[Romani Oyama]
Kuoh Academy.
It was originally an all-girls school that had recently gone co-ed, inevitably resulting in an unbalanced gender ratio.
Because of that, some perverted boys had enrolled in this academy solely to act like sexual degenerates, peeping at girls in locker rooms and harassing female students. Unfortunately, the deplorable reputation of those boys ultimately affected other male students.
The most notorious among those degenerates was the infamous perverted trio. They regularly attempted to spy on girls changing clothes in the female locker rooms. Issei Hyoudou was probably the most famous among them. It was a little unbelievable that this guy still hadn't been formally charged with sexual harassment. Unfortunately, he was also in the same classroom as me.
With all of that, the boys' reputation was far from favorable.
Although my personal reputation wasn't that of a shameless sexual pervert, it was primarily that of an antisocial and reclusive guy, admittedly somewhat uninterested in anyone. Even so, the negative pervert stigma still rubbed off on me a little.
With that in mind, it wasn't hard to imagine the shocked reaction of the other students upon seeing me casually arriving arm in arm, fingers intertwined, with one of the most beautiful and popular girls in school.
Both the girls and the boys raised their hands simultaneously, rubbing their disbelieving eyes as if they profoundly doubted their own vision. However, realizing the surreal image hadn't changed, they began whispering anxiously among themselves.
"Why is recluse-kun with Rias-sama?"
"Did Rias lose some kind of bet to end up with this guy?"
"A toad trying to eat swan meat?"
"Dude, you're not in a Chinese light novel."
"How dare you? This young master ascended to the celestial realm at birth."
"..."
What was wrong with that last one?
Anyway, as much as I didn't care, I sincerely hoped this wouldn't damage my reputation even further.
Just as that thought crossed my mind, I felt the soft, abundant warmth of Rias-senpai's generous breasts pressing against my arm, like two celestial pillows.
"Alright, Romani-kun, I'll send someone from my peerage to come get you later, okay?"
Hearing her beautiful and melodious voice resonate beside me, I simply nodded mechanically, watching Rias-senpai leave and abandon me alone to face all the curious students staring at me with a complex mixture of burning jealousy, corrosive envy, and reluctant admiration.
Not caring in the slightest about the piercing stares, I found it ironically amusing that a devil would study in disguise at an ordinary human school, especially a Japanese one. At least Rias wasn't some centuries-old demon older than my great-grandfather, convincingly disguised as a teenage girl. She genuinely and passionately loved both Japanese culture and anime, and wanted to study at a high school just like those in the Japanese animations she herself watched.
Listlessly, absently playing with a few wayward strands of my silky black hair, I walked slowly toward my classroom, dragging my heavy feet down the hallway.
✧°✦°✧===✧°✦°✧===✧°✦°✧
I was in my tenth circle of sleep, sprawled ungracefully across the hard desk while the distant voice of the teacher served as soothing background noise.
At that moment, I was mentally counting cute sheep-girls jumping over a white fence. Every time they jumped, their full breasts swayed... Ironically, I was strategically using sheep-girls to keep myself from falling into a deep sleep.
Because of my peculiar and problematic constitution, my body constantly needed external stimuli to avoid dropping into very low functionality. Even though I was still practically sleeping inside the noisy classroom, at least I retained a few sparks of residual consciousness...
"Urgh!"
An involuntary groan of sharp pain escaped my half-open lips as something solid and hard struck sharply against my unguarded head. I couldn't help but wake up abruptly, rubbing my sleepy, confused eyes, letting my blurry gaze fall upon the merciless aggressor.
The figure who had violently hit my head was a young woman of medium and athletic build, with short, disheveled light-brown hair and bright light brown eyes. On her slender body, she wore a modest green dress with a distinctively yellow-and-black striped shirt and practical white shoes. For some completely inexplicable reason, in her delicate hands, she firmly held a polished wooden kendo sword.
"Fujimura-sensei..." I tilted my confused head to the side, staring at my teacher, Taiga Fujimura.
"Don't sleep shamelessly in my class, Oyama-san." With a serene smile on her rosy lips, Taiga raised the wooden sword, resting it casually on her delicate shoulder.
Fujimura-sensei, even if you are the kendo club supervisor, exactly where did you pull that wooden sword from? Even with that thought crossing my drowsy mind, I simply offered a listless and apologetic smile, parting my dry lips.
"I sincerely apologize, Fujimura-sensei."
Not particularly bothered by the blatant act of school violence, I raised my heavy hand, resting it lazily against my warm cheek, propping my elbow on the cold desk.
"Just don't do it again, alright!?"
Placing her warm hand on my head and further messing up my already disheveled hair, she turned away the next moment, walking back to the front of the classroom, while some of my curious classmates, mainly the girls, continued staring at me with interest. Not caring in the slightest about the persistent stares in my direction, I simply let out a sleepy yawn. Even in a drowsy state, I watched the teacher enthusiastically explaining the lesson on the chalk-covered blackboard.
