Expectations vs. Reality

'Okay, Vahn...you've faced and defeated hundreds of monsters. You can do this...' Vahn told himself, standing outside the entrance of his soon-to-be class, waiting for the teacher to call him in.

"You can come in now," said the woman who would be Vahn's homeroom teacher, a petite woman with medium-length, messy, dark brown hair and matching, sleep-deprived eyes. In response, Vahn entered the classroom, causing pleasantly surprised reactions from the girls and annoyed groans from the boys, including one that whispered, "Oh, God, please strike down this Riajuu for the sake of all other men..."

"Alright, everyone, quiet down," said Vahn's homeroom teacher, Tachibana Ayase, exhaling a tired sigh. Then, adopting a weary but supportive smile, she turned him and said, "Go ahead and introduce yourself, Vahn-san. You just have to give your name and greet everyone."

Nodding, Vahn faced his future classmates, inhaled deeply, and adopted his best smile.

"Kyaaaaaa~! He's so handsome!"

"Oh my God, I think I'm going to die~!"

"Do you have a girlfriend, Vahn-kun!?"

"What nationality are you?"

"Please exchange emails and phone numbers with me!"

Though he was taken aback by the fanfare he was receiving, causing his smile to cramp slightly, Vahn did his best to maintain it as he stated, "As Tachibana-sensei said earlier, my name is Vahn Mason. It's a pleasure to meet everyone, and I hope we can get along."

Following his introduction, Vahn, with his hands glued to his sides, bowed at a steep, thirty-degree angle. This caused another stir among the girls in the class, but Tachibana-sensei was eventually able to get them under control, reiterating for them to settle down and reminding them they could question him all they liked during lunch or after classes.

Once things had calmed down, Vahn was instructed to occupy the empty seat next to a boy with wild, spiky, chestnut-brown hair and clear brown eyes. Two locks of hair jutted out from the base of his neck like a forked mullet, but what Vahn first noticed about him was that he wasn't wearing his uniform correctly; his blazer and undershirt opened to reveal a bright red t-shirt. He was also glowering at him, not with hatred, but annoyance and a hint of envy.

Adopting a slight frown, Vahn decided against greeting the boy as he originally intended and instead sat at his desk, regaining his smile as the trio of girls occupying the desks to his front, right, and rear greeted and introduced themselves to him. He later learned from them and many other girls that the rebellious-looking boy was called Hyoudou Issei, a member of Kuoh Academy's infamous Perverted Trio, so while he didn't believe all the things the girls said about him, Vahn's initial impression of his leftmost deskmate wasn't very favorable...

...

..

.

'This is kind of boring...' thought Vahn, doing his best to pay attention during each lesson but unable to ignore that many of his classmates were discreetly reading novels, perusing manga, doodling in their notebooks, or fiddling with their phones. Issei, in particular, was immersed in a handheld video player, sporting an intensely focused expression as he watched an anime depicting scantily clad and disproportionately busty magical girls in some very compromising positions...

doo-dew-daw-doo deh-doo-dow-doo

"Alright, good work today, everyone. Enjoy your lunches," said the Math teacher, a tall, voluptuous, bespectacled woman with purple hair fixed into a loose, chopstick-bound bun and red-rimmed glasses. In response, the Class President, a girl named Arikawa Ayane, had everyone stand and bow before two-thirds of the class departed to buy lunch at the cafeteria, the rest staying behind to eat bentos they had prepared in advance.

Catching Vahn a little off guard, several of the girls in his class promptly encircled his desk, a bespectacled girl with dark green, nearly black hair fixed in braided pigtails taking the initiative to ask, "Did you bring a lunch, Vahn-kun? If not, we can share some of ours."

"I appreciate the offer, but I already accepted an invitation to eat with someone," expressed Vahn, offering an appreciative smile as he rose to his feet.'

"Oh? Is Vahn-kun friends with someone at the Academy?" asked another girl, sporting muted, maroon-red hair in a bao hairstyle and a lean, athletic frame.

"Her name is Rias Gremory, a Third-Year," affirmed Vahn, surprising the girls as he added, "We haven't had the opportunity to get to know each other that well just yet, but I'm hoping to get to know her as the school year progresses."

Seemingly realizing they didn't stand a chance against someone like Rias, one of Kuoh Academy's Goddesses, several of the girls encircling Vahn's desk immediately lost their enthusiasm, leaving the girl who initially spoke to adopt a cramped smile and state, "Then we won't keep you. Enjoy your lunch with Rias-senpai."

"Thank you," said Vahn, offering the girls one final smile before promptly departing the classroom, followed by the sound of wistful and defeated sighs...

...

..

.

Though it took a few minutes, primarily because he was stopped several times by overly friendly female students, Vahn eventually reached the Old School Building, where he was greeted by a smiling boy with gentle facial features, short blond hair that framed his face, and grey-blue eyes with a tiny mole under the left.

"You must be Vahn," said the boy, placing his right hand over his chest and offering a slight bow as he revealed, "My name is Yuuto Kiba. Allow me to show you to Lady Rias."

"Are you a Butler...?" asked Vahn, finding Kiba's manners and bearing to be exceptional.

"In a manner of speaking," confirmed Kiba, exhaling a faint chuckle as he began leading the way, appending, "In truth, I am Lady Rias's Knight, but I am committed to serving her in any way she requires."

"Oh, so you're her Knight..." remarked Vahn, sweeping his gaze over Kiba from top to bottom as he questioned, "Does that mean you're super fast?"

