~Soutarou POV~
The teacher stepped into the hall to retrieve several missing materials and that was all the permission the classroom needed.
Girls surrounded Soutarou’s desk from every direction.
One leaned across the front and brightly asked, “Takashina-kun, do you have a girlfriend?”
Another placed one hand against his desk and quickly followed, “What kind of girls do you like?”
A third adjusted her hair and asked, “Are you joining any sports clubs?”
Soutarou leaned back slightly and answered the questions without visible discomfort.
Soutarou pleasantly replied, “No girlfriend…
I appreciate many kinds of women…
And I haven’t decided on a club.”
The crowd pressed closer.
A girl near his shoulder boldly asked, “Would you go out with someone from this class?”
Soutarou smiled and answered, “I’d have to know her first.”
Another girl lowered her voice and suggestively offered, “We could get to know each other behind the old gym after school…
I promise I won’t take much of your time.
It’ll just be a quickie.”
Soutarou’s brow twitched.
‘Good Lord…
and here I thought this was supposed to be a prestigious academy.’
A girl from the other side complained, “That isn’t fair!
I asked if he was free first.”
Several began arguing, but Soutarou looked past them.
Sona’s expression carried increasing disapproval.
Tsubaki watched him rather than the crowd.
Akeno hid a smile behind one hand.
Yumi appeared caught between amusement and concern.
Momo glanced toward him every few seconds while pretending to review her notes.
And Rias still faced the window…
But her attention had shifted.
Soutarou could tell from the slight movement of her eyes.
‘Time to thin the herd.’
One of the girls asked, “What do you do for fun, Takashina-kun?”
Soutarou allowed his gaze to flick briefly toward Rias.
Tsubaki noticed.
Momo noticed too.
Soutarou casually answered, “I mostly watch anime…
Read manga…
And light novels.”
Silence spread around the desk.
One girl blinked.
Another uncertainly asked, “Seriously?”
Soutarou nodded and cheerfully confirmed, “Very seriously.”
The girl who had offered to meet him behind the gym slowly straightened.
Someone awkwardly murmured that she needed to prepare for class.
Another remembered an urgent conversation across the room.
The crowd thinned with almost comedic speed.
Not everyone left…
A few remained because his face outweighed the social damage…
But the pressure around his desk became manageable.
Soutarou internally congratulated himself.
‘The hidden otaku declaration…
Still one of civilization’s greatest defensive techniques in an era before the so called Great Shift.’
From the window seat beside him, Rias turned fully away from the glass.
Her blue-green eyes settled upon him with genuine curiosity.
Rias unconsciously asked, “What’s your favorite anime?”
The remaining girls glanced toward her…
Soutarou turned, after all he had expected the question.
He knew Rias Gremory loved anime…
Knew that part of her fascination with Japan came from the media she consumed…
Knew that unlike the girls retreating from his desk, she would hear his answer as an invitation rather than a warning.
His smile became smooth and deliberate.
Soutarou readily answered, “One Kick Man…
Drag-So Ball…
And The Disastrous Life of Kunio Saitou.”
Rias’s eyes brightened as she immediately asked, “Who’s your favorite character in Kunio Saitou?”
Soutarou answered without hesitation, “Bendo.”
Rias stared at him for one beat.
Then she lowered her voice into a ridiculous imitation and solemnly declared, “Buddy…
Let’s get ramen.”
Soutarou’s controlled smile cracked as answered in the same voice, “Time for ramen.”
Rias pointed toward him with grave importance and added, “Buddy.”
Soutarou laughed, a real laugh.
Rias’s dignified expression lasted less than a second before she joined him.
The remaining girls around the desk looked at one another.
Several quietly departed.
Soutarou barely noticed.
Rias excitedly asked, “What about the episode where Bendo interrupts Kunio during the final exam because the ramen shop has a limited special all while rolling that pencil of his?”
Soutarou leaned toward her and immediately replied, “Peak fiction.
The entire school is panicking and he’s standing by the window yelling about extra pork while his dad’s ghost is just rolling a pencil for him.”
Rias slapped one hand against her desk and agreed, “Exactly!”
Their conversation accelerated.
One show became three…
Three became ten…
They ranked transformations from Drag-So Ball…
Argued about whether One Kick Man’s first season had ever been surpassed…
and how shitty the third season’s animation was…
Quoted increasingly obscure scenes from Kunio Saitou…
And discovered with mounting disbelief that they preferred nearly all the same characters.
At first, Soutarou guided the conversation.
He selected references he knew Rias would recognize…
Matched her excitement…
Allowed the connection he wanted to form…
Then Rias claimed the third protagonist from BoBo’s Bizarre Adventure had the weakest signature pose.
Soutarou stopped smiling.
Soutarou seriously objected, “That’s objectively wrong.”
Rias arched one crimson brow and challenged, “Objectively?”
Soutarou nodded and firmly stated, “The third pose establishes dominance, flexibility, and complete disregard for spinal health.”
Rias folded her arms and argued, “The fifth protagonist’s pose has considerably more elegance.”
Soutarou stared at her.
Rias stared back.
Soutarou rose from his seat.
