For once, I woke up without something smelling like piss and/or shit… okay, it still smelled awful, this was a refuge made in an abandoned space, which meant that plenty of hobos before have pissed here, and so would the hobos after me.
But the fact that I actually felt rested was enough of a rarity that it deserved a standing ovation.
In front of me, the bonfire was still lit, the flames drifting ever so slowly and gently, providing warmth with no pause. It gave this whole shithole a homey vibe that it truly didn't deserve in the slightest.
Set on proving that feeling right, I stood up and began taking a piss on one of the walls nearby.
Daniel, if this was your way of moving past being homeless then you weren't doing a very good job.
I would prove that fact once I actually had some property under my belt, thank you very much. Right now I was street waste, and if the city was gonna treat me like fucking trash then I could piss anywhere I wanted as retaliation. Fuck you, Kuoh.
As I discharged my absolute fury on this ratty abandoned wall, I began charting out the course of action for today. It was becoming quite clear that keeping myself moving every day was the most I could do for now, since it didn't seem like hustling gave much XP to level up. If I wanted levels I needed to kill shit, and so far all of the hostile, killable assholes have been chance encounters.
So, what I could do that was under my control was either hustling (which was unnecessary for now since Rias gave me that fat donation) or information gathering, and my only source of information right now was Rias herself.
I frowned as I recalled that tidbit. I actually didn't even know what to ask her, or if I even needed to ask anything. She already said everything that was of interest to me yesterday, I truly have no fucking clue what else I was supposed to gather from her.
…Right! I needed to know the greatest question of them all. I was sure that if I at least could have this answered, this whole fucking mess would make a whole lot more sense. Hopefully it'd be enough to chart a good course to another city or whatnot.
As the last drops of piss fell on the wall, I nodded to myself.
I was going to find out what the fuck Highschool DxD meant.
Before that, however, I needed a change of clothes and a fucking shower. And even before THAT…
I looked at the bonfire, frowning. I pocketed my lil' fella back in my pants, zipped it up, then got in front of the magic fireplace.
Extending my hand, I began to feel for something, something within me…
Using the bonfire's warmth as a guide, I looked within myself and- oh, there it was. I could feel my Souls.
800 Souls laid within me. Life essence harvested from that shithead Exorcist.
I tried feeling if I had any more than that, but no luck. It seemed that killing that Stray fuck the first night didn't net me any Souls since I still wasn't undead.
Now to the important bit. I concentrated and once again began to search within myself, specifically, all that I was, all of my strength, all of MY-
…Oh, was this a joke?
LVL: 1
SOULS: 800
————
Vitality: 8
Attunement: 0
Endurance: 8
Strength: 8
Dexterity: 12
Resistance: 15
Intelligence: 10
Faith: 0
————
Humanity: 0
Why… Why could I feel a perfectly ordered sheet? Were those supposed to be my… what, characteristics? Statistics? Why the fuck was the most magical part of this fucking experience so far, that didn't involve using a magazine or a fucking ancient computer for upgrading myself, involve an actual numbers sheet?
I felt terribly disappointed with the discovery, dreading having to worry about more 'character' bullshit. It didn't help that it seemed actually worse than the upgrades I got while sleeping.
No matter, these were supposed to be aimed at increasing my own strength, and goddamn I was gonna get stronger. In fact, that Strength stat looked miserable, if I wanted to increase it…
I felt for my 'Strength' stat, and I tried using my Souls to upgrade it. As soon as I had the thought, I felt the cost of such an action.
Strength: 8 ⇒ 9
Cost: 673
What a useless fucking cunt I murdered yesterday. He was such a pain in the ass to kill and yet he only gave me enough to barely increase a stat. Before I upgraded, though, I gave the transaction some thought.
Was Strength really what I needed here? Could there possibly be a more important aspect of myself that was worth upgrading?
…
The fuck was I talking about? I wanted the big fucking muscles, and I was punching those devils to death if they ever got too close to me. The secret weapon, as it were.
Confirming the upgrade, I felt my Strength increase… a little bit, but that was fine. It would add up, eventually. After the upgrade, I was left with barely a few Souls.
Souls: 127
I idly noticed that the cost of upgrading all stats had increased, but I didn't bother analyzing this stat sheet any further. Whenever I had Souls to spend, I'd just spend them on Strength and fuck all else. If I spent an entire lifetime already doing math only to fail miserably in the end, I would NOT do the same in this one. Fuck that.
Now, it was time to buy some clothes, then take a shower. I had spotted a very cheap clothing store while exploring the city, and I already had some ideas on how I wanted to look.
This was my afterlife, baby. I needed to at least not look like shit while I cruised through it.
_________________________________________
"Hm… maybe a haircut, too? Is having an unshaven mug aesthetically pleasing these days…?"
Inside the petrol station bathroom, I was doing one of the harshest and cruelest methods of torture known to mankind.
"Shit, are my eyes really this bloodshot?"
Looking at myself in the mirror. Well, I could always look at myself using E.E, but it was better to just focus on the mirror and pay no mind to the infinite eyes looking at my horrid self from every direction.
Granted, it wasn't as bad as usual. For one, I had just taken a shower for the first time in…
…I felt a sudden urge to not discuss this particular topic. Let's just say that it took me dying to actually get myself cleaned up for once.
Aside from that, I was wearing honest-to-god new clothes. Well, new second-hand clothes, I wasn't about to waste my entire budget on clothing since I was still missing a solution for my bullet problem, and I didn't want to splurge on things before getting that settled.
A clean (it was sad that I had to clarify this) gray long-sleeved shirt hugged my upper-body, feeling quite snug and comfy. I was also wearing a fresh pair of loosely-fitting black jeans, with a cheap leather-belt securing it to my waist. I also naturally bought some cheap socks and boxers.
