He who was just an Ordinary Man

I


Hyoudou Issei groaned as his eyes fluttered open, he instantly became aware of a tingling sensation running through his body.

He let out a hiss as pain lanced its way through his body, he sat up and looked around, instantly recognising his location.

"Ah...I see…" He mumbled to himself, a self-deprecating smile on his face as he rubbed the back of his neck "I got caught again, didn't I?"

"I'll say." A tired voice called out to his left, Issei's head traveled towards the unamused expression of the School Nurse. The boy winced at the face he was receiving, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Hey...Romani-sensei."

Romani Archaman stared at the boy for a few moments before letting out a sigh and shaking his head, an amused look playing on his face "I thought I told you last time you were here that if you kept peeking the kendo club would stop holding back." he paused before shaking his head at Issei "Also you don't need to call me 'Sensei' considering I'm not actually a Teacher."

"I know, I know." Issei waved him off, face twisting in a grimace as he threw his legs over the side of the bed "How did I even get here?"

"The girls beat you unconscious this time." Romani sighed, raising an eyebrow "I was actually surprised it was just you. What happened to the other two?"

"Ah." Issei cringed, "They managed to get away in time…"

"Which left you at the mercy of rather distressed and volatile young girls." Romani finished with a knowing expression, eventually the school nurse let out another sigh and stood up from the chair next to him "Well, I'll say this. You have a remarkable endurance to sustain such a beating."

"If I can witness the promised goods, then I can withstand any beating!" Issei cried out, thumping his fist into his chest, then let out a whimper as pain - once again - assaulted his body.

"I can see that." Romani chuckled, moving over to his desk "I've also treated it a fair few times." he sighed "I know trying to convince you not to peek would be a useless effort."

"I'm more saddened that you yourself have never done so, Romani-sensei!" Issei stood up, an anguished look on his face "You feel like one of those uninitiated in the ways of breasts!"

Romani cringed, "That feels a little weird to be told by a student." his expression returned to a more relaxed one "Still, if you are going to peek, at least have the effort to not get caught. While I don't like the idea of you harassing the girl, I like the idea of students beating up other students even less."

Issei's expression turned downcast "I know I trouble you sometimes, Romani-sensei." he mumbled out, then looked back up with a determined expression "But I just can't help it!"

Romani stared him down for a few moments before he rolled his eyes in amusement "Well, at least no one can ever question your determination." he and Issei chuckled at that before the nurse looked up at the clock, then winced "You'd best head off to your next class." his expression turned slightly fearful "I don't want the Shitori-san to think I'm hiding you away." he rubbed the back of his neck nervously "She's already found my third stash of sweets. I don't want to push her further."

"Third?" Issei looked confused for a few moments "I thought you had ten?"

Romani gave a conspiratorial smile "I do, but she doesn't know that quite yet."

Issei snapped his fingers, a smile on his face "So you convinced her she'd found your last stash?"

Romani shrugged "I will neither confirm or deny." he shooed the younger boy out of the Nurse "Now get going, and next time try not to get so injured!" he called after him as the young boy ran off down the corridor.

The strawberry haired man leaned against the open door with a smile as he watched Issei retreat down the hallway.

"Honestly." He sighed "That kid…"

"You shouldn't encourage his habits." A stern voice called out behind him, Romani let out a yell, which in no way made him sound like a small girl getting scared for the first time, and whirled around, the panicked expression on his face only alleviating marginally as he came face to face with Sona Shitori.

"You shouldn't sneak up on a person like that, Shitori-san." Romani breathed out, a hand on his beating heart. The girl's eyes narrowed as she adjusted the rim of her glasses.

"I believe I have told you to call me Kaichou." She frowned, Romani let out a nervous chuckle before blinking in confusion.

"Huh." He looked around. "I thought that Shinra-san would have been with you."

"The Vice president had other matters to attend to." She replied, looking over his shoulder to where Issei had run off to "More to the point, you hold a responsibility as a staff member to reprimand students for deplorable behavior, not to encourage them."

"I don't think I encouraged him." Romani replied with a perplexed expression "I just didn't tell him off for his behavior."

"That is the same thing."

"Not really." Romani sighed, a wistful smile on his face "Besides, if even a beating on the regular won't dissuade him of his notions, I don't think me telling him off is going to either." he frowned as a thought suddenly came to his mind "More to the point, should you really be allowing beatings like that to take place on campus? It sets a bad image."

"So does perversion."

"Fair enough." Romani didn't push the issue further "Although I'm surprised you aren't off to your next lesson either. You're usually more punctual."

"I shall arrive at my next lesson with plenty of time." Sona replied with a blank expression "I was merely informing you that I discovered another out of place panel in the school's ceiling."

Romani's expression steeled, beads of sweat forming on his brow.

"The contents of which were a number of supplies from the school cafeteria." She went on, displeasure showing "Primarily deserts."

"Huh." Romani replied dumbly, soon looking away with an innocent expression on his face which could have fooled no one. "That's a little strange…"

Sona closed the distance between the two of them, glaring up at the man with narrowed eyes "I am aware you have caches hidden around the school. It is only the thought of disrupting other students' lessons with searching for all of them that prevents me from doing so. Continue to steal from the school cafeteria and I will simply search for them after school has ended. Understand?"

