"So, how about you and I make an agreement, Koneko?"
Takeyo continued stroking the soft white hair of the petite nekomata, his touch gentle and reassuring.
"Agreement?" Koneko tilted her head up to look at him, her golden eyes questioning.
"That's right," Takeyo said quietly. "The next time you see Kuroka, tell her how you really feel. Talk about your dissatisfaction with her, your confusion, your anger, everything you've been holding inside."
Koneko's eyes widened slightly at his words.
"And if she tries to abduct you..." Takeyo's voice took on a firmer quality. "Just call my name in your heart. As long as you call for me, I'll come. No matter where you are, no matter what's happening, I'll answer."
"...Okay." There was a gleam in Koneko's usually emotionless eyes.
'Senpai is worrying about me,' she thought, a warmth spreading through her chest. 'This feeling... I haven't experienced it in such a long time.'
She glanced up at Takeyo's profile as he gazed out the window.
'Takeyo-senpai really is a kind person.'
The way he said it so naturally, without hesitation or doubt, as if protecting her was the most obvious thing in the world. It made something inside her chest feel tight and warm at the same time.
Of course, Takeyo's motivations weren't entirely selfless. If he were being completely honest with himself, part of his interest stemmed from very human, or perhaps very devil-like, appreciation for cute things. But that didn't make his promise any less sincere.
"I won't let anyone take my cute kouhai away," Takeyo said with a slight smile. "Not even her sister."
He had the power to back up those words. With three incarnations active in his normal state, Lion Narasimha to hear calls for help, Buddha Shakyamuni for defense, and Dwarf Vamana for instant escape, he could respond to Koneko's summons at a moment's notice.
"I... I believe in you, senpai." Koneko's voice was soft, but there was conviction in it.
Takeyo's hand was warm on her head. That warmth seemed to seep through her hair, through her skull, straight into the part of her that had been cold and empty for so long.
The rest of the school day passed in focused concentration as Takeyo worked on constructing his self-operating system. It was meticulous, demanding work, creating magical subroutines that would activate automatically in response to threats, even when he was unconscious or otherwise compromised.
The incident with Serafall breaking into his apartment had made one thing clear: he needed failsafes. Lots of them.
By the time the dismissal bell rang, he'd completed the most basic framework of the system. It would automatically activate defensive measures if he was attacked while sleeping or otherwise vulnerable, cycling through his three primary incarnations to provide optimal protection for any situation.
"It's like watching a Buddha statue meditate," Aika Kiryuu muttered from her seat, pushing her glasses up her nose as she observed Takeyo with an analytical expression.
He'd been motionless in that meditative state for most of the afternoon, barely even blinking. The teachers had long since given up trying to get his attention, Takeyo's special circumstances as a newly awakened supernatural being had been communicated to the faculty.
Still, Aika noted with a slight smirk, even the most understanding teacher had limits. She'd watched Mr. Morisawa's eyebrows twitch progressively higher throughout the lesson until they'd practically disappeared into his hairline.
Ring!
The final bell released the students from their academic obligations. Takeyo opened his eyes, the pentagram patterns of his Alpha Stigma briefly visible before fading back to normal.
He stood and made his way toward the school gates. He hadn't forgotten, today he was supposed to deal with the Fallen Angel situation in Issei's place.
As he walked, he pulled out his phone and dialed Sona's number.
"Hello, this is Sona." Her cool, professional voice came through the speaker.
"President, it's Takeyo," he said. "I'm sorry, but I need to request some time away from Student Council duties. I only awakened my abilities yesterday, and I need more time to adapt to them. The work might be..."
"I understand," Sona interrupted before he could finish. "Don't worry, I'll have Tsubaki handle your assignments for now."
Next to Sona in the Student Council room, Tsubaki's eye twitched slightly behind her glasses.
'President,' she thought with mild exasperation, 'you got yourself a boyfriend and immediately started dumping extra work on me.'
"Actually, that's not quite what I meant," Takeyo said with a smile, even though Sona couldn't see it through the phone.
"It's not?" Sona sounded genuinely confused. "Then what...?"
"I've already finished today's work and sent it to your email," Takeyo explained. "I'll likely continue doing so for the foreseeable future. I just wanted to inform you that I'll be spending less time physically present in the Student Council room, I need to dedicate more hours to learning magic and developing my abilities."
There was a pause.
"You've... already finished?" Sona's voice held a note of surprise. "Let me check."
The sound of mouse clicks came through the phone, followed by a longer pause.
"You're amazing as always, Takeyo," Sona said, and there was genuine warmth in her usually businesslike tone.
"I appreciate your understanding, President," Takeyo replied. Then, after a brief hesitation, he shifted his tone slightly. "Actually... Sona, there's something else I wanted to mention."
The informal use of her name sent a flutter through Sona's chest. Her face flushed slightly pink as she became acutely aware of Tsubaki's knowing gaze fixed on her from across the room.
"Yes? What is it?" Sona tried to keep her voice steady.
"My parents contacted me this afternoon," Takeyo said. "They mentioned that your family had invited me to visit during summer vacation. I just wanted to let you know that I'd be honored to accept."
