"...He's strange. He smells human, but something about him feels off—dangerous."
Koneko spoke softly after Issei had left the clubroom with Kousuke to show him around the premises. She had been on high alert from the moment he entered; her instincts screamed at her to run. It felt as if he could wipe out everyone in the room if he wanted to. But she couldn't simply abandon her Master. Thankfully, nothing happened.
"I concur," Rias said, folding her arms thoughtfully. Her crimson hair shimmered under the overhead light as she looked toward the door Kousuke had left through. "He feels... oddly familiar. Like I was in the presence of my brother—an actual Satan."
That was when it finally clicked for her.
The déjà vu she'd been experiencing hadn't been just her imagination. She hadn't been able to put her finger on it earlier, but now it made sense. A human giving off the same oppressive aura as her brother, one of the Four Great Satans? It was absurd. Laughable even. If someone had told her that a week ago, she would've dismissed them without a second thought. The title of Satan wasn't simply handed out—it was reserved for the strongest of all devils, beings of overwhelming power and authority. For someone to feel even remotely like that—let alone a human—was... inconceivable.
If there truly was a human on that level, the entire supernatural world would have been buzzing with the news. Beings of that magnitude didn't just appear unnoticed. They were so rare that you could count them on one hand—and none of them were human. It was simply impossible.
"Just what in the world happened during his disappearance...?"
That question lingered in the air like a shadow no one wanted to acknowledge. None of them truly believed Kousuke's story. Being summoned to another world? It sounded like something ripped straight out of a fantasy novel. It was too convenient, too bizarre to take seriously. Most of them assumed it was an excuse—something fabricated on the spot to explain away a year-long disappearance. After all, to their knowledge, there was no such thing as 'another world' beyond Earth. But he didn't seem like a liar. And that was what troubled them the most.
Maybe he was hiding something. Some kind of secret identity. 'Crouching tiger, hidden dragon—a powerful martial artist maybe,' Rias mused, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. The thought excited her. Now she was seriously considering recruiting him into her Peerage. Perhaps then, she could unravel his mystery.
"This might be asking a lot, but Koneko-chan... can you observe him for a while?" Rias asked gently, her eyes meeting her silent Rook's. The younger girl paused, thinking it over carefully. After a long few seconds, she gave a small, solemn nod.
"...I'll try."
"Isn't that risky? What if he finds out?" Akeno suddenly cut in, her tone uncharacteristically serious. The usually playful and teasing girl now wore a rare expression of concern. She rarely objected to Rias's decisions, but this time, the risk felt too real to ignore.
"That's true... Never mind then," Rias conceded with a sigh. "I'll think of something else. But in the meantime..." she added, her lips curling into a soft smile, "How about a round of chess, Akeno? You were awfully eager to tease me just a moment ago."
"Oh my, are you angry, Rias~? Fufufu..." Akeno replied, her usual sultry tone returning as she leaned in with an impish grin.
...
Meanwhile, on the rooftop.
"I can't believe it. A guy who proudly yells about how much he loves boobs... and he still hasn't kissed his girlfriend?" Kousuke said, genuinely baffled.
"Shut up!" Issei groaned. "I get really nervous just being around her, okay?"
He muttered under his breath. Relationships were so much harder than he thought. In truth, he wanted to kiss her—badly. He'd even considered planning the perfect date and sealing it with a kiss at the end under the night sky... but when the moment came, he just didn't have the courage to ask.
"You're missing out, man." Kousuke said, leaning back on his hands as he stared up at the sky.
"Oh yeah? Like you're any better—you're still single, dude."
"Heh. I'd love tell you about my romantic escapades in the other world... but since you don't believe I was ever there, I'll just keep the juicy details to myself."
"Yeah, right. You probably just made all that up so you'd sound cool."
Before the conversation could go further, the rooftop door swung open with a loud creak.
"Yo, Issei! So this is where you ran off to—we were looking all over for you!"
"Hmm? And who's that annoyingly handsome guy sitting next to you?"
The two turned toward the rooftop door, where two students were quickly approaching—one bald and the other wearing thick-rimmed glasses. Neither of them looked particularly impressive, at least not in the traditional sense. Kousuke stared at them for a moment. So these were my replacements while I was gone? he thought to himself with mild amusement. In a weird way, he was almost glad he'd vanished for a year. Otherwise, people might've started referring to them as "Pervert Four", a humorous take on the "Fantastic Four."
"This is the friend I've been telling you about—Kousuke Igarashi," Issei introduced.
"The guy who went missing?"
"Yep, I'm the ghost that came back to life. Nice to meet you... President and Vice-President of the Pervert Trio." He extended his hand for a shake. The two newcomers snickered and accepted it.
"And he likes to joke around like that—wait, hold on a sec!" Issei's eyes widened. "If they're the President and Vice-President respectively... then what does that make me?"
"You're their errand boy." Kousuke said without hesitation, grinning.
"You bastard! You've been asking for a fight since earlier—let's go, right here, right now!"
"Hahaha, fine, but I won't be serious—otherwise it would kill you," Kousuke said playfully. Yet something about the way he said it sent a chill down Issei's spine.
Issei paused. He didn't know why, but for a split second, Kousuke felt genuinely dangerous. Even Riser hadn't given off that kind of vibe. Maybe... maybe there really was some truth to his outrageous story about another world.
"I was joking, man. Why are you acting like I'd really kill you?" Kousuke laughed and smacked him lightly on the back, snapping him out of it. Issei blinked, then laughed awkwardly.
He shook his head, deciding to stop overthinking it. Whatever the case, he was just happy that his friend was finally back.
And for now, that was all that mattered.