My shoes were the same as always though, since they weren't atrociously dirty or torn apart. New ones were also expensive as shit.
Overall, this little expenditure ran me about $68 USD. A steal, if we're being honest, since I also got a jacket that's folded next to me. A neat gray parka jacket that would help with the nightly cold.
I had $128 USD left after the little shopping trip. $118 after paying for access to the shower, a toothbrush and toothpaste, some deodorant, plus the little packets of shampoo and soap.
Kuoh was now hosting the cleanest hobo in the world.
"Tch, maybe I should just mug people."
Concerning statements like that were made as I turned my face from one side to the other while gazing at myself. It had been a long time since I saw myself with damp, clean hair and although my face still looked ghastly in general considering my recent zombification, it was better than the usual, feeling myself fresh for a change.
I thoughtfully rubbed my chin, feeling the hairs of my stubble.
"I don't look half-bad…. I could trim this bitch, though."
Nodding sagely, I washed my face using the faucet, then began saving my hygiene stuff inside my backpack (which still reeked of trash, but you know, baby-steps) and finally wore the jacket, leaving it unzipped.
…Huh.
"I actually don't look homeless, for once."
Good as that fact was, it still didn't change that at the end of the day I'd go to sleep by a bonfire inside an alleyway… still, dress for the job you want and all that, this was a good change.
Now that the matter of my personal hygiene was finally taken care of after God knows how long, I exited the showers, bought myself another McTeriyaki burger on the way ($113 left), and then, by 1 PM, I reached a payphone.
I was pleasantly surprised to discover that, unlike in Chile, the payphone actually fucking worked, and it wasn't just a magnet for hobos to go and piss all over them for sport.
…As a note for later, I should probably reevaluate how much of my life has revolved around pissing in public spaces. It was concerning, to say the least.
While reading the business card Rias gave me yesterday (which was stored in my backpack, the reading being done conveniently by E.E) I dialed the number and inserted a loose 100 yen coin I had from yesterday's hustle. Idly biting the McTeriyaki burger (which was quickly becoming the only thing on my diet) I waited for someone to answer.
…Goddamn, why the fuck haven't they exported the McTeriyaki to anywhere else in the world. Fuck me.
Finally, the line got picked up.
"Hello? Who is this?"
Swallowing the bite of burger beforehand, I answered.
"It's Daniel."
After hearing some silence from the other side, I hesitantly added.
"...you know, the homeless guy?"
A low, womanly chuckle came from the other end.
"Why yes, I know who you are. I'm just looking for the President. Please wait a little."
I frowned at her answer, but wisely and calmly decided to not start fights with Rias' secretary or whatever she was… Despite how much I wanted to, since she was just assuming (correctly) that I was homeless. Okay, I know I just told her that I was homeless but it's the principle of the matter.
…Fuck this bitch.
Before my thoughts could get any more violent, a familiar, pleasant voice came on.
"Hello Daniel, I take it you're ready to talk about my offer then?"
Right, she still thought I was interested.
"Yeah… about that-"
"Before you say anything, maybe we should discuss this face to face?"
There really wasn't any need for that.
"See, I just-"
"We can discuss this inside my, well, headquarters in this city, as it were. Please, come to Kuoh Academy, I'll have someone waiting for you there. You can come right now, if you like."
…I took another bite from the McTeriyaki. I was getting absolutely shoved into a face-to-face meeting that would help absolutely no one, but I'd admit that I was curious about what the demon's headquarters looked like. And why those headquarters were located inside a highschool. Mostly the second part.
"Fucking— sure, whatever. I'll go right now, I guess."
I didn't bother with more pleasantries, simply hanging up the phone. I really wanted to skip town already. Sure, I had a bonfire here, which was cool, but I could create more (at the cost of a human life) and frankly this was a very boring town overall, devils residing here notwithstanding.
With my funds I could've easily gotten a bus or train ticket (the last one being a cool novelty for me), so I was going to do this meeting with Rias, ask the questions I needed answers to, then go somewhere else. Frankly, the benefits of doing so were endless.
First, I'd no longer be under the watchful eye of Rias and her gang of colorful teens, so I could actually do what I did best and start the mugging enterprise again. Second, I would probably encounter more of these 'strays' to gain XP since they weren't getting actively hunted by Rias' gang, and finally, and the most important one of them all…
I wanted to visit more places. Tourism, if you will.
I was a simple man at the end of the day.
Plans now set, I gulped the rest of the McTeriyaki down my gullet. Then, with a bit of pep in my step, I headed for Kuoh Academy.
…I hope no one there recognized the crazy man with the gun from the day before yesterday.
_________________________________________
It took a little while, but I finally reached the gates of the frankly ridiculous school. The academy looked like a lavish waste of money of which its only purpose was to mock the common populace, with its tall infrastructure and old-timey sort of vibe, the kind that would have pretentious shitty piano music playing inside it 24/7. It looked like only rich-snobby fuckers would ever spend their lifetime's worth of daddy's money to attend this shithole shrine to capitalism, getting a free pass into perfect jobs with daddy's connections and while we were fucking at it add that they didn't even need to fucking work in the first place or to even get the damned education to begin with because they already won at life by simply being FUCKING BORN with the SHINIEST FUCKING SILVER SPOON up their FUCKING ASSHOLE.
…No, I was NOT sour about my education. Shut the fuck up.
As I neared the gates, I spotted the small white-haired girl from yesterday, wearing what seemed to be the school uniform (which sported a scandalously short skirt, short enough that it made me want to call the school in the guise of a concerned parent). She gave me a bored look, which quickly turned into one of disapproval.
"You can't smoke here."
Fucking hell.
"Says who," I retorted, because I wasn't about to get policed by a teenage girl with stupid hair that's hiding a cat-tail up her bum.
"The academy's rules. You can't smoke here. It's also disgusting."
