Chapter 26
Dull purple eyes were staring at the sun in the sky, a single emotion prevalent in the individual's very soul.
Complete and utter boredom.
For the next few hours, Maria would be forced to wait for her family members to finish having fun at school, while she stayed home. Doing mostly nothing.
Oh...she could clean, do the dishes, get the groceries, watch television...
Except she did that already. So what was left, really?
The succubus let her head fall onto the counter she was leaning with a *thud*, brainstorming of a way to kill some time.
If only she could get join Naruto-sama and Mio-sama in Kuoh Academy...
Hell, she would have, if not for the fact that the brother-sister duo have stated in no uncertain terms; they would do everything in their power to stop her if she tried to.
It was incredibly rude! As if she would go over there and cause nothing but trouble!
More than that, Naruto-sama had no right to criticize her, he was no different.
Maria sighed, she was just a pitiable creature...her circumstances were just deplorable. So much so as a matter of fact...
That she was going to go and prove them right.
With a new-found grin on her face, she hopped off her seat and went to get some 'supplies'.
Time to have some fun.
Mio stared at the scene before her, not too sure what to make of it.
"...Stop looking at me like that."
The red-head didn't heed the request, continuing to stare at a certain infamous pervert on the street that was comforting a certain nun.
It was hard not to be judgmental at times.
Issei was currently trying to comfort a teary Asia; who was looking somewhat embarrassed for tearing up on the street.
"...So, care to tell me why you made Asia-san cry, Issei-san?" Mio deadpanned, pinning the reincarnated devil with a stare.
The brown-haired boy raised his hands up in defense, standing up in the process. "No wait! That isn't the case! It's just a misunderstanding, I swear!"
Mio said nothing for a moment, remembering all the stories that she heard about the infamous 'Perverted Trio' and their penchant for shifting the blame. So when the perverted boy in front of her claimed innocence, it was more than a little difficult to take seriously.
Seeing her disbelieving attitude, Issei took a step forward in order to defend himself.
But the red-head took a step backward, wariness in her eyes.
"Hey. You're a good guy, sure. But you're still an irredeemable pervert here." the half-devil pointed out, keeping her boundaries a priority.
Issei's jaw dropped, he completely forgot about his shitty reputation at Kuoh Academy...
"Now wait a minute, I might have a track record of...admiring some girls, sure. But this time I'm telling the truth! You gotta believe me!" the pawn cried out, seeking understanding from a fellow devil.
The half-devil sighed, shaking her head lightly at Issei's plea. "Who else could or would have done this? Look at her! Asia-san is practically a blond puppy."
"It was an accident!"
"So...you did do it then, huh?"
Issei flinched. "Uh...I may have played a relatively small part in it...maybe."
Mio didn't look impressed, a visible grimace on her face.
"Hey, Naruto was the one that tricked me into it." the brown-haired boy countered.
Now that got the half-devil's attention, perking up slightly.
"So Naruto's partially responsible?" Mio muttered, eyes sliding away from the perverted boy to the nun.
Issei shifted uncomfortably, he was kind of right in a way, if Naruto hadn't insulted his perverted culture, then he wouldn't have said anything.
Now all he had to do was get away before the red-head got any more upset.
Naruto would be fine anyways, Mio was obviously a bro-con, he would get off easy.
Said half-devil glared at him for some reason, her eyes sharpening in the process.
"I suddenly wish to do immense damage to your person." she threatened, a dark glint in her eye.
The brown-haired boy blanched, could she read his thoughts or something!?
After glaring at him for a moment, Mio turned to Asia while trying to get rid of the dark look in her eye.
"What do you think of the situation, Asia-san?" Mio asked gently, a comforting smile in place.
Realizing that she was getting called for her input, she straightened. "I think that Issei-san has some inner desires that he has to deal with, but that it still doesn't make him a bad person. Just...expressive."
The nun tilted her head downwards, a frown marring her face. "To be honest, it was actually really embarrassing."
Before anyone could comment however, she snapped her head up, emerald-green eyes shining. "But, it's also very inspiring!"
Issei perked up and Mio looked flabbergasted by the assertion.
Nevertheless, the female blond continued, eyes shining and reverent. "Despite his excesses, he accepts that it is a part of him! He truly loves himself enough to look past his flaws!"
The brown-haired boy suddenly felt like a weight was put on his shoulder, pushing him to the ground.
"F-Flaws..." Issei parroted, eyes twitching.
"Despite the fact that his inherent flaws earns him nothing but everyone's scorn, he still stands strong!"
Another weight was put on his shoulder, grinding him further into the ground with an increasingly depressed air.
"Scorn..."
Mio watched in morbid fascination as Issei was subtly getting battered by Asia's words, was she doing it on purpose...?
Asia then clasped her hands together, as if she was about to-
"Oh kami-sama...thank you for allowing me to meet Issei-san. By looking at his inadequacies, he can grow to become a good and just person! May you watch over him! Amen!"
The red-head stared as the mighty wielder of the Boosted Gear lost his strength and fell face-first into the cement, groaning in pain due to the splitting headache he got.
She couldn't blame him, even she got a minor headache from the prayer, even though she was a half-devil and it wasn't even directed at her.
When Mio turned around to look at the perpetrator, Asia just met her gaze with a confused look.
"What's wrong with Issei-san? Is he sick?" the female human asked with concern, tilting her head to the side.
The picture of innocence.
Mio felt a sweat-drop form, could it be that...Asia could actually be kind of dangerous in her own way?
"...Nothing, but I think that I'm going to leave now. Uh...please take care of Issei-san, ok?"
Asia gave her a large smile, completely unaware of the brown-haired boy's distress. "Of course!"
Issei lifted his head up from the ground, looking entirely exhausted and disgruntled.
This was not a good way to start his day.
Akeno was walking in a casual pace towards the ORC building, with two packages in hand.
