Another stray

Overreacting. It's quite the emotional phenomenon, cause it happens ever so often. You overreact when a cute girl starts talking to you, mistaking simple social etiquette requirements for feelings on her part, leading you to confess and be rejected. You overreact when somebody points out your flaws, cause you have an inferiority complex hidden behind a cocky attitude, so you take everything at face-value instead of trying to better yourself. People are like that, so up in their feelings that they can't face the truth without pulling out a total freakout. Too few can face criticism and take it in stride, learn from it... and I wasn't one of those people. It's quite simple actually. You gotta tell yourself that you're a decent person, or a better person that you really are, in order to be able to stand yourself. Everything that brings out the truth you don't want to face is outrageous; "how dare they say I'm a cocky bastard, huh? Damn weaklings, they jealous that I'm strong", "what the fuck you talking bout, I'm not a narcissist, I just love myself" and so on.

You could say truth is the worst enemy of oneself. So, when exposed to the slightest hints of truth, people tend to overreact. They all think they're Achiles, so the truth is their heel. Of course, it's not an universal truth. Some people are fully able to keep their composure, while inwardly swearing to crush that person. But most would immediately counter, since they're always on guard.

I didn't think it was fair, what I said to Prez. But her reaction was a grim reminder of much more painful scoldings, of truths I didn't want to face. Of people I hated for caring enough to want to meddle in my life but still be so blunt about my flaws that I could feel my self-confidence sink even lower. I always bottled it up, shrunk my head and cursed them inwardly. Let me be, godamnit, was all I could think of. I was always on guard.

I knew Prez meant well. I didn't think she deserved to get that reaction out of me. I knew I was just taking it out on her, my frustration. Cause of who I once was. Someone who chose death over facing the people he hated and building a future he could be proud of. That's precisely the reason I'm here in the first place.

I know I'm not a people person and I know this wish of mine was far fetched. But I wanted something genuine. I always wanted that. And no, I'm not no Hikigaya Hachiman, I'm just someone who used to cling onto idealism into this shallow world. And maybe a part of me, somewhere in there, still does. I didn't know why, but I thought maybe, just maybe, I could find that something with my new clubmates. So, of course, I had to make up with Prez. Just... not today.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Rumors. Can people even breathe without them? I wonder. I mean, I could do fine without associating myself with people as a whole, but that's just me. And such rumors were raping my eardrums as I made my way into the class.

"Hey, did you hear that? Hyoudou has a girlfriend."

"No way, that pervert has?"

"I hear she's a foreign beauty"

"She's a nun or something"

"I hear she's a masochist doing lewd stuff to Hyoudou"

Ok, what was the last one? Hyoudou sure is a pervert but I don't think he'll stumble that low... probably. Besides, that chick must have her reasons for being into him. I couldn't comprehend it, but it's not like I needed to.

Rather, it's fantastic how I am reminded of youth being such a retarded phase. Give an infamous pervert a girl to talk to and suddenly he's the talk of an entire academy. Of course, it's biased. I interact with three girls (more like bicker or downright argue with them tbh) and I'm not the talk of anything.

Okay, I thought the rumors in the halls were bad, but it got even worse when I entered the classroom.

"Issei, you traitor!"

"How could you?"

Hyoudou, being Hyoudou, flashed them a smirk.

"You guys should try talking to girls too. Oh wait..."

Yup, he's smug as fuck now, isn't he? Relax, buddy, one girl being nice to you doesn't make you a Harem King.

It's not that I minded the teasing tho. I think his friends were even dumber than Hyoudou was. And that's saying a lot.

Now, listening to that wasn't exactly unpleasant. Until I heard my name was mentioned.

"I've heard Kokonoe joined the Occult Research Club"

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, fuck no, keep me out of this.

As that random guy said that - with me around no less - my classmates all shouted in unison.

"Eh?"

I could feel my head being attracted to my desk as if it was pulled down by gravity itself. I sighed.

Katase turned to me.

"Is that true, Kokonoe-kun?"

I'm the center of attention now. Great. Just great. What did I do to deserve this?

"Well, yeah, but it's only been a few days since I joined so..."

Besides, we're going through a bit of a rough patch. My earlier outburst is basically what made the others uncomfortable around me... except Senpai.

