Gaming Badly in DxD

-Sona Sitri-

‘Haa…’ I took a deep breath, trying my best to relax since I finally had time to myself. It was just so… incredibly hard.

I thought that being apart from Kuoh would do some good, and while Italy would, at first glance, seem like a terrible choice for a devil to vacation in, there were quite a few cities that had little to no church influence.

An example being: Rome.

Who would have thought that the Olympians and the Church did not get along?

Everyone, probably.

I got up, rolling my shoulders with a frown. For the last few days, after… my Rook’s apathy about his ascension being ‘impossible’ and him doing something as preposterous as giving devils a blessing. I just had this constant headache that wouldn’t go away, no matter what.

It’s not like I wasn’t thankful to the man. He helped my best friend, has been constantly diligent on his tasks, and even takes on more paperwork off my plate that he should just because.

‘’’I can do it faster,’ he says.’’ I huffed mockingly, entering the kitchen of the rented home to prepare myself something to eat.

If there was an advantage of being on vacation, it was the fact that I didn’t have to dress… strictly. I could just use some sort of pajamas.

I blinked, staring at the open cupboard with a frown. Then, I turned to the fridge and to my surprise, it was practically empty.

‘Did I forget to buy groceries yesterday…?’ I sighed.

Seems like I have to make a small trip to the store, or maybe I could… be lazy and order a pizza?

The sound of the front door ringing made me pause.

‘The neighbors?’ I wondered while getting closer, trying to rub the sleep off my eyes. It was quite early for them to be knocking at my door, but that nice old lady from two houses to the left did somehow lose her cat three times this week. ‘’Coming!’’

I opened the door just as the doorbell rang again. With a sigh, I opened the door.

‘’Ms Sofia, what could I help… you… with…’’ My eyes widened because at the door, there wasn’t the nice old lady, but a young man with a wild black ponytail, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, while holding a small black and white cat.

Ah, and how to forget that slowly but surely, his face grew in a teasing grin, while his hazel eyes looked down at me in amusement.

…At the me who had disheveled hair, was just out of bed, no glasses, and was wearing blue dolphin pajamas.

I stared, blinked several times, thinking that maybe it was an illusion, and that somehow my Rook hadn’t managed to land in Italy somehow.

That line of thinking went down the drain once he spoke.

‘’Very cute pajamas, my dear King~’’ He teased while bowing his head slightly in a mock sign of respect. ‘’But seriously, I wouldn’t think that a girl just out of bed would look so stunning. Props for that, So-na-chan~’’

At every word, I felt my face heat up, and my stomach fill with dread. I groaned as the man chuckled.

Trying to ignore the situation entirely, I focused on the cat the young man was holding. The little thing had curled up in his arms like he was the toastiest blanket in the world, but the thing was…

I recognized that cat.

‘’Ah, dearie, thanks so much!’’ I turned, watching from the door as a portly, grey-haired woman with an amicable smile and brown eyes looked at Zatren. ‘’You found my little Mittens! He always runs off, you know?’’

But then, the nice woman paused, stared at me, standing at the door, and then at the grinning Zatren as he gave the woman her cat back.

‘’Oh! I just knew someone as pretty as Miss Sona here wouldn’t be without a partner!’’ She swooned happily, looking a few more times between my mortified face and Zatren’s ever-growing amusement. ‘’Hope you enjoy your stay! Oh, and don’t worry about the noises, the walls are very thick in this block!’’

I was about to retort that my Rook and I were not involved like that, and that our relationship was merely professional and of friendship. Yet, before I could, Zatren put an arm around my shoulders and gave Ms Sofia a big smile.

‘’Ah, thanks a lot, Signorina. You see, Sona here is very shy, so don’t mind her, okay?’’ I looked at him with wide eyes as he lied like a bastard. And in exchange, I got a teasing smile and eyes filled with… something.

Something that sent a shiver down my spine.

‘’Oh, and such a charmer too~! I see, I see! Then, I’ll leave you two love-birds alone now. Enjoy your vacation~’’ Sophia nodded, as in realization before scurrying off, all the while muttering dreamily about ‘youth’ and ‘young love’.

I groaned as my shoulders slumped.

