Diabolus of the Old School Building
Author: Ichiei Ishibumi
Date: 2016-08-16 04:00:00+00:00
Publisher: Baka-Tsuki
Rights: All materials' copyrights reserved by their respective authors and the associated publishers. Please respect their rights. Works will be deleted upon request by copyright holders.

Life.0

Hyoudou Issei — that is my name. My parents and guys at school call me “Ise”.

I’m a second year high school student who is currently experiencing the time of his youth.

There was a time when a student who I'd never met before said, “Isn’t that Ise?”, so I really don’t know just how much my name is known to others.

I'm unexpectedly popular, you say?

No, that isn’t the case. After all, I'm so famous for being really lecherous that I even got accused of peeping inside the Girls Kendo Club's changing room.

I won’t do such a shameless thing as peeping into the girls' changing room……

I’m sorry. I was at the scene. I was in the storage room next to the Kendo Club. I was trying to peep from the hole on the wall in the Kendo Club’s storage room.

Unfortunately I couldn’t have a look. That’s because Matsuda and Motohama wouldn’t get away from the hole. Seriously, those guys……

I couldn’t calm myself down when those two idiots said things like “Ohhh! Murayama seriously has big tits!” and “Ahhh, Katase sure has nice legs”.

Of course I wanted to have a look! But there were guys approaching the storage room, so I ran from the scene.

However, something really blissful happened to a guy like me, who would be doing all sorts of perverted stuff every day.

“Please go out with me.”

A confession from a girl!

I felt what it was like to be a youth.

For a guy like me who didn’t have a girlfriend, it was like a dream come true.

The name of my girlfriend is Amano Yuuma-chan. She is a girl with silky black hair and a slender body.

She’s so cute that I fell in love with her at first sight.

Won’t you say “OK” right away if some beauty comes up to you and says “Hyoudou-kun! I love you! Please go out with me!”?

That will be like something out of a dream for a guy like me whose age equals the number of years I didn’t have a girlfriend.

It won’t be weird if someone says “What bishoujo game did you get that from?”, but it seriously happened!

A miracle certainly did occur! I was confessed to! From a beautiful girl!

I actually thought it was a prank. I even thought several times that it was the result of a penalty game and that her friends were looking at us from elsewhere.

That can’t be helped. Until then, I believed that I was a guy born to be unpopular with girls.

But ever since that day, I became a guy with a girlfriend. The world around me changed. I don’t know how to explain it but my heart was at peace. I wanted to say “It’s my win!” to every guy I walked past.

I started to feel sorry for my two buddies, Matsuda and Motohama, who didn’t have a girlfriend. That’s how confident I became.

On our first date after we started dating—

I was ready to use the plan that I had made a while back.

Fufufu, I’ve brushed my teeth dozens of times since yesterday night. There is not a single place I missed.

I even bought new pants. You can’t tell what will happen after all.

I arrive to the date spot with the attitude of a super virgin guy.

I arrive at the meeting spot three hours before Yuuma-chan did. I counted up to a hundred girls who wore glasses walking past in front of me!

During that time, I received a suspicious leaflet from a weird person handing out leaflets.

It was an occult-looking thing with a weird magic-circle and a sentence - “Your dream will be granted!” - written.

......I want to throw it away, but I decide to put it in my pocket since I can’t throw it away now.

When Yuuma-chan arrived, I said this.

“Don’t worry, I also just got here.”

Bullseye! I was able to say it. I always wanted to say that!

Then we walked while holding hands. I was really touched. To have a date while holding hands with my beautiful girlfriend!

I was so moved that I was about to burst into tears.

I shouldn’t rush it. It’s not the time to panic yet.

After that we enjoyed our date by going to a clothing store and having a look at decorations for our rooms.

For lunch, we ate at a family restaurant just like how a normal high school student would, and Yuuma-chan was eating her chocolate parfait deliciously. My stomach was full just by looking at her.

Yeah, I felt as if I understood how other teenagers feel when they go on a date. I felt as if I was alive for the first time.

Mum, thanks for giving birth to me. Dad, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to continue our family line, but it looks like you don’t have to worry about that any more.

As I was thinking about all those sorts of things, it was already afternoon.

It’s the climax!

Kiss!? A kiss before going home!? My head got hyped just by thinking about that!

Oh, maybe we will go even further!

That’s what a horny male high school student like me is thinking.

We are at the park that is away from the town. There is no sign of people, and no one is here besides us. Thanks to that, my erotic imaginations build up.

I should have read a book that teaches you to do even more naughty stuff!

Yuuma-chan already let go of my hand and she is standing before the fountain.

“It sure was fun today.”

Yuuma-chan smiles while having the fountain behind her.

Kuu! Damn, she’s cute. The sunset which is behind her gave a good atmosphere.

“Hey, Ise-kun.”

“What is it, Yuuma-chan?”

“There is something I want to do to celebrate our first date. Can you listen to my wish?”

Oh yeah. It’s here!

This is it! This must be it!

The smell of my breath! Checked! My mental preparedness! Hmm! My heart is beating so fast~!

“W-What is the w-wish you want?”

Aaaaagh. The tone of my voice is deep. She will find out that I’m thinking of something idiotic!

I made the dumbest mistake after coming this far……

But Yuuma-chan just smiles at me.

She then says it to me clearly.

“Will you die for me?”

............

......Eh? What was that?

“......Eh? That is......huh, sorry, can you repeat that again? I think there's something wrong with my ears.”

I must have heard it wrong.

That’s what I thought. That must be it. So I ask her again.

But......

“Will you die for me?”

She clearly says it to me again. While laughing.

Her words didn’t make any sense. The moment I was about to say “That’s so funny, Yuuma-chan” with a smile......

FLAP

Black wings appear from her back.

She then starts to flap her wings. The black feathers float in the air and then drop down to my feet.

What is that?

Eh? Certainly Yuuma-chan is cute like an angel, but……

Angel? No, there’s no way that can be true.

Is it some kind of acting?

My beautiful girlfriend who is flapping her wings while the sun sets behind her. It looks like a scene from a fantasy story.

But there is no way I can believe something like this.

Her cute looking eyes change into cold scary eyes.

“It was fun. The short time I spent with you. It was like playing house with a little child.”

Yuuma-chan’s voice sounds very cold. Her tone is like an adult's. Her mouth is forming a cold smile.

BUZZ

A sound much heavier than the noise that a game console makes vibrates in the air.

It’s making a lot of buzzing noise and it appears in her hands.

It looks like a spear.

Is it glowing? It seems like it’s a bulk of light or something…. Actually, that is a spear.

HYU

The sound of the wind. A nasty noise follows after it.

DON!

The moment I thought something grazed my stomach, the spear which was in Yuuma-chan’s hand pierces my stomach.

She threw that at me......

But rather than that, why? I tried to pull the spear out of me, but it disappears.

The only thing left was a huge hole in my stomach. And blood which is flowing out from it. Blood. Blood.

My head got dizzy, and my eyesight became blurry. I was already lying on the ground and by the time I realised it, my legs lost their balance.

Footsteps close in on me while I’m on the ground.

A small voice vaguely reaches me. It’s Yuuma-chan.

“Sorry. You were a threat to us, so we decided to get rid of you early. If you want to hold a grudge, then hate the God who put the Sacred Gear inside you.”

......Sacred, what......?

I can’t even ask her a question and I’m in a state where I’m down on the ground. Her footsteps get further away from me.

At the same time, I started to lose my consciousness. The hole in my stomach. It must be fatal. I don’t feel any pain.

But I realised that I was in a seriously bad condition because I could feel that I was about to lose consciousness.

It must feel nice if I lose consciousness now as if I’m going to sleep. But if that happens, I will certainly die.

Are you serious......? Am I going to die at this age?

I haven’t even lived half of my life yet!

How can I laugh if I die because I was stabbed by my girlfriend at this weird park!

Ku…… My consciousness starts to fade away while I was having such thoughts……

It feels like many things inside me are disappearing......

Oh yeah, I wonder what’s going to happen at school tomorrow?

Will Matsuda and Motohama be shocked? Will they cry for me? No way, not them......

Mum, Dad…… I haven’t done anything to please them yet as their child......

Rather......it’s not going to be funny if they find those porno magazines I was secretly hiding after my death......

......Why the heck am I thinking of only these kinds of things when I’m about to die……?

My hands......can still move......

I touched my stomach and brought it in front of me.

It's red...... Crimson red. This is my blood. My whole hand is red. This is all my blood.

Then she came into my mind.

The one who I’m imagining is that one girl.

The beauty with the crimson hair. Every time I saw her, my eyes were drawn to her crimson hair.

......If I was going to die, I wish it was inside the arms of a beautiful girl like that......

I started to feel like I am cheating on my girlfriend Yuuma-chan because I am having these thoughts. Hold on, that Yuuma-chan was the one who killed me......

......But if I was to die, I want to die after groping Yuuma-chan’s oppai......

Haha, my perverted illusions don't stop even before I die......

Aaah, my eyes got even more blurry......

Is it finally the end for me......?

Damn, it was really a boring life......

......If I was to be reborn, I want to be......

“So you were the one who called me.”

Suddenly, someone appears in front of me, and she talks to me.

I can’t tell who it is since my eyes are blurry.

“Looks like you are dying. Your wound......oh my, looks like something interesting is happening to you. So it’s you…… This truly is interesting.”

She’s laughing as if she found something interesting.

......I wonder what's so funny......

“If you are dying, then I’ll pick it up. Your life that is. From now, you will live for me.”

Before I lost consciousness, I saw a brilliant crimson hair in front of me.

Life.1 I Quit Being a Human

Part 1

[WAKE UP! WAKE UP! IF YOU DON'T WAKE UP I’M GOING TO K-KISS YOU……]

“……Umm.”

It’s an alarm clock which wakes you up with a tsundere voice, but it doesn’t have a function to wake up its owner from his bed. That owner fell to the floor and has just seen a nightmare.

That's me.

……It's the worst way to wake up.

I had that awful dream again.

Lately, I’ve been having that same dream. The dream where I was killed by Yuuma-chan.

But since I’m here alive, it has to be a dream.

“Wake up! Ise!”

Mum’s voice comes from the stairs. Just like every morning.

“I know! I will get up now!”

After giving a reply like that, I pick myself up from the floor.

Haa……

My day is off to a bad start again. I feel so down……

I put on my uniform while making a deep sigh.

Part 2

“I’m off then.”

I yawn as I leave the house.

During the walk to school, I can’t help but close my eyes due to the sunlight. Aaah, it's so bothersome.

Lately, I've been starting to feel weak under the sun.

It feels like the sunlight is piercing through my skin and I can’t stand it.

Anyway, the morning sunshine is no good to me. I can’t wake up in the morning at all.

Since I haven't been able to wake up lately, my mum has been coming to wake me up every day.

On the other hand, I become more active at night. There is something inside my body that rises up and makes my tension go high.

I’ve completely become a night person.

It’s weird.

Something is wrong. I often stay up late, but it's a miracle if I'm able to even stay awake till 1 o'clock.

But now, I can easily stay awake till 3 or 4 o'clock. I've been going to sleep after the sun rises lately, and that has been my daily routine.

I’m not addicted to on-line games nor am I addicted to night shows.

……What’s happening to my body?

Is my brain trying not to sleep so I don’t have to see that dream where my girlfriend kills me?

……Well, that’s what I feel personally so that can’t be it. It’s natural for the body to feel the need to sleep.

The feeling I have at night, —I think it’s something completely different from before.

I don’t know how to explain it, but my body feels pumped and I have a feeling something mysterious is rising from the depth of my body.

So I went out at night to test it. The walking pace of my feet increased, and my heart shook with joy when I blended in with the darkness of the night.

I dashed out at night on a whim and to my surprise it gave me incredible speed.

If I join the track team, I can easily become the main runner. Also, I don’t run out of stamina. I have so much stamina that I can do a full marathon as if I’m just jogging.

I became over-confident and when I sprinted during the day, it was so horrible that I thought my stamina at night was a dream. No, it’s an average speed for a high school student, but there's a huge difference when comparing my night-self and my day-self.

I become weird at night.

It might sound like a phrase coming from a weird person saying it like this, but the feeling I have at night of being unleashed and the excitement I have is changing me into a different person.

Uggh……like I thought, the sunlight is giving me a hard time……

Unlike at night, I become totally weak during the day.

No matter how much I think about it, something is definitely wrong with my body.

I can't help but think that my body changed ever since that day I went on a date with Yuuma-chan.

Part 3

A private school. Kuou Academy.

That’s the school I go to.

It’s a co-Ed school right now, but since it was a girl’s school until a couple of years ago, there are more girls than boys.

As the grade goes down, the number of boys increases, but there are still more girls than boys overall.

I’m a 2nd year high school student and the ratio of girls and boys in my class are 7 to 3. For 3rd year students it’s 8 to 2.

Even now, the girls have a much stronger authority than boys, and the majority of the students in the Student Council are girls, and the Student President is also a girl.

It’s a school where boys can’t stand tall, but I still joined this school.

It’s a simple story.

This place has more girls. That alone is a wonderful thing!

The reason why I was able to pass the entrance exam for this school which is said to be really hard, is due to my perverted guts.

I want to study while being surrounded by girls—-

For that reason alone, I am currently attending this school.

What’s wrong with that!

What’s wrong with being a pervert!?

It’s my life! I won’t let anyone argue against me! I’m going to build a harem at this school!

And so, that was my mission when I first entered this school.

But now I feel depressed. I was naïve for thinking I can make 2 or 3 girlfriends at this school where the majority of students are girls.

Only one group of good looking guys are popular and girls don’t even look at me. To be more precise, they ignore me like trash lying on the floor.

Shit!

This wasn’t in my plan!

Nonsense! In my plan I was supposed to get my first girlfriend straight after I entered this school!

After that, I will have broken up with her and started dating a new girl and by the time I graduated, heaps of girls were supposed to fight over me in a Battle Royale!

A-At this rate, my objective will end in a dream!

Wait, is that already a dream!?

What was wrong with it!? The era I was born in? The law? Or……is there something wrong with me……?

Uwaaaaaaah! I don’t want to even think about it!

Those are the things that go through my mind every day.

I arrive at my classroom while making a big sigh, and sit down on my chair.

“Hey, buddy. How was the DVD I lent you? It was some good stuff, wasn’t it?”

The bald head guy who spoke to me is my buddy number 1, Matsuda. He might look like a sportsman, but he is a pervert who makes sexually harassing comments every day.

He was a sports-boy during his time in junior high school where he broke many records, but he’s in the Photo-Club now. He is really open about his ambition of wanting to take photos of every part of the girls' bodies through the camera lens.

His nickname is the “Perverted Baldy” and the “Sexual Harassing Paparazzi”.

“Fu……the wind sure was strong this morning. Thanks to that, I was able get a good view of the girls’ panties.”

The guy with the glasses who is trying to act cool is my buddy number 2, Motohama. He has a special ability called Scouter that lets him get the numerical values of the girls’ measurements through his glasses. Along with a special body where his power level plummets down when he takes his glasses off.

His nickname is the “Perverted Glasses” and the “Three-size Scouter”. These two are my evil buddies.

Seriously, seeing these two faces in the morning really makes me feel down. I feel sick.

“I got some nice stuff”.

Matsuda opens his bag, and tips out the things inside his bag without any hesitation.

The books and DVDs which are being piled up on my desk have suggestive titles.

“Hee!”

A small scream comes from a girl far away from us.

Well, of course she will react like that. After all, something like this is happening in the morning.

What I hear next from the girls are discriminating comments like “You guys are the worst~” and “Die, filthy brats”.

“Silence! This is our entertainment! Girls and kids should look away and keep away! Or else, I will rape all of you inside my head!”

Your words are vulgar as always, Matsuda-kun.

Not long ago, I would have said, “Wow, where did you get these treasures from!” with sparkling eyes at the things piled on my desk. But since I've been in a terrible state every morning lately, I’m not in the mood.

Matsuda sighs while looking at my dull face.

“Hey hey hey. Why do you have a face like that when there are so many treasures right in front of you?”

“You haven’t been in the mood lately. Weird. It’s definitely weird. You aren't the same as before.”

Motohama also says that while poking his glasses as if he finds me boring.

“I also want to say, “Wow! Where did you get these from!? Are you trying to turn me into a monkey!?”. But I’ve been lacking energy lately.”

“Do you have some kind of illness? No, it can’t be. There is no way that you, the manifestation of all sexual desires, would fall sick.”

Motohama makes a rude comment about me. He really is a rude guy.

Then Matsuda makes a gesture with his hand as if he realised something.

“Oh, is it that? Is it the side effect of that hallucination about the imaginary girlfriend you have? Yuuma-chan, was it?”

“……Do you guys seriously not remember Yuuma-chan?”

Both of them look at me with sympathetic eyes at my question.

“Like we said before, we seriously don’t know her. You should really get a doctor to check you. Right, Motohama?”

“Yeah, I’m going to repeat this again but we weren’t introduced to a girl called Yuuma-chan.”

……They always act like this every time I ask them about Yuuma-chan.

I thought they were just teasing me.

But after talking to them seriously, I found out that wasn’t the case.

I definitely remember introducing Yuuma-chan to them. They said things like “How come a beauty like her is Ise’s girlfrieeeeend!?” and “There must be a system error happening in this world….. Ise, you haven’t done anything illegal, have you?” and kept on making rude comments.

I remember I was getting cocky and said, “You guys should get a girlfriend as well”.

I remember that time very clearly.

But they don’t remember it. No, what they don’t even remember is Yuuma-chan.

It’s as if Amano Yuuma never existed.

It’s as if the time I spent with Yuuma-chan never happened. Like these two said, it feels like it was just my imagination.

Like these two proved, there is no record of Yuuma’s mobile number or mail address in my mobile phone.

Was it deleted from the memory? Did someone delete it? That can’t be! There’s no way I would delete it, so who did!?

I called the number that I memorised in my head, but that phone number wasn’t currently in use.

So does that mean she doesn't exist? Was it all my imagination? Something crazy like that isn’t possible……

I want to deny it but apart from my memory, there is no evidence to prove that she existed.

If I think about it, I don’t know her home address. She was a student from another school. I found the school where they wore the same uniform as her. So I asked the students from that school about Yuuma-chan.

But there wasn’t a student fitting her description. She wasn’t there.

So who was my girlfriend?

Who was I dating?

So the dream I’ve been having is just a fantasy that I made up?

Was I talking to Matsuda and Motohama about my dream as if it was all reality?

What am I, a pervert?

I clearly remember her face you know?

……There’s something wrong about all of this.

Like the strange strength I get at night. Something is definitely wrong.

But what is it?

While I’m thinking about the past incidents, Matsuda rests his hand on my shoulder.

“Well, we are in the middle of our youth so something weird stuff like that can happen to us. Okay then, you guys come over to my place after school. Let’s watch my secret collection together.”

“That’s an excellent idea. Matsuda-kun, you should definitely invite Ise-kun as well.”

“Of course I'm going to invite him, Motohama-kun. We are high school boys who move with sexual desires. If we don’t do anything perverted, it would be disrespectful to our parents who gave birth to us.”

The two of them smirk lecherously.

Perverts. No matter how you look at them, they are just some perverted creeps. And sadly, I am one of them.

Well, never mind. I also live for these kinds of things.

“Okay then! Today, we won’t hold back! We’ll get some fizzy drinks and chips while watching porn DVDs!”

I say because I can’t be bothered to think.

“Oh! Yeah, that’s it! That’s definitely the Ise we know!”

“That’s the spirit. We need to enjoy our youth even more.”

Matsuda and Motohama are getting all excited.

I will leave the incident about Yuuma-chan on hold.

I need to take a break sometimes as well! Today I will forget about that incident and get hooked into porn like how a boy in our age does!

It happened after we made the plan for the afternoon.

There was a crimson colour that caught my attention.

A brilliant crimson colour—

The school yard can be seen from the classroom window. I have my eyes glued towards a certain girl.

The girl with crimson red hair. Our school idol whose beauty is beyond a normal human's. Her slim proportions aren't the shape of a Japanese girl.

Of course. She isn’t Japanese after all. I heard people say that she is from Northern Europe.

It seems like she is attending a Japanese high school due to her father’s work.

Anyone will get their heart taken by her after witnessing her beauty.

Rias Gremory.

She is a 3rd year student of this school. So that makes her my senior.

When I realise it, everyone including me is looking at her as well, both boys and girls. Matsuda and Motohama are also looking at her.

This happens every morning. Everyone looks at her when she walks past them. Some people stop walking. Others stop talking. Everyone turns around to look at her.

The wind gently blows her crimson hair while every student in this school watches her.

Her long crimson hair which comes down to her hips makes her surrounding look like it’s coloured in crimson as well when the wind blows her hair.

Her beautiful skin, which is white as snow, is remarkable.

Beautiful.

That’s the only word to describe her in one word. That’s the only word you need to describe her.

I was also fascinated by her beauty and noble atmosphere.

I'm so fascinated by her that I always stop what I'm doing every time I see her.

But lately, the way I see her has changed.

She is definitely beautiful. But she is too beautiful.

I start to feel a little bit scared of her beauty and fear her from the bottom of my heart.

I don’t know why I start to feel like this. But I've started to feel like this ever since Yuuma-chan’s disappearance.

Then, her eyes move. Her clear blue eyes grasps hold of me.

—!

I feel as if my heart is being grabbed by her.

What is this feeling? It’s that feeling you get when someone who is more superior to you is standing in front of you……

She narrows her blue eyes and it seems like she is smiling.

Is she looking at me?

It can’t be. I don’t have any connection to her.

Then, I suddenly remember something from the dream I had.

At the end of the dream, there was a person with crimson hair who spoke to me.

The person who seems to be gentle, but also cold.

While I'm comparing her with the person from my dream, she is already out of my sight.

Part 4

“I seriously want to grope some tits!”

I’m hugging Matsuda who can’t stop crying while all of us are watching the last video for our porno DVD marathon.

After leaving school, we started watching porno with high spirits. We were all happy and excited when we started watching porn straight after school, but as we watched more porn, we started to get depressed instead, because the question of “Why don’t we have a girlfriend?” came into our discussions. I felt like crying after we discussed it seriously.

Matsuda hasn’t stopped crying since 3 movies back.

Motohama is trying to act cool, but there are tears flowing from his eyes behind his glasses.

Thirty minutes ago, Motohama said this with a low voice, “……I was asked to come behind the gym by a girl….. That was my first time getting mugged by a girl……”, so even I was about to cry after hearing that.

I wonder what three boys who are all glum while watching porn look like?

Obviously, the answer is three unpopular guys.

Damn it. I feel like hating this world after thinking that there are guys of my age who are having sex with a girl right now.

While thinking about it, the last film ends and it is already dark outside.

When I look at my watch, it’s already 10 o’clock. I already told my parents that I’m at Matsuda’s place, but they will worry about me if I stay here any longer and I will also be late for school tomorrow.

“Anyways, I’ll get going now”.

After I said that, all of us stood up and got ready to pack up.

“See ya.”

After we split up with Matsuda at the entrance, Motohama and I headed towards home.

“It’s a beautiful night. Since it’s a good night, it's normal to feel like watching porn.”

Motohama said some weird crap while looking at the sky with a big sigh.

He looks really down.

Well by tomorrow, both Motohama and Matsuda will return to their usual selves.

“See ya tomorrow.”

“Yeah, have a nice dream.”

I split up with Motohama on my way home, but he doesn’t seem energetic when he’s waving his hand to me.

I will probably send him a text message afterwards to cheer him up.

A few minutes pass by after splitting up with Motohama.

I’m walking towards home, but the energy flowing within my body is rising.

It’s a symptom of the “overflowing with power at night” thing.

Like I thought, there is definitely something wrong with my body.

This isn’t a normal phenomenon. My eyesight improves along with my other five senses.

My eyes and ears became especially good. I can even hear conversations from other people’s houses and see the street even though it’s night.

This is really weird since I can even see clearly at places where there are no street lights!

It feels like this strength is getting stronger day by day.

That’s because the chills I’m feeling all over my body right now is the real deal!

I can feel I’m being watched by someone for a while now. And the chills I'm feeling.

I can feel a mysterious atmosphere ahead of me.

My body is shaking insanely. The shaking gets stronger.

It’s a man. There is a man wearing a suit, glaring at me. He is glaring at me with fierce eyes.

It feels like my body will freeze just by looking into his eyes.

Isn’t this what you call killing intent?

I can definitely feel hostility from him. No, this is something more dangerous. This is definitely killing intent!

The man walks closer, silently. He’s walking towards me! So he is after me!

A pervert!? A dangerous person!? Am I in trouble!?

This is bad! That’s because my body hasn’t stopped shaking!

Why did I have to encounter some dangerous guy on my way home!?

“This is rare. To meet someone like you in a place like this.”

…………?

What is he saying?

No no, it isn't weird if crazy people like him talk nonsense.

So he is a dangerous guy after all!

Oh shit! What should I do if he takes out a knife!?

I don’t know any self defence martial arts, nor have I ever had a fight before!

I-I know!

My strength which powers up during night! That’s it! I can use it to run away from here!

Walking backwards, I put some distance between us.

The guy who is releasing a perverted atmosphere starts to walk towards me.

“Trying to run away? Who is your Master? It must be a person with a very low rank or with a weird hobby to choose this place as a territory. So, who is your Master?”

I don’t even know what the heck you are saying!

STEP!

I turn around and sprint to the place I came from at full speed.

Fast. I’m insanely fast. It’s weird for me to say this, but the speed of my legs during night is insane.

I just continue to run while going through different streets at night.

I keep on running and go into unfamiliar streets.

I haven’t lost my breath yet. I can keep on running. If that’s the case, then I’m going to run until he can’t catch up to me!

After around 15 minutes, I come into an open area.

—It’s a park.

I stop running, and walk instead.

I walk up to the water fountain while inhaling some air.

I look around the park under the street lamp. Something feels mysterious about this place.

—I know this place.

I remember this park……

That’s right. This is the last place I visited on my date with Yuuma-chan!

Man, what a coincidence, or should I call it a miracle?

Did I come here unconsciously? That can’t be……

CHILLS

I feel chills on my back.

Someone is behind me…… That’s what I feel.

I turn around slowly, and a black feather drops in front of me.

Is it a feather of a crow? No, this isn’t.

“Did you think I’d let you escape? That’s why lowly beings are a pain to handle.”

The person who appeared in front of me is a man wearing a suit and he has black wings growing out of his back.

It’s the suspicious guy from before.

…An angel? No no, this isn’t a fairy tale, so that can’t be!?

Is it cosplay? It looks too real for cosplay. Are those r-real wings? No way!

“Tell me the name of your Master. It’s a hindrance to get bothered by your kind. For that, we will…… Wait, are you a “Stray”? If you have no Master, then that will explain the worried expression on your face.”

The suspicious guy is mumbling to himself. Don’t make up stuff on your own!

The situation is serious, but I suddenly remember the incident I had in my dream.

The dream about that date. At the very end of that dream, I was killed by Yuuma-chan exactly in front of this water fountain.

Yeah, by the Yuuma-chan who had black wings growing out of her back.

And there is a guy with black wings in front of me. …Is this the thing where a dream becomes reality?

Hey hey, how did a hot chick turn into a guy!?

No, that’s not important! What’s important is the situation I’m currently in!

If this is going according to that dream, then the next thing that will happen to me is—

“Hmph. I don’t feel any presence of your Master nor your comrades. I don’t see anything that is trying to hide its presence either. And there's no magic-circle appearing here. According to the current situation, you are a “Stray”. So it won’t be a problem if I kill you.”

The guy who just said some scary stuff raises his hand.

No matter how you look at it, his hand is directed towards me!

I can hear a noise. I know this phenomenon.

Something that looks like light starts to gather in his hand. Hold on a sec, this fantasy stuff should just stay in the dream!

The light then shapes itself into something resembling a spear.

A spear—

So it is a spear!

I was pierced in my stomach by that thing in my dream, and I went through hell!

—I’m going to get killed!

By the time I realise it, it has already pierced my stomach.

Then something comes out from my mouth.

Gough.

Lots of blood comes out of my mouth, followed by intense pain.

It hurts. It hurts so much!

I fall down on my knees, on the spot. I can feel my insides getting burnt.

The pain spreads throughout my body, and it hurts so much that I can’t stand it.

Intense pain……doesn't even start to describe this pain!

I try to pull out the spear with my hand, but the pain spreads to my hand as soon as I touch it. It’s hot. It’s extremely hot. There are burn marks on the places that touched the spear.

“Guu……aaaah……”

I start to whine. It hurts. It hurts so much!

Since my hand is in this state, is the spear burning my insides?

When I thought like that, the pain increased. So this is how it feels like to get your inside burnt?

My tears aren’t stopping due to the intense pain.

Step, step. Then there is the sound of footsteps coming towards me.

I look up, and the mysterious man makes another spear in his hand.

