"So, what exactly is your relationship with my daughter?" It was a fairly simple question from Shuri but Damian was a little stuck on how to answer it. On one hand, they were nothing more than acquaintances but on the other Akeno was adamant about staying close to him.
"I'm not quite sure. For now, let's leave at us being classmates." Damian replied after a few seconds of silence. The two had long since left Yomi and now wandered the streets of Kuoh after Shuri wanted to see what had changed in the last eight or so years.
"Speaking of school, how is my little girl doing? Is she a good student like her father?" Shuri inquired curiously, happily taking in all the sights around them. Eight years was not too long but it also wasn't too short, everything was different but the same.
"She's…" Damian began, pausing quickly as he realized Akeno spent more time in the ORC than in school. "A good student." Damian finished quickly, his eyes averted awkwardly. Akeno did have good grades but was she a good student? Probably? Maybe not?
"Fufu, you don't have to lie to me, you know. I wasn't a good student either. I was quite the delinquent." Shuri revealed with a chuckle, a strange mental image crossing Damian's mind for a split second.
"It's not that she's a bad student, she just doesn't attend much. Her grades are still top of her class." Damian continued, completely ignoring the strange revelation. It was odd to hear that such a gentle woman was a delinquent but he knew she was the S between her and Baraqiel.
"Is that so? Would you mind taking me there? It seems interesting." Shuri requested curiously while her finger pointed at quite the unique building. It was relatively new to Kuoh, arriving right around when Rias did.
"If you want." Damian replied with an awkward grin. The building in question was a popular maid cafe. Damian himself wouldn't usually enter such a place but if she wanted to visit he couldn't just say no. They had a few hours until Akeno was released from school anyway.
"Welcome Masters!" Rushing out to greet them was a girl with dyed blond hair wearing fake angel wings and a halo. She was beautiful but she fell short when compared to Shuri though if that fact bothered her she didn't let it show.
"An angel? You're so cute!" Ruthlessly rubbing the maid's cheeks, Shuri was having the time of her life before she even stepped foot in the store. It was only a few minutes later that the maid managed to push the two into the store.
"What do you want to eat Masters?" The maid asked, her impenetrable mask now a little cracked as her smile shook repeatedly. Not only was she touched repeatedly but the pair she was in charge of was seemingly a married couple with an age gap of at least a decade!
"I'll have the omurice. Can you draw something cute on it, a cat maybe?" Despite his initial reservations Damian quickly adapted to the atmosphere. Since he had just decided to get married he was tempted to ask for a snake but he felt like it'd be denied so he didn't bother.
"I'll have the same thing but please draw a bird." Shuri requested with a smile, an awkward grin appearing on the maid's face for a second. A cat was easy enough but the same couldn't be said for a bird, it was a bit above her skill range.
"I'll do my best Masters!" Bowing resolutely the maid wandered into the back room to make the order leaving the two alone once more. Both wore angelic wings despite being allied to the traitors of heaven and holy halos lay above their heads as if God's grace had returned to them.
"I probably should have asked this first but how exactly am I here?" Shuri inquired after a few moments of silence. In this world, even with all the magic, death was absolute. Unless you're saved quickly your soul will join the cycle of rebirth in your area within the hour.
"I stole your soul from Izanami and reconstructed your body." Damian explained casually as the maid came over, two trays in hand. Placing them on the table she quickly said a 'magic spell' of love as she drew a decent cat face and a vaguely recognizable bird.
"Thank you." Thanking the girl, Shuri hardly reacted when Damian raised his hand a hazy look appeared in the girl's eyes. "If I recall correctly, Izanagi is listed in the top three hundred strongest. How did you manage to take me from her?"
"Before that, the top ten strongest had changed quite a bit in the last eight years. Spot number three especially has changed." Damian began with a low chuckle, absentmindedly taking a bite of his food. It was good but Rias and Ingvild made better food.
"The Jade Emperor passed away? Or was it Ra?" Despite asking Shuri couldn't help but doubt it herself. Those two had owned the position below Shiva himself for centuries with only a single change. The God of the Bible was the only one to share that position but he was long dead.
"Neither of them died but the Jade Emperor was defeated by a person he called Malevolent Star." Damian explained jovially. He didn't particularly enjoy the company of the Jade Emperor but using his name was quite nice.
"And that person is you? I'm sorry to be rude but I find that hard to believe." Shuri spoke seriously. Of course, it was hard to believe, the idea that Damian had defeated the Jade Emperor before he was twenty was ridiculous even to the current world which was well accustomed to his actions.
"This level of skepticism is fine. I would doubt it myself. But I'd rather not prove my power in a place like this. Let's leave it as I'm stronger than I look and I saved you. You can learn the rest from Akeno." Damian requested with a smile.
Nodding her head Shuri continued to eat the meal in front of her, only pausing when a sensation she instinctively knew washed over her. Looking at the door he saw the door pushed open once again as a familiar face walked in the door with tears in her eyes.
"Akeno…" Shuri murmured with wide eyes. Until this very second, everything seemed like nothing more than a dream. This futuristic world, the odd boy who saved her, and all the random tidbits she heard along the way. But with her daughter in front of her, she knew it was all real.
"Mom…" Tears dropped down Akeno's face as she crashed into her mother's embrace, hugging her mother just as she had done as a child.
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