She knew that Rias had to arrive at the old school building to catch up on the work she had to do, she probably had a lot on her plate at the moment. So hopefully she was still there.
The queen of the Gremory group chuckled, she remembered how insistent her king was to get the package under her left arm; citing how impossible it was to contact a certain blond without it. But she also got the impression that she was flat-out happy to help him out for a change.
The other package was...well.
She would definitely be the bearer of good news, without a doubt.
As she continued her trek to Gremory group's base of operations, she saw someone approaching her from the building.
"Ah! Kaichou, good morning." Akeno called out genially, a happy expression in place.
Sona slowed down, nodding in greeting. Tight-lipped.
It was only then that the black-haired devil noticed how irritated the student council president looked.
"Is there something wrong, kaichou? Did you and Buchou have another argument...again?" Akeno eventually asked, a mother's tone that made it sound like she was referring to two children.
If Sona noticed it, she didn't comment. "No, not Rias, though she didn't help. My mood has more to do with an insufferable, irritating, dense, and foolish blond that-"
"That sounds like a certain kouhai of mine." Akeno mused, a dry look in her eye.
The heiress of the Sitri clan snorted. "Was it that obvious? He's truly just such a...difficult person to deal with."
Akeno covered her mouth with a dainty hand in mock-indignity. "Oh my! I've never heard the esteemed kaichou use such harsh words on a student before! He must really get under your skin, hmm?"
Sona sent an annoyed look at the teenaged girl, before huffing and continuing past the amused sadist. "Believe what you will, I have more important things to deal with. Tell Rias to inform me when Naruto-san stops being foolish."
Akeno watched with amusement and veiled interest as the student council president walked away, despite her teasing words, it was actually quite rare to see Sona show so much frustration. Or really...emotion in general.
She has always been very controlled.
After taking a moment to think about it, the black-haired girl shrugged and continued what she was originally doing; delivering her king's packages.
About a minute later, she finally made it inside the old school building and knocked on the door of the club room itself.
"Come in!" Rias' muffled voice came from behind the door, allowing Akeno to open the door inside.
Once doing so, she quickly studied the atmosphere of the room, intent on damage control if either of her friends were in a sour mood.
Looking at the faces of the two occupants, she had nothing to worry about.
Rias had a strange look of reluctant amusement, regarding the blond across from her that was seemingly deep-in-thought on one of the couches.
The blond in question; the infamous foxy-kun, was currently glaring at the floor, either thinking very deeply or insulted that the carpet did something to him.
Either made sense frankly.
"Akeno, good morning. Did you happen to see Sona on the way out?" the red-head asked curiously, sliding her gaze from the blond to her queen.
"Yes, she seemed quite...put out, did something happen?" Akeno inquired, fishing for the events that created Sona's bad mood.
At that moment, the whiskered blond in the room raised his hand, as if he was a child that was admitting to some wrongdoing. "That may have been my fault, but despite what she feels, I still gotta go."
Seeing that Naruto wasn't explaining the situation at all, Rias interjected. "Naruto wants to take another leave of absence from school."
The queen's eyes snapped to the suspiciously recalcitrant blond. That definitely explained Sona's mood, she always was a stickler for such things.
It was only after the red-head's explanation that Naruto's introspective air disappeared, he jumped off of the couch and reacted as if he had made a grand discovery.
"I know! All I gotta do is out-stubborn her! As long as I prove that I won't be cowed, she will have to accept the fact that I'm going!" Naruto crowed, a shit-eating smile on his face.
"That won't work." the heiress of the Gremory clan interjected tiredly. "While I admit that you're incredibly stubborn, she also has a ridiculous stubborn streak as well. It will practically take an entire month for her to capitulate, can you even wait that long?"
Just as quickly as he came bursting out; joyous and full of energy, he deflated. Falling back onto the chair with a annoyed frown.
"...Damn, back to the drawing board." Naruto mumbled petulantly.
Rias' eyes panned back to Akeno, seeking understanding. "See? See what I deal with?"
Akeno just smiled in return. "It actually looks quite fun, Buchou. Never a dull moment."
"For you maybe." the red-head shot back, before sighing. "Anyways, I hope that you have some good news for me, I might need it right now."
With that, the queen smirked and raised the packages that she was carrying under her arms to everyone's line of sight. "As a matter of fact, I do. Both of your packages have arrived."
Naruto looked up from his borderline-brooding, a question at the tip of his tongue, curious about-
Without warning, Rias sped past the blond, reaching for one of the packages that Akeno held, an excited grin growing on her face-
"Catch, foxy-kun!" Akeno chirped, lobbing the package over her king and onto the surprised blond.
Naruto did as suggested and caught the package, immediately feeling that the package wasn't exactly...normal. A fact that definitely piqued his interest.
"Wh-What are you doing!?" the Gremory heiress cried, turning around to face him and looking entirely flustered. "Th-That isn't yours! Give it back!"
But what interested the shinobi most of all, was not the fact that her face was slowly turning as red as her hair, it was the fact that she was so desperate to get the package back.
Honestly, he had half a mind to take the box and make a break for it, it would be good for laughs. But her tepid expression somewhat dampened his good humor of such an action.
...That and he was having a little fun in her expense already, just seeing her extraordinarily cautious look as she wondered what exactly he was going to do was awesome.
"See how much of a good friend I can be?" the blond teased lightly, handing the box back to the red-head.
Rias immediately grabbed the box, securing it by pushing it close to her chest and breathing a sigh of relief, she reallydidn't need Naruto to know about her embarrassing hobby...
"Aww...too bad." Akeno muttered behind her, sounding very much disappointed.
The king gave her queen a megawatt glare from the side of her eye, she would remember that.
Before Rias could get any kind of revenge, Akeno piped up. "Remember Buchou, you have another present to open here!"
Blue-green eyes narrowed warily, as delicate hands grabbed the second package from the black-haired girl's arms. Was she expecting anything-
Rias' eyes widened, could it be?
It was.
