Night descended slowly upon Kuoh Town, marked by the flickering of streetlights, accompanying pedestrians as they returned to their dwellings for a peaceful rest. It was a night like any other; quiet and serene, stark contrast to the atmosphere within the Student Council room, which remained illuminated, albeit dimly.
Inside, Sona Sitri sat upright, sipping tea, her thin glasses reflecting the moonlight that crept in through the wide-open window, though her eyes reflected tiredness. Her shoulder-length hair, which had been perfectly neat since morning, now hung loosely around her. In front of her desk, the members of her peerage stood orderly. At first glance, they all appeared to be ordinary students gathered beyond school hours, but believe me, the word 'ordinary' was far too absurd to describe their existence.
Sona Sitri, known at school as Souna Shitori, sighed. Her life for the past month could not be described by the single word 'busy.' Not only were there school affairs with trivial yet troublesome problems, which is, under her responsibility as Student Council president, but she was also burdened with the problematic engagement of her childhood friend, not to mention the security of Kuoh Town, which was also her responsibility.
As the youngest daughter of a prominent noble family in the devildom, and also the younger sister of one of the strongest devils with the rank of Maou (Demon Lord), her life should have been more relaxed and free from hardship. But in reality, it was as if the planet Earth would explode if Sona Sitri allowed herself a moment's rest. And to make matters worse, none of the problems that came her way were her own.
Let me rest! Sona cried inside.
"Kaichou, what's the next step?" asked Tsubaki Shinra, someone who personified the Yamato Nadeshiko, with her calm and graceful demeanor, her knee-length black hair, bangs above her eyebrows, and black-framed glasses adorning her beautiful face. She was the vice president of the Student Council and also held the position of Queen in Sona's peerage, someone Sona trusted completely as her second in command. Although at the moment, her elegant persona was slightly cracked by the fatigue that was implied on her face, with dark circles that seemed to be forming due to lack of sleep.
The relentless busyness even forced Tsubaki to buy fast food for dinner. Something she usually avoided, but the circumstances demanded practicality and efficiency.
"Still waiting for information from the familiar," Sona replied, adjusting her glasses, a habit that often emerged due to unease.
Sona could have used her water magic to track the stray devil that was the source of their problem tonight. However, considering the characteristics and strength of this particular stray devil, Sona decided to send her familiar, a devil raven, to avoid being tracked back. Considering the target this time was a High-Class Devil.
Suddenly, her hand froze as she received a vision sent by her familiar before it was destroyed. She turned to look out the window.
"...dead."
Everyone in the room immediately tensed. Tsubaki Shinra followed Sona's gaze. "Kaichou?"
Without giving an answer, Sona walked to the center of the room and activated her teleportation magic.
"Tsubaki, come with me. Nimura, find Rias. Tell her to come to the abandoned school building south of Kuoh immediately."
"Hai, hai, Kaichou!" Ruruko Nimura, a petite girl with brown hair in pigtails, walked out of the room after giving Sona a salute.
"Should I fetch Genshirou, Kaichou?" said Tsubaki, gripping the naginata she had summoned with magic.
"We don't have time. Moreover, he's not ready yet. Let him focus on his training."
Slowly, their figures were enveloped in the purple light of the teleportation sigil on the floor, removing them from the room and sending their presence to an empty street not far from the abandoned school.
The malevolent aura and spiritual pressure of the stray devil grew stronger with each step they took, until Sona decided to stop and halt their progress right in front of the abandoned school building.
The old building stood with its main entrance open wide without a door, decaying wooden walls, and a nearly collapsed roof creaked and groaned under the May wind. Strangely, there were no other sounds besides the groaning of the wood. An unusual phenomenon in spring, which was usually filled with the chorus of night insects.
Sona then looked at one of her peerage members who held the position of Bishop, Reya Kusaka, a girl with light brown hair in braids. Reya, understanding her King's intentions, immediately activated her Sacred Gear, Scouting Persona, and summoned masquerade masks.
The masks slipped into the school through the window frames, exploring every corner of the building—a Sacred Gear that was most ideal for observation and information gathering. And when one of her masks entered the auditorium, Reya saw it through the mask's perspective.
A Diablos stray devil with his characteristic wide-spread bat wings, curved horns, and large, pink body—like skinless flesh with a blood-smeared face—was tearing at the neck of a woman in her thirties. The sound of flesh being ripped made Reya's hair stand on end. She hurriedly conveyed what she had found to Sona.
Hearing Reya's words, Tsubaki offered a suggestion that she considered the most rational and safest.
"Kaichou... let's wait for Rias's group. This—"
However, before she could finish her sentence, a flash of light blinded them.
Sensing a bad omen, Sona shouted a warning.
"Tsubaki! Reya!"
She immediately enveloped them in a protective barrier, draining almost all of her magical power to make it as strong and sturdy as possible. Tsubaki quickly summoned her Sacred Gear, Mirror Alice, which functioned to reflect an incoming attacks. Likewise, Reya positioned her masks at the forefront to withstand the impact.
And instantly, the sky split open.
KRAAAAAAK!!!
Accompanied by the sound of a tremendously powerful explosion. An explosion that obliterated the entire old school building, leveling it to the ground. The shockwave shattered Sona's protective barrier, destroying anything that tried to shield them, and sending their bodies flying like a leaf in the wind.
