Kaname Ryuichi: And that's all the mission says, so does anyone have any suggestions, advice, or words of encouragement to avoid being killed 10 minutes after I arrive?
Ryuichi, following his daily routine, connected to the chat and decided to talk a little with those who were present.
And when everyone said that they could not see the mission that had been assigned to him, he decided to tell them, although he only talked about the first mission, ignoring everything about the second and how he had to earn everyone's respect.
On this occasion, the ones who were connected were Leone, Ling, and Kyujin, which did not surprise him much, since, although she seemed to be friendly and relatively open to conversation, Ana did not intervene too much in the conversations, although even with that she was still better than Rem.
By a considerable margin, the blue-haired maid was the most distant person of all the chat members, dedicating only a few words to her "chatmates" before logging off daily.
Leone: Well, you said you had water and food for a few days, right? I would tell you to bring a compass, something to make a fire, and something valuable to sell if you need money.
Ling Yao: Depending on the climate of the place you should also check the clothes you wear, if you end up in a place like a desert you will use too much water to stay well if your clothes produce too much heat, and it would be just as bad if you end up on a frozen mountain in clothes that were too thin.
Kyu-chan: Prepare a good playlist.
Ryuichi facepalmed, a little in disbelief, but mostly embarrassed by the fact that that was one of the first things he did when he had some free time, and now he had a long list of songs on his phone along with a solar charger and his headphones.
Kaname Ryuichi: I will take all that into account, but my wallet will suffer a little, especially with the part of having something really valuable to sell, I am a student, and although I have a part-time job and savings, I don't know how viable it would be to get something "valuable".
Leone: Why not go with some gold, that's valuable everywhere, right?
Kaname Ryuichi: Considering my luck, the possibility that where I'm going the gold is worth the same as any stone on the side of the road is not 0.
Ling Yao: And why not the healing potions you bought? With the daily points you saved so far you bought 2, right?
Kaname Ryuichi: Yes, that could help, but they are the lowest grade, and I would only separate myself from those if it were the last option available, after all, they could save my life if I were in serious trouble, furthermore, if the place is a religious one the people could say that I do witchcraft and try to send me to the stake, the guillotine, the gallows or the firing squad.
Kyu-chan: And what about that? You just have to beat them or run away, you've been training all this time, so if it's like in the movies or video games you should be able to beat some old men in cassocks and run away from guys in armor, right?
Kaname Ryuichi: I really envy the way you see the world, Kyujin.
Leone: I hope that when we go on a mission this thing has all the correct text and gives us a description of where it will send us.
Kaname Ryuichi: Anyway, now that I'm done with my work, I just need to do my daily training, so I'll take the opportunity to continue buying some more things while most stores are open, see you.
Leone: Goodbye.
Kyu-chan: See ya.
Ling Yao: Good luck.
Kaname Ryuichi has gone offline!
Watching the screens disappear, Ryuichi gave a slightly resigned sigh before adjusting the camping backpack on his back, inside was enough canned food for 4 days, water, a tent, a sleeping bag, a couple of changes of clothes, a 10-meter rope, and a couple of dynamo flashlights.
But Leone and Ling's suggestions were also sensible, so he hurried to more stores to buy a small camping stove, along with a few utensils and a compass, and when he got home he would reconsider the type of clothes he would take.
"Oh, I'm sorry". He said when, in his carelessness, he almost collided with a couple leaving a family restaurant, although he managed to swerve at the last moment, avoiding hitting the brown-haired boy and the black-haired girl.
"Are you fine?" He asked apologetically.
"Ah, yes, are you okay, Yuma-chan?" The boy responded before asking the girl who accompanied him.
"Y-yeah, I was just a little surprised". She said looking a little dazed.
"Sorry about that, I was distracted". Ryuichi gave a quick nod, walking away when he saw that neither person seemed upset or offended.
Although if he had tried to sense the ki of those in front of him, he would have definitely been surprised when he felt the girl's energy.
######
"Kirisu-sensei, tell me, how did the exam go?" Ryuichi asked the next day after meeting the pink-haired teacher at the school entrance and walking with her through the hallways.
"Impatient, you will know your results when I start my classes, you studied diligently during our sessions, so just wait a little longer". She responded with a dignified air and without letting herself be convinced.
"Come on sensei, I know, how about I cook for you one more time in exchange, at least tell me if I managed to pass". Not wanting to give up, Ryuichi tried to bribe his teacher with homemade food.
Kirisu stopped, and for a single moment, she really considered the idea, at least for the first 2 or 3 seconds, because after that she scolded herself, shaking her head to drive away the thought of a delicious home-cooked meal.
And when she turned her head to give her student a negative response, along with a small scolding for trying to bribe her, she was met with Ryuichi's pleading gaze, a gaze that almost made her take a step back.
