The day after I took Gasper out of his room for the first time after school, the Occult Research Club set up a volleyball court for a special training session instead of the training ground where Issei and I fought.
On the right-hand side of the volleyball court were Kiba and Gasper. Meanwhile, on the left-hand side, Issei was throwing balls to Koneko, who was positioned on a ladder, serving directly to both of them.
Next to Rias, I was watching the training.
'Originally, during this training session in the anime, Gasper was just trying to use his powers to stop a ball in the air to gain more control of his control. However, in my version of the training, Kiba was with him, which meant he had to focus more on not stopping Kiba while also developing social skills by being so close to another person.'
The development of Gasper's social skills was intrinsically linked to his ability to control his own powers. If he improved one, he would improve the other. So, training both at the same time was ideal.
"All right, Gasper, let's try again." Kiba smiled at him.
"R-right!"
"There goes another!" Issei threw the ball upwards, and Koneko struck it with thunderous force.
The ball shot forward like a jet towards Gasper and Kiba.
Gasper's eyes widened, but instead of focusing on the ball, his instinct activated his powers again. One moment, Gasper was in the volleyball's straight, the next, he was cowering in another corner of the court, holding his head.
Kiba blinked, surprised. "Uhm... did you teleport?"
"I-I think I just froze time a little..." Gasper said, pulling the bag back on his head.
Issei sighed, placing his hands on his hips. "Man, if you keep running away from balls like that, you'll never learn!"
"He's getting better. Before, he just stood there trembling."
"Koneko-chan, please only serve to Kiba from now on," Rias ordered.
"Gasper, try to concentrate on protecting Kiba," I said. "If you can control when you activate your power, it will be a huge step forward."
Then, as the training continued, I heard footsteps nearby. I turned my head and saw Asia and Makima approaching.
"Ah, you're back. How was your first contract?"
Makima handed me a sheet of paper with the report, but I didn't have time to read it because Asia began talking.
"It was incredible! The gentleman we did the contract with was a doll collector. He just wanted some company while having tea with them. In fact, Makima-san even wore a doll's hat to match the occasion..."
Makima, who had maintained a neutral expression, grabbed the top of Asia's head and squeezed.
"You promised you wouldn't tell." Makima growled as a vein bulged on her forehead.
"Aitatata...! I'm sorry?"
Makima took a deep breath and let go of Asia's head, who kept massaging the area.
"All right, but you need to learn to keep secrets..."
"Yes, Makima-san!" Asia bowed her head slightly, and a bead of sweat ran down my face.
"Anyway, his original request was harmless. The bad part was afterwards..."
"What do you mean?" Rias asked.
"He said he wanted us to dance in bikinis for him."
The paper Makima handed me — the signed contract — was instantly crushed in my hand.
"Who is this bastard?! I'll rip his head off immediately!"
Makima let out a little laugh. "I was joking. He just wanted his tea."
My anger vanished instantly, replaced by relief and a little embarrassment.
Asia laughed softly, and so did Rias.
"By the way..." Asia said, looking at the people playing volleyball. "I understand the importance of this training. But... why is Akeno-san up there on top of the club building?"
Then she turned and pointed to the high roof of the old building. And Akeno was indeed there, sitting on the edge of the Occult Research Club's roof, swinging her feet in a relaxed manner.
"Whenever Gasper activates his ability to stop time, everyone within an undetermined radius is affected. This radius varies depending on his emotional state, but it doesn't exceed twelve meters. This makes us vulnerable in the event of an external attack when he's out of control."
Asia's eyes widened in surprise. "So... Akeno-san is up there because Gasper can't reach her with his powers?"
"Exactly. That way, she can monitor the surroundings and protect us in case someone tries to attack us during the moments when Gasper accidentally paralyzes us," I said and continued looking at Akeno. "Speaking of her, where was Akeno yesterday?" I asked Rias.
Rias crossed her arms under her pair of enormous breasts.
"I'm not sure I can talk... But why don't you ask her yourself?" She looked at Akeno.
"Can I leave Gasper's training up to you?"
