First night.

The Occult Research Club slipped out of the hotel, led by a teacher to a traditional restaurant, Daigaku, in a quiet corner of the city.

"Restaurant Daigaku… Leviathan-sama is here?" I mused.

We'd been summoned by Serafall. I had a hunch about why.

Inside, we passed through a corridor steeped in Japanese ambiance to a private room. Serafall, in a kimono, greeted us. "Hello! Red Dragon Emperor-chan and Rias-chan's crew, long time no see☆"

Her energy was as high as ever. The kimono suited her, hair tied up, looking adorable.

"Serafall-san, you rock that kimono," I said.

"Thanks, Red Dragon Emperor-chan☆" She flashed a peace sign.

"Hey, Hyoudou and crew," Saji said, sitting beside Serafall with Sitri's second-year girls. They'd arrived earlier.

"Yo, Saji. How's it going? Hit up anywhere this afternoon?" I asked.

"Nah, student council stuff. Spent it helping teachers," he sighed.

Tough life, student council.

"The food here's amazing, especially the chicken! Eat up, Red Dragon Emperor-chan and crew♪" Serafall urged, piling on dishes.

We'd just eaten at the hotel, but… damn, this was good. Couldn't stop eating. The yakitori, served off the skewer, was delicious and easy to eat.

"Miu, try this. It's great," I said.

"Really? Ahh~" Miu opened her mouth.

"Fine, fine," I chuckled, feeding her a piece with chopsticks.

"Ahh~" Chomp. She savored it, swallowing. "Hehe, yummy!"

Her smile melted me. After that rough start in Kyoto, this healed my soul.

"They look more like lovers than siblings," a Sitri girl muttered.

"Totally couple vibes," another added.

"Sis-con on another level," a third said, smirking.

Miu's face turned red. Embarrassed by the lover talk? Honestly, Miu's so cute and sweet, I've thought about her as more than a sister plenty of times.

Food savored, Miu's smile cherished—time for the main topic. "So, why's Serafall-san here?" I asked.

She replied with a side peace sign. "To build ties with Kyoto's youkai☆"

Right, she's in charge of diplomacy. Work brought her here, though she's clearly enjoying Kyoto too.

As I nodded, her expression darkened. "But… something big's going on."

The fox-eared girl from earlier flashed in my mind. Related?

Sensei spoke up. "After Issei's report, I looked into it. The nine-tailed fox leader of the youkai here has been missing for days."

Nine-tails… that nine-tailed fox.

"Return Mother!"

"Could it be—" I started.

Serafall and Sensei nodded. "Likely. The one who attacked you was the nine-tails' daughter," Serafall said.

"And with the local youkai boss kidnapped, it's probably the Khaos Brigade," Sensei added.

Everyone gasped. Terrorists, even here? That fox girl attacked us thinking we were involved. She came at us hard, so we drove her off, but… maybe I should've listened more. She's just a kid, desperate for her mom.

"You guys tangled in trouble again?" Saji groaned.

"Sorry, Saji," I said. Trouble seems to follow me—not my fault, though!

"Damn it, I'm busy enough with students on this trip," Sensei grumbled.

Weren't you planning to hang with maiko? All set for sightseeing, huh? Bet you're mad you can't play.

Serafall poured sake for Sensei. "We can't go public yet. We're working with cooperative youkai to resolve this."

"I'm investigating too," Sensei said. "My team's searching Kyoto. I'll share any leads."

What a start to the trip. I just want to enjoy my high school trip, but… duty calls. "I'll ask Tiamat to help and look into things," I offered.

"Sorry," Sensei said. "But enjoy the trip. This time's precious. We adults will handle it. Have fun until we need you."

Second day.

"Hell yeah! Kiyomizu-dera!" Matsuda spread his arms before the temple's grand gate.

We entered through the Nio Gate. "Look, Asia! A temple of pagan culture's finest!" Xenovia exclaimed.

"Yes! It's so historic!" Asia replied.

"Pagan power!" Irina cheered.

The church trio was hyped, but… pagan? Don't say that! Gods and Buddhas are here!

From Kiyomizu's stage, I peered down. "Higher than I thought."

TV didn't do it justice. No nails used, right? How'd they build this back then? Ancient people were wild.

"Some survive falling from here," Kiryuu noted.

People fall? Surviving that height's a mystery.

The grounds had shrines for safety, academic success, and love. Wishes included "Cure my perm!" and "I want to be a magical girl!" That second one… her, right? Even gods might flee.

I tossed coins into the offering box, wishing for lewd stuff, peace, and more boob-touching. Peace is genuine, though. Do devil prayers work?

"Onii-chan, let's try this!" Miu pointed to a love fortune.

Drawing a love fortune as siblings felt odd, but… whatever. We pulled ours.

