Things had changed in high school, but it was clear that their ways of living remained incompatible.
Though Sayuri wasn't one to judge someone else's child, she couldn't ignore how deeply this affected her daughter. She felt the need to protect Eriri, especially after reading Aki's most recent messages.
One message, in particular, caught her eye.
Aki: "And your mother, Sayuri, isn't she a disgusting otaku just like you?"
Aki: "I bet your dad jumped to his death because of you two. Everyone says it was an accident, but I doubt it."
"!!!"
Sayuri's grip on the phone tightened, her expression darkening. She had no interest in mediating a simple dispute between kids anymore. This situation had escalated far beyond a mere childhood disagreement. Aki was now targeting Eriri with cruel, unwarranted accusations.
If he believed Eriri had wronged him, fineSayuri would make sure he received some form of compensation for his emotional distress. But from this point on...
"Eriri, you need to stay away from him," Sayuri said firmly.
There was no longer any reason for the two of them to remain friends. Sayuri made up her mind. She took Eriri's phone and quietly left the room, carefully saving screenshots of the chat logs. She didn't bother replying to Aki's messages and let him continue spewing his venomthose messages would serve as evidence.
"Rei Ao..."
Sayuri made a mental note of the name that seemed to have triggered Aki's breakdown. She needed to find out more about what had happened.
Taking out her own phone, Sayuri dialed the number for one of the teachers at the school.
The next morning, Rei Ao was called to the office by Shizuka Hiratsuka.
Shizuka had originally been trying to avoid Rei Ao. She didn't even dare look in his direction during class, and as soon as it ended, she would leave right away. However, this time, she couldn't escape.
A student's parent wanted to ask Rei Ao about a particular situation, and Shizuka had to be present.
"Rei Ao, this is the mother of Eriri Spencer Sawamura from Class 3-2," Shizuka said, glancing briefly at Sayuri Sawamura. She couldn't help but notice how young she looked. Sayuri looked young enough to be Eriri's sister, not her mother.
"Hello, Rei Ao," Sayuri said warmly, a gentle smile on her face. "I'm Eriri's mother, Sayuri Sawamura."
Rei Ao nodded politely. "Hello, Aunt Sawamura. I'm Rei Ao. May I ask what brings you here?"
Sayuri's gentle eyes studied him carefully. 'What a handsome and refined young man,' she thought, especially drawn to his striking eyes.
Out loud, she got straight to the point. "Do you know Tomoya Aki, Rei Ao?"
Rei Ao had imagined various reasons why Sayuri might want to talk to him, most of them related to Eriri. He hadn't expected her to ask about Tomoya Aki.
"I do," Rei Ao answered calmly.
Sayuri's eyes brightened. "Tomoya Aki was Eriri's childhood friend. I've heard that you two had a conflict. Could you explain what happened?"
"Hmm?" Shizuka was surprised. She had never heard of any such conflict before. She hadn't expected Rei Ao to have an issue with someone.
To avoid any misunderstanding, Sayuri quickly added, "Don't worry, Rei Ao. I'm not here to hold you accountable. Eriri was upset about this yesterday, and since I don't know the details, I wasn't sure how to comfort her. That's why I'm asking."
"I understand your concern for your daughter, Aunt Sawamura," Rei Ao replied. "Here's what happened..."
After a few minutes of explanation, both Sayuri and Shizuka understood the situation.
Shizuka rubbed her temples and added, "I've heard a bit about Tomoya Aki. He tends to impose his passion for ACG culture on others, and his homeroom teacher has had to speak with him about it."
Sayuri nodded. She was aware of Tomoya Aki's personality. Apologetically, she said, "I'm sorry, Rei Ao. It was wrong of me to suspect you based on false assumptions."
She was about to bow deeply in apology, but Rei Ao quickly stopped her with a gentle gesture.
"There's no need for that," Rei Ao said. "I've spoken with Eriri before. If this explanation can help ease her worries, that's all that matters."
Sayuri was impressed by how understanding Rei Ao was. After confirming the details, she said her goodbyes and left.
As Shizuka watched Rei Ao linger in the office, she awkwardly cleared her throat.
"Rei Ao, if there's nothing else, you can go back to class now."
"Sensei," Rei Ao said, stepping closer instead of leaving.
Shizuka instantly tensed up. "W-Why aren't you leaving?"
"Hehe, it feels like you've been avoiding me these past few days, Sensei."
"N-No, I haven't!" Shizuka stammered, unable to meet Rei Ao's gaze.
