Scarlet 27

Scarlet 27

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Commissioned by Sivantic

Wordcount: 2500

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Ddraig,

Yeah?

On a scale of 1 to 10… how bad is my current situation?

At least, 8. Probably a 9.

Yeah, I thought so.

I passed out after landing the hit on Valper. Blood loss from the previous fights, along with the hits I took to hit Valper, resulted in unconsciousness overtaking me.

The battle had been won, and Asia was available, so I was sure that I wasn’t going to die unless I was completely torn apart.

Back on Bet, that would’ve been the end of the matter. Victory was all that mattered, especially if a healer was on standby to provide assistance. You took the hits you needed to take, so that everything will fall in your favor.

That’s how it’s supposed to be, but your friends are weak. Dragons know that’s how things are supposed to be.

Your race is nearly extinct, Ddraig.

I said that it’s what we know. Not that we’re right.

I wanted to keep talking to Ddraig for a bit, but someone noticed that I was awake, and tried to shake my soul right out of my body.

“Hyoudou, wake up!” I’d hoped that Rias or Asia would be cross with me and shake me awake. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case, and the one doing the shaking was the one I’d expected it to. The one who I didn’t want to know about it. “Wake up, so that I can kill you myself!”

“Sitri-san!” Asia’s voice was panicked and I felt the shaking decrease a little.

I took that as my cue to stop feigning death and get up, so that the Devils and former-nun under my care didn’t fight.

“I’m awake.” My body creaked a little as I got up. Most of my clothes were stained with blood and the trials of my wounds were still obvious on my clothes. However, besides the dried blood on my clothes and skin, I was now unharmed thanks to Asia. I made sure to give the blonde a nod of thanks and a smile, as she pressed her hands together in joy at seeing me alright. “And, I’m also perfectly fine, Sitri-san.”

“You are not fine! You are mentally deranged, because you took on grievous wounds without any consideration for yourself! You are a bastard and an absolute fool!” Sitri let go of me, and I caught myself before I fell onto the floor. The bespectacled student-council president glared at me with a furious scarlet visage. “You told me that you would be careful!”

I corrected her.

“I told you that I’d stay alive and here I am.” I got up as Sitri blinked. Her perfect memory brought the worlds we shared to the forefront of her mind. I’d hoped that it would mollify her, but my little trick before we parted ways just made her more furious. She was practically steaming as she tightened her fists together and couldn’t find the right words for her immense vitriol for my actions. “If it meant saving the children, I would do it again, so I’m not promising you anything.”

I expected my words to start a shouting match between the two of us.

Instead, suddenly, Sitri gave off a small screech and stomped away.

As far as conversations went, I’ve had plenty of ones that went worse, so I just counted my blessings and looked around.

Valper lay dead on the floor while Quarta and Irina stood around his corpse. The two of them were contacting someone with magic, while the Excalibers that he used were nowhere to be seen. I presumed that they already got what they came for and were reporting their mission as a success. Irina say that I was okay and waved at me, but returned to her mission. Since she was part of the Church, she must’ve known that Twilight Healing was more than enough to keep me alive.

The children were all sequestered to the corner of the room and they were covered in blankets and being offered food. Some were asleep, but most were asking Sitri’s Peerage for one thing or another, or being interviewed about their circumstances. It was unlikely that they had families, or places to call home to go back to, since no one searched for them. However, if they did, I was sure that both Gremory and Sitri had the resources necessary to get them to orphanages or back to their families.

And, speaking of Gremory.

“Ah, Ise-kun, you’re okay!” Rias came over after watching her friend disappear. She was flanked by Koneko who looked at me before sighing in relief and nodding. My partner-in-crime during my assault saw me take fatal wounds, so she was relieved to see me well. I gave her a nod in acknowledgement, and she walked off satisfied, leaving Rias to watch her leave bemusedly, before she turned her gaze back to me. “She was very worried about you, just as I was, after you were struck.”

