7 007

After much reflection, everyone at the table had finished eating. The sun had finished setting on the horizon, and the streetlight was dim.

Shinka checked his watch; there were still two hours left before he had to go to the bus terminal and head home.

"Thank you very much for everything, Mrs. Kusaka," said Hanakai as everyone bowed to thank the old woman.

"It was delicious!" Tomoe Meguri exclaimed cheerfully.

"That's right, but it's time for us to leave. We have some important council matters to attend to," Souna said, already standing in front of the door as everyone exited, including Reya.

Shinka was stunned to see his sister walk out the door.

The last to leave was Souna, but before she could close it, Shinka also stepped out.

"Reya, aren't you going to accompany me to the terminal?" Shinka innocently asked.

"Oh, I... I have something important to do," Shinka heard his sister's voice trembling slightly.

"Really?" he asked hesitantly. What could be more important than saying goodbye to your brother whom you haven't seen in over a year?

Shinka wasn't bothered by it at all, but he knew it was something his sister wouldn't allow to happen... Or at least that was the reasoning Shinka hoped for.

"Forget it, kid. We have important things to do," Saji said with an annoyed look.

'He's making us lose time...' Saji thought disdainfully, knowing how important his mission was.

"Kid? Genshirou, we're the same age. Anyway, I offer to accompany them," Shinka said.

A vein popped on Saji's head.

"That..." Reya whispered.

"Understand, you can't come. These are important club matters," Saji said.

'This idiot...' Souna thought.

"That's exactly why I'm saying it. Genshirou, in case you didn't notice, you're not part of the student council."

For Saji, Shinka's calm look became terrifying again. 'D-Damn it, h-he caught me...' he thought fleetingly.

Saji was about to speak, but Souna spoke first.

"Saji is right, this is a matter of the student council, something quite important. I invited him to join once the school becomes co-ed, but he still can't take part in these matters." Souna said, showing the same look to the boy that she had given to Saji.

"So, Saji, you'll go home, okay?" Souna asked.

"Fine..." Saji muttered angrily.

"Oh, I see. I apologize for my confusion then. Take care, sister. See you soon." Shinka closed the door and went back into the house.

The seven outside the house stood still for a moment.

"Reya, your brother—" Before Saji could finish, he was interrupted.

"Saji, next time Shinka comes to Kuoh to visit, you are strictly forbidden to talk to him. Even if he attends our school soon, you won't be able to talk to him until he joins the student council."

"If I can convince him, of course."

Everyone was shocked to hear the president's words.

"Reya, your brother is so clever it's dangerous for us. Especially if Saji is around."

"Hey!" Saji wanted to retort, but he was interrupted again.

"He was going to keep bringing up your contradictions. You might have revealed too much if I hadn't stopped him right there," Souna said, giving the boy a stern look.

"President, I have a question," Momo whispered.

"Why did you say 'if I can convince him'? Do you think someone can refuse?"

"Perhaps... And we're talking a lot in public. Someone could be listening," Souna said as she started walking.

'Just when I was about to get a good answer,' thought Shinka, who was behind them, using invisibility magic.

Shinka waited a bit before following them. Now he could get closer because they were all relaxed, but it's always better to be cautious, as he didn't know the limit of the invisibility magic.

As everyone walked hurriedly, the sudden sound of Souna's phone startled everyone out of their thoughts.

RING

Souna quickly took it out of her pocket and answered.

"Rias? Yes, we'll be there soon." Souna hung up the phone and looked at her group.

"It's urgent," she said.

In an instant, Shinka's eye contracted unnaturally.

What he saw left him speechless.

Even more than when he unlocked the system.

Even more when he saw that everyone he met that same day had one.

In a burst of magic energy, everyone was enveloped.

Two bat wings formed on the backs of everyone accompanying Souna, including herself.

'It's a demon...' Shinka thought, remembering images of demons with horns and worn bat wings.

Under Shinka's perplexed eyes, the seven began to fly at an impressive speed.

Shinka, without wasting a second, ran after them at full speed.

Although he was invisible, he could feel as if his body emitted a faint light, only visible to him.

He had activated magic reinforcement and was running swiftly trying to match the speed of those who were flying.

Shinka was running at approximately 75 km/h, and yet, it was difficult to catch up to them.

If he slowed down a bit, he would really fall behind.

Shinka agilely ran among the crowd of people on the ground, people who seemed not to even notice the seven flying young people.

Shinka, seeing that if he continued dodging people he would be delayed, quickly climbed a building jumping between walls.

Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, it was easier for him to catch up a little with Souna's group.

After a few more seconds of frantic speed, Souna's group finally stopped.

They were in a deserted park, and they weren't alone; their group wasn't the only one there.

There were three more girls. One with red hair, another with black hair, and a girl who looked barely developed. There was also a rather handsome blond boy with them.

But none of that mattered because Shinka's heart raced with fury at what was near them.

It was a monster, a grotesque organic mass that had the shape of a caterpillar, but where the head should be, there was a normal-sized human body.

More specifically, a woman's body.

It was a horrifying sight.

Just looking at it, Shinka couldn't help but feel nauseous, even with the system helping him.

It wasn't something that should exist in the world they lived in.

Without a doubt, it was something from another world. A horrible world.

In the distance, Shinka saw as the other group of young people there sprouted bat wings and began to float alongside Souna's group.

Shinka could only watch, completely still, as his sister and the people he had met that same day fought against a horrifying demon from another world.