-Somewhere in the Human World, far from people
In a cold northern land as hard to find as the Demon Triangle, Atlantis, the Celestial Paradise, and those places said to exist somewhere in the world yet never truly revealed, two ninjas were forming hand seals.
The reason was simple.
"Too slow. At that rate, you won’t be able to counterattack before the assault begins."
Hyoudou Issei was imitating the seals Madara was forming. In other words, Madara was training Issei exactly as he had proposed last time.
"You’ve got the [Sharingan] just like me, and you’re still this bad? That’s like putting a pearl necklace on a pig’s neck."
"You want me to form seals faster than you?! There’s a limit to how unreasonable you can be!"
They were practicing combat with the [Sharingan], learning to read the opponent before they could even use ninjutsu and to strike first.
The biggest problem in the previous battle with Madara had been experience, of course, but also the timing and mastery of his techniques. Even if he knew how to use the jutsu and possessed the same [Sharingan], his lack of ninja experience meant his skill level was completely different. To make up for that, he needed an absurdly difficult training regimen that would grind flesh and blood down to the bone. This was meant to supplement that, but because his opponent was Madara, it was effectively an impossible hell-difficulty trial. Issei was absolutely certain he would never clear it. But Madara had no intention of letting him go home until he passed this, since he had the same [Sharingan].
"I suggest you stop thinking about going back until this training is over."
"What?! Don’t be ridiculous! I’ve got a date with Gabriel! Here!"
"Then I suppose we can call off our cooperation agreement."
"Grrr..."
Issei groaned in frustration as Madara used him as leverage. His long-awaited healing time with Gabriel had to be postponed. Or rather—
"By the way, what’s with that one over there?"
The one who had been watching from right beside them the whole time, a black-haired little girl with a lollipop in her mouth, her gaze fixed on Issei—
"Ah... she said she was coming along, so I couldn’t exactly refuse."
It was Ophis. Then Madara asked,
"Is she someone who knows your plans?"
"Well, for now she doesn’t... but whether she knows or not, I don’t think it matters much with her."
She barely showed emotion, hardly spoke, and as long as he gave her something sweet, she was fine with anything. He didn’t feel the need to worry about it. But Madara said,
"You’re soft. A ninja must always keep watch, no matter who the other side is. And yet you brought her along without a second thought, even if she’s your comrade."
Issei, who had been seen through in an instant, had no rebuttal. The problem was that Ophis had asked to come along, but he also couldn’t bring himself to leave her behind because she was cute. Madara was already beginning to understand that side of Issei as well.
"Is that girl a dragon?"
"Yeah, something like that. In another world, they call her one of the two Dragon Gods, but that doesn’t really register with me. She’s just so cute, right?"
Madara couldn’t ignore the unusual presence radiating from Ophis. Issei rubbed his cheek against hers, and Ophis, who was cute even when she did nothing at all, stopped sucking on her candy and began to enjoy the contact.
"I want your head too."
"Sure, sure."
When she looked up as if asking to be petted, Issei smiled like a doting father and stroked her head.
"She seems to be very attached to you. Her chakra—no, magical power—doesn’t quite match the Ten-Tails, but it’s greater than the combined power of the tailed beasts. It might be better to seal her inside your body."
"Huh? Seal our cute Ophis?! Like hell I would let you do something like that!"
Sealing Ophis inside his body and using her as a chakra source, the same way the tailed beasts were sealed inside jinchūriki. It was certainly a rational use. Compared to leaving a dangerous being with the power to destroy the world free, locking her inside his body and using her as a power source might even be more sensible. But to Issei, cuteness was justice. Even if the world were destroyed, he would never pretend not to see Ophis’s adorable face.
"Is that so."
Madara, having been firmly rejected, seemed to be thinking about something. There was definitely some scheme involving Ophis. Issei looked at him suspiciously, but soon had no choice but to focus on the spar that resumed between them. They kept training for hours on end, but—
"Seriously! When the hell does this end?!"
Issei could not keep up with Madara’s seal speed no matter what, and as the end still refused to appear, he fell into despair.
.
.
.
.
.
"Uuuuuugh..."
At last freed from Madara and back home, Issei had now fully separated from his parents and settled into the ninja castle. The moment he entered his room, he collapsed flat on the floor. He felt like he had repeated hand seals thousands, maybe tens of thousands of times, and even after using shadow clones to multiply his experience, he still couldn’t match Madara’s seal speed. On top of that, even with the same chakra and the same ninjutsu, he was still being outclassed. After training almost day and night for several days straight, both body and mind were exhausted. It was time for healing.
But for some reason, there was no one in the castle today. At least, not counting the three Fallen Angels working as usual and the dozens of attendants and escort knights sent by the Three Factions to protect Issei’s safety.
