Chapter 20

We appeared in Tokyo early in the morning without too much fanfare. There were plenty of people already going about their business, but they didn't even bat an eye at our sudden appearance. Cori had ensured we were covered with a subtle illusion that would make weak-minded people look away. They would ignore us for the most part unless we made our presence known to them.

I looked around in interest, immediately noticing the difference between Tokyo and San Francisco as I could sense multiple different auras that were clearly supernatural. Then again, I barely went out in my own city after I was attacked by those vampire ghouls, so maybe there were more supernatural beings running around my city than I knew of. Though a majority of them did end up getting killed…

Anyway, other than that, there wasn't much of a difference. Sure, not everything was the same, but it sure looked like it to me. Big city, lots of people, all that jazz.

"Let's have a look, eh? Might as well play around as tourists for a bit." I offered her my hand, and she grabbed it, intertwining her fingers with mine.

"Is there anything in particular you want to see?" Cori asked as we started walking in a random direction.

"Not really. I thought I'd like to try some genuine sushi at first, but…" I trailed off, feeling an odd sensation. I quickly looked around, but there was nothing out of place. "...I know I can prepare one that will taste ten times better."

"What's wrong?" Cori asked, giving my hand a squeeze. It didn't look like she had felt what I did and only noticed my actions.

"I'm not sure…" I started saying just as I figured it out. You know, it should've been obvious, it really should've, but I didn't think it would happen so soon.

"Nevermind." I shook my head. "I didn't expect that the Leader of the East Youkai faction would personally greet us."

"The Leader?" Cori's eyes opened wide before she looked around. Of course, she didn't find him and neither did I. "Is he really here?"

"He's someone who can hide from the world itself," I told her with a sigh. "We can look around all day, and we still won't catch a whiff of him unless he allows it."

"And yet I was found out," a wizened voice came from right in front of us even though there was nothing there.

Then it happened. One moment the space was completely empty. The next instance, an old man with a gourd-shaped head and wearing a black kimono appeared in front of us. "I must be losing my touch if a young brat like you can figure it out."

Nurarihyon Image. 

Moments after Nurarihyon appeared, I felt the presence of multiple people pop out around us. Thankfully, they didn't feel hostile from what I could tell.

"I got lucky," I freely admitted. I got that odd feeling that I was being hunted, and I made an educated guess. That sensation might have even been from someone else–one of his subordinates perhaps–but I couldn't tell for sure.

"Greetings, Lord Nurarihyon," Cori quickly greeted him with a slight bow, showing the respect he deserved as the strongest Youkai. I followed suit, copying her and greeting him in the same fashion before we introduced ourselves to Nurarihyon.

I already hated his name and wished to rename him to something else, but I was here for a favor, so I had to play ball… for now. As soon as we became friends, and I won him over with my food, I was going to change his name. Saiborg couldn't escape that fate, and he was a protagonist, meaning this old man would have to suffer as well.

"And what do you mean you didn't expect me to personally greet you?" Nurarihyon asked as he scratched his chin. "I thought a genuine Buddha had come to visit with all that life force you're carrying around."

"I thought I managed to hide it," I murmured under my breath. It was definitely due to the Seal since I had quite a lot of time to fill it up. However, I went out of my way to study various ways I could hide myself and my energy, to ensure something like this wouldn't happen.

"Hide? From me?" A whimsical laugh escaped his throat before he buckled over, arms around his stomach. He looked up and snickered. "Brat, you're a thousand years too young to hide from me!"

He said the line! But I wasn't in China? Why did he say the typical cultivator line? Nevermind that. There was something more important.

"You said you thought I was a Buddha?" I asked excitedly. "Am I close to becoming one?"

"I have no idea!" He replied with a shit-eating grin. "But I don't sense a hint of divinity in you, so I'd say no."

"What a shame," I replied with a soft sigh.

Well, damn. My initial plan failed. Or perhaps not enough time had passed? Either way, I might have to go with my plan B and include loot boxes and a season pass when I release my League of Legends copy.

Surely millions of people cursing my name would provide me with something good, right? Not that I knew how faith worked, but this should count for something, right? I sure hoped it did, but even if it didn't? I would at least get to enjoy gathering the salty tears of millions of people.