“It was a calculated move, just like the battle against Reiser. I made the opening necessary to end the battle knowing that I could get healed by Asia here.” I spoke and gave Asia a smile. She blushed at my attention and shrunk a little. I gave her hair a tussle, before turning back to Rias, who was pouting at my interaction with her. So, since it couldn’t be helped, I showed her my appreciation as well. Accusations of being a manwhore floated in the back of my mind, voiced by Lisa, and the accusations grew stronger when my feelings only intensified. Yep, I totally was and my libido was too high for me to hate myself for it. “I wouldn’t have done it, if Asia wasn’t available. I promise.”

It was a half-truth.

If the stakes were high enough, if enough lives were at risk, I’d fight the same way I did today if I didn’t have any options. I would look for those options thoroughly first. I’d expend every resource I had, search for every little advantage, before I committed myself to a suicide mission without a healer to fix my mistakes. But, since I wasn’t a Devil, Nephilim, or an Angel, I couldn’t take that course of action off the table.

I had limited strategies and I had to make use of all that I had for the sake of meeting my objectives.

If human whelps weren’t so weak, then you could’ve done things differently. They’d have died if you didn’t, so that’s that.

Having Ddraig agree with me completely did make me question my decision, since he most definitely wasn’t human, but I put that aside until later.

“Hm, well, then it can’t be helped. I won’t ever forgive you if you do something like this again without Asia-chan, though.” Rias gave me a blindingly bright smile that I could only helplessly withstand. The cheer with which she threatened our relationship was incredible and nearly had me apologize. It took everything I had to meet her gaze and stay steadfast to my decision, although I couldn’t help but nod at her words, even if it was almost a lie. “Now, we’ll handle everything here, so why don’t you go talk to Sona-chan, Ise-kun?”

Rias’s suggestion was anything but a suggestion. It was practically an order, which only served to confuse me more.

Shouldn’t I be arguing with Rias right now?

Why was she telling me to go after Sitri?

My confusion must’ve been palpable since Rias chuckled.

“My goodness, Ise-kun, do you really not see her concern and affection for you?”

I had to take a moment to parse those words, before managing a nod.

“Alright. I’ll go after her then.” Rias was looking after her best friend. Sitri saw me as a friend and a student who learned nearly everything about the supernatural from her. Obviously, she’d care about me and feel responsible for my actions, since she facilitated them. Rias was looking out for her friend since childhood who was feeling terrible because of me. My girlfriend was definitely not trying to press me to go after her childhood friend romantically. Not at all. This isn’t a hentai doujin. “I’ll see you later, Rias.”

Rias smiled and gave me a wave as walked over to Sitri.

Asia tried to follow, but was grabbed by Rias who held her closely with a smile.

I was a girl in my previous life. I knew for sure that what was happening was nothing more than a friend looking out for another friend. This definitely wasn’t Rias setting anything up with me and Sitri, especially when she was already fighting against Akeno and Asia in the periphery. Nothing in my past memories even vaguely suggested that was the case.

Yet… Ddraig was laughing his ass off in the back of my head.

…

Sitri wasn’t that far from where we fought against Valper. She’d turned to the left of the hallway to the room and decided to stay there. I almost walked into her as she sat against the wall with her head tucked behind her knees.

“You’re late. You absolute imbecile. You’re supposed to chase after me immediately.” My world came tumbling down around me at those words, as Sona looked up at me with reddened eyes and a faint blush on her face while I loomed over her. The flush on her cheeks, the messiness to her hair, and the faint pout of her lips made my heart do backflips and made my throat go dry. “How are you ever going to sate your lusts, if you don’t understand how to care for women?”

I thought long and hard about the situation, comparing it with my knowledge of my past life and my new one, before deciding on the correct course of action.

I slumped against the wall on the opposite side of the corner that Sitri chose and gave up.

“Alright. I give up. I have no idea what’s going on. You’re going to need to explain it to me slowly.” My head ached while everything I knew seemed to be wrong. What the hell was I missing in my brain that made none of this make any sense. “What are you talking about, Sona?”

