She input the digits one by one, mind distracted by not only her decision for what to be called, but also by the absurdly long contact list her phone came prebuilt with. All important faction leaders, AND deities' phone numbers. But what was important? How could such a thing be decided?
Yasaka, Nurarihyon, and Amaterasu weren't a surprise. Neither were the Four Satans, Michael, Azazel, the Trimurti, and quite a few of the big names. But the rest of the list? Well, there were certainly surprises on there. Such as both of the vampire faction leaders, Mephisto Pheles, the Hindu with a truly absurd number of Gods in her contact list, even down to relatively unknown deities in the western world like Ọlọrun, Nana Buluku, and Okhwang Sangje. Of course, there was an absurd number of beings in her contacts that weren't in that incredibly small list, but two were the most surprising.
Then again, it's Faction Leaders OR Gods, and they're both Gods. Because indeed, both Ophis and Great Red were Dragon Gods. They were the final true reason the world was called 'DxD'. This item. It shouldn't have been one point. She input the final number and dialed. It rang once. Still, to think I would have their 'number' too. That's… dangerous.' It rang twice. The scrying perk says it's not infallible. And if anyone could break it, it would be the concept of Dreams made manifest. It rang thrice, and she heard the click of a connection. She put on a smile, even though the other person wouldn't be able to see it. "Hello! Is this the Inoue residence?"
"Oh! Yes this is dear, are you looking for my son?" A warm matronly voice rang through the speakers of her phone, and she stifled the instinctive twitch in her eyebrows. Gotta remember I'm physically even younger than before. How embarrassing to have a mother assume she was a child seeking a playdate. Or even worse, a crush. The thought of that alone had her wanting to gag. She liked her partners not looking like children, thank you very much.
"Aah, no, sorry." She fluctuated her voice to be a bit bashful at the start before then turning more serious. "Would you happen to be Kiyoko-san?"
The matronly woman's voice seemed the same, and yet she could detect a hint of something other underneath it now when she spoke. "That's me, dear. Is there something you need?"
"Aah, that's great!" Letting her relief showcase because she did NOT want to have to figure out how to do this herself, she explained at a rapid pace and a bit rambly. "Sorry to bother you, Kiyoko-san. I'm Steliana Utsusemi, and I saw your post on the Kuoh board offering services, and I'm in a bit of need of your help! Which I'll pay for, of course." Naturally, she also had a middle name picked out, but who introduces their middle name in a first conversation? Certainly not me.
"Oh my, which of my services are you in need of? It's not often I'm called for supernatural purposes since I've moved to Kuoh."
"Aah, I'm afraid that a local Tsuchigomo must have been… more hungry than they let on." There was a small gasp of surprise and horror from the woman, but the newly named Steliana continued onward. "I need some help making sure seven adult human bodies are properly given back to their families, and these two Youkai children are done the same if they have them." She knew that to a regular human—or her past self from just an hour or two ago—that last part would have been interesting. Or perhaps misunderstood as her hinting at them possibly being dead.
But no, that wasn't the case. Because when she had been granted her magical knowledge and understanding of how to use Yojutsu for Elemental, Teleportation, and Summoning magic, that came with understanding of Youjutsu, of Youki, and thus Youkai. Youkai existed physically, yes. They aged, they died, they ate, drank, and slept like any other being. But they were inherently spiritual beings. They could be traditionally created by parents. Or they could be birthed by a certain gathering of emotions, horrible events, or remnant spiritual energies of powerful beings. Which is likely how the first of every Youkai species was born. At least the majority of them.
Yet, Kiyoko-san wasn't aware of Steliana's thoughts and so let out a little gasp. When she spoke, the matronly tone was almost gone, filled with sorrow laced and threaded with an inner steel. "For this, you don't need to pay, sweetie. The prefecture government for both supernatural and mundane pay me to do this part of my services. Is the Tsuchigomo gone? Do you need any immediate help?"
Steliana's smile grew a bit wider. Truly a decent person. That had been the reading she had gotten from looking through the Kuoh boards, and while there were a couple of other people she could have contacted for help, she had thought Kiyoko seemed like the most trustworthy of the bunch. "No, no. I'm fine, don't worry! The Tsuchigomo is dead, though. A stray Devil killed it, but luckily it was weakened enough for me to deal with before it could hurt me!" Which was true, there was no way the Devil hadn't used a decent chunk of its magic to take out the Tsuchigomo, although it was clearly quite a decent chunk stronger.
"Oh my…" There was a pause, and through the phone, she could barely hear a deep inhale and the shaking of a head. "I'm sorry you had to go through with that. But luckily you're safe, and it's over now! Are you still there? And if so, do you need a ride somewhere?"
