One-Punch DxD: NEO
Chapter 40: Next Step

In case I won't make it - Happy Chinese New Year for those who are celebrating! ^_^

"Now, for our final topic… let us discuss the matter with Saitama."

Michael addressed the most important issue as all eyes turned to the baldy… no, wait, the egghead was staring blankly at the ceiling, garnering confusion from everyone.

"What is he doing?" Rias asked, tilting her head to look at him from another angle.

Issei leaned forward… there was a bubble of snot blowing in and out of his nose.

"...He's sleeping. He's actually sleeping with his eyes open. Wow." Issei revealed with amazement.

The strongest man slept through the entire discussions with his eyes open when they were not noticing. Despite being his son, Issei was still amazed by his ignorance and audacity.

"Pfff, bahahahahahahaha!" Azazel broke into laughter, unable to contain himself.

"Huh, what, what'd I miss?" Saitama's bubble popped as he woke from his sleep.

"Ahahahahhahaha!" Azazel laughed before he regulated his breathing, "...Oh, man. Saitama, you shouldn't sleep through your boss' important day, that might impact your resume, you know?" Azazel half-laughed as he wiped a tear from his eye.

"Uh… No, I wasn't." Saitama did not sound convincing despite obviously avoiding eye contact. Issei and Vali started breaking into snickers at the baldy's antics. The other girls slowly started giggling along, finding the baldy funnier than he looks.

"Well, I can assure you that he isn't a world-level threat at least. He lived as my employee for more than ten years without a major incident, after all. Besides, look at him. He is as harmless and well-mannered as a boiled egg as long as you don't antagonize him," Azazel waved off, ignoring the pouty glare Saitama sent him.

"That… well… but what about the Infinite Dragon God?" Michael asked, pointing at the girl that was starting to pinch his cheeks adorably. "By proxy, isn't she affiliated with you as well?"

"Oh, her. Well, let's ask her. Ophis, what do you plan to do? Are you going to live with Saitama from now on?" Azazel asked, finally calming down.

"Yes." Ophis replied from her seat on Saitama's shoulder, as she wrapped her tiny arms around Saitama's head. "He's interesting. I like him."

Issei stared at Saitama with owlish eyes, "...Do you think she means like-like him?" He then whispered to Vali.

"Wouldn't put it past him myself, to be honest." the hybrid replied with small snickers.

"Ehh, I'm not sure about dad picking up a legal loli as a possible second wife… but then again, I'm not one to talk since I have two girlfriends. By the way, Vali… Did you make any progress with Lavinia?"

The White Dragon Emperor seemingly, slightly choked on air as a faint blush appeared on his face, "...The hell are you talking about now?"

"Come on, out of all the girls I see you interact with, she's the only one that gave you the strongest reaction. I can see it, the White Dragon and the Lovely Ice Princess together, holding hands, gazing into each other's eyes, you blushing hard as hell." Issei added that one with impish intent. "And then, finally, just finally… you put that devil prince charm to use for once, kiss the girl, and if you're lucky enough, put your hands on that ass you've been ogling at for years."

Vali stammered as the blush on his cheeks grew redder. While the others were discussing Saitama's and Ophis' status, the other girls and guys listened in on the Dragon Emperors with a keen ear in their direction.

"Alright, alright, I'll let this slide for now. They look like they're about finished talking anyways." Issei smirked at Vali's reaction.

"So, we agreed that Saitama and Ophis are free to be employed by all heads of each separate party involved in case their services are needed?" Azazel asked.

Both Sirzechs and Michael replied with a resounding 'yes', with nobody in the room expressing any sort of objection.

"Excellent. Fair warning, he can be… a bit funny to manage, from my personal experience. Like sometimes he forgets and wanders off kind of funny, so I'll send you instructions about that at a later date. Also, never disclose the true nature of their strength to anyone. If anyone asks whether the girl sitting on his shoulder is the infinity dragon god, just say that it's just a girl with the same name and roll along with it."

Everyone considered Azazel's words and nodded in agreement eventually.

"Good, now is there anything left to discuss before we move onto reincarnating the two lovely girls here and then interrogating the prisoners?" Azazel asked.

Silence was all that responded.

"Very well. Irina, Asia. Please step forward."

Issei slightly startled awake in his mid-snore, opening his eyes and immediately knew that it had been another new morning after the conclusion of the Peace Conference.

It was cemented that the Three Great Powers of Christianity were officially allies from there onwards. Suffice to say, however, things did not go without a hitch.

The attack orchestrated by the descendants of the original devil kings was unexpected, yet predicted at the same time. From a short interrogation from several prisoners of war, their original plan was to capture Gasper, forcing him and his Sacred Gear to enter a premature Balance-Breaking state, in order to incapacitate the armies guarding the Conference and gave the necessary opening for the old king's descendants to assassinate the leaders.

Unfortunately, turns out the opposing forces had not taken the existence of the Three Strongest Metallic Sperms and Overgrown Rover into account, as their existences had been kept secret for most of the time.

According to the leaders, just like the original Four Devil Kings, there were four descendants - two of them which made appearances during the attack: Cattleya Leviathan and Creuserey Asmodeus; the latter was KIA, while the former had yet to regain her consciousness ever since her violent arrest.

Nonetheless, despite the threat from the Khaos Brigade - per Azazel's intel, looming on the horizon, Issei had good enough reasons to believe that the combined might of the Three Factions could handle it, one way or another.

Issei's thoughts were interrupted by the movement from his side on the bed. Thanks to the illumination from the morning sun seeping through the curtains, Issei could see Irina's smile hovering above him.

"...Good morning."

Issei remained silent at his girlfriend's greeting for a second, before he lightly smiled, "Did I die and somehow make it to Heaven?"

Irina blinked at the remark before she snorted and burst into laughter, "God, that's so cheesy! And it's only a little over five in the morning!"

"What, can't a guy take advantage of having an angel girlfriend now?" Issei snarked.

Irina giggled as she unfolded her angelic wings. Proof of divine light manifested into one of mankind's holiest symbols, wings of pure silver, more radiant than Issei expected in theory and calming than he believed. Her halo shone like a jewel above her head, unblemished, radiant, a reflection of Irina's soul.

Following Michael's proposal - Irina and Asia had reincarnated themselves into angel; the former took the position of Archangel Michael's 'Ace of Spade', while latter received the position of Gabriel's 'Jack of Hearts'.

"Are you going to brag about it to everyone you meet?"

