"What!?" he blurted out as the cup of coffee in his hands slipped. He quickly caught it in a panic, his face turning pale as he stared at Tsubaki with vigilance.
'How the fuck did she know? The system's been monitoring the area and didn't notice anyone.' Yusuke's muscles tensed, ready to punch the shit out of her pretty face. 'Should I blast her head with a punch? But we're in a public place... What do I do?'
No one could blame him for his extreme reaction. Every encounter he had with supernaturals had been brutal. Murayama had turned him into a human dildo, and the fallen angel tried to kill him for no apparent reason at all.
Tsubaki only smiled at his reaction. She reached out and placed her palm gently over his, speaking in a calm voice, "Yusuke-san, don't panic. I don't mean any harm."
"On the contrary, I am here to help you." Seeing his confused expression, Tsubaki smiled inwardly, feeling that if she could use this chance to guide him through the world of supernaturals and position herself as his 'senpai', she could gain his trust and make him dependent on her.
"Help me?" Yusuke asked, narrowing his eyes and staring at the hand resting on his. He wasn't the naive guy he used to be. The last time he trusted someone, he ended up locked in a basement.
"Yes, Yusuke-san. You've just awakened your hidden power, and sooner or later, you'll start attracting supernatural beings. In fact, you already have," Tsubaki said, not pulling her hand away. Instead, she subtly caressed his hand, like a perverted old man fondling a hostess's breasts at a club. "That fallen angel you killed was one of them. And there are many more who might try to pull you in or end your life."
"End my life? I haven't done anything to anyone. Why would they attack me for no reason? That fallen angel wanted to kill me even though it was the first time I'd ever seen him," Yusuke said. This was the question that had been bothering him for a while. What was the reason behind that attack? Because that would determine how he should deal with supernatural beings going forward.
"To explain that, we need to talk about the factions that make up this world," Tsubaki straightened her back and began explaining. "There are many mythologies and factions across the world, like Norse mythology, Greek mythology, Hindu mythology, Shinto mythology, and so on..."
"Each of them has their own gods and countless followers across the globe, with enough power to destroy the entire world if they ever decided to go to war with one another."
She paused for a moment, observing his changing expression, then continued, "And one of them is the biblical mythology. It includes three main factions, which are the Angels, the Devils, and the Fallen Angels. They are led by God, the Four Satans, and the Governor of the Fallen Angels."
"The three factions were locked in war for many years and only stopped after suffering immense damage. Even now, their relationship remains extremely hostile. The reason that fallen angel attacked you is because most humans with high potential end up working under the Church, and the Church itself is under the control of Heaven."
"Because of this relationship, fallen angels will always try to eliminate humans who show potential in order to reduce future threats."
Yusuke remained silent, listening to her explanation and slowly digesting the information. Finally, he asked, "Why is it only the fallen angels that are hostile? What about the devils? Why wouldn't they kill humans with high potential?"
As if expecting his question, Tsubaki smiled and replied, "Because devils have something called the Evil Pieces, a peerage system that allows them to reincarnate other races into devils. Usually, when they spot a human with high potential, they try to recruit them into their peerage instead of killing them."
"Evil Pieces? Reincarnation?" Yusuke was once again surprised by the new information.
"The Evil Pieces were created by the Maou, Ajuka Beelzebub-sama..." Tsubaki began explaining the history behind the Evil Pieces, the structure of the peerage system, and the purpose behind its creation in the first place.
"So that's how it is. Wars are always bad, no matter the race. Why can't the leaders just fucking duke it out between themselves and leave the rest of us alone?" Yusuke shook his head inwardly as he took in the sorry state of the three factions.
History has proven that wars are always a lost endeavor. No matter who wins or loses, even the winner is just the side that suffered less. Look at both world wars. Ignoring the massive casualties, they left all of Europe devastated, with almost no infrastructure or industrial capacity left, even on the winning side.
"Yusuke-san, I have something to propose," Tsubaki said without responding to his remark. She leaned forward from her chair, bringing her head closer with a serious expression.
Yusuke was taken aback by the sudden closeness and instinctively leaned back, staring into her beautiful eyes behind blue-framed glasses. "What is it?"
"Please join my master's peerage."
...
On the other side, at Kuoh Academy's occult club, the sound of running water filled the room as the silhouette of a mesmerizing figure appeared behind the curtains.
