Highschool DXD : Gacha Life

The silence stretched between us, heavy with unspoken questions.

Koneko's golden eyes studied my face with an intensity that made me feel like she was trying to read my soul. There was something in her expression—a mixture of fear and recognition that I couldn't quite place.

She's scared of something. But what? And why does she keep looking at me like she's seen this before?

"You think I'm a yokai," I said finally, more statement than question.

Her eyes widened slightly—the most emotion I'd ever seen from her. "When you transformed in the clubroom that first time... the way your scent changed, the predatory aura... it was familiar."

She didn't elaborate, but I could see there was pain behind those words. Something in her past that she wasn't ready to share with someone she'd barely talked to.

Someone hurt her. Someone with power like mine, maybe.

"You're worried I'm going to lose control," I said quietly.

Koneko nodded slowly.

"Have you been feeling... different lately?" she asked.

I considered the question seriously. "Yeah. I have been feeling different."

The way her shoulders tensed... she's expecting the worst. But why?

"But probably not the way you're thinking," I continued. "I awakened my Sacred Gear properly recently. That's probably what you're picking up on."

"Awakened?"

I reached into my jacket and withdrew Incursio in its base form—a simple but elegantly crafted sword. The blade caught the dying sunlight, casting subtle reflections across the forest floor. "This is probably why I'm smelling different to you."

Koneko stared at the weapon with undisguised curiosity, her earlier wariness shifting to something more like professional interest.

Good. Maybe if I show her what this really is, she'll understand I'm not some rampaging monster.

I smiled, feeling some of the tension ease. "Want to see what all the fuss is about?"

Without waiting for an answer, I activated the transformation. "Incursio."

The familiar sensation of the armor flowing over my body never got old. Living bio-organic metal spread across my skin, forming the sleek, predatory design that had become my second skin. The sword in my hand shifted and extended, becoming the iconic spear. Power thrummed through every fiber of my being as Incursio's consciousness merged with mine, and I could feel my physical capabilities multiply exponentially.

The armor's getting stronger. Each battle, each challenge—it adapts and evolves. Like it did, with Raynare.

Koneko's eyes went wide, her mouth falling open slightly. She took an unconscious step back, but I noticed she didn't run. That was progress.

"So," I said, my voice slightly distorted by the armor's organic faceplate, "am I smelling more badass now?"

"...No."

Ouch. I felt my shoulders slump despite the armor's intimidating appearance. "Really? Nothing? Not even a little bit cool?"

She shook her head with typical Koneko bluntness.

I couldn't help but chuckle at her completely deadpan response. "Well, whether I smell good or different or whatever, I'm still me, Koneko. This armor doesn't change who I am inside." I gestured to the armor encasing my body. "If you think this transformation has turned me into some sort of monster, you're wrong. I've still got my sanity, still got my moral compass. The only thing that's changed is that I'm better equipped to protect people."

Koneko's expression had shifted from fear to something more complex—surprise mixed with what might have been cautious hope. She was studying me with those sharp golden eyes, looking for any sign that I was lying or losing control.

She needs to see that the power doesn't control me.

I dismissed the armor with a thought, feeling Incursio's consciousness retreat as it flowed back into the sword before the weapon itself disappeared. The sudden return to normal human limitations was always slightly disorienting.

But I'd adapt.

"See? Still me." I ran a hand through my hair, which was probably sticking up at odd angles. "Now, how about we grab some dinner? All this serious talk has made me hungry."

Before she could refuse—and knowing Koneko, she probably would—I held up a hand. "Hold on, let me cook. It'll take only a few minutes."

I moved to the edge of the clearing where I'd left my fishing gear from this morning. The small cooler contained three decent-sized trout I'd caught just after dawn, packed in ice and perfectly fresh. Fishing had become one of my favorite ways to clear my head, and the forest stream was surprisingly well-stocked.

Nothing like fresh fish cooked over an open fire. Maybe sharing a meal will help her see I'm not as crazy as she thinks I have become.

"You fish?" Koneko asked, settling onto a fallen log as she watched me pull out the cleaned trout.

"Started a couple weeks ago. Turns out it's relaxing." I began arranging the fish on improvised skewers.

That got the tiniest hint of what might have been amusement. Progress.

Within minutes, I had a small fire crackling and the fish positioned over the flames. The smell of cooking trout began to fill the air, mixing with the earthy scents of the forest. Koneko watched me work with that same intense observation she applied to everything, but the wariness from earlier had faded.

"Your transformation," she said suddenly. "It felt weird"

I glanced up from tending the fire. "Because it is, in a way. Incursio isn't just armor—it's a living weapon that bonds with its user. It learns, adapts, gets stronger through combat and challenge."

"It sounds dangerous"

"Everything worthwhile is dangerous." I flipped the fish carefully. "The question is whether you can control it or it controls you."

She was quiet for a moment, processing that. "And you think you can?"

"I know I can. But..." I met her eyes across the fire. "I also know I can't do everything alone. The armor gets stronger through experience, but that means I need worthy opponents to test myself against. People who can push me to my limits without me being killed by them"

"You want to fight me?" Koneko said. It wasn't a question.

