After taking a shower, the hot water rinsed away the last of my grime from the previous morning workout and sparring session. Being clean as a whistle, I headed to the Academy for Shizuka-sensei's mandatory class, the one where she provided me with the most needed information: the Club Enrollment for Juniors.
The air was crisp, carrying the faint decaying scent of the academy's strange flora. Initially it felt nauseating walking from the dormitories to the academy, but as my strength increased, this effect was bouncing off me like moths to a flame.
You might ask, where was my beautiful Vampire sidekick? Well, you didn't expect me to drag her to my dorm room and let her join me in my shower cabin—though, in retrospect, it wasn't a bad idea. Imagining her, flustered and sweet, trying to navigate the cramped space, maybe even offering to… ahem… wash my back… with her breasts. However, that was asking for a titanic effort from shy, meek, bubbly Moka.
Splitting ways with Moka at the dorm gate—she'd been uncharacteristically quiet apart from the spoiler I gave her regarding Shizuka-sensei's class agenda, since I was on my way to becoming Class President, something I never dreamed of ever doing in my second life… managing teens —'bleah'—but someone had to steer these lost, ugly sheep onto the right path.
When we split at the dorm, the way she kept shooting me this look, which I couldn't quite pinpoint, left me pondering while the hot water poured over my head. It was a great mode of meditating and contemplating life, while the chaos of the male dorm was kept at a low.
She did frown a bit to herself, unusual for her bright, eager outlook on life. Her gem-like green eyes held an urgency that flickered between hesitation and a resolve that seemed to startle even her. She'd bite her lower lip, then quickly look away, only to sneak another glance a moment later. Her fingers fidgeted with the zipper of her tracksuit, twisting it tightly.
If I had to put a name to it, it was the look of someone steeling themselves to plunge into unknown territory.
'From what I remember the Rosario Cross connects both Outer and Inner, so whatever, let's say Outer experiences the Inner would also feel it, and so in reverse. Bubbles got a rude awakening to the fact that she has competition.'
'Heh, if that is the case, then my spinning wheel landed on a Jackpot.'
'Nonetheless, I can't just rush myself toward the Sun. While I can read some of their signals, I'm not one of them to get inside their brains and actually see what's going on there. It wouldn't be a fun experience to read the minds of women, since it would just be a chaotic mess of jumbled thoughts.'
'Icarus got burned by flying too close to the sun. So it's quite simple, don't follow what Icarus did.'
'It would be easy to continue my current approach for both Mokas and pull them in, while other girls require a different strategy.'
Out of the dorm building, there was no Moka waiting for me outside the dorm's entrance, leaving me to walk alone back to the Academy. This by itself, if I was a normal human as I was when joining Yokai Academy, would leave me all tense and nervous that I would be jumped by some jealous simp monster that wanted to take me away from their equation and have Moka for themselves.
'Heh, as if that would even work. The girl has her own standards and wouldn't date any mutt (mongrel).'
Yet, right now, with my own stats being rated at D-tier and gaining a somewhat deeper understanding of martial arts—apart from the times I checked in with that MMA Gym, thinking I had the potential of being the next big thing just because I was winning a couple of back-alley fights between idiots who tried to bully me back in high school.
No, the only reason I could defend myself and beat those bullies was because I first went to the gym to learn how to fight.
'Fun times seeing those retarded idiots crumbling after a good liver punch and a kick into their groin.'
Walking was an absent-minded ordeal for me. Mainly I was deep in my brain, pondering about some events that could happen in the Yokai Academy, contingencies on how to anticipate them and deal with future foes, but also on a big question surrounding Tsukune Aono's existence in this place.
'It's for sure not as simple as me being an entertainment pawn for the Headmaster. I remember that there was another human who is the current Student Council President, Hokuto Kaneshiro. He's someone who also got inside the academy by the tricks of the Headmaster, Mikogami-sama, with that stupid invitation flyer.'
'I don't remember the details of the subplots of the story and can just throw shit into the wall to see if anything sticks and have a moment of clarity to finally recollect what I've watched and read 12 years ago.'
'So far, I had the time to recall parts from the first Volume of the book and moments from the Anime, and I am glad I managed to kill the netorare Orc early on since he would be a recurring enemy. Yet, it bothers me about one thing: that final antagonist for Rosario was Alucard, right?'
'Does he still try to pull shit into this twisted world full of Gods, Devils, Angels and Fallen Angels, all vying for control over the Human World?'
'At most I would give him an SS-tier threat level, maybe akin to an Ultimate-Class Devil.'
