Chapter 969 Troublesome
Kisuke returned to the Belial Territory where everyone was already waiting for him.
"You're back~!" Irina was the first one to run towards him and gave him a hug, "It's already been a few months so let me stay like this."
Kisuke looked down at her clear violet eyes and patted her head, "How was work?"
"It's tiring~!" She immediately answered, "But nothing I couldn't handle. I just don't like how they are treating me like a celebrity."
Kisuke smiled wryly at her and replied, "There's really nothing that could be done about that. You have become the de facto face of the corps and I don't think that will change for a long time, even if you retired right now."
Normally, it should've been Dulio, the leader of the corps who has taken the role of a 'face' but he was very good at dodging the responsibility and he also had the legitimate reason that he was also already the leader of DxD and couldn't take on more roles.
And right now, Irina's pretty face had already blossomed into that of a mature beauty. She still had long flowing chestnut hair, but she had already ditched the twin tail hairstyle that she had before and just let it go.
Patting her head, Kisuke replied, "Good work out there, but if you want to leave, just tell me. I'll do something about it."
Irina chuckled as she separated from Kisuke, "Nope~. I'll be out of work then. And thanks to this, I have a bit of influence on various things. I don't want to lose its convenience for the time being. Though if I want to get out of there, I might need your help."
Irina led Kisuke to a seat beside her while thinking, 'This position is very useful in secretly swaying people to our side and I'm not planning on letting it go anytime soon.'
Kisuke let his hand be dragged as he looked around the room and saw that everyone was relaxing. Aside from Irina, he could meet everyone else pretty often so they just let her do what she wants.
Recalling how they were seven years ago, Kisuke was glad that everyone had mellowed out and the effects of Kisuke and Yoruichi's common sense-altering training program had already left them for good, else it would've been hard for them to join the society again.
Starting from Sona, who had also grown taller like everyone else and kept her moderately modest figure. Compared to Aika, who'd shortened her hair, Sona let it grow until her lower back and tied it into a single braid. It was already known that Devils could alter their general figure if one truly wished for it strongly, and the proof of it was Issei's harem where bossoms seemed to bloom aplenty, despite their figures in their younger years. The fact that Sona didn't end up like that aside from her hips widening slightly, showed that she likes herself as she is.
Another girl who'd changed greatly over the years was Koneko, though most of her changes just came from her stunted growth being released. Right now, her white hair had reached past her shoulders and she'd become as tall as Kuroka.
Finally, Le Fay, Kisuke's contracted Magician, grew up to be a mature and beautiful woman like everyone else, but she never left behind her hybrid witch and school uniform outfit, which made her look like the most childish out of the group.
While Aika, Irina, Akeno, Sona, and Koneko had changed a lot, Medusa and Kuroka remained the same, aside from changing their hairstyles from time to time. And the same as them, Yoruichi and Serafall, who were on the other side, also had no changes aside from the former growing a little bit taller.
Of course, except for Kisuke, everyone else already had a career that was making them busy. With the establishment of the Ouroboros Academy, most of the girls, along with some members of DxD, became instructors or staff for the Academy, making it one of the most influential establishments in the current times, with others thinking that it's a sub-group for DxD.
Naturally, those in the know are aware that Ouroboros Academy is a completely separate entity that could operate on its own rules and even without the DxD members as its staff, its core members and their influence and authority were enough to wage war against a large faction and win.
However, the Ouroboros Academy never denied the rumor that it was under DxD since it's convenient for gaining the trust of the public. Meanwhile, those in higher positions that could control DxD also didn't do anything to correct this misunderstanding, as they could extend some of their arms to the academy itself.
Sona, as its founder, director, and principal, allowed this to happen because those 'arms' were not a one-way avenue that could not only reach them, but also a stream that she could use to reach the old coots.
With Medusa acting as the Vice-Principal that helped Sona most of the time, the others could focus on the academy's main goal of elevating this generation's fighting prowess and also pioneer the fusion of both the Supernatural and Human Worlds.
Focusing on combat, Kuroka became the main instructor for Youjutsu, Koneko was the main instructor for Martial Arts and Touki, and Le Fay became the main Magic Instructor with Riveria as her assistant.
As for the non-combat side, Aika was supposed to be the one who'd take care of it, but she was too busy with many other things, so she just became the advisor of multiple departments while inviting trustworthy instructors from various factions like Rossweisse, Ravel, and Asia.
After talking for a bit with Medusa about some urgent business, Sona finally turned to Kisuke at her side, "Is everything okay on that side?"
"It's fine. It's just that Indra has been jumping around more than I initially thought."
Sona sighed while rubbing her forehead, "You're telling me and we don't even know what Shiva is thinking. Worse, Ajuka-sama has been very close to him. We can't trust anyone within that seal, sadly."
"Sorry about that. It's probably because of me that they're acting that way."
Sona looked at him and asked, "They want you to show a few of your cards first before they do something?"
"Most likely. They don't like how I'm keeping all the information for myself.", answered Kisuke while shrugging his shoulders, "Not that I really care though. They've made their stance and I've already made mine. From here on out, it's a battle of attrition and I'm really good at that."
Everyone's attention was gathered on him, but he didn't provide any further explanation.
But even without that, they understand what he meant. While the girls wanted to protect the world they were living in, what Kisuke fundamentally wanted was the safety of those important to him. So if given the ultimate choice of them and the world, he'd happily discard the latter. In a sense, he's the same as Indra and Shiva who were preparing their 'game'.
These past seven years, they were finally able to understand why he's like this, 'He's too much of a realist. Even though he might have the power and capability to protect the world, that's too idealistic for him, and in the process, he might not be able to protect those who're truly important to him.', thought Sona, considering this as his 'flaw'. Then again, they never left his side, not because he could do everything and be 'flawless', but to cover it and become a shoulder he could lean on when he needed it.
Aside from laying low, this also became a reason why the girls wanted him to stay out of this 'conflict', as his methods can become far too drastic.
While immersing herself in these thoughts, Sona suddenly felt someone flicking her forehead softly and woken her up to reality, "What're you thinking about with that smug and wry smile at the same time on your face?"
"What the hell does that look like?"
"The contorted face you were making just now."
Sona angrily slapped his hand away and retorted, "My face didn't contort! And I just thought of how troublesome you are!"
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