"I just don't want Takeyo to get the wrong idea."
Akeno's delicate brow furrowed slightly in confusion. "What kind of wrong idea?"
Rias closed her eyes, her expression troubled as she chose her words carefully. "I wanted to accept him as my servant for... that matter."
She left the sentence incomplete, but Akeno understood immediately what she meant, the arranged marriage to Riser Phenex.
Buchou... Akeno sighed inwardly.
The situation was delicate. If Rias recruited Takeyo specifically to help break off her engagement, he might think she was merely using him as a tool. And given his perceptive nature, he'd probably see through such an obvious ploy immediately.
You don't want to say it because you've developed genuine feelings for him, don't you? Akeno thought, a hint of joy flickering in her violet eyes. You're trying to protect those feelings by not making it seem like you're just using him.
It was actually rather sweet, in its own complicated way.
Of course, Akeno had no objections to Rias developing romantic interest in Takeyo, he was certainly an impressive candidate. However, she couldn't help but feel that the inevitable competition between Rias and Sona over him would create quite a spectacle. The entire academy would be buzzing with gossip.
Though... A secretive smile tugged at Akeno's lips. That does sound rather entertaining.
Akeno found herself relishing the thought of watching this romantic drama unfold from the sidelines.
She had no idea that in the near future, she herself would become deeply entangled in the very drama she now found so amusing to observe.
"That matter," Rias murmured, taking another sip of her tea.
Her expression grew contemplative as she considered the challenge ahead.
It's going to be difficult, she admitted to herself. The engagement to Riser wasn't just a personal inconvenience, it was a political arrangement between two prestigious Devil families, backed by ancient traditions and her parents' explicit approval.
Still, having finally secured a potentially powerful new peerage member like Takeyo, she now had options she hadn't possessed before.
I just need to guide things in the right direction, she mused. Though I might have to trouble Onii-sama for his assistance when the time comes.
"Although there must be a way for the car to reach the mountain," Rias said softly, quoting an old proverb, "in the meantime, it might be a good choice to simply move the mountain out of the way entirely."
Sometimes the direct approach was best.
At that very moment, Takeyo was walking along the street, contemplating the same situation from his own perspective.
So Rias really does think I might assume she's using me when she eventually asks me to deal with Riser, he thought with mild amusement.
Thanks to his enhanced perception and understanding of people's motivations, he'd already deduced her concerns.
"Being used is being used," he muttered to himself with a slight smile. "But the power of the hero saving the damsel in distress is considerable,"
He chuckled at the romantic cliché of it all.
Besides, even if Rias's initial intentions had been purely practical, his instincts told him that genuine romantic interest was beginning to develop on her part as well.
That's promising, he thought. Much better than a purely transactional relationship.
"Excuse me, brother? May I ask you something?"
Takeyo's musings were interrupted by an unfamiliar young man approaching him.
The teenager's appearance immediately caught his attention, exotic clothing with a distinctly non-Japanese aesthetic, and a peculiar accent that sounded almost... off, as though the person speaking weren't entirely comfortable with the language.
"Hm?" Takeyo raised an eyebrow. "What's the problem?"
Even with his enhanced perception, he found himself unable to see through the young man's true nature. The stranger either possessed no supernatural power whatsoever, making him completely ordinary, or...
Or he's deliberately suppressing his aura to avoid detection, Takeyo concluded. Which would make him quite formidable indeed.
"Have there been any unusual occurrences in this town lately?" the boy asked, his expression earnest.
"Unusual occurrences? Well, actually, yes," Takeyo replied thoughtfully.
Wasn't Kuoh Town itself one continuous series of unusual occurrences at this point?
"Oh?, What kind of unusual occurrence? Please, you must tell me." The boy's interest intensified immediately.
"It's said that ghosts have been appearing around Kuoh Town," Takeyo explained, recalling the urban legend that Kiryuu Aika had mentioned to him earlier. "They've been spotted quite frequently recently!~"
He repeated the supernatural rumors almost verbatim, watching the stranger's reaction carefully.
"I see. Thank you for the information." The boy nodded politely, seemingly satisfied with this answer. Then, after a brief pause, "Well then... farewell for now."
With that cryptic goodbye, he turned and walked away.
What a strange person, Takeyo thought, watching the young man disappear into the crowd.
However, his encounter had triggered something unexpected, a sign-in notification that he certainly hadn't anticipated.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations to the host for triggering a plot sign-in! Sign-in level: King!]
[Sign-in plot: The True Savior!]
[Plot Details: There can only be one true Vishnu!~ Only one deity should maintain the duties of preservation and guardian deity!~
Kill the Vishnu of the High School DxD world!]
[Sign-in time limit: 30 days]
[Remaining time: 30 days, 0 hours, 0 minutes]
Takeyo's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
A King-level sign-in quest? he thought incredulously. Does this mean I'm supposed to assassinate the actual Hindu god Vishnu?
The implications were staggering. While thirty days seemed like a reasonable timeframe on paper, the reality was far more complex.
With thirty days of preparation, I can at most guarantee that I can fight evenly with a Satan-class opponent, he calculated grimly. But that's definitely not enough strength to eliminate someone at Vishnu's level.
After all, the DxD world's Vishnu was considered one of the top ten most powerful beings in existence, a genuine god among gods, part of the Hindu pantheon alongside Shiva himself.