I suspect she thinks she has a new toy... I gotta tell her I'm not into that stuff before I find myself tied to a table with a ball gag or something. Wait, get down lil guy, for fuck sake, that's kinky stuff...

My confirmation basically led to a disaster.

"Kokonoe? In the ORC? No way"

Don't be so surprised, Hyoudou.

"That means Kokonoe-kun gets to hang around some real hotties"

Yeah, thanks for putting gas on fire, Kiryuu-chan.

"N-no way. Die, you shitty Riajuu"

Said Hyoudou, with those two lackies he calls friends nodding at that statement.

"Aaaand, you're more of a moron than I imagined. First of all, I don't have a close relationship with any of them. Second, if you have a nun girl over you and you're jealous that I'm in the same club with a couple of girls, then I might just kick your ass for making me lose so much brain cells in the span of a few seconds"

I got pissed. The classroom got silent, probably due to me leaking some rather nasty killing intent

The only one who didn't seem terrified was Hyoudou himself, a puzzled expression over his face.

"Asia and I are just friends"

So her name's Asia, huh? Imagine being born in Europe and your name be Asia.

That aside.

"You're an idiot"

"Huh?"

No, I don't need to explain it to you. Figure it out on your own, damn it.

I sighed and rubbed my palms against my face. Wait, a thought occurs.

"Asia and? What's her full name?"

"Asia Argento"

"I see"

Asia Argento? As in Slack from Land of the Dead? As in that actress who was said to have sexually assaulted a 17 years old? #MeToo took a lot of damage back then.

Which was great. Black Lives Matter and #MeToo are the most cancerous movements of the 2010s. Really, I get fighting for a cause, but SJWs should just die. Yes, you fucking leftists, I hope you're not still plaguing my home world like the cancer that you-... ah, who am I kidding? It's 21th century, the age where braindeadness is mistaken for fighting spirit.

Oops. I got absorbed in thoughts of home again. That aside, I suspected as much but it's now confirmed. I am in a light novel, after all. What a surprise.

Also, Asia Argento? Really, author-san? How unoriginal can you be? I mean...

You could've just made her English and name her Megan Fox. Yeah, I know Megan Fox is American but what's the point of xeroxing someone down to their nationality?

"Why do you ask?"

Cause I don't have anything better to do with my time other than concern myself with your love life? Yeah right...

"No reason"

It's not like you'd be able to grasp how complicated my situation really is.

Hyoudou looked at me like I was some sort of alien. You know, I could say the same about you.

However, now that I saw a chance to divert attention...

"Good luck with the nun girl, by the way"

Aaand, smoothly executed. Hyoudou blushed and immediately tried to deny it.

"Like I said, it's not anything like that!"

You know, for a pervert, you're quite bashful. Does that mean that you're not actually capable of following on your sexual harassment threats? I bet you'd chicken out if Argento-chan actually tried to do it with you.

Even that is quite the impossible scenario, but other than her, I don't see who would.

Just as Hyoudou said that, his lack-... uhm, friends, jumped him up.

"Die, Issei"

They shouted in unison, punching his face. Blood dripped from his nose.

"You're just jealous you can't talk to a girl"

Yup, he's getting too cocky. Matsuda and Motohama's faces fell as soon as he said that.

Note to self: broes before hoes doesn't apply when it comes to perverts. Secondary note: this is a clown show.

I decided to just disconnect myself from the world around me and play some songs until the first period starts.

I had no intention of witnessing any more of that... comedy routine (sic!) after all.

____________________________________________________________________________________

There are random days like this, when I find myself on a train to Nagano. A crowded train, so I'm currently standing up, clutching the handrail for support. The distance between Kuoh and Nagano was roughly 35 kms. Which is pretty close actually. I mean, this is Japan, their railways system is top notch, their trains are top quality and such a distance can be covered in less than an hour of travel.

Compared to Romanian railway system, it's like the gap between the sky and the ground. Really, fuck CFR and their trains. Oh, wait, right, beware the train molesters. I guess there was some value in traveling with CFR trains after all. Anyways.

For me, this Kuoh-Nagano travel, it was like taking the bus from Săcele to Brașov like I did back in the day. It was kinda like repeating that routine, but without the gypsies.

Now, you might be wondering, why am I on a train to freaking Nagano instead of being in the ORC since it was 4pm after classes and it was obviously club activities time? Oh, the answer to that it's quite simple.