Steliana looked around the warehouse awkwardly. Well, I don't want to lie. While everyone lied, she personally thought it was best to do so as little as possible. "I'm safe!" Acting quickly, she erased her cocoon doorway before leaping up toward a broken window, creating a new doorway in the process. "I did go back to the warehouse to check on it while I was figuring out who to call, but I'm gone now!" Technically not a lie at all! Just… a slight fib on how long ago she was there.
"Well, that's good. Children shouldn't have to be around that, especially not after what you went through! Just give me the address, and I'll have it taken care of."
"It's fine, my mom and dad didn't raise someone afraid of blood!" Considering she had seen her father in the middle of a massacre at like eleven, this? It was nothing. She had done things that looked far worse herself. "The address is…." As she listed out the address, sweat gathered across the back of Steliana's neck as she scratched her cheek. Luckily, I remembered to check the map app beforehand as well. That would have been even more embarrassing. "Thank you for the help!"
"Of course, keep safe now!"
She let out a relieved sigh as the call ended. Definitely think I chose the right person, but I'll just have to wait and see. A good thing about her doors is that she could see through them, which is why she hadn't just left. If it turned out that the matronly and warm-sounding Kiyoko wasn't who she appeared to be, then she'd have to do something about that.
Even if she was incredibly weak right now, at least she'd have the knowledge to act on it later if something did go wrong. I'm also just plain tapped out right now. Her Youki was bone dry, and that sort of meant her Vampire side was too. It's kind of like oil in an emulsion. If done properly, they're combined, but they can also be split. She was a hybrid, so her two magic 'sources' had so far been pretty combined, allowing her to easily transition from Youjutsu to Vampiric powers. But that didn't mean they totally were.
It was kind of weird, considering Steliana was used to her source of power being just pure magic, and that one source fueling everything strange and unique about her. Just one more thing to get used to. Well, as long as she didn't decide to jump into the pit of slavery—at least until she was strong enough to just say 'no'—that was being a reincarnated Devil.
Being a reincarnated devil had both pros and cons to it, the biggest con being the aforementioned slavery. Also, the second her clan trait was showcased, it would likely piss off every single Old Satan faction member, AND have the third strongest devil in history hunting her head. Yet even through that… a strange smile formed on her lips. Hehehe. Then again, my name will piss them off even more when it's revealed.
But that was for years and years from now. In the current moment? She needed to study, research, and watch! Making a 'window' in her singular existing door, she settled in on the floor with her phone up. Time to devour these forums and Devilpedia. Knowledge was power after all. Especially when she had very little cultural knowledge of Japan or the Youkai, looked like a young girl, had no parents, and had no fixed home address.
Yeah, she needed to do some damn fine research. I am getting a bit thirsty, though. I wonder where my infinite flask is? Eh, she was sure she'd find it after some searching around the cupboards and fridge. It had to be somewhere in the apartment.
Whatever, I'll look later! I got lots to figure out. How to enroll in Kuoh Academy's… Middle school? Whatever they call it in Japan. Youkai and Vampire physiology notes I need to keep track of, anything the boards say about training or Youki grow, cultural stuff, the economy, and so much more!
Yeah, it was a lot. That didn't even get to the point that she was also going to have to set up a training schedule, explore Kuoh, and figure out at least a building she could say was her house for paper and a physical trail purposes. So much to do. And I haven't even thought of whether I want to interact with the Slash/dog shenanigans happening right now! Not that she was strong enough to do so, no matter if she COULD barely be classified as a low-class. Without any sacred gear or quick 'power-up' button, she'd be pretty helpless there.
A sigh escaped from her. Alright. Focus on one thing, even more super brain. Super-duper brain? Eh. Whatever. I can worry and plot later. So, she began studying, occasionally looking up to check on the warehouse.
.
.
An hour of studying passed. In the first half, she focused on understanding the basics of the Japanese school system and Kuoh Academy—currently called the Kuoh All Girls Academy. It was pretty simple in truth. Especially because the Academy was what was called an escalator system, where the entire academy spanned from Elementary school, Junior High, High, and then College in one enclosed system. With them all being on one very, very large campus. Albeit with entirely different sets of buildings and restricted access to the other school outside of events. Hell, the four different schools even had their own entrances! Honestly, kind of insane. But kind of cool.
It was new, which was entertaining, and if there was one thing Steliana was up for, it was new things. The past six or so years—counting the time loop—had been incredibly boring, lonely, and plain. So even something like going to school again was interesting enough to enthuse her, as long as there was something different about it. She'd naturally be starting at the Junior High 1 level, which, in five years during the canon start time, would put her at High School 3. The same exact year and class as Rias. Except I don't know when she actually comes to Kuoh. I know it's at least a year because she and Sona were the cause of the change from All-Girls to both. So it could be one year before canon, or even two.
