The next morning, Noel found himself back in the Student Council Room, where everyone was already engrossed in their tasks.
Rufus Vaele was gone.
No body.
No trace.
Sona glanced at the report left on her desk.
"Did you take care of the body?" she asked.
Noel gave a small nod. "Yeah."
As he spoke, his mind drifted back to last night.
After cutting down Rufus, a sudden thirst clawed at him—an insatiable hunger unlike anything before.
The Death Factor within him stirred, restless and demanding.
He knew what had to be done.
Summoning his dark threads, he willed them to strip away the devil's life force.
The body crumbled to dust, devoured by the consuming power of his threads.
And then it happened.
His stagnant Death Energy—usually still, barely growing—shifted.
Like ripples across still water, it expanded ever so slightly, a shallow but undeniable increase.
But that wasn't the end.
He felt it.
A faint, imperceptible soul—the essence that should have returned to the underworld—was caught, ensnared in the web of his power.
Piece by piece, the threads consumed it.
At first, he frowned.
Did he need to hunt souls to feed his threads now?
But then something changed.
His threads pulsed.
They quickened, strengthened, became sharper—more lethal.
Two realizations struck him at once.
One: His Death Energy had finally, albeit shallowly, grown.
Two:Like the Death Energy, the threads could grow—so long as he fed them with souls.
A quiet relief settled in his chest.
With this… maybe he wouldn't be so helpless, after all.
Back in the present, Sona's voice brought him out of his thoughts.
"You can go now," she said.
He was about to nod when he remembered something he had been meaning to ask.
"Actually, I have a question."
Sona folded her hands.
"Go on."
"Why am I not part of the Student Council?"
She didn't hesitate.
"Once you've caught up with your lessons, you'll be allowed to join."
Then, as if remembering something, she asked, "How's your progress?"
Noel decided to keep the truth to himself.
"I'm not sure, but I think I can pass all my first-year subjects. History might be the only problem."
It wasn't a lie.
As a transmigrator, he should already know everything.
But since he had never actually opened the books, he wasn't sure—and chose to be cautious.
Sona simply nodded. "Good job."
Noel returned the nod and left.
——————✗—————
The gentle hum of the bus engine faded into the background as I gazed out the window, watching the trees blur past.
The first term of high school had ended just a few days ago.
Looking back, it had been... normal.
Lectures never really interested me.
Most of what they taught was just a review of things I already knew.
But outside the classroom?
That was different.
Every hunt for stray devils, every fight against problematic outlaws—devil or human—had strengthened me.
Their lives, their souls, became fuel for my growth.
Not just that.
As a Rook in Sona's peerage, close-quarters combat training had become routine, sharpening my instincts.
Magic lessons, shared among us all, added another layer to my arsenal.
Suddenly, a voice pulled me back to the present.
"We're here, everyone!"
Akeno Himejima.
Rias' Queen.
She stood near the front, a soft smile on her lips, her long black hair cascading down her back.
The ever-present contrast between elegance and danger surrounded her—like a thunderstorm dressed in silk.
The bus rolled to a stop, and we stepped out onto a clearing nestled deep in the mountain forest.
Tall trees framed the open space, their leaves swaying gently under the wind's touch.
The ground, a mix of soft grass and firm earth, stretched wide enough for all of us to move freely.
Sunlight filtered through the branches, scattering patches of gold against the green.
In the distance stood the two-story mountain lodge, its log walls sturdy against the elements.
A wraparound porch overlooked the valley, and the faint scent of pine lingered in the air.
Sona, ever the tactician, stepped forward.
"Before we begin training, we need to get our things tidied up. That means unpacking our belongings, setting up our rooms, and making sure everything is in order. No wasted movement. Work efficiently."
Simple enough.
I turned to move when a prickling sensation ran down my spine.
Someone was watching me.
Instinctively, my senses sharpened.
A quick glance back—nothing unusual.Just the bus, a few stragglers stepping off.
Probably nothing… but still.
I exhaled slowly, a small smile forming.
Good.
My training wasn't just making me stronger—it was making me aware.
Letting the feeling fade, I stepped forward, ready for what was ahead.
——————✗—————
I don't know when it started.
That pull.
That quiet, nagging urge.
Every time he's near, my eyes go to him.
Like breathing.
Like blinking.
Just something that happens.
It's annoying.
The bus slows.
The hum under my seat fades.
A sigh from the engine.
Doors hiss open.
Fresh air.
Pine.
Earth.
The smell of the trees pressing in.
The kind of quiet that swallows sound before it can settle.
And then—him.
Noel.
His shoulders tense.
Barely.
No one else would notice.
I do.
My breath catches.
I look away.
Why?
Don't know.
Still, I look again.
Something's changed.
He stands different.
Taller, but not just in height.
Like something heavy got lighter.
It's not strength.
I've seen strong people.
He wasn't one of them.
Strength doesn't change someone like this.
Confidence?
No.
Determination?
Closer.
Hope.
That's it.
Quiet.
Steady.
Rooted deep in him, like he's decided to stop being crushed under things he can't control.
I don't know why.
I don't know what changed.
But for the first time, he reminds me of my sister.
Kuroka never had that hope.
Her smile never reached deep enough.
She let go of something long ago and never tried to take it back.
Noel isn't like that.
Not anymore.
And for the first time…
I wonder—
What could have been.