The morning sun was a lie.
Cheerful rays poured through the windows of Kuoh Academy, lighting up the hallways like we weren't all standing on a thin layer of supernatural tension ready to explode. I leaned against my locker, eyes half-closed, trying to tune out the war zone echoing down the corridor.
"I'm telling you! Oppai are the meaning of life!""That's ridiculous, Issei!""No it's not, Matsuda! I had a dream last night—the dream! Heaven was filled with—""You're filled with something, alright..."
I exhaled through my nose. Loudly.
[Side Mission In Progress: Survive One Week Without Punching a Pervert]
[Status: Day 2 – Minor Eye Twitch Detected]
"Morning, Akuma!" Issei grinned, bounding up beside me like a labrador possessed by a hentai demon.
I stared at him, deadpan. "I've seen things, Hyoudou. Things that would make your dream journal cry."
He blinked. "...Was that a yes to joining the Occult Research Club?"
I was about to answer with something sarcastic when a familiar aura curled around the corner.
Rias Gremory, graceful and calm, walked toward us with her usual entourage—Akeno, Kiba, and a nervous girl trailing behind them I recognized as Koneko.
Kiba offered a polite smile. "Good morning, Akuma-kun."
I nodded, slow and deliberate. "Kiba."
The guy radiated that princely energy that made girls swoon and made me suspicious. He was too polite. Too well-kept. Either he was an undercover psychopath, or he ironed his socks.
Akeno tilted her head, her violet eyes glinting with amusement. "Still as quiet as ever. I'm curious… is that part of your charm, or do you just not like us?"
"Yes," I said, without missing a beat.
Her giggle sounded like a temple bell wrapped in dynamite.
"Akuma-kun," Rias stepped forward, her crimson hair catching the sunlight. "May I speak with you privately?"
Issei choked on air.
"I—wha—President, you just met him—!"
"I'm not recruiting him to my harem, Issei," she said patiently. "I just want to talk."
"...This is worse," Issei muttered.
Five Minutes Later – Occult Research Club Room
I'd been in here once before—by accident. And only briefly, before the air itself tried to seduce me.
The room was darkly elegant, lined with antique furniture, bookshelves, and that heavy magical presence clinging to every surface like perfume. The fireplace crackled quietly.
Rias gestured to the seat across from hers. "Please. Sit."
I didn't. I leaned against the bookshelf instead.
"Is this about the transfer paperwork?" I asked, dryly. "Because I'm pretty sure they filed me under 'Existential Crisis with Legs.'"
She smiled faintly. "No. Though that is accurate."
She studied me with those cool blue eyes, searching for something. "You're hiding your aura. Very well, I might add. Most magicians your age can't suppress it so effectively."
"I'm a quick learner," I replied.
Her fingers tapped the desk once. "You're not a magician."
I didn't flinch.
"Not a devil. Not an angel. Not even sacred gear... And yet, power hums around you like a second heartbeat."
[Alert: Observation Skill Detected – High-Grade Magic Perception from Rias Gremory.]
[System Cloak Efficiency: 91% – Continue Bullshitting.]
I shrugged. "Healthy diet. Good skincare routine."
She didn't laugh. But her eyes crinkled at the corners.
"Akuma... I don't know what you are yet. But Kuoh is... complicated. And dangerous. People who stand out tend to be pulled into things beyond their control."
"Then maybe people should learn how to mind their business," I said, evenly.
Rias leaned forward, chin resting on her hand. "Perhaps. But power is rarely left alone."
Akeno walked in, tea tray in hand, her steps soft as silk. "Careful, President. You're starting to sound like someone trying to recruit him after all."
"I don't recruit strangers," Rias said, without looking away from me. "I recruit allies."
"And what makes you think I'd be one?"
Her gaze sharpened. "Because you don't flinch when people call your bluff. And because despite all your sarcasm... you haven't hurt anyone."
[Side Mission Update: Emotional Defense Cracked (1%)]
I hated how accurate that was.
"I'm not here to make friends," I said flatly.
"No," she said. "But I think you are here to make choices."
Later That Day – School Rooftop
Lunch. Finally. Peace.
I sat cross-legged under the sky, eating rice balls in silence. Kuoh below was loud and full of awkward flirting, bad jokes, and lingering glances. Up here, there was wind. Clouds. No one to talk to—
[Incoming Transmission: Cultivator Life Simulation System]
[New Simulation Available: Life 2 – Spirit Hunter of the Desolate Wastes]
[Warning: High Spiritual Madness Risk. Suggested Preparation: Mental Fortification Required.]
I took a breath.
The first simulation had been pain. Bloody, glorious pain. But useful. Addictively so.
Power was power. I needed more of it. To survive. To control my fate.
But still…
My hand unconsciously went to the necklace—the crimson stone pulsed with faint warmth.
"What am I becoming?" I whispered.
I didn't get an answer.
"Akuma-kun?"
I turned, startled. Koneko stood there, holding a bento box.
Small, silver-haired, and with a presence like a stone wall. She was staring at me like I was a misbehaving cat.
"You smell different," she said bluntly.
[System Notice: Koneko Toujou has high innate spiritual sensitivity. Caution advised.]
I blinked. "I use weird shampoo."
She stared harder.
Then, without warning, sat down next to me and began eating her lunch.
"Noisy place," she mumbled between bites.
"…Yeah."
A pause. The wind picked up. I didn't know what to say.
So I didn't.
Koneko seemed to approve.
That night, as the moon rose and the system pulsed in my mind, I stood in my room, staring at the simulation prompt.
[Begin Simulation: Life 2? Y/N]
"…Just one more," I whispered.
[Accepted.]
The world shattered again.