Standing before the curtains was a beauty with a long ponytail, her hands clasped in front of her waist, holding a towel.
A hand reached out from behind the curtain and took the towel wrapped around her. As Rias stepped out, wiping her wet hair, she absentmindedly wore her black and purple lace lingerie. Her thoughts were completely consumed by the image of that strange man.
Dressed, Rias sat on the desk, resting her cheek on her palm, and asked, "Did you gather information about him?"
However, after waiting a while, she got no answer. Tilting her head, she noticed Akeno standing there, staring at the wall in a daze as if it held the secret to eternal life. Frowning, she called out, "Akeno!"
Akeno blinked and turned to Rias with a perfect smile. She asked, "Ara~ What did you say, Rias?"
"I asked if you gathered the information I requested earlier," Rias repeated with a deep frown. She felt a strong sense of discomfort, not because of Akeno's absentmindedness but because she sensed the reason behind it was that man.
That bothered her. A strange but faint feeling of possessiveness stirred inside her, making her uneasy just thinking about another woman having feelings for him.
"Yes, they are in the first drawer," Akeno's smile faltered for a moment before she answered. She felt the same unease as Rias but knew she was in no position to stop her because Rias was her master.
"Thank you, Akeno." Rias nodded and pulled the drawer open. Inside, she found a thin folder. Opening it, she saw multiple old pictures of Yusuke along with fewer than ten papers describing his life experience.
"Yusuke Aoki..." As she read through the file, Rias's brows furrowed deeply. The man's life experience was pitiful. An irresponsible mother and a useless father who died early, no friends or family. It was a wonder someone like him had made it this far without going astray, becoming a shut-in, or even taking his own life.
He was even one of the top students at school in terms of academic performance.
However, the pictures showed that just a few days ago, Yusuke had undergone a complete change. It was as if he had become a different person. His height had increased, his body had become fitter, and from what she sensed at the time, his magic power was very strong. He had the potential to become a magician.
If he were reincarnated as a devil, he could make a good bishop.
"Rias, are you thinking of recruiting him?" Akeno asked as she walked up behind her.
"Mm, he has an impressive amount of magic, and I have a free bishop piece. He's a fitting candidate," Rias answered without looking back, her eyes fixed on the recently taken photo of Yusuke.
"Is that so..." Akeno's gaze also landed on Yusuke's picture. She stared at it with her violet eyes, smiling, though the smile didn't reach her eyes.
...
"You want me to join the peerage of your master, Sona Sitri?" Yusuke was once again surprised by her offer. As for the identity of the Student Council's president being a devil, he had already guessed it when he saw Tsubaki. If a devil like her were only the vice president, then the president had to be someone of higher status than her, perhaps a high-class devil, like that redhead, Rias Gremory.
"Yes! If you become a devil, you will gain the protection of the Sitri clan and also get the help and guidance of all of us. There are many benefits to becoming a devil. You can have an extremely long lifespan, over ten thousand years. You'll also gain a significant boost in your physical strength and magic power. You'll learn magic much faster, and you can fly as well..." Tsubaki thrust her face closer to his as she explained excitedly, listing all the advantages of being a devil.
If she could make Yusuke join Sona's peerage, she, as the Queen and his senpai, would be responsible for teaching and guiding him. And the more they interacted, the more heated their relationship would become. At that point, there was a possibility of some kind of 'mistake' happening.
Maybe late at night, during a private training session in the garden, when suddenly a mistake occurs, and her clothes end up shredded. With her figure fully exposed, Yusuke would lose control of his beastly nature and push her down!
'Ahhn~' Just thinking about it almost made her nose bleed!
"Tsubaki-senpai, you are very close," Yusuke's awkward voice snapped her back to reality. She was practically pressing her face against his. If he moved his lips slightly, he could kiss her.
"Ehh, sorry," Tsubaki jolted back to reality and quickly returned to her seat. "I was just excited. I hope I didn't scare you."
"No, I was just overwhelmed seeing a beautiful face like yours at close proximity," Yusuke waved his hand with an awkward smile.
[Ding]
[Tsubaki Shinra's submission + 1]
[Tsubaki Shinra's submission + 1]
'Wait... this also works? I was just stating my honest thoughts!'
Yusuke blinked at the floating notification.
...
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