'Scary for sure, but not to the point it leaves me hopeless. As long as I awaken my Sacred Gear and also succeed in my metamorphosis as a Shinso Vampire, I can steamroll over most foes in the Rosario verse, but the challenge would be in the DxD verse.'
'But fuck me and this Heavenly System. Even after I become a superhuman, my Sacred Gear remains unresponsive. Meditating under the shower, no response; trying to drown myself in the Blood River, which takes a crazy asshole like myself to pull it, nothing.'
'I've been trying my best, sincerely. But, it feels as if something is wrong with me. Am I a mutation or something? Either it is the System mutating my Sacred Gear, suppressing me for whatever 4D Chess schemes the one who gave it to me has in mind, or I am still too weak to support the full capacity of an awakened Longinus Sacred Gear, and it's just the Heavenly System's mechanism of containing it until a 'Miracle' is born.'
'Come on Big G, you're dead already, why screw your boy here? You know how much I desire power.'
'Why make it hard for one of your true believers?'
'Anyway, I'm kinda screwed if some A/S-tier Yokai all of a sudden decides to kill me. Well, not really, I can ditch all and scramble to my mommy. Hehe, what? I am that shameless to let my girl fight the bad guys, who told her to be such a hot and powerful vampire girlfriend?'
While deep into my ramblings, I failed to notice that a pair of sharp eyes were following my movements like a professional Yandere stalker girl. And, sure enough, this predator had excellent timing for bringing my brain out from my ass.
I caught a flash of movement from a side path—a swirl of dark blue hair and a glimpse of a determined, beautiful face. Before I could even brace myself, Kurumu was upon me.
"Tsukune-kun!"
She didn't just approach as any normal girl would do; far from it, she just launched herself. With a force that nearly knocked the wind out of me, she wrapped her arms around my torso and buried my face into her chest.
'Booba!'
My world instantly narrowed to an overwhelming, heavenly sensation. It was soft, impossibly warm, and the scent—wow. Not just perfume, but her own natural fragrance mixed with lavender and warm vanilla, and along with this sensation overrunning my body, I felt like I was in a bakery full of sweet delights.
My hands, which had instinctively come up to push her away, hovered uselessly in the air.
'Ahem, compose yourself, man. No simping, remember your grand plan. If you succumb and go limp like some wet sock, just because of this full-stacked Succubus, how can you build your Harem?'
'Little bro, you better stay put too.'
Right, who would think that this was her 'friendly greeting' that only happens to me? It started to happen after 3 days of silence from Kurumu, who didn't attend classes after being 'subjugated' and returned with a new vibe.
She didn't try to put me into her Charm spell… I think. I had to give her that much credit. She wasn't cheating with her supernatural allure, just deploying her natural, fully-stacked assets with devastating effectiveness, yeah, like a tactical nuke that melts my male brain.
After a moment of suffocating in paradise, she pulled back just enough to look up at me, her violet eyes sparkling. She was still pressed close, her arms now around my waist. "I missed you!" she chirped, her smile wide and genuine, if a little too bright. "It's so rare to see you without Moka clinging to you!"
"I… need to breathe…" I managed to get out, finally gently prying her arms loose and taking a deliberate step back, establishing a bare minimum of personal space. I am not a simp, I reminded myself sternly, though my face felt suspiciously warm and my eyes lingered longer on her breasts. Who told her to be such a shorty?
"Good to see you too, Kurumu-chan. You're, uh, energetic today."
Undeterred by my retreat, her smile didn't falter. Instead, she rummaged in her handbag, her expression turning secretive. "I made something for you!" she announced, pulling out a small, neatly tied box. She thrust it into my hands. "Go on, open it!"
Inside were a dozen perfect, fudgy brownies, dusted with powdered sugar. The rich smell of chocolate and butter wafted up. I took a cautious bite since it was my first time eating something from Kurumu. A sweet gesture from a lovely girl, and if I based it on what I knew of Japanese culture, it showed how they displayed their affection for guys.
They were… incredible. Deep, chocolatey, moist. "These are amazing," I said, genuinely impressed. I couldn't help but tease her, reaching out to gently boop her nose with my powdered-sugar-dusted fingertip. "You just earned a serious brownie point."
She giggled, scrunching her nose adorably, but her eyes quickly grew curious, scanning the path behind me. "So, where is she? Did you two have a fight? It's so weird to see you alone." There was a poorly concealed note of hope in her voice.
I chuckled, finishing the brownie. "Nothing so dramatic. I just went for an early workout and needed a shower. She headed over separately to the Academy." I shrugged, taking another brownie. "Thanks for these, really. They're a needed boost of energy."
