Scarlet 51

Scarlet 51

…

Commissioned by Sivantic

Wordcount: 2500

…

“Hello, Ise-kun~. Would you like dinner, a bath, or me?”

I’ve never appreciated the Japanese language until this moment.

Rias had a big smile on her face, while Asia pouted and clung closer to me, as we entered my home. The scent of beef stew filled the entirety of the house, and Rias was wearing a pink apron and had her hair tied up.

“Everything in that order, please.” I provided my answer and Rias giggled and smiled. The nod she gave me informed me that I had made the correct answer. I’m famished, covered in dirt from training, and so it would be best to have the first two before engaging in more personal activities with Rias. Or anyone, really. I stink. “Or, maybe, I should take a bath first?”

“Cleaning is no issue with magic. Here.” Rias waved her hand at me. Though the stress and fatigue remained, the dirt came off of me rapidly. I’ll still need the bath, but I wasn’t about to make a mess of the house, which was a win in my book. “How was your day, Ise-kun?”

Without missing a beat, she took my free arm and started leading me towards the dining room.

Asia took that as a challenge and practically molded herself to my side with my arm flush against her.

A beauty in each arm.

Bliss.

Yet you want a whole bouquet with you at the center, still.

You’re damn right.

That’s my wielder!

But back to Rias’ question.

“It’s going great. I’m learning a lot, and all the damage I’m taking is letting me speed things up.” I held out my hand and made a fist. Every training session since the first had gotten more lenient, but the damage and pain was still there. I’d gotten as far as I could with strength training with weights and the like. I needed real battles to put the wear and tear on me to be repaired with Ddraig’s help. Though I looked human, anyone taking a closer look would see the work Ddraig and I were putting in towards making that a convincing mockup at best. “I could do without the increased appetite, but everything is else is good. Almost ready to start more drastic changes.”

“Ah, the heart. That would be an intense improvement. Very dangerous, too.” Dragon hearts were a source of immense power. Magic was either taken from the surroundings or from the soul, but Dragons and many other creatures had specialized organs that granted them more extreme, instinctual control over magic or flat out more. Dragons had the best of them all. A heart that burned with power from within, that allowed them to be living weapons of mass destruction, and even heal from all but the most gravest of wounds. “But Asia-chan would be able to help now, right?”

It was a risky procedure, so I wasn’t going to undertake it until Asia was available as a safety net.

“Not yet, so we’re not doing it. Maybe, if it was life or death, and that was our only chance at making it out.” It was a trump card of sorts. One that might not work. However, if it did, I’ll come back to life with a new heart, practically all fixed up, and with all my Boosts in play. Normally, it wouldn’t even be a choice. I’d have to take that route if I was lying on the ground dying. “So, make sure I’m not trying to do it while dying. Only bring me back if I’m really, absolutely, and completely dead.”

“I see. I’ll keep that in mind, Ise-kun.” Rias smiled and I nodded in return. Once upon a time, I would’ve never considered becoming a Devil. However, with all that I experienced so far, and the fact that I felt like I could trust Rias and she had the Evil Pieces, then not having that available was just spitting on a chance to keep living. I’m not sure how much progress I’d lose in the process of becoming a pawn, but it was better than dying. “Don’t worry, Asia-chan, I’m sure Ise-kun will still love you as a Devil.”

“I won’t let that happen! Ise-kun, I’ll do my best to make sure you never have to do something like that. I promise!” Asia was all for me becoming more like Ddraig, but not becoming a Devil. In my mind, I was just choosing a more controlled version of becoming inhumanly powerful, where I didn’t give up my independence. However, thanks to how she was raised, Asia was mortified at the thought of me becoming a Devil. I mostly avoided that path because I didn’t want to be a subordinate to a Devil. “You should just keep getting stronger the way you already are!”

