The Protagonist System

275 Baby Boomers Part Three

The blush on Tsubaki's face in the morning when she saw me approach the school, was worth the public show of affection I had given her the day before.

“I apologize for my boldness yesterday, Vice President. I just couldn't resist how cute your pout was.” I said to her and produced a small bundle of roses and handed them to her. “I hope you can forgive me for briefly falling back on old habits.”

Tsubaki accepted the bundle and immediately sniffed them. She let out a small sigh and nodded as she waved me into the school.

“Thank you.” I said and glanced down at her lips and back into her eyes.

Tsubaki's blush went to a deeper red and I walked around her and entered the school.

That could have gone a lot worse if she refused. I thought and went to my locker to retrieve my school things and then went to class. I was greeted by a few of the girls and I smiled and greeted them back. It was definitely a nice change from the looks of disgust and revulsion Issei used to get before I made a concerted effort to visibly change his ways.

When lunchtime arrived, I was a little surprised that Koneko was waiting for me in the hallway. I had thought she would be by Rias' side to keep her morale up after what happened to Sirzechs. When I stepped out of the classroom, I took out the forehead sign that claimed I was her property and showed it to her.

Koneko stared at it for a few seconds before she gave me a blank stare and didn't nod, take my hand, or smile.

I sighed sadly at what that meant and put it away. “Lead the way to the club room, Miss Toujou.”

All the girls still in the classroom and a few in the hallway gasped, immediately knowing what just happened. Koneko blushed, clearly embarrassed at apparently breaking up with me so publicly, and she turned around and walked away. I followed her and saw several sympathetic faces on the girls we passed. The rest of the school would know about it by the end of lunch.

We entered the ORC and I saw Rias looking depressed. I wasn't sure what was going on, so I gave her a brief mental probe and almost stumbled at the confrontation she had with her big-breasted mother over both Sirzechs dying and Grayfia pulling away from the Gremory Clan completely.

What the hell? I thought and caught myself before I gave away that I knew anything was going on. Koneko sat on the far side of the couch and well away from where she usually sat, making sure I couldn't sit near her or try to cuddle her.

“Are you doing this on your own or did Rias order you to break up with me because I'm not devil enough to be associated with you?” I asked her.

Koneko's eyes flicked to Rias and she ducked her head. “Yes to both.”

“Understood.” I said and sat in the middle of the couch. “So, what's this about?” I asked and looked at Rias. “You don't usually send a minion to fetch me if it's not important.”

“You don't have to be so hostile.” Yuuto said.

I didn't bother looking at him. “I was just publicly broken up with by my girlfriend and everyone knows it. I have a right to be hostile.”

“So do I.” Rias said and glared at me. “Do you have any idea what I've been going through...”

“No, and apparently I'm not supposed to care, because I'm not a devil.” I interrupted her and she looked guilty. “I suppose you're going to kick me out of the Occult Research Club as well.”

“That is one of the reasons I called you here.” Rias admitted.

“What else are you going to do?” I asked and motioned to the room and then at Koneko. “Doing this to me wasn't enough of a thank you after I saved you from a life of debauchery with your brother?”

Rias blushed. “I was visited by my mother last night...”

“So what?” I interrupted her again. “I'm not supposed to care, remember?”

“Issei, please let her explain.” Akeno urged.

“Why would she bother telling me anything? It's not like I'm allowed to be anywhere around here or have to listen to whatever she has to say, right? I'm not a devil, a member of the club, or Koneko's boyfriend.” I said and they all had guilty faces. “So, what is it? Am I a part of this or am I to be completely tossed aside by an uncaring and selfish child that can only think about herself?”

“That's not how this is at all!” Rias exclaimed.

“You are doing everything you can to push me away from you and your Peerage when all I've ever done is help you.” I said and stood up to look down my nose at her. “It shouldn't matter if I'm a human, or a devil, or even something you've never seen before!”

Rias winced. “I'm sorry, Issei. It's the government's policy to hide our existence from those that shouldn't know about us. Since you aren't a member of my Peerage, or a devil, or in any way associated with our society...”

