Chapter 199 — Tailing

Yuki

“…Come on, Yuki-senpai. Issei-senpai and Akeno-senpai are leaving.” Koneko said as she set down the book she had been looking at.

I looked over my shoulder and saw Issei and Akeno walking towards town together.

Rias and the others were already moving to follow them.

I doubted that Issei and Akeno hadn’t spotted them already.

The only one who actually looked inconspicuous was Yuuto.

The rest of them were wearing poor excuses of disguises that wouldn’t fool a child.

I sighed and put the book I had been skimming through back on the shelf.

It had seemed decent, and I might come back for it after this ‘mission’ was over with.

I joined Koneko as we casually followed after Rias and the others as they tried to sneakily follow Issei and Akeno.

“…Shouldn’t we at least try to hide while we follow them?” Koneko asked me.

“There is no way they haven’t noticed Rias already, and I’m here because you and the others asked me to be,” I said with a shrug. “I don’t care if they see us. Though they wouldn’t realize it was me easily if you had let me cast an illusion over you too.”

“Buchou said we should use real disguises because we might get separated from you while we trailed Akeno-senpai and Issei-senpai. Plus, it was kind of fun to make a disguise.”

I glanced at Koneko.

She was wearing a black baseball cap and white headphones on her head.

Her outfit looked comfortable and warm enough for the early fall weather.

She looked nice, and it would be a decent disguise if it covered her face in any way and if the headphones didn’t have cat ears on them. 

“It’s not much of a disguise if you can tell it’s you right away. And I would still be able to obscure everyone while we were following them. I think that Rias thinks that copying spy movies would be enough,” I said with a huff.

“It’ll be fine, Yuki-senpai. We can just enjoy ourselves and let Buchou worry about the date.”

I nodded, then looked around for a moment.

“By the way, where is Gasper-kun? I haven’t seen him since we got here.”

“…He went home. He said that he didn’t want to be around so many people and left.”

I blinked.

“I thought he was hiding in one of the boxes at the station.”

“I’m pretty sure everyone else thought the same.”

Koneko and I caught up with Rias and the others and followed Issei and Akeno.

They first went into a clothing store.

Akeno immediately began to pick out clothes and soon had a stack of outfits to try on. 

She started wearing different outfits and asking Issei for his opinion of them.

Contrary to how she normally was, she wasn’t teasing him or acting seductively.

She was acting like a normal schoolgirl and was even bashful when he complimented her in the outfits she tried on.

It was an interesting side of Akeno to see.

I had seen bits and pieces of it when we spoke alone sometimes, but she hadn’t dropped her normal mature and teasing personality so fully before.

It made me realize that she was still hiding parts of herself from the rest of us and might always do so.

Until she found someone to fully open up to.

Like she was starting to do with Issei.

I turned away and left Rias and the others watching them.

“Where are you going?” Rias whispered as I left the clothes rack we had been hiding behind. 

“I’m going to look around the store. Akeno-san picked out a lot of clothes, so she’ll be a while,” I replied. “Koneko-chan, would you want to come with me?”

“…Sure. There were some nice pants near the front of the store,” she said as she moved to follow me.

“I’ll come too. I’ll be able to keep an eye on Issei and Akeno from another angle that way,” Xenovia said as she fixed her wig and followed after us.

“Alright, fine! Just don’t get caught by them!” Rias whispered to us as we walked away.

Koneko, Xenovia, and I began to wander around the store and look at clothes.

Koneko found a pair of pants she seemed to like and found me a top that she said would look nice on me.

I paused next to a rack of coats as I saw that Xenovia was still watching Issei and Akeno.

“You don’t need to watch them the whole time, you know. Rias, Asia, and Irina have that covered,” I said. “You can relax and look around too. Even Yuuto-san is relaxing a bit.”

Yuuto had left the group, intently watching Issei and Akeno, and was looking through the discounted summer clothes while talking to Koneko.

Xenovia glanced at me before looking back to Issei and Akeno.

“I know. But I want to see what a date is like. I’ve never been on one and want to know what to expect. I am aware that you practice making babies at the end, but not much else besides that,” She said as she continued to watch.

I turned to watch them too.

Akeno had tried on another dress.

This one was a light red that contrasted with her dark hair.

She asked Issei something, and he replied energetically and with a thumbs-up. 

Akeno’s cheeks colored slightly as she shyly smiled at him.

She then went and grabbed another outfit and went back into the changing room.

“I’ve never been on one myself, but I don’t know if there is an exact way a date is supposed to be. There are stereotypical things you can do, but I think that it boils down to spending time with someone you’re romantically interested in,” I said as I watched Akeno come out of the changing room again.

Xenovia hummed in response as she continued to watch them.

After a few moments, she spoke without turning to me. 

“Does that mean we’ve had a date? Do the times when we would train or spar alone together and then head to the baths afterwards count?”

I stared at her.

After the first time we had bathed alone together after training at night, we had done so again a few times since then.

But I didn’t understand how that made her think those could have been dates.

