章 82: Preparations and Reunions!
'Last night was just so…weird.'
After the whole fiasco at the party, Michael was bombarded with questions from his friends and the authorities at the party. His disappearance was quite a shock to everyone, but what shocked everyone the most was the sudden attack done by the [Khaos Brigade]'s independent force, Team Vali. Michael wasn't surprised that Vali would have strong people on his side like that Sun Wukong descendant, Bikou, but he was surprised that Koneko's sister, Kuroka was a member as well. Let's not forget that later, he heard that Vali even had the descendant of King freaking Arthur on his team, too.
Dragons naturally attract various powers, he thought. The same did apply to him, in some ways, but he didn't mind it just as long as he doesn't attract anything too harmful that could hurt his friends. Just the thought of Vali gathering such a team made Michael anxious to gather an elite peerage of his own once he became an Ultimate Class Devil, he wasn't about to let the Lucifer descendant get ahead of him in not just strength but also the collection of incredible comrades.
The same could be said about Seekvaira and her peerage of powerful devils, her deployment of them to handle the chimeras that would have ruined the party had earned her a higher assessment value from the higher ups. Michael was amazed because after all, if she could have someone as powerful as Shirou and Aaron, the descendant of Lancelot, under her command then that meant that she was not someone to take lightly.
After gathering with everyone, Rias was relieved to see that both Michael and Koneko were alright, the news of Kuroka trying to reclaim Koneko maddened her as she felt angry with herself for not being able to be there to help her adorable [Rook] in her time of need. Thankfully, Koneko was able to dash her worries by confirming that her place was among her friends in the Occult Research Club, and that was Rias needed to hear in order to finally be happy that the girl's fears had been resolved.
The only thing that Rias found distasteful about the whole thing was that Natsuru was the one, who dealt with Kuroka and contributed more with the prevention of Koneko's kidnapping. It may have been a hard pill to swallow, but she managed to dredge out a "Thank You" to her fellow third year, who starkly decline the Gremory's gratitude by saying it meant nothing to and that she simply did it on a whim. Although this sparked even more hatred between the women, Michael was able to see that Natsuru did vividly care for Koneko.
As soon as everyone returned to rest from the party, she was healed up physically by Asia but remained exhausted, she could have used her senjutsu to regain her stamina, but instead she decided to use her weary body to teach Koneko some healing techniques with the power. Natsuru lightly teased her about someday teaching her about something called, Bouchujutsu, which she could use on Michael. The teen was barely able to hear everything, but he did notice Koneko's faint blushing which had him wondering about what it was all about.
'Asriel-san…' Michael thought about his strange and informative dance with that lady devil, 'Word has it, that she's been missing ever since the party ended. I hope she's okay…' He couldn't lie and say that he was mostly thinking about her because of her safety. She had answers that he wanted about his birthplace, his origin, he still had so many questions to ask her. Azazel wasn't going to speak up about his past anytime soon and Asriel was virtually a new wellspring of knowledge for him to go to, and now…she's just gone…
'I hope that she's okay…' Michael heavily sighed.
Poking his arm, a worried Asia asked, "Michael-san, are you okay?"
"Huh?" Snapping out of his funk, Michael grinned, "Oh, yeah, sorry for zoning out there, Asia, I'm fine, thanks!"
"Michael and Asia." Called Buchou, who stood beside Azazel, who just finished setting up a hologram projection depicting everyone in the peerage's stats and pictures, "We're about to start so please pay attention, understood?" Her demeanor was serious today, she meant business and that's because of the Rating Game between her and Sona starting in just a few more days.
They were all currently residing in the Gremory Residence's conference room. Yes, they even had a conference room with college like desks, the place literally accommodated for anything that you could possibly imagine.
"Hai, Buchou!" Both the [Pawn] and [Bishop] nodded.
"Okay, lets begin." Azazel clapped his hands as he looked over the group with a smile, "Good morning, everyone! Thanks for waiting for me and I hope you had a good night's rest."
"Morning? But it's 3 PM." Kiba said.
"Yeah, Ero-Ossan, we waited here for hours!" Michael called out the Fallen Angel's tardiness.
"Oh, really? Well, excuse me for not being specific. When I say "morning" I meant my interpretation of the morning which is after noon. You teenagers may find it weird, but as an adult, I actually have a life and interests beyond babysitting you all day."
