Chapter Text
Shima Renzo yawned as he searched for his phone to look at the hour. It was early in the morning and normal classes won’t start for another two hours so he has plenty of time to get ready. His roommates and childhood friends, Bon and Konekomaru, are nowhere in the room. He remembered that yesterday they said that the two of them were called by a teacher to help move some boxes of materials for the cram school.
They really like using us as their slaves. At least today wasn’t me.
Well, more time for himself without Bon's constant scolding about studying harder to become a good exorcist and monk for the temple. This had been the routine since they moved into the boys' dorm. Renzo took his time, enjoying a leisurely bath, reading some manga, and eating breakfast at the dining hall before heading off to his classes. He expected a peaceful day, but things didn’t go as planned.
On his way he was surprised by a hooded man. He was one of the illuminati agents. The young teen has been working for the Illuminati and Mephisto as a spy.
If that man is here, is definitely assigning me another mission. God! Again? Just last week I was tasked to copy some documents from the teachers room. That’s not an easy thing to do!
Renzo is really good at his job as a spy but can’t he at least have some free time to enjoy his life as a student. He wants to be able to go on dates, have fun and other things yet to live before it’s too late.
“Shima Renzo.” The hooded man is in charge of giving the young spy his missions. Renzo didn’t know his name, so he simply called him ‘sir’.
Renzo sighed but straightened up and saluted. "Yes, sir."
“Relax soldier, I’m just here to check on you. Everything is going as we planned up to now. But we cannot let our guard down. Contact us immediately if anything unusual happens.”
The man disappeared before Renzo could speak to him. Well, it doesn't matter, nothing strange has happened and according to the man’s words, there’s nothing to do but to wait for new orders. Lucky me.
The teen then walked to the school building with a smile on his face. On his way he couldn’t stop thinking about what to do with his free time. As he was passing through the hallways he noticed his classmate, Okumura Rin, walking with a cane on hand clearly reluctantly.
The guy was a complete mystery from the beginning. He wasn’t on the first list of students, he just showed up the first day of cram school. Not only that, he’s definitely the brother of the Okumura-sensei, the youngest person to ever become an exorcist.
Could that be considered as ‘something unusual’? Perhaps this deserves to be investigated.
“Okumura-kun! Good morning,” Shima shouted, waving to get Rin’s attention. Best way to get to know his secrets is befriending him.
“Oh, good morning Shima,” Rin replied, yawning and covering his mouth. He looked exhausted, and classes hadn’t even begun.
The two of them had been getting along well lately since they were both in the same morning classes. But only during class time and when Renzo’s friends are not around, otherwise they don’t really speak. Their relationship was that of a classmate who you get along really well with but only during school.
“Okumura, why do you look so wasted early in the morning?”
“Oh, I couldn’t sleep almost all night, my brother had me studying for today’s test.” He rubbed the back of his head. “Well, let's just say that his teaching method is not the friendliest.”
“Yeah, I get it, Bon is the same when we study together. And WAIT! you just said test? Shit! I totally forgot.”
Rin chuckled. “Oh man, you are in trouble.”
Shima had always been good at making friends, Rin seems like a good person. Spending more time with the raven haired boy and getting to know him better surely will be fun.
As for Rin, since he had zero friends before, aside from the people at the monastery. He really wants to make friends with Shima, the first guy to be nice to him in a while. Rin feels that this school can be a new beginning, to forget about those years of being completely by himself. Sure he got along quite well with his coworkers and some guys tried to make friends with him, but most of them were just morons who thought that Rin liked to be some kind of delinquent.
When the teacher entered the classroom everyone took their seats and started paying attention. The boys took seats next to each other as Rin placed his cane next to his chair.
It was like any other day, full of boring teachers with boring lectures. Rin was fighting to not fall asleep but he could help but to doze off. At least Renzo was there to wake him up before the teacher notices.
"Man, you’ve got some kind of superpower." Renzo teased.
“Shut up! I’m really trying not to.”
