A few days later, after the meeting with Rias Gremory,Sam's days bled into one another, a rhythm formed of school, study, and something that had begun to feel almost like a second life. Between the quiet stares of the Occult Research Club and the measured inquiries of the Student Council, Sam balanced his role as the quiet transfer student with a sharp mind and a sharper sense of caution.
But away from school grounds, far from mundane eyes, Sam walked paths few others could. Paths of survival, power, and training.
Tonight, under a dull orange sky and atop cracked stone tiles long since forgotten by the world, Sam faced Tiche in their unofficial training ground—a secluded train yard just beyond the town's edge. Wind stirred dry leaves and whispers of battles yet to come.
Tiche stood across from him, twin blades already drawn. Her eyes, as always, betrayed nothing.
"You're not dragging your claws right. Too wide a swing," she said, voice like steel wrapped in wind. "Your feet are slow. Predictable."
Sam rolled his shoulders, claws humming faintly with contained electricity. "So tell me how you'd do it."
Tiche didn't reply. She merely vanished.
Sam reacted, barely managing to twist his body as her blade passed within an inch of his ribs. He skidded backward, sparks flying from his claws as they scraped the stone.
"Again," she said, already returning to her position.
They did this for hours.
It wasn't until he fell onto his back, breath ragged, that Sam began to think clearly.
Staring up at the stars, claws crackling beside his limp hands, he muttered, "This isn't coming from my holy energy."
Tiche's head tilted in the dark.
"The claws," he clarified. "They're not pulling from the same source. It's not holy power—just... my stamina. My will. It's probably what this world would call mana."
He sat up slowly, flexing his fingers. "The System must've carved it out separately. I thought the claws were linked to my light powers, but they're not."
Tiche's eyes narrowed slightly, thoughtful now. "Your holy energy… it is different. It doesn't smell like Heaven's. No grace, no prayer. It's been modified. Detached from the divine. Probably by the System."
Sam nodded, almost absently. "That tracks. I should name it then. Not the claws. The energy."
He raised his hand, and a faint silver‑gold glow shimmered across his fingertips—the Holy Hero Energy he'd begun sensing deep inside himself. It was wholly distinct from the blue‑white static of his Lightning Claws and separate from the raw mana that fueled them.
"Holy Hero Energy," he decided aloud.
Tiche raised an eyebrow. "That sounds made up."
"It is," Sam admitted with a small smirk as he pushed to his feet. "But it's not Heaven's and it's not mana. Whatever it is, it's mine—and it only works because I make it work."
Tiche stared at him for a long moment.
"All right," Sam said, taking a breath. "Let's dance."
[System Ping — Tiche Affection 33 → 36]
He cocked an eyebrow at her, saying nothing.
---
One week later, after the meeting with Rias Gremory and the Student Council. Sam had kept his head down, balanced schoolwork with training, and held fast to the advice given: stay sharp, stay subtle. But despite his low profile, it seemed the seeds he'd planted had taken root.
The System pinged as he leaned back in the quiet corner of the library, pretending to read a history text while actually tracking aura flows in the nearby hallway.
> SYSTEM NOTICE
Sub-Objective Complete: Gain Sona Sitri's Trust
Reward Granted: 1x Gold Ability Ticket
Main Objective Progressed: Gain the Trust of the Devils of Kuoh
Partial Completion Achieved
Reward Granted: 1x Advantage Silver Trait Ticket
Sam blinked, his lips tightening into a thin line before the corner of his mouth quirked up. All right. Not bad.
Without hesitation, he opened the Gold Ability Ticket.
>Gold Ability Ticket Redeemed
You have acquired the Rare Ability: Energy Regeneration
Effect: By actively focusing, you can convert Stamina into Energy/Mana at will. The exchange rate is fixed for now: the more Stamina you spend, the more Energy you regain. No Stamina, no regeneration.
Note: Conversion efficiency—and the maximum amount you can channel at once—scales with your physical conditioning.
He raised his eyebrows. Energy regen at the cost of stamina? That was... interesting. Not a free ride, but better than being left dry in a real fight. He could work with this.
Next came the Advantage Silver Trait Ticket. The screen flickered between two options.
> Trait Option 1: Gym Nut (Rare)
You are a Gym Nut. Want those powerful muscles? Better get to grinding.
Physical training efficiency increased considerably.
Recovery from exercise dramatically improved.
Peak human fitness achievable in a few months of consistent effort.
> Trait Option 2: Golden Shot (Common)
Your fertility is beyond common sense.
