The walk to Issei's house had been awkward as hell. The guy wouldn't stop muttering about "naked fallen angels" and "magic swords" and "this can't be real" on loop like a broken record.
Yuuto had half a mind to slap him out of it, but considering the kid had just watched his girlfriend transform into a homicidal angel-bird-thing and then get impaled... yeah, okay, some mental breakdown was warranted.
Now they sat in Issei's room—a shrine to everything perverted. Posters of bikini models plastered the walls, a suspicious stack of magazines peeked out from under the bed, and the faint smell of teenage boy hung in the air like a declaration of hormonal warfare.
Yuuto sat on the desk chair, while Issei perched on the edge of his bed, hands clasped together, staring at the floor. The silence stretched for a solid minute before Issei finally looked up, his eyes red-rimmed and desperate.
"Is it true?" He asked "You're really... a devil?"
"Yeah," Yuuto said flatly, meeting his gaze head-on. He leaned back in the chair, keeping his posture relaxed even though his instincts screamed to be defensive. "But unlike that crow bitch who tried to ventilate you earlier, I'm not evil. If I was, I wouldn't have bothered saving your perverted ass in the first place."
Issei flinched at the bluntness but shut his mouth, as he didn't expected the blonde prince to be so blunt. His eyes darted around the room—looking anywhere but directly at Yuuto—before settling back on him with a mixture of confusion and fear.
"Why?" Issei's voice was barely above a whisper. "Why did she want to kill me? I didn't do anything to piss her off! I was just... we were on a date! She asked me out! I didn't—"
"You possess a Sacred Gear," Yuuto interrupted, cutting through the rising panic in Issei's voice.
"A what now?"
Yuuto sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose "Sacred Gears are divine artifacts created by the Biblical God before. They're embedded in certain humans at birth—gives them supernatural abilities. Some are weak, barely worth mentioning. Others..." He paused, his expression darkening. "Others can kill gods."
Issei's face went pale at the revelation "I have one of those? Inside me?"
"Yes, And the fallen angels want it gone. Or more specifically, they want you gone before you become a threat." Yuuto watched as the color drained from Issei's face. "And she isn't the only one after your life. There are three more fallen angels lurking in the abandoned church on the edge of town. They know about you , and they won't stop until they finish the job."
"W-What?!" Issei shot to his feet, his voice climbing to a near-shriek. "Three more?! But I can't fight those things! Did you see what she could do?! She had wings! And those spear things! And she was—" He stopped himself, his face flushing. "—really hot.... before she tried to murder me!"
Of course that's what he focuses on.
"Running isn't an option either," Yuuto continued, ignoring his perverted remark "If you leave this town, they'll just go after your parents instead. Leverage, hostages, bait, take your pick. Fallen angels aren't known for their mercy, and they sure as hell don't take losses well"
The room fell silent. Issei stood frozen, his fists clenched at his sides, trembling. Not from fear for himself, Yuuto noticed, but something else entirely.
"My parents..." Issei's voice was barely audible. His eyes glistened with unshed tears. "They'd kill my parents? Just like that? They didn't do anything wrong! They're just... they're normal people! They don't even know about any of this crap!"
"Kiba," Issei dropped to his knees, bowing his head so low his forehead nearly touched the floor. His shoulders shook. "Please. Please help me. I don't care what happens to me, but my parents... they can't die because of me. They can't! I'll do anything! I'll—I'll—"
"Get up," Yuuto said, his voice softer than he intended "Don't grovel, you idoit. It's pathetic."
Issei looked up, tears streaming down his face, snot threatening to join the party.
It's strange to see protagonist in such a sorry state, before a side character.
Despite everything, his heart was in the right place. Stupid, perverted, and loud as hell—but genuine.
"I'll help you," Yuuto said.
"Thank you! Thank you so much! I—"
"On one condition."
Issei froze mid-gratitude, his tear-stained face looking up with confusion and hope. "What is it? I'll do anything!"
Yuuto leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, his expression serious "When the time comes, you'll have to turn into a devil and join my peerage."
The room went silent except for the distant sound of a dog barking outside.
"A... devil?" Issei asked "Peerage?"
"Devils aren't evil beings, Issei. It's just a race—like humans, fallen angels, or any other supernatural species out there. We're not running around sacrificing virgins or whatever other bullshit, you heard about devils." Yuuto ran a hand through his blonde hair. "As for a peerage—think of it like a chess set. High-ranking devils can reincarnate humans into devils using special pieces called Evil Pieces. Once reincarnated, you become part of their peerage, their team. You get demonic powers, extended lifespan, and a whole lot of other benefits, which includes having your own peerage as well"
Issei blinked. "So... like joining a club? But with superpowers?"
