As soon as the final bell rang, Ryuichi and the others gathered in the Occult Research Club's activity room.
After finishing her shower, Rias Gremory emerged with a towel draped loosely around her shoulders — her stunning beauty enough to steal anyone's breath away.
Of course, the only lucky soul privileged to witness that scene was Ryuichi, the sole male member of the club.
Rias cast him a casual glance, seemingly unconcerned about her rather heart-stopping state of dress. After all, she and Ryuichi had already shared enough intimate moments that left little room for embarrassment — though they'd yet to cross that final line.
Naturally, this was one of the biggest reasons every guy in class envied (and maybe resented) Ryuichi so much. His closeness with Rias and the other girls of the Occult Research Club was the source of endless heartbreak for the boys who admired those same beauties from afar.
The Occult Research Club was already a legendary gathering — with Rias Gremory, Akeno Himejima, and Koneko Toujou, three of Kuoh Academy's most extraordinary girls. Then, after Asia transferred in, the number of gorgeous members increased to four.
And in the middle of all that? One guy. Just one — Ryuichi.
It was no wonder every male student in school found that unfair to the point of madness.
To most of them, Ryuichi was just some reasonably good-looking guy — nothing special.
So why was he the only one allowed into Rias-senpai's club?
On the surface, Ryuichi was perfectly normal. He never acted arrogant or strange, never caused trouble. He interacted with others enough to seem friendly, but not so much that he became too familiar or too distant. Even when he joined in class activities, no one ever seemed to remember him clearly afterward — as if he left no lasting impression at all.
Only Rias and the others knew the real Ryuichi.
They understood that beneath his calm, polite demeanor, he was actually a little withdrawn — the kind of person who didn't enjoy talking much but could still put on a perfectly normal face for the world to see.
A person who's lonely but unaware of it can be pitied.
But someone who's lonely and knows it — and still endures — that's someone truly strong.
That quiet, unwavering strength was one of the reasons Rias and the others admired him. They all believed that one day, the light he kept hidden inside would shine for everyone to see — dazzling, unstoppable, and powerful beyond measure.
Still, when Ryuichi was with them, he never hid who he really was. He laughed, teased, and spoke freely — proof that their bond had long since grown close and comfortable.
That, in turn, gave Rias and Akeno a secret sense of pride. After all, opening up the heart of a boy like that was no small accomplishment.
With a gentle clap of her hands, Rias gathered everyone's attention.
"Alright, has everyone received their contract requests for today?"
Everyone except Ryuichi raised their hands.
"…"
Summoning his familiar's seal into the air, Ryuichi sighed softly.
"Don't tell me you were slacking off again?"
The little magic seal flapped its wings indignantly in protest, clearly offended by the accusation — it had distributed the flyers properly!
Ryuichi frowned. "Oh, really? And who exactly did you give them to?"
A flood of images filled his mind — the familiar's record of all the flyers it had handed out.
After a quick glance, a few dark lines appeared on his forehead.
"…Why are they all women?"
At that, Rias and the others leaned in to look, half-laughing, half-sighing.
This familiar really had no shame — not only did it enjoy causing wardrobe malfunctions, but it apparently had no interest in approaching men either.
"Alright, alright," Rias chuckled. "There's nothing wrong with that. What, are you discriminating against women now?"
"…Generally speaking," Ryuichi replied in a level tone, "a female's desires can be fulfilled through a male's pursuit. Males instinctively compete for females — that's basic evolutionary behavior."
He folded his arms. "In other words, most human women can find men eager to grant their wishes. I picked the wrong target group. No wonder I didn't get a single contract."
The room went silent.
"Th-that sounds… kind of extreme," Asia stammered.
"Is it?" Ryuichi raised a brow. "Take a look at the genders of your contractors — most of them are men, right?"
The girls exchanged glances, then checked their records.
Sure enough — the vast majority were male.
Ryuichi exhaled lightly.
"Women can rely on men. Men, on the other hand, can only rely on themselves. If they don't make themselves exceptional, they lose their chance to compete — and that pressure drives them straight to us devils for help."
Once again, silence.
"…It sounds wrong somehow," Akeno murmured with a wry smile, "but it also kind of makes sense?"
Koneko tilted her head in confusion. "Why does Ryuichi know so much about this kind of thing…"
Ryuichi spread his hands, expression calm.
"When life forces you to, you learn things. No one works hard for talent's sake alone."
Everyone stared, speechless again.
Rias smiled wryly. "Alright, enough philosophy for one day. Those of us with contract requests have to go fulfill them — time to make a few poor men's dreams come true."
Ryuichi blinked. "The way you put that makes it sound like some sort of… questionable profession. If you get any indecent requests, you should refuse immediately — and punish them if necessary. Especially you, Asia. You're too pure for that."
"Eh? I-it's not like that!" Asia waved her hands frantically.
Rias laughed. "Don't worry. There are humans who make improper requests sometimes, but those are handled by lower-ranked demons from other houses. We, the Gremory family, never accept that kind of work."
Ryuichi chuckled quietly. He didn't need her to say it to know.
After all, judging by Rias's innocent reactions to certain situations, there was no way she had any… experience of that kind.
One by one, everyone prepared to leave. Even Rias had a contract waiting for her — leaving only Ryuichi behind in the clubroom.
Watching them vanish through their teleportation circles, Ryuichi slumped onto the sofa with a sigh and picked up a book.
Man, this was depressing. Just yesterday he'd gone to collect the energy from his contract with Mai, and though he wouldn't mind seeing her again, visiting every single day would be a bit much. She had her own job, after all.
"Great," he muttered. "Even my girlfriend has work… and I'm the only one sitting around doing nothing?"
Maybe he'd have to go out and hand out flyers himself again…
How lame would that be?
As he groaned in resignation, a faint glow suddenly enveloped him.
"…Huh?"
This feeling — a summoning?
He checked his mark. Sure enough, a summoning spell was activating — but not from Mai. Someone new was calling him.
He glanced at his familiar, remembering that it had given flyers only to pretty girls. Normally, someone like that would have suitors lining up to grant their wishes.
Still, luck was luck. Maybe this was just a case of a blind cat finding a dead mouse — pure coincidence.
Either way, no point turning it down.
Ryuichi stood up with a grin.
Alright then — I love my job.
And with that thought, he stepped into the summoning light.