A Fake Familiar Reborn

Chapter 15: Training Part 2

"He's here." Rias mentioned while stopping in front of a large door, breaking Archer off his train of thoughts. He found no seals or locks in place, just an eerie feeling from the general atmosphere seeping out from the door. "It was difficult to even bring him here. Also, a word of advice, try to keep your voice nice and gentle, and don't make any sudden movements; he gets frightened easily. Even Akeno had a hard time just catching him to bring him here, it took the combined effort of her and Koneko to do so."

Were they dealing with some kind of wild animal?

"Of course, Master." Nodding his head, the Servant waited behind her as she gently knocked on the door.

"Gasper? It's me. I came by to check up on you, and I brought a special guest with me." She spoke with a careful and soft tone to her voice, not too loud yet still audible through the door. The same manner of tone one would take when addressing a particularly sensitive child.

Clang!

A loud cluster of noise emerged from the other side as soon as she said that. This was followed by hasty footsteps and... the sound of music? A weirdly familiar song Archer felt like he'd heard before. "I'm coming in," said the redhead as she pushed the doors open.

The inside was darker than he expected, with the only source of light being... a TV? Archer stepped deeper into the room and faced what could only be described as the den of a hikikomori. One corner was filled with discarded plastic bowls of instant ramen, clothes were haphazardly thrown just about wherever, an ungodly amount of empty chip bags, and finally a few gaming consoles connected to an old model CRT TV. "Did we accidentally stumble upon your old room, Master? Perhaps this mysterious Bishop of yours is somewhere else."

His remark earned him a kick to the leg by Rias, the latter instantly regretting her decision as she buckled down and massaged her foot. "Ouch... it felt like kicking a pole made of solid steel."

"You know, even as a swordsman and Archer class Servant, I do use my legs fairly often in combat for kicks and sweeps. So having some level of armor down there is to be expected." He said with a small smirk. His pants weren't just for show, each part having been improved and carefully assembled through his adventures. Shaking his head, he wondered where this elusive Bishop was hiding. The noise before did make it obvious that someone lived here and so did the glasses of soda filled with ice cubes that hadn't fully melted yet. It wasn't until his ears twitched did he direct his gaze towards a large cardboard box in the other corner, where a faint but distinct red light shined from two small sources, as if it was coming from a pair of eyes.

It... It was shaking out of fear?

"This? This is the peerage member that you failed to control due to lacking sufficient power?" He didn't even need to see this person's face, as all the details of the room around him painted a depressing image in his mind. Archer became inclined to believe that his Master must have pulled a prank on him for all the suffering he caused her yesterday. "I'm sorry to say this, Master, but this individual is... less impressive than you'd led me to believe. We've wandered not into the lair of some mighty and dangerous creature, but a shut-in NEET."

"I-I can see where this impression may come from, but I swear you'll change your mind as soon as you get to know him better. He's easily the member of my peerage with the most potential!" Her pride showed as she puffed up her chest at those words. In his own opinion, Issei had shown himself more worthy of that kind of title given he had been adapting even faster than Yuuto with his Sacred Gear despite the gap in power and experience between them both.

Rias pouted when he didn't respond. "You don't believe me do you." A statement more than a question.

"You've never lied to me, Master, but please understand where my skepticism is stemming from." He gestured to the mess before him and the small cardboard box slowly inching away from them. "I'm not one to judge others purely by whatever first impression they give, but it's hard to shed a positive light on any part of what can be seen here. Sorry if I may sound harsh, Master. I'd be happy to change my mind on this of course, but I'll need more information at the very least."