Alright, chapter here. Funny thing is, on my P a treon I actually had the snippet of this up first, and I'd listed it as CH 5. Obviously that didn't pan out, I cut CH 4 in half instead because I'm trying to shorten my chapters.

This next arc will be riddled with time skips. Hopefully they're not confusing, but to give you an idea, we're finally at the 'High School' part of 'High School DxD'. That means everything is moving along perfectly.

Disclaimer: Godzilla and all related trademarks are owned and licensed by Toho Co., Ltd, Legendary Entertainment, and Warner Bros. Pictures. High School DxD is owned and licensed by Ichiei Ishibumi and Fujimi Shobo. I own neither series, please support official releases.

Six-year-old Yoshira Shizu was scared.

He didn't understand why he was scared at the time. Something loud on the TV came on and suddenly his family members were crying out and running across their home. Suddenly his baby cousin's first birthday was being cut short, and everybody was grabbing things. And minutes later, his parents had picked him up and practically dragged him out of the home with him.

Shizu may not have known why he was scared, but every adult around him was terrified. The obvious response was to be scared, too. He was a child, and he didn't know why any of them were acting like this. None of them would answer his questions, they would only say 'we have to get away', and carry him along while they ran.

They ran across streets-they weren't supposed to just run into the street; he remembered Kaa-san saying once. They ran straight past people, even pushing some aside-it was rude. Tou-san had said he should never push people for no reason. Everybody was breaking the rules, so something had to be going wrong, he'd remembered thinking.

There were sirens, too. Like the police or an ambulance, but much louder-they nearly drowned out his parents' voices. And even louder planes flew overhead, planes that looked nothing like the ones he'd ever seen before and moving so much faster. There were loud booms and crashes from far away, like things were being broken.

And the ground was shaking. Rhythmically and periodically, the ground would tremble, like something big was slamming into it over and over again. Screams and cries echoed across the massive crowd of running people around him whenever the ground shook.

Then that sound echoed through the air. Shizu knew he'd never forget that sound, louder than any sound that night. It was only a single, low growl that echoed through the air, but the boy knew it couldn't have been a siren, plane, or broken building.

The moment the growl rippled through the air, there was a small hush over the crowd of running people. The weeping grew silent, the shouting muted, as everybody seemed to be overcome with an even greater sense of urgency.

The entire crowd ran as though they were fleeing from the end of the world. All the while, the trembling of the ground grew even worse. More of those strange planes flew overhead, fast and loud, as they seemed to charge like raging bulls.

Nearby, Shizu heard the 'Chakk-Chack-Chak-chk' of helicopters. He saw them coming soon enough-they weren't like normal helicopters, they looked bigger and longer, almost like small planes. When they landed, men in green suits charged out of them and ran towards the crowd, all while carrying strange black objects.

People were being pushed, even if gently, towards the helicopters by those men. Soon enough, the entire crowd was surging towards them, many people desperately trying to get through. Some of the men held them back while shouting, but others were pointing their strange black tools at the air while looking around worriedly.

Then the ground began trembling again. Loud crashes echoed across the entire city block, leading to many cries and screams from the crowd. Another one of those terrible growling noises rang out, causing the very air itself to shudder.

Somebody nearby pointed while screaming at the top of their lungs. Little Yoshira Shizu, still young and foolish, turned in that direction with a mix of curiosity and fear.

He stood there, looming over an entire city like a mountain. Even while shrouded in smoke and shadow, he was too visible to be missed. Massive spikes flashed as he turned, a monstrous tail whipping around and tearing straight through a building like it was paper. As the creature moved, its terrible eyes roamed over the crowd below.

Shizu felt like his heart stopped when those eyes caught him. Fierce, fire-colored, glowing hotter than hell itself, and filled with endless hate. And they were, for even the briefest of moments, focused solely on an innocent child, glaring at him with pure disgust and rage.

The beast tilted its head, scaled lips curling as it revealed monstrous fangs. Massive clawed hands curled up, muscles taut as the creature raised them forward. For a brief second, the spines on its back glowed an eerie blue color.