Any woman in a relationship with you is guaranteed to become pregnant, regardless of any means.
Sam read the second one twice. His expression didn't change. But behind his eyes, a deadpan voice echoed in his head:
What in the hell kind of shounen hentai bait nonsense is this?
A beat passed. Then, without fanfare or hesitation, he selected Gym Nut.
Immediately, another notification appeared.
> SYSTEM NOTICE
Trait Synergy Detected.
Gym Nut has synergized with Enhanced Vitality and Hero Candidate.
Synergy Effect:
Physical training efficiency drastically enhanced.
Recovery time from exercise near-instant under normal conditions.
Sam's body has begun shifting toward low-level superhuman parameters.
Continued training may exceed normal human limitations over time.
Sam exhaled slowly, letting the information settle.
He felt it, too. A warmth buzzing in his bones, a subtle shift in posture and tension. He wasn't just healing quickly anymore—his entire system was priming itself like a machine built to push limits.
From nearby, Tiche's gaze flicked toward him from the shadows of the mezzanine above, where she'd been keeping silent watch. Her spectral form shimmered faintly in the artificial light.
"You're muttering less to yourself," she said flatly. "Progress."
Sam didn't respond at first, just held her gaze with a thoughtful look.
"Feels like I'm not breaking anymore," he murmured. "More like I'm… sharpening."
Tiche watched him for another long moment, her expression unreadable—but her aura had shifted slightly, subtle as ever.
> SYSTEM NOTICE
Relationship Tracker – Tiche: +1 Affection
(Current: 37 – Love – Complicated)
Sam closed the System menu with a swipe of thought, letting it all settle.
He'd earned a foothold. A body to build. Trust in motion. But this was just the beginning.
---
"Have you noticed it too?" Rias asked, gazing through the library window, her teacup untouched.
Akeno's smile was mild. "You mean how our transfer student never quite relaxes, even during PE?"
The heiress nodded. "It isn't raw power that catches my eye—it's the way he moves. Efficient. Careful. Almost like a soldier who's learned to protect old injuries."
Outside, Sam crossed the courtyard at an even pace. No aura flared around him—just a human student walking with practiced posture and alert eyes.
"He still doesn't register on any standard energy scan," Akeno murmured. "But every now and then I feel a faint static—holy‑tinged, yet not Heaven's."
Rias sipped her tea, eyes thoughtful. "That ambiguity is the part I can't ignore."
—
In the Student Council room, Sona Sitri paused mid‑report. Her pen hovered as she glanced out the window.
"Is something wrong, Kaichō?" Tsubaki asked.
Sona nodded toward the track. Sam was stretching, no more impressive than any athletic second‑stringer, yet each movement seemed consciously placed.
"He's adjusting quickly for a transfer," Sona observed. "Socially, too. He's introduced himself to every faction and remembers details. He's mapping the terrain, not making alliances."
Tsubaki's brow creased. "Nothing overtly supernatural?"
"Nothing measurable," Sona admitted. "Just a human who prepares more than most—and that may be enough reason to keep watching."
—
Momo Hanakai stood at the edge of the garden wall, her clipboard pressed against her chest.
Sam was in the quad again, helping a lost first-year pick up scattered papers. He smiled lightly, offered a hand, gave advice about the shortcut between buildings.
It was the third time she'd watched him do something like that.
He didn't know she was watching.
Or maybe he did.
Momo frowned slightly, scribbling something into the margin of her sheet—then erased it.
She glanced down at her phone instead. Then quickly locked it and looked away.
Her heart was beating too fast again.
---
Two weeks later, after the initial meeting with Rias Gremory and the Student Council.
The days since had blurred into quiet patterns: school, homework, subtle interactions with both factions, and training. Always training.
Now, in the fading light of another dusk, Sam moved with quiet purpose on the edge of Kuoh — far from the school grounds, where civilization thinned into trees and uneven grass.
He struck the air with steady rhythm, breath sharp, feet slicing the dirt. The electric hum of effort clung to him like sweat. His knuckles crackled faintly as tiny arcs of lightning flickered in and out — not fully formed claws, but close.
> [Lightning Claws – Mastery increased to 7%.]
He didn't react to the notification. He just kept moving, carving precise paths through the empty space, step by grinding step.
Tiche sat nearby, watching from the low branch of a tree. She remained silent, arms crossed, her gaze unreadable but alert.
Further out, unseen by either of them, a second presence hovered above the clearing. High atop a nearby apartment complex, Akeno Himejima stood, veiled in distance and silence.
