Chapter 161: Chapter 1 - Part 2 - Graduation Trip and Vortex Bunch
Aaron Toole's Soliloquy
— ○ ● ○ ─
That same day at night after I finished my driving lesson, I was in my office sorting through various things. One of the few things I was looking forward to was the grand opening of my restaurant. With the aid of my various friends, lovers and minor reality warping, I had spread word of the opening day and time throughout Kuoh. The last one was a bit of a dirty tactic, but it'll insure I have some customers when I open, so I didn't care too much.
After looking at one document, I glanced at the couches in the room and the 'Fated Ones' plus mom, Rose and Aoife were there. Cindy was beside me with her eyes closed waiting patiently. I already told all of them that they didn't need to be here, but they insisted. The one that seemed the most bored was Velgrynd, although she was mostly looking at her new smartphone.
"By the way…who won the battle between you guys in the [Training Facility]?" I asked without taking my eyes off the document.
"I lost~ I mean, those two are stronger than me~" Aoife replied quite casually. "But between those two? It was a draw, fire versus ice after all~"
I guessed as much. When Rose and I got home, those two were quite injured. They must have fought for the position quite fiercely, hopefully it won't affect their relationship negatively. But since they're being amicable with each other I can assume that it didn't end in bitterness towards each other.
"Aoife, you did well even when you hadn't fought before," said Lavinia.
"Hmm. For an amateur, you're a quick learner and quite resilient. However, that's because of the new body Aaron gave you, correct?" asked Suzaku.
"Mmm. Well, that wasn't my first fight since I fought against Ddraig after I was revived, so I fought against the mighty [Red Dragon God Emperor Version 2]! And I lasted a while, so I was proud of that myself, hehe~" she said and giggled to herself.
Both of them were surprised and looked at Aoife. Everyone that was with me for those 10,000 years got a huge power-up and all of them surpassed the four who were the previous strongest. They've reached the peak of Omniversal and are close to breaking into the [Outer God] rank I recently made.
But with said, I had an idea on how long these guys will need to go up in power again, even with the x2 'EXP Boost'. Although if they wanted, I could simply change them, but I doubt most of them want that easy way…
My hand glowed and Ddraig said, [Fufu, she did well, and she even created some interesting techniques on the fly too. Aoife will definitely grow stronger quickly, so you two better stay alert.]
Thanks to his words, both ladies stared at Aoife quite intensely now. Aoife herself glanced at them before smiling at them. She was not affected by the mood at all and was quite casual about everything.
"I need to start training too!" my mom exclaimed and pumped her hands up. "Rose~ can you help me with magic~?" she asked the Valkyrie near to her.
"Eh? Ah, m-mother-in-law, ye-yes, it would be my honor!" replied Rose robotically.
"I can also lend a hand, Róisín~ I'm quite confident in my understanding of magic," said Lavinia.
Aoife also put her hand up. "I wanna learn too!"
Lavinia paused and stared at Aoife once again. It looked like she was weighing her options before she nodded. "Okay, I'll teach you, Aoife. Rose-chan and I will also take turns in teaching Róisín, how does that sound?" she asked.
Rossweisse smiled and agreed to it. "I'm fine with that, thank you."
"I can—"
"No."
I was immediately shut down, so I sat there a bit dumbfounded by it and they laughed at me.
"I'm thankful for having this new body, Aaron. But…I don't want to be gifted everything! Let me work hard for it, just like the things in our previous world!" said Aoife excitedly.
"I also need to work on various things. Being taught by your harem also means I have a chance to get closer to them and bond with them," said mom.
"…Alright, alright, I get it. But if the option is always there, so just come to me when you need to have that happen, okay?" They were fine with this and so…they started immediately, with Lavinia teaching Aoife and Rossweisse teaching my mother.
As I was about to return to my own job, I felt a tug on my shoulder and I found Cindy there. "May I have the power of an Outer God, Master Aaron?" she asked in a whisper.
I was surprised by this. Cindy was one of the few I was close to in my previous life and she always emphasized that I should work hard to achieve the things I want, but at the same time…I can understand why she wanted me to change her directly. She's always been around my mother. She was her maid, her best friend and her guardian.
If mom wants to take her time getting stronger—the same with Aoife, then…Cindy probably wants to watch over them from the shadows, although I already had around a hundred shadow soldiers in each of their shadows…
"Are you sure?" I asked. I wanted her to be sure about her decision, and she instantly nodded her head. "Alright, come here…" I gestured for her to come closer and she did. I touched her cheek then changed her overall power.
There was no dramatic light show, no trembling of the world, universe or omniverse. Just a silent and quick change. Once it was done, I removed my hand from her cheek and Cindy blinked a few times, looking confused, but she looked at her own hand before clenching it and her eyes widened in surprise.
"…Why did your maid suddenly surpass all of us in power?" Velgrynd asked while looking up from her phone. To this, everyone else looked up at us.
"She asked me to change her power to match outer gods, and I did," I replied.
Cindy blushed at being found out and scooted away from me. I then showed them the revised ranking system I had since I removed the '+++' and 'AAA'. The SS, SSS only remained as that's mostly shown in video games. The one Azathoth had was a bit too much.
"So, she's the new [Outer God – EX]?" Velgrynd asked.
"Indeed, she is. Like my shadow soldiers and [Electa], all of them are that since I changed it after that pulse I sent out. I've also prevented any kind of world or universe travel…anyone that left their universe without my express permission is stuck there and can't go back to their own," I explained a bit further.
Meaning…Mitsuya and Shizuka were stuck here and couldn't go back to their own timeline. However, since the Momiji they had already given me the okay—I'll just need to go reverse the damage to their universe once I confront Mitsuya and Shizuka about that. However, for now…I'll focus on my universe and I'll leave them for last.
"There are exceptions, right?" Velgrynd asked further.
"Of course. My lovers, friends, alliance, Team [DxD], and [EXE] are allowed to, you're also part of that list, so if you want to go back to the Central World then feel free," I told her.
She silently nodded but didn't express any desire to go back to her original world yet. I'm also curious as to which version of Tensura it is. Is it the LN? Or the WN? Whatever the case is…I'll visit it soon once I finish most things in my universe.
Glancing at everyone, Suzaku, Lavinia and Rossweisse seemed even more determined than ever. Their expressions and mood slightly changed after I told them about the revised ranking system and that Cindy overtook them. I knew they were competitive about certain things; I just didn't think they were about this…
No…I see, so that's why, huh? They're seriously trying to reach it because they want to change their race to an [Outer God]. They want to be the one to replace Nyarlathotep. I did say that I wanted one of them, though at the same time it's not that necessary anymore, but it would still be helpful.
"Let's park it here for tonight and go to sleep," I said and got up.
"Yes!" Aoife suddenly shouted and shot up from her seat.
My mom also did the same thing, although a bit quieter…that's because they (Mom, Cindy and Aoife) got to join me in bed tonight. Grayfia did some adjusting on the schedule with who slept with me on a nightly basis and added those three as well as Elsa and Amaris.
At first, I was surprised mom wanted to join, but she explained herself with 'I want to spoil you even more now since we're together again. Won't you let your mother sleep with you?'. At the time, it sounded so sketchy and controversial that I was hesitant. If anyone heard that last part, a lot of people would misunderstand. In the end, I let her and she was happy with it. I couldn't stand seeing her sad, so I…I'm a weak man…
[Mother-con.]
'…'
[Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!]
{Hmm. It's been a while since that happened,} said Albion.
'Indeed. He hasn't said anything too stupid to warrant it though, but that certainly did it, fufu,' said Rudra.
[Why isn't this fire going out?! I've used water magic dammit! Partner! Please! I'm sorry! No, Aaron!!! Stoooop iiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!!]
'Repent for a few more seconds,' I told him and Ddraig screamed even more…
— ○ ● ○ ─
I slept like a baby the night before, but tonight I couldn't get to sleep easily, so I was up on my home's rooftop. Everyone else who slept with me were knocked out—or so I thought, but after a few minutes, Aoife also woke up and she managed to find me up here.
"Aoife, you can go back to sleep you know?" I told her without turning around. However, instead of answering me, she came up behind me and hugged me. I didn't know how to react to it, so I stayed silent.
"At times, you feel a bit stiff, but you quickly correct yourself. Did your evolution affect you? Or was it your 10,000-year stay in your own dimension?" she bluntly asked and tightened her embrace on me.
"Even now you still understand me, huh?"
"Is it better than your 'Fated Ones'? Or…Lavinia?" she asked. "She wasn't the one you obsessed over in our previous lives, you know? It was either Akeno or Grayfia…"
"I was also quite surprised by my closeness with Lavinia. But…you saying that is embarrassing, are you jealous?" I asked back.
"And if I admit I am?"
"Well, I don't see anything wrong with a healthy rivalry…"
"Typical of you to take the neutral stance…did you already see how my relationship with your new lover ended up as? You did admit to looking into 10,000 years into the future," she asked.
"I have."
"…And?"
"Do you want spoilers that badly, Aoife?" I asked and turned around. She looked up at me with a mischievous smile. "…For this very reason, I will propose to you in the lamest way possible. Marry me now."
Aoife seemed taken aback by my sudden and abrupt proposal that she froze on the spot. She started to rapidly blink her eyes before she started laughing.
"Was my proposal supposed to be more romantic?" she asked.