I turned to glare at my Rook, but he just gave a shrug of his shoulders and an impish grin while trying to hide his chuckles.

It was too early in the morning, I hadn’t eaten yet, and I had just gotten out of bed. All to be teased and made fun of by this infuriating man who had wormed himself into my life like a particularly stubborn tick on a dog’s hide.

So I just smashed my face against his chest and groaned in misery.

Of course, much to the amusement of this handsome, black-haired, pretty-faced bastard.

-X-x-X-

-Zatren Fumigami-

Teasing Sona was always a delight. However, in lieu of not stressing her too much, I held back quite a bit.

‘’Why would you even confirm her suspicions? And stop petting my head already!’’ Sona squirmed from her place in my lap. Yet, she did not make any movement to get off.

Well, I was holding back in my humble opinion. Which may completely differ from the sleepy King now grumbling like munching on a pastry.

‘’Sorry, sorry, I just thought it would be funny,’’ I admitted while I placed my hands on her shoulders. The girl stifled slightly before relaxing.

I gave the bob-haired girl a more appreciative look. Yes, she looked very cute in those dolphin pajamas, but I was focusing more on the bags under her eyes and how she seemed to be slouching while eating. Apparently, Tsubaki was right, and Sona had been doing everything but relaxing.

‘’What are you doing here anyway?’’ Sona asked with a huff.

‘’Tsubaki told me you were not resting properly,’’ I admitted with a grin, much to her shock. ‘’Apparently, she was right~’’

Once more, Sona’s cheeks turned a slightly rosy pink color as she tried to hide her face in the tray holding pastries and cookies of every kind. I had brought a lot, since I didn’t particularly know which one Sona liked the best.

Simple with powdered sugar on top was the answer, apparently.

‘’So…’’ She whispered more than spoke. ‘’You came all the way here to just… check up on me?’’

The way she said that so shily made me want to fuzz all over her. Pat her head multiple times and hug her like a plushie. However, I held back because Sona wasn’t one of ‘’my girls’’ and I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable.

‘’Partly.’’ I shrugged. ‘’I also have some treasure-hunting to do.’’

‘’What do you mean by thaAAAthH~’’ And, to throw Sona off guard and into another topic of conversation, I started giving her stiff shoulders a massage. ‘’Y-you don’t have to…Oh, mngg…’’

‘’You’re stiff as a brick, Sona.’’ I teased, feeling the girl shiver on my lap while I applied a bit more pressure. Not only that, but I was using Healing Touch around my fingers, trying to see if it would have any effect on the massage itself. ‘’Aren’t you the one always chastising the student body for walking and sitting incorrectly, not getting enough sleep, and not eating properly~?’’

Sona appeared to be making herself smaller with each word. And, as much as I made fun of it, it’s not like I wanted to see a dear friend of mine under so much stress. Especially since I was partly responsible for it.

‘’I… I know—Mng! Ah, please, a little to the left— It’s just…’’ She tried and failed to come up with an excuse as her face reddened and her body became putty under my touch. ‘’…I apologize. You shouldn’t have to be the one to see your King like this. It’s quite the shameful display.’’

I scoffed, pressing a particularly big knot on purpose, making the girl yelp and turn her head to me with a pointed stare.

‘’What are you apologizing for, idiot?’’ I unashamedly insulted the smart girl’s intellect. ‘’Everyone has their highs and lows, but you don’t have to hide them from me or anyone. If you were feeling bad, you should have told me, and I would have turned my shenanigans down a peg.’’

Sona blinked with open-mouthed shock. As I had just said that the sky was green or the ocean was purple. Then, her blush got twice as bad as she turned once more, munching on another pastry in embarrassed silence.

‘’Thank you, Zatren…’’ She ended up whispering, and even while looking from the back, I could see the little smile on her face.

And while I did promise, she just looked too cute not to tease.

‘’Anything for my King~’’ I whispered right into her ear with a grin as I untied the remaining knots on her shoulders. ‘’If you need to relieve some stress, I can always help you out~’’

I resisted the urge to chuckle as the always-serious girl turned to me with a glare and a blush that even reached the tips of her ears. So cute!

‘’Y-you just promised to turn your antics down a bit!’’ She complained with, surprisingly enough, a very cute frown that bordered on a pout.