"Thought you'll like the attention, though Tsubasa might be jealous as hell. I am still probably the first human to have an angel girlfriend in centuries." Issei should probably check up on her.

"Come on, let's go to the training room!" Irina jumped on Issei's hand and pulled it.

"Alright, alright, I'm getting up!" Issei laughed as he let Irina pull him into her arms as they held each other in embrace.

They remained like that for a second before Irina pulled away, her smile beaming brighter than ever.

"What are you going to try out first? Holy spears? Holy swords? Oh wait, wait, wait… You're going to try and make a holy nuke?" Issei guessed with a finger pointing at her accusingly.

Irina rolled her eyes good-naturedly, "I don't know what you've been watching, but it has some bad influence on you. Let's take things nice and slow for now."

"Alright, let's see how you fare against Black now. Don't worry about going all out, he can take it." Issei flashed a thumbs up.

Irina perked and pulled Issei out of the room with surprising strength, one that caught him off guard as they ran downstairs into the training room. Watching Irina's back, he smiled, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, the future he wanted for Irina to have.

He was looking forward to today.

oXo

The training area was far livelier than he expected.

It was also a while since he saw Vali - who had dropped by earlier, being active, donned in his scale mail as he engaged the strongest of the metallic trio, spells of various elements thrown at the Platinum Sperm while Vali circled him then moving in to throw a series of punches, all blocked by Platinum's mighty hand with the other hand behind his back. Seeing that magic only did a little against the creature, the White Dragon Emperor decided to go closer, prompting the two in a high-speed cat and mouse game with Platinum mostly going on the defensive.

What was interesting was that Tsubasa was still busy punching Golden's back in the meanwhile, while Asia was beside her healing her hands with a gentle smile, the girl nearly cursing every time she broke her hands against the stupid thing's skin.

"What'd I miss?" Issei asked the girls. Ravel and Rias and her Peerage were standing on the sidelines watching the spectacle.

"Um, your friend is fighting one of the… big bads. Honestly, we were surprised when Vali suddenly dropped by and challenged one of them to a duel here. Platinum and Gold are here mostly to help with Tsubasa's training, so they are betting to see whether Vali can scratch him while Tsubasa continues punching the gold one…" Rias gave a detailed explanation of the events.

"That's a bit early for something this intense." Issei hummed as Vali started casting the power of his Divine Dividing.

[Divide!]

Wings of metal and energy pulsed, radiant waves of power scattered towards Platinum ready to take his energy.

However, what confused Vali was that when Divide struck Platinum… he did not feel any energy stolen.

"What?!"

Platinum smirked.

"Fool… You think you can just divide everything in this world without a care? My superconductive body allows me to transmit certain effects through my magnificent body without harm or effect. In other words, your obsolete 'Divide' is useless."

Vali grunted behind his helmet before Platinum's antenna suddenly blurred. Immediately, Vali was sent flying after a loud smack exploded.

"Kyah!?" The girls covered their ears to the piercing sound, even Tsubasa and Asia.

The front of Vali's scale mail was shattered, revealing his face and clothes underneath as he crashed into the wall, coughing blood.

"As per rule; the first blood is mine." Platinum remarked, signing the end of the spar.

Vali coughed a little more blood out of his system. He wiped the crimson from his lips as he glared at Platinum a little. "Agh… as always, why are all of you so unfair?" Vali complained as he pulled himself out of the wall with a grunt.

"The pot is calling the kettle black." Platinum scoffed at Vali. "Your ability to halve the strength or energy of almost anything can easily lift you to one of the cadres back in my old organization. Not many can counter that power the usual way, other than killing you instantly without resistance. There are still other weaknesses your overpowered ability has that we still haven't discovered, but I am more than willing to uncover them myself."

Vali took a deep breath to recover himself, "I will have you know that I have my own fair share of assassins and other opponents that can work around my Divine Dividing. And besides, you of all things can turn others into a platinum statue, and that is unfair in itself."

"Like this?" Platinum's antenna sparkled and zapped Vali.

"No, wai-!"

Vali's words were cut short as he became… a platinum statue, shining magnificently under the artificial white light of the training room.

When everyone's eyes cleared out, they were looking at the sight of the shining statue of Vali bringing up his hands, as if he was trying to block something.

"...Oh, shit." Issei blinked before he turned to address the other creature, "Um, Plat? Did you really have to go that far?"

"It adds a perfect sheen to his theme. Also, wait for it." Platinum smiled as he marveled at his newest work.

A few seconds later, everyone heard it - it was faint, muffled, but it sounded like someone screaming and it came from Vali's frozen form. Everyone regarded the screaming statue for a moment before they turned to regard Platinum, who was snickering in amusement.

"Oh, he is conscious alright." Platinum continued smirking as Vali's screaming statue dropped down, twitching and jerking with sporadic vain movements.

Meanwhile, Gold did not even notice Tsubasa's meager punch at his back, as he watched the post-fight between his Platinum-self and Vali. Irina watched Tsubasa continuing to torture herself fist by fist with a mix of exasperated anger and disbelief that she was doing then walked towards Tsubasa as she cleared her throat, her angel wings fluttering a little as she approached her.

"Um, Tsubasa, right?" Irina called out. Tsubasa stopped and gave her her attention.

"What? Are you here to make fun of me?" Tsubasa pouted at her.

Irina only smiled, "No, that will be cruel. I… as fellow girlfriends, well, I was wondering if you would… like to spar?"

Tsubasa blinked, as well as Issei who happened to catch on to what they said.

Golden only smirked knowingly, "Interesting. A battle between girlfriends of the same gigolo?"

"Stop calling me that." Issei frowned.

"Oh, but it is true." Goldie glanced briefly towards Issei before he returned to address the two girls, "...Well, good luck. To spice up the flavor, how about the winner gets bragging rights to being the best girlfriend?" Gold suggested.

"What?" Issei stared at Gold before he looked at the girls. Irina looked staggered but Tsubasa's eyes seemed to have fire burning behind them.

Gold heard a small whimper behind him. He turned around, seeing Asia looking at him with teary eyes. "...Oh." He somewhat messed up.

"Now you're talking. Today's the day I show you who's the best girlfriend, angel! The Dark Side shall triumph this day!" Tsubasa declared, pointing her finger at Irina.

"Never! You are the one that will fall before the light side!" Irina replied with dramatic, dorky fervor, playing along with a smile.

Issei stood between Irina and Tsubasa.

