I couldn't feel my body.
Everything around me was filled with ice.
The entire street looked as if someone had frozen time itself.
I was freezing; even the clouds in the sky seemed stuck in place.
The Sparda blood inside me wouldn't allow this.
When I went down to the living room, I was faced with a frozen figure of my mom and dad.
They were frozen while hugging each other and watching TV…
"Mom? Dad? Please wake up… you're not dead, right?!" The moment I touched the statue, it turned to dust.
I felt an uncontrollable rage inside me.
Whoever did this was going to pay!!
When I went outside, there were ice monsters.
They looked like Mr. Freeze from the absolute Batman comics.
Yamato appeared in my hand.
The clothes on my upper body had vanished.
"RAWWRRRR!" An ice monster charged at me, but all that happened was its entire body being split in half.
I backflipped before another monster's claw could pierce me from behind, landed behind it, and cut the monster's head.
I killed every monster that stood in my way.
They had no blood; it felt like artificial magic.
On the street, a blonde girl was crying: "ARTHUR-KUN!! HELP ME PLEASE! THE MONSTER… THE MONSTER KILLED MY FAMILY!"
"Where's the monster?"
"Arthur…"
But suddenly, a six-eyed, four-armed monster appeared.
I took my stance, but before I could move, I felt something.
My chest… a spear of ice had pierced right through the center of my chest.
I stared at the monster with wide eyes.
My vision was going dark.
The blonde girl held me: "ARTHUR!! ARTHUR, WAKE UP!!!"
But I pushed her away.
My body was regenerating…
"Arthur, wake up." Someone shook me.
When I looked around, I realized I was still in the classroom.
That damn dream again…
"Sorry, I didn't hear the bell. Let's go to the school rooftop," I said.
Koneko and I headed to the roof together: "Are you okay?"
"Hm? Why are you asking?"
Koneko stayed silent for a while: "You looked like you were having a nightmare. You were sweating in your sleep…"
We reached the rooftop: "It was a nightmare, but it's not important. You look sleep-deprived. Did you play games all night?"
"…"
She didn't answer. Instead, we sat down.
I took out my bento and started eating.
Koneko was eating cookies: "You should eat healthier. I've only seen you eat pizza or parfaits. Do you eat anything else?"
"You always eat the same cookies. Besides, pizza is great! It's easy to make and cooks fast. Parfaits give you everything you could want from a dessert!"
Koneko gave me a crazy look.
Hey, don't judge me with your eyes!!
Even though I was friends with Koneko, right now I don't have any inappropriate thoughts about her.
Actually, I had no interest in anyone in Issei's harem.
Touching his harem would mean one less person against EXE and Trihexa in the future, or an Issei who isn't at full power.
Rias's breasts were like a power-up button for Issei.
If I took that away from him, unless I could get stronger by groping breasts myself, I'm definitely not touching them.
I nicknamed Rias "potential woman."
I hope she doesn't end up like Megumi — potentially dead…
Akeno was basically a walking daddy issue.
I wasn't going to get between her and Baraqiel.
Asia was way too pure for me.
That innocence is nice, but she's a bit dumb and not my type.
Koneko is a loli, and we only recently became friends.
If I asked her out right now, I'd get beaten up — and she's a loli.
I don't want the FBI chasing me.
Kuroka could be possible, actually… I'll leave that for later.
In short, every beautiful girl in DxD either had a few screws loose in their head or had a tragic backstory.
While I'm dealing with my own problems, I'm definitely not dealing with theirs.
Koneko pinched my waist: "Are you thinking something rude about me?"
"Not really."
She narrowed her eyes and gave me a weird look — the kind that says "I know what you're thinking, but I can't prove it."
Well, I don't think you can read my mind.