"Mmmm!" Ama clings to my side, whining in anguish all the while, "Come on! It can't be time for you to leave already! It feels like we barely did anything fun!"
I couldn't help but chuckle weakly at that, what with no amount of head pats snapping her out of this.
But yeah, it's exactly as she said, it's about time I head back home.
Contrary to what she's saying, I think it turned out pretty fun!
Well, besides the whole process of making the prototype Sacred Treasure and all that.
"M-Mmmm…" Against my other side, a smaller version of Ama was doing the same as her, "Really, w-we basically just met…please don't go yet?"
Hnn. My heart~...
I pet Wa-tan's head as well, just for good measure.
Right now, both of these girls have me holed up in Ama's room, pretty much monopolizing my time to themselves.
After all, I was only really supposed to spend something like a month here, but I'm pretty sure it's gone a little over that by now.
When I finally realized that, well, it was time I started wrapping things up here.
Pay it no mind that specific realization came when the court started back up again once my older brother got done apologizing to everyone…and they started talking about how we should go about making more of them.
Or rather, how I should.
Hah. Yeah. No. Fuck that. You couldn't pay me anything in the whole damn world to get me to stick around willingly and craft all day.
I could do it; it's not a question of being able to force myself to go through the experience. I could.
But do I want to?
The answer to that is a resounding nope!
So, I sped through the rest of the court by telling everyone that I would lend a clone to guide the process, so that a whole army of kami, even slightly related to blacksmiting and crafting, could take the wheels instead.
As it turns out, the pantheon does have an overarching ironworking and blacksmith kami. He isn't in the court itself; the dudes apparently locked up with his forge about as much as Ama used to be with her cave, so he'll be taking overall reigns, while I lead him and whoever he has working for him in the process.
Why would I do that when I could just show them myself, I was logically asked in return.
Thus, my telling of my eventual return home, how my time is up, all that jazz.
This also freed me personally from having to undergo the arduous task of obtaining more of that raw material. Again.
Sure hope big blacksmith guy has a way to eventually smelt down that arena into something workable faster than I did it, with a whole lot less pain!
Anyhow, Ama unhooked Wa-tan from my soul and released the girl herself from the sword soon after without much effort.
And as for my dear older brothers?
Well, Mimi himself ran off as soon as I said he was good. I have no idea where he went. The other, though, Hikone, apparently had an idea, and followed him to make sure he didn't do anything stupid again.
Now, after all that, here I lie, trapped.
But not for long!
"Seriously," I eventually huff out to the two, "I know it kind of sucks, but I can't stay up here forever. Besides, I'm going to leave a clone behind, it'll be like I never really left!" I point out.
Only to immediately be shot down by a combined, "It wouldn't be really you!"
I immediately deflated with a sigh.
My clones are basically me, I know that on a fundamental level. But they wouldn't exactly get that, would they?
Either way, no use in trying to argue with them now.
Instead, I simply wrap my arms around them both and hold them closer.
"There, there…" I pat the two of the back.
"Hmph!" Uzume, sitting at the foot of the bed, pouts harder.
I sit up slightly, "Hush! You're coming with! I don't want to hear another noise come out of your general direction!"
In response, the Goddess of the Dawn crosses her arms and pouts even harder at being left out.
Even though she literally lives with me back home, and is coming with me. As I said.
Pointedly, though, she didn't make another peep. Funny that, drama queen.
Besides, it's not like I'm going to make her keep her lips sealed forever.
Not for that.
No, I need her to fill me in on what's been going on back home since I've been gone.
Because, see, with everything that started happening damn near as soon as I got here, I haven't really been keeping up with everything going on back home.
At all.
Which was another realization that struck me, a pretty damn bad one in fact.
Since Uzume didn't ever come up and tell me that something was going on, I can only assume that if something did happen, it wasn't bad. Or at least, not so bad that it warranted immediate attention.
As I lay there, I started trying to think of any big plot events, even scraps, of what could have happened while I was gone.
The Hero Faction attacking again couldn't be it, because I disbanded them.
At least, Cao Cao's Hero Faction. That Great Emperor's Hero Faction, if you could call it that, may have taken Cao Cao's place and all after his death, but I can't be sure.
Surely, if they tried anything, it likely isn't something too big, right?
A stray thought occurs.
Oh yeah, Rias and Sai's Rating Game. I didn't really forget, but it was never really relevant to me considering where I usually am, so…
Yeah, that definitely happened by now. Or at least should have. I think I recall something from Shirone about how the gathering or tournament was pushed down a bit due to the fighting going on in the Underworld.
No way that's still going on by now, right?
Even assuming it is, she only mentioned something being pushed back, so it's probably happened by now.
I had to withhold a wince from crossing my face there.
Don't get me wrong, Shirone is good, way better than when she would have originally participated.
But uh. No Rose. No Xenovia. No Issei.
A Yuuto who hasn't unlocked his Balance Breaker or gotten over himself.