She turned and met my gaze without blinking.

“No, Xenovia, those don’t count. Why would they?”

“Well, we spent time together, and I’ve told you that I would have your child. I think I mentioned it during one of our baths,” she said, tilting her head.

I sighed.

“No, that doesn’t mean it’s a date. You have to go into something knowing it’s a date, and you would have to be romantically interested in each other.”

Xenovia looked back at Issei and Akeno.

“That makes sense, I guess,” she murmured.

Akeno finished trying on clothes then.

She and Issei began to move towards the register.

Asia came over to the two of us.

“Rias-oneesama says that we should get outside before they leave so that we don’t lose them. Let’s go!” She said before rushing off towards the exit.

We followed her and regrouped with everyone a short distance from the entrance to the clothing store.

Koneko and Yuuto were the last to exit.

Yuuto was carrying two bags of clothes that she had decided to buy.

“Yuuto, we need to focus on watching Ise and Akeno. We don’t have time to actually go shopping now.” Rias said.

“Alright, Buchou, I’ll focus from now on,” Yuuto said with a wry smile. 

From there, we followed them as they walked around town visiting different stores.

They stopped by another clothing store, a bookstore, a one-hundred-yen shop, and a music shop.

We followed them, and at each store Rias and Asia would intently watch Issei and Akeno while the rest of us wandered or watched with them.

I would wander off to look around each store we stopped by, and Koneko would come with me.

She ended up buying a pair of pants at the second clothing store we stopped by and some snacks at the one hundred yen shop.

I bought a book at the bookstore and looked at old records at the music shop.

It had been a few hours by the time Issei and Akeno stopped by a pastry booth and bought a crepe to share. 

The two of them were holding hands and acting more relaxed around each other now.

Rias was glaring at Akeno even harder, and Asia looked to be on the verge of tears as she watched their date.

Issei looked annoyed for a moment before turning to Akeno with a grin and an intense look in his eyes.

“Akeno-san! Let’s go to the aquarium and then the arcade next! We need to make the most of our day together!”

Akeno looked shocked by his outburst before smiling softly and nodding.

“That's a great idea, Ise.”

The two of them quickly headed in the direction of the town's aquarium. 

“Let’s go! We can’t let them get too far ahead!” Rias shouted to the group.

“Yuki-senpai and I will catch up. I want to get some snacks at that booth first,” Koneko said.

Rias looked like she wanted to argue, but Asia spoke up.

“Rias-oneesama! They’re getting away!”

Rias looked over at Issei and Akeno as they moved further away from us.

“Just find us at the aquarium afterwards!” She said as she took off in the direction Issei and Akeno went.

Xenovia, Asia, and Yuuto followed after them.

I looked at Irina, who had stayed behind.

“Aren’t you going to go with them?” I asked.

“I-I’m going to stay with the two of you to make s-sure that you don’t wander off instead of catching up with Rias-San!” Irina said as she pointed at me.

I raised an eyebrow at her.

“First, loosen your hoodie's drawstring.”

She paused for a moment before complying.

“Y-Yeah, I guess I don’t need to be in disguise if Ise-kun isn’t around,” she said as she pulled her hood off, revealing her flushed face. “Gosh, it was warm in there…”

“Is this about what Xenovia said this morning?” I asked as I watched her fan her face. “Because Koenko-chan and I really didn’t do anything. We are just friends. We don’t have that kind of relationship.”

She paused.

“R-Really? You’re not just saying that so that I won’t try and get you to repent for your sinful and w-wicked desires?”

“…Nothing happened last night besides cuddling. Promise,” Koneko said from near the pastry booth.

Irina deflated slightly. 

“O-Oh. Well, there’s nothing sinful about t-that. Sorry for overreacting,” Irina said as she rubbed the back of her head.

She and I walked over to the pastry booth and stood with Koneko.

“Why did you have such a large reaction to it anyway?” I asked as I scanned the menu board. “Issei-san does something lewd or perverse at least once a week, and he’s been sleeping in bed with naked girls since you moved in, but you haven’t reacted that way before.”

“W-Well,l you see… I-It’s different, and, uh, w-well you see…” She shifted in place as she trailed off.

Koneko and I looked at her as we waited for her to continue.

“A-Anyway! What are you two going to get?! I’m thinking I’m going to get a crepe! They looked really good, right?!” Irina asked with forced enthusiasm.

I watched her for a moment before deciding to let it go.

“…I’m getting a bag of cookies. What about you, senpai?” Koneko asked as she looked at me.

“You can pick for me. You know what I like. I'll pay you back when we get home,” I replied.

Koneko shook her head. 

“No. It’ll be my treat.”

“If you’re sure.”

I knew better than to argue with her over things like this.

Koneko had a tendency to be stubborn about random things like this.

We purchased our pastries, and Irina got hers first.

She was standing slightly away from us and wasn’t making eye contact with me now.

She had gone back to her usual awkward state she had been in around me since the incident with Dreams Voice.

