"Don't worry. I have no interest in you, at least not right now."
Ayato glanced down. "I've seen too much in this world."
"..."
Enju's eyelids twitched.
Damn.
She felt like she was being mocked.
But she had no proof.
So infuriating.
"Phew!"
Taking a deep breath, Enju was about to leave when Ayato slowly said, "But I do have a different kind of interest."
"After all, Aihara Enju, you are a Cursed Child."
'Huh?'
'H-how does he know that?'
Enju's pupils contracted, her body trembling visibly.
'It's over. Everything is over!'
'This person knew my true identity. He would definitely spread it.'
'Then, I definitely wouldn't be able to go to school anymore.'
'No!'
'It was probably already spread.'
'After all, there were so many people here.'
She looked around and froze in place.
Unbeknownst to her...
The entire ice cream parlor was empty.
Even the staff had disappeared.
'What was happening?'
"Don't worry. It's just magic to clear out the crowd. I have no intention of exposing your identity."
"Ah?"
Enju was confused.
'Magic?'
'What a joke.'
'How could such a thing exist?'
'No!''
'None of that mattered.'
'How could I get this man to keep my secret?'
"Don't be so nervous. I an no harm to Cursed Children. And Kohina was one too, before."
Enju was stunned for a mont and instinctively looked at Kohina.
"That's right."
Kohina nodded.
As if to prove it, she twirled a small katana in her hand.
"Really, you were a Cursed Child too?"
Enju's pupils contracted. "Are you a Promoter?"
A Promoter partnered with a Cursed Child to fight Gastrea.
Although Promoters weren't trustworthy either...
But he had used so ans to keep people away, so Enju felt maybe he could be trusted.
At least...
He didn't seem intent on exposing her identity.
"I'm not a Promoter."
Ayato shook his head. "Let introduce myself. My na is Mori Ayato. I'm a Devil."
"Hah?"
Enju's eyes widened. She didn't know what to say.
This answer was as absurd as the 'magic' from before.
'But,'
'If I didn't cooperate, would he get angry?'
'After all, he had leverage over .'
"Oh, a Devil. My first ti eting one."
Ayato: "..."
"You don't have to humor like that. It's fine if you don't believe ."
"If you know no one will believe it, don't give such an absurd setting!"
Enju couldn't help but retort.
'Uh oh.'
She had let her true feelings slip.
"It's true. We really are Devils."
Kohina said sincerely. "Look, these are my Devil's wings."
Whoosh!
The mont her voice fell,
A pair of black wings extended from Kohina's body.
"I see. You're a Cursed Child with bat factor."
Enju nodded matter-of-factly. "At least you weren't lying about her being a Cursed Child."
"But now, can you tell your true purpose?"
"Nothing much. I just want to grant your wish."
Ayato didn't explain further. "After all, as a Devil, that's my job."
"You don't have to keep up that persona."
Enju said helplessly, but couldn't help asking, "But, are you really going to grant my wish?"
"Of course!"
Ayato nodded and smiled. "As long as you agree to a contract."
'I see!'
Enju's eyes lit up. She finally breathed a slight sigh of relief and quickly said, "I want you to never reveal that I'm a Cursed Child."
She wanted to go to school.
She loved her current life.
She didn't want to give it up for anything.
As for any contract, she would agree to it for now.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Enju looked at Ayato, slightly nervous.
Ayato smiled. "That's certainly not difficult."
'Great!'
Getting a definite answer, Enju clenched her small fists.
She stood up and bowed to Ayato. "Then, I thank you."
With that, she turned to leave, but Ayato stopped her. "Wait. Your wish hasn't been granted yet, and you're leaving?"
"Hmm?"
Enju looked surprised. "It's already granted. You just need to keep it a secret."
"Your wish was to not have your identity as a Cursed Child exposed. Even if I don't tell anyone, soone else will eventually find out."
"What can I do about that? I really am a Cursed Child."
"Simple. Just don't be a Cursed Child."
Ayato smiled. "That's not difficult for ."
"..."
Hearing this, Enju's body trembled. Looking at the calm Ayato, her voice trembled. "Can you really do that?"
'No!'
'That's impossible!'
'Ever since we beca Cursed Children, everything was irreversible.'
'If it weren't so...'
'How could so many Cursed Children be holess?'
'But... what if he really could?'
A glimr of unprecedented hope appeared in her eyes.
"Of course."
Ayato looked kindly at Enju. "But the price is becoming my servant."
"I don't know what a servant is."
Enju was silent for a mont before speaking. "But if I agree, can I stop being a Cursed Child?"
"Exactly."
Ayato explained. "From now on, you will have a long lifespan and no longer worry about your Gastrea virus erosion rate increasing."
Kohina agreed. "That's right. Everything Master says is true."
Although she didn't understand much either...
After becoming a Devil, although she kept her abilities, the feeling of being eroded was indeed gone.
'Could he really do it?'
Looking at the earnest Kohina, Enju felt a bit dazed.
'But,'
'What if he really could?'
She took a deep breath and said firmly, "Okay, I agree."
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