Got it, got it. I’m just planning in case you can’t save me, and Ddraig can’t save me.” Asia pouted by nodded as I pulled out her seat and Rias’ the table was already set. They had bowls of salad, some bread, and other small dishes before them and a pot full of beef stew to take from and enjoy with rice. Meanwhile, I had the rest of the entire pot, a bowl the size of my head, and a spoon almost bigger than my palm. If not for the fact that I had a better palate and really enjoyed eating now, I’d have gotten tired of this a while ago. “Thanks for the meal.”

I was about to start eating when my phone suddenly rang, and I excused myself.

It was a good thing that I did, since it was Azazel calling with bad news.

…

“Seriously? Pictures of my parents while they’re out shopping?”

“You ignored me at every other opportunity.”

“I don’t want anything to do with you.”

“You know that’s not true.” Vali Lucifer sat at the park bench where Azazel had sat across from me a few days ago. Whereas before I was enjoying some snacks and speaking to an expert in a field that I adored, now I had a crazy idiot with a lot of power at his beck and call in my face. A real downgrade. “The moment we received our Sacred Gears was when our destinies intertwined. Albion and Ddraig were foes all their lives, not just for the sake of either of their ideals and desires, but because they both wished would overcome the other and prove themselves the worthiest.”

Yeah, you’re not wrong, but I’m not exactly the one calling the shots.

I snorted at that little quip of Ddraig’s and just shook my head.

“I’m not interested in a rivalry from the past. My life is mine and your life is yours. I don’t intend on fighting to the death with you to prove something. I want to live.”

“Well, then, you can’t do that unless you fight me.” Bullheaded and overwhelming. This was the sort of guy that I hated back in my previous life. Now that I learned most guys were just hormone-addled idiots with good intentions, this guy and all the other villains just got worse. “That ordinary life you hold dear, all the people you care about, they’re in danger and I can steal them away from you… unless you fight me.”

Threatening to hold the people I care about hostage, because he wanted to just fight me.

This guy was fucking nuts.

Thankfully, I have some experience in dealing with crazy people like him.

“Fine. I get you. I have something you want and you’ve made sure that you have something that I want.” This sort of ‘negotiation’ put a bad taste in my mouth, but it made Vali grin. Freak. “Even though I’m not interested, I’ll spar with you, fight with you, and whatever else, as long as you don’t harm the people I care about. However, besides the times we decide on, you’re not a part of my life. Got it?”

“Hah, good. You know who you’re speaking to now—

“One fight a month. Not to the death. Secluded area and with healers on standby. I got my own, but she’s not helping you.” I went with the highest offer I was willing to tolerate, ready for it to be rejected. Vali, however, surprised me again with a bigger smile, like I’d given him exactly what he wanted. “And, if there are outside issues, I expect you to be understanding if I’m sick, wounded, or anything else along those lines. I’ll schedule whatever else is important in my life around the fights.”

“Good. That’s good. Very good in fact.” Vali nodded and was speaking mostly to himself. He looked me over like a piece of meat, or an opponent, I guess. I covered myself up by crossing my arms and glaring at him. This feeling… wasn’t something I’ve had to deal with since I became a bow. This guy’s a fight-sexual or something. “When will you be ready for our first bout?”

“Two days. I’ve just finished training with Leviathan, and I want a few days to recover before the next one.”

“You’re training with one of the Satans? When did you start?” Vali’s eyes got a glimmer, like I’d just told him that I was preparing him a nice meal or something. Gross. “No. Don’t tell me. I want to be surprised. You’re stronger than when you faced Kokabiel, right?”

“I am. And, I’ll be bringing tools along for our fight to. When you saw me fighting there. That was at my worst.”

“Very well. Tools are fine. You’ll need them!” Vali laughed, his mood obviously happy, and Devil wings unfurled from his back and he ascended. “I shall see you here in two days with whatever you wish to bring, at this very time! Bring your best, your healers, and whatever else you desire… I shall defeat you at your best. Even if you grow stronger and stronger in power, I shall always defeat you!”

With those words said, he flew up and disappeared into the night sky.

Dammit.

I wouldn’t mind if he was a girl, but the way he was treating me now was really fucking creepy.

