Gaming Badly in DxD

-Zatren Fumigami-

I blinked, ‘awake’ but not awake. Inside a world filled with hundreds of different colors, each with its own personal trait.

‘’You know, I kind of expected this when you said ‘soon’, but I didn’t expect it to be soon, soon.’’ I joked while looking around my soul space. In one of the far corners, and being most prominent of all, stood a slumbering flame. ‘’Sup, Ddraig.’’

The broken Boosted Gear nestled in my soul stirred as an emerald eye the size of my torso stared back for a moment.

‘’It’s been a while since you came here.’’ The dragon huffed lazily and, without another word, went back off into dreamless sleep.

…Well then.

‘’Jinzui? Where are you, partner?’’ I called out because if there was a reason I was back here, it must be for the odd-acting spirit. ‘’…searching it is.’’

I had never before wandered my soul, but it was a novel experience nonetheless. Since the Legendary Spear was deeply tied to it, I could see many of my most used spear-forms lying around as small little stars; not entirely relevant to the making of my whole, but still a part of it, just like a single rock is not all that relevant to a mountain, but it comes with it.

…I’m getting too philosophic here. The point is, there were intriguing things as I walked by.

I saw two Rook pieces attached to me by nothing but a thread, being able to be cut off at any moment; those must be Rias and Sona’s Rooks.

It was curious to know I could ‘reject’ the pieces and not be a ‘servant’ anymore, but… nah, I had way more fun teasing the two with our power-dynamics.

‘’Ah, that must be my divine power or something?’’ I hummed, noticing shining light that threatened to eclipse everything in sight, yet instead, it enveloped the whole and seeped into it, becoming a complement instead of the sole element. ‘’Neat, deeper in we go!’’

And so I did.

Images, memories, feelings. All blurred together the deeper I walked. Every fight and skirmish I had. The training, the passionate nights (and days) with the girls I hold so dear, my first date with Koneko, the first time I talked with Jinzui. Heck, the first time one of my skills leveled up, which just felt like it happened ages ago.

I don’t think I could even reach this deep if I weren’t guiding my path with Senjutsu.

But it all led me to a single thing; the one thing that has prevailed and been rooted to me like my very existence depended on it, lest I would not be… well, myself.

‘’So that’s my greed?’’ I whistled. It was enveloped by tendrils that made it rise into the air and protect it like some sort of core, and considering I was a very greedy man… yeah. ‘’Still, it looks like a lich’s phylactery or something. Evil-looking thing.’’

Did I forget to mention it kind of pulsed as if it were a living heart? Yuck. Cool, but yuck nonetheless.

Strangely enough… the core had a golden tendril which didn’t belong to its ‘holding’, which trailed deep into the darkness…

‘’It’s sort of beautiful, isn’t it?’’ A mature woman’s giggle reached my ears, making me smile. ‘’You may not see it so, Partner, but being so close to what makes your beloved whole…? It’s calming… like a warm hug.’’

Out of the brilliant colors and shadows stepped Jinzui, her smile warm, yet her red gaze didn’t seem as sharp.

She looked slightly different. Her traditional Chinese robes were exchanged for an ocean dress that hugged her figure tightly, and on her left wrist, there was a strand of gold directly attached to her.

…Like the one from the Harpoon of Greed, and the one etched into my Greed itself.

Slowly, with a worried frown, I approached the smiling spirit. Her gaze was somewhat lost while staring at my ‘core’, and now that I noticed, the strand of gold in her wrist was attached directly to it.

‘’…I knew you weren’t as okay as you told me.’’ I huffed, mildly annoyed, while slowly taking her hand in mine. ‘’No wonder you told me to be cautious around the Cursed Series, but I thought I was fine, considering I haven’t gone through the despair or heartbreaking experience needed to unlock it…’’

Jinzui giggled, tearing her gaze from the core, and instead looking into my eyes with the same, or even more, glee. She was beautiful, of course she was, but I was still trying to figure out if this abrupt connection to my deepest sin was affecting her physique and mentality in a bad way, or if she was merely pulling my leg here.

‘’Fufufu, don’t worry, partner…~’’ Jinzui whispered sultrily, pushing herself into my arms with a sly grin. ‘’More importantly… did you enjoy my little trick? I’ll say… It’s probably not as great as having you take me for real, but you still managed to send tremors down my incorporeal form~’’

I blinked, frowning in confusion. ‘’What do you mean—Oh shit, that was you?!’’

During my… private time with Katarea, there were several times when I thought my eyes were tricking me. Seeing pale, white, silky hair instead of the devil’s messy brown locks, or an intense red gaze instead of pointed purple.

A kiss was suddenly pressed to my lips. I blinked, putting my arms around Jinzui’s waist. Sure enough, the initial smooch became a fight with our tongues.

I felt heat pooling in my chest, hotter than anything I had experienced before. Every nerve and hair in my body stood on edge as a shiver went down my spine. Finally, something deep and… right seemed to settle in my head, acting like a calming sea breeze.

