Some time had passed since the beast incident that shook the Underworld.
In fact, the very night we finished cleaning up the aftermath, we returned home only to find that the next morning was the first day of midterms. Even the two usually composed and elegant "big sisters" among us couldn't hide the grim look on their faces at that realization.
It was no surprise that all of us in the Occult Research Club chose sleep over cramming for the next day's exams when we got home after testing finished in the early afternoon.
Honestly, I don't even want to imagine if it had been finals with all those extra subjects...
After the tests ended, we encountered the benevolent god Hades, and later, Milicas—Sirzechs' son—came to observe some devil-related work. Accompanying him, under the guise of bodyguards (but clearly here to have some fun), were Sirzechs' peerage members: the "Knight" Okita Souji, the "Bishop" MacGregor Mathers, the "Rook" Surtr Second, and the "Pawn" Beowulf.
When they left, Issei was gifted the Skíðblaðnir, a magical sailing ship that grows in size alongside its master. He made it his familiar. Incidentally, the only remaining member of Sirzechs' peerage we haven't met yet is "Rook" Bahamut.
I'd like to meet them one day, too.
Come to think of it, that magical ship growing in response to its master's aura is kind of like my Izuna. For now, Skíðblaðnir is still about the size of a remote-controlled toy, but I imagine it'll eventually grow large enough to truly be called a ship.
Speaking of Izuna, maybe because I reached the Forbidden Balance Breaker, her power has increased. Where each of her fox avatars used to be equivalent to a low-high-ranking devil, now they're solidly mid-rank. If I ever entered a Rating Game, she'd probably be subject to restrictions.
Still, I've got a long way to go before I can summon a full-on Hyakki Yagyō (Night Parade of a Hundred Demons) like Okita-san.
With the Underworld incident behind us, life had settled down, and one day, while playing a "Underworld-Style Game of Life" in the clubroom, Irina suddenly spoke up:
"Hey, everyone. Do you think we should build a shrine for Ophis-chan?"
"A shrine?" Issei asked, turning to Irina.
Everyone's attention shifted from the game to Ophis, who was sitting quietly nearby.
"Yeah," Irina nodded. "I mean, she's literally a dragon god, right? So wouldn't it make sense for her to have a shrine?"
A fair point. Though... can an angel like Irina even say something like that about enshrining a deity from another faith? Then again, Ophis isn't part of any pantheon—she's a free agent, in a way.
"Throughout history, dragons have often been worshipped as deities—'dragon gods'—especially in the East," Shirone chimed in, adding context. "Even low-tier dragons can seem godlike to normal humans, so it makes sense."
In the supernatural world, the title of "Dragon God" is really only fitting for Ophis and Great Red. But in the human world, there are plenty of dragons worshipped under that title.
"Speaking of Ophis, the Ouroboros Dragon symbolizes eternity. The image definitely leans toward the Eastern-style dragon," I added.
I'd love to see Ophis in her true dragon form someday. Would she look like an Eastern dragon?
"Hey, Ophis. Would you like a shrine?" Rias asked gently, sitting beside her on the sofa.
Ophis tilted her head slowly, side to side, expressionless. It was clear she was thinking. Rias smiled softly at the childlike gesture.
"She tends to immediately reject things she dislikes, so if she's not saying no, she's probably interested. But for us devils to build something as sacred as a shrine... that might be tricky. And the Church isn't going to help either, considering dragons are traditionally their enemies."
"Ugh, yeah... it might be a little tough from my end," Irina admitted.
"In that case," I offered, "why don't we ask Yasaka-san? She handles shrines and temples in Kyoto. We could get some advice or maybe even a connection. And in Japan, it's pretty common to worship dragons."
"That's a good idea. Can I leave that to you?" Rias asked.
"Sure thing," I replied, and immediately contacted Yasaka-san through Izuna.
[Ikki! Calling me outside of our usual time? That's rare. Something up?]
Kokonoe answered first. Since Izuna's usually with her, she's always the one who picks up. I could give another copy of Izuna to Yasaka directly, but Kokonoe might get jealous, so I leave things as they are.
I do have a direct channel to Yasaka in case of emergencies, though, since Kokonoe isn't always by her side.
Anyway, unless it's urgent, I usually go through Kokonoe first. Honestly, seeing her happy over a call is worth the extra step.