Romani swallowed, a nervous expression on his face as he leaned away from her "Perfectly!"

"Hmm." She straightened herself out "I have also come to remind you to submit your request for further medical supplies. I understand that the 'Perverted Trio' have been taking up a considerable amount of bandages."

Romani raised an eyebrow "I thought I was supposed to leave those with the principle?"

"They can be left with me instead." She curtly replied "I shall facilitate the acquisition of supplies for you."

The nurse stared at her for a few moments before he allowed a laugh to escape his throat, shaking his head at her dumbfounded expression "Sorry...sorry…" he wiped away a small tear forming in his eye "You just sounded like a Mafia boss speaking in non-incriminating jargon."

Sona's right eye twitched "Have a good day. Nurse Archaman, and see to it you place the request at the student council office by the end of the day." she walked past him without waiting for a reply, Romani cringed at her reaction.

"Ceiling panel…" He muttered to himself, then his shoulders slumped "That was the chocolate cake. I was looking forward to that." he frowned as he went back into the nurses office, closing the door behind him "How did she even find that one?" he racked his brain for answers, that had been the one he'd taken the most care in hiding, so how had she found it in the first place?

Then only one person came to mind.

"Toujou-san…" He sighed, the white haired girl was, for lack of a better word, a bloodhound when it came to finding his hidden spots. No matter how much care he had gone through to hide them, she had always found them.

Shitori may have only found two, but Koneko Toujou had found them all. He clicked his tongue, the silver lining being that Koneko hadn't revealed them to anyone, primarily because he always made sure to re-stock.

Meaning that the young girl must have misplaced the panel after she had broken into it again. Or Shitori had caught her in the act.

Either way, he needed a new hiding spot which even Koneko couldn't find.

He slumped his shoulders. That was impossible. The girl always found them? Was she even human!? He didn't wish to occupy his mind further with those types of thoughts, reaching up to the bridge of his nose, he gave it a tired pinch before dragging himself back to the chair near his desk.

The unfortunate fact of the matter was that without Issei, he was left with very little in the way of work to actually do. The students of Kuoh academy were surprisingly capable at avoiding injuries.

Dishing them out to a select few was something else entirely, however. Romani's lips quivered into a troubled frown. He didn't like to imagine that bullying was a common theme in this school but that seemed to be the case with the 'perverted trio' as they put it. More often than not, it was an unspoken school doctrine to give the youths a daily beating - which nine times out of ten was directed solely at Issei - to the point where Romani had actually put in a complaint about it.

The reply he'd received was less than satisfactory.

He fell into his chair with a quiet thud and leaned back into it, exhaling heavily. Sometimes he wondered just how much more stressful this job could actually get for him. His left hand rubbed across the simple brass ring on his left hand, his composure steadily returned to him.

He'd be able to get through the day easily enough.


Issei rubbed his bruises as he made his way back through the corridors towards his next class, wincing as he touched a particularly sore spot for him. In truth, despite what he had claimed to Romani-sensei, it was still very painful for him right now.

He continued to move through the now empty hallways, he could already see the Teacher's resigned look when he arrived late to class. He didn't know if that was something he could be relieved in that they were no longer visibly disappointed in his tardiness or be ashamed of because their expectations for him were low.

Issei's lips thinned. Of course he knew his expectations were low but that didn't mean he'd want to be reminded about it every time.

The boy sighed, moving his hand through his hair as he approached the classroom. He stopped in front of the door - already hearing muffled voices of the register - before he reached out and slid the door open.

"And Hyoudou Issei." Sensei ticked off his name with an almost bored tone as they looked up from their podium and stared at the boy in the hallway, frowning as he caught sight of a few bruises beginning to crop up on his face "I shall assume you were a guest of Roman until recently."

"Yes, Sensei." Issei sheepishly scratched the back of his neck, Sensei sighed and waved his hand towards the desk to usher the boy in. Issei obliged and closed the door behind him, ignoring the pointedly judgemental looks he got from some of the students as he made his way to his chair and quickly sat down in it. Briefly sending a glare towards Motohama and Matsuda, who both pointedly ignored him while innocently whistling.

"In future, please ask Roman to write a note down for you." Sensei's voice jolted him into action and brought his attention back to the man. "It will be easier for us all." he paused for a few moments "I shall not ask how you got those bruises." He directed a suspicious glance towards the other two members of the 'Perverted Trio' "As I doubt the answer is any different from the last several times you have appeared this way."

Releasing a sigh, the Teacher straightened themselves out and placed both hands on the podium "This is as good a time as any to - once again - remind you to leave the punishment of students to the Teachers." he frowned "Not to form vigilante gangs and dispatch your own manner of justice." his eyes fell onto Issei, his lip curling downwards "No matter how earned you feel the punishment is."

Issei flinched and looked down, Sensei kept his eyes on the boy for a few moments longer before they raised themselves upwards and swept across the entire class "Now then, with that out of the way." The man looked back down at the register and continued to call out names to be answered.

