As Rias and her peerage went stray hunting, they came across the sliced-up remains of a Stray Devil.
Akeno remarked with her usual playfulness, "Ara, ara... it seems our prey has already been hunted."
Kiba knelt to inspect the carcass. "Such precision. The cuts are so clean; it's almost as if someone exceptionally skilled with a blade did this."
Rias listened to her Knight's speculation, her brow furrowed. "So, it must have been an assassin either sent by the Church or an unknown factor here in Kuoh."
"Buchou," Kiba corrected, "if it were the Church, I would have recognized it immediately. The Holy Swords they use would have left traces of light energy in the wounds. Besides, I don't think they'd leave a devil's body out in the open like this. It has to be the latter."
Koneko suddenly sniffed the air, catching a lingering scent. "Buchou, this scent... it's the same one I sensed at school. It belongs to that boy."
With a smirk, Rias asked, "Koneko, can you track this scent?"
"Yes, Buchou," she replied simply.
'If what Kiba says is true, he would make an incredible Knight for my peerage' Rias thought, smiling at the prospect of gaining such a powerful swordsman.
----
The next morning was much like the day before. Meguna got up, dressed, and headed to class.
As he passed through the school gates, he felt two distinct gazes falling on him. There was no doubt about it: it was Rias and Sona.
'Of course. How could I forget that Rias has a 'dog' (technically a cat) to track me by scent? Looks like they know exactly who killed that Stray last night.' Meguna continued toward the building, a flicker of irritation crossing his mind.
Meanwhile, Rias and Sona were deep in a game of chess in the Student Council office. Sona held the winning position.
"I never would have guessed Fushi-san possessed a Sacred Gear," Sona said, moving her rook. "I had a feeling Meguna was hiding something," Rias replied, countered with a pawn. "I'm interested in learning how a Sacred Gear allows him to cut with such surgical precision," Sona said with a calculating look. "Since you already have your eyes on Hyoudou, I think it's best if you leave Meguna to me."
Having been cornered, Rias conceded the game. "Well, Meguna is certainly strong, even for a human. But I can't simply let you have him, Sona. Since I was the one who uncovered his abilities first, I believe I have the stronger claim." Rias stood up and left the office, leaving the tension hanging in the air.
----
Inside the classroom, Meguna sat in silence, staring at the board with a sigh. 'It's only a matter of time before they call me in and ask me to join their little chess club. But will I actually accept? Nah... I'm too good to be someone's slave. I don't need their 'benefits' when I have an ability that allows me to adapt to anything.'
Midway through the lesson, a knock came at the door. Meguna knew exactly who it was. A member of the Student Council whispered to the teacher, who then turned to the class.
"Fushi-san, you're being called to the Student Council office."
This immediately caught the attention of the girls, who watched their "prince" get up to leave.' Looks like Sona moved a step faster than Rias' Meguna thought, rising from his desk and following the girl to the office.
In the Student Council room, Sona sat at her desk with her Vice President, Tsubaki, standing firmly beside her.
"Meguna Fushi," Sona began, "it seems you aren't quite as ordinary as we first thought."
Oh, here we go. Meguna rolled his eyes internally and pretended to listen to her explanation of the supernatural world.
"...So," she finished, "what do you have to say to that?"
Acting as if he had actually been bit surprised, he replied with a bored expression. "So, you're saying Sacred Gears are powerful items blessed upon humans by God? Hmm. The supernatural side of this world is quite interesting. Since you know so much, I assume you're part of it yourselves?"
"Allow me to introduce myself properly," Sona said, standing up. "I am Sona Sitri, heiress of the Sitri Clan, and I am a—" Sona unfurled her bat-like wings. "—Devil."
"Now, Fushi-san, tell me about your Sacred Gear."
"Well, It's technically not a Sacred Gear, but I'll let them believe it is for now and besides would it hurt if I reveal what it does.' Meguna thought. "Well, my 'Gear' allows me to adapt to any and all phenomena."
Sona looked at him with intense curiosity. "Any and all phenomena? What exactly does that mean?"
"It means exactly what I said," Meguna replied, leaning back. "My power allows me to adapt to anything to the point where I take no damage and can overcome any obstacle."
'Any and all phenomena... that sounds even more broken than the Boosted Gear. I definitely cannot allow Rias to have him' Sona thought, her mind racing with calculations.
"Mr. Fushi, would you like to join my pe—"
Sona was cut off before she could finish. "I'm going to stop you right there," Meguna said bluntly. "I don't want to be anyone's slave, and you don't need to waste your time with the pitch."