“Fuck you.” I cut her off and Koneko, Akeno, Yuuto, and Rias gasped. “I really should ask you why you are using any excuse to distance yourself from me; but, I honestly don't care anymore. If you want me to stop helping you, then that's what I'll do.”

Rias sighed. “You have to understand. The pressure I'm under...”

“Shut up.” I said and immobilized everyone in the room. I walked around the coffee table and knelt on one knee in front of her. “I said I was going to stop helping you, and I always keep my word.”

Rias couldn't react as I reached forward and my hand passed through her belly as if it wasn't there. When I pulled my hand back, I could feel her emotions screaming at me at the sight of the small mass of flesh surrounded by a ball of clear fluid.

I formed a canister and put it inside before I cast stasis on it and stored it in my inventory. “There you go. You can tell everyone that you lost the baby and be completely truthful.”

Now all four of their emotions were screaming at me over what I just said.

“Don't worry, Miss Gremory. I'm sure I can find a suitable home for the little darling that's going to become the heir of the Gremory Clan when he's born.” I said and stood up. “I hope you enjoy the notoriety this is going to give you instead of the sympathy you had.”

They didn't react because they were immobilized, and I walked over to the door.

“You don't have to worry about trying to erase my memories of you and the devil race, Miss Gremory. I'm the new assistant to the Foreign Affairs Minister of the Underworld.” I told them and their emotions immediately changed from outrage to a confused mess. “No one told you about that? What a pity.”

I opened the door and stepped out, then turned and smiled at them.

“Don't bother trying to apologize or send anyone after me, because you'll regret it even more than you are going to regret this.” I said and looked at Koneko. “I am quite disappointed with you, dearest. I sincerely hope you don't do anything to harm our child. If you do... just don't. You won't like what happens if you do.”

Koneko's emotions changed to fear and regret.

“You understand? Good. I'll be watching.” I said and waved at her and shut the door.

I would drop the immobilizing spell as soon as I was out the door of the building, just so they would assume there was a range for it. Almost as soon as I was outside, my phone rang and I took it out of my inventory. It was Grayfia and I accepted the call.

“Good afternoon, Minister. What can I do for you?” I asked formally, just in case she was at work.

“Good afternoon, Assistant Hyoudou. I have an appointment in Kyoto in an hour and need you to attend.” Grayfia said and I knew my guess had been right.

“I'd be delighted to attend. I'll give notice to Miss Shitori and will await your arrival in her office to pick me up.” I agreed right away.

“Thank you. I will be there in twenty minutes.” Grayfia said and hung up.

I put the phone away and went into the main school building and up to the Student Council office. The door was open, so I knocked on the doorframe. Sona and the other girls lifted their heads from their paperwork. A few of them were eating as well.

“I apologize for bothering you, Miss Shitori. My new boss will be picking me up here in a few minutes and I need to be excused from my afternoon classes.” I said and had to use her human name, because someone not in the know could overhear me.

“Your new boss?” Sona asked.

“The newly appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs hired me as her assistant.” I said, a bit proudly.

Sona's eyes widened and a couple of the girls caught their breath.

“Oh, I should change my clothing, too. I can't go to an important meeting wearing a high school uniform.” I said and stepped into the room, closed the door, and walked to the middle of the room. I created a temporary rack to hold the clothes and then started stripping off.

Needless to say, I had everyone's full attention as I removed every piece of clothing, right down to my boxers. I stored the rack for the uniform and then replaced it with a very expensive suit. I wasn't sure why I could feel their excitement grow as I dressed in the stylish suit, then I finished dressing by flipping on the suit coat with a flourish and tugged the sleeves into place.

“Sweet Lucifer.” Someone whispered and I could feel how turned on they were.

I created some nice diamond cufflinks and pulled them out of my pocket and applied them, then put a nice handkerchief in my breast pocket. “How do I look?”

“You need to fix your hair.” Sona said and her face was slightly red.

“Right, I need to look my best.” I said and waved a hand at my own head, to pretend I needed to, and I changed my hairstyle to become short and cropped, with a bit of a fade, and made it a little floofy on top. “How's that?”

Sona's face was quite red now. “It's presentable.”

