Nobara Kugisaki finally shook off the clingy girls and locked eyes with Megumi Fushiguro, who'd just scrambled out of the classroom looking equally frazzled.
They hurried to the stairwell, ducking under the stairs. Yuji Itadori was the last to slip into the shadows beneath, barely catching his balance against the wall when Megumi's hushed voice cut through. "Did you guys feel that just now?"
"Yeah!" Yuji nodded hard, his fake bangs bouncing. "It was like ants crawling up my spine—super creepy."
Nobara pulled a folded note from her pocket. "This."
The three huddled together, Yuji squinting at the note under the dim light leaking through the stairwell gaps. It read: "Want to know about the missing students? Come to the old school building in the back hills."
"Who gave it to you?" Megumi's brows knitted, his fingers absently rubbing the suppression bracelet on his wrist.
"No clue." Nobara shrugged, pulling out a palm-sized straw doll, its edges singed and wrinkled. "During class, my desk made a weird noise, and this note was in my drawer. And check this out."
The straw doll's rope joints glowed with an eerie red light. Yuji's breath hitched—he'd seen Nobara use this cursed tool to attack souls before.
Megumi's throat bobbed. "I felt it during class too, like someone was sizing us up like prey."
"Exactly!" Yuji nodded, rubbing his arms. "It gave me goosebumps—worse than facing a Special Grade cursed spirit."
The stairwell fell silent, save for the faint laughter drifting from distant classrooms.
"Should we go?" Yuji poked at the dusty floor. "It could be a real lead."
"It's one hundred percent a trap," Megumi shot back. "Luring us to a secluded spot and making Nobara's soul-sensing cursed tool heat up? That's bad news."
"Have you reached Maki-senpai or Yuta-senpai?" Nobara cut in.
Megumi's face darkened. "Tried three times." He paused, his voice dropping lower. "No response."
The trio went quiet. Yuji spoke up, "We should contact Gojo-sensei. Whatever's going on here is way above our pay grade."
"Totally! Call Gojo-sensei—maybe he can even get Nero to show up," Nobara said, clapping her hands.
Megumi nodded, pulling out his phone and tapping the screen a few times. The signal icon stayed gray. He frowned, stuffing it back in his pocket. "No signal."
"No signal?" Yuji leaned over, then yanked out his own phone, jabbing at the screen. "How's there no signal in a school?"
Nobara checked hers, the top-right corner of her screen blank too. "Mine's dead too."
"Wait till school's out?" Yuji scratched his head, tugging at his fake bangs.
Megumi shook his head, tapping the back of his phone. "Whatever's out there with that kind of malice isn't gonna let us stroll out of here."
"So what now?" Nobara stuffed the straw doll back in her pocket, the rustle of fabric loud in the silence.
Yuji yanked off his wig, his pink hair springing free. "If it comes to it, we fight our way out! We've still got our cursed energy."
"Too risky to go in blind," Megumi said, scanning the stairwell entrance. "If we're out of options, we ditch class. I checked earlier—the west wall's pretty unguarded."
Nobara grinned. "Climbing walls? I'm in."
In the shadows, three fists clenched in unison. Yuji stood first, brushing off the dust. "Let's move while it's still break—"
"Shh." Megumi grabbed his shoulder, ear cocked toward footsteps above. "Someone's coming."
The sound of shoes echoed down the stairwell, mixed with the growing chatter of excited girls.
"Wow, that guy's so tall!"
"He's super hot! Look at his eyes—sky blue!"
"Your eyes are pretty sharp, ladies~" Satoru Gojo's lazy drawl cut through the noise. "Students this excited? Wanna snap a pic with your teacher?"
"Yes!" The girls' squeals nearly shook the stair railings.
Under the stairs, the trio exchanged exasperated looks. Yuji ruffled his pink hair in frustration, Megumi's frown deepened, and Nobara rolled her eyes hard.
"Peeking up girls' skirts isn't what good students do~"
The voice was suddenly right next to them, and all three froze. Gojo was somehow crouching in front of them, his sunglasses slipping down his nose, his blue eyes glinting with mischief. "Three naughty students—teacher's here to catch you~"
"Gojo-sensei!" Yuji jumped, smacking his head on the underside of the stairs with a loud thunk.
He clutched his head, wincing. "We weren't peeking!"
Megumi sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Why'd you show up out of nowhere?"
Gojo mussed Yuji's hair. "I tried contacting Yuta and Maki earlier—no answer. So I rushed over."
"Then you should've gone to them first," Megumi said, frowning. "If they're out of contact, they're in bigger trouble."
"Relax, relax," Gojo said, waving a hand dismissively, his blue eyes flashing behind his sunglasses. "Yuta's got backup already. Kusakabe and Miu Miu linked up with him."
Yuji let out a relieved breath, but Gojo's tone shifted. "Maki, though? She's in rough shape—half her bones shattered. Ouch."
"What?!" Megumi's pupils contracted, his fists clenching tight.
Yuji's jaw dropped. "No way! Maki-senpai's the Heavenly Restriction badass! Not even a Special Grade could break her bones…"
Nobara's brows furrowed. "There's a monster like that hiding in this school?"