I considered momentarily to acquiesce to her rather reasonable request, then firmly discarded the notion.
Ever since I arrived here, I haven't been able to finish a single fucking cigarette without something interrupting me. Be it demons with thousands of tits, murder scenes, or nosy assholes like this little girl. Okay, I have smoked cigarettes other times without interruption, but IT WAS THE PRINCIPLE OF THE MATTER.
I took a rather slow drag of the cigarette, savoring the disapproval of the girl's gaze, then smoothly let out the smoke past my lips.
"If this is meant to help the recruitment efforts then I think you're doing a piss-poor job at it."
She stayed silent, probably debating internally if she should raise a bigger fuss about this, then sighed in resignation.
"Just follow me."
Ah, the taste of victory. Adult man: 1 - Teenage girl: 0.
I followed her into the school grounds, some students milling around which made me raise an eyebrow. Why the fuck were students at school in a Saturday? Were they masochists?
Inevitably, my attempts at looking at them like they were the freaks were thwarted once people noticed me following the girl.
"Huh? Who's that guy?"
"Why's he following Koneko-chan? Is he a teacher?"
"He's smoking…"
"Eek! Is he glaring at us!?"
I was, indeed, glaring at them. In turn, I could feel a dozen glares from some other direction. Turning my head, I could see a group of students, boys and girls, glaring at me.
"He should get away from Koneko-chan."
"He looks like bad news, doesn't he?"
"I will kill him! Kill him!"
"Rip him to shreds!"
…Concerning, especially since that last part wasn't even a hushed whisper, they just yelled that.
I looked at the girl (which was named Koneko, apparently) and tried to see if she had anything to say about such outward violent threats.
Judging by E.E, not a single reaction on her face. Not even a twitch of the eyes.
Concerning.
Still, in absolute defiance of common proper manners, I kept smoking undeterred in a school space.
After much following, I was taken in front of yet another lavishly built two-story school building (the existence of which elicited no harsh opinions on rich assholes whatsoever) that looked a bit worn out, located quite a bit far from the main lavishly built school building for assholes.
No, I was not sour. Stop asking.
Koneko acknowledged me for the first time since she began leading me here.
"You can't enter there while smoking."
I frowned, but even I had limits to the extent I was going to argue with a teenage girl. I took one last drag from the cigarette to finish it, then took it out of my lips to toss it aside.
…The girl's glare hardened. Fine.
I rolled my eyes and simply stored the cigarette in my pocket for later disposal AKA: as soon as she wasn't looking.
Seemingly satisfied, Koneko opened the door to the building. Before I stepped in, I threw the cigarette stub aside on the ground, in protest against schools built for rich assholes.
Inside looked a bit unkempt, frankly. Not messy, but clearly unused, with thin layers of dust coating all of the floor and walls. It looked like a normal, if a bit antiquated, school building. Koneko silently led me up the stairs, then into a hallway with numerous doors by the side, probably leading to classrooms.
At the end of the hallway, rested a black door, much cleaner than the rest of the place. Koneko simply knocked once.
"Enter, please," said a voice that wasn't Rias'.
Koneko opened the door and inside was… a lounge? There were couches surrounding a small table and a large desk by the front of the room. The floor was covered in a probably very expensive red carpet, and the walls were covered in paintings that looked prime for decorating walls for rich assholes.
It was a very opulent living room, kind of.
Sitting in one of the couches, was the flying girl from yesterday, the one with black hair.
"Ara~, until you finally decided to come, Daniel-kun. We were starting to worry here."
I would've put some focus on her or what she was saying, but sadly for her, there was something distracting me.
There was a shower in this fucking lounge, for some godforsaken reason. By the side, with the only thing dividing the shower and everything else being a long curtain that did a very poor job of covering what was happening on the other side.
Even with an effective curtain there, it would've been for naught, for Eyes Everywhere was always active and that fucking shower was within range.
And inside was Rias. Showering. For some fucking reason.
Granted, it was good eye-candy. Very good eye-candy actually. And sure, she was undeniably attractive, but I wasn't no fucking moron. No one invited someone over and then mistakenly showered in their lounge-shower by accident.
Were… were these attempts at seduction? Was she hoping I fell under servitude by thinking with my dick?
Were the circumstances different, I would've fell for it hook, line and sinker, but that wasn't the case now. I was a big man with big ambitions, after all.
I promptly decided to ignore whatever was happening there (which was hard since E.E was always active and I had to endure the horrible fate of ogling an attractive wet naked woman) and instead answered the ponytail girl.
"Well, I didn't really want to come here, but your owner kind of insisted."
I made no attempt to side-step the 'slave' conversation. Also, I couldn't help but gaze with my eyes to the side.
"Could I know why she decided this was a great moment to take a shower? In her inexplicable lounge-shower, no less."
The ponytail girl chuckled amused at my query.
"She just thought you'd take a bit longer to get here. I must say though, you've cleaned up after yourself since yesterday. You look quite dashing."
I believed no words from her, but grunted in affirmation anyway. Not wanting to stand in line of sight of the shower, I stepped in further and took a seat in one of the couches, taking off my backpack and leaving it on the floor. In a moment, the ponytail girl stood up and served me a cup of tea, the liquid gently pouring out of a very expensive looking teapot.
…I should've considered robbing this place before I skipped town.
"Please," said the ponytail girl, presenting the cup with a firmly stuck smile on her face. "The President will be done in a moment."
I took the cup and simply drank the tea. It had been a long, long time since I last had a cup of tea, and I was honestly missing it.
To my surprise, the tea was quite good.
"It's pretty good," I said off-handedly, taking another sip.
"Thank you," she answered, still smiling.
And we fell into silence. It felt a bit awkward, but it was probably intentional, since the only thing that could be heard was the shower and how the water fell from her body.
