Shin High School DxD Volume 1 Chapter 1

Life.1 High-cla.s.s Devil Hyoudou Issei.

Part 1

A few days later—.

We went to the world of Devils the Underworld, during our school holidays. Although the Underworld was different from the human realm, the vastness of it was roughly the same, but there was no ocean as only vast land spread across the realm. The Underworld was formerly divided into two parts, the Devils' and Fallen Angels' (Angels who were banished from Heaven as they held wicked sentiments) territories. However, since all mythologies, including Angels, started to form an alliance last year, they all started interacting with each other and the feeling of tension caused by crossing the national border had almost disappeared as well.

The place we were at was the Gremory territory in the Devils' Underworld. It was the territory that the feudal lord High-cla.s.s Devil Gremory household managed. The engagement press conference was held at the most gorgeous hotel in that castle town. And as the press corps throughout the Underworld had gathered at the hall that was prepared for the press conference, I and — the beautiful girl who was sitting beside me at the conference seat, Rias Gremory, were dazzled because of the flashes of light being fired off. A crimson-haired woman with blue eyes overflowing with elegance! A clear-headed woman who excelled in using the power of a Devil. magic, she was indeed the genius woman who was accomplished in both literary and military arts! Plus, she had an unrivaled style and big oppai!

Yes, the beautiful crimson-haired girl sitting next to me was my Devil master, as well as the next head of the Gremory household, a princess, Rias Gremory. She was currently a university student and had retired naturally from the Occult Research Club, giving her position of president to Asia as she graduated from Kuoh Academy this autumn. Rias and I lined up and started the press conference as we told the press corps—.

"—And as such, I would like to report that I, Rias Gremory, am engaged to this man, Hyoudou Issei."

As the press conference started, she announced the engagement news alongside a light greeting. In an instant, Rias and I were dazzled by the simultaneous flashes that intensified. Because this press conference was held to tell the public that I was officially engaged with Rias, I also…

"I'll take part in the introduction as well… Uhm, but I think everyone already knows about me…"

I started my speech that way and continued with [I am engaged to Rias Gremory]. Rias was a celebrity as she was a High-cla.s.s Devil princess, and her brother was also the Maou Lucifer. Being her servant, as well as the reputation that I got through fighting against the terrorist organisation [Khaos Brigade] who had been harming Devils and other mythologies, I was not only known by the Underworld but also by other mythologies. Coupled with the power of the legendary Dragon, the [Welsh Dragon], Red Dragon Emperor Ddraig, who dwelled inside my body, the interest of the upper echelons towards me kept increasing. …And a-above all, the reason why I was popular was… It was when the reporter gave out his question. The first reporter asked.

"This is a question directed to the celebrity of the Underworld, Oppai Dragon, otherwise known as Hyoudou Issei. I would like to ask about the start of your romantic life with the Switch Princess, Rias Gremory—"

—Oppai Dragon, Switch Princess. Such ridiculous words came out of nowhere… [Oppai Dragon] was a superhero SFX program with the official name [Breast Dragon Emperor (Chichiryuutei) Oppai Dragon]. Whenever I encountered a problem, I would always say [Oppai! Oppai!], and because of the mysterious power up that I got as a result of those oppai, people started calling me the [Oppai Dragon], and it was even made into a TV program. Thanks to that, I became popular among the children in the Underworld. And the reason Rias was called [Switch Princess] was because of her oppai being the trigger for my power-ups. I would get a power-up if I…uhm, touched and poked Rias's oppai. …Thinking about it calmly, I surely didn't know what I was saying. But thanks to that, I had escaped from a pinch several times, as well as making progress in terms of power, so I guess it can't be helped! Did my way of growing change as a result of my excessive demand for oppai as well?

And as there were such things, the fact that Rias and I experienced various circ.u.mstances until now made us famous not only in the Underworld, but also among the other mythologies. Well, it might also because of our engagement that we attracted this much attention in the press conference. As I answered the reporters' questions, I thought about such things. However, the reporters kept on asking us questions one after another.

"There is a rumour saying that the marriage will occur soon after Princess Rias graduates from university. Is this true?"

"Hyoudou-san! Please tell me what your proposal speech was like! While your proposal to the other girls in the tournament was popular, I would like you to tell me your proposal to Princess Rias as it hasn't been made public yet!"

"I've heard that Hyoudou-san is also engaged with other girls, but have the dates for the weddings been decided?"

"Rias-hime, what's the engagement order of the girls?"

"There was also a rumour saying that there might be a possibility of marrying the daughter of the Phoenix household, Ravel-hime. What's your take on this matter?"

