DISCLAIMER: DxD doesn't belong to me~.


Hello everyone, Garith Gremory here!

At least, that's the name I go by nowadays...

After a freaky accident in my past life as Suzuhara Ichirou, somehow, anyhow, I ended up reincarnating in the body of Garith Gremory in the world of the rather infamous Highschool DxD light novel series; a work in which devils, angels and Gods do battle with magic, sacred gears and boobs. As such, I'm now living as the older twn brother of the main heroine Rias Gremory, a few years before canon even.

A few days have passed since 'Garith Gremory'(aka, me) hit his head and I(aka, Suzuhara Ichirou) died to reincarnate in his body somehow; and with the wound on my head closed and my shock from being reborn as a devil heir in a light novel series passed, I could finally stand on my two feet and begin exploring the new world I'm part of now.

*BUMP!*

"Lord Garith, are you hurt?" I mean, as much as my short, 7-years old legs allow me to. Damn it, I was not particularly tall in my previous life, but I think it'll take a while for me to get used to this stubby, childish body, and for now, muscle memory can only take me so far before I trip on myself and end up kissing the floor! The one who cames to help me stand up is Grayfia Lucifuge, Sirzechs... I mean, older brother's beloved maid devil wife... Person. She picks me by the arm and help me stand up, dusting my clothes soon after. "It seems that you're still not fully recovered from your fall. Please, do not overdo yourself, you will give me a heart attack one day."

"Umuh." I simply respond with a voice that is not mine. As expected from the wife of the demon lord, she is a beauty, prettier than any woman that Suzuhara Ichirou has ever met and then some more, and she's my dear sister-in-law now, which means I can appreciate her figure as much as I can~. I mentally slap myself when I remember that she's my brother's wife, therefore unreachable no matter how much I try...


[GRAYFIA LUCIFUGE]

[LEVEL: ?/?]

[THIS CHARACTER HAS NO ROMANTIC EVENTS(FOR YOU)]


And this system just enforces how much she loves my dear brother and to pursue something beyond family bonds with her is just a distant dream. I can at least say that their relationship is cute...

Oh, another thing I forgot to mention: not only I reincarnated in the body of a devil boy, I also somehow, anyhow, got granted this peculiar, random ability that turns my perception that of a video-game for some reason, an RPG-type kind of game to be exact. As such, I can see my stats, profile, summon a board of content regarding my current status and skills and even see my surrounders and peers as characters an items of a game. I feel like I've already seem an ability similar to that somewhere, but can't put my finger on it regardless.

Also, some things from it seem to be a bit random: my level is 6? Why? My current alignment is 'Neutral Evil'? How come? And how come my stats are shown to be standards for someone my level except for charisma with whooping 1M points?! Is it because I'm a Gremory? It does make sense a little, but still...

I feel like, like in a real RPG, I might spend most of my time trying to understand it's overcomplicated mechanics than playing the game.

Unbelievable.

"Brother...?"

"Hm?" I turn around and now I face my dear 'little sister', the heiress of Gremory and the undisputable main heroine of the series, Rias Gremory. I'm so used in seeing her as a voluptuous, tall young adult, I should've forgotten that she was a child once, at least in the context of her character. That aside, Rias is now standing beside me, hugging a Satan Red plushie and blinking curiously at me. I smile trying to break the ice. "Hello, Rias. How can your big brother help you? I'm so happy that you can rely on me."

"Hm~! You're just older for a few minutes, Garith! Don't treat me like a kid!" She pouts cutely, and even as an adult grown man in a boy's body, I can't deny that's a cute sight... I'm not a lolicon, by the way. I shrug and put a tongue out to piss her off even more, and she does so with a tighter pout. Cute, I have a cute little sister. Much better than my pesky little brother my previous self left in that world. Once she calms down, Rias points a finger to a random direction. "Oh, almost forgot: mother is calling us for our History lessons. Let us go and maybe she'll let us spend the afternoon with tea and snacks once we're done!"

"You're right. Whoops, I almost forgot." I nervously laugh. Truth to be told, I don't remember it at all, or rather, 'Suzuhara Ichirou'(aka, past me) didn't know. At least Rias was kind enough to remind 'this' me of that, and soon we walk side-by-side to the lecture room where our 'mother', Venelana, was waiting for us.

The intricacies regarding my rebirth as 'Garith Gremory' are strange, to say the least, in my short new life as the heir of Gremory. Like in a distant dream or a lingering feeling of Deja Vú, I somehow know everything Garith Gremory must've known. My room, my relatives, my servants, even my favourite flower and tv show(it's Akumen Rider, by the way), everything he knew, I inherited mentally. Even a thing as complicated as devil language and their alphabet, I simply just need to think of what I want to write, even in Japanese, and the movements of my pen write it in devilish language no problem.

