Shin High School DxD - Volume 1 - Chapter 1.3

Part 3 

As the day turned to dusk and ended, our night activities waited ahead. As we did our [Devil’s job] in the night, the members of the Hyoudou Issei peerage gathered at the office near my house to start the business. My job wasn’t only handling documents either. As my regular customers were waiting, I pedaled my bike to go to my destination earnestly. Speaking of the summoning of Devils, they appeared from a magic circle. I could also use the magic circle that was placed inside my office to teleport to my client’s place. —However, when I was starting out my job under Rias, my magic was so low that I couldn’t even teleport. I was an entirely useless Devil. Since that was the case, I had to go to the designated place by my feet. And so, I went to my client’s place by frantically pedaling my bike. And to my customers from that time, they knew me as ‘I = would go by bicycle’, so even though I could teleport now, they still asked me to come to their place by riding a bicycle. 

I would grant my regular clients’ wish who had been trusting me. Even though now I had become a High-class Devil, I still used my bicycle sometimes. And tonight’s regular customer was—. As I arrived at the apartment that I was familiar with, I rang the bell of my client’s room. The person who came out as I did that was an ill-looking thin man, Morisawa-san. 

“Ah! Ise-kun! I’ve been waiting for you!” 

Morisawa-san warmly welcomed me. Morisawa-san had been sticking with me since I was a novice and doing my job under Rias. Also, he was my first client. And since that time, we got along with each other and he would call me whenever something happened. Morisawa-san, who let me go inside, excitedly asked me. 

“About that matter, it’s progressing, right?” 

I nodded. 

“Yeah, well, for now, that is. I already discussed it with an expert.” 

Morisawa-san became so excited that he jumped as I said that. 

“Yes! Now I might be able to get a girlfriend as well! Plus, it’s a foreigner!” 

I was asked this by Morisawa-san in my previous summoning. 

—Introduce me to a girl. 

If you’re asking how things got this way… Morisawa-san also summoned other Devils besides me…or rather, you could say that he was a loyal customer of the Gremory side as he summoned my comrades as well. One day, Morisawa-san asked Koneko-chan who was summoned. 

[Oh that’s right, Koneko-chan! Please be my girlfriend! Hehe, nevermind, it was just a joke.] 

Though it seemed like he was saying it half-jokingly, her reply was—. 

[…I can’t do that. I have a boyfriend.] 

[…What, are you serious? When did you…?] 

[Yes, he’s Ise-senpai.] 

And the next day, I was summoned by Morisawa-san and was asked about that information… On another day, he summoned Xenovia as well. Again, Morisawa-san half-jokingly said. 

[That’s right, Xenovia-chan. This time’s request is, I want you to go out with me. How is that?] 

[Sorry, Morisawa-san. I have a boyfriend. Actually, I’m going out with Ise-kun. We already promised about our future as well. I am his girl.] 

As you would expect, the next day he summoned me again to ask about that information… And again, on another day, Rossweisse-san was summoned—. 

[Rossweisse-san, you said that, one day, you want to have a boyfriend, right? How is it these days? Ah, how thoughtless of me. Sorry if it feels like sexual harassment to you.] 

[…I have a b-b-boyfriend… though…] 

Rossweisse-san answered while fidgeting. 

[What!? Really!?] 

Morisawa-san was shocked as he felt sorry for that beautiful Rossweisse-san not ever having a boyfriend considering her age. Rossweisse-san answered the shocked Morisawa-san as her face turned bright red. 

[…He’s Ise-kun.] 

Of course, that day, I was summoned and asked about that information as well. And at that time, Morisawa-san drew closer to me. 

“If things were to continue like this, Asia-chan would end up being your girlfriend as well, wouldn’t it!?” 

“Ah…uhm, t-that’s right. But, having many wives is okay as I am a Devil.” 

Morisawa-san started weeping and cobra-twisted me as he yelled. 