After a few moments, Sona slowly rose. Her ears were still ringing loudly, and a warm trickle of blood flowed from them. In the distance, her eyes caught a silhouette through the slowly dissipating dust.
The being behind the attack. A large figure—even in its hunched position, was more than two meters tall with dark orange fur covered its entire body.
A figure with a head resembling a tiger, a human-like body but with the lower half of a beast. Its hand gripped the stray devil's body, of which the head remained partially intact.
Crunch... crunch...
The sound of that wet chewing almost made Sona's heart stopped. Devils, a being that should have been at the top of the food chain, were now nothing more than a food for that creature.
As if sensing their presence, the creature's aura and spiritual pressure intensified rapidly. Crushing Sona's body, forcing her to succumb from terror. Tsubaki, who had just managed to stand, nearly collapsed again if not for the naginata supporting her. Let alone her other peerage members whose magical power was far below theirs; they could now only cower on the ground, trembling uncontrollably.
The creature stopped chewing. Its head turned towards Sona. Like a wild animal that had just found new prey. Its lips moved slightly.
"...Human cub?"
The creature then discarded the devil's carcass in its hand just like that, as if it had found a more interesting and delicious dish before it. The pressure on Sona's body intensified, crushing her bones as the figure slowly stood upright. Tsubaki, who could no longer withstand the pressure, finally fell to her knees.
Sona stared in horror at the figure that now loomed nearly five meters tall. It started walking towards them. But strangely... not the slightest sound came from each step of the giant creature.
Suddenly, Sona's memory was pulled back. The message from the eastern clan that afternoon. A warning from the Supreme Commander of East Yokai faction, Nurarihyon, about an Ancient Yokai nesting in Kuoh Town, which was using this place as its hunting ground. A Yokai named Nagatobimaru.
At that moment, Sona had ignored it. As a noble, as the younger sister of Serafall Leviathan, she thought there was no threat in this world that was beyond her power and prestige.
Now she realized. That arrogance was a fatal mistake and for the first time in her life, Sona realized—status, lineage, even the name Sitri… meant nothing in front of it.
The creature stopped right in front of her in a hunched position. Its face drew closer, eroding the distance with Sona's face.
Sona's lips moved. She tried to recite a spell.
"...re—re—"
But her voice broke and the magical intonation shattered by the pure terror before her.
"Brat, what the hell are you?"
Sona couldn't answer. Her instincts screamed. Suddenly—a long, rough tongue swept across her cheek.
"...tastes like chicken. A little spicy."
Tsubaki froze. The other peerage members didn't even dare to breathe. The creature opened its mouth wide. Its teeth were clearly visible—sharp, uneven, as if they were created only for tearing its prey. Sona knew, this was the end. She wanted to beg, to give a final order to her members, but not a single sound could escape her throat.
'Rias... don't come', she pray desperately, knowing that her recklessness and arrogance would bring death not only to her, her peerage member, but also to Rias, her close friend.
That mouth drew closer. The dark shadow swallowed her vision. Sona closed her eyes, awaiting a death that she hoped would be quick and painless.
But after a long time, that death did not come.
Slowly, she opened her eyes. Behind her slightly fogged glasses, she found the creature's snout twitching as if sniffing something. Its head turned left and right rapidly, until it finally settled on Tsubaki, who was desperately trying to get up.
Before Tsubaki could react, the creature yanked the sling bag hanging on her body. The rough pull sent Tsubaki crashing back to the ground. The creature then tore open the bag, spilling all its contents onto the ground, then picked up a paper package labeled Makuro. It took out the object wrapped in aluminum foil inside.
Its large hands gently opened the package with incredibly deft movements—as if its giant fingers were very used to doing that. Then, it inhaled deeply. The aroma of grilled meat, bread, and sauce. A burger that instantly made its ferocious expression turn slightly melancholic, making its blazing eyes now little wet.
Its mouth mumbled softly.
"...Mayuko..."
For the first time, the spiritual pressure around them weakened drastically. Then, without hesitation, the creature took a small bite. Eating the burger slowly, as if enjoying and reminiscing every memory in the bite.
Sona still stood in her place, her body trembling and her mind blank. She had almost died just now, and what saved her was not magic nor her noble status, but... a burger.
Sona took a deep breath. Her legs trembled, her breath was heavy, but she forced herself to step forward. One step. Two steps.
"Kaichou—!"
Tsubaki shouted in panic, seeing her King approaching that terrifying creature.
Sona raised her hand, signaling silence. She stared at the creature that could kill them all without effort. Gathering the remnants of her courage, Sona forced her voice out.
"...If you let us go..."
The creature stopped chewing. Its ears twitched, as if listening to the final message from the dessert it was about to devour.
Sona continued, a little more firmly.
"I'll give you ten."
The atmosphere suddenly fell silent.
Sona swallowed. Not getting the response she expected, she raised her offer.
"...No. Fifty."
The creature finally turned its head slowly. Its eyes lowered towards Sona, assessing. Not as prey, but as something else. It raised the remains of the burger, looked at it for a moment, then took another bite.
"...Fifty. More is okay, less is not."
Then, the creature jump and vanish into the night sky after devouring the rest of the burger in its hand, leaving.
Feeling the spiritual pressure disappeared completely, Sona finally collapsed, her hands trembling violently.