Chapter 2: First Day of Classes
"So, um...here we are?"
Chiaki shifted her weight from one foot to the other, obviously ill at ease as they stood in front of the door that lead to Bassaym's homeroom.
While he was far less uneasy looking, the 8th Godking also appeared at a slight loss of words.
"Sure, take on Heretic Gods and kill them, no problem. Make small talk with a really cute girl? Fuck that noise! C'mon, Bassaym! Say something!"
"Gah! I've met with important dignitaries, spoken with actual Gods and I can't think of anything to say to a really handsome boy?! Why am I so bad at this?! C'mon, Chiaki, say something!"
"So thank-"
"-I guess I'll-"
Both fell silent as they began to talk over the other, before simultaneously saying, "Sorry, you go-"
Blushes adorned their faces.
"...Umm...thanks for showing me around?"
"O-oh! Y-you're welcome..."
"OH MY GOD BASSAYM JUST ASK HER IF YOU CAN MEET UP LATER! PHONE NUMBER, HOME ADDRESS, PREFERRED RESTAURANT, ANYTHING!"
Swallowing his nerves the 8th Campione hesitantly asked, "Um, Chiaki-san, if this isn't too forward...would you like to meet at the student council room later today? I appreciated your tour and wouldn't mind talking to you further."
"...Oh my gosh, he asked if we can meet further into the day! This is perfect! I can show him the various clubs, maybe take him around the city-no! I'm getting ahead of myself, just say yes and leave it at that for now..."
"O-of course, Terrance-san, I would be happy to! I shall see you later then?"
Offering a bright smile the boy nodded, replying, "Count on it, have a good day, Chiaki-san!"
The Kitsune enthusiastically nodded her head and practically skipped away, giggling to herself as she thought, "Yes, I did it! I talked to a guy-a Godslayer at that-and didn't make an idiot of myself! This is great!"
...She slowly lost some of her enthusiasm, the reality of the situation suddenly making her eyes widen.
"I...I just talked to a Campione. And I'm alive. And I'm going to be his tour guide."
Her steps came to a halt.
"...Mother is either going to kill me or kiss me."
"Hey, hey, you're that Godslayer-kun, right?! Sorry about this morning, no hard feelings right~?"
"You know what? I think I like this girl."
Bassaym smiled and politely replied, "No hard feelings indeed. Sorry, I didn't catch your name."
The energetic girl beamed and leaned heavily across the Godslayer's desk, responding, "Tomoe Meguri at your service, Campione-kun!"
"Well it's a pleasure to meet you, Meguri-san. My name is Bassaym Terrance, either of those will work fine...I don't think calling me a Campione in public is the best of ideas..."
The rest of the students in the room were engrossed in conversation and paid little attention to the two aside from a few curious glances, but his status was something he preferred to hide as a matter of course.
"Omigosh, you're totally right! Heh heh, sorry about that~! Anyway, Bassaym-kun?"
Easily falling into the rhythm of the excitable girl Bassaym grinned.
"Yes, Tomoe-chan?"
The girl's light brown eyes lit up as the 8th Godslayer addressed her so casually, a fanatic grin adorning her lips.
"Do you know how to fight with a sword? I've heard about that Salvatore Doni guy and I-*THONK*-owie!"
Tomoe rubbed the top of her head with teary eyes and shaky hands, Bassaym gazing up in surprise at the new arrival who had none too gently bopped the girl on the head.
"Calm down, Tomoe. You're going to scare the King off before we even get a chance to be properly introduced..."
The newly arrived student was a tall girl with dark blue hair and a trim figure, obviously someone who kept themself in shape.
"Nice to make your acquaintance, Terrance-san. Name's Tsubasa Yura. You'll have to forgive Tomoe over here, her base state is what most normal people would describe as a 'sugar high'."
"T-that's so mean, Tsubasa-chan!"
Bassaym merely chuckled and took Tsubasa's offered hand, noting that the girl had one heck of a firm grip.
"It's no trouble at all, Yura-san. I'd even go so far as to say Tomoe-chan's enthusiasm is rather refreshing, it doesn't bother me."
"That makes you one of the few people in this school that feel so, Terrance-san. Not an inconsiderable amount of people have been overwhelmed by the raw enthusiasm that is Meguri-san."
