7 Chapter 7: Hunt
Beta read by n1ch, Shigiya, Solitary heart and 8kagi.
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-Hachiman POV-
1st day of Kuoh Academy.
You know I usually didn't care that much if my school looked fancy or normal, as long as the department got good teachers and a space for me to take advantage of. Of course, I was familiar with schools made for the elite, where only the best of the best, the cream of the crop, the shining jewels of the country could enroll. Well, it just so happened that I got accepted into one, Kuoh Academy.
Man, feelt like deja vu.
To say that the school was fancy would be like saying the Sun was a bit hot, a complete understatement. I felt like I had accidentally gone through a portal of some kind and found myself stranded in 16th century France with the school being a perfect representation of French Renaissance architecture.
'Did they use the country's entire yearly budget to build this!?'
Even aside from its exotic theme, the school ground was HUGE, easily covering a few hundreds of acres of land! There was even enough space for there to be a small forest.
'God help me, but at least I have more than enough areas for my alone time.'
I could hear them muttering under their voices, probably something bad about me or my appearance–like how scary and unapproachable I looked with my dead fish eyes.
All these not-so-silent whispers from the girls around did not bother me all that much, I used to get psychologically bullied after that confession in my past life. In a way, I am back to where I started, though this time I lacked an embarrassing or tragic backstory, my looks were more than enough to intimidate these school girls from approaching me.
"Whisper th...bo...over the...inda...ot. Whisper"
I could hear some parts of their conversation, but unfortunately I lacked the enhanced sense that the devils have naturally.
Incredibly unfair, if I'm being honest.
But that does not mean I didn't have other ways to enhance myself, magic truly was the ultimate convenient cheat ability. Think of it as me being a bit bored and curious about what they thought about me, it had been a while since I wasn't insulted or treated as a weirdo since my past school life.
Minor hearing Enhancement
A small violet-colored magic circle formed in front of each of my ears. To avoid any weird looks, I used a set of headphones while cutting off the music.
A perfect cover!
It was a small spell I learned from scouring the many magical tomes gifted to me by Rias. Since magic took constant practice and memorization to remember, hard work is a very crucial aspect to have.
'Freaking devils with their bullshit powers based on their imagination and desires.'
Seriously, it was like someone gave an entire race a protagonist-only overpowered cheat skill, and worst of all you didn't even need to train it that much to achieve a hundred times the result compared to regular magic!
Aside from my [Minor hearing enhancement] technique, I mastered a few other magical spells both offensive and defensive. I won't lie, I got most of my ideas from all the different anime in my past life but recreating them was a challenge and their effects didn't even come close to the original...yet.
First, I learned [Magic arrow], a simple spell that shoots out arrow-like projectiles. I know it was a good spell since I'd been at the receiving end of it about half a decade ago.
Against normal people it turned out to be quite lethal but against supernatural beings like medium-class devils, it barely scratched them. A good distraction spell but not something I should rely on much.
[Levitation] The reason behind this one was quite petty.
Seeing Rias or Akeno fly around with their wings always bugged me. I wanted to fly, but I couldn't, so I learned a spell for it...a spell that cost me a year of my time to learn! Why is my talent is magic so shitty? Curse you God!
'Not really since the heaven's faction was a thing, he was most definitely up there. If you can hear me please don't strike me down with lightning...or is that a Zeus thing?'
My third and final magical spell, an original that out of everyone in this world, only I could do! My greatest accomplishment, my piece d'oeuvre [Absolute silence] which cancels out any kind of noise in an area range that depends on my magical energy reserves.
What, not impressed?
Weird so were Rias and Akeno for that matter, the former even almost went on a rant about how I wasted huge amounts of time creating such a 'useless' spell, but unfortunately she couldn't get to say a thing since I accidentally used [Absolute silence] on her.
'Heh, that slap was really worth it.'
But joking aside, those were really the only 4 magical spells that I could cast. I tried going for something grander and more useful but without a template or the knowledge on how to create grand powerful spells, I could not do much but continue spending my efforts familiarising myself with my sacred gear which I have been successful so far...to a certain degree.