The classroom fell quiet as he twisted his body into an absurdly dramatic position…
One arm crossing his chest…
The other extended…
His shoulders angled with unreasonable seriousness.
Soutarou confidently declared, “Observe.”
Rias looked him over.
Then she stood.
Crimson hair swept behind her as she formed a different pose beside the window…
Rias triumphantly countered, “Superior.
My stand beats yours.”
Soutarou narrowed his eyes.
Soutarou stepped closer and critically observed, “Heh.
Your elbow is too low.”
Rias adjusted it.
Rias examined his stance before retorting, “Your shoulder is too far forward.”
Soutarou corrected it.
They continued debating while half the class stared in silence.
Akeno covered her mouth, but her shoulders shook with quiet laughter.
Yumi finally looked away to hide a smile.
Tsubaki adjusted her glasses while watching Soutarou’s polished social expression disappear completely.
Sona slowly removed her glasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose muttering something about how cringe those two were…
All the while Momo stared at Soutarou’s ridiculous pose…
At the unguarded grin on his face…
And found herself considerably more interested than when she’d only thought of him as a handsome guy.
The teacher opened the classroom door.
Everyone froze.
The teacher looked toward Soutarou.
Then Rias.
Then the rest of the class.
The teacher tiredly asked, “Is there a reason that a pair of students are attempting to dislocate their joints before first period even ended properly?”
Soutarou and Rias looked at one another.
Rias’s cheeks gained the faintest trace of color.
Soutarou glanced down at his own pose.
Then he started laughing again.
Rias attempted to remain composed…
Failed…
And laughed with him.
The teacher pointed toward their desks and ordered, “Sit down.”
Soutarou and Rias returned to their seats.
The lesson began…
But for the next forty minutes, neither paid much attention.
~Lunch Break, Second-Year Classroom A-1~
The lunch bell had barely finished ringing when Rias turned toward Soutarou.
Rias casually asked, “Do you want to see our clubroom?”
Soutarou closed the textbook he had opened only when the teacher looked in his direction.
Soutarou curiously asked, “What club?”
Rias placed one hand against her chest and proudly answered, “The Occult Research Club.”
Soutarou stared at her.
Rias maintained a perfectly serious expression.
Soutarou glanced toward the crimson hair…
The blue-green eyes…
And the demonic energy floating around carefully beneath her appearance.
‘You know in retrospect Sona and Rias are doing a terrible job at not looking supernatural for how supernatural they are…
Hiding in plain sight I suppose…’
Soutarou just shrugged and said, “Sure, why not?”
Rias smiled.
Akeno rose from her desk and approached with graceful steps.
Akeno lightly teased, “Ara, ara~…
Rias’s never invited a boy to the clubroom this quickly.”
Rias gave her Queen a warning look and replied, “Hmph.
I’ve never met anyone else with respectable opinions on Bendo.”
Soutarou nodded with solemn agreement and added, “Some standards should never be compromised.”
Akeno’s smile deepened.
Yumi joined them while carrying her lunch and politely said, “I would also like to see this discussion continue.”
Soutarou glanced toward her.
Yumi Kiba looked different from the boy he remembered from canon in more ways than gender…
Her blonde hair was longer…
Her features softer…
Her body already developed into that of a young woman rather than an effeminate boy…
But the gentle smile and knightly composure remained immediately recognizable.
Soutarou politely replied, “The more the merrier.”
Across the room, Momo looked up from the lunch she’d only begun unpacking.
Her gaze moved toward Soutarou…
Then toward Rias standing comfortably beside him.
Momo’s lips pressed together.
<Perhaps I really should’ve introduced myself earlier…>
Sona watched Rias gather Soutarou and Akeno with growing suspicion.
Sona sternly called, “Rias.”
Rias looked toward her.
Sona continued, “Lunch ends in fifty minutes.”
Rias smiled pleasantly and answered, “Thank you for the reminder, Sona.”
Sona’s eyes moved toward Soutarou.
Soutarou tightened his tie with exaggerated obedience.
Sona narrowed her eyes.
Soutarou smiled and winked at her.
Then Rias led him from the classroom.
~Occult Research Club, Kuoh Academy Old School Building~
The Old School Building carried significantly more magical protection than its aging exterior suggested.
Soutarou saw the barriers before Rias opened the door…
Layered demonic wards…
Concealment formations…
Alarm systems tied directly to Rias’s power…
And several hidden channels designed to transport her peerage into the room during an emergency.
He let his gaze to pass across them without lingering too long.
Rias opened the clubroom door and happily chirped, “Welcome to the Occult Research Club.”
The interior was spacious and strangely comfortable…
Dark wooden furniture…
Tall windows…
Shelves filled with books that mixed genuine occult records with human nonsense…
A large television positioned near a long couch…
Soutarou’s attention settled upon the television.
Rias noticed.
Rias proudly revealed, “The newest episode of Kunio Saitou aired last night.”
Soutarou looked toward her.
Rias held up a recorded copy.
Soutarou placed one hand over his heart and reverently said, “You truly do understand hospitality.”
Rias laughed before moving toward the television.
Akeno set a tea tray upon the table and gracefully offered, “Tea, Takashina-kun?”
