Scarlet 40: Interlude: Sitri

Scarlet 40: Interlude: Sitri

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Commissioned by Sivantic

Wordcount: 2500

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“Well, it can no longer be denied. Issei Hyoudou is most definitely a hero.”

“Mou, I told you that already, Sona-chan!”

I sighed as Rias huffed. Akeno generously served us both tea, while the rest of our peerages worked with the Grigori that arrived to put everything back in order. Even with their assistance, and reinforcements arriving from both our families, it’ll take a lot of effort to put the school back into working order.

However, the topic of our conversation was Issei Hyoudou.

“He is the center of a storm. Event after event arises around him, chaos erupts, and then he acts to seize victory against all odds.” It should have been expected of someone with a Longinus. All those who were blessed with Sacred Gears had a destiny to achieve, or great works to accomplish in their lives. Those with Longinus threatened to change all of history while they lived. The world marched to their tune, or tried to snuff them out, and in either case the response of the Longinus wielder changed everything. “We’re fortunate to have him at our disposal… but the Church will be acting to curry his favor soon enough.”

“There’s right. I overheard Xenovia-chan talking to Irina-chan earlier. They’re definitely going to do their best to seduce Ise-kun. It’ll be hard, but I think we can stop them together.” On one hand, I applauded my childhood friend for her foresight and countermeasure to a sudden discovery. On the other hand, I wanted to grab her by the ear and yell at her. “Hm, what’s wrong, Sona-chan?”

“Rias, they’re able to do that because Ise-kun isn’t a Devil. The best course of action right now is to convince him to become one of us, via you using the pieces that you have left.”

“Sona-chan, we can’t force him to be a Devil.”

“I know that, but…” I couldn’t help but sigh and shake my head, before placing my head in my hands. Whenever I closed my eyes, I saw Issei Hyoudou with all his power and strength overcoming challenge after challenge. He learned swiftly, took risks when needed, and thrived during the most dangerous of battles. Not only that, but he knew how to use his power effectively in almost every situation. When to hold back, when to use all his strength, and when to make friends and enemies… I knew that Longinus users were supposed to be great, pivotal people in history, but it was another thing entirely to look at Issei Hyoudou leap forward time and time again with ease. “We can’t rely on feminine wiles to keep him to us forever. The Exorcists are sending Irina and Xenovia after him because of their bodies. Other factions will do the same, as long he’s not affiliated with anyone.”

I knew.

Like playing a game of chess, while looking ten moves ahead, that Issei Hyoudou was planning for the future. He wasn’t foolish enough to stay beside us, especially when there were so many other people who could offer him so much more. Although he didn’t have an army, or a territory at his back, he still governed himself like a leader. He looked for allies to support him without a hint of shame, he didn’t offer himself up as a servant or employee, but as a business partner or an ally. Those he fought were crushed without mercy, to prevent future foes from arising once more the threaten him, and to serve as an example of his strength.

I thought that having him aid Rias as compensation for giving Asia Argento a new identity was a small price to pay, but now I knew differently.

“If we do nothing, we’ll find ourselves the subordinates under him, Rias.” Asia Argento had been offered a path home, back to her rightful place, after it was ascertained that her dismissal was a ploy for her Sacred Gear to be stolen. Despite being given a choice to serve her God again, return to the people who cared for her, she refused and decided to stay with Issei Hyoudou. Not only that, but his feats were ingratiating himself with Rias and her peerage at a rapid rate. I’d thought that he was being subsumed, and soon would be a part of them, but that wasn’t the case. “Don’t you see it? We’re dancing in his palm. He’s indebting us to him. Soon enough, he’s going to be an ally that we can’t be without. He already might be.”

The two of us faced off against Kokabiel and his Fallen Legion and survived. No. We were victorious. This victory was a call to the rest of the world of our power. While many would never challenge us now, the world was a vast and terrifying place. Our victory could most certainly defeat us because those at his level or wish to be acknowledged as strong as him, will seek us out and challenge us.

