After classes ended, Genichi went to the Occult Research Club as usual.
The instant he pushed open the door, he sensed that the atmosphere in the clubroom was different from normal.
Rias was sitting on the sofa with a Western classic in her hands. She seemed to be reading, but her emerald-green eyes kept drifting toward the door, making it obvious she was waiting for someone.
Akeno stood by the window, her signature smile on her face, but her eyes gleamed with anticipation.
Yuuto Kiba leaned against the wall, one hand resting on the hilt of his sword. His expression was calm, but his fingertips tapped lightly against the grip, betraying the excitement underneath.
Koneko sat in the corner with a carton of milk in her hands, drinking it in small sips. Her golden eyes, however, were unusually focused.
Today, he would be having a friendly match with the student council.
As the price for giving up his familiar-summoning opportunity, Genichi had to spar with Sona Sitri's peerage.
A familiar.
To be honest, Genichi himself did not care much about familiars.
For him, something like that was optional at best.
Ordinary familiars—owls, bats, small devils, and the like—had limited combat power and would barely help him.
He was already a Middle-Class Devil, possessed the Boosted Gear, and had access to numerous forms of magic. An ordinary familiar would be useless in battle.
As for powerful familiars—legendary dragons, phoenixes, magical beasts, and so on—not only was it doubtful whether they would be willing to become a devil's familiar in the first place, even if they were, they would never choose a Middle-Class Devil who had only recently reincarnated.
The relationship between a familiar and a devil was a two-way choice. Powerful familiars only submitted to even more powerful devils.
So from the very beginning, Genichi had never planned to rely on a familiar.
He had the King of Shadows, the Magical Index, and the Boosted Gear. Those were already enough.
But—
This was an opportunity Rias had fought for on his behalf.
That red-haired devil princess had gone to Sona Sitri and haggled with her over and over just so he could obtain a familiar. She had even agreed to the condition of a friendly match.
Although she made it sound casual, Genichi knew that getting Sona Sitri to relent could not have been easy. Rias must have paid quite a price.
He did not want to let that consideration go to waste.
So even though he did not need a familiar, Genichi had still agreed to this match.
"Are you ready?"
Rias's voice came from behind him, interrupting his thoughts.
Genichi turned around and gave a slight nod.
Rias rose from the sofa and walked to the center of the clubroom. A massive magic circle had appeared there, glowing faintly red.
She raised her hand, and crimson demonic power flowed into the magic circle. In the next instant, dazzling red light swallowed the entire clubroom.
A moment later, everyone was standing in a vast dimensional space.
Gray-white ground stretched all the way to the edge of sight. In the deep-purple sky, there was no sun and no clouds, only endless void.
Across from them, several figures were already waiting.
Sona Sitri stood at the front. Her short black hair stirred gently in the breeze, and she wore a pair of glasses. Behind the lenses, her eyes gleamed sharply.
Behind her stood several members of the student council—Tsubaki Shinra, Reya Kusaka, Momo Hanakai, and a few peerage members whose names Genichi did not know.
"Rias. You're here."
Sona looked at Rias and Genichi, and an expression appeared on her face that could only be described as long-awaited revenge.
It was so obvious that even someone bad at reading people would have noticed.
Rias looked at her best friend and rival, then rolled her eyes.
"Sona, fix your face."
Her voice carried both exasperation and amusement.
"I know you're jealous that I found such an outstanding peerage member in Genichi, but making it this obvious that you want to use this chance to vent is going a little too far."
Sona's expression stiffened.
Jealous?
She was jealous.
Before Genichi appeared out of nowhere, she and Rias had always been evenly matched, neither able to pull ahead of the other.
But now?
The host of the Red Dragon Emperor. A genius who had become a Middle-Class Devil in only a few days. Sona had dreamed of finding a peerage member like that.
Yet he had ended up in Rias's hands. How could she not be jealous?
Still, having it pointed out to her face was a little embarrassing.
"Ahem."
Sona coughed twice, trying to hide her awkwardness.
She pushed up her glasses and changed the subject.
"Is it really that obvious?"
Rias looked at her without saying a word, only giving her a look that said, You honestly have to ask?
Sona's face warmed slightly, but she was still the student council president and the heir to the House of Sitri. Her mental fortitude was not that fragile.
She took a deep breath and forced her expression into something serious.
"Enough. Let's not waste time. We'll begin immediately."
Her voice returned to its usual calm authority.
But her ears—
Genichi noticed.
Sona Sitri's ears were so red they looked as if they might drip blood.
Those bright-red earlobes completely betrayed what she was really feeling.
No matter how serious or composed she tried to look on the surface, her ears had sold her out completely.
Genichi could not help the slight curl at the corner of his mouth.
This student council president was more interesting than he had expected.
"Then the rules are simple."
Sona's voice echoed through the dimensional space.
"One-on-one. Stop before anyone gets seriously hurt. Winning or losing is not important. What matters is—"
She looked at Genichi, a glint flashing through her eyes.
"I want to see with my own eyes just how strong the host of the Red Dragon Emperor really is."
The words sounded perfectly proper, but Genichi heard the other meaning beneath them.
She just wanted an excuse to teach him a lesson, didn't she?
All that talk about "seeing how strong he was" really meant that she wanted her peerage to beat him up and help her vent.
After all, Rias had already said it plainly enough. Sona was jealous, and she did want to use this opportunity to blow off some steam.
Genichi understood that, but he said nothing.
He could understand how Sona felt.
If it were him watching a rival suddenly obtain a game-changing weapon, he would not feel balanced about it either.
Wanting a chance to test the quality of that "weapon," and maybe teach the other side a little lesson along the way, was only human nature.
However—
Genichi's gaze swept over the peerage members behind Sona.
Tsubaki Shinra, the student council vice president. He had heard she was quite strong, and like Akeno Himejima, she was only three steps away from becoming a High-Class Devil.
The rest of Sona's peerage were, more or less, Middle-Class Devil level as well.
These opponents were indeed worth taking seriously.
"Genichi."
Rias's voice came from behind him.
He turned his head and saw Rias looking at him with a complicated expression.
There was expectation in her eyes, trust, and a hint of pride that was difficult to describe.
"Go."
She spoke softly.
"Show them how strong my peerage member is."
Genichi looked at her and nodded.
Then he turned and walked toward the center of the battlefield.
Sona watched his back, a complicated light flashing through her eyes.
Then she turned to her own peerage.
"Tsubaki. You're up."
Tsubaki Shinra nodded and stepped forward.
The atmosphere in the dimensional space instantly grew tense.
The two stood face-to-face, only ten meters apart.
Genichi looked at Tsubaki Shinra across from him, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.
"I look forward to the match."
Tsubaki nodded, her expression calm.
"As do I."
The moment the words fell, the battle was ready to erupt.
(End of Chapter)
[Get +30 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]