"I just remembered something. I'll head back to class first. See you later."
Satoru Mikami waved casually, not giving Natsuki Minamiya a chance to probe further, and walked straight out of the faculty office.
Minamiya watched his back fade into the corridor. With a soft sigh, she pulled open her drawer and withdrew a slim file. Her sharp eyes scanned the page within.
---
[Satoru Mikami: Sacred Gear Holder]
Incident Report: Half a month ago, while out with his parents, the Sacred Gear initially awakened. The surge of aura attracted a Level 2 Curse Spirit. The attack resulted in the deaths of his parents, while the boy survived with severe physical injuries and psychological trauma.
---
Minami closed the file slowly, her brows furrowed.
"Judging from his composure earlier, he really has moved past that incident… but something feels off. As if he's gone too far in the other direction."
She hesitated for a moment, then picked up her phone.
"Hello, Rias? You're not too busy right now, are you? I have a favor to ask."
---
Outside, Satoru walked through the school corridor, sunlight spilling in through the wide windows. The faint murmur of students echoed ahead—only to be broken by a sudden angry shout.
"Hyoudou! You bastard, stop right there!"
Two boys charged down the hall, red-faced with fury.
"We agreed to share the blame, but you ratted us out!"
"You idiots tricked me last time, don't act so righteous!" the boy in front shot back, smirking even as he ran. He had messy brown hair and an irreverent grin—the type of delinquent you'd find in every school.
But when he turned forward again, his grin faltered.
A figure stood blocking the hall.
Satoru Mikami.
"Oh crap—"
Before he could stop, momentum carried him forward. Satoru moved like water, sidestepping and hooking an arm. In the next instant, the brown-haired boy found himself flipped clean off his feet.
Bang!
He hit the ground hard. A sharp cry escaped his throat as Satoru smoothly pressed a knee against his shoulder blades, pinning him down like a practiced fighter.
"Gah! Ow, ow, ow! I surrender! Let me go already!"
Realizing what he'd done, Satoru loosened his grip and stood, brushing off his hands. "Sorry. Instinct."
Lately, between sword drills and fitness training, he'd been studying close-quarters combat. When the boy had barreled into him, his body had simply reacted. And truth be told—it felt good to test it in practice.
"You hurt?" Satoru asked casually. "I can patch you up if you want."
"N-No need!" the boy scrambled upright, shaking his head furiously. His two companions caught up, giving Satoru wary looks before ushering their friend toward the infirmary.
Satoru's gaze lingered on them as they disappeared around the corner. Then a crisp chime echoed in his mind.
---
[Congratulations! You have defeated Hyoudou Issei and obtained the Red entry: "Boost."]
[Boost (Red): When activated, strength doubles every ten seconds. The upper limit depends on the host's physical capacity.]
---
Satoru's eyes widened, then narrowed with a grin.
It was a pleasant surprise, turns out defeating opponents can earn new traits.
"Boost…?"
He knew this power. In the original work, this was the gift of the Red Dragon Emperor—an ability so broken that even a fool could topple monsters with it.
And now, it was his.
Excitement stirred in his chest. If Boost had appeared, then perhaps…
He would test the theory later. For now, he headed back to class.
---
The room buzzed with familiar chatter. As he slid into his seat, his desk neighbor looked up with a start.
"Morning, Kato."
"Ah—good morning, Mikami-kun," Kato Megumi greeted softly, blinking at the unexpected attention.
"Yo, Satoru!" a lively voice interrupted. Yuji Itadori twisted in his chair to face him. "I heard about your accident. You doing okay?"
"All good now." Satoru raised his arm, smiling faintly. "Want to check?"
"Eh?"
Yuji clasped his hand, and soon the two were locked in an arm-wrestling match.
"Whoa—your strength's insane!" Yuji gritted his teeth, unable to force Satoru down.
Satoru's smirk deepened. Ten seconds ticked by. The keyword pulsed.
Boost.
Power flooded his arm. Yuji's grip faltered, and with one decisive push, Satoru slammed his opponent's hand against the desk.
"Wha—?! What the hell was that?!" Yuji stared in disbelief.
"Just messing around," Satoru replied, releasing his grip.
Before Yuji could protest further, the door slid open. A petite figure in gothic-lolita attire swept inside, sharp gaze instantly cutting through the classroom chatter.
"Silence. Prepare for class."
Natsuki Minami set her papers down at the podium, but her eyes lingered on Satoru for the briefest of moments.
Satoru leaned back in his seat, pulling up his status panel beneath the desk. No new Traits.
"Arm-wrestling doesn't count as defeating an enemy, huh?" he mused silently.
His lips curled.
"Looks like it's time to activate the backup plan."
---
That evening, after classes ended, he intercepted the brown-haired boy again in the courtyard grove.
"Hyoudou. Got a moment?"
"Eh? Me?" Issei blinked, wary.
"I want a favor," Satoru said simply, rolling his shoulders. "Fight me."
"What?!" Issei's jaw dropped. "Hell no! There's no way I can beat you!"
He still remembered how quickly he was floored.
Satoru raised a finger. "I'll hold back. And I'll pay you."
Issei flinched. "T-This isn't about money—"
"300,000 yen."
"…Still no You don't understand—"
"One million yen."
Issei froze.
"D-Deal!"
Money broke his resolve.
Issei, from an average household, barely got by with his allowance. One million yen can buy games, magazines and cover expenses for over a year.
---
"I'm ready"
Striking a pose he has seen on Tv, Issei braced himself.
Satoru raised a hand and said.
"Come at me"
"Don't say I didn't warn you"
Issei lunged towards satoru.
Two seconds later, Issei was flat on his back again, groaning.
Satoru offered a hand up, but his mind was elsewhere. The System remained silent. No new Traits.
So it had a cooldown of a monthon the same target. He couldn't grind the same target repeatedly.
"Figures."
"Wanna go again, for a million yen it doesn't feel right."
"No need"
He smiled faintly, transferring the promised money. Even in failure, he'd learned something important.
And next time…
He would cast his net wider.