The way that it is written isn't my fault; it's the OG author who decided to write each chapter that way. If some things feel repetitive or redundant, please just ignore them. You can still voice your thoughts on it, though.
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After adjusting his initial plan, Takeyo walked directly toward the girl waiting beneath the Hachiko statue.
"Excuse me... Are you Yuuma Amano?"
He addressed her with perfect courtesy.
"Huh?" Yuuma's hand rose to cover her lips in apparent surprise, her eyes widening with manufactured innocence. "How did you know my name?"
In truth, she'd sensed Takeyo's arrival the moment he'd entered the area. A Fallen Angel's perception was far beyond that of ordinary humans.
"I'm a friend of Issei Hyoudou," Takeyo explained with a disarming smile. "He had something urgent come up today, so he asked me to come in his place."
"Huh? Is something wrong with Ise-kun?" Yuuma asked, her performance flawless as she tilted her head with apparent concern.
Takeyo could see through every layer of her deception. His Alpha Stigma eyes analyzed every micro-expression, every calculated gesture. He knew precisely which emotions were genuine and which were carefully constructed lies.
"Issei forgot about a prior commitment," Takeyo said smoothly. "So he asked me to come keep you company instead."
"Oh!" Yuuma's eyes widened further, a hint of something dangerous flickering in their purple depths before vanishing behind manufactured sweetness. "May I ask who you are?"
"My name is Takeyo Kagutsuchi," he replied. "As I mentioned, I'm Issei's friend."
A trace of killing intent flashed through Yuuma's eyes, "so brief most people would have missed it entirely. She seemed genuinely irritated by the last-minute substitution. However, alongside that anger, Takeyo detected something else: curiosity. Interest in him specifically.
If his assessment was correct, that interest had nothing to do with Issei and everything to do with Takeyo himself.
"Ise-kun had other plans?" Yuuma's fingers traced delicate patterns in the air, the gesture achingly cute and utterly calculated. "That's... disappointing."
Then her expression brightened artificially. "But since Issei-kun couldn't make it... would Takeyo-senpai be willing to go shopping with me instead? I was planning to pick out something for Ise-kun's birthday anyway."
She continued without waiting for an answer, her manipulation technique impressively seamless. "If Ise-kun chose the gift himself, that would be ideal, but... maybe it's better to leave him a surprise? What do you think, Takeyo-senpai?"
Yuuma naturally redirected the conversation to include just the two of them.
The truth was that Yuuma had become genuinely interested in Takeyo. He'd been listed as a potential surveillance target by her organization. However, they hadn't been informed about yesterday's commotion involving the awakening of his divine abilities. The incident had been handled at a level far above her clearance, so she remained ignorant of his true capabilities.
"Me?" Takeyo maintained his pleasant expression. "I'm free at the moment. It would be my honor to accompany such a lovely girl as Yuuma-san."
Internally, he was already considering how to best approach this opportunity. The sign-in system had given him a specific task: achieve her "submission." But what exactly did that mean? Spiritual surrender? Physical dominance? Complete loyalty? He'd need to test the boundaries carefully.
"Wonderful!" Yuuma beamed, stepping closer to loop her arm through his with practiced ease. Her touch was deliberately intimate, her expression radiating pure, innocent joy.
Takeyo registered the soft pressure against his arm with clinical detachment. While certainly not comparable to Rias's generous proportions, Yuuma's figure was still notably better than Sona's more modest build.
He wasn't fooled for even a moment by her performance. The woman beside him was a textbook example of manipulation tactic, "acting as Issei's girlfriend or prospective partner while simultaneously showing no hesitation about physically engaging with another man. Most people would fall for the innocent facade completely.
Only someone proficient in psychology and micro-expression analysis like Takeyo could see through her deception from the very beginning.
Since both parties had decided to continue this charade, the idea of an outing together followed naturally.
And so their pleasant "date" began.
At least, on the surface, they appeared to be an enviable young couple enjoying an afternoon together.
Takeyo smiled genuinely as they walked. This was going to be entertaining. He could tease and test Yuuma to his heart's content, and she couldn't reveal her true nature or powers because she believed him to be an ordinary human.
As long as she maintained that assumption, she wouldn't risk exposing the supernatural world.
Interestingly, Yuuma didn't seem to harbor the same murderous intent toward Takeyo that she'd originally directed at Issei. Perhaps his appearance and demeanor gave him a certain advantage. Or maybe she had developed specific tastes.
