Chapter 15

After finding out the meeting place agreed upon by Issei Hyoudou and Amano Yuuma, Shoyo bid farewell to Issei and made his way to Kuoh Academy. Although only half a day had passed, a tremendous change had taken place within him. His raw strength was now just shy of reaching a Middle-class devil's level. He might not be able to defeat that disobedient black cat, Kuroka, but fighting Rias and Sona? That would be no problem at all.

Maintaining a good mood and deliberately concealing the spirit crest on his hand, Shoyo entered the school.

[Ding!]

[Ding! Bronze-level sign-in successful!]

[Sign-in location – Kuoh Academy.]

[Congratulations to the host for obtaining the reward – Body Automatic Operation System!]

[Body Automatic Operation System: A system that can be set up within the body, allowing the energy and tissues to operate according to designated routes and methods...]

"Oh, good stuff!" Shoyo was genuinely surprised. He had expected some item, bloodline, pet, or weapon, but to receive an automatic operation system? With this, his combat power and various abilities would increase significantly. It might even rival a Gold-level sign-in!

The reasoning was simple: constructing magic used to require spiritual power to flow and activate in various forms. Now, it only required a thought. That kind of improvement in efficiency was essentially equivalent to boosting his calculation ability by a whole level!

“But... this will also expose one of my problems even more.” Shoyo narrowed his eyes.

The issue was that although he could use more magic simultaneously and with greater efficiency, his spiritual power might not be able to keep up.

“This weakness... it can’t even be called a weakness. As long as I can use three Authorities at the same time, this problem will be solved.”
[Vamana the Dwarf] provided mobility, and [Krishna] provided perception, those were the two most essential aspects. But each avatar didn’t only have one Authority. For example, Krishna could also absorb all energy and matter, while Vamana could disguise and change his race. Unfortunately, Shoyo wasn’t very proficient in those abilities yet, and they weren’t particularly useful in battle.


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Shoyo entered the teaching building while using his new ability to arrange the magic circles within his body.

At the same time, a gaze fixed on him from within the student council room was quietly withdrawn.

The girl watching him was Sona Sitri. Right now, her heart was in turmoil. She wondered, if she gave Shoyo the crystal ball and then asked him to become her peerage member, wouldn’t it seem like she was taking advantage of his gratitude? Would he think she was manipulative?

“President, it seems you’ve already made up your mind,” said Tsubaki Shinra, adjusting her glasses as she stood beside her. As Sona’s Queen, she understood her President better than anyone. Looking at her expression, it was clearly the gaze of someone looking at someone they loved. President, you haven’t even realized it yourself, have you?


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Shoyo also noticed Sona’s gaze, but he didn’t know how to talk to her. What could he even say? That her older sister used up all her chess pieces, and he didn’t end up in her peerage because of that? At the time, he hadn’t known, so he couldn’t have stopped it.

“Forget it, forget it. Learning makes me happy. Nothing is more important than improving my raw strength. Since the devil pieces are useless... maybe that thing will work,” Shoyo thought, a flicker of an idea forming in his mind. What devil pieces couldn’t achieve, maybe that thing could.

Sigh.

The teacher glanced at Shoyo, who was sitting with his eyes closed, and sighed silently. He had tried to reprimand and correct Shoyo in the past, only to be countered by answers far more advanced than his own knowledge. Shoyo’s grades were excellent, he always attended class on time, and he never disturbed others. What more could be said?


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“Shoyo-kun? Shoyo-kun? Someone’s looking for you!”

As Shoyo meditated, constructing the system within his body, a girl’s voice called him back to reality. It was Aika Kiryuu. He opened his eyes.

“Oh?”

Looking toward the door, Shoyo saw a familiar figure. Upon seeing the white hair, he felt as if soft cat ears and a tail were sprouting in his mind, recalling the sensation from last night.

“Nee nee, Shoyo-kun, why would Koneko-chan come looking for you? Is there some secret relationship between you two?” Aika Kiryuu leaned in, teasing him. She was no ordinary girl, she was the legendary type who could seduce with just a glance, leaving boys helpless.

“Hey, don’t go spreading baseless rumors.” Shoyo smiled faintly. At most, it was just a hero saving a damsel, right? From Koneko’s perspective, her sister was the villain.

“Kiryuu, if the teacher asks where I am next period, just say I wasn’t feeling well and went to the infirmary.” Shoyo used his privilege as the school’s top student, any excuse he gave was always accepted without question.

“Oho~?! Going to the infirmary with Koneko-chan? That’s quite the development.” Kiryuu adjusted her glasses, wearing a knowing smirk. “Koneko-chan is in her first year, so she should be at least 14 years old. You really are something, Shoyo-kun!”

“Don’t spread it around. But if you do... don’t expect to copy my homework anymore.”

“Haha! Just kidding, Shoyo-kun. Go and come back quickly~” With a friendly wink and a “you can trust me” look, Kiryuu waved him off. But Shoyo, proficient in psychology, saw right through it.

Under Kiryuu’s playful gaze and Koneko’s shy, restrained one, Shoyo walked over.

“Koneko, is something the matter? Let’s talk as we walk.”

“Hmm... Buchou has something she wants to talk to you about,” Koneko nodded. After what happened with her sister, it was only natural she’d report to Rias, and that involved Shoyo too. Rias, burdened with her engagement and in desperate need of strong peerage members, had grown curious about Shoyo. After all, he was a human who could fight Kuroka after just awakening his hero bloodline.

“Then let’s go.”

Under the envious stares of onlookers, the second most handsome boy and top student in school walked side by side with the number one mascot of Kuoh Academy.

“Look! Shoyo-kun smiled at me! I’m going to die!”

A girl fainted with hearts in her eyes.

“Ah! Why isn’t it me walking beside him?? I want him to tutor me after school tonight!” another girl cried out. Shoyo’s charm lay not just in his looks but also in his grades. With Kuoh Academy having been an all-girls school until recently, boys, especially good-looking ones, were rare. These reactions happened daily, and Shoyo had grown used to it. Still, today felt a little more intense, perhaps because his aura had been subtly enhanced after acquiring the ten avatars and Aester, though he wasn’t even aware of it.


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“By the way, I accidentally touched your tail yesterday, Koneko-chan. Sorry. Are you feeling better now?”

As they entered the old school building, Shoyo looked around to ensure they were alone before asking.

“Hmm... Thank you for your concern, Shoyo-senpai. I’m fine now...” Koneko replied softly, then looked hesitant, as if she wanted to say something more.

“By the way, Koneko... what’s with your tail? You’re a yokai, right? And that person yesterday, she said she was your sister?”

“In your race... is there some rule where only one sister can survive?” Shoyo probed cautiously.

“This kind of setting... Did Senpai see it in a game? What benefit does that offer for reproduction?” Koneko retorted, playing the role of the tsukkomi.

“Well, sort of. But if that’s not the reason, then what is?”

Shoyo finally asked the main question. He needed Koneko to tell him the truth. Otherwise, how could he explain that he already knew so much about her and her sister?


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