"My name is Raza Phenex. I hope we get along."
The teacher cleared his throat. "Alright, class. If you have any questions, then rai—"
Before he could finish, nearly every girl in the class—about ninety percent—shot their hands into the air.
The teacher blinked at the sea of hands. "That is... a lot of questions. Uhh, let’s see. Yuri-chan?"
A girl near the front asked, "Do you have a girlfriend?"
Raza blinked, caught off guard. "Huh? E—No, actually."
Another girl grinned, "Do you want a girlfriend?"
"W-well, I... I’m not sure. Maybe?" Raza stammered.
Instantly, whispers swept through the room, and Rias glanced anxiously around.
A third girl chimed in, "Do you do modeling?"
"N-no," Raza replied, looking increasingly uncomfortable.
Someone else asked, "What do you do in your free time?"
Finally, a normal question, Raza thought.
"Not much. I mostly train and work out," he admitted.
Someone muttered, "Yeah, we can see that," and the girls giggled. Raza offered a sheepish smile, feeling out of his depth.
The teacher tried to restore order. "Alright, alright, calm down, everyone! Enough questions for now. Phenex-kun, let’s find you a seat."
He scanned the room. "There’s an empty desk in front of Gremory-kun. You can sit there."
Rias almost jumped out of her seat. "Eh?"
Raza nodded politely and made his way to the desk, overhearing whispers: "Is he from a rich family?" "Should I ask him out?"
Taking a deep breath, Raza sat down, noticing Rias, Akeno, Sona, and Tsubaki nearby. He gave a respectful nod, which Sona and Tsubaki returned. Akeno smiled and waved; Rias, still a bit flustered, managed a small nod.
Class began. Raza opened his book, focusing so hard that a frown creased his brow, making him look as if he were planning for war.
The teacher paused, eyeing him. "U-humm, Raza-kun? Is everything alright?"
Raza looked up, startled. "Huh? Ah, yes. Why?"
"You look like you're about to enter a fight with someone," the teacher joked.
Raza chuckled awkwardly. "Sorry. I have this habit of frowning when I concentrate too much. My mother says I got it from her."
The girls giggled, and Raza could have sworn someone whispered, "Cute."
The teacher grinned. "Well, I’m glad you’re so focused. Just let us know if you ever really are mad at someone."
A few students laughed, and Raza smiled, promising he’d keep that in mind.
Meanwhile, Rias’s thoughts were racing.
How? Why? When?
She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She hadn’t expected to see Raza so soon—especially not here at Kuoh Academy. She resolved to talk to him after class.
The bell finally rang. Rias stood, ready to approach Raza, but before she could, a crowd of girls swarmed his desk. She froze, stunned.
Akeno smirked. "Here we go."
The girls surrounded Raza, offering to show him around campus or bombarding him with more questions. He looked overwhelmed, barely able to respond.
Spotting his distress, Rias stepped forward, her voice commanding. "Excuse me, girls. Raza and I need to talk."
The group fell silent, glancing at each other in confusion.
One girl asked, "Do you know him, Rias?"
Rias hesitated, then nodded. "W-well, yes. We have some catching up to do, so if you don’t mind… Raza, let’s go."
He glanced at her, relief in his eyes. "Right." He stood, following Rias out, with Akeno joining them. Sona and Tsubaki trailed behind.
As soon as they left, the classroom erupted with chatter.
"Did you hear that? Rias said she knows him!"
"You don’t think they’re close, do you?"
"Kyaa! What if they’re secret lovers?"
"Lucky her."
"Makes sense—Rias never had a boyfriend before. Maybe they met overseas?"
"I wonder what’s for lunch in the cafeteria today."
Outside in the courtyard, Raza let out a huge sigh of relief. "I thought that would never end. Thanks, you saved my life."
Rias giggled. "A bit dramatic, but you’re welcome."
"Seriously, remind me to punch Sairaorg when I see him again," Raza grumbled.
"Sairaorg?" Rias asked.
"He’s the reason I enrolled here. ‘Go and experience school life,’ my ass. Ahh, seriously..."
Akeno laughed softly. "It’s only difficult at first. You’ll get used to it."
Raza groaned. "Wait, are you telling me this never ends?"
Akeno teased, "Wait until they form a fan club for you. Fufufu."
"Fan what now? Ugh, great. I’d rather fight a dragon than deal with hormonal teenagers," Raza muttered.
Sona added, "Kuoh Academy was an all-girls school until a few years ago. The male-to-female ratio is still pretty low."
Raza snorted. "Yeah, I don’t think that’s the real problem here."
Sona tilted her head. "It isn’t?"
Raza turned to Rias. "Heh. Never imagined our reunion would be like this."
Rias smiled, relaxing a little. "Yeah, me neither, honestly."
Akeno’s eyes sparkled with mischief. "Hmm? So you two were expecting to see each other again? Interesting..."
Raza flinched. "Eh? No, it’s not like that—"
Rias shot Akeno a warning glance. Akeno just giggled. Tsubaki stepped forward.
"By the way, Raza-san, do you have a place to stay?"
Raza rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh, right! I was going to ask if you knew anywhere suitable. I’d rather not ask my parents; they’d go overboard. And I’d like to avoid attention... well, as much as possible at this point."
Rias put a finger to her chin, thinking. "I could ask my knight, Kiba, if he’d let you stay at hi—"
Akeno quickly stepped in, interrupting. "Actually, there’s a great place—the old school building. We use it as our base and there are plenty of spare rooms."
Raza hesitated. "Huh? Well... I wouldn’t want to be a bother."
"Nonsense," Akeno insisted. "I’m sure everyone would be happy to have you. Besides, having a guy around helps with moving things."
Raza raised an eyebrow. "Don’t even average devils have more strength than most humans?"
Akeno grinned. "Details. What do you think, President?"
Rias caught on. "I think that’s a wonderful idea."
Raza looked between them. "Are you guys really okay with this?"
Rias smiled. "Come on, Raza. You can meet the rest of the peerage too. What’s the worst that could happen?"
"I can think of plenty of things, actually," Raza sighed.
Akeno smirked. "Ara ara, what a naughty boy."
Raza nearly jumped. "What? No! That’s not what I meant!"
Akeno giggled. "Then there’s nothing to worry about, is there?"
Raza relented. "Well... if you insist, I’ll take your offer."
Rias beamed. "It’s decided then. After school, we’ll get you settled in."
Sona and Tsubaki exchanged glances. Sona cleared her throat. "Tsubaki and I have duties in the student council room. We’ll see you later in class." The two walked off.
Raza stared after them, wondering just how much his life was about to change.