He wondered how the hell he got into this mess, being used as a motivational chip for the two girls in his life. The two were stretching, warming themselves up while facing each other with determination burning in their eyes.

Vali, freed from his carbonite-like hell, was frowning with his arms crossed, grumbling small curses under his breath while Albion was laughing at him inside his head for becoming a statue.

Yawwwwwnnnnnn

The spectators turned to the noise to see the man of the house in his loose pajamas walking into the training room. Ophis was on his shoulder as always, nibbling on toast like a little squirrel. The sight of the strongest dragon god acting like an adorable girl was not something they could get used to.

"Hey. You got visitors." Saitama pointed behind him.

"Pardon the intrusions."

Everyone then saw Sona Sitri and her peerage walking in, clad in gym uniforms and jerseys, carrying their own duffle bags of training supplies.

"...What'd I miss?" Saitama asked as he stared at his son and his two girlfriends warming up.

"The girls are sparring for the title of best girlfriend." Platinum bluntly informed.

Saitama blinked, then he looked between the two girls in the arena, before he nodded, "...Oh."

Meanwhile, Rias and Issei were greeting the new arrivals, "Good morning, Sona. Glad to have you join us again." She smiled, before her eyes glanced at her entourage, "...And it appears you brought others. Good morning, everyone."

The others voiced their greetings, with Ruruko sounding eager, "I am looking forward to testing these new legs with you, Ise-senpai!"

Issei chuckled slightly, "You make it sound kinky, you know? Anyways, wait until they're done doing their thing." He glanced at Irina and Tsubasa.

"It seems we have arrived at an interesting time." Sona commented.

"You bet you have. One sec, let me get this joint starting…" Issei then returned to his referee position between Irina and Tsubasa.

"Alright, gather up." Issei beckoned both girls to step forward, "Ladies, you know the drill - I expect a clean fight; hand to hand and no magic. Abide what I say at all times, defend yourselves at all times. Any questions from the left side?" Issei glanced at Tsubasa, who shook her head, "...Any questions from the right side?" Irina also shook her head, then Issei, "Okay, take your positions! Let's do this!"

Issei then stepped back, allowing both girls to take up their stances, "...Let's go to war!"

As soon as Issei shouted those words - Tsubasa was the first to make the move, already closing the distance fast.

"First come, first serve!" Tsubasa shouted as she threw her sucker punch.

"Ow!" Irina barely raised her guard in time, grunting as she staggered from the heavy blow. What was surprising was how much her punch hurts her forearm.

Then again, it was not surprising - while Irina's overall physique had been enhanced to a degree, the Brave Saints system worked differently from Evil Piece system. At the moment, Irina's strength still could not match Tsubasa whose strength and durability were her bread and butter. Not to mention, Tsubasa was more accustomed to fighting bare-handed than Irina was.

"Don't falter, Irina!" Xenovia cheered for her friend as Tsubasa chased after her with a cocky smirk.

The exchange appeared stalemated from afar, though Tsubasa was pushing Irina into the defensive. Sona's peerage cheered for Tsubasa. Rias and her Peerage also ended up cheering for Tsubasa.

"You can do it, Tsu!" Momo cheered.

"Show that angel girl what you're made of!" Ruruko followed.

"Show her the power of the Devils!" Rias cheered.

"Punish her for hogging Issei every day!" Koneko added, garnering an owlish gaze from Issei.

Xenovia and Asia were the only ones cheering for Irina, however. The Devil girls living in this house were definitely venting their envy at this moment.

Their chase ceased, Irina planted on her feet as she threw a standard right hook. Tsubasa ducked and uppercutted her solar plexus, and, while Irina wheezed from the impact, grabbed Irina's right arm and threw all of her weight down on the angel in an improvised arm hold.

"Owowowowowowowowowow!" The chestnut-haired girl cried out as her arm muscle strained, forced onto a knee, Tsubasa's left hand pulling her right wrist and the other holding her shoulder.

"You see this?!" Tsubasa taunted as she applied a bit more pressure in her hold, "The differences between the first and second girlfriend!? Do you admit I'm the better girlfriend now?!" She cackled with a dorky smile as she pulled slightly harder.

Irina simply took a deep breath, gathering as much energy as she could. Much to Tsubasa's surprise, however, a pair of bright white wings suddenly grew out of her back, the appendages pushing Tsubasa off Irina's back, allowing the reincarnated angel to break away from the devil's grip.

Taking a few steps back, Tsubasa regarded her winged opponent before she glanced at Issei, silently asking whether the move was allowed or not.

Knowing the gesture, Issei immediately replied, "Wings are not magic, you know?! If you have them, use them!"

Tsubasa pursed her lips. Of course he would say that, though she admitted that she almost always forgot that she had wings in the first place since she had to hide them most of the time. She then unfurled her devil wings, flexing them a bit to get a feel for them.

"Alright, fine then. Round two." Tsubasa took flight, smirking as she cracked her knuckles.

Taking a page from her opponent, Irina flapped her wings, increasing her speed as she charged and launched a solid straight. Tsubasa managed to raise her arms in defense at the last second, but she actually felt the force behind Irina's attack.

"...So you're playing copycat. Not bad.." Tsubasa whispered in comment as another round began anew.

Tsubasa and Irina reengaged midair, light and darkness dancing under the ceiling lights, intersecting at moments or chasing the other.

"They're equally amateur in the air." Platinum noted.

"Why'd you say that? I think they're handling their flights well enough." Rias remarked.

"You haven't been in intense high speed aerial combat from the way you speak. Trust me, their movements are like babies trying to fly propellers to play a dog fight."

Rias only narrowed her eyes slightly at the creature; unable to come up with the right retort, she chose to focus back on the fight. After several more exchanges, Tsubasa went in, deciding to hold Irina's wings hostage and pin her to the ground. However, Irina noticed her opponent's intention right away, as she maneuvered herself to ensure that Tsubasa would not find a way behind her.

The bat circled the defensive pigeon like a vulture. If Tsubasa wanted to prey on her back, Irina puffed her chest and decided to make her work for it.

Tsubasa did not expect Irina to soar towards her and tackle her. The two tangoed at close proximity, duking it out with Irina making sure to keep Tsubasa from breaking away. It was at this moment that Tsubasa learned how different fighting in the air was compared to land. She was so used to fighting with a foothold beneath her feet she did not know how to properly execute the power of her strikes even with her advantage in close quarters.

