There's still time before the Asgard Music Festival begins.
Since he often travels to other worlds, Eiji hasn't been back to Kuoh Academy in quite a while.
But before heading there, he didn't forget to seal Issei's spirit inside one of his Godzilla action figures.
The item wasn't kept in his bedroom, but in his inventory so that when he wanted Issei to see something again, he could pull it out quickly.
[Do you still want to torment him, host?]
"I'm not torturing him, Miss System. I'm just worried he'll get bored, so I let him watch interesting things every now and then."
[In other words, you're doing it.]
The protagonist, Issei, is truly pitiful.
But don't worry, he won't be alone for too long.
Eiji has an idea to get him a friend so he won't be lonely.
"Yo, Basara."
During lunch break that morning, Eiji's arrival at school certainly surprised a lot of people, especially his classmates.
"Eiji, when did you come back to school?"
In the hallway not far from his classroom, Basara, who was about to go to lunch, was startled by the man standing in front of him.
He furrowed his brow, and his expression looked a little sour.
Beside him was another man—no, it would be more accurate to say she was a beautiful woman pretending to be a man.
She was Nanao Tachibana.
One of the heroines from Shinmai Maou no Testament.
"Just this morning. What's wrong? You don't seem happy to see me." Eiji smiled playfully and walked closer to the two of them.
He stood right in front of them, and of course glanced at Nanao.
Nanao looked confused; she didn't know just how 'close' Basara and Eiji were.
As if panicking like a husband afraid his wife might be stolen away, Basara hurriedly forced a smile and said, "That's not true—I'm happy, of course. After all, you're Mio and Maria's boyfriend. How have you been? Why did you just now come back to school?"
He even asked as if he wanted to divert Eiji's attention away from Nanao.
There were more women whose names weren't mentioned, including his aunt and both of his mothers, but Basara only mentioned two of them.
On one hand, it was to keep Eiji from suspecting that he was speaking ill of him, since he was dating many women connected to him.
On the other hand, it was also to let Nanao know that the guy in front of her wasn't a good person!
He was a bastard, and she had to keep her distance from him.
Basara was also worried that Eiji might see through Nanao's disguise as a man. In fact, even though Nanao wanted to drop her disguise, he stopped her from doing so.
At least while at school.
That's because he was afraid Eiji would target her just like he did with Mio, Maria, Yuki, and the others!
"I'm fine… The reason I've only just returned to school is because I've been busy traveling to other worlds and resolving some issues there."
Eiji didn't bother hiding the fact that he could travel to other worlds.
Basara wasn't an ordinary person, so he certainly wasn't all that surprised.
But he grew increasingly anxious—did Eiji not consider Nanao an ordinary person!?
He didn't hesitate to talk about supernatural things right in front of her!?
Noticing Basara's anxiety, Eiji found it amusing.
He certainly knew Nanao wasn't an ordinary person—she was a Dhampir.
"Is that so? Haha... You must have had a great time in other countries." Basara deliberately turned other worlds into other countries, and spoke as if Eiji were joking.
"Um... Basara, are you and Seiya-kun friends?" Nanao asked curiously.
"Nana—Tachibana, Eiji and I..." Basara almost called Nanao by her first name because she was his girlfriend. He quickly changed the way he addressed her, but Eiji cut him off.
"We're friends and have a good relationship, like brothers. You're his friend too, right? Basara's friends are my friends too—what's your name?"
Eiji pretended not to know Nanao's identity and spoke to her as if she were a guy.
He looked at her with a friendly smile.
Basara was relieved, but he was still a little anxious.
He didn't even bother to think about refuting what Eiji had said. They weren't on good terms!
Only Eiji thought he was his friend.
What kind of friend sleeps with his friend's mother and aunt!?
Basara clenched his fists and tried to control his emotions. Compared to Issei, his self-control was on a whole other level.
The proof is that even though he doesn't like Eiji, he pretends to be friendly toward him. That's because he knew he couldn't beat him.
"H-Hello, I'm Nanao Tachibana. I am indeed Basara's friend, and we're in the same class."
Nanao shyly introduced herself.
She has a shy personality and looks like a small-framed man with an androgynous appearance.
As a Dhampir, she has red eyes and very pale skin.
While disguised as a man, she couldn't admit that she was Basara's boyfriend.
She also didn't want Basara to be labeled as gay.
Eiji almost laughed and held out one hand as if to shake hands.
"Nanao Tachibana? That's a feminine name for a guy. Since you look so cute, I'll call you Nanao-kun. I know you probably already know my name. But let me introduce myself too—I'm Eiji Seiya. Nice to meet you—let's officially be friends from now on."
"Eh... Um... Nice to meet you too, Eiji-kun."
Nanao thought it would be rude if she didn't shake Eiji's hand.
So even though she and Basara were already dating, she let another man hold her slender hand.
