Sorry for the late update, guys! I was busy with university registration yesterday.
Anyway, here is today's chapter. If I can get back to my normal schedule, I'll post another one later.
Enjoy!
— X —
Judai was slightly taken aback by her sudden, deep bow.
"You don't have to do that."
"No. You are my lord. I will show you the utmost respect," Mizuho replied, her voice firm and unwavering.
Judai sighed but decided not to fight it.
"What is your command, my lord?" she repeated.
Judai sat on the edge of the bed, crossing one leg over the other and resting his chin on his hand, elbow propped on his knee, unintentionally adopting the posture of a ruler.
"Recently, I was attacked by Fallen Angels."
Mizuho's eyes narrowed slightly behind her mask, but her faith in her lord remained unshaken.
"I need you to find their whereabouts and gather information on what they're planning in this town. Do not engage. Do not get caught. But first… you need to understand the era you're in." Judai proceeded to explain the basics of the modern world, technology, society, what to expect, everything she'd need to operate unseen.
After listening intently, Mizuho bowed once more. "I will do my best, my lord."
Judai glanced at his left hand. 'If I could hide the Duel Disk while still using its power, that would be ideal.'
As the thought crossed his mind, the Duel Disk on his arm vanished entirely.
"Huh?" Judai stared, confused. This had never happened before.
He looked up to see Mizuho still kneeling patiently. "Ah, my bad, Mizuho. I got distracted. You're dismissed."
A soft chuckle escaped Mizuho. 'My new lord is… amusing.' With a final nod, she slipped silently out the window, closing it behind her.
'I hope she can gather the intel I need. Information is everything right now.'
But his immediate focus returned to his left hand. He concentrated, and the Duel Disk reappeared. He focused on concealing it, and it vanished again.
'Did it just evolve based purely on my desire? Then… I wish I could buy Gems with money. No, I desire an easier way to get more Gems. Let me exchange money for them.'
He closed his eyes, accessing his interface. Sure enough, a small "+" icon now appeared next to his Gem count. He pressed it, and a conversion rate appeared, an exorbitantly high price, but it existed.
'Is this for real?' The power had adapted instantly. Emboldened, he pushed further. 'Then I want Crafting Points. I desire an easier way to craft cards.'
He checked his deck list again, but no new "Crafting" or "Dust" system had appeared.
Now Judai was genuinely puzzled. Even with Rias's explanations, the mechanics of his Sacred Gear felt inconsistent, almost whimsical.
"I don't understand," he muttered, flopping back onto the bed.
He spent the next while testing other hypothetical commands, trying to see if a simple phrase could trigger another evolution. He focused on various desires, stronger monsters, better packs, passive effects, until, without realizing it, exhaustion finally overtook him and he fell into a deep sleep, questions still swirling in his mind.
. . . .
April 16th,
Judai woke up feeling like a zombie. He checked his phone: 7:10 AM. Almost time for school. He dragged himself up and into the shower.
He stared at his tired reflection in the foggy mirror. 'I should have gone to sleep earlier,' he scolded himself.
With a heavy sigh, he finished up, dressed in his school uniform, and headed to class, hoping for an easy day. Unfortunately, he realized he'd left all his textbooks and notebooks back at his apartment. The bag he'd brought only had yesterday's materials.
He glanced to his right, considering asking the girl next to him for help, but remembered their last interaction and decided against it.
"Judai, why didn't you bring your books?" the teacher asked.
"I have no excuse," Judai admitted flatly.
The teacher sighed. "Kiryuu, move your desk closer and share your book with him."
Judai really didn't want to, but Kiryuu Aika was already sliding her desk and chair next to his, positioning them side-by-side.
Class resumed, but it wasn't long before Aika leaned over and whispered, her tone teasing, "Do you hate me so much you won't even look at me?"
"No," Judai said, his voice low and blunt from exhaustion. "I'm just uncomfortable and disgusted. Same with those three at the back. I don't know how you all live like this."
Her playful expression froze. "Do you have a problem with people being open about themselves? It's just a joke."
"I have a problem when you shove it in my face in public and make me the target of your 'joke'," Judai replied coldly.
Aika stiffened. All the forced playfulness drained from her face. She leaned back in her chair, crossed her arms, and looked at him through her glasses with a sharp, defensive sneer.
"Wow. You're a real ray of sunshine, aren't you?" she said, her voice now icy. "I get it. You're 'pure' and 'noble' and way too good for us common perverts. My mistake for trying to break the ice with a guy who has a giant stick up his ass."
She turned away, clicking her tongue. "Don't worry, Judai-kun. I'll make sure to stay 'refined' enough for your delicate sensibilities. I wouldn't want to make you vomit just by existing near you."
"Good," Judai said flatly. He genuinely wanted nothing to do with her after their first interaction.
What kind of person started a conversation by estimating someone's genital size? If a guy did that to a girl, he'd be crucified.
Aika bit her lip, her face flushing not with shyness but with a hot mix of humiliation and anger. She turned her gaze rigidly toward the whiteboard, shifting her chair a pointed inch away from him. Her hands, resting on her knees, trembled slightly.
'What a jerk. Who does he think he is? I was just… I was just trying to talk.'
When the class ended, Judai saw her expression, tight, wounded, shut down. Before she could slide her desk away, he spoke again, his tone lower and less harsh.
"Look… I'm sorry if I was too blunt. But I meant what I said. That kind of 'joke'… in the real world, it can get you in serious trouble. I'm only telling you this because we're classmates. Just… be careful, okay?"
She kept her face turned away, but after a moment, her shoulders relaxed slightly. Her voice was quiet, almost reluctant.
"…You really mean that, don't you? You're not just being a jerk. You're actually trying to give me advice."
She let out a short, shaky breath, more annoyed at herself than at him now.
"Alright, fine. Message received. But could you stop staring at me like I'm some kind of walking HR violation? I'm not an idiot. I know how things are… I just didn't expect anyone here to actually call me out on it."
Judai allowed a small, genuine smile to show. She caught sight of it from the corner of her eye and felt her cheeks warm despite her earlier irritation.
'Okay… now I get why the two popular woman are always around him,' she thought, quickly turning her face away to hide her flustered expression.