"Are you going to live in the Underworld after you get married? Or are you going to live in Hyoudou-san's parents' house in the human realm?"

Both Rias and I responded with the answers that we had remembered before like 'Let's see, actually—' or 'We can't give you any answers yet'. However, as we couldn't answer all the questions, we signalled to the organisers at an appropriate time.

[Now, we will end the engagement press conference.]

As the organisers closed the event, Rias and I stood up from our seats and left the place.

"Hyoudou-san!"

"Princess Rias!"

Behind us, the storm of flashes continued, and quite a number of questions were tossed out. As expected, an engagement with a princess sure is troublesome, huh… Or so I felt, but I took a deep breath and looked at Rias as soon as we stepped into the corridor and the doors to the venue were closed behind us.

"Hahaha."

"Fufufu."

As if our nervousness had completely disappeared, both of us burst into laughter. With this, the press conference ended safely. By the way, about the proposal speech that was asked in one of the questions… Nevermind, I will stop bringing it up, it's too embarra.s.sing!

Rias and I were ushered in by our comrades as we returned to the dressing room. I quickly sat on the chair as I was worn out.

"Ah, it finally ended… These kinds of things sure are tiring."

"Good work out there."

Ravel then presented me a gla.s.s of tea. Man, I was grateful that my manager was so thoughtful. Rias smiled wryly as she said.

"We have no choice as I am the next head of the n.o.ble Gremory household and you're the Underworld's super famous man. It's only natural that if we hold a press conference, it would turn out like this. We have no choice but to adapt. The life of a Devil is long after all."

I came to a realisation. …If one were to become a celebrity in the Underworld, that person must do something like this whenever something happens… By the way, just as Rias said, a Devil's lifespan is long. It was said to be as long as ten thousand years, or even longer than that. If I had to do this kind of thing every year, did it mean that I would have to do it another ten thousand times? …Just thinking about it, I became annoyed. Xenovia was looking at her smartphone as she said.

"Look, [Oppai Dragon] and [Switch Princess] are trending right now on the Underworld's social media."

Xenovia then showed us her phone screen… It's real, it seemed like everyone was clamorously talking about our engagement press conference. Rias smiled.

"Fufufu, we need to be careful, eh? We are being followed by the media and many people."

…Yeah, it's just as Rias said. We should be careful not to let any bad rumours spread out. Well, our activities were currently centered on the human realm as well, so I guess the media wouldn't chase us that far, and that meant that I could rest easy as there wouldn't be any direct news coverage. Suddenly, as if Xenovia had remembered something, she said.

"Maybe it would be better if we held an engagement press conference as well?"

Asia panicked in response to this.

"Hauu! As expected, it would seem that I-I won't be able to endure something like that…"

Xenovia and Asia were frightened of the engagement press conference. Actually, there was a question that was asked during the press conference just now as well, but…I was engaged with girls other than Rias!

Asia Argento, Himejima Akeno-san, Toujou Shirone (Koneko)-chan…and her sister Kuroka, as well as Xenovia Quarta, Shidou Irina, and Rossweisse-san! As of now, there were eight girls whom I had vowed my future with. Or should I say, I proposed to them (there were also cases of reverse proposal though?) Hehehe, I decided to make all of the girls who fancied me into my brides. After all, they had accompanied me through various things thus far such as daily life, and also in battle. Also, we're talking about me, the one who aimed to be the Harem King, you know! If there was a girl who told me that she liked me, and I also liked her…I would want to make her happy as well! As it was possible for Devils to be married to a number of people of the opposite s.e.x, that problem there is cleared. As my first lover, and also my fiancee, Rias was well aware of this. Since Rias was a pure-blooded Devil who understood polygamy, she agreed and gave her permission to have more than one bride. In fact, it was Rias who had the guts to manage the girls by herself. Rias said to the girls.

"I am sure that there are those who have to and those who don't have to do it. Asia and Xenovia, you guys don't have to do it. The same for Akeno, Shirone, and Kuroka."

Ah, so it was fine whether I do it or not. Although I thought so, the next press conference was going to be with Asia or Akeno-san… So it was okay if I didn't do it, huh. The j.a.panese onee-sama with glossy long black hair, (what an outstanding style!) Himejima Akeno-san, disappointedly said.

"Ara, ara, not doing the press conference with my husband…Ise-kun, even though I was unexpectedly looking forward to it."

"…I am fine whether we do it or not as the fact that I am Ise-senpai's bride won't change."

