Point of View: Hajime
The sunset bathed the city of Kuoh in golden and orange hues, reflecting off the windows of buildings and setting the autumn leaves aglow with warm light. To passersby, it was merely the end of another ordinary day. But to Hajime Nagumo, it was a constant reminder that peace was nothing more than an illusion.
Leaning against a tree in the central park, arms crossed and face unreadable, Hajime watched a couple from afar. A brown-haired boy with an awkward gait chatted animatedly beside a beautiful girl with long black hair. Her light blue eyes shimmered in the fading light, and her voice rang sweet and gentle.
"Do you still believe in luck, Issei?" Hajime murmured to himself, his low voice carried away by the wind.
Issei Hyoudou, his childhood friend, looked nervous. It was obvious. His hands were sweating, and his hesitant smile betrayed the shaky excitement of youth. The girl had introduced herself as Yuma Amano, but Hajime knew better. The energy radiating from her wasn't human.
It wasn't intense. In fact, it was subtle—subtle enough to fool any normal person.
But Hajime wasn't normal.
He recognized that spiritual vibration. He had felt it before. In places where gods had fallen and monsters had wept before dying.
It was the energy of a Fallen Angel.
Even so, he wouldn't intervene. Not yet. The immediate danger was minimal. And Issei… he deserved the chance to see for himself. To awaken. Maybe to shatter the last bit of innocence still left inside him.
"I just hope it won't be too late," he whispered.
Point of View: Issei
Issei felt like he was in a dream. Walking beside Yuma Amano felt like something straight out of a movie. His heart raced, and his face felt like it was about to burst into flames.
She was just... perfect.
"Yuma-chan… are you really enjoying being out with me?" he asked, unable to hide his nervousness.
She smiled—a smile that could make time itself freeze.
"Of course, Issei-kun. You're… special."
Those words lit a fire in his chest. Everything felt so right, so unreal. Maybe luck had finally decided to give him a break.
But then, without warning, she stopped.
They were now in the middle of the clearing in the park. Not a soul around. No birdsong. The world seemed silent.
"Issei-kun… can I ask you a favor?" she said, still wearing that sweet smile.
"S-sure! Anything!"
Her smile didn't change… but her eyes turned cold.
"Would you… die for me?"
Time stopped.
"Huh?"
A burst of dark light exploded around the girl's body. Her clothes disintegrated into particles of energy, revealing a provocative suit of armor and black wings that unfurled with a sharp snap. In her right hand, a white spear of light took shape—razor-sharp and cold as ice.
"W-WHAT THE—?!"
"My name is Raynare. Yuma Amano never existed." Her voice was cold now. Cruel. Devoid of affection.
Issei stumbled backward, frozen in terror. His body refused to move. That woman… that thing… was going to kill him.
And then, the air changed.
Point of View: Hajime
The moment had finally arrived.
Raynare's murderous presence tore through the air like a spiritual blade. And Hajime responded. Not with a shout. Not with an attack. Just one step forward.
But that step carried something the world wasn't ready to feel.
His aura erupted in silence—vast, crushing, suffocating. Like winter arriving without warning. The space around him seemed to shrink. The sound dulled. Even the trees appeared to hesitate.
Raynare stopped. She felt it.
Fear.
It wasn't demonic magic. It wasn't holy power. It was something else.
Something primal.
"Leave him alone," Hajime said, his voice calm as ever.
Raynare turned slowly. Her eyes widened at the sight of white hair, blazing crimson eyes. That presence… it didn't belong to any being she knew.
"W-who… who are you?" she asked, voice trembling.
Hajime didn't answer. He just walked forward.
Raynare's arm shook. Instinctively, she dispelled the spear.
"Tch… lucky day, human," she muttered before launching into the sky and vanishing into the shadows.
Point of View: Rias
Hidden in the shadows among the trees, Rias Gremory watched the scene with clenched fists. She had come to the park after sensing a sacred disturbance—a clear sign of an attack. A Fallen Angel, just as she suspected. She had been ready to act. Ready to save the boy she had been watching for weeks: Issei Hyoudou.
But she hadn't needed to.
Because he had already been saved.
By Hajime Nagumo.
"Hajime Nagumo…" she murmured in surprise.
She knew him. A classmate since their second year. Always polite, quiet, invisible to most.
But what she had felt just now… wasn't normal.
The spiritual pressure that had lingered for those few seconds was… alien. Not magical. Not divine. It was something raw. Wild. And disturbingly stable.
She was the only one there who truly understood what that meant.
"You've stayed hidden all this time… and now this," she whispered.
Her interest flared like a flame caught by the wind.
Point of View: Issei
Hours later, Issei lay sprawled on the enormous couch in the mansion where Hajime lived. Still in shock. Still trying to understand everything.
The girl who tried to kill him. The wings. The spear. The transformation.
And Hajime… his old friend who had always avoided conflict… facing danger like it was nothing.
The mansion was too big, too quiet. The modern furniture clashed with classical details. There were books in languages Issei couldn't even identify, ancient swords on the walls, and even a library that smelled faintly of incense.
And of course… the catgirl he'd seen earlier, now hiding upstairs.
"Are you a secret agent? A superhero? An alien?" he asked, baffled.
"None of that," Hajime replied from the kitchen. "Just someone who's seen too much."
"Why didn't you ever tell me?"
"Because the world is dangerous, Issei. The less you know, the longer you live."
Issei made a face.
"That sounds way too much like, 'I'm dark and mysterious because I carry a burden.'"
"It's not that dramatic," Hajime said, tossing him a bottle of water. "Just understand one thing: you're not safe. But I'll protect you. That's all."
"But… what happened today… she was a Fallen Angel? That's real?"
Hajime sat down across from him. His eyes were serious.
"Yes. And there's much more. Demons, angels, fallen, gods, forgotten creatures… the world you knew was only the surface. A mask hiding a war that never ended."
Issei swallowed hard.
"Then… why me? Why did she try to kill me?"
"Because there's something inside you. Something all those factions want. It's still dormant, but it shines brightly enough to be sensed."
Issei was quiet for a moment… then gave a nervous smile.
"This is… a lot. But if there's one person I trust to guide me through it… it's you, Hajime."
"I'll be here. Just keep your eyes open."
Point of View: Rias
Later, at the Occult Research Club, Rias stared out at the night through the window. The blue fire in the hearth crackled softly behind her.
Akeno approached, smiling gently.
"He intrigued you."
"He challenged me," Rias replied. "Without saying a single word."
She narrowed her eyes in thought.
"Tomorrow… I'll talk to him."
And for the first time in a long while, she felt a spark of genuine excitement.
She wanted to understand what Hajime Nagumo was. Or rather, what he was becoming
End of Chapter .