Still, in a mighty show of willpower, I did NOT pop any sort of boner or any other bodily reaction. Mostly because after three days of having E.E, the X-Ray vision that let me look at literally anything I wanted, the naked body of a woman (or a man) didn't elicit any response in me. At least, not in the context of unwilling ogling. If I used my own two eyes for it, that would've probably been another thing.
Eventually, Rias stepped out of her lounge-shower dressed in the school uniform, which still had a way too short skirt. She gazed in my direction (my own gaze was stuck in my cup, unwilling to focus anywhere else) and smiled gently.
"Daniel, it's a pleasure to see you. I'm sorry about the shower, but I just didn't expect you to arrive so soon."
I looked back at her and frowned.
"Sure," I said, putting all of the sarcasm I had into the word.
As Rias got a view of my face, she looked surprised.
"My, you look a lot better today, Daniel… but also a bit pale. Are you okay?"
Must've noticed my post-zombie paleness. I simply shrugged my shoulders.
"Rough night, is all. Can we please just talk already?"
She nodded and made her way to the desk, sitting behind it and crossing her hands.
"So, have you given thought to my offer?"
I couldn't help but look at her a bit miffed.
"Yeah, and I could've told you over the phone that it just wasn't happening."
She sighed at my response. "But I can't help but wonder if you've truly given thought to it. Yesterday it seemed like you were quite into the idea, and now you're just firmly stuck in rejecting it."
"Yeah, I was acting. So I could stop the conversation."
Actually, I was acting so I could potentially kill myself and become a stray devil, but that was out of the question now.
"You don't need to act with me, you know?"
"Apparently I do, since you just can't take a fucking no for an answer."
We were both staring at each other now, me glaring at her while she simply kept a neutral look, as if considering her next move. As we were engaged in the stare-down, ponytail girl chuckled.
"My, look at the sparks fly."
We both turned our stares to the ponytail girl.
"In what fucking loopy land does rejecting a slavery offer constitute as sparks."
"Not now, Akeno."
Instead of looking chastised, she just seemed even more pleased by our responses, as if vindicated.
Rias sighed, deciding to ignore her slave's interjection.
"Look, Daniel, do you even understand the lengths you could reach simply by becoming a devil? You're such an impressive human out of sheer natural skills, without a Sacred Gear whatsoever. If you became a devil, I would ensure—guarantee, even—that you'd become a powerhouse with the proper training you deserve."
Before I could again interject, she continued.
"And I know your stance on slavery. I'd be more than willing to sign a contract—a binding contract—that states that you shall not ever be treated as a slave. You'd be a slave in name only, but you would have all the benefits of becoming a devil plus the benefits of being part of the Gremory family. My family. Of course you'd still have to participate in Rating Games and things like contract-work, but those will be properly compensated by me. Personally. I will make sure that you get paid out of my own pocket."
She gave me a determined, set look.
"You wouldn't be a slave. I would never make you one."
I couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Perhaps this was the Impostor Syndrome I read about long ago, when I dreamt of entering medical school? This girl was willing to practically beg for my allegiance, but it was under the basis that I was naturally this gifted gunman when in reality I just got given this power… but the feeling didn't last long. After all, I spent an entire life of misery before getting here, I was NOT about to waste the chance to become a powerful motherfucker by feeling guilty about shit.
That said, I looked at Rias and answered her own determined gaze with my own.
"Rias, I understand that you treat your… family properly. But that isn't the issue, I just don't want to bind myself to anyone. Anyone. I'm sorry, but no amount of clauses or concessions will make me agree."
She didn't relent.
"And what about your potential? You could become so much stronger if you just accepted entering my peerage."
"I will become stronger, but I will do so in another way. Without becoming a devil. Sure, it'll probably slower, but I can fucking assure you that I won't be lesser than you devils."
She didn't seem convinced by my argument.
"You… really don't understand how unfathomably powerful devils can be, Daniel."
"I don't care, I will shoot all of em' dead. I got my methods."
"Daniel, I know you've been able to manage through for now, but unfortunately not everyone— in fact, most competent supernatural beings won't be affected by a simple bullet."
"I. Don't. Care." I insisted, leaning forward and fixing Rias with a glare. "I will teach them to eat shit and lead all the same."
Even though I kept insisting, Rias still looked unconvinced of my certainty. I could probably tell why, in her eyes I was some homeless asshole who, despite having unnaturally good skills, just now stumbled upon this supernatural shit. In her eyes, my only method of self-defense was my gun.
She thought that I was ignorant and unwilling, she didn't know that I was an immortal zombie that got power-ups whenever I killed enough things. That I had a coin that could infinitely multiply the damage of a single bullet as long as I had enough cash to do so. That I was an 'Incursor', an existence so reviled in Heaven and by YHWH Himself that they treated me with open hostility because Incursors famously were power-abusing assholes who could get away with whatever they wanted since they were so fucking powerful.
I would become stronger. Absurdly, stupidly stronger… but not now, now I was still weak, and there was no way I could make Rias understand that this wouldn't last.
So, I didn't bother in reaffirming myself any further, I just shook my head.
"Look Rias, I'm sorry, but it's just not happening. I'm leaving today, actually. I just came here to ask some questions and after that I'll be out of your hair."
That got a reaction from her, her eyes widening.
"I- Look, Daniel, I'm really, really asking you to think this through. It's not even about what I could possibly gain at this point, I'm more concerned about you."
She paused for a second, as if mulling it over.
"I know what happened yesterday. With the exorcist."
…Shit, there was some pretty compromising shit in that encounter.
Mainly, the fact I got my arm severed.
I leaned over, crossing my own hands.
"What do you mean, exactly?"
Her face turned complicated.
"One woman got murdered inside her own home, 26 years old, and by her front lawn was what we presume to be her murderer, an excommunicated exorcist, who probably heard about the woman's interest in the occult. She was intending to summon one of us for a contract before he arrived and murdered her. The exorcist's corpse had numerous bullet wounds."
