NOVEL NEXT Chapter 80: Chapter 73
Shirone stared at her phone, her face twisted in poorly hidden repugnance.
"Whatever I did to deserve this? I'm not sorry. Die senpai." She uttered down into the device, her free hand clenching into a shaking fist.
She received merely a light-hearted chuckle, which while usually would make her feel light-headed, she could tell he wasn't taking her seriously.
Unfortunately for him, she means every word, and she'll make sure he understands that one day!
Fortunately for him, at the same time, that day is not today, as a strange-looking purple magical circle whirls into existence right next to her!
Shirone lets out a small hiss, as her head snaps in its direction.
"Ah, well," her stupid idiot senpai who is now not allowed to give her scratches for at least a week starts, "that sounds like my cue to leave you girls to it. Kuroka can probably explain the rest."
Shirone nearly snorts.
Probably, right.
"Go die." She huffs back.
He snorts, and fires back, "Love you too."
The call hangs up, just before she can fire back something witty to destroy his ego.
At the same time, the magic circle practically blooms, and in comes-
"Shirrrronnneee-nychan~!"
…Kuroka, her big sister, who practically leaps out from the teleportation light and falls right on top of her.
She hisses as soon as she sees her, only for her hiss to be muffled and thereafter quenched like a fire as she collides with her.
Of course, her fat fucking cow tits land right on her face, and of course, they wrangle the breath right out of her.
Stupid idiot big sister. Maybe she should use her Senjutsu and exchange some tit fat for some height!
"Ohhh! You look so cute!" Kuroka pulls her free, and nearly holds her up like she's some child, "Let me guess~! You…just woke up!"
Shirone stared at her, face blank.
"Jee, what gave that away," she huffed out, irritated, "was it maybe the pajamas, my hair, or the lack of the sun being up yet?"
She'd have loved to stress that last bit further, but unfortunately, she's a tad too tired to entirely care at the moment.
Luckily for her big sister anyway, she'd have strangled the bimbo otherwise.
Despite her curt and clipped words and tone though, her big sister decided, for once, not to act all hurt and start whining, instead, she pulled her in and gave her a big hug.
…Big only because of her tits, otherwise, her sister is stupid small everywhere else.
Heh.
"I knew it only because my Shirone could pull off being so cute in the morning!" Kuroka shook her back and forth as she embraced her, "Ohhhh! It's been so long! I missed you!"
Shirone rolled her eyes, " Didn't you literally just see me a few days ag-"
"It's been too long!" Her sister interrupted her, much to Shirone's annoyance.
She clicked her tongue in annoyance, and managed to lift her free hand just enough…
"E-EH!?" Kuroka yelped in shock and pain, as she pinched her, right on the thigh, causing her to scramble back on reflex while dropping her.
Shirone flopped back onto the bed, free and content, and for a second? All was well.
"Shirrroooonnnee!" Kuroka whined.
Then it was not.
With an exacerbated huff, Shirone threw her phone to the side simply to get rid of it…not like it'll break so easily, being devil and magically made and all.
Before looking at her sister, now kneeling over in front of her, fake tears in her eyes.
"So." Shirone began, sounding completely uncaring, "What did dickbag senpai want that was so important to send you over here."
Kuroka gawked at her, "Shirone! Language!"
She snorted, "Suck it. I'm mad. You both interrupted my beauty sleep."
Kuroka crawled over to her side, a smile growing on her face, "Oh come on~! I'm sure darling will be able to make it up to you just fine!"
Shirone stared back at her, blinking.
Then a blush slowly spread across her face, and she quickly found herself looking away.
Her sister quickly started cackling, as if she'd won or something.
Shirone frowned and turned back to look at her, despite her face actively burning, "No amount of dick will give back the sleep I could have had…so, no. He can't. Go die."
A little samey on the clapback, sure, but Shirone has never been good at dealing with…s-sex stuff.
Despite her clap back though, Kuroka's grins never wavered, "What if he gave you cookies too?"
Shirone perked up at that.
"...Depends on the kind of cookie." She grumbled out in response, much to Kuroka's further cackling.
Her sister wiped away fake tears as her cackling came to a swift end, however, and her face suddenly gained an almost…serious expression.
