Ryuu sat on the rooftop, quietly enjoying his lunch as he overlooked the students below. The peaceful moment didn't last long.
"What happened yesterday? How did you do it?"
A cold, serious voice interrupted his meal.
Without turning around, Ryuu already knew who it was—Tobiichi Origami.
He ignored her and continued eating, but Origami was persistent. She quickly stepped closer, standing beside him with an unshaken expression.
"I want to know," she pressed. "What kind of training did you go through to fight Spirits without a CR-Unit?"
Ryuu finished the last bite of his bread before finally looking at her. Origami's sharp, expectant gaze bore into him, waiting for an answer.
"Why should I tell you?"
Origami's lips tightened. "Because… I want to be stronger. Because all Spirits deserve to die."
The venom in her voice was unmistakable. A shadow flickered in her usually calm eyes—memories, hatred, a past she couldn't let go of.
Ryuu stared at her, unimpressed. "And what does that have to do with me?"
"Because you're strong," she insisted. "As long as you're willing to teach me, I'll do anything you want me to do."
That was unexpected. Ryuu raised an eyebrow.
"Anything?"
He leaned in, pressing Origami against the wall with a casual but deliberate movement. Their faces were close—so close he could feel her steady breath against his skin.
Yet, she didn't flinch.
Her eyes never wavered. She wasn't embarrassed, wasn't afraid—only filled with an unwavering resolve to become stronger.
"Tch. How boring."
Ryuu lost interest almost immediately. Someone willing to throw themselves away for revenge wasn't worth his time. He wasn't looking for mindless soldiers. He wanted true subordinates—ones with ambition, loyalty, and a desire to stand at his side, not just tools obsessed with vengeance.
He sighed and released her.
"I'm a Demon King," he said flatly. "I came here to find subordinates, not to deal with your personal vendetta."
"Then let me be your servant!" she pushed. "As long as I can kill the Spirits, I don't care!"
Ryuu scoffed. "With your current strength? You're not even worth considering."
Origami clenched her fists. AST recognized her as one of its best operatives, yet in his eyes, she was nothing.
Reading her frustration, Ryuu smirked and spread his arms.
"I'll give you one chance," he said. "Hit me. Just once. If you can, I'll acknowledge you."
Origami's eyes narrowed. Without hesitation, she summoned her CR-Unit, activating her weapon—a lightsaber materializing in her grip.
She lunged at him.
The blade swung down—direct contact.
Yet, there was no resistance.
The moment her weapon should have struck him, it phased through his body like mist.
Origami's confident expression twisted in shock.
"What…?"
She slashed again. And again. Each attack passed through him as if he were an illusion.
"This… This is impossible!"
Her mind raced. The CR-Unit was cutting-edge combat tech, yet against Ryuu, it was utterly useless.
Before she could react, a hand gripped her throat and lifted her effortlessly into the air.
Origami gasped, struggling against his iron grip. Her legs kicked, her hands clawed, but nothing budged.
Ryuu's golden eyes glowed coldly.
"See? Your so-called 'strength' is meaningless," he said.
Origami's breathing turned erratic as she fought for air. Her CR-Unit's system prepared to deploy a defensive field, but before it could activate—
Ryuu threw her.
She crashed onto the rooftop floor, coughing as she clutched her neck, gasping for breath. A red mark was already forming on her skin.
"Cough… cough… I… I won't give up," she rasped.
Ryuu turned away. "When you stop relying on that garbage armor, come find me again."
He left her there without another word.
Origami watched his back, her vision still spinning from the impact.
"I will prove myself. No matter what it takes."
---
Meanwhile…
As Ryuu walked back to the classroom, he noticed a familiar scene unfolding in the hallway.
Shidou Shiori stood in front of their homeroom teacher, Okamine Tamae, struggling to form words.
"Um… Sensei… your clothes today look very cute!"
Tamae blinked, clearly thrown off.
"Huh? Oh… uh… really? Well, I do feel a little self-conscious…"
Shiori forced an awkward smile. "Yes! They match you perfectly! And, uh, your hairstyle, glasses, and… um…"
She was floundering. Badly.
Tamae shifted uncomfortably. "Uh… Itsuka-san, can I go now?"
"S-Sorry, Sensei!"
Ryuu sighed.
"This has Kotori's influence all over it."
Sure enough, Shiori was being fed lines through an earpiece. The awkward delivery, the hesitation—Ratatoskr was clearly up to something again.
Deciding to intervene, Ryuu casually walked over.
"Yo, Shiori," he greeted. "Haven't seen you all afternoon. What's up?"
Shiori's face stiffened.
Kotori's excited voice came through the earpiece.
"Perfect timing, Nee-san! This is your chance! Try using your charm on him—make him fall for you!"
Shiori panicked internally.
"Kotori, what the hell are you talking about?!"
"Just say something flirty! Compliment him!"
Shiori gulped and turned to Ryuu.
"U-Um… uh—, I mean, Ryuu! Your outfit today looks… very handsome!"
Ryuu stared blankly.
"We're both wearing the same school uniform," he deadpanned.
Shiori froze.
"Kotori, you idiot! Why did you make me say that?!"
"A-Ahahaha! Whoops! My bad!"
Shiori felt her soul leaving her body.
"No choice. Time for Plan B…"
Kotori's voice returned through the earpiece.
"Just repeat after me!"
Shiori, desperate to salvage the situation, nodded.
She took a deep breath and, with forced confidence, recited:
"Ryuu… I… I've always liked you! I'm really happy we're in the same class! During lessons, I can't stop staring at you! You're so cool and amazing! I admire you so much! So, um… w-would you be my girlfriend?!"
Silence.
Ryuu blinked.
Shiori blinked.
The words that came out of her mouth slowly processed in her brain.
"...Huh?"
Her face turned bright red.
"Wait, what did I just say?! THAT WASN'T RIGHT!"
Ryuu… burst out laughing.
"Ahahahaha! Oh, man, that was good!" he said, wiping a tear from his eye. "I gotta admit, I didn't expect that."
Shiori wanted to crawl into a hole and die.
"Kotori!!!"
"Ahahaha! Oops?"
Ryuu chuckled and patted her shoulder. "Word of advice, Shiori—next time you confess to someone, maybe organize your words better first."
With that, he walked away, still grinning.
Shiori, meanwhile, was left frozen in place, red as a tomato.
Kotori was dying of laughter in her earpiece.
"Pfft—Nee-san, I think you just made history."
=====
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