"No, not really. Unless you see me proposing to you during the exhibition match at the end of the Rating Game World Tournament as romantic," I replied.
Aoife's face turned red and she nodded. "Mmm! It's romantic! Do it when that time comes!"
"…You're still weird as ever…most people would find it embarrassing, you know? Being proposed to in front of millions of people, and also can I take this as you rejecting my proposal?" I asked.
"Yes, I rejected your proposal, but not really. I accept, but also don't want it to be this lackluster! I want a redo!" she seemed flustered and suddenly shouted, "I love you! So…don't be discouraged about it, because I was rejected and accepted at the same time!"
It felt like she was running in a strange loop. Although it wasn't the first time that this happened. I sighed and then karate chopped her head making her stop. "I'll do it another time then, so you can stop running around in circles…"
"A-ahahaha…sorry…"
"Let's just go back to sleep," I told her and started to move when she stopped me.
"…Um…I'm…really glad to be back, so…"
"Ah, right. Even though at the time we didn't know any of this was real, we certainly made that promise, didn't we?" I said and looked down at her.
Some tears threatened to spill from her eyes as she looked up at me, nodded, closed her eyes and pursed her lips. I closed the distance and kissed her; Aoife quickly and happily kissed me back with even more vigor. We didn't get a chance to kiss when I revived her, but we did have that hug that I hadn't felt in a long time.
Finally, after a full minute, we separated and stared at each other silently. We both had many things to say to one another, but we let our actions speak than words for that very moment.
"Let's go back."
"Mmm…"
At times, I wonder if I made the right decision. However, to comfort myself, I always look at the future, the one that I want—and I pursue it. And each time I see it, I'm reassured that my decision was the right one. Having all of them back was definitely the right decision…
— ○ ● ○ ─
Yumi Kira's Soliloquy
— ○ ● ○ ─
It was the end of March, and it was right after our end-of-year assembly. When the ceremony ended, we, the new Occult Research Club returned to our respective classrooms, got our things and met up in the clubroom.
As we did, it was quite obvious—the hole left by the seniors that graduated. For those few weeks that were left, the school felt empty. The usual energy of the seniors, their laughs, their smiles and just 'life' was absent. We, the second years were the 'seniors' now, and next year…we definitely would be.
At times it felt a bit sad and lonely. However, knowing that I could see Rias-nee-san, Akeno-san, Ingvild-san, Kiyohime-san, Sona-san, Tsubaki-san and Aaron at home was reassuring. I believed the new ORC also believed the same thing.
Tomorrow…the long-awaited Graduation Trip was happening. Aaron got his license and he plans on bringing his new car with us on our trip. Although we asked him not to use magic too much, pulling out his car should be fine since Rossweisse…san also retired from the staff of the school.
She made a short speech at the ceremony and many students were saddened by her departure. However, it made sense since she wanted to be by Aaron's side. Penemue-san, Lisa-san, Griselda-san and Azazel-sensei said they'd stick around until everyone in the supernatural graduated—and Kunou was one of the youngest, so they'd be around the school for a while.
After that…they'll go back to their usual jobs. However, Griselda-san and Lisa-san have been offered jobs by Aaron and they accepted, so when the time comes, they'll also join Rossweisse-san.
"Hokkaido to Okinawa…I can't wait," said President Asia.
"Right?! We get to go to those places! I haven't been there before; I'm looking forward to it!" said Irina excitedly.
Everyone started talking about what they want to see at the various places we plan to visit, I myself also joined it and everyone was in high spirits. We quickly left the school and rushed back home when we got there…
"Hmm? Ah, you're all back," said a man.
"Cao Cao! You're back? How was that place?" I asked.
Everyone else became eager to know about this time there, but he gestured for us to go into the living room and we did. In the living room were the rest of the Hero faction members and they were all relaxing in the while eating something, Aaron was also there with a few others.
"Hmm? Oh welcome back, guys. Tomorrow's our trip, and these guys were also invited, so it's an even more diverse group now. Don't worry though, I've already upgraded the rooms at the places we booked," Aaron told us.
These guys will join us on the trip? Well, it's fine since they were in another universe for who knows how long and fought for their lives on a daily basis, so having a bit of time off wouldn't hurt…
"I would have preferred training and getting stronger rather than—" Cao Cao stopped as Aaron put a hand on his shoulder and he whispered something into his ear. Cao Cao turned away, blushing slightly. "…Very well, we will enjoy our time on this trip."
What did he whisper into his ear…?! When I looked at the other Hero faction members, they seemed to understand something as they were either holding back laughter or smirking at their leader. Cao Cao who saw this also glared at them.
After that, we all sat down. He and his team told us about their time in the Phantasma's universe, and as expected, a lot of it was quite depressing. Many of the remaining planets and groups that were alive were either forced to join the Phantasma or be annihilated. The ones that refused managed to put up a fight, but apparently their leader, Phumera could destroy them all at any time she pleases.
In Cao Cao's opinion, he thinks she's doing it for sport—for the fun of it. She's powerful, and from the things they heard, she had powerful abilities like [Reality Manipulation] (to a certain degree), and [Space and Time Manipulation], to name a few, though he said those were just rumors that the locals there heard, so they can't—
"It's true, she has those abilities…although…" Aaron said, but looked to his side and smirked. "…No, it's nothing, go ahead," he told Cao Cao.
We were curious as to why he stopped, but at the same time more or less knew. He may have done something to her powers, or to her as a whole—perhaps he even made her weaker? It's a possibility.
— ○ ● ○ ─
Later on that day, at night, more people came over to Aaron's home.
"Mother and I will help you all when you are in Kyoto!" Kunou announced. She looked over at Cao Cao's team with a bit of hesitance and nodded again.
They were former terrorists, and also according to Aaron, they were originally going to attack Kyoto and kidnap Yasaka-san, but even if they didn't accomplish the latter, they still did help with the attacks on Kyoto and Kunou should have some apprehension about inviting and guiding them around their home.
"We will prepare for when you come to our home again, fufu, perhaps a small festival?" suggested Yasaka.
"If that's the case, we can use those new fireworks we acquired, Yasaka-sama~" said Sharon and the youkai leader agreed with her.
Aaron was over at a corner speaking with Cindy-san and Grayfia-san about something. They seemed to agree on something and Ravel was by them taking notes. I heard her say 'Leave it to me!' and she walked away happily.
I wonder what that was about? Perhaps about scheduling? He has become busy as of late, and also seems to vanish at times leaving an avatar in his place. Maybe he cleared up his upcoming schedule for the trip? The same with Suzaku-san since she's not here today either…
"May I?" Latia asked and everyone turned to her. "There has been an unruly group that has been spotted around Japan as of late. Now their combat strength is…nothing notable, they're more of a nuisance more than anything, but there may be a chance for us to encounter them and they have been labelled as a 'terrorist' group, so if you encounter them…please stop them and arrest them."
"A new terrorist group…?" I repeated and Latia nodded. Because of her words, not many seemed that worried, but the word terrorist just leaves an unpleasant taste in my mouth.
"Ah, that's been gaining attention on the net. I heard that there are some strange people who are causing trouble around the tourist areas of Japan. They seem to be spread out quite a bit," said Rossweisse-san.
"Well, they're nothing to worry about, but we may come into contact with them at various points, so just do what you can and arrest them. But as Latia said, they're nothing serious like the Khaos Order, but be on the lookout," said Aaron.
"Anyway! Go do a final check on your items before we go for our trip tomorrow!" he told us and we answered with an enthusiastic 'Yeah!'.
— ○ ● ○ ─
Third Person Point of View
— ○ ● ○ ─
Meanwhile, while Aaron and his group made their final preparations for their trip, on an uninhabited island off the coast of Japan was a secret base. This secret base belonged to an unknown organization.
Inside the hall further inside the base, there stood combatants dressed from top to bottom in black. Standing in a straight line, they were all looking at the podium at the front of the room. On the podium was a beautifully decorated chair, and on that chair sat a person with a powerful air around them.
The person who was sitting on the chair was an elderly-looking male wearing a helmet resembling a Dragon. He was the leader of this organization, Kaiser Vortex. Next to the leader were executives wearing masks and capes. Kaiser Vortex looked around the hall at his members with a sharp gaze.
Kaiser Vortex then shouted, "The Khaos Order has now been temporarily shut out by the team known as [DxD]! It is our time to shine, my fellow brothers and sisters!"
"Many of their factions have been destroyed by [DxD], without their leaders they cannot function properly," said another member.
"Fufu! They were nothing but amateurs! They lacked any conviction for their dreams!" added another.
Kaiser stood up and cackled. "It's our time to take the main stage! Vortex Bunch will now proceed with world domination!!"
"Vorteeeeeeeeex!!" the members shouted at the same time.
The name of this evil secret society was Vortex Bunch. The shape that the members were making with their arms were also the initial V of Vortex Bunch. This organization was formed by Kaiser and his most evil henchmen. Their members were demons, criminals, humans with supernatural powers and many more. Between them were beings, monsters that Kaiser had modified himself.
Suddenly, the members of Vortex Bunch started insulting the Khaos Order.
"Fufu, amateurs. Their factions didn't even last a year before being taken down by that weak team."
"They came onto the scene for one year and were nearly disbanded, and they even changed names. How stupid! Khaos Brigade to Khaos Order?! What order?!"
Many of their members agreed with their sentiments.
"We were the first to start this!" another shouted.
