Lunch break the next day.
"Flyers summarizing candidate Xenovia-san's platform~!"
"Here you go~ Please consider voting for Xenovia~!"
"Your clean vote would be greatly appreciated!"
Irina, Kiryuu, and Asia handing out flyers to passing students.
Kuoh Academy's student council election is now in full swing. Handmade posters are plastered everywhere, including one with Xenovia dressed as the Virgin Mary and huge letters screaming: "Xenovia will bring true peace to Kuoh Academy! Please give me your pure vote!"
To anyone seeing it for the first time it looks super sketchy, but people who know Xenovia just go "Yeah, that's her."
Foreign transfer student + intense personality + hardcore faith = totally on-brand.
From the courtyard where we're eating lunch, me, Miyu, Alice, and Reyna watch the campaign.
Asia and the others finish eating fast for campaigning, so we're separated for now.
Sipping juice through a straw, Reyna says,
"They're really fired up. I wanna help, but…"
"You're busy too, right? Grigori work. Deputy head of the diplomacy bureau?"
"Nope, finance bureau now. Still busy though… sigh… Azazel-sensei keeps making weird robots, and since I'm his minder they shoved me there saying I'm perfect for watching the budget… sniff"
"You've got it rough…"
"Yeah… can I lean on you a little?"
"…As much as I can handle."
"…Yay ♪"
She rests her head on my shoulder.
This girl really has it tough for her age…
I pat her head. If I can heal her even a little, I will.
While I'm stroking Reyna, Xenovia appears with Asia and the others, stands in the middle of the path, and starts her speech.
"Um, hello everyone at Kuoh Academy! I'm second-year Xenovia, running for student council president. Please listen to what I have to say. If I become president—"
Cheers come from both guys and girls who stop to listen.
"Go Xenovia-san!"
"We're counting on you, Xenovia-chan!"
And from the first-years:
"Xenovia-senpai! We're rooting for you!"
"Xenovia onee-sama! You have my vote for sure!"
Xenovia onee-sama… huh. She's super popular with the first-year girls.
"Among first-years, Xenovia-senpai is the ultimate cool older sister type," Koneko-chan explains as she, Ravel, and Gasper join us.
"Mind if we sit?"
"Sure, plenty of space."
We scoot over; the three first-years sit with their lunches.
Koneko-chan opens her bento.
"Almost everyone in school knows Xenovia-senpai, so crowds naturally gather when she speaks."
Just like she said, a huge ring of students surrounds her, especially first-year girls whispering "Xenovia onee-sama."
Great athlete, smart (when not being a battle idiot), treats everyone equally, plus the boyish charm—she's the perfect cool senpai to them.
Ravel adds,
"She's also getting attention for being completely different from former president Sona."
"Ah, gotcha."
Sona was steady yet flexible, incorporating student opinions. Xenovia is full-on sports-club energy. If she wins, the student council will run in a totally different way.
That explains the hype.
Then I spot the other candidate, Hanakai-san, greeting students nearby.
"Good luck, Hanakai-san! We're cheering for you!"
"I'll vote for you!"
She smiles calmly and thanks them.
I heard most honor students support Hanakai.
"Who's leading right now?"
Koneko-chan answers,
"I asked a newspaper club classmate—currently it's 60-40, Xenovia-senpai behind. Sona-senpai's track record as her right hand is huge."
"40% already? That's actually pretty good at this stage."
"Yes, and half of Xenovia-senpai's supporters are rock-solid."
"Really?"
"Most are girls from sports clubs she helped or students she saved from trouble. Xenovia-senpai can't ignore anyone in need, so she's rescued a lot of people."
"Even before running, she was quietly looking out for the school," Ravel says.
Makes sense. I've seen her jump in to help girls' teams and struggling students tons of times.
Alice watches Xenovia's speech and smirks.
"Fufufu. This election's gonna be close till the end. Should be fun."
"You remembering your own country?"
"We're hereditary monarchy—no elections. Though if I'd screwed up badly enough, Nina would've taken the throne… Heh, guess my daily behavior paid off."
"..."
"...What's with that look?"
"Ahahaha…"
Miyu gives a strained laugh at our exchange.
After school.
I'm at a Grigori facility.
slurp slurp…
"Pwah!"
Eating soba noodles.
I dip glossy handmade noodles into the dipping sauce and slurp them down.
Mmm—rich bonito flavor, delicious!
"How is it? Best batch in a while," asks Azazel-sensei beside me, slurping his own.
Yeah, he made the noodles and sauce from scratch.
"I have hobbies besides tinkering with sacred gears. Lately it's hand-pulled soba. Years ago I was obsessed with fishing."
Makes sense—fallen angels live forever like devils. Mastering random skills is totally valid.
I do plastic models… maybe I should pick up another hobby?
Sensei chuckles bitterly, glancing at me and the person on his other side.
