"Oh, Koneko. You're here again? What do you want to eat today?"
Jeanne Alter greeted Koneko expressionlessly as the girl stood frozen at the doorway.
Ever since tasting Jeanne Alter's homemade cakes, Koneko had visited almost daily after school, significantly increasing Jeanne's grocery bills.
In fact, Koneko's cravings were so intense that she had once rushed from her first-year classroom all the way to Jeanne Alter's second-year class, begging for snacks during lessons—leaving Jeanne speechless.
Initially, Jeanne refused, citing a lack of ingredients and tools. But Koneko had remained persistent.
"That's fine. We can just borrow the cooking classroom. All we need is the club president's approval."
Ah, so that's how it works? You just need your president's permission, and the school hands over the cooking classroom? So this is what privilege looks like?
Unable to argue, Jeanne Alter changed tactics, insisting that school was for studying and academic achievement, gently suggesting Koneko should focus more on her studies.
Koneko had replied plainly, "I'm a devil, so my grades don't matter." Yet she relented, recognizing Jeanne as an ordinary human who needed to focus on future university admissions and career prospects. She didn't want to sabotage Jeanne's future by distracting her.
Little did Koneko know that Jeanne Alter had never paid attention in class. With the [Holy Grail] at her disposal, which university couldn't she enter? Study? Pay attention in class? Ridiculous.
Afterward, Koneko never again suggested using the cooking classroom but compensated by coming to Jeanne's house more frequently after school.
Today, however, Koneko arrived later than usual. Jeanne guessed it probably had something to do with the dragon girl she'd just brought home.
The immense magical presence that girl had unleashed outside the dessert shop would certainly attract the attention of Rias, the overseer of Kuoh Town, prompting investigations by her and her servants.
Jeanne had assumed Koneko might skip her visit today altogether, but to her surprise, the petite devil had shown up regardless.
You're really stubborn, huh?
Despite Jeanne Alter's greeting, Koneko didn't respond. Instead, her wide, astonished golden eyes remained fixed upon the dragon girl currently perched on Jeanne Alter's lap.
Crunch!
Dressed in a black gothic lolita dress, the dragon girl sat quietly on Jeanne's lap, stuffing cookies into her mouth like a hamster.
The outfit had been purchased earlier at a nearby mall. Jeanne Alter had insisted on buying proper clothes for her, as she couldn't bear another second of the girl's original revealing attire. Worried the dragon girl wouldn't cooperate, she'd promised ice cream afterward. However, Jeanne's concern turned out to be unnecessary.
Describing this unnamed dragon girl as "utterly obedient" would be accurate. She silently followed wherever Jeanne went, always nodding obediently at any request Jeanne made.
Jeanne hadn't been sure what clothing would suit her best. Upon asking, the dragon girl had simply replied, "Black." Finding the girl extraordinarily doll-like and adorable, Jeanne eventually chose a black gothic lolita dress.
Now dressed neatly, the dragon girl was the epitome of a living porcelain doll, quietly eating cookies on Jeanne's lap.
Even though Koneko's intense gaze wasn't directed at her, Jeanne still felt the pressure. Yet, the dragon girl remained utterly unaffected, nibbling her cookies slowly, as if nothing else around her mattered.
After a long, silent staring contest between the two expressionless girls, Koneko finally conceded defeat, shifting her gaze to Jeanne Alter instead.
"Jeanne-senpai, who is she? A relative of yours?"
"Honestly... I don't even know her myself," Jeanne admitted with a troubled scratch of her cheek. "I found her standing alone in the street. I treated her to some sweets, and now she's latched onto me, refusing to leave."
Everything Jeanne said was true—she felt entirely helpless about her current predicament.
Koneko furrowed her brows slightly.
"A child this young… What about her family?"
"I have no idea. When I asked her where her family was, she just stared blankly and didn't say a word," Jeanne shrugged helplessly. "I asked her where she lived, and all she said was..."
"My home is silence."
The dragon girl suddenly stopped eating, quietly interjecting with this cryptic response, then promptly resumed eating her cookie.
"See? That's how she answered—utterly incomprehensible," Jeanne explained, waving her hand under Koneko's intense stare. "I couldn't think of any place named 'silence' other than Silent Hill. I didn't feel comfortable leaving a child alone on the street, so I brought her here."
She wasn't lying. Jeanne Alter genuinely didn't dare leave such a powerful dragon unattended. If this girl ever decided to blow the city apart, Jeanne doubted she could stop her.
Koneko's brow remained tense, clearly not satisfied with the explanation.
"You could take her to the police. They can look after her..."
"No."
The dragon girl raised her head slowly, speaking in a quiet yet firm voice.
"I won't... leave this human."
Koneko raised her eyebrows slightly.
"Human?"