Curiously enough, Jinzui’s clothes… changed.

Gone was the ocean color, and in came her usual golden clothes. The string on her left wrist broke. As if it were too taut, and simply gave in. Lastly, when we separated, her gaze was back to that sharp, ‘noble-lady’ like gaze that she liked carrying herself with.

‘’Jinzui…?’’ I asked in a whisper, refusing to let the spirit out of my embrace. ‘’Dear, are you alright? What was that?’’

Now focused, the spirit’s cheeks flushed slightly. Instead of meeting my gaze, she nuzzled into my chest. ‘’…A little soul-bonding, if you’ll call it. Do not worry, I am truly fine now.’’

I raised an eyebrow in suspicion. ‘’And will you tell me just what happened before that?’’

‘’…’’ Silence was my answer, yet a second later, a shy whisper reached my ears. ‘’Would you be mad if I preferred not to kiss and tell?’’

‘’Funny.’’ I snorted, but shook my head, taking her face into one of my hands. ‘’Whatever makes you comfortable. Besides, I can at least tell it was related to the Cursed Series, but if you need my help, I need to know, partner.’’

‘’And besides…’’ I grinned mischievously, pushing Jinzui’s face softly to make her look me in the eye. ‘’Yes, I enjoyed your little trick. Though you can’t expect me to be satisfied with just that, right? I give my lovers their own private time… always.’’

The spirit shivered, slightly entranced by my words as her mouth opened like that of a fish. A second later, she pushed my chest while looking away. ‘’A-as much as I would love to take you on your offer, beloved… we would not have enough time inside this place. Your soul was not made to do such activities, and our time will be cut short.’’

‘’That so…?’’ I hummed and pressed an innocent peck into her forehead, enjoying her little, undignified squeak. ‘’I’ll get you a body, and then you’ll have no excuses, you teasing little minx.’’

‘’Huh?!’’ The spirit slapped my chest lightly, a blush adorning her face as she glared pointedly at me. ‘’Y-you… brutish partner, it’s not that easy, you understand? A vessel that could hold mine divine form is…’’

‘’Dear.’’ I interrupted with a deadpan. ‘’I became a God overnight, I think I can manage to make a spirit or deity-able body… somehow.’’

Again, silence. Jinzui stared pointedly with a very cute pout, not being able to refute my words, but also not willing to admit her statement may be wrong, and that I could truly just make a body for her in due time.

Women are just adorable like that.

Sadly enough, my ‘soulspace’ started to shake, a clear indicator that indeed, our time spent here was getting cut short. Either because someone’s soul shouldn’t really be holding their consciousness together, or maybe because I could only access it during brief moments while sleeping.

…And speaking of that, I fell asleep next to one of devilkind’s terrorists, and not just any of them, but the terrorist whose ancestors were responsible for the thousands-year-old war.

Now that’s going to be an interesting way to wake up.

‘’Well then, I guess that’s—‘’ Another kiss was pressed into my lips, soft, much more tender and less explosive than the last. ‘’…If you’re trying to get me motivated into making a vessel for you, it’s really working.’’

‘’Not at all, Zatren.’’ Jinzui chuckled, enjoying the warmth we shared. ‘’I am always by your side, beloved. As long as I can have that, I will be happy for all of my remaining years.’’

Just how much would you involuntarily pull at my heartstrings, woman? This is some diabetes-inducing love you’re sharing!

…That’s it, I know my next task now.

With the spirit’s soft laughter echoing in my ears and determination coursing through my veins, everything went dark, even if I knew that was just me waking up.

I’m getting this lovely woman a body so she can share all that happiness with me, and everyone else, personally.

May freaking Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, curse my entire lineage if I’m lying!

-X-x-X-

‘’How is a mere servant granted the permission to sleep in her ‘King’s’ bed?’’ A snobbish, lady-like tone accused with disdain.

‘’Well, caramel lady, unlike you, who got plowed just yesterday. Our stud here has more than one gal ready to get a taste if you catch my drift~’’ Another, more sensual and teasing voice replied. The tone was oddly recognizable yet… airy. With a seductive underlayer to it.

‘’Caramel…? How dare you?!’’ The woman hissed, clearly offended. ‘’No peasant girl addresses me like that, much less so a bedwarmer.’’

‘’Guess what you’re doing right now, genius?’’ I almost chuckled at that one. ‘’Oh, the man of the house is waking up~’’

When I opened my eyes, the first thing that greeted me was Aika’s golden, bespectacled eyes. A small, sly grin on her face as she shamelessly placed a kiss on my chin.

The other thing was a warm body clinging to me, legs interlocked with mine. A little turn of my head revealed another glasses-wearing woman, but with a much tanner skin tone. Katarea stared at me with an undecipherable look, yet she made no move to turn away or separate from my side.

‘’Well, now that’s a way to wake up…’’ I grinned groggily, feeling… actually, really freaking good. ‘’Woo… That was some good sleep, actually, the best I had in a bit.’’

