"I don't know this ceiling..."
In a Western-style room of a certain house, early in the morning. A young man sleeping on a king-sized bed placed in a room furnished with tasteful Western-style furniture woke up and muttered those words simultaneously.
Combined with the lucid dream he had just been having, for a moment, he was fuzzy on where he was due to the unfamiliar ceiling.
But after a few seconds of searching his memory, the young man remembered.
"Ah, that's right. I moved to Japan."
From his family home in Italy, where the Gray Sorcerers have their base, the young man had moved this past Saturday, at Mephisto's request, to a standalone house prepared for him in Kuoh Town, one of the local cities in Japan.
"...It's fortunate that I'm not tired at all."
The young man smiled wryly. The time difference between Japan and Italy is eight hours. Checking his watch, the current time in Japan was seven AM, so in Italy it was midnight—in other words, the dead of night, which would normally be his work time. Due to his hereditary constitution, his eyes were wide awake for two reasons.
And today was Monday. It was also his transfer day to a new school. He couldn't afford to be late on his first day, so the young man threw off the covers, sat up, stretched lightly, and got out of bed.
His short, neatly trimmed black hair was inherited from his mother, and his sharp blue eyes, inherited from his father, conveyed a strong will. His tall, well-developed 176 cm frame was lean, taut, and well-trained, reminiscent of a supple wild beast.
He was the half-devil young man saved by Cú Chulainn seven years ago, Leonhardt Pheles, using his Japanese name, Kurosaki Renya.
Renya took his change of clothes in one hand, left the room, walked down the hallway, descended the stairs, and headed for the washroom.
After washing his hair and face and tidying his appearance, he put on his underwear and changed into the boys' uniform of "Kuoh Academy High School," which he would be attending from today, then left the washroom.
Leaving the washroom, Renya headed straight for the living room. There, he was greeted by the good smell of breakfast that had been wafting since before he arrived, along with the lazy yet bracing, cool yet warm air unique to the morning.
"Good morning, Leon-sama."
Noticing Renya's presence, a woman, one or two years older than Renya, turned around.
She wore a maid uniform, her long silver hair tied up in a ponytail. She had been standing in the kitchen, skillfully preparing breakfast with practiced ease. She greeted him with a loving, gentle smile.
"Ah, good morning, Sylpha."
Renya smiled back at her. Sylpha's smile deepened happily in response.
Her full name was Sylpha Langlis.
Their meeting was several years ago. Sylpha had been training under her father, Marcos, to master swordsmanship.
However, Marcos, concerned about the intensity and danger of her training, wanted her to learn about the outside world. He encouraged her to travel, and she set off on a journey as a Bounty Hunter, just like her father had been.
During her travels, Sylpha steadily made a name for herself by defeating stray devils, outlaws who targeted her, and even rival hunters.
But she encountered an unexpected enemy and was about to die, acting as a back guard to allow her fellow Bounty Hunters to escape, when she was saved by Renya at the last moment.
Sylpha developed a clear affection for Renya, who had saved her then. Using the connections of Marcos, who served as Mephisto's Knight, she met Renya again, begged him to make her his Servant, and that's where she is now.
"Leo-kun, good morning."
Next, the one who called out to Renya using his devil name, Leonhardt, and even his nickname, was a beautiful woman of appropriate age wearing an apron, helping Sylpha.
With long golden hair reaching her waist, abundant breasts boasting 100 centimeters, a slender, soft waist, and hips well-suited for childbirth, this Italian beauty was the familiar Lavinia Reni, a witch girl belonging to the same Gray Wizards as Renya, and also his older childhood friend.
"Ah, good morning to you, too, Lavinia."
Renya replied in a familiar, casual tone. Lavinia also narrowed her blue eyes happily with a gentle smile. Even this short exchange showed that they had known each other for a long time and understood each other well.
"Ah, Renya-kun! Goooood morning!"
Next, the one who greeted him so energetically was a beautiful, big-breasted girl wearing her uniform, characterized by walnut-colored long hair and a hairpin shaped like a flower with six petals.
"Ah, good morning, Orihime."
The girl called Orihime by Renya, Inoue Orihime, smiled happily.
Orihime was a current high school girl, the same age as Renya, who had become his Servant just a year ago.
Their meeting was a year ago, when Orihime had been heading to a haunted spot with her friends and was about to be attacked by a stray devil, only to be saved by Renya.
She was born to terrible parents who often resorted to violence against their children. According to her older brother, Sora Inoue, her father was a "Devil," and her mother was a "Whore."
Sensing her life was in danger from her parents, who were so horribly abusive despite being human, Orihime left her parents' home at a young age, taken by her brother.
However, her only family, her brother, also died in a traffic accident when she was in her first year of middle school. Since then, she had been living alone, working part-time, and receiving aid from relatives.
She studied hard because if her grades dropped, even her living expenses would be cut. She was passed around from relative to relative, eventually ending up in an orphanage.
She also went through a period of depression in middle school when she was severely bullied, having her hair cut by older students because of its flashy color, she now says with a laugh.
Despite such a dark past, Orihime had a cheerful, carefree personality that didn't show it.
For Orihime, whose life had been so bleak and uncertain, she had awakened her Sacred Gear when she was attacked by the stray devil. Considering she would be targeted because of it in the future, Renya invited her to become his Servant, and she accepted.
Orihime now acted cheerfully and energetically, looking very happy. She had been saved by becoming Renya's Servant.
"Oh, speaking of which, where are the others? I haven't seen them this morning yet."
Renya asked, looking around the living room.
"Are you referring to Shizuna? If it's her, she went out for her morning run, and she just got back and should be washing off her sweat, so she'll be here soon."
"As for Elfaria-chan, she seemed to be sleeping until just a moment ago, so I woke her up. She should be here soon, I think."
The ones who answered were Sylpha, who was just finishing preparing breakfast for six, and Orihime. The menu consisted of things rarely seen in Italy: white rice, tofu, and wakame miso soup, grilled salmon, homemade pickled cucumbers and turnips, roasted seaweed, and natto—a typical Japanese breakfast.
"She just moved here, hasn't she? Contrary to her appearance, she's quite stoic in that regard."
"I think it's also to get a feel for the area? Besides, it seems she wanted to run with Leo-kun."
It was Lavinia who responded to Renya's words. Apparently, besides her personality, there were other reasons for her jogging.
If that was the case—
"That's too bad. Then starting tomorrow, maybe I'll run with her..."
"I'd like you to. I'm sure she'd be happy."
In response to Renya's thought, Lavinia smiled and nodded, finishing arranging the lunch boxes. It seemed that she had helped Sylpha, who was preparing breakfast, and also kindly prepared lunch for Renya and the others.
"As for Elfie, well, she's the same as always, but it would be nice if she could improve little by little from now on."
Just then, as if on cue, the people in question came into the living room.
"—Hello there, good morning."
"—Mornin'..."
The figure, just out of the bath—a beautiful woman with long silver hair tied up in a half-up style behind her head—arrived cheerfully and brightly, leading the sleepy-eyed Elfaria.
"Hey, Leon. Good morning."
"Ah. Good morning, Shizuna."
The beautiful woman— Shizuna Rem Misurugi —returned the greeting with a smile when Renya called her name…
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