Chapter 50 – The Devils' "Job"
Time slowly drifted into dusk. Most of the students at Kuoh Academy had already gone home.
But inside the Occult Research Club room, the lights were still on, casting a warm glow over the evening as the club carried on with its own kind of busy routine.
Tonight, two additional guests were present in the room.
"Well then, let's begin today's work," Rias Gremory said calmly, addressing her peerage.
"Yes, Buchou," Akeno Himejima replied with her usual soft smile.
"Understood," added Yuuto Kiba with a light nod.
"Ready," responded Koneko Toujou curtly, as always.
Akira, standing off to the side, could only watch their interaction with a slightly puzzled expression.
Even now, he still didn't fully understand the reason behind the so-called "job" they were doing.
He couldn't help but wonder—why do devils need to do something like this?
Flyers were distributed across town, promising to "grant your wish."
When night fell—the time belonging to devils—if someone truly desired something and performed the summoning ritual, a devil would actually appear before them.
A contract would then be formed between the human and the devil. The devil would fulfill the human's desire, and in return, the human had to offer something of equal value.
But unlike the old legends claiming devils would demand a person's soul, the devils in this world were far more... pragmatic.
As long as it held value—emotional, spiritual, or material—anything could count as payment.
Even snacks, video games, or other strange trinkets could suffice.
But why go through all this trouble?
"Rias," Akira finally spoke up, his tone thoughtful, "there's something I've been meaning to ask you for a while."
"Hm? What is it?" Rias turned to face him.
"Why do you have to do this work? Granting wishes and forming contracts with humans... Doesn't it kind of go against the image of devils? Besides, Rias, it's not like you're lacking money or anything…"
His honest question made the others pause. Even Akeno and Kiba turned to Rias, silently curious about her response.
Rather than being offended, Rias smiled.
"What you want to know is why we—devils—form contracts with humans, right?"
"Yeah, exactly."
"This job isn't about the material reward, Akira. What we seek is the contract itself."
"The contract?"
Rias nodded. "For devils, a contract is a form of achievement. Each completed contract gives us spiritual feedback—you could call it the devil's version of 'divine merit.' In the end, it makes us stronger."
"...Stronger?" Akira glanced around at Rias's peerage with a flat expression, as if to say, Really?
Rias narrowed her eyes, clearly noticing. "Akira, whatever just went through your head, it was extremely rude."
"I wasn't thinking anything," Akira quickly denied—there was no way he was going to admit what had crossed his mind just now.
Akeno let out a small laugh, then added warmly, "While contracts can strengthen us, it's not like they'll skyrocket our power overnight, Akira. Especially if the contracts are made with ordinary humans. The effects are... limited."
"...Got it. That makes more sense now."
Akira nodded quietly, choosing not to press the matter further.
Deep down, he knew he wasn't exactly a fair comparison. In just two months, he'd gone from an ordinary human to someone capable of standing among Ultimate-class fighters.
Meanwhile, Rias—a noble-born devil—had taken over a decade to reach her current level, backed fully by her prestigious family.
Akeno, the eldest member of her peerage, was currently at the Mid-Class level. Kiba and Koneko were still classified as Low-Class devils.
Even if they were considered promising for their generation, standing next to someone like Akira—who could only be described as a "real-world cheater"—wasn't exactly fair.
Suddenly, a glowing magic circle lit up on the floor. Someone had activated a summoning.
"It's that guy again, huh, Koneko-chan?" Rias glanced to the side.
"Yes, Buchou. I'll be going now," Koneko replied in her usual deadpan tone, stepping into the circle and vanishing in a flash of light.
Rias turned to Akira, who looked curious.
"That was a regular customer," she explained.
"A regular? Let me guess... an otaku?"
Rias gave him a small nod. "A shut-in type. He always summons Koneko-chan. Every time... just to play video games."
For some reason, Akira's imagination started running wild, conjuring up strange mental images—titles like 'My Otaku Romance with a Devil Catgirl' or something just as ridiculous.
What the hell is wrong with me...? he muttered internally. This is what I get for writing too many light novels back in middle school.
"He's from a wealthy family," Rias continued, "but he's the second son. His older brother is the heir, so he was mostly left alone. That's probably why he became a reclusive otaku. Every time he summons Koneko-chan, it's just to game together. But Koneko-chan's always satisfied with his payment."
"Payment?"
"A week's worth of snacks."
"...Yeah, that sounds like Koneko-chan."
That girl had two great loves: video games and sweets.
Not long after, another magic circle lit up. This time, it was Kiba who stepped forward to take on a request.
For the next three hours, Akira watched firsthand how modern devils worked.
Everyone—including Rias—responded to multiple summoning requests. Among them, Koneko held the record for the most contracts completed, followed by Akeno. Rias and Kiba came in last.
At some point, Akira found himself reaching for a flyer lying on Rias's desk.
"Do you want your wish granted?"
That was all it said. One simple sentence. Beneath the text, the Gremory family crest shimmered faintly with demonic magic. The flyer itself served as a summoning medium, enchanted with teleportation magic.
Asia, who had been sitting nearby, suddenly asked in her innocent tone, "Shin-san, is this what devils are really like? They seem so different from what I was taught…"
In the teachings she once followed, devils were evil, violent beings who thrived on human suffering. But what she was seeing now… was completely different.
"They've changed too, Asia. Times are always moving forward. Even devils have to adapt."
"I see… I think I understand now."
Seeing Asia nod softly, Akira could tell she had started to accept the existence of modern devils. And that, at least, was a good beginning.
He slipped the flyer into his pocket and stretched his arms as he stood up.
It was getting late. Time to head home.
"Well then, let's call it a day. Akira, let's go home," Rias said, smiling gently at him.
"Yeah, let's go."
Akira answered instinctively—but a second later, he frowned in realization.
"Wait... Rias, when you say 'let's go home'... don't tell me you mean together? We don't live anywhere near each other, right?"
"Eh? But aren't lovers supposed to live together?"
That innocent, radiant smile of hers sent a chill down Akira's spine.
In that moment, he realized something terrifying.
This woman... she's been planning this from the very beginning! She's totally after my body!
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