Morning light streamed through Kuoh Academy's tall stained-glass windows, casting splashes of color across the polished hallway floor.
The air carried that distinctive private-school scent—a mix of expensive wood, cleaning solution, and faint paper-and-ink bookiness.
It should've felt calm. Scholarly.
But walking through it now, Genichi felt prickles crawling up the back of his neck.
Stares—sharp as arrows—came from every direction and pinned him in place.
There were boys and girls watching, but most of the eyes belonged to male students.
Their expressions were a mess of emotions: shock, disbelief, blazing jealousy… and something uglier—raw hatred and hostility that wasn't even being hidden, like he'd committed some unforgivable sin.
And it wasn't just because he was Hyoudou Genichi—one of the academy's infamous "pervert trio," a pretty average guy with a pretty bad reputation.
It was because of who was walking beside him.
Rias Gremory.
Her crimson hair swayed gently with each step. The Kuoh Academy uniform fit her perfectly, but on her it looked less like a school outfit and more like high-end fashion.
Her posture was straight, her pace unhurried. She either didn't notice the stares—or didn't care in the slightest.
She had that kind of presence. The kind that turned an ordinary hallway into her personal runway, and reduced every whisper and sideways glance to background noise.
Genichi couldn't be that detached.
He could feel the malice in those looks.
Especially from a few muscular boys with hard eyes. Their fists were clenched so tight their knuckles went white, jaws locked like they were seconds away from lunging—ready to tear apart the "bug" that had dared to stand at their goddess's side.
"Why would Gremory-senpai walk with someone like that?"
"Isn't that Hyoudou? The creep from the pervert trio!"
"Damn it… why does he get to?"
"He must've used some dirty trick to cling to her!"
"Just watch. He won't get cocky for long…"
The murmurs—thin, venomous—slithered into Genichi's ears in fragments.
With Hyoudou Genichi's memories in his head, he understood exactly why this was happening.
In this world, Hyoudou Genichi had played the pervert on purpose to avoid changing the plot.
Mediocre grades. Average athletic ability. The only thing "special" about him was his obsessive enthusiasm for girls—and the outrageous things he'd do because of it.
Together with Matsuda and Motohama, the pervert trio was notorious in Kuoh Academy. The kind of people serious students avoided and looked down on.
And Rias Gremory?
She was one of the brightest stars in the school.
Not just because of her mysterious, lofty background—because of her flawless beauty, graceful manner, excellent grades, and that aloof aura that kept everyone at the perfect distance.
She was the object of countless boys' worship and desire, the unquestioned "unreachable flower on the peak."
And now that unreachable flower was walking side by side with Hyoudou—the pervert—and even bringing him through a crowded hallway.
To her admirers, it was nothing less than sacrilege. A stain they couldn't tolerate.
Genichi almost laughed to himself.
Sacrilege?
A stain?
If they knew that this "unreachable flower" was actually a high-class devil who could crush them without effort, he wondered what their faces would look like.
But he had no interest in explaining, and no respect for the opinions of people who were, to him, ordinary humans throwing childish jealousy around.
Compared to that, what mattered was Rias Gremory's intentions—and how he was supposed to survive in this unfamiliar, dangerous world, how to establish himself, and how to seize power as quickly as possible.
He lowered his lashes slightly, shutting out the useless noise. He steadied his breathing and forced his expression into calm neutrality.
If he was going to play the role of Hyoudou Genichi, he couldn't flinch from a few stares.
Besides, the "seeing" curse from his other world had already trained him to look calm under malicious eyes.
Up ahead, Rias stopped at a hallway corner where it was a bit quieter.
She turned. Her hair traced a graceful arc, and her emerald eyes settled on Genichi.
"After school, I'll have a familiar come find you."
Her tone was calm and casual, like she was assigning something completely normal.
She didn't wait for him to respond. She gave him a flawless smile—one that would've made any boy watching lose a heartbeat—then turned and glided toward the stairs, disappearing from view in moments.
The instant she was gone, the stares on Genichi didn't ease.
They got worse—more naked, more dangerous.
Without the "goddess" present to anchor the mood, the restless emotions in the hallway began to ferment.
Genichi felt several ill-intentioned presences closing in behind him.
He raised his guard internally, while keeping his face blank, and started toward his classroom.
He took one step—
And a gust of force snapped toward the back of his head.
Not a shove.
A punch.
A punch thrown with obvious malice.
If this had been Genichi earlier—still trapped in a slice-of-life body that couldn't match his thoughts—he might not have avoided it.
But now, after being reincarnated into a devil, his body seemed to carry a faint instinctive warning.
He tilted his head sharply, almost without thinking.
"Whoosh!"
The fist missed by a hair, cutting past his ear. The wind of it left his ear tingling.
Genichi spun around. His eyes chilled in an instant.
Two familiar faces stood there—Matsuda and Motohama, the other two members of the so-called pervert trio.
But their usual sleazy grins were gone.
In their place was anger. Frustration. And a twisted look that resembled betrayal.
Matsuda had thrown the punch. He was the stockier one, and his fist was still half-extended. His face was flushed red.
"Damn it, Genichi—you bastard!"
He panted, teeth clenched as he snarled.
"You got close to Gremory-senpai behind our backs? Are you kidding me?!"
Motohama adjusted his glasses. Behind the lenses, his eyes flickered with jealousy and irritation.
"Exactly! Didn't we swear we'd be brothers-in-arms forever? Didn't we swear we'd chase the dream together—giant boobs above all? And you pull this?"
His voice sharpened.
"Traitor. What kind of filthy trick did you use? Say it!"
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