"So why'd you come here?" His presence, posture, and expression changed, Nurarihyon was no longer a mischievous old man but a leader of a major faction.

"I wished to see if there is anyone willing to teach me Senjutsu," I replied truthfully, seeing no reason to lie since I came precisely for that. This also caught him completely off guard.

"You're… looking for a Senjutsu teacher?" Nurarihyon asked skeptically, looking as if he had a hard time believing it.

"That's right." I nodded with a hopeful smile. "I'm self taught and have mostly been running in the dark so far."

Nurarihyon measured me very carefully, eyes scanning me up and down. He stayed silent for a long moment before he finally spoke up, "Join my faction, and I will find you the best Senjutsu teachers."

Oof. That was really tempting. It really was. Alas, I didn't plan on joining any faction for the time being, so I had to politely refuse.

"Unfortunately, I cannot accept as I'm currently employed as a contracted Magician," I replied with my perfect excuse.

"How long?" Nurarihyon didn't hesitate as he fired off the question.

"At least six more months," I answered with something I made up on the spot since we hadn't signed any official contracts. This was just our patented excuse when someone wanted to recruit me.

"Come back and find me when your contract ends," he said, and I had to resist sighing. It would've been nice to find a teacher on my first stop.

"Or we can play a little game," Nurarihyon offered with a little smirk.

"And what is this game?" I asked curiously.

Was my own protagonist's luck coming in effect? Sure, I kept calling Saiborg a protagonist, but I knew that I could also be considered as one.

I was reincarnated, my parents passed away in an accident while I was a baby–I was still waiting for this to become somehow relevant–and I had a mysterious cheat called the Celestial Grimoire.

Shit! My cheat was even a complete meme as it refused to actually give me Magic. I really had all the qualities of a protagonist. Except I wasn't a dense idiot–only an idiot–so maybe I wasn't. Who knew at this point?

"It's a very simple one," Nurarihyon replied with a large grin. "I will hide in the city, and you will have to find me by the end of today. If you fail, you will have to immediately join my faction or never return to the East side of Japan. But should you win? I promise I'll get you my best Senjutsu master to teach you."

"That doesn't seem very fair," I replied with a frown. "I cannot find you unless you purposefully allow me to catch you."

"Oh?" He raised his eyebrow at me. "Didn't you catch me once already?"

"Are you saying you didn't let me catch you?" I fired back, which only served to widen his grin.

"Hehehe, Magari will love a student like you," he cackled like the old man that he was. "Alright, brat, I'll only hide my aura and life force. That sounds like a fair deal, no?"

"Only your aura and life force?" I asked just to be sure.

"Only my aura and life force," he confirmed with a nod, and I had to resist grinning like a fool.

Check and mate, old man, check and mate.

"Deal!" I quickly accepted before he could change his mind.

That startled Nurarihyon, and he looked at me weirdly, carefully inspecting me up and down again, searching for the reason behind my confidence. He realized something fishy was going on, but he wouldn't find anything no matter how much he looked at me.

"You're awfully confident about your chances," Nurarihyon said in suspicion. "But what if you lose?"

"Win or lose, I'll still come out as a winner," I replied with a shrug, though I definitely had no plans to lose.

Unless he cheated, of course. However, I doubted he would do such a thing. He was too proud of his ability to hide from anyone, and it would only sour our relationship if I joined his faction, only to find out in the future that he cheated in our bet.

"On that note." I looked at him carefully. "You're an old man, Lord Nurarihyon."

What a mouthful! I was definitely changing his name!

"And you have functioning eyes," he fired back with a deadpan.

Cori squeezed my hand in worry, but this was fine! I could salvage this easily! Plus, it wasn't that bad since I heard a few suppressed chuckles from nearby as I finally managed to make those guys crack.

"Ah, my apologies," I said with a sheepish smile. "But I'm aware that people your age enjoy a good drink, and I'm wondering if I should prepare a gift of this nature for our next meeting?"

"Already thinking about our next meeting, huh?" A glint flashed in his eyes. "And speaking about gifts… did you really come here without preparing one already?"

"Who said I didn't have one for today?" I asked back with a raised eyebrow.

"You're certainly not carrying anything of note on you." His lips stretched into a massive grin.

