Chapter 4: Chapter 3: New Normal
I looked at my new body in the bathroom body. I could see the resemblance to my old body, it was kind of creepy to see how I would look if I was Japanese but I didn't mind it much, I didn't exactly have many attachments to my last life.
According to my set of memories, I was Yuta Yukimura, both parents died of separate cases of vehicular slaughter, in fact, according to my deceased parents in this world, my great great grandfather was the first ever case of vehicular manslaughter in Japan.
Man, this bloodline attracted automobiles to them like moths to a flame.
I had shaggy dark brown hair reaching down to my shoulders and brown eyes too, as always, my eyes still looked like that of a dead fish even in another world. My face wasn't anything impressive, not ugly or anything, hell, I was maybe a little good-looking. Nothing that would turn someone's head or have someone take a second look but it was passable.
...Or is it my Helltaker trait working on me making my reflection more attractive? Maybe I look like a troglodyte but just think I look good due to the trait?
[Alert: User is not affected by the trait Helltaker]
Oh, that's a weight off my chest.
As for my body, I was skinny, my previous body wasn't exactly keeping himself in good health. Well, nothing that couldn't be fixed with some working out and abusing Pearl Jam.
Then the last part was...
'That doesn't seem right.'
My penis was larger. Considerably. Like, 9 inches large maybe. Would that even fit inside someone? That's almost like the length from my elbow to my wrist. What the fuck happened? I don't remember my previous body packing this much heat either. I was at a respectable like, 6 inches last I checked. -Oh wait.
Enhanced Vitality.
...Well, as with most men, I was not going to whine about my baton turning into a club. I would figure out the logistics of how this slab would fit inside someone later, if I ever get to that is.
Washing my face, I got dressed in the Kuoh men's uniform which was a black blazer with white accents over a white, long-sleeved, button-down shirt with vertical linings, with matching black pants, and brown dress shoes. There was also a black ribbon too but no way in hell was I putting that on.
Call me a rebel, I don't care, I am not tying a ribbon around my neck.
Hmm, maybe I should find more comfortable clothes and just use [Disguise] on them to make them appear like the uniform. Yeah, I was definitely doing that. Probably after I get a good judge of Rias' character first.
I don't want to reveal my hand to her before I make sure she isn't putting a collar on me or something then ordering me to bark for her.
Giving myself a once over to make sure I was presentable I went downstairs to see Rias lounging on my couch waiting for me. Seeing me come from from upstairs, Rias stood up.
"You're finally dressed? I was starting to get worried since you were taking so long."
"Sorry about that, I was just having an existential crisis over my lost humanity and apparent new servitude. Still not done processing death but I'll get there eventually." Rias shot me a mildly concerned look.
"Are feeling alright?" Comparatively? I was. I was pretty mentally resilient, or I like to think I am. I was used to the rough life.
"Yeah, I am, I am just trying to wrap my head around all of this supernatural stuff. It's still pretty hard to understand it all, I am a devil and I don't even know what it all means." Rias put a finger to her chin before coming up with something.
"Well, if you are so confused then how about I give you a quick crash course on Devils and the supernatural?"
"Yeah, I'd... appreciate that."
At least now I would get to know what the hell a devil and peerage were.
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I laid my head on the table as I tried to process everything Rias laid on me.
"Are you ok Yuta-kun? Do you need to lie down?" Rias tilted her head at me like she didn't just shatter my entire perception of reality.
"With all due respect, you just told me almost all major religions are real and that I am now the servant to one of the pillar families of hell after the entire bible fought each other then the Ars Goetia fought each other. I trying to cope with my perception of reality being shattered. And I am not exactly stoked about being turned into a servant either."
"Don't worry Yuta-kun, although I am your king, I won't force you to do anything you don't want to do. Besides, you can climb the ranks to become a noble High Devil yourself." I prefer my life not to be a pyramid scheme thank you.
"Well, I don't want to be a servant. Could I please get a refund on my freedom? You did say you wouldn't force me to do anything I didn't want to do." Rias made a difficult expression that also looked a little sad.
"Why? As a part of my peerage, you are a minor noble yourself as a low-class Devil part of a Pillar Household. If you prove yourself you can even become a High Class devil and have your own peerage. Doesn't the idea of riches and a harem interest you? If you are worried about your freedom, the Gremory family is known for treating their Peerages fairly, as I said, I promise on the name of my family I will not force you to do anything you don't want to." Rias said while I still stared at her with my dead eyes which made her feel quite awkward.
"That's great and all but... the idea of losing my own autonomy just doesn't sit right with me. You have been nothing but hospitable since I have met you Rias-san." Rias smiled a little at that, a hint of rose brushing her cheeks. "But I have no way of knowing who you really are. You may be good but I don't want to place my freedom in the hands of someone I met just an hour ago."
Rias released a sigh at that and slumped her shoulders slightly.
"That's... understandable. But there aren't any known cases of a Devil leaving a Peerage without becoming a High-Class Devil or getting traded." Fuck. "But, if you are truly sure that you don't want to be a part of my peerage I will understand. I could ask my brother for a favour to get you out of my peerage without getting branded as a stray devil and refund the pawn pieces I used to revive you since nobody knows I reincarnated you."
I looked at her with wide eyes, I didn't expect that to actually work.
