Kuoh Academy

[Apollymi]

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4641/39438014972_2edde244ca_o.png (https://flic.kr/p/23618Ro)


Not much is known about Kuoh Academy, other than the fact that it was originally an all-girls private school. At some point Kuoh Academy changed into a co-ed school and the new school building was made. The Kuoh Academy has several division such as the primary division, high school division and college division. The high school division of Kuoh Academy has multiple annual events such as the Ball Tournament, Sports Day, School Trip for second year students and School Festival.

[Bloodedge]

One fateful day, during an otherwise normal lunch time in Kuoh Academy, something very out of the ordinary was to occur. Yasukawa Takumi was a boy only 15 years of age the day a group of males from the school cornered him on the rooftop. This was not the first time since coming to this school that he'd been confronted by this group, but they had never interrupted him during his otherwise lonely lunch. Since his transfer to Kuoh Academy, this had been one of few times he'd been able to avoid the overwhelming number of girls in the school, and he thought it was his time to escape the boys as well.

He was wrong.

"Yasukawa! Was that Keiko-senpai we saw you with between classes?" asked the largest male - a lad who happened to be a member of various sports clubs - who stood between Takumi and the other boys. He cracked his knuckles numerous times over the course of the group's approach, obviously planning to deal with this single boy who'd been such an apparent nuisance to them. "Iie. I wasn't with anyone! I... fell in front of her, and she tripped onto me, is all," he said. Though the others certainly believed none of this, Takumi's words were true. The explanation he'd given was how his interactions with women always went. The boys didn't really care what excuse he had, nor did they care what his motivations were in what they figured was an obvious attempt to seduce girls they had "claimed" for themselves. The largest boy rushed at Takumi, taking him up by the collar of his blazer to press him against the roof's entry door. This was about the norm. This group typically resorted to jacking Takumi up against walls in and around the gymnasium, cafeteria, and other such places where no others could see. Now was simply going through the motions. "What's the point of you asking the question, if you weren't going to believe me... again..."

[Apollymi]

This interaction between this group of boys and the newer transfer student was being observed, from a distance. The old school house's top floor had a singular window at the steeple of its attic. This attic was currently occupied by a young woman with nice posture, large breasts and striking red eyes. Her seat in front of this window allowed her to witness the goings on of several boys and her eyes narrowed as she watched. "Eh, perhaps they should have left this an all girls school, the boys seem to always be so violent. I wonder what that boy did to draw such attention?" she mused as she played chess alone with a board in front of her. Regardless of the situation, she didn't feel it pertinent to interfere. Though as she went to move one of the chess pieces a small girl with an angular face and white and black hair popped up over the back of her chair. Her clothing seemed almost feather like and her eyes moved between the board and the scene going on before them. "That boy seems to find himself in close quarters with some of the prettier girls. From what I've seen it's accidental, completely... but the other boys don't like it too much. So, they beat him up..." said the young woman who seemed a bit comfortable giving her current positioning. "Oh? Well, that seems like it will end badly for him one day," she said as her eyes shifted once more. The young man being bullied by his male peers was skinny, no muscle to speak of, but had a rather relaxed attractiveness about him. He was easy on the eyes and a bit passive, which would likely make girls quite interested in him over the kinds of boys who were beating him up. "Did he get a flyer?" asked this young woman as she pushed crimson locks out of her face and over her shoulder, leaning over the board to put the king of the opposite color in check with a lonely pawn. The female over the back of the chair shrugged. She couldn't remember if this boy in particular had received a flyer, if he hadn't already he'd be sure to soon.

[Bloodedge]

"Oh, no, we believe you alright... but if this is gonna keep happening with our girls around you, you're gonna have to learn anyway!" The larger lad who held Takumi up pressed him firmly against the door, restricting his ability to breathe with each passing second. "Ngh! You know... I'm getting really tired of this," the raven-haired boy said. The repetitive nature of this group when it came to assaulting him was truly wearing him out as the days went by. He gripped the arm of his captor and squeezed, but to no avail. In fact, the end result of this was Takumi being thrown across the rooftop. He slid near the edge, only to realize upon catching himself that he was being chased down by the entire group of assailants. "Got some fight in ya' now, huh!? We'll show you!" As this was said, the boys stomped, punched, and kicked Takumi repeatedly, until eventually... one of them went a step too far. An overenthusiastic kick to Takumi's torso sent the boy cascading over the edge of the school's roof. There was nothing to be done about this. Takumi's mind could only wander into a state of blankness as he fell toward what was certain to be his untimely demise on the ground.

Meanwhile, the crimson-haired female was visited in the attic room by another individual. A male with blonde hair kept in a ponytail, turquoise eyes, and a gentle smile, approached the pair of women with a bow toward the lass playing chess with herself. "Eira-sama, I can confirm there was no flyer given to that one. Would you like me to take care of it?"

[Apollymi]

As this boy got beaten up yet again, someone else joined the young woman within this attic room. This blonde male seemed to know for a fact that the young man currently being beaten up had been given no flyer. A bit of a smirk came to this crimson haired woman's face as she looked up from her chess board. "Of course Hiro, thank you for offering," she said, knowing she could leave this situation to the young blonde male without there being much need for her to do anything else. 'Poor kid, all alone, being tortured by others because of his unassuming nature. If only they knew...' she said knowing of the great potential which was always present in the least likely of places. A small smile came to her face, and a hint of giddy excitement came to her eyes, she couldn't wait to welcome the newest member of her family.

[Bloodedge]

"My pleasure, Buchou," the blonde said. When he finally rose from his bow, he looked through the window to view the male in question. His grin faded. "Ano... gomen. It doesn't look like I can get one to him. He's..." His eyes closed as his hand reached out to touch the window. The boy they spoke of had already reached the ground and perished by the time he was seen. The culprits were still upon the rooftop, arguing amongst themselves about what had happened, and who was at fault. Soon enough, the group was leaving the roof to avoid being blamed for this occurrence. "... And they're running away. Moving on, Buchou?"

[Apollymi]

The boy had fallen off the roof, more accurately he'd already been kicked to the ground by his group of attackers. And Hiroki had apologized for not being able to get him one of the flyers. "Oh? He fell already, I didn't expect them to go so far overboard, it's fine. I'll take care of it," she said standing... the closed window was soon opened by her own hands and two black bat like wings emerged from her shoulders. "You'll take care of the rest, right Hiro?" she asked, but she didn't wait for the answer. No she'd already taken off to land directly beside the now fallen boy. She pulled him into her arms and more directly into the softness of her bosom and spoke to him. "I'm sorry, this isn't normally something I'd do without asking you first... but if you decide something else... I'll let you go," she whispered as what appeared in her hand was a collection of pawn pieces like one would find in a chess set. In fact it was the exact number of pawn pieces one would find in a chess set, all eight. And in this moment, Eira looked over this young man and had a unique feeling about him. Strangely she knew it would take several pieces to make this work. Surprisingly everything pointed to this unassuming boy needing all eight. In a pinch, Eira looked at this boy, and felt the desire to have him at her side, given this she decided for a moment that she'd sink her feelings into this one, giving him all eight pieces to help in his revival. It wouldn't immediately fix his wounds but it would bring him back to life, that he might be healed. While coincidentally turning him into a Devil.

[Bloodedge]

"Hai," was the only word of response the blonde gave, though it came after Eira had already left the attic. He followed shortly after her departure, taking his own path toward the roof when his own wings emerged. Before the door to the roof even closed, he was inside the building to share the staircase with his targets.

On ground level, Takumi was brought back to the world by methods entirely foreign to him. Of course, any way to return a life was foreign to the lad, but this was even beyond imagination. He couldn't even mentally process the goings on, but consciousness soon returned to him in some light manner. His eyes opened partially, and what he saw didn't make much sense. More importantly... what he felt told him everything he needed to know about what was before his eyes. "O...ppai..." he muttered through shallow breath. All he could think was that it had happened again; he'd somehow managed to land on another girl in the school, or something to that effect, and ended up in a very precarious situation. This time, though, he couldn't bring himself to care. He was alive somehow, and with the simple thought that he hadn't died after falling off a roof, he slipped out of consciousness again.

[Apollymi]

She knew that Hiroki would take care of the other matter pertaining to this incident. Meanwhile the young man gave at least minor signs of life, and the eight pieces she'd used to bring him back to this world were accepted into his being. A smile spread across this young woman's face, and her crimson eyes twinkled in the light. It seemed, this young man had a minor moment of consciousness, in which he decided the one word he had to say, was 'Oppai'. A chuckle came from this oddly stoic young woman as she scooped up this young man in his unconscious state. "Oppai? Well, I appreciate the compliment. I'll clear everything up a bit later, rest easy now Takumi. I'll take care of you," she said as she picked up the young man snuggled into her bosom and aimed to take him off into the abandoned school house which was now the club house for her activity choice. Here she'd keep this young man for a bit, in a bed in the old nurses office, so that he could sleep, and she'd sleep beside him to help heal him, though without her clothing at all, as she felt the need to be quite comfortable while she did this. So she snuggled up with the young man under a sheet naked pressed against him to help along his own recovery, trusting in Hiroki to take care of the other people involved with this incident.

[Bloodedge]

Yui Hiroki, the Devil boy sent to deal with Takumi's attackers, had never been much of a fighter. He could, however, easily deal with a few humans. Less than a minute passed before he returned to the abandoned schoolhouse with the entire group in tow. He traversed the halls, dragging their unconscious bodies behind him. There was no rush by the lad on this journey; he knew the woman he answered to would not be able to do anything quite yet, considering her obvious occupation with her new member. All he did after arriving was wait in the Occult Research Club's meeting room, where he expected to eventually find the club's president.

Several hours later would mark the waking of Takumi, in a nurse's office of all places. This was about normal, since he'd previously fallen off the roof at school, but there was something strange about this particular room. He sat up, throwing the cover off himself to discover he'd been reduced to his skivvies since arriving. He looked down at a pair of red boxers - the only thing covering him at the time - and wondered what exactly happened, and how long he'd been out. His vision began returning slowly, but surely. How had he survived that encounter? Who brought him here? What was this strange vision he had from before this waking? These questions plagued the boy's mind as he struggled to right his consciousness.

[Apollymi]

The attackers had already been captured, and once they had been... their unconscious selves were dragged along to the Occult Club Meeting Room. But, they'd be dealt with more directly at a later time. Several hours later in fact. After the waking of one Yasukawa Takumi, who'd found himself to be stripped down to his underwear and very much alive even after falling off the school roof. A light yawn would come from Takumi's left, where a very naked Eira Gremory lie. She moved her right hand across him and touched his chest leading up to his face to turn it towards her, crimson locks shifted around her naked form as her scarlet eyes narrowed. "Awake already, Takumi?" she asked as if she didn't already know the answer, her eyes immediately softened upon seeing that this lad was actually alright. "I owe you an apology, you should continue to take it easy..." she said. "I heard the first day can be a bit taxing, but it will get better..." she said as she pulled this young man into her naked body. "Takumi, I meant to give you a choice, sumimasen..." she whispered earnestly to the lad. She'd done something she wouldn't have normally considered doing, and felt deeply apologetic for it. Whatever the case was... she'd soon have to let this young man go, and explain all that had happened to him over the last few hours.

[Bloodedge]

"Mmrf... mhm..." he moaned. In this moment, it was as if he were waking in his own home. It wasn't strange at allto hear a voice very close to him. He was in a nurse's office for whatever injuries he had, so the clear first assumption was that it was a nurse speaking to him. Suddenly though, there was a hand creeping up his chest. That same hand eventually reached his face, turning it and forcing his gaze upon the speaker. She was no nurse, but she was certainly many other things... including more buxom than anyone he'd ever witnessed, and very, very unclothed. Takumi's eyes widened. He had no idea what to do in this situation. After all the mishaps with girls since the day he started puberty, he'd finally found himself in the situation to trump all the others. What did this even mean? Either way, he was very soon dragged into this redhead's embrace as she spoke. The plush sensation of these breasts against him became an immediate reminder of what happened moments after his...

"... Death." This word came from his mouth the moment his mind processed the thought. More importantly than the physical aspect of the current situation, he was certainly meant to die on this day. "Am I... dead?"

[Apollymi]

This young man seemed quite aghast at her apparent nudity, even more so at his thoughts about the state of his own life, or death. "Iie, you aren't dead, Takumi," she said a bit of sadness dotting those crimson eyes of hers. "Or rather you aren't dead anymore. You were... when I got to you. Those boys at lunch kicked you off the roof, and you were dead soon after you hit the ground," she mentioned. "This is probably a lot to take in, and again, I am sorry... I meant to give you a choice. Actually, I've never been so inclined to take someone in before, it was admittedly selfish on my part, gomennasai," she said as she stood at his bed side having let him go. "You were already dead, I couldn't get an answer from you directly. So, I brought you back to life and fixed your injuries. But to do it, I had to make you a Devil too," she said, to give credence to her words as she picked up her underwear from the pile of neatly folded clothes a pair of black bat like wings emerged from between her shoulders, while she slipped into the black and white lace thongs she wore beneath her school uniform.

[Bloodedge]

According to this nude lass, Takumi was not dead. A sigh of relief escaped him when he heard this, and all of his tension fell away into Eira's bosom. "Phew! I thought I was done for, and that this was some sort of hell where I'd be stuck with giant boobs I can't do anything with forever," he said. The statement seemed to fall from his mouth without much thought, but as Eira moved, she continued to speak on the matter of his demise. Apparently, he was dead for a while, but her words implied that this was not the afterlife. Much to the contrary, she led him to believe he'd been revived... by her hand, at that. There was also the clause that she was a Devil, and at this point, so was he. Proof was given when Eira went to retrieve her undergarments, but there was an important matter which stole his attention away from this reincarnation. "Y-... you..." Now that it was properly donning on him that a real girl had been nude in bed with him, and was now flaunting about like everything was normal, blood began dripping from his nose. He couldn't tell if this was the best thing to happen in his life thus far, or the worst showing of his luck with the fairer sex to date. "Naked... you... me, bed, body skin boobs..."

[Apollymi]

"You want to do things with my boobs?" she made this a question, though it was obvious by the boy's lack of tension after coming to the conclusion that he was not in fact dead that this was a thought which at least crossed his mind at some point. In fact, he'd mentioned her chest when she'd first revived him. "You mentioned them when I first revived you, before you fell unconscious again," she went on, teasing him just a little as she went to get her bra. But before sliding it on, the young man seemed to be having some sort of realization. It seemed he was just realizing that she'd been pressed against him naked, her left brow rose but a small smile appeared on her face as she moved towards the bed again and leaned into it. "I had to fix your injuries, and that is best done through skin contact," she said. "I was only able to help with your injuries because you are bound to me. That is why I was apologizing. For binding you to me, without your consent," she went on. "But nothing more than fixing your injuries happened, I'm a virgin and you were asleep. Healing you was quite tiring, so I took a nap beside you until you woke up," she mentioned with a smirk most devious coming to her face as she watched the blood dripping out of the boy's nose. "Did I miss an injury, you're bleeding from your nose..." she said as she leaned closer into this young man abandoning her thoughts to redress in order to help him further feel better if she could.

[Bloodedge]

"Wha-... No, I mean... eto..." Takumi stammered over his words because he had no clue how to respond to this situation. All this talk of being bound to the redhead was not helping the state of his mind at all; he could only process a single train of thought at the time. Apparently, it had nothing to do with the matter of her nudity and proximity to him... or rather, it did, but not quite to that extent. "So you... fixed my death by being naked on me?" he asked. Many things weren't clear to him at this moment, but what was clear, was his distraction. A comfortable distance between these two had existed for a fair amount of time, but now that his nose was bleeding, Eira closed that gap again. Takumi reached for his nose to block the blood dripping from it, shaking his head as he did so. "Iia, iia. My injuries are fine, but I ah... nothing. It's nothing. You can put your clothes on now."

[Apollymi]

This young man stammered over his words several times, not being able to come to terms with what Eira had to say. A smile came to her face, which soon became a giggle which she covered with a single hand before turning it into a cough. She would take a moment to clarify how she'd actually gone about fixing him as a person or rather a Devil in this moment. "No, I was naked to heal your injuries. I used an Evil Piece to bring you back from death..." she said very calmly knowing this wasn't information most people had. As the young man claimed to not be injured even going so far as to ask her to put her clothes back on, she retreated somewhat sheepishly. She'd never been spoken to in quite this way before, but took the time to revert to her initial activity, which was getting dressed as her nudity apparently had some sort of negative effect on the young man. She didn't know how to feel about it, but since there were more pressing matters to attend to directly she put it aside. "Evil Pieces can convert humans into Devils after they die. It was a method invented to bolster the ranks of Devils after the last great war," she said as a general description. "They are aligned to chess pieces, so you are one of my chess pieces. Which is what I meant when I said I bound you to me..." she said, unsure of what the boy's reaction to this would be considering that he seemed to have some problem with her nudity. No matter by the time she'd finished she'd slipped into a long black dress which was rather acutely form fitting but left her more covered than nudity which seemed to make this lad feel uncomfortable.

[Bloodedge]

Takumi remained wide-eyed as Eira spoke, adding a raised brow to his expression when she mentioned something called an Evil Piece. He expected an explanation to follow, and indeed, it did. This Evil Piece used on him had brought him back to life, but it was not at all the life he knew. He was a Devil now, bound to this woman he'd seen absolutely exposed on their first official meeting. He didn't even know her name. Still, life was precious to Takumi, and he'd rather have it prolonged than ended by a group of bullies over a girl. With that in mind, he held no ill-will toward Eira for what she'd done, even if it meant he was now some sort of demon slave to her whims. "Hontoni arigatou gozaimasu. If being a Devil is what stopped me from being killed by those guys, then I appreciate the opportunity. Boku wa Yasukawa Takumi. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu."

[Apollymi]

Eira heard out what this lad had to say, her eyes widening ever so slightly. Of all the reactions she expected to what she did out of her own selfishness, she didn't expect for this lad to thank her outright for what she'd done. And while she understood that she'd saved his life in some way, she'd not done it for any reason which could be considered pure, she didn't know his name until moments before she'd done this action. She'd made a snap decision and fed him all of her pawn pieces. And still... he introduced himself and wanted to work well with her. The young woman's eyes softened ever so slightly after this, and she chuckled. "It's nice to meet you Takumi... I'm Eira Gremory, President of the Occult Club. Heiress of the Gremory Clan and...." she paused. "Your Master..." she mentioned a small smile coming to her face. "But don't worry, I'll take care of you," she mentioned as she extended a hand and placed it atop the young man's shoulder, those crimson eyes of hers full of compassion as they always were for the members of her family. He'd been through quite a lot, and most of her peerage had similarly bad experiences and deaths. Even so, she'd made it a great point in her life to never let them experience anything lower than that moment and took it upon herself to look after her peerage as best as she possible could as they helped her on her own journey.

[Bloodedge]

"Eto..." Takumi took a moment of silent thought during the redhead's introduction. In all his dealings within the school thus far, he was very certain he'd heard that name numerous times. She claimed to be his master, and that was something entirely new. She claimed to be heiress to a clan called Gremory - something just as new to him. The mention of her being President of the Occult Research Club, though, rang a bell. "That Eira Gremory!? But... you're one of the three idols of the school!" he said upon remembering the girl's name. His eyes widened once more thereafter, as he realized the implications of this thought. 'I just slept in the same bed as a naked school idol. Oh no; this isn't going to go over well if they find out.' The end of this thought accompanied Takumi forcing his composure back to its normal state. On the other hand, he was now looking at the Devil heiress again in her fully-dressed state. If he was being honest, this view wasn't too much better than the one where she wore nothing. Everything was so tight upon her form, it simply returned to Takumi's mind the image of her nudity. He sat at the edge of the bed, gripping the ends of his boxers while averting his gaze. "So I'm your chess piece. Which one? Please don't say King; I don't like the idea of moving a single space and being such a target."

[Apollymi]

The introduction offered by Eira seemed to ring a bell with the young lad. After a few seconds he mentioned her status as one of the idols of the school, which made a large smile appear on her face. She was quite confused as to why he hadn't recognized her on sight, and was beginning to think he just didn't find her attractive. Such a thought had left a bit of a sting in the young woman's chest for an unknown reason, even so, she found herself chuckling just a bit. "Ah, so you do know who I am... that's a relief I was a bit worried," she chimed a small smirk appearing on her otherwise stoic face. Still her eyes held a great deal of compassion as the young boy before her seemed to be processing many thoughts. He did however seem to be very forgiving and accepting of his new position, even going so far as to question what piece he was in her chess collection.

She gave a small shake of her head while placing a hand on her left hip. "Iie, nothing like that. For reference sake, I am the King of my chess pieces... and you are my pawn," she said offering him a smile. "But don't let that worry you either... pawns have the greatest potential, they can be anything. And you're particularly special in that regard... not that it really matters right now," she said seeming to think the better of revealing unnecessary information to this lad. "Just know that I've placed my utmost faith in you, even doing so selfish a thing..." she said. Though he was accepting of his situation, she'd done something she'd considered a slight against him, thinking this way, she'd try her best to make it up to him. "Gambatte ne," she said encouragingly. "Now... we have to do something about your bullies. I obviously can't allow you to have any more death experiences," she finished her speech and left the boy to dress himself. He was in the nurses office of the old school house, within the Occult Research Club's Domain, as such he was free to do what he wished here. While, Eira went towards their common area to have a sit down with his bullies to make sure such a thing never happened again. When Takumi's bullies awakened they would be sitting on the floor before a high backed throne where the young woman known as Eira Gremory would be seated, legs crossed at the knees, hands clasped together in her lap with impeccable posture.

[Bloodedge]

"Of course I do! Everyone in the school has good things to say about you; it's a pleasure to meet you in person!" he said, bowing to the Occult Research Club President. As for the matter of his chess piece, it was noted that Eira herself was the King, and he, a Pawn. It was disappointing to think of himself as such, given the limitations of such pieces, but... credence was given to Pawns' ability to become other pieces. Not much detail was given about this, but he figured it would come up later.

As he got up to dress himself, the bullies were brought into the discussion. Takumi hadn't expected them to be addressed at all, but apparently, they were being handled somehow. Mostly though, what Takumi gathered from this information, was the clause that he could still die as a Devil. Whatever the case, he continued piecing together his uniform with the intention of following Eira after a matter of minutes. When he arrived next to the redhead in her chair, he was able to witness the unconscious bodies of the boys who'd caused his death, as well as the very conscious form of the blonde who'd brought them here. "Wait... you're not going to kill those guys, are you?" he asked while the large male in the group of bullies began to stir. The blonde, who obviously sided with Eira, laughed at this. "Not much time to explain things, Buchou?"

[Apollymi]

"Good good, I'd hate to have made a bad impression..." the young woman said. This boy was growing on her already, and though he seemed a bit disappointed by the idea that he wasn't a more important piece at face value, at present he was one of her most important pieces. She supposed she'd eventually get around to the necessary explanation of all of this, but for now... there were the bullies to deal with. As she sat waiting for said individuals to wake, the newest addition to her family entered fully dressed once more. He seemed to labor a bit about the thoughts of what would happen to the young men who'd bullied him. The young blonde man she'd been speaking with earlier was now at her side, questioning how much she'd had time to explain. "Iie, not as much as I would have liked anyways. These things always take a bit more time than you think in the moment," she said of the situation. Her eyes shifting to Takumi she thought she'd reassure him, the same amount of compassion in her eyes. "And no, Takumi, I do not plan to take it that far. Though it's a wonder you care considering they literally killed you already..." she said as she looked back towards the now stirring individual. Her posture just the same as it had been before hands clasped in her lap with a straight back and her legs crossed at the knee. "Oh? Are you awake now? Do you know why you are here?" she asked of this male her face that of stoic perfection.

[Bloodedge]

"Well that sounds-" the blonde began to speak, but he was suddenly rendered incapable of finishing his sentence. The fault for this belonged entirely to another individual, who'd been here all along, keeping his presence hidden from all. This brown-haired male with turquoise eyes peeked over Eira's shoulder from the side of her chair unoccupied by Takumi. A wide grin - showing what appeared to be small fangs - was upon his face as he spoke. "Hoh? Buchou didn't have time to explain anything because she was... very busy, I think," he said before disappearing behind the chair again. When he reappeared all of two seconds later, he did so from above the throne-like chair, where he fell onto the right arm of it between Eira and Takumi. He looked the new Devil in the eyes with a curious, yet jovial expression upon his own visage. "You look like you've seen Buchou's boobs. Did you try using them as pillows? I bet it was awesome for you!" Takumi heard these words, and was easily taken aback by what this lad had to say. "I... well, err..."

Meanwhile, the primary bully of Takumi's opened his eyes to view what he accepted to be the most stunning girl in the school he and the others attended. "Eira Gremory!?" he spoke in shock, both for where he was, and for the sight of Eira surrounded by the three males at her sides. "Oi! What are you doing hanging around with those losers. These lowlifes aren't good for the image of someone like you!" he wailed. The brown-haired boy who'd introduced himself to the scene by teasing Eira and Takumi spoke then. "Lowlifes? Buchou, am I still invisible? Pretty sure I'm still the star of the Soccer Club. Totally taking us to Nationals this year."

[Apollymi]

The sentence which stopped one of her bishops from speaking was one which caused Eira's eyes to narrow. "I want to question how long you have been invisible Izuna, but my guess is too long," she said managing to keep her cool through the initial taunting of the newest male to reach this place. As if to elaborate in such a way as to let her know this would be the case, the young man she referred to as Izuna seemed to think it pertinent to sit between Eira and Takumi, going on to point out that the lad had the look of someone who'd seen Eira's breasts. This made Eira's eyes widen drastically. "IZUNA!" this was the closest Eira had come to losing her cool in quite a while, that being said, something about this boy seemed to bring such reactions out of her constantly. But after saying his name with such vigor, a cooling hand reached her side and she looked up to find a girl this time, with large ice blue eyes. "Buchou, you're getting a bit worked up. Also, Yuki-chan will be along shortly, she took the long way 'round..." mentioned the girl, who'd basically phased through the opposite side of the chair to take a seat on that arm as well. She had no idea what was going on here, but a show of power was obviously happening so she'd take her place where she knew she belonged.

Eira's eyes closed for just a moment as she heard what was being said by the whining leader of the group of bullies who'd killed her pawn. Before addressing him directly she chose to address all others first. "They are counting you with the lowlifes, Izuna. You know that boys like this don't like boys like you all," she said with a careless wave around her. The kind of boy who looked physically slight was the type apparently favored by Eira herself given the way her peerage currently looked. "And thank you, Youmu..." she said calmly. A few seconds thereafter she returned her gaze to the young man on the ground, her crimson eyes glowing with an unknown amount of disdain. "Lowlifes like you... are bad for my image and I won't stand to have you speak of my friends in such a way," she said her person almost vibrating with angry power. "Quiet now... before I forget I didn't intend to end your life today," she said with the utmost calm as she stared at this man. "And you have one of these 'losers' to thank for the kindness that is your life, and you'd be remiss to forget that fact," she said as her crimson eyes glowed. She aimed to hypnotize the young man before her, rewriting his memories and those of all of his present friends to get rid of the days activities. It would instead leave him with the vague idea that Takumi had done something nice and they weren't to appear before her or any of her peerage again. And with that she was done, though the process was likely to render the man unconscious once again. "Oh? Someone's gotten under her skin today... Izzun do I want to know what happened?" the girl known as Youmu whispered to the boy across from her.

[Bloodedge]

"Or not long enough. I'll leave it to your imagination what I've heard and seen, and what I haven't, Buchou~" said the boy called Izuna. It was apparent that he behaved in this manner more often than not, but Takumi said nothing of it. The air of companionship between Eira and the others who were showing up one by one was clear, yet none of these individuals were familiar. Could all of them be Devils as well? One such as Takumi could only wonder. "They don't like guys who rock at sports? That's a shame," was the next thing said by Izuna. With the appearance of another of his comrades, Izuna briefly fell silent and smiled. "Lookin' good, Paku-chan. You too," he finally said. His second statement was spoken to no one in particular, but his gaze trailed behind Youmu's body, as if he were looking off into space.

In a matter of moments, Eira succeeded in talking down, intimidating, and somehow reducing the bully to a state of unconsciousness. The upperclassman to Takumi blacked out without a chance to even speak against the lad again, leaving Takumi to silently wonder what even happened. Hiroki remained silent as well, much like he normally did, but Izuna was once again full of words... most specifically for an inquiring Youmu. "Long story short, Yasukawa - new guy here - got axed by these guys for doing... well, you know how these guys are. Our Buchou took him in, gave him some good old-fashioned naked petting, and then we all ended up here."

[Apollymi]

A roll of Eira's eyes followed Izuna's statements. This particular boy was a class A instigator, and given that he was always meddling with either his words or his actions. But for whatever reason this didn't really seem to bother Eira very much. In fact, she seemed just fine with his behavior and after the criminals of this day fell into unconsciousness she exhaled and relaxed in her chair still looking as regal as the point in which she sat down, but much more relaxed surrounded by all of her friends. "I meant they don't like unassuming bishounen, but... if you want to assume they don't like you because you're good at sports who am I to argue," she said in a manner most off-handed. The young woman known as Youmu was soon greeted by Izuna, twice which was likely to unsettle most but even so, Izuna went on to explain their current predicament and Youmu's eyes widened. "They killed someone on campus, that's really rude. Also naked petting? Buchou... I figured you would have left healing up to Hiro-kun, unless he's really special?" the girl managed which made Eira's eyes widen slightly, because while she expected this kind of teasing from Izuna, she didn't from Youmu. "It wasn't like that, Hiro was busy gathering these ones. I took care of it, and of course he's special to me, all of you are. I'll do everything possible to see you all happy," she mentioned, though the reasoning was obviously very planned out to cover whatever else was going on in the mind of the President of the Occult Research Club.

One more person finally caught up to the rest of the group and seemed stunned by the setting she walked into. "Gomennasai Buchou, practice went on later than I expected," she said as she entered wearing her school uniform minus the tie. "Tadaima~" she chimed seemingly in a good mood. A smile crossed the face of Eira as she looked about the room she knew all who would be present now were likely here. "Okaerinasai, Miyuki. No need to apologize, we've been pretty well busy anyways. I guess I should make formal introductions," she said gesturing to Takumi with her left hand. "Everyone this Yasukawa Takumi, and I made him my pawn this afternoon," she said, knowing that two of her more devoted would likely know exactly the depth to which she meant this statement. To Takumi she said something else. "These are all the other members of my peerage, well most of them anyways. Yui Hiroki," she said gesturing to the blonde silent male. "Kagimi Izuna," she said referencing the most talkative male she'd ever come across in life. "Konpaku Youmu," she said speaking of the white haired girl now sitting on the other arm of her chair. "And Ryuume Miyuki," she said of the girl who'd just arrived. "I tend to treat everyone like family so do try and all get along~" she said seemingly amused with the current level of completeness her family maintained. "Also I haven't explained absolutely everything to him yet, so you guys take it easy on Takumi, okay?"

[Bloodedge]

"Bishounen!? Chikusho~ I thought this form was super manly!" Izuna said as his hands reached the back of his head to mark a very relaxed posture. Eira claimed this new member of her peerage was special, albeit no more than any of the others present. Izuna couldn't stifle the laugh which ensued. "See, Paku-chan? We're all special enough to get some action! We just have to make sure Hiro's busy," he managed to say through the chuckling. Hiroki, oddly enough, decided to join in on the discussion to share some facts. "Actually, I was done with my work by the time you two got back. I could have healed our Yasukawa-san without any problems."

Once the upperclassmen who tormented him were dealt with, Takumi was introduced to the group under Eira's care. He committed each name to memory, figuring he would need all of them in mind for the immediate future. Of course, he wondered how many others there would be, but that was a matter for another time. Having seen everyone he needed to see for this exact moment, he bowed and spoke to all present. "Boku wa Yasukawa Takumi. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu, minna."

[Apollymi]

The mention that Izuna didn't think himself a bishounen but instead thought himself manly inspired something of a chuckle from Youmu. This white haired young woman took a moment to look at all the young men present including the newest addition to their family and chuckled. "Actually, now that you mention it Buchou, they are all bishi... you might have a problem~" the young woman teased which caused Eira's eyes to reach their widest yet. When Izuna went on to claim they were all special enough to get some action a chuckle ensued from Youmu. "Um, I mean, I don't think I'm in need of anything like but, go for it... Izzun. I definitely see Buchou naked on a pretty regular basis. I know just how special she thinks we all are~" mentioned the white haired woman who stayed with their leader on a fairly regular basis. "Jeez, you guys make it sound like I am a molest-y, pretty boy loving, nudist..." said Eira who didn't think she was any of these things. For Hiroki to speak up on the fact that he could have healed the young man once they'd returned, making it moot that Eira had taken it on herself. "You too, Hiro... you too?" she asked of the young man, she didn't truly feel betrayed but her entire group always teased her when she added someone new, and this new addition was quite the whopper considering his status.

"Yosh! I'm not the newest anymore!~" clamored a very excited Miyuki after the introduction of Takumi. She'd walk over to him with a large grin on her face extending her hand. "Don't worry about any of that, welcome to the family, Taku-senpai," she offered happily. At this a large grin spread across Eira's face, as her newest addition seemed to not be having many problems adjusting to the situation he was presently in. There was much to teach him but she could give him today to relax. In the meantime she brought her hands together and created a magic circle beneath the group of boys who'd attacked him before, transporting them back to the school house proper and getting them out of her personal territory. With all of that handled she felt at ease to let anything that needed to happen over the course of the next few moments happen. She was also open to answering any questions Takumi might have had, as were most of the other people present at this time.

[Bloodedge]

"What!?" Izuna replied. In all honesty, he'd assumed his human form to be far more masculine than the original form he took. His two appearances actually barely differed from one another, but to him, they were like night and day. In this current predicament, Izuna's overwhelmed state resulted in him vanishing from sight, though he was still very much present in the room... as always.

Takumi had been introduced to all, but one club member in particular approached him directly. From the looks of things, she was the youngest of the group. Her introduction was a kind one, complete with a bit of advice for her replacement as the newest in the family. What's more, the way she chose to address Takumi was shocking. "S... Senpai!?" he replied, being not at all used to being addressed in such a way. Still, he reached out his hand with the intention of taking Miyuki's. Just before their hands made contact, though, Izuna made his presence known once more. "Ooh, I found out what type he is!" he said while still invisible, but standing behind Miyuki with the intention of pushing her into - or onto - their newest member.

[Apollymi]

"Aww look what you've done Youmu!" said Eira in mock surprise as Izuna disappeared from sight. This tended to happen when he got into a huff, but Eira and Youmu both knew better than to assume he'd left because of this. "Now you're going to have to talk to him so he'll come back out," she said scoffing as she continued to sit with the most upright of postures. "Oh come on, Izu-kun, I am sure everyone thinks you're plenty manly," said Youmu who didn't quite believe it enough herself. She didn't see what the big deal was, being a pretty boy, was way better than being a manly woman.

In the meantime Takumi was being addressed by Miyuki and seemed to be stunned by the fact that she'd called him senpai. But it only made sense to her to do so, she addressed everyone in such a way, they were all older than her and she was nothing if not respectful. But before she could get any further into this discussion with the young man he'd reached out for her hand, and before it could be taken, she was pushed into him by a yet invisible Izuna. "Ooof," she mentioned as she found herself colliding with Takumi and given their placement his hand would likely make contact with her chest as they met each other in such a strange way. "Eh, Izuna, don't push Miyuki, and what are you talking about?" asked Eira who watched this entire event unfold with wide eyes and the slightest hints of jealousy in her heart. After all, she'd been asked by this young man to put her clothes back on, for him to now have a hand full of someone else's boob seemed a bit outlandish. "Gomennasai, Taku-senpai."

[Bloodedge]

As Miyuki fell forward due to his shove, Izuna pointed at the pair of her and Takumi. This moment was one to be remembered, and everything surrounding it seemed to be moving in slow motion as Izuna made his grand reveal of what he'd discovered. This, of course, was for the clarification of Eira, who'd inquired as to what he was speaking of. "Lucky Pervert!" he said, becoming visible in that very moment as Miyuki's body slammed into Takumi's, forcing the press of her bosom onto the lad's outstretched hand. Takumi hadn't expected such a turn of events at all; it was his assumption that he would be reaching out for a normal handshake. The universe didn't agree. Once again, Takumi found himself in a precarious predicament, as the sudden weight of Miyuki took him by storm, causing him to fall back with a hand accidentally cupping the girl's breast. "Nani!?" he exclaimed. Takumi was quick to realize what was happening, but there was nary a thing he could immediately do about it. All he could do right away was address the purposeless apology of the raven-haired lass. "Iia iia... don't apologize, but could you maybe move back a bit?"

[Apollymi]

Seeing this scene play out before her let Eira know what her companion meant about the lad. It also made her a tad bit jealous, which wouldn't come off as exceedingly obvious, expect that her arms finally moved from being clasped in front of her, to being crossed under that massive chest of hers. Her eyes closed and she didn't seem to have much else to say about the entire matter. "Sure he's lucky, given there are always people like you around to instigate Izuna," she questioned as if she was detached from the situation, knowing she had absolutely no reason to actually be mad about anything. Especially knowing that this lad apparently just had this sort of luck to begin with, at least according to her familiar. "You should apologize to Miyuki as well..." she said.

The girl known as Miyuki had already apologized to Takumi, and upon looking down noticed that her chest was pressed against his hand. Her eyes widened and her face immediately blushed the hardest it was possible. Strangely enough, instead of her face being red, it seemed to turn a shade of blue as she backed away to escape seeming to need to flee this situation. "Izu-senpai is a meanie!" she managed as she scurried off. She seemed fine with the fact that her apology wasn't needed but was embarrassed just the same. But such was to be expected of a girl so young. Meanwhile, the white haired lass on the arm of her chair looked to the side to note the change in the President's posture and raised a brow, but surprisingly enough chose to remain quiet on this matter. As for the lucky perverted nature of their newest family member, she supposed time would tell. "Lucky perverts are targets of people who aren't lucky. If it's the case that he is such, he should probably be taught how to fight as quickly as possible, assuming he doesn't already know how..." she said of the young man, but such was the nature of her knight.

[Bloodedge]

Izuna looked upon his successful work with a high and mighty demeanor filling his person. This was certainly the crowning achievement of his day thus far. It wasn't until he was instructed to apologize to the youngest of them that the wide grin on his face vanished. "Ugh! That doesn't sound fun at all..." he said. In a matter of moments, Miyuki also had something to say regarding the brown-haired male; he somehow didn't believe he owed an apology of any sort afterwards. "I'm not sorry. Apparently, I'm a meanie. Besides, it was probably gonna happen whether I did anything or not. Lu~cky~ Per~vert~♪" he sang.

Takumi, in the meantime, had a front-row view of the unusual blue hue filling Miyuki's face. Even as strange as this was, he'd gotten used to this sort of situation over the past few years. He winced preemptively, bringing his right eye to a full close. The unexpected came afterwards. Usually, even if it was the fault of someone else, Takumi received whatever backlash was to come for how he was positioned in these moments. He was surprised to hear mention of someone else this time, but the scurrying was to be expected nonetheless. Takumi remained motionless for several moments, until realizing his hand was still outstretched and cupped as if something was still held within. "Yare yare," he said before his attention shifted to the girl called Youmu. She mentioned combat training. Such a thing was about what one would expect for dealing with the types of males Takumi was forced into altercations with, but she said it in a way that implied something more. "Eh? Devils fight?"

[Apollymi]

"She's right, you are a meanie...Izuna," said Eira. The word meanie likely shouldn't have been in the vocabulary of someone who looked like her, but regardless she opened her eyes to find that Takumi was still cupping the air like there was something there. He was indeed a pervert at base after all, whether the situations that happened around him granted him luck or not. Whatever the case, this didn't seem to be any sort of deal breaker for Eira, and instead of commenting on it she chose to move right along, speaking to Youmu. "Of course he can't fight. He was killed today by a bunch of other boys, if he can and he just hasn't been defending himself, then I'd have to wonder why..." mentioned the crimson haired lass as her posture seemed to remain the same for the duration of this aspect.

