At that very moment, Takeyo remained blissfully unaware that countless factions across the supernatural world had taken notice of his existence. Even if he had known, it wouldn't have concerned him in the slightest. His confidence in his abilities ran deep, and for good reason.
Takeyo stirred awake in his bed, consciousness returning slowly.
"Ah... that hurts..."
He touched his forehead gingerly, feeling a dull throb pulsing through his skull. The sensation reminded him unpleasantly of having a fever, though he knew the cause ran much deeper than any common illness.
His physical condition overall felt distinctly off, as if his body hadn't fully recovered from something taxing.
"It seems I strained my origin by using too much power," Takeyo muttered, analyzing the residual damage. His head throbbed with a persistent ache, and whenever he tried to channel his incarnation abilities, sharp pains lanced through his entire body.
Still, the discomfort remained at a tolerable level. He could endure this much without serious difficulty.
However, in the next moment, an unexpected sensation drew his attention downward beneath the covers.
"What the, "?"
Takeyo lifted the blanket cautiously, half-expecting to find Est had manifested herself again while he slept. That wouldn't be unusual. The sword spirit had developed a habit of sneaking into his bed whenever the opportunity presented itself.
Instead, he discovered a girl with lustrous dark hair.
"Mmm..."
"Master... good morning?"
Yuuma lifted her head from beneath the blankets, her expression showing a mixture of shyness and satisfaction as she greeted him with a coy smile.
She appeared to be in what Takeyo had come to recognize as her "pure mode," a softer, more innocent persona that contrasted sharply with her usual seductive demeanor.
"What exactly are you wearing?" Takeyo asked, sitting up slightly to get a better look.
"Ah, this?" Yuuma glanced down at herself with obvious pride. "This is the result of extensive research I conducted after you gave me that order, Master."
She wore an elaborate maid costume, complete with frills, a white apron, and all the traditional accouterments of classic Victorian servant attire. The outfit was surprisingly authentic, though clearly selected for aesthetic appeal as much as function.
"Your result was to become a maid?" Takeyo processed this development. "Well... I suppose I did give you that kind of instruction, didn't I?"
He sighed, remembering the offhand command he'd issued during one of their earlier encounters. At the time, he hadn't expected her to take it quite so literally or commit to it with such dedication.
His gaze shifted to the other side of his bed.
As expected, Est lay curled up there peacefully, her silver hair splayed across the pillow like moonlight on water. The sword spirit showed no signs of waking despite the conversation happening mere inches away.
"Becoming a maid was Master's requirement, after all," Yuuma continued, her eyes shining with devotion. "As a believer in my Lord, I must naturally achieve my Lord's will to the fullest extent possible."
She licked her lips unconsciously, a gesture that revealed her true feelings despite the innocent persona she projected.
Being near Takeyo for extended periods truly brought Yuuma a sense of supreme contentment. If she could merge with her Lord completely, become one with him in every possible way, that would represent the pinnacle of honor and fulfillment in her twisted worldview.
Yuuma's beliefs had always been somewhat distorted, shaped by her nature as a Fallen Angel and her particular obsessions.
"By the way, breakfast is ready, Master," Yuuma announced cheerfully, sliding gracefully off the bed. She'd clearly been awake for some time, waiting for Takeyo to wake up naturally rather than disturbing his rest.
The extended contact with her Lord, feeling his presence and breathing in his scent throughout the night, had filled her with a joy that bordered on ecstatic. Physical proximity to Takeyo satisfied something fundamental in her nature.
"Mm, you can head downstairs first. I'll be down shortly," Takeyo instructed, extracting his school uniform from the closet.
He checked the timepiece on his nightstand. Half past seven. If he hurried, he could still make it to Kuoh Academy on schedule without resorting to his incarnation abilities for instant transportation.
"Yes, Master," Yuuma replied obediently, bowing before departing from the room with practiced grace.
After she left, Takeyo finally allowed himself a moment to relax and consider his situation more carefully.
"Wait a minute... let me check on something," he muttered, accessing his sign-in system interface.
The results made him cough in surprise.
"Ahem! Ahem, ahem, ahem!"
Looking at the system display, his expression shifted through several rapid changes.
