December—the end of the second semester.
And then…
"How'd you do on the fi-nal ex-ams?" Matsuda asked, leaning toward me.
Final exams. The bane of every student's existence, marking the close of the term.
Now, with the results out, my two idiot friends had parked themselves at my desk.
I puffed out my chest, smirking. "Pretty damn good this time. Averaged over eighty."
Eighty-one, to be exact—my best score ever. Staying up all night with Miu, Rias, and Akeno, plus tackling past exams from a senior, paid off big time. Past papers are a game-changer; I never bothered with them before. Of course, the girls' teaching skills were top-notch too.
Matsuda groaned, clearly jealous, while Motohama adjusted his glasses. "Tch, I thought I had you beat!"
"Not bad, Issei," Motohama said, impressed.
Heh, no more failing grades for me! I'm a guy who gets it done when he tries! …Though I still didn't top Miu.
"How'd you do, Miu-chan?" Matsuda asked.
"Eh, so-so. Mid-eighties average," she said casually.
"That's not 'so-so'!" Matsuda protested.
Nah, Matsuda, for Miu, that is so-so. She mastered three years of middle school material in under a month. Unlike me, she didn't need all-nighters to pull that off. Honestly, she spent most of her time tutoring me for this test.
"Well, well, not bad, Issei," a voice chimed in.
A blonde bombshell in a school uniform—Alice—strolled up. Yup, as of today, she's officially a student at Kuoh Academy. In our class, no less.
Apparently, Rias pulled some strings to make it happen. Alice's transfer was the talk of the school. I mean, a drop-dead gorgeous blonde with a model's figure (boobs aside, maybe)? Of course, she drew attention. This morning, when she walked into class, everyone—guys and girls—was mesmerized.
But, naturally, there was a problem. Or rather, Alice caused one.
During her introduction, she said:
"I'm Alice Audilia. I'm Issei Hyoudou's wife, so nice to meet you all!"
I mean, she's not wrong, but talk about timing! Did she have to say that in front of the whole class?!
Cue the guys losing it. The air was thick with murderous intent. Even now, I could feel their glares.
"Nghhh, unforgivable!" Matsuda growled.
"You keep stealing our goddesses! You having fun, huh?!" Motohama snapped.
They're terrifying right now. The whole class's male population is radiating pure rage. It's not just these two—everyone's out for blood.
"Alright, Miu, Alice, stick close to me," I said.
With them by my side, the class council and other guys won't try anything. The council's especially scary lately, oozing unprecedented hostility.
"Got it!" Alice grinned, wrapping her arms around me.
"Aaaagh!" the guys wailed in unison.
This girl's doing it on purpose! What a menace! Is messing with me that fun, Alice?!
"I'll pick up your bones when they're done with you," she teased.
"You want me dead?!" I yelped.
Talk about brutal! Doesn't she know she's my Queen? Can't she support me a little?
Ugh, whatever. No point arguing now. Anyway, Alice is officially a Kuoh student, fudging her age to fit in.
"If you're cool with it, I'm cool," she said, winking.
Reading my mind, huh? In my defense, I didn't choose to fake my age—three years in that other world passed in a blink here! But Alice? She just didn't want to be older than me.
"Alright, fine," I sighed. "Welcome aboard, seventeen-year-old Alice-san."
"Leave it to me, seventeen-year-old Issei-kun," she shot back, smirking.
She totally just wanted to stay younger than me.
Having her in our class makes it easier to keep an eye on her, though.
Just then, I noticed a group of girls chattering excitedly at the edge of the classroom. "What's up?" I asked.
Asia ran over, eyes sparkling. "Issei-san, Xenovia's amazing!"
Irina chimed in. "Her final exam results—she averaged over ninety across all subjects!"
"No way!" I gasped.
Ninety? That's insane! Especially for a transfer student from abroad! Xenovia's power-play style makes her seem like a musclehead, but she's secretly brilliant. Or maybe it's pure effort. I remember her memorizing vocab in vampire territory with flashcards.
She shrugged, playing it cool. "Just wanted to test my limits. Japanese was my weakest, though."
Even her "weakest" was only slightly below my score. Damn, that's impressive.
"I was a bit lower than Xenovia and Asia," Irina said, blushing.
Still, her average beat mine! And Asia's been holding steady in the high eighties since midterms. For someone who's been in Japan less than a year, her Japanese scores are killer.
Rayna joined the conversation, smiling. "You're amazing, Asia. Guess I've got work to do."
Her scores were between Asia and Irina's—still way above mine. The Occult Research Club is full of brainiacs, and I'm the resident dunce. The club's underachiever, huh?