The one who sat on my lap while eating a snack as she spoke was my small loli junior who was a year below me, Toujou Shirone-chan. Although now, everyone calls her [Shirone-chan] rather than her former name, [Toujou Koneko]. Akeno-san was the [Queen], while Shirone-chan a.k.a Koneko-chan was the [Rook] of Rias's peerage. Asia, Xenovia, and Rossweisse-san were also Rias's servants in the beginning, but when I was promoted, a trade occurred and they became my servants now. There was a girl who raised her hand this way. A naive girl with light-brown hair tied into twintails — my childhood friend, Shidou Irina. Irina, who was a reincarnated Angel, said.

"Ah, I will probably do it. It's for the officials of Heaven. I received such an explanation from the higher-ups."

The current Angels couldn't produce new ones as a result of the Great War that happened between the Three Factions in the past. As they formed an alliance, the Angels used the technology that was suggested by the Devils and Fallen Angels to create a system that made the targeted person become reborn as an Angel. Irina was Michael-san's (a leader in Heaven) Ace. Because Angels imitated the Devils' reincarnation system, the [Evil Pieces], they used playing cards as their form of reincarnation. And as Irina received the Ace card from Michael-san, she became a Reincarnated Angel.

"Are you serious! Well, that's right… Irina is Michael-san's Ace after all…"

As Irina said that to me, I nodded as I tried to show consent. …The engagement press conference with Irina was directed to Heaven? Or was it for the Christian church? A press conference that had a sacred atmosphere was…it was like scary from a Devil's perspective, or it felt like something new… There was another one who raised her hand. —It was Rossweisse-san.

"As I was born as a Valkyrie, is it better for me to tell the Norse?"

Rossweisse-san was a former Valkyrie who was born in the Norse mythology. If that's the case, should we contact her hometown Asgard and hold a press conference there…? Because our comrades came from a lot of places, we would be thinking about these things a lot. It was the same for the wedding ceremony, where would we hold it for each one, and I was sure that there would be many opinions from this stage onwards. Even though it was something distant, it was better to prepare it as fast as we could.

"Hahaha…it seems like I really have no choice but to get used to this."

I laughed awkwardly as I scratched my cheek. …Even though it was nothing but hard work, it was full of happiness. I was really grateful that I was adored by a lot of girls. What a blessing indeed.

This one and a half year, I had come close to death several times… no, I did fight in intense battles that would have destroyed my body, but when I thought that I promised my comrades and girlfriends, 'is it really worth it to die?' …It's obvious that living was better. However, the incidents that fell upon me were all nothing but hardships that could've killed me!

"Becoming the future Harem King sure is hard work."

The one who said that from behind was the handsome prince Kiba Yuuto! This guy was Rias's [Knight] and my best friend. He became my best friend as he survived through death several times along with me. I laughed bitterly as I said in response to my friend's words.

"Well, I'll somehow manage it."

Yes, I had no choice but to manage it.

Compared to battles where I could have died, this kind of thing was nothing. Also, days without battles like these were extremely important to us. If it's for the happiness of the future, this man, Hyoudou Issei, will stand up to do his best! —And, it was at the moment when I fired myself up. My manager a.k.a Ravel opened her notebook as she said to me.

"And now, Ise-sama, It's time for our next job. I have matched several requests that got in with our trip to Underworld. Uhm, there will be an interview as the Oppai Dragon from a kids' magazine within two hours. And after that, you will be shooting for the next commercial—"

…As I became famous, my private life became pretty much nonexistent. Having become a High-cla.s.s Devil and moved a step closer to achieving my dream of becoming a Harem King, reality just kept overwhelming me—.

Part 2

The next day—.

I was at school. gazing at the sky as I sat on a bench in Kuoh Academy's high school campus grounds.

"Ahh—, I want to taste some oppai…"

I said in a daze.

I had less time to chat with the girls as well as my schedule and things got pretty hectic. The ecchi events were becoming more and more seldom as I had my work as the Oppai Dragon and partic.i.p.ated in the Rating Game World Tournament. s.h.i.t! I really miss those moments where the Church Trio Asia, Xenovia and Irina would surprise me by doing ecchi things!

… Although I was baffled at first, I now missed the laughter of Asia’s and others because things were so sudden.

Ah, Rating Game is the compet.i.tion for of Devils. It’s a compet.i.tion in which one commands their servants as chess pieces to engage in battle against an opponent’s servants, and each of these matches follows a certain set of rules.

Although in the Underworld everyone used this tournament to aim for the top, it was also one of the ambitions for high-cla.s.s Devils. Partic.i.p.ating in the Rating Game actively was also one of Rias’ dream.

Currently, there’s a tournament happening called the first Rating Game World Tournament [Azazel Cup] that’s all mythologies are partic.i.p.ating in. I also made my own team and partic.i.p.ated in the tournament. Rias entered the tournament with her own team as well. Both my and Rias’ teams splendidly managed to be come two of the sixteen teams that make it to the main draw after struggling against various strong enemies.

