And then, hesitantly, Issei confirmed with Kiryuu. "K-Kiryuu, did you just say magic power and charm spells?"
"Hmm? Yeah, I did." Kiryuu answered casually, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. That only made Issei even more confused.
"Oh! Right! I forgot to mention this earlier, Issei-san!" "I see. That's true. Issei, Kiryuu is one of my regular customers. Of course, she also knows our true identities."
"W-WHAAAAAAAAT?!" After Asia and Xenovia's calm remarks, Issei's scream echoed throughout the clubroom.
"W-w-w-when did this happen?!" Still flustered, Issei turned toward Kiryuu, who placed a finger on her chin and began searching her memory. "Let's see, maybe early December? I was just messing around with a flyer being handed out near the station, and then Xenovia suddenly came out of a magic circle. After that, Rias-senpai showed up and explained everything to me."
Well, if both the surface and the hidden world exist in the same town, something like that would eventually happen. Shirone was even summoned by my parents, after all.
"Don't worry, I won't tell Matsuda or Motohama, or anyone else. Asia and Xenovia are my friends, and Rias-senpai asked me to keep it quiet. I'm actually pretty good at keeping secrets."
"Honestly, that earlier reaction was your own mistake, Issei," I said while drinking coffee that Ravel had made. "'Magic charm spells' is the kind of thing students jokingly say after watching anime or reading manga. If Kiryuu hadn't known anything, she probably would've looked at you like you were insane."
Issei slumped his shoulders. "Ugh, yeah, maybe I messed that up. But still, Kiryuu, now that you know our secret, weren't you weirded out?"
"I was." Kiryuu answered bluntly without hesitation. "Demons, youkai, angels, it's basically fantasy, right? If you ask whether it's weird, of course it is. But at the same time, so what?"
"W-'so what?' you say..."
"Asia, Xenovia, and Irina are my important friends. I know the Occult Research Club members are all decent people. And demons are just another species, right? Humans have good and bad people too, it's the same thing. That's easy to understand."
Kiryuu really is straightforward, almost refreshing.
"And besides," she continued, "if there are demons and angels far stronger than humans secretly protecting us from the shadows, then I think that's reassuring. Also, Xenovia told me already. You guys are fighting to decide the fate of the world, right? Hard to believe coming from a guy who's usually just a pervert, but I'll at least cheer you on."
"Hey, Ikki. Don't you join in," Issei snapped. "Kiryuu is one thing, but I refuse to accept you calling me 'weak'."
"Tch. Honestly, if you're willing to take down the final boss for us, I'm fine with that. Easier for everyone."
Honestly, same here.
"By the way, I heard Arima-kun is human. And Irina is an angel, Azazel-sensei is a fallen angel, and the rest are devils, though most of you used to be human, right? Still, it's hard to imagine Issei, who usually gets knocked around by Matsuda and Motohama, being that strong."
Yeah, expecting a normal person to infer combat strength from school life is asking too much.
"If that's the case," I said, "seeing is believing. Next time Xenovia calls you, why not ask her to show you a Rating Game video? Like the match against Sairaorg." I wasn't sure how much it would cost to show a human such footage, but with peace progressing among factions, it probably wouldn't be ridiculously expensive anymore.
"Oh, that's great! Xenovia, next time you summon me, show me one of those Rating Game videos!"
"Understood. The Bael clan match is stored at Issei's house anyway. I will confirm with Master Rias later." Kiryuu gave a satisfied "Alright!" and left the clubroom together with Xenovia and Irina.
"Alright then, I'll keep supporting Xenovia as usual! Now, you two, let's start drafting some speech outlines for election day." Once the three of them left and the door closed, silence filled the room.
"Man, I knew Kiryuu was responsible, but I didn't think she'd be this calm about all this supernatural stuff."
"Fufufu, Kiryuu-san is truly a person with a big heart," Asia said gently.
And so, despite a few unexpected revelations, the first club activity day of the third term came to a peaceful end.
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100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter
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