"Jackpot! Great luck. Future's secure… says we'll have kids. We're a perfect match," I read.

"Really? Yay!" Miu blushed, overjoyed. "Even… a baby… awesome."

Her face went crimson, fidgeting with my uniform. I'm glad she's happy, but kids? That means… us doing that. I shook my head. Just a fortune, chill. No nosebleeds here.

Do love fortunes include kids? First time seeing one. Guess we're a great match—happy about that.

"Let's do it, Issei!" Xenovia said.

"Me next!" Asia added.

"Then me!" Irina chimed.

"W-Wait, me too!" Reyna joined.

We all drew fortunes. Result?

"All great luck?!" I gasped.

What are these odds?! All great luck? The fortunes before us had mixed results—some bad. This is real?!

Kiryuu patted my shoulder. "Good luck."

With what?!

"…Motohama, you know what to do later," Matsuda whispered.

"Yeah, we'll crush Issei with the 'Issei Extermination Committee,'" Motohama replied, radiating killing intent.

What's that?! Sounds bad!

We toured the temple, bought souvenirs, and headed to the bus stop. "Next, Ginkaku-ji. It's past ten, so let's hurry," Kiryuu said.

"Not silver?!" Xenovia shouted upon seeing Ginkaku-ji.

Guess she didn't know it's not actually silver. She stood, mouth agape.

"At home, she said, 'Ginkaku-ji's silver, Kinkaku-ji's gold. So shiny!'" Asia hugged her.

Tough luck, Xenovia.

"Yoshimasa Ashikaga's death and shogunate budget issues canceled the silver foil," Kiryuu explained, cheering her up. "Kinkaku-ji's gold, so look forward to that."

"Got it. I'll bet on gold," Xenovia rallied.

"Gold! Actual gold!" Xenovia yelled at Kinkaku-ji, her excitement skyrocketing.

Good to see her happy. "It's gold, alright!" she cheered, eyes sparkling.

It's dazzling in person, almost overwhelming. Other students, including Kiba, were here.

"Yo, Kiba," I called.

"Hey, Issei-kun. Had to hit this spot, right?" he replied.

"Totally. It's a must-see."

We snapped photos, sending some to Rias to show we're having fun.

"GOLD!" Xenovia shouted again.

Okay, calm down. People are staring.

After Ginkaku-ji and Kinkaku-ji, we bought souvenirs and rested at a tea house, enjoying matcha and wagashi while reviewing photos. Perfect shots.

"Still gold…" Xenovia murmured, lost in Kinkaku-ji's glow. She was really moved.

Today showed a new side of her. She might've enjoyed it most, though I'm having a blast too.

"Miu, you've got kinako on your face," I said.

"Oh, really?" she replied.

Then my phone rang—Akeno-san. "Hello? What's up?"

"Issei-kun? It's nothing big, but Koneko-chan noticed something odd."

"Odd?"

"In the Kinkaku-ji photo you sent, she saw fox youkai. Anything happening? Fox youkai aren't rare here, but…"

Her voice carried worry. Fox youkai, huh? Those gazes we felt. No hostility, so we ignored them, but if Akeno-san and Koneko-chan are concerned, I'll stay alert.

"Nah, we're fine. Nothing's up," I said.

"If you say so, but…"

"I'll call if something happens."

I hung up. Sensei told us to keep the nine-tails issue from Rias to avoid worrying her. I checked the photo—nothing weird. Maybe Koneko-chan's nekomata senses picked it up?

Better tell Asia and the others, but… too late. Matsuda, Motohama, Kiryuu, and other tourists were asleep. Only Miu, Asia, Xenovia, Irina, and I were awake.

Xenovia glared at a female worker—obviously not human, with beast ears and a tail. A Kyoto youkai.

I stood. "What do you want with us?"

"We found you," a familiar voice said. Rossweisse appeared.

"Rossweisse-san? Why're you here?" I asked.

"Azazel-sensei sent me to get you."

"Sensei? And these youkai?"

"They mean no harm. Like me, they're here to escort you."

"Escort?"

"The misunderstanding's cleared. The nine-tails' daughter wants to apologize."

Got it. Sensei must've sorted things out.

The beast-eared woman bowed deeply. "We serve Yasaka, the nine-tails. We're sorry for before. Our princess wishes to apologize. Please come with us."

"Where?" I asked.

"To the hidden capital of Kyoto's youkai. Leviathan-sama, the Fallen Angel Governor, and Dragon King Tiamat are there."

"Tiamat's there too?" I said.

"Yes," Rossweisse replied. "We joined her en route. She should hear this too."

"Fair. Lead the way."

"Very well, this way."

We followed the beast-eared youkai to the hidden capital.

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