Said girl whirled around in her seat, voice distraught as she shouted, "Et tu, Kiba-kun?!"
Chuckling to himself the newly arrived blonde boy took a seat at an unoccupied desk next to Bassaym's, giving the Campione a sheepish glance as he did so.
Bassaym noted-with some amusement-that every other person in the classroom aside from him and the two girls were staring with the new arrival with no variety of expressions. The girls mostly with dreamy eyes and the boys with bouts of jealousy or annoyance.
"Must be tough being sexy."
"Allow me to apologize for our less than polite greeting of you, Terrance-san. The warning came out and we...overreacted."
"Eh, don't sweat it. Nothing bad happened and it's all cleared up now. Besides, I got to catch a cute girl in my arms without even meaning to, so I'd say that's a plus, right?"
Tomoe seized on his words like a shark smelling blood, voice a purr as she asked, "Ooh, does the big bad Godking have a crush on my Chiaki-chan~? That totally makes sense, I mean...she is pretty hot~!"
Bassaym did his best to hide his instinctive blush and succeeded only marginally, something that was spotted immediately by Tomoe as she cackled like a goblin on caffeine, Tsubasa only rolling her eyes at her friend's antics.
"Settle down, class, settle down~!"
The 8th Campione raised an eyebrow as he saw Ephemera walk into the room, pleasant smile on her Angelic-
"That pun was terrible. I oughta be ashamed of myself."
-features as the students did as she asked, Bassaym grateful for the sudden interruption.
...Not that it stopped Tomoe from giving him a cheshire grin as she skipped back to her own desk.
Turning to Kiba the Godslayer sighed before asking, "Revealing that bit of information is going to come back to haunt me, isn't it?"
The blonde sagely nodded.
"I give it 24 hours."
"...I dunno why I thought different. I just spent two years doing nothing more complicated than multiplication and division...and now this?! What the fuck is a polynomial?! I'm screwed, I don't know any of this! Why was I enrolled as a third year?! I should be a first year student!"
Ephemera had given a worksheet that was partly review, mostly a taste of what was going to come later in the class.
Needless to say, Bassaym couldn't answer anything.
"I'm done. Totally done. Done in before the first class of the first day is over."
"Time! Please pass forward your tests, everyone."
"SO boned..."
With a quiet sigh Bassaym passed up his paper, already dreading the eventual fallout of him sucking. For a school that prided itself on the students being academically competent-at the least-he could probably expect no shortage of polite warnings and lectures to head his way…
…
And the pitying look Tomoe sent his way from two desks up as she glanced at his paper did not make him feel any more confidant!
Never mind that it was kinda a kick in the nads, that such a cheerful and enthusiastic girl would give him a gaze that suggested he had contracted a terminal illness…
Class seemed to pass by in a haze after that, just a rundown of the syllabus and what to expect going forward.
Although...it was interesting to see how all of the students-aside from Tomoe, Tsubasa and Kiba-seemed to follow Ephemera's words as if in a trance, hanging on every word and motion as if it was the gospel itself.
Sure, she was an incredibly beautiful woman, but...maybe it had something to do with her being an Angel? A bit of extra glow to her, or something along those lines?
"And that's it for today~! Remember to review and study as needed, we'll hit the ground running next class!"
Bassaym winced at that...doubly so as he saw Ephemera begin to rifle through the papers in the few minutes she had before having to move to her next class, the three-tentative-friends he'd seemingly made out of nowhere crowding around his desk.
"So how did everyone do?"
Tsubasa's casually asked question caused Bassaym to avert his eyes, an action that wasn't missed by all present, Tomoe giving him a sympathetic pat on the back that would have knocked less sturdy people sprawling.
"It's ok, Bassaym-kun...you have the rest of the year to catch up!"
"Uh...how bad was it, Terrance-san?"
The Campione let his head drop to the table with a subdued thud, prompting Tsubasa to wryly grin.
"That bad, huh?"
Tomoe shook her head, dramatically lamenting, "He didn't answer even a single question...*sniff*, the tragedy!"
One onyx eye rotated upwards to glare at the maroon-haired girl, Bassaym's voice defeated as he groused, "I'm a god-killing superhuman! Shouldn't I be able to hire other people to do my math for me?"