Irina smirked as she ducked under Tsubasa's right hook and snaked around, grabbing Tsubasa's wings and swiftly dragged her earthward. A small cloud of dust flew around as soon as they collided against the ground, cracking the floor beneath. When the dust settled, Irina was mounting Tsubasa's form.

The reincarnated angel looked exhausted, yet she had a victorious smile on her face, "...How's that, girlfriend?" She snided back.

Seeing that she had lost the round, Tsubasa sighed and relaxed, prompting Irina to stand back up and offer her hand.

"Okay, that's the match!" Issei and the others jogged towards them, "How are you two doing?"

Irina had already helped Tsubasa back on her feet, "...So?"

Tsubasa was blushing, looking away, her embarrassment as palpable as a heatwave, "...You're the better girlfriend…" She muttered.

"No."

Tsubasa blinked and saw Irina smiling at her, "...You are the one who's been by his side longer than I." She finished with a tap on the arm. "That, and I was kind of out of my mind at the time. But just because we fell for the same person doesn't mean we can't become friends, right?" Irina glanced at Issei.

Tsubasa blinked at Irina, before she glanced at Issei, until she sighed. "...Well, thanks for making me feel like a lesser woman. Alright, Iri." Tsubasa smiled back. "Also, as friends, think you can share some stories of Ise's embarrassing moments?"

"Et tu, Tsubasa?" Issei asked as his face paled slightly.

"Oh, hush, you." Tsubasa rebuked her boyfriend, while she and Irina shared a mischievous smirk, "This is some well-deserved bonding time between two awesome girlfriends."

"So I don't get any say in this?" Issei asked.

[No.]

Both Irina and Tsubasa replied in unison, much to everyone's (sans Ise) mild amusement. Vali started to snicker, causing Issei to glare at him.

"...So, um, Ise-senpai."

Issei turned to Ruruko, seeing her and Sona standing beside him, sporting an eager-look on their faces.

Right, there was still some training with them - he had a long day ahead of him.

"The kid is better at teaching than you are."

Gold commented to Saitama as they stood on the sidelines, Golden and Saitama holding their respective cups of coffee. Ophis was holding a mug of hot chocolate as she watched the kids spar. Gold had a larger mug to fit his large masculine hand as he sipped his drink.

"Yeah… Makes me even more like an ass for not being around to see him grow." Saitama did not bite at Gold's tease as he sipped.

Issei was handling the girl with the glasses and the one that kept using her legs.

On another side, Vali and Platinum reengaged their conflict as the first attempted to scratch the latter, magic and fists thrown at the latter.

"You good with holding the fort here?" Saitama asked as he sipped.

"What, you have something to do?" Gold asked back.

"Got a text message from Michael. Said that Gabriel wants to meet me at the spot where everything between Kokabiel and Genos went down."

"Ahhh. Yes, my schedule is free. Fortunately, Azazel moved my base of operations here." Gold sipped his coffee.

The two remained silent as they watched the kids working hard, "You don't even remember ninety percent of their names, do you?" Gold accused.

Saitama did not answer as his eyes slowly veered away from Gold's direction, silently sipping his coffee. Then he noticed someone approaching him.

"Uhh… hello, sir."

It was a boy. Saitama did not recognize him… he came with the girls in glasses. The only notable aspect was his messy sand-blonde hair.

"...Hello… uh…"

"Saji."

"Saji. Wait, I don't think we met…"

"We didn't. So… this is gonna be awkward. I would like to fight you."

Vali, Platinum, and Issei immediately halted and turned towards Saji's direction. Gold nearly choked on his coffee as he looked at the little man.

Saitama simply stared at the boy before he shrugged, "...Okay."

Saji looked perturbed, "...That was fast."

"I got nothing to do. Today's my day off." Saitama replied.

The girls stared at Saji and the baldy with curiosity. Rias and Sona looked back at Issei, seeing him, Vali, and Platinum huddled together. The girls were curious so they snuck an ear in their direction.

"A thousand yen he'll last three seconds."

They were already betting on Saji's loss.

"Nah, dad tends to drag things out. Two thousand that he'll last in three to six moves." Issei waved off.

"I speak for Gold as well. We will throw a platinum and a gold bar that he'll last more than six." Platinum threw in.

"Holy shit, deal!" Issei and Vali were both excited at the prospect of owning two bars of precious metals.

"Wait, you didn't get it from melting some poor bastard, right?" Issei asked.

"Does it matter?" Platinum asked.

"...Eh, as long as they've had it coming." Issei shrugged.

Gold slowly backed away from Saitama and Saji with an unconcealed smirk on his face, "Good luck, little man." He slowly slid a thumb across his golden neck to emphasize his inevitable defeat.

Saitama and Saji stared at each other. Saitama then shrugged and made his way towards the stage while still holding and sipping his coffee.

"...So… do I just attack you or…" Saji - who had followed the older man onto the stage, was not sure about fighting someone in his pajamas.

"Go ahead." Saitama said before sipping his coffee. "Show me what you got."

"You… don't want to put away your drink first, maybe?" Saji asked.

"No." Saitama sipped.

Saji awkwardly entered his battle stance… the man still had the little girl on his shoulders.

"What?" Saitama asked, not noticing that he had a little girl on his shoulders, sipping her mug of hot chocolate.

"How in the world are you and Hyoudou related?" Saji asked with a bewildered look.

"...Dunno." Saitama shrugged.

Saji felt that continuing this conversation would kill any motivation to see if this man was the strongest or not.

"...Alright, here I come!" Saji ran towards the baldy with a heroic warcry.

WHAM!

The girls were staring at the aftermath with dots for eyes. Issei, Vali, and the two Metallic Sperms were snickering uncontrollably.

Saji was one with the floor, sunk into it like he fell in a pile of flat snow, his limps splayed in a comical fashion, looking like a recent murder victim in a sense. There was a large bump growing out of his head.

Rias blinked at the scene, "...What just happened?" All the redhead saw was a blur, a small shockwave, and the next thing she knew Saji was knocked down.

Sona, Momo, and Ruruko walked up to Saji's pitiful state.

"...Saji, you alive?" Momo called out.

"...Uuuggggh…."

Hearing him groan was enough for the girls to crouch and help pull him out. Out of curiosity, after the girls finished pulling Saji out of the floor and carrying him to the sidelines, Koneko was the next to approach Saitama.

Issei and Platinum were handing their money and metal bars to Vali when they saw Koneko standing before the baldy. She assumed a fighting stance.