"Where the hell did everyone go?"
It wasn’t really his place to complain, considering he had gone off the grid without a word to spar with Madara, but it still bothered him. So he scattered his shadow clones to gather information.
"Seriously?"
Rias had gone to the Demon World to assist Sirzechs in welcoming Odin, the head of Asgard. Raynare was training under Azazel to overcome her own weakness—more accurately, to catch up to rivals who were too strong for her to keep up with. Asia had chosen to travel the world to heal starving children. In the end, Issei was left alone again. After thinking about what to do, he decided to sleep first.
"I’m going to sleep really well for once~"
Stretching out, he lay down on the soft bed and sank into sleep as if under a spell. Time passed, and the sun climbed high overhead.
"Issei-sama~ Mm..."
"..!?!?"
A soft, pliant sensation brushed against him from the side, along with a languid voice ringing in his ear. Startled awake, Issei found Gabriel in his pure white ceremonial robes leaning against his body. The moment his eyes landed on that sacred, voluptuous chest pressed against him, his nostrils flared wildly.
"W-what a beautiful..."
Without thinking, he reached out toward that full, holy bosom.
Squish
"So soft!!"
He had touched her before, but this was softer than the breasts of any woman he had ever felt, carrying a refreshing warmth. Gabriel’s sacred power and her generous chest combined into something that felt like the paradise of Heaven itself. Just touching it felt like being carried straight to Heaven, and before he knew it, he kept kneading it.
"Mm... Issei-sama?"
Gabriel slowly opened her eyes and sat up to look at him, and Issei’s hand froze in place.
"Uh... th-this is..."
"My, my~"
Gabriel’s gaze fell to her chest and then to Issei’s hand, still resting there. She blushed and brought a hand to her cheek.
"If Issei-sama says so, I’m always fine with it~"
"Eh?! You’re okay with it anytime!?"
As Issei panicked, Gabriel hugged him instead, and the words anytime sent him into shock so intense he shouted out loud. Then—
"Then I won’t hold back!"
He began freely massaging Gabriel’s chest. As expected, her pure white wings started flickering between black and white, and Issei noticed it too.
"Um... Gabriel-san?.. Your wings are kind of flickering?"
"Ah, please don’t worry about it. If Issei-sama loves me, then I don’t mind falling."
"!?!? F-falling!?"
For an angel, falling meant becoming a Fallen Angel. And seriously, could one of the Four Seraphs, one of the Archangels, really say something like that? Since they were allies and not enemies, she wouldn’t be branded a traitor, but still. And Gabriel, who always gave off a delicate, elegant, sacred aura, turning dark—Issei found that strangely alluring too, but he didn’t want to make her into a traitor.
"I-I’m sorry! I didn’t know, and I was terribly rude!"
He hurriedly pulled away from Gabriel and bowed deeply in apology. The flickering in her wings stopped, but Gabriel looked a little disappointed.
"You didn’t need to worry so much~"
"No, no, I absolutely cannot let Gabriel-san be treated as a traitor! And I think the way you are right now is incredibly beautiful!"
"My, my~"
At his praise, Gabriel blushed and lowered her gaze. If another man had said that, she would have laughed it off, but because it was the man she had fallen for at first sight, she seemed genuinely embarrassed. Issei stared at her for a long while, thinking she was unbelievably cute like this.
"What a beautiful sight this is... I want to take her down right now, but I have to endure it... I must endure!"
She was innocent yet sexy, with a voluptuous and elegant body, and she was standing completely defenseless right in front of him. Any man would have wanted to pin her down, but Issei, who didn’t want to corrupt Gabriel, held himself back to the end. Only after some time did Gabriel finally regain her senses.
"I... am sorry for showing you such an unsightly side of myself."
"N-no! I mean, I enjoyed it, or rather, I thought that side of you was cute!"
Realizing how flustered and embarrassed she had been acting, she quickly apologized, but Issei actually wanted to see that side of her more often. He was so distracted by Gabriel that only now did he fully come to his senses.
"Ah, come to think of it, I did have a promise with Gabriel-san."
"Yes! You remembered."
He recalled the promise he had made with Gabriel in Heaven not long ago. After his recovery, before returning to the ninja castle, he had promised to show Gabriel around the Human World. That was why she had come here.
"Then today, I’ll be your escort!"
"Yes, I’m looking forward to it~"
As Issei declared that he would definitely make this a fun day, Gabriel smiled brightly with both hands clasped together, and the two of them headed out into the city.
Once Gabriel, hiding her wings and taking on a human appearance, stepped into the streets—
"Wow... what a beauty."
"A foreigner?! A celebrity!?"
"Her style is insane, isn’t it!?"
"Isn’t she a model?"