"Wait really? You would be willing to do that?" Rias nodded but then held up a single finger.
"But I want to ask something from you before that." I nodded, not like there was much I had that she could ask for. I could still part with a kidney or two.
"I want you to give me a chance." Rias declared with a smile, puffing her chest out.
"A chance?"
"Yes, I want you to stay in my peerage for... a month. Yes, a month. All I want from you is to genuinely participate and get along with my peerage for the duration of a month. I want you to be a part of my peerage for a month, and if by the end of that month, you still want to leave my peerage, you can do so."
Well, I don't think there is any devil that would give me a kinder deal than that. Hell, it's not even like a genuine deal or anything, she just seems like she wholeheartedly wants me to be a part of her peerage.
And if she is trying to trick me... well. Only one of us had a reality-bending gacha behind them.
"Alright, since you did save my life this is the least I could do." Rias beamed a smile at me, making me slightly blush and avert my eyes, she had a cheat-like charisma, didn't she? It's a bit annoying to be reduced to a blushing teen but I was a regular schmuck against Girl Satan that was prettier than any model.
"I'm glad. Welcome to my family Yuta-kun. I hope you will enjoy it. Now, how about we go to school? I want you to meet the rest of your fellow peerage members." I nodded to her.
"Okay but would you mind me getting some breakfast first? I don't know about you but I am stricken with some post-morten hunger." Rias giggled at my joke.
"Alright, how about we go to a cafe I know? We have some time until school, they make very good sandwiches. My treat, I want to spoil my cute new family after all." Woah, was this how it was like to have a sugar mommy?
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~Yuta Yukimura~
I admit, my view of Rias has considerably improved. Maybe it's because I am starved for affection or because of her legendarily good looks but she was nice to be around.
I am absolutely not saying this because she treated me to an expensive breakfast in a high-end cafe on her own dime, because of course on top of looking like a model she was also loaded. But as expected of an Heiress of a Devil Noble family.
Sure, I held my scepticism toward her but she hasn't given me a reason to be wary of her other than reviving me without my consent but I honestly prefer becoming a servant to dying.
Besides, when I asked she helpfully supplied me with the info that Evil Pieces, the things she used to reincarnate me with, did not have any magical binding or obedience powers to force me to obey anything. Just the looming threat of getting punished or being branded as a stray devil, basically an outlaw, if you escape.
We got more familiar with each other during breakfast, mostly me getting to know her than the other way around because there wasn't anything important to learn about me. Apparently, Rias wasn't some 1000-year-old Devil masquerading as a high schooler for some reason but was actually a high schooler.
She just really liked Japanese culture and anime so much that she wanted to go high school in anime land. I suppose even in another world and race rich people are rather eccentric. She was also the Heiress of the Gremory clan.
The questions she asked me were mostly about my interests and schedule, she actually scolded me for some reason when she heard of my sleeping schedule. Not order or rebuke but scold, like a mother or older sister would do to their younger sibling.
Given how she treats me I feel more like I have been adopted rather than enslaved.
I said I would work on my sleep schedule for her but I didn't expect any changes anytime soon, I had insomnia, and now that I was a night-dwelling creature I wasn't changing my habits.
After breakfast we walked to school together, Kuoh Academy, a school that had recently gone from girls-only to mixed-gender resulting in a very skewed female-to-male ratio. This resulted in some boys registering for the high-end academy just to be perverts. Like the infamous Pervert Trio.
Three very infamous boys in my grade who were responsible for worsening the opinion the girls in Kuoh had of all boys, such as me. I can't wrap my head around how they can peek in on girls changing so much yet never get expelled, well, they do get beaten pretty bad pretty often by the Kendo club.
Why am I mentioning those goobers? It's simple, their reputation reflects onto me since I am, if it wasn't obvious by now, a man, one of the minority in the school. And I was a well-known loner and all-around nobody, often called creepy, and rumoured to be a pervert since I am in the same class as the most notorious pervert of the Trio, one Issei Hyoudou.
So when I came to Kuoh Academy basically arm in arm with a satisfied-looking Rias who was basically the idol of this school the girls and boys burst into chatter. Which was to be expected, loner 1# and the high school idol walked into school together, that is precisely the type of dumb stuff that high schoolers love to spread rumours about.
"Alright Yuta-kun, I'll send someone to get you after school to meet the rest of your fellow peerage members ok?" With those words Rias departed, leaving me alone to face school once more.
Sigh...
Sighing I looked up at the ceiling. A lot has happened in a short time. At least classes will give me some time to process what the hell happened.
I guess even the devil needs to attend high school huh?
A/N: Yuta finally gets his bearings and gets some of the answers to his many questions. This chapter wasn't as packed with action as the last two but Yuta is finally taking his first steps into this wild and wacky world of Devils, Gods and Dragons.
Also, I figured that, with how Rias usually acts in canon and how important her peerage is to her to the point where she basically counts them as her own family she would let someone out of peerage if they truly did not want to be a part of her peerage that she would not force them to. But she is confident in her ability to convince someone. I wonder how she will convince Yuta when he has the Helltaker Trait? :3
What did you guys think about the developments in this chapter and Yuta's reaction to his new world? I would love to know. It may feel a bit slow right now but it will start to pick up soon.
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