The boy remained seated, eventually answering his name when it got called out. He knew his luck was terrible, but he'd eventually catch a break. When that happened, he'd show everyone just how glorious his dreams were!

He'd become Issei! King of Harems!

…Or something along those lines anyway.

He was still working on the path of how to get there. But he was sure it would reveal itself to him eventually. He just knew it.


The ringing of the bell signaled the end of the lesson. He watched as Sensei rubbed the board clean before packing up his materials.

He swiftly made to leave the room - not before grabbing his hat - until he came to a stop and looked at Issei one final time with an unreadable expression on his face.

"I expect all of you to be on your best behaviour." He advised, placing his hat atop his head and sliding the door open "That includes yourself, Hyoudou. I would like to go a single day without having to be informed by my peers - or Roman - that you have been indulging in your…"

His lip curled in disappointment. "Activities." his eyes left the boy and swept across the room "Just as I expect you all to behave appropriately."

With the warning dispensed, his lips shifted into their usual warm smile. "In any case, I hope you all have a good day and I will see you again for science."

Stepping out of the room, Sensei slid the door closed. His steps vanished down the hallway.

Issei would admit, he liked Sensei in the same way he liked nurse Romani. No matter what he did, they would both treat him no different than the other students. Much better than some of the other teachers.

Maybe it was because they secretly agreed with his quest!

Now that he thought about it, that didn't seem likely in the least. Then again, he could at least dream of the potential it would bring!

No, it was definitely unlikely in any event, however at least Sensei and Nurse Romani didn't gaze upon him like he was scum at every opportunity. It was a little strange to think that they had expectations for him, it also brought this unfortunate feeling in his gut whenever they gave him an expression of disappointment.

They were the only ones to do that.


Romani let out a yawn before he rubbed his eyes, blearily turning in his chair and staring up at the clock on the wall for a few moments before he squinted at it to get a better read of the time. As his vision cleared up, he allowed himself a small sigh of relief as he noticed it was approaching the end of the school day.

Smiling, he leaned back into his swivel chair and turned back to his desk. It was nice that he hadn't actually been called for anything important all day. He considered that to be a rather productive session, not because he considered himself lazy.

He just disliked it when he was actually needed because that usually implied someone was injured in some way.

Sliding closer to the desk, he shifted through the request that Sona had told him to prepare. He still didn't understand exactly why he was delivering the requests for the budget of the school's medical supplies to the student council but he wasn't going to question it. By all accounts, Japanese schools were run a little differently to the ones he knew of.

He could just chalk it down to cultural differences, at least Sona seemed like she was a responsible girl.

"Here for the manifest, Shinra-san?" He called out with a chuckle, then paused as he didn't hear a reply. He frowned, lifting his head up and turning in the direction of the door only to see that it was closed and he was still alone in his office.

He frowned slightly. That was odd, for a second he thought he heard the girl enter-

The door slid open, Tsubaki Shinra walked into the room with her normal cool expression, her sharp eyes fell upon the nurse behind her blue rimmed glasses. Romani almost jolted in surprise, fixing her with an odd look. "Shinra-san? Didn't you just…" he pointed at her in confusion, still frowning, however it gave way to confusion as he looked around the nurses office, as if somehow expecting a second version of her to be there.

Tsubaki watched him with trace amounts of puzzlement. Frowning slightly at the Nurse before she dismissed it. Pushing her classes up slightly and walking towards him.

"Nurse Archaman." She called out to him, returning his attention to her and pulling him away from his musings. "Sona-Kaichou sent me to ensure your paperwork had been properly filled out to ensure the medical equipment could be fully restocked."

Romani stared at her for a few moments longer before he shook his head, banishing whatever confusion was on his face and turning back to the desk and the files which lay upon it. He gave a nervous chuckle, already wincing when he heard Tsubaki let out an exasperated sigh.

"It's not that bad!" He hurriedly corrected her before she could fully manifest her look of grim disappointment "I've already completed half of it!" he explained, gesturing to the papers while puffing his chest out slightly.

"I suppose it could be considered better than not even attempting to start." Tsubaki admitted begrudgingly, however the ray of hope in Romani died when her eyes narrowed at him slightly "However, considering the task was set out near the start of the school day and Sona-Kaichou reminded you when she visited earlier-"

"She told you about that?" Romani winced, then reached up and rubbed his brow "It feels weird getting berated by students…"

"Then perhaps the thought of avoiding further embarrassment might motivate you to ensure you organise your time more efficiently." Tsubaki ruthlessly responded, Romani slumped forwards in his chair. "However, there is still more than enough time before the deadline by which the list is required." her expressions softened ever so slightly "I would suggest you hurry in completing it."

Romani let out a faint chuckle in response, shifting his attention back to the desk and dragging himself forwards. "You know, with the way both you and Shitori-san act, I sometimes forget you aren't teachers." he joked, utterly failing to earn a laugh from the girl.

"Sona-Kaichou would be most pleased that you think so." She replied after a few moments. "However, it is also telling that you consider someone who acts mature to be almost akin to a teacher."

Romani once again flinched as she delivered the verbal punch, the man pausing in his writing before he continued onwards "Still…It's really commendable that you take this seriously. Although I feel as though you might be missing out on some of the fun of being a kid."

