NOVEL NEXT Chapter 7 – New Life, New Friends
From the moment Rias resurrected me, I became a creature of the night, a lesser devil and her servant. I could feel that my body was different. I felt a strange weakness in the daylight. The colors of the world seemed less vivid, almost faded, as if a mist partially obscured my vision. Every time the sun hit my skin directly, it was like being pricked by tiny needles.
"I thought these effects were... easier to deal with," I muttered to myself, also feeling a strong migraine from the paraphernalia of loud sounds.
My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps, footsteps so loud it sounded like a giant was approaching. I turned to see a boy in a Kuoh Academy uniform.
"Hey, Tonello, are you okay?" he asked, patting me lightly on the shoulder. "You look a little... sick."
"No, I'm fine," I replied, forcing a smile. "I just had a bad night's sleep. There's nothing to worry about. And... I'm sorry, who are you?"
"Arh! Don't you remember me? I'm Tanaka. We're in the same room." The boy immediately backed away, embarrassed.
"Now I remember. You're the class president."
"Exactly! That's why I wanted to talk to you. I must say, your Japanese is impressive. You're an exchange student and yet you don't have an accent."
"Thanks, I... really liked anime."
"Really? Me too!"
We continued walking together, and Tanaka kept trying to talk to me about anime. Unfortunately, the conversation wasn't very productive because I didn't know the anime of this world. However, hearing Tanaka talk about his favorite anime made my senses focus on him, and my migraine went away.
When we arrived at the school, Tanaka said goodbye, saying he had to go to the teacher's room, and I went to my classroom. When I got there, Akeno wasn't there anymore.
The lesson started, but my mind quickly wandered. Time flew by, and soon the bell rang for the end of class. Still, I stayed in the classroom, waiting for the messenger who was supposed to pick me up, according to Rias.
The sighs and bustle of the girls in the hallway gave away the presence of Kiba Yuuto standing at my classroom door. He was a boy with blond hair and fair skin, and he also had a friendly expression on his face.
"Leonard Tonello, right?" he asked me, entering the room with a reassuring smile.
"Yes, that's me," I replied, standing up. "And you're Kiba Yuuto. The popular boy at school."
He nodded. "You already know a lot for someone who's only been here a day. Rias asked me to take you somewhere. Are you ready?"
I nodded, trying to sound more confident than I really felt. "I'm ready."
We left the room together.
"How are you adjusting to your new life?" Kiba asked as we walked down the stairs.
"É... different," I admitted hesitantly. "I'm still trying to figure it all out. Honestly, the feeling of weakness in the sunlight is quite annoying."
Kiba laughed softly. "I asked you about school and the new country. You are an American, right? But about the other thing: it will get better with time. The first week is the hardest, but you will get used to it. Besides, you're not alone."
Kiba's words gave me some comfort.
I followed Kiba to an old wooden building with colorful stained glass windows that were hidden between many trees. It was an old building of the Kuoh Academy.
Kiba opened the door and invited me inside. Despite the ugly appearance from the outside, the inside was different. The lobby was well lit, and the air smelled of incense. For an old building, the place seemed perfectly chatty inside and even had a cozy atmosphere.
I followed Kiba to the second floor, where he opened the door, revealing an office with a large desk and some old books scattered on the shelves along the walls. There was the sound of running water that stopped abruptly, followed by the soft creaking of the cash register being closed.
In this office, a small, serious-looking girl was sitting on the sofa, eating a cookie. She looked at me out of the corner of her eye and completely ignored me. That was Koneko.
On the other hand, Akeno, who was standing next to Koneko, looked at me with an enigmatic smile.
"Arara~ Look who's here, our new partner. Good evening, Leonard." Akeno said quietly, rising from the sofa so as not to appear rude. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
I smiled back at Akeno. "The pleasure is mine, Miss Himejima. I believe we're classmates."
"Really? The president didn't tell me. Since we're classmates, please call me Akeno." She put a hand to her chin and smiled wider as she looked into my eyes.
[You showed that you knew the character Akeno Himejima before you introduced yourselves. She liked that].
[You obtained 1 heart with Akeno Himejima.]
[The character Akeno Himejima now has a good impression of you.]
The silence that followed was brief, as it was interrupted by the melodious voice I recognized so well.
"Leonard, good to see you." Rias came out of the bathroom wearing only a towel, her long red hair wrapped in another.
Instinctively, my eyes followed her smooth, slender legs.
"I see you've met the other members of the club. You seem smart, so you must know by now that..."
"Yes, I know that everyone here is a devil. I thought about it on the way here."
"Good, that's very good. We need to talk about your duties as my servant." Rias began. Rias began. "As a devil, you have duties that must be fulfilled. It's important that you understand the importance of these tasks, not only to me, your master, but to your own growth."
As she spoke, a message appeared in my vision, like a floating hologram.
[Fulfilling missions and favors for characters will help you increase your connection with them.]
'You don't even have to say it.' I thought, then asked: "I hope I can be useful to you so that I can repay you for saving my life. What do I have to do?"
Rias then explained to me that as devils, they had to make contracts with humans for various reasons, such as training, prestige and reputation, and often out of tradition. The main reason, however, was that devils obtained energy from the contracts they made with humans. This energy, in some way that I still didn't understand, was vital to maintaining their powers and abilities. It was a way to recharge their strength and stay strong. To disguise these activities and to be able to meet at school, they used the Occult Research Club.
"Today, you will have your first mission. This mission should be Koneko's, but it will be assigned to you."
"I can do it." I said with determination. "But I also think it might be dangerous. Can't Koneko go with me?"
"You're right, the fallen angels might still be around..." Rias said, thinking aloud. "Koneko still has a mission to fulfill, but how would you like to accompany him, Akeno?"
"Ara~ I'd love to."
"How about it, Leo? Akeno is my right hand. She'll be able to teach you a few things."
"Sounds great to me."
"Great. Leo, if you bring me the signed contract, I'll give you a special reward."
Hearing Rias say this in just a towel made me imagine hundreds of possible scenarios, and my determination for my first mission burned like flames in my eyes.
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NEXT CHAPTERS:
Chapter 16 - My Angel and My Demon
Chapter 15 - Rescuing a Saint
Chapter 14 - Priest
Chapter 13 - Evil Pieces
Chapter 12 - My Intensity and Desires
Chapter 11 - Request Impossible to Refuse
Chapter 10 - Akeno, The First Kiss
Chapter 9 - My First Mission
Chapter 8 - My First Time Scaring Children
Chapter 7 - New Life, New Friends