After Rias materialized from the flyer, her eyes slowly opened, adjusting to her surroundings as her gaze settled on Issei lying motionless on the ground.
"You called me, didn't you?" she said softly, looking down at his unconscious form. "From now on, you'll devote your life to me."
As she began the ritual, a long, drawn out yawn echoed from behind her. "Yaaawnnnnn…" Rias paused and turned.
Meguna stood a short distance away, lazily waving a hand as if dismissing her attention.
"Don't mind me," he said casually. "I'm just observing."
The moment she saw him, her eyes widened slightly. 'Was he here this whole time? I didn't sense him at all'
Her gaze shifted back to Issei. His clothes were soaked with blood, yet there were no signs of active bleeding. 'Did he heal him? she thought. 'But why? Didn't he tell my rook he wouldn't get involved?' Her thoughts narrowed. 'He must be plotting something'
Maintaining a calm expression, Rias turned back to him. "So it seems you saved Hyoudou from that fallen angel. Am I right?"
Meguna sat on the ground with his legs crossed, one hand resting against his chin, his posture relaxed and almost bored. "Guess," he replied lazily. "Do you see anyone else here capable of doing something like that?"
Rias remained silent for a moment before answering. "So not only are you capable of sending invisible slashes, but you can also use healing magic…" she said thoughtfully. "I never thought I would meet such an interesting human."
A faint smirk formed on Meguna's lips at her last word. 'Human' It was almost amusing how easily they settled on that conclusion.
Rias continued, her gaze steady. "But why show up now? What's your purpose? Why help Hyoudou-san? Is it because you figured out he also possesses a Sacred Gear like yourself?"
Meguna, his eyes still half-closed, replied,
"Well, I can answer all of that, but—" He paused, then leaned slightly forward, his gaze meeting hers. "Why should I?"
Rias held his gaze, her expression still calm, though she was clearly thinking. As she began to speak, Meguna interrupted her.
"Miss Gremory, if you're so interested in what I'm going to do and why I showed up then you can get that information for a price."
Rias froze for a brief moment as she processed his words. Someone like him, with that attitude, didn't seem like the type to cooperate easily.
"What is it that you want?" Rias asked, seriousness entering her voice. In her mind, she was already considering possibilities something valuable, perhaps forbidden knowledge or rare records but she couldn't have expected what he would say next.
Meguna's lips slowly curled as he faced her directly. "What I want… is something I may ask you for in the future," he said calmly. "For now, just enjoy the ride."
Without elaborating further, Meguna slowly got to his feet and waved her off. "Anyways, do what you want with the boy. I don't really care, honestly. But since I just saved the one you were recruiting, the least you could do is treat me to lunch tomorrow." He stretched slightly, his tone casual. " A day without having to wait in line would be great."
Rias reached out toward him. "Wait!" Meguna stopped but only turned his head slightly.
"Oh, and by the way," he added, "at least teach your rook to be useful instead of watching from the bushes. If I wasn't here, who knows what might've happened?"
Without another word, Meguna continued on his way as Rias watched his silhouette disappear into the distance.
----
At school, as Meguna went about his usual day in class, the atmosphere felt no different on the surface calm, routine, ordinary. Yet nearby, Issei and his friends were deep in conversation, their voices filled with confusion.
Issei was trying to explain how the girlfriend he had gone on a date with yesterday had suddenly turned into something completely different almost like a masochist.
The problem was none of his friends remembered her at all. To them, it sounded like complete nonsense.
Frustrated and desperate for confirmation, Issei suddenly turned toward Meguna. "Fushi-san, you do remember Yuuma, right?"
Meguna didn't respond. He simply sat there, his head resting against his hand, eyes closed as if he were asleep completely ignoring the question.
"Come on, Fushi-san, don't be—" Before Issei could finish, a knock echoed through the classroom.
The door slid open and standing there was Tsubaki, the vice president of the student council and Sona's queen. Her posture was straight, her expression composed, and her presence alone was enough to quiet the room.
She informed the teacher to which she then glanced toward meguna before calling out, "Mr. Fushi, you're being called to the council office."
At once, the attention of the entire class shifted toward him. The girls turned, their gazes filled with admiration as Meguna slowly got up from his seat with visible disinterest.
Without a word, he walked toward the door.
Stopping in front of Tsubaki, he spoke plainly, "Lead the way." Tsubaki gave a small nod.
As they walked through the corridors, Meguna once again drew the attention of nearly everyone they passed. Whispers followed him, eyes lingered on him some curious, some admiring.
Tsubaki glanced at him briefly. "Seems like you've gained quite a few admirers." Meguna clicked his tongue softly.
"Tch… yeah, whatever."
Not long after, they reached the student council office and stepped inside. The room carried an air of authority organized, quiet, and disciplined.
Seated at the center was Sona Sitri, a high-class devil like Rias, someone who held significant influence within the school. Her posture was refined, her glasses reflecting the light as she looked up at him.
Tsubaki walked to her side and stood beside her, as expected of a queen.
Sona offered a composed smile. "Meguna Fushi. From what I've heard from Rias, you're far from an ordinary student." Her gaze sharpened slightly as she continued.
"Not only were you able to block her rook, but you also managed to fight off a fallen angel on your own, and—"
Meguna cut her off without hesitation. "Just get straight to the point. I'm not in the mood to listen to long, empty talks."
For a brief moment, Sona's eyes widened at the blunt interruption. But just as quickly, her calm expression returned."Very well," she said. "We can proceed directly."
Adjusting her posture slightly, she continued, "From what I've gathered, you already possess knowledge about the supernatural world. With that in mind, I would like to offer you a place in my peerage."
Meguna crossed his arms. "Elaborate." Sona nodded.
"A peerage is a hierarchical system based on chess. It allows high-class devils to reincarnate humans or other beings into devil servants using these." She raised her hand, revealing a chess piece resting in her palm. "These are called Evil Pieces. They consist of the queen, rook, bishop, knight, king, and pawns. I'm sure you can infer the roles each piece represents. When you're reincarnated as a devil it will grant you a specific stat boost enhancing your natural abilities. From that moment on, your strength is no longer entirely your own it is your King's, bound to the hierarchy"
Her gaze remained steady on him. "As a king, I would reincarnate you as one of my servants. So, do you acc—" She stopped mid-sentence.
Meguna had already turned and was walking toward the door without a word.
"Wait!" Sona called out. Meguna paused, only slightly turning his head back, irritation clear in his voice. "I'm not going to be anyone's servant."
"Brat." The word slipped out in a low, controlled tone quiet, but sharp enough to carry clear disdain.