Once certain thoughts had entered her mind, they wouldn't leave. Ever since she'd fantasized about Rei Ao helping her with 'that' issue, she hadn't been able to stop picturing him. It was why she had been avoiding himevery time she indulged in her fantasies, Rei Ao was the image that popped up.
Rei Ao chuckled softly. "Sensei, you might not know this, but I have a particularly sharp sense of smell."
He reached out and gently grabbed Shizuka's right hand, bringing her middle finger to his nose and inhaling deeply.
"Your fingers have a very distinct scent, Sensei. I wonder what that could be from?" he asked suggestively, his voice dripping with implication.
"!!!"
Shizuka's face flushed bright red. She knew exactly what he was referring to. She quickly pulled her hand away, trying to regain her composure.
"Ahem! Rei Ao, you should go back to class. I need to prepare for my next lesson," she said, grabbing a book and pretending to focus intently on her preparations.
"Alright," Rei Ao said, backing off. He knew when to push and when to stop.
Just as he reached the door, he turned back with a teasing smile. "Oh, by the way, Sensei, your book is upside down."
"!!!"
Shizuka froze. Sure enough, her book was upside down.
"Uh"
By the time she looked up, Rei Ao had already disappeared. She silently turned her book right side up and stared blankly at her hand.
'Thump, thump, thump...'
In the quiet of the office, she could hear her own heart racing. Her mind was in disarray. She couldn't believe she had just been flustered by one of her students.
After a long moment, she let out a deep sigh.
"Sigh What have I gotten myself into"
~~~
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Chapter 80: Human Tempt the Devil
At the corner of the hallway...
"Found you, Rei Ao!!"
A cute little devil jumped out, blocking Rei Ao's path. It was Satania.
"Satania, what do you want with me?" Rei Ao asked, amused. He actually liked this energetic girl, though it wasn't because he liked troublemakersit was because of her looks. Satania was cute, after all...
"Heh heh," Satania grinned mischievously, pointing at Rei Ao with a white, delicate finger. Then, she said something startling.
"Rei Ao, become my servant!"
Ever since that day, Satania had been going on about making Rei Ao her servant. Was she getting a bit too obsessed with him?
Rei Ao, intrigued, asked, "Actually, Satania, I've been wondering. Why do you want me to be your servant?"
"Of course it's because..." Satania paused, putting on a serious face, mimicking someone important. "Every S-rank great demon needs a loyal and powerful servant! You understand, right?"
She blinked expectantly.
"No, I don't," Rei Ao answered without hesitation.
"Eh? But it's a classic saying in the demon world!"
Rei Ao shrugged. "Sorry, I'm not from the demon world, so I've never heard of it."
"Ah... Right. You aren't from the demon world, so that makes sense," Satania mumbled, realizing her mistake. But she didn't give up.
She continued, "A strong servant is a crucial requirement for me, Satania-sama, to become an S-rank great demon. Trust me, once you help me become a great demon, you can have anything you want."
Her tone sounded just like a demon tempting a human. But her next words completely ruined the mood.
Satania proudly added, "Even if you want a whole room full of melon bread, it's no problem!"
To her, nothing in the world could be more satisfying than a room full of melon bread.
Rei Ao wasn't interested in melon bread, though. He was more entertained by Satania's audacitythis human was trying to tempt a demon!
After analyzing her words, Rei Ao came up with an amusing idea.
Pretending to understand, he nodded. "So, you want me to help you become an S-rank great demon, right?"
"Exactly!" Satania exclaimed, excited that Rei Ao was finally getting it.
"So, will you become my servant?"
"I refuse," Rei Ao said flatly.
"Eh?"
"But Satania," Rei Ao continued with a sly grin, "have you ever thought about becoming the most special great demon in the demon world?"
"The most special?" Satania was intrigued.
Rei Ao leaned in with a tempting smile. "For example, if you become my servant, I can make you the most powerful S-rank demon."
"Huh?" Satania was stunned. Her, becoming his servant? It sounded completely backward!
Before she could process it further, Rei Ao pulled her to the side and switched into full persuasion mode.
"You know my identity, don't you, Satania?"
"Uh, yeah, you're an Awakened One, right?"
Rei Ao corrected her. "No, I'm the first Awakened One in the human world."
"Whoa!" Satania's mouth hung open in awe.
"And not just that," Rei Ao continued, "I'm recognized by Heaven, Hell, and the Afterlife. All three worlds."
"!!!"
Satania was floored. That sounded... so impressive!
"Do you know how powerful the first Awakened One is?" Rei Ao asked with a mysterious smile.
