"How long have you been living here?" Judai asked, wanting to learn more about her.
"About three years or so," Rias said, counting briefly on her fingers.
"Is there anything you like about being here?"
Rias looked slightly embarrassed. "Anime and manga."
"Really? That's surprising. I like them too," Judai said.
Her face lit up. "What anime do you like?"
"I don't know yet, I just started watching."
"Oh, what are you watching now?" Rias asked, looking at him curiously.
"I watched Blassreiter. It was… unique and interesting, to say the least," Judai said, unsure how else to describe its oddity.
"What's it about?" Rias asked, unfamiliar with the title.
"It's this weird mix of MotoGP and robots. That's the best way I can put it," he said. "I'm planning to pick up some manga later. If you want to join, you could help me choose, I'm still a beginner when it comes to anime."
"It would be my pleasure to help! I'll make sure you don't pick a bad one. Meet me after school in front of the gate?"
"Cool," Judai said with a smile.
Soon, they arrived at Kuoh Academy. Almost immediately, students began to stare, some shocked, some curious, and a few with clear disdain for Judai simply for walking and talking with Rias.
"Who is that guy?"
"Why are they so chummy?"
"Is he Rias's boyfriend?"
"He's kind of handsome…"
"But compared to Kiba-senpai, he's nothing."
Hearing the murmurs around them, Judai leaned closer and whispered, "Does this always happen?"
"Sometimes," Rias replied quietly. "It's not as bad as with Yuuto."
"Yuuto?"
"A friend of mine. He's one of the more famous people at school," she explained.
"Oh," Judai nodded, filing the information away. 'If she's a heroine, I should probably know who's who.'
Inside the school, Judai was taken aback by the lavish interior. He hadn't paid much attention to the outside in his past life, he'd seen plenty of beautiful façades hiding dismal interiors.
"Wow, this place is huge. And the decor is… rich," he remarked, taking in the intricate architecture.
Rias giggled at his reaction. "Is this the first time you've seen something like this?"
"Yeah," Judai admitted. It was his first time seeing a high school that looked more like a palace.
He then asked, "Can you lead me to the faculty office? I'm worried I'll get lost."
"Sure," Rias said, guiding him.
When they finally arrived, Judai thanked her. "Thanks for helping me. It was really nice talking to you."
"No problem. See you later," Rias said.
"Okay, bye."
"Bye," she replied before walking away.
Judai entered the faculty office, received his class assignment and a layout map from a teacher, and headed for his classroom. As he walked, he scanned the faces in the halls.
'Yeah, she's definitely the heroine. No one else has hair that color. She's the only one with scarlet-red hair.'
He arrived at his classroom to find it filled mostly with girls, with only a few boys, a remnant of the school's former all-girls status. Spotting an empty seat, he took it.
The girl beside him had messy brown hair and glasses. She glanced at him, then smirked.
"Hmm, six and a half inches… interesting," she said, looking him over with a perverse gleam in her eye.
Judai stared back in disgust. "The fuck?"
She flinched, caught off guard by his sharp tone and glare.
"Don't talk to me. Ever," Judai said firmly, turning away. 'What is wrong with this girl?'
The girl's expression crumpled, hurt flashing across her face so quickly she could barely process it.
A moment later, Judai overheard a conversation from the boys at the back of the class. They were openly discussing their fetishes, loudly and without shame.
'Do they have no shame?' Judai thought, glancing back at the trio: a brown-haired guy, a bald student, and a black-haired boy with glasses. 'Even if you want to talk about that stuff, at least do it somewhere people can't hear you.'
Judai just shook his head and waited for the teacher to arrive.
'I still don't know what genre this story is. But based on the little information I have… it's likely a Hentai world. I just don't remember which one.'
He sighed quietly, frustrated by his own lack of concrete knowledge.
'At least I have the power of Duel Monsters in return. That should be enough to get strong and stay safe.'
A few minutes later, class began.
'What the hell is this?' Judai stared at the advanced mathematics on the board.
"I'm fucked," he muttered under his breath.
'How am I supposed to keep my grades up?'
He wiped his face, trying to focus. He could barely remember any high-level math. To make things worse, the Japanese Literature class that followed was just as difficult. Sure, he could read, write, and speak basic Japanese, but the curriculum was far beyond "basic."
"Fuck me," he whispered again. 'How do other reincarnators or transmigrators handle school so easily? I'm genuinely struggling here.'
Thankfully, after a few more grueling lessons, the bell for lunch finally rang.
Judai headed to the cafeteria, once again surprised, this time by the quality and variety of food available at such cheap prices. He settled on a simple sausage bun with ketchup, found an empty seat, and began to eat while quietly observing his surroundings.
As he ate, he noticed Rias sitting nearby with another stunningly beautiful girl who had long, black hair. Rias saw him and gave a friendly wave.
Judai smiled and waved back.
The black-haired girl beside Rias smiled at him as well. Judai returned the smile politely before going back to his lunch.
Meanwhile, the beautiful girl, Himejima Akeno, leaned closer to Rias with a playful glint in her eyes. "So, is that the boyfriend you're planning to have a date with later?"
Rias blushed faintly. "No, he's not my boyfriend. He's just a friend who likes manga and anime."
"Ara ara~," Akeno teased, a smirk curling her lips. "So you've found your soulmate."
"Akeno, stop it," Rias said, embarrassed. She glanced over at Judai, who was now staring into the distance, completely lost in his own thoughts about the uncertain future.
— X —
I have about 5 advanced chapters available on P*treon if you guys would like to read ahead!
I'm just leaving this here:
pa treon.com/1_Blank_1