Amusingly enough, I felt Katarea’s still naked chest puff slightly. Apparently, she took pride in the fact.

‘’I don’t doubt it, you were with caramel babe here for hours…’’ Aika whistled, and now that I noticed, Katarea wasn’t the only currently naked body adhering to my side. ‘’Makes me wonder… did you forget about all the girls you claimed to love and cherish and just bring a new pretty rear every week or so?’’

‘’Never.’’ I hissed with a frown. ‘…Okay, that came a little harsher than I wanted it to.’

Aika’s eyes widened a bit, and she shot me an apologetic grin. ‘’Joking, joking… Don’t get mad at your sexy little Bishop, oh my benevolent King.’’

‘’Oh, fuck off.’’ I snorted, rolling my eyes, and pulling a hand around her waist, making her chuckle as her arms enveloped my neck.

‘’Oh, don’t worry. Fuck is exactly the word here…’’ Aika whispered into my ear, making me freeze. Suddenly, her golden, warm eyes… glowed, and I felt heat pooling in my stomach, and lowering to my core. ‘’How about it, stud? Want to show that old lady over here just how much rougher you can get with the right… incentive?’’

This was definitely some succubus power that Aika unlocked thanks to my Evil (Divine?) Pieces. Of course, she’ll get something to trap me into my damn lustful nature.

…Well, traps are made to be fallen into, right?

‘’You… you jest.’’ Katarea stilled, voice incredulous as I also pulled her closer. Her purple eyes searched mine for trick or deceit, yet her body trembled with the lingering memory. ‘’After yesterday… No mere mongrel should have the energy to—’’

‘’But he does, doesn’t he?’’ Aika asked, tearing her hypnotic gaze from me and locking eyes with Katarea, whose purple orbs widened in shock. ‘’It’s wild, isn’t it? How he takes, touches, and ruins you from the inside out… Only to whisper loving reassurances right after… Hmn! It’s so fucking addictive~’’

I blinked in disbelief, but before I could open my mouth to protest, Aika put a finger on my lips and winked.

Katarea’s body relaxed, and even if she looked dubiously between me and the eager succubus in human skin, Aika’s next action sealed the deal as she took Katarea’s hand… and guided it to my now rock-hard shaft.

You can’t blame me in this scenario. I was woken up between two beautiful, naked women.

‘’Feel that?’’ Aika teased with a grin. ‘’He’s nice and ready to show us innocent little sheep why we shouldn’t linger in the lion’s den…~’’

‘You are anything but innocent.’ I wanted to say, but stayed silent.

Maybe I should worry more about Aika using her new powers to plant suggestions in people’s heads. Especially since she shouldn’t have anywhere near the power to plant one in mine or Katarea’s mind.

‘’Might makes right.’’ Katarea suddenly whispered, like she was reciting from a book, and suddenly, her lips found my neck. Out of her own volition, she started stroking my shaft. ‘’And the old ways have always been right. Not to mention, I do guess I owe you my life… so just this once, I’ll let you commit your beastly acts to my body, Zatren Fumigami.’’

‘’That’s the spirit~!’’ Aika cheered, looking at me with the smugness of a cat who caught the canary. ‘’Now let’s get our greedy Lion the morning feast he deserves.’’

…Well, fuck it, guess I lost that skill check. I’ll just worry about it when I’m not horny as fuck and with two gorgeous, willing women begging for my attention.

Oh, woe is me, am I right?

-X-x-X-

It was kind of odd using the gymnasium at Kuoh for the little reunion I thought about, but it’s not like I had a better place.

After my morning activities with Aika and Katarea, I thought the first step to make my partner her own body would be to lean into my abilities to manipulate the soul.

So, to kill two birds with one stone, right in front of me, standing tall and forming a line were five friends of mine.

Kiba stood firmly, hands at his sides, with that slightly amused look. Since the battle with Kokabiel, he really started to mellow out and go back to his polite, if secretly snarky, self.

Guess revenge does taste good, and I made sure to high-five him the moment I learned he actually destroyed two Excalibur Fragments. Good on him.

Next was Tsubaki, the only member of Sona’s peerage present. Her expression was stoic, born out of years at Sona’s side, no doubt, but even that stoicism broke into a tiny smile as I greeted her.

Following right after, both Sachi and Asia, my precious students who pushed themselves to their absolute limit and were the perfect brand of bullshit to take down one of Kokabiel’s generals.

Damn, I was proud.

Last but not least… Gasper. Who, admittedly, wasn’t hiding away and didn’t have a paper bag on his face. Still, he was the most nervous of the bunch, and he didn’t even know where to put his hands.

Guess that’s the curse of wearing a skirt; not having pockets to shove your twitching, sweaty hands.

‘’So, I’m sure you’re all wondering why I called you here, especially considering the peace treaty and the almost terrorist attack we went through,’’ I spoke to the room, and since I wanted it to be funny, I walked around with my arms behind my back like I was a sergeant.

‘’Sir, yes, sir!’’ Sachi shouted abruptly, doing a salute with an almost lost, resigned look. ‘’What is required of us, sir?!’’