"You mean like collecting books from the Twilight series?" Michael brought up.
"I told you, I was simply just holding it for a friend."
"Yeah right…"
Azazel shook his head, "Anyways, let's get to business," He looked up the row of desks to face Michael, "Michael, how's the state of your Balance Breaker?"
"Much better than a month ago. Now I can hold it for 15 days straight without worrying about the dragon energy recoiling on my body, Gramps, made sure of that by putting me through the wringer." Michael chuckled.
"And what about the conditions that you used to face? Such as the Countdown?" Azazel asked.
"Hehe, I managed to work on that since…stay with me…here it comes…I'm about to drop something aweso-ouch!" Koneko jabbed the teen's side.
"Just get on with it…"
"Sheesh, fine then…" Michael rubbed his side, "I don't have to use a countdown to enter my Balance Breaker anymore. Ddraig told me that the countdown was the equivalence of riding a bike with training wheels since I wasn't capable or strong enough to meet the criteria of entering the state fully by will back then."
"Meaning you won't have to stall for time in the middle of a fight like you used to, but I don't see that being a problem since you're capable of fighting well without the Balance Breaker." Rias said.
"Yup! Just call me, Gutsy Hanamura, the Jack of All Trades!" Michael pridefully laughed.
"…No one's going to call you that…" Koneko groaned.
"So, I assume that your [Transfer] ability won't hinder your stamina in the form like it used to?" Azazel asked.
"Nope, and I even found out a way to transfer power without having to be close to touch someone, too." Michael grinned, "So be prepared for one of my new stellar techniques!"
"That's great, Michael-kun, what is it?" Kiba asked.
"Bleh! Like I would tell you, fool! You won't tell me your secret, so I won't tell you mine?" Michael stuck his tongue out.
'Still bitter about that I see…' Kiba bitterly smiled.
"Good, it looks like you were able to rough out your weaknesses quite well this past month." Azazel gave Michael a thumbs up, "Good job!"
"Heh, thanks…" A lingering thought about how he failed to gain Welsh Drive entered his mind just before he purged the thought away.
"Next is you, Kiba," Azazel turned to face the [Knight], "How were the results of your training?"
"Thanks to my instructor's "unorthodox" training regimen, I was able to stay in my Balance Breaker for Sword Birth for a total of 17 days." Kiba explained.
A knowing smile crept itself upon Azazel's face, "I can tell that your Balance Breaker wasn't the only thing that grew stronger this past month." Kiba's arms were quite muscular when compared to before, and Michael could attest to their strength from that mock battle that he and Kiba did upon their return to the Residence.
"Oh, this? Well, you can say that this was just a natural result of my training. It may have been my intention to train my arm strength just as much as my leg strength, but it was nigh impossible to really due that since I had to mainly focus on survival. By the time that everything was finished, I finally noticed this." Kiba nonchalantly laughed while pointing to his arms, "I was so busy trying not to keep alive that I barely recognized the result occurring. I guess everything worked out in the end. Hahahahaha!"
"…"
Everyone felt rather disturbed by that statement.
'What the hell happened to him? Was he always this cheerful about such morbid things? Hold on...yeah…I remember him joking about almost cutting my head a couple of days ago! Scary! Just what kind of sick and twisted survival training did your instructor put you through?' Michael looked genuinely terrified as he looked over to Kiba with his eyes widened.
"Anyways…" Azazel trailed off, he knew that Zethyr's training would have adverse effects on the innocent Knight, "I heard from a little birdie that you have a secret weapon in store for the Rating Game."
Michael turned away whistling.
"So care to tell us?" Azazel further pushed.
"Well, it was supposed to be a secret, but like I said it needs to be a secret for "this" Rating Game considering, who we're up against." Kiba sweatdropped, "Plus, sensei, you were the last person that I wanted to know about this "secret" since you would be too ecstatic about it like how you were too excited about my Holy Demonic Swords."
"I'm not apologizing." Even Azazel had to admit that he was a bit too pushy when it came to Sacred Gears, but that had him thinking, "Wait, so this must mean that your secret is related to-!"
"Shush!" Kiba shushed the man, "It's a secret."
"Hehe, I think I get it now."