Rias searched within her desk and produced some papers, probably detailing all about the murder scene.
"They're the same caliber as your gun, Daniel."
I looked at her for a second, then simply decided to shrug.
"He was a very unpleasant freak, to be fair. He deserved it."
She nodded.
"He truly was, but Daniel, do you not realize? You're stepping into the supernatural too much, too fast. It's not easy for a normal human to take down an exorcist, excommunicated or not, so what happened yesterday is impressive, but you're probably going to end up chewing more than you can swallow at this rate."
I took a sip from the teacup (which was getting cold) and addressed her point.
"Look, I don't intend on doing that. If anything, the extent of my involvement with the supernatural will be to kill 'stray devils' which, by your own account, were free game, and anything other than that will be simple matter of chance, like what happened yesterday."
She looked at me for a second, then simply sighed, as if a bit resigned.
"You're not going to go unaccounted for, at least not for long. One way or another, you're going to stand out, and I'd really prefer it if by the time you're noticed by the supernatural that you're with me and my peerage."
"Well, I already said that ain't fucking happening, so tough luck."
She looked at me with some sort of sadness and looked beyond me, as if thinking deeply.
"Is there… truly no way to convince you? I noticed yesterday that you seemed to be interested in me, at least by your reaction to the possibility I wasn't of age."
Shit, I really shouldn't have made that outburst. Rias looked back at me, seriously.
"If you… If it truly was something you wished for, if it was enough to convince you, I'd be willing to, in exchange for you entering my peerage, to-"
"Let's please not go there."
It was a bit pitiful, to see the extent at which she'd be willing to go for me just to enter her peerage. It had gone from annoying to just sad.
She seemed to realize this herself, quickly shaking her head and averting her gaze from me.
"I-I'm sorry. I just really needed this, someone potentially powerful to enter my peerage. It's a matter of life or death for me, my entire freedom hangs over this."
I looked at her, now it was my turn to be disbelieving.
"Okay, I know I can shoot a good shot and all, but there's no way I'm good enough to warrant…"
I thought back to the suggestion that I thankfully interrupted.
"...that."
Rias shook her head.
"That's the thing though, you are my best bet. The other possible piece I've been setting my eyes upon could have potential, I have already confirmed the existence of a Sacred Gear within him… but he has absolutely no experience, either in the supernatural or in fighting. You so far have shown incredible promise, using only a gun. A normal gun that shoots normal bullets. Your potential could be massive, if this is already the baseline."
She sighed.
"You do warrant that offer, Daniel, considering my situation."
I couldn't conceal the pity behind my eyes, even without fully understanding whatever she was going through, and Rias clearly could feel it as she stared at the back of the room.
"You don't have to say anything," she said, still not glancing at me. "Or even take anything I just said into consideration, really. Just as this is life or death for me, so is the decision to enter a peerage for you. I won't insist any further, and I'm sorry this conversation had to turn in this direction."
Rias took a moment to compose herself, then turned her face back at me.
"If you truly need to go today, then I wish you good luck. Truly. And if you ever need some help, I'll try to do what I can if you call me."
…It dawned on me that the girl in front of me really wasn't a bad person. Sure, maybe these were 8-dimensional manipulation tactics, but what I saw in front of me was a desperate girl. For what reason? Who fucking knew, I just knew that she was desperate.
I took a glance at Akeno, who had dropped her serene smile a while ago.
Despite my analysis of the situation, I still wasn't intending on doing jack-shit about Rias' situation. In fact, I thought it was high time I got the fuck out of here.
I told her simply.
"I'll just go then."
Pause.
"Right, I got some questions before I go. You know, just making sure I'm not missing anything to get fucked over later."
Sensing the change in topic, Rias got the gloom out of her face and just gave me a tired smile.
"What is it, Daniel-kun?"
I would never get used to such murder on my name, but I made no comment on it, instead going for things that stood out to me.
"The fuck's a Sacred Gear?"
She stared at me for a bit, then just let out yet another tired sigh.
"I guess I won't ever not be concerned about you with such little knowledge about the supernatural, but I guess it's better if I just fill you in on what I can."
And fill me in she did. Long story short, Sacred Gears were simply powers that only humans could be born with.
I pointed at myself.
"Do I have one?"
"Nope. I can sense when a potential human has a Sacred Gear within them, and you have nothing."
I tastefully didn't mention that some of my [Skills] could've easily passed as Sacred Gears and asked the only other question that was pressing over me. Easily the most important one of them all.
It was so vital that even though I was always aware of what was happening within E.E's radius, I still gave another three or four checks around the perimeter, to make sure there wasn't some camouflaged asshole listening in or something.
Once the security was assured, I leaned forward and gave Rias a serious look. She also got the vibe that the next question would be important, so she also leaned in just a little bit, interested in what my query would be.
I swallowed, then asked.
"What… What is 'Highschool DxD'?"
She paused, as if processing my question, then just raised an eyebrow.
"I have no idea."
…
"Well, that fucking sucks then."
This entire conversation had been useless. I just got trauma dumped and learned nothing of usefulness. What a fucking waste of an afternoon.
Promptly, I stood up from the couch, grabbed my trusty backpack off the ground and put it over one shoulder, then just said to both Rias and Akeno (which probably was the secretary's name):
"Well, bye-bye, I guess. Take care."
Which sure, some people might have considered a bit cold-hearted. After all, it seemed that Rias hadn't told a lot of people that she was in a serious situation, serious enough that she considered lending out her ass to me for entering her peerage.
But alas, I had been blessed with sacred knowledge that would (morally) make it so I didn't give any further shits.
Rich people were rich. Therefore, their problems didn't matter.
Weren't YOU planning to be rich, Daniel?
Yup.
Wasn't that a bit… hypocritical, maybe?
