The next day arrived without fanfare.
The Kokabiel incident hadn't caused any major disruptions, and for Takeyo, it had been nothing more than a brief diversion, a bit of seasoning to spice up his daily routine.
After everything concluded yesterday, Jeanne had mentioned she needed to meet with Cao Cao first before heading back to her hometown for a visit. She'd left shortly after, disappearing into the night with her characteristic determination.
Takeyo wasn't particularly worried about her safety. With Jeanne's current strength, as long as she didn't do anything reckless, trouble would be hard to find. Besides, even if she did wave around that power a bit too enthusiastically, she could always call for backup.
Through the previous incident with Vishnu, Jeanne should have learned how to reach him when necessary. That knowledge alone made him confident she'd be fine.
After checking today's sign-in notification, Takeyo and Asia set off for the academy.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations to the host for triggering the daily location check-in! Sign-in level: Silver!]
[Sign-in location: Devil Sirzechs Lucifer!]
[Sign-in time limit: 1 day.]
[Remaining time for sign-in: 1 day.]
Sirzechs, huh? Takeyo mused as he walked. That's not difficult. He should be coming to Rias's school today anyway. Even if he doesn't show up on his own, finding him wouldn't be hard.
"Yang-san?" Asia's voice pulled him from his thoughts. "How do I put this... Don't you think there are more people on the road today than usual?"
She looked around with curiosity, noting the unusual foot traffic heading toward the academy.
"Oh, that's because today is the teaching visit day," Takeyo explained with a slight smile. "The parents of students will be visiting the school. Though it really doesn't have anything to do with us."
This was one of Kuoh Academy's annual traditions, a day set aside for parents to observe their children's classes and meet with teachers.
"Huh? So I'll be able to see the minister's parents, the chairwoman's family, and Kiryuu-san's parents too? That's really exciting!" Asia clasped her hands together, her eyes lighting up with genuine enthusiasm.
"Well, yeah. Their parents should all be there," Takeyo replied with a knowing smirk.
I wonder if Serafall will show up from Sona's side, he thought to himself. Since I sealed her powers last time, she probably hasn't fully recovered yet. I'm curious whether she'd dare appear in front of me again.
"That's really something to look forward to! I've always wanted to see what real devils look like," Asia said with an innocent smile.
Through her interactions with Rias, Sona, and the others, Asia had come to realize they were all genuinely good people, not the heinous demons that Church propaganda had painted them to be.
However, Rias and her friends hadn't discovered Asia's true identity yet. Due to the significant difference in power levels, they simply perceived her as a kind-hearted nun with no particular supernatural abilities.
"Hm?" Asia suddenly stopped, following Takeyo's line of sight. "Yang-san? Is there someone over there?"
She noticed him staring intently at a specific location near the school entrance.
"Yeah, there's someone. An acquaintance, actually," Takeyo said with amusement.
To be honest, it had taken him a moment to recognize who it was. After all, the holy spear that young man usually carried was so distinctive that seeing him without it felt oddly unfamiliar. It was like seeing someone who normally wore glasses suddenly appear without them.
That's right, the person striking a pose at the school gate was none other than Cao Cao.
Takeyo had originally expected Vali might be the one waiting for him with some dramatic entrance, but apparently not. Vali must still be nursing his wounded pride from our last encounter, he thought with satisfaction. Too embarrassed to show his face in front of me so soon.
Cao Cao finally spotted the person he'd been waiting for, abandoned his carefully maintained stance, and walked directly toward Takeyo.
"Well, it's been a while since we last met," Cao Cao said, flashing what he probably thought was a friendly smile but which struck Takeyo as vaguely ominous.
"It has been a while," Takeyo acknowledged with his own easy smile. "But are you sure it's wise for you to be here?"
Cao Cao glanced around the academy grounds, momentarily confused. "What do you mean by 'wise to be here'? Isn't the negotiation supposed to happen later?"
"No, I mean today is the teaching visit day here," Takeyo clarified, gesturing toward the increased foot traffic. "Presumably both Sirzechs and Serafall will be showing up to visit their siblings. Aren't you afraid of running into them?"
Understanding dawned on Cao Cao's face. "Ah, you mean Maou Sirzechs and Maou Serafall." His expression turned slightly arrogant. "While I'm not necessarily afraid of the Maou, exposing us to the Three Factions right now isn't exactly the scenario I'm looking for."