"Yes! They copied us! We were the first!"
The Vortex Bunch was angry with the Khaos Order for many reasons. This organization was founded around fifty years ago, and since their inception, they'd been causing numerous troubles around the world in secret. It'd be annoying if they caught the attention of ICPO, so they'd been careful about their works.
After a long time, when they finally got enough combatants to take over the entirety of Japan, thanks to the sudden rise of the Khaos Brigade, they missed their chance. Not only that, their name was very similar in kanji. Time after time, their work had been attributed to their nemesis, and Khaos Brigade's work had been falsely accused of being caused by them.
They were always falsely accused and were always drawing the short straw. Every member here was cursing the Khaos Order every day. And as if their curse got answered by Heaven, not too long ago, the Khaos Order was dealt a heavy blow by [DxD]. Now everyone here thought to themselves that it was finally their time to shine.
"And now, we, the Vortex Bunch, are ready to begin our takeover of Japan with full force! By throwing this country into chaos, we will aim for world dominance in the future! For now, we will start with the conquest of the north, Hokkaido!" announced Kaiser.
He then turned to a certain spot and said, "Monster Salmon, come forth."
A certain monster appeared and approached Kaiser. "Saaaaalmon! You called me, Leader! Leave the first step to world domination, the attack on Hokkaido, to me, the king of all Salmons…[Limit Over Salmon] Salmon King!"
The monster that appeared was a fish(salmon)-headed humanoid monster. In his hand was a harpoon, and he wore a crown on his head. After the members saw that he was called up, they began murmuring to each other.
"Boss is serious about this…"
"It's finally time…he even called Salmon King-sama…"
Kaiser nodded and shouted, "Salmon King! I will leave Hokkaido to you! Send that land into chaos!"
"Yes! I will complete this order in a timely manner!" replied Salmon King.
All members then made the V sign with their arms before shouting 'Vortex' at the top of their lungs.
The most minor of nuisances was about to keep appearing for Aaron and his group…but most of them wouldn't even remember these guys…unfortunately.
— ○ ● ○ ─
Aaron Toole's Soliloquy
— ○ ● ○ ─
Noon the next day, we had arrived at Hokkaido's New Chitose airport. I had bought my own jet that I then modified to accommodate for our large group. The inside of the jet was essentially a house, but there were also the normal airplane seats in them. Everyone was pretty comfortable while riding.
"We're here!!" Xenovia and Irina shouted.
It was the end of March, but it was still quite cold in Hokkaido. However, most didn't seem that bothered by the cold, maybe because it was their first time here. Kuroka and I went here for our first date so we have an idea of the place.
Originally Rias and Akeno requested that we use a normal mode of transportation (airplane) for our first part of the trip since she wanted to do it normally. Afterward we could teleport around, but after they experienced the comfortable and fast flight (a total of five minutes) from Tokyo to Hokkaido, they wanted to use the plane and not just teleport around.
Of course, in places that didn't have places for a plane to land, we would just use magic for it and I would store the plane in my [Inventory].
But we already planned this out the night before and as well as during the flight. Everyone would leave the airport and then go to places they wanted to visit, then we'd meet up back at the hotel we booked at, the Sapporo. We'd also be in Hokkaido for two days before we went to our next destination.
"Fufu, Akeno, Suzaku, dear, let's go!" Shuri said excitedly. She then grabbed her husband, daughter, and niece before running away. Akeno and Suzaku looked troubled, but they still let her do pull them away. "We're coming back for you later~! Right, Róisín~?" Shuri asked with a wink before running away.
I looked at mom who also ominously 'ufufu'd' to herself. Cindy gave me an apologetic look while Aoife looked around like a giddy kid. However, she was like that when we traveled to Tokyo too.
"Tosca, Yumi, let's go to Hakodate's Goryokaku, and then we'll follow the rest of our plans," said Rias. Yumi also brought Tosca with her and she had already integrated herself with the rest of us, although she was a bit scared of some of us at the beginning.
She warmed up to Shirone, Gasper, Valerie, Ingvild and me (after seeing the Oppai Dragon show).
"Then I'll go ride around Hokkaido on my bike," said Xenovia.
She had put her new motorcycle into her ring since she also got her license. It seemed like I wasn't the only one who decided to get mine since Rias, Akeno, Suzaku, Lavinia and a few others had new licenses.
"Ah, hey don't forget we're going together later!" Irina told her. Xenovia just smirked and agreed with her. She looked around before summoning the bike. She put a helmet on, and then got on, and to our surprise Asia also got up with a helmet and hugged her from behind.
"I'm going too, I also wanted to ride on one!" she said and tightened her hold around Xenovia who laughed before leaving.
Griselda silently stared at Xenovia, not saying anything. I guess she wanted to let her have fun during this so she wouldn't reprimand her for getting a motorcycle.
Everyone slowly separated and I was left with only a few individuals. Cindy, mom, Aoife, Lavinia, Gabriel, Rossweisse and Shigune. Grayfia, Griselda and Raiko wanted to stay, but Irene also joined us with Ophis (adult form) and they went away by themselves.
"Hmm…how about we drive around and see the places we want to visit?" I suggested and they agreed to it. So I also summoned my car, in front of many people, but they didn't react since I 'made' it look normal.
However, once they saw my car, and the women going with me, many men and some women glared at me.
"My, isn't that expensive?" Mom asked.
"I'm no car guy so I didn't know what I should get…so I let Gabriel choose," I told them. Gabriel happily nodded and showed us a peace sign. Yes, I am aware she's not the best for this since she's as clueless as me about cars…
"That's a Lincoln Aviator, right?" Rose asked.
"You're a car girl, huh?" I asked back and she smiled at me, but didn't answer my question. "Well, that's what the guy told me it was…it's pretty comfy since I did…take it for a spin before I got my license." I received a few unamused glares from them (except Gabriel and Lavinia).
"Let's go!" Aoife suddenly shouted and ran into the car before we could react. She, for some reason went onto the driver's seat.
"I'm the one driving you know…?" I said and got a few chuckles from the women with me.
— ○ ● ○ ─
A few minutes later we arrived at a local accessory shop and we entered it, everyone went to various parts of it and started browsing. I joined Shigune since she also had Poh with her.
"Wait…is that Poh, Pooh, or Pon?" I asked.
"Poh is in my arms…but Pooh and Pon are—" As she started to finish, two other Poh-like creatures appeared between her legs. They suddenly jumped towards me and I caught them. One jumped onto my shoulder and went to sleep on my head, the other stayed in my arms.
"Pooh's the one you're holding and Pon is the one on your head…" explained Shigune.
Apparently, she achieved her Balance Breaker during the war and Poh can now split himself for some reason…I didn't look into it, but I've seen him at different points in my home almost at the same time but never questioned it.
"More gluttons to feed, huh? Poh, Pooh, Pon, Kuroka and my Glutton Princess," I said and laughed. Shigune blushed and softly headbutted my shoulder. "But I did make something for the Poh army," I told her and brought out a piece of food that resembled a chocolate candy bar.
Shigune, for some reason, sniffed it. "What is it? It's not candy…"
"Are you hungry? I purposely had a lot of food during the flight to combat this…" I said and she blushed again. I split the candy bar into three and gave Poh, Pooh and Pon one each. They all ate it, even Pon who was asleep. I guess food trumps everything for them…
"It'll keep them 'full' for twenty-four hours, but they can still 'eat' or 'devour' things. I know we have unlimited food, but I thought it was a good idea. If you don't like it, I can scrap the idea," I told her while walking towards the section where Gabriel was.
"I don't mind it, but I would feel bad for Poh, Pon and Pooh for not feeding them as often, but…we can keep them," she said and we decided to keep them for now as an experiment.
We watched Gabriel pick a few items to buy and she presented them to us. "Which one suits me~?"
"All of them," I told her. Though…most things she wears, be it clothes or accessories made her look adorable.
Shigune and Gabriel stared at me before Gabriel decided to get all of them much to my pleasure. We moved to the others as they all picked something and we finally ended up at Aoife, mom and Cindy's section.
"Do you want to buy anything, mom?" I asked and it looked like she was interested in buying a cheap bracelet, the same with Cindy and Aoife.
"This," she said and presented me with a small necklace that had the kanji for 'Kazoku' or 'Family'. "I want this…can I…?" she asked rather cutely.
"Of course," I replied. "I take it you two chose something too?" I asked and saw that Aoife had some kind of mug with Sakura trees on them and Cindy had a cute scarf with her.
Seeing as how everyone had the things they want; we went up to pay for them and quickly left the store. We got into my car and went for a drive. We quickly found Xenovia riding with Asia on the empty roads of Hokkaido.
"Oh, it's Irina," said Aoife as she waved to our left. Irina was there with her own motorcycle and she waved at us too before speeding up and riding alongside Xenovia. She wasn't alone though as Raynare also rode with her.
To my right, in the front was Rossweisse, who fidgeted again. She was like this earlier when we were going around just looking for a store. I know she wanted to go on a driving date, but I didn't think she would be this nervous. Maybe I should have brought her on one the day before…well it's too late now.
However, we eventually came to a strange sight—a campsite full of people. Xenovia and Irina stopped there and they get off their bikes. We also stopped and found…
"G-granny?!" Rose shouted and Göndul in her now younger appearance turned around and smiled at us. She came over and hugged Rossweisse.