I took the day off since going to club after the fight I had with Prez would just result in the situation being awkward. I mean, I did so yesterday, and I swear I wanted to leave as soon as I read the atmosphere. Literally the only person unaffected by it was Senpai, who was still going around cracking jokes at my expense.

Senpai, when a hot girl like you goes around teasing the shit out of a guy, he might just get the wrong idea. Luckily, I know you're a sadist and just enjoy my reactions but if it was the old me, I might have just confessed and get rejected on the spot.

Uh-uhm. Back to the main topic. If you think this is me chickening out, then fuck you. This is called tactical retreat. I'm letting the situation cool off a little before I can apologize and get out of this mess. Hanging around them at this time might just put me in a delicate spot after all. Assuming I'm not already in one.

Prez seemed to know, like, everything that I was doing lately, and I had to wonder if she was actually stalking me or something. I was actually thinking whether tomorrow during club I'd hear questions like "what were you doing in Nagano?". Well, my mother works here, as it's custom for a lot of town people to work in the bigger cities. I had some mind to pay her a visit later, but I was mostly going here to chill and get my mind off things.

As I was thinking about this, I caught sight of a female student near the entrance. I don't know what's wrong with her, but she's looking down, as if she's not feeling well. Could it be that she got sick and she was stupidly pushing herself to attend classes cause she's a model student? But if she really were that sick, shouldn't she be resting at the nurse's office at her school? Why do I even care?

Ah, maybe I just have nothing better to do with my time, so I decided to observe her a little bit more. After all, I'm Kokonoe Takashi, someone who can go around stalking perverts out of boredom! Damn. I hate my life.

Looking carefully, I dismissed my early theory about her being sick as wrong. She was shivering as she was pressed up against the wall. Ah, here we go again.

I wondered how pathetic must it be for someone to be so sexually inactive that he'd find high school girls attractive. Whether real life or another world, Japan was ever the unchanging nation, full of perverts and pedophiles. Some were even comically called lolicons. Yeah, I know that fiecare padure are uscaturile ei, but these guys were even bigger scum than domestic abusers and rapists from Vaslui. And that's quite a feat to achieve, honestly.

I sighed, thinking that it can't be helped. Maybe I was the only one bothered by that sight, since I noticed people around were watching as if they were waiting for that girl to be raped just so they could watch some live sex. Seriously, can't y'all just die?

I walked up to her, diving through the wave of bypasser syndrome passengers. I opened a little distance to observe, to confirm it with my own eyes. And then I was sure of it. A grown man in a suit was groping the buttocks of that female student. In less than a second, his hand slid inside the girl's underwear as she let out a muffled scream.

As I got closer, I reached out to grab his hand. I couldn't freeze it in public, so I went for hidden no jutsu, lowering his body temperature through physical contact. It wasn't crap like mana drain, but it could give someone hypothermia. Needless to say, it would be useless against supernatural beings, but it would score a number on a lot of humans. I should call it Temperature Drain. Or Hypothermia. Preferably the latter.

As I grabbed his hand, he recoiled, instantly letting go of the girl's ass and trying to shake off from my grip. His face was getting paler as I was draining his body temperature, but with some effort, he shaked free of my grip. I got a good look at his face, his long black hair and red eyes piercing through me... This guy's not human, I'm sure of it.

"Tch. A fucking yuki-onoko of all things"

That's what he muttered as he walked away. Yooo, again with that shit? That's the second time someone called me a snow trap for fuck sake... Y'all know something I don't?

Uh-uhm. I got the confirmation that he wasn't human. Great, supernatural things go around sexually harassing school girls, that's not something you get to see often. Author-san, are you a wannabe Hideaki Anno? Or do you aim to surpass him?

That aside, letting that fucker get away... just great. Well, he could be caught if anyone cared enough to block his way.

And some would go around telling me I shouldn't hate people. Yeah, right.

"Ano..."

I turned around to see the girl, facing me. She seemed to be around my age. She wasn't particularly tall, her head reaching around my shoulder. I took a good look at her features. Her hair was light purple, styled in girlish pigtails, the flower shaped hairpin tying them looking good on her. Her eyes were a deep blue, kinda like the ocean (yeah, I know how cliche that sounds, believe me). Her body was quite slender, especially in the chest area. Don't worry, you still have room to grow. Probably.

