Artificer by Deiru Tamashi (DxD) 1

(Summary: I was just a regular human trying to live a semi-regular life. No devils, no angels, none of that. So why did the Student Council President see fit to make ME one of her Bishops?! …Okay, maybe the fact I can use magic had something to do with it.) 

Artificer

Chapter 1: First Encounter

Issei Hyoudou was bored.

Usually, whenever he and the rest of the Occult Research Club went to some event together, it was exciting. Maybe the beach, a nice restaurant, or the swimming pool. In at least two of those scenarios, he'd get to see the girls of the peerage in some really hot swimwear.

But not this time. Nope. This time Rias had dragged him and the others along to watch the school's Rocket Club launch the model they had spent all semester building into the sky for some contest. The particular details of the contest escaped him—when Rias had explained it to him, he had been a little busy watching her breasts jiggle—but they had to appear to show support for the new club, or so Rias said. Not showing up would look bad on them.

Of course, one part no one had told him was that the rocket wasn't going to go off the moment they arrived. They had gotten here ten minutes ago, and the Rocket Club was still getting things ready, double-checking and triple-checking everything to make sure nothing went wrong with the launch.

Which lead to his present boredom.

"Man, when is this thing going to start anyway?" he complained, lying back in the bleachers that had been set up in the field so that everyone watching could have a seat.

Rias Gremory chuckled at her Pawn's lack of patience. "Now, now, Issei, this is an important event for this club. As a club ourselves, we have to show support. I told you this," she said kindly.

Issei groaned but, knowing that she was right, didn't offer any more protest.

Which worked out just well enough, as the redhead's attention was diverted the arrival of a certain other club. "Well, if it isn't the Student Council themselves. Fancy seeing you here," she said.

The President of the Student Council, publicly known as Sona Shitori, smirked and bowed. "But of course, Rias. I was the one who signed off on allowing the Rocket Club to form this year. If I didn't show up to its first big event, what kind of message would that send?" she pointed out.

Rias nodded in understanding, and the two clubs began talking as they waited. The Council's Vice-President, Tsubaki Shinra, was talking with Yuuto Kiba and trying her best to stay calm. Which was usually no problem, except that just being around the blonde 'prince' had her face resembling a tomato in color. Issei and his fellow Pawn Saji were trying to one-up each other in front of Asia once again. And the others were discussing any of several various topics.

The time left to launch passed quickly in this fashion, until finally there were only a few minutes left, and one member of the club stepped forward. Clearing his throat, he called "May I have everyone's attention, please?"

The students present stopped talking and looked towards the one who was speaking. He was a young man of average height, possessing a build that was slim yet not thin. His hair was the color of sea salt and arranged in a choppy pattern all over his head, as if he had cut it with a pair of dull scissors. His eyes were the color of lilacs and seemed to possess a spark of either genius… or insanity. And his outfit, consisting over a simple white lab coat over the male student uniform, completed the image.

"My name is Keijutsu Hatsume, and I would like to thank you all for coming to this event. As founder and President of Kuoh Academy's Rocketry Club, I speak on behalf of all of us when I say that we are grateful for your support. The fact that so many arrived today only serves as a boost to our confidence," he said, before smiling.

"But I doubt you all showed up just to hear me go on and on about how wonderful this occasion is. So, let's get right down to it." Keijutsu waved his hand at the student behind him, also all dressed in lab coats and uniforms, and were placing the rocket on its launch pad.

"The objectives for this contest, taking place nationwide, are simple. Each rocket must be designed to hold a payload of two regular eggs, and able to reach a height of at least four-hundred and fifty meters before descending. Points are given based on the height the rocket can obtain, how low the cost to assemble the rocket was, and how little damage is done to the payload during the launch, flight and landing. We are thirty seconds to launch, so I hope you enjoy."

Keijutsu bowed before returning to his team. Once he was close enough, his smile faded and he looked around. "Any last-minute delays needed?" he asked.

The other members of the club shook their heads. "No, sir. The payload is secure, the rocket is holding together, and everything is performing as expected," one of them said.

The young man nodded. "Very well, let's begin," he said. The club moved away from the platform and formed a line ten feet away from the rocket, with Keijutsu holding the trigger.

"And we have launch in five… four… three… two… one… Launch!" he called, and flipped the switched. Immediately flames burst from the end of the rocket and it soared upwards, leaving behind a trail of smoke as it climbed higher and higher into the clear sky.