His words carried more than a hint of hubris. He genuinely believed that with the True Longinus, the holy spear capable of killing gods and demons alike, he could defeat even the Maou. What he didn't realize was that standing before him wasn't just another Maou-level threat, but someone who had already transcended that tier entirely.
"Well then, if you have something to say, hurry up and say it so you can slip away," Takeyo said with a yawn, clearly unimpressed by the posturing.
For someone like Takeyo, opponents like Cao Cao presented the least challenge. The Hero Faction leader prided himself on technical skill and tactical brilliance, but when your technique was completely suppressed by an opponent's raw power and superior abilities, all that skill became meaningless, leaving you brittle and easy to break.
Of course, only someone of Takeyo's transcendent level could so casually suppress Cao Cao's considerable talents.
"Something to say? Of course I have something to say," Cao Cao replied, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You just abducted Jeanne from under my nose. That's quite the bold move."
He knew that judging by Jeanne's state at the time, talking to her would have been useless. The girl had clearly fallen completely for that man, in every sense of the word.
Actually falling for a man like that... Cao Cao thought with a mixture of contempt and protest. It really doesn't match the legacy of a saint's descendant at all.
He felt strongly that Jeanne's behavior betrayed everything her heritage should represent, and he was prepared to file a serious protest against Takeyo's wall-digging tactics.
"Hey, hey, hey, watch your language," Takeyo cut him off with a sharp look. "What do you mean 'abducted'? You need to be careful with accusations like that. What, do you have a problem with it? Your Hero Faction shouldn't be short one person, right?"
Takeyo smiled easily, knowing full well that Cao Cao wasn't actually here because of Jeanne.
If it were really about the girl, he would have sent a message as soon as she returned to the Hero Faction base, not waited until now to confront him in person.
"We're not short a person, what we're short is talent like you," Cao Cao said, unable to hide a trace of resentment in his voice.
What the hell did Jeanne tell him when she went back? he wondered bitterly. She fell for him so quickly that I didn't even get a chance to use her as leverage to recruit him!
"Well, come find me when you actually need something," Takeyo said dismissively, moving to walk past Cao Cao with the still-confused Asia following behind.
"Hey!" Cao Cao called out in frustration.
"What else do you want to say?" Takeyo turned back with mild curiosity.
"What do you think..." Cao Cao paused dramatically, licking his dry lips with anticipation. "About swallowing the Infinite, making the Infinite become finite... devouring the Dream, making the Dream turn into bubbles? How does that sound?"
Takeyo's smile widened slightly. "Interesting proposition. But... can you actually do it?"
Apart from the philosophical implications, there was a practical problem: Cao Cao couldn't handle Ophis alone. Takeyo still had certain countermeasures in place, specifically, something attached to Ophis's clothing that would alert him immediately if that disgusting snake-draining artifact was ever used on her.
"If I can't do it, we'll talk about it when the time comes," Cao Cao replied, his eyes burning with ambition.
"Then come find me again when that time arrives," Takeyo said with finality. "That's settled."
He turned away and walked slowly toward the school with Asia, leaving Cao Cao standing alone at the gate.
Cao Cao didn't say anything more, simply turning his back and departing in the opposite direction.
Truth be told, Takeyo actually admired Cao Cao to some degree. After being struck down into the Underworld, the man had managed to crawl his way back out through sheer human determination. That alone was impressive enough to earn Indra's recognition and grant him permission to wield the True Longinus once more. Not many humans could claim such an achievement.
However, Takeyo's admiration was fundamentally different in nature, like an exceptionally beautiful woman looking at an ordinarily pretty woman and acknowledging her attractiveness. He could appreciate the achievement while recognizing the vast gulf between their levels.
Because his realm had already far surpassed Cao Cao's, he possessed the qualification to judge him from a position of superiority.
"Yang-san? Who was that person just now?" Asia asked curiously once they were out of earshot.
All that talk about swallowing infinity and devouring dreams... she thought, bewildered. Is he perhaps suffering from chuunibyou?
"Ah, just a chuunibyou with dreams," Takeyo said with an amused chuckle.
Cao Cao might believe his Hero Faction holds a position of power over the Old Satan Faction within the Khaos Brigade, he mused, but the reality is completely opposite. He's being played like a fiddle and doesn't even realize it.
Today was teaching visit day, which meant almost all the students were on edge. While Takeyo wasn't nervous about parental observation, he had no desire to become the center of attention for a crowd of visiting parents either.