However, things that he shouldn't've know, yet 'Suzuhara Ichirou' knew, causes me a massive headache and nosebleeds as information floods my mind in a painful and violent manner. For example, I can write japanese if I wish to do so, nothing happens when I do that, but when I try to discern what they mean, this skill of mine forces that information into my mind, and as a result I suffer from seizures and nosebleeding. I can write the kanji for 'dog' no problem, but when I 'remember' that such means what it means, then it hits me, never a pleasant experience. At least it's a cumulative skill, meaning once I 'remember' something, the information sticks with me without repeating the headaches.

This skill, [RECOLLECTION OF MENTEPSYCHOSIS], is very useful, yes. It is because of that I have no problem reading or writing some complicated words and sentences, even surpassing my prodigious little sister Rias if she's careless; but at the same time, it can be quick taxing on my little body, the headaches and following bloodloss being not only tiring, but also giving me weird looks from others. I'm still not at the age that such is not a problem anymore.

"So, Garith? Could you please tell me in which era was estabilished the annual conference of the leaders of the Extra Demons with the heads of the original 72 Pillars?"

"Oh... Uh, err...It was... I-It was... During the Crowley er-...?"

*PAFT!*

"Wrong answer. The correct one would be: during the Solomon era." And my 'mother' smiles dangerously after slapping my hand with a ruler, making me flinch and whine a little for the pain. Owowowow~, I knew western culture had a different type of education compared to Japan, but this is beyond what I was expecting. From the seat besides me, Rias giggles to my misery and answers Venelana's next question perfectly.

I guess, new life or not, there's still one thing it won't ever change: that I was, and still apparently am, a lousy student, graduating college through sheer luck only to become a wage slave salaryman. A japanese salaryman, a devil heir, it doesn't matter, I just suck at studying as a whole.

Unbelievable.

Yet...

*TING!*


[By reading books and attending lectures, your -INT- and -WIS- has increased!]

-INT: 7

-WIS: 7


... I guess seeing in a way that I'm progressing, as little as it is, makes me a bit happy, and encourages me to go on; instead of fruitlessly search for more only to end up in a dead end, or simply give up when I feel my efforts won't amount to nothing. Wish that I had this ability in my previous life, it'd have saved a lot of trouble...

The lecture from 'mother' finally ends, and despite my current headache, I feel like I got out of it a bit smarter and wiser as a result, having physical proof of that in my stats going up a few points. Like I promised to Rias, we went to the courtyard of our castle to now eat snacks with tea and watch some Akumen Rider and Maou Shoujo Levi-tan. Even in this moment of leisure, I seize the moment to learn more of another ability of mine.


[TEA: A warm chamomile tea prepared with the absolute care by the Gremory staff, has a calming effect on the body. -TEMPORARY BOOST IN RECOVERY AND STAMINA-]

[BISCUIT: Homemade biscuit decorated with chocolate chips, very yummy. -MINIMAL HEALING-]

[PORCELAIN TEA SET: A refined, extremely delicate and sophisticated set of teacups, teapot and silverware for the purpose of tea parties and to rub on the face of the commoner people. -CAN BE EXCHANGED FOR CREDITS-; -CAN BE USED AS A WEAPON-]


[DISCERN FOR RICHES], or [APPRAISAL] is another ability I got, and honestly, a very useful one to help me understand this new world without having to ask my family and end up sounding like a weirdo. I can't keep asking things I should already know, right? I don't want people thinking that 'Garith' is stupid or forgetful...

I heard that my 'mother' has a similar ability to that, being able to evaluate gems and jewels for their [TRUE VALOUR], find the highest biddings regarding materials and trade goods like a master, but I doubt she sees things like I do, I don't think she even know what video-games are. For me, just a quick look with this skill activated, and I don't even need smell, touch or taste to know what kind of tea is inside the teacup. What it is, specifically how it tastes, what're its attributes and effects on me, I can see it all on the small board this skill materializes on sight, which is invisible to anyone but me, pretty convenient.

However, the limitation is that I can only appraisal things on sight, which means I can't analyze the tea inside the porcelain teapot, and if I were to keep this skill activated at all times, the overload of information might fry my brain considering that when I tried to do it the day before, I almost suffered an aneurysm with so many words coming into my head, already worsening my constant migraines. Moreover... Aside from superficial informations like name, level, race and alignment, I can't use appraisal on people. Wonder why.

