Sensei nodded. Yura, the 'Rook' of the Sitri peerage, used an Artificial Sacred Gear called Twinkle Aegis, which allowed her to manifest the powers of contracted spirits. Since the bits were infused with Sally and Feena's power, the principle was nearly identical.
Leisha turned to Sensei. "Given how this felt, I think we can increase the number of bits."
"Increase them?" Sensei raised an eyebrow. "You've already got a dozen. Isn't that enough?"
"I still have plenty of mental bandwidth," Leisha said calmly. "Once the current units are fully calibrated, I was planning to expand to fourteen units each."
""FOURTEEN?!""
Sensei and I shouted in unison.
Fourteen of each... that's twenty-eight flying units. And apparently, the Shield Bits can be used for offense too. Twenty-eight autonomous weapons, plus two magi-guns in her hands.
That's... that's terrifying. Even with Ddraig's help, I don't think I could manage that many independent variables at once.
『Well, my Feather Bits each carry multiple complex abilities, which makes them harder to manage,』 Ddraig chimed in, sounding genuinely impressed. 『But that number is still insane. To think she's processing all that spatial data herself... her cognitive capacity is frightening.』
Even the Heavenly Dragon was floored. Maurice might be a cheat-code, but Leisha was in a league of her own.
"At this rate," Sensei muttered with a wry grin, "we'll have to start calling you the 'Guardian of Hell'—the one who strikes from everywhere at once."
"Whoa, this is so cool!"
"Sally, stop running! You'll trip!"
Sally was currently zooming down the hallway in her "little girl" mode, eyes wide with wonder, while Feena trailed behind her, acting the part of the responsible sister. They were currently taking a tour of the facility.
"This is the chamber where we calibrate and measure Sacred Gears," a Grigori researcher explained. Inside, several men and women in white coats were taking data from a man who had manifested his Gear.
""Ooooh!""
The two fairies were completely absorbed by the high-tech equipment. They really did act like kids when they weren't in combat.
But then, I noticed Leisha.
"Incredible... Look at all this equipment! Oh, I want one of those...!"
Leisha's eyes were sparkling too! She was practically pressed against the glass, radiating a "I want it" aura.
You want a high-end magical particle analyzer? What are you even going to do with it?!
"Maintenance for my guns," she said instantly.
"Right, of course! Wait—did you just read my mind?!"
My shout echoed through the lab, but the hits kept coming.
"I knew what you were thinking too!" Sally chimed in.
"Me too, sorry," Feena added.
Not them too! The number of people who could read me like an open book was growing at an alarming rate. Am I really that easy to read? Is this some kind of "Issei-telepathy" buff?
"You're just very transparent," Leisha said, giggling.
"Yeah, I've started to realize that," I sighed.
Regardless, the trio from the other world seemed to be genuinely enjoying themselves. Even Maurice had been impressed by this world's technology, though his fascinations were... different.
"You mean to tell me the toilet seats in this world are WARM?!"
That had been the highlight of his trip so far. I mean, sure, heated seats are great in the winter, but I really wished he'd been impressed by something a bit more... legendary.
Interestingly, none of the newcomers were bothered by automatic doors.
"The door opens even without magic!" Sally cheered, running through it for the fifth time.
"It's a fascinating technological achievement!" Feena added.
Watching them play with the sensors, I realized that the "scared of automatic doors" phase was apparently exclusive to Miwa and Alice. It made me appreciate how cute those two were when they first arrived.
Still, a part of me was a little sad Leisha hadn't clung to me for protection.
"Ufufu. This world is full of wonders, Issei," Leisha said, walking over to me.
"Miwa and Alice were the same when they first got here. I'll show you around town properly soon. There are plenty more 'wonders' to see than just lab equipment."
"Is that so? I look forward to it," she said, her smile warm.
I looked at her, and a thought drifted into my mind. "You know... you and the old man have both gotten so much stronger. I mean, you were always legends, but still..."
The Sword Saint and the Crimson-Eyed Sniper. They were already at the top of the food chain for humans and demons in their world. But seeing them again, the sheer growth in their power was staggering.
Leisha reached out and gently touched my cheek. "It's... because of what happened with Rosward, Issei."
"Rosward?"