"...Fun?" Tsubaki raised an incredulous eyebrow at the nurse. "The Student Council was not created to be 'fun', it was created to ensure the wellbeing of the student body."

"I know that." Romani nodded in affirmation before he looked up towards the girl "But every time I see either you or Shitori-san, you're both always rushing around trying to take care of one student problem or another." he shrugged "I don't know…it feels like you might be losing out on your social time at highschool."

Tsubaki gave him an empty stare for a few moments before she shook her head "We willingly took on the responsibilities of the Student Council." she replied "That is something I am more than content with, even if you believe it might come at the cost of free time. Sona-Kaichou believes the betterment of the students comes first and foremost."

Romani stared at her for a few moments before he turned back to his work "Well, if you say so. You've already demonstrated you're mature enough to handle responsibility to I'll trust that you aren't pushing yourselves too hard." he paused before he gave her a reassuring smile "But just remember, you are the student council." he stressed the word "So don't be afraid to lean on the adults once in a while."

Tsubaki wordlessly looked down at his paperwork and then back at him. Her eyes flashing with skepticism. Romani followed her gaze before he let out a chuckle and scratched the back of his neck.

"W-well…I didn't mean me." He pointed out, earning a gentle sigh from the girl.

"I assumed so." She paused "However, your concern has been noted but it is unnecessary. Still, that you demonstrate obvious concern for the student body shows that there are some redeemable qualities to you."

"...Ouch." Romani chuckled, "You guys really like laying into me, don't you?"

"On the contrary." Tsubaki gave a ghost of a smile "It is merely because we have high expectations that we chastise you for your faults." the smile vanished.

"Well tha-" He paused, squinting at her "That's the sort of thing teachers say to students!" he blurted out, pointing at her accusingly "I'm more than twice your age!"

"Truly?" Tsubaki raised an innocent eyebrow at him "Sometimes it can be easy to forget."

Romani slumped forwards, waving his hand to the girl "Well…I'll get that list of supplies delivered before I go home." he muttered out "I know the Student Council likes to stay late…"

"Indeed." Tsubaki nodded her head, turning around and moving back towards the door to the room and sliding it open. "I shall inform Sona-Kaichou to await your arrival. Please do not dawdle as there are other concerns to attend to." That said, she departed and quietly closed the door behind her.

Romani remained silent for a few moments before he furrowed his brow "Why do they all talk like they're in the mafia?" he wondered aloud before shifting his attention back to the papers he needed to complete.

It was honestly a little scary to him that they were able to go through that many bandages and plasters for only three students.

At his heart, he could tell Issei was a good kid but he just fell into the bad crowd with those two friends of his. He felt another headache come on as he rubbed his eyes.

He still couldn't believe Issei got a girlfriend-

He paused, removing his hand from his eyes. A girlfriend? Issei?

That didn't make any sense but he could have sworn Issei introduced her earlier today but…

He leaned back into his chair, groaning at the pain in his eyes. That was something rather annoying, so caught up in his headache that he failed to hear the door open once again, the shadow of a taller man entering the room and looming over the nurse.

The man looked between Romani and the paperwork before his lips spread into an amused smile.

"If you find this small number of papers painful for you, I dread to think how you would react to the number of tests I have to grade."

Romani jolted, letting out a small gasp at the proximity of the voice before he blinked and the shape of the man became visible. The nurse let out a sigh of relief as he leaned forwards and back over his desk.

"Don't scare me like that…" He replied, still rubbing his forehead.

The man looked between the door and Romani once again, raising a lone eyebrow "I merely entered the room much as anyone else would normally, Roman." he sighed "If you weren't so distracted you might have noticed me." a look of concern came upon his face "You aren't ill, are you?"

"Nothing like that." Romani quickly abetted his concerns "Just a little headache is all."

"Ah, yes." The man nodded, "I thought I saw Shinra in the halls a few moments ago." his expression shifted to one of understanding as it looked at the paperwork in a new light "And I assume it relates to this pile of work I find you with?"

"Heh…something like that." Romani admitted weakly "You'd be shocked as to how many medical supplies we can go through in one month." he pointed out, frowning disapprovingly "It's actually a little scary."

"It is also unfortunate." Sighing, the man turned away and walked to the nearest chair, grabbing it and dragging it out and near Romani until it was a few feet from him before sitting down. "I assume it also relates in large part to Issei-kun and his compatriots?"

"More Huuydou-kun." Romani shook his head "I'd have thought he'd be better at running by now but it doesn't seem to have changed much."

"I am more curious as to how this relates to the student council?" The man inquired, frowning ever so slightly "The acquisition of supplies for you is a matter of the school principal rather than the student council. To my knowledge you have not recently become a club."

"Shitori-san said I could leave them with her." Romani explained, earning a frown in response which he noticed swiftly "Don't be like that, I think it's commendable for them to try and get more involved in the running of the school."

"There is a difference between being mature and being arrogant." The man sighed, shaking his head and resting his hands on his lap "The Student Council seem to have an inflated sense of their own importance thus far and while I will not deny they have done good work for the school and the students, that does not change the fact they are still a student body. Their role is to oversee student clubs and events not to oversee the overall running of the school. That is for the teachers."

