The Occult Research Club room felt smaller than usual, probably because Rias's attention was focused entirely on Jason with the kind of intensity usually reserved for interrogations. She sat behind her desk with her fingers steepled, blue-green eyes staring at him like he was an employee who just applied to leave job after getting the salary.
Akeno stood beside her chair, that ever-present smile playing at her lips. Koneko had claimed her usual spot on the couch, already working through a fresh box of chocolates as if the near-death experience from earlier was completely forgotten.
*Right,* Jason thought, trying not to shift uncomfortably under Rias's gaze. *Time to bullshit my way through this without revealing I'm actually a dead American with a cheat system.*
"So, Yuuto," Rias began, her tone deceptively casual. "These new techniques of yours. When exactly did you develop them?"
Jason had prepared for this question during the teleportation back. The key to a good lie was mixing it with enough truth that it became believable.
"I've been working on them for a few weeks," he said, keeping his voice steady. "After the last few stray hunts assignments, I realized I was relying too heavily on Sword Birth"
"So you decided to develop breathing techniques?" Akeno asked, tilting her head with genuine curiosity. "That's quite unusual for a devil. Most of us focus on enhancing our demonic power, not physical conditioning."
"That's exactly why I decided to work on it" Jason replied, warming to his fabricated story. "Everyone expects devils to fight with pure strength, sacred gear and magic. But what if I combined that with something they haven't thought of? A method to enhance my physical capabilities beyond their normal limits?"
Rias leaned forward slightly. "Where did you get the idea?"
*Time for the excuse, that I thought for a whole day at school*
"I've been reading about various martial arts and combat philosophies in the human world. There are cultures that believe controlled breathing can unlock hidden potential in the body" Jason smiled as he explained "I figured if humans could achieve results with that method, imagine what a devil could do with the same principles applied to it"
It was plausible enough. Yuuto was known for being studious and thoughtful. The idea that he'd research human combat techniques wasn't that far-fetched.
"Interesting," Rias mused, her expression thoughtful. "And you've been practicing these techniques in secret?"
"I wanted to make sure they actually worked before mentioning them," Jason explained. "No point in bringing it up if it turned out to be a waste of time. Tonight's mission was the first real test of it"
"And It proved quite successful" Rias observed "Your coordination with Koneko was exemplary. You recognized the Stray's defensive capabilities and adapted your strategy accordingly."
"...Good teamwork," Koneko added from the couch, not looking up from her chocolates.
*At least she's backing me up,* Jason thought with relief.
"However," Rias continued, and Jason felt his stomach drop at that word. "I want you to be careful with these new techniques. Developing combat methods without proper supervision can be dangerous. What if you'd miscalculated? What if the breathing patterns had adverse effects on your body?"
*What if I'd revealed I'm not actually Yuuto and you decided to kill me for being an impostor?* Jason thought but didn't say.
"I understand your concern, buchou," he said instead, injecting just the right amount of contrition into his voice. "If I continue developing these techniques, I'll make sure to consult with you first."
That seemed to satisfy her. Rias's expression softened, and she nodded. "Good. I'm not trying to stifle your growth, Yuuto. Quite the opposite—I'm impressed with your initiative. Just remember that you're part of a peerage. Your safety affects all of us."
"I'll keep that in mind," he nodded.
"Ara ara," Akeno chimed in, her violet eyes gleaming. "I have to admit, Yuuto-kun, I'm quite curious about these breathing techniques. Perhaps you could teach me sometime?"
*Yeah, that's not happening,* Jason thought. He knew pretty well that she wasn't going to use these techniques for combat, but for something else that she would get pleasure from.
"Maybe once I've refined them more," he deflected. "Right now they're still pretty rough around the edges."
Rias stood, signaling the end of the debriefing. "Very well. You're both dismissed. Get some rest—tomorrow school is off so I expect you to be fully recovered."
"Yes, buchou," Jason replied, standing and giving a respectful nod.
Koneko slid off the couch, chocolate box tucked under one arm, and headed for the door without a word. Jason followed, grateful to escape before Rias decided to ask more probing questions.
As they left the old school building and stepped into the cool night air, Jason felt the tension drain from his shoulders. That could have gone a lot worse. Rias seemed to accept his explanation, or at least wasn't suspicious enough to push harder.
*One hurdle cleared,* he thought. *Now I just have to maintain this inherited lying skill for the rest of my new life*
Koneko stopped at the edge of the courtyard, turning to face him. Those hazel eyes studied him for a moment, unreadable as always.
"...Senpai," she said quietly. "Thank you."
Jason blinked, surprised. "For what?"
"...Protected me," Koneko replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "During the fight."
*Oh. She's talking about when I kept attacking even after she went down.*
"You would have done the same for me," Jason said, which was probably true based on Yuuto's memories. "That's what teammates do."
Koneko's expression didn't change, but something shifted in her eyes—a warmth that hadn't been there before. She gave a tiny nod, then turned and walked away, disappearing into the shadows.
*Well,* Jason thought, watching her go. *I think I just earned a bit more respect from the emotionless cat girl. That's... actually kind of nice.*
He summoned a magic circle beneath his feet and teleported home, ready to finally check what rewards the System had given him.
