Spear Devil - 014 (Patreon)

Chapter 014 – Class

[April – 2008]

“Do you like chess, Sasaki-san?”, Sona asked as she led me to my classroom, her finger pointing to the tattoo on my right hand.

I was a bit distracted though due to the influx of different scents and noises from all around us, most of them coming from the teenage girls attending the school, as they whispered and gossiped about my appearance.

Sona herself smelled different than the girls we passed by, having a rich somewhat seductive note mixed with the fragrance of lavender. This seductive note simply registered as 'sinful' in my mind, my draconic instincts warning me of her heritage.

“Sasaki-san?”, Sona repeated, as she turned towards me.

Focusing on her, I thanked my racial trait for my perfect memory as I recalled her question: “I do. I never played it in clubs, but I play it online against strangers. I love its complexity.”

“Isn't it just about strategy?”, Sona inquired, clearly probing me, as I knew this to be her favorite game.

"Strategy can't be complex?", I retorted, "In chess, you can't just play offensive or defensive. You can be brash, timid, or simply confident. It's a game that relies as much on one's ability to read your opponent, as it does on strategic thinking, which only makes it harder and more interesting to play it online against someone you can't see. You should try it sometime, I am sure you will agree."

“I am not really a chess fan.”, Sona replied as she turned back forward, though I still managed to catch the surprised look on her face, as well as her small smile.

Stopping outside one of the classrooms just as the bell rang and most of the students started rushing to their seats, Sona turned back to me and said: "This is your class, 2-B. Let's wait for Mrs. Ito, your homeroom teacher, to come so that she can take care of your introduction."

It didn't take more than a few short minutes before a young woman in a black blazer and skirt appeared, and Sona introduced me. Mrs. Ito seemed to be in her late twenties, though she appeared competent. Her eyes though flickered down to my hands repeatedly and there seemed to be a hint of insecurity in her eyes.

I knew she probably thought of me as some thug or delinquent due to my tattoos, but I didn't care either way, as I certainly didn't plan to waste my time attending class when I could spend it much more productively. Not to mention I had already been through all this once, and I had no desire to do so again.

“Don't forget to stop by the student council for your uniform.”, Sona reminded.

"I won't forget.", I replied, though 'can't' would be more accurate, "And thanks for the pickup, Shitori-san."

Nodding in acknowledgment, Sona simply turned around and left.

Following the young teacher into the classroom, I waited for her to introduce me to the class, while my gaze inevitably settled on the two few faces I recognized, among them Issei Hyoudou and his two idiot friends.

It seemed like divine retribution that I had to be in the same class as him after I stole his chance to be more than a perverted idiot.

The other was Yuuto Kiba, Knight of Rias Gremory, and if I remembered correctly the possessor of the Sword Birth Sacred Gear.

There were a few more names in my memories that probably belonged to some of the girls in the class, but their characteristics simply weren't distinctive enough for me to recognize them, the exception being a pink-haired girl called Katase.

Most of my new classmates were teenage girls and as I stood there in front of them, I could see curiosity and attraction in most of their gazes, while some of them even blushed just looking at me. One of them, a bespectacled brunette, even outright panted, as she looked at me like I was a piece of meat and she was a hungry tigress.

It wasn't that much of a surprise considering that I was tall and incredibly well-built, while my draconic heritage also made me more than just a bit handsome. I had been rather well-looking before I used the Demonic Spear to devour Ddraig's soul, but after becoming a half-dragon my looks were enhanced greatly.

My skin had become flawless, my eyes shifted from blue to outright crystal, and my facial features had changed minutely to enhance my looks to the maximum. So while I didn't look too different from before, I was definitely much more handsome.

The tattoos didn't really help to counter my charm, as they just made me look like a bad boy, which seemed to make me even more attractive in the eyes of these teenage girls.

Getting the cue from my new teacher that it was time to introduce myself, I addressed the class calmly, due to being used to being stared at by hundreds of people during my chess matches for hours on end.

"My name is Akira Sasaki. Nice to meet you all.", I greeted simply and bowed as was the custom, before moving to an empty seat in the middle of the window row.

"Murayama, as the class representative, please make sure to show Akira around the school after classes.", Mrs. Ito instructed a beautiful brunette with twin tails and a rather 'voluptuous' figure.

I could hear Issei and his friends cursing pretty boys in the back row in response to that, while a few other girls threw envious gazes at a blushing Murayama while she nodded in understanding, stealing glances at me every now and then.

Classes were rather interesting, as I had to recall long-forgotten knowledge to solve math equations, ponder over chemistry problems on an answer sheet, and fill out some gap texts for the English class.

One thing that proved to be problematic though was the fact that sitting in class with two dozen teenage girls seemed to have roused another part of my draconic heritage from its slumber – lust.

I knew that dragons were said to be promiscuous creatures, as were teenage boys, but the combination was rather annoying, as I felt my blood literally vibrate with draconic lust. The only saving grace was that my mind remained completely unaffected, and thankfully I even managed to suppress my erection.

I knew the reason for that had to be my Soul Fortress skill, as it did not allow for anything to cloud or influence my mind, not even my own biology.

Thanking myself for being smart enough to spend Free Attribute Points on my Mind Control Immunity skill and evolving it in the process, I waited for the lunch break while impressing my teachers and classmates alike with my draconic wisdom.

I didn't feel any shame in getting praised, as I wasn't really cheating. I had learned all this stuff in the past and my Perfect Memory just helped me remember those efforts.

... Maybe school wasn't so bad after all, though I still didn't want to have to attend one daily.