Chapter 165: The New Fifth Pillar Maou, Akeno Himejima
At that moment, a group of girls was doing warm-up exercises.
After finishing, they would begin today's lesson: volleyball.
Incidentally, the boys' and girls' physical education classes were separate.
The boys were scheduled to play soccer, so they had to go to the outdoor field, missing the chance to admire the girls' graceful movements in the gymnasium.
Especially the most desired sights—the athletic figures of the school's top four popular beauties.
These four were the Occult Research Club president, Rias Gremory; vice president, Akeno Himejima; student council president, Sona Sitri; and vice president, Shinra Tsubaki.
Though not all in the same class, they were together for this PE session, taught by the same instructor.
Thus, the boys were particularly envious of this new PE teacher, who was also quite popular among the girls.
It wasn't that he was exceptionally handsome or charming in a universally appealing way, but his looks were certainly above average.
His popularity stemmed mainly from his inexplicably charismatic demeanor that attracted the girls, coupled with his gentle, attentive, and patient nature.
"Ara, Renji-sensei, could you help me too?"
After correcting another student's warm-up posture, a somewhat alluring voice reached him.
Turning toward the source, Renji's eyes fell upon the girl with the most impressive proportions in the school—Akeno Himejima.
She wore a slightly troubled expression, her hands supporting the school's most substantial assets, as if they were causing her some difficulty during the warm-ups.
This one, it seemed, was growing less and less reverent toward him. Unlike Rias and the others, who maintained a respectful distance and avoided being too informal, she didn't hold back.
"Of course, Akeno-san."
With a gentle smile, he walked over and began helping her with standard warm-up exercises.
During this process, it seemed as though she was intentionally or unintentionally pressing something against him.
To put it plainly, if she were at the average level for someone her age, there wouldn't have been any ambiguous contact.
But precisely because she far exceeded the average for her peers, assisting with the warm-up inevitably led to contact.
"President, should I call Teacher Renji for you?"
"No need, it's not like I can't do it myself!!!"
Faced with Sona's seemingly usual response, Tsubaki sighed softly.
Although Sona had become his servant, it appeared her feelings weren't limited to a subordinate's loyalty to their king—there seemed to be a hint of unexpected emotion as well?
So, when she saw Akeno's clearly provocative behavior toward Sona, Sona seemed somewhat displeased in her heart.
Turning her gaze to another person—Rias, Akeno's master—Tsubaki noticed that Rias was also watching Akeno and him. She saw Rias's lips twitch slightly, as if she wanted to say something but held back.
Thus, this King Solomon seemed to have a bit of a mischievous side.
Yesterday, Rias had resolved to become his servant, only to receive an apology from him, which left her deeply embarrassed.
To everyone, it clearly looked like he had rejected Rias.
However, he seemed a bit slow on the uptake, only realizing the shift in atmosphere belatedly, and then explained that he was too mentally exhausted to help Rias with the transformation at that time.
But was it truly due to mental exhaustion?
It seemed plausible, especially since his physical condition had been particularly precarious at the time.
Today, however, he appeared to have recovered, yet up until now, it seemed as though he had forgotten about helping Rias with the transformation.
In Tsubaki's view, it was as if he was intentionally making Rias wait.
And Rias's feelings were likely tangled; her hesitation to speak probably stemmed from fear that pressing him might irritate him and lead to an outright rejection?
"Akeno, come with me to get the volleyballs."
"Okay."
So, Akeno couldn't help but feel a bit nervous as she followed the person in front of her.
Because in his smiling expression, she sensed a trace of menace.
Upon entering the storage room for sports equipment, he suddenly stopped and a barrier was deployed.
Incidentally, this barrier was something Akeno had taught him, but now it seemed even stronger than the ones she could create.
This wasn't solely due to his immense magical power—the barrier appeared to have been optimized as well.
"Ara, deploying a barrier so deliberately is making me a little scared~"
Even at a moment like this, Akeno couldn't resist using her teasing speech mannerism and maintaining her seductive demeanor.
From her observations over the past few days, Akeno felt that as long as she didn't truly offend him, she wouldn't be treated harshly, which was why she had gradually shifted her attitude.
"Tell me all about your abilities."
He said this abruptly, so Akeno composed her expression, especially when she saw him take out a piece of paper inscribed with a magic circle.
This made her pause in surprise—was he going to transform her?
But what about Rias?
"What about Rias?"
"Don't you think her restless, conflicted expression is quite amusing?"
These words made Akeno pause for a moment before she laughed. This guy really had a mischievous streak, deliberately teasing Rias like that.
So, she straightforwardly revealed her abilities.
After all, Rias was already certain to become his servant, so if she was invited, she would naturally choose to join as well—and it would even enhance her strength.
In the end, even if she wanted to resist, she couldn't, right? He could forcibly convert her, couldn't he?
"I understand. Then I grant you this Demon God—Murmur."
This Demon God was particularly skilled in summoning the undead and manipulating souls.
Akeno, who stood before him, originally came from an exorcist family and was positioned as a shrine maiden, excelling in dispelling spirits and ghosts. She even had some minor spirits as familiars.
Thus, Renji believed this Demon God would suit her well.
With that, he cast a magic circle, the corners of his lips curling into a somewhat sly smirk.
"Akeno Himejima, from this day forward, I permit you to call yourself Akeno Himejima Murmur, one of the Seventy-Two Demon Gods."
"Understood, my lord~"
With a smiling response, the card instantly dissolved into motes of light, about to merge into her body.
But at that very moment, the magic circle beneath her feet suddenly changed.
No—rather, an additional magic circle superimposed itself over the original, and this new circle released an electric current that instantly surged through her body.
At the moment of the card's fusion, her body was in a completely defenseless state.
So, was he trying to harm her?
Not exactly. These currents wouldn't cause any real damage, but in her current defenseless and relaxed state, such an electric shock could lead to some... delicate circumstances.
Thus, after letting out a rather adorable shriek, Akeno's expression instantly stiffened.
Drip, drip... Huh?