Highschool DxD: Spin to Win

I watched as Ophis finished off the last crumbs of the cake, licking her tiny fingers clean with a look of satisfaction. It was hard to wrap my head around what was happening. She'd practically devoured everything I had made. Three different cakes—each one crafted with care using the Yukihira style technique I had acquired. The flavors were supposed to be for Asia, Espeon, and me, something to enjoy together. But now, those plans were shattered, and I was left with nothing but a feeling of mild resentment.

I walked over, trying to ignore the empty plate in front of her. "So, why are you here?" I asked, keeping my voice neutral. "Is there something behind your arrival? Is it because of the cakes?"

Ophis tilted her head slightly, her dark eyes fixing on me. Her answer was simple and almost childlike, as if it had never occurred to her that there might be a deeper reason.

"Cake," she said, her voice calm and direct.

I blinked in disbelief, struggling to suppress the frustration bubbling up inside me. Cake? That was it? She came here because of cake? I should've known better than to expect something more complicated from her. But then again, the world I was living in was anything but normal. It was hard to trust anything or anyone anymore.

She went back to the cake in front of her, reaching for a second piece, and my gaze involuntarily dropped to the crumbs left on the plate. It was my cake. I'd worked so hard on it. The sweet tooth that I prided myself on had been betrayed—by none other than the little girl sitting in front of me.

The thought crossed my mind, I didn't even get to taste it. I had planned to savor those cakes over the next few days. It was a small luxury, something to look forward to in a world that seemed increasingly uncertain. But now, that hope was gone. My mouth watered at the thought of the flavors I had crafted—vanilla, chocolate, and matcha. They'd all been perfect, at least in my mind. And now… well, now they were gone, devoured by someone who cared nothing for my efforts.

As she finished off the third cake, her tiny fingers streaked with frosting, Ophis looked up at me, her expression unreadable.

"Join me," she said, her voice still calm but now carrying a strange weight to it.

I froze. Join her? The words lingered in the air for a long moment.

Was she asking me to be a part of whatever it was that she was involved in? I had heard the rumors, of course. Ophis. Leader of the Khaos Brigade, a criminal organization with its fingers in all kinds of dark, twisted dealings. If she was truly the leader, then saying yes would mean walking into a mess I wasn't prepared for. I could already feel the weight of trouble pressing down on me. Joining her meant signing up for conflict, betrayal, and far too many battles for my liking.

But as her eyes locked onto mine, I realized something: I couldn't just outright refuse her. She had come all this way, after all. Her power, whatever it was, radiated around her. I didn't know what she was capable of, but I had a bad feeling that outright rejecting her would have consequences far worse than I was prepared to face.

I didn't want to say yes, and yet, I couldn't bring myself to say no either. What kind of excuse could I offer to turn her down without making things worse?

A part of me wished I could just be honest and tell her that I had no interest in joining a criminal organization. But that didn't seem like it would go over well, and frankly, I wasn't stupid enough to risk angering someone like her.

Taking a breath, I spoke up, trying to sound confident but not overly dismissive. "I appreciate the offer, but I've got my own path. My own responsibilities, you know?" I forced a smile, hoping it would soften the rejection.

She didn't respond right away. She simply stood up from her seat, her tiny figure almost unnervingly calm. Then, she raised her hand, pointing a single finger at me.

Before I could react, something happened. A flash of light—bright, yet almost serene—surrounded me, and before I could blink, I felt a strange pressure on my neck. My hand instinctively went up to touch it, and I felt a cool weight—a necklace.

It was a pendant in the shape of an ouroboros, the serpent devouring its own tail. It pulsed with an odd, foreign energy, and I felt a slight tingle run through me as I touched it.

Ophis looked at me then, her expression unchanged. "Put two cakes in front of it every day," she instructed, her voice cold but not unkind. "And it will grant you high mana, allowing you to use magic more easily."

Mana? Magic?

I was momentarily stunned. Was she really giving me magic? I hadn't expected this. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I had no idea what this little girl's game was.

As quickly as the pendant had appeared, Ophis turned away from me, her small form flickering with light as she began to disappear into the ether.

"Remember," she said before vanishing completely, "two cakes. Every day."

Then she was gone.

I stood there in silence for a long moment, the necklace still resting against my neck, the faint aura of magic lingering in the air. The cake had been one thing, but now… now I had something else to worry about.

I turned back to Asia and Espeon, both of them standing at the door, unsure of what to say. Asia's eyes were wide, her hand still clutching the fabric of her dress, while Espeon's gaze was sharp and wary, sensing the change in the air.

I swallowed hard, my thoughts racing. What had just happened? What had Ophis really wanted from me? Was she really giving me this magic, or was there some hidden price I didn't understand? The more I thought about it, the less I felt I knew for sure.

But for now, there was nothing to do but process it. We were left standing in the quiet aftermath, each of us lost in our own thoughts.