Maybe it's a bit early or a bit late, but Merry Christmas to those who celebrate
Enjoy!
---------------------------------------
During the school break, Ace was sitting on a bench in the courtyard, thinking about what other Mirror Monsters he still needed to create.
"Darkwing, Metalgelas, Destwilder, or Gigazelle? No, Gigazelle's power works in numbers. I don't want to make hundreds of Gigazelles… Alright, it's decided. Metalgelas and Darkwing."
A voice suddenly called out to him.
"Ace-senpai!"
Ace turned toward the voice and saw Yuji walking over.
"Yo, Itadori. What's up?"
"What are you doing here, senpai?" Yuji asked.
"Just thinking about something. By the way, how's your training with Ogami-sensei?" Ace asked.
"It's exhausting. On top of that, Ogami-sensei's been way harsher on me," Yuji replied.
"Why? Did you do something?"
"Well…" Yuji scratched the back of his head. "A few days ago I ran into Fushiguro. You know, the guy who helped us that night."
Ace nodded.
"Turns out he was on a mission, so I helped him out."
"A mission?" Ace frowned. "Itadori, don't get involved in jujutsu sorcerer business so casually. Our jobs might be similar, but curses are their responsibility."
"But senpai! They were fighting a high-grade Curse."
"What? A high-grade Curse?" Ace asked.
As soon as he heard that, Ace smacked Yuji on the head. "Then why did you jump in?!" he shouted.
"Because they looked like they were struggling," Yuji answered.
Ace let out a long sigh. "So how did you even get permission to join that mission?"
"I've got my ways," Yuji said with a grin.
Seeing Yuji grin, Ace's face went flat. "So… how many people died?"
Yuji's expression darkened. "Five people who were trapped inside the building."
"…I see. I guess that number could've been worse. But how did you survive? There's no way you could've beaten a Curse at that level."
"Ah, someone from Sword of Logos showed up to help," Yuji replied.
Ace raised an eyebrow. "Who?"
Yuji pressed a finger to his forehead, trying to remember. "If I remember right, he called himself Blades."
"I see." Ace stood up from the bench. "Well, good luck surviving Ogami-sensei's lecture."
With that, Ace walked away.
"Where are you going, senpai?" Itadori asked.
"The bell's about to ring," Ace replied.
As Ace walked alone, he felt someone watching him. He spun around and grabbed someone by the collar.
"Caught you."
The collar belonged to a black-haired girl with dark brown eyes.
"…So it's just you." Ace released his grip.
"Have we met before, Akashi-sama?" Ayano asked.
"No, but I know you from Yuki. You're Kimishima Ayano, Yuki's maid," Ace said.
"I see. I'm glad Yuki-sama introduced me," Ayano replied politely.
"So, why were you following me?" Ace asked.
"It would be better if we talked somewhere with fewer people," Ayano said.
Ace glanced around. Other students were already starting to stare.
"Alright, but make it quick. The bell's about to ring. Lead the way."
They arrived at a quiet spot.
"So, what is it?" Ace asked.
"I simply want to confirm the nature of your relationship with Yuki-sama," Ayano said.
"Did her grandfather send you?" Ace asked.
"No. This is just my own curiosity."
"I see. Well, Yuki and I are dating now."
"But isn't it true that you already have a fiancée?"
"Where did you hear that?"
"It's already spread throughout the school."
"I see. Don't worry, I'm not cheating. Both of them know."
"I understand. Then there's nothing more I need to ask. Excuse me."
As Ayano turned to leave, Ace called out to her.
"Wait. Tell Yuki's grandfather not to pressure her too much."
Without realizing it, Ace's aura flared slightly.
Ayano felt a chill run down her spine. "Understood."
She bowed lightly and left.
Ace returned to his classroom.
Timeskip
When Ace and Lala got home, they saw Tohru and Craftbot playing on a game console while Asia watched.
"I win!" Craftbot shouted.
"Ugh! Rematch!" Tohru yelled.
"Hah? This is already the thirtieth time. Just admit it, I'm better than you, you noob dragon."
Tohru looked like she was about to melt Craftbot on the spot, but Asia tried to calm her down.
"It's okay, Tohru-san. It's your first day playing, while Craftbot's been playing for a long time. Lasting this long against him is already impressive."
"Asia…" Tohru hugged her with tears in her eyes.
"What a crybaby dragon," Craftbot mocked.
Craftbot noticed Ace and Lala had come back.
"Welcome home. How was school?"
"Why are you suddenly asking about school?" Ace asked.
"Let's just say I'm in a really good mood," Craftbot replied with a grin.
"Suspicious…"
After dinner, they relaxed for a bit before getting ready for bed.
As usual, Ace went down to the basement to train and work on weapons or whatever he might need in the future.
The next day was a school holiday. Ace planned to go to Kuoh Academy with Asia to train Sona and her peerage, but Lala insisted on coming along, and Tohru wanted to come too. In the end, Lala, Tohru, and Asia all joined him.
They traveled through the Mirror World so they wouldn't attract attention in the real world.
"This place is so cool! And there are dragons here too!" Lala said excitedly.
"Hmph! They're just metal shaped like dragons. They're nothing compared to me, a real dragon," Tohru scoffed.
"Hello again," Asia said gently, patting Dragreder's head.
They eventually arrived near Kuoh Academy, exited the Mirror World, and headed toward the school.
At the gate, they were greeted by Tsubaki.
"Yo, Tsubaki," Ace said, raising a hand.
"Hi, Ace. Who are they?"
"Oh, this is Asia. You should remember her, the girl who was almost kidnapped by a Fallen Angel. This is Lala, my fiancée, and this is Tohru, a maid," Ace introduced them.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Shinra Tsubaki."