“You traitooooor! There must be something wrong! There is no way a perverted brat like you can have those girls as your girlfriends after all! Aren’t you using some kind of demonic hypnosis technique or something that lets you take advantage of their weakness and force them to be your girlfriend!? No, that must be it! You must be doing that! You’re perverted after all!” 

“I’M NOT DOING ANY OF THAAAAAAAAAT!” 

I declared to Morisawa-san as I forcefully undid his cobra twist. 

“Just so you know, I properly proposed to them one by one! And also, I faced off situations where I could have been dead several times! It’s because of those things that my relationship with those girls became good! Even though I’m a Devil, I had to face life-threatening situations as well!” 

As I answered that, the stricken Morisawa-san began to talk as if there was something weighing on his mind. 

“…Heh, I guess that’s right. After all, you went along with my selfish request, and even us, your clients, can see that you are working hard doing your Devil’s job. That’s why I was happy when I heard that you became a Mid-class Devil, and was really moved by the fact that you became a High-class Devil and gained independence… But… BUT!” 

…Morisawa-san, even though he was weird, he was actually a good person. 

Just like he said, he was somoved when I was promoted to a Mid-class Devil that he bought a cake from a famous store for me. Even after I received independence, he still stayed as my client. Even though he looked like a pervert, he was a real gentleman when it came to dealing with girls. Morisawa-san was sunk in grief. 

“Ugh… I want to be a Devil… I want to be surrounded by girls…” 

I didn’t know how to answer that. Morisawa-san cleared his throat and completely changed as he smiled and said to me. 

“—And, well, I’ll stop the grief here. Let’s move to the real talk. —I’ll have you introduce me to a cute girl, Riajuu-kun!” 

“A-A cute girl?” 

He got closer to me and urged. 

“If you have that many girlfriends, it wouldn’t be weird if you know a girl who’s single, right? I don’t mind whether she’s a Devil or an Angel! And as we talked about Youkai and monsters, I am fine even with those girls! I am attracted to girls who aren’t human!” 

… And such an exchange of words happened between me and Morisawa-san. 

So, I contacted a certain senior who had a relationship with ‘those’ girls with my own connections. Her name was Abe Kiyome-san, Kuoh Academy High School’s OG, as well as a senior who had a pedigree of a family expert in monsters. I had received the list of monster girls that matched Morisawa-san’s request which Abe-senpai had listed out in advance, so I handed it over to Morisawa-san. Morisawa-san’s request was… Well, even though there were some nitpicky things, the points he emphasized were: 

Has superhuman strength so she’s able to princess-carry me. 

If a Yuki-Onna exists, then I’ll go with that. 

These two points. …Those two points were utterly outrageous! Damn, it was like finding a needle in a haystack. 

For the time being, I warned him ‘Rather than those with superhuman strength, probably the dainty ones are better, you know?’ or ‘You might be having a hard time having a Yuki-Onna as your girlfriend, you know?’. However—. 

“No way! If there’s a Yuki-Onna, then I’ll go with a Yuki-Onna! I have always been fascinated by the legends of Yuki-Onna since I was small! She can be my bride, right? That means, as long as I keep quiet about her true identity, I can live with a beauty for the rest of my life! There’s nothing better than that!” 

—And, he emphasised on the legend of Yuki-Onna. 

“Also, Yuki-Onna’s one of the entries in this list, and her name’s Christie, isn’t it! …Her name sounds like a foreigner even though she was born in Japan. But oh, I’m sure she’s a half! I want to meet her! By all means, I want to speak with her! An extrovert like you can’t possibly understand a man’s feeling like mine!” 

… If you talked to that extent, for now, I guess having you guys try meeting each other wasn’t a bad idea, and so I contacted Abe-senpai. I immediately received an ‘OK’ to summon her. As I told Morisawa-san, he was so happy that he jumped. 

