That Thursday, the sky was tinged with the soft orange of dusk, and the streetlamps began to flicker on one by one, lazily blinking before casting their artificial light over the asphalt.
The post-class bustle was always the same: Kuoh Academy students in their uniforms walking in groups, laughing at jokes, sharing plans about mobile games, or arranging meetups at karaoke bars and themed cafés.
Issei Hyoudou walked alongside Yuuto Kiba, still in his school uniform, his tie slightly crooked and his blazer unbuttoned.
He held a random flyer he'd grabbed as a pretext while showing a photo of a certain recently disappeared transfer student.
"Have you seen this guy around here?" Issei asked, his voice friendly as he showed the image to a middle-aged woman, the owner of a small convenience store.
The woman furrowed her brow, adjusting her glasses on the tip of her nose.
"Hmm… I think I saw him last week… or maybe someone who looked like him…" she murmured, thoughtful.
While she tried to jog her memory, Issei's gaze drifted to the sidewalk, his thoughts wandering for a moment. The last two days had been… strangely good. Since Rias paired him with Kiba, his routine had gained an absurd glow. He spent most of his time with Kuoh's blond prince, and to his surprise—or delight—Kiba didn't seem to mind his blatant advances at all.
In fact, he received them with that calm, carefree smile, which only left Issei more confused… and excited.
"Damn, if someone told me I'd have two perfect days like this, I'd have laughed in their face…"
But the unease came right after. Because instead of continuing to enjoy that dream, here he was, wandering the streets like a fifth-rate detective, searching for another guy. One he barely knew, honestly. And worst of all: it was all on Buchou's orders. Issei wouldn't dare disobey, of course, but that didn't stop the growing frustration.
"Why the hell do I have to go chasing some random guy when I could be flirting with Kiba in some corner of the school right now?"
He was snapped out of his reverie when the woman said she'd never seen the boy in the photo. He was about to apologize for the bother and move on, but before he could say more, Kiba approached, a gentle smile on his face, and murmured something softly. The woman's eyes glazed over for a moment, and the next second, she blinked, looking at the two as if she'd forgotten what she was doing.
"Sorry, boys… do you need anything?"
"Oh, nothing, oba-san. Have a nice evening!" Issei replied, waving, before turning to his companion and whispering, "That always gives me the creeps."
Kiba just shrugged, slipping his phone into his pocket. They continued down the sidewalk, their footsteps echoing on the streets that were starting to empty.
After a few minutes of silence, Issei broke the ice, scratching the back of his neck.
"Hey, Kiba… can I ask you something?" he said, his tone casual but laced with curiosity.
"Sure…" The blond replied without taking his eyes off the street.
"Why are we trying so hard to find this Kazuya? I mean… he's not even a demon. Just a transfer student, right?"
Kiba stopped walking for a moment, as if considering his response, before glancing at Issei with that polite smile he always wore, though it didn't always reveal what he was thinking.
"Because Buchou ordered it," he answered simply. "And if she wants to find someone, we find them. Besides…"
He took a few steps forward and continued without looking back:
"She probably wants to recruit him. They say he has potential… and that's enough."
Issei let out a sigh, shoving his hands into his pockets.
"Got it…"
He didn't really get it, but he was used to following orders. And if it made Rias Gremory happy in the end, who was he to complain? Her happiness made his Kiba-senpai happy, and that made him happy. For someone as simple as him, that was enough.
They continued walking toward Kuoh's main square, where the shadows of the trees danced under the streetlights and the shop windows began to reflect the night. The streets started to quiet down. That moment between late afternoon and evening had a distinctive smell of warm asphalt, mixed with the scent of flowers from small balcony gardens and the lingering perfume of candy stores.
Issei and Kiba walked in silence along the sidewalk, the streetlights casting yellow circles of light on the ground. The sound of passing bicycles, distant conversations, and a cat meowing in some alley formed the city's subtle soundtrack.
Issei was the first to notice.
"Hey, look over there! A konbini."
He pointed to a brightly lit FamilyMart on the corner, its sign standing out in the increasingly night-dominated scene.
"Let's try asking there," Kiba suggested, his tone as calm as ever.
The automatic door opened with a discreet *beep-beep* as the two entered. The air conditioning hit Issei's face like a gust of icy heaven, and he sighed in relief.
The clerk looked up from the counter.
"Welcome…" he muttered, more out of habit than enthusiasm.
Kiba approached first, ever polite. He pulled out his wallet to avoid looking suspicious and bought a bottle of water before casually placing the folded photo on the counter.
"Excuse me," he said, keeping his calm smile. "Have you seen this guy around here?"
The clerk glanced at the image.
For a moment, the boy seemed to hesitate.
"Hmm… I think so." He scratched the back of his neck, his eyes blinking in concentration. "If I'm not mistaken… he came here on Tuesday."
"You sure?" Issei interjected, already stepping closer, his elbows resting on the counter.
"Well… he bought a transparent umbrella; it was raining late in the afternoon, remember? And he grabbed a pack of cheese-flavored snacks." He shrugged. "That's it. He was alone. Walked off after buying."