Romani gave him an odd look as he finished his rant, the man noticed and gave the nurse a calming smile.

"I'm sorry, I got a little heated there." He sighed "But the student council is only a temporary organisation which changes with each election. I would rather not have the school become too dependent on the leadership of a group who will be gone in a couple of years."

Romani gave a nod of the head in response "Well…I get what you mean. Still…I'm less concerned with that and more concerned that they might end up overworking themselves."

"That as well." The man sighed "Still. I suppose their point remains valid regardless, how on earth did you end up attracting their attention to fill out this report?" he gestured at the papers with a frown before he paused, giving Romani an unimpressed look "Roman…" he trailed off.

"Well…" The nurse chuckled lightly, "It just kept getting away from me…"

"Really Roman?" Shaking his head, the man leaned back "You really should try and organise your time more efficiently."

"Shinra-san said the same thing!" Romani remarked, causing the man sitting near him to briefly make an expression like he had sucked a lemon. "...That's nothing to boast about, is it?"

"No."

"Hehe…Oh, by the way." Romani realised, turning his chair towards the man "Leo wanted to know if you'd want to come round for dinner again at some point."

"Really?" The man blinked in surprise "But it's only been a few weeks."

"Yeah…but you know how she gets when she thinks of something new…" Romani trailed off, earning a good natured chuckle from his friend.

"She just cannot wait to show off to everyone? Yes, I know." He nodded his head before looking up at the clock "I suppose I can visit you again at some point. Just let me know whichever day is good for you and I can set aside some time for it." standing up, he turned back to Romani and patted him on the shoulder "I'll be heading off, I only came down to see how you were doing."

"Thanks for that by the way." Romani sincerely replied with a smile "It gets weird that the most I see other people are students often enough…and I've just realised you're a teacher so you see them a lot more than I do…"

"Yes." The man replied slowly before giving a shake of the head "But I am willing to bet you see the same students more often than I do on an individual basis."

"Probably." Romani admitted, then grimaced "Although I sort of wish I didn't."

"On that, I can agree with you." Turning around, he made his way back towards the door "Keep up the good work, Roman! I shall see you again tomorrow." he waved his farewell, Romani waving back to him. As the door shut, Romani finally turned back to the paperwork which he had been avoiding for some time.

"...It really is scary how he goes through so many plasters…" The nurse muttered out as he started to write down what he needed.


Sona looked up from her desk as the door opened up, Tsubaki walked in with her usual aura of professionalism. The fact she was empty handed all but confirmed her suspicions however.

"He did not complete the paperwork, did he?" She was already prepared for the answer, Tsubaki shook her head in a negative earning an exasperated sigh from the girl. "I suppose I should not be surprised."

"He had already completed half of the work." Tsubaki defended, earning a brief flash of surprise from the Student Council president "He has told me he will complete the remaining forms and deliver them to you before he leaves for home."

"I suppose progress - in any form - is to be lauded." Sona admitted after a few moments of silence "Perhaps the nurse might one day be able to complete his forms on time as opposed to forcing me to chase him down for them." her lips curled into a slight frown "However, I would prefer he did not attempt to hide confectionery within the school premises." moving her pen back to the papers, she continued on in a slightly irritated tone of voice "Aside from the fact much of his stash comes from the school cafeteria, it also encourages Toujou-san to climb into the school roof as well…and I doubt that would remain a secret for long if anyone caught her."

Tsubaki dutifully nodded her head before she pursed her lips "Why do you not remove all of them?"

"Because I am more than certain he would somehow find a way to make more." She grimaced "And considering how long it took to locate his current hiding locations, I would prefer not to spend the next month attempting to discover the next batch." remaining silent for a few moments more, she eventually sighed "...If that were the only reason, I would be more content."

Tsubaki raised an eyebrow before she understood and frowned slightly "Toujou-san is taken with them, is she not?"

"Rias made it clear - in no uncertain terms - that Toujou-san would be rather aggrieved if anything were to happen to her depot sights for candy." The girl groaned, rubbing her brow "And considering how adamant Rias can actually get when it concerns the needs of her peerage, I would rather avoid the trouble…therefore I can overlook the 'candy sites' for the time being as long as he fills them with his own purchased goods as opposed to those taken from the school."

Tsubaki nodded her head after a few moments "I understand."

Sona fell into a few moments of silence before she looked up at Tsubaki "What news of the other issue?"

"Himejima-san informed me that Gremory-san was dealing with the situation in the manner she felt was most appropriate." She replied, pushing the rim of her glasses up "And has informed me that you should not feel obligated to help."

Sona made a face of displeasure before she shook her head. "Very well then…I shall trust that Rias knows what she is doing and will not allow the situation to devolve." she pulled the photograph across her desk and squinted her eyes at it. "Just what exactly do they think they're doing with this stunt?" she muttered aloud before shaking her head and returning her eyes to Tsubaki "Inform the others not to approach her carelessly within school grounds."

Leaning back into her chair, she turned towards the door "If Rias wants to try and deal with it herself, then I will not complain. It is her right, afterall…as long as she doesn't do anything reckless."