And then the creature threw back its head and opened its mouth.

Yoshira Shizu would never forget the noise that reverberated forth. It would, even in his next life, never lead his mind. That terrible sound echoed, loud enough to shatter buildings and crumble walls, and it washed over the crowd like a tidal wave.

*SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-OOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNKKKKKKKKKKKgggggg~!*

The God of Destruction raged, hateful towards even the heavens.

Even when the planes hit him with explosives and pushed him back, even when the men in green pulled him and his family to safety, Yoshira Shizu didn't stop shuddering. Even when he was saved, Yoshira Shizu wept and huddled in fear…

Now, you probably won't believe me when I say that I didn't wake up with a startled gasp while rocketing straight up. Because, while that can happen, I was usually a little more calm and collected than that.

I mean, I did gasp, but it was a small one that slowly turned into a tired sigh. When I sat up, it was done slowly and accompanied by a groan. The entire time, I was rubbing the back of my head worriedly.

Yoshira Shizu was dead. I was Hyoudou Isashi, reborn into a new world and now a high schooler. Whatever happened in my old life was long over. Whatever regrets I had, whatever or whomever I'd worry about, are gone and left behind.

And thank whoever incarnated me that I didn't have to deal with-

*SKREEEONNK*

With that guy…hopefully.

"Eh, who the fuck knows." I shuddered as I fought back that memory from my old life. "Knowing him, he'd have somehow found a way into my new world. Well, either him, or…"

*BIDIBIDIBIDIBIDI*

I felt an even more violent shudder run through me as flashes of gold seemed to overwhelm my mind for the briefest moment. I shook my head quickly and clapped my hands while trying to get my breathing under control.

"Nope! No need to worry about any of that…" I said while tilting my head to eye my alarm clock. "And it is too damn early for me to get up. But now I'm not gonna get any sleep…ah, shit!"

I started by doing basic exercises-different things that helped every part of my body, not just push-ups or sit-ups or squats. Once I'd finished those, I left my room and headed towards the backyard. Once I was outside, I started on a basic Bajiquan form.

Bajiquan is a style all about overwhelming your opponent's defenses and striking a decisive blow to bring them down. Forms involve forward momentum, meaning if you're practicing, you're often moving in a nearly perfect straight line. The linear movement of the style often lent to quick dashing and lunging strikes, or quick thrusting strikes. Every part of the body that could be used for fighting was utilized in Bajiquan, straight up to even the shoulders-yes, that included those cool fighting-game finishers.

Also, stomping. Bajiquan forms and movements often involve lots of stomping. And something in me felt happy to use those stomping movements.

Bajiquan, Judo, and Muay Thai were the styles I'd gotten most comfortable with. Ironically enough, that meant that my other styles had fallen by the wayside-I hadn't done a Karate kata in a couple of weeks, my Wing Chun forms were a bit sloppy, and my BJJ wasn't up to snuff. I figured I could lessen that with a bit of training over the year, but I wasn't too worried.

I finished my forms before the hour was up, so I did a bit of shadow boxing with some Muay Thai moves for a bit. When I went back inside, I could already hear the rest of my household getting up early.

Less than half an hour later, I'd showered and started breakfast for everybody. My father was preparing for an important meeting, so Miki was helping him out with that. Now and then she'd come in to grab some of the food I'd already made.

"Heard you going outside. Katas?"

"Baji forms," I shrugged. "Some Thai too. Ah, you've got a bit of sauce there!"

"Oh? Agh, sorry," my mother quickly grabbed a tissue and wiped her face. "Ah, your cooking is so good. But you could've taken a break, y'know? It's a special day, isn't it?"

"Hell yeah, it is!" I heard my brother calling out from another room. "We've finally reached heaven, just like Ojii-san told us to!"

"Ah, speaking of which, when did gramps want us to visit?" I asked my mother.

"Fairly soon, I hope. He's been a bit under the weather, everybody is getting worried." Miki shook her head with a sigh. "You two shouldn't have to worry about that, though. We're so excited for you~! Kuoh Academy is supposed to be impressive. I can't believe you two even got in."