"Naruto." the red-head called out. "Catch."
For the second time that day, the blond raised his arms and caught the package that was thrown at him. Annoyance laced across his features.
"...Are you making fun of me?"
"As much as I'd like to say 'yes', no. The contents inside are actually for you." the Gremory heiress claimed, a smug smirk on her face.
Naruto raised an eyebrow at that, what exactly did she get him?
Not wanting to beat around the bush, the blond quickly opened the box and took out-
...
"What is this?" the shinobi muttered in confusion, tilting the rectangular-device on his hand to get a better understanding of it.
"Wait, are you serious? You don't know what that is?" Rias muttered in disbelief, eyes widening.
"...No?" Naruto returned, entirely unsure.
Rias didn't say anything, but the fact that she tilted her head towards the ceiling and pinched the bridge of her nose said enough.
"Oh dear...what an innocent kouhai we have, hmm Buchou? Especially if he doesn't even know what an iPhone looks like." Akeno teased, her hand covering her smile.
Naruto blinked, then he squinted his eyes, trying to remember where he heard that name before-
"Oh! Now I remember!" the shinobi cried out. "That's the cool cellphone some people carry around! So this is it, huh?"
The Gremory heiress released the air she was holding in. "Thank goodness. I was not looking forward to having to explain to you about what an iPhone was..."
"I thought it would have been quite the amusing discussion though."
"Once more, for you Akeno, you're not the one explaining it to him."
The queen of the Gremory group shrugged easily enough, Rias was probably right.
Meanwhile, Naruto was fiddling with the device on his hands, trying to find out how to work the damn thing.
*Crack*
Ah.
"...Was it supposed to do that?" Naruto asked hesitantly, raising the cellphone up to everyone's line of vision and pointing out how his finger was literally through the black screen.
Neither of the devil girls said anything, at least until Akeno gave her king an impressed look.
"Looks like you were right, I take back what I said."
Rias simply puffed her chest out. "Of course I'm right, Naruto would do this sort of thing."
The shinobi glanced at the duo, confused.
Seeing his confusion, Akeno explained. "Fortunately for you, Buchou figured that you'd break the phone very easily and took steps to prepare for it. That being said, I doubt that even she predicted how quickly you would have broke it."
Naruto glanced away, unwilling to concede the point or give the red-head the pleasure of seeing his contrite expression.
"Naruto, just look inside the package again." Rias spoke up, good humor twinkling in her eye.
The blond, thankful for her good grace, took her advice and checked the package again to see what she was talking about.
What he saw made him deadpan at the grinning red-head.
"...I'm not that bad."
Rias snorted. "You really are."
There were literally several iPhones inside the box he was carrying, likely mass-produced. It really spoke volumes of how ridiculously wealthy she was to splurge so easily.
More than that, she had so little faith in his ability to keep things from getting broken! How rude!
"I give him a week." Akeno muttered to her king.
"I agree."
Damn the both of them.
The shinobi fished for another iPhone, being immensely more careful with it and finding the power button.
Once he turned it on, both 'Great Ladies' went on to explain all about the touch-screen device, making him feel like a child in the process, but it was necessary nonetheless.
After the crash course, Rias quickly added the phone numbers of all of the Gremory group into his phone, saving his number to her's as well.
"Also, don't worry about expenses, I have that covered. Just...try not to destroy too many of these, would you?" the red-head said wryly.
Naruto nodded, absentmindedly staring at his phone.
Then he paused.
"Hey, can you give me Sona-kaichou's phone number?" the blond questioned innocently, feigning curiosity.
"No." Rias denied immediately. "You'll definitely just prank call her until she capitulates, I can feel it."
The shinobi clicked his tongue, damn it, how did she know?
"You said you were going to help me here."
"Yes, in convincing her. Not in hardening her resolve."
Naruto's grin turned feral. "Yeah, it would harden her resolve; in the short term. But trust me, she's never had to face a concerted effort from me before, I can break her."
The shinobi's dark cackle unnerved the red-head, she wasn't sure if she'd like to see what he could do in such a situation. Or be collateral damage for that matter.
"Ara ara, I think that foxy-kun is serious. Perhaps you could give him an...incentive to stop his excesses?" Akeno hinted, giving her king a meaningful look.
Rias' eyes widened in comprehension, of course!
"Naruto, I'll make a deal with you." Rias stated with resolve, turning to face the blond. "If you manage to keep yourself from pranking anyone for three days or so, then I will give you Sona's phone number, will cover your expenses for your 'trip', and will build a training center in Kuoh Academy so that you could practice your abilities."
The blond's eyes widened to the size of saucers. "...All that just to keep me quiet for a few days?"
"I desperately need a few days to relax and get my bearings, considering what has happened recently. Besides, I think you underestimate just how easy it is for me to fulfill such a promise, Naruto." the red-head noted, crossing her arms with a challenging smirk.
The blond's lips thinned, eyes narrowed, could he make such a deal? It wasn't extraordinarily important for him to get Sona-kaichou's number, he could do without it. Same with the offer of paid expenses.
Add in the fact that he has internally decided to pressure the student council president -with pranks- to acquiesce to his request for a formal leave of absence.
But that training center though...it was admittedly tempting. But enough to cancel out his plans for three whole days? He wanted to get moving soon.
Honestly, he was partially tempted to just leave outright, with or without the student council president's approval, but he didn't want to go so far.
More than anything, he didn't want to completely alienate the Sitri heiress over something so trivial. Even if he managed to get her approval through some arm-twisting, it would be much better than making her feel like her opinion didn't matter.
At least, that's what he assumed that most females cared about...he hoped that he wasn't being stupid.
Then Naruto's eyes lit up, he had an idea.
"That's a deal, but you better keep your end of the deal!" Naruto exclaimed, but before he said anything else, he checked the clock on the wall to see how much time he-
Ah...shit.