Which only made me want to tease her a bit more!

‘’I told you already, stop with the headpats!’’ She groaned but didn’t pull away from my hand. ‘’Ughh! Do whatever then, see if I care!’’

Adorable. I could just eat her up~

-X-x-X-

After teasing my adorable King and making sure she had eaten a proper meal, and making her promise me she’ll take a proper nap after lunch, I started to plan while walking down the streets.

Plan for what? Well, of course, to take Sona on a date~!

Sure, I haven’t asked her yet, but we still had that thing with the chess match going on. It has been a while since our last match, and while I wasn’t all there in skill yet, I can now properly cheat.

By memorizing popular chess plays and using Thought Acceleration to make them happen.

So, I was taking a walk, see if there were some tourist spots here. And so far, there was the obvious choice of the Colosseum, but I think I saw one or two art galleries when I was on my way to Sona’s current residence.

‘Hm?’ Among the people walking the streets, I saw a pair of people who stood out a bit. Mostly because they had big cameras and looked at everything with excitement. Tourists, probably.

I got slightly closer, trying to hear in their conversation. After all, they may know a nice place to go by how excitedly they were chatting.

‘’I’m telling you! There’s a Gallery close to the department store which has alive-looking paintings of the Gods and even some monsters!’’

‘’Really?! We have to go take a look!’’

‘’Yeah, but let’s get some lunch first, there’s a nice restaurant called ‘’Pepe’s’’. Apparently, the meatlovers pizza just melts in your mouth!’’

‘’Ohh! We have to go, we have to go!’’

I tuned off the rest of the conversation; my curiosity has been piqued, apparently.

‘Would Sona like a place like that, though? She is more of the scholar type, and she did come to a place as historically rich as Rome, after all…’ I hummed. ‘…Don’t the Gods actually exist in this world? Would I run into some sort of Zeus shenanigans? No, wait. Those were the Greeks… But the Romans did adopt the Greek Gods after conquering Greece…’

Well, I won’t know until I check it out. Who knows, maybe there’s some interesting history behind the pictures that I haven’t seen, or that doesn’t exist back in my own world.

A growl interrupted my musings, and I patted my stomach with a solemn nod.

Yeah, better have lunch first.

Now… where was that Pepe’s place?

-X-x-X-

-Unlucky Man-

‘’Password.’’ The voice on the other side of the metal door said.

Rolling my eyes at the absurdity of it all, I snarked. ‘’You know it’s me, just open the door.’’

‘’Rules are rules, kid.’’ The man said, gravely this time, and then a sound of a gun being cocked echoed from behind the door. ‘’Password, or you can leave.’’

I groaned, tempted to just tell this idiot to go fuck himself. But with all the trouble I had gone through to steal that stupid piece of jewelry, I had to comply at this point.

‘’Fine. Miss One. Hit Two. Kill Three.’’ I whisper-shouted. ‘’Are you done already?’’

My answer was the sound of the lock disengaging as the heavy door opened. I didn’t even bother looking at the greasy, gruffy old man who served as a guard and instead just walked ahead.

The place was a mess, but that tended to be the case for places like this. The dirtier and less concurred it was, the better chances of it getting ignored by the cops, especially considering that one art exhibit just down the street. It gathered all the attention, and not a single idiot gave a glance at this old place.

‘’Of course, they had to put their stupid little mafia thingy right below a pizzeria.’’ I scoffed while walking down a set of concrete stairs to the hidden basement below. ‘’What’s next, would ah’ have to meet ‘the don’, which is just an old geezer with greasy hair slicked back like a cow had just taken ah’ lick?’’

As I finally made it to the bottom, I raised an eyebrow at the scene. There were two mustache-wearing dudes in greasy wife-beaters with crossed arms. Surrounding them was a minibar, a pool table, and an old radio that was playing Neomelodica.

And just behind the grunts, there was a man with a beer belly, dressed in a fancy suit, with a white cat on his lap as he sat down on a brand new recliner chair, which looked completely at odds with the dilapidated room.

And yes, he had that stupid cow-licked hairstyle.

Because of course he had.

‘’Come closer, bambino…’’ The mooks parted as the Don spoke with a very raspy tone. Was he trying to sell the aesthetic, or did he have something stuck down his throat? ‘’I believe you have what we agreed upon?’’