"Oi, Kaa-san!" I gave her a faux pout. "Have a little faith in us~!"

Of course, the real reason Issei, and by extension I, enrolled in Kuoh was simple.

Kuoh was, previously, a former private school for only girls. Just recently, however, it opened up and became a co-ed school, albeit with an extreme bias towards girls enrolling. So guys would have to work hard to get in, or have special connections.

Issei, never one to half-ass things when it came to his goal, immediately studied as hard as he could to get in. Same with our friends, actually-in Motohama's words, the male-to-female ratio would be skewed in just the right way that we'd have 'girls lining up to get all up on us'. We'd be living the dream.

The only reason I worked to get in was because I knew my brother would get into trouble without me. And I had no intention of letting him do something that stupid. I especially had no intention of letting him do stupid things without being supervised.

…And there was absolutely no other reason for me signing up for the former all-girls school. Nope, no other reason whatsoever, just trying to protect my brother. I'm supervising my idiot and nothing else.

"Isashi? You're drooling," my mother's voice startled me for just a bit. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm food-I mean, I'm fine! The food just smells really good~!" I said quickly.

Yes, I'm drooling because of the food I'm making. And nothing else.

"Why don't I finish making breakfast for you? You already cleaned up everything, right?" my mother tilted her head. "You should start getting ready. Make sure that when you shower, you get under your arms~!"

"Kaa-san," I deadpanned.

"And don't forget to get under your nails~!"

"Kaa-san…"

"And thoroughly wash your hair-but watch your scar! Oh, and remember to wash your a-"

"Kaa-san!"

Miki giggled at my outburst. "Relax! I'm just teasing~!"

"Ugh…"

A couple dozen minutes later, my brother and I were preparing to leave. We'd gussied ourselves up, dressed in our school uniforms, and grabbed our stuff. We were now standing at our front door, ready to leave.

"Oh, I should take a picture~!"

"Kaa-san, it's not that big of a deal," I told her.

"Oh, but you two look so handsome. You've even got that 'opposite twin' thing going on. It's so cute!"

The 'opposite' part being that Issei and I were wearing different t-shirts under our blazers and dress-shirts. He was wearing a brilliant red shirt, while I was wearing an oceanic blue shirt. It wasn't much of a difference.

"Dear, just leave it! Can't you tell how excited they are?" my father chuckled while turning to us. "Now, boys, I know you've been looking forward to this. I'm happy for both of you, so do your best~!"

"Don't worry, Tou-san! I'll make you both proud~!" Issei cheered. "I'm gonna have casual, unprotected sex with as many babes as I can! And then I'm never gonna call them again~!"

The ensuing silence was deafening. Our parents just stood there, staring at him as looks of horror spread across their faces. I was staring at my idiot brother blankly as they did this, so he didn't expect me to smack him on the head.

"You dumb cretin! What the hell is wrong with you?!" I grabbed him by the shirt while looking at our parents. "Look at the disappointment on their faces! How could you do that to them?!"

"I-I don't-"

"Kaa-san, Tou-san! You don't need to worry! I'll keep an eye on him and make sure he behaves!" I said firmly.

"Hah~! Isashi, darling, you're a godsend~!" my mother sobbed out.

"And I promise you, I won't fall down the same path of depravity as this fool! After all, what kind of man would I be if I just ghosted every girl I slept with?" I pumped a fist up in determination. "Leaving behind a bunch of struggling single mothers won't help save our country's birthrate, not in the slightest! I swear on my life that I will take responsibility for my actions, no matter what!"

For several moments, my parents were silent again.

"Hahaha! We're doomed!" Gorou cried out.

Miki sobbed as her hands covered her face. "We're never getting grandchildren! Wahahahaha!"

"You hear that, Nii-san? Those are tears of joy," I said cheerfully.

"Why?! Why must you do this to us?!" my father cried out.

"You're right! They look so happy!" Issei smiled brightly. "You're right, Nii-san! I shouldn't have been so quick to disappoint them! Kaa-san, Tou-san, don't worry! I'll do better from now on!"

