Turning her attention to her cousin, Leiko put down her book.
"So what are you doing here, anyway?"
Staring at her cousin for a moment, Leiko smirked and crossed her arms.
"Is it a crime to visit my baby cousin?"
Issei's eyebrows raised at the name.
"Baby cousin?"
"Fufu." Leiko chuckled as her crimson-ruby eyes glinted in amusement.
Feeling a bit confused by his cousin's faint giggling, Issei turned his attention to his recently purchased book.
Looking at her cousin for a few moments, Leiko set her eyes over to her book.
"Leiko-san?"
At the call of her name being spoken once more, Leiko gave her younger cousin her attention.
While her face didn't show it, she felt a slight wave of happiness that her cousin was actually starting to talk more.
"..." Issei opened his mouth, but then he closed it.
Leiko frowned at her cousin's behavior. It almost looked like Issei wanted to say something, and was genuinely trying to get the words out of his mouth.
"What is it, Ise-itoko?" Leiko asked gently, wanting her cousin to let it out.
The elder Hyoudou felt a bit of pride as the sound of her voice seemed to bring Issei out of his nervousness.
"What happened to your hair?" Issei asked softly.
Leiko's eyes widened a bit at the question.
"M-my hair?" She repeated.
"Yeah." Issei answered with a nod, "Why is it all gray? You're not getting old that quickly, are you?"
At Issei's last sentence, Leiko tried in vain to suppress the amused smile that threatened to split her face.
Leave it to her precious 'Ise-itoko' to ask something like that in his usual naive fashion. Of course, if it had been anyone else, Leiko would've had a more violent reaction.
"No, silly." Leiko humored her younger cousin, "I'm not getting old. I just dyed my hair."
"...You killed your own hair?" Issei asked in a hesitant tone with a tilt of his head.
The urge to either flick her cousin on the forehead or shake her head in disbelief reached Leiko's mind.
The elder Hyoudou let out a sigh as she looked her cousin straight in his eyes.
"Ise-itoko." She uttered.
"Hmm?" Issei asked, wondering what his cousin wanted.
FLICK
"Huh?!"
Issei rubbed his forehead in surprise, while Leiko lightly glared at him with her arms crossed.
"I changed the color of my hair, Issei." She explained.
The slight pain in his forehead slowly fading away, Issei removed his hand from his temple and blinked several times at his cousin. Her smile returning, Leiko sat in a more casual position.
"What do you think, Ise-itoko?" She asked as she placed a few strands of her hair behind her ear, "Do you like it?"
"..." Issei blinked again as he titled his head, "Leiko-san looks so different."
Not expecting her cousin to say that, Leiko didn't react. She didn't know how to interpret Issei's answer, so she was at a loss on what to do or how to proceed next.
"But if Leiko-san's happy with it," Issei continued with a small yet faint smile, "Then I guess I'm ok with it too. Plus, you kind of look like an Angel."
"?!"
As much as she tried her damnedest to hold it in, Leiko failed to stop the crimson blush that succeeded in spreading across her face.
"You ok, Leiko-san?" Issei asked in confusion, "Your face is all red."
"I-I'm fine, Ise-itoko." Leiko stammered, before she quickly composed herself and gave him a gentle smile.
Her younger cousin blinked at her a few times, before he smiled back in return and moved his attention back to his book.
When she was sure that Issei was no longer paying any mind to the atmosphere around him, Leiko's smile disappeared and was replaced by an embarrassed frown.
'An angel, huh?'
The elder Hyoudou inaudibly sighed as she shook her head, trying once again to suppress her returning blush.
Why did her little cousin have to say things like that?
The Student Council Room
"So you encountered Issei Hyoudou at a bookstore when you accidentally bumped into each other?"
Saji nodded as he answered the girl with the bob-cut hairstyle.
"Yeah, Sona-kaichou. You were right about him. He's strong, very strong."
Sona Sitri, the President of the Student Council, narrowed her eyes as she crossed her arms.
"What did he seem like?"
Saji shrugged in response.
"To be honest, he seemed pretty much like a shy guy. His personality doesn't really sync with how strong he is. But regardless, he's an alright guy."
Sona looked over at the Secretary of the Student Council, and she set her violet eyes to a different space in the room.
"Hmm."
"What is the reason for his shyness?"
Saji turned around in surprise to see the girl with blue, semi-rimmed glasses looking at the piles of books on the shelf.
"Uh, I didn't really ask him." Saji answered.
Underworld (Residence of the Phenex Clan)
A handsome young man in his early 20's with short blonde hair and dark blue eyes, narrowed his eyes as he tried to ignore the intense surge of energy.
For a number of years, he had sensed this power, and as it grew, so did his interest.
"Riser-sama?"
"Onii-sama?"
Riser Phenex, the third son of the Phenex Clan, turned around to face a large group which consisted of fifteen young women. Shaking and rubbing his head, Riser crossed his arms.
"Don't bother me right now, girls. I have some thinking to do."
Leaving the surprised group of girls, Riser retreated elsewhere, trying to figure out where and how the energy source came to be.
'This energy...it's a source not unlike that of the solar flares from the Sun itself. It even rivals the heat of the Phenex Clan...perhaps even surpasses it...'
Shaking his head in order to clear his thoughts, Riser scoffed and looked away.
"What am I saying? This is ridiculous. Listen to me, I'm paranoid over something that I haven't even experienced or seen yet. Humph."
Shaking off his paranoia for only a moment, Riser Phenex walked off to another section of the Underworld, hopeful in gathering some pleasant thoughts.
Kuoh Academy (Next Day)
"Excuse me, Issei Hyoudou?"