A 'Common Human' Among Supernatural Beings

Volume 0: Chapter 2 - Night encounters and Mysteries

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Volume 0: Connections and Puzzles

Before heading out to school, I was in the dining room, having breakfast with Grayfia. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air, blending with the morning silence that enveloped the mansion. It was a peaceful ritual, a moment of calm before the hustle and bustle of the day began.

Soon, it would be three weeks since I started attending school. During this time, I continued to closely observe Koneko and Hyoudou. They were still the only people I interacted with frequently at school.

During my recent conversations with Hyoudou, he mentioned having "strange dreams" more often. This intrigued me because it could be a sign that my manipulations were starting to take effect. Over the weeks, I subtly shared ambiguous and intriguing information with Hyoudou, planting seeds of doubt and unease in his mind.

And since his mind was likely more focused than usual on these "dreams," he kept having them. It was like a web I was weaving, delicately pulling the threads to influence his thoughts and actions. The human mind is so susceptible to manipulation when it's in a vulnerable state, and Hyoudou was increasingly sinking into this state.

If I weren't influencing him this way, he would probably take a long time before having another one of these dreams. He took my suggestion and started jotting down the dreams he had after the third one.

These dreams were like pieces of a puzzle, each revealing a piece of the mystery. Besides the sea of flames and the mysterious voice, Issei mentioned something about a crimson sky, as if he were looking at a burning horizon. Another time, he spoke of a sensation of being watched, as if invisible eyes were on him.

"How is it, Kiyotaka-sama?" Grayfia suddenly asked.

"Very good as always."

Why does she always ask about the taste of the food every morning when she knows what my answer will be?

"Because I like hearing you say that," as if she had read my mind, she said.

"..."

Again, silence settled as we finished eating.

"She struck again. Another person has disappeared," Grayfia suddenly spoke, making me look at her.

"Again? That's the 8th this month."

"His name is Kaito Suzuki, a student from Kuromori school."

Although she was talking about such things, her expression was still cold, as if she didn't care much and was notifying me because it was something I asked her to do.

"It's not far from here."

Kuoh is the territory under their supervision, however, they're not doing a great job. But it doesn't matter anyway, after all, this will benefit me too.

"Should we deal with her? She's very good at evading and illusions, given her nature, so I think if we don't take care of her, this will probably continue for another two months before Gremory and Sitri find her."

Indeed, it would take a long time. Normal authorities wouldn't be able to find any clues about her, so more people would continue to disappear. There was a reason I asked Grayfia to keep an eye on her, although we didn't talk much about it.