"Get WHAT!?" Michael slammed his hands on the table, "I want to know! Don't leave me in the dark, Ero-Ossan, please! Tell me!"
"Sorry, brat, but. That's. A. Secret~!"
"Don't give me that bullshit! I want to be in on this secret, too! Tell me! I-I-I'll actually respect you as an adult for a day if you do!"
"You're supposed to do that everyday…" Azazel shook his head.
"W-Wait, I'll even throw in 500 yen…no, scratch that, 300 yen." Michael pulled out his pocket change.
"This is just getting sad. Lets move on." Azazel turned to the Hologram projector with his pointer.
"No! Stop, this isn't over! Buchou, please, please, make Pretty Boy tell us his secret. Please…!" Michael begged.
"Yuuto?" Rias looked up to the young man, seriously.
"Yes, Buchou?"
"Will this secret of yours play a critical role in the Rating Game?"
"Yes."
"Could it stagger our chances of victor should our enemy know of it?"
"Quite definitely."
"Then I trust your decision."
"Thank you, Buchou."
"Seriously!?" Michael gasped before tiredly slumping against his desk, "Forget it…I don't care anymore." Soothing his sour mood was Koneko, who took it upon herself to pat the head of her bitter, pouting senior.
"Rias, does Sona already know about your peerage's data to some degree?"
At sensei's question, Buchou nodded.
"I would be surprised if she didn't. Sona isn't one to skimp out on the details of her future opponents, we've been friends and rivals for years. She obviously knows about Akeno and I's abilities. She roughly knows about Kiba, Xenovia, and Asia's weaponry. There's also the fact, that she was there to observe our Rating Game against Riser Phoenix. Furthermore, Gasper's sacred gear had come to light during the conference and she already received information on Koneko's background from Son Kai, Koneko's former caretaker."
Rias frowned, "But if I were her, she would most likely have a ton if not enough knowledge on Michael's abilities and weaponry with the Boosted Gear."
"Seriously?" Michael gulped.
"That would only be natural since she watched you fight Riser in the Rating Game, and your bout with Vali, so she's actually up to date on you." Rias explained, "Not to mention, this isn't the first time that she's analyzed you. Remember the dodgeball game?"
'Right…back then, she provoked me, but wait…was that "her" plan or was it someone else's?' Michael felt conflicted for forgetting such a detail that happened months ago.
"If she knows about all of you roughly, then how much do you know about her peerage?" Azazel asked.
Rias placed on her glasses as she commandeered the projector to summon the Sitri Group's profiles, "I already know Sona's abilities, and that her [Queen], Tsubaki has a Sacred Gear along with two others, but I can't necessarily say that I know the rest of their powers." Rias brought up their profiles which amounted up to 8 in total.
"The two who have Sacred Gears, do you know who they are?"
Azazel asked, but Rias shook her head. Sona was always discreet about how she shared her information with others.
"So, you're at a disadvantage when it comes to their overall information. In battle, you don't necessarily know everything about your opponent to get an assured victory. Sacred Gears are an example, you may know their basis, but they can unpredictably change during the heat of battle." Azazel then spread out the projection's image to include both Rias and Sona's teams into divided groups, "I can at least say that you two are the same when it comes to your numbers. Eight on Eight."
Rias nodded, "Yes, one [King], one [Queen], one [Rook], one [Knight], two [Bishops], and two pawns."
"Now for those of you, who are still fairly new to how the Rating Games classify players and roles, we have a total of 4 categories: Power, Technique, Wizard, Support." The projector showed both Rias' and Akeno's profiles under the [Wizard] category, "Those that excel in magic are Wizard-types, Rias and Akeno fall in this category with Asia partly being in this type."
Next was the [Technique] category with Kiba, Michael and Xenovia's profile shown in that exact order, "Those that excel in skill are Technique-types. Kiba and Michael are officially a part of this category. Due to her training, Xenovia could count as this, but she's still behind these two in technique. Gasper partly counts as a technique type, but he's still a special case…"
"Oi, Ero-Ossan, why am I behind Kiba?" Michael asked.
"That's because this is based on overall skill. Kiba clearly has you beat in this category since he fought with speed and techniques while having more combat experience than you." Azazel explained.
"Well…I guess that makes sense…" Michael groaned in dissatisfaction.
