Chapter 10 - Is Evan Being Coerced
Footsteps echoed outside the Occult Research Club.
A knock followed.
Koneko opened the door, revealing students in uniform standing in the corridor.
Rias frowned at the leading figure.
Why is she here?
"President," Akeno asked knowingly.
"What brings you to the Occult Research Club?"
Sona was a pureblood devil from the Underworld, like Rias.
Heiress of the Sitri clan.
Sona and Rias shared a competitive yet amicable relationship.
Evan glanced over, meeting Sona's gaze.
"Akeno, I'm not here for Rias today," Sona smiled faintly at Evan.
The girl's school uniform complemented her medium-length black hair, which fell like tassels.
Her purple-red eyes and glasses lent an intellectual air, her slim figure less curvaceous than Rias's or Akeno's.
"If not the Rias, then…?" Akeno trailed off, already suspecting the answer.
Sona nodded slightly at Evan. "Evan, I came to see you."
Rias's frown deepened.
"What do you want with Evan?"
Sona glanced at her calmly.
"Just a matter to discuss with him."
"Are you trying to recruit him into your peerage?" Rias asked back.
"No," Sona replied.
"Evan has his own pride and strength."
"Making him a servant would waste his talent."
Ignoring Rias's tense expression, Sona produced an obsidian badge engraved with a crest.
"Evan, I propose a trust-based partnership."
Sona explained: like Rias, she faced a surge of unusual incidents in Kuoh Town and lacked manpower.
She sought Evan's help to share the burden, offering commissions he could accept or decline, with immediate rewards upon completion.
"Sona, I approached Evan first," Rias said, raising an eyebrow.
"He's already partnered with me."
"It's just a commission," Sona countered, adjusting her glasses.
"Who said Evan's limited to your requests? He decides for himself."
"Fine."
Rias felt a pang of loss, as if a prized ally had been swayed.
***
After parting with Rias and Sona, Evan attended afternoon classes.
At dismissal, students gathered in groups, heading to clubs or home.
Leaning by the window in the back row, Evan caught a scene that piqued his interest.
At the school gate, Issei Hyoudou stood flustered, scratching his head.
Before him was a beautiful girl with long black hair—Raynare.
Issei's face betrayed his inexperience.
Evan smiled faintly.
Despite the composite world's chaos, some events unfolded as destined.
Raynare targeted Issei's Sacred Gear.
Unsure of its power, she posed as his girlfriend to gather intel before striking.
Evan chose not to intervene yet.
But...
Sacred Gears, created by the Biblical God, were superhuman abilities.
Historical figures often wielded them, leaving legacies through their power.
Most affected human society, but Longinus could threaten mythological forces, even slaying gods.
The Boosted Gear was among the elite, its boost and penetrate's a game-changer.
Acquiring it could be tempting, but Evan's thoughts drifted to Cross-World Gate.
The Campione! world, where he'd trained as a Great Knight with the Bronze Black Cross.
There, Campione—humans who slew Heretic Gods and claimed their Authorities.
With the Boosted Gear, he might challenge them directly.
Sigh, 10% as of now...
To charge the Cross-World Gate, Evan relied on energy accumulation.
Fighting enemies also accelerated the process, though other methods might exist.
He wasn't rushed to return to Campione!
Killing a Heretic God was a dream, but Evan knew the chasm between himself and such beings.
Coincidental victories, like exploiting a weakened god's vulnerability, were how most Campione ascended—direct combat was a mortal's doom.
He'd return when stronger.
This world, chaotic yet ordered, was safer.
With the Boosted Gear, Evan saw a path to confronting those beings.
After leaving the Occult Research Club, Evan planned his next steps: intervene in key plots, accept commissions, train daily, and entertain Est.
Life was fulfilling.
Eriri Sawamura, however, grew increasingly frustrated.
Evan's closeness to school beauties like Rias and Sona gnawed at her.
As his childhood friend, she questioned their bond.
'Is Evan being coerced?' she wondered, her doujin artist imagination conjuring a bullying scenario—Rias and Sona exploiting some leverage.
"Every meeting… are they doing things to him?"
"No," she muttered, shaking her head, her blonde ponytail swaying.
"Evan's too exceptional for that."
Her mind raced with dramatic scenarios.
If not in school, she'd have sketched them.
Resolving to act, she decided to consult her mother on reclaiming Evan's attention.
Afternoon classes were brief.
Homeroom teacher Mafuyu Kirisu reviewed graded tests, dampening the mood.
After dismissal, students bounced back.
Evan returned home, cooked dinner, and ate with Est.
Watching her nibble like a kitten, he ruffled her hair. "I'm heading to my room. Watch TV after you're done eating."