A month had passed since then. The Hyoudou family has shifted back into their familiar home in Kuoh town after junior Hyoudou had expressed his wish to return to a normal teenage lifestyle- the whole daily schooling, and such.
And today, after more than a decade of homeschooling, was the day their son would restart his daily schooling.
"Issei!!" Miki Hyoudou called over the pans' sizzling and the kettle's whistles, "Hurry up, or you're going to be late on your first day!!"
"Coming, ma!" From upstairs, the sound of unpacked boxes tumbling and incessant teenage curses followed, "Oh, for fucks sake…!"
Needless to say, the household, accustomed to Issei's owlish lifestyle, was having trouble coping with the massive change. And by the household, it was really just Issei.
A loud thud followed it. And then another round of profanities.
Gorou Hyoudou put his newspaper down, rubbed his creased forehead, sighing, "Careful up there. Better late than broken."
He shifted attention across the living room. "You found why he is suddenly so enthusiastic about this school stuff?" He asked his wife, who was busy preparing their son's breakfast across the kitchen island.
She looked up from the stove. "Not really," She whispered, catching the worried lilt in his voice, "Every time I ask him about it, he always changes the topic. You know, how good he is."
Gorou gave a rueful smile, "He's always been good at hiding things, hasn't he, our mysterious miracle?"
Mikki hummed non-commitally. When the eggs were almost done, she flipped the stove, "I don't think you need to be worried so much. I think he's just embarrassed."
"Embarrassed?"
"Mm-hm, Remember, Kuoh High recently just opened for boys." She grabbed Issei's breakfast, jam on bread, and eggs on the side, and walked around the island to lay it on the table.
Gorou's face scrunched up at the sight, "That even today? Come on, it's his first—" But he stopped halfway when Miki looked down with a flat expression, "…Right, it's Issei. What were you saying again?"
Miki slid Gorou his coffee and took her seat, her lips curling in a conspiratorial grin, highlighting the shallow creases already forming at the edges. "I was saying, the school our boy will attend was a girls-only school till recently." Her eyebrows wriggled suggestively as she delivered the last part.
Gorou's mouth opened in an O-shape, "Wait…you're saying…?"
Miki grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat from her neck. Leaning over the table, she knit her fingers and nodded enthusiastically, "Yes. Our boy might just finally be developing interests in normal boy stuff instead of coming home all bloody and bruised."
"Now that you say it…" Gorou mimicked his wife. Leaning forward, he stroked his beardless chin, "…A little late, but he's at that stage, isn't he?"
"Yes, yes! That's why I say, don't question it. Let him do what he wants."
But Gorou's brows furrowed as a question scratched the back of his head, "That is all good that he is willing to do teenage stupidity. But why Kuoh specifically?"
Miki shrugged, "Beats me."
Just as Gorou was about to continue, Issei's footsteps fast approached. "Sorry, sorry!" He skipped the final few stairs and jumped down, grinning.
The couple quickly straightened into their seats. Gorou reached for his coffee cup, and Miki fumbled to pull the paper over her side. At the foot of the stairs, Issei froze. He clocked in the conspiratorial scent wafting in the air, mixed in with the smell of omelet and Gorou's coffee.
His head ticked between the couple sitting on either side, trying their hardest to act casual. "What were you two whispering in each other's ears?"
Gorou choked mid-sip. "*Cough*…*Cough*…N…Nothing, why would you say that?"
"I wonder why?" He said, squinting his eyes.
"Issei," Miki drew his attention. "What are you wearing…"
"Oh, Right!" Issei gave a theatrical spin and spread his arm confidently, posing like a C-grade model, "Mom, Dad, how do I look?"
The couple gave him one look. He had a tangerine button-down shirt untucked over the dark, tailored jeans. Layered over the shirt was a denim jacket that matched his pants and snapbacks worn backwards.
They looked at each other, communicating through the eyes, before collectively deciding not to ruin his mood with the harsh truths.
"The breakfast is getting cold, son. Come, sit." Miki answered. "Also, you're already late, hurry up and eat," Gorou added further.
"…"
"Wow….you are allowed to lie, y'know," Issei sulked, lowering his outstretched hands. He pulled off his cap and put it over his father's head as he circled the table and took his seat.
As he began to eat, the husband and wife stared at him with relieved smiles.
'It's a girl,' Gorou adjusted the hat back to normal and mouthed to Miki, who bobbed her head like a pecking hen, 'Definitely.'
"Oh, right. Mom, Dad…" Issei suddenly looked up. He gave them a conflicted look as he struggled to format his thoughts cohesively without giving anything away.