‘’Depends, do ya’ have the money?’’ I huffed while patting the fanny pack on my side.

The Don clicked his fingers, and one of the mooks turned around to retrieve a black suitcase. With a click, the man opened it, revealing big stacks of cash, with each bill being of five hundred euros.

I bit my lip and nodded, taking out an object from the fanny pack.

It was a purple diamond. At first, I thought that this thing was a fake when I found it in my old man’s basement. I didn’t know much about him besides that he was an old member of the Church. So, finding the piece of jewelry was quite the surprise, and while I wasn’t eager to sell it, money was getting tight.

Color me surprised; however, there were quite a few people interested in it. So, I just went with the one who offered the most.

And of course, it had to be the Italian mafia; it was just mah’ luck.

‘’Excellent.’’ A smile covered the Don’s old face as he clicked his fingers once more. ‘’Donny, it’s time to take out the trash.’’

My eyes widened in surprise as the two muscled men took out a gun each. Then, realization hit, and I cursed myself for being such a damn idiot. Of course, the mafia plays dirty, you idiotic fuck!

‘’It’s nothing personal, boy.’’ The Don reassured me like there weren’t two guns pointed at my head. ‘’Just business—‘’

‘’CIAO BELLA!’’ The sound of a metal door crashing interrupted the mafia boss. And the two mooks pointed their weapons upwards, to the stairs. ‘’That wasn’t the password? Eh, I bet it was between that and Parmigiano Ri… Rego… No. Regy? Ah, screw it. Missed the timing already.’’

‘’Who is there?!’’ The man I guessed was ‘Donny’ said in a gruff shout.

And from the stairs, a black-haired man jumped. Landing perfectly on his feet, even putting his hand on the floor in some sort of ‘hero landing’, and with a winner's smile on his face, looked between the two people who were aiming guns at his head.

‘Did… did a madman just escape from the nearby mental ward?’ I wondered, even as I stole glances to the left at the suitcase and the Don.

‘’Yo! So, to whom should I speak if I want to order a pizza?’’ The teenager smiled, and now I was sure he was some sort of crazy person. ‘’This Pepe’s right? The front is unmanned. Zero starts on service, that’s for sure.’’

The Don suddenly blinked and took a deep sigh. Then, he slowly turned to a now nervous mook. ‘’Reggie… why is the front desk unmanned?’’ He asked in a grave tone.

‘’Um…’’ ‘Reggie’ stuttered, even lowering his weapon a bit while he turned around to look at his boss. ‘’I-I told you, boss. Everyone else is on vacation right now. It was just Tyler, Donny, and me. And you said that we needed someone to do the password thing…’’

I was starting to take this ‘’mafia’’ a lot less seriously all ah’ sudden.

‘’You incompetent— Ahg! Whatever!’’ The Don called, getting up from his chair and taking out his own gun. Pointing it at the young man with a ponytail. ‘’Sorry, boy. But you’ll have to swim with the fishes—‘’

‘’Oh, I was sure you were going to use the ‘You were at the wrong place at the wrong time.’’’ The hazel-eyed man clicked his tongue before pinching his fingers together. ‘’Or even the ‘Nothin’ personal kid. Just business.’’’

Seeing the Don’s face turn from confused to annoyed gave me an idea. So, while I discreetly made my way to the discarded suitcase, I raised a finger.

‘’Actually, he used that last one on me just now,’’ I said, even grinning at the absurdity of the situation.

‘’Ah! I was late to the show. Also, also, is that fucking mafia music in the background?’’ At this point, the Don had his gun directly on the kid’s face. ‘’That’s just sad, man. You can’t try and be ‘El Padrino’ and then work on this shit place—‘’

‘’Enough!’’ bang.

Quick on my feet, I grabbed the discarded suitcase and prepared to make a run for it. If I could make it out of here with the money and the diamond, then maybe I could search for a damn legal buyer that—

‘’That’s just rude.’’ I froze.

And slowly turned around. One of the mooks dropped his weapon to the ground as they stared in open shock.

Because the young man, whom I believed was as good as dead, was just staring at the frozen Don with a smile on his face.