Did he check my pockets without me even noticing? What a scary old man. Nurarihyon didn't look like much, and he didn't even feel that strong, but that was just par for the course for him, wasn't it? His ability to pretty much hide from anything made him an absolute menace to deal with.

"Who knows?" I cheekily replied at first before giving a more serious answer. "But for my initial gift… I planned on creating a large feast and serving you some tea."

Nurarihyon stared with blinking eyes. He continued staring some more before he finally spoke up with a skeptical tone. "You do realize that I have hundreds of chefs working for me? I have tasted food that people can only dream about."

"Yeah, but none of it was made by me."

Multiple people burst out laughing at my words, and even Nurarihyon barked out a laugh as well. However, his eyes narrowed as he looked past me, staring at the hidden guards around us. He shook his head at them before his gaze returned on me.

"You'll really get along with Magari," a soft chuckle followed his words, and he grunted in dissatisfaction. "But that's enough talking for now. It's about time we start our little game."

"That's fine with me," I replied with a shrug before offering him a cheeky smile. "I'll come look for you later since I still have to go on a date with Cori."

Nurarihyon froze on the spot. I could practically see his brain processing my audacious statement, the fact that I wouldn't even immediately start searching for him and instead would take my sweet ass time while playing around as a tourist with Cori.

"Cheeky little shit." He shook his head before teleporting away, presumably to his hiding spot.

"We're going to have so much fun together," a soft feminine voice whispered in my ear before all the people that had accompanied Nurarihyon disappeared as well.

"Michael." Cori looked at me with a serious expression. "We're gonna have to keep you locked in somewhere safe since you end up meeting faction leaders every time you go out."

"It's not my fault," I replied with a "what can you do" gesture by raising my free hand. "Plus, that won't work since they seem to be drawn to me like a moth to a flame."

That reminded her of what happened yesterday since the gremlin personally came to visit me. I was just minding my own business, and boom, here came one of the four Satans specifically for me. Man, those faction leaders sure loved me, huh?

"You… shouldn't treat them like old friends," Cori quietly whispered, probably remembering my interactions with Leviathan. Oops, I meant Levi-tan.

"It's working." I shrugged. I was three for three so far. I even called Azazel a femboy lover right in his face, and he didn't retaliate in any way. In fact, he even gave me a Sacred Gear. Clearly, I was doing something right.

This would eventually bite me in the ass, there was no doubt about it. All the three faction leaders I had met so far seemed pretty chill in my eyes. Hell, they probably found my antics amusing, a breath of fresh air compared to the usual bootlickers they had to deal with on a daily basis.

Cori seemed like she wanted to say something in response, but she shut her mouth. She tilted her head thoughtfully, probably going over my interactions with the three faction leaders.

Moments later, she shook her head and changed the topic. "Are you sure it's wise to delay your bet with Lord Nurarihyon? I…"

"It will be fine." I gently squeezed her hand in comfort. "Trust me."

"You'll be sleeping on the couch if you lose." Cori playfully narrowed her eyes, and I grinned back, happy that she believed in me.

"All the more reason for me to win. Now let's get back to our tour of Tokyo!" I picked a random direction, and we marched on.

Since I could also be considered a protagonist then something interesting must be waiting for me in the city, right? Some kind of hidden event, perhaps?

All sorts of silly thoughts flowed through my mind, from sealed evil weapons and monsters to possibly an attack by those crazy Longinus users. It would be nice to get revenge for what happened last time, though I wasn't quite ready to steal that fancy spear yet.

For a few hours, we traveled all across Tokyo–not really since the city was way too big, but it was close enough–acting like proper tourists, gawking at random places, taking pictures, and buying useless trinkets. At least I did, as I fully immersed myself in the role.

Of course, I didn't forget my goal. My senses scanned our surroundings the entire time, searching for some hidden conspiracy or anything that would make our trip even more eventful. So far, I had no such luck.

On the bright side, I knew that we were being followed by exactly a dozen people. They were doing a great job, ensuring they were hidden at all times, and I had no doubt that few would be capable of catching them. Unfortunately for them, I was one of those few.

This ended up being uneventful, but we got the chance to relax and talk about this and that with Cori. I even shared with her the life I had lived up until I was introduced to the supernatural world. Not that there was anything of note there since I was basically coasting through life, waiting until technology got a bit more advanced, so I could hire a company to make games for me.

