Above them there was an arrogant looking silver-haired boy. …His face had a resemblance to Vali. “…This is an old photo? Whoa, that guy is Vali? He looks especially arrogant!”
Hearing what I said, Ikuse-san laughed. “He was very arrogant. Even more arrogant than he is now.”
“The other people in the photo are also Ikuse-san’s, your companions right?”
“…Yes, they’re members of the team that was formed during the unrest four years ago. During that time, a lot of things related to Sacred Gears frequently occurred. Ever since then, I’ve been working together with them, even till now.”
Ah, that is to say, among those who help the Grigori, that was a photo of some of the members. “In the past, I lived with Vali for a period of time, so we know each other very well. Which is why I’m saying thanks to you.”
“As I had heard that you guys were hostile towards each other, I always thought that you hated him.”
Ikuse-san also seemed somewhat confused, so I didn’t know how to respond. “Hostile? I wouldn’t say hostile, rather that guy is too clingy, I simply try to avoid him. Every time we meet, he’s always shouting at me, he’s simply too annoying. It feels like having a troublesome little brother.”
If he said something like that to me, it really must have been a headache to deal with. Speaking of which, that guy used to be a battle maniac. “I heard that you’re really strong Ikuse-san? If you and I were on the front lines of the battlefield together, it certainly would provide us with a lot of courage.”
I heard that every time Azazel-sensei went to a dangerous place, the guard accompanying him was Ikuse-san. Azazel-sensei even had Ikuse-san with him when he went to the Underworld to see Hades. However, Ikuse-san shook his head. “I simply work behind the scenes. To have the Two Heavenly Dragons as an opponent or an ally, to me that is too exaggerated and doesn’t suit me.”
…He’s really quite a low-profile person. Still, for us to be able to fight on the front lines, it’s only possible because this guy and his companions are silently supporting us from behind. Forcing him to move to the front lines probably isn’t good. I suddenly realized, that at some point a large black dog had sat down beside me — I remembered that its name should be Jin. Don’t get so close to me while being silent, you little dog. The aura surrounding its body was unusual, and I could not tell what it was thinking by looking into its red eyes. Its red eyes were staring at me. …Its pupils seemed to be drawing me in, their bottomlessness would creep people out. Ikuse-san patted Jin’s head. “Sorry about that. This guy has a habit where it likes staring into things that interest it. As a guess, it’s probably noticed the dragon which resides in your body, Hyoudou Issei.”
Really, so it was looking into my body. “Yeah, that dog kept on staring at me. Perhaps it’s particularly interested in Heavenly Dragons.”
—That was what Ddraig said. “…Do you want to talk to Ddraig?”
“No, I don’t think they can speak with each other. Jin can understand human language, but it’s absolutely impossible for it to speak it.”
…It is separate from the Sacred Gear. Although it seems to be a Sacred Gear, this dog still retains a dogs’ will. “Vali was watching you rub on sunscreen before. From the looks of it, he was highly interested in the process of rubbing the butt.”
“Really! ?”
That was what happened! That guy was actually interested in the way that I was rubbing Akeno-san’s butt! I-Indeed, so Vali really belongs to the butt faction…!? However, Ikuse-san quickly followed up with
“Just kidding.”
Just kidding!? I seriously believed it! You know, that guy Vali actually watched H DVDs together with me! I was happy, that he was just as I expected, he developed an interest in the female body! But, I was surprised to see that Ikuse-san actually liked to make jokes! “Anyway, I’ll say goodbye now. You’ve shown me a good technique today.”
After saying that, he left. For someone that I don’t often speak to, it feels refreshing and good. Especially talking to someone who knew Vali before, it let me understand that guy’s other side which I didn’t know, which is unexpectedly interesting. Well, it’s time to take a look at how the timetable for applying sunscreen is going, it seems like it’s become quite noisy. Xenovia and Asia were also currently urging my manager, Ravel. “I want to register for getting sunscreen applied!”
“Me too!”
“…Well, I want it too.”
“W-Well then, I also want it!”
“I wonder if I should even try…”
Koneko-chan aside, even Gya-suke and Kiba want to!? They want me to apply sunscreen onto the males! They’re not kidding! Suddenly, someone put their hand on my shoulder. I turned my head to look, it was actually Dulio. He looked at the scene and laughed. “Oh—, whether it’s between boys or girls, Issei-san seems to be very popular. Hmm, well how about I ask you to help me to apply sunscreen to see how good it is?”
“Spare me from this…”
At this time, I could do nothing but helplessly lower my head. In this way, the day ended. The next day, during lunch break. I happened to come across the first year students in the school courtyard — Koneko-chan, Ravel, Gasper, and began talking to them after lunch. —At that time, the Church Trio and Kiryuu appeared. They distributed leaflets to the students who walked past. “Come over, everyone! Please take a look at this! On these leaflets are proposals from the next Student Council President Xenovia! She’s a girl who can do anything if she puts her mind to it!”
“Here, please look after me in the future. Please cast a vote for Xenovia-san.”
“I pray that you make an honest vote! In any case, please!”
Irina, Kiryuu and Asia were enthusiastically handing out the leaflets to the students. Well, because it was currently the election period, the corridors were lined with handmade posters. The posters were of Xenovia assuming the pose of the Blessed Virgin Mary, along with [I will bring true peace to Kuoh Academy! I hope you vote honestly!] in large text, creating a rather strange environment. —However, given that Xenovia was originally a transfer student from overseas, along with her personality, which were widely known throughout the school, the general opinion of her posters and leaflets from students was [I really like her style], which was a surprisingly good response. …These Kuoh Academy students, could be described as tolerant, calm, and often curious. Next, Asia (helps out with the election campaign during lunchtime), Irina, and Kiryuu accompanied Xenovia’s entrance into the courtyard. She hung a sash with her own name over her shoulder, and began to speak when she had reached the middle of the path. “Ah—, fellow students of Kuoh Academy, how are you. I am a candidate for this year’s Student Council President election, second year Xenovia. I hope that everyone will listen to my speech. Once I become President—”
Oh—, she boldly dropped the [Desumasuchō]honorific, and she’s using her usual manner of speech.