Youmu looked towards the lad Takumi who asked a question about Devils fighting and her brow raised. "You said he was new, you didn't say you didn't get to the important part of the explanation. Buchou, how did you make him if you didn't get to that?" she asked which made Eira turn her head slightly to the left without opening her eyes. "I apologized for that already. He didn't ask for me, I kind of created him on a whim after watching him fall to his death. There wasn't any time to explain..." she said which further made Youmu's eyes widen, but she didn't speak on this anymore, and instead allowed her gaze to rest on Takumi. Her piercing ice blue gaze settled upon him. "She told you that you were one of her Evil Pieces, right? In this case, being a member of a peerage, like the one that Buchou is making...." she paused as a strange light shifted over her eyes. "Or rather has made, means protecting her in these large scale battles called Rating Games. Which are kind of like chess games, but in which all the pieces are devils... Though they are in general just to see her fitness to be heiress they are still important and we are prepared to give our lives for that. I make the assumption you were only properly human before, but all of your skills and abilities to be developed from this point on... should be used to help out Buchou," she said with a smile. "By extension keeping yourself safe and becoming as strong as possible should be on your list. This means you should learn how to fight," she said looking at the young man for quite the extended bit of time. But it wasn't like her look was directed at him, now it was slightly behind him, and over him. There was something great looming over this young man, a soul of massive proportions and Youmu could see it. By virtue of that, Izuna could likely see it as well and their leader had probably felt it, which likely led to this young man's creation in the first place. If nothing else, Eira had a knack for seeking out powerful individuals, whether they were initially powerful or would grow to be so.

[Bloodedge]

"And you all love it," was Izuna's response to being called a "meanie" a second time, by their leader in this instance. Following this declaration, he silently listened to Youmu's explanation for their newest member's sake. A series of nods came from him for affirmation, but nothing about his demeanor changed until he noticed that Youmu was no longer looking directly at Takumi. A sly grin crossed the brunette's face. "Looking mighty spaced out over there, Paku-chan~" he chimed as his hands reached the back of his head again, and his legs crossed to allow him to somehow float in the air.

The expression on Takumi's face turned solemn when Eira spoke of his fighting potential, whatever it may have been. Truth be told, Takumi could fight. His experience told him not to do so, though, as it always led to something worse. He'd transferred schools for that exact reason only a matter of months ago. "Sou ka," was all he had to say. Earlier this day, Takumi died at the hands of some human boys... and he didn't have to. If he'd chosen to deal with the situation any other way, like he almost had, things could have been the other way around. He could have easily hospitalized - or done worse - to the lads without even normally having the ability to do so. That was why Takumi didn't fight earlier this day. When he did, his strength had a habit of far exceeding anyone's expectations. Maybe that could be a good thing now. Surely Devils had to be made of tougher stuff than the humans he'd fought in his last school, but... did that also mean he would be stronger, and the same events would transpire as a result? Did it matter if that were the case? These were things Takumi supposed he would just find out over time. "I don't like fighting, but... if it'll help, I'll do it."

[Apollymi]

It seemed that Youmu was indeed spaced out, even Eira could see this by having a look towards what the white haired girl was looking at but finding nothing obvious in her line of sight. Eira took this as a sign that she'd made the proper decision by making Takumi into one of her Evil Pieces. Even so, it seemed more than a bit outlandish how long Youmu stared. "I have to agree, Youmu..." she said with a nod. The words of Izuna and Eira seemed to snap the girl back to attention. "Do you not see it, Izzun? Buchou probably didn't... but she has a knack for this sort of thing, it's like... Mai-chan," she said somewhat openly, of the presence which seemed to be part of this young man, and comparable to at least one other they knew. As an aside, there was the matter of Takumi not wanting to fight, the idea that he was some sort of pacifist was not really all that surprising considering how much he seemed to be at the receiving end of someone else's fists. "Ah, Takumi is a pacifist..." she said with a raised brow. She took a moment to think about looking into his prior records and find out when this notion began, regardless, Youmu finally looked back at the boy and nodded.

"There are only two ways you end up with an attitude like that," she immediately made the jump to how he'd gotten that way and sighed. "Gomennasai, such things are rough. I understand, but I am fairly certain that for the most part such a thing won't be a problem for you anymore. Gambatte ne, Takkun." Finished the girl before she averted her gaze to the president, whose chair she was still sitting upon. "To see what I mean about Mai-chan, I think you should have him face her first. It will help with his inhibitions, and probably cause something interesting to happen." she mentioned which made the crimson haired lass' brow raise slightly. "Mai-chan, she was suspended last week for fighting. I don't know if she's back yet," she said. Even Eira's influence didn't stop that from happening.

[Bloodedge]

"Yeah, I saw it. It was pretty big for a minute when he was out there on the roof. Like... really big. Didn't think humans could do that," Izuna replied. Takumi, of course, had no idea what the others were talking about, but he was quite preoccupied anyway. He was going to have to fight at some point. If this was his destiny, it was more than likely that he'd have to learn how to use whatever strengths he had. Maybe a bit of ability to restrain this unknown monstrous strength he had would come in handy. Whatever the case, the others made it sound like the key to his development would be another member of the peerage who was not present at the time... someone apparently similar to him. "So what do we do about it? If she's still suspended, does that mean I just have to wait until she's back?"

[Apollymi]

"Yeah, something like that... isn't normally possible for humans. So he might have one of... those," mentioned Youmu. She couldn't really say, but she was fairly certain by what she was seeing behind/around their newest member that their leader had given him more than one piece. This was all but unheard of, except in her own case which was a rarity to begin with. "Mai-chan was back in school today, assuming she isn't getting into trouble, her club activities should be wrapping up right about now," she said, this was done mostly to clarify for both their leader and their newcomer who was apparently interested in what he would do if they couldn't get hold of this other lass.

But right in time with that speech and before anything else could take place. "BUCHOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" the most dramatic entrance yet would take place as the doors of their abode pushed opened and outside stood a girl of more than average height and the second best figure of all the women in this room. She was wearing a half shirt which exposed her midriff a black skirt with a belt and suspenders and her arms were bare but tucked into her left side was a pair of gloves which seemed to be held in place by their long sleeves. She bounded across the room and then made a jump which would surprisingly enough not end with her colliding with Youmu whom she seemed to pass right through and instead left her squarely in Eira's lap where she hugged her. And Eira to her credit seemed to expect this, and opened her arms to be ready to catch this girl in particular who always seemed to be really nice after getting in trouble for something. "Sorry about before, I didn't mean to get suspended. But they totally started it, please don't be mad," she said with wide eyes not seeming to know the gravity of the situation. She looked around having expected a bit more by way of fanfare considering her return.

"I'd appreciate it, if you didn't try to run through me, literally every time you entered a room, Mai-chan. I still feel it when you do," said Youmu as she became visibly more solid her back brushing against that of the other girl. A giggle escaped Eira as she laughed and looked into the red eyes of the woman in her lap. "Of course I am not mad, but if you wish to make it up to me... you can help us with Takumi here," she said gesturing to the young man. This would cause the woman to extricate herself from the lap of the president and stand. "I know you do, that's why I do it!" the young woman mentioned in response to Youmu. Moving right along though there was the matter of this new person who had captured the eye of their president. "Oh, you made another one while I was gone. That's no fair Buchou..." she said seeming to think of this lad as if he was an extra sibling added to the family in her absence. "Matsui Maiko, and who are you trying to be the new baby of the family?" she asked.

[Bloodedge]

"Oooh, mysterious~" Izuna added. Of course, he knew exactly what Youmu may have been talking about, but only time would truly tell. He did agree on which member of the peerage would be best suited to introducing Takumi to combat as a Devil. As if cued by the mention of her name, the girl in question was soon entering the room in her usual manner. "I recommend five hundred spankings," he said about the girl's suspension. Any time something like this happened, here she was, behaving the same way. Izuna didn't care to see the girl truly punished for this, but it was something he found amusing to behold. "Oh yeah, Taku... If you mess up too much, Buchou might give ya' a spanking!" he said with a wink.

Takumi was taken aback by this mention of spankings. It sounded entirely outlandish, and yet... well, it could be said that Takumi simply had no response for the notion. Instead, he moved on to address the girl who introduced herself as Maiko. "Yasukawa Takumi. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu, Matsui-san," he answered, bowing as he spoke.

[Apollymi]

Youmu's eyes shifted towards Izuna in a manner which caused them to narrow just a little. She hadn't been mysterious on purpose, and she figured all who needed to know what she meant would understand in general. With that in mind, she went quiet once more. Eira chuckled noting this girl's shift back into her normal self. As for the matter of the actual punishments to be dished out by the President of the girl up for punishments had her eyes widen. "Why would you even say that many, Kagimi? It's too much, Buchou?!~" there was an extreme bit of whining involved. "I wasn't thinking five hundred, I was thinking... 100 you should still be punished, missing school because you can't keep your hands to yourself is a bad precedent to let stand," said Eira which made Maiko's eyes widen. "That's mean Buchou!" she exclaimed though she would accept the punishment just the same. "Yasukawa, huh? Well, I guess that is cool. We're gonna find out what you're all about," she said pulling those gloves from her side and beginning to put them on which made Eira's eyes widen.

"Outside, now!" she said seeming to make a chuckle come from Maiko. "You heard Buchou," she said having pulled the glove onto her right hand first she immediately moved aiming to punch the young man in the center of his being, with enhanced strength aiming to knock him out of the still open window and out onto the yard away from the building. This was her opener for no reason other than to check his reflexes as she put her other glove on.

[Bloodedge]

Izuna's grin grew wider when Eira admitted to intending 100 spankings for their recently-suspended comrade. He would be sure to secure himself a front-row seat for it. "Wooo! A full hundred smacks across the ass for Mai!" He was obviously quite excited for what was to come, and he intended to share this excitement with the individual who was likely to become something of a brother figure to him. "Taku, be ready for a show. But... first you should be ready for--"

Before Takumi readied himself to step outside by the order of Eira, Maiko had something else in store for him that interrupted the words of Izuna briefly. They were both to take this fight outside, but Maiko intended to send Takumi out with a sudden opening attack. There was no warning, and Takumi had no immediate reaction to defend himself before a mighty fist collided with his torso, launching him through the open window with a greater force than he could have expected. Interestingly enough, this did not exceed the limits of his imagination. It reminded him of something... something he'd done himself once. Still, he was surprised to realize mid-air that he would not end up hospitalized from that. Surely he was right about Devils having tougher bodies than humans, but the fall was sure to hurt almost as much as the punch had if he landed wrong.

"... That. You should be ready for that. Nice one," Izuna said, directing his last words to Maiko. In the meantime, Takumi's desire to not hit the ground from a fall - and a likely tumble - seemed to allow him a subconscious use of one of many Devil powers. Black wings sprouted from his back, keeping him elevated between the first and second floor of the building from the outside. He'd seen these wings once before on Eira, but he'd simply had the thought that they were a developed thing, or perhaps something belonging to higher-tier Devils than himself. There would be much for him to learn. "Kuso. Is that what they meant? Does she have super strength, and I do too?" he wondered aloud.

[Apollymi]

"You keep being so excited about it, I'll give you fifty just because," mentioned Eira as she watched her newest member get knocked clean out of the room. Of course, this was about what she expected. In the same way that Miyuki was meek and openly friendly, Maiko was quite the opposite and seemingly outwardly aggressive only really deferring to people like Eira herself (and even then mostly just to avoid punishment). Regardless, Maiko found her hit making contact the way she'd expected and slipped on her other glove while Izuna congratulated her on the hit she'd made. "Sankyuu, Kagimi..." she said as she jumped out of the window herself soon afterwards and heard the query of the lad while she aimed to make her newly covered fist hit him as well on her way down, her intention to finish the job of smashing him into the ground. 'Making use of his wings already?' Eira thought as she approached the window to watch the going fight only to notice Takumi hadn't actually made contact with the ground.

"Yare yare, they skipped the crash course in Evil Pieces, huh? Alright, I'll tell ya' now, I'm a Rook. My piece gives me exceedingly good offense and defense, in addition to what I am naturally capable of. Every piece gives their holder a bit of a boost in addition. Thus some people are naturally aligned to a specific kind of piece," she said. "Our leader is good at sensing what kind of piece a person will need. It's part of her job as King, building strategies and what not, but I'm not about that." she mentioned as if this wasn't obvious by her way of starting this training session. "I'm a Rook because I am all power, good at hand to hand combat and fairly durable as well," she mentioned of herself. "I also got something special, but I don't usually need it for stuff like this~ Buchou is really good at routing out the special ones, so what are ya'?" she asked, because unlike the rest of the group she didn't already know what position this young man had taken up, or what might have transpired that led to this young man being part of their family.

[Bloodedge]

"You'll have to catch me, Eira~♪" Izuna said in a sing-song tone. Apparently, not even their leader was spared his antics. He nonchalantly floated around the room, taking a side to Eira as she watched the battle that had been taken outside. "Besides, I might like it. Our new little Taku might too~"

Takumi's wings kept him afloat while Maiko's approach. He wasn't capable enough in his flight ability to avoid the secondary attack, but he was now wary enough to hold out his arms and take the brunt of the force. Doing so helped him quite a bit, though he was still sent rocketing toward the ground. After landing, it registered to him that the chess pieces assigned to each member of Eira's peerage had their own unique traits that coincided with, and aided, the natural abilities of their owners. Takumi thought this was strange. Had Eira made a mistake in granting him a piece? With him and Maiko seeming to be so similar in their abilities, surely he should have been a Rook as well. As he contemplated this matter, Takumi lifted himself from the ground, and gave his response. "I... I'm a Pawn. What does that mean?"

[Apollymi]

Eira indeed was not spared Izuna's antics, but she also knew the importance of them. Unlike many she in general accepted all of the quirks of her peerage, finding them to help bind them together as family above all things. His words though didn't go without causing her raised brow and crossing her arms under her chest. "Whatever you say, you might also just hate it, and have it deter your naughty behaviors," she said as she very noticeably avoided mentioning Takumi in her statement. She still rather obviously felt strangely about this boy, and was already quite attached to him, though there was no obvious reason for this to be the case, even if one put out her like in general of Bishounen boys.

Maiko on the other hand, got to see how Takumi's abilities were playing out. And she was colored impressed by his ability to try and block an attack after so recently receiving one. "Freshly made, and with enough sense to try to do something about the follow up. Respect Yasakawa, but you're gonna have to fight back eventually. I mean, it's good to take a beating and all... but bouncing back is just as important," she said as the boy seemed to get himself back together at ground level and question his place as pawn. This made Maiko's brow raise. She'd been a member of Eira Gremory's peerage for the last three years, and never knew the young woman had any inclination of making a pawn at all. "Don't say it so weak, you sound like you're thinking about it too much. I'm a Rook and you think you should be too given your current disposition, but you don't really know what pawns do, huh?" she said firmly as she bounced on her toes, to be honest she wouldn't be surprised if the boy heard his piece was a pawn and thought himself some sort of sacrificial lamb. But from what she was told, as an Evil Piece, pawns were so much more than that. "Pawns special trait, is Promotion. You will have the ability to promote yourself to one of the higher pieces, with Buchou's permission or in enemy territory. As such you should have base level skills in all possible attributes you could choose to be," she said as she moved forward once more this time aiming a swinging kick with her left leg into the young man's right side with enough force to send him flying. "Basically, Buchou made you and put her faith in your ability to grow to be whatever you wanted. Clutch position~" she said. Such an explanation made Eira's eyes widen, she didn't think her Rook had such insight about her, surely she'd have expected such a thing from Izuna or even Youmu given they knew how she operated.

[Bloodedge]

"Or I'll really like it, and I'll keep getting on your bad side on purpose to get more. Are you a gambler, Buchou?" Izuna continued to pester the president with his antics, but his eyes were glued on the two outside. Things were already becoming interesting for him to watch, and he even gained some insight as to how much attention Maiko had been paying to Rating Game-related information.

"Promotion, huh? So if I want, I can get the Rook's power?" Takumi wondered aloud. There was more to his train of thought, but the remainder passed through his mind alone as he stared at his left hand. 'If the pieces are based on the person already... could that be what happened?' he thought. Knowing this interaction wouldn't get very far unless he actually fought back, Takumi clenched his fist and looked toward Maiko with determination in his eyes. There was something else behind his gaze, though... something akin to worry. Either way, he didn't imagine there would be much choice in the long run, so something had to be done here and now. "I hope you don't mind, then, if I join you. I have an idea where I belong. If there's one thing I've always been, it's way too strong for my own good!" This time, when Maiko attacked, Takumi met it with a forward charge of his own. He did always have fighting capability, and though he wasn't exactly a martial artist or anything, he wasn't too bad off. As such, the outward kick of Maiko's left leg flew overhead as Takumi slid low to avoid it. As he rose from this slide, he aimed a full-force punch at Maiko's left side, boasting - somehow - double the strength he should have possessed, even as a Devil with a reasonably high amount of demonic power for one so fresh. Beyond this, something appeared on Takumi's arm mid-swing. He suddenly sported a red, armored bracer - one that left his fingers uncovered - with yellow accents and a green gem on top of the palm area. When his punching force doubled in magnitude, the green gem upon the gauntlet flashed brightly, and spoke aloud: "BOOST!"

[Apollymi]

Eira's left brow rose as her companion questioned whether or not she was a gambler, after of course, continuing to tease the idea that he might actually like being spanked probably as an attempt to directly deter her from the activity. A smirk came over the young woman's face as she watched the progression of the training below. "Obviously, I am... the question is are you calling my bluff, I-zu-na?" she asked spacing the syllables of his name in a very strange way.

Meanwhile, Maiko's kick went on to become a spin into nothing. She was admittedly impressed by this young boy's fortitude and ability to learn under pressure. Still, she was the one in charge of this present sort of training, as such she'd continue answering his questions to the best of her abilities. "I mean, yeah, if you thought a particular situation needed you to be strong. But... promotions to other pieces could be useful as well. I haven't really seen it though, Buchou didn't make any other pawns yet. Also you'd go back to being a pawn at the end of the Rating Game, as it stands though I wouldn't mind ya' as a partner," she mentioned only to have her eyes widen as the boy finally struck back and she went to catch his hand. And found herself surprised by the amount of force coming her way. Within her hand appeared a large glowing shield, mostly to absorb the impact, and even though she didn't have to touch the other weapon, she was still sent flying backwards by several meters across the yard. She was stunned and so was Eira in the window. "Sugoi, Takumi has one of those!" she said seemingly excited by the possession which had finally made itself known around the young boy's arm. Her faith in him obviously very well placed. "A Sacred Gear. Sou ka...." said Maiko as her own shield spun in front of her seeming to gather a bit of light before stopping. "Oi! Buchou, you could have warned me, I didn't think you'd ever end up with another like us! Three for the team!~" she said as a possessor of one of these magical items.

[Bloodedge]

"... Maybe," was the only thing Izuna had left to say. It was a risky move, going along with this topic, but the boy's playful spirit could not let him cease. Moving on though, the already interesting battle was quickly becoming something truly exciting. This previously hidden power of Takumi's revealed itself in great splendor against Maiko, and Takumi himself was totally surprised by the sudden appearance of a gauntlet on his arm. 'What the hell!?' he wondered. What was this? Was this simply how his Devil powers manifested whatever he had going on for him before? The term "Sacred Gear" was used, and it seemed a bit ridiculous as a concept. Simply calling it something sacred while he was a Devil, was strangeness itself. "Sacred Gear? Is this my Rook power or something? It feels like normal," he said, addressing the fact that this new gauntlet of his felt the exact same as the fights he'd had in the past, where his strength far exceeded the norm and led to a very undesired form of victory.

[Apollymi]

"Um-hm," having her bluff called in such a way made her decide that she was going to have to give Izuna a spanking as well. His playful insolence was to be put to the test this day, but before she could draw back her hand, she was looking upon a sight below which required her utmost attention. Beyond that she'd been directly addressed so she had to answer with a bit of a shrug. "Gomennasai, Maiko. I didn't know what he had, I only knew he seemed more than he appeared. I'm sure it's for the best though right, at least he's combat ready!" she said which made Maiko smile. As to the question of whether or not this ability was Rook related or not, Maiko looked at the boy and shook her head left to right. "Iie, such a thing would have nothing to do with a potential promotion to Rook. To do that you would have had to get permission from Buchou, you can't trigger it on your own," she explained. "Sacred Gears are born with the individuals who possess them, and between you and me, they can only be born with a human. It's like some kind of divine rule. Because, Angels, Devils, Fallen Angels, and Youkai, all have their own abilities. These were said to be given to mankind to allow them some respite from all. You lucked out having one, they are really rare, I have one too, but according to everyone mine is artificial. There isn't any record of it before me. But if yours is legitimate some of the older ones might have seen it before~" she mentioned.

In the moments in which this statement was being relayed, Eira made her way to the lower floor to inspect this development first hand. Upon getting to the ground she found herself at Takumi's side looking at his new gauntlet with wide eyes. "Basically this power has always been yours, you just needed the will power to make it visible." she said looking at the young man with something akin to pride in her eyes. "Buchou, you should be really proud, that hit was about twice what I expected. I might have taken a bruising if I hadn't used Twinkle Aegis~" she said seemingly happy with her new teammate.

[Bloodedge]

"Sou ka," said Takumi. Looking at his gauntlet-clad wrist, he felt as if he understood more about himself. This was something he was born with, but something that had never manifested in such proper form. Without a doubt, it was this Sacred Gear, as others called it, that caused his combat-related mishaps in the past. What could he do with it now, though? It seemed Maiko didn't have any specific information about his Sacred Gear, beyond the overall facts about Sacred Gear in general. She did mention that others may recognize it, though, and true enough... someone did. "Twice Critical," Izuna said. During the downtime of the battle, he'd floated out the window to hover above the combatants. Visually, Takumi's Sacred Gear was unmistakable. More importantly than that, what it did was something he'd seen a couple of times in his life as a Devil. "Whew, you're lucky~. You only had a few seconds left for that to not hurt like hell!" he said to Maiko. As if to mark his words, the green gem on Takumi's gauntlet soon flashed once again. "Boost!" it said. "Rating Games are gonna be fun~"

[Apollymi]

"Twice Critical?" Eira looked at the gauntlet on the boy's arm and it did indeed have that look. A dragon related Gear on her only pawn would indeed be a boon, still, there was something about it that seemed strange. Regardless, she'd set her own thoughts about it to the side and simply enjoy the moment of the first appearance of boy's gauntlet. Maiko on the other hand was responding to Izuna who seemed to think within a couple of seconds she would have taken quite a beating. "Yeah yeah, not like I couldn't handle it, but..." the word Boost escaped the gauntlet on the boy's wrist and a chuckle came from Maiko. "Never mind, a four times hit would have knocked me out cold. It'll be fun though~" said the girl who seemed to like a good fight above all. Eira on the other hand was staring at the gauntlet on the boy's arm almost transfixed, it seemed that a Sacred Gear was indeed what he possessed, but Twice Critical was a bit 'common' in her opinion. She gave up thinking about it and smiled resting a hand on Takumi's shoulder. "It's a good development, Takumi, you're more than on your way. Remember, your will will make it appear and your desires will fuel it. But don't worry about it too much, it will respond to you when it needs to," offered the President of the Occult Club who apparently knew a lot about things even when she didn't possess them herself.

"Alright guys, that's enough for today. I think we've done enough developing for one sitting. We'll make sure Takumi gets a turn with everyone over the coming days, and make sure we all help him out of we need to," she said of the group. Seeming to have taken on a big sisterly sort of attitude about the whole of this situation rather easily. "We'll walk to school together tomorrow, Takumi."

[Bloodedge]

"Blah blah, modesty!" Izuna said, seeming to be in disbelief that Maiko would have been bested by brute strength alone. He'd hoped for an interesting spar to come of this development in Takumi's Sacred Gear, but it was not to be. According to Eira, this was enough development for the day. Izuna had intentions of taking the next bout, but he wouldn't argue.

Takumi couldn't argue at all with being done for the day. Mention of a "four times" hit resonated in his mind, confirming the suspicion that this power of his did double the strength of his offense. He'd done some ridiculous things because of this, but now that he knew for certain what was happening, he could begin working toward control. At this precise moment, there was a separate matter to address, though. Eira spoke of walking to school together on the following day - something which confused Takumi ever so slightly. "Walk to school? Do you mean all of us, or... us?"

[Apollymi]

"Not modesty, a clean hit like that would be like taking two rooks against me. I'm strong but even I don't like the odds," mentioned Maiko as she turned. But before she could say anything else, there was talk of walking to school together. Such was a pretty normal thing among certain members of the group, but having said it to Takumi, Eira found herself wide eyed. If she was being honest, she usually walked to school in the company of Youmu, Miyuki or Hiroki, depending on who had morning activities. That being said, the idea that she'd said it in a way which could be misconstrued weighed heavily on the Devil Heiress. 'Did I say something weird?' she began to wonder, her extended silence in this moment was noticed by her and made her want to speak.

"Well, I just meant some of us usually go together. I mean, I didn't think it would be just us... unless... well..." her sentence started trailing off and a gentle red tint came to her face. Maiko chuckled but soon enough Youmu was at her side looking at the boy's Sacred Gear. "Buchou, if you keep stammering like that Izzun will tease you..." she mentioned absently. But to properly answer Takumi's question. "I always walk with Buchou in the mornings, sometimes Miyuki or Hiroki come too. Maiko could come, but she's habitually late because she doesn't have a class first thing in the morning. Izzun might have morning activities, or just enjoys being late or really early. I'm never quite sure," she finished up the conversation and stepped away from the young man. Eira took the opportunity to look a bit relieved but didn't say more.

[Bloodedge]

Eira seemed to struggle through her response to what Takumi asked. He'd offered this query for a very specific reason; if he'd come to school in the company of a single girl, he'd have run into the same problem he had earlier this day. This would especially be the case if he showed up in the presence of someone with Eira's standing. If they walked to school as a club, though, it could be easily played off. The list of people Youmu gave involved herself and up to three other girls, with only one potential male aside from Takumi himself. This was something that could be considered, but the aforementioned Hiroki walked up to the group just then. "Gomen. I've been coming to school with someone else lately. I would need a lot more than a day's warning to break the pattern," he said. That alone meant Takumi would end up on a journey to school alone with a group of young women. Even if the upperclassmen who'd assaulted him today had been dealt with, there were many others, and he had no intentions of returning to the way things were at his previous school. As such, he began slowly backing away from the others with a forced smile on his face. "Ah... sou ka. It's fine; I have some friends to meet at home, so I'll probably walk to school with them." These words were spoken during his retreat, and every word of his statement was very much a lie. Since transferring to Kuoh Academy, Takumi hadn't made a single friend. There was no person in this city for him to meet at home, and none he would be walking to school with on the next day. If it would save him walking with these girls - save him from the accidental provocative situation that had become so common around women for him - he would continue to be alone outside of this club full of Devils. Keeping this in mind, Takumi fully intended to keep backing away from the Occult Research Club until he was able to turn and make his way home.

[Apollymi]

Eira seemed as happy as she ever was. Having been freed from having to speak one specific way or another about the group she relaxed only to be further perplexed. Firstly about who Hiroki was walking to school with, and then secondly about the friends that Takumi claimed to have. Even the most simple minded of individuals could see this for the lie it was, at base value, mostly because if the boy hadn't anything resembling a friend group, he likely wouldn't have been accosted by the other boys at the school. Whatever the case, Eira decided it was best not to push this particular thought as the boy backed away. "Hai hai, standing invitation if you change your mind. Ja ne, Takumi..." she said freeing him to run off which was obviously something he was trying to do anyways. She watched him walk off strangely feeling for the young lad, as this happened, Youmu from her post at Eira's side had a pointed bit of commentary to make. "You know he was lying right?" she asked, a sigh escaped Eira at this point. "Of course I know... but I can't force this. In fact, I probably shouldn't have anything to do with it. He doesn't seem to like me very much," mentioned the young woman a bit sadly. Only to take a deep breath and move right along. "Whatever the case, he seemed a bit distressed, it's a lot to adjust to after all..." she mentioned. At this point Eira would also depart going to do, whatever it was she did before school the next day. The rest of the group was also free to disband.

[Bloodedge]

Since he was not held up, Takumi went about his business: Going home. The very next day, he returned to school alone, as he always had. Aside from the boy now being a Devil, everything proceeded as normal. He walked onto campus, intending to carry on with his classes, and everything else, the way he'd always done. The only thing strange was the likelihood that he'd have encounters with the Occult Research Club yet again... something that had a very high chance, considering he was now part of some strange Devil family.

Speaking of strange Devils, one in particular was appearing in the headquarters of the Occult Research Club via a magic circle filled with a dark aura. The male figure that emerged was tall and muscular, with long, messy black hair reaching his shoulders. He sported black trousers with a light sleeveless shirt, and a black jacket with a fur-covered color and external armoring with the design of an exoskeleton. He arrived early on this morning, believing he would be waiting for the arrival of the Gremory clan's heiress. If this were the case, he would wait in this location as long as it took. His information told him she would arrive in this building at some point during the day.

[Apollymi]

Sure enough not long after the start of school, the President of the Occult Research Club would find herself going back to her headquarters. The old School House. If she was accompanied by anyone they weren't currently seen at her side, as she usually spent at least a short amount of time alone, due to the school activities of the rest of her peerage. Upon entering her Club Meeting area she would find within it, a male she knew but not one she'd had any business with. The idea that he was here was completely foreign to her, even so she put on her best fake smile and tried not to look to distraught at the intrusion. "Good morning. Sorry, I wasn't expecting visitors today. Is there some reason I've found you standing in the middle of my meeting place?" she asked seeming to forego at least some of the normal formalities, because she didn't remember asking to see this particular individual at any point. Regardless she'd moved further inward and take a seat in her rather plush throne. Her posture would be straight even in her uniform which fit her form rather interestingly, her hands would be clasped in front of her lap as if she hadn't a care in the world.

[Bloodedge]

Soon after the male's arrival, Eira showed herself. His wait wasn't so long after all. With his target present, the raven-haired man strolled around the area and seated himself, looking unto the club president in all her regal aura as she was seated as well. "Eira Gremory. Good morning. I came for a friendly visit, of course," he said, his voice deep and bellowing enough that the room's acoustics carried even his quieted speech. "Word spreads quickly back home, you know? I hear you have almost all the pieces to your collection. Congratulations. It pleases me every time I find out more of us are being made, since we are so few and far between now. Of course, there are so few of pure blood still. There is only one way to return to our former state as a people..."

[Apollymi]

With it stated that his visit was intended to be friendly, normally a person like Eira would have let her guard down a bit. But as this young man began talking something about the nature of his speech warned her of incoming potential problems. Even so, her face didn't change and nothing about her countenance would let on a lack of comfort. No, at present she seemed regal, relaxed and demure as was expected of her as the future heiress to one of the clans. According to the man in her presence he'd simply come to offer her congratulations on almost completing her peerage. It seemed he was pleased that more Devils were being created, and that was a sentiment all current devils shared considering their dwindling numbers. Even so, it was becoming rather obvious to the crimson haired lass she would not like where this conversation was going. "Onoko Astaroth, it pleases me to accept such congratulatory statements, though I am remiss to say, I haven't quite finished yet. Even so, that hardly seems reason enough to warrant a trip to the human world," she said. Her calm manner would have made it clear to most that she didn't intend to discuss the purity of Devils and how to breed them once more one way or another. And while she might have understood people being excited about her nearly completing her Peerage, there was the little unknown fact that she'd used all eight of her pawn pieces on a single individual, and she still had a Rook left unclaimed.

[Bloodedge]

"You may not be done yet, but you have at least one of every piece. That's something worth celebrating. It's not exactly the reason I made the trip here, though... You know that by now," he said, fixating his gaze on the crimson-haired Devil. She was a sight to behold, and one he intended to have be his viewing pleasure for quite some time to come. That was his purpose, and it was one he would make sure Eira knew immediately. "I spoke with your father. Two mighty peerages, one household. To combine the Astaroth clan and Gremory clan through the Armageddon King and Ruin Queen... doesn't that sound lovely? He thought so, but he thought you would disagree. That is how I found out about your peerage. Marry me, Eira Gremory. If you don't intend to, you must defeat me in a Rating Game."

[Apollymi]

Eira continued to sit with that same demeanor she'd had the entire time they'd been speaking. Much to her original thought, this man hadn't just stopped in for a visit to congratulate her on her up and coming peerage. No he intended to marry her, and what was more he'd already talked to her father about the ordeal. She would have expected such a thing, if she'd ever spoken to this man in more than passing before this moment. They weren't in love seeking marriage, he was a strong guy seeking further title by having a strong woman at his side. In this moment though, Eira still managed to smile, given the situation it'd be surprisingly bright, almost like she was happy. But her words would make it obvious just what her mood was. "Daddy's a smart man, so when's the Rating Game and what are the conditions," she said, knowing the man before her had a complete peerage while she didn't. Her father had predicted she'd have a problem with her supposed marriage, and she did, she had no intention of even answering it as a potential. Ruin Queen and the Armageddon King, as if she'd ever want the man before her.

[Bloodedge]

When Eira gave her response, the Devil known by the name Onoko grinned. He'd been told to expect this sort of reaction from her, but he had more than ample confidence in his own ability to win the Rating Game and have his way. Eira seemed confident as well, but Onoko did not believe she could emerge victorious against his peerage. Few he'd ever met could, and she'd yet to experience Rating Games with a peerage of her own. "We play a Dice Figure Game tomorrow at dusk. I'm sure you're at least somewhat familiar with how this works," he said as he showed his left hand, which held a pair of six-sided dice. Rising and stepping forward, he offered one of these dice to Eira. "I'll allow you to choose the setting."

[Apollymi]

Eira was soon given the information she sought, and though this man didn't have the reaction she expected, he did produce the rules and a pair of dice one of which he offered her. After a moment she opened the palm of her right hand after unclasping them in front of her. "Dice Figure Game, tomorrow at dusk... fine," she said, though this was quite the detriment to her. As it stood most of her peerage contained only high level pieces, and though she'd recently made a pawn he still counted as eight. Depending on how she herself was ranked, she might not even be able to participate. She could send one of her more seasoned members and most likely they could handle most everything, but without at least a back up plan she'd be badly beaten. Her mind was already at work busily trying to plot what numbers she could use, which pieces would be best suited for combat against more than a few pieces at a time which wouldn't leave her at a complete loss against the other group. Still she prayed for the highest number possible as it would give her the best opportunity for strategies with her very young peerage. With that the dice left her hand with a silent prayer to Satan for a six. Her eyes watched as her die spun several times and landed on a six. 'Arigatou Nii-sama!~' she squealed in her mind.

[Bloodedge]

Onoko's terms were accepted easily enough. With that, he stepped aside and awaited the roll of Eira's die. After a few forward tumbles, the die landed with its side marked six facing upward. Onoko grinned. With this as he roll, it didn't matter at all what his die landed on. As it stood, he could already put forth between two and six members of his own peerage, depending on his whims. What else could he add to the mix? Time would tell, as Onoko's own dice was thrown into a roll and tumble. It landed next to the die thrown by Eira, and the number on its upward-facing side was...

Six.

"Maximum value. It's almost a shame we won't see each other in the game. You've been given a rating of one Pawn. I will count as three. My servants will be seeing you soon after we start, and I suppose I will see you at the ceremony afterwards. Now then... what venue will you have? I'll see to the setup while you busy yourself with the trifles of this human world."

[Apollymi]

With one six, Eira was left to wonder about the nature of the rest of her roll. As it stood, her best bet was to let her knight take care of this, but she didn't want to leave all up to Youmu. No, in matters such as this, the ability to defeat the first enemy weren't enough, she'd have to negate all tries at this sort of advancement in her life, as quickly as possible. Her eyes narrowed on the second dice roll and it was also a six. Her face broke out into a wide grin, as the nature of her run just got infinitely better. She couldn't help herself, this was about to be a good showing, maybe even a great one depending on who she chose to go along with. It made it so she could practically chose from anyone in her peerage depending on how she wanted to go about the assault.

Beyond this it was soon claimed that for the purpose of this Rating Game, Eira herself only counted as one pawn. Such was almost a vast underestimation of her abilities. But she supposed, given the incompleteness of her peerage and the lack of what most would consider members to it, she could almost see why it was assigned that way. As an aside, she'd not really participated in anything more than practice matches with her friends, as such her first real Rating Game would be the one which started her off either on a winning streak or as a person who needed more practice. "Have the venue made a replica of the Kuoh Academy. As for the trifles of this world, I don't see it that way. In fact all of you should get out of the underworld more often... but I digress," said the girl as she remained with her hands clasped in her lap. "I won't be seeing you, afterwards. Sayonara, Onoko Astaroth," the girl's words were steadfast, and if she feared anything it wasn't obvious in her countenance. Though by all accounts she should worry given the large number this male was able to start with, somehow she figured she had a better shot this way than the alternative.

[Bloodedge]

"Hmph. You've grown overly attached," said Onoko, regarding Eira's choice in venue being a replica of the human school she attended. As one who resided in the underworld, he could not understand this sentiment. This wasn't something that mattered much, though. Soon, Eira would also be a more permanent resident of their home world; he would see to that himself. "We will see. Tomorrow, Eira, we will see what the Ruin Princess' servants are made of." With that said, Onoko reclaimed his dice, and vanished through the same magic circle he'd used to arrive. This entire exchange had occurred over such a brief amount of time, classes had yet to begin. How would this affect the rest of the day for Eira Gremory and her peerage? One could only wonder.

[Apollymi]

Eira's eyes narrowed, and she outwardly scoffed at the idea that she'd grown overly attached to her school. Of course, this wasn't to say she disagreed, she was indeed quite attached to this place, which should have been obvious by the years she spent here. Even so, her choice for this as the fighting venue was all tactical, it was so she could have the best idea of where any and everyone would be and so her team would be familiar with the layout whether she was actively participating or not. 'I'll make you regret lumping in sentimentality with a tactical decision,' Eira was already fuming. But outwardly right up until this man disappeared she gave off an air of complete and utter calm. It wasn't until the magical circle which had brought him here completely disappeared did Eira's eyes close. And when they reopened there were flames of anger dancing in the background of them. Magical energy began to leak from her very person until she stood and began hurling it about the room in ball form. Gone in a matter of seconds were couches, end tables, the coffee table, her desk she even managed to blow out a few windows and incinerate the carpet with the power of her destructive magic. After about five minutes her tantrum was over and she was left standing in the middle of a desolte room save the single throne she'd been sitting upon for the duration of her chat with Onoko Astaroth. "Shit, now I have to fix it all..." she said begrudgingly to the world at large. But having cooled her jets just a bit she was more than ready to do so.

[Bloodedge]

Though she may have thought she was, Eira was not having her little destructive tantrum alone. Classes hadn't started just yet, but the Soccer Club's morning practice had been released so its students could prepare for class in a timely manner. As such, Kagimi Izuna was free with ample time for dilly dally. He took this free time the way he usually did, by floating around aimlessly whilst invisible to the eyes of others. During Eira's rampage, he was keen enough to be outside the old schoolhouse for a few minutes. Once everything seemed to have calmed down, though, he floated in through a destroyed window and made himself visible before Eira. He did so while moving forward, reaching out as if to deliver an embrace, but it was not for Eira. Instead, he wrapped his arms tightly around the one thing remaining in the room: The throne. "Ohh, yes! Chair-sama survives yet again!"

[Apollymi]

"Of course you're here now," said Eira as her Queen made himself known by floating in through a window she'd destroyed. If she'd expected anything of an embrace from the lad, her hopes were surely dashed as he hugged instead of her, the chair she'd not destroyed throughout this entire ordeal. "Why does the throne get more love than I do? I could use a hug too, you know," she stated almost rhetorically, anything to keep her mind off of what had just caused the most major tantrum of her late teens. Still, there was the matter of figuring out what Izuna knew, and how helpful he could be to her in this moment. Instead of dwelling on the mess or rather annhilation she'd just dished out to the room, she went to sit in the throne back the way she was as if nothing bad had happened her entire day. "So, Izuna, how much do you know?" she asked, as was her general way of starting a conversation with the often invisible peeper of her group.

