Two weeks.
Two weeks had passed since I arrived in Kuoh, and in that time I had learned several things. First, that Japanese food was incredible. Second, that my mother cooked even better than I remembered. And third, that someone was watching me.
It wasn't paranoia. It was a constant sensation, like a tingle at the back of my neck, like there were eyes boring into my back every time I walked through the school hallways. Sometimes it was more intense, sometimes it faded, but it never completely disappeared.
The Occult Research Club, I thought as I walked toward my classroom. Or the Student Council. It has to be them.
It made sense. In the world of DxD, both Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri had the ability to detect Sacred Gears and magical energy. And me, with my Devouring Shadow, I must shine like a beacon in the darkness for someone with their sensitivity.
What I didn't understand was why they hadn't approached me yet. What were they waiting for? To evaluate me? To see if I was worth recruiting?
"Hey, Cranel, are you going to come in or are you going to stand in the doorway all day?"
A classmate's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I blinked, realizing I had been frozen at the classroom entrance for several seconds.
"Sorry, sorry," I mumbled, hurrying inside and sitting in my seat.
Calm down, Asher, I told myself. Just because they're watching doesn't mean you're in danger. They probably just want to recruit you. Or kill you. Or recruit you and then kill you.
...Not helpful.
---
But not everything was paranoia in these two weeks. I had also had... incidents.
The first happened just three days after classes started.
I had decided to explore the school's surroundings, familiarize myself with the terrain, when I heard voices. Male voices, whispering, suspiciously close to a wall separating the main path from the kendo club facilities.
I approached cautiously, and what I saw made me roll my eyes.
Three guys, crouched by the wall, taking turns looking through a small gap between the wooden planks. I immediately recognized them from the memories of my previous life: Issei Hyoudou, the harem king prototype with zero real experience; and his two sidekicks, Matsuda and Motohama, the perverted trio of DxD.
"Seriously?" I muttered, shaking my head. "Today of all days?"
Before I could discreetly walk away and pretend I hadn't seen anything, a scream tore through the air.
"PERVERTS!"
The facility door slammed open and three girls from the kendo club stormed out like furies, their shinai raised high. I recognized them too: Murayama and Katase, the most active members of the club, and another third one I didn't remember.
The perverted trio ran off like their lives depended on it, the girls hot on their heels.
I sighed, relieved I wasn't involved, and started walking in the opposite direction.
"YOU TOO!" another shout from a brown-haired girl with hair in two pigtails. If I remembered correctly, her name was Murayama.
I blinked.
I slowly turned around.
Murayama stood before me, her bamboo sword pointed directly at my face, her chest heaving from the run. Katase and the other girl flanked her, with equally furious expressions.
"Excuse me?" I said, raising an eyebrow.
"We saw you!" accused a pink-haired girl. "You were with them! You're another pervert!"
"Me?" I pointed at my chest, incredulous. "I was taking a walk. Just passing by. Literally just passing by."
"We don't believe you!" Murayama insisted. "All perverts say the same thing!"
I sighed deeply. This type of situation was exactly what I didn't need. But well, since I was here...
I rolled my eyes exaggeratedly.
"Look, if I wanted to spy on locker rooms, I'd do it in a place with a better angle. That crack is poorly positioned, the wood is old and obstructs the view, and besides," I looked them up and down with a feigned air of evaluation, "honestly, I wouldn't gain much by spying on you."
The silence that followed was so thick you could cut it with a knife.
Murayama opened her mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.
"How dare you...!?"
"It's the truth," I interrupted, shrugging. "Look at yourself. You're furious, sweating, your uniform disheveled from running. Not exactly my type. And you," I pointed at Katase, "you have a soy sauce stain on your collar. You ate lunch in a hurry, right?"
Katase instinctively brought her hand to her collar. Found the stain. Turned red.
The third girl took a step back, as if I were a demon (ironic, given the circumstances).
"Now," I continued, crossing my arms, "if you're done falsely accusing an innocent person, the real perverts ran off in that direction." I pointed to where I'd seen Issei and company run. "If you run, maybe you can still catch them. But honestly, given how fast they flee when it comes to facing consequences, I doubt it."
And without waiting for a response, I turned around and calmly started walking away.
I didn't look back. I didn't need to. I could feel their confused stares on my back.
A smile spread across my face.
Well played, Asher. Well played.
---
Two days after that incident, while I was putting my books in my locker after classes ended, I heard approaching footsteps. Determined footsteps, but not aggressive ones.
