut our club activities short today per President Asia's orders, and all of the current Occult Research Club members, plus the current Student Council (who are coming later) are going to his restaurant.

<<It's a strange name for a restaurant. Why did Jin-san name it that?>> Bennia, the Grim Reaper junior asked.

"Ah, Jin told me the reason for it, actually," replied President Asia. "The Ryukororeacht or the Ryukororeacht Restaurant or it can be called the R&R or RxR."

"It's just word play, that's what he said. So, it goes something like this: 'Ryu' from 'Dragon', 'Koro' from 'Kokoro/Heart' and 'Reacht' from the Irish word for 'Legacy' which is 'Oidhreacht'. So in short, it's the Dragon's Heart Legacy Restaurant," she explained.

"Dragon (Ryu) Heart (koro) Legacy (reacht) Restaurant," I repeated and President Asia nodded.

"A bit of Japanese, Irish, and his dragon self!" Kunou-hime said happily.

<<Oooooh! I didn't think he thought of it that way, so deep…>> muttered Bennia.

She seemed impressed by it, but Aaron said that he tried choosing a much simpler name. However, he didn't like the ones he thought of, so he decided to think of a name from a different angle. In the end, he decided to find words in the Japanese language, the Irish language and then add what he was before his evolution, which was a dragon, and that's how he got the name after mixing them.

"Please keep in mind that his restaurant is still in business, so we're still customers when we arrived," I told them. "So…please don't go asking for unreasonable requests, okay? …Irina-san?"

"Why me?! I-I wouldn't ask for such a ridiculous request from darling~" she said awkwardly.

"Didn't you go there two days ago and ask for an Angel Parfait with a kiss along with it?" asked Le Fay-san.

Irina blushed but had a smug grin on her face. She put her hands on her hips and said, "It was a bet with Xenovia, and I won since he did give me both!"

"…There were other customers there, Irina-san. Please try not to ask for another strange item that wasn't on the menu," I told her.

"But, it's on the menu though? Custom items for ¥3256. I can ask for more if I think about it," she muttered.

"Custom dish…can I request a dish that's famous in Kyoto?" asked Kunou-hime.

"If it's Aaron then it's very much possible. I asked for dishes from different parts of the world and he made them in a few minutes. He's most likely using his powers to get it done, but everyone there who's ordered the custom dish left feeling satisfied. The regular items on the menu are also delicious," explained Shirone-chan.

As we walked towards his restaurant, we came closer to it and found a few others there, Rias-nee-san, Akeno-san, Ingvild-san, and Kiyohime-san.

"Rias-nee-sama, are you all going to Aaron's restaurant too?" Asia asked while jogging up to them.

Rias-nee-san smiled and nodded. "We're helping with tonight, but we thought we may as well go and eat some food there not and then help out," she explained. "Shall we go in?"

We all agree and entered the establishment. Once in there, the place was relatively packed. There were many people there that ranged from regular businessmen and women, families, couples, and students alike.

Right now, it would be considered one of the peaks of the restaurants, so—

"——♪, ——♪ ——♪, ——♪"

On top of a stage, Lavinia Reni-san was dressed in a beautiful blue-silver dress and sang to everyone in the restaurant. The further away from her had smiled on their faces as they enjoyed the song she sang; the ones closest to her were enamored by her voice and beauty.

It was obvious that some of the teenage boys and young adult men would ask her out after her performance. Aaron and Lavinia-san herself had said as much. But for now, they listened silently to her song. However, it eventually ended and there was a huge round of applause for her.

On the right side, in a corner, Aaron silently watched over her. As soon as he saw me looking at him, he waved at us.

"Lavinia-dono's singing voice is wonderful," commented Kunou-hime.

<<Yeah. Does anyone else sing there?>> Bennia asked.

"I sometimes do, but that's only happened three times so far," replied Ingvild-san. After that we walked up to the counter to order as Lavinia-san began to sing another song.

"Hmm? Oh, you guys are here, yahoo~" said a familiar voice and face.

"H-Hermes-sama?" Rias-nee-san asked in surprise.

"Fufu, since Hestia works here too, I decided to come along and work from time-to-time. I mean, it beats being stuck in my pantheon all day doing chores, right? I get to eat free delicious food made by Jin-kun too~" he said happily. "Now then, what would you like?"

Everyone started to order something from the menu, but…

Irina-san pointed to the custom menu and said, "Can I get something custom?"

"Of course, what would you like?" asked Hermes-sama. Irina gestured for him to lean over and she whispered something into his ear making him laugh. "Fufu, of course, I will tell Jin-kun myself."

"May I also order something custom?" Kunou-hime asked. Hermes-sama agreed. "T-then can I have Chirimen Sansho, Yatsuhashi and Kyoto-style Sushi?"

Hermes-sama nodded along and wrote it all down. "That should be it, right? I'll get…" He pressed something under the table and a buzzer went off. After that, a devil from the Gremory household came over to us.

"Ah, Rias-ojou-sama, welcome to Jin-sama's restaurant…you have a large group. Please follow me," said the male devil.

We followed him and he took us to the back. Humans that are from Kuoh Academy (College Division), regular human workers and some supernatural beings work here in the restaurant. Since Aaron needed some help at the start, the restaurant was mostly run by devils, but now since he had hired other staff, they have mostly been reduced.

Once we arrived at a backroom-type place, we saw some youkais and other beings eating there. I see, so this is the 'supernatural' section? We could see hear Lavinia-san's voice through various speakers and there was also a monitor here.

"Hmm? Oh, the…Gremory peerage and others are here, yo!" Higuro Najima waved at us. It seems like he came here with Kikijo Kouta, and their two lovers.

"Najima-senpai, Amasawa-senpai, Kouta-senpai and Hashimoto-senpai, you all came here?" I asked.

"Yeah, Jin skipped the day, so we came here to eat after—we do have discounts after all," Najima-senpai said and chuckled. "But man, that foreign girlfriend—er, fiancé sure has an impressive voice, huh? Oh, you too, Kyrie-san! I bought both of your most recent albums!"

Ingvild-san smiled and thanked him for supporting her. We walked over to our tables, there were two in total and we continued chatting to one another, eventually Aaron also came in with Latia-san, Raiko-san and Rossweisse-san.

"Ah! Rossweisse-sensei! We heard you left Kuoh, but…oh, you're with Jin too?" asked Amasawa-senpai.

"Yes, I was…originally left by Odin-sama in Japan, but Jin offered me a job and I decided to start teaching at Kuoh Academy, but also said that I would leave after he graduates," explained Rossweisse-san.

"O-Odin…? Holy crap, I didn't think you worked for him…that sounds wild," said Kouta-senpai.

Aaron had our food there and started putting it on our tables. Kunou-hime was with us and he winked at her. "I didn't think you'd ask for Kyoto dishes, Kunou. But I was happy to comply, enjoy," he told her.

"Umu! Thank you!" she exclaimed gleefully. Aaron then walked over to Irina-san with some kind of English dish and put it down.

"U-um…" muttered Irina-san nervously. Aaron leaned over and whispered something to her—Irina-san's face turned completely red and I could almost see steam coming out of her head and ears. "O-okay…I'll do that…" she squeaked out.

"Just ring that bell if you need anything else, alright? I'll go back to the kitchen to help the other staff," said Aaron before leaving with Latia-san, and Raiko-san, Rossweisse-san decided to stay and chat with us a bit longer since Aaron's friends had several questions they wanted to ask.

— ○ ● ○ —

Aaron Toole's Soliloquy

— ○ ● ○ —

"I'll go back to the office and go over the items that will be used for tonight, Aaron. Raiko-san can you come with me and help me?" asked Latia.

"Of course, Latia," replied Raiko.

"Go ahead, I'll just help out with cooking the food," I replied. I kissed them both and we went our separate ways. When I arrived in the kitchen, I had numerous others there helping me. None of them were normal humans.

"Hestia-sama, here are the ingredients you asked for," said Grayfia as she handed them over to the former loli goddess.