"Thank you for saving me!"

She said that with a beaming smile shining so bright that I felt the urge to cover my eyes. It was so blinding.

I did what anyone would do? That cliché sounded especially inappropriate in regards to the situation. Fucking bystanders.

"Don't mention it"

"I know it's not much, but at least let me treat you to a meal"

And there goes my attempt of trying to brush off the situation. Damn it, don't tell me she's going to feel like I'm her only one. If that's the case though, why are you so late? Old me would have welcomed you with open arms...

Tch.

"There's no need to repay me"

"What are you saying? No need to be modest. You helped me so at least accept this tiny little compensation... no, I insist that you do!"

She said that with a smile so bright that I resisted the urge to cover my eyes. Again.

I suppose I have no choice, then.

Walking side by side with a girl was a new experience for me. At least in this world. If I had any terms to describe it, it would certainly be... awkward. For me, having a whole lot of social anxiety bottled up.

It was funny how I ended up in this situation though. I'm currently at a cafe, with some half drank coffee and a castella (best combo ever). And standing in the seat in front of me with an almost finished parfait was a purple girl. Said purple girl, going by the name of Midorikawa Suzuka, was looking at me like I just said the strangest thing in the world.

"So you're from Kuoh? What are you doing in Nagano?"

Running away from my supernatural clubmates after a fight with the club prez, basically.

"My mother works at an electronics store in here. In fact, it's right in this mall, I could pay her a visit any time"

Though I'd rather not do that in your presence. There is no telling what chaos could unfold.

"Oh, I see"

"What about you?"

I'm not that good at keeping a conversation going, honestly, so it's like I'm stepping on a land mine.

"I live here. It's just, I took the day off today, to take care of my grandma. She's from Suwa, so I had to take the train"

Well, that explains why you were in the train back then.

"That pervert...", Midorikawa's face suddenly darkened as she continued speaking, "I saw him around my school, sometimes even randomly on the street... Just yesterday, I saw him on the train to Suwa. And now on my way back he tried to..."

She began shivering as she spoke, even looking like she was about to cry. I don't like where this is getting. As if to confirm my suspicions...

"I think he's a stalker"

Judging by how this world works, it's likely that he's been stalking you for a longer time and it's only now you noticed. I sighed internally.

"Sorry for letting him get away"

I really meant it. I think that no matter what kind of creature he turns out to be, I could possibly stand a chance against him now. I was a lot more confident in my skills, especially after my battle with that crow.

Midorikawa looked like she disagreed, shaking her head frantically.

"No, that's not your fault. You already did more than enough by helping me back then"

I swear I could see her cheeks becoming slightly pink, tho I hope it was just my imagination.

She suddenly brightened up, as if she suddenly had the most brilliant idea.

"Let's exchange contact information!"

There's something about the way that she said it making my face go all red with embarrassment. As if this wasn't embarrassing enough, she grabbed my arm almost immediately. Uhm, what are you doing exactly? We've just met.

"Y-yeah, okay"

Well, she probably had her defensive mechanism activated and running full power. Damn.

That aside, she's the first contact in my list outside my family. I think I've just got quite the achievement. Nah, it'll probably remain unrewarded.

I've stared at my finished snack (needless to say, I refused being treated to a full meal). Time to wrap this up.

"We should get going", I said as I got up from my seat.

"Okay", was her answer.

And now we were walking side by side. I should probably try to get used to it.

"Ne, Kokonoe-kun... will you walk me home?"

I-it's not like I'm blushing and am about to misunderstand something, even though I know that she's probably just using me cause she's scared for her safety.

I'm such a good guy.

"Sure"

She replied with a "yay", as she wrapped her arm around mine. Seriously, why do you feel the need to be so body-touchy?

I already said I'd walk you home, damnit, no need to cling to me... in public! People might misunderstand. I could already see people from across the street sparing us a few glances and hear them say "what a young couple" through enhanced hearing.

Well, thanks, you boomers. I'll probably never get a girlfriend, but thanks. I stopped in my tracks just in front of a certain electronic store to see a woman, 36, looking shocked at how a girl was clinging to my arm

"Something wrong?", asked Midorikawa, wondering why did I stop.

