Of all the girls in the Occult Research Club, Akeno Himejima seemed by far the easiest to get along with. She was reserved, but kind, gracious, and affectionate. Not to mention that she was very beautiful, seen as the second princess of the Kuoh Academy.
So I confess that I was quite nervous when Rias Gremory proposed that she be the person to accompany me on my first mission.
As I wasn't yet able to use the portals, Akeno and I had to go on a bicycle borrowed from Kiba. At one point, Akeno, with his teasing personality, saw me looking at her briefly and decided to make a little joke.
"Arara~ Leo..." she said in a teasing voice as her slender arms wrapped around my waist. "You're in such a hurry. I almost fell just now."
Her tone of voice made my heart race, and I could feel the heat rising to my face. I tried to concentrate on the road ahead, but it was hard to ignore the feel of her arms around me, and the soft, firm pressure of her breasts against my back. Those breasts... I had never felt such softness. It was like I had two pillows on my back. Every little movement of the bike made me move, and I felt her breasts moving too. It was then, at a bend, that she grabbed onto me completely.
"We're almost there, Akeno!" I replied.
"Oh, what a shame. I thought we'd take a bit longer." She sighed.
I knew that Akeno was known for her provocative nature, but feeling it first-hand was a completely different experience. Every time she moved, even if it was just to adjust her position on the bike, I could feel the softness of her breasts pressing against my back and I wanted to touch them, how I wanted to touch them! It was such a divine sensation, so pure, that for a moment, even I, a devil, felt like I was entering heaven.
Finally, we spotted our destination ahead. It was a small sanctuary in the middle of the city, almost hidden between the residential buildings and the tall trees.
I parked the bike and helped Akeno down, offering her a hand. In gratitude, she gave me a smile that made my heart race once again. In itself, she was a heart test.
"Thanks for your help, Leo."
"You're welcome," I replied, trying to keep my composure. "So, what must be the problem here? Why would they summon devils in a shrine?"
She shrugged. "It's not our job to question. We should just fulfill the request and collect the signature on the contract."
"As you wish."
Akeno and I began to climb the shrine's staircase. The place, although small and shabby, exuded tranquillity with those bells swaying just a little in the early evening breeze.
As we reached the top, I saw an old man, bent by age but with eyes that still shone. He was sweeping the entrance to the temple with a worn broom. When he saw us, he stopped and gave us a slight nod.
"Welcome," he greeted in a gruff voice and with a gentle smile. "You must be THEM."
'Them?' I thought.
"Yes, it's us devils." Akeno replied with a more professional and serious tone than he normally had. "We've received your request for help. How can we help you?"
The old monk sighed, stopping moving his broom. "Of course, of course. Please come in and let's talk."
He led us into a small room inside the shrine, where we sat on cushions around a low table. The atmosphere was simple, with Buddhist statues that seemed to watch us in silence.
"I've been looking after this temple for many years." The monk began to speak. His hands trembled slightly as he poured tea into small ceramic cups for us. "This used to be a beautiful temple a few years ago, where many devotees came. However, those times had to end for new ones to come. The only problem is that lately I've had more trouble than usual with a group of children. Every night, they come here and throw stones at the bells, disturbing my simple peace. I've tried talking to them, but it only seems to encourage them more, and I've even prayed for them to stop, but they still come every day. As a last desperate option, I decided to call you to try to resolve the situation. I didn't think you'd actually come."
Akeno, with his usual serene expression, leaned forward slightly and gladly accepted the tea. "We understand, sir. Do you have any idea why the children would do this? Could there be a specific reason, or is it just mischief?"
The monk shook his head negatively, looking frustrated. "I think it's just mischief. They seem to enjoy it, as if it were a game. However, every temple needs to be harmonious and the spirits don't like a lot of noise. I needed to find a way to make them stop."
Finally, the monk sighed, looking disappointed.
I exchanged a quick glance with Akeno before turning to the monk again and saying: "We understand your concern and we'll do our best to help. We'll try to talk to these children and get them to stop."
The monk smiled, visibly relieved. "I'd really appreciate it."
After finishing our tea, Akeno and I got up and prepared to wait for the children to arrive. They had shown up almost every day for the last few months at eight o'clock in the evening. We found a discreet spot near the entrance to the temple, among some bushes, where we could watch without being easily spotted.
"I want to see if those children are going to come back after the scare I'm going to give them," said Akeno, and she seemed serious about it.
It wasn't long before the peaceful sound of swaying trees was overlaid by the sound of distant laughter.
Soon, we saw a trio of children coming up the stairs. They were two boys and a girl.
"I bet I can hit three in a row on the middle bell today!" A boy with a red cap announced.
"And I'll hit four!"
"Guys, it's cold in here. Let's go back to the playground!" The girl said. Only the cold seemed to be just an excuse to disguise the clear fear on her face.
At that moment, Akeno almost stood up from behind the bushes and sparks of electricity shot out of her eyes. Contrary to what I expected, she definitely wasn't joking when she said she would scare the children.
[Your understanding about Akeno Himejima's character has increased.]
"Wait, Akeno," I muttered, trying to keep my voice down so as not to alert the children. "Maybe I should talk to them."
"Why do you think that, Leo? It's not like I'm going to electrocute them for real."
I swallowed. I didn't want to say it was because she was really scary when she was taking things seriously.
"You're... well, you know, you're a pretty girl. They might feel intimidated or even too charmed to listen to you. Besides, Rias gave me this mission. I should handle it."
Akeno smiled. "I see. All right, Leo. I'll just watch you act."
*
*
*
*
Support me to write more and read chapters ahead of all regular readers!
P-atreon.com/palmer1998
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
In chapters R-18, there are original and exclusive images for the patreons!