Kanda Sorata.
A completely normal boy. Of course, this isn't a bad thing; the world is full of normal people who play fundamental roles in society. However, as in every society, there is comparison… and this weighed heavily, especially on Kanda.
It all started a little before classes for his first year of university began. He found some abandoned kittens on the street and decided to take them in. However, pets weren't allowed in the regular dorms, so he ended up being transferred to a special dorm, inhabited by people with incredible talents who, for one reason or another, didn't fit in with the rest. They were called problem students.
If Kanda had considered himself average before, after living with geniuses his self-esteem collapsed completely. Even though he tried not to let it get to him, over time, seeing others do effortlessly what took him hours of work began to take its toll.
He developed an inferiority complex. He started to see himself as less than everyone else, slowly becoming more irritable and having small bursts of anger or self-loathing.
But before he fell into something worse, something changed. Something improved his state.
Shiina Mashiro.
A new member of the dorm… and also a world-famous artist.
When Kanda was entrusted with taking care of her, he didn't understand why. But after living with her, he got it.
That girl was a disaster. She could barely do anything that wasn't related to art: she lacked basic common sense, needed help even to get dressed or to avoid getting lost.
It wasn't that she was dumb or had a problem; she had simply spent her entire life being pampered and taken care of, dedicating herself only to painting.
Thanks to her, Kanda, who had only seen geniuses as unreachable figures before, began to see them for what they really are: people. People with flaws and virtues, like everyone else.
Even though he always complained about having to take care of her and about her way of acting, deep down he was grateful. However, that closeness soon made his feelings for her change.
And with those feelings, his sense of inferiority returned too.
The girl he had seen as a disaster began to seem unreachable again, convincing himself that he had no chance.
When he was once again trapped in the darkness of his thoughts, something saved him again.
The Gaia system.
Inside Gaia, even someone like him could become someone. There, everyone started from the same point.
He was even ranked within the top million among all the Lords in the world, something he felt proud of.
After the second round, his rank went up to 905,870, regaining some of his confidence.
At that moment, Kanda was in his room, having a conversation with his love interest.
"How did it go?"
"B."
Shiina's reply was short and direct, as always. Kanda was used to it, so he didn't get mad… though inside, he felt a bit frustrated. He still couldn't catch up to her: Shiina stayed firmly within the top half million.
"Seems like no one can beat you, huh… But I'll catch up soon."
Shiina didn't say anything, just nodded softly.
While Kanda thought about what else to say, a voice interrupted them.
"Hold it right there, Kouhai-kun!"
Kamiguusa Misaki, his senpai, burst in through the window.
"Senpai… I've told you to use the door."
"That doesn't matter, Kouhai-kun. Look at this!"
Kanda sighed, resigned that Misaki would never change, and looked at the phone she was holding.
On the screen was a picture of a guy around twenty years old, with a mature and elegant appearance: refined features, jet-black hair like the night, and eyes as red as blood.
Even though he was clearly attractive, when they looked at the photo they felt something more: fear. Even through the image, it was obvious he was someone extremely powerful.
"Who is that?"
Asked Kanda curiously.
"It's…" Misaki paused dramatically, "The number one himself! Lucifer."
Now that Kaito had revealed his appearance, finding images of him was easy. Even more so for someone like Misaki, who adored anything out of the ordinary. For her, the number one of Gaia was at the top of her interests.
Kanda, however, reacted differently.
"That's him? He doesn't look that strong…"
He tried to sound confident, but Misaki noticed and, giving him a few pats on the back, spoke with an almost comforting tone.
"Don't worry, Kouhai. You don't have to pretend to be strong in front of us."
"I'm not pretending!"
Snapped Kanda, slightly annoyed.
While they argued, a soft voice interrupted them.
"Cool."
Both turned, surprised, to Shiina. She usually focused only on her art, so it was rare for her to show interest in anything else.
"Wow, what's this? Our little Mashiro taking an interest in someone?" Misaki teased.
But Shiina shook her head gently.
"Cool… but cliché."
Though her words were brief and almost cryptic, both understood.
Kanda, who inside felt jealous, relaxed. "Cliché" wasn't a word you'd use to describe a person, but to describe a story.