“It must hurt. Light is poisonous to beings like you. Getting hit by it will result in fatal damage. I thought this weakened spear would be enough to kill you, but your body is tougher than I thought. So, I will hit you with it again. But this time, I will put a bit more strength into it. Now you are done for.”

Is he trying to finish me off!? I'll be killed if I get hit by that thing again!

As I'm thinking, I start to look back on the dream I had.

Crimson.

The brilliant crimson colour will……

No, there is no way she will help me. That was a dream. So is this also a dream, then?

If it’s a dream, then please help me. Even if it’s a dream, I don’t want to be in this situation!

HYU

When I thought I heard the sound of the wind, an explosion materialises in front of me.

When I look up, there is smoke coming from the palm of that man’s hand. There is blood spilling out of his hand.

“Don’t you dare touch him.”

A woman walks past me.

Crimson hair. I can tell who it is, even just by her back.

It’s that person I saw in my dream—

I wasn’t able to see her face in that dream. But now I’m certain that she was the person from my dream.

“……Crimson hair…… You must be a woman from the House of Gremory……”

The man glares at the woman with crimson hair with eyes full of hatred.

“My name is Rias Gremory. How are you doing, Fallen Angel-san? If you are trying to hurt this boy, then I won’t hold back. “

Rias Gremory.

Yes, she is the senior student at my school. The beauty with crimson hair.

“……Fufu. Well, well. So this boy belongs to you. So this town is also part of your territory then. Well then. For today, I will apologise. But I advise you not to let your servant loose. People like me might slay him while having a walk.”

“Thanks for the advice. This town is under my surveillance. So if you get in my way, then I won’t hold back.”

“I will say the same to you, heiress of the House of Gremory. My name is Donaseek. I hope we won’t meet again.”

The man spreads his black wings, and his body starts to float. He then flies up into the sky.

The man glares at Rias-senpai and me once, and then disappears into the sky.[1]

So it’s safe now……?

I feel a bit relieved, but my eyes get blurry and it feels like my consciousness is disappearing. My eyes blurs.

Huh? Isn’t this bad? This is definitely bad, isn’t it?

“Ara, are you about to faint? This is certainly a fatal wound. It can’t be helped. Hey, where is your house—”

Senpai speaks to me while I fall down, but I can’t hear what she is saying.

Then, my consciousness cuts off.

Part 5

[……I WILL KILL YOU IF YOU DON’T WAKE UP ……YOU WILL BE CUT INTO PIECES IF YOU DON'T WAKE UP]

When I woke up, it was morning.

What is the meaning of this?

……Did I have a bad dream again?

That has to be a dream. But it looks too real.

Now I’m here, sleeping in my bed.

I was woken up by the alarm clock with a yandere voice. Looks like I was dreaming after all.

This time, it wasn’t Yuuma-chan, but a weird guy who was chasing after me. But they both had black wings.

I shook my head.

Pull yourself together, me. Why do I keep on seeing those kinds of dreams?

If I remember correctly, I went to school yesterday as usual and it was normal as usual. After school I went to Matsuda’s house and had a porno marathon with him and Motohama.

Then I returned home. On my way home, I was attacked by a weird person with wings—

Then I realised the unusual state I was in.

—I’m naked.

I didn’t have anything on me.

What the heck is this? I don’t even have my underwear on!

I’m fully naked!

I don’t remember it. I don’t remember coming home. Am I losing my memory at this age?

I also don’t have a habit of sleeping naked either.

“……Unnn”

—!

I heard a sweet voice.

Then I carefully looked beside me.

“……Suu~suu.”

There is a crimson haired girl sleeping beside me.

And she’s naked…… Her snow-like white skin is too bright for my eyes.

Her skin looks very smooth and it’s very bad for my eyes.

…………

No matter how you look at her, it’s Senpai. Our academy’s Idol. Her crimson hair scattered over the pillow looks extremely beautiful.

Rias Gremory-senpai.

…………

Huh? Huh, Huh?

Calm down, me. Oh yeah, at times like this it’s good to count prime numbers to calm down.

2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23……

Daaaah!!

I can’t! I can’t calm down!

Why am I sleeping with Rias-senpai!?

What happened!? What happened!?

No, what did I do!? Did I do something!?

I don’t remember! I don’t remember one bit!

Why!? I have to remember what I did! No! Why am I in this situation!?

Did I have sex with Senpai!?

Eh? Do people lose their virginity like this!?

Impossible! That’s impossible!

Remember, me! Try to remember valuable memories, me!

What did I do!? What kind of stuff was I able to do!?

My head is about to explode because my head is getting confused, but I get cornered in the next moment.

“Ise! Wake-up! It’s already time for school!”

“Okaa-san, is Ise still in his room?”[2]

“Otou-san, his shoes are in the entrance so he came home. Geez! Staying at a friend's house so late! On top of that, being late for school! That, I won’t forgive!”[3]

The conversation between my parents on the first floor can even be heard up here.

Then it was followed by footsteps coming up the stairs. The footsteps carried the sound of anger. It’s different from her usual footsteps.

Mum’s on her way!

Wait! Hold on a sec!

If she sees this situation, then it will be really bad!

“Wait! I’m already awake! I will get up now!”

“Geez! I won’t forgive you any more! We need to have a little talk about this!”

Mum’s pissed!

She’s coming! Mum is coming to my room!

There is no way I let her see the situation I am in!

“Unn…… Is it morning?”

—!?

Senpai is wiping her eyes beside me!

She woke up! She woke up!

GATCHA!

The door bursts open. At the same time Senpai also lifts her upper body up.

My eyes and mum’s eyes meet each other. She looks mad. She looks very mad!

“Good morning.”

Senpai greets my mum with a smile.

Mum’s eyes moves from me to Senpai.

Then, mum’s face froze. She moves her eyes to me again.

I avoid eye contact.

“……GET READY QUICKLY.”

While using a machine like voice, she closes the door slowly.

After a moment, I heard the loud noise of her feet heading down the stairs.

“O,O,O,O,Oooooo! Otou-san!”

“What’s wrong Okaa-san? You look like you just saw a ghost? Was Ise doing something perverted in the morning again?”

“Seeeeeeee, sexxxxxxxxxx!! Ise did~! With a foreigner~!!”

“—!? O-Okaa-san!? Okaa-san, what happened!?”

“Internationaaaal~! Ise did!!”

“Okaa-san!? Okaa-san!? Calm down!! Okaa-saaaaan!”

I can only cover my face with both my hands.

It's easy to imagine what’s going on downstairs.

How can this happen? There’s definitely going to be a family discussion after this!

What kind of excuse can I use to explain the current situation I am in!?

“Your family is quite lively in the morning.”

Senpai got up from my bed and went to pick up her uniform from my desk.

A naked Senpai. The naked body of a beautiful girl.

……Ummm, you know I can see a lot of things……

Her small hips. Her long white legs. Her thighs. Her nicely shaped butt.

And her oppai which are quite enormous……

I can even see her nipples clearly!

Why aren’t you hiding them!? Why aren’t you showing any sign of hiding them!?

If I had Motohama’s “Three-size Scouter”, I could have easily gotten her measurements accurately.

Right now, I’m regretting the fact that I don’t have that ability.

But I know one thing. I have seen lots of women's naked bodies from magazines and videos, but the beauty of Senpai’s body is much greater than them.

How should I put it? Art? A body with a perfect shape and curves. It looks like one of those nude body paintings or statues shown at the museum.

Perfect. The only thing I can say is that “the beauty was still amazing after she stripped her clothes”.

But staring at her is making me feel bad.

I can’t become a complete pervert.

“S-Senpai!”

I can’t help but say it.

“What is it?”

“O-Oppai……I can see everything!”

I said it while looking away from her. I want to see it, but that’s that. I have to endure it.

“If you want to see it, then go ahead.”

Senpai says that daringly while putting on her uniform. She’s putting on a smirk.

—!!

Japanese words like that exist!?

An electric shock went through my body!

Tears are falling from my eyes because of the phrases you can never learn about at school.

I’m deeply moved by the beautiful phrase.

“Is your stomach all right?”

Senpai asks me.

Stomach?

I touch my stomach while watching Senpai get dressed.

“You were stabbed yesterday.”

—!

With that statement, I was fully alert.

……That’s right, I was stabbed by a guy with wings at the park yesterday.

I was stabbed by a spear that looked like it was made up of light.

But there aren’t any marks left on my stomach. I was sure there was a hole…… It’s not a kind of wound that will heal in a day. There was so much blood coming out of it.

That wasn’t a dream? Or was it a dream?

“By the way, the incident from yesterday wasn’t a dream.”

……Senpai says it as if she read my mind.

“I-I was sure I was wounded……”

“I healed it. It was critical, but thanks to your tough body, it was healable with my power in a night. I shared some of my demonic powers with you by embracing you while we were naked. I was able to do it because we are from the same clan.”

What is……this person saying?

Huh? Hugged each other while naked?

…………

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh!

Wait, does that mean……!

“It’s all right, because I’m still a virgin.”

She says it as if she read my mind again.

Ah, is that so. For some reason I was relieved.

Or should I be relieved?

“Don’t make such a weird face. This world is surrounded by more mysterious things than you can imagine.”

Senpai approaches me while in her underwear. She starts to pat my cheek with her slim fingers.

My face gets red. It can’t be helped if my face gets red since a beauty like her is doing it.

“I am Rias Gremory. I am a Devil.”

—-Devil?

Huh? A joke? I’m not really sure……

“And I am your Master. Nice to meet you, Hyoudou Issei-kun. Can I call you Ise?”

……but her devilish smile looks real.

Part 6

“Itadakimasu.”[4]

To my grandpa in heaven.

Right now, in our home, a beauty is drinking miso-soup next to me.

“These are very delicious, Okaa-sama.”

“Y-Yeah. T-Thank you very much.”

Both my parents who are sitting across from me have weird expressions on their faces.

Grandpa, how am I able to fix this weird atmosphere?

It’s my first time eating breakfast in this weird atmosphere, and I’m not sure what to do in this situation.

“Ise, it’s the meal that Okaa-sama made. Eat it.”

Senpai says it with elegance. She’s acting like an older sister.

“Y-Yes!”

I replied quickly and started to throw the food into my mouth.

“Don’t eat it in such a vulgar way. Eat slowly so you can taste the food. This is the precious food that Okaa-sama made for us.”

Senpai wipes my mouth with her handkerchief.

What is this? What kind of situation am I in?

“I-Ise……”

Dad spoke to me with a trembling voice.

You look quite nervous Dad. So am I.

“W-Where did this lady c-come from?”

After hearing that, Senpai put her chopstick down and bows her head.

“……Oh my, I apologise for not introducing myself…… I brought shame to the House of Gremory. Please allow me to introduce myself. Okaa-sama and Otou-sama, my name is Rias Gremory. I attend the same Academy as Hyoudou Issei-kun. It’s a pleasure to meet you all.”[5][6]

Senpai smiles. Dad responds with a weird face.

“I-Is that so…… T-That’s amazing. Hahaha! Are you from a foreign country? Your Japanese is very good.”

“Yes. Due to my father’s work, I have been living in Japan for a long time.”

Oh. Looks like dad is convinced.

But it seems like mum, who is sitting beside him isn’t.

“Is Rias……-san correct?”

“Yes, Okaa-sama.”

“What kind of relationship do you have with Ise?”

—!

That’s a good question, it can answer the whole situation from earlier.

Mum is curious for her answer, but Senpai just continues to smile.

“We are just a senior and a junior who are quite close to each other, Okaa-sama.”

“That’s a lie!”

Mum rejects the answer immediately.

Of course she would. That excuse won’t work, Senpai. Since she saw that situation, that excuse won’t work!

“Be-, be-, bbbbbbbecause! On the bed!”

“Ise said he has nightmares, so I was just sleeping with him.”

“Just sleeping together!? B-Both of you were naked!”

“Nowadays, people sleep naked when they sleep together, Okaa-sama.”

That’s a big lie. You are amazing, Senpai.

But mum becomes quiet at her words.

“I-Is that so……? So people sleep together naked lately.”

Okaa-sama!? Is that all right!? You are okay with that!?

Then I realise that mum’s eyes look weird. They look empty, as if she was possessed by something.

After that Senpai whispers in my ear.

“……I’m sorry. It looked like it would become troublesome, so I used my power.”

Power?

Then I remember what she said earlier.

—I am a Devil.

……Devil. Then this is also because of a Devil's power?

Senpai resumes eating her breakfast. When I checked, dad also had hollow eyes. Did she use her power on him as well……?

A Devil.

What is going on?

Part 7

Morning walk to school.

I’m walking towards school, but I’m having a hard time because of the way other students are looking at me.

That can’t be helped.

Next to me is our school’s idol, Gremory-senpai.

And I am walking like her servant because I am carrying her bag.

“Why is someone like him……”

“Why is someone vulgar like him next to Rias-oneesama……”

I can hear the screams of both boys and girls from every direction.

There are some students who fainted because of the shock.

Is it that bad!? Is it that bad for me to walk besides Senpai!?

We walk through the school gate, and I split with Senpai at the entrance.

“I will send someone to get you. Let’s meet again later.”

She says that while smiling.

Send someone? What does she mean?

I’m not quite sure, but I walked towards the classroom.

When I open the door, everyone stares at me.

Well, that's be normal, since I was with Rias-senpai.

BANG!

Someone hit my head from behind. When I turned around, Matsuda is standing there. Motohama is beside Matsuda as well.

“Give me an explanation!”

Matsuda shouts while crying. From his expression, I can guess what he wants to say.

“Until yesterday, we were the “Unpopular Alliance” comrades!”

“Ise, first of all explain it to us. What happened after we split?”

Unlike Matsuda who is furious, Motohama is acting all calm while fixing his glasses, although his eyes are really sharp. Both of you are scaring me.

But I laugh, and then ask them with a confident voice!

“Guys, have you ever seen real tits before?”

With that one sentence, both of them tremble in fear.

Part 8

After school.

“Hi. How are you doing?”

I look at the male student, who came to see me, through half-lidded eyes.

The guy in front of me is our school’s number 1 best looking prince, Kiba Yuuto.

He captured the hearts of the girls in our school with this smile of his. By the way, he’s in the same year as me. Though he’s from a different class.

You can hear girls screaming with joy from the classroom and the corridor. Shut up. It’s so damn noisy in here.

“So what business do you have here?”

I reply to him in a dismissive tone voice, but Kiba responds without breaking his smile.

“I came here by the order of Rias Gremory-senpai.”

—!

With that one statement, I immediately understand why he is here.

I see, so he's the person Senpai told me she would send.

“……OK OK, so what do you want me to do?”

“I want you to follow me.”

NO!!

This time it’s the girls' screams.

“No, for Hyoudou and Kiba-kun to walk besides each other!”

“You will get infected, Kiba-kun!”

“I won’t agree with the Kiba-kun×Hyoudou pair!”

“No, maybe its Hyoudou×Kiba-kun pair!?”

They are saying some weird crap.

Shut up. Seriously shut up.

“Ah, all right.”

I agreed to follow him.

I will say this beforehand. I hate good looking guys.

I followed Kiba, who is already walking ahead of me.

“H-Hey, Ise!”

Matsuda shouts my name.

“Don’t worry, friend. I’m not going to have a fight.”

That’s right. You don’t have to worry about me, pal.

“What are you going to do with this DVD, “Me, the Molester, and the Udon”!?”

Matsuda says it out loud while holding the DVD up high.

I then look out the window.

I followed Kiba, and the place we end up at is the back of the school building.

In this place, which is surrounded by trees, there is a building called the old school building.

Apparently it was used a long time ago, and there is no sign of people here. It’s so creepy that it is listed in one of “the seven wonders of school”.

The building looks very old and is made from wood, but there aren’t any broken windows and it’s hard to tell if there are any broken parts from its appearance.

It’s old, but it isn’t that bad.

“Buchou is here.”[7]

Kiba says.

Buchou?

Is he talking about Senpai? Huh? Buchou?

Did Senpai belong to a particular club? Does this mean he is part of that club as well?

It’s getting even more mysterious. Oh well, as long as I follow this guy, I will be able to meet with Senpai.

We entered the two story high building, and went up the stairs. We went further into the building.

Even the corridor looks clean. It seems like even the rooms that aren’t used don’t have a single speck dust in them.

When you think about old buildings, you expect it to be full of insects, spider webs, and dust. But I haven’t seen any yet.

So they must be cleaning this building quite often.

While I was thinking about these kinds of things, we seem to have reached our destination. Kiba stops in front of a particular classroom.

I was shocked by the sign on the door that read—

[Occult Research Club]

Occult Research Club!?

Just reading that name makes me wonder. I’m not saying that the club sounds weird.

But thinking that Rias-senpai is the member of the Occult Research Club is……

“Buchou, I have brought him.”

Kiba waits for the approval through the wooden door. Then Senpai replies.

“Yes, come in.”

Looks like Senpai is inside here.

Kiba opens the door and I'm shocked when I follow him into the room.

There are weird signs and words in every area of the classroom.

The floor. The walls and the ceiling. They are all covered with weird signs.

And the one which stands out the most is the circle drawn at the center of the room.

It looks like a magic-circle that takes up most of the space in this room.

I can feel something creepy and weird from it.

There are also a couple of sofas and desks in the room.

Hmm? There is someone sitting on one of the sofas. It’s a girl with a small build……

I know her. I know that girl!

That’s the girl from 1st year, Toujou Koneko-chan!

She’s from 1st year, but she looks like an elementary student because of her childish face and small body!

She’s quite popular amongst a certain groups of guys. She’s popular amongst the girls as well and is treated as a mascot for being cute.

She is eating youkan quietly.[8] She always has a sleepy expression.

If I remember correctly, she is said to be “very” emotionless.

She realises we entered, and our eyes meet.

“This is Hyoudou Issei-kun.”

Next Kiba introduces her to me. Toujou Koneko-chan bows her head.

“Ah, nice to meet you.”

I also bow my head. After the greetings, she continues to eat her youkan.

Hmm. It’s just like the rumour says. Maybe she is a girl who doesn’t talk much.

SHA-

This is the sound of water flowing coming from the back of the room. Is it the sound of a shower?

Then I realise there is a shower curtain at the back of the room. There was also a shadow on the curtain.

It's the shadow of a girl. There is a girl taking a shower.

Huh!? A shower!?

This classroom comes with a shower!?

KYU

Then there is the sound of the shower stopping.

“Buchou, take this.”

Huh? There is someone else besides her?

I hear a girl's voice that doesn't belong to Senpai.

“Thank you, Akeno.”

Looks like Senpai is changing behind the curtain.

I start to blush after remembering what happened this morning.

Senpai, you sure had an impressive body. Looks like I won’t be needing porn for a while.

“……What a lecherous face.”

Someone mutters. When I look in the direction of the voice, it’s Toujou Koneko-chan.

I look at her, but the little first year student is just eating youkan.

……Is that so. So I have a lecherous face. I’m sorry then.

JYA-

Then the curtain opens. The one standing there is Senpai in her uniform.

She looks seductive with her wet hair. She looks at me, then smiles.

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t take a shower last night because I stayed the night at your place, so I took a shower now.”

Ah, is that so?

But what’s bugging me is that there is a shower in this room.

Then I look behind Senpai.

There is someone behind her…… Are you serious!

I’m so shocked that I lose my words.

Black-hair in a ponytail! The ponytail, which is said to be nearly extinct! The person who is said to be the last person with a ponytail at our school!

That pretty face, which is always smiling! The person with a Japanese atmosphere! The one who is called Yamato Nadeshiko even though she is a student, and also one of our school idols, Himejima Akeno-senpai![9]

The person who, along with Rias-senpai, is said to be one of the “Two Great Onee-samas”!

The person who is idolised by both male and female students!

“Ara ara. Hello, my name is Himejima Akeno. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

She introduces herself politely with a smile. Her voice sounds fascinating.

“O-Oh. My name is Hyoudou Issei. N-Nice to meet you too!”

Even though I’m nervous, I greeted her.

After Rias-senpai confirms that we finished introducing each other, she starts talking.

“Looks like everyone is here. Hyoudou Issei-kun. No, let me call you Ise.”

“Y-Yes.”

“We, the Occult Research Club, welcome you.”

“Eh, ah yes.”

“As a Devil.”

—!

Dad and Mum. Looks like I’m in for something big.

“Here’s your tea.”

“Ah, thank you.”

I’m sitting on a sofa, and Himejima-senpai has made tea for me.

I drink it quickly.

“It tastes good.”

“Ara ara. Thank you very much.”

Himejima-senpai starts laughing very happily by saying “Ufufu”.

Kiba, Koneko-chan, Rias-senpai and I are sitting on the sofas surrounding the table.

“Akeno, you sit over here as well.”

“Yes, Buchou.”

Himejima-senpai sits next to Rias-senpai.

Then everyone looks at me.

W-What is it…… I’m getting nervous if everyone looks at me in a small place like this……

Then Rias-senpai speaks.

“I will get to the point right away. We are all Devils.”

Y-You definitely did get to the point right away.

“Your expression says that you don’t believe what I am saying. Well, that can’t be helped. You did see the man with black wings last night, didn’t you?”

She’s right.

If that wasn’t a dream, then I did really see that.

“That’s a Fallen Angel. They are former Angels who served God, but they are beings who have fallen to hell because they had evil intentions. They are also the enemy of us Devils.”

So now we are talking about a Fallen Angel.

Looks like we are entering a fantasy genre.

“We, the Devils, have been at war with the Fallen Angels since ancient times. We have been fighting over the possession of the Underworld, which is also known as Hell in the human world. The Underworld is split into two areas, one for Devils and one for Fallen Angels. The Devils form pacts with humans and receive their sacrifices and increase their strength. The Fallen Angels on the other hand control humans to eliminate Devils. At this point the Angels come in to destroy these two races on God's orders, which creates the three forces. This has been going on since ancient times.”

“No no, Senpai. That kind of story is hard to take in by a normal student like myself. Is this what members of Occult Research Club do?”

So this conversation has been the club activity then.

“Occult Research Club is just a camouflage. It’s my hobby. It’s actually a gathering place for us Devils.”

……Hold on, this is part of the club activity right?

“—Amano Yuuma”

Hearing that name, I open my eyes in shock.

Where did she hear that name?

“That day, you were on a date with Amano Yuuma, right?”

“……If you are joking around, then can you please stop now? I don’t want to talk about this here.”

There is anger in my voice.

That’s because that topic is like a taboo to me now.

When I talked about it before, no one believed me, and no one remembered her.

Everyone said it must have been a dream. That it was my hallucination. Nobody believed me and no one remembered her existence.

I don’t know where she heard the story from, but I won’t accept it if she says that it is all occult. Instead, I will be mad.

“She existed. For certain.”

Rias-senpai says that clearly.

“Well, it looks like she tried to erase all of the evidence around you.”

Rias-senpai clicks her finger, and Himejima-senpai takes out a photo.

I am speechless after seeing who is in that photo.

“This is her, right? Amano Yuuma-chan.”

Yeah, the person on the photo is my girlfriend who I wasn’t able to find anywhere.

I had taken a picture of her with my mobile phone, but it had disappeared.

The photo is a clear picture of her, and there are black wings growing from her back.

“This girl is……no, this is a Fallen Angel. She’s the same kind as the one that attacked you last night.”

……A Fallen Angel? Yuuma-chan is a Fallen Angel?

Rias-senpai continues.

“This Fallen Angel came in contact with you to accomplish a certain goal. After she accomplished it, she got rid of any record and evidence regarding herself.”

“Goal?”

“Yes. To kill you.”

—!

W-What the hell!!

“W-Why did she have to kill me!?”

“Calm down, Ise. It couldn’t be helped...... No, you were just unlucky. There are possessors who weren’t killed……”

“What do you mean, unlucky!”

Is she saying that I was just unlucky to be killed by Yuuma-chan that day!?

Huh……?

Killed? But I’m still alive? I’m still here like before.

“That day, you went on a date with her and then went to the park, where you were killed with Spear of Light.”

“But I’m still alive! More than that, why was I targeted!?”

Yeah. There aren’t any reasons for me to be targeted by her.

Why do I have to be targeted by the Fallen Angels!?

“The reason why she approached you is so she could check if there is a dangerous thing inside you. She must have received a weak response from it. That’s why she took her time checking you. Then she confirmed it. That you were a human who possessed a Sacred Gear —-”

Sacred Gear—.

I was familiar with that term.

—Sorry. You were a threat to us, so we decided to get rid of you early. If you want to hold a grudge, then hate the God who put the Sacred Gear inside you.

That’s what Yuuma-chan said at that time.

So there’s a Sacred Gear inside my body……?

Kiba then speaks.

“Sacred Gear is an irregular power that is bestowed to certain humans. For example, most of the people whose names are recorded in history are said to be possessors of a Sacred Gear. They used the power of their Sacred Gear to record their name in history.”

“Presently, there are people who possess Sacred Gears within their bodies. You know those people who play an important role worldwide? Most of those people possess a Sacred Gear.”

Himejima-senpai continues after Kiba.

Rias-senpai then continues to explain.

“Most of the Sacred Gears have functions that are only usable in the human society. But there are exceptional Sacred Gears that are a threat to us, the Devils, and Fallen Angels. Ise, raise your hand.”

Eh? I have to raise my hand? Why?

“Do it quickly.”

Rias-senpai urges me to do it.

So I raise my left arm.

“Close your eyes and imagine the strongest thing that comes to mind.”

“S-Strongest being……? Son Goku from Dragon Ball……?”

“Then imagine it, and imagine that person in a particular pose where he looks the strongest.”

“…………”

I imagined Goku when he is shooting his Kamehameha.

Is this alright?

“Lower your arm slowly and stand up.”

I get up from the sofa and lower my arm.

“Now mimic the pose of that person. You have to imagine it strongly, okay? You cannot hold back.”

Crap.

There are people around me, and I have to copy Goku doing Kamehameha at this age!?

I’m too embarrassed to do it!

Just because I’m closing my eyes doesn’t mean that no one will laugh at me!

“Hurry and do it.”

Rias-senpai urges me again.

Ooooooi! Are you serious! Do I seriously have to do it!?

Shit! Then look! It’s Hyoudou Issei’s first and last time doing Kamehameha!

“Kamehameha!”

I said it while I had both my opened hands stuck together and pushed them forward at chest height. This is the Kamehameha pose.

“Now, open your eyes. In this place which is filled with demonic power, the Sacred Gear will be able to appear more easily.”

I open my eyes just like Rias-senpai tells me to.

FLASH!

My left arm glowed.

Whaaaaat!?

What is this!? What is this!?

Can I pull off Kamehameha now!?

The light starts to take form and covers my left arm.

After the light disappears, my left arm is covered in a red gauntlet.

It’s equipped with a flashy looking object. It looks like a very fine and realistic cosplay item.

The part that covers the back of my hand has a gem-like object embedded in it.

Actually, it looks more like a jewel instead of a just a gem.

“What the hell is thiiiiiiiis!!?”

I screamed. I’m really shocked.

Obviously! What is this!? I thought I did a Kamehameha, but instead I got an item on my arm that looks like something Henshin Heroes use!

Uwaah, what is this!?

“That’s a Sacred Gear. And it belongs to you. Once it appears, you can use it anywhere and anytime as you will.”

—!

T-This red gauntlet is a Sacred Gear……?

Eeeeeeeh……

I still can’t believe it. I shot a Kamehameha and I……I……

“The Fallen Angel, Amano Yuuma, saw your Sacred Gear as a threat and therefore killed you.”

……So the thing about Yuuma-chan and the Sacred Gear was all real.

Then the part where I was killed by her was real too.......?

So how am I alive?

“You called me when you were on the verge of death. I was summoned through this paper.”

Rias-senpai pulls out a single leaflet.

I know that leaflet.

When I was waiting for Yuuma-chan at the meeting spot, one of the people giving out leaflets gave me one.

It’s a leaflet with a weird magic circle and a catchphrase that reads, “We will grant your wish!”

If I look carefully, the magic circle on the leaflet is the same as the big magic circle on the floor.

“This is one of the leaflets we give out. This magic circle is used to summon us Devils. These days there aren’t many people who would draw this circle to summon us. So we give these leaflets to people who look like they would summon Devils. This magic-circle is safe and easy to use. That day, one of our familiars was disguised as a human and was handing them out in the business district. You got it at that time, Ise. After you were attacked by the Fallen Angel, you called me while you were on the verge of death. You wished so hard that it summoned me. Usually my servants like Akeno and the others would be the ones to be summoned.”

That time I was impaled by the Spear of Light……so I wished really hard.

When my hand was covered in blood, the thing that came to mind was crimson.

I strongly craved for the girl with crimson hair, Rias Gremory.

So then, the person with red hair that appeared at the end of that dream—no, the one that appeared at the end of that incident really was Senpai.

“When I was summoned and saw you, I knew right away that you were a Sacred Gear possessor and that you were attacked by a Fallen Angel. But there was a problem. Ise, you were on the brink of death. Not just Devils, but humans also die if impaled by a Fallen Angels spear of light. Ise, you were in that kind of condition. So I decided to save your life.”