They shook hands for quite a while because Eiji was holding her hand.
Basara clenched his fist tighter—he was jealous and feeling possessive! He wasn't happy seeing Eiji touch Nanao right in front of him, and he really wanted to punch him.
However, he just pretended to cough. "Ahem! Eiji, Tachibana and I have to go to the cafeteria for lunch."
He subtly hinted to Eiji to take his hand off Nanao!
[Ahahaha! This is so much fun.]
[It's been a long time since I've seen protagonist Basara get jealous and glare at me with hostility in his eyes.]
[It makes me feel nostalgic...]
The heroines, except for Nanao, heard Eiji's inner voice.
Many of them couldn't help but think that he had a fetish for making the protagonists hostile toward him.
What was he doing to make Basara react like that?
"Oh, what a coincidence. I haven't had lunch yet either. I was actually thinking of inviting you to the cafeteria with me, Basara. How about the three of us have lunch together? That would be fun."
Eiji finally let go of Nanao's gentle hand and glanced at Basara as he suggested an idea.
"This..."
Basara wanted to refuse; he just wanted to have lunch alone with Nanao.
But Eiji really knew how to ruin his good mood.
Or rather, just seeing him return to school and approach him was enough to annoy Basara.
"Do you mind if I join you and Nanao-kun for lunch, Basara?"
Eiji's smile faded slightly.
Basara instinctively felt threatened!
If he didn't want to let Eiji join them, Eiji might do something even worse.
Basara reluctantly replied, "No, of course I don't mind. Let's go to the cafeteria together."
Eiji's smile widened, and he turned his gaze to Nanao. "You don't mind either, do you, Nanao-kun?"
"I…" Nanao hadn't expected Eiji to ask for his opinion as well. "I don't mind either."
With that, the three of them walked to the cafeteria together.
Eiji's status as the school's Harem King alone was enough to attract a lot of attention.
Nanao felt embarrassed; she wanted to walk closer to Basara. But Eiji was standing between them!
She didn't know if it was on purpose, but their hands often brushed against each other as they walked.
Every time that happened, Nanao didn't mind Eiji's touch; she wasn't even the slightest bit repulsed. She thought Eiji was really doing it by accident.
Harem Halo naturally lowered the heroines' guard, including Nanao's.
"...."
On the other side, Basara was frustrated and didn't realize a new green hat was being woven over his head.
He didn't see how his girlfriend was being deliberately touched by Eiji. Otherwise, he would have had a hard time controlling himself.
A few moments later.
Basara was on the verge of exploding because while they were having lunch in the cafeteria, Eiji suddenly did something unexpected.
"Mmm... Hm, this is unexpected. This is the first time I've tried the Chicken Katsu sold in the cafeteria. It tastes really good. Nanao-kun, you should try it."
Right in front of him, Eiji tried to feed his girlfriend with his chopsticks!
"I-I've already tried it, Seiya-kun. I know it's good." Nanao tried to politely refuse.
Basara was relieved that his girlfriend still knew how to refuse food from another man.
However, he forgot that Eiji was a very shameless person.
He skillfully said, "No need to be shy, Nanao-kun. We're guys and friends. Unless you're a woman who already has a boyfriend, please don't turn down my hospitality."
"I'm not embarrassed… I, I just..."
Nanao struggled to find the words; she panicked because if she refused, Eiji might suspect she was a woman who already had a boyfriend.
She glanced at Basara as if asking for help.
Of course, Basara couldn't just stand by. He quickly said, "Eiji, Tachibana is very shy. You don't need to feed him—that'll just make him feel uncomfortable. Besides, isn't feeding a guy a bit over the top?"
Just as you'd expect from the protagonist.
You came up with a pretty reasonable excuse to save your woman.
Even so, Eiji didn't give up!
He's a blond-haired villain! Literally, except for his hair color.
"I didn't realize you were so shy, Nanao-kun. I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable, so… Here, eat from your own plate."
He placed the piece of chicken katsu from his chopsticks onto Nanao's plate.
"That way, at least you won't have to feel shy about eating the food I gave you."
""!""
Nanao froze.
Basara's lips twitched.
Eiji, you bastard!
Why are you so stubborn about feeding Nanao!?
She's my woman!
How dare you feed her something that might have been touched by your saliva.
"Seiya-kun, you really don't need to go to all this trouble... Y-You should eat your own food."
Nanao wanted to put the piece of Chicken Katsu on her plate back on Eiji's plate. But before her chopsticks could reach her plate, he leaned forward and snatched the piece of Chicken Katsu right out of her hand.
"Yum, yum... It's such a shame you refused the food I offered you. I can't force you any further, Nanao-kun."
From the perspective of others—especially Basara—Nanao had just fed Eiji with her own hands.
"Fueeh!? Seiya-kun, you, you... How could you..."
