The Chains that Bind (Highschool DxD x Ghost Rider Reader)

Chapter 16

(F/N) could feel his face start to feel a lot better. The stinging, lingering pain of being punched in the face and the piercing pain of his nose began to fade. Even with a sick pop, his nose was back in place and the cuts and incision inside were stitched back together seamlessly. When she was done, (F/N) massaged his nose for a moment, as if checking to see if anything about it was different than before. He then rubbed his cheek, ensuring that his pain didn't linger on.

The Occult Research Club (the ORC) had two couches, a table in between it, and a desk at the back, in front of a curtain. Over in the corner of the room was a tub and a large curtain around it for privacy. The only thing rather "odd" about the room was a large glyph on the floor, with candles around it to make it appear ritualistic.

The people (F/N) once knew now appeared as strangers to him, even his own step-sister. But they wore kind smiles, except for the girl with the cat hair clip.

"I thought you said you were done with fighting, (F/N)," Asia said as she lowered her hands, her face of a frustrated mother turning concerned and worried. "What was it this time?" (F/N) hesitated before he said anything to Asia, knowing that his past, even if recent, would be said to the others listening in on this conversation.

"Some guys from my school were harassing this girl," (F/N) answered. "I wasn't just going to hop on my bike and ride away."

"You could've told a teacher!"

"The teachers didn't show up until after the fight," (F/N) replied.

"It's a shame that your school is also inhabited by perverts," the white-haired girl said, getting his attention. "I figured we were the only unlucky ones with Issei here." She bit into a cookie she had on hand, staring blankly at (F/N), awaiting some kind of response.

"Hey! I'd never stoop to that level!" Issei exclaimed, looking back at the girl. He didn't exactly deny that he was a pervert, which brought even more worries to (F/N) in terms of her looking up to Issei. The blonde-haired boy then stood up, getting the attention of the room.

"Please excuse us for not introducing ourselves," he said, bowing to (F/N). "My name's Yuuto Kiba. And this is Koneko Toujou," he said, motioning to the white-haired girl.

"These are the other two you had yet to meet," Rias pointed out, motioning to the two. (F/N) looked over at Rias, before looking over at Kiba and Koneko. He nodded and bowed from his seat.

"N-Nice to meet you," he replied. From behind them, Akeno walked into view and set down a large tray, each with a cup of tea for everyone. (F/N) watched her intently, as she gracefully picked up the little saucers beneath the cups and set them down in front of whoever was within arms reach, and when it came to people like (F/N) and Kiba, who sat opposite of each other at the end of the couch, she would carry the tray over, set it down, and passed it out. She was calm and patient, saying, "here you go," as she placed the saucers down. When all the cups were passed out, she picked up the tray. With a "thank you" from her friends, and (F/N), she bowed before walking over to Rias's side.

The voice in (F/N)'s head hasn't said anything, nor has it made a sound at all during the course of his stay in the ORC. Whether it decided to give (F/N) the room to think, or perhaps enjoying the show, it made (F/N) even more uneasy than what he already was.

"So Asia tells us that you've been a bit of a stuntman when you two were in the orphanage," Kiba spoke up, initiating the conversation. "What kind of stunts did you do exactly?" (F/N) looked at all the faces on him, even looking at Asia, who was looking back at him with a kind of stare that told him to tell the truth, because she knew every stunt he's done.

"Uh..." he began, choosing his words carefully as he sat there, on the couch, "well, there were some...bikes that were given to the orphanage for kids to use. When I would ride one, it would start with simple jumps and one-handed steering to-"