Ding!
In front of an ordinary-looking house stood a man in his late twenties, wearing a suspicious black coat.
'Why did I buy clothes like these...?'
(Image)
A sigh escaped Gorou's lips as he looked at his clothes and then at the door of his house.
Sound.
"Hello... W-who are you?"
For a moment, Miki hesitated to speak because of the extremely familiar yet foreign appearance of the man in front of her.
'He looks a lot like Gorou from back then, but in much better shape.'
She quickly shook off these indecent thoughts for a married woman.
"...I need to discuss this inside, Miki."
The extremely familiar tone, gestures, and voice of the man in front of her shocked Miki for a moment.
However, an unconscious reflex rejected the scandalous and crazy idea that was forming in her mind.
"Who are you!! Don't move, or I'll call the police!!"
She backed away, trying to maintain distance between herself and the unknown man.
"It's me, Gorou Hyoudou... your husband," he said in a reassuring tone, clearly showing his arms to defuse the situation.
Miki narrowed her eyes at him. There were several emotions in them.
Doubt? Suspicion? Fear?
Gorou felt a bit offended by the expressions and emotions that paraded across his wife's face, but he deemed this situation necessary.
'I could have continued a life filled with lies thanks to a simple mask... but then what?'
How much longer was he going to continue like this?
His inbox was literally filled with worried messages from Miki.
His son lied to him every time he asked how he was doing or why he was going out late.
His home had become a cradle of lies!
And yet, he couldn't tell everything.
Not now.
'She just needs to know my condition... and some basic knowledge about the supernatural.'
"Yes, you have the voice from back then and a similar appearance... b-but it's impossible!!!"
Denial.
A simple word, but one that summarizes Miki Hyoudou's current state.
She unconsciously wants to protect the truth, what she calls 'common sense' or 'her reality'.
It's logically impossible for a man close to fifty to suddenly become a young man, right?
It's this common sense that has locked Miki in the illusion called "reality."
A cage created by herself, preventing her from recognizing Gorou in front of her as her husband.
"What are you doing?!"
Miki panicked slightly after seeing Gorou put his hand inside his black coat.
Inside, he grabbed his bolt and fired at a garden gnome outside.
BAM.
A small crater formed in the ground.
"You see? A lot of things have happened to me... can you let me in?"
Miki remained stunned for a moment before finally moving out of Gorou's way and silently following him to the living room.
"Is Issei home yet?"
"...Not yet."
Miki simply replied in a flat or neutral tone.
An awkward silence settled between the two, finally broken by Gorou.
"Do you have any questions..."
He didn't have time to finish his sentence before Miki opened her mouth to express herself.
"When..."
"Sorry, I didn't quite catch that..."
"When did you become young again... No, when did you start getting involved with weird things that cause you to get hurt and come home late!!"
The calm, flat voice slowly transformed into an explosion.
Gorou was slightly surprised, as it was rare for Miki to explode in this way.
This had never even happened before during their years together.
"For a few weeks..." he said honestly, without lying.
Tightened.
Miki's hands tightened as her eyes were covered by her bangs.
"Tell me... are you staying out very late just because of work or are you fighting like..."
She didn't continue, but she probably wanted to reference his injury against Kiba and Koneko.
Gorou sighed but responded calmly nonetheless.
She had the right to know more about the man who shared her bed.
"Yes, I do dangerous missions... but"
A hand suddenly grabbed his.
Miki's face was close to his.
Their breaths overlapped at that moment.
Any idea of continuing his next words was interrupted by his brain, reflexively.
"Sorry for acting hurtfully *sniff*... I was scared... and... you..."
Tears began to flow down Miki's face.
She started repeating that she was sorry, over and over.
About her reaction at the door.
About her ignorance of his pain, while he suffered every night.
'I-I see, she doesn't know in detail why I'm like this... and she doesn't not care... she just wants her husband to be okay.'
Hug.
Gorou grabbed Miki in his arms and patted her back from time to time to comfort her.
Miki cried for an unknown amount of time, as both had lost track of time.
Finally, she moved away slightly.
"Sorry, I cried too much when you're the one suffering every night for the past few weeks *shush*"
Gorou cut off his wife's words.
"Don't blame yourself, in the end, I'm the one who chose to dive down this rabbit hole... otherwise I wouldn't have ended up like this, hehe."
He laughed slightly to lighten the atmosphere, but the expression on Miki's face wasn't really one of joy.
She was literally in "authoritative" mode.
Thankfully, it was only for a brief moment.
The joke simply wasn't well received.
"Can you explain the story more?"
So, Gorou began to explain his last few weeks.
He omitted many things and spoke vaguely about certain ones, but he didn't lie to Miki.
The two had a kind of strange connection, but Gorou couldn't explain it scientifically with the help of Ford Pines.
'Sorry Miki, but the system and Stanford's knowledge will always be taboo.'
He won't tell anyone!!
"You've really suffered... Who would have thought these things roam every night in our city?"
At the description of wandering devils, Miki didn't hide her fear and disgust.
Gorou didn't contradict this opinion about the supernatural.
After all, supernatural creatures rarely consider humans as their equals.
Even the Biblical God, despite his good intentions toward humans, never really saw them as his equals.
Perhaps he envisioned it for the future, according to certain prophetic verses in the Holy Scriptures, but before his death...
It was, deep down, just a relationship between a shepherd and his sheep.
The Church's exorcists understood this Cruel reality after the peace treaties signed by Michael with devils and fallen ones.
'All these men dead against vampires, devils, fallen ones, and other abominations...'
Gorou had never really paid attention to it until this conversation with Miki.
Humans in the DxD universe are literally considered sheep by angels.
For devils?
At best a slave (or servant), or worse... but Issei was lucky with Rias.
Thus, the supernatural forces proclaimed themselves guides, masters, or even executioners of humanity.
But who really has the right to decide?
"...Yes, these abominations have caused too much harm."
Sorry, Miki... Issei is already one of them, and that kid seems to enjoy it.
As they were talking, still embracing each other, the front door opened with a familiar sound.
"I'm back..."
The sound of his bag, which fell to the ground, resonated strangely loud in the ears of those present.
"Who are you?!" he said, alternating his gaze between Gorou and Miki, the latter still in her husband's arms.
"Issei, this is not what..."
Miki tried to express herself, but Issei had already rushed toward them.
"Let go of my mother, scum!!!"