At the very least, when Takeyo subtly tested her boundaries, he detected genuine pleasure beneath her calculated responses.
Could it be that she has certain... preferences? Takeyo wondered, an amused gleam entering his eyes. The opposite of whatever drove her obsession with killing Issei?
"Ne, Takeyo-san, what do you think of this?" Yuuma had maintained her bubbly persona perfectly, radiating the energetic vitality expected of a high school girl her apparent age.
"Hmm," Takeyo examined the pink dress she'd selected, touching his chin thoughtfully. "If you replaced the pink with black, I think it would suit you much better."
His words carried deliberate double meaning. The real you isn't this sweet pink that represents innocence, but rather the black that embodies darkness and mystery.
"This one, then!" Yuuma's eyes lit up as she reconsidered. Actually, she agreed that black suited her far better, "she'd only asked about the pink first to maintain her innocent girl persona.
When she held up the preferred black dress, Takeyo simply took it to the counter and paid without hesitation.
Consider it a parting gift for Yuuma Amano, "or rather, for Raynare the Fallen Angel.
Regarding money, Takeyo wasn't particularly concerned. In the human world, he hadn't made special efforts to accumulate wealth. Making money was simply a method for him to understand how human society functioned, so his current assets only amounted to several billion yen.
The real issue was that knowledge about the supernatural world couldn't be purchased with ordinary currency. Such information required connections within the proper circles. A normal human attempting to acquire books about magic, sacred gears, or devil society would likely end up dead rather quickly.
As their shopping continued, Takeyo and Yuuma eventually found themselves outside a lingerie boutique.
"Hmm?" Takeyo paused, suddenly remembering something. "Speaking of which, Ophis doesn't seem to own any underwear, does she?"
The Infinite Dragon God appeared to exist in a permanent state of commando beneath her Gothic Lolita dresses.
"Takeyo-san?" Yuuma asked, her cheeks coloring delicately as she pressed her legs together with apparent nervousness. The gesture embodied feminine shyness taken to its absolute peak. "Would you... like to come inside?"
If this had been a normal human man, she could have competed for acting awards. Her performance was genuinely Oscar-worthy.
Takeyo had been thinking about Ophis's wardrobe situation, but Yuuma had misinterpreted his pause, assuming he wanted to help her select intimate apparel.
At this point, their behavior had progressed far beyond what would be appropriate for someone supposedly shopping on behalf of a girlfriend's friend.
But neither of them particularly cared about maintaining that pretense anymore.
"Sure," Takeyo agreed with an easy smile.
So Yuuma was actually becoming invested in this charade? He'd never expected the first person to invite him into such a shop would be the Fallen Angel playing dress-up as an innocent schoolgirl. He'd assumed it would eventually be Rias or Sona, or perhaps he'd bring Ophis himself.
As soon as they approached the entrance, Takeyo felt eyes on them from multiple directions. The attention made him slightly uncomfortable. However, given Yuuma's presence beside him and his own naturally striking appearance, most observers simply smiled knowingly. Many even cast envious glances at Yuuma for having such an attractive companion.
"Takeyo-san, which do you think would be better?" Yuuma's eyes sparkled with intense interest as she held up several options.
"These ones," Takeyo selected without hesitation.
Since she'd asked for his opinion, he naturally chose according to his own preferences. As for her measurements? His eyes alone could assess such details with perfect accuracy.
"Then please wait just a moment, Takeyo-san," Yuuma said, her mood delicately complex as she retreated toward the changing rooms.
A few minutes later, a sound emerged from behind the curtain that made Takeyo's eyebrow twitch involuntarily.
"Takeyo-san? Could you come help me? I can't seem to get this one on properly."
The corner of Takeyo's mouth twitched slightly. You're a Fallen Angel, he thought with dark amusement. And you're telling me you can't figure out how to put on lingerie by yourself?
The absurdity of the situation was genuinely entertaining.
But he had no objection to accepting freely offered benefits.
Without overthinking it, Takeyo stepped through the curtain and entered the changing room.
His extensive knowledge base included various specialized subjects, so he could immediately confirm that Yuuma Amano, despite her manipulative persona as an innocent schoolgirl, was indeed physically virgin, "not a married woman playing at youth.
Otherwise, he definitely wouldn't have involved himself in this particular situation.
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