Akeno should be better by now, and Shirone is obviously doing far better, but…
Yeah, Sai definitely won, didn't he?
And I don't feel a single ounce of guilt.
Neither Fate nor I handed her a bunch of pieces and training on a platter. Not my issue, nor my job, and especially not my responsibility.
That's on Rias to train up her people, especially if she wants to become the Rating Games Champion.
I won't call her lazy, because it's not quite that; it's more like she wasn't doing enough.
For all my dislike of Sona, low opinion of her dream, and how she goes about trying to achieve it, I can at least say she's going all in on trying to achieve it. That's something I can respect, at least a little.
Or, well, who knows? Maybe I'm thinking out of my ass here, and the fighting in the Underworld ignited a fire under Rias' ass to really push her and her Peerages' limits, resulting in her somehow managing to squeak out a win against Sai.
Only one way to really find out!
Which I can't exactly pursue at the moment, for obvious reasons.
I stop myself from letting out a deep sigh, my gaze darting between the girls against my sides.
I suppose I'll have to play the long game, at least for a little while.
Well, 'long' game, it really won't take that long for them to fall asleep.
Then I can head out and leave my clone behind.
A little mean? Sure.
But it's not like I can't show up again whenever I want, right?
And it's also not like they can't watch me from up here whenever or for however long they want.
So, for now, I think I'll give them this peace. Especially Ama.
It has been a wild ride since I got here. She deserves it, I suppose.
Honestly, that seems to be a pattern, wherever I show up.
A part of me sort of hopes that continues, but the other treasonous part of me dreads it continuing forever…
~ A New Sun ~
Through the darkness of the night, a piercing ray of sunlight cuts through the black expanse.
I take a breath as the light fades, and can't help but immediately notice the difference.
I wouldn't call the air in Takamagahara sterile, but that'd be a close descriptor. Maybe overly pure? Even that doesn't capture it quite right.
Still, as Uzume and I stand before my home in Kyoto, and I breathe in that cool, natural air, I can finally say for certain.
I'm home.
Uzume nudges my side with her elbow, and I turn, seeing her smirk, "Different, yeah?" She hums.
I breathe out, "Yeah, yeah. Really different, and I didn't even notice."
She nods, chuckling, her hands going behind her back as she walks toward the door, "I prefer the air down here, personally." She admits, casually.
"Heh." I huff with a smile, "Same."
She smiles at me back, turning to me as she reaches the door, "I figured! Well! I'm going to bed! The past month or so was enough to drain basically all the sleep I saved up after, uh…" she thinks for a moment, putting a finger to her lips, "Something. I dunno." She shrugs, "I should keep an ordered list of all the crazy stuff you manage to get involved in, Nori. I'm starting to lose track."
I shrug back, "What can I say?"
Uzume deadpanned at that, "'Sorry for somehow reducing your immortal lifespan in barely a year, Uzui-chan~, I loooveeee you~!'?" She tried.
"Pass." I waved her off, causing her to scoff.
"Hmph!" Her pout returns in short order, "Fine then. Be that way! I'm going to bed!"
With that said and done, she struts right on in through the front door.
"Heh, eh, wait." I pause amid the beginnings of a chuckle, "Uzume! Wait, you bum! Get back here!" I run straight through the door and after her.
After all, I need her to update me, pronto!
Instead, as soon as I enter the door, my phone hits me straight in the face.
Uzume cackles as she stalks up the stairs, mirroring a certain catgirl in the process, all the while calling back down, "It's all in there~!"
Cheeky. Brat. Party Goddess. Whatever.
I catch my phone before it could hit me in the face and, after a quick check through my senses to find everyone who should be in the house present and asleep, I flop down on the couch.
Moment of truth, I guess.
I flick open my phone.
Honestly, I expected a cascade of missed calls and messages. I had told everyone who needed to know that I'd be gone for a while, and that I wouldn't be available, like say via my phone.
Takamagahara doesn't have magic sun internet or cell service, as I had presumed.
Prayers would work, but I didn't end up getting any of those, of course.
Now, though, where do I begin?
I've got messages from both Rias and Shirone.
Well, the plural only really fits Rias; Shirone only sent the one, apologizing for Rias being a spammer, and that she ended up informing Rias of where I was once she figured out what Rias was doing.
I hum, as I scroll up the message chain, up to the very top, starting about a week after I left for Takamagahara.
I couldn't help but wince.
Right, so, I'll paraphrase, because much of what I'm seeing is a lot of borderline ranting, but…
So, several things happened all at once.
Looks like the Devils finally dealt with the Fallen running around, and I won't need to worry about Kokopuffs making a surprise return.
Apparently, the dude tried to attack the Gremory Estate in one desperate last-ditch effort to do any damage of any kind.
It turned out about as well as you can guess.
Shirone didn't even need to turn him into her cat plaything; a fucking butler took care of him.
A sad end for a pretty sad bird, all things considered.
The Young Devil Gathering and the Rating Game Tournament, both of which were pushed back because of all the fighting, kicked right into gear basically as soon as news got out that Kokopuffs was finally gone.