"I wouldn't worry if I were you, brat. Your techniques may be lacking compared to him, but you still come out on top in the [Power] category." Azazel moves on to said category and shows the profiles on them in order: Michael, Xenovia, Kiba and Koneko.
"Yeehaw!" Michael cheered, he was officially the strongest in raw power out of the whole group.
"That sure cheered him up." Azazel shook his head as he continued on with his lecture, "Lastly, we have the [Support] category consisting of both Asia and Gasper, the two bishops. Michael partly counts as this type as well due to his [Gift] ability to transfer his boosted power. So, putting everything together, these would be where you all lie in the categories."
Azazel projected each of their profiles with all of their Categories combined.
[King]- Rias Gremory: Wizard Type
[Queen]- Akeno Himejima: Wizard Type
[Knight]- Yuuto Kiba: Technique Type/Power Type
[Knight]- Xenovia Quarta: Power Type/Technique Type
[Rook]- Koneko Toujo: Power Type
[Bishop]- Gasper Vladi: Support Type/Technique Type
[Bishop]- Asia Argento: Support Type/Wizard Type
[Pawn]- Michael Hanamura: Power Type/Technique Type/Support Type
"In all, you have a very balanced group, but…" Azazel flicked off everyone's profile except for Michael, Xenovia and Koneko.
'Uh-oh…' Michael did not like where this was going.
"These three, you are the most likely to easy targets because you are mainly Power-types before your other categories. I trust that Kiba will at least be cautious since he mainly started as a Technique-type before becoming a Power-type thanks to his month of training. First, let's start with Michael."
"Yeah?"
"Michael, you've certainly become stronger this past month, but you still have a crippling weakness in this upcoming game, and that's your susceptibility to be too swayed by emotion. You know what I'm talking about. We all know that you can be mischievous with the way that you fight, but you're still someone who wears their emotions on their sleeve. This has been your greatest strength, but it will eventually be your greatest weakness should your opponents take advantage of your emotions."
Azazel only said the truth, there would be cases to where Michael could stray from the plan and get too emotional that he will get too reckless with his power and destroy everything without precision. Being the Red Dragon Emperor already had him painted as a target by Sona. Wearing his heart on his sleeve will make him an "easy" target.
"Remember, your opponent will most likely have a way to counter your attacks in a single blow. Stay vigilant and remember that the Heavy-hitters are always the first ones to drop out because of technicalities such as these. The same could be said to the both of you, understand?"
The three of them nodded upon listening to Azazel's warning.
'Ero-Ossan does have a point, last time during the dodgeball game, I fell right into Sona-senpai's hands by getting to angry and because of that my own power damaged Rias. I have to keep my emotions in check and try not to get carried away like usual.' Michael clenched his fist, 'I just hope that Xenovia will be okay, at least. She tends to rely too much on power and may get some crazy notion to use it to overpower the countering of her enemies.'
"Michael, just now, you were probably thinking about how much of a Power-idiot I am, weren't you?" Xenovia asked.
Michael sucked his lips before looking away whistling, "Well, I mean, I didn't put it that way in my head, but y-yeah…"
"Hmhmhm! The old me would have questioned why it would have been bad to use power like that. But no longer am I the naïve Power Idiot that you've come to know. For you see, I have been working on techniques this past month, so now I can fully demonstrate the pinnacle of my power with the added power of skill! No longer will I be the typical Power Idiot!"
Xenovia bravely said that, which honestly surprised Michael into actually believing that she underwent must have been finally changed her troublesome attitude in battle. He was so moved that he was moved to tears by the declaration.
Michael gave her a hug filled with gratitude and pride, no words were needed to convey this feeling…
Even Kiba was crying his heart out as he uproariously clapped his hands in the back desk.
Amidst all of this, Xenovia looked confused and felt conflicted about the two overexaggerating boys.
"Anyways…" Azazel trailed off, "Michael, be honest with me. Do you think that you can win against Kiba?"
"Depends, we talking about with Scale Mail or just me as it is…which, oh, yeah still the best!" Michael inwardly patted himself on the back for nailing the line.
"Balance Breaker is fine."
