Renji's second week at Kuoh Academy started much like the first: with whispers.
"Look, it's him again."
"The new transfer…"
"He's always with the student council president…"
"Suspicious."
Renji slumped in his seat, hiding behind his textbook. If one more guy glares at me for breathing the same air as Sona, I'm moving to Antarctica.
The girls in his class weren't much better. Every time he stood, he swore he heard sighs. One even slipped a note into his desk: Do you like older women?
Renji buried his face in his hands. I wanted a girlfriend, not a cult.
After classes, Sona summoned him to the council room. The peerage was already gathered. Renji dragged his feet in, muttering, "Please tell me this isn't more push-ups…"
"No," Sona replied. "Today, you'll learn teamwork."
Renji blinked. "Teamwork?"
"Yes. A peerage is not merely pieces on a board. It is a family. You will train with them, fight alongside them, and—if necessary—rely on them. That requires trust."
Renji glanced around the room. Tsubasa smirked at him. The voluptuous girl winked. The quiet silver-haired one gave him a soft smile.
He gulped. "…Trust might take a while."
Training Exercise
The group relocated to the Sitri training grounds—an isolated area shielded by magic.
"Today," Sona explained, "you will spar with your seniors. Learn their strengths. Adapt to their styles. You will not win. But you will grow."
Renji groaned. "Translation: I'm the chew toy."
"Correct," Sona said, without blinking.
Before he could protest, Tsubasa lunged at him. Renji yelped, barely dodging. Her fist cracked the ground where his head had been.
"Fast!" he gasped.
"Stronger than you, too," she added cheerfully, chasing him like a predator.
Renji panicked. Symbols lit up across his arm, releasing a shockwave that blasted dust into the air. Tsubasa skidded back, eyes wide.
"Ohhh… not bad."
Renji stood trembling, his arm glowing. "…I'm alive?"
From the sidelines, Sona's eyes gleamed. "Instinctive activation again. Still unstable."
The voluptuous girl took her turn next. Her magic filled the air with illusory doubles, dancing around Renji.
"H-hey, no fair! There's like twelve of you!"
"Which is the real one, hm?" Her voice teased from every direction.
Renji flailed, swiping wildly. His energy blade cut through illusions, missing every time. The real one tapped his shoulder from behind. "Too slow~"
Renji collapsed, groaning. Kill me…
Hours later, he lay face-down on the grass, twitching. "So this is how it feels… to be roadkill…"
The peerage laughed softly. Even Tsubasa offered him a hand up. "Not bad, Pawn. You've got guts."
Renji blinked at her, then smiled faintly despite himself. "Thanks. I think."
Sona observed silently, her expression unreadable. Yet when Renji caught her gaze, he swore he saw approval flicker behind her glasses.
That Evening
Back in the dorm, Renji slumped onto his futon. His whole body ached.
They're all monsters… and somehow, they're on my side. How the hell am I supposed to keep up?
A soft knock interrupted his thoughts. He opened the door to find the silver-haired girl holding a tray.
"You skipped dinner," she said gently. "Eat. You'll recover faster."
Renji blinked. "You… made this for me?"
She nodded, cheeks faintly pink.
Renji's heart thumped. Okay… maybe being a devil isn't all bad.
POV Shift: Sona Sitri
Sona stood by her desk, reports scattered before her. Her peerage had dismissed for the night, but her mind lingered on one thing only: Renji's power.
Today, she had seen it clearly. Instinctive, uncontrolled, yet potent. Too potent.
She traced her fingers across the page, where faint energy residue from his Sacred Gear had burned symbols into the paper. Not like any she'd studied.
"Such volatility…" she murmured.
Yet she remembered the look on his face when his teammates praised him. The flicker of pride, the fragile determination.
Sona closed her eyes, exhaling slowly. "He must be protected. And trained. Before others notice…"
Her words trailed off as a faint shiver ran through the room. A presence. Far away, but watching.
She tightened her grip on the page.
Too late.
Elsewhere…
A figure cloaked in shadow perched atop a distant building, gazing toward Kuoh Academy.
"So, a new Sacred Gear awakens," the voice whispered. "One the Sitri heiress herself hides away…"
A smirk curved unseen lips.
"This could be… amusing."