"More or less, yeah" He added "If you agree to these conditions—turning into a devil and joining my peerage when the time is right—then I'll protect you from this mess. I'll keep you and your family safe from the fallen angels or any other threat out there. That's a promise"
Not that I wasn't going to save you anyway, but he doesn't need to know that.
"If I become a devil..." Issei said slowly, his voice gaining strength. "And join your peerage... and I work hard and get stronger..."
"Yes?"
"Can I... eventually have my own peerage?"
Yuuto blinked. "Yeah, if you rise high enough in devil society and earn the right to your own Evil Pieces, you can."
Issei's face split into the widest, most lecherous grin Yuuto had ever seen. It was like watching the sun rise over a mountain of porn magazines.
"Then, I can have my own harem!" Issei shouted, jumping to his feet with renewed vigor. "I'll have a peerage full of beautiful girls! A redhead! A blonde! A silver-haired beauty! Maybe twins! Or cat girls! Do cat girl devils exist?! Wait, don't answer that—I'll find out myself! I'll build the greatest harem in the underworld! King of the Harem Devils! That'll be me!"
I gotta discipline him, his pervertedness is too overbearing.
Yuuto felt his eye twitch as Issei continued his perverted fantasy rambling, complete with exaggerated hand gestures and what might have been drool forming at the corner of his mouth.
"—and they'll all call me 'Master' and wear sexy maid outfits—no wait, battle bikinis! Or maybe—"
"Issei."
"—shrine maiden outfits! The culture! The tradition! The exposed thighs—"
*Slam*
The pervert snapped out of his fantasy, blinking rapidly. "Huh? Oh, yeah! I agree! I'll join your peerage and become a devil! Whatever it takes!"
He was so engrossed in his harem fantasy that he didn't even bother asking whose peerage I'm in. Or what rank I am. Or literally anything important.
Yuuto sighed internally, a mixture of resignation and amusement settling over him. Maybe it's better if he doesn't know I'm technically not supposed to have a peerage yet. What he doesn't know won't hurt him... probably.
"Alright, here's what's going to happen," Yuuto said, pulling out his phone. "For now, I'm sending you and your parents far away from here. Somewhere the fallen angels can't track you. I'll handle the situation in Kuoh."
"Wait, you're going to fight three fallen angels by yourself?!" Issei's eyes widened with genuine concern. "But what if—"
"I'll be fine." Yuuto's voice carried absolute confidence, the kind that came from knowing you had a system that gave you supernatural abilities from other universes.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a crimson flyer—the same one Issei had received today "You got this flyer, right?"
Issei rummaged through his pockets, pulling out a crumpled paper with a magic circle printed on it. "Yeah, this thing. I thought it was some kind of scam at first."
"That's a summoning flyer. Devils use them to establish contracts with humans, but in your case, it's a direct line to me." Yuuto pointed at the magic circle. "If you're in danger, or if you need me for any reason, just hold the flyer and call my name while focusing on the circle. I'll sense it and teleport to your location immediately."
"Seriously?!" Issei's eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. "That's so cool!"
Yuuto couldn't quite suppress the small smirk tugging at his lips. Yeah, adding Issei to his eventual peerage was probably going to be a headache of epic proportions. The kid was loud, perverted, and had the tactical thinking of a horny brick.
But he was also genuine. Loyal. And most importantly, he'd been willing to die to protect his parents without a second thought.
At least I didn't let him die just for the sake of knocking him out of Rias's peerage, Yuuto thought as he stood up, preparing the transportation circle. Though I'm not sure if I'm going to regret this decision later.
"Alright, pack a bag. Tell your parents you won a weekend trip or something. We're moving in five minutes."
"Wait, five minutes?! But I need to pack my—" Issei's eyes darted to the magazine stack under his bed.
"Leave the porn, Issei."
"How about only on-"
"I said leave them"
---
The Hyoudou family had been surprisingly easy to relocate. Yuuto had used a minor mind spell—nothing harmful, just a gentle nudge to make them believe they'd won a free weekend vacation at a hot spring resort, overseas. They'd been so excited about it that they didn't question the sudden nature of the trip.
Issei had been harder to convince to leave his collections behind, but eventually, Yuuto had won that battle through the strategic use of threats and logic. Mostly threats.
Now, finally back at his apartment, Yuuto collapsed onto his couch with a heavy sigh, his body sinking into the cushions like a stone dropping into water. The ceiling fan rotated lazily above him, its gentle hum the only sound in the quiet space.
"What a goddamn day," he muttered to the empty room.