"Lucky for you guys, huh?" Gojo tapped his cheek, smirking. "When me and Little Tian Tian got there, Maki was down for the count, next to some big guy's corpse. What a scene~"
He clicked his tongue, recalling Maki's state. "Good thing Tian was there. He opened a portal and tossed her to Shoko. She's probably fine by now."
"Gaio's here too?!" Yuji's voice spiked, his eyes lighting up.
Megumi's tense expression softened, his shoulders relaxing. Nobara clasped her hands, starry-eyed. "Oh~ With Nero around, we're golden~"
"Who else could handle this mess?" Gojo snorted, pushing his sunglasses up. "But whoever beat Maki like that? They're interesting."
"What about Nero?!" Nobara blurted, suddenly anxious. "He better not come to the main building, or these fangirls will eat him alive~~"
"Oh, I get it~" Gojo patted his chest and backside, grinning. "Those girls were all over me during the photo op. If I hadn't dodged, I could've stayed for more shots."
"Gojo-sensei, where's Gaio now?" Megumi asked.
Gojo snapped back to reality, raising an eyebrow with a sly grin. "Heh, he said he's off to meet a woman."
---
Sunlight slanted across the old walls of the Supernatural Research Club's building.
Gaio tilted his head, staring up at an open third-floor window, his thumb brushing the hilt of his Yamato blade.
Rias Gremory leaned on the windowsill, her chin propped up, her wine-red hair spilling over her shoulder as she flashed a radiant smile. "Nero-san~ How long are you gonna stare from down there?" Her voice carried a teasing lilt as it drifted down.
Before she finished, Gaio vanished. When Rias straightened and turned, he was already standing in the center of the office, the hem of his black hooded trench coat still dusted with outdoor grit. (Nero's outfit from Devil May Cry 5.)
She leaned lazily against the window frame, twirling a lock of hair. "Oh my~ Nero-san, you're so fast~"
Gaio raised an eyebrow, stepping toward her as the noise from outside was muffled by the closed glass door. "Demon?"
Rias's brow twitched at the word, and she stood up straight. Her wine-red hair traced an elegant arc as she moved. Holding the edges of her skirt, she dipped into a refined curtsy. "Rias Gremory, representing the Gremory family, extends her sincerest respects, Lord Nero."
Gaio's brows furrowed, his wrist flicking.
A severed head with black hair appeared in his palm—the fallen angel Raynare, the one who left Nobara the note. He tossed it onto the desk, the cut from Yamato so clean it left no trace of blood.
"Demons and fallen angels working together?" His eyes locked onto hers as he asked.
Rias glanced at the head, then burst into laughter. Sunlight spilled across her face, her beauty blooming like a thorny rose. "Not at all, Nero-san."
Her fingertip brushed Raynare's hair. "This fallen angel killed several of my potential familiars. I've been looking for her."
Gaio's brows knitted tighter, his gaze turning icy. His temples throbbed, a cold voice snarling in his mind: Kill her. The Sparda family doesn't negotiate with demons.
He knew what this was—the lingering instincts from Yamato's body modification. Vergil's bloodlust, Dante's demon-hunting instincts, and the Sparda bloodline's hatred for demons exploded at his nerve endings.
Gaio gripped Yamato tightly, the blade humming faintly. He glanced at its blue glow, and the violent urge receded like a tide.
Rias tilted her head, her red curls sliding over her shoulder. "Nero-san, are we just gonna stand here staring all day?"
"Demons don't belong in the human world," Gaio said, lifting his chin, his words cold and sharp.
Rias blinked, then laughed, her wavy hair bouncing with the motion. "Nero-san, we've been in this world far longer than you have."
She stepped closer, her heels clicking crisply on the floor, stopping just short of pressing herself against him. Her finger traced a line on his chest. "If those fallen angels hadn't gotten reckless, you demon hunters wouldn't even be here. Besides~"
Her eyes met his without flinching, her wine-red pupils sparkling with amusement, her lashes fluttering with a lazy charm. "We've never hurt anyone on purpose."
Gaio's gaze stayed locked on hers.
"Rias, what's your goal?" His voice was low, almost a growl. "Why this place?"
Rias stepped back, her heels clicking again. She tucked a stray curl behind her ear, her smile dazzling. "This academy was founded by us to recruit and screen familiars from around the world."
"Familiars?" Gaio's brow arched.
"Yup~ Familiars." Rias drew out the word, tapping Raynare's head on the desk. "Pawns in a secret war."
Gaio tilted his chin, signaling her to go on.
Rias shook her head, her curls dancing. "Nero-san, this war's been raging since ancient times."
She leaned forward, her neckline dipping to reveal delicate collarbones and a glimpse of cleavage. "Secrets aren't shared with outsiders, unless—"
Her tongue flicked across her lower lip, her gaze turning fiery. "You join the war."
Gaio's fingers tightened on Yamato's hilt.
"So, Nero-san," Rias's voice dripped with sweetness, "wanna play? Your scent's way more tempting than Lucifer's~"
---
read my new story and vote :
American TV Series: Young Sheldon mike edition