Here, instead of it being for entertainment purposes for the other faction leaders, the entire event was turned into more of a celebration for winning the 'war.'
I couldn't help but deadpan in sheer incredulousness. Even Rias put war in quotes.
Sure, those leftover Fallen were very stubborn behind Kokopuffs, but calling it a war is a little much, you think?
Be that as it may, what's a little bit more ridiculous was apparently the way they organized the Rating Game Tournament itself.
According to Rias, as this was meant to be a celebration and entertainment, the schedule for the games was ridiculously short.
One to two matches every week. Going down the tournament bracket. An insane pace, according to Rias, for a multitude of reasons, of which I won't be getting into because I have no idea how any of them make sense.
What also doesn't make any sense?
The matches themselves.
Diodora is nowhere to be found. He and his peerage? Not there.
This made the bracket uneven with five participants' Peerages, and resulted in some fairly interesting changes to the matchups.
Sai didn't even fight Zephyrdor, the Glasya-Labolas Clan Heir.
No, instead, he fought Sona.
For the first match.
I nearly laughed so damn loud it would have woken up the whole damn house.
Needless to say, her Peerage got torn to shreds.
Next up, Rias vs Zephyrdor.
I honestly wished I could have been there to see that one, because his Peerage was never shown, and from what Rias is telling me, he ended up putting in a fairly decent showing against Shirone by using his clan's trait.
Outrage, she called it. Then proceeded to not explain a lick of what the hell it does, before going on to praise Shirone to Takamagahara and back.
I mean, deserved, and she will be getting head pats once I see her again, but still. I don't recall that clan's trait being mentioned at all, and now I'm kind of pissed at being baited about it.
Even though it shouldn't really matter to me, but eh, it'd be nice to fill in some gaps the original work had, yeah?
Anyway, Shirone carried that match, and they moved on.
Due to the uneven participants, Sai then proceeded to get matched with a completely fresh Seekvaira and her Peerage, the heiress to the Agares Clan, or, as I remember her far better, the Gundam addict.
She got bodied perhaps even harder, considering Rias was fairly solemn talking about that match.
All I could think about at this point was how Sai is going two for two, absolutely grinding nerds under his heel.
In the losers' bracket, Zehpyrdor got knocked out of the tournament entirely, Sona, and thank fuck for that, because now I don't have to think about his name ever again.
Seriously, that shit was taking up RAM up here. Who the fuck names their devil child after a Greek wind god while being extra about it?
Now, here comes something that should be obvious.
The way this tournament was structured? It was very much made specifically to put Sai down.
Or at least, that's the theory Rias gives, before her match with the guy. After all, he had the most matches thus far, and was specifically paired against opponents who were meant to find tactical advantages or weaknesses to exploit and then broadcast for all to see.
There was a whole lot of political mumbo jumbo following what she was talking about, but I'm going to be honest.
I ain't gonna read all that.
So, Rias vs Sai. How did it go?
I'm not sure.
No, like, seriously, Rias is being very fucking vague about the details. Shirone apparently tried to carry, but it didn't work out. Akeno wasn't even mentioned, so I guess she hasn't mastered her Holy Lightning enough, or it did nothing of worth. Yuuto also wasn't mentioned, yet she mentions Gasper being there?
Huh. Did she unseal Gasper because she realized she was more or less cooked, and try to bring him into it without him getting his canon pep talk? Or anything at all?
Ah. I could see how that went. Grand.
Needless to say, she lost. But the how is still uncertain as all hell.
I'm skipping the details on the other final matches; it's clear Rias didn't really care for them after this point, and was really just mentioning them for completion's sake.
Sai won overall, though, that's worth a note.
This all leads up to her most recent messages.
Which are a whole bunch of variations of asking for help.
With what? I'm also not sure; she's being fairly vague, once again.
Her last message was apologizing for all the spam, because she didn't know I was away, but she is practically begging that I shoot her a text or call back as soon as I get home.
Slowly, I let out a sigh, my phone settling into my lap as I look toward the ceiling.
Why me.
Of course, I ask that, it's not as though Rias and I are particularly close.
Keep it simple, stupid.
Besides her brother, his peerage, and maybe a select few others, I'm pretty much the strongest guy she knows, right?
On top of that, I already helped her Peerage out beforehand. Shirone most of all, but Akeno a bit off the side, I guess.
I blink.
Yeah, add on that she has at least some familiarity with me, and with a proper fire lit under her ass to add some motivation, she'd obviously be far more likely to contact me given everything.
The question is now, should I help her out?
Hmm. Maybe. It wouldn't hurt to hear her out, at least.
I don't want to do anything for free, though.
Plus, it'd be nice to spend time with Shirone again; it has been a while.
First things first, I need to hear from Rias about what exactly she wants, not some vague non-questions.
With a huff, I throw a thumbs-up emoji onto the chat in response to her last message to contact her, and back out of her message list.
Ah, I do love being a petty little shit sometimes.