That's the thing, dear Conscience, by the time I'd become rich, those would be my problems. Then I'd care. Now I was a homeless bum so I got to shit on them guilt-free.
That sounds like you're just an uncaring asshole.
WELL THEN, WASN'T THAT A NICE FUCKING VIEW YOU GOT FROM ATOP OF YOUR IVORY FUCKING TOWER, YOU JUDGEMENTAL PIECE OF SHIT. SHUT THE FUCK UP.
Internal discussion now done, I simply turned my back and walked out. I could see with E.E that Rias opened her mouth as if to say anything, then just simply didn't. There were no more words to exchange between us, it seemed.
Exiting the lounge, I found Koneko waiting for me. She didn't bother saying anything to me, just leading me out of the building, right back to the gates.
What a shitshow.
_________________________________________
As soon as he left the room, Rias Gremory let out a weary sigh, rubbing her eyes tiredly.
Her Queen took one look at her and gave her a sad smile.
"So… we return to the original plan, yes?"
Rias appreciated her Queen's attempts to keep her thinking and tactfully avoiding any reminders that she almost proposed herself to a stranger. There was a reason she was her oldest friend… aside from the fact she found her by pure chance.
The fact she failed her first actual recruitment would be tormenting her for days to come, it seemed.
Still, she didn't want to do any more of a mopey show, so she just did her best attempt at a straight face and just nodded.
"Clearly. Hyodou Issei will have to do, and it's not like he can't be a good piece since he has that mystery Sacred Gear, so it's not the end of the world."
The fact he'd be a ridiculously easy recruitment into her peerage judging by his proclivities went unmentioned.
Akeno nodded and stood up from her seat.
"I'm going to make some tea, would you like some?"
It roughly translated to 'I'm going to force-feed you something so you stop thinking about this' but Rias didn't have it in her to begin arguing with her friend.
"Thanks, Akeno…"
Akeno's lips thinned as she saw her.
"You're concerned about him."
"How can I not be? In two days he stumbled upon a stray and an excommunicated exorcist, and considering how gung-ho he is with that gun he loves pointing around, I fear that he'll attract the wrong sort of attention."
"I noticed that you didn't mention to him the severed arm we found on the crime-scene."
Rias sighed yet again. That entire conversation had worn her out completely and it was still afternoon.
"I really didn't want him any more on edge than before. Asking him questions about why there was an inexplicable arm dropped nearby the killer would have done the opposite of that."
"An inexplicable arm that had a jacket sleeve over it covered in trash juices and other foul liquids."
Rias frowned.
"I didn't think that associating that arm to him based on the fact it reeked would've helped, Akeno."
"Or that it disintegrated into ash."
"Or that it disintegrated into ash, yes. Besides, I don't know if you noticed, but he had two arms when he was here."
Akeno raised an eyebrow.
"And I know you noticed, but dear Daniel here didn't feel like much of a human anymore."
And notice she did. Rias hadn't expected such a sudden change from yesterday's meeting, but although she couldn't pinpoint what exactly happened, she could easily tell that something within him had irreversibly changed.
"He didn't feel… entirely human. He didn't get reincarnated by some other devil, that'd be easy to tell, but whatever happened yesterday with the exorcist had some heavy consequences."
Akeno hummed, analyzing her take on the situation.
"Would he even be able to be reincarnated into a devil at this point?"
Rias thought for a second, then shook her head.
"It's pointless to think about. He thoroughly rejected my offer and I'm not about to chase him any further to get such questions answered. I need to focus on the present instead of some fairy tale version of it."
Her Queen whistled, a mix of impressiveness and teasing at her sudden gust of wisdom.
"My, those are some cool words you just said, President. Should I take the 'present' to mean Hyodou Issei?"
"Perhaps."
The Gremory heiress remained pensive for a few seconds, as if digesting some cold facts. After, she began.
"Can I be honest with you, Akeno?"
"Always."
"I'm starting to get really, really-" Rias paused for a second, having to stop the word pissed from coming out of her mouth. "-mad at having things go my way just due to luck."
Akeno tilted her head and gave her a curious gaze.
"Ara, ara. Why is that? I thought you were glad things had gone so swimmingly for you."
"I mean, I still am, but I've been relying on that Gremory luck too much. Imagine if Hyodou Issei doesn't have a particularly powerful Sacred Gear. He'd be a thoroughly weak devil if what the info we've been gathering is to be trusted."
Akeno hummed.
"I didn't think I'd hear you say such things, President. In fact, I could distinctly remember the words 'It'll work out, trust me' come out of your very own lips."
"Yes, and I'm pissed-"
She couldn't stop herself this time.
"That I ever thought that was enough. That I thought that my current peerage in the state they're in plus some random boy we know for a fact has nothing going for him aside his Sacred Gear would be enough to beat Riser. That just because I had succeeded in getting all of you into my peerage through sheer dumb luck would be enough to convince an actual man, an actual adult man into entering my peerage and that I felt the need to stoop so low as to offer myself to him in sheer pathetic desperation, because I just COULDN'T FACE ACTUAL FAILURE!"
Rias knew she was yelling now, but she couldn't bother.
"In fact, I'm not just pissed!"
She actually slammed her fist against the desk, shaking it fiercely with each word, the wood of the desk creaking painfully just as her voice gained an uncharacteristic tint of fury within it.
"I am really, really-! "
She unconsciously gathered strength in her fist, flickers of the Power of Destruction surrounding it.
"FUCKINGPISSED!"
With one last slam, she broke the desk in two, loudly announcing Rias' breaking point.
Rias' gaze stuck blankly on the broken desk, splinters strewn everywhere within the clubroom, with a dozen or so papers that were inside the desk's drawers also decorating the floor. The once perfectly clean clubroom of the Occult Research Club sported a very visible, very messy wound.