“Yessssssss! Either she will be my girlfriend or not, it will be decided in the future. Well, this is the best! I’ll show you that I’ll make this a thing!” 

Morisawa-san was fired up. I immediately placed a sheet with a specific magic circle drawn on it on the floor, and prepared her summoning. The magic circle responded to my magic as we entered the teleportation preparation. A dazzling light was emitted from the magic circle’s pattern. …Beside me, Morisawa-san’s eyes sparkled… The teleportation light became noticeably larger, and then it burst! As the light vanished, a human figure appeared. The summoned Yuki-Onna — roared! 

“Uhooooooooooooooooooo!” 

The one that appeared in the room was — a white-furred gorilla! Yes, the Yuki-Onna that existed in this world — had the appearance of a white-furred gorilla! Who knew that it would be the Yeti itself! The first time I saw this, I cursed the world. See, it was a gorilla. It was the snow gorilla with the specialty of breathing Ice. 

“Uhoho.” 

As it saw Morisawa-san and me, It greeted us with a gorilla-like cry. Morisawa-san removed his glasses, cleaned its lens for a moment, and wore it once again. No matter how bad his eyes were, there was no way f that beautiful Yuki-Onna in front of his eyes could turn into a white gorilla! 

“Go—” 

Morisawa-san roared! 

“ISN’T THAT A GORILAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!?” 

I followed him in a flash. 

“It’s a Yuki-Onna! This is a Yuki-Onna!” 

“It’s a gorilla!” 

“She’s Christie! A maiden!” 

“It’s a female gorilla, ain’t it!” 

“It’s a Yuki-Onna! Your favourite Yuki-Onna who has superhuman strength!” 

Morisawa-san gulped as soon as he saw Christie’s sturdy hands. I was sure that rather than his request, he was thinking about his life that was in danger. For God’s sake, I didn’t know if Abe-senpai’s just a bad person or she just simply forgot, as there were no pictures attached on that list! As expected, it was too much of a shock for normal people! No, no, even I, who was a Devil, was quite shocked on my first contact! Morisawa-san’s gaze met with Christie the gorilla’s. As I was troubled by how I should handle this, there was a call on my phone. It seemed like another request just came in. …W-Well, I guess I’ll just leave it here tonight? I sneakingly distanced myself and ran towards the door at once! 

“I’ll leave the rest to you guys!” 

As I said that, I gallantly ran away from that place! From behind— 

“You plotted this huh, you traitorrrrrrrrrrrrrr!” 

I could hear Morisawa-san’s wail—. 

On a later date, I received a shocking report that they unexpectedly became good friends, but I’ll save that story for later! 

I was on my way home pedaling my bicycle as I finished several requests after Morisawa-san’s matter. 

“…Finally.” 

I took a deep breath as I pedaled. Compared to my newbie era, as expected, everything had become much harder. I had to check for new requests, jobs for my servants, and give orders while I went to my requesters’ places. 

Especially the anxiety degree, it wasn’t a joke. My own body no longer existed after all. I had to think about my servants’ future and act as well. Was this what they called the hardships of a High-class Devil? But! Once all of this ended, I’d have some free time! I imagined perverted things. 

“Well, I guess tonight I can take it easy after a long time, and if our schedule meets, I might be able to get into the bath with Rias…” 

Last year, thanks to the Gremory House, my house was renovated into a six-storey mansion with a three storey basement. And at that time, a large bathing place in which it was too large was made in the basement. Tonight, for sure, I’d be nude with Rias and… I sat on a bath chair as I splurged myself onto her oppai while being prompted by Rias. Rias then frothed her body towel. 

“Now, I’ll wash your back.” 

Akeno-san then appeared out of nowhere! 

“Ara, ara, I’ll also join you. He’s my husband after all” 

Akeno-san also removed her bath towel and they started to argue ‘I’ll wash it!’, ‘No, I will!’ as they swayed their big oppai on my back. Then, Asia, Xenovia and Irina also joined as well! 

