I don't think I ever saw an arm bent in such a manner before, or ever heard a man scream in such high octaves after getting hit in the family jewels.
God, the screams.
...
"Emiya-kun…" My thoughts got interrupted by the sight of a blushing Reya who was twiddling her fingers. "You were commenting about Yura-chan's costume?"
"Yeah, she really wanted to know since I did not comment on the others at all." I said as I shook my head in disbelief at that girl. I shuddered at the thought of Tsubasa and Rin meeting and working together.
"Well…" Reya paused as she lightly twirled on the spot while maintaining that blush. "Can I ask for your opinion as well?"
Damn it, she had to ask with that blush and that cute voice! It was not fair darn it!
With that out of my mind, I decided to do that look-over for Reya if only to spare myself the craziness to come.
Compared to Tsubasa's western style costume that was modified to showcase her legs, Reya's modest costume was based on a Victorian Maid outfit that emphasized more of her figure, giving her an elegant look that did suit her gentle appearance and I had to confess, I was actually more drawn to hers than Tsubasa's appearance. The light gray theme with accents of white and black went well with her complexion and the headdress she had brought the color of her eyes.
"... You look beautiful in it." It took me a few seconds to realize that I said it out loud, and that her blush had completely covered her entire face to the point of me expecting steam coming out of her ears.
"AH~ I... UM!" Reya stammered as she tried to straighten herself, but it seemed that her body did not follow her mind as her legs got tangled with the dress and she fell forward with a light yelp. I rushed forward just in time to grab her by the shoulders and her head was cradled into my chest.
"Are you okay?" I asked as I held on to her while ensuring no sharp objects around us.
"I… I am okay!" Reya stammered as she looked up from her spot, and it was in that moment I could not help but have my breath taken away by her the beauty of her face that was just a few centimeters from mine, my mind unconsciously noting her eyes and the light make-up she had. Unbidden, my eyes slowly shifted to her lips, noting the nice shade of lipstick that she had. Reya noted my eyes and she seemed to stop breathing for a moment as we looked at each other in that embrace, time seemingly slowing down around us.
"Ahem~ Am I interrupting?" A voice broke the moment and we both turned to find, much to our horror, Momo in a costume similar to Tsubasa's and with a smirk that would not looked out of place on a cat. "Maybe I should come back later and give you two some privacy?"
"HRK!" I tightened my grip on Reya's shoulder and helped to get her back on her feet before turning to the side and coughing lightly into my hand, my face burning from earlier. "Right, I just remember I got to grab some stuff for the next shift!"
"Yes! I also need to go and prepare for the afternoon shift!" Reya answered quickly with a notable tone of nervousness in her voice.
"You sure you two don't need a moment to yourselves?" Momo continued her merciless teasing, that smirk of hers going even wider at the sight of our discomfort. "I will give you two sometime alone, with no one to interrupt you two as you ravage each other..."
"Okay~ I got to get moving! Those supplies won't move on their own!" I made my way out the back of the kitchen, barely catching Reya's attempts to stop Momo's teasing before the door closed. I let out a tired sigh and made my way to the area designated for food supplies.
It took a little more than 20 minutes to get what I needed, but at least I got the necessities I needed to make the next batch of items needed for the afternoon session. It took two trips with the trolley, but I was able to get the larger items back to the classroom and thankfully the corridor was empty enough to get through quickly. With a light grunt, I lifted the smaller items in my arms and made my way back to the classroom, the silence making my mind wander back to the earlier bit with Reya and making me ask the question.
How did I feel for Reya and the others?
I would admit that they were very attractive girls for their age group, and certainly their transformation to become devils may have played a part on it, but their personalities were also a key factor in our relationships. In some ways, I do feel attracted to them, especially Reya, and if I were an ordinary guy, I would want to have a long-term relationship with her.
But then… I was not an ordinary guy, both physical and mentally, and on a different issue, I was in a way taken.
I was devoted to Saber; that much Rin, Sakura and Luvia understood despite having gone on dates and outings with them, but they were willing to let that slide knowing the connection I had with her. Rin however had a word with me that I should consider having a relationship with someone at least because it was not healthy for me to be alone for so long. A part of me, however reluctant, agreed with that statement, but it was hard to do that with any other girl. It was not like I had a lot of choices on my side, and with my line of work, that meant people not in tune to the Moonlit World was out.
Oddly enough, it seemed I clicked unusually well with girls from the supernatural side, from the 'normal' consisting of Rin, Sakura and Luvia, to the more 'exotic', like some of the Servants I met in other worlds, Dead Apostles, one female deity and now devils.
Ha~ why did I have to relive my teenage phase?
Whatever thoughts I had we interrupted when my senses picked up an unusual being in the area, and it was sending chills down my spine. Appropriate as for whatever reason, the scent was that of freshly frozen ice. And for another odd reason, in my mind's eye, I was seeing an image of some creature in the hazy form of a woman wrapped in some dark clothing and eyes of ice cold blue.
And it was coming straight at me in the conveniently empty hallway!
I barely had time to adjust my Prana to reinforce my body and prepare a weapon in my mind when the creature slammed into me, causing me to drop the items in my arms. I quickly got my hands into position while preparing both my mental trigger and [Hell's Trident], as I turned around, ready to face whatever unearthly creature that came at me.
I half expected seeing some female devil looking at me at a height with a smirk that promised death instantaneously, with powers that could potentially crush me like an ant.
Seeing a little girl dressed in some magic girl costume currently on the floor and rubbing the sore spot of her butt was clearly not what I had expected.
"OWIEE~ that really hurt." The black twin-tailed girl pouted rather cutely as she looked up at me. "Don't you know you should not stand in the middle of the area with heavy items? You could get people to knock into you!"
'Like you did?' I thought mentally as the girl picked herself up from the floor and dusted her clothes. Now that she was standing upright, I was able to take stock of her full appearance and quite honestly, I was really not expecting this. The young girl who could not be any older than Sona was dressed in a pink magical girl costume that came in two parts, revealing her belly button in plain view while her short skirt revealed rather nice legs that were covered in pink leggings. The parts of my brain that had both my logic and Archer's snarky voice were thinking why a devil would be dressed in such an odd array of clothes.
Another part of me that was now being inhibited by my teenage hormones and oddly enough, with the voice of Hyoudou Issei, was noting how really developed the girl was despite her height, what with her abundant assets seemingly straining her shirt and she had really nice hips and legs to show.
GAH! I was being poisoned by Ise's thought patterns! NO! Mind of Steel! Mind of Steel!
"I am sorry, I hope you are not injured?" I apologised to her as she checked her body and nodded to herself.
"I am fine, but you really need to be careful." The twin-tailed girl raised a finger in an attempt to lecture me but the costume kind of ruined it and made her look cuter. "You could get yourself and others hurt if you are not watching."
"My apologies, miss." I bowed my head as I handed back her 'wand'. "I believe this belongs to you?"
"Ah! Thank you~" The girl took the wand and twirled it in her hand. "That would have been very bad if it broke."
"May I ask why you are in such a hurry?"
"I am looking for So-tan!" She spun on her heel as she started talking. "I was very angry that she did not tell me anything about this parent-teaching meeting going on, so I decided to come here and surprise her!"
...
A/N : The Story Needs More Power Stones ;)
PS : if we can reach 400 Stones by the end of the week, I will throw you an extra chapter
...
if you want to read ahead of the public release you can go to my p atreon :
p atreon.com/Aerle