(English is not my first language, so maybe I used some wrong words in the chapter. If you saw one please comment on that specific paragraph so I can fix it. Thank you :> )
-----
"Hah... Where am I now?" A girl with black hair exclaimed. Her face was twisted with unimaginable anger, an emotion that didn't fit her beautiful face.
"If I could have shot that bullet..." The girl exclaimed once again, her anger slowly starting to disappear as if it didn't exist in the first place. Her angry face was replaced with a calm, emotionless expression, but her voice remained far from calm.
"There's no need to think so much about it. I already lost. It's a miracle that I didn't die in the first place," the girl finally said, her tone also replaced with calmness.
This girl's name was Kurumi Tokisaki. A Spirit, she held titles such as Spirit of Time, owner of Zafkiel, Nightmare, and many more. As for why she was angry? It's a long story. In short, she lost.
She lost against her main enemy, Spirit of Origin.
She couldn't win against her; she tried everything, just for one goal. But with all the preparations, she still couldn't win against her. After the fight, her angel Zafkiel used her last bit of energy to send her here.
She couldn't even sense her angel now!
Her anger was understandable. After all, her angel was part of her, and when she couldn't sense it, she felt as if she had lost her very soul. Still, she couldn't get angry. She knew that anger wouldn't take her anywhere.
Meanwhile, lost in her own thoughts, a girlish mechanical voice echoed in Kurumi's mind.
[Hello, Host! My name is 'Chat Group System.]
Startled by the girlish mechanical voice in her head, Kurumi didn't panic at all. She had faced many more dangerous situations than this.
"Who are you?" Kurumi asked politely, the facade that she had built over the years once again surfacing while talking.
[Host doesn't need to pretend while talking with me. Also, the host can talk with me with her thoughts. Just think about talking with me in your mind.] The system said, her girlish mechanical voice slowly forming a more mature and seductive tone.
'Okay. Who are you? Tell me,' Kurumi said inwardly, her previous polite tone disappearing completely, replaced with a tone colder than ice.
[Like I said, Host, my system name is 'Chat Group System.' I'm here to help you. The multiverse selected you as the rightful owner of the 'throne.' Also, the host wants revenge, right? The host can take her revenge in this new world.] The system answered truthfully, her seductive and mature tone serious.
'I understand that. Your voice doesn't sound like a system A.I at all. I'm asking your name.' Kurumi wasn't stupid. She understood everything when the system said it in the first place. As for trust issues? Kurumi didn't care at all. Even if she cared about something like that, she couldn't do anything about it. After all, this system appeared in her mind suddenly; she didn't even sense anything. But this didn't mean Kurumi trusted this system.
Kurumi was someone who didn't even trust her own clones.
[Oh... My name is Lilith, Host. Nice to meet you. Anyways! You have a beginner package. Do you want to open it? Everything about the system will come with this package too. You can think of it as when one of your clones dies.] Lilith said. Kurumi was not surprised when Lilith mentioned her clones.
'When one of my clones dies? Like memory transfer?' Kurumi said inwardly with an uncertain tone. After all, when one of her clones dies, that specific clone's memories come back to Kurumi. So, a memory transfer? Or something like that?
[Indeed, Host. You can think of it as a memory transfer. It is the easiest way to give you information about system functions.] Lilith answered truthfully. She didn't gain anything by lying, after all. Lilith also was curious about what Kurumi did in this new world. She truly did want the best for her Host.
'I see... Then open the Beginner Package,' Kurumi said inwardly. She didn't have any choice currently. She couldn't access her angel. Without her angel, she was still strong but not enough to survive in this unknown new world.
[Of course~ Opening Beginner Package.] After confirmation, Lilith's voice was replaced with an emotionless mechanical tone.
[
T-1 (1 Time Item) - System Memory Package (Auto-Open)
T1 (Common) - System Coin (2000)
T0 (Unrankable) - Repair (Angel: Zafkiel)
]
After receiving the System Memory Package, a tingling of pain spread through Kurumi's head. It lasted only a split second but was enough to make Kurumi groan. However, Kurumi didn't care about the pain. Her focus was on Repair. She could finally sense HER angel. After sensing her angel, she felt pure bliss momentarily before regaining her composure.
'Ahhh~ Truly, it's the best angel ever~' Kurumi said inwardly. Her angel was truly overpowered. There were some downsides, as she didn't like muskets that much. But overall, it was the best one in her opinion. Maybe in the future, she could change the muskets to something else.
...
[So, Host... What will you do now?] Lilith asked curiously as Kurumi walked through the busy streets of Kuoh.
'Hehe~ Of course, I will hunt some 'time' and then go to the school you mentioned to me,' Kurumi said inwardly as she looked at the shops on the street. On the road, Lilith had mentioned a school to Kurumi, saying ['You will see when you arrive at the school']. This was the answer Kurumi always got when she asked a question about it. But Kurumi didn't mind. She was currently overjoyed that her Angel was repaired.