If we want to retain our standing, if we didn’t want to be defeated by those who thought us worthy, we’ll need Issei Hyoudou by our side.

The deeper I looked, the longer I contemplated our new situation, the more and more integral he was.

If we lost him, somehow, then we would be left adrift—

“Neh, Sona-chan, I’m sure that if you date him for real too, he’ll probably never leave.”

I spat out my tea.

“WHAT!?”

Rias put down the screen of magic that she used to deflect my magic.

“Well, the two of you like one another and you do all sorts of things to entice him, but you’re not actually together-together yet. The chase is really nice and all, but I think it’s plenty of fun to tease Ise-kun now too. Right, Akeno?”

“Oh, indeed. He’s much more dominant in a real relationship too. He teases back, and makes it clear that he’s in charge. It’s lovely.” Akeno spoke and I could only look at her and stare. According to all my research on her, she was the one who always wanted to be in charge, yet somehow… she shivered at the mention of Ise being dominant? “I believe that he’s as flexible with relationships as he is while fighting. He knows what to give a girl… and it’s not like he’ll insist you stay, if you don’t want to.”

“Him and Asia are so cute around each other, right? They’re always blushing and acting all innocent. It’s different with the two of us, but I don’t mind. I like it.” Rias shared a smile with her Queen, while I desperately tried to wrap my mind around the words that they were throwing my way. My brain felt as though it had been wrapped up on fuzz and set loose inside a tumbler, before being placed in a furnace. My ears felt like radiators, while my mouth opened and closed uselessly in an attempt to speak. “Sona-chan, once you join, I think it’ll be clear that you have nothing to worry about. Ise-kun will do everything he can to protect us… after all, a dragon always protects his treasure.”

I contemplated Rias’ words for a moment, took a sip of my tea, and then responded calmly.

“YOUR PLAN TO KEEP HIM IS TO GIVE HIM A HAREM!?”

“Yes!”

My childhood friend’s response was absolutely beyond my ability to comprehend.

What did I miss while adhering to my duties as school president?

…

“Sona-chan!”

I dodged out of the way of my sister as she tried to tackle me with a hug. She tumbled past me and collided with the tree I had been leaning against. It shook with her collision, though she could’ve easily gone through it without getting hurt.

“Ouchie!” Serafall Leviathan, my dear sister, pouted and sat cross-legged on the ground. She nursed her forehead, which was a light red from her impact against the tree. “Sona-chan, why are you sooo meaaannn? Won’t you let your sister hug you lotsss?”

Her power was immense, but her control over it was even more staggering. She could shift it at will. A monstrous titan that can’t be harmed one moment, then a feeble creature the next. Not only that, but she was able to analyze attacks sent against her to solely harm her clothing. She did so solely to replicate ‘ecchi battle damage’ when she desired.

“Dear sister, I appreciate you coming over here with your tight schedule, but we can’t waste any time. Did you have any luck with the favor I asked of you?” I did my best to be formal and to treat her with the greatest amount of respect. She was my older sister and the person I admired the most in the world. The fact that she was enamored with magical girls was because I’d liked them as a child. Therefore, I couldn’t blame her preferences now. “Do you know what happened to Kokabiel and how he got here?”

My dear sister pouted at my words, but nodded after a moment and sighed. She dusted herself off and stood up to answer me. The bruise was gone in a heartbeat after serving its brief purpose as comedic relief.

“Kokabiel was someone who fought during the Great War, and who worked for the Grigori under Azazel. They really were just cleaning up after their mistake when they arrived to defeat him using Lucifer.” She fixed up her pink hat by vanishing away the double-band-aid that had been there moments ago. I had barely noticed it, but she’d placed it there to be authentic. Creating solid objects from pure energy. A masterclass skill with magic in just about every conceivable school. She used it for a half-second joke. “Vali Lucifer has the Longinus that’s opposite of Issei Hyoudou’s: Divine Dividing. And, his nature as half-Devil made him stronger than Hyoudou-san—

“No, he’s not.”

“Eh?”

I spoke in Ise’s defense with such ease that I had a take a moment to think up the reasoning for my words.