Nanao stammered, and her cheeks flushed.
She had just fed a man other than her boyfriend!
Feeling guilty, she didn't dare look at Basara, who was sitting next to her.
"Nanao-kun is really shy, isn't he, Basara?" Eiji glanced at the protagonist sitting next to him.
He chuckled inwardly because, at that moment, Basara's face looked green.
He glared at him angrily, but took a deep breath before answering without a smile.
"Yeah, I told you Tachibana is really shy. Eiji, you shouldn't do things like that again either. It makes him uncomfortable, too."
"Really? My bad, I won't do it again."
Hearing this, Basara decided to be patient a little longer.
He didn't blame Nanao either; the only one at fault was Eiji.
The most important thing was that Eiji didn't know Nanao was a woman.
There are limits to what a man will do to another man, right?
From then on, Basara vowed to be more vigilant in protecting Nanao's purity!
Still, he forgot to tell Nanao to change her chopsticks.
Nanao also didn't think about the indirect kiss with another man. After Eiji realized his mistake, she continued eating.
That scene happened to be witnessed by another protagonist with eyes like a dead fish.
He was sitting at another table quite a distance away, eating alone.
Who else could it be but...
"What did I just see? A guy as cute as Totsuka feeding Eiji? And Eiji looked happy..."
The chopsticks in Hachiman's hand trembled, and his face showed a look of fear.
He couldn't help but wonder if Eiji was now attracted to more than just women? Now he's also—
"Hachiman! You're sitting there? Why didn't you say hello to me?"
As if he knew what he was thinking, Eiji suddenly called out to him from the table where he and Basara were eating together.
He even waved at him; many eyes in the cafeteria were now on him.
As a loner, Hachiman felt uncomfortable.
"Hey... Eiji, I just saw you."
He was forced to return the other person's greeting as if they were friends; he also gave a slight nod to Basara and Nanao.
"I see. Do you want to join us?" Eiji asked kindly.
Of course, he knew what Hachiman was thinking, and for that reason, he called out to him right away.
He didn't want to be misunderstood by his best friend.
"No, thanks! I've already finished my lunch."
Hachiman declined and hurriedly got ready to return to his classroom.
Just like Basara, he didn't want to get involved with Eiji either!
Basara looked at Hachiman with envy. He also wanted to be able to escape from Eiji just like Hachiman.
Unfortunately, Nanao was with him, too.
He couldn't leave her alone with Eiji.
[Hachiman, it's not your turn right now. I'll let you go.]
On the surface, Eiji looked a little disappointed that Hachiman wasn't having lunch with them.
But in his heart...
He might be holding a grudge!
The heroines thought Hachiman was pitiful.
"By the way, Basara. I remember your birthday is coming up."
After they'd finished the food on their plates, Eiji suddenly brought up a topic.
That topic made Basara's body tense up.
He looked at Eiji suspiciously, "How did you know that?"
"I asked Sapphire." Eiji lied casually; he'd actually had an idea and asked Rasiel when Basara's birthday was.
As it happened, it was pretty close to now.
"You found out my birthday from my mom? That makes sense." Speaking of his mother, Basara's expression didn't look good.
That's because she's staying at Eiji's house!
And Eiji, did you bring her up on purpose just to annoy me?
Are you trying to remind me that Sapphire and Raphaeline are also members of your harem!?
"Don't worry, as your friend... I'll definitely give you a gift."
"Ummm... thanks? You really didn't have to go out of your way to give me a gift, Eiji."
Basara didn't understand why Eiji suddenly cared about his antics.
Eiji laughed and said, "How could I not give you a gift? And as a fellow guy, I know what you might like. Look forward to it."
"....." Basara was speechless.
He felt that whatever gift Eiji might give him wouldn't be anything good.
However, Nanao didn't think so.
She looked at Eiji while an idea formed in her mind. She didn't even know that Basara's birthday was coming up soon, and once she found out, she'd definitely want to give him a gift too.
Even so, what Eiji said made her unsure of what kind of gift Basara might like.
After all, she's a woman.
She might have to find an opportunity to talk to Eiji alone and ask him for advice.
It seemed like he really did have a good relationship with Basara.
Eiji smirked in his heart.
[Host, you've been getting pretty sly lately.]
'Miss System, I don't understand what you're saying.'
[Our King, the way you wooed that woman into your trap... Amazing!]
Leme praised her king, and just like Miss System, she knew Nanao was a woman.
In the past, Eiji had ignored her because he was busy with other women. But now, he's changed his mind, especially after learning that Nanao hasn't lost her V card yet.
According to Rasiel, even though Basara and Nanao were dating, the most they did was hold hands.
Nanao is too shy, and since Basara in this life doesn't know how to use the Master-Servant contract, he certainly has no reason to rush into doing lewd things with a woman.
The development of Basara and Nanao's relationship is slower than in the original work.