CH 17

Surprises had become a common occurrence for Jin over the past few days. Regaining his memories, obtaining the System, discovering the supernatural, and getting attacked by a madman wielding a light sword and a handgun were enough to keep anyone on edge.

His focus on the supernatural had caused him to overlook something. He didn't even notice that today felt different. And this time, it had nothing to do with the supernatural. In fact, he had forgotten about the band-aid on his cheek until now.

As Jin glanced around suspiciously, he couldn't help but wonder if this strange atmosphere was somehow supernatural in nature.

The school was unusually quiet. No shrieks from girls, no one yelling his name. Instead, the girls who looked at him widened their eyes before turning to their friends and whispering.

'Strange. Did that man curse me? Why are those girls looking at me so strangely? Why aren't they calling my name like usual?'

Even Issei seemed to notice the unusual atmosphere.

"Strange… Those girls who always scream your name at the top of their lungs are quiet today! What's going on?!"

Turning to Jin, he asked, "Don't you think so too, Nii-san?"

"Yeah," Jin replied shortly.

"What the heck happened?"

Both brothers walked down the hallway, confusion evident on their faces. This wasn't what Jin had expected on the day of his date with Sona. He had anticipated some rumors flying around due to someone from the student council seeing him with one of the Three Great Onee-sama of Kuoh Academy.

'I need to ask someone who knows about rumors to figure out what's going on.'

With that thought in mind, Jin quickened his pace toward his classroom.

"Are you actually stupid, Jin?"

Those were the first words the bespectacled girl said when Jin asked if she knew what had happened at school. She looked down at Jin, who sat at his desk, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Huh?"

Jin blinked in confusion. He had asked a serious question, considering how his experience from yesterday had started to affect his daily life. But instead of a proper answer, she questioned his intelligence.

"I mean… are you seriously asking me of all people what those girls think of you?" the girl asked.

"Of course. Who else?"

Jin looked at the girl—Aika—seriously, causing her lips to curl into a teasing smile.

"Oho? Does that mean you've finally acknowledged my love?"

"I never said that. What I meant was—"

Instead of finishing his sentence, Jin glanced at a random girl in the class. The moment their eyes met, the girl quickly looked away, her face turning red as she began whispering excitedly to her friend.

Turning back to Aika, Jin said, "See?"

"Ah, so that's the reason."

Aika chuckled bitterly, a knowing look in her eyes.

"Must be tough being so popular. Thanks to that, you only have one female friend, huh?"

"True. And that's exactly why I asked you—my friend—instead of any of those girls. They can't even talk to me properly."

"And so you came to me…" Aika smirked, adjusting her glasses. "Well, I do know the reason."

She pointed at Jin's cheek, specifically at the band-aid. Following her gesture, Jin touched the band-aid, his eyes widening slightly as he exclaimed:

"Oh… Is this the reason?"

"Yep. You probably didn't realize it, but the girls freaked out when they saw it. They've been coming up with all kinds of wild theories—like you getting kissed or stabbed by a stalker or something."

"That's… wild," Jin replied with a bitter chuckle. "What am I, some kind of exotic animal?"

"Pretty much," Aika laughed. "You're one of the two 'endangered species' of Kuoh Academy."

"Let me guess—the other one is the 'Prince of Kuoh,' right?"

"Bingo!"

Jin sighed. If his popularity was really that high, getting milk to increase his Lifespan would be a piece of cake. Still, something about it didn't sit right with him.

If things continued like this, he could probably reach his goal of 100 years in just two or three months—especially since he planned to drink milk every day from now on.

'But that wouldn't be interesting for Lady Selene, who asked me to share my adventures with her. There must be something else I don't know about…'

Jin's gaze darkened slightly as he thought, 'The higher levels of the System must have features that require Lifespan to use.'

As he pondered, Aika suddenly spoke up again.

"Anyway, let's talk about a very interesting rumor. This one's caught my attention more than your little question."

Jin looked at her lazily.

"What is it?"

"Well, let's just say I heard it from a little bird…" Aika placed a hand over her lips and smirked. "Is it true that you're going on a date with Shitori Sona—one of the Three Great Onee-sama—after school today? Someone overheard your conversation at the front gate."

"Oh, that?" Jin replied casually. "Yeah, it's true. I beat her in a game, and as a reward, she agreed to go on a date with me. Well, it's not much different from what we did three days ago."

"Understandable," Aika nodded.

At that moment, the bell rang, signaling the start of class. The teacher entered the classroom.

"Well, good luck on your date, Jin," Aika whispered. "Take me out sometime, too."

"Yeah, sure," Jin replied, leaning back in his chair as the lesson began.

After school, Jin made his way to the student council room alone, as promised.

Was he nervous? Yes, if he was being honest. This date had the potential to change his entire life.

Through Sona, he hoped to learn more about the supernatural world. She was his only lead who wasn't hostile—at least, not yet.

From the information he had gathered from Freed's rambling yesterday, Jin was almost certain that Sona was a Devil. And judging by the similar aura he sensed from the other student council members, they were probably Devils as well.

As for the "Devil's stench" Freed mentioned, Jin figured it must have come from his uniform. Unlike his brother, Jin made a habit of washing his uniform every few days. But since yesterday was P.E. class, he hadn't washed it since the day before—the same day he had met with Sona. Their brief conversation had apparently been enough to leave a lingering scent.

Still, it was odd that Freed could distinguish the so-called "Devil's smell" from the faint scent of love he had gotten from Murayama. Maybe it was some kind of magic?

Either way, Jin had resolved to make Sona tell him about the supernatural world today—no matter the risk.

'Ignorance is more dangerous than knowing the truth,' Jin thought as he stopped in front of the student council room.

Without knocking, he opened the door.

Sona was already inside, waiting for him with a smile.

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"Welcome, Jin-kun. I've been waiting for you."

"Oh? It's an honor, Kaichou," Jin replied with a matching smile. Then, taking a step forward, he added, "Now then, shall we have a talk?"