Kiba chuckled, amusedly stating, "Don't let my King hear you say that, she'll have a fit. Rias has always had a bit of an obsession with making sure we have a solid education..."
"Sona-chan has been the same! She's always like, 'grr, no Peerage of mine will have anything less than perfect grades, grr'! She always gets mad at me because I usually only pass, not excel..."
Tsubasa snorted at her friends words, remarking, "Don't tell her I said this, but that is pretty close to how she usually sounds..."
Bassaym raised an eyebrow at the conversation, turning to Kiba and asking, "You called Gremory-san your' King' just now. Is that a nickname or..."
The blonde male raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"You don't know about Peerages?"
"Nope. But bear in mind, my knowledge of the Supernatural doesn't extend beyond the bare bones of the bare bones. And I wouldn't be surprised if I know more about some cultures and not a thing about others. I tended to focus more on the Divine aspect of things when I went to do my research."
Kiba nodded while Tsubasa gave a low whistle.
"Definitely ask Hanakai-kaichou about Peerages then. That should provide a good base of knowledge about Devils and some other cultures, since they've adopted systems somewhat similar to ours."
Bassaym nodded and brought out a notebook, scratching out a line of writing...alongside what looked to be a half-page of notes.
"Whoah, that's a lot of questions you've got there, Bassaym-kun."
The Campione's face spoke of dry amusement.
"Well, as this first class just definitively proved...I've got a lot of review and study to catch up on. And that's just the mundane shit."
"Terrance-san, may I see you for a moment?"
The Godslayer's eyebrow twitched.
"Well...speak of the Devil, and all that."
"I don't think she would appreciate that comparison, Terrance-san..."
Promptly ignoring Kiba's wry comment Bassaym marched up to the Angel, doing his best to ignore the stares he was receiving and fighting off the feeling that he was walking to the gallows.
"Sooo...what can I do for you, Ephemera-sensei?"
The Angel must have seen the apprehension on Bassaym's face since she offered a reassuring smile, calmly saying, "I'm not here to belittle you, Terrance-san...but I couldn't help but notice your test."
"Err...yeah. It's been awhile since I've ever actually done anything math-related...I think I'm in trouble?"
Ephemera merely giggled, playfully raising a finger to her chin and making a show of thinking hard.
"Hmm...weeeelllll...how would you feel about being tutored by me every Friday for a few hours~?"
Bassaym blinked.
"You...you can do that?"
The Angel offered a friendly wink, cheerily stating, "Of course I can, I'm a teacher, remember? And no offense, but you look as if you could use a remedial lesson or three."
"...Ouch, hit the nail on the head there..."
Setting aside his wounded pride Bassaym merely nodded, replying, "I'll take you up on that offer then, Ephemera-sensei. Should I meet you at your office then?"
"That will do nicely, Terrance-san. I'll see you then~!"
With that the Angel happily moved on to her next class, Bassaym softly sighing to himself before heading back to his seat, briefly confused at the bevy of glares he was receiving from the rest of the students.
"You work fast, Terrance-san."
He raised an eyebrow at Kiba's words, asking, "What do you mean by that?"
"Many a student has wanted to be privately tutored by Ephemera-sensei ever since she started working here. You're the first to succeed and you weren't even trying."
Tomoe was merely giggling at the perplexed expression on the Godslayer's features, Tsubasa chuckling before advising, "Try not to seduce our resident Angel, would you, oh Demon King? Otherwise the student body might just decide to crucify you. She's very popular here..."
As Bassaym looked around the room-noting that many of the glares did in fact speak of potential violence-he heaved out a defeated sigh.
"I was thinking this earlier...but was school always this intense?"
Classes had gone...ok?
Things like science and other classes that built off of prior learning had been awful, while the more artsy classes had been perfectly fine.
"I guess I'm going to need as much help from Ephemera-sensei as I can possibly get...great, she's probably going to think I'm a total moron..."
Setting aside those morose thoughts as he knocked on the door to the student council room Bassaym was greeted by silence...and another bout of silence as he knocked a bit harder.
"Soooo...is no one home? Crud, I guess I'll...just..."
