บท 171: Chapter 171
[I only channeled a very small amount of mana into Shuri-sama. But I never thought he would sense it.]
Then again, he was right there when she did what she did. If she managed to place Shuri under an illusion in his presence, then she would've been slightly disappointed.
Smiling lightly, she also closed her eyes as she nuzzled closer to him.
"Thank you for trusting me, my lord. I promise I won't disappoint you."
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|DxD|
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15/08/1999- August 16, 1999 (Monday)
After a long and peaceful night, Kuoh was once again sunk into the blissful warmth of the rising sun. Its rays spread over the town, the light peeking into the bedrooms of each home's sleeping inhabitants.
The groans of children and the curses of husbands everywhere were heard as each of them had to get up for either work or school. The only thing that prevented anarchy in the developing town was the tantalizing smell from the homely cooking of wives and mothers who had woken up even earlier than the lazy males of their homes.
Surprisingly, the one who had woken up even earlier than these mothers was Igor. Before the sun had even peeked over the horizon, the blonde had begun his early morning routine that started at exactly four in the morning.
Silently meditating under the tree in the yard, his body hovered above the ground, his eyes closed in focus. Dressed in nothing but a pair of pants and his sandals, the morning cold meant nothing to him. Absolute in his focus, he remained unperturbed even as the calls of various birds resounded throughout the forest around him.
Ever since he had merged with Triny, he had become aware of his sudden qualitative increase in power. As good as that was, it was so sudden that his ki-control had become a bit slack. Thankfully, it wasn't horrible like when his body suddenly aged up in the time chamber. His ki-control had slackened, but he was confident he could get it back to snuff by noon.
Never one to forget the basics, he relied on old man Nakamura's tried and trusted Yin-Yang Breathing Method to temper his control. From before the sun had risen, he had been expanding and controlling his ki. While he would normally incorporate the Kaioken to increase the difficulty, he had completely cancelled it, including the passive multipliers he kept on at most times.
He also used this opportunity to train his spirit control. With the addition of Triny into his body, his soul felt weird. For one, his ki was now more white than translucent grey. He figured that merging with her increased the overall quality of his soul, which in turn increased the quality of his soul force that he mixed with his ki to create Spirit Ki.
Regardless of reasons, Igor wasn't one to nitpick the cause and effect. While not through a method he would've normally opted for, his power had increased and the quality of his ki had risen. The only price he had to pay was a slight decline in ki-control but that would soon be quickly taken care of.
Gradually, he could feel the rays of the sun touching his skin. Vaguely calculating from the time it had risen to the moment it had moved enough to reach him under the shade, he could guess that the clock was somewhere around 6:30.
Letting himself resurface back into reality, he was confronted with the sight of Asia standing in front of him. Her hands were on her cheeks and her eyes were gazing at him in wonder.
When she saw his eyes had opened, she eagerly spoke to him.
"G'morning, big brother! Aunty told me to tell you that the food is ready. And…can you teach me how to fly too? I also wanna float in the air like you, big brother!"
Smiling at the sight of his sister still in her pajamas, he ruffled her hair as his feet slowly touched the ground.
"I don't know if I can even teach you due to the different energies we use, but I will ask Sister Aurelia to teach you."
"Yayy!"
Hugging his leg she smiled brightly.
"I'll do my best, big brother!"
"I know you will, Asia."
"Hihi~"
She grabbed his hand and began leading him to the house. At the prospect of flying, she couldn't help but skip excitedly along the way.
"I'm gonna fly~. I'm gonna fly~. I'm gonna…"
"..."
Igor was content to smile at her as she happily led the way. Seeing her smile and sing so happily reminded him of another reason to train and get stronger.
[I will always protect that smile.]
Just imagining someone even sullying it made his eyes darken slightly before they regained their light.
[No matter what.]
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|DxD|
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"I love you~. You love me~. We're a happy family~. I love-"
"Akeno-chan. Help me set up the table."
"Okay, mama."
The kitchen was lively with its three inhabitants. Shuri was manning the stove with all four plates working to heat up whatever pot was on top of them. The lovely scent of meat and soup filled the kitchen and she was just putting the finishing touches on the soup.
Aurelia worked on the salad with her ever stoic visage on her face. Pieces of carrots and lettuce were on the table as she added the sauce to the mixture in the bowl.
Akeno, heeding her mother's command, began setting up the table with three normal bowls and two rather large bowls. Because of their two blonde occupants, their eating habits made it better to serve them on a bowl than a plate.
While she added cups to the table, Akeno began singing again with a smile on her face. Although her father wasn't here, she was happy nonetheless because everyone else was present for breakfast.
Soon enough, Asia and Igor entered the kitchen.
"Morning, aunty. Morning sister."
Shuri turned to face him with a smile, but froze when she saw his current state of dress.
"Dimori-kun…"
"Hm?"
Igor's presence was very apparent since…he wasn't wearing a top.