Such a thing was so rare, and looked almost uncanny on her, that Shirone couldn't help but pause entirely.
Well, better serious than fake bloodlust.
Shirone almost started scowling.
Now she just wanted to hit her more.
But before she could come to a decision, Kuroka spoke, and in much the same way even her tone had a serious bent to it, "Cookie can be arranged later, Shirone. For now, I have something to do."
She took a breath, before looking straight down into her eyes, "Likely sometime soon, a bunch of exorcists wielding powerful holy swords are going to pass through this town, and I need to tell darling when so he can fight them, break one of their swords, and steal a part to make a fake spear!"
Shirone deadpan stared at her.
"...Big sis." She said, plainly.
"...Yes, Shirone-nychan?" Her big dumb idiot bimbo of a sister had the nerve to reply to her.
She scowled, "Firstly, don't call me that. Secondly, get off my bed!" She then proceeds to practically kick the black neko straight off the bed, her sister giving a mewling cry as she falls.
Shirone quickly follows her, jumping off the bed, and landing right next to her.
Inwardly, she's also thankful she chose to get her own little place in the human world all for herself. If she didn't, she's sure Kuroka's tits hitting the floor would have woken everyone in the building up thinking an earthquake was starting.
Or, even worse than waking up a bunch of humans, if she'd have stayed with her President, and woken her up…
Well, let's just say she still hasn't told Rias anything about her sister, and isn't entirely too sure how yet, and leave it at that.
Forever, hopefully.
"Thirdly," Shirone began, brushing herself off, before grabbing Kuroka and hoisting the over twenty-year-old midget to her feet, "start from the beginning, and don't try to summarize everything because you're lazy!"
"Nyah~!" Her sister writhed and whined in her grasp, "My little Shirone is so mean~...!"
Shirone, meanwhile, merely sighed in pain.
Those future cookies better be the best!
~ A New Sun ~
It doesn't take too long, the sun still hasn't fully risen, yet her sister managed to explain everything… succinctly enough, she feels.
…That is after she kicked her out of her bedroom entirely to get dressed in something more comfortable for walking around in.
Shirone nodded to herself whilst looking in the mirror.
Short and cute white dress with a blue skirt and a black long-sleeved jacket for the cold.
She's fucking adorable, of course she is.
She didn't need Kuroka to scream and fawn over her the moment she opened the door and saw it though, so the punch straight to her jaw was completely warranted, no matter how much she whined afterward.
She's a big girl, she can take an island falling on her, she can take a good smack to the jaw just as well.
Getting past all that though, and after hearing everything, or mostly everything, Shirone was now lying on the bean bag chair in her small and simple living room, her arms crossed.
Kuroka was on the floor in front of her, where she belonged, no matter how much she whined.
"Durandal, huh? And possibly Excalibur Fragments too? But mainly what he wants is a piece of Durandal…" She snorts, "Of course the thing with the spear would come back to bite him in the ass, who could have guessed?"
Kuroka gave a lame shrug to that, "Nyaheh…Regardless! They are coming, so I'm here to play my part…and a little extra."
Shirone raised an eyebrow.
Uh oh. Her big sister is thinking for herself again.
That's certainly not going to cause problems whatsoever.
"Darling wants to bait these exorcists into a fight, so I thought I'd soften them up for him a little bit," Kuroka's face coiled into a smirk, "by making them extra irritable and annoyed beforehand, ya nyah?"
"...And how do you plan on doing that?" Shirone slightly dreaded to ask, but did so regardless.
Kuroka's smirk twisted mischievously like she was holding back an evil cackle, "Darling is pretty sure they're young and sheltered, which means they aren't exactly used to dealing with the world…so! I was thinking, I pull out some of the old tricks I used to use back when I was on the run, just altered, for catering to churchgoers…"
Shirone stared at her, and before she knew it, she couldn't help but smile slightly along with her, finishing and summarizing her plans bluntly, "You're going to swindle them out of all their money so they're left starved, irritable, and tired by the time he shows up…"
Kuroka jumps up, excitedly, and calls out, "Exactly! Nyahahahah~!"
Shirone follows, albeit much more modestly, "Count me in then."
