Everything is Anime!

At night, after the two of them took a bath together, Est clung to Hikaru and fell asleep in his arms. They didn't wake up until sunrise the next day. Even then, Est still appeared half-asleep—because, as the "Demon Slayer Holy Sword," she needed sleep to recharge her energy.

In her original world, a highest-ranking spirit like Est would return to the Spirit Realm to recover. But for now, Hikaru's strength couldn't fully accommodate Est's manifested form. Hence, she usually stayed dormant within the sword, emerging only when Hikaru needed to fight, or when they were alone together, or simply whenever she wanted to appear.

Sunlight scattered across the streets in flecks of gold. Office workers and students filled the roads.

Girls wearing Kuoh Academy uniforms exuded youthful vigor, a sight that made passersby linger. Yet the gazes of these girls, so admired by others, converged upon a single male student: Hikaru.

He was already good-looking, and not just by high-school standards; even among adults, few were taller than him. Moreover, his aura had changed dramatically after two and a half years of training. Though he wasn't overtly arrogant, he was noticeably extraordinary. Add to that his top-ranking scores across the board, and it was hard for him to stay under the radar.

Not only had the entire school heard of him—even students from other schools knew his name. Another reason for his immense popularity was that Kuoh Academy used to be an all-girls' school; although now co-ed, they maintained strict admission standards. Consequently, delinquent youths who couldn't get in would often loiter nearby, harassing the female students.

One time, Hikaru happened to be passing by and intervened. The troublemakers, unwilling to accept their defeat, returned with dozens of reinforcements to ambush him after school—only to be soundly beaten by him alone. From then on, he became a "hero" in the eyes of the girls at Kuoh Academy.

Once Hikaru got into the classroom, he finally escaped the constant attention of all the female students. He felt somewhat helpless—being too perfect was a burden in its own way.

"Ugh, here comes our main character. Now all the girls in class will be fixated on him again."

"Damn it, how can anyone be that perfect? If only I could be like him..."

"Wake up, dude. Don't dream. We can forget about dating any of the girls in class. As long as he's around, we haven't got a prayer... Boo hoo..."

Only a handful of boys were in the class, and they huddled together, discussing him in whispers. To most of them, Hikaru was the "enemy of all men." But they only dared to complain in private.

Though Hikaru heard them, he didn't mind. It wasn't on purpose, but a man like him shone wherever he went—like a blazing sun. Even if he did nothing, he still radiated that intense brightness. Unless he intentionally hid himself, there was no place his light wouldn't reach.

He pulled out a book and quietly flipped through it, ignoring everyone else's stares. But he was well aware that quite a few people in this class were paying attention to him. Aside from nameless onlookers, there were three worth noting: Touka Kirishima, Eriri, and Koneko Toujou.

From his knowledge of the "original works," Hikaru knew who they really were.

Touka Kirishima was a ghoul. Yet like devils, there were good and bad ghouls, and she happened to be one who worked part-time in a café, keeping her identity secret.

As for Eriri, they were old acquaintances, having known each other since middle school. Amusingly, their first meeting wasn't some cliché "hero saves the girl" scenario. Rather, it was because she'd been passionate about Anime culture since childhood and aspired to be a dōjin artist. Unfortunately for her, both her storyboarding and artwork lost out completely to Hikaru's. Thanks to his apex-level artistic skill (and a lifetime of studying the masters before his transmigration), any casual sketch of his could set a viewer's blood racing. Eriri, biting her lip in frustration, had no choice but to concede defeat.

Still, she was strong-willed and proud, so every so often she'd create something new and ask Hikaru to look at it, hoping he'd praise it. Now, judging by her furtive glances, she must have finished another piece recently. But there'd be no time in school for him to check it out.

As for Koneko Toujou, she was a member of the Occult Research Club under the Devil noble Rias Gremory. She had once asked him to become a devil servant, but he turned her down. Hikaru was sure Rias wouldn't give up so easily—if he were in her shoes, he wouldn't either.

The bell rang. Entering the classroom with a severe expression was Mafuyu Kirisu, wearing a stylishly mature outfit with black stockings and light-pink hair.

"All right, everyone. Today we'll be having a pop quiz."

"Huh?!"

Complaints erupted instantly across the room.

Koneko Toujou and Eriri both looked aghast. The former had been pulling all-nighters gaming, while the latter had spent her nights drawing—and analyzing other art for inspiration. Neither had done any studying at all.