Highschool DxD : Actually Satan

Leo sat on a bench in the park, idly eating ice cream as the warm hues of the setting sun painted the sky in shades of orange and pink.

It was a rare moment of peace—just him, his tub of vanilla ice cream, and the soft rustling of leaves in the evening breeze.

A black crow perched beside him on the bench, its beady eyes fixated on his ice cream.

Without warning, the bird darted forward and pecked at the tub, scooping a bit of the creamy treat with its sharp beak.

Leo froze mid-scoop, staring at the bird as it audaciously stole another peck.

His ice-blue eyes narrowed in disbelief, and his grip on the spoon tightened.

He stared at the crow, his gaze sharpening with every stolen bite.

"Oh, you devilish bird…" he muttered slowly, setting the tub aside.

In one swift motion, he reached out, his hand snapping behind the bird's neck before it could react.

With a startled caw, the crow flapped its wings in a frenzy, trying to escape his iron grip.

Leo lifted it up, holding its squawking body aloft as he grinned like a madman.

"Gotcha," he said, laughing triumphantly. "After minutes of you annoying me, I finally get to annoy you back."

The crow cawed indignantly, its wings flapping harder, but Leo's grip held firm.

He held the bird up to eye level, his grin turning into an icy smirk.

"You think I'm done?" he asked, his voice dripping with mock menace. "Nah, your ass is getting domesticated."

The bird paused, tilting its head as if confused, its caws subsiding.

Leo leaned closer, locking eyes with the bewildered creature. "Welcome to human simulator, motherf***a."

He plopped the bird back onto the bench beside him, reclaiming his tub of ice cream with a victorious look. The crow sat there, momentarily stunned, before cautiously pecking at the edge of the bench, as if debating whether to risk another bite.

Leo laughed, taking a triumphant scoop from the tub. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Stay in your lane."

"Caw :⁠'⁠("

The bird stared at him, then let out a small caw of what sounded like regret.

Leo chuckled, shaking his head. "Fine. You get a pass this time, bird-brain." He nudged the tub slightly in its direction. "But only because you've got guts."

"You're atill coming with me though."

"Caw? (⁠*⁠_⁠*⁠)"

---

Leo strolled back home, headphones blasting J-Pop he had carefully curated in this world.

Ronan, the now officially named crow perched on his head like some magical guardian from a fantasy game, occasionally flapped his wings for balance.

It had been three years since he befriended the bird, luring it with a bag of Lay's chips he barely had the heart to share.

The artificial flavors and addictive preservatives had done their job, bonding the free-spirited bird to him in a way no one else could.

Today after eating ice cream with it , he'd decided it was time for Ronan to meet his parents properly.

Maybe he'd even set up a little nest for the bird on their balcony—a safe haven for the occasional visit.

It seemed like a good way to solidify their partnership, especially since Ronan had basically become a constant in his life.

As Leo reached the front gate of his house, he spotted someone odd.

Tsubaki Shinra stood near the gate, holding a piece of paper in her hand, her expression puzzled as she glanced between it and her surroundings.

She looked like she was searching for an address and was clearly out of place in the quiet neighborhood.

Curious, Leo leaned slightly forward and tapped her shoulder from behind. "Hello, you seem lost," he said casually.

The disoriented girl turned around sharply, gasping in surprise.

Her confusion morphed into faint relief when she saw him. "Oh, thank God," she said. "Can you help me find this address?" She held up the paper, pointing to the address written on it.

Leo took a glance at it, and his brain stalled for a moment.

Oh, that's my address, he thought.

Still, he tried to keep his composure and asked nonchalantly, "Why are you looking for this place? Is it for a friend or something?"

Tsubaki sighed, her annoyance clear in her tone. "Some guy skipped school on the first day," she said, narrowing her eyes.

"And, as if that wasn't bad enough, when we tried contacting his parents, we found out he filled out made-up phone numbers on the forms. So, I'm here to inform his parents."

With every word she spoke, Leo's face grew more and more comically neutral.

Oh, she's talking about me, he thought, slight panic creeping in.

Thinking quickly, he forced a clueless smile and pointed to the opposite end of the street. "Oh, that address? It should be down there, a couple of blocks that way," he said, his tone full of mock helpfulness.

Tsubaki tilted her head, studying him for a moment.

Her eyes narrowed slightly, and she suddenly glanced at the uniform he was wearing.

Then at his face.

Her gaze sharpened. "Wait a second…"

Leo's neutral expression shattered slightly. Oh no, she's figuring it out.

Before he could react, she said firmly, "You're the one I'm looking for, aren't you?"

Leo froze, staring at her with a blank expression.

In his mind, the words echoed like a death knell.

It's over. She knows. He thought jokingly.

She probably used some sort of magic to figure it out, but if there was one thing Leo excelled at, it was definitely playing the victim card.

Even if he didn't have the racial privileges, he figured it was worth a shot.

He scratched the back of his head awkwardly and gave her his best "guilty but innocent" look.

"Uh... I'd really appreciate it if you didn't tell my parents. It would make them really sad," he said, lowering his tone to sound as remorseful as possible.

"I swear this won't happen again, but I had to take this guy to the vet."

He pointed at Ronan, who was perched on his head, giving off the air of a sweet, concerned pet rather than his usual asshole self.

"I couldn't just watch him suffer, so I ditched school to get him the treatment he needed. I'm really sorry. My mom doesn't need to know about it... please?" he added, injecting a touch of desperation into his voice.