Apparently that's where I was going with it. "Sure, A spar would be nice" I pulled the fish off the fire and began dividing them onto makeshift plates made from large leaves.

I handed her one of the portions, our fingers brushing briefly as she took it. Her grip was deceptively strong.

"What's in it for me?" she asked, taking a small bite of the perfectly cooked trout.

Good question.

"A fish?" I coughed when she gave me deadpan stare, as I continued "When's the last time you fought someone who could actually take a hit?"

She paused mid-chew, considering that. "...It's been a while."

"I thought so." I settled onto my own improvised seat. "What do you say? After we eat?"

Koneko finished her portion in thoughtful silence before nodding once. "Okay."

. . .

Twenty minutes later, I stood in the center of the clearing wearing Incursio's full battle form. The armor had responded to my anticipation of combat, optimizing itself for maximum flexibility and protection. Through the enhanced senses the armor provided, I could hear Koneko's heartbeat, steady and controlled about fifteen feet away.

She's not nervous. That's either very good or very bad for me.

"Rules?" I asked, spinning the spear lazily in one hand.

"Don't die," Koneko replied, stretching her arms above her head with feline grace.

Simple. I like it.

"Fair enough. Ready when you are."

The attack came without warning. One moment Koneko was standing still, the next she was a blur of motion crossing the distance between us in a heartbeat. Her fist, wreathed in what looked like blurred saucer, aimed straight for my solar plexus.

Fast! I barely got my spear up in time to deflect the blow, the impact sending vibrations up my arms despite Incursio's enhancement. Really fast.

I spun away from her follow-up kick, using the spear's length to keep distance between us. But Koneko was relentless, her small frame moving with inhuman speed and precision. Every strike was perfectly placed, designed to exploit gaps in my defense.

She's holding back. I can tell. But even at this level...

"Come on," I called out, parrying a series of rapid punches. "I can tell you're not giving me everything."

Koneko nodded, and suddenly her next punch had enough force behind it to crater the ground where I'd been standing a split second before.

There we go.

The spar intensified. Koneko's attacks became a constant barrage of strikes that would have pulverized a normal human, but Incursio adapted with each exchange. I could feel the armor learning, adjusting its responses to account for her speed and fighting style.

This is what I needed. A real challenge.

But I wasn't just taking hits. The spear gave me reach advantage, and Incursio's enhanced reflexes let me capitalize on the brief openings in Koneko's assault. I managed to tag her shoulder with the spear's blunt end, earning an approving nod from the petite devil before she retaliated with a combination that left me staggering.

"Your armor," she said during a brief pause as we circled each other. "It's tough."

"That's the idea. Every fight makes it stronger, more adaptive." A thought occurred to me. "What about you? You're not fighting like this is your first time in a real battle."

"It's not."

Of course not. She probably start combat training young.

We clashed again, and this time I could feel Incursio responding even faster to Koneko's attacks. The armor was cataloging her movements, building predictive models of her combat patterns. But Koneko seemed to sense this too, because her fighting style began to shift mid-combat.

She's adapting to my adaptation. This is incredible.

The spear became a blur as I pressed my own offensive, using Incursio's enhanced strength to drive powerful thrusts and sweeping arcs. But Koneko flowed around my attacks like water, her nekomata heritage showing in the fluid grace of her movements.

She's cute when she fights. Deadly, but cute.

"You're strong," she said, catching the spear's shaft and using it to pull herself closer for a devastating uppercut that I managed to lean away from with ease now.

"So are you," I replied, spinning the weapon to break her grip and creating space. "Stronger than I expected."

We had been going for what felt like hours when Koneko finally called for a pause. Both of us were breathing hard, sweat glistening on her skin while my armor vented excess heat through its bio-vents.

She settled onto the grass with her back against a tree.

I dismissed Incursio and dropped down beside her, feeling the familiar exhaustion that came after a long session with the armor. "I don't think I've ever fought someone who could keep up that pace for so long."

"The armor really does get stronger," Koneko observed. "I could feel it, adapting to my techniques as we fought."

"Every battle, every challenge—it learns and evolves. But it needs worthy opponents to reach its full potential." I looked at her seriously. "Like you."

She met my gaze with those golden eyes, and I could see something had shifted in how she viewed me. The wariness was gone, replaced by what might have been respect.

Or maybe just exhaustion. Hard to tell with Koneko.

"We should do this again," she said quietly.

"I was hoping you'd say that." I leaned back against my own tree, feeling the pleasant burn of muscles pushed to their limit. "Same time tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow I have club duties."

Right. devil stuff. "Then when?"

Koneko was quiet for a moment, staring up at the stars that were becoming visible through the forest canopy. "Weekends. And maybe some evenings, if you don't mind training later."

"I don't mind."

As the night settled around us, I found myself thinking about how much had changed in just a few hours. I'd started the day worried about finding recruits for my organization, and ended it with what felt like the beginning of a genuine friendship, with another devil.

...

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