Three days passed in a blur.
Between resting, eating like a man who had never seen luxury food before (seriously, who eats golden toast and eggs with caviar on a Tuesday morning?), and experimenting with my power, I was starting to settle into the rhythm of this strange, ridiculous new life.
The house was quiet again, eerily so. Just me, Hayama, and a team of polite maids who acted like I was made of glass and unicorn tears.
But the real focus? My ability. The Celestial Workshop.
After that first attempt, I'd been testing its limits like a kid with a new game console—and what I found was both thrilling and terrifying.
Turns out, I could only have three items queued for manifestation at any given time. And the time it took? Not instant. Not even close.
Mundane items—simple tools, clothes, even basic weapons—those popped out almost immediately. A dagger, a sleek phone, a lockpick set.
But anything advanced—anything that touched on future tech or magic—took time. Real time.
All created in a few seconds to a few minutes, ready to be summoned into my hand from the workshop. Right, the workshop also has an inbuilt inventory like those in the games. Unfortunately I can only store items made by the workshop.
Here's what I had in my current queue:
An enchanted amulet for minor energy reinforcement. Small item, moderate effect. Estimated manifestation: 1 hour, 23 minutes. (almost done now).
The Kavacha and Kundala from Type-Moon Verse. A divine set of golden armor (Kavacha) and a golden earring (Kundala) given to Karna. The two come as a set. A powerful defensive armor that emits the radiance of the sun, integrating with your body. Because it's light itself taking shape, it is difficult to destroy, even for gods. Estimated time: 30 days. (because why not? And it looks cool)
The Dragon's Elixir—It was needed to improve my physique and grant me the ability to use mana. I don't want to rely on using physical items. Estimated time: 15 days.
And yes, I tried to add a fourth item. The workshop flat-out denied me. I got a shimmering red X over the fourth design, along with a text that appeared in glowing silver words:
"Manifestation queue limit reached. Please wait."
So that was the rule: three max in the pipeline. Once something manifested, I could summon it to my workshop inventory, and it would stay there until I dismissed or used it. But until then, I had to wait.
I leaned back in the armchair in the corner of my room, the city below was waking up, and here I was, building magical tech in my brain like I was some kind of anime Tony Stark with a crafting addiction.
Three soft knocks echoed against the door.
"Young master," Hayama's voice came through with practiced calm, "it's time."
Time? Oh… right.
I adjusted my uniform jacket, pausing briefly to look at myself in the mirror. Crisp black blazer, white shirt, deep red undershirt, black slacks—tailored, sharp, expensive. I looked the part of a polished, high-class transfer student.
Today was the day. My first day at Kuoh Academy.
As a 2nd year, which means I still have a year before canon starts.
On the outside, Kuoh Academy was just a normal elite high school. Good grades, prestigious reputation, clean white buildings with ivy-covered walls and a massive front gate. But I knew better.
Only I knew who ran it.
Rias Gremory. Sona Sitri
Devil nobles. Sisters of the Maous. Two devils who ruled over this place in quiet authority, hidden in the day-to-day normalcy. Their peerages worked behind the scenes, managing supernatural affairs while posing as model students and student council leaders.
No one else had any idea. Not the staff, not the regular students. But I did. I knew exactly how deep this rabbit hole went.
—
The drive to school passed in silence, save for the low hum of the engine and the faint classical music Hayama always played. I didn't mind the quiet. It gave me time to think.
Kuoh Academy came into view: red-bricked buildings, carefully maintained grounds, and a warm breeze cutting through the cherry blossom trees. On the surface, everything looked ordinary.
But behind that ordinary mask, I knew the truth.
Kuoh wasn't just a school. It was neutral ground—a balancing point in the chaos of devils, angels, and fallen.
And now, I was part of it.
Class 2-B.
The classroom fell into a hush the moment I stepped through the door.
"Please welcome our new transfer student," the teacher announced, glancing at the sheet in her hand. "Mishima Tatsuya. He'll be joining us from today."
I stepped forward, calm and composed. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
That's when the reaction hit.
The girls erupted in hushed whispers, some outright squealing. One clutched her hands to her chest, while another immediately leaned toward her friend and whispered something that made both of them giggle. I caught phrases like "cool hair," "movie star vibes," and—unfortunately—"prince-type."
Meanwhile, the guys... were not thrilled.
A couple of them narrowed their eyes. One leaned back in his chair with an audible sigh. Another quietly muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, "Just what we needed, another pretty boy." "Mishima?"
So yeah. First impressions? Mixed.
"Take the seat by the window," the teacher said, clearly used to the chaos. "Next to Hyoudou."
I nodded and walked over, ignoring the stares. The boy I was sitting next to—brown hair, average build—glanced at me with a lazy half-interest before returning to doodling on his notebook.
Issei Hyoudou.
I knew that name. Knew what he was. But right now, he looked like any other teenage guy bored in homeroom.
Class began, and the room slowly settled. I pulled out a notebook and started writing, keeping my focus casual. I heard a notification sound echoing in my mind, probably the amulet, I decided to check it later after class.
From the corner of my eye, I could already hear it.
Giggles. Whispers. The unmistakable sound of girls losing their minds.
"Did you see his eyes? He's like a prince—!"
"No, no, that hair! So perfect…"
"I think I just saw him smile—oh my god!"
I didn't even need to look. I could feel the heat of a dozen stares drilling into the side of my face. Apparently, existing was enough to start a fan club around here.
"…Hey," a voice grumbled beside me. "You hearing that?"
I turned slightly.
The brown-haired guy beside me had a pout on his face like someone just told him Christmas was canceled. His eyes flicked from me to the classroom, then back to me.
"You a model or something?" he asked, not even bothering to hide the frustration.
"Not even close," I replied.
"Tch." He slumped in his chair. "This school's cursed. I swear. First the kendo girls beat me up for saying hi too loud, now some perfect transfer student walks in and turns the classroom into a shojo anime."
I glanced at him. "Hyoudou Issei, right?"
His eyes lit up with a grin. "So you do know me!"
"Yeah," I said casually. "Porn stash in middle school, tried to climb the girls' changing room fence, nearly expelled twice. Kind of hard to forget."
He froze mid-grin. "Okay, wow. That… hurts, man."
I smirked just slightly. "Lucky guess."
He groaned and dropped his head on the desk. "And now you're funny too. Great. Just what I needed—another tall, mysterious dude to steal what little oxygen the girls used to send my way."
"Was there oxygen?" I asked, looking genuinely curious.
"There was! I got a chocolate once during Valentine's!" he snapped. "It was from a teacher, and she said it was out of pity, but still!"
From the front of the class, I heard more giggling. Someone whispered, "Did you see him smile just now? He's so mysterious!"
I sighed. "This is going to be exhausting."
Issei groaned again. "Tell me about it. I've been exhausting myself trying to get noticed, and here you come, doing absolutely nothing but breathing and blinking like a damn legend."
Despite myself, I almost laughed. Almost.
Still, under all that whining and dramatics, Issei was harmless—at least for now. Just a walking hormone with zero filter.
Loud. Annoying and Kind of stupid.