"The reason I didn't take part in your plane ride is that I came here earlier, but…I found something very interesting. You informed me of them last night, didn't you?" asked Göndul.
"T-them…?" repeated Rose and Göndul nodded before walking back with the rest of us.
What we saw in the middle were people dressed in black and a person in a 'fish costume' waving things around and causing a disturbance to everyone around them.
"Saaaalmon! You lowlifes enjoying your time camping here! Your peace is now gone! For I, Salmon King, have arrived! I will make this place into a living hell! Let's see, I'll make all your barbecue ingredients into salmon!" the salmon-costumed-guy shouted.
"Um…is that a cosplayer?" asked Irina.
"Oh, it's [Vortex Bunch], the wannabe terrorist organization like the Khaos Order. I guess those are their members," I told them and everyone became a little serious…however…
"Voooooooorteeeeeeeeex!" their members shouted in unison and then the ingredients around the campsite began turning into salmon.
"No! My meat turned into…salmon…? Eh? Why?" a man asked, looking confused at his meat. However, this made the children around the campsite cry because their barbecue had turned into fish. Everything else too, the vegetables, fruit and other ingredients.
Xenovia, Irina and Asia seemed ready to fight them, so I manipulated reality. "Go for it, they won't panic if you guys pull out your swords now," I told them.
"Eat fish, you brats! You'll ruin your health if you only consume meat, so we'll eat all the meat here for you! Saaaaaalmon!" shouted the Salmon youkai thing.
"Stop! Evil doer!" Irina said and pointed her [Hauteclere] at the youkai.
"We won't let you guys ruin our trip!" added Xenovia as she pointed [Durandal] at that thing too.
"Hehehe, so Team [DxD] was here! Good! I'll kill you all!" he shouted and brought out a harpoon. "Take thiiiiiiiiiiis! Saaaaaaaaaaalooooooooooooon!" he shouted even louder before dashing towards Irina and Xenovia.
"Ah?!" Cindy suddenly shouted. She rushed over and slapped the salmon youkai on the face. The sudden interruption caused the salmon youkai to fly into the sky and into orbit. Before he died, I created a portal that he went through and was put into one of the DxD Alliance's prison cells.
The reason why Cindy suddenly rushed over was…she caught a falling…red pepper! Everyone stared at her in confusion and shock. The tension between Xenovia and Irina vanished as Cindy got up and handed the red pepper to one of the camp goers.
"All ingredients are sacred. You should aim to use all of them and not waste any," she said seriously. "Hmm? What's wrong everyone?" she asked confused.
I chuckled and said, "Oh, you just slapped the salmon youkai into orbit like Team Rocket, so it was pretty comical. Good job by the way."
Cindy looked at her surroundings, the members of the Vortex Bunch cowering and shaking in fear at the maid's casual power that defeated their leader. "Lady Irina, Lady Xenovia, I'm sorry!" she said and bowed.
"…Ah, n-no, it's fine," replied Irina awkwardly. She then put away her sword, as did Xenovia.
[Mission…complete…?]
I was as confused as Ddraig, but we quickly continued our trip with Göndul joining us and Rossweisse even more nervous now.
— ○ ● ○ ─
A few hours passed and we were back in our hotel. Everyone was confused because we smelled like fish, and we explained why.
"So they were here, huh? So it's right in my assumption that we might come across them as we go on this graduation trip…Vortex Bunch," said Latia, sounding concerned.
"Don't worry about it, we'll take care of them as we meet them, and if that salmon guy's strength is anything to go by, we won't have any problem…" I replied. Latia still seemed apprehensive but decided to trust my judgement.
"With that said! Where are we eating?!" Kanami asked. Her stomach then growled and Natsume laughed at her, but her stomach also growled—and the sisters started fighting. Unlike the two Nekomata sisters who were calmly drooling.
They had skipped breakfast and lunch so they could have their fill at the unlimited refill place that was nearby here…I pray for the staff in that place, those two plus Shigune will eat everything…
"You thought of something rude, didn't you…?" Shigune suddenly asked and pouted at me.
"…Fufu, you're cute," I replied and patted her head. Next on our list…our food tour in Hokkaido, led by the two Nekomata sisters!
— ○ ● ○ ─
Third Person Point of View
— ○ ● ○ ─
In the hideout of the Vortex Bunch, the leaders and members saw the video recording of Salmon King's defeat (provided by Aaron to insult them).
"For King Salmon to be defeated like this…a renowned warrior like himself…!" said Kaiser in disbelief.
"Fufu, sir Kaiser. That guy was not appointed as one of us, the [Four Invincible Generals]. Leave the rest of us, Salmon King was just an amateur after all!" said one of the executives.
Kaiser looked at the person who said that and smiled. "Hoho? The pride and joy of our organization, the [Four Invincible Generals]! You say that you'll handle the rest?"
One of the executives took his cape off, and it revealed a person with brown skin dressed like a fortune teller as well as having a pentagram on their face.
"Leave the next mission to me, Count Pentagram! Using my fortune telling, I will turn the tourist areas of Kyoto in Japan into a sea of chaos!" said the man called Count Pentagram.
"Ooooh! The Count is stepping in personally!" the members shouted in joy.
Kaiser nodded in approval. "Count Pentagram, I leave it to you then. Turn Kyoto as well as its rich history and culture into chaos!"
Count kneeled, and a cold smirk appeared on his face. "Leave it to me! Vooooooorteeeeex!!"
"Vorteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeex!" the members shouted back.
— ○ ● ○ ─
Aaron Toole's Soliloquy
— ○ ● ○ ─
The third day of our trip was in Kyoto. After we stayed in Hokkaido for two days, we came here to Kyoto again. Kunou, Yasaka and Sharon joined us too for this portion of the trip.
"Leave it to me! I shall be your guide!" Kunou exclaimed proudly.
"The fluffy guide!" repeated Lavinia before hugging Kunou from behind.
"A-ah…L-Lavinia-dono, p-please, I can't move properly if you hug me…" she said shyly.
"I'm sorry for troubling you like this, Kunou. I heard that you guide Aaron and anyone he brings with him every time they come here," said Latia.
"No problem! I'm staying in Aaron's home now, so this is the least I can do!" she replied. Soon enough Kunou was going to move into my home for the school year. This is so she could attend without having to constantly teleport to Kuoh from Kyoto, or use the door.
Cao Cao's team, the former Hero faction also enjoyed their time in Hokkaido, although…now they felt very awkward. It's not easy forgetting what they did barely a year ago.
Unfortunately, we were only going to be staying in Kyoto for a single night, much to Kunou's and Yasaka's displeasure. In Yasaka's words, she wanted me to 'take care of her' for tomorrow night since she was busy tonight, so she pouted quite a bit when she found out about that.
Kunou started to walk away with Sharon by her side and Ophis (who reverted back to her loli form). We were led around Kyoto with Kunou explaining anything and everything in as much detail as possible. We went to Kinkaku-ji and Ginkaku-ji because Xenovia wanted to go to them because they made a pretty good impression on her when they went to Kyoto last year.
"Kyoto…amazing…!" Aoife said while looking at many things as possible. "Wasn't Kyoto considered the capital of Japan years ago?"
"Yes, that's right, Aoife-chan. Kyoto was considered the capital from 794 to 1868," said Yasaka.
"The Five Principal Clans are also located here…and this place has powerful leylines…and…" Aoife looked at me and smiled.
Yeah, we'll face the Gods of Darkness Party in the distant future here. Though there are more of them compared to canon, but I can throw canon out the window now since…
"Yasaka-sama! Kunou-hime!" a youkai ran towards us. We were near Kiyomizu-dera while talking to each other. The youkai looked annoyed and was sweating, further ahead in the Kiyomizu-dera there seemed to be some kind of commotion.
"Is something wrong? You're quite bothered. Is something happening in the Kiyomizu-dera?" Kunou asked. Yasaka joined her and Sharon looked concerned.
"W-well, t-there's a strange person that showed up at the temple and started saying a bunch of strange things and also complaining about everything," said the youkai.
"Ah, him!" said Aoife as she ran ahead of us.
She really doesn't hide the fact that she partially knows some events that are going to happen…dear me, I need to have a chat with her about that. The rest of them looked at me and I sighed before silently going after Aoife.
Once we arrived there, people all around were observing the temple and a weirdo in the middle. He had a pentagram on his face, wore black clothes and was loudly complaining to the manager.
"Wait, isn't that—"
"Vortex Bunch. I see, it's one of their [Four Invincible Generals], Count Pentagram. He's…weak, so anyone can beat him. Does anyone want to try?" I asked.
"Me!" Aoife said before she calmly walked over to him while bringing out her…smartphone and calling the police. She spoke into it for a few seconds and a few minutes later they arrived.
The manager of the place did his best at keeping that weirdo calm. Of course, the police that she called were partially part of the supernatural, so they quickly arrested him.
"Nooo!! Vortee—"
"…Are they stupid?" Latia asked while massaging her forehead.
I chuckled and replied, "Well, they're not the smartest nor are they that powerful, so if we meet anymore, something akin to this will just happen again."
Latia shook her head and said, "Good grief…"
"Anyway, let's continue with our tour," Kunou sighed and huffed.
— ○ ● ○ ─
That night—
"Ugh…I'm dying…Aaron…help me…nya…" complained Kuroka as she clutched her stomach. Shirone was also the same, but…the other glutton in the household—Shigune sat there with a strained smile. She and Poh, Pon, and Poon were as healthy as ever.