[Bloodedge]

"Chair-sama is the only thing in this room to have survived your rampage. Chair-sama is stronger than you. Chair-sama is my new master," Izuna said while letting go of the throne and returning to his casual floating. Instead of hugging Eira, he merely patted the top of her head as she sat, all before floating away and flipping himself upside-down to converse with her. "Hmm... I know..." He paused for a moment to think. Eventually, a wide grin crossed his face. "We are definitely gonna win Nationals this year!" he said. Only a second later, the grin faded from his visage. He hadn't been around for the entire interaction between Eira and Onoko, but he'd been around long enough to piece together information and know a Rating Game would be happening tomorrow. "I know no matter which way you slice it, you're getting a maximum of three people in that fight... including yourself. Are you sure organizing your Pieces this way was a good idea after all, Eira?"

[Apollymi]

It seemed all the condolences and comforting that Eira would receive would be a simple pat on the head. Of course, such a pat went a long way for the betterment of the crimson haired lass' mood. A brief moment of questioning would let her know exactly what Izuna thought... of his soccer team. Such a moment from the boy would lead to a chuckle from this young woman, this lad always knew how to put things in perspective. But soon enough he was flipped upside down and telling Eira what was what, even using her given name, as he was prone to doing when they were alone together and didn't need to keep up the strictest of appearances. She sighed then and nodded. "That is about the gist of it. I feel like Nii-sama was looking out for us, otherwise, that could have been way worse." she said thinking about it from a more mellow perspective after having caused such a massive bit of destruction. As for the matter of whether or not it was wise to organize her pieces in such a way, a huge grin spread across her face. "I don't know if I'd call it wise. My strategy is for the end game, so I figured after choosing a couple of these people, there could be some early game mishaps, particularly after choosing a boy who is all eight pawns," she said. "But, I wouldn't trade any of you guys for the whole world. Luckily enough my own experience isn't counted as much, I only count as one. So depending on who else I chose, I could have a wide variety of things to choose from. Before I knew the second number, I thought it would be just me and you, like old times..." she said with a smirk on her face.

"But, I have to think about this like it's more than just this single victory. I have to consider this game a line drawn in the sand. Who I choose to go up against the other team will be a statement, and our first real show of power since I started gathering a peerage. I have faith in you all, but... I am going to have to see everyone in action before I make up my mind completely," she mentioned basically giving her Queen the layout of the afternoon. "I think it goes without saying everyone is going to be involved with the training. But... I think there is a fair chance we win this... no one is expecting someone to have done what I did."

[Bloodedge]

As Eira spoke, Izuna continued to move about the room in front of her. He did agree that things could have been much worse if the dice roll didn't result in a score of 12. If it had been any lower, even with Eira being given a value of a single Pawn for the game, she would have had much less room to make tactical decisions. Still, Izuna was ready and available in case she wished to play the game with herself and him alone. "Well, if you decide it's me you need, I'll give it all I've got. Onoko seems like the kind of guy who's going to come with numbers because he thinks all of his single pieces are so great. Even if we lose, though, I'm sure we could get him back with a regular Rating Game. The power and Twice Critical on that new guy aren't anything normal. He might be working on a Sub-Species already," he said. Given how much Eira had mentioned this new Pawn of hers in her speech, he believed she entertained some notion of potentially using him in the upcoming battle. If she did, and won, it would surely make a statement, but Izuna wondered how things would actually turn out. He supposed he'd have to wait for the results of training later in the day to draw his own conclusions about the Dice Figure Game.

[Apollymi]

Eira heard out what her Queen had to say and nodded. There was only one statement she didn't agree with and as she heard the words inwardly her heart sank. 'Even if we lose, though, I'm sure we could get him back with a regular Rating Game.' This lone sentence made it sound like there were no stakes, and also made her realize that though Izuna had been around long enough to hear about the Dice Figure Game, he hadn't heard the reason they were playing. A frown came to her face as she realized their loss would make it so any future wins against this same man didn't mean anything, because what was bet on this game was her hand in marriage. As disgusting as a thought this was, she didn't intend to burden her followers with this knowledge, she couldn't have them taking unnecessary risks on her behalf. After all, she didn't think of them as tools for her own use, she thought of them as her most precious and closest friends.

But with Izuna she figured keeping this knowledge from him wouldn't serve any good, so she spoke with him and him alone on the matter. "There is no pressure involved on the rest of you, but if I don't win the first time, my father promised that man I'd marry him," she said all the disgust and her earlier rage came flooding back in a single moment though she managed not to destroy anything else. "I don't think I'll be telling anyone else that, but I obviously don't want to marry that guy. I think Takumi might be an Ace for us, no way a simple Twice Critical made him take eight pieces to reincarnate..." she said giving another valuable piece of information which was, exactly how many pieces she'd used to claim her first and obviously own pawn. "But I won't burden him with it if he isn't ready." she clarified. Her thoughts about this entire ordeal were swimming all over the place, even so she couldn't wait to see what her peerage was capable of now. At the very least she had a more than decent record in practice matches, 8 wins and 2 losses, surely that wasn't just a fluke considering the decreased size of her peerage.

[Bloodedge]

"..." Izuna's brows rose, and he blinked repeatedly when Eira mentioned the stakes of this battle. He may not have heard this being discussed initially, but it was probably a good thing that he didn't; he would have had something to say in the moment if that were the case. "WHAT!?" he said after darting toward Eira, stopping with his hands slammed upon the arms of her throne as he looked her in the eye. "What the hell kind of first game is that!? No way; let me fight!" As he spoke, Izuna had subconsciously allowed the canine teeth of his natural form show. Something was occurring within the rear of his trousers as well, causing them to bulge and oscillate. The pupils of his eyes even underwent a change, becoming more like slits than what they appeared as normally. "Even if I don't fight, you have to tell whoever does! Whoever's involved should know why they have to give it everything they've got!"

[Apollymi]

She expected minor discontent from Izuna knowing about the stakes of this game, what she didn't expect was an outward showing of emotion the likes of which she hadn't seen in quite some time from the young man. She was the one who was more prone to showing anger or displeasure, even when she covered it with her regal demeanor. He dashed towards her, and though she had no fear of anything bad happening to her as a result of his anger, she could see the physical changes of his person as they happened, as he became before her, what he actually was. Canine teeth, slit pupils and she was willing to bet his tails were growing as well. Still she met his gaze without wavering in the slightest, her crimson eyes burning with the same level of anger underneath. "I know. I know, I thought the same thing... My father seemed to think it was a good idea, because he knew I wouldn't just agree to the marriage. That guy is so not my type..." she said by all outward appearances, Onoko Astaroth was an attractive man, but obviously not the sort of man who fit the personal preferences of Eira Gremory, who seemed to prefer men who were softer on the outside, but carried great strength within.

"I would hope you didn't think I was throwing that kind of tantrum over a match," she said to Izuna even so, she appreciated his outward show of emotion, she reached upwards and gave him a hug, because it was something she would have done if he were upset over something else and it was something he deserved in the moment as well. "Izuna, your bishi fox self is showing. Am I going to get to see tails today?" she teased ever so lightly. "If you think I should tell them, I will... but honestly I just didn't want to burden anyone with it," she said, which was likely one of the few personality flaws the young woman maintained. The ability to want to help everyone but the inability to accept help on her own behalf, or burden others with things she perceived to be her problem alone.

[Bloodedge]

Suddenly, the arms of Eira were wrapped around the young male. His eyes widened in that moment, and he was able to calm himself within her embrace until his changes began to fade. "Gomen. No tail for you," he said, returning to the playful grin he normally boasted as he floated away from Eira's personal space bubble. "So, being honest here, I didn't even think about the tantrum that hard. I just figured you were mad because it was so soon. Anyway, I think you should definitely tell at least whoever's involved with the fight. Not to be a downer, but it would really suck to lose and find out what could've been stopped by trying harder."

[Apollymi]

It seemed the hug given by Eira had served the purpose she figured it would, calming the male in her presence and making him realize what he was doing. She noted the changes of his physical form going back to place and him escaping her personal space bubble as she settled back into her throne with a bemused look upon her face at the idea that she wasn't going to get to see any tails today. "Oh well, I suppose I'll get to see them next time~" she teased a little more. As their conversation progressed it seemed that Izuna thought it necessary to at least share the information directly with whoever was going to be involved with the fight. Given what was at stake he said it would be a downer to find out after the fact that they could have tried harder and saved their leader from a fate she obviously wanted no part of. "Hai hai, you're right. When I figure out who is going into the fight besides myself, I'll make sure they know the stakes of this game before going in. After all, it's not really fair to ask them to participate if they don't know what they are getting themselves into, I'd hate to have anyone discontent after the fact because they didn't know..." she relented.

Given this whoever ended up the roster for the Dice Figure Game would be told of the stakes of it. "So training camps to see where everyone is at instead of after school activities, and by tomorrow afternoon decide who is going to in the game and let them know before the match, that we have to beat that jerk so I don't have to marry him?" she asked laying out her plan with a cheeky smile as she moved her hands before her summoning magic within them and beginning to restore the room back to its original form. "You'll make sure everyone knows to report here instead of to their normal activities, there isn't a moment to waste?" she asked of Izuna knowing she could trust him to do this work for her so she had time to keep calm and set up the actual training camps for everyone.

[Bloodedge]

"Good. If they know, they'll fight harder. We're all in this for you, Eira," he said with his hands upon the back of his head yet again. This pose seemed to be a favored position of Izuna's when he was floating about. The plan proposed by Eira was pretty straightforward, though Izuna had something extra in mind. If anything, this peerage's master was one for tact, and even Izuna could see some of the more likely decisions she would come to whenever she came to realize what he and Youmu could see. He would be contributing to the likelihood of this development, as such. "I'll have everybody round up by the end of the day, assuming nobody dies or gets suspended before then. Catch ya' later, Eira." With that said, Izuna made himself invisible again. Assuming he was not stopped prior to his departure, he would not return until the end of the school day, when he had the rest of Eira's peerage in tow.

[Apollymi]

"I know..." she said of the fact that all of her peerage were involved with this situation for her and her alone. "Thank you, Izuna~" she said and she well and truly meant it. When her Queen left under the assumption he'd be gathering their friends for an impromptu training camp, she stayed where she was. Of the last things she created, she remade her chess board and began a game. Her own mind spinning around the idea that she could use any three pieces to make her stand against the idea of being forced into a marriage with a man she didn't know, who also didn't suit her ideals. She'd busy herself with this while the school day passed.

In the afternoon after the last bell one of the first to arrive would be Miyuki who appeared to still be in her school uniform. "Eira-nee did something happen?" she asked, seeming to think it odd that she had to come here instead of her club activities, which made Eira smile. "Kind of, I'll say what when everyone else gets here," said Eira as Youmu walked through a wall and took her customary seat on the left arm of Eira's chair. "That's how she says, saying something more than once will upset her," mentioned Youmu. "Good afternoon, Buchou," she said knowing well that their younger members had a sisterly relationship with their leader and called her by name when alone with her, but when they were in the club room they were all about club business. "Hello, Youmu. I'm sorry you have to skip kendo practice," she said most apologetically. "No worries, it isn't like I need to practice in the first place..." mentioned as they waited for the group at large to find out what reason had them skipping their school activities.

[Bloodedge]

Soon after the arrival of Miyuki and Youmu, two other members of Eira's peerage showed themselves. The first to step in was the blonde Bishop, Hiroki. He led the way for the newest member of the peerage, Takumi, who'd yet to make the journey to the old schoolhouse himself. "Buchou," Hiroki said with a gentle bow before stepping off to the side. Takumi followed suit, offering a brief nod. "Buchou," he repeated. Only a couple of members were missing at this point. Rather, only one was missing. Instead of taking a place on the right arm of Eira's throne as per usual, Izuna had long since been sitting on the back of her seat. When it became obvious that Maiko was the only one left to appear, he became visible from his perch. "Buchou Buchou Buchou~. No love for me at all."

[Apollymi]

Currently the only person missing from the gathering was Maiko the rook of the group. And Eira looked at the entirety of the group, and smiled at them because what she needed to be right now was steady. How she chose to phrase her next few words would be really important. "Of course, we're waiting on Maiko~" she said with a chuckle. "Also if you want to be acknowledged Izuna, you should probably say something every once in a while, and you know be visible," she said after this she heard the call.... "BUCHOOOOU!~" and from the distance sprang Maiko who seemed content to come to a skidding halt before the throne head bowed. "Really? I'm late... gomen," managed the girl out of breath. A chuckle came from Eira. "Good afternoon, Maiko... nice to see you so spirited," she said as the girl pulled herself to the side and Eira began the speech about their current afternoon.

"Alright, I'm sorry I had you all skip your afternoon activities, but... I was informed our first Official Rating Game, since I've acquired at least one of every piece is taking place tomorrow afternoon," she said to the surprise of all the female members in this group. Eira would continue though so as not to make it any more stressful. "Don't worry though, it's a Dice Figure game, so all of us won't be participating. I've spent the morning figuring out training camps for all of us, to help push us along and see what our skills are like, before I decide the final team for the game," she said still Miyuki seemed confused and chose to ask a question which she was sure she wasn't the only one who didn't know the answer to. "What's a Dice Figure Game, and why don't we all have to participate?"

[Bloodedge]

"Oh please, it's not like nobody knew I was already here. I'm especially disappointed in you, Paku-chan!" he said to the white-haired girl. Now that he thought about it, there was something very specific he wished to discuss with her, which caused him to stare at her for longer than what was necessary to address her. In the meantime, Eira told the others about the Dice Figure Game some of them would be participating in. Takumi, for one, knew nothing about the normal type of Rating Games; he hadn't even learned anything about being a Devil yet. At the very least, it seeme Miyuki also didn't know about this specific type of match. Since Eira had done so much explaining already today, Izuna slung himself over the throne and spoke. "It's like a Rating Game, but not an all-out battle. A pair of dice gets rolled between two Kings, and the total value is how much each King's allowed to use. We're doing twelve in this one, with Buchou counting as one Pawn. Bishops and Knights count as three, Rooks count as five, and Queens count as nine, by the way."

[Apollymi]

"I simply don't acknowledge you until you speak to avoid ruining your fun. If you'd like me to change that let me know," mentioned Youmu, as she soon felt the unnecessary extended gaze and didn't shift her own for several seconds. Obviously Izuna had something he wished to talk about as such she'd wait for the opportune time for such a conversation to take place. But immediately this didn't seem to be a thing. Beyond this it was explained the counts of pieces of the Dice Figure Rating Game, including the fact that Eira herself only counted as a single pawn. By Youmu's own count this would likely make the their leader the lowest value they had. This also would make for a greater variety in potential piece match ups to be sent out, most of which could include Eira herself and one to two other people at least given the way the math worked out. "Sou ka, you were hoping for higher numbers for the sake of having more people involved, but... Buchou aren't you being underestimated here?" she asked of the woman which made her nod her head.

"Yes, likely because my peerage is incomplete, and I don't have an experience in official Rating Games, our opponent has all of those things, thus the special rules. To be honest, this kind of Rating Game is the one we will always have the most trouble with because of the way this peerage is set up, at base I will always be considered the fewest number of pawns, but that is fine. I also got to pick the venue, it's a replica of Kuoh Academy, so... home field advantage for whoever ends up on team," mentioned Eira who wanted everyone to worry as little as possible. Though she realized not everyone would know why she had the lowest possible value, given she did have one pawn in her peerage. "As for partnerships for the first round of training, I have Hiroki and Maiko, Youmu and Miyuki , and... Izuna and Takumi. I set up the grounds out back with an observation deck for me so I can take notes. You all should get ready. I don't know who I want on the team for the rating games, but there are a few possibilities so I want to see what everyone has going first," mentioned Eira. Who continued to look outwardly normal, but Youmu could tell by her tension that something was very strange about her leader. Whatever the case, she wouldn't bother her about it for now, and instead nodded. Miyuki for her credit took in the information and nodded. She didn't know if she really wanted to be on the main team for her first go at this game, but if she made it, she'd do her absolute best for their leader. "Hai, Buchou! Arigatou, Izu-senpai," she mentioned. Maiko seemed excited about the potential for a fight. "Gotta come out the door swinging then huh? Alright, sounds like a plan!" she said pulling her gloves out and preparing for an all out battle.

[Bloodedge]

Izuna had nothing to say in regards to Youmu's statement. He was simply too focused on what he intended to discuss with her later. It seemed, though, that later would be coming sooner than he thought, considering the match-ups for Eira's training camp. Youmu would be in the second set, and Izuna, to his pleasure, would be in the last of three sets. Knowing this, he floated next to Youmu while Hiroki bowed and prepared to move to the aforementioned training grounds. Quietly, Izuna whispered to the Knight of the peerage. "Oi. How much do you know about Twice Critical as a Sub-Species?" he asked. Obviously, this question was for the sake of Takumi's development. Takumi himself had no idea this discussion was beginning, but since he was apparently meant to take his training with Izuna, he decided he would closely watch the matches before his. He moved, taking a side to Eira, whom he assumed would have the best viewpoint of the training. "Buchou... before I go up, can I watch the others from where you are?"

[Apollymi]

Maiko knowing she'd be up first also went outside, more than prepared for a training session with anyone. Hiroki seemed to be amenable to these proceedings and left without a hitch. Eira began to stand to go take the best possible vantage point but before she did, surprisingly enough, Takumi was at her side, asking to join her while the other matches took place so that he could observe as well. A smile came to Eira's face in this moment, because she didn't know what to expect from this lad, but was glad he was at least interested in the proceedings. "Of course you can, come along," she said as she stood heading finally for the observation deck, which from the back of the school house was about two stories above the battle field. Below, would be the start of the match between Hiroki and Maiko.

Meanwhile, Youmu was approached by Izuna and asked a question which was likely aimed at helping out his newest charge. A whisper came from her as she began to explain what she knew about Twice Critical as a Sacred Gear. "Twice Critical is a Sacred Gear which doubles the power of its user. It is based in Dragon Lore, but fairly common as far as simple weaponry goes. I have faced a couple of them before now, one of them gave a person extra arms... it was intense," she explained, as her eyes traveled over to Takumi and she gained the same spaced out look. "But that one isn't standard. There's another soul attached to it, like with Maiko's but... much bigger. I am certain of this..." she finished. She'd felt the same way yesterday when looking at it, and she felt it now. Even though the soul wasn't awake or communicating she was very sure the Sacred Gear being held by Takumi had a soul of its own.

As Hiroki set up whatever way he was going to do that Maiko rolled her shoulders and checked her gloves. "Ready Yui?" she asked but she didn't really wait for a reply. Instead she mustered up quite a bit of strength and aimed a quick concise punch at the boy's center after closing the gap between them with her right hand. It would be immediately followed by another punch with her left. She wasn't holding back in this particular moment.

[Bloodedge]

"Hai," Takumi replied as he followed the club president onto the deck. Their departure left the conversation between Izuna and Youmu a bit more open, away from most potential listeners. Youmu confirmed that there was some sort of large spirit within the Sacred Gear of their newest member. This was something Izuna believed, but he did not possess the same specific insight of the white-haired girl. "Definitely a spirit, huh. Can we call that a Sub-Species, though? I get a weird kind of feeling from it, like... like I could either get along with it, or stay away from it. Guess I'll find out in a couple of matches, huh?"

As Hiroki stood before his opponent, a pair of silver rings manifested on his middle fingers, each holding a blue-green gem. Green light was emitted from each ring as Hiroki clasped his hands together, but this light became red by the time Maiko spoke. "Hai," he said to the girl. Her charge seemed about normal for her; Hiroki had never taken Maiko as one to wait around, or even pull punches in a fight of any sort. Hiroki himself didn't have much by way of fighting potential. He did, however, possess the ability to use his opponent's strengths against them. This was exemplified as his hands were held out to both take in Maiko's first punch, then her second as well. Once the second attack connected, Hiroki aimed to channel his magic into her fist and have it deal to her whatever damage she intended to deal him. Hiroki couldn't use this much, so he had to take the force of the first punch as a tactical decision. He needed to use these where he could.

[Apollymi]

The observation deck was equipped with another high back chair and an opening right in front of it in the railing. Eira took a seat in the chair and figured Takumi would have the ability to see everything he wanted to from this spot. Eira was paying close attention to what each of her potential candidates were doing. Even so, she'd leave herself open to a bit of conversation, in a bit to get to know her newest member. "I know this is still new for you, Takumi, if you have questions I'll answer them for you," she offered the young man with her.

Meanwhile the conversation between Youmu and Izuna became more engrossing. Youmu found herself nodding to the boy's assertions. "Definitely a soul in there, and it's definitely huge and sentient. It might be sleeping, and the base form of it's power is Twice Critical and it could grow into something else. Instead of the way it could be assumed to happen if it was a Sub-Species," she said though it was nothing but conjecture until the boy showed some ability with it. "You'll definitely be the one to find out before me," she said. "But be careful, given the size of that thing, it's a wonder what will happen when it wakes up."

During this conversation, one of Maiko's fists was met, and then the other. If she was surprised by this, she was more surprised by the male she was going against taking the impact and then going to to reverse the second one, sending her tumbling backwards. "I wanna say that isn't fair..." she said as she stood up straighter and dusted herself off. "But, it's kinda fun. Ya' gotta show me how to do that, Yui," she mentioned, knowing she could well use something like that maybe a bit better in her skills list. Regardless she aimed to go at it again, this time from her Artificial Sacred Gear, which she summoned and sent out from herself in a manner akin to a Yoyo spinning and covered in lightning strangely enough as a basic use of elemental magic which could stun Hiroki if it made contact with him and was aimed at the very center of his being.

[Bloodedge]

"H-hai," said Takumi. He wasn't sure what sort of questions he would potentially have, but he would be sure to ask any that came up. For now, though, he was content to learn what he could through observation. This was already an interesting thing to watch. Takumi didn't know what to expect from a fight between Devils; it didn't seem as ridiculous as he thought it might be... yet. Soon after he had this thought, another attack from Maiko was prepared for by Hiroki erecting a generic magical barrier. His magical ability was not quite able to withstand the Rook's brute strength, but this shield gave him enough time to move out of Maiko's path before it shattered. "It's very helpful, and the only way I can really fight. It's very taxing though... I might only be able to use it two more times."

Izuna's gaze shifted outside to the training area, though the attentions of his ears and voice remained with Youmu. "A Twice Critical that's got something else inside... What does something do that Twice Critical is its sleeping state? Twice Critical itself might not be too high on the tier list, but it's still pretty strong by itself. I'm wondering if I really wanna do the thing I've been thinking of doing."

[Apollymi]

Maiko continued working on the young man, finding it strange that her attack didn't make contact with him but instead managed to hit a barrier which left Hiroki just enough time to avoid the shield she'd thrown his way. The weapon of choice, came back to the young woman as Hiroki explained that he could only really use the Reverse technique a couple of times, and that his fighting skills were limited because of that. "Sou ka, we gotta get your stamina up then, Yui..." said Maiko as she moved forward once more. As if to accentuate her earlier claim she aimed another left fist towards the young man's right jaw, and immediately followed up with a shield bash with the still lightning coated object. This use of magic was mostly just to try and continue the battle and to draw out any other specialties the young man before her might have been hiding. She needed to know what kind of physical onslaught he was prepared to take. Just the same, Eira watched the match with curious eyes. 'If Maiko managed to learn that technique she'd become something closer to a juggernaut. Her ability to tank attacks would increase massively. Good.' thought with a nod. 'Hiroki is making good use of his abilities considering he's pretty much all healer. Probably still shouldn't be included without someone to pick up his physical slack though. He'd be a good second to run with Maiko though...' she thought absently as she considered a potential pairing which would leave a team with Hiroki, Maiko, Herself and likely Miyuki as well. A possible four man team instead of taking the major hit to sheer numbers, but that could present a different level of problem.

While this happened Youmu was left to discuss potential happenings with Izuna mostly about the developments of their newest member Takumi. His words about how outlandish it was potential that Twice Critical was the resting state of the Sacred Gear which belonged to Takumi made her sigh. "It's why I said you should be careful. There is no telling what it is. I can't see it clearly it's so massive," she said calmly. She hadn't the foggiest idea of what he was thinking but if it was to draw this power out she had but one thing to say. "If you intend to wake it up... just make sure you are careful about it... power that massive is not easily held. Should I warn Buchou while you fight... it seems like the sort of thing that could potentially get out of control pretty quickly."

[Bloodedge]

"Heheh... I don't think that's going to happen overnight. I'm not at my physical limit, but I'll run out of Demonic Power pretty quickly with magic like that," Hiroki specified. True enough, he would be able to dodge around until he took the unlucky hit that would end him, but he had no offense whatsoever without his magic, and he could not heal himself. Against someone like Maiko, he was basically just biding his time. When she approached again, he set up two barriers. The first took the impact of her fist easily enough, and though the second was sure to break with her follow-up attack, he augmented its existence by using his Reverse magic once more. This would cause the lightning around Maiko's Twinkle Aegis to turn inward on itself, effectively ripping away its ability to break through Hiroki's defense. From behind the barrier, Hiroki used Reverse for the final time he was able to... on his own Twilight Healing Sacred Gear. With his Twilight Healing, he was able to shoot projectiles of healing energy. Using Reverse on his own Sacred Gear, though, allowed Hiroki to unleash a burst of pure damaging energy toward Maiko, in what was very much a last-ditch effort from the blonde male.

'She said he was a healer, but he's got something that does damage. That magic stuff... Is he turning things into their opposites?' Takumi wondered as he watched this fight. He was trying to make connections in the powers shown by the others, and perhaps draw from it ways of making use of his own powers. Izuna was also contemplating the boy's powers, but for different reasons entirely. "No worries; have I ever been anything but careful? I wouldn't bother telling her about it, either. She's got enough on her plate," he said to Youmu whilst looking toward Eira.

[Apollymi]

"Of course not, won't stop the suggestion though~" said Maiko. She'd done a pretty good job of throwing her attacks but she kept finding them smashing against barriers. She also found the one that had her Twinkle Aegis slammed against it, turned the powers of the shield in on itself making it so it bounded off of it, instead of smashing through it. Maiko herself was left to deal with the recoil, finding the whole of her person bounding off a barrier only to soon enough catch a barrage of what would have normally been healing energy but instead was damaging. She aimed to pull her shield in close and block the rays, which she succeeded in doing, but there was no energy coming from her weapon of choice as such she was left without much proper defense and tossed clear away from the battle field. "Ouch, ouch, ouch... it's still hard to defend against magic," she mumbled as she laid out in the grass trying to get herself together. Still there was a large grin on her face, she'd enjoyed the match regardless of the outcome. "You're gonna teach me that magic, then I'm coming back for round 2," she said holding her now empty right hand up in the air with a thumb up to show how she felt about the situation. "Yare yare, all that and she still acts solely based on her physical prowess... still... that's some pretty good progress," said Eira aloud for the first time in quite some time. She stood and walked forward stretching and calling for the next match as this one was already over. "Arigatou Gozaimasu, Hiroki and Maiko. I have enough information about the two of you..." she said knowing the order this pair now played in her potential game. "Youmu, Miyuki could you two go next?" she asked, which resulted in the black haired girl appearing on the ground nearby in a black pair of hakama and a black over coat with a white under piece beneath it, with a badge over one of her arms. "Hai!" she mentioned.

Meanwhile Youmu's conversation was brought to a close mostly by the end of the previous match. "I thought there was something missing from her explanation. Like where all of this came from, and why she's so upset... oh well, I guess I will find out when I need to know," she mentioned, willing to wait for their leader to tell her the information she wanted to know. And with that she began to sink from her current position down through the floors. "Izzun, good luck." she mentioned in her passive way before she disappeared from sight and pushed herself out.

[Bloodedge]

After Hiroki unleashed his barrage, he was sadly incapable of seeing the outcome. He truly could only use this magic of his for a very limited amount of time, and now that he'd hit his limit, he fell to the ground without an ounce of consciousness left to him. Takumi watched the outcome of this fight with wide eyes. Were all matches between Devils this short and outrageous? Whether they were or not, he wondered if this limitation on Reverse magic was one of the magic itself, or of the user in this case, Hiroki. He had the potential to gain strength akin to what Maiko boasted, and wondered if it would be worth it to even try going for a different effect if he would have to suffer such drawbacks. Maybe one of the others would have something he could strive to learn to make everything work out in the end.

"I'd tell you myself, but it's best if you hear from her," Izuna said about their leader's secret. No other words were shared between these two, bar Youmu wishing Izuna luck in his endeavors. On Izuna's end, he nodded in response, as if to wish her the same. Of course, he knew better. She didn't really need luck for what she would be doing, hence him verbally saying nothing at all.

[Apollymi]

There was the matter that Hiroki was now unconscious to deal with, and Eira would handle this herself descending for a few seconds to pick up Hiroki and given his state of consciousness carry him back to the rooftop observation deck. "Hiroki, you shouldn't do things that will render you completely unconscious, staying power is also important in battle," she mentioned to his unconscious form. Meanwhile, a gentle nod came from Youmu before she left and she found herself summoning not one of two swords she boasted for general use, but instead a bokutou which weighed the same as one of the swords she favored. "Miyuki-chan, you should make sure you remember your defense," she said which made Miyuki's eyes widen as the short haired girl nodded twice her hands held out in front of her she immediately aimed to create triple barriers in front of her. Unfortunately for Miyuki, within seconds of making footfall for the first time, Youmu had closed the distance between them. Miyuki wouldn't be able to register Youmu's movements before she girl tumbling into her own barriers with a backhanded swat of her bokken.

"The Barriers are okay, but without a weapon you can't hope to compete with me... what will you do?" this was a question that Youmu asked, and though the woman seemed completely apathetic, she was aiming to help the girl who obviously had way more going with her magic than she'd let on. Given this a huge grin sped across Miyuki's face and she turned to look back over her shoulder. "I already did it." a snap of her fingers would cause a white glowing circle to appear beneath Youmu and aim to freeze the young woman solidly within it. 'Sugei, several spells cast at once, including one she made up herself... even while not using it in her normal form, she's doing pretty well against Youmu.' thought Eira who seemed to be amused by the progress of her peerage, even while such a dire situation rose over the horizon. She knew of course, that this battle was far from over.

[Bloodedge]

During the time between the two battles, while Eira retrieved the unconscious member of her peerage, Takumi stared into his left hand. He had come to realize he didn't even know how to make this Sacred Gear of his manifest again. He closed his eyes and attempted to focus, trying to find whatever sensation could lead to it returning again before his fight with Izuna. In seeking this feeling, he repeatedly thrust his open palm forward, attempting to will his Twice Critical into existence again. 'Come on. Work, work!'

[Apollymi]

Eira watched this point in the battle, still not having reclaimed her seat just yet. She was content to watch for just a second. She aimed to approach Takumi standing before him as he had his eyes closed likely trying to will his Sacred Gear into appearing. She wondered what he would need to make this happen, and wished to help, but she didn't want to disrupt his concentration. As such she continued to watch him, because she was already somewhat certain of where the battle below was going. 'I could explain to him, but I wonder if it would be weird for me to do so?' wondered Eira as she paused her steps just shy of the boy's outstretched hand.

As Eira predicted the ice couldn't hold Youmu, in fact the white haired young woman walked forward as if unhindered by her previous freezing state. In fact, she walked through the ice leaving it intact as she did so. "That is pretty clever, thinking ahead to where I would end up, and using your spell there, but it doesn't change the fact that your abilities are short ranged and that when someone more prone to melee combat is within range you won't be able to do anything," mentioned Youmu to Miyuki. The younger of the pair seemed to look confused for just a moment. She was more than willing to admit she was all magically focused, the only physical activity she seemed to like was tennis but there is no way that could help her in these moments. "Gomen You-senpai. I don't think I've advanced enough for this..." she said, which made Youmu move again, this time to the girl's left with rapid pace. "You have. I already told you, you need a weapon. If you don't wish to carry one, use your magic to make one," she said looking the girl over. "You play tennis, you could have down basic forms of kendo with little to no problem. It won't help you against someone like me... but it will help," mentioned Youmu as she was once again within range she tapped the girl's bottom with her bokutou before reaching through her and leaving it in her grasp. "Something like this... also a bit more confidence would do you some good," said Youmu apathetically, which left the girl wide eyed. "Hai, You-senpai!" she chimed as such, she went about running her hands across the weapon, thinking about how to magically create something similar perhaps with a spell. Even if she turned out not to be very good with it, the extended range for her spells would be useful, and Miyuki was nothing if not a quick study. 'Atta girl, Miyuki... are you about to make up yet another spell?' mentally wondered Eira, who'd seen the girl come up with several spells on the spot and admired her natural ability with magic, which was only presently limited by her age and inexperience.

[Bloodedge]

Takumi remained unaware of the fight's progression below. He was still thrusting out his palm, feeling as if he could make some sort of progress in doing this simple act while focusing on his hand. There was something there... he could feel it. It felt almost like he could communicate with something deep within himself to make real his desires, but he couldn't find the proper method to do so. 'You were dead yesterday. Somebody gave you a new life; the least you can do is get over your own crap enough to help that person by fighting! Work!' he thought. At this point, both his thoughts and his actions were gaining intensity by the moment. He felt as if he wanted this more than anything at the moment, but the Sacred Gear in his arm didn't seem to be responding to his wishes.

[Apollymi]

Takumi seemed to be gaining intensity but he had no outward results. Even so, the amount of concentration the boy was putting forth made her quite proud. Actually given what she was seeing, she took another step forward her aim only to interrupt his constant mechinations if only to offer him a piece of advice. Gratutiously enough, this would end with the young man's left hand having quite a good go of feeling up Eira's right breast. Though this wasn't the first time something like this happened, she managed to be at least mildly surprised by the sensation.

Meanwhile, Miyuki finished her examination of the bokutou and returned it to Youmu hilt first. "Sou ka, I think I understand enough..." she said clapping her hands together an intricate magical circle was formed as she spread her hands apart and she reached in with her right hand to pull out a white sword with a long trailing ribbon off its hilt. This sword was made exclusively of ice magic, and was frozen to the touch. Youmu watched it's creation with a small bit of light in her eyes. "I see, that's pretty good actually..." she said before wasting no time approaching the girl once more to see what she would do now that she was armed. Youmu's movements took her directly the to the girl's fore, but she didn't make contact with it, instead she phased through her person giving a quick spin which would allow her to send another resounding slap to her bottom. Miyuki to her credit knew she couldn't keep up with the young woman's speed, and spun on the spot in a tight circle which surrounded herself in spikes of ice which came from the slashing motion of her sword much like a powered up tennis swing. Even Youmu had to pause choosing to become intangible once more so that she might phase through the ice instead choosing to put more space between them instead of attacking again. "Arigatou gozaimasu, You-senpai. This is a pretty good extension for my magic," she said with a huge smile. "That's good I am glad you were able to do something like this. Now, quick sword play lessons, you can think of your sword like your tennis racket if it helps," she said holding her own blade in front of her with both of her hands to show the girl the type of stance she should take for a power attack. Miyuki copied it, though it was a bit different considering the kind of thing she was used to holding. Even so, their battle would continue from this point for a few minutes.

[Bloodedge]

Nothing was out of the ordinary in Takumi's actions from the moment he began, until now. What he didn't see coming in the abnormal department was the sudden feeling of something that wasn't at all his Sacred Gear. Something was in his hand when it moved forward... something very soft, and far greater than his single hand could manage to hold by itself. 'No, this isn't right. What is...' he began thinking, only to open his eyes and see first the face of Eira. 'It's what you always wanted, partner,' said an almost familiar voice in his head as his gaze traveled down to where his hand had fallen. Takumi couldn't even give thought to this voice in his subconscious; it was too shocking realizing what he was now touching. 'Oh no, not again. I can't... no. There's no better time than now.' Whatever sparked this train of thought in Takumi, his expression turned incredibly serious while he gazed at the bosom of the club president. He clenched his left hand to squeeze the breast that had so suddenly appeared within it, and somehow, the red gauntlet that was his Twice Critical Sacred Gear appeared from his wrist again.

[Apollymi]

Eira found herself soon enough looking into Takumi's eyes as he realized he was now grabbing her chest. She originally figured him for the type to immediately apologize and have his demeanor shift again, but much to her surprise, he continued to grope her. It was almost like his movements had found new purpose, a gentle blush graced her cheeks as she was accosted in such a way and she couldn't say she minded the treatment. "Yare yare, Takumi... you really are unassuming. Especially for someone who wanted me to put my clothes back on so quickly yesterday, there's so much concentration in that adorable face of yours..." she mentioned in the same sort of slightly teasing manner she'd used to address Izuna earlier in the day. She moved her hand further up his left arm past his gauntlet and to his elbow and spoke to him the absolute truth as she understood it. "According to the other holders of Sacred Gears, they are aligned to your desires. In order for them to manifest, work, and grow, you have to be honest with yourself, Takumi..." she mentioned. Still she hadn't moved away from him. She didn't mind being in close proximity to any in her peerage and if she was being honest given the way she'd first met the boy, this wasn't nearly as bad as their introduction. She was also quite bemused that he'd managed such a thing so quickly after learning about his Sacred Gear, even if his execution of it was more than a bit perverted.

[Bloodedge]

"... Gomen, Buchou," Takumi said, though he still made no immediate effort to remove his hand. In fact, it only became more difficult for him to withdraw when Eira's touch reached his elbow, for whatever purpose this gesture served. From what she had to say, it could be gathered that the appearance of his Sacred Gear now was linked to him refusing to restrain himself from what he wished to do. "I was just... trying to make it work," he concluded. With that said, Takumi withdrew his left hand and stared into its palm. There was something else he was missing, but he thought it only currently mattered that he'd succeeded in summoning Twice Critical again. If this was what he had to accomplish every time, though, he'd be in quite the predicament.

[Apollymi]

A firm shake of Eira's head came after this boy's apology. "Iie, no need to apologize. Actually, I'm really happy you were able to do it, you looked like you were trying really hard... Arigatou gozaimasu," Eira thanked the young man for his efforts without a second thought, but also knew he seemed to have strange feelings about being in such close proximity to her. Since it was quite obvious he wished to move away from her, she let him go while he pondered his ability to re-summon his Sacred Gear. "Oh look, it's almost time for you to test it out," she mentioned absently more than willing to return to her chair. Still she felt a bit strangely given these interactions with Takumi, it hardly made sense to her that this young man had to try to so hard to use his gear only to have it appear when he fondled her incidentally. This would be something worth keeping an eye on, as was the development of her youngest member below.

Miyuki's ice sword shattered into dust as Youmu bounced on her toes. She'd worn the girl down with repeated usages of her magic, to remake the sword over the few moments that the President of the Occult Club was distracted. Even so, the imaginative genius and sheer magical ability of her bishop was more than well apparent. Along with her ability to learn on the spot and try and shift situations to suit her needs. If one added this to the fact that she hadn't even taken on her original form, and the girl was a formidable opponent indeed. 'Miyuki should be included, her combat experience is low, but one can't displace imagination and youth. if I was only running 10... I'd run myself, Miyuki and Youmu. We'd be quite the trio~' she thought as she considered the different kinds of tactics she could come up with for this particular battle if she only included those three people. "Arigatou Gozaimasu, Miyuki and Youmu. I have enough from both of you," she said to the pair. "And congratulations on your new spell, Miyuki..." she said only to have the short raven haired girl look up at her with wide eyes. "Arigatou Buchou..." she said seeming to be beaming with pride at her newest development. As if to echo the feelings that Eira possessed, Youmu as she walked past the girl, placed a single hand upon her head, ruffling the hair, for a split second before moving on. Miyuki was left in awe of the compliment such a thing presented her. Even so, all was pretty much said and done and this pair of individuals headed back for the club house to watch the final match. The most seasoned member of Eira's peerage, Kagimi Izuna against the boy barely on day two of his life as a Devil, Yasukawa Takumi. "Izuna, Takumi...you're both up..." she said to the pair as she sat with her hands crossed gently in her lap. On the left side of her throne Youmu soon reappeared sitting quietly at her side, as the girl tended to do always, but today in particular... Eira found this girl's presence oddly calming. "I think you made Miyuki's day, Youmu," Eira said in a tone filled with teasing.

