Chapter 188 — Growing Fame

Yuki

The day after the sports festival, I had made it back to my room late at night after training.

Koneko was already asleep in my bed by the time I arrived.

I wearily made it to bed and lay down without bothering to change.

I fell asleep the moment my head touched the pillow.

I was woken by a concerned-looking Asia and an annoyed-looking Koneko the next morning.

Koneko had woken before me and went and told Asia I needed her healing.

Asia had then rushed over to my room right away.

After explaining that I had been up late training and didn’t want to wake her to heal my injuries from my backlash.

Asia had tried to look intimidating as she chastised me for not letting her know sooner while healing me.

Koneko had watched me silently as Asia healed my still sore hands and then checked me over for anything else.

Since then, I’ve been extending my training time every day and pushing my limits each night.

The whole situation from the first morning repeated the next morning as well, and Koneko and Asia made me promise to go to Asia before bed after training.

So now I head to Issei’s room to get Asia to come heal me before I head to bed.

I’ve felt bad about it, but Asia insists that she doesn’t mind.

And now, a few days after the sports festival, we were all gathered in the basement movie theater of the Hyoudou house.

While we were all relaxing in the living room after dinner, Azazel-sensei arrived and told us that he had something he wanted all of us to see.

He directed us to the movie theater room, and now we were waiting for him to start whatever he wanted to show us.

Gasper-kun, Xenovia, Irina, Koneko, and I sat in the back row of seats.

Gasper-kun was on my left, and Xenovia was on my right.

Irina was sitting on the other side of Xenovia, and Koneko had claimed her spot in my lap.

Issei, Rias, Yuuto, Asia, and Akeno were sitting in the row ahead of us. 

There was another row ahead of them and more seats in each row that were unused.

It would be good if people wanted more space as they watched something, or if more people moved into the Hyoudou house.

I normally would think we would get only one more person, as Rias had one more Evil Piece to use.

But with Irina moving in, we may get other non-peerage members in the house as well.

I noticed Rias and Asia sitting closely next to Issei.

Asia was still faintly blushing when she looked at him, and he seemed more aware of her now.

I turned my attention away as Xenovia spoke

“I wonder if it’s more rating game footage?”

“Perhaps. Or maybe it has something to do with the Khaos Brigade attack,” Yuuto said as she turned back towards us.

“M-M-Maybe something happened in the Underworld,” Gasper-kun nervously added.

“…Or it’s something dumb,” Koneko muttered as she shifted on my lap and I moved two of my tails over her.

“Maybe,” Xenovia said with a shrug.

“U-Umm.. Y-Yuki-senpai?”

I turned towards Gasper-kun.

“Yes?”

“W-Would it b-b-be alright if I touched one of your t-tails?” Gasper-kun hesitantly asked. “I-I mean, if you don’t want me to, that's fine! I just always see Koneko-chan looking comfortable when she’s covered in them, and I was curious, and thought it might be nice! But I get that you don’t want me to! It’s alright! I should just go back to my room n—“

“Gasper-kun,” I said, cutting his spiraling ramble off. “I don’t mind if you want to touch them.”

“R-Really?”

I moved one of my tails over to his lap.

“Of course. I’ll let you know if something bothers me,” I said with a smile.

“Can I see one then?” Xenovia asked. “I’ve been interested as well. They look soft.”

I hesitated for a moment before shrugging and moving another tail.

I laid one onto Xenovia’s lap as well.

She began to softly run her hands through the fur.

“Ara. Are we all allowed to play with your tails now, Yuki-chan? I’d love to play with your rear, but I thought that was Koneko-chan’s territory.” Akeno said as she looked back at us.

Azazel-sensei came back into the room before I could reply.

Akeno gave me a smirk before turning back.

“Alright, I’ve got something interesting to show all of you. It’s light-hearted, so none of you need to worry. Except maybe for you, Rias,” Azazel-sensei said with a grin.

Rias blinked in confusion, and then frowned at him.

The light dimmed, and I pulled my tails back from Xenovia and Gasper-kun’s lap.

I noticed that Irina looked disappointed as my tail left Xenovia’s lap, but looked away when she saw that I had noticed her.

I turned back to the screen as the projector turned on. 

Energetic music played as a scene of an underworld city appeared on the screen.

The title of the show appeared in bold letters.  

[Chichiryuutei Oppai Dragon]. 

I sighed.

“…Called it,” Koneko murmured from my lap.

“This show was released in the Underworld the other day, and it’s already pretty popular. It’s a tokusatsu show about a character that’s based on Ise.” Azazel-sensei said.

As he spoke, a character wearing red armor that looked identical to Issei’s Boosted Gear Scale Mail appeared on the screen and began to fight villain characters in the city street.

“There’s already merchandise created for the show,” Azazel-sensei continued. “With the popularity the shows already seen, the sales have been off to a great start. It looks like the Gremory family is going to be making a lot of money off of you, Ise.”

“I was already sent a toy they made of my Scale Mail armor. It’s kinda crazy how well made it is,” Issei replied. “And I don’t really know anything about the money involved. But as long as it helps Buchou’s family, then I’m glad.”