...
..
.
'So this is Kuoh Academy?' Kurumi exclaimed inwardly as she looked at the majestic white-colored Academy. The entrance was open, and students were leaving. If you asked Kurumi for her honest opinion, she would say "It's okay." She was not that fond of schools.
"Who are you?" A voice broke Kurumi's thoughts. Kurumi looked at the source of the voice and saw a petite girl with black short hair, purple eyes, and glasses. Her body was 'underdeveloped,' in Kurumi's terms. But Kurumi was surprised when she saw this girl. Not because of her looks or anything, but because of the 'time' this girl carried.
It was immense.
Kurumi couldn't find a better word for it. After all, this was the first time she had seen someone with this much 'time,' except for Spirits, of course. But Kurumi didn't let her emotions control her actions.
"Isn't it rude to introduce yourself first before asking about me?" Kurumi said as she tilted her head to the right. Some boys who were leaving school saw her gesture and couldn't help but blush. Her charm was quite high after all.
The girl with glasses couldn't help but be embarrassed. After all, what Kurumi said was true.
"Ahem... My name is Souna Shitori. I'm the student council president of this school. And you are?" The girl named Souna said with a fake cough that was easy to catch. Souna also adjusted her glasses while talking. Kurumi could swear that a glint passed on those glasses.
"Oh... Nice to meet you, Souna-San~ My name is Kurumi Tokisaki. You can call me Kurumi," the girl named Kurumi exclaimed as Sona looked at her.
'This girl... She is dangerous,' Sona said inwardly. Literal power was gushing out from the girl in front of her, after all. This girl didn't even try to hide her power at all. This was one of the reasons why Sona comforted her when she arrived at the gates of the academy. The last reason was her beauty. Sona was a lesbian. She herself knew this truth long ago, and this girl was the embodiment of beauty. Even her sister would have a hard time matching this girl's beauty.
Silk black hair adorned with pigtails, complementing her soft-looking skin. One of her eyes is a striking red, resembling blood, while the other is bandaged with a white eye patch, enhancing her beauty rather than diminishing it. She wears black gloves that match her stockings. Lastly, she dons an elegant long dress that also matches her gloves and stockings, giving her a beauty equal to that of a dark princess herself.
"Cough. Miss Kurumi, what's your business here?" Sona didn't want to continue this boring conversation, but she couldn't help but look at Kurumi more intensely than before.
"Hehe~ If you look at me like that, I will burn, you know?" Kurumi said with a teasing tone, clearly seeing that Sona was looking at her as if she wanted to devour her.
"Anyway, jokes aside. I'm new in this town, as you can see. I needed a new school, so I came here to register myself. Everyone suggested this school, and here I am. You are the student council president, right? Can you help me?" Kurumi said, her tone akin to a newbie. This gave Sona a vibe as if Kurumi was really completely new in this town and her only purpose here was to register herself.
"Of course, but we need your parents' permission before registering you here..." After hearing Kurumi's words, Sona's embarrassment completely disappeared, and it was replaced with a more professional look, taking on her role as president to the fullest extent.
"Oh... My parents died long ago... Is it okay to fill out the form myself?" Kurumi said with a devastated tone before replacing it with a wry smile, clearly not wanting to continue that specific topic.
"I see... If that's the case, of course. It's not that much need for a sign from parents anyway, only for security reasons, you know," Sona said as she adjusted her glasses with a sigh. She didn't expect to hit a sensitive topic while wanting to know this new student at the school.
"Hehe~ You look cute like that, President~," Kurumi said with a chuckle as she witnessed Sona's demeanor. Kurumi was somewhat expecting this; after all, she had an unimaginable amount of experience when the topic was expression and emotions.
After this, Sona didn't say anything and decided to stay silent until they arrived at the Director's Office of the Kuoh Academy.
...
..
.
"With this, you can come to school tomorrow, Miss Tokisaki," a man with Long Crimson Hair said as he gave some papers to Kurumi.
"Thank you, Director Gremory," Kurumi said with a small bow as she took the papers from the Director.
"It's nothing really... Once again, I welcome you to Kuoh Academy," The Gremory said with a small, polite smile as he waved her hand in denial.
"I see... Then, I will take my leave, Director. Once again, thank you," Kurumi said with a smile on her beautiful face as she once more bowed towards the Director and left the Director's Room.
After Kurumi left, Sona, who hadn't said anything after arriving at the Director's Room, spoke.
"Gremory-sama, did you sense it too, right?" Sona spoke with a polite tone. This man, after all, was the Head of Gremory, Zeoticus Gremory—one of the Clan of 72 Pillars, also the father of Rias Gremory.