As I ate, I felt her stare. It was as usual her lovestruck gaze, but there was also another emotion I picked from the way she stared at me as we walked together, it was calculative appraisal.
Her eyes traced the lines of my shoulders under my uniform, lingered on my arms, and to say I didn't flex my forearms a bit was a lie. Want to look? Be my guest, but make sure not to drool.
Over the past month, the constant, desperate grind to gain power and maybe awaken my Sacred Gear, had started to pay off in the looks department. The wiry slimness was giving way to defined muscle, a subtle but solid change.
My Vitality was afterall, the strongest of my stats.
To my low self-esteem since I entered Yokai Academy, receiving this type of attention was like a dopamine rush; even so, the image of some girls while resting on the sideline, watched with interest my running form in the P.E. Class, and Kurumu was one of them.
"You look… better… stronger, Tsukune-kun," she murmured, stepping a half-pace closer again, her voice dropping.
Swallowing the last bite, I grinned at her. "Just trying to keep up in this madhouse. But seriously, Kurumu, with skills like this," I gestured with the empty box, "you're going to make someone a fantastic wife one day. Whoever snags you is a lucky guy."
Her entire face lit up, then immediately flushed a deep crimson. She clasped her hands together, her eyes becoming starry. "Wait… Tsukune-kun… this is… this is so sudden! A confession?!"
I almost choked on air. Pfff. "Whoa, whoa, rein in the epic romance, Succubus-chan," I said, shaking my head with a laugh. "I was praising your culinary skills. Don't go diving into the rabbit hole that quickly."
The transformation was instantaneous and devastating. The light in her eyes shattered. Her lower lip trembled, and her shoulders slumped as if I'd struck her. "Wait… so you don't like me?"
Her voice was a small, wounded thing. "If you're still hating me for what happened before… I promised I'd change! I'm trying my best, so please don't hate me!" Tears welled up, sparkling with tragic perfection. "You're my Fated One! My destined husband! My heart will break! My… my entire race is counting on me!"
"You wouldn't doom an entire species to extinction, would you?" And with that, she launched into another hug, this one a desperate, clinging embrace, her face buried against my chest as she sobbed pathetically.
'Shameless. Classic guilt-tripping tactics.'
The thought was dry, analytical even amidst the sensory overload of her proximity and perfume.
A woman's ultimate weapon, deployed with surgical precision, that I just brushed past me like a bullet in the Matrix, not affecting what I was thinking. I could only roll my eyes internally.
I can also say with certainty that if Kurumu gets into the Human World, she would become an Oscar Award-Winning Actress, and if she goes into the Devil World, she would make whatever Serafall Leviathan Magical Girl show popularity on their TV channels into nothing but a joke.
However, back on Kurumu… Were the tears connected to a hidden water tap or something?
The shift from sultry to sorrowful was almost impressive. Feeling the weight of her gaze even through her faux-crying, I looked down. She peered up, her violet eyes glistening like wet amethysts. Still, feeling her genuine, if melodramatic, distress, I couldn't just shove her off.
I waited for the storm to subside a little, then gently placed a finger under her chin, tilting her face up. Her violet eyes were swimming, her mascara (somehow) still perfect.
I pressed my finger lightly against her forehead. "I never said I don't like you," I stated, my voice calm and firm. "And yeah, I forgave you for trying to turn me into your mind-slave. But forgiveness isn't amnesia, Kurumu. I can't just forget it because you're pretty, right? That's not how trust works."
Her crying hiccupped to a stop. "You… you don't hate me?" The hope was back, fragile and tentative.
Another light tap on her forehead. "No. I don't." I sighed, shaking my head. "Look, I've been watching. You've corrected your behavior. No more using your Charm to collect a harem of brain-dead simps like they're Pokémon cards. That's real progress. But you've still got a long way to go."
Her expression shifted from despair to fervent determination. She gripped the front of my uniform. "Tell me what to do, Tsukune! Anything you say, I'll change for you!"
"And that's the problem," I said, gently prying her hands loose again. "It's not about changing for me. What's the point if you mold yourself into my perfect girl, and then I, or some other guy, still doesn't pick you? What are you left with then?"
Her face paled, horror dawning as if she'd seen a ghost behind me. The idea was clearly alien to her.
"It's not that I dislike you," I continued, softening my tone. "The current you is energetic, talented, and yes, a cutie. But if you want to change, it should be for yourself. To be a person you're proud of. If you just shape yourself to fit someone else's desires, you'll whittle away your own self-esteem until there's nothing left. You don't want that, do you?"
"Of course I wouldn't do that for just anyone!" she protested, her pride flashing. "They're all idiots who just see a pretty face! But for you, Tsukune-kun… I'd do anything. I'd walk into the pits of Hell!"