"Cranel-san?"
I turned around. It was Murayama. Alone. With her hands behind her back and an expression that mixed shame and determination.
"Murayama-san," I responded, nodding politely.
She took a deep breath. Then, without warning, she bowed so deeply that her forehead nearly touched her knees.
"I WANT TO APOLOGIZE FOR MY BEHAVIOR BEFORE! I WAS RUDE AND UNFAIR TO YOU!"
I blinked. Once, twice.
"Uh..." was my eloquent response.
"Katase-chan confirmed that you weren't with the perverts," she continued, still bowed. "Another student saw everything from a distance and confirmed that you arrived after, when they were already spying. And I... I accused you without evidence. It was unforgivable."
She straightened up, but her eyes still wouldn't meet mine.
"If there's anything I can do to make it up to you, please tell me. Anything."
Anything.
An idea crossed my mind. A simple, innocent idea, but a useful one.
"Well," I said, and she looked up. "Since you're offering... how about a outing?"
Her expression shifted from shame to surprise, and from there to a bright red that would have made any tomato pale in comparison.
"An o-outing? Like... like a d-date?"
"No, no, no," I quickly reassured her, raising my hands. "Nothing romantic. It's just... I just moved to Kuoh. I've only been here two weeks and I barely know anything about the city. I thought maybe you could show me the interesting places. Like... I don't know, a tour guide?"
Murayama blinked, processing the information. Slowly, the red faded from her cheeks, replaced by an expression of understanding.
"Ah... I see. A guide. Yes, sure, I can do that." Then, as if she just realized something, her eyes widened. "Wait! You're a foreigner?"
I nodded.
"England. Well, half English, half who-knows-what. My family moved here for my father's work."
"But..." she frowned. "But you speak Japanese perfectly. Native level. No accent. How?"
I shrugged.
"Internet. Online courses, watching anime without subtitles, reading manga in Japanese. You learn faster than you think when you're motivated."
And when your other self spent entire nights doing exactly that, I added mentally.
"Wow," she said, impressed. "That's... impressive."
"Thanks." I smiled. "So, what do you say? Will you be my tour guide?"
She hesitated for a second, but then nodded.
"Alright. I accept." A small smile appeared on her face. "As compensation."
"Great. How about Saturday?"
"Saturday?" She thought for a moment. "Yes, Saturday works. I don't have kendo practice that day."
"Perfect. Shall we meet at the train station? At ten?"
"Okay."
We exchanged one last look, and then she said goodbye with a small bow before quickly walking away. I stayed by the locker, watching her go, an amused smile on my face.
Well, I thought. First successful social contact in this world. And with a girl from the kendo club, no less. Issei would be proud.
But my smile faded as I remembered the other presence. That feeling of being watched was still there, constant, inescapable. And as I walked back home, I couldn't help but wonder what the red-haired demon princess was really plotting.
....
The sun was setting behind the buildings of Kuoh, painting the sky in shades of orange and red. In the old school building, in a room that officially didn't exist on any blueprint, five figures gathered around an oval table.
Rias Gremory, the crimson-haired demon princess, tilted her head slightly as she reviewed the documents her servant had delivered. Her expression was serene, as always, but her blue eyes betrayed an interest she couldn't entirely hide.
"Interesting," she murmured, setting the report down on the table.
To her right, Akeno Himejima, her queen, smiled with that air of mystery that characterized her. Cup of tea in hand, she observed her king with curiosity.
"Something worth mentioning, President?"
"The new boy. Asher Cranel."
Koneko Toujou, sitting in a corner of the room with a bag of cookies in her hand, spoke without looking up.
"Foreigner. Moved here two weeks ago. Lives with his mother. His father travels for work. No known supernatural history," the girl stated.
"He has magical power," said Kiba Yuuto, the Gremory knight, looking at his president with his ever-pleasant smile. "I sensed it from the first day."
"We've all sensed it," Rias confirmed, rising from her chair and approaching the window. The sunset painted her silhouette with golden hues. "It's not just his magical power; there's also the Sacred Gear."
Akeno set down her cup and clasped her hands on the table.
"Do you plan to recruit him, President? To have him join us?"
Silence fell over the room. Even Koneko stopped chewing for a moment.
Rias didn't answer immediately. Her eyes scanned the horizon, as if searching for answers in the sun's last rays.
"I haven't decided yet," she admitted finally. "He's powerful, that's undeniable. But power isn't everything. I need to know more about him. What kind of person he is. What he wants. If he's trustworthy."
