Start in DxD as Motohama: Leveling Up in Another World-Chapter 18: Another Unusual Situation (I)

The day after he helped out as a model and saved Issei, he went home and regretted not buying anything beyond the bare essentials—like some actual appliances.

His TV at home was already useless. It wasn't digital, just an old analog set. He wasn't subscribed to any newspapers, so without a working TV, he had no way of keeping up with the latest news. And there were plenty of other appliances that had worn out over time.

"I screwed up... but I still have to go back to school today..."

He muttered bitterly.

Sure, he might've played the hero and all, but completely neglecting his own issues? That was just embarrassing. Especially after lecturing Rias about the same thing the day before.

"I need money to live... and for that, I have to go to a different world... sigh... it's honestly easier to defeat monsters in another world than to deal with the problems in this one..."

The next day, as he was leaving the house, still thinking about all of this, he heard someone calling him.

"Hey, you."

"Huh?"

Turning toward the voice, it was his younger brother, Tenjou Youta, and his twin sister, Tenjou Sora, looking at him.

Tenjou was the surname of his mother's new husband.

He knew he'd run into them soon, especially after all the attention he'd drawn with his change in appearance.

Though reluctant, he asked just in case.

"What do you need?"

His tone was cold and uninterested. He wouldn't lower himself around them. After all, he wasn't the same person anymore. Was he really going to show fear in front of a couple of simple humans? Please, he'd faced worse things than his siblings who looked down on him.

"What did you say? You, how dare you talk to us like that? You're nothing but trash."

The boy's face turned red with anger, and he was about to lash out when the girl beside him stopped him. Turning to Motohama, she spoke:

"Recently, one of our friends was talking about this. My older brother has become super handsome. Anyway, I told them it was just a rumor, but they were so persistent, so we came here to check it out."

"Hm... Is that so? To think my fame has reached the first-year students."

"So, we came to see for ourselves... you, damn older brother... What the hell did you do?"

"What I did...?"

He replied, pretending to be clueless.

"Stop acting dumb! You've really changed!"

"Well, is this what they call 'starting the day off on the wrong foot'?"

He said aloud while sighing.

There was no way he was going to talk to them about the other world or the door. In fact, he wasn't in the mood to talk to them at all.

These two hadn't just mocked him, but also their grandfather. How could he treat them kindly in this world? They could go to hell—wait, no, maybe a stray demon would attack them if he thought that.

Seeing that Shinji didn't respond, they started ranting again.

"Hmm. After all, you got plastic surgery, didn't you? I can't believe you changed your face with plastic surgery. It's all just a fake change. So, where did you get the money? Did you sell your house? Hahaha!"

"Hey, that's offensive to people who try hard to look a little more beautiful. At least they try without giving up."

He responded, slightly irritated. While plastic surgery wasn't really his thing, in his past life, he had known people who went to great lengths to become beautiful due to various issues.

In his case, the change was something more profound, something on a genetic level. He had no proof, but he had no doubts either.

It was strange to think that his brother hadn't changed over time; in fact, his ego had grown massively, but in all the wrong ways.

They were arguing in public, and the people around them were watching with great interest.

Youta snorted before speaking again.

"Whatever. Either way, there's a part of you, you damn brother, that can't beat us."

"Yeah. You're an idiot, and even if you think about the future, you don't have one."

"A pervert like you will end up in prison one day."

"No matter how hard you try, you'll never be recognized by mom. You're nothing but a bastard child who should never have been born."

They mocked him completely, and he couldn't respond because everything they said was true. He could only remain silent. It wasn't like he cared about being acknowledged by the woman who'd turned his life into a living hell. Then, the curious onlookers who had been silently watching their argument suddenly became noisy.

"Huh? What's going on?"

Youta and Sora also noticed the commotion, tilting their heads in curiosity. Suddenly, a limousine pulled up near them.

"What—?!"

"Huh?"

A long limousine, the kind usually driven by the rich, appeared out of nowhere. The three of them stood there speechless, staring at it. Then the door of the limo opened, and two women stepped out. One was a very beautiful woman dressed in butler-like attire, and the other was––

"Motohama Shinji... right?"

"Huh?"

It felt like he had heard her voice somewhere before.

She was wearing the school uniform, her sleek, shiny black hair stretching down to her waist. She somehow exuded an overwhelming presence that set her apart from regular people, reminding him of a woman who embodied the feminine virtues of ancient Japan.

Shinji was... captivated. That was the only word that could describe his current state.

She was incredibly beautiful, and her beauty was different from that of model Ai or any of the other women Shinji had seen.

Aside from her looks, he was completely mesmerized by her clear eyes and the soft aura that seemed to gaze directly at him.

While he was lost in his thoughts, Youta's shout snapped him back.

"...She's... Houjou Kaori. The recently transferred girl, and one of the school's top beauties."

Hearing Youta's words, Shinji frowned. That was a name he had recently heard.

Kaori Houjou was the name of the new second-year student who had just transferred to the school. She was described as one of the school's "top beauties" because of her looks. All the boys were smitten by her charm, and it wasn't uncommon for them to try to get close to her in hopes of starting some kind of relationship.

Shinji hadn't had the chance to see her yet, as he had been focused on preparing to face Reynare and meet Rías Gremory. Besides, he had completely forgotten about her.

"Fufu. Don't you remember? I was involved with a group of guys at a convenience store..."

"Eh? A... aaahhh, yes!?"

It came back to him. He had helped a girl from a group of men earlier. Though, to be honest, he had been completely knocked out. At the time, he was so angry at himself that he didn't even notice her face.

"Did you just remember?"

"Y-yeah. Or rather, how did you know my name...?"

"To thank you, Shinji-san, I did some research, thinking I was being rude."

"Eh!?"

Shinji felt cold sweat running down his back. Hearing her say she had researched him, he couldn't help but wonder what she had heard about his past reputation. Meanwhile, the girl tilted her head, as if curious about something.

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"Still... Shinji-san, have you been working out?"

"Eh? Y-yeah."

This was becoming a problem. While he could ignore his brothers, the girl in front of him was a different story. As Shinji thought of how to respond, the woman in the butler outfit spoke.

"Milady, let's set aside the introductions for now and move on to the main topic..."

"You're right!"

With a look that seemed to recall something, the girl opened her mouth and said something absurd with a smile.

"Shinji-san── would you accompany us?"