Shigune and the 'Three MuskaPohs' were on a different level as their stomachs were near insurmountable. We had gone one a what the two sisters called 'Dinner Run'. In which we went to as many restaurants and vendors while stuffing ourselves silly.
All of us didn't go over the top and stuff ourselves. However, the two Nekomata sisters, Xenovia, Irina, Raynare (of all people), Shigune and some other people tried to do it. The result? (Nearly) all of them puking with the exception of Shigune, and a few others.
"…I'm dying…help…" said Kanami and Aoife at the same time.
"I could get rid of that for all of you…but actions have consequences, so here's some stomach medicine instead," I replied and handed one to each of them. However, the thought of 'swallowing' one more thing made a few of them lose it, and they ran to the bathrooms.
"That was mean…" said Lavinia from my lap. I was currently giving her a lap pillow.
"Huh?" I replied, acting dumb. Of course, I knew it was a bit mean, but I'll help them soon enough—
"Help them…" Lavinia muttered while squeezing my cheeks. I sighed and agreed. I thought about it, and so it became reality…
"You should have done that earlier!!" Kanami shouted as she came back, but then slipped on nothing and crashed into us. Her breasts slammed into my face. "Iyaaan~ perv~"
"You're the one who fell on me…" I muttered while pulling her off me. "Anyway, I have to go somewhere. It'll be quick but I'll be back soon." There were some protests but—
"Let him, it'll be quick," said Shuri. Mom was behind her, hugging her and had her head on her shoulder. Those two really got on well quickly…although Baraqiel felt a bit awkward about it.
"Thanks, mom(s)," I said and they saluted me. I left the area and went to Yasaka's meeting room—the place where I met them for the first time. I also felt a few other auras over there and once I arrived in front of the door, Cao Cao and his team stood there waiting.
"Sorry for the delay, let's go." I walked ahead of them and pushed the doors open. Earlier on the day, I asked Yasaka if she and Kunou could wait there since there was something important, I wanted to happen. She more or less knew what I wanted to do, and she quickly agreed with it.
Once inside the room, Yasaka sat on the other side of the table with Kunou by her side and Sharon standing on her other side. Suzaku was also there sitting beside Kunou. I walked over to the right side of the table and all of his current team was seated in a seiza position on the opposite side of Yasaka. The room instantly became tense and it became silent.
During the day, there was a bit of tension between them. However, since the rest of us were there, it wasn't addressed that much, but they did notice it. So I wanted this to happen before that certain event in the future happens…
Since I was the one acting as mediator, I spoke first. "The Leader of the West Youkai faction of Kyoto, Kyuubi-sama. These are the rascals that caused the ruckus in Kyoto last year and they have something to say to both you and your daughter, Kunou-hime…right?"
All of them changed their posture and kneeled down to the ground and even planet their heads on it.
"…We caused a lot of trouble last year—even if I wasn't part of it because I was injured, but my faction was, especially these guys. While we can't do anything about the Monkai Association…we at least want to say this… Please accept our deepest apologies," said Cao Cao.
Last year, the Five Principal Clans also helped with defending Kyoto, so I wanted them to apologize to Suzaku at least since the other clan heads couldn't attend, and with…Suou and the other elders and higher executives' funerals were happening soon, I wanted them to apologize and let the past be the past.
"They won't do anything like that anymore. If they do, I can deal with them. So if you ever need back-up for Kyoto, you can always call for them to help. They're my subordinates after all," I told Yasaka and Suzaku.
I wanted to add more, but since I'm the Middleman, her fiancé, and Oppai Dragon, I could influence their decision. So I kept it brief and simple. I didn't want her to say 'Because Aaron asked us to' or something like that.
"…Very well, I accept your apology," said Yasaka and Suzaku agreed with her. Cao Cao and the rest of his team looked up and seemed genuinely surprised.
"It's an undeniable fact that you caused a lot of trouble for Kyoto and Urakyoto, although your wish—or at least that Mard Geer monster's wish wouldn't have come true since Irene was with Aaron at the time. Nevertheless, if she wasn't by his side and you managed to summon her…untold damage would have been caused on both sides."
"However, I also heard that you went to the Phantasma's universe and have been fighting there day in and day out, to help us, other universes and the remaining free people there, so I can tell that all of you had a genuine change of heart," she told them.
"I will agree with Yasaka-sama. She herself was originally targeted to be captured after all. If she forgives, I will too," said Suzaku. She then looked at me and added, "If you're under Aaron's supervision…we won't need to worry too much about you going to the wrong side anymore."
Yasaka nodded. "Even if we have forgiven you, there are still many youkai that haven't. Please keep that in mind. With that said, I look forward to your cooperation and protection in the future."
Suzaku then put a hand on Kunou's hair and gently stroked it. "What about you, Kunou?" she asked.
Kunou said, "Due to last year's incident I am still bitter towards the former Hero faction. However, because I have seen you around Aaron's home, as well acknowledge that you went to a different universe to save lives…I can't say no now."
She then got up and walked closer to Cao Cao and added, "I want you and your team to protect Kyoto and Urakyoto and other places if anything happens."
Cao Cao closed his eyes and bowed his head again. "…Understood, Princess. I promise to fight alongside my master and [DxD] from here on out."
"Umu! I'll leave it to you then!" replied Kunou happily.
— ○ ● ○ ─
Once the short meeting was done, Suzaku, Cao Cao's team and I were outside once again.
"Cao Cao, the Rating Game World Tournament is starting soon. I'll let you gather the rest of your members too, but keep in mind, before then—there's more to life than just training, getting stronger and fighting…though I know you have an understanding of that now, don't you?" I said and he looked away.
"…I know, but there is still the tournament, and the other atrocities out there, so as long as they exist, I will need to polish my skills—with this 'Universal Spear'," he told me. "But…I understand what His Eminence Strada said to me all those months ago, as well as the source of your strength—it's a good feeling."
"We'll go back there soon, and you'll her and them again," I told him.
"…Right…" he replied and started walking away. He then stopped and looked back at me. "Thank you…for giving me this second chance. I'll repay it for the rest of my life." Cao Cao finally left followed by his team giving me short bows.
Suzaku put a hand on my shoulder and asked, "He found someone?"
"Yeah…let's go back. His new spear, the [Arredoval] is like the Sacred Gears. As long as he desires it, as long as he still has his will, it will grow stronger and will grow unique abilities based on those desires. Cao Cao now understands the power of protecting someone. It's not easy, but I'm sure he understands that after spending that time in the Phantasma's universe."
Instead of answering me, Suzaku hugged my arm and laid her head on it. We finally joined back with the others.
— ○ ● ○ ─
Third Person Point of View
— ○ ● ○ ─
At the base of the Vortex Bunch, their members were shocked that Count Pentagram was defeated.
"Impossible…Count Pentagram was defeated…?!" Kaiser asked in disbelief.
"W-well, he was actually arrested by the Japanese police, and now he's under investigation," replied one of their members.
"…He better not tell them anything. The police are bad news," said Kaiser.
"Boss! Don't worry, I'll handle everything from here! It's time for me to conquer the region of Osaka!" said another voice.
The person that showed stepped up was a figure of a tiger wearing the uniform of the pro-league baseball team Hanshin Tigers. Unlike his appearance, he was a spirit who had a tough body and was a giant of over two meters.
"Oh! Coach Tiger, for you to finally step up…!" said Kaiser in excitement.
"Nyahaha! Do not worry, for these nails can pierce anything! I will take on those fools!" declared Coach Tiger. "I'll bathe Osaka in the colors of the Vortex Bunch! Vooooooooooooorteeeeeeeeeex!!"
"Vooooooooooorteeeeeeeex!"
Unfortunately, the Hanshin Tigers did not win this year. There was a rumor in their organization that if that team won, Coach Tiger's strength would be multiplied by 100-fold…although it was just a rumor.
— ○ ● ○ ─
Aaron Toole's Soliloquy
— ○ ● ○ ─
It was the fourth day of our trip, and we were in Osaka. Everyone was excited here…especially the gluttons because—
"I heard that in Osaka you can eat until your wallet gets empty, and you still won't be able to eat everything here! Asia, Irina! Let's go and stuff ourselves until we get absolutely stuffed!" shouted Xenovia.
"Yes!" replied Asia.
"I want to get the original Takoyaki!" said Irina.
"Shirone, Kanami, Natsume, Shigune, and the three MuskaPohs…we have special pills that Aaron made so we can eat an unlimited amount of food…are you nyastards ready nya?!" Kuroka shouted while pumping her fists.
"Oohh!!" the glutton group shouted. Ophis also joined them and pumped her fist, although I doubt she would join them that much.
"I'm going too!" Aoife said and joined their group.
"Just call me if you need more," I told them and they happily ran off. "Did they even hear me?" However, all of them stopped and looked up at a certain building, everyone also joined and we saw…a tiger youkai.
We quickly joined up with the glutton group and I said, "Ah, he's known as 'Coach Tiger' from the Vortex Bunch. What will you guys do? It seems like we immediately came across one of them as soon as we arrived."
Even here, the streets of Osaka had a few street food vendors at the ready and were already haggling people as they walked by. Kuroka had lost interest in the Tiger Youkai and began ordering food. I also gave everyone a decent chunk of change for the trip, so if they didn't use it all up, they'll have some spare left over.
