Kuoh Academy was quiet in the early morning. The dew on the grass glistened like scattered gems beneath the rising sun. Reiji Arcanum walked through the courtyard with precise steps, his schoolbag slung casually over one shoulder, his tailored blazer pressed and spotless.
He had arrived twenty minutes before the first bell—not out of habit, but because he preferred silence. That precious, contemplative silence between the chaos of one day and the beginning of another.
[System Status – Active]
• Magic Circuit: 23% Active (Stabilizing)
• Spell Mastery: Aer Sigil – 34%
• Tactical Interface Lv.2: Battle Memory Active
• Affiliation Flags: [Rias Gremory - Curious | Sona Shitori - Observant]
Yesterday's encounter with the Fallen had shaken the script. He knew that. It was written across the subtle changes in Kuoh's atmosphere. Hidden glances. The tightening of a magical presence here or there. A vague pressure around the old school building.
He was no longer invisible.
And that meant his next move mattered.
"Reiji Arcanum. The student council would like to see you after class today."
Sona Shitori's voice was calm as ever, but beneath her glasses, her eyes carried sharp calculation. She had appeared beside him during break as though summoned by the wind. Reiji offered her a courtly smile.
"I assumed as much," he replied. "Though I imagine this is more than a simple administrative issue."
She narrowed her gaze. "You're very composed for someone who was nearly killed by a Fallen Angel."
"Was I?" he said mildly, folding his hands behind his back. "I suppose I didn't notice."
She said nothing, but the faintest curve of a smile ghosted across her lips before she turned and walked away.
As she left, the System chimed.
[Relationship Update – Sona Shitori: Respect +5 | Intrigue +3]
After School – Occult Research Club Room
The room felt like stepping into another era: velvet chairs, gothic architecture, a chandelier overhead, and a faint trace of incense and power in the air. Reiji took a seat without invitation, as was proper of someone who had once ruled.
Before him sat Rias Gremory. Crimson-haired, elegant, proud. Her presence dominated the room without trying—an empress by blood and disposition.
Beside her stood Akeno Himejima, smiling sweetly with eyes like knives.
Kiba Yuuto, the handsome knight.Koneko Toujou, the quiet rook with eyes that saw too much.
The peerage.
"I trust you understand why we've called you here," Rias said, folding her hands beneath her chin.
"I believe you want to know why a human without sacred gear or lineage can cast spells, dodge light spears, and perform advanced tactics without formal training," Reiji said simply.
Akeno's smile widened. Koneko tilted her head.
Rias, for the first time, looked faintly amused. "That's… remarkably accurate."
"Good," Reiji said. "Because I don't intend to hide it."
He leaned back. "I was born in another world—a world of magic, though I myself possessed no talent for it. I ruled over a nation of sorcerers through sheer intellect. I studied for decades, learned every theory, every formula. But I never once cast a single spell."
Now all eyes were on him. Even Kiba had stopped pretending to be the quiet observer.
"And then I died."
Silence.
"I was reincarnated here, granted a second life by something called the Genius System," he continued. "It allows me to learn and improve with unnatural speed. But it offers no power. I still have to study. Train. Bleed. In this life, I can become what I never could before."
Rias's crimson eyes sparkled with interest. "And what is it that you want to become?"
He met her gaze without flinching. "The strongest version of myself. Not because I crave power, but because I want to master the life I was denied."
The room was silent again.
Then Akeno giggled. "Ara~. He's serious."
Koneko looked him over. "He smells like a noble... but he's not."
Rias leaned back in her chair. "You're an anomaly. A human with no sacred gear, yet with more potential than most devils. I won't ask you to join my peerage—not yet."
"That would be premature," Reiji agreed.
"But I will extend an offer of cooperation," Rias said. "The supernatural world is dangerous. You've entered it now. There's no turning back."
"I never intended to," Reiji replied.
[System Notification]
New Affiliation Added: Rias Gremory – Neutral Ally
New Sub-Mission: "Study the Peerage"
• Objective: Analyze the structure and abilities of Rias Gremory's peerage.
• Reward: Strategic Insight Lv.1 | Passive Analysis Mode (Combat)
Later that evening, Reiji walked alone through the quiet streets of Kuoh.
He passed vending machines humming under soft streetlights, cats darting between alleys, the world calm around him. And yet, his mind was racing.
The pieces are in motion.
Fallen Angels. Devils. Sacred Gears. Contracts. Wars. Factions.
He remembered something the System had told him shortly after his arrival.
"This world is a story, Host. It follows events similar to the serialized epics of your past life. Characters have roles. Arcs follow structure. But your presence introduces variance. Cause and effect can be altered. Fate is not absolute."
He hadn't known what "anime" meant. To him, it was like a serialized magic-drama or one of the arcane novels nobles passed around court. Some scholar's romanticized retelling of mythic events.
Now, he lived in one.
And in stories... even the smallest change at the beginning can unravel the ending entirely.
Back at his apartment, Reiji sat at his desk, flipping through a modern chemistry textbook, a physics reference guide, and a grimy, hand-written journal on demonic magic he had "borrowed" from the school library's hidden section.
[System Learning Mode – Active]
Reading Speed Boosted | Retention Enhanced | Magic Theory Integration: 62%
Every glyph drawn, every circuit understood, every sigil refined—it all brought him closer to his goal.
He was still weak. Still fragile. A single careless step could mean death in this world.
But unlike others, he had no limits.
Only time.
And he would use every second.
Elsewhere…
A shadowed figure knelt before a marble throne of demonic design.
"The boy interfered. He's not part of the prophecy," the fallen angel muttered, one wing broken and twitching.
A pair of blood-red eyes opened from the darkness.
"Interesting," the voice purred. "Then perhaps… the game just became entertaining."