— — — — — —
"Boss… are we still going to fight him?"
Hajime Kanzaki almost kicked his underling on the spot.
'You ask me that now? How am I supposed to back down? If I say no, how am I supposed to keep being the boss?'
"…We're going. So he threw a piece of chalk like it was a bomb—big deal."
"What's that to be scared of? If I really got serious, I could do that too! Come on! We're going to beat him up!"
Kanzaki puffed himself up and yanked the door open—only to jump back in shock.
"Y-You! When did you get here?!"
He stumbled back two steps. Kazuma was suddenly standing in the doorway like he'd been there the whole time.
"I got here right when you said 'I'm not a big deal'… and when you said you were coming to 'beat me up.'"
Kazuma looked the so-called delinquent boss up and down—the guy really did look like a middle-aged uncle despite being a highschooler.
"If you wanna fight, let's take it outside. I've been a bit bored anyway. And bring the rest of the students while you're at it. Hard to make an example without an audience, right? Don't you think so, Kanzaki?"
He patted Kanzaki's shoulder, then called something into the room before casually heading outside.
"You've got guts, human. A bit ignorant, sure—but gutsy." Hilda came out holding Beel in her arms. She looked at her baby master's future servant and chuckled.
"Humans are always so full of confidence. How foolish."
Kanzaki couldn't take it anymore and snapped. "Who the hell is she? Acting all high and mighty!"
"Boss… that's probably the teacher's girlfriend. Or—uh—maybe his wife? That kid might be their secret love child."
The other delinquents shuffled out behind him, whispering explanations.
"…What."
Kanzaki instantly deflated.
Right then, Tohru also stepped out. "Looks like no matter what world we're in, there are always idiots who challenge dragons. They call those people 'heroes,' don't they?"
"Though heroes never end well. Well… good luck."
She gave Kanzaki a big thumbs-up. She already knew how this fight would end, but she was still excited—seeing Kazuma in action was always a treat.
"And who's this one?" Kanzaki asked, completely lost.
"Another one of that teacher's girls. Hard to say which one's the kid's mom." Someone whispered.
"Damn… two blonde girlfriends at once? Does that guy have a thing for blondes?!" Even Kanzaki couldn't help complaining.
...
By the time Kazuma reached the schoolyard, the place was jam-packed. Students poured out from every direction.
"Kanzaki's back! Looks like he's gonna fight the new teacher!"
"Who's gonna win?"
"Obviously Kanzaki! He's the one most likely to unite the whole school! De Niro Squad isn't a joke—they're monsters!"
"B... But the teacher is also a monster."
The moment someone said that, the chatter died. Everyone stared at Kazuma, then at Kanzaki, and screamed internally: "Kanzaki, you HAVE to win! If you lose, our lives will be hell! We'll all be living under a demon king! Every day we'll be wondering if he'll snap and beat us to death!"
Without even realizing it, Kanzaki had become the symbol of the student body's hopes. He walked forward, holding a bottle of yogurt.
Kazuma was ready to finish him in one punch, but before he moved, someone stepped out in front of Kanzaki.
"Boss! That guy's really strong. Let me test him first!"
It was Takeshi Shiroyama—built like a bear, insanely strong for a high-school delinquent.
"You…" Kanzaki walked right up to him—and kicked the huge guy flat on his back.
A vein throbbed on his forehead. "What are you saying? You think I'm gonna lose to the new teacher?"
For someone in the underworld, being looked down on—especially by your own lackeys—was unforgivable.
If he couldn't inspire fear and respect, he didn't deserve to be boss.
"Boss, I didn't mean it like that! I was just trying to help! I can feel it—this guy's dangerous! I believe in you, Boss! I just wanted to protect you! I've always been your most loyal follower!"
Shiroyama genuinely thought he was helping. He had no idea how badly he'd messed up.
BAM!
A single enraged kick knocked him out cold—right in front of everyone.
If he let his lackey fight in his place—even if he won—he'd forever be known as a coward. His reputation would be ruined.
"Savage! He even beat up his own guy!"
"He took down Shiroyama like he was nothing… that's Kanzaki for you!"
"Poor Shiro-chan… loyal but completely oblivious." Natsume sighed, dragged the unconscious Shiroyama to the side, checked he was alive, and left him there.
"Loyal, but not too bright," Hilda muttered. "Even if you know you'll lose, you still have to fight. Lose, and it's 'not strong enough.' But if you're scared—your life's over."
A subordinate should follow orders—not try to act smarter than the boss.
"Humans really are strange," Tohru said. She still didn't get their logic.
"Alright," Kanzaki said, taking a deep breath. "Now you and I can have a proper fight."
He walked up to Kazuma, trying to look relaxed—and suddenly tossed the yogurt bottle into the air, following it with a lightning-fast axe kick.
"Trying to show off, brat?"
Kazuma casually caught the yogurt with one hand, grabbed Kanzaki's leg with the other, and smiled kindly.
Then he swung him like a windmill.
"Holy crap! That's brutal!"
"Kanzaki's getting turned into a ragdoll!"
"He's not even treating him like a human!"
The delinquents all recoiled. It was too horrifying to watch.
Natsume hesitated for a moment. "Kanzaki… I'll call an ambulance for you."
Even this habitual chaos-enjoyer couldn't laugh anymore. This new teacher was way too vicious.
"A blood sacrifice ritual… interesting."
Hilda watched the scene and was reminded of the demon realm's blood rites. She never thought she'd see something similar in the human world.
"Da-dada, dada-da!"
Baby Beel flailed his tiny hands excitedly, like he was trying to imitate Kazuma's spinning attack.
"To crush the opponent's body, break their will, and use that fear to cement your dominance!"
