After finishing his brief self-introduction, Ren Kuroda took a moment to sense his surroundings.
There was no trace of any non-human presence in the classroom.
With that confirmation, he gave a polite nod and turned to leave.
After all, as a P.E. teacher, he wasn't assigned to just one class. In addition to the second-year groups, he would also be responsible for several third-year classes.
But just before stepping out, Ren paused. He glanced toward Issei's seat—and, with a gentle smile that carried a hint of something deeper, said:
"I think your earlier concerns were unnecessary."
"I do appreciate beautiful women… but I'm not the type to prey on my own students."
The words landed like a thunderclap.
Motohama, Matsuda, and Issei all froze in shock.
They hadn't exactly been whispering earlier—but still, they never imagined that someone outside the classroom could hear everything they said so clearly.
Just how good was this guy's hearing?
And more importantly—if a teacher overheard students talking like that…
The consequences could be severe.
Especially if the student council president—the famously strict one—got wind of it.
—
After leaving Issei's class, Ren made his way through several third-year classrooms, repeating his introduction.
But unfortunately, the result was the same.
No suspicious auras.
No traces of anything inhuman.
Every student he encountered was, by all appearances, completely ordinary.
"Did Yasaka's intel turn out to be wrong? Is there really no such thing as devils in this academy?"
"Or… are they simply that good at hiding?"
Ren frowned slightly as he walked the quiet halls.
"But that shouldn't be possible. According to Yasaka, unless the ones hiding here are at the level of a Demon King…"
"Even the demons from the Seventy-Two Pillars of Solomon shouldn't be able to escape my perception."
Which meant…
Either something was very wrong—
Or something was far more dangerous than expected.
—
Since it was his first day, the principal had thoughtfully given Ren the rest of the day off to explore the campus.
He had planned to use the opportunity to conduct a more thorough investigation.
Unfortunately, things didn't go according to plan.
Thanks to his unconventional introduction—and, admittedly, his looks—Ren had already become something of a celebrity within Kuoh Academy.
The school already had its share of idol-like students.
But a celebrity teacher?
That was a first.
Everywhere he went, people stared.
Whispers followed him like a shadow.
Groups of students would gather, pretending not to look while very obviously looking.
Being treated like some rare exhibit made any kind of discreet investigation impossible.
In the end, Ren had no choice but to give up for the day and head home.
At least for now, moving freely around the academy would be difficult.
He'd have to wait until the novelty of the "new teacher" wore off.
—
That same night, Issei Hyoudou was in an unusually high state of excitement.
Dressed in a slightly oversized suit—one he'd dug out from his father's old belongings—he stood nervously at the meeting spot, clutching a bouquet of roses.
His hair was even styled carefully, giving him a more "mature" appearance.
The suit might have been secondhand.
The flowers might have been bought with money he'd painstakingly saved by cutting back on everything else.
But none of that mattered.
What mattered was this—
After being single his entire life… after never even holding a girl's hand…
Tonight, he might finally take a step into adulthood.
This was a milestone.
A moment that demanded ceremony.
Even if it meant selling off a bunch of his treasured games to afford those roses—
It was worth it.
"Yuuma-senpai is taking a while… Did something come up? Or is she preparing some kind of surprise for me?"
Standing at the agreed-upon location, Issei's face was filled with restless anticipation.
And honestly, his imagination wasn't entirely unreasonable.
Normally, dates ended before ten, with the guy walking the girl home.
But the girl he had just started dating had asked him to meet after ten at night.
And not just anywhere—
This place was practically deserted.
Before coming here, Issei had even done his research.
He knew there was a cheap love hotel nearby.
The timing, the location…
Combined with his own deeply suppressed—but very real—perverted tendencies…
It was only natural his thoughts would drift in that direction.
"I am preparing a surprise for you, Issei-kun."
A soft voice suddenly echoed through the quiet night.
"It's just… not quite the kind of surprise you're imagining."
"And as for why I chose this time and place…"
A figure stepped out from the shadows.
"Well, if someone saw us, it would be rather troublesome for me."
Amano Yuuma had arrived.
And she truly did bring him a "surprise."
A very big one.
Before coming here, Issei had been fantasizing about taking that next step into adulthood.
What he never imagined…
Was that he would be the one getting pierced.
A searing pain exploded through his abdomen.
Issei looked down in disbelief.
A spear of light had run clean through his body.
His face twisted with confusion and terror.
The Yuuma he knew had been sweet. Gentle. Adorable.
But the woman standing before him now—
Her expression was cold, arrogant… laced with cruel amusement.
Aside from her beauty—and her equally striking figure—she was nothing like the girl he thought he knew.
"Still don't understand what's happening?"
Her lips curled in disdain.
"As if I would ever fall for a lowly human like you."
"The only reason I got close to you… was to retrieve the Sacred Gear inside your body."
She tilted her head slightly, eyes narrowing.
"Ah, yes. That thing."
"What a waste of effort. And here I thought it was something impressive… turns out it's just a Boosted Gear that doubles strength."
The creeping chill of death wrapped around Issei's heart.
And at that very moment—
Something inside him awakened.
A crimson gauntlet—resembling a scaled arm guard—burst into existence over his arm, radiating a fierce, blinding light.
That was the Sacred Gear.
The very object Amano Yuuma—
—or rather, the fallen angel Raynare—
had been after.
Sacred Gears chose human hosts.
But under normal circumstances, until they awakened, their presence was impossible to detect.
Some hosts went their entire lives without ever realizing what they carried.
Even dying without knowing.
But among the fallen angels, there was one exception.
Their governor, Azazel—
A master researcher of Sacred Gears—had developed methods to locate even dormant ones.
By chance, Raynare had overheard a conversation between Azazel and another high-ranking fallen angel, Barakiel.
They had mentioned that an exceptionally powerful Sacred Gear had appeared in this town.
Driven by ambition—by her desire to gain strength and rise in status—
Raynare came here.
And she found Issei Hyoudou.
Extracting a Sacred Gear from its host meant one thing.
The host would die.
Of course, to a fallen angel like Raynare…
The death of a mere human meant nothing.
The only thing that disappointed her—
Was that the so-called "powerful Sacred Gear"…
Turned out to be nothing more than a gauntlet that doubled strength.