And, of course, as was the case whenever Vali was around, Ddraig was laughing his ass off in the back of my head.

You’re no help at all, you know!?

…

Azazel seemed to latch onto the wrong piece of information when I told him what happened with Vali.

“So, you’d be fine if Vali was a girl?”

“That’s not exactly what I said, but it’ll help if he was.” I didn’t bother lying to Azazel. As far as I was concerned, that would only hurt my chances at succeeding in my dream. “You know it goes, right? This whole scenario would be cute if a girl was doing it.”

“Yeah, yeah. Like in manga, where the rival is a girl, right? I guess, though, in those stories the girl’s way weaker and the fight isn’t even good. It’d ruin the overpowered feeling.” Azazel spoke, and I nodded. He put my feelings into words correctly. This was that rival-to-lover scenario that usually got messed up in most power-fantasies. For some reason, guys didn’t want the rival female character to actually be strong. Probably because most guys who read the stuff have hard enough lives as it is and want to be relied upon. You understand, yet you’d still happily NTR them. You know it. If they can’t handle a strong woman, and need their love interest to be weaker than them, then I’ll do it without any hesitation. “Hm, I have a gender ray gun. Turns men into women and vice versa. I made it when I wanted to figure myself out.”

I stared at Azazel for a bit and he gave me a grin and a thumbs up.

“Yeah, I’m hot as hell. Not into guys, though. Tried. Didn’t click. Have a few former athlete tomboys, though. They’re great.” My respect for Azazel rose up several notches. He really went and tried both sides and went to try to seize a harem composed of any gender. Truly, he’s a stronger, better person than I am. Wait, did he say ‘have’? He didn’t get rid of it after he was done with it? “I bet if you beat Vali enough times, you can convince him to let it be used on him. I mean, he’ll still be him and his feelings won’t change or anything, but he’ll look pretty.”

I thought about the scenario for a long time, before coming to a decision.

Thank goodness.

“No, that sounds way too scummy. I’m scum of the earth and a massive pervert, but that’s going too far.”

“Right, if it actually changed his feelings and made him like guys, you’d be fine with it.”

“Totally, but that’s not the guy is, right?”

“Nope.” Azazel confirmed and sighed. Even across the phone, I could tell that he was disappointed with the kid he'd raised. “I’ll be honest. His upbringing had his head get messed up real bad. He lives to fight, get strong, fight some more, and get stronger. Albion, I bet, is the only friend the kid’s got.”

We were straying away from our usual topics into more serious stuff, but I guess I called to talk about Vali in the first place, so I couldn’t complain.

If there was a guy out there who was actually into guys that wanted to be a cute girl, though, I’d ask Azazel for his gun.

But moving onto my ‘rival.’

“I think that the best way of handling him is that I just fight him and win. Not enough to make him go crazy or anything, but just get strong until we can push ourselves farther.” Azazel hummed a positive on the end of the line. I bet that he’s handled situations like this before. He’s a real life harem protagonist, after all. “What are the chances of him going crazy again, though? I don’t appreciate sending pictures of my parents at me. He didn’t do it, but it’s an actual threat. If he wasn’t related to you, I’d be planning to kill him already.”

“Yeah. I appreciate you doing that. Thanks for keeping things in line, even though you could’ve done some more drastic. I’ll talk to the kid and lay down the law. Won’t happen again. Promise.” Azazel swore and I took that at face value. Normally, I’d not trust him, but he had no reason to lie and hasn’t so far. He’s just been helpful from the onset. “On your end, you can’t beat him, but just hold back from making him angry, accept his gloating, and keep fighting against him while improving. That’ll shut him up… and I’ll use his calm to get him some friends and stabilize him.”

Well, that sounded good, and if it didn’t work out, I’ll call Azazel again.

I hoped that I wouldn’t have to do anything drastic to keep my people safe.

“Alright. Thanks, see you around.”

“See you around, Issei.”

With that, our conversation ended and I started my on my plans to fight Vali.

I think he’ll be able to take a boosted sledgehammer to the face just fine, right?