Vritra was a special case.
It was one of the few dragons that had its soul separated into multiple pieces. And I could not use [Delete Field] to its fullest potential without combining every piece. The fallen angel faction was rumored to hold 3 parts while the final part's location was still unknown.
I did NOT want to meddle with other factions more than I needed to for now. I did not hate them but rather feared what they would do if they found a dragon gear holder who was still human by the devil's side. The church will immediately send me to meet Jesus, no doubt. And the fallen might try to sway me on their side with the other 3 pieces as bait.
Of course, things were still unclear with them since Baraquiel knew about me and still hasn't done anything for that matter.
I was no battle junkie hero with aspiring goals like saving the world or some other stupid anime reasoning. I only wanted silence and peace and to live out my life without being in the middle of a deadly thug of war with all three factions.
"Well, I can't complain that much since I do have a sacred gear in me instead of none." I focused my attention on what kind of dark gossip these girls might come up with before I even started my first day of school.
"Hey, look at that boy there, he's wearing a Kuoh Academy uniform."
Why yes I am, and I much like its simplistic design unlike the girl's which seemed to have been designed by a pervert!
"Oh! Look, you can see his muscles through his uniform, he is seriously ripped! Even his arms look like they could crush me!"
Well, I probably could, not that I would in the first. I was not Arnold Schwarzenegger levels of buff, but I was also not streamlined or lith in any way. I guess I was in the middle, my body looked similarly to Eren Yaeger's titan form.
Again unlike devil physiology, I could not keep my appearance the same after getting a few times stronger. In the beginning, it took a few months for me to take the image of Rias bench pressing more than me out of my head even with her small stature.
'Thank god buff Rias is not a thing, and also fuck you devil power, you are basically what someone like Zaimokusa would kill to have.'
Let's see what others were saying, "Heeeee? A boy? Isn't it dangerous for us to be in the same school? What if he was a pervert? He might be a menace for all we know!"
Ah, there it was, that initial assumption against all boys, the fear that we might be beasts under human skin. The slightest mistake, like touching a girl by accident or god forbid made eye contact with one, would immediately label me as a pervert and make me shunned by everyone.
In a female-dominated school that has existed for so long and with such a prestigious reputation to boot, it was expected that all males needed to be prepared for the future discrimination and bias opinions to be used against them. The girl proceeded to add more, "But I wouldn't mind becoming one of his victims kyaaa~".
'Hahaha, lately all this training made me mentally tired as well, there is no way that whatever I heard was rea— I forgot to turn off my hearing enhancement spell.
"With those muscles, he could easily hold me down ha~, somewhere isolated ha~, rip my clothes off ha~Kyaaa!"
"Shhhh! He might hear you keep your voice down!"
'What.'
'The.'
'Flying.'
'Fuck is wrong with this world and its people!?'
Have I been reborn into a hentai world? No! My hair was normal and I had visible eyes.
'Well with how things are going with Akeno...'
Is the guy messing with me from above the god of romantic comedy or the god of perverts?
'My peaceful time in high school will for sure die in a ditch.'
Was I the one in danger here? Should I be afraid of getting jumped on in the middle of relaxing in school?
I was surrounded by thirsty deviants!
{Break}
-Kuoh, abandoned school building, Future Occult Research Club room-
""Achoo!"" sneezed two girls at the same time
Akeno, who was cleaning up the room, looked outside for a bit. "Someone is thinking about me, must be Hachiman-kun"
"But I sneezed as well..." Commented Rias, hoping that Hachiman was thinking about her.
{Break}
-Hachiman POV-
I speed walked towards the front gate since I no longer felt safe with my virginity around these girls.
Honestly, this was the opposite of what I was expecting!
"Hikigaya-kun."
A familiar face greeted me, a young bespectacled woman with a slim figure, black hair styled in a short bob cut and violet eye, Sona Sitri.
"I remember explicitly reminding you to not slouch while walking. It is unbecoming of your image." she warned sternly while pushing up her glasses with her left middle finger making her lenses reflect the sunlight.
'Yeah, that move was definitely practiced.'
