NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 55: Comfort
Following their return to the real world, while Vahn was staying over at Koneko's apartment with Asia, Akeno apprised Rias and Sona, with Tsubaki and Grayfia in attendance, about what had transpired during her stay in the Corridor.
"Vahn's power becomes more astonishing the more we learn about it..." muttered Rias, exhaling a faint sigh before adopting a supportive smile, meeting Akeno's gaze, and appending, "More importantly, I'm happy for and proud of you, Akeno. I know it couldn't have been easy, but I'm glad you could meet your mother one last time, and your decision to allow the past to remain in the past was the correct one..."
"Thank you, Buchou...and you're right, it wasn't easy," admitted Akeno, a sad smile adorning her face before brightening as she teased, "But I feel blessed to have experienced it. And the memories I made with Vahn after the fact have become some of my most precious."
"This does complicate things, however," stated Grayfia, causing every gaze in the room to shift to her as she explained, "When I made my report to Sirzechs-sama, I was informed that representatives from Heaven had come to ask about Sona-sama's and Rias-sama's rumored engagements to Vahn-sama. They did not openly express their disapproval, but it can be inferred from their sudden interest that they do not wish him to come under the purview of the Underworld..."
"I honestly can't blame them...Vahn's existence directly threatens the tentative balance between the Three Factions. Just his purported ability to solve our population issue would inevitably tip the scales in our favor..." sighed Rias, crossing her arms and reclining against the sofa's backrest with closed eyes. She would prefer to avoid warring with Heaven and the forces of the Fallen Angels, but after growing to care about Vahn a great deal, she wouldn't allow them to harm or take him away from her...
Continuing where she left off, Grayfia explained, "That's why, sometime before the forthcoming Summer Break, the heads of the Three Factions will be convening to discuss the matter of Vahn-sama directly. The venue has yet to be decided, but you should be prepared for the possibility of it occurring here at Kuoh Academy."
"Here...?" asked Rias, stressing the word as she opened her eyes to stare at Grayfia with disbelief.
"Mmn...it makes sense," contended Sona, similarly sitting with her arms crossed as she reasoned, "Kuoh Academy is already regarded as neutral territory, and more importantly, it's where Vahn-sama resides. Hosting the summit elsewhere and expecting him to come to them could unnerve him and negatively affect his opinion of all three factions. That said, I imagine the event will be scheduled during or around Open House."
"Haaa...because of the time we spent in the Corridor, I had completely forgotten that was coming up..." sighed Rias. Open House was an annual event where the parents and families of Kuoh Academy students got to tour the campus and stand in the back of the room to photograph or film during classes. Rias had repeatedly told them they didn't need to come, but her father and brother insisted, never missing a single one...
"Regardless of when the summit is set to occur, we should anticipate that Heaven and Grigori have already started intensifying their presence in the city," stated Sona, her expression and tone serious as she contended, "We may even receive some new student transfer requests..."
"That is very possible..." conceded Rias, having once thought of Asia herself as a plant. Now, she was fairly certain that wasn't the case, but if a sufficiently high-ranking member of the Church or an Angel were to ask her to part with information on Vahn, her faith might compel her to obey.
Closing her eyes and tapping her left bicep with her right index finger, Rias spent several seconds deliberating before opening them, a resolute gleam appearing within their depths as she stated, "It doesn't matter who comes or what is decided. I will protect Vahn, my Peerage, and all those I hold dear..."
"A sentiment I'm certain everyone here shares," appended Sona, adopting a faint smile as she nodded and adjusted her violet-rimmed glasses. Even Grayfia nodded in agreement with this sentiment, so for the remainder of the discussion, the group discussed measures to prevent Vahn from being taken advantage of without making him feel constrained...
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"This is the kind of thing Vahn-sama likes...?" asked Asia, feeling a little embarrassed but far more excited as Koneko had her change into a very skimpy outfit consisting of a pink, rabbit-eared hood, a matching crop top, arm warmers, baggy socks, bright pink, white-soled heels, and scant pink panties with a fluffy white rabbit's tail on the back.
With Asia directing the question to him, seated on the bed as he observed her and Koneko change, Vahn smiled and affirmed, "Cosplay and dressing up are still fairly new to me, but I think it's interesting seeing everyone try new outfits. You definitely shouldn't wear your current outfit in public, but I think it looks very cute on you, Asia."
"Vahn-sama thinks this outfit looks cute on me...?" asked Asia, tilting her head slightly to the side before adopting a smile that seemed to light up the room as she brought her hands together and added, "Then I'll be sure to wear similar outfits in the future~!"
"Asia-chan should get her own identity..." muttered Koneko, sporting a half-lidded, slightly pouty expression as she finished adjusting her outfit, a very skimpy cosplay from an anime that put good and evil magical girls against one another. In essence, it was a black babydoll with accents of gold and maroon frills, matching the style of the associated panties, arm warmers, stockings, and choker. It also came with bat-like wings, but as she could manifest her own, Koneko didn't need them.
"Identity...?" repeated Asia, tilting her head to the opposite side as she observed Koneko with a look of confusion.
"Think about it later..." said Koneko, making her way over to the bed and crawling onto both it and Vahn, prompting him to habitually lay backward as he whispered, "We should keep things tame with Asia present..."