As I glanced through the window, said woman, my mother, was motioning me to go inside, Midorikawa in tow.

Oh boi, this is going to suck so much.

I made my way into the store and Midorikawa followed me.

"Now, is that my son I see walking next to a pretty girl?~ Is she your girlfriend?"

Said Mother as soon as she spotted me. Midorikawa, for her part, turned beet red.

"N-no, it's nothing like that!"

I exhaled.

"Mom, I literally just met her today..."

"Really? But it was such a surprise. I don't usually see Takashi hanging around anyone, much less around a pretty girl"

And Mother is just deadset on revealing my loner status to someone who doesn't even know me that much. I'm sorry if it's a turn off, Midorikawa-chan. It was nice knowing you.

Purple girl didn't seem fazed in the slightest, only an "I see" leaking out of her lips.

"Oh, I haven't introduced myself yet. Forgive me for my rudeness~ I'm Kokonoe Aika, but you can call me Okaa-san."

Really, Mother? Really?

I saw an embarrassed Midorikawa trying to ignore the last bit as she answered.

"I'm Midorikawa Suzuka. It's a pleasure to meet you. Your son saved me from a train molester just earlier"

Mother made a shocked face hearing all that.

"Takashi did?!"

For the sake of my remaining dignity, I will NOT talk about what happened as the two women were having their discussion about me.

[Meanwhile, in the ORC clubroom]

Rias and Akeno were the only ones in the clubroom. They were sitting on opposite sides of the sofas in the room. Just sitting there in silence, for the atmosphere was quite a heavy one. Hence why club activities were put off after Kokonoe excused himself for the day.

"Was I too harsh on him?", the club president lamented.

"Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if he was put off by that attitude", was Akeno's reply.

"I only wanted to make sure he's going to be careful from now on"

"Well, he doesn't seem the pragmatic type", Akeno chuckled drily.

"I suppose", was Rias' thoughtful reply.

Their conversation came to a halt as the door to the clubroom opened, revealing Koneko. Rias has sent the girl to keep an eye on Kokonoe's classmate from 2-B, Hyoudou Issei, having sensed a great amount of strength coming from him.

While the situation with Kokonoe being reincarnated and joining her peerage was a spontaneous decision, Hyoudou had been targeted by Rias for a while. She was, by this point, sure she wanted to make him her newest servant. She just needed the confirmation.

Koneko took a seat on the sofa across from where Akeno was before standing up.

"Buchou, your intuition about Hyoudou was..."

"Right on the money, huh?", Rias said with a smile.

Koneko nodded.

"I was right to have you watch him, after all", she continued.

"What are you going to do, Buchou?", asked Akeno.

"I'll make some preparations, but it all depends on him", Rias answered.

As she said that, she set to dispatch her familiar to Hyoudou's location, so she could hand him a flier. It was the best way to keep track of him.

___________________________________________________________________________________

[Issei POV]

It was dusk and I was currently standing on a bridge, looking at this flier I received earlier. "We will grant your wish", huh? That sounded too much like a scam. Well, whatever, I thought as I slid the flier in my pockets.

Today, I had so much fun with Asia after school. We went to the arcade and we played a couple of games, we took some pictures... that kind of stuff. It's almost like the spring of youth has finally come for me.

Now, I know I thought I really wanted to be friends with her but what if, just what if, I can make her my girlfriend. I wanted a girlfriend for so long, now I feel like my wish can finally come true. It's a big step towards my goal of having a harem.

"Ise-san"

I thought of Asia's smiling face. She's too pure for me, honestly. I mean, I only helped her after I saw her panties when she tripped and fell over. Asia's white panties...

No, she's too pure for that kind of stuff. I can't keep thinking about it as if something like that could really happen. I kind of feel ashamed.

"Man, I'm hopeless sometimes...", I sighed, supporting my head by the bridge's side.

I heard footsteps approaching, but I didn't look up. Chances are, whoever it is, they're just going to ignore me and be on their way. Or not.

"Ano... You're Hyoudou Issei-kun from Kuoh Academy, right?"

"Yes?"

I looked up to see a beautiful girl with silky black hair and purple eyes. She wore a dark red jacket with the letter "P" embroidered in gold, a white undershirt, a red bow, and a green skirt with a thin white strip around the lower end. Are? I've never seen a school uniform like that. What school does she go to?