But...
Gradually and inevitably, my heavy eyelids began closing again. Before I could fall completely into the eleventh circle of sleep, the shrill siren sound of the school break bell echoed abruptly through the classroom.
*Ding-ling-ling*
Letting out a great cavernous yawn, I rose clumsily to my feet, firmly gripping the bento that Rias-senpai had generously bought for me, walking slowly out of the bustling classroom. At the same time, a few curious glances were discreetly directed my way.
Probably because of the ⟨Adonic Beauty⟩ trait, my physical presence had become an involuntary magnet for stares, mainly from girls.
Not that I particularly cared about the unwanted attention.
The deep lethargy that constantly permeated my being made it difficult to genuinely worry about meddlesome observers.
As that disinterested thought crossed my mind, my next dragging steps came to an abrupt halt when an attractive blond-haired boy appeared unexpectedly, politely blocking my path.
He was an exceptionally handsome young man with short blond hair, piercing crystal-blue eyes, and a distinctive mole beneath his left eye that added natural charm. Before I could even say a single word, the high-pitched and enthusiastic voices of the girls erupted hysterically throughout the classroom.
"Huh! Why is Kiba-kun in our classroom!?"
"Kiba-kun is still so beautiful and perfect!"
"Please, Kiba-kun, impregnate my mother and become my father!"
Among the delirious voices of the girls, this last declaration was quite problematic, wasn't it!? But at least, thanks to this obsessed girl, it was hard not to figure out who this boy was.
Yuuto Kiba...
This charismatic guy was undeniably the most popular boy in this entire school, reverently known as the Prince Charming of Kuoh Academy. Given the magnetic effect he instantly had on the girls, that title seemed quite fair to me.
"Romani Oyama, right?!" He flashed me a friendly smile, extending his hand toward me politely. "Yuuto Kiba, in direct service of Rias Gremory. Would you kindly spare me a few seconds of your time?"
In direct service of Rias Gremory!? So the idolized charming prince is also a reincarnated devil. That, I did not see coming.
"Pleasure to meet you, Yuuto-san." I raised my lethargic hand, firmly grasping his in a cordial handshake, as the friendly smile on his face visibly widened. "No problem at all, lead the way."
As we briefly faced each other, the girls around us seemed unable to believe their eyes... This was already the second time people were doubting their own vision. I suppose I bear some responsibility for that.
"What!? Why is the prince speaking so familiarly with him?"
"Is Kiba-kun being blackmailed? And why does that feel a little exciting?"
"Hmm... Looking more closely, recluse-kun is quite handsome too."
"True, he has the natural beauty of a lazy, mysterious prince."
"How about calling him the recluse prince?"
"Sister, you're a genius!!!"
Yuuto pulled his delicate hand back, scratching his flushed cheek, slightly embarrassed by the excessive attention. "We'd better go quickly, Oyama-san."
I simply nodded in agreement, following him obediently, not minding the shrill voices of the girls gradually fading behind us as we moved away.
"Yuuto-san seems quite used to dealing with this kind of situation, doesn't he!?" Walking calmly beside my supposed demon companion, I raised my hand, absently playing with a wayward strand of my black hair.
"You inevitably get used to it." Yuuto shrugged, resigned. "The girls are quite intense..."
Well, they're at the peak of their adolescent hormones, in a school where nearly all the boys are chronic perverts. A respectful and attractive boy like you must be like refreshing water in an arid desert. While I mulled that over, we had already left the school's main building, entering a more isolated section of Kuoh Academy, stopping in front of a large and imposing building.
"We're here, Oyama-san!" Yuuto raised his hand, pointing proudly at the building that looked more like a second school or a Victorian mansion.
Moments like these make it impossible not to remember that Rias Gremory comes from an extremely wealthy devil family.
"So this entire building is the occult research club!?" I tilted my head to the side, looking with impressed eyes at the imposing structure before me.
"Yes, all of this is the club. A little over the top, isn't it!?" Yuuto raised a finger, scratching his cheek, looking slightly embarrassed by the ostentation. "Though before Rias used it, it was just an abandoned building. When she asked the president for permission to use this building as a club, it was promptly approved. She started using it as our club."
"I see..." I nodded slowly, following Yuuto through the silent building.
Apparently, my new boss wielded quite considerable influence in this prestigious school, an influence strong enough to easily obtain an entire building as her personal club. It was a little amusing to imagine how she had convinced our strict student council president to agree to that.
Sona Shitori...
She was one of the great beauties of this school alongside Rias Gremory, but she was also the strict student council president, widely known as quite a severe, disciplined, and inflexible girl.
Well... Thinking more deeply about it, there was a considerable chance she was also a demon, wasn't there!?
