Chapter 52: A Sweet Kiss [Bonus Chapter]

[AN: We reached 700 votes and here is the bonus chapter~]

***

As expected of a weekend. The amusement park was crowded with people.

"I'm scared..." Gasper clung to Zaydas' arm, trembling.

Although Asia didn't have social phobia, she felt shy in front of the crowd.

However, when the line moved forward and it was almost their turn to get on the roller coaster, she became excited.

...

At the back of the line, Zaydas stood next to Rias and Akeno.

"Zay-kun, where did you find Shizue-san?" Rias asked.

The reason for her question was obvious. Shizue's demonic power easily rivaled that of a High-Class Devil, even surpassing several of them. Not to mention her Sacred Gear and abilities.

"I knew it, you want to know?" Zaydas asked with a smile.

Rias rolled her eyes at him. "If I didn't want to, this conversation wouldn't even exist, right?"

"Touché." Zaydas replied. "Sorry, but I can't reveal it. Her origin is... peculiar, to say the least. But I can tell you one thing about her... She is the bearer of Ddraig, one of the Welsh Dragons."

"Welsh Dragon?!" Rias was so surprised that she ended up shouting.

Akeno, beside her, stopped smiling and became serious.

Rias' sudden scream startled some people. Even Gasper, who held Zaydas' hand tightly, and if Zaydas hadn't stopped him, he would have frozen time and fled the scene.

"So scary..." Gasper murmured, trembling.

"Ah, I apologize." Rias apologized to the people in line, who, in turn, easily accepted her apology.

Well, being a very beautiful girl has its advantages...

"Forgive me, Gasper, I didn't mean to scare you." Rias crouched down near him, rubbing his head.

"I-I'm fine." Gasper replied.

"Yes, my Gasper is brave, he won't be scared because of this, right?" She smiled.

"Mm." He nodded.

After that, Rias turned to face Zaydas again.

"Is there something on my face?" Zaydas asked.

"Ufufu." Akeno was the one who responded, in a more seductive tone than usual. "Zaydas-sama, I never thought you were such a mischievous boy~ To think that you even managed to get your hands on something so powerful... What should I do? I think I'm becoming more and more enchanted by you~"

"Akeno!" Rias gave her a stern look, but then turned back to face Zaydas again. Sighing, she said, "So, she is the current bearer of the Red Dragon... not bad, Zay."

"Don't underestimate her, Rias-nee." Zaydas disagreed with Rias' words, saying, "Even if she weren't the bearer of the Red Dragon, she would still be very powerful."

"No doubt." Rias replied.

Asia and the rest, who had looked in their direction because of Rias' earlier scream, saw that nothing major had happened. 

Although they seemed curious about why she shouted 'Welsh Dragon,' they turned back to face forward when the attendant at the roller coaster entrance said:

"Next, please."

...

Asia unintentionally held onto Shizue's arm, but seeing that she didn't seem to mind, even smiling at her, Asia stepped onto the platform with her and went to the second front cart.

Each cart had space for four people. Behind Asia and Shizue, Ravel and Koneko sat down.

In the third cart, Gasper and Rias took their seats, and behind them were Zaydas and Akeno. As for Kiba, there was a slight argument between some girls in the fourth cart over who would sit next to him...

"We're together, Zaydas-sama~" Akeno smiled.

After the safety bars were locked, Zaydas held her hand, looking into her violet eyes as he responded, "Yes, we are."

"Ufufu, you're making me embarrassed." Akeno-san smiled as she placed a hand on her cheek, averting her gaze.

There was a deep meaning in Zaydas' words, and Akeno understood it. The fact that she reacted this way was practically her agreeing with it. The simple fact that her ears and neck turned red already said a lot.

The carts started to move.

"Ahhh~"

At first, joyful screams echoed.

Akeno, on the other hand, seemed distracted, but she didn't let go of his hand.

The carts gradually slowed down as they began to climb. It was one of the highest points of the roller coaster, and when they reached the very top...