“Shhh! Be quiet so we can watch the show!” Gasper-kun chastised him.

He was intently focused on the screen.

A few people gave him looks, but he was too invested in the show to notice.

Everyone decided to let him be and settled in to watch the show.

On the screen, the actor portraying Issei continued to fight and then defeated the villains.

Their attacks and the hits all looked very choreographed and over the top.

There were a lot of sound effects and some explosions during the fight scenes.

I thought it was a bit goofy, but it was a show for children, so I could see why they would like it.

After the fight, the villains revealed they were minions of a monster that wanted to destroy the Underworld city they were in.

The character portraying Issei then went and spoke to a character who looked just like Rias.

They began to speak, and I learned two interesting things.

One was that the character who was portraying Issei as the Oppai Dragon was named Ise Gremory in the show.

That made me roll my eyes at how even Sirzechs-sama seemed to be pushing for Rias and Issei to get together.

The second thing was that the character portraying Rias was called the Switch Princess.

Koneko let out a small snort upon hearing the title.

Rias turned red and looked back at her as she sat on my lap.

Koneko pretended to cough and looked away from Rias.

“Azazel! What is the meaning of this?!” Rias said as she stood and glared at him.

“It’s the title that was agreed upon for the heroine. She supports the Oppai dragon, and when he touches her breasts, he powers up to win a fight. It was very popular with test groups,” Azazel-sensei replied.

“Azazel. Grayfia already told me that it was your idea. Because of this, I can’t go in public anymore without a kid who watches this show pointing me out as the Switch Princess!”

Rias’s face was red from anger at this point rather than embarrassment.

Azazel shrugged.

“Well,l it’s drastically improved your group's popularity with the children of the Underworld. And as I said, your family is making a fortune on merchandise already. So there are positives and negatives.”

“Quiet! It’s the main fight!” Gasper-kun called out while shushing them.

Rias glared at Azazel-sensed before sitting back down.

As Gasper-kun said, the hero was fighting against the main villain.

It was a man dressed in a robotic-looking kaijin costume.

[Fuhahahaha! This will be your end, Chichiryuutei! You won’t be able to stop me!] He shouted after laughing evilly.

[There is no way the Chichiryuutei will lose to an evil doer like you! I’ll protect this city and the Underworld!] The hero replied as he struck a pose.

They began to exchange blows and pose between their attacks.

“So what do you think of the show, Koneko-chan?” I murmured close to Koneko’s ears.

Her ears twitched as I spoke.

“…The fighting is pretty basic, but the props and costumes are good. The Boosted Gear Scale Mail looks just like the real thing. And the actor playing Issei-senpai is matching his moves and attacks perfectly.” She quietly replied.

It was impressive how well they were emulating how Issei fought.

On the screen, the hero was hit with an attack and dropped to one knee.

Then the heroine appeared to save him.

[Oppai Dragon! Don’t worry! I’m here for you!]

The actress playing Rias was a little shorter than her but otherwise looked just like her.

They must have used visual effects or illusions to make her face and hair look just like Rias. 

In the row in front of me, Rias buried her face in her hands.

[Switch Princess! Now I can win this!] The hero shouted before reaching out and grabbing her breasts. 

Rias let out a groan into her hands as Akeno started to chuckle.

I was surprised that they would show this to children, but considering what little I’d seen of Serafall-Dana’s show Magical Girl Levi-tan,  I wasn’t that shocked.

There was an episode where she fought a tentacle monster, and it was closer to an Adult Video than a children’s show.

In the show, the Oppai Dragon began to glow and regain power after touching the Switch Princess.

Issei shifted in his seat and looked concerned.

“Is everything alright, Ddriag?” I heard him mutter to himself.

He paused like he was listening to Ddriag speak.

“I’m sorry, partner. Try and feel better.” He murmured.

The show ended with the hero punching the villain and launching him into the distance while the hero posed.

Irina leaned forward.

“You know, Ise-kun. Even if it seemed like a show with lustful elements, it’s nice to see that my childhood friend has his own tokusatsu show and is getting famous,” Irina said with a smile. “You used to love these kinds of shows when we were little and always wanted to play like we were the heroes from the show.”

She stood and made a pose like one from the show.

“I remember that pose!” Issei said with a nostalgic look in his eyes. “But back then you were a total tomboy. You were always causing trouble and playing games with the other boys and me. And now you’re a beautiful girl. I guess you can never really tell how someone will look when they’re older.”

“Now Ise-kun, don’t go trying to seduce our resident Angel,” Akeno said with a grin. “You’re already surrounded by girls, and you’re still looking for more? And what if you cause Irina-chan to Fall and become a Fallen Angel?”

Azazel-sensei chuckled. 

“Well, if she does Fall I can offer her a good deal. She’s a direct subordinate of Michael, so she would be valuable as a Fallen Angel.”

“Azazel, don’t go and try to cause Irina to fall. You’re the leader of your faction. You can’t go around causing trouble with other groups.” Rias said.

“It’s fine, Rias-san. I have enough willpower and faith to resist Falling. Even if it involves Ise-kun and the leader of the Fallen Angels!” Irina said energetically.