"Thanks, Grayfia. Ah, you! Hurry up and help over here!" Hestia shouted and pointed at me.

"Yeah, yeah, Hestia-sama~" I replied and began helping around the kitchen.

With the help of magic, we made things easier and faster. However, I also influenced things using my own power, to which Hestia and the other helpers around the kitchen had no idea about. This was with the exception of Grayfia who knew what I had seen happening from the very beginning.

"This is done, and this, and this! Here!" Hestia shouted and handed it to a waiter and they put the food on a tray before leaving the kitchen. The former loli goddess was quite energetic inside the kitchen since she's basically working here full-time since I opened.

"I'm done with this too," I said and placed it near the trays. "It seems word is spreading even further since we're getting customers more than four to seven town stops from Kuoh. I wonder if we'll start getting people from across the country or even worldwide at this point?"

"It's possible since Ravel-sama and Rias-ojou-sama have decided to place advertisements for your restaurant all over Japan. Zeoticus-sama and Sirzechs-sama are also doing the same thing, and Zeoticus-sama who owns several restaurants around the world will also do a short interview soon while mentioning your restaurant," explained Grayfia.

"Seriously?" I asked. I never asked them to do that or go that far. I mean, I appreciate the gesture but fucking hell. No wonder my business is booming. They must have used some magic too to make them notice these advertisements…

"I'll thank them later then, jeez…" I muttered and continued working...hmm? I noticed that a small notification was beeping in my peripheral vision. "I'm stepping out for a bit. Ajuka is calling me."

Hestia tried to protest, so I made an avatar and had him help instead. After stepping outside and warping reality, I answered the call.

"Jin? Can you come to my research facility with Latia? I have some things to talk to you about. I'm also coming to your restaurant along with the other Satans later on tonight if you plan on asking me," he said through the magic circle.

"Hello to you too and sure I don't mind. Around what time is convenient for you?" I asked.

"In half an hour would be ideal if that's possible," he told me.

"Done. I'll see you then," I replied and the magic circle disappeared. I looked up at the sky and sighed. "It's about that, huh?"

I stepped back in and told them I had something to tell Latia and I'd join them in a bit. Locating my office, I walked in there and found both women diligently working through some documents.

"Aaron?" Latia asked as she stopped to look at me.

"Ajuka, your uncle wants to see both of us in half an hour. I'm just here to tell you. Anyway, I'll go back to the kitchen." Latia nodded and went back to doing her job, and just like that, half an hour passed.

— ○ ● ○ —

"I'm leaving three clones to help out and all of them look different. If you need any further help just—"

"We got it, go!" Hestia said and me out of the kitchen and into the door. "I'll be the temporary head chef, so leave it to me, jeez!"

"Alright, I'll leave it to you, Hestia." I glanced at Grayfia and she agreed to watch over her. "Raiko, sorry for leaving all that to you."

"It's fine, I can handle it. Please come back in a timely manner though…" she said sadly.

"I will." We shared a quick kiss before Latia and I left.

— ○ ● ○ —

Directly teleporting into Ajuka's office, he looked up and chuckled.

"I expected you to teleport with the help of Latia, or teleport outside my home, but to think you would directly teleport into my office," he said and stood up. "Welcome and thank you for coming on short notice, Jin, Latia."

"Glad to be here, so what did you need?" I asked.

"Straight to the point, huh?" he said and smiled. "You told me of several events that will take place in a few months' time, all of them during the tournament—the closest one is the fallen angel faction attacking the Rating Game between [Team Phantastic Dragons] and [Team Trump Card of Heaven]."

Latia seemed surprised by this and looked at me. I smiled at her and patted her head; she furrowed her brows but said nothing.

"I know you said you had plans for it, but may I suggest you try to use the newly formed Organization [EXE] for it? A test run of sorts, to see what's lacking and what needs improvement from its current members. To the ones that have been fighting with you, we both know they'll work well, but to the new ones…"

I see, so that's what he wants me to do. I mean, I have been meaning to use [EXE] for a while now and see what it's all about. An organization that's comparable to the CIA or M16, it'll surely have the same power and backers as Team [DxD], just not as public…

"With how many people are going to be watching that game, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that we'll attract attention. If that happens, won't [EXE] be exposed to the world? Wouldn't we need some disguises?" asked Latia.

"Don't worry, I'll simply transport all of us to a different realm and fight there. The stadium that they'll have their match in won't be disturbed, so it'll be away from the public eye. I myself will also have a disguise," I told her.

[Canis Lykaon], [Abyss Extinction] and [Demon Armor: Incursio]. I have the choice of three of these to use when operating as the leader of [EXE]. But for the rest of my allies—the ones that aren't actively participating in Team [DxD] should be fine, but for the ones that are known, it should be harder…well, a bit of plot warping should be fine.

"Can I leave you and [EXE] to deal with those while Team [DxD] takes a small break? We think they deserve as much due to the war and other happenings during the year," said Ajuka.

Heh, even if he doesn't actively show it, he cares just as much as Sirzechs about peace. "I don't mind, also…leave [Telos Karma] and [Innovate Clear] to me…I already made contact with the temporary wielder of both."

Ajuka seemed surprised, smiled and agreed. "Well, they have been acting strangely every time I've met them after a certain period…so you've already done something to Mitsuya-kun, huh? Very well, I'll leave them to you, Jin."

Even if he asks me to let Team [DxD] have a break, I doubt the team as a whole would want to. The ones that joined did so because they wanted to protect their home and the supernatural world at large. But if I give them a small break when the tournament is going on, I think they'll accept it.

"I'll set up a meeting with the current members then. Can I ask you to show them where we're meeting, uncle? The ones Jin or I haven't met yet," asked Latia.

"Fufu, alright, leave it to your uncle," replied Ajuka. He seemed quite happy with being asked by Latia…is he just as doting as Sirzechs? I doubt it…

"Well, we'll—"

"Ah, wait, Jin. I have a question for you," said Ajuka, stopping me from teleporting away. I looked at him and waited for him to continue. "Since you became the Middleman, Oppai Dragon and well-known figure in the supernatural world, you've faced many adversaries, most of whom forced you to fight them and even kill them."

"…Have you truly enjoyed fighting since you showed up just a year ago?" he asked, looking at me quite seriously. Latia also looked at me curiously, interested in my answer.

I paused for a moment since I couldn't answer immediately. Even with my memories back of my previous self, I never once actively looked to fight people. The times I was forced to, I blacked out due to my own anger during it.

I wanted to resolve a lot of the conflicts here without fighting, but I also knew that kind of thing wouldn't be possible. I doubt I'd be able to 'Talk no Jutsu' Rizevim or other 'villains' I've faced so far, and that won't certainly work on the likes of Melvazoa and Phumera or even Magnum Tenebrosum. Some are just born 'evil', or some spiral so far that they can't be pulled back to the other side.

Maybe in an ideal world I could do that…well, I could force it to happen using my powers, but it wouldn't be genuine…just like with Avezza. It was necessary, but I didn't like it. But I just have to live with this decision—I will certainly make more in the far future. Does this fall under the responsibility of the 'King' or 'Ruler'?

Making a perfect paradise is still impossible even with this new power without making it feel fake and superficial. Even if I did do that, I wouldn't feel great about it—again, like with Avezza's situation…

But back to Ajuka's question. Do I enjoy fighting? There have been some fights where I became angry during them, some where I became emotional during them, and some where I felt indifferent. Have I once enjoyed 'fighting' someone…? The closest was probably with Sairaorg when I got my [Queen] form…

"You don't seem to sure with your answer. Let me rephrase it then." Ajuka's face softened and he said, "What do your fists represent? Why do you fight and who do you fight for? Answer this not just as the Middleman, Dual Dragon Emperor or Oppai Dragon—but as you—Jin Skyward."

"Do you fight for yourself? For the children of the supernatural world? For the peace you wanted? For your harem and loved ones? For your current and eventual future family? For the fun of it?" continued Ajuka.

