He went down to the cafeteria on the first floor of Kuoh Academy's main building.
It was more like a high-end café than a typical school lunch hall—polished wooden counters, glass display cases filled with freshly baked pastries, colorful fruit parfaits, neatly arranged bento boxes, and even a small coffee bar that served lattes with foam art.
The air smelled like warm bread, vanilla, and slightly burnt espresso.
Students milled about, chatting quietly or scrolling on their phones, the morning rush already thinning out.
Silas scanned the offerings for only a few seconds before deciding. He wasn't in the mood to experiment on day one.
"Yakisoba bread and some orange juice," he told the cheerful part-time cashier, sliding over a few crisp bills from the mysteriously bottomless wallet the ROB had left him.
'Classic. Not much, but it'll get me through the day without weighing me down,' he thought as he accepted the paper bag and the chilled carton.
He stepped outside through the wide glass doors, the morning sun now just cresting over the academy's eastern wing and painting everything in soft gold.
The courtyard was peaceful: trimmed hedges, a small fountain gurgling in the center, cherry trees still holding onto the last of their late-blooming petals.
Silas picked a bench tucked beneath one of the larger trees, its wide branches providing dappled shade and a gentle rustle of leaves overhead.
He sat, legs stretched out casually, and tore open the packaging. The first bite of the yakisoba bread was perfect—slightly sweet bun giving way to savory stir-fried noodles, cabbage, and a hint of sauce that carried just enough umami to wake up the senses.
He cracked the juice carton open next, taking a long sip as the cool breeze brushed across his face, tugging lightly at the ends of his black hair and carrying the faint floral scent still lingering from spring.
For a moment, everything felt oddly… normal. A teenage boy eating breakfast on his first day at a new school. Except he wasn't normal. Not even close.
Then came the soft patter of small shoes on the stone path.
A short girl—no taller than 140 cm—approached without a word and sat down on the opposite end of the bench as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
She held an enormous chocolate-chip cookie in both hands, nearly the size of her own face.
She took a slow, deliberate bite, cheeks puffing slightly like a chipmunk, golden-hazel eyes half-lidded in quiet contentment. White hair framed her delicate face, held back by two simple black cat-ear clips.
The Kuoh Academy girls' uniform looked almost holding her nicely, desbite her petite frame, the red ribbon tie hanging a little loose.
Silas didn't even have to reach out with his senses to know what she was. The faint, unmistakable trace of nekomata demonic energy wrapped around her like a second skin—subtle, restrained, but unmistakably feline and powerful in its own right.
Koneko Toujou. Rook of the Gremory peerage. The one who could probably bench-press a car if she felt like it.
He turned his head slowly, violet eyes meeting a pair of calm, almost expressionless golden ones.
He turned his head slowly, purple eyes meeting her calm, unreadable gaze.
' Koneko, huh? Cute as ever. Wonder if Rias sent her to scope out the new guy… or if she just wandered over because she sensed something weird about me,' Silas thought, his smirk softening into something almost fond.
Her tiny frame, the way she clutched that oversized cookie like it was a lifeline, the subtle flick of her white tail (barely visible under the skirt when she shifted)—it was all ridiculously endearing.
She felt the weight of his stare and turned her head just enough to lock eyes with him again.
The cookie hovered an inch from her lips as she paused, golden-hazel eyes narrowing slightly in thought.
For a heartbeat, the world seemed to hold still—only the rustle of leaves and distant chatter from the courtyard breaking the quiet.
Then, without a word, she took another deliberate bite, cheeks puffing out again as she chewed, never breaking eye contact. It was almost a challenge.
' Damn, she's cute,' Silas thought, the observation hitting harder this time.
The soft morning light caught in her white hair, making it glow like fresh snow. The urge to reach over and pat her head surged up like an instinct he didn't even know he had.
The urge won.
He lifted his hand slowly—giving her plenty of time to dodge if she wanted—and gently placed his palm on top of her head. His fingers sank into the surprisingly silky strands between her cat clips. He gave one light, careful pat, then another, marveling at how small her skull felt under his hand.
