After Serafall spoke those words, Takeyo's expression shifted, though not for the reason Sona assumed.
Sona thought Takeyo might have misunderstood her relationship with her sister, so she pinched Serafall's cheek a bit harder in embarrassment. In reality, Takeyo had simply triggered a new sign-in notification.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations to the host for triggering a plot check-in! Sign-in rank: Diamond!]
[Sign-in plot: The Magical Girl's Cosplay Game!]
[The Magical Girl's Cosplay Game: The Satan Serafall Leviathan, who has always proclaimed herself a magical girl, longs for someone to play games with her, to become the Demon King who defeats the magical girl in an epic story befitting her fantasies...]
[Sign-in time limit: 180 days.]
Takeyo's mind raced as he processed the notification. The plot of the Demon King versus the Magical Girl? Does this mean defeat and then imprisonment? Or defeat, imprisonment, and... something else?
He kept his expression carefully neutral despite his thoughts.
Meanwhile, Sona found herself uncomfortably close to her sister. She could clearly smell Serafall's familiar perfume, and painfully aware that Takeyo was watching, she hurriedly pushed her sister away.
"Ahem... My sister and I aren't like that, Takeyo. Please don't misunderstand," Sona said, her face flushing as she struggled to maintain her composure.
Having the Student Council President reduced to such an embarrassing state in front of Takeyo made her want to find a hole to crawl into. Her sister's antics never failed to mortify her.
"Anyway... this is for you, Takeyo. I should mention that I'm actually a Devil. You probably realized that by now," Sona said, attempting to recover her dignity.
"Yes, I just found out," Takeyo replied honestly.
His gaze fell on the transparent crystal orb Sona was presenting to him, genuine interest sparking in his eyes. He could tell immediately that this wasn't something Sona or even Serafall could have arranged alone.
Using his enhanced perception, he could easily see through Maou-class Devil magic and comprehend roughly half of transcendent-level techniques. But this artifact? He couldn't penetrate its defenses at all. The protective enchantments were far beyond anything he'd encountered.
"That's good. I'll explain the specific details tomorrow, Takeyo. You must be exhausted after today's events, so my sister and I won't bother you any longer," Sona said seriously.
She'd witnessed Takeyo's abilities firsthand. Without him revealing his incarnations, her perception told her he possessed spiritual power at the level of a low-tier Devil, and his reserves were essentially empty now.
"You only need to know one thing for certain," Sona continued, her violet eyes meeting his. "Devils are not evil."
"Don't worry, President. I know Devils aren't evil," Takeyo said with a slight smile. "Otherwise, you would have eaten me long ago, right?"
Sona's cheeks colored slightly at his casual remark.
"Also, I'll definitely study this carefully," Takeyo added, gesturing to the crystal orb. "A lot of knowledge has emerged in my mind today. I need time to process it all."
He wasn't lying. The awakening of his abilities had indeed flooded his consciousness with new information about the supernatural world.
"Well then, see you tomorrow, Takeyo," Sona said, bowing slightly before grabbing Serafall's face and pulling her toward a teleportation circle that appeared beneath their feet.
"Hwaa~~" Serafall made a muffled sound of protest.
As if fleeing the scene of a crime, Sona dragged her protesting sister through the teleportation array and vanished from Takeyo's apartment.
Shameful... absolutely shameful! Sona thought, mortification burning in her chest.
"Well... okay then," Takeyo said to the empty room, a bemused smile crossing his face.
In the blink of an eye, he was alone again. He couldn't help but chuckle at Sona's hasty retreat.
But the departure suited him perfectly, he was eager to study what lay within the crystal orb.
Using the power of [Vamana the Dwarf], Takeyo stepped through space and returned to his bedroom.
"My spiritual power reserves and physical strength still need enhancement," he muttered with a frown.
If his physical capabilities matched those of a High-Class Devil, he could have easily subdued both Kuroka and Bikou without difficulty. Fighting even Serafall wouldn't be impossible with that level of strength.
Humans used spiritual power, Devils used demonic power, Angels wielded holy power, and Onmyoji manipulated cursed energy. The essence remained the same, only the nature differed slightly.
If he became a Devil, he would immediately gain at least Middle Class Devil power. With a Queen piece, his talent would almost certainly elevate him to High-Class Devil status within a day.
But... he valued his human identity too much to abandon it.
Moreover, the reality of his situation differed from what he'd initially imagined. His potential was immense, yes, but while his strength grew rapidly, achieving instant breakthroughs proved frustratingly difficult.
After obtaining the Ten Incarnations of Vishnu, his body strengthened constantly, slowly but continuously. At this rate, he'd reach High-Class Devil level in three or four months through natural growth alone.
If others knew I complained about this growth rate, they'd probably want to kill me with a hammer, Takeyo thought wryly.
Growing naturally from low-tier to High-Class Devil in three or four months would shame even the heirs of gods. Such explosive growth was virtually unheard of.
Physical strength presented another bottleneck. With his current body, he could only utilize two incarnations simultaneously. If he could manage three incarnations at once, he might have accomplished more during his confrontation with Kuroka.