“I wonder if you're gonna fall asleep at cram school too, and then be scolded by the teachers.” Renzo continued to tease. He thought that Rin’s reaction was really funny, it was so tempting to continue.
The pink haired teen was laughing while an angry Okumura started to growl furiously. He wasn’t really mad, the way he reacted was completely involuntary as if it was by instinct like times before when he got into fights with the folks who tried to bully him but ended with several bruises.
Haha, now that’s a cute reaction. Wait… is he… growling?
Rin growled furiously, sounding almost animal-like. Renzo was surprised, it sounded more like an angry cat or a wary dog than a human. Rin blushed furiously, relieved no one else noticed. Before he could explain, there was a commotion in the class.
“Ahhhhh!”
Godaiin Sei, a fellow student and classmate of the them, stood up from his seat frozen solid because of his fear. His gaze was glued to the strange figure on top of the teacher’s desk. It was a small demon that looked somehow like a lizard covered in dark scales, little horns that curl to the back of his head, and bright purple eyes. The eyes of the demon were stuck on the terrified teen looking at it.
“Godaiin-kun, are you feeling well?” The teacher asked stopping his class.
No one could understand what made their classmate so frightened, no one except Renzo and Rin who were looking at the little demon that was clearly enjoying itself, a wide smile full of sharp teeths were showing on his mouth.
The frightened student just shook his head and returned to his seat. “Sorry I must be tired, I guess.”
The class continued with normality. But the little pesky demon started approaching Godain while shaking his tail enthusiastically and showing a face of satisfaction, the teen covered himself with both his hands trying to protect himself from the thing getting closer to him.
This annoyed Renzo but he couldn’t do anything until the class was over, then he was gonna deal with him. Suddenly the demon stopped walking with a horror expression on his face while staring at Renzo… No, he’s looking beside me. He turned his head to see in Rin’s direction, blue eyes staring fiercely at the scared lizard causing him to flee, leaving Renzo now totally puzzled.
Could Okumura-kun have demon blood? Doesn’t that mean Okumura-sensei too? There are exorcists in the order who have demon heritage. Should I inform the Illuminati?
Classes ended, and students filled the halls. Rin was exhausted. "Yo, Okumura, want to head to the classroom early and study together? By the way um… I… I’m sorry for making fun of you." Shima nervously said. “Hey about that…”
“Er… Sorry, I… have to go.” Rin hurried walking away.
God! Why did I react like that?! That was so embarrassing.
There was no time to think about that, he had something else to do before making his way to the cram school classes which only by thinking in them made him even more exhausted.
Rin headed out of the school building into the streets of True Cross.
Mephisto, he’s a demon like me. I’m not sure if he would help me but what harm does it make trying. Maybe he can teach me to control my power, transform into animals, maybe… magic? Is that even possible, well whatever I can use to fight without ending collapsing on the floor or receiving all those hits from the demons. Rin was absorbed in his thoughts and didn’t pay attention to his surroundings. The little demon from earlier was now following him with an expression that showed repentance.
At this, Rin stopped at his steps and turned to take a look at the little one, using his cane to help him bend next to the demon. “You should be sorry. That wasn’t nice and you better apologize to him.” He said with an angry tone as he pointed with his index finger directly to the demon, one thing was a prank and another to scare someone and keep going with that. The demon better do as Rin says if he wants to be on his good side.
‘ Sorry. ’ a voice echoed in his mind, confusing him but it didn’t take much to guess it was from the demon in front of him.
“It’s fine… just… um… don’t scare people, okay? Pranks like that aren’t nice, you should calm down your pranks. Do you think you can make that?”
The lizard demon nodded in understanding before crawling away from the raven haired boy, disappearing when turning around into another hall.
“Well I’m glad you understand.” He said as he was using the cane again to support himself to stand up.
He has to speak with Mephisto, later he’s gonna think about the fact that he just heard a demon voice in his head and maybe ask the demon clown about what other gifts he has yet to discover if he can help.
Rin continued his trip to Mephisto's mansion without interruptions.
