Himejima Akeno glanced back and forth between Akira and Koneko, a spark of curiosity flickering in her eyes.
They had only met once—yet why did Koneko seem so emotionally affected by him? She appeared calm on the surface, but Akeno could tell—Koneko was clearly overwhelmed with guilt.
"Shin Akira-kun, I heard from Koneko-chan that you're the new transfer student here at Kuoh Academy, right?" (Akeno)
"That's correct, but... I'm sorry, what was your name again?" (Akira)
"My name is Himejima Akeno." (Akeno)
"Nice to meet you, Himejima-san." (Akira)
"I'm glad to meet you too, Shin Akira-kun~" (Akeno)
The exchange sounded polite and formal—but both of them knew. It was nothing but small talk.
Each of them wore a mask. And they understood that about each other. A silent agreement between two cautious souls.
Rias Gremory could also see it clearly. It made sense that Akira was on his guard. He had just saved Koneko yesterday, and now, suddenly, he was being surrounded by strangers. Anyone would feel suspicious.
"Himejima-san, Toujou-san, and... my apologies, I have to report in as a new student today, so there are still things I need to take care of. Please excuse me."
Without waiting for a response, Akira gave a short bow and walked right past Rias.
The red-haired girl blinked in surprise. Did he... just ignore her?
She was the Madonna of Kuoh Academy. In the Underworld, she was known as the heiress of the Gremory family—the Princess of Destruction. And yet... he had just walked past her without a second glance?
"Ara~ ara~... This kouhai-kun really does have an interesting personality~" (Kouhai = junior)
Akeno chuckled, her gaze still following Akira's retreating back, cheeks slightly flushed. Like she'd just discovered a brand-new, adorable toy.
"Akeno, does he even know my name?" (Rias)
"Hmm~ well, you didn't actually introduce yourself, right?" (Akeno)
"Huh? I didn't?" (Rias)
"Nope~ Not at all~" (Akeno)
"...You're right. I guess I was in too much of a rush earlier."
Rias sighed and nodded to herself. After thinking it over, she realized—she really hadn't introduced herself.
Meanwhile, Koneko remained silent, her eyes fixed on Akira's back as he walked away. No one could tell what was going through her mind.
Wherever Rias and Akeno went, attention followed. They were the school's most beloved upperclassmen. And after the brief confrontation earlier with Souna Shitori and Shin Akira, curious students had started gathering to watch.
Noticing the growing crowd, Rias turned and walked away. Akeno and Koneko followed behind her.
On the other side of campus, Akira made his way straight to the faculty office. As a transfer student, the first thing to do was meet his homeroom teacher and get escorted to class.
Thankfully, thanks to the system, all the paperwork had already been taken care of.
The teachers were already informed of his arrival from abroad. They greeted him warmly and guided him toward his classroom.
He was assigned to Year 2, which meant he wasn't in the same class as Koneko—who was still in her first year—or Rias and Akeno, who were already in their third year. Instead, he was placed in the same grade as the protagonist of this world.
Upon arriving, the teacher stepped up to the podium and clapped his hands.
The classroom fell silent almost instantly.
"This is a transfer student from overseas. Please come up and introduce yourself. Shin Akira-san, the floor is yours."
The teacher gestured toward the front. Akira stepped forward calmly.
"Hello everyone. My name is Shin Akira. I'm a transfer student from China. I look forward to being your classmate."
It was a simple, well-mannered introduction. As someone who had already lived in society for a few years, Akira knew how to present himself. He didn't expect to make friends right away, but at the very least, he could keep things cordial.
Especially in Japan, where school bullying was rampant.
He wasn't afraid—but that didn't mean he wanted to get dragged into unnecessary trouble either.
"Let's see… You can sit in the last row, by the window. That seat is still open." (Teacher)
Akira nodded and walked to the indicated desk.
His seat was at the very back of the class, right by the window. Compared to Chinese schools, which often crammed 40–50 students into a single classroom, this class had only around 20–30 students. The back row was mostly empty.
Also, in Japan, desks were individual, not the double-long desks used in China. It felt far more personal.
He placed his bag into the desk drawer and took out the textbooks he'd received earlier from the faculty office.
After flipping through a few pages, he quickly realized—the academic level here was noticeably lower than the brutal education system back in China.
"Alright, everyone, eyes up here. Today, we'll be learning about..."
The teacher began the lesson from the front of the room.
But Akira wasn't really paying attention.
The content of the textbooks, while different in format, was basically the same as what he'd learned before. Just a quick read and he understood everything.
Especially now that he had inherited Enkidu's Template—his memory and comprehension had drastically improved.
He hadn't reached photographic memory, but just looking at something twice was enough to memorize it. It was hardly a challenge.
While pretending to focus on class, Akira scanned the room.
There were only three male students, including himself. The rest were all girls.
That alone said everything about the gender imbalance at this school.
Eventually, the bell rang and the first class ended. The teacher packed up and left without lingering.
And… not a single student came up to talk to Akira.
In Japan, even among students, everyone stuck to their own social circles. Unless you had a reason, no one would go out of their way to talk to an outsider.
This created a unique social phenomenon—if you couldn't integrate into any group, you became a complete outlier.
Being ignored or avoided was the lightest outcome. In the worst-case scenario, you'd become a target for bullying.
But for Shin Akira, this was rather convenient. He didn't want to stand out anyway.
Right now, his top priority was gaining strength as quickly as possible—so he could deal with the dangers that were bound to come.
"Hello. My name is Hanakai Momo."
Akira looked up. Standing in front of him was a beautiful girl with snowy white hair, wearing the school uniform. And her... headlights were doing a pretty poor job of hiding under that blazer.
There was no mistaking it—this really was the world of High School DxD. Even the so-called background characters were top-tier.
And right now, Hanakai Momo was standing before Akira, cheeks slightly flushed, looking just like a perfectly ripened peach ready to be picked.
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