Tohru's eyes sparkled. She almost let out a dragon roar. Scenes like this were usually performed before thousands of dragons. The last time she'd seen something similar was tens of thousands of years ago, when a dragon challenged her father's throne.
That dragon got beaten so hard it couldn't walk straight for centuries.
"These two aren't normal either!"
"Not scared at all! One looks impressed, and the other looks like she wants to try it herself!"
"And that baby… figures. A monster teacher would have a bloodthirsty kid!"
The delinquents watching couldn't help screaming internally. 'What kind of demons have we run into!?'
Kazuma dusted off his hands. "Listen, brat. Even delinquents and gang punks need some sense of honor. At the very least, don't beat up your own guys."
"If you don't even have that, you're not a delinquent anymore… you're just trash. Well… I guess it's kind of the same thing. Forget it. I'm not good at giving lectures. Point is, what you did pissed me off."
"If I see it again, I'll beat you again."
He'd tried to say something deep and cool, but halfway through he realized talking wasn't really his specialty. Why bother talking when a punch fixed everything?
"Fu… cough…"
Kanzaki's vision blurred. His ears were ringing, but Kazuma's words still somehow made it through the haze.
He opened his mouth to reply, but before he could form a single word, he collapsed unconscious.
Kazuma turned to the crowd. "The rest of you… anyone still not convinced?"
"I'll give you a chance. You can all attack me at once, or come one by one. Let's see whether I run out of strength first, or you all get flattened."
He rolled his shoulders. That little warm-up with Kanzaki didn't even count as stretching.
"We—we give up! We're convinced!" x99
"Hahahahaha. Lied to you. Even if you give up, you still get a beating. Next time, don't hang around watching the show."
Kazuma charged into the crowd, mowing through them like a one-man army. They were already here—might as well beat them for real.
...
Five minutes later, the schoolyard was filled with bodies.
"Looks like we've basically conquered Ishiyama High," Hilda said, smiling. "Master Beel really has excellent taste. He picked such a delightful father in an instant."
Just then, a group of shaved-head punks stormed in from the gate. They were from Teimou High, here to cause trouble.
"Ishiyama's fighters went off to brawl with Gintama High. The leftovers are just weaklings. Perfect time to trash the place and ruin their rep!"
They rushed in swinging weapons—then froze.
Kazuma was standing above a field of unconscious Ishiyama students.
"Uh… excuse us… seems we came to the wrong school."
They apologized and tried to retreat. They didn't get far.
Kazuma grabbed one by the shoulder. "You barged into my school and think you can just walk out? If this gets out, won't my reputation tank?"
"I'm the principal of Ishiyama now. How am I supposed to show my face if I don't deal with you?"
He slammed the guy into the ground. Less than thirty seconds later, over a hundred Teimou punks were flat on their backs.
"Hey, Ishiyama kids! Anyone who can still move—get up. Grab some rope and hang these idiots at the school gate."
"Yes, Sensei—no, Principal!"
The survivors scrambled upright despite broken noses, bruised faces, or cracked bones. No one dared move slowly. Hesitating even a second could earn them another beating.
Soon enough, the Teimou gang was strung up outside the entrance like a gruesome welcome decoration.
"Alright, let's go back to class."
As Kazuma spoke, baby Beel wriggled out of Hilda's arms, scampered over, grabbed Kazuma's clothes, and climbed up to his shoulder with determined little taps.
"Oh? You think I'm awesome? You've got good taste."
Kazuma nodded seriously. He had skill in Beast Speech, but baby noises? Impossible to decipher.
Not that it mattered. If Kazuma decided Beel was praising him… then he was praising him. If the kid disagreed, he could speak up.
"I thought human schools would be boring," Hilda said, walking behind him. "But this place is actually pretty fun. Feels like home."
At Kazuma's other side, Tohru nodded. "Back then I didn't understand what a school was. But now I get it. It's like a military combat training camp."
"I'm not good at many things, but fighting? That I can do."
The delinquents listening almost cried.
'What kind of nightmare world are you describing?! Schools aren't supposed to be like this!'
---
A little later, outside Ishiyama High
A girl with a paper bag over her head wandered past. Her clothes were styled with an Egyptian motif, making her stand out even more.
"Huh? The decorations here feel very demon world-ish. Humans really aren't that different from demons, I guess."
"But where's Jashin-chan's house? Did I get lost?"
Medusa from the demon world (Hell) was searching for the chaotic little snake who'd been accidentally summoned and never returned. She circled the area twice and somehow wound up back at the same spot.
She had no idea what to do next.
At that moment, Jashin-chan sprinted toward her.
"Medusa! I waited at home forever! Why are you wandering outside? Yurine is coming back any minute! I have to set up the perfect lethal trap before she arrives!"
She grabbed Medusa's hand… then froze when she saw the bodies hanging at the school gate.
She hadn't felt such a familiar, demonic atmosphere in a long time.
"I can't return home yet, but it's fine! Once I kill Yurine, I can go back!"
Dragging Medusa behind her, she marched off with blazing confidence. This time, she was absolutely going to kill Yurine Hanazono.
🚨Wee-ooo wee-ooo🚨
The ambulance finally arrived. The medics didn't need anyone to guide them. They just headed straight inside.
"Should we… take those guys too?" The medic pointed at the Teimou students hanging outside.
"Nope. Wrong uniforms. Not our business. We're here for Ishiyama's students."
"Hurry up. Start loading."
They moved inside and saw the field of collapsed teens. Within seconds they were hauling bodies with practiced speed. This was their third or fourth trip to Ishiyama in just two days. The school had basically become their hospital's VIP client.
As time passed, word of Ishiyama's terrifying new teacher spread further and further.
.
.
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(A/N: The new characters are from Dropkick on My Devil. I was thinking about adding DxD like many of you suggested, but it needs some preparation… I'll do my best, but I can't make any promises.)