However, that seemed quite surprising to her and our lovely followers, which was understandable. My greatest ambition used to be making a Gacha game and recreating Skyrim. I already accomplished the first. As for the latter? I would have to ask Helel to do that for me. Or he could simply add the best elements of Skyrim into his own world. That worked just as well.

Seeing as there were no interesting events around here, I decided to make one last stop before I moved on to catching Nurarihyon. I released a whole bunch of entirely new manga yesterday, so a manga store was a fitting end to our journey. Plus, I was personally visiting Japan! I had to visit one of those stores even if the regular manga here was kind of bad.

"Let's check this place," I told Cori and nodded at the store with my head.

"Really?" Cori raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you just release like a hundred different ones? How'd you even come up with them?"

"I've had all of those stories in my head for the past ten years," I replied truthfully as we entered the store and started browsing around.

"Why didn't you learn how to draw and publish them on your own then?" She asked as she looked around the various manga with me.

"Too much work," I answered while looking at the newest Dragon Ball copy with a frown. This thing had nothing on the original, though I admit that I was being biased.

"Too much work? For you?" Cori stared at me with clear disbelief.

"I wasn't always like this." I could understand her skepticism. Ever since she knew me, I was constantly doing something. Be it training, cooking, studying various subjects from science to Magic, building wondrous inventions, or even hunting in the Underworld.

I couldn't be called lazy under any circumstances. However, that hadn't been the norm for me before all of this. Sure, I made sure to visit the gym once a day just to keep in shape, but I used to laze around during my free time, playing games or watching the weird shows from this world.

All of that changed once the Grimoire activated for the first time, and I haven't been the same since then. It opened way too many doors for me, and I wanted to peek what each one of them hid behind it. All of this was simply too fascinating for me to ignore. Supernatural beings, Magic, those were things I had only dreamed about in the past.

How could I not jump feet first into this wondrous world the moment I learned about it?

The Grimoire changed my life in more ways than one, and I couldn't be any happier with my current situation. Well… those pesky players could curse me some more for their bad luck, providing me with some faith so I could finally ascend as an Evil God.

I rightfully earned that title after I introduced Gacha to this world! And no, getting shishkebabed by the True Longinus didn't count as a reward! Give me my hard earned divinity, you greedy world!

'I really hope faith works like I think it does.' I needed to meet with a nice and friendly God, who was willing to educate me more on this.

Chances were that this wasn't how faith worked–otherwise a lot of famous figures would've become Gods–and that I was wasting my time with this, but… was I really? I wanted to make those games for my own enjoyment, so I didn't think that was the case.

My eyes glanced to the side as two girls walked around the corner. I noticed their presence earlier, but I ignored them since they weren't that dangerous. One of them was slightly weaker than Kuisha, which was impressive, sure. However, I was fairly confident in my chances of beating Kuisha since her Hole trait wasn't that effective against me. And even if it was, I would still win.

Rias & Akeno Images. 

The beautiful redhead sheepishly stared at me, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. Her mouth opened slightly as she realized that I could see through the weak illusion they had woven over themselves, similar to the one Cori covered us with.

Rias Gremory–of course, I recognized her since I did my research on Saiborg's future opponents–looked like she had been caught with her hands in the cookie jar. Or in this case, the dozens of mangas she was holding against her bosom. Her blue eyes zeroed on to the objects that we were holding, and she gasped.

"Are you…" She started speaking as she stepped forward, her eyes radiating pure joy. "Are you also looking for manga that just got released? I've been looking all over, but the people here didn't even know about it! Can you believe that? Hundreds of different manga got released over night, and they weren't even aware?"

I blinked slowly as I realized that I was being viciously attacked by a golden retriever in the form of a Devil. Her Queen, Akeno, watched us with amusement, doing her best to suppress her smile, though her lips kept twitching ever so slightly.

"It's not that surprising," Cori replied with a mischievous grin. "After all, their creator released them all on a whim."

I pursed my lips. A whim? There was a clear purpose behind my actions! I wished to educate the world what good manga looked like.

"Their creator? They're made by the same person?" Rias asked in astonishment, eyes wide open as she tried to comprehend that. "But their art is so different and unique! Are you sure they really were made by the same person?"