"Hmm?" Something caught my eye near Kuroka and I made my way there. That was when the tiger spirit youkai thing jumped down and started spouting a bunch of nonsense and since he was annoying me…I slapped him in the face and he flew into orbit like that salmon thing from a few days ago.
This time, however, I did not save him…he floated into space and died. Or more like my attention was on something entirely that I didn't bother with saving him. I doubt Cúntóir wanted to either…
"Aaron nya?" Kuroka asked and I bought some…Mitarashi dango. "Mitarashi dango? You…slapped him out of the way for that nya?"
"Yeah. I always wanted to try this stuff out, I know made some but I wanted to taste the ones from Osaka, you know?" I replied and ate some. Mitarashi dango refers to skewers of grilled rice dumplings drenched in an addictive sweet-salty, sticky soy glaze.
"Anyway, let's continue this food tour!" I declared and so we did.
— ○ ● ○ ─
Three hours later…most of the normal eaters were already too full to eat anymore, however, the glutton group kept going, so we told them to meet us back at a certain place. The rest also split apart since they wanted to explore by themselves.
I was also in my own group which consisted of Raynare, Danu, Kuisha, Áine, and Hephaestus. Phae joined us at the end of the third day. She became a bit busy back in her realm, but finally freed up sometime.
"Hey, can we go into that?" Áine asked and pointed at a certain establishment.
The store she was pointing to was the Umeda Shopping Arcade. Umeda Shopping Arcade presents shoppers with everything from fashion boutiques and bookstores to big department stores and small gift shops. This retail spot was connected to Umeda Station and was a series of underground malls connected together. The atmosphere within the concourse is enhanced by cool design features like rivers, gardens, fountains and bubbling waterfalls.
Well…that's what I read online, and also looking further ahead. "Umeda Shopping Arcade has a lot of things, so why not?"
So with that, we stepped into the place, and immediately Raynare dragged Kuisha with her to look at clothes. The other two stayed with me and watched on.
"Not interested in buying new clothes?" I asked.
"I have too many…also I don't have enough space in my wardrobe in my home," replied Áine.
"Then why not use magic to expand it?" a voice said and I felt someone hug me from behind. When I glanced back, I saw Cana.
"Oh…Cana, I thought you went with Latia's group?" asked Danu.
"I did, but they were taking a break since Lavinia felt sleepy after eating so much, and she started calling out for Aaron. Hehe, she's like a love-sick puppy," said Cana.
I should get her…
"I did something similar, Áine. Although it feels more like a different room now than a wardrobe," said Hephaestus.
"Right? That's what I'm worried about…although a certain someone has barely anything in his own wardrobe even after I was told that many of his lovers bought him things. Where do you even store them?" Áine asked me.
"My own subspace?" I replied and tilted my head. "But it's not much since I basically wear nearly the same thing day in, day out."
"We heard it all, Aaron. We're going shopping with getting you clothes in mind," said Kuisha. She and Raynare stood there with their hands on their hips.
"No, it's not really—"
"The rest is in agreement! I'll go fetch Lavinia and we'll join you shortly after," said Cana and the other women there also agreed with the other two…
"I can just—"
"—Use your powers, blah, blah, blah, we know. Just come with us and get clothes!" said Raynare before she grabbed my arm and pulled me away.
The rest followed us and I asked, "Did you just want to hold my hand?"
Raynare's face turned red and she tried to let go of my hand. However, I held it and then forcefully intertwined our fingers. Her became even redder and she refused to look at me.
"You're a bit of a bully at times, you know?" said Kuisha beside me. But she also looked amused by the situation.
"Rayray isn't exactly honest with me either, so I like teasing her," I replied and smirked at the fallen angel beside me.
Raynare didn't respond but pulled me into a store, with the help of everyone, and Cana came back with Lavinia who immediately embraced me and refused to let go. We bought me several bags worth of clothes. They didn't just stop there, we went to other ones that they also bought their own ones, including shoes and other accessories.
When we arrived at a certain shop, I recognized it as a mostly women's shop—a lingerie one. I was the lone male with a group of women. There were two things' people would assume, one, that I was gay, and were out with my 'girlfriends' or I was dating all of them (which was unlikely because…humans and their norms) making them jealous.
Each of them went into a changing room together and tried on various clothes. Danu and Áine came out in a green and pink bikinis. I never looked too far into it, but…these two are really curvy, huh? Although I think it's partly due to training in my dimension that they grew that much.
"See? I told you he'd be too stunned to speak," said Áine with a smug grin, although she herself had red cheeks.
"U-um…A-Aaron…?"
I looked at Danu who was very embarrassed by the situation. "You two (four) look great, it suits you," I told them and nodded sagely.
Áine smacked me on the arm and said, "Perv. Ugh, anyway, let's go and change into the other ones."
"W-wait you two, I don't think—"
Raynare, Kuisha and Hephaestus also came out of another changing room. The Goddess with them looked quite shy as she also covered herself while wearing a red-wine frilly bikini. Raynare had a black bikini and Kuisha had a blue and purple one with cute cat faces as designs.
"U-ugh…" Hephaestus was clearly uncomfortable, but still decided to bring her arms down to show me. The other two stood there with confidence (kind of).
I gave them a thumbs up and said, "Hmm. They all suit you; you guys can keep checking out more clothes since I can afford all of it."
"He's saying to run his account dry, let's do that," Raynare said with a smirk before dragging the other two back into the changing room.
Last but not least, the two blondes Cana and Lavinia came out of their changing room. To my surprise, they wore near identical bikinis. Cana had a light blue bikini that had 'Freedom' on it, 'free' was on the left and 'dom' on the right. While Lavinia had a sapphire blue bikini that had small ice cream designs on it. It complimented her eyes.
"Nice." I gave them a thumbs up too, and they giggled before going back and trying another pair.
"…Dude, I fucking hate you. You're clearly not gay!" a person complained from behind me. When I glanced back, I saw him and a few guys in the distance glaring at me.
I shrugged and didn't say anything. What would I even say in this situation? Something like 'Yeah, being a harem king is easy?' or something condescending like that? Sounds like it would give unnecessary trouble for me, and this is a trip where I can be lazy and not think too much before everything starts…I also have plans for a certain someone at the end. Hopefully I can rely on Amaterasu and Inari for it.
— ○ ● ○ ─
Third Person Point of View
— ○ ● ○ ─
"He also died, according to reports he was slapped into space by the Middleman because…he got in the way of his purchase," said a member of the Vortex Bunch.
Kaiser leaned his head back on his throne. He looked frustrated, but then another figure of the [Four Invincible Generals] stepped up. A pig monster wore an outfit similar to that of a Ramen shop owner. His head was that of a pig, and he also had wrapped a towel on his forehead.
"I will lead the raid on Fukuoka," said the pig monster.
"So…it's you who's going, Chief Pig Bone," said Kaiser sounding a bit more hopeful now.
"Even the Chief is going now…"
"One of his best creations is finally going, with this, the raid on Fukuoka…"
The tension in the secret base was slowly rising since Chief Pig Bone was well known throughout the organization.
"Pufufu! I will ruin the food areas of Fukuoka in the name of Vortex Bunch! Vooortex!! Pufufufu!"
"Vooooooooorteeeeeeeeeeeeeex!!"
Many of their members became excited to see how Chief Pig Bone would turn the tides of the 'battle'.
— ○ ● ○ ─
Aaron Toole's Soliloquy
— ○ ● ○ ─
On our fifth day we arrived in Fukuoka. After the first few hours of shopping and window shopping, we, just like Osaka, decided to go to the food district where all types of restaurants and food vendors were set up at.
The glutton group led the charge with pills in the pocket so they could stuff their stomachs full of food. I really have to hand it to them. Their dedication to eating as much as they can is admirable…in a way.
"We're going to eat again at this place! Asia, Irina, glutton group, let's go!" shouted Xenovia.
"To the food stalls!" joined in Irina.
"Aaron…please don't hate us if we get fat!" Asia said worriedly before she ran after the group.
'Don't worry, I'll help you guys get into a diet and feed you the appropriate amounts. Staying healthy will let you live a long and happy life,' I thought and waved at them.
"How about we buy some recipe books in Fukuoka?" Shuri suggested.
"Oh! Good idea, Bar-bar come with us~" mom said, and both her and Shuri grabbed Baraqiel and dragged him off somewhere. He looked very troubled by this. Cindy also joined them and they left our side.
I had asked mom if she liked Baraqiel and she said no. Evidently Baraqiel himself only wanted one wife, so a harem was out of the question for him. Although apparently Azazel tried to make him have one over the years they lived and before he met Shuri, but she refused every time.
"Oooh…w-what should I get, Isaiah…?" Tosca asked Yumi.
"Let's try out everything like we did before, but let's pace ourselves and not try to eat like the glutton group," Yumi told her with a strained smile.
"Mmm…mmm!" Tosca nodded her head enthusiastically.
"W-wait, Ruruko-chan, we seriously can't keep up with them…!" complained Saji.
"Let's just go! Sona-sama already gave us permission, fufu~" replied Ruruko.
Sona and her peerage also joined us on this trip, although they only joined on our third day, but they're now enjoying it as much as possible. Even Sona had gone with Rias, Tsubaki and Akeno to shop for a little bit.
"What will you do, Aaron~?" Reya asked from beside me. Momo was also beside her looking at me with interest.