"I wonder if big brother Sirzechs will join us for dinner today." I snap back to my staring contest with the teacup when I hear Rias comment on that, all without taking her eyes off the tv. What a random thought to have, but I guess she feels a bit lonely considering she's the only child in this big house... Plus me. Taking a biscuit for myself, I shrug.

"Big bro is very busy, Rias. He's the strongest devil, so he has very important and too many things to do with his fellow Satans, sometimes so much he has to spend his time there to finish it all." I respond. I'm used in being lonesome all the time since I've moved to Tokyo, so not having someone for supper makes no difference for me; hell, being by myself was already something I got used to. Rias pouts.

"Muh! It's not fair! Mother and father are always present during dinner time, but sometimes he doesn't show up at all!" She hugs her doll tightly, her eyes now brimming with tears and her pout becoming worse, all while a nervous laugh escapes my own lips. "I wonder...If he likes his job more than he likes us, big brother Garith."

"..." I have nothing to say to that. That's a very selfish way of thinking, but again, she's a child still, I shouldn't judge someone of her age and status considering I'm also in the same boat. I bet 'Garith' would also be upset about the fact his beloved brother seems to give all his attention to work instead of his family. However, 'I' know it's not like that, and Sirzechs as far as I know from the novels is a siscon who loves his family more than anything, even sacrificing himself for their sake... I pinch my nose to avoid further bloodloss and once that cleans up, I smile at my dear 'sister'. "Rias, I know brother Zechs loves us very much. Just like we're thinking about him, he's thinking about us this instant, doing his best to come home as soon as possible to eat with us. So don't be sad, I bet he'll be hurt if you say that to him."

"Hmmm~." She whines, her face becoming a bit softer and tears drying up. I know how it feels to have busy relatives, but unlike my parents, I bet Sirzechs doesn't use his job as an excuse to ignore us, and he's counting the seconds to finally see us. Rias still looks a bit upset, but after a sigh, she takes a quick sip at her tea and sighs. "You're right, Garith. It's just... Big sis Grayfia already hogs so much time with him when he's home, I wish he could spend more time with us."

"I...See." I laugh. I mean, how many years canon-wise was my future nephew Millicas conceived, around a year from now on? Damn normies and their relationships. I shake my head and pat Rias's head to calm her down. "But, y'know Rias, with you around, I don't feel so lonely. Big Brother might not be around, but with you during lectures and watching tv, I think it's not so bad. Don't you like your big bro Garith too? I'm gonna cry if you say 'no', haha."

"Heheheh..." She blushes and smiles, her aura glowing brightly with my little spoiling on her head. Again, please don't misunderstand this, I'm not a lolicon by any means, I just find my 'little sister' the cutest thing. Her disposition and mood got better. "I also love big brother Garith a whole lot. I don't feel lonely with him around! But... Don't treat me like a kid, brother! I'm just a few minutes younger!"

"Hahahah." And I laugh, Rias soon joining me.

I don't know why, but knowing that she'll grow up to be a fine lady, surrounded by servants who love her, protected by probably the strongest and most badass red dragon emperor in history and well-accomplished makes me feel... Proud and relieved. Are those the thoughts and feelings of 'Garith' merging with the knowledge of 'Ichirou', or maybe it's my long-gone (positive) feelings for a younger sibling awakening once more, or perhaps the typical Gremory affection taking its course? Maybe all of them, maybe none. The thing is, I'm happy to have her as a little sister, I don't have to worry about her becoming something bad at least, which for a big brother, that's the least I can hope.

But then, I also feel something else... Doubt, fear, jealousy, and the sinking feeling of suffocation. I might say and think, but on the back of my mind, I can also feel like... Sirzechs probably prefers his work over us, I'm not doing all that well in my lectures, and Rias is probably the favourite child since she knows so much and is much better than me. Again, are those vestigial thoughts of 'Garith', or maybe my true negative feelings? Being the heir of Gremory... Seems also like a lot of work, worse than the one of a salaryman. I know I shouldn't feel like that, despite being in the body of a child, I think I can think more logically since I'm mentally an adult, yet... This feeling of being overwhelm by lectures, the sinking feeling of favouritism over my siblings, plus the loneliness despite my words. Is this Garith? Or 'Ichirou'? I... I don't know, really...

*ZING~!*

"Kh...!"

"Brother...?" And a painful sting hits my skull, followed by a crushing throbbing that seemed to want to compress my skull into nonexistence. The pain was so much I let go off my biscuit to hold my head in an attempt to ease the pain to no avail. Worried, Rias comes closer to hold me. "Garith, are you okay?! Is that... Is that your head again?"