“I-I’ll wash it as well!” 

“That’s right, everyone should do it together!” 

“If that’s the case, then I’ll wash darling’s feet!” 

Asia was on my right arm, Xenovia was doing my left arm, while Irina went for my feet! Now, Koneko-chan and Kuroka also appeared! 

“I’ll go for your stomach.” 

“Ufufu ?, I’ll wash every inch of your body, nyan ?” 

Rossweisse-san went for my hair! 

“D-Do you feel itchy somewhere?” 

Left, right, front; whether I turned back or even look up, I could see oppai everywhere! There were so many oppai there! It would be great if my manager Ravel was here as well! 

“Manager will join the fight!” 

I entered the bath along with the girls whom I had sworn my future with! It was at times like these that I felt like I wanted to experience it again! I had such wild thoughts as I made a perverted face and pedaled my bicycle at high speed. 

“Gufufufu! Finally, I can relax for a little while after all these busy days!” 

It was when I felt I wanted to come back home quickly after I finished my job. As I went past through a park without a single sign of life, I could hear a nice singing voice. Spontaneously, I stopped my bicycle and looked towards the park. 

“… A song this late at night?” 

Being curious, I parked my bicycle at the front and entered the park. It was a park that I often went by…as well as the place where I got killed for the first time. 

“—? —?” 

I could still hear the song. As if being drawn in, I walked to the direction where the song came from. I arrived at the front of the water fountain. And there — stood a foreigner girl who had a whimsical aura. She had purple-coloured long hair. There were several pale light purple grains floating around her and they looked like they were dancing along with the beautiful singing voice. 

“—? —?” 

I wasn’t familiar with that song. However, just by hearing it, I felt healed or as if my heart was warmed. I wondered if she was the same age as me? Wearing a white dress, she had nice purple hair and a great singing voice. Plus, just by looking at her top dress, I knew that she had big oppai. Nonetheless, I was mesmerised by her. —Suddenly, she stopped singing as if she noticed my presence. 

“….Ah.” 

The girl was surprised. Man, there was no doubt she was a real beauty! Though her face looked a bit sleepy, the features on her face were as if it’s a painting. I was caught up by her orange eyes. …A pair of orange eyes paired with purple hair… Generally speaking, there was no human in this world that had that hair colour and eyes unless they wore contact lenses. The grains that floated around her were also a proof that she had a special power— a superpower. 

The town where I lived, Kuoh Town, was a consecrated ground where supernatural beings other than those who had a connection with us couldn’t easily enter. It was equipped with a powerful barrier. And yet, fora non-human girl to be here in this park, that meant… I walked closer to her as I laughed and exhaled. 

“Ah, um, sorry. …I didn’t mean to interrupt you, but I heard a nice singing voice in this late night, so yeah.” 

She turned her head suspiciously as she said. 

“… Are you…the Red…Dragon?” 

—. 

… I was surprised. It seemed like she knew about me. There was one of the legendary Two Heavenly Dragons residing inside me after all. Although I needlessly became alerted…I couldn’t sense any hostility coming from this sleepy-looking girl. 

“…You know about me—.” 

It was at the moment where I stopped talking. I could sense a killing intent throughout my whole body. The one who held the killing intent wasn’t the girl in front of me. I then looked towards the source of the killing intent. It came from the shadows of the trees in the park. It wasn’t only one or two either. I could feel quite the amount of bloodlusts. 

As they felt my presence, several suspicious figures started to appear from their hiding places in groups. …The beings who took shape of a human surrounded me and the girl near the water fountain. Though their appearance was that of a human, the power, the aura that clad their body, wasn’t. Judging from the character of those auras, they might be…Devils? No, there were no Devils other than us…. Their number was about ten and they were all men… No, around two of them were female Devils. …For God’s sake, why was everybody doing the evil laugh? The problem was the density of their auras. …They weren’t mere Mid-class Devils. Don’t tell me that they were all High-class Devils and managed to get into this town? One of them stepped forward and asked us daringly. 