In reality, using [Krishna the Dark Sky] with his Alpha Stigma to break through magic circles, combined with [Vamana the Dwarf] to enhance mobility, barely maintained his invincibility, and that was pushing his limits.
If users of Longinus-class Sacred Gears knew Takeyo's thoughts, they'd probably collapse in frustration.
Sacred Gear wielders who could kill High-Class Devils while at low-tier Devil strength had to fight for their lives, and that was only possible for users with top-tier talent like Vali Lucifer.
"But... what exactly is this thing?" Takeyo wondered aloud, examining the transparent crystal orb more closely.
He noticed a red button beneath the crystal sphere, obviously meant to be pressed.
Since Sona had given it to him, it definitely wouldn't harm him. He had complete confidence in her integrity.
"Click."
The moment Takeyo pressed the button, a phantom figure materialized above the crystal orb.
"The Satan... Ajuka Beelzebub..." Takeyo immediately recognized the projection.
After Ajuka's phantom appeared, it began speaking as though addressing him directly.
"Hello, fortunate young man. I am Ajuka Beelzebub. At the request of the next head of the House of Sitri, I will serve as your teacher for the time being."
Ajuka's tone was kind and scholarly, befitting someone more interested in research than rulership.
Takeyo's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
Sona? She asked Ajuka for this? What price did she pay?
"I will teach you extensive knowledge about magic, knowledge that ranks among the highest in this world. However, this knowledge belongs to the Devil faction," Ajuka continued. "I hope you will not spread it outside our circle. Otherwise, I will be forced to clean house personally."
Takeyo listened silently. The protective restrictions surrounding the orb were incredibly powerful, but the magical teachings within were relatively straightforward. Using his enhanced perception, he could grasp the essence of each technique at a glance.
It was essentially an offline teaching video, though calling it "offline" was generous. Ajuka, as a Satan, simply didn't have time to personally tutor an individual student.
"First, let's begin," Ajuka said after a brief preamble, and his teaching officially commenced.
"The simplest method for constructing a magic circle..."
In Ajuka's hands, a small magical array appeared, its structure elegant and efficient.
"Ah... yes, I understand that. Next lesson," Takeyo muttered, pressing what appeared to be a fast-forward button.
"Lesson two: the flow and circulation of demonic power..."
"Ah... I know this already. Next..."
With his Alpha Stigma, the power of [Krishna the Dark Sky], and his exceptional calculation abilities, Takeyo's learning capacity was unmatched in the world. Concepts that would take ordinary Devils years to master, he absorbed in seconds.
"Lesson twenty-five: the possibilities of magic circles constructed using external auras..."
"Huh? A research topic? That's actually somewhat interesting..." Takeyo's attention sharpened slightly.
"Ah... finished."
A few minutes later, Takeyo silently pressed the next lesson button.
For him, learning new knowledge was genuinely enjoyable. He'd already mastered basically everything taught in human schools and the mortal world. The opportunity to expand his understanding while simultaneously strengthening himself proved irresistible.
Just as Takeyo felt immersed in the pleasure of education, convinced that nothing could interrupt his learning,
Ding-dong! Ding-dong!
In the middle of the night, his doorbell rang.
"Haa... well, I didn't expect this person," Takeyo said, stretching his muscles and yawning as he stood.
He already knew precisely who the unexpected visitor was.
He really had no choice but to answer the door. Otherwise, his house would probably transform into an igloo by morning.
Click.
The moment he opened the door, Takeyo found himself face-to-face with a pair of snow-white thighs and pink eyes brimming with unshed tears.
If one didn't know the girl standing before him, they might be fooled by her weak and vulnerable appearance. They might even develop unhealthy thoughts about inviting her inside for the night.
In the end, when that hypothetical person's desires finally erupted... they'd find themselves frozen into an ice sculpture by the girl.
"Serafall? What are you doing here?" Takeyo sighed, looking at the Satan standing on his doorstep in full magical girl costume.
Her twin-tailed black hair swayed slightly in the night breeze, and despite her tearful expression, something about her demeanor suggested this visit had been carefully calculated.
"Can I come in, Takeyo-kun~☆?" Serafall asked, her voice carrying that characteristic playful lilt that ended with a verbal star.
Takeyo glanced past her, checking for any signs of Sona following to retrieve her wayward sister. Finding none, he stepped aside.
"Please, come in. Though I have to warn you, Sona will probably kill me if she finds out you were here."
"It's okay~☆ So-tan is already asleep! She was so embarrassed earlier that she went straight to bed!" Serafall said cheerfully, stepping into his apartment without hesitation.
As she passed him, Takeyo caught the faint scent of winter frost and something sweeter, like crystallized sugar. Her magical girl outfit rustled softly with each movement, the pink and white fabric somehow managing to look both adorable and vaguely threatening.
"So," Takeyo said, closing the door behind her, "what brings one of the Four Great Satans to my humble apartment in the middle of the night?"
Serafall's expression shifted, the playful mask slipping just slightly to reveal something more serious beneath.
"I wanted to talk to you about that crystal orb So-tan gave you~☆ And... about what I sensed from you today," she said, her pink eyes studying him with an intensity that belied her cutesy persona.
"You're much more interesting than a normal human, Takeyo-kun. Much more interesting indeed~☆"