I nod to her. Yes, I remember, my other skill, this one the least helpful of the lot by a large margin, the one that brings nothing but pain for now. [MIGRAINE], so lovely described as brain damage. The description says that this skill gives me resistance against mental attacks; meaning that I'm mostly immune to hypnosis, mind control, mind-reading or any form of psychic-related offenses, but in return, I suffer from constant, random headaches that ranges from minor annoyance like a bad night of sleep to almost unbearable, to the point I think my head wants to split into two! They come and go, and are so taxing I can barely think straight afterb they're done.

Because of that, I am unable to think too deep into things, my line of thoughts are cut completely once they strike and, honestly, a pain in the ass to deal with, not even aspirins being enough to ease the effects of the skill. Worse, it's a constant skill which I can't turn it off. Truly, a curse disguised as a blessing, and while it might come in handy in the future, I have little to no use while I'm still a kid, I doubt I hold enough power to make brainwashing or mind-controlling worth the trouble! The only thing I can do now is wait for it to go away while I wail in pain, hand on my eyes and avoiding any type of light.

"Hah... Hah... Haaaaah~... I'm guess I'm fine now~..." I sigh, laying on the floor so that the pain wouldn't make me faint again, recomposing myself and catching my breath. Seriously, It best this skill becomes useful, or else I'll fill a complain to the GMs. Seeing that I stopped wailing in pain, Rias come closer to sit next to me and pat my head in a gentle way. It doesn't hurt as much now, so her headpats don't bother me. I open an eye to her, and I see her trembling. "'Tis okay, Rias. I'm okay. I... Can't call myself a Gremory if I can't withstand a little headache..."

"But... Big brother is in pain... I don't like that..." She moans, clearly saddened by my current state, knowing that it wasn't the first time and won't ever be the last, at least until I can figure a way to make it go away. So she was caring like that since childhood, good to know she didn't need a traumatic event or a random encounter with someone to become the caring and motherly leader of the Occult Research Club. Maybe she's naturally nice... But then again, I'm her 'brother'. "I don't like that at all..."

"I'm sorry." I apologize, raising my hand for us to hold each other and to show her that I'm fine, everything's fine. We stayed like that for a while until I could stand up once again and go on with my day...

-RECOLLECTION OF MENTEPSYCHOSIS-, -DISCERN FOR RICHES-, -MIGRAINE-; those are my skills for now, plus -GAMER'S MIND- and -CHARISMA- still being unexplored (but I have an idea of how their work) plus active skills such as my inherited Power of Destruction and this mysterious locked one called -VOID THE DEVOURER-, which I'm pretty sure it'll either save or doom me in the future, but better not to think about it too much or else my migraine might attack again.

I've reincarnated as the heir of a devil clan, and in another perk from fate, have also developed this unusual gamer-like ability which not only helps me grow accostumated to my new reality, but might also come in handy when either canon strikes or I encounter some pretty nasty events due to my position as a heir, a devil and brother of the Lucifer. I'm still small, dumb and literally underleveled, but once I manage to handle all the mechanics of this ability of mine, I have the feeling I can only grow from there. A gamer-like ability in a world ruled by strength, coolness and boobs, I guess I can manage it. I still have around 11 or so years before canon, so until then... Let's start the game.

...

But I mustn't forget that I'm still a child as well, a 7-years old devil boy who supposedly is ignorant and naive about the world, and totally not a thirty-something former japanese salaryman in the body of the former. I have both physical and age limitations, not to mention I can barely stand or walk due to muscle memory, so this ordeal will be both a waiting and endurance game...

Unbelievable.

But since I'm in DxD, and I'm still a dumb and naive 'child'... I bet nobody will suspect or bat an eye if I were to... Do that. Huhuhuh... I, who only had distant relationships on my past life, can now do something without being seen as a creep or needy... Yes, here I go! Time to do 'that'!

...

"Father, could you give me a hug?"

"Hm~? But of course, Garith! Here, give your father a hug." And Zeoticus, my 'father', blinks a few times seeing me approaching him with open arms and a silly request, but soon discards his book and smiles, open arm to embrace me with his huge, warm yet gentle body. I was so small compare to him, he had to kneel to fully attend my request, pulling me closer and crossing his arms on my back while my little stubby hands could barely reach his derriere. "Hahah! Good boy, Garith."

"Heheheh~..." And a smile creeps on my lips while I laugh, feeling this forgotten link between parent and child.

