Another ordinary day of classes ended without incident.
The last light of the setting sun gilded the school buildings of Kuoh Academy in a warm wash of gold.
Genichi packed his bag. Unlike most students, he didn't head for a club room or go straight home. Instead, he walked with steady, measured steps toward the old school building.
He climbed the slightly worn stairs to the third floor, stopping in front of a door with a plaque that read "Occult Research Club."
He raised a hand and knocked. From inside came a muffled, "Come in."
Genichi opened the door and stepped inside. The clubroom was quiet and comfortably warm.
A huge floor-to-ceiling window let the sunset spill in generously, lighting up the drifting dust motes as they danced in the air.
On the sofa, the petite silver-haired girl, Koneko Toujou, was curled into a cushion, fully absorbed in a bag of potato chips. The soft crunch-crunch of her snacking was the only sound in the room.
Her emerald eyes lifted briefly when Genichi entered. After recognizing him, she gave the tiniest nod as a greeting, then sank right back into her snack world.
"Good afternoon," Genichi said, returning a small nod in a calm voice.
For this quiet, capable senpai, he maintained the respect she was due, without any desire to force familiarity.
He sat on the sofa opposite, his eyes flicking over the lavish decor and the shelves of books that clearly didn't belong in an ordinary high school. Inside, though, his mind was clear and steady.
Koneko was cute. Delicate features, a cool personality, and that gap moe charm.
Akeno Himejima was even more striking, voluptuous and mature, every glance and smile laced with an alluring softness.
Genichi wasn't made of stone. He was a normal guy. He could appreciate beauty, and curiosity came naturally.
But he kept that desire and curiosity locked deep down.
In this supernatural world that had suddenly opened its doors to him, a world full of the unknown and the dangerous, surviving, growing stronger, and taking control of his fate came before everything else.
Women?
Feelings?
Those were luxuries for after survival stopped being a question. Decorations for when you had the kind of confidence to say, "I don't eat beef," with your chest out, not something a rookie should reach for when he still needed others just to stay alive and barely understood his own power.
So he deliberately kept his distance from Koneko and Akeno, and even from the club president, Rias.
No overstepping. No testing boundaries. No investing feelings he didn't need.
What he needed was a path to strength and a guarantee of survival, not a bond that might become a weakness or a burden. At least, not until he had power enough to afford it.
Not long after Genichi sat down, a magic circle on the open floor flared to life.
Intricate runes spun and interlocked, breathing out a ripple of spatial distortion.
The light drew in, and two figures appeared at the center of the circle.
Rias Gremory and Akeno Himejima.
Rias was still in Kuoh Academy's girls' uniform. Her crimson hair swayed faintly in the lingering afterglow of teleportation. She wore her usual bright smile, but there was a hint of seriousness in her eyes.
Akeno stood at her side like a queen attending her, lips curved in a gentle smile.
"Ara, Genichi-kun is already here. Perfect timing," Rias said, eyes brightening as she moved to sit on the sofa across from him. She got straight to the point. "We just received an urgent contact from the Underworld. There have been signs of Stray Devils causing trouble around Kuoh Town lately. People are panicking, and there's been some property damage, so the task has been assigned to us."
Her tone turned firm as she looked at him. "This will be your first field mission since becoming a devil. We're going to purge the Stray Devils. The objective is to find the ones causing trouble and deal with them."
"It's ideal for letting you get your hands dirty, learn how devils fight, and get used to the basic process of handling supernatural incidents."
"If you're asking whether I'm willing to handle it, I have no objections," Genichi replied. He didn't show fear or try to dodge it. He accepted cleanly.
But then he raised a very practical issue. "But Buchou, I don't have any active attack methods at all right now, do I? Are you expecting me to go in barehanded and brawl with Stray Devils that have lost their minds and only know how to destroy and devour?"
He spread his hands, looking genuinely resigned.
His physical abilities had improved dramatically after reincarnating as a devil. He was far beyond any normal human now. But how far, exactly? Whether he could take a Stray Devil's hits head-on? He didn't know.
And strength without technique or a reliable way to do damage meant low efficiency, high risk.
"Pfft."
Akeno let out a small laugh and covered her mouth, her alluring eyes curving into crescents. "Genichi-kun, honestly. You have something so special, and you always forget."
Rias smiled too, nodding as if it were obvious. "Akeno is right. Genichi, your strongest and most unique attack method is already on you."
She pointed toward his left hand.
"Your Sacred Gear is your best weapon."
Rias's voice carried encouragement, and a faint edge of expectation. "Even though it's only just awakened, what you need isn't to look for another weapon. You need to feel it, guide it, and try to use it in real combat."
Akeno added gently, her tone soft but instructive. "Most Stray Devils are low-ranked devils corrupted by negative emotions or tainted demonic power. They've lost their reason. What they rely on is instinct and a little bit of magic reinforcement. Your Sacred Gear, even at a basic level, can handle them easily. That's why Buchou thinks this mission is perfect practice for you."
Genichi lowered his gaze to the back of his left hand.
Then he looked up at Rias and Akeno, and after a brief pause, he nodded. The doubt on his face was gone, replaced by quiet acceptance and a faint, restrained eagerness.
"I understand. Then what about the details? Where have the Stray Devils been appearing, what do they look like, and when do we move out?"
It was his first fight. Information mattered. He wasn't interested in getting tripped up by something stupid.
Even if Rias and the others would be with him and wouldn't let anything happen to him, Genichi didn't want to pin his life on someone else's protection.
"Ara, Genichi-kun is so serious," Akeno said with a warm smile. "But don't worry. It's only a low-ranking Stray Devil. There's no danger at all. Well, of course, it's dangerous for ordinary humans."
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