Aegis Union Academy, the academic branch of the powerful, multi-million dollar corporation based in Haruka City, Aegis Union, led by the strategic and enigmatic CEO Shion Nakaetsu.
The academy rests gracefully atop a hill, overlooking the city with a sleek blend of modern and traditional architecture. Its glass and steel facade reflect the sky, shifting in appearance through the day, while white stone columns and angular lines add elegance and edge.
Inside, a spacious sunlit lobby with marble floors and towering windows welcome students and teachers alike. A dark wood staircase splits to the upper floors, while digital boards display school news, event info, and class rankings, offering comfortable seating areas to relax or study.
"There you idiots are." Kasumi leaned against the entranceway, arms crossed as she sighted the group she left behind. Her tail perked up at the sight of their plus one. "And I see our resident princess decided to tag along."
"I was just cleaning up your brother's mess."
Kasumi chuckled as she knelt in front of Reina. "And I humbly thank you for that, your highness."
Kouichi grumbled under his breath as he walked in the building. "Whatever. Orientation's about to start." He said as he went the opposite way of the auditorium.
Shirou raised an eyebrow at his friend. "Where're you going?"
"It's probably gonna be the same yap sesh as last year. Besides," Kouichi paused for a moment before continuing his trek. "I need to see a lady about a demon…"
'See a lady about a demon…' They thought. 'The hell is he on about?'
In the auditorium, the students sat alphabetically by last name in groups separated by school year. Beside Kasumi sat Shizuka Murakoshi. Her dark brown bob-cut hair frames a delicate face highlighted by light green eyes that seem gentle yet carry the heavy weight of judgment once they laid upon Kasumi. Her uniform was much more "put together" than Kasumi's was; a navy blazer and bowtie, white dress shirt, gray plated plaid skirt, white thigh socks, and brown loafers.
"Tch." She scoffed. "I can't believe they seated me next to a damn Demon."
"Blame the damn alphabet, not me. And I'm only half demon, so Hellspawn is the correct term." She added with a smirk.
Shizuka scowled as she turned forward. "That's still too much."
"Damn Angels." She muttered in retaliation.
Shizuka drove her nail in her hand hard enough to suppress a growl, but not enough to draw blood. Her Essence, a faint lavender color, leaked out a bit, but was soon suppressed with a quiet breath
With her head tilted on her fist, Kasumi sighed and turned her attention to the Headmaster of Aegis Union Academy, Ren Yokogawa standing at the podium.
He tapped the microphone a few times, causing students and faculty alike to reel back from the feedback.
"Hello and good morning, students and faculty. It's nice to see you. Some for the first time, others once more. If this is your first time, my name is Ren Yokogawa and I'm the headmaster of this academy here."
'Looks like you were right, Kou. It's gonna be just like last year…' Riku, in the 'S' section for second years, turned to see other students. Some started to doze off, whisper amongst themselves, etc. His eyes strayed back to the Headmaster, yet his focus was elsewhere. 'Wonder what Kouichi had to do anyway?'
A collection of groans had not blown past the ears of Ren. "Yes, yes. Most of you have heard this song and dance before. But fret not, this year will be different."
"Different how so?" One third year asked.
Ren hummed to himself. "Just wait and see. Mark my words."
While Ren droned on, Kouichi felt this walk would take longer than usual, not because he was in a hurry, but because he already knew he wouldn't like was waiting for him.
The Student Council room had always felt more like a corporate office than part of a school, just another reason couldn't stand them. Large windows let in the midday sun, casting sharp angles of light across the large polished wood table. Stacks of neatly arranged documents lined the shelves, each one containing decisions that shaped the academy.
Kouichi barely had time to step into the Student Council room before a voice greeted him.
"Mornin', Kouichi-kun~"
A young lady with short black-to-purple hair and fox ears sat at the head of the long table, her head on the back of her hand as she grinned at the Hellspawn. Her two large, bushy fox tails swayed lethargically behind her.
"Ryou-nee–"
Ryou kicked her boots up on the arm of her chair. "Actually, it's Madam President now."
"Madam President?" Kouichi echoed with an arched brow. "Oh, yeah. Forgot you were gunnin' for that spot. Congrats."
"Thanks, little brother."
Little brother. That echoed in Kouichi's mind. And as those words echoed, his face got hotter and noticeably pinker.
"I-I'm not your damn-" He stammered, trying to look annoyed but his tail telling a different tale. "Grr…Who the hell do you think you're callin' your little brother?"