Th students gathered all applauded and cheered, with even Issei saying "That is awesome! Did you see that? It just took off and flew away!" Saji was of a similar mind, watching as it kept going. "Man, how high is that thing going to go? It's getting harder to tell the higher up it shoots!"

Sona smiled at the two's enthusiasm. Take two hard-heads like them, and even they'll get excited over explosions. Boys will be boys. She noticed however, the while the Rocket Club had joined in on the applauding, their leader had not. Surprised, she looked closer and saw that Keijutsu was following the rocket with a critical eye. 'He's waiting until after it lands to start cheering. Impressive,' she thought.

Indeed, Keijutsu was looking at the rocket with unhindered intensity. As its flight continued, he frowned. Odd. Their model had only been designed to clear the 450-mark and go no further, the team having chosen to sacrifice extra points in height for making it as efficient and safe for the payload as possible. Yet it had already cleared that mark and was still going, even going past five-hundred meters.

Just as the rocket reached 550 meters—and he began to wonder who had made the miscalculation—the rocket stopped its ascent and began hurtling back downwards, picking up speed as it came closer.

Five hundred meters. This was it. Clear skies, no wind; this was the perfect day for them to launch, and he wanted there to be as little mistakes as possible. Four hundred. Even so, he couldn't help but envision all sorts of scenarios. Maybe the shock from the launch had already damaged the eggs before they even got off the ground. Three hundred meters. Maybe the padding they had put in to shield the eggs from the landing impact wasn't enough.

Two hundred. Wasn't the parachute supposed to deploy right then? One-hundred and fifty. 'If that chute doesn't go off, our whole chance at winning the contest are scram-' he thought.

Before he could finish his rather horrible pun even in his head, the rocket reached a height of one-hundred meters and deployed its parachute, abruptly slowing down its descent. A few seconds, later, at fifty meters, a secondary chute deployed and slowed it down even further, until it finally landed on the ground near the edge of the field.

Quickly, he and the other members of the club rushed to grab it and check the payload. After several tense seconds, they were able to remove the two eggs and examine them. The first one was completely intact, not a break or blemish in sight, while the second… had a hairline fracture running along it.

Keijutsu cursed under his breath. Well, they certainly weren't getting any extra points. Both eggs had to remain completely intact, not just one of them. Still, it wasn't enough damage for the team to be disqualified, and perhaps the unintended points from the extra height would make up for it.

Behind them, the entire crowd was waiting in suspense, anxious to hear the final report. Knowing that, Keijutsu looked back… and gave them a thumbs-up.

The entire crowd burst into cheers, ecstatic at having witnessed the rocket work and the team succeed. Sona clapped along with the rest of them, thoroughly impressed with what had been done today. The team lined up and a couple of them held what was left of the rocket up for them to see.

"Once again, we'd like to thank you all for attending. If you are ever interested in joining, the Rocket Club meets after school in Class 2-C every Tuesday and Thursday. Have a splendid day!" Keijutsu announced. He and the rest of the team bowed, saying as one "Thank you!"

And with that, the crowd began to disperse, getting down from the bleachers and going their separate ways. Sona and Rias exchanged a few kind words with each before Rias left, taking the rest of the ORC with her. Sona, however, stayed put and watched the Rocket Club. They were all talking excitedly and patting each on the back, glad that an entire semester of work had finally paid off.

Eventually, the group began to break off as various members left, and Sona chose that moment to come closer. "Excuse me. Hatsume-san?" she said.

Keijutsu looked over at her and blinked in surprise. "Ah, Sona-kaichou. I'm surprised that you were able to make it to this event," he said, before smiling. "Pleasantly surprised, of course. So, what brings you here?"

Sona smiled slightly in return. "I was hoping to be able to speak with you. Preferably with a little more privacy," she said.

Curious, but not questioning why, Keijutsu bid farewell to the last of his club members and followed her, while the rest of the Student Council left as well.

Walking back towards the Main School Building, Sona said "I have to admit, the work you and your teammates did was impressive. Even I'm not someone who's capable of rocket science."

Keijutsu chuckled. "It's actually not that difficult once you understand the concepts. It's mainly just a matter of taking what you know and trying to apply it to the situation at hand. We knew we were capable of building a rocket that met the specifications, and so we did. I have faith in every member of my team to do their part in getting the job done," he explained.