I looked at my own hand and curled it into a fist. I then felt someone's fist lightly hit my chest. When I looked up it was Ajuka's.

"Don't think too hard about it. You've always followed your heart in many of your decisions, and while they're always not the perfect answers to the situations you're presented with, they usually end up fine, right? The so-called miracles of the Middleman," he said and turned around. "That's all I wanted to say. I again thank you for coming on short notice."

'Peace, that's what the books of this world wanted to happen—Issei Hyoudou, Sirzechs Lucifer, Tobio Ikuse, Dulio Gesualdo and many others. Once you were reincarnated into this reality, you also took up that dream and now you're making it into a reality, but…'

'Has that once been what you truly wanted, or was it the byproduct of what you knew beforehand from what you read? In a way, you forced yourself to be the [Middleman] of this world, you took up that role. Of course, your original goal was a 'harem', but since you've also gotten that…what's your next goal? What's your next dream?' asked Rudra.

I—

Cúntóir: Answer: You don't need to have an immediate answer, Aaron.

'Right. Sorry if I came out of nowhere there, but Ajuka has a point and you'll need to think about it for the future—what do you want out of your life now? You won't always be the Middleman once the future generations start coming.'

'Will those fists of yours keep on fighting for the supernatural? Or will you retire and leave it to the future generations? If so, what will your fists be used for then?' Rudra asked again.

'…Jeez, are you guys trying to give me a mid-life crisis already?' I asked. '…But I'll think about it.'

"…I'll think about it. Thanks, Ajuka," I told him and he put his hand up in acknowledgement. I left with Latia back to my restaurant.

— ○ ● ○ —

"Aaron…are you okay? You seem to be thinking really hard about my uncle's question," Latia said while looking at me worriedly.

I chuckled and put a hand on her head. "I'm fine, but he has a point. I'll need to start thinking about my future from now on. I won't look into the future for my answer. I want to find it naturally…let's go back," I told her. She gave me a quick kiss before we entered my restaurant.

Will I be the Middleman forever? Will I leave a legacy behind and explore the multiverse? What do my fists represent? I wasn't sure how to answer these questions right now, but…

I just want to keep the ones closets to me safe—that kind of answer for now…is fine, right?

— ○ ● ○ —

Suzaku Himejima's Soliloquy

— ○ ● ○ —

It was now night—many faction and pantheon leaders as well as other prominent figures were gathering in Aaron's restaurant for tonight. There was no special occasion, but just a few leaders organizing it, and it spread and now it's become a small get-together.

I was accompanying Amaterasu-sama along with Raijin-sama and Fūjin-sama. When I saw Aaron earlier, he seemed a bit different, like something was bothering him. I was not the only one who noticed and many asked him why—most went to Latia since it happened once they came back from speaking with Ajuka and she told us what he asked him.

We entered the establishment and we were immediately greeted by Lavinia's voice as she sang a song. Shigune was playing the piano on the same stage which had been enlarged and Ingvild was sitting just beside the stage. It seemed like she was going to sing afterward.

There were already tipsy gods and leaders here, with Odin-sama and Governor Azazel laughing and singing along. At the bar were Tobio and Aaron, both wearing bartender outfits and serving drinks to the patrons.

Sae had also come with their child who was asleep. I wondered how she wasn't awake and crying. However, I noticed some kind of magic around her ears and assumed Aaron had done something for them.

"It's quite lively here. I'm heading to Jin," announced Raijin-sama before walking away.

"Wait, I'm coming with you!" shouted Fūjin-sama.

"Shall we join them then?" asked Amaterasu-sama and I agreed, so we followed the other goddesses. Once we were nearer to the place, I saw even more gods and goddesses.

The entire place was heavily guarded with multiple barriers of different kind, and millions of shadow soldiers patrolling the place. I doubt anything would happen nor would anyone attack this place…but Aaron wanted to be on the safe side.

"Jin, give me your most expensive bottle! And you can spank Fūjin here as her order," said Raijin-sama.

"H-huh!?" Fūjin-sama looked mortified, and a few others turned to look at her as she grabbed Raijin by the collar and started to violently shake her.

Tobio looked at Aaron who agreed to the request, so he left to get their most expensive bottle. Beside him, on a stool was…Gabriel-sama as she sat there drinking juice. She received a pat on the head from Aaron every now and again, but she also helped serve non-alcoholic beverages to the ones that asked. She also wore a black and white bartenders' attire like Tobio and Aaron.

The clothes on her were…tight to say the least, and it made her portions stand out, and some gods weren't subtle in looking at her. Anytime it happened, a very intimidating aura would appear around Aaron and they would look away. Gabriel-sama wasn't oblivious to it, as she covered her breast and waved her finger when she noticed while saying 'No, no! Bad boy!'.

"Would you like something, Suzaku?" Aaron asked.

"Oh…just some juice would be fine," I replied. Gabriel-sama heard me and quickly made mine and handed it to me. "Thank you."

I began drinking my juice when Tobio came back out with a bottle and Raijin-sama looked at it with interest before he handed it to Aaron.

"Dom Pérignon is our most expensive, and of course, I've modified all our alcoholic drinks so it'll only make you tipsy…would you—"

"I'll take it! Just give me the entire bottle!" said Raijin-sama. Aaron nodded, and gave it to her as she also threw her card at him and paid. Raijin-sama then began to chug the bottle down.

"Um, how much is that?" Amaterasu-sama asked.

"¥36,808, so around €234," replied Aaron. Amaterasu-sama looked at Raijin-sama, who was howling with laughter. Before she could speak any further, we heard a loud crash, so we turned our attention to it.

We saw…a table and two chairs destroyed. On the ground was Vidar-sama and Lugh-sama arm wrestling.

"Kill him, Lugh!" shouted Áine. She was drinking some beer, so she was already a little tipsy.

"Vidar-sama…why would you destroy the environment and furniture that Jin worked hard to buy?" Brynhildr-san asked, sounding increasingly angry—she also looked a bit tipsy.

"Wait what? You're supposed to side with me! Not try to go against me! I'm your god, Brynhildr!" shouted Vidar-sama in confusion.

I looked back at Aaron who smiled back at me. I see, so this didn't bother him—well, they weren't fighting using their po—

They suddenly had their auras around their bodies and the area around them began to be destroyed. A few people around them began to panic, but before it could escalate, Aaron appeared above them, hit them on the neck and they passed out.

He sighed and said, "Please try not to use your powers while here. I reinforced my furniture to a certain degree, but not too much since most of my customers during the day are humans." He then clicked his fingers and repaired the damage while teleporting the two passed out gods to chairs.

"Hey! You ruined a good show! I want compensation!" Áine shouted at Aaron. He awkwardly smiled before gesturing for her to join him at a table. Once she did, he summoned a plate of food and let her eat it for free. "Ah~ delicious~! You're forgiven!"

Aaron looked tired as he did all of this. He just kept on smiling in front of everyone and I wanted to speak with him, but…

"Do you want to talk to him?" Amaterasu-sama asked, surprising me a little.

"May I? But I'm here to escort you for the night…" I replied.

"Fufu, we're already here, Suzaku. Until we leave, you've done your job, so go ahead and speak to your fiancé…although I do wish to speak with him too," said Amaterasu-sama.

Aaron told me that she had declared her love for him too, along with both Raijin-sama and Fūjin-sama being interested in him. Perhaps I should invite her…? But before I could, she gestured for Aaron to join us and he came over.

— ○ ● ○ —

Aaron Toole's Soliloquy

— ○ ● ○ —

Everything felt a bit strange but I was doing fine, but nothing too major has happened tonight—well, not including Lugh and Vidar trying to destroy the place. Áine was easier to appease like the various leaders here too.

Many people were speaking to each other, especially the ones that usually don't. An example of that was Altaria and Saraswati. They seemed to be enjoying themselves. Vasco Strada was also with them. Cao Cao and Indra were also talking to one about, seemingly catching up and seeing how I treated him and his team. The atmosphere was relaxed, that's what I was aiming for.

