Issei Hyoudou had been living increasingly crazy days.
His first girlfriend, Yuma, turned out to be a fallen angel named Reynare.
After that, he was reincarnated as a devil by his wet dream, Rias Gremory.
It was awesome.
Leaving aside that handsome guy Kiba, he was in a club with three beautiful girls:
Rias herself,
the Yamato nadeshiko Akeno,
and the cute Koneko.
It was a dream.
But without realizing it, that fantasy was about to shatter, to show him that the supernatural world was many things—but definitely not a fairy tale.
Issei went through what could be considered a normal day (as normal as it gets for a devil).
After classes, he went to the club and then left on his bicycle (he still couldn't use his wings) to fulfill a contract.
But what he saw upon arriving made him vomit.
A bloodied old man looked at him with reverence, fear, and anticipation.
A strange reaction.
Those who made contracts before never looked at him like that.
They looked at him as if he were…
Human.
But this man didn't.
It was obvious that he was looking at something superior.
"Oh, Lord Devil, please save me."
Issei looked at him, very confused.
"I need an army… no—immortality, no—I want you to deal with the yakuza who are chasing me."
Apparently, the man was from the underworld and had survived thanks to demonic contracts, sacrificing everything that could be sacrificed except the last part of his soul.
He was doomed to work for 500 years after his death, but he wasn't completely enslaved yet.
"I promise to sacrifice 20 animals and 10 people and give you their souls, so please, Lord Devil—"
Issei couldn't take it anymore and ran away.
"Wait! I'm willing to pay with what's left of my soul!"
In the end, the old man could only watch in confusion as the "powerful" devil escaped on a bicycle.
huff huff
Issei pedaled at full speed.
Finally, he arrived.
The Occult Research Club.
Rias Gremory's headquarters.
"President!"
He shouted as he burst through the doors.
Rias looked surprised by the noise.
The other members weren't there; they had probably gone to fulfill contracts too.
"What happened, Issei?"
Rias asked, worried about her precious pawn.
"I ran into a crazy guy! He wanted absurd things and offered people's souls!"
Rias blinked, then seemed to understand.
"Issei."
Rias pulled her cute pawn close and held him against her chest.
Issei's worries vanished, and he started drooling.
"You see, Issei, contracts involving souls were certainly something obsolete."
Issei tried to split his attention between the softness and listening to his King.
"At least until a few years ago, trading souls was frowned upon. Now it's more widespread, and in fact, it's what's expected of us."
Issei was confused.
He clearly remembered Rias describing devils as fairly normal "people."
But…
Trading souls?
Isn't that completely psychopathic?
"But President, that guy asked for impossible things."
Immortality? Was that even possible?
So far, the hardest thing anyone had asked him for was to play video games for one more hour.
"It must have been a misunderstanding… that man probably came from some 'corrupt' city and is used to that kind of deal."
Rias thought about it and replied.
"Corrupt cities!"
Corrupt cities.
A term given by humanity to mysterious places—once normal cities—that gradually changed and turned into sites of debauchery.
Some called them the cancer of the world.
Why didn't the pantheons say anything about the misuse of their territories?
That's a story I'll leave for later~
But Issei realized something important.
"Devils can grant those kinds of wishes!?"
Rias looked somewhat troubled and avoided his gaze.
"Well… yes. Some devils can." (Aikren's)
"Incredible."
Issei's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"So that means I could ask for a harem!"
His dream was closer than he thought!
"No!"
Rias interrupted him with a shout.
"Issei, for everything you care about, promise me—no, this is an order! Never, ever make a pact with that kind of devil!"
Issei was shocked.
He had never seen his King so agitated.
"You don't know it, but they are very 'diabolical.' There are always traps or twisted games."
"They enjoy watching the fire of progress and life fade away just because someone signed a contract."
"If you offer them 100 animals, but you got them easily, they won't be interested and will double the price to 200."
"But if those 100 animals are the effort of your entire life, they will gladly accept."
"So, Issei, never make a deal with them."
She stared straight into his eyes.
"And especially not with…"
Issei was confused by the name she said with such difficulty.
"With him?"
"Aikren Bael…"
"He is a devil in the purest sense of the word… I'm sure you'll meet him someday, since we see each other from time to time… so when you do, try to interact with him as little as possible."
Issei quickly nodded.
Several days passed after that.
And Issei met someone new.
A nun.
She was as pure as an angel, with blonde hair and green eyes.
Asia Argento.
That was her name.
And right now, that beautiful and pure girl was tied to a cross.