Tsubaki stared at him, clearly torn between following through with her duty and believing his story.

Ronan, as if understanding the stakes, fluffed up his feathers adorably and let out a soft, plaintive caw.

She sighed, her resolve wavering. "You know, you could have just informed the Student Council or at least a teacher. They would've helped."

Leo's eyes widened in mock shock as he placed a hand over his mouth. "Oh, I didn't think of that at all!" he exclaimed, sounding genuinely horrified at his supposed lapse in judgment.

Tsubaki pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled. "Fine," she said, though her tone made it clear she wasn't entirely convinced. "But if this happens again, I will inform your parents, understand?"

Leo nodded eagerly, giving her his most earnest look. "Thank you, thank you so much. You're a lifesaver!"

Ronan let out a triumphant caw, as if thanking her too.

Tsubaki shook her head as a slight blush creeped on her face at his behavior, clearly , and handed him the address paper she'd been holding. "You're lucky I'm feeling generous today," she muttered before turning to leave.

As she walked away, Leo sighed in relief, muttering under his breath, "Crisis averted. Thanks, Ronan. You finally earned your keep."

"Caw!<⁠(⁠￣⁠︶⁠￣⁠)⁠>"

The crow cawed smugly, as if to say, "You're welcome."

---

Convincing his mother about keeping Ronan and explaining their three-year friendship was relatively easy.

After all, Leo had always been good at spinning a heartfelt story, and Ronan's surprisingly well-behaved demeanor sealed the deal.

His mom even suggested building a small perch for the crow outside.

"Thanks, Mom!" Leo said enthusiastically.

"But don't let him fly around the kitchen, okay? And keep your room clean, Leo," she replied, clearly amused by the odd bond her son had with the bird.

His dad had simply shrugged, muttering something about "my son's weird."

Just when Leo was about to head upstairs to his room, he froze mid-step as a glowing digital screen materialized out of nowhere, floating right in front of him. His first instinct was to scream in excitement, but he managed to clamp a hand over his mouth to stop himself from startling everyone in the house.

Finally. Finally! The thing he had been secretly hoping for since he woke up in this world—a sign, a system, something!

He stared at the screen, his excitement rising, only for his enthusiasm to crash the moment he noticed the words:

[Loading: 3 hours remaining.]

Leo groaned, slapping his forehead. What the fuck? Is the multiversal WiFi seriously this slow? he thought in disbelief.

Realizing there was nothing he could do but wait, he sighed and turned back to his parents. "Thanks for making my favorite food, Mom. I'll handle the dishes tonight."

His mother blinked in surprise. "You... want to do the dishes? Are you feeling okay?"

Even his dad raised an eyebrow.

But Leo didn't care.

He was on cloud nine.

If he had to do a few chores to distract himself from the wait, so be it.

"I'll enjoy their shock while it lasts," Leo thought, scrubbing the dishes with uncharacteristic enthusiasm.

When the three hours finally passed, he sprinted back to his room, slamming the door shut behind him.

The progress bar on the floating screen was now complete, and a large button reading [Initiate] appeared.

"Here goes nothing," he whispered, pressing the button.

The screen blinked once, and bold letters appeared in a sleek font:

Multiversal Charter

It felt like he was booting up some ancient but advanced operating system. After a few moments, the screen turned a calming shade of blue, and another message appeared:

[ Welcome to the Dimensional Chat Group! You have been assigned the position of Host. ]

Leo squinted at the words, his excitement mingling with confusion. Host as a post What's that supposed to mean?

The system immediately responded:

[ A Host is the initiator of a Dimensional Chat Group. As the core of the group, the Host has the authority to invite members, manage interactions, and oversee group activities. Hosts are selected based on their untapped potential and are placed higher in the Multiversal Charter's hierarchy. ]

Okay, that sounds cool. But how does this help me get stronger? Or is this just some glorified interdimensional social media gig?

[ The Host system provides three primary features to ensure growth and multiversal contributions: ]

[ 1. Recruitment and Multiversal Team Building: The Host is responsible for recruiting members from different dimensions. These members form a team that handles localized and non localized threats within their respective dimensions and other worldlines under the multiversal charter.The Host acts as a recruiter, strategist, and leader for these operations. ]

[ 2. Story Tree: The Story Tree analyzes the Host's native timeline and calculates all possible paths for development. The Host can select a role that best suits their growth and influence. Choices are time-bound and cannot be changed once made. Missions within the Story Tree are optional but highly beneficial for personal development. ]

[ 3. ■■■■■: This feature is currently locked and will only become available once the group becomes active. ]

Leo leaned back in his chair, processing the information. So I'm some kind of dimensional army manager? And the Story Tree thing... sounds useful but a little ominous. What happens if I pick a bad path?

[ The Story Tree ensures optimal growth for the Host. It is designed to guide, not to restrict. The Host has complete freedom to choose, but each path is unique and irreversible. ]

Great. No pressure then, he muttered sarcastically.

Suddenly, a thought struck him. Wait, do I at least get a newbie pack or something? Isn't that standard?

[ A newbie pack will be granted after the Host selects their initial path from the Story Tree. ]

Leo groaned but nodded. Fine, let's get this over with. Show me the Story Tree.

The screen shifted, and a glowing tree with countless branches appeared.

Each branch was labeled with cryptic titles like [The eminence of Shadows], [The Beast's Keeper], and [The Strategist's Gambit].

Each one pulsed faintly, waiting for him to choose.

=========================

Stones and Reviews please