Chapter 175— A Dream Of Freedom

Xenovia

Yuki’s question had broken the silence of the bath.

The two of us were in the bath on the first basement floor of the house.

I turned towards her.

She was seated in the bath a short distance away from me.

She was leaning on the side of the bath with her body turned slightly towards me.

Her tails slowly moved through the water behind her. 

Her hair was still wet from washing off before the bath and clung to her skin.

I watched her for a moment before replying. 

“You noticed.”

“You weren’t exactly hiding it,” Yuki replied.

I let out a hum.

“I spoke with Issei after I finished practicing.”

Yuki nodded.

“And what did the two of you speak about?”

“He asked me why I was training again after I had already trained before school. I told him that it was because I was feeling inadequate,” I explained with a frown. “During the Rating Game against the student council, I was nearly knocked out of the fight. If it hadn’t been for your support and Yuuto’s help, I likely would have been defeated by Shinra-senpai’s Sacred Gear, or lost my fight against the enemy [Knight] with that reversal ability.”

I let out a deep sigh.

“I realized that my mentality of overwhelming power being the only thing necessary in a fight was wrong. There are far too many ways that someone with large amounts of power can be defeated… I also realized that Yuuto has become stronger than me.”

“What do you mean?” Yuki asked. “She has certainly grown quickly since unlocking her Balance Breaker, but I don’t know if she’s overtaken you in strength.”

I shook my head.

“Yuuto didn’t get to display it in the match, but she has been practicing wielding Durandal. She has managed to use my own sword with better control than I can, even if she can’t bring out much of its true strength,” I said, looking down into the water. “She’s more talented than I am. That’s why I have been training more, so that I won’t be caught off guard like I was in our last match.”

“I understand feeling dissatisfied with your strength and wanting to improve, but don’t overdo it, Xenovia. Especially so close to our next match. The last thing you’d want is to go into the fight worn out,”  Yuki said with a wry smile.

I nodded.

“You’re correct. Then Issei and I spoke about the future.”

Yuki raised an eyebrow.

“What about it?”

“I asked Issei what his plans were,” I replied. “I know that he wants to eventually become a high-class Devil. And he has his goal of creating a harem and becoming a harem King. But I wanted to know what his plans for his peerage were and if he had larger goals after becoming a high-class Devil. Like becoming a Maou.”

She stared at me for a moment. 

“Issei-san. As a Maou. That’s…” She paused before putting a hand on her forehead. “Actually, considering the personalities of the Maou we have met and the rumors I’ve heard about the others, it wouldn’t be that far-fetched.”

I nodded.

“And his status as the Sekiryuutei and the immense power he will grow to have would give him the ability to become a Maou. Though he mentioned that he had never thought of being one.” 

“You’re not wrong,” Yuki said with a sigh. “But thankfully there is a rule that the Maou cannot have their own harems. There’s no way Issei-san would try and become Maou with that rule in place. I can’t imagine him being one of the leaders of the Underworld…”

Yuki frowned, then shook her head.

“I told him that Asia had said she would want to be in Issei’s peerage when he got one,” I continued. “I asked him if I would be able to join it with her. He was surprised but said he didn’t see why not, but he’d think about it.”

“I imagine that when Issei becomes a high-class Devil, Rias-Buchou will likely trade him a few people. But what about you, Xenovia? What do you want to do when you become a high-class Devil? Would you like your own peerage?”

“I don’t know exactly,” I say after a pause. “I will probably leave Rias’s peerage at some point, but I don’t really know if I want my own peerage. I would rather stay a close part of whatever peerage I am in than to create my own.”

“If you’re not traded, you’ll still be Buchou’s [Knight] even if you create your own peerage, though. Even after we become high-class Devils, it’s not like we won’t still be her servant. That’s not something that we will ever get out of.”

Yuki frowned faintly as he finished speaking.

“At least our master is Rias. From the little I have heard from you and some of the Devils I encountered as an agent of the Church, we are very lucky.”

Yuki nodded.

I looked out across the bath and watched the steam rise from the water for a few moments.

The quiet sloshing of water and the warm water flowing into the bath created a soothing sound to fill the silence.

I turned back to Yuki. 

“And you? What do you want to do after becoming a high-class Devil? Do you have a dream you wish to obtain, Yuki?”

She didn’t respond right away.