"Nyah~?" Kuroka, somehow, trips herself up midair and falls smack down onto her side, crying out in faux pain and indignation.
She quickly scrambles back onto her feet, "You can't, nyah!" She denied, panickedly.
Shirone glared at her, the silent, 'Why not you dumb bimbo' translating easily through her eyes alone.
Well, the first three words anyway, the last two would probably bounce right off her fat cow tits.
Regardless, Kuroka quickly scooped her back up into her arms, and held her, "I came here first specifically to warn you and make sure you're okay, not so you'd rush headfirst into danger!"
Shirone huffed with distaste before grounding out, "You care too much. I can take care of myself perfectly fine."
Kuroka held her out, suddenly, at arm's length, and for once glared at her back, "I don't care how hard you can punch Shirone, you're still my baby sister! And the Holy Sword Durandal is said to be able to cut anything. It doesn't matter how good you can punch then! You're still a Reincarnated Devil, and beneath that, still a Youkai! You'd die!"
As each word poured out from her, Shirone's eyes widened and widened.
…Truth be told, she never really considered her sister cared…this much.
Sure, she knew she cared, after the picnic months ago, and the two started talking again.
She still thinks her sister is one of the stupidest fucking cats on the planet, but she knows it came from her caring.
She never exactly considered the fact that it may have come from her caring too much.
But it makes sense.
Shirone steeled her expression, and replied plainly, "I'm going."
Kuroka looked borderline outraged, but she kept going regardless.
"You don't get to announce that you're putting yourself in danger right in front of me, then expect me to sit down and just do nothing." Shirone continued her rebuke, "That's not how any of this works! Besides, I have to come regardless, for…other reasons."
Kuroka raised an eyebrow, her expression still stern and bordering on wrothful, yet now with a curious bent.
Shirone looked away, still glaring, and entirely unwilling to fulfill said curiosity.
She doesn't like to go on and on about politics, after all. Most of the bullshit flies over her head, to begin with anyway, but it can boil down to simply her having to be there, or else Rias would get mad once she finds out after the fact.
Well, she'll probably get made regardless, but she's adorable, and Rias lets her get away with pretty much anything because of that.
Additionally…Yuuto senpai.
She wouldn't tell the rest of Peerage what's going on right now purely because of him.
He took his loss to that Blade Blacksmith user rather…bad, to put it lightly.
Then, with the inordinate amount of priests passing through the area after the situation with the Hero Faction, Rias has been forced to essentially keep him on a tight leash, or else he might go mental.
Shirone couldn't help but internally sigh at that.
They essentially traded a much better Akeno Senpai for this…
She honestly couldn't say which one was worse.
In the end, it's only lucky that those priests were effectively mobs. Useless grunts without an ounce of power, and not a single holy sword amongst them.
If just one of them had even one…
Shirone shook her head and looked back at Kuroka.
"So yeah, I'm going. Either with, or without you." She stated resolutely as she crossed her arms.
One of Kuroka's eyes twitched.
"Hmph…if you really want…" Shirone slowly added, "We could make it like, a sister's thing or something." She suggested, growing softer and quieter with each word.
No, she was getting shy or anything like that!
Shirone finished by huffing, "I don't know, something like that…"
Slowly, ever so slowly, Kuroka let out a long-winded sigh, "A sister's thing, nyah?" She gave a small cheeky shy, "That sounds nice…but! You're staying with me the whole time, you'll do what I say when I say it, and if we get caught and they start drawing swords? Shirone." She shakes her for emphasis. "You run."
Shirone sent back a challenging glare, "I'm not leaving you. Never."
She wouldn't say it out loud of course, the 'like you did', part.
Hell, in this case, she didn't even mean to imply it. She wasn't even thinking of that.
But Kuroka flinched regardless, as a sad smile broke across her face.
"...yeah, okay. Of course."
Great, now she sounds on the verge of tears.
Like, actual tears, not the fake ones.
Who's the big idiot now…
Shirone clicked her tongue, and grabbed her sister by her kimono, pulling her easily right up against her for as big of a hug as her small frame could muster.
Kuroka was frozen stiff at the gesture, as Shirone admonished her quietly and sternly.
