Chapter 6: Chapter 5: Awakening

Under the vastness of the moonlit sky, a black-haired young man sat cross-legged on a patch of clean grass, in a state of concentration. In front of him was an unconscious young lady resting in a shallow pool of blood mixed in with chunks of grass and dirt.

It had been an hour since Chekhov had released his split soul into Raynare. Upon entrance, his split soul had cleanly devoured her and began its process of digestion. However, his split soul lacked energy during digestion, and thus fell into a short hibernation.

After Chekhov had confirmed that Raynare’s soul had been devoured, he had since been releasing his dark energy into her body.

‘Although my precision isn’t meticulous enough to hold her entire body together, I can prevent the larger hemorrhages from bleeding out. However, the most difficult area to rejoin is her left eye.’

An hour ago, Chekhov had chosen to pierce her left eye because he deemed it as his safest soul transplantation method. Unknown to many, the human soul was an intangible object positioned within the temporal lobe of the brain.

‘I made sure to neatly cut through her retina, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to repair if needed.’

At this moment, a powerful wave of dark energy pulsated through Raynare. His split soul had begun to awaken; hence Chekhov gradually began to withdraw his energy.

‘Although my split soul is weaker than me, she should have better control of the dark energy within her own body.’

As Raynare opened her left eye, a massive amount of dark energy rushed inward, generating a funnel-like structure. Her violet iris began re-attaching itself using thin black threads. A spherical black crystal materialized in place of her former damaged pupil.

She carefully sat upright, exuding a wise and profound aura. In contrast to the previous Raynare, her face was not compressed; her muscles were not flexed, nor were her eyebrows clenched. She revealed a calm and indifferent expression despite the intense pain.

Raynare slightly turned her head, gazing at Chekhov. Illuminated by the fluorescent white moonlight, their calm eyes interlocked with each other as she spoke out with a soft voice.

“I can temporarily rejoin my injuries while my body heals on its own. With time, everything is expected to heal except for my left eye. Although I can replicate my pupil, I’ve entirely lost vision.”

Chekhov reached toward his backpack, taking out a small white plastic containing a fresh set of women’s clothes that he had prepared beforehand.

“How long do we have until you deteriorate?”

“I’ll start deteriorating in 16 days and will fully disappear in 22 days.”

Chekhov tossed her the white plastic as he stood up. While zipping up his backpack, he asked her one last question.

“You know what to do and where to find me, right?”

Raynare’s beautiful violet eyes glittered in the moonlight as she revealed a light smile.

“Yes, I’m aware.”

. . . . .

A few days later.

A luxurious three-story building stood tall on a uniform rectangular expanse. As the sun was rising, its crepuscular rays shed light on the polished light gray walls and neatly arranged arrays of laminated glass windows.

Surrounding it were several smaller buildings and outdoor fields. The entire enclosure was bordered by 3-meter-tall clay lime walls and a black iron gate at the front. Known as Kuoh Academy, this enclosure accommodated a plethora of facilities including indoor pools, baseball stadiums, and outdoor track fields. Although Kuoh Academy seemed like an opulent high school, it was secretly an undercover base for two Devil peerages.

The semester had not yet begun, so only a few students could be seen sauntering the campus grounds. In Japan, clubs and sports activities were still active in-between the school semesters.

From outside the black iron gate, Chekhov was peering up at the majestic building. He was wearing the standard Kuoh Academy boys' uniform consisting of a white long-sleeved shirt, a black ribbon on the collar, and a black blazer on top.

‘This is the place where high quality nourishment can be found.’

Chekhov had recently enrolled in Kuoh Academy for the upcoming semester. Since the campus was open to all future students, he had decided to come early to make preparations for his schemes.

Although the campus seemed empty, he knew the Devil peerages would always be here. Chekhov saw this as an opportunity to befriend a Devil in Rias’ peerage and manipulate future events into his favour.

However, he was still exceedingly circumspect when dealing with situations like these. Devil peerages were far stronger than the group of Fallen Angels he had encountered, as their leaders were usually high-class Devils.