With a snap of his fingers, the world seemed to shift.
"Look around," Rei Ao instructed.
Satania glanced around and gasped. "Everyone's... frozen?!"
Everyone in the classroom was stuck in place, as if time had stopped. Not a single person moved or blinked.
"This is called time freeze," Rei Ao explained.
Once his point was made, he returned everything to normal, and the noise of conversations resumed.
"That's amazing!" Satania gasped. "I want to learn that!"
If she had that kind of power, pranking angels would be a breeze!
"I can teach you," Rei Ao said, his voice laced with temptation. "But only if you become my servant."
"Um..." Satania hesitated.
"But how can a future S-rank great demon become someone else's servant?" she muttered.
Rei Ao lowered his conditions a bit. "Alright, how about this: instead of becoming my servant, you become my disciple. I'll teach you how to become a great demon."
"Disciple?" Satania's eyes lit up. That was basically becoming an apprentice!
"Master, please teach me how to become stronger and become a great demon!" she exclaimed, readily agreeing to the new terms.
"Good," Rei Ao said, satisfied that his plan had worked.
Now, for the first step of training: physical contact.
"Now, take my hand," Rei Ao said, holding out his own. "Let me teach you the worst thing humans do."
"The worst?!" Satania gulped nervously, feeling the gravity of the moment.
Slowly, she reached out and took Rei Ao's hand, ready to learn the darkest of secrets.
Rei Ao hesitated for just a second before whispering in her ear.
"The worst thing is... love."
"Love is the worst thing?" Satania repeated, confused.
"Hold onto my hand," Rei Ao instructed.
"Oh, okay," Satania obeyed, still puzzled.
Suddenly, a surge of power flowed through her body, and black energy surrounded her.
If Rei Ao hadn't used his ability to erase their presence from others' perception, the scene would have caused a huge commotion.
When the black energy dissipated, Satania had undergone a transformation.
She was now clad in a sleek black and red armor that radiated power. It was called "Satan."
"Inherent Device: Satan" When used, it grants a significant boost to magical power.
Rei Ao had bestowed this power upon Satania.
[Name]: Satanichia McDowell Kurumizawa
[Level]: 29
[Abilities]: "Dragon Power," "Demonic Magic," "Rei Ao's Blessing," "Inherent Device: Satan"
"Wow! I've gotten stronger?" Satania marveled at her new appearance. She looked so cool!
"Well? Not bad for your first lesson from me, right?" Rei Ao asked.
"Yeah!" Satania blushed, looking down at their intertwined hands. "But... is love really the worst thing?"
She was still confused about that.
Just then, her phone buzzed.
Looking at it, her eyes widened in shock.
[Ding! Your bad deed index has increased. Your allowance has been raised!]
"!!!"
Satania was overjoyed. Her allowance had increasedit must mean the demon world approved of this bad deed!
"Master! Please keep teaching me!" she begged, dropping to her knees in front of Rei Ao.
Rei Ao, satisfied with the outcome, wasn't in any rush. "We'll continue next time. Class is starting soon. You should head back."
"Yes, Master!" Satania was now fully devoted to Rei Ao. Clearly, he was the key to her becoming an S-rank great demon.
He must be like the magical mentor sent by the universe to help her achieve greatness. Although... Rei Ao didn't seem old at all!
Tricking a little devil like Satania didn't make Rei Ao feel guilty in the slightest. After all, he did keep his promise and made her stronger.
As lunchtime approached, Rei Ao sent a message in the group chat.
Rei Ao: "@Mai, library at lunch."
Stella: "?"
Shizu: "What's happening?"
Sui: "No idea."
Stella: "Does something like this need to be said in the group? Honestly."
Saeko Busujima: "Maybe Rei Ao isn't in a convenient situation right now."
Frieren: "Going to the library to study?"
Rei Ao: "Haha, what else can you do in a library besides read and study?"
Frieren: "True."
That wasn't quite accurate. In fact, Rei Ao's question was more rhetoricalwhat else could you do in a library? Of course, simply studying wouldn't be enough, but with the ability to erase others' awareness, well... you could do a lot more.
Guessing what Rei Ao had in mind, Mai squeezed her legs together instinctively and pursed her lips, silently cursing Rei Ao for being such a pervert. Despite her irritation, she still responded in the group chat.
Mai Sakurajima: "Got it."
"..."
While most of the group didn't pick up on their subtle flirting, Megumi Kato, who was nearby, seemed to realize something, watching Rei Ao's back with a complicated expression. Another person who had thoughts about it was Yumiko Miura.