I had realized that I had heard Issei’s dreams of being a harem king and becoming the strongest [Pawn].

Asia had told me she prayed that she would always be with Issei.

Irina had already achieved her dream of serving the Archangel. 

But I didn’t know what Yuki wanted in her future, or if she had a dream she was chasing.

I had already told her my dream, or at least the older version of it.

I wanted to be a mother.

That was what I had told the others.

After my talk with Yuki in the old school building, I had thought about it more. 

My wish of being a mother was still true, but I wanted a family now.

A partner to spend my life with and have children with. 

At last, Yuki spoke.

“I do. Have a goal, that is.”

She glanced at me before looking back across the bath. 

“It’s rather simple. I want to be free.”

I turned my body towards her.

“What do you mean exactly? To be free from Buchou’s peerage? Or free from the seals placed on you?” I asked

“Both in a sense, but I don’t want to leave Rias-Buchou’s peerage. She’s treated me very well so far, but I want as much agency as I can get as a servant Devil. With how the Evil Piece System works, a servant Devil will always have a master, so there is no way to become completely independent. So I'd like to become a high-class Devil and create my own peerage to gain as much status and independence as possible.” She paused as she sighed. “And regarding my seals, I want all of them gone, obviously. Once my seals are gone, I will do everything I can to grow stronger. If I am strong enough, then no one will be able to make decisions for me again.”

I frowned.

“While I understand wanting to improve yourself as much as you can, I don’t think that Rias would make any decisions that you wouldn’t like without you,” I said.

She shifted her tails through the water. 

“While I agree with you, I have been removed from her peerage once. There are people above Rias-Buchou who can make those decisions for her. If I am powerful enough, then those people cannot make that kind of decision again.” Her eyes grew more distant as she spoke. “I’ve lived a life where people told me what to do, where to go, and what I could and couldn’t do. My dream is to live a life where that cannot happen again. To be free to do as I wish.”

I leaned back against the edges of the bath as I watched Yuki.

A dream to be free.

It made sense for someone like her.

“That sounds like quite a grand goal, to be one of the strongest Devils in the Underworld,” I said.

She gave a small shrug.

“The idea is straightforward and simple, like I said. Achieving it is another thing, but that’s why it’s my goal for the future. And that strength is simply a means to an end.”

I nodded.

“And your future peerage? Have you thought about the kind of people you’d want in it?” I asked.

“I don’t know, exactly. I would want people I can trust, but beyond that, I don’t have any real requirements yet, “she says staringdown at the water again. “But I do know that I’d like my peerage to be similar to Rias-Buchou’s. Close and like a family. I’m not fond of the idea of having others that I want to trust and work with be treated as servants or slaves."

“And what if someone from Rias’s peerage wanted to be a part of yours?”

She turned to me.

“I don’t know if anyone would want to come with me instead of staying with Buchou or going with Issei-san, but if they wanted to, then I’d be happy to have them.”

I tilted my head. 

So if I asked, there would be a place for me?” I asked.

Her response was immediate.

“Of course.”

Then she frowned.

“Though didn’t you just ask Issei-san to be a part of his future peerage?”

I shrugged.

“I want to keep my options open. It will be a long time from now, and anything could happen.”

“Well, whoever’s peerage you end up in will be lucky to have you. You’re strong and capable, Xenovia.”

“Thank you. And thank you for sharing that with me.” I replied with a nod.

Yuki let out an affirmative hum.

A comfortable silence fell between us again.

I lowered myself further into the warm water.

I was glad I had happened upon her on the way to the baths. 

Our last talk had given me plenty to think of, and my talk with Issei after training had me thinking of the future.

I had decided that I wanted to grow closer to each of them and learn more about them, and conversations like these were what I wanted.

I would be patient.

I wouldn’t rush into something as I did with my decision to become a Devil.

Issei was being pursued by multiple girls but had already made his desire for a harem apparent with his dream of being a harem king.

If I ended up pursuing him fully, then I’d have to compete with Rias and Asia, and possibly Yuuto, Irina, and Akeno.

But there would be a place beside him for me, and I was not opposed to being a part of a harem.

Yuki was different.

She had the interest of Koneko and Akeno, but she had said that she wasn’t interested in any of us romantically.

That she wasn’t looking for that kind of relationship.

At least she wasn’t currently.

That could change in the future.