"Asia and Makima can help me supervise. It's no problem, right?"
Asia shook her head vigorously. "Don't worry, Millicas-san!"
Makima gave a small smile. "I'll keep an eye out."
"All right, I'm counting on you."
With that settled, I spread my wings and, with a rush, flew to the top of the Occult Research Club building.
I landed next to Akeno, folding my wings as I sat on the ledge beside her.
"Hi, Akeno-san."
"Millicas-kun... What brings you here?" She looked at me, briefly diverting her attention from her surroundings.
"I was curious about your absence yesterday. Rias said I should ask you directly."
Akeno let out a chuckle. "Ah... so you want to know where I was?"
"Well, you've been gone all day. I was curious."
"I've been... sorting out some personal business." She looked down. Although she always kept a smile on her face, I was slowly learning how to read her.
I raised an eyebrow, as if asking her to continue.
"Do you really want to know that much?"
"I'm just curious."
She laughed again, but then sighed and looked at the horizon. "I went to visit a Shinto shrine on the outskirts of the city."
I was surprised. Sure, I already knew all about Akeno's past, both thanks to being a Gremory and having seen it all in the anime. However, it only got more detailed in the third season of the anime.
"Did you go to talk to your father?" I asked, being direct.
Akeno was silent for a few seconds, the wind blowing her long ponytail.
"Yes... I went to talk to him. He's still a leader of the Fallen Angels. I thought it would be important for him to know about everything that happened with Raynare and the other Fallen Angels. Besides..." She looked away from me. "I also talked about what you said that morning at the café."
I understood immediately.
"You wanted to confirm that my assumption made sense."
"Exactly." Akeno shook her head slightly. "But I still don't understand one thing, Millicas-kun."
"What is it?"
"If members of the Three Factions really are working together... what would be the purpose? I mean, they were after Asia and Issei. In other words, two Sacred Gears. But why?"
"War."
My answer was direct and simple.
Akeno's usual smile crumbled.
"... War?"
"Sacred Gears are weapons. All of them are powerful enough to alter the balance of power between the Three Factions. Even those that aren't intended to hurt, like Asia's Twilight Healing, have immeasurable value in battles. Healing wounds during combat means keeping fighters on their feet for longer. In a war, this can make the difference between victory and annihilation."
Akeno closed her eyes for a moment and tilted her head back, allowing herself to enjoy the cool wind.
"So, you think someone is trying to restart the conflict?"
"Maybe. Or maybe it's already started, and we're just not seeing it yet."
She opened her eyes and looked down at where the members of the Occult Research Club were training. It was strange to think that this life and simple moments, like this conversation, could be replaced by a great war.
"If that's true... then we can't afford to relax." She looked at me.
"I have no intention of doing that," I said and, looking into her eyes, placed one of my hands over hers, which was resting on the roof.
Akeno's eyebrows arched, and her cheeks flushed.
[Akeno Himejima felt her heart flutter.]
[You've received +5 Relationship Points with Akeno Himejima.]
Akeno looked away, clearly embarrassed.
For the first time, I saw her without her characteristic seductive look. Instead, she looked... cute?
'I didn't even know she could act like that...'
Akeno stood up quickly, still avoiding looking directly at me. She coughed slightly, trying to cover it up.
"Now that you're here, I think I'll go down and say hello to Gasper and the others. Maybe I can help with the training somehow."
I watched as she spread her black wings and, with a graceful leap, slowly floated away. But before leaving completely, she looked back with a bigger smile than usual, still a little flushed.
"I'll leave the lookout to you, Milicas-kun. I trust you to keep everything under control."
As soon as she left, the slight smile on my face disappeared, and I looked up at the sky.
'So, she's already warned Baraqiel about the Fallen Angels... Does that worsen or improve our chances of not needing Vali to beat Kokabiel?'
*
*
*
Support me to write more and read chapters ahead of all regular readers!
P-atreon.com/palmer1998
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
In chapters R-18, there are original and exclusive images for the patreons!
Discord: https://discord.gg/2pn9Twxrng