Sona hummed in thought. Focused and humble, two traits that did not appear together in many people. Deciding to see how far this sense of humility went, she said "Maybe so, that doesn't mean that you can't take any credit. You were their leader, and as such the lion's share of the work must have fallen to you."

Keijutsu waved his hand. "I did have extra duties, yes, such as coordinating everyone and ensuring that all materials were ready for each meeting. But beyond that, I can claim just as much credit for myself as everyone else. No more," he stated.

Sona had to resist staring. So this man truly was humble about his talents. That was a trait she could very much respect, and was not easy to find nowadays. Her curiosity was now even higher; she wanted to know much more about Keijutsu.

But alas, they had arrived in front of the Academy, and Keijutsu bowed. "Well, Sona-kaichou, it would seem that we part ways here. Have a good day," he said, before turning and walking away.

Not one that let her curiosity simply stew, she said "Wait." When Keijutsu looked back at her, she suddenly fumbled with what to say. How was she going to keep him close enough for her to examine without coming off as overbearing? However, almost as soon as she posed the question in her mind, the answer came to her.

"Actually, would you like for us to both eat somewhere. I'm famished, and I doubt you had much time to eat with all the preparations," she said. It was true. With all the work she had to do with the Student Council, she hadn't eaten since that morning.

Keijutsu considered the matter silently, before shrugging. "I don't see any harm in it. Lead the way, Kaichou," he replied.

Mentally cheering at her small victory, Sona lead him away from the school and to one of her favorite restaurants in town. It wasn't as large or flashy as some of the others, but was clean, had comfortable padded seats and a warm feel to it. Over the doorway was a simple wooden sign that read 'Sushi Shop'.

Upon being seated, the two were given a menu to browse and choose their orders. Keijutsu looked through and was not disappointed when many of the items revolved around raw fish in one form or another, befitting the restaurant's name. Eventually they were approached by a waiter, who pulled out a pen and pad. "Your orders?" he asked.

"I'll have an order of sashimi and rice with a small green tea," Sona said.

Keijutsu simply ordered the Shishito peppers and black tea with sugar. Once the waiter had left, her turned his attention to Sona. "So, Kaichou, is there anything you wish to speak about?" he asked politely.

Seeing the chance to uncover more of this enigma in front of her, Sona quickly asked "If you don't mind me asking, what sort of hobbies do you have? Are there any particular classes you enjoy? What dreams might you have for the future?" The questions were fired off with such speed that Keijutsu didn't have a chance to answer any of them, and he raised an eyebrow once she was done.

Sona felt a small rise of heat in her cheeks. This was not how she was supposed to act. Even if this boy had interested her, she was supposed to remain calm and collected. That was who she was.

Thankfully, Keijutsu didn't do any more than chuckle, and said "To answer your questions is order: My hobbies involve my club activities, learning new subjects, and building things. I enjoy chemistry, physics, psychology and mathematics. And my dream is to one day build a device that will bring all my knowledge together and truly benefit mankind, whatever that device may be."

He leaned forward. "Now, for a question of my own. Why would the illustrious President of Kuoh Academy's Student Council be interested in me?" he asked.

Sona bit her lip and wondered how to respond. As she thought about it, their food arrived and they ate in silence, with Keijutsu waiting patiently for an answer. Eventually, Sona decided to simply go with the truth, and said "I noticed that you have a mixture of intelligence, focus and humility, a mixture I rarely seen in other people, even other students. I wished to know more about you so that I might find the reason behind these traits."

Keijutsu considered this, before nodding. "I can understand that," he said, and the two of them resumed their meal. Once they were done, however, Keijutsu said "If you want to know more about me, Sona-kaichou, then why don't we simply play a game of chess?"

Sona blinked, looking at him questioningly. He reached into his bookbag and pulled out a small wooden chessboard folded in half, which he then opened and began pulling out the chess pieces. "In my experience, it is during a battle of wits that two people can learn the most about each other. What kind of thought processes they possess, the true level of their intelligence and, most importantly, what they will do in a pressurized situation. So, what do you say?" he asked.

The young woman stared at him. One declaration after another, and he continued to surprise her. But when it came a challenge, she was not one to let it pass by. "Very well, Hatsume-san. I accept your challenge," she said.

He grinned. "Splendid. And please, call me Kei," he said, before placing the last piece on the board. Sona was the white pieces and Keijutsu was the black pieces, meaning that Sona was allowed the first move.