[Bloodedge]

"Able to..." he repeated. For one brief moment of misunderstanding, it seemed Takumi wasn't exactly sure what to think. Did she mean she was happy he'd been able to summon his Sacred Gear, or was she happy he motivated himself to not pull away from her bosom, and instead squeeze after accidentally grabbing a handful. He decided to believe in the former, lest he end up in an awkward situation again so quickly. He'd done well over the past few seconds, but he doubted he could continue to be so bold without repercussion in the future. Luckily, Eira chose to address the fight that was now wrapping up. Takumi sighed, realizing he'd missed most of the battle... but what he did see at the very end, he was impressed by. At the very end, it became time for his match against Izuna. The lad who bore the Queen Evil Piece was at the ready on Eira's other side, and he was quick to float into the training grounds. Takumi hesitated. The boy stared into the palm of his hand, wondering what he was missing from moments prior. Whatever it was, he'd let it slip his mind while his hand's embrace found Eira's chest. Perhaps it would come back to him later. For now, though, he supposed it was time to begin his match.

[Apollymi]

It seemed that Takumi held some minor confusion, if he sought clarification from Eira about what she was thinking, she wouldn't give it. Instead she allowed herself to sit, only to find Izuna floating away from the right arm of her chair as she announced his battle was next. After a moment's hesitation it seemed that Takumi was ready to join Izuna down below. A small smile came to inhabit the face of Eira as Youmu spoke once more surprisingly enough. "You're in a surprisingly teasing mood, Buchou..." she noted as if she felt nothing about the situation. Still, her eyes found themselves staring at their newest member wondering what all he would do now that he was helping out. "Hai hai, I guess I am..." she said only to leave those eyes of hers ready to absorb that which was coming. She assumed it was be interesting at the very least, Izuna had never failed to disappoint, and obviously she had very high hopes for Takumi as well.

[Bloodedge]

Once Takumi and Izuna stood before one another, the latter looked across the open field with those naturally narrow aquamarine eyes, and let the ever playful smile stretch across his face again. Suddenly, his eyes grew larger, and a pair of canine ears sprouted from his hair - which gained a very small ponytail and became far messier than normal. A strange mix of bright fire and lightning erupted from his body. When it cleared, Izuna sported traditional robes in primarily brown colors, and a red haori. The only thing remaining of his original ensemble was his gloves. There was a single fluffy, brown tail akin to that of a fox on his backside. "Onegaishimasu, Yasu-kun. We're gonna see what that Twice Critical of yours is made of. Let's see how ya' boost!"

"Boost!" Takumi's Sacred Gear chanted, as if cued by Izuna's statement. The flash of the green gem prompted Takumi to hold his left fist out in front of himself. He was ready for whatever Izuna had to offer, but he was very curious as to what he could accomplish. 'What's with that look? Do all Devils do that kind of stuff?' he wondered while steadying his hand. Izuna merely floated in place and smiled. "Ten more seconds, then we can start... maybe. By the way, I'm Eira's Queen. I get the perks of all the other pieces, except Pawn because... well, why would I need that? Anyway, keep Queen in mind for your Promotion. It's the best thing for ya' if you don't need strength, speed, or magic power specifically. Keep that in mind; make me your goal for now. Buchou, how about some permission?"

[Apollymi]

"Kawaii, Izuna~!!" Eira chanted, finding this form of Izuna's to be fairly attractive. She'd almost gotten to see it earlier this day, not that it mattered much. Still there was a small bit of tension betwixt her brows as she thought something else... 'Only one tail... that's disappointing,' thought the young woman who likely would have pouted had she not had the demeanor of a well kept princess. Regardless of this point, it seemed that Izuna thought to preface his interaction with Takumi by stating that he was Eira's Queen and that the boy should keep it in mind for future promotion uses. He even apparently wanted to give the boy a test run of his promotion. A grin crossed Eira's face as she realized the kind of route that Izuna intended to take and she sighed. "Takumi, you can promote yourself," she said offering the gentlest of smiles. Of course Eira was quite curious about what her newest member would get out of this exchange and so was the knight at her side.

[Bloodedge]

'That's what I should be striving for? His kind of power?' Takumi thought. To achieve such a goal, he felt would be an arduous task, but having that goal... was definitely worthwhile. From his understanding, the individual before him was expected to be second only to Eira herself. If he could achieve such strength, he could be useful without a question. "Boost!" his Sacred Gear spoke again. 'Another double, right? I feel like I'll need that. I wish I could know if I had enough strength to take him on safely,' he mused. Either way, he'd been given permission to use this "promotion" ability of his Evil Piece. "Promotion... Queen," he said, feeling within himself that the method of doing this was akin to declaring a Pawn promotion in a true Chess game. He did indeed feel the evolution within himself. He felt more powerful in many ways, and by different means than his Sacred Gear. With this newfound power, he decided it was now or never. Takumi charged toward the floating Izuna, aiming to punch him in the torso with a highly-amplified left straight. Izuna smiled throughout the boy's movements, and didn't move at all.

"Oh! I'm also a Kitsune, if ya' didn't notice!" Izuna chose to say as Takumi's fist connected with - or rather, passed through - his torso. The image of Izuna that had been attacked was nothing more than an illusion spawned by his natural abilities. The true Izuna was overhead all along, and became visible as his illusion faded. "Did you think I was just gonna let you hit me with that!? That'd be stupid! You're gonna need magic to hit me," Izuna said, looking as if he had something very specific in mind. He would not be properly fighting Takumi in this training, it seemed, but instead acting as a guide toward a certain end. What that end would be, was entirely up to the Pawn of the peerage. "Magic... How do I use magic?"

[Apollymi]

'Yare yare, tricky little fox boy~' thought Eira as she watched as Izuna used an illusion to stop himself from taking a direct hit from Takumi. Of course, she generally expected such a thing, Izuna could fight with his fists, but his greatest strength was something else entirely. A bit of a chuckle came from her as she wondered what Takumi would decide to do in order to get what he wanted from this situation. What came with his decision for a promotion was Queen. Of course, that was probably one of the best uses of his ability to promote. And after he found himself unable to connect with Izuna he asked about magic. 'Atta boy~' she thought. It made her wonder what Izuna would say, she had no intention of speaking and though a few of her peerage could explain magic to him, it seemed it would be best of Izuna did so himself, since he was teaching this boy the fun of Queen Piece abilities.

[Bloodedge]

"It's easy. You just kinda... do stuff," Izuna said. Now that he thought about it, perhaps he wasn't the best for explaining such a thing. As a Kitsune, he'd always owned the natural ability to use magic, even long before becoming a Devil. This explanation would be a challenging one indeed. "Well... I guess it's another willpower thing. You're a Devil, so you could focus your Demonic Power to cast spells, but... you might be able to do something through that Sacred Gear of yours," he continued, as his eyes narrowed once more. The smile on his face was a knowing one, even though he only had a strong hunch to go by. No matter the case, Takumi's focus was on his Sacred Gear.

"Time's up!" With this from Izuna, the Devil Kitsune descended from above with his right hand clad in fox fire. His announcement alerted Takumi to the incoming attack, allowing the Pawn to jump away before Izuna's hand slammed into the ground where Takumi once stood, tearing asunder the earth across a five meter radius. Apparently, few punches were being held here. Izuna immediately hopped out of the crater he'd made, charging toward Takumi with his left hand using the same magic. "Speed boost feels good, huh? You're still gonna need to do more than dodge me. I won't miss if I'm trying~" the elder Devil said just before the next ten second mark of Takumi's Twice Critical. "Boost!"

[Apollymi]

Eira was appreciating the teaching methods of Izuna, of course this soon became a moment in which the normally regal woman palmed her own face. 'Ugh, still doesn't know how to explain things... I suppose I should just have Miyuki explain proper magic to him later...' she thought making a note of the fact that this was something the young man would need eventually. Moving right along, there was much movement going on below as Izuna showcased his ability to use multiple different aspects of his piece. A grin crossed the face of Eira, she always appreciated the young man's abilities, and it was more than obvious why as this whole thing happened. Curiously enough, there was another boost occurring for Takumi as well. It made Eira curious about how many of them would occur.

[Bloodedge]

"I guess you mean I can't dodge the next one," Takumi replied. A fanged grin was upon Izuna's visage as he heard this, basically confirming the other lad's assumption. Remembering his spar with Maiko, and thinking he now had a much greater quantity of strength to back his defenses, Takumi repeated his efforts from that battle. His hands went out to capture Izuna's fist before it struck him properly, and with the power of his Queen Promotion and third Twice Critical boost combined, he was able to hold on to theother male's hand. "That's right. You must've really wanted that Rook strength after all. It's all based on what you want, so... what do you want now?" Izuna asked. When Takumi thought about this, he could only come to one conclusion. This entire match was predicated upon the idea of him striving to be like Izuna, so that became his prime desire. Suddenly, the fire and lightning around Izuna's arm began flowing into the gem on Takumi's gauntlet, as the gem glowed a bright green. "Fox Fire Power is Taken!" the Sacred Gear said, much to the surprise of both Takumi and Izuna. "What the hell?" asked Takumi. To this, Izuna only continued to grin. The low-coverage gauntlet changed its form to cover Takumi's entire hand and forearm with a new rocky red design, which constantly produced an odd flame with electric properties.

[Apollymi]

If Youmu was on the edge of her seat waiting for something to change, Eira was doing the same thing. In fact, the whole body of their leader had shifted to the edge of her seat as she watched the transformation of the gear on the boy's arm, as it took the abilities of Izuna's Fox Fire. 'That can't be Twice Critical!' was the thought that Eira had, and there but few things it could be as far as she was concerned. Youmu on the other hand had a similar thought, but her face and body showed nothing but apathy, 'Definitely not Twice Critical... what kind of soul is that?' she wondered about the spirit attached to the gear. It was almost stretched out enough that she could make it out, but it was still large enough that she couldn't quite see clearly enough its defining features. Whatever the case, both combatants seemed very surprised. Eira had a lot to consider now as with such an ability her Pawn would come off as easily underestimating and very surprising. 'Sugei, he would make a very powerful statement,' she thought as she considered all the things the young male had recently done. Surprisingly enough, much like what had gone on between Youmu and Maiko as the latter had less battle experience overall, she was willing to let the trainer mostly decide when their match up would be over.

[Bloodedge]

"Sugei, sugei! You stole my fire!" Izuna chanted. From this short distance, he could feel a very intimidating aura from whatever was inside Takumi's Sacred Gear. It even made him want to retreat, but he couldn't quite do that. After all... this was for the new Devil's development. Izuna's fist was still in the now gauntlet-clad hand of Takumi, and the electrified flames did not bother him, but there was something more to come...

"Flame Boost!" Not only was this the fourth increase in Takumi's power, but the boost was focused mainly through the flames. A massive burst of Takumi's Fox Fire copy exploded from the gauntlet, forcing Izuna away by a distance equivalent to the earlier crater's diameter. In fact, Izuna would have landed in that very crater, had he been touching the ground at all. 'That isn't four boosts, and that isn't supposed to work like that. This is awesome!' Izuna thought. His tail then spun around behind him, leaving a total of nine flares in a circle at his rear. He then snapped the fingers of his right hand, leading the action into a point toward Takumi. This willed the flames in series toward the other male. 'He doesn't just punch with it? Guess I should have figured,' was Takumi's first mental reaction to this. Either way, this was something he had to deal with. He figured since his arm was now covered in a similar fire to what Izuna produced, he would be able to contact these attacks without worry. While moving forward, he swiped at the flames to disperse them with his Sacred Gear, but there was too much distance for him to encroach upon Izuna without fear of an attack he couldn't truly deal with. He needed something more than what he'd been using. As he swatted the ninth flame projectile, Takumi envisioned a ranged attack for himself, somewhere between what his last boost had done, and what Izuna had just thrown his way. Since he was told to focus on his Sacred Gear, he did exactly that. The flames of his Sacred Gear collected in the palm of his hand, and filled with lightning before being raised overhead to grow to the size of a beach ball. Once this was done, Takumi brought it crashing down toward Izuna, where it would grow in size even more, until it absolutely filled the crater below, and engulfed Izuna with burning fire and cackling electricity all at once.

[Apollymi]

Izuna still seemed as amused as ever, but both Youmu and Eira were both seemingly stunned though for very different reasons. Youmu finally caught a glimpse of the fullness of this spirit within the gauntlet of Takumi's Sacred Gear, and in so doing realized what kind of spirit it had to be. She fell off the arm of the chair at the realization but didn't say a word. Youmu's falling shifted Eira's attention slightly. "I didn't realize you were so into spectating," mentioned the crimson haired woman which only made Youmu float back up to her perch without so much as a change in her affectation. "Iie, I just... saw something, you pick interesting people, Buchou..." she said calmly. As the lightning and fire overtook Izuna Eira could be nothing more than stunned. 'That's too much for a four times boost... I wonder...' she was mentally preparing for the idea that her newest addition would be one she could indeed enjoy for quite some time. Of course, she was more stunned by his rapid development than anything else.

[Bloodedge]

"Whew! That would have hurt if it hit!" said Izuna, who'd appeared overhead once more. Even though he truly would have been in danger if he'd taken that attack without defending, his illusions had proven useful yet again. Takumi had been keeping count, though. If he could just get a bit stronger, he could focus on this attack again, and perhaps accomplish something. A face-off occurred between Izuna and himself, with the former simply waiting to see what would come next. After another ten seconds, what came... was disappointment. "Burst!" spoke the Sacred Gear. Takumi's gauntlet returned to its normal state, and all of his power drained from him suddenly, leaving him with buckling knees that nearly brought him all the way to the ground. "Aaand pop! Looks like four and that spell are the limit. Nice spell use, though. Ryuu-chan, see that? He thinks you're super cute after all!" he said, not bothering to mention how he'd come to this conclusion right away.

[Apollymi]

It seemed that this match was being decided. And though Takumi put up a valiant effort, Izuna's experience won out. But that was sort of expected the entire way around, even so, he showed amazing progress and natural talent, a large smile appeared on Eira's face and she might have even opened her mouth to speak on what she was thinking. But... a wayward comment from her Queen put her young female Bishop on the spot instead, Miyuki, who'd at some point taken up a seat right to the left of Eira's legs found herself blushing intensely. Strangely enough this blush again, was quite blue in color, instead of a normal shade like red. "Izu-senpai, you're still being a meanie. Don't say things like that..." she said as she cradled herself and tried to shield that still blushing face of hers. Of course, Youmu found this entire situation to be funny and managed to chuckle before turning it into a cough, after all, she had a very solid look to uphold as a stoic figure. Eira's brows drew together, but she said nothing. If she felt any particular way about the idea that Takumi might like Miyuki she'd say nothing about it, though she wouldn't really question it either, knowing that Izuna knew a lot more about people than he typically mentioned. She moved right along with the only outward shift to be her arms crossing under her chest, which was her only major sign of discomfort in any way. "Arigatou na, Izuna, Takumi. I understand what I need to. I'll let everyone know tomorrow afternoon how I am building the team for the Rating Game," Eira mentioned. Of course there were several different possibilities and she'd run through them all, perhaps in a bath.

[Bloodedge]

"Whaaat, it's true!" Izuna added to the clause he'd shared with Miyuki. "I felt it when you were rubbing yourself all over his hand. Who knew the whole senpai-kohai thing would work out so quick!" he teased. Of course there was more than this simple matter, but Izuna thought to avoid sharing anything more than what he had for the moment. He did, however, look toward Eira with narrow eyes and a sly grin, only for a brief moment. "Loli-boobs are in the lead. What will happen next? Find out next time, ladies and gents!" As these words were spoken, Izuna picked up the nearly-unconscious Takumi and returned to the observation deck inhabited by the others.

[Apollymi]

"I didn't do any such thing you pushed me!" the girl mentioned seeming to not like how this whole situation was working out. Of course, she didn't blame Takumi for any of this at all, as far as she was concerned it was their devilish fox Queen's fault. The last of Izuna's commentary got him a glance filled with rage and narrow eyes from Eira, but she had nothing directly to say about the matter which was most unusual. As it stood she removed herself from her secondary throne. Placing a gentle hand against the top of Miyuki's head and getting a slight chill from it. "Don't let Izuna's teasing get to you..." she mentioned to the girl who smiled up at her and nodded, still a faint blue blush was upon her face. "When Hiroki wakes up, have him look at everyone... I am gonna go have a bath and think about some things," said Eira having become rather suddenly somber, but the reason why would be left unknown. "You all don't have any duties tonight, rest up... tomorrow's a busy day..." she mused leaving the group as a whole. The abruptness of her leave caused more than a few raised eyebrows among her peerage, but then again, most had no idea about the things presently running through the mind of their leader. The crimson haired woman was prone to hiding her own problems to take care of everyone else's. She'd leave almost immediately heading to the place she presently called home, to enjoy a hot bath in her lonely apartment. This would leave the group some time to themselves without Eira present, likely until the next day.

[Bloodedge]

"It's not teasing if it's truth. The blush says it goes both ways, too," he continued. Izuna's senses never lied, and he had in fact gotten this sensation from Takumi's end during the earlier interaction with Miyuki. This, of course, was only one of many things he'd felt from the lad, but he was having fun poking at a single thing right now. "Ryuu-chan, are you some kind of senpaicon or something? Y'know he had a weird reaction when you said senpai earlier!" Izuna was relentless in his efforts, which were accompanied by the creation of a clone of himself. The true Izuna continued to hover around Miyuki and the fallen Takumi, while the clone took a side to Youmu. Both versions watched as Eira took her leave, and the copy looked toward Youmu when the crimson-haired lass was gone. "She's totally jealous."

[Apollymi]

"That... well... isn't fair!" this was all Miyuki could say. She couldn't say she liked Takumi or not, she barely knew him, she was just overtly friendly and happy not to be the freshest member in their group anymore. It was hardly like some declaration that she had a thing for her seniors, obviously it wasn't such a thing in mind. Well, not consciously anyways, moving right along there was a clone of Izuna sitting opposite of Youmu who thought about the Izuna's statement about the state of envy that their leader possessed. "Well, no more than usual. But her mood's been off all day... like she's been thinking really hard, it's unlike her to walk around not saying anything... less like her to let us have off two days in a row, regardless of the potential for a Rating Game," said the rather apathetic girl. The fact that their leader had abruptly left them, let her know there was more to it than any simple show of emotion. But again, Youmu wasn't the type to question it while the answer wasn't obvious. "If Buchou is upset, shouldn't we try to cheer her up?" mentioned Miyuki who seemed a bit more concerned than Youmu could manage to look. She'd noticed that their leader had been a bit more standoffish than normal, but that could have been anything.

[Bloodedge]

The original Izuna had become invested in a bit of banter with the female Bishop of the peerage, who insisted that what he said simply wasn't fair. Izuna would argue this, of course; it was just too entertaining to continue prodding the girl. "It's just fair warning! Eventually, you're gonna have to deal with a proposal and babies! You'll thank me for letting you know ahead of time then." The Queen of Eira's peerage leaned forward, wearing a grin commonly found upon his face during these instigating moments of his. Overall, these were the fun times he often sought. He'd never had the chance to do this sort of thing within the peerage, as Hiroki did not share Takumi's apparently hidden perversions. When the other conscious members spoke of Eira's mental state, Izuna's expression turned flat. He was well aware of the situation she was now faced with, and though he felt negatively about it, he did not intend to share any information until Eira herself was ready to do so. "Iie. Just leave her alone for now. She'll come around tomorrow when we win that Rating Game. Focus everything you've got on that."

[Apollymi]

"Babies? Marriage? WHAT?! NEVER!!" the female bishop of their group seemed vehemently opposed to any such thing. She didn't think she should or would be involved in anything of the sort, and as such put aside all thoughts of anything of the sort. She was fine just making friends and feeling like she belonged and as far as she knew, she treated no members of their peerage any differently from the other. Obviously this was just one of Izuna's teasing moments, so she would try to do as Eira said and not let such teasing get to her. Her arms crossed over her chest and she stuck out her tongue at the grin bearing fox boy, who seemed content to instigate until his heart was content. But as their group conversation progressed it seemed that even their childish and playful Queen had something occasionally more serious to say, as he stated they should simply focus on winning the match and that it would improve the leader's mood greatly if they did. "Hai! If she picks me, I'll do my best!" said Miyuki with a curt nod, knowing how this game worked she didn't see how she could end up being chosen, but their leader was nothing if not unorthodox and it always seemed to work out. Youmu on the other hand had her eyes narrow just a bit as the suddenly flat affect Izuna now possessed. She'd thought something was wrong with their leader, she was almost certain it had something to do with an unknown condition of their first Rating Game, this guesswork could have been avoided, but perhaps the stakes were so high, that Eira herself couldn't admit to them. Whatever the case a simple nod would come from the girl and eventually this evening would turn into night, and pass right along into the next day.

School would go on as usual and right after classes let out, she'd wait for the entirety of the Occult Research Club to gather together for Eira's decision about the team going up against their challengers in the Rating Game. To her credit, Eira looked like her calm and normal self, dressed in the tiny black form fitting number as she'd had time to change before this moment in time. She'd spent most of the previous night, thinking about the best possible grouping. One which would make a huge statement to any future challengers and one which would allow her the greatest variety of skills and the most likelihood of winning. She'd decided this, in spite of any personal feelings she might have had, setting aside any of her baser desires and fears to choose the best possible choices. Of course, this pair of people would then also be told, what would happen if they lost. Though, that almost wasn't a thought in her mind at all. 'Onoko Astraroth, we won't lose!' her mind had these words burned into them.

[Bloodedge]

The next day, Izuna and Hiroki were patiently awaiting the arrival of their leader. Their positions were the usual within the building which housed the Occult Research Club, but one male from the group was missing. Yasukawa Takumi had not yet arrived, but with good reason. Though he doubted he would be involved in the battle as anything more than an extra body, if anything at all, he'd spent virtually all of his waking hours - since the previous day - practicing alone with his Sacred Gear. An empty basketball court near his house had been quite useful to him overnight, and though he'd slept a measly four hours, he had been striving to improve himself for the sake of being as useful as he possibly could be to the Devil who'd given him new life. His physical state left a bit to be desired; he was covered in bandages which showed here and there beneath his school uniform. For the moment, he was exiting the school building, making his way toward the club's/peerage's headquarters.

[Apollymi]

Eira continued to stand outside a breeze blowing her crimson locks around. Below the female trio of this peerage made their way inside. Maiko was slapping her fist together in already gloved fashion. Of course, she didn't know if she was fighting but she thought it best to be ready regardless. Her raven tresses tossed casually over one shoulder as she took up her usual spot and waited for the coming of their leader. Miyuki entered as well, seeming to be a bit anxious. She was rather secretly hoping she wouldn't be chosen, she didn't think she'd do good in combat with her lack of experience, and didn't want her first official experience in combat to be something so important. Meanwhile, the always apathetic Youmu was soon enough sitting on the arm of their leader's chair that she normally occupied. Only this time, she had strapped to her back a combination of swords. She also didn't know if she would be chosen or not, but if she was, she was more than ready to handle the challenge. Though the mood of Eira still didn't quite sit right with this being a normal challenge. "Izun, Hiro..." she said in greeting as she reached out and patted the stressed Miyuki on the head causing the girl to turn her attention and exhale a breath she hadn't known she was holding. As Eira continued to watch from her perch she saw the approach of her final member, the boy known as Takumi. She looked at him with softness in her expression, noting his rather disheveled appearance she wondered what he'd gotten himself into after their training the previous day. Regardless once he'd entered the building she would descend from upstairs in regal fashion to take her seat among her peerage.

[Bloodedge]

When the others arrived, everything seemed to be about what one would expect from this group before their first Rating Game. One member of the peerage who was particularly strange, though, was Izuna, the only one - aside from Eira herself - to currently know the stakes of this battle. His expression was serious - something unseen in his demeanor about 95 percent of all time. Knowing what was on the line mere minutes from this moment did not allow him to uphold his usual playfulness. "Ohayou," was all he said when the females of the peerage entered the room.

Soon enough, Takumi was encroaching upon the building. He stopped before entering, and looked up. He'd caught a glimpse of Eira, and in stopping, he had a flashback to the first time he'd seen the female Devil. The regal air around her was tantalizing, to say the least, but there was something off about her demeanor in this particular moment. Not being able to tell exactly what it was, he continued moving toward the building, noting for a moment that she had looked toward him as well. Soon enough, Takumi was within the building, with a bit of determination, as well as anxiety in his heart.

[Apollymi]

Such a stern look from Izuna was hardly what was expected by any of the people coming into this room. Without even knowing what had bothered their leader, the state of her second in command would alert the other female members of this peerage that something was indeed amiss, because even with a Rating Game up, him being so completely serious was hardly expected. 'Izu-senpai isn't teasing me... he must know something...' though Miyuki as she waited. Eira on the other hand caught sight of Takumi outside and having done so knew she should be moving along to the inside of the building. Still a brief moment of eye contact solidified her decisions within her mind. Decisions she'd soon be sharing with the rest of her peerage. A sigh came from her, she knew that most of those close to her had been able to tell something was quite wrong with her. She sighed as she headed inside, her regal air in tact but there was that little bit of happy light missing from her eyes, which were instead filled with determination and likely rage.

She'd turn inside as Takumi headed within, and with the last normal member of her peerage present Eira descended the steps and the eyes of all female members of her peerage were on her. Something about this conversation soon became markedly harder than she'd initially thought it would be. Instead of taking the seat she normally did, she stood before the group, hands clasped before her with a great deal of grace and dignity. She didn't know how to start this conversation, so she'd do so to the best of her ability. "Ohayou minna," she started with those eyes filled with determination and rage, but not for the people before her. "Alright, today we have our first official Rating Game, it's against Onoko Astraroth. His peerage is complete and he's got a pretty good record so it might be a bit tough. But I have faith in you guys. We can do this, and to the people I am choosing to stand with me today, don't worry... I'll take care of you. No matter what happens..." she said this and though it was meant to be encouraging she couldn't help but feel just a little strained. Situations like this always were. "Before I say who I am picking, Izuna and I talked it over before, and he thought it important that I let those going into the game with me know the stakes of it. Since it is a special circumstance and the reason for it even being the way it is, has to do directly with the stakes," she went on seeming to think about it for a second or two. "I thought to just tell those participating but... I feel like I should tell you all, so you don't worry too much and so Izuna won't have to tell you while the Rating Game is taking place," she said her words bringing Miyuki and Maiko to attention. Something about this seemed off. Youmu even managed to look attentive across her normally apathetic face, but mentions of Izuna made the girl shoot a quick glance towards him on his perch. "As far as I know, nothing particularly good or bad will happen if we win, life will stay the same for all of us, aside from any potential political backlash and that doesn't really matter," she said. "But if we lose, my father promised that man, Onoko Astraroth that I'd marry him..." she said that aloud to her peerage and it was sort of allowed to hang in the air. She didn't want to worry everyone but she thought it best they hear this news from her, and have a bit of time to get used to it as an idea. "I thought it would be best if you all heard it from me first, I just didn't think it would be a good idea to let you stress over it too far ahead of time," she mentioned as she allowed her gaze to travel across the group. "Thank you all for your efforts though, and I'm sorry for keeping it from you," she said her head bowed ever so gracefully, though this was mostly to hide the gentle fall of tears from her eyes. This was stressful and she'd been keeping it between herself and Izuna for a couple of days. Something about this felt a bit more relieving but it still didn't mean she wished to plague her still young peerage with too much knowledge.

[Bloodedge]

"Ohayou," Izuna said to Eira as well. "Ohayou, Buchou," Hiroki followed. Oddly, Hiroki was not the silent one; Takumi was. His face held the same expression it had during his approach, and his eyes were fixated on Eira. Actually, the same could be said of the other two males in the room, but this was mostly the case for Takumi and Izuna - the former of whom was determined to be of use, and the latter of whom had prior knowledge of the stakes in this battle. No matter the case for each person, all listened intently as Eira spoke of the Dice Figure Game. It became apparent to those not already in the know, that Eira was to be married off to the head of the opposing peerage if they lost. Izuna may have known ahead of time, but he still could not keep his expression from souring when it was mentioned. Hiroki was shocked, and once again fell speechless in a moment of brooding over the situation. Takumi, even being new to the group, figured this was not something their leader desired as a potential outcome. His brows furrowed as he tried to read the situation on Eira's face. There was hardly anything to gain from the expression of someone he'd only just met, though he'd known something was off about the crimson-haired lass since a few minutes prior. "Buchou... I don't know much about this, but isn't it our job to worry about stuff like that? You said you were my master, so I figured being stressed out over anything was for people in my position. That's what servants are for, right?" he asked, mostly for simple clarification. Hiroki, upon hearing this, smiled. If there was one thing he could appreciate in this ordeal, it was the dedication being shown to Eira by even their newest addition. There was hope yet. All he thought there was remaining, was the announcement of participants in the Dice Figure Game.

[Apollymi]

Eira somehow made it all the way through her little spiel about the upcoming match up. Regardless of the fact that she was quite stressed about the whole situation, she at the very least saw it play out across the faces of her entire peerage before she went on to apologize to them for keeping the information from them. Unsurprisingly, Youmu didn't speak on this information her entire visage seemed apathetic except for a great deal of sudden fire in her eyes and the shift of her hand from resting in her lap to resting on the hilt of her sword. Maiko scoffed at the idea that something as serious as marriage was bet on something as simple as a fight. It was horrid to her that anyone would do such a thing to their master, but she was also ready to go to make sure the crimson haired lass didn't have to do that. Miyuki also didn't immediately have anything to say either, she'd simply moved from her usual spot to Eira's side to hug her while their newest member seemed to take on the role of speaker. Eira's eyes opened wider as tears fell from her eyes and froze around Miyuki as she looked up at the woman with quite a bit of determination in those large purple eyes of hers, as if to tell her she shouldn't be crying at all.

The words of their newest member soon drew Eira's attention towards him. "Ufufufu~, I suppose that is true," she said following a hearty chuckle as she returned to her usual stature but not before placing a gentle hand on the head of Miyuki who'd been her usual caring self during this ordeal. It was her job to stand at the head of such an interestingly dedicated group of people. How could she offer them anything less than her absolute best when they were obviously all willing to go so far for her personal well-being? After this speech the silence would be broken by her still upset rook who slammed her fists together in a moment of anxiety. "So, which of us is getting to show them they don't get to come in and stress out our Buchou?" said the excitable girl Maiko much to the general agreement of all her female peers. Before speaking further, Eira went and took her seat, sitting in the throne among her peerage with a great deal of dignity hands clasped together in her lap with her usual unbroken regal air. "Hm, about that..." she started seeming to solidify her decision in this final moment. "Obviously, knowing this match is about more than a match I decided it should be a statement piece. The make up of this peerage makes easily choosing a single individual rather complicated even with twelve as the overall pawn piece count," started Eira. She wanted them to know where her decision was coming from and what reasons she was making this decision.

"Our victory here is a show of strength, and a statement... that we aren't to be trifled with," she said with a small smile coming to her face. "As such, I decided our best choices for both winning and making sure everyone knows not to try something so stupid again is to have Takumi and Miyuki fight with me against them..." she said which made the eyes of Youmu widen initially and Maiko pout a little. Miyuki seemed stunned by the announcement and all together a bit timid about it, an usual quirk of hers returned in this moment, "E-e-eira... nee?! Are you sure you wouldn't want one of the o-o-thers instead?" she asked which made Eira smile and unclasp her hands to place one against the small girl's head as it bowed in front of her. "Breathe Miyuki, that cute little stutter of yours is back~" she teased the girl gently, causing her face to blush blue yet again. "It's you I want in on this victory. Nothing says fuck off, like getting beat by a dedicated skilled team of newbies~" she said with a huge grin, letting slip into her speech the less censored version of how she felt, though she fully expected some form of chastising for her word choice. "Besides, a bit of confidence in yourself would go a long way Miyuki... and I trust all of you and your skills... you included," she said to the girl as she nodded her head. "Hai! I'll do my best then," she said. A grin came to her face as she shifted her eyes towards her pawn. "The same goes for you Takumi... any objections?" she asked, this was what she thought it would be, a team of three versus whatever number of people Onoko brought from his own peerage. One would note though, that without knowing the exact number of everyone's pieces that it would seem as if the young woman was going into this battle with only five out of a possible twelve pawn worth pieces.

[Bloodedge]

At long last, the lineup for the Dice Figure Game was announced by Eira. Hiroki, while not surprised by the lack of his own name in the roster, was astounded to hear the name of their singular Pawn. He could easily see the use of Miyuki, but he figured one such as Youmu would be included for a more assured victory. It also crossed his mind that Eira and Izuna alone could produce satisfactory results in any battle they participated in. Of course, Hiroki was not the only male stunned by this choice. Takumi had come under the assumption that he'd be on the list as an extra combatant to fill out the numbers, but from the list given, he felt there was much missing. He counted the ratings of each given member, and what he found was less than half of the given cap. As such, when Eira asked if he had any objections, he spoke up. "Buchou... isn't that a bit much for a statement? Miyuki-chan is a Bishop, so she counts as three, right? If you're only being counted as a Pawn, you could still add one of the others... even two, if I'm not included."

One would note that Takumi had a speck of information not previously given to him - his knowledge of Miyuki's Evil Piece, to be specific. This, of course, looped back to his training over the previous night. If one were to be given credit for this, it would be the fault of the ever-invasive Izuna, who'd met with Takumi after the group separated the night before. Takumi's listing had not come as a surprise to him; he had even foreseen it long before the mention. As such, he had personally seen to the readiness of this Pawn.

[Apollymi]

Their assured victory was something which could have been guranteed by any combination of pieces. It seemed that Takumi had figured it would have been one of the others included instead of himself because of this. A grin came to Eira's face as she heard this particular thing because she realized that though Takumi understood who was what piece in general he had no idea about the real nature of her peerage. "Sou ka, you think someone else would be better suited but you don't know how strangely I put together this peerage. I suppose that makes sense, I kind of forgot to tell you about you, and you haven't faced Youmu yet," she said with a smile on her face. "I only have one piece missing from my peerage, and it is a second Rook," mentioned Eira as she went on to explain.

"Stronger souls, and stronger types of beings often take more than one piece or a stronger piece to reincarnate, for instance, our friendship aside, I had to make Izuna my Queen, none of the other pieces alone would have been enough to make him," she said with a smile, only to pause and let Youmu take over the explanation not knowing how much the young woman wished to share. "In order for Buchou to reincarnate me, because of the nature of my bodies, she had to use both knight pieces. It means I am not worth three, but six pawn pieces. I also get double the power of that singular piece, according to Buchou, I'm her Ultimate Knight," said Youmu about herself as Eira beamed at the young woman's strength.

This was before the crimson haired lass smiled herself. "In the same way, Takumi... you're my Ultimate Pawn... it took all eight of them for me to reincarnate you," she said. The others knew of this craziness, Izuna and Youmu both because of the advanced nature of the boy's Sacred Gear and Eira sharing this information. Maiko had figured it out while they fought the first day and Miyuki had always felt extra strength from their newest acquisition. In talking about it among themselves, they'd all already known about this as a possibility. "I put all of my faith in her when I made her, and she's never let me down. I put the same amount of faith in you Takumi, our victory is assured..." said Eira calmly, if nothing else, she'd always bet on the strong and the kind. Her entire peerage was full of misfits that had both descriptors applied to them.

[Bloodedge]

Apparently, there was a perfectly good reason for Eira's choice. Takumi expected as much, but not quite to the extent that her explanation dictated. It was stated that only one Evil Piece was missing from Eira's peerage, leading him to initially believe she did not possess a full set of pieces. Of course, she soon explained that this wasn't the case, by mentioning that the strength of a soul determined the quality and quantity of Evil Pieces needed for the reincarnation process. He learned through this joint explanation - as Youmu joined in to clarify a few things - that one such as Youmu could be considered the ultimate Knight, as she'd taken both of Eira's Knight pieces. Further words from Eira informed the lad that he'd taken not just one or two, but all eight of the Pawn pieces Eira had at her disposal. His eyes widened due to the realization that so much had been invested in him. Suddenly, he felt very positive about the extra effort he'd put forth overnight. He could only hope it would pay dues when the battle began. "... Hai, Buchou. I'll help us win!" he said as the anxiety in his expression became pure determination. Since so much faith had been placed in him, he was more than willing to place just as much faith in the decision-making ability of his master.

As for the Dice Figure Game itself, everything had been set up for the battle to come. Onoko Astaroth sat in the Principal's office of a Kuoh Academy replica, in which the Dice Figure Game was to take place. He'd already brought a group of his peerage members with him. The group consisted of a single Rook, a Bishop, and a Pawn. He had precisely filled out his numbers with four combatants, including himself. The Bishop was a middle-aged male with short, dark hair and a thick mustache, a dark leather strap covering his right eye, and the outfit of a typical bartender. The Pawn of the group was much younger, in his high school years, with a buzz cut that left a short mohawk at its center. He wore a simple school uniform from a different high school, and a pair of brass knuckles with three sevens on his right hand. These two individuals were stood in the school replica's courtyard, awaiting their opponents and the officiators of the match.

[Apollymi]

Eira watched as Takumi absorbed the explanation he was given. She got to see in his face that bit of anxiety about this match turn into fierce determination, and she had to say, it was an attractive look for the boy. "Kawaii!~" she chimed. "Such determination, ufufufu~" she said seeming to find this amusing. After a moment a knock would come to the door of the Occult Club and through it would enter a young woman dressed strangely in a combination of cloth and rags with her left arm covered in bandages, which were wrapped snug around even her fingers. When she entered she bowed before the group and gave some important information. "We've taken care of transporting you all to the Replica. We'll be officiating and will do our best to be fair. The battle starts once you and your chosen leave this area, Eira-sama," said the young woman. This made a smile come to Eira's face. "Oh? Student Council officiating, how lovely, too bad I though they'd come say hello~" she mentioned which made the young woman nod. "Apologies, but my master couldn't come here for political reasons. I was however supposed to confer a message. They are rooting for you," mentioned the young woman. "Thank you Sasami. Be sure to send my regards, and thank you for the consideration," She said as the woman turned to disappear. "The rest of you will be locked in here with these..." she moved her hand an a monitor like magic appeared in the room which would show different angles of the battles for all present. "But after the requisite counts are made you won't be able to leave," and just like that, it was apparently go time. The sun was about to set outside and Eira stood with her calm regal air and reached out for her bishop and her pawn. "Come on, you two... it's time to go. Ja... minna~" she said to the rest of the group as she aimed to exit. Miyuki joined her seemingly without question, though nervous she couldn't help but feel excited. When Eira exited the number one appeared in the air before her, when Miyuki joined the number would shift to four, and whenever Takumi came out it would change to twelve causing the barrier that would lock in the rest of the peerage for the duration of the match.

Meanwhile, the Rook of the opposing team had set herself up in the gym, the final stand between the principal's office and the rest. Such was the nature of these things as the pair at the courtyard waiting for the battle to come. A sigh escaped Eira after she was outside, figuring that Takumi was at her side along with Miyuki she'd begin speaking. "I chose this venue obviously because we'd be familiar with the layout. And because... there is only one place for the king to set up against us... if they are the type to stay off the front lines, and that is the Principal's Office. Obviously the others should be in place somewhere between us and them... and there are a few different ways that could be. Either way... I have faith that you guys will know what to do when the time comes. I'll support you both until you get to an enemy you can't defeat. I'll take them, just don't get yourself out in the meantime. We play the long game in this kind of match, and maintaining all three of us, at as close to full power as possible is necessary. That being said... if you can wipe out someone you come across without wasting too much energy, go for it! We're here to make a statement after all," she said giving out her general game plan. Obviously they had to move forward and could be walking towards some sort of trap, but it was also assumable that the King of this group wouldn't put himself on the front lines and that was the sort of thing that Eira was betting on. She was also betting on purposefully making herself into a target to buy a bit more freedom of movement for the rest of her peerage, she didn't think any would be so stupid as to attack her directly, but... that could be a thing. And they'd be rewarded with this soon enough by the sight of two foreign people in the courtyard.

[Bloodedge]

Takumi's resolve had been solidified. On this day, he was sure to put forth as much effort as he possibly could toward aiding his Devil master in this thing called a Rating Game. Within moments, a strange woman entered the room this peerage inhabited, seeming to serve as some sort of proctor for the upcoming event. It was apparent after this woman's speech that transportation to the battlegrounds would be as simple as a step through the door she used for entry. Eira initiated the trip by offering for the chosen participants to join her. With a nod, Takumi followed behind Miyuki in taking Eira's side. The trio left, sealing the remainder of the peerage in the room behind them. Izuna was the first to become audible at this time, sighing in the participants' wake. "Chikushou. I wonder if I should have gone with her instead."