The Godslayer furrowed his brow, instincts tingling as he slowly gazed around the seams of the door, one of his Authorities nagging him as it sensed something strangely familiar-
-and he promptly smirked as his arm snapped backwards, grabbing a small wrist attached to a dainty hand...that had been about to pin a sticky note that read 'kick me' on it to his back.
"Sorry, I've had that one pulled on me a time too many to fall for it. Not a bad try though, I bet any other person that isn't me wouldn't have had the slightest idea."
Bassaym turned around, meeting the sleepy gaze of a rather beautiful girl that was decked out in attire that wouldn't have seemed out of place on a Greek-themed Dia de los Muertos celebration, being a light blue dress that left her astonishingly pale skin exposed from the shoulder and thigh downwards-aside from black inscriptions with gold trim adorning her flesh like tribal inscriptions-her dark blue hair done in a long braid.
And, perhaps most importantly, a puffed out cheek and mildly irritated expression adorning her features.
"Aww...I was hoping I would get you! How cool would it be if I could say that I pranked a Campione?"
Bassaym chuckled, instantly deciding that he liked this girl.
"So you know what I am, huh? I guess that leaves me at something of a disadvantage, seeing as how I don't know what-or who-you are. Although..."
Openly appraising the grinning girl-who didn't seem to mind his searching gaze one bit-Bassaym nodded to himself before saying, "The smell of death, the attire...you're a Grim Reaper, aren't you? Greek in origin?"
The girl merely offered a thumbs-up, a lopsided smile on her cute features as she responded, "Right on the money, Campione-san. And my name is Bennia, Grim Reaper extraordinaire at your service!"
"And you can just call me Bassaym or Terrance, Bennia-san. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance! If you don't mind me asking, is the student council in right now? I was planning on meeting them..."
The blue-haired girl gave a look of practiced nonchalance, idly replying, "Weeellll...you see-"
"H-hurry! We have to stop her before...she..."
Bassaym raised an eyebrow as Momo and Reya skidded around the corner, panic plain to see as they noticed the duo standing in the corridor.
...More specifically, at the sticky note Bassaym was holding in his hand, Bennia standing innocently nearby.
Naturally, they assumed the worst.
"M-m-my deepest apologies, Terrance-san! I tried to get Bennia-chan to stop, but once she knew you were here she wouldn't be dissuaded from going through with her scheme and she was so fast-"
Momo continued to desperately explain and apologize for actions Bassaym wouldn't have really cared about had it even succeeded in the first place and was about to placate her...but a twisted thought entered his brain upon meeting Bennia's equally mischievous gaze, the duo grinning manically before schooling their features into ones befitting their roles.
"What is the meaning of this, Hanakai-san?!"
Roughly grabbing the Grim Reaper's arm and dragging her forward-the girl careful to hide her mirth and instead appearing terrified-Bassaym pitched his voice to be deep and intimidating, scowling fiercely as the two girls quailed before his-entirely faked-rage.
"I come here to meet you and discuss things in peace and what do I find? Some jester playing a joke on me! Is this anyway to treat a guest, especially after the debacle that was this morning?!"
Momo and Reya seemed to be on the verge of a heart attack as the white-haired girl stammered, "W-w-w-well, I, umm...m-m-my apologies?"
"Apologies?! As if apologies are good enough...to...pfft, hah hah!"
The two student council members blinked at the sudden fit of giggles from the Campione and Grim Reaper...before comprehension dawned on them that they had been the butt of a joke.
"Heh heh heh! You should have seen your faces, Momo-chan, Reya-chan! You were this close to-"
*THWACK!*
"-ow! Ok, ok! Maybe I went a little to far but you don't have to-not in the face, not in the face!"
The two girls very well couldn't punish a Campione...so they settled for Bennia instead.
"Sooo...sorry about that. It's just been awhile since I've pulled any practical jokes and got caught up in the moment."
The four of them had moved inside the student council room after the Grim Reaper had been suitably smacked around the head enough for Momo and Reya to calm down.
...The glares they were sending at the seated duo was enough to make Bassaym nervous anyway, seeing as how they seemed to be channeling Sitri-san's laser-like stare.
"...Or maybe they're just unhappy that Bennia-san decided to sit on my lap, for whatever reason. They probably think it's disrespectful or something along those lines."