Save my life?

So Senpai was the one who helped me?

So that’s why I’m alive.

“Although, as a Devil. Ise, you were reborn as a Devil of mine, Rias Gremory’s servant. As my servant Devil.”

PA!

At that moment, wings sprout from the backs of everyone around me.

They're different from the black wings of Fallen Angels, their wings are like bat wings.

PA!

And with that I also feel some kind of sensation on my back.

Looking over my shoulder, I see the same black wings protruding from my back.

……Are you serious?

I’m a Devil? Did I quit being a human?

“Let's introduce everyone anew. Yuuto.”

Kiba smiles at me after Rias-senpai calls his name.

“My name is Kiba Yuuto. As you already know, I'm a second year like you, Hyoudou Issei-kun. Umm, I’m a Devil too. Nice to meet you.”

“……First year. ……Toujou Koneko. Pleased to make your acquaintance. ……I’m a Devil too.”

Toujou Koneko-chan bows her head.

“My name is Himejima Akeno, and I’m in third year. I’m also the vice-president of this Occult Research Club. Nice to meet you. Even though I’m like this, I’m also a Devil. Ufufu.”

Himejima-senpai bows her head very politely.

Lastly, it’s Rias-senpai.

She waves her crimson hair and says it very directly.

“And I’m their master as well as being a Devil from the House of Gremory, Rias Gremory. My house holds the rank of a Duke. Let’s get along from now on, Ise.”

Looks like I’m in a really unthinkable situation.

Life.2 I Start as a Devil

Part 1

“Uooooooooooooooo!”

It’s midnight and I’m pedalling my bicycle at full throttle.

The reason is simple.

I’m handing out the leaflets. They have an easy to use magic-circle on them.

When humans with strong greed take these in their hands and wish for what they want, then we, the Devils, will be summoned before of them.

I then look at the portable machine in my hand. The monitor is displaying the map of the town I’m currently in and there are red lights flashing on it.

I’m heading to those areas pedalling my bicycle.

When I arrive at the flashing point which is the house belonging to someone, I put the leaflet inside their mailbox.

Then I move towards the other flashing points nearby.

I keep on repeating this procedure.

Over and over again.

“Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck! It can’t be helped! This can’t be helped! After all, I’m a Devil!”

I’m pedalling my bicycle while screaming out loud.

I think back to the day I found out I was a Devil.

The day I found out I was a Sacred Gear possessor, when I found out that Yuuma-chan is a Fallen Angel, and when I found out that Rias-senpai is a Devil.

By the way, my Devil wings disappeared immediately after that. After all, they're something that will become a hindrance to my daily life. Apparently, the wings can be used to fly if I get used to them. The feeling of having wings is really gross……

It was a bit of a shocking experience to have wings grow out from my back.

“If you work under me, your new life might become very bright you know?”

Rias-senpai says this to me with a wink while I'm looking down after learning I’m a Devil. Apparently, in exchange for being reincarnated as a Devil by Rias-senpai, I have to live on as her servant.

It seems like that’s how it is.

Those who get reincarnated as a Devil from being human have to become the servant of the Devil who reincarnated them. More like, this is the rule of the Devils.

What? I’m her servant……? It might not be that bad to become the servant of a beauty, but still, I can’t agree with it.

“But you know, there are ranks among Devils. It’s something called peerage. I also have one. The place of your birth and your family background plays a big role in it, but there are also Devils who have risen up. Everyone starts off as a novice first.”

“Could you please stop talking like this is a recruiting commercial!? But are you serious? I still can’t believe it.”

Senpai starts whispering into my ears while I'm complaining.

Her crimson hair smells so nice. It feels like my brain will paralysed. Oh, is this also demonic power?

“By the way, you might be able to start a life where you can become popular with girls you know?”

—!

Those words started going around my mind.

“How!?”

Words came out of my mouth before I tried to think about it.

My perverted guts, it’s quite remarkable if it’s this bad.

Wait, this may be the work of the demonic-power Senpai cast onto me. Even I think I have a high tension than I usually do.

“Majority of the pure Devils were killed in the war that took place long time ago. Because of that, Devils started to desperately gather servants. Well, Devils don’t have the strength or the influence they originally had when they leaded their armies. Even so, we need to keep on increasing the number of the Devils. Just like humans, the Devils split in genders of male and female and are able to give birth. But even with normal birth, it will take a lot of time to get back to the same population as before. After all, Devils have a very low birth rate. Then we won’t be able to stand up against the Fallen Angels. So we find humans who seem to have potentials and make them into Devils. As our servant, that is.”

“So, I’m servant after all.”

“Oh, don’t make a face like that. Now, I will get to the point. Since this only increases the number of servants, it doesn’t increase the number of powerful Devils. So the Devils decided to give chances for power to reincarnated Devils— those who were reincarnated from a human. They decided to give peerage to reincarnated Devils as well, as long as they are powerful. Because of that, there are many Devils in humans’ society. There are also numbers of Devils like myself who came to humans’ society as well. Ise, even though you haven’t realised it, I’m sure you have passed through some Devils in this town.”

“So Devils were always nearby then!?”

“Yes. Though there are humans who can distinguish which ones are Devils and those who can’t. A person with a strong greed or a person who wants to get help from Devils usually can distinguish us strongly. We are usually summoned by the ones who can distinguish between them, through the leaflet with magic-circle that we give out. There are people like you, Ise, who can distinguish Devils but don’t believe in our existence, but majority of them usually believe it if they see our demonic-powers.”

What!? So the reason I summoned Senpai was because I had a strong greed!

Looks like there is change in the Devils society as well!

It must be a difficult thing, but that doesn’t matter now.

The important thing is that there is also a chance for me as well!

“T-Then! That means I can also get a peerage with how I do things!?”

“Yes. It’s not impossible. Of course, it would take a lot of time and effort to achieve though.”

“Uoooooooooooooooooooooooooh!!”

I shout. Inside this clubroom.

“Are you serious!? Me!? I’m able to make my own harem!? I-I can have sex with them as well, right!?”

“Yes. I think it’s fine if it’s with your servants.”

A thunder strikes my body.

Impossible.

Something like that is actually possible!?

In the real world and also as a human, it’s really hard to build your own harem.

There’s no way you can gather herds of girls if you are just an ordinary human.

That’s because the situation I am currently in is bad.

I don’t even have a single girlfriend. Well, I did, but I was killed by my ex-girlfriend.

It’s different now! Now I can……!

“Uooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh!! Being a Devil rocks! Hell yeah! I can’t calm myself any more! I can probably throw away my porn magazine that I am secretly hiding—”

I stopped what I was about to say, and then started thinking about the decision I’m about to make.

“No. Not the porno magazine. Not that. I can’t throw that away. That’s my treasure. I could still use that until my mum finds out about it! This and that is a different issue. Yeah. It’s a different issue!”

“Fufu. This boy really is funny.”

Rias-senpai is laughing as if she finds me really amusing.

“Ara ara. It’s just like you said Buchou. He does make me feel like, “I think I have a very idiotic brother now”.”

Even Himejima-senpai is laughing while saying “Ufufu”.

Ahaha, she is kind of saying bad things about me.

“Anyway, Ise. You are all right with being my servant, right? If you have potential, then you will eventually stand out. And then, you might be able to receive a peerage.”

“Yes, Rias-senpai!”

“Wrong. You will have to call me ‘Buchou’.”

“Buchou? Can’t I call you Onee-sama?”

I got carried away and ask her.

I always wanted a “Onee-sama”. It’s not even a yuri situation, but all of the guys have a desire to call an older beauty a “Onee-sama”.

Rias-senpai thought about it seriously for a while, and then shook her head.

“Hmm. That also sounds wonderful, but since I operate mainly in the school, being called Buchou has a better ring to it. This is Occult Research Club after all, and everyone here also calls me that.”

“Okay! Then, Buchou! Teach me how to be a Devil!”

At my words—Buchou puts on a devilish smile. It seems like she is truly happy.

“Fufufu, good reply. Good boy, Ise. Okay, I will change you into a man.”

Buchou starts to touch my chin with her fingers.

O-Onee-sama! It’s my Onee-sama!

I will awaken as a Devil while serving under her from now on! No, I will rise up!

This should be fine!

After all, I can’t revert back to being a human any more right? Then, I will just have to walk straight ahead!

I've already accepted the situation I am in.

It might sound stupid, but its fine I guess. I have already convinced myself.

It’s more like my perverted guts are functioning to the MAX! It’s also because my tension is high too.

I’m relieved that I'm a guy who works for his ambition towards sex!

Rather than thinking about the new world I stepped my foot in, I will just enjoy my current life.

“I’m going to become a Harem-King!”

If I think back calmly about that day, I may have been tricked into this situation by Buchou’s demonic-power.

Well, that’s okay, I guess.

We are talking about a harem here. Being able to create a harem is amazing.

With this, I became a member of the Occult Research Club.

Few days have passed since I became a Devil.

I’m just peddling my bicycle like crazy in the middle of the night.

Since that day, I've become Rias-buchou’s servant and I have been working a lot.

First, we gather at the old school building at night.

This is because we Devils can use our power more sufficiently at night.

The unknown phenomenon that happens to me is the power of a Devil.

Since I’m a Devil, my power increases during night time. It’s such a wonderful thing.

But the reason why I feel weak in the morning is also due to me being a Devil. Devil hates light. It seems the stronger the power of light is, the more lethal it becomes to our bodies.

Lights are poisonous—

That’s what I was told by Buchou.

It seems like the Fallen Angels and the Angels who uses light as their weapon is the natural enemies of Devils. I was told to run away if I ever encounter them. But once you get used to it, it seems like you will be okay under the sun.

The reason why I’m weak in the morning is because I was resurrected as a Devil recently and my body can’t stand the morning light.

It seems like I will get used to it after a while.

The reason why I was left alone when I was resurrected as a Devil was because she wanted me to realise the changes in my body by myself.

She was planning to tell me the truth and was waiting for the right time.

That was the day when I was attacked by the guy wearing the suit, so I certainly feel like it was destiny.

Anyway, I’m working hard as Rias Gremory’s Servant Devil.

Since I just became a Devil, I was told to study about the Devils’ society and how it works.

I was ordered to give out these leaflets at night, so I can get used to it.

I thought my parents will get worried if I was gone every night but Buchou said this to me with a smile.

“That day, I did all the necessary things when I met your parents, so it’s fine”.

Certainly, my parents didn’t get mad when I come home late after finishing my work.

They just say “Welcome home”.

Hmm, Buchou’s demonic-power is amazing.

Speaking about amazing, I was really amazed how much authority Buchou have in the academy. The academy we go to is Buchou’s territory. That’s why she is like the controller of the academy behind the scene.

It seems like the person in the highest position in our academy have ties with the Devils and therefore can’t oppose the people from the House of Gremory.

In other words, the academy is basically Buchou’s personal belonging.

That’s also the reason why we are able to enter the school at night.

And now back to my current work.

Every day, I go around on my bicycle, posting a leaflet which can summon Rias Gremory’s group inside the mailboxes by using a mysterious device.

It seems like the device I’m holding onto is a secret machine developed by the technology of the Devils.

It has a shape of those current portable game devices.

There’s a screen, and it has buttons. It’s a touch-pen type device. So it comes with a touch-pen.

And I’m using the device the way I was told to.

The monitor displays the map of the town I live in, – Buchou’s territory.

Each Devil is given a certain territory in the human world, and they can only do their job within their territory.

Our job— in other words, we get summoned, we then make contract, and then we grant their wish.

As a price, we receive an award fitting for the particular wish they make. It can be money, an object, and at times even their life.

Well, it seems like there aren’t any contractors who will go far to use their life to make a wish.

Even if there was a person like that, it usually gets cancelled since the price doesn’t match up with their wish.

According to Buchou, “People’s values aren’t equal”.

Yup, it’s harsh.

And the light flashing on the monitor shows the houses where people with a lot of greed live.

So I go to these areas to hand out the leaflet which comes with a magic-circle.

As long as there are lights flashing on the monitor, my work isn’t finished.

Because I turned into a Devil, other people and even the police don’t pay attention to me. Since I’m already active as a Devil, humans don’t realise my presence when I’m working.

I have been pedalling my bicycle every day, but the light displayed on the monitor never disappears.

That’s how much humans are being with strong greed.

Once you make a wish, it apparently becomes an addiction to keep on wishing for other ones.

Making a contract is basically limited to occur at night. That’s because Devils are only allowed to work at night. The daytime is a time for the Angels and God. That is the part that I still don’t understand.

The leaflets can only be used once, so once they use it, then I will have to hand it out again.

In other words, my work will last forever.

Well, thanks to that, Rias-buchou and the others can continue to be active and we never run out of jobs. So we are certainly increasing our point as being a Devil.

It seems like we get acknowledged by the King of Devils if we keep on making contracts and granting the wish of a human.

I see. So if I continue working like this, then I will be able to receive a peerage from the King!

So it’s better to take on bigger jobs.

I want it! I also want to make a contract!

“Uoooooooooooooooooooh! I want to be surrounded by girls soon as I caaaaan!”

But right now, I have to be patient and keep on doing these simple tasks!

But how long do I have to continue doing this……

Part 2

On a certain day, after school.

I went towards the old school building after splitting apart from my two mates.

To begin with, it seems like my job of handing out the leaflets was originally a job assigned to Buchou’s familiar.

Senpai changes the forms of the mouse and the bat that she owns into a form of a human, and makes them hand out the leaflets like I did.

She says they do this, both day and night.

The reason why I was assigned to do it was because Buchou wanted me to know what kind of job Devils have to do from the beginning.

This is something Kiba and the others did as well.

Kiba, Toujou Koneko-chan, Himejima-senpai are all Servant Devils of Rias-buchou. So they are my senior.

So they all have experience in doing the work I did. So each person has a history of doing it. Ah, they aren’t persons but Devils.

It may not be important, but I got an approval from Toujou Koneko-chan and Himejima-senpai to call them “Koneko-chan” and “Akeno-san” respectively.

Looks like I got one step closer to getting along with them.

Fufufu, I called them by their name in front of Matsuda and Motohama on purpose. The expression on their faces was the best.

I haven’t told Motohama and Matsuda about me. They won’t believe me even if I did, and I also think it will be really dangerous for them to step foot into this world.

I also did die once, so I can’t drag them into this.

By the way, I still call Kiba, Kiba. Die, handsome. I will never call you “Kiba-kun”!

And so, today, I was called over to the clubroom.

I went inside the old building that I’m getting familiar with and head towards the room on the second floor.

“I’m coming in.”

When I went inside after saying that, everyone is already there. Oh, am I the last one?

The room is dark and the window is covered to block the light from entering.

The only light in the room is from the candles spread variously on the floor.

“So you came.”

As soon as Buchou confirms that I’m here, she gives an order to Akeno-san.

“Yes, Buchou. Ise-kun, please come to the centre of the magic-circle.”

Akeno-san tells me to come by using her hand.

A beauty is waving her hand at me! Thank you very much! That alone is a reward for me.

I walked to the centre of the circle. So what now?

“Ise, your work of giving out the leaflets is over. Well done.”

Buchou is smiling. I see, so I’m done with handing out leaflets.

“Now I will have you do the actual job of a Devil.”

“Oh! Now I can make contracts!?”

“Yes, that’s right. Though, since it’s your first time, it’s going to be a contract with someone who wants to make a small wish. There’s two reservation contracts with Koneko. Since it’s hard to do both, I will leave one to you.”

“……Please help me out.”

Koneko-chan bows her head.

So I’m going on behalf of Koneko-chan. That’s okay.

I was getting tired of handing out the leaflets.

Unexpectedly, peddling a bicycle every night and handing out the leaflets made me lonely.

The other members are outside the circle. Akeno-san who is inside the circle is casting something.

Then, the magic-circle starts emitting blue and white lights.

“U-Umm……”

“Keep quiet, Ise. Akeno is currently inserting your carved seal into the magic-circle.”

Buchou says.

My carved seal? It seems like the magic-circle inside this room represents the “Gremory”.

I was told that for us, Servant Devils of Buchou, it’s something like a family crest.

So for people who are trying to summon us, and for people who want to make a contract with us, this sign represents our symbol.

So the activation of the so-called demonic-power is related to this.

Kiba and the others have these signs on their bodies in different sizes and it operates whenever they use their demonic-powers. That’s what I was told.

I thought about getting engraved with the same signs, but it seems like you have to learn how to control demonic-powers when you first become a devil, and then using demonic-power which creates natural phenomenon by coordinating it through the magic-circle after that.

Well, that’s what I thought.

“Ise, put your palms towards here.”

I put my left hand towards Buchou, just like she said. Buchou writes something on my palm with her fingers. Is she writing a charm?

It feels like she is drawing something like a circle……

Then my palm glows.

There is a circular symbol, a magic-circle engraved in my hand. It’s glowing in blue and white.

Wow, a magic-circle!

“This allows you to transport to the client's place instantly by making you go through the teleportation-type magic-circle. And when the contract is done, it lets you return to this room.”

Oh, I get it now. So it has that kind of ability.

“Akeno, are you ready?”

“Yes, Buchou.”

Akeno-san steps out the magic-circle.

“Now stand in the centre.”

I stand at the centre of the magic-circle like she urges me to.

Then the magic-circle starts to make a stronger glow.

Somehow, I can feel power coming from it. When I’m touching this magic-circle, the power inside me is flowing out. So is this the trait for being part of the group?

“The magic-circle is responding to the client. You will be teleported to that location now. You already have the manual for what to do after getting teleported right?”

“Yes!”

“Good response. Now, get going!”

I have my tension rising up!

My first job! I’m definitely going to accomplish it safely!

The magic-circle starts to glow even stronger. It looks like I’m getting teleported there instantly.

There are many lights which are covering my body. I closed my eyes because of the brightness. Next time I open my eyes, I will be at the client’s place! Kuu! I’m looking forward to this!

And then—

I—

Instantly—

Teleported—

…………

…………

Hm? Hmm.

Huh? Have I teleported? Is it done?

I open my eyes timidly.

………… I got speechless because of my surroundings.

—It’s the club room.

Huh? What about the instant teleportation? Where’s the client?

When I look, Buchou seems to be troubled and is putting her hand on her forehead.

Akeno-san is saying “Ara ara” with a disappointed face.

The bastard Kiba is making a sigh. He pisses me off, but did something happen to me?

“Ise.”

Buchou calls my name.

“Yes.”

“It’s unfortunate, but it seems like you can’t use the magic-circle to get transported to the client's location.”

Huh? What does that mean?

I put on a puzzled expression, and Senpai explains to me.

“Magic-circle requires certain amount of demonic-powers…… It doesn’t require that much demonic-power. No, it’s a feat that could be done by any Devil. Even children. Transportation through the magic-circle is the first and the easiest step of being a Devil.”

W-What does that mean……?

“In other words Ise, your demonic-powers are below that of children. No, it’s so low that the magic-circle can’t respond to it. Ise, your demonic-power is incredibly low.”

Wha-!

Whaaaaaaaaaat!

“W-What the heeeeeeeeeeell!”

I was speechless.

Eeeeeh! So that means that I can’t use the magic-circle to teleport to the client’s location because I don’t have demonic-powers!?

Aren’t I a Devil? I’m a Devil, right?

“……Unsightly.”

Koneko-chan says it expressionlessly. That is a severe hit, Koneko-chan.

“Ara ara. We are in trouble. What should we do, Buchou?”

Akeno-san also has a troubled face and asks Buchou.

Uggh. My debut as a Devil starts from a rough start……

Then Buchou says it clearly to me after thinking for a while.

“Since there is a client, we can’t let him wait. Ise.”

“Yes!”

“This never happened before, but you will have to go there on your own feet.”

“By myself!?”

I’m in shock. I wasn’t predicting that, Buchou-sama!

“Yes, just like how you handed out the leaflet, you will have to go to the client’s house by bicycle. This can’t be helped. You don’t have any demonic-powers after all. You will have to make up for that with your own body.”

“On a bicycle!? I will have to go to the client's place on a bicycle!? Are there even Devils like that!?”

Point!

Koneko-chan points at me silently. Koneko-chaaaaaan, you sure like to make me feel miserable, huh……

“Hurry and get going! It’s a Devil's job to make contracts! You can’t make humans wait!”

Buchou urges me. She has a serious face.

Ugggh, my goal for getting a peerage starts from a bumpy road!

“U-Uwaaaaaah! I will do my best~!”

I left the club room while crying.

Part 3

It’s midnight and I was peddling my bicycle at maximum speed.

My eyes are covered with tears. I’m crying. Yeah, I’m crying.

A Devil who can’t get summoned through a magic-circle. That will be me. Apparently this is the first case ever, ladies.

Thanks to that, my tears aren’t stopping.

What does she mean that I don’t have demonic-powers!? Dammit! Will I actually be able to get a peerage at this rate!?

Using the Devil’s portable device, I’m peddling my bicycle towards the person who called me.

It’s an apartment located 20 minutes away from the school. The client is in one of those rooms.

If it’s a delivery service, customers will get mad because of the late delivery.

It’s usually instant teleportation. But I made the client wait for 20 minutes. If you are working in a store, then your manager will be mad at you.

My manager was troubled when I did that. Did I leave a bad impression on him?

Hmm, living as a Devil sure is hard.

I knock on the door.

“Good Evening! I’m an errand from the Devil Gremory-sama! Excuse me, but this is the house that summoned us right?”

It should be okay with this.

Devils can only be sensed by humans who want to make contracts. Even if I do something like this at middle of the night, the neighbours won’t know what’s going on.

It seems like only the client can hear what I just said. During the time when we are doing our job as a Devil, a special demonic-power gets activated and it won’t cause trouble to those who isn’t involved in it. That’s what Buchou told me.

“W-Who’s there!?”

What I heard is a voice of panicked man.

“Umm, I’m a Devil. I’m a newbie and I came here because I was called by you.”

“D-Don’t lie! There isn’t any Devil that knocks on doors! Devils come out from this leaflet! That’s how it was for the past summoning! And the one I called for is Koneko-chan!”

Yeah, he’s right.

I will apologise for that. I’m sorry.

It’s also an unexpected incident for me and the others.

“Ah, I’m sorry. It seems like I don’t have enough demonic-powers, so I can’t appear from the magic-circle.”

“You might just be a pervert!”

I got pissed off as soon as he said that.

“I’m not a pervert! And how should I know! If I could, I also wanted to appear through the magic-circle! What kind of loner would peddle their bicycle through the town in middle of the night!?”

“Why are you the one getting pissed, you super pervert!”

“Super pervert!? Fuck you! I’m telling you that I’m a Devil!”

“Go home!”

The client opens his door. The client complains.

He’s a skinny man. He looks unhealthy.

He looks angry but as soon as he looks at my face, his expression softens.

“……Are you crying?”

“Eh? Me?”

When I put my hand on my cheek, tears is on my hand.

I’m crying.

“Is that so? So you were shocked to find out that you can’t teleport through the magic-circle……”

“Looks like it.”

I was allowed to come into his room.

He even made tea for me.

The incident about the teleportation and the argument earlier crushed my heart more than I expected, and unconsciously I was crying.

Of course I want to cry.

The client, Morisawa-san, who saw that allowed me to come inside his room after feeling sorry for me.

His room looks clean. It’s a tidy room for a single guy like him to live in.

He told me that he works for the government during the day.

Morisawa-san does his job seriously, but he was craving to get in touch with other people, so he ended up summoning Devils from that leaflet.

“So it’s not Koneko-chan……”

He fell in love with Koneko-chan at first sight who was the first Devil he made contract with, and since then he has been summoning her.

“I’m sorry, but apparently that girl is popular with other clients as well. It seems like she is in charge of the “cuteness” department.”

When you summon a Devil, you can wish for which Devil to summon by calling out that Devil’s name.

Well, that’s how it was explained to me.

And today Koneko-chan’s job was passed to me.

There are cases when the Devil they chose can’t be summoned, so another Devil goes as their substitute.

“I wished for a Devil from the cuteness category when I used the leaflet……”

“I’m a cute newbie, so can you be okay with that?”

“Hahaha! You talk of something impossible! If I had a silver sword with me, I would have stabbed you!”

Onii-san, you are laughing but your eyes looks serious.

“By the way, what were you going to wish for when you tried to summon Koneko-chan?”

That is my question. Maybe I can also grant that wish of his.

But that is instantly shattered when Morisawa-san took out a certain thing from the corner of his room.

“I wanted her to wear this.”

Which girl’s school uniform is that from? I think I have seen it somewhere before. Or maybe, I haven’t.

“It’s the uniform of Nagato Yuki.”[10]

“Nagato……ah! From Suzumiya Haruhi.”

Even I know it. Suzumiya Haruhi series. It was a popular anime last year.[11]

“Devil-kun, do you also like Nagato?”

“No, I’m more of an Asakura Ryouko fan.”[12]

“And your reason?”

“Her breasts.”

“—!”

Morisawa-san lost his word when he heard me reply without a second thought.

Asakura Ryouko, a regular character from Suzumiya Haruhi series, and a beautiful girl with a glamorous body.

“So you are a big breasts lover?”

“Yes, oppai are packed with dreams. That, I am very sure of.”

I then imagine Buchou’s naked breasts bouncing.

Buchou, I've fallen in love with your oppai at first sight. I was too embarrassed to say it in front of you, but I will definitely protect your oppai, Buchou.

Morisawa-san makes a lecherous expression while smirking.

“You have good eyes. Seems like you have an extremely high passion towards oppai. I see, so you have an opposite fetish as me. I like small breasted girls.”

“I can understand that. I have a friend with the same taste.”

The guy that appears to my mind is my evil buddy who wears glasses, Motohama. He is a genuine pervert. That, I am very sure of.

“Yes. Don’t you think she, Koneko-chan, looks similar to Nagato? For example her atmosphere. Though she’s a bit short.”

When you say it like that, Koneko-chan has a small body, she shows no expression, she has a body with no curves, her hair is short, and so they do seem similar. Nagato Yuki is also a character like that.

“That’s why I wanted her to wear this. I really wanted her to wear it!”

Morisawa-san shed tears of regret. He sure is regretting it.

He really wanted her to wear it, huh?

“I’m sorry about it. Okay then. Let me wear it—”

“I’ll fucking kill you, bastard!”

Morisawa-san turns down my kind offer while shouting. Please don’t get mad while crying out that much. It’s a joke. I ‘m just kidding.

Morisawa-san tries to calm down after whipping off his tears.

He takes a deep breath and calms down.

“Well, never mind. So what is your special skill? You are a Devil so you should be good at something right? Something like using a mysterious power. Just to tell you, Koneko-chan has extreme strength. She carried me like a princess.”

Morisawa-san says it with pride. Where has your pride as a man gone off to?

Yeah, there must be people who get all high by being lifted up by a girl.

But, my special trait? Hmm.

I crossed my arm and then say it seriously.

“My special skill is Kamehameha.”[13]

“Go kill yourself.”

“What! What’s with that response! You shouldn’t say that right away! And your words had so much killing intent in it!”

“Of course I am! In what kind of world is there a Devil that has Kamehameha as his special skill!?”

“Here! Right h~e~r~e!”

I said it strongly while pointing it myself.

“Then do it!”

“I will!”

“If you can shoot it, then shoot! Don’t look down on us, the generation who grew up with Dragon Ball! When we were in junior school, all of us practiced doing Kamehameha during break every Monday. We even tried to collect spirits so we could use the genkidama, though nothing happened! Don’t look down on our generation!”[14] [15]

“Shut up! So who cares if you were raised while watching Dragon Ball! I have all of the manga volumes! I even bought the special cover version in first print as well! Me and my mates also played “Hide and seek by using ki”!”

I talked back to all of his argument.

I’m pissed! Yeah, I’m really pissed!

Then, I’ll show you! Hyoudou Issei’s version of Kamehameha!

I activate my Sacred Gear!

First I close my eyes, and then put my left arm upwards. I then imagine Son Goku in my head……and put my arm down while making a pose of doing a Kamehameha.[16]

I put all my energy in it! Shit! Take this, you Dragon Ball generation! This is my ultimate attack!

“Kamehameha!”

Flash! Instantly, my left arm glows!

The Sacred Gear, a red gauntlet, appears while covering my left arm.

How’s that! This is my Sacred Gear!

FLOW

I then look at Morisawa-san, and he is crying hard.

He then grabs volume 1 of Dragon Ball from his bookshelf.

He grabs my hand and we exchanged a passionate handshake.

“Let’s talk about it!”

FLOW

Tears are also flowing out of my eyes.

That’s enough to understand what he is trying to say. Any Dragon Ball fan will understand what he is trying to say.

“Yes, let’s talk about it!”

So the long night starts.

“Hahaha. Me too. I also think it was good that Wakamoto-san voiced Cell as well.”[17] [18]

“Yeah. It sounded just like how I imagined it to be.”

After he got his manga, we’ve been laughing and talking for the past 2 hours.