Once outside, Takumi heard the speech given by Eira, offering his undivided attention. His attention, however, was only undivided until the moment two individuals showed themselves in the courtyard they were in. This was a strange sight; one of the two was a preteen boy, with short red hair, and a large kanabo slung over his right shoulder. Strangely enough, he was capable of holding this weapon - roughly the size of his body - with only one arm to support its weight. Before Takumi was even able to respond to Eira's speech, this boy was yelling across the courtyard. "Oi! Who wants the shit beat out of 'em!?"

[Apollymi]

The people who were left including Youmu settled in. It seemed that they were to be left behind in this endeavor, even so, she didn't really like the idea of their leader carrying around such a secret alone. "Izun, you seem just as stressed as Buchou," mentioned the ghostly young woman, whose hand still hadn't left the hilt of her sword and as such showed her own discomfort. The girl who normally wore gloves found herself cracking her knuckles. "You aren't hiding your feelings very well either, Konpaku. Or what did you plan on drawing on us while you waited... that new kid is strong and so is Miyu. Everything should be fine... don't forget Buchou is out there herself, and I've never seen her so upset," Maiko finished. She also wasn't completely at ease, but she was almost certain no matter what happened in the middle, everything would be alright in the end.

Meanwhile the speech of Eira to her peerage was interrupted by a newcomer, obviously belonging to their enemy team. "Yare yare, everyone is so rude..." Eira mentioned, but she didn't move. Instead, the young girl Miyuki took several steps forward. Obviously something about the speech of this boy had rubbed her the wrong way already. 'She said we could take someone we thought we could,' rather suddenly this small young woman was moving forward, bringing back her right arm as she closed the distance between herself and this red haired young man with her innate speed. Doing so left small ice crystals in each of her steps, and once she reached his fore, she swung in a back handed manner with her right arm, a blade of pure white forming as she aimed to strike him down with the fierceness of her first blow. "Oh, Miyuki's kinda fired up for someone who didn't seem like she wanted to participate before," was all Eira had to say, her arms crossed under her massive chest as if she was still more than a bit annoyed. As if actually being involved in this situation was enough to upset her.

[Bloodedge]

"Yeah? Shouldn't I be!? Buchou's gonna be married off to some hack of a Devil if we lose! It's not that I don't have confidence in the people we have going out to fight right now, but... what if we lose? I'll always feel like I could have done better," Izuna clarified while staring at the barrier keeping himself and the others in place. "Part of me doesn't even wanna watch this..."

Meanwhile, Miyuki took it upon herself to begin the assault against their enemy. The red-haired boy who'd first spoken on behalf of Onoko's peerage was forced into immediate action by her attack, which came in the form of a rush with an arm pulled back upon reaching striking distance. "Ding ding ding! First call, batter up!" With the kanabo slung over his right shoulder, the boy was capable enough to react by swinging it forward, as if to aim it at Miyuki's face before her attack reached him. This was not to be, however, as the hand she drew back produced a blade with which to attack him, causing his forward bludgeoning to be redirected to the side Miyuki's sword came from. These events resulted in a clash of weaponry at the very start of their encounter, with the apparently physically capable lad pressing against Miyuki's magic weapon in aims of completing the parry and repulsing the girl. All the while, Takumi stood to Eira's left, staring into his left palm in wait of his own moment to be of use.

[Apollymi]

"I understand," Youmu said quietly while studying the faces of all present. Though she hadn't noticed herself that she was clutching her own sword, she soon enough let it go and exhaled. "I have faith in them, and Buchou's choices, I simply feel like someone should be told off for even proposing such a thing as an idea..." she said of the entirety of something as important as a potential marriage, being staked on something as ridiculous as a Rating Game. Maiko to her credit simply let go of an exhale and a yawn. "Aaaawww~ You guys think too much. I think at the very least it will be worth spectating. We can give them some pointers. I am just a bit envious I don't get to fight too~" she chimed in. It was a bit unfair knowing that they were limited by their own numbers with participants. Even so, she had the utmost faith in everyone present to take care of themselves. And of their leader to take care of her subordinates as well as herself. It was the sort of thing that Eira was always known for.

It seemed that Miyuki's thought out tactic of attacking first and asking questions later worked out in her favor. the young man she was up against met her attack with that of his large bludgeoning weapon and pushed back against her cracking her ice based weapon as he pushed her away. Still her arm completed the backhanded slashing movement she'd been aiming to do in the first place even without being pressed against anything else. Underneath this young man would have begun to shine brightly white for just a moment as the young purple eyed girl looked at him impassively. "Tsukishiro..." saying such a word at the end of that action would cause the white circle beneath him to shoot up in the air underneath him regardless of her current distance from him, aiming to trap him within the ice. A second thereafter the pillar would aim to shatter taking the young boy's frozen body with him.

[Bloodedge]

Little did the young member of Onoko's peerage know, he faced an individual versed in the magical arts this day. Onoko himself had obtained knowledge regarding most of Eira's peerage, but for some strange reason or another, he went without informing his own subordinates. As such, the red-haired boy saw victory on the horizon as he parried and cracked Miyuki's blade. It may have been made of ice, but this lad had faced Yokai in the past, and thought it possible to only be restricted to the creation of ice which he could easily break through with his ample brute strength alone. Sadly, he was not privy to the unheard of concept of Miyuki's spell, which produced a pillar of ice from the ground beneath him. The boy was frozen through, disappearing in a strange green light just before the pillar shattered where he stood. "Hm? What kind of spell is that?" Takumi asked, believing this vanishing trick was either the boy's, or something to do with what Miyuki used against him.

[Apollymi]

As the red haired boy disappeared from within the ice, Takumi thought to question the method. "Ufufufufu~" a chuckle escaped Eira as she looked towards the young girl who let the solid white sword she'd created disappear from her hands. "The ice itself is a spell, and power which belongs to Miyuki, but the lad she fought disappeared for a different reason. Gomen I left it out of the explanation earlier... I've had a lot on my mind," she mentioned. It would be Miyuki herself who cleared up the rest of this conversation. "Eira-nee, forgot to mention, that Rating Games are mostly friendly ordeals. Especially since the system was created specifically to make new devils. The Judges who watch over the matches determine when people are beaten, and monitor for when people could be killed or incapacitated so they teleport them out using magic when they've lost a match up. That guy is probably back sitting among his peerage getting dirty looks from the other members," she said calmly. Eira took this as an opportunity to tease the young girl. "Which means, Miyuki here, just used a spell which could have killed the boy she was fighting. Nice~" she held up her right hand for a high five which the smaller girl performed the action for, with a bluish blush staining her face. "E-e-ira-nee, you don't have to tease..." the young girl managed which made the other woman smile. Regardless of the stress of this situation, she did at least enjoy the company of the people of her peerage.

After the young redhead was teleported out, a frowning raven haired woman began making her way forward. She was dressed strangely in a fairly revealing way bosom mostly exposed as her bandaged wrapped feet in their clogs made their way towards the trio. "Yare yare, I knew that brat was gonna get himself disqualified early," she said seeming to come to a stop, the pipe she held in her left hand was strange, but stranger still was the fact that she didn't have a right arm at all. Attached to the stub of it, was instead a sword, but she didn't draw it surprisingly enough. "Alright then, I'm not taking on a bishop, nor your Master..." she paused thinking about it, and knowing she had no hope against the Ruin Princess whose reputation very much proceeded her. "So what about you?" she looked to Takumi before immediately running forward with a strange amount of speed as if to rush him, aiming to slam her left fist onto the center of his being.

[Bloodedge]

"So nobody dies in this?" Takumi wondered aloud. "I figured, you know... with us being Devils and all..." It was truly Takumi's assumption that Devils in combat with one another would be battling to the death, which human world media would depict as a war for supremacy in the underworld by obliterating any potential competition. Perhaps there was much to learn yet, as it was now seeming more like a sport with inflicted pain as a method of victory. Prior to the full verbalization of his clause, Takumi was addressed directly by a woman aiming to find a combatant among Eira's peerage. By virtue of not wanting to battle the magically-inclined, while also wanting nothing to do with Eira herself, this one-armed woman singled him out by charging him directly with a fist targeting his abdomen. Takumi's eyes widened as she ran in his direction, failing even to realize what was going on initially. Even so, he could clearly see her movements during this approach. Before he could come to a realization of what would soon become of him, the raven-haired woman's fist found its home in his abdominal region, winding the lad as he was sent tumbling across the ground for half a dozen meters. A few moments passed before he was able to pull himself up onto one knee, keeping himself upright with the support of his right arm while looking forward. "Hngh... I guess that means me. I have to fight... a woman?"

[Apollymi]

"Tehehehe~" surprisingly enough this time the laugh came from Miyuki instead of Eira. Of course, this was soon followed by Eira speaking about their nature as devils. "We're Devils, Takumi, not savages..." she said, though if one were being honest Eira was more likely to kill than most. Regardless of this there wouldn't be much more time for an explanation as soon enough the raven haired woman choose Takumi as her target. "Ano, you could have let me finish explaining first. It's been a busy couple of days," she muttered even so the calm demeanor didn't seem to leave the crimson haired woman's face, though her brow rose when Takumi was struck and then further struggled to get himself up. "It definitely seems to mean you, Gambatte Takumi~" mentioned his leader. She had no idea what this man would do, but he seemed resolved to help her out so she was more than apt to see what he had been working on.

Meanwhile, the other woman seemed to look at her fist after striking Takumi and opened and closed it as if confused. "If fighting a woman is a problem for you, you are setting yourself up for failure later. Or now, whatever..." she said seeming not to care about this boy's plight and rushing him once more aiming to kick him square in the middle of his chest and send his body up towards her outstretched fist which would aim to send him crashing back down to the ground. She figured this one for a pawn and as such she had no problem potentially beating him within an inch of his life to help her own master make a point. She wasn't as weak as the one beaten by the Bishop, she could do at least enough to get rid of this obviously new devil.

[Bloodedge]

Takumi continued pushing himself upward toward a standing position while his apparent opponent spoke. Her interpretation of what he meant may have been true, but there was a simple matter she wasn't likely to know. "Iie. It's not so much a problem for me," he said just before a kick collided with his torso in an effort that acted only as a prelude to Takumi being knocked into the ground once again. Even with this occurring, he still struggled to rise whilst blood trickled from the space betwixt his lips. Still, his right hand was used as his support in this endeavor. "Sumimasen. I promised I'd help us win, but... don't hold anything against me." His words were spoken as if he were apologizing for a potential loss he would soon be experiencing. In actuality, however, his words were for his opponent. A discovery had been made about the nature of his powers on the previous night, and he knew what he had to do. As he was in the process of rising for the second time in this encounter, Takumi reached out with his left hand, fully intending to grab hold of his opponent's right breast, after what looked to be a simple plea - a grasp at any sort of contact by what seemed like a broken combatant.

[Apollymi]

Takumi's opponent couldn't know what he meant exactly, but she was soon to find out. In the interim, she'd managed to hit him with a combination of moves. To be honest, if this was all there was to Eira's first pawn, she thought it rather likely that the young woman would be succumbing to her master Onoko's wish for the pair of them to marry. To be honest, she didn't see why such a Rating Game was even necessary, her boss wasn't an ugly guy by her own standards. And he was powerful which was more to the point the sort of thing that female Devils looked for. Regardless the apology issued by the young man was assumed to be for his Master so the raven haired woman went again for another hit, only she was stopped in her tracks. "What the hell!?" she asked seemingly stunned, as the young man beneath her, didn't try to hit or fight her, but instead managed to latch on to her undefended right bosom. What this was intended to accomplish, the woman had no idea, but she rather quickly recovered in a way most women would and attempted to smack this young man across the face with her left arm. 'Seriously? That's a last ditch effort?' she mentally questioned.

Eira to her credit still managed to look unphased. But upon seeing this young man's actions she could only assume a single thing. "Someone's taking Izuna's advice very seriously," she managed. While Miyuki, blushed feverishly blue shaking her head. "He's a bit terrible. Taku-senpai really is gonna end up a pervert. But... he's so nice..." she murmured, as her young mind tried to reconcile what she just saw happen with the young man's general attitude.

[Bloodedge]

Now, the battle between Pawns could truly begin. Takumi had successfully invaded the personal space of his opponent, and gained a handful of her bosom. In that exact moment, he could feel the surge of power within him coming to the surface. 'So much. So soft,' he thought as the muscles throughout his left forearm gained tension. Even as a hand encroached upon his face, he grinned. The open slap of this one-armed woman repelled him slightly, though not at all like her earlier punch, and not in time to stop him. This time, there was no need for Takumi to pick himself up, but what he did do rather suddenly... was raise his left fist to reveal it gaining a red gauntlet, which left his fingers uncovered, and brandished a green gem over the back of his hand. "Sumimasen. I needed that, though. Arigatou gozaimasu," he said. Just after he spoke, the green jewel on his gauntlet flashed, and with it came speech directly from the Sacred Gear itself. "Boost!"

"Alright... I'm ready." With that said, Takumi stepped inward to close the distance between himself and the woman who assaulted him. In making this effort to shrink the space between them, he also brought his left arm around to aim a hook punch toward the right side of her face, boasting what was now double his normal physical strength.

[Apollymi]

Whatever this raven haired woman thought initially, soon enough her bosom accosted the young man she'd gone to slap was on his way to getting up without nearly the impact she'd thought to have. She was a bit stunned by this of course, more so by the fact that the young man before her had thought to apologize for his actions after claiming they were necessary. "I have literally never been more confused about how I feel in my life..." said the woman. On the one hand, she would like to punch a hole through this kid for his hands-y behavior, on the other, he'd apologized and acted like he intended to keep fighting normally. Beyond that the gauntlet on his wrist seemed to speak as well, bringing more than a little confusion, regardless she didn't get much time to consider it, as his gauntlet covered fist was soon flying towards the right side of her face. As if moving on instinct she crossed her own body with her left arm pulling from the sheath of her right arm a sword which she used to block the punch. She'd expected a bit of force, but not the amount which moved her backwards several meters. "Eh! Suddenly powerful, whatever, just makes the beating more fun to hand down," she allowed that same sword to fall back into its sheath before spinning into a kick with her left leg aimed towards the center of this young boy's body, only to immediately follow up with another punch from her left time, this time seemingly laced with electrical energy which would explode on contact aiming to add even more power to her blows.

[Bloodedge]

"I couldn't fight you without doing that to someone. It's... part of my power, apparently," Takumi said to give some insight to the black-haired woman. Whatever the case, his fist had connected with something other than its intended target, but it still managed to have some level of visible impact in its recoil value alone. Takumi was due for retaliation at this point. The woman aimed to kick him this time around, forcing Takumi to reach out with his right hand to stop her leg before it reached him. On the other hand though, she came with a follow-up attack using her fist again. This particular punch carried the element of lightning with it, which was something Takumi was not naturally equipped to handle... until an image of Izuna during their training crossed his mind.

"You're not gonna be worth much of anything to Eira if all you can do is punch stuff. If that's the case, it'd be better - and cheaper - for her to use Maiko. You're a Pawn, so you can be anything. Use that, and use that power I gave you." As Izuna's words repeated in Takumi's mind, his left fist rose again to punch out against the woman's electrified fist. In the middle of this action, Takumi's Sacred Gear took on the flaming property it gained on the previous day of training, covering his full hand and allowing his fist to bear the impact of electricity. Just the same, an explosion of Takumi's creation would simultaneously be produced along with another outcry from the Sacred Gear. "Flame Boost!" At the moment of impact and dual explosions, Takumi was launched back, but saved from any major damages by virtue of nullifying the opposition with his own blast. This was satisfying enough for now, but he felt there was much more he could accomplish with time.

[Apollymi]

"Uh-huh, I wasn't prepared for this level of weird..." the woman said as she aimed to hit Takumi. But it seemed she was more than woefully unprepared for most things, as her electrified punch didn't make contact and instead her fist was met by one of flames which were subsequently boosted over the level of cancelling out her own. She withdrew with singed fingers to show for her efforts as she swatted out flames which came to the bandages on her hand. "Well, weird is fine... it gives me a reason..." the woman seemed to think about what she wanted to do, and then uttered words which made Eira's eyes narrow if only for a moment. "PROMOTION! BISHOP!" it seemed that this woman was willing to act of her own accord. After laying several blows to the boy's body she decided that her best course of action would be to overpower him beyond what he was capable of defending against. A grin came to her face as the promotion cleared and she felt an influx of power the likes of which she hadn't in quite some time. She jumped several meters into the air, growing out black devil wings to carry her even further up. A strike was coming from above and all eyes would shift upwards as she began charging a massive attack. A ball of lightning seemed to be forming from her hand, and soon enough it was bigger than her whole torso. Her wings clipped in, and then her body came crashing down towards Takumi's at lighting speed with an increased angle that she might follow any moves to dodge. The spell within her hand finished and she uttered its name. "RAIKOUHO!" and a bolt born from the mass of swirling electrical energy crashed down with the young woman close behind it as she closed her fist to follow up this bolt with physical force beyond what was necessary from the ground. Her hopes to completely annihilate the young boy beneath her, in a single huge blowup of power.

[Bloodedge]

Following the joint explosion, Takumi swept his hand through the air to clear the smoke in front of him. This gave him a more straightforward view of his opponent. It was at this moment that she began speaking of a "reason" he'd given her in his weird approach to this fight. The statement alone didn't bode well, and it apparently heralded a promotion to Bishop on her part. His understanding told him that this would be followed by another attack of a magical variety. It was strange to note that she had such magical ability, considering the amount of natural strength she boasted physically - as judged by her earlier attacks against him. On a more positive note for Takumi, another segment of Izuna's training came to mind based on the goings-on.

"Know why I said to make me your goal? It's 'cause you're a Pawn. Besides King and Queen, your piece is the only one that can do everything. So... do everything. Keep 'em guessing, and right when you pull a surprise out of your ass, make sure you hit with the full force of it!" Taking this speech to heart, Takumi held his left fist in front of his chest, resolving himself to press onward with greater power. "Promotion... Rook!" he called out, instantly gaining a boost to his physical attributes. In this case, though, he focused the Rook's power fully on resistance. He drew back his fist as the lightning encompassed him, hanging in due only to his choice in promotion. The black-haired woman was soon to be upon him. Knowing this, he punched outward in her direction... but not with the intention of damaging her with this physical effort. Takumi made a plea with his own power, and his power answered the moment his arm was outstretched. In place of a punch, his hand opened to collect all the flames of his Sacred Gear's transformed state. "Flame Dragon Shot!" The small sphere that formed of the flames and Takumi's demonic power suddenly erupted in the form of a beam, large enough to wipe out the remainder of the lightning, while also encompassing Takumi's opponent with great force and burning potential. All in all, his promotion to Rook had no purpose aside from the trickery of making his enemy believe he intended to use strength against her, but he could tell from the last exchange that his more magical abilities would be capable of at least holding their own, so he felt he only needed to be capable of resisting her attack to manage his retaliation.

[Apollymi]

This new challenge was one which Eira found herself watching passively. She felt that such things were good for her peerage and beyond that point, she'd placed her faith in this pair of individuals to help her conquer the current challenge. Given this, she was simply waiting to see what would happen with this young man. Comparatively, the raven haired woman seemed to be very sure of her choice. Even as the boy chose Rook as his promotion she was sure her follow up would be more than enough to down him, magic aside. But his follow up as she would have met his fist, made her eyes widen drastically. A flaming beam escaped this young man and aimed to swallow up the woman. And there was literally nothing she could do about it. Much to her own dismay she was engulfed in such a flame only to be teleported out of the area in a green light without another word to be spoken. 'Can't believe I got tricked by a pervy kid...' she griped mentally, but she'd lost in all fairness.

When the dust from this cleared, Miyuki's eyes widened and then she rather suddenly seemed happy. "Sugoi! That was amazing Taku-senpai." she said in general congratulatory fashion. "Amazing indeed. I knew a made the right choice. Nice job, Takumi~" said Eira in the same gentle voice she'd used earlier, and just like she had for Miyuki, held up her hand for a high five. This was after all as good a time as any to keep their moods light and celebratory. 'Flame dragon shot... that twice critical is definitely not a twice critical...' she couldn't help but be bemused as her mind cycled through the things it could possibly be.

[Bloodedge]

The accumulation and dispersal of "dragon" flames as they were called by the Sacred Gear, accompanied the return of Takumi's gauntlet to its normal state. He felt then as if he were down to his normal power level as well, and was given confirmation by the gauntlet. "Burst!" it said, just as it had the previous time he reached his limit. Strangely, it occurred this time without as many boosts to his power, yet... he also felt no more drained now than he did upon entering the fight. On the previous day, he'd been left unable to continue fighting for quite some time, but he was now able to move directly toward the next challenge. Before going anywhere though, he stopped to look toward Eira and Miyuki, both of whom had something to say about his apparent victory. With a smile on his face, he bowed to both women. "Hai! Arigatou gozaimasu!" he said before rising, only to then raise his right hand and meet Eira's.

[Apollymi]

'Hmm, Burst....huh? Well it seems like I'll be taking whoever is next...' Eira decided mentally while having her friendly gesture accepted. She was a special form of pleased by this, but there wasn't the time to dwell on it. It seemed that her two peerage members had given quite a bit to their first endeavor, and she knew it would likely be easy to handle whoever was up next. Rook would be the most likely to be next encountered, but Onoko might be one for arrogance, and given the numbers of people they'd faced so far. That being said, there had been some strange people encountered already, and she couldn't put a bit of trickery past the man especially considering his goal here. "Hai hai, come along you two, it's time to go inside..." strangely enough they'd simply be passing through the courtyard of their own school building, meaning she was more than fully aware of exactly where she should be going to find Onoko.

Meanwhile as they entered the school building they began to walk down the long corridor which would eventually lead to the opening of the staircase and up to the principal's office. But before that could be reached in the middle of this corridor, there was a tall dark-skinned woman wearing a white vest and shorts with a pair of boots over her legs which seemed to fit surprisingly well considering the woman's form. "Nice boots..." said Eira to the woman seemingly innocuously. Meanwhile the woman herself began hopping on her feet. "I told those guys not to take unnecessary risks, but no one ever listens. Whatever... I guess it's up to me now..." it seemed to be the going strategy was simply to stop these ones long before they reached the principals office and with that in mind this woman began attacking, but it wasn't anyone in front of her. No, strangely her feet met walls and windows. Dust and debris began to show up all over her person. When she behaved this way the boots seemed to be absorbing the dirt only to grow and grow until her body was basically armored by the boots. Once this occurred she seemed to feel better. All the while, Eira held a hand before the group of them, causing multiple barriers to appear around them to subvert the partial collapse of the hallway. "They aren't nice boots, they are my sacred gear Twice Critical: Dirty Boots... And now I have the strength to finish this here and now..." She said stepping forward she began to directly kick into the barriers which were created by Eira and surprisingly holding. "Hm, a Rook with a Twice Critical, that is a pretty strong move..." A smirk came to her face... "Miyuki I assume you know what to do..." she said to the girl with the large purple eyes. She looked at her mistress and nodded. "Hai hai, reinforce the barriers for me and Taku-senpai! And if they can't hold then run!!~~" she mentioned as Eira walked out of the front one to begin a proper confrontation with this seemingly strong Rook.

[Bloodedge]

"Hai!" Takumi said once Miyuki and himself were instructed to follow into the school replica. He walked in tandem with the others through the building, until they were ultimately stopped in the halls by another member of the opposing peerage's active team. Takumi did not expect a straight path to the man they had to defeat by the end of this battle, but he didn't expect someone to be holed up in the halls either. Once more, the newly-made Pawn steeled himself. This woman spoke to Eira, titling her Sacred Gear as a Twice Critical. Takumi took this strangely, thinking this could be his opportunity to learn from an enemy and discover the true inner workings of his Sacred Gear by comparing it to another of its type. Alas, Eira seemed keen on taking this fight. Barriers kept Takumi and Miyuki safe from the rubble of the destroyed hall, and it was to be the case that Miyuki would take up maintaining them while Eira dealt with this Rook. From within these defenses, Takumi clenched his fist and gritted his teeth, thinking over how this Twice Critical behaved thus far. "Is this what it means to have Twice Critical? Hers get dirty and power up, while mine... powers up when it touches boobs?"

[Apollymi]

It would seem to be missed by Jackie that Eira had already guessed the nature of her abilities. Regardless of this the dark-skinned woman pressed onwards even as the King of this group moved forward to protect the other two. Eira soon began to glow with demonic aura in a steep crimson color, as she moved forward, Jackie jumped backwards, but she wasn't afraid she was simply being cautious. As Eira left the comfort of the barriers, she seemed to not care much if this woman planned to attack her further in fact she was bringing her hands up and together as a giant magic circle formed beneath her, seeming to pulse with the same power revealed by her aura.

While this occurred Miyuki kept up the use of the barriers to help keep them safe, in this case from their leader's powers. But Takumi's words seemed to resonate with her in some way. She understood his frustration and decided to share a bit with him to help him feel better. "Twice Critical are always different for their users. But... Eira-nee says that the hardest part of becoming a devil which she's seen, is knowing that your emotions fuel your abilities," she said with a nod. It was a lesson she had only really learned recently yourself. "Like, you can do what you want to do, and will your own powers to follow that. I had a hard time using my other form after becoming a devil. Which is strange because it is the form I had originally, as a Yuki-Onna..." she said with a strange blue tint coming to her face, which likely made more sense now. "But, I feel like I could use it in the future to help Eira-nee and because I really want to... I can do it now~" she said offering words of encouragement. "Taku-senpai, it's okay that it doesn't work exactly the way you want it to now... it could work that way later, don't feel discouraged. There's so much you can do that it doesn't have to make you feel bad. Like I did by learning magic when I couldn't take my original form..." she concluded, she understood what it was like to want to feel useful and to not feel so for a long time. Especially related to Eira's other peerage members who all had something special or advanced about them. She hoped the young man wasn't feeling too down about his abilities already. It was still really early for him, so it was alright that he hadn't reached supreme levels of mastery yet. After a comforting smile was sent to Takumi her eyes shifted towards Eira who by all means was using a demonic power which would end things rather quickly.

Two dark circles appeared around her hands as she aimed for the young woman before her. "No hard feelings, I just can't stop here..." she said as she crossed these two orbs over her chest causing them to combine and then surge forward. Jackie for her part was frozen, her caution was one thing, but she'd powered up beyond what a normal Rook should. She figured she had the defense to stand against this and would move forward even through this magic based attack figuring it would dwindle... it didn't. "This can't be happening... I never lose to magic," she managed as the power of destruction seemed to eat away at her, and though she would have died from such exposure normally, instead she was teleported away before she even took three steps forward. "Yare yare, Lu-chan, was a bit late on that pick up. I don't want to get disqualified or anything..." she said and just like that the ominous and deathly aura around her disappeared but not without wreaking further havoc on the hallway behind her.

[Bloodedge]

"Huh? You're a Yuki-Onna?" asked Takumi, who suddenly understood Miyuki's strange blush and great ability as one who commanded ice. The girl admitted to feeling capable of taking her true form, if only to assist their master. They were kindred spirits in a way, Miyuki and Takumi. He, too, sought only to be of use here. Miyuki's words were therefore something of a boon to his resolve. "That's awesome! That's some sort of ice demon, yeah? With you here, I think I can really manage to pull off something bigger and better. Let's work together on the next one to help Buchou!" he said, offering his right hand to the lass.

[Apollymi]

"Hai," she said finding it strange that he seemed so excited by the idea. But still, this was much better than him potentially feeling down on himself for how his abilities seemed to manifest. He went on to explain that they shared a likeness in their resolve to be of use here, and extended his hand to the small girl who smiled and used her own to meet his. "Hai! For Buchou!~" she chimed seemingly excited. Eira herself turned around after finishing the business of doing away with the Rook. To find the two newest members of her peerage apparently getting along and with a morale boost to boot. She couldn't help but smile as she took in this sight. 'Aww, I made the right choice dozens of times over...' she thought. With both of them feeling more confident she was more than willing to believe that her peerage would do nothing but benefit from the pair of them. There was still a bit about both of them which had yet to be discovered, but now she could have a reasonable amount of faith that both of them would be able to get over their initial withdrawn attitude pretty easily.

"Sugoi~ Nice to see you two getting along~" chimed Eira aloud to the pair of them. She turned around to walk down the hall between them. "We'll have to go around the other way, but there is only one challenge left..." she said to the pair of them. She always found it good when her peerage members got along, and with Takumi making friends with Miyuki she was sure everything would remain the same. As she walked around and towards the principal's office, Eira's mind kept working. It was the only place that Onoko could be, but... something about the situation made her uneasy. In her mind she recounted the events of the day as she pushed her hand against the door. 'One Rook at five pawns, Onoko at three pawns, Two pawns...' she paused in thought as she pushed the door open, she opened her mouth to give a warning to her peerage assuming they followed. "He's not alone, be ready..." she started to say, as Miyuki ever attentive waited for the end of the sentence.

[Bloodedge]

"Hai! Together," he replied as Miyuki's hand met his own. It seemed Eira's work was done, and the Rook she faced in battle was no more. She approached the others to comment on their moment of bonding. Additionally, she mentioned an alternate path they would be taking toward the Principal's office, seemingly due to the fact that the hall had been decimated by her actions against the Rook. Takumi freed his hand of Miyuki's and followed suit, right up to the moment Eira began opening the office door, while mentioning an additional challenge they should be prepared for. In this moment, Takumi also ran the numbers in his head, figuring there could indeed be another Pawn if neither of the Pawns from earlier held multiple pieces. Takumi clenched his fist once again, preparing for whatever would be behind the door.

Strangely enough, there was movement from just behind the door when it opened, but it was not what one would expect. A small, black cat sprinted through the open door as soon as there was enough space to allow its movement. Takumi was taken aback by this sudden movement, and his gaze followed the tiny creature until he was nearly turned around completely. It was then that he saw another person - a male with a buzz-cut mohawk and a retracted fist boasting brass knuckles branded with "777" - preparing to throw a punch toward Eira from behind. "Buchou!" Takumi, having seen this during a brief moment of adrenaline, threw his own hand out to deflect the punch. Little did he realize, his success in this effort only managed to redirect the punch toward the head of Miyuki. It just so happened to be the case that the brass knuckles this male wore was the form of his Sacred Gear, which gave him what he referred to as a "jackpot" on every punch he threw - in spite of his physically poor form and strength. If he managed to make contact with these knuckles, whatever he struck had a 100% chance of breaking in a single hit.

[Apollymi]

As the Gremory group made their way into the principal's office the final trap was sprung. Or rather not exactly, a small cat came running from the door, but this only served to draw Eira's and Miyuki's attention a bit outside of the normal line of vision. And though the warning had been uttered Miyuki was a bit unprepared for it, though it wasn't the real attack. It seemed though at least initially that there wasn't a need for her to do anything immediately. The remaining pawn seemed to have targeted Eira and with a bit of acuity it would be Takumi who tried to defend Eira, and his speaking of her title cause Eira herself to turn. Her eyes narrowed, but as the first hit was deflected , by Takumi she was able to move further inside, it instead found itself flying towards Miyuki. Eira reached out for the girl but couldn't reach her in time.

In a single moment, Miyuki was standing with them, but then in the next her head was being made contact with by this particular pawn's fist. Even though she wasn't the original target, something about this fist making contact with her seemed to stir the girl's brain and leave a sickening thud which sounded with the cracking of her skull. Eira's eyes widened as in just a moment the light faded from Miyuki's eyes and she tried to speak, "Buchou....sumi..." she disappeared in a green light as she tried to apologize for being the one who got out. Of course, she couldn't have helped this and she did nothing but try to be useful. Even so, the loss of one of her youngest members seemed to make Eira furious. There was an instant pulsating of that crimson destructive aura, 'She was doing her best, and that was cheap. Unfair, and uncalled for...' she thought. Not only was the hit against the small girl unnecessary, but Eira's mind already figured what was truly intended, by virtue of the placement of this pawn. "She took that hit for me..." Eira remembered her own promise to take care of her peerage and became even more furious, and her anger was directed at the mohawk bearing member of Onoko's Peerage who would soon enough find Destruction Energy flying directly for his face from the incensed crimson haired woman. Not only this boy but the furniture and walls would quake from this woman's aura as she aimed to annihilate this young man.

[Bloodedge]

Takumi felt as if he'd accomplished something in deflecting this other Pawn's punch. Only a moment later, though, he was suffering a widening of his eyes, the likes of which he'd never experienced. He looked upon Miyuki, with whom he'd only just come to an agreement to work together. The cracking sound that accompanied impact was loud and grotesque enough that Takumi could almost feel it within himself. Miyuki wouldn't even be able to fall, much less finish speaking her apology to Eira before being teleported away. "B-... Buchou..." he muttered. All he intended to do was prevent the assault upon his master, but his actions resulted in the severe injury and elimination of the lass meant to be his companion.

All the while, the boy with the mohawk scoffed. His attack had not done would it could have without interruption, but he had at least eliminated the apparent stronger of Eira's subordinates. Sadly, before he could even recover from how his assault ended, the Power of Destruction belonging to Eira was upon him and everything else in the vicinity. The next thing he knew, he was standing in a room with the other members of Onoko's peerage, sweat pouring from his brow, and an expression of pure fear upon his face for the other servants to see.

[Apollymi]

The elimination of the other pawn in the room was about what Eira wanted, but still she didn't calm down. Her anger had already gone too far, but... Takumi speaking in the moment made her shift her gaze towards the boy. She could understand how he must feel, given that he likely felt himself responsible for Miyuki's injury and disqualification, but there was no reason for him to feel this way. The calmness of Eira's next words, would probably be directly in contrast to the violence created by the destructive force of her power. "Takumi, you shouldn't blame yourself for what happened, but you can use that feeling to do something..." she mentioned to him, this was an active case of how his emotions could be used to fuel his abilities. Her own were directly being used in such a way. Regardless there was Takumi's own state to consider and she didn't intend to let him down today as well. "And don't worry, Miyuki was teleported back to base. Hiro and the others will take care of her," she mentioned. And true enough the small girl was indeed teleported back to their base, and it would be Youmu who moved to catch her so they could begin the process to treat her wounds. Never had she expected such a cheap shot. A chuckle would come from in front of Moe as Jackie sat bandaged up and looking as if she'd seen something funny in the boy's visage. "What she did to me was accidental, she would have killed you on purpose..." was all she had to say about the boy. He couldn't know how lucky he was, to have been teleported out before that energy made contact with him. And as he got to thank the mediating group for his quick disqualification, their leader would be left alone to face the wrath of the Ruin Princess.

True enough, Eira's gaze shifted around the room, looking for the source of her current discontent. "You've really sunk to an inconceivable depth, I didn't think you would try such an underhanded trick to take me out, knowing you were ranked better than me..." mentioned Eira to the man in charge of this particular peerage. It hadn't taken much for Eira to realize that hit was meant to incapacitate her instead of any of her peerage. It was only by happenstance that she was left standing, but she would make sure this man paid for his crimes against her servants.

[Bloodedge]

"Iie..." he said through a crack in his voice. He had to blame himself for what happened. True enough, doing nothing would have left the possibility for Eira being hit instead. Whatever could have happened as a result, Takumi felt he would have been better suited as the one eliminated from the Rating Game. "It should have been me. I only became a devil yesterday; I don't have anything special to offer. But... Ryuume-chan... She could have done so much more!" With these words spoken, Takumi slammed his left fist into the floor, even punching a hole into it.

"More than a little, can still be a little," spoke Onoko Astaroth himself, who happened to be sat at the desk in the Principal's office. He was very relaxed to be the last standing member of his team, even going so far as having his feet propped up on the desk. "Is it underhanded to have a Pawn claim the King? No. That would be your fault, but at least your Pawn is devoted enough to sacrifice another piece where you wouldn't. That Bishop would have done nothing for you anyway; I can have her replaced for you after the wedding. Hell, I would see your whole peerage wiped out and replaced with some decent ones."

Onoko's words reached Takumi's ear in no positive way. He implied that it was indeed his intention to have his Pawn sucker-punch Eira into submission. Beyond this, Takumi's spur of the moment action had Miyuki eliminated, and Onoko seemed totally unfazed. If that man had his way, Eira's peerage would be nonexistent in its current form. Upon hearing this, Takumi could only think back to the willingness of the Bishop Miyuki to be as helpful as she could be. As Takumi stood, his left fist clenched until he drew blood from his own palm, and his teeth were gritted nearly to the point of cracking themselves. "Is this how proposals work for devils? You challenge someone to a battle, and try to wipe out their servants who just want to be helpful? Buchou... sumimasen. If this is what it means to be a devil, I don't want to be involved anymore..."

Throughout Takumi's speech, his demonic power rose to incredible heights. In this one shining moment, he filled the purpose of requiring 8 Pawn pieces to reincarnate. 'Don't want to be a devil, eh partner? Good. You'll make a better dragon,' spoke a voice in Takumi's head, which the lad could not even pay heed to in his moment of fury. What happened regardless of his attentiveness to the voice, though, was a verbal notice from his Sacred Gear in the same voice. "Dragon Booster!" it said. The green gem in his Sacred Gear shined along with the item itself, which grew to the form of a more dragon-like gauntlet that covered the whole of Takumi's arm, and even his entire hand. His demonic power was surging and visible at this point, swirling around him as eyes that became glowing and red looked upon Onoko Astaroth. "Boost!" the gauntlet spoke as it flashed again, immediately prior to Takumi speaking with the enemy King. "Kisama... If I don't do another thing today, I'm breaking every bone in your body." And there it was. Here today was the Yasukawa Takumi prior to his transfer to Kuoh Academy - the Yasukawa Takumi who, as a human, nearly killed many of his former bullies who drove him to such a breaking point as this. Now, he was in a state of mind beyond even that which saw him expelled from his previous school. And yet...

Onoko laughed. The pure-blooded devil saw no threat from Takumi, nor did he see one from Eira. As far as he was concerned, he could have entered this Rating Game by himself and wiped out Eira's entire peerage to claim his prize. "Nothing on me will break, boy. Now... let's ditch the peons talking. I'd like to have a conversation with my bride instead. So, Eira... shall we dance?" he asked. At this point, though, Takumi began taking slow steps forward. "Buchou... let me."

[Apollymi]

Takumi's words slammed Eira's ears, and caused a pang in her chest the likes of which she'd never felt before. She supposed that Miyuki was rather nice to him as well, for him to be so new to their little group, she found his loyalty and his feelings to be those of a person who'd been in the group the longest. Given Takumi's feelings, she could only imagine what was being said and done by the elder members of her peerage in the face of the disgusting man before them. She saw this man's relaxed posture and his nonchalant attitude, and couldn't help but feel somewhat for the people who worked for him, whom by virtue of his behavior he obviously cared for very little. Beyond this his words about her peerage only made her more agitated. "We both know that pawn wouldn't have completely subdued me, that wasn't your intention... you planned to demoralize both me and my peerage. By injuring me and then beating me into submission, likely with the intention of having me surrender," she said, such a tactic was obvious by how this man spoke, and the fact that he would see her entire peerage disbanded meant that he both knew of and understood her bond with them and didn't wish to see it continue, despite the pretty words he'd spoken to her days before in her territory. "The fact that you would even say something like that to me proves that you have no idea who you're speaking to. I wouldn't shame myself nor my servants and would watch the entire world in ruin before I allowed such a thing..." Eira said. If there was one thing she wouldn't tolerate from people it was threats against her servants. She cared for them, she chose them and none of them were useless nor being replaced as long as she drew breath. Beyond this, there was Takumi's words, and given this was all he'd gotten to see of a Devil outside of their peerage she could hardly be surprised that the boy didn't want to be part of the organization as a whole. She was feeling that sort of angered herself at this point.