Right on his forehead, where he was shot, lay a small piece of metal that looked like a coin. But no, in reality, that was the bullet the mafia boss had just shot on his head. The round had literally flattened against his skull, without even marring the skin.

‘’My turn!’’ The man called out excitedly, and it was only now that I noticed he had somehow picked the discarded gun from the floor without ever crouching. ‘’Ichi-Ni-San-KABLAM!’’

Another bang, but this time, a body did drop. It was from the mook called Reggie, who lay dead on the ground, with a bullet through his head and a pool of blood coming from it.

‘’Huh…’’ The young man frowned, looking at his weapon. ‘’Does killing a regular human make me a bad guy, considering I’m way above superhuman?’’

Personally, I didn’t know what the fuck he was talking about. I had taken a hiding spot behind the Don’s chair. Clutching the money-filled suitcase and my fanny pack in hopes that the monster in human skin forgot about my existence altogether!

Another shot echoed in the basement, along with the scream of the other mook. At this point, the Don had dropped all pretenses of power and was outright shaking in fear.

‘’Is it money?! You want money?! I can give you money so—HIIIII!’’ And he was shut up the moment the young man put a hand over his shoulders while practically rubbing the gun on his face.

‘’Jinzui, do you think I’m evil for killing these dudes?’’ He asked with genuine concern in his voice, all the while tapping the barrel of the weapon on the Don’s incredibly pale face.

‘’No, partner. You’re not evil for killing a boss of a clearly very illegal organization.’’ A… woman’s voice answered back. What? When did a gal get in the room, even?!

‘’Aw, thanks, dear.’’ He preened before looking at the Don. ‘’You heard my lovely partner!’’

‘’N-no! Wait, I can—‘’ Bang.

And another thud.

‘’Well, that’s a mess and a half… but I never get to act that much like a dumbass nowadays. Good old internet brainrot… how I missed you so~’’ Was he fake sniffing now?!

I covered my mouth with my hand, trying not to make much sound while breathing. But I couldn’t even hear that monster move. I was hoping, praying that he had gone away.

‘’Yo.’’ I froze and slowly turned my head up. There, peeking from the very tall chair, was the smiling young man. ‘’May I take a look at your bag for a moment? Real quick, I swear.’’

I trembled in fear, but considering that this… thing. Had managed to take a bullet directly to the head without a single sound of discomfort. I was more than eager to comply.

‘’S-sure… just… please don’t kill me.’’ I pleaded while slowly handing the man the dirty old fanny pack with the diamond inside.

Which the young man immediately took out, felt the weight of it in his hand, and then his eyes started glowing. I could even see what seemed to be literal numbers or bars of code reflected in his eyes while he stared at the diamond.

‘’Huh… Well, that’s one down.’’ He popped his lips before looking at me again. This time, with an apologetic smile. ‘’Sorry about that, but could I keep the crystal? I reeeeally need it.’’

I blinked, and in between saying no and risking becoming the next victim of this madman, or giving him the damn rock, I was more than sure what I would choose!

‘’K-keep it! Ah’ didn’t even want it no more!’’ I said, trying to hide the suitcase with money from his gaze. ‘’Just let me live for it, aight’? It’s a good deal, right?! Ah’ won’t tell nobody!’’

Confused hazel eyes stared at me before he shrugged. ‘’Sure. Pleasure doing business, I guess.’’

I held my chest in panic as the young man retreated. I could hear the sound of steps getting farther, going up the stairs, and then disappearing after a few moments.

I peeked out from the chair, and my eyes widened at the scene.

Not a smidge of blood, and not a single one of the bodies. I hurried back on my feet with the suitcase in hand and made my way up the stairs. Here, too, the man guarding the door was nowhere to be found.

The only evidence of this entire event is the broken metal door and my memories.

‘Fuck it! Ah’m moving out!’ I said and ran as fast as I could OUT of this place. ‘What the fuck even was that?!’

‘Ah’m moving to Japan, whatever the fuck happens there, at least there would be almost no gun-using fools and probably no darn mafia!’ I breathed out once I reached my hideout a few streets off the scene of the murders. ‘And Ah’ sure as fuck won’t be seeing that man again!’