By her side was none other than the ever diligent and ever quiet Tsubaki Shinra, her queen.
"Why yes Sitri-san, I have been well, it has been a long time, hasn't it? A year, I believe. Thank you so much for worrying about little old me, after how long time has passed." I replied with as much sarcasm I could muster.
Sona Sitri, a very strict and intelligent person, does not take anything lightly. She had a delicate side to her such as her fragile ego. In a way, she reminded me of Yukinoshita Yukino, minus the whole Ice Queen persona. If anything she was more like a very stern and unforgiving teacher.
Of course, she had her moments.
"Please Hikigaya-san, you don't have to be a jerk about it"
She looked around a bit making sure no one was around to hear her. Even Tsubaki giggled a bit.
"I-I missed you to Hikigaya-san, I'm glad that you are in good health."
She was still as adorable as I remembered her to be, almost called her a tsundere.
We first met through Rias after she decided to invite someone more knowledgeable than her in the field of magic. Sona, being her best childhood friend and rivals, accepted her proposal under the condition that Rias did not intervene during her attempts at recruiting me.
'Not like I could be so easily swayed in the first place.'
From the beginning, we got along well due to our similarities. Both of us were firm believers in hard work and working smart, so it facilitated my time training under her. Along with magic, we both spent hours if not days at some times co-working on ways to use my sacred gear effectively and improving my strategical skills during fights.
Just like Rias, she was a fan of chess and a nearly impossible-to-beat player of the game. The only thing I did not agree upon with her was her superposition of the concept and strategy of chess in real-life fighting. There were too many variables and factors that one had to take into account, unlike chess which is an orderly and fair fight, real-life combat was basically the complete opposite. She did try to debate and prove her point was right, but I stood my ground.
But we did respect each other enough to accept our differing opinions. It still hurt my pride and ego that I could not beat this girl in a game that I honestly thought that I would excel at with my logical thinking. "Hikigaya-san, I have an offering for you-" "Denied!" I quickly turned down her invitation to join her peerage.
"Not that, you idiot—cough I m-mean, it is about us having a Stray problem." Oh, so this was a serious matter.
"Want me to take care of it?" I asked. I have gone to stray hunts with Rias and her peerage before, so I know what I was dealing with here.
"Yes, a low-class devil that escaped the peerage of an Earl. Normally I and Tsubaki would take care of the danger but since we have identified it's the individual and its strength, I thought that it would be a good opportunity for you to train your sacred gear combat skills without any major risks of dying."
Wow, her confidence in my strength was really blinding.
Not like I possessed a dragon based sacred gear or anything.
I sighed, the day had not even officially begun, yet I knew I would be tired by the end of it. "Okay, I'll take care of it after classes. You would pester me every day if I did not accept, right Sitri-san?" I accepted the quest.
Sona gave me a small nod and followed it up with a smile, as we parted ways she told me, "While in the human world, I'll be now going under the name of Souna Shitori, be sure to remember that Hikigaya-san."
Hiding your identity with a similar-sounding name? Good thinking. But still a waste of time, I doubted anyone of the students here was familiar with the Ars Goetia book. And Rias has her entire name on display, they are not hiding from something since every single supernatural being knew about them.
'Shitori? How original.'
{Break}
-Hallway-
The school entrance ceremony was just as boring as I thought it would be, when we were gathered around the gym hall, I finally understood just how outnumbered the male students were. Out of a hundred students, there was only a single male. Less than ten male students in a former girls school, I smelled a hentai plot or a super ecchi anime plot waiting to be found out.
As we were done listening to the hour-long boring speech, the bell finally rang indicating us students to go to our new classes.
""Hikigaya-kun!""
I was suddenly tackled by two girls, almost sending me falling to the ground but thankfully my training kicked in and I successfully regained my balance.
'When I mentioned that if I will be jumped on, in the middle of school, I meant that as a joke!'
It was only through seeing the identity of my two attackers that I immediately recognized them.
"Murayama-san and Katase-san?"
Those two girls who wouldn't leave me alone for a while, are back.