"Now that I'm the Student council President, I'm effectively everybody's big sister." Ryou smirked at Kouichi. "Besides, weren't you about to say 'Ryou-neesan'?"
"What?! N-No! Why would I do that?!" Kouichi shook his head and slammed his palms on the long desk, finally ridding some of the pink of his face. "Cut the crap! I came here for a reason."
"I was wondering why you were here instead of at orientation." Ryou adjusted the sleeves of her cardigan before leaning on the desk. "What's up?"
"Where's Minature?"
Ryou stared at her junior for a beat, blinking a few before finally speaking. "Who?"
"Y'know…Minature. She's short, with long ass white hair and beady yellow demon eyes. The strongest thing under 5 feet."
"Short? And the strongest?" Ryou rubbed her chin for a few seconds, then it finally clicked. "Oh, you mean Akari-chan."
"Uh, yeah, sure."
'I've called her 'Minature' for so long…I forget that was her name.'
"Whaddya need Akari-chan for?"
Kouichi's expression became sharper when he spoke. "I wanna fight her again."
Ryou paused before spinning the chair to fair the window behind them. "Don't let that S-Rank get to your head, Kouichi-kun. Even Ryuusei can't take on Akari-chan and he's even stronger than me."
'That's…not a very high bar, Ryou-neesan…'
"Then…I guess I'll set my sights on Masakage first."
"Hmm… I see… Why do you wanna fight Akari-chan anyway?"
"Because…" Kouichi's mouth was open, yet no more words flowed out. Why did he want a rematch with the one who was labeled the strongest Minor League Specialist, even last year? That loss changed his life in a way he could never imagine. Well, the answer was simple:
"I…don't really know."
"What?"
"It's not like I'm pissed about the loss, so I know it's now revenge I'm lookin' for. In fact, I'm very grateful for it." Kouichi's attention then turned to his scarred hand, injuries his demonic regeneration could've healed but decided against. He could still feel it, being on the opposite side of the power of Akari Minamoto. "That fight is what got me here in the first place."
"Then, you wanna fight her because…"
"Maybe I'll find out once I see her. So, y'know where she is?"
Ryou shook her head. "Nope."
"HUH!?" He exclaimed. "I thought you were the president!"
"Just because I am doesn't mean I have complete control over the students. There's also the fact that Akari-chan's such a free spirit." Ryou offered a teasing smile. "Kinda reminds me of you. With ya skipping class and all that. Speaking of which…"
Ryou pointed her finger up. Kouichi looked up, but saw nothing. Then the first bell of the day rang. She picked up her bag and headed to the door, but not without giving Kouichi a proper sendoff. "Don't wanna be late on your first day, would you, little brother~?"
The blush returned to his face as he blurted out. "Don't call me that!"
"Buh-bye~"
Kouichi grumbled to himself as he finally made his way out of the room.
Stepping out of the council room, the hallway stretched ahead, lined with lockers and the occasional student rushing to class. It was then that a realization hit Kouichi.
'Where the hell is my class?!'
"There ya are, Kouichi-kun. Was lookin' everywhere for ya." A relatively tall man with short messy purple hair, light blue eyes covered by sunglasses, and a toned physique called out with an easygoing edge in his voice. "Didn't realize you'd be here. Thought you hated these kinda things."
Kouichi turned back to find himself face to face with Sora Natsuda, one of the teachers here at Aegis Union Academy.
The teacher wore a half buttoned white dress shirt with the sleeves pushed above his elbows, a loosely tied black tie, black pants, and sneakers. In a pouch on his lower back, rested two daggers, one made out of a high ranking demon's carcass, the other made out of an angel's blessing.
Normally, students' faces lit up when Sora appeared, but Kouichi's…seemed to darken.
"Sensei…" He groaned with his flicking behind him. "The hell do you want?"
'First the princess, then Ryou-neesan, and now him. Is today a piss me off type o' day?'
"Is that any way to talk to your favorite teacher, is it?"
"I would guess not, but you're not-"
"Anyway," Before he could finish, Sora placed his hand on Kouichi's shoulders, startling the young man a bit. "The bell just rang, so homeroom just started and you gotta get to class. And so do I."
"I don't know where my class is, though."
"And let that be a lesson my dear pupil. I noticed you skipped orientation to do…whatever the heck you were doing."
"Yeah." Kouichi admitted. "It was probably the same ol' spiel from last year."
Sora rubbed the back of his neck, a light-hearted smile on his face. "Can't deny it was spiel, but the same old is far from correct."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Sora reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Kouichi. "This year, the teachers got to hand select students, at least teachers for the Specialist classes did. We drew straws to see who'd get first pick and yours truly beat 'em out. You're with me in Class 2-A."