Chekhov had estimated that his current strength was around the upper percentiles of low-class supernatural beings. Consequently, he couldn’t freely rampage around or release extensive dark energy fluctuations without constraint.

‘Strangely, there’s no security guard standing outside. The gate is wide open, too. It’s likely that they’ve placed numerous magic formations.’

Without movement, Chekhov released a shallow channel of dark energy in front of the open gate.

‘I can’t detect anything. It could also be that I’m too weak to interact with magic formations.’

He stepped inside the enclosure and walked along the spotless white concrete. After passing by a small fountain, he came to a stop in front of the main building’s open entrance. Chekhov pretended to admire the view inside while looking for signs of hostility from the environment.

‘I may be overthinking things, but it doesn’t hurt to be careful.’

The interior was floored with glossy dark blue tiles. Within sight, there was a straight-run staircase with golden railings leading to the second floor.

‘I shouldn’t conduct a wide-scale scan. If a high-class Devil like Rias or Sona is nearby, they might be able to detect the intense fluctuations and trace it back to me.’

Chekhov entered the enclosure and walked toward the foot of the staircase.

‘This place seems deserted. Although classes aren’t in session yet, there should still be some people around.’

As he approached the foot of the staircase, Chekhov released a diluted stream of dark energy upward into the second floor. The energy coursed along a hallway for 20 meters before meeting an obstruction.

He had detected the motion of a human-shaped figure moving toward him. However, the figure didn’t seem to notice Chekhov’s presence nor was it trying to move furtively. He decided to wait a little while to see who would show up.

‘From the readings, I can guess that she’s female and probably doesn’t possess any supernatural strength. Although that’s not who I was looking for, I can still get some information out of her.’

A few seconds later, Chekhov heard the repeated pitter-patter of footsteps. A young woman with long brown hair was scurrying down the stairs. She was wearing the standard Kuoh Academy girls’ uniform, and her hair was styled into a high ponytail with a pink ribbon.

The young woman had a flustered expression on her face. She appeared to be holding a large stack of papers with both hands while descending the staircase in a rush.

As the she approached the ground floor, Chekhov was planning to trip her in a similar manner to how he tripped the blonde waitress. However, the young woman unexpectedly lost her footing even without Chekhov’s impingement.

She uttered a brief squeal as she stumbled.

“Aah!”

Her papers scattered into the air as she plummeted face-first. Just as her fragile body was about to inexorably crash into the dark blue floor tiles, she found herself suspended in the air while being held gently in warm and companionable arms.

She glanced upward, and her cheeks reddened as she saw a handsome young man with caramel brown eyes. Chekhov softly let her back down and gave her a cordial smile.

“It’s dangerous to run down the stairs with all those papers in hand.”

Her heartbeat rapidly paced as she stammered.

“I-I…”

She collected herself as she continued.

“I’m so clumsy. Thanks for catching me before I got hurt.”

Chekhov assured her with a suave voice. “No worries, I’ll help you clean up this mess.”

He bent down and started gathering the scattered papers; the young woman shyly followed suit. As Chekhov was picking a few of them up, he quickly glanced at their content.

‘These fliers advertise a school-wide event hosted by Kuoh Academy’s Cooking Club. Another opportunity presents itself to me.’

While the young woman was collecting her fliers, she gathered the courage to request Chekhov for his name.

Peeking up at his face, she asked, “Uhm, I’ve never seen you around before. What’s your name?”

Chekhov looked back at her and responded with a smile. “I’ve just enrolled for the upcoming semester. It’s nice to meet you, my name’s Chekhov.”

“Chekhov,” she mumbled as she engraved his name deep into her heart.

“That’s a wonderful name. I’m Miwa.”

Chekhov resumed collecting the fliers and casually asked her a question.

“By the way, Kuoh Academy seems quite empty. Have you seen anyone else around?”

“Oh, for the past few days I haven’t seen many students.”

Miwa paused for a moment, placing her right index finger on her cheek as she was thinking.