"This is cruel! Cruel!" my mother wept.

"We'll see you later! Good luck at work, Tou-san!"

"Hah, I can't believe it's actually happening~! This almost feels like a dream!" Issei sighed in awe as we walked down the street. "Can you imagine it? We'll be drowning in babes in a month~!"

"Slow your roll, Nii-san. You don't just get a harem, remember?" I chided him.

"Ah, well, of course not! But think about it~!" my brother giggled perversely. "Think of the oppai we'll be able to see~! There's bound to be so many prime peeking spots!"

"Issei, if you peek at naked girls within the first week and ruin our reputation, I'm going to smack you."

"Shut it! Only normies care about their reputations!" Issei said proudly.

"People who use 'normies' in a sentence don't usually get harems, let alone girlfriends." I shook my head.

As we were walking, we passed by a large window with flashy glass. I stopped slightly, suddenly invested in inspecting my reflection. Lots had changed since I was a kid. Sometimes I almost didn't realize it.

I was taller, obviously, and my physique had filled out more thanks to all the exercise. I pulled my hair, fluffier than my brothers, back to reveal my scar. It'd faded a lot, but it wasn't entirely non-existent. When I saw those light brown eyes staring back at me, it was hard to believe that it was me, that I was even alive.

"Hmm? Oi, you alright?" my brother called back to me.

"Yeah, just had a weird moment. You think I look alright? I swear I could've used less product."

"What are you, a fashion model? Let's go already!"

"Yeah, yeah, quit your bitching! I'm moving," I sighed tiredly.

"So, about Jii-san. Do you think he'll be alright?" Issei asked worriedly.

"He's gettin' old, Nii-san. The best we can do is spend as much time with him as we can before the worst comes to pass…" I mused. "He's been hanging in there, though. That guy, I think he wants to make sure we're happy and ready to make it big."

"Hell yeah! After everything, we can't let him down~!" my brother cheered. "We're gonna get harems, otouto! We'll do it for Jii-san~!"

Yeah, that random old guy in the park might have planted the seeds to get things started. But the moment Hyoudou Juzo heard about our goals, he was cultivating both damn trees. That man was moved to tears the moment he heard Issei and I speak about harems and naked women, and he did everything he could to encourage our perverted tendencies, even showing us his old stash.

…Ahem! Not that I was into that stuff, obviously. Plus, most of the magazines Juzo-jii owned probably featured models that were no longer on this earthly plane. I mean, even if there were some who seemingly had uncanny resemblances to some modern stars-not that I know anything about that-it was probably just a coincidence.

Still, Juzo, when he wasn't being a perverted idiot, was a good man. And despite everything, he was happy with Obaa-san, and she loved him despite, or maybe even because of, his quirks. So, I knew that when the time did come, it was gonna be painful to see him go.

"Ah, hey! The ball's rolling into the street!"

"Hmm?" I noticed a bunch of kids playing in the park we were passing by, their soccer ball rolling straight across the sidewalk. "Oof~! Hang on there!"

I stopped it with my foot, dribbled it for a bit, before passing it towards one of the kids. He quickly caught it in a dribble of his own, a cheerful giggle escaping him as he showed off.

"Thanks!"

"Don't mention it~!" I called out as they ran off.

"You guys have a nice day!" Issei called back as we continued walking to school. "Ah, kids really are the cornerstone of our future."

"A future that'll never be secured if the trend continues!" I hissed beneath my breath. "The growth rate of our country's population has already hit the negatives. Our population is barely over a hundred-mil. The next generation will have fewer and fewer to work in the labor force…" I felt tears streaming down my face as my fists clenched. "Who knows how our economy will survive?!"

"That won't happen, Nii-san! The country can be saved! I believe in you!" my brother grabbed me by the shoulder and gave me a fierce look. "Don't let the numbers bring you down, and don't let the toxic working culture shake you! I know you can save us all~! Become sex, and save our population!"

"N-Nii-san~!" I wept.

"Ara, how lecherous…"

…Speaking of our grandmother, she'd given me an interesting piece of information.