Although her Japanese surname had no obvious connection to any known devil from the Ars Goetia, still, from the fragmented memories of this body, Rias appeared to be a close friend of hers. With that thought crossing my curious mind, Yuuto guided me to the ornate door of a room that, logically, had to be the main hall of the occult research club.
"We've arrived, Oyama-san."
With a light and polite smile, Yuuto moved his elegant hand, carefully opening the heavy door of carved wood, revealing a sumptuous room that seemed to have stepped directly out of the aristocratic Victorian era, furnished with luxurious deep-red and dark-mahogany furniture adorned with meticulously carved patterns that harmonized beautifully with the heavy crimson velvet curtains framing tall, arched windows. My eyes wandered to imposing mahogany bookshelves gleaming against the walls covered in damask wallpaper. While at the center of the room lay an intricate Persian rug covering the polished oak floor, naturally drawing the gaze toward an ornate oak center table, surrounded by soft wine-colored leather sofas and luxurious upholstered armchairs.
I blinked my violet eyes, a little incredulous at the excessive opulence. My new boss really was an absurdly wealthy and extravagant girl.
Hmm...
I tilted my curious head to the side, my eyes inevitably falling upon a small girl sitting alone and silently in the room illuminated by flickering candles.
The delicate little girl had a small frame, with immaculate white hair as fresh snow, featuring two long and straight side locks that fell gracefully past her delicate shoulders, perfectly framing her pale and expressionless face. Over her silky hair, she also wore an adorable decorative black cat-shaped hair clip on both sides of her small head. Contrasting dramatically with her white hair, she had beautiful, piercing golden eyes that shone intensely like polished precious gems.
Koneko Toujou!?
This was starting to get a little repetitive, but this small girl was quite famous in school for her irresistible beauty and cuteness. She was even known as the official mascot of Kuoh Academy.
I supposed logically that she was also a reincarnated demon, wasn't she!?
"Oyama-san, this is Koneko Toujou. She is one year below you." Politely, he stepped forward, gently pointing to the impassive little girl, who turned her delicate head in our direction while methodically eating some fish-shaped sweets. "It's a little obvious, but she is part of the occult research club and is also under the direct orders of Rias Gremory."
"Pleasure to meet you, Koneko-san. My name is Romani Oyama." With my voice that naturally carried a few decibels lower than most people, I raised my lazy hand, waving it slowly toward the white-haired girl.
She stared at me fixedly for a few tense seconds in absolute silence before parting her small rosy lips and saying a single sentence.
"... Hello." Briefly nodding her small head in minimal acknowledgment, she quickly returned her attention to her box of colorful sweets, eating them in silence.
"Oh! She seems to like you." Yuuto blinked his surprised blue eyes, placing his hand on his chin.
Seriously!? She said exactly one monosyllabic word. His perception of "liking" seemed a little exaggerated.
"Well... Oyama-san, please make yourself completely at home. The buchou (president) is taking her bath right now. Since I have a few things to take care of, I'll leave our dear Koneko to keep you company." With a polite smile, he bowed slightly in a reverent gesture, gracefully stepping out and closing the door behind him, leaving me alone in the same room as the white-haired girl.
As entertaining as it might be, I sincerely hoped she wasn't some kind of human-limb-dismembering psychopath.
Was it a little strange that I found that kind of macabre thought amusing!?
Not caring enough about how my distorted psyche functioned in such a strange way, I simply walked slowly over and sat comfortably on the soft leather sofa positioned facing Koneko, who continued eating her sweets in absolute silence.
Diverting my gaze from her for a few seconds and looking attentively around me, I simply and inevitably noticed the adjacent bathroom, where a little warm, humid steam escaped through the red curtain. I could even hear the water cascading rhythmically over my boss's bare body... I supposed it was a little perverted to imagine Rias washing her voluptuous body, running her delicate hands across her wet skin, wasn't it!? But it didn't help much that I could clearly make out her curvy silhouette through the red curtain.
Thanks to a feminine voice that came unexpectedly shortly after, my inappropriate thoughts were abruptly cut short.
"Buchou, your clothes." A beautiful melodious voice echoed softly through the club room, immediately drawing my attention.
"Hmm... Thank you, Akeno." With Rias's familiar voice resonating from the bathroom, the other feminine figure who had just delivered the folded clothes finally noticed me, turning in my direction with curiosity.
Large... That is a large and impressive pair of generous breasts...
With my golden eyes inevitably falling upon the beautiful and voluptuous girl, I couldn't help but recognize her quickly through the memories of this body.
Akeno Himejima…
Author's Note: Don't ask where Taiga Fujimura got that wooden sword. Some questions are better left unanswered. Well, Romani finally met his coworkers, along with the busty devils of the Occult Research Club. Unfortunately for him, a quiet and peaceful life seems to be slipping further and further out of reach.