And as there were those things, I am in a condition where I had to think about [Devil’s Job], my job as the [Oppai Dragon], the private marriage press conference, and also special training to prepare for the tournament. On top of that, I also had my usual student life.

… Spending time with Rias had become something rather precious as Rias had her own team and her [Devils’ Job]. d.a.m.n, even though just until some time ago, I would have been sleeping with Rias and Asia on my bed side by side! Even though I could bury my face into Rias’ Oppai and sleep soundly!

…But, there were also times where I wouldn’t be able to. And right now, it was one of those times.

So, I had an irresistible desire to taste Rias's oppai.

Rias's oppai… Man, I really missed the sensation of touching those best squishy and smooth oppai…I wanted to grope them with all my fingers as I buried my face into them! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! I really wanted to touch those oppaiiiiiiii! Can't I just forget everything for a moment while being engulfed by those lovely oppai once in a while?!? Can't you let me do it? It was the moment when I wailed inside my heart.

Thud!

My head was. .h.i.t from behind. As I turned back — there was a lecherous-looking dude with a bald head and another one wearing gla.s.ses standing there. As I recognised them, I complained to them.

"That hurts! What are you doing Matsuda, Motohama!?"

The dude with a bald head, Matsuda, who looked angry, got closer to me.

"Shut up! d.a.m.n you! Don't say such envious things in the dusk!"

This time it was the one who wore gla.s.ses, Motohama, who screamed with a face full of hatred.

"That's right! The you a year and a half ago would have been saying 'I want to grope oppai' together with us!"

The angry Matsuda suddenly started to shed tears.

"Yet…you abandoned us to enjoy a nice life…!"

Motohama also put his hand on Matsuda's shoulder as he said with tears and regret.

"I'm sure that every night he always touches, gropes, gets sandwiched, and has already gotten used to Rias-senpai's b.r.e.a.s.t.s and does it to his heart's content! We're talking about this man after all."

—The two b.a.s.t.a.r.ds that suddenly appeared before me sobbing were Matsuda and Motohama. They were my dubious friends that I had been hanging out with since a long time ago. Including me, the three of us were infamous in the academy as the perverted trio. We would watch p.o.r.n and talk about eroge together, you know? We even went as far as to sneak into a club's room to peek and get some info on girls with good style. However, as a result of telling them that I was dating Rias since autumn this year, every time something happened, they would flame me with 'Die, you riajuu!'¹. …As until one and a half year ago we would scream 'Die, you riajuu!' to each other, they must think that I was a traitor as I made a girlfriend. …Well, even though one and a half year ago we argued about the same as well. But I guess it couldn't be helped as their memories of that time were erased… Because their responses were the same as that time's, so how should I put it… It's like nostalgic, or complicated…

However, since they kept the fact that Rias and I were dating secret from other students, I could feel that they actually did care about me. Rias who graduated was once an Idol of the academy. If the fact that I, one of the three infamous perverts, was dating with that Rias were known by other students… It's so clear that there would be unprecedented things happening as well as my school life taking a one-eighty turn. As if they understood this, Matsuda and Motohama kept this fact from other students even though they would flare at me at times. …Thank you, Matsuda, Motohama. By the way, I haven't gotten used to it yet, you know. Also, the fact that I and Rias were Devils was a secret for the time being. …If they knew about the existence of supernatural beings, there was a possibility of them getting into a dangerous situation as we did something unnecessary. Even though it felt awkward to hide my real ident.i.ty until this very day, this was also for Matsuda and Motohama's sake. Matsuda became angrier as he said.

"On top of that, f not only are you dating Rias-senpai, you are also close with Asia-chan, Xenovia-chan, and Irina-chan as well…! Just so you know, Asia-chan clearly still has feelings for you…!"

Matsuda said as if he was squeezing out his voice.

"Even though we also…wanted to get our hands on oppai…!"

I replied while being unsure of how to respond.

"No, well, even though I am going out with Rias, I would say it's pretty hard to get my hands on those oppai with ease nowadays."

Matsuda got closer to me as I said that.

"And why is that happening to you!? Is it about your university? Or is it a lovers' quarrel?"

"W-Well, the former one I guess?"

I answered safely. As I was talking with Matsuda and Motohama, there was suddenly a voice.

"What are the three perverts doing here? Are they discussing their next peeking plan?"

As we turned to the source of the voice, there stood a girl wearing gla.s.ses who jokingly laughed.

