After hearing what was going on, Kuroka, Shirone, and even Ravel decided to join in—Kuroka because it sounded fun, and Ravel because she was worried. In the end, since Shirone and Ravel were closer to Ophis, they gathered some casual clothes and started dressing her up. I guess it's true what they say: most girls do love fashion.
Also, Le Fay ended up gifting me a photo book titled "Uroboros Memorial Ver.1," featuring none other than Ophis herself.
Apparently, it's a super-rare item that's not meant for public release. But... what exactly am I supposed to do with this?
For now, I just stored it in a pocket dimension under "Important Items," but still...
At the moment, Kuroka was sitting beside Ophis. She suddenly turned to me, calling out cheerfully, "Hey hey, Ikki! Look at this~!"
I turned toward them—and saw two pairs of twitching black cat ears. One pair belonged to Kuroka, of course. The other… was on Ophis.
Apparently, I wasn't the only one caught off guard—everyone else had also turned to look, their expressions frozen in disbelief.
"You know how they say the Infinite Dragon God, the Uroboros Dragon, can change her form at will? So I asked her to grow cat ears! Cute, right? Black-haired catgirl! If you and I had a baby, maybe it'd look like this~? Most cat-youkai offspring tend to be girls, you know ♪"
As she spoke, Kuroka stood up, slipped her hands under Ophis's arms like lifting a doll, and carried her over toward me, holding her out as if to say, "Ta-da!"
Seriously, you don't need to treat her like a plushie...
But I'll admit—black-haired catgirl Ophis is... kind of adorable.
Still—
"Yeah, no."
"Huh!?"
The moment I shot her down, Kuroka's confident smile shattered.
"If you're gonna give her cat ears, you have to include the tail too! Isn't the tail, like, the main identity of a nekomata? This is incomplete! Do it again!"
"Wait, that's your issue!? Ikki, are you seriously nitpicking the wrong thing right now!?"
What are you saying, Issei!? That's the most important part!
"Nyan... say what? I never imagined I'd be criticized by a human about a nekomata's charm points... I'm kinda shocked, nyan."
"Nooo... I just ordered a fox-ear headband in secret from 'Konozama' last night, and now you're telling me I also need a tail? Without it, I can't properly show myself to Ikki-sama...!"
Kuroka drooped in disappointment, and Ravel's secret plan seemed to be falling apart.
"Wait wait! Ravel, I really appreciate the thought, but I'm not judging anyone based on whether or not they've got animal ears or tails!"
Actually, if you think about it, not having kemonomimi might make you rare and therefore more valuable! ...Though that's definitely not something I can say out loud.
Still, if I don't talk to her about this, Ravel might take it in a weird direction. We'll need to have a proper conversation eventually—just to make sure it stays in the realm of cosplay. Otherwise, before we know it, we might see a phoenix girl with fox ears and a tail...
Which, honestly, still sounds cute if you ignore the visual chaos—but that's practically a chimera!
"I have grown a tail," Ophis said flatly.
Oh wow! Did Kuroka ask for that too? Now Ophis has a tail!
She already didn't look very dragon-like, but this seals it—she's full-on nekomata now.
"Come on, come on~ Just looking at her like this makes you wanna have a baby, doesn't it? If you're worried about Shirone and the others, we could sneak off tonight and spend the night at a hotel. I'll give you the full course till morning~!"
"Unauthorized solo missions are against the rules, Kuroka-san! And if Ikki-sama doesn't use his Ittou Shura technique before bed, I'll know!"
"Babies… children… Hey, can you try turning her white next? Just to see?"
Kuroka and Shirone both really lean into the kid talk—must be their species?
"Haa… Watching you guys makes all my caution feel silly."
"Oh my, ufufu~ But babies, huh… Ophis has black hair, and among the women here, it's just Kuroka and me with black hair... So if Issei-kun and I had a daughter, maybe she'd look like this too? Just thinking about it makes me want to jump Issei-kun myself~"
"No way! Issei belongs to me!"
"My my~ But Issei-kun's goal is to become the Harem King, isn't it? I'll concede the 'main wife' position to Rias, but I don't plan on giving up anything else... like, say, his first time~"
And now the two school queens are trading sparks again. To be fair, things have definitely escalated since the Rating Game against Sairaorg, especially after Issei confessed to Rias.