[Actually, we've got a young dragon staying undercover in the human world right now. She apparently has some very powerful blood, so we thought, hey—why not build her a shrine as a 'dragon god'? We were hoping to get some advice or maybe a few contacts through Yasaka-san. Is she busy? We can always call back later.]
Another voice came through, this time Yasaka herself.
[No need. I happened to finish work early today and was with Kokonoe. I heard everything. We've got shrine specialists here, and work is slow this time of year, so I can send them your way.]
Nice! As expected from the ruler of Kyoto—the land of shrines and temples. She's got the connections.
I hadn't expected Yasaka herself to answer, so the rest of the group—those who hadn't met her during our Kyoto trip—introduced themselves.
"We're sorry to be contacting you like this," someone said.
[Think nothing of it. This is a personal call. No need to be formal,] she replied warmly.
I was surprised she had time off, though. Even if she's not on the level of a Maou, she's still extremely busy.
[Hehe, thanks to you, Ikki-dono, it's been easier to negotiate foreign relations.]
"Me?"
[Of course. After you reshaped parts of the Underworld and manipulated Hades behind the scenes, even the more rebellious types have quieted down. Some are so afraid of what you might do next that they tread very carefully. That means less time wasted arguing with stubborn officials, so I get to finish work early.]
Wow. So I'm the black ship of supernatural diplomacy now?
Seems they're scared of me, even if I didn't intend it.
"...Ikki-senpai's 'All Evil' persona is starting to seep into real life," Shirone muttered.
Wait—do people actually think I'm some walking embodiment of malice?
[Anyway, back to the shrine. You're planning to build it at the Red Dragon Emperor's house?]
Yeah, that's probably the best place. Ophis doesn't leave the house much, aside from visiting mine or the clubroom.
I looked at Rias, and she nodded. "That's fine. The rooftop's pretty open—should be a good spot."
Just the fact that I instinctively turned to Rias instead of Issei shows how low his hierarchy rank is in this group...
[Then we'll want to keep it simple. Too much divine energy could be problematic in a devil's home. We'll need the right materials... Ideally, something like a sacred tree, but we'll have to see what's available.]
Yeah, you can't just chop down any tree for this. Otherwise, it's just a wooden model of a shrine, not the real thing.
Sacred wood, huh...
"Yasaka-san. Would this work?" I asked, pulling out my wooden sword and sent it to her via teleportation.
[Oh my. This is infused with divine energy... Have you perhaps grown stronger in divinity?]
"Yes. My Sacred Gear reached Forbidden Balance Breaker. I think this wood contains more divine energy than most sacred trees."
"What the hell, Ikki?! You're going to build a whole shrine out of one wooden sword? You planning on making a dollhouse?"
"Issei, I'm a practitioner of sage arts—I control the forces of nature. I can make a tree grow from this."
I can't revive the dead wood, but I can manipulate it into the form of a full-grown tree. Boom—instant sacred lumber.
Apparently, you can't mass-produce shrine-quality wood this way for nationwide use. Even if you could, shrines built from the same source would be spiritually linked, diluting their blessings.
Imagine praying for safe childbirth, but the energy goes to someone else's wish for traffic safety...
Makes sense. No shortcut works that well.
Still, we're only using this for a small shrine for Ophis. No big deal.
And if I lose the sword, I'll just buy another one for practice.
[Perfect. This is more than enough. Frankly, it's fit for enshrining a chief deity. As for who'll perform the rituals... Kokonoe, will you go?]
[Yes! I'd be honored to carry out the ceremony!]
She sounded ecstatic. Probably excited to come visit—maybe half work, half play?
[Then I'll send Kokonoe and the craftsmen over this weekend.]
"Thank you so much for your help, Yasaka-san. See you soon, Kokonoe."
[Looking forward to it, Ikki-dono! Later, everyone!]
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That weekend, we gathered in the Hyoudo family's teleportation chamber.
Since we were building the shrine on Issei's rooftop, it was more convenient to bring the materials this way.
Azazel-sensei wasn't around—apparently he was at the "316th Fallen Angel Executive Mahjong Tournament."
We had made final arrangements for Kokonoe's arrival, and sure enough, the teleportation circle glowed. A tori gate formed, space distorted—and from it emerged Kokonoe and two graceful fox-women attendants.
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