[You have glimpsed truth beyond your station, returned unchanged, and understood the prerequisites of alchemy.] Neat.
“What are you doodling?” a small voice called from behind me.
The roof was quiet.
It seemed only the two of us came here.
Maybe she had put up some kind of barrier to prevent normal humans from wandering in?
I didn’t know.
I was new to this magic crap.
Why would a barrier be easy to sense?
Whoops.
She was waiting.
“Oh, hello, Koneko.
I have chuunibyou.
Would you like to hear about it?” “Pass.” Ah.
My wounded heart.
“It’s just my crazy thoughts.
I don’t know what’s going on up here some of the time,” I said with a laugh, spinning my finger around my temple.
Putting the notebook in my bag, I cracked my neck and enjoyed the peace of the moment.
“Anything interesting happen lately?” Koneko suddenly asked.
It wasn’t like her to try to engage in small talk.
“Hmm.
Not particularly.
I accomplished something pretty cool recently.
Oh, and I discovered how I want to live my life going forward.” “Oh.” She seemed surprised.
“Wish I could say the same.” I didn’t really know what to say to that.
My hand moved before my brain finished voting.
I patted her head.
“What are you doing?” “…You looked lonely.
My bad.” — Koneko POV He was a nice guy.
Really stupid.
Irritatingly nice and stuff.
He wasn’t a degenerate pervert, which was an automatic plus in my book.
I really hoped Rias didn’t add Hyoudou to her peerage.
Eh.
Anyway, somehow, Raoul’s magical energy output had pretty much doubled overnight.
It was running off him like a tap now, which was both concerning and confusing.
He did say he accomplished something.
And he did say he had chuunibyou.
Did he discover some kind of magic?
Or make a deal with a local devil?
This was Gremory territory.
We should know if anyone else was contracting humans around here.
What a pain in the ass.
Rias better give me all the snacks.
— “So he may be a magic user?” Rias asked, brow raised.
The Occult Research Club room was pretty quiet.
There was a shower running in the back.
Must be Akeno.
Why was there a full bath in the clubroom?
Why not?
I never bothered asking.
“It’s unlikely,” I said.
“It’s just possible that he may be.” “Magical energy shouldn’t grow and swell like that.” Maybe I should mention that it felt more like the natural energy in the air was filling him up?
No.
Senjutsu was…
It was just trauma speaking.
“I don’t think he’s dangerous,” I concluded.
Rias gave me a crafty smile and winked.
“Someone caught your fancy, then?” I blinked.
“Rias, I’ve known of his existence for all of two days.” “No fun,” Rias pouted as she pulled a box of Pocky from her bag and took out a stick balancing it on her upper lip beneath her nose.
— Raoul POV Did I just make it weird?
I made it weird.
Fantastic.
My first real friend, and I had already goofed.
Why would I touch her head?
Whatever.
[Minor Bond: Koneko Toujou has deepened.] [Warning: Emotional bonds may create vulnerability.] I felt like this System Alert was mocking me, but I’d take it.
Ah, right.
The little bird following me wasn’t stealthy at all.
Was it even a bird?
It looked like some kind of bird-and-bat mixture.
Cute in a gross way, I guess.
Fitting for the familiar of a teenage devil heiress.
I was guessing, at least.
Honestly, I wondered.
What would happen if I stopped pretending I didn’t notice?
I suddenly stopped walking, leaned against the wall, and let out a long exhale.
Then I slid down smoothly until I was sitting there like some dramatic alleyway delinquent.
I locked eyes with the strange bird creature.
“Oh, what’s this?” I smirked.
Apparently, my face must have been really scary, because the bird-bat hybrid seemed to pass out mid-flight.
Then it panicked.
Then it zipped off rapidly.
Somehow, it dropped a flyer.
The hybrid abomination dropped a flyer.
Not suspicious at all.
Yoink.
I’ll take that.
Time to head home.
I began to whistle as I headed back to my apartment.
The day was still long.