"Yep, it's been a while hasn't it, Hikigaya-kun? We haven't seen each other since elementary!" said the bubbly spirit known as Katase.
Wow, has it been that long? Felt just like yesterday, you two were hounding me just like Akeno.
"Yes it has, but wait...aren't you both supposed to be a year younger than me or something?"
Even in elementary, we used to hang out only after classes or during lunch breaks. So how come they were here in the same year as me?
"A new rule was established last year if any student was able to pass Kuoh's advanced exams and get a perfect score could skip a year in advance. And guess what? We both did it!"
That was impressive indeed, even though I, coupled with my already existing knowledge, could not achieve a perfect score on that test. I only tried it for fun just to see the level. And if I was not mistaken that exams would only count for students already studying in Kuoh's middle school, both Akeno and I went to a different middle school.
"Anyway, I'm happy that you both worked hard. I hope this year will be a fun one for all three of us. By the way, which class are you in?"
"Katase and I are in classroom 1-A." said the surprisingly shy Murayama. Guess it must be hard for her to act the same with someone you haven't seen for many years. But still, the same class? Now isn't that a curious coincidence?
{Break}
After school ended, it was only the early evening. I hadn't seen Akeno or Rias for that matter. Akeno did mention to me that they were going to clean up their future club or something. 'Now where is that-' "Fooo~" "Wah!"
Out of nowhere, I felt a small blowing of air on my left ear lobe followed by the wet and hot feeling of someone biting it gently.
BRRRrrrr
I shivered so hard that I felt I broke something in me. As I was about to step away, two arms wrapped around my neck, embracing me from behind. I could not move. "Ara Ara~ Hachiman-kun, I haven't seen you for nearly an entire day, and you don't even come for a visit? How hurtful." Said the succubus.
"A-A-Akeno-chan, I-I was just searching for your club." Even after years worth of going through many levels of intense teasing, I still could not get used to Akeno's aggressive side. She only got this intense when we haven't seen each other for long. "Are you here to spend time with me and the others?" She asked while still holding on to me.
Her public show of affection grew increasingly bold over time. I just hoped that she refrained from doing so in the school of all places. With her looks forget the boys but rather the girls are more likely to target me for tainting their idol or something. I hadseen enough anime to know how these things usually tended to go.
"Sorry, Akeno-chan just came to inform that I'll be going out for a stray hunt this evening." I felt her shift as she pressed her face against my back. Her hug became more genuine, "Is it a dangerous stray?" I almost missed what she said with her voice muffled against my clothes.
"No, just a low-class stray, not something I can't handle," I reassured her.
"Just be careful, alright?" she said while tightening her hug around me.
"I will, Akeno-chan."
It was just a low-class stray devil, what could ever go wrong?
'Yep, I totally just jinxed myself.'
{Break}
-Old abandoned port side warehouse-
Before coming here, I messaged Sona to send me all the details she had of the stray. Its name, weakness, previous fighting style, and so on. I got my reply in less than a minute.
Bawler, a former rook servant to an Earl in the underworld. Responsible for the death of half his fellow peerage members and as expected from a rook, he possessed great magically enhanced strength. His main fighting style was close-ranged high-speed attacks. Known weakness is heavily arrogant and lacks any defense against long-ranged attacks.
"Simple enough, another brute."
As I approached the warehouse, I could already start to smell the putrid odour of rotting flesh and blood. "I still get nauseous, after many exposures to this stuff."
And then I finally saw it.
"Fresh meat has arrived and just in time for dinner."
A giant monster grotesque ogre-looking beast came out from the shadows. He was chewing on what looked like a human leg.
"Former rook of the house head Raum Visiliere, you are hereby sentenced to death on accounts of mass murder of your fellow peerage members and running away from your king." I rehearsed the same lines used regularly by Rias.
"Weaklings! Need to eat more meat! Need more power!"
Huh, he definitely was already too far gone.
"Well...
"Vritra…"
The monster started charging at me intend to kill me. "Raaaah!"
"...why don't we get things started."
[Delete Field]
Let the battle commence!
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The next 5 chapters of Snafu, Harry Potter and my 3 other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post monthly commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.