"Well, the thing is, my base form alone might be a long shot if the two of us were fighting seriously. I know some martial arts moves, but compared to Kiba's swordsmanship, I don't think that hold up very well. Not to mention he has a Holy-Demonic sword that can literally cook my bacon should I get hit with the holy element. My Balance Breaker actually gives me a bit of an advantage, but from there the battle would be really be up in the air if you think about it."
Michael shrugged, the fight could either result in his victory should he find a way to get to Kiba's legs and make him immobile, but the same could be said to Kiba, who can run circles around him and exhaust him from further continuing the fight.
Azazel smiled at that, "Good. It looks like that you two sparring together before the training in the Underworld really did develop your mentality when thinking of the possible outcomes in battle. Here's a word of advice, don't overthink things or else you'll worry about the worst possible outcome just stay calm and be ready for anything, alright?" Azazel gave a thumbs up and received a nod from both the [Pawn] and [Knight].
Closing his portfolio, Azazel said his final conclusion, "Welp, that's all that you have to hear from me. I'm not going to give you any percentages or your chances of winning because that will all depend on how things play out, out there. I believe that you all will win, but that belief is shaky since the other team is just as likely to win as you. Value every piece…don't get cocky…blah…blah…blaaaaaah…" Azazel made his way to the door, "Just do you best and try not to fuck up."
"You're not going to stay and discuss our possible tactics?" Rias asked.
"I already talked to you about it and I made sure to leave a folder on the desk just in case. Right now, you can discuss those tactics while explaining to everyone about the abilities of Tsubaki Shinra, who you have yet to bring up." Azazel said.
"Right…"
"Don't worry, your month learning under your instructor is more than enough to make me trust in your judgement to handle your team as you see fit. Well, not like I was in the position to do so anyways, but that's beside the point." Azazel shrugged, but paused as he heard footsteps from behind the door along with sensing three familiar presences.
"But before you start that, we actually have a few guests that came to see you all off. Especially you, brat…" Azazel smiled.
"Really?"
Azazel nodded at Michael's query as he did sense someone familiar, its just that the presence they had felt really different.
*Gacha!*
"How have you been, boy?"
"Hmph!"
Michael's eyes widened as he jumped out of his seat to meet the new arrivals.
"Kalawarner and…you…" Michael gasped, as he happily looked to Kalawarner before he exaggeratedly glared at Mittelt, who did the same. The two were still thorny around each other, but there was an air about them that made it seem like this was a familial occurrence.
The two Fallen Angel females revealed themselves to everyone as they now wore the black uniforms given to them by the Grigori to indicate themselves as elite members of the organization. Everyone in the room was just as happy as Michael to once again reunite with their fellow comrades.
"Wow, I almost didn't recognize you two!" Michael grinned, "You must have worked pretty hard this past month, too!"
"Of course not, how could I possibly expect an uncouth dog like you to grasp any concept?" Mittelt insulted as she showed off her new second set of black wings, and she wasn't the only one as Kalawarner revealed that she, Raynare and Mittelt were able to achieve more wings because of their growth in power.
"Oi! You can at least be a bit, oh, I don't know, nicer! I mean, it has been a month, and I'm still technically your senior!" Michael growled.
"Hah, did I ever acknowledge you as my senior? Besides, a month still hasn't roughed out that dumb look on your face." Mittelt intently looked at Michael's face before noticing this herself. Blushing a bit, she quickly shook it off and turned back to him with a sly smiled, "But…If you do want me to be a bit nicer to you, you must get on your knees and beg like a dog."
"Hehe, yeah, I'll get right on that when pigs fly…"
"Actually…" Azazel brings out his phone to show Michael a picture of a real pig flying with angel wings, "We've been working on some genetic mutations last year."
"…" Michael angrily stared at Azazel before groaning, "Well, it will be a cold day in hell before I beg you for anything."
"Actually…its been reported that the devils have decided to cool down the Underworld with some magic since it's still summer and the weather has been hot as hell." Azazel punned but that earned another annoyed look from Michael, who was running out of idioms to say.
"Oh, yeah? Well…well…how about I promise to beg you on the first of never!" It wasn't the best, but it was the only idiom that he could think of.
"Actually, there isn't a month called Never. Here…" Azazel pulls out a calendar and gives it to Michael, "So choose the month that you'll promise to beg her on."
"…"
Left silent, Michael glared at the calendar before noticing the smug smile on Mittelt's face.