"Uh… hello…?" Saitama could not remember her name.

"...Koneko Toujou." The girl introduced herself. She tightened her fist with a challenging glare, her cat ears twitching and tail swishing. "Please take care of me."

Saitama looked around, mostly looking for a way out. He saw Issei giving him a thumbs-up. Saitama was not sure as he looked back at the smaller catgirl.

"...Alright. Go ahead."

Koneko was the first to strike.

"Hup." Channeling her ki, she struck Saitama's solar plexus.

She continued throwing rapid punches at the baldy's vulnerable midriff with all of her might. However, Saitama simply stood there, looking at Koneko without even flinching, much to the amazement of the girls as he smacked his lip.

"...Wonder what Haru is cooking…" Saitama muttered absentmindedly as he blankly turned his gaze towards the ceiling.

"...I want fried chicken." Ophis interjected.

Eventually, Koneko started to tire as she backed off, panting as she checked on Saitama's state to see if she did anything.

"...Oh, you done?" Saitama asked.

Koneko pouted at the baldy - she tensed her legs and her arm muscles as much as she could before she jumped back in. However, before she could throw the strongest punch she could muster, she felt a flick to her forehead.

It was a loud, sharp smack, a visible shockwave traveling through the Nekomata, who was thrown back until she hit the floor. Everyone watched the aftermath, not the motion of it happening, Saitama looking like he just flicked Koneko.

Koneko blinked at the ceiling as she rubbed her head.

"...Ow?" She frowned.

She looked down from her supine position, seeing Saitama offering her a hand.

"You have enough?" Saitama asked, sipping his coffee again..

She frowned at him. She took his hand as he helped her up. "...I can see where Ise-senpai got his strength from."

"He's the strongest." Ophis reminded from Saitama's shoulders as she finished her toast.

"...Ahem."

Everyone turned to see Genos had entered the room, "...Breakfast is ready." the cyborg informed with his signature stoic tone.

Everyone sans Issei, Vali, the metallic Sperms, and Genos stared at Saitama as he ate with Haruka sitting by his side. The Two Heavenly Dragons could sense the others' growing curiosity about the strongest man.

Saji was still rubbing his noggin, though.

The table was quite awkward with Saitama around, him being more out of place than anything on this table - even more than Ophis on his shoulders.

"So…" Saitama broke the awkward silence. Haruka handed Ophis a small poptart which she accepted and nibbled.

"Got anything new for me? Still out of the loop." Saitama asked as he slid his sunny-side up egg to his mouth.

"Actually…." Genos was the one that answered. "After careful consideration, I decided to apply for a position at Kuoh Academy as an instructor - mathematics teacher, if possible."

Issei spewed at his plate and hacked, garnering brief looks from everyone else, while most of the other Kuoh Academy students returned to regard the cyborg with curious looks.

"Oh?" Saitama was equally surprised.

"That is new." Gold commented as he sliced his slab of steak.

"Decided to look after the kids?" Platinum asked, chewing.

"After two consecutive incidents, the first with Diodora Astaroth, and the latter regarding Kokabiel, it is at this point necessary for us adults to keep an eye and safeguard the next generation." Genos informed.

"I think that's a great idea." Haruka chimed in with a pleased smile on her face, "Genos has been with Issei ever since he could walk. He will be great as a teacher."

"Hm… alright. Don't see any harm in that." Saitama also hummed while nodding his head, having no objection to the idea.

Ise, however, had another thing in mind, "Err, wait, uh, don't you like, have other things to do or something?" Issei asked.

"Not anymore. The other scientists in R&D division are fully trained to handle cybernetic experiments without me." Genos dismissed.

"But- but!" Issei looked around, "What about the Student Council that received your prosthetics?"

"They are self-updating, thanks to Grigori's state-of-art science and technology. They do not need regular maintenance." Genos answered back informatively, before he turned to one of his supposed charges, "How are your new limbs today, Ms. Shinra, Ms. Nimura?"

The members of the student council in question seemed to be caught off-guard by the question thrown at them, but the vice-president re-composed herself quickly enough after sipping her tea.

"They are gradually feeling like my own limbs, Mr. Genos." Tsubaki replied with a small smile.

"These new legs are awesome!" Ruruko replied energetically.

Issei could not help but nod in agreement with Ruruko - who actually went to replace her other original leg with Genos' cybernetics. Even with one robot leg, Issei learned the hard way of just how hard Ruruko could kick with it.

"Excellent. Now, for the next announcement…" Genos then procured a small stack of paperwork and dropped them before Vali.

The White Dragon Emperor stared at the papers before he glanced at the cyborg. He then picked up the top paper and skimmed the contents. A few seconds later, Vali suddenly burned it, got off his chair, and exploded the rest with a fireball spell, much to everyone's surprise.

"Vali, dude!?" Issei got up and immediately swatted the remaining flames out while Vali just stared at the ashes with eerie stoicism.

Genos remained composed as he kept his gaze on Vali, "I have calculated beforehand that there is a 75% chance that you would respond in a destructive manner. So what you burned just now are merely copies. The original paperwork is still secured in my inventory."

"Paperwork? What paperwork?" Issei asked further, turning to Vali, whose expression creased into something he almost never saw, something he usually would get a laugh out of.

"This is something that I have discussed previously with Azazel, which he approved. Vali Lucifer shall enroll as a high-school student at Kuoh Academy."

"...PFFFFFFFFFTTTT!"

Once again, Issei choked; with the two metallic sperms also did the same with their breakfast.

"Eh? Wait, say that again. Vali is gonna what?" Issei looked back and forth between his childhood 'rival' and his uncle, cleaning out his ears.

"I repeat: Vali is going to school. For your information, his consent isn't a factor."

"Like hell it isn't!" Vali shouted.

"PFFFFFFT! BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"KAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The two metallic sperms along with Black laughed.

"You're telling me that Chuuni is going to mingle with the normies?! Really?! Him!? His last name is 'Lucifer,' the cringiest last name anyone can have!" Black laughed with tears and a finger pointed rudely at Vali.

"Wait, wait a second!"

Surprisingly, the one with the raised voice was Rias, who had stood up, staring at Vali with an incredulous look, which was mirrored by Sona and the rest of their peerage.

"...What did you say just now?" Rias asked Genos.

"I said Vali Lucifer-"

"There, that!" Rias pointed out, before she turned to Vali, "...Lucifer? What's he talking about?!"