As soon as Sona placed her fingers on the Pawn piece, she felt a jolt run through her. Looking up, she could see the kindness, the near-playfulness that had been in Kei's eyes up to this point was gone. In its place was an intense look of concentration, the same one he had worn when waiting to see if his rocket would crash and fail. And suddenly, she realized that Kei indeed meant every word he said. This game was a chance to learn your opponent's nature. For her… and for him.

Without even saying it, Keijutsu had shown that he was just as interested in her as she was in him.

Now understanding the stakes at hand, Sona began by moving one of her pawns forward. A standard move, one many would expect and that gave away nothing. Keijutsu responded with the same move, thus preventing her pawn from moving forward and forcing her to make another move. No matter. She moved her Bishop forward and to her left. Another standard move, though one that implied deeper meaning.

Keijutsu chose to go with another Pawn movement, though he chose the one on the far-right (to him) side of the board.

Not sure what to make of it, Sona continued with her plan and moved her Queen diagonally to the edge of the board. The strongest piece in the game, and her early movement of it suggested a fast-paced assault.

Only for Kei to raise his eyebrow again. "You should have guessed by now that I am not a beginner, Kaichou. The 4-Move Checkmate will not work on me," he stated, before moving his own Queen directly in front of his King.

Sona grunted. While Kei's quick deciphering of her plan meant that she would need to adjust her strategy, that was no real issue. And that fact he had been able to see it coming made things more fun for her. She pulled back her Queen in retreat, letting Keijutsu take the opportunity. Which he did, by moving one of his Knights in front of the space her Queen had previously occupied. Which meant that the Knight was now open to being captured, but the placement of his Queen meant that she would lose her own Queen if she did that. A taunt?

She copied the action with her own Knight, and Kei castled his King and Rook, causing them to both move one space closer to each other before switching places. So not a taunt after all, but preparation for a now-sturdier defense. Then she moved her Bishop forward and took the first Pawn he had moved.

Only to realize that she fallen into a trap, as Keijustu's Knight moved to capture her Bishop. Looking up again, she saw that the intense gaze was still there but now… Now it was sharing space with a glimmer of excitement. Keijutsu smiled, and Sona looked back at board. She smiled as well. Now, the true contest would begin.

Sona could not remember the last time she had put this much effort into a chess match. No matter what move she seemed to make, Kei had been able to match and, if not counter her, then do something that would upend her carefully formulated plans and force her readjust. Her skill as a tactician was unrivaled, but is seemed that the enigma sitting across from her was able to take every move and reverse engineer it to factor into his own.

But now, here in the endgame, and Sona could feel her victory close at hand. She could see it in Keijutsu's expression, could see the frustration that he barely failed to keep hidden. By this point, the both of them were done to just a handful of pieces, the others having been lost in exchanges, sacrifices or on the rare occasion one of them would make a blunder. And if she were not so excited by the match so far, Sona might have noticed that she too was breaking her normally calm disposition.

As it was, she had the upper hand with her King and her Queen while Kei had a King, Knight and a Pawn. She moved her Queen to the side and captured the Pawn, calling "And that is checkmate, Hatsume-san."

Only for Kei to suddenly smirk. "It would be, Sona-kaichou, except…" he began, before using his Knight to capture her Queen. "When I can do that. And now, I declare a draw by insufficient material," he declared.

Sona stared. He was right. All she had left was her King, and Kei had his King and his Knight. There was no possible way for her to obtain a checkmate with just a King, just as he could not obtain one with just a King and a Knight. Thus, the match ended… in a draw.

Refraining from laughing at Sona's stunned expression, Keijutsu removed the pieces from the board and began putting them away. "Still, this was an excellent match, Sona-kaichou. By far the best that I have ever had. We'll have to do this again sometime," he said.

Sona absently nodded. "Yes, yes we will…" she said.

Kei chuckled and she looked up just in time to see that spark return to his eyes. The one that spoke of either intelligence or insanity. And true to the nature of that spark, he suddenly leaned forward and gently grasped Sona's hand, placing a light kiss on it. "Then, until next time," he said, before placing enough money for both their meal and the waiter's tip on the table and walking out.

Sona continued to stare, first at the exit to the shop, then at her hand. A flaming blush appeared on her cheeks and she looked to where the white-haired man had left.

Keijutsu Hatsume… just who the hell was he?