"Well?"
Dropping the calendar on the desk, Michael looked completely defeated as he sighed and prepared to get on one knee, but before his knee touched the ground, he was yanked back up on his feet by Koneko.
"Koneko-chan?" Michael hopefully looked to his junior.
"…Only I'm allowed to pick on, Baka-senpai." Koneko glowered at Mittelt.
'And here I thought she was actually defending my honor, but the enemy of my enemy is my friend! Go, Koneko-chan!' Michael mentally cheered the Nekomata on.
"H-Hey, what do you want?" Mittelt asked in confusion.
"Squawking Crow." Koneko insulted with half-lidded eyes.
"…What did you just call me?"
"…Squawking Crow."
"What's your deal? I wasn't even talking to you in the first place so mind your business!"
It looked like the two first years were about to throw down.
"…" Koneko took a closer look at Mittelt before narrowing her eyes, "I won't allow it…"
"What are you talking about?" Mittelt caught on to the girl's meaning once Koneko defensively stood in front of Michael, "That? Are you serious? Give me a break, why on earth would I ever stoop that low? Raynare-oneesama is all I need."
Thanks to her senjutsu, Koneko was naturally able to whether someone was lying to her or not based on the wavelengths of their chi. This was one of those moments, but she did feel that Mittelt was stating the truth, but with come confliction. A half-truth, and that's what has Koneko on edge.
"You say a truth which is also a lie. Uncertainty, and that's enough for me to know that your bad news. That's why I won't lose to your half-hearted attempts, especially since you're in the same year as me." Koneko threateningly entered her Nekomata state.
"I have no clue what you're talking about, but if you want a fight then bring it, you stupid cat!"
"Vulgar Crow…"
"Stupid Cat!"
"Vulgar Crow…!"
"Stupid Cat!"
Backing away from the two lolis amidst their heated argument, Michael walked over to Kalawarner and asked, "Excuse me, Kalawarner, but I've been wondering. Where's Ray-chan, she was supposed to be here last night, but I haven't seen her anywhere."
Wearing a complex expression, Kalawarner bitterly smiled, "About that, she found that it was still too early to return yesterday since she hasn't fully "prepared" herself. She says that if she rushed things, then she would most certainly die."
"Really? Is she okay!?" Michael asked worriedly.
"No, no, she's fine, it's just that..."
*KNOCK!* *KNOCK!*
Two unusually loud knocks from the door grasped everyone's attention as another new arrival appeared, "Why hello, everyone. Its good to see you all again." Appearing in the same Grigori uniform as the others, but with a red dragon crest on the shoulder, was none other than Raynare herself. It took Michael a while to recognize her both physically and power signature wise. Her once long hair was now cut short and lengthened down for it to barely reach her neck. There's also the fact that her aura was a bit terrifying while somewhat resembling Raymond's.
This obviously took him back, but he managed to push it to the side and greet the girl.
"Hey, Ray-ch-!"
"Raynare-san, you're back!"
"Its been a long a time, Raynare."
"I hope you're month wasn't as hectic as ours.
"W-Welcome back, Raynare-senpai."
"It's nice to have you back, Raynare-san."
"It's really nice to have you here with us again, Raynare."
Everyone got up from their seats to greet their friend.
"Thank you, everyone! I'm just so glad to be back!" Raynare giggled.
"Hey, Ray-chan!" Michael rushed over and greeted his friend, himself. However, the first time that he called her, she strangely didn't look his way.
"Hey, Ray-chaaaaan!" Michael called a little louder.
"Hm? Oh, Michael-sama, I didn't see you there. Hello." Raynare's smile looked a little force. The way that she talked was weird too, she almost sounded a bit stiff around him.
"H-Hi? Hey, Ray-chan are you okay?" Michael asked.
"Why yes I am, Michael-sama, but I can definitely tell that you've gotten stronger. I'm so proud of you."
"Yeah, thanks…?" Michael was off put by this strange behavior, she was usually much more open with him than this. What happened to her this past month?
"But your certainly no pushover yourself, Ray-chan, I can tell that you've really put in some work! High-Five!"
*GLEAM!*
"…HNGH!"
"What the-!"
Michael stopped, just then his spine trembled after feeling an intense gaze at that moment.