...

"Mother, I want a hug..."

"Oh, so suddenly? How unusual. But come, let your mother pamper you a little." And while not as pronto as my 'father', Venelana comes closer to hug me, her soft, mature and good-smelling body bending a little to embrace me from above. Unlike Zeoticus's, her body was warmer and more tender, but still just as gentle. She gave a light squeeze and then kissed my cheek. "I love you, my son."

"Heheheh~..." I smile once again. The mother of my previous self wouldn't ever say that, at least not anymore.

...

"Big bro, sis, a hug."

"Sure! Riz-kun, Ria-tan! Come to your big brother!"

"Yay~!" And Rias and I sprinted towards Sirzechs, each hugging a side of his body and tackling him to the ground. Even thought the mighty Lucifer was defeated by his little siblings, he can only laugh, using each arm to draw us closer and share warmth with each other.

...

How long had it been since I hugged my family? No, how long has it been since I hugged someone, period? From a good-for-nothing ronin, to a zombie university student, to a deadend wage slave salaryman... This is a first time in a long time that I've been... Close to someone, so much so I can ask for a hug and receive just like that, and only now I notice how I took everything from granted... How come a simple hug feel this nice?

If I were a better son or brother... Maybe something like that could still had happened in my previous life? Or maybe if they'd tried a little harder, I wouldn't resent them so much? So many questions, now irrelevant. But now... I got a new chance in life, and this time... I'll do better, I'll be better... As Garith Gremory.

"Hm~? Little brother, are you crying...?"

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing. Heheheh..."

To be honest... I feel a lot better...

*TING!*


-NEW SKILL UNLOCKED-

- HEALING TO THE BELOVED(PASSIVE): Healing skill. Recovers health, diminishes/removes debuffs and boosts -RESOLVE- and -STR- when hugging characters with Bond Level 5 or higher. (lvl. 1)


[NAME: Garith Gremory]

[LVL.: 6]

[RACE: Devil(High-class)]

[ALIGNMENT: Neutral Evil]

[TITLES: The Gamer(beginner); Heir of Gremory; Lucifer's little brother]


(SKILLS)

- POWER OF DESTRUCTION(ACTIVE): The power of destruction inherited from the Bael. The demonic power to annihilate anything it touches. (lvl. 2)

- RECOLLECTION OF MENTEPSYCHOSIS(ACTIVE): The ability to 'remember' skills and knowledge from the past life at the cost of seizures and bleeding from the nose. (lvl. 6)

- VOID THE DEVOURER(ACTIVE): A little gift from the heart~. Don't wanna spoil the surprise.

- CHARISMA(PASSIVE): Skill inherited from the Good natured Gremory. The ability to charm and enchant peers more easily.(lvl. 10)

- GAMER'S MIND(PASSIVE): A passive skill, the ability to stay calm even dire situations, a will of iron to think rationally and strategize. Also, makes you behave and sound like a sociopath... Indeed a gamer. (lvl. 2)

- DISCERN FOR RICHES(PASSIVE): A quest skill. The ability to discern the [TRUE VALUE] of any object or item and receive the information of anything in reach or sight, also know as [APPRAISAL]. (lvl. 4).

- MIGRAINE(PASSIVE): Brain damage. The ability to resist mental or psychic attacks(buff) at the cost of constant headaches(debuff), unabling the user to think too deeply or too much. ( )

- HEALING TO THE BELOVED(PASSIVE): Healing skill. Recovers health, diminishes/removes debuffs and boosts -RESOLVE- and -STR- when hugging characters with Bond Level 5 or higher. (lvl. 1)


(STATS)

-STR: 5

-DEF: 5

-DEX: 5

-END: 5

-INT: 7

-WIS: 7

-CHA: 1,000,000

-LUK: 10


And Houki Minami is back... A bit more inspired for the second chapter, but of course without forgeting Re-birth. I feel a bit better in writing this challenge fic!

Like always, the second chapter comes in a rush, but I do feel a bit inspired to write it, and I like the reception this story got, a lot of followers and favourites in one chapter? a new thing for me, hahaha! But yeah, a slower chapter to meet the start of the new life for our protag, a bit of exposition regarding his skills and the likes and, of course, a bit of family bonding and meta linguistic. I guess I'm getting a handle of how to write a gamer fic now.

But don't worry, things will start to roll next chapter, and GG will startdeveloping not only in levels, with his dear big brother and sister accompanying him! I hope you guys had fun reading this chapter, stay safe, have a nice day and don't forget to R&R. Greetings~.