"Hell, I don't blame you. I'd see myself living in the human world forever before I'd accept trash like this as part of me," Eira spoke these words as her own aura began to condense, she was a high class devil by birth and every ounce of her control went into making sure that no one but her intended target would be harmed by the destructive nature of her power. But this didn't save the principal's office nor the school building from beginning to deteriorate around them as she stood in the middle of a magic circle which had appeared beneath her. Strangely enough, it seemed that her servant was finally showing exactly why he had taken eight whole pawns to reincarnate. She shift in his Sacred Gear made her eyes widen and she smiled in a very specific way. She never thought this would be the outcome of her impulsive desire to reincarnate Takumi, but upon seeing the shift in his gear, she was more than a little certain of the decision. 'The Red Dragon Emperor! It isn't a simple Twice Critical, it is the holder of the Welsh Dragon, BOOSTED GEAR!~' she thought seeming to have all the proof in the world she needed. "I won't marry you, and we aren't a thing... and will never be a thing!"

Of course, shortly after this revelation which she was quite sure Takumi didn't know of himself, she watched as the young boy continued to approach. Even threatening in the worst way possible the man known as Onoko Astaroth. She didn't care, she was happy in this moment, and something the young man said to her earlier caught in her ear and made a chuckle escape her, though her own murderous intentions didn't seem to leave her person nor her aura. "Ufufufufu~ You did say earlier it's your responsibility to worry after me. You can go first if you want~" she said to her trusted pawn. If nothing else it would benefit her to see what Onoko was actually capable of, and give Takumi a chance to properly use his abilities, and she in her present enraged state was ever ready to step up and destroy the arrogant man before her.

[Bloodedge]

"Of course not. It's a simple strategy, though. Use a sacrificial Pawn to put the enemy King in check, predict the enemy's next move, and then... Checkmate. This wasn't the move I anticipated, but this is still Mate, my darling wife." Throughout the discussion between Eira and himself, Onoko remained relaxed. It was obvious that she had no intention to mistreat or discard her peerage, but that did not matter to him. Something else that didn't matter, was the impending approach of an enraged Takumi, who'd been cleared by Eira to go forth with his attack.

"... Arigatou," said Takumi in response to Eira's permission. His movements were nearly mindless as he stepped toward the Principal's desk. The closer he got, the more Onoko laughed in his face. "Didn't you hear that exchange, boy? Or maybe you don't know a thing about Chess. It isn't possible for a Pawn to achieve Checkmate. That would have to follow an illegal move."

"Promotion... Queen," Takumi spoke in a low tone, granting himself a sudden boost to all attributes. "Boost!" With another doubling applied to his power, Takumi raised his left fist and punched the desk to make it shatter, adding to the destruction of the area and causing Onoko to lose his position of comfort. A thick, violet smog surrounded Onoko as he stood; it was his demonic power surging from his body. Takumi didn't seem to care about this, and aimed to punch Onoko in the face with his Sacred Gear. Sadly, the High-Class Devil caught this fist with a hand of his own. There seemed to be little effort required for this to happen, but Takumi continued pushing forward. "Is this what you've decided, Eira? Are you sinking low enough to sacrifice a Pawn to make an opening here?"

[Apollymi]

"Mate?" it took everything Eira had not to burst out laughing in this man's face. She wondered if he really thought somewhere within his mind that he could achieve what he wanted against her all alone. "I am going to say this, just one more time... I'm not your wife," her eyes blazed with outright anger as her aura fluctuated once more. She couldn't help this. There was much she should do, and much she could do, but at present, she didn't want to interfere with the feelings of her subordinate. Takumi seemed to take this man's personality way harder than most, she figured the only person who might dislike him more at this point was Izuna. Regardless of this, there was much to be said for the boy's spirit, and above that his thoughtfulness in this moment. As he approached, Onoko he promoted himself to Queen and went about throwing a punch which he aimed at the man's face after breaking the desk. This seemed to be work but only for a second as the nonchalant Onoko caught the boy's fist while raising his own aura. Onoko's words though seemed to cause a shift in Eira's face, regardless of the outcome, Eira was preparing something, something she didn't often do, because it wasn't something she could prepare without sacrificing multiple pieces. Small orbs of power seemed to spawn from her person as her aura condensed, they were floating all around her, glowing and vibrating with power as they came into creation around her. "I've sunk nowhere. I don't believe in sacrificial pieces, and I don't need to give him up to make an opening. I'd rather have him by my side when I win!~" one of these orbs grew from her hand to the size of a soft ball, which she'd subsequently ram with her fist sending it flying towards the arm outstretched by Onoko, if it made contact there was a very real possibility of it being destroyed without a trace.

[Bloodedge]

"Not yet, at least. It's nothing to worry about. Your brother has already put together the reception. We can make our way there once we're done with little things like this." Onoko's gaze was upon Eira while he toyed with Takumi, and he saw the beginning of Eira's assault using the Power of Destruction she was so known for. The softball-sized sphere of energy she threw his way was almost laughable to him. A large blade made of Onoko's own demonic power was conjured in his free left hand, and used to smack Eira's energy. Though the destruction power was great enough to vaporize the blade, Onoko's impact was enough to move it off its path beforehand, clearing him of the damages. He was left weaponless just then, but he wasn't worried. Until...

"Boost!" Takumi had been left ignored. If there was one thing to be taken from this, it was that Onoko's lack of care for the "lesser beings" left him paying too much attention to those of his caliber. With the next boost to his strength, Takumi began properly pressing against Onoko's hand with his Sacred Gear, while his right fist managed to meet the man's jaw. Though not severely affected by this, Onoko was knocked back a bit. "Kisama..." Onoko said as he recovered, clenching his own fist to deliver a powerful strike to Takumi's jaw in return, sending him tumbling along the ground for several meters. This punch was so much more powerful than Takumi himself could manage while boosted. At the very least, it was disheartening to note the sheer difference between himself and Onoko after just one punch. His rage began to subside. The moment he made contact, he thought progress had been made - that he could at least begin doing something useful in Miyuki's absence. Frankly, he had nearly lost consciousness the moment of Onoko's retaliation. "I... just wanted to accomplish something."

[Apollymi]

"It's nothing to worry about because it's never going to happen..." it seemed that Eira was very sure of this, and after watching how this man chose to dispatch the ball of destruction she aimed to use against him, she had an idea of why he felt so strongly about his position. It seemed she felt this way regardless of the fact that her brother had apparently planned a reception for the pair already. If she knew nothing else, she knew her brother wouldn't have a problem even if the reason behind throwing the party changed, and she couldn't actually imagine her brother liking the man standing before her in any reasonable way. Perhaps at some point, she'd get to question this further, but for now, she got to see what happened when the Armageddon King, stopped paying attention to people he considered less than himself.

Takumi's fist made contact with Onoko's face and the sight stunned Eira just a bit, even so the boy was soon flying and she herself moved, having seemingly lost completely the killing aura around her body, not to watch him tumble but to capture him. He'd find himself landing face first against the softness of her chest as she smiled at his efforts, she couldn't do anything but be pleased by him and all he'd done thus far. "Ufufufu~ Takumi, of course you accomplished something. Every step forward is an accomplishment. For a Devil on his third day, you've got nothing to be ashamed of, arigatou gozaimasu~" she thanked the young man for his efforts, smiling at him completely at ease, as her previously discarded aura seemed to coalesce into a giant ball of energy, behind her body just out of sight. It was hidden behind her back ever growing becoming denser and denser as she continued to concentrate. 'I just need a little longer, or maybe a little more power... this is such a gamble but,' she looked down at the boy she'd caught. 'If he's willing to give his all I can do no less...' the concentration in her power increased and she managed to have the ball growing just outside the range of sight behind her back. With just a little more time and hopefully with the distraction of what she was doing, she might be able to pull this off.

[Bloodedge]

At the end of Takumi's tumble, he did not meet the hard ground he'd expected to fall face-first into. Instead, his head was virtually consumed by something that did nothing but cushion his impact. What he felt was somewhat familiar... and quite pleasant to his sense of touch. When his eyes opened, he was able to see what caught him, while also hearing out Eira's words of encouragement. She even went so far as to thank him, but the only pleasantry he was able to accept was that of the devil woman's bosom against his face. "It's not enough. Miyuki wanted to help, too. I just wanted to do enough for both of us. If I could just..." Once again, Takumi's Sacred Gear responded to a silent wish made in a state of strong emotion. In this case, he only wanted to offer all of his power to the cause of Eira's victory. The Sacred Gear - Boosted Gear - answered this wish by taking on yet another form to cover more of Takumi's arm. In doing this, it gained a second green jewel, nearer to his elbow. Takumi's power had been boosted multiple times since his most recent activation, and with a single phrase spoken by the Sacred Gear itself, all of that power would pass on to Eira. "Transfer!"

While this exchange took place, Onoko prepared himself for a proper battle against Eira. He used the extra time to shift into his true form. The skeletal armor he wore wrapped more tightly around his form. The fur on his jacket turned red and became enlarged. His hair and eyebrows turned white, and his eyes turned white with red sclerae. A red cross-shaped marking also appeared on his face. From his back extended four "branches" of energy, giving the shape of an "X" from behind him. "You had an opportunity, Eira. Instead, you let it all go to tend to this little wannabe dragon boy."

[Apollymi]

Eira understood the sentiments offered by Takumi. She knew he could grow into power, great power even considering the nature of his Sacred Gear but it would simply take a bit of time. Still she could not fault him for his valliant effort, and meant to express this as she cradled him thus, but a very strange thing occurred next. The Boosted Gear gave out a call which Eira had never heard before, likely in response to whatever Takumi was feeling. Beyond this, her entire body soon surged with power, the likes of which she'd never felt before, it was such an insanely pleasant and random feeling that something akin to a moan would fall from the young woman's mouth. "Aaaah~" a blush tinted her face, but still there was a seriousness the likes of which could no be underestimated showing in those crimson eyes of hers.

She looked towards Onoko as his form finished shifting and he spoke again, in a way which made her cringe internally. Things behind her began breaking apart with this new influx of power and she held her hand forward willing the giant ball of energy behind her back, now swirling with the red and crimson of her compressed Power of Destruction as well as the increased power given to her by Takumi and allowed it to move forward slowly. "Extinguished Star..." she mentioned. The mass of energy began pulling apart everything in its path towards him; shards of debris, the walls, literally everything about this place was coming to pieces around them, as this orb aimed to swallow up Onoko Astaroth. At this point, Eira was content to treat Onoko as he'd treated her own peerage member and ignore his words and instead, Eira spoke to Takumi. "Look Takumi, I finished that with your help~" she mentioned. His work as her newest acquisition couldn't be doubted, especially given the powers he possessed and could in the future possess as the Red Dragon Emperor.

But it seemed Eira wasn't the only one to know exactly what this boy possessed on his arm. The area around this created school was currently being assaulted. A flying woman with large black feathered wings was sending down repeated spears of light in an attempt to break the barrier created around this space. She aimed of course to get inside and claim for herself the power of the Red Dragon Emperor. 'They said I should just observe, but I can't let this chance slip away...' she mused taking the time to try and make this entry to claim this boy for her own organization.

[Bloodedge]

Takumi wasn't quite certain what was happening. He felt the influx of power leave his body, only to then witness the questionable, somewhat erotic reaction of Eira's to receiving that same power. His eyes widened to the sight of this, and his own face filled with blood as the transfer became audible from Eira's end of the exchange. Moving on though, the purpose this served was a great one. A grander sphere of destruction energy had been worked on by Eira, finished apparently by the added energy from the Boosted Gear. Though slow moving when sent Onoko's way, the large ball of energy functioned somewhat like a black hole in boasting its own gravitational pull. Onoko, for once, had an expression of shock upon his face. This was actually something that seemed capable of ending the Rating Game in Eira's favor. He had to do something major to earn his victory. With a mighty swipe of his left hand, he conjured several violet barriers layered over one another between himself and Eira's attack. The latter cleaved its way through regardless, albeit at a slowed enough pace that Onoko was able to hold out his right hand and channel his own demonic power through it. By the time the orb was upon him, Onoko was firing a large beam of violet energy into that which endangered him so. The impact of the two energies caused an explosion consisting mostly of the Power of Destruction. Onoko was blasted away, left heavily injured on the ground in wake of the blast. It seemed he was struggling quite a bit to even try getting up at this point.

"... Sugoi," Takumi virtually whispered after watching the sphere go forth and accomplish so much, even when being reacted to. The next thing to be seen, though, was the return of the black cat which ran out of the Principal's office earlier. After casually strolling up to the fallen Onoko, the cat pounced on his chest. Suddenly, a paw raised and bared its claws. The next thing to occur was a very furious flurry of slashes delivered to Onoko's face, followed by a leave just as lax as the cat's entry. The cat's leave would come thereafter, but not before it made a stop between Eira's legs and rubbed itself against each of them.

[Apollymi]

Her somewhat questionable reaction to the influx of power aside, it was more than obvious that Eira had succeeded in backing Onoko Astaroth into a corner so to speak. She got to watch with those happy scarlet eyes of hers as he frantically tried to save himself from being sucked in by the Extinguished Star technique. And though he succeeded in not being swallowed up completely it had been at the expensive of several energy barriers and a violet beam of energy he'd had to use at the last second to try and compensate for the use of the veritable black hole. Takumi seemed to have an awed expression but Eira herself was still at the ready, body still alight with an overflow of power the likes of which she'd never felt before. She'd seen the type of attacks Onoko could potentially give out so she had to be ready for an attack, but it seemed... something else was to occur.

While tensions were still so high, the small black cat who'd previously fled this room, came back... for vengeance apparently. It sat upon the downed devil's chest before having a field day with his face, delivering several clawing marks to the downed man. Only after it finished with this, did the cat rather calmly walk back to Eira and rub between her legs in the way cats do. A smile came to Eira's face, 'We could use that little guy as a mascot' she thought as it wandered off, but that would be for another time. She let go of Takumi for the first time since catching him and looked towards him with a smile on her face. "How about we go claim our victory?" she offered with her hand out to the pawn of her peerage. True to her word she intended to have him at her side when she won her first official rating game.

But before she could take her first step forward, a bolt of pure light landed before her. She put out her hand almost confused but made sure that Takumi wouldn't take a step forward. Descending from above was black feathers followed by giant black feathered wings on a very seductive body. A single strip of cloth surrounding her body in a v-shape revealing the center of her person both in front and in back. "Sorry, not happening... hand over the boy and nothing bad has to happen here..." said this woman who didn't seem to care much one way or another about the rating game in progress. "I am Eira Gremory, and I don't hand over my servants to anyone. We're busy... back off," the crimson haired woman mentioned without a second thought. "You have no idea what he truly is..." she started. "The Red Dragon Emperor is what he truly is, and I already said, you can't have him," Eira revealed her knowledge here and now much to the chagrin of the fallen angel before them. She'd hoped to get a hold of this young man before any realized the true nature of his powers, even as a devil he was more useful to her group than many could know. As such, she created a light spear in her hand and aimed it at Eira who looked as impassive as she always did. It was a threat and this was a standoff. It seemed Onoko had fallen to the wayside by virtue of what was happening here.

[Bloodedge]

No comments came from Takumi about the strange cat who shredded the face of their opposition, but he did recognize it as the same one seen leaving the office mere minutes prior. It seemed to come and go without any fuss, seeding the thought that it simply had something against Onoko based on its time spent in the office with him. Maybe the devil had just scared it prior to its earlier leave, and it sought a chance at vengeance. Whatever the case, that situation was over now, and Eira was offering her Pawn a hand up. He took the hand, of course, and rose into a standing position to prepare a trip in Onoko's direction. Before Takumi took more than a single step, Eira's hand was out to stop him. All he could see beyond Eira's form was the descent of many black feathers, belonging apparently to yet another woman possessing a figure beyond normal standards. Once more, Takumi found his eyes widening. Of all things, this strange woman seemed to be here for him. The exchange between her and Eira led to Takumi being referred to as "Red Dragon Emperor," whatever that happened to be. "I don't get what's going on," he said from his standing position behind Eira's outstretched arm.

"I could answer that for you," spoke the voice of a male who also didn't belong here during this Rating Game. From behind Takumi, this male figure approached. His long, waist-length hair was a brilliant shade of red, matching a sparkling pair of red eyes with slit pupils which seemed to look into the very soul of their target at any given time. He wore a black mantled trench coat paired with a long sleeved shirt and jeans, both red. He also wore a black choker around his neck, and a pair of black boots with buckles across them. He could overall be referred to - ironically - as a "devilishly handsome" fellow, from the gleam in his eye to the perfect sculpt of his face. Of course, this was to be expected of this particular man. "Fallen Angel Sachiel. Fallen Angels don't have ways to reincarnate others to their race like devils do. Lately they've been going around and snatching up whatever Sacred Gears they can find. At least... the ones they can't replicate," he said with narrowed eyes aimed in the Fallen Angel's direction. "It's nice to meet you by the way, Sachiel. You're looking rather lovely today," the man continued, even going so far as to smile, wink, and kiss at the air when looking upon the intruding Fallen Angel.

[Apollymi]

Though she'd rather not have faced a high class Devil while they were at full strength, having already witnessed the fight taking place here, she figured she had at least a standing chance against Eira in order to properly enchant Takumi and take him with her. But alas, such a thing wouldn't be happening anytime soon, as before she could speak again about what she would do here, and change the nature of their standoff to an actual battle, Takumi asked a question and it wasn't answered by Eira, instead by a red haired man, who when looking at the pair side by side bore striking resemblance to her. Sachiel managed to look more than a bit surprised by the appearance of this man. In fact, she began to tremble... This man, with his insanely good looks and marvelous crimson locks, was one she was told to look out for, and never under any circumstances engage. "But... but... you're... the Crimson Satan," she gave pause, as if the idea of speaking his name in front of him would make him real. "Sirtreize Lucifer! You shouldn't be here..." she seemed to be a bit dumbfounded, that spear of light she was holding in her hand seemed to shake, Eira to her credit held out her finger and watched as a tendril of Destruction Energy broke it apart without much of a problem given this particular Fallen Angel's lack of concentration.

"Yare yare, I was planning to kill this woman, and she's afraid while you're flirting with her," mentioned the young woman as if she didn't care one way or another. It was obvious by virtue of this man's appearance that nothing else would happen this day. Sachiel seemed to also think better of her actions especially given the disappearance of her weapon during her moment of distraction. "Uh-huh, I'm not afraid. It's nice to meet you... but I'm not qualified for this, keep your little dragon..." she stated as she flapped her wings and began to rise in the air to leave this place. "For now." she concluded as she aimed to leave. If there was one thing she wasn't going to do, it was end up in a battle with the Crimson Satan, she'd be nothing before she knew what happened. Eira looked towards this woman and had a series of thoughts about the good sense it would have made to kill her now, but at the same time, such an individual could be potentially good for the rest of her peerage to face as well. After she considered this she looked to her elder brother. "Thank you, Satan-sama... though I definitely could have handled that myself..." the girl said to the elder crimson haired male, addressing him in an oddly formal way considering their familial relationship.

[Bloodedge]

"Shhhh~" Sirtreize replied with a finger raised to pursed lips, as if to warn the woman away from speaking his name to the general population... as if nobody in the vicinity already knew his identity, even. Or perhaps, this was to the notion that he shouldn't be here now. This idea could possibly taken from his following statement to Sachiel. "You're not supposed to be here either. You're really earning those 'bad girl' wings, aren't you?" he asked. In response to the trembling of the Fallen Angel, the man apparently known by the name Sirtreize began dancing, as if in rhythm with Sachiel's shaking. In the meantime, his gaze shifted to Eira. "If you were planning to kill her, kill her. She's not very into this dance, so I don't think I'm her type anyway. It would save me the heartbreak." As Sirtreize spoke with Eira, Sachiel took a moment to voice her present lack of interest in claiming the Red Dragon Emperor. This was about what he expected, but he didn't much care. In fact, Sirtreize only wondered if Eira would still go about killing the Fallen Angel. Whether she did or not, she would be getting an earful from Sirtreize about how she chose to address him. "No... no, no, no. Stop it. I'm not answering to that."

All the while, Takumi's mind was being blown time after time. He could only accept the existence of devils, being one himself since yesterday. On the other hand, though, he had yet to even consider angels and their fallen counterparts, an interest in him on either side, and... the presence of a man who was apparently Satan here in a Rating Game. "What? Dragon Emperor? Fallen Angel? Satan? I thought this was a simple fight."

[Apollymi]

Sirtreize's words and actions towards this Fallen Angel only served to further confuse her. And the thought that his sister could apparently take her, made her believe she was right to retreat. Surprisingly enough, Eira let her go, seeming to be a bit huffy as she crossed her arms under her rather massive chest. "I'll save it for later, there is no need to give chase at present, perhaps they will take a while and reconsider. And if not my peerage could use the battle experience later..." Eira said aloud to her brother, figuring he might be a bit curious about her decision to allow this Fallen Angel to flee. But Eira herself was nothing if not practical and tactical. After the flight of the Fallen Angel and post Eira directly addressing Sirtreize, he went on to give her what could amount to a chiding for how she chose to address him. A small smile formed over her face in this moment, and she somehow managed to seem the tiniest bit embarrassed, which was unusual given her general demeanor, "Fine, fine, no need to talk my head off about it... Arigatou~ Nii-sama~", she finished up.

If she was about to continue talking it would be put on hold, as Takumi's mind was apparently blown. She looked towards the young man and realized that it had been a lot going on for him in the last couple of days. "Gomen Takumi, there is a lot you probably don't know about... and it's going to take a massive amount of time to explain. Quick version..." Eira tried to think of the easiest way to explain what she knew of his questions to him. "Red Dragon Emperor is the title given to the person who holds the Sacred Gear: Boosted Gear. Which is what your once thought Twice Critical evolved into. It has within it the soul of one of the Heavenly Dragons... You can probably talk to it yourself to find out more information. He seems to be quite talkative..." she mentioned for the first part, and in consideration of all the things she'd heard his Sacred Gear utter over the last few days. "A Fallen Angel is likely what you think it is. It was once on the side of God in Heaven and was cast out for sinning, basically. But they can still use light based weaponry which is poisonous to Devils, so you should be careful when dealing with them," she mentioned as a side note. "Satan, back in the super old times was a single guy, but then it became a title applied to Four different people. This is Sirtreize Lucifer, known as the Crimson Satan. He's currently one of four Satans, formerly known as Sirtreize Gremory. He's my older brother," she clarified just in case that part of their greeting was missed. "That's a lot to take in though, we can include more information about this stuff with your combat training rotation if you'd prefer... it can seem a bit overwhelming if you try to think about too much at once," she mentioned. For this lad to be so fresh onto being a Devil, he was encountering a great many kinds of beings which would have been unknown to him in his human life.

[Bloodedge]

"Whatever you like, Eira~" Sirtreize commented at the end of his little dance routine. With that out of the way, he slipped his hands into his pockets and looked to the sky where Sachiel fled. His eyes shifted toward Eira again when she addressed him in a preferred way, and this time, there was a gentle smile upon his face. "Hai hai. I didn't come for that, though. I was the first one here, just waiting to take you guys to the reception."

It seemed Takumi was due for the explanation of a lifetime. There was so much that was new to him, and so much information to take it right at this moment. Eira delivered unto him the allegedly short version of the tale, but it was still quite a bit. He could break even with the confirmed existence of God and Angels, and Fallen Angels only made sense with those things in mind. Two things that bothered him were: The existence of multiple Devils with the title "Satan"; and the matter relating to the true form of his own Sacred Gear. He was only just realizing that it was different from its original incarnation, and since Eira mentioned being able to speak with the Dragon inside the Sacred Gear, he did recall hearing some mysterious voice in his head a few times over the years. "Sou ka. I guess... I understand everything I need to. What happens to the Rating Game, though? Do we win?"

[Apollymi]

Sirtreize after being 'properly' addressed, seemed to be happy with his day, smiling even at his younger sister. She was then given silence as she went on to explain several of the details of the world to the formerly human Takumi who seemed to still be stunned by the information. After she finished speaking, she was even more surprised that he went on to claim that he understood about what he needed and now simply wanted to know if they'd won the Rating Game they were participating in or not. A grin crossed Eira's face then... "I wonder about that myself. Let's find out, shall we?" she posed it as a question but turned her body so that all of her attention was now shifted to the downed Onoko Astaroth. "I am actually a bit disappointed, he managed to not get swallowed up by that attack. I figured that would have led to an instant retirement. I made that up as my ultimate one hit kill, and with the power I got from Takumi it seemed to be even better than I initially intended. All the same..." she paused looking to this man and expressing how she felt in no uncertain terms. Though before she spoke there was a minor bit of consideration as to why he wasn't immediately pulled from this space, she supposed she'd have to wait and ask the moderators at some point in the future.

"I'll take your absolute surrender right now, Onoko Astaroth. Along with you renouncing any inkling of an idea that I'd marry you... ever," she said with the seeming calm demeanor she always possessed, but there was an edge to her presently, like the sinking weight of a collapsed star. If Onoko wished to continue this fight he was more than welcome to try, but Eira was quite sure of her abilities and would not be surrendering at any point.

[Bloodedge]

"I told you, that one's just too clunky. Besides, you probably would have been disqualified. You wouldn't have been forced into marrying Astaroth, but... bad way to start a record of Rating Games~" These words left the mouth of Sirtreize with utmost calmness, as if he hadn't a care in the world. In fact, he didn't. He didn't even care how obvious he made it, but he had no care whatsoever for how the Rating Game ended. Of course, he would have been glad to see his little sister claim victory in her first official battle, but from the political side of this agreement, neither outcome made a difference.

Speaking of outcomes, one had yet to be decided. Onoko had been downed, but not at all incapacitated. Eira's approach gave the male devil every reason to rise to his feet, challenging her assumed victory as he did. "Keh! You think you've beaten me just because you got a temporary power boost from a dragon kid? Don't make me laugh. You took me by surprise, but I can still crush you here and now." As Onoko spoke, he began collecting demonic power en masse within his left palm. Sirtreize stepped forward yet again, taking a side to Eira to speak with the younger male devil. "Give it a rest, Onoko. I told Eira she could have been disqualified for that last attack for a simple reason, and it had nothing to do with the extra power from the Red Dragon Emperor here," he spoke. Onoko continued his accumulation of energy, but took a pause in his overall efforts to glance in Sirtreize's direction. "What? What other reason could there be?"

Sirtreize snickered. "Because even though Extinguished Star is slow, and a little unwieldy if you ask me... even its normal output has such a concentration of the Power of Destruction, it would have obliterated you before the Retiring System saved your sorry ass. You probably didn't notice me intervening to lessen the impact more, but let's all be honest regardless... You died a few minutes ago."

"I... I..."

[Apollymi]

A huff escaped Eira at the words of her brother, in this moment she would seem utterly childish as she explained the use of the ability. "Oh yeah, it is totally fair that I would have been disqualified because after talking an amazingly annoying manner, he couldn't do anything about it... as if. Besides, Lu-chan is mediating, I figured he would have caught it..." she finished seeming to be slightly annoyed by the assertion that she would have managed to be disqualified because of the nature of her use of Destruction in the form she chose to use it in. Besides that point her words in her previous sentence had been chosen specifically to stop her from saying the innumerable number of swears she wanted to, because she had a lot of dignity to maintain, and one such as Onoko didn't deserve to see the kind of person Eira could be.

Beyond this point Onoko seemed to have a problem with the idea of Eira thinking that she had beaten him in some way. She would have opened her mouth to explain exactly why he shouldn't be thinking this way. She gave a slight bit of pause and left it to her brother to completely explain this, and she stood quietly by, watching as Onoko gathered energy as if she didn't care. In fact, this was much like the earlier threat of the Fallen Angel, which Eira was more than certain of her ability to handle. Onoko for his part seemed to be a bit stunned when the final conclusion was made, Eira herself seemed to be stunned by her brother's assertion about her ability and why it was so dangerous. "Really? I didn't know it worked that fast... hmm," it gave Eira pause as she began to immediately consider other ways to use the same thing in principle. She supposed her use of the Power of Destruction could use a bit more work so that she could properly use it without it requiring the focus which caused her to potentially need to sacrifice any of her pieces for the amount of time it took to charge. Regardless of this Onoko was so stunned by the news he simply repeated 'I' a couple of times. Eira took a moment to look at his rather stunned visage with a smile which just bordered the line of sinister. "You... surrender?"

[Bloodedge]

"Lucaro? There's no way he could have caught that. Like I said, even Onoko here wouldn't have survived that blast if I didn't intervene. And yes, it is fair for you to be disqualified for killing someone during an official Rating Game. Be reasonable," Sirtreize urged. Onoko continued to gather himself for the duration of Sirtreize's speech, all while Sirtreize himself looked at the other male devil with a smile most wicked. Onoko's eyes narrowed before darting in Eira's direction. "I thought this would be an easy win. I was promised I would get everything I deserved, if I just participated in this stupid Rating Game. Isn't that why you were here!?" the raven-haired devil asked as his gaze found Sirtreize again.

Sirtreize's smile turned into a toothy grin, and he laughed again. "You were right. If you won today, Eira Gremory was to become your betrothed-to-be. Even if you lost, though, you would get exactly what you deserved as heir of the Astaroth Clan. That was the agreement, right? Gomen... I left something out." As he spoke, Sirtreize removed only his right hand from its respective pocket. With it free, he extended his arm and held his hand with its palm facing the sky. "What you deserve is to be wiped out of existence, like the smudge on the face of our kind you are, for thinking you could be considered worthy of associating with the next Gremory Clan head. I never lied, though... The territories of Astaroth and Gremory will be combined, but it will no longer be your territory. You'll be dead. I utilize my rights as Satan to declare Eira Gremory and her peerage the victors in this Rating Game. I just need to decide whether I should kill you now, or make a spectacle of you."

[Apollymi]

Eira managed to roll her eyes just a tad, "I didn't know it would kill him." she said honestly. "I figured intent would be taken into account and I'd get a gentle reprimand," she said though since this situation seemed to be working out in her favor she was hardly one to argue. "But I get your point... I'll be reasonable and I won't use a move that will kill people in an Official Rating Game," she mentioned. This done, she fully expected a surrender, which she still didn't get it. It was really starting to bother her at this point, because it was more than obvious that she'd won legitimately ages ago. But it seemed that Onoko found something strange about the agreement he'd made with Sirtreize and how it'd managed to turn out not in his favor at all. Eira heard this part of the conversation with her brows drawn together.

"Oh? Well that explains a lot..." she said, having several of her questions answered at once as her brother went about explaining how he truly felt about this Astaroth and his behavior up to this point. It was just like one of the Satans to set up something like this just to get rid of someone they didn't like. But Eira saw this situation a bit differently. As a person who would likely be dealing with the repercussions of this situations. "No...no no no," she said with a frown on her face, and her arms still crossed under her chest. "If you were just going to come in and declare me the winner, there was no point in me participating in the first place, Nii-sama," she said, seeming to take it upon herself to explain her case as why this would be annoying for her to deal with later. "No one will believe my first win was legitimate. There will be all this talk about how it was handed to me by my big brother... at this point, I would have been better off getting disqualified. If he dies now his entire peerage could potentially become strays, and those who don't will resent me and come after me like it's my fault," she said, which were all very valid potential outcomes to the outright slaughter of Onoko Astaroth. Though she could agree that the man's attitude was more than a bit old fashioned for her own taste, and that she didn't like him, she couldn't help but feel sorry for his peerage. "Besides, fear and public shaming work better when people are alive to show it off..." the girl said, and with that she'd seemingly given up. It was obvious to her that even if Onoko lost part or more of his territory and a Rating Game to a rookie King it would look good for everyone involved. And of course, he'd get to keep his life and the lives of the members of his own peerage. If Onoko was half as clever as it was claimed he was, perhaps he'd see it, or maybe he wouldn't and her brother would see that she didn't really want to live with all the potential backlash, because no one can go after Satan, but she still had to live her life beyond their interactions.

[Bloodedge]

Eira came forth with an argument against Sirtreize's intention to eliminate Onoko Astaroth. She apparently believed him killing this man here and now would discredit her victory, while also dooming Onoko's peerage to becoming strays. The latter scenario was obviously a very real potential issue for the Devils of this peerage, but the former idea seemed to be no concern of Sirtreize's. "Shhh~" he said to Eira as a marble-sized orb of Destruction Energy manifested above the palm of his hand. "You've already won the Rating Game. If you want to be that nit-picky about it, Onoko here lost by disqualification the moment I weakened your last attack against him. Put that on your record; even help from a Satan didn't save him from your fury."

Onoko was sweating bullets in the face of Sirtreize's impending assault on him. Though Sirtreize's use of Destruction Energy was visibly minuscule compared to Eira's at this very moment, the mere idea of a Satan assaulting him was worth fretting over. "Wait wait wait! I admit it! I admit my loss... Just don't kill me. You can have the territory, but spare my life," Onoko pleaded with the Crimson Satan, virtually grovelling before him. In response, Sirtreize dispersed his own attack and chuckled. "There we are! A third of the territory will do. I just didn't like you from the moment you came asking to marry my sister, so I figured I'd scare the pants off you. The Gremory Clan will claim the portion of your territory closest to the border... You know, the part where your family's house is. That's if Eira wins. I'm in no position to accept your surrender."

[Apollymi]

At some point before she could talk more Sirtreize shushed Eira. She managed to look a bit surprised by this, but stopped talking just the same, only to have her brother make a statement which made it sound like a furious Eira was something even he couldn't save people from. "No one wants a reputation like that...especially not me. Also don't shush me, that doesn't work on me," she said as if this was something she knew to have been done on purpose. If anyone cared to remember he'd done this earlier to the Fallen Angel Sachiel and she'd gone silent for way longer an amount of time. But that was a matter for a different time, for now, Sirtreize seemed to be using the Power of Destruction in a way very different from how Eira tended to use it. 'I still can't make them that small or that fast,' she thought with her brow becoming ever so furrowed. The small orb seemed to strike fear into every fiber of Onoko Astaroth's being, causing the man to surrender finally and beg for his life in the meantime. Even going so far as to forfeit his property in exchange for his life, this man seemed almost pitiful.

And just as soon as the little ball came into being it disappeared. It seemed it had been Sirtreize intent to scare this man for his bold desire to marry his little sister. Knowing this was more than a little embarrassing from her own perspective, Eira simply chuckled before clearing her throat seemingly in relief. "Ufufufufu~ I figured you didn't really like this guy," she said calmly before allowing her gaze to shift back to Onoko. She was a tiny bit petty but, she'd pretty much received a decent laugh because of her brother's antics. So, instead of treating this as she would have if she were alone, she shifted her gaze to Takumi. "Takumi~ What do you think? Do we accept his surrender without making him say it again?" she asked as she stood beside her treasured pawn, just as she'd previously stated was her preference in how her Rating Game would end.

[Bloodedge]

"Pfft! Tell that to my wife," Sirtreize said with a roll of his eyes. Since his right hand was once again free, Sirtreize put it back into his pocket and left Eira to the completion of her first Rating Game. He felt there wasn't really much else to warrant his presence, but he did have the intention of seeing to the festivities once this was over.

Onoko was still panicked, but he would allegedly be allowed to keep his life this day. At least, it would not be Sirtreize to kill him. The decision of whether his surrender would be accepted was left to Eira, who then passed it on to the Pawn Takumi. Never had Onoko felt so pitiful as to have his fate in the hands of a Reincarnated Devil, and a Pawn at that. Takumi stood next to Eira, eyes still painted red from the rage he experienced earlier in this battle. His gaze was upon the beaten Onoko. He wasn't sure why Eira left the decision to him, but he was on the proverbial fence about the decision itself. On one hand, he would have happily seen Onoko beaten to a bloody pulp for everything that happened this day. On the other hand, though, he had seen this man as an obstacle he was incapable of overcoming in his current state. He wanted that changed. "I think... we should leave him be," he answered as his Boosted Gear faded into his arm, and his eyes returned to their former orange hue.

[Apollymi]

The mention that the statements made by Eira about her supposed lack of want for a fear-filled reputation should be told to his wife made the crimson haired lass smile. She indeed was quite familiar with her brother's wife and found her to be one of two of the most frightening women she'd ever known in her life. "Fair." was all Eira had to say in response.

Moving right along, Eira stood in wait for the decision of Takumi as to the fate of Onoko. And not much to Eira's surprise, Takumi decided that should leave him be. A gentle smile crossed Eira's face as this was exactly what she expected of her newest servant. The young man seemed to be nicer than his bullies deserved, and though she would have seen this man killed a few moments prior for the words he spoke against Takumi, if the young man didn't want anything to happen to him right now, she wouldn't disagree. "I knew you would say that... alright then," Eira said calmly. She'd known a great deal of what to expect from her newest acquisition. And his demeanor was still one of the more confusing to her personally, even so, she couldn't say she disliked this young man's decision. "Check on Miyuki and celebrate our first victory!~ Nii-sama, we're good to go~" Eira mused. It seemed she was happy enough to get back to her servants and perhaps enjoy a nice party knowing she'd successfully completed her first Official Rating Game.

[Bloodedge]

"H-... Hai!" Takumi exclaimed. Onoko's body began to fade away as the "Retiring System" of the Rating Game claimed him, making it official that this win belonged to Eira and her peerage. Takumi was more than ready to ensure the stability of the Bishop Miyuki. All they had to do was return to where the others were, and Sirtreize was happy to deal with the transportation. In the time it took for Takumi to blink, the Crimson Satan teleported himself, Eira, and Takumi to the room where the first audible thing was the voice of Izuna... along with the Queen Piece holder's incessant banging against the barrier. "Oi! Let me out of here you cheap bastards! I'm gonna-"

"Izuna... san?" said Takumi. This drew the attention of Izuna during his moment of apparent fury. He turned around, revealing the fox-like features of his face in full effect. Upon spotting Eira, he immediately flew toward her and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Eira! That Onoko Astaroth is a cheater! I looked into Dice Figure Games while we were here, and these aren't the rules! Don't... don't tell me. Did you guys...?"

[Apollymi]

Their victory official Eira soon enough found herself standing back where she'd started this match. But before she could do anything about looking in on Miyuki there was the matter of a very upset Izuna to deal with. One could always question how Izuna felt about things given his generally playful nature, but given how quickly he switched and grabbed her by the shoulders to tell her about how much Onoko had cheated she found herself staring at him blankly. Her eyes soon filled with absolute astonishment. "KAWAIII!!!!~" she reached up to wrap her arms around this very upset member of her peerage. "I-zu-na~ Your cute little fox face has ears and everything~ I didn't know you felt so strongly about this~" she whispered to him. "Don't worry, we won," she also whispered she wanted to announce this to the entire peerage at once, or perhaps the news would make Izuna happy enough that he'd do it himself. "I'd love to know why you're so worked up right now, but let me check on Miyuki first, hm?" she said.

Miyuki was on the other side of the couch resting, her head in Youmu's lap. The white haired girl turned and looked back she only hadn't gotten up to preserve the smaller girl's comfort. "Buchou," she raised her hand to motion towards herself catching the crimson haired woman's attention. Eira had faith in Hiroki's capabilities as a healer and figured there wouldn't be much to worry about except for the small girl's potential exhaustion and shock. Upon taking a closer look Maiko could be seen seated on the floor directly in front of the pair looking and waiting for any sign of the small girl waking up. It seemed watching the match had been forgone once taking care of Miyuki had become a priority.

[Bloodedge]

The fury within Izuna's demeanor was suddenly quieted as he was taken into Eira's embrace. He was confused by this, but Eira soon whispered to him that they had emerged victorious. He had spent quite some time believing things may have been better if he had been involved in the fight, and just as much time thereafter being enraged due to finding out the true rules to a Dice Figure Game. He was relieved to know Eira and Takumi defeated the enemy, but there was still the matter of Onoko cheating. "You... won? But this was a rigged game. I'm pretty sure you were set up to lose, and even the number you rolled was rigged!"

At this moment, Sirtreize stepped forward to finally be noticed by the previously enraged Izuna. He looked upon the half-yokai with a smile, giving an explanation loudly and clearly enough to reach all present. "These rules were different from the norm, and yes, everything was rigged in Onoko Astaroth's favor. That was all my doing. Clearly, a group as inexperienced as you all should lose this sort of fight," he said whilst waving his hand around in the air ever so nonchalantly. "Sirtreize Lucifer!?" Izuna replied immediately, being somewhat shocked to even see this man here today. "But why would you do that? You set your own sister up for failure?" he asked. To this, Sirtreize laughed. "Iie. I set her, and the rest of you, up to carve your own names into the Underworld. I know Eira isn't the type to like piggybacking off the Gremory name, so I set this up with a little extra incentive to succeed on her own terms."