"I'm late...ugh, the teacher is definitely gonna make me stand outside again...maybe I should just skip the class...? No, damn it. Yuki is in that class." the shinobi grumbled, turning around to leave the old school building.
Both 'Great Ladies' watched in amusement as the blond troublemaker sped out of the room, grumbling to himself all the while. Only waving his hand in goodbye as a farewell.
Akeno spoke up after turning to one of her closest friends. "Well, like a storm, our kouhai has left the premises. I suppose that now that he has left, you want to open your other package in peace, right?"
Rias was already working on it, eyes sparkling as she opened up the utterly priceless piece of history that she held.
After opening the box, she carefully picked up one of the many interesting, no...beautiful weapons of the past.
It was a four-pronged metal star, an icon of one of the most famous professions in Japan; the shuriken.
She had no idea why, but she has recently become utterly fascinated with them, even more so for a japanophile such as herself. It probably had something to do with the rise of public interest in ninjas as a whole. She just couldn't get enough of it.
"This cost me a small fortune to get...but they say that this very shuriken was used by the shinobi of old; it's truly fascinating to think that humans could utilize such tools. Especially considering all of the powers that the ninjas of old were stated to have! It's incredible!" Rias gushed, eyes shining in utter enjoyment over her obsessive hobby.
Then she froze, intensely aware that she lost composure in front of a sadist, one that would love to see her incredibly embarrassed.
"...Whatever you do, never mention this to Naruto. I don't care what else you do." the red-head eventually stated seriously.
She could already see the crooked smile of his unbelievably smug face, about to poke fun of her love of Japanese culture. He very simply would never let her live this down.
Akeno responded with a beatific smile. "Of course, Buchou. I wouldn't have it any other way."
Though right after she gave her response, the black-haired girl gave her king an interested look. "So Buchou...what was with that promise you gave to our kouhai?"
Rias carefully placed the antique down on her desk, making sure that it didn't receive any scratches. "Why, I have no idea what you're talking about. Did I say something weird?"
Akeno looked as if she carefully considered the question, placing a finger on her lips and regarding the ceiling. "It's just that...I could have sworn that you made an order for a 'training center' after foxy-kun's training. As a matter of fact, I could swear that there was a new set of stairs in this building, one that I didn't see when we left. A little odd, no?"
The king said nothing for a moment, slowly turning around to regard her close friend, who was currently giving her a look of mock-consideration.
"...Fine, I admit it. I've already ordered some public servants to come by while we were away to make a pure training area, specifically built, not makeshift." Rias admitted, somewhat annoyed that her bluff was called.
Ever since Rias was defeat by Naru-no, by Naruto's clone, she has been putting more stock into the idea of a permanent area for everyone to prepare for any trials or dangers ahead. That idea only gained traction after the whole incident with the intruder and the 'phoenix' incident.
The world suddenly seemed much less stable and safe as before, was it always this way...?
Nevertheless, it was built before they came back, so Rias was eager to check out the full facilities once classes were over.
The queen then tilted her head slightly, genuinely curious this time. "So then...why claim it as a prize for his good behavior?"
Blue-green eyes simply danced with amusement, as the Gremory heiress sat back down on her chair. "Nothing too heinous in helping the prize look more appealing with some false advertisement is it, Akeno? Also, once your classes are over, make sure to contact everyone in the Peerage, we will be training after-school."
Droning.
That's all Naruto heard, a somewhat faint droning.
He made it to class on time, faced the skeptic questioning of his teacher, braved the curious looks from his peers, and finally got some obviously well-deserved rest by taking a part in class.
...
Nope, that was a total lie. He was actually laying his head down and trying to ignore everything the professor was saying, he forgot how unbelievably dull this was...
Then he felt something poke the sensitive juncture in-between his ribs and hips.
The blond groaned mournfully, not this shit again...
"Naruto, pay attention. We missed quite a bit while we were away." the hero by his side whispered, jotting down notes quickly.
Bleary blue eyes gave Yuki a dry look, amused in spite himself that she was so dedicated to her classwork. "Model student as always, huh?"
Yuki looked up from her work, returning his look with a small smirk. "Is that admiration? You can do it too, you know?"
Naruto waved her words away, he knew she was trying to help, but spending time studying when he could be training or having fun was not a good idea in his eyes.
"No thanks, I happen to like taking naps in class, besides I'm sure that you're going to drag me into another tutoring session anyways." the blond returned, shivering at his own words.
Bleh, tutoring.
The hero looked amused. "You almost sound like you're looking forward to it."
"Now I wouldn't say that." Naruto drawled, laying his head back onto his desk. "More like I understand that it's gonna happen, no matter how much I don't want it."
The bluenette's smirk faltered, suddenly becoming more somber.
"...Do you find me irritable when I ask you to study with me? Am I simply being too pushy with you?" the hero asked uneasily, shifting in her seat uncomfortably.
The shinobi's eyes snapped to the hero, his own blue eyes locking with her yellow ones.
He then closed his eyes and faced the front of the classroom. Unresponsive.
This sounded eerily similar to her entreaties for forgiveness when she spoke on behalf of her father, back at the Gremory summer home. She was worried that the event would break their friendship...was this the same?
Yuki, taking his silence as his answer, turned away. Biting her lip and ignoring the sting of her insecurities. She shouldn't have-
"Yuki."
The young female didn't react, staring firmly straight without a word.
"...I definitely wouldn't let someone that I found 'irritable' take me to tutoring sessions. Actually...I would only let people that I like do that."
Yuki snapped her head to the blond, but Naruto had already laid his head down onto his desk, trying to get some rest before class was over.
The hero stared at the unmoving blond locks and turned forward, trying to focus on the class discussion and trying really hard to stop the growing smile that was spreading across her face.
The second that class was over, Naruto booked it, ignoring the indignant huff from the teacher while he was at it.
He had more important things to worry about.
Naruto quickly moved through the hallways of the high school, trying to get ahead of the crowd that began to filter in, clogging up the corridor.