Leisha nodded, her expression turning somber. "Back then, we couldn't do anything. We had to leave everything to you."
"But that wasn't your fault—"
"I know. There was no other choice. But if I had been stronger, perhaps... perhaps you wouldn't have had to die. I... no, all of us... cursed our own weakness every single day. We swore we would never let history repeat itself."
She stepped closer, wrapping her arms around me in a tight, protective embrace. She stroked my hair, her voice soft but firm.
"I think of you as my brother, Issei. And Maurice... he might call you his apprentice, but he cares for you like a son. We aren't going to let a member of our family throw his life away ever again."
She pulled back just enough to look me in the eye, a gentle, determined smile on her face.
"This time, we fight together. You won't be alone. And if there ever comes a time where you must go ahead alone..." She looked at me with unwavering eyes. "We will be the ones to clear the path for you. I will snipe down anything that stands in your way. That is why I became this strong."
...My 'big sister' was entirely too kind.
Clearing the path, huh? If it's Leisha, I have a feeling she could snipe something at the very edge of the universe if it meant protecting her family.
A little later, Leisha and I were resting in the facility's lounge. We were finished with our business, but we couldn't exactly leave.
"Fufu. It seems Sally and Feena have truly taken a liking to this place."
We were waiting for the fairy duo, who were currently on an extended tour of every nook and cranny of the building. It didn't look like they'd be back for at least another two hours.
I could have asked Azazel-sensei for a ride, but... knowing him, he'd just drag us into a three-hour lecture on the history of Sacred Gears. Better to just wait here.
"Issei," Leisha said suddenly. "The other day, you mentioned wanting me to join your peerage."
"Oh? Uh, yeah. I did."
After Maurice, Leisha was the next person I wanted to officially recruit. Not just because of her power, but because she was a comrade-in-arms. A friend I had bled with.
"I'm happy you asked," Leisha said. "And truthfully, I want to accept. But..."
"The magic academy, right?"
"Yes." She nodded. Leisha was a fresh instructor at the Odelia Magic Academy. She didn't just teach theory; she oversaw practical combat training.
"I'm still new, so I don't have a massive workload yet. But becoming your servant means moving to this world. That means resigning. I'd have to explain it all to the Headmistress... my mother."
That made sense. It was a career. But that raised another question.
"Are you okay with giving up teaching? It was your dream, wasn't it?"
"Actually, that shouldn't be a problem," Leisha said, sipping her tea. "Sona-san reached out to me. She asked if I would be interested in becoming an instructor at the new Rating Game school she's opening."
Wait, what? When did Sona-san pull that move?!
"In our world, magic is commonplace. We have plenty of teachers," Leisha explained. "But Sona-san mentioned that there is a severe shortage of qualified instructors here. I thought... teaching magic in this world might be a wonderful way to continue my dream. I became a teacher because I wanted to show people that magic isn't just for hurting others—it's a power meant to help. I want to pass that on, even if it's a bit ironic coming from a sniper."
"So Sona-san really was the one who recruited you?"
"She was! And it sounds like Rossweisse-san is being recruited too. If all goes well, we might be colleagues!" Leisha gave me a playful wink.
Of course, we'd still need to have a proper talk with Leisha's mother first. That was step one.
"The old man has his own paperwork to finish, so the three of you will have to head back one last time, I guess," I said. Maurice with the Captaincy handover, and Leisha with her resignation. I felt a bit guilty for making them change their lives for me, but it was something we had to discuss seriously. Becoming a devil is a one-way trip.
I wanted them to choose their path freely, just as Rias had done for me.
Leisha seemed to remember something. "You know... if everything goes according to plan, when we return to this world, your group might grow by more than just the three of us. It might be four... or even five."
"Wait... four? Five?"
There was me, Maurice, and Leisha. That's three. Who were the other two?
Suddenly, two specific voices echoed in the back of my mind.
『Onii-san~♪』
『Issei-sama, you're as much of a pervert as ever.』
...Wait.
A cold sweat broke out on my neck. I had a very strong feeling that a massive storm was brewing.
I looked at Leisha. She was still wearing that perfectly serene, "big sister" smile.
"Ufufu~♪"
"A-ahaha..."
Leisha's recruitment... tentatively confirmed!
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