"I wasn't trying to bring that up, you cow. Think with your brain instead of whatever's in your tits for once."
"E-Eh!?" Kuroka gasped out before sniffling, slowly wrapping her arms around her in return, "S-Shirone…That's not very nice…"
Shirone simply patted her on the back. "It's the truth though. You should listen to me more often."
"Ehhh!?"
Shirone let herself smile, just this once, while Kuroka couldn't see it.
For the moment, the two sisters just held each other.
All was…not well, but content.
Then Kuroka opened her mouth.
"So, uh…I know this is going to sound a bit…weird." she began, causing Shirone to slowly frown, "But would you happen to know of any shops in town that sell western movie portraits?"
Shirone let out a slow, deep, long-winded sigh.
"Yes." She replied simply.
"R-Really-NYAH!?"
Before promptly decking her straight in the liver.
Dumb bimbo cat, ruining the moment like that!
~ A New Sun ~
They had just landed, and Xenovia had…a few questions.
For one, why does a supposedly small town in Japan have an airport? Do all towns in Japan have an airport?
Second, which she's noting as she looks out the windows of said airport…
This place looks far too big to be a mere town, do the Japanese not understand how big a town is supposed to be?
She'd ask Irina, but well…
"Umu…" Asia, their blonde nun companion, was close enough to her that she may as well be hugging her, she twitched her fingers, and was looking around every which way, rapidly, "...when is Shido-, ah, I mean, Irina supposed to get back."
Xenovia looked at her and then proceeded to shrug.
That just caused the poor girl to shiver shyly even more, and Xenovia did her best to comfort the girl by…patting her on the head.
Really, she's pretty sure Irina went off in some direction, somewhere, probably in the direction where there's a bunch of hieroglyphics that Irina had called 'Japanese Kanji', whatever those are.
Of which, every direction had them, so it's hard to say.
Before they landed, Irina said she'd be guiding them, because as Kuoh is a town and not one of the big tourist-attracting cities, the signs and guides here don't have anything like, say, English on them, something they could all understand.
So they kind of need Irina here.
Granted, they also needed their stuff, like their swords, sans Durandal, which were with the luggage, and only Irina knew where to go to get the rest of their stuff as well.
Next to them, standing close, although not smushed up against them, was their fourth member. Unlike Asia, she seemed much more relaxed, still alert, but rather than nervous her ruby red eyes scanned the area with a sort of intrigued curiosity.
Ah, right…if she's Sigurd, then she probably hasn't gotten the chance to go out much, as she?
"Oookay~!"
Xenovia let out a sigh of relief, and Asia immediately perked up, as the voice of their fourth called out to them.
She looked toward the source of the voice and found Irina, of course, with their luggage swung over her shoulder, easily carried.
Except in her other hand…
"What…is that?" Their fourth pointed and asked, their small pale white hand coming out from their cloak to do so before Xenovia could ask something similar.
It was something covered up by a white sheet, but they couldn't see what was under it.
"Oh! This?" Irina held it up, a far too giddy of a smile on her face, "I didn't think it was possible, it has been a while since the Church in town closed, but it looks like the faith is still going strong here!"
…That doesn't come close to answering anything.
Also, why is there a pit of dread forming in Xenovia's gut right now?
"A-Ah? That's good, right?" Asia quirked her head as she asked, to which Irina's smile grew giddier.
"It's better than good, Asia-chan!" Irina promptly, but gently, set down their luggage and cases, before setting the covered object on top, using their stuff almost like a stand.
With one fell swoop, she pulled the sheet off, revealing a…portrait.
"The faith is going so strong here, they were selling portraits of Jesus in the airport!" Irina happily exclaimed.
"Whooaa…" Asia marveled at the portrait, her eyes practically sparkling as she put her hands together in silent prayer.
Xenovia, though?
She stared at the picture, blankly.
It…kind of looks like Him. But at the same time, there's something just…off about it.
Their fourth though, immediately and openly started laughing.
"E-Eh!? What? What's so funny!? Lint-chan!?" Irina rapidly asked, confused.