The problem wasn't bad news exactly. Quite the opposite, in fact.
He'd triggered two separate sign-in tasks simultaneously.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations to the host for triggering the daily plot sign-in! Sign-in level: Diamond!]
[Sign-in plot: The Legendary Dragon Knight]
[Plot requirements: Become the legendary dragon knight! Riding a dragon isn't impressive if it's just any weak specimen. You need a Dragon King-level mount at minimum!]
[Sign-in time limit: 7 days]
[Remaining time: 6 days]
[Ding!]
[Congratulations to the host for triggering the daily location sign-in! Sign-in level: Bronze!]
[Sign-in location: The top of Koneko's head]
[Sign-in time limit: 1 day]
[Remaining time: 23 hours]
"Two daily sign-ins at once... which means..." Takeyo's eyes widened as the implications sank in. "This is the third day already?!"
"I missed an entire day of class yesterday?!"
The realization hit him like cold water. During his unconscious recovery period, a full school day had passed without him.
Just after voicing this concern aloud, a sharp pain spiked through his temples.
"Tssss...!"
Takeyo winced, pressing his palm against his forehead.
"Looks like I'll need to be more careful about balancing resource expenditure going forward," he reflected grimly.
Despite the discomfort, he felt genuine satisfaction about completing his previous task successfully. The rewards had been worth the temporary incapacitation. If he'd pushed himself this hard without achieving the desired results, that truly would have represented a catastrophic loss.
He proceeded through his morning routine, washing up and getting dressed while contemplating the new challenges ahead.
"By the way, Master, there's something I forgot to mention," Yuuma's voice drifted up from the first floor. "Two groups of visitors came by yesterday while you were recovering."
Her voice carried clearly from the kitchen area below, where she'd presumably been preparing breakfast and waiting for him to wake.
"I'm going... this complicates things somewhat," Takeyo muttered, his expression growing more complex.
Those two groups would almost certainly be Rias and Sona. Both of them had visited his home, which meant they'd inevitably encountered each other and discovered Yuuma's presence.
The political implications alone made his head hurt worse than his lingering injuries.
"Est, what exactly happened while I was unconscious?" Takeyo asked, summoning the sword spirit mentally.
He hadn't programmed his system to handle all possible scenarios during periods of incapacitation. For detailed information about events that occurred while he was unconscious, he needed to rely on his ever-faithful companion.
Through his connection with Est, Takeyo accessed her memories directly, experiencing the events from her perspective.
Ajuka had personally carried him home after their training session in the pocket dimension, arriving to find Yuuma frantically searching for Takeyo throughout the house. She'd returned from her own errands to discover him missing and had been on the verge of panic.
Yuuma had immediately attacked Ajuka upon seeing him supporting Takeyo's unconscious form, her Fallen Angel instincts flaring with protective aggression. She'd viewed the Satan as a potential threat to her beloved Lord.
Fortunately, Est had emerged from the elven contract seal on Takeyo's hand in time to explain the situation before violence escalated. Using her limited but earnest communication abilities, the sword spirit had managed to convey that Ajuka was an ally and teacher rather than an enemy.
After understanding that the Satan had actually helped Takeyo, Yuuma had reluctantly stood down. Ajuka had left a projection message encoded with magic, ensuring Takeyo would receive important information upon waking, before departing to handle his own responsibilities.
That had been the first incident.
Then came the next day, while Takeyo remained unconscious.
His cellphone had rung incessantly throughout the morning because he hadn't appeared at Kuoh Academy. Multiple calls had come through, eventually catching Yuuma's attention.
Unlike Est, who possessed only basic understanding of human technology, Yuuma was quite proficient with modern devices. She'd answered the calls professionally, speaking with whoever contacted them.
That decision had triggered a cascade of complications.
After learning that Takeyo actually had women living in his house, "technically two, though Est's nature as a sword spirit complicated that count, "Sona had immediately departed for his residence, bringing Tsubaki along as her Queen and vice president.
Thankfully, Ajuka had left his magical projection recording before departing the previous day. The Satan's message carried enough authority and explanatory power to exceed anything Yuuma or Est could have articulated. His testimony had convinced Sona that the situation was legitimate, preventing any serious misunderstandings.
