-The next morning-
Issei arrived at his second-year Class B classroom, dropped his bag on his desk, and immediately put his head down to sleep. His best friends Matsuda and Motohama hadn't shown up yet, their seats sat empty. his gaze drifted between the two vacant desks.
'..... I'll have to properly explain things when they get here…'
As Issei waited for his friends, he suddenly heard the cheers of girls, and then he felt someone standing in front of him and looked up.
"Hey, Issei-kun."
"...What's Mr. Popular doing here?"
"So rude. Well, we can become friends slowly..."
'... Oh right, he is a devil too'
"I'm here on an errand from Rias Gremory-senpai. Would you mind coming with me?"
"..."
(So... what're you gonna do?)
'...Pain in the ass, but I should go check it out.'
Yuuto smiled, watching Issei get up surprisingly quietly. As Issei followed Yuuto, the class erupted with shouts:
"I don't want to see Hyodo x Kiba!!"
"Surprisingly, they might actually suit each other?"
"Hee hee hee."
Various other sounds echoed, but Issei ignored them, muttering "How scary," and followed Yuuto. The place he led him to was the old school building behind the main building. Yuuto and Issei entered the wooden building and began to climb the stairs, stopping in front of a classroom.
"The President's inside."
(Been here before. Still gives me the creeps.)
'Yeah, no kidding. Plus an Occult Research Club? Talk about bad taste.'
"President, I brought him."
"Yes, come in."
Kiba opened the door, and as I followed him into the classroom, I saw strange, unfamiliar characters written on the floor, walls, and ceiling. Most striking was the circular formation in the center, a massive magic square, or something like it, taking up half the room. There were also a few sofas and desks. On one of the sofas sat a small, white-haired girl with a loli face and tiny body.
(.... Small. She's like a cat.)
'Yeah, really small. Like an elementary school student..... Is that sweet bean jelly?'
As if sensing their thoughts, Koneko stared at Issei with her usual expressionless face.
"Koneko. This is Hyoudou Issei-kun."
At Yuuto's introduction, Koneko lowered her head. Then she stopped.
"....."
"Hahaha..... Issei.... You should at least say hello...."
"....."
Yuuto looked at Koneko without saying anything. After a minute... five minutes... ten minutes, Koneko remained the same. Issei slightly lowered his head, then looked up. Seeing this, Koneko calmly resumed eating her sweet bean jelly, while Issei lay down on the sofa in front of her and tried to sleep.
"..."
"..."
Silence. Yuuto couldn't help but laugh at the awkward, speechless atmosphere.
'Hahaha. These two.... they have something in common?'
Swoosh.
The sound of running water came from the back of the room. Issei turned his head toward the sound. A human shadow was visible on a curtain inside the room. A woman's body... but the parts that symbolized woman were overwhelmingly large. Her waist was incredibly slim. Not just that. Her hips were well-defined, and her legs were completely different from a normal girl's.
"Her development is amazing. Are all pure-blooded devils like that?"
"... Pervert."
"I don't want to hear that from an elementary schooler who hasn't fully developed yet."
Crack.
"I guess... elementary schoolers don't yet know that the ultimate charm of a woman lies in outward maturity, right? My bad."
"..... I'll blow you up."
"Koneko, hold back!! Issei, don't say that to Koneko...."
"..... Whatever."
Koneko's expression hardly changed at Issei's words, but she was furious. At that moment, Rias, who had finished showering and put on her school uniform, opened the curtain and smiled at Issei in front of her.
"Everyone's gathered now. Hyoudou Issei-kun. Or rather, Issei."
"..... I'd like you to just get to the point, Rias-senpai."
Issei looked at Rias with a wary expression. Akeno approached Issei with a bright smile.
"Ara ara... you don't have to be so wary. No one is going to eat you. Hufufu...."
"Akeno's right. Our Occult Research Club welcomes you. As a devil...."
"... You're talking as if I already know everything, senpai."
"You're the one who sneaked in here last time and escaped, right? I was very surprised. You even managed to escape while fending off the attacks of Yuuto, Koneko, and Akeno... Plus, the fact that you had enough combat power to match dozens of Fallen Angels in the park last time means you know about the existence of devils, Fallen Angels, and angels. I'll ask you straight to the point. Issei. Who are you?"
