Human World, Japan, Kyoto, Youkai Sub-Dimension.
Shuna's head was lowered, in her impatience to join James, she had forgotten what he had said only a day prior.
"Don't worry, I'll have plenty of time to observe you while I'm here." James said to the crestfallen Oni. "I'll be staying here until the third of the new year, after all."
Hearing that, Shuna raised her head slowly. When she saw the warm smile James was wearing, she calmed down slightly. After that, she rose to her feet and returned to her seat. Then, James took a seat at her and Shion's table before speaking.
"I hope you don't mind if I join you." James said after the fact. "But I really don't like to eat alone if there are other people around."
Once again, Shuna's nerves started to get the better of her. Not paying attention to this, James turned to Shion and asked a question.
"So, Dame Shion..." James said before he was interrupted.
"Could you stop with the title?" Shion said while looking away. "I'm more comfortable with just being addressed by name."
"If you insist." James said with a shrug. "So, Shion, I noticed when I looked at your hands, but are you a swordsman?"
Surprised, Shion hid her hands under the table. She did not know why, but she was feeling shy. Knowing that James had seen her callused hands was making her blush. Either way, she knew it would be rude to not answer, so she just pushed on and answered his question.
"Yes, I've been training with the odachi since I was a child." Shion said without making eye contact.
"Cool, one of my dad's [Knights] also uses the odachi." James said with a smile. "So, I've had a lot of practice against that kind of swordsman."
"Really?" Shion asked in surprise. "Outside of the races with high physical strength from birth, it's rare to see odachi wielders."
"Yeah, now that you mention it..." James said as he stroked his chin while thinking.
Seeing that, Shuna giggled involuntarily. Then, James and Shion both turned their attention to the pink-haired girl. Shortly after, Shuna began to panic. Before she could speak, however, James spoke with a wry smile.
"You think I look like an old man, don't you?" James asked.
"No... I..." Shuna stammered, afraid to offend James.
"Calm down, Princess." James said with a smile. "Ri Ri, or rather, Rias Gremory of the Gremory House always says that, too."
"Do you mean the Crimson-Haire Ruin Princess?" Shuna asked in shock.
"Yeah, she's been telling me that I look like an old man when I do that since we were eight, or so." James said with a chuckle. "She still gets a kick out of it even though I mostly ignore it now."
After that, the trio continued to chat until their breakfast arrived. While they ate, they continued the small talk. Eventually, Mizore, Cu Chulainn, Moka, and Flora came into the dining hall. The conversation got livelier when the three girls joined them at their table. James noticed that Shuna was beginning to loosen up as well. Shion on the other hand was just having fun talking about the fights they had all been in and training.
After another short while, Kunou came into the dining room with Yasaka and Leona. The two mothers were clearly hung over. Seeing this, James, with a mischievous smile on his face, shouted his greeting to the new arrivals.
"Kuno, Mom, Lady Yasaka, good morning!" Shouted James with a hand waving in greeting.
"Good morning, James-Oniichan." Kunou shouted back in excitement.
"Ugh!" x 2
In response, Leona and Yasaka grunted as their heads pounded even harder due to the decibel count. Then, as they drew near, James could feel his mother's glare aimed at him. Which he replied to with a bright smile.
"How are you three doing this morning?" James asked in a more normal tone when they were close.
"Good." Kunou answered with the same level of enthusiasm. "We should go see the festivals in the city, today."
"Sounds like fun." James replied while patting Kunou on the head. "What do you girls think?"
Turning his response to the girls at the table, Mizore, Moka, and flora nodded their heads in agreement. Shion looked at Shuna, as she would follow her princess wherever she decided to go. Shuna on the other hand was unsure. She was nervous knowing that James would be observing her. Finally, with determination in her eyes, she nodded as well.
"Yay!" Kunou exclaimed happily. "All thee Onee-Sans are coming, too."
"That's right, Kunou-Chan." Mizore said with a smile on her face as well. "We can play just like we did when you stayed at our house."
"Uh huh." Kunou nodded in agreement.
"So, that means I'll have to make sure Mizore doesn't get the two of you into trouble." Moka said while shaking her head.
"What do you mean by that?" Mizore asked with a huff. "I'm the perfect role model."
"If constantly playing pranks on unsuspecting victims makes you the perfect role model." Moka said dismissively.
"Yeah, like that one time you took Kunou to...Hmph." Flora said, beginning to tell one of the duo's exploits, only to have her mouth quickly covered by Mizore.
"Okay, okay, you don't have to mention it." Mizore said nervously while glancing at Yasaka out of the corner of her eye.
"Oh, is that why my little fox has been more mischievous since she came back?" Yasaka said with her eyes narrowed. "Ugh!"
Without trying to defend themselves, Mizore and Kunou lowered their heads. Yasaka however, had no intention of reprimanding the duo. In fact, she was happy that Kunou was acting more like a child of her age. She had always been so busy that she did not have as much time as she would like to spend with Kunou. Seeing how happy Kunou was, Yasaka was also happy. Unfortunately, the hangover was wreaking havoc on her.
Noticing that Yasaka grimaced, James stood from his seat and walked to stand between Yasaka and Leona. Then, he placed a hand on each of their heads. Using his [Healing Kido], though it worked more like the Mystical Palm Technique in Naruto, James began to rub the two women's heads. Leona immediately put on a relieved expression and enjoyed the feeling of her hangover vanishing. Yasaka, however, felt quite bashful. As James rubbed her head, his hand would brush against her ears, which is a very intimate act in the Kitsune Tribe.