“Other than you, there’s only the Tennis Club, the Women’s Track Team, and the Cooking Club which I’m part of.”

‘She hasn’t seen the Occult Research Club or the Student Council. That’s unusual, but they should still be lurking around here somewhere.’

Chekhov replied with a zealous tone. “Miwa, can I join the Cooking Club? I have a piquant sushi recipe that I would love to share!”

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Miwa was taken aback at this serendipity.

“Y-you want to join the Cooking Club?”

“Of course! Unless there’s a problem with me joining.”

She frantically replied while shaking with her hands, “No, never! There’s never a problem with you joining!”

“That sounds delightful. Where do I sign up for it?”

“Umm… Well, Cooking Club registrations aren’t open until the semester starts. But I’ll talk to our president to make an exception for you!”

She continued with sparkling eyes and a hopeful expression. “I’ll just need a way to contact you…”

Chekhov handed her the rest of the fliers as he spoke, “We can exchange our numbers. How does that sound?”

Miwa’s heart paced even faster. She squealed with excitement as she exclaimed, “Yes! That’s perfect! It works for me.”

She promptly took out her phone and exchanged numbers with Chekhov. As she was gazing at his face one last time, Miwa remembered that she was in a hurry.

“Oh my gosh. I need to get back to my club. I really wanted to chat with you longer, Chekhov.”

“That’s all right. Just make sure you walk carefully this time!”

Miwa reluctantly grabbed the stack of fliers with both arms and scurried out the front entrance. As she disappeared from his view, Chekhov conducted a low-scale precise scan to make sure no one was watching.

‘A huge opportunity just waiting to be exploited is the Cooking Club. All that’s left is to build up some reputation with the Occult Research Club.’

After confirming that he was alone, his face gradually returned to a cold and indifferent expression.

‘I wonder how my split soul is doing. She should have arrived at Kuisui Town by now.’

. . . . .

Kuisui Town, Japan.

A beautiful girl with silky black hair was standing in a deserted parking lot. It was enclosed by tall gray buildings composed of Bedford limestone. The only entrance to this site was a 7-foot-wide congested alleyway, allowing for only one car to pass through at a time.

The sun was at its highest point, casting light upon the dilapidated asphalt concrete floor littered with cracks and crevices. Waste was scattered around every nook and cranny, producing an awfully noisome odour. Despite the foul stench, the young lady’s face showed no sign of irritation.

Three meters in front of her was an unconscious man in his 40s. He was disheveled with a shabby gray beard, unkempt curly hair, and a threadbare brown coat. Black particles were accumulating around him, encompassing the man with a foggy spherical atmosphere.

The attractive young lady had an indifferent expression as she held her delicate right arm out. Her fingers were outstretched, and her palm was facing the disheveled man. The murky atmosphere around him had begun to condense into a thin black layer, forming a translucent dark sphere.

After the sphere had fully condensed, the young lady rotated her forearm upward and then slowly closed her fingers into a fist.

In complete silence, the dark sphere collapsed into a Lilliputian black dot, eventually disappearing into thin air. Other than the peculiar disappearance of the beggar, the parking lot seemed to be unchanged.

‘I should be able to recover to my full strength once I finish digesting him.’

She lowered her arm to her side and calmly walked out of the alleyway, appearing on a semi-populated sidewalk. Stepping out into the open, the midday sun’s parching rays illuminated her face, revealing her porcelain light skin and bewitching violet eyes.

‘I can now start looking for rations to feed my main soul.’

This young lady was none other than Chekhov’s split soul, Raynare. After devouring the original Raynare, she had spent a few days in Kuoh Town recuperating her injuries and rummaging through her memories.

This morning, she had recently arrived in Kuisui Town. It was a remote community; no one would care if a few citizens had mysteriously disappeared. Additionally, causing trouble here wouldn’t create any unwanted butterfly effects.

It wasn’t long after her arrival that she had lured and devoured a dishevelled beggar in a deserted parking lot.

‘While angling for carp, I may be able to catch a rainbow trout.’

