DxD: Ascension - Redux

Chapter 34: The Hero Faction

BGM: Persona 5 - My Homie

Issei and his tour group wandered the streets of Kyoto, taking in the sights as they strolled.
"Hey, Asia, there's a rumor that if you trip and fall in this area of town, you'll tumble to your death!" Aika warned with a mischevious grin.
"What?! That can't be true, can it?" Asia immediately clung to Issei's arm.
"Hey, Asia, calm down. It's just an urban legend. Nothing to be afraid of," Issei assured her.
Xenovia clung to Issei's other arm. "Why would they build this town in such a terrifying manner?"
"C'mon, you too? It's just a superstition."
"Is it true?!" Irina asked Zach, terrified. "Will we really die if we fall down?"
"Let's find out." Zach flipped his coin. Apparently satisfied with the results, he whistled for attention. "Matsuda, come here for a sec!"
Matsuda jogged over to meet him. "'Sup?"
"We need to test something." Zach pushed Matsuda over. He tumbled back down the path but survived. "Guess it's not true."

They soon came across a booth offering love compatibility tests. "Issei, how about you and Asia do one?" Aika suggested.
"Uh... sure." Issei got Asia's attention and they did the test. "Hell yes! It says we're super compatible!"
"That's incredible! How does it work?"
"Uh... I dunno. Zach, how do these things work?"
Zach examined their results. "Depends. How'd you do the test?"
"We just put in our names and it gave us the results."
"In that case, I won't spoil the magic for you. But it's a lot simpler than you're probably thinking."

"WHAT?!" Xenovia exclaimed as they came across a temple. She checked her guidebook. "But it's the Silver Temple! Why isn't it Silver?!"
"It's just the name." Zach came up behind her, cleaning his glasses. "I wish they had enough silver to build an entire temple."

"We got one!" Xenovia exclaimed as they came across a second temple. "The Golden Temple is actually golden!"
"You're joking!" Zach's voice yelled from down the path. He soon caught up and saw the Golden Temple from across the pond. His face broke into a grin. "It really is. I can't believe it... Hey, Issei! This one is golden!"
"What're you getting so excited for?" Issei asked as he jogged to catch up.
"Kyoto was number one on the list of places I wanted to go. And now I'm here, seeing all these things in person. It's like a dream."
"I didn't know you had it in you to get this excited. So much for being the calm, cool dude." Issei snapped a picture of Xenovia and Zach marveling at the temple. "Rias is gonna love this. She finally has leverage on him."

End BGM

The group sat in a small courtyard. Zach was scribbling notes into his journal, still as excited as he had been, when his smile suddenly dropped and every muscle in his body tensed up.
At the same time, Issei got a call from Akeno. "Hello?"
"Hey Issei, sorry to bother you on your trip. We found something in that picture you sent to Rias. Or rather, Koneko did."
"Huh? What's up?"
"From what she said, the other people around Zach and Xenovia are fox Yōkai. That's all."
"Seriously? They're stalking- oh, crap! Akeno, I have to go! We've got company!" Issei quickly hung up as masked people in traditional robes surrounded the courtyard. He looked at his human friends, all of which had slumped over, apparently unconscious. "Guess these Yōkai didn't want any interference." He summoned his Boosted Gear, ready for a fight.
Rossweisse tumbled out of the bushes and brushed herself off. "Everyone, wait just a moment! Azazel asked me to find you." As she spoke, one of the Yōkai bowed respectfully.

That night, in another part of Kyoto (BGM: Persona 5 - Suspicion)

The group was escorted through the streets of a small section of Kyoto. The entire area was populated by various Yōkai. They waved as the newcomers passed by.
They were taken to a temple where Azazel and Serafall were waiting, along with a familiar young girl. "Oh, they're finally here," said the former.
"So glad you could make it!" Serafall waved.
"Is anyone going to tell us what's going on?" Zach asked as they approached the Satan and Governor-General. He had dropped his regular teenager act and gave off an intimidating aura.
The girl bowed. "Greetings. I lead the Yōkai that live in the shadows of Kyoto. My name is Kunou. I am the daughter of Yasaka. Please forgive my rash behavior yesterday. I wasn't thinking straight and assumed you kidnapped my mother without knowing all the facts. I am truly sorry."
"Don't worry about it. All that matters is that we've cleared up that misunderstanding."
"Yeah, we'd much rather be your friend," Asia agreed.
Kunou looked up at them. "But... the way I acted..."
"Hey, it's fine." Zach's tone softened as he knelt in front of Kunou. "You were just worried about your mom, weren't you? It's easy to make mistakes when it comes to people you care about. What's important is that you learn from them. So just forget about all that. We forgive you."
"That's great and all, but if you're done giving life lessons, we need to debrief you on the situation." Azazel nodded toward the door. "Head inside. And don't be spooked by the red guy. He's friendly."