Meanwhile, Takumi walked alongside Eira to locate Miyuki. She seemed safe in the lap of Youmu. Also present for the recovery process was not only Maiko, but Hiroki - who took a side to the girls after using his Twilight Healing on Miyuki - as well. The male of this group looked upon Eira and Takumi, both of whom seemed as worried as the others had been after Miyuki's retirement, and smiled. "She's just resting. She might have a couple of minor memory-related issues when she wakes up, but there should be no lasting or significant damage at all. Still, she took quite the blow; her skull almost shattered."

[Apollymi]

Izuna still had problems and this was all fine as Sirtreize stepped up to explain the nature of this game and why it had been set against Eira's favor in the first place. It seemed it was a plan of his to allow his younger sister the ability to make her own way without having to fall back on her family name, the kind of thing which was very much like Eira when Youmu considered it. As their leader looked over to check on Miyuki, Youmu shifted her gaze towards the man, and nodded. "Sou ka... Nice job, Takkun, Buchou... " she said before falling silent once more. Maiko on the other hand had stood up at the mention of Sirtreize's name. She was also completely stunned that he'd bothered showing up for such a thing, to know that he'd been the one to set it up, even for their leader and to know that he believed in her enough to let this go, made tears come to the raven haired girl's eyes. "Buchou!~, Your big brother is so cool!~" she said seeming to be pleased about something. Eira sighed, such was always Maiko's reaction to her brother, and she was sure she knew the reason why.

As this happened, Hiroki's words set Eira at ease, she leaned over and pressed her lips against the forehead of Miyuki and it felt cold, but that was a good thing. With the act of this kiss, Eira shared a bit of the residual power she'd been given by Takumi to stir the consciousness of her youngest member. As her lips came away, she spoke. "Wake up, Miyuki~ Or you'll miss the party~" she whispered quietly. The girl's purple eyes soon opened and she stared into Eira's crimson colored ones before sitting up. "Bu-bu-buchou, sumimasen!" she apologized immediately feeling bad for being the first one eliminated. "Yare yare, no need to apologize. In fact... I'm sorry, I promised to look after you and you got hurt on my watch..." she mentioned which made the young girl shake her head. "Iie, I'm just sad I didn't help... there's a party we won didn't we!?" she asked seemingly excited. "Hai hai, Takumi helped me win in your stead, you two were the perfect choices~" she chimed moving as Miyuki looked to Takumi, who'd according to Eira done a good job putting in for both of them while she was out. "Arigatou Taku-senpai!~" the girl thanked him for helping out in her stead, without needing any other details. "Who is that guy?" she asked of Sirtreize now free enough to be leaning against the couch outside of the lap of Youmu, she could see him among the normal members of her peerage in their special meeting place even. Though she'd never met Sirtreize before, Eira was more than a bit surprised that the girl wouldn't have figured him out on sight. The rest of the young women in her peerage managed to look stunned.

[Bloodedge]

"H-Hai... Arigatou gozaimasu," Takumi said following Youmu's congratulatory statement. As for how moved Maiko was by Sirtreize's explanation for his actions, Takumi was at a loss for words. He supposed he could understand the crimson-haired Devil's purpose, but he could not see it as something that would move one to tears. As Takumi brushed off this matter, he watched Eira place her lips upon the cold forehead of Miyuki, effectively waking her by means presumably related to those which healed him two days prior. Miyuki stirred within moments of being spoken to, causing Takumi's lips to curl upward. When thanked for his efforts though, the new Devil seemed shocked. His smile faded away, and he bowed his head. "Ryuume-chan... sumimasen. It's my fault you took that hit," he said whilst prostrating himself.

By the time Miyuki was asking about Sirtreize's identity, the Satan himself had begun moving toward Eira. That same smile was still upon his face, and though he'd heard the girl's question, Sirtreize himself had no answer for her. Instead, he simply took a side to Eira while speaking a single word meant only for her. "Rude."

[Apollymi]

Miyuki managed to look bit stunned that Takumi felt the need to take responsibility for something which he couldn't have foreseen being a problem in the first place. Besides that, they'd made a pact to help their leader win her first rating game, and he'd followed through with that. She smiled then realizing she didn't want him to feel guilty about it any more than he had to. "Iie, Taku-senpai. I can't let you blame yourself for that. Besides, you still upheld our promise and helped Buchou win. That's all I wanted to do too. You did it for both of us, so it's fine," the girl said seeming to have a very simple way of thinking about things. He held her hand out to shake his as they'd done before that horrific moment. "We'll get 'em together, next time!" she offered fully aware that she could still do much more with more practice.

As she watched this Eira heard the words from her brother now standing at her side and scoffed. "I am not rude. I told her about you before, but... I haven't been to see you since after the trip where we acquired her. You remember when we went to Mt. Kirigamine for that trip during winter break," she mentioned the circumstances of the first meeting between her and Miyuki to set his mind at ease. She'd been sent to that place with a few from her group to help clear out some unwanted activity around the old shrines and found a stray devil there, terrorizing the local youkai. Miyuki was terrorized by some of the other Yuki-onna there and outcast and as such was taken in by Eira who saw the girl's potential since she helped deal with the problems there. Regardless Eira went about making a formal introduction, but only after watching how she and Takumi resolved things. "Miyuki, this man is Sirtreize Lucifer, the Crimson Satan. He's also my big brother... Nii-sama, this is Ryuume Miyuki, she's was my newest acquisition before Takumi," she said. If one cared to note it, Eira had very strange tastes, a Yuki-onna and a boy bearing a Dragon's soul had been added to her peerage over the course of a couple of months. Which could only be added to by the strangeness of her already existing peerage members. Miyuki's eyes widened at the introduction, she hadn't expected to meet this man any time soon, beyond that, to be in the presence of one of the Satans was almost scary considering. "Su--su- sumimasen, Nice to meet you, Satan-sama," the young girl's face blushing an intense shade of blue of as she made her way through her introduction.

[Bloodedge]

"Iie. I'm the only one worth blaming. I'll keep blaming myself, but... but..." Over the course of his speech, Takumi gathered himself enough to raise his head and clench his left fist. Then, for the third time today, he would swear to himself and the others. "Next time, I'll do my part by making sure no one gets hurt!" With that said, Takumi reached out to take Miyuki's hand, solidifying their agreement while also giving purpose to his own promise.

Sirtreize rolled his eyes. Of course Eira would claim to not be rude, and have some very convenient story as to why he'd yet to be introduced to her most recently acquired Bishop. "Of course I remember! But... that was ages ago. You are no less rude for avoiding a visit to introduce me to your new servants," he said to chastise Eira, albeit all in good fun. To Miyuki, he had a rather different tone. "The pleasure is all mine, Ryuume Miyuki-chan. I saw your efforts today. You're a fine addition to Eira's peerage. Speaking of additions..." Sirtreize shifted his attention to Takumi, taking additional steps to reach the boy and look him in the eye. To Takumi, the piercing gaze of this Satan almost made it seem like he was being looked right through, to the depths of his soul and the Dragon apparently living within him. "I had always hoped Eira would follow in my footsteps enough to get herself a pet Dragon, but I never expected this. Hajimemashite... Red Dragon Emperor," he said, spacing his final sentence in an interestingly suggestive manner. "H-Hai. Boku wa Yasukawa Takumi. Yoroshiku, Satan-sama!" Takumi replied.

Sirtreize continued to stare, as if looking for something specific in this young Devil. In the end though, he simply closed his eyes and smiled yet again. "You're all so formal. I guess it can't be helped. Take care of my sister, Yasukawa Takumi." The Crimson Satan's final words to him threw Takumi off his mental state, in a way. Even so, his brow soon furrowed, and Sirtreize was able to witness his normally hidden determination first-hand. "Hai! I'll do my best!"

[Apollymi]

Their agreement had been come to and Miyuki shook the hand of Takumi. She couldn't say she agreed with him continuing to blame himself, but some progress was better than no progress. As they moved along she was soon introduced to Sirtreize who seemed to take her introduction well enough, and Eira managed to watch the entire thing only scoffing at the fact that her brother still teased her because she hadn't come to introduce Miyuki before hand. "I wasn't avoiding anything..." Eira said managing to look pouty while discussing this thing. Perhaps she had avoided a trip to see him, and perhaps there was a reason for that, but it didn't really matter at present. Miyuki apparently got a completely different treatment including compliments to her skills and the idea that this Satan thought she was a worthy addition to his sister's peerage. "Arigatou Gozaimasu!" she managed. An abashed look crossed the already blue girl's face which made Eira lean forward to offer only a teasing remark. "Remember to breathe Miyuki, you wouldn't want to faint like Maiko did the first time she met Nii-sama!~" she chimed. This statement made Maiko nearly choke, and Miyuki exhale in a chortle. "Buchou! How could you tell anyone after me about that..." the girl whined seemingly stunned that anyone bothered to remember how the girl had acted the first time meeting Sirtreize.

In the meantime it would be Eira who got to be embarrassed this time by a statement her brother made concerning the newest acquisition to her peerage. "Nii-sama! He's not a pet... and it's not like I went looking for a Dragon or anything. It's pure coincidence," she said, as she crossed her arms under her chest and managed to seem properly aghast by the assertion. Perhaps it was something about the word pet, or perhaps she was just feeling a tad guilty considering the way she'd chosen to take Takumi for herself in a moment of selfishness. Regardless the young boy seemed to gather himself enough to converse with her brother, and though she didn't approve of the kind of statements Sirtreize passed along, she knew it would be pointless to argue it. "Hai hai. Now everyone has met. Miyuki is good to go, we can go to this celebration you put together," she said pausing just a moment. "Wait a second, why did you put together a legitimate party if you knew it wasn't going to go the route that would need the party afterwards?" she asked, it was very random but until now she hadn't considered that her brother knew all along she wouldn't be marrying Onoko Astaroth so what reason did he have for putting together a party. It seemed a bit over kill for just appearances sake.

[Bloodedge]

"Your best, eh? Well... what do you think your best will accomplish?" Sirtreize asked. At this point, he was leaned forward enough to be at eye-level with the shorter male, and he wasn't more than a few inches away. Takumi may have been taking aback by this intense stare of the Crimson Satan, but he mustered up a response all the same. "W-well, I think... my best will be able to help repay my debt to Buchou for giving me a new life," he said. Of all the responses he could have given to these words, Sirtreize had only a long pause, followed by a cheeky laugh. "Buchou? Right... that school club at Kuoh Academy." This was all Sirtreize had to say on the matter, though he had his own thoughts which he shared only with Eira through a simple glance. With that, he stood erect and parted from Takumi. "Good luck, Red Dragon Emperor."

Only a moment later, Sirtreize was properly standing before Eira again, along with other members of her peerage that had been subjected to her teasing nature. Sirtreize found himself addressing a couple of things brought up by his sister, the first of which was related to the status of her new Pawn. "Mine were also coincidental, but that doesn't change anything. You can't really disagree so much with that, Buchou~" he teased. Moving right along, there was the matter of the party he started in the Underworld. "Who said it didn't go the route that would need a party? You can have a party for just about anything. I... I went through all the trouble of making calls, putting a huge party together just for you... and you're not even excited about it." When his last words were being spoken, Sirtreize forced his voice to tremble, and rubbed a finger over his eye as if he were crying. In fact, Sirtreize was a good enough actor that if one didn't know any better, it would both look and sound like crying was exactly how he reacted to Eira's words. "You've grown into such a hurtful woman, Eira! You used to be so happy when I did things like this for you!"

[Apollymi]

Eira listened to the conversation between her brother and her newest acquisition and remembered that she'd never seen the young man outside of school, so she'd never had the opportunity to tell him that it was perfectly fine to call her by name. "Cut him a break... it has only been a couple of days, Nii-sama..." Eira mentioned in defense of her pawn. Of course, the look she garnered from Sirtreize let her know that some sort of teasing was headed her way, and she couldn't help but sigh just a bit as it happened. This sigh was further exasperated by this man's follow up sentence which sent the young heiress into a bit of a huff. "Are you really doing this... right now?" she asked of the way her brother chose to address her in this sentence. Of course she knew her brother and knew he was doing exactly this, but she couldn't really take blame for this sincerely, it wasn't her fault that Takumi refused to hang out with the group outside of school. Her own logic dictated the only person he hung out with at all was perhaps Izuna.

Beyond the apparent problem her brother had with what assorted members of her peerage chose to call her, basically the ones who didn't spend more time with her outside of school, there was also the matter that he apparently felt his gift of a party was being shunned by Eira. Now it wasn't but given all the things her brother had done this day, she couldn't believe it would be a simple party. "Look... " she started, only to have her speech be interrupted. She knew her brother was just playing at the heartstrings of anyone who'd listen and unsurprisingly enough the female members of her peerage seemed to fall right into it, starting with his biggest fan Maiko. "Your brother did such a nice thing for us... how could you be mean to him?" she asked her which made Eira's head turn and her eyes widen. She couldn't say she didn't expect this from Maiko but the speech that would come next was from Youmu. "You were happier the last time he threw you a party, Eir..." she mentioned those deadpan blue eyes making contact with Eira's. It was like being shot through the heart. Last but certainly not least there was Miyuki who pulled on the sleeve of the crimson haired woman. "You could smile a little, I've never been to one of these, he seemed really excited about it, Buchou..." she said, and it was like she died in this moment.

"He turned... every woman in the room against me... I am just thinking ahead..." it was like a dark cloud settled over Eira for a few seconds. She couldn't believe the amount of misfortune brought about in this moment. "Eira-nee..." she corrected Miyuki who thought about it her eyes widening, this was seemingly one of the things she'd forgotten with her knock to the head. "Fine... fine... you win. I'll just be happy. Arigatou... Nii-sama, thank you for taking care of us~" she managed. She couldn't believe how quickly the tides turned against her. "And while I am at it, when we aren't doing club stuff, Takumi...you can call me by my name too~"

[Bloodedge]

"Such a cold heart you've grown into..." Sirtreize was still going on with his false tears. When it seemed the female members of Eira's peerage were getting involved, he virtually leaped at the opportunity to address them. He leaned forward once more, facing the trio of girls with his hands clasped together in front of his face, all while watery eyes looked upon the young ladies. "You wonderful ladies understand, right? So cute, so kind, all of you. Wouldn't you rather come to my peerage and never have to deal with a woman who cares so little for her own family?"

Meanwhile, Takumi was stepping forward just in time to be addressed directly by Eira. Specifically, she spoke of him being free to refer to her by name outside of the Occult Research Club. He could hardly fathom such a thing, figuring that even if he would not be referring to her as club president, he would have to use terms like "master" and the like. He did hear the others avoiding the same formalities as himself, but he assumed it was a matter of familiarity. Frankly... his history with women saw to it that he preferred avoiding such familiarity when possible. "Sumimasen. I... don't think it would be for the best if I did that..."

[Apollymi]

There was nothing on the face of Eira when she looked up at her brother. Things like this were exactly why she didn't spend too much time with her brother in the company of many others. The fake tears he was putting on for these young women finally made Eira scoff. "Trying to steal half my peerage while having your own, totally reasonable," Eira said. "You know I wouldn't give any of you up for anything... but if you want to go... I won't stop you," she said to all of them. She wouldn't trade anyone in her peerage for anything in the whole world, unless of course they wanted to go, and all present were well aware of that... the first to speak up was Youmu who chuckled just a tad. "It usually isn't possible to tease you very much, but you always seem so easily vexed when Nii-sama is around... I couldn't resist," her normally emotionless knight said turning down the offer to join the peerage of the man, in a way which Eira found simultaneously humorous and relieving. Meanwhile, Miyuki pouted just a bit, "I don't wanna go either...Eira-nee is so nice..." she said seemingly enthused to stay and remembering the concern the woman had when she'd returned to see her. "Ano... but you would let me go if I wanted to though right?" were Maiko's words, only she broke a wide grin. "I'm also just messing, kinda. You could be nicer to him... he does awesome stuff, and the last party was awesome!~" Maiko's words let Eira know that the young girl was simply a permanent fangirl of Sirtreize Lucifer, but she supposed there were worse things.

All of this happened and Eira felt better. At least the girls of her peerage weren't completely wowed or fooled by the antics of Sirtreize. "I'm telling Cin-nee you're trying to steal all my female peerage members and being mean to me," she said, to the man. She mentioned these words casually before returning her full attention to Takumi. She tilted her head left and seemed to stare at him intently, only a few seconds later a small smile came to her face and she sighed. "As you like, Ta-ku-mi~" she said in the same sing-song voice she generally used when addressing people like Izuna when he was in a funk. "Just remember that it's an option, if you ever feel so inclined," she said. Satisfied that she'd at least tried. She would really have to make it a point to look further into this boy's past and try to figure out what his deal was as far as his formalities were concerned as it was more than obvious to Eira that he was content to put a great deal of distance between himself and other people for reasons she hadn't yet figured out.

[Bloodedge]

Following his speech to the female members of Eira's peerage, Sirtreize straightened his posture and stared them down. He was, in fact, inspecting the amount of conviction in their responses when they turned down his offer, be it real or false. He had to say, even Maiko's reaction told him there was no chance of her deciding to follow him instead of his sister. "Oh? And what of you lot?" he asked, now shifting his gaze around to Izuna, Hiroki, and Takumi. "Satan or not, fat chance of that happening," said Izuna. "I can't say I have even the slightest amount of interest," Hiroki followed. "I don't know anything about other Devils, but... I'd rather stay where I am," Takumi said as the final answer Sirtreize needed.

After everyone had spoken, Sirtreize began clapping with a wide grin on his face. His gaze found Eira again, and the clapping slowed to an eventual halt. Even then, though, the verbal praise was only beginning. "Great job, Eira! You've done what most Devils only dream of doing. Your peerage might be one shy of a full set, but it looks like there isn't a single existing member who would leave your side. You've really made yourself a family, after all. And that... is all the reason we need to throw a party; wouldn't you agree?" With that said, Sirtreize raised his right hand while pressing his thumb against his middle finger. With a single click of his fingers, he would teleport himself and the entirety of Eira's peerage to the Underworld, where the Gremory Clan's territory was being used to harbor a massive party in Eira's name.

[Apollymi]

Eira heard the question of her brother being moved from the females who seemed to turn him down, to the males of the group who would answer in kind. Izuna's answer was all but expected, he was of course, Eira's best friend beyond all else, she didn't expect him to go anywhere. Hiroki in the same respect seemed to be very fond of her and he was one who'd been in her care for a rather long time. When it came to Takumi, there was a moment of pause from the crimson haired young woman. She was certain he wouldn't leave her, and when he affirmed this she could only be confused. 'For a guy who doesn't really want to be around me, he doesn't seem to hate me. I'm so confused by him...' she thought of her pawn. "Minna..." Eira's eyes shown happily in this moment, she couldn't help but feel pride for her peerage this little family she'd gathered all on her own. Beyond that, she couldn't help but feel proud of this young man, Takumi, who managed to be just as involved irrespective of personal confusion. Regardless of this it seemed her brother was content to begin clapping after this, apparently finding out what he meant to find, that she'd put together a family like peerage, instead of having problems within the group.

"Of course I made myself a family, Nii-sama," she said. She felt it didn't need further explanation. Given the reasoning behind his strange behavior and line of questioning she supposed she could understand. Their family was known for the kind of affection they had for their servants and their ability to treat them well, and that wasn't common. The idea that her peerage already didn't want to leave her as young as they were, was likely extra proof that she was a suitable Gremory Heiress. With a snap of his fingers, Sirtreize moved them all to a party which apparently was in their honor. "It's always worth it to have a party with them~" she chimed happily, a huge grin breaking across her face.

[Bloodedge]

Days after the Rating Game(s) of Eira and her peerage, the Student Body Council's office was inhabited by a male who'd been present behind the scenes of the battle against Onoko Astaroth's peerage. His name was simply Leishi. He sat upon one of three couches that faced inward to a table at the office's center, forming a square with the desk to complete it at the rear end. He wore slim white pants, and a purple tank top underneath a very loose black shirt with its collar wide enough to drape over each shoulder. To complete his ensemble, he sported a pair of black gloves that fell just short of reaching his wrists, and a very long, white headband with a golden star at its center, and gold also finishing its multi-pointed ends. In his hands, he held a booklet that was interestingly used to house a written review of Eira's most recent Rating Game. His deep purple eyes scanned each page again and again, and a chuckle escaped him numerous times. "That's messed up. I wish we could have been involved with this one; we didn't even get an invite!"

[Apollymi]

Curiously enough, the leader of the Peerage being reviewed by this lad, was destined to appear in this office today. The crimson haired heiress to the Gremory Clan would soon enter this very room, though it wasn't Leishi she intended to find here, she had different plans altogether. She'd be seen dressed in a formfitting black dress, which she'd become rather accustomed to wearing and black shoes which laced up to her knees. Completing her ensemble was thin black lace sleeves which covered her arms from her biceps down to her palms. This outfit did nothing more than accentuate the girl's rather curvy figure, but that didn't matter right now as she wasn't here for school related business. "Eh? Lei-shi~" she chimed initially leaning over the couch to have a look at the lad from directly behind him. Strangely though he wasn't a member of her own peerage, she seemed to be quite fond of him, a gentle smirk coming to her face as she rested her bosom against the back of his head. She seemed to have forgotten the entire reason for her own coming to this place. "Ohayou Gozaimasu~" she greeted properly seeming to have forgotten why she came to this room in the first place. "I haven't seen you in ages. I meant to thank you guys for proctoring that horrible Rating Game we were in. And you know, not letting Izuna break out~" she said with a gentle smile on her face.

[Bloodedge]

The male named Leishi was not at all ripped away from his reading, even as another person entered the office. He did, however, raise a curious brow the moment the door was opened, without visually confirming the person present. 'What a coincidence,' he thought. In a matter of moments, the familiar bust of one Eira Gremory was pressed against his head from the rear, and her own face simultaneously loomed over his. "Good morning, Eir," he spoke ever so casually. Just then, the page of his booklet was turned, though he finally tore his eyes from it. "It was no problem. We have fun watching Rating Games, and it keeps Nym especially happy. We didn't keep Izu from breaking out, though. He could have freed himself from that kekkai of mine any time he wanted. I inscribed it with the rule 'Any apparition of Seirei Class or lower cannot pass' when I set it up," he said, taking a breather before returning to his reading, as he wondered if his words may have been lost to the Devil in his company.

[Apollymi]

It seemed that much to Eira's general happiness, this young man at least was perfectly capable of having the kind of casual interaction with her that she preferred. She remained where she was leaning against him and peeking into his face as he explained that he was fine looking out for her. He mentioned a member of his peerage that was exceedingly happy to look in on them. It was one she remembered being related to the Satan Beelzebub. A chuckle escaped her as she realized that particular girl would likely enjoy proctoring Rating Games as a natural part of who she was. Moving right along, Leishi mentioned that Izuna would have been able to get out of the barrier he'd created at any time, and was content to use terms in his explanation which Eira wasn't familiar with. "Hm? You lost me Leishi... there are some terms in there I am not familiar with..." she said seemingly amused that there were still things about other kinds of beings which she didn't know. "Feel free to share though, I enjoy knowing new things~" she said. Becoming fairly curious about what in his explanation explained that Izuna could have left his barrier whenever he wanted to, she was even willing to put aside her reasoning for coming here, to find this out.

[Bloodedge]

"Sou ka," Leishi said upon receiving the confirmation he needed. His gaze returned to the booklet, though he did not start reading again just yet. In fact, his eyes closed after a moment of silence brought about during the time taken to formulate his explanation. "I would happily enlighten you, Eir. Onmyouji once found a need to create classifications of our own, separate from others' views of various spirits and creatures. In practice of Onmyoudou, it becomes easy to realize the strong similarities between spirits and Youkai. Actually, they are almost interchangeable, at least as far as kekkai, summoning and banishing are concerned. To keep it simple, they share classifications because of how Furyoku affects them. There are three classes to spirits and Shikigami alike: Normal, Seirei, and Kami. Most Youkai fall into the Seirei class, but if you were to equate the ability of certain Youkai to rival Gods, Satans and Buddhas... they would be considered Kami Class."

With all that said, Leishi closed the booklet in his hand, deciding he had actually read enough to understand the gist of the last Rating Game. If he cared to know anything else, he did have access to one of its participants here and now, so he freed himself to devote his full attention to Eira. In doing so, he chose to clarify one more thing. "Oh! Furyoku is a newer term from modern takes on Onmyouji, who call themselves Shamans now. What used to be called enchantment power started being called shamanic power. I guess it's an alright change. Anyway, Izu wouldn't have had any issues getting through, if he were a Daiyoukai at the time."

[Apollymi]

Eira would be exceedingly attentive as Leishi explained the classifications which Onmyouji had come up with to define Spirits and Youkai alike. The information itself was fascinating, as Eira had only loosely considered that other people had different ways of classifying the powers they'd encountered. What she knew of those sorts of things, she knew only because of her attachment to the Youkai who were part of her Peerage. She gained such knowledge through her Peerage members, though it was generally more specific to the kind of Youkai they were. "Sou ka, but..." she was soon left to pause as he went on to answer the one question she would have had about the explanation. Her eyes widened then as it all came together. According to what Leishi had to say, if Izuna had taken his true form, he would have been able to leave any time he felt like it. "That clears that up. That was a really good explanation. I understand what you mean in theory, but it is exactly for the reason that he could have gotten out as a Daiyoukai, that he was kept in~" she chimed, which was of course the absolute truth. Izuna had no intention of revealing the truest of his form to anyone if he didn't have to, and he had no reason to assume he'd ever have to. Eira wasn't completely sure why he was hiding but if he remained comfortable with his own decision she had no reason to question it. "But I am sure you realized that~" she said as a gentle compliment to Leishi, whom she knew to be Izuna's partner at least in relation to their shared after school activity. "Still, it's interesting to think that even magical humans have their own classifications of other beings. The world is such an interesting place~" Eira mused. "Arigatou Gozaimasu, for the crash course in Shamans~ I didn't mean to interrupt your reading~ I actually only came here looking for Lu-chan~" she said thinking about it more. "Things have been kind of hectic since that Second Rating Game."

[Bloodedge]

"Of course I do. I could have also stopped Kami Class for a little while, but I was actually holding out hope that Izu would be mad enough to break what I did put up," he explained. As he placed the booklet on the table in front of himself, Leishi turned clockwise until he was able to stretch out across the couch, leaning his head against its arm. It became apparent soon enough that Eira came searching for Lucaro, to whom Leishi was servile. "There wasn't much reading to interrupt. I was actually just getting Nym's summary of that last Rating Game you guys had. Nice Dragon," he continued, rolling directly into the next clause to meet Eira's reason for arriving. "Luca's gone. Nym should be around here somewhere though, unless it's something I could help you out with."

[Apollymi]

It seemed that Leishi had been holding out hope that Izuna would become upset enough to challenge the barrier he'd created. "Sou ka, well, you'll be waiting for that as long as I've been~" she said, knowing that she'd been holding out hope for her little fox boy for quite a while, and it didn't seem like his will would ever break over his need to be secretive with his form. He went on to explain what he'd actually been reading prior to her arrival and it was apparently the summary of her Rating Game against her elder brother. "Ah, so that's what passes as an entertaining read now~ Well, I expect that of Nymphia... her dad announced the whole thing, and seemed pretty into it," she said of the actual Rating Game material, but given who it was written by that made quite a great bit of sense. "Arigatou Gozaimasu~ With him and Revil, my Peerage is complete. Though Takumi is still out cold after his last battle," she said, a slight frown coming to her face. According to all of the healers on her team, the young boy was simply exhausted having gone too far past his limits, but still he hadn't so much as stirred in days, and it was just a little unnerving to Eira.

Irrespective of this, it was stated by Leishi that Lucaro the person she'd come looking for was out, and that Nym was apparently nearby or possibly depending on what she'd come for, he could help her out. She frowned slightly, finding it odd that Lucaro was always conveniently missing when she came looking for him like this. "Hm, well it is actually about Takumi. I need to look his school records... if you can help me out with that, I'd really appreciate it. If not I could just put it off until I track down Lu-chan," she said. Eira wasn't truly known for acting on her own whims, her now unconscious pawn was someone she felt even more obligated to look after than other members of her peerage. Given this, she felt it necessary to know how he'd gotten to the point of being kicked from the roof during lunch and thought his past might help her better understand his family dynamic as well as take away a bit of the awkwardness surrounding the lad. Since being direct wasn't technically an option at present, she'd be a bit more indirect than she was used to.

[Bloodedge]

"Hmm... I dunno about that. I could threaten to throw our next big game if he doesn't show it. That'd probably work, but I don't think our fans would appreciate that. The Host Club is too close to finished for that kind of sacrifice." Leishi spoke whilst relaxing as best he could into the couch, seeming almost as if he could fall asleep here if his attention wasn't focused on conversing with Eira. As for his attention, Eira's was rather obviously focused on her new Pawn, the Dragon of which Leishi spoke. Leishi opened a single eye, looking toward Eira with it as she explained her desire. The more she spoke, the more he understood... even gathering an understanding far beyond what words could convey, directly from the heart of the Devil. "... Sou ka. This is weird for you, Eir. Don't worry, it's probably got to do with adjusting to that Dragon arm he has now. That's gonna be a problem, by the way; good luck with that. As for your snooping... new student files are over there," he said, pointing over the back of the couch, toward the top drawer of a file cabinet against the wall.

[Apollymi]

Eira found herself listening to the lad while he said what he could do to get Izuna to show the form he was born with. She seemed a bit stunned that someone else would think of doing something like that, but if the lad hadn't shown what he was really made of in front of Cinder Fall, she could only wonder what kind of esteem the lad held soccer in. More important than that though, was this Host Club which was apparently almost up and running. "Really? That is almost ready?!" she seemed suddenly excited. "You have to let me know when it's up, I'll come by and visit~" Eira chimed about the Host Club, which was by far the most entertaining club not her own which she thought to visit. The boy went on to make himself exceedingly comfortable on the couch, only even opening and eye to look at Eira after she explained why she'd come here.

Her own eyes widened as he expressed that something about her was weird and seemed to infer something beyond the standard motivation for doing the things which she did. "Ugh, why does everyone keep saying that?" she questioned aloud and most rhetorically since she was very used to not getting a single straight forward answer about the apparent strangeness surrounding her actions. On the matter of the boy's dragon arm, she was told by Leishi it would eventually be a problem and that he wished her luck with it. A shrug would come from Eira as she leaned against the couch and sighed. "Well, dragon appendages are strange, but I don't think it will be too bad. I am fairly certain I can drain the power from it, in the same way that I remove curses and powers from objects. The only potential problem with that, as Izuna and I have discussed, is that since he's still alive and producing energy it will return to that form over time. It's a temporary fix, but... that's fine for now," she said, seeming to have no problem with this open discussion with one of Lucaro's Peerage members. She went to extremes for her Peerage all the time, it wasn't even inconceivable that she'd handle something like this herself without any problem, even though it would require her to use the type of powers she normally avoided using. Beyond all this it seemed that Leishi had no problem pointing her in the direction of the information she sought, and she was soon looking towards his pointed finger towards the file cabinet. "Arigatou Gozaimasu~" she chimed as she walked around the couch and dragging a hand across it, leaving it to ruffle the young man's hair before she went on to peruse the file cabinet. In the top drawer she looked through new student files in alphabetical order until she came across the one which was titled, Yasukawa Takumi. After this she'd begin to read for the purpose of finding out how Takumi had come to be in Kuoh Academy.

[Bloodedge]

"Sure sure, but no special treatment. Visits don't come free, y'know," he commented about the idea that Eira would be visiting this alleged Host Club when it formed completely. When she went on to question his assertion about her current demeanor, his eyes closed again. "You're weirdly emotionally invested in this whole thing. That's probably why," was his answer, which he could easily tell Eira did not expect to receive. To further his relaxation after pointing Eira in the right direction, Leishi tucked both hands in behind his head, and crossed his legs at the ankles against the other arm of the couch. Like this, he was able to fully experience the couch's comfort while Eira passed him by, taking the time to muss his hair on her way. "It'll definitely do that. If you're that into sucking up Dragon energy, though, don't let me stop your master plan. I guess the only alternative is amputation."

[Apollymi]

"I mean that is fine... I enjoy supporting you guys, even if I have to pay for it~" Eira said about visits to the Host Club. She knew how the Club was to be set up, and understood its purpose. Even so, she was more than willing to visit to support friends in their endeavors, especially if it meant she got to spend a more than reasonable amount of time around her favorites to look at. She'd meant to start reading after making her previous assertion, but before she could even begin, the answer to her rhetorical inquiry came and caused her eyes to widen and the girl to gasp. The fact that she never expected an answer to this question was partly to blame, but the fact was, being involved in the way she was, she hadn't considered that she seemed emotionally invested. "Do I really? That is weird. I don't feel any more emotionally invested than I normally do..." she said, and this was in fact the truth. She made a great deal of effort to care about the lives of the people in her Peerage. She was invested in everyone's well-being. She assumed she was like this more than most people who had Peerages, but she didn't assume her treatment of Takumi was particularly special, with the exception of how he was created. Though it could easily be noted that even in her caring she seemed to especially care about Takumi, perhaps there was a proper explanation for this, a bit deeper than she realized. "It isn't part of any particular plan, though a bit of dragon power can't be a bad thing," she said, thinking of her brother who had two dragons on his peerage and seemed to enjoy them. Whatever the case, in the moment she intended to stay her course, and with that... she began reading.

She was able to keep this up without needing to ignore Leishi, should he be so inclined to speak. She found out, over the course of her reading, that Takumi a past which was tragic in a strange way from the rest of her peerage. But that he definitely fit in with their generally disenfranchised motif. He had been previously suspended from his school, for nearly beating another boy to death in a fist fight. This was sort of surprising since Takumi himself seemed to be a bit of a pacifist. Beyond this, his records explained that Takumi had been in this fight over the equivalent of a school idol whom he'd been in a relationship with. Eira's brow rose as she read this it didn't seem to be the type of lad she'd come to know, though it did explain several things about her visit to his home. 'Sou ka, his mother didn't trust he wasn't getting himself into this kind of trouble again. I suppose I understand her skepticism... Even if it was extreme and pointed exclusively at me...' she thought, knowing that she was considered to be one of the idols of this school based on her level of attractiveness and her general disposition. The more she read the more she realized this boy was something of a shell of himself. He was talked about as if he was a personable kid who began to experience bullying in rapid pace because of who he kept company with. Given this boy's loneliness in the lunch that caused his death, she could only assume he'd simply withdrawn upon making it to this school making him even more of a target for bullying whenever he came into contact with any girl. 'No wonder he's so strange around me... it might not even be personal,' she thought of this young man's general experience with young women and the sort of attention they called to him. It gave her insight into something Izuna had said in days previous when they were visiting Takumi's mother about the way Eira in general behaved. She supposed, in that case she had no fear of repercussions from anyone, so she acted the way she always had. But people like Takumi had reason not to want the sort of attention that being friends with Eira would bring him. She also couldn't help but notice that his listed address wasn't the one she'd visited to see his mother. This one was much closer and an apartment complex for single students, meaning he was living away from his family to be closer to school. 'Sou ka, he's really alone...' she thought aloud. The same strange pang she'd had when she'd decided to make him in the first place, reappeared within her chest. She made a decision after finishing her reading, and whatever it was, she wouldn't mention now. She had the information she'd come for and with it, she'd act in the way she thought was best. There was at least an extreme amount of light shed on the boy's strange behavior and that was enough. She tucked the file back into the drawer and closed it. "Arigatou Gozaimasu~ Leishi, I'll catch you around some other time~" she offered the lad in passing.

[Bloodedge]

"Good. We need money. Actually, I was thinking of charging you for my time right now. Starting a club is expensive; we need so much furniture to fill the old Drama Club room with," Leishi added. He was quite obviously joking by his tone... mostly. At this point, he was talking just for the sake of doing so. Eira had the directions to what she needed, and she was quickly on her way to finding whatever information she sought. However, she made a note of her so-called emotional investment, which Leishi thought she may have perceived the wrong way. "I didn't say you were more invested. I said weirdly. It's just... different from your usual M.O. is all. There's some of the same stuff in there, but something else to go with it."

Leishi allowed Eira a few moments of silence to peruse the file she had in hand. In this time, he once again sensed the strange spikes in her emotional state, giving credence to his earlier clause. This was joined by the clause that her newest servant was really alone. Leishi had read a bit about the oddities surrounding this person, but he didn't know all the specifics. As such, he responded based on only a second of thought. "So... make friends with him? That seems to be how you fix every other lonely person you run into."

[Apollymi]

A smirk came from Eira as it was mentioned by the lad that he thought of charging her for his time. He spoke of the woes of starting a club, which Eira knew all too well from her own past experiences. "I understand how you feel, I end up refitting the old school house with furniture multiple times a year. If it wasn't because I was usually destroying it, I'd donate it to you..." she offered in the same joking manner. Though it was indeed true that she as an individual had a bit of a temper problem which was uniquely directed towards the sorts of people who wouldn't understand how she bonded with others. He went on to clarify his thoughts about her investment in her most recent acquisition, stating it wasn't more, that it simply strayed from her normal motives. She still didn't really understand this, but it was likely given her own involvement she wouldn't really until she took more than a few seconds to consider it. "Sou ka... I guess that makes sense, I've been weirdly invested since I made him. Maybe that is what started it..." she offered. She did strangely invest herself into this young man, but it seemed to be sort of normal to her at this point.

After her reading she made the mistake of slipping up and speaking aloud on a thought she had. The words of Leishi struck a strange chord within Eira, as he was quite right. It was usually her general motivation to befriend a lonely individual, and she'd done this countless times with others, including every other member of her peerage in some way shape or form. What he couldn't really know was, that it was almost impossible for Eira to make the sort of direct link in friendship with Takumi that she made with everyone else, given his own hangups around girls like her. "I didn't mean to say that..." she mentioned brushing her hair out of her face. "Still, I doubt it would be so simple. I might actually have to leave this to the others. I really can't be directly as involved as I tend to like to be... not the way I am anyways..." she concluded after reading the file. Still she didn't seem as disheartened as the negativity of her words might have portrayed. There was a way she could be involved, she suspected. As she was, it was completely impossible for her to personally bond with Takumi. There was the general hope that she could leave it to her Peerage to befriend the lad directly. But she also didn't like the idea of not forging a bond herself in the way she normally did. It was strange, this lad presented Eira with a conundrum unlike the other members of her Peerage. And as was the case with most things surrounding Yasukawa Takumi it seemed she'd need to go about it, in an unusual way.

[Bloodedge]

"Hmm..." he muttered. Apparently, there was more to the situation Eira was now going through than he could have known, but it was no concern of his. Leishi was now only really concerned about his own relaxation, after an early start and finish to his daily tasks, and keeping tabs on recent Rating Games for those who'd yet to qualify for the professional tier. "If ya' gotta leave it to them, ya' gotta leave it to them. That's what they're..." Mid-sentence, Leishi yawned. "... there for, right?" he asked in rhetoric. Moments later, he seemed to be opening his mouth in preparation of further speech, but what came from his mouth instead, was the first of a series of snores.

[Apollymi]

True enough, the situation between Eira and Peerage was now a bit more complicated than one might have expected. Given Eira's own tendency to be directly involved with the lives of those around her, particularly in preserving their happiness, she felt really odd at the idea that she wouldn't be able to directly interfere. As if he meant to offer her a bit of encouragement in this endeavor, Leishi's rhetoric was that which she could take to heart, at least a bit... "I suppose you're right, Lei-shi~" the young woman said seemingly in good spirits. If she had anything else to say, it'd be cut off by the first of what she knew to be a great many snores. This particular individual did seem to enjoy his naps, and having reached supreme comfort on the couch Eira was quite surprised he had lasted as long as he did. "Sleep well, arigatou ne~" she whispered as she left this place once more, closing the door behind herself so that he could enjoy his nap. She headed back to her own apartment where she meant to catch up with most of her Peerage and let the days continue to pass until the eventual waking of Takumi.