I was proud of my eighty-one earlier, but now I'm embarrassed. I was bragging about scores way below Xenovia's!
As I wallowed, Kiryuu, the glasses-wearing girl, smirked. "If your kids take after you, that'd be tragic."
"Shut up!" I snapped. Sure, the girls outscore me, but still!
The girls rallied to my defense. "That's not true!" Miu said. "Onii-chan's awesome when he tries."
"With the right education and environment, he'll be fine," Xenovia added.
"Yup!" Irina agreed.
"Love makes great kids!" Asia chimed in.
Rayna nodded. "Issei-kun's not bad at studying. His quick thinking's amazing—his kids might inherit that."
You guys are sweet, but pick your moments! The class's glares intensified, especially after Alice's stunt. The guys' bloodlust was suffocating.
Xenovia nodded firmly. "This gives me momentum for my goal. I need to keep at it."
Her goal, huh? I've noticed Xenovia's been super focused on studying, even skipping club activities to help the student council. She's been consulting Rias and Sona, but it's not about ditching the club or preferring Sona's group—it's tied to some mysterious "goal." Only Rias, Akeno, Asia, Irina, and Sona know the details, and they're tight-lipped. Xenovia just says it's a secret for now.
I'll wait till she's ready to spill, but I'm curious.
Matsuda and Motohama piped up. "So, Issei, what's your winter break plan?" Matsuda asked.
"Yeah, spill. Any trips?" Motohama added.
Winter break's coming up after finals. I'd love to hang with my buddies, but…
"Sorry, guys," I said. "Club activities are keeping me busy. Gotta check with Rias first."
Miu nodded. "We're pretty swamped."
It's not just demon work—our "D×D" team duties mean we're on call in case Qliphoth makes a move. We've got to stay ready.
"What about New Year's Eve or the first few days?" Matsuda pressed.
"Maybe, but it's not set yet," I said vaguely.
Last New Year's, the three of us prayed for girlfriends. Mine came true, but these two…
Motohama sighed. "You've been so busy lately. Last time we hung out was that karaoke trip."
"Miu-chan was on fire with 'Ultra Soul,'" Matsuda laughed.
Miu chuckled awkwardly. That was before the vampire territory mission—me, Miu, Matsuda, and Motohama hit up karaoke and bowling. It's been our only hangout recently. With my weekends spent training, I'm not the easiest friend to chill with, but they still stick by me. That means a lot.
Matsuda stretched. "If you're tied up, I'll hunt for material for the photo contest."
He's in the photography club, aiming for a competition next year.
"You're entering?" Miu asked.
"Yeah, might as well aim high. Hey, Miu-chan, be my model!"
"N-no thanks…" she mumbled.
"Only I get to photograph Miu," I said firmly.
"Let me have a shot, you siscon!" Matsuda whined.
No way.
Motohama cut in. "Speaking of, there's a rumor about Rossweisse-chan. People keep seeing her in the library, sighing over Bible-related books. Know anything, Issei?"
Rossweisse reading the Bible? We're tied to holy stuff, so studying it makes sense, but she's a genius from Norse lands. She's probably read it already, and her knowledge dwarfs mine. Why now? And reading holy texts gives demons like us headaches—though she likely has protective magic, given she can handle holy swords briefly.
"Maybe she's refreshing on something or found a new interest," I said, shrugging.
"Figured you'd know, being in the club," Motohama said. "Her fans are worried, so maybe check with the club to help her out."
"Got it," I nodded.
Rossweisse's troubles, huh? I don't think I've ever gotten a direct request from her. Not sure I can solve her problems, but I'll try.
"Speaking of the club," Motohama continued, "who's the next president? Rias-senpai can't stay on after graduation."
Miu and I exchanged glances. Right, it's that time. Clubs start passing the torch to the next generation. Some classmates are already new presidents or vice-presidents.
The Occult Research Club's due for a change too. Rias can't stay president forever. But who'll take over? Kiba's the most clued-in among us second-years, but would Rias pick the obvious choice? I can't guess.
Between Rossweisse's issue and the club's new leader, it feels like something big's brewing before year's end.
The bell rang, and students returned to their seats. The teacher burst in, shouting, "Sit down, you brats! Hyoudou, quit flirting!"
"I'm not!" I protested. I was just sitting there!
Ignoring me, he opened a book. "Turn to Bleach volume twenty."
"Hey, Issei," Alice whispered. "I don't have it. Can I look at yours?"
"I don't have it either," I shot back.
And that's how I shut down Alice's attempt to mess with me.
Alice is officially a Kuoh Academy student!
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