I suddenly saw Amaterasu gesture for me to go over to her. She sat with Suzaku who looked a bit panicked. I walked over to them and she suddenly and lightly pushed Suzaku towards me.

"She wishes to speak with you in private. Will you let her?" she asked. I looked at Suzaku and agreed. I summoned an avatar and let him take over for me for a bit while bringing Suzaku to my office in the building.

"So, what's up?" I asked as we stood in my office. Suzaku seemed hesitant in telling me, so I reassured her that it was fine.

"…Did something happen when you went to Ajuka Beelzebub?" she asked.

Oh, it's about that, huh?

[I told you! You were making weird faces the entire night!]

'I didn't think I was being that obvious,' I replied to the slightly angry dragon. I stared at Suzaku and told her what Ajuka asked me (not including the topic of [EXE], but I think she's vaguely aware of it).

"It feels like having a small mid-life crisis, but I'm just thinking about the question, so it's nothing too serious. I know what we do in the future, but I don't know the super clear details about it since I avoided it. I want to find the answer myself—even if I do end up in the same spot. I guess I want the experience?"

It felt like what I was saying didn't make sense to anybody but me, but I hope she did…

"Aaron…do we have a child in the future?" she suddenly asked, completely taking me off guard. "Please answer honestly."

"We…have a daughter, if that's what you're asking. During the 10,000 years we only had that one daughter, but since you now know, that might change depending on your decisions," I told her. Suzaku's eyes became full of wonder as she stared at me.

"…A daughter…" she mumbled, her cheeks turning red. "What's her name?"

"Etsuko. Etsuko Himejima Toole. You and Kasumi thought of it together." Etsuko meant joy;child, or joyful child, I guess? The 'older' me suggested Suzaku Jr, but it was shut down pretty quickly.

Suzaku took both my hands into hers—just like she always did. "I won't ask any further, but…if a future like that exists, and I would assume it's relatively peaceful—then doesn't that mean whatever you do with your fists—your power, you did something you were content with?"

"It's like Satan Beelzebub said, just follow your heart and you'll come to that answer naturally. That's how you do things, right?" she asked and smiled.

I fell silent for a few seconds before laughing, confusing Suzaku. I stopped and agreed with her—I'm overthinking this and making my own mood deteriorate. "You're right. I'll just keep it simple and keep running straight forward like I always do. The answers I'm looking for will eventually come to me."

I'm starting to see how each of them operates. While all of the 'Fated Ones' support me unconditionally with what I do, they go about it in different ways.

Lavinia will agree with 99% of the things I want without question—she has complete trust in me. In a way, she just spoils me. Velgrynd questions a lot of the things I do, or even criticizes them, but for good reason, forcing me to think about it more, but in the end, she supports my decision too. Danu and Suzaku are kind of the same. Both listen to me and give me advice while giving an alternative answer.

But the difference is that Danu has more experience since she's lived longer than Suzaku. However, Suzaku has the advantage of a slightly more contemporary reasoning, while Danu is more traditional. Well…I'm thankful for them. I'd be pretty useless at times before my evolution without them—all of them, not just my harem, but my other friends too. Sairaorg did listen to my troubles last year and gave me helpful advice.

And even Ajuka who asked me that question, it made me think about my future since I've just coasted through life so far without really thinking past my restaurant and business. Since my restaurant and business would be more advantageous for everyone else but me—what did I want to do for myself? I couldn't be too selfish since I needed to look after the Omniverse, right?

"Sorry for interrupting this sweet moment, but we need your help, Jin," said Tobio's voice. Suzaku and I turned to the door and found him awkwardly looking at us.

"Ah, no, it's fine. We're just about finished. Thanks for coming, Tobio. I'll be out in a second," I told him and he nodded before leaving. "Shall we?" I asked and gestured at the door.

"We shall," she replied and we walked back to the now loud and rambunctious crowd.

I don't care what other people say. I'll use my fists—my powers however I like. Whether it's to save everyone or destroy everything, it's my choice. As long as I can keep this happiness close to me and everyone around me safe, that's fine by me—I'll just wait and see what the future has in store for me.

— ○ ● ○ —

"…Ugh…I miss her…," cried Cao Cao. Even though he was only tipsy, he was crying about his soon-to-be lover from the Phantasma. The rest of his team crowded around him as well as the Church Trio and Vasco Strada.

"Hmm. It seems you have found something to love, young wielder of the universal spear. I can also feel that you've reach new heights of your power because of it. Good. Very good!" said Vasco as he patted Cao Cao on the back.

"But he's also learned to love himself, in a much healthier way, and that's another significant thing, right, your Eminence?" asked Asia.

"Hmm. It indeed is, sister Asia," replied Vasco.

"That's all well good and all, but is he always like that when he gets tipsy or drunk?" Xenovia asked while looking at Cao Cao's teammates.

Georg fixed his glasses and said, "From time-to-time. Cao Cao isn't one that drinks too often, but when he does…well, it used to be different, with him just mumbling about being the strongest, but now it's…like this."

He seemed a bit annoyed, but at the same time relieved for his leader. Georg was a loyal follower of Cao Cao, and I think the rest were in favor of this new change in their leader—it made him stronger and at the same time more flexible than before, thus opening up more paths for them.

"Here, some milk on the house," I said and slid it towards Cao Cao. Georg nodded and forced it down his leader's throat making him groan in annoyance.

Just then, Indra approached us with a grin on his face. "Yo, Jinppai! I look forward to facing you in the exhibition match," he said.

"You're already looking that far ahead? Or is it because of your own future sight?" I asked. Indra laughed at my question.

"Even I can't see that far into the future, and so far I haven't used it like that since I want it to be a surprise for myself! This is a once in a lifetime experience, you know? This era…no, especially in this era with so many changes caused by you—it's amazing! I get to fight so many talented fighters," he exclaimed excitedly.

"Well, do your best in reaching me. But I won't accept you asking to go to war with Shiva—but…" I stared at him seriously and added, "if you want, I'll go to war with you personally."

A crazed grin spread across his face and Indra's own aura skyrocketed which caused everyone in the restaurant to turn our way.

"Kahahaha! Seriously?! That's even better! Then I'm definitely going to reach the finals and win!" he declared before calming himself down and walking away. "I'll see you then~"

"Was it okay challenging him like that?" Jeanne asked, sounding worried.

"It's fine…" I replied. Indra isn't the one that reaches the finals after all. So I saw no need to act right now, and he also doesn't try to act on war towards Shiva or myself since I stop it.

I shook my head and repaired the restaurant again. Perhaps I should reinforce it so it can't be damaged by overzealous gods because it'll get annoying for me if I have to repair this place every time they visit and wreck the place.

For the rest of the night, everyone had fun, but a lot of chaos happened during it and it just gave me a headache, but it was worth it—seeing them all smiling like that.

— ○ ● ○ —

A day later, early in the morning, and to my surprise, Vali invited me out to fish, and in turn I invited Saji out too—it quickly turned into a meeting of dragons. The time and place were somewhere I hadn't been to before, but it was in Japan and it was peaceful and quiet.

Lavinia insisted on coming because in her words 'Vaa-kun invited the big brother, so the older sister has to come!'. I don't know if that's how it works, but I agreed while letting Vali know, and his own response was 'Do whatever you want'. He's still a tsundere towards her, but not me—I wonder why?

Near the pier stood Vali and Saji. It seemed like they had already arrived before me, but they didn't converse. Lavinia left my side and ran up to Vali and hugged him. He let out a shriek since Lavinia killed her presence and sneaked up on him.

I quickly joined and laughed at him; he was already red in the face as Lavinia kept doting on him while repeatedly calling him 'Vaa-kun'.

"Later in the day, Rias Gremory will have a match. The team they're facing is formidable. Do you think she'll win?" asked Vali, taking a more serious look on his face, though he was still blushing.