Rias closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then, as if remembering she had an audience, she looked up at her Queen, who was staring at her clearly surprised, but also still perfectly composed, a hand covering her mouth as if to exaggerate her actual reaction.
"My, my, President. That's quite the potty mouth."
Rias felt a few more choice words bubble up in her throat ready to be angrily strewn in her Queen's direction, but Akeno raised a hand to silence her, and she complied… although she was still glaring at her, and the curse words that she had gone most of her life without actually saying out loud still ready to be used.
Rias would later in the day admit to herself, in solitude, that slinging around insults without a single care for decorum like a certain homeless man felt pretty cathartic. Very, very cathartic, actually.
Akeno examined her for a second.
"Well, if you truly feel that way, then perhaps you should…"
She paused, as if the answer would be obvious but still needed to be said for some reason. Just as Rias was about to employ her newly found arsenal of insults against her friend, she finished.
"...do something about it?"
Rias paused, as if processing the very obvious solution her Queen presented. Then found herself nodding.
"...Yes… Yes, you're right. I should do something about it."
Already, Rias could feel her plans with Issei, her possible new piece, crumble. She'd still recruit him, obviously, but the previous flowchart of slowly easing the normal human boy into the world of the supernatural (that didn't even get discussed previously, just assumed that it would be that way) got summarily discarded.
She wanted a piece that was skilled, but it got away from her. So, she'd just have to make sure her new piece got skilled. One way or the other
It was time to take the kiddie gloves off, it seemed. She was not marrying fucking Riser, and she'd make sure that fucking (oh how it felt good to use that word) pervert boy got into shape. Sure, there may be complaints from him, as expected from a once normal boy… but he'd be under her servitude, so there wasn't much choice for him, really.
Aside from that.
"You know that you and the rest of the peerage are going to go through much of the same treatment as him, right?"
Akeno giggled teasingly.
"My, and what treatment is that, President?"
Rias stood up from her seat, and as she gazed at her broken desk once more, papers littered and strewn about without a care, she decided to add the cushioned chair to the pile. Just for shits and giggles. Gathering some Power of Destruction in her leg, she thoroughly destroyed the chair in one good kick, adding a new pile of trash to the now messed up clubroom.
Idly, she reminisced about how this very desk and chair had been one of numerous gifts from Sirzechs. Housewarming gifts, for when she left for the human realm. It should've felt a bit sad to see such luxurious gifts now destroyed without any sort of real purpose, and yet it felt…
Satisfying.
"The ruthless kind."
_________________________________________
That would normally be the end of the bullshit I'd go through in this shithole city. I had tied all of my loose ends, there was nothing binding me here, all I had to do now was go to the bus station (or a train one, but I didn't know how they worked yet) and buy a ticket.
Yet…
"Hi, can you help me a bit?"
As I made my way to the station, a cute girl with black hair and wearing some trendy clothes stopped me as I walked by a quaint park. As she stopped me, I couldn't help but frown at her a little. She was bothering me, after all.
"Yeah?" I asked, because maybe she just needed the time or something.
"Can you help me look for my little brother? He got lost around the park and I just haven't been able to find him."
My frown got deeper.
"That… sounds like you need to call the police?"
What an irresponsible sister.
"No, no! It's not that serious, he always likes to hide around, but this time he's just not coming out."
"This really sounds like you need to call the police."
"I- Look! I-I'll pay you! Just help me. Please?"
I still looked at her like she was a bit of a maniac, but the mention of money made me consider the request. It still seemed kind of fishy.
"Is this a scam or something? Why are you asking me of all people?"
"You were the first guy I saw walking! And you look reliable! I- it's fine, I'll ask someone else."
I still looked at her suspiciously, but cautiously I told her.
"Fine, fine. Where did he get lost?"
"Oh, thank you! Thank you! Right around here, follow me."
She began leading me through the park, yelling 'Kouta-chan! Kouta-chan!' as she did so. I followed, a bit hesitant since I really wanted to get the fuck out of here, but alas, I wasn't a monster. There was a young child to save.
It took her offering money to move you in the slightest.
Shut up.
Aside from that, I thought that my presence there mostly worked as silent support. Maybe. I wasn't doing much of anything, but after the girl gave me a glance, I reluctantly began yelling alongside her.
"Kouta-chan! Kouta-chan!"
I did keep that weird '-chan' thing out of my mouth, though.
As we walked through the park, yelling that dumb kid's name so many times that I began thinking he was dead somewhere, I inevitably had some time to start analyzing the situation I was in.
And I began realizing that it was a weird situation. Highly unusual one.
Why did this girl think I was reliable, of all people? I looked like shit! My face was pale and sickly!
As the thought came to me, I looked around with my own two eyes, which was starting to become something I needed to do consciously since I was starting to get too caught up with E.E, and realized that… there were fewer people around here.
…Was this bitch leading me somewhere?
But why? No, more importantly, the more I thought about it the less sense her brother-story made. Why are we yelling that brat's name while walking away from the crowd? Why would you need any help? I got caught up with her pleading and begging because… well, it'd be pretty shitty to just ignore someone in need, right? Especially a cute girl. Which didn't let me actually process that this entire fucking ordeal was bullshit.
She was either scamming me… or worse.
Remembering what happened yesterday, with Rias and her troupe of assholes, I decided to consciously look inside the girl's body with E.E, analyzing every single inch of her existence with its infinite eyes.
Oh, you piece of shit.
Lo and behold, wings. This time, they were feathery and black, hidden by her shoulder blades and contracted in such a way inside her body that seemed physically impossible.
She was a Fallen Angel, if Rias' account was accurate.
This girl now most definitely didn't have a brother, and unlike Rias, this girl was actively taking me to a secluded place. There was no way in hell this bitch was planning anything good for me, and taking into consideration that these angel fuckers weren't in friendly terms with the devils, it wasn't hard to put two and two together.