*SNORT!*
"Hm?" Raynare's overly sweet smile returned after she wiped her nose.
"N-Nothing…nothing…" Michael lowered his hand, 'It must have been my imagination.' At that split second, he thought that he saw a pair of bloodshot eyes intensely gaze at him.
"Well, it was nice catching up with you all, but I have to go. Say Rias-san, do I still have a guestroom here?" Raynare asked.
"Why yes, your luggage is still there so we saw no fit in touching your room save for keeping it well-cleaned." Rias said.
"Lovely, well, I'll see you all after I get some rest. My training was just exhausting, phew~!" Raynare swiped the invisible sweat off her forehead as she turned around to leave the room, "Kalawarner, Mittelt, I'll see you later."
"R-Right…" Kalawarner gulped, she was quite worried for her friend, but it would seem that this she was somewhat fine despite her weird behavior. All she needed to do was steadily acclimate herself back to normal before anything drastic occurred.
'Well, if she's exhausted then that might be the reason why she's so strange now.' Michael thought.
"I hope you feel great, Ray-chan! Rest as much as you want, but make sure to save up enough energy to cheer us on during the Rating Game, ya hear?" Michael exclaimed.
"Right, right. I wouldn't miss it for the world." Raynare quickly hurried as she wiped her nose once more.
"Right on…right on…" Michael was just about to turn around as Rias prepared to continue their preparations for the game until he came up with an idea on how to cheer up the tired Raynare.
"Oh, and Ray-chan?" Michael called out.
"Yeah?"
"I like what you did with your hair. It's really a cute look on ya! Hehehe!" Michael grinned.
"…" Raynare paused, she was only just one foot out of the door, but she couldn't muster the strength to continue on any further. It wasn't because she was tired, no, she had gotten over her fatigue a day ago. What truly stopped her was her…desires.
"I-I don't need it…I don't need it. I don't need it. Idon'tneeditIdon'tneeditIdon'tneeditIdon'tneedit…"
Hands trembling, Raynare's breath grew shaky.
"Raynare?" Kalawarner noticed this and worriedly called out to the girl.
-"I like what you did with your hair. It's really a cute look on ya!"-
The words that Michael said replayed in her head, over and over again. Hearing those words come from his mouth was just the last straw to finally push her past her tipping point.
'I NEEEED IT!'
It had all happened so fast, one moment, Raynare was just one foot out of the door, and the next, she was clinging onto the clueless teen like a maniac screaming, "MICHAEL-SAMA! MICHAEL-SAMA! MICHAEL-SAMA!"
"What the he-!? Ray-cha-aaaugh! Chill! Chill!" Michael gasped, before he started to scream in pain, her sudden hug was quite powerful that it threatened to snap his spine in two.
"MICHAEL-SAMA *SNIFF!* MICHAEL-SAMA *SNORT!* *SNIFF!*" Raynare slammed her face into Michael's chest and started taking deep whiffs of his scent.
To say that last month was "torture" was an understatement at best for her.
Not only did she have to put up with being taught by Raymond, she had to practically be away from her precious Michael for thirty days. It was pure hell. Each night, she had to cry herself to sleep clutching the necklace he gave to her in hopes that she would reunite with him in her dreams, sadly, that too wasn't enough for her. Such loneliness left her nearly dead as the days passed on until she finally decided to suppress her desires for the man that she loved in order to get through the month in order to get stronger.
Not just for herself, but for him so she can be someone that he could depend on.
However, thanks to this thinking and everything that led to it, she finally realized one crucial fact: She'll never not want to be separated from Michael ever again.
The signs were so clear to Mittelt and Kalawarner during her training, but they finally realized how serious this was for their friend upon making their way back to the Gremory Residence. Upon reaching the front door, Raynare nearly collapsed. Just feeling the faint presence of Michael made her light-headed, which was absolutely ridiculous, but still.
Not to mention that the time they spent heading towards the library, she was met with a few "accidents". Kalawarner pulls out a red handkerchief that she gave to Raynare earlier, as an example of it. The red rag was originally pure white.
"…! Raynare, stop!" Kalawarner shouted upon realizing something.
"MICHAEL-SAMA! MICHAEL-SAMA! MICHAEL-SA-SA-SA-!"
"Sa-?" Michael repeated.