"[Team Baleratic Bouyons], right? I heard they have some powerful water-based innate abilities and magic users. One of them has a new Sacred Gear based on water too, but it's just an 'Uncommon' one," said Saji.

"Indeed. Their [King] is the one with the Sacred Gear. I heard he called it [Barquatic Blast], because he frequents bars near the ocean," explained Vali. "I heard from Azazel that their field is also water-based, so the [Team Rias Gremory] may have some problems."

Lavinia stopped bothering Vali as she came back to my side and hugged me from behind. Vali relaxed and continued to silently fish.

"So you challenged Aurelia's team, huh? Do you want to beat her or do you have another reason, Genshirou?" I asked.

Saji looked at me in surprise, blushed a little and scratched his cheek. "It's for two reasons, actually. Aurelia-san along with a few others beat everyone black and blue in 'that' (Pocket Dimension) place for a long time, but it also made us stronger. I wanted to repay her for that, i-in a good way, I mean."

"…Winning is just the icing on top of the cake. I also want to prove to myself that I've become stronger, as well as to Former President Sona. She's my [King] and I am her [Pawn], so I'll pave a path for that dream or hers—no, ours. I also…" he said glanced at me. "I would like your approval! As some I look up to—as a fellow dragon, I want you to acknowledge me!"

"Gen, I—"

"No. I know you're a kind person that you'll say that you already do, and I'm thankful, but I want you to not be biased and judge me based on my performance in our upcoming game, please," he said seriously.

"Hmph. It seems I'm not the only one doing such things, Genshirou Saji," said Vali as he also glanced at me. "I am also looking for Aniki to acknowledge me. Vali told me the truth about you—I also found out when you passed out after you blasted Rizevim away."

"You're an existence I cannot conquer or defeat, but at least I want to prove to myself and you that I can keep on improving, getting stronger and stand beside you—as the White Dragon Emperor, as a Lucifer and as your brother," said Vali.

"Vaa-kun…" muttered Lavinia as she became teary-eyed.

Jeez, what's with these two? It feels almost like a love confession. "…Alright. I'll accept those 'conditions', do your best and try to win this thing. I'll personally commentate during your games," I told them.

"I also want to reach the finals to have our fated battle. I'll make the whole supernatural world see it—the final clash between the Red and White Dragon Emperors of our universe," said Vali confidently.

I shook my head at what he said and we continued fishing until we had to go back to our homes. I caught a few fish, and so did Vali. Sa—Genshirou caught a giant gold fish. How that thing managed to stay alive in the ocean was beyond me, but we theorized it may have been a magic gold fish.

— ○ ● ○ —

"They annihilated them," muttered mom as we watched [Team Rias Gremory] versus [Team Baleratic Bouyons].

Just like Vali said, the field chosen for their match was a water park, a large one at that. It's apparently based on Aquaventure Water Park that's in the Bahamas, but this one was five times larger.

Rias started by completely destroying all bodies of water in the area, rendering their use of water almost useless. They could still produce water by themselves without any resources around them. After that, they systematically destroyed the other team one by one.

Yumi and Xenovia hunted down their fellow [Knights] and [The Limits of Humanity], aka Vasco Strada, took care of both of their [Rooks] with Shirone giving him a helping hand. Akeno took down the [Queen] without any difficulty, and so did the rest of them. Their [Pawn], 'Mr. Black' didn't participate since it didn't interest him, but they didn't need it since they dominated them. He was still in the game, but didn't attack anyone.

Finally, it was a battle between [King] and [King], and it was quite one-sided too. Rias used her [Power of Destruction] to destroy any and all types of attacks that the [King] of [Team Baleratic Bouyons] used. He himself was human, but had some small devil blood in him, something like 1/32 blood, which was basically non-existent.

Still, it made him stronger than the average human, and he also had decent mastery over his Sacred Gear. He used his Sacred Gear to the best of his ability and forced Rias to utilize her [Power of Destruction]. At the start of their confrontation she only used her demonic powers, but he proved himself to be worthy and she exerted her unique power on him.

After that, it became completely one-sided. Even after using powerful water-based attacks, like creating eastern dragons out of water, and giant tidal waves out of thin air, they were all destroyed by Rias and eventually, she finished it by using a faster and more powerful [Extinguished Star] on the other team's [King], ending the match.

"So another win for Rias, huh?" asked Aoife.

[It looks like another team that was part of Team [DxD] has won. What do you think of this, Michael-sama?] asked the commentator.

Today, Michael was invited to commentate on the game.

[Yes they have. I believe it's quite obvious at this point, but any team affiliated with Team [DxD], or any individual who has trained with them will be significantly power than normal. So expect those teams to have scores by the end of the preliminary stages.]

[So are you saying that only Satan-class and God-class teams can stand up against teams trained by the Middleman?]

[As conceited as it sounds…yes. Throughout the single year of his existence, he has demonstrated that he is capable of doing such things. So it's not a surprise if other teams are like this, but…[Team Rias Gremory], or more specifically Rias Gremory and her peerage have been under his care for far longer than any other, so—]

[So they should be cut above the rest, is that what you're saying?! Everyone at home, do you hear that? [Team Rias Gremory] that has been trained by the Middleman himself will be a powerful team to face against!]

The announcer and Michael kept talking for a little more, but everyone started to leave. But Rias and her team will get very far in the tournament, unlike in canon…

"Aaron-sama, they're here," said Kurousagi, who was here today informed me.

I got up and said, "Right now time, huh? Alright, I'll leave them to their devices, and I'll go to my office."

Today, [Team Trump Card of Heaven] and [Team Phantastic Dragons] came to my home to have an informal pre-game meeting and get to know each other. Although it's quite obvious that they're here to scope each other out, especially Rudiger Rosenkreutz since he's Dulio's team's advisor.

— ○ ● ○ —

Third Person Point of View

— ○ ● ○ —

'Dulio Gesualdo is the best angel.'

In the human realm, in a certain European country, a family embarked on a small vacation. Even though their father, Rudiger Rosenkreutz was the adviser for [Team Trump Card of Heaven], the [Joker] of Heaven told them that they could—to celebrate their son beating his illness.

Vardan Rosenkreutz was slowly being killed by his Sacred Gear, [Monocle's Tail End of Emerald Radiance]. But thanks to Aaron, he was cured of it just like many others around the world. This included the children in the church facilities that Dulio went to on a regular basis.

After that day, Vardan also thought that 'Jin Skyward is the best dragon', but still liked angels even more.

One day, after the World Rating Game Tournament was announced, and before Rudiger became [Team Trump Card of Heaven]'s advisor, he contacted Aaron and told him 'I want to be an advisor for one of your teams.'

Aaron quickly told him no, shocking Rudiger. Instead, Aaron told him 'Go become another team's advisor and bring them to greater heights. I want the teams playing for me, and the ones that were part of Team [DxD] to become fired up to face the one you become an advisor to. Let's make this first tournament an amazing one'.

Once he heard that, he apologized to Aaron and promised that he would—and that's how he became [Team Trump Card of Heaven]'s advisor—since he had prior connections to Dulio, and also found out that he was participating in the tournament with his own team. He asked to be in that kind of position and told them what Aaron told him.

In Dulio's words: 'That sounds like what Jin-kun would say! I like it, let's do it!', and so this team became one of the strongest in the tournament so far. They hadn't lost a single match so far.

"Dear? Didn't Jin-san and Dulio-san tell you to relax during our short vacation?" asked his wife, Lucasta Rosenkreutz.

Rudiger looked up and smiled. "…Yes, yes, they did. Sorry about that. Let's enjoy this short vacation then," he replied.

To him—to his family—both Dulio Gesualdo and Jin Skyward were people they could never repay.

To Rudiger Rosenkreutz, Dulio was the Angel of Hope and Jin was the Dragon God of Hope—he, a reincarnated devil, a former human would give them his full support for peace around the world.