I took a look at her face. Man, was she cute. Nowhere near the cute as Asia, but still cute.

"Ano..."

"C-can I help you?"

I wasn't sure what would such a cute girl want with me. Even I know I'm not really popular with girls, unlike a certain Riajuu I knew from my school. Die, Kiba, you damm handsome boy.

"Hyoudou-kun, is there someone you're dating right now?"

I felt my cheeks hot from the sudden question. Then, I thought of Asia. Sure, I'd like to maybe get her to date me one day, but we're far from it. I bet she only sees me as a friend.

"No, there isn't, but..."

"I'm so glad!"

Wait, what? The only thing I could do was leave out a dumbfounded "huh?".

"Then... w-would you please go out with me, Hyoudou-kun?"

What? I thought maybe I heard her wrong. There's no way a girl would ask me out, right?

"What did you say?"

"Well... I saw you around here... and I knew you were the one... so..."

I didn't even had the time to process these words. Is this for real?

"Please go out with me!"

Are you serious? I've never even talked to girls that much before and now I'm asked out. By a cute girl, no less!

I've had a dream of building a harem ever since I was little enough to want anything. I knew it was always out of my reach, but maybe, just maybe, I can keep hope up?

Just as I thought that, Asia's smiling face popped up in my mind.

It wouldn't feel natural to go out with someone I barely knew in place of someone like Asia. I don't know if I can make Asia my girlfriend, but I'd rather be with her if I had the choice.

That's why...

"I'm sorry, I'm in love with somebody else."

This is when I realized it. In the short time, I spent with Asia, I've come to see her like that. Who would've thought that I, of all people, would fall in love.

The girl before me started laughing, as if she heard the funniest joke on Earth. I was dumbstruck.

"Ahahahaha... that just means I can stop pretending now, can I?"

Wait, pretending? I mean, it did sound too good to be true, but hearing you say it like that breaks my heart, you know?

"Now, can't you just die?"

What?

Before me, this school girls transformed into an older version of herself?... I can see them! I know it was only for a split second, but I saw real boobs! And such a cute girl's!

Her outfit turned into ... Exhibitionism? And black wings? Is this what they call cosplay? No, now's not the time for that...

I had a gut feeling that I was in danger, for some reason, so I started running.

A sharp pain in my shoulder. I fell on the stairs of the bridge, collapsing on the ground. Are? A light saber? Is this Star Wars?

This girl... was flying. And she was headed straight in my direction.

I got up and started running as fast as my legs carried me. I remembered what Asia said about Devils and Fallen Angels... could it be true, after all? Deep down, I refused to believe it. No, I still refuse to believe it...

But now, having a girl with black wings flying above me as I ran for dear life... Am I in a dream? Is this what they call lucid dreaming?

As I ran, the sky was getting darker and darker. I was gradually running out of stamina, absent-mindedly going over to where my legs carried me. The girl laughed, as if me running away was the most amusing thing she had witnessed.

I was tired, so I stopped for a second to catch my breath. I was in a park, near a waterfall.

I looked around, but there was no sign of the girl. Did I lose her? I allowed myself to relax a little. But damn, my shoulder hurt like hell.

Just as I thought that, I felt a sharp pain in my stomach and my body fell on the ground. My hands were desperately clutching this light saber to get it out of my body while I was starting at her.

"Did you really think you could run away?"

She asked me this as she pulled out that thing from my stomach.

"I'm sorry, but your existence poses a threat to us, so we moved in for the kill", she laughed. "If you want to blame someone, blame God for planting that Sacred Gear inside you"

Sa-... what?

"Bye-bye!", she said and took off.

I picked my hand from the ground and looked at it. Red. Crimson red. Like that person- like Rias Gremory-senpai's hair. Her hair, more crimson than strawberry blonde. The same color... is soaking my hand.

I don't understand. Why do I have to die in this tiny little park because of something I can't understand? Damn it... Damn it all. It's no use. I can't move my body at all...

Asia... Would you be sad if you knew I died here today? I'm sorry... I don't want to leave you alone. If I could be reborn... if that would be possible, I'd make you mine. I just want to see your face, caress your head, squeeze your boobs...

I'm probably hallucinating now. Red hair, bat wings... is this the last thing I'm going to see?

"You called for me, didn't you?"

Wh-who are you?