As we talk, we forgot the age gap between us and have already became friends.

Fufufu. He had a bad first impression, but when we started talking, we realised we can get along.

“Okay! Maybe I should make a contract with you as well?”

“Yeah! President! Thank you for the contract!”

Yes! Yes yes yes yes!

I’ve gotten my first contract!

My road to getting a peerage has started! My legend starts from here!

“Okay it might be a standard wish, but can I wish to become rich?”

I see. That is indeed a normal but a popular wish people would ask.

“Okay. I’ll check.”

I turned on the portable device for Devils, and operated it.

When I input his wish, the answer appears.

“Ah, umm, in your case, for you to fulfil that wish, your price would be your life. So you will die.”

“Die!?”

“Yes, in the Devils’ world, they say that “Individuals life isn’t equal”. I’m sorry. So for you to wish becoming rich, Morisawa-san, you would have to die.”

“It feels like I just got my heart ripped out, but that’s okay. Anyway, if I make that wish, where will I die?”

“Umm. Ah, you will die as soon as the money starts dropping from the sky. Looks like you can’t even touch it. This is awful.”

“Guha! So I can’t smack the money onto your face then!?”

“Hey, don’t try to hit me with it.”

Yeah, I just witnessed someone’s dream getting crushed.

I see. Like I thought, making a wish like that is basically near impossible for Morisawa-san.

So this is what Buchou means that people’s value isn’t equal. What an unfair world we live in.

“T-Then how about a harem? How about wishing for lots of girls in a sumptuous feast!?”

Oh. So you will go there, huh!

I’m a bit moved. He’s a guy, after all. Of course he will wish for something like that.

“Morisawa-san! I also love harems! It’s every man’s dream after all! Amazing! I think I can enjoy drinking alcohol with you one day! Even though I’m a minor!”

“I don’t care about that, so what does it say?”

I input his wish in the device. Oh my, that’s a harsh answer.

“Well, it says that you would die as soon as the beautiful woman and girls come into your sight.”

“I’m going to die just by seeing them!?”

“No, it says as soon as they come into your sight, so you won’t be able to tell whether they are beautiful or not. That’s harsh. Isn’t it better to walk past beautiful girls in the city?”

“U-Uwaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

Suddenly Morisawa-san who is an adult, starts to cry.

“So I was a human who didn’t have much worth!? Uggh, I can only say I’m sorry for being born……”

I pat softly on Morisawa-san’s shoulder.

“Let’s continue talking about Dragon Ball till morning. You want to battle-play Dragon Ball? I will be Goku and you can be Freeza. Is that okay?”

Morisawa-san nods his head while crying.

Like this, my first contract became invalid because I have to take care of my client.

Part 4

Next day, after school.

“…………”

Buchou is angry. She’s lifting her eyebrow and she didn’t say a single word.

I’m standing in front of her and my face is pale.

Yesterday, I was playing Dragon Ball with my client and finished the night with it.

Oh yeah, Kiba said something like this with a bitter smile earlier.

“This kind of case has never happened before.”

“……Ise.”

The tone of her voice is deep and scary.

“Yes!”

“You talked with the client about manga, and what happened after that? What about the contract?”

She came straight to the point. I have sweats coming out of me.

“T-The contract became invalid…… We battled-played a certain manga till morning!”

“Battle-play?”

“Y-Yes! You act as a character from that a specific manga and then start an imagination fight!”

Why am I explaining something like this so seriously?

Explaining this to her is making me want to cry.

“I-I know that as a high school boy I should be embarrassed— no, as a professional Devil, I should be also embarrassed! I-I’m regretting it! I’m very sorry!”

I bow down my head while apologising.

Seriously, what on earth was I doing till morning?

“……After the contract, we ask the client to fill in the questionnaire on the leaflet we gave them. We ask the client, “How was your contract with a Devil?”. The questionnaire which is filled appears in this leaflet, but……”

Buchou shows the paper with the feedback for the questionnaire to me.

So there’s a thing like that, huh. Devils job are more complex than I thought.

“……[It was fun. It was my first time having a good time like this. I would like to meet with Ise-kun again. I hope I can make a good contract with him next time]…… This is the questionnaire filled by the client.”

—!

My chest became hot.

Morisawa-san…… I wasn’t able to do anything, but you……

“This is the first time I received a feedback like this. I wasn’t sure what to do first. That’s why I put on a weird expression because I didn’t know how to react to this.”

Buchou isn’t mad?

But it’s true that I didn’t make a contract……

“To Devils, what’s important is that we actually make a contract with humans who summoned us. We then receive the price from them. That’s how Devils have lived for a long time ago. ……I didn’t know how to react because this is the first time I encountered an incident like this. You might have failed as a Devil but the client was happy with you……”

Buchou has a puzzled expression, but she then smiles.

“But it’s interesting. That is certain. There wasn’t any Devil like you, but you really are an interesting boy. You might become the number 1 Devil for unexpected things. But remember to do the basics. You make contracts with the clients, you grant their wish, and then you receive the price. Okay?”

“Yes! I’ll do my best!”

Buchou forgives my actions.

That alone makes me so happy that I feel like dancing.

Buchou, next time I’ll definitely do it!

Part 5

At night after I made a vow.

Once again, I’m doing my job.

I’m on full throttle peddling my bicycle towards the client’s house at night.

This time, I’m heading towards a mansion that is 30 minutes away from the school.

It took me 30 minutes to reach even though I was going at full speed. The client isn’t pissed, right?

I stand front of the door and rang the bell. A Devil who has to ring the door bell truly is saddening.

I also want to get summoned through the magic-circle soon.

Then after a short time, there is a reply through the inter-phone.

“It’s opened. Come in-nyou.”

It’s really a thick voice. It’s a guy. Huh? “Nyou”? Did he just say “Nyou”?

No, it must be my ears.

I open the door, took off my shoes at the entrance, and walk timidly into the mansion.

The moment I open the door, I became speechless.

“Welcome-nyou.”

A humongous body. And an overwhelming presence.

It’s an enormous guy with incredible muscles wearing a gothic-lolita outfit.

If I look carefully, the buttons on the outfit looks like they are about to fall off. There also some places in his outfit which looks like it’s about to get ripped.

More than that, his eyes are filled with overwhelming killing intent –-but his eyes have a glow of a pure innocent person.

No, the most unusual thing is his head.

He has cat-ears.

I swallow down my spit. A single sweat drops from my cheek. My hands are shaking because I’m getting nervous.

This isn’t a man. He is a man among all man!

An overwhelming presence and the sense of being in danger.

I have a hunch. A hunch that I will be killed in an unreasonable death.

“U-Umm……a Devil……did you summon a Devil from the Gremory group……?”

I ask him timidly.

FLASH!

The man’s eye glows while making sound effect.

It feels like there is intense battle spirit between us.

I’m going to get killeeed! Hii!

Even though I’m a Devil, I changed my posture to protect myself.

“That’s right -nyou. I called Devil-san because I want to make a wish–nyou.”

Unexpected words came out from his thick mouth.

His ends his sentence with “nyou”!

Impossible……is he even allowed to do that?

“I want you to make Mil-tan a Magical Girl –nyou.”

“Please teleport to another world then.”

I give him my answer right away.

It’s impossible. That’s really impossible. Seriously.

I hold my head down because of his wish is something beyond what I expected.

Mil-tan!? What the heck is Mil-tan!?

This man’s words starts to confuse me.

With that body of yours, you can go to another dimension and return back here alive! You can probably defeat Satan as well!

“I already tried that –nyou.”

“You actually tried it!?”

“But it was impossible -nyou. There was no-one who would give Mil-tan magical powers –nyou.”

“Well, you can say that this situation is kind of magical……”

“The only option left is to ask my arch-enemy, Devil-san -nyou.”

I already have myself treated as his enemy without realising it….. But I won’t say anything to him.

“Devil-san~!”

The voice released by this man —Mil-tan, shakes the whole room.

What is this!? Sound magic!?

“Please give Mil-tan a fantasy-like powers -nyoooooou!”

“Don’t worry; you look fantasy-like enough! I’m the one who feels like crying!”

I start to cry for real.

Dammit!

How come all the clients I’m in charge of are bunch of perverts!? What’s the meaning of this!?

“Mil-tan! Mil-tan, calm down! I will listen to what you have to say!”

First things first, I think I need to calm this man down and listen to his story.

Mil-tan puts on a big smile with his scary face after he wipes his tears.

“Then let’s watch “Magical Girl Milky Spiral 7 Alternative” together–nyou. The story about the magic starts from there –nyou.”

My long night has begun.

Part 6

It’s already the next day, and I’m on my way home after the regular club activity ended.

Haa.

I made a sigh.

Even today, Buchou put on a weird expression. My contract became invalid twice in a row.

But I got the best feedback.

Buchou became confused again because she encountered an incident that she never has experienced twice in a row. I’m sorry for getting involved in a weird situation.

I feel bad, but it seems like my road to getting a peerage will be harder than I thought……

Last night, I watched the anime DVD till morning with Mil-tan.

At first I wasn’t serious in watching it, but I got hooked to the Magical Girl anime due its hot actions and the story which made me cry, so I ended up watching till morning.

Besides that, why are all of my clients a bunch of perverts?

“Ahaha, Hyoudou-kun must have a demonic-power that attracts people like that.”

Kiba said something like that to me earlier with his refreshing smile.

Die, handsome. I hear that the chances of him being summoned by beautiful older woman is high.

Dammit! What kind of contract does he have with them!?

Is it sex!? Or sex related!?

Just thinking about it makes me want to murder him. Shit! Damn you, Kibaaaa!

“Hawaau!”

Hmm? A sudden voice.

At the same time I heard the voice from behind me, there is also a sound of something dropping on the ground.

When I turned around, there is a Sister who is on the floor.

She is spreading her arms wide open and has her face on the ground. That certainly is a clumsy way of falling down.

“……A-Are you okay?”

I approach the Sister and give her my hand so she can stand up.

“Auu. Why do I keep on tripping over…… Oh, I’m sorry. Thank you very much~.”

Judging from her voice, she is young. Is she the same age as me?

I take her hand to lift her up.

Wind blows

The Sister’s veil flies off because of the wind.

Her blonde hair, which is hidden underneath, falls down onto her shoulders. Her straight blonde hair is sparkling with light because of the sunshine.

Then my eyes move towards her face.

—!

My heart is taken by her instantly.

A blonde hair beauty is standing front of me.

Both of her green eyes look so beautiful that it feels I will be sucked into it……

…………

For a while, I was gazing at her.

“U-Umm……is something wrong……?”

The Sister looks directly into my face with a worried expression.

“Ah. S-Sorry. Umm……”

I can’t say it.

There’s no way that I can tell her I was fascinated with her.

Rather, this girl is it. Yeah, I’m talking about that. Yes, that.

She looks exactly like my ideal girl (Blonde beauty version)! Of course I would be attracted to her!

It feels like I need to continue talking to her!

Is this is a flag!? I’m thinking something selfish like that.

Then the travelling bag she is carrying on her shoulder appears to my eyes. If I think about it, it’s a rare occasion to see a nun in a town. It’s my first time seeing one.

Before that, I need to pick up her veil. Luckily, it landed nearby.

“T-Traveling?”

“No, that’s not it. I was appointed to the Church in this town…… You must be a resident of this town. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

She bows her head.

Hmmm. Getting placed in the Church of this town. Staff reassignment? Looks like the Church is also having a tough time.

“I have been in trouble since I got here. Ummm……I can’t speak Japanese that well……I was lost and other people couldn’t understand what I was saying……”

She holds her hand together in front of her chest and looks really sad.

……So that means this person can’t speak Japanese.

The reason why she can speak with me is because this is the power of a Devil. That’s what Buchou told me before.

“When you turn into a Devil, one of the unique ability you attain is “Language”. The moment you turn into a Devil, everyone in the world can understand what you are saying. People listening to you will hear it in the language they are most familiar with. If they are American, then they will hear it in English. If they are Spanish, then they will hear it in Spanish. And also the opposite. If they speak in a language besides Japanese, you will hear it in Japanese.”

Yeah, its happening just like Buchou said.

During the English lecture, I heard everything in Japanese. I was shocked. When I was told to read an English paragraph by the English teacher, I somehow read it and all of my classmates looked shocked.

Of course they would. Since I can speak English naturally now, so obviously my classmates will be shocked.

Even the teacher froze because of it.

Well, the letters and vocabulary didn’t change to Japanese because it’s limited to sound only.

But that’s good enough. It’s too amazing if I can exchange language anywhere in the world.

Just like that, I turned into an “international” high school student without any requirements.

“I think I might know where the Church is.”

I think there is an old Church in the outer part of this town. I think it’s that Church.

But is that Church still even used?

“Y-You do! T-Thank you~! This is all thanks to God!”

She smiles at me with tears flowing from her eyes. This girl is really cute.

But when I look at the Rosario glowing from her chest, it gives me an extremely negative reaction.

Well, of course it does, since I’m a Devil. She is the type of human that I shouldn’t talk to or get involved with.

But I can’t leave a girl in trouble alone. Like this, I took this Sister to the Church.

On our way to the Church, we went past a park.

“Uwaaaaaah!”

What I heard was the cry of a boy.

“Are you alright Yosh-kun?”

He will be fine since he is with his mum. It seems like he just tripped over.

But suddenly, the Sister who is walking behind me walks towards the park.

“Hey.”

Sister went inside the park and went towards the boy who is sitting down and crying.

I also followed the Sister.

“Are you okay? Boys shouldn’t cry with a minor injury like this.”

Sister pats the boy's head gently.

The boy probably didn't understand what she is saying. But the Sister has a very kind expression. The Sister put her palm where the boy has injured himself.

Next moment, I was in shock. A green light orb appears from the Sister’s palm and is flashing onto the boy’s knee.

What’s that? Demonic-powers? Buchou said that it can only be used by Devils and someone related to Devils so it can’t be.

When I look carefully, the boy’s injury starts to disappear.

Is the light from her hand healing the boy’s injury?

Something appears on my mind.

—Sacred Gear.

A special power which is bestowed upon certain people. I think that’s what Kiba said before.

I somehow feel this is it as well. Looking at that light makes my left arm ache. This has to be related.

Did my Sacred Gear react with her Sacred Gear? Is it responding to it?

When I look again, the boy’s injury is gone and there isn’t even a trace left.

Amazing.

This is also the power of a Sacred Gear…… There are so many different types of it.

The boy’s mother is in shock. Anyone who sees unimaginable things will have a similar reaction.

“Here, your wounds are healed. The pain should be gone now.”

The Sister pats the boy's head and looks at me.

“I’m sorry. But I had to.”

She laughs while sticking her tongue out.

The boy’s mother, who was shocked before, shook her head then grabs the boy's hand so they can leave quickly.

“Thank you, Onee-chan!”

The boy’s words. Words of gratitude.

“He said, thank you Onee-chan.”

She smiles happily after I translated for her.

“……That power……”

“Yes, it’s the power to heal. It’s a wonderful power that God gave me.”

She looks a bit sad, even though she’s smiling.

Somehow it seems like she has some dark past or something.

I probably shouldn’t get too deep into it.

It’s not the atmosphere where I should say “Actually, I have a Sacred Gear as well!”. It’s an unusual power, and maybe some people may suffer because of it.

Even I didn’t feel happy when my Sacred Gear was covering my arm. Instead, I was really shocked. I still didn’t know how to use this Sacred Gear, therefore I wasn’t happy at all. The only thing I can use it for is to mimic Kamehameha.

The conversation ends there, and we continued walking towards the Church.

We reached an old Church after walking for a few minutes.

Yeah, the only Church I know is this. It’s just as old as I remember.

I never heard that this place is still being used, but you can see the light inside the Church, so that means that there are people inside.

CHILLS CHILLS CHILLS

I have chills, and sweats are coming out of my body. It’s been like this since before.

I knew it. I’m a Devil, so the Church, which belongs to the God and the Angels, will be an enemy's territory for me.

Even Buchou said that I should never get close to a Church or a shrine very strongly.

“Yes, this is the place! I’m so glad.”

Sister shows a sigh of relief after having compared our location with the map she has.

Oh, so this is the right place. That’s good.

I shouldn’t stay here any longer. It’s getting dark so I should be going now.

It’s a waste to say good bye to a beauty like her, but I’m a Devil and she is a nun……

Love between different sides may sound romantic, but this would be a different case.

That’s because I’m getting really scared of the Church. My whole body won’t stop shaking.

This sign of fear must be a special trait for Devils. It feels like I’m a frog being watched by a snake.

No, rather I’m a frog who doesn’t know what to do after being found by the snake.

“Then I’ll be on my way.”

“Please wait!”

I say my farewell and tried to leave, but the Sister’s words stops me.

“I would like to make you some tea as a gratitude for taking me here—”

“Oh, I’m in a rush so I have to get going.”

“……But that’s……”

She’s troubled.

She probably wants to make me some tea to show her gratitude, but drinking tea here will be dangerous. It’s a shame, but I have to refuse.

“My name is Hyoudou Issei. Everyone around me calls me Ise. So you can call me Ise as well. What’s your name?”

When I give her my name, she responds with a smile.

“My name is Asia Argento! Please call me Asia!”

“Then, Sister Asia, let’s meet again.”

“Yes! Ise-san, I will definitely come and see you!”

Asia bows her head down.

I left the place after waving my hands towards her. She watched me until I was out of her sight.

I understood that she is a good girl.

And this was our fateful destiny and our first meeting.

Part 7

At night.

“Don’t ever get close to the Church again.”

I’m being scolded by Buchou in the club room. Buchou’s expression looks more serious than usual. More like, she is really mad at me.

“To us Devils, the Church is an enemy's territory. Just stepping into it can cause a rift between the Devils and God. Since it was an act of kindness by taking the nun to the Church, they didn’t harm you, but the Angels are always on the lookout. You were in a situation where it wouldn’t be strange for them to hit you with a spear of light.”

……Are you serious?

Was I in such a serious situation……?

If I think about it, the chills I felt before wasn’t normal. I only felt fear at that time.

So that’s what it means to detect danger. So my instinct as a Devil was telling me that it was a dangerous situation.

“Don’t get involved with people from the Church. Especially the Exorcists who are our biggest enemy. They could easily eliminate us because their powers are supported by the prayer of God. More so if it is an Exorcist with a Sacred Gear. That would be the same as standing on the boundary of death, Ise.”

Buchou looks at me directly with her blue eyes while waving her crimson hair.

Her eye is serious, so she isn’t joking.

“Y-Yes.”

“You could avoid death as a human by being resurrected as a Devil. But Devils who are exorcised become completely terminated. They return to nothing. —Nothing. There is nothing left and you feel nothing. Do you know how serious that is?”

……Nothing? To tell you the truth, I don’t.

Buchou shakes her head after seeing my confused face.

“I’m sorry. I got too heated. Anyway, be careful from now on.”

“Yes.”

My conversation with Buchou ends there.

“Ara ara, did you finish lecturing him?”

“Owaa.”

Akeno-san is standing behind me and I didn’t even realise it. She is smiling like usual.

“Akeno, did something happen?”

Akeno-san’s expression changes after Buchou asks her.

“We received an order for a hunt from the Arch Duke.”

Part 8

--Stray Devils.

There are beings that are called as such.

The Devil who was turned into a Servant Devil of a Devil with a peerage but who betrayed or killed its master. Cases like that rarely occur.

The power of Devils are enormous. You can’t even compare it to the time when you were a human.

So there will be those who choose to use that power for their own self-interests.

Those Devils leave their master's place and cause destruction at different location.

That is a “Stray Devil”.

The Fallen Angel Donaseek who wore a suit mistook me for a Stray Devil.

In other words, a stray dog.

Stray dogs create troubles. When found, the master or the other Devils are ordered to eliminate them. That is the law of the Devils.

Other beings such as Angels and Fallen Angels sees them as threats and they will eliminate the Stray Devils whenever found.

There is nothing scarier than a Devil who does not abide by any rule.

I went to the unused building located at the outer part of the town along with Buchou, Akeno-san, Kiba, and Koneko-chan.

Every night, a Stray Devil is luring humans to the building to feed on them.

As such, there was a request from the High-class Devil to hunt them.

[Since it has escaped to the territory of Rias Gremory, I would like to ask you to eliminate it.]

Apparently, this is also one of the jobs of a Devil.

Eating a human…… There are evil Devils like that as well……

No, naturally, Devils are like that.

So the only reason they are quiet is because they abide by the law……

Yeah, they are Devils after all……

It’s midnight. It’s a world of darkness.

There's lot of tall grasses surrounding me, and I can see the unused building far away from here.

It’s one of the Devils’ traits to have a clear view at night.

Hmm, having a clear view of a creepy place like this isn’t so good....

“……Smell of blood.”

Koneko-chan covers her nose with her uniform after she says that.

Smell of blood? I can’t smell anything. So it means Koneko-chan has a good sense of smell.

It becomes quiet.

I can feel the presence of an enemy nearby, and its intent to kill us isn’t normal.

My legs are shaking. I’m really scared. If the others weren’t here, I will have escaped. Buchou who is up at the front putting her hands on her hips looks very reliable!

“Ise, it’s a good opportunity to experience what it's like to fight.”

Buchou says something reckless.

“Wait, are you serious!? I’m positive that I won’t be of much use!”

“Yes. It’s still impossible now.”

She says it straight at me. I kind of feel sad.

“But you can watch what a Devils' battle is like. Today, just concentrate and look at how we fight. Oh, yes. I will also explain the traits the servants have.”

“Explain? The traits servants have?”

I put on a confused look, but Buchou continues.

“Devils, who are the master, give traits to those who will become their servants. ……Yes, it’s probably about time I explain about it and also about the history of Devils.”

Buchou starts to explain about the current situation of the Devils.

“Long time ago, there was a three sided war between the Devils, the Fallen Angels, and God with its Angels followers. All three sides had a large army and they fought for almost eternity. As a result, all three sides lost most of their troops and the war finished several hundred years ago with no side winning.”

Kiba continues after Buchou.

“The Devils were no exception. Big Devils with peerage who commanded about 20 or 30 troops lost most of their underlings because of the war. They lost so many that they couldn’t even form new armies.”

Akeno-san continues on from there.

“I heard that most of the pure Devils passed away in that war. Even after the war, there are still problems between the Devils, the Fallen Angels and God. Even though the Fallen Angels' and God's side also lost most of their troops, we are still in a position where we can’t let our guard down, or else we will be in trouble.”

Then, Buchou speaks again.

“Then, the Devils decided to use a system to form a small group of soldiers. And that is the [Evil Piece].”

“Evil Piece?”

Seems like it’s going to get complicated, but it looks like I have to listen to it seriously.

“Devils with Peerage decide to use the traits of the human’s game “Chess” to their Servant Devils. It was also sarcasm, because most of the servants are Devils that were reincarnated from humans. Since then, Chess became a popular game in the world of the Devils. We’ll leave that aside. Devils who are masters are a [King]. In our case, that is me. From there, they created 5 special traits that consist of [Queen], [Knight], [Rook], [Bishop] and [Pawn]. Since they couldn’t make an army, they decided to have a small number of Devils and give them enormous powers. This system was made in the past few hundred years, and this unexpectedly became popular amongst Devils with peerage.”

“Popular? You mean the Chess rule?”

“They started to compete against each other. For example like, “My Knight is stronger!”, or “No, my Rook is stronger!” As a result, High-class Devils started to play a game like that of Chess against each other using their Servant Devils. We call it the “Rating Game”. Anyway, this game became very popular amongst the Devils. Now, there are even tournaments for it. The strength of their [Pieces] and also how strong they are at the game affects the Devils' social position, and their peerage. There is a thing called [Piece Collect] where they gather humans with talents and make them into their [Pieces]. It’s very popular recently. Talented servants become their status.”

I see.

So being strong in that game means that you are a splendid Devil. It also becomes your pride then.

……Umm, so Servant Devils are former humans and they function by becoming the [Pieces] in the game.

I feel it's complicated. So will I be someday forced to fight in that game?

“I’m not a matured Devil yet, so I can’t participate in the official tournament. Even if I could, there are things that I need to go through, or else I can’t play. In short, Ise and my other servants here won’t be participating in a game for a while.”

“So does that mean that Kiba and the others haven't played in that game yet?”

“Yeah.”

Kiba answers my question.

The world of Devils is strange. I used to imagine them being evil and scary, but it looks like my imagination is incorrect.

Or maybe I feel like that because I’m still ignorant of the ways of the Devils' world.

Before that, there is something that is bothering me.

Yeah, my position is a [Piece].

“Buchou, what is my role and traits? And what piece am I?”

“Ise, you are—”

Buchou stops there.

I also know the reason why. I can feel chills all over my body. That’s because of the presence of the enemy and its intent to kill became much stronger.

There is something approaching us! Even a guy like me who just turned into a Devil knows it.

“I can smell something disgusting. But I can also smell something delicious. Is it sweet? Or is it sour?”

A low voice which is coming from below the ground.

This weirdness isn’t normal. Just hearing its voice scares me.

“Stray Devil Vaizor. We are here to eliminate you."

Buchou says that.

“Ketaketaketaketaketaketaketaketaketaketaketaketaketaketaketaketa……”

The abnormal laughter echoes around us. Ah, I now clearly understand.

This isn’t a laugh of a human. It’s also not a laugh of a Devil that I know of.

Nggh……

A topless woman appears from the shadow. But the woman’s body is floating.

No.

STEP

A heavy footsteps. The next thing that appears is the body of a gigantic beast.

It’s a grotesque being with an unnatural form having a woman’s upper body and the lower body of a monster.

It’s holding something that looks like a spear in both of its hands.

The lower body of the monster has four fat legs with sharp claws. Is it a snake tail? Wow! The tail is moving on its own!

From the size of it, it’s definitely more than 5 meters tall. If it stands on its hind legs, won't it be much taller?

Either way, it’s a monster. Is this also a Devil?

Well duh, since Buchou called it a “Stray Devil”.

Man, there are things like this as well!? I confirmed it again. Devils are scary!

“Leaving your master’s side and rampaging as you please definitely deserve death. In the name of Duke Gremory, I will gladly eliminate you!”

“You are cunning for a little girrrrrrl! I will rip your body, and colour it in red just like your haaaaaaair!!”

The monster barks, but Buchou just laughs with her nose.

“Grunts sure do speak in a stylish manner. Yuuto!”

“Yes!”

Swoof!

Kiba, who was near me, sprints ahead as soon as Buchou gives him an order. Fast. He’s insanely fast. I can’t even respond to it!

“Ise, I will continue from the lecture before.”

Buchou says.

Lecture? The thing about Evil Piece’s traits or something?

“Yuuto’s position is [Knight]. Its trait is speed. Those who become a [Knight] have their speed increased.”

Just like Buchou said, Kiba’s speed increases, and eventually I wasn’t able to follow his movements with my eyes.

The monster is using its spear to attack, but it didn’t seem like it will hit.

“And Yuuto’s ultimate weapon is swords.”

Kiba stops and suddenly he is holding onto a European sword. He took it out of the scabbard, and the drawn sword is reflecting the light of the moon.

SU!

Kiba suddenly disappears again. Next moment, the scream of the monster echoes.

“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

When I looked, both of its arms are cut from its torso along with the spear. Blood gushes out of its wound.

“This is Yuuto’s power. Speed that you can’t follow with your eyes, and sword skills of a professional. By combining these two, he becomes the fastest Knight.”

There is a shadow near the monster’s legs…… Wait! That’s Koneko-chan!

“Next is Koneko. She is a [Rook]. The trait of a Rook is its—”

“Damn inseeeeeeeeect!”

STOMP!

The enormous monster tries to stomp on Koneko-chan!

K-Koneko-chan! Hey, she’s in trouble—

But the monster’s foot didn’t hit the ground. It wasn’t able to stomp completely.

Gugugu……

The girl with a tiny body is lifting up the monster’s foot.

“The trait of a [Rook] is simple. Absolute strength. And also very high defence. It’s impossible for a Devil with that calibre to stamp on Koneko. It can’t crush her.”

LIFT!

Koneko-chan completely lifts up the monster.

“……Fly”

Koneko-chan jumps high and punches into the monster’s stomach very sharply.

BANG!

The enormous body of the monster gets thrown backwards.

I then remembered the word of the client that loves Koneko-chan, Morisawa-san.

—Koneko-chan has extreme strength. She carried me like a princess.

It’s not something you call extreme strength!

That enormous monster went flying with just one punch!

Yeah, I will make sure not to mess with Koneko-chan. I will probably get killed just by getting poked by her finger.

Super-human girl. Scary indeed. Morisawa-san who fell in love with her is also scary.

“Lastly, Akeno.”

“Yes, Buchou. Ara ara, what should I do?”

Akeno-san is laughing while walking towards the monster that is on the ground after being hit by Koneko-chan.

“Akeno is a [Queen]. She’s the one who is the strongest after me. She is the unbeatable Vice-president of our club who has all the traits of [Pawn], [Knight], [Bishop], and [Rook].