— ○ ● ○ —

Aaron Toole's Soliloquy

— ○ ● ○ —

Around an hour has passed since both teams had begun talking in my home's meeting room. I was in my office sorting through things and received several texts from Elsha and Garrett that there were a lot of people in my restaurant today and that Hestia was complaining about it, but still liked cooking.

I sent a text back saying she could come over for tonight and chuckled to myself. Kurousagi was in the room with me as she sat around drinking some tea. Even though the 'Secretary system' was in place, she seemed more happy to be here with me rather than doing the job of a secretary. However, I was fine doing things on my own.

But the door to my room opened and we glanced at it, only to find Aurelia coming in with…a certain pink-haired devil. That pink-haired devil winked at me as soon as she saw me, and Aurelia looked quite smug with herself.

"Aurelia and Roygun, what are you doing here?" I asked. "Weren't you training…ah, so she's the new reserve member?"

"Yes she is. Roygun will be part of my team starting from today, you have no problem with that, do you?" asked Aurelia.

I could tell that Roygun was just about to break into Ultimate-class, as she was reduced back to High-class after having her [King] piece taken from her. It seems like she's been hard at work at growing in power.

"Does that mean her peerage will also be part of your reserves?" I asked and Roygun nodded. "So—"

"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Lavinia-senpai, Lisa-senpai and even Fusae-senpai?!" a familiar feminine voice screamed throughout my home.

"Akane Himura, your [Bishop] is here too, huh?" I said with a strained smile. She was also part of Grauzauberer, and now she's in my home along with the other three that I took with me. Sheesh, I'm sorry Mephisto for taking all of them…

"I don't see a problem with it, I myself don't mind, and if anyone wants to say anything, just shut them up by showing your genuine power to them this time around. You really should have taken my advice back then, Roygun," I told her.

"Fufu, ara? If I did, would you have had sex with me that night?" she asked and walked over to my desk and sat on it. She crossed her legs and then opened them, showing me her panties.

She wasn't being subtle about her seduction, was she?

"Aaron, who are—" As I was about to say something to Roygun, my mother, Róisín Toole and previous girlfriend, Aoife came into my room and saw Roygun spreading her legs for me.

"Ah! It's the old hag Roygun! No! I disapprove! Well, I disapprove for now!" my mother shouted before picking her up and setting her down on the ground. She then hugged my head and brought it to her chest and squinted at the pink-haired devil.

"O-old h-hag? W-who is this woman…?" Roygun asked, utterly confused by the situation. Kurousagi who was still in the room covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing at the situation.

"Heee…so you're Roygun, huh?" Aoife asked and shook her head. "Another one with big boobs and thighs, Aaron. You like that, huh? Maybe I should have asked for those when being revived…"

"Aaron? W-what's going on…?" Roygun asked, even more confused. Aurelia chuckled beside her and patted her shoulder.

"How about it, Aaron-sama? Shall I tell her of the truth?" asked Aurelia.

I already knew that Roygun and her peerage would become part of Team [DxD], so it would be pointless if she didn't know the truth, so I pointed at her and she clutched her head afterward. Her eyes slowly widened as she processed the truth of everything.

"I see, so she's your mother and you're…that kind of God, huh? Fufu, to think I was trying to seduce our ruler~" said Roygun as she approached me again. "However, isn't it Aaron's choice to pick and choose who he associates with? More so the women he wishes to have in his harem."

"That's true, but I never said that you couldn't—all I said was that at the moment…my motherly instincts are telling me 'No!' to you," replied mom.

"Motherly instincts, huh? Also, your son is older than me, Róisín Toole. He's at least 10,000+ years old while I'm not that old if compared to him," said Roygun. She suddenly slid down a part of her upper armor, revealing her breast and nipple to me.

My mother shoved my face into her chest, forcing me to not see that 'lewd' form of Roygun making her laugh.

"A doting mother, huh? Very well, I will work on getting on your good side, Róisín Toole. But that's all I came here for today, to announce that I'm part of [Team Golden Rakshasa], along with the rest of my peerage," said Roygun.

I pulled myself out of my own mother's bosom and saw that she had already left and so was Aurelia.

"Aaron, can you make my boobs a little bigger?" Aoife suddenly asked making me sigh. I gestured for her to come over to me and I poked her left breast and made them a bit bigger.

"E-eh?! Y-you can just do that?! M-me next!" Kurousagi shouted in disdain and ran over to us too. I did the same thing for her…

"Haha, your house is very lively isn't it, Jin-san?"

All of us looked over at the doorway and found Rudiger Rosenkreutz who held his hand up for a friendly greeting.

"Oh, Rudiger, come in. Is the 'meeting' over?" I asked. He agreed and sat down on the couch with Kurousagi going over to the room's kettle and boiling some tea. My mother also let go of me, but I made a chair for her and she sat on it. Aoife on the other hand sat on my lap.

"Hehe, Hirokazu-san and Caeda-san knew the real reason for our 'meet-up', so they were on guard the entire time. Their other teammates were also nervous about the entire meeting, so they were mostly likely informed beforehand by them," said Rudiger. "I'm looking forward to this Rating Game...even with them being on guard, I understood a few things from it, and plan to exploit it."

The [Upsetting Sorcerer] is known to be a master strategist in the Rating Game scene of the Underworld. His greatest tactic is psychological warfare, he exploits the enemy team's weaknesses during the match and win that way—with strategies like that, he almost beat Diehauser Belial once when he faced him, that's how amazing he is.

Hirokazu's team isn't perfect and all of them have several things they still need to get through and I'm sure Rudiger will exploit those during the match.

"You're a brilliant strategist, Rudiger. The fact that you became 7th ranked when you were a former human with not too many achievements under your belt…and now to this. But…I'd like to say one thing," I told him. He looked at me curiously and continued. "This era is full of changes. Common Sacred Gears become uncommon, rare or unique."

"Even during the other matches that weren't widely covered, humans who entered them with innate abilities, magicians, or even the ones with Sacred Gear changed and evolved during them. The prize I can grant—a single wish that can change everything for them, I know they desperately want it."

Rudiger smiled and furrowed his brows. "Are you saying that during the match, Hirokazu-san and his team will evolve and overcome the team I'm supervising?"

"…I never once said that it was only Hirokazu's team," I replied, surprising him.

"Haha…hahahaha! I really like this new era, Jin-san. It's full of possibilities for anyone…yes, that's right—it's fair for them. They have a chance to become someone they can be proud of…I see, I'll take that into account then," replied Rudiger as he stood up.

"Your subordinate's team, or my team, now I'm not entirely sure if they'll win—but I'll try my best in making them the best. Let's see how that day turns out," he added before walking out.

Aoife suddenly poked my cheek and said, "When did you start doing speeches like that? You use to just say: 'Feck it, screw them, we'll win haaaaaaaaaa!' or something like that."

I blushed and turned away. "I-it just comes out naturally, I guess…? I mean I've been like this since coming here. I can't exactly stop, you pointing it out is making me self-conscious about it."

"Hehe~ operation making you blush is a success," Aoife said and high-fived mom. Were those two planning that or something…?

"I…" Kurousagi said and looked at me. "[Team Moon Rabbits] will also do our best!"

"I know you guys have won a lot and lost twice, right?" I asked and she nodded.

"We lost to a strange team called [Team Black Satan of Darkness Dragon King]. They were full of Grim Reapers and some devils," she mumbled.

Ah, I see, so the Artificial Devils have joined their ranks then? I removed the blood from all of the Khaos Order members, so I wonder how strong they are now? I know they got some upgrades in the Phantasma and Evie, so even without the blood, they're a lot stronger than canon.

"But you lost in a different game settings though. [Rampage Ball] and [Scramble Flag], they don't rely on pure power," I said and she nodded.

"Yes, but the other team had better synergy with [Scramble Flag] and we faced a strange team when we played [Rampage Ball]. The Grim Reapers took advantage of that and used those devils to fend us off. Vera and I were the only ones to fight them evenly and overpower them," she explained.

"Hmm. Well, just do your best in your upcoming matches. You have my full support too," I told her and she thanked me.

