As soon as the twin statues were placed, Ophis walked up to the red one and started smacking it lightly with her palm—pat, pat.
"Great Red? Should I be defeated?"
"Please don't go slapping it like that! That thing's basically supposed to represent me and Ddraig! Don't just decide to 'defeat' it on a whim!! …Wait, weren't you the one who asked for these statues in the first place!?"
"…Joke."
Hearing that deadpan "joke" from Ophis, Issei could only slump over with a groan.
After that bit of tension, Kunou performed a simplified yet proper purification ritual to keep the spiritual energy from overflowing. And with that, the shrine was complete.
"Now that it's finished and all… wow, it really does give off some intense divine vibes. Not exactly holy power, so it doesn't hurt us devils, but I can't help but stand up straighter in front of it."
"Well, unlike you, Ikki, the shrine doesn't have any aura suppression features."
Ah, right. Since I normally suppress my aura, anything like this feels more overwhelming by comparison. Even if the divine presence is technically weaker than mine, letting it all out freely like this makes it feel stronger.
"…Wait, I just thought of something. If someone prays at this shrine, would that count as praying to me?"
"That won't be a problem," Kunou said, answering Issei's concern. "The faith will go to Ophis, the shrine's enshrined deity. And besides, the divine power that dwells in the wooden sword is a completely different entity from Ikki's own divine nature."
"Ohoho~ Since the shrine is complete, why don't we all try praying to Phis-chan to commemorate it?" Akeno-senpai proposed sweetly.
And with that, we became the shrine's very first group of worshippers.
Asia's Prayer
"I wish for world peace."
"…Peace. When does the world become peaceful?"
Whoa, going philosophical right out of the gate!?
Shirone's Prayer
"I hope I hit my growth spurt soon."
"…Snake… eat it?"
She means physical growth, not transformation!!
Xenovia's Prayer
"I want to raise my feminine charm."
"…Master Ex-Durandal."
There's no femininity beyond raw destruction, okay!?
Akeno-senpai's Prayer
"I'd be happy if I could get a little better at cooking."
"…I would be happy too."
Okay, that last part sounded suspiciously like a personal wish, Fis…
Ravel's Prayer
"I'd like to grow a little taller."
"…Drink milk daily."
Honestly? The most reasonable suggestion so far.
Irina's Prayer
"Is it really okay for a Christian like me to pray to a dragon god?"
"…I'm stronger than Michael."
Whoa there, Fis, that was kinda smug!
Yuuto's Prayer
"Um… I hope we get lots of devil work requests."
"…Zzzzzzzzzzz…"
Poor Yuuto, always the underappreciated one.
Rossweisse-san's Prayer
"I want either a boyfriend… or money."
"…Unfortunate."
Wait, what kind of "unfortunate" do you mean!?
Gasper's Prayer
"U-Um, I want to be more masculine! Not feminine!"
"…Mil-tan."
That's brute strength, not masculinity! And how do you even know Mil-tan!?
Kunou's Prayer
"I have many wishes, but as long as Kyoto stays peaceful, I'll be content."
"…Thank you for the shrine."
Count on you, Dragon God. Please watch over Kyoto.
Rias-senpai's Prayer
"My wish isn't as grand as Asia's, but if this town can stay peaceful, that's enough."
"…I will protect the town."
Wait, by "protect" do you mean physically!?
Kuroka's Prayer
"I want Ikki to pounce on me~ You know~? Sexually~"
"…Class Beast transformation potion."
HOW DO YOU EVEN KNOW ABOUT THAT!?
My Prayer
"I'd like Kuroka to tone down her advances… just a bit."
"…Sage's Elixir."
That's way too extreme! And seriously, how do you know all this stuff!?
=========
Right as Issei stepped up for his prayer, Azazel-sensei showed up on the rooftop.
"Man, nothing like that morning sun after an all-night mahjong tournament. It really hits the eyeballs."
Sounds like the tournament ran straight through the night.
"Oh! So that's the dragon shrine I heard about. Gotta say, it looks damn fine. As expected of the Kyubi princess. Great work, Kunou."
"Obviously!" Kunou replied proudly, puffing out her chest.
"So, Sensei, who ended up winning the tournament?"
"Baraqiel. That stiff-as-a-board strategic style of his finally paid off and pulled him across the finish line."
Yeah, when you're playing mahjong for hours, a solid, safe playstyle is gonna win out in the end.
"Looks like you guys were praying, huh? Guess I'll toss in a few prayers to the dragon god myself... Ahem— First off, may Shemhazai lighten up a bit even in private. May Baraqiel finally stop being such a tightass. May the Heavenly Emperor stub his pinky toe on a dresser. And may Michael stop dumping pointless paperwork on me. Also… please let some cute angels fall from grace—especially Gabriel."
He rattled off his list of very human desires, and right at the end, Issei's ears perked up at that last bit.
"Sensei! Let me join you in that prayer! Watching Heaven's most beautiful angel fall and dress up in fallen angel fashion sounds like a dream come true!"
"Oho~ You've got taste, kid. A freshly-fallen Gabriel would be pure collector's edition material."
But just as the two perverts got lost in their fantasy...
BOOM!
A flash of lightning from the heavens struck them both down in an instant.
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"
As the two charred men twitched on the ground, Ophis tilted her head, puzzled. Looks like that lightning bolt might've been Michael's divine protest…
In any case, the shrine was now complete.
========
Later that afternoon…
With the shrine finished, we spent time shopping with Kunou until her departure. Ophis and Kunou swapped outfits—Ophis wore a shrine maiden outfit while Kunou tried on a dress.
That led to a mini fashion show in Ophis's room using the stockpile of outfits Le Fay had stashed there. (We later sent the pictures to Yasaka-san—she was very pleased.)
We also gave Kunou her wish to watch our mock battle training.
When my foxfire clashed with Issei's dragon breath, I heard her shout in excitement from the sidelines. Glad she enjoyed it.
Before we knew it, it was time for her to leave.
We'd already prepared souvenirs, and now we were gathered in the shrine's transfer circle.
"Everyone, these past two days have been truly delightful. Thank you for everything."
Kunou gave us a deep bow. Ophis stepped forward and said:
"I'd be happy… if you played with me again."
"Of course! You and I are friends. Let's play again soon!"
The two took each other's hands, smiling brightly.
I'll make sure they have more chances to meet.
Next time I'm using Izuna to talk with Kunou, I'll be sure to invite Ophis too.
With that thought, we waved her off as she returned to Kyoto.
=============
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