[Third-person POV]
In a place far from the main building of Kuoh Academy, there was a building with a dilapidated facade hidden at the edge of a forest.
It housed the Occult Research Club, a secretive group at Kuoh Academy that was only accessible by direct invitation from the President.
However, inside its walls, the building was different from what it appeared to be. The walls were immaculately white, and the furniture was like new — despite being undoubtedly old due to its Victorian appearance.
Late that Monday afternoon, Rias Gremory, the President of the Occult Research Club, was sitting behind her office desk, her face illuminated by her laptop screen.
On the screen, a video was paused at a critical moment: Akihiro Nishihara, the new exchange student, hitting a ball.
This video was provided by one of Rias' classmates, who had been working on a project to record classmates in funny moments for a farewell video at the end of high school.
Watching the video, Rias frowned and clicked to play it in slow motion once more.
As she analyzed the footage, her piercing blue eyes tracked Nishihara's every movement: the jump, the stance, the applied force. Something about Nishihara bothered her deeply, though this particular serve seemed unremarkable.
"That doesn't make sense..." she muttered, adjusting the playback to rewatch it again.
The sudden sound of the door opening interrupted her train of thought. Quickly, Rias closed her laptop. When she looked up, she sighed in relief at seeing Akeno Himejima entering instead of someone else.
Akeno was carrying a tray with tea and cookies, and her calm demeanor allowed her to immediately notice the tension on Rias's face.
"You look nervous, President," Akeno commented, placing the tray on the table. "Don't tell me you're still upset about losing that first game to Sona and Tsubaki-chan?"
Rias frowned, though not out of irritation. She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms, and gave Akeno a serious look.
"It's not about the game. Although, I admit, losing to Sona is always a bit frustrating."
Akeno gave a melodious laugh and began pouring tea into a cup. "So, what's been bothering you? You've seemed unusually serious since we left the gym."
Rias opened her laptop again, positioning it so Akeno could see the screen. The video of Nishihara-san's serve played back once more in slow motion. Akeno leaned forward slightly, her eyes narrowing in concentration.
"I'm studying Nishihara-san. I can't understand how he was able to generate so much power on that first serve. None of the serves he made after that had even half that power. Look at the way he moves here... He looks totally normal, but that first serve..."
"Indeed," Akeno agreed, her expression growing more serious. "That first serve was... exceptional. The ball vanished from sight before hitting the ground. But if he has that ability, why didn't he use it again?"
Rias sighed deeply, closing her laptop and leaning back in her chair, as if trying to organize her thoughts.
"Do you think he could be human?" Akeno asked, her voice sweet but tinged with a hint of concern. "I mean, it's rare, but there are humans with extraordinary physical and mental abilities."
Rias shook her head. "It doesn't seem like just talent or training."
Akeno nodded, pushing a cup of tea toward Rias.
"If he's not an ordinary human, then what could he be? A fallen angel? A hybrid of angel and human? Maybe even a devil?"
"I doubt he's a fallen angel. They usually stay away from casual human interactions. A devil... There's no way there are other devils here that I don't know about."
"What about youkai? Some of them have extraordinary physical strength. Could he be one of them, hiding his true identity?"
Rias considered the hypothesis for a moment before shaking her head again. "It's very hard to say."
Akeno broke the serious mood of the conversation with a brief laugh. "It seems we have a mystery on our hands, President. What do you suggest we do?"
Rias gave a small smile. "I want you to keep an eye on him tomorrow. Observe how he behaves and interacts with others."
"Yes, President." She bowed her head.
However, Rias Gremory and Akeno Himejima weren't the only devil girls who had taken an interest in Akihiro Nishihara.
*
From the moment Sona Sitri saw that devastating serve, something inside her had remained unsettled.
It wasn't the bitter taste of defeat, as many might assume — Sona was too pragmatic to be consumed by such trivial emotions.
No, what bothered her was the mystery surrounding Akihiro Nishihara.
As she sat in her office, surrounded by the silence she cherished, she allowed her thoughts to wander.
Each time she recalled the moment, the details stood out vividly: the movement of his arm, seemingly unassuming; his posture, technically correct but unremarkable. Nothing that would indicate the destructive force he had been capable of unleashing. And yet, the ball had disappeared as if the air itself had swallowed it.
Sitting at her desk, glasses perched on her nose and fingers intertwined under her chin, Sona allowed herself a brief sigh.
She had rarely felt so intrigued by someone.
Could it truly be a coincidence that an exchange student with such unique abilities had appeared at her school? It wasn't in Sona's nature to trust chance.
Earlier, she had reviewed the school administration reports, just to confirm what she already knew: Akihiro Nishihara was a model student. Impeccable grades, impeccable school record, and a history of turbulence in America before moving to Japan to live with his aunt. Still, something didn't fit.
'How can someone so discreet attract so much attention at the same time?'
Earlier, she had stopped by the gym after class, not to look for him, but just to watch the club activities.
However, part of her hoped to find him there, training with the men's volleyball club. Perhaps that could explain the sheer power behind that serve.
As she thought about him, she felt a slight warmth rise to her cheeks, something rare for her. It wasn't embarrassment, but a combination of fascination and intellectual challenge.
Sona didn't like puzzles that escaped her understanding.
Back in her office, she opened one of the board's accounting books to try to distract herself, but her thoughts returned.
'If he were an ordinary human, this wouldn't be possible. But if he's not human, then... what is he? A wizard? A hybrid? Something else?'
She closed the book with a sigh and took off her glasses, massaging the bridge of her nose. She glanced at the bookshelf, where a decorative glass goblet reflected the golden light of the setting sun.
She put her glasses back on and turned to the desk. There was still much to do. Tomorrow, she would observe Akihiro closely. Not because she was interested, but because she wanted answers—or so she tried to convince herself.
Meanwhile, Tsubaki watched the reliable student council president, and her best friend, act like she never had before. Akihiro had, in just one day, managed to captivate Sona Sitri more than any boy in the past seventeen years.