"Well—" I stopped when I heard some commotion ahead of us. For some reason the glutton group completely ignored it…I guess they left it up to us, jeez.
"It's the Vortex Bunch again…" muttered Latia in annoyance. "Let me handle this…"
I affected reality again and Latia immediately swapped a piece of rock with the pig monster and he became alarmed.
"I am—!" He didn't get to finish his sentence as both Raiko and Velgrynd punched him on the side of the head. The True Dragon had enjoyed herself during our trip so far, so she's probably annoyed by them constantly interfering with our time.
Raiko…well, she probably had her reasons because she looked annoyed—
"You don't cook ramen like that," she declared and crossed her arms.
…That's what she was annoyed about? I looked over at the spot where the pig monster was cooking his ramen with the black clothed members and…for some reason they were in very cheap looking equipment and powered by weak flames.
"It's a health hazard," added Grayfia.
"Even I can see that, they're not even that sharp! They're blunt!" said Inaie. I'm more surprised that she didn't go join the glutton group, but maybe Grayfia was keeping a tighter leash around her?
"With that done, let's continue, shall we?" Latia said with a refreshed smile, and so we did. Well, after we captured the other members too.
— ○ ● ○ ─
I was with another strange group. Momo, Reya, Velgrynd and Azathoth (yes, she came with us). We were in an antique shop per Reya's request and we had been in it for around fifteen minutes, and the two girls (Momo and Reya) were enjoying themselves while I stayed back with Velgrynd and Azathoth watching them have fun. Although I did find some interesting things here I planned to buy.
"Why don't you just will these things into existence?" Velgrynd asked while giving me a bored look.
"…There's a value to these things, Vel. It was made by humans, has aged a lot of years and has sentimental value. If I just made it…it would feel like a new edition or version and wouldn't feel as valuable, even if I made an exact replica," I replied.
"I don't really get it, but alright…" she mumbled and handed me back an item she got off the shelves.
Azathoth had been mostly quiet during our trip. She had gone with all of us, even ate and spoke when spoken to, but she generally kept to herself and watched everyone enjoy themselves. Velgrynd was the same, but she did partake a lot more than Azathoth. She is strangely weak towards Danu and does what the goddess asks of her. Maybe it's her motherly aura? Though it's the same for Mom (Róisín) because once she asked her to accompany her, she agreed while looking vexed.
She went and picked up a small wooden carving of a human and stared at it for a few minutes. I left her and Velgrynd to ponder life's questions and joined Reya and Momo.
"Any reason why you wanted to come here, Reya?" I asked the brown-haired girl.
"From time-to-time I visit antique shops in Kuoh or the neighboring towns. My grandmother, who was a witch collected strange and unique things during her lifetime. I guess I inherited that from her? So instead of collecting any random thing, I decided to go to antique shops instead," she told us.
An antique collector? An antiquarian? Though I only ever been in Reya's room in my home a few times, she did have some strange things in there. However, apart from those items, her room was relatively normal.
"You learn something new every day, huh? So did you find anything that caught your interest?"
She nodded and showed me that she was carrying a distinctive-looking vase. It had a dragon and a snake coiled around each other. The dragon was blue and the snake was pink. Below them was a mountain shaped like a skull, and to their right was a man that had white hair and clouds around his shoulder.
[…Isn't that Luffy, Kaido and…Momonosuke? Although he wasn't a pink snake…but both were dragons, right? What the hell is this doing here? Also, who made it?] Ddraig asked.
'A random person. They just had inspiration from around one thousand years ago. It was just a random chance, they weren't a Reincarnator or anything,' I replied to him. Looking at the vase and its history, it was just a freak chance of that person making it.
"It's over around one thousand years old, and this…painting is loosely based on a different universe's people," I told them and they were both surprised, but I also reassured them that there was no other Reincarnator involved in its making.
Reya became even more interested and decided she was definitely buying it. Momo just wanted to accompany her fellow [Bishop] and didn't plan on buying anything. After we walked around a bit more, Reya grabbed a small figure of Raiko made of stone and a mug made out of hardened tea leaves.
We paid for them and left the place. Azathoth and Velgrynd were waiting at the entrance when we left the place. They seemed to have been waiting there for the last ten minutes.
"Lunch is coming soon. I know we ate a little earlier, but we should go eat," I suggested and they agreed. We made our way to a nearby restaurant, picked an empty spot and I went up to order for everyone.
Seeing as how Azathoth was still a bit awkward about it—I decided to just do it by myself. It took around seven minutes, and near the end, I asked Momo for help with bringing all of our orders back via telepathy.
Once we arrived back at our table…another cliché event happened.
"Yo, nee-chan's~ are all of you by your selves~?" a tanned and blonde-haired male in his mid-twenties asked the group of women I was with. "How about you hang out with us!"
"Yeah, we can show you a good time," added another one, he was clearly drooling and exuded a lot of lust. The others with them (six of them in total) joined in the cliché lines.
Momo looked at me unsure of what to do, so I just sighed and pushed past them and sat down along with Momo. "Sorry for the delay, let's get started," I said and we promptly ignored them. I had already signaled the security guard of this establishment and I saw them walking towards us.
"Hey—" The two guards here came and I told them that they were harassing me and my friends and they were quickly escorted away.
"So you still refuse to hurt normal humans, huh? Even if they do things like that?" Velgrynd asked as she started to eat her food.
"They're normal humans after all. If I let every little thing they do annoy me, then I wouldn't get anywhere in life. It's like an adult being triggered and upset by what a literal child said. They don't know any better…though those guys knew what they were doing, so getting security involved was probably the right choice," I replied and also started eating.
"So you haven't fought a normal human yet?" she asked.
"I have." I then told her about the situation with Kikijo and Higuro involving the kidnapping of their girlfriends and how I had to 'fight' that weird gang. Velgrynd was surprised by this and snorted.
"Unless it's justifiable, huh?" she said and I nodded. Only when it's justified, and I won't take it too far, otherwise it would be troublesome, though with me now I can simply change it…
'There is a chance of them waiting outside, Aaron,' Azathoth suddenly said to me using telepathy.
'I know.'
'…You saw it already?'
'Yes.'
'…And?'
'It's been dealt with…see?' I turned my head to look out the window and Azathoth did the same thing. We saw them being escorted by the police here…they were all naked. I had influenced them to go insane and run around naked, and now they were being detained.
"…What did you do?" Velgrynd asked as she also watched the scene outside.
"Oh, just dealing with some future trouble…" I replied with a smirk.
— ○ ● ○ ─
"Oh dear…I shouldn't have eaten that much," said Göndul. She had temporarily gone back to Asgard and met up with Rossweisse's parents, shocking them—and everyone else by her new appearance, or I guess, her previous appearance. She told them that she was going to join us for the rest of our trip and now she was back.
"Here, you can have this. I gave the glutton group a decent amount so they could go wild while eating," I told Göndul and gave her a pill.
"Fufu, thank you, Jin—no, I should refer to you as Aaron, right? Thank you," said Göndul. She then took the pill and instantly looked a lot better.
"Granny, don' go aving too much ood, ya' 'ear? (Granny, don't go having too much food, you hear?)" Rose said in her accent.
"Rose, your accent is coming out. But I will keep an eye on it from here on out. I will have to thank your fiancé a different way in the future," she said. I felt a bit of unease about that so I scooted away from her. Göndul simply giggled at me.
She was then taken away by mom and Shuri, and the trio was born from that…I hope nothing strange would happen from this day onwards between then—or I hope they don't create a strange older women's club…the image of Venelana, Misla Bael (Sairaorg's mom) and Suzaku's mother joining them made me sigh in resignation…
Who am I kidding? It's happening…it's definitely happening…
— ○ ● ○ ─
Third Person Point of View
— ○ ● ○ ─
In the Vortex Bunch's hideout, Kaiser in his anger kicked a table and chair. They saw a picture of Chief Pork Bun being arrested by the alliance (the photo was provided by Aaron), and he was in their prisons along with Salmon King.
"This can't go on any longer! I will personally go myself and end them!" Kaiser shouted.
"Eh?! Kaiser himself is going?!"
"P-please calm down! If the leader himself goes, the world will be devoured in darkness!"
Everyone in the base was terrified and did their best at calming down their leader. However, Kaiser's body erupted in a dark aura and everyone was forced to kneel down at the pressure he emanated.
"Please calm down Lord, I will personally go with you if it's come to this. For I am the last of the [Four Invincible Generals]," said a voice.
The final executive of the [Four Invincible Generals], a black dog sat there looking at Kaiser.
"T-that legendary person is finally making his move…?! So we've finally come to the end game…"
"It's the Final Death Xiezhi-sama! With him and Kaiser-sama we will definitely win!"
Kaiser smirked and put Final Death Xiezhi on his shoulder and looked at everyone. Both their auras increased dramatically and shook the entire island.
"Then let us go visit my old home of Okinawa, for I, the Final Death Xiezhi, will plunge that place into despair!" said Final Death Xiezhi.
Kaiser nodded and announced, "Our final battle is here! All of us are heading to Okinawa, destroy [DxD] and then conquer the world!"
"Voooooooooooooooorteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeex!!!" they shouted in harmony.
…And thus, the final battle of the Vortex Bunch began.
