Chapter 6: 6
"So, you're going overseas? Now?" I say to Jin as he packs his cameras.
"A freelancer has to be reliable and flexible," he says. "I'm off to Dubai, with a brief stop off to check in with my contact."
"Got a lead?"
"Maybe."
"What about those two?"
"It's the eldest son's job to protect the family when the father isn't around."
'I can help with that, you know?' the strange harmonics of Ddraig echo in my head.
'Oh, you're going to Ddraig, just not the way you think,' I think back.
'What do you mean?'
'We'll talk later, once the plot picks up a little.'
Five minutes later, a car pulls up, and dad loads his stuff and hops in the back. "okay, take care of things while I'm gone," he says, a serious if amused look on his face. I nod and wave him off. Turning back, I see Maria peeking through the curtain of the living room window. It looks like it's time.
I walk inside and close the door. "Hey. My dad's gone," I say, knowing what their plan is. "Are you girls there?"
I start heading towards the room I know they're setting the scene in. The lights have gone out, and I can practically hear the eerie music playing in the background.
"Looks like the lights went out. I'll check the breaker in a minute. Are you girls alright?"
I get to the room they're in and open the door. "Oh, there you are. Little dark in here, isn't it?"
They're quiet. Mio sitting looking away from me, and Maria standing to the side, keeping a line of sight on me, preparing to try to scare me off.
"Once I check the breaker, do you want to order delivery? I'm kind of feeling pizza, but I'm flexible."
"Hey, Issei. I have a request," Mio says, still not looking at me.
"Shoot. You want to get sushi or something?"
"Leave this house." I saw that coming.
"The whole point of delivery is because I don't want to leave the house... or cook."
Maria glows with power and arcane symbols as a blast of air is launched at me. I frown and backhand the incoming attack releasing a bit of my quirk to absorb most of the blow. What's left barely constitutes a breeze.
"Hey now, no offensive magic in the house. You could break something."
They freeze, confused about what just happened. Mio has gotten up and is staring at me with barely contained panic. Maria recovers first and aims her hand at me. "Mio-sama and I are taking this house to serve as our base in the human world."
"Human world, huh? Let me guess? You two are demons, and by Mio's posture, she's some sort of princess who's on the run?"
Maria pauses and blinks a moment before shaking her head. Her clothes shimmer with pink light and reform on her body, revealing her loli S&M gear complete with anatomically improbably wing placement and spade-tipped tail. She's nervous now but trying to stay on the script.
"We're going alter your memories. You couldn't get along with the two girls in your house, so you're going to live with some relatives in the country."
"Man, you guys didn't get any background on the people who live in the house you are trying to steal, did you?" I say, shaking my head.
"Is that okay, Mio-sama?"
"Um... yeah," she says, not at all confident in the plan anymore but still trying to stay calm. "Sorry, Issei. We're taking the house. It was nice while it lasted. Goodbye, brother."
Energy flares around Maria once more, lighting the room, and I release a small amount of my quirk to absorb the energy before it gets to me. I stand still, head down, letting my eyes readjust to the dark.
"Now leave," Mio says, not realizing Maria's magic was absorbed by my quirk before reaching me.
I play it out and don't move.
"That's strange," Maria says, anxiety creeping into her voice. "I'll try it again."
I don't think so. I use my Enhanced Speed to maneuver behind the girls.
"Where did he- Are you trying to resist? You're going to get hurt!" Maria says and launches a magical attack at me. I rip Brynhildr from space and tear the magic apart, feeding it to my quirk.
A shocked Maria shouts, "My magic! That's impossible!"
"Why so surprised, Maria? You're a demon; you know gods exist... and heroes," I say with a smirk.
"No way! The hero clan should be in their hidden village," Mio says, overcome with panic. "What are you doing here?"
"Don't you think there are more important things to discuss?" I say, stepping forward.
"Mio-sama!" Maria shouts, diving on Mio like a Secret Service agent ready to take a bullet for the President. It's cute but pointless. I have no intention of attacking them. They're scared, confused, and on their own.
"So, what do you girls want for dinner?"
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
'Huh?' Apparently, Ddraig was listening in on the encounter.
I send Brynhildr back; the seal makes using it hurt like a low-grade electric shock. Not pleasant. "Dinner. You know? It's kind of like a meal you have in the evening. I don't feel like cooking, so I thought we'd go with some delivery."
Mio is still in shock, and Maria just flops on the ground with her legs crossed. "I'm so confused," she says.
I let out a belabored sigh. "Think, Maria!" I say, getting close and personal with the eye contact. "What mistakes did you make?"
"Um... Not researching your family's background?" she squeaks out.