“Guuuuuu……!”

The monster stares at Akeno-san. Akeno-san makes a fearless laugh after seeing the monster’s gaze.

“Ara ara, seems like you still have some energy left in you. Then how about this?”

Akeno-san puts her hands towards the sky.

FLASH!

Next instant, the sky sparkles, and a lightning bolt strikes down the monster.

“Gagagagagagagagagagagagaaa!”

The monster gets electrified violently.

Its entire body gets burnt and smoke are coming out from it.

“Ara ara, looks like you still have some energy in you. Looks like you can take more.”

FLASH!

Another lightning bolt hit the monster.

“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

The monster gets electrified again. It already sounds like its dying.

Even so, Akeno-san strikes down the third lightning.

Akeno-san's face while striking down the lightning bolt looks scary and cold even though she is smiling.

Uwaah. That person is enjoying it…… She’s laughing after all.

“Akeno excels at attacks using demonic-powers. She could use natural elements like lightning, ice, and fire. And most of all, she is the ultimate sadist.”

Buchou confesses it like if it’s nothing.

A sadist!? That’s not something you call a sadist!?

“Usually, she’s very kind, but once the battle starts, she won’t stop until she calms down.”

“……Uuu, I’m scared of Akeno-san.”

“You don’t have to be afraid, Ise. Akeno is very kind to comrades, so it’s not a problem. She even said that you were cute. Next time, get spoiled by her. She will definitely hug you kindly.”

“Ufufufufufufufu. How much of my lightning can you take? Right, monster-san? You still can’t die yet, okay? The one who finishes you off will be my master. Ohohohohohohoho!”

……Buchou, I’m getting very scared of the person in front of me who is laughing very loudly....

I thought she was the one with the most common sense……

She is a Devil after all. That has to be it. A Devil I tell ya. So they will be scary.

For a few minutes, Akeno-san’s lightning attacks continues.

After Akeno-san calms down, Buchou confirms it and nods her head.

Buchou approaches the monster that has already lost its will to fight.

Buchou put her hand towards the monster.

“Any last words?”

Buchou asks.

“Kill me.”

That’s the only thing the monster says.

“Then disappear.”

A cruel reply. Buchou’s voice gave me the chills.

DON!

A gigantic black mass of demonic-power is shot out from Buchou’s palm.

It’s so big that it can cover all of the monster’s body.

The mass of demonic-power devours the monster’s body. When the demonic-power disappears, so did the monster’s body.

Just like Buchou said, it disappeared.

Confirming that, Buchou makes a sigh.

“It’s over. Good work everyone.”

Buchou says it to the club members. Everyone returns back to their usual self. So the “Stray Devil” hunt is over, huh?

The fate for the Stray Devils. I don’t know what to say. That thing also left its master’s side because it had something in its mind……

So this is the battle of a Devil…… It was a fierce fight. Along with the Stray Devils, there are still many things in this world I am unfamiliar with.

So I have to aim up high from here……

Maybe I have to think in decades.

Then I remembered the problem. The thing about position of Evil Pieces from earlier. Since I’m a servant of a Devil with peerage, then I should have a certain [Piece] too.

“Buchou, there is still a thing that you didn’t tell me.”

“What is it?”

Buchou responds with a smile.

“My Piece……more like, what is my role as a servant.”

To tell you the truth, I already predicted the worst case. More like I knew it is that. But I still have a naive hope.

There are two [Pieces] left since, Akeno-san is a [Queen], Koneko-chan is a [Rook], and Kiba is a [Knight].

The [Bishop] and……the [Pawn].

I was hoping for it, but it gets shattered instantly. The crimson-hair beauty smiles at me and says it clearly.

“You are a [Pawn]. Ise, you are a Pawn.”

I’m the lowest.

Life.3 I Made a Friend

Part 1

“Haa…… The road to achieving a successful career sure is hard.”

I’m in my room looking at the ceiling and making a fuss.

Pawn—.

That’s my trait and role.

A Pawn, that’s the lowest role.

So I have to aim up from there…… My road to getting a peerage starts by getting onto a rough road. My road to become a proper Devil is full of troubles.

By the way, there is someone else who is Buchou’s [Bishop]. She told me this on the same day when I found out my role as a servant.

“My [Bishop] already exists. But that [Bishop] is not here. The [Bishop] is at a different place, following a different order, working for me. If there is a chance, then I will introduce the [Bishop] to you.”

That’s what she said. Who is that person? Maybe I could meet that person soon. I hope it’s a girl.

So I was chosen as the left over [Pawn]. I have many difficulties to overcome.

When I think about it, was I actually okay with this?

I was killed by a Fallen Angel because of the Kamehameha equipping device, the Sacred Gear. She also used my feelings of love.

Then after that, I was turned into a Devil.

I was picked up by a beautiful Devil who said to me that I was her “Servant” and then was deceived that “I can make my own harem if I rise up”.

I work my butt off every day as Buchou’s servant.

Handing out leaflets. And making contracts.

But my demonic-power is low, so I can’t use the magic-circle to get teleported to the client’s place.

Something like this has never happened before, the worst Devil ever. That’s me.

BREATHES IN.

I inhaled some air. If I think about it, I never had any special features even before I turned into a Devil.

I tried a lot of things to become popular with the girls, but after all, I can’t win against good looking guys.

I also didn’t have any dreams before I turned into a Devil. Well, maybe that’s a good thing that I turned into a Devil because I have a dream now.

Wait, is turning into a Devil even a good thing?

Well, if I haven’t been saved by Buchou back then, my life would have been over. Just like this, I don’t have time to enjoy my youth.

Well it’s kinda……fun. I’m surrounded by a bunch of bishojous and everyone is kind. Well, for a Devil, that is.

Rias-buchou is beautiful, and Akeno-san is okay as long as I don’t piss her off……I think.

Koneko-chan also isn’t a problem as long as I act normal.

Kiba pisses me off, but he talks to me normally even though he’s a good-looking guy...... He’s actually a good guy. Damn good-looking guy.

You really can’t judge people by their appearance. Looks like my imagination of a good looking guy is changing.

Then I remembered about the beautiful blonde Sister, Asia.

She was a beautiful girl. If I was to have a girlfriend……I stop there and covered my face. Wait, I just went through that rough unrequited love.

Damn it, playing with my feelings…… Yuuma-chan, I actually loved you.

Shit. Why is my life always controlled by someone else?

Maybe that's how life works. A lot of mysterious things happen around me, so I have a feeling that I was dragged into it.

Asia……Sister huh. The person who is standing on the opposite side of me.

I probably won’t meet her ever again.

That girl will walk her own path, and I will walk my own path.

We just happen to be the servant of a Devil and the servant of God.

We just met by chance.

We probably shouldn’t see each other again. It might lead us to an unfortunate destiny.

Just like that, I’m thinking something cool.

“Aaaah, yes, yes, I’m just a weak [Pawn]. There’s nothing good about me, so can I even get a peerage……? How about it, Maou-sama? Well, it’s probably useless discussing this with the Maou-sama, anyways.”

I laugh bitterly at myself.

I’m going to have a goal. That’s it.

First of all, my goal will be to use the magic-circle to get transported.

This will be my first step. Yeah, this is it. Yup! I’m getting fired up.

Sobbing time is over. I’ve turned into a Devil. That can’t be changed.

Then I will have to live on as a Devil. And I will make my dream come true as a Devil.

Even if I can’t, working hard to achieve it will be my life goal.

Yeah! I can do it! I’m going to do it!

Part 2

It’s late it night, and I’m on my bicycle heading towards a particular house.

Not a mansion or an apartment, but just an ordinary house.

It’s my first time, so what shall I do?

Since the client isn’t living alone, won’t the client’s family see me?

After all, I actually have to visit the house to make a contract. I was told before that ordinary human can’t detect me, but does it apply to this situation as well?

I’m worried but I realise it when I'm about to push the bell.

The entrance door is open.

……Seriously, leaving the door open in the middle of the night.

HEARTBEAT

I suddenly felt uneasy. What is this? I have a really bad feeling.

But I’m already walking into house.

I look inside from the entrance.

There are no lights in the hallway. There is a staircase that led to the second floor, but there are no lights on.

There is only one room at the end of the first floor with some lights on, and it’s a faint light.

……Yeah, there’s something definitely wrong. I feel no presence of any human.

Are they sleeping? Impossible. Then I won’t be feeling this uneasiness.

I take my shoes off at the entrance and carried them in my hand.

I walk into the room without making a sound.

I’m a Devil, not a thief. I’m thinking of an excuse like that.

I look into the room from the door that is slightly opened, and the brightness is due to the candles.

“……Hello. I’m a Devil from the Gremory’s household…… Umm, is the client here?”

I ask quietly, but there is no reply.

It can’t be helped, so I enter the room.

It’s a living room and there is a television, a sofa, a table, and such. It looks like an ordinary living room—.

Then I stop my breath. My eyes are glued to the wall.

A wall. There is a corpse nailed to the wall. It’s upside down.

……A human. It’s a male. Is he the person who lives here? But why……?

The corpse has been cut viciously. Something that looks like a giblet is coming out from the wounds……

“Gough.”

I vomit out the thing inside my stomach on the spot.

I didn’t vomit when I saw that monster, but my body reacted to seeing this corpse.

I can’t endure looking at this corpse any more.

The corpse is attached to the wall with screws, making the shape of a cross upside down.

There are big and thick screws screwed into the palm of each hand, into the feet, and at the middle of its torso.

This isn’t normal. Not normal at all!

You can’t kill a person like this with a normal mind!

There is a puddle of blood on the floor from the drips of blood falling from the corpse.

There is writing on the wall.

“W-What is this……?”

“It’s written as “Punishment for those who did bad deeds!”. I just borrowed the sentence from someone important.”

Suddenly the voice of a young male comes from behind me.

When I turn around, there is a man with white hair. He seems to be a foreigner and he looks like he’s still a teenager.

He’s dressing up like a priest. He’s also a bishounen.

Seeing me, the priest makes an evil smile.

“Hmm hmm. Well, well, if it isn’t a Devil-kun!”

He seems to be really happy.

Then, the thing that Buchou told me comes back to my mind.

—Don’t get involved with people from the Church. Especially the Exorcists. They are our biggest enemy. They can easily eliminate us because their powers are supported by the prayer of God.

He’s a priest, so he’s related to the Church. This is bad……

He even knows that I’m a Devil, so am I in the worst situation there is, again?

“I’m a priest~♪ A boy priest~♪ I cut down devil-like people~, and I laugh at them~♪ I cut the head of you Devils, and receive my meal~♪”

The priest starts to sing.

I-I don’t get it. What is wrong with this guy!?

“My name is Freed Zelzan. I belong to a certain Exorcism organisation. Ah, just because I introduced myself doesn’t mean you have to. I don’t want to remember your name in my memory, so please don’t. It’s okay, since you are going to die soon. I will make sure of it. It might hurt at first, but later you will feel so good that you will cry. Now let’s open the new door -ZE!”

I’ve never met someone like him before. His words don’t make any sense.

So this guy is an Exorcist. I’m in trouble now.

But there’s something I want to say to him. I swallowed down my spit and ask him.

“Hey, was it you? The one who killed this person?”

“Yes, yes. I killed him. Because~, he was a regular criminal who has been summoning Devils, so I had to kill him.”

W-What kind of an excuse is that!?

“Huh? Are you shocked? Aren’t you running away? That’s weird? Really Weird. I mean humans who make a pact with Devils are scum. Scum indeed. Can’t you understand that? No? Is that so? Well you are a scum Devil after all.”

This guy is crazy! You can’t even have a normal conversation with him!

But I will say what I have to!

“How can a human kill another human, then!? Aren’t you only supposed to kill Devils?”

“Haaaaa? What the fuck is that? A mere Devil like you is lecturing me? Hahaha. I will laugh at this. You probably could get a reward for being funny. Okay then, listen carefully you shitty Devil. Devils also use humans' greed to survive. Relying on a Devil proves that you are no longer a human. It’s the end. That’s why I killed him~. I make a living by killing Devils and those that are contracted to a Devil. That’s my job.”

“Even Devil’s won’t go this far!”

“Haa~~? What are you talking about? Devils are trash. Do you know they are a shitty existence? Do you know this is common sense? Didn’t you know? Seriously, you should start your life back from a toddler. Wait, it’s useless to tell this to a reincarnated Devil like you. More like, I have to kill you! Hahahaha. It’s awesome, isn’t it? It’s the best, isn’t it?”

The priest pulls out a sword that had no blade, and a gun.

BOOOM.

A sound vibrates in the air.

The sword that only has a handle turns into a thing like a beam saber.

What is that? It looks like a beam saber from Gundam.

“You kind of irritate me, so can I cut you? Can I shoot you? Is it OK? Okay then. Now I’m going to stab your heart with this blade of light, and I’m going to blow your head with this cool looking gun! Man, I’m seriously going to fall in love!”

SWIFT!

The priest came sprinting towards me!

He slashes his blade of light at me.

Oh crap!

I just dodged it, but intense pain runs through my leg.

There are smokes coming out of the priest's gun. Was I shot?

But I don’t hear any gunshots. Then suddenly I felt another shot of pain on my leg again.

“Guaaaah!”

I fell on my knees while moaning. This time, I was shot on my left calf!

It hurts! But I know this pain!

“How is it!? The special bullet made for the Exorcists, the bullet of light! And it doesn’t make any sound. Since its bullet of light. This situation turns both of us on, doesn’t it?”

The pain of light. Yeah, this is the pain of light.

To a Devil, light is poisonous. Once hit, the pain goes through your entire body.

“Die, die, Devil! Die Devil! Turn to dust and disappear! This is all for my entertainment!”

The priest is laughing madly and is about to finish me off.

“Please stop!”

Then there is a voice of a woman I am familiar with.

The priest froze his posture to where he was about to attack me, and looks towards the direction where the voice came from.

I also look to the same direction.

—!

A girl is there, and I know her.

“Asia.”

Yes, the blond Sister is standing there.

“Well if it isn’t my assistant, Asia-chan. What happened? Did you finish putting the barrier?"

“! N-Noooooooo!”

Asia screams after seeing the corpse that is nailed to the wall.

“Thank you for the adorable scream! Oh yeah, this is your first time seeing a corpse like this, isn’t it, Asia-chan? Then look carefully. We have the humans that are entranced by a Devil die like this.”

“……N-No……”

She then looks at us and gets shocked to see me.

“……Father Freed……that person……”

Asia looks at me directly.

“Person? No, no. This shit here is a Devil. Hahaha, what are you misunderstanding?”

“—! Ise-san is a……Devil……?”

She seems to be shocked to find out the truth, and didn’t know what to say.

“What, what? You guys know each other? Wow. Now this is a big surprise. Is it the forbidden love between a Devil and a Sister? Seriously? Are you serious? ”

Freed, the priest, looks at both Asia and me.

……I didn’t want her to know.

It should have stayed like that. It's better that she didn’t know. I didn’t plan on seeing her again.

I just wanted her to think of me as a kind high school student who lives in this town.

Man, I don’t know what to say. What a rotten destiny. Asia’s eyes are making me feel bad.

I’m sorry. I’m sorry for being a Devil.

“Ahaha! Devils and humans can never coexist! Especially humans from the Church and the Devils are the biggest enemies! Also, we are a group of heretics that was deserted by God. Asia-tan and I are humans that can’t survive without the support of Fallen Angels-sama.”

Fallen Angel?

What does he mean? Don’t priests and nuns work under God?

“Well now, leaving that aside, I need to kill this trash here or else I can’t finish my job, so here I come. Are you ready?”

The priest thrusts his sword toward me again.

If I get stabbed by that in my chest, I will be killed…… Even if I do survive, I will end up like that the client who is nailed to the wall and then have my body slashed.

Feeling of fear controls my body when I think about it. This is bad. This situation is really bad!

I will be killed without being able to move my body!

While I was thinking about it, the blond Sister walks between the priest and I.

She stood in front of me with her arms spread as if she is protecting me.

The priest puts on a stern look when he sees this.

“……Hey, hey. Are you serious? Asia-tan, do you know what you are doing?”

“……I do. Father Freed, I beg you. Please forgive this person. Please let him go.”

I became speechless after hearing her.

Asia? Are you protecting me?

“I can’t stand it any more…… You can’t kill people just because they are entranced to a Devil and you also can’t kill Devils. It’s wrong!”

“Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!? Don’t talk shit, bitch! You also learned that Devils are trash at the Church! Seriously, is there something wrong with your brain!?”

Freed now has an anguished expression.

“There are good people, even among Devils!”

“There aren’t, idiooooooot!”

“T-That’s what I thought until recently…… But Ise-san is a good person. That fact doesn’t change even after I found out that he is a Devil! Killing someone is unforgivable! This kind of act! God won’t allow such acts!”

She saw the corpse, and she found out that I’m a Devil, so she should be shocked. But Asia isn’t backing down to speak her beliefs to the priest.

What a strong willed girl. This girl is amazing.

BAKI!

“Kyaa!”

The bastard priest hit Asia to the side with his gun.

Asia fell to the ground.

“Hey, Asia!”

I went to Asia who was struck away.

……There’s a bruise mark on her face. That bastard actually hit her.

“……The Fallen Angel girl told me very strongly that I can't kill you. But I’m getting a bit pissed. Since I can’t kill you, than can I rape you or something? If I don’t, I won’t be able to heal my heart. But before that, I need to kill that trash over there.”

The priest points his blade of light at me again.

……I can’t run away while leaving Asia here.

I can’t leave her here with him who just talked about doing scary stuff!

If I’m running away, then it will be with Asia. So I have to fight……

Can I fight using my Sacred Gear? Even though I don’t know its effect?

I’m also the weakest Piece, [Pawn]. I have a slim chance of winning.

But I have to……

“I can’t leave a girl who just defended me. So come!”

I made a fighting posture in front of the priest.

The priest whistles and seems really happy.

“Eh? Eh? Seriously? Seriously? You are going to fight me? You will die, you know? You will die with a lot of pain? I have no intention of killing you painlessly, okay? Now then. Let’s see if I can make a new record for the smallest minced-meat!”

He’s talking something creepy again.

But I can’t act pathetically front of Asia!

The priest jumps up high, —then the floor glows in a blue and white colour.

“What is this?”

The priest becomes suspicious when the floor glows. The blue light starts to form a shape.

—It’s a magic-circle.

And I have seen this before.

The magic-circle of the Gremory household! I-Is it……!

FLASH!

The magic-circle that appeared on the floor shines. Then the people I know appear from it. I mean, Devils.

“Hyoudou-kun, we came to rescue you.”

Kiba smiles at me.

“Ara ara. This is awful.”

“……Priest.”

Akeno-san and Koneko-chan!

Yes, my comrades.

Kuu! They came to rescue me!

I’m so moved that I feel like crying! Great! Something like this actually happens!?

“Hyahou! Here’s a present for a group of Devils!”

The priest starts slashing his sword.

KAGIN!

The sound of the metal echoes through the room. Kiba blocks the priest's attack with his sword.

“I’m sorry. He’s one of us! We can’t let you lay a finger on him!”

“Oh, oh! A mere Devil being concerned about their comrade? What are you guys? Devil Squadron, the Devil Rangers? That’s nice. I can feel the heat. I’m getting turned on! So how is it? Are you the one sticking it in, and is he the one bending? So are you guys in that sort of relationship?”

They are exchanging swords but the priest is getting cocky and sticking his tongue out while he is shaking his tongue and his head.

That guy is completely looking down on us!

Even Kiba has an anguished expression. Yeah, that guy is definitely disgusting.

“……What a vulgar mouth. It’s hard to believe you are a priest…… Oh, that’s why you are a “Stray Exorcist”, right?”

“Yeah, yeah! I’m vulgar! Sorry about that! That’s because I strayed away! I was kicked out! That’s why, screw the Vatican! I’m all right as long as I get to cut Devils whenever I feel like it!”

Both of them are still exchanging their swords.

Kiba has a calm expression, but his eyes have already captured his foe.

The boy priest, Freed, is still laughing and enjoying the fight.

“You are the type that is the most hard to deal with. Someone who feels like they are living by cutting Devils……the one who causes the most harm to us.”

“Haaaaah!? You know, I don’t want to be told off by a Devil? I’m trying to live now just like other people! I’m not in a position where pests like you can talk down to me!”

“Even Devils have rules.”

Akeno-san is smiling, but her eyes are serious.

She is showing a sign of will to fight and hostility towards Freed.

“Nice. I like those passionate eyes. Onee-san, you are the best. I can feel your urge of wanting to kill me. Is this love? No. I think it’s a killing intent! Superb! This is great! I love the feeling of intending to kill and getting intended to kill!”

“Then disappear.”

The person who appears on my side is the crimson-haired girl, — Rias-buchou!

“Ise, I’m sorry. I never expected that a Stray Exorcist will visit this client’s house.”

Buchou, who is apologising to me, narrows her eyes after seeing my wounds.

“……Ise. Did you get wounded?”

“Ah, sorry…… I was shot……”

I try to deceive her by laughing.

Ah, looks like she will yell at me afterwards. Sorry for being weak, Buchou.

But Buchou didn’t say anything to me and gives a cold expression to the priest.

“Looks like you have been looking after my cute servant?”

Her voice is low and sounds scary.

Wow, Buchou is pissed. Am I the reason?

“Yes, yes. I have been playing around with it. I was planning to cut his body all over but I was interrupted and it finished as a dream.”

BON!

A section of the furniture behind the priest is blown away.

It’s Buchou. Buchou shot out a ball of demonic-power.

“I make sure I never forgive those who harm my servants. I especially can’t forgive a lowlife like you damaging my personal possessions.”

Her intensity causes the atmosphere to feel frozen.

Her killing intent lurks around the room. There is a thing that looks like waves of demonic-power surrounding Buchou.

“! Buchou, there seems to be few Fallen Angels heading to this house. At this rate we will be at a disadvantage.”

Seems like Akeno-san detected something and informs us.

The Fallen Angels are approaching? Those guys with black wings?

Buchou gives another stare at the priest.

“……Akeno, we will return to our headquarters once we retrieve Ise. Prepare for teleportation.”

“Yes.”

Akeno-san starts to cast a spell as soon as Buchou urges her to. Teleport?

Are we running away?

I then look at Asia.

“Buchou! We have to take her as well!”

I say it to Buchou.

“It’s impossible. Only Devils can use the magic-circle to transport. Also, this magic-circle can only teleport me and my servants.”

N-No…… My eyes and Asia's eyes met. She just smiles at me.

“Asia!”

“Ise-san, let’s meet again.”

That was the last words we exchanged at this place.

Next moment, Akeno-san finishes casting the spell, and the magic-circle on the floor starts to glow blue again.

“Like I will let you escape!”

The priest came slashing at us, but Koneko-chan threw the sofa against him.

By the time the priest smacks away the sofa with his sword, we were already teleported to the club room.

I don’t have the time to think about the impression of my first teleportation through the magic-circle, and I only remember the smile Asia gave me last.

Part 3

“There are two types of Exorcists.”

I’m listening to Buchou’s explanation while having my legs heal.

“The first are the Exorcists who receive the blessing from God to perform exorcism in the name of justice. This group of Exorcist borrows its power from God and Angels to eliminate Devils. And there is another one. — “Stray Exorcists”.”

“Stray?”

Buchou nods at my question.

Again with that “Stray”.

“Exorcism is a holy ceremony that is performed in the name of God. But sometimes, there are Exorcists who starts to enjoy the act of killing Devils. They are beings who have found killing Devils as joy and as their purpose of life. So they get kicked out from the Church without exception. Or they get erased for being found guilty.”

“Erased……so they get killed.”

“But there are those who survive. What do you think happens to those Exorcists? It’s simple. They go to the Fallen Angels.”

“Fallen Angels are the ones with black wings, right?”

“Yes. Even though Fallen Angels are beings that were kicked out from the heaven, they still have the power of light, — the power to eliminate Devils. The Fallen Angels also lost a lot of their comrades and their men in the previous war. That’s why they started to collect servants, just like us.”

I understood the situation as soon as she told me that much.

“So the Fallen Angels who finds the Devils a nuisance and the Exorcists who wants to kill Devils have the same objective, right?”

“Yes. That’s why they are called “Stray Exorcists”. So the dangerous Exorcists who became addicted to Devil-hunts started to attack Devils and the humans with connections to Devils by borrowing powers from the Fallen Angels. The boy priest from earlier is exactly that. He’s a “Stray Exorcist” who belongs to an organisation with the support of the Fallen Angels. They are not proper Exorcists, but they are still dangerous like the proper ones. No, since they have no restrictions on them, they are much harder to deal with than the actual Exorcists. It’s not smart to deal with them. So, the Church you went to before does not belong to God but to the Fallen Angels.”

……I knew they were a threat.

I realised how dangerous they are when I was fighting that shitty priest.

He is really evil. He only thought about fighting and has joy in killing Devils.

Getting involved with the group where more shits like that exist is dangerous. I know that. I really do.

But. But!

So I have to say it to Buchou.

“Buchou, I need to save that girl, Asia!”

“It’s impossible. How will you fight them? You are a Devil. And she is a servant of Fallen Angels. It’s the two kinds that cannot coexist. Saving her means making the Fallen Angels your enemies. ……If that happened, we would also have to fight.”

“…………”

I couldn’t say anything back to her. I will cause trouble to Buchou and others due to my selfishness.

I compared Asia with Buchou and others.

But I can’t find the answer. Which one is more important?

That……that will be……

I realised what a small man I am, because I can’t find the right answer.

I can’t save even a single girl.

I am too weak.

Part 4

“Haa……”

Noon.

I've skipped school today, and I’m currently sitting on a bench in a children’s park while making a sigh.

The wounds I received from the priest on my leg yesterday haven’t completely healed.

According to Buchou, “The Fallen Angel who gave its power to that priest must have a dense power of light”, so it seems like they will be troublesome for us Devils since light is poisonous to us.

With this leg, I can’t do the Devils’ job for a while, so I was told to take a break by Buchou.

Buchou probably has already talked to the teacher so it should be fine. That’s because Buchou controls the school from the shadows.

GUU~

My stomach rumbles. Now that I think about it, I haven’t eaten since morning.

I have been thinking about Asia and my career as a Devil the whole time.

How can I save Asia? Before that, does Asia even like her current situation?

That, I don’t know.

But I have made my own assumption that she won’t enjoy working in the same place as a psycho priest who will hit her.

Umm.

If I do things on my own, it will cause a lot of trouble to Buchou and the others.

……I want to get stronger.

That’s the only thing in my mind right now.

There are many things that are possible to do only if you are strong. In my short life as a Devil, that is the only thing I’m sure of.

It seems like I have to be stronger in order to achieve my dream.

Since then, I've learned how to make my Sacred Gear appear whenever I feel like. But since I don’t know how to use it, it’s a waste. But maybe relying on the Sacred Gear makes me a weakling.

All right. Once my wounds heal, I’m going to start building muscles! I’m also going to ask Buchou and Akeno-san how to use demonic-powers.

……I’m not happy, but I’m might ask Kiba to teach me how to use sword.

Anyway, I have my plans now.

I’m going to get stronger than that shitty priest. No, I need to be strong enough to run away from the Fallen Angel on my own.

I’m a [Pawn], but I can do it as long as I work hard. I want to believe that.

Yeah, since I have a new plan, I’ll buy lunch somewhere and go home!

When I got up from the bench, the colour gold appears to my eyes.

When I look carefully, there is a blond haired girl that I’m familiar with.

She also notices me. Both of us are shocked at this meeting.

“……Asia?”

“……Ise-san?”

Part 5

“……Auu.”

It’s a strange sight. A Sister is getting confused in front of the register.

“W-What would you like to order……?”

Even the employee doesn’t know how to handle this situation.

Its lunchtime and I took Asia to a fast food restaurant at the business district.

It seems like Asia never came to this kind of place before, so she is having a hard time choosing her meal.

I offered my help, but she said proudly, “It’s fine, I will manage it somehow”, so I have been watching her the whole time……

Thinking carefully, you can’t speak Japanese.

Seeing the chance, I help her.

“Sorry. She will have the same order as me.”

“Okay.”

The employee takes the order. Asia on the other hand is shocked.

“Auu, I’m ashamed. I can’t even buy a single hamburger by myself……”

“W-Well, first you need to get used to Japanese.”

We head towards the empty table as soon as we got our meals while I encourage Asia who is feeling down.

While we are moving inside the restaurant, most of the male customers are looking at Asia.

It’s because she is a nun, but also because she’s really cute.

Well, any guy will look at her if they saw her.

We sat opposite each other, but Asia is taking a really good look at the hamburger and isn’t eating it. Rather, does she even know how to eat it?

Wow, what a strange development.

“Princess, you can eat this by taking the wrap off like this.”

I showed her how to do it while smiling.

“T-There’s actually a way to eat like that!? A-Amazing!”

……What a new reaction. You are seriously cute, Asia.

“You also eat the fries like this.”