She'd followed the flicker of power. Not holy — not really — but not demonic either.
There was no prayer behind it. No channeling. Just him, alone, and whatever this lightning was becoming.
"It's not sacred," she murmured to herself. "Just strange."
She watched as Sam collapsed into the grass, breath ragged, shirt clinging to his chest. His arms splayed wide, sparks still twitching at his fingertips.
> [Akeno Himejima Affection +1]
[Current Affection: 20 – Crush (Growing)]
Sam's eyes flicked slightly toward the skyline — just vaguely.
Someone had seen him.
That was fine.
He didn't mind the attention. Not now.
He exhaled again and let the night swallow him whole.
---
Two weeks later, the classroom buzzed with lunch‑period chatter. Sunlight slanted through the windows in lazy stripes, and Sam Barnes sat slouched at his desk, thumb absently rubbing the bridge of his nose. The page in front of him blurred; last night's training session had bled well past midnight.
Dark circles ghosted beneath his eyes. His homework was finished—of course—but focus was another story.
Momo Hanakai tapped the edge of his notebook with her pen. "That's the third time you've stared at the same paragraph. Either you're decoding ancient runes, or you're running on two hours of sleep."
Sam offered a tired half‑smile. "Can't a guy zone out now and then?"
"Not when he zones out with that thousand‑yard stare," she countered, voice softening a shade. "You look fried—mentally, not physically. Late‑night cram sessions?"
"Something like that," he said, shrugging one shoulder. "Trying to keep the transfer‑student GPA spotless."
Momo's brow furrowed; concern peeked through her usual composure. "Grades don't help if you face‑plant during the presentation. When was the last time you slept before midnight?"
Sam opened his mouth, paused, then chuckled. "Does a nap count?"
"Not if it happens during homeroom." She slid an energy bar across the desk. "Here. Sugar and caffeine. Think of it as insurance for our group project."
He accepted it with a small nod of thanks. "You're unusually invested in my well‑being."
"I'm unusually invested in not bombing our grade," she shot back—though the faint smile that followed undercut the tease.
The bell rang. Chairs scraped and conversations swelled as students filed out for lunch.
Momo stood, brushing her skirt smooth. "Heading to your 'quiet spot' again?"
"Maybe," Sam replied, stowing the energy bar. "Depends if you're planning to stalk me."
"Tempting." She hefted her Student Council folder with a sigh. "But paperwork calls. Try to log an actual night of sleep, Barnes. Nightmares aren't a flex."
"No promises," he said, offering a weary salute.
"Figures." She turned away, but glanced back once—eyes lingering a moment longer than strictly necessary—then disappeared into the corridor flow.
Sam exhaled, slung his bag over one shoulder, and made for the side stairwell. The energy bar crinkled in his pocket—a small reminder that someone had noticed, even if he kept pretending he was fine.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Sub‑Objective Progress: Maintain Low Profile While Training – Ongoing
Mental Fatigue Threshold Approaching 70 % – Consider Recovery
Sam closed the prompt with a flick of thought, heading toward the courtyard. Rest could wait; the next session with Tiche wouldn't.
---
He sat on the sloped edge of an abandoned train bridge near the outskirts of Kuoh—one of his training spots, chosen for its isolation from wandering eyes. Late afternoon bled into early evening; orange sky deepened toward violet. A breeze rattled the chain-link fence in lazy clinks.
Sweat trickled down Sam's temple as he caught his breath, pleasant fatigue settling into his limbs. A familiar ping chimed in his mind.
[Lightning Claws Mastery: 10 % – Basic techniques acquired. Adaptive feedback improving efficiency.]
Another small step forward.
He opened the glowing blue interface, scanning its lists with a critical eye.
Abilities
Lightning Claws – Mastery 10 % (Active, stamina-driven electrical claws)
Energy Regeneration – (Manual; converts stamina into mana/energy at a fixed rate)
Traits
Enhanced Vitality (Common)
Hero Candidate (Rare)
GymNut++ (Rare) – Synergy: Enhanced Vitality & Hero Candidate
Sam exhaled, letting the menu fade. Every day he trained, studied, and pretended to be just another transfer student. Every night the System nudged him a little further.
It's been three weeks—no ambush, no new quests. Too quiet.
Another breeze swept the bridge.
Awareness prickled along his spine: someone was watching.
He didn't turn. Didn't tense. Instead, he gazed at the darkening treeline, muscles loose but mind alert.
Any moment now, he thought. The other shoe's going to drop.
And when it did, he intended to be ready.