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I opened my eyes and glanced at the clock. It was already 10 AM. I slowly got out of bed, washed up, ate breakfast, and headed out.
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Since it was a day off, Kuoh Town had transformed from a peaceful little town into a bustling hub of activity. The streets were filled with students, but I was heading towards the academy.
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To improve my physical strength and magic power, I needed to find more tasks and earn rewards. So, my plan was to search for and complete tasks within the academy grounds.
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My primary target was the other Devil gathering place: the Student Council.
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But to my pleasant surprise, I ran into one of the people I most wanted to meet before I even reached the school gates...
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Student Council President Sona Sitri, and her Vice President, Tsubaki Shinra.
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"Well, well, if it isn''t Sona-kaichou and Tsubaki-san. What a coincidence."
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"Hehe, indeed, Hibari-san. It is quite a coincidence. We were just about to go looking for you, and here you are. But why are you pretending to be so listless? Are you trying to avoid attention?"
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Sona''s gaze behind her glasses was complex, and her expression was strange.
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"Well, this..."
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Hearing Sona''s pointed questions, I couldn''t help but feel a twitch in the corner of my mouth. This was definitely Tomoe''s fault for exaggerating things again!
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That blabbermouth, Tomoe!
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"I''m not hiding anything. This is just how I am, Sona-san. I..."
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Before I could finish, Tsubaki cut me off. "If you''re going to keep pretending, then there''s no point in talking!"
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''That loudmouth Tomoe, what nonsense did she spread this time?'' Seeing Tsubaki''s stern tone, I knew that pretending was useless. But I still inwardly cursed.
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...
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Unbeknownst to me, this encounter was orchestrated by Sona. She had been having her familiars monitor me since I left my house, all the way to the school... all to create this "Chance" encounter.
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[Ding! Discovered target character: Sona Sitri. Task Grade: Red. Task Condition: Refuse to become her peerage member and help her find a peerage member with a Sacred Gear.]
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[Ding! Discovered target character: Tsubaki Shinra. Task Grade: Red. Task Condition: Defeat her in a direct confrontation.]
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I looked at the newly issued tasks and nodded thoughtfully. They were both High-class, so the task grades were within my expectations.
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But thinking about the [Rinnegan] I received from the last Red Grade reward, I couldn''t help but get excited about these two new Red Grade tasks.
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However, Sona''s task was a bit of a headache. Refusing her offer was easy, but finding her a peerage member with a Sacred Gear was troublesome.
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Male candidates were out of the question. But finding a female Sacred Gear wielder was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
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Although, I did have the Vritra''s Sacred Gears I extracted from Saji...
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Damn, how could I forget about that! I had a ready-made Sacred Gear. Why bother looking for another one? I could just find a girl I knew and implant the Sacred Gear in her.
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''Tsk tsk tsk'', this task was easier than I thought.
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As for Tsubaki''s task, that was even simpler. Although I couldn''t fully utilize my power yet, I was at least at Peak High-class.
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...
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Seeing my expression shift from a frown to a slight smile, Sona, who had no idea what I was thinking, was a little confused.
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"Since we''ve met here, Hibari-san, I won''t beat around the bush."
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"With your intelligence, you probably already know why I''m looking for you. That''s right, Tomoe has told me about you. You have exceptional talent and potential. Therefore, I would like to invite you to become my peerage member! Will you accept?"
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"...."
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I looked at the familiar scene before me and sighed helplessly.
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"Sigh, you and Rias are really two peas in a pod. But Tomoe should have told you that I already rejected Rias. I have no intention of becoming a Devil at the moment. So, I''m sorry, Sona-san."
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"I heard about that from Tomoe, but I still wanted to try. I won''t give up so easily..."
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"Rias and I are quite similar in this regard. We''re both very persistent when it comes to the things we want. I''m sure Rias feels the same way."
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Having already anticipated my refusal, Sona didn''t seem too disappointed. But a hint of regret still lingered on her face.
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"Heh, you and Rias are truly good friends. You even act the same when recruiting peerage members. But that''s what makes you so charming, Sona-san!"
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Hearing my compliment, Sona blushed slightly. "Thank you for the compliment, Hibari-san. I''m honored."
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After chatting with Sona, I couldn''t help but admire her. As the heiress of the Sitri Clan, she carried herself with grace and elegance.
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Now that the system tasks had been issued, I needed to plan how to complete them. So, I didn''t want to linger here any longer.
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"In that case, I have some things to take care of. I''ll take my leave. See you later, Sona-san, Tsubaki-san."
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...
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After saying goodbye, I turned and headed towards the academy classrooms.
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It wasn''t until my figure disappeared from their sight that Tsubaki finally spoke. "Kaichou, why didn''t you let me test him? If I could defeat him, wouldn''t it be easier to make him your peerage member?"
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Hearing Tsubaki''s suggestion, Sona calmly explained, "Rias met him first and intends to recruit him. I need to inform her first. So now is not the best time for you to fight Hibari-san. I''ll ask for Rias''s permission to let you two have a proper match."
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"Alright, if it''s because of Rias-sama, then I''ll have a proper match with Hibari-san later."
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Then, Sona and Tsubaki headed towards the Occult Research Club, intending to discuss the matter of me with Rias.
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...
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Meanwhile, I was aimlessly wandering around the academy grounds.
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''What a busy morning...'' I had searched almost the entire academy and hadn''t triggered a single new task. It was frustrating.
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Just as I was starting to doubt myself, a girl with brown hair in a braided ponytail and glasses appeared in my line of sight.
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It was Aika Kiryuu.
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In the original story, she was Issei''s classmate and Asia''s friend. She was one of the few girls who could interact normally with the perverted trio. She often teased them.
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She wore glasses and claimed to have "Super Eyes" that could accurately gauge the size of a guy''s "little brother."
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She often taught Asia some rather lewd things and loved to talk about explicit topics.