Chapter 9 : Encounter

The Student Council of Babyls bore a monumental task: maintaining order among 666 uniquely troublesome demons. Fortunately, at the helm stood Azazel Ameri—formidable, righteous, and unwavering. With strength that crushed rebellion and a gaze that froze students in their tracks, she inspired respect and fear in equal measure.

Today was no exception. A troublemaker, swiftly dealt with. Justice, served.

Her vice president approached afterward, voice low with tension.

"President Ameri… we still haven't found Iruma Suzuki."

Ameri's expression didn't change, but her fingers twitched faintly at her side.

"He's the one who created the tree… The anomaly."

Another assistant added nervously,

"You mentioned 'humans' earlier. Do you really believe they exist?"

She turned slowly, her long hair sweeping like a curtain of silence behind her.

"Belief has little to do with it. I have proof."

Elsewhere, students laughed amongst themselves.

"Humans? That's just a myth!"

Later that night…

Alone in her office, Ameri allowed her stern mask to slip. She stepped to a private bookshelf, pressing her hand against an ancient seal etched into the wood. A quiet click echoed. A hidden compartment opened, revealing aged tomes wrapped in cloth—relics passed down through the Azazel bloodline.

From within, she pulled one of her "forbidden" treasures.

It was no grimoire. No cursed relic.

It was a human manga.

"First Love Memories" — a romantic tale from the human world. Though the letters were unreadable, the emotions leapt from the pages: longing gazes, trembling fingers, hearts beating in silence.

A blush crept up her cheeks.

"If this is how humans express love… then I must understand them."

Night.

Babyls lay under a blanket of shadows. Beneath the sakura tree he'd created earlier, Iruma quietly swept petals from the greenhouse floor.

They're gone now… Good.

His thoughts were calm, composed — but not cold. He found peace in this kind of silence. But his body tensed. Someone was approaching.

He turned the corner — just in time to collide with someone.

Impact. Stumble. Reaction.

He caught himself—and instinctively reached out as the other person tripped.

"Watch your step," he said, steady and calm. "You alright?"

Ameri blinked up from the floor, stunned. The moonlight cast silver over Iruma's face—soft, quiet, unreadable.

That face… that scene… it's just like the manga…

She scrambled to her feet, breath catching.

"Your name?"

A brief pause.

His violet eyes scanned hers carefully.

"Iruma Suzuki."

That was all it took.

Her brain went into overdrive. The tree. His aura. The human-like behavior. His lack of magic. The emotional timing.

"You…" she stepped closer. "You're Iruma. "

( No he is using human techniques—aren't he? To make me fall in love with him? )

Iruma's eyes narrowed, but only slightly. Not in shock—no, this was something different. His expression remained calm, but his thoughts were another matter entirely.

What is this? Iruma thought, his mind racing.

His gaze flickered over Ameri's flushed face, her fingers trembling as they brushed against his skin.

She's so close. Too close. And I can feel the weight of her curiosity... She's looking at me like I'm... something new, something unknown.

For a brief moment, Iruma considered pulling away. This was too risky, wasn't it? But there was something in her gaze—something sincere. Something that made his heart beat just a little faster, despite his better judgment.

Wait... focus, Iruma reminded himself, pushing aside the distraction. He couldn't afford to let his emotions get the better of him. Not now.

Not when everything was hanging on this delicate thread.

He reached deep inside himself, tapping into the energy swirling within him—the power of the Rinnegan. It felt like a quiet hum beneath his skin, but the moment his mind latched onto it, everything changed.

Let's see what's really behind her...

With a subtle shift in his focus, Iruma's Rinnegan began to stir, its power unfolding like the opening of a hidden door. A pulse of dark energy surrounded Ameri, and in that moment, Iruma was able to peer into the very fabric of her soul.

...She's different, Iruma thought, his pulse quickening.

What is this? There's something... strange about her.

Her soul wasn't like anyone else's. It was fierce, brimming with pride, but beneath the surface, there was something else—something softer, more vulnerable.

She's not just the Student Council president. She has the soul of a warrior... and..now.

Iruma's breath caught as he noticed the faint shimmer of something else: a connection, something faintly familiar.

Is that...?

His face began to turn red.

No, it can't be. Why is her soul so... entwined with that?

The image of the soul he'd seen, the familiar aura he'd brushed against, flared in his mind like an unwanted memory.

 It's the same signature I saw before. The one that felt... like sakura.

Iruma clenched his jaw, trying to maintain his composure. No, this isn't possible. I can't let her be—she can't see this. This... I can't let her understand me like this. Not now.

His pulse raced, not from fear, but from something more complicated. The sensation of her soul brushing against his, like an invisible tether, caused his mind to swirl.

 Am I... scared? Iruma thought, pushing that feeling aside. No. I'm just—

Before he could finish, her gaze flickered to him, her hand still gently holding his face, the warmth of her touch lingering. Iruma's heart skipped, a small, uncomfortable knot forming in his chest.

I don't need this distraction... he thought, trying to focus again. But even as he thought that, he couldn't shake the feeling of her presence, so close, so real. It was overwhelming in a way he hadn't expected. Focus. Focus, Iruma. You need to get a grip.

She's spiraling... too caught up in it.

"What happened to your ey—" she reached for him without finishing, fingers cupping his face.

She's not afraid. She's curious. That makes her dangerous.

Ameri's fingers trembled as she studied him. Her heart thundered in her chest.

He didn't pull away.

Then—his hand gently touched hers, lowering it.

"Hey," he said quietly. "You dropped your book."

Ameri blinked, dazed. Her gaze followed his hand… and froze.

No… That's…

The manga. First Love Memories. Right at her feet.

Her face went crimson.

Before she could retreat, Iruma asked coolly:

"You know this book?"

"What… book?" she muttered, voice caught in her throat.

"It's called manga," Iruma said. "From the human world."

Ameri's eyes widened again—red-faced, reeling, heart racing.

He knows… He knows too much…

 ( Why did Iruma tell Ameri about something so sacred detail to her? Well because while using Renniegan iruma can detect soul of other being like emotion , fear , love ,angry .)