Chapter 27: Stance
"Mind if I make a suggestion...?" asked Vahn, looking around Issei's room, his gaze settling on things like his multiple figurines of scantily clad anime girls, the spine of a magazine sticking out from under his mattress, and a waste bin near his computer station, filled with crumpled tissues.
"Sure, what's up...?" asked Issei, opening his closet to reveal even more figurines and various boxes as he retrieved a spare futon from within.
"Before you bring a girl here, you might want to change your decor a bit," stated Vahn. "I'm no expert, but I can't imagine too many girls would feel comfortable or confident you have their best interests in mind if they saw this..."
"Mmm...you have a point..." conceded Issei, joining Vahn in looking around his room. He wouldn't have humored the idea of reorganizing even a week prior, but now that he had become a Devil and the likelihood of him having a harem had increased from null to possible, there was merit in making his room a place girls could feel comfortable.
Deciding to shelve the idea for later, Issei plopped the futon Vahn would be using onto the ground as he asked, "So, what's the plan? I take point, and you provide support?"
"You're not the only one who wants to become stronger," reminded Vahn. "Also, you won't be fighting monsters."
Before Issei would ask what he meant, Vahn held up and gripped his left hand into a fist. The moment he did so, a crimson Magic Circle appeared a short distance away, spinning in the air random axes until Kiba, followed a moment later by Koneko, appeared.
"We meet again. Good evening, Vahn, Issei," said Kiba, offering his usual friendly smile.
"Nn...Master..." muttered Koneko, her gaze locking onto Vahn before she left Issei feeling immensely envious as she approached and wrapped her arms around him, nuzzling his diaphragm.
Cupping the back of Koneko's head, Vahn cradled and caressed it as he looked between Kiba and Issei, settling on the latter as he stated, "Since the Stray Exorcist you faced wielded a sword and a gun, I requested Kiba to serve as your sparring partner. Even my body tenses up when facing an enemy with a weapon, and I have much more experience than you. Facing him will help you overcome or push through that fear, allowing you to fight more effectively."
"Makes sense," conceded Issei, nodding. A not-so-small part of him felt that it wasn't fair for Vahn to get to explore and spend time with Koneko while he was stuck with Kiba, but since the former was doing him a solid by not only allowing him to use the Corridor but securing him a sparring partner, he kept his admittedly petty indignation to himself...