In a small grove behind the school, Issei Hyoudou, who had been dragged there right after classes ended, asked, "Roy-kun, what do you need me for?"
"I'd like your help with something."
Roy stretched his body. "Would you spar with me?"
"Huh? Spar?!"
Issei jumped, quickly shaking his head.
"No way, that's totally unnecessary. There's no chance I could beat you."
The morning's incident was still vivid in his mind.
Roy's speed had been astonishing.
Issei hadn't even had time to react before he was pinned to the ground.
Sparring with someone like that was just asking for trouble.
"I'll go easy on you, I promise. You won't get hurt."
Roy held up one finger. "And if you agree, I'll give you 100,000 yen."
"It's not about the money."
"300,000 yen."
"I think you've got the wrong idea about me…"
"One million yen."
"Deal!"
Roy's cash offensive worked.
Issei caved.
As a kid from an ordinary family, his allowance was limited.
With that money, he could live comfortably for the next three years.
He could buy any game or magazine he wanted.
"I'm ready."
Issei, recalling scenes from TV, struck a dramatic pose.
Roy beckoned with a finger. "Whenever you're ready, come at me."
"Here I go!"
Issei charged.
Two seconds later, his world flipped upside down.
"Well, I thought I was prepared this time, but guess not."
As expected, Issei was taken down in one move.
But Roy kept his promise, holding back significantly.
Climbing to his feet and brushing off the dirt, Issei looked at Roy, who seemed deep in thought.
"You don't look satisfied. Want to go again?"
At that level of force, Issei figured he could handle a few more rounds.
Otherwise, that million yen would feel unearned.
"No need. This is enough."
Roy shook his head and transferred the money.
The entry-farming plan had failed.
Defeating Issei again yielded no new entry.
According to the system, there was a cooldown for obtaining entries from the same target.
He'd have to wait a month before trying Issei again.
"No shortcuts, huh."
Wrist-wrestling tricks didn't work, and farming the same target repeatedly was out.
To gain new entries, he'd need to face different opponents.
"Maybe a kendo dojo."
Roy left the school and found a nearby kendo dojo, unleashing his cash offensive again.
Two million yen later, he'd fought every student and instructor.
Only after defeating the dojo master did he earn a new entry.
[Don't Underestimate the Middle-Aged (White): Kendo training effects increased by 10%.]
"It seems only defeating story characters or strong opponents grants entries."
Roy gained a deeper understanding of how to acquire entries.
Leaving the dojo, the sky had grown dark.
Instead of wandering, Roy headed home.
At a crossroad, a middle-aged man handed him a flyer.
It read [Fulfill Your Wish!] with a magic circle in the center.
Something clicked, and Roy pocketed the flyer instead of tossing it.
Back home, he began his daily training.
One hundred push-ups, one hundred sit-ups, one hundred squats, and a ten-kilometer run to finish.
After one round, he rested for ten minutes before starting the next.
He completed five sets, pushing his stamina and willpower to their limits, collapsing like a puddle on the floor.
His clothes were soaked, sweat dripping down his face, pooling on the ground.
Every muscle ached in protest, his legs heavy as lead, each movement a stab of pain.
Overtraining could damage the body, but Roy had no such worries.
Once he'd recovered slightly, he summoned his Sacred Gear to heal and began kendo practice.
…
At the same time.
In the old school building of Private Kuoh Academy, Yuuto Kiba pushed open the door to the clubroom.
"President, I'm back."
In a room filled with cryptic symbols, a stunning woman with vibrant red hair sat in a chair.
"You're later than I expected," Rias said, sipping her tea. "Any surprises?"
"Not exactly."
Kiba shook his head, recounting everything he'd seen.
"Sparring with a classmate, challenging a kendo dojo…"
Rias's eyes flickered with thought.
That morning, she'd taken on a request from Natsuki Minamiya to keep an eye on Roy.
As the overseer of this area, Rias was well aware of what had happened to Roy.
In a sense, her failure to stop the evil spirit's destruction was a lapse on her part.
To make amends, she'd provided Roy with fifty million yen in compensation under the guise of insurance and had been quietly monitoring him since.
Because of this, Rias knew exactly what Roy had been up to after his discharge.
He'd bought heaps of training equipment, spending nearly all his time exercising, aside from eating and sleeping.
Add today's sparring and dojo challenge to the mix.
"As Teacher Natsuki suspected, he's veered to a new extreme."
Rias sighed. "Wanting to get stronger is understandable, but obsessively chasing power can lead to trouble. We need to guide him."
Akeno Himejima stepped forward. "What's your plan? Tell him everything?"
Rias nodded. "It's better to be upfront. Hiding things could cause misunderstandings."
Buzz!
At that moment, a magic circle on the floor glowed brightly.
"Someone's summoning me."
From a corner, a silver-haired loli looked up from her handheld game and approached the circle.
As legendary beings, devils had jobs too.
Being summoned, forming contracts, fulfilling wishes, and collecting payment—that was a devil's work.
"A new client?"
Koneko received the coordinates from the magic circle and channeled her magic to teleport.
In an instant, her surroundings shifted, and she appeared in a room filled with fitness equipment.
"First meeting. I am the devil summoned by your call. Dear client, what is your wish…"
Her rehearsed lines faltered.
Looking at the vaguely familiar man before her, Koneko hesitated. "Is that you, Roy-senpai?"
"It's me."
Roy offered a snack. "Want some?"
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