Night had once again taken hold, enveloping Kuoh Town in a cool, damp blanket. For Jin, the days had blurred into a sequence of pointless lessons and tense, solitary training sessions, where he tried not so much to develop as to rein in the monstrous power seething in his new body. This routine, this deceptive calm, was oppressive, breeding a dull, almost physically tangible irritation. He needed an outlet, any little thing that could snap him out of this apathy. And that little thing came in the form of an empty refrigerator.
He ambled slowly through the quiet streets, heading toward that same island of light in the night's gloom—the 24-hour kombini. The air smelled of ozone after a distant storm and freshly cut grass from someone's lawn. His thoughts were lazy and detached, but in the depths of his consciousness, a light, almost subconscious curiosity stirred. Would she be there tonight? That same girl with the chestnut ponytail and the frightened, yet curious eyes. The thought was so alien, so out of place in his new reality, that he involuntarily huffed, shaking his head.
The automatic doors slid open with a soft chime, and he walked inside. Behind the counter, diligently wiping it down, stood her. Misaki. He'd learned her name by chance, overhearing a coworker call out to her. Upon seeing him, she flinched, her movements becoming stiff, and the familiar blush instantly appeared on her cheeks. Jin gave her a silent nod of greeting and headed for the drink coolers, feeling her intense, flustered gaze on him. He grabbed a bottle of cold tea and approached the counter.
"Good evening," her voice was thin and trembled slightly as she took the bottle. Her fingers brushed his for a moment, and she snatched her hand back as if burned. "Y-you're visiting us again..."
"Yeah," Jin replied curtly, counting out his coins. "I live nearby."
"O-oh, really?" she perked up a little, her curiosity overcoming her embarrassment. "I... I live nearby too... with my parents. You go to Kuoh Academy, don't you? I've seen you in the uniform."
He raised a surprised gaze to her. She was more observant than she looked.
"I do, as of recently," he confirmed.
"I... I used to go there too," she said, a note of sadness in her voice. "I graduated last year. It's a good school, isn't it? Though, it must be hard for you to settle in, being new and all?"
Her attempt to make conversation was so sincere and clumsy that Jin, contrary to his usual self, decided to humor her.
"It's tolerable," he shrugged. "Too noisy, though."
"Noisy?" she blinked in surprise. "Is that a bad thing? I think it's fun! The clubs, the festivals, friends..." she faltered, realizing she was talking too much. "Sorry, I'm probably holding you up."
"No," Jin said, surprising even himself. "It's fine."
An awkward pause hung in the store. Misaki fidgeted with the hem of her uniform, not knowing what else to say. Jin watched her silently, and his violet eyes lacked their usual icy detachment. There was something else. Interest?
"You know," she finally ventured, her cheeks flushing crimson again. "There's a festival in the town center soon. With fireworks, and lots of food... I... I was planning to go with my friends this weekend, but they can't make it..." she blurted it all out in one breath and squeezed her eyes shut, afraid to hear the answer. "Maybe... maybe you... you... would want to go?"
Jin froze. A direct invitation. From a girl he'd only seen a few times in his life. It was so... normal. So human. And it was precisely this normality, this simplicity, that won him over.
"Alright," he said, and his voice sounded unexpectedly soft. "Let's go."
Misaki's eyes flew open. They were filled with such genuine, puppy-like happiness that Jin couldn't help but smile. A real, warm smile that completely transformed his face, melting his coldness and revealing just a handsome guy. That smile made Misaki melt completely.
The following days passed in a strange, almost pleasant state of anticipation. Jin declined another "unexpected" invitation to the Occult Research Club. He had no desire to get involved in their problems.
He watched Issei from the sidelines. After his triumphant announcement about his date, the guy had been walking around school like a beaten dog. In the cafeteria at lunch, Jin witnessed his desperate attempt to share his experience with his only friends.
"...and then she just changed!" Issei proclaimed hotly, waving his chopsticks. Matsuda and Motohama listened with open boredom. "Do you get it, guys? She was so sweet all day, so gentle... We walked in the park, she laughed at my jokes, we even ate crepes together! I thought it was the best day of my life! I was already imagining how we'd... well, you know..."
Matsuda sighed and adjusted his glasses.