"Now what?" asked Aoife.

"…I have a date," I told her and looked at the time. "It should be soon, so…"

"Haah…problems of a harem king. Alright, off you go! Make that Valkyrie proud!" she said and smacked the top of my head lightly.

— ○ ● ○ —

Before I left for the date, I was downstairs and saw Akane fawning over her three seniors. She saw me and waved me over and I walked over.

"Looks like you're having a fun reunion," I said while looking at them.

"Ahhh…I didn't think I'd see all three of them in one spot! Harem King-sama, you earned more of my respect!" said Akane as she made exaggerated bows to me.

"Is that so? Well, have fun then. I have to go somewhere," I told her.

Lisa got up and hugged me, and got very close. "Ara? A date with Rosy-chan? What about me~?"

"And me~!" Lavinia joined and hugged me from behind.

"What about you, Fusae-senpai?" asked Akane.

"…We're…roommates…" mumbled Fusae.

"I sense a bit of jealousy. Umu, I understand. I will help you!" declared Akane.

"I'll take you guys on one another time, I need to go…" I told them and slipped away while hearing the cries of Lavinia.

— ○ ● ○ —

Rose waited by a certain shop in Kuoh—I affected the entire town so no one would question why a former teacher was going on a date with her former student. Just for today, no one would find it strange. I originally was going to offer to bring her to Tokyo again or another place. However, since our date was interrupted by Euclid back then, we decided to just stick close to home.

She wore a black Gothic dress and fidgeted as she waited for me. It felt a lot more formal than I had hoped, but she looked beautiful in it along with the black ribbons in her hair.

"Sorry for making you wait," I said as I arrived beside her.

"I-it's not problem," she replied and hugged my arm. "…Where too?"

"Oh, nothing special," I said with a smile on my face.

"…I'm a bit skeptical now. What do you have planned…?" she asked while narrowing her eyes at me.

"You're thinking too hard about it, let's go." I didn't wait for her answer and pulled her along.

— ○ ● ○ —

A few hours had passed since our date started, we went to several places in Kuoh, including my own restaurant as we ate there. It was now nighttime and the day was ending. As the day slowly ticked on by, Rose became even more nervous and fidgety. I know I said we'd do it after the date, but she's been looking forward to it, huh?

According to her, she bought this dress with several others—and Kuroka apparently told them I'd take them all on a date soon. I'm going to be one busy person soon.

"Let's go, Rose. I have a special place I want to take you to," I told her and we teleported away.

— ○ ● ○ —

Once we arrived at this place, Rossweisse's jaw dropped. She stared in shock and awe at the scenery in front of her.

"A-Aaron…what is this? Five floating islands? Grassy plains beneath them? A spiral tower? Even larger mountains in the background…?" she asked and described the place in front of her.

A smile spread across my face when I said, "That's going to be our future home with everyone. I call it…[Sanctuary]. It's a place beyond the Omniverse where nothing exists, so I created this. Well, it's in a different dimension but it's just beside it."

Lifting my free arm up, I pointed at the tower. "That's the new [Tower of Perseverance], think of as another [Pocket Dimension], and the floating island with the various buildings is our home—the main island," I explained.

"…You wanted to be part of the 'Fated Ones', right? Well, I haven't brought any of them here yet, so how about we do it in our future home?" I asked and Rose's eyes widened in surprise.

A smile appeared on her face as she began to shake. "O-o-o-o-okay…"

I chuckled at her before teleporting us to the master bedroom of this new home. It was around twenty times larger than the bedroom in Kuoh, and was decorated with various items, a mix of my room in my previous life (minus the light novels, especially DxD) and the items in my new home in Kuoh. The bed was even larger, it could most likely fit around fifty people at a time…

"Haaaaah!" Rossweisse suddenly shouted and when I turned to look at her, she had…ripped off her dress and stood there naked. "Please make love to me!"

— ○ ● ○ —

Lemon Start

— ○ ● ○ —

After I also stripped, Rossweisse lay down on the bed. She had her legs closed, but as I got closer to her, she spread them for me and revealed her womanhood and it was soaked.

"…Rose." Once I called her name out, she covered her face with both her hands out of embarrassment.

"I'm a lewd woman, I'm sorry!" she shouted. "I…I've been like this all day. I knew that this would happen, so each time those thoughts entered my mind…down there…it became like that," she explained.

"Was that why you were fidgeting all day?" I asked and she nodded in confirmation. "Fufu, what a lewd Valkyrie."

"Well…" I pushed my erect member against Rossweisse's wet entrance.

"Ahh…" She looked at it and didn't take her eyes off it. "…It's warm…will that really fit?" she asked, sounding unsure.

"If you want to—" Rossweisse let out a small moan as she leaned over to cover my mouth.

"I want this…please make love to me," she said. Rossweisse then intertwined both of our hands together and laid back down. I nodded and realigned my member against her entrance. She gave a small nod and I slowly pushed it into her.

"Uhng, aah! Ugh…! Aah…"

As my hips sunk down, I could feel myself pushing past a thin membrane inside Rossweisse. I expected this to be gone, but I was equally surprised it remained intact since Rossweisse trained harder than most people.

"Ung…uhn…" she moaned out of pain.

"Are you okay?" I asked as I stopped moving further inside her.

She began panting and opened her mouth. With a reassuring smile she nodded. "I-I'm…f-fine…"

She may say that, but a single tear ran down her cheek. Most of the time they're too powerful to be injured or hurt, so this may be the few times they'd feel real pain—though it should be a one-time experience…

"I'm okay…I was just a little startled, so…" she said. A bit of uncertainty came over me and I instinctively started to pull back since I didn't want to her hurt. "No…!" Rossweisse put pressure on our now intertwined fingers. "Please don't stop…Aaron…"

"Rose…"

"Doing this…makes me feel like I finally took my own steps into adulthood, and became even closer to you…our date, taking me here for the end…" She gave me another reassuring smile. "S-so…that's why I want to feel more of you, from now and into the future…"

Rossweisse's simple words and wistful eyes appealed to me, so to answer her resolve and love, I pushed down harder, sinking deeper inside of her.

"Aaauuuh…Aaron…! …Thank you…" she muttered.

I felt a sense of happiness when I saw Rose smile like that. A few seconds later, I felt her insides begin to move. I was caught in a wave of pleasure so I began moving my hips. Sticky wet sounds were heard from where we were connected.

After I began to move, Rossweisse's sultry moans escaped from her lips. Every time that erotic voice reached my ears, another wave of pleasure pulses through my body and member.

"Eeeh, ah…aahnn…!"

She let out cute moans as I increased the speed of my thrusts. Rossweisse began to moan even more. I wanted to hear more of it and continued my pace.

"Aah, ngh…ah, ah…khh…!"

The pressure around my member increased as Rossweisse's insides squeezed me tightly. I inquired with my eyes if it hurt or if she felt uncomfortable, but Rossweisse smiled and shook her head.

"…I'm fine, Aaron…it actually feels good now…!" she replied.

Knowing that she's starting to enjoy this too, I slowly moved inside of her, in the pursuit of making love and not just making myself feel good.

"Ngh…ah…uhn…aahhn…ah, Aaron~" she moaned and started shaking her own hips. "…I love you, Aaron…"

Any semblance of reason that was left in me—with those words alone—they had no doubt been blown away just now. When Rossweisse becomes this cute, I lose my sense of reason, or is it all of them? Anytime they become adorably cute when we make love, I find it hard to stay sane.

As Rossweisse kept moaning, I found myself increasing the speed of my thrusts. She would then whisper sweet words to me and it would motivate me to shake my hips more. The more I thrust into her, the more pleasure rose up from deep within me.

Rossweisse's eyes suddenly widened, her grip on my hands tightened, her mouth opened and her insides squeeze my member even tighter.

"Haaa…haaa…haaa…" she panted, still looking at the ceiling.

"…Did you just…?" I asked, and her cheeks turned even redder.