"...What?" Issei and Vali stared at her.

"...Oooh, they didn't know." Platinum was the first to realize. "They are overreacting to Chuuni's bloodline being the actual descendant of the original Lucifer, the first Devil."

"Wha-... You know about this?!" Rias then turned to Issei.

"I… is it really a big deal?" Issei said as if it was obvious.

"Of course it's a 'big deal.'" Sona replied - taking off her glasses to massage the bridge of her nose when Rias was out of words, "We are talking about a descendant of the first devil king. Though, call me curious - I thought only humans can possess Sacred Gears?"

"Correction - any creature with human ancestry can possess a Sacred Gear. The blood doesn't have to be pure." Genos replied, "Vali Lucifer is the son between an older descendant of Lucifer and a human woman. A unique existence, if I must say."

"Not as unique as him, though." Vali pointed at Saitama who was busy eating absentmindedly while Haruka was hugging his arm like a love-struck maiden.

Everyone stared at the bald man until he stopped chewing upon noticing the attention, "…What?" Saitama asked.

"...Anyway", Rias then shook her head, "If I'm not mistaken, those who attempted to invade and ambush us during the Peace Conference are the descendants of the original Satans. Forgive me, but how do we know if there's no correlation?"

"If I didn't know you better, I'd be offended." Issei retorted, "I've known Vali for years; he can be an asshole sometimes, can be outlandish and overdramatic, but seriously, he's no scum. He has a million things better to do than to join some loser terrorist organization."

"...Plus, you forget one thing. The Old Satan Faction don't mingle with impure devils, especially someone like me. They would rather kill me than recruit me, they're that stupid apparently," Vali also pointed out.

The Devils could not argue against that fact. Vali stared off against Sona and Rias until Genos cleared his throat.

"Ahem. Back to the subject. Vali, you're going to school. No discussions." Genos reminded.

"I refuse. Why should I, the White Dragon Emperor, lower myself to something so pointless and mundane?" Vali retorted back.

"Because your current lifestyle is unhealthy for a boy your age, and you have too much free time to do anything else." Genos bluntly argued.

Everyone stared at Vali as Vali stammered to argue back much to Issei's and Black's amusement.

"Oh, just give in. It would be interesting seeing you in a Kuoh Student uniform." Gold egged the silver-haired teenager.

"Shut up! There's nothing that school can offer other than what I already know! Nothing in this world can make me go to that place!" Vali declared.

"Everyone, we would like to introduce a transfer student. And no, it's not a girl." The home-room teacher announced it at the first period.

"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The boys jeered at the teacher while Issei for some reason, looked so eager, even more so than the girls, as he could see a silhouette standing behind the door. Once the class had calmed down, the teacher called towards the door.

"Please come in!"

The door opened, revealing a silver-haired boy grumbling to himself. The class could barely hear his words but they could guess the contents as the boy stood before the classroom, making a face that screamed his desire to be anywhere else than here. Outside the windows, one could hear the faint cackling laughter of a black imp if they listened hard enough.

The new transfer-student simply stood there, scowling as he scanned the entire classroom with a glare that seemed to want to burn this entire classroom.

[Kyaaaaa! He's a hottie!]

The girls were looking at him with star-struck expressions, marveling at his handsome features.

"GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!" The boys were gnashing their teeth, the fires of jealousy palpably burning off their bodies.

…Well, except for Issei who was biting his lower lip, holding down his laughter. The Red Dragon Emperor was holding a pair of thumbs-ups with a shit-eating grin, causing the new student to narrow his eyes. The girl named Asia Argento was smiling awkwardly, while the exorcist-pair Xenovia and Irina were looking expectantly.

"Um… Would you like to introduce yourself?" the home-room teacher asked.

Vali eventually sighed - might as well to get this whole charade done and over with. He took a chalk and wrote a mix of kanji and katakana across the black board.

"Listen to this, I will only say this once. My name is Vali… Hyoudou… nice to meet you."

It sounded as if each word was causing him physical pain. Issei immediately fell on his desk and broke down into snickers while Vali was trying to burn him alive with his glare.

[Hyoudou?!]

Almost everyone in the classroom magnetically turned to the only other person in the room with that surname.

"Wait, what!? Issei! You- you didn't tell us you have a brother?! And that he's a hottie!" Murayama shouted pointing at Vali who was scowling at the girl.

"Pffft!" Issei started banging on his desk as his snickers broke into breathless laughter.

"No… No." Issei replied after regaining his breath a few seconds later. "He's not exactly my… well… yeah, why not?"

Lifting his face off his desk, Issei got up and walked to Vali, wrapping an arm around him.

"Yeah, he's my brother! He's a bit shy, so give him a grand welcome!" Issei flashed a thumbs-up with a smile while the cackling of the black imp out the window grew louder.

"But… both of your hair colours are different, though?" The home-room teacher remarked with a curious tone.

Issei found himself pausing; his fun was interrupted by that particular question - what should I say about this?

"His hair's from my dad's side." Issei stated as a matter of fact. His dad is bald so they could not call him out.

Everyone stared at him.

"But… he's bald…" Motohama pointed out.

"He wasn't always bald." Issei stated, which was true.

Everyone remained silent, unable to respond to that statement until Xenovia commented, "Oh, I see… So your father had silver hair, originally?"

"...Yes." Issei replied without really looking at the exorcist; he felt kind of guilty for lying to her, but at the same time, he found it rather funny for some reason.

Back at the Hyoudou Residence, Saitama suddenly sneezed, much to his wife's small surprise who was sitting next to him.

"I… see, well I will just have to confirm with your parents and principal about the hair color, but for now, take an empty seat, Mr. Vali. We still need to finish the period." The teacher beckoned the new student, who scoffed and took an empty seat next to Irina.

Once the homeroom began, Irina leaned closer and whispered to Issei, "...Is that true? Mr. Saitama had silver hair before?"

"No clue, I was just bullshitting. Maybe we should ask uncle Genos later." Issei replied.

Issei glanced behind Irina, looking at Vali who was visibly grumbling to himself while the other girls were giving him the swooning eyes. Murayama and Katase were more receptive of Vali mostly since his face matches the prince of Kuoh's in terms of look - handsome with some roguish element, making him more charming than Yuuto, whose status as a single man was in the red line.

The homeroom finished soon enough, as the next subject approached. However, the homeroom teacher did not leave the class immediately.

