The sky over Kuoh was a watercolor of pale rose and steel-gray, the first frost of the season glittering on the iron fence like powdered diamonds.
A chartered luxury coach-sleek silver with crimson Gremory crests discreetly etched on the doors-idled at the curb, exhaust curling in lazy spirals.
Inside, the Occult Research Club and Sitri Student Council milled in excited clusters, luggage stacked like barricades in the aisle.
Rias stood at the foot of the steps in a tailored winter coat, crimson scarf fluttering, clipboard in hand.
Sona adjusted her glasses beside her, tablet glowing with the final attendance roster.
Issei Hyoudou arrived last, duffel slung over one shoulder, True Excalibur and Dragon Slayer collapsed into compact key-chain forms clipped to his belt.
His uniform jacket was open despite the chill; the Phoenix Force kept him warm, and the faint golden sigils that now traced his collarbone-Elysara's subtle brand-glowed softly beneath the fabric.
Asia Argento trotted at his side, blonde ponytail bouncing, a small pink suitcase rolling behind her.
Her Boosted Gear gauntlet was hidden beneath a cream knit glove, but the draconic pulse beneath was unmistakable to anyone who knew where to look.
Rias's eyes flicked to Issei, a silent question in the tilt of her brow. "You're sure?"
He answered with a nod and the faintest smirk. Temporary leave approved. Teachers bought the "family emergency" line.
Sona tapped her tablet. "Hyoudou Issei-excused absence, November 15-21. Return by Monday for supplementary exams."
"Got it, Prez." He flashed a thumbs-up, then turned to the coach steps.
A ripple of divine pressure brushed the air-subtle, like the hush before a cathedral bell.
Elysara materialized beside the bus in a swirl of starlight, no longer the towering seven-foot goddess but condensed to a graceful six feet, clad in a modest white coat and scarf that somehow still screamed omniversal royalty.
Her raven hair was braided with threads of living nebula; her emerald eyes swept the group with maternal amusement.
"I must return to the Seventh Heaven," she announced, voice soft yet carrying to every ear. "Michael grows restless without direct oversight, and Gabriel insists on redecorating the Gardens with my color scheme."
A playful roll of her eyes. "I'll stabilize the System's new protocols and monitor from above. Kyoto's ley lines are... twitchy. If the Hero Faction stirs, I'll know."
Rias bowed slightly. "We'll manage, Lady Elysara."
Asia clasped her hands. "Please be safe!"
Elysara's smile was warm starfire. She leaned down, pressing a chaste kiss to Asia's forehead-blessing-then to Issei's lips, lingering just long enough for the Phoenix Force to flare in greeting. "Behave," she murmured against his mouth. "Or don't. I'll enjoy the earthquakes either way."
With a swirl of cosmic dust, she vanished upward, a shooting star in reverse swallowed by the dawn.
___________________
07:12 a.m. - Shinkansen Platform, Kuoh Station
The group transferred to the bullet train for speed and discretion. Issei and Asia claimed a window pair on the left side, Kyoto-bound.
The carriage was half-empty-mostly tourists and salarymen dozing under newspapers. Asia pressed her forehead to the glass as the train glided out of the station, Kuoh's skyline shrinking behind them.
Issei stretched, boots on the opposite seat. "First time in Kyoto without a war council breathing down our necks. Feels weird."
Asia giggled. "We're supposed to be normal second-years on a school trip!"
"Normal," he echoed, grinning. "Right. Normal kids don't have a goddess on speed-dial or a dragon in their glove."
The landscape blurred-suburban sprawl giving way to rice fields dusted with frost, then the first hills cloaked in cedar and maple just beginning to bleed autumn red.
Asia pulled a bento from her bag-tamagoyaki, onigiri, and tiny octopus sausages shaped like hearts. "I made extra," she said shyly. "Rias-sama said you'd forget to eat."
He accepted a rice ball, biting into the salty-sweet filling. "You're the best, Asia."