"Never thought I'd be serving hand-pulled soba to both Heavenly Dragons."
Yep—across from Sensei, slurping the same soba, is the White Dragon Emperor, Vali.
Two dragons who used to fight to the death, peacefully eating soba made by the Governor of the Fallen Angels. Historic.
Vali sips hot tea.
"As expected of Azazel. Perfect firmness and snap. You could make money with this."
He's doing food commentary! From Vali! This is rare!
"Nah, go to a real old Japanese soba place—they're way better. I'd need to level up a lot to open a shop."
"You're actually planning to open one!?"
"Japanese food is spreading in the Underworld. Same trend as overseas, right?"
Come to think of it, there were fast-food places… not exactly Japanese food though.
Knowing him, he'll open a revolving sushi place in the Underworld with Sirzechs.
Vali continues,
"Still, today was worth coming. I finally saw Hyoudou Issei's new power with my own eyes."
Reason I'm here: testing and adjusting the external stabilizer for my Exa-form.
While running tests in the lab, Vali happened to visit Grigori and walked in on it.
I clearly remember his excited grin.
Dude was absolutely burning to fight.
He already challenged me once—rematch is inevitable.
(The rest of the ORC went to a famous taiyaki shop in the next town over. Koneko-chan's intel; Alice wanted some, so everyone went. Gotta get taken next time.)
"Sensei, any soba-yu?"
"Here ya go."
"Thanks."
I dilute the leftover sauce with hot soba water—perfect for winter.
Pure Japanese soul!
While savoring it, I warn Vali,
"Just so you know, Exa is still unstable. Don't get your hopes up too high."
"You say that, but tripling your power? Too interesting to ignore."
"Still a total battle junkie… Sensei, how's the tuning going?"
Sensei finishes his diluted sauce and exhales.
"Pretty good. Smooth sailing so far. Just needs fine-tuning to fit perfectly. You know it's only a stabilizer—won't extend duration."
"Yeah, that's still on my stamina."
"Exactly. …Man, when Ignis analyzed the 'Nyuu-Power' from the two Switch Princesses, I was shocked. …You milked them, didn't you?"
Urk… straight to the point.
…Yeah, I did.
Took Alice and Rias to the "break room" and got permission to milk.
Then took a little break myself.
Alice punched me when I said "Please let me milk your boobs!"
…All that stupid goddess's fault again.
Zero regrets though. Both were adorable.
A red-haired goddess suddenly materializes behind me.
"They both ended up loving it~ And at the end they milked Issei dry together, right, you lucky—"
"Stop talking about our sex life the second you materialize! We're eating!"
"You're already done."
"Vali's still eating!"
He's silently slurping away!
Don't recount our nights in front of others! Embarrassing!
Ignis plops down beside me.
"Azazel-kun, beer? And edamame~"
"Order before materializing next time. You could've shown up before the food."
"Can't help it~ I was just playing with the past generations~"
"…BDSM again?"
"Yep! This time we tried hot wax! Right now the girls are tied up and on vibrator torture!"
"Stop with the details! Don't traumatize Vali!"
"Teehee ☆"
She sticks out her tongue.
This goddess never changes!
"…Vibrator?"
"VALIIII! Ignore it! Don't cross to the dark side!"
『Albion! Cover your ears! Or flee deep into the Sacred Gearrrrr!』
Ddraig's scream echoes after mine!
We absolutely cannot let Albion hear this!
Goddess stories are hard R-18!
He'll have another mental breakdown!
Sensei sighs at our antics, places a device on the table—and a bowl of edamame.
"Sensei, that?"
"Artificial sacred gear that makes perfectly salted edamame. Essential drinking snack."
"Don't waste tech on that!"
"Rude. You know how long I worked on this? I also have one that makes the ultimate tamago-kake-gohan."
"Pure waste!"
That's why Reyna suffers! Too many useless inventions!
Vali suddenly stands.
"Azazel. Any sacred gear that eliminates cup noodle waiting time?"
"That's your question!? Vali, you're a gag character too!?"
"Three minutes when you're starving is torture."
"I get it, but I didn't want to hear that from you!"
Sensei pulls another gadget from his pocket.
Bad feeling…
No way—
"Fine, fine. Here—this instantly finishes cup noodles to perfect temperature."
"You actually have one!?"
"Three minutes when you're busy… torture."
"You two really are parent and child!"
He raised Vali, and now they're identical in the weirdest ways!
Vali gratefully accepts the cup-noodle sacred gear!
What even is a cup-noodle sacred gear!?
"There's also one that fixes natural perms."
"Definitely don't need that!"
I can't keep up with these idiots anymore.
That's when—
A communication magic circle unfolds by my ear.
It's Miyu.
Her voice makes my eyes go wide.
Miyu and the others just made contact with the Church warrior coup faction.
-------------------------------
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