Akeno turned to him, and when her eyes met his, she leaned in, giving his lips a small peck. Then, she turned away again, placing her free hand on her chin, gazing at the horizon as if she were admiring the scenery.

Zaydas, caught off guard by the kiss, was momentarily stunned before letting out a soft laugh.

However, his laughter was drowned out by the screams of the girls, mostly.

'Isn't she adorable?' Compared to Ria's boldness and the elves, Akeno was truly adorable...

But undeniably charming. Her current pose was incredibly beautiful, almost irresistible. If Zaydas didn't have self-control, he would have pulled her in for a long and deep kiss—after all, this one just now was nothing more than a simple peck.

As the carts began their descent, many people started screaming loudly while throwing their hands in the air.

However, even now, Akeno seemed unshaken.

Leaning closer to her, he whispered, "Have fun, you don't need to worry so much."

Looking at him, her face was still slightly flushed, but then, a charming smile appeared, and she let go of his hand, doing exactly as he said—she threw her hands in the air, screaming joyfully, but from the corner of her eye, she still watched him.

Smiling, Zaydas joined in on the fun as well.

───────────

Most of the time, they spent waiting in lines to get on the rides. Of course, as Devils, they could have cheated, like forcing others to give up their spots, but they didn't do anything like that.

It was 12:19 in the afternoon when they decided to eat.

"Is hot dog okay?" Rias asked.

"Okay." Zaydas gestured with his hand.

The rest also agreed.

...

"Ahhhhhhh!!!"

As they were eating, something happened.

It all started with a scream.

Don't get it wrong—it's normal to hear screams in a place like an amusement park, but the scream they heard was pure despair.

"A Stray Devil," Koneko said sharply.

"Stray Devil?" Shizue was unfamiliar with the term.

"Stray Devils are reincarnated devils who strayed from their masters due to their own selfish desires, most of the time," Zaydas explained. "Without their masters to keep their powers in check, they become a great threat if their abilities spiral out of control."

"Akeno," Rias spoke.

"Yes, Buchou." Responding, Akeno began creating multiple magic circles in the air, and soon, people started disappearing.

"This is..."

"A barrier that prevents the supernatural from affecting the real world," Rias said, summarizing.

What she said was self-explanatory.

And when the barrier was fully raised by Akeno, they saw a half-centipede, half-human creature moving very fast.

It was huge—at least 10 meters long and 4 meters tall in its human-like part... or almost human.

The face was that of a deformed, bald man with a bare chest. Its skin was pale gray, with a massive horn on its forehead.

"ZIAHHHHH!"

Letting out a demonic scream, the Stray Devil charged through the park toward them.

"Its mind is already completely corrupted," Zaydas calmly analyzed before turning to Shizue. "What do you think? Want to handle this?"

"Mm..." She thought for a moment before making a sword appear in her hand. "Okay," she replied.

When the Stray Devil was less than 100 meters away from them, Shizue moved.

"Whoosh!"

Her speed was simply too fast, and in an instant, she was on the other side of the Stray Devil, returning her sword to its sheath.

"As I said," Zaydas looked at Rias with a smile. "She's much more than just the bearer of the Red Dragon."

As Zaydas' words fell, the Stray Devil began showing multiple signs of cuts before starting to fall apart, bursting into flames.

"Incredible..." Koneko murmured.

She wasn't the only one surprised—Rias and the others were also stunned.

"So this is Zaydas-sama's Knight..." Ravel murmured. It was hard to tell what she was thinking at that moment.

"That was 28 cuts... Impressive," Kiba commented to no one in particular. He merely seemed impressed by Shizue's sword mastery. "I hope to have a chance to duel her..."

Returning, Shizue said, "My work here is done."

"A Sailor Moon reference?" Zaydas raised an eyebrow as he thought, Isn't that number 35 on my list of cool things I wanted to say in a dramatic scene in my past life?

Even if it wasn't originally his, seeing Shizue say it made him want to cross it off his list of 100 things to do someday...

Smiling slightly, Shizue admitted, "Yes, it is."

Rias' eyes sparkled a bit more as she looked in Shizue's direction.