-X-x-X-

-Zatren Fumigami-

‘’What a weird dude.’’ I shrugged while looking at the young man just running off with the money. ‘’Well, hopefully that lasts him. I got the real prize, after all!’

From inside the empty Pepe’s pizzeria, I took one good look at the purple diamond in my hand. To be fair, I really wanted something to eat, but once I got closer, I couldn’t help but notice the amount of magic flowing out of this thing.

…Which somehow led me to the worst interpretation of an Italian mafia. Don’t ask, I don’t know. I just used Analysis to determine they were shitty people and then gunned them down.

Eternal Diamond

A purple gem that contains a surplus of magic power accumulated over centuries. Ideal to make costly rituals or even as a power source if you are enough of a madman.

[Tiamat’s Wealthy Treasures 1/5].

Man, and there were at least four more treasures of similar quality, along with whatever the hell those other three were? Just how stacked was Tiamat?!

I was almost tempted to keep this one to myself, since I could already think of a few ways to use it. However, I was a man of my word. So, I just stored it in my inventory to give back later.

‘’Now…’’ I turned to the empty place, and walked right behind the counter and into the kitchen. ‘’I need me some of that Italian pizza!’’

‘’Never change, partner.’’ Jinzui said in amusement.

‘’Never will!’’

-X-x-X-

-Griselda Quarta-

I took a deep breath, looking down at the blue-haired swordswoman with an appreciative glance.

She was panting hard, with light cuts and bruises all over her body, and probably under her training gear, a grey tank top and loose shorts.

“Rest, Xenovia.” I nodded with a smile as the girl grunted, trying and failing to stand up using a sword as big as she was tall as leverage to not kneel over. “You have made amazing progress, and while I understand your frustration, riddling yourself with injuries would make your efforts vain.”

The girl gained a determined look and, surprisingly enough, got on her own two feet even if her legs were shaking. The big hunk of metal she used as a blade groaned as it was unsheathed from the floor.

“One more time…” The demand would have gone through me if she weren’t panting just by holding her sword. “After Rapidly’s fall… I cannot just sit on my rear all day…”

I sighed. As always, my… apprentice was far too hard on herself. The death and loss of Excalibur Rapidly was in no way her fault. Yet, she, as a Holy Sword bearer herself, wanted to train twice as hard. Probably because if a similar situation arose once more, she would prefer not to be as unprepared as Rapidly.

It certainly didn’t help that they were somewhat acquainted, and Xenovia had called the young man a ‘decent swordman’. Which, coming from her socially stunted self, was high praise.

“Enough, Xenovia.” So, I had to put my foot down, much to the girl’s surprise. “Go get yourself checked over with a healer. Don’t think I haven’t noticed that the bruises from our last spar remain on your body, young lady!”

Xenovia hesitated, and I could tell that she was moments away from defying my direct order. Yet, she bit her lip and took a deep breath.

“Understood, Sister Griselda.” And with a dry response, she left the room with her sword on her back.

I frowned and shook my head. ‘That girl… she needs to learn not to put all the weight on her shoulders.

Though I was one to talk, since as her guardian, I wasn’t any better. She probably picked the trait from me, after all.

With a sigh, I started putting the training equipment away for the day. Yet, just as I was about to be done, another voice interrupted from behind.

“Sister Griselda?” I turned around, looking at the nervous blond girl whom I recognized as a secretary. “We have a… situation.”

‘Situation’ had never boded well for times of rest lately.

“Speak, what is it?” I crossed my arms.

“W-well… There’s been some worrying sightings in Rome.” The girl started.

Rome? From the last time I remember, we didn’t have much of a pull in that city. Not only because it’s neutral territory nowadays, but also because of a weird loop in mythos, making the place technically Olympian territory.

“Some of our people have seen a young man walking around… which we are pretty sure is an Angel or a Deus.” I blinked, already feeling a headache. “There’s also been some strange underground activity, and… reports of a giant bug lady scaring people.”

…

I stared down at the secretary, who had started to squirm. ‘...I’m sure I had a bottle of wine saved just for these types of occasions.’

“How can we be sure if the young man is an Angel, much less a Deus?” And I'd better see a better explanation than some mediocre lightshow.