I blinked and immediately broke character by chuckling, which, admittedly, dissipated some of the imaginary tension I put in the room.

‘’At ease, dumbass.’’ I rolled my eyes.

Small chuckles fill the gymnasium, and Sachi grinned in satisfaction. Look at her, making a mockery of my serious act by doubling the fuck down.

Did I already say how proud I was? Give me a microphone, I’ll say it louder.

‘’Jokes aside, I am curious, Zatren-san.’’ Tsubaki raised a hand with squinted eyes. ‘’Is it some kind of test? If so… I don’t know how I relate to it.’’

Ah, I knew where the confusion was coming from. Of all five present, Kiba, Sachi, and Asia contributed to taking down Generals directly. Gasper was the one to freeze Kokabiel, while I beat the shit out of him, and while I knew that Tsubaki helped too, her contribution was overall minor to the rest.

‘’Yes, but no.’’ I made a so-so motion, and with a grin, I extended my arms wide as if to present something. ‘’You see, I have been taught a bit in the spiritual arts, and not only that, but as a Deus, I have… some degree of soul manipulation. And guess what all five of you have in common?’’

‘’Souls?’’ Sachi replied dumbly.

Asia, on her part, remained silent, but gave Sachi a pointed side glance that, coming from the ray of sunshine, was incredibly insulting.

It was Kiba who realized first. With wide eyes, he whispered amidst the silence. ‘’…Sacred Gears?’’

‘’Right on the money, blonde Kirito!’’ I pointed at him and gave a thumbs up, causing him to huff, amused. ‘’And since they are so closely related to each other, and as you may already know, big G is not among us anymore… I wanted to try and see if I can empower the Gears inside your souls for a little boost to your abilities. You catch my drift?’’

Almost immediately, the heavy topic of God being dead was skipped over by the fact that I was going to do some voodoo-level shit on their souls. Gasper looked the most uncomfortable of all, while Kiba was kind of reluctant. On the other side, Asia, Tsukbaki, and Sachi all looked determined and quite eager.

Three against two means I win!

…Or something.

‘’And, um… Not to be rude, but…’’ Asia raised her hand this time, a timid smile on her otherwise happy face. ‘’Why is she here?’’

‘…Right, that part.’ I chuckled sheepishly.

What Asia was referring to was none other than the black-haired, skimpily-dressed catgirl currently lazing around one of the bleachers. Her tails flicked back and forth, and her ears twitched at the mention.

‘’That right there is Kuroka. She is Koneko’s sister, and my spiritual arts teacher!’’ I presented the napping Nekoshou. ‘’She’s here to make sure I don’t fuck up your souls by accident!’’

Immediately, what little confidence my friends had in me quickly ran out. Determined glints and amused smiles became slightly forced, and a drop of sweat ran down each of their heads.

‘’And… why is Koneko here?’’ Sachi asked, pointing at the other catgirl present, who was poking her sleeping sister with a stick.

‘’Oh, she’s here to morally support me and praise me when I do a good job.’’ I started—

‘’I’m here to ridicule Schizo-senpai if he messes up.’’ The girl spoke flatly, but it may as well have been a shout and a dagger to the heart, considering how much such words hurt. ‘’…Dramatic-senpai.’’

Truly, betrayed by the mother of my own children, how could I ever recover from this?

I cleared my throat. ‘’She’s also here to make sure Kuroka actually does her part instead of lazing around.’’

And sure enough…

‘’Huh… ah, Shirone, stop doing that—‘’ Crash. ‘’Nyahhh?!’’

‘’She pushed herself off the bleachers,’’ Koneko stated, even when her hands were still clearly put outwards from where she pushed her sister, who was currently whining on the gym floor. ‘’Trust me.’’

‘’You clearly pushed me just nyow!’’ Kuroka whined.

‘’Skill Issue.’’ Koneko deadpanned.

With a satisfied smile, I addressed the room of people who didn’t know whether to be amused, terrified, or if they should book it and run for their lives. Or maybe all of them in a different order.

‘’See? All good.’’ I nodded with crossed arms. ‘’Now, step forward whoever wants to be the first test subject!’’

…Maybe I shouldn’t have phrased it that way. That sounded like something Ayuka would say.

‘’I’ll go first then.’’ Kiba stepped forward, hiding his nervousness behind a cool façade.

‘’That’s the attitude!’’ I patted Kiba’s shoulder before squinting my eyes. ‘’Now, let’s see…’’

I took a deep breath and dived deep into the blonde’s soul. I was no expert with Senjutsu, so it was kind of a blind shot. That is, until I felt something guide me down the right path.

The hand of what I assume was Kuroka was placed on my back. She was like a little nudge in the direction of Kiba’s soul, and with a little effort, I found it.

I saw a young blonde, surrounded by other kids, all wearing white clothes, and being looked upon by lab-coat-wearing men with obscured faces.

There was happiness, even in pain… Until there wasn’t.

