Chapter 365

The dazzling light, accompanied by a rush of wind, swept through the entire classroom the moment the 'golden door' appeared out of thin air. The bookshelves were knocked down by the gust, and the electric lamp shattered with a loud crash.

The noise woke up Nibutani Shinka, who was sleeping on May 7th, lying within the magic circle with her pillow. She looked up at the floating door in a daze.

"Ah?"

Rikka Takanashi and Sanae Dekomori held their hands in front of them, trying to shield themselves from the wind. The scene at that moment left both of them utterly confused.

The only thoughts in their minds were, 'What just happened?' and 'What are we doing?' They had always suffered from their delusions, imagining things that didn't exist. Though they were convinced these things were real, they never believed they would actually encounter them. Now, when faced with it, fear set in like never before.

"Ahhhhhh!"

Yuta Togashi screamed as he saw the golden door summoned by the two girls. Having just managed to outgrow his chuunibyou phase, his sense of reality suddenly collapsed.

No! Things like summoning are real?!

The golden door took its final form, and the blinding golden light slowly softened into a gentle glow.

"A door? What... what is going on?"

After waking up fully, Fennel was equally confused, but her curiosity drove her to get out of the magic circle.

Yuta's eyes widened in shock. He pointed at the glowing door and looked at Kotori Yutaka and Sanae Tokumori with trembling hands and a quivering voice.

"Could it be... you two... were you serious?! Are you really... magicians?"

Kotori Yutaka and Sanae Tokumori were just as shocked as he was. But after hearing Yuta's words, Yutaka straightened herself, her fear momentarily forgotten as her chuunibyou nature took over.

"Y-yes, it is I, the Evil King's True Eye..."

Sanae's eyes glowed with admiration. She scrambled towards Kotori, kneeling before her.

"Master, my Master! You've done it! I can feel the power! You really summoned it!"

Her eyes shone with awe as she looked up at Kotori, her expression filled with stars of admiration.

Fennel, now fully awake, covered her mouth in shock and reached out towards the door.

"Wow! It's actually floating!" She moved her hand to see if there were any ropes or supports. "So magic really exists in this world!" She looked at Kotori, excitement in her eyes.

"Yutaka, you're really a magician! It's all true!"

Kotori, sweating profusely and her knees shaking, glanced at everyone around her. Seeing the look of admiration, she decided to embrace the role.

"Y-yes... I, am the Evil King's True Eye..."

Suddenly, the door to the club classroom swung open. A slender girl with waist-length brown hair, held back by a red hairpin, stepped inside.

"Hello, I heard a loud noise here. Did something fall over..."

Her words trailed off abruptly. The scene before her was beyond bizarre. An unprecedented sense of sacredness and mystery filled the room.

"Wh-what is this...?"

Satone Shichimiya, who had just wanted to see what the "Far Eastern Magic Association"—formed by her new classmates—was up to, was stunned. Before she even entered the room, she'd heard loud noises and assumed some bookshelf had fallen over. But when she stepped inside, she found herself face to face with something she couldn't comprehend.

All eyes turned towards Morika, who had opened the door. A frightened expression overtook her face as she stumbled backward.

"Did... did I see something I shouldn't have?"

Sanae rushed over and grabbed Morika, pulling her into the classroom and slamming the door shut.

---

"What are you doing?! I didn't see anything!" Morika screamed in fear, struggling to get up, but was held down by Sanae.

Sanae looked at Kotori proudly. "Master, I have captured this mysterious spy! We have another sacrifice!"

Morika, trembling with fear, screamed again. "Sacrifice?! Let me go! Help!"

The word "sacrifice" was terrifying enough, but now the thought of it being real, with magic involved, was too much.

Yuta was about to intervene, but suddenly, a buzz filled the room.

The golden door began to open, and everyone turned their attention to it.

The room fell into an eerie silence.

Slowly, the door opened, and a figure with long blood-red hair stepped out. The students stood there, stunned.

She was beautiful, elegant, and carried an aura of nobility. And behind her, a pair of dark wings spread out like those of a demon.

The sight was almost suffocating.

Yuta, who had been bombarded with anime and novels, immediately thought of one thing: demon.

Rikka Takanashi opened her eyes, her demon wings fluttering as she gently landed on the classroom floor. She scanned her surroundings—a strange magic circle drawn in chalk at her feet, with five students staring at her in awe.

She quickly assessed the situation.

'Ah, just some students playing a game about summoning demons... and the 'Gate to the World' happened to appear here.'

Rias smiled, intending to ease the situation.

"Are you students? I can't tell if you're lucky or unlucky," she said with a playful smile. "You shouldn't be drawing summoning circles without knowing what you're doing."

Seeing the 'demon' talk to them, Fennel, Sanae, Yuta, and Morika immediately ran to hide behind Kotori.

"Ah...?"

Morika, who was no longer being held down by Sanae, joined the others in hiding. She had no idea what was happening, but she instinctively figured that Kotori was the one in charge.

Though Rias looked anything but evil, myths and legends always painted demons as bad. The presence of a demon—especially one in school—was unsettling enough.

Kotori, her expression stiff and her forehead covered in sweat, stood there trembling. She had no idea what to do.

Rias smiled gently. She was used to reactions like this. Back in Kuoh Town, her servants often handed out 'summoning leaflets.' People would summon demons and ask them to fulfill all kinds of wishes. Often, those wishes were mundane—help with household chores or simply having someone to play video games with.

But when the true reality of demons set in, people usually got scared.

Sanae peeked out from behind Kotori, eyes wide with amazement. "Master, did you really summon this demon?! Is it a familiar that will fulfill your wishes?!"

The others swallowed nervously.

Kotori looked at the real demon standing before her, her legs shaking uncontrollably. She managed to gather her courage, though, and stammered out a response.

"I-I am the Evil King's True Eye, and I... I summon you, demon!"

Rias chuckled. "Don't be afraid. I am a professional demon, and fulfilling human wishes is part of my job."

Her gentle demeanor put them at ease.

"D-does that mean you won't hurt us?" Morika asked timidly.

Rias smiled kindly. "Of course not. I'm here to fulfill your wishes. You managed to summon me, after all."

This felt like something out of a novel or an anime, and yet, here it was—happening in real life. The students didn't know what to think.

"F-fulfill wishes?" Yuta hesitantly asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. "Can you grant any wish?"

Morika's heart pounded, her face flushed with excitement. Demons, wishes—my goodness, this couldn't be real.