Sona adjusted her glasses, trying to maintain her composure. "Look, you are an anomaly in our territory. we can't let someone like you walk around without any restrictions. If you—"
Meguna cut her off again, leaning back with his hand behind his neck. "Look, I don't care if I'm under your protection or some other clan's. I know my worth, and I'm not lowering myself to be a servant. I only do partnerships."
He leaned forward, his gaze sharpening. "If anyone wants to come after me, let them. I'd rather die a free man than live as a slave."
Sona realized she couldn't convince him through standard means. After a moment of silence, she replied, "Well, if you aren't going to be in a peerage, how can we be sure you won't cause trouble? We know you were the one who killed that Stray in the forest."
'I can't reveal that I was just leveling up, or they'll realize I'm still relatively weak' Meguna thought. Aloud, he said, "The Stray yesterday was just something I did because I was bored. You don't need to worry. From what I can tell, you devils are a lot more reasonable than the Church you described. I'll stick to killing Strays."
"Will that be all, Sona?" Meguna asked.
Sona gave a small nod to Tsubaki. "You may go, Mr. Fushi."
Meguna left without another word. Tsubaki looked at Sona with concern. "Kaichou, he seems incredibly difficult to convince, but I'm sure you'll find a way."
----
During the last period of the day, there was another knock on the classroom door. When it opened, Yuuto Kiba walked in.
'Just great. Another one' Meguna thought with visible irritation.
The girls in the class squealed with excitement at the sight of the school's "prince." Kiba spoke briefly to the teacher before approaching Meguna's desk. "Hello, Meguna Fushi. My name is Yuuto Kiba. Would you mind coming with me to the Occult Research Club?"
Meguna stood up lazily. "Lead the way."
After a few minutes of walking, they arrived at the old school building. Kiba pushed the doors open and ushered Meguna inside, gesturing for him to take a seat on the sofa.
Akeno entered carrying a tray with a teapot.
"Would you like some tea, Fushi-kun?" she asked with a suggestive smile.
"A single cup won't hurt," Meguna replied.
His gaze remained cold and calculating as he sat with one arm draped over the back of the sofa, his head resting on his fist. Rias Gremory then entered the room with her usual regal smile and sat across from him.
"Meguna Fushi. I am Rias Gremory, President of the ORC, heiress of the Gremory Clan, and sister to the current Lucifer, Sirzechs."
Meguna gave a simple nod, unimpressed by the titles.
"I've heard about your 'Gear' from Sona. You really are an interesting individual, Fushi-san," Rias said, her expression shifting from friendly to serious. "But you are in my territory. You understand what that means, right?"
Meguna scratched the back of his head, closing one eye. "Yeah, yeah, but who cares? I'm not acting against you, and I don't intend to repeat what I told Sona. The answer is no."
He continued before she could argue. "But, if you're willing to consider a partnership, we might have a deal. I'll handle your 'little missions' if the payment is right. And if a job is too big, I'll be asking for more than just money, I'll want access to forbidden records. But don't worry; since it's a partnership, I won't be doing those jobs for anyone else."
Rias narrowed her eyes. "Do you really think you're in a position to make such demands?"
"No," Meguna said, finishing his tea and setting the cup down. "But as you've heard, I don't care about 'positions' if my freedom is on a leash."
Rias studied him for a long moment before her usual grin returned. "Then I suppose we have a deal, Meguna Fushi."
'They bought the bluff' Meguna thought. 'If they jumped me right now, they could probably kill me. I have to keep acting mysterious and powerful, otherwise, they'll try to trample me.'
As Meguna stood to leave, Rias spoke up. "Meguna, I'm curious... how were you able to cut that Stray into such precise cubes of flesh?"
Kiba leaned in, his curiosity piqued. He had been dying to know what kind of sword technique could produce such results without a visible blade.
'Better to keep my other abilities hidden' Meguna thought. He looked at Rias for a second and smirked. "I'll let that be a secret for now."
----
On his way home, Meguna spotted Issei talking to a girl with long black hair. Well, he's probably going to die tomorrow or the day after. Meguna kept walking, leaving Issei to his "new girlfriend."
Once he reached home, Meguna went straight to his room and flopped onto the bed. Well, they took the bait. I've secured a spot in the story. So far, so good. Now I just have to wait for the next Stray to appear so I can keep leveling up.
Suddenly, Meguna felt a lingering presence watching him. 'Ugh, damn it, Rias. Do you really need to spy on me? It's not like I'm going on a rampage.'
Feeling annoyed, Meguna walked to his window and held up a piece of paper with large letters written on it: "STOP SPYING ON ME OR I'LL BREAK THE DEAL AND GO TO SITRI."
It was a total bluff he knew Rias's connections as the sister of Lucifer were far more advantageous than Sona's but he needed his privacy. A moment later, the watchful presence vanished.
"Finally. Some peace" he remark.