Smoke, poisonous and deadly, filled every chamber. The sounds of screams, of pleas and prayers filled my head all at once, and amidst it all, I saw the sacrifice of many to save a single one.

Kiba, or how he was previously called: Isaiah.

And as quickly as I learned it all, it was gone. Instead, I looked upon immense darkness, and in the middle of it, a core, not unlike my own, yet it had less… energy? Power?

One thing was for sure, instead of Greed, there was a deep root of revenge clinging to it, but it was quiet, at ease. Its objective was fulfilled, but not without leaving a permanent mark on Kiba’s life.

‘’…It’s kind of sad.’’ I hummed and stopped, hearing my own words echo in the lone ‘chamber’.

Still, that isn’t what I had come to do. Instead, I focused back on the bigger strand clinging to Kiba’s soul. I followed it with slow steps, going through years' worth of memories, until I found it.

Sword Birth. Kiba’s Sacred Gear.

Funnily enough, it didn’t hold the form of a sword, but that of a black orb holding a hammer deep inside it. Sure enough, I could detect the Demonic Power flowing through it.

Carefully, I placed my hand on it and discovered… something strange.

There was a second ‘core’ closely attached to it. Smaller, insignificant, and white in color. It, too, held a hammer, but it was filled with Holy Energy instead.

With a confused frown, I reached for it and immediately froze.

My eyes ‘closed’, and the world turned bright, and I was somewhere else. Dozens of eyes stared at me with caution. Their bodies were small, and they lingered like a protective hug. Yet, slowly but surely, they made way.

‘…I guess they really stayed with you, after all.’ I smiled, nodding to the little group. ‘’Thank you all for watching over my friend.’’

I got no answer, but when I ‘opened’ my eyes again, I was holding the little white sphere in the palm of my hand. Now, with a closer look, it was probably the size of a marble, while Kiba’s Sword Birth was equal to a basketball.

‘’Blade Blacksmith,’’ I called out as Divine Energy started gathering inside my palm. ‘’Well… I won’t call it a modification, but let’s get you juiced up, hm?’’

I took a deep breath as my entire body shuddered. I fed the little marble slowly but surely, making sure not to empty my reserves faster than I could refill them. After all, I don’t know what would happen if I suddenly emptied while being inside someone’s soul.

And sure enough, the marble-sized Sacred Gear started to grow. From a marble, to a tennis ball, all the way until it was just as big as Kiba’s Sword Birth.

‘’Huff… That should do it.’’ I smiled and released the Sacred Gear, watching as it hummed in sync with its counterpart. ‘’Demonic Blades and Holy Blades, you really are one edgy fuck, Kiba. Why not become an Angel while you’re at it? May as well plagiarize Dante at this point…’’

I blinked as I felt something tugging at my collar. In a second, I was ‘pushed out’.

Your affinity with Senjutsu has increased.

Touki has leveled up!

By successfully modifying a Sacred Gear without getting struck down for such a taboo, you got Two Gacha Tokens.

Kuroka looked me in the eye with a surprisingly serious expression before a cheshire grin took over her face. Whatever she was checking for, she was satisfied in not finding it.

Kiba stared at me with wide, grey eyes. Almost instinctively, two swords appeared in his hands. The one on his left was black as the night, and with a swing, it released a small burst of demonic flames.

Then, in his right hand, there was a pure white sword,¡ which, when swung, also released fire, but this one was pure white; holy in nature.

The room was in complete silence… until Kiba started to chuckle. Dismissing both blades, he turned to me with an incredulous expression and a smile.

‘’You are mad in the head, Zatren-kun.’’ The blonde commented in a friendly manner before his smile turned into a grin. ‘’Thank you. Though people usually treat each other to dinner before doing something so intimate, you know…?’’

‘’Oh, fuck right off!’’ I slapped the man’s shoulder, sending him tumbling back while he laughed. ‘’Yeah, yeah, laugh! You know you’re the bottom on every damn fanfic written by the horny schoolgirls chasing you around, ‘Knight of Kuoh’!’’

‘’Weird flex, but okay.’’ Kiba quipped back and dodged just out of the way of a weak water pulse. ‘’…You want to see through my shirt or something? That’s kind of gay, Zatren-kun.’’

‘I’m going to kick his ass.’ I thought with barely contained laughter. ‘’Bet you’ll like that, you edgy bitch.’’

After sticking out my tongue at the laughing Knight like the very mature person I was, I turned to the rest of the Sacred Gear wielders in the room. ‘’Alright, let’s make this quick now!’’

-X-x-X-

The rest of the upgrades I made were not nearly as eventful, mainly because, with some of Kuroka’s help, I avoided the more personal topics so as not to invade their privacy too much. The reality, however, is that I still learned some things.

Even if Asia forgot all about her excommunication, I saw some remnants of her playing around with the children of her village when the higher-ups weren’t watching… Yet this also reminded me of Diodora.

I’ll be sure to check up on him later.

For the cute little bishop, I could make it so her Twilight Healing had some oomph to it, with extra potent healing and being able to heal at a range, which was quite the upgrade.