Akeno moved from her seat to the one beside Irina’s as she, Azazel-sensei, and Rias spoke.

She leaned close to Irina and spoke quietly to her. 

“Ara, Irina-chan. It’s alright if you get tempted by Ise-kun,” Akeno said. “You two were childhood friends when you were small, and you’ve been trying to grow close to him again. It wouldn’t be strange for things to happen between the two of you.”

Irina blushed, and her wings shifted behind her.

“W-Well, Ise-kun and I are childhood friends. I just want to reconnect now that we are all on the same side,” Irina said with an awkward smile.

“Right,” Akeno said with a grin.

Then she moved to stand behind Issei and leaned forward to hug him from behind, startling him as he had been speaking to Yuuto and Asia.

Irina watched them, and her smile grew smaller and stiffer before she smiled brightly again.

She turned to Xenovia to start another conversation as Akeno bothered Issei while hugging his back. 

I watched her for a moment as her reaction seemed odd to me for some reason.

Then I heard Akeno say my name.

“Yes?” I said as I turned towards her.

She was still bent over and leaning on Issei’s back. 

She was looking over her shoulder at me as she slowly moved her hips back and forth.

“Ise-kun and I were just talking about the date that he promised me. We will be going on our next day off,” Akeno said with a smile. “But you also promised me something, Yuki-chan. I get to spend the night cuddled up in your room with you. Right?”

I sighed.

I debated telling her no for a moment, and decided that there was no real harm in letting her sleep in my room.

As long as she behaved, it would only be annoying at worst.

And I was already pretty much sharing my room with Koneko now.

So sleeping on the same bed as one of the other girls didn’t really bother me at this point.

“Fine. Just let me know when you want to. And I will kick you out if you try anything,” I said, narrowing my eyes at her.

“Great! I haven’t decided when I’ll be having my romantic and steamy night with you, Yuki-chan, but now I’ve got two things to look forward to.”

“It’s a sleepover. That’s it.”

“Of course, Yuki-chan. I know that.”

Her smug grin said otherwise.

She looked at Koneko, who was in my lap.

“Don’t worry, Koneko-chan. I’ll only steal Yuki-chan’s bed from you for a bit. Unless I get her to change her mind.”

Koneko frowned at her, but didn’t reply.

Akeno shrugged and turned back to Issei.

She started talking to him about their date this weekend.

I looked down at Koneko as she sat quietly on my lap.

She had been especially quiet during that.

“Is everything alright, Koneko-chan?” I asked.

She looked up at me with a small frown.

“…Yes, I’m just annoyed,” she replied.

I smiled wryly at her.

“Well, it was your idea for me to offer to let her spend the night in my room.”

She gave me a small glare.

“I wasn’t happy with the idea, even if it was mine. But I have a plan, so it’s fine, senpai.”

“Oh, really? What is it?”

She glanced at Akeno as she talked to Issei.

“…You’ll see later.”

I raised an eyebrow at her.

“Is this plan of yours why you didn’t say anything when Akeno-san was poking fun at you?”

She nodded. 

“Well, fine then. I guess I’ll have to wait and see whatever it is you’re planning to do to annoy Akeno-san?”

After that, Koneko got comfortable on my lap again, and we watched the show that Gasper-kun had changed the channel to.

He had switched it to another Underworld TV show, and if he got bored or it went on commercial break, he would flip channels until he found something he liked.

Asia and Yuuto joined Irina’s and Xenovia’s chat.

Akeno was talking to a flustered Issei about plans for their date. 

Rias was complaining to Azazel-sensei about her character on the show again.

I relaxed into my seat as I felt my exhaustion from my late-night training catch up to me.

I had been cutting hours out of my sleep to give me time to train while still doing homework, Devil work, and going to school. 

It was wearing me down a bit, but I’d get used to it soon. 

I needed to get stronger, and until I could release another seal, this was the best way.

Koneko has been worried and asked me to stop more than once already.

Rias found out as well on the second night that Asia got up to heal me.

She understood my desire to get stronger but disapproved.

She told me that if I start to slip in my daily life, she would force me to stop.

She seemed uncomfortable about the idea of giving me the order but looked serious.

I leaned my head back on the seat and debated getting a bit of sleep right now when Gasper-kun spoke.

“Hey, Yuki-senpai.”

I opened my eyes and turned to him.

“Why haven’t we seen you turn into a fox before?” He asked as he pointed to the screen.

There was a recording of an old rating match playing, where one of the [Knights] was a three-tailed Kitsune.

I watched as he dashed forward and transformed into a large fox in a flash of blue foxfire.

“I didn’t know you could turn into a fox like that, Yuki,” Asia commented.

I turned and saw everyone had heard Gasper-Kim’s comment.

“Could you do it now? I’ve never seen a real Kitsune fox before!” Irina said excitedly.

I looked around the room before sighing tiredly.

“…Is everything alright, Yuki-senpai?” Koneko asked.

“Yes. I knew I’d have to talk about this eventually. I probably should have brought it up sooner,” I said.

I closed my eyes for a moment before opening them and looking at everyone.

“I won’t turn into my fox form.”