"I'll take you in, since you're dying anyway. You will devote your life to me"

What?...

__________________________________________________________________________________

It was getting dark by the time we finally arrived at Midorikawa's house.

"Ne, Kokonoe-kun. Wanna come over for some tea?"

As much as I appreciated the offer, it was getting dark and I had a train to catch.

"Sorry, maybe next time"

She seemed a bit saddened by that, but she nodded regardless, before opening the gate to her yard.

"Then, good night, Kokonoe-kun~ Thanks again for today. See you around"

She winked at me before storming inside. I guess we could hang out since I have her number now? Maybe in the weekends or when I have time to come to Nagano.

Just as I was about to cross the street and head for Hongo Station, I felt a presence lurking in the shadows.

Ah, godamnit. If it is who I think it is, then this is going to be quite the night... I'm at 35 kms from home and it's 10 pm. Smfh...

I just wanted to spend the day away from my problems, godamnit. Why do I keep getting dragged into this kind of stuff? Tch. Whatever, let's get done with this...

"You know, I can feel you so just get out already..."

I said that to the creepy stalker. When he revealed himself, I noticed that he was flying... Devil wings. Fuck, what's up with me and fucking strays?

"Why you come in between me and Shizuka-chan?! Why?! Can't you see everything I do is out of true love?!"

Said the sexual fiend, his tone leaking a shade of madness I had yet to see until now. His eyes were filled with obsession, it was basically oozing from his entire being as he stood before me, prepared to make his move at any moment. In the face of such a threat, the only thing I could think of was...

Seriously?

This guy is a fucking nutjob... I resisted the urge to just facepalm right then and there. A stray devil looking like a middle aged man going yandere on a high school girl's ass... We're reaching the peak of ridiculous here. Gimme a break, Author-san.

Oh wait, I'm dead sure no one is going to buy your crap anyways... The amount of negative reviews, I can feel it coming from a mile.

"You know what? Fuck yourself."

"HOW DARE YOU! YOU LOWLY SLAVE!"

I'm getting my day fucked over by a lunatic. It was so funny that I couldn't resist the urge to laugh at the absurdity of it all. I think I'm going insane. Trash. I'm gonna call him Trash. Just like King Aultcray's new name.

Just as I thought that, Trash launched himself towards me, at a speed l was not prepared for. I had no time to dodge, so the kick I received in my jaw sent me flying back, landing a couple of meters from him.

I got distracted by my thoughts and stopped paying attention to him entirely. Which could almost get me killed. Oof.

As I got up, I saw him... sending flames my way. Great. Just great. I'm getting a fight against a fire user... And the flames he emitted... They were white. Which could only mean that they're stronger than the average flame.

The universe is either messing with me, or it's setting me up to an early death.

I made up a wall of ice to protect myself, or rather, to give myself time to dodge. Which worked out pretty well, given how I ducked as soon as the flames melted my wall. I then jumped back a couple of meters.

"DON'T TOY WITH ME, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!"

Ah, look who's talking.

Unfortunately, my rather clumsy pacing back after dodging his flame gave him a rather good momentum to lend a hit on my stomach, making me cough blood as I jumped on the nearby wall to regain my balance.

"See? Yuki-onokos are useless against fire power. And I got Flame Shake, one of the best fire based Sacred Gears. You're... AS GOOD AS DEAD, HAHAHA!"

Jeez, tone it down, Trash...

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. You must think you're cool, spitting all these lines like you actually managed to defeat me already."

That's the truth, Trash. I'm still standing, after all. But god, the mood swings of this guy... So creepy...

Said creepy guy tried to land another punch, but I dodged in time. Really, the only thing I could do here was dodge. I analyzed my situation.

I'm at a tactical disadvantage where winning it's almost impossible. With my fighting experience and the opponent I'm paired up against... I could just die today.

To avoid that, there was only one thing I could really do. Get close enough to him to use Hypothermia. Now the thing is, I had to keep dodging his attacks and find an opening I could use to bring this to closure.

"Get down, you coward! Get down and fight me at close range!"

Ah, the irony. Cruel, cruel, irony mercilessly hits me again. That's exactly what I said to that Dohnaseek crow. But only because I was confident that I'd use my abilities on him if he was to fight me at close range, since the only thing he could do was throw spears around.