From Sachi… I got a picnic that she had with her little brother and sister a few months back. It brought a smile to my face, to be honest. As for upgrades, I merely used that Vritra Fragment that Azazel gave me like a week or so back, which gave her the ability to conjure purplish-black flames that, according to Kuroka, could damage the soul.

From Tsubaki, sadly enough, I didn’t relive a small, happy memory, but the time she was kicked out of the Shinra clan.

I made her able to project multiple mirrors at a time while increasing the pace at which she could send the energy back at her foes.

But I was also frowning all the while, because I remembered those clan-people were in the same basket of the people that hunted down Akeno before she joined Rias, if I wasn’t mistaken.

And just like Diodora, I was going to make sure to pay them a little visit. My, what a busy schedule I had!

Now that I think about it, didn’t the ‘Great Clans’ have conflict with the Yokai? Now that seems like a way to kick someone's ass and gain an ally at the same time.

After apologizing to Tsubaki, to whom she waved off my worries, it was Gasper’s turn, and…

It was a bit uncomfortable—Well, not really. Just… flattering?

His memory was of the chat we had when we met, followed closely by the second time he drank my blood. Specifically, I noticed the feelings deep inside his chest as he did so and… the crush he had on me.

Don’t get me wrong, Gasper is cute, adorable, even. I can admit that much, but…

…

Anyway. Balor’s View was a tad complicated because instead of augmenting what was already there, I tried changing an aspect of it, while also letting it maintain the main aspect of the Gear, which was stopping time.

Something like what Jinzui did for me, which was modifying the Boosted Gear into the Tyrant’s Wheel.

The drain in my energy was getting quite heavy, and with a sigh, I pulled back from Gasper’s soul. The Dhampir was looking down, embarrassed. He knew what I saw, and I knew that he knew, but considering we were in polite company, I decided to let the matter lie.

Your affinity with Senjutsu has greatly increased!

Touki has leveled up by 5!

‘’Alright, Gasper, how about you try now?’’ I nudged the skirt-wearing boy. ‘’It’s something that I know you’ll like~!’’

Shily, the Dhampir looked up around the group and squinted his eyes. Feeling the ‘switch’ that was his Sacred Gear. And then, without even looking at anyone… the world turned grey.

From the ones present, only Gasper and I had vivid colors, and everyone else looked like they have frozen.

Curiously enough, I saw Sachi’s eyes widen for a fraction of a second, but she, too, ended up being trapped in the stopped world. I’ll have to look into that, but if I had to guess, it's something about Dragon physiology.

‘’It… it stopped?!’’ Gasper gasped in surprise, crimson eyes sparkling with stars as he vibrated with excitement. ‘’It’s… It’s just like Dio’s!’’

‘’Exactly!’’ I cheered, pointing a finger high above the air, and putting flair into my tone, as if I was presenting something grand. ‘’Your Balor’s View has now become Balor’s Field! You don’t even have to look at people, though, it will be much more energy consuming, and the range has greatly reduced to, say… fifty meters around you—?’’

Two arms enveloped my waist, and I smiled as Gasper hugged me. I couldn’t see his face, but the way his elf-like ears twitched and reddened was very indicative of his appreciation.

A mumbled thanks was said into the lower end of my chest, and after a moment of pause, I patted the dhampir’s head, making him still.

‘’Glad you liked it, bud.’’ I chuckled and then looked around in amusement. ‘’We should de-freeze all of them now. I didn’t even tell them they’ll be caught in the crossfire…’’

Gasper, being the nervous wreck that he was, shot into a string of apologies the moment his Sacred Gear deactivated. Everyone except for Sachi looked in confusion, while Koneko deadpanned at me from the far end of the room.

‘Ah… she must have been far enough to not be affected by Balor’s Field…’ I smiled sheepishly. ‘Oops?’

-X-x-X-

I stretched until my back popped nicely. I let everyone go on their merry way so they could try the new powers I gave them. After all, a switch like that would change their fighting style drastically.

Koneko and Kuroka also went away, though I don’t know specifically where, but I did see both of them throwing me and Gasper funny looks.

If anything, I was happy that they… somewhat got along, even if that was mostly Koneko bullying her sister.

‘’Right, that hit the spot.’’ I just stayed behind to make sure the gymnasium was presentable for the students tomorrow morning, but I also took the opportunity to take a hot shower, and was currently drying myself up inside the boys’ locker room. ‘’Now, let’s see… I didn’t check the pulls I got inside the dungeon, did I? Something about a magic fountain—‘’

Click.

I took the towel from my damp hair and slowly turned to the door of the changing rooms. There stood Gasper, dressed the same as before, with Kuoh’s girls' uniform. However, he was looking down, and both his face and ears looked flushed.

‘’Gasper? Done trying your power, I take it?’’ I asked cheerily. Thought it was strange since I expected him, of all of them, to be the one who would experiment the most with his new Gear. ‘’I was just about done here, hot water’s still on if you want to clean yourself up, and—‘’

Gasper quickly crossed the distance, making me pause. The dhampir stood in front of me… which was a bit awkward, considering I was just half-dressed with my chest exposed.