“You are…Devils, right? I felt a Dragon’s aura as well… No, your Dragon aura is more dominant.” 

After I exhaled once, I spoke to the purple-haired girl. 

“Stand behind me. Don’t worry, I am used to these kinds of things you know” 

First, I’ll protect the girls! Because it’s my motto. Once again, I asked a question to the mysterious Devils. 

“… You aren’t from here, right?” 

They grinned in response to my questions. 

“Yes, we aren’t from here.” 

I quickly confirmed their number. Guessing by their aura, it looked like there wasn’t anyone still hiding. Everyone had come out in front of me. That’s a good one. 

“…Thirteen people, huh? From the quality of your aura, you are Devils. But it doesn’t look like you are from the Old Maou Faction either…” 

One of the mysterious Devils answered my question. 

“You too, I presume you are a High-class Devil judging by that aura of yours.” 

… 

I realised something in response to their words. Even though they were Devils, they didn’t know about me… I didn’t mean to brag, but thanks to [Chichiryutei Oppai Dragon], I was pretty well known in the Underworld. But if they were the Devils who lived in the remote region of the Underworld and refused to be in contact with the outside world, it wouldn’t be weird if they didn’t know me. However, whenever something came up in the Underworld or other mythologies, I and my comrades would always appear on TV, radios, etc. It was weird if they hadn’t read or heard a single thing about us. Putting that aside, I had to do something if I didn’t want to be killed since now they held a hostility towards us. 

“Anyway, I can’t let you do as you please now that you are holding such animosity. I’m sorry but I’ll have to cap—” 

The moment they prepared their stance, one of the mysterious Devils suddenly flew out and fired a cluster of auras from his hand! 

“Dieeeeee!” 

I covered the girl on my back and instantly jumped back from that place. The cluster of aura that the mysterious Devil fired cut through 

the sky and created a big explosion on the ground! Shit! If the sound’s too big, it might not only be a bother to the people nearby, but they might get curious and come to look what’s happening as well! 

“So you’re going with a surprise attack, huh! If that’s what you want, I won’t hold back!” 

I made a deep red gauntlet appear on my left hand. The [Boosted Gear]. It was a Sacred Gear, one of the most extreme superpowers that dwelled inside a human body rarely. It was exactly because I was reborn from a human to a Devil that I had this gauntlet. As my gauntlet appeared, the mysterious Devils came to attack me all at once! While I slipped through their attacks and tried to do a counter-attack at times, I chanted the powerful spell! 

“—I, who is about to awaken, am the Sekiryuutei who holds the truth of the king up high!” 

At the same time, a tremendous red…crimson aura covered my whole body! 

“ 

Holding the infinite hopes and unbreakable dreams and walking the path of righteousness! I will become an Emperor of Crimson Dragon—” 

And then, I finished the last part of the incantation! 

[And I will lead you to the Path of Heaven, glowing in deep crimson light!] 

[Cardinal Crimson Full Drive!!!!] 

The jewel’s sound echoed! The dazzling aura instantly burst. After the glow calmed down, what clad my body was a crimson plate armor. —Cardinal Crimson Promotion. It was my battle form! A Sacred Gear was something that could heighten up the power and cause a dramatic change to occur onto the user’s body and mind, breaking into a whole new territory. That was, the Balance Breaker. The Balance Breaker of the [Boosted Gear] that I owned was this crimson armour. …Well, the original [Boosted Gear]’s Balance Breaker was a form before this one, but after a lot of things happened, I obtained this strengthened form of my crimson armour. 

To be honest, I was grateful that the current incantation had been simplified, and although this might just be a sentimental thing, there were times where I wouldn’t get psyched up if I didn’t chant it. So whenever there was an opportunity, I would do the chant. As they felt my aura rose like crazy, they raised their alertness and completely changed their mocking faces into  serious ones. 