After a few moments of constant weaving through crowds of students, he descended a flight of stairs and began paying more attention to his surroundings, looking for someone...
There!
"Koneko-san! What's up?" Naruto exclaimed gleefully, waving his arm to grab her attention.
The only problem being that she wasn't the only one that he attracted, as several first-year students stopped what they were doing to stare at their senior.
Koneko stopped moving and turned around, eyes surprised as she momentarily ceased her attempts at getting to her next class. "Naruto-sempai?"
As the two teenagers finally faced each other, many other curious first-year students watched, some partaking in blatant gossip.
"Hey...that's Uzumaki Naruto; the delinquent, right? He doesn't look like that bad of a guy..."
"Yeah, I heard he's just got a problem with authority. Outside of that, I've heard he's a pretty chill guy."
"Do you think that he would appreciate it if one of us talked to him...?"
"Hey, isn't he Naruse Mio's older brother? So she is a closet bro-con for him then?"
A cheshire smile spread across his lips, he would ignore most of those comments, but that last one...? The teasing material for that one was too much to just ignore.
Naruto walked up to the somewhat confused and wary Koneko. "Fancy seeing you here, huh Koneko-san?"
The young devil didn't respond immediately, she simply stared at the older boy in front of her with a suspicious look. "...What are you doing here, Naruto-sempai?"
The blond opened his mouth to respond, but Koneko quickly interrupted. "If you're trying to trick me into helping you with a prank...you can forget it."
Naruto's eyes widened at the accusation. "Huh? Of course not. Forcing people to partake in a prank of mine when they don't want to is against my code of conduct."
The rook said nothing for a moment, tilting her head slightly to the side at the blond's words. "...You have a code of conduct...for pranking?"
A foxy grin spread across the blond's face as he puffed his chest out in pride. "Of course! All professionals need a code of conduct! So that means that I need one for pranking, it's just that simple."
Koneko said nothing, her suspicion still palpable. His tricking her into a prank could very well be the prank.
The grin on Naruto's face faltered slightly. "Oh come on Koneko-san, I wouldn't be that maniacal. I promise that I'm not trying to trick you, ok?"
Finally, the young devil relaxed a little, while the boy in front of her was a prankster, he also took his promises seriously.
"Then why are you here? I'd think that you would be trying to leave school altogether by now."
Naruto's expression finally went serious, regarding the younger girl silently for a moment.
Truth be told, he planned on seeing her after the debacle yesterday anyways, regardless of his guilty feelings of re-opening some wounds of the past.
First and foremost, she was a comrade, even if this had nothing to do with him, he would have still tried to see if she was alright.
He very simply had more of an incentive to help her now.
"...Are you ok? After the...well...everything that happened yesterday? I heard you had a pretty rough time." the shinobi eventually said, eyes understanding.
Koneko straightened slightly, on edge due to how close the question hit close to home. How much the he know exactly...?
"...I'm fine."
Naruto stared at the thoroughly recalcitrant rook, eyes exhibiting her unwillingness to divulge her...personal problems.
"...I don't know much, but I do know that you were hurt by someone close, right?" the shinobi said levelly, eyes studying the younger girl's facial features for a reaction.
He got one.
Koneko's lips thinned and her eyes narrowed, obviously somewhat upset at the unwelcome intrusion.
By this point the hallway has mostly emptied, most students have left to their classes to make sure they didn't get chewed out by their teacher. So the rook quickly took this chance to turn away from the blond in front of her and walk to the window, staring out the window with a blank face.
Naruto watched Koneko move to the window, silently watching her for a moment before joining her, waiting for her to respond.
After a few more seconds of silence, Koneko finally spoke again. "Naruto-sempai...thank you for your concern, honestly. But this...'problem' isn't something that I feel comfortable talking about. Can we just drop it?"
The shinobi glanced at the younger girl beside him, taking in her somber profile.
He then blew out some air from his mouth, scratching the back of his head. "Alright, if you insist then I can't really say much more on this, can I?"
Koneko's shoulders, which were somewhat tense throughout the conversation, finally relaxed a bit.
"...That being said." Naruto continued, eyeing Koneko's profile again and noting that her shoulders became stiff once more. "You do realize that you could come talk to me about it...right? Even if it's just for the sake of needing to have someone listen."
The young devil just shook her head slowly. "Naruto-sempai, stop. My issues are in the past, not the present. You have more than enough on your plate as it is...my problems shouldn't have to burden you."
Blue eyes snapped to the rook, zeroing in on her with intensity. "Koneko-san...you're my friend, whether you acknowledge it or not. Helping those you care about isn't a burden."
Koneko didn't respond, only staring out the window with a frown on her face.
Naruto continued to stare at the younger girl for a little longer, before sighing and turning his attention away from her. There was nothing more he could do at the moment.
All he could really do was lend a hand if she felt inclined to talk, so until things changed, he couldn't really intervene. Not until he had the full story.
Blue eyes narrowed, unless he told her about his ability to use senjutsu... Maybe they could form a concord between one another and possibly help her overcome her fears...
But the blond quickly shook his head, she associated senjutsu as something 'bad', it's more likely that she would grow to fear him rather than talk to him. Even if he was completely sane. She would simply see him as a ticking time bomb that would eventually lose control.
Koneko was just going to have to approach Naruto rather than vice-versa.
A stray thought drifted across his mind, wait...maybe there really was a way to help Koneko? What if he-?
"Naruto-sempai?"
Naruto jumped slightly, just slightly though. No way he'd get that caught off guard, right?
The shinobi tilted his head to regard the quiet devil besides him, raising an eyebrow when he realized that she was concentrating on something outside...
"Isn't that your friend out there?" Koneko asked tentatively, unsure.
Blue eyes trailed after the rook's line of sight, frowning as he considered who it could possibly-
His jaw dropped.
"M-Maria!?" Naruto cried out, eyes bulging in shock.