She took her crepe and turned to us.

“W-Well, I’ll go catch up with the others so that we don’t lose Ise-kun. I’ll see you guys in a bit!” She smiled at us, but it still seemed a bit strained.

She turned and quickly took off in the direction of the aquarium.

“…That was strange,” Koenko said as she handed me a paper bag with biscuits in it.

She had three bags with cookies for herself.

I nodded at her comment.

“She’s still not comfortable around me after what happened when we tested my ability. Though I don’t know why she reacted to Xenovia saying we slept together that way.”

Koneko hummed as she watched Irina’s retreating figure.

She watched her until she turned a corner.

She shook her head and looked at me as we walked towards the Aquarium. 

“…So are you having a good time today, senpai? You’ve seemed to be in a good mood so far.”

“Yes, it’s been a rather nice day. Though I always enjoy spending time with you and everyone else,” I said with a soft smile. “And even if I complained about dealing with Rias-Buchou’s ‘mission,’ I still enjoyed wandering around the town. Though I did miss out on some training that I could have done today.”

“You can always train later. But I’m glad you had a good time today, Yuki-senpai. I enjoyed spending it with you,” Koneko said before biting into one of her cookies.

She wasn’t showing much expression, but if she had her tail out, I was sure it would be wagging.

We walked in silence for a while.

Koneko finished one of her bags of cookies and started on the second.

I ate a few biscuits and threw the bag into a magic circle to store it for later while no one was watching.

I watched the people on the street as we approached the aquarium.

There was a decent number of people out since it was the weekend, but it wasn’t too crowded.

“…Yuki-senpai,” Koneko called out to me.

“Yes?” I replied as I looked at her. 

“I want to join you for your extra training.”

“I know that you’re not happy with how much more time I’ve been spending training, but you don’t need to babysit me, Koneko-chan.”

She shook her head.

“It’s not just that you’re spending too much time training. It’s that you’re pushing yourself too hard. You don’t care if you hurt or exhaust yourself every night. It’s not alright,” Koneko said while frowning. “But it’s not that I want to keep an eye on you while you train.”

I gave her a skeptical look.

“… Okay. That’s not the only reason. I need to learn to master my Senjutsu. I’ve neglected it for too long, and I need to make up for that. If my skill with Senjutsu improves, not only will I be stronger in a fight, but I’ll be able to heal you and Issei-senpai better during your life force treatments.”

“I can’t promise we will always be able to train together, but if you want to join me, you can. But I won’t train differently just because you are there.”

Koneko frowned but nodded.

“Alright. But if I’m there, I can heal your injuries from overtraining with my Senjutsu. I’ll get to practice healing, and you won’t get as hurt.”

That made me think of something.

“Maybe you could teach me some Senjutsu as well… My main focus has always been my curse magic, but as a Kitsune, I can use Ki and should be able to learn Senjutsu and Youjutsu. I learned a bit of Ki manipulation when I was younger, but my ability to use it is hampered by my seals, just like my true form is.”

“I am still learning myself, but I wouldn’t mind teaching you, Yuki-senpai,” Koneko said with a soft smile. “But didn’t you mention that you aren’t very good at manipulating Ki?”

“…Admittedly, no, I am not very good at manipulating Ki. I was much more focused on using curses, as it felt much more natural to me.”

“I’m sure you just didn’t have time to learn, Yuki-senpai.”

I could see the amusement in Koneko’s eyes.

I rolled my eyes.

“So does that mean I’ll have to call you Koneko-sensei when you teach me?” I asked as we arrived at the aquarium. 

Koneko nodded sagely.

“…Of course.”

I chuckled as I paid for our admission.

“Well, I’ll look forward to learning from you, Koneko-sensei. But for now, we need to find Rias and the others.”

Koneko pointed behind me.

“We won’t have to look very hard.”

I followed where she pointed and saw a familiar crimson-haired girl crouched behind a trash can, peeking out from behind it.

I glanced at Koneko before walking over to Rias.

“Hello, Buchou. We’re back,” I said casually as we arrived next to her.

“Shush! Don’t call out to me too loudly! They’ll notice us!” Rias scolded me.

“Right. So, did we miss anything?”

Rias scowled.

“Akeno has been holding Ise’s hand the whole time they’ve been here, and she even got him to buy her a souvenir! But they’re nearly finished here. We will probably be leaving shortly.”

Koneko deflated slightly.

“…I wanted to see the penguins…” Koneko muttered.

I patted her head.

“We can come back and see them sometime, Koneko-chan. I haven’t seen them before, so it sounds fun. This is actually my first time in an aquarium.”

Koneko perked up immediately.

“I’ll bring you here again. We will see everything for your first aquarium visit.”

I blinked at her sudden intensity.

“Come on, you two. Ise and Akeno are leaving!” Rias said. “We can meet up with the others outside.”

I sighed as Koenko and I walked back towards the entrance of the aquarium.

“We’ve only been here five minutes. I wonder if I can get a refund…” I muttered to myself.