“Oh my!”

Asia is looking at me eating the fries with very keen eyes.

“No no, you also eat, Asia.”

“Y-Yes.”

She takes a small bite of the burger.

She starts eating it.

“D-Delicious! This burger is very delicious!”

This girl is saying it while her eyes are shining. What does she normally eat?

“You never ate a burger before?”

“No. I have seen it often on television, but it’s my first time eating it. I’m moved! It’s delicious!”

“Oh. So what do you normally eat?”

“Mainly bread and soup. I also eat vegetable and pasta food.”

Such simple food. Is Church like that?

“Is that right? Then eat it carefully so you remember the taste. “

“Yes. I will eat it with joy.”

Asia starts eating it deliciously. But why was she at that park?

She said she has time off, but it seems like she is running away from something.

When she saw me, she seemed relieved.

I wanted to ask her but that might been a thoughtless question. I probably should wait till she feels like telling me.

I will help her any time.

There is also the thing about Buchou and the others. But I can’t tell her that.

It’s so irritating.

Oh well, since she is enjoying eating her hamburger, I feel bad asking her something that will make her depressed.

Yeah, that’s it. Just for today, we shall forget about everything.

That was the answer I got.

“Asia.”

“Y-Yes.”

“We will go and have some fun now.”

“Eh?”

“Let’s go to the game centre.”

“The legendary fastest downhill driver, Ise!”

Booooom!

I put my foot down on the accelerator, and quickly change the gear around the curve!

I then went past both cars!

“Fast! You are so fast Ise-san!”

Fufufu, are you watching me Asia? Now fall in love with my driving handling technique!

Just like that, I was playing a racing game at the game centre.

Even though I look like this, I didn’t join any school club before joining the Occult research club.

The three of us, Motohama, Matsuda, and I went through all of the game centres nearby.

Racing game or not, I can beat any games!

[WIN!]

The sign that shows my victory appears on my screen.

Yeah, looks like I made a new track record again…… Like that, I was falling for myself.

Then I lost sight of Asia. When I looked, she is standing in front of the crane game.

“What is it?”

“Hau! N-No…… I-It’s nothing.”

When I ask her, she tries to hide it.

“Is there something you want?”

When I look inside the crane game there is a doll of “Rache-kun” inside. It’s a cute mascot based on a mouse. If I remember correctly, this character came from Japan but it’s popular worldwide. So that’s why Asia also knew it.

“Asia, do you like Rache-kun?”

“Eh? N-No, t-that is……”

Asia’s face gets red, and she nods her head shyly.

“Okay. I will get it for you!”

“Eh? B-But……!”

“It’s okay, I will get it.”

Strike while the iron is hot. I put the coin in immediately and started controlling the crane.

Even though I look like this, I’m pretty good at crane games you know?

Well, that’s what I thought, but I had a hard time getting it.

On my first try I dropped the doll on a good location, and on my second try I totally missed.

On my third and fourth try I missed it as well, but when Asia became worried on my fifth try, I finally managed to get it!

“Yeah!”

I made a victory pose and took Rache-kun which I just dropped out. I then give it to Asia.

“Here you go, Asia.”

Asia became so happy that she held the doll to her chest.

“Thank you very much, Ise-san. I will take care of this doll.”

“Hey hey, if a doll like that makes you happy, then I’ll get you more next time.”

That’s what I said to her., but she shook her head.

“No, this Rache-kun that you gave me represents the wonderful day I met you. Since today is the only day I met you, I will take good care of this doll.”

……Her words makes me shy.

But, when this girl says it, it actually seems natural.

Well, never mind!

“Okay! We haven’t started yet! Asia, we will play for the whole day today! Follow me!”

“Y-Yes!”

I took Asia’s hand and went further into the game centre.

Part 6

“Ah, we played a lot today.”

“Y-Yes……I’m a bit tired……”

We are walking on the street while laughing.

It’s already evening.

Hahaha, I've skipped school today and had fun till dusk.

We are lucky that we didn’t get caught by the police. If we did, then I will have been taken into custody right away.

I ended up being tired. Both Asia and I.

It was fun to see Asia’s reaction when we went to the game centre and other shops.

Rather, I feel the dating plan that I had made for Yuuma-chan has proven to be of good use. You really can’t tell what will happen in life since I never expected to become useful.

“Oh.”

I almost tripped over because of the uncomfortable feeling on my leg.

“Ouch.”

Then I felt a bit of pain as well.

It’s the wound from yesterday. The place where I was shot by that shitty priest still hurts.

Looks like the day when it gets healed will be quite far from now.

“……Ise-san, are you injured? Is it from yesterday……”

Asia’s expression gets cloudy.

I think I messed up. We were having a good time, but I made her remember something painful. But Asia bends down and starts to check my injuries.

“Can you please lift your trouser up?”

“S-Sure.”

I lift my trousers to have my calf exposed. The bullet mark is still there.

Asia then places her palm there.

A warm and gentle light shines on my calf.

It really is a warm light. It’s a green light. It’s like Asia’s eyes and it looks so beautiful.

It feels like her kindness is inside her light.

“How is it?”

Asia stops her light, and she urges me to move.

I move my leg a bit.

Oh? Wow. This is amazing!

“This is amazing Asia. I don’t feel uncomfortable anymore! I don’t feel any pain at all!”

I run around a bit.

Asia smiles happily when she sees me.

“You are amazing, Asia. The healing power, it’s an incredible power. ……This is a Sacred Gear, right?”

“Yes, it is.”

Just like I thought.

“To tell you the truth, I also have a Sacred Gear. Though, it’s not much of a use. Right now, that is.”

Asia puts on a shocked face after hearing my confession.

“Ise-san, you also have a Sacred Gear? I didn’t realise it at all.”

“Hahaha, I don’t even know its effect. And to compare it, Asia, your power is amazing. This can heal humans, animals, and also Devils like me, right?”

She put on a complicated expression, then a sad face.

Soon after, a single drop of tear falls from her eyes.

Then, more tears starts flowing out from her eyes.

She then got down and starts to cry.

I don’t know what to do, so I took her to a spot where we can sit.

We sit on the bench on the roadside.

Then, she told me a story about the girl who was once called the “Holy Maiden”.

In a certain region in Europe, there was a girl who was discarded by her parents.

She was raised in a Church nearby by a nun along with other orphans.

The girl who was a strong follower of the Church received a special power at the age of 8.

She healed a wounded puppy, and a person from the Catholic Church witnessed it by chance.

From there on, her life changed.

The girl was taken to the main Catholic Church and she was symbolised by many as a “Holy Maiden” because of her healing power.

She used her power to heal many believers and they were told it was a power of divine protection.

Rumours brought rumours and she was respected as a “Holy Maiden”.

Even without her approval.

She had no dissatisfaction for how she was treated. People from the Church were kind and she didn’t hate healing people.

She instead was happy that her power was of use.

The girl was thankful to her power which was bestowed to her by God.

But she was a bit lonely.

She didn’t have any friends she could open up to.

Everyone treated her nicely and was nice to her. But there were no one willing to become her friend.

She understood why.

She knew that they were looking at her power as something irregular.

They didn’t look at her as a human but as a creature that could heal humans.

But one day, it changed.

By coincidence, there was a Devil nearby and she healed it.

A wounded Devil. The girl couldn’t ignore it.

She thought that even if it was a Devil, she had to heal it if it was injured.

It was her kindness that made her take such an action.

But that changed her life forever.

One of the people from the Church saw that incident and notified others of the Church.

The ministers of the Church were shocked about it.

“A power that can heal Devils!?”

“Something absurd like that cannot happen!”

“The power of healing can only heal the followers of God!”

Yes, there were several people who had the power to heal.

But the power to heal the Devil was out of the question. The people of the Church thought it was common sense that the power of healing doesn’t work on Fallen Angels and Devils.

Apparently, a similar incident had happened in the past.

The power to heal Fallen Angels and Devils that were not protected by God. But that was feared as the power of a “Witch”.

So the people saw her as a heretic.

“Damn witch that heals Devils!”

The girl who was respected as a Holy Maiden was then feared as a “Witch” and the Catholic Church abandoned her.

She didn’t have anywhere to go and the organisation of “Stray Exorcists” picked her up.

In other words, she had to get divine protection from the Fallen Angels.

But the girl never forgot to pray to God. She also never forgot to thank God.

Even so, the girl was abandoned.

God didn’t save her.

What shocked her the most was that there was not even a single person in the Church that was willing to defend her.

There was no one who cared about her.

“……It’s because I didn’t pray enough. It’s because I’m clumsy. I’m so stupid that I can’t even eat a burger by myself.”

The girl, Asia, wipes her tears while laughing.

I didn’t know what to say to her.

I didn’t know what to say after finding out her devastating past.

Just like she showed before, she is a Sacred Gear possessor that has the power to heal even Devils.

“This is also a trial that the lord gave me. Since I’m a clumsy nun, the lord gave me this trial. So I have to endure it.”

She was laughing as if she was talking to herself.

You don’t have to say anything any more……

“I’m sure I will make lots of friends one day. I have a dream. I want to go buy flowers with a friend, buying books and……talk……”

She is full of tears.

I can’t look at her any more. She must have been enduring it the whole time.

She has been waiting for God to save her the whole time and has been hiding her feelings all along.

Hey.

Hey God!

What’s the meaning of this!? Why don’t you save this girl!

She has been longing for your help!? She has been respecting you more than anyone!

What are you doing!? Why aren’t you doing anything!?

I don’t know a single thing about you and I also don’t believe in any religion. On top of that, I’m a Devil!

But even a Devil like me can talk to her!

Weren’t you the one that gave us the Sacred Gears?

This! This is wrong!

Ah, I know. This is what I’m going to do! Watch me, God!

I took her hand. I say it to her while looking directly to her eyes which is wet with her tears.

“Asia, I will become your friend. No, we are already friends.”

Asia stands there looking puzzled.

“I’m a D-Devil, but it’s all right. I won’t take Asia’s life, and I won’t take any price! You can call me whenever you feel like it! Ah, and I will also give you my mobile number.”

I put my hand inside my pocket to get my mobile phone out.

“……Why?”

“It’s not why! Asia, you played with me for the whole day right? We talked right? We laughed together right? Then you and I are friends! A human, a Devil, or God doesn’t matter! We are friends!”

“……Is that a pact with a Devil?”

“It’s not! Asia and I are going to become actual friends! We will put other things aside! We will talk when we want to, we will play when we want to, and yeah, I will also go shopping with you! Whether its books or flowers, we will go shopping much as you want! Okay?”

Even I think that I suck at conversation. It’s not even romantic. Kiba probably knows the right thing to say at a time like this.

But Asia put her hand on her mouth, and once again starts to shed tears.

Though, this time, her tears didn’t seem sad.

“……Ise-san. I have no common sense.”

“We could learn by going around the city! If you go around looking at different things, you would learn eventually.”

“……I can’t speak Japanese. I also don’t know about its culture.”

“I will teach you! I will even make you speak using a proverb! Leave it to me! We could even go to museum to look at Japanese national treasure! Samurai! Sushi, and geisha!”

“I also don’t know what to talk about with a friend.”

I hold Asia’s hand tightly.

“You talked to me normally for a whole day. That was fine. We were already talking like friends.”

“……Will you become my friend?”

“Yeah, so let’s get along from now on, Asia.”

She nods her head and smiles.

Yeah, with this it’s OK.

Asia and I are friends! But this situation sure makes me blush.

I will probably tremble with embarrassment once I go to bed after this.

But it doesn’t matter.

If Asia will smile, then it’s okay.

The incident from her sad past. I won’t know how painful it was.

But I’m positive that I can keep her smiling from now on!

Even a human and a Devil can be friends! I thought it was impossible at first, but I don’t care any more.

I am definitely going to see her from now on as her friend. I won’t let anyone get in our way!

I will protect Asia!

“It’s impossible.”

A voice which rejects all my thoughts.

When I look towards the direction of where the voice came from, I become speechless.

That’s because the person I am familiar with is standing there.

A slender girl with silky black hair.

Amano Yuuma-chan is standing there.

“Y-Yuuma-chan……?”

She laughs of amusement when she hears my trembling voice.

“Heh. You survived. And as a Devil? Seriously, that is the worst.”

Her voice isn’t the cute voice of Yuuma-chan, and she sounds more like that of a bewitching adult.

“……Raynare-sama……”

Asia calls her by that name.

Raynare? Yeah, that’s right. I totally forgot.

Amano Yuuma is a Fallen Angel. That’s right. I almost forgot about that.

I see, so it’s the Fallen Angel Raynare. So that’s her real name.

“……What does a Fallen Angel like you want?”

She sneers when I said that to her.

“I don’t want a filthy low-class Devil like you talking to me.”

She stares at me as if she is looking at something very disgusting.

“That girl. Asia, is our personal belonging. Can I have her back? Asia, you know it’s useless to run away?”

Run? What does she mean?

“……No. I don’t want to return to that Church. I don’t want to return to the people who kill other people. ……Also, you people did things to me……”

Asia replies back with disgust.

What happened? What happened inside that Church?

“Please don’t say that, Asia. Your Sacred Gear is essential for our plan. So please come back with me? I also took the time to look for you. Don’t make trouble for me.”

Raynare approaches us. Asia hides behind me. Her body is shaking with fear.

I take a step forward to protect her.

“Wait. Can’t you see she doesn’t want to? Yu-, no Raynare-san, what are you going to do with her after taking her back?”

“Low-class Devil, don’t call me by my name. My name will get filthy. What’s between us doesn’t have anything to do with you. If you don’t go back to your master’s place quickly, you will die, you know?”

Raynare gathers light in her hand.

Is it the spear?

I was killed once because of it.

I need to make the first move!

“S-Sacred Gear!”

When I shouted towards the sky loudly, lights cover my left arm and forms into a red gauntlet.

Yeah! It’s a success!

Looks like secretly practicing on how to make my Sacred Gear appear without making the posture paid off! Seeing my Sacred Gear, Raynare shows a shocked expression for a moment and then starts to laugh.

“I was told that your Sacred Gear was a dangerous one before from the higher-ups, but it looks like they were totally wrong!”

The Fallen Angel starts to laugh as if she found it amusing.

What? What’s so funny?

“Your Sacred Gear is one of the common ones. It’s called the [Twice Critical]. It doubles the power of the possessor for a temporally time, but having you double your power is not a threat to me. Truly, a fitting object for a low-class Devil like you.”

The ability that doubles the possessor's power? Is that the power of my Sacred Gear?

And she said it’s one of the common……

But that’s good enough for now.

I need to shake Raynare off somehow, and run away with Asia!

But where to? The school?

I can’t. I can’t cause trouble for Buchou and others.

My house? How shall I explain it to my parents?

……Damn it. Even though I’m her friend, I don’t know where to take Asia!

Damn! I will think about it later! First of all, I need to beat this Fallen Angel in front of me!

Shit! It’s the worst case that I have to fight my ex-girlfriend!

Why do I always get into this mess?

“Sacred Gear! Activate! You can double my power, right!? Then activate!”

Then the jewel on the gauntlet starts to glow.

[Boost!!]

A sound is made. Next moment, I felt power flowing into me.

Is this what it means to double my powers!?

Yeah! With this—!

STAB

A nasty sound. Something stabs my stomach.

The spear of light. She threw at me, again.

“Even if your power is doubled, you can’t even evade this small spear I made. Even if the power of 1 is doubled, it’s only 2. You can’t narrow the power gap between us. Do you understand now, low-class Devil-kun?”

I fall down.

This is bad. Light is poisonous. It’s poisonous for a Devil. And I was hit in my stomach. This is—

I prepare myself for the intense pain which will be followed by certain death, but I don’t feel any pain at all.

That’s because a green light is enveloping around my body.

When I look, Asia is healing my wound. She is putting her hand on my stomach and is healing my wound for me.

The spear of light gradually gets smaller, and it eventually disappears.

I don’t feel even the slightest pain. Instead, I can feel Asia’s warmth.

“Asia. If you don’t want that Devil to be killed, come with me. Your Sacred Gear is essential for our plan. Your power, the [Twilight Healing], is a rare Sacred Gear unlike the Sacred Gear of the Devil over there. If you don’t come with me, I will have to kill that Devil.”

Raynare gives a cruel order.

I’m the hostage!? Like hell I am!

“S-Shut up! I can defeat you—”

“Yes, I understand.”

Without hearing me, Asia accepts the Fallen Angel’s order.

“Asia!”

“Ise-san. Thank you for today. It was really fun.”

She makes a big smile. My stomach has completely healed.

After she confirms it, she walks towards Raynare.

“Good girl, Asia. That’s it. Problem solved. With today’s ritual, you will be freed from your suffering.”

Raynare put on a lecherous smile.

Shit! She doesn’t look anything like the Yuuma-chan that I know!

Also what does she mean by ritual!? It only sounds like something bad!

I then shout towards Asia.

“Asia! Wait! We're friends, aren’t we!?”

“Yes. Thank you for being friends with someone like me.”

I promised to protect Asia.

“I-I have to protect Asia!”

She turns around, but she is still smiling at me.

I become fascinated with her smile for a moment.

“Goodbye.”

She says her farewell.

Raynare covers Asia with her black wings.

“Low-class Devil, looks like you were saved because of this girl. If you get in my way again, I will definitely kill you. Goodbye, Ise-kun.”

The Fallen Angel who sneers at me flew up high while holding Asia.

They disappear into the sky.

The only thing left is me, black feathers, and Rache-kun that Asia has left behind.

—I couldn’t do anything.

“I will protect Asia”. What a laugh.

I got on my knees and started punching the ground.

I bite my teeth hard and I cry out with frustration.

Damn it. Damn it.

Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamit!

“Asia……”

I cry out the name of my friend towards the sky.

There’s no reply.

“Asiaaaaaaaaaaa!”

For the first time in my life, I cursed myself for being weak.

Life.4 I'm Saving My Friend!

Part 1

SLAP!

A sound echoes in the club room. The sound came from my cheek.

I was slapped. Buchou slapped me on my cheek.

She has a serious expression.

“How many times do I have to repeat myself? No is no. I can’t allow you to save that Sister.”

I visited the school after I couldn’t save Asia and reported the story to Buchou.

Even after I reported what happened, I proposed to go to that Church.

Obviously, to save Asia.

But Buchou on the other hand said that she wouldn’t get involved in this matter.

I wasn’t able to agree with her decision, so I tried to convince her even though I knew it was rude. That’s why she slapped me.

The first slap I ever received in my life hurts more than I thought. Especially my heart hurts.

I have been continuing to betray Buchou who holds high expectations for me.

But still, there are things that I can’t give up on.

“Then I will go by myself. I’m worried about the ritual thing. The Fallen Angels are doing something from behind the scenes. There’s no guarantee of Asia’s safety.”

“Are you really that stupid? You will definitely be killed if you go. You won’t be able to come back to life anymore. Do you understand?”

Buchou tries to talk calmly, but she is talking to me as if she is warning me.

“Your actions will affect not only me but also the other members! You are a Devil of the Gremory group! You need to be aware of that!”

“Then let me out of this group. I’ll go there as an individual.”

“I can’t do that! Why don’t you understand?”

I think it’s the first time I’ve seen Buchou this enraged.

I have been causing a lot of trouble for Buchou. But there are things that I can’t back down from.

“I became friends with Asia Argento. Asia is my important friend. I won’t abandon my friend!”

“……That’s a wonderful thing. I think it’s amazing if you can say that face to face. But that is different than what we are talking about now. The relationship between a Devil and a Fallen Angel is not as simple as you think. The two sides have been glaring at each other for hundreds and thousands of years. If you show them a single gap of weakness, they will come and kill us. They are our enemy.”

“Wasn’t blowing away the enemy the Gremory’s way of doing things?”

“…………”

We glare at each other.

I didn’t back off. I look straight into her eyes.

“That girl was originally from God’s side. She is a person that we cannot ever coexist with. Even if she went with the Fallen Angels, it doesn’t change the fact that she is still the enemy of us Devils.”

“Asia isn’t our enemy!”

I denied it strongly. A kind girl like her can’t be our enemy!

“Even if she isn’t, she has nothing to do with us. Ise, you have to forget about her.”

Even if she says it like that, there’s no way I can forget about her!

Then Akeno-san comes and whispers into Buchou’s ear.

What is it? Did something happen? Akeno-san also has a serious expression. But it looks like it isn’t because of Buchou and my discussion.

Buchou, who is listening to Akeno-san, makes a serious face.

Just as I thought, something definitely happened.

Buchou looks at me, and then looks at the remaining members.

“I’ve got an urgent thing to do now. Akeno and I will go out for a bit.”

—!

N-No!

“B-Buchou! I haven’t finished talking—”

Buchou put her index finger on my lips.

“Ise, there are a couple of things I need to tell you. First one. You think that a [Pawn] is a weak piece, right? Am I right?”

I nod quietly to her question.

“That’s a big misunderstanding. [Pawn] has a special ability that no other pieces have. That ability is the [Promotion].”

Promotion? What is that?

“Just like the actual chess game, [Pawn] can change into other classes if they reach the opponent's base. They are able to promote to any other piece besides the [King] piece. Ise, when you step foot in the location I acknowledge as “Enemy's base”, you are able to change into any piece besides the [King].”

Oh man! So I can promote to Kiba’s [Knight] class, Koneko-chan’s [Rook] class, and also even Akeno-san’s [Queen] class!?

“Since it hasn’t been that long since you became a Devil, there are restrictions, so it’s probably still impossible for you to be promoted to the ultimate piece, a [Queen]. But you could change to other classes. If you wish strongly for [Promotion] within your heart, then there will be a change in your ability.”

Amazing! Just listening to it gave me a lot of information!

If I add the promotion with my Sacred Gear, then I might be able to beat that priest!

“Also one more thing. It’s about the Sacred Gear. When you use your Sacred Gear, just remember this.”

Buchou starts to stroke my cheek with her hand.

“—Desire. Sacred Gear is driven with the power of desire. And it also determines the power for it as well. Even though you are a Devil, your will to desire hasn’t been lost. The stronger you desire, the stronger your Sacred Gear will respond to you.”

—Desire.

The power of desire will activate the Sacred Gear……

So if I strongly wish for it, this will activate.

“There’s one last thing you should never forget, Ise. Even a [Pawn] can take down the [King]. This is basic in chess. This truth also applies for the Devils’ chess pieces. You can become stronger.”

After saying that, she teleports to some other place through the magic-circle along with Akeno-san.

The only ones left are me, Kiba, and Koneko-chan.

After I take a deep breath, I was already determined to go and was about to leave.

“Hyoudou-kun.”

Kiba calls me.

“Are you going?”

“Yeah, I am. I have to go. Asia is my friend after all. I’m the one who has to save her.”

“……You will get killed. Even if you have the Sacred Gear, and even if you use [Promotion], you can’t take down a group of Exorcists and Fallen Angels by yourself.”

Logical answer.

I already know that. I’m very aware of that.

“Even so, I’m going. Even if I die, I will set Asia free.”

“Good determination, that’s what I would like to say but it’s still reckless.”

“Then what am I supposed to do!”

I shouted at him, but he says it straight at me.

“I’m going too.”

“Wha……”

I lost my words after hearing something unexpected.

Of course. I just heard something that I wasn’t expecting.

“I don’t know much about Asia-san, but you are my comrade. Even though Buchou said that, there’s a part of me that respects your decision. Also, I personally don’t like Fallen Angels and priests. I detest them.”

……This guy probably has some kind of past as well.

But to hear the word “comrade” from him……

“Remember what Buchou said? “When you step foot in the location I acknowledge as “Enemy's base”, you are able to change into any piece besides the [King]”. So isn’t she indirectly telling us that “I acknowledge that the Church is the location where the enemy of Rias Gremory is”?”

“Ah.”

I finally realise it.

I see, so that’s what she meant.

That’s why she told me the information about [Promotion].

“Buchou indirectly approved you to go. Of course, I think she also means that I should support you as well. Buchou may have some kind of plan. If not, she would have stopped you by locking you up somewhere.”

Kiba laughs.

……Buchou, thank you very much!

I have witnessed how gracious Buchou is once again, and thanked her from the bottom of my heart.

If I come back safely, I will work harder!

I’m thanking Buchou who isn’t here silently, and a small build girl approaches me.

“……I’m going as well.”

“Wha-, Koneko-chan?”

“……I feel uneasy for only having you two go.”

Koneko-chaaaaaaaan! I can’t tell what’s going in her mind since she doesn’t show any expression, but I feel like I just witnessed her kindness hidden in her!

“I’m touched! Right now, I’m so deeply touched, Koneko-chan!”

I became emotional with this girl’s word.

“H-Huh? But I’m going as well……?”

Kiba puts on a sad smile. I know, Kiba. Thank you.

I thought that a troubled handsome is a bit cute.

All right! With this it’s possible! We can do it!

“Then let’s go for a rescue mission with the three of us! Wait for us, Asia!”

Like this, the three of us headed towards the Church.

Part 2

The sky is already dark, and it’s already time for the street lamps to be on.

The three of us, Kiba, Koneko-chan, and I, are examining the Church from a place where we can see it.

There is no one entering or exiting the Church.

But the closer we got to the Church, the stronger I started to have a bad feeling. I’m sweating from all over my body.

When I ask Kiba, he says that, “From this presence, it’s certain that there is a Fallen Angel inside”.

So the enemy’s boss is inside.

“Here, look at this map.”

Kiba spread out the map of the building on the road.

The map of the Church. Where did he get if from……?

“Well, it’s basic when you are going into the enemy’s territory.”

The good looking guy makes a smile.

Wow, what swift support. I didn’t even think about it and was trying to get in head on.

I realised how naive I am once again.

“Besides the sanctuary, there is also a dormitory. The sanctuary looks suspicious.”

Kiba points at the sanctuary.

“So we can ignore the dormitory then?”

“Most likely. Most “Stray Exorcist” groups usually make some alteration to the sanctuary. They usually perform suspicious rituals under the sanctuary.”

“Why?”

I told him my doubt. Kiba makes a bitter smile.

“It’s the place they used to respect as a holy place, and by doing something that rejects God there, it makes them satisfied because it’s an insult to God. Because they loved God, because they were rejected by God, they purposely cast evil spells under the sanctuary as a representation for their hatred.”

They are insane. No, even the God who cast away his faithful believers is at fault.

Right now I hate God because of the incident with Asia. That’s why I think that way.

“The sanctuary is located right behind the entrance. I think we can go straight in. The problem is to find the door to the basement once we get in the sanctuary, and also if we can defeat the assassins waiting for us.”

Assassins……

When I heard that word, I start to have a bad premonition.

We look at each other in front of the Church while the moonlight lit our face, and then we nod to each other.

We are set!

Now we only have to enter!

Wait for me, Asia!

We passed through the entrance and went straight for the sanctuary.

The Fallen Angels will have noticed our intrusion by this point.

So the enemy knows that we have entered their territory.

There’s no going back. The only thing left is to head straight in!

We open the door, and stepped inside the sanctuary.

There is an altar and long chairs. It looks like an ordinary sanctuary. The candle lights and the interior lamps lit the sanctuary.

……Oh there is something that didn’t seem normal.

The statue of the person on the cross. It has its head destroyed.

What a creepy site.

CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP

Then a clap echoes through the sanctuary. Someone who looks like a priest shows up from behind the pillar.

Seeing his face, I become disgusted.

“Meeting! It’s a reunion! So emotional!”

It's that white haired shitty Priest!

I think his name is Freed. It’s him. So he’s the so-called assassin, huh.

He sure has a weird smile like always.

“Well, I never met the same Devil twice before! You know, since I'm super strong, I cut Devils into pieces when I first meet them! Once I see them, I cut them up on the spot! I then kiss the corpse and say goodbye! That’s how I used to live! But since you guys ruined my style, I’m so lost! That’s no good~. It’s not good to interfere with my lifestyle~! That’s why~! You guys piss me off! I hope you guys will die! Actually die! You trashy Deeeeeeeeeeeevils!”

After showing his joy and sadness, he is in a rage now.

He takes out the gun and handle-only sword from before.

BOOOM.

The blade of light appears. It will be a troublesome to get cut by that sword. That gun is also troublesome.

But it’s different from before. It’s 3 against 1 now.

“You guys came to rescue Asia-tan, right? Hahaha! Devil-samas are big hearted for coming to rescue a bitch like that who would even heal Devils! Well, just being entranced to a Devil should make that Sister die!”

Die? What does he mean!?

“Hey! Where is Asia!?”

“Well, there is a hidden stairs under that altar. From there you can go to the place where they are doing the ritual.”

That guy spilled out the location of the hidden basement by pointing at the altar.

Does he even know that he has to stop us? Or did he spill it out because he's confident that he can kill us and it will solve the problem?

“Sacred Gear!”

Synchronised with my shout, a red gauntlet appears on my left arm.

Equipping the Sacred Gear, completed! Okay!

Kiba draw his sword from the sheath and Koneko-chan—

Huh! I’m so shocked that my eyes are about to pop out.