‘’Zatren-senpai…’’ Finally, he looked up, locking eyes with me, even though I noticed he was still quite nervous. ‘’I… Can I ask you something?’’

Immediately, I felt tension in the air. The shorter boy’s legs were squirming, and his fingers clung to his skirt like a lifeline. Already, something whispered into my head that this scenario was oddly familiar, but I crossed out the thought.

Surely not…?

‘’Yeah, what is it?’’ I raised an eyebrow. ‘’You feeling alright? You’re all red—Like, redder than usual.’’

That only made him blush some more, but he didn’t break eye contact. Instead, a determined glint appeared in his eyes, like the doubt deep inside his chest had been smothered by something.

‘’W-would… Could we… I…’’ However, when it came to speaking, his voice broke and trembled at odd moments. ‘’I…’’

‘’Um…’’ I smiled sheepishly, placing a reassuring palm on his shoulder. ‘’Alright, first, deep breaths, bud, there’s no time limit to—‘’

‘’I LIKE YOU, WOULD YOU PLEASE GO OUT WITH ME?!’’ And suddenly, the words burst through the Dhampir’s throat like a dam breaking while he bowed in an oddly perfect ninety-degree angle. ‘’I… I know we haven’t known each other long, but when I drank your blood, and when we fought together, my heart just kept beating really fast and I… I…!’’

‘’Gasper.’’ I took a deep breath, making the nervous wreck of a trap still and look up, uncertainty in his eyes. Softly, I placed a hand on each of his shoulders. ‘’…You may not know it, or maybe you do, but I don’t like beating around the bush, so I’ll just say it. The truth is… I think you’re pretty cute, yes, but you’re still a guy.’’

‘’Trust me, I thought about it, make no mistake, but… I just feel it doesn’t click with me, alright?’’ I sighed, locking eyes with the very still Dhampir. Even if I was letting him down slowly, I still didn’t feel good about it, dammit. ‘’I’ll just think of you as a girl mentally, and that’s not cool, and I don’t think that’s fair to you. So, sorry, but I’ll have to say—‘’

‘’Wait!’’ What was with all the damn interruptions today? This was hard as it is! ‘’W-wait, please, if the only problem is that, then…’’

Suddenly, Gasper grabbed my arm with surprising strength. Before I could understand what he was doing, my palm was roughly shoved into his flat chest. Immediately, I wanted to pull back.

‘’Gasper, listen to me, it’s just not—‘’ Squish. ‘’…What the?’’

‘’Hmnn~’’ Suddenly, the shy dhampir let out a small moan. His face flushed, and his eyes looked hazy. ‘’I… was going to tell you, but you started rejecting me, a-and I got nervous, I… After drinking your blood the second time, I… was a girl, even after that transformation ended!’’

I was shocked into silence. Unconsciously, I pressed his—her chest again, and sure enough, I felt a squishiness and softness that reminded me too much of Mittelt and Koneko. Both girls with small, bordering on flat chests, but with just enough that you knew you were touching a pair of breasts.

And that moment where my brain was trying to coordinate with my mouth to say something, anything. Gasper took her opportunity to take my other hand… and place it much lower than the first.

Below her skirt, I felt a dampness with my fingers, even as Gasper trembled under my touch. My lips pressed together as curiosity got the best of me, and I explored her crotch.

A pair of blue and white striped panties, damp, almost wet in the middle, and a pair of soft lips covered by them, with a small, finger-tip sized bump that could not be anything else than the dhampir’s clit.

‘He really is a girl now… or she, I… this world is fucking confusing, man.’ I frowned, even as my body reacted accordingly to Gasper’s soft mewls as I shamelessly explored her new body. ‘…Why am I still touching and prodding? She may get the wrong conclusion out of this!’

And I had some questions to ask at least.

This wasn’t like Katarea. I already messed up there, and because I was no pussy, I’ll take responsibility for the scandal that would cause. But I didn’t want every relationship I had to be because of acting first and asking later.

I took my hands off the dhampir; she gasped softly, legs trembling at the loss of contact. I tried to maintain at arms' length with her, but considering just how shaky Gasper was, I didn’t want to take the chance that she would suddenly collapse on the floor.

‘’Why me?’’ I suddenly asked the now still dhampir. ‘’Don’t get me wrong, I get it, the crush you have on me, I saw it firsthand just before, but… just like you said, we haven’t met for long, you know?’’

Gasper squirmed, and her eyes darted around. I was afraid that by how much she was blushing and stuttering, she would overheat or something, but like I said before, she took deep, calming breaths, and then spoke,

‘’I saw your Rating Game, and big sister Rias told me all about, well, you… she stopped by my door to tell me how happy she was, and that she hopes I could meet you soon…’’ Gasper started with a punch right in my heart, because fuck me, that sounded cute and very heartfelt. ‘’A-and I got to see it firsthand! How you make big sister Rias and Koneko-chan so happy, and, and… when we chatted, I was happy too! I want more of that happiness, so…’’

‘’B-besides!’’ Suddenly, Gasper looked with a serious, determined frown while pumping herself up. ‘’Koneko-chan told me you liked short, p-petite girls… and blondes too! S-so… I am Zatren-senpai’s type, aren’t I?!’’