"That's a good one to start with, though in this case, it actually worked out for you. I'm shocked by your inattentiveness. I figure Mio is out of the loop, having been raised in the human world, but you were educated in the demon realm. Are you telling me the demons have forgotten the name Jin Toujou?"
"Wait... That Jin Toujou? The War God?" she says, eyes become saucer-like.
She so cute it hurts. "That's ma dad."
She practically jumps off the ground. "I am so sorry. We! We are so sorry. We'll just take our things and leave. You'll never see us-"
"Maria!" I yell, and she stops. "Sit. down."
She pulls Mio with her over to the couch and sits down. "Good," I say. "Now, first off, don't be scared. Dad and I have already decided to help you. His so-called marriage to your mother might be fake, but we're serious that you are both family now. We will help each other and protect each other. We will help Mio find the people who killed her family."
"That's not necessary. We can do it ourselves," Mio says.
"Mio. You're still untrained. If anyone serious comes after you, you could die. Maria could die. I've already killed a devil and a Fallen Angel that were attracted to the power you are putting out."
"What? When?" Maria asks.
"In the bathroom of the restaurant yesterday and at the park when I told Mio I was going to the bathroom. Bathrooms are bad news for the bad guys, apparently."
Mio's shocked face is amusing. Maria just looks depressed. She wasn't there for Mio and didn't realize how much danger she was in.
"Listen, this house is probably the safest place for you. Dad put up a couple of formation seals to dampen the energy you release. Without those, we'd already have demonic beasts knocking on the door. We want to help, Mio."
"Why? Why do you want to help us? We tried to trick you. We tried to take your house." She is practically frantic at this point. I can understand it. Someone you don't really know is saying they'll help you; that's kind of a flag.
"Well, a couple of reasons. The first is that my dad has a lot of respect for your mother, your birth mother. She was a peaceful Demon Lord who brought the warmongers to heel. He also looked into your situation, and he doesn't like what's happening to you. Knowing the circumstances, he refuses to leave you to die. You're innocents, and he protects what he wants to. It's the same for me."
"As for my personal reasons, that gets complicated and relates to my childhood trauma. Let's just say I'd like to help you to salve some of my own guilt." I get quiet for a moment. Fucking Basara brain loves to wallow in his shit, doesn't he?
"Anyway," I say, coming out of my malaise. "I've already claimed you both as my cute little sisters, and I don't do 'take backsies' on that. You're both mine, and I can't allow anyone to hurt you if there is still breath in me."
They both blush, and it is absolutely enchanting.
"Ahem," I cough away the sappy scene. "About dinner?"
.
.
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We ended up ordering noodles. I would have preferred pizza, but they needed something comforting, and noodles did it for them. I was cleaning up while Maria sat at the table staring into her drink, and Mio was taking a bath. If I remember right, she'll come out of the bath light-headed and collapse, but that'll be a little bit.
"You're a member of the Hero Clan. Why'd you decide to help us?"
"Well, two things. I heard about your situation from my father before we met you. I decided right there that I'd hate myself if I didn't at least try to help you. And second, we're not actually part of the Hero Clan anymore. Something happened, and we left. I do know they're keeping an eye on you two, though. Dad confirmed that already."
"What hap-"
"Are you sure Mio is alright? She's been in there quite a while."
"Mio-sama always takes long baths. I just hope that's enough for her to calm down," Maria says, getting up from the table.
"Maria-chan?"
"We still need to finish unpacking our stuff. And Maria is fine," she says with a smile. "After all, we're your little sisters."
I smile back. "Damn right, you are."
The door closes behind Maria, and I shake my head. "I'm such a perv."
.
.
.
I knock on the bathroom door. "Mio? I'm just checking on you. Are you alright in there?"
There's no answer, and I'm a little concerned because, in the anime, they have a short conversation before she passes out. I hope I didn't wait too long?
"Mio?" I call again.
"Mio, I'm opening the door now. I'm not trying to peek. I'm just concerned because you aren't answering."
I open the door slowly until I see Mio's crimson locks spread out on the floor. "Mio!"
I kneel down to check her, and she is finally aware enough to respond. "I- I'm fine," she says as she pushes herself up to a sitting position.
"Geez, be careful with those long baths. It can make you dizzy. Would you like a hand up?" I ask, holding out my hand. The expects backhand arrives just in time.
"We deceived you and tried to drive you out of your house. Why are you still trying to protect us?"
"You could have used any number of demon powers to get rid of me. You chose the one that you thought would cause the least harm to me."
"That's... because we didn't want to get you two involved."
"I understood that. That whole performance was to protect me, right?"
Mio's blush deepens slightly. I continue, "There's no need to do that sort of thing anymore. My father and I have decided to protect you. On our own."