The pair fell into a silence before she spoke up again "And how has Saji-san been performing his duties assigned rather admirably." Tsubaki responded with a more cordial tone "There is obvious room for improvement but he is clearly motivated."

"Hmmm." Nodding her head for a few moments, Sona returned her attention to her work. Tapping her pen against the wood before she continued on "Then I suppose I shall consider extending an invitation to him soon. Ruruko has also stated that she feels Saji-san would be an excellent addition to the Student Council…although whether that is because he has been doing some of her work or because she genuinely means it is something I have yet to determine."

A knock on the door had the pair turn towards it, Sona raising a lone eyebrow before she called out "Come in."

The door was pushed open, Romani walking in with a stack of papers under one arm and a still nervous smile on his face. "Hey, Shitori-sa-"

"Kaichou." Sona corrected almost like clockwork before her eyes fell upon the papers "I understand you had at least made some progress before Tsubaki-san came to collect them from you." pushing up her glasses, her lips drew themselves into a thin line "However, she said that you also had yet to complete them."

Romani winced before slowly nodding his head, then raised the sheets of paper "Requisition forms all filled out for you." walking over to her, he gently laid them down on her desk. "If that's everything-"

"Not quite yet." Sona cut him off, moving to sort through the papers "I first need to ensure that it has all been filled out correctly. I would much rather you to have filled them out correctly than rush through in a hurry to-" she cut herself off, staring down at the paper before her brows furrowed and her eyes widened slightly. "...Are these numbers correct?"

"Which numbers?" Romani leaned over slightly to get a better look at the forms.

"Five rolls of twenty metre bandages?" She incredulously replied, then moved to another "A pack of one thousand plasters and one hundred standard bottles of antiseptic cream?" looking back up at him, she was briefly surprised by the unusually serious expression on his face.

"I know I'm pretty new to this school but I'm really hoping that isn't normal." He pointed down at the forms "And that was me being optimistic. The trio of boys are my most frequent visitors and their injuries are pretty consistent."

Tsubaki let out a faint sigh behind him while Sona grimaced "I was aware of the actions of the perverted trio-" she paused when she noticed Romani frown ever so slightly "Is there something wrong?"

"Sorry, it's just…" He trailed off, searching for the right words "I know its pretty accurate but it still feels like name calling to me."

"And if they found it offensive, I would agree with you." Sona nodded her head, looking down at the forms "But they seem to wear the title like a badge of honour…However this is much larger than the previous forms and certainly an expenditure that is going to be costly." she looked up at him "These are accurate, yes?"

"I'm on my last bottle of antiseptic cream." Romani replied with a nod "And Issei-kun used up the last of my plasters this morning. I'm going to have to buy some for the students in case any more get injured."

"Hardly an acceptable state of affairs." Sona agreed "The school will reimburse you for the cost of supplies." she stated almost immediately, earning a surprise blink from the nurse "Beyond that, I wasn't aware it was quite so draining on the supplies of the school."

"We could always tell the students not to beat him and his friends up-"

"They could also cease their activities." Tsubaki responded curtly from behind him. Sona sighed, shaking her head.

"Yes, but this has started to grow beyond a social problem and now is threatening the schools budget." She looked at Romani "And I can't ask you to stop treating them-"

"Nor would I." Romani politely replied, Sona stared at him in silence before she nodded her head once.

"Nor should you." She agreed "But as I understand it, his homeroom teacher made an announcement to the class? I suppose I can ask the other Teachers to pass along a similar message…whether it will have any effect is another matter."

Romani straightened himself out before he eventually asked another question "I don't suppose you'd tell me why they're still here?"

"Because the school has only recently become Co-ed so we're under high expectations to perform to a certain quota." Sona replied as if reading from a textbook "And considering our current student population still consists of at least ninety-percent girls, we can hardly afford to expel them so early into the year."

Romani stared at her in silence, that explanation seemed a little flimsy to him and from the look on Sona's face, she also found it equally dubious. That said, he had delivered his papers as promised.

"Well…I'll leave you to your evening." He gave her a smile and a slight nod of the head, turning around and walking back towards the door, not before giving Tsubaki another look "Try to think on what I said earlier, Shinra-san."

"Hmmm." The girl merely hummed in response as the nurse opened up the door and left, once they were both certain he was gone, Sona turned to Tsubaki with an intrigued expression.

"Nurse Archaman gave you some advice?" She wasn't quite able to disguise the surprise in her voice, nor in her eyes as Tsubaki nodded in affirmation.

"He told me to try and enjoy my student years and to not spend so much time working on the student council." She replied, crossing her arms behind her back "He also told me it was acceptable to go to the teachers for support if I felt overworked but to not rely on himself."

Sona blinked at her before humming "Well…I suppose it cannot be said that he does not mean well." she admitted "And he is certainly correct not to rely upon him if his record for punctuality is anything to go by."


Romani rubbed his eyes as he proceeded out of the school gates, staring up at the setting sun in the distance before turning back to face the school. He was more than a little surprised to have learned the Student Council stayed so late but that was neither here nor there.