After walking through the streets of True Cross. Rin finally was right in front of the damn big mansion of the demon Mephisto Pheles. Worst part of the trip, the distance, that fucking demon had decided to build his house at the top of the city and walking in a cane was not making it better.
This place is huge! That stupid clown is for sure drowning in money.
He stood in front of the door and before he could ring the doorbell a man. “Mr. Okumura, Sir Pheles was waiting for you, please follow me. ” The man said as he moved to the side to let the teen walk inside the mansion.
Rin was now walking behind the man that was dressed as a butler and paying little attention to the man. Rin admired the colorful, anime-themed decor, though the pastel colors were overwhelming. I knew by just looking at his clothes that he was weird but… why is everything so pink.
The walls, carpet and the decorations of the halls, ALL of them had pastel colors. Those colors were supposed to be cheerful but here they were suffocating the young half-demon.
“Here’s Sir Pheles’s office where he’s waiting inside.”
Rin walked inside the room to find the demon concentrated on a huge pile of papers well organized on his desk.
“Okumura-kun, I’m honored to receive the prince of Gehena in my humble house.” Mephisto grinned in a way that made Rin uncomfortable but the way he referred to him was somehow nice.
“How did you know that I was coming?” Rin crossed his arms while making an annoyed face for Mephisto.
“This is my domain, I know everything that happens inside. But let’s leave that aside and tell me why are you here?”
Rin took a few seconds to think what to say. He still hasn’t figured out what he wants from the man or at least how to ask. But without thinking anymore he said. “I want to be your apprentice.”
Mephisto bursted into laughter at the answer. “Now you really surprised me, young man. I didn’t expect something like that.” He placed his hand on his chin and after a moment of complete silence he answered with a creepy smile on his face. “Alright, I accept, but I’ll only teach you a few tricks.”
“What?! A few tricks?! That 's all?!”
“I’ll teach you about your demon powers but you have to discover the rest for yourself. As a special case you have to discover them by yourself.”
“Eh? Why can’t you just teach me everything yourself?”
“Because it’s not funny when you have help, simple right?” He said with a smug smirk.
“Fuck, you are really annoying.” Rin growled.
The demon then snapped his fingers making a small book appear out of a pink cloud of smoke right in front of Rin. “Take this with you, I’ll teach you another day. In the meantime this book will help you understand more about yourself, consider it a gift of my good will.”
“What ‘s this? Some kind of help book for me?” The book fell lightly into his hands, it was slim, and the cover full red with no title or picture on the front and back.
“Something like that. It’s a basic little guide about demon powers, hopefully you’ll be able to perform some of them. I can help you to understand more about your demon nature. But I refuse to do this for free of course.” Mephisto snapped his fingers once again making a paper appear in front of the half-demon. “My price is that from time to time you are going to make me some missions for me, the powers of the prince of Gehena and Satan’s son are quite special. Of course I need you to keep this a secret from your father and brother.”
The paper was the contract, after reading it carefully for some minutes and checking that there was nothing weird, the two of them signed the contract. Mephisto wasn’t someone that deserved trust but he was the only one Rin and he was desperate for someone or something to help him figure out a way to fight demons. Sure his father and brother could help too but not the way he wanted and needed but Rin isn’t a fan of guns and the sword itself wasn’t useful for someone in his condition.
“Now… About these ‘missions’.”
“Just things that I’m too tired to take care of. I’ll call you when I have something for you. Now, I have other business to attend to, so if you’ll excuse me. Eins, zwei, drei.” Mephisto vanished in a pink cloud.
"Fucking smoke!" Rin coughed. "I hope I don’t regret this."
The young student was left all alone with the little book. Fuck, I hate reading. He then proceeded to open the book to read the first pages. All of them were written in a strange language, he couldn’t recognize which though. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t read it.
What? I… can understand this. The very first page explains it was written in Gehennan, Rin had never seen that language before and yet there he was reading it as if it was nothing. The teen closed the book and stored it inside his bag. Classes at cram school are about to start, luckily he has the key to get there.