Kiryuu Aika — she was in the same cla.s.s as ours and was also Asia's friend. I was thankful that she taught Asia, Xenovia, and Irina about perverted stuff… No, no, she was a troublesome girl! …This girl knew about our true ident.i.ties after all. Although it was a coincidence, thanks to that, she became someone who understood Asia and others. Matsuda replied to Kiryuu.

"Shut up, Kiryuu! We are just seeking oppai in real life! Don't judge us just because we're unpopular!"

Motohama added.

"That's right! This is a man's nature!"

"All right, all right. Well, that's fine. Matsuda, I'll be your guest."

Kiryuu replied to Matsuda and others as she went along with the conversation, her eyes half-closed. Matsuda pointed his finger at himself and slanted his neck.

"What? Be my guest you said?"

Kiryuu then did a thumbs-up to someone behind her. As she did that, a cute girl with braided-hair that we had never seen before showed up. Kiryuu then said.

"This is Hase-san from cla.s.s D. Hase-san, please come here"

As Kiryuu beckoned, Hase-san timidly walked closer to us. Her face was bright red and she fidgeted about. After looking at us for a moment, she prepared herself and said.

"U-Umm, Matsuda-kun… There is something I would like to ask you. Can we do it there?"

With a shaking hand, she pointed her finger to somewhere private.

"Huh? …F-Fine, though…"

Matsuda responded as if there were a question mark on top of his head.

"Sorry bros, I'll go for a while."

He then walked away along with Hase-san.

……

… Motohama and I were dumbfounded as it was so sudden… Being curious, I asked Kiryuu.

"Is she, you know, 'that'?"

Kiryuu nodded with a smile.

"Yes, it's 'that'. It seems like our guy Matsuda saved Hase-san when she was being hit-on in the summer holiday. Then, yeah."

Are you kidding me!? For such things to happen in summer holiday…

That guy, even though he was a pervert, he surprisingly stepped to the front line, huh… Well, that was why I was friends with him I guess. Motohama became pale because of our presumption. Kiryuu then jokingly said.

"Now that Matsuda is OK, all that's left is you. Perverted gla.s.ses-kun."

Motohama couldn't respond to Kiryuu's words—.

"…"

He then placed both of his hands on his head and screamed to the top.

"…L-LIEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

It seemed like now that we had gone to the second semester of our senior year, there were also some developments to my surroundings. …Well, I guess it wouldn't be weird if there were some changes to our mental state as we were looking out for graduation as well in this semester. My last youth of high school life. It seemed like unexpected things could still happen in a calm manner.

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 doc.u.ments 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-cla.s.s 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 s.e.xual hara.s.sment 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-cla.s.s Devil, and was really moved by the fact that you became a High-cla.s.s 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-cla.s.s 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! d.a.m.n, 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 ident.i.ty, 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 j.a.pan. 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 gla.s.ses, 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 st.u.r.dy hands. I was sure that rather than his request, he was thinking about his life that was in danger. For G.o.d'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-cla.s.s 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 bas.e.m.e.nt. And at that time, a large bathing place in which it was too large was made in the bas.e.m.e.nt. 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 bloodl.u.s.ts.

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 G.o.d's sake, why was everybody doing the evil laugh? The problem was the density of their auras. …They weren't mere Mid-cla.s.s Devils. Don't tell me that they were all High-cla.s.s 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-cla.s.s 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 cl.u.s.ter of auras from his hand!

"Dieeeeee!"

I covered the girl on my back and instantly jumped back from that place. The cl.u.s.ter of aura that the mysterious Devil fired cut through the sky and created a big explosion on the ground! s.h.i.t! 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-cla.s.s Devil!"

"—Ultimate-cla.s.s Devil, huh. You don't look like one though."

There was a system to rank a Devil's power… Low-cla.s.s Devil, Middle-cla.s.s Devil, High-cla.s.s devil, Ultimate-cla.s.s Devil, Maou-cla.s.s Devil, and Transcendental-level… I wonder what was my current power level? The Devil government a.s.sessed me as a High-cla.s.s 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-cla.s.s devil or an Ultimate-cla.s.s 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-cla.s.s a good fight. But, if you use ‘that’ form, you can even fight a Transcendental-cla.s.s. I am sure that these guys didn't think that they would meet a Devil of this cla.s.s.]

Well, whichever it was, anyone who came at me with evil intention, I would beat them up even if they were Maou-cla.s.s or Transcendental-cla.s.s. The mysterious group of Devils intensified their bloodl.u.s.t 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 embarra.s.sed 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-cla.s.s 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 G.o.d with you. After all, the evil G.o.d 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 surpa.s.sed days of h.e.l.lish 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 a.s.saulted 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 a.s.saulted 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