The short-haired, bespectacled girl let out a single chuckle at my words.

“Even you never said it, to any Devil, it’s obvious what you want and who you are, Ise-kun.” Sitri shuffled and let her legs settle against the floor by lying one atop the other. I felt a chill go down my spine at her words. “You lack ambition, but you want power and might. Lust guides you, but you temper in discipline, unless you know that others are willing.”

I felt her gaze on me, despite the fact I was doing my best to stare a hole into the ceiling while ignoring the building dread in my stomach and the heat on my face.

Devils knew how to tempt people.
“It’s a libido issue. I’m getting it under control. I will get it under control.” I had dreams of building a harem. Intellectually, I knew that it wasn’t right. Morally, I didn’t like it either. However, from the moment I reached puberty, I found myself wrapped up in the desire to be with and have many female partners. Since I had a past life, even if I was female, I knew that there was something wrong with me. My desires now were abnormal even as a pubescent boy. “I didn’t mean to flirt with you, Sona. Our relationship was simple. You paid me for a job and taught me to do that job.”

“Any Devil worth anything would use all that they have to make you theirs someway and somehow. Your power, your talent, and your skill… all lie behind something that we can plainly see. Lust tempered and withheld, but lust nonetheless.” Sona spoke so softly that my ears strained to hear her. Her voice was also muffled. I wanted to look at her, to see what face she was making, but I forced myself to keep calm. I couldn’t do that without losing myself. “You’re a human with everything that a Devil wants, unbound and free, even when you’ve gained Rias’s attention and affection.”

“Jeez, I feel so wanted.” I tried to be sarcastic, but the words came out goofier than I expected, and I had to hide my face in my hands even though no one was looking. It felt deliriously amazing to be told by a woman that she wanted me, even if parts of me told me that those reasons were wrong. My stupid libido didn’t care and was telling my brain that I needed to get a lot stronger and better as a human being to get as many Devils as possible. Yeah, there was something wrong with who I was now. I managed to force myself to cough and rid myself of the dumb smile that formed on my face, before I spoke again. “W-well, still, it wasn’t my intention to attract you, Sona. Even with how I feel or think, I’m not letting my body control me. I’m in charge of myself. I’m me.”

The words were like a mantra now, especially since I’d been reciting them since I was born. Issei Hyoudou wasn’t a boy whose mind I’d killed and replaced. This body was mine, I inhabited it, and I controlled it. Regardless of how my body was, what it felt, and why it was the way it was, I was in control of its instincts and beliefs.

I’m me.

Taylor Hebert.

Issei Hyoudou.

I’m me.

Knowing that, I got up and made my decision.

“I have a stupid libido and a moronic amount of lust, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to fall for it. I’m going to do things right. I won’t be betraying anyone, least of all myself.” I needed to clarify my relationship with Rias and push aside everyone else. A part of me screamed that I was being stupid and that I shouldn’t throw people aside, but I clamped down on that as tightly as I could. Want and need are different things. I wanted a partner. Not partners. That was that. “So, Sona… I apologize for enticing you, but I’m not interested in being with you.”

While my libido was cursing me and ravaging me with images of could’ve-beens, Sona… laughed, stood, and turned the corner.

Her blouse was unbuttoned.

And, there goes the logic…

Boobs in light blue lace… with the slightest of protrusions as they were bared outward.

…the morals…

Gentle swells between elegant collarbones and above a svelte stomach.

…and the ethics.

It was real and right in front of me, beheld by a woman my age, with a look of confidence. Sona wanted me to look, to see, and engrain the sight into my brain to manipulate me.

“Ise-kun… you’re never going to see my chest ever again if you keep being reckless with your life!”

“Yes, ma’am! I’ll absolutely never risk my life ever again!”

Man, every half-decent beauty’s going to wrap you around their fingers at this, Taylor.