No matter when it was, it didn't affect the present! If she were able to join now, even though it was already a month into the school season, she'd be well on track to have already been long rooted in the school by the time they came. There's just one problem. Getting in. Grades and school record weren't a problem, as those had come with the documentation that the being that reincarnated her had freely granted, thankfully. No, there were three other problems. Money, custodial guardians, and connections.
While she could fix all of those by just forcibly turning a bunch of the relevant staff into Vampires, she wouldn't do that for an inexhaustible number of reasons. Amusingly enough, none of them were at all related to the need to drink blood. The Youkai Dhampire refusing to turn people because they would become bloodsucking abominations would be hilarious, though. So that kind of left her in a tough place.
… That is, if she weren't a Youkai in the middle of Japan, and she hadn't chosen the message boards world change. More specifically, a Youkai that had above-average knowledge in three separate magical systems for the sake of elemental magic, and two separate systems for both summoning and teleportation magic.
As it was, she had two options. The first one, and likely the shortest and simplest option, was to summon a Devil and make a deal. Considering Kuoh City was Devil territory AND Devils were forbidden from taking souls in this world, it wasn't a bad plan. Except for one thing.
Her magic. The amount of power Steliana had at her disposal currently was pathetic. It was likely that some Nekoshou or Vampires as toddlers could have more. It was only through sheer experience and control that she had managed to let out those two light and dark spells. Both physically and magically, she could only be counted among low class because she was Supernatural. There was no way she could summon a High-class Devil without one of their flyers, and she didn't know a Mid-class Devil that she could summon that could help. At least one that wasn't just as much of a child as she was right now.
Which left her with the longer, more difficult option. Using the message board to trade services. However, that was for another day to figure out—more likely tomorrow. The second half of her hour of studying? Mindlessly memorizing street names, important locations, buildings, restaurants, etc all across Kuoh City.
It was tedious, boring work, but there was an upside. She'd never have to do it again. In her first life, she was already a Genius among Geniuses. She had created nearly a thousand spells by the age of 18, whereas most lifelong Grimoires made by a standard witch would be lucky to have a couple of dozen. In this life? She was bolstered by twelve points of pure intellect boosting. I was perhaps a bit arrogant, thinking that it wouldn't affect me.
After all, while she was a Genius among Geniuses, that was in the 'real world'. Not a world where people could reach the level of destroying countries through math. Or even crazier in the case of Ajuka Beelzebub, reach a level of power through understanding of the world to be an actual threat to the continued existence of said world.
Thank you, past me, for picking that damn perk. While she couldn't say where exactly on the spectrum she was, the only reason she had even struggled with the 'math' section of the spells she had been granted was purely that there had just been so much of it, and her brain was still fundamentally a tiny pathetic kitty-vampire low-class brain that wasn't bolstered by an absurd amount of magic.
Bit of a tangent there, definitely feeling that difference too. I'm gonna need to work on some meditation and self-control now. Still, that was another thing for another time. In essence, the one hour of studying had been quite productive, and she now had the entire Google map of Japan memorized in her brain.
Learning an entire school system and the general layout of a city wasn't too bad for a singular hour, if Stelianna dared say for herself. Which she did. But there was indeed a reason it was only one hour of study. Hello there, Kiyoko-san and friends.
Peering through the one-way window in the doorway, she had a sweeping view of the warehouse, considering she had made the entrance in the middle of a broken window. As such, she could perfectly see not only them pull up in a very large van, but also get out of said large van. This world… doesn't disappoint.
Kiyoko herself was a beautiful woman appearing in her late-thirties with intricately braided white hair that had what appeared to be crow feathers artfully placed in it. She had fair, smooth skin, rose-tinted lips, an absolutely rocking blue dress in a style Steliana didn't recognize, and boobs that, while large, were not surprisingly so for the world she now lived in.
No, the reason she said the world didn't disappoint was because of how round, perky, and shiny they were. How are they even SHINY? How does that work? Kiyoko-san's not sweating! If she weren't thirteen and barely physically starting puberty, on top of currently acting like a creep peeking through a window, she'd probably have felt something besides amusement about them. As it was, Steliana stared respectfully for a couple of seconds before turning toward Kiyoko's two 'friends'.
They were the real reason that she had thought the world didn't disappoint. Jesus, those jawlines and eyes. Of course, the muscles. Oh the muscles… Shaking her head, she couldn't help the dreamy sigh that left her. This world is truly absurd. Then again, who could deny that a world that had a bunch of supernaturally hot people would come with an absurd amount of eye candy? Now, if only the behaviour could be improved.