"Nn...we'll see..." responded Koneko, punctuating her words with a kiss and wagging her butt from side to side, causing her cat-like tail to unfurl from under her outfit before splitting from the end. Around the same time, Asia also crawled into the bed, her emerald-green eyes glistening with intrigue and a hint of yearning as she observed them unblinkingly...
Catching Vahn completely off guard, Koneko followed their long kiss by sitting up, wiping her mouth, and turning to Asia, stating, "Your turn..." as if the two had formed an agreement in advance.
With Koneko dismounting him and Asia unhesitantly straddling his lower abdomen with an excited smile, Vahn found himself at a loss but offered no resistance as she grabbed the sides of his face and bent down to give him a surprisingly deep kiss. He would later learn that she had practiced extensively with her pillow and the gap between her left index finger and thumb, but before that, he tentatively placed his hands on her slender yet firm waist, bewildered but understanding that he should reciprocate first and ask questions later...
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"I've put a lot of thought into it...and I want to remain at Vahn-sama's side much longer than the lifespan of a human..." muttered Asia, exhausted but sporting a contented smile as she absentmindedly caressed Vahn's chest while using his right shoulder as a pillow.
"I would really like that..." affirmed Vahn. "But you don't need to become a Devil to stay with us. With my power and the Corridor, there is definitely a way for you to live as long as a Devil without becoming one..."
"Mmn...if Vahn-sama says it's possible, I believe it..." muttered Asia. "But I need to be stronger to support everyone in the Corridor. Right now, I can't do anything without Vahn-sama's power and others protecting me..."
"I will support you, no matter your decision..." assured Vahn, kissing the top of Asia's head as the image of her with bat-like wings appeared in his mind. It felt wrong, just like when she wore lewd clothing, but at the same time, they suited her...
"Thank you..." muttered Asia, followed by her presumably emulating Koneko as she began to lick and nuzzle him. Unlike Koneko's, however, her tongue was warm, wet, and soft, contrasting with the former's tepid, dry, and abrasive, cat-like tongue. Vahn couldn't say which he preferred, but since he didn't have to choose, he enjoyed both while caressing the duo's heads and bodies...
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With May wrapping up, Rias had the members of the ORC gather in the club room to discuss how everyone had performed that month. Koneko and Akeno still responded to and maintained contracts that didn't cause them discomfort or have them perform lewd acts, so their end-of-month numbers were eight and ten, with Kiba and Issei accumulating eight and one, respectively.
"First off, congratulations on acquiring your first contract, Issei," stated Rias, wearing a proud but somewhat awkward smile as she added, "But as you're about to enter your third month as a Devil, you'll need to work a bit harder, okay? At this rate, it will take hundreds of years for you to become a High-Class Devil and fulfill your dream of becoming a Harem King."
"Yeah, I know..." responded Issei, exhaling an exasperated sigh and deflating as he reasoned, "But it's not easy for me to meet new people and convince them to form a contract, you know? I'm doing my best, but before reincarnating as a Devil, I was an introvert with only two friends..."
"Well, as long as you're trying, that's enough," confirmed Rias, offering a curt nod and a supportive smile. She knew she should be a bit firmer with him, but since his Boosted Gear housed functionally unlimited power and just needed him to possess a stronger will to access it, Issei wasn't nearly as dependent on contracts as other newborn Devils.
"Buchou..." muttered Issei, wiping away a nascent tear from his right eye as he felt Rias was more of a compassionate Goddess than a Devil.
Changing topics, quite literally, Rias said, "Alright, the second matter we have to discuss is next week's Ball Tournament. Every Club is required to participate, and though we're not a sports club, I refuse to lose to Sona or anyone else. As such, we'll spend the rest of this week practicing various sports, starting with Baseball."
'Baseball...' Vahn repeated internally, a nostalgic smile developing across his face as recordings of baseball games were some of the first forms of entertainment he was exposed to in his previous life. He very quickly lost interest after he was introduced to cartoons, but it represented one of the first meaningful turning points in what had been a very painful and lonely life...
Noticing that everyone was staring at him, Vahn instinctively tensed, an awkward smile adorning his face as he asked, "What's wrong? I didn't say or do anything strange, did I...?"
"Mmm...let's go ahead and conclude our meeting here. Everyone should change into their gym clothes and meet at the back of the building within half an hour. Dismissed..." said Rias, prompting everyone to get up and file out of the room, leaving Vahn feeling even more confused as Akeno, Koneko, and Asia gave him looks that made it seem like they really wanted to hug him. Instead, they left with Issei and Kiba, leaving Rias to sit next to him and pull his head into her very ample bosom as she nestled the top of his head and reassured, "I don't know what happened, but you don't need to be sad...we're here for you, Vahn..."
'Did I give the impression that I was sad...?' Vahn asked himself, closing his eyes and enjoying the feeling of being held as Sis explained, (When you were reminiscing about your past, your feelings from that time seeped into the imperceptible aura exuding from your body due to your Will of the Emperor. You also had a very nostalgic expression, which can very easily be misconstrued as sadness or longing.)
'Mmm...I see...' muttered Vahn, placing his left hand on Rias's hip and caressing it, prompting her to release her hold on his head. The reason she was comforting him wasn't nearly as important as the fact she was willing to drop everything to do so, so when their gazes met, Vahn held much more than nostalgia in his eyes...
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