"There's also the fact that Sona has sensed him," Kiba pointed out. "I'm sure she's keeping an eye on him too."
"Oh, I'm sure Sona-chan already has a complete file on him," Akeno laughed, a spark of amusement in her violet eyes. "Probably more detailed than ours."
Koneko, with her usual expressionless face, added:
"And he has a date with Murayama from the kendo club. Saturday. They're going to tour Kuoh."
Three pairs of eyes locked onto her.
"How do you know that?" Kiba asked, surprised.
"The lockers. I overheard the conversation."
Rias smiled faintly. Her little pawn always found the most useful information in the most unexpected places.
"Murayama..." Akeno murmured, bringing a finger to her lips. "The girl who accused him of being a pervert?"
"The same," Koneko confirmed. "She apologized. He accepted. In exchange, she'll show him around the city."
"Clever," Kiba commented, with genuine admiration. "Turning an apology into an opportunity to get to know his surroundings."
"Or maybe he just wanted to spend time with a cute girl," Akeno suggested, with a mischievous smile. "After all, he's a boy his age."
"It could be both," Rias said, returning to her seat. "And that's precisely what I need to find out. What kind of person he really is."
She looked at each of her servants.
"I want opinions. All of you. What do you think of him?"
Kiba was the first to speak.
"He's sharp-witted," Koneko contributed, in her usual monotonous tone. "What he said to Murayama and Katase when they confronted him. He left them speechless. He knows how to use words as weapons."
"And he didn't run," Akeno added, with genuine interest. "When the kendo girls confronted him, most normal boys would have gotten scared or nervous. He stayed calm."
"He's cunning," Kiba added. "And he always looks for escape routes."
Rias nodded slowly, processing each comment.
"So we have a young man who's observant, sharp-tongued, calm under pressure, and with a Sacred Gear powerful enough that both Sona and I sensed it from the first day." She smiled, but it was a thoughtful smile. "Sounds like a perfect candidate."
"But?" Akeno prompted, guessing the 'but' before it was spoken.
"But he also sounds like someone who isn't easily led. Someone who thinks for himself." Rias sighed softly. "Recruiting someone like that isn't like recruiting an ordinary human. We can't just show up and offer him a deal. We need to approach carefully. Earn his trust."
"And if Sona gets ahead of us?" Kiba asked.
"Sona is my friend, but she's also my rival," Rias responded, a spark of determination in her eyes. "If she wants to recruit him, let her try. May the best one win."
Akeno laughed softly.
"That sounds like a declaration of war, President."
Rias smiled at her queen.
"Oh, that's because it is."
...
At the other end of the school, in the immaculate facilities of the Student Council, the atmosphere was very different.
Sona Sitri, heiress of the Sitri clan and absolute queen of the council, adjusted her glasses as she reviewed a file her queen had prepared for her. Around her, the council worked in silence, each member focused on their tasks.
"All the information is here," said Tsubaki Shinra, her queen, placing a thick folder on the desk. "Family background, academic history, recent movements, and so on."
Sona nodded, quickly reviewing the documents.
"Good. Good work, Tsubaki."
"Do you really think he's worth it?" her queen asked. "I mean, yes, he has power, but there are many humans with Sacred Gears. What makes this one special?"
Sona looked up, her violet eyes gleaming with sharp intelligence.
"It's not just his Sacred Gear. It's how he uses it. Or rather, how he doesn't use it."
Tsubaki frowned.
"How so?"
"Since he arrived at this school, he hasn't shown his power even once. Not even by accident. That requires impressive control for someone who just awakened their Sacred Gear." Sona closed the file. "Plus, there's his attitude. He hasn't approached any faction. He hasn't shown any interest in the supernatural."
"You think he's hiding something?"
"I don't know. But he definitely knows something. And I want to find out what."
Tsubaki nodded, understanding. Then, with a small smile, she added:
"You plan to snatch him from Rias Gremory, don't you?"
The slightest change in Sona's expression was the only confirmation she needed. The student council president adjusted her glasses once more.
"Rias is my friend. A good friend."
"Of course."
"But if I can recruit such a promising pawn before she does..." Sona left the sentence hanging, but the small spark of satisfaction in her eyes said it all. "It would simply be... advantageous for my clan."
"Of course, President," Tsubaki repeated, with a knowing smile.
Sona returned to her file, her expression regaining its usual seriousness. But inside, a small part of her was already savoring the anticipated victory.
Rias, she thought, you won't beat me this time.