Which had been something of a surprise to the Godslayer, that the Grim Reaper would do so. He'd barely been seated for more than a few seconds before the girl had floated into the crook of his legs, making herself at home before tenderly rubbing the bruise on her forehead.
Not that he would have minded-if a little caught off guard by the suddenness of the action-but the girl had started to kick her legs back and forth after a few moments, causing a tight and cute rear to grind onto his abdomen.
He'd decided focusing his attention elsewhere was the best solution to avoid any unintentional 'pokings'...never mind that another one of his Authorities tended to react to things like that.
"...It's bad enough having to deal with Bennia-chan, Terrance-san. We don't need another unrelenting prankster loose on the school."
Bassaym awkwardly scratched the back of his head, chuckling lightly as he replied, "Well, in the interest of transparency...I kinda like to play jokes?"
Two despairing gazes met the Godslayer's own, the Campione relenting after a moment and offering, "Tell you what, seeing as how I'll no doubt be a constant headache for you two to deal with...how about I offer you a favor in exchange?"
Both girls blinked in surprise, Momo cautiously asking, "A favor?"
"Yup. If this morning's confrontation is any indicator the presence of a Campione carries weight among your race, correct?"
"Yes..."
Bassaym grinned.
"Well how about this? If you ever need to have something done quick or get someone off your back, feel free to use my title as you will. Seems a fair trade, right?"
Judging by the way both Momo and Reya's eyes lit up in excitement Bassaym began to wonder if maybe it wasn't too good of a deal...maybe he should have offered something else?
"Ah well...too late now."
Calming themselves Momo rapidly cleared her throat, saying, "Well you desired to know more about this academy, correct? Is there anything in particular you wish to know?"
"Well...a little bit of everything, if I'm being honest. I only know the bare bones of the Supernatural side of things and I'd like to rectify that."
Bassaym tried to ignore the sudden feeling of impending doom as both girls evilly smirked-Bennia just shivered-and they promptly slammed a pile of books retrieved from a nearby shelf onto the desk.
"Well, since you want to learn, Terrance-san, we'll make certain you know everything you need to~!"
The 8th Campione swallowed nervously, whispering to Bennia, "They're doing this as a form of roundabout payback for our prank earlier, aren't they?"
The Grim Reaper glumly nodded, voice morose as she grumbled, "They totally are...and I can't leave, Momo-chan will just report me to Sona-chan and then I'll really be in for it..."
"Well, it was nice meeting you, Bennia-san...or can I call you chan?"
With the air of comrades facing the gallows the Reaper replied, "Chan it is, Bassaym-kun. I'll be sure to guide your soul with the utmost care to the afterlife."
"Much appreciated."
Issei and Koneko-alongside Kunou, Lilith and Chiaki-knocked on the door to the student council room, the only boy present asking the group, "So do you think they're still here, or are we too late? I didn't think the Kendo club would be so aggressive this year..."
His words were met with a round of glares from all present-minus the perpetually stoic Lilith-although Koneko and Kunou were more pouting than they were judging.
"...If Issei-senpai wants to see breasts, he can just ask me..."
"Err, well, you see, Koneko-chan..."
"...What?"
The boy was sweating bullets as he gazed at the white-haired girl's more...modest assets.
"I mean, yah, she grows up to have a HUGE rack but...not really there yet?"
"...You were thinking I have small boobs, weren't you?"
Her tone was cold enough to make absolute zero seem toasty and Issei was saved from imminent physical violence only by the door being swung open by a beaming Reya.
"Oh, come on inside, everyone! Terrance-san is still here, you're right on time!"
Issei quickly strode inside the room, the rest following as Chiaki whispered to Kunou, "What do you see in him? H-he's so...bestial."
The Princess of Kyoto blushed, embarrassedly replying, "W-well...there's nothing wrong with a little lust...and he's actually a very nice person!"
Chiaki just sighed and turned her attention to the rest of the room-
-before almost stumbling as she caught sight of Bassaym.
The Campione had a distant, shell-shocked expression as he balanced a stack of heavy looking tomes in his arms...and a girl was sprawled across his lap with all the grace of a sickly cat.
"E-eh?! Bennia-chan?! What are you doing on Terrance-san's lap?!"