"Aside from Mr. Vali, your math teacher Mr. Ryuuzaki has received a promotion to teach in the college division, so we are having a new teacher replacing him."

Issei flinched; everyone looked at the door as it opened. Once again, the eyes of the girls almost turned into hearts the moment they landed eyes on him.

"Hey, isn't that…" The guys were not completely burning with jealousy this time since they recognized the teacher.

"Greetings. I am Mr. Cide. I am your new math teacher from this day forward."

Genos tersely introduced himself with his hand-picked alias, coated from head to toe in holographic projection to make him appear 'human', complete with full teacher uniform and all. The boys were muttering amongst themselves.

"Hey, Issei, didn't he come with your mother during Parents' Day? That's… Not your dad, right?" Matsuda whispered, pointing at the young, handsome-looking man.

Issei did not answer as he ran his hand over his face, with everyone hearing his muffled groan.

"No. He's more like… my dad's friend." Issei groused.

"Your dad's friend? I thought your mom ditched your baldy of a dad for someone younger." Motohama pointed out.

"Hey, for one - rude. Two… he came with mom in dad's place to look after me. And now he's my homeroom teacher. Haaa-AGH?!"

Issei cried out when something hard broke against his forehead. Everyone saw Issei's head knocked back as a chalk had collided against his forehead and landed on his desk. They followed the trail and saw their new math teacher had his arm forward, as he was the one who just threw the chalk.

"Mr. Hyoudou, please refrain yourself from talking about irrelevant topics when my class is in session."

Issei hissed as he rubbed his swollen forehead, "Sorry, uncle Gen-!" He managed to duck in the last second when another chalk sped above his hair and collided with the wall behind with an audible 'thwack'.

"...It's Mr. Cide when we are at school, Ise." 'Mr. Cide' reprimanded with a calm, yet strict tone. "I believe you know better than expecting me to go easy on you just because of our familial relations."

"Yes, sir…" Issei held his head down, receiving several amusing looks from his classmates.

Vali started to grin and snicker at Issei's struggle, much to the latter's chagrin - it was a tie 1 to 1 between the Two Heavenly Dragons, ladies and gents.

oXo

Unsurprisingly, as soon as the school entered the break period, nearly all of the girls in class went towards Vali's desk, asking him questions. The White Dragon Emperor was mildly surprised at the girls' display of sheer speed; he was planning to slip away from class, and ditch the rest of the school period if possible. sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ NʘvᴇlFɪre.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

Through the chatty crowd, Vali scowled at Issei's small grin of amusement.

Issei raised his ear to the window, hearing the cackle of the black imp still resounding. However, his attention returned to the class when his ear caught one particular question.

"Do you have a girlfriend, Vali-kun?"

Issei watched Vali's reply, as the latter sighed and replied, "...I have no interest in girls."

Issei snorted and slammed his head on the desk, clutching the desk with a death grip, as he struggled even harder to contain his laugh from bursting out, as the whole class fell into silence. Outside the window, Issei could register the subtle cackling had blown out into a raucous laughter.

Vali, on the other hand, furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. What's with that reaction? What was wrong with what he said? He turned towards Issei, who was barely containing his laughter for some reason, he then turned towards the girls who lived in Issei's house, who was looking at him as if in a different light.

It took a couple of seconds for Vali to realize the can of worms he just opened with his choice of words. Before he could have spoken to salvage the situation, the class roared.

[The new guy is gay!]

"No, no! No, I'm not! I-!"

However, Vali's words were cut-off when Issei placed his hand on his shoulder - the latter was grinning from ear to ear. "I never knew, brother. But it's okay, we all have our likes and dislikes. I got your back, man. All of us got your back." Issei glanced around, prompting Vali to see that Irina, Xenovia and Asia were giving their own awkward, supportive looks.

Vali was not having any of that, however. "No, no. You're not doing this to me. You know the truth!"

Issei's expression then shifted into something more vindictive, "Aha! So I was right this whole fucking time about your fetish!"

"What?!" Vali's face was fuming, steaming pink as the guys cheered, roaring with joy for the girls' misfortune.

"Admit it… you're an ass-man." Issei smiled.

"I'm not-!" Vali had gotten too angry to even finish his line, as he returned to bark at the cheering crowd, "SHUT UP!"

Just before it could get worse, Yuuto and Koneko entered the room.

"Issei, um…" Yuuto stopped when he saw Vali grabbing Issei's shirt.

The boys and girls held their breaths when the Prince of Kuoh entered the fray.

"You seem to be having fun." Koneko noted stoically.

"Oh, yeah, you should've been here when it happened. Having the time of my life." Issei flashed a thumbs-up.

"Don't make me smack you." Vali threatened.

"Seriously, dude. If I were you, I'm gonna pick my words carefully now." Issei retorted, pointing at the audience behind Vali.

Vali scowled and turned around, seeing the boys and girls looking at him expectantly.

"He's gonna prey on the Prince of Kuoh."

"Ohhhh, I shouldn't be excited… I shouldn't be excited."

"Don't give in, Katase! Be strong… but maybe just a little…"

Vali blanched when he turned to Yuuto. He looked back at Issei with apprehension.

"How do I get out of this mess?" Vali demanded Issei.

Yuuto exhaled as he stepped in, "I'm afraid you cannot. The best choice is to hope for the mess itself to let go of you."

"Can I use violence? Can I beat up every stupid boy here until my point is through their heads?" Vali asked with a hint of desperation.

"Not if you want to go to detention… unless the girls decide to vouch for you." Issei snickered. "In fact, I think you are digging your grave even deeper the more you fight it. Having a school-life mostly involves bullshit like this one."

Vali sighed, "...This is why I don't want to go to school…."

"Hey, I go to school, and I'm doing fine. It's your fault you don't have the common sense to pick your words right."

"...And this is from the person that didn't say anything until the house burned down?" Vali glared at Issei.

"Hey, you would do the same to me. Welcome to school, Vali! You're going to love it here!"

Issei was having a blast, except during class time with Genos.

Genos was being a teacher from hell, always picking on him or Vali when he wanted an answer to a question. If answered wrong, Issei had to suffer Genos' bullet chalks striking his head every time.

It did not help that Vali snickered at his torment, and more so, that Vali was smarter than him in academics.

After that came the cafeteria.

Vali had already become the center of attention with the eyes of many girls swooning towards his direction.

"Hey, isn't he the gay prince?"