Killing a fallen angel? Check. Saving a pervert from his bird-themed girlfriend? Check. Recruiting said pervert into a peerage he technically didn't have yet? Check. Relocating an entire family for hot springs? Check.
And to think this morning I was just worried about Koneko destroying another training spot.
He closed his eyes, letting the tension drain from his shoulders. The Mist Breathing had helped keep him calm throughout the entire ordeal, but even that had its limits. Right now, all he wanted was a beer, a shower, and maybe twelve hours of sleep.
But before any of that could happen, the familiar sensation of his system activating rippled through his consciousness—a gentle pulse that felt like someone tapping on the inside of his skull.
Yuuto opened his eyes and summoned the familiar blue screen with a mental command.
[Quest Completed: Don't Let Issei Hyoudou Join the Peerage]
[Bonus Objective: Protect Issei Hyoudou - Completed]
[Rewards: 2 Character Cards]
[Would you like to use? Y/N]
He stared at the notification for a long moment, his eyebrows rising slightly.
"Two cards?" he said aloud. "I was only expecting one from the main quest."
The bonus objective gave me an extra one. Not bad. Maybe the universe doesn't completely hate me after all.
Or maybe it did, and this was just compensation for having to deal with Issei's harem fantasies for a solid ten minutes. Either way, he wasn't complaining.
"Accept," he said, sitting up straighter on the couch.
The screen shimmered, and the first character card materialized in his vision with a small flourish of light.
[New Character Card Obtained: Usopp]
[One Piece]
[Description: A member of the Straw Hat Pirates and the crew's sniper, Usopp is a skilled marksman with exceptional talent for long-range combat and invention. Despite his cowardly nature and tendency to exaggerate, he possesses genuine courage when his friends are in danger. His abilities include expert marksmanship with his slingshot, creative tactical thinking, and Observation Haki—allowing him to sense the presence, emotions, and intentions of others across vast distances. His lies have a strange tendency to come true, earning him the epithet "God Usopp" among those who witnessed his achievements. He excels at creating traps, improvising solutions, and supporting allies from distance.]
Yuuto blinked. Then blinked again.
"Holy shit, another One Piece character." A grin spread across his face. "First Sanji, now Usopp. What's next, am I gonna get Zoro and end up lost in my own apartment?"
The thought was amusing enough that he actually chuckled—a rare sound in his usually quiet living space.
But the more he thought about it, the more sense it made. Ussopp was all about precision, tactics, and support. Combined with Mei Mei's Bird Manipulation and Sanji's combat skills, he was building a surprisingly well-rounded skill set.
And Observation Haki... that's going to be useful as hell.
"Alright, let's see what God Usopp has to offer," Yuuto said with dark amusement, focusing on the card. "Accept."
The card dissolved into particles of golden light that rushed toward him, and suddenly—
The wave hit harder than expected.
Knowledge flooded his mind—not just techniques or skills, but memories. Fragmented pieces of a life lived on the seas, of cowardice overcome, of friendships forged in fire and blood. He felt the phantom weight of a slingshot in his hands, the instinctive calculation of wind speed and trajectory, the muscle memory of a thousand impossible shots.
And then came the Haki.
It unfurled in his consciousness like a blooming flower, expanding his awareness beyond his physical senses. Suddenly, he could feel the world around him in a way he couldn't before. He could sense the very presence of living beings within a certain radius, in form of blue aura.
His apartment. The buildings nearby. The street below.
And further.
He could sense auras now—faint impressions of life force and intent. Some were calm, others agitated. Some were alone, others together. And one pair in particular, about two blocks away, were—
"Oh, for fuck's sake," Yuuto mutterednas he immediately canceled the Haki. "Those two are really going at it. I did not need to sense that."
He rubbed his temples, trying to erase the sensation of accidentally eavesdropping on someone's intimate moment through supernatural means.
"Note to self: be more careful with Observation Haki. Being a third wheel to random people's fun times is not on my bucket list."
But despite the momentary embarrassment, he couldn't deny the usefulness of the ability. With Observation Haki, he could sense incoming attacks, detect hidden enemies, and even gauge someone's emotional state. Combined with his Mist Breathing and sword skills, it made him significantly more dangerous in combat.
And my lying skills apparently just increased significantly, he thought with amusement. Though I'm not sure how useful that'll be.
The mental image was funny enough to earn another chuckle.
"Alright, one more to go," Yuuto said, focusing on the screen again. "Let's see what number two has in store."
The second character card materialized, and his eyebrows shot up.