'U-unseemly, what's with that look? Why can't I say no to him?' She said in her mind as she fought the urge to tell him what he wanted to hear, trying to tell him no, but in the end, she gave a sigh of defeat, it wouldn't hurt if she just told him if he passed or not, right?
"Y-you passed". She said in a whisper and instantly watched as Ryuichi's expression changed to an incredibly relieved one.
"Oh really? Thanks to Zen'ō for that, I am much calmer now". He said as he felt like a small but annoying weight was lifted off his back.
If he failed the exam that might worsen his mood a little and affect his future results, and it would be quite disappointing and a little ironic if he managed to beat the dangerous missions that the chat could assign him, but he ended up failing some courses at the end of the school year.
"Then don't worry sensei, since our tutoring is over, I'll bring an extra lunch for you from time to time". He said with a hand on his forehead as if he were giving a military salute before turning around and trying to walk in the direction of the bathrooms before classes started, but a hand held his shoulder, stopping him before walking away.
"That and this are different things, you may have passed the exam, but carelessness is the root of hardships, especially in the academic field, our 2 study sessions a week will continue until I say otherwise, understood?" She said, the unsure tone in her voice disappeared, and now there was only one firm one that wouldn't take no for an answer.
"Ah, o-ok". Was all he could say for her abrupt change in attitude, but it seemed his response pleased her because she let go of his shoulder and turned around.
"It seems like you have a business to attend to, you can go wherever you need to, but try not to be late for class". She said, walking down the hallway.
"Damn, I know I said I shouldn't think about getting involved with anyone, but I can't say I don't like the contrast between her serious and shy attitude, is it that my strike zone is so wide?" He muttered to himself before shaking his head and turning around to walk in the direction of the bathroom.
The rest of the day passed relatively quickly for Ryuichi, mainly because now that he had passed his exam, he knew that momentarily, he should not worry about school matters, so now his mind was completely focused on his training.
Although it also helped that now that he was able to manifest ki, he thought that things like flying or throwing energy weren't too far away.
The next day and the day after that were also relatively calm, and although the nervousness did not completely go away, Ryuichi was able to sleep without being plagued by nightmares.
And on Wednesday, while walking with his teacher, and now tutor, Kirisu Mafuyu, after an arduous but efficient study session at home, he couldn't help but want to ask her a few things.
"Kirisu-sensei, is it okay if I ask you a question?"
"Was something we studied today not clear enough?"
"No, it's not that, it's just that I was very surprised when you offered to be my tutor, so I was wondering, why?" He asked with some curiosity.
Kirisu didn't say anything for a few seconds until she finally sighed and looked down with a small smile. "That kind of action doesn't suit me, does it?" She asked, though it seemed like she was saying it more to herself than to Ryuichi, so he didn't say anything and let her continue.
"It was Kiryu-sensei who suggested it to me, I… as a teacher, the fact that I cannot support a student with a problem in any way bothered me more than I thought, so I asked her if there was anything you could need help with, and she told me about how you were worried about the world history exam"
"I see, but I think you're wrong about one thing"
"What?"
"How can you say that something like that doesn't suit you?"
"I know how the students see me, I've heard that even a couple of teachers seem to think of my attitude as something negative, and considering all things I'm not really sure if those statements are incorrect". She stated it as a fact that she couldn't refute, after all, one of the only 3 people outside of her family that she had spoken to normally since almost her college days was walking next to her.
"Well, I can't lie to you, almost everyone in the class is a little intimidated by you, sometimes you can be a little too strict". Ryuichi replied, he knew that lying to her would be a silly thing to do, not only because she would notice it, but because it wasn't his style to do things that way.
"…"
"But". So he would use facts and logic to make her understand that she was wrong.
"The fact that you are here with me contradicts that fact, don't you think?" He said, pointing a finger at himself.
"Sensei, you can be a little harsh sometimes, but you do it to benefit your students, right? Adult life is not smooth, the real world is chaotic and often unfair, you could try your hardest and have a stroke of bad luck that invalidates your effort"
"Being someone who is a little "relaxed" in studies, perhaps I shouldn't say this, but I think that some righteousness is not bad, especially if it is well-intentioned, weren't you the one who volunteered to give remedial classes for students who had problems in some specific courses last year?
"Or when you talked to Professor Nakagawa so you could be in science class and made a study plan for the class 3-B exam last year? I remember hearing many of the senpais say that it was thanks to you that their results were good"
"As I said before, you may be a little strict, but that can be mitigated with a little more practice, your strong point, at least in my opinion, is your initiative, you weren't the first teacher to notice that I was a little down, but it was only you and Kiryu-sensei who talked to me, and you're taking some of your time to help me, aren't you? Correct me if I'm wrong, but, would a bad teacher do something like that?"
Kirisu was sincerely surprised, and she didn't know what to say, if Ryuichi had tried to cheer her up solely with sentimentality she wouldn't have taken it into account too much, but he had used the same thing that she valued most, facts and logic.