Trust her, she wasn't going to kink shame someone, but this world definently took some things WAY too far at times. But enough of that! Head in the game. Getting control of her mind and hormones, Steliana watched as they entered the warehouse. The three well-grown Youkai paused at the sight that met them before getting to work. The two men went about carefully moving, respectfully covering, and then gently loading the victims' bodies into the van, starting with the humans.
Kiyoko, on the other hand, had immediately gone over to the Stray Devil's body and began to cast a Yojutsu spell. Eh?! That's interesting. Eyes widened a bit in shock, Steliana watched as a very basic, crude, and inefficient teleportation circle appeared beneath the Devil before he was sucked into it dissapearing.
Even more surprising was the fact that Kiyoko seemed to sag from the effort. Strange, why would she form the circle like that? There were so many inefficiencies in it. From the research she had done before contacting anyone and through her understanding of the Devil's power system, Kiyoko would be at the peak of Low-Class, almost on the verge of being Mid-Class.
Which, while in the story didn't seem like a huge deal, it in fact was. See, if Kiyoko were a Devil, she'd be someone who would soon be titled Dame or even Baronetess and become proper nobility, assuming she had enough education and merit. So why was her teleportation circle so crude, and why was her control over her Youki so poor? It was absolutely puzzling, especially considering that besides Issei himself, most Low-Class representatives she could call upon as reference wouldn't have struggled even remotely with that.
I'm definitely missing something. After a couple of minutes of rest while the men went about putting the bodies in the van, Kiyoko had finally recovered. Moving up to the Tsuchigomo's body, whose stomach was gutted open and most of its insides missing, a look of absolute disgust and loathing appeared on the beautiful woman's face as her now paler, almost bloodless appearing lips curled up in disdain. "Abomination, Youkai like you are why we struggle so much."
Damn girl, you go! Talk down to that body. In Steliana's view, talking shit to a monster, be it alive or dead, was always the proper way to go if you weren't being hospitable and kind. There could be no in the middle! It was either perfect politeness or trash-talking them to death and beyond. Strangely enough, taking the middle ground in the past just led to a worse outcome. Weird how the world works sometimes.
Still, even as Kiyoko said that, she didn't do anything like spit on the body, and instead pulled out her phone and took a few pictures of the Tsuchigomo and the scene around him. Once that was done, she put her phone away, and a vindivicate almost maniacal smile appeared on her lips as a Yojutsu magical circle appeared around both her hands. "Burning scum like you? Oh, it takes me back to before I retired." Then, from the Yojutsu circle came a lance of fire that skewered the Tsuchigomo and set it alight, quickly burning it to ash.
Damn. Okay, first impression from that horrendous teleportation circle aside? Kiyoko was FAR stronger than the Stray Devil. She still counts as a Low-Class? That's. Kind of absurd, no? That spell was clearly far more practiced, and while she did see a decent amount of errors in it, there were far fewer compared to the teleportation circle.
But what she was shocked by was the power. Absurd. Absolutely absurd. She has nearly twenty times the Youki I do, and yet still isn't able to breach Mid-class? Of course, she COULD say that in the Devil system, that would be because of inefficiency, and with some training, that could be 'patched up'. That it wouldn't be that hard to make her Mid-class.
But for Youkai? It was a completely different case. Her own race was a shining example. Kuroka was considered an Ultimate-class Devil, yet she still only had two tails. Why? Raw, sheer power. That was the only thing Youkai biology cared for, at least in Steliana's current hypothesis. So then, I need to get at least twenty times more combined Youki and Vampiric Magic to hit Mid-Class in raw power. How much more would I need to reach High Class and be considered an 'adult' Nekoshou in power? Double that, triple, or even quadruple?
Truly, the gap was insane. Then again, it makes sense. At least for Low-Class, that is. It ranges from a competent, fully-fledged adult Supernatural to a Magician who would nearly die lighting a candle. I doubt there's such a huge gap in raw power for Mid-Class or even High Class. Ultimate class though? That was an entirely different beast, and she didn't dare to compare it yet.
As the last bit of the Tsuchigomo was turned to ash, Kiyoko turned away and began to walk out of the warehouse. Steliana's thoughts fell silent for a moment. It wasn't a humbling series of events, no. But it was a shocking one. I have a long, long way to go. Then, out of nowhere. She laughed. Loud, hard, and slightly mad.
I have a long way to go for power for once! For once, I'll actually have to work for something, for once I'll have to be 'normal' and train not for the sake of control or polishing my skill, but for actual growth! It was… amazing!
Thank you so much, my love. Even if this is an absurd ecchi world, thank you. Her laughter died out, yet a mad smile remained on her face.