— ○ ● ○ ─
Aaron Toole's Soliloquy
— ○ ● ○ ─
After starting all the way up north in Hokkaido, and after visiting Kyoto, Osaka, Fukuoka, we had finally reached the end of our graduation trip…Okinawa! I have personally wanted to visit this place for a long time, but never had a real reason for going. However, since we scheduled it for our graduation trip, we would be spending the last two days here.
I also enact my plan… I glanced at Rias as her crimson hair blew in the wind. She noticed me looking at me and smiled brightly at me.
[This'll be the most romantic one yet! …Well, maybe Lavinia's might have been, but who knows! Surprise us with the rest, Partner!]
'Now that's a lot of pressure, Ddraig. But I'll try my best,' I replied.
"To…!" Natsume said and pointed to the horizon.
"The beach!" Kanami finished and the rest of the group shouted with a resounding 'Yes!'.
Luckily for us the hotel I booked was owned by the Gremory so I got it for a discounted price. We also had access to the private beach all to ourselves, so it made it even better. We had arrived at the beach and everyone had gotten changed.
Beauties everywhere were wearing bikinis that complimented each of their beauties! It's a sight for sore eyes, and I savored every bit of it. As I stood on an elevated bit of rock, everyone had fun down there, I had already prepared food earlier so I wouldn't need to spend my time at a grill.
"Aaron-san, why are you over here by yourself?"
When I turned to my side, I saw Le Fay in a cute blue bikini. She was by herself and licked away at her ice cream.
"Ah…no, it's nothing. I just wanted to watch over everyone, that's all," I told her.
She giggled and said, "That makes you sound like an old man…though you kind of are now, aren't you?" Le Fay had a confused expression on her face and pondered about it for a bit.
"Fufu, Le Fay-chan, don't think too deeply about it. Old man Toole has always been like that," said Lisa. She winked at me as Penemue, Irene and Ophis joined her.
Xenovia suddenly ran towards me with various people in tow. "Aaron!" she shouted.
"Yes?"
She suddenly took her bra off her bikini off and held up some lotion. "Rub me!"
"Ah, hey! We agreed on an order, Nova!!" Irina shouted in frustration.
"M-me too!" Asia and Ravel said while also taking their tops off.
"T-then me after Ravel, Darling!" Irina shouted in desperation this time.
"Fufu, maybe I should have my son-in-law give me one too. How about you, Róisín, Cindy, Göndul?" Shuri asked the other older women.
Mom looked at me, the lotion that Xenovia gave me, then at Cindy, Göndul and then back at me. "Please?" she asked rather cutely. And with that—even more people lined up, Baraqiel sat under an umbrella looking rather pitiful.
"I think you should go to Baraqiel for that…" I told Shuri. She looked at me then back at her own husband before going 'Ara ara' and trotting back to him.
I sighed and looked at them seriously. "Go get your spots ready. I'm going to put sunscreen on all of you!"
All of them cheered and started getting ready. Dear Lord, I think this is going to take a while since I doubt they want me to speed through it all…
"Fufu, even during our trip you can't relax fully, can you?" Rias asked and stood beside me after I jumped off the rock.
"No rest for the weary. Do you want one too?" I asked Rias.
"I'll make myself last then, um, Aaron about—"
"Hey, let's go on a date tonight. I still have my car after all. Okinawa at night must look pretty good, right?" I asked her. Rias seemed surprised but quickly agreed. She then joined the rest.
I summoned a small communication circle beside me and contacted two people. "Hey…change of plans, so…this is what I'd like to be done. I can help from here, so…"
— ○ ● ○ ─
After I told Amaterasu and Inari about my plans, they were more than willing to do it. I also teleported them to Okinawa to prepare for me, but for now…
I created two avatars, and had shadow soldiers go with them. "Go beat and arrest the last two of the Vortex Bunch. I really don't want to deal with them…I've already changed reality here, and reinforced Okinawa, so don't worry about using powerful attacks."
"Yes, Boss!" they both shouted and saluted me. The shadow soldiers didn't go into their shadows and just walked in broad daylight.
I turned back to everyone else and a few seconds later I heard loud and powerful sounds and rumbling. A few people turned to look at me but I just shook my head and told them it was fine.
"Alright…let's get to rubbing people…that sounds wrong," I mumbled to myself.
The last members of the Vortex Bunch and their leader were quickly dealt with, and we didn't even need to see them ourselves. I also got rid of that perverted dog-robot-thing that they had as one of the [Four Invincible Generals]. No way in hell Xenovia was getting it as a familiar…
That's why I also prevented Asia from making a damn contract with Fafnir. I won't let him have her panties as a way to power up. I avoided a lot of weird shit by preventing that—especially the panty cooking show with Fafnir staring Asia's panties as the main ingredient…
— ○ ● ○ ─
"Mumumu…!"
Lavinia Reni was not happy. She found me sneaking out of the hotel after we all went to sleep, and tonight I was sleeping with her, the other 'Fated Ones' and a few others. She was (cutely) glaring at me with her arms crossed.
"Nia, I have to go…"
"Why can't I come…?" she asked with a pout.
A sigh escaped my lips as I whispered the reason to her. She stared at me for a few seconds before she said, "Say that sooner! Jeez! Okay…okay…go to Rias-chan then! I'm rooting for you! …But come back quickly too!"
"Thank you," I replied and patted her head before leaving. When I got outside, Rias was waiting by my car that I had parked. Azathoth stood by the entrance, however. "…You're still up?" I asked.
"I do not have the need to sleep, nor do you…however, it's pleasant when I do manage to fall asleep," she replied while looking at the starry skies of Okinawa.
The night air was pleasant, it was cool, but not cold enough to make you wear coats or anything like that. However, it was not hot enough to force you to be practically naked—it was just right. Azathoth herself wore a black shirt and skirt with sandals. Mom and Shuri picked this out for her during the trip since they knew they were coming to Okinawa. They also bought her other clothes during our visits to those other places.
"Good luck, the Gremory heiress will be happy," she said and walked back into the hotel.
"I sure hope so," I said to myself and joined Rias.
"It's beautiful tonight," she suddenly said.
"Great. Then I have a place that you'll love even more," I told her and we got into my car. I started driving and we sat there in silent. Rias occasionally put a hand on mine when we had to stop for the traffic lights.
I chose a destination that wasn't too far, and it wasn't too long to get to when we had to walk the rest of the way there. Once we arrived at the designated place, we got out of my car and she looked around, both confused and excited.
"W-where are we?" she asked. I didn't say a word and held her hand. She intertwined our fingers and I started walking and she followed me. "Aaron…?"
"It's a surprise. Will you close your eyes from here on out?" I asked.
"…Okay!" Rias closed her eyes and we continued our short journey.
I put a concealment spell on Amaterasu and Inari so she wouldn't be able to feel their auras or energy signatures. As we walked through a set path, trees were on both our sides, and Rias stumbled a few times, but I caught her. In the end, I princess carried her the rest of the way.
Once we arrived at the spot, I put her down. The area I had chosen to do this was near a cliff. It gave us a magnificent view of the ocean and the starry sky above us. It was supposed to rain today, but I changed that, so it was sunny all throughout the day, including tonight.
I gave the signal to Inari and Amaterasu, and in front of me a transparent tree started to take shape, its trunk was brown-gold in color while the leaves high above us were pink, the trunk itself was also shaped like a kitsune's head and neck. The 'eyes' on the kitsune trunk glowed a deep blue and the leaves themselves started to softly glow.
"You can open your eyes now," I told Rias and she did. When she looked around us, she was shocked at what she saw.
"W-what is this…?" she asked.
She let go of my hand and looked at the giant translucent pink kitsune tree. Once she had her back turned to me, I got on one knee. I saw both Amaterasu and Inari giving me thumbs ups behind me. Inari was about to shout when Amaterasu covered her mouth and dragged her away. Sheesh, what a troublesome leader.
"Aaron—" Rias finally turned around and froze as she stared down at me.
"I did my best," I said and chuckled. "Rias Gremory. I know we've been through a lot together, and had a strange and rough start to our relationship, but…I enjoyed our time together."
Tears appeared in her eyes and then streamed down her cheeks.
I took another deep breath and said, "Rias Gremory, will you marry me?"
I got up and took her hand into mine. She stared at me for a few seconds before she embraced me and started to repeatedly say 'Yes'. After she calmed down, we kissed each other.
"You know…I originally planned on doing this at a certain place in the Shinto realm. I know how much you love Japan after all," I admitted and she seemed surprise.
"In the Shinto realm?" she repeated.
"Yeah. This near-identical tree was in that realm and I asked Tamamo, Inari and Amaterasu about it, and I was planning to take you there to propose to you, but since the weather for tonight might have been favorable, I chose to do it here instead. It looks like it was the right choice."
The translucent tree finally faded away, and I felt both Amaterasu and Inari leave. "But I'll take you there for another date, so we can see the genuine thing. How does that sound?"
"…Thank you. I look forward to it…" she muttered before we kissed again.
Rias and I stayed there for a little bit. I created a small bench that we sat on and looked at the night sky and stars. We chatted about anything that came to mind. Most of it was about the upcoming Rating Game World Tournament.
The day ended with us going back to the hotel.
The last day on Okinawa was also full of fun and chaotic scenes, and thus our graduation trip ended on a happy note.
The future was full of challenges waiting for us, but it'll be fine, with my new powers, I will lead it into the one where it all benefits us.
— ○ ● ○ ─
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
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