Highschool DXD : Gacha Life

Occult Research Club

"Akira, I'd like you to meet Issei" Rias announced with her characteristic warm smile, gesturing toward the brown-haired boy who stood nervously beside her "He's our newest peerage member"

Akira, who had been quietly observing from his position near the window, stepped forward with a polite nod.l "Nice to meet you, Issei. I'm Akira, and I—"

"Wait just a minute! It's you!" Issei suddenly interrupted, his voice rising with unexpected intensity. He pointed an accusatory finger at Akira. "I can tell just by looking at you – you're trying to get in between my dream of becoming the Harem King, aren't you?!"

*What the hell is this guy talking about?* Akira thought, blinking in confusion. *I literally just tried to introduce myself.*

"Pervert," Koneko muttered flatly from her corner, her golden eyes showing clear disdain.

Kiba chuckled softly, shaking his head. "That's quite the bold proclamation, Issei."

Akeno covered her mouth with her hand, a melodious laugh escaping her lips. "My, my, how ambitious of you~"

Seeing Akira's genuinely bewildered expression, Rias stepped in with an amused smile. "Akira, Issei's dream is to become a Harem King. He's quite... passionate about it."

"I'm not part of her peerage," Akira clarified, still trying to process the bizarre introduction "But I am not sure about getting in your path of Harem King"

"You're not?" Issei asked, his surprise evident. The accusatory finger slowly lowered as confusion replaced his earlier bravado.

"Akira is human," Kiba explained helpfully. "He's affiliated with us, but he's not a devil like the rest of us."

Akira's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Issei with newfound interest. "Does he have a Sacred Gear too?"

Rias nodded, her expression becoming more serious. "Yes, and that's actually the main reason I called you here today."

---

The conversation continued as Rias began explaining the situation with the Fallen Angels in town. Akira listened intently, occasionally glancing at Issei who was still processing his new reality.

"So there are Fallen Angels in town?" Akira asked, feigning surprise despite already knowing the plot. *Got to play my part convincingly.*

"Yes, unfortunately," Rias confirmed. "And Issei here was quite unlucky to end up being their target."

"Actually," Issei interjected, his face scrunching up in discomfort, "that's not what made me upset. The fact that Kiba had to share a bed with me to heal my injuries – that's what really hurt!"

Akira nearly choked on his tea, coughing violently as he looked at Rias with wide eyes. She simply chuckled and nodded in confirmation.

"Yeah," Akira managed between coughs, "I can see how that would be more hurtful than getting killed by a Fallen Angel."

"Finally!" Issei cried out dramatically, tears streaming down his face. "Someone who understands! You're better than I thought you'd be!"

After the comedic moment passed, Akira's expression grew more serious. "This still doesn't answer why I'm here, Rias."

"I believe the Fallen Angels might target you as well," she explained, her tone becoming grave. "Since you also possess a Sacred Gear, you could be in danger."

"He has a Sacred Gear too?" Issei asked, his surprise evident.

*Well, she's not wrong about that,* Akira thought, nodding slowly. "I understand. I'll be careful then." He stood up, preparing to leave. "If that's all, I should head back to train before nightfall."

"Wait," Rias called out, reaching into her desk drawer. She pulled out an elegant flyer and handed it to him.

"What's this?" Akira asked, examining the ornate paper.

"A summoning flyer," Rias explained. "If you find yourself in trouble with the Fallen Angels, use this to summon me. I'll come to your aid."

Akira pocketed the flyer with a grateful nod. "Thank you, Rias. I appreciate the backup plan."

As he headed toward the door, he could feel the weight of everyone's eyes on him, particularly Issei's curious gaze.

. . .

The tree beside me exploded into splinters as I dodged left, water whipping around my body in defensive spirals. Just a training dummy, but I'd been imagining it was Raynare's smug face for the past hour.

Focus. I straightened up, brushing bark from my shirt. Getting worked up over hypothetical fights wasn't going to help anyone.

The woods were quiet again, nothing but the sound of wind through leaves and my own heavy breathing. I'd found this clearing months ago - far enough from any hiking trails that nobody would stumble across me practicing supernatural martial arts, but close enough to town that I could get back quickly if needed. Moonlight filtered through the canopy above, casting everything in silver shadows.

I rolled my shoulders, feeling the familiar weight of the day settling into my muscles. Time to work.

Water pooled around my feet as I dropped into the opening stance, drawn from the nearby stream that ran along the edge of the clearing. The stuff responded easier now than it had six months ago, back when I was still figuring out how to make Bang's martial art work with actual water instead of just the metaphorical kind. Turns out when you can actually control the element, the techniques hit a lot harder.

I started with Flowing Water Crushing Rock - the foundation of everything else. My body moved through the form with practiced ease, water rising from the floor in perfect spirals that matched my movements. Each step, each turn of my waist, every shift of weight was mirrored by the liquid around me. The water didn't just follow my movements - it became part of them, flowing with the same rhythm as my breathing.

