After Himejima Suzaku left, Himejima Shuhuang stared at a sealed report in his hands, his expression dark.
The reason he had spoken to Suzaku earlier was simply to remind the clan’s prized genius not to associate with those of impure bloodlines.
And interacting with non-human races was an even greater taboo.
Several years ago, the Himejima Clan had already produced a perfect example of such disgrace.
Not only had someone become involved with a Fallen Angel of another race, but they had even given birth to a half-breed offspring, bringing shame upon the entire clan.
That offspring was Himejima Akeno.
“The Fallen Angel has confirmedly left, correct?” Shuhuang asked the assembled elders.
“Correct.
We’ve confirmed that the Grigori watcher has departed from the barrier.
Something has likely happened on their side.
This is the perfect opportunity to act.” “Good.” Shuhuang nodded.
According to clan law, Himejima Akeno had to be dealt with.
The Five Great Noble Houses did not tolerate mixed bloodlines.
As such, there was only one possible outcome.
Death.
“Tonight, send people to bring that half-breed back.” …
Night gradually deepened.
The lights remained on inside a small house located near the upper section of the shrine grounds.
Shinki stared at the Shinto Arts book in his hands before closing it with a headache.
It seemed that in this lifetime, Shinto Arts simply weren’t meant for him.
Fortunately, the current Shinki no longer cared much about low-level Shinto Arts.
As a man blessed with a system cheat, he naturally looked down on such abilities.
The residual power leaking from The Ra alone would be enough to overwhelm most members of the Five Great Noble Houses.
This wasn’t arrogance on Shinki’s part.
Rather, if he already had a cheat system, he felt obligated to aim high out of respect for it.
After tossing the book aside, he picked up a pen and began scribbling on a sheet of paper.
Angels.
Fallen Angels.
Devils.
Yokai.
The Khaos Brigade.
Dragon Gods.
And more.
High School DxD had been an incredibly popular action-packed ecchi series back in the day, so Shinki had watched it multiple times.
Of course, his attention hadn’t exactly been focused on the plot.
After all, the female cast had provided enough fan service to make anyone forget what the story was about.
If not for broadcasting restrictions in Japan, there probably wouldn’t have been anything left uncensored.
Putting that aside.
The waters of the High School DxD world ran incredibly deep.
In the early stages, a High-Class Devil could dominate almost anything.
But from the middle of the story onward, even Ultimate-Class Devils became insignificant.
Not to mention Riser Phenex.
Even Kokabiel, an early-game boss, could casually crush multiple High-Class Devils.
A single attack from him could effortlessly destroy an entire town.
His strength was absurd.
And from that point onward, the power scaling of the series spiraled completely out of control.
Even the original protagonist’s group had nearly suffered total annihilation multiple times.
Then there were later monsters like Ophis, the Infinite Dragon God, along with Evil Gods and beings such as Rahu Seven Luminaries whose power exceeded even hers.
Any one of those final-stage entities possessed the ability to destroy worlds.
“This world may look like an ecchi harem anime on the surface, but it’s actually incredibly dangerous.
Only by constantly growing stronger and unlocking most of The Ra’s power will I have a chance of standing against them.” Some people might think Shinki was being overly cautious.
But as a transmigrator who had consumed countless novels and movies in his previous life, he knew there was never anything wrong with being careful during the early stages.
Complete missions steadily.
Finish the main storyline.
Obtain evaluation rewards.
Draw new items and abilities.
The path ahead was already clear.
He needed to follow the protagonist’s group— No.
The system probably wouldn’t assign something as simple as protecting Hyoudou Issei.
It might instead require him to seize Issei’s Sacred Gear or replace him in key interactions with the story’s major characters.
For now, his highest priority was ensuring the safety of Himejima Shuri and Himejima Akeno.
Grrr…
Shinki rubbed his stomach.
Although he had eaten plenty during dinner, he was already feeling hungry again.
He crumpled the paper on the table into a ball.
A flame emerged from his fingertips and instantly reduced it to ashes.
“Mmm…
Shinki…” The young Himejima Akeno, who had been sleeping on the bed, slowly opened her sleepy eyes.
After dinner, she had come over to spend time with him.
Since her mother rarely allowed her to leave the shrine, listening to Shinki talk about the outside world was one of her favorite activities.
Unfortunately, she had fallen asleep while listening.
Hearing movement nearby, she woke up and saw Shinki standing.
Her pretty face instantly flushed red.
“Y-You…
what are you planning to do to me?
Mom is right next door, you know.” Akeno lowered her head slightly, her eyes darting nervously while her fingers twisted together.
She liked Shinki.
And not in the ordinary way a younger sister liked an older brother.
It was the affection between a boy and a girl.
That was why she had always refused to call him big brother.
And now, in the quiet of the night, if she could finally make her feelings clear…
After all, her mother had always encouraged her to spend more time with Shinki.
“What?
I’m hungry.
I was just going to the kitchen to find something to eat.” Shinki blinked in confusion and casually patted her head.
Akeno’s face became even redder.
Squirming nervously, she scooted slightly closer.
“I mean…
isn’t there anything you want to say to me?” “Hm?” Shinki’s eyes shifted as realization suddenly dawned on him.
“Oh, right.” Akeno’s heart immediately began racing.
Then Shinki nodded seriously.
“Next time, I’ll bring you some candy from outside.” “…”