The blazing sun scorched the earth relentlessly.
The weather had grown increasingly stifling, prompting more students at the academy to switch to short-sleeved summer uniforms. Jeanne Alter clearly sensed that the boys in this school had become increasingly restless.
Some had even dared to attempt peeking at her changing. Naturally, they failed miserably, getting caught red-handed and thoroughly beaten.
She wielded a bamboo sword infused with mana—leaving no visible marks, yet amplifying the pain severalfold. The resulting pig-slaughtering screams echoed through Kuoh Academy for days afterward.
Since then, no boy dared spy on Jeanne Alter again. On the flip side, more and more girls started inviting Jeanne Alter to join them whenever they changed clothes. After interacting with her, they quickly realized Jeanne Alter wasn't as difficult to approach as her appearance suggested.
Just a few days ago, the academy had held its ball game tournament, an event that Rias had rigorously prepared for alongside the Occult Research Club for over a week. Competitions included class vs. class, gender-based teams, and club battles.
Honestly, Jeanne Alter quite enjoyed it. Back in her previous school, even gym classes had been hijacked by other teachers for exams and extra lessons, but here, not only was physical education respected, they even held dedicated sports events. Frankly, she felt a bit envious.
Of course, any game Jeanne Alter joined became utterly one-sided. It was like Vegeta joining the World Martial Arts Tournament, casually obliterating the punching machine while everyone else carefully concealed their true strength. She wouldn't kill anyone, naturally, but as long as she avoided fatalities, everything else was fair game.
Jeanne Alter controlled her strength meticulously. It was virtually impossible for anyone facing her to be killed. If someone did happen to die, it'd only be because they'd been frightened to death.
During a tennis match, for instance, Jeanne Alter swung her racket so fiercely that the ball shattered into tiny, neatly-cut pieces the moment it hit the ground. Her opponent immediately forfeited the match after witnessing that terrifying sight firsthand.
While cliché, these scenes straight out of a campus novel felt genuinely thrilling to experience. As someone who had previously hovered at the edge of failing gym classes, she had dreamed countless times of such a satisfying scenario, and now she could actually live it out.
Injuries were inevitable during the tournament. Three girls had gotten hurt in quick succession, and Jeanne Alter had been the one to carry each of them to the infirmary. Because of that incident, her reputation among the other students greatly improved.
Fujita Emi had later gleefully told Jeanne Alter that everyone's perception of her was shifting to something like, "She seems scary and unapproachable, but she's actually cool and genuinely kind deep down." Jeanne Alter had no idea what to make of such bizarre praise.
Even Rias and Akeno had heard about it and teased Jeanne Alter endlessly—it was truly irritating.
"Yes, yes! Miss Jeanne really is an incredibly kind person!"
At the Occult Research Club, Asia became unusually excited when this topic came up. "Last time we went shopping together, I casually glanced at a hairpin, and without saying anything, Miss Jeanne bought it for me. And on rainy days, whenever she's holding an umbrella, she always leans it closer toward me and deliberately stands on the side near the road. And also..."
Jeanne Alter turned toward Asia in astonishment as she enthusiastically recounted these little details.
She remembered some of these moments, but there were others she had no memory of at all, yet Asia recalled every instance clearly as if she'd treasured them all along.
How on earth does she remember these things so vividly?
"Oho~!" came amused voices from Rias and Akeno, causing Jeanne Alter's lips to twitch in irritation.
"It's a good thing, Jeanne-san." Rias sipped her tea elegantly, hiding her mischievous smirk behind the cup. "Recently, I've been hearing plenty of rumors about how popular you've become among the girls. You might have already overtaken Sona and entered the top three on the popularity list...and you haven't even been here a full month yet."
"You'd better keep an eye on your surroundings from now on, Jeanne-san. Someone as cool, reliable, and gentle as you can easily stir up emotions among certain girls."
"What?" Jeanne Alter's face twisted slightly. "Are you kidding? We're all girls—what sort of feelings could possibly develop?"
"Oh my, it seems Jeanne-san really doesn't realize her own charm." Akeno smiled slyly, tapping a delicate finger against her lips. "Kuoh Academy was originally an all-girls school. Most students here haven't interacted much with boys, which makes girls developing feelings for other girls far more common. And then someone as handsome, reliable, and capable as you shows up... Honestly, after being heroically rescued by you a few times myself, even I'm starting to fall for you, Jeanne-san."
Jeanne Alter took Akeno's comment as teasing. After all, Akeno had the aura of someone very adept at toying with others' emotions—one could never truly tell whether she was serious or just messing around.
But Akeno's words still gave Jeanne Alter a headache.