—I spontaneously closed my distance and sent out a barrage of punches to one of the Devils who let his guard down. Yet, the enemy seemed like he wasn’t able to respond as I easily destroyed down the enemy’s guard and sent the enemy flying back far away. After I defeated one of them, I looked at the group of mysterious Devils. 

“I’ll defeat you guys like this.” 

The Devils trembled in fear. One of them then spoke with an alarmed voice. 

“Just with one punch!? Impossible! Even though we wouldn’t fall behind a High-class Devil!” 

“—Ultimate-class Devil, huh. You don’t look like one though.” 

There was a system to rank a Devil’s power… Low-class Devil, Middle-class Devil, High-class devil, Ultimate-class Devil, Maou-class Devil, and Transcendental-level… I wonder what was my current power level? The Devil government assessed me as a High-class Devil level though. The Dragon who resided inside me, the Red Dragon Emperor Ddraig, laughed as he said. 

[Kukuku, it has been a while since you were looked down upon, partner. They think you are at most a High-class devil or an Ultimate-class one.] 

Well, I wouldn’t blame them as I usually looked just like a normal high schooler. 

By the way, Ddraig, how strong do you think I am now? 

[With that condition, I would say that you can give a Maou-class a good fight. But, if you use ‘that’ form, you can even fight a Transcendental-class. I am sure that these guys didn’t think that they would meet a Devil of this class.] 

Well, whichever it was, anyone who came at me with evil intention, I would beat them up even if they were Maou-class or Transcendental-class. The mysterious group of Devils intensified their bloodlust and came at me. This time, it was a simultaneous attack. I lashed out my punches and kicks with certainty while dodging their attacks at the same time. 

“You are wide open!” 

“Die!” 

Oops, because there were female Devils who came at me, I’ll use the Devil power that I only use when I’m in a pinch. I endowed my hand with magic and calculated the timing to release my skill. As I dodged the female Devils’ attack, I touched them. I released the magic without a moment’s pause, along with me snapping my finger. 

“Dress Break!” 

At the same time after I spouted the skill name, the girls’ clothings were stripped off! Their completely naked body was surely a feast for my eye! This was one of my skills as a Devil, [Dress Break]! 

It was a skill that was sublimated from my perverted mind that allowed me to strip off the clothing of any women, turning them completely nude. It could also strip magic barriers as well as curses or the kind that was applied to a female’s body. To put it simply, it was a skill that was capable of destroying anything that was worn by a female, be it clothing or magic. I could have stripped them off from a distance If I wanted to, but…I was sure it wasn’t needed this time. Normal girls would have stopped to attack because they would be embarrassed if their clothes were stripped. However—. 

“This guy!” 

“Ha!” 

The girls continued to attack without faltering! It was as if they didn’t mind being naked! Ooh, are you kidding me!? Did this mean that they held a will so strong that they were able to move? While being surprised by the female Devils’ action, I caught sight of a certain male Devil that raised his magic explosively and was about to fire it onto me. 

“This is the end!” 

As he said that, he unleashed his super big magic bombardment unto me. I couldn’t afford to dodge either! An attack of that scale would damage not only this park! I purposely took the enemy’s attack head on! The moment it hit me, a big exploding sound echoed as the shock spread out! The surrounding was then filled with a cloud of dust. The male Devil laughed loudly as his attack hit me. 

“Hahaha, how’s that!? With this one move, even a High-class Devil—” 

The enemy was probably at a loss for words looking at my unharmed state as the cloud of dust went away. I took his attack head-on, but by increasing the aura on my body, I completely guarded his attack. Well, an attack of this level, I could still guard myself against it even without using one of [Boosted Gear]’s abilities [Boost], to increase my defense. But this result looked like quite a shock for the Devils’ group—. 

“…You’re lying.” 