The reason why Shiina, a world-famous artist, had come to Japan was simple: she wanted to learn how to draw manga. But as someone with almost no real experiences, even though her drawing was top-tier, her stories ended up flat and soulless.
Looking at the photo again, Kanda agreed with her evaluation. Even though Lucifer looked cool and very fitting for a character, his appearance was somewhat cliché.
Even so, thinking that Shiina had commented on it made Kanda quickly change the topic.
"Senpai, why are you showing us this?"
Misaki laughed wickedly.
"Ha, ha, ha… The reason is simple. Mashiro."
She turned her head toward Shiina, who paid attention.
"Did you know that Lucifer is also in the Black Forest?"
"What?!"
The one who exclaimed was Kanda, but Shiina also showed surprise.
"You said no one could beat her, right? Well, he can."
"S-still… there's no guarantee they'll meet. The Black Forest is huge," Kanda tried to calm her, seeing Shiina's worried expression.
"Will he hurt me?" Shiina asked, with a soft voice and trembling look that would make anyone want to protect her.
Unfortunately, Misaki was anything but normal. She put on a serious and almost scary expression.
"That's right. If you two face off, you won't stand a chance and he'll kill you. Poor Mashiro… We'll miss you."
"Hey, Senpai! Why are you trying to scare her?"
"I'm serious, Kouhai-kun. Gaia is a dangerous place. Better to know what you're facing."
Kanda was about to reply, but Misaki interrupted him, looking excitedly at Shiina.
"But… there is a way you could save yourself. Want to know?"
Shiina nodded strongly, in an adorable way.
"Good. You just have to surrender to him."
Shiina tilted her head, confused, so Misaki explained.
"Think about it: a man wouldn't hurt his girlfriend, right?"
Shiina nodded, understanding.
Kanda tried to intervene.
"Wait! Senpai, what are you telling her?"
But Misaki ignored him and kept talking to Shiina.
"And not only that. Lucifer is number one in the world. A normal person would have to work so hard to be under his command… but you have an advantage because you're beautiful! You could do whatever you want all day, protected by him. Isn't that great?"
Shiina nodded again, now looking more excited.
"Senpai! Wait…!"
"And lastly," Misaki continued, cutting him off, "Lucifer is above everyone else, so there's no way he'd leave you because he feels he can't catch up to you."
Misaki's words surprised both Shiina and Kanda.
Shiina had been abandoned before by people who saw her as "an unreachable light that burns if you get close," something that had hurt her deeply. It was a topic they normally avoided in front of her… which is why Kanda was surprised Misaki mentioned it.
Shiina fell silent, stood up, and left the room in a daze.
When she left, Kanda exploded.
"Senpai, what are you doing?! Don't bring up that topic just to tease!"
"I'm serious," Misaki replied, in a rare moment of seriousness.
"Gaia is dangerous… Especially for someone innocent like Shiina. She can't be alone."
"But still…"
"But of course, there's also someone else who could protect her, right? Maybe… a kouhai who's taking too long to confess."
Kanda fell silent, confused, then replied, annoyed.
"Was all this for that?"
Misaki ignored him as she ran out.
"You'd better hurry, Kouhai-kun! If not, someone else will steal her."
Left alone in his room, Kanda fell back onto his bed, murmuring to himself.
"It's fine… The Black Forest is the size of China, the chance they'll meet is tiny. Besides, Shiina isn't that innocent… And even if she was, there's no way the number one would take in a problematic girl like her just because she's pretty…"
---
"That was a long story…" Said Kaito with a sigh, while Koneko and Sonya looked at him, surprised.
"How can someone take so long to tell a simple conversation?" murmured Koneko.
"And was it really just a conversation? Because it felt like I was told someone's entire life story…" said Sonya, a bit confused.
"So… you decided to surrender because of what your friend said?" asked Kaito.
Shiina nodded. At that moment, a system window appeared in front of Kaito, but he didn't see it, because he was focused on something else.
"Since I'm your girlfriend… you won't abandon me, right?"
Said Mashiro, hugging him.
'Girlfriend…?'
Thought Kaito, mentally going over the anime's story to remember what happened.
It didn't take him long to figure it out, so for now, he just nodded, accepting.
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+15 chapters in advance on Patreon.
p-atreon.com/IAMME26
(just delete the hyphen)
80 power stones = 1 extra chapter (cumulative)