"Sure am," Cori replied, mischievous grin still on her face as she turned to me. "He's standing right in front of you."

I was betrayed by the person closest to my heart!

Rias' head snapped towards me with a starstruck expression on her face as she gaped in wonder while her entire body quivered in excitement.

What followed was a stream of incoherent babbling as she talked about all the ones that had caught her attention, making me realize she had probably stayed up all night to read through all the ones Helel had published. Her Queen offered me a sympathetic nod, asking me to bear with her King without voicing it out loud.

I had my first fangirl, and it was the sister of Satan Lucifer. I briefly glanced at Cori with a raised eyebrow. I told her earlier that I didn't even need to go out to meet faction leaders as they would come to me. There was no doubt in my mind that I would be getting a visit from Lucifer soon enough with him having a request similar to the gremlin's.

"Wait!" Rias paused and pointed at me. "If you're the one that made all that manga… doesn't that also mean you made Fate Grand Order?"

"We made it together," I replied, finally getting a word in. "Cori drew the art while I did the rest."

More incoherent babbling followed as Rias jumped from one thought to the other without rhyme or reason. Though I did catch something about the Okita we made being cooler than the one she knew. Of course, she knew the original since he was part of her brother's peerage.

Damn! Hopefully, he won't be too mad about my interpretation of him. I was also hoping that Lucifer wouldn't bring him with him when he eventually came for a visit because that would be one awkward conversation if he did.

"AH!" Rias gaped as if she was suddenly enlightened. "Are you perhaps visiting to start producing physical copies? If so, can I order the first ones for myself? Please?"

"Not exactly," I replied at first, but then I saw how heartstruck she looked, making me feel like I had kicked a puppy, so I added. "But if we do produce physical copies, I can promise to save the first ones for you."

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou," Rias babbled, her eyes sparkling in pure joy.

"AH!" She suddenly exclaimed. "You probably have important business, and I might've delayed you from it. I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to waste your valuable time! I'm sorry!"

Her face flushed red, and she started walking away, her Queen dutifully following behind her while doing her best to keep her expression neutral. Then Rias suddenly stopped and tapped herself on the head before turning around.

"Ah! I forgot to introduce myself or give you a way to contact me!" Rias exclaimed, keeping her eyes on the ground while her cheeks took the color of her hair.

"I'm Rias Gremory and this is my Queen, Akeno Himejima," she introduced them while doing her best to avoid my eyes.

Cori and I followed suit, giving our names in return. We then ended up exchanging phone numbers before Rias speed walked out of the store, her aura practically oozing with embarrassment. Yeah, she was definitely a golden retriever in the form of a Devil.

"Well… that just happened," I muttered before turning to Cori, who was victoriously smirking. A loud smacking sound echoed as my hand found itself on her perky bottom.

"What was that for?" Cori looked at me with betrayal in her eyes as if my light tap had somehow hurt her. It hadn't since I held back.

"You complained about me meeting with faction leaders, yet you ensured that I will end up meeting the big boss of the Devils with your actions," I told her while playfully wagging my finger at her.

She opened her mouth to respond but clicked it shut before looking away. "I… didn't mean to. I'm sorry."

"I'm not mad," I said and pulled her for a hug. "I can probably appease him by handing out signed copies of all the manga Rias likes."

Or I could even add them both to Grand Order if he was in any way similar to the gremlin. Which should be the case as there were a lot of rumors about both of them caring a lot about their families on the DevilNet.

Maybe if I was lucky, I might get either Lucifer or Rias to demonstrate their Power of Destruction to me, giving me the chance to potentially copy them myself. Saiborg… knowing him, he would probably refuse to learn it even if I do manage to copy it, but I would gladly accept the ability to throw around pure destruction. Granted, this all depended on me being able to copy it with my own bullshit.

"Well." I took a deep breath. "We had some fun walking around Tokyo, but I think it's time we go and find Lord Nurarihyon."

I doubted there was anything else waiting for me in the city. Maybe there was, and I just didn't know where to look for it, but I already had my protagonist encounter, so it was time to move on.

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Beta'ed by Gerald of Revea.

A/N

This meeting with Rias was decided by the dice Gods.