Issei Hyoudou Meets Himiko Toga

The sky above was choked with thick gray clouds, heavy with the promise of rain. The city around Issei was a twisted mess of concrete and st

The sky above was choked with thick gray clouds, heavy with the promise of rain. The city around Issei was a twisted mess of concrete and steel—broken streetlights flickered weakly, graffiti-covered walls stretched along the narrow alleyways, and the sharp smell of iron and something metallic lingered in the air.

He stood in the middle of an empty street, the faint wail of distant sirens cutting through the silence. His boots crunched over shattered glass as he took a cautious step forward, his light brown eyes scanning the shadows.

“Well, this place is… cheerful,” Issei muttered, posture tense, ready for combat just in case.

This wasn’t the usual kind of world he found himself thrown into. There was a tension here, like the city itself was holding its breath, waiting for something bad to happen.

Then, he felt it.

A prickle on the back of his neck—like someone was watching him, an instinct he gained after many battles.

“Hellooooo~!”

The voice was sing-song, high-pitched, and far too cheerful for the ruined alley he was in.

Before Issei could react, a figure dropped from the fire escape above, landing just a few feet away with cat-like grace. She straightened, and he finally got a good look at her.

A cute petite girl, about the same age as him, with messy, dirty-blonde hair tied into two loose buns. Bright yellow eyes gleamed with excitement, a toothy smile stretching across her face. Her schoolgirl-style outfit looked oddly out of place given the heavy utility belt she wore—filled with knives, syringes, and vials of crimson liquid.

But it was the way she looked at him that made Issei tense, and a bit hot—like he was something shiny she wanted to take apart and keep forever.

“Whoa… you’re cute!” she beamed, tilting her head to the side. 

‘Did a cute girl just compliment him. Act cool!’

Issei blinked. “Uh… thanks?”

The girl twirled a knife between her fingers, though her expression was still disturbingly cheerful. “You’re not from around here, are you? I’d remember someone like you showing up. Kinda hard to miss!”

“Yeah, not exactly local,” Issei replied, already feeling the bad idea vibes radiating from her. “Name’s Issei Hyoudou. And you are…?”

She giggled, her sharp canines flashing. “Toga! Himiko Toga! And oh my gosh, you’re so interesting!”

Issei took a careful step back. “Right. Cool. So, Himiko, do you always jump out of alleys and compliment strangers?”

“Only the cute ones,” she sang, taking a step closer.

Okay. She’s cute, but also definitely crazy.

“Not to be rude or anything, but you’re kinda giving me major serial killer vibes,” Issei said, raising his hands.

She gasped, mock-offended. “Me? A serial killer? Pfft, that’s so rude! I mean… sure, I stab people sometimes. But only when I really, really like them!”

Issei’s brow twitched. “...That’s not better.”

“Aw, come on! You’ve got that cool, dangerous vibe going on? Super hot.” She inched even closer, her smile wide and unhinged. “Tell me—if I stab you just a little, will you show me the color?”

“Y-Yeah, hard pass on that.”

In an instant, she lunged—faster than he expected. Her knife gleamed as it slashed toward him, but after Issei’s travels into other worlds. A girl with a knife wasn't the hardest fight he had.

He sidestepped the attack, grabbing her wrist mid-swing. Her yellow eyes widened—but instead of fear or anger, they sparkled with excitement.

“Ooooh, you’re strong!” she squealed.

Issei flung her back, sending her skidding across the pavement. She twisted in the air and landed in a crouch, laughing.

“You’re so much fun!”

“Lady, I think your definition of fun and mine are wildly different!” Issei snapped.

But Toga didn’t seem deterred. In fact, she looked thrilled.

“You’re not like the boring heroes here,” she purred. “You’re different. Weird. I like weird.”

Issei groaned as that made her cuter in his eyes. “Of course you do.”

For a tense moment, they stared each other down—her knife glinting in the low light.

Then, with another giggle, she blew him a kiss. “I’ll see you around, Ise~!”

Before he could say anything, she vanished into the shadows, leaving him standing there—confused, mildly terrified, and very much regretting this jump.

He exhaled deeply. “Sherri? Next time, just throw me into a world with less crazy girls, okay?”

“You say that, but you always end up attracting them anyway.”

“…Yeah. Fair point.”