Koneko slowly turned to the whiskered teen, uncertainty dancing in her eyes. "...Is she supposed to be here?"
Naruto didn't respond immediately, he first opened the window and jumped on top of the window sill, crouched and poised to jump off. Only then did he regard his kouhai through the side of his eye. "...Before I go and make sure that Maria's up to no good, I want you to know that I've seen your eyes before."
The young devil raised her chin up, uncertain, yet still too curious to not risk asking. "...Where?"
The shinobi turned back outside, a small grin on his face that didn't reach his eyes.
"In a mirror of course."
Koneko stared at the older boy's back as he jumped off, no doubt about to catch his friend and chew her out. Mind racing.
He's seen her eyes before...? What did that mean? What was he talking about?
She bit her lip, shaking her head slowly. Was this some sort of stupid joke? What did he know? Surely he couldn't...
It was only after she stood still at the empty hallway for about a minute or so, pondering the mysterious blond's words, that she belatedly realized something.
"...I'm late for class." Koneko deadpanned.
...Was she absolutely sure that he didn't come to prank her...?
Gleeful purple eyes was taking in the scenery of Kuoh Academy, it seemed to be so much bigger when compared to the last time she was here!
She was currently skipping around the high school grounds, looking for a safe place to begin having her fun. A nice temporarily secluded spot so that she could-
"Going somewhere?"
Maria yelped and jumped a foot in the air, feeling two arms grab her from behind and keep her in the air.
"N-Naruto-sama!? I thought that you'd be in class!" the succubus exclaimed, wiggling around and trying to break out of the blond's hold.
"I never go to class! You should've known better than to make such a silly assumption dattebayo!" Naruto declared. "Now, you mind telling me why you're here, Maria?"
The silverette stopped wiggling around, glancing up at the whiskered teen with innocence. "...Nothing."
"Bullshit."
"Hey! I can be an innocent bystander too!"
"Ok then, what are you doing here? Try giving me an actual reason this time, would you?" the shinobi asked cheerfully, closing his eyes and giving the succubus a smile.
Maria idly noticed that his features, especially with those scar lines on his cheeks, made him look like a fox.
"Um...well..." Maria fumbled for an excuse, eyes glancing around for a distraction to escape the blond's grip.
Then her eyes lit up, there was one way!
"Naruto-sama!" the succubus shouted with a shit-eating grin on her face. "I came here to invite you to join me on a pranking spree!"
The shinobi's smile vanished, replaced with abject shock. Was she serious?
Seeing a chance to plead her case, the silverette continued. "Yes, I have proof! If you check behind that bush right behind you, you'll see that I even brought supplies! Enough for two as a matter of fact!"
Naruto glanced behind him, seeing the bush that the succubus claimed. In response, he began to walk backwards towards it, dragging the hapless girl that he had in a hold with him.
After getting close enough and digging his free hand into it, he indeed found quite a bit of...'materials'.
Ok then, she might be telling the truth, a big 'might', but maybe he could use this to his advantage? If he pranked the student council soon after Sona-kaichou rejected his demands...then that would show that he meant business...
A dark smile spread across his lips, yes...this would work.
As Naruto began to chuckle to himself, plotting his first metaphorical 'shots' against Sona in his 'war', while Maria just sweat-dropped at his strange behavior.
"...Can you let me down now, Naruto-sama...?"
Ah, sorry.
"Kaichou, are you paying attention?"
Sona blinked, refocusing on her present surroundings, was she drifting off more than usual...? That's troubling.
"Apologies, please continue, Tsubaki." Sona apologized, nodding for her queen to continue.
Tsubaki stared at the student council president for a moment, then continued as if nothing had happened. "As I was saying, we have to prepare for the Ball Tournament soon. Prepare some space, a schedule, notify the student body ahead of time, and secure the funds for it. Should we make that the student council's agenda for the next week or so?"
The Sitri heiress contemplated the issue, truth be told they really did have to prepare all of that soon, they didn't have much time left for the Tournament and they procrastinated enough as it is. But unfortunately, there was something else on her mind.
A certain blond troublemaker to be specific.
After refusing the blond's request for leave, she half-expected him to either leave anyways, or to retaliate in some way.
She felt that if she tried to concentrate on something like the Ball Tournament preparations, she would be leaving her back unguarded for any of Naruto-san's shenanigans.
All around, she felt on edge. Waiting for something to happen.
It was extraordinarily infuriating to say the least.
"Kaichou, are you worried about Uzumaki?" Saji asked, walking up to his king with a frown. "I guess he's attending school again, huh? Is he causing trouble for you?"
Sona felt her eyebrow twitch slightly, was she truly that transparent?
"...No, he's not causing trouble. Although, I can't help but wonder how long that will last." the king said, remembering how many among her Peerage didn't exactly see eye-to-eye with the blond.
Especially Saji, who was made to take a bucket to the head once through Naruto's machinations.
The male pawn huffed, annoyed that the troublemaker was causing the student council president to worry. If only-
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a harsh clanking sound reverberated across the room, shocking all the occupants present and forcing their attention to the air vents.
All Sona saw was a hand throw something into the middle of the room, quickly hitting the floor before any of them could react.
The room was suddenly filled with smoke, clouding everyone's vision and casting confusion, much to the Sitri heiress' growing consternation.
Then she felt something impact her in the chest.
Hard.
Sona quickly touched the area where she was hit, checking to make sure that the damage wasn't-
...
...Paint?
The high-class devil flinched as several stings impacted her body, leaving paint in their wake and coloring her up, very much against her will.
Hearing the grunts of annoyance and the faint crash of someone falling over some furniture, she could assume that she wasn't the only victim here.
After one more barrage where she was pushed back enough to trip over her chair and fall flat on her rear-end, the smoke had cleared up enough that the perpetrator immediately stopped and retreated back to the depths of the air vent.
Sona got up from her position on the floor, quiet and calm, wiping away the orange paint that was all over her glasses.