Yasaka managed to keep a neutral expression, however, the wagging of her tails was a great indicator of how much she was enjoying James' petting. Eventually, Yasaka noticed the girls looking at her with either smiles or bewilderment. Then, she realized that she had lost herself in the pleasurable feeling. Luckily, none of the girls said anything to make the moment awkward. However, this moment was eventually brought to an end by Kunou's innocent words.
"Mommy likes it when James-Oniichan rubs her head, too." Kunou said with a smile.
With that, Yasaka reddened like a tomato. Then, with all the speed she could muster, she dashed out of the dining hall. While Kunou was confused, Mizore, Moka and Flora smiled sweetly in the direction Yasaka ran off. Whereas Shuna and Shion were surprised to see the leader of their faction running away while blushing like a schoolgirl. James and Leona, on the other hand, had similar mischievous smirks on their faces.
"She's so cute." Leona said.
"Yeah." James replied.
"This is gonna be fun." the two said in unison.
After that, breakfast went on in a lively atmosphere. Shuna and Shion were able to apologize to Leona, who accepted easily. Then, with a lot of small talk and the energetic atmosphere Kunou brings with her wherever she goes, Shuna was able to loosen up even further. And as she did, James was able to form his initial impression of her personality.
'She's a kind girl.' James thought as he watched Shuna and Shion interact with his three girlfriends. 'As a princess she was quite pampered, though. She should be able to get used to not being catered to in time, if I bring her with us, though.'
Looking at James' expression, Leona could more or less figure out what he was thinking. Then, she leaned closer to her son and whispered.
"If what we see now is her real personality." Leona said with a smile. "She'll, no, they'll make great additions to your peerage."
"I was thinking the same." James said with a smile on his face as well.
Eventually, breakfast came to an end and the group got themselves ready to leave. Meanwhile, Leona and Yasaka decided to stay behind so they could talk. Not to mention, Yasaka also had some work to do pertaining to the New Year's celebration. When the youngsters left to enjoy the Human World's New Year's festivities, Leona and Yasaka sat in Yasaka's office to talk while Yasaka handled her paperwork.
"So, what was that all about earlier?" Leona asked with a teasing smile.
Without looking up from her paperwork, Yasaka replied, "I have no idea what you're talking about." The faintest shade of red showing up on her cheeks as she spoke.
"Oh, I'm talking about the way you ran away from my James like a blushing schoolgirl." Leona said as her smile broadened.
"*Sigh* I'll go out on a limb and guess that you don't know much about Kitsune culture, right?" Yasaka said as she set aside a finished document.
Leona could only nod in response.
"I thought so." Yasaka said with an embarrassed smile. Then, she continued. "Touching a Kitsune's ears and tail or tails in some cases is considered quite an intimate action. It's something we only allow family and people we consider special to do."
The more she spoke, the redder Yasaka became. Eventually, her blush had extended down her neck. Leona, however, had finally realized why she reacted like that in the dining room.
"So, you were embarrassed to be seen like that in front of Princess Shuna and her bodyguard?" Leona asked, as she pieced everything together.
"*Sigh* Yes, you're right." Yasaka said with a nod of agreement. "Even though I'm not embarrassed to show my affection to James. Letting my subordinates see me like that, though..."
"I can see how that would be embarrassing." Leona said with a nod. Then in a serious tone, she continued. "But I have to say..."
Hearing Leona's tone, Yasaka focused on what she had to say next.
"You're so cute, Yasaka-Chan." Leona said with a mischievous smile.
*Bang!*
In response, Yasaka let her head fall to her desk. Then, she raised her head, slowly, and began to speak.
"Now, I see where James got his mischievous personality from." Yasaka said with a deadpan.
To her surprise, however, Yasaka saw Leona with an expression that suggested she had been wrongfully accused.
"Did I say something wrong?" Yasaka asked in puzzlement.
"*Sigh* I can see why you would think that, but it's actually the exact opposite." Leona said with a wry smile. Seeing the disbelief on Yasaka's face, Leona spoke once again. "When he was six, while playing with Rias and Sona, James fell into a coma. He was unconscious for three days. And we never found out why."
Hearing that, Yasaka was shocked. She would have never imagined that something like that would have happened. Leona, of course, told Yasaka the official story. The heavily watered-down version. But as they say, discretion is the better part of valor.
"Luckily, James woke up on the third day." Leona said with a smile. Then, a wry smile replaced her happy one. "Ever since that day, James' demeanor had changed."
"Changed, how?" Yasaka asked curiously.
"Well, before the coma, James was a soft-spoken boy who disliked seeing people upset in the slightest." Leona said, remembering the good old days. "After he woke from the coma, however, he began trolling the people around him. It was never malicious, though."
Yasaka's mouth opened wide. She was having trouble imagining the outspoken boy she knew as someone soft-spoken.
"Over the years, he infected those close to him with that trait as well." Leona said with a smile. Seeing Yasaka's shock, Leona changed the subject. "Anyway, I only told you about James' past like that because I've decided to let you pursue my baby. Even if James having an older girlfriend makes me a bit uncomfortable."
Processing that she had somehow gained Leona's permission to be with James, Yasaka's lips formed into a breathtaking smile and replied.
"Thank you."