Chapter 191 — An Unexpected Reaction

Yuki

I turned to Irina after speaking with Rias.

For some reason, after asking her to say something embarrassing she was thinking, she stopped reacting.

Perhaps she was focused on blocking out the influence of my ability and had stopped reacting because of it.

Or maybe I could only influence her so far due to her being an Angel.

Either way, I needed to get her out of her current state.

I would try to give her an order to snap her out of it, but if that didn’t work, we would need to try and rouse her from her current state another way.

I took a breath.

“Irina-san, you are free to act however you like. Do something, anything, even if it is something you normally wouldn’t do.”

She continued to stare blankly ahead even after hearing my most recent command.

I let out a sigh.

Whatever I had done to her, I had obviously failed to control my ability.

This was exactly why I needed to practice before I tried to use it in critical situations.

I turned back to Rias and the others.

I coughed once into my hand to clear the scratching sensation from my throat.

“Still nothing. I’ll try to snap her out of it by shaking her.”

My voice sounded slightly hoarse as I spoke.

“Be careful, Yuki. We don’t know how Irina will react. Be careful,” Rias replied.

“Be careful, Yuki!” Asia said.

She had stood from her seat and had her hands clasped with worry.

Yuuto had stood as well and was watching with a furrowed brow.

Everyone seemed concerned or beginning to worry.

I understood.

This was supposed to be a simple test, and now my ability had gone haywire.

I was worried something would go wrong, but I had expected someone to react violently or strangely to a command.

Not to shut down like this.

But it should only be temporary.

I would help he,r and if something went wrong, I would be the one to handle it. 

I nodded before turning back to face Irina.

When I did, I found that she had shifted in her seat.

She was sitting straighter, and her eyes were intensely focused on me.

Her gaze was still distant, and her expression was still off, but it was a change from before.

Her left wing twitched as she watched me.

I spoke to Rias without looking away from Irina. 

“She’s moved, Buchou, but she still seems to be under my ability’s effect. I’m going to try again to get it to release.”

Without waiting for her to respond, I stepped closer to Irina and leaned down to be more level with her.

“Irina-san, I want you—“

She moved before I could finish speaking.

She stood and moved to me in one quick motion.

She was up against me before I could react.

Then her lips crashed against mine as she grabbed my collar and pulled me into a kiss.

I stumbled backward and fell as she leaned into me.

We collapsed to the floor with her on top of me.

I heard gasps, shouts, and the sound of people moving.

I pushed Irina up off of me.

She stared down at me with an intense but distant gaze.

She was still under Dream’s Voice’s effect, but I didn’t understand what was happening.

She was straddling me with both of her hands on either side of my face while I held her back.

She grabbed my left wrist and pulled back my arm with a surprising amount of strength.

She pinned my arm on the ground next to my head. 

I could hear the others coming up to us, but I was starting to panic.

The tight grip on my arm and her almost lifeless gaze as she hovered over me made my chest feel cold and hollow.

I spoke again as she tried to lean down towards me.

“Irina, get off of—“

I couldn’t finish as she let go of my left wrist and supported herself with that hand as she wrenched my right arm out of the way.

She quickly leaned down and kissed me again.

Her lips crashed against mine in a forceful and deep kiss for a moment, before she was pulled off of me.

Koneko and Xenovia quickly pulled Irina off of me and away.

Yuuto and Asia came to my side and pulled me up into a sitting position.

“A-Are you alright, Yuki? You hit your h-head pretty hard,” Asia quickly said as her hands began to glow.

I reached back and felt the back of my head.

It felt tender to the touch, and I hadn’t realized that I had hit it until Asia mentioned it.

There was also a bruise on my wrist from where Irina had grabbed me.

Before I could reply, Yuuto spoke up next.

“Yuki-san, you need to take a slow breath. You’re hyperventilating.”

“W-What-t?”

“Take a slow, deep breath.”

I did.

Then another.

I had been gasping for air.

“Irina!” Xenovia shouted.

I looked over to her and saw Xenovia shaking her by the shoulders.

That’s when my ability finally broke.

Irina let out a gasp as her eyes went wide.

Tears formed in her eyes as her gaze darted around the room before they landed on me.

Her face turned white, and her eyes widened with a look of desperate regret.

“I-I’m so sorry! I don’t know—I don’t know why I did that! I didn’t mean to! I mean— I-I tried to stop but—but I couldn’t! I couldn’t focus o-on anything else! And then you—you pushed me and-and I shouldn’t have wanted to—“

“Irina-san!” I shouted, butting her off as her rambling became worse and her breathing was getting too short.

She flinched at my voice, and her wings pulled in tight around her. 

Like she was trying to make herself smaller.

I hated that I could immediately tell what she was doing and how she could have done it better.

Xenovia had let go of her, and she backed away a step as she glanced at the exit of the room.

Koneko moved over to my side and knelt next to Asia.

Rias, Issei, and Akeno stood to the side between Irina and me.

Gasper-kun was half hidden behind Rias and Issei as he nervously watched everyone.

Irina opened her mouth, but I spoke before I could say anything more.

“This is my fault.”