Instead of actively participating in class, he chose to appear as though he were napping while actually studying "Immortal Arts: From Beginner to Divine Mastery." It was a productive alternative, unlike the crystal ball he'd used before, this grimoire could be disguised as a regular book.
Of course, keeping a low profile wasn't entirely within his control anymore.
After acquiring the Origin of Humanity bloodline, Takeyo's natural charisma had surpassed even Kiba's considerable appeal by several magnitudes.
When he'd looked in the mirror that morning, he'd noticed subtle changes in his appearance. Perhaps because he'd merged three thousand Great Daos, specifically the Dao of Thunder, yesterday, his facial features seemed to have sharpened slightly, taking on an even more striking quality.
"Yang-kun, the vice president asked you to come with her," Kiryuu Aika suddenly appeared beside his desk, her tone carrying a hint of mischief.
"Hm?" Takeyo looked up toward the classroom door.
There, Tsubaki Shinra stood quietly, waiting with her usual composed expression.
Though only slightly visible, Takeyo could detect a trace of anxiety in her eyes behind those glasses through his enhanced perception.
"Alright," he said, rising from his seat.
Putting away the book, Takeyo made his way toward Tsubaki.
"Vice President, is something wrong?" he asked as he approached.
If she's asking me to help maintain order during the visit, I'm definitely refusing, he thought preemptively. My work in the student council is decision-making and planning. This kind of manual labor isn't within my job description.
It wasn't that he was afraid of hard work, managing crowd control would actually be more troublesome in his case. His presence wouldn't maintain order; it would attract chaos as female students and parents gravitated toward him, completely disrupting the very order he was supposed to preserve.
That would be genuinely exhausting, he concluded.
Seeing Takeyo emerge from the classroom, Tsubaki felt her slightly abnormal heartbeat calm down.
"Takeyo-san, the president needs to see you urgently," she said, maintaining her professional demeanor while deliberately using his student title rather than "Master" in front of the other students.
"Urgent? Then I'll head over immediately," Takeyo responded without hesitation.
Together, Takeyo and Tsubaki made their way to the student council room he knew so well.
Before entering, he raised his eyebrows in recognition. The aura emanating from inside was distinctly familiar.
"This presence..." he murmured. "Very familiar. Did they actually go this far?"
"Well, I suppose it's also my mistake for forgetting to retrieve that item."
"Whatever. Let's go in first."
Click.
Opening the door to the student council room, Takeyo immediately saw two people waiting inside.
One was an expressionless ice princess with striking features. The other was a blonde girl who radiated a more lively, energetic presence.
Upon seeing Takeyo enter, both of them turned to look at him with unmistakable joy in their eyes.
"Master Takeyo, it's been quite a while. I am Ravel Phenex," the blonde girl said, performing a slight bow with textbook-perfect noble etiquette.
"Yang-jun, this is the younger sister of Riser Phenex from that day, the eldest daughter of the Phenex family," Sona interjected after Ravel's introduction, providing context.
"I know who you are, Ravel. After all, I still have a memory of you in that wedding dress," Takeyo said with a knowing smile.
When he'd gone to retrieve Rias from her arranged marriage, he'd put Riser's younger sister Ravel in a wedding dress as insurance against Riser's potential rejection of the challenge. It had been an effective pressure tactic.
Of course, beyond just the wedding dress, Takeyo had also left something else attached to Ravel at that time, a subtle marker that served multiple purposes.
And Ravel coming to find him now was definitely related to that particular something.
"W-Wedding dress?!" Ravel's face immediately flushed crimson, steam practically rising from her head as her mind flooded with embarrassing memories.
"Ahem." Sona cleared her throat tactically, trying to regain control of the conversation as her authority seemed to be rapidly diminishing. "Yang-jun, Ravel has come to Kuoh Academy this time as a devil intern experiencing life in the human world."
"Master Takeyo, I will be spending the next six years studying and completing my devil internship at Kuoh Academy and Kuoh University. Please take care of me," Ravel managed to stammer out, her face still burning red.
"I will," Takeyo replied simply.
After all, he added mentally, our current relationship isn't exactly ordinary.
"Thank you so much, Master Takeyo!" Ravel bowed deeply to him again, her gratitude evident.
It was a proper, formal bow, the kind that demonstrated both effort and sincerity. Takeyo could see both qualities clearly in the earnest motion and the trembling that accompanied it.