"President, are you sure you can trust him?"

"Call me optimistic, but his aura is far different than any others of his kind I've encountered."

"But if he is a threat, we could be in great danger."

"I know who his mother is more than he does. And besides, he's the least of our worries right now…"

Volume 1: Angel of the Occult Manor

My name is Makoto Fujiwara. I am 17 years old and a second-year student at Kuoh Academy. I live with my mother, Gabby Fujiwara, in a fancy house bought from a fortune accumulated from God-knows-where. I haven't seen my father in years, and whenever I bring up that delightful subject, she dodges the question.

The only reason I am here at this school is because my mom, and I quote, "wants grandchildren." I don't really know what that means, exactly.

Well, that and we got a discount on tuition since she works there as a counselor.

This school, until a couple years ago, was a girls-only school. That seems, at first glance, like a wet dream for adolescent boys like me, until you realize you only get to hang out with-

My inner monologue was interrupted by a poke to my forehead.

"Ow," I said, deadpan as ever.

That was Aika Kiryuu. The person I hang out with most often. I mostly hang out with her due to our similar tastes in anime and manga. Though my tastes don't involve quite as much smutty doujinshi.

"Cutting class again, I see," she said.

"I've told you before, I can take that class in my sleep," I said. "Hell, I've taught Matsuda and Motohama more about English than the teacher has. Though that may be in part due to them being too busy having erotic daydreams in the middle of class."

"That's not the issue." Aika retorted. "Sensei knows you're brilliant, but if you actually showed up to class you would-"

"What? Be top of my class?" I interrupted "As opposed to third or fourth where I am now? (Or was it second?) The point is, I don't want that kind of attention."

"Or maybe you just want to be lazy."

"Okay. That too." I abruptly admitted.

"I have the latest chapter of JoJo's if you want to read it…" Aika said, handing me the latest issue of Ultra Jump.

"Thanks, Aika."

"They finally reveal President Valentine's ability in this chapter. It's wild."

She had my attention until I heard a yelp coming from the direction of the tennis courts.

My intuition lead me to (somehow) leap over the fence into the tennis court.

"You alright!?" I exclaimed, also by instinct.

"I think I sprained my ankle," one of the players said, obviously in pain. "Could you get the nurse?"

"Naw, that will take too long," I replied. I took a look at her injured ankle and put my right hand over it. There was a teal glow and it was like the bruise was never there.

"Try standing up," I said.

She stood up and was fine…and speechless.

Before she could say anything, I was already out of the tennis court. This time, I took the gate like a normal person.

"What was that?" Aika inquired.

"What? Me jumping over the fence?" I replied. "I don't know. Every time I tried out for the track team, they dropped me because they feared they would get accused of doping."

"No, you black hole. How you healed her sprained ankle."

"Oh. That." I replied. "I've had the ability to heal since I was little."

"Also, very smooth exit," Aika added, sarcastically of course. "Wasted another perfect romantic moment."

"That will just demand all of my time," I replied.

"Yes, because you definitely have no free time,"

As much as I didn't want to admit it. She had a point. That was another bad excuse.

I heard the bell toll for the transition into the last class period of the day.

"Okay, Aika." I stipulated "If it makes you feel any better. I'll go to one class today."

We were in Class 2-B, which was on the second floor of the High School Wing.

"C'mon. I'll race ya!" Aika said as she began to dash up the steps.

"Let's not. I'm out of shape," I replied.

"Hmm. I wonder why?" she asked. "Maybe its because all you do is sit around and watch anime."

"Hey. Maybe if they let me on the track team, I would get some exercise."

"I doubt that," she said as she continued up from the intersection of the stairs.

"Good grief," I said, right before tripping on one of the steps and dropping the books I was holding.

"Ah crap. This is going to ruin my day."

Then all of a sudden, as I looked back up on that same intersection, I caught a glimpse of someone.

She had beautiful red hair and jet blue eyes, and her complexion and structure suggested she wasn't originally from around these parts.

I didn't know her name. All I knew was that she was one year my senior and the girl of every boy, scratch that, everyone in the school's dreams. She causes a commotion every time she's within a kilometer radius.

She walked up and picked up the books I dropped.

"These are yours, correct?" she said as she handed them back to me.

"Oh, yes. Thanks!"

Even the way she smiled as I said that was enchanting.

She then walked down the stairs.

"I'll see you around, Makoto Fujiwara."

I couldn't help but stare as I asked myself,

"How does she know my name?"

"Dude, you're so lucky. Of all the girls to help you out there, it was her."

That was Matsuda. He was accompanied by his partner-in-crime, Motohama. I'm a bit ashamed to admit that I'm sorta-kinda friends with these two.

Me and Aika like to discuss anime and manga with them occasionally, but mostly, they like to ogle the members of the Kendo Club. What the hell is so special about the Kendo Club?

"You two are the experts in the hotties of this school. Who was she?"

"Her name is Rias Gremory," Motohama said. "99-58-90."

"And those three numbers are important because..."

