At the stern of the Merry…
"Alright, what did you want to talk about?"
Su Xiaoqi tried his best to appear calm, but internally, he was panicking. After all, the person standing in front of him was someone he'd only ever seen in doujinshi before. No matter how he looked at it, this whole situation felt bizarre.
Himejima Akeno chuckled softly, a hand covering her lips. "Ara\~ It's nothing too serious. I just wanted to show you something on my body."
"Holy—" Su Xiaoqi nearly lost his composure right then and there.
If anyone else had said that, he might've assumed it was something innocent. But this was Himejima Akeno—and she'd deliberately picked a secluded spot. It was impossible not to let his imagination run wild.
Shaking off those inappropriate thoughts, Su Xiaoqi put on a serious face. "Look, I have read your doujinshi before, but that was in the past. I don't do that anymore."
Akeno blinked, then burst into melodic laughter. "Ara\~ Ara\~ Administrator, what are you thinking? What I want to show you is a part of my body, but it's not what you're imagining\~"
"Then what is it?"
Just as Su Xiaoqi was getting more confused, Akeno slowly rolled up the loose sleeve of her shrine maiden outfit, revealing—
"This!!!"
Su Xiaoqi's eyes widened in shock.
That thing on her arm—it was unmistakable.
That should've been Hyoudou Issei's Sacred Gear, the Boosted Gear! Why the hell does Himejima Akeno have it?!
Seeing his reaction, Akeno's smile softened before her expression darkened. "Hyoudou Issei is dead. I'm the new host of the Boosted Gear now."
"WHAT?!"
Su Xiaoqi froze, completely stunned. After a long pause, he finally managed to speak. "How… how did he die?"
Akeno let out a faint, bitter laugh and began recounting Issei's fate. When she finished, she sighed. "Maybe it's because I joined the chat group… That must have altered the original storyline."
"This is… unexpected."
Su Xiaoqi couldn't help but feel a pang of melancholy. Hyoudou Issei—one of the "Four Great Chads" of the anime world—was just… gone.
In the original story, Issei had awakened the Boosted Gear to rescue Asia from the fallen angel Raynare, who had deceived him as his "first love," Yuma Amano. He'd triumphed in the end.
But in Akeno's world, Issei had still awakened the Boosted Gear to save Asia—only to be killed by Raynare. By the time Rias and the others arrived, he was already dead. And the Boosted Gear had passed on to Akeno.
Su Xiaoqi opened his mouth to say something, but in the end, all that came out was a sigh. "…My condolences."
Akeno shook her head. "Rias and the others were sad, but… the difference is, we only knew him for a few days. We weren't as close as in the original story."
"I don't know if Rias ever… did anything with him, but I certainly didn't. To be honest, I wasn't even at the point of liking him yet. If he'd lived, maybe I would've ended up chasing after him like in the original, marrying him someday. But now… that will never happen."
Su Xiaoqi gave her a complicated look. "Then why tell me all this?"
Akeno met his gaze squarely, her tone turning resolute. "Because I want to stay in the chat group. I need more power. Even if Issei is gone, there are still people I want to protect. I don't want something like this to happen again."
"That elf can challenge me as many times as she wants—I'll fight her every time. Even if your girlfriends in the group try to isolate me, I don't care."
"All I ask is that you, as the administrator, treat me fairly. That's why I came to you today."
Su Xiaoqi nodded. "Understood. Like I said before, as long as you—or anyone else—don't cross the line, I won't abuse my authority to kick people. Everyone who joins the chat group has their own destiny, myself included. You don't have to worry about that."
"Ara\~ I knew I wasn't wrong about you." Akeno smiled, then leaned in close to his ear, her warm breath brushing his skin.
"Oh, and Administrator… let's keep this conversation between us for now, alright? That yandere elf joined before me, so she has the advantage."
"As thanks… I can always secretly send you some… special photos\~ Rias' or mine—whichever you prefer\~"
"YOU TWO—GET APART RIGHT NOW!"
"YOU DAMN WOMAN! DON'T YOU DARE KISS MY MAN!"
"HIMEJIMA AKENO—I'LL KILL YOU!"
Akeno giggled, her wings unfurling. "Ara\~ Well, Administrator, the rest is up to you\~" With that, she rose gracefully into the air and flew off.
"Dammit! She set me up!"
Before Su Xiaoqi could even mentally curse Akeno out, he found himself surrounded by five furious women.
Under their collective glare, a cold sweat ran down his forehead. "I-it's not what you think! The angle made it look worse than it was!"
But his excuses fell on deaf ears as they all started yelling at once, criticizing both him and Akeno.
Just when Su Xiaoqi felt his head was about to explode—Robin, the "Hero of Justice," stepped forward and calmly explained everything she'd seen, finally clearing his name and saving him from disaster.
Even so, Tokisaki Kurumi was still fuming. "Once we reach Skypiea, I'm ending that bitch."
BOOOOM—
A deafening thunderclap split the sky as the once-clear weather suddenly darkened. The sea waves surged violently.
Nami gasped. "We've entered the White-White Sea's updraft zone!" She immediately rushed to the bow, shouting orders to the Straw Hats to prepare for ascent.
Su Xiaoqi pulled Vivi and Lu Linglong close, one in each arm. "You two stick with me—I'll keep you safe."
Lu Linglong happily kissed his cheek. "Hold me tight, okay? If a wave swallows me up, you'll never find another cute girl like me\~"
Vivi snuggled into his embrace, enjoying the moment.
As a massive geyser of water erupted from the sea, shooting straight into the sky, Su Xiaoqi grinned.
"Alright, everyone—our rollercoaster to Skypiea is about to take off! Hold on tight!"