So, discreetly, I put my hands inside my parka's pockets, where my lovely Colt was hidden. Holding the gun tightly by the grip, I began planning… and drew a blank.
There was no way I could kill this bitch, right? The exorcist from yesterday could fucking dodge my bullets, and that was, like, a guy, a human, and yet he could dodge my bullets like it was nothing. I did kill a stray, but she was absolutely insane and was also gigantic.
I could shoot her right now and pierce her brain and that'd be it, but if she dodged I was shit outta luck, she was too close to me and I'd get torn to shreds, and I really didn't want to die right now. It would first make me start to hunt for humanity again, then make me lose XP again which was a loss that would increase with each death, and it would also be a waste of bullets.
…Sometimes, I realized, the best way to win a confrontation was to just not have it at all.
So, mind made up, I just turned around and began walking away from her. It took her a moment to realize, since she was caught up yelling that fake kid's name, but once she did she looked genuinely surprised.
"H-Huh? Where are you going?"
"Not searching for your brother, that's for sure. I just realized I'm a piece of shit and hate children, sorry."
As I began walking away, the girl had no choice but to trail behind me.
"But I'll pay you! Please, my little brother-!"
"I just absolutely despise children. I hope your brother tripped by the road and got crushed by a truck."
Since I was giving her my back, she didn't hide the sudden expression of anger that marred her cute face. She was pissed, but since we were still in an area with traffic in the park, she couldn't just attack me. Instead, she rushed to my side and looked up to me with a mask of desperation.
"My brother is really, really young and sickly! You have to help me, please! Please don't leave!"
She was yelling this, and inevitably, it drew a lot of stares. Aha, she was trying to make me feel uncomfortable with the crowd. Surely, I wouldn't want to look bad in front of tons of strangers. Surely, I wouldn't just turn my eye the other way when a cute girl begged for my help.
Joke's on her, though. I was used to being a societal pest.
"I hope your dumb brother gets caught in a black unregistered minivan. I hope the minivan
says 'FREE CANdY' on the outside, too."
"H-Huh?"
I ignored her and increased my pace, walking away faster and firmly looking at my front. Of course, E.E still laid witness to the girl clumsily trying to keep pace with me and the brief flashes of anger.
"Please Mister, I- I need to find him! He's my baby bro-!"
I quickly looked around and tried to see how many people outside E.E's radius were staring. Four, a couple more. Shit, it was still a dangerously low amount of people, she could easily attack me right here, right now. The brief thought of pulling out my gun crossed my mind but it'd be counter-productive. I didn't want to be alone with this feathery fuck, I wanted the opposite.
So, instead, I intended to draw the crowd. Sure, the girl did things to draw attention, wanted just enough to make me uncomfortable, but she definitely didn't want enough to make it impossible to attack.
I suddenly stopped and turned around, pointing a finger at her. She almost got stabbed in the eye with the finger and stepped back a bit, looking at me confused.
"I AM NOT THE FATHER OF YOUR CHILD, WENCH!"
The sudden outburst inevitably drew numerous more stares, and the girl looked like a deer in headlights as my accusatory finger put her on the spotlight.
"I- what?!"
"YOU HEARD ME RIGHT! WANT TO KNOW SOMETHING, YOU TRAITOROUS FLOOZY!? I KNOW YOU CHEATED ON ME!"
"F-Floozy!?"
The angel fuck looked offended by that last one, so I proceeded with vomiting my verbal diarrhea.
"I just can't believe that after ALLTHESEYEARS you thought that you could sleep with my FUCKINGBROTHER and that I wouldn't notice! Have you no shame?"
"I didn't-!"
"HAVE YOU NO SHAME!?"
I looked around to the nearest unwilling spectator and pointed a finger at him.
"Wanna know how this BITCH cheated on me!? It's funny, IT WAS ON OUR FUCKING WEDDING!"
As I kept ranting bullshit, more and more nosy people began watching the display, out of amusement or morbid curiosity, probably. The angel couldn't do anything, too, since she was in disguise as a 'helpless cute girl' and so she just had to stand there and take my verbal onslaught. Still, it was what I wanted. Lot of people were watching as I called the angel girl more creative names that meant 'bitch' and, since there were more people watching, that also meant that the likelihood of brave people being among them was much higher.
"DID YOU ALL KNOW THAT THIS WHORE RIGHT HERE LIKES SHOVING BROOMSTICK HANDLES UP HER ASS!?"
And although it was fun calling this would-be murderer more nasty names and generally pissing on whatever plan she had for me, I still needed to get the hell outta dodge.
Considering myself a betting man, I went ahead with the finale.
"I am so…. FUCKING PISSED at YOU! YOU'REGONNADIE!"
I firmly grabbed the girl by her shoulders and began shaking her wildly.
The second I made contact with her I could see her expression twist in actual anger, not even bothering to hide her contempt any longer. The raw, ancient anger behind those eyes was quite the sight, and I could see with E.E how her body tensed dangerously by sheer instinct.
But before anything else could happen.
"HEY! Leave her the fuck alone!"
Three men grabbed me by the shoulders and the crook of my parka and threw me aside.
"You fucking asshole! Stop yelling at her!"
As I began to pick myself up, and the men fussed over the angel who had returned to putting on her mask of cute girl, obligated to thank the men profusely, I couldn't help but let out an ugly fucking grin.
Victory.
I risked a glance back at the angel, and as she saw me looking back, with the faintest hints of absolute contempt she had for me under those eyes… I grinned cheekily, and did the dirtiest possible gesture I could with one hand.
She looked absolutely offended.
People were beginning to gather around, and not bothering to keep any kind of image or dignity, I hastily picked myself up and ran through the crowds, avoiding any more grabs or shoves from onlookers wanting to beat me up.
I needed to get the FUCK out of Kuoh.