After Sona departed that morning, Rias had arrived in the afternoon, clearly intending to discuss something important with Takeyo. Instead, she'd discovered he wasn't at Kuoh Academy that day either and had traced him to his home address.
Rias's reaction had mirrored Sona's earlier response almost exactly, with similar shock and confusion about the living arrangements.
Again, Ajuka's pre-recorded message had smoothed over the worst of the awkwardness. However, before leaving, Rias had cast a very peculiar look in Yuuma's direction, her eyes conveying something subtle and complex that Est hadn't quite understood.
"Hmm..."
After reviewing Est's complete memories of the past day and a half, Takeyo's expression remained troubled.
Not only that morning, but Yuuma had apparently attempted to sneak into his bed the previous morning as well. However, at that time, nothing she did had succeeded in rousing him from his deep, restorative sleep.
The level of unconsciousness required for his body to recover from origin strain ran deep indeed.
"In any case, I need to get to Kuoh Academy first," Takeyo decided, pushing his concerns aside temporarily.
Through the window, he could see bright morning sunlight streaming across the residential district.
His situation had grown increasingly complex, with multiple factions now aware of his existence and capabilities. The careful balance he'd been maintaining showed signs of shifting dramatically.
But dwelling on it wouldn't solve anything. He needed to face whatever consequences awaited him directly.
In Yuuma's infatuated gaze, Takeyo quickly finished the breakfast she'd prepared. The meal was surprisingly well-made, suggesting she'd put genuine effort into developing her culinary skills along with her other "maid duties."
"You really are quite talented, Yuuma," Takeyo acknowledged, genuinely impressed by the food quality.
"Remember to clean the house thoroughly today, understood?" he added, adjusting his school uniform jacket.
"Hai! See you later, Master!" Yuuma responded enthusiastically, her expression shifting momentarily to show her more coquettish side.
She licked her lips suggestively, eyes gleaming with devotion mixed with barely suppressed desire.
The mode changes happened so naturally now that Takeyo barely registered the transition between her pure and seductive personas. In a sense, that versatility represented genuine magical charm, though perhaps not in the traditional supernatural sense.
"See you later," Takeyo replied simply.
After finishing his preparations, he stepped outside and began walking toward Kuoh Academy.
Though he possessed the incarnation of Vamana the Dwarf, which granted him the ability to traverse dimensions and cross vast distances instantaneously, he chose to walk the normal route instead. His body hadn't fully recovered yet, and using his incarnation abilities unnecessarily would only aggravate his lingering injuries.
Better to give himself time to heal naturally while maintaining his cover as an ordinary student.
However, the moment he stepped through space using his weakened abilities, arriving at what should have been the school entrance, he realized he'd made a critical miscalculation.
After all, his body had just recovered from serious origin strain. Even a minor mistake when activating his incarnation powers under such conditions could produce unexpected results.
The destination error became immediately apparent.
"Well..." Takeyo smiled awkwardly, trying to maintain his composure despite the situation. "This is unfortunate timing."
He found himself standing in an extremely inappropriate location, face to face with the girl in front of him, who was currently in a rather compromising position.
"Koneko-chan?" he asked, recognizing her immediately despite the awkward circumstances.
"Takeyo-senpai?" Koneko whispered softly, her usual stoic expression faltering.
In the next instant, awareness of her current situation seemed to register fully. The petite nekomata's cheeks flushed bright pink, her normally calm demeanor cracking as her eyebrows drew together slightly and her eyes began to moisten with embarrassment.
She displayed the textbook response of someone caught completely off guard in a vulnerable moment.
The location Takeyo had accidentally materialized in became abundantly clear: he'd somehow managed to teleport directly into the girls' restroom, arriving at the precise instant when Koneko was in the middle of adjusting her uniform.
The bronze-rank sign-in task suddenly made perfect, terrible sense.
[Sign-in location: The top of Koneko's head]
The system had led him directly to this mortifying encounter, though whether intentionally or coincidentally remained unclear.
Takeyo's mind raced, trying to formulate an explanation that wouldn't make this situation even worse than it already was.
This was going to be very difficult to explain.