Kouichi stared at the paper. It was his schedule for the rest of the school year.
1st Period (Sora Natsuda - Homeroom/Math): 8:15AM/8:30AM - 9:20AM
2nd Period (Chikako Fukasako - English): 9:30AM - 10:20AM
3rd Period (Subaru Yamada - Science): 10:30AM - 11:20AM
4th Period (Masanori Kosuge - Social Studies): 11:30AM - 12:20PM
Lunch Break: 12:30PM - 1:20PM
5th Period (Takuya Hikame - Japanese): 1:30PM - 2:20PM
6th Period (Sora Natsuda & Chikako Fukasako - Specialist Class): 2:30PM - 4:30PM
"What the hell?"
"Something wrong?"
"Yeah!" Kouichi held up the paper and pointed to '6th Period'. "Since when was the Specialist class this long?"
"That's another change. Old Man Yokogawa decided to combine, or remove depending on how you see it, Phys. Ed and the Specialist class. That way you guys can get in more training for the same amount of school time." Sora threw his hands in the air in excitement. "Hell, we might even be able to get out in the field more."
"More field work?" Kouichi asked, a subtle enthusiasm in his tone.
"That gotcha." Sora grinned, his blue eyes peering over his sunglasses. "Oh, by the way, we're here." Sora pointed out.
"Huh?" Kouichi finally looked up from the paper and at the sign above the door. Class 2-A. "How did we–"
Sora was already halfway in the door when Kouichi turned to him. "C'mon, man. Or I'll mark ya tardy on your first day, and I really don't wanna do that."
Kouichi only just stepped in the classroom and was already buzzing with students settling into their seats, chatting away before the first class officially began. He scanned the room, noting a few familiar heads. One notable head turned his way.
"There ya are, Kouichi!" exclaimed Shirou, who was just speaking with Riku behind him. "You finally take care of business?"
"Sorta." Kouichi took a seat next to him. "But, more importantly, anyone wanna tell me why there're only nine other students?"
"Guess Natsuda-Sensei just picked ten students." A male voice replied behind Kouichi.
Kouichi turned back to see Takumi Kamikouji sitting back in his seat, hands behind his head and feet across the desk. Though his messy black hair, his sharp green eyes, narrowed in a thin line, peered at the demon hybrid in front of him. His navy blazer was wrinkled over a light grey sweater and necktie was even looser than Kouichi's.
For someone who prided himself in being keen in sense, Riku jumped back in seat a bit once he heard Takumi's voice. "Takumi? When'd you get here?"
"Headed here right after the headmaster's huge monologue. Been nappin' since then."
"Hailing from a great family of ninjas and this is what you do with that skill?"
A smirk crawled up Takumi's face as he retorted. "And you're, what, a powerful demon hybrid and probably the strongest in our grade, and yet I barely see you in class."
"…Touché."
The bell cut through the chatter and dropped the room back into silence.
"Alright," Sora's voice carried as he strolled to the front of the room. His sunglasses slid to the bridge of his nose and a hand in his pocket, he scanned the room. "Glad to see you guys again. And since we all know each other pretty well, let's just get roll over with, shall we."
Sora grabbed the tablet resting on his desk, flipped over a page, and cleared his throat for a dramatic effect, then called the first name.
"Our resident flower boy, Mahiro Hoshino."
A boy with short, messy black hair that fell unevenly across his forehead and dark, sunken eyes began frantically looking around.
'Oh crap! I'm up first?! W-What do I say? Should I just say 'here' normally? But I want to make a better impression than I did last year…'
"P-Pre…Here." He sank in his chair as he sighed in both relief and embarrassment.
"Alright. Next up, the lazy shinobi, Takumi Kamikouji."
Without lifting his head, Takumi replied with a simple "Here." and two-finger salute.
"Self-proclaimed ice queen, Reina Kashima." Sora knelt down, hovering his tablet over his chest.
'I've never called myself that, but being the queen is better than being a princess at least…' "Present. And please get it up. It's weird." Reina's voice was calm and composed, at least until she heard Kouichi gag, then it turned into a growl as she balled her fist.
"Whatever you say," Sora immediately rose to his feet and called the next student. "Up next, a blade in the form of a schoolgirl, Hitomi Kimimori."