“I-I mean, Hyoudou was limited by the situation. He was holding ground and incapable of moving as freely as he needed to for the best outcome.” That’s right. From the strength he showcased, I could easily see that he was more capable than he let on. Though he took too much for granted, such as Asia’s ability to heal him after reaching near-death, his ability wasn’t to be questioned. He unleashed the full might of his Sacred Gear at the right moment, which allowed him to be very effective in combat. “And, he spent the initial years holding back. He wanted to stay undetected, but that is no longer the case. I’ve barely known him for more than a semester, yet he’s orders of magnitude stronger than he used to be.”

My sister looked at me with suspicion, and I reflexively looked away from her gaze.

“Suspicious. My dear little sister is praising a man so thoroughly. How exactly do you know Hyoudou-kun, hmmm?” She crossed her arms after shortening the distance between us. With her shoulders squared and her back straight, she loomed over me, if only a little. Still, I wasn’t used to my older sister pressuring me. It was difficult to resist. However, I did resist and managed to look away from her. That only made things worse. “Ah, my dear little sister is keeping secrets from me!? What did Hyoudou-kun do to you? Has he destroyed your chastity—

“T-that’s none of your business and no he hasn’t!” My cheeks burned as I forcibly answered my sister’s question. If I did not, she’d spiral out of control. It wouldn’t surprise me if she decided to charge towards Ise with curses upon her lips. “I’m not even one of his girlfriend’s yet!”

Ah, I made a mistake.

“YET!?” My sister’s yell echoed through the hilltop behind the school. Her pupils widened and her shoulders slumped… while her hands tensed with fingers outstretched. It was the classic berserker stance. The comical version, but with her strength and power, I couldn’t help but still be worried. Worried enough to resolve myself to do what I needed to do. “Where is he—

“Onee-sama, if you don’t listen, I’ll cry!” Shame. Shame filled me to my very core. I used my only trump card against my older sister. It worked instantly. Her head snapped my way. Looking half-surprised and half-ecstatic, my sister barely managed to feign sorrow at being reprimanded by me. She succeeded in bothering me enough with her act to get me to call her what she wanted me to call her and leverage our relationship with one another. “W-whatever our relationship ends up being isn’t important at the moment. I asked you to come here to tell me if we have anything else to worry about!”

It felt like running away, but I knew when to hide, to back down, and to lose.

Every tactic was a tool for victory.

And, ever since I met Ise, I felt like I needed every single thing I had at my disposal.

My sister was quiet for a long time, before nodding with a sad smile.

“Yeah, I’m sorry, but that’s the case. I can’t be everywhere at once and Hell’s been troublesome lately.” She stood straight and brushed back her hair behind her ear. Though she could’ve looked away to seem melodramatic, instead she just kept her gaze on me. Then, I realized that I never heard her describe anything as troublesome before. “Sirzechs says that a lot of things are moving. He and I are looking into it. And, in what time we have left, everyone else wants us to hear one thing or another. Our positions have trapped us and our entire peerages. If we walk away, we leave Hell undefended… so you and your friends will need to grow stronger.”

I felt two things at those words.

Unshackled, since my sister entrusted me with her burden and admitted that she couldn’t help.

And, of course, afraid since my sister admitted that she couldn’t help me without abandoning everyone else.

Just who or what could pull so many strings that my sister and her colleagues were tied down?

However, if I asked now, I knew I would make my sister worry.

So, I did the right thing.

“Then, you do what you must, dear sister. And I’ll do the same. I’ll show you that I’m strong.” It was the response expected of a Devil, especially one in my position, but I meant it as more than that. I said it to my sister who was worrying about choosing Hell over me. I couldn’t allow her to do that. “If I ever truly need you, I’ll call for your help, but until then… leave everything to me.”

A smile, a real and genuine one, spread across my older sister’s face as she nodded at my words.

I hoped that I could share some of the burden that she carried.

Even if everyone else decided she couldn’t be Serafall Sitri anymore, she’ll always be my sister.