---
Jason's apartment was exactly as he'd left it that morning—modest, clean, and utterly unremarkable. He locked the door behind him, kicked off his shoes, and collapsed onto his bed with a heavy sigh.
*Today was fucking exhausting,* he thought, staring at the ceiling. *Killed a monster, nearly got electrocuted to death, had to lie to my boss about where my new powers came from. I'm living my dream life*
But exhaustion aside, he was curious about the System rewards. He'd dismissed the notification earlier to avoid suspicion, but now he could finally see what he'd earned.
*Alright, System,* he thought. *Show me what I got.*
The blue screen materialized instantly, showing two characters cards. Wasting no time, Jason used the first one with starry eyes.
**[Character Card Obtained: Vinsmoke Sanji (Pre-Alabasta Arc)]**
**[Rarity: B-Rank]**
**[Would you like to view details? Y/N]**
Jason selected yes, and the card's information expanded across the screen.
**[Vinsmoke Sanji - The Black Leg]**
**[Age: 19]**
**[Abilities: Black Leg Style (Martial Arts), Culinary Mastery (Expert Level), Enhanced Leg Strength, Superhuman Agility, Sky Walk (Locked - Requires Higher Level)]**
**[Knowledge: Advanced Cooking Techniques, Nutrition Science, Combat Theory (Leg-Based), Restaurant Management]**
Jason stared at the screen, his mind racing. Sanji. The cook from One Piece with his ridiculous leg-based fighting style and his even more ridiculous obsession with women.
*Well, this is... interesting,* he thought. *A martial arts style that uses only kicks. That could actually complement Sword Birth pretty well—sword techniques for mid-range, kicks for close combat.*
The cooking knowledge was an unexpected bonus. Jason had never been much of a cook in either life, usually surviving on takeout and instant ramen. Having actual culinary skills might be useful.
*Plus it'll give me something to do that isn't fighting or lying to people,* he reasoned.
**[Second Character Card Available]**
**[Starter Bonus Card: Edward Elric (Pre-Promised Day)]**
**[Rarity: A-Rank]**
**[Would you like to view details? Y/N]**
*Wait, a second card? And it's A-Rank?*
Jason selected yes immediately.
**[Edward Elric - The Fullmetal Alchemist]**
**[Age: 16]**
**[Abilities: Alchemy (Master Level), Transmutation (No Circle Required), Enhanced Automail Combat, Scientific Genius, Hand-to-Hand Combat (Street Fighter Style)]**
**[Knowledge: Alchemical Theory, Chemical Sciences, Advanced Mathematics, Medical Knowledge, Engineering Principles]**
Jason's eyes widened. Edward Elric. The pint-sized alchemist who could transmute matter without a circle, who'd seen the Truth and paid for it with his brother's body and his own limbs.
*Holy shit,* he thought, his heart racing. *Alchemy. Actual fucking alchemy. I could transmute materials, create weapons, build defenses, reconstruct matter at the molecular level...*
The possibilities were staggering. Alchemy in the Fullmetal Alchemist universe operated on the principle of equivalent exchange—you couldn't create something from nothing, but you could reshape existing materials into whatever you needed. Combined with his devil abilities and the other skills he'd acquired...
*I could become so much more than just a sword-wielding knight,* Jason realized. *With alchemy, I'd have versatility that most devils can only dream of.*
**[Assimilate Vinsmoke Sanji? Y/N]**
**[Warning: Assimilation is permanent and will alter your base parameters.]**
*Fuck it. Let's do this.*
Jason selected yes.
The transformation was different this time. Instead of the agonizing full-body reconstruction he'd experienced with Muichiro, this felt more focused. His legs burned as muscles restructured themselves, becoming denser and more powerful. His sense of balance shifted, his center of gravity lowering as his body adapted to a combat style that prioritized leg techniques.
But it wasn't just physical changes. Knowledge flooded his mind—recipes and cooking techniques, the precise temperature needed for a perfect medium-rare steak, how to fillet a fish in under thirty seconds, the secret to a proper béchamel sauce. The Black Leg Style's techniques burned themselves into his muscle memory: Collier, Épaule, Côtelette, each kick designed to target specific body parts with devastating precision.
And underneath it all, a burning passion for food and an almost instinctive desire to protect women that felt foreign to Jason's personality but was undeniably part of Sanji's core being.
*Well, that's going to be annoying,* Jason thought as the transformation completed. *I better not start swooning over every girl I see or I'm going to lose my fucking mind.*
He stood and tested his new capabilities, throwing a few experimental kicks. His leg moved with speed and precision that shocked him, the air whistling as his foot cut through it. The form was perfect, each movement flowing naturally from years of practice he'd never actually done.
*Okay, this is actually pretty cool,* he admitted.
**[Assimilate Edward Elric? Y/N]**
*Here we go. The big one.*
Jason selected yes.
This time, the pain was immediate and overwhelming. Not just physical reconstruction, but something deeper—his very understanding of reality being rewritten. Alchemical knowledge poured into his consciousness like a dam breaking, equations and chemical formulas and the fundamental structure of matter all burning themselves into his brain with searing clarity.