*SPRAY!*
"Bugeh~!" Nose bleeding a torrent of blood, Raynare fell back with an honest to god smile on her face.
"Ray-chan!" Michael and everyone else rushed over to her side.
"What happened? Are you okay?" Michael cried as he picked the girl up, who was still losing a lot of blood.
"M-Michael-sa-bugeh~!" More blood sprayed out of her nose upon getting wrapped up in Michael's arms, some of her blood had even ended up on Michael's clothes.
"What's going on? Why is she suddenly bleeding!?" Michael panicked.
"Let go of her!" Kalawarner rushed over and ripped the pale girl from his arms.
"Eh?"
"She needs to recuperate stat! She just wasn't ready yet…dammit!" Kalawarner cursed, too much exposure was what did Raynare in. The signs were so simple, the light-headedness, the constant nosebleeds and this? She just wasn't ready to reach this stage yet.
"Quick, Azazel-sama, we need blood bags and tons of baby pictures stat!"
"I only have a couple of the brat's pictures in my wallet, will that do?"
Azazel pulled out his wallet and showed Kalawarner a few of Michael's pictures from his childhood.
"That'll have to do, but don't worry, I also managed to make a few copies of the ones in his photo album."
"Excuse me!?" Michael gasped.
"I found it hidden behind some bookshelf back at your place." Kalawarner revealed.
"Curses…the last place you would expect Michael to hide them…" Rias cursed, she too was in search of those baby photos.
"…Since knowledge and baka-senpai are two things that definitely don't go together." Koneko chimed in.
"Hear, hear." Mittelt nodded in agreement, "It would obviously be a shocker that an idiot like him would even touch a book."
"…Only I'm allowed to insult, baka-senpai like that."
"Oh, yeah?"
"Yeah…"
Koneko and Mittelt continued to angrily butt heads. It was like watching an adorable cat protect its territory against a cute raven.
Trying his best to stay out of that, Michael could not believe what he was hearing, so that's what happened to those photos, he should have known better than to put it there. Actually, he wondered why he even placed it behind the bookshelf at all.
*Driip~!* *Driiiip~!*
"Ka-Kala…h-he called me cute…ehehe…he called m-me…" Raynare deliriously laughed as trembled in the woman's arms.
"It's okay, I heard too. I'm happy for you, but you have to rest. Here, look at this…" Kalawarner handed her a baby photo.
"Teeny-Tiny Michael-sama…tiny baby M-Michael-sama…" Raynare cooed as her incessant nosebleed began to cease.
"I'm sorry for interrupting you're meeting, everyone. We'll just see ourselves out." Kalawarner rushed out of the room.
. . . .
There were no words to convey the strange vibe that was left in the room.
Sadly, that vibe was broken upon Rias clapping her hands and saying, "Alright, everyone, lets save the rest of the strategy for tomorrow. We still have two more days before the game so let's take a break today."
"Huh, already?" Kiba blinked in surprise.
"It'll be fine and besides, I'm also worried about Raynare's condition, so I want to…stop by and take a peek at those pho-I mean at her condition. Yes, her condition!" Rias coughed.
"…" Michael tiredly stared at Rias, and she wasn't the only one who was obviously acting suspicious as he saw a few of the other girls walk out of the room with her.
"It would absolutely be heartbreaking if she were to fall into a sickly state, so I too wish to come as well and mend her critical condition." Akeno volunteered.
"I-I also wish to go. I can't just leave Raynare-san like this, so I'll do my best to heal her to the best of my ability." Asia actually sounded quite sincere.
"Squawking Crow…"
"Stupid Cat!"
Koneko and Mittelt still insulted each other, still occupied by their growing argument.
The only one who was the last to leave was Xenovia, who looked genuinely confused, "We're just going to help, Raynare? I thought that all of us wanted to go see more of Michael's baby phot-mmmph!"
"If you'll excuse us…"
Rias covered her mouth and backed out of the room.
Taking a deep breath, Michael screamed, "What the hell just happened!"
クリエイターの想い 
Retribrutus
Retribrutus ...So, for my bad news...I won't be posting the Gremory vs. Sitri Rating Game match until its all completed. Sorry, so I'll have to see you all later...
Until we meet again, I'm Out so Peace Out and have a lovely day!
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