“He actually saw our agents…” I paused, holding back a groan of exasperation at the sheer incompetence. “And he scared them off by using holy magic while saying, and I quote… ‘Deus DxD Machina. Type shit.’”

…

You’re telling me that there is an unknown Deus—Because I refused the idea of an Angel doing such… childish things—Walking around Rome unbothered. AND a ‘bug woman’ who has been seen by various pedestrians roaming around.

…

I stared at the secretary dead in the eye before taking a deep breath… and walking out the door.

“Ma’am?”

“Just leave the report on my desk, I’ll check it tomorrow.”

“B-but!”

“Tomorrow!”

Now I really needed to find that wine bottle. Seriously, just how much do I need to deal with on a daily basis? Can’t we have another Mother Superior?

-X-x-X-

Bonus Scene: A Goddess’s Attention.

-?-

It was not often that I stepped out of my real to just… see more of an individual.

However, the youngling turned godling has constantly caught my attention. It also didn’t help that he actively used my name from time to time when many others either fear or forget about it entirely.

And, I’ll admit, that the situations he manages to get himself into are… amusing.

If there was anything particular about this little outing of mine, it was the shock on little Ama’s face when she thought I just couldn’t step out of Yomi. Silly daughter of mine. Of course, I could, at least, when it comes to jumping from realm to realm.

In this case, a death realm. Yet, unlike many she had seen before, this one held a beautiful field of blue flowers. And, just a mere, significant look revealed that these were indeed souls, only that nurtured and born anew as blue flowers, and once a flower wilted, it would mean that the soul was ready for reincarnation.

‘What a beautiful cycle~’ I hummed.

“Tis not very oft that I receiveth visitors, much less so from a fellow God,” I turned. Right in the middle of the field stood a lilac-haired woman with butterflies flapping their wings around her. She was wearing a soft pink and white dress, with a purple veil over her face and an extinguished torch in her hand. “To what doth I owe the visit. Izanami-No-Mikoto?”

Right and to the point. That much I could appreciate.

“Recently, a mortal-turned-godling whom I have taken an interest in… crossed borders, and is currently doing a tour around Rome. He is an adventurous little one, you see~” I started, even if the veiled woman didn’t move an inch. “And I don’t believe we need… conflict to arise from a misunderstanding, do we?”

After all, a God trespassing on the territory of another is supposed to be a great deal, and even sometimes a declaration of war. Apparently, the godling wasn’t particularly aware of the fact.

“And thou hast come to request permission to watch over him?” Thanatos asked, her soft, warm voice gaining an edge of curiosity. “It leaves one such as I curious as to what this person hath done to catcheth thy attention so.”

I blinked, but then a grin bloomed on my face as I clasped the woman’s hand with my own, much to her surprise.

“Do you have a couch here? This could be a fun little experience~!” I asked excitedly. “Let me show you what I mean. I believe the mortals in my realm call this… ‘rooting for your husbando’? Though I am quite unfamiliar with the term.’’

I raised an eyebrow, since all of a sudden, Thanatos started to shake. That was until I heard a small chuckle escape her lips.

Hm. Have I said the term wrong? Ah, it was of no matter either way.

The good thing is that I could keep watching over the young man. And who knows, maybe one day, I could even have a chat with him~

-X-x-X-

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Author's Note:

Not much of a plot-centered chapter this time, but at least I hope you guys had a good laugh with its contents. Either because you find it funny, or because its so cringe that you laugh because of how cringe it is, any of them work!

Anyway, ever since someone mentioned how Izanami is watching Zuzu like someone watches their favorite show or anime character, I couldn't help but feel that was so on point. Now, how would that translate with the Olympians?

...Should Zuzu watch out for any sort of Geese running around? Nahhh... That should be fine. Probably.

There are seven chapters of this fic on my if you wish to support me btw, just saying~

ALSO, QQ AND SH PEOPLE DON'T KNOW, BUT TWO DAYS AGO, IT WAS THE DATE OF THE FIRST EVER GAMING BADLY IN DXD CHAPTER PUBLISHED! YIPPIEEEEEEEEEEE~!

Joking aside, thank all of you guys for the support and for reading along with my first ever fic! I'm working on smt to commemorate this date, but it will take a while for it to be ready!

Discord Link: .gg/92Yt5wxeWN