Turning back around, he started to make his way back through the streets on his way home. The pain in his eyes still continued as a subtle pinching sensation however. It was less agonising and more incredibly uncomfortable. That was nothing new though, he'd always had flashes of pain in his eyes for as long as he could remember.

Although they'd never amounted to much as there wasn't a doctor who had ever found anything to be wrong with him.

Maybe it was one of those mental things? He'd heard that stress manifested itself in different ways. Like hair loss. Deciding whether he would rather lose hair or have an uncomfortable sensation in his eyes every time he was stressed was an unfortunate choice and one he thankfully didn't have to make. Which was good, he'd rather not be stressed out more than usual.

Continuing on his walk, Romani found himself blinking repeatedly as he somehow managed to veer off his usual path home and find himself near the park in the town. His gaze was instinctively drawn towards the fountain at the far end. He stared at it, his brows furrowing and the stinging sensation behind his eyes building.

For a split second he thought he saw humanoid shapes near the fountain, they started to clear up and become more distinctive. He rubbed his eyes as the stinging sensation started to taper off as he refocused upon the fountain once again.

The shapes were of two young teenagers, he recongised the general form of Issei - as he'd treated him often enough - but the form of the other near him was less familiar to him. Shaking his head, he dismissed the image. Watching as the transparent forms seemingly vanished from existence and left him back alone in the park with only the birds and a passing jogger.

"...I think I need more sleep." Romani muttered aloud as he once again rubbed his eyes, withholding a sigh of relief as the dull pain left him and his eyes no longer felt as though he'd opened them in a strong wind. He pulled back his sleeve and stared down at his watch with a sense of foreboding.

"...Oh damn." He cursed, grimacing. He was late and that meant that Leo was not going to be very pleased.

Giving the fountain one last look, he turned away from it and swiftly departed from the park at a steady pace. Heading back home.

He was fortunate that his house was so close to the academy, it meant he could at least get a little exercise through walking which he was certain was more than enough. No matter what Leo said about it.

Try as he might though, the strange image seemingly stuck with him. Issei with a girl was something he'd never ever think was going to happen. Beyond that, he'd been having a weird week with him hearing things and seeing things which weren't quite there. Romani didn't imagine it was because he wasn't getting enough sleep. He always managed to ensure that he had enough both at home and at school.

That last one made him feel slightly guilty.

Shrugging his shoulders, he dismissed it as a trick of the mind and left it at that. If he kept seeing things he might consider getting it looked out to see if there was anything in his eye but he doubted it was that serious.


This - however - was rather serious.

He stood in the doorway of his house, having only managed to get a single foot in before he found himself under the piercing gaze of the other occupant of the house.

"Tell me something Romani." She spoke out in a calm voice which Romani was convinced was hiding behind clear annoyance "You are capable of telling the time, right?"

Romani wet his lips "Yes…" he replied in a quiet voice.

"Good." Nodding her head, the brunette nodded down to the watch on his wrist "So, what time is it?" she smiled at him "I know the watch works, I made it myself."

"And it's a very lovely watch!" Romani praised, showing it off to her with a pleased expression "I'm still amazed you were able to make it at home so easily, although I would have been fine with a store bought one-"

"Store bought ones lack a special flair." She dismissed with a wave of her hand before puffing out her chest "Mine are a certified quality that cannot be reached by even the greatest craftsman-wait a minute." Romani started to sweat as she paused, squinting her eyes at him before giving a coy smile "That was more devious than I thought possible for you, Romani~"

"Hehe…" He nervously chuckled, eyes darting away from her "What do you mean?"

"You can try and play the fool to everyone else." She remarked as she walked closer to him, sapphire blue eyes staring up at him with clear amusement "But not to me, we both know I know you too well."

His shoulders slumped in defeat "I know, Leo."

"Good." She beamed, leaning back and crossing her arms "So? How come you're back so late?"

Romani allowed a sigh to escape his throat as he reached up and rubbed his forehead "I was busy doing paperwork and it went on for longer than I hoped for."

She gave him a patient smile before her right hand reached out, gently cupping his cheek and giving it a gentle pat. "Oh Romani…you did something rather silly and procrastinated again, didn't you?"

"Yes." Romani admitted without much hesitation "I did."

Rolling her eyes, the woman removed her hand from his cheek and moved it down to his wrist before turning around and dragging him out of the doorway and into the house. "Come on then, I know how much it hurts when you have to do work."

Romani let out a mirthful huff "Don't phrase it like that Leona, you make me sound like a child."

"I'm not the one leaving all my work to the last moment." Leona pointed out with a wink aimed at him over her shoulder "And Leona?" she pouted "Why do you always call me that when you're about to plead with me?"

"Because it's the only way to get your attention." Romani chuckled at her reaction "Besides, we can't all be geniuses like you."

"Obviously." Leona beamed, "Otherwise I wouldn't be considered a genius, would I?"

"No…" Romani shook his head "I suppose you wouldn't but I'd care for you all the same."

Leona paused, turning back to Romani and raising an amused eyebrow at him "Really?" she rolled her eyes at him and leaned closer to him "Not even going to say the words?"