Everything he had said was true, but she still felt reluctant to be completely convinced, which as ironic as it was, she found a little funny, she, a person who valued facts over feelings, was pushed by one of her students using logic to the point where she was letting her feelings prevent her from accepting the facts.
"You… are more insightful than you seem, Kaname-kun". She said smiling a little.
"Hahaha, thanks". Ryuichi laughed in satisfaction and then added. "Sensei is a little harsh sometimes, but as I said before, that's not bad, with how much you have helped me, you are like a friend who offers me a hand while telling me what I did wrong but not with bad intentions, in a way, those attitudes have their own charm"
Kirisu paused for a second, and then her expression became incredibly serious. "Friends?" She said with an ominous tone as if she was trying to scare Ryuichi.
But both the gaze and the warning aura passed through the young man as if they couldn't even affect him, instead, Ryuichi put a hand on his chest and backed away, acting as if he had been hurt.
"Ah, an instant rejection? Sensei, that hurts, so you don't want to be my friend? Does that mean that once I graduate you will act like a stranger towards me if we meet on the street?" He said in the best plaintive tone he could muster.
Kirisu was caught off guard, and when she thought about it she would surely run into her student relatively often after he graduated, and of course, she wouldn't treat him coldly, but a friend?
She only had 2 people she could call friends, and if Ryuichi joined that list, that would make him her first friend of the opposite sex.
"O-of course I wouldn't do that, I'm a mature enough person to be polite to anyone polite to me in a casual situation regardless of whether or not they were my students and me-". She was saying hurriedly, when she saw Ryuichi's expression, he seemed to be having quite a bit of trouble hiding the fact that he would probably burst into laughter at any moment.
Kirisu realized that her student had just played a prank on her, and all she could do was blush as she looked away, puffing out her cheeks and grumbling about how her dignity as a teacher had been sullied again.
They continued walking, and shortly after, they passed a convenience store.
"I have some things to buy, you can go on your way, Kaname-kun"
Seeing that they were quite close to his teacher's house, Ryuichi accepted, deciding to give her some space, he had already teased her enough, so he was satisfied, so he trotted away while waving a hand as a sign of goodbye.
"See you sensei, and don't worry too much about the bento box, you can return it before the weekend." He said, referring to the dinner he had given her today.
Making a mental note to remember that, Kirisu turned around and entered the convenience store when she saw Ryuichi round the corner, there she picked out a couple of things like a few cups of instant ramen, a couple of cans of peaches in syrup, and a little orange juice.
Doing all this didn't even take her 5 minutes, but when she left the store something felt different, it was as if in the short time she hadn't been there, the temperature had dropped several degrees, and although there weren't a lot of people walking around that street when she entered the store, now everything for several blocks seemed deserted.
Without knowing why, Kirisu felt strangely nervous, and something inside her made her feel like she shouldn't be in that place, even more so when a small shiver made her skin crawl.
Her body almost instinctively told her that she was in danger, so she turned around again to go back to the store and wait, but when she did, she found herself looking at her reflection in a pair of purple eyes.
In front of her was a woman, her black hair fell like a waterfall down the sides of her, a small mole under her lip painted red, and she was wearing a purple dress like her eyes, but the only thing Kirisu could continue observing was her eyes.
"Good night". The woman greeted, and when she heard her voice it was like molasses adhered to Kirisu's mind.
"W-what?" It was the only thing she managed to say when the woman's eyes shone and Kirisu's clouded, her body relaxed, and her expression went blank.
"Alright little one, come on, there's no time to waste, you're the first delight I've found today, and I'm going to take my time". She said with an unpleasantly sweet tone before turning around and walking, a few steps behind her, Kirisu advanced following her.
X-X-X-X
I have to apologize to you on this occasion, the chapter was supposed to be at least 6k words, but due to some personal setbacks, I haven't had almost any time to write since Friday, along with the fact that I've had to spend more time than I thought working in a group project from the university and recently I got a job quite close to home.
I'm a little overwhelmed, and probably after posting this chapter I won't be free to write until Wednesday, but don't worry, I think I should be able to reorganize my time soon enough, so the next chapter definitely will be posted on Friday.
Now let's leave that real-life nonsense aside and watch a little bit of the episode.
We have a brief appearance of Issei in the first part, and it seems that he was on a date.
It is a shame that his partner is a bitch with capital letters, luckily we all know that karma will come to bite her pretty ass later, although on this occasion will be in a rather ironic way.
This places this part of the story at the beginning of DXD, but since a few days pass within the chapter, at the end of it, Issei has already been a devil for a few days.
We also see Ryuichi's preparations for the future mission, he is very nervous, so perhaps he will prepare a little too much and end up carrying a big suitcase.
Remember that if you like this story, you can leave a comment, review, or a power stone, that will inspire me to write more, see you in the next chapter.