"I'm sorry…I had my own orgasm before you…" she apologized and looked disheartened.

I chuckled and said, "The vast majority of men become ecstatic when they make women orgasm, you know? I take this as a win…although I'm also close, so…I'll increase my pace."

Not waiting for her reply, I began thrusting into her again—each time I did, Rossweisse's inside would contract around my member. I could tell that she was having light orgasms as I kept on thrusting into her. Perhaps she hadn't stopped her previous one, and I just kept on forcing another one to occur, but she didn't stop me so I kept going.

"Aaahhnn…ngghhh, ahhh…eeeehhh~" Rossweisse seemed even more panicked. "I-it's coming again…but it feels even hotter…!"

Leaning forward, I captured her lips and inserted my tongue into her mouth. Rossweisse accepted this gesture as our tongues intertwined like our fingers. She became a bit more aggressive as I felt her poke and prod at my tongue and even caress it with hers, all the while I kept thrusting into her.

I separated from Rossweisse. As I did, she let out an even louder moan. "Eeeaahh! Ah…aaahnn…unngh…uhn, aaaaaaaaahhh!!" As she did, an extraordinary tightness wrapped around my member again. "Ooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaahh!!" Rossweisse's body twitched as she had another orgasm. Her insides violently quivered and pulsed, almost trying to rip off my member.

At the same time, her own orgasm also brought me to mine. I had managed to shove my member far enough that it hit the entrance of her womb, and I released everything I had in Rossweisse. My member was squeezed by the power of her climax and I kept on cumming inside her.

"Haaa…haaa…I felt…you explode inside of me just now…Aaron…it's so hot…" she muttered. But I didn't stop there. I kept on cumming for a few more seconds until it finally stopped.

After the last drops escaped my shaft, Rossweisse and I stared at each other. We both exhaled one last breath, before tears left her eyes.

"Rose?"

"…I'm just happy…" she said and I leaned back over and kissed her again. I then embraced her and we stayed like that for a little while.

— ○ ● ○ —

Lemon End

— ○ ● ○ —

"Mmm…were you holding back on me?" Rose asked as we had gotten comfortable on the bed and were now cuddling.

"…What?" I asked confused.

"I heard a lot of stories from everyone I went shopping with. They said you're a lot rougher in bed. I didn't feel that at all," she said and gave me an accusatory glare.

"It was your first time, so I went easy on you. After that…well, we can change the pace up a bit. Who told you that? I'll guess Kuroka since she did go with you…"

"…Everyone you've had sex with," she replied. I was left speechless at that—did she mean that they ALL told her of our sexual escapades…?

"Well, I'm still horny. Wanna go a few more rounds?" I asked, making her blush.

"B—"

…B?"

"B-bring it on! I ain' don yet! I can keep goin' till the sun's up!" she stuttered out with her accent.

I laughed at her and agreed. For the next few hours, I exposed Rossweisse to the various sex positions and fetishes the girls forced upon me over the years I knew them.

— ○ ● ○ —

When we returned the next day, a few people were in the entrance hallway, including Göndul and Kuroka.

"Ah, they're back nya. Did you get fucked nya?" she asked bluntly.

Göndul put a hand on her cheek and sighed. "My little Rose has graduated…is she going to give me children soon I wonder…?" she muttered.

"Wha—" Rossweisse immediately turned red as she wasn't expecting these types of things to be said to her this early in the morning.

"Not until the foreseeable future, Göndul," I told her.

"Ara? So I do get grandchildren, fufu, I look forward to it, Rose, Aaron~" she said and poked both of us on the nose.

"G-g-g-graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnyyyyyy!!" Finally losing her cool, she screamed and ran towards her grandmother trying to catch her—instead she caught Kuroka who she dragged away.

"Eh? N-nya?! W-why me?!" she shouted back.

Ophis suddenly appeared and pulled on my sleeve. "Welcome back."

"…Yeah, I'm home…and it's as chaotic as usual."

— ○ ● ○ —

A few days later…the match between [Team Trump Card of Heaven] versus [Team Phantastic Dragons would start.

[Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to one out of the first three matches that's been anticipated since its been announced! Today we will have [Team Trump Card of Heaven] led by the [Joker] of Heaven, Duliooooo Gesualdoooooo!] the announcer shouted.

From one end of the stadium—in the Ajuka Stadium that was built in the Astaroth territory, came out [Team Trump Card of Heaven]. In the lead was their [King], Dulio.

"Dulio-samaaaaaaa!!"

"Angeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeel!!"

"Win! Win for Heaven!"

A crowd of angels and also fans of the team screamed for them as they entered the stadium.

[Another team that's been on a winning streak and has two of the Middleman's subordinate iiiiisss [Team Phantastic Dragons]!! And it's led by a man called Hirokazu Miller!!]

"Freeeeeeeeedooooooooooom!!"

"Caeda-sama, please step on meeeeeeee!"

"Beat 'em up!!!"

A crowd of various people and monsters also cheered for Hirokazu's team, and a few people…fired guns but they were immediately detained. Sheesh, just because we're part of the supernatural doesn't mean we won't stop you from doing that…

[The people today that are commentating with me are Satan Ajuka Beelzebub-sama!]

[Hello, I'm glad to be here today,] said Ajuka.

[And the other…is the Middleman himself! Jin Skyward-sama!]

[Glad to be here. I look forward to working with you all today,] I replied.

[It's been decided today that the game that's being played by both teams is…! [Rampage Ball]! The rules are very simple! This competition is one in which both teams find the goals that appear all over the game field, and then throw the ball in!]

[The points obtained are based on the scorer's piece value. For example, if a [Knight] successfully scores, then [3] points will be awarded to that team! If it's a [Rook], then they receive [5] points! Choosing the person who scores will be key to the game!]

[In the event of a successful scoring, the goal will disappear after the points have been confirmed. It will then appear at another random point on the field. This means that the players of both teams will once again compete for the ball and then aim to throw it into the goal!]

[In this match, during the course of battle, even if players from one side are defeated, they will be able to return to the match after a fixed period of time! In other words, players will not be forced to retire even when they receive fatal damage!]

Rampage Ball.

A variant of the normal Rating Game where the objective is to score points by shooting a golden ball the size of a basketball, through a glittering gold hoop that serves as the goal, with a time limit of two hours.

The game field is completely empty and vast, with no obstacles to obstruct the view of the players; scattered around are water replenishment stations for hydration, as the game is determined by the players' stamina management. The number of points for each score a team gets depends on the Evil Piece of the person or if the King scores. The number of points the King or each piece scores is as follows:

King = 10 points

Queen = 9 points

Rook = 5 points

Bishop = 3 points

Knight = 3 points

Pawn = 1 point

After a team scores, the goal disappears and reappears at a random location on the field. The goal may be located far from its previous location, so teams must rush to score first.

Retirement is ineffective for this game type as players will be reinstated onto the field after a certain amount of time without being healed. This means when a player is injured, they remain injured. The team that wins is the one that has the most points at the end when the timer runs out.

[Now then! Here are the current members of each team!]

— ○ ● ○ —

Team Trump Card of Heaven:

King – Dulio Gesualdo

Queen – Diethelm Waldseemüller

Bishop – Mirana Shatarova

Bishop – Griselda Quarta

Rook – Nero Raimondi

Rook – Ryuu Heikan

Knight – Jessica Lagerkvist

Knight – Kiyotora Shinra

Pawn (8) – Irina Shidou

— ○ ● ○ —

Team Phantastic Dragons:

King – Hirokazu Miller

Queen – Caeda

Bishop – Yowanaku Shima

Bishop – Mason Walker

Rook – Ryo Fujita

Rook – Nathan Lewis

Knight – Kenji Sato

Knight – Lance Katz

Pawn (5) – Daiki Kimura

Pawn (3) – Minato Hayashi

— ○ ● ○ —

[Both teams are about to be transported to the game field, please prepare!]

The match between both teams was about to begin!

— ○ ● ○ —

Check the chapter comments to see images of certain characters.