"Issei, have you been playing too many of your eroge again? Wings, spears of light... Do you even realize what nonsense you're spouting? You just had a nightmare after staying up all night."
"Totally!" Motohama chimed in, finishing his rice. "Or it was revenge for you trying to take pictures of Murayama-sempai's panties. She probably cursed you."
"No! It was real! Her name was Amano Yuuma!" Issei exclaimed desperately.
"Who?" Matsuda looked at him, confused. "We don't know any Amano Yuuma. Issei, are you really okay? Maybe you should see a doctor? Did you hit your head?"
Issei deflated. He realized no one believed him. The memories of her, of his first date, of his death—all of it had been erased from his friends' minds, leaving him alone with his terrible secret. He stared glumly into his plate.
Jin, sitting at the next table, had heard every word. He calmly finished his curry, his face betraying no emotion. But inwardly, he understood everything. The date had happened. Issei had been killed. And then resurrected by Rias Gremory. The canon had taken effect. And this idiot, without even knowing it, had stopped being human.
The weekend greeted Kuoh with warm, sunny weather. Jin met Misaki at the entrance to the park. She was wearing a simple summer dress that suited her well, and she looked a little shy, but happy. Their date was surprisingly easy and natural. They strolled down shady paths, ate cotton candy, and Jin, to his own surprise, won her a large plush toy at a shooting gallery, demonstrating inhuman marksmanship which he passed off as "luck."
They talked a lot. Or rather, Misaki did most of the talking, telling funny stories about her job, her family, her dreams. And Jin, to his surprise, listened. He asked questions, occasionally making short, sarcastic, but not unkind comments that made her laugh. He felt... almost normal. Almost like a regular guy on a date with a cute girl. It was a strange, but pleasant, feeling.
In the evening, as the sun began to set, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink, they were walking through the park again.
"Thank you for today, Jin-kun," Misaki said, her voice quiet and sincere. "I had a lot of fun. I haven't laughed like that in a long time."
"Me too," he replied, and it was almost the truth.
They approached the large fountain in the center of the park. And there, sitting hunched over on the fountain's rim, was Issei. He looked lost, bewildered, and was muttering something under his breath, as if searching for someone.
"Hm?" Misaki noticed. "What's wrong with him? He looks upset."
Issei heard her voice and turned. Seeing Jin, and then the girl beside him, he blinked in surprise.
"Jin? What are you..."
He didn't get to finish. In that moment, the world changed.
The air turned sharply cold and thick. The sky above the park, orange just a second ago, was veiled in an unnatural violet haze. Around them, like a soap bubble, a shimmering, iridescent barrier rose, cutting them off from the rest of the world. Misaki cried out in fear and clung to Jin's arm, understanding nothing.
A figure emerged from the shadow of the trees. A fallen angel, a tall man with an unpleasant smirk and feathers as black as a crow's wing on his back.
"So, you're finally caught, spawn," he hissed, and a spear of pure, blinding light materialized in his hand. "Raynare didn't finish her job. I'll have to."
With those words, he threw the spear. It cut through the air with a whoosh, heading straight for Issei's chest.
He froze, his face twisting with the horror of recognition and helplessness. He was reliving the nightmare of his first "date."
But the spear did not reach its target.
Time, for everyone, seemed to slow down. Jin, without a second's thought, burst from his spot. His movement was so fast he blurred. In a fraction of a second, he was between Issei and the flying spear.
A dull, dry thud rang out. The spear of light stopped, an inch from Issei's chest, its tip caught easily, almost carelessly, in Jin's palm. The radiance from the holy weapon washed over his hand, but it didn't cause the slightest harm.
A deathly silence fell over the park.
Issei, saved from certain death, stared at Jin's back with his jaw hanging open. Misaki, hands pressed to her mouth, couldn't utter a word, her mind refusing to believe what was happening. Dohnaseek, the one who threw the spear, froze in shock, his face a mask of absolute bewilderment.
Jin, for his part, slowly looked down at the spear clamped in his hand. He twirled it with mild curiosity, as if assessing its quality. And then his lips twisted into a wry smirk, one full of universal exhaustion.
"Shiiiiiiiiit," flashed through his mind. "He's died twice."