9:30 AM. Ethan, wearing a black T-shirt and shorts, stood with Yuuki (Yuuto) in front of the Hyoudou residence.
"Yuuki," Ethan muttered. "Let's agree on something."
"Yes?" Yuuki smiled gently, tilting her head. "You don't have to be so formal, Ethan."
"Ugh..." Ethan looked away. "When we're in front of others, let's just use our old names. Issei is a big mouth. If he hears me calling you 'Yuuki,' the whole school will know by noon."
Yuuki blinked and then nodded understandingly. Issei really was a loudmouth; that's how she found out about the Holy Sword wielders in the first place. Irina Shidou was Issei's childhood friend, and since she was back in town, she had naturally visited him. Finding two beauties in his house had sent Issei into a frenzy of bragging.
"Good. Kiba," Ethan said, feeling much better. "I'll do the talking. If the Holy Sword girls show up, don't lose your cool."
"I'll try my best, Ethan."
"Not try. You must." Ethan stared at him. "The three factions have a peace treaty. Everything can be negotiated, including the Holy Swords."
Yuuki lowered her head, looking sullen, but she promised. If she attacked first, she'd be breaking the rules set by the faction leaders. Peace didn't mean you couldn't fight; it meant you needed a valid excuse. If Ethan handled it right, the Church might even thank them for "destroying" the cursed swords.
Ethan knocked on the door. A middle-aged woman's voice answered. "Coming!"
The door opened, and a pleasant, middle-aged woman peeked out. "Yes? Who are you looking for?"
"Hello, Ma'am," Ethan smiled warmly. "We're looking for Issei. We're his friends from school."
Mrs. Hyoudou, who had squinty eyes and a "dangerous" anime-mom hairstyle, was shocked. "Issei's friends? My goodness, when did that boy make such handsome friends? He never told me!"
"Please, come in! Issei is still asleep, I'll go wake him up."
Ethan and Kiba entered the living room. Mrs. Hyoudou brought tea and snacks, then hurried upstairs. Ethan scanned the room. The Hyoudou house was quite nice—a standard detached home, larger than the Kamine house.
Thump, thump, thump.
Issei dragged his feet downstairs, yawning. "Mom, it's summer break. Why are you waking me up so early?"
"Early? It's almost ten!" Mrs. Hyoudou snapped. She wasn't nearly as gentle with her perverted son. "Your friends are here. Look at them, then look at yourself!"
Issei grumbled, "Friends? Matsuda and Motohama were gaming with me until 2 AM. There's no way they're—"
Issei froze when he saw Ethan and Kiba. He rubbed his eyes, making sure he wasn't dreaming. When he realized it was the two most popular guys in school, his face soured.
"Oh, it's Ethan and Kiba," Issei plopped down on the sofa across from them. "What are you two doing here so early? I'm not 'popular' like you guys."
Ethan grinned. "After all the time I spent teaching you 'pick-up techniques,' this is the thanks I get?"
Issei's posture changed instantly. He performed a perfect dogeza (kneeling bow). "Master Ethan! Whatever you need, your humble servant will do it!"
Ethan chuckled. Mention sex, and this kid does a 180. "I heard you have two busty foreigners staying at your house. Why are you still acting so thirsty?"
"Uh..." Issei deflated. "They aren't staying here. An old childhood friend of mine is back in town with her partner. They just dropped by to say hi."
"Is that so? I heard differently."
Issei scratched his head. "It was a misunderstanding. I just wanted to brag to Matsuda and Motohama. I told them a girl I used to know was staying with me."
Ethan nodded. High school boys were like that—especially perverts like Issei. Two words with a girl could turn into a marriage rumor by the next day.
"Issei, do you have their contact info? Or do you know where they went?"
Issei looked confused. "I don't know. I actually thought she was a boy when we were kids. I made a total fool of myself when we met yesterday." He grabbed his school bag and pulled out an old photo. "See? She looked like this. She was wilder than me. How was I supposed to know she was a girl?"
Ethan looked at the photo. It showed two cute little "boys." One was clearly Issei; the other looked nothing like a busty babe. Yuuki's breathing suddenly hitched.
"Ethan... look," she whispered, pointing at the photo. "The pattern on that wall in the background... that's the prototype of the Holy Swords."
"Holy Swords? What are you talking about?" Issei asked.
"Nothing," Ethan lied smoothly. "Just saying that sword in the photo looks like something from a light novel. By the way, Issei, was this friend close to the Church?"
"Yeah, I think so. My family was invited to their church a few times. Wait, let me ask my mom if she has their number."