With silky black hair that falls gracefully to her thighs and captivating violet eyes, a girl pristinely wearing her uniform raised her hand. "Here, Sensei." Hitomi's tone was soft, but those same eyes flickered towards Kouichi. He couldn't see, as she sat a few seats behind him, but him shivering was proof that he felt it.
"Head of our Science and Research Department, Makoto Kitagawa."
One of Makoto's hands shot up, the sleeve of his lab coat sliding back as his calculated gray eyes, hidden behind sleek, utilitarian glasses and unkempt brown hair, never left his smartwatch. "Present."
"The on fleek demon herself, Kasumi Murakami."
With her chin resting atop her interlocked fingers and her tail flicking about, Kasumi raised her hand. "Right here, old man."
"I'm only twenty-seven." Sora retorted. "And speaking of Murakami, Aegis Union's devilish delinquent, Kouichi Murakami. …Kouichi-kun?"
Sora looked over Kouichi's way and found him hunched over with his face planted on his desk. At first glance and if you knew how Kouichi operated, one would think he was asleep already. In actuality, Kouichi's hand kept moving under the desk and a soft growling could be heard coming from Kouichi's shadow, indicating he was playing with Fenrir again.
"Well, your tail's sticking up, so I'll take that as a 'Here'. Next is…little miss guardian angel, Shizuka Murakoshi."
Shizuka, who was just glaring holy daggers at Kouichi, sat perfectly upright and placed her hand over her chest, speaking clearly and gracefully, but with an underlying edge of superiority. "Present." Her eyes darted between the three Hellspawn of the class, that being Kouichi, Kasumi, and Mahiro.
"The shining hero in training, Shirou Nakahara. You here?"
"Wouldn't miss it for the world, big man." Shirou replied, his smile just as bright as usual.
"Last but most definitely not least, the newest kid on the block, Riku Sakurai."
Riku leaned back in his chair, an arm draped over his seat. "Right here, Sensei."
"Ten for ten. Three Hellspawns, one Serphkin, one Angel, and five Humans. Man, I was cookin' when I picked you guys." Sora put in the last bit of information on the table and turned it off before laying back down. He leaned against his desk, his smirk widening. "Now that we've established you're all physically in the room, how about we get this school day started?"
Kouichi didn't lift his head off his desk, but one look at his tail told everybody what his face looked like at that moment.
'Yeah…Let's get started.'
"Alrighty then." Sora reached behind his desk and pulled out a math textbook and let it drop with a powerful thud. "Grab your textbooks."
The room filled with the ruffling of bags, shuffling of chairs, and sighs of students as the class followed instructions.
"Next I want you to 'em hold up." Sora instructed as he maneuvered to the window. "And toss 'em out!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, five books came flying. Four made it out the window and onto the grass, while one barely hit the windowsill before thumping against the floor.
"Aw man," Mahiro murmured.
"Ow!" A student outside yelled.
Sora peered his head out the window. "Damn, Kasumi-chan. You got an arm on you, that's for sure."
Kasumi leaned back in her seat, smiling with pride. "Happens when you have a big brother as insufferable as that one."
"No problem." Kouichi deadpanned.
"And what the heck guys?!" Hands on his hip, Sora turned to his class. "Does your teacher's instruction mean nothing to you?!"
"Excuse my language, Sensei." Shizuka replied. "But why the hell would we do that?!"
"Because, my dear Shizuka-chan, we won't be needing them…today. Make sure you go get your books after." Sora's smile returned. "There's, usually, a method to my madness."
He pointed to the front of the classroom. "Reina-chan, Kouichi-kun, mind comin' up to the front?"
"Yes, I do mind." They replied in unison, one voice filled with a mild sass while the other was filled with blatant disinterest.
"Woah, they must be serious about this," Takumi gasped. "That was like fire and water agreeing that grass is green."
'C'mon, guys." The teacher pleaded. "This won't work without you two."
Their vision collided as they witnessed the sight of Sora Natsuda, esteemed A-Rank Major Specialist, on his knees with hands clasped together and his lip quivering in front of a bunch of teens. The sight made Kouichi's skin crawl.
"Ugh, fine." Kouichi groaned as he abruptly stood. "Just stop doing that shit. It's gross."
"Whatever it takes for you to stop." Reina commented as she headed to the front.
"Yay!" Sora exclaimed as he popped up, returning to his normal self and smirking at his student.
'Guilt tripping bastard…' Kouichi grumbled in his mind, shoving his hands in his hoodie pockets. "So, what now?"
"Now, it's time for a draft."
The small class buzzed, confusion and excitement shifting back and forth.
"A draft?" Hitomi echoed.
