Playing with other Supernaturals

The group, along with the siblings, entered the shop. As soon as they had gone inside, a barrier that blocked sounds was erected.

Vali could try to penetrate that barrier discreetly but he's certain that there are other things that would prevent him from listening to anything in their conversation. Since the possibility of him gaining nothing is a lot more than risk of him offending the unknown group, Vali gave up and soon left, 'Ophis was acting strangely, but I can still trust her judgment.'

If it was just the siblings, he would have called for other people to breach their privacy because no matter how the siblings wanted to keep it a secret, they can't leave the unknown group and the risk they pose, 'The other places... Looks like they managed to contain them. But the damage to trust that this attack caused was huge enough that it'll be noisy for a while.'

[...She's lively...] As Vali became a streak of light in the night sky, he heard Albion muttering, "What was that?"

[Nothing. I was just as surprised as you to see Ophis like that. It takes me back to when she was still actively meddling in various things.]

Vali was silent for a moment before saying, "Did you think we made the wrong choice of not involving her?"

[No. Of course, not. As much as we hate it, no one could handle her power. Those who wanted her involvement only ever wanted to use her for their own gains.]

"Which ended up isolating her... We are her friends but the only ever friendly thing we've done for her was accompany her from time to time."

[I still wonder if her absorbing Lilith back was a good thing or not.]

"Whatever the reason, it was a good thing for us at that time with Great Red's absence."

At that moment, Vali's terminal started ringing, "Looks like everything was taken care of. Let's go. I also have to tell Issei about Ex' Juggernaut Drive. And there's something he's not telling us."

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Airi, Helmwige, and Ex were asked to sit down but they didn't hear that and could only stare at Ophis who split herself into two with similar, but distinct enough personalities.

They sat down on Kisuke's sides who was propped up by a chair and started enjoying the banana cake that Benihime served them.

Ex, who had gathered enough strength to stand by himself, asked, "...Why did you clone yourself, Ophis-chan?" And with his very sharp senses, he could feel that Ophis didn't just clone but actually divided herself. But that doesn't make sense so he mentioned the former and thought that his senses were going frayed because he just came out of the Juggernaut Drive.

But instead of explaining, the 'Ophis' on Kisuke's right side swallowed a mouthful of banana cake before raising her hand and saying, "I'm Lilith."

Hemlwige and Ex were confused at her sudden introduction but that name immediately invoked a memory of the past on Airi, "...Lilith... Do you mean Ophis-chan's half?"

"Ophis-chan's half?" Helmwige repeated her words.

"I heard about it from Tou-san when I was still a kid. He talked about Ophis-chan having a twin sister and there was indeed a time in my childhood that I remember seeing the two of them. But at some point in time, this sister of hers stopped appearing and it's only later that I understood that it was not actually her twin sister but an offshoot of Ophis' power that had developed a mind of its own." Airi explained and finally moved to sit down with Kisuke and the others.

Ex and Helmwige were still confused but also sat down with Airi and they were served tea by Tiamat. Airi doesn't seem to intend to dive into this topic right now so they just followed suit.

"Nice to meet you... Lilith-chan." Airi then turned to Kisuke, "Once again, thank you very much for your assistance. We would be in a lot more trouble if you didn't take initiative." Airi cleared her throat and extended her right hand, "This is the first time we're meeting... Is this our first time meeting?"

Ever since Airi's eyes landed on Kisuke, there's a nagging feeling in the corner of her mind that she can't explain. Even though she's certain that this is the first time they are meeting, Kisuke feels familiar somehow, hence the feeling of incongruity.

Lilith saw this and wordlessly grabbed Kisuke's right arm to receive Airi's handshake. The siblings were taken aback by this but they choose to ignore it for now.

Kisuke, on the other hand, just smiled and clenched his hand, "I believe this is the first time."

The moment their hands touched, there was a sudden electrifying feeling that spread out within her arm. However, Airi didn't show any changes to her expression and just smiled gently, "...I see. It's nice to meet you. I'm Hyoudou Airi, the second eldest child. You can call me Airi."

"Kisuke Urahara, and likewise, you can call me by my name too. Nice to meet you Airi-san."

Their hands separated and Airi continued talking, "It's my pleasure, Kisuke-san. Ever since hearing about you from my sibling, I've always wanted to meet you. Thank you for taking care of them."

"It's nothing much. It's a mutual agreement and I'm benefiting from it too."

Airi then gestured to the other two that they were leaving. They were surprised but hurriedly finished their tea, "Is that so? I'd like for us to talk more but it doesn't seem like this is the right time considering your condition. Would you like me to refer you to a good doctor?"

"Thank you, but I'm good. I'd appreciate it if you can keep my request, however."

"For our guardians not to approach you, yes? I'll make sure that none of them will visit you and only us siblings will come here... To the best of my abilities. I hope you can understand."

"Well, that's good enough I guess."

On the side, Ophis also chimed in, "I shall ask them not to approach too."

Kisuke thought that he'll only gather more attention and suspicion if Ophis were to vouch for him too but now that he has a clearer image of what's happening and the current state of affairs within DxD, it might be best for him to start meddling now, 'I should expect a contact from Restoras too one of these days.'

Airi was finally done being surprised and actually told Kisuke the main reason why they came here, "On another note, I'd like to request a small amendment on the contract if you don't mind."

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After setting up their next meeting, Airi, Ex, and Helmwige left the Urahara Shop.

"Is that alright, nee-san?" Helmwige asked.

The small amendment they asked for was for them to be able to reveal what they are doing in his underground space. Although they can't be specific, they at least have something that could supplement their report when they present it to their 'guardians' and Airi would have an easier time to follow through Kisuke's request. In exchange, Kisuke told them that they can't ask Ophis or Lilith for any question that would reveal any information about them.

"It's fine. Ophis-chan also gave her word. We shouldn't have bothered him in the first place because he's hurt... Besides..." Airi looked down on her hand.

"Besides?" Asked Ex.

"It's nothing." Airi shook her head, "I'll be requesting for additional Phenex Tears. Pass it to him later, Ex."

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While cleaning up the table, Tiamat asked Kisuke, "Did she figure you out?"

Kisuke didn't immediately answer and thought about it for a bit. Although Airi didn't show anything on her face, her body language and aura that flared by a tiny amount suggested that something surprised her, "Even if she did, she can't be sure and don't have any evidence so she would not be reckless about it. For now, let's just watch her."