The room was silent for a moment. 

“I…. What?” Irina asked quietly.

“No, Yuki-senpai,” Koenko said in a warning tone.

“It was my ability, Koenko-chan,” I said to her before looking at Irina. “I was the one who couldn’t control what I was ordering her to do. We knew that this was an experiment and that things could go wrong. It’s not Irina-san’s fault, though.”

“…You shouldn’t blame yourself just because it’s easier,” Koneko-chan said as she placed a hand on my shoulder.

“I’m not. It was an accident. We didn’t know how things would go. Either it’s my fault or no one’s.”

Irina shook her head.

“B-But I pushed you, and-and you fell. And your face. You looked…”

She trailed off as her eyes began to water.

“I’m fine, Irina-san, really.”

“B-B-But…” Irina stuttered. 

Akeno walked over to her and put an arm around her shoulder gently.

“Yuki-chan is a very stubborn girl, Irina-chan. She tends to take all of the blame onto herself, and usually, you need to beat sense into her,” Akeno-senpai said, while smiling at me.

Her eyes weren’t smiling at all.

“And that’s a habit I thought she had broken, but that’s something for later,” Akeno continued. “In this case, it was an accident. It was Yuki-chan’s ability that made you act that way.”

“Akeno-san is right,” I said as I stood.

Koneko and Yuuto helped me to my feet. 

Asia hovered nearby, awkwardly reaching her hands out to help.

“Thank you, Yuuto-san, Koneko-chan,” I said, and then looked at Irina. “Dream’s voice can influence you to control how you act. I don’t know why it happened, but it was my orders that caused you to act that way. It’s not your fault.”

Irina furrowed her brows for a moment before nodding slowly.

“Y-Yeah, that makes sense. I-I never would have done anything like that, o-otherwise, obviously! B-But that doesn’t mean that I didn’t attack you and k-k-kiss you.”

Irina blushed, and her voice grew quieter as she finished speaking. 

“You weren’t in control of yourself, Irina-san. I forgive you if that helps,” I said. 

“Yeah, Irina. I couldn’t control myself when Yuki-san was using her ability on me. Even if I wanted to stop, I really couldn’t. Yuki-san isn’t hurt and forgives you, so it’s fine. Right?”

Irina nodded hesitantly. 

“Good! So there’s no problem,” Issei said, giving a thumbs up.

“Y-Yeah…There’s no problem. It wasn’t me. It was all because of Yuki-san’s ability.” Irina said, then gave an awkward smile.

“It’s good that things are good, or at least fine, between the two of you, but we need to talk about your ability, Yuki. It’s too volatile right now,” Rias said severely. “I won’t allow you to use it in combat or during Rating Games. It’s too dangerous right now.”

I wasn’t happy, but she was right.

I couldn’t control it enough.

I had already caused an accident just by testing my ability with Irina.

“Wait, Buchou!” Issei said. “You can’t just ban her from using her new ability! How else is she supposed to learn to use it?”

“I’m not saying she can’t practice with it. She definitely needs to. I’m just saying it can’t be used in combat without my approval,” Rias replied. “She will need to practice using it, so she’ll need volunteers. But I want more than one person to be present with whoever she is practicing with.”

She looked to me.

I nodded.

That was a sensible requirement, so I had no complaints.

“Oh…I guess I got ahead of myself there. Sorry, Buchou,” Issei said. With a sheepish grin. 

“A-Are you sure t-that’s a good i-idea, Buchou?” Gasper-kun asked

Rias nodded.

“I’m sure, Gasper. It’s a powerful and frightening ability, but Yuki is someone we can trust. Just like with your training of your Sacred Gear, Gasper. She will need support to learn to control her power.”

Gasper-kun frowned before looking down in thought. 

After a moment, he looked up at me.

“I’m sorry, Yuki-senpai,” Gasper-kun said. I-I was just scared when I saw Irina-senpai act that way, and it made me after aid do your power.”

“It’s alright, Gasper-kun,” I replied. 

“N-No, it’s not. You helped me learn to control my own power. T-The one that got me sealed away in my room. And I looked at you the same way that the people who were afraid of me did.”

His eyes teared up as he spoke.

He was clenching his fists tightly at his sides.

“…You can make it right by helping her with photo me, Gya-kun,” Koneko-chan said. “You can help her practice her new ability, as I will, so that she can control it and use it to help us fight.”

Gasper-kun nodded. 

“I will! I’ll help!”

“I want to help Yuki too. If there’s an accident, I can heal someone if they get hurt,” Asia-senpai said.

I’ll volunteer now as well,” Yuuto-senpai said. “It wouldn’t hurt to have more people there, and maybe Yuki-san can help us train our own mental resistance.”

I tilted my head slightly.

I hadn’t thought of that aspect of it.

I didn’t know if being exposed to Dream’s Voice would help build up a tolerance to the ability’s influence, or if that tolerance would translate to other mental abilities as well.

Perhaps it would be beneficial for them as well. 

“Thank you,” I said with a small bow.

“Now that Yuki has volunteered for her practice and everything else is settled,” Rias said. “Let’s all get ready for bed. We have school tomorrow, and I’m sure everyone is a bit worn out after all of that.”

