บท 21: Chapter 21: Issei's Decision
Issei walks next to Hanzo, the two go to school together like always. Issei spoke, breaking the silence.
"Aniki, when did you learn about the supernatural world?"
Hanzo glanced at Issei, his deep eyes seemed to contain secrets that he couldn't tell.
"Since a few years ago. Everything came quite suddenly."
Issei nodded, looking at Hanzo with an expectant gaze and said.
"Aniki, no wonder you're so strong. Can you help me get stronger? Train me, for example."
Hanzo chuckled lightly, but this time he turned back to ask a question.
"Issei, what do you want to get stronger for? What is your dream?"
Issei clasped his hands behind his head, his face glowing with excitement.
"I want to protect Raynare-chan and I want to become the king of a harem! There are beautiful girls surrounding me."
Hanzo paused for a second before bursting into laughter. The laughter was light but enough to make Issei blush.
"That's ambitious," Hanzo replied, the smile still on his lips. "But if you want that, you need to become a lot stronger. The supernatural world is very complicated now. Danger is always lurking, and even though it looks peaceful, war is always smoldering. If you really want to become the harem king, you must first become stronger to protect the people you love. Then this world needs to be at peace. Only then can you be by the side of the people you love without fear of losing them."
Hanzo's words made Issei ponder. Although he didn't say it out loud, deep down, he knew Hanzo was right.
"Issei, if you want me to train you, then fine. I'll help you, but you'll have to work hard."
After that, the two of them continued walking, joining the stream of students entering the school gates. A normal school day passed, until it was time for recess. Kiba Yuuto, with his familiar friendly smile, appeared before them.
"Issei-kun, Hanzo-kun, Rias-buchou wants to meet you. Please come to the Occult Research Club."
Issei was surprised, while Hanzo only nodded slightly, his eyes seeming to have anticipated this.
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In the warm room of the Occult Research Club. Rias's group was there, except for Kiba Yuuto, everyone was sitting silently. Waiting for someone to appear.
And then the atmosphere became more tense when Hanzo, who had agreed to come to this meeting, appeared. All eyes turned to him when the door opened. Hanzo walked in with a cold look. Behind him was Issei who looked quite nervous.
Rias nodded to Hanzo and Issei politely but still maintained a serious expression. "Thank you for coming, Hanzo-kun, Issei-kun," she began, her voice soft. "Today, I would like to tell you about the world you have entered, and what I can offer you."
Issei glanced shyly at Rias and Akeno. This was the first time he had come into close contact with the two famous senpais in the school. Issei sat down, feeling a little nervous under everyone's gazes.
Rias began to tell Issei about the Three Faction. She told Issei about the history of devils. After Rias finished her speech. Issei just scratched his head shyly and said.
"Actually, Hanzo-Aniki told me about these things. Even about you guys being devils." Issei answered frankly. "About Sacred Gears, about Boosted Gears and everything I needed to know."
Rias was a little surprised that Hanzo had told Issei about everything, but she didn't show much surprise. "That's right, I'm a devil, and my group, the Occult Research Club, are also devils. But I didn't invite you here to scare you."
Hanzo didn't say anything, he just sat there and observed everything. He understood better than anyone the danger of this meeting. Rias was a beautiful and charming girl while Issei was a pervert. Hanzo wanted to use this to test whether Issei would resist temptation or not. That was why he didn't feel the need to intervene right now. The game had already begun, and it was time for Issei to decide his own path.
Rias nodded, then continued speaking.
"I'll get straight to the point. Issei-kun, the reason I invited you here today is because I want to invite you to join my peerage, to become a reincarnated devil."
The room fell silent, all eyes on Issei. Kiba, Akeno, Koneko, all were curious about his decision. Rias continued, her voice a little softer, as if to convince him.
"If you join me, I can help you control the power of Boosted Gear, give you power, wealth, and women. Those will be things you can't get in the human world. You will become one of the powerful devils, and all I ask is your loyalty. I ask for nothing more."
Issei clearly felt the appeal in Rias's offer. Power, wealth, and the ability to control his own power. These seemed like a great choice for an ordinary young man like him. But, a vague sense of unease lingered in Issei's heart.