Specifically on the creatures I'd been seeing since I was a child. One of which was standing in the bushes nearby, having been watching the children previously. I'd ignored it then, but now it seemed to have turned its attention to us.

I kept it in the corner of my vision, like I always did. "Issei. Let's get going! We'll never achieve our dreams of having harems of babes if we don't see the glorious heaven that is Kuoh Academy!"

"You're right! We can't keep faffing about!" my brother said.

"I almost wish I didn't have to hide. You two are the most lewd boys I've had the displeasure of meeting," the black monster nearby growled. "Then again, it is rather amusing to hear you speak~! I wonder what foolishness will emerge from your mouths next? I might not decide to eat you later if it makes me laugh~!"

It was kinda like Noh Face, from Spirited Away. Except, instead of having a Noh Mask, it had an Oni mask with horns, massive tusks, and a red tongue peaking out of its mouth. A mane of long, spiky white hair trailed from its head all the way to the ground.

Ayakashi. Yokai. Obake.

Strange words that all, for the most part, seemed to mean the same thing. Monsters, demons, spirits of all persuasions, supernatural phenomena, and ill omens. They're like the Fae of the west-their existence is fundamentally tied to nature itself, appeased only through offerings and worship.

Did that mean they were good or evil? Eh, depends-

"Hmm~! You both have such interesting scents~! So delicious~!"

Yeah, this one is probably evil.

Obaa-san could see Yokai too, though she had an easier time spotting them when she was younger. Once I'd told her about my predicament, she quickly taught me everything she knew. The rest of my family just thought it was an old woman telling her grandchild bedtime stories, but I hung onto her every word like a lifeline.

So far, I hadn't had an actual dangerous encounter with one of these things. One tried to possess me…once.

I'm pretty sure my plus-one, whoever he is, ate it. Never saw the thing again, only heard it screaming in my head for a moment before something that sounded like a splash of water echoed in my mind. And then I had another vision of my tenant giving me the stink eye for interrupting its nap again before going back to sleep.

The best way to deal with them, as Obaa-san told me, was to not worry about them and don't give them attention. If they think you can see them, they cause problems for you, especially the ones who want to do that. Most of them don't bother humans, or at least that's something she said. But the few that did wouldn't do it out in the open, so it'd be best to keep out of dark places.

Plus, carrying charms seemed to ward them off. I still had some of the charms Ikuzeki-san would give to my friends and I now and then, and Obaa-san also hooked me up. Between that and the giant monster sleeping in my soul, I was fairly sure I was safe.

…I just worried something might happen to Issei instead.

"Hoh~? That peculiar scent~! It smells like a…a…" for several moments, the Yokai seemed to splutter worriedly. From the corner of my eye, I could see it tailing my brother specifically, and it suddenly looked like it'd rather be doing something else. "Ah, d-dragon, eh? No thank y-you, I'm not that foolish…"

I fought back the urge to swallow as he shifted to trail me instead. For a brief moment, I imagined a set of teeth leering at me from behind-

A rumble shook the water. A fiery, lidded eye opened in the dark.

"Agh!" the dark creature hissed and pulled away, and soon I saw it slithering down the opposite end of the street. "I think I'll bother something else today. Something that won't end me…"

I barely caught my own sigh of relief in time. I didn't need Issei or anybody else giving me strange looks.

One thing that was eating at me, though…

Why did he think Issei was a dragon?

We'd managed to meet up with Matsuda and Motohama right before we arrived at the academy. When we got there, the three of them just stared at the school as though enraptured by its very presence.

Or, rather, they were ogling the dozens of girls heading to school before us. In fact, I was also watching them…for entirely different reasons, I promise!

"This…really is heaven~!" Issei sighed.

"90/58/90, 88/55/86, 86/54/84," Motohama listed off the measurements of several girls breathily. "This place is…a titty-monster paradise!"

"Not just with big-bitty bitches! They've got a bunch of IBTC baddies hanging around too~!" Matsuda drooled gleefully. "This is the best day of my life! Soon I'll achieve my dream-I'll finally get to die happy~!"

