Just as Rei Ao returned ho, Mai Sakurajima jumped into his arms and kissed him fervently. They held each other at the entrance for quite a while before Mai finally pulled away, leaving Rei Ao with a satisfied grin, wiping his mouth as he looked at her with amusent.
"What's this?" he asked, "Checking if I brought back anyone else's scent?"
Mai's body stiffened, clearly caught off guard, but she quickly replied, unfazed, "Hmph. Even if there was another scent, I'd make sure to cover it with mine right away."
Her serious expression showed that even if she couldn't make Rei Ao belong only to her, she'd ensure that he was fully present when he was with her. It was a unique mix of possessiveness and acceptance.
"Oh?" Rei Ao raised an eyebrow at her statent, then placed his hands gently on her shoulders, signaling her to kneel down.
"What is it?" Mai followed his guidance, her gaze questioning him. But before she could process what he intended, her view was suddenly obscured, and she felt his touch on her face as he leaned in with a playful tone, "Since you insist, why don't you double-check?"
Without giving Mai any chance to respond, he went ahead.
…
anwhile, in another vast world, an entirely different scene unfolded—an all-out war among humans, dragons, and divine beings.
"Roar!!"
The thunderous roar of a green dragon echoed across the battlefield. With a mouthful of flas spewing from a conjured magic circle, the dragon set ablaze a group of armored figures soaring through the sky.
The battleground was pure chaos, filled with dragons, humans, and divinely armored warriors fighting for supremacy.
"!!!"
The green dragon, Tohru, montarily distracted, barely avoided a fatal strike from a divine warrior's blade. She snarled in frustration, her voice seething with anger.
"A chat group? What on earth is this? Don't interrupt my battle!"
This was a war for survival among species—victory ant life; defeat, death. Annoyed, Tohru ignored the mysterious ssages popping into her mind, focusing intently on her enemies.
"Damn gods! Die!" she roared, plunging back into the thick of battle.
…
On both sides of the battlefield, intense clashes raged on.
One side saw Rei Ao locked in a fierce battle with Mai, while Tohru clashed with the divine beings. anwhile, far away, Haruno Yukinoshita fought a different struggle—one against herself.
She sat, biting her right thumbnail as she stared at the thermal imaging screen, her eyes glued to the movent there. She watched intently as the larger heat signature finally left her sister Yukino's apartnt, leaving Yukino alone, standing in the living room.
Inside, Haruno's emotions clashed in turmoil. Part of her wanted to think optimistically, that maybe the visitor was just a friend or neighbor. Yet a darker thought countered, whispering that this person might actually be a man Yukino was hiding. Could this be one reason Yukino had left ho? It was, after all, the worst possibility her mind could conjure.
"If I charge over there now, it'll just scare them off…" she thought, frustrated, staring at her phone as she fought the urge to call. After a full ten minutes of restraint, she finally dialed Yukino's number.
"Hello, sister…" Yukino's voice sounded weary and distant.
The fatigue and resignation in Yukino's voice took Haruno aback—she had never heard her sound this way. She wanted to ask Yukino what was wrong, but instead, Haruno forced herself to act casual. "Oh? My Yukino-chan sounds exhausted… Don't tell you're getting up to adult activities by yourself?"
Haruno's words, suggestive and teasing, would usually earn a sharp retort or a flash of anger from her sister. This ti, though, Yukino only sighed out a weak "Oh…"
Haruno's heart sank. Yukino was clearly unwell. Images flooded her mind of her sister having a painful, tearful conversation, left heartbroken by so faceless stranger.
*Snap.*
The pen in Haruno's hand snapped, the sharp plastic digging into her skin. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Haruno forced a gentler tone. "Alright, well, you should rest, then. I'll co see you in a few days."
"Mm…"
Yukino's response was barely audible before she hung up, leaving Haruno with a dark look in her eyes. Whatever or whoever had caused her sister pain, she would find them and make them pay.
But Haruno's entire understanding of the situation was based on a tangled web of misinterpretations. She had let her emotions cloud her judgnt, leading to a completely wrong conclusion.
For Yukino, it wasn't a heartbreak. She was simply exhausted, ntally drained from reading the chat records in the group and coming to grips with a new reality.
Draped in a loose sweater, Yukino lay sprawled on her bed—a rare lapse from her usual composed self. She stared blankly at the ceiling light, her mind awash with thoughts of "Heaven," "Hell," "Otherworld," "Afterworld," and so on.
So her innocent-looking underclassn, Gabriel and Raphiel, were really angels. The school nickna "angel transfer students" had been spot on all along. She wondered what the other students would think if they knew.
Yukino's mind was overwheld by this whirlwind of information. On top of it, she now had warnings of "man-eating monsters."
Just the thought was chilling, and she resolved not to step outside at night anymore. She couldn't bring herself to think about it any longer, though; she just wanted to close her eyes and rest.
As her eyes drifted shut, she hoped, just for a mont, that she would wake up to a normal world again, where this was all just a dream.
Once again, Yukino Yukinoshita found herself wanting to escape from reality.
…
At Yui Yuigahama's ho.
A woman who looked very similar to Yui, but with a more mature and fuller figure, raised her brows as she watched her daughter hum a cheerful tune ever since returning ho.
"Yui, did sothing nice happen today?"
"Hehe, yes, Mom!" Yui replied with a giggle.
The woman was Yui's mother, and she was now intrigued by what her daughter was so happy about.
