The plane touched down with a sharp jolt that shook my stomach. Through the window, Narita Airport stretched out under a grayish sky, typical of a Japanese morning. It had been long hours of flight, trying unsuccessfully to sleep, mentally reviewing everything I knew about this world.
About DxD.
My mother stretched in the seat next to me, letting out a yawn she tried to hide with her hand.
"Slept well?" she asked, with that habit all parents have of asking questions with obvious answers.
"Sort of," I lied, shrugging.
She smiled but said nothing more. I'd spent my whole life (both lives) learning to read her silences, and this particular one said: "I know you're lying, but I'm not going to push it."
While waiting for the other passengers to get up and grab their carry-on luggage, I suddenly remembered something important.
"Mom, is Dad coming to pick us up?"
She shook her head, checking her phone.
"He'll arrive tomorrow. He had to stay a few more days to sort out some issues with the transfer. Company stuff." She sighed, putting her phone away. "But he left everything ready. House bought, utilities set up, and even a school for you."
I blinked.
"School?"
"Yes, school. Or did you think you were going to spend your days locked up watching anime?"
My expression must have betrayed my thoughts, because she let out a short laugh.
"Asher, you're going to school. Period. You need to socialize with people your age, make friends, have a normal social life."
"But..."
"No buts."
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. This was a conversation that, according to Asher's memories, repeated with every move. He always argued the same thing: why make friends if they were going to move again eventually? Why get attached to people he'd have to leave behind?
And his mother always answered the same: "This time will be different."
Only now, with my memories mixed with his, I understood something the original Asher might not have fully grasped. It wasn't that his mother was naive or unrealistic. It was that she wanted it to be different. That she wished with all her heart for her son to stop being that solitary kid who locked himself in his room.
"This time will be different," she said, as if she'd read my mind. "Your father got a long-term contract. Minimum three years, maybe more. Enough time to... you know."
I looked at her. There was something in her eyes, a mix of hope and sadness, that hit me harder than I expected.
"I'll try," I said, and this time I meant it. "But I'm not promising anything."
She smiled, and that smile lit up her face in a way I didn't remember seeing before. Or maybe I had, but the original Asher never paid attention.
"That's enough, sweetheart. That's enough."
---
Three and a half hours by taxi.
Three and a half hours of landscape gradually changing from Tokyo's concrete jungle to more residential, greener, quieter areas. My mother fell asleep in the passenger seat, overcome by travel fatigue. I stayed awake, looking out the window, headphones on but no music playing.
Kuoh.
The name echoed in my head like a warning bell.
I knew what awaited me there. Devils. Fallen Angels. A red-haired devil princess named Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri, another high-class devil. Both being sisters of two very protective devil kings.
And in the middle of all that, me.
With a power that devoured shadows.
"How easy it would be to be a side character," I murmured under my breath. "Appear in three chapters and disappear without anyone noticing."
But no. It wasn't going to be like that. I knew it. I felt it in every fiber of my being. This world, this power, this coincidence of ending up right in Kuoh... it couldn't be chance.
The taxi finally stopped.
"We have arrived," the driver announced, in basic but understandable English.
My mother woke with a start, blinking to orient herself. She paid the driver while I got out and opened the trunk to get the suitcases. Then, the taxi drove away, leaving us alone in front of our new house.
I turned to look at it.
And, I have to admit, it was pretty.
A two-story house, modern Japanese style, built of immaculate white-painted concrete. The sloping roof, with dark tiles, gave it a traditional air that contrasted with the clean lines of the facade. A small balcony jutted out on the second floor, just below a window I assumed would be my room. Around it, a minimal but well-maintained garden, with some ornamental plants and a stone path leading to the front door.
"Four bedrooms," my mother said, consulting her notes. "Two bathrooms, equipped kitchen, living-dining room. Your father said it seemed perfect to him as soon as he saw it."
I nodded, still observing the house.
Asher's memories confirmed what I already knew: my father worked for an international business agency, the kind that handles million-dollar contracts between companies from different countries. He was good at what he did, one of the best, which is why they transferred him so much. And yes, thanks to that we never had financial problems. Houses like this, plane travel, tuition at good schools... everything was covered.
The only thing money couldn't buy was time. Time with his family.
But well, it wasn't time for existential philosophies.
"Asher" —my mother's voice snapped me out of my thoughts—. "I almost forgot. Your father said there's a high school here, in Kuoh. It used to be all-girls, but recently they changed the policies and now they admit boys too. Enrollment opens in two days, so we'll have to go sign you up."
Kuoh Academy.
The main setting of DxD.
The place where Rias Gremory had her "occult club" that was actually her group of devil pawns.
Where Issei Hyoudou, the prototype harem king, would begin his story.
Where the fallen angels planned their moves.
Where...
"Asher?" —my mother waved a hand in front of my face—. "Did you hear me?"
I blinked.
"Yes. School. Enrollment. Two days."
She looked at me suspiciously.
"Are you sure you're okay? You've been very distant since you woke up."
"Just tired, Mom," I replied, forcing a smile. "The trip was long."
She didn't fully believe me, but decided not to push it. She sighed, took her suitcase, and started walking toward the door.
"Come on, then. We have to unpack, choose your room, and get ready for the next few days. This is just beginning."
I followed her, dragging my suitcases.
This is just beginning, I thought. And it's going to be one hell of a ride.
But for some reason, instead of fear, I felt a strange excitement.