He recalled Hanzo's warnings. Even though Rias promised power and protection, Issei couldn't help but feel like he had been played.
Akeno, who was sitting next to Rias, turned to Hanzo with a charming smile. "Ara Ara, Hanzo. You've been silent for too long. It's as if you don't want to participate in this discussion."
Hanzo smiled slightly. "It's not that I don't want to, but I don't think it's necessary for me to participate. I think this is an important decision for him." He put down his glass of water on the table, then turned to look at Issei. "This isn't an easy thing to do. But the final decision is yours."
Koneko, who was sitting silently next to Hanzo, felt quite comfortable sitting next to him. She observed Hanzo frankly, her eyes never leaving him. "Evil Senpai. Do you agree to let Issei-senpai join us?" Koneko whispered into Hanzo's ear loud enough for him to hear.
Hanzo looked at Koneko, smiling mischievously. "Why do you keep calling me Evil Senpai. Didn't I apologize to you already? Koneko-chan. As for what Issei decides, I don't really care."
Koneko just nodded, clearly not trusting Hanzo's words. Even though she felt he was a trustworthy friend, she couldn't ignore Hanzo's dark side.
Turning back to Issei, he took a deep breath, raised his head, and looked into Rias' eyes with a determined gaze. "I… thank you for your offer, Rias-senpai. But before I think about your offer. I want to ask a few questions."
"Alright, go ahead."
Issei took a deep breath, then said. "Rias-senpai, you are the ruler of Kuoh town, right? Why did you let your territory be occupied by fallen angels? And why didn't you appear to protect me? I am also a citizen of this town."
Issei's question made the room fall into silence. Hanzo glanced at Rias, not saying anything but his eyes shining with interest. Rias sighed and spoke.
"Issei-kun." she began, her voice low but clear, "Kuoh Town is under the Gremory family's rule, but that doesn't mean I can control everything that happens in every corner of it. The supernatural world always has a delicate balance between factions. If I were to directly intervene without a good reason, it could cause a war between the devils and fallen angels."
Issei looked at Rias, still not completely satisfied:
"But I was attacked by a fallen angel and almost died. Do you know how that felt? Rias-senpai… I have something to ask you directly. Did… you intentionally ignore me when I was in danger? Did you know the fallen angel would attack me, but didn't protect me because you wanted me to die? And then, you will appear as a 'savior', reincarnating me as a reincarnated devil? Was that your plan from the start?"
Issei's question echoed in the room, heavy as a stone pressing down on the quiet space. Akeno and Kiba frowned slightly but said nothing.
Rias, initially stunned by Issei's question, quickly regained her composure. She looked straight at Issei, her blue eyes shining under the candlelight.
"Do you think that I, the heir of the Gremory family, would treat a human's life as nothing more than a pawn to be used?"
Issei did not answer, but his gaze was enough to show that he was waiting for a satisfactory explanation.
"You're not wrong to doubt. I understand why you think that. Issei-kun, you think I don't want to protect you? It's just… I didn't expect things to turn out differently. Raynare didn't kill you. She approached you, but instead of carrying out the mission, she fell in love with you. . It took me by surprise because things went against my original calculations." Rias tried to explain.
Issei still didn't fully believe it. He clenched his fists, his voice trembling:
"Then why didn't you appear earlier? My lover almost died protecting me. If Hanzo-Aniki hadn't come earlier, you might have accomplished your goal… I think I have my answer… I won't join your peerage."
Rias still wanted to salvage the situation with promises but it didn't work. The room fell silent once more. Hanzo finally spoke. "You made the right decision, Issei. I support your decision. If you need help, don't hesitate to tell me."
Rias looked at Hanzo for a long while, then turned back to Issei, sighing sadly at the loss of the chance to invite a Longinus user into her peerage. "Issei-kun. You've already made up your mind. But I won't give up on you that easily. But remember, you can always change your mind."
Issei didn't answer Rias, he just asked for permission to leave first, leaving Hanzo and the others behind.
"Hanzo-kun, you must have said something to Issei before coming here, right?" Rias asked Hanzo doubtfully.
However, Hanzo just shrugged and made a 'who knows' face.
"By the way, Rias-senpai, have you prepared the training grounds? I'll be training you guys from tomorrow on." Hanzo changed the subject.
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