About to have her Sacred Gear stolen.
About to die.
Issei, restrained by cultists, watched as her life slowly faded away.
Issei and Asia seemed synchronized.
"Someone… God… even… the devil…"
Reality warped.
Everything stopped.
No—
Rather,
Nothing wanted to move.
Not in front of that being.
"What an interesting thing we have here."
Aikren.
The devil.
Had answered the call.
Outside the church, Rias and Akeno recognized the familiar aura.
They exchanged a glance and rushed inside.
"Oh, poor pure soul. What wish do you want me to grant you?"
Asia looked at the young man, who appeared to be around seventeen or eighteen years old.
She knew it.
This was not the God she had prayed to so much.
It was a devil.
And yet, she faced him with a kind and compassionate smile.
Almost as if she pitied him.
That irritated Aikren.
Compassion?
Disgusting.
"Oh, great being, please, I ask that my friend Issei and his companions come out of this trouble they got into because of me."
Aikren looked at her.
"And what will you give me in return?"
"I offer you my soul, great being…"
Issei heard this in horror.
"No, Asi—"
But he felt a terrifying gaze.
It was the devil Aikren, looking at him from the corner of his eye.
"And if possible, when my soul is freed someday, I would love to be able to make friends."
Aikren looked at her, somewhat pleased, an idea forming in his mind.
"Very well. I accept this deal."
Asia looked happy despite everything.
"But—"
"There is something from your soul that I want more than anything."
Asia was confused.
"If it's something I possess, it can be anything."
Aikren's smile widened unnaturally.
"Good… I want your memories."
"More specifically, those 'beautiful' memories you cherish so much of Issei Hyoudou and your friendship."
His smile revealed sharp teeth.
"Do we have a deal?"
Curiously, this was worse.
Theoretically, as the owner of a soul, Aikren could do whatever he wanted with it.
But this was different.
Those happy memories in an otherwise gray life—
They would become his possession.
They would be torn away from her very being, becoming Aikren's alone.
They would be completely separated from her soul.
Nothing would remain that could be recovered.
Asia looked at Issei.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
Her hand, once bound, now moved freely.
She extended it.
"I accept."
She finally said.
Aikren extended his hand as well.
Asia looked at Issei for the last time she would ever remember him.
Those memories—
So deliciously happy.
"Goodbye, Issei-san."
"Asia!!!"
Reality warped.
The contract was sealed.
The enemies who had been frozen in fear—
Disappeared.
The battle wounds—
Disappeared.
Everyone was fine.
But Issei collapsed to his knees.
He had lost.
The devil had vanished along with the nun.
Only silence reigned.
At that moment, Rias and Akeno were allowed to enter.
"Issei!"
Rias said worriedly when she saw him kneeling.
"What happened, Issei!?"
The heiress asked.
"Asia… she sold her soul and her memories…"
He said through tears.
"It was Aikren-senpai."
Koneko said from the side.
She and Kiba had seen everything.
But they knew they couldn't interrupt Aikren.
Much less interrupt him while he was making a contract.
The mission to rescue Asia—
Had failed.
Several days passed after that.
Issei had been depressed for days.
So he came up with a small plan.
To change the atmosphere.
Go to the Familiar Forest.
A place where young devils went in search of useful familiars.
But there was a problem.
Sona.
"President!?"
"You're a devil too!?"
Issei asked in shock as he saw Sona.
"Hey, show some respect."
Sona's new pawn, Saji, exclaimed.
"I am the heiress of the Sitri."
Sona explained sharply.
"And I am also the fiancée of the devil you encountered earlier."
"EHH!?"
Two shouts rang out.
Issei himself—
And Saji, who had been preaching about respect just moments ago.
"You're engaged to that guy…"
Issei glared at Sona with hatred.
Meanwhile, she was used to it.
Her fiancé had many enemies.
It wasn't the first time someone had looked at her with murderous intent.
It always ended the same way.
After all—
Who would mess with Aikren Bael's fiancée?
Well—
Issei certainly would.
Issei quickly stepped toward Sona.
But Saji jumped in front of her.
"Hey, stop! Maybe the President is being forced by her family into a marriage she hates!"
He clung to that idea desperately.
"No, we are happily engaged."
Sona replied calmly.
Saji looked like a crumpled, depressed piece of paper.
But before they could continue arguing—
"Oh, what an interesting gathering we have here."
A voice that sounded like it came from a radio echoed from the darkness.
TO BE CONTINUED
I would appreciate it if you could share your thoughts.
After all, I'm looking to improve.