The sky outside the fifth-floor window looked bright, morning sunlight streaming through the clear glass and reflecting on the marble floor of the corridor. The sound of footsteps slowly approached from the end of the quiet hallway.
Issei, wearing a white mask and walking heavily, finally arrived in front of the Kuoh Academy Student Council Room. He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath.
{I've checked your condition. Tomorrow your body will fully recover.} Ddraig's voice echoed gently in his mind, calmer than usual.
'...Will the training be hard, Ddraig?'
{Of course. But since we have one year inside your consciousness, I'll start with theory. No will-based magic or energy forms yet. You must understand the fundamentals and structure first.}
'Then... can we do it in a wide grassy field? Under the blue sky and cool breeze. I want a peaceful atmosphere for theory lessons.'
{Tch. Spoiled brat. Fine. But only for theory lessons. Don't expect a picnic when we start energy training.}
Issei smiled faintly behind the mask.
Knock knock
He knocked on the door twice.
From inside came a firm but polite voice.
"Enter."
Issei slowly opened the door.
The Student Council Room was filled with the scent of paper, green tea, and elegant fragrance. Inside was a large desk, file cabinets, and a long sofa at the side of the room. Sona Shitori sat in the center chair wearing the complete Student Council uniform, her purple hair elegantly tied up as usual. Beside her stood Tsubaki, the vice-president, with thin-framed glasses.
Saji Genshirou, Yura Tsubasa, and two other Student Council members stood at the side of the room, momentarily surprised to see who had entered.
Issei bowed slightly.
"Sorry to disturb. Kaichou, could you please sign and stamp my sick leave letter? I'm having a serious fever and would like to rest."
Sona raised her eyebrows, receiving the paper he handed. But before picking up a pen, she stared straight into Issei's eyes.
"Hyoudou Issei, before I sign and stamp this, can you explain something to me?"
Issei slowly lifted his head, meeting her gaze.
"Explain what happened in your class this morning? Why did your desk catch fire just from a sneeze?"
The room fell silent.
Issei sighed. "I had a fever, and... my magic was unstable. When I sneezed, I accidentally released fire magic and... the desk burned."
All the Student Council members were silent.
Saji stepped forward slowly. "Wait... you can use magic? Since when?"
Yura added, her voice still in disbelief. "You're that perverted human, right? Since when did you have fire magic?"
Tsubaki only watched in silence, her eyes sharp and analytical. She crossed her arms.
Issei answered honestly, but calmly.
"I don't know exactly when. But since last winter—around Christmas—I felt something change. Like... energy I never had before started to appear. At first it was just small sparks... now it can burn a desk."
Sona observed Issei's movements. No nervousness. No lies. His voice was calm, with no sign of hesitation. Even though his face was pale, his breathing was steady.
'...His composure isn't normal for a regular student who just "developed magic",' Sona thought silently.
Saji, Yura, and the others still stared at Issei as if seeing him for the first time. The guy they always thought of as part of the perverted trio suddenly showed signs of being a mid-level magic user—and not artificial magic.
Issei nodded slightly. "So... can Kaichou sign and approve this form? I promise I'll come back once I'm better."
Sona paused for a moment, then finally sighed.
She picked up a pen, signed the paper, and pressed the official red stamp on the lower left corner of the form.
"Here's your leave letter. You have one week off. Use it to rest well," she said firmly.
Issei bowed politely. "Thank you, Kaichou."
Then he walked out of the room. The door closed.
As soon as Issei disappeared from sight, Tsubaki immediately turned to Sona.
"Sona-sama. There's something strange about him."
Saji said with a serious tone, "I checked Issei's desk earlier. Even after it burned... I couldn't feel any trace of magic. No residue."
Yura nodded. "Like no magic ever happened there."
Sona tapped her pen on the table. "Our school's magic detection system didn't catch anything. No magic alarms. Normally any student who releases uncontrolled magic would trigger the system."
Tsubaki asked, "Possibly... some kind of special magic?"
Sona nodded. "Could be. Or worse, magic based on willpower, not standard formulas."
Saji looked confused. "So, we're going to act before Gremory does?"
Sona stood from her chair, her eyes sharp.
"Conduct surveillance. But don't get too close. Don't stand out. Observe from afar and report any changes."
Occult Research Club Room – A Few Minutes Later
The sliding door opened slowly.
Koneko stepped in with a blank expression, but a vigilant aura radiated from her small body. Akeno was sitting and reading a magazine, looking up with a curious smile.
"Ara~… any interesting news? About the perverted Issei-kun?"
Koneko nodded. "Yes."
Kiba stood near the window, leaning against the wall. He just listened quietly. Rias Gremory, sitting in the president's chair, turned with a dignified posture.
"What did you see, Koneko?"
Koneko began to explain. "Today felt strange since Issei-senpai came to school. I followed his movements out of curiosity. During lunch break, I entered his class. And... I saw him sneeze, but it wasn't a normal sneeze."
Akeno smiled slightly. "Don't tell me fire came out."
"Yes," Koneko nodded. "Fire came out of his body. It burned the desk. But strangely... no magic was detected. It felt like a power that had no elemental formula."
Rias crossed her legs, her eyes narrowing.
"Since when could Issei... that pervert... use magic?"
Koneko answered while lowering her head. "More importantly... I smelled something unusual. The scent... of a dragon."
The room fell silent.
Akeno stopped reading, and the smile on her face faded slightly.
"Very interesting… perhaps all this time his 'perverted nature' was just... a mask?"
Kiba finally spoke. "I heard from the girls. They said Issei was seriously ill. But it seems... there's more than just a fever."
Rias looked out the window. "Sona has probably started moving."
Koneko nodded. "Yes. I saw Saji-senpai coming down the stairs and talking with other Student Council members."
Rias slowly stood up, placing a hand under her chin.
"In that case... the game has begun."