GOGOGO……

Koneko-chan is lifting up the pews that are several times bigger than her.

“……Get smashed.”

Koneko-chan throws the pews at the Priest! Super Girl that is totally an unexpected method of attack!

“Wow! Oh yeah!”

The Priest did a small dance and cut the chair in half with his blade of light. The chair that is cut in half hits the ground.

“There.”

SWIFT.

When I thought Kiba went ahead, he has already disappeared. He’s so fast that I can’t see him!

GIIN!

There are sparks between Kiba’s sword and the Priest’s blade of light.

So it’s solid despite being made from light huh. After all, even if Kiba slashes straight at him, I can hear the sound of two metals colliding against each other.

“Hmmm! Hmmm! Such a pain! Why are you guys so noisy!? I’m super very bad! I’m sorry for talking in a death language! Forgive me after you die!”

Kiba dodges the soundless bullets with his legs he is proud of while continuing to attack his enemy.

Kiba who is dodging all of the Priest’s attack is amazing.

But the Priest is also something because he can fight on par with a Devil.

Man, he stopped Kiba’s slash again!

I can’t catch Kiba’s movements with my eyes, but the Priest can.

So that shitty Priest is not an opponent that I can take on by myself.

Kiba and the Priest then start to battle head on. Both of them are glaring at each other.

“Impressive. You are quite strong.”

“Ahaha! You too! A [Knight], huh!? Not even a single blind spot! This is great! Yes yes, this is what I’m talking about. Lately, I haven’t had an awesome battle like this! I was about to cry because of it! Hmmm! Hmmm! I’m going to kill you!”

“Then maybe I should also fight seriously for a bit then.”

Kiba is going to fight seriously? What is he going to do?

“Eat this.”

Low pitched voice. I can’t believe its Kiba’s voice because it has some intensity in it.

Then, some black stuff comes out of Kiba’s sword. It starts to cover the whole sword.

Darkness.

If I have to describe it, that will be it.

The darkness covers the sword.

No, it’s more like the darkness is shaping into Kiba’s sword.

The darkness sword that is clashing against the Priest’s blade of light starts to expand and is devouring the blade of light.

“Wha, what the hell is this!?”

The Priest seems confused.

“—[Holy-Eraser], a darkness sword that devours light.”

“Y-You are also a Sacred Gear possessor!?”

Sacred Gear! Kiba too!?

I mean, darkness-sword looks awesome!

Dammit! So good looking ones get a good looking weapon as well!?

The Priest’s blade of light is completely devoured by Kiba’s sword, and it can’t maintain its shape after having the lights devoured.

Now! This is my chance!

I went straight at him!

“Sacred Gear! Activate!”

[Boost!!]

A sound comes out from the jewel and the power flows into my body.

My target is the shitty priest.

The priest becomes aware of me.

“I’m keeping on telling you! You are annoying!”

He points his gun that is loaded with bullets of light at me. The bullet is shot without making any sound.

Here!

“Promotion, [Rook]!”

BASHIIN!

The bullet of light didn’t pierce through me, and instead returns to nothing.

“-! Promotion!? A [Pawn]!?”

The Priest seems to be in shock.

Yeah, I’m a [Pawn]! The [Pawn] who is going to bash you!

“The traits of a [Rook]!Unreal defence and-!”

My left fist hit the Priest’s face. That’s what I thought, but I felt something hard on my fist.

Even so, I punched as hard as I can!

The Priest gets pushed far back!

“Ridiculous attack strength.”

I laugh while breathing hard.

“That’s for hitting Asia that time. I feel relieved that I hit you once.”

The Priest is on the ground, but gets up slowly and spits his blood onto the ground.

His right cheek is swollen.

Just that? I promoted to [Rook], but looks like I still don’t have Koneko-chan's attacking power.

No, if I look carefully, his handle only sword is smashed up.

Did he use that as a shield just before getting punched by me?

So that’s the hard thing I felt. He has a fast reaction.

“……Hmm ……Oh man, not only I got punched by a trashy Devil, but he’s saying some weird crap to me……—Don’t fuck with me.”

The Priest makes a howl.

“Don’t fuck with me!! You shiiiiiit! A mere Devil shouldn’t act cocky with meeeeee! I’ll kill you! Definitely! I’ll definitely kill you! I’m going to cut you into pieces, you shiiiiit!”

The Priest takes out his second sword which only has its handle.

He still has it!? How many does he have!?

But the three of us, me, Kiba, and Koneko-chan, surround the Priest.

The Priest notices it, and he looks around. He begins to smirk.

“Wow, wow. Is this what you call a crisis? Hmm, for me, getting killed by a Devil is a no-no, so I feel like retreating. It’s a shame that I can’t exorcise you guys, but I also don’t want to die!”

The Priest takes out something round and smashes it on to the floor.

Instantly, our eyes are blinded with a shining light.

Shit! A smoke screen!?

When my eyes healed, I looked around but the Priest is gone.

Then the Priest’s voice comes from somewhere.

“Hey. The grunt Devil over there……Ise-kun, was it? To tell you the truth, I have fallen in love with you. So I will definitely kill you. Definitely, okay? I won’t forgive a shitty Devil who punched me and gave me a lecture, okay? Then, bye-bye.”

When my eyes are healed completely, I looked around again, but the Priest has vanished without leaving a trace.

……He escaped.

He even left some parting words……

I was thinking about it, and realised that I had no time to waste on him.

Kiba, Koneko-chan and I nod at each other and went towards the altar’s hidden stairs.

Part 3

The three of us walk down the staircase under the altar.

It looks like the electricity works even in here.

With Kiba in front of us, we walk ahead.

After the stairs, there is a single passage. Sometimes there are doors in both side of the wall. So this is a basement huh.

Koneko-chan points to the far end by saying, “Possibly at the end of this passage…… I can smell that person……”.

So Asia is there. Then my spirit pumped up.

Wait for me, Asia. I’ll be there soon!

When we went further in, a big door appears.

“Is that it?”

“Possibly. I’m sure there are groups of Exorcists and Fallen Angels inside. Are you ready?”

Koneko-chan and I nod at Kiba.

“Okay. Then we’ll open the door—”

When Kiba and I were about to open the door, the door opens by itself.

While making a large noise, the inside of the ritual place becomes visible.

“Welcome. Devils.”

The Fallen Angel, Raynare, spoke from the end of the room.

The room is full of priests. They all have a sword handle that makes the blade of light in their hands.

I looked at the girl who is attached to the cross and shout.

“Asiaaa!”

Asia noticed my voice and looks at me.

“……Ise-san?”

“Yeah! I’ve come to save you!”

I smile at her and a tear drops from her eye.

“It’s a touching reunion, but it’s too late. The ritual is about to finish now.”

The ritual is finished?

What does she mean—

Suddenly, Asia’s body starts to glow.

“……Aaah, iyaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

Asia screams. She looks very painfully.

“Asia!”

I tried to reach her, but the priests surround me.

“I won’t let you interfere!”

“Damn Devils! I will destroy you!”

“Move! Shitty priests! I don’t have time to bother with you all!”

BAN!

A big sound. When I looked, Koneko-chan punched one of the priests away.

“……Please don’t touch me.”

Kiba also draw his darkness-sword.

“Looks like I will have to go full throttle from the beginning. I hate Priests. If there are this many, then I won’t hold back to devour your light.”

Kiba's eyes become sharp and I can feel chills from him.

The darkness is showing a very dense killing intent. This will be an all-out war.

“Iyaaaaaa……”

At the same time, a large light comes out of Asia’s body.

Raynare takes it to her hand.

“This is it! This is the power that I craved for a long time! Sacred Gear! With this, I will be loved!”

With an expression of ecstasy, Raynare hugs on to the light.

Then the bright light envelops the ritual room.

When the light stops, there is a Fallen Angel emitting green coloured light from her body.

“Ufufu. Ahahahahahaha! I finally have it! The supreme power! With this, I can become a supreme Fallen Angel! With this I can payback all those who were looking down on me!”

The Fallen Angel makes a big laugh.

I didn’t pay attention to her and went straight to Asia.

The priests are trying to stop me, but Kiba and Koneko-chan support me by blowing them away.

Kiba’s sword devours the light of the priest’s sword, and Koneko-chan hit the priests who has lost their weapon with one mighty hit. The combination of these two is remarkable, and it’s obvious that it isn't the type of combination possible with a few days of practice.

“Thanks, you two!”

Asia, who is attached to the cross. She looks lifeless.

No, she should still be okay!

I untied the things on her hands and legs, and hold her in my arms.

“……I-Ise-san……”

“Asia, I came to take you back.”

“…………Yes.”

Her voice is very small when she replied, and it didn’t sound lively.

Hey, hey!

She should still be fine, right? She won’t……

“It’s futile.”

Raynare makes a smirk as if she is rejecting my thoughts once again.

“Possessors whose Sacred Gear is taken away from their body will die. That girl is going to die.”

“—!Then give the Sacred Gear back!”

I shout at her, but she just laughs.

“There’s no way that I will give it back. You know I even deceived my superiors to get my hands on this? I will kill all of you and erase all evidence.”

“……Shit. You are nowhere close to the Yuuma-chan that I remember.”

Hearing that, she starts to laugh out loudly.

“Fufufu, it was pretty fun. The time I dated you.”

“……You were my first girlfriend.”

“Yes, watching it was very cute. It’s fun to play around with guys who have no experience with a woman.”

“……I was serious about taking care of you.”

“Ufufu, yes, you did take care of me. When I was in trouble you managed to take care of it right away and made sure I didn’t get hurt. But did you know that I did all of that on purpose? Because it was funny to see your face when you were in panic.”

“……I made sure I planned our first date carefully. To make sure it would become a great date.”

“Ahahaha! Yeah! It was an ordinary date! Thanks to that, I was very bored!”

“……Yuuma-chan.”

“Ufufu, I chose that name so I can kill you at Dawn. Wonderful, isn’t it? Right, Ise-kun?”

My rage past its limit. I then shout my anger at her:

“Raynareeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!”

“Ahahahahaha! I don’t want a rotten brat like you calling my name!”

Raynare makes a sneer.

I have so much hatred within me that my gut is turning black.

I don’t know anyone who is a bigger scum than her.

She is truly the one who is fitting to be called a devil.

“Hyoudou-kun! Our formation is at a disadvantage while we are protecting that girl! So go upstairs at once! We’ll make the path for you! Now, hurry!”

Kiba says it while taking down the priests.

He’s right. There are still a great number of priests left, so there will be a limit to fighting this Fallen Angel here while protecting Asia.

I glared at Raynare, and then left the place carrying Asia.

“Koneko-chan, we will make an escape path for Hyoudou-kun!”

“……Affirmative.”

The two of them starts to take down the priests who are trying to get in my way.

Thanks to their support, I’m able to get to the entrance of the ritual room right away.

“Kiba! Koneko-chan!”

“You go ahead! We will handle here!”

“……Please go quickly.”

“But!”

“Just go!”

Damn! Kiba! Koneko-chan! Both of you are showing off too much!

But now I will have to rely on them. My senior Devils. There’s no way they will die in a place like this!

“Kiba! Koneko-chan! When I get back, call me “Ise”! Definitely! We are comrades!”

That’s what I said to them. It feels like the two of them smiled.

I left the place and went straight to the passage at once.

Part 4

I went up the stairs holding Asia, and came out to the sanctuary.

There’s something wrong with Asia.

Her face is pale. I laid her down on one of the pews.

“Just wait a bit! You will be free soon, Asia! You will be able to play with me from now on!”

Asia makes a small smile at my words.

She then takes my hand. I can’t feel any strength or warmth from her hand.

“……I was happy that……I had a friend……even for a short while……”

Asia is smiling even though she is in pain.

“……If I were to be born again, will you become my friend once more……?”

“W-What are you saying!? Don’t say that! Let’s go somewhere to have fun! I will drag you even though you don’t want to! We will go to karaoke! Game centre! Let’s also go bowling! Also other places! Also to that place! And there!”

I can’t stop my tears from coming out.

I’m supposed to be talking to her with a smile, but I can’t stop crying.

I know it.

I already know it.

This girl is dying.

She is going to die.

Even so, I want to deny it.

That this has to be a joke—

“We are friends! Always! Yeah, that’s right! I will introduce you to Motohama and Matsuda! They are a bit perverted, but both of them are good guys! They will definitely become your friends! Definitely! We will have fun together! We'll have fun until we can!”

“……If I was born in this country……and went to the same school as you……”

“Let’s go! Come to our school!”

Asia’s hand pats my cheek.

“……You even cry for someone like me……now I can……”

Her hand that is patting my cheeks drops slowly.

“……Thank you……”

Those were her last words.

She passed away smiling.

I lost my strength. I just stood there looking at her face.

My tears won’t stop.

Why? Why did this girl have to die?

She was a good girl. She was a kind girl who would heal anyone injured.

How come no one became her friend?

How come I was never by her side?

“Hey, God!? You are there right, God!? Devils and Angels exist, so you do exist as well, right, God!? You were watching, right!? You were watching all of this, right!?

I shouted at the ceiling of the Church.

I don’t know who will answer me. But I just wanted to scream towards the ceiling.

“Please don’t take this girl away! Please! I beg you! She hasn’t done anything! She just wanted a friend! I will be her friend forever! So please! I want this girl to smile forever! Hey please! God!”

Even though I screamed towards Heaven, no one answers me.

“Did this happen because I turned into a Devil!? Did you abandon her because I’m a Devil and her friend!?”

I bite my teeth with regret.

I have no power. I didn’t have any power at all. If I have more power as a Devil……

If I have the power to at least save Asia……

Even if I regret it now, she will never smile again.

“Ara, a Devil is repenting in a place like this? Or were you wishing for something?”

The voice I heard from behind me is that of Raynare.

When I turned around, there is a Fallen Angel smirking at me.

“Look at this. This is the wound I got from the [Knight] boy while I was coming here.”

Raynare places her hand on her wound.

The shallow green light starts to heal her wound.

“Look. Wonderful, isn’t it? I can heal any kind of wound. To us Fallen Angels, who lost the protection of God, that child’s Sacred Gear was a wonderful present.”

Hey.

That light belongs to Asia.

Why are you using it?

Are Kiba and Koneko-chan safe? I start to wonder.

“My status will rise since I will be a Fallen Angel that can heal Fallen Angels. I could be of help to the great Azazel-sama and Shemhaza-sama! There is nothing more wonderful than this! Aaah, Azazel-sama…… My power is all for you……”

“Like I care.”

I glared at Raynare.

“I don’t care about that. Fallen Angels, God, and Devils…… Those things had nothing to do with this girl.”

“No, it did. She was a chosen human that possessed a Sacred Gear.”

“……Even so, she could have lived quietly. She could have lived normally!”

“She couldn’t. Those with irregular Sacred Gear would be left out of the world and groups. Because they possess a powerful ability. Because they have a different power than others. You know humans hate those things, right? Even though it’s a wonderful power like this.”

“……Then I would have protected Asia, as her friend!”

“Ahahahaha! It’s impossible! Because she died! That girl is dead, you know? It’s not the matter of whether you protect her or not. You couldn’t protect her! You couldn’t protect her back at evening and even now! You really are a weird boy! It’s so amusing!”

“………… I know. That’s why I can’t forgive you. And myself—”

I can’t forgive everything.

Myself who couldn’t protect Asia. Raynare who killed Asia.

Then Buchou’s words come into my mind.

——Desire. Sacred Gear is driven with the power of desire. And it also determines the power for it as well.

“Give her back.”

——Even though you are a Devil, your will to desire hasn’t been lost. The stronger you desire, the stronger your Sacred Gear will respond to you.

“Give Asia baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!!”

[Dragon booster!!]

The Sacred Gear on my left arm activates as if it responded to my shout. The jewel in the gauntlet makes a bright shine.

Some mysterious mark appears on the gauntlet.

At the same time, power flows into my body. From my left arm equipped with the Sacred Gear to my whole body.

I went ahead while having my body overflow with power.

I thrust my fist towards the Fallen Angel front of me who is smirking.

Raynare dodges it easily. As if she’s dancing.

“I will explain it so even a dummy like you can understand. It’s a simple power difference. I have a power of 1000. You have a power of 1. You can’t shorten the gap between us no matter what. Even with the ability of that Sacred Gear, the power doubled is only 2. It’s futile! How can you win against me!? Ahahahahahahaha!”

[Boost!!]

Another sound from the jewel. The mark on the jewel of the gauntlet changes from [I] to [II].

HEARTBEAT

A second change happens to my body.

The power—something to beat down the enemy in front of me is increasing.

“Uoooooooooo!”

I went charging at her while concentrating my overflowing power to my fist. I’m already promoted to a [Rook].

“Heh! Did your power increase a bit? Still, it’s not enough!”

My attack is dodged again.

Next moment, lights gather to Raynare’s hand and it forms into something.

“I put a lot of power in it! Eat this!”

ZUDON!

The spear of light pierces both my legs. It went deep into both of my thighs. Even with the defence of a [Rook], it wasn’t able to defend against it.

“Guaaaaaaaaaah!”

I screamed.

My body goes through intense pain, but I can’t get on my knees for something like this.

I grab onto the spear immediately.

BURNS.

“Guaaaaaaaaaah!”

The sound of my flesh burning. Hot! It’s burning hoooooooot! Is it because it’s made up of light!? The palm of my hand that is holding onto the spear gets burned.

There are smokes coming from my hand. Also from the wounds on my thighs. It’s burning my hand and legs violently.

Raynare starts to laugh at me after she sees me trying to pull out the spear.

“Ahahahaha! A Devil trying to pull that spear out is foolish! To Devils, lights are intense poison. Just touching it will make you burn. That is the ultimate pain that Devils can taste! For a Low-class Devil like you, it’s—”

“Nugaaaaaaaah!”

I made a scream which you can’t describe in words, but I tried to pull out the spear of light slowly by gripping strongly onto it.

The intense pain caused by the spear that is piercing my legs. The intense pain that is inflicted on me by the power of light. Those things are causing me so much pain.

I’m about to lose consciousness because of it. It feels like I will die if I don’t bite my teeth hard.

So what about it? What about it!?

“This! That girl! This is nothing compared to what Asia went through!!”

I pull out the spear slowly while my tears and drool comes out of my face.

It hurts. It huuuuuurts dammit!

But this! What about this!

Zuryuuzuryuu.

The spear is being drawn out from my legs while making horrible noise.

When I got the spear out from both my legs, I dropped it from my hand and it disappears before hitting the ground.

Splash.

After losing the thing that was blocking the holes on my legs, blood starts to flow out from the wounds.

Even though I took out the spear, the pain still remains.

[Boost!!]

Even if I was pierced by the spear and stopped my attack, the gauntlet on my left arm continues to make a sound.

It hurts. It really hurts.

I’m crying a lot and I have so much drool coming out from my mouth.

Slip.

I slipped onto my butt after I lost some strength in me.

I don’t have the strength to stand up. Shit, I don’t have any strength in my legs. No, I don’t have any strength left in my whole body.

Am I in a bad condition?

“……Quite remarkable. A Low-class Devil pulling out the spear of light made by a Fallen Angel. But it’s futile. My light isn’t flashy, but has a high killing ability against Devils. The density of the light is strong. So strong that it is used as the blade of light priests uses. Getting hurt even once will be hard to heal, even for a Middle-class Devil. For a Low-class Devil like you, this is the limit. Fufufu, you can’t look down on the damage caused by the power of light, you know? Especially my light.”

Like always, she is talking long about something I don’t understand.

“The light circulates around your body, and cause damages to your whole body. If you are late at healing it, you will die. No, normally it won’t be weird to die with that damage. You really have a strong build, don’t you?”

Ah, is that right? So for a trash like me who just became a Devil, this wound is lethal, huh.

Just like I thought. I can feel pain even from inside my body. It’s not the pain of getting hit but something worse.

It feels as if my muscles and bones are melting because of the heat. The pain is transmitted directly by my nerves, so letting my guard down even once will feel like it’s going to screw my head.

I will probably die if I don’t get healed soon.

But.

I can’t just sit here. But I don’t have any strength in my legs. Damn.

Is this the end for me?

Then I look at Asia.

A girl who is sleeping quietly.

I’m sorry for being noisy. Yeah, I’m all right. I’m seriously fine. I’m quite strongly built.

So it’s not a problem. See, look? I’m going to ease some of the regrets you have left, Asia.

“At times like this, are we supposed to pray to God?”

Suddenly that slipped out of my mouth without realising it.

“?”

Raynare seems puzzled. But I continue to talk.

“But God is no good. He didn’t listen to me before, and he didn’t even help a good girl like Asia at all. Hahaha, such a useless God.”

“I wonder what you are trying to say. Did you finally break?”

“Then, him. Maou-sama, will you listen to my wish? You exist, right? Are you listening? I’m also a Devil, so will you listen to my wish?”

“……He's totally lost it. This boy is talking to himself in a place like this.”

“I’m going to bash this shitty Fallen Angel in front of me, so please make sure no on interferes. I seriously don’t want anyone to interfere. I also don’t need any back up. I will do it myself. And my legs are fine as well. I will get up on my own. So make it a one on one fight. It’s a good situation. My anger is so high that I think I can handle this pain. –Just one hit is enough. ……Please let me hit her.”

My legs can move. I have already lost the sensation in my legs. Just moving it by a millimetre gives me intense pain.

But it can still move. My butt leaves the floor.

My body hasn’t stopped shaking. Even so, my body gets up slowly.

It hurts. My whole body hurts. But I can move. I can still move. I just have to endure it until I hit her once.

“—! I-Impossible! Your body isn’t in a condition to move! Because of the damage of light—”

I approach Raynare slowly who has a shocked look on her face.

And I stood up. Right in front of her eyes. With my feet shaking and lots of blood flowing out of me.

“Hey, Ex-girlfriend. I’ve been through a lot because of you.”

“……There’s no way you can stand! A Low-class Devil shouldn’t be able to stand up with those wounds! The lights are burning your insides from within your body!? A Low-class Devil who doesn’t have the demonic-power to ease the effect of light shouldn't be able endure it!”

“Yeah, it hurts. It really hurts. I’m even close to losing my consciousness. But you know, my hatred towards you is so great that I can endure this.”

I glared straight at my opponent without even blinking.

My next hit will be my last blow. If I use it, I will fall down.

That’s why I have to finish it with my next hit. I can’t look away from my target.

“Hey, my Sacred Gear. You still have the power to punch this thing in front of me, right? Then let’s finish it.”

[Explosion!!]

The sound from the jewel made just now sounded especially strong.

The jewel shines even brighter. Such a bright light. It’s dazzling.

But unlike the light of a Fallen Angel, this light didn’t give damage to me but instead it gives me peace.

Just getting touched by this light feels like I am over flowing with power. It’s similar to the light of heal that belongs to Asia.

So there is a light that doesn’t cause harm to Devils.

I take a step forward. The blood splashes onto the ground from my wounds.

I also coughed some blood. Looks like I’m in a critical condition.

There is no stopping to the pain I’m feeling right now. It even reaches up to my brain. But it’s okay. I can still move.

Even now, my gauntlet is flowing power into me.

When I was against Raynare at evening, I was scared of the power difference between us.

My instinct as a Devil instinct grasped hold of the overwhelming power difference between us, and my body didn’t stop shaking because of it. That time, I thought that I could never beat her.

But it’s different now.

The power I’m receiving from this gauntlet is insane.

I somehow know. It’s possibly because I’m the Sacred Gear possessor.

This power won’t last forever. This power is one time only.

If I use it against my enemy even once, then it will end there. Even though the Sacred Gear isn’t telling me verbally, it’s telling me physically.

I made a posture to punch. I have no experience in fighting. But it will be okay if I hit her once.

My target is the shitty Fallen Angel that is in front of me. I’m definitely going to hit her. I’m absolutely not going to miss it.

“……Impossible. What is this? Why is something like this happening……? Isn’t that Sacred Gear supposed to be the [Twice Critical] which doubles the power of the possessor? ……It can’t be. It’s not possible. Why has your power surpassed mine……? This wave of demonic-power I’m feeling...... is that of a Middle-class……no, that of a High-class Devil……”

My power is that of a High-class Devil? Is it because of my Sacred Gear?

Hey hey, weren’t you supposed to be a Sacred Gear that just doubles my power?

Buchou is the only High-class Devil I met, so it means that I’m currently about the same strength as her.

“Lies! This is all lies! I am the Fallen Angel that has attained the ultimate healing power! I turned into a superior being by obtaining this [Twilight Healing]! I received the right to be loved by Azazel-sama and Shemhaza-sama! I wouldn’t lose to some low-life like you!”

Raynare once again has a spear of light in both her hands.

BUUN.

I hit it to the side with my fist. The spears of light disappear easily.

Seeing me hit away her spears with ease, Raynare’s face gets even paler.

“N-No!”

Raynare is flapping her black wings, and is about to fly away.

Is she trying to run away? Hey hey, you were looking down and laughing at me till a few seconds ago.

You run away as soon as you find out that you can’t win? Who do you think you are?

But I won’t let you escape. Like hell I would!

TAP

I went up to her at the same time she’s about to fly, and I grabbed her arm. I have unbelievable speed. A speed that even the Fallen Angel can’t react to.

The arm I’m holding onto feels unreliable, and it’s so small that she looks weak.

I pulled her arm towards me. I definitely won’t let her go.

“I won’t let you get away, fool.”

“I’m superior—!”

“Blow away, you shitty Angel!”

“Damn yoooooooou! Low-class Deeeeeevil!”

“Uoryaaaaaaaa!”

The gauntlet released all of its energy. All the strength gathered in my left arm, and I concentrated them on my fist.

I used that fist to punch straight and accurately at the face of the enemy I detest.

HIT!!

The hard sound echoes. My fist is dug into her face, and I pushed my fist even further!

Raynare went flying backwards with my punch.

GASHAAAAAAAAN!!

The Fallen Angel crashes into the wall while making a very loud noise. The wall broke and there is a big hole in the wall. Dust starts to spread everywhere.

When the dust disappears, there is nothing left in the direction I punched Raynare towards.

The hole continues till outside of the building where Raynare is on the ground.

She isn’t moving. I can’t tell if she is dead but she won’t be able to move for a while.

—I'd finally paid her back.

“Serves you right.”

I’m smiling from the bottom of my heart. That’s my true feeling. That punch felt so good.

But soon, tears are falling from my eyes.

“……Asia”

She won’t smile ever again.

Part 5

After punching the Fallen Angel, I was about to fall down after using my whole power……

Ton.

Something supports me from my shoulder. When I looked, it’s Kiba.

“Good work. You actually beat a Fallen Angel.”

He’s carrying my shoulder with a smile and is supporting me. What the, even Kiba is torn.

“Yo, you are late Casanova.”

“Fufufu, Buchou told me not to interfere.”

Buchou did?

“That’s right. I believed that you were able to beat the Fallen Angel Raynare.”

When I turned around to the direction where the voice came from, Rias-buchou is walking towards me smiling while wavering her crimson hair.

“Buchou? Where did you come from?”

“From the basement. I finished my business, so I used the magic-circle to come here. It was my first time transporting to a Church, so I was nervous.”

Buchou makes a sigh while talking to me.

I see. So that’s why she came from downstairs with Kiba and the others.

Then all of the Exorcists are annihilated. Since they had Buchou as their opponent, they had no chance of winning.

Then Koneko-chan walks past me. Where is she going?

Buchou stands front of me.

“Looks like you won safely.”

“Buchou…… Hahaha, I won somehow.”

“Fufufu, excellent. Just what I expected from my servant.”

She taps on my nose.

“Ara ara. The Church is in a mess. Buchou, is it alright?”

Akeno-san has a troubled face.

“……Is something wrong?”

I ask Buchou timidly.

“Church's belong to God or religions related to him, but there are cases like this where it is used by Fallen Angels. In cases like this, if we Devils damage the Church, there will be times when we get targeted by assassins. For revenge and payback.”

—!

S-Seriously?

“But it won’t happen this time.”

“Why is that?”

“This Church was originally an abandoned one. So a certain group of Fallen Angels had come here to use it for their own greed, and we just happened to have a fight in a place like that. So we didn’t step foot on the enemies' actual territory to have war. So it’s just a small fight between a Devil and a Fallen Angel. This happens every time. That’s what happened.”

I see. So it’s a matter of fact of how you sum it up.

“Buchou. I’ve brought it.”

The one who appeared while making a sound of dragging something is Koneko-chan.

She appeared from the broken wall, and what she is dragging is a black wing, Fallen Angel Raynare.

So Koneko-chan is dragging the unconscious Raynare whom I had punched away.

But she said she “brought” it……

She uses unique words for a small girl.

“Thank you, Koneko. Now then, let’s wake her up. Akeno.”

“Yes.”

Akeno-san lifts her hand up. Then water appears up in the air.

Is that the power of a Devil?

Akeno-san splashes the water created in the air on Raynare.

SPLASH!

Raynare coughs after the splash.