The guys that so bravely came at me just now made a complete turnaround as they trembled in fear. The guy that fired that magic bombardment, his aura and atmosphere certainly did look like the strongest one in that group. He must be the strongest one there. He must’ve realised just how much of a power difference we had between us as his attack dealt no damage unto me. I said to the mysterious Devil group. 

“My bad. If you want to defeat me, please bring a God with you. After all, the evil God would just be on the back as well. But, well, letting you guys get away would be a waste, so I’ll defeat you guys altogether!” 

I vigorously gushed out magic from my back using boost and flew out with high speed! I blew the guys whose fighting will had blunted away one after another with my punches, kicks, and magic bullets — Dragon Shot. 

These guys were strong. They had numbers as well. A normal Devil would be helpless against them. But, during this one year and a half, I surpassed days of hellish fights, experienced near-death situations several times, and separated from my teacher and precious people that I was indebted to in order to obtain this power. I was not letting my guard down. And I was not going to let them get away either. I defeated all the enemies within several minutes. The group of mysterious Devils was lying on the ground near the water fountain as they lost consciousness because of the damage. I had to contact Rias and the others right away to capture these guys, and then repair this park. 

—Oh, that’s right. I checked on the girl with purple hair. I had a concern to fight while not letting the enemy’s attack reach this girl’s place, but… The girl was fine…or so I thought, but it turned out that there were some drops of blood on her clothes! D-Did I hurt her!? Did the flow of my magic bullet hit!? No, if that’s the case, she should have suffered a harsher injury. Walking closer and looking at it carefully, it seemed like it was the blood of the mysterious Devils. The blood that was scattered tainted her pure white dress here and there, but the worst thing was that the blood got onto her cheeks as well! Her pretty face was now spoiled! When I tried to take out my handkerchief from my breast pocket…I remembered that I was still wearing my armor and couldn’t immediately take it out. 

“Sorry! The blood got onto your face…” 

First, I apologised. However, the girl didn’t show any emotions as she simply wiped the blood on her cheeks. …She wasn’t confused even though she was assaulted by a supernatural being called Devil and saw me wearing a crimson armour. And because of that, I completely understood that this girl… she was not a normal human. The purple-haired girl then placed her bloodied hands in front of her orange eyes. As she opened her mouth gently, she murmured. 

“… Beautiful… It’s even redder than raspberry, the crimson color…” 

And then, while looking at my armor, she continued. 

“—Your armor, it’s the same color as this.” 

—. 

…That expression was surely familiar to me. Around one and a half year ago, I was killed by a Fallen Angel in this park and was covered in blood. The one who appeared there was the beautiful crimson-haired Rias—. At that time, I felt like the blood that covered my hands was the same as Rias’s crimson hair. I released my armor and handed her my handkerchief as I reached out my breast pocket. 

“Wipe it with that. It’s bad for a girl to have blood on her cheeks right?” 

That’s what I said while handing her the handkerchief. However… 

“…?” 

She just suspiciously took the handkerchief. …This girl sure gave some strange response. 

I looked away from her for a moment and quickly contacted Rias and the others about us being assaulted by mysterious Devils in the park, and that I was currently protecting a mysterious girl. 

[I understand the situation. I will go there soon.] 

As I received such a reply, I hung my phone up. 

“I already contacted my friends, but who are—” 

It was the moment I looked at the girl’s side. —There wasn’t anyone there. …I didn’t feel her presence leave, but… What’s all this about? I looked around my surroundings but couldn’t find the purple-haired girl. Even her presence was gone now. It was as if I was imagining things or came across a ghost… Ddraig who resided in me said. 

[…That girl, even though I can say that she’s not human, she has the aura of a human you know, partner.] 

This was my first encounter with the purple-haired girl. It was the second semester of my senior year—. There were still so many things taking place right here unbeknownst to us. 

TL Notes: 

1 Riajuu: Popular guys/girls