I felt my hands balling into fists as I took in the scene before me. "Holy shit! This…this can't be legal."

"What can't be legal?" my brother asked.

"Do you guys see this shit? Those…those are fucking corsets," I hissed. "And those skirts…they're so light and short that a single gust of wind could have them flying up. Do you guys realize what this means?"

The three of them just stared dumbly at me. I quickly facepalmed while groaning loudly.

"We're in a budget eroge highschool~!" I said with a mad laugh.

"...God, I hope so~!" Issei cheered.

"Okay, listen up, chickenshits!" I started.

"You're a chickenshit!"

"I know I've got a devil-may-care attitude most days, but this situation is different. Just walking by the wrong place here could end up with us getting a case!" I grabbed them all and huddled them close. "We've got to be very careful, you understand! Even without getting up to the normal bullshit, you idiots will be walking across landmines!"

"What do you mean 'you idiots'? I thought we were friends?!" Motohama whined.

"I'm reminding you that I don't do that thing that you guys do. Remember that?"

"Peeking~?" Issei giggled.

"That, yeah! I don't do that, I just hang with you and talk shop," I grumbled. "Look, let's just get to freshman orientation and go from there. And don't cause any problems just yet!" I said sternly. "There's a chance we've got a fresh start here, just a slim chance if nobody from our old school is here. Let's try to keep our reputation at level for just a bit, okay?"

Turns out that was easier said than done. When we got to the auditorium, we saw a handful of familiar faces. At least some of the kids here went to middle school with us, and were very familiar with our antics.

And also, a couple of other familiar faces were there as well.

"Oi, pervs! How's it going?"

"Oh, hey Aichi!" I smirked when my fellow dojo students walked up to us. "Sup Protagonist~!"

"I wish you'd stop calling me that…" Protagonist whined.

"Quit being such a protagonist then, Kazuto~!" Matsuda snorted.

"I feel like I should be surprised you got in. But, somehow, I'm not," Protagonist sighed while running a hand through his hair. "Like, you guys would go out of your way to get in here."

"Hell yeah, we would~!" the bald boy chuckled. "Did you see how short the skirts on the girl's uniforms are?!"

"...N-No, I totally didn't notice," Protagonist said, a dusting of red spreading across his cheeks. "I'm actually way focused on tackling the new school year. Yeah, that's it, I'm really focused."

"You ain't fooling us, Protagonist," Aichi shrugged.

"Quit calling me that~!"

From then on, the six of us found seats in the auditorium and sat through the opening ceremony. Teacher introductions came after, with a few of the administrators taking some time to speak.

"Ugh! I guess we still have to go through the boring stuff, huh?" Issei whispered.

"Good things come to those with patience, Nii-san," I smiled back.

"Yes~! Now that we're finally here in paradise, we can wait all we want~!"

I had to begrudgingly agree with my brother. This was it, this was where the plot was gonna happen. I had no doubt about it-after all, high schools were always the main setting in different shonen anime.

I was ready for it. Every day for the past several years training, every ounce of sweat and tears spent to make my body a weapon so I could survive. Every note and anecdote I'd made in my journal, right down to every yokai and spirit I'd seen since I was a child, it was a constant focus.

And now, here I was, soon to be thrust into the plot, just as I predicted. All I needed to do was wait for the plot to find me, or look out for the signs so I could avoid it entirely. I was ready for whatever shit this universe had planned, no matter what.

"You know, some people might think that smile is creepy?" my brother mumbled. "It's like something one of those freaky anime villains would have."

"Heh, sorry, just excited~!" I said worriedly, while turning back to the opening ceremony. "You know how it is. I just can't wait to see what's in store with us."

As soon as the ceremony ended, a few members of the Administration and Student Council came to grab the new students and lead us to class. My homeroom teacher introduced himself and began laying out how the school would work for new students. You know, boring stuff, as Issei said.

Having gone through both Japanese and American high schools in my previous life, I wasn't particularly interested. The only thing I noted was that it was an Escalator School. So long as I kept up my grades, I wouldn't have to worry about much.