"....."
Issei said nothing. He just stared quietly at the ceiling. Then, as if a thought struck him, he looked at Rias.
"I don't know why you're asking that. I'm Issei Hyoudou of class 2-B at Kuoh Academy... that's all. Nothing more, nothing less. If you think I have the blood of an angel or a Fallen Angel, you're mistaken. I know that only humans are born with Sacred Gear, right?"
"Heeh..... You know quite a lot, don't you? I'm surprised you know too much to be human."
Rias looked at Issei with suspicious eyes, but Issei didn't even care about her gaze. Perhaps she liked him for honestly acting on his own accord, Rias smiled and sat on the sofa, saying,
"Well... Issei, you're not a bad guy, so I won't ask any more. Everyone has things they don't want to tell everyone."
"..... I think the reason you called me wasn't just that, but because you wanted to explain something...Senpai. I'd like you to get to the point as soon as possible."
"Issei... You shouldn't talk to your seniors like that. You need to be more polite..."
"It's okay, Akeno. Issei, I've noticed you're quite wary of girls... I'll forgive you lightly this time, but... fix that attitude from now on."
"....."
"That man you saw last night is, as you know, a Fallen Angel... originally an angel who served God, but fell to hell due to twisted emotions, and is also an enemy of us devils."
"....."
"We devils have been fighting Fallen Angels since ancient times. Over the hegemony of the Underworldm what humans call 'Hell'. Hell is divided into territories of devils and Fallen Angels. devils make deals with humans, receive payment, and accumulate power. Fallen Angels try to destroy devils by manipulating humans. They've been repeating this for a long time."
"..... I already knew that. But what does that have to do with this Occult Research Club?"
"The Occult Research Club is just a facade. It's my hobby. It's actually a gathering of us devils. But won't you fix your tone?"
Issei's words seemed polite, but he still spoke in an arrogant tone. When Issei snorted and stood up, even Rias couldn't stop the blood vessels from showing on her forehead, no matter how kindly she spoke.
Crack.
"..... If there's nothing else, I'll be going now, Gremory-senpai. By the way, my Sacred Gear is... well, you'll find out if you investigate. For now, let's just say I'm under your command."
As Issei left, Rias exploded with the anger she had been suppressing.
"What the heck!! That kid!! He's so infuriating!!"
"Rias.... calm down."
"Hahaha... President, calm down. Issei-kun is like that at school too, so please understand."
"But there's a limit to everything!! That kid is more impolite than I thought!!"
"Rias.... Issei probably doesn't want to accept it yet. Just a few days ago, he wasn't a devil, and now he's going to live as one..... So just give him a little time." -Akeno
====================================
At night.
"....."
Issei lay in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. His body was overflowing with power. But the more power flowed through his body, the darker Issei's expression became.
(.... What are you thinking about?)
"..... It's still hard to accept.... Just two days ago, I was falling asleep every night..... Now, the darker it gets, the more power I feel."
(You'll get used to it. Make up your mind to live as a devil from now on.)
"..... Make up my mind to live as a devil..... I..... It's still hard to accept. More than anything, it's hard to accept the next head of the Gremory family as my master."
(.... Rias Gremory. I can certainly understand your feelings if it's the Gremory family. But.... if you don't accept him, you'll be branded as a stray devil. Then you'll be hunted by the three factions: angels, fallen angels, and devils. That's not good. Accept that you are a devil as soon as possible.)
Issei understood the Red Dragon Emperor's words with his head, but his heart still couldn't accept it.
(..... Well, the number of Fallen Angels and Pure-blooded Devils you killed is quite significant. Especially the Pure-blooded Devils, you practically wiped them out to the brink of extinction.... But back then, you had no other choice. And back then, each of you had your own desires. You just fought to the death for what you wanted.... Don't dwell on it.)
"... Well, it'll turn out as you say. I'll act as carefully as possible so my true identity isn't revealed.... If it is revealed, we'll deal with it then.... Let's just sleep."