The Reaper, with a similar expression to Bassaym, met Chiaki's eyes and dully replied, "Oh, hey, Chiaki-chan...so much...knowledge..."
The Kitsune just blankly stared at the duo, fighting down the sudden surge of jealousy she felt.
"H-how did she manage to claim a spot on his lap so quickly?! I wanted to do that!"
…
"O-oh no! I-I'm turning into a scarlet woman! I just met Terrance-san a few hours ago, what's wrong with me?! Gah! I was criticizing Kunou for liking the Red Dragon Emperor unconditionally, now I'm doing the same thing! And why did it have to be Bennia-chan?! Now things are going to be so awkward!"
Oblivious to the girl's internal strife Bassaym glanced over, expression clearing as he said, "Nice to see you again, Chiaki-san!"
"H-huh? O-oh, yes! I mean, it's good to see you too, Terrance-san! Lovely weather we're having today, isn't it?"
"Umm...sure?"
…
"GAAAHHH! What kind of lame attempt at conversation was that?! I'm so bad at thiiiissss!"
While everyone else was awkwardly shuffling at the horrendous attempt at small talk-and Chiaki was mentally berating herself-no one noticed Bennia curiously glance between the two...and smile a smile that promised no end of horribly embarrassing teasing.
"Sooo...anyway, we're here now!"
Issei's brave attempt at restarting conversation snapped everyone out of their dazes, Bennia inwardly cackling at the promise of mischief before she smiled innocently, happily stating, "Hi there, Oppai Dragon-sama! Have you gotten any of your girls pregnant yet?"
There were a round of coughs and sputters from those present, Koneko and Kunou blushing madly while Bassaym just raised an eyebrow in surprise at the variety of reactions.
"B-B-Bennia-chan! That kind of talk isn't allowed in the student council room!"
Momo's indignant shout merely caused the Reaper to roll her eyes.
"Okaaaayyy...sheesh, everyone has all their panties in a knot today...probably why I don't wear any~!"
Another round of facepalms echoed across the room, Bassaym glancing at the area where Bennia's rear had been rubbing against him for the past hour.
"...I guess all those books talking about how Devils and quite a few Supernatural races are super open about sex stuff was spot on..."
"M-moving on! Hyoudou-san, you came here to hear more about Campione and their powers, as well as relation to the Supernatural, correct?"
"Yes, Hanakai-kaichou!"
The white-haired girl nodded before turning to Bassaym, asking, "If it's not too much to ask, Terrance-san, could you perhaps regale us with as much information as you can about your status as a Campione? I'll attempt to fill in any blanks in regards to our side of the story."
"Works for me. Seems only fair considering the...excess of information you've given me to read through."
A brief smirk appeared on both Momo and Reya's faces at Bassaym's dry tone, the Campione briefly shifting in his seat-Bennia grinning at the motion-before stating, "So, where should I-"
"Eep!"
"-begin?"
Bassaym blinked in shock, as Bennia had swiftly reach out and pulled Chiaki into the Godslayer's lap alongside herself, the Kitsune and Reaper now occupying one leg and a fair portion of his waist apiece.
Needless to say, Chiaki was frozen stiff in horrified embarrassment, even as she tried to ignore the admittedly comfortable sensation of the Campione's body pressed up against her own.
Bennia was just shaking in a poorly concealed attempt to hide her mirth, the rest of the gathered crowd eventually just deciding to go with the flow...although Issei couldn't help but flash Bassaym an approving thumbs-up, mouthing, 'I approve'!
"...This academy is a damn loony bin. And I'm actually enjoying that. Guess that makes me King of the Crazies...and the other guy sure changed his tune about me being a fake Harem King or whatever..."
Heaving a sigh and-resigned to the fact that his life was about to become far more hectic-Bassaym leaned back in his seat, trying to move past the fact that he had two incredibly attractive young ladies straddling his lap and asked, "So where do you want me to start?"
For such a (relatively) small crossover section this story got a surprising amount of follows and stuff.
Color me surprised.
...Does surprise have a color? Probably bright neon-vomit green, if I had to guess. A good surprise will leave you gasping for air and so will prolonged exposure to that nightmarish shade of rainbow.