Hell, in my last life, I'd gotten all the way to college. I'd even finished up finals…right…right before I'd died, that is.

…And now I'm starting to get unbearably depressed by that.

Perfect~!

"Oi, Nii-san~!" I heard a familiar voice cheer next to me. "We're in the same class! Can you believe that?"

"We're first years in highschool, Issei!" I deadpanned. "How unlikely would it have been for us to be separated? We would have seen each other at lunch later, anyway."

"Hey, relax my dudes~! We've finally reached paradise~!" I heard Matsuda chuckle as he and Motohama approached my desk. "Can you believe it? It still feels so surreal~! Just wait until clubs start opening up!"

"I'm thinking…photography club?" the bespectacled teen offered.

"For sure~! I can't wait to take some serious panty shots!" the bald boy giggled.

"Ah, you guys couldn't even last a whole morning, let alone a day!" I leaned back while placing my hands behind my head. "I was thinking of trying to have you guys get through the week. Honestly, I was giving you too much credit."

"How the fuck could you make us wait a whole week, you monster?! No! Knowing that all of that jiggling, bouncy, boingy goodness would be waiting makes that impossible!" Motohama cried out desperately. "I reject your cruel ways!"

"Sure, you said that now. Get up to your usual 'hijinks' and tell me what happens~!" I yawned. "I wonder if they have a cooking club. Or maybe a music club?"

"Music? Why a music club?" the other two boys leaned forward curiously.

"Is it to meet a beautiful songstress? One with a passionate voice and a gorgeous body?" Motohama asked dreamily.

"Or maybe you wanna serenade the masses of honeys? You're just waiting to sweep the ladies off your feet~!" Matsuda supplied.

"Or maybe you'll write a symphony for the most beautiful girl in school~?" the two of them sighed pleasurably.

"It's because he likes western music and knows all the lyrics to his favorite songs," Issei said flatly, causing the two to fall from their fantasy spots. "He sings them in the shower, damn westaboo. Though honestly, it sounds kinda fun~!"

"That's kinda the point. I was gonna see if there was a club for singing and whatnot," I shrugged. "Well, it's either those two, or a martial arts club. Something to do as a club activity for when things get started. You know how it is."

"Yeah, I'm surprised Kai-sensei actually decided to get the dojo renovated. I mean, I get why, but I didn't think it was that bad," the bespectacled teen shrugged. "Damn, it's gonna be a tough few months without him when it starts. What've you guys been training in?"

"Nii-san's been focusing on Baji, Thai, and Judo. So everything else has gotten sloppy~!" Issei teased in faux-viciousness. "Better get back to work, otoutou~! Otherwise you'll fall behind me!"

"What's the win-loss record between us again?" I asked offhandedly.

"S-Shut it! I would've won that one time!" my brother growled.

"Sure, sure, I believe you~!" I said while sitting up and gathering my stuff. "Next class is coming up. You guys ready?"

"I heard one of our teachers is a total babe~!" Motohama sighed out.

"Of course you'd know that. Heh, and here you were, saying that all those gorgeous older women were a myth~!" I poked the bald boy in the cheek playfully.

"S-Shut up! I never said they were a myth, just that we'd probably never see them!" Matsuda said defensively.

"Yeah, sure, save face all you want!" I chuckled as I stood to my feet. "Alright, let's head out."

As we were leaving, I noticed them. Two girls walking right past us. I would've just written them off mostly-they weren't 'unattractive', not in the slightest. Kuoh seems to just be filled with gorgeous women, no matter what. But it was a few key features that made me stop and turn.

"Umm, hello? Are you alright?" one of the girls asked worriedly. "You're staring at us rather intently."

They weren't wrong. I was staring at them. Well, less at them, and more at the fluffy ears and striped tails they both sported. When their eyes widened, I realized they must have caught on, and I quickly averted my gaze from their inhuman features.

"Ah, no, sorry! Just had a weird moment!" I said quickly.

"...Are you sure?" one of them narrowed their eyes suspiciously.