"In layman's terms, she's smokin' hot." Matsuda replied. "The only reason no one has the gumption to ask her out is because they know she's way out of their league. The fact that she knows you by name is promising indeed."

"Yeah," Motohama commented, "I would kill to have that much of a chance with her... oryourmom"

"What was that last bit?" I asked, glaring at him.

"Oh, nothing!"

I continued walking back up.

"Oh. Right on time," the teacher said as I entered the classroom. "Glad to see you join us, Fujiwara."

Once class was finally over, Aika lead me to this old school building.

"Why are we here?" I asked. "I've never seen anyone actually use that building."

She pulled out from her bag what appeared to be a small dagger in the shape of a lance. It was solid gold with a purple sphere on its end.

"So I decided to order a figurine off the internet…" Aika began.

"Here we go…" I thought to myself, expecting another one of her crazy fangirl stories.

"…but this came in the mail instead!" That was mercifully anticlimactic. "I don't know what this is, but maybe someone in there would."

As she mentioned that, two knuckleheads stormed over to our location.

"You ratted us out, didn't you!?" Matsuda accused.

"What gave you that idea?" I condescendingly replied.

"We were trying to catch a glimpse of the girls changing and before we knew it, we were being chased off," Motohama added.

"Maybe next time stop yelling stuff like 'Murayama's got huge titties' while you're peeping and maybe you'll get a glimpse for more than five seconds," I suggested.

"A very excellent point," Matsuda replied.

Aika reprimanded me, "Makoto, don't encourage those lechers…"

"You're one to talk," I fired back. "You've been trying to size me up ever since middle school."

"Oh, but you've been my hardest one yet. I got those two's measurements the day we met. But you're so boring I'll be lucky to get your size before we graduate,"

"Good luck with that," I said.

"Hey, you!" I heard someone yell out.

"Oh shit!" Matsuda exclaimed as the two of them nearly ran me over.

Crap. I was standing next to them. They'll think I was one of their accomplices! My dignity would be ruined!

"You better find a hiding spot, Makoto..." Aika said.

"Yeah. Thanks for nothing, Aika," I said as I was scanning my environment.

The bushes? No, they might check those.

I better use my "talents" to my advantage, then...

Just as I found myself a useable hiding spot, the Kendo Club arrived...

"You know where those brutes went off to, Kiryuu?" I heard Murayama ask while I was out of sight.

Aika shrugged.

She scoffed. "Of course you wouldn't snitch on your own kind."

"No. They just came and went!" she playfully responded.

"Is it just me, or did I see Fujiwara with them?" Katase mused.

"No way. He's a total prude." Aika said.

"I don't know if I should thank you for that comment..." I said, peeking out the second-story window I (somehow) managed to jump into.

"My my. Gotten yourself into trouble, I see..."

I turned around to find a girl behind me. She had long black hair tied into a ponytail and absolutely radiated yamato nadeshiko energy.

Her name was Akeno Himejima.

She was apparently a friend of the family and occasionally hung out with us. That was, of course, before she became the second-biggest heartthrob of the school next to Rias.

I sighed. "Just keep bad company, that's all..."

"It's okay to admit it. I happen to have a thing for bad boys~."

Okay... That was out of left field. Don't remember her saying things like that when she was little.

Speaking of Rias...

"Then maybe you should find some better company..."

She had just came out of a room next door. She was drying her hair, seeming to have just showered, and was adjusting the garter on her uniform.

Dang. If I came in here a couple minutes sooner, I would have gotten a better deal than whatever the hell Matsuda and Motohama were doing.

"I can help you with that," she continued. "Would you like some tea? Akeno had just brewed some for me, but there is enough for you as well."

"...Sure, why not?"

Rias sat on a nearby couch and I sat opposite her. Akeno poured out a green tea in fancy cups to each of us.

I took a sip. I nodded in approval.

Akeno giggled. "It's good, is it?"

I was scanning the room.

I noticed there were several symbols, candles, and even a weird circle on the floor.

"So..." I asked. "What do you two do?"

"This is the Occult Research Club. I am the President and Akeno is the Vice President."

"Hmm. That... kinda explains it. I heard this is a pretty exclusive club. I'm sorry for barging in like this."

"No. Don't worry." Akeno said. "We'd even be willing to let you join if you want."

"Really?"

"We've heard quite a bit about you," Rias said. "We could use someone of your talents."

"... Huh..." I said. "I'm nobody special physically and an academic underachiever. I don't see what you're getting at."

"Let's just say you'll understand in time."

I finished my drink. "Thank you, Rias. The tea was pretty good."

"I appreciate the compliment." Akeno replied, giggling.

"We'll be in touch soon." Rias said as I was walking out.

I walked out the front entrance like a normal person.

"Well, you took your sweet-ass time hiding," Aika said. "Also, you should thank me for covering your ass when they suspected you were with those two perverts."

"Yeah, thanks for calling me a prude," I said. "Apparently, some 'Occult Research Club' or something meets in there. They might actually have some answers."

"Y'know what? Let's do this tomorrow. I'm beat," she said.