That meant I would be able to take my time making a decision. 

I dipped myself beneath the water and stayed under for a few seconds.

I came up and let out a slow breath as I wiped the water from my face.

I climbed out of the bath and made my way to the drink fridge again.

“Would you like another drink?” I called back to Yuki as I pulled a drink out for myself. 

“No, I’m quite all right. But thank you,” she replied.

“Are you sure? I’ve heard that if you drink plenty of milk, your breasts will grow larger.”

Yuki blinked, then gave me an exasperated look. 

I tilted my head. 

“What?” I asked.

“Xenovia… that’s a myth. Drinking milk has nothing to do with your breast size… Also, why would I want my breasts to grow larger than they already are?” She asked.

“Are you sure it’s a myth? I’ve heard some of the younger students talking about it,  read about it online, and in some of Issei’s manga,” I said as I closed the fridge and moved back into the water. “As for your question, I was under the assumption that all girls would want to have larger breasts. Their size seems to be seen as rather important after all. I’ve heard both Issei and some of the other boys in school talking about how much better larger-sized breasts are,” I replied casually.

“Don’t repeat that in front of Koneko-chan. She might try to hit you and then probably go after all of the male students in our school,” Yuki said with a sigh. “And yes, it’s a myth. School rumors and shady websites aren’t the best place for reliable information, and please do not take anything in the manga Issei reads seriously. I don’t want to imagine the kind of strange things that happen in those.”

Yuki shivered slightly.

“They seemed rather informative when I read some with Asia,” I commented as I took a sip of my cool drink. “Do you not want larger breasts? I wouldn't mind if mine grew more. It would likely help with feeding a child once I have one.”

Yuki rolled her eyes.

“I’m pretty sure that’s not true either,” she muttered. “I don’t see a need to have large breasts, as they just get in the way, and I don’t care if someone’s interested in my body. If it means I’m bothered by random men less, then I’d rather have smaller breasts.”

I nodded.

That made sense from how she put it. 

“Why do we always end up on these strange topics?” Yuki asked, staring up at the ceiling. “Issei-san isn’t even here, and we are still talking about boobs,” she said, looking at me. “Are we cursed or something? Are we being affected by his obsession with breasts?” 

“Wouldn’t you be the one to know if we were cursed?”

Yuki gave me a look.

I tilted my head, not getting why she looked annoyed.

“Well, what would you like to talk about instead?” I asked.

“We could go back to quietly relaxing.”

I frowned.

“I’d rather continue talking. I enjoy speaking with you, Yuki.”

She paused and studied me for a moment.

“Alright,” she said, shifting in her seat. “Why don’t you tell me about the extra-dimensional space spell you use? The one you use to store Durandal. I’m interested in the spell that was taught by the Church to contain a legendary holy sword.”

I smiled at the blunt interest she displayed.

I began to talk, explaining the logic behind the spell and how it was taught to me.

Yuki would interject a question or ask me to clarify as I explained.

We continued to talk for a while and went on several tangents that distracted Yuki from her analysis of my storage spell.

By the time we finished talking about it, we had spent more time talking about other topics than the spell itself.

Yuki glanced at the clock on the bathroom wall.

“We’ve been in here longer than I’d realized. I’ll be getting out and heading to bed. Koneko-chan will probably already be asleep by now.”

She rose from the water and grabbed a towel to wrap herself in.

I internally frowned as she covered herself.

“I’ll stay and enjoy the water a while longer,” I said as she moved to the changing room door.

She paused and looked back at me.

“Don’t spend too long in the bath, Xenovia. You should get your rest as well. You’ve been training hard and need it.”

I nodded.

“I’ll just be a bit longer. Thank you for joining me.”

“It was nice. We should do it again sometime,” Yuki replied.

“I’d enjoy that. Goodnight, Yuki.”

“Goodnight, Xenovia.”

The door slowly closed behind her.

I stared across the bath at the steam as it lazily rose through the air.

That had been nice.

I hadn’t gotten many chances to spend time with Yuki alone, but I enjoyed it.

I thought of her desire for strength and her plan for a peerage full of people she would treat like family.

It sounded like a good future.

Maybe I would be a part of it.

As I sat alone in the bath, I wondered if she trained at the same time every day.

…I might change my training regimen to line up with hers, so that we could do things again occasionally. 

That also sounded good.