She then coolly regarded the student council room, seeing that the entire room was painted over with orange paint, as well as her personal effects.
Including her two Peerage members, who were struggling to get back onto their feet, much to their embarrassment and consternation.
Sona slowly regarded them, expression blank.
"...Get that son of a bitch."
"Shit, shit, shit!" Naruto wailed, shaking his head back and forth in horror over his actions.
"What's wrong Naruto-sama? You seem to be a bit upset, although you completed your prank. What's up with that?" Maria asked, confused.
Both individuals were currently sitting crouched in a little shadowed area, between two large buildings and hiding out for a few seconds.
"I just remembered something, that's what." the shinobi grumpily retorted, facepalming himself due to his own stupidity.
He forgot about the deal he made with Rias.
He had an idea, a loop hole to get out of that basic requirement! But he got caught up in Maria's mood to care! Damn his natural instincts!
Blue eyes sharpened, he had to make sure that he wasn't seen, if they had no evidence then it would be an assumption. There was no way that the Sitri heiress would accuse him of being involved without proof, she was factual like that.
The shinobi turned to the silverette by his side, watching her giggle madly and cradle the paint gun on her hands.
A paint gun, it was fucking ingenious. Why didn't he ever think of that?
"Hey Maria, I need a...favor." Naruto said, gritting his teeth while doing so.
The succubus stopped giggling immediately and turned to the blond, eyes wide. "...Really? Like...really really?"
The shinobi nodded solemnly, he knew what was coming next, but he better lay down what was needed first. "Yeah, I need you to take the fall for this thing, I will be suspected for the prank and I don't need the suspicion at the moment."
Maria gave him an incredulous look in response. "...Then why did you join me for this if you weren't supposed to?"
"Because I'm an idiot that doesn't always think things through, that's why." Naruto retorted with a scowl, before sighing. "Just name your price already."
Purple eyes lit up in glee, a sly grin forming on her lips. "Naruto-sama...I want you to tell me how much better I am than you."
The shinobi groaned. "You've gotta be kidding me..."
Maria beamed. "Come on Naruto-sama, you know you want to! No need to be shy! Also, just as a request, can you tell me how cute I am too?"
"No."
"...Fine, just give me my accolades then."
Naruto nodded slowly, taking a deep breath in order to curb his annoyance, this had to be done.
"...When I prank you, I only do it because I'm jealous of your happy demeanor, I wish I could be as friendly as you." Naruto said lightly, a happy smile plastered on his face.
Maria clapped her hands happily. "Yes! Please, go on! This is beautiful! Tell me about my superior pranks!"
The blond's smile almost cracked, but he kept going. "Yes~ Your pranks are sooooo~ much better than mine. I try to emulate you as best as I can..."
The succubus was jumping up and down with delight, before calming herself and forcing herself to be serious. "Ok, one last thing and you're in the clear, alright?"
It couldn't end faster for the shinobi, but he just nodded with his fake smile.
Maria leaned in, a shit-eating grin on her face and gave her last request. "...Call me sempai."
Naruto's 'perfect' facade cracked, just for a split-second, forcing him to wipe his mouth with his hand to prevent himself from telling the succubus to 'fuck off'.
So he tried.
He tried.
"...SeMpAI."
Maria completely ignored the bared canines that the blond had out as he acquiesced to her terms.
"Ok!" the succubus declared, giving the blond a thumbs up. "You're clear! I will take the fall, you have nothing to worry about."
Naruto didn't respond, he only fell on his hands and knees, gasping for breath. That took everything he had...
The half-devil was skipping out of the area that they were hiding out in, humming a pleasant tune, before stopping for a moment and glancing over her shoulder.
"...You know, if you want...you could call me 'onee-sama'-"
Naruto didn't hesitate.
"Kage bunshin no jut-"
Maria cackled as she scrambled out of the darkened area, gleeful at her victory.
The shinobi glared at the area where the succubus once stood, fuming, before standing up and leaving the premises.
...The day was sucking pretty badly.
Pink eyes locked with purple eyes, filled with dry humor. She had a pretty good idea about what this was about.
"Ok, what did Naruto do now?" Mio inquired, inviting the other girl to say what she wanted to say.
Sona narrowed her eyes, studying the younger girl very closely. "...Have you seen him? I believe that he may have been responsible for a prank at the student council room."
Mio sighed dramatically, that did sound like something he would do...
The half-devil was in the hallway, her last class was over and she was just about to leave the school, but it looked like she had one more obstacle to go.
Meanwhile, the high-class devil regarded the younger girl silently, she assumed that Naruto would have informed Mio about his activities, but it seemed to be a faulty assumption.
She didn't really have proof that the blond was responsible for the 'attack', but he had the motive. All she needed was to find him and ask him herself...
"Ah! There you are!"
Mio and Sona turned around, frowns on their faces as someone rudely interrupted their conversation.
The red-head's frown was far more pronounced however, she knew that voice...
Maria was waving her arms frantically, ignoring the incredulous looks that she was getting from the surrounding students. "Hey! You are the student council president, right!? It's nice...to..."
The succubus trailed off after seeing the unamused look that she was getting from her charge...shit.
"...Have we met? I feel like I've seen you before..." Sona wondered aloud, eyes zoning in on the seemingly 'little girl'.
"You have kaichou, she accompanied me when I was scouting out the school for transfer." Mio mentioned while crossing her arms, tapping her foot in irritation all the while.
What exactly was she doing here?
Sharp eyes narrowed, yes...she remembered now. Why was she here, exactly?
Maria was sweating slightly, if she took the blame of the prank in front of her charge, she may get punished when they got home...
She cursed, it was almost like the world was out to get her!
"Well...you see...I was bored today, right? So I got it into my head to do some harmless pranks in Mio-sama's school and...it may or may not have gotten out of hand..." the succubus explained lamely, shrugging her shoulders uselessly all the while.