Soutarou placed his satchel beside the couch and pleasantly answered, “Please.
And Soutarou is fine.”
Akeno poured without looking away from him.
Her senses brushed against his concealment more carefully than the school’s formation had.
Demonic power rested beneath his skin…
That much was certain.
Yet a second quality moved with it…
Bright…
Sacred…
Wrong inside a Devil… Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
And somehow completely natural to him.
Soutarou accepted the cup.
Their fingers nearly touched.
His hazel-golden eyes met hers.
Akeno knew immediately that he’d noticed her examination.
Soutarou took a sip and warmly praised, “Excellent tea.”
Akeno’s smile remained gentle as she replied, “I’m glad you approve.”
Nothing else was said.
Both understood the exchange.
Yumi sat in one of the chairs while keeping Soutarou within her peripheral vision.
Rias started the episode.
Soutarou opened the first lunch container.
Then the second.
Then the third.
Rias paused the episode and stared.
Yumi blinked.
Akeno tilted her head.
The containers held enough food for several people…
Rice…
Tamagoyaki…
Vegetables shaped with excessive care…
Fried chicken…
Grilled fish…
Fruit…
And a small note decorated with a smiling face.
| Have a wonderful first day, So-kun!
Share with your new friends!
– Mamako-nee |
Soutarou closed his eyes.
‘She knew…
Ha…’
Rias leaned closer and curiously asked, “Your sister made all of this?”
Soutarou nodded and answered, “Yep…
Mamako-nee believes hunger is an enemy that can only be defeated through overwhelming force…”
Akeno softly laughed.
Yumi looked over the food with visible appreciation.
Soutarou moved the containers toward the center and offered, “And it looks like she specifically ordered me to share.”
Rias immediately reached for a piece of tamagoyaki.
Rias took one bite.
Her eyes widened.
Rias declared, “Your sister is extraordinary.”
Soutarou proudly lifted his chin skyward and agreed, “That she is.”
The four ate while the episode played.
The conversation quickly resumed…
Rias and Soutarou argued over jokes…
Akeno joined whenever she recognized a reference…
Yumi listened with the patient expression of someone accustomed to Rias becoming unusually animated around anime…
But even Yumi had never seen her King connect with someone this quickly.
Rias leaned toward Soutarou whenever she wanted to point out a detail…
Soutarou responded before she finished speaking…
They laughed at the same moments…
Complained about the same scenes…
And repeatedly forgot that Akeno and Yumi were present.
Akeno watched Rias with increasing amusement.
She knew the different faces her King wore…
The proud heiress…
Her best friend…
The responsible master…
The young woman burdened by an engagement she despised…
But also the anime enthusiast who relaxed only around people she truly trusted…
This was the last one…
And Rias had shown it to Soutarou before finishing a single day beside him.
The lunch bell rang.
Yumi immediately stood.
Yumi politely reminded, “We should return before the next lesson begins.”
Akeno lifted her cup and teasingly asked, “Should we?”
Yumi gave her a resigned look.
Soutarou glanced toward the clock and reluctantly rose.
He’d already made himself conspicuous at the gate…
Provoked Sona…
Allowed Tsubaki to detect his magical energy…
Attracted half the classroom…
And formed an immediate connection with Rias.
Skipping the entire afternoon on his first day might be excessive even by his standards.
Soutarou reached for his satchel and reasonably said, “We should probably go.
Disappearing before I finish my first day might make President Mitori think I lack respect for school rules.”
Akeno covered her mouth and giggled, Yumi’s lips curved, yet Rias didn’t move from the couch.
The episode ended on a dramatic freeze-frame.
A preview began.
Rias’s blue-green eyes remained firmly fixed upon the screen as though she didn’t want to lose this moment.
Rias dismissively said, “Bah, it’s just class…
Stay.
Let’s watch the next episode.
Leaving on a cliffhanger leaves a bad taste in my mouth.”
Soutarou paused.
He looked toward the door.
Then toward Rias.
Then toward the next episode already loading on the screen.
Soutarou hesitated and argued, “It’s my first day.”
Rias finally looked at him and countered, “All the better.
It just means the teachers haven’t had enough time to expect anything from you.”
Soutarou stared, Akeno’s shoulders shook, Yumi closed her eyes, while Rias patted the space beside her gently and warmly insisted, “Sit down.”
The opening theme began.
Soutarou watched the first few seconds.
Then slowly returned to the couch.
Soutarou sat beside Rias and muttered, “An extremely poor influence…”
Rias smiled with complete satisfaction and replied, “You’ll survive.”
Yumi turned toward the door before warning, “President Sona will notice.”
Rias waved one hand and unconcernedly answered, “So?
Sona notices everything.
It doesn’t mean we have to make her life easy.
If anything this might help take the stick out of her ass.”
Akeno choked on air before blinking and giggling a bit, while Soutarou looked toward Rias and Rias looked toward Soutarou.
Their smiles matched.
And so, Yumi sighed and left for class.
Akeno remained.
Soutarou leaned back into the couch.
‘I’m totally going to turn into a flunky aren’t I?
He glanced toward Rias.
‘Well…
at least future me can blame her.’