Kiba exchanged a quick look with Issei.
"Thanks, man," Issei said, giving the counter a light tap.
Kiba offered a faint smile, thanking him again with a slight nod.
"Thank you. That helps."
They left, the automatic door closing behind them with another *beep-beep*, the sound muffled by the warm night air.
They walked a few steps before Issei grumbled.
"This guy… does he have any idea how annoying it is to search the whole city for a trace of him?"
"On the bright side, we finally got a lead," Kiba replied lightly, without humor. "Let's head to Buchou."
Issei huffed but nodded.
As they moved away from the store, Kuoh's night seemed to have settled in lazily. They continued toward Kuoh Academy, taking no more than half an hour to walk there.
Issei and Kiba crossed the street toward Kuoh Academy.
The shadows of the trees stretched over the school's wall, and the upper-floor windows began to reflect the streetlights, glowing with a subtle amber hue. The old school building had that eerie silence of a school after hours.
"You sure this info is enough?" Issei commented, shoving his hands into his pockets and kicking a pebble along the way.
"It's better than nothing," Kiba replied with that gentle smile.
Issei made a face but didn't respond.
They climbed the few steps, and as they were about to push open the door to the Occult Research Club room, it swung open, and a figure hurried out.
Tsubaki Shinra.
The student council vice-president had that composed, elegant demeanor that would make any school drama girl look amateur. Her black hair was tied up, her glasses perfectly adjusted on her pale face, and her posture impeccable. But what really caught their attention was the slight flush on her cheeks when she noticed Kiba.
Kiba smiled—that soft, gentle smile Issei secretly adored, the one that seemed to say, "Of course I'll remember you" to any girl who stood within two meters of him.
"Tsubaki-san," he greeted, and Issei swore he could hear bells ringing in the vice-president's head.
"Kiba-san…"
"Do you need help?"
"No need, but thank you for offering. I… was just handling something with Buchou," she explained a bit too quickly, looking away. "If you'll excuse me, I need to get back to prepare the report for Sona-sama."
"I won't keep you. Good luck," Kiba replied, scratching his cheek with a smile.
Tsubaki gave a slight bow, adjusted her glasses, and hurried down the hallway with quick steps.
Issei waited until she turned the corner to let out a dramatic sigh.
"For the love of…" he grumbled. "Seriously, man? Do you have to be such a prince charming all the time?"
Kiba just shrugged, amused.
"Not my fault."
"Of course not," Issei huffed, shooting him a jealous glance before pushing open the door.
The familiar smell of freshly brewed tea, old wood, and for some reason strawberries filled the air. The club room was as it always was: curtains drawn, fireplace lit (because Buchou had a questionable taste for gothic dramatics), and armchairs arranged around the coffee table. Rias Gremory sat in her usual chair, her red hair gleaming under the soft light of the lamp. Her expression was that of someone already expecting news.
"You're late," she commented without looking up from her papers.
Koneko was on the other side of the table, eating a pastry as if nothing in the world mattered.
Kiba closed the door behind him.
"We have a lead," he said, and Rias's attention finally shifted to them.
After entering, Issei stood to the side, hands in his pockets.
"The owner of the convenience store at the corner of Nakamura and Seto confirmed it," Kiba began, his voice low and calm, the way it got when things were about to get serious. "A guy matching Kazuya's description bought a transparent umbrella and a pack of cheese-flavored snacks on Tuesday, around nine in the morning."
Rias looked up from her papers, her eyebrows slightly arched. It was the kind of minimal lead that shouldn't mean much but did. Because it was about Kazuya.
The Gremory heiress leaned back in her chair, her expression controlled, though her eyes betrayed a spark of concern.
"Nine in the morning, during class hours. That's when he announced his withdrawal to the principal in a way that not even the authorities were notified. We thought he announced it and left, not giving the principal time to report it, since he didn't seem involved with the magic we know… But with recent discoveries…" she murmured, more to herself. "Thank you, Kiba. That's what I needed to confirm."
Meanwhile, Issei, with little tact, approached Koneko and did the unthinkable.
"Hey, Koneko-chan…" he tried, his voice drawling with a hint of hopeful unease. "Could you, like… maybe share one of those pastries?"
Koneko Toujou, the tiny demonic cat most suspicious of the school, who once treated Issei like he was some contagious plague, raised her golden eyes to him. There was no hostility there, just that eternal resigned indifference she reserved for most people.
After three seconds of silent scrutiny, she extended her hand, offering a pastry without a word.
Issei took it like it was a sacred jewel, blinking in surprise.
"Thanks, Koneko-chan," he smiled, with no ulterior motives, which in itself was a small miracle.
The girl shrugged and went back to nibbling hers.
Kiba watched the scene with that smile Issei pretended to hate, and Rias took advantage of the brief calm to set the papers down on the table. She ran her fingertips over the report, her eyes scanning Tsubaki's notes.