"A friendly warning: when someone is as cool and dependable as you, even a single small, warm gesture can seem enormously attractive. It's the 'gap moe' effect, especially effective against girls. So, you might want to keep an eye out for those three girls you brought to the infirmary the other day," Rias teased lightly.
As soon as Rias mentioned it, Jeanne Alter began recalling that time. The more she thought about it, the more she remembered how strangely those girls had looked at her in the infirmary.
No way...right?
At that moment, Jeanne Alter felt an intense gaze boring into her. She glanced around, only to find Koneko staring blankly up at the ceiling, while Issei was eagerly scribbling something down in a notebook.
Kiba curiously leaned in toward Issei, asking, "What are you writing, Issei-kun?"
"Taking notes! If I can master Jeanne-san's techniques, maybe I'll finally become popular and attract a bunch of cute girls!"
Issei's face flushed with excitement as he wrote even faster, clearly fantasizing about something scandalous.
"...No perverted fantasies allowed," Koneko coldly interrupted, wrinkling her nose in disgust.
Watching the animated Issei, Kiba shook his head with a wry smile. "I think you're already popular enough, Issei-kun."
"Shut up! Easy for you to say, Mr. Popular! Do you know how infuriating it is to get constantly compared to you whenever girls insult me?!"
Since Valper Galilei's death, Kiba's revenge had concluded, significantly brightening his personality. Now, he greatly cherished his friends. He'd stopped obsessing over destroying the Holy Swords, concluding they were better off with Jeanne Alter than with the Church.
However, lately Issei's headaches had multiplied... Kiba's thoughtful kindness extended equally to everyone. But since Issei was the only guy among them, every friendly gesture from Kiba toward Issei was misconstrued, fueling even more rampant shipping among their classmates.
Worst of all, Kiba remained oblivious, and everyone else enjoyed teasing Issei about it. Issei suffered alone.
"So, why exactly did you call us here?" Jeanne Alter asked impatiently, crossing her arms. "If it was just to tease me, I'm not interested, and I'll be leaving now."
"Ah—wait, wait!" Rias hastily set down her tea. "Actually, the reason we called you and Asia here today was to introduce my new servant."
After the Great War, the Devils created Evil Pieces to replenish their numbers. Rias, as a King, could theoretically have up to fifteen servants. Previously, she'd wanted to recruit Jeanne Alter, but quickly gave up once she realized how powerful Jeanne Alter was.
Now, Rias had finally obtained a new servant.
Since Asia was called here as well, perhaps the new servant was someone she knew?
Sure enough…
"I'm Xenovia, Rias Gremory's new Knight. Please take care of me."
Facing Jeanne Alter and Asia's gazes, Xenovia introduced herself flatly, spreading her newly-acquired devil wings to confirm her identity.
Jeanne Alter remained unfazed, but Asia gasped in shock, covering her mouth.
"Xenovia...why did you...?"
"Because after learning God no longer exists, I fell into despair and became a Devil. Rias gave me the Knight piece. Since [Durandal] is the powerful one, not me, one piece was sufficient. Starting today, we're classmates in second year, and I've joined the Occult Research Club."
"I can't return to the Church now. Knowing God is gone makes me an outcast—heretics are despised, regardless of wielding [Durandal], just like you once were, Asia Argento," Xenovia admitted bitterly.
Then she turned toward Asia, bowing deeply.
"I apologize, Asia Argento. I accused you wrongly without knowing the truth. Now I know without God, you couldn't have received love or salvation. To atone, feel free to hit me if you wish."
"Oh? You said it yourself! Stand still, this punch is going to hurt!"
Jeanne Alter cracked her knuckles ominously, smiling menacingly as she approached Xenovia. Asia and Rias immediately panicked.
"Wait, wait, wait, Miss Jeanne!"
"Calm down, Jeanne-san! Are you trying to kill my new servant?!"
Jeanne Alter didn't get why they were panicking—hadn't she always been careful with her strength? Hadn't she always politely let people finish their last words?
"Don't worry," Xenovia said resolutely, head bowed. "As long as the great and merciful Jeanne-sama passes judgment, I willingly accept my fate, even if it means death."
Jeanne Alter froze at "merciful Jeanne-sama."
How am I supposed to punch her now?
"Please raise your head, Xenovia." Asia smiled warmly. "I forgive you. I'm very happy now, thanks to Jeanne-san."
"Is that so?" Xenovia gazed at Jeanne Alter in admiration. "Truly worthy of Jeanne-sama..."
Jeanne Alter cringed internally. Don't look at me with those eyes... I'm getting goosebumps here!
Xenovia sighed wistfully. "Had Jeanne-sama guided me earlier, perhaps I wouldn't have become a Devil..."
Rias glared suspiciously at Jeanne Alter, silently accusing: You're stealing my servants now?!
Jeanne Alter helplessly shrugged, silently declaring her innocence.