Raynare walked at a steady pace along the sidewalk, secretly inspecting the auras of pedestrians and passengers who came into proximity with her. After 15 minutes, she had noticed that the sidewalks had become much wider and increasingly crowded.

When she came to a stop at the streetlight, a particular store caught her eye.

Across the road was an old-fashioned coffee shop. Although the interior was diminutive, it had an outdoor exterior filled with rounded white tables and black folding chairs. Many people were prattling with each other and cramming themselves full of sweet and sugary diabetes.

‘I remember seeing this coffee shop on the internet. It’s located along the edge of the Kuisui Plaza, and it comes into proximity with the most bustling intersection in this town.’

Prior to arriving in Kuisui Town, Raynare had memorized a simple layout of the locale.

‘The open exterior is a good spot to scan anyone who walks or drives by. I’ll sit in an empty corner and order the cheapest item on the menu to avoid suspicion.’

She crossed the street and approached a brown folding sign. Written in white chalk, it listed the coffee shop’s opening and closing hours.

‘Takata Teatime closes at 7:00 PM. By then, I should almost be fully healed. I won’t need to focus on sealing my injuries, and instead I can start roaming while conducting scans with my dark energy.’

Although Fallen Angels were required to be in proximity to detect a Sacred Gear, their aura inspection skill could be extended with other abilities. In Raynare’s case, her transformed soul could inspect auras through semi-concentrated streams of dark energy.

After walking past the folding sign, she proceeded toward an old-fashioned dual door entrance. Raynare lightly pushed the door open and was greeted by a lightly caramelized and almost nutty aroma.

Within her sight was an old-fashioned wooden counter operated by a young man with unkempt blue hair. His left elbow was on the counter, and he was leaning on his hand with a bored expression. He seemed to be spaced out while fidgeting with the cash register.

She approached the young man and gave him a friendly smile.

“Hello, I’d like to order a small espresso.”

The blue-haired young man tilted his head upward and saw a beautiful face with silky black hair and violet eyes.

One corner of his mouth rose, revealing a half smirk. He didn’t bother concealing his lustful expression as his eyes lasciviously swept her body.

“One small espresso for the beautiful young lady.”

He swiftly grabbed a small cup and turned around to operate the coffee machine.

‘The people in this world seem significantly more prurient than in my past life. Perhaps I can use that to my advantage.’

As the young man finished making the espresso, he turned around and spoke with a plummy voice.

“Here’s your espresso, ma’am.”

Raynare placed her exact change on the counter. As she reached for the drink, she heard him continue.

“If you go on a date with me, I’ll make this free of charge.”

‘It’s not worth spending my time on a date to devour him. There are many other easier ways to find isolated people. However, it’s a different story if he comes to me alone on his own accord.’

Raynare responded with a condescending tone.

“Sorry, I’m not interested. You must be delusional to think that you’re in my league with your low salary job and ugly ass face.”

‘That should be enough to aggravate him.’

She calmly took the espresso and walked away from the register without saying another word. She didn’t want to squander any more time. Otherwise, she could potentially miss a Sacred Gear wielder.

‘I could have wiped his memory instead of conversing with him. But I can tell that he’s very belligerent. He could try to find me when I’m alone, and I always welcome free rations at my door.’

As a Fallen Angel, Raynare had a spell that could wipe the short-term memories of ordinary people. The only drawback was that other supernatural beings could pick up traces of her spell and determine that the memory was somehow tampered.

Nevertheless, she didn’t mind if he came looking for her when she was alone. If he did, it would make her job much easier.

‘A fish who might foolishly leap into my trammel.’

As Raynare walked out of his view, the blue-haired young man’s smile instantly dropped into a frown and his surroundings exuded a resentful ambience.

He muttered under his breath, “B*tch! I’ll have my way with you whether you like it or not.”

However, he didn’t know that a certain young lady with violet eyes could still hear him.

‘Perfect. I didn’t misjudge your character.’

‘I’m expecting my tartare delivery to arrive by tonight. I just hope you won’t let me down.’

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