With a gentle smile, she guessed, "Could it be…you've got yourself a boyfriend?"
"Eh?" Yui froze, frantically waving her hands. "No, no way! I an, how could I have a boyfriend?"
Mrs. Yuigahama only chuckled knowingly. She knew her daughter well, and this reaction alone suggested that if she didn't have a boyfriend, then sothing had certainly happened with a boy she liked.
She didn't mind; her daughter was certainly old enough for those feelings. Still, there was one thing she felt the need to ntion.
"Yui, just rember, whatever happens, it's important to have the proper…precautions."
Yui's mother completely missed her daughter's deepening blush as she added thoughtfully, "I can pick up a few things for you tomorrow, just in case you can't find them when you need them."
"Mom!" Yui squeaked, letting out a sound like a small, wounded animal.
"Oh, and—"
"M-Mom, what are you even talking about!" Yui's embarrassnt exploded as she cried out, "I'm going to my room to do howork!"
She practically sprinted to her room, slamming the door shut behind her.
Mrs. Yuigahama sighed, shaking her head. Her advice was well-intentioned; she just didn't want her daughter to have regrets. But as she thought about it, her own cheeks flushed a little.
*Sigh.* And here she was, giving advice she barely had experience with herself.
"Oh well," she muttered. "Yui will have to figure things out herself."
Inside her room, Yui stared at a picture of Rei she'd saved on her phone, lost in thought. Her heart was still racing.
"Am I…actually falling for him?"
…
One day between classes.
gumi Kato tugged gently on Rei Ao's arm. "Rei Ao, there's a girl from a lower grade here to see you."
"A lower grade?"
Rei Ao looked out the window, spotting Satania leaning over the ledge, waving.
"Master!" she called.
As soon as he stepped outside, Satania hurried over, practically bouncing.
"Satania, what brings you here now?"
"Master… um…" She blushed, twiddling her fingers. "Do I…do I really have to learn about…l-love?"
Rei Ao could tell she was embarrassed, probably from whatever she'd read about romance.
Rei Ao shook his head with a small smile. "Of course, it's not required."
He had his fun teasing her, but he still had *so* boundaries.
"Though," he added lightly, "if you ever want to learn more about the 'worst thing' we talked about, you're welco to co by my place."
"O-okay, Master. I understand."
Satania stamred, blushing deeply before she scurried away.
Rei Ao chuckled quietly to himself, already certain Satania would take him up on the offer.
…
As Rei Ao had expected, Satania arrived—late at night, no less. And she wasn't alone; Vignette had co along as well.
"Waaaah, Master, that mangy mutt stole my lon bread again!" Satania whimpered. That "evil dog" had once more taken her beloved snack. "I need you to teach how to defeat her!"
As for Vignette, she had her own request. "Rei Ao, I heard from Satania that you have a way to teach people how to do 'bad things.' Could you teach ?"
Vignette explained her situation earnestly: her allowance was nearly gone. She had to do sothing "bad" if she wanted to make ends et in the human world, but her gentle nature made that rather difficult.
Watching the two cute… demons, Mai Sakurajima's curiosity got the best of her, and she asked, "Tsukinose-san, why exactly do you need to do 'bad things'?"
In her mind, demons were usually involved in temptations or more sinister acts, so it was hard to imagine these sweet-looking girls doing anything like that.
Vignette smiled, shaking her head patiently. "Oh, just call Vignette, Mai." She felt reluctant to explain, but Rei Ao reassured her.
"Actually, there's no need to worry," he said, glancing between the two demons. "Mai has awakened abilities too, even if only temporarily."
Mai blinked in surprise, raising her hand to show the faint outline of dragon scales.
"They look a lot like mine!" Satania added, holding up her hand to reveal the sa red dragon scales.
"What?" Vignette was stunned, looking at Satania. "Satania, how on earth did you get dragon powers?"
Satania scratched her head with a goofy smile. "Oh, Master gave these powers!"
Vignette's eyes drifted toward Rei Ao, astonishnt on her face.
"Could it be… Rei Ao?"
Rei Ao simply revealed his dragon-like eyes, and a powerful aura washed over Vignette, sending a chill down her spine. Just as quickly as it appeared, though, it faded.
"As you can see, I possess this kind of power," he said calmly.
Vignette was completely taken aback. Rei Ao not only wielded incredible dragon powers himself but could grant those powers to others as well. It was beyond anything she could imagine!
"Alright, I won't hide it anymore," she sighed. Her eyes closed briefly, and when they opened again, small horns appeared on her head, wings sprouted from her back, and a tail extended behind her. "Actually, Satania and I are demons."
Mai wasn't shocked, having already suspected sothing. Her curiosity only grew. "So, you have to do bad things just because you're demons?"
Vignette shook her head. "It's more of a rule in the demon realm," she explained. "We have to follow human society's rules while we're here, of course, and that includes making our own money."
"But our main source of allowance still cos from the demon realm. The more bad deeds we do, the more we receive."
"That's… quite a system!" Mai exclaid, astonished. The demon realm seed strangely modernized in so ways.
"Then, how much allowance do you have now, Vignette?"
"Ha! Vignette's is so low because she does way too many good deeds," Satania chid in, laughing heartily.
Vignette blushed, both embarrassed and frustrated. "A-and that's exactly why I ca to Rei Ao for help."
A demon doing too much good to the point of almost going broke—it was hard for anyone to hold back a chuckle at the irony.
~~~
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