"Sigh. No," I said, the word final but not cruel. "Again, I don't need that from you. I don't want that from you." I gestured with the empty box. "These brownies will do for now. They're a gift, not a transaction." I took a breath, trying to package a complex truth into something she could hopefully digest.
"What you need to understand is this. If you continue on the path you're already on—learning, growing, becoming someone you can be proud of, not just a Succubus defined by her race or a girl defined by her crush—it will, for sure, make me happy to see. And that…" I let a small, genuine smile touch my lips. "That might actually give you a chance."
It was a seed. A tiny, conditional promise of possibility. I saw the exact moment it took root. Her horrid expression smoothed. The tears vanished, replaced by a brilliant, calculating gleam. She nodded once, a sharp, decisive motion. As she did, I caught the subtle, victorious clench of her fist at her side.
She'd heard what she needed to hear.
'All good by my side. If she grows into her own person instead of being that annoying damsel in distress, I am all for it. But, I wonder, would she accept sharing me?'
'No clue, since women are complex creatures. But, I will eventually have "The Talk" with her.'
Without missing a beat, she slipped her arm through mine again, reclaiming her territory. She snuggled close, the warmth of her body seeping through our uniforms. "Can I… stay like this?" she asked, her voice now sweet like honey, all traces of the desperate girl gone.
"For a while, sure," I conceded, starting to walk again. "Until we get to the Academy. I don't want to make unnecessary scenes and stir up the gossip mill." I gave her a sidelong glance. "I have plenty to deal with, having one stunning beauty attached to me. If I'm seen stringing along a second gorgeous girl, I'm pretty sure some jealous assholes will put an actual bounty on my head before lunch."
Kurumu chuckled at my dry sarcasm, which made me give her another brownie point in my agenda, but the way she was fidgeting as if ants were crawling over her skin, she probably wanted to push her luck and once again ambush me with all that love of hers.
Tsukune was half-wrong in his assumption, since Kurumu wanted to push him further into accepting dating her, ditching Moka for her, but the logic side of her triumphed in the important moment. She remembered what he told her previously, avoiding an unnecessary turmoil for her emotional heart.
So, instead of speaking, she fell into a contented silence, simply walking beside Tsukune. Her head was tilted, her gaze fixed on his profile, where Tsukune could feel her eyes on him, all fascinated and lovestruck, but didn't say anything to break that sweet moment for her.
What was the place she focused so hard on? Tsukune's face you might ask? No? Well, you're not wrong, but go deeper. She was studying—counting Tsukune's eyelashes, tracing the line of his jaw, getting lost in the color of his eyes as if trying to open Pandora's Box.
It was unnerving and intensely flattering. Her entire world, in that moment, had narrowed to the space between the two of them, to the rhythm of their matched steps, and to the fragile peace between the two of them.
Halfway into the so-called 'Cursed' Forest, on our way to the Academy, the atmosphere remained deceptively serene, still with Kurumu wrapped around my right arm, sometimes trying to tempt me with her massive tits, but I was a man of focus, so I silently declined.
'Eventually, I will make sure to devour those boobies.'
Dappled sunlight filtered through the twisted branches of trees that seemed to breathe themselves from how they looked. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and strange, night-blooming flowers. It was peaceful, in a way that felt like the calm before a storm.
'But you wouldn't call Yokai Academy a chaotic mess of an educational institution.'
It was great that I was on top of my game and sensed the strange yoki following behind.
The attack wasn't subtle. A searing blue ball of soul-fire—a Hitodama—screamed from the shadows, aimed straight for my back.
'Of course this wouldn't be Yokai Academy if some idiot didn't try to fight you.'
My enhanced Agility, honed by weeks of grinding and near-death experiences, kicked in before my conscious mind could fully register the threat. I sidestepped, the heat of the passing fireball washing over my cheek, and in the same fluid motion, I swept Kurumu off her feet, cradling her protectively against my chest.
She let out a gasp of surprise that quickly morphed into a delighted squeak.
From the gloom, three figures emerged, their forms shimmering as they shed their human disguises. Leading the charge was the fireball's caster, a Hitodama, his body now a semi-translucent, blue-flamed wraith, a sneer etched onto his flickering face.
Flanking him were two others. One swelled in size, his skin turning a ruddy red, with a crude oni mask materializing over his features—a Namahage, a mountain-dwelling brute. The other grew rounder, his features shifting into those of a sly, corpulent Tanuki, a mischievous glint in his beady eyes.
"Aono!" Kazemaru's voice crackled like burning wood. "We've had enough!"