'Asia's safe now' I thought as I held the final position of the form, water suspended in mid-air around me like frozen ribbons 'That's what matters'

I let the water settle before moving into the next technique. Those Fallen Angels had to know she was gone by now. Question was, what were they gonna do about it?

*Cascading Torrent* came next - my favorite of the offensive techniques. I raised both hands above my head and let the power flow through me. Water erupted upward in a massive column before crashing down in controlled waves, each one hitting exactly where I wanted it to hit. The sound echoed through the trees like thunder, but the water never splashed randomly. Every drop was exactly where I put it.

The technique was supposed to overwhelm an opponent's defenses through sheer volume and pressure. But right now, watching the water dance to my will, it was just helping me think.

Raynare wasn't exactly the planning type. She was more the "stab first, ask questions later" kind of crazy. But even she wasn't stupid enough to stick around when her meal ticket vanished into thin air. Right?

*Right?*

Problem was, this wasn't the anime. Real people didn't always follow the script. Maybe in the show Raynare was just a canon fodder for the first arc, but she was a legitimate threat who could put holes in people.

*They should leave,* I thought, letting the water from the last technique gather around my feet again. *They lost their target. Smart move would be to cut their losses and get the hell out of dodge.*

But since when had Fallen Angels ever been smart?

I moved into *Reflecting Stream* - the defensive technique I'd probably used most in actual combat. The water around me shifted into a flowing barrier that moved with my body, always positioned to deflect attacks while keeping me mobile. It looked simple, almost lazy, but the control required was insane. Every current had to be perfectly timed, every flow calculated to redirect force rather than absorb it.

I'd gotten pretty good at it, considering how much practice I'd had with Chysis lately. The technique had saved my ass more times than I could count.

*I could take them.* The thought wasn't arrogance - it was cold calculation. I knew their abilities, their weaknesses. I had months of training, a Sacred Gear, and the element of surprise. Everything except raw power was on my side.

The real question was whether I should.

The water around me settled into gentler patterns as I worked through some basic flow exercises. The gacha system wanted me to fight them. Kill a Fallen Angel, get a rare ticket. Maybe even high rank Gacha ticket if I got lucky. But was it worth painting a target on my back?

*That's the flaw with the system,* I thought, watching the water move in slow circles around my hands. *It's too easy to let it make decisions for me.*

The rewards had been useful, no doubt about it. Techniques, abilities I never would have developed on my own. But lately I'd been wondering if I was becoming too dependent on it. Too willing to pick fights just because the system dangled a shiny reward in front of me.

Killing stray devils was one thing. They were rogues, outcasts. Nobody gave a shit if they disappeared. But Fallen Angels belonged to an organization. They had bosses, politics, hierarchies. Even if Azazel was as chill as he seemed in canon, that didn't mean he'd ignore his people getting picked off by some unknown human.

And I don't even know if this Azazel is the same as canon Azazel, I thought, letting the water flow through my fingers. Everyone else has been acting like their canon selves, but that doesn't guarantee anything. What if he's more of a hardass here? What if he actually gives a damn about his subordinates?

No.

I decided. I'm not hunting them down. If they come after me, I'll defend myself. But I'm not going out of my way to pick fights with supernatural organizations just because a system tells me to.

I let the water settle to the floor with a soft splash. The decision felt right. Like finally putting down a weight I'd been carrying without realizing it. I'd gotten what I wanted - Asia was safe, and I'd avoided unnecessary conflict. Sometimes the smart play was knowing when not to fight.

But as I started packing up my gear, that familiar itch crawled up my spine. The feeling of being watched.

Shit.

I kept my movements casual, toweling off like nothing was wrong. But every instinct I had was screaming that someone was out there in the shadows between the trees, keeping tabs on me. The clearing was supposed to be isolated, hidden. I'd chosen it specifically because nobody ever came this deep into the woods.

So who the hell was watching me?

I didn't turn around, didn't give any sign I'd noticed. Instead, I continued my usual post-training routine while trying to extend my senses as far as they'd go. The presence was subtle, professional. Not some amateur trying to play spy, but someone who actually knew what they were doing.

How long have they been there? I wondered, casually stretching while scanning the shadows. Did they see the whole training session? Do they know about the water manipulation?

More importantly: who were they?

Fallen Angels were possible, but this felt too subtle for them. They were more the "kick down the door and ask questions later" type. Devils were another option, but why would they be spying on me? Rias had just given me a summoning flyer - if she wanted to talk, she'd have said so.

"Could be someone else entirely" I slung my bag over my shoulder, keeping my movements unhurried. "This world's got a lot of beings. Devils, angels, fallen angels, yokai, other factions I probably don't even know about.."

I made my way toward the exit, playing the part of someone who had no idea they were being watched. No point in tipping my hand until I figured out who they were and what they wanted.

But as I left the clearing and started making my way back through the trees, one thought kept running through my head:

So much for avoiding trouble.