Another day, another beginning. That was how Daniel defined his life lately. Aside from the occasional nightmares and the unease he felt whenever he heard a car engine, everything seemed to be going fairly well.
Waking up, taking a shower, and eating something light before heading to school: a simple routine, but one he had managed to settle into over the past month.
As he walked to school, nibbling on a ham-and-cheese sandwich, he opened the system panel—now a regular part of his daily routine. Unlike the systems in novels or games he knew, his didn't assign him constant quests or tasks.
If it could be said that he had a mission, it was to win duels. Every victory granted him duel energy and experience. That was one of the reasons he insisted so much on getting Koneko to play cards with him.
The system also gave him decks and cards, though only as rewards for certain achievements or randomly once a month. So far, he had collected three: Ancient Gear, Madolche, and Skull Servants. The first had been his starter deck, the second a monthly reward, and the third a prize for defeating Koneko.
With a final bite, he finished his sandwich just as the school came into view. At the entrance, student council president Sona Shitori supervised the students coming in. Daniel was always struck whenever he saw her; in his previous world, his school hadn't even had a student council, much less one with such an attractive president.
In fact, one thing had been clear ever since he arrived in this world and started attending the academy: he was surrounded by beautiful people. Koneko was the most obvious example. But there were also upperclassmen like Rias and Akeno, not to mention the entire student council.
Even the boys, like Yuuto Kiba, looked like they'd walked out of a magazine.
Sometimes Daniel wondered if he was actually attending a school… or an undercover modeling agency.
---
The day's curriculum turned out to be a real challenge for Daniel. On one hand, there was Japanese, which he could handle effortlessly thanks to the language blessing given by the system. On the other, there was history—an impossible wall to climb. Dates, names, and events simply refused to stick in his mind.
It wasn't a memory problem. On the contrary, Daniel could recall with precision the effects of monsters, the timing of spell activations, and even the order of trap chains. All that rule text was no joke. But when he read about wars, emerging factions, or the endless list of rulers and generals, the only thing he achieved was dozing off. Maybe, he thought, he should try to imagine those historical figures as new duel monsters.
Time passed faster than expected, and before he knew it, it was lunchtime. Since he hadn't brought anything from home, he decided to head out and buy something.
Before reaching the door, however, his eyes inevitably drifted toward Koneko. As always, she was surrounded by girls. Her small frame and adorable expression had earned her the status of the class "mascot." Daniel couldn't help but wonder how they would react if they knew that the little girl could devour half a lemon tart and a couple of tiramisus without blinking. Most likely, they'd be so astonished they'd end up bringing her even more snacks. Deep down, the surprising thing wasn't that Koneko could eat so much, but that he himself was the one who made the desserts.
Shaking his head, Daniel left the classroom, determined to find something to eat.
Unexpectedly, on his way back, he ran into Koneko. Although they had exchanged a few words at school before, it was rare for her to approach him on her own. Daniel glanced around to make sure no one else was nearby and asked in a low voice:
—"What's wrong? Do you want a special dessert for later?"
Koneko hesitated at the word "dessert," but finally shook her head.
—"I won't be able to come. I'll be busy these days."
Daniel raised his eyebrows in surprise, though he eventually accepted it. After all, their demon contract didn't say Koneko had to visit him every day. The truth was, she only ever dropped by his house for the desserts.
After delivering the news, Koneko seemed to waver for a moment, as if she wanted to add something else. But Daniel was already heading back to class, munching on a yakisoba-pan while waving her a discreet goodbye.
Back in the classroom, Daniel noticed that Koneko glanced at him from time to time. In another context, it wouldn't have been strange; after all, when they played cards or shared desserts, they usually sat across from each other. But in the middle of a lesson, it felt awkward.
Even more so because 90% of the class was made up of girls, and most of them had already noticed Koneko's attention on him. Feeling so many stares made him blush and squirm in his seat.
Daniel still wondered why the system had enrolled him in this particular school. The imbalance between male and female students was far too obvious.
Uneasy, he gathered his things as soon as class ended and hurried out. Koneko watched him until he disappeared down the hallway.
---
Later that afternoon in Kuoh City, a young girl with white hair watched a brown-haired boy with little interest.
Koneko wasn't motivated, even though this was a mission entrusted to her by her master and club president, Rias Gremory. The reason was simple: the boy she was tasked with monitoring annoyed her. But she had no choice. Rias suspected that Issei Hyoudou might be the bearer of a Sacred Gear, and thus had to be kept under surveillance.
The more she watched him, however, the less tolerable he became. He talked about breasts constantly, practically drooled over any attractive woman, and according to what she had heard, he had even been caught peeking into the kendo club's changing room.
—"Fuuu…" —Koneko sighed, trying to calm herself.
Deep down, she knew her discomfort wasn't only because of him. She was worried… about someone else. Maybe she had started associating desserts with that person, or maybe she had come to enjoy the strange card game he had created. She wasn't sure, but she couldn't stop thinking about Daniel. There was something about him that set him apart: a peculiar kind of energy, and that ability to project images of the cards… something impossible for an ordinary human.
Koneko had reported Daniel to Rias from the very first day he summoned her. After finding out, Rias asked her to keep an eye on him, but upon realizing his ability wasn't suited for combat, she shifted her focus to Hyoudou instead.
—"I couldn't tell him to be careful…" —Koneko murmured.
She wished Daniel would avoid wandering around the city, especially at night. There had been reports of stray demons attacking humans. Even though Rias and the others had eliminated several, some still lurked in the shadows.