[Bloodedge]

The day following Takumi's return to consciousness, he returned to school for the first time in two weeks. The newest addition to Eira Gremory's peerage, Sairevil, was able to experience his first day of human school - something he found surprisingly enjoyable in spite of what the human children thought of it. The two would properly meet again for the first time since the previous night, only when the school day was at its end. They met up by chance outside of the Occult Research Club building, where Takumi found Sairevil wandering as if in search of something/someone. "Oh! Red Dragon Emperor. I'm guessing I have the right place then," said the half-blood Devil of the Gremory clan. He had looked at this building multiple times without entering, but he'd yet to see anyone else outside, so he kept himself from getting too close before confirming the location as his destination. "Hai," Takumi replied. "This is where the club meets. I guess most of the others are inside already..."

"Phew! I thought I was gonna go into the wrong building and have a bad time!" Sairevil clarified. He was very relieved to have gotten the right building. "Arigatou gozaimasu! Let's go!" he said, throwing an arm over Takumi's shoulder while pushing for an entry to the building. Takumi didn't necessarily agree with this, but he couldn't actively disagree. As such, he was reluctantly dragged through the front door.

[Apollymi]

Strangely, the ever present Eira was missing from her usual perch within the upper windows of this building. Unlike times prior, she wasn't watching patiently for the coming of her Peerage members, instead she was inside, and not even visible within her usual perch of a throne. Eira was presently in the shower. The sound of running water could be heard in the distance and Eira herself would soon be heard but not seen. She was singing, in the shower, apparently a habit she had as it was one of few times in her day where she was alone. She behaved this way because the sound of her voice while she sang, had the potential to hypnotize those who heard it. Still when she was alone, she could enjoy one of her favorite activities. As such, she finished her shower and song rather happily. Its melody was chipper but the words were rather strange.

"So I swear you’ll never be alone
WHEN YOU’RE LOST, HERE I AM
“FOREVER” WITH YOUR SOUL

We can make it through, if you believe - If you believe in me~"

The last note of this would be heard for several seconds before the sound of running water ended and Eira herself stepped out of the shower wrapped in a towel with one around her hair as well. "Yare yare, that took longer than I expected... Youmu should be here pretty soon," she said aloud to herself as she dried off. Only a second passed before the advanced nature of the time made her dress with magic. She donned her little black dress and high tying shoes as well as the long sleeves. A few seconds after this, she tossed around slightly damp locks with her towel before discarding that as well. She fully expected to still be alone for several more moments given the sorts of after-school activities the rest of her peerage got into. In fact, none of the female members of the peerage had made it to this place just yet, and Eira would enter the sitting room to claim her throne.

[Bloodedge]

"Sugoi! It's so cozy in here," Sairevil said. Though he was used to much larger spaces in the Underworld, he was actually intrigued by the special appeal such small buildings offered. He took his sweet time enjoying the atmosphere and decor of the place while approaching the stairs that would lead to the upper floor. On the way upstairs, Takumi's ears gradually registered the echoing voice of Eira as she sang from within the bathroom. He had nothing to say, but his attention was somehow taken entirely by what he heard. Soon after he began listening, though, everything fell silent until he and Sairevil set foot in the meeting room.

"Oi!" Sairevil called out the moment he stepped into the room, even though he became able to see Eira in that exact moment. "I found the place! Well... I thought I found the place, but... the Red Dragon found the place, and I found him! Where's everyone else? I thought I was late."

[Apollymi]

Eira as she claimed her chair heard the voice of her nephew and smiled in turn. She paused her activity and looked towards him and his being accompanied by Takumi. His words to her caused a brief pause while she looked over the pair, wondering how long they'd been there. Sairevil at the very least seemed to be himself enough that she didn't worry that they'd heard her for too long. "Oh, well Youmu is at Kendo Practice, it should be over in a minute or two. Miyuki had tennis practice with the same timing. Izuna has extended soccer practice so he likely won't show up unless it is super late anyways. Maiko will drop by likely properly late because she had to turn in some photos for the school newspaper. And now that the Host Club is open Hiroki might be a little later than normal," explained Eira about the whereabouts of the rest of her peerage, who all had other after school activities before they came to the Occult Research Club. Beyond this, Eira was on top of the activities boasted by everyone, and she was happy they found things to amuse themselves. "I meant to be waiting for you, but... my shower took longer than I thought it would~ Okaerinasai~" she greeted the pair of lads, finally taking her seat.

As she did this, Youmu appeared glowing into existence through the wall before taking a seat on the left side of Eira's throne. Hearing the greeting meant for the lads she took it for herself as well. "Tadaima, Buchou." Youmu was as apathetic as ever, but still she had a bit more to offer. "Miyu-chan, will be here shortly, as will Maiko, surprisingly," she mentioned. This made Eira's eyes widen. "Sugoi! Maiko won't be late? That's awesome!~" A few moments there after, Miyuki came in to the sitting room as well, taking up the spot on the couch to Eira's right, looking to everyone with a quick bow of her head. "Hello everyone. Tennis practice was fun, do we have a group activity today, Buchou?" she asked knowing that since she'd become apart of this group they'd done a great many things together. Maiko also entered hopping over a couch to the left and taking her seat as well. "Buchou!~" she said a wide grin breaking across her face, with Eira being the only person she properly greeted in the room for a moment. "DAMN! It's been forever since I said that last! I'm pumped, what's the deal today?" she asked. "Ufufufufu~ Everyone's so excitable today~ Maiko~ I'm not the only one in the room you know~" Eira mentioned which made Maiko's eyes widen slightly. "Yo, minna!" she said to everyone else, managing to look a tiny bit sheepish.

[Bloodedge]

"Sou ka. If that's how it is, I could have just found and asked one of them instead of walking around outside this building for fifteen minutes," Sairevil replied as he finally let go of Takumi. Eira's words led the younger Gremory to believe there would be some time before anyone other than the existing three entered the room, but that was not truly the case in the end. Youmu arrived shortly after Eira spoke, and Miyuki and Maiko appeared shortly after that. Hiroki also stepped into the room, albeit with a bit of delay since the others' entries. "Ohayou gozaimasu, minnasan," he said just as calmly as ever. Once Hiroki was present, Izuna appeared out of thin air against the right arm of Eira's throne. Once again, he had been here all along, patiently and silently awaiting the arrival of everyone else in the peerage. "Ugh, finally! It's boring being here by myself. So what's the deal today?"

[Apollymi]

"Well, they just have a lot of things going on... I'm sure you'll eventually find something else you like too~" she said to Sairevil. The lad was new to all of this so she didn't expect an immediate acclimation or anything like that. It was actually within her normal plans to introduce everyone to the things they didn't know. "Alright everyone is here then~" she chimed giving a nod to everyone present and then a playful nudge to Izuna. "If you want people to speak to you, show yourself~" she chided playfully. "For today, I don't have much of anything planned. We don't have anything big we are all needed for but, I think it is about time for general lessons," said Eira, which likely hinted of general plans to all who'd already experienced them. "Youmu and Izuna I'd like you two to give the crash course on Devil Life to Miyuki and Takumi," she said. Miyuki after her recent bouts in Rating Games had mentioned an interest in the important bits, so it was clear to Eira she was interested. And Takumi while he didn't express any particular interest could use the information to further settle himself into his Devil lifestyle. "Sairevil was born a Devil like me so he already has that information. Instead, I think he'd benefit a bit from being apart of the training session with Hiroki and Maiko. Given he doesn't have the human background you two do, I figure you could fill him in on the little things, and get a bit of variation to your physical practice," she said knowing that this would likely be fine. Normally it would be assumed that Eira would be joining one of these two groups for their afternoon activities, but she had something else in mind for herself. "Questions, comments, constructive criticism?"

[Bloodedge]

"Doesn't matter if nobody's here when I show up. I'll just keep waiting." Izuna yawned after speaking his retort. Eira went on to mention the time for 'general lessons' as she called it. Izuna knew well what this meant for the group. He and Youmu were charged with the responsibility of teaching two of the three new acquisitions. Since he had taken on Takumi as a pupil of sorts in all other aspects, he figured this one was best left to Youmu. Aside from this, he considered her a better teacher than himself, so he was content to take on the member who would have at least some natural understanding of Devils and their history beforehand. As such, he stood up and gestured for Miyuki to join him.

Sairevil was to join the training sessions that had been regularly occurring between Hiroki and Maiko. He nodded to show his acceptance of this, and Hiroki smiled. "I think that's a great idea. We've been making a lot of progress lately; it'd be a nice extra challenge for both of us to throw in someone else and mix things up a bit."

[Apollymi]

Eira watched as Izuna seemed to understand this part of this, strangely enough he motioned Miyuki towards himself and she nodded her understanding. "Hai, I'll do my best!" she chimed joining Izuna for Devil lessons. Meanwhile there would still be Takumi whom by virtue of who Izuna had chosen would be having Youmu as a teacher. This was also a good idea to Eira as she was good for this sort of thing and had good understandings of people and their motivations. Actually, Eira herself often went to Youmu for more solid advice, and Youmu took a different kind of advice from Eira. "Takkun..." Youmu said the lad's name while placing a single hand on Eira's shoulder before she moved from her spot beside the young woman. And headed towards the smaller sitting room with a chalk board and a desk for Takumi and a larger one for her, which she intended to give this lesson from.

Maiko was also excited about the possibility of fighting with someone different. "Yosh! I'm also cool with it. I get to kick two asses today!~" she said before receiving a raised brow from Eira. "What? I'll answer his questions too!" she said happily. Whatever the case, it seemed that training could take place as it needed to, so Eira herself was fine. "Arigatou Gozaimasu~ Have fun everyone!~" Eira said. And with that she'd excuse herself to do something else unrelated for the duration of this training session.

[Bloodedge]

"Haihai," said Izuna, who led the way for Miyuki into an old classroom downstairs. This room in particular was one he had reorganized himself to be more of a living room, complete with two comfortable couches and a television. In the meantime, Takumi was taken aback, but eventually stepped up to follow Youmu nonetheless. "H-... hai. Onegaishimasu," he said before entering the smaller room she guided him to.

Hiroki was left laughing at Maiko's antics, while Sairevil chortled specifically because of her confidence toward obtaining some sort of victory. The crimson-haired male believed himself to be the likely victor if they were to face each other again, and perhaps they would even be able to find out today. "It's my turn to pick the venue," Hiroki said. He would then lead the way for the trio, heading toward the courtyard via the nearest window. These three groups would go about their individual and collective development henceforth, carrying on with the pattern for quite some time...

[Apollymi]

With all three groups busy taking care of themselves. Eira was left to sort through the things which she'd been leaving undone while her Peerage recovered from their last couple of weeks activities. She came across several requests for her own presence from several people who had contracts with her, as well as reviewed recent contract completions by all of the members of her Peerage who had contracts going. Everyone seemed to be making good progress, and if the low murmurs and sounds of this building presently were any indication they were still busy with the activities they had going. 'Everyone's coming along well. Even our participation in Rating Games seems to be well on track...' she thought to herself as she allowed her Peerage to mentor and befriend each other.

Youmu after delivering a brief history of the Underworld, explained to Takumi how devils were ranked, the types of jobs he may have to complete, and why making himself stronger for Rating Games was the best option for potential progress. And as such was why Eira had chosen to participate. Now she sat atop her own desk with an empty tea cup beside her and had but a single suggestion for the lad. "Takkun, a devil's life, is potentially very long. It would be good to give yourself some goals, either long term or short term to help you manage it," she said with a nod, advice she'd once gotten from Eira herself. "It doesn't matter how simple or complex, but something you could potentially do will go a long way in focusing your attention, and helping with your adjustment." Surprisingly enough, through this session, the apathetic and normally quiet Youmu had been fairly talkative, and at least she'd hoped a bit engaging.

[Bloodedge]

Takumi took in more information than he expected to receive in a single sitting. Much to his instructor's credit, though, even concepts and history that were foreign to him were made easy enough to grasp mentally. He now knew enough about the Underworld's history that he understood at least things like the purpose of the Rating Games and Devil Reincarnation. Following the history lesson, Youmu started explaining the approach to hierarchy among Devils. She recommended that he keep goals in mind for the future, but in truth, Takumi had already done this long ago. Only during the Rating Game two weeks ago did he come to realize the promise he'd made to the world in the past. Now that he had it in mind, though, he was content to pursue it. "Eto. I... I already have goals..."

[Apollymi]

Youmu's suggestion that this young man get himself a goal, was countered by the idea that he already had one. For the first time since her match with Serde, Youmu managed to look surprised by that information. Though she was a now a bit curious, she wasn't nearly as pushy about this as some of her fellow members of this Peerage. "Sou ka, that's good..." she said, finding his resolve to be quite different. When she considered herself, she'd not had a goal for a very long time after her past, and it took her a while to figure out her own goal was still attainable. There was also the fact that in addition to her own goals, she decided it to be her best course of action to help with Eira's goals. "Unless you have any questions. I am sure I've given you more than enough information for a single day." This was the completion of Takumi's lesson, as she'd told him everything he'd need to know about his potential climb in the Underworld.

[Bloodedge]

"Hai," Takumi said. His goals were in mind at present, and the lesson seemed to be wrapping up. He rose from the desk he'd been sitting at, but paused his movements when Youmu offered to answer whatever questions he had. Takumi gave this much thought, wondering if he should even ask what he had in mind. Youmu was a very interesting individual who never seemed much for talking, but she had spoken quite a bit in teaching him today. Perhaps, then... it was worth asking his question after all. "Senpai... do you have goals as a Devil? You seem more disinterested than everyone else. All the others are so hyper, but you... You've been different somehow."

[Apollymi]

Takumi seemed content enough with his lessons and this was fine with Youmu. Surprisingly the lad did have a question and strangely it wasn't one directly related to the lesson. It was instead about Youmu's goals as a Devil, complete with an explanation of why he'd decided to ask the question. Apparently, he found her different from everyone else, less hyper and disinterested. A small smile came to her face in this moment, because it wasn't often that her disposition was pointed out to her. "I am different from the others, it is probably a matter of age," she said, knowing that she'd already lived an almost full life by the time she met Eira in the first place, though she maintained the appearance of someone in their late teens. "I decided I want to cut everything..." she said knowing it would likely need an explanation she continued. "That goal, isn't particularly noble, but I've trained with swords my entire life, and that has been longer than six of yours..." she mentioned, casually alluding to the fact that she was over ninety years old. "When I met Eira, I was at a low point in my life. I thought, I had nothing left to accomplish. I was hunted and detached from my life and everyone else's," she finished. "But, she let me see I could still have goals... that life didn't have to be exclusive to the way I'd been raised, or what I'd been doing before," she said with a small smile. "Youth is strange that way, it burns. I've never envied life, nor properly considered death. This makes me an excellent swordsman, because regardless of the situation... I can calmly see it through. But there is a fire here..." she said pointing to her heart. "And a desire to find all things I can cut. So with this Devil life I will do that. And while I serve Eira, I'll help her with the skills I develop... that was the first decision, I'd made on my own, in my life," she said. The explanation of her goal, was also the overarching story of her service to Eira, but these two things were entwined. She strove to cut everything, and her membership in Eira's Peerage allowed her to do this, while lending her insight to someone young and so full of ideas she might need a bit more direction. It was a beneficial coexistence.

[Bloodedge]

"To cut... everything," Takumi repeated when Youmu first mentioned her ultimate goal. He didn't immediately understand what she meant, or how this could be a lifetime achievement at all, but an explanation was to come from the ashen-haired Devil. Takumi kept an open ear to listen just as intently as he had to Youmu's teachings. The more she spoke, the more engrossed he became in the story. Takumi couldn't possibly pretend he understood the exact nature of Youmu's life before reincarnation, nor the life she had afterwards, and yet... there were many parallels to be drawn at every corner. In some small, yet simultaneously massive way, Takumi himself could relate to everything he was being told by the Knight. "Sou desu... ka..." he muttered. There was one significant hiccup in the intentions of Youmu. Once he was past the comparisons between Youmu's story and his own, he began to think about this. Her drive, while true, had a very solid end. It may have been an improbable thing to achieve in a lifetime, but Youmu did mention how long Devils could live. This issue was what he found separated his own drive from Youmu's, but what also kept him from properly pursuing his path. "So... what then? If you cut everything... What do you do when there's nothing left to cut? Do you just let that fire you mentioned burn out?"

[Apollymi]

Youmu explained her goal to this lad, and got to watch as he processed the information. It seemed that her story, like her earlier explanations were easy enough to follow. But there was one glaring truth that even Takumi grasped at such an early juncture. If her goal was reached what kind of person would she become? What of her goal? The small smile on the normally stoic knights face widened just a bit. She too knew what it was to wonder about this, and so she decided to answer. "Reaching the goal doesn't diminish the fire," she stated calmly. "It simply means it's time to find new kindling." What was to come next was an important explanation. "The goal is the device which lets you know what you are capable of," she explained casually. "So reaching the threshold is just a reason to run to the next one. Even if you don't know what it is initially," she said calmly. In theory there could be a long time between the start of a goal and the end of it. But, the goal itself isn't ever important, it this case it is more about finding the drive to act which was important. "If I cut everything, and come to embody the idea of that which cuts. I'll probably go on to try find something worth cutting." Youmu chose to see her life as new challenges, which was strange considering she once saw no potential challenges to face. But with the length of her life extended and her knowledge of the challenges of devils, angels and fallen angels, and beings of lore, she knew that she could always shift her focus and find something new to reach for. The goals weren't important, the ability, the drive to move forward even when the answer wasn't obvious... that was what Youmu was trying to impart.

[Bloodedge]

"Sou ka. I guess you've got it all figured out then." Takumi was surprised to hear that Youmu had thought things through to such an extent. He did suppose though, that she had plenty of time to do so during such an extensive life. With this in mind, he knew much more thought and conviction had to be put toward his own goals before he saw either of them through to the end. His fists clenched subconsciously, and his teeth gritted just the same. There was much he could do, much he wanted to do deep inside, but he had not yet found the drive to chase the end of the railroad. "How do you do it? How do you push yourself toward something like that without worrying about the obstacles and how it affects the people around you?"

[Apollymi]

The ashen haired lass did have a great many ideas about what she wanted to do, but she'd also had a very long time to think about it. She watched absently as the lad struggled, subconsciously clinching his fist and grinding his teeth. It was obvious to her, that he wished to be the same way she was, and that was likely harder for him to achieve given both his immaturity and whatever complications his life contained. Youmu couldn't pretend to relate on any level, she could only relay the information she had in the best way she could, and hope the lad would understand it in his own way. "The things that cause other people to worry, I don't possess. It is a unique case... for one such as you, I would say something else," she said knowing the state of mind she possessed was a completely unique one. Strange even among her people who trained warriors, hunters and killers for entire human life times. "Obstacles are placed before you, to test your resolve. If your will is strong enough, the obstacles you face will eventually crumble regardless. Even if you have to spend a hundred years slashing them away," she said, though that was the easier part of the explanation to deal with. Youmu was not an emotional being, because of this, she could easily see the sorts of struggles others went through, and Takumi's while not obvious was also the same sort young warriors used to face after their first kills. Were they monsters because they killed? Did everyone hate them because of what they had to do? It wasn't uncommon in Youmu's time for young warriors to falter because of how they felt they were being perceived. But Youmu's advice to Takumi in this moment, would be the same as the bit she gave to another individual she could only hope, he'd take to a bit faster than her. "How people around you perceive your actions, your powers and anything else about you is only a matter of confidence. If you trust people to accept you as you are, then they will not turn against you for the steps you take for their sake. And if they do..." she paused knowing the more straight forward way would likely be best. "Then they probably weren't worrying about in the first place."

[Bloodedge]

Youmu revealed herself to be a rather strong-willed individual. It seemed to be the case that such will was necessary for even chasing one's goals when they are so extensive as what she strove for. Could he do it himself though? To further his own goals, could he resolve himself to find that strength for himself? Only time would tell how things would work out. For now though, Takumi was content to follow Youmu's example by at least trying to steel himself. As he figured, it was the only way to even begin making any sort of progress toward a reasonable end. His brows furrowed, and the fists he held tightened further as he looked toward the white-haired woman. "Hai! I'll do my best. Arigatou gozaimasu!" he said, feeling somehow rejuvenated by the superior Devil's words. The more Youmu spoke, the more solidly he could think, as if every word from her mouth produced new purpose for the lad to take in.

[Apollymi]

Youmu's words had a great deal of power within them, especially for the sorts of people she was now surrounded by. Takumi was the one to experience this currently and went on to thank Youmu and state that he'd try his best with the information he was given. "Hai," she said offering a gentle nod of her head. This boy was quite strange to her, but she became curious about what he'd do now with his new lease on life. "It's what I am here for..." she said, her simple way of making an offer to the boy if he wished to talk or ask more questions at any point in time. Otherwise, she'd stand carrying the tea cup she'd been drinking from only to open the door to the room and exit with a gentle wave over her shoulder dismissing the lad. She felt she'd given him more than enough of a pep talk that he could do whatever else he wanted, including leave if he so wished.

[Bloodedge]

Takumi nodded, then bowed toward the Devil who'd been teaching him for the duration of his time here today. Though she left, her message stayed with him. There was only one thing worth doing at this point. If he was to truly make this alteration and find his resolve once and for all, he knew where he would have to go next. It would be difficult - incredibly so. However, it had to be done. The one thing Takumi had to do was confront his parents, which he couldn't bring himself to do when he was being transferred to a new school. This would only be a first step, but it was crucial nonetheless. He had to do this now, or risk missing the opportunity again. Shortly after Youmu left the room, Takumi followed. He didn't stop moving until he was out of the peerage's meeting room, then out of the building and school grounds entirely.

[Apollymi]

Shortly after Takumi finished setting the table, Maiko emerged and began speaking about her sleeping conditions for the night. It seemed she was about to mention something along the lines of her being willing to take the worse conditions, but her sentence was cut short. As she entered the kitchen, Takumi took his own seat. "Of course I cook. It's an American breakfast. My dad was so obsessed with American food after a long business trip, it's all my mom could cook for a long time. Enjoy. I figured it was the least I could do after last night," he said about the meal before them. Without further ado, he began eating from his own plate, doing so in a timely enough manner that he would still be walking along to school within the usual time frame.


Maiko had sat down to a breakfast with Takumi surprised by his cooking skills. She was also surprised to find the lad sharing information about his family and apparently how he ended up with the skills necessary to cook an American Breakfast. Whatever the case, she very much enjoyed the meal and as they walked to school she commented on it. "Seriously though, breakfast was awesome!~ I feel like I could kick all the ass today," she said walking with the lad like she was completely relaxed about the situation. She was quite used to arriving at school with others and a large or small group of people was fine with her. In this case, having spent the night keeping Takumi company. Still she was now aptly prepared for the day. She was excited for what the day would bring, and happy about the present state of her friend's attitude and she could wait for the school day to pass so she could get to the fun part of the day, club activities and the like.

[Bloodedge]

On their way to school, Takumi was once again hearing a comment about the breakfast he'd prepared as thanks for Maiko. When she spoke of this, his gaze traveled in her direction, carrying neither a positive nor a negative aura about it. "Arigatou, but... you don't have to--" Suddenly, a larger male student was standing before the two. Their travels had led them onto school grounds, and this particular 3rd year student was one of many boys who had a bone to pick with Takumi. "Oi oi oi!" he called out. Takumi, unlike in previous instances, immediately cut his eyes toward this male, brows furrowing as he did so.

Takumi had been walking quite casually alongside Maiko up to this point, even having his left hand in his pocket while his right hand slung his back over his shoulder. With the appearance of this other boy, he was picked up by his shirt to be brought to the other lad's eye level. "How many times do you have to be taught a lesson, Yasukawa!? Cute girls ain't for you!" As these words were almost spat in his face, Takumi was having a very different reaction to what was previously seen. He seemed to be growing more annoyed by the moment, and that feeling evolved into something much greater at the bully's last statement. "Oi..." he said calmly, though the other boy continued spouting his own words. "You're trying to poison Matsui with your worthless stench now? You'll probably like her a lot, since she probably beats the shit outta ya'! Hey... by that logic, you and I are about to be best friends, ain't we?"

[Apollymi]

Whatever Takumi had been about to say it was soon interrupted by a large male who had a bone to pick with him. Maiko watched as Takumi was lifted off the ground and her left brow twitched as her name was brought into this conversation for absolutely no reason. If this was the kind of bullying that Takumi dealt with, she could completely understand why the lad had so many problems. "First, I associate with who I want to, don't defend my fucking honor, I got it. And second don't you have a girlfriend... like fuck off already," she said to the man only to have a girl show up and begin speaking to her. This one was a blonde third year student of the female variety. She had on a metric ton of make-up and her voice was high-pitched and annoying to the raven haired lass instantly. "Oi, my boyfriend sticks up for you and you say something like that to him? Who do you think you are? He's paying attention to you and not me..." she said stepping up to Maiko as if she had no fear in her soul. "Check your fucking boyfriend you psycho, or I will and you too." Maiko said. Though she tended to hate fighting women because they were soft and didn't take much to knock out, she would still knock this girl out just to make her stop talking, her fist cliched as she waited to see what would happen next.

[Bloodedge]

When the bully's apparent girlfriend got involved with this little scene, things only became more annoying. Not only had Maiko already been dragged in by - and forced to deal with - both of these people, but the boy holding up Takumi was further enraged. "Look what you made happen now, Yasukawa! Guess we've gotta have a real friendly chat now!" he exclaimed. Takumi's initial response was only a blank stare at this large lad, as if he was piecing something together that he hadn't previously been exposed to. "Sou ka. This is how it's been the whole time at this school." When these words were spoken aloud, Takumi's current bully became confused, and more furious. "Oi, what the fuck are you eve-"

Yet another sentence went unfinished. At a moment's notice, Takumi's left fist had emerged from his pocket, swiftly finding its new home in the mouth of the bully. This knocked the 3rd year student back, forcing him to release Takumi, who landed on his feet with his left fist still at the ready. "Suman. I'm done dealing with the judgement of people who don't mean shit," he said in the same calm tone he had this entire time.

[Apollymi]

Maiko was already fully annoyed and she sighed at this entire situation. She was always brought into couples problems by couples who apparently didn't know how to couple. She'd never even been involved with anyone romantically but because everyone was so content to judge her based on her appearance she was always forced to defend herself from people. "What he made happen? Check your woman... really what the hell is wrong with you people?" Maiko asked this because it was obvious to her that these people were way too invested in the lives of people when they could live and let live. "Don't tell him what to do, your problem is with me!" claimed his girlfriend as she reached forward to push the girl in typical fashion. But, Maiko was too solid in her stance to move. "Okay." This was the only word to escape Maiko's mouth before she aimed a swift and concise punch at the stomach of the female victim. If she was hit the girl would immediately fall to her knees completely winded from the effect. In fact, her stomach was to tight she couldn't breathe in and passed out within a couple of seconds. Afterwards, Maiko returned her hands to her hips and watched the aftermath of Takumi's first hit with wide eyes.

[Bloodedge]

The boy who was so content to bother Takumi was on the ground before he knew better. When he finally got up, Maiko had already handled her end of the situation. "Urgh! Waht da fuhck..." he mumbled during his rise, in which he cupped his left hand over a bloody mouth which certainly had several broken and/or missing teeth. Takumi continued to set his crimson gaze on this boy, extending the forefinger from his left fist and using it to beckon the aggressor of this situation toward himself. Anger filled the boy once again, causing him to move his hand away from his mouth and charge Takumi. All the while, Takumi's gaze was unwavering. Never bothering to use his right hand, he clenched his left fist again and crouched ever so slightly. His right foot slid back to angle his body properly while his left fist targeted the bully's body in a series of three jabs aimed at his face, then chest, then abdomen. This jarred Takumi's target, winded him, and made him hunch over in quick succession before Takumi delivered a casual, yet mighty uppercut to his chin while turning away from him. The annoying male rose several feet into the air before landing on his back, very unconscious with numerous new health issues to worry about whenever he managed to get up again. "Tch! Same old story," he said while walking away and looking at his left hand. At this point, Takumi came to realize that learning about his Sacred Gear could officially keep him from accidentally beating someone into a near-death state. If he eventually did it on purpose though, that would be another story entirely...

[Apollymi]

This beating was handed down by both Takumi and Maiko without any hesitation and it took only a very short while. Maiko got to watch the next leg of Takumi's fight and found the lad, controlling himself and not using his Sacred Gear in the same way she hadn't bothered gearing up for the fight. "Yo! That was pretty bad ass. You really are a bit of a deli...." whatever Maiko had been about to say, was soon halted by the voice of a stern looking male teacher with glasses and a square face. "Matsui! Yasukawa!" this voice came and it made Maiko cringe and utter under her breath. "Ah shit. They never see the start though..." she muttered to herself. Still with both of them handling their prospective fights with ease, Maiko had no problem taking this particular punishment this day. "I know, I know... to the office. They started it though..." she muttered motioning for Takumi to come along as well because it was far better than anything bad happening at this moment. While this block faced teacher and another blonde haired young male teacher picked up the fallen peole to carry them off to the nurses office. Whispers would soon be spread among the student body about the tag-team beat down that Maiko and Takumi had handed down before the school day even properly started.

[Bloodedge]

Before Maiko managed to finish what she was trying to tell Takumi, both of them had their attention grabbed by another male voice. This time, it was the voice of a teacher who'd seen what they did to these other students. Takumi hadn't heard his name spoken in such a way for quite some time now, but he knew well what this meant. As such, he walked alongside Maiko to the principal's office, where he supposed he would be awaiting whatever punishment they managed to come up with for this event. To the blonde teacher being left behind to pick up the fallen students though, he had a few parting words. "You should call that one an ambulance. His teeth are shattered, and his sternum's probably cracked."

[Apollymi]

Takumi's words to the passing blonde teacher made his left brow raise. But upon inspection of the one lad, he removed a cell phone from his pocket and dialed for an ambulance for him. Obviously he would need it, the entire time this situation was unfolding someone indeed had been watching. A white haired girl in the school's uniform with red eyes stopped before the principal and said a passing word to him as she headed inside. "Matsui-san and Yasukawa-kun didn't start the fight. That boy, has been messing with him for quite some time, and that girl has a habit of trying anyone she thinks gets her boyfriends attention..." she said giving a gentle bow of her head. "I thought you should know..." having passed this along as information she walked off with a hand tucked under her chin. She wondered if this was something the adults were choosing to ignore or if they didn't understand the amount of nastiness contained within an annoying high school teen. Regardless she was disgusted by the two humans in this situation, mostly for behaving worse than a pair of devils, and this is what she thought as she headed off to class.

Sometime later, both Takumi and Maiko would be released with only detention for the fight they'd had, saying that a witness to the travesty had come forward and given information which cleared them of starting it. As they walked out of the principals office they got yet another warning. "I ask that you both avoid violence on campus and direct your concerns to the nearest adult instead of hospitalizing individuals who antagonize you!" and with that they were both allowed to walk off. Maiko managed to look stunned. "Only one day of detention... lucky!~" she mused.

[Bloodedge]

Eventually, Takumi was leaving the office, with both Maiko and himself receiving a warning against their future actions. If he had a mind to, he would have spoken to the contrary. This was always how things ended, with school staff members speaking as if they could actually do anything about a student's problems better than the student themselves could. In the end though, they never actually made a difference. Regardless of any of this, Takumi found himself sitting in detention at the end of the day, when members of the Occult Research Club were coming together. Sairevil thought he'd finally be the first one arriving to the club room today, showing up with nobody else in sight on his way. He actually managed to make it early, but it seemed Hiroki had nothing better to do this particular day than shatter the young devil's hopes and dreams by already being in the club's sitting room. "Ohayou gozaimasu, Revil-kun," Hiroki said, causing the other male's head to drop. "Ugh! I'm never gonna be first! Ohayou gozaimasu."

[Apollymi]

As Revil and Hiroki greeted each other, Youmu made her way in through a wall and took the seat she normally did on the left side of Eira's throne of choice. "It is a strange goal to have, getting here first. You might have an easier time of it without your fans," she mentioned to the lad who she knew to be particularly popular within his own grade and across the entire school even over just having been here for a short period of time. As she settled into place with her legs crossed at the knee she said one more thing to let everyone know about the comings and goings of the other person she'd seen. "Miyu-chan is coming as well, tennis practice will be over soon..." she said with a certain nod. And while all of this occurred, Maiko sat in detention looking no more or less disturbed by it than she usually did. The only truly vexing thing about detention was it made her late to the Occult Research Club, as such the girl sat in the room leg silently bouncing away as she watched time pass on the clock at a rather arduous pace. As it stood, Eira hadn't emerged from further within the old school house yet, and by the time she had, Miyuki came running along as well, stopping at the front of the sitting room winded as she went to take her seat. "Ohayou, minna-san!~" she managed as she collapsed on a nearby couch. "Ufufufufu~ You didn't have to run Mi~yu~ki~" chimed Eira as she finally entered in her usual glory to take a seat. Strangely she hadn't greeted anyone at the window as usual and something about her countanence had changed ever so slightly.

[Bloodedge]

"... Eheheh~" Sairevil seemed ever so slightly embarrassed with the introduction of Youmu. He couldn't claim that he didn't have quite the following after such a short time being in the human world. Such an experience had evaded him in the underworld, but here, his Incubus nature showed itself in full force. As he formulated a response to the phantom devil, he raised his right hand to scratch his cheek. A slight blush even appeared on his face as he did so. "Well, I don't exactly mind having fans or anything. I've kind of been a shut-in for most of my life, so I never got to experience it before."

Now that everybody who could appear had done so, Izuna let himself be visible to the crowd. Initially, his eyes were stuck on Eira, whom he knew to be quite bothered by something due to their heightened mental connection. Regardless of his worry for the heiress' state of being, he kept up his nature as the jovial instigator of the band. "Woohoo! Everybody's here, finally! So, who's got the scoop?" he asked, though it was completely rhetorical. "Don't answer; I've got it! The delinquent is back in action, and is gonna be late thanks to a little detention! More news at 5 ladies and gentlement!"

[Apollymi]

According to Sairevil he didn't mind his 'fans' and apparently didn't have any before because his life in the underworld was sheltered. Youmu's face gained a smirk as this information made sense for the lad and she was content to leave him to the happiness of his new experiences. "Hm, well just don't drown in them..." she said with that vague sense of apathy she always had. But if the lad was happy she didn't really care the number of fans he found himself with.

Eira on the other hand had greeted everyone who'd greeted her and took her usual seat. Miyuki looked at her and nodded her head gently still catching her breath but a small smile came to Eira's face regardless. But soon the peace of the group would be interrupted by the antics of their favorite fox youkai instigator, who went on to mention that the delinquent was back and would thus be late. This came with an extensive amount of eye contact with Eira initially but she wasn't sure why he stared so in this case, even knowing about their shared connection. There was only one assumption to be made by this and as such a small sigh escaped the crimson haired woman. "Yare yare, Maiko is already in trouble again?" she mused seeming to not actually be bothered by any potential trouble the raven haired girl could have gotten herself into. Given the reason Maiko tended to get into fights, she could easily say it wasn't the girl's own fault and would likely make that assumption in general from this point forward. "Izzun does love his reporting..." Youmu said having taken note of the eye contact she also looked to Eira wondering what might have been bothering her but deciding not to question it directly but instead to offer a cool hand on her shoulder.

[Bloodedge]

Izuna's frequent reporting of the goings-on appeared again today. This time, though, it was nothing particularly new, even to one so fresh in this group such as Sairevil. On the contrary, the obvious lack of knowledge for the true event left Izuna glancing at each person in the room. "Oh, yeah!" he said, as if he'd only just realized Maiko was not at all present. This was not true at all; he knew exactly what happened with both of these teens, but he had to make a scene when and where he could. "I guess she's in detention too, huh? But I said the delinquent was back. She never went anywhere," he commented, sparing another glance in Eira's direction with a sly grin on his face.

[Apollymi]

Eira's left brow rose as there seemed to be a bit of surprise in Izuna as she mentioned Maiko's missing status. But apparently she'd never gone anywhere as their resident delinquent. Given who all was currently present within the room, and the subsequent words and sly grin applied by Izuna, Eira could only make one assumption about who he was speaking of. Her eyes widened for just a moment, but she'd read his school records and knew the kind of trouble he'd managed to get himself into before this point in his life. To be honest, she was just relieved he wasn't hurt and as such she couldn't even feel upset about is current status as someone in detention. Even so she still felt rather conflicted about it, "Yare yare, I guess I should have figured something like this would happen..." she mused. The cool hand on her shoulder was noted and it did wonders towards calming her mood in general. Though Youmu had always been the most level headed member of her little family, it was easy to forget the calming effect her presence could have. "Well at least he's defending himself," she concluded. She knew that Takumi had resolved to live his own life and do his own thing, and though violence against certain people was necessary the fact that such a drastic change had happened apparently overnight was a bit jarring.

Meanwhile the teacher watching over detention finally looked up at the clock and then out at all the students. Classes had long sense been dismissed and these people would be the last few trudging out into the world. "Hopefully you all have learned your lesson. I'd ask you not to end up in here again but... some of you are repeat offenders anyways," mentioned this person who looked at Maiko before shaking their head. "You're dismissed." he said. "Finally, Buchou is gonna be pissed..." she muttered grabbing up her backpack and looking towards the lad she'd ended up here with. "Oi, come on, Yasukawa... we gotta get going!~" she chimed even though she was already late she was content to wait for him, they might as well make their grand entrance together.

[Bloodedge]

Izuna leaned back in the air to such an extent, one could imagine a bed underneath him, complete with a pillow thanks to the way he placed both hands under his head. In this position of preference, he floated toward and around Eira. He continued sparing glances in her direction as she took the information he had to give in her own way, and he found her reaction somehow both normal and abnormal. 'Oi, what's that? Stop it. It's weird,' he said in his own mind, though he linked his own subconscious to Eira before the thought began.

In the detention room, Takumi sat with his chair leaned back, his legs propped against the desk in front of him, and his head hanging over the back of the chair. His eyes were closed for quite some time, and his mouth was slightly agape. Still, his consciousness remained. The call of Maiko caused his eyes to open slowly as the front legs of his chair descended to the floor. "Hai," he said lazily. In no time at all, he was on his feet again and joining Maiko on a journey to the Occult Research Club.

[Apollymi]

As Izuna took to becoming more comfortable in the air, Eira continued in her way that seemed simultaneously like her and not. As she sat there at full posture though, something very strange would happen and after a few more glances where she caught eyes with Izuna the lad spoke to her in her own mind. This was strangely something he'd always been capable of, but why he chose to do so now was beyond her.'I don't know what you're talking about... I'm not doing anything,' Eira said in her own mind. Of course she figured the fox youkai was referring to her odd mood but it wasn't as if people could fix how they felt, and as such there wasn't anything she planned to do about it.

Meanwhile soon enough Takumi was joining Maiko as she made her way to the Occult Research Club, detension had set them back an entire thirty minutes so they were obviously late, so as usual she went to make her grand entrance. "BUCHOU!!~~" Maiko chimed tossing her bag to the side she aimed to rush Eira's throne jumping through a currently phased out Youmu to clasp her arms around the waist of Eira as she sat. "Gomennasai! I got detention again but..." before she could finish this sentence Eira who'd expected her sentence put a finger to her lips. "Shhh~" she mentioned and surprisingly enough the lass stopped mid sentence. "It's okay. I'm glad you're alright," she said returning the hug the girl was giving her without much seeming amiss outside of her own head. Maiko would continue to be surprised by this, stunned really, she'd come to expect being punished for the sorts of things she got in trouble for. "I keep telling you I feel it every time you jump through me..." Youmu mentioned to Maiko as the girl's body slid around the front of the throne and out of Youmu's body so she could return to corporeal state. "Nice to know some things don't change." murmured the white haired woman as it was now more obvious to her than before that there was indeed something wrong with Eira.

[Bloodedge]

'... Sou ka. That's even weirder,' Izuna replied. With that though, he was content to float out of the way, knowing Maiko was encroaching and preparing to rush their leader the way she always did. While this exchange occurred between the two, Izuna found himself looking toward Takumi, who arrived at the same time as Maiko, but had nothing to say when he appeared. Instead, the young devil carved a straight path toward the nearest couch, where he sat with his arms crossed and a blank expression upon his visage.