It was Sona's doing, of course. Only she would think to track purchase and rental contracts at the city's real estate agencies after every other attempt to investigate Kazuya came up empty. And, to everyone's shock, the student council president had found something.
A mansion on the outskirts of Kuoh, with no record of residents in recent years, purchased a few days ago by Kazuya. Tsubaki uncovered the details, and Sona sent Tomoe to investigate.
The report described what happened when the girl got too close.
A kind of [Magical Barrier], unlike anything they'd seen before, seemed to isolate the entire space of the mansion and its surroundings, turning it into a field full of traps.
If Tomoe had taken one more step, she likely wouldn't be alive to report it.
What bothered Rias most, however, was the obvious dilemma: either Kazuya had learned about the supernatural world and made allies quickly—almost impossible without drawing the attention of other factions—or he had always known.
Which would mean he had perfectly deceived them for two weeks. And that even Sona, with her meticulous obsession for control and information, had underestimated this boy.
Rias closed her eyes for a moment and let out a controlled sigh, leaning back again.
"You two did good work," she said finally, without her usual formality, which drew a brief smile from Kiba.
Issei munched on the pastry, still standing, but shot a curious glance.
"And now, Buchou?"
Rias stayed silent for another moment, the crackling of the fireplace punctuating the pause.
"Now, we wait," she murmured. "I sent Akeno to investigate from a distance; she should be back by now…"
After her words, silence prevailed.
For half an hour, the Occult Research Club room was steeped in that tense calm that precedes a storm.
Rias didn't say anything more after "Now, we wait," and the others took the hint without arguing.
Koneko sat on the couch. Every now and then, she grabbed another pastry from a tray. Issei, after internally thanking the heavens and any idle deity for the gift of that shared pastry, played a mobile game in the corner, pretending not to glance at Kiba every ten seconds. Spoiler: he was.
Kiba, meanwhile, flipped through an old school photo album that someone, probably Akeno, had left there for no apparent reason. Occasionally, he smiled at some silent memory, which made Issei sigh without realizing it.
Their dynamic was more or less the same… except for the fact that Issei could no longer look at Kiba without an emotional violin playing in the back of his mind. Weird stuff.
Rias sat in her chair, elbow propped on the armrest, hand supporting her head as her eyes scanned Tsubaki's report over and over, as if at some point the words would change or reveal a hidden secret.
The wall clock ticked discreetly half an hour later.
Then, a teleportation circle appeared on the club room floor, crimson runes spinning and intertwining with the fluidity of a living painting. A sweet electric aura filled the air, and amidst the soft glow, Akeno appeared. Elegant. Untouched. And with that faint smile she used when she wanted to hide how worried she was to the bone.
Rias looked up immediately, her heart racing, though it wasn't visible. She was always a good actress. Or at least she thought she was.
"Akeno," she called, her voice controlled, but anyone who knew Rias well (read: everyone in that room) noticed the disguised tension.
Akeno took two steps forward, and the circle dissolved behind her into particles of light.
"Well?" Rias pressed, no pleasantries.
Akeno stood by the table, hands clasped in front, and her smile faded slightly, becoming a trace of frustration. That alone was enough to make everyone stop what they were doing.
"I couldn't get close," she said simply.
Rias furrowed her brows. "What do you mean?"
Akeno took a deep breath, her voice colder than usual.
"The property spans several kilometers; I couldn't approach the mansion. The barrier covering the territory is… different. I don't recognize the magical signature. And I couldn't identify who cast it."
Issei shifted in his chair, now paying full attention, and even Koneko stopped chewing, her eyes narrowing.
"Like… a demonic barrier?" Issei asked hesitantly.
Akeno shook her head. "Not demonic, not angelic, not exorcist, not sacred, not anything we know. It's something completely… different, even from human magic."
Rias gripped the armrest of her chair.
"Did you try to enter?"
"Of course. I got within fifty meters before realizing the barrier not only prevents approach but also blocks teleportation magic. Any attempt to move into the territory or even observe through magical projection fails. It's as if the space is… separated."
The silence fell heavily in the room.
Issei swallowed hard. "So… we don't know anything."
"Nothing," Akeno confirmed, before looking at Rias and asking, "What do we do now, Buchou?"
Rias didn't respond immediately. She closed her eyes for a moment, and the world spun a bit faster just for her. What was going on? Had he allied with some unknown faction and learned about the supernatural, or had he always known and hidden it from everyone?
She couldn't reach a conclusion, and that irritated her.
But more than anything, she hated how it made her chest tighten.
When she opened her eyes, a hidden glint of possessiveness shone in the depths of that blue. She stood with a fluid motion.
"We're not waiting anymore. We go tomorrow. If he doesn't want to be found, we'll go there anyway. With or without permission."
Akeno smiled, this time for real.
"Ara, ara. Looks like Buchou's gotten more excited and anxious…"
Koneko sighed and grabbed another pastry.
Issei just scratched his head in confusion, unsure if he was more terrified by the idea of a suicidal mission or by the way Rias had said him.
And Kiba? He just gave a faint smile from the corner of his mouth.
__________________
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