[Current Location: Kyoto Ryokan - Dining Hall, 8:00 AM]
[Current SP: 690 | Level: 3 | HP: 150/150 | MP: 80/80]
[Days Until Rating Game: 7]
[Status: Drank too much tea after winning tag. Koneko won't stop staring at me.]
We were eating breakfast when the temperature spiked 20 degrees.
The paper doors to the dining hall burst into flames. Not metaphorical flames. Literal fire.
From the inferno walked a blond guy in a white suit, flanked by 15 girls in matching outfits. Riser Phenex. And his entire peerage.
[Ding! Emergency Quest: "Don't Get Roasted Alive"]
[Description: Riser Phenex has arrived early to intimidate Rias. Protect the party. Don't start a war... yet.]
[Reward: 250 SP, Unlock "Fire Resistance Lv.1"]
[Failure: You become fried chicken. Riser steals Rias. Bad end.]
"Good morning, my dear Rias~" Riser said, ignoring the fact he just arson'd a 400-year-old ryokan. "I heard you were playing with cats. So I came to play too."
His eyes scanned the room and locked onto me. "Ah. The Pawn who grabbed a nekomata's tail. You're famous in the underworld already, trash."
[Riser Phenex: Relationship - Archenemy. Threat Level: You die in 3 seconds if he's serious.]
[Danger Sense Lv.1: MAXIMUM DANGER. DO NOT ENGAGE.]
"Riser," Rias stood up, magic flaring red around her. "You're not supposed to be here. The Rating Game is in 7 days."
"I'm just visiting my fiancée," he grinned. "And checking on her... pets." His eyes flicked to Issei, then me. "Two Pawns. One is a pervert, the other is... also a pervert. How quaint."
Issei growled. "Say that again, chicken nugget!"
Riser snapped his fingers. One of his girls, a blonde with a sadistic smile, launched a fireball at Issei.
[Flash Step Lv.2 Activated!] I appeared in front of Issei and grabbed him, Flash Stepping again behind Rias. Cooldown: 3...2...
The fireball vaporized the table we were at.
"Fast," Riser said, raising an eyebrow. "For trash."
[Ding! Side Quest: "Pawn's Pride"]
[Description: Riser insulted you. Prove you're not trash without dying.]
[Reward: 150 SP, Rias Affection +10]
[System Suggestion: Use Trickster's Hand. Target: Something embarrassing.]
I looked at Riser. Then at his 15 girls. Then at his smug face. Then I had the worst idea.
"Hey, Riser," I called out. "You talk a lot for a guy who wears a white suit to a fight. One splash of soy sauce and your drip is ruined."
He laughed. "And what will you do, Pawn? Splash me?"
[Trickster's Hand Activated! Target: Riser's Phoenix Feather Lapel Pin]
Yoink.
Suddenly I was holding a golden phoenix feather that was literally on fire in my hand. HP: 150 → 130 from burn damage.
Riser's smile vanished. "...You stole my House Phenex ceremonial pin."
The room went dead silent. Even Akeno stopped smiling.
[Ding! System Alert: You stole an artifact-level item. Riser's kill order just went from 'maybe' to 'definitely'.]
[Pervert's Intuition: You should not have done that. But it was funny.]
"Give. That. Back." Riser's voice was ice and fire. His entire peerage started glowing.
Rias stepped in front of me. "He's mine. You want him, you go through me. In the Rating Game."
[Rias Gremory: Affection +10. Current: 32. Status: Protective, Furious]
[Ding! Side Quest "Pawn's Pride" Complete! +150 SP. Total SP: 840]
Riser stared at me, then at Rias. "Seven days, Rias. I'll break your peerage, and then I'll break him for touching my pin." He turned to leave, then paused. "Oh, and Pawn? My sister Ravel wants to meet you. She's... curious about the man who embarrassed her brother."
He walked out through the still-burning doorway. His peerage followed.
As soon as he was gone, Asia ran over and healed my hand. "K-Kazuki-san! Why would you steal from him?!"
"Because he called me trash," I said, dropping the still-burning feather into a teacup. It extinguished. "Also the System told me to."
[Ding! Main Quest "Don't Get Roasted Alive" Complete!]
[Rewards: +250 SP, Skill Unlocked: "Fire Resistance Lv.1" - Take 20% less fire damage]
[Total SP: 1090. You are now rich enough to buy real power.]
Koneko picked up the wet feather and sniffed it. "...Smells like burnt chicken. I like it." She pocketed it.
[Koneko Toujou: Affection +5. Current: 25. Status: "You're funny when you're suicidal."]
Akeno patted my head. "Ufufu~ Provoking a High-Class Devil. My, my, Kazuki-kun, you really are trying to die quickly~"
Rias sighed and sat down, the anger fading from her face. "You're reckless. But... thank you. For standing up to him."
[Rias Gremory: Affection 32. New Title Unlocked: "Rias's Troublemaker"]
[Ding! New Main Quest: "Seven Days of Hell"]
[Description: Survive training for the Rating Game. Learn to Promote. Get strong enough to not die in one hit.]
[Reward:???, Unlock "Balance Breaker Path"]
[Time Limit: 7 Days]
I looked at my 1090 SP. I looked at Issei, who was shaking but grinning. I looked at the girls who were now my peerage.
"System," I said. "Open shop. Filter by: Things that let me survive Riser."
[System: Loading 'Don't Die To Fire Bird' category...]
Seven days. 1090 SP. One Balance Breaker to unlock.
Time to stop being the weakest pervert.
[End of Chapter 10]
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Vote Power Stones :
Time Left: 3h
50 Power Stones = 3 Chapter early.
100 Power Stones = 6 Chapter .
200 Power Stones = 10 Chapter .