The Namahage thumped his chest, his voice a guttural roar. "You think you can hoard all the beauties of the first year?! First the Vampire princess, and now you've ensnared our Goddess, Kurumu-sama?!"
The Tanuki nodded, his bushy tail twitching with agitation. "With Moka Akashiya, we could… grudgingly understand. Her presence is beyond us. But Kurumu-sama was ours to admire! You've stolen the light from our eyes!"
Their logic was laughably barbaric, a product of this world's 'might-makes-right' and 'claim-your-prize' mentality. My system pinged, coolly overlaying data onto my vision as their hostility solidified.
[Name: Kazemaru Uma]
[Threat Level: D (Hitodama)]
[Name: Gorou Namase]
[Threat Level: D (Namahage)]
[Name: Bunta Maru]
[Threat Level: D (Tanuki)]
'Three D-tiers. One elemental, one brute, one trickster. A decent spread for a beginner's party… if I were still a beginner.'
They pointed their various claws, fists, and flaming appendages at me. "We challenge you, Tsukune Aono!" Kazemaru declared, the forest air sizzling around him. "A battle to settle this! If we win, you swear never to interact with Kurumu Kurono again! You will cut all ties!"
In my arms, Kurumu squirmed. I glanced down. Her face was a picture of rapturous adoration, violet eyes literally sparkling with tiny hearts. She looked utterly unbothered by the threat of violence, focused entirely on the fact that I was holding her.
"Kyaa! Tsukune-kun!" she cooed, nuzzling against my chest. "I love you!!"
Then, in a blink, her expression shifted. She turned her head toward the trio, and the warmth in her eyes vanished, replaced by a glacial, murderous contempt that made even the flaming Kazemaru flinch. "Tsk. Who are you maggots to command my Tsukune?" Her voice dripped with venomous sweetness. "Do you have a death wish? Who gave you permission to act, you pathetic male slaves? Instead of being grateful to Tsukune-kun for opening my eyes—for showing me where my heart truly lies, thus freeing you useless lot from my Charm—you dare try to hurt him?"
I couldn't help it. A chuckle escaped me. I adjusted my grip on her, using my free hand to gently boop her nose again. "Easy, easy," I murmured, a smirk playing on my lips. "It's bad for your skin to frown like that. Doesn't fit your beautiful face."
The effect was instantaneous. Her terrifying aura dissipated. She melted back against me, a deep blush coloring her cheeks. "Awwww, stop it, Tsukune," she whined, fanning her face with a hand. "My heart… it can't take it… it's too much."
"Okay, pause the simping for a moment, girl," I said, my tone shifting from amused to focused. "I can't deal with you and them." Gently, I set her down on her feet, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze before turning fully to face the three yokai.
My gaze swept over them, cold and assessing. "Unexpected," I stated flatly. "I thought most of you idiots finally learned your lesson. That mess with Saizo should have been a hint." I tilted my head. "So, what's my prize if I win? Should I just kill you all and save myself the future headache of seeing your annoying faces?"
The Namahage, Gorou, let out a derisive snort. "Hmph! As if you can! We did our research, Aono. Your strength, your speed… at best, you're a low C-tier yokai. A fluke who got lucky. You're nothing but a nuisance that needs to be handled." He puffed out his chest. "It's just that all those other cowards can't take the reins of fate in their own hands! So we'll decide your fate for them!"
'Ohooo. Philosophical shit from a mountain ogre. This academy never ceases to amaze me.'
I took my green vest and threw it to Kurumu as she excitedly caught it, pulling it directly to her face, drawing into my scent…
'Girl, you need help…'
I rolled my shoulders, and tensing my muscles, cracking my neck with anticipation. "Fine," I said, my voice dropping into a calm, deadly register. "I accept your challenge."
Kurumu immediately snapped back from her previous perverse actions, grabbing my arm, her expression worried. "You can't, Tsukune! Let me fight with you! Three against one isn't fair!"
I looked at her, then back at the three D-tier yokai already spreading out to flank me. A slow, confident smile spread across my face. Compared to the bone-shattering, speed-blitzing sparring sessions with Inner Moka—where death felt a half-step away if she got serious and every mistake was punished with explosive pain—this was something else entirely.
I patted Kurumu's hand. "1v3? Against D-tier trash?" I did another crack of my neck, my eyes locking onto Kazemaru's flickering form.
The memory of Moka's fist stopping an inch from my nose, the shockwave of it ruffling my hair, flashed in my mind. "Don't worry. Compared to my usual training," I said, falling into a loose, ready stance, my senses expanding to track all three opponents at once, "this should be a breeze."