Lint slowly brought it down to a chuckle, before waving at the portrait, "That…that's not Him, Iri, that's…that's Obi-Wan Kenobi." She snorts, before sputtering into a short bout of laughter again, "Y-You know? From Star Wars? Snnnnrrrkkk!"
That was pretty much all she managed to say, before breaking back down into laughter.
"...Eh?" Asia blinked, "Really?"
Irina slowly looked back down at it, then back at Lint, and then the group as a whole.
"W-Whaaaa? No, no way…Heh, right, Lint-chan? Right!?"
Xenovia frowned at Irina's nervous asking.
"Irina." Xenovia began the tone just a touch harsh.
Irina immediately perked up, but refused to look her way, "...Y-Yes?"
"How much did you pay for that." She proceeded to ask, ever more harshly.
At that, Lint stopped laughing, realization dawning across her face, before she gave a barely audible, "Uh oh."
"Eh…Eheh…" Irina chuckled, "Something like…200,000 yen…" She shrunk in on herself with every word.
Xenovia's face tightened, "...in words, we can all understand."
Irina gulped, "...1,500 euros?"
Xenovia damn near leaped for her.
Irina yelped, staggering back, but she didn't need to, as Asia grabbed onto Xenovia and held her back.
Now, Xenovia could have barreled through the blonde, but she didn't want to hurt her…or Irina either technically, mostly.
Mostly.
"Xenovia! No! Don't!" Asia pleaded with her, but she wasn't exactly listening to her.
"That…That is over half the budget…! Why do you always do this!" Xenovia ground out through gritted teeth.
"I-I'm sorry, okay!" Irina cried out, hiding behind the fake portrait, "I just didn't want to pass up the opportunity if it was Him!"
"How would you know what He looks like anyways!?" Xenovia fired back, still heated, "When was the last time you Protestants have seen a true image of Him anyway!"
At that, Irina frowned, coming up slightly from behind the picture, "Hey now! Don't say that! We haven't gone hard on idols for a long time!"
Asia looked quickly between the two, panic rapidly growing across her face.
Luckily, before she could break down, Lint stepped forward between the two, holding her hands out before them both.
"Alright, alright…let's settle down, yeah? Iri." She turned toward Irina, "You got swindled…even though you supposedly lived here before."
Irina sagged her entire body at that, "I swear I did…really…" she weakly tried to deny the silent accusation.
But Lint ignores her, and presses forth, "It happens. So, let's go back to this guy, and ask for a…refund."
The way Lint said 'refund' had Xenovia smiling far too wide.
"It was some short women, actually…" Irina interjected.
Lint shrugged, "Then let's go ask her for a refund, same deal."
Xenovia nodded, pointedly, "Yes. Let's."
Asia flinched at the harshness in her words, and finally spoke up, "No threatening an innocent civilian with a sword!"
"I mean, they aren't exactly…innocent." Lint replied, only to be met by an Asia with her arms crossed, pouting her way.
It only took a moment, and she caved.
"Fine."
Asia nodded, pleased.
"Only my fire."
Asia stilled, "Wait! That's n-not!"
"Lead the way, Iri!" Lint spoke over Asia easily, which just prompted the blonde to pout harder.
"R-Right…" Irina met her gaze for a moment, and flinched under the harshness of it, "O-Okay! This way!"
Irina swiftly turned, picking up the fake portrait, and power walked away.
As they started moving, Lint chuckled and pat the blonde on the head, and Xenovia picked up the luggage with ease, carrying it in Irina's stead as they followed her.
They haven't even been in this country, what, thirty minutes? And this is how it starts!?
Xenovia prays, internally, that it can't get any worse than this.
~ A New Sun ~
"...Irina."
"I-I-I swear! She had a stand right here! It was kinda like a booth even! She had-"
"Irina."
"X-Xenovia, Xenovia please!"
"Eh!? X-Xenovia, what are you-!?"
"Uh. Xen, you really shouldn't be doing that here-"
"Saint Peter. Saint Basil the Great. Saint Denis. Holy-mother Mary. Please hear my voice! In the names of the saints who reside within this blade, I WILL RELEASE IT!"
"IEEEEE!"
In the background, as the foreign girls started making a scene in the middle of the airport, two other native girls watched, unseen and unknown, cackling like cats.