But this is nothing like the fight with the crow where I could use my reflexes to stay alive due to his long distance attacks. One wrong step was all it took.

I jumped from the wall, standing my ground.

"So, you finally wanna fight me fair and square?!"

Didn't know freaking psychopaths cared that much about fighting fair and square. Ah, the more you learn.

Trash lunged at me, again, with all his might. The flames in his hand were shaped in the form of a sword. Damn. His plan to kill me... was swinging a flame sword at someone who has no experience in swordsmanship.

Fuck.

"Fair and square, you say", I said as I dodged a swing aimed at my head.

"Hahaha, it's not my fault you can't fight with a sword"

Here we go again. Your lack of common sense can't cease to amaze me.

And, just as I thought that while barely dodging that sword he was moving too fast for me to see, his strike connected with my shoulder. Blood gushing from that wound as it was reopened.

But the adrenaline rush was helping me to not fall to my knees on the spot.

Then, I actually managed to take advantage of his strike to kick him in the balls, making him stumble backwards.

"Damaging what should be inside Shizuka-chan. I can't forgive you after all"

Man, what a disgusting comment from a disgusting person.

"My bad, I should've just cut it"

And while that exchange happened, he recovered. Just in time to send another flame my way. I dodged.

In hindsight, we were surprisingly evenly matched. So much that I didn't know anymore whether I was really overpowered or not.

I had to gain the upper hand one way or another. And since my fighting wouldn't exactly do the trick...

"Why are you so fixated on Midorikawa, anyways?"

At that, Trash- fucking laughed as he launched a fire arrow towards me.

"Oh. You think it's just Shizuka-chan? Hahahaha. I love them. I love them all. Maya-chan, Misaki-chan, Ayumi-chan. I loved them all."

I resisted the urge to throw up. Barely. I remember there was this news about the mysterious disappearance of a couple of high school girls around the towns in Nagano Prefecture. Kuoh is pretty much among the ones that managed to escape such fate.

At that time, I didn't pay much attention to it. But now... I got the culprit right in front of me.

And I'm getting tired of dodging all his fucking fireballs. I had to end it.

"Say... what happened to those girls?"

I asked Trash, even though I knew I had an idea about what happened to them. When someone disappears, they're usually dead.

"I raped them. And killed them"

Exactly what I imagined. I could feel the lunacy in this guy's eyes, in the way he talked... I felt rage crawling deep in every fiber of my body.

I set my plan into motion. Fuck the risks, I don't care anymore.

"So that means you're just a virgin who couldn't even get laid by a single girl by being yourself."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?"

And so I got Trash enraged, running towards me at full speed. His movements were becoming rushed and sloppy as he tried going for punches and kicks.

"I said: that's all you are. A virgin"

"FUCK YOU!"

There, I found it. The opening. As he readied his fist towards my face...

Catch his arm. Twist it. Activate Hypothermia.

His body fell on the ground and I wasted no time, getting on top of him.

"And now, you die"

I must have had a slasher smile on my face or something, as I heard myself telling him that.

Wasting no time, I formed an ice spear with my right hand, stabbing him in the crotch while digging my left hand in his mouth to muffle his screams. This piece of trash... he didn't deserve any better.

Muffled screams of agony were released from his mouth as he was trying to bite it off. That hurts, yknow.

I decided that I had enough of it. I used Freeze to get his body completely enveloped in an ice block. Which I used my foot to break to pieces. That... was the first time I killed someone.

I was exhausted. Apparently, my fight with Trash somehow moved three streets away from Midorikawa's house. And I didn't even notice. I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings, you'd say? Maybe cause I was fighting for dear life...

I got my phone- which remained inexplicably intact despite the fight- out of my pocket. 12:15 am. Last train left 15 minutes ago. I sighed. Fuck Japan and their lack of overnight trains.

And since I can't fly my way back home due to the lack of demonic power to give my wings flight, I only had one option...

I accessed my list of contacts and dialed a number I've recently acquired. To my surprise, it immediately connected.

"Kokonoe-kun? What's up at this hour? Did something happen?"

"Ah, you see, Midorikawa-chan... I might need a favor..."

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On the news:

An explosion took place in Nagano, near the Togakushi shrine. There are no casualties reported, but the surroundings were damaged. The police is currently investigating the case. We'll be back with more details.