Still, the rewards for completing a King-level mission were equally extraordinary. His last King-level reward had granted him enough power to make a significant leap forward in capability.
The potential benefits are tremendous, he acknowledged. But the risks...
"Don't worry about it for now," Takeyo muttered to himself, forcing his mind to focus on more immediate concerns. "The most important thing is to become stronger. I need to grow as powerful as possible within these thirty days."
After all, regardless of whatever challenges lay ahead, increased personal strength could only help his chances of survival.
No matter what obstacles appear, I'll overcome them more easily if I'm stronger, he reasoned pragmatically.
"But... Vishnu?..." he murmured thoughtfully.
The implications of this quest extended far beyond simple combat difficulty.
Killing him would be equivalent to forming an irreconcilable grudge with the entire Indian pantheon, Takeyo realized soberly. After all, it means slaying the supreme god of preservation, one of the Trimurti, ranking among the world's top ten most powerful beings.
Even if he somehow succeeded, the political and supernatural fallout would be catastrophic.
"Unless..." A sudden thought occurred to him, and his expression brightened slightly.
Unless there's a loophole I'm not seeing yet, he thought optimistically. The system wouldn't give me an impossible quest, would it?
He'd have to wait and see how circumstances developed.
Pushing these concerns aside for the moment, Takeyo continued walking down the street, paying careful attention to his surroundings.
His decision to walk rather than using the Vamana Incarnation's spatial manipulation abilities to instantly return home was deliberate, these days, one could encounter interesting people and situations simply by strolling through Kuoh Town.
Sure enough, a few minutes later, his instincts proved correct.
"Ah,,"
In a small public square ahead, a delicate cry of surprise reached his ears.
A blonde girl dressed in a nun's habit had somehow managed to trip over absolutely nothing on the perfectly flat ground. As she fell, she pulled down the dark-haired loli who'd been holding her hand, and both girls tumbled to the pavement in a tangle of limbs.
The legendary flat-ground fall!~ Takeyo thought with amused disbelief. Only truly exceptional levels of clumsiness can achieve the legendary stumble on completely level terrain.
"..."
The black-haired girl seemed stunned by the sheer absurdity of being dragged down alongside her companion. Her expressionless face somehow managed to convey both resignation and faint exasperation.
"Asia... and Ophis?~" Takeyo murmured, recognizing both girls immediately.
Well, this is quite the unexpected combination appearing before me.
He noted with clinical detachment that when the two girls fell, the scene presented... certain anatomically revealing moments.
Asia's underwear is white, he observed with the same casual interest one might apply to noting weather conditions. And Ophis... well, of course Ophis doesn't have any,~
He sighed internally at the Dragon God's apparent lack of understanding regarding human clothing conventions.
Those heroes really failed you in the basics, Ophis, he thought with mild exasperation. The dignified Infinite Dragon God doesn't even own proper undergarments?
"Are you alright?"
Before the girls could fully process what had happened, they heard a gentle voice above them.
"Ah, I'm okay. I'm quite used to this sort of thing. Thank you," Asia responded immediately, her voice carrying practiced cheerfulness despite her embarrassment.
She reached up and took Takeyo's extended hand, allowing him to help her back to her feet.
At the same time, he offered his other hand to Ophis, who accepted it with her characteristic emotional detachment and rose gracefully.
"Found it..."
Ophis spoke softly, staring directly at Takeyo with her dark, unfathomable eyes.
A subtle emotional fluctuation, barely detectable, but present nonetheless, passed through her normally expressionless gaze.
She had found what she'd been searching for.
"Hm? You found the person you were looking for?" Asia asked excitedly, completely oblivious to the deeper implications.
"Yes." Ophis nodded once, her eyes never leaving Takeyo's face.
She then raised one small hand and pointed directly at him.
Takeyo was the one she had been seeking all this time!
"That's wonderful! Thank the Lord for His blessings," Asia exclaimed joyfully, clasping her hands together.
She immediately began praying on the spot, apparently forgetting entirely that she was standing in the middle of a public square.
Takeyo smiled gently at her innocent enthusiasm.
"I probably understand what happened," he said warmly. "Thank you for helping Ophis search for me. By the way, what's your name?"
I should be polite, even though I obviously already know who she is, he thought.
The situation was fairly obvious, after Ophis had been retrieved by the Khaos Brigade following their previous encounter, she'd somehow managed to escape again to search for him specifically.
However, she'd encountered an immediate problem: Ophis couldn't actually perceive Takeyo's location at all.
Unlike everyone else in this world who could only see his disguised strength level, Ophis's problem was different, she simply couldn't sense him at all through normal supernatural means. His existence was somehow obscured from her enhanced perception.
That's what happens when you try to find someone whose very presence is masked by a reality-altering system, Takeyo mused.
Unable to locate him directly, Ophis had apparently been wandering around Kuoh Town hoping to encounter him by chance.
During her aimless search, she'd met Asia, who, with her characteristic kindness and gentle nature, had naturally offered to help the seemingly lost young girl find her "family."
Then, guided by Asia's famous clumsiness attribute, the unlikely pair had literally stumbled into Takeyo's path.
Sometimes fate works in the most absurdly straightforward ways, he thought with amusement.
☆☆☆
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