Vali's head bulged with anger at the mention, Issei's snorting and snickering did not help his case.

"I want to see him do it with Kiba."

"I shouldn't be tempted, I shouldn't be tempted…."

"Be strong, be strong, be strong…."

"I want to see him with Kiba and the silver mascot the other day."

"Oh god, the images, they're flowing… Kyaaaah!"

At this rate, the girls would become like Kiryuu in no time, Issei guessed.

"...You know, if I take a look from a different angle, I am kind of amazed that you are still sane after mingling with these kinds of…. People." Vali remarked, "...Rather, I think I might understand now the reason for your… Shenanigans sometimes - they're born from your already growing insanity."

"Hey, you can say I'm 'vaccinated' because of school instead." Issei snarked as he and Vali went to an empty table. "If you went to school earlier, you would know better than to say you're 'not interested in girls'."

"Shut it. I don't want to hear it." Vali groused as more joined their table.

"Mind if we join you?" Irina asked with a sweet smile, Xenovia and Asia standing beside her.

"Go ahead." Issei jerked his head to motion for them to take seats, while Vali simply glanced at them.

Irina and the others sat on Issei's side.

"So, school hell aside, you got an idea for a club?" Issei asked.

"...Club?" Vali repeated as if he never heard the word.

"Yeah, club as in extra-curricular activities. Are you, by any chance, interested in joining any, or starting any?" Issei pressed on.

"I don't see the point in any of that." Vali tersedly replied.

"What, you gotta have some interest other than planning to fight the Great Red and Ophis… though dad's probably way ahead of us on that." Issei retorted.

"Don't remind me. Do you know how much I looked forward to facing the Great Red? Spoiled, all of my dreams, just because a stupid baldy shattered my image of the strongest dragon with the words 'he doesn't know how to fight.'" Vali complained much to Issei's amusement.

"And that dad left when 'he started crying.' Look at the bright side, at least you can always challenge the guy that beat the Great Red and made him cry like a baby." Issei reminded.

"Yeah, maybe…. But sometimes it's just too hard to take the guy seriously." Vali sighed as he ran his hand through his silver locks.

"It takes a lot to make him serious. But trust me when I say it… you don't want him at his 'serious' serious." Issei warned. Irina shuddered when she recalled Saitama's angry side. "But back to the subject, you really need something else to do other than fighting everything. Ever thought of joining a martial arts club instead?"

"Do you remember that fight club we entered a few years back? Putting the illegal stuff aside, even you can't deny that nobody there could hold a candle against either of us." Vali replied. "Besides, it's not like all I care about is fighting, y'know? I just want… things that don't bore me to death." He finished with a scowl.

"That's… Huh." Issei did not expect such a reply to come out of his supposedly arch-rival. "A few things about you suddenly make sense. So, tell me. What does not bore you to death?"

Vali remained silent for a moment, "...That is what I'm trying to figure out." He sighed. "But enough about me. What are you going to do in your own epic quest to save your girlfriend, gigolo?"

"Stop calling me that. That word belongs to Yuuto," Issei frowned in return.

Vali gestured to the girls by his side. It did not help that Koneko and the other Devil girls started joining his table, sitting beside him.

"...He's got you there, senpai." Koneko commented, "Not to mention, as far as we know, if we don't consider Muramasa as a person, Yuuto-senpai is still…. Single, technically speaking."

"Don't encourage him, and Kiba had wooed like ninety percent of the female population." Issei frowned as Koneko, Rias, and the Devil girls smiled with the Church trio, "...But anyways, as for my plan… honestly, I don't know where to start looking. Never been to the Vatican myself, so I guess I am relying on uncle Touji and Raphael for this a little."

"I used to stay at the Vatican before coming here. I can tell you everything I know, if that helps?" Xenovia offered.

Issei blinked at her, before shrugging, "Alright, I'm counting on you. You know where the corrupt church officials like to hang out or something?"

Xenovia opened her mouth… and slowly closed them.

"Perhaps you should try going for something more practical." Rias suggested as she bit her sandwich.

"Like what, looking through their bank notes for any illicit dealings?" Issei scoffed.

There was a pause before Issei perked his head.

"...Assuming we can get our hands on them, I think that's actually a good place to start looking." Yuuto commented.

"...Alright, I'm at a dead-end." Issei admitted. "But how the hell do I know which ones are the right bank notes and stuff? I don't know how to read a paper trail like in the movies."

"That's where I come in."

Everyone turned and saw Genos - Mr. Cide, standing before them, holding a tray of his own lunch. The rest of the student body were giving curious and admiring looks at the new teacher.

Issei scowled at Genos and looked away.

"I have built-in scanners designed to analyze even the tiniest traces of evidence from DNA scans of the smallest dandruffs to the faintest fingerprints. And I can read all forms of data from any paper trail in existence." Genos explained while ignoring Issei's face.

"...Of course you do…" Issei grumbled, before he shook his head.

"...And compile all of the evidence into the main computers in Azazel's lab for further analysis. We will not just send you over without adult supervision, Issei." Genos elaborated further.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. I did tell dad that you will come along, remember?" Issei caved in.

"However…" Genos' gaze then hardened a fraction, "There is one last topic that you need to solve before the summer vacation."

Everyone on the table blinked, "Which is…?" Rias asked - she and perhaps everyone else, could not really think of anything.

"The mid-semester test." Genos dropped the bomb. "I believe you understand the gravity of the exam. I hope you prepared for the greatest obstacle to come in your high school years."

Issei blanched, "...Uh…"

"What is this exam? It sounds like a total waste of time." Vali commented; only to barely catch a fork jammed between his eyes with his fingers.

The White Dragon Emperor turned to Genos, who had his hand aimed at him, "The same goes to you, Vali. Every year, the students will have to take their mid-term exams to see how far they have gone in their academics for the past half of their year. Should they fail to achieve the average scores, they will be required to attend supplementary lessons during the summer-break period."

"...And why should I bother with this?" Vali frowned.

"One - because you are a student in this school, and two - because if you don't, I'll have one of the big bads turn you into a statue neck-down, as I lecture every subject into every cell of your brain."

Vali paled at the image, Issei sucking in his lips at the brutal penance. The others stared at Genos, either amazed or mortified that he could create a hellish scene that could break any strong mind into submission.

"Now that is out of the way, you should wrap up your lunch. Break time won't last forever, and you kids need energy." Genos said as he began to eat.

Per usual, the next chapter is in you-know-where. ;)

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