The two teenaged devils didn't respond to the confession, they simply stayed silent for a long moment.
Until Mio turned to her senior and bowed deferentially. "I apologize for Maria's behavior, she must have caused you a lot of trouble. I will take responsibility for it."
Sona couldn't help but notice the dark glint in Mio's eye, perhaps...?
The Sitri heiress smiled. "Understood then, I will allow you to deal with this. I'm counting on you."
The red-head nodded solemnly, she knew what had to be done.
"...Wait, what? No, don't leave me with Mio-sama...can't you just...I don't know, ban me from the school for a while? Please don't leave me with her..." Maria begged, eyes pleading for lenience.
Sona walked towards her, casually shrugging her shoulders. "No need, I'll let bygones be bygones."
The silverette did not look happy to hear that.
Waterfall tears was flowing down the succubus' face, as the Sitri heiress leaned near her ear and whispered something to her.
Maria's eyes widened, turning around to ask the question that was on the tip of her tongue as the high-class devil walked past her-
"Going somewhere?"
Strange...that was two-for-two.
Maria yelped as her charge grabbed her hair and pulled her close, a dark smile indicating just how much trouble she was in.
"W-Wait! Mio-sama! Please, hear me out! It wasn't really my fault!"
Mio didn't respond, she only dragged the thrashing loli out the school, ignoring the strange looks she was getting by her fellow classmates.
It was just a day in the life for the half-devil.
Naruto grumpily regarded all of the students that were leaving school, moping on top of a light pole that was overlooking the entrance to Kuoh Academy.
Ugh...he missed all of his classes...again.
He could already expect to hear from a certain someone about that...
"Ah, there you are, Naruto."
Speak of the devil.
Naruto leaned back and allowed his legs to hook themselves on the top of the light pole, keeping him from falling as his upper body slid off. Leaving him hanging upside-down.
Yellow eyes curiously stared up at the upside-down blond.
"Hey there Yuki, what's up?" the shinobi greeted, waving a free hand at her.
The hero didn't bother questioning the male blond about why he was hanging like a monkey, he did what he wanted to do anyways.
"You skipped your class again." Yuki noted, raising an eyebrow in question.
Naruto sighed, he knew this was coming.
"Yeah...I know. Lots of things happened. So...are you gonna drag me to some...tutoring sessions?" the shinobi groaned, hating the sound of the word.
It was a curse word, one of the worst to have ever existed.
Yuki tilted her head in contemplation, silently looking up at her friend without comment.
"Not today. I'll let you have a free day."
Naruto gaped, what?
So shocked was he, that the blond didn't pay attention to how his lack of attention was affecting his hold on the light pole. His legs simply slipped off.
Naruto scrambled to right himself, but he slipped right off of the light pole and plummeted to the ground.
The shinobi's eyes sharpened, his instincts kicking in to right himself and land on his feet like an agile cat, he wouldn't die in such an embarrassing way dattebayo!
He managed very well, since he made it to the ground safely.
Just not in the way he'd like.
"...Hi." Naruto greeted Yuki, looking up at her from his rather...strange position.
The hero was, quite simply, holding him.
More precisely, she caught him.
Even more specifically, she caught him in the bridal style.
"...I don't think this is how this is supposed to work." Yuki noted, strong enough to carry him, but seriously wondering if there was something wrong with this picture.
It felt kind of...nice though. Even if it was 'off'.
Of course, given Naruto's luck, someone else just decided to see him in this position.
"...Naruto? Yuki? What the hell is this?"
Both teens looked to see that Mio and her captive prisoner was staring at them both, eyes incredulous to what they were seeing.
The two groups were silent for a moment, both afraid to point out how strange the other's actions looked.
Predictably however, Naruto broke the silence.
"...So how's your day been, Mio?"
"Do you always like it when a girl gives you a bridal carry?" Mio asked quietly, walking towards her home.
"Oh come on...that was a misunderstanding!" Naruto groaned, ignoring the slight pink hue of his cheeks. "It was a misunderstanding, right Yuki?"
Yuki, who was walking besides the blond, considered the question. "...It felt strangely nice."
"Not helping Yuki!" the shinobi cried, grabbing his hair in frustration.
Mio just huffed, turning resolutely away from her brother and the young hero by his side. She didn't care at all anyways.
Not even a little.
Meanwhile, Maria was just getting dragged by her collar by this point, her eyes were dull as the red-head kept trudging forward. She wondered when her charge would let her go...?
Purple eyes drifted to the blond with the metaphorical rain cloud over his head.
Meh, may as well tell him.
She waved her arms frantically, trying to grab his attention and drag him from his gloominess.
After a few seconds, Naruto eventually noticed and gave her a confused look, what the hell was she doing?
Maria simply waved for him to get closer, despite the fact that she was forcibly being moved by the clearly irate half-devil.
Naruto moved up faster, putting his ear to Maria's mouth so that she could whisper something in his ear, all to Yuki's mild amusement.
Though she did notice his eyes widen.
Naruto quickly backed up and moved in-step with Yuki, clearly thinking about something else now.
"...What is it? Did something happen?" the hero eventually asked, glancing between the dragged succubus and the suddenly quiet blond.
The shinobi turned and grinned, a challenging glint in his eye. "I've been challenged."
Yuki raised an eyebrow, challenged?
Naruto turned away, grinning. Sona knew...she knew that he was involved.
Maria told him that the student council president noticed a masculine hand throw the smoke bomb, which ruled out Maria as the one who instigated the 'attack'. Add in her affiliations to the shinobi, and you suddenly have a likely culprit.
But she didn't have proof, so she didn't try to get him. But now he was under suspicion, without a doubt.
This was a challenge now, there was no way he would back down from it!
But first...he needed some way to continuously prank the student council for an extended period without getting implicated.
His smirk was massive as he walked alongside his friends, he knew just how to accomplish that. She wouldn't know what hit her.