I smiled at the compliment. “Thank you, Miss Sitri.” I could use her real name because the office door was shut and no one outside could hear or discover the truth.

Sona nodded just as the teleportation circle at the side of the room lit up. We all turned and looked to see Grayfia appear in a flash of light. She was dressed in her business best and she gave me an appraising look that ended with approval.

“Welcome to the Kuoh Territory, Satan Leviathan.” Sona said as she stood and bowed slightly.

“Thank you, Heiress Sitri.” Grayfia said. “Mister Hyoudou, you look presentable.”

“Miss Sitri also paid me that high compliment, Minister.” I said and bowed briefly, then I walked over to her. “Is it too early to go or should we wait until the very moment of the meeting to arrive?”

Grayfia smiled a little. “We are not allowed to appear within their compound, so we need to walk there with an escort.”

“Ah, operation security. Understood.” I said and stood at attention at her side.

Grayfia nodded and waved at Sona. “We won't be using this transportation circle to return, so there's no need to wait around for us.”

Sona nodded and Grayfia activated it.

A flash of light later, we appeared in a relatively clear area with a lot of people around. The neat thing was they were all animal hybrids, with furry ears, some visible tails, and a few with more pronounced features like full animal faces or fur and feathers on different parts of their bodies.

A tall crow-like youkai stepped out of the crowd and bowed to us. “I am Kurasu, the head of Queen Yasaka's guards. Please follow me.”

Grayfia nodded and we followed the youkai out of the common area that all visitors to their territory used to arrive. I tried to not glance around too much, even if the sights were quite eye-catching. Not necessarily the architecture, either. The people were an eclectic mix of everything and there was almost something new to see every time I let my eyes roam.

We approached a large pagoda, a muli-level building that had ornate carvings all over it, as well as balconies on each level. It was wider on the bottom and smaller at the top, so it was almost like a pyramid. The reddish wood of the roofs really made it stand out from the yellow walls and it was quite the sight, especially with all the youkai that could be seen on the balconies.

We went inside, the guards giving us pointed looks, as if searching for visible and not so visible weapons. I held in my laugh, because devils rarely used physical weapons and relied solely on their inherent magic and abilities.

The crow guard leading us opened a set of large double doors and inside was a nice meeting room with several youkai inside. They were gathered around a large table and the tiers of importance were clearly marked out, surprising me a little. What didn't surprise me was the absolutely gorgeous blonde woman that sat at the far side of the table in the middle.

Yasaka was a nine-tailed fox and the current ruler of her people. Her nine tails were a huge mass behind her and they seemed to swish only slightly when she saw us. She also had humongous breasts that didn't quite defy gravity like all the other breasts I had seen in this world, which was a nice change.

The mass of her chest actually hung down like breasts are supposed to and it was a novel sight that was pleasing to the eyes. That and her yellow kimono was barely hanging onto her body and most of her breasts were on full display, as were her shoulders and upper arms.

I was sure it was a distraction technique, because she smiled knowingly as soon as she saw my eyes dart down to admire her expanse of cleavage. I wonder if she uses magic to keep the cloth stuck to just above her nipples? I asked myself. Otherwise, every time she moves or lifts and arm, one of those breasts would jump to freedom.

“Welcome to the Youkai Territory, Satan Leviathan.” Yasaka said, her voice coming out more like a purr instead of one used in casual conversation.

Again, I immediately thought it was a distraction tactic and her smile dimmed slightly when I hadn't reacted to it.

“Thank you, your highness.” Grayfia said and didn't comment on the silent interactions.

“Please have a seat.” Yasaka said and motioned to the only two chairs on our side of the table.

I held Grayfia's chair for her and sat her down, made sure she was comfortable, then I sat down as well. The reaction of the others seated at the table was pronounced and showed their surprise at my actions. Even Yasaka seemed surprised at me doing that, which was almost funny. I didn't let my amusement show on my face, though.

“Shall we begin?” Yasaka asked and started the meeting.

I wasn't out of my depth, thanks to my experiences as an administrator back in the Incredibles universe. The nearly endless meetings to set everything up to establish a series of schools for so many supers, gave me knowledge that really came in handy for this meeting.