The Fallen Angel wakes up and opens her eyes slowly. Buchou looks down on her.

“How are you doing, Fallen Angel Raynare.”

“……The daughter of the Gremory clan……”

“Hello, my name is Rias Gremory. I’m the next heir of the House of Gremory. It will be for a short while, but nice to have your acquaintance.”

Buchou greets her with a smile, but Raynare glares at her.

Then she sneers.

“……You think you’ve got me, but too bad. This plan was kept secret from the higher-ups, but there are other Fallen Angels with me. If I get in danger, they will—”

“They won’t come to help.”

Buchou says it clearly to reject Raynare’s words.

“That’s because I already eliminated all three of the Fallen Angel Kalawana, Fallen Angel Donaseek, and Fallen Angel Mitelt.”

“Lies!”

Raynare rejects what Buchou said while sitting up straight.

Buchou takes out three black feathers.

“These are the feathers of those three. You can tell them apart since you are the same kind as them, right?”

Seeing that, Raynare’s expression darkens.

Looks like Buchou is speaking the truth.

“When I met with the Fallen Angel Donaseek who attacked Ise before, I predicted that there were a few Fallen Angels plotting something in this town. I ignored it because I thought it was a plan that involves the whole Fallen Angel. Even I’m not foolish enough to take on all of the Fallen Angels. Then I heard that the Fallen Angels were moving around secretively so I went to talk to them, taking Akeno with me. When I met them in person, they blurted that it was their own plan. By helping you, they said, they would get promoted to a higher status. Low life that move around secretively for their purpose usually brag about their plots.”

Buchou smirks.

Raynare is biting her teeth with frustration.

“They must have looked down on us because it was just two girls who approached them. So I asked them as a parting gift. Fufufu, they were foolish Fallen Angels who didn’t know who was going to die. Since they were willing to help in your pathetic plot, they themselves were low beings.”

So that’s why. The “thing” Buchou needed to take care of was that.

She took down the other remaining Fallen Angels……

Buchou was thinking about this whole incident as well……

Without knowing it, I said so much bad things about her……

Crap. I’m so emotional that I feel like crying.

“Getting hit by a single shot won’t even leave a trace. The princess of the Duke who has the power of destruction. Buchou is a powerful Devil who is called a genius among the group of young Devils after all.”

Kiba makes a comment to praise his master.

“She is also called the “Crimson-Haired Ruin Princess”, you know?”

Akeno-san says it while smiling.

R-Ruin Princess…… What a scary nickname……

So that makes me part of the Ruin Princess’ group. T-Terrifying……

Buchou looks at my left arm. I think she’s looking at my gauntlet.

“……Red Dragon. Until recently there wasn’t a mark like this…… I see, so that’s what it is……”

Is it me or does Buchou's eyes look like as if she's a bit shocked?

“I found out the main reason why Ise was able to beat a Fallen Angel.”

Buchou says it quietly.

“Fallen Angel Raynare. This boy, Hyoudou Issei’s Sacred Gear isn’t a regular Sacred Gear. That’s why you lost.”

Raynare has a puzzled face after hearing Buchou.

“—[Boosted Gear], a Sacred Gear that is said to be the rarest of the rare. The Red Dragon mark on the gauntlet is the evidence. Even you have heard of that name before, right?”

After listening to Buchou, Raynare puts on a very shocked expression.

“B-Boosted Gear…… One of the [Longinus] …… Even though it’s for a temporarily time, it’s said that it has the power to surpass Maous and God…… Are you telling me that hateful power is possessed in a boy like this!?”

“If it’s just like the legend is told, then the ability of the [Boosted Gear] can double the power of the possessor every 10 second. Even if his power starts from 1, it doubles his power every 10 seconds, and it can reach the power of the leader-class Fallen Angels and High-class Devils. And by mastering it, he could even kill God.”

Are you serious, Buchou!? I can defeat God!?

…… So that’s the power of my Sacred Gear.

There is a mark of a Red Dragon carved into my gauntlet.

So the reason why it kept on saying “Boost, Boost” is because it was doubling my power. So that’s why my power kept on increasing inside me.

So the reason why Raynare was scared of me is because I had attained a power that surpasses her without realising it.

What a powerful Sacred Gear……

I looked at the Sacred Gear on my left arm fearfully.

Boosted Gear. My Sacred Gear. This is an incredible Sacred Gear.

Ah, does this mean I can leave a legend as a Devil?

“Well, no matter how powerful it is, Sacred Gear which needs time has a big risk. There aren’t any enemies that would wait for the user to get stronger. Since the opponent was taking it lightly, this was the outcome.”

Ugh. Buchou nails it.

C-Certainly, there aren't that many enemies that will wait for me to get powered up.

So my Sacred Gear is powerful but it has many weaknesses.

Buchou approaches me. I can smell something nice from her crimson hair.

Pat-pat.

Buchou starts to pat my head.

“But it’s interesting. Just to be expected from my Servant-kun. Just like I thought, Ise is an interesting boy. I’m going to adore you even more.”

Buchou smiles at me.

It’s a nice smile, but it looks a bit scary……

“B-Buchou?”

“What is it?”

Buchou is smiling. I bow my head down because I feel guilty.

“I’m sorry. When I said I was going to save Asia, I said rude stuff to you because you wouldn’t help…… But you were helping us behind the scene and……”

I just want to apologise.

I thought that Buchou was a cold hearted Devil. So I kept on being rude to her.

So I needed to say how sorry I am. But Buchou is still patting my head.

I was crying without noticing it. Yes, I wasn’t able to accomplish my goal.

“B-Buchou……I couldn’t……protect Asia……”

“You don’t have to cry. Seeing you right now, there is no one that will blame you.”

“But……but, I……”

Buchou wipes my tears with her fingers.

“It’s okay. You just weren't experienced as a Devil yet. That’s all to it. Become strong. I’m going to make you work hard from now on, so be prepared. My Pawn, Ise.”

“Yes.”

I will work hard. I will definitely become stronger.

I promise.

“Now then, I’ll finish my last work.”

Buchou’s eyes become sharp and it looks ruthless.

Buchou got close to Raynare. The Fallen Angel becomes scared.

“I will have you disappear, Fallen Angel-san.”

It’s a cold tone. It’s filled with killing intent.

“Of course, I will retrieve that Sacred Gear back as well.”

“Y-You can’t be serious!? This healing power is for Azazel-sama and Shemhaza-sama—”

“To live your life for love is beautiful. But you are too tainted with dirt. You have no elegance. And I don’t allow that.”

Buchou aims her hand towards Raynare.

Looks like she will kill her in one blow.

“Me, here.”

Then, a shadow appears from behind the broken wall.

The Priest—, Freed Zelzan.

It’s that shitty Priest! He came back despite running away once!

“Wow! My superior is in serious danger! So what’s going to happen now!?”

Raynare screams at the appearance of the Priest:

“Save me! If you save me, I will give you a reward or anything you want!”

Freed makes a sadistic smile.

“Hmm, hmm. I received a wonderful order from an Angel-sama. Eh? So I can have sex with you? To me, having sex with an Angel-sama is like the best honour and it will become a good social status for me.”

“Ku…… D-Don’t fool around and save me!”

The Fallen Angel’s expression is filled with anger. It also seems like she’s in a rush.

No, she is in a rush. She probably thinks that, “A mere human won’t betray me”.

“Ararararara, you know that I’m actually serious…… I mean, something simple like that should be all right, isn’t it, Angel-sama? So it’s a no? Is that so? Then I will take my leave now. No matter how you look at it, I’m at a disadvantage, so I will just take off.”

Freed says it in a funny tone while curling his body.

“Y-You are a Priest, aren’t you!? You are supposed to save me! I’m an all mighty Fallen Angel! I—”

“I don’t need a superior who loses to trashy Devils. You are pretty, but you lack plans and you are hard headed. The only thing you are useful for is masturbation. So just die away already. Well, a Fallen Angel who is abandoned by God won't go to either Heaven or Hell, but goes back to nothing. Maybe the experience of turning into nothing will be helpful? Ah, that’s impossible. Since there will be nothing left. It’s impossible. So namusan. Wait, that’s Buddhism. Ah, I’m a former Christian! I’m such a naughty boy!”

After saying that, he moves his sight elsewhere, as if he has lost interest in Raynare.

With that, Raynare put on an expression of despair.

She looks miserable. Is this the fate of the Fallen Angel who sought for power and causing a rampage?

Freed makes a big smile at me.

Eh? Me?

“Ise-kun, Ise-kun. You have such a wonderful ability. I’m getting more interested in you. You are so worthy to kill! You are definitely in my Top 5 for the “Devils I want to kill”, so be prepared, okay? Next time we meet, let’s have a romantic fight to the death, okay?”

Chills.

I felt something cold running through my back.

That guy is smiling but has an extreme killing intent.

A challenge directed at me. No, an advanced notice for killing me.

“See ya then! Bye-bye! Remember to brush your teeth!”

Freed disappears immediately from the scene after waving his hands at us.

He’s quick. That guy just left like that.

But somehow, it feels like I will meet him again.

It’s not a premonition but something weirder.

“Now, Fallen Angel Raynare, who was abandoned by her own servant. Miserable.”

Buchou didn’t have the slightest sympathy in her tone.

Raynare starts to shiver.

Maybe the reason why I feel a bit sorry for her is because she was my ex-girlfriend “Yuuma-chan”.

Well, that was also part of her dirty plan.

Raynare then looks at me. She then makes sorrowful eyes at me.

“Ise-kun! Please save me!”

Her voice is that of Yuuma-chan, when she was my girlfriend.

“This Devil is trying to kill me! I love you! I love you so much! That’s why, let’s defeat this Devil together!”

Raynare once again acts like Yuuma-chan and begs for help to me while crying.

I was stupid for feeling even a bit sorry for you, Yuuma-chan. No, shitty Fallen Angel.

“Goodbye, my love. Buchou, I’m at my limit…… Will you please……”

Hearing that, the Fallen Angel’s expression froze.

“……Don’t try to flirt with my cute servant. Blow away.”

DON!

The demonic-power shot by Buchou left nothing of the Fallen Angel.

The only thing left is the mysterious feeling I have and the black feathers floating around the Church.

Part 6

A green light is floating in the sanctuary.

It’s Asia’s Sacred Gear.

After Raynare was defeated, it got released.

The warm light shines at me. Buchou takes the light to her hand.

“Now, let’s give this back to Asia Argento-san.”

“B-But Asia is already……”

Yeah, Asia can’t be resurrected anymore. After all, I couldn’t save her.

I promised to protect her! I promised to save her!

Even though I defeated the Fallen Angel, it was pointless to come here if I couldn’t save her……

No, that would be an insult to my comrades.

They fought for me and Asia. They didn’t even get a single benefit from it.

“……B-Buchou, everyone, thanks for fighting for me and Asia. B-But still, even with all your help, Asia is……”

Buchou takes something out from her pocket.

Crimson—

It’s a red colour like blood and it’s a chess piece that has the same colour as Buchou’s hair.

“That is?”

“Ise, this is a [Bishop] chess piece.”

“Huh?”

I made an idiotic voice because of the sudden answer.

“I’m late in telling you this now but a Devil with a Peerage receives 15 chess pieces in total, made up of 8 [Pawns], 2 [Knights], 2 [Bishops], 2 [Rooks], and 1 [Queen]. Same as in an actual chess game. I already used one of my [Bishop], but I still have another one left.”

Buchou then walks towards Asia while holding the crimson chess piece in her hand.

Buchou places the crimson [Bishop] chess piece on the now deceased Asia’s chest.

“The [Bishop]’s role is to support the other members of the group. This girl’s healing power could be useful as a [Bishop]. It never happened before, but I will reincarnate this girl as a Devil.”

A crimson demonic-power surrounds Buchou’s body.

“I order, in my name Rias Gremory. You, Asia Argento. I, resurrect you back to this soil as my servant, and have you reborn as a Devil. You, my [Bishop], be delighted with your new life!”

The crimson chess piece glows and goes inside Asia’s body. At the same time, Asia’s Sacred Gear goes back inside her body.

Buchou stops her demonic-power after confirming that the chess piece and the Sacred Gear went inside Asia’s body.

Then Buchou makes a sigh.

I just look at her in a daze.

After a short while, Asia opens her eyes.

Seeing that, I wasn’t able to stop my tears from coming out.

“Huh?”

Asia’s voice.

The voice that I thought I can never hear again.

Rias-buchou gives me a warm smile.

“I resurrected her because I wanted her power that can even heal a Devil. Fufufu, Ise, from now on, you'll protect her. Since you will be her senior Devil.”

Asia raises her upper body. She looks around and finds me.

“……Ise-san?”

I hugged Asia who looks puzzled.

“Let’s go home, Asia.”

New Life.

Part 1

[YOU HAVE TO WAKE UP! PUT SOME SPIRIT IN IT!]

……I got up from my bed after getting woken up by the alarm clock with a boyish-girl’s voice.

I set the alarm one hour earlier than usual.

I needed to go to the club room at all cost even if I have to scratch out my eyes!

I left the room after getting into my uniform.

Part 2

“Ara, so you came on time."

When I arrived in the club room, Buchou is the only one present.

The school hasn’t started yet.

I came here early in the morning because last evening we were told that we will have a meeting in the morning.

Buchou is sitting on the sofa, drinking green-tea elegantly.

“Good morning, Buchou.”

“Yes, good morning. Looks like you have gotten used to the morning.”

“Yes, thanks to you.”

She then looks at my legs.

“How’s the wound from the Fallen Angel?”

I had my thighs pierced by the spear of light from the battle few days ago.

“Yes, it’s completely healed thanks to that healing power.”

I answered her with a smile.

“Is that so? It seems like that girl’s healing power is something you can’t ignore. I can see why a single Fallen Angel would desire it, even by keeping it a secret from her superiors.”

I sit on the sofa opposite Buchou.

There are several things I want to ask her.

“Umm Buchou? If there is the same number of [Evil Pieces] as in chess itself, then it’s possible to get 7 other [Pawns] besides me, right? So will there be a day when another [Pawn] besides me will join us?”

Yeah, just like in the real chess, there should be the same number of [Pawn] pieces. So it’s possible to get more [Pawn] pieces besides me. I asked her thinking it will turn out like that one day.

But Buchou shakes her head to the side to my question.

“No, my only [Pawn] is you, Ise.”

—!

Eh? Should I be happy?

Is it a confession? Something like “Ise is the only one I want!” or something like that?

“When reincarnating a human to a Devil we use the [Evil Pieces], but depending on the ability of the person being reincarnated, more [Evil Pieces] will be consumed.”

……So it’s not a confession……

Huh? Piece consumption?

“There’s a saying like this in the world of chess. Queens have a value of 9 Pawns. Rooks have a value of 5 Pawns. Knights and Bishops have a value of 3 Pawns each. Like this, there are standard values that also apply to the Evil Pieces. A similar phenomenon happens to those reincarnated. If there are those who can only be reincarnated with 2 Knight pieces, then there are also those who need 2 Rook pieces to be reincarnated. There’s also the compatibility with the pieces as well. You can’t use 2 separate Pieces to give them different roles, so it’s important to think how to use the pieces. Once you use it, Devils won’t be given a new [Evil Pieces].”

“How is that related to me?”

“Ise, I used all of the [Pawn] pieces when I resurrected you. If I hadn't, I couldn’t have made you into a Devil.”

All!? Seriously?

So do I have a value of 8 [Pawn] pieces then?

“When I found out, I decided to definitely make you into my servant. But I couldn’t find the reason for a while. But now I’m convinced. The Sacred Gear that is said to be supreme. Because it was you, Ise, who possess the [Boosted Gear] which is said to be one of the supreme Sacred Gear, the [Longinus], therefore it had that much value.”

I look at my left arm.

The red gauntlet. A insane embodiment of power which doubles my power every 10 seconds.

Depending on how you use it, it’s said that it can even kill God.

This Sacred Gear is something which is too good for me, but it can’t be helped since its residing in me.

“When I was trying to reincarnate you, the only pieces I had left were 1 Knight, 1 Rook, 1 Bishop and 8 Pawns. To make you into my servant, I could only use all 8 pieces of Pawn. And your compatibility with the Pawn was also good. The other pieces didn’t have the power to reincarnate you. To begin with, the value of [Pawn] is still a mystery. Also including its [Promotion]. That’s why I gambled on that possibility. As a result, you were the best.”

Buchou smiles happily.

She pats my cheeks with her fingers.

“Our matching is also great since its crimson and red, “Crimson-Hair Ruin-Princess” and [Boosted Gear]. Ise, first of all, aim to become the strongest [Pawn]. If it’s you, you can definitely do it. After all, you are my adorable servant.”

—The strongest [Pawn].

It sounds so great.

Buchou brings her face closer when I was thinking about it.

Close! You are too close Buchou!

Then Buchou’s lip touches my forehead.

“This is a good luck charm. Get stronger.”

Kiss on the forehead……

Gura.

I became unsteady because of what just happened, and my face turns red.

Uwa. Uwa. Uooooooooooooooooooooo!

Something triggers in my head! I am so happy that I’m about to dance!

Oh man! Oh man!

My first kiss from a girl!

It wasn’t a kiss on the lip or cheeks, but there’s nothing happier than this!

I’m about to cry because of the joy!

I! I will work harder Buchou! I promise with this kiss! I definitely will!

“I probably should stop adoring you here. The new girl might get jealous of me.”

Jealous?

What is she talking about?

“I-Ise-san……?”

Voice came from behind me. I have heard this voice before.

When I turned around, the blond girl, Asia, is trying to smile.

“A-Asia?”

Eh? Is she mad?

W-Why?

“It has to be…… R-Rias-buchou is very beautiful, so even Ise-san will also like her…… No, no. I can’t think like that! Oh, lord. Please forgive my sinful heart.”

Asia made a prayer but she then screams “Auu”.

“I have a headache.”

“Of course. If a Devil makes a prayer to God, of course you will receive damage.”

Buchou says that normally.

“Uu, that’s right. I turned into a Devil. I can’t face God any more.”

Asia seems a bit troubled. Asia, please don’t make a sad face like that.

“Do you regret it?”

Buchou asks Asia.

Asia shakes her head.

“No, thank you very much. No matter what situation I am in, I’m happy as long as I am with Ise-san.”

—!

My face starts to turn red because of her embarrassing reply.

T-This is something which makes me happy. For a guy, it’s the ultimate praise.

Hearing that, Buchou also smiles.

“I see, then its okay. From today you will also be my servant, and I will make you work along with Ise.”

“Yes! I will do my best!”

Asia replies very energetically.

She will have to do the leaflet handing first, but I wondered if she will be all right?

I feel uneasy.

Then I realised the change in Asia. Why didn’t I realise it until now?

“Asia, that uniform……”

Yes, Asia is wearing the school uniform of our school. Kuou Academy’s girl uniform.

“D-Does it suit me……?”

She asks me shyly.

Of course!

Another Angel have descended to our school! I can already hear the guys in our school talking about it.

You look great in it!

“It’s the best! Let’s take a photo with only the 2 of us.”

“Eh, y-yes.”

She was troubled with how to react, but it's true that she looks cute in it. Aaah, my school life is becoming glorious!

“I decided to make Asia attend our school. Since she is about the same age as you, she’s also in 2nd year. I also made her in the same class as you. Today will be her first day, so make sure to look after her.”

Buchou says that to me.

Are you serious!? My class!? Asia will be in my class!?

“I will be in your care, Ise-san.”

Asia bows her head.

I start to imagine introducing Asia to Matsuda and Motohama already. I can’t stop laughing, thinking about how jealous they would get.

“Yeah. I will introduce you to two of my pals.”

“Yes, I’m looking forward to it.”

Fufufu, Matsuda and Motohama, looks like I’m getting closer to becoming an adult.

Pals, my life as an unpopular guy is over!

While I was imagining that, Kiba, Koneko-chan and Akeno-san enters the room.

“Good morning, Buchou, Ise-kun, Asia-san.”

“……Good morning, Buchou, Ise-senpai, Asia-senpai.”

“How are you all doing, Buchou, Ise-kun, Asia-chan.”

Everyone greets us.

Everyone called me “Ise” and acknowledged Asia as a member.

It’s great.

There’s nothing better than this.

Buchou stands up.

“Since everyone is here, shall we start the party?”

Saying that, Buchou clicks her fingers.

Then, a big cake appears on the table. Wow, is this also demonic-power as well?

“It might be good sometimes to gather in the morning to do these kinds of things, right? S-since we got new members, I made some cake, so let’s eat it together.”

Buchou says it shyly.

But handmade cake! I will gladly eat it!

Buchou, first of all, I will aim to become the strongest [Pawn].

I will work hard along with Buchou, Asia, Kiba, Koneko-chan and Akeno-san.

After making a promise to myself, I got ready to do kamehameha to rise up the mood for this party.

Afterword.

The last boss of this book is the “Dragon-King of Darkness Black Satan” who holds a grudge against the main character. It’s going to end with a fierce fight where the main character uses his ultimate technique, “Chaos of Shot”, and the last boss uses “Dark Breath Type 0” where the last boss gets defeated. At the end, the main character and the heroine fly up the sky heading for their love.

This is how this book will be.

Hahaha, I spoiled it for those who read the afterword first!

It’s a lie. I’m sorry. No one like that will appear in this book.

I got carried away because there are those who read the afterword first. And I’m not regretting it.

Hello, it’s Ishibumi Ichiei. How was “High School D×D”, also called “D×D”?

I’m feeling nervous because it’s been two years since I last published a book. Possibly due to being nervous, my hand started shaking so the afterword begun with a suspicious introduction.

For those who are reading my book for the first time may think, “What’s wrong with this author? Oppai, oppai! Which Oppai-planet did you come from!?”.

And for those people who had read my work previously will be like “Huh? This is written by the horror author Ishibumi, right? What happened to him –oppai?”, so it may have been a shocking book for some of you.

Many things happen to adults, you know. Well, please think that I changed my writing-style.

This time, the story will be very lively and erotic　overall.

That’s because the editor in charge said, “Let’s make the main character into a lecherous guy”……

It was fun writing it! I was also having fun doing it.

The main characters of harem series are usually the skinny ones, or guys with a strong sense of justice but who lack in these departments, so I made the main character into a guy who loves girls and is really stupid.

The story is also from Ise’s perspective, so I made it in a way where the reader will be like, “No. That’s wrong. Think a little bit”.

Ise isn’t smart like all of you so he is super dumb, so please watch over him with warm eyes.

Well, it seems like there are a few more pages left for the afterword, so I will talk about the outline of this series.

High school DxD’s genre is school-life/love-comedy/battle/fantasy, and it's about how Hyoudou Issei rises up. It’s long but I’m sure those people who have read this already know the names of the genres.

The main character is Ise. The secondary-main character and the main heroine is Rias-buchou. And Asia is the other heroine. It’s a story about the main character and the two heroines.

Basically, this story will revolve around these three where Kiba, Koneko-chan, and Akeno-san causes destruction.

The Occult Research Club members, the servant-Devils of Rias Gremory, uses the Kuou academy as their base and does their job as Devils while they make a slapstick, fighting Angels and Fallen Angels, and getting in contact with legendary beasts and items! Well, that’s the plan.

The concept of this series is that “love, dream and battles are also part of being a youth!”.

Devils and Angels are the main theme, so during the story, names of those from myths and legend will appear, but this series is written where it won't be restricted by them.

In other words, the events written in the bible and non-fiction books are just used for references and the author, that is me, writes it freely with an original story.

Just think that the majority of things related to Angels and Devils are made up in D×D. Well, there’s no way that the word [Evil Pieces] will appear in the bible.

The war between the three factions: Devils, God, and Fallen Angels, has ended few hundred years ago, and the story revolves around the Devils and Angels after that war.

It starts off from where most of the famous Angels and Devils have already passed away.

Well, there are other things in my mind. For example bringing stuff from Norse mythology and also from Japanese youkai. Basically it’s a setting where anything is possible.

I’m sure that there are those who hold both doubts and hopes for Rias-buchou’s servants after reading this volume.

For example who is the other [Bishop] that Buchou already has?

I have already decided with my editor to make that person appear as the story progresses, so I’m sure that person will appear if this series continues on.

Also, will the other “Pieces” be filled up? Buchou has 1 [Knight] and 1 [Rook] piece left. Similar to the [Bishop], I will fill this in if this series continues.

Huh? It’s not explained well?

No, no. I already have them prepared so I just need the support of everyone.

The release of volume 2 will be decided on the sales of volume 1, but “High school DxD” will get more erotic if it goes on. Mainly Rias-buchou and Asia.

In volume 2, I’m planning to do a really amazing part. I mean, amazing.

But it might end in a dream.

So please support me if you are looking forward to Buchou’s oppai.

Now to my thanks.

To my former editor in charge who brought this discussion to me, K-sama. And to the current editor in charge who has been by my side the whole time, H-sama. Thank you very much for looking after me. Thanks to that, “High School DxD” has been released. I want to say it to the both of you again. Thank you very much.

To Miyama-zero-san who did the illustrations.

Thank you for the beautiful illustrations. I was moved because Buchou and Asia were drawn just like I imagined. Sorry for making you really busy with the designs of the uniform and the appearance of the characters.

And to the authors who debuted at the same time as me!

I have really made you guys worried! Thank you for cheering me up every time we went drinking! Thanks to that, I’m back in action!

And to my friends!

Sorry for troubling you guys! I somehow managed to release a book! Thanks for cheering me up last year! Let’s go out to eat next time.

My thanks ends here.

Thank you to my editor, the authors, and my friends! Thank you very much. I will work hard so this series will continue on.

Oh, and I also do a blog. I started it last year, so please feel free to visit any time. Well, I only talk about Pokemon and Gundam.....

Well, I’m thinking that it will be good if I can sometime talk about D×D.

Ichibumi Ichiei’s blog “イチブイ(Ichibui)”.

http://ishibumi.exblog.jp

Lastly there’s something I want to say to a certain person.

It’s only few lines, so please forgive me.

To my father, who passed away when I was preparing for volume 1.

Dad, I was able to release my book safely.

Sorry for making you worry.

Ishibumi Ichiei

Translator's Notes and References

1. ← Senpai - Senior

2. ← Okaa-san - It usually means "Mother" but in Japan the husband also can address this way to their wife.

3. ← Otou-san - It usually means "Father" but in Japan the wife also can address this way to their husband.

4. ← Expression of gratitude before meal

5. ← Otou-sama - A very polite way to address your father and father-in-law

6. ← Okaa-sama - A very polite way to address your mother and mother-in-law

7. ← Buchou - Club President

8. ← Youkan - Japanese treat

9. ← Yamato Nadeshiko - A term used for the ideal Japanese woman

10. ← Nagato Yuki(長門 有希) – A female character from the “Suzumiya Haruhi series”. It was originally written as “Tanmon Kiyu(短門キユ)”due to copyrights reasons.

11. ← Suzumiya Haruhi series(涼宮ハルヒシリーズ) – One of the bestselling lightnovels of all time in Japan. It was originally written as “Atsumiya Akino(暑宮アキノシリーズ） due to copyrights reasons.

12. ← Asakura Ryouko(朝倉 涼子) – A female character from the “Suzumiya Haruhi series”. It was originally written as “Yorumina Kako(夜水可子)” due to copyrights reasons.

13. ← Kamehameha(かめはめ波) – One of Goku’s signature moves. It was originally written as “Dragonha(ドラゴン波)”due to copyrights reasons.

14. ← Genkidama(元気玉) – One of Son Goku’s signature moves. It’s called “Spirit Bomb” in English dub. It was originally written as “Goukidama(豪気玉)” due to copyrights reasons.

15. ← Dragon Ball(ドラゴンボール)- One of the famous anime in Japan. It was originally written as “Drag so-Ball(ドラグ・ソボール)”due to copyrights reasons.

16. ← Son Goku(孫 悟空) – The main character from Dragon ball. It was originally written as “Soramago Satoru(空孫悟)”due to copyrights reasons.

17. ← Wakamoto Norio(若本 規夫) – The voice actor of Cell from Dragon Ball. It was originally written as “Oimoto-san(老本さん)”due to copyrights reasons.

18. ← Cell(セル) – One of the major villain from Dragon Ball. It was originally written as “Dell(デル) ”due to copyrights reasons.

Table of Contents

- Life.0

- Life.1 I Quit Being a Human

- Part 1
- Part 2
- Part 3
- Part 4
- Part 5
- Part 6
- Part 7
- Part 8

- Life.2 I Start as a Devil

- Part 1
- Part 2
- Part 3
- Part 4
- Part 5
- Part 6
- Part 7
- Part 8

- Life.3 I Made a Friend

- Part 1
- Part 2
- Part 3
- Part 4
- Part 5
- Part 6

- Life.4 I'm Saving My Friend!

- Part 1
- Part 2
- Part 3
- Part 4
- Part 5
- Part 6

- New Life.

- Part 1

- Part 2

- Afterword.

- Translator's Notes and References