With Koneko's arrival and the cookies rapidly disappearing, Jeanne decided to head into the kitchen to prepare more snacks for the two little gluttons.
But first... she'd need to get off the sofa.
"Alright, time to get off my lap now."
Jeanne gently bounced her knee up and down, trying to nudge the dragon girl from her spot.
Surprisingly, the girl didn't move. Instead, she turned around, silently meeting Jeanne's eyes with her deep black gaze.
Seeing no response, Jeanne spoke again.
"If you don't move, I won't be able to get up and make you and Koneko some tasty snacks. Would that be okay?"
Koneko's eyes widened in shock, while the dragon girl's expression twisted slightly, looking genuinely conflicted.
Jeanne was baffled. Was this choice really that difficult?
All she wanted was for the girl to leave her lap.
Eventually, the dragon girl did move—not voluntarily, but because Koneko, unable to tolerate it any longer, stepped forward and lifted her off Jeanne's lap.
But once Jeanne entered the kitchen, the dragon girl immediately followed, unwilling to leave Jeanne's side even for a moment.
Throughout the cooking process, the girl simply stood silently, watching Jeanne's every move without any visible expression, making it impossible to discern her thoughts.
"Jeanne... Is that your name?"
"Hm?"
The sudden question briefly drew Jeanne's attention.
It occurred to Jeanne only now that she still didn't know this dragon girl's name.
"Ah, yes. My name is Jeanne," she replied casually, accepting the identity without fuss.
"Hmm... That name feels familiar."
"Really? Well, that's hardly surprising. It's not a particularly unique name, after all. There must be countless people with the same name out there. Names are usually chosen by parents, right? Poor souls saddled with such ridiculous names will suffer for life."
Jeanne's harsh and biting remarks slipped out instinctively, as if harboring deep resentment toward the name itself—or perhaps towards a certain someone who originally bore it.
"I don't think... that name is ridiculous."
The dragon girl's face subtly shifted, as if displeased by Jeanne's words—displeased, perhaps?
Jeanne cast a surprised glance at her but quickly returned her attention to cooking, feigning disinterest.
"Hmph! Whatever, say what you want."
Another long silence settled before Jeanne broke it again.
"You know my name now, but I still don't know yours... So, what's your name?"
Until now, Jeanne Alter only knew this girl was an extremely powerful dragon. But Jeanne's limited knowledge of this world left her unable to determine the girl's identity from that alone.
She knew about the Five Dragon Kings, the Two Heavenly Dragons, and the Two Dragon Gods. Apart from these, there were also numerous evil dragons, though most had long since been eliminated by other mythological factions.
Jeanne was most familiar with the Two Heavenly Dragons—Ddraig, the Red Dragon Emperor, and Albion, the White Dragon Emperor. During the ancient war among angels, fallen angels, and devils, the sudden arrival and battle between Ddraig and Albion had caused massive damage to all factions. Eventually, the three sides temporarily united, sealing the Two Heavenly Dragons into [Sacred Gears]: [Boosted Gear] and [Divine Dividing].
Jeanne knew these details well due to Hyoudou Issei, the current wielder of [Boosted Gear].
As for the Two Dragon Gods... she only vaguely remembered their names from descriptions she'd read.
Regarding the Five Dragon Kings... she didn't even know their names, let alone details about them.
Based on what Jeanne knew, Dragon Kings were roughly comparable to Maou-class devils, Heavenly Dragons were Transcendent beings, and Dragon Gods stood at the apex—so powerful that not even the combined strength of the world's top twenty strongest could threaten them.
Given her caution toward this girl, Jeanne believed she must be at least Dragon King-level. Anything lower would have felt embarrassingly beneath her.
Considering that evil dragons and the Heavenly Dragons were dead or sealed, this girl had to be either one of the Five Dragon Kings or one of the Two Dragon Gods—no other possibilities remained.
Under Jeanne's watchful gaze, the dragon girl slowly parted her lips, her emotionless voice echoing quietly.
"My name is... Ophis."
Ophis... So, her name is Ophis.
Wait—Ophis?
As the deepest memories stirred, Jeanne's golden eyes widened in disbelief, locking onto the seemingly innocent girl before her.
"Ophis?!"
Ophis, the Infinite Dragon God?!
Chaldean profanity! Did I just pull an SSR?! Did I seriously bring the world's strongest home?!
Wait, hold on, something's completely wrong here... The legendary Infinite Dragon God, stronger than the combined might of the world's twenty strongest beings... was actually a clueless, doll-like little girl who needed someone to feed her ice cream?
As Jeanne stared incredulously at the confused Ophis, reality felt absurdly distorted.
Just as Jeanne grappled with disbelief, Ophis lifted her delicate hand, revealing a small black serpent curled into an "∞"—the Ouroboros symbol, biting its own tail.
"Here… For you."
Ophis offered it calmly, her soft voice devoid of emotion.