Rain had stopped by the time Aki returned to his dorm room, leaving Kuoh City slick and shimmering beneath the streetlights. His coat was soaked, drenched through, and the wet cloth clung to his shoulders as if it were part of him. Every step felt heavier than the last. Muscles ached, fingers trembled slightly around the hilt of his knife, and his vision swam with the soft pulse of neon lights reflecting off puddles.
He paused at the dorm door, inhaling deeply. One day in Kuoh City, one summon, one minor devil—and already he felt the weight of it all. He hadn't even encountered the "real" threats yet. That thought alone made his shoulders sag. One step at a time, he reminded himself.
System Status: ActiveNearby Supernatural Entities: NoneHunter Mode: Passive
Aki pushed the door open and slipped inside. The dorm smelled faintly of detergent and the lingering scent of others—a normal school dormitory smell. But he didn't notice it. He removed his coat, wrung the water out onto the tile, and dropped onto the edge of his bed.
His hand hovered over the system interface. He could have checked Multiverse Store, reviewed his Summon stats, or analyzed potential supernatural signals from the city—but all he wanted was a moment without thought.
Optional Action: SleepEffect: Restore HP and Stamina, pause system activity
Without hesitation, he selected sleep. The system hummed softly but did not protest. Aki felt his body relax, exhaustion cascading through him like a flood, and soon, the world faded into darkness.
Morning came sharp and unwelcoming. Kuoh Academy's classrooms were bright with sunlight streaming through windows, bouncing off the polished floors and whiteboards. Aki's eyes snapped open, still clouded with fatigue, hair sticking damp against his forehead. He blinked once, twice, before the memory of yesterday—rain, devils, summon, adrenaline—settled back into place.
System Status: ActiveHunter Mode: PassiveNearby Entities: 2 (Human/Unknown)
He groaned softly. His body was stiff, still tired from the night's trial, but the day would move regardless. He pulled on his uniform jacket, adjusted his tie, and stepped into the hallway. Students bustled around him, chatting, laughing, rushing to class. None of them noticed him in particular—but he could feel it.
Something was watching.
By the time he reached his first period, the classroom was already half full. Aki slipped in quietly, choosing a seat near the window, trying to blend in. But the faint hum in his mind told him that the system had already detected attention he hadn't consciously noticed.
Attention Alert: Multiple entities observingType: UnknownDistance: Close
He ignored it for now, placing his notebook on the desk and letting his eyes drift lazily over the other students. The faint rustle of papers, the scratching of pencils, the soft thud of shoes against the floor—all normal, mundane. And yet… not normal.
He felt a light presence shift beside him, a slight vibration in the aura he could sense. A small figure crouched near the back of the room, eyes barely visible under the desk.
Entity Detected: Low-level observerType: Unknown (Human/Hybrid?)
Aki's fingers hovered over his notebook, writing slowly as if distracted. The system didn't push him to react, only pulsed softly, letting him know he had options: observe, ignore, or confront.
"Hey."
A small voice broke through the hum of the classroom. He looked up, noting a pale girl with white hair and golden eyes half-hidden behind a notebook. Her ears twitched faintly as she leaned forward, squinting at him. Koneko.
Observation: Catgirl hybrid. Inexperienced in espionage. Low threat.
He studied her briefly, noticing the way she shifted awkwardly on the seat, almost fumbling her attempt to be discreet. The system blinked faintly: poor spy work, but intent detected.
Aki smirked faintly to himself. He could work with this. Carefully, deliberately, he reached into his bag and pulled out a small sandwich he had bought the day before.
He held it out casually. "Hungry?"
Koneko froze, eyes widening slightly, ears flicking. She hesitated for a moment before nodding slowly. "Yes," she whispered, voice barely audible.
Aki slid the sandwich toward her. She took it carefully, holding it in her small hands as though it were a rare artifact. The system pulsed faintly. Trust established. Human bond strengthened.
She ate in small, deliberate bites, glancing up at him from time to time. He didn't speak, didn't prod. He let her eat in silence, and the subtle rhythm of the classroom continued around them.
System Status: Passive Monitoring ActiveNearby Entities: 1 (Human observer – Koneko)
Aki leaned back slightly, his body still protesting from yesterday's fatigue. The school day was moving slowly, and he could feel the undercurrent of curiosity from other students, though none had approached him yet. He could sense the faint pressure of intent—curiosity, cautious evaluation—but nothing overt.
The system pulsed faintly in response, almost like a heartbeat in his mind. Low-level surveillance detected. Do nothing for now.
Koneko finally finished the sandwich, placing the wrapper back into her bag carefully. She gave him a quiet nod before leaning back in her chair, pretending to be absorbed in the textbook in front of her.
Aki exhaled quietly, feeling the tension in the room shift ever so slightly. Observation established. No confrontation needed.
The teacher began speaking, monotone, the usual introductions for a Monday morning class. But Aki's senses were elsewhere, flicking across small anomalies in the classroom: energy spikes too faint for anyone else to notice, the subtle resonance of latent power in some students, and the odd pulse of what could only be considered… supernatural.
System Alert: Unknown power detected. Probability – latent devil/angel hybrid: 30%
He stayed calm, pretending to take notes, letting the system feed him information in near silence. Koneko's attention flickered back to him from time to time, but she did so clumsily, her attempts to spy almost drawing more attention to herself than she realized.
Aki made a mental note: the girl wasn't dangerous. Not yet. She was inexperienced, curious, and… loyal. At least to a point. That could be useful.
By the time the bell rang, signaling the end of class, Aki had noted three students with minor supernatural readings: one in the front row with faint demonic energy, another near the window with angelic resonance, and a third—well-hidden—whose aura was cold, almost predatory.
He exhaled, stretching slightly. The fatigue still lingered from yesterday, and he decided it was time to retreat for a short period. The system hummed softly, confirming the decision.
Optional Action: Rest. Restore HP and Stamina.
He nodded faintly to himself. Yes. Rest. A small dorm nap before the afternoon classes. One step at a time.
Koneko followed him out of the classroom at a distance, trying desperately to remain unnoticed. Her tail flicked behind her, a subtle sign of her nervousness. But Aki didn't react. He didn't need to. The system's passive monitoring provided him all the information he needed.
As he walked toward the dorms, the system pulsed faintly, a soft whisper only he could hear: Latent threats in observation. School is not as mundane as it seems. Prepare.
Aki's steps were measured, each footfall quiet on the polished floor. He was tired, yes—but his awareness had not dulled. Not even slightly.
By the time he reached his room, the door slid closed behind him, and he collapsed onto the bed. Rain still pattered softly against the windows outside. He could feel the faint echoes of the classroom, Koneko's awkward attempts at surveillance, and the distant energy of hidden students who were unaware that a true hunter had just stepped into their world.
Current Status: Alive, RestingHP: 85/100Stamina: 60/100Hunter Mode: PassiveNearby Entities: 0
Aki exhaled slowly, the first real rest since his arrival in Kuoh City. But even as sleep began to pull him under, the system pulsed faintly in his mind, a steady heartbeat in the darkness:
This world is alive. Danger is everywhere. Step carefully, hunter.
And for the first time since his reincarnation, Aki allowed himself a small, brief sense of calm.
For now.