That damn cat! I should have known Gasper wouldn’t suddenly jump the gun at something like this on his—her own.

Fuck, that’s going to take time to get used to.

As for her words…

‘Yes, of course that fits my checkboxex, and you are fucking adorable to boot. Yes you are my damn type, Gasper! I cursed mentally, trying to avoid clutching my heart. ‘’…Alright, I get that, I… yeah, you know, I can work with this—Well, not like that, shit… I’m trying not to sound like an asshole here, but I feel it’s better if I shut up.’’

And here I thought I couldn’t get nervous around these situations anymore. But it was something about Gasper’s intentions being so innocent, while also trying to get me to touch all over her body, that was sending some really mixed signals to my brain.

One voice says ‘protect’, while the other shouts ‘lewd’, Gabriel-dammit!

‘’Gasper,’’ I stated seriously, making her gulp but pay utmost attention. ‘’I am a selfish man. I fancy something, I take it, and I love it to freaking bits. So, if we get this going, I’m warning you now, I may get a bit too overbearing in the future, so if that bothers you, just tell me to—‘’

Aaaaand I didn’t have time to say anything else because a pair of lips suddenly crashed into mine. The Dhampir, in a show of either rushed excitement or nervous panicking, decided to kiss me, which she actually needed to be on her tiptoes to do.

Of course, that didn’t mean she knew how to kiss. It was awkward, and she almost bit my lower lip, so I had to take the reins of the kiss, pulling her closer and into my naked chest.

‘’Mhn… Ah… S-senpai…’’ When she finally had the time to come up for air, the dhampir’s eyes looked lost in mine, and her breathing was ragged. ‘’I… I feel weird all over... I need… m-more, please touch me more, I want Senpai to teach me h-how… how to be a woman he likes—Eh?!’’

I interrupted Gaspers' rambling by putting my thumb inside her mouth. The dhampir, unconsciously, lightly licked at the digit, being careful not to prick it with her fangs. Yet, she still looked up at me in confusion while still being hot and bothered.

‘’You know, there’s so much cuteness you can display before I can’t hold back,’’ I whispered into the dhampir’s elf-like ears, making her tremble and whine, a cute, high-pitch sound that was slightly muffled by my thumb. ‘’But I’m going to take my sweet time with you, Gasper. First of all…’’

Ring… Ring… Ring…

I took a deep, calming breath and glared pointedly at my left pocket, where my phone was currently alerting me that I had a new message, and considering I usually had it silenced unless it was something important…

Gasper, too, looked mildly disappointed as she clung to my body tightly, like she was squeezing a teddy bear.

But you know what… I wasn’t even that mad this time. Gasper was, even if unknowingly, sparking a very dangerous flame, and I didn’t want to take her right here and now. I wasn’t that kind of guy, or at least, I didn’t want to be. Especially with someone who had zero experience and literally didn’t know how her body worked.

‘’…Tell you what.’’ I patted the top of Gasper’s soft, luscious hair while taking out my phone. ‘’Think about some place you want to visit, and we’ll have a date, alright? In compensation for the interruption.’’

And like a flip being switched, Gasper’s eyes filled with stars. Sure, there was still a bit of disappointment at being clam-jammed, but the prospect of a date cheered her up somewhat.

Meanwhile, I frowned at the sender’s name. ’…Serafall?’

The first thing I saw was an ominous message.

[Levi-Tan: Za-kun. We need to talk about something, and it’s very important.]

Weird for sure, but the second message was the nail in the coffin, and one that made me start sweating fucking bullets.

It was an image attachment of me, in bed… while making out with a very naked Katarea. Meanwhile, Aika stood over us, also naked, by the way, while giving a peace sign to the camera.

This thing was from this morning. Just when did she have the time to take the pic?!

‘Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck…’ I mentally groaned. ‘I’m going to slap that succubus ass until it looks like a damn tomato!’

With a resigned sigh, I typed in a quick ‘On my way’ back to the Satan.

if it isn’t the damn consequences of my very, very stupid actions.

…I’ll definitely do it again.

-X-x-X-

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Author's Note:

YOU THOUGHT IT WAS AN M/M PAIRING WITH A FEMBOY, BUT IT WAS ME, GENDER-BENDO!

Tbf, if you read my previous author notes, this isn't a shock at all, but Zuzu's brain is currently doing gymnastics (the potato is going to fry at this rate)

Anywho, it seems Serafall is either mad, horny, disappointed, jealous, or a mix of all the options. I'll worry for bro, but he kind of deserves it, kekw.

I also publish on other sites, if you wish to check them out:

FFN: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/15809388/HamsterX42

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