"Indeed, Sona-san, her power was terrifying, to say the least. Not enough to beat everyone in the school, but still terrifying. Close to the ultimate class," Zeoticus said with a grim tone when he thought about the girl's power that had shown just a moment ago. He couldn't help but feel ambivalence.
Her demeanor was calm like a lake. When he saw her first, he couldn't help but compliment her beauty inside his head. Not that kind of love-struck, but like a dad compliment about his daughter. But this was what Zeoticus was afraid of. Meanwhile, her beauty rivaled that of Gabriel, one of the Archangels of Heaven. Her energy was not like Gabriel's. Her energy was simply chaotic, even more than devils, as if it warped space and time around her. The sheer power of her simply denied the reality of space and time. But Zeoticus saw something behind this tremendous power.
It felt weak... As if something held it back. It was not the girl. It was something else, as if waiting for the right time to unleash this power on the girl. But he can't jump to conclusions like this. Maybe he should call Sirzechs; maybe he would know something.
"For now, just watch her from afar. We can't get her close to your peerage and Rias's peerage. We don't know her motivation to come here," Zeoticus said after thinking for some time. His voice was the most serious of the decade, making Sona understand the seriousness of the situation.
"Understood. I will look at her with my familiar and peerage. I will notify you if I see something suspicious," Sona said with a small nod of affirmation. Her tone too was serious like Zeoticus'. If someone saw them like this, they would think they were talking about something from Area 69.
===
[Quest "Enroll to Kuoh Academy" Completed. Rewards given to the host.]
'Hm? There was a quest about this? I didn't know, really...' Kurumi said inwardly, a little surprised by the sudden system notification. She truly had no idea there was a quest about enrolling in the school. Intrigued, she decided to ask the system for more information.
[Host, quests are generally randomly generated. I don't have any control over them, but I can tell you that there are three types of quests. Would you like me to explain them?]
After thinking for a moment, Kurumi answered inwardly, 'Yeah... It would be great. Later on, I wouldn't need another explanation about them. Time is precious after all.'
[The first type of Quest is the 'Main Quest,' Host. As its name suggests, this type of quest is forced and generally affects the world around the host. It is mandatory, but there is no penalty upon failure. You simply cannot deny the quest, unlike the other two types that I will explain. I suggest that the Host complete this type of quest as they offer more valuable rewards compared to the second type that I will explain.
The second type of Quest is the 'Side Quest.' This type of quest is, as its name suggests, 'Side.' It is generally given to the host for power-ups, like that of a protagonist. This type of quest has no penalty and does not affect the world around you, and you can deny this type of quest. However, this type of quest offers the lowest rewards compared to the other two. Lastly, this type of quest when completed can open more variants of it or other types. In some way this type quest is more useful than the other two.
The last type of quest is the 'World Quest.' This type of quest is very difficult to obtain and offers the most precious and valuable rewards. This type of quest has a high penalty for not completing it. However, the host can deny this type of quest if they wish. The most important thing here is that this type of quest is not generated but given by the 'World Will' itself. Because of that, this type of quest is rare and precious.
That's all, Host. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me. I'm here to help, after all.]
Silence covered the path that Kurumi walked as she read all the new information that the system gave her. Only one minute had passed, but it felt like an eternity. After a brief, pure silence, Kurumi spoke inwardly.
'I see... This is certainly informative. So, what type of quests do I have currently?' Kurumi's tone was calm; even her walking didn't stop at all as she read the system panels. It was the kind of skill that she had obtained after living for thousands of years. Her facade was not something that could easily break. Even her emotions were purely there for her plans.
Also, Kurumi was not really surprised by new things in the system. Yes, she had obtained information about the system, but it was only basic things like how to use functions, etc. She hadn't checked her status screen yet!
She was waiting to get home for that because she felt it contained something important that would change her life. So, she suppressed her growing curiosity about it and waited for the system's answer to her previous question.
[Indeed, Host. You have 4 more quests if we do not include the one you completed. Those are the quests you currently have.
Side Quest: The Hunt, Side Quest: First day at the School, Main Quest: Devils, Angels, Fallen Angels, and School?, Main Quest: Origin.]
[The Host also has one more quest, but that quest will be revealed when the Host completes her Side Quest named 'First day at the School.' Does the Host want a detailed explanation for the quests?]
Kurumi didn't answer the system. After all, she arrived at her new home—a villa with glass-covered walls on the first floor instead of concrete. While this design enhanced its beauty, it also reduced privacy. Kurumi didn't mind, finding it aesthetically pleasing. She didn't care if someone saw her through the glass; if it bothered her, she would simply deal with it at night.
The second floor of the villa was made of concrete, adding to its appeal. After admiring the villa for a moment, Kurumi finally opened the door and stepped into her new home.
-----
Word Count: 3022 (Everything Included)
[1]: Ambivalence: The coexistence of conflicting feelings or attitudes towards someone or something, often resulting in uncertainty or indecision.