Chapter 57: Bros
"I see you've cleaned up and organized quite a bit since our last visit," remarked Kiba, looking around Issei's room alongside Vahn. There were still figurines present, but they were mostly mecha and action figures. More notably, all the posters of scantily clad girls from anime and video games had been taken down, replaced by tasteful promo art and movie posters.
"Well, I don't want any girls that visit to be uncomfortable, you know...?" responded Issei, smiling wryly as he briefly met Vahn's gaze, earning an approving nod for his efforts.
"But why did you invite us over so suddenly...?" asked Vahn, pulling out a trio of comfortable chairs for him, Issei, and Kiba to sit on as he didn't feel like sitting on the floor.
"No reason, really," responded Issei, shrugging and taking a seat as he contended, "I just figured we should hang out more often, just us guys. I also tried inviting Saji, but he blew me off, saying he needed to take care of his siblings."
"Well, he wasn't lying," assured Vahn, revealing, "I heard from Sona that he's become the primary caretaker for his younger brother and sister ever since their grandfather died. That's the reason he became a Devil. If Sona hadn't intervened and purchased their grandfather's property, they would have lost it and been forced to separate."
"Damn...I had no clue. Now I feel bad for thinking he blew us off just to be a jerk..." muttered Issei, closing his eyes and sighing. As evidenced by his family's sizeable plot of land and two-story house, they were relatively well off. He also had both his parents, and while they embarrassed him to no end, they loved him dearly.
"Everyone has their circumstances..." confirmed Vahn, looking to Kiba as he asked, "What about you, Kiba-kun? What was your life like before you became a Devil?"
Exhaling faintly from his nose, Kiba's smile waned slightly, his blue eyes focusing on something neither Vahn nor Issei could see as he responded, "I would prefer not to get into specifics, but like Vahn-sama, I once took part in a cruel experiment. And like Issei-kun, I am only here today due to the grace of Rias-sama. She even gave me my name. Before, I was simply Subject 47..."
"Jeez...am I seriously the only one who doesn't have a tragic past...?" asked Issei, feeling a peculiar form of guilt he had never experienced.
"That's not entirely true," argued Vahn, causing Issei's already cramped expression to crack as he dutifully reminded, "You were pierced through the chest and heart by the first girl to confess and ask you out. You may have lived an ordinary life until then, but if this were a manga, that would be a pretty tragic way to go."
"You can be exceptionally blunt sometimes, Vahn-kun..." remarked Issei, grimacing.