"Nice to meet you too!" Lala said energetically, while Asia greeted her more softly.
They were led to the courtyard behind the student council building, where Sona's peerage was training according to Ace's instructions.
"You're here, Ace," Sona said.
"Yeah. Looks like you've really been working hard," Ace replied.
"Of course. We've felt ourselves getting stronger, so we pushed even harder," Sona said.
"By the way, who are they?" she asked.
"You already know Asia. This is Tohru, a maid, and this is Lala, my fiancée," Ace said.
Hearing that, Sona's glasses tilted slightly.
'Why does my chest feel like this?' Sona thought.
"Sona? You spacing out?" Ace asked.
"Ahem… It's nothing. Let's continue the training."
Ace grinned. "Sure. Since I'm here, I'll train you directly."
Ace trained Tomoe with his katana, sparred lightly with Tsubasa using only his hands, helped Tsubaki with her Sacred Gear since it resembled the power Ace had shown before, and trained Saji to use Absorption Line like a whip. Unfortunately, he couldn't help Sona, Momo, or Reya much, since he couldn't use magic at all.
Asia healed the injured, Lala wandered around asking questions, and Tohru just sat and watched.
"Haaah… this is so boring," Tohru yawned.
"I told you so. You never listen," ace replied to her.
Tohru's dragon aura had been suppressed by one of Ace's devices, but up close, it could still be felt.
"As a finale, how about sparring like last time?" Ace suggested.
"Sure," Sona replied.
"I can't wait to teach you a lesson!" Saji shouted.
"You can try," Ace teased.
Ace summoned a pair of purple weapons: the WolSabre and the Jagun Shield.
"You're not transforming?" Sona asked.
"No need. I want to test these weapons," Ace replied.
"Don't regret it," Sona said.
Ace chuckled. "Let's go."
Sona raised her hand, and the air around them became damp. A pale blue magic circle appeared beneath her feet.
"Begin."
Water gathered from the ground and the air, forming thin blades that floated around her before shooting forward.
Ace stepped ahead, raising Jagun Shield. The purple shield vibrated as the water blades shattered against it. At the same time, Ace twisted his body and slashed with WolSabre, leaving a trail of purple light.
Midway through the fight, Ace sensed a new devil appearing near the Occult Research Club area.
'So Riser finally showed up?' Ace thought.
Tsubaki moved first. Her naginata spun as she stepped in from the right. Behind her, Tomoe appeared, attacking with her katana from a different angle.
Ace shifted his footing, blocking the naginata's slash with his shield, then swung WolSabre toward Tomoe. The blade collided with the katana and was knocked aside, the vibration traveling up Ace's arm.
Ace jumped back. "Looks like they're really serious about following the training schedule I gave them," he muttered.
From the front, Tsubasa had already closed the distance. His punches were fast and clean, clearly the result of hard training. Ace blocked one punch with his shield, then a kick came flying toward his head. Ace lowered his center of gravity, letting Tsubasa's kick pass over his shoulder before shoving him back with a shoulder check.
Tomoe didn't waste any time. Her katana was drawn, her breathing steady. She dashed in, her slash straight and sharp. Ace parried with WolSabre, metal clashing and sparks flying. Tomoe pressed the attack, one, two, three consecutive strikes.
"Good," Ace said as he stepped back half a pace, hooking Tomoe's blade with his shield and twisting, forcing her to jump back to avoid losing her balance.
From a distance, Momo and Reya began chanting spells. Orbs of light and layers of magic projectiles flew through the air. Ace raised his shield, but this time he didn't stay still. He ran through the gaps between the attacks, the shield spinning to block some while WolSabre cut through the rest.
"Now!" Momo shouted.
The ground near Ace burst with a small explosion from Reya's magic. Ace jumped, but in midair,
"Got him!" Saji threw out his Absorption Line. The line of energy wrapped around Ace's ankle, draining his strength. Ace landed on one knee, then slashed the Absorption Line, freeing his leg.
From behind Ace, water formed into a massive hammer and slammed into his back.
DUUM.
Ace shifted his shield behind him, blocking the blow with a heavy impact. The ground beneath him cracked slightly. He took a breath, then smiled.
Ace stomped the ground and activated 24 Tempest Steps, closing the distance to Momo in an instant.
Ace appeared right in front of her. WolSabre swung horizontally, close enough to force Momo to retreat in panic.
"Fast!" Reya shouted.
Reya used her wings to fly away.
Two magic circles flared at the same time, and high-pressure water blasted in from the left. Ace raised Jagun Shield and twisted his body. The attack slammed into the shield, the force sending Ace sliding several meters sideways, but it pushed him cleanly out of the encirclement instead.
Ace looked over Sona's peerage. "You've all improved a lot, but we need to end this now."
Ace sheathed WolSabre into Jagun Shield and aimed it at Saji.
"Zazardo!"
The center of the shield opened, revealing a red gem like an eye.
An explosion erupted behind Saji, sending him flying.
"Aaagh!"
"Saji!" Sona shouted.
"Don't let your guard down. Zazardo!" Ace aimed at Reya, but Tsubasa shoved her aside, taking the fall himself as the attack missed.
"I think that's enough," Ace said, lowering Jagun Shield.
"Asia, please heal them," Ace asked.
"Okay, Ace-san."
As everyone rested, Rias and her peerage arrived along with another devil dressed as a maid.
"What happened here, Sona?!" Rias asked.
"It's nothing. We were just training," Sona explained.
Rias looked at Ace. Ace simply shrugged casually and clapped his hands.
"Alright, that wraps up today's training!"