"Damn it, some loser-looking guy gets a beauty like that!"
"A date with a beauty like that!! I’m jealous!!"
Wherever they went, admiration and envy exploded around them. Gabriel became the center of attention just by walking down the street. As the greatest beauty in Heaven, even humans recognized her looks, and both men and women were letting out exclamations of awe. Before long, an endless crowd had gathered behind Issei and Gabriel.
"What the hell is this..."
He had wanted to spend some quiet time alone with Gabriel, but instead he had attracted a crowd that rivaled a Hollywood star’s public appearance. Issei was in a foul mood.
"This is troublesome~"
Even Gabriel, who was usually so accommodating, looked troubled by the sudden crowd. Issei immediately caught the change in her expression.
"No choice."
He opened his [Rinnegan].
"Go back!"
With one glare at the crowd behind them—
"Ah... come to think of it, I still have work waiting at home."
"I’m suddenly feeling tired."
The endless mass of people began scattering in all directions. Then—
"My, my~ Did Issei-sama do that?"
"Yes. Since this is a date, it’d be a nuisance if so many people crowded around us."
"A-a date?.. I see. A date..."
Even the innocent Gabriel seemed to understand the meaning of the word and blushed. Then she asked,
"Um... may I hold your hand?"
"..."
Seeing the broad-minded, elegant older-sister type suddenly fidgeting like a shy child, Issei stared at her for a long while.
"Yes! If we get separated and lose our way, that would be a problem!"
Without hesitation, he took Gabriel’s hand. Gabriel smiled brightly, then linked her arm with his and said,
"Ufufu, please take care of me~"
Clinging tightly to Issei while smiling like that was a scene that, if Rias or Raynare had seen it, would have triggered an immediate all-out war. Fortunately, both of them were away on business. And so, their date disguised as a tour of the Human World began.
[What is this?]
[It’s delicious~]
[Really~? If you keep teasing me, Issei-sama, I’ll get angry, you know?]
[Ufufu, does my lap feel nice?]
From the shopping district to the food alley, the café, and the park, they made their way through the ideal date course. In a sunlit park, Issei was lying on Gabriel’s lap. At this point, no one would have found it strange to call them a couple. Since they had fallen for each other at first sight, their progress had shot forward in a single date.
"Today was incredibly fun. If it’s all right, may I come again sometime~?"
"Yes, anytime! No, let’s come again tomorrow!? No, just stay at my house tonight!?"
Issei got so excited at the suggestion of another date that he blurted out the last part. Telling a girl to stay over at your place means exactly that, and Issei said it because he had already confirmed Gabriel’s feelings. But—
"Yes, then, I’ll be in your care."
Gabriel took it literally.
And just as the two of them were like this—
"Aah!? Issei! What the hell are you doing here!?"
"What is that beauty!?"
"You guys..."
Issei’s friends, Motohama and Matsuda, happened to pass by and spotted him. They approached, then stared at Gabriel in utter shock.
"You bastard! We heard rumors you’ve been getting along with Rias-senpai lately, and now you’re showing off with a beauty like that in broad daylight!!"
"You’re cursed!! Even if I forgive you, God won’t!!"
"My, are you Issei-sama’s friends? Issei-sama always takes care of me. Please continue to look after him~"
"N-no, the pleasure is ours."
"Please take care of us!"
As they suddenly grabbed Issei by the collar and shook him, Gabriel greeted them politely. The two of them then stared at Gabriel, faces turning red.
"You bastard! I still won’t forgive you! With a beauty like that!!"
"And you’ve got Rias-senpai too!!"
They threw their fists in rage, but since they were ordinary humans and his friends—
"Ghk! You idiots!"
He took the hits, then immediately got back up, rushed them, and slammed them both to the ground with a double headlock. Before long, it had turned into the kind of wrestling match they used to have during class breaks.
"G-give up!! M-Moto!"
"Y-you moron! Y-you really trying to kill me!? I surrender! I surrender!"
"Huh? Can’t hear you."
"You bastard! If it’s come to this, take this! The death butt-poke!"
"Ghk!?"
Issei, too, had gotten caught up because it had been so long since he’d met ordinary friends his own age, and before long the whole thing had turned into the kind of total chaos that reminded him of classroom recess.
"Ufufufufu."
Gabriel only smiled as she watched.
Even though he possessed the power to destroy the world, he was still friends with ordinary humans and played around with them without any pretense. That innocent side of him, so different from mere manliness, made her fall for Issei all over again. She was already in love, so the effect was doubled, but Gabriel simply watched him with a warm smile.
"As expected, if it’s you, I think it would be fine to entrust this world to you."
She truly believed Issei had the makings of a leader who could guide the world. But if the world were handed over to that perverted lust monster, this world might very well be destroyed before long.
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