I reach down and pull her to her feet. "Because we're family now."
"But the whole marriage was a lie."
I pat her head lovingly. "If the person is someone you want to live with and protect, then she's already family."
"Oh, my," Maria says from behind me. "It looks like you two are getting along pretty well."
"Wh-what, Maria?! I'm not really..."
"That's good to see. Issei seems quite strong, after all."
"I'm still weak. Most of my abilities are reduced due to numerous seals. It was required when I left the hero village."
'I can make you strong,' Ddraig says from my soul.
'What are you a dope dealer? I'll get to you when I get to you. Relax.'
"Now, now you negated my magic, didn't you?"
"Mostly a fluke. I can't even get ten percent of my quirk's power online. The only reason I could counter your magic with it is that I knew exactly where and when the magic was coming. It also took a lot out of me to do it."
"That's only ten percent?"
"What? No, that was one percent, maybe."
"Wow. Actually... I have a proposal regarding our future," Maria says.
I know what's coming, but still, both Mio and I ask the pertinent question, "What kind of proposal?"
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Standing in a cleared spot in the living room, on a glowing yellow magic circle across from Mio with Maria officiating the ritual. I ask Wise Man the ever-important question. 'Which direction is this Master-Servant Testament Pact directed?'
[The configuration of the circle indicates that the master of the pact will be Issei Toujou, while the servant of the pact will be Mio Naruse.]
'Okay, just wanted to be sure of that. Now I feel comfortable playing along with Maria's ruse.'
Maria spreads her arms wide. "Master-Servant pact magic. I'd like you and Mio-sama to form a Master-Servant testament."
"Okay, why do Mio and I have to become Master and Servant?"
"It's only as a formality," she says. I say bull shit. This little minx knows exactly what she's doing. "Those whose souls are bound by a pact are able to sense each other. I'd like to take advantage of that so you can stay attuned to Mio-sama's whereabouts."
"Can't we just put a GPS on her phone or something?"
Maria frowns and responds in an annoyed tone. "Who knows when that might malfunction?! What do you plan to do if she's captured by an enemy plot then?"
"Okay. Okay," I say with my hands up in surrender.
"The magic can only be used on the night of a full moon," she says, pointing out the full moon in the sky. "Tonight happens to be one. We can't afford to miss this chance!"
I look around the excited succubus to Mio. "Is this alright with you, Mio?"
"I-I'm fine with it," she says with flaming cheeks. "But do you... have something against doing it with me?"
That's a loaded question if I ever heard one.
"Alright. As long as you're sure."
"Yes. If it means knowing each other's whereabouts..."
Maria jumps in. "Then it's settled." She reaches out and takes Mio's hand. "This will be Mio's first casting, so I'll be supporting her."
Mio and I both nod.
"When you kiss the magic circle that forms on the back of Mio-sama's hand, the pact will be complete."
"That's more intimate than I was expecting from this," I say with a smile, just as a glowing magic circle forms on the back of my hand. "Uh... Maria? The circle seems to be showing up on my hand and not Mio's."
"Huh?" Mio says as her eyes jerk up. Maria just smirks evilly. Life is never dull with a succubus around.
"Maria?! What's the meaning of this?!"
"H-huh? That's strange," she says, scratching her head. It's almost as believable as a politician's promises. "Did I make a mistake somewhere?"
"What are we going to do now?" Mio asks, shaking Maria by the shoulders.
"Well, for now, the goal is to know each other's whereabouts. So, Mio-sama, if you could kiss the back of Issei's hand."
"You're kidding, right?!" she shouts. "Why do I have to be his slave?!"
Oh, Mio, it's a lot worse than that. The real punchline for you is coming soon.
"Hey, the circle is starting to blink," I say.
"Oh, be quiet, Issei."
"The symbol looks like it's about to disappear..."
"Oh no! Mio, hurry up and kiss it! Kiss it, now!" Maria shouts in a panic.
"B-but..."
"It can be released on the next full moon!"
"The next? B-but-"
"It's gone," I say.
Maria pales and falls to her knees as a glowing pink symbol forms around Mio's neck like a skin-tight choker. A heart-shaped emblem in the center.
Mio's body starts to shake as she drops to her knees in the circle. "W-what's this?"
Her breathing becomes a bit ragged, and her body starts to writhe. "No way..."
I kneel down and ask, "Are you alright?" as my hand touches her shoulder, she recoils, and a loud gasp comes from her mouth.
"Oh no," Maria says. "The curse is already taking effect!"
"Curse?" I turn and grab Maria by the shoulders. I give her a serious look and say, "Care to explain that to us?" Inside I'm a bit more like, 'Thanks, Maria! My LP and I love you.'
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone