She was just so cute that he found it a bit hard to refuse such a heartfelt request. That and he did miss her.
So just this once, he would reluctantly-
“Ara? Are you not hungry anymore Dimori-kun? I did promise to cook a full pot for you-”
“I’ll stay!”
There was no need to convince him any further. The Underworld was not going to run away, but the food would certainly grow cold.
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|DxD|
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As soon as the blonde agreed, Akeno raised her arms into the air with a cheer.
“Yaayyy~!”
She had no fear that she would fall due to Igor having held her tightly. It brought a smile to his face to see Akeno become so cheery like this unlike before. It was a stark contrast to the gloomy look she had previously.
Seeing that the blonde listened to her suggestion, Shuri took a moment to get everyone’s attention.
“Since everything is settled, should we go home? You are welcome to come too…Cleria-san.”
Cleria flinched slightly at being referred to as ‘-san’. But knowing that her bestfriend had lost her memories, she figured it would be awkward between them. But it didn’t matter. They were able to become friends before so they would definitely be friends again.
Smiling at Shuri, she replied cheerily.
“Alright, Shuri-chan.”
Shuri was briefly dazed by such a close way of being addressed. It didn’t bother her but more-so surprised her. She had seen the way Cleria looked at her so she could infer that she was also close to her before her memory loss.
Finding it cute and endearing that Cleria didn’t try to awkwardly skirt around the issue of their relation, she laughed it off.
“Fufufu~. Then to be fair, may I call you Cleria-chan?”
“Yes! Absolutely!”
Cleria was quick to seize the chance. The faster bridges were established between them, the sooner they could recover their sisterhood.
“Alright then. Shall we go? Cooking does take a bit of time and I still need to familiarise myself with the kitchen.”
Akeno, still being held up by the blonde, turned around to face her mother.
“I’ll help you, mama!”
“Fufufu~. Then I will count on you, Akeno.”
“Yes!”
She got down from Igor’s arms and ran over to Shuri. Akeno grabbed her arm and and looked at her with bright eyes.
“I’ll even show you where you used to shop for the best meat. I even remember the…”
She began rattling excitedly to Shuri about stores and meat which made the blonde salivate at the thought. The food in his time chamber was still in the process of being produced due to having finished it just over two weeks ago. So now he couldn’t even quickly roast himself a drumstick to atleast give his stomach something to survive off.
As the mother and daughter duo went through the door that gave way to stairs, Cleria quietly followed behind them with a small smile on her face. Akeno was talking non-stop while Shuri kindly listened and interjected here and there.
Igor was also about to follow them when he suddenly stopped, a trace of panic forming on his face.
“Wait!”
“““?”””
All three of them turned to look at him with a questioning gaze.
“Ara, Dimori-kun. Is something wrong?”
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“Yeah. Is something wrong, big brother?”
Igor did not know how to explain this. It was embarrassing but he had to ask.
So he decided to go ahead and say it.
“Aunty. Is it maybe eh...possible for you to make another plate? I have a little sister I left in Italy that I wanted to bring over.”
“...”
Shuri waited for the blonde to say more. With how nervous he looked, she assumed it would be something very serious. But upon the silence stretching, her confusion gradually became incredulous.
“Is that…all?”
The blonde chuckled while he rubbed the back of his head.
“Yeah. Is it too much? I know cooking can be tiresome and all but-”
“But nothing, Dimori-kun.”
She walked over to him and pulled down his arm before she gradually began straightening out his wrinkled clothes.
She then looked at him with a smile, his confused gaze making her struggle to hold back a giggle.
“You are more than welcome to bring your little sister here.”
The way his eyes brightened up made her want to pinch his cheeks.
“Really?! Thanks, aunty! I’ll go get her now.”
Without wasting time, he placed two fingers on his forehead. But before he could leave, Akeno ran over and grabbed him by his sleeve.
“Wait!”
She had an expression of grievance, her face contorted into a pout.
“You said you wouldn’t leave…”
Igor rubbed her head with his free hand.
“Hmm? I’m only going to be gone for a minute or two. I’ll be back before you know it, little chick.”
“...”