“Yes, Buchou.”

Everyone replied or nodded in response to Rias.

Irina was the first to leave.

She didn’t wait for Xenovia or Asia.

Instead, she stood and quickly walked out of the room without looking at anyone. 

She was probably still upset about what happened earlier.

I didn’t blame her, and I hoped it wouldn’t cause issues between us, but I understood that she probably wanted distance from everyone and from me. 

I noticed Koneko watching her leave while frowning.

“What is it, Koneko-chan?”

She continued starting at the door for a moment after Irina left before turning to look at me. 

“…Nothing, senpai.”

“You don’t need to be upset with Irina-san. It wasn’t her fault. My inexperience with my own ability led to what happened.”

She studied my face for a moment before nodding.

“…Let’s head to your room, senpai. I have some homework I need to finish before going to bed.”

“I can give you a hand if you need it, Koenko-chan, but I’m probably going to go train for a bit first,” I said as we started to leave.

“Yuki-senpai. You need to take a break, especially after today.”

I paused for a moment.

I was exhausted before we came in here to watch that show.

And now I felt even more drained.

But I couldn’t sit still and do nothing.

“I’ll go for an hour, and after that you’re allowed to drag me out if I change my mind. Is that alright?”

“…Alright.”

I could tell that she wasn’t happy about it.

But she seemed to realize that I was going to be extremely stubborn about this. 

We started walking toward the exit when Rias called out to me. 

“Yuki, could you stay behind? I want to talk to you for a minute, alone.”

I nodded.

“Stop by your room before you go for your training. Otherwise, I’m counting this as part of your hour,” Koneko said as she narrowed her eyes at me.

I let out an amused huff.

“Alright. I’ll see you in a bit then.”

I walked over to Rias as the others left the room.

Xenovia and Yuuto left together.

And Gasper-kun, Issei, and Asia walked out together.

Gasper-kun was asking Issei questions about his show.

Akeno stayed behind and stood by Rias. 

Once the others left, Rias spoke again.

“I want to talk to you for a moment about what happened. I want to make sure you really are alright and aren’t just ignoring the fact that Irina assaulted you in that way,” Rias said. “And Akeno wanted to talk to you about the same thing, so I told her she could stay for this.”

Akeno nodded.

“We need to talk about it, Yuki-chan. You can’t just push past it and say you’re fine every time.”

I sighed.

“Fine. What do you want to say?” I asked.

“I want to know if you really are alright. I saw how shaken you were when Irina was pulled off of you. And from what we’ve seen before and some of what you’ve told us, I would understand if what happened hit you especially hard,” Rias said. 

“I am not great, but it’s fine. I was caught off guard and panicked for a moment, but that’s all.”

“Yuki-chan, you looked like you were about to break down into a panic attack. It’s fine if you’re not alright. We care about you and just want to help,” Akeno said with a soft smile. 

I paused and stared at Akeno for a moment.

“I was scared. It… It reminded me of some of the times I was… abused in the past. But I know it wasn’t real. It was an accident that made her act that way. And I know I’m with all of you. I’m safe and have people around me that will help.”

“Good. As long as you know that you can talk to us and that it’s alright if you’re not okay, then I’m fine with leaving it at that,” Rias said with a smile. “I won’t hold you back from your training any longer, but do get some rest. You need it.”

Akeno walked forward and hugged me tightly.

I froze for a moment before I slowly hugged her back. 

“If you don’t want to talk more to us, then talk to Koneko-chan. She’ll be there for you no matter what. We all will. She cares for you, and so do I. If you want to talk or need someone, I’ll be here for you, Yuki.”

“Thank you, Akeno-san.”

She let go of me, and the three of us left the movie theater.

I followed them upstairs.

I would talk to Koneko for a moment and then head back to the basement to train.

Despite everything else, I still needed to get stronger.

Irina

I sat at the edge of my bed in my room. 

I held my head in my hands.

The moment I was under the influence of Yuki-san’s ability ran through my head.

I was staring at her.

I knew there were others in the room still, but I couldn’t focus on anything else.

She turned back to look at me and seemed surprised.

She had said something to someone else and then spoke to me again.

“Irina-san, I want you—“

I couldn’t hold back anymore.

I had lunged at her and kissed her before she could properly react.

Her lips felt hot against mine before we fell to the floor. 

Then I tried to kiss her again, but she held me back.

I had grabbed one of her hands, and then the other so that I could kiss her again.

But as I did, Xenovia and Koenko-chan pulled me off of her.

I felt my face flush as I remembered the feeling of kissing Yuki-san.

I shook my head.

This was wrong.

I needed to push these sinful thoughts from my head.

I had always thought she was beautiful and would let myself stare at her too long sometimes, but it was wrong to look at her that way.

I had let those thoughts and feelings linger, and now I had hurt her because of it.

Everyone had told me that it was her ability that was to blame, but I knew it was more than that.

I got up and knelt at the foot of my bed.

I would pray to my missing Lord and to Michael-sama to help me.

Perhaps their guidance could help me remove these sinful feelings.