____________________
09:58 a.m. - Kyoto Station
The train hissed to a stop. The group spilled onto the platform in a wave of chatter and camera clicks.
Kiba carried Xenovia's massive Durandal case like it weighed nothing; Koneko balanced three melon-pan bags on her head; Akeno floated a parasol that definitely wasn't regulation school gear.
Issei checked the itinerary Sona had emailed:
Day 1: Check-in at ryokan → Free exploration → Group dinner
Day 2: Fushimi Inari → Kinkaku-ji → Optional night market
Day 3-5: Temples & shrines.
He exhaled. Just fun. No battles. No quakes.
Asia tugged his sleeve. "Photo at the torii gate tunnel?"
"Lead the way, Sister."
____________________
11:30 a.m. - Ryokan Check-In, Gion District
The ryokan was a restored machiya-sliding shoji, tatami scent, a koi pond in the inner garden.
Issei and Asia were assigned adjacent rooms on the second floor, paper doors between them. He dropped his duffel, kicked off his shoes, and flopped onto the futon.
Asia peeked in. "Lunch in the courtyard? They're serving kaiseki."
"Give me ten minutes to shower off train grime."
The bathroom was a compact marvel-cedar tub, rainfall shower, complimentary yukata folded like origami cranes.
Issei let the hot water sluice over him, steam fogging the mirror. For the first time in weeks, the Phoenix Force was quiet, a banked ember instead of a wildfire.
No Gacha wheel spinning in his periphery. No seismic aftershocks from last night's two-hour cosmic breeding. Just the hush of running water and the faint scent of yuzu soap.
He toweled off, slipped into the yukata-navy cotton printed with tiny dragons-and stepped onto the engawa.
Asia waited in a pale pink yukata, obi tied in a perfect butterfly knot, hair pinned with a cherry-blossom kanzashi. She looked... older.
The Boosted Gear's weight had sharpened her innocence into something quietly fierce.
They ate under a persimmon tree turning gold: clear dashi, grilled ayu sweetfish, chestnut rice, and matcha warabi mochi that melted on the tongue.
Kiba and Xenovia argued over swordsmith shrines; Koneko stole Akeno's last piece of tamagoyaki; Gasper hid behind a menu, blushing at the waitress.
No youkai. No ambushes. Just the clink of lacquered bowls and the rustle of maple leaves.
____________________
14:20 p.m. - Fushimi Inari Taisha (Outer Path)
The group split for free time. Issei and Asia took the less-crowded eastern trail, away from the iconic vermillion tunnel swarmed by tourists.
Stone foxes grinned from alcoves, tails curled around wish scrolls. The air smelled of incense and damp earth.
Asia snapped photos on her phone-torii shadows striping the path, a lone fox statue wearing a red bib. Issei bought two ema plaques from a shrine maiden.
"What should we wish for?" Asia asked, brush poised.
He thought of Elysara in the Seventh Heaven, of Rias's trusting smile, of Sona's quiet resolve.
"Peace," he wrote in bold strokes. "For everyone we love."
Asia's wish was smaller, neater: Let us always eat meals together.
They hung the plaques side by side. A breeze stirred the bells overhead, a soft chime like distant laughter.
___________________
17:00 p.m. - Gion Hanamikoji (Pre-Dinner Stroll)
Twilight painted the wooden facades indigo. Paper lanterns glowed to life, casting warm pools on the cobblestones.
Geiko apprentices hurried past in muted kimono, geta clacking. Issei bought yakitori from a street vendor-chicken skin crisp, sauce sticky-sweet-and shared the skewers with Asia on a bench by the Shirakawa stream.
"No missions," he said, licking sauce from his thumb. "No world-ending crises. Just... this."
Asia leaned her head on his shoulder, careful not to jostle the Boosted Gear. "It's nice," she whispered. "Being normal for a day."
Above them, the first star pricked the sky-Elysara's distant watch, perhaps, or simply Kyoto's evening star.
No tremors. No portals. No youkai eyes glinting from the shadows.
Yet.