"Yes, I'm pretty sure! Sorry again, I've just had a weird morning," I said, trying to be less defensive.

One of their eyes flashed with a bright glow-

The water shook.

And suddenly she let out a near-silent gasp. I took that time to turn away while doing that stereotypical nonchalant whistle. I thought I heard them calling out to me, but I ignored them-just like I should have been doing.

The one piece of advice Obaa-san hammered into me, and I fucked it up. This was gonna bite me in the ass in some way. I just knew it.

"Hey, what took you so long?" Issei asked me once I'd caught up with him.

"Oh, nothing, just accidentally bumped into some other students. Wanted to apologize," I shrugged, hoping he'd drop it.

"You chattin' up some of them fine honeys~?" Matsuda teased.

"Ha! Yeah, like that would happen," I sighed while thinking back to the two yokai. "Didn't think I'd have to see those here, of all places."

"Eh? What are you going on about?" Motohama frowned.

"Nothing. Oi, remember how I said I was looking forward to what's in store for us?" at their confused looks, I simply clicked my teeth. "It's nothing too bad. Just, I'm starting to think I've changed my mind about that…"

So that first half is what it's supposed to be. MC is from a world where Godzilla existed-like, as a real, living creature. The guys that reincarnated him wanted a person with 'experience' with Godzilla-they just didn't think that would mean 'he was literally a few dozen yards away from the guy once'.

As for why there's no Godzilla series in-universe, DxD doesn't seem to have things 1 to 1 with the real world. It's like Gintama having 'Beruto' and all that, but without the parody part. So a bunch of infamous series are just...not there. The Tokusatsu genre is bereft of some of the really fun ones we know.

I went a bit 'pick and chose'-ey with it myself. In-universe, here at least, they've got Dragon Ball, Naruto, Street-Fighter, the works. But Toho didn't make Godzilla, and anything from the Godzilla series, from Mothra to Godman, is non-existant. This also means they don't have Ultraman or Kamen Rider (there is 'Kaben Rider Pinky, apparently). Toho still famous for 'Latitude Zero' and 'AKIRA', so there's that at least, and 'JJK' is still being produced as well.

Now then, onto the reviews.

Guest: Because, just as Godzilla doesn't exist as a series in the new DxD world MC was reincarnated in, DxD didn't exist as a series in his original universe. Pick and choose a Kaiju being the reason, because as we've established, MC had a real Godzilla in his old world, which means a bunch of the others existed too.

Zet4: Yeah, Godzilla is being playful and mischievous here, because the specific Godzilla personality that took over was ST!Goji. Him being playfully evil and vicious fits, seeing as he outright says 'the snap was my favorite part' about how he killed Anguirus's actor.

Some1call4MR-E: Less of a vision of the future, more of ST!Goji subverting their divination at Ultima's request. The vision was meant to warn them not to mess with MC because Ultima's...'reasons' (G-Ultima has confusing goals, trust me). The villains only have to avoid MC in order to not have their plans screwed up. Thing is, they're still gonna have their plans screwed up.

aSleepyPenguin: OCs start in next chapter. Promise.

Riverflow2020: Yeah, Devil!MC would probably seem boring, but part of the outline I've written requires that he have Devil magic. For a good reason-Devil magic, or 'Demonic Power', is based on the user's imagination and creativity. Now, imagine what somebody who's played fighting games, watched copious amounts of anime, and lots of western movies, can do with that power? If you're already figuring that out, you understand what he's gonna do to game the system. Also, if he didn't become a Devil, the inactive G-Cells in his body would, upon activating as a prerequisite to his Sacred Gear's activation, intermittently siphon his life force if he couldn't feed them a proper alternative to absorbed radiation-the latter of which he wouldn't be able to get enough in immediate forms.

For anybody whose interested, you can check out my P a treon. Unfortunately, FF. Net doesn't do the links well, so you'll have to close the spaces below/rewrite it slightly on your browser.

P a treon. com(slash) Locksoli

As always, please leave any thoughts, questions, and constructive criticism in your reviews. And thank you for reading.