"Sorry," he said, voice low and half-laughing, "couldn't hold myself back."
Koneko froze mid-chew. Her eyes widened—big, startled golden circles—and a faint dusting of pink bloomed across her pale cheeks.
The next instant she jerked her head away, scooting several inches down the bench until there was a respectable gap between them.
She clutched the remains of her cookie protectively to her chest like a shield and resumed eating, pointedly staring straight ahead.
A second later, so quiet he almost missed it, she muttered:
"…Pervert."
The word was soft, barely audible, but carried that signature flat monotone laced with just enough indignation to make it land.
Silas chuckled under his breath, leaning back against the bench with his arms crossed behind his head. ' Well, she doesn't seem to totally hate me after that. Progress?'
He finished the last bite of his yakisoba bread, crumpled the wrapper, and took a final swig of juice, feeling oddly content.
The breeze played through the tree branches again, carrying the faint scent of her—something clean and sweet, like milk and sugar mixed with the barest hint of wild feline musk.
Then—
"GET BACK HERE, YOU PERVERT!!"
A loud, furious chorus of female voices shattered the peace.
Silas turned toward the commotion just in time to see the one and only Red Dragon Emperor, Issei Hyoudou, sprinting across the courtyard like his life depended on it.
His school blazer flapped wildly behind him, tie askew, face a mix of terror and manic glee.
Hot on his heels came half a dozen members of the Kendo Club—shinai raised, faces flushed with righteous anger, yelling variations of "Die, Issei!" and "You pervert!!"
The chasing pack barreled right past the bench, close enough that the wind from their passage ruffled Koneko's skirt and sent a few stray cherry petals swirling.
Several of the girls slowed for a split-second, glancing over at the pair on the bench—eyes flicking from the tall, purple-eyed transfer student to the tiny white-haired —before refocusing on their prey.
Issei let out a high-pitched yelp as the first shinai connected with his back. He stumbled, recovered, and kept running, disappearing around the corner of the main building with the kendo girls in hot pursuit. A few more dull thwacks and creative insults echoed back.
Silas watched the whole thing unfold with an amused smile tugging at his lips.
' Classic Issei. He's gotta stop that though. Genuinely he might catch a case'
Beside him, Koneko had gone still again. When he glanced over, he caught the faintest flush creeping up her neck. She quickly turned her face away, hiding it behind the last chunk of cookie as she nibbled aggressively.
Then, in that same low, almost-whisper tone:
"…Pervert."
Silas blinked, genuinely confused this time. He leaned forward slightly, trying to catch her eye.
"Wait—still mad about the head pat? Or…?" He tilted his head toward the direction Issei had fled. "You're not calling *me* a pervert because of that guy, are you? I didn't even do anything."
Koneko didn't answer right away. She finished her cookie in one final, determined bite, brushed the crumbs from her lap with careful swipes of her small hands, then finally turned just enough to give him a sidelong glance.
Her cheeks were still lightly pink.
"…Both," she muttered, barely moving her lips.
Silas stared for a second.
Then he laughed—quiet, genuine, the sound rumbling low in his chest.
"Can't agrue with that I guess, kitten."
Koneko's ears (the real ones, hidden) twitched under her hair at the nickname. She shot him a sharper look, but there was no real heat behind it—just the tiniest hint of flustered embarrassment.
She stood up abruptly, smoothing her skirt with both hands.
"…Class soon," she said flatly, as if that explained everything.
Before she walked away, though, she paused—half-turned back toward him.
"Don't… do that again. Without asking."
Silas raised both hands in mock surrender, still smiling.
"Noted. Scout's honor."
Koneko gave him one last unreadable stare, then turned and padded off toward the school building, her small footsteps almost silent on the stone path.
Silas watched her go, the smile lingering on his face.
' Day one, and I've already got the cat girl calling me a pervert twice. Not a bad start.'
He crumpled the empty juice carton, tossed it into a nearby bin with perfect aim, and stretched his arms overhead.
' Wonder what else this school's got in store.'
The bell rang in the distance—first warning.
Time to head inside. But something told him the real fun was only just beginning.
TO BE CONTINUED