Akeno still didn’t let go of his sleeve. Instead, she even went further as to trap his arm between hers. Her eyes were closed tightly, her grip so strong that if it were a normal human, their bones would audibly creak.
Shuri watched this scene with a smile.
“Then why don’t you take her with you, Dimori-kun?”
“Heh?”
“Mama?”
Shuri chuckled at how their confused gazes were so alike.
“Why don’t you go with your big brother, Akeno-chan? I can see you want to go and also…”
She turned to face Cleria.
“...I have some things I have to talk about with Cleria-chan.”
The woman in question came out of the daze she was in when she heard her name.
“E-eh? Me?!”
“Fufufu~. Of course I mean you, Cleria-chan.”
Shuri then walked over and hooked her arm beneath hers.
“You know where the house is, Dimori-kun. Come back soon~.”
The blonde was only dazed for a moment before a smile formed on his face.
“Alright, aunty!”
With Akeno holding onto him, he didn’t give the little fallen to process everything before they suddenly vanished.
Tswii!
As soon as they left, Cleria and Shuri heard footsteps ascending the stairs before Lina revealed herself. She stood in front of the two women before respectfully bowing her head.
Angling her head towards Shuri, she first offered a greeting.
“Greetings, Shuri-sama.”
Without waiting for her to reply, Lina turned towards Cleria.
“Cleria-sama. An emissary sent by Yasaka-sama who goes by the name of Aurelia requests your audience.”
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|DxD|
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1999/07/16- July 16th, 1999 (No change in date) Vatican, Italy
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Tswii!
Appearing outside Vasco’s house, it was the same scenery as before. A modest house was in front of him and he could see the fenced garden stretching towards the boundaries of the wall. No other building was nearby, only a paved pathway that led towards the prestigious buildings of the Vatican.
Akeno looked around at these new surroundings with visible awe in her eyes. Having never been out of Kuoh, all these massive buildings really widened her worldview. But she was snapped out of it the moment she felt her big brother suddenly start moving.
Igor offered no trace of pleasantries as he marched forward.
“Asia! Big brother is here!”
He already treated the Vatican as a place he could come and go, and yelling out his greetings was something that had become normal. Right next to him, Akeno remained glued to his side, her little legs shuffling quickly to keep up with his large strides. He did nothing to hide his presence, or his voice.
Compared to Japan where the sun had already risen, the moon was still up here in Italy. With it being the wee hours of morning, his sudden yell was more than enough to attract attention from the guards. But the moment they saw that golden hair and familiar face, they retreated.
It did not matter that a fallen angel was hugging his arm. As elites that had been trained by Vasco himself, their brains had a bit more IQ than the general fanatical exorcist. Furthermore, it was a child. Fallen Angel or not, it was still a child.
As soon as they retreated, it did not take long for the doors of the house to gently open with an elderly male and a blonde little girl. Vasco was in a white robe laced with golden patterns. His physique was imposing and with how his arms were crossed with a stern face, Akeno held on a bit more tightly to Igor’s arms.
As for Asia, she was adorned in a pink nightdress. She was barefoot and her eyes had bags under them. But the moment she saw Igor, any trace of sleepiness vanished. Like her older brother, she wasted no time with greetings. As soon as that door opened, she ran forward with all her might towards his open arms.
Igor crouched down to receive her with a gentle smile on his face.
“Come here, Asia!”
As soon as she got close, he scooped her up before pinching her cheek. Whereas she would normally fight, she instead buried her head into his shoulders. Igor expected her to playfully bite him when he suddenly felt her tears trickle down his neck.
Immediately, his face darkened.
“What’s wrong? Did someone bully you? Tell me who they are and big brother will teach them a lesson.”
Asia shook her head into his shoulder. She then pushed herself up before looking him in the eye.
“I-I…I thought y-you were…gone.”
“Gone? Impossible.”
He gave her a kiss on the forehead before ruffling her hair.
“Why would I leave my lovely sister behind.”
Vasco then made his presence known.
“Because we all thought you were dead.”
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AN
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Today is Friday and I am thankful for continuing to read this story. Until Sunday.