"Okay. Let's go home."

Right as we reached a forest that led to my house, we heard a suspicious rustle in the forest. "Let's check it out," Aika suggested.

"Let's not," I replied. But that was no use, she burst into the forest by herself. I begrudgingly followed her to make sure she doesn't get mauled by a wild animal.

"Aika?" I called out as I was wandering through the forest. "This isn't funny!" I added.

What definitely wasn't funny was what I ended up finding. She was laying down on the ground with a nasty wound in her stomach. Blood was everywhere.

I ran over. The wound didn't look like teeth. It looked like… a stab wound? I looked in her bag for her phone to find her parents' contact information.

"Looking for this?" someone said behind me.

I was surrounded by three suspicious figures in the trees. One was a blonde girl with pigtails and looked like she came straight out of a maid café, the other blue-haired woman was showing way too much cleavage, and the one guy looked like a stereotypical school shooter. All three of them had jet black wings for some reason.

The blonde girl was carrying Aika's dagger.

"Master Halja was looking for the Downfall Dragon Spear." The trench coat guy said "How it ended up in the hands of a high school girl is beyond me."

"Raynare is gonna fangirl over that!" the blonde girl explained.

I was too busy trying to heal Aika. She still had a pulse, but it was faint.

"Hey, that ability… an angel!? I thought they were extinct!"

What on Earth is that blonde bitch yapping on about?

"He doesn't seem to know he is one, Mittelt. Let's keep it that way!" The blue-haired woman exclaimed as they were about to lob spears they got out of hammerspace or something at me.

Yup. That's it. I'm about to die. Mom is gonna be disappointed that I went out without giving her any grandchildren.

Except, in a twist of fate, I was rescued in a flash of bright red.

The woman in question appeared in front of me, she had black wings of her own, but hers were more…devilish.

As I began to examine her distinct features, it became clear.

Did Rias Gremory come to save my ass!?

"If you want these two, you're going to have to get through me…" she proclaimed.

"You must be of the house of Gremory…" the trench coat guy exclaimed. "Why is a devil like you in cahoots with an angel?"

"What the hell are you talking about? I'm just a normal high school student," I inquired in confusion.

"I would ask the same of you, Dohnaseek," Rias replied to the fallen angel, "I doubt Azazel would have reacted too kindly with you three siding with the goddess of death responsible for Ragnarok."

"You insolent prat!" the blue-haired fallen angel exclaimed as the three of them went to attack Rias with their spears.

Rias was already surrounded with an aura as red as her hair. She then unleashed a huge energy attack on the fallen angels, knocking them down from their perches.

"Consider that a warning shot," she said.

The dagger flew off from where the fallen angel I assumed was Mittelt was sitting and I caught it.

"I guess I wasn't much help…" I said in my usual deadpan manner as I gave the dagger to Rias.

"On the contrary, Fujiwara. You saved me the trouble of healing her myself, which is much more… complicated… Anyway, I'll take care of Kiryuu from here. You need get to safety."

As I got some distance, I was thinking,

Should I trust Rias with Aika? She seems kind enough and she saved my life just now...

My inner conflict as I was darting home was cut short as Rias exclaimed, "Fujiwara, look out!"

The blue haired fallen angel had gotten up from Rias' attack and was flying right towards me. No amount of running could save me from becoming a kabob.

"They say I'm an angel, huh!? Well here goes nothing!"

I leapt into the air with all my might. All of a sudden, I could see tell there was a light source above my head and I was breaking every single law of gravity in the book.

I was an honest-to-God angel.

That wasn't stopping the blue-haired fallen angel on my tail, so I needed something to stop her. I got several feet in the air as I recalled the fallen angels could summon weapons in their hands, so naturally not-fallen angels should be able too, right?

Before I knew it, I summoned a sword made of teal light in my hand. As the fallen angel came at me with reckless abandon, I dodged her spear and swiped right through her, cutting her clean in half.

The next thing I knew, it was morning.

"What a bizarre dream," I said to myself. "Me? An angel? Get real…"

I went down for breakfast. For some reason, Aika was over.

"Hey, Makoto," she said.

"What are you doing here this morning?" I asked.

Awkward silence.

"Wow, you must have really blacked out," she replied.

"What do you mean, 'blacked out'?"

"Makoto?" Mom exclaimed from the living room. "Could you check the guest room to see if she's up?"

"You referring to Aika? She's already up."

"No, the other one."

"I don't know who you're talking about, but I'll check…"

I went up to the guest bedroom and knocked. No response. I opened the door.

Rias Gremory!?

She got herself up and yawned. From the looks of things, she's definitely not wearing anything under those bedsheets.

"Good morning…" she said softly, not caring at all about her lack of clothes.

And just like that, I knew that my normal life as I knew it was over…

Profile:

Makoto Fujiwara

Kuoh Academy High School Student, 2nd Year

Height: 174 cm

Weight: 66 kg

Hair: Platinum blonde, relatively short, typically unkempt

Eyes: Greenish blue