"Super might be a stretch, but I am fairly fleet of foot," confirmed Kiba, his tone amiable and eyes tinted with a soft but discerning glow as he turned his head to meet Vahn's gaze, adding, "If you would like, I can give you a demonstration later this afternoon."

"Really?" asked Vahn, his impression of Kiba improving as he confirmed, "You don't have to if you don't want to, but if you're willing, I would like to see it."

"Good. It's a date, then~" hummed Kiba, closing his eyes and sporting an amused smile. He had learned about Vahn from Rias, but experiencing his honest and straightforward nature directly was...refreshing. Most people, not just humans, were too heavily invested in the masks they presented to others to protect or delude themselves. Vahn, on the other hand, was like an open book, his thoughts written on his face for the whole world to see.

Interrupting Vahn's and Kiba's short journey, the familiar figure of a petite girl with white hair appeared, emerging from one of the rooms they were about to pass.

"Oh, it's Kiba and the pervert..." remarked the girl, who Vahn recalled was named Koneko, staring at him with a deadpan expression.

"Good afternoon, Koneko-chan," said Kiba, sporting a relaxed smile as he revealed, "Vahn-kun is here to eat lunch with Lady Rias. Would you like to accompany us?"

"No thanks," responded Koneko, her voice a lazy drone, ostensibly devoid of emotion, as she strolled past Vahn and Kiba on her way to do whatever it was she had planned.

"Hmm...?"

Sensing something peculiar, almost familiar, Koneko stopped shortly after passing the duo to turn around and stare at Vahn's retreating figure with a narrow-eyed, suspicious gaze. It shouldn't be possible, but the faint aura permeating his body was uncannily similar to the Senjutsu she feared and loathed with a passion. The crucial difference was that it was warm...like a kotatsu in late winter or early spring...

...

..

.

"Ah, Vahn. Welcome. And thank you for bringing him here, Kiba," said Rias, sitting on a sofa with her right leg over her left, elegantly holding a cup of tea on a saucer as Akano stood off to the side, sporting her usual sleepy-eyed smile.

"It was my pleasure, Lady Rias," responded Kiba, closing his eyes and offering a bow with his hand over his heart. Afterward, he stood straight, modeling a calm smile as he asked, "Is there anything else you require of me?"

"Not right now. But, if you would like, you're welcome to join us," offered Rias.

"It would be my pleasure, but I believe it best that I excuse myself to allow you and our new friend a chance to converse freely," expressed Kiba, offering another, slighter bow.

"Then some other time," said Rias, an appreciative undertone to her smile as she added, "You may go now."

"May your lunch be enjoyable and your exchange engaging," expressed Kiba, raising his head and offering a slight nod to Vahn before departing the room.

Seizing the initiative, Rias set her tea cup and saucer on the table before of her before rising to her feet and approaching Vahn, casually adjusting his ribbon and lapels as she remarked, "Sona was showing off the hairclip you gave her with a smug grin. Did you prepare anything for me?"

Though he felt weird and floaty with Rias so close to him, Vahn did his best to appear calm as he nodded, affirming, "I did," before producing a thin silver ring with a tiny red gemstone.

"A ring...?" hummed Rias, her brows raising slightly as she stepped away from Vahn, presenting her left hand as she teased, "That's a pretty daring gift..."

With Rias holding her hand fairly low, Vahn stared at it blankly for a few seconds before raising his gaze to meet hers. When he saw her staring at him with a patient and amused smile, he swallowed the knot forming in his and took a knee, gingerly supporting her hand with his and using his right to carefully seat the ring onto her fourth finger, explaining, "I didn't know if you had any special powers or whether you used a specific Element, so I picked a ring that increases your Resistance to Fire and Abnormal Status Effects. You have a lot of hair, so I thought it would be useful..."

"I'm certain it will be..." responded Rias, her luminous blue eyes flashing when Vahn mentioned the ring granting her increased resistance to fire. She would need to test it to confirm its potency, but if he was telling the truth, it might give her an edge in the battle she was fated to fight in the not-too-distant future.

Raising her left hand to inspect the eye-pleasing ring more closely, Rias waited for Vahn to rise before remarking, "I heard you've been training to become stronger. That's very commendable of you."

"Well...I have nothing better to do..." responded Vahn, averting his eyes and awkwardly rubbing the back of his head with his right hand. Because of his interaction with Sona the previous night, he was kind of expecting a reward after giving Rias the ring. However, as he originally didn't expect to receive one, he did his best not to let it bother him.

"Are you disappointed~?" asked Rias, her eyes narrowing and expression softening as she appended, "Be honest. You were looking forward to what I might do after you gave me the ring, weren't you?"

"I was..." confirmed Vahn, feeling somewhat ashamed of himself, causing him to lower his gaze and stare through Rias with an unfocused look. His line of sight overlapped with her chest, but since she could tell he wasn't looking at her, Rias didn't tease him for it.

"Then I ask that you forgive me for my belated response," stated Rias, surprising Vahn immensely as she reached up, linked her hands around his head, and guided his face to her breasts, hugging him tenderly and combing her fingers through his hair as she hummed, "Thank you for the gift, Vahn...your consideration for my well-being is greatly appreciated..."

Since he couldn't respond without speaking muffledly into Rias's breasts, Vahn wavered for a moment before eventually closing his eyes and letting himself enjoy the extremely comforting sensation. He could remember the last time he was held in such a tender manner, but since it was a memory from the day of his birth, it had been an exceedingly long time since he felt such...calm...

...

..

.