"My lord."
Aurelia was very quick to rectify the situation by spawning a black long-sleeve shirt on him.
"Please pay attention to your image."
The blonde didn't seem surprised at his sudden addition in clothing.
"What image? It's not like I have breasts or something. Besides, I wanted to see who was singing first before I went upstairs."
Shuri was slightly taken aback at his straightforward language while Aurelia would've palmed herself were it not for her hands covered in chopped vegetables.
As for Igor, he turned to face Akeno with a teasing grin.
"Little chick. It's been what now. Four years? Even after all this time, your singing still sucks."
Flushed with rage, Akeno cried out.
"For the last time. I'm not a little chick! And I can sing very well! Hmph."
"Hmmmm. 'Well' you say? I highly doubt it. But I CAN be convinced otherwise."
"?"
Grinning at her confusion, he walked over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Tell you what. Call me 'onii-chan' from now on, and I'll admit you can sing well-"
"Onii-chan."
"..."
Her victorious grin made his plan to embarrass her a mute point.
"Alright. You can sing well."
Walking away with a frown on his face, he was heard mumbling about how she used to be embarrassed at calling him 'big brother', nevermind 'onii-chan'. Once his footsteps were heard on the stairs, Asia ran towards Akeno and grabbed her hands.
"Waaah! I can't believe you called him that. You said you'd never call him 'onii-chan'."
With her face flushing in embarrassment, Akeno tried to appear dignified by straightening her back.
"W-well, that was before. I would've never called him that, but since he asked…hmph. I was just making him happy."
"...?"
Asia was confused while Shuri simply couldn't stop laughing to herself.
"Fufufu~."
"M-mama!"
Turning to face her mother with a pout, Shuri only went back to stirring the pot while silently giggling. Only she was aware that Akeno had always wanted to call him "onii-chan". It's just that she was too embarrassed to do it willingly until the perfect situation presented itself.
"Don't worry, Akeno-chan. Mama won't say anything."
"Mamaaaa!"
"Fufu~."
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|DxD|
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Breakfast was a quick affair that had three pairs of eyes watch two blondes eat with the enthusiasm of a pig with human hands. Completely emulating her brother, Asia had forgone forks, knives, and chopsticks. If it could not be eaten with a spoon, hands were used.
What had everyone watching in amazement was that both blondes were tearing into their ramen…with a spoon.
"""…"""
Like a duckling, Asia had watched Igor eat for a few seconds before she dumped her chopsticks and took a spoon as well. Akeno had wanted to do the same, but a 'loving smile' from her mother made her stick to chopsticks.
A few minutes had passed and besides Aurelia, no one truly ate. Shuri and Akeno were just surprised at their method of dining on a dish that required chopsticks or at the very least, a fork. Be it carrot sticks or strips of meet, all of it was consumed with a spoon and the thumb trapping the food.
Eventually, no one sought to say anything and ate their food. If they tried to decipher what went through Asia's and Igor's heads, their food would've long since grown cold before they figured it out.
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|DxD|
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Outside the house, Akeno and Shuri were standing in front of the garage. Akeno was already in full uniform along with a little blazer on her while Shuri hadn't changed out of her old black dress.
Helping her daughter put on her school bag, she kindly asked.
"Do you have everything ready for school, Akeno-chan?"
"Yes, mama."
"Ohhhh. Why don't you call me kaa-chan as well since you call Dimori-kun 'nii-chan'?"
"..."
Feeling embarrassed, Akeno grabbed her skirt while mumbling quietly.
"Ka…kaa-chan…"
"Fufu~."
Holding a remote in her hand, she was about to press it when Igor walked out the door with Asia running behind him.
"Hey, aunty."
Walking up to the duo, he ruffled Akeno's hair, much to her chagrin.
"I'll walk Akeno to school today, aunty. What do you think?"
Immediately, Akeno looked at her with pleading eyes that practically emulated her desire. Maintaining her composure, Shuri decided to please her daughter.
"Why, thank you, Dimori-kun. I'm sure Akeno will be happy to be taken to school by her 'nii-chan'."
The little fallen only lowered her head at her mother's teasings, provoking a chuckle from the blonde.
"Hehe. Well, we'll be off, aunty."
Holding both his sisters by their shoulders, he unhesitantly vanished along with them.
Su!
"..."
For a brief moment, Shuri wondered if he would remember to be discreet in showcasing his beyond-human capabilities.
But her wonderings were cut off when Aurelia walked out of the house.
"Shuri-sama. I believe we have to talk."
"?"
Unaware of what she would want to talk about, she nodded.
"Alright, Aurelia-san."
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AN
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Some training, some food, some slice of life. But, Igor has to meet Baraquiel the following day and I'm curious to see how that turns out. I'm also eager to know if Shiva will actually uphold his self-imposed promise to take Igor in like he did Indra. Though, I want to see what Aurelia will actually talk to Shuri about.
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