The silence prompted a raised brow from Papa Hyoudou, "What is it about?"
"Oh, it's nothing…" He licked his lips. "It's just…be careful around, yeah? You know how it goes in this town with crimes and stuff."
Miki burst out laughing, "Oh, honey, did you hear him?" She reached across the table and pinched his cheek, much to Issei's chagrin, "Hey!"
"Our little boy is worried about us. He's so cute, isn't he?"
Gorou chuckled, "Cute and stupid."
"Issei, before you were even born. We had lived all our lives in this town. We know it like the back of our hand. Don't be worried about us."
"Yes, we know how strange this town gets." Miki patted his cheek before pulling away once, looking at him fondly, "…So that's why you'd better promise us that you'd not walk into something stupid."
Gorou crossed his arm, "Exactly. We know you're going to get tired of this school stuff soon enough. So just enjoy your time during it- make friends, mess around, do stupid things- not…whatever you do normally."
Issei frowned, but didn't say anything. He got back to finishing his plate, "…of course."
* * *
The walk to the school wasn't as bad as Issei had expected. The morning sun cast a warm blanket overhead. The breeze flowed just enough to tousle his hair. And the birds chirping made for a pleasant tickle in the ear.
It made for a perfect backdrop for someone like him to pull out the lawn chair and take a small nap. Unfortunate that he couldn't do that today. He had school to attend, friends to make, and the other stuff that came with it.
"-ain't nobody's bidness. It ain't nobody's bidness. It ain't nobody's bidness."
So, as he walked across the familiar streets, humming a tune yet to be conceived, he arrived near the academy's gates.
"~Just mine and my-Oh!"
But from a distance, he caught three girls standing at the gates checking all the students entering. His mouth twitched. He hadn't worn the uniform either. But more importantly, he recognized one of the girls.
The bespectacled, short, dark-haired girl who stood between the other two was a devil. She was their leader and one of the overseers of this territory. She also happened to be the little sister of one of the Satans.
"What was her name again….sauna, was it?" He mumbled under his breath, standing some distance away just in case they didn't spot him. "Hmm…that would go with the Water theme of the Sitri's magic…"
"…But still sauna…"Shaking his head, he began to look around, searching for any way he could skip the screening part. Not to mention, he had a distinct feeling he'd get put under a questionnaire. The day was too good for that now.
'Ddriag.'
The dragon within him did not answer immediately. When he did, he sounded like he'd just woken from a deep sleep, […huh?]
'Damn, lizard. Snoring without worry while I am out here busting my ass.'
Ddriag snorted. [Try letting someone put you in a jar for centuries, boy. And then say that again.]
Issei waved him off, 'Yeah, yeah, stop with the sap story….It's not interesting the millionth time.'
He took a few steps back, reaching an intersection where an alley opens into the street. In that alley, around 120 meters down, a vending machine stood unattended, and at its foot was a small bin. In it, he spotted a green can.
Inside his head, Ddraig whispered with a yawn.
[BOOST].
The next instant, Issei stood not on the concrete asphalt, but on the soft, natural grass inside the school premises. Neat. He looked around to make sure nobody saw him, but two girls were just standing a few feet away. Thankfully, one had still not noticed him, looking in the distance, but the other was already looking at him as if she'd seen a ghost.
Oops.
"W-Wh…What are you?" The girl stuttered. Pointing a finger at him, she backed away, her back brushing her friend's shoulder, drawing her attention as well. "H-How long have you been there??"
He tilted his head, letting confusion show on his face. "Me?" He asked, pointing his thumb against his cheek, "I have been here for the last minute and a half."
The other girl, the taller one, who had just noticed him, first looked at her friend, her stiff shoulders and worried face, then at him.
"L-Liar! I just saw you appear out of nowhere."
She shouted with a frightened look. Issei tried to hold his laugh. "…Do you hear yourself, miss?"
The taller stepped forward, shielding the shorter one, "She's right. I didn't see you either."
"Maybe you just missed me." He bumped his shoulder, shrugging. "I mean, I wouldn't blame you for missing me. Or maybe you did see me, but were too busy gossiping about that club," He said, pointing his finger towards the direction the other girl was looking.
The two girls instinctively followed the direction of the finger. He did have a point, they thought.
In the meantime, he turned on his heels and began to walk away. "Anyway, I am getting late. See ya"
The taller one whispered to herself, "... Was he always there?"
Her friend answered, somewhat unsure, "...maybe he was. I mean, how could anyone just appear out of nowhere?"
"…Who was he anyway?"
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