Sona's heart skipped several beats. "Really? You'll come?"
She'd been dreading the possibility of rejection. Her parents, particularly her mother, had been insistent about meeting the young man who'd caught their youngest daughter's attention. But she'd worried that Takeyo might find it too forward, too presumptuous.
"Of course," Takeyo assured her. "I'm looking forward to it."
"That's... that's wonderful," Sona managed, very aware of how her pulse was racing. "I'll inform my family immediately."
They spoke for a few more minutes about logistics and schedules before ending the call.
The moment Sona set down her phone, Tsubaki's knowing smile was waiting for her.
"President," her Queen said with barely suppressed amusement, "I've never seen you act quite so... flustered before."
"I am not flustered," Sona said primly, adjusting her glasses. The bright red tinge to her cheeks rather undermined the assertion.
"Of course not," Tsubaki agreed diplomatically. "Though I must say, Takeyo is an exceptional young man. I can see why you're so, "
"Tsubaki," Sona interrupted, her voice holding a warning note even as her blush deepened. "Don't you have work to attend to?"
"Quite a lot of it, actually," Tsubaki said with a pointed look. "Since someone's boyfriend is too talented for his own good."
Despite her teasing words, Tsubaki's smile was genuine. She was happy for Sona. Her King deserved someone who could match her intellect and ambition.
Meanwhile, Takeyo made his way through the late afternoon streets toward the meeting location. The statue of the loyal dog Hachiko stood as the agreed-upon landmark, a popular meeting spot that had witnessed countless first dates, reunions, and farewells.
Standing beneath the statue was a girl who radiated an aura of pure, innocent youth. Her long black hair cascaded down her back, and she wore the traditional sailor-style school uniform that was still common in Japanese high schools. The setting sun cast golden light across her delicate features, making her skin seem almost luminous.
She appeared nervous, her hands clasped in front of her as she glanced around. When her eyes landed on Takeyo approaching, there was a flash of something, interest? calculation?, before her expression settled into a polite, slightly shy smile.
"Yuuma Amano," he said, though he knew that wasn't her real name.
This was Raynare, one of the Fallen Angels from the Grigori organization. She'd been sent to monitor Issei Hyoudou but had disobeyed orders and attempted to kill him instead. In the original timeline, this meeting would have been her first date with Issei, ending in his death and resurrection as a devil.
But Takeyo had changed that. Issei had asked him to go in his place, citing a sudden "emergency."
"You must be..." Yuuma's eyes flickered with confusion for just a moment. "I'm sorry, I was expecting someone else."
"Issei couldn't make it," Takeyo explained smoothly. "He asked me to let you know. Something urgent came up with his family."
As he spoke, a golden exclamation mark appeared above Yuuma's head, visible only to him through his Divine Sign-In System.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations to the host for triggering a plot check-in! Sign-in level: Gold!]
[Sign-in plot: Pseudo-Heroine's Submission!]
[Sign-in plot description: When you first saw Yuuma Amano, you thought you'd encountered a sweet heroine. But beneath that innocent facade lies Raynare, a Fallen Angel obsessed with power and ambition. She's wearing the mask of a heroine, but her true nature is far more complex and dangerous.]
[Sign-in condition: Achieve complete submission from the Fallen Angel Raynare.]
[Sign-in time limit: 3 hours.]
Takeyo's smile didn't waver, though his mind was already calculating possibilities.
"Well, well," he thought. "It seems you're more valuable than I initially assumed, Miss Fallen Angel."
His assessment of "Yuuma Amano" shifted from "dangerous enemy to be neutralized" to "interesting challenge with potential rewards."
Three hours. He had three hours to achieve what the system deemed "complete submission" from a Fallen Angel who was known for her cruel manipulation and power-hungry nature.
"I see," Yuuma said, her smile not quite reaching her eyes. "That's... unfortunate. I was looking forward to meeting with Hyoudou-kun."
There was truth in that statement, though not in the way a normal person would interpret it. She'd been looking forward to killing him and stealing his Sacred Gear.
"Perhaps I could keep you company instead?" Takeyo suggested. "It would be a shame for you to have come all this way for nothing."
Yuuma's purple eyes studied him more carefully now. There was something about this boy that set off her instincts, not quite danger, but... interest. Curiosity.
"I suppose that would be acceptable," she said slowly. "What's your name?"
"Takeyo Kagutsuchi," he replied. "I'm a friend of Issei's from school."
As she looked at him, Raynare's analytical mind was already working. This wasn't part of the plan. She'd been sent to monitor Issei Hyoudou because of the Sacred Gear he possessed, the Boosted Gear, one of the Thirteen Longinus.
But this boy... there was something off about him. Something that made her Fallen Angel instincts prickle with awareness.
"Well, Kagutsuchi-kun," Yuuma said, her smile becoming slightly more genuine, "since you're here, shall we take a walk?"
"I'd be delighted," Takeyo said.
As they began walking away from the Hachiko statue, Takeyo's Alpha Stigma eyes briefly flickered with power, analyzing everything about the girl beside him.
Three hours to complete submission.
The game had begun.