[New Character Card Obtained: Yukihina]
[Code: Breaker]
[Description: A Code: Breaker with the rare ability to manipulate all forms of water—liquid, solid, and gas. Yukihina possesses perfect control over H2O molecules in any state, allowing him to freeze, boil, shape, and weaponize water with devastating efficiency. However, power consumption increases significantly with the volume and complexity of water manipulation.]
Yuuto stared at the description, his mind already racing with possibilities.
"Code: Breaker," he muttered. "I remember starting that anime, but I dropped it after a few episodes. The female lead was too annoying to continue."
He tried to recall more about the series, but the details were fuzzy. Something about people with supernatural abilities who worked in the shadows, maintaining balance by eliminating evil with evil. The specifics didn't matter much now—what mattered was the ability itself.
Water manipulation. In all its forms.
"That's... actually insane," Yuuto said slowly, a genuine note of amazement in his voice. "Water is everywhere. In the air, in the ground, in living beings. If I can control it..."
The tactical applications were staggering. Offensive capabilities through ice weapons and water pressure. Defensive options through barriers and shields. Utility through fog creation and environmental control. And that wasn't even considering the more creative uses.
This is way more versatile than I expected.
"Accept," he said without hesitation.
The card shattered into crystalline fragments that reminded him of ice catching sunlight, and they flew toward him in a glittering cascade.
The integration was different this time—cooler, more fluid. He felt his very cells and mind being connected to something fundamental, something primal. Water in all its forms became an extension of his will, a part of his consciousness that had always been there but dormant until now.
He could sense it now. The moisture in the air around him. The water pipes running through the building. The small puddle of condensation under his air conditioning unit.
Yuuto raised his hand, focusing on the sensation.
A sphere of water materialized above his palm, pulled from the ambient humidity in the room. It floated there, perfectly contained, rotating slowly. With a thought, he froze it solid—ice crystals spreading across its surface in beautiful geometric patterns. Another thought, and it melted back into liquid. Then he heated it, steam rising as the sphere evaporated into mist.
"Incredible," he breathed, watching the mist dissipate. "The control is almost instinctive."
He experimented further—creating ice daggers that floated around him like satellites, generating a thin sheet of frost across his coffee table, pulling moisture from the air to form a swirling vortex of water around his arm.
The possibilities were endless. In an environment with abundant water, he could create massive ice constructs, flood areas, or freeze everything solid. Even in dry conditions, there was always some moisture to work with—in the air, in the ground, in living beings.
This combined with Mist Breathing... I could create actual mist instead of just the visual effect. Use it for concealment, then attack from within it with ice weapons.
But even as excitement coursed through him, reality tempered his enthusiasm.
"It's still not enough," Yuuto muttered, dismissing the ice daggers. They shattered into harmless snow that melted before hitting the ground. "Riser has immortality and hot flames. Even if I freeze him solid, he'll just regenerate. Even if I cut him apart, he'll heal. Water form manipulation does gives me more options, but it doesn't solve the fundamental problem."
"Bloody Regeneration of that arrogant chicken"
He leaned back on the couch, staring at the ceiling with a mixture of frustration and determination.
I need something that can counter regeneration itself. Something that can put down a phoenix's regeneration. Or at least...
His thoughts were interrupted by the buzz of his phone.
Yuuto fished it out of his pocket, glancing at the screen. A message notification glowed there, and the sender made his blood run cold.
*Rias Gremory*
His thumb hovered over the notification for a moment before he opened it.
*[Meet me at the club room tomorrow at 6 AM. Don't skip school. This is important.]*
Yuuto stared at the message, reading it three times to make sure he wasn't misinterpreting anything.
Six in the morning. The club room. Important.
None of that sounded good.
Shit. Did she find out?
His mind raced through the possibilities. Had someone seen him kill Raynare? Had the fallen angels met her, after he'd dealt with them?
He made sure to keep an eye on his surroundings, and there was no one around there. So how could she probably find it out?
As for Koneko keeping an eye on Issei, didn't happen at all, as he was present in every single meeting. And Koneko was mostly with him, so there is no way Rias know Issei possesses a sacred gear. With finding no answers to it, he gave it up and accepted whatever fate was waiting for him.
"This is either going to be a stern talking-to or an hour of beat down" Yuuto muttered, setting his phone down on the table with more force than necessary. "Knowing my luck, probably both."
He sat there in the quiet of his apartment, the doubt of tomorrow's meeting pressing down on him like a boulder dropped on his shoulders. Outside, the city continued its evening routine—cars passing, people talking, life going on as normal.
But for Yuuto, normalcy had left the building the moment he'd been dropped into this world with a system and a mission.
Whatever happens tomorrow, he thought, clenching his fists, I'll deal with it. I've come too far to back down from my choices.