"D-Don't say that! I was the first one to fall in love with Issei-san! I should have that right toooo!"
"Hold up, Asia. Kiryuu said that if both people are inexperienced, it can be awkward. It's better if one side can take the lead. Issei, get used to women with me first—then you can make Asia's first time a beautiful memory."
"Oh Lord! She may have fallen and become a devil, but please, grant Xenovia Your mercy and forgiveness for such selfless sacrifice!"
And now the church trio's joined the fray. This whole room's descending into chaos...
"Ahaha! Both you and Issei really have your hands full with women, huh, Ikki-kun? And look at Kuroka and the others—treating the Infinite Dragon God like a dress-up doll! I never thought I'd see the day."
"Well, it'd be a waste not to take advantage of the chance to connect with her, right? If we're being pragmatic, getting along with her might help curb potential terror incidents. Yuuto, why not try baking a cake for her or something? You're good at that."
"Hm... Maybe. If there's still time after exams, I'll give it a try. I'd love to hear what the strongest dragon god thinks of my sweets."
And so, as things slowly settled into a kind of harmony—even with Ophis around—the study group continued. And finally, the day of Issei and the others' Middle Class Devil Promotion Exam arrived.
======
Morning of the Exam.
Everyone had gathered in the underground room of Issei's house, where the teleportation magic circle was located.
The examinees would warp directly to the testing site, while the rest would stay at a nearby hotel. Since the exam would be over by midday, they were already planning a post-exam party at the hotel restaurant—because, honestly, everyone was basically guaranteed to pass. Part of the reason they chose that hotel was so Ophis could at least sense Issei from nearby, even if she couldn't accompany him directly.
Also, once the party was over, it seemed there were plans to take Ophis to visit the Sirzechs. Ophis had agreed—or at least said, "If Issei goes, I go."
"I thought we'd teleport to the Gremory territory and then drive or something. Y'know, like we did during the Rating Game. This feels way more direct than I expected."
"That's probably because of that game. You did confess to Rias during the final match, right? The little sister of a Maou, next head of the noble Gremory family, dating a former human turned devil who's also the Underworld's favorite oppai dragon... Yeah, the media in the Underworld's not staying quiet about that. If you want to be swarmed by pushy reporters on the way to the exam, be my guest."
"No thank you! I'd really rather not be hounded by the media, thanks!"
Yeah, if anything, "hounded" is putting it nicely.
"Apparently, your relationship with Rias is being talked about all over the Underworld, across class lines. It's seen as a 'pure romance that transcends status.' Thankfully, both you and Rias were already super popular, so the general response has been positive. Though the old-school noble devils still aren't thrilled..."
Well, I guess it was unrealistic to expect universal support right away.
"There are people who disapprove of me dating Rias, huh... I'd love to say, 'Who cares?' but I guess they'll try to pressure us somehow. What a pain. I wish people would mind their own love lives."
"I know the feeling. Some folks opposed my engagement to Kuju, too. So I beat them all down until they gave up. Eventually, they started calling me 'Aniki.'"
"Wait, seriously!? There were a bunch of people calling you 'Aniki' in Kyoto! They all seemed super loyal—but they were your former enemies!?"
"Of course! I didn't crush their souls—I just nudged them in the right direction with Yasaka-sama. They didn't go crazy, just had their perspectives adjusted a bit."
Yeah, if they went full psycho, they'd be hard to manage. That'd backfire.
"Now that you mention it, during that massive operation in Kyoto to trap the Hero Faction, some of the Youkai were way too hyped. They were shouting stuff like 'Aniki's enemies are our enemies!' and 'Hyahhaa! Kuju-chaaaaan!' So it was them, huh..."
Yep. 100% those guys.
Also... when did this get post-apocalyptic vibes? Then again, I guess those signs were always there.
"Anyway, point is—if anyone tries to interfere with your relationship, Issei, just solve it with violence!"
"No, no, no! Even I know that's not the answer! How did you get away with solving everything through brute force!?"
"Simple! Make sure they strike first, and don't stop until they genuinely switch sides!"
Like, "I won't stop hitting you until you change your ways!!" —that kinda thing?
Even that priest guy once said, "Violence is the most efficient teaching method."
So technically, he's not wrong...
Still, let's hope Issei never tries that route. And if he does, we're stopping him.