Romani's cheeks dusted with a hint of red "W-well…erm…I don't see why I need to-"

"Come on Romani~" She cheered him on "Just three little words. You can do it!"

Letting out a sigh, Romani looked down into her eyes although he couldn't stop his cheeks from flushing at the close proximity. Even now he couldn't quite get used to her being so close to him, even if they had been married for nearly five years.

"My…universal genius…" He muttered out in a quiet tone, looking down and away from her. Leona gave him a flat look for a few moments before her lip curled into a slight smile.

"Not what I was looking for…" She trailed off, leaning up and planting a chaste kiss on his left cheek before retreating with a victorious expression "But I suppose it works all the same."

Romani gave a faint smile at her before he blinked in remembrance "Oh, I passed along your invitation to him."

"Excellent!" Leona 'Da Vinci' Archaman let out a little cheer "I can't wait for you to taste the fruits of my latest invention."

Romani shivered "You mean like that time with the toaster-"

Leona raised her hand to his lips and pinched them between his fingers, cutting his sentence off and giving him a tight smile with closed eyes "What time with the toaster?"

"Mmmmfpm." Romani was able to mumble in response to her. Releasing his lips, she stepped backwards from him and turned around.

"Now come on." She waved him forwards "I need a shoulder massage."

Romani slumped his shoulders "Really?" he whined "But I just got in…"

"Romani Archaman-"

"On second thought, I'm sure I still have enough energy left in me." He hurriedly corrected himself, Leona smiling widely at him as she disappeared out of the main room and towards the staircase.

Taking his coat off, Romani placed it down on the sofa before walking after her. Even after all this time, she could be a little bit of a handful.

"You were thinking something troublesome, weren't you?~"

"Nope!" He might not have been the smartest man alive, but he was smart enough not to fall for that sort of trap.

"Hmmmm." Her hum of disbelief almost had him wince but he was sure she wouldn't pursue it further "So how was work anyway? You don't usually stay that late."

"Having to requisition more supplies for the nurse's office." He explained, walking up the stairs and past the door leading to Leona's 'workshop' as she called it. "It's normally a once every month thing but I had to do it a little earlier than usual."

"Really?" Her voice was tinged with surprise, the woman's head poked out of the door to their bedroom with both her eyebrows raised "Are kids actually that careless nowadays?"

"Just these ones that I know." Romani explained "Although I probably shouldn't be blabbing about this." he realised a few moments later. "Probably gives me a bad look."

"You're hardly one to spread malicious rumours Romani." Leona gave a roll of her eyes as her head ducked back into the room with the nurse following after her, their bedroom itself was rather spacious and decorated in a very renaissance manner. Leona had taken personal interest in the decoration of much of the house and he had been more than happy to let her.

He was also absolutely certain he would never have been able to convince to let him try and help.

They were both stubborn when they really wanted to be.

"I know that." Romani admitted, raising his hands "But sometimes with the way these kids act, you'd think I was exaggerating."

"It can't be that bad, Romani." Leona waved her hand before letting out a sigh as she moved for the bed "But alright, I'll leave it alone." the woman virtually flopped face down onto the bed before raising her head up and turning towards the nurse. "Back rub."

Romani let out a chuckle as he walked towards her "Fine…but I get to choose the show tonight."

"You're just going to put on that magical show again!" Leona whined.

"You're the one who decided to add all those new channels to begin with." Romani pointed out, placing his hands on his hips and staring down at her "It's not my fault I found something worth watching in them."

"Fine…but I still-"

"Draw the line at me buying the merchandise." Romani sighed "I know…what if it was with my money?"

"Romani…"

"Please?"

"...Alright, but just a couple." She hurriedly added on before he could cheer "Because I know just how quickly you can get addicted to buying those. Need I remind you of the Mari incident?"

"They were limited edition!"

"They were also a fortune!" Leona shot back "How do you even spend that much on some figurines and posters!?"

"Limited edition!" He stressed the words as he climbed onto the bed and leaned over her "And I stopped after them, didn't I?"

"Only after I threatened to smash the next figurine I saw." She pouted "Besides, how am I supposed to feel when I see you lusting after these 2D girls when you have me?"

"I'm not lusting after them." Romani rolled his eyes "I'm invested in them, besides. It's not that different from that time you bought those parts to make your own gyroscope."

"...Really?"

"That's how I'm choosing to think of it."

"Alright, alright." Leona closed her eyes as he started to work along her back muscles "As long as they aren't too expensive…besides, it's not like I hate the show."

"See? Miracle Levia-tan is a catchy show!"

"Please." Leona huffed "It's corny and hits every cliche possible." After a few moments, the woman released a sigh "I suppose there is a sort of appeal to that generic nature though."

"The effects are also quite good."

"Hmmm." Leona merely hummed in response, not answering the question as she closed her eyes. "...I get to choose one of the figures though."

"Alright then."


AN: Indeed.

Fate and DxD.

I am now swimming up creak without a paddle at this point. I'm not even going to make claims about updating speeds. It updates when it updates and that's all I'm going to say. This can also be considered an AU.

So this isn't Romani after Temple of Time or anything like that.

So...the adventure begins!