"Yep. As you know, Kouichi-kun and Reina-chan are S-Ranks, the only ones in this class to have that rank."
"Which means?" Makoto inquired.
"Which means they'll be the team leaders for our little exercise." A mischievous glint could be seen from beyond Sora's sunglasses. "Ya see, instead of learning about mathematics equations n' stuff on the first day, why not get a head start out in the field of Specialist? That's what this school was made for in the first place."
"Oh hell yeah!" Shirou exclaimed, pushing his fists in the air.
"You just didn't wanna do any work." Riku quipped before hiding his face in his arms on the desk to suppress his gratitude. 'Bless you, Natsuda-Sensei. You're a lifesaver!'
"That's the spirit, Shirou-kun!" Sora turned back and pulled out a coin and flicked it into the air. "Now then, Captains! Heads or tails?"
"Tails!" Kouichi called out.
The coin clattered on the desk and landed heads-up.
Reina let out a cute little giggle. "Better luck next time, Murakami."
"Trash ass RNG." Kouichi grimaced as Reina chuckled.
Reina stepped forward and scanned her classmates. Once her eyes landed, she called them out. "Kitagawa. You're with me."
'Murakami and Kitagawa on the same team? Like I'll let that happen.'
Makoto pushed his glass up, the lens catching the light as he positioned himself next to Reina. "Though I can't say I'm ecstatic about not being able to analyze Murakami, you'll do just as nicely, Kashima."
Reina pinched the bridge of her nose, already contemplating her choice. "Please, keep it in your lab."
Out of the corner of his eye, Kouichi saw the faintest smirk on Reina's face. 'Dammit! She got the nerd. Well, if I can't have more brains, I'll go for synergy.'
Sora stroked his chin as he grinned. "Your turn, Kouichi-kun."
Kouichi didn't waste another second. "Shirou."
Shirou grinned as he extended his hand. Almost on instinct, Kouichi clasped it, their palms slapping hard before sliding into each other's fingers and ending with a quick snap.
"The hell was that?" Kouichi asked, confused at his own actions.
Shirou leaned his elbow on Kouichi's shoulder. "I dunno."
'Murakami and Nakahara… That's not any better. I need to nip that in the bud quickly.'
"My next pick…is Sakurai-kun."
"Oh, really? Me?" Riku questioned as he approached the front.
Reina gave him a smile like a kindred spirit. "Yes, Sakurai-kun. I'm sure you'll be a valuable asset on this team."
'Dammit! I was at least hopin' we'd get the trio goin', but that plans out the window.'
"Lemme get…" In the middle of Kouichi's pick, for a split second, a sudden chill overcame him and almost severed his spine. A chair had scraped back before he even said a name.
"Hitomi." He finished.
Hitomi rose with a quiet smile, her eyes locking onto him as she pressed herself against his arm. He didn't hate when she did this, but found it inconvenient on multiple fronts.
Kouichi looked down at her, then averted his eyes almost immediately. "You mind?"
"Not at all, Kouichi-kun." She responded as she released him from her grasp.
Ignoring Kouichi and Hitomi's situation-ship, Reina picked once more. "Kasumi-san."
Kasumi stretched her arms as she went and stood by Reina's side. "Happy to be of service, princess~"
'My own sister, eh? Alright then. Now my options are Shizuka, a racist, Takumi, a slacker of a shinobi, or Mahiro… I can work with this. I know exactly who I need.'
"I'll take Takumi."
"Aww, man." Takumi groaned as he got up. "Ya couldn't've saved me for last. I was just getting back to sleep."
'This is so conflicting,' Shizuka groaned as she clasped her hands and closed her eyes. 'I want to be on the same team as Shirou-kun, but if only he wasn't connected to that damn Demon! And that psycho Kimimori…'
'Crap, I'm up against Murakoshi-san! Am I really gonna get picked last? Again? It shouldn't be a surprise at this point, but–'
Mahiro's thought was interrupted by Reina's voice. "And my final pick will be…Murakoshi-san."
'Me? On Kashima-san's team? But Kasumi is still… I guess one Demon's better than two…'
As Shizuka passed Kouichi, his focus shifted to Mahiro. Though no expression was shown, Mahiro felt an insurmountable amount of pressure weighing on him.
"N-Nice to be on the team." He managed to get out.
Kouichi groaned as he turned away from him and to Sora. "Yeah. Whatever."
Sora clapped his hands, his grin grown wider. "And that settles it! Team Kouichi vs Team Reina, let's see who prevails. Now, follow me if you want a passing grade."