He saw the world differently now. Everything was just atoms and molecules, elements waiting to be rearranged according to the laws of equivalent exchange. The wooden floor beneath his feet—cellulose and lignin, easily transmutable into carbon structures. The walls—calcium compounds and silicates, reshape them into barriers or weapons with the right transmutation circle.
But more than that, he understood. The Truth that Edward had witnessed, the flow of energy through all living things, the cost of attempting human transmutation and why it was forbidden. All of it was there, sitting in his mind like memories of events he'd never experienced.
His hands burned. Not physically, but with the knowledge of what they could do. Clap them together, focus his will, and reshape reality itself within the bounds of natural law.
*This is insane,* Jason thought as the assimilation completed. *I have knowledge that most scientists would kill for. I could revolutionize the way devils approach combat, construction, everything.*
But with that knowledge came responsibility. And fear. Alchemy was powerful, but it was also dangerous. One wrong calculation and he could blow himself up, or worse.
*I'll need to practice,* he decided. *Start small, test the limits, make sure I understand what I'm doing before I try anything ambitious.*
He looked at his hands and imagined the possibilities. Transmuting his demonic swords into different forms mid-combat. Creating barriers and defenses on the fly. Reshaping the battlefield itself to his advantage.
*With these abilities,* Jason thought, his mind racing with possibilities, *I'm not just some background character anymore. I could actually change things. Protect people. Maybe even...*
His thoughts turned to the future he knew was coming. Riser Phenex and his Rating Game against Rias. In the original timeline, Issei had won that battle through sheer determination and protagonist power. But without Issei...
*What if we lose?* The thought was sobering. *What if Rias gets forced into that marriage because I decided to play hero and keep the perverted idiot out of the peerage?*
The weight of that possibility settled on his shoulders like a physical thing. People's lives were at stake. Rias's freedom was at stake. And if they lost because Jason had interfered with the timeline, whose fault would that be?
*Mine,* he realized. *It would be entirely my fault.*
He sat on the edge of his bed, staring at his hands as doubt crept in. Was he really doing this just because he didn't want to be in the same group as Issei? Because he found the kid annoying? That seemed like a pretty shitty reason to potentially ruin someone's life.
*Maybe I should just let things play out,* Jason thought. *Let Issei get killed by Raynare, let Rias resurrect him, and everything proceeds according to the plot. Sure, I'd have to deal with his perverted bullshit, but at least I'd know how things would turn out.*
But even as he considered it, something in him rebelled against the idea. That was the coward's way out. The safe path. And Jason had never been one to take the safe path, even when he probably should have.
*Fuck it,* he decided *So what if I'm potentially dooming everyone because I have strong opinions about living life my way?*
*Besides,* he thought, a grin forming. *I've got alchemy, martial arts, demon-slaying breathing techniques, and magic swords. If I can't beat one fried chicken bastard with that arsenal, I can count on more rewards that's on the way.*
The image of Riser Phenex formed in his mind—the arrogant phoenix devil with his immortality and his harem and his smug fucking face that just begged to be punched repeatedly.
*Yeah,* Jason decided, feeling his determination solidify. *I'm going to get stronger. Strong enough that when that Rating Game happens, I can personally beat the crap out of that overcooked chicken wing. Strong enough that it won't matter if Issei's not there, because I'll be the one carrying the team.*
He laid back on his bed, exhaustion finally catching up with him. Tomorrow was Sunday, which meant no school. He could spend the day practicing his new abilities, testing the limits of alchemy in this world, maybe figuring out how to combine all these different skill sets into something cohesive.
*This is insane,* he thought as sleep began to claim him. *I'm a dead American teenager in the body of an anime character, with powers stolen from multiple fictional universes, planning to change the plot of a story I only half-remember.*
*But hey, at least it's not boring.*
Jason closed his eyes and let himself drift off, dreams filled with transmutation circles and spinning kicks and blades wreathed in mist.
Tomorrow, the real work would begin.
---
The knocking on his door woke Jason from a dream about accidentally transmuting his bed into a pile of oranges. He groaned, rolling over to check the time on his phone.
7:30 AM. On a Sunday.
*Who the fuck is knocking on my door at 7:30 on a Sunday morning?* Jason thought with murderous intent. *This better be an emergency or I'm transmuting whoever it is into a lamp.*
He dragged himself out of bed, still wearing the clothes he'd fallen asleep in, and stumbled to the door. His hair was probably a mess, he definitely had pillow marks on his face, and he was in no mood to be polite.
Jason yanked open the door, ready to tell whoever it was to come back at a reasonable hour—
And stopped.
Koneko Toujou stood in his doorway, her small frame silhouetted against the morning sunlight. She wore casual clothes—a simple white hoodie and black shorts—and carried a shopping bag in one hand. Those hazel eyes met his, expression as unreadable as ever.
"...Morning, senpai," she said simply.
Jason stared at her, his sleep-deprived brain struggling to process this situation. Koneko. At his door. At 7:30 in the morning. On a Sunday.
*Is there no rest for a handsome blonde devil in this world?*